WEBVTT - Digital Tools for Middle East Outreach 0:00:08.030 --> 0:00:11.480 Digital media. You hear about it all the time and 0:00:11.480 --> 0:00:14.720 digital media is just getting started. Coming up, we'll talk 0:00:14.720 --> 0:00:17.570 with a guest in Israel leading a ministry that is 0:00:17.570 --> 0:00:21.259 strategically using digital media to reach Jews and Arabs with 0:00:21.260 --> 0:00:25.280 the gospel stories to encourage you, statistics that will astonish you. 0:00:25.280 --> 0:00:27.980 Plus all the headlines from the Middle East, including an 0:00:27.980 --> 0:00:31.310 update in depth on the current conflict. Welcome to the 0:00:31.310 --> 0:00:34.449 land and the book with Israel expert Dr. Charlie Dyer. 0:00:34.460 --> 0:00:37.129 I'm John Geiger and Charlie, you know, as people are 0:00:37.130 --> 0:00:40.100 online and following this war, they're wondering what the future 0:00:40.100 --> 0:00:43.010 holds for Israel. And while some things are uncertain, the 0:00:43.010 --> 0:00:45.710 Bible does give us an outline of what will happen 0:00:45.710 --> 0:00:48.199 in the last days. That's right, John. That's why our. 0:00:48.200 --> 0:00:51.709 Friends at Life and Messiah recently hosted a prophecy conference 0:00:51.710 --> 0:00:56.300 focused specifically on this topic, Israel and the church living 0:00:56.300 --> 0:00:59.060 in the last days. They're now making the videos of 0:00:59.060 --> 0:01:02.780 the conference available for early access exclusively to the land. 0:01:02.780 --> 0:01:05.900 In the book listeners, you'll hear from many knowledgeable speakers 0:01:05.900 --> 0:01:09.800 on this topic, including Moody Radio host Michael Rudnick and me. 0:01:09.800 --> 0:01:14.030 These encouraging and informative videos will help you better understand 0:01:14.030 --> 0:01:17.450 God's future plans, and how we can be actively waiting 0:01:17.450 --> 0:01:20.779 to get access to this video series. Visit Life in 0:01:20.780 --> 0:01:24.080 Messiah org and click on the Moody Radio button to 0:01:24.080 --> 0:01:27.800 sign up. That's Life in messiah.org. 0:01:28.160 --> 0:01:32.090 Well, it's now been three weeks since Hamas brutal massacre 0:01:32.090 --> 0:01:35.570 and abduction of Israelis. What has been happening, Charlie, lately? 0:01:35.569 --> 0:01:37.789 And why does it seem like Israel has been so 0:01:37.790 --> 0:01:39.620 slow to respond? Yeah. 0:01:39.620 --> 0:01:41.959 You know, for those of us who like something done instantly, 0:01:41.959 --> 0:01:44.060 this has been a real wait. But we need to 0:01:44.060 --> 0:01:47.060 put the time in perspective. Remember way back when Saddam 0:01:47.060 --> 0:01:50.510 Hussein invaded Kuwait back in August of 1990? It took 0:01:50.510 --> 0:01:53.420 five months for the US and our allies to get 0:01:53.420 --> 0:01:57.680 everything in place before we launched our operation to retake Kuwait. 0:01:57.770 --> 0:02:00.860 And it was a month after 911, before the US 0:02:00.860 --> 0:02:05.720 began its airstrikes against Afghanistan and two months before the invasion. 0:02:05.720 --> 0:02:08.390 So in the larger scheme of things, three weeks isn't 0:02:08.389 --> 0:02:12.200 a very long time. And Israel has been busy. They've 0:02:12.200 --> 0:02:16.070 launched thousands of airstrikes to eliminate as many fighters, leaders 0:02:16.070 --> 0:02:20.450 and supply stores as possible before starting their ground offensive. 0:02:20.480 --> 0:02:23.100 They want to make sure they don't walk into a trap. 0:02:23.120 --> 0:02:26.660 Hamas knew Israel would respond to their attack, and they 0:02:26.660 --> 0:02:29.989 hoped to lure Israel into a battle in narrow streets, 0:02:29.990 --> 0:02:34.190 alleyways and tunnels that would favor the defenders. Israel needed 0:02:34.190 --> 0:02:37.070 to develop a plan that would allow them to surprise Hamas, 0:02:37.070 --> 0:02:40.880 at least to some extent, and all those logistical details 0:02:40.880 --> 0:02:44.750 take time. In addition, pressure was placed on Israel from 0:02:44.750 --> 0:02:48.609 the US to allow time to negotiate the release of hostages. 0:02:48.620 --> 0:02:53.209 It took time for Israel to mobilize 300,000 reservists and 0:02:53.210 --> 0:02:57.290 to prepare for a possible Hezbollah attack from the north. Apparently, 0:02:57.290 --> 0:03:01.010 the US also encouraged Israel to wait until American assets, 0:03:01.010 --> 0:03:04.519 including both aircraft carriers, were in place should the fight 0:03:04.520 --> 0:03:08.720 escalate to include Hezbollah. So it might seem like Israel's 0:03:08.720 --> 0:03:11.780 taking a long time, but that's because we don't see 0:03:11.780 --> 0:03:12.950 everything being done. 0:03:13.370 --> 0:03:16.730 You know, having mentioned Hezbollah, it appears the conflict between 0:03:16.730 --> 0:03:20.890 Israel and Hamas has already begun expanding into the surrounding region. 0:03:20.900 --> 0:03:22.970 What do we know thus far about the response to 0:03:22.970 --> 0:03:26.510 the conflict by Hezbollah, both in Lebanon and Syria, as 0:03:26.510 --> 0:03:29.090 well as the response by the Houthis in Yemen and 0:03:29.090 --> 0:03:33.049 by the Iranians? Could this become a full blown regional war? 0:03:33.260 --> 0:03:37.130 Well, the short answer is that only God knows. On Wednesday, 0:03:37.130 --> 0:03:41.330 leaders from Hezbollah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad met in Beirut 0:03:41.330 --> 0:03:45.200 to plan the next steps of their war against Israel. 0:03:45.200 --> 0:03:48.320 Right now, Hezbollah has become involved, but just to a 0:03:48.320 --> 0:03:52.850 limited extent, they fired anti-tank guided missiles and mortars at 0:03:52.850 --> 0:03:56.540 Israel positions along the Lebanese border. And they've also sent 0:03:56.540 --> 0:03:59.990 drones across the border into Israel and a few troops. 0:03:59.990 --> 0:04:03.620 But they've refrained from unleashing their arsenal of rockets on 0:04:03.620 --> 0:04:07.820 Israel because that would lead to a full scale Israeli response. 0:04:07.820 --> 0:04:11.270 It would also likely bring the US into the conflict. 0:04:11.690 --> 0:04:14.900 So will Hezbollah continue to sit on the sideline, or 0:04:14.900 --> 0:04:19.100 will they gamble on surviving a large scale retaliatory attack? 0:04:19.100 --> 0:04:22.190 And frankly, no one knows. However, we do know that 0:04:22.190 --> 0:04:25.430 if they attack, Israel will try to destroy their arsenal 0:04:25.430 --> 0:04:29.000 of rockets and it will be hard for Hezbollah to rearm. 0:04:29.270 --> 0:04:33.020 Lebanon is an economic basket case, and even Iran is 0:04:33.020 --> 0:04:37.250 struggling financially. Iran would like to bring in more arms 0:04:37.250 --> 0:04:41.210 to Syria. Hezbollah could then launch attacks from there against Israel, 0:04:41.210 --> 0:04:45.800 while not officially claiming responsibility. But Israel has been bombing 0:04:45.800 --> 0:04:48.919 the major airports in Syria to keep Iranian cargo planes 0:04:48.920 --> 0:04:52.460 from landing, and that's likely to continue. The Houthis in 0:04:52.460 --> 0:04:56.030 Yemen have fired missiles and drones against Israel, but they 0:04:56.029 --> 0:05:00.500 were intercepted, shot down by a US warship off Yemen's coast. Now, 0:05:00.500 --> 0:05:03.620 if these countries use a limited response as a fig 0:05:03.620 --> 0:05:07.089 leaf to say they've offered assistance to Hamas. Then the 0:05:07.089 --> 0:05:10.810 war likely won't expand. But if they increase their attacks 0:05:10.810 --> 0:05:14.020 on Israel, then there is a great possibility the conflict 0:05:14.020 --> 0:05:17.680 will spiral up. Iran needs to be careful in calculating 0:05:17.680 --> 0:05:20.859 its level of involvement, because the US does have the 0:05:20.860 --> 0:05:25.960 ability to attack and destroy their underground nuclear facilities. So far, 0:05:25.960 --> 0:05:29.770 it looks like Hezbollah, Yemen and Iran are being cautious. 0:05:29.770 --> 0:05:32.380 And that's good. But frankly, John, we don't know what 0:05:32.380 --> 0:05:33.400 tomorrow holds. 0:05:33.400 --> 0:05:36.010 So if we were to stand on Har Bentall, a 0:05:36.010 --> 0:05:39.729 site that many tourists from America visit in the north 0:05:39.730 --> 0:05:43.240 of Israel, what would we see, if anything right now? 0:05:43.690 --> 0:05:46.930 Actually, you would see a lot more military hardware positioned 0:05:46.930 --> 0:05:49.930 there and not just sitting idly along the road, but 0:05:50.020 --> 0:05:55.230 facing toward Syria. You would see probably planes and rockets 0:05:55.230 --> 0:05:58.960 and other drones going across the border. Israel's patrolling that 0:05:58.960 --> 0:06:02.530 border into Syria from Harbin, but just across the other 0:06:02.529 --> 0:06:05.740 side of Mount Hermon. There's even more activity as Israel 0:06:05.740 --> 0:06:09.339 actively watches what Hezbollah is doing in Lebanon itself. 0:06:09.370 --> 0:06:11.979 You're listening to the land in the book from Moody Radio, 0:06:11.980 --> 0:06:15.520 our host, Dr. Charlie Dyer, noted Middle East expert, I'm 0:06:15.520 --> 0:06:19.029 John Geiger. Story number three. As Israel sifts through the 0:06:19.029 --> 0:06:22.450 wreckage of the communities along its border with Gaza, they're 0:06:22.450 --> 0:06:26.680 also discovering additional details about the Hamas terrorists who launched 0:06:26.680 --> 0:06:30.220 the attack. I'm reading things about body cameras and so on. Charlie, 0:06:30.220 --> 0:06:31.210 what have they learned? 0:06:31.300 --> 0:06:33.600 Well, a number of things, none of which are good. 0:06:33.610 --> 0:06:37.029 They discovered that the Hamas terrorists were using a synthetic 0:06:37.029 --> 0:06:40.719 amphetamine called Kapton. The drug was found in the pockets 0:06:40.720 --> 0:06:42.880 of many of those who were killed. This is the 0:06:42.880 --> 0:06:46.130 same drug that was used by ISIS fighters during their rampage. 0:06:46.150 --> 0:06:49.810 It's highly addictive and it suppresses fear. It can also 0:06:49.810 --> 0:06:54.430 produce psychotic reactions. It allows individuals to remain on alert 0:06:54.430 --> 0:06:58.690 while suppressing their appetite. Israel also found those videos you mentioned, 0:06:58.690 --> 0:07:02.890 including from GoPro cameras that were taken by the terrorists themselves, 0:07:02.890 --> 0:07:07.359 showing their savagery as they rampaged across the border. Some 0:07:07.360 --> 0:07:10.510 victims were shot, while others were tied together with wire 0:07:10.510 --> 0:07:13.210 and then set on fire. Much of the video that's 0:07:13.210 --> 0:07:16.870 been recovered is too graphic and gruesome to even be seen, 0:07:17.110 --> 0:07:20.320 but the clips that are available show the absolute viciousness 0:07:20.320 --> 0:07:24.010 and cruelty of the attack. Israel also recovered detailed attack 0:07:24.010 --> 0:07:27.970 plans from several dead terrorists, which revealed the meticulous planning 0:07:27.970 --> 0:07:31.330 for the attack. This wasn't a spontaneous riot. It was 0:07:31.330 --> 0:07:34.360 planned down to the smallest detail, with the goal of 0:07:34.360 --> 0:07:38.710 killing or capturing as many civilians as possible. And perhaps 0:07:38.710 --> 0:07:42.950 most troubling of all, Israel found plans for producing chemical weapons. 0:07:42.970 --> 0:07:46.780 The information, originally from ISIS, was on a USB drive 0:07:46.780 --> 0:07:51.070 and provided instructions on how to produce cyanide based weapons, 0:07:51.310 --> 0:07:55.060 especially for use against civilians. Putting all that information together 0:07:55.060 --> 0:07:59.020 shows Hamas patterning itself after ISIS in terms of its 0:07:59.020 --> 0:08:03.460 determination to use the most horrific means possible to torture 0:08:03.460 --> 0:08:06.520 and kill Jews. The plan to use chemical weapons harkens 0:08:06.520 --> 0:08:09.400 back to the worst of Nazi Germany. While the discovery 0:08:09.400 --> 0:08:13.210 of captive gone ISIS flags and other methods of torture 0:08:13.210 --> 0:08:16.510 are reminiscent of the horrors of ISIS. And John, it's 0:08:16.510 --> 0:08:19.510 understanding all of this that helps us see why Israel 0:08:19.510 --> 0:08:22.030 is so determined to wipe out Hamas. 0:08:22.060 --> 0:08:24.790 Now, how much of this newer information, this cache of 0:08:24.790 --> 0:08:28.390 data that's been recovered, the video footage is being channeled 0:08:28.390 --> 0:08:29.830 to the media. How much of this is going to 0:08:29.830 --> 0:08:32.740 see the light of day by average folks like us? 0:08:32.950 --> 0:08:35.110 Hopefully less of it will be seen by average folks. 0:08:35.200 --> 0:08:38.260 I've watched some of it. It is incredibly disturbing. Israel 0:08:38.260 --> 0:08:40.690 is releasing far more than they've done in the past. 0:08:40.690 --> 0:08:43.179 In the past, they really were trying to protect the 0:08:43.179 --> 0:08:46.390 the individuals who are the victims. This time they realize 0:08:46.390 --> 0:08:48.640 they're fighting on two fronts. And one of those fronts 0:08:48.640 --> 0:08:51.580 is the media front. And so they're releasing this because 0:08:51.580 --> 0:08:54.850 even this week, people in leadership positions in the Arab 0:08:54.850 --> 0:08:57.490 world were saying it wasn't a major attack. It wasn't 0:08:57.490 --> 0:09:00.910 what Israel says. Israel is using the video itself to 0:09:00.910 --> 0:09:02.620 tell their side of the story as well. 0:09:02.620 --> 0:09:06.190 They should. Over the past week, a dozen Palestinian Christian 0:09:06.190 --> 0:09:09.940 organizations published an open letter accusing church leaders in the 0:09:09.940 --> 0:09:13.810 West of being complicit with Israel in their crimes against 0:09:13.809 --> 0:09:17.500 the Palestinians. What are their major issues, and how should 0:09:17.500 --> 0:09:19.569 those of us here in the West respond? 0:09:19.809 --> 0:09:23.350 Well, these Palestinian Christian leaders say they're extremely troubled over 0:09:23.350 --> 0:09:27.610 the Western Church's uncritical support for Israel through its timing. 0:09:27.730 --> 0:09:31.449 The focus of the criticism is on our supposedly uncritical 0:09:31.450 --> 0:09:35.200 support for Israel's attack against Gaza happening right now. But 0:09:35.200 --> 0:09:37.900 they also accused the Western Church of supporting what they 0:09:37.900 --> 0:09:40.860 see as the real root cause of the current conflict. 0:09:40.870 --> 0:09:44.860 They call it, quote, the ongoing ethnic cleansing of Palestine 0:09:44.860 --> 0:09:49.030 and the oppressive and racist military occupation that constitutes the 0:09:49.030 --> 0:09:52.780 crime of apartheid. So how should we respond? Well, we 0:09:52.780 --> 0:09:55.450 need to start with the basic facts. Israel has a 0:09:55.450 --> 0:09:57.969 right to be in the land. It's a right guaranteed 0:09:57.970 --> 0:10:02.319 and grounded in God's unconditional promises to Abraham in Genesis 0:10:02.320 --> 0:10:06.280 12 and Genesis 15 and repeated throughout the Old Testament. 0:10:06.540 --> 0:10:09.510 That doesn't mean everything Israel does is right, because no 0:10:09.510 --> 0:10:12.630 nation is perfect. But historically, it was the Arabs who 0:10:12.630 --> 0:10:16.050 rejected the original two state solution proposed by the UN 0:10:16.050 --> 0:10:19.200 in 1947. It was the Arabs who tried to push 0:10:19.200 --> 0:10:22.800 the Jews into the sea in 1967, causing the loss 0:10:22.800 --> 0:10:25.980 of the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Sinai and Golan Heights, 0:10:25.980 --> 0:10:28.679 and after the war Israel offered to trade land for peace. 0:10:28.679 --> 0:10:31.050 But it was the Arabs who issued their famous three 0:10:31.050 --> 0:10:34.500 no's no peace with Israel, no negotiation with Israel, no 0:10:34.500 --> 0:10:38.400 recognition of Israel. Under Sadat, Egypt made peace with Israel 0:10:38.400 --> 0:10:41.939 in 1979, but he was murdered for his decision. Now 0:10:41.940 --> 0:10:44.520 here's the bottom line. As Christians who believe the Bible, 0:10:44.520 --> 0:10:47.010 we believe Israel has a right to live in land 0:10:47.010 --> 0:10:50.280 promised to them by God in peace. The Palestinians who 0:10:50.280 --> 0:10:52.950 framed this open letter choose not to believe what the 0:10:52.950 --> 0:10:56.760 Bible says about Israel. Countries have the right of self-defense 0:10:56.760 --> 0:10:59.609 and Israel is no exception. And as believers, we need 0:10:59.610 --> 0:11:01.860 to be willing to stand up for what's right. And 0:11:01.860 --> 0:11:03.780 that includes supporting Israel right now. 0:11:03.780 --> 0:11:06.060 And that's a look at current events here on the land. 0:11:06.059 --> 0:11:08.520 And the book we're coming up. It's a conversation with 0:11:08.520 --> 0:11:12.390 Erez Saurav about using digital tools for Middle East outreach. 0:11:12.390 --> 0:11:15.179 This is really good news for a change here on 0:11:15.179 --> 0:11:32.410 the land and the book. Digital media. You hear about 0:11:32.410 --> 0:11:36.460 it all the time and digital media is just getting started. 0:11:36.550 --> 0:11:40.120 But just what is it and how can Christians harness 0:11:40.120 --> 0:11:43.420 digital media for sharing the gospel? This is the land 0:11:43.420 --> 0:11:45.850 in the book. I'm John Yeager, honored to be back 0:11:45.850 --> 0:11:49.030 in the land for today's conversation. We're in the north 0:11:49.030 --> 0:11:52.059 of Israel, where we've connected with a favorite friend, Dr. 0:11:52.059 --> 0:11:55.260 Aris Saraf. He serves as president of one for Israel. 0:11:55.270 --> 0:11:57.429 He's been a part of many of our moody radio 0:11:57.429 --> 0:11:59.739 specials in the past. And you've heard him before here 0:11:59.740 --> 0:12:02.200 on the land in the book. So welcome back to 0:12:02.200 --> 0:12:02.650 the program. 0:12:02.650 --> 0:12:05.140 Dr. Saurav Shalom, John, great to be with you. 0:12:05.350 --> 0:12:08.260 Well, for somebody who is less familiar when we use 0:12:08.260 --> 0:12:11.290 the term digital media, what exactly are we talking about? 0:12:11.290 --> 0:12:18.340 So really it's about using media. So videos, radio mainly 0:12:18.340 --> 0:12:21.880 over social networks of course television as well. But the 0:12:21.880 --> 0:12:25.449 production is digital and the dissemination is digital as well. 0:12:25.450 --> 0:12:27.100 So that's really what the term means as. 0:12:27.100 --> 0:12:29.380 Opposed to over a broadcast network so to speak. 0:12:29.380 --> 0:12:32.950 That's right. Or written material or other things like that. Yeah. 0:12:33.130 --> 0:12:35.980 Well explain the connection of one for Israel with a 0:12:35.980 --> 0:12:39.490 strategy to use digital content to reach unbelievers. And maybe 0:12:39.490 --> 0:12:42.970 before that, even just a quick overview of one for Israel. 0:12:42.980 --> 0:12:46.900 So we are a ministry of native born Israelis. Most 0:12:46.900 --> 0:12:51.370 of us are first generation believers in Jesus. We get 0:12:51.370 --> 0:12:54.220 up in the morning to share the message of the 0:12:54.220 --> 0:12:57.250 gospel with Jewish people and Arab people in the land 0:12:57.250 --> 0:13:01.900 of Israel. We also operate the only accredited Bible college 0:13:01.900 --> 0:13:04.599 and seminary in the land. So we are privileged to 0:13:04.600 --> 0:13:08.920 serve the entire church in the country. You know, people 0:13:08.920 --> 0:13:11.500 that has come from all over the world and reside 0:13:11.500 --> 0:13:12.250 in Israel. 0:13:12.460 --> 0:13:14.740 Okay, now, you know, I'm stopped right there. I've heard 0:13:14.740 --> 0:13:17.500 you talk about it being accredited. And yet, in the 0:13:17.500 --> 0:13:21.340 same breath, you know, we hear about laws being considered 0:13:21.340 --> 0:13:24.220 that would make, you know, sharing your faith illegal or 0:13:24.220 --> 0:13:26.920 a whole lot more difficult. So why would they allow 0:13:26.950 --> 0:13:30.520 the accrediting of of your school, Israel. 0:13:30.520 --> 0:13:34.180 It's important to understand that Israel is a democracy with 0:13:34.179 --> 0:13:37.960 freedom of speech and freedom of religion. And therefore all 0:13:37.960 --> 0:13:43.689 of our activity, both evangelistic and the educational, is 100% legal. 0:13:43.690 --> 0:13:47.709 And we do everything on the highest standard so far. 0:13:47.710 --> 0:13:52.090 There have been several lawsuits going on against us, but 0:13:52.090 --> 0:13:54.670 we have so far always been able to win because 0:13:54.670 --> 0:13:57.750 we're doing everything above par and try to do it 0:13:57.760 --> 0:13:58.660 at the highest level. 0:13:58.660 --> 0:14:00.280 All right. So talk about how you guys are using 0:14:00.280 --> 0:14:03.160 digital media as a strategy to reach unbelievers. 0:14:03.160 --> 0:14:06.460 So when we were renovating our new campus that we 0:14:06.460 --> 0:14:08.770 moved in, it was new at the time, about 15 0:14:08.770 --> 0:14:12.099 years ago, there was a very strong impression on my 0:14:12.100 --> 0:14:15.850 heart to create television studios, which I knew absolutely nothing about. 0:14:16.210 --> 0:14:19.330 But we did. And then kind of in the following years, 0:14:19.330 --> 0:14:25.570 we've begun to create content through short videos, first of testimonials, 0:14:25.570 --> 0:14:29.530 and later on as what we would call apologetics, Jewish apologetics, 0:14:29.800 --> 0:14:33.640 talking about how as a Jewish person, you come to 0:14:33.640 --> 0:14:40.060 believe in Yeshua, in Jesus created tremendous traction far beyond 0:14:40.060 --> 0:14:42.910 what we've ever imagined. And so just to give you 0:14:42.910 --> 0:14:45.730 an idea of what I'm talking about. So in the 0:14:45.730 --> 0:14:49.480 last few years, you know, in a land of Israel 0:14:49.480 --> 0:14:53.320 as a country of 9.5 million people, of them 8 0:14:53.320 --> 0:14:58.030 million Jews that speak Hebrew, so out of 8 million 0:14:58.030 --> 0:15:01.660 are videos in the last few years alone have been 0:15:01.660 --> 0:15:07.450 viewed more than 62 million times. This is in Hebrew only. Wow. 0:15:07.510 --> 0:15:10.660 So it's like five times the number of Jews in 0:15:10.660 --> 0:15:14.380 the land. So just tremendous exposure for the gospel. 0:15:14.380 --> 0:15:18.040 Well, I ask, how would non believers even stumble onto 0:15:18.040 --> 0:15:20.260 any of your content? How would they discover you? They're 0:15:20.260 --> 0:15:21.100 not looking for you. 0:15:21.100 --> 0:15:23.680 So a lot of young people today, I mean, you're 0:15:23.740 --> 0:15:28.720 just browsing through YouTube and Instagram and other social networks 0:15:29.020 --> 0:15:34.090 and there's everything there, including our material, and we try 0:15:34.090 --> 0:15:37.570 to make it excellent. So people want to come back 0:15:37.570 --> 0:15:40.359 and repeatedly people over and over and over tell us 0:15:40.360 --> 0:15:43.360 how they started watching one of our videos. And then 0:15:43.360 --> 0:15:45.070 they watch another one, another one, another one is that, well, 0:15:45.070 --> 0:15:47.470 we stayed up all night. We watched, you know, stories 0:15:47.470 --> 0:15:52.390 of people and then apologetics and explanations and Bible expositions. 0:15:52.390 --> 0:15:55.960 And so, you know, we had just as an example, 0:15:56.170 --> 0:15:59.440 one young lady that has become a disciple of Jesus, 0:15:59.440 --> 0:16:02.740 probably 2 or 3 years ago, she told me that 0:16:02.740 --> 0:16:06.040 when she and her girlfriends, when they were in the military, 0:16:06.040 --> 0:16:09.670 whenever they would have a break, they would start, you know, 0:16:09.670 --> 0:16:12.520 just watching different things on YouTube and they would watch 0:16:12.520 --> 0:16:14.900 our videos. Now, they were not believers and they didn't 0:16:14.920 --> 0:16:18.220 particularly like it. But later on, when she became a 0:16:18.220 --> 0:16:20.740 follower of Jesus, said, hey, I remember those guys. I 0:16:20.740 --> 0:16:23.440 used to watch their videos. So, you know, it's part 0:16:23.440 --> 0:16:25.090 of what young people consume. 0:16:25.090 --> 0:16:28.360 That's Dr. Aris Saraf, who's president of one for Israel, 0:16:28.360 --> 0:16:32.000 a ministry that's reaching out. With the gospel. Using digital media. 0:16:32.000 --> 0:16:34.970 Is most of your content more like a creative graphic, 0:16:34.970 --> 0:16:37.940 or is it an online advertisement, something we might find 0:16:37.940 --> 0:16:40.430 in a paper or magazine? Just digital? Or is it 0:16:40.430 --> 0:16:41.540 more video oriented? 0:16:41.660 --> 0:16:45.980 It's definitely video oriented. Particularly in the last seven years. 0:16:45.980 --> 0:16:51.140 It's almost 100% video oriented. Small part of it is animation. 0:16:51.140 --> 0:16:55.489 Most of it is actual people talking or speaking or 0:16:55.490 --> 0:16:57.830 whatever it is. And yeah. 0:16:57.830 --> 0:17:00.770 How do you go about choosing topics to explore? 0:17:00.860 --> 0:17:04.669 As I mentioned, initially we did testimonials like five seven minutes, 0:17:04.670 --> 0:17:07.040 kind of like I am second type, but in Hebrew, 0:17:07.460 --> 0:17:10.490 great traction. And then we started getting tons and tons 0:17:10.490 --> 0:17:13.879 and tons of questions, which we treated like a funnel, 0:17:13.880 --> 0:17:17.360 and we kind of distilled it at the end to 0:17:17.359 --> 0:17:21.260 about 50 questions that are most commonly asked. And then 0:17:21.260 --> 0:17:23.780 we began to answer those questions. We did it initially 0:17:23.780 --> 0:17:26.689 in text, and that's where it was very helpful to 0:17:26.690 --> 0:17:29.689 have professors that know, because some of the questions were 0:17:29.690 --> 0:17:34.490 actually pretty sophisticated, like, how come Jesus has two genealogies, 0:17:34.490 --> 0:17:36.229 you know, the one in Matthew and the one in Luke? 0:17:36.230 --> 0:17:38.810 And what's the connection between them? So we've kind of 0:17:38.810 --> 0:17:42.080 gathered the information, and then we created a script out 0:17:42.080 --> 0:17:44.660 of it and explained it. So we did. That was 0:17:44.660 --> 0:17:48.620 one of our initial series in apologetics, and it kind 0:17:48.619 --> 0:17:50.810 of went on from there. And, you know, even now 0:17:50.810 --> 0:17:54.020 people are writing us with different questions. And so we 0:17:54.020 --> 0:17:55.880 produce videos to answer those questions. 0:17:55.880 --> 0:17:58.850 Very, very cool. And the videos are great. I do 0:17:58.850 --> 0:18:01.340 know there are groups in Israel who are not just opposed, 0:18:01.340 --> 0:18:05.629 but extremely opposed to your message. What kind of pushback 0:18:05.630 --> 0:18:08.450 have you received from, say, the ultra-Orthodox community? 0:18:08.450 --> 0:18:13.550 So some in the Orthodox community think that we as 0:18:13.550 --> 0:18:17.360 Jewish people that believe in Jesus are the worst traitors 0:18:17.359 --> 0:18:19.820 and that they compare us to the Nazis. We say 0:18:19.820 --> 0:18:22.820 we're actually worse than the Nazis, because if the Nazis 0:18:22.820 --> 0:18:27.020 tried to destroy our physical existence, we try to destroy 0:18:27.020 --> 0:18:30.320 the spiritual existence, which of course is very painful and 0:18:30.320 --> 0:18:33.110 distorted to say this, but there is a tremendous amount 0:18:33.109 --> 0:18:38.750 of blindness regarding Yeshua Jesus, who he really is, partially 0:18:38.750 --> 0:18:42.950 because there's a very painful church history. So through the 0:18:42.950 --> 0:18:46.219 history of the church, unfortunately, many, many times, particularly the 0:18:46.220 --> 0:18:50.030 Catholic Church, but not only the Catholic Church have said 0:18:50.030 --> 0:18:53.930 and done terrible atrocities against the Jewish people. So in 0:18:53.930 --> 0:18:57.390 the minds of a lot of Jewish people, that's Jesus. Yes. 0:18:57.650 --> 0:19:00.350 Those terrible things that have happened. And part of what 0:19:00.350 --> 0:19:02.570 we do is to demonstrate to them that it's not. 0:19:02.570 --> 0:19:05.150 And very important for me to state, even though we 0:19:05.150 --> 0:19:07.880 are very high on the watch list and every event 0:19:07.880 --> 0:19:10.910 we do, we have the they call themselves anti missionaries. 0:19:10.910 --> 0:19:14.690 They are not our enemies, they are people. We pray 0:19:14.690 --> 0:19:17.270 for them. You know when they come to demonstrate against 0:19:17.270 --> 0:19:20.000 us and the sun is hot, we take water and 0:19:20.000 --> 0:19:23.090 cookies out to them. We pray for them and we 0:19:23.090 --> 0:19:24.530 ask you to pray for them as well. 0:19:24.710 --> 0:19:28.760 So is it easier for a secular Jew to watch 0:19:28.760 --> 0:19:32.600 what you're creating or do you connect better with people 0:19:32.600 --> 0:19:36.379 who are maybe nominally religious as Jewish people, you know, 0:19:36.380 --> 0:19:37.340 what's the breakdown there? 0:19:37.340 --> 0:19:39.859 So it's really across the board. You know, on the 0:19:39.859 --> 0:19:42.620 one hand, if we talk to someone who comes from 0:19:42.619 --> 0:19:47.119 a religious background, it's easier because they already believe in God. 0:19:47.240 --> 0:19:51.140 So you start there and then they have some at 0:19:51.140 --> 0:19:53.840 least cursory knowledge of the Hebrew Bible. So that's that's 0:19:53.840 --> 0:19:57.080 a great starting point to talk about Jesus from the 0:19:57.080 --> 0:20:00.530 Hebrew Bible. But they also have probably a lot of 0:20:00.530 --> 0:20:04.400 negative kind of feelings. If the person is more secular, 0:20:04.400 --> 0:20:07.370 then usually we have to start. Is there a God? 0:20:07.369 --> 0:20:09.830 Why do you believe there is even a God? And 0:20:09.830 --> 0:20:11.990 then from there go to the Bible. So why do 0:20:11.990 --> 0:20:14.630 you believe the Bible is the Word of God? And 0:20:14.630 --> 0:20:18.109 from there to talk about who Yeshua, who Jesus is. 0:20:18.109 --> 0:20:20.659 So just a little bit of different paths and each 0:20:20.660 --> 0:20:23.060 side has their own challenges. And yeah. 0:20:23.270 --> 0:20:27.140 It's a conversation about using digital media today in Israel 0:20:27.140 --> 0:20:30.500 with Dr. Erez Saraf, who's president of one for Israel. 0:20:30.500 --> 0:20:32.870 What kinds of things do you hear from Muslims, if 0:20:32.869 --> 0:20:33.350 at all? 0:20:33.350 --> 0:20:36.260 Oh, yeah. Oh, so we have over the years in 0:20:36.260 --> 0:20:38.450 our seminary, we started having more and more and more 0:20:38.450 --> 0:20:41.630 of our Arab brothers and sisters coming to study with us. 0:20:41.630 --> 0:20:43.190 As I mentioned, there is about a million and a 0:20:43.190 --> 0:20:47.330 half Arab people in Israel. Most of them are over 90% 0:20:47.330 --> 0:20:51.530 are Muslim, and some of them came to know the Lord. 0:20:51.530 --> 0:20:53.750 They came to study with us. Some of them have 0:20:53.750 --> 0:20:57.710 a great passion to share the gospel with other Arab 0:20:57.710 --> 0:21:00.619 people in Israel and the Middle East. And so we 0:21:00.619 --> 0:21:05.330 began a branch of our digital outreach, also in Arabic. 0:21:05.540 --> 0:21:10.189 And that is, we've received tremendous responses from across the 0:21:10.190 --> 0:21:15.740 Middle East, from the Palestinian areas to literally every country 0:21:15.740 --> 0:21:18.800 in the Middle East. I would say the reactions are 0:21:18.800 --> 0:21:24.320 probably about a third are threats and curses and death 0:21:24.320 --> 0:21:27.889 threats and so on towards our team members. And about 0:21:27.890 --> 0:21:31.170 two thirds are actually. Very, very positive. There are a 0:21:31.170 --> 0:21:34.620 lot of Muslims that are very open to the gospel, 0:21:34.619 --> 0:21:37.560 and we have seen positive response and many people coming 0:21:37.560 --> 0:21:38.310 to know the Lord. 0:21:38.670 --> 0:21:41.310 What about reactions, if any, from the government? 0:21:41.340 --> 0:21:45.930 Everything that we do is 100% legal, so we really 0:21:45.930 --> 0:21:50.070 don't have any hardships or any difficulties from the government. 0:21:50.070 --> 0:21:53.820 And you know, everything that we do is, as I mentioned, 0:21:53.820 --> 0:21:55.710 we try to do it above par and the best 0:21:55.710 --> 0:21:59.070 way possible. So overall, we don't really have any issues 0:21:59.070 --> 0:21:59.850 with the government. 0:21:59.880 --> 0:22:03.180 Do you anticipate a time in the future when the 0:22:03.180 --> 0:22:07.350 government or other groups might successfully shut down or significantly 0:22:07.350 --> 0:22:09.900 impair your ability to share digital media? 0:22:10.080 --> 0:22:13.530 It's definitely possible. And you may be aware that a 0:22:13.530 --> 0:22:16.710 couple of months ago, there was a bill put on 0:22:16.710 --> 0:22:22.650 our Parliament's table calling for a kind of a making 0:22:22.650 --> 0:22:26.220 the proclamation of the gospel any sort of proclamation like 0:22:26.220 --> 0:22:28.200 you and I talk and I tell you about Jesus 0:22:28.200 --> 0:22:32.939 illegal and I'm almost immediately liable for three year imprisonment. 0:22:33.060 --> 0:22:36.090 So the bill has put out and we did a 0:22:36.090 --> 0:22:39.389 video about this call to prayer. And other media outlets 0:22:39.390 --> 0:22:42.150 did that. It got to Christian media in the US, 0:22:42.150 --> 0:22:45.720 eventually got to media over here that the general media 0:22:45.869 --> 0:22:49.350 and finally after probably about 24 hours, 36 hours, our 0:22:49.350 --> 0:22:53.400 Prime Minister, Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu, announced or tweeted in his 0:22:53.400 --> 0:22:56.250 Twitter account that we're not going to change the status 0:22:56.250 --> 0:23:00.090 quo to our Christian friends. Quote. And then the guy 0:23:00.090 --> 0:23:04.980 that actually initiated the bill tweeted in Hebrew, we're taking 0:23:04.980 --> 0:23:07.860 the bill off the table for now. Now, this was 0:23:07.859 --> 0:23:11.280 in Hebrew. It wasn't in English. So it's clear that 0:23:11.609 --> 0:23:13.770 the lines are drawn. And, you know, we trust the 0:23:13.770 --> 0:23:15.810 Lord and try to do our best to use the 0:23:15.810 --> 0:23:16.710 freedom we have. 0:23:16.859 --> 0:23:21.180 Anyway to encapsulate results, any kind of numbers, any kind of, 0:23:21.180 --> 0:23:26.340 you know, views versus conversations that you've had with counselors 0:23:26.340 --> 0:23:28.300 or phone calls. What kind of numbers do you have? 0:23:28.320 --> 0:23:33.300 Because we began our digital media outreach before Covid. When 0:23:33.300 --> 0:23:37.680 Covid hit, everybody were home watching videos and so on, 0:23:37.680 --> 0:23:42.000 and our viewership has just jumped through the roof. I 0:23:42.000 --> 0:23:45.360 think also the fact that there was a pandemic and 0:23:45.359 --> 0:23:51.600 proximity to death, existential kind of thoughts, tremendous positive interest 0:23:51.720 --> 0:23:54.210 this year. I mean, just to give you real numbers 0:23:54.210 --> 0:24:00.149 for now, so true to the first third of 2023, 0:24:00.300 --> 0:24:04.260 our Hebrew language videos only in Hebrew have been viewed 0:24:04.260 --> 0:24:10.080 more than 6.3 million times this in four months. So 0:24:10.080 --> 0:24:13.620 just tremendous interest. This is this is more than everything 0:24:13.619 --> 0:24:17.220 happening last year. So tremendous positive response. 0:24:17.520 --> 0:24:19.200 What do you see trending in the future by way 0:24:19.200 --> 0:24:22.109 of digital media, and how will you try to harness that? 0:24:22.109 --> 0:24:26.940 I think personal stories, engaging personal stories are always of interest. 0:24:26.940 --> 0:24:29.880 I think animation is something that a lot of young 0:24:29.880 --> 0:24:33.659 people like. So we started doing more projects like that, 0:24:33.960 --> 0:24:35.930 as well as more of a kind of a talk show, 0:24:35.940 --> 0:24:41.460 a conversation type thing that has deeper biblical content. That's 0:24:41.460 --> 0:24:42.419 kind of the direction. 0:24:42.420 --> 0:24:44.970 And how can land in the book. Listeners pray for 0:24:44.970 --> 0:24:46.200 this ministry specifically. 0:24:46.200 --> 0:24:49.889 Yeah. So please be praying that many people in the 0:24:49.890 --> 0:24:51.990 land of Israel and around the Middle East will not 0:24:51.990 --> 0:24:57.240 only watch those videos, but truly commit their lives to 0:24:57.240 --> 0:25:00.540 the Messiah. Our goal is always to connect to those people, 0:25:00.540 --> 0:25:05.040 to local churches, congregations, where they can actually meet physically 0:25:05.040 --> 0:25:07.740 with a believer, either us if they're in our area 0:25:07.740 --> 0:25:11.490 or others. And yeah, pray that those meetings will take 0:25:11.490 --> 0:25:14.700 place and many young believers will continue to pour into 0:25:14.700 --> 0:25:19.530 our congregations and churches. Please be praying for the national 0:25:19.530 --> 0:25:23.250 Body of Christ, Body of Messiah here in Israel, with 0:25:23.250 --> 0:25:25.710 this tremendous growth that we were experiencing in the last 0:25:25.710 --> 0:25:29.929 few years. Obviously, leadership development is a challenge. And, you know, 0:25:30.000 --> 0:25:32.790 the place of our seminary as well as just general 0:25:32.790 --> 0:25:36.180 things that are happening. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. 0:25:36.180 --> 0:25:39.510 Dr. Aras Saurav is with one for Israel talking about 0:25:39.510 --> 0:25:42.179 digital media content. We encourage you to check it out 0:25:42.180 --> 0:25:43.620 at their website, which is. 0:25:43.619 --> 0:25:45.960 One for israel.org and. 0:25:45.960 --> 0:25:48.419 A link to that website at ours. The land and 0:25:48.420 --> 0:25:52.139 the book. Org. Looking forward to hearing Charli's answers to 0:25:52.140 --> 0:25:54.660 your questions. That's coming up next here on the land 0:25:54.660 --> 0:26:11.419 and the book. Great to have you listening to The 0:26:11.420 --> 0:26:14.220 Land in the book from Moody Radio, I'm John Geiger. 0:26:14.240 --> 0:26:17.150 This is segment two. Our host, Doctor Charlie Dyer, has 0:26:17.150 --> 0:26:21.590 his Bible open. Not one hint of perspiration on his forehead, though, 0:26:21.590 --> 0:26:23.840 as he pours over the stacks of questions that have 0:26:23.840 --> 0:26:26.420 come in via email. And we'll share how you can 0:26:26.420 --> 0:26:28.460 get your question to us in just a couple of 0:26:28.460 --> 0:26:30.620 minutes here. First, though, a quick thought. Many of us 0:26:30.619 --> 0:26:33.620 wonder what the future holds for Israel. While some things 0:26:33.619 --> 0:26:36.380 are uncertain, the Bible gives us an outline of what 0:26:36.380 --> 0:26:38.330 will happen in the last days. 0:26:38.390 --> 0:26:40.610 And that's why our friends at Life in Messiah recently 0:26:40.609 --> 0:26:44.540 hosted a prophecy conference. Focus specifically on this topic Israel 0:26:44.540 --> 0:26:47.600 and the church living in the last days. They're now 0:26:47.600 --> 0:26:50.600 making the videos of the conference available for early access 0:26:50.600 --> 0:26:53.690 exclusively to the land. In the book listeners, you'll hear 0:26:53.690 --> 0:26:57.199 from many knowledgeable speakers on this topic, including Moody Radio 0:26:57.200 --> 0:27:01.010 host Michael Rudnick and me, Charlie Dyer. These encouraging and 0:27:01.010 --> 0:27:04.760 informative videos will help you better understand God's future plans 0:27:04.760 --> 0:27:07.850 and how we can be actively waiting to get access 0:27:07.850 --> 0:27:12.020 to this video series. Visit Life in Messiah org and 0:27:12.020 --> 0:27:14.660 click on the Moody Radio button to sign up. That's 0:27:14.660 --> 0:27:17.240 Life in messiah.org. 0:27:17.570 --> 0:27:20.330 All right, let's get to today's first question from Carol. 0:27:20.330 --> 0:27:23.659 She says, I've just finished reading Jeremiah 51, speaking of 0:27:23.660 --> 0:27:26.929 the destruction of Babylon in its totality. Growing up in 0:27:26.930 --> 0:27:29.780 the 60s, I heard that Babylon is deserted now and 0:27:29.780 --> 0:27:32.570 that this is the fulfillment of that prophecy. But if 0:27:32.570 --> 0:27:36.440 that's the case, why is Babylon so clearly mentioned in revelation? 0:27:36.440 --> 0:27:40.340 The reference in Jeremiah to being desolate forever doesn't seem 0:27:40.340 --> 0:27:42.440 to fit your thoughts. Yeah. 0:27:42.440 --> 0:27:44.689 And actually this is like saying sick them to a dog, 0:27:44.690 --> 0:27:47.180 as they would say. I did my master's thesis on 0:27:47.180 --> 0:27:50.180 the identity of Babylon in the Bible in Revelation 17 0:27:50.180 --> 0:27:52.550 and 18. So I actually need to work here to 0:27:52.550 --> 0:27:55.550 keep my answer short and to the point. But chronologically 0:27:55.550 --> 0:27:58.400 I start with the prediction of Babylon's fall not only 0:27:58.400 --> 0:28:01.730 in Jeremiah but a century earlier in Isaiah 13 and 14. 0:28:01.970 --> 0:28:04.550 Syria was the major power then. And yet Isaiah begins 0:28:04.550 --> 0:28:07.340 his list of nations to be judged by saying, God's 0:28:07.340 --> 0:28:09.379 going to judge Babylon. And he says it'll be judged 0:28:09.380 --> 0:28:11.690 in the day of the Lord. He describes it as 0:28:11.690 --> 0:28:14.210 a time when there will be supernatural signs in the heavens, 0:28:14.210 --> 0:28:16.580 when God will punish the world for its evil. And 0:28:16.580 --> 0:28:18.800 when it's over, he says, Babylon will be like Sodom 0:28:18.800 --> 0:28:22.400 and Gomorrah. And he connects Babylon's fall with God's restoration 0:28:22.400 --> 0:28:25.670 of Israel. Now, Jeremiah came along a century later, and 0:28:25.670 --> 0:28:29.750 in Jeremiah 50 and 51 he says basically the same thing. Babylon, 0:28:29.750 --> 0:28:31.790 he says, is going to be plundered, the walls torn down, 0:28:31.790 --> 0:28:34.550 the people destroyed. Only those who flee from the city 0:28:34.550 --> 0:28:37.490 will have their lives spared, which is interesting, since Daniel 0:28:37.490 --> 0:28:40.040 had a copy of the book of Jeremiah, and Daniel 0:28:40.040 --> 0:28:42.110 was there when it fell, and he didn't flee, so 0:28:42.110 --> 0:28:44.540 he didn't think that was the fulfillment either. And then 0:28:44.540 --> 0:28:47.180 you get to revelation 17 and 18, and John borrows 0:28:47.180 --> 0:28:50.270 from both of those other prophets and describes a future 0:28:50.270 --> 0:28:53.540 destruction of Babylon just prior to Christ's return to earth. 0:28:53.540 --> 0:28:56.240 And I believe all three passages are describing a still 0:28:56.240 --> 0:28:59.780 future destruction of Babylon that'll take place just before Christ 0:28:59.780 --> 0:29:02.630 returns to earth and will happen just exactly the way 0:29:02.630 --> 0:29:04.190 God said it will be destroyed. 0:29:04.190 --> 0:29:06.740 All right, another question geared toward the future. This one 0:29:06.740 --> 0:29:10.490 based in revelation one, verse 18, What is Hades? And 0:29:10.490 --> 0:29:12.110 is it the same as hell. 0:29:12.560 --> 0:29:15.230 In the Bible? Hades was the place of the departed dead. 0:29:15.410 --> 0:29:17.570 In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus in 0:29:17.570 --> 0:29:21.050 Luke 16, Jesus pictured Hades as the place of torment 0:29:21.050 --> 0:29:23.930 where the rich man found himself after dying in the 0:29:23.930 --> 0:29:26.690 Book of Revelation in that chapter one, verse 18. Actually 0:29:26.690 --> 0:29:30.020 it occurs four times in revelation that words death and 0:29:30.020 --> 0:29:34.010 Hades come together by saying Jesus had the keys to 0:29:34.010 --> 0:29:36.800 death in Hades. In chapter one, verse 18, I think 0:29:36.800 --> 0:29:40.640 John's picturing Jesus's authority, his control over life and death, 0:29:40.640 --> 0:29:43.580 including the reward of eternal life to the righteous and 0:29:43.580 --> 0:29:46.100 the eternal punishment given to those whose names aren't in 0:29:46.100 --> 0:29:48.980 the Lamb's Book of Life. But that's not the ultimate 0:29:48.980 --> 0:29:51.560 destiny of it all. The final destiny of the wicked 0:29:51.560 --> 0:29:54.650 isn't Hell or Hades, but it's actually the lake of fire. 0:29:54.650 --> 0:29:58.310 Revelation chapter 20, verses 14 and 15. The Lake of 0:29:58.310 --> 0:30:00.890 Fire was originally prepared for the devil and his angels 0:30:00.890 --> 0:30:03.650 following their rebellion, but apparently it's also going to be 0:30:03.650 --> 0:30:06.740 the final destination of all the wicked, and Hades itself 0:30:06.740 --> 0:30:08.990 gives up its dead to appear before Jesus at the 0:30:08.990 --> 0:30:12.170 Great White Throne, before the wicked are then cast into 0:30:12.170 --> 0:30:14.780 the lake of fire. That's where they spend eternity. 0:30:14.930 --> 0:30:17.420 Todd shifts us back to the Old Testament with a 0:30:17.420 --> 0:30:21.050 question based in Second Chronicles 16. Why was it wrong 0:30:21.050 --> 0:30:24.320 for Asa to seek help from Ben Hadad, but not 0:30:24.320 --> 0:30:27.080 from the physicians? Could he have sought rightly the help 0:30:27.080 --> 0:30:29.660 of Ben Hadad and the Lord, and the help of 0:30:29.660 --> 0:30:32.900 the physicians and the Lord? If not, what was the difference? 0:30:32.900 --> 0:30:35.750 Yeah, well, the Bible does picture both actions that Asa 0:30:35.750 --> 0:30:38.810 did as being failures on his part. Now he's characterized 0:30:38.810 --> 0:30:40.640 as a king who did what was good and right 0:30:40.640 --> 0:30:42.410 in the eyes of the Lord. So he's one of 0:30:42.410 --> 0:30:45.020 the good guys in the line of David. But Second 0:30:45.020 --> 0:30:48.740 Chronicles 16 is unflinching in letting us know that this 0:30:48.740 --> 0:30:52.490 otherwise good king didn't finish well. In appealing to the 0:30:52.490 --> 0:30:54.709 King of Syria, he was asking for help from a 0:30:54.710 --> 0:30:56.840 king and a country that were opposed to the God 0:30:56.840 --> 0:30:59.600 of Israel, and he paid for that help using it, 0:30:59.600 --> 0:31:02.390 says the silver and gold out of the treasuries of 0:31:02.390 --> 0:31:05.570 the Lord's temple and of his own palace. In essence, 0:31:05.570 --> 0:31:09.170 Asa robbed God to pay a pagan king rather than 0:31:09.170 --> 0:31:12.210 trusting in the. The Lord to deliver him. That's the 0:31:12.210 --> 0:31:14.070 opposite of what he had done when he was attacked 0:31:14.070 --> 0:31:17.190 by an army from south of Egypt early in his reign. Now, 0:31:17.190 --> 0:31:19.680 after seeking the king of Syria's help, God sent a 0:31:19.680 --> 0:31:21.570 prophet to him to rebuke him. He said, because you 0:31:21.570 --> 0:31:23.670 relied on the king of Aram and not on the 0:31:23.670 --> 0:31:26.610 Lord your God, you've done a foolish thing, and from 0:31:26.610 --> 0:31:28.950 now on you'll be at war. Now the other part, 0:31:28.950 --> 0:31:31.410 in seeking the help of doctors for his diseased feet, 0:31:31.410 --> 0:31:35.190 rather than relying on the Lord. Asa was also demonstrating 0:31:35.190 --> 0:31:37.590 a lack of faith at the end of his reign. Again, 0:31:37.590 --> 0:31:40.680 Second Chronicles makes it clear in verse 12 of chapter 0:31:40.680 --> 0:31:43.770 16 it says. Though the disease was severe, even in 0:31:43.770 --> 0:31:46.110 his illness, he did not seek help from the Lord, 0:31:46.110 --> 0:31:49.200 but only from the physicians. What the passage is suggesting 0:31:49.200 --> 0:31:51.930 is that the disease was part of God's chastising him 0:31:51.930 --> 0:31:54.420 for his ungodly actions toward the end of his life, 0:31:54.420 --> 0:31:56.880 and instead of repenting and turning back to the Lord, 0:31:56.880 --> 0:31:59.820 he sought the help of physicians to solve a problem that, 0:31:59.820 --> 0:32:02.910 at its core, was spiritual rather than physical. Now, that 0:32:02.910 --> 0:32:05.910 incident reminds me of wise words a seminary professor once 0:32:05.910 --> 0:32:08.640 told me in class. He said, many start well, but 0:32:08.640 --> 0:32:11.580 few end well. Ace is an example of a king 0:32:11.580 --> 0:32:14.100 who started well and who did well most of his reign, 0:32:14.100 --> 0:32:16.980 but who ended poorly. And I see a lesson in 0:32:16.980 --> 0:32:18.180 that for all of us. 0:32:18.210 --> 0:32:20.719 Oh boy, for sure. That one sends shivers down your spine. 0:32:20.730 --> 0:32:23.460 I'm also reminded of a quote from Bob Mueller, who 0:32:23.460 --> 0:32:25.170 one time said to me, you know, John, most of 0:32:25.170 --> 0:32:28.470 the great men of the Bible who failed, failed in 0:32:28.470 --> 0:32:31.110 the second half of life. All right, let's get to 0:32:31.110 --> 0:32:33.840 Lenny's question. She takes us to act six, verse five 0:32:33.840 --> 0:32:36.719 and acts 21, verse eight. Philip is one of the 0:32:36.720 --> 0:32:39.750 seven who was chosen to serve. Is he the same 0:32:39.750 --> 0:32:42.450 Philip who was one of the original disciples? 0:32:42.780 --> 0:32:45.810 And the short answer? No. And I say that because 0:32:45.810 --> 0:32:48.360 in Luke chapter six, Philip was one of the original 0:32:48.360 --> 0:32:52.260 12 disciples whom Jesus appointed as apostles. And then when 0:32:52.260 --> 0:32:54.570 I get in the book of Acts and Acts, chapter six, 0:32:54.570 --> 0:32:57.720 it says the 12 which is referring back to those apostles, 0:32:57.720 --> 0:33:01.320 told the people to appoint seven to serve. Now, since Philip, 0:33:01.320 --> 0:33:04.020 the original disciple, was one of the apostles, he was 0:33:04.020 --> 0:33:05.820 one of those saying, okay, you need to find seven 0:33:05.820 --> 0:33:08.160 people to serve. And then it just happens that one 0:33:08.160 --> 0:33:10.770 of the seven they pick is also has the name Philip, 0:33:11.280 --> 0:33:15.270 but he's actually probably a Hellenistic Jew who was picked 0:33:15.270 --> 0:33:19.020 because the dispute next six was between Hellenistic Jews and 0:33:19.020 --> 0:33:21.690 Hebrew speaking Jews. So two Philip's and they're not the 0:33:21.690 --> 0:33:22.500 same person. 0:33:22.680 --> 0:33:25.680 Dr. Charlie Dyer is answering questions on this third segment 0:33:25.680 --> 0:33:28.500 of the broadcast today. Yours is welcome if you'll send 0:33:28.500 --> 0:33:33.150 us an email at the Land and the book at Moody. Edu. Charlie, 0:33:33.150 --> 0:33:35.700 what do the scriptures say about Paradise and about the 0:33:35.700 --> 0:33:38.700 three heavens? One listener wants to know. Yeah. 0:33:38.910 --> 0:33:41.070 The first of the three heavens the Bible talks about 0:33:41.070 --> 0:33:44.880 is considered the atmosphere. In Genesis chapter one, God said 0:33:44.880 --> 0:33:47.160 the birds were going to fly in the open expanse 0:33:47.160 --> 0:33:49.270 of the heavens. So it's where the birds are. It's 0:33:49.350 --> 0:33:52.020 where the clouds are. The second of the three heavens 0:33:52.020 --> 0:33:55.440 is the cosmos, the sun, the moon, the stars, the planets. 0:33:55.770 --> 0:33:58.920 Again in Genesis chapter one, God talked about them as 0:33:58.920 --> 0:34:02.100 the lights in the expanse of the heavens. And then 0:34:02.100 --> 0:34:05.160 Psalm 19, David described the sun and the stars picturing 0:34:05.160 --> 0:34:07.770 day and night. And he said, those are the heavens 0:34:07.770 --> 0:34:09.419 that are telling of the glory of God. So that's 0:34:09.420 --> 0:34:12.840 the second of the heavens. The third heaven is the 0:34:12.840 --> 0:34:15.750 abode of God himself. And Paul talks about being caught 0:34:15.750 --> 0:34:18.660 up to the third heaven in Second Corinthians 12. Now 0:34:18.660 --> 0:34:22.319 Paradise asking about that is connected with the third heaven again. 0:34:22.320 --> 0:34:25.320 Also in second Corinthians 12, having described being caught up 0:34:25.320 --> 0:34:27.810 to the third heaven in verse two, Paul then said 0:34:27.810 --> 0:34:30.270 in verse four that he was caught up into Paradise. 0:34:30.270 --> 0:34:32.910 So Paradise is part of the third heaven, and that's 0:34:32.910 --> 0:34:33.900 the abode of God. 0:34:34.260 --> 0:34:36.420 All right. Here's a question from John. He says, I'm 0:34:36.420 --> 0:34:40.529 trying to encourage my grandkids to build a strong spiritual foundation. 0:34:40.530 --> 0:34:44.310 They're all voracious readers, and they read it fairly advanced levels. 0:34:44.310 --> 0:34:48.839 The question what ten books, fiction or nonfiction would you 0:34:48.840 --> 0:34:53.400 most recommend teens and preteens read to establish and fortify 0:34:53.400 --> 0:34:54.900 their faith? Well, here's. 0:34:54.900 --> 0:34:57.930 Ten books, and there are no particular order. But the 0:34:57.930 --> 0:34:59.550 first one I have on my list is The Hiding 0:34:59.550 --> 0:35:03.989 Place by Cory Tenenbaum. The second mission possible? It's written 0:35:03.989 --> 0:35:08.100 by Tim Tebow. The third was Confronting Christianity. It's 12 0:35:08.100 --> 0:35:12.120 Hard Questions for the World's Largest Religion by Rebecca McLaughlin. 0:35:12.270 --> 0:35:14.220 There's also a young edition of that one, so you 0:35:14.219 --> 0:35:17.370 have to look at both of those. Fourth Mere Christianity 0:35:17.370 --> 0:35:20.730 by C.S Lewis the fifth, Don't Waste Your Life by 0:35:20.730 --> 0:35:24.420 John Piper, then another one by CS Lewis, The Screwtape 0:35:24.420 --> 0:35:28.350 Letters next, The case for Christ by Lee Strobel. There's 0:35:28.350 --> 0:35:31.469 also a student edition of that one, The Next Pilgrim's 0:35:31.469 --> 0:35:35.219 Progress by John Bunyan, and then Courageous Christians Living in 0:35:35.219 --> 0:35:38.670 Frightening Times by Tom Doyle, whom we've had on our program. 0:35:38.670 --> 0:35:41.580 And then last but certainly not least, through Gates of 0:35:41.580 --> 0:35:43.680 Splendor by Elizabeth Elliott. 0:35:43.920 --> 0:35:46.410 One last question from a guy named Charlie who takes 0:35:46.410 --> 0:35:49.919 us to Romans 11, verse 25, which says, blindness in 0:35:49.920 --> 0:35:53.190 part has happened to Israel. Is this national or individual 0:35:53.190 --> 0:35:54.480 blindness or both? 0:35:54.690 --> 0:35:57.150 Yeah. Well, Paul's primarily looking at the Jewish people as 0:35:57.150 --> 0:35:59.100 a group there as a whole. And I say that 0:35:59.100 --> 0:36:00.930 because in the very next verse he says, and so 0:36:00.930 --> 0:36:03.390 all Israel will be saved, and he connects it to 0:36:03.390 --> 0:36:05.730 what God's going to do following the completion of his 0:36:05.730 --> 0:36:09.000 program for the Gentiles in the current age. Now Paul 0:36:09.000 --> 0:36:11.940 focuses on the. Fact that God hasn't totally rejected the 0:36:11.940 --> 0:36:15.029 Jewish people in this section. He does that by including 0:36:15.030 --> 0:36:17.370 himself and others who are part of the believing Jewish 0:36:17.370 --> 0:36:20.700 remnant as an example. So a partial hardening has come 0:36:20.700 --> 0:36:22.950 on the Jewish nation as a whole. But even then, 0:36:22.950 --> 0:36:25.410 God is still preserving a believing remnant. 0:36:25.670 --> 0:36:28.020 A great set of questions today. Thank you for writing 0:36:28.020 --> 0:36:30.660 and for sharing your question. If you'd like to get 0:36:30.660 --> 0:36:33.359 one to us, email us at The Land and the 0:36:33.360 --> 0:36:37.920 Book at Moody Edu. I'm looking forward to Charlie Dyer's devotional. 0:36:37.920 --> 0:36:53.330 It's next right here. Welcome back to the land in 0:36:53.330 --> 0:36:55.790 the book from Moody Radio, I'm John Geiger, and I 0:36:55.790 --> 0:36:58.730 suppose when you go to Israel, everybody has their own 0:36:58.730 --> 0:37:01.489 favorite spots. One of my favorites happens to be the 0:37:01.489 --> 0:37:04.560 subject of your devotional coming up, Charlie, where are we headed? 0:37:04.580 --> 0:37:06.140 We're heading to the Herodium. 0:37:06.140 --> 0:37:09.440 Yeah. And that place really has evolved over the years. 0:37:09.440 --> 0:37:12.230 They have done a remarkable job of restoring and opening 0:37:12.230 --> 0:37:14.150 that place up to us. We're going to get to 0:37:14.150 --> 0:37:17.390 that devotional after we hear this Holy Land experience, a 0:37:17.390 --> 0:37:19.640 testimony from somebody who is also been to the Holy 0:37:19.640 --> 0:37:22.460 Land and wanted to share what was important to them. 0:37:26.660 --> 0:37:32.060 Hi, my name is Marie from Vermont, and I'm calling 0:37:32.060 --> 0:37:35.270 because I've been to Israel and I just wanted to 0:37:35.270 --> 0:37:39.440 make the comment that the Holy Land is most amazing. 0:37:39.440 --> 0:37:41.899 But I think one of the things that struck me 0:37:41.900 --> 0:37:44.240 the most is when we went to pray at the 0:37:44.239 --> 0:37:48.290 Wailing Wall, and it is so remarkable. There's been so 0:37:48.290 --> 0:37:50.690 many prayers over the years and the ages at the 0:37:50.690 --> 0:37:55.360 Wailing Wall that you can actually feel the presence of God. 0:37:55.370 --> 0:37:57.890 So it was a wonderful trip that was there were 0:37:57.890 --> 0:38:01.219 just so amazing things. And I would encourage anyone to 0:38:01.520 --> 0:38:05.240 take this trip and that's it. 0:38:07.200 --> 0:38:11.910 We're continuing our Aha series of devotions with our host, Dr. 0:38:11.910 --> 0:38:14.100 Charlie Dyer. I'm looking forward to what you have to 0:38:14.100 --> 0:38:15.420 say about the Herodium, Charlie. 0:38:15.840 --> 0:38:17.640 Thanks, John. This is a great way to end that 0:38:17.640 --> 0:38:20.489 four week series of my aha moments from the early 0:38:20.489 --> 0:38:22.800 trips I did to Israel, because we're going to be 0:38:22.800 --> 0:38:26.550 hiking up to the Herodium, a few miles southeast of Bethlehem. 0:38:26.790 --> 0:38:29.730 I don't ever recall hearing about the Herodium before my 0:38:29.730 --> 0:38:32.400 first trip to Israel. It's never mentioned in the Bible, 0:38:32.400 --> 0:38:35.550 and at least back then, it wasn't a major tourist site. 0:38:35.550 --> 0:38:38.669 Getting to it involved driving on some secondary roads that 0:38:38.670 --> 0:38:42.359 twisted their way through the West Bank. Preliminary excavations at 0:38:42.360 --> 0:38:45.450 the Herodium began when the site was under Jordanian control 0:38:45.450 --> 0:38:50.040 in the early 1960s. Following the Six Day War in 1967, 0:38:50.040 --> 0:38:53.940 work resumed by Israeli archaeologists, and then in 1972, a 0:38:53.940 --> 0:38:58.240 long term project began with Professor Ehud Netzer from Hebrew University. 0:38:58.260 --> 0:39:01.080 By the time I arrived in the early 1980s, the 0:39:01.080 --> 0:39:04.560 site was open to visitors, and it was worth the visit. 0:39:04.560 --> 0:39:07.649 But why does it make my list of aha sites? Well, 0:39:07.650 --> 0:39:11.219 for one thing, it was totally unexpected. I remember driving 0:39:11.219 --> 0:39:14.760 near Bethlehem and looking out toward the Judean wilderness and 0:39:14.760 --> 0:39:17.489 seeing what looked like a volcano rising in the distance. 0:39:17.489 --> 0:39:20.279 It just seemed so out of place, but in a 0:39:20.280 --> 0:39:23.819 good sense, it looked imposing. Another reason I found it 0:39:23.820 --> 0:39:27.479 so fascinating was its name, the Herodium. It was built 0:39:27.480 --> 0:39:30.810 by and named after King Herod the Great, who ruled 0:39:30.810 --> 0:39:34.320 at the time of Jesus's birth. Herod built many cities 0:39:34.320 --> 0:39:38.730 and palaces throughout the land. Caesarea along the coast, Samaria, 0:39:38.730 --> 0:39:43.680 which he renamed Sebastiano, Masada, Macarius and Jordan, a palace 0:39:43.680 --> 0:39:47.010 in Jerusalem, another palace in Jericho, just to name a few. 0:39:47.010 --> 0:39:49.980 But the one spot he chose to name after himself 0:39:49.980 --> 0:39:54.569 was this palace fortress. Why? What made the Herodium so 0:39:54.570 --> 0:39:59.240 special to King Herod? Josephus helps fill in those details. 0:39:59.250 --> 0:40:02.280 Early in his reign, Herod was forced to flee Jerusalem. 0:40:02.280 --> 0:40:04.830 His enemies pursued and caught up with him at the 0:40:04.830 --> 0:40:07.589 spot where he would later build this palace. To add 0:40:07.590 --> 0:40:10.530 to his troubles, a wagon carrying his mother turned over 0:40:10.530 --> 0:40:13.469 and he thought she was dead. Herod drew his sword 0:40:13.469 --> 0:40:15.750 and was about to take his own life, when his 0:40:15.750 --> 0:40:19.230 friend shouted at him to stop reading between the flowery 0:40:19.230 --> 0:40:23.069 lines of Josephus. It seems these companions shamed him into 0:40:23.070 --> 0:40:25.859 not committing suicide, because it would leave all of them 0:40:25.860 --> 0:40:28.799 at the mercy of the attackers. A light switch went 0:40:28.800 --> 0:40:32.010 off in Herod's mind, and he became, to quote Josephus, 0:40:32.010 --> 0:40:34.739 not like one who was in distress, but like one 0:40:34.739 --> 0:40:38.640 who was exceedingly prepared for war. Herod led a charge 0:40:38.640 --> 0:40:41.970 against his pursuers, throwing them off balance and allowing his 0:40:41.969 --> 0:40:45.810 entourage time to get away. Herod never forgot the spot, 0:40:45.810 --> 0:40:48.660 and after he returned to secure his throne, he built 0:40:48.660 --> 0:40:52.860 this special palace fortress and named it after himself. In fact, 0:40:52.860 --> 0:40:54.900 at the end of his life, Herod gave orders to 0:40:54.900 --> 0:40:58.350 be buried at the Herodium. For years, Ehud Netzer searched 0:40:58.350 --> 0:41:01.020 for Herod's tomb. He looked on top of the hill 0:41:01.020 --> 0:41:02.910 and in the ruins at the base of the hill, 0:41:02.910 --> 0:41:05.819 all in vain. It wasn't until a few years ago 0:41:05.820 --> 0:41:09.660 he realized that he had underestimated Herod. Herod wasn't just 0:41:09.660 --> 0:41:13.379 buried somewhere near or even in the Herodium. The entire 0:41:13.380 --> 0:41:17.219 hill was his personal pyramid, serving as a burial monument. 0:41:17.219 --> 0:41:21.180 Partway up the hill, Herod buried a theater and constructed 0:41:21.180 --> 0:41:23.969 next to it a mausoleum rising from the side of 0:41:23.969 --> 0:41:27.990 the hill. People could see his monument from Jerusalem eight 0:41:27.989 --> 0:41:31.529 miles away. During my first visit to the Herodium, I 0:41:31.530 --> 0:41:34.229 was impressed by the sight. Walking up to the top 0:41:34.230 --> 0:41:37.080 of the hill, I discovered the top half was artificial. 0:41:37.110 --> 0:41:41.340 Inside was Herod's palace, ringed by four guard towers. The 0:41:41.340 --> 0:41:44.760 palace had an open courtyard, a trickling or banquet hall, 0:41:44.760 --> 0:41:49.470 a complete Roman baths complex, and his own personal apartment. Then, 0:41:49.469 --> 0:41:52.260 under these ruins, carved into the hill below, were a 0:41:52.260 --> 0:41:55.589 series of cisterns to hold the water needed in the palace. 0:41:55.590 --> 0:41:58.140 But where did this water come from? There weren't any 0:41:58.140 --> 0:42:02.070 springs nearby, and no problem. Herod had a massive pool 0:42:02.070 --> 0:42:04.440 built at the base of the hill, with an aqueduct 0:42:04.440 --> 0:42:07.920 to carry in water from below Bethlehem, but I've still 0:42:07.920 --> 0:42:11.100 not shared my aha moment that came on top as 0:42:11.100 --> 0:42:13.380 we took in the view from the summit to the 0:42:13.380 --> 0:42:16.710 south was the Arab village of Tekoa, preserving its original 0:42:16.710 --> 0:42:20.730 Hebrew name, Toccoa, the hometown of Amos the prophet. To 0:42:20.730 --> 0:42:23.130 the southeast we could see the Judean wilderness all the 0:42:23.130 --> 0:42:25.530 way to the Dead Sea, but the greatest view was 0:42:25.530 --> 0:42:29.730 to the west and northwest. Bethlehem, no longer a small village, 0:42:29.730 --> 0:42:32.400 was several miles to the west, and we could trace 0:42:32.400 --> 0:42:35.190 the ridgeline from there all the way up to Jerusalem. 0:42:35.190 --> 0:42:37.529 The three towers on the Mount of Olives stood out 0:42:37.530 --> 0:42:41.220 like sentinels guarding the city just on the other side. 0:42:41.400 --> 0:42:44.610 This was the perfect location to explore the references to 0:42:44.610 --> 0:42:47.520 Herod the Great found in the Bible in Matthew two. 0:42:47.700 --> 0:42:50.790 In that one scene, shortly after Christ's birth, we have 0:42:50.790 --> 0:42:53.670 a king who changed the face of this country, walking 0:42:53.670 --> 0:42:56.729 onto the pages of the Bible along with the wise men, 0:42:56.730 --> 0:42:59.910 the angel, and of course, Joseph, Mary and Jesus. I 0:42:59.910 --> 0:43:03.300 could stand here and imagine the entire event to the northeast. 0:43:03.300 --> 0:43:05.820 We can envision the wise men riding up to Jerusalem 0:43:05.820 --> 0:43:08.980 from Jericho. Asking the question, where is he? Who's been 0:43:08.980 --> 0:43:12.069 born King of the Jews? Jerusalem is in an uproar, 0:43:12.070 --> 0:43:15.069 as Herod asked the priests and scribes, where this child, 0:43:15.070 --> 0:43:17.410 seen by Herod as a threat to his own rule, 0:43:17.410 --> 0:43:20.259 was to be born. When they tell him, Bethlehem. A 0:43:20.260 --> 0:43:23.589 shiver must have gone up Herod spine. Even though Bethlehem 0:43:23.590 --> 0:43:26.770 was small, Herod knew where it was located because he 0:43:26.770 --> 0:43:30.070 would pass by Bethlehem on his way to the Herodium. 0:43:30.100 --> 0:43:34.240 This threat was just five miles from Jerusalem. Herod sent 0:43:34.239 --> 0:43:36.580 the wise men in search of the child. It was 0:43:36.580 --> 0:43:39.430 only a two hour journey along the spiny ridge of 0:43:39.430 --> 0:43:43.000 the Judean Hills to reach Bethlehem. Herod likely sent them 0:43:43.000 --> 0:43:45.940 in the late afternoon, expecting them back that evening or 0:43:45.940 --> 0:43:49.270 perhaps the next morning. As darkness fell, the star or 0:43:49.270 --> 0:43:52.450 bright light they had seen before reappeared and guided them 0:43:52.450 --> 0:43:55.660 to the very house in Bethlehem where Joseph, Mary, and 0:43:55.660 --> 0:43:58.540 the child were living. They presented their gifts, and then 0:43:58.540 --> 0:44:01.000 decided to bed down for the night and return to 0:44:01.000 --> 0:44:04.060 Herod the next morning. But their sleep was interrupted by 0:44:04.060 --> 0:44:06.460 an angel warning them not to return to Herod, but 0:44:06.460 --> 0:44:09.640 to head home immediately by another way. How could they 0:44:09.640 --> 0:44:13.210 go back home? The one alternative available to them took 0:44:13.210 --> 0:44:16.360 them past the herodium on the road just below us, 0:44:16.360 --> 0:44:19.239 and then past Masada before they could cross the Dead 0:44:19.239 --> 0:44:21.880 Sea and be safe. That next day had to be 0:44:21.880 --> 0:44:25.630 one of high anxiety as these Magi passed beneath Herod's 0:44:25.630 --> 0:44:29.379 two fortresses, hoping that a fast messenger hadn't been sent 0:44:29.380 --> 0:44:32.620 from Jerusalem, warning them to watch and stop a caravan 0:44:32.620 --> 0:44:35.620 trying to scurry off to the east. But what about 0:44:35.620 --> 0:44:38.560 Joseph and Mary? That same night, an angel appeared to 0:44:38.560 --> 0:44:41.560 them and told them to escape to Egypt because Herod 0:44:41.560 --> 0:44:44.650 was looking for the child. As we watched the caravan 0:44:44.650 --> 0:44:47.410 of wise men picking their way along the road below us, 0:44:47.410 --> 0:44:49.540 we can also see out in the distance a young 0:44:49.540 --> 0:44:52.930 couple hurrying along the road atop the ridge leading south 0:44:52.930 --> 0:44:56.440 from Bethlehem toward Hebron. Somewhere along the way, they turned 0:44:56.440 --> 0:45:00.220 southwest toward Egypt. Now see all those other villages scattered 0:45:00.219 --> 0:45:03.880 around Bethlehem. To morrow they'll be filled with the cries 0:45:03.880 --> 0:45:07.480 of young families as Herod's brutal soldiers search out and 0:45:07.480 --> 0:45:11.170 kill any male child unable to talk. Children under two 0:45:11.170 --> 0:45:14.529 years of age. This is an amazing spot that makes 0:45:14.530 --> 0:45:18.190 the Christmas story come alive better than any Hollywood production. 0:45:18.310 --> 0:45:20.440 But as you get ready to hike down from the summit, 0:45:20.440 --> 0:45:23.049 what can you carry with you? To me, this is 0:45:23.050 --> 0:45:26.560 a great spot to remember what's truly significant in life. 0:45:26.710 --> 0:45:29.859 Herod could literally change the topography of the land to 0:45:29.860 --> 0:45:33.009 construct a palace. It represented the power of a king 0:45:33.010 --> 0:45:35.890 who could impose his will on a nation, and even 0:45:35.890 --> 0:45:39.669 on the landscape. But Herod died probably soon after his 0:45:39.670 --> 0:45:42.550 encounter with the wise men. His palace on this hill 0:45:42.550 --> 0:45:46.630 was eventually destroyed. His mausoleum was dismantled and buried. His 0:45:46.630 --> 0:45:50.200 sarcophagus was smashed to bits. This king by mite left 0:45:50.200 --> 0:45:53.110 this life the same way he came in with nothing 0:45:53.110 --> 0:45:56.140 in his hands. Herod the Great could build monuments to 0:45:56.140 --> 0:45:59.080 his greatness, but the child born in that little village 0:45:59.080 --> 0:46:02.040 in the distance changed the face of the entire world. 0:46:02.050 --> 0:46:05.380 He was and is the king by right, the one 0:46:05.380 --> 0:46:08.259 who will someday return as King of Kings and Lord 0:46:08.260 --> 0:46:11.950 of Lords. The Herodium is a good reminder that man's 0:46:11.950 --> 0:46:16.990 measure of what's truly great and God's measure are decidedly different. 0:46:17.350 --> 0:46:21.690 Make sure your decisions align with what God sees as significant. 0:46:21.700 --> 0:46:24.489 It will make an eternal difference in your life. 0:46:24.850 --> 0:46:27.160 And if you can't say with certainty that you have 0:46:27.160 --> 0:46:30.549 made Jesus the King of your life, the person in charge, 0:46:30.760 --> 0:46:33.009 why not clear this up today? A friend will be 0:46:33.010 --> 0:46:35.910 glad to pray with you right now at eight, eight, eight. 0:46:35.920 --> 0:46:41.290 Need him. 888 need him. Charlie loved this devotional series. 0:46:41.290 --> 0:46:42.820 Maybe you'd like to hear it again. You can do 0:46:42.820 --> 0:46:47.170 that at our website, the land and the book.org. Our 0:46:47.170 --> 0:46:48.819 time has gone. We want to thank you for being 0:46:48.820 --> 0:46:50.890 a part of the program. The land of the book 0:46:50.890 --> 0:46:53.830 is a production of Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody 0:46:53.830 --> 0:46:54.820 Bible Institute.