S1: There was a hate crime a week ago today in
S1: my neighborhood, just two blocks from my house. Stay with
S1: me and I'll tell you about it, and also give
S1: you a biblical explanation for it in just a moment.
S1: Welcome to Open Line, friends. I'm so glad to be
S1: with you. My name is Michael Ray. I'm the academic
S1: dean and professor of Jewish studies and Bible at Moody
S1: Bible Institute. It's time for our Bible study across America.
S1: We're sitting around the radio kitchen table. I'm taking your
S1: questions about the Bible, God, and the spiritual life. If
S1: you have a question, now's the time to call. It's
S1: always best to call at the start of the program.
S1: It's the easiest way to get in. Again, the phone
S1: number Three six, seven five. Tricia McMillan is in the
S1: producer's chair. Omar Mendoza is our engineer today, and tiara
S1: is answering the phones, I believe. Did I get that right, Trish?
S1: Yes I did. That's great. Again, the phone number (877) 548-3675.
S1: Let me tell you about what happened in my neighborhood
S1: just two blocks from my house. After the program last
S1: week when I came home, we were I was going
S1: to where we live in Chicago, uh, heading there. And
S1: I saw all these police cars and streets cordoned off.
S1: I thought, what in the world is going on here? Well,
S1: while I was on the air last week, a Jewish
S1: man was walking to synagogue and a man stepped out
S1: and began to fire a gun at him. Shot him
S1: in the back. And then when the, uh. The police
S1: vehicles began to arrive and the emergency vehicle. What happened
S1: next was the man stepped out again and began firing
S1: at the police and at the emergency vehicle shouting Allahu Akbar,
S1: which is God is great in Arabic. Uh, he. The
S1: police returned fire. He was struck, critically injured and taken
S1: to a local hospital where he is still in recovery.
S1: He was charged with 14 criminal acts, including six of
S1: attempted murder. But it was interesting at the outset there
S1: were no, uh, hate crime charges filed against him. And
S1: our alderwoman was very persistent in asking the police to
S1: look into that. And sure enough, by the end of
S1: the week, by yesterday he was indeed added charges. There
S1: were more charges added and he was charged with a
S1: hate crime. Well, what was it? This is someone who
S1: came out into the Jewish neighborhood and began to fire
S1: at a Jewish man just going to synagogue. It is
S1: the problem that we are facing in America now. More
S1: and more hate crimes against Jewish people. Jewish people are
S1: a very small percentage of the United States. Really? Think
S1: about it. There's only about 6 million Jewish people out
S1: of 330 million. And yet 65% of all hate crimes
S1: in America are charged, are carried out against Jewish people.
S1: What in the world is going on? Well, Judy, anti-Semitism
S1: or hatred of the Jewish people is what Arthur Kark
S1: has described as something that is endemic. It means that
S1: it's a disease that's always there, and periodically it steps out,
S1: surges upward in epidemic proportions. And that's what we're seeing today.
S1: Since October 7th, 2023, there have been 10,000 forms of
S1: hate crimes against Jewish people in the United States alone. So,
S1: by the way, that is why we are having the
S1: summit opposing anti-Semitism, uh, very next week. You can still register.
S1: All you have to do is go to Openline radio.org.
S1: Click on the link. There's the summit that will take
S1: place November 9th at Moody Bible Institute all day. Wonderful speakers. Brilliant.
S1: I think speakers, uh, you know, uh, doctor Mark Jobe, uh,
S1: doctor Don Sweeting, doctor Mitch Glazer. Uh, they will be speaking, uh,
S1: my wife evil, will be doing a workshop, uh, so
S1: that that will all be, uh, exceptional. God, uh, God
S1: has been gracious to me. I'll be able to speak
S1: as well.
S2: But.
S1: Here's the thing you need to register to be there.
S1: There's a slight fee, but even with that, you you.
S1: When you register, you can put the words summit 20,
S1: all caps, summit no space, and then two zero. If
S1: you put that, then you'll get 20% off the minimal
S1: conference registration fee. If you have to come a little
S1: bit further and you need hotels, there's hotel availability. Just
S1: look at it on the website. Uh open line radio.org.
S1: Click on the link there. But the question is why
S1: is it that anti-Semitism is endemic? Uh, two passages of
S1: Scripture really inform this for me. Uh, the first is
S1: in Psalm 83. Psalm 83, when you look at that,
S1: it talks about the nations and their hatred. It says
S1: in verse two, see how you're speaking to God. Your enemies,
S1: O God, make an uproar. Those who hate you. Again,
S1: notice who they hate. It's God himself have acted arrogantly.
S1: How do they express that hatred of God? They devise
S1: clever schemes against your people. They conspire against your treasured ones.
S1: They say, come, let us wipe them out as a nation,
S1: so that Israel's name will no longer be remembered. That
S1: Psalm 83, verses two through four. The very first reason
S1: for this endemic hatred of the Jewish people is hatred
S1: of the God of Israel. Those who hate the God
S1: of Israel will carry out acts of hatred against the
S1: people of Israel. They may not even know they hate
S1: the God of Israel. They may resent that the God
S1: of Israel has chosen the Jewish people. There's all sorts
S1: of reasons for that. But they whether they know it
S1: or not, it is really intrinsically hatred of the God
S1: of Israel. The second reason for endemic anti-Semitism is found
S1: in revelation 12. I think that's a passage that explains
S1: the mystery of anti-Semitism being endemic of its staying. It
S1: starts off with a symbolic woman clothed with the sun, moon,
S1: sun and the moon under her feet and a crown
S1: of 12 stars on her head. Uh, that's a symbolic
S1: depiction of Israel. The the allusion to Joseph's dream in
S1: Genesis 37. With these the sun, the moon, and the
S1: crown of 12 stars. That all reminds us of Joseph's dream,
S1: and it indicates that this woman is actually the nation
S1: of Israel, not the political state, but the Jewish people
S1: all around the world. That's who she represents. Presents. And
S1: then in the middle, there's a second participant in what's
S1: going on in this passage. It talks about the dragon.
S1: And the dragon is also a symbolic picture. It describes
S1: who the dragon is in verse nine. So the great
S1: dragon was thrown out the ancient serpent who is called
S1: the devil and Satan. So we've got the woman Israel,
S1: we've got the devil Satan. And then in verse 13
S1: it says, when the dragon saw that he had been
S1: thrown to earth, he persecuted the woman. Again Satan persecutes
S1: the woman. Israel. It tells me that there's a theological
S1: explanation for hatred of the Jewish people. Once again, the
S1: theological explanation is Satan hates whom God loves. Satan opposes
S1: whom God has chosen. There is a satanic basis for
S1: this terrible history of anti-Semitism. The way I would put
S1: it is like in the movie The Count of Monte
S1: Cristo at the end, the villain, instead of pointing his
S1: gun at the count, points it at the woman he loves. Why?
S1: Because he knows it will hurt the count more if
S1: he shoots the woman the count loves than if he
S1: shoots the count. And that's what I think Satan is doing.
S1: He's trying to hurt God, and the way he does
S1: it is he points his attack against the Jewish people
S1: whom God has chosen and who have a very special
S1: place in his plan. So if we want to understand
S1: where does anti-Semitism come from? Well, first of all, it's
S1: opposition and hatred of the God of Israel and also
S1: a satanic hatred for the people of Israel. If you
S1: want to learn more about that, be sure to check
S1: out our website about the upcoming conference next week. Uh,
S1: the summit Opposing anti-Semitism. You can find the link at openline. radio.org.
S1: I really do hope you will join us. Well, uh,
S1: we have a new resource just today. Something that I'm, uh,
S1: very deeply aware of. Uh, what we're, uh, what we
S1: are going to offer for those who give a gift
S1: of any size, we want to say thank you by
S1: sending you. This is an excerpt from the Moody Bible
S1: Commentary about Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians that has timeless truth.
S1: And sometimes we need a little help unpacking the profound truths,
S1: the wisdom of those books. And that's where this excerpt
S1: from the Moody Bible Commentary comes in. The book is
S1: become a trusted resource for many people. And now you
S1: can get this excerpt just on Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians.
S1: It will help you if you're preparing a Bible lesson,
S1: or leading a home group discussion, or even seeking a
S1: deeper understanding in your time in the word when you're
S1: reading it on a daily basis. This excerpt will really
S1: enrich your study of God's Word, and when you give
S1: a gift of any size, we'd like to say thanks
S1: by sending you a copy of this excerpt. All you
S1: have to do is call (888) 644-7122 or go to Open
S1: Line radio.org. We really appreciate you so much for giving
S1: your gift to Open Line. We're going to take a
S1: break here. And when we come back we're going to
S1: take your questions right away. Uh, so remember the number (877) 548-3675.
S1: Now is the time to call. Uh, we'll get you
S1: lined up right away, and we'll be talking to you
S1: about your questions about the Bible. God and the spiritual life.
S1: So don't hesitate. This is Michael Ray Dolnick. You're listening
S1: to Open Line on Moody Radio. We'll be right back.
S1: And we're back. So glad to be with you on
S1: this Saturday morning, talking about your questions about the Bible,
S1: God and the spiritual life. Let's go right to the phones.
S1: We're going to speak with Joe. Welcome to Open Line. Joe.
S1: How can I help you today?
S3: How do you share the gospel with a person who
S3: does not believe in the Bible? And I'll take any suggestions,
S3: advice or specific instructions. Thank you. Michael.
S1: Well, I'll do my best. Joe. Here's the thing. There
S1: aren't a lot of people who believe the Bible. Have
S1: you noticed that? Right. There are a lot of people
S1: who like the Bible. They say it's a holy book
S1: and things like that, but they they can be cynical.
S1: And they've gotten more cynical with the rise of the
S1: modern New Atheist movement of the last 15 or so
S1: 20 years. Uh, and the internet gives a lot of atheistic,
S1: anti scriptural, uh, websites opportunity to attack the Bible and such. So,
S1: you know, I don't the real issue, first of all
S1: is not a person doesn't get to have a personal
S1: relationship with God by entering into a confident belief in
S1: the inspiration of the Bible. You know, it's by faith
S1: in Jesus, the living Word. And so I tend to
S1: talk more about the Lord Jesus than I do about
S1: the Bible with people. Second thing is, the most important
S1: way to talk to anyone about the faith is first
S1: by establishing a friendship relationship with them. If you think
S1: about it, about casting seed in an agricultural model, the
S1: first thing you need to do is break up the
S1: soil so that it can receive the seed. So that's
S1: what I would say friendship is. Become friends with people.
S1: And then, of course, when we're really friends with someone,
S1: we can talk about what's going on in our own lives.
S1: We can talk about the Lord answered a prayer for
S1: me and might say something about that. Uh, also, uh,
S1: we might say something like, I have a need, and
S1: a bunch of people are praying for me about that.
S1: And the person says, really? People are praying for you
S1: or mention something that God did for you. This I, God,
S1: gave me an unbelievable blessing. It was so wonderful. Tell them.
S1: And then the result is you're going to get some
S1: thirst there to know more. That's where I think what is?
S1: I think we need to raise a flag. Uh, once
S1: we've broken up the soil to see if anyone will respond.
S1: I love the idea that Joe Aldridge had is we
S1: need to love people till they ask us why. Be
S1: kind to people. Let them ask us questions. Let them
S1: see that we have a vital walk with the Lord.
S1: And then we start talking about the Lord. Then we
S1: start casting seed. They might ask questions about the Bible then.
S1: And then we can defend the authority of Scripture. We
S1: can talk about its historical accuracy. We can talk about
S1: its supernatural, prophetic revelation, all kinds of things like that. Uh,
S1: I think it was, uh, Erwin Lutzer who wrote a
S1: book called Seven Reasons You Can Trust the Bible. And
S1: what I'm going to ask you to do, Joe, you
S1: hang on. We have a copy of that for you. Uh,
S1: so that will help you when they finally start asking
S1: you questions about the Bible. That will give you some
S1: good answers to give them about why you believe the Bible.
S1: But the first thing to do is establish that friendship.
S1: And in that friendship, talk about what God is doing
S1: in your life genuinely. And then when they ask you
S1: questions about that, or they want to know more or
S1: you get an opportunity, then you'll start talking about things
S1: about the Lord, they'll ask you about the Bible. That
S1: book will help you. So you're going to hang on
S1: for that. Then of course, one of the things that
S1: can happen is we can ask questions of friends. We
S1: can say, you know, I wouldn't talk to someone else
S1: about this, but in the context of a relationship, you
S1: might ask someone, are you on a spiritual journey? Do
S1: you think, uh, and if they say they are, then
S1: you might want to say, well, where do you think
S1: you are on your spiritual journey? Where are you? And
S1: as you talk about that, where where you are on
S1: the spiritual journey, then then you can have an opportunity
S1: to talk to them about how you think. Maybe the
S1: scriptures will help on your spiritual journey. You might want
S1: to read about Jesus in the Gospels, something like that.
S1: So that's where I would go. Ultimately, what you're going
S1: to find is when someone gets closer and closer, uh,
S1: you have to transition from friendship, which is breaking up
S1: the soil to, uh, to seed sowing, which is sharing
S1: the gospel, uh, and then or concepts related to the gospel,
S1: talking about the faith, and then sometimes say, have anyone
S1: ever explained to you how you can enter into a personal,
S1: forever relationship with God now you're not, uh, cultivating the
S1: soil there. You're not sowing seed. What you're going to
S1: do there if the person says, no, but I'd like
S1: for you to show me you're going to take them
S1: through the scriptures and show them how Jesus died for
S1: their sins and rose again, and how to trust in him.
S1: Put their trust in him to accept his forgiveness and
S1: have a forever relationship with God, a personal, forever forgiven
S1: relationship with God that's, uh, not cultivating, not sowing, but
S1: reaping a harvest. That's the way. That's the steps of
S1: sharing your faith. Okay.
S3: Okay. I just could I just make a comment that. Sure.
S3: I actually am calling for a friend, and I think
S3: she's gotten through all of these steps that you're talking to,
S3: to the point where she was beginning, you know, somehow,
S3: just a couple days ago, it came up. He doesn't
S3: believe in the Bible. You know, he's he's all into
S3: talking about God. And you know, these, you know, and
S3: I'm not sure about Jesus. It's not my conversation. I
S3: know they've talked about God a lot, but. And that
S3: door is definitely open and it's been cultivated. But she
S3: just hit a wall when he said, I don't believe
S3: in the Bible.
S1: Well, it's okay, you know, to to engage with that.
S1: You could talk about if it's you or whoever it is, say, uh,
S1: here's why I believe the Bible, and you could show
S1: some reasons and keep praying. And if they don't want
S1: to hear more than what you do is you keep
S1: being friends. Uh, because it's it's a good relationship and
S1: more opportunity will come up. Uh, there are people I've
S1: been talking about the Lord with who I love deeply and, uh, unconditionally.
S1: And it's now 30 years, and they're still, you know,
S1: I don't believe the Bible, but they interestingly sure respect
S1: your confidence in it. They said to me just once,
S1: someone just said to me this week, so, uh, that's
S1: that's what I would say. Just just keep at it
S1: and maybe use that book if I'm going to add
S1: something to The agricultural model I just mentioned of of cultivation,
S1: sowing and reaping is when you are sowing seeds and
S1: they start to germinate, weeds will come up. Those are objections.
S1: And like, I don't believe the Bible and that's where
S1: you try to answer those objections okay okay.
S3: Thank you so much.
S1: Yep. Okay. Thanks. Thanks for your call, you two. Thanks
S1: for your call, Joe. We're going to talk to Dennis
S1: in Cleveland, listening on Wkjf. Welcome to Open Line. Dennis.
S1: How can I help you?
S4: Hi, doctor. I'd just like to say one thing is
S4: that it breaks my heart every time you talk about
S4: the Jewish people and what they're suffering and what makes
S4: water to my eyes. Um, my question is, um, if
S4: the Holy Spirit came down to Mary and planted a seed,
S4: but Mary had sin in her body, when Jesus also
S4: have sin in that body, I just don't understand that.
S1: Uh, well, this is my understanding of it. You know,
S1: there are some people who hold to a what's called
S1: a tradition view of the sin nature, and that the
S1: sin nature is transmitted through the father seed alone. So Adam,
S1: sin has been passed from Adam to every descendant of
S1: the human race through the transmission of the sperm that
S1: it comes from the man. I'm not sure I believe that. Uh,
S1: I think Jesus is our representative head. Uh uh, and
S1: Adam was the human head. And the Lord Jesus can
S1: represent us and die for our sins and be raised again. Uh,
S1: though he was without sin, my understanding is it that
S1: he was the God man. And as God, he was
S1: not capable of sinning. Uh, because he is deity. So, uh,
S1: that's that's how I understand it. And I don't think
S1: it has to be passed on by Mary. In my opinion.
S4: I want to thank you. I've learned so much about
S4: the Jewish people from you, and I continue to learn,
S4: which is a great thing. And I do remember Menachem
S4: Begin on, on, on Sadat, that peace treaty. And I
S4: thought it was the greatest thing as a teenager to see.
S1: Yeah, I was pretty impressed and amazed with that, too.
S1: Thanks for your call, Dennis. Really appreciate it. Uh, we're
S1: going to speak. Bye bye. We're going to speak with, uh,
S1: Tom in Minnesota, listening on Ktag the word. Uh, hi, Tom.
S1: How can I help you today?
S5: Good morning.
S6: Doctor Mike, I have a question about in Genesis chapter 414,
S6: Cain is speaking with God, and he says, uh, that
S6: pretty much. You've made my life difficult. Anybody who will
S6: find me will want to kill me. Where did those
S6: people come from?
S1: That's. That's a really, uh. That. And where did Cain
S1: get his wife? Are the two main questions people ask
S1: me about the creation story. Uh, as I understand it,
S1: it appears that that Adam and Eve had other children.
S1: They lived. Remember how long people were living back then? Uh,
S1: they had children over years and years and years. And
S1: I suspect that even though incest would normally be wrong, uh,
S1: because there was no one else. Cain had to marry
S1: one of his sisters. That's what I would say, because
S1: there was no one else to marry. It was just
S1: the beginning. It didn't have all the genetic problems that
S1: would come with that, because humanity had just begun. And then, uh,
S1: the next, uh. Therefore, similarly, who would want to kill him? Obviously,
S1: as they were having many children and they were spreading
S1: over the world, and their children were marrying and having children,
S1: that it was his relatives, his siblings and maybe other
S1: relatives that had been born at that point. Uh, that would,
S1: would require, uh, that that would want to require, uh,
S1: Cain's life for having killed his brother and vengeance. So
S1: that's who it was. I would say it was his siblings, uh,
S1: first a sibling to marry and then a sibling for
S1: those who wanted to go after him. So, uh, thanks
S1: for your call, Tom. We're going to talk to Cora
S1: in Chicago, listening on our flagship station, Wmbi. Welcome to
S1: open Line. Cora, how can I help you?
S7: Yes, I have a question. Um, how do you forgive
S7: somebody when you. When you want to, you know. And
S7: how do you forgive them when they've done you great harm,
S7: but you just can't forget it. How do you forgive
S7: when you cannot forget? When you've been through a lot
S7: of trauma? And this is. This was my father that
S7: abused me very badly.
S5: Mhm.
S1: Well, you you don't have to reconcile with someone that
S1: has damaged you or hurt you and been terrible to you.
S1: I don't think reconciliation is always the goal, but we
S1: do have to forgive and that's a choice that we make. Uh,
S1: we have to say I choose to with to take
S1: away the, the to forgive the debt. You don't owe
S1: me anything, is what you're saying. You don't owe me anything. Uh,
S1: I'm getting rid of the debt. And every time you
S1: think that this person owes you a debt, you just
S1: choose not to say no. I'll never get that debt repaid.
S1: I'm going to, uh, I'm just going to let it go.
S1: And that's a choice that we have to make over
S1: and over and over again. Uh, I hope that helps.
S1: That brief answer core. Uh, we're going to a break now,
S1: so when we come back, Trisha will be in with
S1: the mailbag. Uh, the Febc mailbag. So stay with us.
S1: We're coming back with more of your questions in just
S1: a moment. Welcome back to Open Line. My name is
S1: Michael Radonich. I'm so grateful for the Far Eastern Broadcasting
S1: Company because they partner with Open Line to bring you
S1: the weekly Febc mailbag. Uh febc. ABC Far Eastern. Far
S1: East Broadcasting Company is a terrific organization. They bring the
S1: good news to people via media and personal engagement. Their president,
S1: Ed Cannon, is a dear friend of mine who is
S1: just zealous for the gospel and makes sure that people
S1: hear about the Lord all over the world. I want
S1: you to check out their podcast. It's called Until All
S1: Have Heard. All you have to do is go to fbc.org.
S1: That's fbc.org. You can learn about their podcast and much
S1: more right there@fbc.org. Joining me right now is Tricia McMillan.
S1: She is back after taking a week to recover from
S1: Founders Week. She took a Saturday off.
S8: I know that you took the week off. I didn't
S8: take the week. I worked the week and then took
S8: the Saturday. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
S1: But last week was all I did, right?
S8: I know, I know, it was so good, though. For
S8: anyone who doesn't know, this is a, um. Well, it
S8: used to be a week long. It was a three day, uh,
S8: Bible conference held at Moody Bible Institute, and it was
S8: live streamed all over. And I got the privilege to
S8: be able to help with that. And it's morning and night,
S8: and it goes all day. Well, and you were doing
S8: afternoon workshops, um, teaching about anti-Semitism and how to see
S8: it and where it comes from and all of that stuff.
S8: And you can find all of those, um, you can
S8: all of them were streamed and put up on the
S8: Moody Bible Institute, um, website. Uh, YouTube channel. YouTube channel
S8: that you can find all of those messages. Great stuff. Oh,
S8: there was so much good content. Did you have a favorite? Oh, man. Um.
S8: You know. Okay, so we pulled we pulled for. I
S8: also produce a program called Chris Fabry Live. And one
S8: of our programs, we pulled clips from Mark Jobe, Dan
S8: Spader and Christopher Ewen because the whole topic of Founder's
S8: Week was transformed by the gospel. And we pulled elements
S8: from those three messages about how they were transformed and
S8: what happens when your life is transformed. And honestly, there
S8: was a story that Dan Spader told in illustration where
S8: he started his message by talking about his how he
S8: was transformed by the gospel and how that happened and
S8: the process. And then at the very end, he tells
S8: this story that's kind of like a gut punch and
S8: makes it takes it full circle. But about the power
S8: of prayer of this woman who had prayed for, um,
S8: this boy for over ten years, um, and he came
S8: back and said, hey, I heard that you believe in Jesus.
S8: And there's so much more to the story. And she said,
S8: and she just starts crying.
S1: Don't even try and tell it. It's a great story.
S8: Check out Dan Spader's talk. That one was probably a favorite. Anyway.
S8: They were they were all fantastic. Um, and the one
S8: that I heard lots of people talk about that I
S8: it was the only one I missed because I actually
S8: had was sleeping and. during that one, um, was, uh, Heather, uh, Holloman,
S8: I heard, like, I had multiple people say this one
S8: was so good. So lots of lots of different things
S8: that you could.
S1: Heather Holloman was phenomenal. And I would encourage, you know,
S1: a caller last segment I think, talked about how to
S1: share the gospel. Mhm. Uh, wanted to know about that.
S1: Do you remember. Yeah. Uh I think go to the
S1: YouTube and, and look how this academic academician, uh, an
S1: educator and a secular university is able to share the
S1: good news. She gave great insights into how to do that.
S1: And I'll put a link.
S8: That I'll put a link on our website on our
S8: open line radio.org website to the Founder's Week stuff. Yeah. Um, so.
S1: My favorite message, though, I mean, here's the thing is,
S1: I love my job, right? Uh, and I. Chris Ewen
S1: was Eva's student. Okay. When he first came to Moody.
S1: And so I've known him forever and I love the
S1: I love it whenever he speaks. And I really was
S1: impressed with Heather Holloman and uh, but my I'd never
S1: heard HB Charles Exposit the word. Mhm. And I'm like
S1: oh my I'd like to hear him every week. I
S1: understand why people go to his church. Yeah. Uh wow.
S1: What a great sermon. So anyway, yeah, let's, let's talk
S1: about this stuff here. But we'll go back.
S8: To the mailbag questions. Yeah.
S1: So yeah, but Founder's Week was phenomenal. I had a
S1: great time. Yeah.
S8: So anyway, so I took last week off, so I'm back. Um,
S8: Marlene from Ohio listens to Wtxf and says, Ecclesiastes seven
S8: verse 28 says, among a thousand people I have found
S8: one true man. But among all these I have not
S8: found a true woman. Who is this upright man? He says,
S8: I know we're all sinners, and the writer doesn't know
S8: of Christ. So what is he saying?
S1: He's talking about Bob down the street. That's the only guy.
S1: That's it. Uh, no. I think we have to put this.
S1: This is wisdom literature. It's putting it in context. Okay. Yeah.
S1: So let's start with 720. Uh, this, I think, frames it.
S1: It says surely there is not a righteous man on
S1: earth who does good and never sins. Okay. Okay, so
S1: there's no one that's perfect. And then when you come
S1: to verse 25, it says, I turn my heart to
S1: know and to search out and seek wisdom. Uh, it
S1: the idea is when it says to seek, it's to
S1: to seek to understand experientially. And he's trying to understand
S1: is there one upright person? And he says, I began
S1: to search. And this is his own personal experience. Uh,
S1: he found that there were many women that were deceiving men. Uh,
S1: he's he's talking there. Not about godly women. He's talking
S1: about immoral women. Uh, And it's true. Think about Solomon.
S1: This is Solomon. At the end of his life, he
S1: was really brought down by women. And he's not saying
S1: he wasn't responsible. I want to be really clear, but
S1: he he sees his own failures and his own life. Uh,
S1: and then he says, this is what I found, uh,
S1: in my search for reality. And he said, I may
S1: have met a thousand men, and only one was upright.
S1: And I have never, ever met my personal experience. Uh,
S1: a woman that was upright. In essence, you come to
S1: verse 28 and this is what it is. It uses
S1: the word man in a generic sense for humankind. See
S1: this this alone I have found this is the bottom line,
S1: that God made man upright. But they have sought out
S1: many devices. God made people upright. When Adam and Eve
S1: were created, they could have chosen obedience, but they didn't.
S1: They pursued many schemes and as a result, every other
S1: person chooses schemes of disobedience. And that's why there isn't
S1: one good righteous man on earth. But when he says,
S1: I found one, maybe one man in a thousand that
S1: I have encountered and so forth. That doesn't mean that
S1: there isn't a woman who lives uprightly, but that he
S1: hasn't met her yet. That's not his personal experience. What
S1: his understanding is every person's sins. God made humanity upright,
S1: but they have sought out many devices. So it's talking
S1: about really everyone being sinful.
S8: Okay, so he's not saying he is. This is not
S8: a prophetic thing about Jesus.
S1: No. And it's not a sexist thing about man being
S1: better than women. Yeah, okay. Listen, if there's only one
S1: upright man that he ever found that he ever tried
S1: to understand. Theoretically, uh. And he found one man that
S1: was upright out of a thousand. That's pretty bad. Bad score. Right? So. Right. Yeah. Okay.
S8: Thank you. Thank you for that. And thank you for
S8: that question, Merlin. Our next question, uh, kind of goes
S8: to the not uprightness of men. Um, Steve in Manitoba
S8: listens to K and W, which is a station I
S8: grew up listening to K often W and Alexa. And then, um,
S8: he wants to know in first Kings two, verses five
S8: and six, David King David is giving a charge to
S8: his son Solomon. Um, that says, you also know what Joab,
S8: son of Zariah, did to me and what he did
S8: to the two commanders of Israel's army Abner, son of ner,
S8: and Amasa, son of Jether. He merged them in a
S8: time of peace to avenge bloodshed and war. He spilled
S8: that blood on his own waistband and on the sandals
S8: of his feet. Act according to your wisdom, and do
S8: not let his gray head descend to Sheol in peace.
S8: Why would David have kept Joab around all those years
S8: if Joab was so deserving of death?
S1: Think of Joab as David's secretary of defense, or chairman
S1: of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He was a very
S1: effective military leader. Okay. And, uh, he was also someone
S1: that was, uh, morally corrupt, filled with vengeance. Uh, I
S1: think David was a pragmatist and helped kept him around
S1: for his, uh, administration. Uh, I think this shows, once
S1: again that David was not perfect. He had God's heart,
S1: but he wasn't perfect. And that's why he he but
S1: he didn't want to act against him because he needed him. Mm.
S8: Okay. So it was just a political, military decision kind
S8: of to keep him around. And you kind of take
S8: the bad with the good, as it were. Yep.
S1: That's what I think it is.
S8: Okay, so he talks about don't let his grey head
S8: descend to Sheol in peace. What was the Old Testament belief, um,
S8: about eternal life or what happened? Virginia and Ohio is
S8: kind of wondering about that.
S1: Sheol was basically the place of the dead. And there
S1: was a it's where where everyone went when they died. Uh,
S1: some went to be to a place of comfort with
S1: the Lord and some, uh, there wasn't a whole lot
S1: in the Old Testament about it, but some went to Sheol,
S1: to the place of the dead, separated from God. Some
S1: went to the place of the dead. And they they
S1: were with God. That's that's just it.
S8: So Sheol was, uh, kind of like just a general word.
S8: General word for where they went when they died. And
S8: depending on who the person was, it was either to
S8: comfort the Lord or not. So, so like, okay, so
S8: I was just saying the afterlife would kind of be
S8: the equivalent where that might mean you're going to heaven
S8: if you believe in Christ or you're going to hell, like, uh,
S8: kind of that general term idea.
S1: Well, uh, well, it becomes clarified as we go on, uh,
S1: in Scripture. You know, there's, uh, you know, a lot
S1: of people are confused about hell, uh, really hell. Because
S1: because what happens is the the Greek translation in the
S1: New Testament of, of Sheol becomes Hades. But the King
S1: James Version translates it hell.
S8: Oh, okay.
S1: But really, when we're talking about eternal separation from God,
S1: that's the lake of fire. That's really technically hell. And
S1: that's only going to be after the resurrection and the
S1: the great White throne judgment, resurrection of of all the living, uh,
S1: all who have ever lived. And those who don't know
S1: the Lord will go through the Great White Throne judgment
S1: after the Millennial Kingdom, and they will then go into
S1: the new creation. Instead of going to the new creation,
S1: they will go to the Lake of Fire. It is.
S1: There's a lot of confusion. Maybe sometime I ought to
S1: teach about it. Uh, I've tried to explain it in
S1: an answer here or there, but it's, uh.
S8: There's a lot. There's a lot more to unpack.
S1: Yeah, yeah. Okay. But that'll that'll just be it. It's.
S1: It's just. Sheol was the place of the dead. That's
S1: that's where it is. And there is a place of
S1: comfort with God, like Lazarus went to. And there was
S1: a place of suffering awaiting ultimate judgment where the rich
S1: man went. Okay. That would be a way of doing it. Okay. Hey.
S1: You know. Thank you. Yeah. Uh. Uh, there there's someone
S1: that's going to be asking a question I see coming up.
S8: Yes, I did see that one.
S1: And I want to, uh, let's let's take a break here.
S1: And now when I talk to that person, I'm going
S1: to mention also what it means to become a kitchen
S1: table partner. Perfect. Uh, not for that person necessarily to
S1: do it. But that's the question that's related. And you'll
S1: see why in a minute. Hey, thanks for pulling those
S1: questions together, Tricia. You're welcome. We're we're going to come
S1: back in just a bit with a question from Debbie
S1: in Chicago. So, Debbie, you hang on and you're listening
S1: to Open Line with Michael Radonich and and Tricia McMillan.
S1: We'll be right back. Welcome back to Open Line. My
S1: name is Michael Radonich. I'm so glad to be with you. Uh,
S1: I want to go right to the phones and talk
S1: with Debbie in Chicago, listening on Wmbi. Welcome to Open Line, Debbie.
S1: How can I help you?
S5: Hi.
S9: Thank you. Michael. I am a kitchen table partner, but
S9: I had some trouble, uh, some computer trouble with links.
S9: I'm just kind of learning my new computer and getting online.
S9: But I did see the Bible study moment that you
S9: mentioned the synagogue of Satan, you know, and I've seen
S9: that before. Of course, in revelations three, when he talked
S9: to the Church of Philadelphia. Um, why? Specifically, did he
S9: address that? Was it because they were giving the Philadelphia.
S9: Believers such a hard time? Uh, or.
S1: You know what? Uh, let me let me try to answer. Okay.
S1: Okay I will. The synagogue of Satan is used two times, uh,
S1: in the book of revelation. In revelation two and in
S1: revelation three, it appears to be referring to people who
S1: were teaching. Well, let me just say how it's often
S1: been understood in the history of the church. It has
S1: been understood that somehow this is a reference to all
S1: Jewish people, and that the synagogue where Jewish people were
S1: worshiping were, uh, were all of Satan. And it's that
S1: the Jewish people were satanic, and it's a terribly anti-Semitic perception.
S1: I think about it. Uh, where did the Lord Jesus
S1: do his teaching? He went to all the synagogues. Matthew
S1: nine says in Galilee and taught the word. Look at
S1: the book of acts. Where did Paul go when he
S1: wanted to preach the gospel to start with? He always,
S1: in every city started in the synagogue. I can't imagine
S1: them going to the Lord Jesus or Paul going to
S1: a place that was satanic to preach the gospel, uh,
S1: or to even teach the word to the people in
S1: those places as he was. So I think that we
S1: have to think about it somewhat, somewhat differently. Uh, you
S1: remember the problem of Galatian ism, of legalism, where there
S1: were some Jewish people from Jerusalem who were going up
S1: into the Gentile areas and telling them they needed to
S1: convert to Judaism first and be circumcised, converted to Judaism,
S1: then they can believe in Jesus. And they were adding
S1: a work. Well that became that was at very early Galatians,
S1: a fairly early book by Paul, uh, written between acts
S1: 14 and 15, in that time frame. And I think
S1: what has happened is that now Gentiles who went ahead
S1: and did adopt this Galatians view, this legalistic view that
S1: a person needed to be converted to Judaism before they
S1: could believe in Jesus. They were the ones going around
S1: and making trouble theologically for the churches there, for example,
S1: in Philadelphia. And, uh, and so as a result of that, uh,
S1: the the Lord corrects them and he says and he
S1: says this of both, I will take those from the
S1: synagogue of Satan who claim to be Jews and are not.
S1: That's the description. Likely. This is a reference to Gentile
S1: Christians who have converted to Judaism. And then they say
S1: they believe in Jesus and they say they are Jewish,
S1: but they're not, because you really can't, uh, become Jewish
S1: by just converting like that. Uh, by adopting the, the circumcision.
S1: It's part of being is part of being an ethnic group.
S1: It's part of being a nation, a particular nation. And
S1: so as a result, he's correcting these legalists who weren't
S1: even Jewish and advocating this, this false teaching about that.
S1: A person needed to be circumcised before they could believe
S1: in Jesus, but they weren't even Jewish. Likely. So now, uh, Debbie,
S1: I hope that helps explain it. The reason I mentioned
S1: this with the kitchen table partner. Uh, is that I'm
S1: in a series now that I send out exclusive Bible study, uh,
S1: designed for our kitchen table partners, those who give monthly
S1: to open line, I send every other week. A Bible
S1: study moment takes a few minutes to listen. You can
S1: click on it. Debbie, you got to get better at
S1: your computer so that you can listen to that one.
S1: But here's the point. Uh, that was my very first
S1: in the series that I'm doing on alleged anti-Semitism in
S1: the New Testament. Uh, people have pointed out to that
S1: passage that, Debbie, you were talking about that mentions the
S1: Synagogue of Satan as teaching that the New Testament is
S1: somehow intrinsically anti-Semitic. It's not. And so I'm going to
S1: do 5 or 6 passages that people have pointed to
S1: and say, oh, the New Testament is anti-Semitic, and we're
S1: going to go over those in upcoming weeks. So what
S1: does it mean to be a kitchen table partner? It's
S1: giving monthly so we can be on the air weekly with, uh,
S1: uh with Open line. And then you can, uh, what
S1: you can do is you can become a kitchen table
S1: partner by giving and and then also what we'll do
S1: is we'll send you a copy of that Bible study
S1: moment every other week. Uh, if you'd like to think
S1: about becoming a kitchen table partner, call (888) 644-7122 or go
S1: to open line radio.org. Also when you go to open
S1: line radio.org. Chosen People Ministries has a gift for you. Uh,
S1: this month it's called, uh, the portion. It's based on
S1: the weekly Torah portion. What's read in the synagogue every
S1: week from the Torah. And it shows the practicality, uh,
S1: the usefulness of Scripture that the whole Bible is inspired,
S1: including the Pentateuch, the Torah. Uh, I think you're going
S1: to find that really helpful devotional book. And the way
S1: you get that is just go to the open line
S1: web page, open line radio.org. Scroll down. You'll see a
S1: link that says A free gift from Chosen People Ministries. Uh,
S1: and then you can click on that. It'll take you
S1: to a page. You can sign up for your very
S1: own copy of the portion that's really encouraging devotional about
S1: the Torah. Well, can you believe that? That's the first hour.
S1: Everyone keep listening. There's a second hour of Open Line
S1: coming up on most of these stations. Remember, if your
S1: station doesn't carry Open line the second hour, you can
S1: always listen on the Moody Radio app. You can go online,
S1: you can listen on the On pod via podcast through
S1: the podcast system of your smartphone. During the break, check
S1: out our web page, Open Line radio.org. It's got all
S1: the links you're looking for. The Bible study across America
S1: will continue in the second hour, so stay with us.
S1: Open line with Doctor Michael Radonich is a production of
S1: Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody Bible Institute. We'll be
S1: right back.