1 00:00:08,119 --> 00:00:11,520 S1: When it comes to heaven, hell and the afterlife. We've 2 00:00:11,520 --> 00:00:14,720 S1: got questions, right? But here's the problem. There's no shortage 3 00:00:14,720 --> 00:00:18,120 S1: of confusing or for that matter, false answers out there. 4 00:00:18,520 --> 00:00:20,560 S1: This week on the land and the book, we're going 5 00:00:20,600 --> 00:00:23,960 S1: to look at some of the most asked questions about heaven, hell, 6 00:00:24,000 --> 00:00:28,120 S1: and the afterlife. Spoiler alert we don't become angels in heaven, 7 00:00:28,360 --> 00:00:31,240 S1: but we do enjoy something much better. Hey, welcome to 8 00:00:31,280 --> 00:00:33,720 S1: the land. In the book with our host, Doctor Charlie Dyer, 9 00:00:33,920 --> 00:00:37,760 S1: noted Old Testament scholar, frequent Israel traveler. I'm John Geiger. 10 00:00:37,760 --> 00:00:39,000 S1: How's your day going? Charlie. 11 00:00:39,200 --> 00:00:42,920 S2: John, it's going terrific. And it's just amazing what God 12 00:00:42,920 --> 00:00:44,479 S2: can do when we trust him, isn't it? 13 00:00:44,520 --> 00:00:47,159 S1: Amen. And soon we're going to be celebrating Good Friday 14 00:00:47,159 --> 00:00:50,800 S1: and Resurrection Sunday and remembering the words from the Last Supper. 15 00:00:50,960 --> 00:00:54,360 S1: In the same way he took the cup after supper, saying, 16 00:00:54,360 --> 00:00:57,279 S1: this cup is the new covenant in my blood. Hey, 17 00:00:57,280 --> 00:00:59,640 S1: did you know that the Last Supper was actually a 18 00:00:59,750 --> 00:01:02,750 S1: Passover Seder, and that cup is believed to be the 19 00:01:02,750 --> 00:01:06,750 S1: third cup in the traditional Passover service. There's just so 20 00:01:06,790 --> 00:01:10,230 S1: much depth, so much understanding to be gained when we 21 00:01:10,230 --> 00:01:12,830 S1: view the Last Supper as a Passover Seder. Right, Charlie? 22 00:01:12,990 --> 00:01:15,630 S2: Absolutely. And for this reason, our friends at Life in 23 00:01:15,630 --> 00:01:18,670 S2: Messiah are offering to mail you a free copy of 24 00:01:18,709 --> 00:01:22,470 S2: their messianic Passover Haggadah. The booklet will lead you through 25 00:01:22,470 --> 00:01:26,150 S2: the celebration of Passover to see the rich connections to Jesus, 26 00:01:26,150 --> 00:01:29,670 S2: our Messiah and Savior. You'll also receive a link for 27 00:01:29,670 --> 00:01:33,589 S2: an interactive Passover Seder video with the Haggadah and video. 28 00:01:33,630 --> 00:01:37,110 S2: You can celebrate Passover this year with your family and friends. 29 00:01:37,310 --> 00:01:40,350 S2: To get this free offer, just go to Life in Messiah. 30 00:01:40,350 --> 00:01:42,790 S2: Org and click on the Moody radio button there to 31 00:01:42,830 --> 00:01:46,110 S2: find out more and to receive your copy. That's life 32 00:01:46,110 --> 00:01:46,869 S2: in Messiah. 33 00:01:48,390 --> 00:01:50,710 S1: And now a look at current events, all based in 34 00:01:50,710 --> 00:01:53,830 S1: the Middle East from this past week. As oil prices 35 00:01:53,830 --> 00:01:57,190 S1: here at home rise, opposition within the US to the 36 00:01:57,190 --> 00:02:00,700 S1: war against Iran grows. What do we need to know 37 00:02:00,700 --> 00:02:03,260 S1: to help maintain perspective on this conflict? 38 00:02:03,620 --> 00:02:06,260 S2: You know, rightly or wrongly, many Americans expected the war 39 00:02:06,260 --> 00:02:08,820 S2: to be quick and painless in terms of its impact 40 00:02:08,820 --> 00:02:12,140 S2: on the U.S.. Iran knows it can't match the air 41 00:02:12,139 --> 00:02:14,660 S2: power of the US or Israel, but they still see 42 00:02:14,660 --> 00:02:17,899 S2: a path to victory by turning world opinion against President 43 00:02:17,940 --> 00:02:21,459 S2: Trump and his administration, by threatening to block the Strait 44 00:02:21,460 --> 00:02:24,380 S2: of Hormuz and by attacking the Gulf states, forcing them 45 00:02:24,380 --> 00:02:27,380 S2: to close refineries. Iran has caused the price of crude 46 00:02:27,380 --> 00:02:30,540 S2: oil to skyrocket. Americans are feeling the pain at the 47 00:02:30,540 --> 00:02:33,980 S2: pump every time they fill up. Iran also hopes to 48 00:02:33,980 --> 00:02:37,180 S2: get the Gulf states to pressure the US. Their lifestyle 49 00:02:37,180 --> 00:02:40,540 S2: of wealth and luxury is built on oil, and Iran 50 00:02:40,540 --> 00:02:43,859 S2: is showing how fragile that can be, especially by permitting 51 00:02:43,860 --> 00:02:47,300 S2: them to have U.S. bases in their country. The other 52 00:02:47,300 --> 00:02:51,060 S2: Achilles heel of all these nations is water desalination plants 53 00:02:51,060 --> 00:02:56,340 S2: supply 90% of Kuwait's drinking water, 86% of Oman's and 70% 54 00:02:56,340 --> 00:03:00,410 S2: of Saudi Arabia's. There are hundreds of desalination plants along 55 00:03:00,410 --> 00:03:04,970 S2: the Persian Gulf Coast, but just 56 of them supply 90% 56 00:03:04,970 --> 00:03:08,329 S2: of the Gulf's desalinated water. Iran is threatening to attack 57 00:03:08,330 --> 00:03:11,770 S2: those plants and force the US then to stop the war. 58 00:03:11,810 --> 00:03:14,650 S2: Of course, Iran also has plants that could be hit. 59 00:03:14,970 --> 00:03:17,010 S2: Right now, the US and Israel are halfway into the 60 00:03:17,010 --> 00:03:20,290 S2: initial four week timetable for the conflict. So we could 61 00:03:20,290 --> 00:03:22,810 S2: potentially be looking at a few more weeks of fighting 62 00:03:22,810 --> 00:03:25,930 S2: before all the military goals are reached. Iran is hoping 63 00:03:25,930 --> 00:03:28,530 S2: it can hold out and cause enough damage to force 64 00:03:28,530 --> 00:03:31,570 S2: a political end to the conflict. The US and Israel 65 00:03:31,570 --> 00:03:34,530 S2: want to continue until the nuclear program and missile program 66 00:03:34,530 --> 00:03:38,610 S2: are finally eliminated, and hopefully so that the Islamic Revolutionary 67 00:03:38,650 --> 00:03:41,890 S2: Guard Corps and the ayatollahs have been decimated to the 68 00:03:41,890 --> 00:03:44,770 S2: point where there could be a popular uprising. Now, in 69 00:03:44,770 --> 00:03:49,810 S2: Ecclesiastes 911, Solomon makes a wise but disturbing observation on 70 00:03:49,810 --> 00:03:52,890 S2: how life really works, at least from a human perspective. 71 00:03:53,170 --> 00:03:56,080 S2: He said, I've seen something else under the sun. The 72 00:03:56,080 --> 00:03:57,880 S2: race is not to the swift or the battle to 73 00:03:57,920 --> 00:04:00,360 S2: the strong. Nor does food come to the wise or 74 00:04:00,360 --> 00:04:03,280 S2: wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned. But 75 00:04:03,280 --> 00:04:06,680 S2: time and chance happen to them all. Now, thankfully, we 76 00:04:06,680 --> 00:04:09,880 S2: know God is ultimately in control, but that verse is 77 00:04:09,880 --> 00:04:12,160 S2: a good reminder of why we need to keep praying 78 00:04:12,160 --> 00:04:15,560 S2: for our political and military leaders, and for the servicemen 79 00:04:15,560 --> 00:04:18,240 S2: and women who are in harm's way, and for the 80 00:04:18,240 --> 00:04:21,159 S2: people of Israel, Iran, and the rest of the Middle East, 81 00:04:21,160 --> 00:04:25,360 S2: especially the believers there. You know, Spurgeon said, prayer moves 82 00:04:25,360 --> 00:04:28,080 S2: the hand that moves the world. And that just is 83 00:04:28,080 --> 00:04:30,480 S2: a good reminder for us that we need to keep praying. 84 00:04:30,920 --> 00:04:34,000 S1: Well, many in the US oppose the war. The reaction 85 00:04:34,000 --> 00:04:37,920 S1: in Israel is just the opposite, though. Why the significant difference? 86 00:04:37,920 --> 00:04:41,159 S1: And could this have an impact on Israel's elections this 87 00:04:41,160 --> 00:04:41,960 S1: coming fall? 88 00:04:42,520 --> 00:04:44,840 S2: Well, the main reason for the different reactions is the 89 00:04:44,839 --> 00:04:47,640 S2: fact that Israel has lived with the reality of Iran's 90 00:04:47,640 --> 00:04:51,640 S2: threats for the past 47 years. Iran installed a doomsday 91 00:04:51,640 --> 00:04:55,550 S2: clock in Tehran back in 2017 that was counting down 92 00:04:55,550 --> 00:05:00,190 S2: to Israel's destruction, predicting it would happen by the year 2040. 93 00:05:00,550 --> 00:05:04,310 S2: Israel has experienced multiple missile attacks from Iran's proxies and 94 00:05:04,310 --> 00:05:08,070 S2: from Iran themselves. They know Iran was ultimately behind October 95 00:05:08,070 --> 00:05:11,310 S2: 7th Hamas attack, and they know Iran would use nuclear 96 00:05:11,310 --> 00:05:14,350 S2: weapons against them if they were able to develop them. 97 00:05:14,670 --> 00:05:18,070 S2: Israel sees the fight against Iran as an existential struggle 98 00:05:18,070 --> 00:05:20,510 S2: for their own survival, and that has a way of 99 00:05:20,510 --> 00:05:24,830 S2: galvanizing people from all political persuasions behind the war effort. 100 00:05:25,110 --> 00:05:28,110 S2: The closest the U.S. has come to feeling something similar 101 00:05:28,110 --> 00:05:30,550 S2: was right after the attacks on the World Trade Center 102 00:05:30,550 --> 00:05:35,229 S2: and Pentagon back on September 11th, 2021. That's almost 25 103 00:05:35,230 --> 00:05:39,150 S2: years ago now. But our fear quickly subsided for Israel. 104 00:05:39,190 --> 00:05:43,190 S2: The attacks have been almost continuous now. Will this impact 105 00:05:43,190 --> 00:05:46,469 S2: Israel's upcoming elections? Well, the elections have to take place 106 00:05:46,470 --> 00:05:49,790 S2: by October, though no date has been set. Some are 107 00:05:49,790 --> 00:05:52,190 S2: suggesting that as soon as the war is over, Prime 108 00:05:52,190 --> 00:05:55,740 S2: Minister Netanyahu will call for snap elections to take advantage 109 00:05:55,740 --> 00:05:58,900 S2: of the goodwill generated by his leadership in the fight 110 00:05:58,900 --> 00:06:03,060 S2: against Iran. If there are early elections, Netanyahu will present 111 00:06:03,060 --> 00:06:05,500 S2: himself as the one who helped Israel recover from a 112 00:06:05,500 --> 00:06:10,020 S2: devastating surprise attack by Hamas, fought against foes on multiple fronts, 113 00:06:10,020 --> 00:06:14,100 S2: defeated Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran, eliminated the evil leaders of 114 00:06:14,100 --> 00:06:17,700 S2: those countries and provided a long sought measure of security. 115 00:06:18,060 --> 00:06:21,739 S2: But based on recent history, it seems that Israelis like 116 00:06:21,740 --> 00:06:25,700 S2: the US have a tendency to develop historical amnesia once 117 00:06:25,740 --> 00:06:28,659 S2: a threat has passed. Any political bounce in the polls 118 00:06:28,660 --> 00:06:31,540 S2: will likely be short lived, and the problems he was 119 00:06:31,540 --> 00:06:34,659 S2: facing before the war will still be there. Prime Minister 120 00:06:34,660 --> 00:06:37,980 S2: Netanyahu is a savvy politician, and I suspect he'll call 121 00:06:37,980 --> 00:06:41,900 S2: for elections when he believes it's most advantageous. But right now, 122 00:06:41,900 --> 00:06:44,779 S2: it's unclear if that will be sooner or later in 123 00:06:44,779 --> 00:06:45,420 S2: this year. 124 00:06:45,620 --> 00:06:48,260 S1: Charlie, what metrics would you say the US and Israeli 125 00:06:48,260 --> 00:06:52,650 S1: forces are using to determine success, to determine Completeness. What 126 00:06:52,650 --> 00:06:55,610 S1: will be a completed objective if what happens? 127 00:06:56,370 --> 00:06:58,930 S2: Well, if the number of missiles Iran's able to shoot 128 00:06:58,930 --> 00:07:01,610 S2: drops and in fact, they've dropped by 90% so far, 129 00:07:01,970 --> 00:07:04,370 S2: they're getting rid of the missiles and the stockpiles and 130 00:07:04,370 --> 00:07:07,010 S2: the factories where those missiles are produced. I think they 131 00:07:07,010 --> 00:07:09,530 S2: would also use as a metric, if they can decimate 132 00:07:09,530 --> 00:07:12,810 S2: the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to the point where there 133 00:07:12,810 --> 00:07:15,970 S2: could be a popular uprising against them. The plan is 134 00:07:15,970 --> 00:07:19,330 S2: being followed. It's going well. The problem is Americans are 135 00:07:19,370 --> 00:07:21,090 S2: notoriously impatient. 136 00:07:21,450 --> 00:07:23,650 S1: This is the land of the book with Doctor Charlie Dire. 137 00:07:23,690 --> 00:07:27,170 S1: I'm John Gager. Story number three. In our current events report, 138 00:07:27,450 --> 00:07:31,290 S1: the archaeological headline grabbed attention as it asked a rather 139 00:07:31,290 --> 00:07:35,890 S1: ominous question Has Armageddon been unearthed? So what's the reality 140 00:07:35,890 --> 00:07:37,290 S1: behind this headline, Charlie? 141 00:07:37,610 --> 00:07:40,690 S2: Yeah, it was enticing. As a headline, the subtext announced 142 00:07:40,690 --> 00:07:44,530 S2: that an Israeli archaeologist was, quote, as close as possible 143 00:07:44,530 --> 00:07:47,890 S2: to proving the Bible's most dramatic battle. Sadly, the rest 144 00:07:47,890 --> 00:07:51,400 S2: of the article was a major disappointment. Now, this archaeologist 145 00:07:51,400 --> 00:07:54,400 S2: is someone who's tried to disprove many of the historical 146 00:07:54,400 --> 00:07:57,840 S2: events in the Old Testament. The word Armageddon is only 147 00:07:57,840 --> 00:07:59,960 S2: found one time in the Bible, in the New Testament, 148 00:07:59,960 --> 00:08:02,960 S2: in the Book of Revelation. About the only statement in 149 00:08:02,960 --> 00:08:06,239 S2: the article I agreed with is that the word Armageddon 150 00:08:06,240 --> 00:08:09,160 S2: comes from two Hebrew words har Megiddo, meaning the hill 151 00:08:09,160 --> 00:08:12,560 S2: of Megiddo in northern Israel. Now, using Armageddon as a 152 00:08:12,560 --> 00:08:16,239 S2: hook to attract readers, the archaeologists real claim is that 153 00:08:16,240 --> 00:08:19,560 S2: he believes he knows the historical reality that produced that 154 00:08:19,600 --> 00:08:22,480 S2: reference in the Book of revelation. He sees it not 155 00:08:22,480 --> 00:08:25,760 S2: as an apocalyptic description of a future battle, but as 156 00:08:25,760 --> 00:08:28,440 S2: a real battle that happened in the past, resulting in 157 00:08:28,440 --> 00:08:31,880 S2: the death of King Josiah at Megiddo by Pharaoh Necho 158 00:08:31,880 --> 00:08:34,920 S2: of Egypt. He came to that conclusion by noting that 159 00:08:34,920 --> 00:08:39,000 S2: Second Kings 2329 says Josiah marched out to meet Pharaoh 160 00:08:39,000 --> 00:08:41,920 S2: Necho in battle, but Necho faced him and killed him 161 00:08:41,920 --> 00:08:44,800 S2: at Megiddo. Well, we agree with that statement because it's 162 00:08:44,800 --> 00:08:47,679 S2: in the Bible. Yeah. But then the archaeologist also notes 163 00:08:47,679 --> 00:08:51,309 S2: that in his excavations at Megiddo, he discovered both Egyptian 164 00:08:51,309 --> 00:08:54,750 S2: pottery and Greek pottery in the same level. So, he concludes, 165 00:08:54,750 --> 00:08:58,230 S2: the Greeks were mercenaries helping the Egyptians. But how does 166 00:08:58,230 --> 00:09:01,030 S2: that fit with the battle of Armageddon in revelation? The 167 00:09:01,030 --> 00:09:04,150 S2: short answer is it doesn't. The book of Revelation was 168 00:09:04,150 --> 00:09:07,750 S2: written 700 years later and points to a future battle 169 00:09:07,750 --> 00:09:10,510 S2: not one in the past. But we know the Egyptians 170 00:09:10,510 --> 00:09:13,950 S2: killed Josiah in battle. Did they have Greek mercenary soldiers 171 00:09:13,950 --> 00:09:16,469 S2: in their ranks? Well, they might have. The Bible doesn't say, 172 00:09:16,470 --> 00:09:19,110 S2: and it really doesn't matter. But what looked like a 173 00:09:19,110 --> 00:09:22,710 S2: good article was clickbait to entice readers, and the reality 174 00:09:22,710 --> 00:09:25,550 S2: of what was actually presented falls far short of what 175 00:09:25,550 --> 00:09:27,230 S2: was hinted at in that headline. 176 00:09:27,550 --> 00:09:30,030 S1: As the start up nation, Israel is known for its 177 00:09:30,030 --> 00:09:32,750 S1: innovation and creativity. Tell us about some of the recent 178 00:09:32,750 --> 00:09:35,670 S1: phone apps that have shown up there in response to 179 00:09:35,670 --> 00:09:37,109 S1: the attacks by Iran. 180 00:09:37,470 --> 00:09:40,190 S2: You know, while Israel's military faces Iran, the people of 181 00:09:40,190 --> 00:09:42,670 S2: Israel are responding with a host of new apps for 182 00:09:42,670 --> 00:09:45,550 S2: people's smartphones. They already had an app that pings your 183 00:09:45,550 --> 00:09:48,380 S2: smartphone to warn of an incoming missile attack in your 184 00:09:48,380 --> 00:09:51,500 S2: area and a new version offers different alerts to. Distinguish 185 00:09:51,500 --> 00:09:55,340 S2: between rockets, drones, and terror incidents. Another app called Bomb 186 00:09:55,340 --> 00:09:59,820 S2: Shelter Locator matches your specific location to about 20,000. Official 187 00:09:59,820 --> 00:10:03,900 S2: shelter sites. It offers city maps and walking routes an 188 00:10:03,900 --> 00:10:06,340 S2: estimated times to reach the nearest shelter if you're out 189 00:10:06,340 --> 00:10:09,460 S2: and about. For those with mobility issues, they created an 190 00:10:09,460 --> 00:10:12,460 S2: app called Purple Vest. People can register in advance to 191 00:10:12,500 --> 00:10:15,980 S2: request help during alerts, and volunteers will locate and assist 192 00:10:15,980 --> 00:10:18,540 S2: them in getting to a shelter. But the most creative 193 00:10:18,540 --> 00:10:21,579 S2: app of all was called Best Shower Time. It provides 194 00:10:21,580 --> 00:10:24,100 S2: a percentage risk score on whether a shower is likely 195 00:10:24,100 --> 00:10:27,420 S2: to be interrupted by an alert. It uses real time data. 196 00:10:27,460 --> 00:10:31,420 S2: It's really quite complex, but it allows users to set parameters, 197 00:10:31,740 --> 00:10:33,580 S2: including how long they need to take a shower and 198 00:10:33,580 --> 00:10:36,460 S2: how much buffer time they need to get to the shelter. 199 00:10:36,620 --> 00:10:38,699 S2: It's the kind of approach in life that gives Israel 200 00:10:38,700 --> 00:10:40,180 S2: a definite creative edge. 201 00:10:40,460 --> 00:10:44,099 S1: 100 Most Asked Questions About Heaven, hell and the afterlife 202 00:10:44,100 --> 00:11:01,010 S1: is next on the land and the book. When it 203 00:11:01,010 --> 00:11:04,930 S1: comes to heaven, hell and the afterlife, we've got questions. 204 00:11:04,929 --> 00:11:08,010 S1: And not just a few. But here's the problem there's 205 00:11:08,010 --> 00:11:11,689 S1: no shortage of confusing or for that matter, false answers 206 00:11:11,690 --> 00:11:14,410 S1: out there. Coming up, a look at some of the 207 00:11:14,410 --> 00:11:18,490 S1: most asked questions about heaven, hell, and the afterlife. This 208 00:11:18,490 --> 00:11:21,490 S1: is the land and the book. I'm John Gager inviting 209 00:11:21,490 --> 00:11:24,170 S1: you to get creative with me in thinking over a 210 00:11:24,170 --> 00:11:28,890 S1: possible strategy for connecting with your Jewish friend. Recently, I 211 00:11:28,890 --> 00:11:32,290 S1: was having a conversation with a Jewish friend about Scripture, 212 00:11:32,530 --> 00:11:37,370 S1: and immediately we come to discussions of same sex marriage, abortion, 213 00:11:37,370 --> 00:11:40,410 S1: anything political. You know, those kinds of things tend to 214 00:11:40,450 --> 00:11:43,370 S1: creep up. How do we steer the conversation back to 215 00:11:43,410 --> 00:11:45,880 S1: Jesus and how do we handle those other issues. 216 00:11:46,280 --> 00:11:49,360 S3: You know, those are called red herrings. And we do 217 00:11:49,360 --> 00:11:54,200 S3: not want to talk about same sex issues. Pro-Life gun control. 218 00:11:54,760 --> 00:11:58,160 S3: We all have something on our computer called the escape clause, 219 00:11:58,559 --> 00:12:01,000 S3: and I like to use the escape clause to get 220 00:12:01,000 --> 00:12:05,360 S3: back to the beginning. I try very hard to bring 221 00:12:05,360 --> 00:12:09,360 S3: back the conversation about Jesus, and I usually say things. 222 00:12:09,400 --> 00:12:12,840 S3: You know what, that's a really interesting topic. We'll address this, 223 00:12:12,840 --> 00:12:16,400 S3: but can we first go through who Jesus is and 224 00:12:16,400 --> 00:12:18,920 S3: what he said he is? And you know, if you 225 00:12:18,920 --> 00:12:21,040 S3: want to wait till the end to talk about it, 226 00:12:21,040 --> 00:12:24,160 S3: I just hope they forget about it because it's just 227 00:12:24,160 --> 00:12:26,680 S3: going to be really difficult to talk to somebody because 228 00:12:26,720 --> 00:12:31,840 S3: they're so diametrically opposed. So I try to just punt 229 00:12:32,000 --> 00:12:34,800 S3: and just say, we'll talk about it another time. Yeah, 230 00:12:34,960 --> 00:12:37,240 S3: and I think they're okay with that. If you just say, listen, 231 00:12:37,280 --> 00:12:39,360 S3: that's a really good subject. I would want to hear 232 00:12:39,360 --> 00:12:41,920 S3: about that, but can we talk about that later? 233 00:12:42,200 --> 00:12:47,790 S1: Greg Savett is with Rock of Israel. Shay Michael Goodman 234 00:12:47,790 --> 00:12:52,550 S1: is president, CEO and co-founder alongside his wife Melissa of 235 00:12:52,590 --> 00:12:56,430 S1: Got Questions Ministries. The website has received over a million 236 00:12:56,429 --> 00:12:59,950 S1: questions from people all over the globe. Shay is also 237 00:12:59,950 --> 00:13:03,990 S1: currently pursuing a Doctor of Ministry degree from Dallas Theological Seminary. 238 00:13:04,470 --> 00:13:08,630 S1: In his free time, Shay loves sports, hiking, off roading movies, 239 00:13:08,790 --> 00:13:11,350 S1: and hanging out with his German Shepherd. Thanks for being 240 00:13:11,350 --> 00:13:12,350 S1: with us today, Shay. 241 00:13:12,950 --> 00:13:14,110 S4: Thank you, John, for having me. 242 00:13:14,150 --> 00:13:16,470 S1: Well, I have to ask, what is the most popular 243 00:13:16,470 --> 00:13:19,590 S1: question you get about heaven, hell, and the afterlife? 244 00:13:20,230 --> 00:13:23,750 S4: Wow. Um, the cool thing about asking that question is 245 00:13:23,750 --> 00:13:26,829 S4: that the answer is what happens after death? It's the 246 00:13:26,830 --> 00:13:30,230 S4: very it's a general question, but it's the question that 247 00:13:30,230 --> 00:13:33,470 S4: enables us to go directly to the gospel. So if 248 00:13:33,470 --> 00:13:36,470 S4: the gospel is what determines what happens after death, whether 249 00:13:36,470 --> 00:13:39,950 S4: you spend eternity in heaven with Jesus or spend eternity 250 00:13:40,030 --> 00:13:43,460 S4: separated from God. And so that's the most common. Sometimes 251 00:13:43,460 --> 00:13:45,580 S4: it gets into the nitty gritty of is there a 252 00:13:45,580 --> 00:13:49,579 S4: temporary heaven versus hell until the final resurrection? It can 253 00:13:49,580 --> 00:13:52,140 S4: get really complicated, but ultimately people just want to know 254 00:13:52,340 --> 00:13:53,580 S4: what is it going to happen to me after I 255 00:13:53,620 --> 00:13:56,780 S4: die and how can I impact that destination? 256 00:13:57,059 --> 00:14:00,100 S1: Yeah. Hey, where do you see people the most confused. 257 00:14:00,140 --> 00:14:03,540 S1: I'm sure there's a there's a sphere of questions or 258 00:14:03,540 --> 00:14:06,380 S1: a line of questioning that shows a lot of confusion. 259 00:14:06,380 --> 00:14:07,140 S1: What would that be? 260 00:14:07,460 --> 00:14:11,540 S4: For sure. Um, a lot of confusion about what will 261 00:14:11,540 --> 00:14:15,420 S4: life be like in heaven? Um, typically what's portrayed in 262 00:14:15,620 --> 00:14:18,660 S4: popular culture and movies, cartoons, etc., is that we're floating 263 00:14:18,660 --> 00:14:21,140 S4: on clouds playing harps. Well, that is not what the 264 00:14:21,140 --> 00:14:23,780 S4: Bible describes at all. Um, a lot of people are 265 00:14:23,780 --> 00:14:27,220 S4: confused about will we have any sort of physical body? 266 00:14:27,220 --> 00:14:30,380 S4: Is it just like an ethereal realm that will be 267 00:14:30,380 --> 00:14:34,620 S4: floating spirits? Like, no. Looking at revelation chapters 21 and 22, 268 00:14:34,860 --> 00:14:37,500 S4: there's a new heavens and a new earth, and it 269 00:14:37,500 --> 00:14:39,860 S4: appears the new earth is where we'll actually be living. 270 00:14:40,180 --> 00:14:44,370 S4: We'll be living in physical bodies on a physical recreated 271 00:14:44,370 --> 00:14:48,930 S4: earth for eternity. It'd be like this world in some ways, 272 00:14:48,930 --> 00:14:51,370 S4: but then very much unlike in be free from sin, 273 00:14:51,610 --> 00:14:54,690 S4: free from death, free from disease and sickness, etc. there'll 274 00:14:54,730 --> 00:14:58,530 S4: be no more tears, no more weeping. The universe itself 275 00:14:58,530 --> 00:15:02,490 S4: will be perfectly designed, free from sin for us to 276 00:15:02,530 --> 00:15:05,730 S4: dwell with and worship God and walk with God forever. 277 00:15:06,370 --> 00:15:10,250 S1: Shay Michael Hudman is the president, CEO and co-founder of 278 00:15:10,290 --> 00:15:14,490 S1: Got Questions Ministries. He's also written the 100 Most Asked 279 00:15:14,490 --> 00:15:18,530 S1: Questions about Heaven, hell, and the afterlife. Okay, you have 280 00:15:18,530 --> 00:15:22,170 S1: touched on heaven itself. And so my observation is that 281 00:15:22,170 --> 00:15:25,490 S1: when it's all said and done, there is remarkably little 282 00:15:25,490 --> 00:15:30,050 S1: said in Scripture about our actual lives and occupations in heaven. 283 00:15:30,090 --> 00:15:31,370 S1: Why do you suppose that is? 284 00:15:32,250 --> 00:15:35,050 S4: That's a fantastic question, and we get that a lot. 285 00:15:35,130 --> 00:15:36,850 S4: If people want to know like, what will I be 286 00:15:37,010 --> 00:15:41,120 S4: doing in heaven? And my guess is the reason the 287 00:15:41,120 --> 00:15:43,120 S4: Bible doesn't give a whole lot of information is because 288 00:15:43,120 --> 00:15:46,680 S4: that's not what's important. A lot of people are like, well, 289 00:15:46,720 --> 00:15:48,800 S4: we'll be able to spend time with my friends and 290 00:15:48,800 --> 00:15:52,120 S4: family and loved ones. Will I be able to explore 291 00:15:52,120 --> 00:15:54,920 S4: the universe? Will I be able to play sports and 292 00:15:54,920 --> 00:15:57,440 S4: all these things? And the Bible does not address those things. 293 00:15:57,520 --> 00:16:00,360 S4: The Bible talks about heaven being a place where we 294 00:16:00,360 --> 00:16:03,280 S4: will be able to worship God unhindered. Will we will 295 00:16:03,280 --> 00:16:05,480 S4: know him as much as it is possible for a 296 00:16:05,480 --> 00:16:08,200 S4: finite being to know an infinite and eternal God, we'll 297 00:16:08,200 --> 00:16:12,040 S4: be able to worship him wholeheartedly with no hindrances whatsoever. 298 00:16:12,280 --> 00:16:14,560 S4: That seems to be the focus of what the Bible 299 00:16:14,560 --> 00:16:17,120 S4: is talking about. Will there be opportunities to do some 300 00:16:17,120 --> 00:16:20,880 S4: of the things I just mentioned? I believe so, but 301 00:16:20,880 --> 00:16:23,760 S4: the focus there is misplaced when we start making it about, 302 00:16:23,880 --> 00:16:25,520 S4: I want to have fun. I want to be able 303 00:16:25,520 --> 00:16:28,040 S4: to do these things. And I think that's the reality 304 00:16:28,040 --> 00:16:31,400 S4: that we'll get to experience. That's a misplaced priority and 305 00:16:31,400 --> 00:16:33,000 S4: what heaven will be all about. 306 00:16:33,360 --> 00:16:35,320 S1: You know, as I listen to you, I'm struck by 307 00:16:35,320 --> 00:16:39,350 S1: the fact that maybe, maybe we are misled or confused 308 00:16:39,350 --> 00:16:43,590 S1: because our values are upside down. We're glad to hear 309 00:16:43,590 --> 00:16:45,710 S1: about worshiping God, but we want to get to what 310 00:16:45,710 --> 00:16:48,070 S1: we're doing in the same sense that we're happy to 311 00:16:48,070 --> 00:16:50,030 S1: go to church for an hour, but then we want 312 00:16:50,030 --> 00:16:52,110 S1: to get back to what we're doing here. That's our model. 313 00:16:52,110 --> 00:16:56,150 S1: If our if our priorities were heavenward, then it would 314 00:16:56,150 --> 00:16:58,790 S1: be enough to worship God and to get to know 315 00:16:58,790 --> 00:17:01,070 S1: him and to love him more and more. And maybe 316 00:17:01,070 --> 00:17:02,750 S1: that's where we get off track. What do you think? 317 00:17:03,150 --> 00:17:06,629 S4: Very well said. I think the reality of what normal 318 00:17:06,630 --> 00:17:10,670 S4: people experience in this life, even dedicated Christians where worship 319 00:17:10,670 --> 00:17:13,710 S4: is one hour a week on Sundays rather than a 320 00:17:13,710 --> 00:17:17,189 S4: continual lifestyle as it should be, can lead us to 321 00:17:17,230 --> 00:17:20,830 S4: that persuasion, that mindset of wanting to know what exactly 322 00:17:20,830 --> 00:17:23,669 S4: we'll be doing in heaven when heaven is more about 323 00:17:23,710 --> 00:17:24,990 S4: being than it is doing. 324 00:17:25,350 --> 00:17:28,109 S1: Hey, give an example of a false teaching about heaven 325 00:17:28,109 --> 00:17:31,270 S1: and hell that has gained rather widespread acceptance. 326 00:17:32,270 --> 00:17:35,750 S4: One would be, um, a common question. And this is 327 00:17:35,750 --> 00:17:39,540 S4: also related to um, angels. But do we become angels 328 00:17:39,900 --> 00:17:44,060 S4: when we die? That's a very common mindset. Well, my 329 00:17:44,380 --> 00:17:46,859 S4: deceased mother or father is an angel up in heaven 330 00:17:46,859 --> 00:17:50,860 S4: looking down on me. That concept and that provides comfort 331 00:17:50,859 --> 00:17:54,380 S4: to some people. But it's not biblical. The Bible describes 332 00:17:54,380 --> 00:17:58,859 S4: humanity and angels as being two entirely different creations of God. 333 00:17:58,859 --> 00:18:01,580 S4: We do not become one another. We are entirely separate 334 00:18:01,580 --> 00:18:04,740 S4: and always will be. We will get to worship alongside 335 00:18:04,740 --> 00:18:07,580 S4: the angels in heaven, but we will remain entirely separate. 336 00:18:07,580 --> 00:18:12,020 S4: So becoming angels is a common unbiblical viewpoint. And then 337 00:18:12,020 --> 00:18:14,179 S4: also we've been talking a lot about heaven. But on 338 00:18:14,180 --> 00:18:16,300 S4: the other side of the equation, a lot of false 339 00:18:16,300 --> 00:18:19,820 S4: beliefs about about hell, about the the fate of those 340 00:18:19,820 --> 00:18:23,020 S4: who are eternally separated from God. And just recently, the 341 00:18:23,020 --> 00:18:27,260 S4: conversation of Annihilationism has become very popular in podcasts and 342 00:18:27,500 --> 00:18:31,139 S4: even some, some books and websites are starting to propound 343 00:18:31,140 --> 00:18:35,180 S4: that viewpoint, and I believe that it's. One is unbiblical, 344 00:18:35,460 --> 00:18:38,250 S4: and I believe it does not fully take into account 345 00:18:38,250 --> 00:18:41,170 S4: the depth of sin and the holiness and justice of God. 346 00:18:41,210 --> 00:18:45,050 S4: So those are two, I'd say, very prominent beliefs about 347 00:18:45,090 --> 00:18:47,689 S4: eternity that are not biblical. 348 00:18:48,330 --> 00:18:52,450 S1: For more than two decades, Shay, Hootman and Gotquestions.org have 349 00:18:52,450 --> 00:18:56,330 S1: cut through the confusion, answering even the hardest questions with clarity, 350 00:18:56,369 --> 00:18:59,530 S1: grace and love. And she joins us today on the 351 00:18:59,530 --> 00:19:02,050 S1: land and the book to talk about the 100 most 352 00:19:02,050 --> 00:19:05,290 S1: asked questions about heaven, hell, and the afterlife. All right. 353 00:19:05,330 --> 00:19:08,369 S1: You have taken us toward the direction of hell. Let's 354 00:19:08,369 --> 00:19:11,850 S1: talk about that for a moment. Will there be literal flames? 355 00:19:11,890 --> 00:19:16,130 S1: My personal observation, that question aside, is that in our day, 356 00:19:16,130 --> 00:19:20,330 S1: people try to downplay the lake of fire as clearly 357 00:19:20,330 --> 00:19:23,650 S1: presented in Scripture. It's been swapped out for a fuzzier, 358 00:19:23,890 --> 00:19:26,770 S1: dare I say, somewhat more comfortable notion of of sort 359 00:19:26,770 --> 00:19:30,090 S1: of this general separation from God concept, your thoughts. 360 00:19:30,730 --> 00:19:33,490 S4: And that's absolutely true. I mean, even in introducing this, 361 00:19:33,490 --> 00:19:37,240 S4: I referred to eternal separation from God. But in saying that, 362 00:19:37,240 --> 00:19:40,320 S4: I don't use that as a. Instance to hide what 363 00:19:40,320 --> 00:19:43,400 S4: we actually believe. It's just a statement of reality. The 364 00:19:43,400 --> 00:19:46,560 S4: statement of reality of being eternally separated from God. You 365 00:19:46,560 --> 00:19:50,440 S4: are experiencing the wrath of God rather than God's love. 366 00:19:50,480 --> 00:19:53,760 S4: You are not experiencing any mercy, any grace, any compassion, 367 00:19:53,760 --> 00:19:57,280 S4: any forgiveness from God. You're experiencing only the wrath of 368 00:19:57,280 --> 00:20:00,600 S4: God from a holy God. For what your sins deserve. 369 00:20:00,920 --> 00:20:05,439 S4: And that is eternal, everlasting, conscious punishment in hell. Um, 370 00:20:05,440 --> 00:20:09,080 S4: in the Bible, it's very consistent, referring to Bible using 371 00:20:09,119 --> 00:20:13,560 S4: flame terminology. Now, whether it's exactly flames in the sense 372 00:20:13,560 --> 00:20:17,440 S4: that we know it today, not necessarily so, but when 373 00:20:17,440 --> 00:20:20,040 S4: the Bible uses language like that, there's a good reason 374 00:20:20,040 --> 00:20:22,320 S4: to accept it as literally as possible. So we're talking 375 00:20:22,320 --> 00:20:26,040 S4: about a flame that burns and consumes forever. Well, that's 376 00:20:26,040 --> 00:20:29,199 S4: different than flames today that eventually totally wipe something out. 377 00:20:29,200 --> 00:20:31,760 S4: And that's kind of where annihilation has come from. If 378 00:20:31,760 --> 00:20:35,030 S4: something is lit on fire, eventually it is consumed. Even 379 00:20:35,070 --> 00:20:38,830 S4: the biblical imagery of the Valley of Gehenna, where there 380 00:20:38,830 --> 00:20:41,310 S4: was flames going there continually because it was a giant 381 00:20:41,310 --> 00:20:44,550 S4: trash heap and trash was constantly being fed to it. 382 00:20:44,590 --> 00:20:47,469 S4: Using that as a picture of eternal flames. But the 383 00:20:47,470 --> 00:20:51,030 S4: Bible refers to everlasting punishment. First to the lake of fire, saying, 384 00:20:51,350 --> 00:20:54,109 S4: the beast, the false prophet, Satan will be tormented there 385 00:20:54,109 --> 00:20:57,870 S4: day and night, forever and forever. And then also, everyone 386 00:20:57,869 --> 00:21:01,630 S4: else who goes into eternity without Christ is also thrown 387 00:21:01,630 --> 00:21:04,109 S4: into the lake of fire. So we safe to assume 388 00:21:04,109 --> 00:21:06,750 S4: their fate is the same. So it is biblical to 389 00:21:06,790 --> 00:21:10,470 S4: refer to flames. But knowing this is a ultimately a 390 00:21:10,510 --> 00:21:14,310 S4: eternal place may not be exactly flames like we understand 391 00:21:14,310 --> 00:21:18,310 S4: them today, but the Bible uses that description. So it's 392 00:21:18,350 --> 00:21:21,390 S4: accurate to say that yes, hell does involve fire and 393 00:21:21,430 --> 00:21:23,709 S4: flames that are never extinguished. 394 00:21:23,710 --> 00:21:26,710 S1: And regardless of what the actual truth ends up being, 395 00:21:27,070 --> 00:21:29,950 S1: the only description can be horrible beyond description. 396 00:21:30,630 --> 00:21:33,939 S4: Absolutely. Yeah. That question like reminds me of the. The 397 00:21:33,940 --> 00:21:37,220 S4: different levels of punishment in hell is another very common one. Well, 398 00:21:37,500 --> 00:21:41,140 S4: some theologians believe so. I don't believe there's a conclusive 399 00:21:41,140 --> 00:21:44,820 S4: case for it. It's possible. But I mean, seriously, if 400 00:21:44,820 --> 00:21:48,700 S4: you're in a slightly less hot area of hell for eternity, 401 00:21:48,740 --> 00:21:52,979 S4: how is that really a better destination? The destination we 402 00:21:52,980 --> 00:21:56,340 S4: all be seeking for is one provided by God through 403 00:21:56,340 --> 00:21:57,500 S4: faith in Jesus Christ. 404 00:21:57,740 --> 00:22:00,260 S1: Thanks for joining us today on The land and the book. 405 00:22:00,260 --> 00:22:05,580 S1: I'm John Gager, joined by the co-founder of Gotquestions.org, Shea Hudmon. 406 00:22:05,580 --> 00:22:09,540 S1: He's written the 100 Most Asked Questions about Heaven, hell, 407 00:22:09,540 --> 00:22:13,060 S1: and the afterlife. Shea. And your experience when confronted with 408 00:22:13,060 --> 00:22:17,580 S1: a biblical verse or passage that counters somebody's wrong assumption, 409 00:22:17,580 --> 00:22:19,620 S1: are most folks willing to accept that, or do they 410 00:22:19,619 --> 00:22:22,380 S1: insist on clinging to their original position? 411 00:22:23,220 --> 00:22:25,460 S4: That question could be asked about all different areas of 412 00:22:25,460 --> 00:22:28,980 S4: theology that got questions, seeks to answer provide biblically based 413 00:22:28,980 --> 00:22:31,930 S4: answers for. But on these. It can be really difficult 414 00:22:31,970 --> 00:22:36,889 S4: because different views that they have provide comfort, and it's 415 00:22:36,890 --> 00:22:40,330 S4: frustrating when that view is unbiblical for, for example, the 416 00:22:40,369 --> 00:22:44,610 S4: we mentioned earlier about people becoming angels or people looking 417 00:22:44,609 --> 00:22:48,370 S4: down from heaven. The fact that my deceased loved one 418 00:22:48,369 --> 00:22:51,810 S4: can look down from heaven and see me. For some people, 419 00:22:51,810 --> 00:22:54,490 S4: it provides comfort when you tell them that that's not biblical. 420 00:22:54,490 --> 00:22:56,810 S4: When the Bible refers to the great cloud of witnesses, 421 00:22:56,810 --> 00:22:59,129 S4: that is not what it's referring to. It's referring to 422 00:22:59,170 --> 00:23:02,970 S4: the previous chapter. And that's hard. But yeah, it's sort 423 00:23:02,970 --> 00:23:06,889 S4: of like when at a funeral, some people will express 424 00:23:06,890 --> 00:23:10,610 S4: confidence that someone is in heaven with God when there 425 00:23:10,609 --> 00:23:13,970 S4: was very little or no evidence of faith, that person's life. 426 00:23:13,970 --> 00:23:17,210 S4: So it's like, it's a comfort, but it's comfort provided 427 00:23:17,210 --> 00:23:19,929 S4: apart from truth. And that can be very frustrating and 428 00:23:19,930 --> 00:23:23,409 S4: very dangerous on some issues, more so than others. But yeah, 429 00:23:23,730 --> 00:23:27,330 S4: when someone is locked into something and it means something, 430 00:23:27,330 --> 00:23:30,400 S4: it has a powerful emotional meaning and response to them, 431 00:23:30,440 --> 00:23:32,720 S4: it can be difficult to convince them otherwise, even with 432 00:23:32,760 --> 00:23:36,240 S4: a clear Bible. Obviously, some issues are more important than others. 433 00:23:36,240 --> 00:23:39,040 S4: Some issues we will really doesn't do a lot of harm. 434 00:23:39,040 --> 00:23:41,840 S4: To believe that we will trust that God will eventually 435 00:23:41,840 --> 00:23:46,360 S4: correct that mindset, but others know they absolutely need correction 436 00:23:46,359 --> 00:23:48,600 S4: right then and there. So it takes a little discerning 437 00:23:48,640 --> 00:23:51,720 S4: of how hard do you try to correct someone on 438 00:23:51,720 --> 00:23:52,800 S4: a particular belief? 439 00:23:53,400 --> 00:23:55,479 S1: Well, time is fleeting, but we want to squeeze in 440 00:23:55,520 --> 00:23:58,800 S1: at least another question here. Another most popular question that 441 00:23:58,800 --> 00:24:00,880 S1: you address would be what? Your choice. 442 00:24:01,560 --> 00:24:06,320 S4: Oh my choice. Lots of questions about how the end 443 00:24:06,320 --> 00:24:10,800 S4: times relate to heaven, hell and the afterlife. And in 444 00:24:10,800 --> 00:24:14,120 S4: the Bible they are closely tied together. When exactly do 445 00:24:14,560 --> 00:24:17,840 S4: these events happen or when actually is the final resurrection? 446 00:24:17,840 --> 00:24:21,520 S4: So depending on your view of the end times, there 447 00:24:21,560 --> 00:24:24,600 S4: are different resurrections of different people groups the resurrection for Israel, 448 00:24:24,640 --> 00:24:28,639 S4: resurrection for the church, the rapture, the second coming, the 449 00:24:28,710 --> 00:24:31,790 S4: resurrection at the beginning of the millennial kingdom, possibly at 450 00:24:31,790 --> 00:24:34,830 S4: the end. There's all these different viewpoints on different resurrection. 451 00:24:34,830 --> 00:24:38,590 S4: That can be a fascinating study. I mean, I think 452 00:24:38,630 --> 00:24:41,870 S4: the the Bible is it's hard to say clear when 453 00:24:41,869 --> 00:24:45,150 S4: there are good Christians who disagree on this. But just 454 00:24:45,150 --> 00:24:48,190 S4: looking at this issue, ultimately, it still all goes back 455 00:24:48,190 --> 00:24:52,350 S4: to which resurrection you are taking part of. Ultimately, the 456 00:24:52,350 --> 00:24:56,030 S4: destination is what is key. Whether you are in a 457 00:24:56,030 --> 00:24:59,670 S4: temporary like intermediate state where your body is not yet 458 00:24:59,670 --> 00:25:03,270 S4: been resurrected, but you're with Jesus in heaven, still. You 459 00:25:03,310 --> 00:25:06,390 S4: are with God in heaven rather than separated from him. 460 00:25:06,390 --> 00:25:09,390 S4: And she'll. Or the place of the, the wicked and 461 00:25:09,390 --> 00:25:12,389 S4: those sorts of things. So yeah, there's some confusion about 462 00:25:12,390 --> 00:25:17,150 S4: when exactly resurrection happened, when exactly we'll reach our final 463 00:25:17,150 --> 00:25:20,590 S4: eternal destination. But that has not changed the fact that 464 00:25:20,869 --> 00:25:24,550 S4: your ultimate, final, eternal destination is determined by faith in Christ. 465 00:25:24,550 --> 00:25:28,540 S4: And that's far more important than being dogmatic about which 466 00:25:28,540 --> 00:25:30,820 S4: resurrection you will take part of when. 467 00:25:31,300 --> 00:25:35,020 S1: I have loved this conversation. Thank you for making yourself available. 468 00:25:35,060 --> 00:25:38,859 S1: Shay Shay Hudman has written the book 100 Most Asked 469 00:25:38,859 --> 00:25:41,820 S1: Questions About Heaven, hell, and the afterlife. We've got a 470 00:25:41,820 --> 00:25:44,620 S1: link there to that book at our website, The land 471 00:25:44,619 --> 00:25:47,659 S1: and the book. Thanks for your time, Shay. 472 00:25:48,260 --> 00:25:50,260 S4: It's my pleasure. I really enjoyed our conversation. 473 00:25:50,780 --> 00:25:52,500 S1: All right. We're back with a fresh set of Bible 474 00:25:52,500 --> 00:25:55,540 S1: questions coming up here on the land and the book. 475 00:26:06,940 --> 00:26:09,659 S1: Welcome back to the land. And the book. I'm John Gieger, 476 00:26:09,660 --> 00:26:13,300 S1: seated across from Doctor Gerald Peterman. And I'll never forget 477 00:26:13,300 --> 00:26:17,140 S1: hearing former Moody President Michael Easley say, you know, John, 478 00:26:17,420 --> 00:26:19,020 S1: it's a great thing when you come to that point 479 00:26:19,020 --> 00:26:22,820 S1: in life where you say, I get to read the Bible, 480 00:26:22,820 --> 00:26:25,260 S1: I get to study the Bible rather than I have 481 00:26:25,260 --> 00:26:28,370 S1: to or should. And I hope you're at that point 482 00:26:28,369 --> 00:26:31,690 S1: as you join us today. You know, it's a marvelous 483 00:26:31,690 --> 00:26:34,050 S1: thing to have that kind of a feeling about the 484 00:26:34,050 --> 00:26:35,210 S1: Word of God. Your thoughts? 485 00:26:35,410 --> 00:26:37,730 S5: Well, I'm going to just push a little farther into that. 486 00:26:37,730 --> 00:26:41,050 S5: I have the great blessing of being able to read, 487 00:26:41,090 --> 00:26:44,609 S5: to teach now for almost 30 years. I really feel 488 00:26:44,609 --> 00:26:48,330 S5: that it's like that God would give this to me. Yeah. Wow. Right. 489 00:26:48,609 --> 00:26:50,890 S1: Well, that guy there, Doctor Gerald Peterson, you just heard, 490 00:26:50,890 --> 00:26:53,610 S1: he's the one that's our expert answering the Bible questions 491 00:26:53,609 --> 00:26:58,929 S1: that come our way at the land and the book@moody.edu. Again, 492 00:26:58,930 --> 00:27:03,490 S1: you email your question to the land and the book@moody.edu. 493 00:27:03,730 --> 00:27:05,490 S1: We're headed for the book of First Corinthians with a 494 00:27:05,490 --> 00:27:08,370 S1: collection of questions. But first, you and I are soon 495 00:27:08,369 --> 00:27:11,690 S1: going to be celebrating Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday and 496 00:27:11,690 --> 00:27:14,290 S1: remembering the words from the Last Supper in the same 497 00:27:14,290 --> 00:27:17,810 S1: way he took the cup after supper, saying, this cup 498 00:27:17,810 --> 00:27:20,169 S1: is the new covenant in my blood. Did you know 499 00:27:20,170 --> 00:27:23,530 S1: that the Last Supper was actually a Passover Seder? And 500 00:27:23,530 --> 00:27:25,800 S1: that cup is believed to be the third cup in 501 00:27:25,800 --> 00:27:29,560 S1: the traditional Passover service. But there is so much depth 502 00:27:29,560 --> 00:27:32,120 S1: and understanding to be gained when you and I view 503 00:27:32,119 --> 00:27:35,359 S1: the Last Supper as a Passover Seder. And for this reason, 504 00:27:35,359 --> 00:27:37,919 S1: our friends at Life in Messiah are offering to mail 505 00:27:37,920 --> 00:27:41,560 S1: you a free copy of their messianic Passover Haggadah. This 506 00:27:41,560 --> 00:27:43,960 S1: is a booklet that will lead you through the celebration 507 00:27:43,960 --> 00:27:47,760 S1: of Passover to see the really rich connections to Jesus, 508 00:27:47,920 --> 00:27:50,800 S1: our Messiah and Savior. Now here's the cool thing. You'll 509 00:27:50,800 --> 00:27:54,920 S1: also receive a link for an interactive Passover Seder video 510 00:27:55,240 --> 00:27:57,920 S1: with the Haggadah and the video. You can celebrate Passover 511 00:27:57,920 --> 00:28:00,679 S1: this year with your family and friends. And to get 512 00:28:00,680 --> 00:28:02,760 S1: this free offer, all you have to do is go 513 00:28:02,760 --> 00:28:07,040 S1: to Life in messiah.org and click on the Moody Radio 514 00:28:07,040 --> 00:28:10,000 S1: button to find out more and to request your copy. 515 00:28:10,000 --> 00:28:14,760 S1: That's life in messiah.org. Paul writes his letter to the 516 00:28:14,760 --> 00:28:19,000 S1: church at Corinth, which is in modern day. What doctor Peterman. 517 00:28:19,240 --> 00:28:23,790 S5: Modern day Greece. Okay. Yeah. Um, right near the Mediterranean. 518 00:28:23,790 --> 00:28:26,189 S5: Very important city in the ancient world. I'll say to. 519 00:28:26,230 --> 00:28:28,870 S1: All right. And we've got a bunch of questions themed 520 00:28:28,869 --> 00:28:31,470 S1: in the book of First Corinthians. We'll take the first one, 521 00:28:31,470 --> 00:28:34,310 S1: which is anchored in chapter four verse one, where Paul says, 522 00:28:34,510 --> 00:28:37,310 S1: this is how one should regard us as servants of 523 00:28:37,310 --> 00:28:40,590 S1: Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. First, who 524 00:28:40,590 --> 00:28:44,750 S1: is us? Second, I've always thought Christian stewardship was about 525 00:28:44,750 --> 00:28:46,110 S1: money and possessions. 526 00:28:46,150 --> 00:28:52,510 S5: Oh, love this question. Sometimes. Sometimes Scripture speaks of a 527 00:28:52,550 --> 00:28:57,390 S5: we or an us that's all inclusive. Like for instance, um, 528 00:28:57,510 --> 00:29:01,390 S5: Romans five. Having been justified by faith, we have peace 529 00:29:01,390 --> 00:29:04,790 S5: with God. That is a blessing for every Christian. But 530 00:29:04,790 --> 00:29:08,550 S5: sometimes Scripture talks about a we or an us. That's 531 00:29:08,550 --> 00:29:13,590 S5: not all inclusive. It's exclusive. So what's happening in Corinth? 532 00:29:13,870 --> 00:29:17,630 S5: The Corinthians are broken up into factions, and one faction 533 00:29:17,670 --> 00:29:20,030 S5: thinks that Paul is the best, and one faction thinks 534 00:29:20,030 --> 00:29:22,780 S5: that Apollos is the best, and one faction thinks that 535 00:29:22,820 --> 00:29:26,100 S5: Cephas is the best. And so Paul's saying, how should 536 00:29:26,100 --> 00:29:29,940 S5: you regard us? That is me and Cephas and Apollos. 537 00:29:29,940 --> 00:29:33,380 S5: How should y'all regard us? So this is a kind 538 00:29:33,380 --> 00:29:36,860 S5: of an exclusive. We. Then Paul says, you should regard 539 00:29:36,860 --> 00:29:40,540 S5: us as stewards, stewards of the mysteries of God. And 540 00:29:40,540 --> 00:29:43,220 S5: this is not the typical way we use the term steward. 541 00:29:43,260 --> 00:29:45,700 S5: I mean, there are, thanks be to God many books 542 00:29:45,700 --> 00:29:48,940 S5: written on Christian stewardship, and we're glad to have them. Yeah, 543 00:29:49,060 --> 00:29:51,860 S5: but there are not many books written on being a 544 00:29:51,860 --> 00:29:55,500 S5: steward of the gospel or being a steward of your 545 00:29:55,660 --> 00:29:59,580 S5: spiritual gift. And actually, that's the primary use for the 546 00:29:59,580 --> 00:30:02,540 S5: New Testament. I know our Lord Jesus talks about being 547 00:30:02,540 --> 00:30:06,140 S5: a steward of finances. That's Luke 12 and in Luke 16, 548 00:30:06,580 --> 00:30:09,980 S5: but in first Peter four, I know we're going outside, 549 00:30:09,980 --> 00:30:13,100 S5: Paul now, but in first Peter four, in verse ten, 550 00:30:13,140 --> 00:30:17,180 S5: what does Peter say? He says, as good stewards of 551 00:30:17,180 --> 00:30:21,130 S5: God's grace, use the gift that's been given to you 552 00:30:21,130 --> 00:30:23,970 S5: to serve other people. That is your spiritual gift. And 553 00:30:23,970 --> 00:30:27,050 S5: so Paul is talking here about being a steward of 554 00:30:27,050 --> 00:30:32,890 S5: his spiritual gift, apostleship. And we should think about stewardship sometimes, uh, 555 00:30:32,890 --> 00:30:36,930 S5: not just money, but what kind of giftedness, what kind 556 00:30:36,930 --> 00:30:40,650 S5: of abilities, what kind of passions has God given us? 557 00:30:40,690 --> 00:30:43,650 S5: And are we using them for his glory and other 558 00:30:43,650 --> 00:30:45,850 S5: people's good? That's what a steward does. 559 00:30:45,890 --> 00:30:48,650 S1: Another facet to this conversation is the reality that stewards 560 00:30:48,650 --> 00:30:52,290 S1: are not stars. Sometimes we put these preachers and teachers 561 00:30:52,290 --> 00:30:54,729 S1: that are so gifted up on pedestals so high, and 562 00:30:54,730 --> 00:30:57,090 S1: we view them like, uh, Hollywood stuff. 563 00:30:57,210 --> 00:31:00,370 S5: Oh, John, I had not heard that comparison before, but 564 00:31:00,370 --> 00:31:03,330 S5: thanks so much for it. You're absolutely right. Yeah. 565 00:31:03,650 --> 00:31:06,010 S1: Let's go to first Corinthians four three, where it almost 566 00:31:06,010 --> 00:31:08,970 S1: seems like Paul might be on trial for something he 567 00:31:08,970 --> 00:31:11,530 S1: says there with me, it is a very small thing 568 00:31:11,530 --> 00:31:14,890 S1: that I should be judged by you or by any 569 00:31:14,930 --> 00:31:17,850 S1: human court. What in the world is going on? Little 570 00:31:17,850 --> 00:31:18,650 S1: context here. 571 00:31:18,690 --> 00:31:24,200 S5: Yes. Right. Again, the the context is the Corinthians have 572 00:31:24,400 --> 00:31:29,440 S5: factions and in their factions, he's heard from Chloe that 573 00:31:29,440 --> 00:31:32,480 S5: in their factions, some of them are saying, well, I 574 00:31:32,520 --> 00:31:36,280 S5: follow Paul and another faction is saying, I follow Apollos. 575 00:31:36,320 --> 00:31:40,280 S5: Another faction is saying, you know, I follow Cephas. So 576 00:31:40,320 --> 00:31:44,800 S5: in other words, if I say I'm following Apollos, that 577 00:31:44,800 --> 00:31:48,880 S5: means I'm critiquing Paul. Paul's not as good. You know, 578 00:31:48,920 --> 00:31:53,360 S5: if I say I'm following Cephas, this means I'm critiquing Apollos. 579 00:31:53,360 --> 00:31:56,960 S5: So Paul's response is, you know, it's a minor deal. 580 00:31:56,960 --> 00:31:59,680 S5: It's a very minor deal if I should be evaluated 581 00:31:59,680 --> 00:32:02,280 S5: or judged by you. So this is the kind of 582 00:32:02,320 --> 00:32:03,600 S5: judgment going on. 583 00:32:03,600 --> 00:32:05,000 S1: Okay. Not an actual court case. 584 00:32:05,040 --> 00:32:06,120 S5: Not an actual court case. 585 00:32:06,120 --> 00:32:07,880 S1: He's not being put on trial for his theology. 586 00:32:07,920 --> 00:32:11,400 S5: No, no. Good, good. Absolutely right. But being in a 587 00:32:11,400 --> 00:32:16,520 S5: sense judged negatively by some Corinthians as not their favorite apostle. 588 00:32:16,560 --> 00:32:18,830 S1: Yeah. And we do that to an extent today too. 589 00:32:18,830 --> 00:32:19,910 S1: I hear it said. 590 00:32:19,990 --> 00:32:21,230 S5: We do it all the time. 591 00:32:21,270 --> 00:32:23,910 S1: Yeah, a lot of comparisons and critiquing. This is the 592 00:32:23,910 --> 00:32:26,230 S1: land in the book from Moody Radio, where we welcome 593 00:32:26,230 --> 00:32:29,030 S1: your question about the Bible, something that you're studying right 594 00:32:29,030 --> 00:32:32,190 S1: now that doesn't quite make sense. Why not email that 595 00:32:32,190 --> 00:32:37,470 S1: question to us at the land and the book@moody.edu, the 596 00:32:37,470 --> 00:32:42,950 S1: land and the book@moody.edu. First Corinthians, chapter five is where 597 00:32:42,950 --> 00:32:46,510 S1: we're headed. This one for me has always been just. 598 00:32:46,510 --> 00:32:48,510 S1: I never quite got it. What is the meaning of 599 00:32:48,510 --> 00:32:51,790 S1: the phrase to be delivered over to Satan? 600 00:32:52,430 --> 00:32:55,910 S5: I can understand this question. It's a scary phrase indeed. 601 00:32:55,910 --> 00:33:00,870 S5: What's happening in First Corinthians five? Paul mentions that he 602 00:33:00,870 --> 00:33:04,350 S5: knows in the congregation there's a man who has an 603 00:33:04,350 --> 00:33:08,229 S5: immoral relationship with his stepmother. This is just not to 604 00:33:08,230 --> 00:33:11,070 S5: be done. And then what does Paul say? He says, 605 00:33:11,070 --> 00:33:14,310 S5: you know what? You folks have not grieved this. You've 606 00:33:14,310 --> 00:33:18,740 S5: boasted about it. That's a completely inappropriate reaction. So what 607 00:33:18,740 --> 00:33:22,700 S5: should you do? He mentions the man should be put 608 00:33:22,700 --> 00:33:26,260 S5: out of the congregation. I believe that's verse two or 609 00:33:26,580 --> 00:33:28,900 S5: delivered over to Satan. I believe that's verse five. I 610 00:33:28,900 --> 00:33:31,340 S5: take it this is the same thing. What do you have? 611 00:33:31,700 --> 00:33:34,660 S5: What do we have? Even if we don't often think 612 00:33:34,660 --> 00:33:37,660 S5: about it or realize it, what do we have inside 613 00:33:37,660 --> 00:33:41,620 S5: the family of God? Blessing the gifts of the Holy Spirit. 614 00:33:41,660 --> 00:33:46,140 S5: God's forgiveness right in the congregation, we have a level 615 00:33:46,140 --> 00:33:49,780 S5: of protection from the world. So what does Paul say? 616 00:33:50,100 --> 00:33:52,460 S5: This man should be put out of your congregation. He 617 00:33:52,460 --> 00:33:58,100 S5: should be, in modern terms, excommunicated. To what territory should 618 00:33:58,100 --> 00:34:01,940 S5: he go? He should go to Satan's territory outside the church. 619 00:34:01,940 --> 00:34:05,980 S5: This is what is meant by deliver to Satan. Excommunicate him, 620 00:34:06,020 --> 00:34:08,299 S5: put him out. But wait, wait. There are two more 621 00:34:08,300 --> 00:34:10,180 S5: things that have got to be said, because I know 622 00:34:10,180 --> 00:34:12,380 S5: that some of our listeners are wondering, or maybe some 623 00:34:12,380 --> 00:34:16,170 S5: of our listeners have seen church discipline that was not 624 00:34:16,170 --> 00:34:21,930 S5: done well, right. What is the basis for this discipline? First, 625 00:34:21,969 --> 00:34:25,930 S5: the basis is we are grieved about the sin in 626 00:34:25,930 --> 00:34:30,610 S5: our congregation. Not angry, grieved. This is what Paul says. 627 00:34:30,610 --> 00:34:35,489 S5: You should have grieved rather than to be arrogant. And 628 00:34:35,489 --> 00:34:37,970 S5: then we should put him out. And then what does 629 00:34:37,969 --> 00:34:42,129 S5: Paul further say? Deliver him over to Satan so that 630 00:34:42,130 --> 00:34:44,690 S5: his flesh may be destroyed. I take it that's a 631 00:34:44,690 --> 00:34:48,810 S5: reference to repentance so that his Spirit would be saved. 632 00:34:48,810 --> 00:34:54,210 S5: That is, he's restored always. Our goal with excommunication or 633 00:34:54,210 --> 00:34:57,009 S5: church discipline is to restore others. 634 00:34:57,210 --> 00:35:00,330 S1: Yeah. And you see that theme throughout a number of passages, 635 00:35:00,330 --> 00:35:03,890 S1: restoration between, you know, relationships, parties who have offended each 636 00:35:03,930 --> 00:35:05,770 S1: other all throughout scripture. Yeah. 637 00:35:05,810 --> 00:35:08,250 S5: Pretty much this is the same procedure that Jesus goes 638 00:35:08,250 --> 00:35:10,970 S5: through in Matthew 18. What do we want? We want 639 00:35:10,969 --> 00:35:14,759 S5: to have a gentle approach. And then sometimes we have 640 00:35:14,760 --> 00:35:18,960 S5: to cut off, but we always want the other person 641 00:35:18,960 --> 00:35:20,400 S5: to come back. Yeah. 642 00:35:21,200 --> 00:35:23,879 S1: Let's go to first Corinthians chapter six. It seems like 643 00:35:23,880 --> 00:35:28,120 S1: Paul is against legal action. How do we practically apply 644 00:35:28,280 --> 00:35:32,440 S1: these verses about lawsuits in our Christian communities, while also 645 00:35:32,440 --> 00:35:35,440 S1: considering what the Bible says about honoring the government? 646 00:35:36,160 --> 00:35:38,080 S5: Oh, that's a great question. I know many others have 647 00:35:38,080 --> 00:35:41,520 S5: asked it. Let me mention quickly three things. In the 648 00:35:41,560 --> 00:35:45,279 S5: ancient world, only the wealthy took others to court. This 649 00:35:45,280 --> 00:35:47,279 S5: is not what we do in our modern world. What 650 00:35:47,280 --> 00:35:50,240 S5: does James two say? Isn't it the wealthy who drag 651 00:35:50,239 --> 00:35:54,000 S5: you into court? The answer is yes. Paul wants the 652 00:35:54,000 --> 00:35:57,960 S5: congregation itself to have the ability to solve the problem. 653 00:35:57,960 --> 00:36:01,320 S5: So Paul asks the question in verse five, and isn't 654 00:36:01,320 --> 00:36:04,600 S5: there anyone wise enough among you to settle a dispute 655 00:36:04,600 --> 00:36:08,080 S5: between brothers? But brother goes to law against brother and 656 00:36:08,080 --> 00:36:12,120 S5: that before unbelievers, that is, he wants the church as 657 00:36:12,120 --> 00:36:15,149 S5: much as possible to take care of its problems in-house 658 00:36:15,430 --> 00:36:17,710 S5: so that shame is not brought on the church in 659 00:36:17,750 --> 00:36:21,190 S5: an external world. But wait, there are times when legal 660 00:36:21,190 --> 00:36:25,229 S5: authorities must be brought in. Heaven forbid somebody who works 661 00:36:25,230 --> 00:36:29,310 S5: in the nursery abuses the child. We must bring in 662 00:36:29,350 --> 00:36:31,910 S5: the police. That's right. This must be reported. We must 663 00:36:31,910 --> 00:36:36,590 S5: not hide for the sake of our own sense of shame. Yeah, indeed. 664 00:36:36,630 --> 00:36:38,630 S1: Thank you for that. Look at Corinthians, the book of 665 00:36:38,630 --> 00:36:42,350 S1: First Corinthians. Your question. Welcome again at the land and 666 00:36:42,350 --> 00:36:47,270 S1: the book@moody.edu. Any book of the Bible. Welcome. Well, Charlie 667 00:36:47,270 --> 00:36:49,589 S1: Dyer is coming back with his devotional next on the 668 00:36:49,590 --> 00:37:04,950 S1: land and the book. It's the one thing that the 669 00:37:04,950 --> 00:37:08,350 S1: world seems to long the most for, the one thing 670 00:37:08,350 --> 00:37:12,980 S1: that could and should set Christians apart. I'm talking about unity. 671 00:37:13,500 --> 00:37:15,819 S1: There's so little of it to be had, though, right? Well, 672 00:37:15,820 --> 00:37:18,700 S1: coming up on our devotional segment, Charlie, you're talking about unity. 673 00:37:18,700 --> 00:37:19,300 S1: Is that true? 674 00:37:19,540 --> 00:37:21,740 S2: Absolutely, John. And we're going to head to Mount Hermon 675 00:37:21,739 --> 00:37:22,339 S2: to talk about it. 676 00:37:22,380 --> 00:37:24,779 S1: Oh, well, that's quite a view. Looking forward to that. First, though, 677 00:37:24,780 --> 00:37:27,180 S1: this Holy Land experience testimony. Check it out. 678 00:37:31,460 --> 00:37:34,660 S6: Hello, this is Pastor Kurt Krohn from Faith Bible Church 679 00:37:34,660 --> 00:37:38,900 S6: in DeSoto, Texas. I've been on several tours with Charlie 680 00:37:39,140 --> 00:37:42,580 S6: and loved our trips to Israel. I would say one 681 00:37:42,580 --> 00:37:45,900 S6: of the things that impresses me most is that my 682 00:37:45,900 --> 00:37:49,180 S6: theological education was very expensive, but it seems to me 683 00:37:49,180 --> 00:37:52,859 S6: that it would be good for every future pastor and 684 00:37:52,860 --> 00:37:56,540 S6: Bible teacher to spend money on a tour of Israel. 685 00:37:56,580 --> 00:37:59,620 S6: Getting to know the land is an invaluable tool as 686 00:37:59,620 --> 00:38:01,460 S6: you share and study the word. 687 00:38:01,940 --> 00:38:04,739 S7: My experience in the land was that I really didn't 688 00:38:04,739 --> 00:38:07,380 S7: want to go, but the spirit kept leading me to go. 689 00:38:08,180 --> 00:38:12,210 S7: And when I got there, you know, I saw some things, 690 00:38:12,250 --> 00:38:16,410 S7: you know, in my life. Uh, it had changed. You know, 691 00:38:16,450 --> 00:38:19,410 S7: the spirit fell on me, and I think it took 692 00:38:19,410 --> 00:38:23,370 S7: me to another level in my spirituality. I think it 693 00:38:23,370 --> 00:38:27,489 S7: was the first step in, uh, trusting in God and 694 00:38:27,489 --> 00:38:31,330 S7: not man. I think that's what that first step was about. 695 00:38:31,450 --> 00:38:33,050 S7: When I went to the Holy Land. 696 00:38:34,930 --> 00:38:36,650 S1: Always good to hear from folks who have been to 697 00:38:36,690 --> 00:38:38,729 S1: the Holy Land and, and love to share their thoughts 698 00:38:38,730 --> 00:38:41,410 S1: with us. Appreciate that very much. And Charlie, I'll turn 699 00:38:41,450 --> 00:38:42,330 S1: things over to you. 700 00:38:42,890 --> 00:38:45,410 S2: Well, there's an old Irish toast to family and friends 701 00:38:45,410 --> 00:38:48,489 S2: that contains more than its share of truth. I can't 702 00:38:48,489 --> 00:38:50,650 S2: do it with the Irish brogue, but here it is 703 00:38:50,650 --> 00:38:53,290 S2: to live above with the saints we love. That's the 704 00:38:53,290 --> 00:38:56,890 S2: purest glory. To live below with the saints we know 705 00:38:57,410 --> 00:39:00,970 S2: that's another story. Now that saying comes to mind about 706 00:39:00,969 --> 00:39:04,529 S2: day five on a trip to Israel. Jet lag has 707 00:39:04,530 --> 00:39:06,890 S2: worn off and our days and nights are now in 708 00:39:06,890 --> 00:39:09,880 S2: sync and it's. Then we notice a few members of 709 00:39:09,880 --> 00:39:12,719 S2: our group who seem to be getting on everyone's nerves. 710 00:39:13,080 --> 00:39:15,720 S2: They're the ones who are always five minutes late getting 711 00:39:15,719 --> 00:39:19,479 S2: on the bus at every stop. They're also the ones 712 00:39:19,480 --> 00:39:22,120 S2: in the dinner line who hold everybody up as they 713 00:39:22,120 --> 00:39:25,480 S2: examine each piece of lettuce in the salad bowl before 714 00:39:25,520 --> 00:39:28,640 S2: putting it on their plate. Why is it that people's 715 00:39:28,640 --> 00:39:32,480 S2: idiosyncrasies seem to show up when we're together in groups? 716 00:39:32,600 --> 00:39:36,399 S2: And why do they cause such great irritation? I'm not 717 00:39:36,400 --> 00:39:40,360 S2: completely sure, but I'm glad our destination today is Mount Hermon, 718 00:39:40,360 --> 00:39:43,120 S2: because I think it can help us find the answer. 719 00:39:43,520 --> 00:39:47,920 S2: Mount Hermon rises 9200ft above sea level. It's the highest 720 00:39:47,920 --> 00:39:51,279 S2: mountain in Israel. Dan and Caesarea Philippi are at the 721 00:39:51,280 --> 00:39:53,319 S2: base of Mount Hermon, but you can't get a good 722 00:39:53,320 --> 00:39:56,439 S2: view of the mountain from either site. They're just too close. 723 00:39:56,960 --> 00:39:59,760 S2: It's a clear day. So let's stop by the ancient 724 00:39:59,760 --> 00:40:02,440 S2: city of Hatzor to get a better view of Mount Hermon. 725 00:40:02,719 --> 00:40:06,120 S2: Even though it's still 30 miles away from here, though, 726 00:40:06,160 --> 00:40:09,190 S2: we can see how it dominates the view to the north. 727 00:40:09,590 --> 00:40:12,750 S2: But what does majestic Mount Hermon have to do with 728 00:40:12,750 --> 00:40:15,950 S2: the always late lettuce inspector who's now sitting in front 729 00:40:15,950 --> 00:40:18,350 S2: of you on the bus? Well, to find the answer, 730 00:40:18,350 --> 00:40:21,230 S2: we need to envision Jerusalem during one of the annual 731 00:40:21,230 --> 00:40:24,589 S2: feasts of the Lord. Imagine having to crowd into the 732 00:40:24,590 --> 00:40:28,230 S2: city of Jerusalem with this person and thousands of others, 733 00:40:28,230 --> 00:40:31,310 S2: three times each year as we gather as a nation 734 00:40:31,310 --> 00:40:33,910 S2: before the Lord. It's supposed to be a time of 735 00:40:33,910 --> 00:40:37,190 S2: spiritual encouragement, but it could easily be a time of 736 00:40:37,190 --> 00:40:42,150 S2: personal irritation. And that's why Psalm 133 was included among 737 00:40:42,150 --> 00:40:46,469 S2: the Psalms of Ascents. This psalm, originally written by King David, 738 00:40:46,550 --> 00:40:50,830 S2: focuses on the benefits of brotherly unity, and Mount Hermon 739 00:40:50,830 --> 00:40:54,510 S2: is one of David's object lessons. It's possible that David 740 00:40:54,510 --> 00:40:57,910 S2: wrote the Psalm after he was made king over all Israel, 741 00:40:58,110 --> 00:41:01,189 S2: ending a period of civil war among the tribes. But 742 00:41:01,190 --> 00:41:04,830 S2: whatever its original background, the latter compilers of the Psalms 743 00:41:04,830 --> 00:41:08,459 S2: included it within the Songs of Ascents. Those songs sung 744 00:41:08,460 --> 00:41:11,860 S2: by the thousands of pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem to worship 745 00:41:11,860 --> 00:41:14,620 S2: the Lord. It's the second of the three songs of 746 00:41:14,620 --> 00:41:18,020 S2: ascents I want us to explore in this series. The 747 00:41:18,020 --> 00:41:21,540 S2: psalm begins with a simple declaration behold how good and 748 00:41:21,540 --> 00:41:26,020 S2: how pleasant for brothers to dwell together. United. Dwelling together 749 00:41:26,020 --> 00:41:29,060 S2: wasn't the goal. It was to dwell together in unity 750 00:41:29,060 --> 00:41:32,259 S2: of purpose and unity of mind. The root idea is 751 00:41:32,260 --> 00:41:35,980 S2: to be one such unity. David Wright's is both morally 752 00:41:35,980 --> 00:41:41,020 S2: good and socially agreeable. It's right from God's perspective, and 753 00:41:41,020 --> 00:41:45,060 S2: it's what keeps the fabric of society from unraveling. David 754 00:41:45,060 --> 00:41:48,700 S2: then uses two examples to illustrate the benefits of such unity. 755 00:41:49,060 --> 00:41:51,819 S2: The first is found in verse two, where David said, 756 00:41:51,820 --> 00:41:56,180 S2: dwelling together united has a sanctifying effect on those involved. 757 00:41:56,580 --> 00:41:59,620 S2: He compares the benefits of such unity to the oil 758 00:41:59,620 --> 00:42:02,660 S2: Moses poured on Aaron's head when he anointed him to 759 00:42:02,700 --> 00:42:06,570 S2: be high priest. When Moses poured the anointing oil on Aaron. 760 00:42:06,610 --> 00:42:09,410 S2: God said in Exodus 40 that Aaron and his sons 761 00:42:09,410 --> 00:42:12,250 S2: were being set apart to be a priesthood that will 762 00:42:12,250 --> 00:42:16,410 S2: continue for all generations to come. As the fragrant anointing 763 00:42:16,410 --> 00:42:19,250 S2: oil ran down Aaron's head onto his beard and then 764 00:42:19,250 --> 00:42:23,530 S2: dripped onto his priestly garments, he was sanctified, set apart 765 00:42:23,530 --> 00:42:26,930 S2: to God in a unique and special way. David is 766 00:42:26,930 --> 00:42:30,330 S2: saying that in the same way, dwelling together in unity 767 00:42:30,370 --> 00:42:33,170 S2: helps set the people of God apart to the Lord. 768 00:42:33,810 --> 00:42:36,450 S2: So how does this work? Well, the writer of Hebrews 769 00:42:36,450 --> 00:42:40,049 S2: suggests it happens as we encourage and support one another 770 00:42:40,050 --> 00:42:43,330 S2: in our walk with God. Let us consider how to 771 00:42:43,370 --> 00:42:47,130 S2: stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking 772 00:42:47,130 --> 00:42:50,370 S2: our own. Assembling together, as is the habit of some, 773 00:42:50,610 --> 00:42:53,529 S2: but encouraging one another. And all the more as you 774 00:42:53,530 --> 00:42:58,569 S2: see the day drawing near. Being together, encouraging each other 775 00:42:58,570 --> 00:43:02,890 S2: and demonstrating love and practical concern. In these ways we 776 00:43:02,930 --> 00:43:07,640 S2: help draw one another closer to God. The sanctifying effects 777 00:43:07,640 --> 00:43:11,920 S2: of brotherly unity. David then illustrates in verse three the 778 00:43:11,920 --> 00:43:15,960 S2: sustaining effect that brotherly unity can have on us, keeping 779 00:43:15,960 --> 00:43:19,480 S2: us going during the difficult times in our lives. And 780 00:43:19,480 --> 00:43:22,120 S2: it's here where he takes his readers on a majestic 781 00:43:22,120 --> 00:43:25,480 S2: sweep of Israel from Mount Hermon all the way down 782 00:43:25,480 --> 00:43:29,640 S2: to Mount Zion. Brotherly unity was like the dew of 783 00:43:29,680 --> 00:43:34,080 S2: Hermon falling on Mount Zion. David's illustration comes right from 784 00:43:34,080 --> 00:43:37,640 S2: the dry summer months when no rain falls in Israel 785 00:43:38,040 --> 00:43:41,040 S2: on most summer days. A warm, moist breeze blows in 786 00:43:41,040 --> 00:43:43,839 S2: from off the Mediterranean, and in the evening, when the 787 00:43:43,840 --> 00:43:46,480 S2: sun goes down and the warmth radiates away into the 788 00:43:46,480 --> 00:43:50,400 S2: clear night sky, the temperature can drop below the dew point, 789 00:43:50,400 --> 00:43:54,920 S2: especially in the higher elevations. At over 9000ft, Mount Hermon 790 00:43:54,920 --> 00:43:57,560 S2: receives a great deal of rain in the winter and 791 00:43:57,560 --> 00:44:00,200 S2: a great deal of dew in the summer, and that 792 00:44:00,200 --> 00:44:03,629 S2: dew helps nourish and sustain the trees and bushes that 793 00:44:03,630 --> 00:44:07,510 S2: grow on its slopes in the same way. Brotherly unity 794 00:44:07,510 --> 00:44:11,270 S2: has a sustaining effect on those who experience it. It's 795 00:44:11,270 --> 00:44:14,630 S2: as if David says, the heavy dew from Mount Hermon 796 00:44:14,630 --> 00:44:17,350 S2: could somehow make its way down to the lower heights 797 00:44:17,350 --> 00:44:21,150 S2: of Mount Zion, bringing the nourishing due to sustain it 798 00:44:21,150 --> 00:44:24,790 S2: through the dry summer. And just as God brought the 799 00:44:24,790 --> 00:44:27,670 S2: physical due to the heights of Mount Hermon, so he 800 00:44:27,670 --> 00:44:31,310 S2: promises to bestow his blessing on those who gathered to 801 00:44:31,350 --> 00:44:35,350 S2: worship him in Jerusalem at the temporary meeting place erected 802 00:44:35,350 --> 00:44:39,870 S2: on Mount Zion by King David. So what's the lesson 803 00:44:39,870 --> 00:44:43,750 S2: we can take away from this encounter on Mount Hermon? Well, 804 00:44:43,790 --> 00:44:47,589 S2: perhaps it's this. In an age of text messages, tweets, 805 00:44:47,590 --> 00:44:52,310 S2: and online church services, we're in danger of substituting impersonal 806 00:44:52,310 --> 00:44:58,030 S2: communication for personal interaction, of having Facebook replace actual face 807 00:44:58,070 --> 00:45:01,230 S2: time with those around us. And in doing so, we 808 00:45:01,230 --> 00:45:06,260 S2: can become spiritually impoverished. So don't fret over the always 809 00:45:06,260 --> 00:45:09,460 S2: late lettuce inspectors in your life. See if you can 810 00:45:09,460 --> 00:45:12,299 S2: get together for a meal and ask about his or 811 00:45:12,300 --> 00:45:15,939 S2: her spiritual journey. You might discover that the lessons God 812 00:45:15,940 --> 00:45:19,980 S2: has taught that person can help you in your spiritual walk. 813 00:45:20,380 --> 00:45:23,740 S2: God just might use that person to draw you closer 814 00:45:23,739 --> 00:45:28,340 S2: to him and encourage you in your life. Remember, it's 815 00:45:28,340 --> 00:45:33,339 S2: good and pleasant when brothers can dwell together in unity. 816 00:45:33,739 --> 00:45:36,779 S1: Thank you, Charlie boy. Great perspective there. You know, from 817 00:45:36,780 --> 00:45:39,580 S1: time to time people write us and say, how does 818 00:45:39,580 --> 00:45:42,819 S1: Charlie put together his current events segment? If I could 819 00:45:42,820 --> 00:45:44,739 S1: switch gears for just a moment, what are some of 820 00:45:44,739 --> 00:45:47,540 S1: the resources that you rely on that maybe listeners could 821 00:45:47,540 --> 00:45:49,140 S1: also check out for themselves? 822 00:45:49,380 --> 00:45:52,940 S2: Oh yeah. Lots of online resources. The Jerusalem Post is 823 00:45:52,940 --> 00:45:56,500 S2: a great online source. The Times of Israel is also 824 00:45:56,500 --> 00:46:00,689 S2: a good online source. There's one called Arutz Sheva. Each 825 00:46:00,690 --> 00:46:04,050 S2: of these are from a different perspective, theologically within Israel 826 00:46:04,050 --> 00:46:08,569 S2: and whether they're liberal, conservative, or orthodox. But I read 827 00:46:08,570 --> 00:46:10,650 S2: all of those to get a different perspective. And then 828 00:46:10,690 --> 00:46:14,010 S2: I also look at other countries. It's interesting. There's a 829 00:46:14,050 --> 00:46:16,850 S2: a newspaper in Turkey that gives you their perspectives, gives 830 00:46:16,850 --> 00:46:19,730 S2: you pretty much the government line to that are in Egypt. 831 00:46:19,730 --> 00:46:22,730 S2: And just if you just do Egypt news in English, 832 00:46:23,010 --> 00:46:26,250 S2: you'll find both of those and the same thing in Jordan. 833 00:46:26,530 --> 00:46:28,050 S2: But I try and get as many of the different 834 00:46:28,090 --> 00:46:30,170 S2: newspapers as I can find. And then, of course, I 835 00:46:30,170 --> 00:46:33,649 S2: try and find other sources. Joel Rosenberg's Arab News and 836 00:46:33,650 --> 00:46:36,850 S2: Israel News are both excellent sources as well, but read 837 00:46:36,850 --> 00:46:39,330 S2: as widely as possible and you'll come across a lot 838 00:46:39,330 --> 00:46:41,770 S2: of articles. You'll see what's similar and you'll see a 839 00:46:41,770 --> 00:46:42,730 S2: different perspective. 840 00:46:42,930 --> 00:46:45,770 S1: Well, that's helpful, Charlie. So check out those resources, Charlie, 841 00:46:45,770 --> 00:46:48,410 S1: as mentioned, and be back with us again next time 842 00:46:48,410 --> 00:46:51,330 S1: for another edition of The Land and the book, a 843 00:46:51,330 --> 00:46:54,969 S1: production of Moody Radio, a Ministry of Moody Bible Institute.