1 00:00:07,880 --> 00:00:10,910 S1: When some Christians hear the word Muslim, their knee jerk 2 00:00:10,910 --> 00:00:14,900 S1: response is concerned fear, maybe even resentment. But when the 3 00:00:14,900 --> 00:00:18,470 S1: Bible says God so loved the world, he includes Muslims 4 00:00:18,470 --> 00:00:22,400 S1: and God is doing amazing, in some cases miraculous things 5 00:00:22,400 --> 00:00:26,450 S1: throughout the Muslim world, especially in the Middle East. Coming up, 6 00:00:26,450 --> 00:00:29,660 S1: an update on God's work in the Muslim world. Join 7 00:00:29,660 --> 00:00:31,860 S1: us now for the land and the book. The one 8 00:00:31,860 --> 00:00:34,129 S1: hour flyover of the Middle East with our host, Doctor 9 00:00:34,130 --> 00:00:38,479 S1: Charlie Dyer, noted Old Testament scholar, frequent traveler to Israel. Charlie, 10 00:00:38,479 --> 00:00:39,440 S1: good to connect with you. 11 00:00:39,470 --> 00:00:41,660 S2: John, it's always good to be talking to you. 12 00:00:41,659 --> 00:00:43,339 S1: And as I look at the calendar, I note that 13 00:00:43,340 --> 00:00:46,159 S1: Passover will soon be upon us. One of the traditional 14 00:00:46,159 --> 00:00:50,390 S1: Passover questions is what makes this night different from all others? 15 00:00:50,390 --> 00:00:53,810 S1: Passover is just an important biblical holiday that has great 16 00:00:53,810 --> 00:00:57,709 S1: meaning for Jewish people and believers in Jesus. And this 17 00:00:57,710 --> 00:01:00,020 S1: is a really good question to ask. It seems to me. 18 00:01:00,170 --> 00:01:01,910 S2: It is a good question to ask. And if you 19 00:01:01,910 --> 00:01:05,209 S2: want to learn more about what makes Passover so special, well, 20 00:01:05,240 --> 00:01:07,610 S2: our friends at Life in Messiah are offering to mail 21 00:01:07,610 --> 00:01:11,600 S2: you a free copy of their Messianic Passover Haggadah. The 22 00:01:11,600 --> 00:01:14,539 S2: booklet will lead you through the celebration of Passover to 23 00:01:14,569 --> 00:01:17,780 S2: see the rich connections to Jesus, our Messiah, and the 24 00:01:17,780 --> 00:01:20,870 S2: Last Supper. You'll also receive a link for an interactive 25 00:01:20,870 --> 00:01:24,709 S2: Passover Seder video with the Haggadah and video. You can 26 00:01:24,709 --> 00:01:28,580 S2: celebrate Passover this year with your family and friends. Now 27 00:01:28,580 --> 00:01:31,610 S2: to get this free offer, just go to life in Messiah. 28 00:01:31,819 --> 00:01:34,100 S2: Org and click on the Moody Radio button there to 29 00:01:34,130 --> 00:01:37,699 S2: find out more and to request your copy. That's life 30 00:01:37,730 --> 00:01:39,830 S2: in messiah.org. 31 00:01:39,860 --> 00:01:42,290 S1: Well, let's swing our focus toward current events in the 32 00:01:42,290 --> 00:01:45,710 S1: Middle East. And of course, earlier this week, Israel launched 33 00:01:45,709 --> 00:01:49,490 S1: a surprise series of airstrikes against Hamas. What was the 34 00:01:49,490 --> 00:01:52,370 S1: purpose of this attack? And and what does this mean 35 00:01:52,370 --> 00:01:55,130 S1: for the war with Hamas? Has it now resumed? 36 00:01:55,160 --> 00:01:57,920 S2: Well, the immediate purpose for the surprise attack was to 37 00:01:57,980 --> 00:02:01,790 S2: disrupt Hamas's leadership and to pressure the group into releasing 38 00:02:01,790 --> 00:02:05,960 S2: the remaining hostages. The attack was successful in eliminating several 39 00:02:05,990 --> 00:02:10,460 S2: key political and military leaders from Hamas and Islamic Jihad. 40 00:02:10,639 --> 00:02:13,730 S2: Hamas is claiming that by attacking Israel broke the cease 41 00:02:13,760 --> 00:02:16,580 S2: fire that was in place, but since the first phase 42 00:02:16,580 --> 00:02:19,639 S2: of that deal ended on March 1st, Hamas has refused 43 00:02:19,639 --> 00:02:23,870 S2: to release additional Israelis being held. Instead, they've been using 44 00:02:23,870 --> 00:02:27,590 S2: the time to rebuild their infrastructure. Israel now faces, though, 45 00:02:27,590 --> 00:02:30,919 S2: a key decision will they resume ground operations in Gaza, 46 00:02:30,919 --> 00:02:34,220 S2: or will they continue striking from the air to pressure Hamas? 47 00:02:34,250 --> 00:02:37,280 S2: The air campaign isn't as effective, and it allows Hamas 48 00:02:37,280 --> 00:02:40,399 S2: to play the role of victim by displaying the bodies 49 00:02:40,400 --> 00:02:43,700 S2: of non-combatants killed in the strikes. The world is already 50 00:02:43,700 --> 00:02:47,120 S2: starting to condemn Israel for the attacks, but many in 51 00:02:47,120 --> 00:02:49,790 S2: Israel are weary of the war, and a ground incursion 52 00:02:49,790 --> 00:02:54,110 S2: will result in additional Israeli casualties. There's currently a fierce 53 00:02:54,110 --> 00:02:57,239 S2: debate going on in Israel between those who believe only 54 00:02:57,240 --> 00:03:00,630 S2: force will get Hamas to release the hostages, and those 55 00:03:00,630 --> 00:03:04,620 S2: who argue Hamas will respond by killing the remaining hostages. 56 00:03:04,650 --> 00:03:07,170 S2: The one thing that's certain, though, is Hamas will try 57 00:03:07,169 --> 00:03:10,590 S2: to use the situation to their advantage, unless Israel can 58 00:03:10,590 --> 00:03:12,270 S2: present a united front. 59 00:03:12,300 --> 00:03:14,220 S1: Well, Charlie, to the point that you've raised, do you 60 00:03:14,220 --> 00:03:17,940 S1: think this does result in any slight more willingness on 61 00:03:17,940 --> 00:03:21,570 S1: the part of Hamas to consider releasing additional hostages? 62 00:03:22,020 --> 00:03:25,710 S2: Publicly, they would say no. Privately, if Hamas sees that 63 00:03:25,710 --> 00:03:28,560 S2: it's losing its grip on power, then they'll be willing 64 00:03:28,590 --> 00:03:31,290 S2: to negotiate. And I do think that those who are 65 00:03:31,290 --> 00:03:35,220 S2: saying that Hamas only understands force are probably correct. 66 00:03:35,250 --> 00:03:38,940 S1: Story number two Israel is facing a March 31st deadline 67 00:03:38,940 --> 00:03:41,610 S1: on a number of crucial votes in the Knesset, including 68 00:03:41,610 --> 00:03:45,360 S1: the budget, a military draft bill for the ultra-Orthodox and 69 00:03:45,360 --> 00:03:48,750 S1: judicial reform. What might we expect to see happen over 70 00:03:48,750 --> 00:03:50,100 S1: these days, Charlie? 71 00:03:50,130 --> 00:03:52,290 S2: You know, sadly, if you watch our Congress, you'll see 72 00:03:52,290 --> 00:03:55,710 S2: something similar. Just expect to see absolute chaos as the 73 00:03:55,730 --> 00:03:58,940 S2: current coalition tries to push through all these key bills 74 00:03:58,940 --> 00:04:02,510 S2: in the short time remaining. Here's one example. The judicial 75 00:04:02,510 --> 00:04:06,860 S2: reform bill, which increases political control over the appointment of judges, 76 00:04:06,860 --> 00:04:11,840 S2: has to first deal with over 71,000 specific objections that 77 00:04:11,840 --> 00:04:15,140 S2: were filed by the opposition. Now, these procedural matters were 78 00:04:15,140 --> 00:04:18,140 S2: mainly designed to delay the bill from coming to a vote. 79 00:04:18,140 --> 00:04:20,960 S2: And then there's the budget. By law, the budget has 80 00:04:20,960 --> 00:04:23,930 S2: to be approved by March 31st, or the Knesset is 81 00:04:23,930 --> 00:04:27,589 S2: automatically dissolved and new elections have to be called. The 82 00:04:27,589 --> 00:04:30,560 S2: ultra-Orthodox parties have said they won't vote to approve the 83 00:04:30,589 --> 00:04:34,279 S2: budget unless the Knesset first approves a law exempting the 84 00:04:34,279 --> 00:04:38,539 S2: majority of the ultra-Orthodox from being drafted. Their opposition to 85 00:04:38,570 --> 00:04:41,960 S2: the budget could cause the current coalition to collapse if 86 00:04:41,960 --> 00:04:44,960 S2: they follow through on that threat. Even with Ben-Gvir and 87 00:04:44,960 --> 00:04:48,349 S2: his party now reentering the coalition, the vote could still 88 00:04:48,350 --> 00:04:52,430 S2: be razor thin. The majority of Israelis believe all Israelis, 89 00:04:52,430 --> 00:04:55,839 S2: including the ultra-Orthodox, need to do their part to share 90 00:04:55,839 --> 00:04:59,050 S2: in the burden of military service. And as if these 91 00:04:59,050 --> 00:05:02,200 S2: major issues aren't enough, well, there's also the discussion over 92 00:05:02,200 --> 00:05:05,049 S2: the firing of the current attorney general and the head 93 00:05:05,050 --> 00:05:09,909 S2: of Shin Bet, Israel's security services, who opposed Prime Minister Netanyahu. 94 00:05:09,940 --> 00:05:13,839 S2: Each of these moves will also generate additional controversy and 95 00:05:13,839 --> 00:05:17,589 S2: legal challenges. The current session of the Knesset extends to 96 00:05:17,620 --> 00:05:20,229 S2: April 2nd, so there will likely be an attempt to 97 00:05:20,260 --> 00:05:24,130 S2: prioritize getting the budget passed by the March 31st deadline, 98 00:05:24,130 --> 00:05:27,159 S2: and then to finalize any other remaining items in whatever 99 00:05:27,160 --> 00:05:31,480 S2: time is left. Opposition parties are already testing the water, 100 00:05:31,480 --> 00:05:35,650 S2: looking toward new elections should the current coalition collapse. 101 00:05:35,680 --> 00:05:38,020 S1: It's the land and the book from Moody Radio with 102 00:05:38,020 --> 00:05:40,750 S1: our host, Charlie Dyer. I'm John Gager, and as always 103 00:05:40,750 --> 00:05:42,730 S1: in this opening segment, we take a look at current 104 00:05:42,730 --> 00:05:46,630 S1: events and what's behind them. Syria's interim president signed into 105 00:05:46,660 --> 00:05:51,820 S1: law a new constitution enshrining Islamic rule. What impact will 106 00:05:51,850 --> 00:05:53,860 S1: this decision have on Syria. 107 00:05:53,890 --> 00:05:57,190 S2: Well, the decision to adopt a new constitution so quickly, 108 00:05:57,190 --> 00:06:01,330 S2: especially one enshrining Islamic rule, threatens to undo the new 109 00:06:01,330 --> 00:06:04,840 S2: president's earlier attempts to promote unity. Less than a week 110 00:06:04,839 --> 00:06:08,170 S2: after the Kurds and Druze agreed to join the government, 111 00:06:08,170 --> 00:06:12,640 S2: both groups appeared dissatisfied with the new constitution. The Kurdish 112 00:06:12,640 --> 00:06:17,200 S2: led group governing northeastern Syria rejected the new constitution outright 113 00:06:17,200 --> 00:06:20,290 S2: and called for it to be rewritten. Their main concern 114 00:06:20,290 --> 00:06:22,299 S2: is that it doesn't go far enough to protect the 115 00:06:22,300 --> 00:06:26,770 S2: rights of Syria's diverse communities. It simply replaces one form 116 00:06:26,770 --> 00:06:31,180 S2: of authoritarianism with another. The brutal murder of thousands of 117 00:06:31,180 --> 00:06:35,380 S2: Alawites by jihadist fighters connected to the new regime should 118 00:06:35,380 --> 00:06:38,560 S2: serve as an exclamation point on the danger posed by 119 00:06:38,560 --> 00:06:43,000 S2: another Islamic extremist government in that area. In Geneva, the 120 00:06:43,029 --> 00:06:46,780 S2: UN special envoy for Syria did urge Syria's new leaders 121 00:06:46,779 --> 00:06:50,529 S2: to form an inclusive transitional government and to investigate the 122 00:06:50,529 --> 00:06:54,490 S2: recent sectarian violence, but it's unclear if anything has actually 123 00:06:54,490 --> 00:06:57,460 S2: been done. This new leader of Syria has switched from 124 00:06:57,460 --> 00:07:01,000 S2: wearing military fatigues to wearing a suit, and has swapped 125 00:07:01,000 --> 00:07:05,170 S2: his jihadist nom de guerre, Abu Mohammad Al-julani for his 126 00:07:05,170 --> 00:07:09,700 S2: own real name, Ahmed Ashara. But only time will tell 127 00:07:09,730 --> 00:07:13,030 S2: if these actions are part of a genuine change in focus, 128 00:07:13,030 --> 00:07:16,900 S2: or just an attempt to repackage the jihadist brand to 129 00:07:16,930 --> 00:07:20,350 S2: deceive the West while they continue to consolidate power. 130 00:07:20,380 --> 00:07:23,830 S1: Story number four the confirmation hearing for Mike Huckabee to 131 00:07:23,860 --> 00:07:27,430 S1: be the next U.S. ambassador to Israel has been delayed 132 00:07:27,430 --> 00:07:30,880 S1: until this coming week. I've read just a bit about this, Charlie, 133 00:07:30,880 --> 00:07:33,880 S1: but what is really causing the delay? And can anything 134 00:07:33,910 --> 00:07:35,679 S1: be done to help move it forward? 135 00:07:35,710 --> 00:07:38,830 S2: Well, apparently the delay is being caused by opposition to 136 00:07:38,860 --> 00:07:42,010 S2: Governor Huckabee on the part of some Democratic lawmakers and 137 00:07:42,010 --> 00:07:46,510 S2: the liberal Jewish community. Huckabee's strong pro-Israel stance, along with 138 00:07:46,510 --> 00:07:49,900 S2: his willingness to use terms like Judea and Samaria rather 139 00:07:49,900 --> 00:07:53,320 S2: than West Bank, upset those who are not as supportive 140 00:07:53,320 --> 00:07:56,050 S2: of Israel. In addition, there are some who object to 141 00:07:56,080 --> 00:08:00,280 S2: having an evangelical Christian rather than someone who's Jewish, serving 142 00:08:00,280 --> 00:08:03,610 S2: as US ambassador to Israel. Now, I find this sad, 143 00:08:03,640 --> 00:08:06,790 S2: because Governor Huckabee has shown himself to be a strong 144 00:08:06,790 --> 00:08:10,240 S2: friend and supporter of the nation of Israel. Now, thankfully, 145 00:08:10,240 --> 00:08:14,020 S2: there are some, like Democratic Senator John Fetterman from Pennsylvania, 146 00:08:14,020 --> 00:08:17,320 S2: who seem willing to reach across the aisle and support 147 00:08:17,350 --> 00:08:22,810 S2: Huckabee's nomination. Most Israelis appreciate his consistent support, including his 148 00:08:22,810 --> 00:08:25,840 S2: willingness to take a stand for the Jewish people following 149 00:08:25,870 --> 00:08:30,820 S2: Hamas's brutal attack on October 7th. So what can we do? Well, first, 150 00:08:30,820 --> 00:08:33,340 S2: we need to be praying for his confirmation hearing, which 151 00:08:33,340 --> 00:08:36,460 S2: is now scheduled to begin this coming week. And if 152 00:08:36,460 --> 00:08:39,790 S2: you feel led to write to your senators expressing support 153 00:08:39,790 --> 00:08:44,380 S2: for having Governor Huckabee appointed as our ambassador to Israel. 154 00:08:44,410 --> 00:08:48,280 S1: Well, an Israeli startup has developed an artificial intelligence system 155 00:08:48,280 --> 00:08:52,840 S1: to help airports dramatically reduce flight delays by 50%. Well, 156 00:08:52,840 --> 00:08:55,690 S1: that sounds good to me, Charlie. How exactly does this 157 00:08:55,690 --> 00:08:57,070 S1: new system work, though? 158 00:08:57,100 --> 00:08:59,590 S2: Yeah, I'm with you, John. As a frustrated flyer, this 159 00:08:59,590 --> 00:09:02,920 S2: story definitely got my attention. Anyone who's done a lot 160 00:09:02,950 --> 00:09:06,580 S2: of flying, especially recently, knows that flight disruptions and delays 161 00:09:06,580 --> 00:09:09,880 S2: have increased over the last few years. And that's where 162 00:09:09,880 --> 00:09:15,939 S2: this Jerusalem based startup called Intel Act. Intel Capital Act 163 00:09:16,030 --> 00:09:19,300 S2: might just be the right technology program at the right time, 164 00:09:19,300 --> 00:09:24,400 S2: using artificial intelligence and a video classification algorithm that integrates 165 00:09:24,400 --> 00:09:28,900 S2: with an airport's IT platform and their CCTV infrastructure, it 166 00:09:28,900 --> 00:09:32,560 S2: detects service anomalies in real time to predict and resolve 167 00:09:32,590 --> 00:09:37,000 S2: bottlenecks and service delays. It also tracks every step in 168 00:09:37,000 --> 00:09:40,300 S2: the turnaround process, from cleaning a plane to unloading and 169 00:09:40,300 --> 00:09:45,730 S2: loading cargo, refueling, restocking supplies, unloading and loading passengers, and 170 00:09:45,730 --> 00:09:49,150 S2: then at each step, it provides actionable steps to improve 171 00:09:49,150 --> 00:09:52,900 S2: that time. Now, while it can't resolve every problem like 172 00:09:52,900 --> 00:09:56,860 S2: weather delays or equipment malfunctions, it can help smooth out 173 00:09:56,860 --> 00:10:00,910 S2: the on time arrival and departure schedule. After testing the 174 00:10:00,910 --> 00:10:04,000 S2: system in Tel Aviv with El Al, the company has 175 00:10:04,000 --> 00:10:07,390 S2: signed a large contract to deploy the system at three 176 00:10:07,420 --> 00:10:10,720 S2: major airports in Europe. They've also signed on to do 177 00:10:10,720 --> 00:10:15,250 S2: a pilot program at Miami International Airport here in the States. Someday, 178 00:10:15,250 --> 00:10:17,800 S2: and hopefully soon, you'll be able to head to the 179 00:10:17,800 --> 00:10:21,130 S2: airport with greater assurance that your flight will depart and 180 00:10:21,130 --> 00:10:24,880 S2: arrive on time. With help from the artificial intelligence software 181 00:10:24,880 --> 00:10:29,140 S2: program developed by intellect out of Amazing Israel. 182 00:10:29,170 --> 00:10:31,300 S1: So you're saying, Charlie, not only might we be able 183 00:10:31,300 --> 00:10:33,280 S1: to fly the friendly skies, but they might be the 184 00:10:33,280 --> 00:10:34,900 S1: timely skies as well. 185 00:10:34,929 --> 00:10:36,430 S2: Oh, let's hope so, John. 186 00:10:36,460 --> 00:10:39,250 S1: And that's a look at current events. Thank you Charlie. Well, 187 00:10:39,280 --> 00:10:40,569 S1: you know, a lot of people have a knee jerk 188 00:10:40,570 --> 00:10:44,380 S1: reaction to the rise of Islam in their neighborhoods. But 189 00:10:44,380 --> 00:10:46,630 S1: God so loved the world, and we're about to get 190 00:10:46,630 --> 00:10:49,000 S1: some updated stories on what God is doing in the 191 00:10:49,000 --> 00:10:51,550 S1: Muslim world. In the Middle East, stories you'll be sharing 192 00:10:51,550 --> 00:10:54,490 S1: around the dinner table tonight, right here on the land 193 00:10:54,490 --> 00:11:11,710 S1: and the book. When some Christians hear the word Muslim, 194 00:11:11,710 --> 00:11:16,270 S1: their knee jerk response is concerned fear, maybe even resentment. 195 00:11:16,300 --> 00:11:19,000 S1: When the Bible says God so loved the world, he 196 00:11:19,000 --> 00:11:22,240 S1: intended that to include Muslims. Every last one of them. 197 00:11:22,270 --> 00:11:24,280 S1: And the headline that many of us seem to miss 198 00:11:24,309 --> 00:11:28,030 S1: is that God is doing amazing, in some cases, miraculous 199 00:11:28,059 --> 00:11:32,230 S1: things throughout the Muslim world and including the Middle East, 200 00:11:32,230 --> 00:11:35,470 S1: where we're headed next for an on the ground update. Hey, 201 00:11:35,470 --> 00:11:37,390 S1: I'm glad you've joined us today for the land of 202 00:11:37,390 --> 00:11:39,880 S1: the book. Pretty sure that you'll feel the same way 203 00:11:39,880 --> 00:11:42,310 S1: after you hear the encouraging stories coming your way. In 204 00:11:42,309 --> 00:11:45,280 S1: this segment, I'm John Gager, and before we start with 205 00:11:45,280 --> 00:11:48,099 S1: story number one, here's a quick thought about how you 206 00:11:48,100 --> 00:11:51,160 S1: and I can lovingly share Jesus with the Muslim friends 207 00:11:51,160 --> 00:11:54,310 S1: that are at work in our neighborhood, maybe down the street. 208 00:11:54,760 --> 00:11:57,220 S1: So you'd like to reach out to a muslim coworker 209 00:11:57,220 --> 00:12:01,480 S1: or friend or neighbor, but the hijab itself just scares you, 210 00:12:01,480 --> 00:12:05,020 S1: intimidates you. What do you do? Lina Abujamra, born in Lebanon, 211 00:12:05,020 --> 00:12:08,170 S1: is a pediatric ER doctor, author of resolved. What do 212 00:12:08,170 --> 00:12:08,650 S1: we do? 213 00:12:08,679 --> 00:12:11,470 S3: Ask the story behind the person. I mean, I think 214 00:12:11,470 --> 00:12:14,050 S3: this is the number one breaker of walls. 215 00:12:14,080 --> 00:12:15,459 S1: Wait, you can't say, why are you wearing that? 216 00:12:15,490 --> 00:12:17,650 S3: No. That's the story of the life of the person, 217 00:12:17,650 --> 00:12:19,810 S3: not about the hijab that comes after, you know, you 218 00:12:19,809 --> 00:12:21,490 S3: can ask them, hey, you know what? Why do you 219 00:12:21,490 --> 00:12:23,080 S3: wear this hijab? I think so many of us are 220 00:12:23,080 --> 00:12:26,380 S3: afraid to ask the obvious. When we were intense ministering 221 00:12:26,380 --> 00:12:29,740 S3: in Lebanon recently, we sat down and the Arab woman 222 00:12:29,740 --> 00:12:33,550 S3: asked my American team, ask us questions and my guide, 223 00:12:33,550 --> 00:12:35,199 S3: who was with us, kind of the middle person who's 224 00:12:35,200 --> 00:12:37,089 S3: always there, had warned us, you know, just kind of 225 00:12:37,120 --> 00:12:39,280 S3: go with the flow. But the women are begging us, 226 00:12:39,309 --> 00:12:42,250 S3: ask us questions about our lives, ask us who we are. 227 00:12:42,340 --> 00:12:45,240 S3: So try to ignore that hijab and get to know 228 00:12:45,240 --> 00:12:47,130 S3: the person behind it. What do you need to ask? 229 00:12:47,160 --> 00:12:49,439 S3: Ask about their kids. Ask about their husbands. Ask them 230 00:12:49,440 --> 00:12:51,359 S3: where they're from. Ask them what they like to do 231 00:12:51,360 --> 00:12:52,110 S3: for fun. 232 00:12:52,140 --> 00:12:55,500 S1: Lina. That sounds remarkably like a normal conversation. 233 00:12:56,100 --> 00:12:58,440 S3: It might be hard for some people. John I don't 234 00:12:58,470 --> 00:13:00,300 S3: know how you do with that, but. Yeah. Yeah, that's 235 00:13:00,300 --> 00:13:01,770 S3: exactly what I'm going for here. 236 00:13:01,800 --> 00:13:03,600 S1: Well, you know, and that really strikes at the heart, 237 00:13:03,600 --> 00:13:05,460 S1: I think, of some of our fears that need not 238 00:13:05,460 --> 00:13:08,490 S1: be fears. A normal conversation is a great conversation to have. 239 00:13:08,490 --> 00:13:08,969 S1: You're saying. 240 00:13:08,970 --> 00:13:11,430 S3: Yeah. And be willing to admit if you don't know, like, hey, 241 00:13:11,460 --> 00:13:13,380 S3: I'm not sure I'm going to offend you if I 242 00:13:13,380 --> 00:13:16,050 S3: say this or, you know, apologize if you do. And 243 00:13:16,050 --> 00:13:18,240 S3: I think most people you know who grow up into 244 00:13:18,270 --> 00:13:20,550 S3: adulthood in the United States have some basic, you know, 245 00:13:20,580 --> 00:13:22,410 S3: you know, not to say certain things when you're in 246 00:13:22,410 --> 00:13:24,569 S3: the TSA line. You know what? You know what I mean? 247 00:13:24,600 --> 00:13:27,420 S3: You just get those natural instincts to follow the lead 248 00:13:27,420 --> 00:13:29,130 S3: of the spirit. And the more you do it, the 249 00:13:29,130 --> 00:13:30,570 S3: easier it becomes. 250 00:13:30,600 --> 00:13:33,810 S1: A normal conversation. Think about that when you think about 251 00:13:33,809 --> 00:13:38,790 S1: your Muslim friend. Thanks, Lina. Stefano Ferrer is the president 252 00:13:38,790 --> 00:13:42,030 S1: of call of Hope, U.S. for more than a century, 253 00:13:42,059 --> 00:13:45,270 S1: call of Hope has been making the gospel accessible to 254 00:13:45,300 --> 00:13:50,610 S1: Muslims through creative media, relational evangelism, humanitarian aid, and church 255 00:13:50,610 --> 00:13:54,449 S1: planting initiatives in more than 20 years of ministry. Stefanos 256 00:13:54,450 --> 00:13:57,780 S1: travels have taken him throughout the Middle East, Africa, India 257 00:13:57,780 --> 00:14:01,020 S1: and Southeast Asia. He lives in Germany with his wife 258 00:14:01,020 --> 00:14:03,630 S1: and their two children. It's great to have you back 259 00:14:03,630 --> 00:14:05,820 S1: on the land in the book. It's been too long, Stefano. 260 00:14:05,970 --> 00:14:09,179 S4: Thank you. John. I'm excited to be here. Yeah. 261 00:14:09,210 --> 00:14:12,570 S1: I love your enthusiasm always. But back to that first question. 262 00:14:12,570 --> 00:14:15,750 S1: Why do so many of us believers still feel a 263 00:14:15,750 --> 00:14:19,140 S1: sense of fear when it comes to our Muslim neighbors? 264 00:14:19,320 --> 00:14:23,880 S4: Well, I mean, I do understand that we watch the news, 265 00:14:23,910 --> 00:14:28,200 S4: we hear all the bad things happening all around the world. 266 00:14:28,200 --> 00:14:33,540 S4: We hear the reports about persecuted Christians, and we just 267 00:14:33,540 --> 00:14:38,460 S4: feel that Muslims are violent, that Muslims are against us, 268 00:14:38,490 --> 00:14:43,290 S4: that Muslims want to do this and that against us. 269 00:14:43,320 --> 00:14:46,290 S4: I think this is what we hear, and we forget 270 00:14:46,290 --> 00:14:53,250 S4: that Muslims are actually people who are just misled by Islam. 271 00:14:53,280 --> 00:14:57,540 S4: You know what they do even when they do attacks 272 00:14:57,570 --> 00:15:01,980 S4: or terrorism attacks, they think they do the right thing. 273 00:15:01,980 --> 00:15:06,450 S4: They think they please Allah. And we have to understand 274 00:15:06,450 --> 00:15:10,050 S4: that they are just misled and that we need to 275 00:15:10,080 --> 00:15:12,360 S4: tell them the truth and we need to love them. 276 00:15:12,360 --> 00:15:15,810 S4: I think love here is just the key. 277 00:15:15,840 --> 00:15:17,729 S1: All right, let's jump to the chase for somebody listening 278 00:15:17,730 --> 00:15:19,710 S1: right now who says, you know what? I'm one of 279 00:15:19,710 --> 00:15:22,530 S1: those frightened ones, John, that you're talking about. Stefano, what's 280 00:15:22,560 --> 00:15:25,410 S1: a good first step for them to take to pray? 281 00:15:25,440 --> 00:15:28,170 S4: Really? I mean, this is what I really think. Pray 282 00:15:28,170 --> 00:15:32,610 S4: how you can only reach out to Muslims or even 283 00:15:32,610 --> 00:15:36,630 S4: communicate with Muslims in a in a good way if 284 00:15:36,630 --> 00:15:39,330 S4: you are able to love them. But I am not 285 00:15:39,330 --> 00:15:41,730 S4: able to love laugh now. I'm only able to laugh 286 00:15:41,760 --> 00:15:44,520 S4: now when I pray to the Lord that he might 287 00:15:44,520 --> 00:15:47,580 S4: pour out this love into my heart. That's really the 288 00:15:47,580 --> 00:15:50,220 S4: first thing I need to do that I asked the Lord, 289 00:15:50,220 --> 00:15:54,060 S4: help me to love and help me to get a 290 00:15:54,060 --> 00:15:56,880 S4: different view. That's really the first thing we should do. 291 00:15:56,880 --> 00:16:00,180 S4: And then I think the Lord gives us opportunities. You know, 292 00:16:00,210 --> 00:16:04,110 S4: when we go with such a prayerful heart, then I 293 00:16:04,110 --> 00:16:07,560 S4: see my friend, or I see my colleague, or I 294 00:16:07,560 --> 00:16:11,430 S4: see my neighbor and and these people feel it. Believe me, 295 00:16:11,430 --> 00:16:16,530 S4: they feel when you love them. In Lebanon, for example, 296 00:16:16,530 --> 00:16:21,120 S4: one of our co-workers, he works with blind and disabled, 297 00:16:21,180 --> 00:16:25,830 S4: and he goes into Hizbollah family's homes. You know, and 298 00:16:25,830 --> 00:16:28,980 S4: I always ask myself how. I mean, they hate him. 299 00:16:28,980 --> 00:16:32,160 S4: He's a Christian. How is that possible? And then I 300 00:16:32,160 --> 00:16:36,990 S4: understand that they feel that he loves them, you know, 301 00:16:37,020 --> 00:16:39,630 S4: and that he is really there because he wants to 302 00:16:39,660 --> 00:16:42,360 S4: show them love. Well, he actually also tells them I 303 00:16:42,390 --> 00:16:44,400 S4: come in the name of Jesus. He's not hiding that. 304 00:16:44,970 --> 00:16:48,180 S4: But they feel the love. So I think when we 305 00:16:48,210 --> 00:16:50,880 S4: are out on the road here and people feel we 306 00:16:50,910 --> 00:16:53,820 S4: are not against them, we are open. Yes, we are 307 00:16:53,820 --> 00:16:57,210 S4: interested in them. We might even invite them for a 308 00:16:57,210 --> 00:17:00,120 S4: coffee or at least ask them how you are. What 309 00:17:00,120 --> 00:17:02,910 S4: are you doing? How is your job that makes all 310 00:17:02,910 --> 00:17:07,980 S4: the difference? And they feel if this is true or 311 00:17:07,980 --> 00:17:08,669 S4: it's not. 312 00:17:08,700 --> 00:17:11,340 S1: Yeah, yeah, you're so right. I mean, you can't crank 313 00:17:11,369 --> 00:17:13,590 S1: that up. You can't fake it. You either love them 314 00:17:13,590 --> 00:17:15,810 S1: or you don't. And as you say, the source of 315 00:17:15,840 --> 00:17:18,210 S1: that love is Jesus himself. We're not going to whip 316 00:17:18,210 --> 00:17:21,300 S1: that up ourselves. What God is doing today in the 317 00:17:21,300 --> 00:17:24,570 S1: Muslim world. That's our conversation today on the land and 318 00:17:24,570 --> 00:17:28,470 S1: the book with Stefano Ferrer. He serves with call of Hope, U.S. 319 00:17:28,500 --> 00:17:31,080 S1: you are just back from Lebanon. Tell us a favorite 320 00:17:31,080 --> 00:17:32,400 S1: story that comes to mind. 321 00:17:32,940 --> 00:17:36,720 S4: I was in Lebanon and I was preaching in a 322 00:17:36,720 --> 00:17:43,560 S4: service only with Muslim background believers. We have around 4000 323 00:17:43,560 --> 00:17:46,890 S4: Muslim background believers during the last few years I was 324 00:17:46,890 --> 00:17:51,690 S4: preaching there. I talked about the trust in Jesus and 325 00:17:51,690 --> 00:17:54,690 S4: I just ended with an a man and an old 326 00:17:54,690 --> 00:17:57,869 S4: woman stands up and she was telling me, well, she's 327 00:17:57,869 --> 00:18:03,119 S4: the neighbor of our pastor there, and she's from Hezbollah. 328 00:18:03,150 --> 00:18:07,650 S4: You know, um, her two brothers are Hezbollah fighters. And 329 00:18:07,650 --> 00:18:12,150 S4: then she was telling me about the war happening in September, 330 00:18:12,180 --> 00:18:18,450 S4: October in Lebanon. She told me that so many rockets came, well, very, 331 00:18:18,450 --> 00:18:23,250 S4: very close to her home. One house got exploded and 332 00:18:23,250 --> 00:18:26,400 S4: she was full of fear during the night. Her brothers 333 00:18:26,400 --> 00:18:31,140 S4: were there. She was so fearful, anxious. And she thought, well, 334 00:18:31,140 --> 00:18:34,080 S4: I'm just looking for the Christians. Maybe they are still there. 335 00:18:34,080 --> 00:18:38,520 S4: And she went to the neighboring House visiting our pastor 336 00:18:38,520 --> 00:18:41,580 S4: and his wife, and she told them, hey, why are 337 00:18:41,580 --> 00:18:44,400 S4: you still here? As Christians, you can flee. You can 338 00:18:44,400 --> 00:18:48,149 S4: go to secure areas. Why are you here? And Pastor 339 00:18:48,150 --> 00:18:52,290 S4: Touma told her, well, number one, because we don't want 340 00:18:52,290 --> 00:18:55,440 S4: to leave you all here alone. We are here to 341 00:18:55,470 --> 00:19:00,270 S4: help you. But secondly, we are here because we trust 342 00:19:00,270 --> 00:19:04,679 S4: in Jesus. And she said, trust in Jesus. What do 343 00:19:04,680 --> 00:19:07,470 S4: you mean? And he explained it to her that Jesus 344 00:19:07,470 --> 00:19:11,910 S4: is with them and that he leads their life. And moreover, 345 00:19:11,940 --> 00:19:14,760 S4: that's the name of this woman. She looked at him 346 00:19:14,760 --> 00:19:18,900 S4: and she said, wow, I wish I could also trust 347 00:19:18,900 --> 00:19:22,110 S4: in this Jesus. Like this. And that was the beginning. 348 00:19:22,109 --> 00:19:25,920 S4: And from that onwards she came to the service. And 349 00:19:25,920 --> 00:19:29,129 S4: now when I met her, she had given her life 350 00:19:29,130 --> 00:19:33,389 S4: already to Jesus. Wow. But the start was this. I 351 00:19:33,390 --> 00:19:36,830 S4: want to trust this Jesus. is, how can this Christians 352 00:19:36,830 --> 00:19:39,560 S4: do that, you know, and stay so calm. And I 353 00:19:39,560 --> 00:19:44,780 S4: think the Lord really gave fruit out of this willingness 354 00:19:44,780 --> 00:19:48,830 S4: of our pastor there to stay. And of course, that 355 00:19:48,830 --> 00:19:51,320 S4: wasn't him. That was the Lord giving it to him. 356 00:19:51,350 --> 00:19:53,630 S1: But that goes back to your very, very first point, 357 00:19:53,630 --> 00:19:57,200 S1: this idea of loving the people. She sensed that love. 358 00:19:57,200 --> 00:19:59,780 S1: That's not phony. You can't crank that up. They're staying 359 00:19:59,780 --> 00:20:02,450 S1: in the middle of bombs. And that communicated a whole lot. 360 00:20:02,480 --> 00:20:06,140 S4: Absolutely. And you know, it's the Lord helping there. Because 361 00:20:06,140 --> 00:20:08,960 S4: I remember when all these bombs came past the tumor, 362 00:20:08,990 --> 00:20:12,350 S4: our co-worker, he called me and he said, well, Stefano, listen, 363 00:20:12,350 --> 00:20:15,410 S4: tomorrow I will be gone. I need to leave that place. 364 00:20:15,410 --> 00:20:18,650 S4: And I said, hey, yes, you're free to move, please. 365 00:20:18,680 --> 00:20:21,320 S4: Next morning I called him and I said, where are you? 366 00:20:21,320 --> 00:20:23,180 S4: And he said, what do you mean? I said, where 367 00:20:23,210 --> 00:20:25,460 S4: are you now? So he said, well, I'm at work. 368 00:20:25,490 --> 00:20:27,530 S4: I said, well, but yesterday night you told me you 369 00:20:27,560 --> 00:20:28,970 S4: were going to flee. He said, no, no, no, no, 370 00:20:28,970 --> 00:20:31,940 S4: forget about it. I'm very sure the Lord is with me. 371 00:20:31,970 --> 00:20:34,760 S4: We are needed here. We will stay, You know, that's 372 00:20:34,760 --> 00:20:36,470 S4: the Lord just helping. Through. 373 00:20:36,500 --> 00:20:40,370 S1: Stefano affair travels regularly throughout the Middle East, Africa, India, 374 00:20:40,400 --> 00:20:43,760 S1: Southeast Asia. He joins us today on the land and 375 00:20:43,760 --> 00:20:45,740 S1: the book to share what he's seeing in the Middle East. 376 00:20:45,770 --> 00:20:47,899 S1: We've heard for some time now that God often speaks 377 00:20:47,900 --> 00:20:51,710 S1: to Muslims in dreams and visions, maybe appearing as a 378 00:20:51,710 --> 00:20:54,020 S1: white angel, that sort of thing. And some wonder why 379 00:20:54,050 --> 00:20:57,680 S1: God chooses to speak to Muslims in this supernatural way. 380 00:20:57,680 --> 00:20:58,550 S1: Your thoughts. 381 00:20:58,760 --> 00:21:03,740 S4: But you know, I'm sure that is happening, especially in 382 00:21:03,740 --> 00:21:08,030 S4: cases where people cannot be reached, where it is just 383 00:21:08,030 --> 00:21:13,640 S4: not possible. But frankly speaking, what we see the most 384 00:21:13,640 --> 00:21:16,370 S4: is that people are reached with the Word of God. 385 00:21:16,400 --> 00:21:18,800 S4: This is just what I see, of course, and in 386 00:21:18,800 --> 00:21:21,440 S4: many cases this is possible. And then the Lord is 387 00:21:21,440 --> 00:21:25,070 S4: using you and me and the missionaries out there to 388 00:21:25,100 --> 00:21:29,600 S4: share His Word. But the Lord can do everything you know, 389 00:21:29,630 --> 00:21:32,540 S4: and he has every way. And and I also saw that. 390 00:21:32,540 --> 00:21:36,470 S4: But we have to be careful just to think about 391 00:21:36,470 --> 00:21:40,639 S4: these supernatural ways. In many cases, the Lord just wants 392 00:21:40,640 --> 00:21:44,210 S4: to use us and wants to get us into it. 393 00:21:44,240 --> 00:21:46,250 S1: All right. Take us to another favorite story of yours, 394 00:21:46,250 --> 00:21:48,770 S1: whether it's Lebanon, whether it's somewhere else in the Middle East. 395 00:21:48,800 --> 00:21:51,710 S1: A story that has God's signature written all over it. 396 00:21:52,160 --> 00:21:55,700 S4: You know, when I was a few weeks ago in Lebanon, 397 00:21:55,700 --> 00:21:59,510 S4: I met so many people who just received the Lord 398 00:21:59,510 --> 00:22:04,699 S4: Pastor Toma. He visited all these refugees. You know, around 399 00:22:04,700 --> 00:22:10,310 S4: 1.5 million Hezbollah people left their homes and were on 400 00:22:10,310 --> 00:22:13,370 S4: the move. I mean, just think about it. 5.5 million 401 00:22:13,369 --> 00:22:17,060 S4: in the country, 1.5 are on the move. And he 402 00:22:17,060 --> 00:22:21,770 S4: met with so many of them and he told them 403 00:22:21,770 --> 00:22:27,109 S4: his story. He is a Christian but nominal Christian background. 404 00:22:27,109 --> 00:22:32,330 S4: And he always tells them, I hated you Muslims because 405 00:22:32,330 --> 00:22:36,440 S4: you killed my grandmother, my brother. In the Civil War, 406 00:22:36,470 --> 00:22:39,320 S4: many of my uncles, I hated you. I wanted to 407 00:22:39,350 --> 00:22:42,830 S4: kill you. Wow. But then the law touched my heart. 408 00:22:42,830 --> 00:22:46,220 S4: I understood that the Lord loves me. And I gave 409 00:22:46,220 --> 00:22:48,710 S4: my life to Jesus. And then I understood that he 410 00:22:48,710 --> 00:22:51,350 S4: also loves Muslims. This is what he usually tells them. 411 00:22:51,350 --> 00:22:54,020 S4: And he said, my heart got changed. And there was 412 00:22:54,020 --> 00:22:57,800 S4: a guy called Hussein. Hussein listened to that and then 413 00:22:57,800 --> 00:23:02,360 S4: he said, I always hated you Christians. I hated you 414 00:23:02,359 --> 00:23:09,470 S4: so much. But now I understand that you Christians have 415 00:23:09,500 --> 00:23:14,780 S4: a different heart than I have. And can you help 416 00:23:14,780 --> 00:23:20,330 S4: me to get this different heart? And that was the 417 00:23:20,330 --> 00:23:24,920 S4: start that they discussed with each other. And this guy 418 00:23:24,920 --> 00:23:28,850 S4: actually was an imam. I mean, he was a religious 419 00:23:28,850 --> 00:23:33,950 S4: leader After a few weeks he comes to church and 420 00:23:33,950 --> 00:23:38,360 S4: Brother Thoma, as always, asked the people, well, if somebody 421 00:23:38,359 --> 00:23:41,270 S4: wants to give his life to Jesus today, then stand up. 422 00:23:41,540 --> 00:23:46,220 S4: And this religious leader stands up and says, well, I 423 00:23:46,220 --> 00:23:50,780 S4: want everybody here to hear that I gave my life 424 00:23:50,780 --> 00:23:53,390 S4: to Jesus and that I trust him, and that I 425 00:23:53,390 --> 00:23:57,380 S4: know that he will bring me into Paradise. You know, 426 00:23:57,410 --> 00:24:01,190 S4: I mean, you cannot make up such stories. And this 427 00:24:01,190 --> 00:24:05,990 S4: is happening right now with these refugees. You know, many 428 00:24:05,990 --> 00:24:10,550 S4: of these Hezbollah people are they are down now. They 429 00:24:10,550 --> 00:24:15,410 S4: understood that all of this Islam, they always were running 430 00:24:15,410 --> 00:24:19,190 S4: behind their leaders. Their leaders are not there anymore. Many 431 00:24:19,190 --> 00:24:23,330 S4: of them, you know that. And now they understand. Hey, 432 00:24:23,359 --> 00:24:26,090 S4: something is wrong here and we need to find something else. 433 00:24:26,090 --> 00:24:28,790 S4: And then they see the Christians and they see, how 434 00:24:28,820 --> 00:24:30,260 S4: these Christians are different. 435 00:24:30,290 --> 00:24:33,590 S1: Yeah. Well, how would you guide listeners to pray for 436 00:24:33,590 --> 00:24:36,680 S1: the Muslim world with more intensity, more of a laser focus? 437 00:24:36,680 --> 00:24:39,740 S1: How can we sharpen our prayers right where we are 438 00:24:39,740 --> 00:24:41,270 S1: now in this time in history? 439 00:24:41,300 --> 00:24:44,449 S4: Well, number one is get informed. I mean, there are 440 00:24:44,450 --> 00:24:48,710 S4: so many ministries out there which work among Muslims, either 441 00:24:48,710 --> 00:24:53,750 S4: call of Hope or any other ministry. Get informed because 442 00:24:53,750 --> 00:24:57,980 S4: if you just pray like oh Lord, please touch them. No. 443 00:24:58,010 --> 00:25:02,389 S4: Pray for specific people. Ask the Lord to touch your heart. 444 00:25:02,420 --> 00:25:04,820 S4: You know, this is what I always see, that many 445 00:25:04,820 --> 00:25:09,230 S4: of our prayer partners are very attached to a certain person. 446 00:25:09,230 --> 00:25:12,320 S4: And they asked me and said, well, you reported about 447 00:25:12,320 --> 00:25:15,170 S4: this and that person, how is he now? How did 448 00:25:15,170 --> 00:25:19,340 S4: he develop? Right. Because I pray for him since two months, 449 00:25:19,340 --> 00:25:21,890 S4: every day. I think that makes the difference that you 450 00:25:21,890 --> 00:25:27,020 S4: can pray specifically for a person, for a situation. But 451 00:25:27,020 --> 00:25:28,909 S4: of course you can only do that when you are 452 00:25:28,910 --> 00:25:29,629 S4: well informed. 453 00:25:29,660 --> 00:25:33,740 S1: Yeah, pray specifically for a specific person. Great advice from 454 00:25:33,740 --> 00:25:36,560 S1: Stefano Fier, who's with call of Hope us. There's a 455 00:25:36,560 --> 00:25:40,910 S1: link to his website at ours. The land and the book. Org. Man, 456 00:25:40,910 --> 00:25:42,890 S1: I hate it when I see the clock going away 457 00:25:42,890 --> 00:25:45,109 S1: like it is, because you're just a blessing and we 458 00:25:45,140 --> 00:25:46,100 S1: sure appreciate your story. 459 00:25:46,130 --> 00:25:49,460 S4: Stefano, thank you so much that it was possible for 460 00:25:49,460 --> 00:25:50,510 S4: me to share today. 461 00:25:50,510 --> 00:25:52,490 S1: And there's more to come on the land and the book. 462 00:25:52,520 --> 00:26:07,280 S1: You know what's next? Questions and answers right here. Welcome 463 00:26:07,280 --> 00:26:09,409 S1: back to the land and the book. If you're new 464 00:26:09,410 --> 00:26:12,260 S1: to the program, we divide the hour up into four 465 00:26:12,260 --> 00:26:15,919 S1: different segments. Number one, current events. Number two, Ministry in 466 00:26:15,920 --> 00:26:18,740 S1: the Middle East. A conversation with somebody who's making a difference. 467 00:26:18,770 --> 00:26:21,350 S1: Segment three where we're at right now, it's all about 468 00:26:21,350 --> 00:26:24,739 S1: your questions as you study the scriptures. And segment four 469 00:26:24,770 --> 00:26:27,320 S1: if you're curious, it's a devotional from our host, Doctor 470 00:26:27,320 --> 00:26:31,160 S1: Charlie Dyer, but answering the questions that come our way 471 00:26:31,160 --> 00:26:35,150 S1: is Doctor Gerald Peterman, longtime faculty member at Moody Bible Institute. 472 00:26:35,180 --> 00:26:38,690 S1: A great friend of this broadcast, a friend of mine personally, 473 00:26:38,690 --> 00:26:40,490 S1: and we're looking forward to what you got to share 474 00:26:40,490 --> 00:26:41,119 S1: with us today. 475 00:26:41,150 --> 00:26:42,350 S5: Well, thank you, sir. Me too. 476 00:26:42,380 --> 00:26:45,260 S1: Quick thought here, though. What does Passover mean for us 477 00:26:45,260 --> 00:26:48,679 S1: as believers in Jesus? Some remember the story from the 478 00:26:48,680 --> 00:26:51,470 S1: book of Exodus, but there's so much more to it. 479 00:26:51,500 --> 00:26:53,810 S1: Did you know that the Last Supper was actually a 480 00:26:53,810 --> 00:26:58,400 S1: Passover meal? Not only did Jesus and his disciples celebrate Passover, 481 00:26:58,400 --> 00:27:02,900 S1: it also foreshadowed his death on the cross for our redemption. Now, 482 00:27:02,900 --> 00:27:05,090 S1: Jewish people, of course, have been observing the feast of 483 00:27:05,090 --> 00:27:09,649 S1: Passover for thousands of years. Understanding the history. The importance 484 00:27:09,650 --> 00:27:12,080 S1: of this holiday, though, will help you better connect with 485 00:27:12,080 --> 00:27:15,050 S1: your Jewish friends and neighbors. And boy, what better way 486 00:27:15,050 --> 00:27:17,870 S1: is there to learn about Passover than to experience a 487 00:27:17,869 --> 00:27:22,730 S1: Passover Seder for yourself? If you have never celebrated Passover well, 488 00:27:22,730 --> 00:27:25,370 S1: our friends at Life in Messiah would love to partner 489 00:27:25,369 --> 00:27:29,210 S1: with you in hosting a Seder experience. Every year, their 490 00:27:29,210 --> 00:27:33,139 S1: staff engage churches and small groups in an interactive Messiah 491 00:27:33,140 --> 00:27:37,399 S1: in the Passover Seder, allowing participants to taste, to touch, 492 00:27:37,430 --> 00:27:40,639 S1: to see the redemption story. And if you're interested and 493 00:27:40,640 --> 00:27:43,250 S1: you'd like to have somebody lead a Seder in your area, 494 00:27:43,280 --> 00:27:47,060 S1: visit Life in messiah.org and click on the Moody Radio 495 00:27:47,060 --> 00:27:51,320 S1: button there to learn more. That's life in messiah.org. And 496 00:27:51,320 --> 00:27:54,980 S1: as always, no shortage of questions. Doctor Gerald Peterman, whose 497 00:27:54,980 --> 00:27:57,800 S1: Bible is open. There's a smile on his face. So 498 00:27:57,800 --> 00:28:00,440 S1: I guess I'll just get right to it. Right? Good. 499 00:28:00,470 --> 00:28:00,800 S5: Good. 500 00:28:00,830 --> 00:28:03,199 S1: All right. Here's one from Joy. She says, I'm studying 501 00:28:03,200 --> 00:28:06,770 S1: revelation and have a question about chapter 12, verses seven 502 00:28:06,800 --> 00:28:09,890 S1: and eight. I always thought this was talking about the 503 00:28:09,890 --> 00:28:13,189 S1: initial war in heaven, but in studying various commentaries, they 504 00:28:13,190 --> 00:28:16,070 S1: talk about it being in the middle of the tribulation, 505 00:28:16,070 --> 00:28:19,460 S1: where Satan is no longer given access to heaven. However, 506 00:28:19,460 --> 00:28:22,939 S1: one commentary said that this occurred when Jesus ascended to 507 00:28:22,970 --> 00:28:25,790 S1: heaven after his death. So what are your views on 508 00:28:25,790 --> 00:28:26,360 S1: all this? 509 00:28:26,390 --> 00:28:29,450 S5: Well, first, I'm really glad you're studying revelation. We ought 510 00:28:29,450 --> 00:28:33,200 S5: to do it more often, I think. Daniel Green, in 511 00:28:33,200 --> 00:28:36,709 S5: his commentary on revelation found in the Moody Bible Commentary, 512 00:28:36,740 --> 00:28:41,120 S5: gets this right. So from revelation chapter six, verse one, 513 00:28:41,120 --> 00:28:44,630 S5: all the way to the end of chapter 18, that 514 00:28:44,630 --> 00:28:48,500 S5: large section talks about the tribulation period when God will 515 00:28:48,500 --> 00:28:52,190 S5: carry out his wrath toward sinners and bring Israel to himself. 516 00:28:52,220 --> 00:28:56,180 S5: The perspective changes back and forth during those chapters. Sometimes 517 00:28:56,180 --> 00:29:00,350 S5: a perspective from earth, sometimes from heaven. And then after 518 00:29:00,350 --> 00:29:03,229 S5: the verses you mentioned joy, we find this. Now a 519 00:29:03,230 --> 00:29:07,040 S5: war arose in heaven. Michael and his angels fighting against 520 00:29:07,040 --> 00:29:10,100 S5: the dragon, and the dragon and the angels fought back. 521 00:29:10,100 --> 00:29:13,070 S5: But he was defeated, and there was no longer a 522 00:29:13,070 --> 00:29:15,470 S5: place for him in heaven. And the great dragon was 523 00:29:15,470 --> 00:29:19,160 S5: thrown down the ancient serpent, who is called the devil 524 00:29:19,160 --> 00:29:23,410 S5: and Satan. So it looks like from revelation 12 that 525 00:29:23,410 --> 00:29:25,960 S5: Satan will have access to heaven until he is defeated 526 00:29:25,960 --> 00:29:29,050 S5: and thrown down in the tribulation period. 527 00:29:29,080 --> 00:29:31,390 S1: You know, I think a lot of people are afraid 528 00:29:31,390 --> 00:29:33,040 S1: of studying the book of Revelation, and part of the 529 00:29:33,040 --> 00:29:36,040 S1: reason is because they're wondering, you know, why isn't there 530 00:29:36,040 --> 00:29:39,670 S1: just more clarity in revelation and maybe in Daniel and 531 00:29:39,670 --> 00:29:43,000 S1: other places? Why does it have to be so shrouded, 532 00:29:43,000 --> 00:29:46,120 S1: so wrapped up in, in imagery and that kind of thing? 533 00:29:46,210 --> 00:29:50,230 S5: Well, that's a great question. Sometimes we hear about something 534 00:29:50,230 --> 00:29:52,360 S5: and it's hard for us to know how to describe it. 535 00:29:52,360 --> 00:29:55,540 S5: John has a vision. He sees a vision of something. 536 00:29:55,540 --> 00:29:59,470 S5: He is, by the Spirit's guidance, giving us his description. 537 00:29:59,470 --> 00:30:02,890 S5: But sometimes his description kind of doesn't fit the way 538 00:30:02,890 --> 00:30:08,290 S5: we understand things. This is typical for apocalyptic literature. That is, 539 00:30:08,290 --> 00:30:12,400 S5: the writers use imagery which were not familiar with. Yes, 540 00:30:12,430 --> 00:30:14,680 S5: that's why we come to revelation. It seems so foreign. 541 00:30:14,680 --> 00:30:18,670 S5: If we were to read other examples of apocalyptic literature 542 00:30:18,670 --> 00:30:20,290 S5: and all its imagery, then we would come back to 543 00:30:20,320 --> 00:30:22,510 S5: revelation and say, oh, this is beginning to make more sense, 544 00:30:22,510 --> 00:30:23,050 S5: I think. 545 00:30:23,080 --> 00:30:25,630 S1: And don't you think, though, that God also intends that 546 00:30:25,630 --> 00:30:28,870 S1: in the exercise of this study, trying to unravel some 547 00:30:28,870 --> 00:30:31,750 S1: of these things that we do a little stretching, we 548 00:30:31,750 --> 00:30:33,280 S1: do a little growing, we do. 549 00:30:33,310 --> 00:30:36,460 S5: Oh, indeed. Pushing it challenges us, and it forces us 550 00:30:36,460 --> 00:30:39,880 S5: to really concentrate and to stretch us. Indeed it does that. 551 00:30:39,910 --> 00:30:42,340 S1: One last thought about revelation. I know this is just conjecture, 552 00:30:42,340 --> 00:30:46,060 S1: but you know, you've got the 11 apostles who? Judas, 553 00:30:46,060 --> 00:30:48,790 S1: of course, having hung himself. But here are the 11 554 00:30:48,790 --> 00:30:51,880 S1: that walked with Jesus, talked with Jesus, learned from Jesus. 555 00:30:51,880 --> 00:30:55,360 S1: But only John had this revelation. So how is his 556 00:30:55,360 --> 00:30:59,560 S1: life different? How is his Christian experience different from the 557 00:30:59,560 --> 00:31:02,979 S1: other apostles, having had this revelation made known to him? 558 00:31:02,980 --> 00:31:03,790 S1: What do you think? 559 00:31:03,820 --> 00:31:08,050 S5: Well, I think John has a unique experience with Jesus. 560 00:31:08,080 --> 00:31:12,880 S5: John has some unique insights into Christ, and I think 561 00:31:12,910 --> 00:31:16,090 S5: as the beloved disciple, almost certainly John is the beloved 562 00:31:16,090 --> 00:31:21,550 S5: disciple of John's Gospel. Jesus blesses Him with this revelation 563 00:31:21,550 --> 00:31:24,490 S5: because of that intimacy that he has with our Lord. 564 00:31:24,520 --> 00:31:27,940 S1: So I think he's forever in my mind, you know, 565 00:31:27,970 --> 00:31:30,820 S1: forever fixed on these things that he's seen. Right. You 566 00:31:30,820 --> 00:31:31,510 S1: can't let go of him. 567 00:31:31,540 --> 00:31:32,290 S5: Right, right. 568 00:31:32,320 --> 00:31:34,300 S1: Images like that. How could you just say, well, that 569 00:31:34,300 --> 00:31:35,530 S1: was very nice. I think I'll write it down and 570 00:31:35,530 --> 00:31:36,430 S1: we'll call it good. 571 00:31:36,910 --> 00:31:39,790 S5: They had to be just stunning for his heart and mind. 572 00:31:39,820 --> 00:31:43,450 S1: Exactly. Yeah. All right, back to this question from Joy. 573 00:31:43,480 --> 00:31:46,690 S1: When I read in commentaries, I see that some say 574 00:31:46,690 --> 00:31:49,570 S1: that Michael in the Bible is Jesus. What are your 575 00:31:49,570 --> 00:31:50,500 S1: thoughts on this? 576 00:31:50,530 --> 00:31:53,560 S5: Oh, I've heard this perspective before, and I have dear 577 00:31:53,590 --> 00:31:57,880 S5: Christian friends who think the angel Michael is Jesus. And 578 00:31:57,880 --> 00:32:01,959 S5: clearly Michael is righteous and powerful. But let's look and 579 00:32:01,960 --> 00:32:05,530 S5: see what the Bible actually says. So first we find 580 00:32:05,530 --> 00:32:09,640 S5: Michael in the book of Daniel. Three times Daniel sees 581 00:32:09,670 --> 00:32:12,820 S5: a vision about a spiritual battle. Yes, the angel talking 582 00:32:12,850 --> 00:32:15,820 S5: to Daniel says, Michael is the one of the chief 583 00:32:15,820 --> 00:32:19,090 S5: princes of this spiritual battle. Michael is said to be 584 00:32:19,090 --> 00:32:23,050 S5: in charge of Daniel's people, Israel. So I think we 585 00:32:23,050 --> 00:32:26,560 S5: can say from Old Testament evidence that we could call 586 00:32:26,560 --> 00:32:30,550 S5: Michael the guardian angel of Israel. Oh, but let's go 587 00:32:30,550 --> 00:32:33,850 S5: to the New Testament. Then we find in Jude nine 588 00:32:33,880 --> 00:32:38,350 S5: that Michael is an archangel who has a dispute with Satan. Now, 589 00:32:38,350 --> 00:32:42,670 S5: there's no indication in Jude that Jesus is Michael. And 590 00:32:42,670 --> 00:32:45,459 S5: then the only other time we encounter an archangel in 591 00:32:45,460 --> 00:32:50,620 S5: Scripture is first Thessalonians 416. There Paul says, for the 592 00:32:50,620 --> 00:32:53,710 S5: Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, 593 00:32:53,710 --> 00:32:56,710 S5: and the voice of the archangel, and with the sound 594 00:32:56,710 --> 00:32:58,960 S5: of the trumpet of God and the dead in Christ 595 00:32:58,960 --> 00:33:03,520 S5: will rise first. So here a distinction is made between 596 00:33:03,520 --> 00:33:07,210 S5: Christ and the archangel. So I think Christ works through 597 00:33:07,240 --> 00:33:10,780 S5: Michael the Archangel's voice. We should keep in mind, too, 598 00:33:10,780 --> 00:33:15,340 S5: that Jehovah's Witnesses, who deny the Trinity, say that Jesus 599 00:33:15,370 --> 00:33:17,800 S5: is not God in the flesh, right? But they say 600 00:33:17,800 --> 00:33:20,560 S5: he is the Archangel Michael. So I think we should 601 00:33:20,560 --> 00:33:22,510 S5: be careful with that. The last thing I want to 602 00:33:22,510 --> 00:33:25,720 S5: put in is I don't think the archangel is Jesus, 603 00:33:25,720 --> 00:33:28,900 S5: because the writer of Hebrews spends a lot of time 604 00:33:28,900 --> 00:33:32,350 S5: in chapters one and two, demonstrating that Jesus is far 605 00:33:32,350 --> 00:33:34,120 S5: superior to all angels. 606 00:33:34,270 --> 00:33:37,960 S1: Well said. Thank you. All right. Ramesh asks, what is 607 00:33:37,960 --> 00:33:41,110 S1: the significance of Melchizedek? Before I let you answer that, 608 00:33:41,110 --> 00:33:43,240 S1: I want to remind listeners that you can get your 609 00:33:43,240 --> 00:33:46,750 S1: question to us any time. Doctor Gerald Peterman welcomes those 610 00:33:46,750 --> 00:33:51,310 S1: questions at the land and the book at Moody Dot. Edu. 611 00:33:51,340 --> 00:33:54,280 S1: That's a mouthful. Let me slow it down. It's the 612 00:33:54,280 --> 00:34:00,460 S1: land and the book@moody.edu. All right, so Ramesh is asking 613 00:34:00,460 --> 00:34:04,600 S1: what is the significance of Melchizedek? Hebrews seven says that 614 00:34:04,600 --> 00:34:08,050 S1: without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days 615 00:34:08,050 --> 00:34:11,170 S1: or end of life, resembling the Son of God, he 616 00:34:11,170 --> 00:34:14,350 S1: remains a priest forever. Can you explain the first part 617 00:34:14,350 --> 00:34:17,410 S1: of this verse? How did Abraham know of Melchizedek in 618 00:34:17,410 --> 00:34:20,380 S1: the first place? And what compelled him to offer a 619 00:34:20,380 --> 00:34:21,520 S1: 10th of everything? 620 00:34:21,550 --> 00:34:25,810 S5: Oh, good questions. Good questions indeed. Melchizedek. Wow, a very 621 00:34:25,810 --> 00:34:29,799 S5: interesting person. Now, he's mentioned three times in our Bible. 622 00:34:29,830 --> 00:34:34,540 S5: First is Genesis 14, when Abraham encounters him, the next 623 00:34:34,540 --> 00:34:38,350 S5: time is Psalm 110. And that is really amazing stuff. 624 00:34:38,350 --> 00:34:41,110 S5: And then the last time is he's mentioned several times 625 00:34:41,110 --> 00:34:43,390 S5: in the book of Hebrews. Now, as we're reading the 626 00:34:43,390 --> 00:34:47,529 S5: Old Testament, here's what we regularly see a character, a 627 00:34:47,530 --> 00:34:50,620 S5: person is mentioned and introduced into the history, and that 628 00:34:50,620 --> 00:34:55,150 S5: person is given a genealogy. When you encounter Abraham, chapter 629 00:34:55,150 --> 00:34:59,110 S5: 11 of Genesis, you get his genealogy. When you encounter Moses, 630 00:34:59,110 --> 00:35:04,090 S5: you get his genealogy. Typically also when these characters die, 631 00:35:04,120 --> 00:35:07,090 S5: you hear about it. Sure. So when Abraham dies in 632 00:35:07,090 --> 00:35:11,890 S5: Genesis 25, it's talked about. But Melchizedek shows up in 633 00:35:11,890 --> 00:35:16,410 S5: Genesis 14. There's no background, there's no mom, there's no dad. 634 00:35:16,410 --> 00:35:20,010 S5: And then the writer of Hebrews says, no mother, no father, 635 00:35:20,010 --> 00:35:24,060 S5: no genealogy. I take it no genealogy is the same 636 00:35:24,060 --> 00:35:26,879 S5: as saying, no mother, no father. That is, he did 637 00:35:26,880 --> 00:35:29,370 S5: have real parents. But in the story we're not told 638 00:35:29,370 --> 00:35:29,910 S5: who they are. 639 00:35:29,940 --> 00:35:30,540 S1: Right, right, right. 640 00:35:30,570 --> 00:35:34,859 S5: Now, the next question is what compelled Abraham to give 641 00:35:34,890 --> 00:35:38,310 S5: a 10th to Melchizedek? Well, that's another great question. Neither 642 00:35:38,310 --> 00:35:41,550 S5: Genesis nor Hebrews answer the question directly, but here's what 643 00:35:41,550 --> 00:35:45,210 S5: it looks like when you're in Genesis. We find that 644 00:35:45,239 --> 00:35:49,200 S5: Melchizedek is a priest king, the first priest mentioned in 645 00:35:49,200 --> 00:35:53,040 S5: the Old Testament, a priest king who is priest of 646 00:35:53,040 --> 00:35:56,489 S5: God Most High. Somehow Abraham knows that this is a 647 00:35:56,489 --> 00:35:59,310 S5: priest of the only God, and so he gives him 648 00:35:59,310 --> 00:36:02,160 S5: a 10th of the spoils from war that he had 649 00:36:02,160 --> 00:36:03,419 S5: in Genesis 14. 650 00:36:03,450 --> 00:36:06,330 S1: Very interesting. Thank you for that question, Ramesh. Thank you 651 00:36:06,330 --> 00:36:09,300 S1: for your answers, Doctor Peterman. And again, we would love 652 00:36:09,300 --> 00:36:11,220 S1: to connect with you. If you've got a question, email 653 00:36:11,219 --> 00:36:16,169 S1: yours to the land and the book@moody.edu. Have you been 654 00:36:16,170 --> 00:36:18,210 S1: to our website lately? Here's the thing we want you 655 00:36:18,210 --> 00:36:21,780 S1: to notice at the land and the book. Org. We've 656 00:36:21,780 --> 00:36:24,660 S1: got a podcast of this program that you can download. 657 00:36:24,660 --> 00:36:26,910 S1: You can share it with your friends. It's a great 658 00:36:26,910 --> 00:36:29,310 S1: way to extend this ministry to people that you know, 659 00:36:29,340 --> 00:36:32,400 S1: that care about God's chosen people, about the Middle East, 660 00:36:32,400 --> 00:36:34,530 S1: and all that God is doing there. Look for our 661 00:36:34,530 --> 00:36:39,600 S1: podcast when you visit the land and the book.org. More 662 00:36:39,600 --> 00:36:42,239 S1: to come as Charlie Dyer returns with his devotional. It's 663 00:36:42,239 --> 00:36:57,960 S1: next right here. From Moody Radio. This is the land 664 00:36:57,960 --> 00:37:00,150 S1: and the book I'm John Gager. Glad to have you 665 00:37:00,150 --> 00:37:03,719 S1: along for our fourth and final segment. It's a devotional 666 00:37:03,719 --> 00:37:06,330 S1: from Charlie Dyer. Remind our listeners, Charlie, of the the 667 00:37:06,330 --> 00:37:08,820 S1: name of this series and what your thought behind it. 668 00:37:08,850 --> 00:37:11,250 S2: Yeah, it's 11 inscriptions to the Bible, and what I'm 669 00:37:11,250 --> 00:37:14,040 S2: trying to do is focus on our 11 inscriptions, discovered 670 00:37:14,040 --> 00:37:17,130 S2: by archaeologists that help us in our understanding of the 671 00:37:17,130 --> 00:37:17,850 S2: Word of God. 672 00:37:17,880 --> 00:37:20,160 S1: Well, you don't have to be an archaeologist to go 673 00:37:20,160 --> 00:37:23,610 S1: to and appreciate the land of Israel. Take this comment, 674 00:37:23,610 --> 00:37:25,830 S1: for example, from someone who's been there and shares this 675 00:37:25,830 --> 00:37:26,790 S1: with you and me. 676 00:37:30,780 --> 00:37:32,790 S6: Hi, my name is Johanna and I was 15 years 677 00:37:32,790 --> 00:37:35,010 S6: old when we first went to Israel, and the thing 678 00:37:35,010 --> 00:37:37,710 S6: that really struck me the most was seeing that the 679 00:37:37,710 --> 00:37:39,810 S6: names in the Bible that we so often just cruise 680 00:37:39,810 --> 00:37:44,160 S6: over are actual, real geographical locations. And seeing the mountainside 681 00:37:44,160 --> 00:37:46,890 S6: where our Savior was born, and that it wasn't a 682 00:37:46,890 --> 00:37:50,130 S6: nice green pasture with a beautifully built stable, but just 683 00:37:50,130 --> 00:37:51,840 S6: a rock hollow in a wall. And it shows how 684 00:37:51,870 --> 00:37:55,109 S6: humble Christ is and how beautiful God is, that he 685 00:37:55,110 --> 00:37:57,600 S6: can give us the opportunity to see the places that 686 00:37:57,600 --> 00:37:59,160 S6: meant the most to him as well. 687 00:37:59,190 --> 00:38:01,620 S7: Hello, my name is Bill and a couple of years 688 00:38:01,650 --> 00:38:06,180 S7: ago we had the great privilege of taking our kids 689 00:38:06,180 --> 00:38:09,149 S7: on a two week trip through Israel and it was 690 00:38:09,150 --> 00:38:12,490 S7: just brilliant. The kids had friends along on the trip 691 00:38:12,489 --> 00:38:16,419 S7: as well, and what impressed me most was just being 692 00:38:16,450 --> 00:38:19,900 S7: able to show them all these places and seeing the 693 00:38:19,900 --> 00:38:22,479 S7: lights come on in their faces when they realize that 694 00:38:22,480 --> 00:38:25,210 S7: the places that they'd heard and read about were real. 695 00:38:25,210 --> 00:38:28,540 S7: And now, two years down the track, whenever we read 696 00:38:28,540 --> 00:38:33,759 S7: the Bible together, we can't have that strange, disconnected feeling anymore. 697 00:38:33,760 --> 00:38:38,170 S7: We're interested in where places were and, and and what 698 00:38:38,170 --> 00:38:40,660 S7: it's about, and we can picture them now as we 699 00:38:40,660 --> 00:38:43,480 S7: think about it. So yeah, we had a fantastic time. 700 00:38:45,310 --> 00:38:48,790 S1: Well, I'm looking forward to today's installment in our devotional series, 701 00:38:48,790 --> 00:38:53,950 S1: 11 inscriptions. The Shoulder of Hinnom Amulet sounds like a 702 00:38:53,950 --> 00:38:55,270 S1: deep mystery. Charlie. 703 00:38:55,390 --> 00:38:57,040 S2: Uh, it is John, but it's a place that you 704 00:38:57,040 --> 00:38:59,230 S2: know well, because you and I have both been there. 705 00:38:59,320 --> 00:39:02,500 S2: This is the sixth devotional in my 11 week series 706 00:39:02,500 --> 00:39:05,560 S2: that I've called 11 Inscriptions to the Bible. So we're 707 00:39:05,560 --> 00:39:07,960 S2: just past the halfway point in this series where we're 708 00:39:07,960 --> 00:39:11,460 S2: looking at written inscriptions uncovered by archaeologists that give us 709 00:39:11,460 --> 00:39:14,669 S2: new insight into our understanding of the Bible, and our 710 00:39:14,670 --> 00:39:17,489 S2: search for today's inscription takes us to the edge of 711 00:39:17,489 --> 00:39:21,750 S2: the Hinnom Valley in Jerusalem. The location is called Ketef Hinnom, 712 00:39:21,780 --> 00:39:24,719 S2: the shoulder of Hinnom. It's the spot where the ridge 713 00:39:24,750 --> 00:39:28,170 S2: opposite the city of Jerusalem forms a bit of a saddle, 714 00:39:28,200 --> 00:39:31,320 S2: a low spot where it was easiest for travelers on 715 00:39:31,320 --> 00:39:33,660 S2: the way of the patriarchs to drop into the Hinnom 716 00:39:33,660 --> 00:39:35,970 S2: valley and to make their way across to the city 717 00:39:35,969 --> 00:39:39,509 S2: of David. Over time, the city of Jerusalem expanded onto 718 00:39:39,510 --> 00:39:43,140 S2: the western hill just across the Hinnom, but this low 719 00:39:43,140 --> 00:39:47,009 S2: spot in the ridge remained the easiest crossing point. Today's 720 00:39:47,010 --> 00:39:49,890 S2: stop is a bonus stop on our tours if we've 721 00:39:49,890 --> 00:39:52,380 S2: made good time the last few days, and if the 722 00:39:52,380 --> 00:39:55,470 S2: schedule allows, then one final spot we can add to 723 00:39:55,500 --> 00:39:57,870 S2: our trip is a visit to the tombs at the 724 00:39:57,870 --> 00:40:00,420 S2: shoulder of Hinnom. It's a fun way to spend an 725 00:40:00,420 --> 00:40:04,020 S2: extra half hour explaining what a family tomb complex looked 726 00:40:04,020 --> 00:40:08,100 S2: like during the time just before the Babylonian captivity We 727 00:40:08,100 --> 00:40:11,459 S2: get volunteers to line up on the burial benches. This 728 00:40:11,460 --> 00:40:14,850 S2: particular tomb could hold up to seven bodies at one time, 729 00:40:14,850 --> 00:40:18,090 S2: and they can look into the repository carved underneath one 730 00:40:18,090 --> 00:40:20,940 S2: of the benches. After allowing the body to decay for 731 00:40:20,940 --> 00:40:24,480 S2: a year, the bones were collected and placed in this repository. 732 00:40:24,510 --> 00:40:28,440 S2: The person was literally gathered to his fathers, but as 733 00:40:28,440 --> 00:40:31,560 S2: quirky and educational as the site might be. We're here 734 00:40:31,560 --> 00:40:35,250 S2: because of an amazing discovery that came from this very tomb. 735 00:40:35,250 --> 00:40:39,930 S2: In 1979, Israeli archaeologist Gabriel Barkay led a team of 736 00:40:39,930 --> 00:40:43,170 S2: student volunteers to excavate the site. Though it appeared as 737 00:40:43,170 --> 00:40:45,600 S2: if the site had been thoroughly looted in the past, 738 00:40:45,600 --> 00:40:49,620 S2: they discovered that a layer of limestone inside the repository 739 00:40:49,650 --> 00:40:54,480 S2: had dislodged and fallen from the ceiling, completely hiding everything below. 740 00:40:54,510 --> 00:40:57,480 S2: The slab was removed and the treasures from the tomb 741 00:40:57,480 --> 00:41:01,260 S2: came to light. Now it wasn't like uncovering King Tut's tomb. 742 00:41:01,260 --> 00:41:04,950 S2: There were no chariots or golden masks or alabaster jars. 743 00:41:04,950 --> 00:41:07,560 S2: But in addition to the bones, they did discover about 744 00:41:07,560 --> 00:41:11,310 S2: a thousand small objects. Most were clay lamps and jars, 745 00:41:11,340 --> 00:41:15,180 S2: along with needles and pins, glass bottles, jewelry, and even 746 00:41:15,180 --> 00:41:19,080 S2: some arrowheads. But the most remarkable objects discovered were two 747 00:41:19,080 --> 00:41:22,890 S2: small silver pieces that looked like, well, they looked something 748 00:41:22,890 --> 00:41:25,920 S2: like cigarette butts, but it was quickly determined that they 749 00:41:25,920 --> 00:41:28,980 S2: were rolled up pieces of silver that had once been 750 00:41:28,980 --> 00:41:32,460 S2: worn as necklaces or amulets. It took years of careful 751 00:41:32,460 --> 00:41:36,090 S2: work for scientists to unroll the tiny scrolls and discover 752 00:41:36,090 --> 00:41:39,600 S2: what was written inside. When the scrolls were opened, the 753 00:41:39,600 --> 00:41:43,890 S2: archaeologists discovered ancient Hebrew letters carefully inscribed on each piece. 754 00:41:43,920 --> 00:41:46,950 S2: These thin pieces of silver had been rolled up to 755 00:41:46,980 --> 00:41:50,310 S2: make an amulet, likely worn as a favorite necklace, and 756 00:41:50,310 --> 00:41:52,620 S2: when the owner died, he or she was buried with 757 00:41:52,620 --> 00:41:56,520 S2: this prized possession. But what was written on these scrolls, 758 00:41:56,520 --> 00:41:59,759 S2: the larger of the two, begins by talking about Yahweh 759 00:41:59,790 --> 00:42:02,730 S2: the Great, who keeps the covenant, and who is gracious 760 00:42:02,730 --> 00:42:05,430 S2: toward those who love him and who keep his commandments. 761 00:42:05,460 --> 00:42:08,700 S2: Then it goes on to say, for redemption is in him, 762 00:42:08,700 --> 00:42:12,270 S2: for Yahweh is our restorer and rock. May Yahweh bless you. 763 00:42:12,300 --> 00:42:15,390 S2: May he keep you. May Yahweh make his face shine. 764 00:42:15,390 --> 00:42:18,540 S2: And that's where the bottom of the scroll was broken away. 765 00:42:18,540 --> 00:42:22,500 S2: The smaller amulet has a liner so that aren't clearly legible. 766 00:42:22,500 --> 00:42:24,450 S2: At the very beginning, though it might have given the 767 00:42:24,450 --> 00:42:27,330 S2: person's name and family identity. But then it goes on 768 00:42:27,360 --> 00:42:30,240 S2: to say, May you be blessed by Yahweh the warrior 769 00:42:30,239 --> 00:42:33,300 S2: and rebuker of evil. May Yahweh bless you and keep you. 770 00:42:33,330 --> 00:42:36,300 S2: May Yahweh make his face shine upon you and grant 771 00:42:36,300 --> 00:42:40,919 S2: you peace. Sound familiar? Both amulets end by quoting from 772 00:42:40,920 --> 00:42:44,700 S2: number six the passage where Moses told Aaron how he 773 00:42:44,700 --> 00:42:47,339 S2: and his sons were to bless Israel. Then the Lord 774 00:42:47,340 --> 00:42:50,370 S2: spoke to Moses, saying, Speak to Aaron and his son, saying, 775 00:42:50,370 --> 00:42:52,920 S2: thus you shall bless the sons of Israel. You shall 776 00:42:52,920 --> 00:42:55,290 S2: say to them, the Lord bless you and keep you. 777 00:42:55,290 --> 00:42:57,509 S2: The Lord make his face shine on you, and be 778 00:42:57,510 --> 00:43:00,390 S2: gracious to you. The Lord lift up his countenance upon 779 00:43:00,390 --> 00:43:03,360 S2: you and give you peace. So shall they invoke my 780 00:43:03,360 --> 00:43:05,930 S2: name on the sons of Israel, and I then will 781 00:43:05,960 --> 00:43:11,180 S2: bless them here in this family tomb. Archaeologists discovered two 782 00:43:11,210 --> 00:43:14,900 S2: references to this very blessing assigned to Aaron and his 783 00:43:14,900 --> 00:43:18,620 S2: descendants by Moses. Even down to using the covenant keeping 784 00:43:18,620 --> 00:43:22,880 S2: name of God Yahweh. Pretty amazing. And it's even more 785 00:43:22,880 --> 00:43:25,880 S2: amazing when we realize that this is the earliest written 786 00:43:25,880 --> 00:43:30,740 S2: quotation of Scripture ever uncovered by archaeologists. But there's one 787 00:43:30,739 --> 00:43:33,830 S2: more amazing thing about these amulets. And to understand what 788 00:43:33,830 --> 00:43:36,950 S2: it is, I need to explain how many critics interpret 789 00:43:36,950 --> 00:43:40,009 S2: the first five books of the Bible, rather than accepting 790 00:43:40,010 --> 00:43:42,529 S2: that the books were written by Moses. They divide them 791 00:43:42,530 --> 00:43:45,950 S2: up into different independent sources that they say weren't patched 792 00:43:45,950 --> 00:43:49,880 S2: together until after the Babylonian captivity. They see at least 793 00:43:49,880 --> 00:43:53,870 S2: four such sources, often labeled j, E, D, and P. 794 00:43:53,900 --> 00:43:56,330 S2: They would claim that the earliest of these, the j 795 00:43:56,360 --> 00:44:00,650 S2: or Yahwistic source, dates no earlier than 950 BC, and 796 00:44:00,650 --> 00:44:03,860 S2: the most recent of the sources, the p or priestly source, 797 00:44:03,860 --> 00:44:06,650 S2: dates to the time of the Jewish exile in Babylon 798 00:44:06,650 --> 00:44:11,210 S2: or later. This theory is sometimes called the documentary hypothesis. 799 00:44:11,239 --> 00:44:14,000 S2: If you ever took a religion course in college, you 800 00:44:14,000 --> 00:44:17,960 S2: probably came across it. Now here's what's amazing. This theory 801 00:44:17,989 --> 00:44:20,900 S2: has said that the priestly benediction of Aaron was part 802 00:44:20,900 --> 00:44:23,540 S2: of the P document, the one not written until the 803 00:44:23,540 --> 00:44:27,200 S2: time of the Babylonian captivity. But these amulets were found 804 00:44:27,200 --> 00:44:29,930 S2: in a tomb that stopped being used at the time 805 00:44:29,930 --> 00:44:34,310 S2: of the Babylonian captivity. And they were quoting that benediction. 806 00:44:34,340 --> 00:44:37,640 S2: It's hard to quote something that supposedly doesn't exist yet. 807 00:44:37,670 --> 00:44:42,259 S2: The documentary hypothesis, or jedp theory has been disproved a 808 00:44:42,260 --> 00:44:44,930 S2: number of ways, even though it's still being taught in 809 00:44:44,930 --> 00:44:48,980 S2: many universities and seminaries. It was proposed by scholars who 810 00:44:48,980 --> 00:44:52,250 S2: refused to accept the Bible at face value. And even 811 00:44:52,250 --> 00:44:55,760 S2: when evidence like these amulets is discovered, the theory still 812 00:44:55,760 --> 00:44:59,150 S2: refuses to die. So what lesson can we take away 813 00:44:59,150 --> 00:45:01,730 S2: from our visit to this tomb on the edge of 814 00:45:01,730 --> 00:45:05,630 S2: the Hinnom valley. How about this? You can trust the 815 00:45:05,630 --> 00:45:08,779 S2: Bible in spite of attempts to discredit it or to 816 00:45:08,810 --> 00:45:12,650 S2: try to explain it away. New evidence keeps being discovered 817 00:45:12,650 --> 00:45:16,250 S2: to support its historical truth. And because you can trust 818 00:45:16,250 --> 00:45:18,680 S2: the Bible, you can also trust the God who wrote 819 00:45:18,680 --> 00:45:21,380 S2: the Bible. He's the one who has promised to bless 820 00:45:21,380 --> 00:45:24,500 S2: you and keep you, to make his face shine upon you, 821 00:45:24,500 --> 00:45:27,710 S2: and be gracious unto you and to give you peace. 822 00:45:27,739 --> 00:45:31,189 S2: The people buried in this tomb more than 2600 years 823 00:45:31,190 --> 00:45:35,840 S2: ago knew that to be true. And so can you today. Now, 824 00:45:35,840 --> 00:45:38,240 S2: if you'd like to see photos of this tomb complex 825 00:45:38,239 --> 00:45:41,930 S2: overlooking the Hinnom Valley, or the inscription from number six 826 00:45:41,930 --> 00:45:44,750 S2: now on display in the Israel Museum, or head over 827 00:45:44,750 --> 00:45:47,600 S2: to our land in the book Facebook page and look 828 00:45:47,630 --> 00:45:49,610 S2: at the pictures that I've posted there. 829 00:45:49,640 --> 00:45:52,430 S1: Thank you Charlie. And again, check out that Facebook page. 830 00:45:52,430 --> 00:45:55,010 S1: I love the way Charlie puts so much energy into 831 00:45:55,010 --> 00:45:58,880 S1: these photos and descriptions. Very, very interesting. And Charlie, you know, 832 00:45:58,910 --> 00:46:01,550 S1: for somebody who has yet to take advantage of our 833 00:46:01,580 --> 00:46:03,830 S1: of our podcast. I want you to encourage them to 834 00:46:03,860 --> 00:46:06,260 S1: do that because a lot of people listening, sure, they 835 00:46:06,290 --> 00:46:09,469 S1: hear us on a radio station, but many can't. And 836 00:46:09,469 --> 00:46:12,230 S1: this podcast is a way of making the program available 837 00:46:12,230 --> 00:46:13,400 S1: to everybody, right? 838 00:46:13,460 --> 00:46:15,500 S2: Absolutely. You know, for some people, they can't hear the 839 00:46:15,500 --> 00:46:18,200 S2: program when it's broadcast. This gives them an opportunity to 840 00:46:18,230 --> 00:46:20,420 S2: not miss that week's program, to go and listen to 841 00:46:20,450 --> 00:46:22,670 S2: it any time that it fits. And it gives them 842 00:46:22,670 --> 00:46:25,310 S2: something they can share with friends that the friends can 843 00:46:25,310 --> 00:46:26,660 S2: listen to at any given time. 844 00:46:26,690 --> 00:46:28,640 S1: All right. That podcast is waiting for you now at 845 00:46:28,640 --> 00:46:33,050 S1: our website, the land and the book.org. That's the land 846 00:46:33,050 --> 00:46:37,009 S1: and the book. Org. Other great features there as well, 847 00:46:37,010 --> 00:46:40,730 S1: including information about past programs, future programs and more at 848 00:46:40,730 --> 00:46:44,390 S1: the land and the book. Org on behalf of our 849 00:46:44,390 --> 00:46:47,780 S1: team producer Dan Anderson, our host, Charlie Dyer, I'm John Geiger, 850 00:46:47,810 --> 00:46:50,930 S1: thanking you for listening to The Land and the book, 851 00:46:50,960 --> 00:46:55,040 S1: a production of Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.