WEBVTT - Captive in Iran 0:00:08.119 --> 0:00:11.330 Living in Iran. They knew they were putting their lives 0:00:11.330 --> 0:00:14.900 on the line every time they shared their faith. Undaunted, 0:00:14.900 --> 0:00:18.890 in three years they'd started two house churches and secretly 0:00:18.890 --> 0:00:22.850 given away more than 20,000 New Testaments. That's when the 0:00:22.850 --> 0:00:26.990 police finally caught up with them. Captive in Iran is 0:00:26.990 --> 0:00:30.470 the amazing story of their arrest and ordeal in Iran's 0:00:30.470 --> 0:00:33.830 most notorious prison. You'll hear it all today on the 0:00:33.830 --> 0:00:37.790 land and the book. Welcome. Our host is Doctor Charlie Dyer, 0:00:37.820 --> 0:00:41.990 noted Old Testament scholar, Middle East expert. And I'm John Jaeger. 0:00:42.020 --> 0:00:45.350 You know, Passover will soon be upon us. And one 0:00:45.350 --> 0:00:48.920 of the traditional Passover questions is what makes this night 0:00:48.920 --> 0:00:52.580 different from all others? Well, Passover really is an important 0:00:52.580 --> 0:00:55.880 biblical holiday that has great meaning for both Jewish people 0:00:55.880 --> 0:00:59.390 and believers in Jesus. I think sometimes we miss out 0:00:59.390 --> 0:01:01.520 on that. So I think these are great questions to 0:01:01.520 --> 0:01:04.640 be asking. Right, Charlie? They are John. And if people 0:01:04.640 --> 0:01:06.560 want to learn more about what makes Passover. 0:01:06.560 --> 0:01:09.229 So special, well, our friends at Life in Messiah are 0:01:09.230 --> 0:01:12.110 offering to mail them a free copy of their Messianic 0:01:12.110 --> 0:01:15.650 Passover Haggadah. The booklet will lead you through the celebration 0:01:15.650 --> 0:01:19.220 of Passover to see the rich connections to Jesus, our Messiah, 0:01:19.220 --> 0:01:22.190 and the Last Supper. You'll also receive a link for 0:01:22.190 --> 0:01:26.180 an interactive Passover Seder video with the Haggadah and video. 0:01:26.180 --> 0:01:29.479 You can celebrate Passover this year with your family and friends. 0:01:29.510 --> 0:01:32.479 Now to get this free offer, just go to life 0:01:32.480 --> 0:01:36.200 in Messiah Coorg and click on the Moody Radio button 0:01:36.200 --> 0:01:39.679 to find out more and request your copy. That's life 0:01:39.680 --> 0:01:41.990 in messiah.org. 0:01:42.110 --> 0:01:44.479 If you're new to the program, we've got four segments here. 0:01:44.480 --> 0:01:46.910 Current events is segment one. We take a look at 0:01:46.910 --> 0:01:49.700 stories out of the Middle East. Segment two brings us 0:01:49.700 --> 0:01:52.910 an interview with somebody impacting the Middle East for the Kingdom. 0:01:52.910 --> 0:01:55.850 And segment three is questions and answers. Charlie, what are 0:01:55.850 --> 0:01:56.750 you doing with that? 0:01:56.960 --> 0:01:59.180 Oh, I love it John. People ask any question on 0:01:59.180 --> 0:02:02.930 the Bible, on theological topics, whatever's on their mind. I 0:02:02.930 --> 0:02:05.750 try and provide an answer for them and well, hopefully 0:02:05.750 --> 0:02:08.660 it's my fun part as a teacher, I love answering questions. 0:02:08.660 --> 0:02:09.110 And then there's. 0:02:09.110 --> 0:02:11.480 A fourth segment. Tell us about that. Yeah. 0:02:11.480 --> 0:02:13.910 And the fourth segment, we take people to a place 0:02:13.910 --> 0:02:17.330 or some event in Israel. In fact, on today's program, 0:02:17.330 --> 0:02:19.400 I'm looking at the end of the series I'm doing 0:02:19.400 --> 0:02:21.320 called objects on My Shelf. And so we're going to 0:02:21.320 --> 0:02:23.540 look at a lamp and a widow's mite and then 0:02:23.540 --> 0:02:25.610 go to Israel to find out how they fit into 0:02:25.610 --> 0:02:26.600 what the Bible says. 0:02:26.600 --> 0:02:28.820 All right. That's a sneak preview of the layout of 0:02:28.820 --> 0:02:33.020 our program every week. But for today, current events wise, 0:02:33.020 --> 0:02:35.000 we've got some stories. Charlie, you and I have been 0:02:35.000 --> 0:02:38.030 home from Israel for a week now. With our body 0:02:38.030 --> 0:02:42.889 clocks finally getting back in sync. What are your impressions 0:02:42.889 --> 0:02:44.960 from the trip? I mean, what stands out the most 0:02:44.960 --> 0:02:46.549 to you from our time there? 0:02:46.550 --> 0:02:48.679 You know, John, I really came back with like, three 0:02:48.680 --> 0:02:51.590 thoughts just etched on my mind. And the first, I 0:02:51.590 --> 0:02:54.620 now realize I really hadn't fully understood the impact of 0:02:54.620 --> 0:02:57.740 October 7th and the impact that it had on the 0:02:57.740 --> 0:03:01.220 psyche of most Israelis. I assumed it was similar to 0:03:01.220 --> 0:03:04.040 the impact 911 had on us here in the US, 0:03:04.040 --> 0:03:08.209 but October 7th was different in a number of key ways. First, 0:03:08.210 --> 0:03:12.050 it impacted nearly every single family. Everyone, it seems, had 0:03:12.050 --> 0:03:15.050 a relative or friend, a neighbor, a co-worker who was 0:03:15.050 --> 0:03:17.989 wounded or killed or captured. You know, that wasn't true 0:03:17.990 --> 0:03:20.870 for most Americans on nine over 11. And then the 0:03:20.870 --> 0:03:23.720 magnitude of the attack, relatives of the population was so 0:03:23.720 --> 0:03:27.470 much greater. There were about 3000 deaths on nine over 11. 0:03:27.470 --> 0:03:29.570 That's out of a population at the time of about 0:03:29.570 --> 0:03:34.940 285 million. On October 7th, Israel experienced over 1200 deaths 0:03:34.940 --> 0:03:37.550 out of a population of 9 million. Had we lost 0:03:37.550 --> 0:03:40.370 that same percentage of our population on nine over 11, 0:03:40.370 --> 0:03:44.510 we would have had 54,000 deaths instead of 3000. And 0:03:44.510 --> 0:03:47.600 the third part of that was the geography was so different. 0:03:47.600 --> 0:03:49.730 You know, most Americans were nowhere near the events I 0:03:49.730 --> 0:03:52.970 was there on, on the Moody campus, 700 miles away 0:03:52.970 --> 0:03:56.210 in Chicago, when nine over 11 happened. But most Israelis 0:03:56.210 --> 0:03:59.480 live within 70 miles of the attack. When the rockets 0:03:59.480 --> 0:04:01.670 began falling, you know, they had just a few seconds 0:04:01.670 --> 0:04:04.250 to get to safety. And so all that to say, 0:04:04.250 --> 0:04:06.560 the impact of the event was so much more dramatic 0:04:06.560 --> 0:04:09.290 than I'd been able to grasp after coming back, a 0:04:09.290 --> 0:04:12.320 friend sent me an article by Barry Weiss that captured 0:04:12.320 --> 0:04:15.650 what I felt after visiting the area around Gaza. She wrote. 0:04:15.650 --> 0:04:19.580 There's a difference between knowing something intellectually and standing in 0:04:19.580 --> 0:04:22.610 a killing field. And she's right. You know, being there 0:04:22.610 --> 0:04:25.460 in bury was an emotional gut punch that helped us 0:04:25.460 --> 0:04:29.150 understand October 7th from Israel's perspective. Now, that was just 0:04:29.150 --> 0:04:32.030 all the first key. The second key takeaway for me 0:04:32.060 --> 0:04:35.420 was seeing the national resolve, the national unity that rose 0:04:35.420 --> 0:04:38.420 up in Israel almost overnight. They went from being fractured 0:04:38.420 --> 0:04:42.589 politically and religiously to being a nation United. People reached 0:04:42.589 --> 0:04:45.049 out to help their neighbors. We saw yellow ribbons on 0:04:45.050 --> 0:04:48.800 trees and railings and car doors. Our friend in Ashkelon 0:04:48.800 --> 0:04:51.710 told us about people there gathering on their balconies in 0:04:51.710 --> 0:04:55.760 the evening to sing Hatikvah, Israel's national anthem. There was 0:04:55.760 --> 0:04:59.870 almost instantaneous national resolve to eliminate the threat of Hamas 0:04:59.870 --> 0:05:02.239 and to secure the release of the hostages. No, no 0:05:02.240 --> 0:05:05.870 matter what a person's political or religious affiliation, they share 0:05:05.870 --> 0:05:09.440 that passion. My final takeaway, John, for me, was that 0:05:09.440 --> 0:05:12.919 the spiritual openness that Israel is currently experiencing, you know, 0:05:12.920 --> 0:05:15.469 in our time with the Messianic Jewish leaders, in the 0:05:15.470 --> 0:05:18.620 Arab pastors, they all kept saying they've never seen such 0:05:18.620 --> 0:05:21.830 openness to the gospel as what they're seeing right now, 0:05:21.830 --> 0:05:25.190 believing soldiers told us about sharing their faith with religious 0:05:25.190 --> 0:05:29.240 Jews fighting in Gaza. Jewish and Arab pastors had people 0:05:29.240 --> 0:05:31.340 asking them why they were so willing to reach out 0:05:31.339 --> 0:05:33.980 and help, you know, a boldness on the part of believers, 0:05:33.980 --> 0:05:36.470 coupled with a spiritual hunger on the part of those 0:05:36.470 --> 0:05:39.200 shaken by the events of October 7th, have opened a 0:05:39.200 --> 0:05:42.859 door of opportunity to share the gospel anyway. Those are 0:05:42.860 --> 0:05:45.680 the three key realities that impressed me. But let me 0:05:45.680 --> 0:05:49.070 turn the microphone around, John, and ask you the same question. 0:05:49.070 --> 0:05:51.799 What were the most dramatic takeaways for you from our 0:05:51.800 --> 0:05:52.370 time there? 0:05:52.400 --> 0:05:55.430 This was certainly a very sobering trip to stand there 0:05:55.430 --> 0:05:58.640 in homes that were lit on fire. Homes where Hamas 0:05:58.640 --> 0:06:02.719 had come in, searched those safe rooms, homes where you 0:06:02.720 --> 0:06:05.150 could look out in the backyard and and hear stories 0:06:05.150 --> 0:06:08.210 about neighbors whose home was burned, whose children and family 0:06:08.210 --> 0:06:11.450 and parents were shot. It's a different thing to be 0:06:11.450 --> 0:06:13.640 there than to read about it. I had a hard 0:06:13.640 --> 0:06:16.520 time going to bed at night, Charlie. Two of those nights. 0:06:16.520 --> 0:06:18.470 And then I think of the meetings that we had 0:06:18.470 --> 0:06:22.070 with hostage families to sit down with them. I felt 0:06:22.070 --> 0:06:25.490 almost like I was a criminal for shoving a microphone 0:06:25.490 --> 0:06:27.470 into the face of a mother whose 19 year old 0:06:27.470 --> 0:06:30.740 daughter has taken hostage. There's just no way to ask 0:06:30.740 --> 0:06:34.040 those questions in a gentle way. But again, to hear 0:06:34.040 --> 0:06:37.040 all of that is so different when you're there in person. 0:06:37.160 --> 0:06:39.589 The other thing I thought was really neat was the 0:06:39.589 --> 0:06:43.370 input that Christians are having both inside Israel, the churches 0:06:43.370 --> 0:06:46.340 that are rising up, the churches that are offering tangible 0:06:46.339 --> 0:06:50.900 physical support, whether it's food, cooking, clothing, supplies for the soldiers, 0:06:50.900 --> 0:06:53.330 whatever it is they need, they're making a huge difference. 0:06:53.330 --> 0:06:56.839 But also the input and response from organizations in the 0:06:56.839 --> 0:07:00.919 United States. Tom Doyle, whom we interview regularly on the program, 0:07:00.920 --> 0:07:04.250 his organization has stepped up providing an ambulance, I think, 0:07:04.250 --> 0:07:08.240 of Franklin Graham's organization. They replaced 11 of the ambulances 0:07:08.240 --> 0:07:11.270 that were burned up, broken the drivers murdered in that 0:07:11.270 --> 0:07:14.000 initial attack, on and on and on the way that 0:07:14.000 --> 0:07:18.320 Christians are showing up is such a huge encouragement. And 0:07:18.320 --> 0:07:20.450 you touched on the third reaction I have, and that 0:07:20.450 --> 0:07:23.840 is the openness of the people in Israel. Israeli believers 0:07:23.840 --> 0:07:26.930 are now saying there is an atmosphere here that has 0:07:26.930 --> 0:07:30.050 never been. And as one pastor told us, this darkest 0:07:30.050 --> 0:07:33.470 hour might be our brightest hour. So those are some 0:07:33.470 --> 0:07:35.960 of the takeaways that I have. This is the land 0:07:35.960 --> 0:07:38.690 of the book from Moody Radio. And you know, Charlie, 0:07:38.690 --> 0:07:40.790 a third story we need to look at is Israel's 0:07:40.790 --> 0:07:44.750 facing this combination of threats right now? It continues. We've 0:07:44.750 --> 0:07:48.050 talked about Hamas, Hezbollah and Ramadan in the past, but 0:07:48.050 --> 0:07:51.590 today the United States seems to be making Israelis just 0:07:51.590 --> 0:07:54.620 as nervous. Why are they concerned about the US? 0:07:54.740 --> 0:07:56.570 Well, I think they're concerned over what they see as 0:07:56.570 --> 0:07:59.600 a definite change in the US's attitude toward the war 0:07:59.600 --> 0:08:03.020 against Hamas. You know, after the Hamas attack on October 7th, 0:08:03.260 --> 0:08:06.440 we quickly came to Israel's aid. We provided military support. 0:08:06.440 --> 0:08:09.830 We defended Israel in the UN. But with our approaching 0:08:09.830 --> 0:08:13.910 elections and with the growing anti-Israel sentiment among progressives in 0:08:13.910 --> 0:08:16.970 our country, the administration appears to be pulling back in 0:08:16.970 --> 0:08:21.080 its support of Israel while upping its criticism. Israelis view 0:08:21.080 --> 0:08:25.100 this as almost an existential threat, especially with the possibility 0:08:25.100 --> 0:08:27.740 of the war expanding to include Hezbollah in the North. 0:08:28.010 --> 0:08:30.560 They've watched us pull back in our aid for Ukraine, 0:08:30.560 --> 0:08:33.110 and they're concerned we could also choke off the supply 0:08:33.110 --> 0:08:36.230 of weapons and ammunition to them, leaving them with few 0:08:36.230 --> 0:08:39.199 military options. I think they're also troubled by what they 0:08:39.200 --> 0:08:41.420 see as well, for lack of a better word, U.S. 0:08:41.420 --> 0:08:43.880 interference in their handling of the war and and their 0:08:43.880 --> 0:08:47.510 internal politics. When our president called an Israeli attack on 0:08:47.510 --> 0:08:50.540 Rafah a red line that they can't cross. Israel saw 0:08:50.540 --> 0:08:52.880 that as a lifeline to Hamas. And that's where the 0:08:52.880 --> 0:08:56.900 remaining Hamas forces and Hamas leadership and the remaining hostages 0:08:56.900 --> 0:08:59.750 are located. Put another way, we get upset over the 0:08:59.750 --> 0:09:02.689 idea of foreign interference in our elections and our government 0:09:02.690 --> 0:09:05.959 and Israelis feel the same way. As believers, we need 0:09:05.960 --> 0:09:08.420 to be praying for our leadership. We also need to 0:09:08.420 --> 0:09:12.140 remember God's covenant with Abraham in Genesis 12 three, which 0:09:12.140 --> 0:09:15.140 is still operative. God said, I'll bless those who bless 0:09:15.140 --> 0:09:17.959 you and the one who curses you, I'll curse. It's 0:09:17.960 --> 0:09:20.360 in our national interest to make sure we remain a 0:09:20.360 --> 0:09:23.480 blessing to Israel in technology world. 0:09:23.480 --> 0:09:28.070 Texoma in Israeli imaging startup is pioneering a new technique 0:09:28.070 --> 0:09:31.070 that might just be a game changer for anyone diagnosed 0:09:31.070 --> 0:09:34.550 with liver cancer. Tell us about this new procedure from 0:09:34.550 --> 0:09:35.690 Amazing Israel. 0:09:35.720 --> 0:09:38.300 Yeah, thermal ablation has been around for some time, but 0:09:38.300 --> 0:09:40.459 it hasn't really been used to treat liver cancer, at 0:09:40.460 --> 0:09:43.280 least up until now, because of its one major drawback 0:09:43.280 --> 0:09:45.980 when thermal ablation is used on the liver, the view 0:09:45.980 --> 0:09:48.170 of the tumor is obscured by a fog of tiny 0:09:48.170 --> 0:09:51.530 gas bubbles thrown up as heat supply to the tissue, 0:09:51.530 --> 0:09:53.300 and that makes it difficult to know if the tumor 0:09:53.300 --> 0:09:57.380 is being targeted and if they're not harming surrounding healthy tissue. Well, 0:09:57.380 --> 0:10:01.100 the leaders at Texas Med were convinced artificial intelligence could help, 0:10:01.100 --> 0:10:04.670 and they develop software that offers real time visualization of 0:10:04.670 --> 0:10:07.900 the ablation zone. And. Place the bubble activity into a 0:10:07.900 --> 0:10:11.740 clear picture of what's happening. This new software called Bio 0:10:11.740 --> 0:10:15.610 Trace IO, has already been granted de novo clearance by 0:10:15.610 --> 0:10:18.910 the FDA. It's expected to go live in US hospitals 0:10:18.910 --> 0:10:23.109 in the coming months. Combining ablation therapy with artificial intelligence 0:10:23.110 --> 0:10:26.740 to make liver cancer surgery a minor procedure. Well, that's 0:10:26.740 --> 0:10:30.940 definitely a game changing innovation coming our way from amazing Israel. 0:10:30.940 --> 0:10:33.400 And that's a look at current events. Up next on 0:10:33.400 --> 0:10:36.970 the program Captive in Iran. The first person account of 0:10:36.970 --> 0:10:40.900 someone who spent time in Iran's most notorious prison had 0:10:40.900 --> 0:10:43.120 lived to tell about it. That's all ahead on the 0:10:43.120 --> 0:10:59.790 land and the book. They knew they were putting their 0:10:59.790 --> 0:11:02.760 lives on the line every time they shared their faith 0:11:02.760 --> 0:11:06.630 living in Iran. They knew exactly what could happen. Undaunted, 0:11:06.630 --> 0:11:10.410 in three years, they'd started two house churches and secretly 0:11:10.410 --> 0:11:14.340 given away more than 20,000 New Testaments. That's when the 0:11:14.340 --> 0:11:17.309 police finally caught up with them. And that's where our 0:11:17.309 --> 0:11:20.520 story picks up from Moody Radio. This is the land 0:11:20.520 --> 0:11:23.100 and the book. I'm John Jaeger. Before we hear the 0:11:23.100 --> 0:11:26.010 story of two young women held captive in Iran. Let's 0:11:26.010 --> 0:11:28.050 hear this thought on how you and I can share 0:11:28.050 --> 0:11:31.980 Christ with the Muslims who live in our neighborhood. So 0:11:31.980 --> 0:11:34.679 you're standing in line at the bank, and the teller 0:11:34.679 --> 0:11:37.949 is a muslim woman. May you talk to her or 0:11:37.950 --> 0:11:41.040 should you not? Let's ask Stephanie. Affair with call of Hope. 0:11:41.580 --> 0:11:45.600 But you are not embarrassing her. If you talk to her, 0:11:45.600 --> 0:11:49.140 no problem. In business life, that's okay. And even in 0:11:49.140 --> 0:11:53.730 many Muslims countries, that's totally normal. When you enter into 0:11:53.730 --> 0:11:58.140 Dubai or Qatar, there will be a woman issuing your visa, 0:11:58.140 --> 0:12:02.580 so that's fine. But that does not mean that you 0:12:02.580 --> 0:12:06.300 should go into a conversation for sure. Not about your 0:12:06.300 --> 0:12:09.900 faith with a muslim woman. This is something you should 0:12:09.900 --> 0:12:13.680 leave to your wife, to your sister, to your friend 0:12:13.679 --> 0:12:18.900 at church. Let them talk to this Muslim woman. But 0:12:19.110 --> 0:12:22.410 in business life, and when they talk to you and 0:12:22.410 --> 0:12:25.439 when they wish you a good day. Oh, of course 0:12:25.440 --> 0:12:27.390 you reply, but don't shake hands. 0:12:27.390 --> 0:12:30.300 And any other engagement with a muslim woman should, in 0:12:30.300 --> 0:12:33.030 a social setting, should definitely be woman to woman. 0:12:33.030 --> 0:12:36.179 Absolutely. Or you take your wife with you. You know, 0:12:36.179 --> 0:12:39.569 that's also possible. You can be there as a couple. 0:12:39.570 --> 0:12:43.440 Okay. Stephon affairs with call of Hope U.S. Practical insights 0:12:43.440 --> 0:12:49.150 for sharing Jesus with your Muslim friends. Marzia Zaidi is 0:12:49.150 --> 0:12:52.060 an Iranian American with a story to tell. She's a 0:12:52.059 --> 0:12:56.140 published author, public speaker, and activist for religious freedom. For 0:12:56.140 --> 0:12:58.720 more than a decade, she has shared her inspiring story 0:12:58.720 --> 0:13:01.930 throughout the United States and around the world to bring 0:13:01.929 --> 0:13:05.440 awareness about the ongoing human rights violations and persecution of 0:13:05.440 --> 0:13:09.490 women and religious minorities in Iran. We are really honored 0:13:09.490 --> 0:13:12.459 to be able to share her story today. So welcome 0:13:12.460 --> 0:13:13.900 to the land in the book. Marzia! 0:13:14.440 --> 0:13:15.550 Thank you so much. 0:13:15.820 --> 0:13:19.090 You and your friend Mariam were both on fire for 0:13:19.090 --> 0:13:22.600 Jesus witnessing and sharing New Testaments in Iran. How did 0:13:22.600 --> 0:13:23.770 the two of you team up? 0:13:24.160 --> 0:13:26.770 Yeah, it was after my faith. I left the country 0:13:26.770 --> 0:13:30.400 because I was thirsty to know more about Christianity, and 0:13:30.400 --> 0:13:35.920 it was in Turkey that I attended some leadership theology classes, 0:13:35.920 --> 0:13:39.160 and I met my best friend Mariam, and we both 0:13:39.160 --> 0:13:42.880 had a different experience with Jesus. But we had the 0:13:42.880 --> 0:13:46.120 same passion for sharing our faith with our people. 0:13:46.330 --> 0:13:49.120 So what was the typical scenario in which you would 0:13:49.120 --> 0:13:52.150 have given a muslim a copy of the New Testament? 0:13:52.270 --> 0:13:54.370 Was it always one on one? I mean, you don't 0:13:54.370 --> 0:13:56.079 just walk up to somebody and say, hey, how would 0:13:56.080 --> 0:13:57.250 you like a New Testament? 0:13:57.640 --> 0:14:01.089 No, actually, when we returned to Iran, we had no 0:14:01.090 --> 0:14:05.469 idea how we can approach people, especially. I described to 0:14:05.470 --> 0:14:09.760 you the situation in Iran, especially for women, is much 0:14:09.760 --> 0:14:13.990 more difficult because they have many limitations. But we prayed 0:14:13.990 --> 0:14:16.870 and we asked God to give us a vision. And 0:14:16.870 --> 0:14:20.530 then through reading the Bible, God showed me that Iran 0:14:20.530 --> 0:14:23.740 is like a big desert. There is no state, and 0:14:23.740 --> 0:14:26.620 we need to plan on those seeds. And he will 0:14:26.620 --> 0:14:29.470 grow all those seeds by the power of the Holy Spirit. 0:14:29.470 --> 0:14:33.160 And we got that idea by distributing Bibles at night 0:14:33.160 --> 0:14:38.260 as well, which you mentioned. We distributed 20,000 Bibles. And 0:14:38.260 --> 0:14:42.130 for talking to people one and one every day, whenever 0:14:42.130 --> 0:14:46.300 we wanted to do our tours, going to restaurants, we prayed. 0:14:46.300 --> 0:14:48.790 And we ask God to show us the right person 0:14:48.790 --> 0:14:52.300 to speak and God. And there are tons of stories. 0:14:52.480 --> 0:14:56.020 We shared some of them in our book Captive in Iran. 0:14:56.020 --> 0:14:59.350 And we just, you know, God showed us a right 0:14:59.350 --> 0:15:02.590 person and we just talked to them. And as soon 0:15:02.590 --> 0:15:05.140 as we talked to them, they shared, you know, they 0:15:05.140 --> 0:15:08.830 had dreams, visions about Jesus. They were searching to find 0:15:08.830 --> 0:15:11.770 the truth. And we could see that the Holy Spirit 0:15:11.980 --> 0:15:14.650 would guide us to the right people to speak well. 0:15:15.340 --> 0:15:19.000 Marzia is a public speaker, an activist for religious freedom. 0:15:19.000 --> 0:15:23.020 Her book Captive in Iran recounts her capture and imprisonment. 0:15:23.020 --> 0:15:26.530 We'll get there in today's conversation. I'm John Jaeger, glad 0:15:26.530 --> 0:15:29.590 you joined us to hear her story. Well, you and 0:15:29.590 --> 0:15:33.370 Mariam both had to have known the risks you were taking, 0:15:33.370 --> 0:15:37.240 but you passed out those Bibles. You shared your testimonies anyway. 0:15:37.240 --> 0:15:38.500 What drove you to do that? 0:15:39.520 --> 0:15:43.420 I shared a little bit about my testimony. I experienced 0:15:43.420 --> 0:15:45.940 the love of God, and then I was in love 0:15:45.940 --> 0:15:50.170 with him. And that love and my personal relationship was 0:15:50.170 --> 0:15:53.230 very strong with him. And for Mariam also is a 0:15:53.230 --> 0:15:57.460 different story. So I believe when you experience the love 0:15:57.460 --> 0:16:00.970 of God, you find the truth. Then nothing is matter 0:16:00.970 --> 0:16:05.170 to you, even your life. What is matter is to 0:16:05.260 --> 0:16:09.940 have that love relationship with not to lose that love relationship. 0:16:09.940 --> 0:16:15.100 And also another thing I knew that my responsibility is 0:16:15.100 --> 0:16:18.790 that to tell my people who were fed with lies 0:16:18.790 --> 0:16:21.610 in Islam, to tell them the truth about Jesus. 0:16:22.210 --> 0:16:28.510 Well, eventually you and Mariam were both arrested, charged with apostasy, blasphemy, 0:16:28.510 --> 0:16:33.610 promoting Christianity and anti-government activity. What is the penalty for 0:16:33.610 --> 0:16:36.610 these supposed crimes that you were accused of? 0:16:37.780 --> 0:16:41.710 The major charge was apostasy, which is under Sharia law 0:16:41.710 --> 0:16:46.240 is punishable by death. And we had many courts, many 0:16:46.240 --> 0:16:50.680 interrogations that they kept threatening us and they threatened the 0:16:50.680 --> 0:16:55.030 life of our family members. They kept putting pressure on 0:16:55.030 --> 0:16:58.540 us to deny our faith in Jesus. And in the 0:16:58.540 --> 0:17:01.360 last month that we were in prison, they told us 0:17:01.360 --> 0:17:06.400 if we just write one sentence denouncing our faith, then 0:17:06.400 --> 0:17:10.270 they would release us. But I remember my conversation with 0:17:10.270 --> 0:17:14.140 my interrogator. I told him, I'm not going to renounce 0:17:14.140 --> 0:17:17.230 my faith in Jesus. Even if you cut each part 0:17:17.380 --> 0:17:20.890 of my body, you're not able to separate Jesus with me. 0:17:20.890 --> 0:17:24.639 And I took that opportunity to share my testimony with them. 0:17:24.640 --> 0:17:27.130 That's how I met Jesus. And I told them it 0:17:27.130 --> 0:17:29.650 was on that one day I woke up and I 0:17:29.650 --> 0:17:34.000 decided to be a Christian and change a religion. It's 0:17:34.000 --> 0:17:37.629 just a personal relationship with Jesus. I met him and 0:17:37.630 --> 0:17:43.420 many visions and many experiences that I had with him that, um, 0:17:43.420 --> 0:17:45.820 that's why you can't separate him from it. 0:17:46.350 --> 0:17:49.109 Okay. We we have, uh, kind of glossed over this story, 0:17:49.109 --> 0:17:52.230 which is quite dramatic. You're arrested, you're in this prison, 0:17:52.230 --> 0:17:55.860 you and Mariam. And not just any prison, but Evin prison. 0:17:55.859 --> 0:17:58.859 In the book, you offer this snapshot, quote, Evin prison 0:17:58.859 --> 0:18:03.120 is the heart and brute manifestation of the power of 0:18:03.119 --> 0:18:06.180 the ayatollahs and a symbol of their dominance and strength 0:18:06.180 --> 0:18:10.110 over Iran. It is infamous for the torture, rape, and 0:18:10.109 --> 0:18:13.740 execution of many innocent people. End quote. So you knew 0:18:13.740 --> 0:18:16.620 this as you walked into that prison. What were your 0:18:16.619 --> 0:18:18.900 thoughts at that moment as you're walking in. 0:18:19.920 --> 0:18:23.760 As you mentioned, I knew before going to prison because 0:18:23.760 --> 0:18:27.629 that famous that's a prison is very famous among Iranians. 0:18:27.630 --> 0:18:31.950 And even by hearing its name, they have fear. But yeah, 0:18:31.950 --> 0:18:36.120 it was shocking that I got allowed me to witness 0:18:36.119 --> 0:18:41.580 all those injustices and execution of my friends and, uh, 0:18:41.580 --> 0:18:46.380 tortures of women. I heard horrible stories from other prisoners, 0:18:46.380 --> 0:18:51.419 and I was witnessed firsthand about all these brutal behaviors 0:18:51.420 --> 0:18:55.350 in that prison. It's the longest story that I shared, 0:18:55.350 --> 0:18:58.950 you know, about what happened to us and other prisoners. 0:18:58.950 --> 0:19:02.130 But praise God that God gave me that opportunity to 0:19:02.130 --> 0:19:04.980 be a witness to all those injustices. 0:19:05.430 --> 0:19:09.660 Marzia Amira Zaid is immigrating to the US. She's been 0:19:09.660 --> 0:19:12.900 here after being imprisoned in Iran for sharing her Christianity, 0:19:12.900 --> 0:19:15.780 and joins us today on the land and the book. 0:19:15.840 --> 0:19:18.359 In your book, you feature a photo of a woman 0:19:18.359 --> 0:19:20.610 named Shirin. Tell us about her. 0:19:21.150 --> 0:19:25.020 Shirin was my best friend from the first day we 0:19:25.020 --> 0:19:28.980 entered Evin Prison, and we built a friendship for nine months. 0:19:29.070 --> 0:19:32.700 And I. When I heard her story, it was shocking 0:19:32.700 --> 0:19:37.080 because she was in prison for years, and they tortured 0:19:37.080 --> 0:19:42.570 her brutally for months. And she described it how they 0:19:42.570 --> 0:19:46.560 beaten her up in the solitary cells and that the 0:19:46.560 --> 0:19:50.010 skin would peel off at the bottom of her feet, 0:19:50.010 --> 0:19:53.310 and they hit her head to the walls many times. 0:19:53.310 --> 0:19:57.899 As a result of that, she had severe headaches non-stop. 0:19:57.900 --> 0:20:02.280 And finally they hanged her. She was against this regime, 0:20:02.280 --> 0:20:06.720 fighting against this regime. She was a Kurdish girl. And um, 0:20:06.720 --> 0:20:10.980 as I mentioned, they brutally tortured her and finally they 0:20:10.980 --> 0:20:14.340 hanged her and even didn't give her body back to 0:20:14.340 --> 0:20:18.419 her family. And they usually do this to all political prisoners. 0:20:18.990 --> 0:20:22.740 Now, did her hanging give you a second round of 0:20:22.740 --> 0:20:25.590 terror in your own soul, thinking they did it to her? 0:20:25.590 --> 0:20:26.730 Maybe I'm next. 0:20:27.600 --> 0:20:30.959 Uh, at the time that they hung her, we were 0:20:30.960 --> 0:20:35.669 outside the prison. They released us for a couple of months, 0:20:35.670 --> 0:20:39.600 but still we had one more court that they told 0:20:39.600 --> 0:20:42.240 us that, uh, you need to come to that court 0:20:42.240 --> 0:20:46.649 for the final decision. But hearing that was so shocking. 0:20:46.650 --> 0:20:49.859 And I remember my brain was freeze, and I could 0:20:49.859 --> 0:20:54.450 not believe that I lost my best friend. But when 0:20:54.450 --> 0:20:57.540 I was in prison, I was witness to other execution 0:20:57.540 --> 0:21:01.139 of my cellmate, which was shocking to me. Once they 0:21:01.140 --> 0:21:04.170 put me in a cell and after they sent me 0:21:04.170 --> 0:21:07.800 to the world of murderers, they kept me in a cell. 0:21:07.800 --> 0:21:11.490 And after a few weeks, after I built a friendship, 0:21:11.490 --> 0:21:14.790 they took one of my cellmate and executed her, which 0:21:14.790 --> 0:21:17.460 was very shocking to me. And they wanted to show 0:21:17.460 --> 0:21:20.790 me what will be the cost of our resistance, because 0:21:20.790 --> 0:21:24.360 they were telling and they charge us. Later, they sentenced 0:21:24.359 --> 0:21:26.940 to death by hanging. They wanted to show us that 0:21:26.940 --> 0:21:29.550 this is going to be our destiny. If we wanted 0:21:29.550 --> 0:21:31.650 to insist on our faith in Jesus. 0:21:31.800 --> 0:21:35.340 And yet you had not one, but many conversations in 0:21:35.340 --> 0:21:40.050 these interrogations in which you boldly stood up and said, sorry, 0:21:40.050 --> 0:21:43.320 we're not going to fold. Jesus is the way. It's 0:21:43.320 --> 0:21:46.890 Islam that's wrong. Where do you think you got that courage? 0:21:47.730 --> 0:21:51.060 You know, it's in the Bible that Jesus tells us 0:21:51.060 --> 0:21:55.380 when you got arrested. Um, don't worry about what to 0:21:55.380 --> 0:21:58.590 say beforehand, because it's the Holy Spirit will give us 0:21:58.590 --> 0:22:03.450 the word. And I really experienced that in prison. Honestly, 0:22:03.450 --> 0:22:06.690 I had so much fear in my body I could 0:22:06.690 --> 0:22:09.750 feel it, but the words coming out of my mouth 0:22:09.750 --> 0:22:13.439 were so powerful when I was answering their questions during 0:22:13.440 --> 0:22:18.150 my interrogation. And sometimes I myself hearing my words, I 0:22:18.150 --> 0:22:21.360 was shocked. And I was telling myself, Martha, you're in 0:22:21.359 --> 0:22:24.450 a big trouble. Why you talk to them like that? 0:22:24.450 --> 0:22:27.780 But it was the Holy Spirit that gave me that 0:22:27.780 --> 0:22:30.510 power because he didn't want me and my friend who 0:22:30.510 --> 0:22:33.510 looked weak in front of them. And I believe it 0:22:33.510 --> 0:22:36.870 was all the time the Holy Spirit that guided us 0:22:36.869 --> 0:22:40.860 during our interrogations in court. You know that they were 0:22:40.859 --> 0:22:44.070 threatening our lives in prison everywhere. 0:22:44.780 --> 0:22:47.420 You know. What were the authorities hoping to get out 0:22:47.420 --> 0:22:50.090 of you with all these hours of interrogation? They didn't 0:22:50.090 --> 0:22:52.370 go on for a few minutes. There weren't just one 0:22:52.369 --> 0:22:54.890 or 2 or 3 that went on and on and on. 0:22:54.890 --> 0:22:58.820 Why all that interrogation? What did they hope would happen? 0:22:59.750 --> 0:23:03.290 As I mentioned, they in all the course they threatened us. 0:23:03.290 --> 0:23:07.130 And finally they sentence us to death by hanging. I 0:23:07.130 --> 0:23:10.370 had a dream before going to prison a few years 0:23:10.369 --> 0:23:13.100 before going to prison, that God told me, one day 0:23:13.100 --> 0:23:16.700 you will pass through prison experience. I knew that this 0:23:16.700 --> 0:23:19.730 is going to happen, but I didn't know what will 0:23:19.730 --> 0:23:23.030 be my destiny. But even though I had that dream 0:23:23.030 --> 0:23:27.050 that God told me about that. But honestly, there were 0:23:27.050 --> 0:23:31.609 times that I doubted and I felt maybe would get executed. 0:23:31.609 --> 0:23:37.190 Imagine every time during all those interrogations, keep threatening your life. 0:23:37.190 --> 0:23:39.740 Keep telling you that we will hang you if you 0:23:39.740 --> 0:23:42.350 are going to insist on your fate. So I'm a 0:23:42.350 --> 0:23:45.560 human being and still you know, I had there were 0:23:45.560 --> 0:23:48.650 moments that I had doubts that I may end up 0:23:48.650 --> 0:23:49.880 getting killed here. 0:23:50.390 --> 0:23:53.240 So what was the hardest part about being in Evin Prison? 0:23:53.240 --> 0:23:57.650 Was it those interrogations? Was it, uh, observing the loss 0:23:57.650 --> 0:24:01.250 of a cellmate? Was it the conditions? How would you 0:24:01.250 --> 0:24:03.139 describe the hardest part about being there? 0:24:03.890 --> 0:24:07.790 So from the beginning, they insulted us because of our faith. 0:24:07.790 --> 0:24:11.570 They call the 30 questions. And it's very difficult when 0:24:11.570 --> 0:24:16.070 people around you, those guards and even there were some Muslims, 0:24:16.070 --> 0:24:20.990 prejudice Muslims. They call the stereotype Christians. It's difficult to, uh, 0:24:20.990 --> 0:24:24.590 love those people. But I remember God would remind me 0:24:24.590 --> 0:24:28.550 the verses in Bible, and I always prayed and ask 0:24:28.550 --> 0:24:31.550 God to give me, uh, the power of the Holy 0:24:31.550 --> 0:24:34.550 Spirit to show his love to those people, because in 0:24:34.550 --> 0:24:37.459 Bible it tells us that love your enemies and pray 0:24:37.460 --> 0:24:40.250 for those who persecute you. But when you are in 0:24:40.250 --> 0:24:45.200 actual place, it's very difficult. And all those things were 0:24:45.200 --> 0:24:49.400 very difficult. Hearing and the stories of other prisoners, that 0:24:49.400 --> 0:24:53.390 how they were tortured, brutally tortured was so difficult. But 0:24:53.390 --> 0:24:57.649 the most difficult thing that I experienced, uh, was the 0:24:57.650 --> 0:25:01.520 execution of my cellmates, that it was very shocking to me. 0:25:01.520 --> 0:25:05.330 And I couldn't believe that they can easily take a 0:25:05.330 --> 0:25:08.810 life of a person. And most of them, honestly, they 0:25:08.810 --> 0:25:12.380 were innocent people. They charged them with political charges and 0:25:12.380 --> 0:25:13.760 they hang them. Huh. 0:25:14.210 --> 0:25:18.650 Well, ultimately, you endured nine months of mental and physical hardships, 0:25:18.650 --> 0:25:22.340 intense interrogation there in Evin prison, one of the most 0:25:22.340 --> 0:25:25.850 brutal prisons in the world. But the story isn't over. 0:25:25.850 --> 0:25:28.310 There's more to come, and we'll look forward to sharing 0:25:28.310 --> 0:25:32.450 that in our next visit with our guest, Marzia Zaidi. 0:25:32.480 --> 0:25:35.449 Her book, by the way, Captive in Iran, is featured 0:25:35.450 --> 0:25:39.440 in a link at our website, the land and the book.org. 0:25:39.470 --> 0:25:41.660 You can hear today's program again. By the way, any 0:25:41.660 --> 0:25:45.950 broadcast again at the land and the book. Org and 0:25:45.950 --> 0:25:48.860 if you're curious about what others are wondering as they 0:25:48.859 --> 0:25:51.770 study scripture, that's our focus on the next segment of 0:25:51.770 --> 0:25:55.100 the broadcast. It's just ahead here on the land and 0:25:55.100 --> 0:26:08.730 the book. It never ceases to amaze me how much 0:26:08.730 --> 0:26:11.970 the Bible ceases to amaze me, and how quickly I 0:26:11.970 --> 0:26:14.670 have questions when I'm reading a passage. What about you? 0:26:14.670 --> 0:26:17.430 I'm John Jaeger, this is the land and the book. 0:26:17.430 --> 0:26:20.010 Thanks for your company. Our host, Doctor Charlie Dyer, has 0:26:20.010 --> 0:26:22.980 his Bible open, as he always does at this time 0:26:22.980 --> 0:26:26.130 in the broadcast where we welcome your questions and we'll 0:26:26.130 --> 0:26:28.770 share with you our email contact so you can get 0:26:28.770 --> 0:26:31.889 your question to Charlie for a future broadcast. First, though, 0:26:31.890 --> 0:26:34.740 I'm thinking, Charlie, that Passover will soon be upon us, 0:26:34.740 --> 0:26:37.889 and one of the traditional Passover questions is what makes 0:26:37.890 --> 0:26:41.220 this night different from all others? And Passover is an 0:26:41.220 --> 0:26:44.760 important biblical holiday that has great meaning for both Jewish 0:26:44.760 --> 0:26:48.419 people and believers in Jesus. So I guess that's a 0:26:48.420 --> 0:26:51.180 really good question to ask. What makes it different from 0:26:51.180 --> 0:26:52.379 all others? Yeah, it. 0:26:52.380 --> 0:26:54.449 Is a great question, John. And in fact, if our 0:26:54.450 --> 0:26:57.720 listeners want to learn more about what makes Passover so special, well, 0:26:57.720 --> 0:26:59.940 our friends at Life and Messiah are offering to mail 0:26:59.940 --> 0:27:04.109 you a free copy of their Messianic Passover Haggadah. The 0:27:04.109 --> 0:27:07.020 booklet will lead you through the celebration of Passover to 0:27:07.020 --> 0:27:10.169 see the rich connections to Jesus, our Messiah, and the 0:27:10.170 --> 0:27:13.109 Last Supper. You'll also receive a link for an interactive 0:27:13.109 --> 0:27:16.740 Passover Seder video with the Haggadah and video. You can 0:27:16.740 --> 0:27:20.340 celebrate Passover this year with your family and friends. To 0:27:20.340 --> 0:27:22.890 get this free offer, just go to Life in Messiah 0:27:23.100 --> 0:27:25.649 org and click on the Moody Radio button to find 0:27:25.650 --> 0:27:30.659 out more and request your copy. That's life in messiah.org. 0:27:30.810 --> 0:27:34.980 And now, ladies and gentlemen, it's question number one from Todd. 0:27:34.980 --> 0:27:37.170 He says, I heard this week on a podcast that 0:27:37.170 --> 0:27:41.910 the separation of church and state idea derives from the Bible. Specifically, 0:27:41.910 --> 0:27:45.000 the individual I heard stated that kings were not allowed 0:27:45.000 --> 0:27:48.720 to be priests nor priests Kings. Is it true that 0:27:48.720 --> 0:27:51.090 separation of church and state derives from the Bible? And 0:27:51.090 --> 0:27:53.130 if so, what evidence would you give? 0:27:53.250 --> 0:27:55.920 Well, I need to answer two ways. First, there was 0:27:55.920 --> 0:27:58.859 a separation of authority in the Old Testament. The king 0:27:58.859 --> 0:28:01.379 was the civil authority, and the priest was the mediator 0:28:01.380 --> 0:28:04.470 between God and man. In representing man to God through 0:28:04.470 --> 0:28:07.619 the sacrifices and representing God, demand through the teaching of 0:28:07.619 --> 0:28:10.590 the word. And the prophet occupied the third role. The 0:28:10.590 --> 0:28:13.770 prophet's task was to share God's direct message to kings 0:28:13.770 --> 0:28:16.620 and priests and the people. Now, you can't push this 0:28:16.619 --> 0:28:20.520 separation too far, because Melchizedek, you know, in Genesis 14 0:28:20.520 --> 0:28:23.730 and mentioned again in Psalm 110, in Hebrews seven, well, 0:28:23.730 --> 0:28:25.950 he said to be both a king and a priest, 0:28:25.950 --> 0:28:29.399 and Jesus actually fulfills all three roles prophet, priest, and 0:28:29.400 --> 0:28:32.520 king now. But second, I think there is a problem 0:28:32.520 --> 0:28:35.730 when people try to read the US Constitution into the Bible. 0:28:35.730 --> 0:28:39.390 Our separation between church and state, as it's sometimes described, 0:28:39.390 --> 0:28:42.720 isn't really what our Constitution or the Bible says. You know, 0:28:42.720 --> 0:28:45.989 the Constitution says Congress will make no law respecting an 0:28:45.990 --> 0:28:49.560 establishment of religion that is making one religion or denomination 0:28:49.560 --> 0:28:53.730 the preferred, favored or official state religion, or prohibiting the 0:28:53.730 --> 0:28:56.430 free exercise thereof. You know, the first part was to 0:28:56.430 --> 0:28:59.880 guard against having that official state church. The second part 0:28:59.880 --> 0:29:02.040 was to make sure the government didn't interfere in the 0:29:02.040 --> 0:29:06.060 rights of religious groups to practice according to conscience. Sadly, 0:29:06.060 --> 0:29:08.250 some today try to use this to argue for freedom 0:29:08.250 --> 0:29:11.940 from religion, suggesting all religious practices are to be kept 0:29:11.940 --> 0:29:14.220 out of the public square and only can be done 0:29:14.220 --> 0:29:17.580 privately inside the church. And that's not what the Bible 0:29:17.580 --> 0:29:21.720 suggested or promoted in that type of separation. Nor does 0:29:21.720 --> 0:29:22.860 our Constitution. 0:29:23.220 --> 0:29:26.700 John asks when we do kind acts of service for 0:29:26.700 --> 0:29:29.490 unsaved friends with the clear idea that we want to 0:29:29.490 --> 0:29:32.340 win them to Christ. Is that like planting seeds for 0:29:32.340 --> 0:29:34.410 the gospel, or does it really only count as a 0:29:34.410 --> 0:29:37.740 gospel seed if we're sharing actual biblical truth? 0:29:38.130 --> 0:29:41.160 I believe that doing good works for unsaved friends and neighbors, 0:29:41.160 --> 0:29:43.410 especially when done in a way that helps prepare them 0:29:43.410 --> 0:29:45.600 to hear the gospel message, is a good way to 0:29:45.600 --> 0:29:48.690 prepare the soil to help them respond. It's not the 0:29:48.690 --> 0:29:51.540 equivalent to sharing the gospel unless the good deed is 0:29:51.540 --> 0:29:55.260 accompanied by that presentation, but that doesn't mean it's not helpful. 0:29:55.260 --> 0:29:58.140 I think. Matthew 516. You know, that's where Jesus said, 0:29:58.140 --> 0:30:00.810 let your light shine before men in such a way 0:30:00.810 --> 0:30:03.450 that they may see your good works and glorify your 0:30:03.450 --> 0:30:06.630 father who is in heaven fits that example. Another one 0:30:06.630 --> 0:30:09.750 is Paul's words in Galatians six verses nine and ten. 0:30:09.750 --> 0:30:12.120 He said, let us not become weary in doing good, 0:30:12.120 --> 0:30:14.760 for at the proper time will reap a harvest if 0:30:14.760 --> 0:30:17.580 we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, 0:30:17.580 --> 0:30:20.250 let us do good to all people, especially those who 0:30:20.250 --> 0:30:23.370 are among the family of believers, you know, continually demonstrating 0:30:23.370 --> 0:30:26.130 acts of kindness and then praying for an opportunity to 0:30:26.130 --> 0:30:28.560 share why we respond as we do. I think that's 0:30:28.560 --> 0:30:29.310 a good thing. 0:30:29.580 --> 0:30:31.620 Jennifer says. I was speaking to a friend and said 0:30:31.620 --> 0:30:34.380 that I believe in the emergency of the rapture and 0:30:34.380 --> 0:30:37.110 that they said, this is not a biblical concept. They 0:30:37.110 --> 0:30:39.900 took me to Second Thessalonians two verse four, saying that 0:30:39.900 --> 0:30:42.660 the Bible teaches that the Antichrist must be revealed before 0:30:42.660 --> 0:30:46.560 the rapture. I'm wondering what verses teach the imminent or 0:30:46.560 --> 0:30:48.450 the rapture. Yeah, and I think. 0:30:48.450 --> 0:30:50.850 Your friend is mistaken. The rapture and the day of 0:30:50.850 --> 0:30:53.160 the Lord. You know, the rapture is described in first 0:30:53.160 --> 0:30:56.910 Thessalonians chapter four, verses 13 to 18 there. And in 0:30:56.910 --> 0:30:59.550 verse 17, Paul includes himself with the ones he says, 0:30:59.550 --> 0:31:02.580 we who are alive and remain will be caught up together, 0:31:02.580 --> 0:31:05.610 indicating he expected the rapture in his lifetime while he was. 0:31:05.720 --> 0:31:08.510 Still alive. You know, it didn't happen. Hasn't happened for 0:31:08.510 --> 0:31:11.660 2000 years, but it could have happened at any time 0:31:11.660 --> 0:31:14.300 from Paul's day to ours, which is why we say 0:31:14.300 --> 0:31:17.750 it is imminent. Then in first Thessalonians five, Paul begins 0:31:17.750 --> 0:31:20.930 a new topic. He uses the Greek phrase Perry death, 0:31:20.960 --> 0:31:24.710 which can be translated now concerning. And that's in verse one. There, 0:31:24.710 --> 0:31:27.860 every time Paul uses that phrase in his writings, he 0:31:27.860 --> 0:31:30.470 does so to introduce a new topic. And the new 0:31:30.470 --> 0:31:33.709 topic he introduces in chapter five is the day of 0:31:33.710 --> 0:31:36.800 the Lord. Then in second Thessalonians two, Paul wrote to 0:31:36.800 --> 0:31:39.230 correct the mistake that the day of the Lord had 0:31:39.230 --> 0:31:42.050 somehow already arrived. Paul makes it clear to them that 0:31:42.050 --> 0:31:45.020 the trouble they were experiencing wasn't the day of the Lord, 0:31:45.020 --> 0:31:48.709 because the apostasy hadn't arrived, nor had the Antichrist been revealed. 0:31:48.710 --> 0:31:50.930 In verse five, he makes it clear that he'd shared 0:31:50.930 --> 0:31:53.390 all this with him when he had been with them before. Now, 0:31:53.390 --> 0:31:56.960 having answered their concern, Paul in second Thessalonians two by 0:31:56.960 --> 0:32:00.860 reminding them they were destined for salvation or deliverance by 0:32:00.860 --> 0:32:03.800 the spirit and faith. And he connects this with the 0:32:03.800 --> 0:32:06.710 traditions you were taught, whether by mouth or by letter 0:32:06.710 --> 0:32:09.710 from us. In essence, he ends by taking them back 0:32:09.710 --> 0:32:12.560 to what he taught them in Thessalonica and what he'd 0:32:12.560 --> 0:32:15.320 written to them in first Thessalonians. In other words, the 0:32:15.320 --> 0:32:18.290 rapture could happen at any time, and it's different than 0:32:18.290 --> 0:32:20.210 the day of the Lord, which follows. 0:32:20.210 --> 0:32:24.140 Questions about the Bible, prophecy, Israel. They're always welcome here 0:32:24.140 --> 0:32:25.910 at the land in the book. And you can get 0:32:25.910 --> 0:32:28.790 your question to us at the land and the book 0:32:28.790 --> 0:32:32.690 at Moody's Edu. Peggy says, I saw an article that 0:32:32.690 --> 0:32:36.500 said the word abracadabra comes from Moses words in numbers 12, 0:32:36.500 --> 0:32:40.280 verse 13, and is a Hebrew incantation that means I 0:32:40.280 --> 0:32:43.670 will create as I speak. They also said the numerical 0:32:43.670 --> 0:32:46.940 value of the word, which adds up to 26, is 0:32:46.940 --> 0:32:50.390 the same numerical value as Yahweh, the name of God. 0:32:50.390 --> 0:32:51.530 Is this true? 0:32:51.770 --> 0:32:55.550 Well, two thoughts come to mind. First, when Moses speaks 0:32:55.550 --> 0:32:59.660 in numbers 1213, he didn't say abracadabra. Rather, he spoke 0:32:59.660 --> 0:33:02.450 exactly what it says in our Bibles, though in Hebrew. 0:33:02.450 --> 0:33:05.960 And second, using a numerical value of words. That's a 0:33:05.960 --> 0:33:08.540 later practice that really I don't think was intended by 0:33:08.540 --> 0:33:11.330 either God or the human author. It's an attempt to 0:33:11.330 --> 0:33:15.380 read something mysterious and deep into the text, rather than 0:33:15.380 --> 0:33:18.470 letting the text mean exactly what it says. In the 0:33:18.470 --> 0:33:21.260 New Testament, we don't see any suggestion that such a 0:33:21.260 --> 0:33:24.770 healing formula was used by Jesus or the apostles. In 0:33:24.770 --> 0:33:28.219 Luke 854, we have the exact words spoken by Jesus 0:33:28.220 --> 0:33:31.370 when he raised Jairus daughter, and it doesn't include anything 0:33:31.370 --> 0:33:35.270 related to abracadabra. Could that expression have been developed in 0:33:35.270 --> 0:33:39.110 later Judaism from their spiritualized reading of the verse? Yeah, 0:33:39.110 --> 0:33:41.780 I think that's exactly what happened. But is it what 0:33:41.780 --> 0:33:44.540 God intended when he had Moses record the words in 0:33:44.540 --> 0:33:47.870 numbers 12? I don't think so. So the word likely 0:33:47.870 --> 0:33:50.810 did come from Jewish mysticism, but it didn't come from 0:33:50.810 --> 0:33:51.530 the Bible. 0:33:51.860 --> 0:33:53.750 Uh, Lois wants to know, do you know if there 0:33:53.750 --> 0:33:56.300 is a good book about whether our loved ones will 0:33:56.300 --> 0:33:59.840 know us in heaven? I read Randy Elkins book years ago, 0:33:59.840 --> 0:34:02.660 but wondered if you knew of another book I could read. 0:34:02.780 --> 0:34:05.330 Yeah, a specific book doesn't come to mind, but a 0:34:05.330 --> 0:34:08.390 good passage of Scripture does. Luke 16. You know, that's 0:34:08.390 --> 0:34:11.480 where Jesus gave the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. 0:34:11.480 --> 0:34:14.600 Now it's a parable. It's a story, but Jesus is 0:34:14.600 --> 0:34:16.219 the one telling it. And I don't think he was 0:34:16.219 --> 0:34:19.820 sharing something that wasn't factually true. So anyway, in that parable, 0:34:19.820 --> 0:34:22.220 after the two men die, they're in opposite places in 0:34:22.219 --> 0:34:25.340 the afterlife. The rich man was in Hades and Lazarus 0:34:25.340 --> 0:34:29.150 ended up in Paradise. Or they're called by Jesus Abraham's bosom. 0:34:29.150 --> 0:34:31.940 But the points that I think are interesting are this first, 0:34:31.940 --> 0:34:35.719 each recognized and knew the other. And second, they also 0:34:35.719 --> 0:34:38.840 both recognized Abraham, whom they had never met in life. 0:34:38.840 --> 0:34:41.630 Now that suggests to me that we'll know both those 0:34:41.630 --> 0:34:43.310 who are with us here on Earth, as well as 0:34:43.310 --> 0:34:46.879 other saints who lived before our time. Apparently, we'll also 0:34:46.880 --> 0:34:49.670 have some remembrance of those who were left behind. The 0:34:49.670 --> 0:34:52.669 rich man asked about his brothers, suggesting he remembered what 0:34:52.670 --> 0:34:55.790 they were like and was concerned about their eternal destiny, 0:34:55.790 --> 0:34:57.980 even though he couldn't do anything to alter it after 0:34:57.980 --> 0:35:00.650 his death. Now, based on the parable, I believe you 0:35:00.650 --> 0:35:03.200 will know your loved ones and other Christian friends in heaven, 0:35:03.200 --> 0:35:05.239 and you'll also meet a host of other new friends 0:35:05.239 --> 0:35:09.109 like Paul and Jeremiah. And of course, most of all Jesus. 0:35:09.820 --> 0:35:12.550 From Isabelle. This thought every week I listened to the 0:35:12.550 --> 0:35:15.940 land in the book podcast and always learn something. Now 0:35:15.940 --> 0:35:17.920 I know that the land of Israel was given by 0:35:17.920 --> 0:35:21.400 God to the Jewish people as an inheritance forever. Could 0:35:21.400 --> 0:35:25.300 you please outline the boundaries of the land given by God? 0:35:25.330 --> 0:35:27.610 Yeah, and I start this way. God gave a general 0:35:27.610 --> 0:35:31.210 outline of the land to Abram in Genesis 15. He said, 0:35:31.210 --> 0:35:33.820 it extends from the river of Egypt to the great river, 0:35:33.820 --> 0:35:36.340 the Euphrates. But he then defines the land as the 0:35:36.340 --> 0:35:39.580 land of the Canaanites, Canaanites, Cadman Heights, all those ites 0:35:39.580 --> 0:35:42.910 that are listed there. Those were the tribes living within Canaan. 0:35:42.910 --> 0:35:45.040 So as a result, I think God was saying the 0:35:45.040 --> 0:35:47.350 land he promised Abram was the land between the two 0:35:47.350 --> 0:35:50.350 great civilizations of the day, Egypt to the south and 0:35:50.350 --> 0:35:53.259 west and Mesopotamia to the north and east. And then 0:35:53.260 --> 0:35:55.630 he identifies it further by connecting it to the groups 0:35:55.630 --> 0:35:58.930 currently living there. Now, second, there are two times when 0:35:58.930 --> 0:36:02.290 God provides very specific boundaries for the land. The first 0:36:02.290 --> 0:36:05.410 is numbers 34, just before the nation of Israel entered 0:36:05.410 --> 0:36:08.410 the Promised Land. And there the boundaries are very specific. 0:36:08.410 --> 0:36:11.500 They include most of modern day Israel, and they extend 0:36:11.500 --> 0:36:13.930 from the Mediterranean Sea to the Jordan River. And actually 0:36:13.930 --> 0:36:17.319 parts of Lebanon and Syria are included. Now, later in 0:36:17.320 --> 0:36:21.100 Ezekiel 47, God identifies those same boundaries as the ones 0:36:21.100 --> 0:36:23.020 that will be in effect at the time of Israel's 0:36:23.020 --> 0:36:25.509 final return to the land. Now, I don't see any 0:36:25.510 --> 0:36:28.989 discrepancy between those boundaries. The first is general, but the 0:36:28.989 --> 0:36:31.629 second two are very specific and they list the actual 0:36:31.630 --> 0:36:34.300 boundaries once Israel is there in the land. 0:36:34.330 --> 0:36:37.899 Well, if you enjoyed these questions today, imagine how much 0:36:37.900 --> 0:36:39.670 more you'd enjoy it if it was one of your 0:36:39.670 --> 0:36:43.210 questions getting answered. You can get your question to us 0:36:43.210 --> 0:36:47.259 when you write The Land and the book at Moody's Edu. 0:36:47.380 --> 0:37:03.620 Charlie's devotional is next. I suppose. Like a lot of people, 0:37:03.620 --> 0:37:06.980 before traveling to Israel, I had so many, many wrong 0:37:06.980 --> 0:37:10.730 assumptions about everything I still do after multiple trips, but 0:37:10.730 --> 0:37:13.070 I'm trying to learn. Hey John Geiger with you here. 0:37:13.070 --> 0:37:16.040 Our host, Doctor Charlie Dyer, is about to share about 0:37:16.040 --> 0:37:19.040 objects on the shelf. This is his continuing devotional series 0:37:19.040 --> 0:37:23.330 among those objects. Lamp and might. Now, Charlie, to follow 0:37:23.330 --> 0:37:25.640 up this thought on my misconceptions, I used to think 0:37:25.640 --> 0:37:28.700 that these lamps were like these genie lamps that you saw, 0:37:28.700 --> 0:37:32.570 you know, maybe six, eight inches long, but but when 0:37:32.570 --> 0:37:34.790 you go to Israel, you mostly see lamps that are 0:37:34.790 --> 0:37:35.900 much smaller, right? 0:37:35.900 --> 0:37:38.569 That's right. And they're not bronze or brass. They're made 0:37:38.570 --> 0:37:39.380 out of clay. 0:37:39.650 --> 0:37:41.600 But we'll get to all of that as you present 0:37:41.600 --> 0:37:44.870 your devotional after this Holy Land experience testimony, which we'll 0:37:44.870 --> 0:37:46.160 hear right now. 0:37:50.230 --> 0:37:54.490 Our guide is Sarah and was about 30 years old 0:37:54.489 --> 0:38:01.570 and her enthusiasm for the word was so contagious it 0:38:01.570 --> 0:38:09.939 was unbelievable. Everything that we saw and our Bible leader 0:38:09.940 --> 0:38:13.090 would talk with us about. It, was as if she 0:38:13.090 --> 0:38:16.959 could hardly wait to talk about it and to tell 0:38:16.960 --> 0:38:23.020 us from her perspective. And I found myself just feeling 0:38:23.020 --> 0:38:28.900 this contagion overtaking me also. And what I purposed through 0:38:28.900 --> 0:38:31.900 that was to make sure that when I go home, 0:38:32.170 --> 0:38:37.510 that I can be just as contagious for Christ as she, 0:38:37.510 --> 0:38:42.610 a messianic Jew, right here in his land and really 0:38:42.610 --> 0:38:46.810 our land, because of the Abrahamic covenant in our being 0:38:46.810 --> 0:38:51.370 grafted in that I can be just as contagious as 0:38:51.370 --> 0:38:52.360 she is here. 0:38:54.170 --> 0:38:56.779 All right. We're headed for Luke chapter 21 and Matthew 0:38:56.780 --> 0:38:59.870 chapter 25. Charlie, I'll turn things over to you for 0:38:59.870 --> 0:39:01.100 your devotional today. 0:39:01.250 --> 0:39:04.100 Uh, thanks, John. And I tell everybody listening. Welcome back 0:39:04.100 --> 0:39:07.820 to my crowded and cluttered office. Now, I always enjoy visitors, 0:39:07.820 --> 0:39:09.980 though you can tell from the folding chair that you 0:39:09.980 --> 0:39:13.100 need to use space in here is definitely at a premium. 0:39:13.100 --> 0:39:16.520 The photos and other knickknacks that I have around the 0:39:16.520 --> 0:39:19.310 whole office have a story to tell. For example, you 0:39:19.310 --> 0:39:22.340 see that small wooden branch there on my bookshelf that 0:39:22.340 --> 0:39:25.070 looks like a miniature tree. Take a look at it 0:39:25.070 --> 0:39:27.950 and you'll see a 22 caliber bullet hanging from one 0:39:27.950 --> 0:39:30.530 of its branches by a red ribbon. That was a 0:39:30.530 --> 0:39:33.319 gift from an elderly lady in our church who's now 0:39:33.320 --> 0:39:35.689 in glory. She gave it to me as a Christmas 0:39:35.690 --> 0:39:39.110 present several years ago. Seeing the puzzled look on my face, 0:39:39.110 --> 0:39:41.450 she laughed and said, don't you get it? It's a 0:39:41.450 --> 0:39:45.320 cartridge in a bear tree. I still smile every time 0:39:45.320 --> 0:39:47.690 I look at it, but that's not the object I 0:39:47.690 --> 0:39:50.540 want to share today. Instead, look at the shelves on 0:39:50.540 --> 0:39:53.210 the opposite wall, along with the block of Dead Sea. 0:39:53.210 --> 0:39:57.680 Salt and pieces of flint are several ancient lamps and pots. 0:39:57.830 --> 0:40:00.710 How ancient? Well, the oldest is from around the time 0:40:00.710 --> 0:40:03.440 of Abraham. But the pieces I want to show you 0:40:03.440 --> 0:40:07.279 today are not nearly that old. They're only 2000 years old. 0:40:07.280 --> 0:40:09.950 From the time of Jesus. These are the very first 0:40:09.950 --> 0:40:13.460 antiquities I purchased on my original trip to Israel over 0:40:13.460 --> 0:40:17.509 40 years ago. Mounted on a small plexiglass base are 0:40:17.510 --> 0:40:21.260 an oil lamp from the Herodian period and a single lepton, 0:40:21.260 --> 0:40:24.920 a small copper coin often referred to as a widow's mite. 0:40:24.920 --> 0:40:29.330 The round oil lamp is just under 2.5in in diameter. Uh, 0:40:29.330 --> 0:40:32.420 the spout along the edge sticks out about an extra inch, 0:40:32.420 --> 0:40:35.330 and it has about a three quarter inch round hole 0:40:35.330 --> 0:40:37.430 in the very center where the olive oil could be 0:40:37.430 --> 0:40:40.850 poured in, and the entire lamp's only an inch high. 0:40:41.030 --> 0:40:43.459 Although these lamps can vary in size, a typical one 0:40:43.460 --> 0:40:46.610 like mine would hold just over an ounce of oil 0:40:46.610 --> 0:40:50.420 and could burn for about four hours. The light cast 0:40:50.420 --> 0:40:52.609 by the flame would be comparable to that of a 0:40:52.610 --> 0:40:55.609 small candle. The copper coin is about the size of 0:40:55.610 --> 0:40:58.910 a dime in circumference, but much thinner. It's about the 0:40:58.910 --> 0:41:02.030 thickness of a penny placed on a railroad track after 0:41:02.030 --> 0:41:04.790 a train rumbled by. It's stamped with the image of 0:41:04.790 --> 0:41:07.190 an anchor on top and an eight pointed star on 0:41:07.190 --> 0:41:10.460 the reverse side. The workmen who stamped these coins weren't 0:41:10.460 --> 0:41:14.180 overly concerned about quality. The anchor is centered, but the 0:41:14.180 --> 0:41:17.120 star on the other side is not. And remember, the 0:41:17.120 --> 0:41:19.910 widow had two small coins. And since I remembered that, 0:41:19.910 --> 0:41:23.270 I also bought a second one. Now these are interesting artifacts, 0:41:23.270 --> 0:41:25.430 but that's not why I wanted to show them to you. 0:41:25.460 --> 0:41:28.310 To explain why, let me put them in our pocket 0:41:28.310 --> 0:41:30.980 and climb in our time machine to take them back 0:41:30.980 --> 0:41:34.339 to Jerusalem. At the time of Jesus, we find ourselves 0:41:34.340 --> 0:41:37.880 first in Herod's magnificent temple inside the court of the 0:41:37.880 --> 0:41:41.270 women around the colonnades that lined the outside walls of 0:41:41.270 --> 0:41:45.950 the court were 13 wooden boxes with trumpet shaped bronze 0:41:45.950 --> 0:41:49.549 funnels on top. As the coins were placed in the funnels, 0:41:49.550 --> 0:41:52.400 they would clank as they bounced and rolled down into 0:41:52.400 --> 0:41:55.790 the wooden boxes with Jesus looking on, we watch a 0:41:55.790 --> 0:41:58.940 number of individuals come by to deposit their offerings into 0:41:58.940 --> 0:42:03.410 the boxes. The larger, heavier silver coins make a distinctive sound, 0:42:03.410 --> 0:42:06.500 and the sound seems to amplify and reverberate when the 0:42:06.500 --> 0:42:10.129 individuals empty large purses of coins, shaking them to get 0:42:10.130 --> 0:42:13.520 the coins to bounce and clatter even more. Then an 0:42:13.520 --> 0:42:16.850 older woman in tattered clothes quietly walks toward one of 0:42:16.850 --> 0:42:20.840 the boxes. She waits until these more prominent individuals are finished, 0:42:20.840 --> 0:42:25.040 before dropping her two small coins into the box. They 0:42:25.040 --> 0:42:29.120 barely make any sound as they roll down the bronze funnel. Then, 0:42:29.120 --> 0:42:32.540 unnoticed by most, she starts to slip away. But that's 0:42:32.540 --> 0:42:35.960 when Jesus draws our attention to her. I tell you 0:42:35.960 --> 0:42:38.870 the truth, this poor widow has put in more than 0:42:38.870 --> 0:42:42.110 all the others. All these people gave their gifts out 0:42:42.110 --> 0:42:45.410 of their wealth, but she, out of her poverty, put 0:42:45.410 --> 0:42:48.530 in all she had to live on. I once had 0:42:48.530 --> 0:42:52.100 to deliver a message on key biblical principles of fundraising. 0:42:52.100 --> 0:42:55.580 My first principle was based on these verses. All gifts, 0:42:55.580 --> 0:42:59.569 regardless of the amount, are important in God's sight. We're 0:42:59.570 --> 0:43:02.149 never to judge the importance of a gift to God 0:43:02.150 --> 0:43:05.570 by its size. And to emphasize that point, I then 0:43:05.570 --> 0:43:09.140 tossed my two, lept my two widow's mites onto the 0:43:09.140 --> 0:43:11.660 table in front of me. As I told them. Jesus 0:43:11.660 --> 0:43:14.930 said that was the most significant gift given to God 0:43:14.930 --> 0:43:18.140 on that day. And here are two good principles for 0:43:18.140 --> 0:43:22.130 you from that story. First, don't judge a person's importance 0:43:22.130 --> 0:43:25.759 based on the size of the gift they make. And second, remember, 0:43:25.760 --> 0:43:28.760 God not only sees what you give, but how much 0:43:28.760 --> 0:43:31.640 you keep for yourself. But Jesus is now heading out 0:43:31.640 --> 0:43:34.070 of the temple with his disciples toward the Mount of Olives, 0:43:34.070 --> 0:43:37.130 so we need to hustle to catch up with him. Thankfully, 0:43:37.130 --> 0:43:40.489 he's stopping. As the disciples point back to the temple buildings, 0:43:40.489 --> 0:43:43.400 we arrive just as Jesus shares what we've come to 0:43:43.400 --> 0:43:46.520 know as the Olivet Discourse, his main teaching on events 0:43:46.520 --> 0:43:48.890 that lead up to his return to Earth as King 0:43:48.890 --> 0:43:51.710 of Kings and Lord of Lords. His focus on the 0:43:51.710 --> 0:43:56.500 future is fast. But his application catches our attention. Therefore, 0:43:56.500 --> 0:43:59.350 keep watch because you do not know on what day 0:43:59.350 --> 0:44:02.800 your Lord will come. And to illustrate his point, Jesus 0:44:02.800 --> 0:44:05.920 begins telling a parable about ten virgins who took their 0:44:05.920 --> 0:44:09.310 lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. The lamps. 0:44:09.310 --> 0:44:12.189 We get it now. They're each carrying one of these 0:44:12.190 --> 0:44:16.390 small Herodian oil lamps. No doubt each is carefully holding 0:44:16.390 --> 0:44:18.100 it in the palm of her hand to keep the 0:44:18.100 --> 0:44:20.919 oil from spilling out. It's getting dark, and they know 0:44:20.920 --> 0:44:24.130 the bridegroom should arrive soon, but they don't know the 0:44:24.130 --> 0:44:27.820 exact time. Five are only carrying their lamps, but five 0:44:27.820 --> 0:44:31.120 are also carrying a small jug that carries just enough 0:44:31.120 --> 0:44:34.750 oil to refill the lamp a second time. Both of 0:44:34.750 --> 0:44:37.600 their hands are filled while the others have a hand free. 0:44:37.600 --> 0:44:40.299 Should they need to open a door, push aside a branch, 0:44:40.300 --> 0:44:43.779 or retrieve something from the ground. The five who went 0:44:43.780 --> 0:44:47.140 out not carrying the additional jar would seem to have 0:44:47.140 --> 0:44:50.950 the advantage should the bridegroom arrive soon. But in reality, 0:44:50.950 --> 0:44:54.279 they didn't know the exact time of his arrival. And 0:44:54.280 --> 0:44:57.880 as the hour slipped by, all ten began nodding off. 0:44:58.030 --> 0:45:01.089 Then at midnight, someone shouted in the darkness, here comes 0:45:01.090 --> 0:45:04.240 the bridegroom! Come out to meet him. The ten virgins 0:45:04.239 --> 0:45:07.029 rose quickly, and notice the flames in their lamps were 0:45:07.030 --> 0:45:10.810 starting to sputter out. Five quickly poured their additional oil 0:45:10.810 --> 0:45:13.930 into the reservoir. Watch the flame spring to life as 0:45:13.930 --> 0:45:16.719 the oil was drawn up the wick. But as they 0:45:16.719 --> 0:45:19.630 were pouring the oil into the lamps, the five without 0:45:19.630 --> 0:45:22.359 additional oil began crying out to them. Give us some 0:45:22.360 --> 0:45:25.450 of your oil. Our lamps are going out. Well, we 0:45:25.450 --> 0:45:28.750 know what happens. Those with the extra oil still didn't 0:45:28.750 --> 0:45:31.300 know exactly when the groom would arrive. They might need 0:45:31.300 --> 0:45:34.330 all their oil. The five foolish virgins had to rush 0:45:34.330 --> 0:45:37.120 off to buy more oil. But while they were gone, 0:45:37.120 --> 0:45:39.340 the groom arrived and they were shut out of the 0:45:39.340 --> 0:45:44.410 wedding banquet. And Jesus's point? He repeats it again. Therefore 0:45:44.410 --> 0:45:46.840 keep watch, because you do not know the day or 0:45:46.840 --> 0:45:49.910 the hour. Well, it's time to head back to my office. 0:45:49.910 --> 0:45:53.210 And as we arrive, look again at that small oil lamp. 0:45:53.480 --> 0:45:55.700 Had you been alive in the time of Jesus, you 0:45:55.700 --> 0:45:58.129 would know from experience that you were likely to get 0:45:58.130 --> 0:46:00.560 about four hours of light from the oil in that 0:46:00.560 --> 0:46:03.260 lamp before it was all gone. Since you didn't know 0:46:03.260 --> 0:46:06.680 when the groom would arrive, wisdom said you should be prepared. 0:46:06.680 --> 0:46:08.990 And that's the other lesson we can learn from these 0:46:08.989 --> 0:46:12.379 objects on my shelf. A small coin and a small lamp. 0:46:12.380 --> 0:46:15.020 Reminders to us that it's not the size of the gift, 0:46:15.020 --> 0:46:17.089 but the level of commitment on the part of the 0:46:17.090 --> 0:46:19.819 giver that matters to God, and that we don't know 0:46:19.820 --> 0:46:23.089 when Jesus will return. But we do know he expects 0:46:23.090 --> 0:46:24.830 us to be ready when he does. 0:46:25.190 --> 0:46:28.340 Very, very practical. Thank you, Charlie, for bringing both of 0:46:28.340 --> 0:46:31.799 those stories to light. And I'm intrigued with a four 0:46:31.800 --> 0:46:35.510 hour lamp expectancy. That's cool. Hey, there's more insights for you, 0:46:35.510 --> 0:46:38.360 and our website has lots of great resources if you'll 0:46:38.360 --> 0:46:41.450 check it out at The Land and the Book, Dawg, 0:46:41.719 --> 0:46:44.960 we welcome you there. The land and the book. Org. 0:46:44.989 --> 0:46:47.299 Our time is gone, but we've got a great program 0:46:47.300 --> 0:46:49.790 lined up for next week. Hope you'll join us then. 0:46:49.820 --> 0:46:52.549 The land and the book is a production of Moody Radio, 0:46:52.580 --> 0:46:54.800 a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.