WEBVTT - Hour 2: Explore the Scriptures with Mike Fabarez 0:00:09.360 --> 0:00:12.360 Hello, friends. It's time for the second hour of Open 0:00:12.360 --> 0:00:17.079 Line with Doctor Michael Ray Moody Radio's Bible Study Across America, 0:00:17.400 --> 0:00:20.400 where we're talking about your questions, trying to answer your 0:00:20.400 --> 0:00:23.480 questions about the Bible, about God, about the Christian life. 0:00:23.960 --> 0:00:26.440 I'm doctor Mike Faber is filling in today for Doctor 0:00:26.440 --> 0:00:29.120 Michael Riedel, who happened to be the founding pastor of 0:00:29.120 --> 0:00:32.320 Compass Bible Church in Aliso Viejo, California, who had the 0:00:32.320 --> 0:00:35.400 privilege of talking to actually one of our members there, Brett, 0:00:35.479 --> 0:00:37.920 who was our last caller in the first hour. I'm 0:00:37.920 --> 0:00:40.320 the Bible teacher that you'll hear on Focal Point Radio 0:00:40.320 --> 0:00:42.240 if you listen here to Moody Radio. And I hope 0:00:42.240 --> 0:00:44.720 that you do so many great programs here. And we've 0:00:44.720 --> 0:00:46.680 got some new times on the Moody Network. So if 0:00:46.680 --> 0:00:49.160 you want to learn more about Focal Point, the easiest 0:00:49.200 --> 0:00:50.879 URL and many of them point to it, just go 0:00:50.880 --> 0:00:54.920 to pastor pastor mike.com and that will give you our 0:00:55.120 --> 0:00:57.640 station lineup. We're in about 900 stations across the country 0:00:57.640 --> 0:01:00.330 and will give you the times that you're on. The 0:01:00.330 --> 0:01:02.850 times that we're on. And I'd love to meet you 0:01:02.850 --> 0:01:05.050 there on the air. Anyway, if you have a Bible question, 0:01:05.050 --> 0:01:17.930 it's time for you to call me. 877548367587754836. No. No. (877) 548-3675. 0:01:17.970 --> 0:01:19.889 I've got a few shows that I do with different 0:01:19.890 --> 0:01:22.810 phone numbers. Maybe one day we'll have just the same number. 0:01:23.090 --> 0:01:24.690 How's that? How's that going to work? I don't know, 0:01:24.690 --> 0:01:28.130 figure it out. You can send us questions to. And 0:01:28.130 --> 0:01:30.210 Trish will have to haul it in here in the mailbag. 0:01:30.209 --> 0:01:32.850 But we love talking about those because you get, uh, 0:01:33.050 --> 0:01:36.050 you get some great commentary from Trish as well. But 0:01:36.050 --> 0:01:41.090 just go to online radio.org Openline Radio.com. Look for that. 0:01:41.130 --> 0:01:43.929 Ask a question form, fill it out and we'll get 0:01:43.930 --> 0:01:46.809 it in the mailbag. So keep your Bibles open. As 0:01:46.810 --> 0:01:48.930 doctor Ray likes to say, get your second cup of 0:01:48.930 --> 0:01:50.730 coffee or whatever it is you drink in the morning 0:01:50.770 --> 0:01:52.570 to get going, and we're going to get back to 0:01:52.570 --> 0:01:55.330 the phones with more of your questions. Let's tackle line 0:01:55.330 --> 0:01:58.420 three here. Russell from Tampa, Florida. You're on the air 0:01:58.420 --> 0:01:59.420 with pastor Mike. How can I. 0:01:59.420 --> 0:02:00.420 Help? Can you hear me? Okay. 0:02:00.460 --> 0:02:01.340 Can hear you. Great. 0:02:02.820 --> 0:02:07.780 Okay. Um, so the passage that I'm asking about is 0:02:07.780 --> 0:02:11.460 found in Luke chapter 12, and it goes down to 0:02:11.460 --> 0:02:15.139 about verse 41 to the end of the chapter, uh, 0:02:15.139 --> 0:02:21.460 or 49. I'm sorry. Um. It talks about, uh, when 0:02:21.460 --> 0:02:26.660 the master returns and finds his servant, uh, not doing 0:02:26.660 --> 0:02:29.060 his work, he could be beaten with many stripes, but 0:02:29.060 --> 0:02:31.260 the ones that didn't know wouldn't be beat with as 0:02:31.260 --> 0:02:33.260 many stripes. Keep in mind, I don't have my Bible 0:02:33.260 --> 0:02:35.980 in front of me right now. And I kind of 0:02:36.020 --> 0:02:39.299 want an explanation of this parable. Uh, and I want 0:02:39.300 --> 0:02:42.100 to give a little background, uh, just so you know 0:02:42.100 --> 0:02:45.260 where I'm coming from. I was raised in a what 0:02:45.260 --> 0:02:48.220 you might call a very legalistic church. And one of 0:02:48.260 --> 0:02:53.500 their teachings was they taught against eternal security. You can't 0:02:53.540 --> 0:02:56.299 that once saved, always saved. That's a false teaching. You 0:02:56.300 --> 0:02:58.990 can lose your salvation. And this was one of the 0:02:58.990 --> 0:03:01.669 scriptures that they would always point to. So I just 0:03:01.669 --> 0:03:05.750 wanted to get some commentary on this and see exactly 0:03:05.750 --> 0:03:07.750 what is being conveyed here in this message. 0:03:07.830 --> 0:03:09.630 Well, I'll give you a short summary, but I would 0:03:09.630 --> 0:03:12.950 love for you to listen to my sermon on this text. 0:03:13.150 --> 0:03:15.870 I called it The Fear of Responsibility. And you'll find 0:03:15.870 --> 0:03:18.310 it on pastor Mike. Com. It's. I mean, if you 0:03:18.310 --> 0:03:24.429 can jot this down, it's sermon 1604 1604. But in essence, 0:03:24.430 --> 0:03:27.990 what you have to do is distinguish between two different 0:03:27.990 --> 0:03:32.870 kinds of disobedient servants. Here one is the erring servant 0:03:32.870 --> 0:03:35.710 that gets killed and dismembered and assigned to a place 0:03:35.710 --> 0:03:38.470 with those who have no faith. Right? And the point is, 0:03:38.470 --> 0:03:41.510 he served himself. He was rebellious, and he was what 0:03:41.510 --> 0:03:45.230 we would call a fake Christian. And he's punished. Punished 0:03:45.230 --> 0:03:48.030 like we would say in revelation 22, in the afterlife. 0:03:48.110 --> 0:03:51.670 But then there's an erring servant that is beaten severely 0:03:51.670 --> 0:03:55.430 or lightly, right? He's alive and continues to serve the master, 0:03:55.480 --> 0:03:58.160 but he served poorly. He failed. He's what we would 0:03:58.160 --> 0:04:01.360 call a real Christian who gets disciplined in this life. 0:04:01.360 --> 0:04:05.480 So there's two kinds of lagging servants in this text, 0:04:05.480 --> 0:04:08.320 and I try to elaborate on that through the whole message. 0:04:08.320 --> 0:04:10.120 It's an hour long message where I try to deal 0:04:10.120 --> 0:04:13.080 with this text to make sure that we understand that 0:04:13.080 --> 0:04:16.039 you can be a real Christian and not serve very well, 0:04:16.040 --> 0:04:18.719 and you will be disciplined. You'll serve the master poorly, 0:04:18.720 --> 0:04:20.640 and you'll lose rewards and all the things that First 0:04:20.640 --> 0:04:23.799 Corinthians three talks about. So we want to serve him well. 0:04:23.839 --> 0:04:26.520 But then there's those that are like the weeds among 0:04:26.520 --> 0:04:29.080 the wheat, or the wolves among the sheep, or the 0:04:29.120 --> 0:04:32.640 goats among the sheep. They're not real, they're fakes, they're phonies. 0:04:32.640 --> 0:04:34.599 And the book of Hebrews talks a lot about it. 0:04:34.600 --> 0:04:36.880 So I understand these people that think you can lose 0:04:36.880 --> 0:04:40.160 your salvation. But the reality of this particular passage is 0:04:40.160 --> 0:04:43.560 talking about two kinds of disobedience. One is someone serving 0:04:43.560 --> 0:04:46.640 himself and one is serving the master poorly. And I 0:04:46.640 --> 0:04:49.039 go into great detail on this in that hour long 0:04:49.080 --> 0:04:52.599 sermon on this particular passage. So we do have discipline 0:04:52.600 --> 0:04:55.170 in this life. And Hebrews 12 says, every real Christian 0:04:55.170 --> 0:04:57.490 is going to have that discipline. But we also have 0:04:57.490 --> 0:05:00.370 churches filled not only with poor servants, but we have 0:05:00.370 --> 0:05:04.410 churches that also have many fake Christians, and there's no 0:05:04.410 --> 0:05:07.490 doubt about that. Jesus had his Judas not because he 0:05:07.490 --> 0:05:09.930 was bad at picking people because he wanted to remind us, 0:05:09.930 --> 0:05:11.729 we're always going to have people that are there for 0:05:11.730 --> 0:05:14.850 all the wrong reasons. And even the apostle John, looking back, 0:05:14.850 --> 0:05:17.050 I think it's chapter 12. He says, you know, look 0:05:17.089 --> 0:05:19.290 at Judas. He didn't care about the poor. He was 0:05:19.290 --> 0:05:21.890 pilfering money out of the treasury. Well, everyone thought he 0:05:21.890 --> 0:05:26.210 was most trustworthy enough at least to keep the money bag. 0:05:26.210 --> 0:05:28.610 And yet John looks back, takes the Excel sheet out 0:05:28.610 --> 0:05:30.690 and says, oh, you know, that's where all our money went. 0:05:30.690 --> 0:05:32.770 The guy was a cheat, so he was in it 0:05:32.770 --> 0:05:35.570 for himself from the beginning. But he put on a 0:05:35.610 --> 0:05:38.890 real thick veneer of being a disciple of Christ. So 0:05:39.010 --> 0:05:41.770 there's two different kinds of erring servants in that, in 0:05:41.810 --> 0:05:44.529 that sermon. And I think that gives me room to say, 0:05:44.529 --> 0:05:46.410 this is not talking about people that had it and 0:05:46.410 --> 0:05:48.650 lost it. It's about people that have been faking it 0:05:48.650 --> 0:05:50.409 through their Christian life. And there are many of those 0:05:50.410 --> 0:05:53.540 and Jesus talks about it often. Does that help, Russell? 0:05:54.660 --> 0:05:55.260 That helps. 0:05:55.300 --> 0:05:58.260 Okay, we'll tackle that sermon and, uh, call me back. 0:05:58.500 --> 0:06:01.180 I have a show on different stations. Whatever you go to, 0:06:01.180 --> 0:06:04.500 pastor Mike. Learn about my schedule or talk to Doctor 0:06:04.500 --> 0:06:07.260 Riddell here. He'll go further with this as well. But 0:06:07.260 --> 0:06:08.940 listen to the sermon first and we'll see if that 0:06:08.940 --> 0:06:11.060 raises any other questions in your mind. Okay. 0:06:12.300 --> 0:06:12.500 Okay. 0:06:12.500 --> 0:06:14.300 Thank you. Okay, Russell, thanks for the call. Let's go 0:06:14.300 --> 0:06:17.020 to line ten. Roger, you're on the air listening on 0:06:17.020 --> 0:06:19.820 the Moody Radio app. That's great. Yeah. How can I help? 0:06:20.020 --> 0:06:22.660 Thank you for taking my call. Um, in witnessing to 0:06:22.660 --> 0:06:25.419 a person. You know, the Bible says if thou shalt 0:06:25.420 --> 0:06:29.100 believe in thine heart. So what is the clearest way 0:06:29.100 --> 0:06:33.020 to explain heart belief as opposed to intellectual belief? 0:06:33.980 --> 0:06:36.900 Well, I think James chapter two, verses 14 and following, 0:06:36.940 --> 0:06:41.020 talk about that mental agreement with facts and saying, here's 0:06:41.020 --> 0:06:44.820 the way we tell the difference. One produces, uh, nothing 0:06:44.820 --> 0:06:48.460 but intellectual agreement, and the other one produces real fruit. 0:06:48.740 --> 0:06:51.099 And Jesus talks so much about that, saying, you'll know 0:06:51.100 --> 0:06:53.470 them by their fruits. Well, you'll know them. Well, who? 0:06:53.510 --> 0:06:56.589 Whether they have real heart belief or whether they don't. 0:06:56.630 --> 0:06:59.430 And that's the problem. Because here's what happens according to 0:06:59.470 --> 0:07:02.510 the Old Testament. Looking forward to the New Covenant. God says, 0:07:02.510 --> 0:07:04.430 if we're right with him and made right with him, 0:07:04.430 --> 0:07:07.270 we'll have a new heart, we'll have a new spirit, 0:07:07.270 --> 0:07:09.710 and the Holy Spirit will come within us and move 0:07:09.710 --> 0:07:12.790 us and cause us to keep his rules and his precepts. 0:07:12.790 --> 0:07:15.630 So we know that keeping the rules and precepts comes 0:07:15.630 --> 0:07:19.910 from the inside, organic internal change, and that eternal change 0:07:19.910 --> 0:07:21.910 is the work of God when someone is putting their 0:07:21.910 --> 0:07:24.950 trust in Christ. So we're going to see differences. We're 0:07:24.950 --> 0:07:27.150 going to see a trajectory. And as I like to say, 0:07:27.550 --> 0:07:29.310 it's not that we're going to be sinless from that 0:07:29.310 --> 0:07:31.830 point on, but we're certainly going to start to sin less, 0:07:31.830 --> 0:07:34.270 and we're going to serve God and start to do 0:07:34.390 --> 0:07:37.110 what second Corinthians 515 says. And that is, we're no 0:07:37.350 --> 0:07:39.350 no longer going to live for ourselves, but for him 0:07:39.350 --> 0:07:42.350 who died for us and rose again. So that's how 0:07:42.350 --> 0:07:44.350 we tell the whole book of First John is about 0:07:44.350 --> 0:07:47.350 seeing the evidence of how we can tell mental assent 0:07:47.550 --> 0:07:51.720 or mental agreement, mental belief, if you will, as the 0:07:51.720 --> 0:07:54.800 demons have, or whether we have real heart belief, which is, 0:07:54.800 --> 0:07:57.160 as you put it, there in Romans ten, we got 0:07:57.200 --> 0:07:59.000 to have that. It's got to believe in our heart 0:07:59.000 --> 0:08:03.680 that God raised Jesus from the dead. Does that help Roger? 0:08:04.400 --> 0:08:08.720 Yeah. Um, but, you know, like when when we are witnessing. 0:08:08.760 --> 0:08:11.160 Oh, I see, right. I forgot that part. Yeah. Here's 0:08:11.160 --> 0:08:14.960 what Paul did when he was talking to Christians. Right. 0:08:15.000 --> 0:08:17.720 He not only said, you need to repent, but he said, 0:08:17.760 --> 0:08:19.800 and you need to keep fruit. You need to bear 0:08:19.800 --> 0:08:23.480 fruit in keeping with repentance. So I want to tell people, 0:08:23.480 --> 0:08:25.560 not only you need to repent, put your trust in Christ, 0:08:25.560 --> 0:08:28.320 you need to have this penitent faith in Christ. But 0:08:28.320 --> 0:08:30.240 then I want to say, then you'll start working out 0:08:30.240 --> 0:08:33.680 your salvation. And if they say, well, I'll do that, 0:08:33.679 --> 0:08:36.400 but I don't want to do that. Right. Real conversion 0:08:36.400 --> 0:08:38.800 is going to be someone who is, as the Bible says, 0:08:38.800 --> 0:08:41.880 regenerate or born again, who's now going to say, yeah, 0:08:41.880 --> 0:08:44.640 I'm ready to put my effort into this, as Peter 0:08:44.679 --> 0:08:47.360 put it. Right. He's going to make every effort to 0:08:47.400 --> 0:08:49.339 add to his faith. And then he lists a long 0:08:49.380 --> 0:08:51.900 list of virtues. So I want to tell them when 0:08:51.900 --> 0:08:53.540 I'm witnessing to them. Hey, I want you to put 0:08:53.540 --> 0:08:55.500 your trust in Christ. And if you do, you're going 0:08:55.540 --> 0:08:58.620 to sense something internally that is going to shift. You're 0:08:58.620 --> 0:09:00.060 going to be alive to God and you're going to 0:09:00.059 --> 0:09:01.260 want to please him. Then I'm going to tell you 0:09:01.260 --> 0:09:02.940 to work hard at that because Satan's going to be 0:09:02.940 --> 0:09:05.380 against it. Your flesh is going to be against it, right? 0:09:05.380 --> 0:09:06.860 You're going to have all kinds of things in this 0:09:06.860 --> 0:09:08.339 world that are going to push against it, but you're 0:09:08.340 --> 0:09:10.020 going to have to work this thing out. As the 0:09:10.020 --> 0:09:13.500 Bible says, all real Christians will. So I want to 0:09:13.500 --> 0:09:14.780 I want to give that up front. That's what I 0:09:14.780 --> 0:09:18.100 think Romans are. Sorry. Luke 14 is all about. Start 0:09:18.100 --> 0:09:19.900 there in verses 25 and go all the way through 0:09:19.940 --> 0:09:23.540 verse 33, and you'll read in that section of Scripture 0:09:23.580 --> 0:09:25.660 how Jesus warns them, count the cost. Well, how am 0:09:25.660 --> 0:09:27.580 I going to count the cost of following Christ? Unless 0:09:27.580 --> 0:09:30.179 I'm thinking about what it's going to take to obey him? 0:09:30.340 --> 0:09:32.819 And I'm saying it's not the obedience that saves you, right? 0:09:32.860 --> 0:09:35.660 It's faith from our perspective that saves us, right? We're 0:09:35.660 --> 0:09:39.220 putting our trust in Christ, and his meritorious work on 0:09:39.220 --> 0:09:42.140 the cross is going to save us. But then it's 0:09:42.140 --> 0:09:44.380 going to be, I'm going to go out and I'm 0:09:44.420 --> 0:09:46.460 going to start living for the Lord. And I want 0:09:46.500 --> 0:09:48.470 to think about that. Am I ready? It's like your 0:09:48.470 --> 0:09:49.870 eight year old comes home and says, I'm going to 0:09:49.910 --> 0:09:52.030 marry a girl in my third grade class. You don't 0:09:52.030 --> 0:09:53.910 even understand what you're talking about, right? But if my 0:09:53.910 --> 0:09:55.710 23 year old says that, I'm going to say, do 0:09:55.710 --> 0:09:57.350 you understand what you're talking about? This is a whole 0:09:57.350 --> 0:09:59.870 life thing. Count the cost. So I think we have 0:09:59.870 --> 0:10:03.390 to read what real belief in Christ looks like, and 0:10:03.390 --> 0:10:05.910 it's always going to look like a willingness to now say, 0:10:05.910 --> 0:10:09.350 you're right. God is God. Jesus is Lord. I'm going 0:10:09.390 --> 0:10:11.750 to live for him. So I think that's the important 0:10:11.750 --> 0:10:13.949 part of this. And we need to start saying that 0:10:13.990 --> 0:10:16.989 more in our evangelism, not just, hey, get the goodies 0:10:16.990 --> 0:10:19.910 by praying this prayer. It's a little different than that. 0:10:20.390 --> 0:10:20.990 Do you follow? 0:10:21.030 --> 0:10:25.670 Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's yeah, that's the, um, difference I 0:10:25.670 --> 0:10:29.350 wanted to, uh, have. I know when I got saved, I, 0:10:29.990 --> 0:10:32.590 my pastor gave me the plan of salvation and he said, 0:10:32.590 --> 0:10:34.270 now it's up to you. And I went down on 0:10:34.270 --> 0:10:36.070 my knees, but I feel that I was saved before 0:10:36.070 --> 0:10:38.870 my knees hit the floor. And that's that's. 0:10:38.990 --> 0:10:43.510 I think you're right, I really do. I think you're right. Um, yeah. 0:10:43.550 --> 0:10:47.520 Because God, God does this amazing work in changing us 0:10:47.520 --> 0:10:50.959 from the inside. So I think you're on to it, Roger. 0:10:51.040 --> 0:10:53.560 Sounds like you're thinking rightly about this. I appreciate the call. 0:10:53.880 --> 0:10:55.760 All right. Thank you. So glad for the call. And 0:10:55.760 --> 0:10:57.240 if you have a question about the Bible or the 0:10:57.240 --> 0:11:03.360 Christian life, give me a call. (877) 548-3675. My name is 0:11:03.360 --> 0:11:06.559 pastor Mike Faber. I'm sitting in today for Doctor Michael Riedel, 0:11:06.720 --> 0:11:10.319 who's on a stage right now, a platform passing out degrees. 0:11:10.440 --> 0:11:14.079 You're listening to Open Line with Doctor Michael Riedel, Moody 0:11:14.080 --> 0:11:16.760 Radio's Bible study Across America. My name is Mike Faber. 0:11:16.800 --> 0:11:19.240 Sitting in today. We hope to have more of your 0:11:19.240 --> 0:11:21.079 questions right after this. 0:11:39.600 --> 0:11:43.400 Ever been reading your Bible and come across an unfamiliar name, place, 0:11:43.400 --> 0:11:46.290 or object that left you confused. Well, you're not alone. 0:11:46.570 --> 0:11:49.490 That's why we want to send you the Ultimate Bible Dictionary, 0:11:49.530 --> 0:11:53.850 a practical resource with hundreds of clear, accessible definitions, enhanced 0:11:53.850 --> 0:11:57.690 by colorful maps and illustrations that bring the Scripture to life. 0:11:57.890 --> 0:12:00.570 Get your copy of this handy resource today with your 0:12:00.610 --> 0:12:07.929 gift of any amount. Call 886447122 or visit openline. Radio org. 0:12:10.330 --> 0:12:13.490 Everyone has questions about God, the Bible and living out 0:12:13.490 --> 0:12:15.970 our faith and that's why we're here on Open Line. 0:12:15.970 --> 0:12:19.330 We take your questions and provide answers straight from Scripture. 0:12:19.570 --> 0:12:22.089 But we couldn't do this without you. When you become 0:12:22.090 --> 0:12:24.970 a kitchen table partner, you're not only keeping this program 0:12:24.970 --> 0:12:28.770 on the air. Every weekend, you'll also receive exclusive benefits 0:12:28.770 --> 0:12:32.650 like personal audio messages from me that offer biblical encouragement. 0:12:32.890 --> 0:12:38.290 Become a kitchen table partner today by calling 888644712 or 0:12:38.330 --> 0:12:40.090 go to Open Line Radio. Org. 0:12:45.140 --> 0:12:48.020 Well, welcome back to Open Line with doctor Michael Riedel. 0:12:48.260 --> 0:12:50.860 I'm doctor Mike Faber sitting in for Doctor Michael. I 0:12:50.860 --> 0:12:54.140 need to tell you, I really like him. We are friends. 0:12:54.380 --> 0:12:56.500 I love his heart. I love what he cares about. 0:12:56.500 --> 0:12:59.060 I love his mind. Obviously, you love his program. I 0:12:59.059 --> 0:13:01.340 assume if you're listening today. And I just want to 0:13:01.340 --> 0:13:04.220 tell you that we're mutual. Uh, you and I both 0:13:04.220 --> 0:13:07.300 respect Doctor Michael Redlich so much. So grateful that he 0:13:07.300 --> 0:13:10.620 taps me when he is busy with very important things. 0:13:10.620 --> 0:13:16.420 The number. Love for you to call me this morning. (877) 548-3675. 0:13:16.460 --> 0:13:18.540 So dig deep into that pocket and pull out that 0:13:18.540 --> 0:13:22.100 little skinny thing that you usually use to text and 0:13:22.140 --> 0:13:24.580 check sports scores and all that. And it actually works 0:13:24.580 --> 0:13:28.780 as a phone. If you put in these numbers 87754836, 0:13:28.820 --> 0:13:30.300 seven five and you can get on the air with me. 0:13:30.300 --> 0:13:32.940 I should mention, because I had a long discussion during 0:13:32.940 --> 0:13:34.780 the break with Brett, who called in, who happened to 0:13:34.780 --> 0:13:36.860 be from my very own church in Orange County, and 0:13:36.860 --> 0:13:39.540 we talked more about that. I only had a line before, 0:13:39.540 --> 0:13:41.620 but I didn't blow him off. I didn't I didn't 0:13:41.620 --> 0:13:44.110 hit the dump button on him. I we talked a 0:13:44.110 --> 0:13:47.310 little bit about the difference between baptism and a Presbyterian 0:13:47.309 --> 0:13:51.390 tradition and baptism among most Baptistic style churches, and that is, 0:13:51.390 --> 0:13:53.790 we believe in believer's baptism, and I do here, and 0:13:53.790 --> 0:13:56.709 I know Doctor Riddell does. Uh, so it is not 0:13:56.710 --> 0:13:59.310 the equivalent of circumcision. We talk that through in the 0:13:59.309 --> 0:14:00.950 break just because he had to go. I wanted to 0:14:00.950 --> 0:14:03.430 hold him over, but he had something going on, uh, 0:14:03.470 --> 0:14:06.030 which I understand. Everybody in Orange County so busy. But anyway, 0:14:06.030 --> 0:14:07.790 we dealt with that off the air. But if you 0:14:07.790 --> 0:14:09.709 want to want me to go, go more on that. 0:14:09.710 --> 0:14:11.150 You just going to have to call me. And the 0:14:11.150 --> 0:14:19.310 number 87754856. What what did I say. 5483675. Man, I 0:14:19.350 --> 0:14:21.630 got to memorize this number. Doctor Radelet can say it 0:14:21.630 --> 0:14:24.350 in his sleep. His wife just bumps him in the night, 0:14:24.350 --> 0:14:27.710 and he says 8775, four eight, three, six, seven, six. 0:14:27.710 --> 0:14:29.950 But I'm not quite there yet. Let's go to line two. 0:14:29.990 --> 0:14:34.670 Terry from Indiana listening on WGN. You're on the air 0:14:34.670 --> 0:14:36.550 with pastor Mike Fabares. How can I help? 0:14:37.030 --> 0:14:40.030 Yes. I would like to ask you a couple questions, 0:14:40.030 --> 0:14:40.880 if I could. 0:14:40.920 --> 0:14:41.320 Sure. 0:14:41.720 --> 0:14:45.480 The first one. When Jesus was on the cross, he 0:14:45.480 --> 0:14:49.520 asked the father to forgive them. Did God forgive them? 0:14:51.000 --> 0:14:54.400 Only those who put their trust in Jesus Christ in 0:14:54.400 --> 0:14:56.640 the way that we usually think of forgiveness, that is, 0:14:56.640 --> 0:14:59.720 the forgiveness of sins and no condemnation. You're only going 0:14:59.720 --> 0:15:01.960 to get no condemnation for those in Christ. But here's 0:15:01.960 --> 0:15:04.880 the thing right now think about it today. Right now, 0:15:04.880 --> 0:15:07.200 we're in downtown Chicago right now, and there are a 0:15:07.200 --> 0:15:10.280 lot of people that are standing for all the wrong things, 0:15:10.280 --> 0:15:13.840 doing wrong things, living wrong lives. Right? In a sense, 0:15:13.840 --> 0:15:17.360 God is forgiving them. He's holding back his judgment on them. 0:15:17.360 --> 0:15:19.160 And if you think about the worst sin you could 0:15:19.200 --> 0:15:21.080 could create, I mean, it's bad enough to rob a 0:15:21.080 --> 0:15:25.280 7-Eleven or whatever. That's terrible. But to to hang the 0:15:25.280 --> 0:15:29.200 Son of God on a cross, ridicule him, mock him. Right. 0:15:29.240 --> 0:15:31.560 Hang him up there, make fun of him, and to 0:15:31.600 --> 0:15:34.920 scorn that man. That's the worst sin ever. So. God. Right? 0:15:34.960 --> 0:15:36.920 If he were to do what is just at that 0:15:36.920 --> 0:15:40.730 moment would be to annihilate everybody in the crowd. But 0:15:40.730 --> 0:15:43.370 he doesn't. And in that sense, the forgiveness and love 0:15:43.370 --> 0:15:45.690 of God is extended to those people. And I think 0:15:45.690 --> 0:15:48.330 that's what this means. It doesn't mean God give them 0:15:48.330 --> 0:15:50.930 a blanket pardon like the Pope or something, saying you 0:15:50.930 --> 0:15:53.850 get a full indulgence here. That's not what's happening. He 0:15:53.890 --> 0:15:56.770 is saying something because the most egregious sin that has 0:15:56.770 --> 0:15:59.290 ever taken place is now taking place, and that is 0:15:59.330 --> 0:16:03.530 that guilty sinners are taking the creator and crucifying him. 0:16:03.530 --> 0:16:05.210 So I think that's what this has to do with 0:16:05.250 --> 0:16:07.810 not the kind of forgiveness we see, and that there's 0:16:07.810 --> 0:16:10.650 no penalty for our sins in the afterlife. So they 0:16:10.650 --> 0:16:13.290 weren't obliterated. And in that sense, God answered the prayer. 0:16:13.290 --> 0:16:16.130 But are they in the kingdom? No, not unless they 0:16:16.130 --> 0:16:18.450 put their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. And the 0:16:18.450 --> 0:16:20.090 man on the cross standing next to him did. And 0:16:20.090 --> 0:16:22.850 I assume the Roman soldier that was standing there and saying, 0:16:22.850 --> 0:16:24.890 this surely was the Son of God probably did. And 0:16:24.890 --> 0:16:27.690 many in the crowd became followers of Christ, as we 0:16:27.690 --> 0:16:30.770 see later in the book of acts. So there's the difference. 0:16:30.770 --> 0:16:32.930 There's two kinds of forgiveness, right? There's the kind of 0:16:32.930 --> 0:16:35.930 forgiveness that says, like, we have to say, I forgive you, 0:16:35.970 --> 0:16:37.810 which means I'm going to trust the Lord to deal 0:16:37.810 --> 0:16:40.740 with you later. Right. It's not. I want God to 0:16:40.780 --> 0:16:43.020 punish you now. I'm not holding grudges. I'm not calling 0:16:43.060 --> 0:16:45.740 fire down from heaven on you. That's a kind of forgiveness. 0:16:45.740 --> 0:16:48.100 Then there's a kind of forgiveness where someone has sinned 0:16:48.100 --> 0:16:51.660 against me and they repent. They apologize, and I reconcile. 0:16:51.780 --> 0:16:54.780 There's no reconciliation in the answer to that prayer, only 0:16:54.780 --> 0:16:57.700 those individuals who trust in Christ. But there certainly was 0:16:57.700 --> 0:17:01.220 a withholding of God's wrath, which is a form of forgiveness. 0:17:01.220 --> 0:17:04.020 It's holding back what they deserve. Does that help? 0:17:04.380 --> 0:17:09.380 Yes. The other question is, did Jesus forgive Judas? 0:17:09.500 --> 0:17:11.980 Well, there's no data on that. I don't have any 0:17:11.980 --> 0:17:14.980 information on that. But since he calls him in his prayer, 0:17:15.020 --> 0:17:17.100 the son of perdition, he says in the upper room 0:17:17.100 --> 0:17:19.820 that he is the son of punishment. I think, no, 0:17:19.820 --> 0:17:24.139 there's no eternal forgiveness for Judas because he's he's going 0:17:24.140 --> 0:17:26.580 to a place of punishment. And Jesus said, better for you. 0:17:26.619 --> 0:17:29.420 Were you not even born? So, no, I don't think 0:17:29.420 --> 0:17:31.620 there's any kind of forgiveness. Again, if we're thinking about 0:17:31.619 --> 0:17:34.820 the forgiveness that I want my friends, neighbors and non-Christian 0:17:34.820 --> 0:17:37.710 family members to get hold of, right? Which is to 0:17:37.750 --> 0:17:41.830 have your sins forgiven so you never have to face judgment. Uh, no, 0:17:41.830 --> 0:17:44.790 I don't think Judas received that because God was clear 0:17:44.790 --> 0:17:47.270 in the words of Christ that he is the child 0:17:47.270 --> 0:17:49.710 of punishment or the child of destruction. He would be 0:17:49.710 --> 0:17:53.030 punished eternally. And I think that's exactly where he is today. 0:17:53.830 --> 0:17:54.390 Thank you. 0:17:54.430 --> 0:17:57.109 Okay, Terry, thanks for listening. Thanks for the call. My 0:17:57.109 --> 0:17:59.550 name is Mike Faber, sitting in today for doctor Ray Delic. 0:17:59.550 --> 0:18:01.150 Let's go to line one. Had a lot of line 0:18:01.150 --> 0:18:03.389 one calls here even though we have 12 lines here. 0:18:03.390 --> 0:18:06.310 But let's go to line one. Lou Ann you're on 0:18:06.310 --> 0:18:08.110 the air with pastor Mike. How can I help? 0:18:08.790 --> 0:18:12.790 Oh, pastor Mike, thank you so much. And, Trish, thank you. 0:18:13.030 --> 0:18:13.950 Um, Trish. 0:18:14.710 --> 0:18:17.310 God bless her. Yes. God bless her. She looked up 0:18:17.310 --> 0:18:20.389 my verse. Um, I want to know. Yeah, because I 0:18:20.390 --> 0:18:22.629 didn't I wasn't sure where it was. I sad, but 0:18:22.630 --> 0:18:26.990 I'm in the car and I don't have, um, available stuff, so, um, anyway, 0:18:27.070 --> 0:18:30.350 when when the third temple is to be built. Yes. 0:18:30.390 --> 0:18:32.830 And I know there's some people that think that we 0:18:32.830 --> 0:18:35.720 are the temple. You know, we are the temple after all, 0:18:35.720 --> 0:18:38.600 so maybe it won't be built. However, it seems like 0:18:38.600 --> 0:18:41.880 it is built. But, um, my question is when that 0:18:42.160 --> 0:18:45.879 person comes in from the east and it seems to 0:18:45.920 --> 0:18:51.480 appear that that that is God or the Messiah, um, 0:18:52.119 --> 0:18:56.800 but then he gives sacrifice. He offers sacrifice as a bull, 0:18:56.800 --> 0:18:59.160 so it can't be. Jesus. We know he has no sin. 0:18:59.160 --> 0:19:02.520 There's nothing to sacrifice for him. Correct? 0:19:02.560 --> 0:19:05.399 Well, remember that a lot of the sacrifices, if you 0:19:05.400 --> 0:19:09.040 think about the high priestly sacrifice, was a sacrifice on 0:19:09.040 --> 0:19:14.200 behalf of the nation. So just because someone sacrifices, right. 0:19:14.240 --> 0:19:15.600 It says in the book of Hebrews, they have to 0:19:15.600 --> 0:19:18.480 sacrifice first for their own sin, and they sacrifice for 0:19:18.480 --> 0:19:22.280 the others. So I don't think that necessarily excludes him 0:19:22.280 --> 0:19:25.480 from that. And remember the sacrifices that are going on 0:19:25.480 --> 0:19:27.280 in that temple, which I do believe is going to 0:19:27.280 --> 0:19:29.600 be built, because he sure went to a lot of 0:19:29.600 --> 0:19:32.440 of detail about the measurements. If this is just symbolic 0:19:32.440 --> 0:19:34.450 of the church. So I believe it's literal, as Doctor 0:19:34.450 --> 0:19:37.810 Riddell would often say. But here's the deal, right? These 0:19:37.810 --> 0:19:41.250 are all about ceremonial uncleanness. These are all about having 0:19:41.250 --> 0:19:44.129 done the right regulations to be in sync with the 0:19:44.130 --> 0:19:46.610 people on the Temple Mount and all the rest. So 0:19:46.690 --> 0:19:51.210 I do think it's possible that this could be Jesus. And, um, 0:19:51.450 --> 0:19:53.210 you know, there's a lot about this that we're going 0:19:53.250 --> 0:19:54.810 to have to wait and see how it plays out, 0:19:54.810 --> 0:19:56.690 even the role of David and all of this, because 0:19:56.690 --> 0:19:59.090 it talks about him being a part of it. So 0:19:59.130 --> 0:20:02.449 I'm not sure. Uh, but I don't think just because 0:20:02.450 --> 0:20:05.810 there's a sacrifice administered by a priest that that particular 0:20:05.810 --> 0:20:08.929 sacrifice couldn't be done by a holy one, because it 0:20:08.930 --> 0:20:11.730 is often done for the sins of others, as is 0:20:11.730 --> 0:20:14.810 spelled out even in the book of Leviticus. Does that help? 0:20:16.130 --> 0:20:19.890 Yes. Where Scripture in Leviticus should I look? 0:20:19.930 --> 0:20:22.570 Well, uh, you know, I'm thinking, first of all, even 0:20:22.570 --> 0:20:24.770 at the beginning, in chapter one, verse four, it talks 0:20:24.770 --> 0:20:27.890 about the worshiper coming and and the priest making him 0:20:27.890 --> 0:20:30.770 lay his hand on the head of the animal, and 0:20:30.770 --> 0:20:33.820 it being accepted for his sin. So the priest there 0:20:33.820 --> 0:20:37.580 is accepting a sacrifice and administering the sacrifice on behalf 0:20:37.580 --> 0:20:39.820 of the sin of the person bringing the animal. That's 0:20:39.820 --> 0:20:42.580 Leviticus one four. That's how the whole book starts. And 0:20:42.580 --> 0:20:45.580 I do think that is the picture. Often, even though 0:20:45.740 --> 0:20:49.100 Hebrews points out, you know, sinful priests in human priests 0:20:49.100 --> 0:20:51.740 at least are sinful and have to sacrifice for their 0:20:51.740 --> 0:20:54.340 own sins as well as the sins of the people. 0:20:54.340 --> 0:20:58.180 So it starts immediately with one example of someone taking 0:20:58.180 --> 0:21:00.939 a sacrifice, administering the sacrifice, but doing it for the 0:21:00.940 --> 0:21:04.180 one sin who has come and worship. Does that help? 0:21:04.500 --> 0:21:06.100 Excellent. Oh, absolutely. 0:21:06.140 --> 0:21:08.220 All right, Lou Ann, love you. Yeah. Thank you so 0:21:08.220 --> 0:21:10.660 much for listening out there in Indianapolis. You ever been 0:21:10.660 --> 0:21:12.700 to the race out there, that big car? 0:21:13.380 --> 0:21:13.820 Who hasn't? 0:21:13.859 --> 0:21:18.140 Who hasn't? Well, I haven't. I guess if I live there, I. Well, 0:21:18.140 --> 0:21:20.220 you have me out and I'll go watch those cars 0:21:20.260 --> 0:21:21.660 go in circles all day. 0:21:21.700 --> 0:21:22.500 You know, I would. 0:21:22.540 --> 0:21:24.740 That'd be fun. All right, let's go to line three. 0:21:24.740 --> 0:21:27.739 Bill from New Lenox, Illinois. You're on the air with 0:21:27.740 --> 0:21:29.540 pastor Mike Fabares. How can I help? 0:21:30.700 --> 0:21:35.070 Hi. Thank you for taking my call. Um, I've always 0:21:35.070 --> 0:21:38.390 had the thought that it's about a timeline where the 0:21:38.390 --> 0:21:43.430 Bible says that, um, Satan and his angels were cast 0:21:43.430 --> 0:21:47.430 out of heaven and thrown down to earth. My question is, 0:21:47.990 --> 0:21:50.390 when that happened, nobody knows when it happened, but when 0:21:50.390 --> 0:21:53.190 it did happen, there should not have been an earth 0:21:53.190 --> 0:21:56.390 to throw them to. If the creation was when God 0:21:56.390 --> 0:22:03.389 created the heavens and the earth, um, meaning maybe they 0:22:03.390 --> 0:22:06.910 they were on the earth way before God created the 0:22:06.910 --> 0:22:10.109 heavens and the earth or or created the earth for 0:22:10.109 --> 0:22:13.070 human beings. So that would be okay. 0:22:13.109 --> 0:22:15.590 I think there's a conflation of a few ideas here, 0:22:15.630 --> 0:22:18.790 because Ezekiel 28 and Isaiah 14 talking about the fall 0:22:18.790 --> 0:22:22.870 of Satan and the statement in revelation 12, verse four, 0:22:22.910 --> 0:22:25.150 about the third of the angels being swept out and 0:22:25.150 --> 0:22:27.830 thrown down to earth. I think what's going on in 0:22:27.830 --> 0:22:31.720 revelation 12th May talk about the number of demons, but 0:22:31.720 --> 0:22:35.280 it doesn't deal with the ancient casting out, or at 0:22:35.320 --> 0:22:37.320 least the fall of Satan, I don't believe. I think 0:22:37.320 --> 0:22:39.280 it has to do with them no longer being able 0:22:39.280 --> 0:22:43.440 to come before God at that particular point in the tribulation. 0:22:43.440 --> 0:22:45.600 And you think about job. Of course, even Satan himself 0:22:45.600 --> 0:22:48.040 is coming before God in this divine council or whatever 0:22:48.040 --> 0:22:49.919 you'd like to call it. I call it a heavenly 0:22:49.920 --> 0:22:53.119 board meeting. And sometimes the enemies come to this board meeting. 0:22:53.119 --> 0:22:57.120 So I don't think that it necessitates that the fall 0:22:57.119 --> 0:23:00.280 of Satan is taking place when the earth is built. 0:23:00.280 --> 0:23:03.000 Although most people, I think, would believe that when I'm 0:23:03.000 --> 0:23:05.280 asked the question, I think I'm not sure when it 0:23:05.280 --> 0:23:07.560 all took place. Here's what some people would say it 0:23:07.560 --> 0:23:11.160 had to be after the earth was made, because God 0:23:11.160 --> 0:23:13.880 said it's all good all the way through, you know, 0:23:13.920 --> 0:23:16.040 the sixth day. And so if he's saying it's good, 0:23:16.040 --> 0:23:19.879 it's good, it's good, then, you know, Satan couldn't have fallen. Well, 0:23:19.880 --> 0:23:23.639 I think he's talking about creation itself. So if and 0:23:23.640 --> 0:23:25.960 here's why some people are looking for a timeline that 0:23:25.960 --> 0:23:29.780 gives us some prehistoric Historic past that is built into 0:23:29.780 --> 0:23:32.940 the story about an Earth is usually because they're looking 0:23:32.940 --> 0:23:35.620 at paleontologists and geologists that are saying, oh, these rocks 0:23:35.619 --> 0:23:37.580 are billions of years old, and these dinosaurs lived on 0:23:37.580 --> 0:23:40.420 the Earth years, you know, eons ago. And so this 0:23:40.460 --> 0:23:42.859 kind of gives Christians some hope that maybe we can 0:23:42.859 --> 0:23:46.220 harmonize with the geologists and paleontologists are saying with what 0:23:46.220 --> 0:23:49.300 the theologians are saying, and I'm not buying that, and 0:23:49.300 --> 0:23:51.020 I don't I don't want to go there because everything 0:23:51.020 --> 0:23:54.780 that God creates, right, he creates mature. And everything we 0:23:54.780 --> 0:23:58.180 see in Jesus's ministry, he creates things that have an, a, a, 0:23:58.740 --> 0:24:01.540 an appearance of a history and age they never had. Right? 0:24:01.540 --> 0:24:03.260 I believe that Adam and Eve were were made, and 0:24:03.260 --> 0:24:05.459 when they were five minutes old, they looked like they were, whatever, 0:24:05.460 --> 0:24:08.340 30 years old. So I don't think it's any problem 0:24:08.340 --> 0:24:12.859 to have, for instance, parent isotopes in Iraq and daughter 0:24:12.859 --> 0:24:14.699 isotopes in Iraq. If you want to get down to 0:24:14.700 --> 0:24:17.139 the molecular structure of these rocks, that they have to 0:24:17.140 --> 0:24:19.219 be this old, because look at the balance of the 0:24:19.220 --> 0:24:22.300 way this atomic decay works. I just don't think that's 0:24:22.300 --> 0:24:24.100 how it is. I don't think I have to say 0:24:24.100 --> 0:24:27.310 Iraq is this old. I think God creates rocks. that 0:24:27.310 --> 0:24:29.350 are ready to be rocks right out of the box. 0:24:29.350 --> 0:24:31.949 So here's the. That rhymes I didn't, I didn't I 0:24:31.950 --> 0:24:35.190 didn't anticipate that. So here's the thing. What I'm doing 0:24:35.190 --> 0:24:37.390 as a Christian is looking at the biblical data and 0:24:37.390 --> 0:24:39.230 some things I think I don't know when it happened 0:24:39.270 --> 0:24:41.590 and I really don't know when Satan fell. It could 0:24:41.630 --> 0:24:44.669 have been after creation of the world. It could have been. 0:24:44.670 --> 0:24:47.910 And some people think that because they say Satan is 0:24:47.910 --> 0:24:50.910 jealous of what's going on with this new creation, I 0:24:50.910 --> 0:24:53.230 don't know. I think he's a little more complicated than that, 0:24:53.230 --> 0:24:55.510 but I don't know. I don't really have a good answer, 0:24:55.510 --> 0:24:58.310 but we'll find out one day about that. And I 0:24:58.310 --> 0:25:01.790 think dinosaurs fit into human reality. I think it comes 0:25:01.790 --> 0:25:04.150 to the pre-flood world, where we had a world that 0:25:04.150 --> 0:25:07.310 was much more conducive to life. That's why they lived 0:25:07.310 --> 0:25:09.909 to be over 900 years old. Human beings did, and 0:25:09.910 --> 0:25:12.510 I think we could have a world that could sustain 0:25:12.510 --> 0:25:16.430 with the kind of tropical universal world we had, you know, 0:25:16.470 --> 0:25:19.630 animals like dinosaurs. And that's not the world we had 0:25:19.630 --> 0:25:21.869 after the flood, because people started to die at 100 0:25:21.869 --> 0:25:25.110 within a matter of generations, and dinosaurs went away, and 0:25:25.109 --> 0:25:28.760 there in the catastrophic strata of our rocks that came, 0:25:28.760 --> 0:25:30.520 I believe, from the flood. Does that help, Bill? 0:25:31.560 --> 0:25:33.360 That helps a lot. Thank you very much. 0:25:33.440 --> 0:25:36.600 Well, there's the music, and that means I can't keep talking. 0:25:36.600 --> 0:25:38.720 That's how it works around here. We got a mailbag 0:25:38.720 --> 0:25:41.520 segment coming up. Trish is going to come in and 0:25:41.520 --> 0:25:43.840 tell us what's on the mailbag. What's in the mailbag. 0:25:43.840 --> 0:25:47.240 This is open line with Doctor Michael Riedel on Moody 0:25:47.240 --> 0:25:49.679 Radio I'm Mike Faber sitting in today. And we'll be 0:25:49.680 --> 0:25:51.280 back right after this break. 0:26:01.000 --> 0:26:04.200 We're so glad that Febc partners with Open Line with 0:26:04.200 --> 0:26:08.760 Doctor Michael Redlick, bringing the Febc mailbag every week. Learn 0:26:08.760 --> 0:26:11.679 how Far East Broadcasting Company is taking Christ to the 0:26:11.680 --> 0:26:16.160 world at febc. Org on their weekly podcast. Until all 0:26:16.160 --> 0:26:19.080 I've heard with Ed Cannon, you'll hear stories of lives 0:26:19.080 --> 0:26:22.880 changed by Messiah all across the globe. Again. You can 0:26:22.880 --> 0:26:28.609 hear the podcast when you visit Febc. Org. That's Febc. Org. 0:26:37.330 --> 0:26:40.250 Welcome back to Openline. I'm doctor Mike Fabares filling in 0:26:40.290 --> 0:26:43.330 for Doctor Michael Melnick today. And I got to tell you, Febc, 0:26:43.369 --> 0:26:47.210 you just heard that commercial great ministry doing great things. 0:26:47.210 --> 0:26:48.890 You should hear some of the stories, which I get 0:26:48.890 --> 0:26:51.490 to hear, which even go beyond what is broadcast on 0:26:51.530 --> 0:26:54.730 the on the radio. They're just doing amazing things, getting 0:26:54.730 --> 0:26:57.810 the gospel all over the world. It's a great ministry. 0:26:57.810 --> 0:27:00.490 I hope you pray for them. I know Doctor Riddell 0:27:00.730 --> 0:27:03.530 loves what they're doing there at Febc and so do I. Anyway, 0:27:03.530 --> 0:27:07.850 it's mailbag time and that's when Trish the getting shouts 0:27:07.890 --> 0:27:11.610 shout outs everywhere. Today you're helping people find verses in 0:27:11.609 --> 0:27:14.810 the Bible. What an amazing person this is. Trish McMillan 0:27:14.810 --> 0:27:17.090 is here with me and we got the mailbag. So 0:27:17.090 --> 0:27:19.890 what do we have in the mailbag? This segment. 0:27:19.890 --> 0:27:22.330 All right joy is our first one from Illinois. She 0:27:22.330 --> 0:27:26.660 listens to WNBA and has taken us to revelation 22, 0:27:26.700 --> 0:27:31.260 verse 15, which says. Outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, 0:27:31.260 --> 0:27:34.860 the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who 0:27:34.859 --> 0:27:39.540 loves and practices lying. So this is in the New Jerusalem. Um, 0:27:39.580 --> 0:27:41.780 and so she said, shouldn't there be. No, there's no 0:27:41.780 --> 0:27:44.660 curse on anything in God's living with his people. He 0:27:44.700 --> 0:27:48.820 himself is their source of light. So where are these immoral, 0:27:49.220 --> 0:27:54.500 these sorcerers, murderers, idolaters coming from? That they'll live outside 0:27:54.500 --> 0:27:58.100 the city. I thought that old things were all made new. Um, 0:27:58.500 --> 0:28:01.060 what are these things, and why are they there? 0:28:01.100 --> 0:28:04.180 Yeah. Well, when you get there, you get Zillow right 0:28:04.180 --> 0:28:07.340 away and get, get don't get anywhere near the walls 0:28:07.820 --> 0:28:09.700 because the housing prices. 0:28:09.900 --> 0:28:11.300 Location, location, location. 0:28:11.340 --> 0:28:13.379 That's right. You don't want me near the wall. Okay. 0:28:13.420 --> 0:28:15.660 I know that's how we envision it. We read that passage, 0:28:15.660 --> 0:28:18.379 we think, oh, it's right there. Right. I'm going to 0:28:18.420 --> 0:28:20.660 look out the window of the walls of the New Jerusalem, 0:28:20.660 --> 0:28:22.869 and I'm going to see all these people scratching at 0:28:22.869 --> 0:28:26.310 the wall. That's not it. Uh, outside means outside. Let 0:28:26.310 --> 0:28:29.030 me put it this way. Way outside. Even think about 0:28:29.030 --> 0:28:31.030 the fact that Jesus says he is the light. We 0:28:31.030 --> 0:28:33.510 don't even need sun because Jesus is there, illuminating the 0:28:33.510 --> 0:28:36.390 whole place. Well, Jesus said, if you're lost, you're going 0:28:36.390 --> 0:28:39.310 to go into outer darkness where there's weeping, wailing, and 0:28:39.310 --> 0:28:41.830 gnashing of teeth, as it says in Second Thessalonians one. 0:28:41.830 --> 0:28:44.790 I think it's verse seven. You're away from the presence 0:28:44.790 --> 0:28:46.710 of the Lord and the glory of his power. You're 0:28:46.710 --> 0:28:50.350 nowhere near it. You're outside. But outside is a relative term. 0:28:50.390 --> 0:28:54.430 How far outside are the lost? Way, way, way outside. 0:28:54.510 --> 0:28:58.830 They're in isolation. They're not anywhere near us. They're outside. 0:28:58.830 --> 0:29:01.790 So outside just means outside. Which I think should mean this, 0:29:02.150 --> 0:29:05.390 that there's none of these people there. That's the whole point. 0:29:05.390 --> 0:29:09.550 The New Jerusalem is filled with glorified saints, glorified Christians, 0:29:09.550 --> 0:29:13.070 glorified people, and the Lord Jesus Christ himself. And as 0:29:13.070 --> 0:29:16.390 it says in Psalm 16, think about this verse 11, 0:29:16.430 --> 0:29:19.350 right in the presence of God, there's fullness of joy 0:29:19.550 --> 0:29:22.479 right at his right hand. There are pleasures forevermore, so 0:29:22.480 --> 0:29:24.280 you're not going to be looking out the window of 0:29:24.280 --> 0:29:27.360 your of your home thinking, I'm near the wall. I'm 0:29:27.360 --> 0:29:29.800 looking over the wall here in my high rise condo, 0:29:29.800 --> 0:29:32.280 and I'm seeing all these non-Christians out there begging to 0:29:32.280 --> 0:29:35.160 get in. That's not how this is. There an outer darkness. 0:29:35.240 --> 0:29:37.719 We are in light. They are in away from the 0:29:37.720 --> 0:29:40.120 presence of the Lord. Way far. And so you're not 0:29:40.120 --> 0:29:42.000 you're not going to see them there, trust me. 0:29:42.720 --> 0:29:46.880 So for someone who's listening, who's like, oh no, I 0:29:47.000 --> 0:29:48.840 don't want to be in that outer darkness. 0:29:48.880 --> 0:29:49.360 Yes. 0:29:49.600 --> 0:29:51.800 Um, how do I make sure I'm in that city? 0:29:51.840 --> 0:29:54.080 You should pay attention to Moody radio is what you 0:29:54.080 --> 0:29:56.120 should do. Because we're going to tell you in every 0:29:56.120 --> 0:29:58.760 different way we can. You've got to admit. Number one, 0:29:58.760 --> 0:30:01.960 the bad news. You're a sinner. You do not qualify. 0:30:02.000 --> 0:30:04.600 No one does. The best person you know does not qualify. 0:30:04.600 --> 0:30:05.880 Don't tell me you're going to heaven because you're a 0:30:05.880 --> 0:30:07.880 good person. Because Jesus said there is no one good 0:30:07.920 --> 0:30:10.880 except God alone. Read Romans chapter three. All of us 0:30:10.880 --> 0:30:13.640 are sinners. Then read Romans chapter four. The only way 0:30:13.640 --> 0:30:16.680 to get right with God to be counted as righteous, 0:30:16.960 --> 0:30:19.530 is to put your trust in the finished work of Christ. 0:30:19.530 --> 0:30:22.730 He lived a perfect human life in your place. He 0:30:22.730 --> 0:30:26.209 died on a cross to absorb the penalty of your sin. 0:30:26.210 --> 0:30:28.410 Trust him. He rose from the dead to prove that 0:30:28.410 --> 0:30:30.570 it all worked, and you need to put your trust 0:30:30.570 --> 0:30:33.570 in him. So let Mike Fabares paraphrase of the gospel 0:30:33.730 --> 0:30:35.690 be the trigger right now in your heart to get 0:30:35.690 --> 0:30:38.490 down on your knees and to say, God, I'm a sinner. 0:30:38.530 --> 0:30:41.890 I see the problem, I need you. Throw yourself on 0:30:41.890 --> 0:30:44.250 his mercy today as a sinner and you will get 0:30:44.290 --> 0:30:48.010 off your knees justified. So do that. And that's how 0:30:48.010 --> 0:30:49.450 you get a place in the kingdom. 0:30:50.730 --> 0:30:53.770 If if that's something you're interested in, more information, or 0:30:53.770 --> 0:30:55.730 you've been talking with a friend and you want to 0:30:55.730 --> 0:30:58.170 get them more information, if you go to our website, 0:30:58.170 --> 0:31:03.450 our website, openline radio Dot, and then the top right corner, um, 0:31:03.490 --> 0:31:06.770 on on a computer or it's in the drop down 0:31:06.770 --> 0:31:09.850 menu of the little three hamburger thing on the on 0:31:09.890 --> 0:31:15.170 a mobile app. Um, click on Know Christ. And that 0:31:15.170 --> 0:31:16.690 will take you to a page where there's a lot 0:31:16.690 --> 0:31:20.140 more information and you can, um, get some information sent 0:31:20.140 --> 0:31:23.940 to you. And, um, it's laid out with verses and 0:31:23.940 --> 0:31:25.940 different things that you can look at. So open line 0:31:25.940 --> 0:31:28.500 radio.org and then find the link in the top right 0:31:28.500 --> 0:31:31.460 corner that says Know Christ. And we'd love to get 0:31:31.460 --> 0:31:34.260 you some more information. If you have questions or you 0:31:34.300 --> 0:31:38.340 have done that today and made that decision. Our next 0:31:38.340 --> 0:31:41.260 question is from Sue in Illinois, who was reading Matthew 0:31:41.620 --> 0:31:46.020 and started thinking about God talking. Uh, so Mary and 0:31:46.020 --> 0:31:49.740 Joseph being the earthly parents of Jesus, and where God's 0:31:49.740 --> 0:31:51.740 talking to Joseph about where to go, why he had 0:31:51.740 --> 0:31:56.900 to leave. Um, when Herod goes to kill all the 0:31:56.900 --> 0:32:00.900 babies and the angel comes and says, you need to leave. Um, 0:32:01.140 --> 0:32:05.620 would Mary and Joseph not have known about the prophecy 0:32:05.620 --> 0:32:08.380 about Herod and him wanting to kill Jesus from the 0:32:08.380 --> 0:32:12.500 Old Testament? So this is Matthew 217 and 18, which says, 0:32:12.820 --> 0:32:15.980 then what was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled. 0:32:16.020 --> 0:32:19.230 A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, 0:32:19.390 --> 0:32:22.030 Rachel weeping for her children, and she refused to be 0:32:22.270 --> 0:32:24.229 consoled because they were no more. 0:32:24.910 --> 0:32:28.070 Well, we have to remember, Matthew is not only giving 0:32:28.070 --> 0:32:33.510 us prophecies that are fulfilled, that are clearly understood in 0:32:33.510 --> 0:32:37.190 the day as a messianic prophecy, but he's also tying 0:32:37.190 --> 0:32:41.390 things together that I sometimes would call a messianic prophecy. 0:32:41.550 --> 0:32:44.550 Category two there are things that fit and there are 0:32:44.550 --> 0:32:48.150 things that work. And he's tying them together. Because obviously, 0:32:48.150 --> 0:32:51.070 in retrospect, yeah, this fits. I don't think anyone in 0:32:51.070 --> 0:32:55.710 the first century ever interpreted Jeremiah 31 as a messianic prophecy. 0:32:56.350 --> 0:32:59.790 Matthew is writing to a very different audience than Luke. 0:32:59.830 --> 0:33:01.910 Luke doesn't do this kind of thing, right. He may 0:33:01.950 --> 0:33:04.590 talk about prophecies in Luke chapter one and two, but 0:33:04.590 --> 0:33:07.590 they're always about things that are clearly messianic. Here we 0:33:07.590 --> 0:33:10.390 have something that is of a different category. And Matthew 0:33:10.430 --> 0:33:13.350 loves to do this. He's tying in things that fit 0:33:13.350 --> 0:33:17.160 and just like that historic situation. Jeremiah 31 fit what 0:33:17.160 --> 0:33:19.400 was going on. Then it also fit what was going 0:33:19.400 --> 0:33:21.560 on under Herod. So no one would read that and say, oh, 0:33:21.600 --> 0:33:23.720 of course we know that right now in the first century, 0:33:23.720 --> 0:33:25.760 they're going to try to kill Jesus. And we better 0:33:25.760 --> 0:33:27.120 get out of here because all the babies are going 0:33:27.120 --> 0:33:29.760 to be killed. No. It fits. It fits the weeping. 0:33:29.760 --> 0:33:33.200 It fits the the per the prophecy. But it wasn't 0:33:33.200 --> 0:33:36.080 one that you'd say. If that didn't happen, Jesus wouldn't 0:33:36.080 --> 0:33:38.680 be the Messiah. Look at it that way. Right? Is 0:33:38.680 --> 0:33:42.880 it a a true what I call first category messianic prophecy? 0:33:42.880 --> 0:33:46.200 Would Christ still be Christ if those kids weren't killed? 0:33:46.200 --> 0:33:48.760 And we would say, well, sure, because this isn't one 0:33:48.760 --> 0:33:50.920 that says the Messiah has to have this happen, but 0:33:50.920 --> 0:33:53.640 it is one that fits. And because it fits right. 0:33:53.680 --> 0:33:55.760 I don't know how Doctor Redlich would put this, but 0:33:55.840 --> 0:33:59.280 I have to see two different kinds of messianic prophecy, 0:33:59.320 --> 0:34:01.360 and the ones that fit are beautiful, right? The things 0:34:01.360 --> 0:34:03.720 in the tabernacle, the things in the temple, they fit right. 0:34:03.760 --> 0:34:06.480 But it's not because I'm looking at the Tabernacle description 0:34:06.480 --> 0:34:08.640 and saying, well, that's Jesus right there. And if I 0:34:08.640 --> 0:34:10.200 know the Messiah is coming, it's going to be that 0:34:10.200 --> 0:34:12.120 he's going to be the bread of life. I don't know, 0:34:12.120 --> 0:34:14.210 I wouldn't have known that. I've got to look back 0:34:14.210 --> 0:34:15.930 on it and see it. I've got to read John 0:34:15.930 --> 0:34:19.810 six before I can make the connection to the showbread. So, um, yeah, 0:34:19.810 --> 0:34:23.090 that's what Matthew is filled with, those kinds of allusions 0:34:23.090 --> 0:34:26.450 and references. Do you follow? One is a predictive prophecy. 0:34:26.489 --> 0:34:29.650 Another one is a retrospective prophecy. And I'm just creating 0:34:29.650 --> 0:34:31.529 categories here. I'm going to put that in my in 0:34:31.570 --> 0:34:34.170 my systematic theology book, Retrospective Prophecies. 0:34:34.210 --> 0:34:34.649 I like that. 0:34:34.690 --> 0:34:36.330 I've just coined that. Write it down and put a 0:34:36.330 --> 0:34:39.570 TM next to it. I've just trademarked that little phrase. 0:34:39.610 --> 0:34:42.089 So would that be similar to how we we would 0:34:42.090 --> 0:34:47.370 the retrospective prophecy where we could see something and say, um, oh, 0:34:47.410 --> 0:34:49.770 this is how this applies to my life. Like, is 0:34:49.770 --> 0:34:53.130 it more of an application or. No, it's a separate category. 0:34:54.010 --> 0:34:56.130 Yeah. Here's a line that C.S. Lewis wrote in a 0:34:56.130 --> 0:34:58.610 little book called reflections in the Psalms. He talks about 0:34:58.650 --> 0:35:01.170 somebody who was in a bathhouse in the ancient world 0:35:01.170 --> 0:35:04.090 and said, is your water hot enough in this bathhouse? 0:35:04.130 --> 0:35:05.930 He said, well, it'll be hot, hot soon enough. And 0:35:05.930 --> 0:35:10.090 then that night, the bathhouse burns down. And I'm recalling 0:35:10.090 --> 0:35:13.100 a 25 year old memory of reading this book. But 0:35:13.460 --> 0:35:16.220 he says, is that true? Yeah, well, it is hot 0:35:16.219 --> 0:35:19.420 enough when it burned down, right? All the water was boiling. 0:35:19.420 --> 0:35:22.500 But that's not what he meant. Does it fit? It fits. 0:35:22.500 --> 0:35:25.819 And I think some things, particularly in the Psalms, are messianic. 0:35:25.820 --> 0:35:28.340 Only looking back at them and saying, oh, this fits. 0:35:28.540 --> 0:35:30.100 So I don't think it's the way we want to 0:35:30.100 --> 0:35:32.580 read scripture for our lives, right? We want to read 0:35:32.580 --> 0:35:34.500 Scripture for our lives knowing that Jesus said, in this 0:35:34.500 --> 0:35:36.500 world you will have tribulation, not just the disciples, but 0:35:36.500 --> 0:35:39.380 all of us, or there'll be glory in the church, right? 0:35:39.420 --> 0:35:42.660 Ephesians three to all generations we can see what applies 0:35:42.660 --> 0:35:45.339 to us. Now do some things fit? You may have 0:35:45.340 --> 0:35:47.660 brothers that don't like you, and you say, it's just 0:35:47.660 --> 0:35:49.980 it's like me and Joseph, okay? But it's not a 0:35:49.980 --> 0:35:51.540 prophecy that all of us are going to have an 0:35:51.540 --> 0:35:54.180 experience like Joseph had. But it fits your life, right. 0:35:54.180 --> 0:35:55.580 And I think a lot of things were written that 0:35:55.580 --> 0:35:57.660 way in Matthew. And a lot of the messianic Psalms 0:35:57.660 --> 0:36:00.500 that are quoted in Matthew are those kinds of, uh, 0:36:00.540 --> 0:36:02.660 what did I call it? Retrospective, prospective. 0:36:02.660 --> 0:36:03.460 Prophecy. I wrote it. 0:36:03.460 --> 0:36:06.100 Down, right down. I won't like that. You ask him. 0:36:06.100 --> 0:36:08.299 He's he's the brainiac. He'll say, I don't think that's 0:36:08.300 --> 0:36:08.980 quite right. 0:36:08.980 --> 0:36:09.380 But. 0:36:09.780 --> 0:36:10.620 I think it's right. 0:36:10.660 --> 0:36:12.710 All right. Thank you for that question, Sue. And for 0:36:12.710 --> 0:36:18.270 the answer. John in Indiana listens to, uh, Deuteronomy 32 eight. 0:36:18.310 --> 0:36:21.229 So we're going all the way back, uh, says when 0:36:21.230 --> 0:36:24.190 the Most High gave the nations their inheritance and divided 0:36:24.190 --> 0:36:27.589 the human race, he set the boundaries of the peoples 0:36:27.590 --> 0:36:31.990 according to the number of the people of Israel. Um, 0:36:32.030 --> 0:36:35.990 often the footnotes can help us understand passages better. They'll give, 0:36:36.030 --> 0:36:39.270 you know, definitions for names or or how how much 0:36:39.310 --> 0:36:41.990 weight something was for, for a thing that we don't 0:36:42.030 --> 0:36:45.029 way we don't use anymore as a measurement. Um, in 0:36:45.030 --> 0:36:48.670 this question, John says the footnote for number, the people 0:36:48.670 --> 0:36:52.750 of Israel, number of the people of Israel, um, says 0:36:52.750 --> 0:36:57.830 one Dead Sea scroll reads number of the Son of God. 0:36:58.510 --> 0:37:01.790 And the Septuagint says, which is the Greek translation of 0:37:01.790 --> 0:37:04.870 the Old Testament reads number of the angels of God. 0:37:05.430 --> 0:37:08.430 What do these variants mean, and what is the correct 0:37:08.469 --> 0:37:10.440 translation of this phrase. 0:37:10.480 --> 0:37:13.520 Well, I read a book called The Dead Sea Scrolls 0:37:13.520 --> 0:37:16.839 and Modern Translations. And when, of course, it only applies 0:37:16.840 --> 0:37:20.000 to the Old Testament. But there are some very interesting 0:37:20.000 --> 0:37:23.000 things that after the mid part of the 21st century, 0:37:23.120 --> 0:37:25.680 20th century, rather, when we found the Dead Sea Scrolls, 0:37:25.960 --> 0:37:29.600 we saw readings that matched the Septuagint. Now the Septuagint 0:37:29.600 --> 0:37:33.400 predated Christ, right? This is Alexander the Great, Hellenized, the 0:37:33.400 --> 0:37:36.080 ancient world. He had his scholars translate all the important 0:37:36.080 --> 0:37:38.239 books to put in the Library of Alexandria. And of course, 0:37:38.239 --> 0:37:39.600 the Bible was going to be a part of that. 0:37:39.600 --> 0:37:41.839 So the 39 books of the Old Testament were translated 0:37:41.840 --> 0:37:45.359 into Greek. Now, that's an early testimony to what the 0:37:45.360 --> 0:37:50.200 Jewish text of the pre first century Jewish texts look like. Well, 0:37:50.200 --> 0:37:52.800 the Masoretic Text that most of us have followed because 0:37:52.800 --> 0:37:55.799 the Jews had scribes that were professional and they had 0:37:55.800 --> 0:38:02.440 very careful, fastidious rules of translation. Our earliest extant manuscripts 0:38:02.440 --> 0:38:06.239 of that are, generally speaking, ninth, 10th century AD so 0:38:06.239 --> 0:38:09.129 there's a thousand year gap, 1300 year gap may be 0:38:09.130 --> 0:38:13.530 as much as between the Septuagint and the Masoretic Text, 0:38:13.530 --> 0:38:15.890 at least the existing manuscripts that we can look at 0:38:15.890 --> 0:38:18.130 in museums. Well, then you have the Dead Sea Scrolls 0:38:18.130 --> 0:38:20.010 that are found, and they go all the way back 0:38:20.010 --> 0:38:22.530 to before the time of Christ, at least a century 0:38:22.530 --> 0:38:24.570 or two before the time of Christ, when they were written. 0:38:24.770 --> 0:38:28.850 And those Dead Sea Scroll discoveries are in Hebrew. And 0:38:28.850 --> 0:38:31.050 so we think, okay, well, that may be more reliable 0:38:31.050 --> 0:38:34.330 than some Greek scholar who translates it in the third 0:38:34.330 --> 0:38:38.089 or second century BC. But when those two agree with 0:38:38.090 --> 0:38:41.170 each other, it certainly makes scholars say, wow, I wonder 0:38:41.450 --> 0:38:44.209 if there is any way there might have crept in. 0:38:44.210 --> 0:38:47.130 A variant among the Masoretic texts that we have in 0:38:47.130 --> 0:38:51.609 libraries and museums now to the ninth, 10th, 11th century A.D., 0:38:51.810 --> 0:38:54.690 because it's a much earlier set of witnesses. And this 0:38:55.010 --> 0:38:58.090 and this is one passage, by the way, uh, where 0:38:58.250 --> 0:39:00.569 most modern translations say, I do think it's the sons 0:39:00.570 --> 0:39:03.570 of God, which means angels. That was a long explanation. 0:39:03.570 --> 0:39:05.170 And I know we got to take a break, Trish, 0:39:05.170 --> 0:39:08.630 because you're so long winded. But but here's the thing, right? 0:39:08.670 --> 0:39:11.029 I do think it probably relates to angels. It looks 0:39:11.030 --> 0:39:13.669 a lot like what we see in Daniel. And apparently 0:39:13.670 --> 0:39:16.870 we got angels overseeing nations. And with that, we're out 0:39:16.910 --> 0:39:19.029 of time. Thanks, Trish, for the mailbag. My name is 0:39:19.030 --> 0:39:22.029 Mike Fabares. We got more questions coming up sitting in 0:39:22.030 --> 0:39:24.910 today for Doctor Michael Riddell on Moody Radio. We'll be 0:39:24.910 --> 0:39:26.870 right back right after these messages. 0:39:48.750 --> 0:39:52.270 So many people have questions about Israel. That's why Chosen 0:39:52.270 --> 0:39:55.150 People Ministry is one of our partners, is offering a 0:39:55.150 --> 0:39:59.469 free booklet, Why Israel? This book explores the topic of 0:39:59.469 --> 0:40:02.150 Israel through the lens of Scripture, bringing clarity to a 0:40:02.150 --> 0:40:05.669 controversial topic. Has the church replaced Israel in the plan 0:40:05.760 --> 0:40:09.359 of God. Does ethnic Israel still have a future? What 0:40:09.360 --> 0:40:12.680 about Israel today? If you'd like answers to these questions, 0:40:12.680 --> 0:40:16.120 just go to our website openline. radio.org. Scroll down to 0:40:16.160 --> 0:40:19.080 the link that says Free Gift from Chosen People Ministries. 0:40:19.600 --> 0:40:21.399 Click on that and you'll be able to sign up 0:40:21.400 --> 0:40:23.960 for your own copy of Why Israel? 0:40:31.280 --> 0:40:34.000 Welcome back to Openline. I'm doctor Mike Fabar is sitting 0:40:34.000 --> 0:40:36.799 in today for Doctor Michael Riedel, who's right now at 0:40:36.800 --> 0:40:39.880 the graduation ceremonies of the Moody Bible Institute. And I 0:40:40.280 --> 0:40:42.600 am in studio in the Windy City of Chicago, which 0:40:42.600 --> 0:40:44.720 I know meant something else. But it is windy today 0:40:44.719 --> 0:40:46.239 out there. Just to let you know, if you're not 0:40:46.239 --> 0:40:49.960 living in Chicago, but it's it's windy. My hair is 0:40:49.960 --> 0:40:51.799 messed up. Let's just put it that way. Hey, we 0:40:51.840 --> 0:40:54.160 got we got just one segment left. So we want 0:40:54.160 --> 0:40:55.680 to deal with as many questions as we can. Let's 0:40:55.680 --> 0:40:58.799 go to line five. Charlie from Kalamazoo, Michigan, you're on 0:40:58.800 --> 0:41:01.280 the air with pastor Mike. How can I help? 0:41:02.560 --> 0:41:04.569 Yes. Can you hear me? Okay. Pastor Mike. 0:41:04.610 --> 0:41:05.810 Yes, I can hear you just fine. 0:41:06.410 --> 0:41:13.690 Okay. I'm kind of confused about what predestination means, and, um, 0:41:14.090 --> 0:41:17.770 how God wants everybody to be saved and how he 0:41:17.770 --> 0:41:21.370 gives us a free will. Can you explain how that 0:41:21.370 --> 0:41:22.410 all ties in? 0:41:22.450 --> 0:41:27.210 You're the first person ever to be confused about predestination. Uh. 0:41:28.410 --> 0:41:31.610 I'm kidding. Here's the problem. We're dealing with a God 0:41:31.610 --> 0:41:35.890 who is so far beyond, uh, what we can squish 0:41:35.890 --> 0:41:39.050 into our heads. And there's something about this God who 0:41:39.050 --> 0:41:42.930 says I've made plans in eternity past, and I'm working 0:41:42.930 --> 0:41:45.770 those out. Then. Then I'm. I'm in this thing on 0:41:45.770 --> 0:41:48.890 the timeline created, choosing what I'm going to have for lunch, 0:41:48.890 --> 0:41:50.810 choosing where I'm going to live, choosing what I'm going to, 0:41:50.850 --> 0:41:53.569 who I'm going to marry, choosing where I'm going to 0:41:53.610 --> 0:41:55.689 buy a house. And now all of a sudden I'm 0:41:55.730 --> 0:41:58.089 told that God's got this master plan. He's working out. 0:41:58.090 --> 0:42:01.170 And even Romans 828, he's working all things together for good. 0:42:01.210 --> 0:42:05.380 How does that work? Right? And that's the problem of predestination. 0:42:05.380 --> 0:42:08.180 How does it work that God has decided some things 0:42:08.180 --> 0:42:10.860 that he is working out, especially when a lot of 0:42:10.860 --> 0:42:12.660 the things in my life are bad? He's working all 0:42:12.660 --> 0:42:15.580 things together for good, for his good plan. Right? What 0:42:15.580 --> 0:42:19.259 is this all about? This is difficult, but free will. 0:42:19.300 --> 0:42:21.899 Let me just put it this way. Free will in 0:42:21.940 --> 0:42:26.779 me making decisions is certainly, um. It is curtailed by 0:42:26.780 --> 0:42:29.620 certain limitations. Right. And as some people have said who've 0:42:29.620 --> 0:42:31.339 written on this and thought on this long and hard, 0:42:31.380 --> 0:42:34.660 even philosophers. Right. We are choosing things that we want 0:42:34.660 --> 0:42:35.940 to do. I choose a house I want to buy. 0:42:35.980 --> 0:42:38.020 I'm choosing a wife I want to marry. I'm choosing, 0:42:38.060 --> 0:42:39.779 you know, to to to go to the school I 0:42:39.780 --> 0:42:42.299 want to go to. The desires of our heart is 0:42:42.300 --> 0:42:46.460 the problem. And when people talk about God predestining us. 0:42:46.460 --> 0:42:48.339 And seeing that as a part of a Romans eight 0:42:48.380 --> 0:42:51.300 chain of what he does, he predestines us. He calls us. 0:42:51.300 --> 0:42:54.460 He justifies us and glorifies us. Why is that all important? 0:42:54.460 --> 0:42:57.900 Because according to Ephesians chapter two, sin is such a hard, 0:42:57.940 --> 0:43:01.750 terrible problem that unless God breaks in and His spirit 0:43:01.750 --> 0:43:04.190 does something and as it's put in the Gospel of John, 0:43:04.190 --> 0:43:06.549 draws us to himself. Well, my desire is just to 0:43:06.550 --> 0:43:08.950 continue to live for myself. The desires of human beings 0:43:08.950 --> 0:43:11.390 are fallen. We have a problem of sin. It is 0:43:11.390 --> 0:43:15.030 so bad. It is so invasive. It is so systemic 0:43:15.030 --> 0:43:17.430 that all my desires are ultimately about me. They're not 0:43:17.430 --> 0:43:21.710 about glorifying God. And so all we're saying with predestination, 0:43:21.710 --> 0:43:23.589 which all we're saying, we're saying a lot more than this, 0:43:23.590 --> 0:43:25.910 but it's certainly what we need to understand. Yes, I 0:43:25.950 --> 0:43:28.070 am a free agent. Yes, I have a free will. 0:43:28.110 --> 0:43:32.390 But what I'm really problematic. What's problematic about my life 0:43:32.390 --> 0:43:34.510 and your life, Charlie, is that we want to do 0:43:34.510 --> 0:43:36.870 our own thing. All of us, like sheep, have gone astray. 0:43:36.910 --> 0:43:38.750 Each of us has turned to our own way. To 0:43:38.790 --> 0:43:41.510 quote Isaiah 53. And what we need is to return 0:43:41.510 --> 0:43:43.630 to the shepherd of our souls, as Peter puts it. Well, 0:43:43.630 --> 0:43:45.270 how is that going to happen? God's going to have 0:43:45.270 --> 0:43:47.790 to break in and do something. And that's where predestination 0:43:47.790 --> 0:43:51.910 describes God going out, seeking and saving the lost, and 0:43:51.910 --> 0:43:55.230 working in a plan to bring people to himself. That's 0:43:55.230 --> 0:43:58.989 a miraculous act. It's called regeneration, and we struggle with 0:43:58.989 --> 0:44:01.080 it in our mind. A little book I might have 0:44:01.080 --> 0:44:03.879 you read. J.I. Packer wrote a little book called sovereignty 0:44:04.480 --> 0:44:07.720 and the Will of God. No evangelism and the sovereignty 0:44:07.719 --> 0:44:09.720 of God. That's what it's called. It's a little book, 0:44:09.719 --> 0:44:11.520 but it helps us realize both of these are true 0:44:11.520 --> 0:44:15.000 in Scripture. God is a God who is sovereign and 0:44:15.000 --> 0:44:19.160 predestinates things, and we are free agents in the sense 0:44:19.160 --> 0:44:22.319 that we have free will, but that free will is 0:44:22.320 --> 0:44:24.080 limited by a number of things. I can't fly and 0:44:24.080 --> 0:44:26.400 touch the moon right now. You know I can't become 0:44:26.400 --> 0:44:29.280 a frog, you know, and I can't, uh, I can't 0:44:29.280 --> 0:44:32.040 choose good unless God enables me. And that's really what 0:44:32.040 --> 0:44:33.839 this is all about. It creates a whole other host 0:44:33.840 --> 0:44:36.200 of problems. But he'll start to tackle some of that 0:44:36.200 --> 0:44:37.839 in that little book. And that's the best I can 0:44:37.840 --> 0:44:40.200 do with a question that is perennial. And this is 0:44:40.200 --> 0:44:42.600 one that everyone's asking and will ask because it's a 0:44:42.600 --> 0:44:45.320 very hard concept. Does that help a little bit? Charlie 0:44:45.360 --> 0:44:47.000 gives you a reading assignment at least. 0:44:47.640 --> 0:44:50.480 Good. Great. Thank you I appreciate it, pastor. Thank you. 0:44:50.480 --> 0:44:52.279 Thank you Charlie, thanks so much for the call. You've 0:44:52.280 --> 0:44:55.440 asked you've asked the question of questions. Everybody asks that 0:44:55.440 --> 0:44:57.200 question and it's a good one. We all need to 0:44:57.200 --> 0:44:59.850 ask it. Let's go to Jude, line seven. Jude, you're 0:44:59.850 --> 0:45:01.810 on the air with pastor Mike. How can I help? 0:45:03.010 --> 0:45:07.850 Oh, hello, pastor Mike. My question is, uh, why do 0:45:07.850 --> 0:45:16.770 we celebrate Christmas in December when Jesus really wasn't born 0:45:16.770 --> 0:45:21.810 in December? There's nothing indicating that. And more realistically, may 0:45:21.810 --> 0:45:23.650 have been sometime in the springtime. 0:45:23.690 --> 0:45:25.690 Well, we don't know that. I know, I know that's 0:45:25.690 --> 0:45:30.290 popular to say, Jude. We don't know that. Hippolytus. Chrysostom. 0:45:30.410 --> 0:45:32.770 By the third and fourth century, most people read this 0:45:32.770 --> 0:45:35.290 saying it was December 20th 5th or June 6th. I 0:45:35.290 --> 0:45:36.930 know a lot of people on the internet. YouTube is 0:45:36.930 --> 0:45:39.530 full of people saying, well, it couldn't happen then, you know, 0:45:39.770 --> 0:45:42.330 they were keeping their their flocks out in Bethlehem, out 0:45:42.330 --> 0:45:46.530 in the fields. Well, you know, uh, the Mishnah says 0:45:46.530 --> 0:45:48.890 they did that all year round in Bethlehem, one of 0:45:48.890 --> 0:45:52.330 the earliest dates. There's two early dates. The earliest dates 0:45:52.330 --> 0:45:56.170 that were recognized by church historians were December 25th and 0:45:56.210 --> 0:46:00.100 January 6th, sixth. So January 6th and December 25th. Those 0:46:00.100 --> 0:46:02.140 were the earliest times we can go back to, but 0:46:02.140 --> 0:46:03.940 we don't know. And the Bible is clear about that. 0:46:03.940 --> 0:46:06.660 We don't know. So it's a date. Let's pick a date. 0:46:06.660 --> 0:46:08.980 You can pick a date. Uh, you know, the Orthodox 0:46:08.980 --> 0:46:13.740 people pick the January, uh, time frame. Most of us 0:46:13.780 --> 0:46:16.300 celebrate on the 25th. It really doesn't matter. Let's celebrate 0:46:16.300 --> 0:46:19.460 the incarnation. That's the important thing. Thanks for the call, Jude. 0:46:19.460 --> 0:46:22.580 I wish I had more time to to dig into that. Uh, 0:46:22.580 --> 0:46:25.860 you can read about it in Chronological Aspects of the 0:46:25.860 --> 0:46:28.899 Life of Christ by Harold Hoehner. That might help. Uh, 0:46:28.900 --> 0:46:31.739 thanks for listening, everybody. I wish I could, uh, do 0:46:31.739 --> 0:46:34.060 this for five hours today, but I only had two, 0:46:34.060 --> 0:46:36.180 and I appreciate if you hang if you hung in 0:46:36.180 --> 0:46:38.460 there with me the whole time. Thanks to the Open 0:46:38.460 --> 0:46:40.900 line team who couldn't do this without Trish and Omar 0:46:40.900 --> 0:46:43.700 and Karen, who's been screening today. So thankful for all 0:46:43.700 --> 0:46:47.100 those great gifted people. Find more information about Open Line 0:46:47.100 --> 0:46:50.540 at Open Line radio.org. Open line with Doctor Michael Riedel 0:46:50.739 --> 0:46:53.259 is a production of Moody Radio, a ministry of the 0:46:53.260 --> 0:46:56.100 Moody Bible Institute. This is Mike Fabares. Thanks for listening.