S1: Ostracized, alone, disoriented. If you've left Islam to follow Jesus,
S1: that's often how you feel. You've left your family, community,
S1: and everything you've known behind. You may have found a
S1: loving church community, but no one really understands what it's
S1: been like for you today on the land. In the book,
S1: we're going to look at the Ex-Muslims Guide to Christianity,
S1: help for former Muslims who now follow Christ. Welcome to
S1: our one hour flyover of the Middle East. The land
S1: and the book seated in the pilot's chair. As always.
S1: Captain Charlie Dyer serving as Charlie's first officer. I'm John Gager. Hey,
S1: maybe you wonder, how do you share the gospel with
S1: a Jewish person? Because of cultural, historical, and religious differences,
S1: it can be challenging to navigate a gospel conversation with
S1: somebody from a Jewish background. You ever wondered how the
S1: quote professionals do it?
S2: And to answer that question, our friends at Life and
S2: Messiah want to mail you samples of the tracks their
S2: staff use as they present the gospel. This will serve
S2: a dual purpose. It will equip you with methods of
S2: presenting the gospel, and also supply you with tracks you
S2: can share with your Jewish friends and neighbors. Life in
S2: Messiah's Prayer is that these tracks will help further the
S2: spread of the gospel among the Jewish people. To receive
S2: this helpful assortment of tracks, all you need to do
S2: is visit Life in Messiah org and click on the
S2: Moody Radio button there for more information. That's Life in messiah.org.
S2: Now don't miss out on this great opportunity.
S1: This week we're really excited to shift our focus a
S1: bit away from regular day to day headlines from the
S1: Middle East to explore recent archaeological stories out of Israel
S1: making the news. We've got a lot of listeners, Charlie,
S1: who are very interested in this. So this is for you.
S1: Story number one, one of the key difficulties in archaeology
S1: is trying to determine an exact chronology of the past.
S1: Carbon 14 dating, of course, has helped, though. There's a
S1: phenomenon known as Hallstatt plateau, which interferes with the use
S1: of radiocarbon dating during the Iron Age, stretching from around
S1: the time of Solomon to the Babylonian captivity. But now
S1: researchers at the Weizmann Institute believe they've been able to
S1: establish an absolute chronology for discoveries using new dating techniques.
S1: So what exactly is the breakthrough that they've discovered?
S2: Yeah, and this might take people by surprise, because most
S2: people assume carbon 14 dating provides a fairly accurate timeline
S2: for history, since it's based on the constant rate of
S2: decay of carbon 14. In the atmosphere, living organisms absorb
S2: these atoms into their tissue until they die, at which
S2: point the carbon 14 undergoes radioactive decay, turning into nitrogen 14.
S2: The problem is that plots of carbon 14 graphs hit
S2: a flat area, or plateau, between around 804 hundred BC.
S2: It's referred to in archaeology as the Hallstatt Plateau, after
S2: a city in Austria. The city gave its name to
S2: the dominant European culture during that period, and the Hallstatt
S2: plateau refers to a change in solar activity that influenced
S2: the radiocarbon production worldwide during those centuries. In other words,
S2: carbon 14 dating has a glitch worldwide that unfortunately corresponds
S2: to much of the Kingdom period for Israel and Judah. Now,
S2: these researchers used a combination of approaches to help overcome
S2: the Hallstatt plateau. First, they focused on one site Jerusalem.
S2: Because of the extensive excavations at that area, they were
S2: able to collect more than 100 radiocarbon measurements on organic material.
S2: They conducted multiple radiocarbon measurements to get the highest level
S2: of accuracy and precision for each specimen, and they were
S2: able to match each item to its precise location at
S2: the site. They then used 100 calendar dated tree rings
S2: from well known worldwide archives. Combining the tree ring dating
S2: with the radiocarbon method, they were able to obtain a
S2: more precise and detailed determination of the radiocarbon concentration in
S2: the atmosphere at that time. Finally, they also used two
S2: well-established historically dated events in Jerusalem an earthquake at the
S2: time of King Uzziah that took place around 759 BC,
S2: and the destruction of the city by the Babylonians in
S2: 586 BC, and combining the archaeological evidence that matched these
S2: two fixed points with their more precise carbon 14 calibrations,
S2: they established a detailed chronology of Jerusalem, and the results
S2: closely matched the Bible with archaeological discoveries. For example, post-earthquake
S2: redevelopment in Jerusalem is now understood to have begun under
S2: King Uzziah rather than Hezekiah, and that matches passages like
S2: Amos one one and Zechariah 14 five, which clearly placed
S2: the earthquake in the days of King Uzziah. The study
S2: also shows that the city's expansion began at least a
S2: century earlier than many scholars had previously thought, again, more
S2: accurately matching the timeline pictured in the Bible. Now aligning
S2: archaeological discoveries with carbon 14 dating and. Chronology and fixed
S2: historical dates provided a greater precision, and in the process
S2: helps remind us again of the accuracy of God's Word.
S1: Fascinating. Well, researchers are now using artificial intelligence to help
S1: fill in the blanks for illegible or damaged ancient texts
S1: and tablets. How does this new system work?
S2: Well, the system employs masked language modeling that uses context
S2: to predict missing words in a phrase or sentence. The
S2: researchers first fed Biblical Hebrew and Aramaic texts 22,144 sentences
S2: from the Old Testament into the system. They then tested
S2: the system on the remaining 536 sentences that they hadn't fed.
S2: In trying to have it predict words or phrases that
S2: they would leave out. The model they developed is called
S2: em Bible. Em Bible. The value of the system is
S2: the help it will provide to translators when new texts
S2: are are found and they're constantly being discovered. Many have
S2: been partially destroyed by earthquakes or natural or human related incidents,
S2: so their partial and not complete. This system will provide
S2: translators with suggested reconstructions of the missing parts of texts.
S2: It's also possible the model will be able to help
S2: reconstruct plausible text from thousands of fragments found at sites
S2: like Qumran, many of which are still remaining undecipherable after
S2: nearly 80 years following their discovery. Now, artificial intelligence won't
S2: replace the wisdom and skill of linguists, but it could
S2: become a crucial aid by poring through thousands of possible
S2: options to offer the most logical possibilities for the translator,
S2: based on all other available texts. And that could be
S2: a great help in more rapidly advancing our understanding of
S2: the Bible in its cultural and historical context.
S1: Today, on the land in the book, our host, Doctor
S1: Charlie Dyer, is working us through a list of recent
S1: archaeological stories that I think are intriguing to just about everybody.
S1: The Temple Mount Sifting Project uncovered clay tokens that might
S1: have been part of the system for purchasing offerings for
S1: use in the temple. What do these tokens look like
S1: and how would they have been used?
S2: Yeah, the Temple Mount Sifting Project has actually been going
S2: now for 20 years, and it's still uncovering details that
S2: help us understand what life was like at the time
S2: of the Bible. They've been slowly combing through tons of
S2: debris and dirt that was dumped outside Jerusalem's Old City
S2: back in 1999, when Islamic officials dug underneath the southeast
S2: corner of the Temple Mount to build an underground mosque. Now,
S2: these particular items were uncovered several years ago, but were
S2: only just recently published. Other relatively small, less than four
S2: inches in size, and they're clay tokens that were imprinted
S2: on the front side and indented or pinched in on
S2: the back. They aren't the same as the seals placed
S2: on documents. The one token has an impression of a
S2: wine jug on it, with an inscription in Greek, a,
S2: based on some passages in the Mishnah. The archaeologists believe
S2: these might have been used to indicate payment for the
S2: different sacrifices used during the three annual feasts, when tens
S2: of thousands of pilgrims would flock to Jerusalem, the pilgrims
S2: would pay for the sacrifice at one location and be
S2: handed their clay token, which they would then take up
S2: on the Temple Mount to exchange for the appropriate sacrifice.
S2: The fact that one of the tokens contains Greek letters
S2: while the other was written in Aramaic, suggests the cosmopolitan
S2: nature of these gatherings. As Jews from all over the
S2: world would come to Jerusalem, the list of those on
S2: the day of Pentecost in Acts two helps explain the
S2: need for tokens for those who could speak either Greek
S2: or Aramaic, and these little tokens date back to the
S2: time of Herod the Great, and show the logistical details
S2: that were put in place to have the operation of
S2: the temple run smoothly, even during the busiest of times.
S2: And sadly, John, they probably also were used to help
S2: somebody from cheating. You had to have your token before
S2: you could offer your sacrifice, and you paid at a
S2: secure spot and then got your sacrifice elsewhere.
S1: Interesting. Well, a Phoenician era pendant from the First Temple
S1: period and a merchant's stone box from the Second Temple
S1: period are two of the more recent discoveries put on
S1: display in Jerusalem. What is the significance of both objects?
S2: Well, there are just additional examples of the kinds of
S2: discoveries that add depth and texture to our understanding of
S2: life in Bible times. The pendant, which they also think
S2: could possibly be an earring, is 3000 years old and
S2: was discovered in excavations just south of the Temple Mount.
S2: It was found again a decade ago, but was largely
S2: overlooked until last year. The piece is small. It's just
S2: over a 10th of an inch high. It's shaped like
S2: a four handled basket and is made of electrum, which
S2: is a compound of both gold and silver. The archaeologists
S2: determined that it was of Phoenician origin and is dated
S2: to the 10th century BC, which would place it around
S2: the time of King Solomon. Well, the Bible says Hiram,
S2: king of tyre, sent laborers to help both David and
S2: Solomon with their building projects. So it's even possible this
S2: could be a pendant or earring worn by one of
S2: those workers. The second discovery takes us forward. In time
S2: a thousand years to the Second Temple period, a stone
S2: container about a foot square with nine compartments was found
S2: in the city of David, inside one of the ancient
S2: stores along the roadway. It was likely used to display
S2: small items for sale to pilgrims. The sides of the
S2: box were blackened, suggesting it was charred when the Romans
S2: took the city and then burned it in AD 70.
S2: These relatively small discoveries are the kind of finds that
S2: help bring Bible times to life by reminding us of
S2: the day to day lives of these people who walk
S2: the streets of Jerusalem during the time of both temples.
S1: And that's a look at archaeological discoveries that are making
S1: the headlines these days. Hey, do you know anybody who
S1: has said, I just have too much encouragement going on
S1: in my life right now, too much encouragement? I didn't
S1: think so. Everybody could use a bit more encouragement, including
S1: the team at this station. So why not email them,
S1: call them, or send them a postcard or note to
S1: say thank you for airing the land and the book.
S1: Appreciate your passing on that word of encouragement. Well, a
S1: full program today, including a look at the Ex-Muslims guide
S1: to Christianity. Fascinating practical advice coming up next on the
S1: land and the book. You were born Muslim, you will
S1: die Muslim. You know what Allah says about infidels? These
S1: are the words that Kenza Haddock grew up with. Yet
S1: meeting Jesus Christ changed everything for her. But how does
S1: an Ex-muslim learn to live the Christian life? What are
S1: the hurdles that must be overcome? Well, that's our focus.
S1: Coming up, you're listening to The Land and the book
S1: from Moody Radio. I'm John Gager, inviting you to think
S1: with me for just a moment about some ways that
S1: you and I can share the love of Jesus with
S1: our Muslim neighbors and coworkers and friends. You know, when
S1: we think about ministering to Muslims, sometimes we get so
S1: spun up and technique and questions and concerns, we forget
S1: that good old fashioned love makes all the difference. And
S1: maybe that's the best strategy. Call of Hope's president, Stefano
S1: Farah joins us. And how can we really love Muslims
S1: in a way that means something to them?
S3: You know, our missionaries, when they are reaching out to Muslims,
S3: they very often help them. You know, in Lebanon, for example,
S3: they bring them blankets and food, and then always the
S3: people ask them and say, why on earth are you
S3: helping us? And then the answer is, well, because Jesus
S3: loves you and this is why I love you. So
S3: the same thing in our life. Why not just going
S3: to your neighbor who is a muslim and bringing him
S3: a cake? I mean, yes, he would look at you
S3: something like, what are you doing? But they will be
S3: really touched, you know, uh, you really know that I'm
S3: your neighbor and you have this love to just come
S3: and bring that to me. Or maybe this person has
S3: a problem with the papers they have to fill for
S3: the government. Why not offering them? Hey, I can help you.
S3: You know, these are little signs of love. And they
S3: will ask themselves, why are you doing that? And the
S3: answer is because Jesus loves you.
S1: Stefano Farah is with call of Hope us. Thanks for
S1: those thoughts. Kenza Haddock was born in Casablanca, Morocco. She
S1: moved to the United States with her family at age 12.
S1: As a young adult, Kenza was called by God when
S1: she had a dream about Jesus, so she ultimately renounced
S1: Islam and became an ambassador for Christ. Today, Kenza is
S1: a licensed professional counselor. She speaks at church events and conferences,
S1: telling her story of how God saved her from persecution
S1: during and after her coming to faith in Christ. We
S1: are so glad to have you with us today, Kenza.
S1: Thank you.
S4: Thank you so much for having me, John.
S1: Well, you were once convinced that God hated you and
S1: you went through a period of depression and hopelessness. Describe
S1: that season for you.
S4: Yes, absolutely. So I grew up in an Islamic household
S4: and Islam is based on works. And looking back, my
S4: personality is very determined. And so I felt like I
S4: had to just achieve a bunch of works in order
S4: for me to achieve salvation, so that I could gain
S4: favor with the God of my understanding. Allah. And I
S4: felt like the more I worked, it's like taking two
S4: steps forward just to get knocked back three steps. And
S4: in Islam, any negative circumstances that happen in your life, John,
S4: they're considered just bad consequences or punishment from Allah. And
S4: so I went through that in my life, and by
S4: the age of 23, I was convinced that God hated me.
S4: And I remember one time I was sitting on the
S4: couch one night contemplating ending my life, and in my
S4: mind I was convinced he hated me. Yes, and that
S4: was the first time I threw out all of the
S4: Islamic rituals. I didn't wash up before I prayed. I
S4: just threw myself on the ground and cried out to
S4: whoever would hear me out. And I said, God, I
S4: know you hate me. I know I don't have any
S4: favor with you. Just show me the way to you.
S4: And I cried myself to sleep.
S1: Well, ultimately you did become a follower of Jesus. What
S1: was that moment like? How did that happen for you?
S4: So the night I cried myself to sleep, I had
S4: a dream. I had a dream that it was the
S4: end times. And in my dream, I was looking out
S4: of the window. And I saw the sky open. And
S4: I saw a man in a white robe descending from
S4: the sky. Now, mind you, I grew up my whole
S4: entire life. Up until this point, anxiety was a part
S4: of my normal everyday life. That night in my dream,
S4: I felt this peace that I had never felt in
S4: my life. It was a peace that I couldn't even comprehend.
S4: And as he came down, I knew this man was
S4: Jesus and I knew he was coming down with authority.
S4: And I knew he was more than a prophet. And
S4: as he approached me, I woke up. And I wish
S4: I could tell you, I woke up and gave my
S4: life to Jesus and everything was great. But that wasn't
S4: the case.
S1: Well, how did you and when did you finally receive Christ?
S4: It wasn't until about ten months later I did some research. Discreetly.
S4: I went to the library, did some research, and I
S4: knew that I had to leave the state. I lived
S4: in Virginia back then. I knew I had to leave
S4: the state for safety reasons, because leaving Islam violates Sharia law,
S4: which violates apostasy law. It's punishable by death. And so
S4: I left to South Carolina to start my life from scratch.
S4: And John, I didn't know how to get saved. I
S4: had no idea. And I was talking to a friend
S4: on the phone. I called a friend, shared my dream
S4: with him, and he was a Christian friend. And right
S4: then and there I was in a parking lot on
S4: the phone. He opened his Bible and shared Romans ten nine.
S4: He said, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus
S4: Christ is Lord, and believe in your heart that God
S4: raised him from the dead, then you're saved. And I said, really?
S4: And I was saved right then and there.
S1: She grew up in Morocco, moved to the United States,
S1: and found Christ as Savior. Kenza Haddock has written the
S1: Ex-Muslims Guide to Christianity. I want to get to the
S1: question of how did your parents respond to your decision?
S1: But not before I take you back just a moment
S1: to what you just shared kind of triggered something in me.
S1: You're saying that in the United States, you felt the
S1: threat of your choice to leave Islam, maybe putting you
S1: in a danger point. That seems a little shocking for some. Explain.
S4: Oh, absolutely. Yes. So when I was raised Muslim, even
S4: in the United States, I believed that Sharia law superseded
S4: the law of the land. I mean, just like as believers,
S4: we believe that if, for example, someone tells us to
S4: bow down to a different God, we wouldn't do such
S4: a thing. It was a similar thing in Islam. And
S4: so leaving Islam is punishable by.
S5: Death even.
S1: In the United States. Do you feel that there are
S1: many in your shoes who would share that similar fear?
S4: Oh, absolutely. I remember growing up watching someone who was
S4: in my shoes, I can't remember. I believe her name
S4: was Rifka, and she left her family. And I remember
S4: watching her on TV and my parents said that if
S4: that were their daughter, they would bring her back and
S4: punish her severely, and she would have to renounce her religion.
S5: Yeah.
S1: So then to that question, how did your parents ultimately
S1: respond to your decision?
S4: So months after I gave my life to Jesus, I
S4: met my husband and later on we got married. I
S4: was pregnant with our first born, and we were in
S4: our home and all of a sudden we hear it
S4: wasn't knocking and was banging on the doors. Windows. And
S4: my family had shown up in our home in South
S4: Carolina and they were trying to open our windows, doors,
S4: taking pictures of our cars. And long story short, they
S4: were trying to. That was their first attempt in trying
S4: to get me to go back with them. I asked
S4: my husband not to confront them because I know what
S4: the Koran says. And so we called the police because
S4: we had to get it on record. And the police
S4: officer kindly explained to them that this is the United States.
S4: I have the freedom to worship the God of Israel
S4: if I want to, and I can just do that.
S4: And ever since then, they've come back over and over
S4: and honestly, God has protected me over and over, just
S4: going back to the first time they've shown up. I
S4: was scared to death, but every time they've shown up
S4: after that, I feared less and less and less because
S4: I've seen God's faithfulness through it all.
S1: As a young adult, Kenzo was called by God when
S1: she had a dream about Jesus, so she ultimately renounced Islam,
S1: became an ambassador for Christ today. Kenzo speaks at church
S1: events and conferences telling her story. It's an honor to
S1: have her with us on the land and the book.
S1: You say in the book, Islam is one of the
S1: devil's tools to keep people in bondage. Those are strong words.
S1: Defend your claim.
S4: Yes, absolutely. So Islam is based on the belief that
S4: the deity of Christ is nonexistent. I mean, that's what
S4: Islam is founded upon. Muhammad claims that he received a
S4: revelation that counteracts that the deity crucifixion and the resurrection
S4: of Christ didn't happen. It repudiates it. And so if
S4: all of that doesn't happen, it puts mankind back into
S4: the bondage of works. I mean, think about it. The
S4: enemy had lost a war when when Jesus got crucified,
S4: he rose from the dead. I mean, I think it's in.
S4: I don't remember if it's in Colossians, it says that
S4: Jesus made a spectacle of the enemy.
S1: Triumphing over them.
S5: Yes, yes.
S4: Triumphing over them with the cross. And so after that,
S4: I mean, I think it was like about 600 years
S4: after that, Muhammad receives this revelation in a cave that
S4: directly contradicts God's Word and puts mankind back into works
S4: and bondage. And yeah, absolutely. Because God is His word.
S4: And also the way Islam characterizes God's character is so
S4: wrong and it's so contradictory to how we believe God is.
S4: I mean, we as believers understand that God is a
S4: triune God versus Muslims. They don't believe that the way
S4: Muslims do describe God is like a spiritual Pharaoh. He's
S4: a dictator who is not interested in a relationship with anyone.
S1: Kenza Haddock has written the Ex-Muslims Guide to Christianity and
S1: I have to ask you, you know, have these successive
S1: visits from your parents become a little bit less confrontational,
S1: a little more cordial, or is there still a strong
S1: inclination to try and take you back?
S4: We have a no contact order now, and so at
S4: this point, unfortunately, they send different people because South Carolina
S4: law prohibits sending the same person within a certain amount
S4: of time. And so they're strategic with it. And so
S4: to answer your question, no, they have not become less cordial.
S4: They're still coming after us. They're still persecuting us. But
S4: God has been faithful in it all. I mean, he
S4: really has. And he's shown his faithfulness and he has
S4: shown his sovereignty, and he has shown truly that his
S4: eye is on the sparrow and he cares about us.
S1: In your book, The Ex-Muslims Guide to Christianity, you say
S1: what I find most disturbing about Islam is that some
S1: of it walks close to the truth in a few ways,
S1: and then distorts it. Give us an example or two.
S4: Yeah, absolutely. So for example, Islam starts out with Adam
S4: and Eve, right? And so it talks about how God
S4: created Adam and Eve. And so it starts very similar.
S4: But then it says when Adam and his wife, this
S4: is the Koran, it says when Adam and his wife sinned,
S4: they repented. And so that contradicts what the Word of
S4: God says. That's one. So it starts out with creation.
S4: There's a contradiction. Number two, I mean, there are so
S4: many contradictions. Another one, they believe that Abraham almost sacrificed Ishmael,
S4: not Isaac. And so they believe Ishmael was the chosen one.
S1: What's the one thing that you want an ex-muslim to
S1: walk away from this book with?
S4: To understand that, um, it took me years to grasp
S4: what Hebrews four six says and actually walk it out
S4: and it says to approach the throne of grace boldly, right?
S4: To receive grace and mercy in our time of need,
S4: and to understand that God, our God, our father, is relational.
S4: It took me years to walk that out and understand it,
S4: and it takes perseverance, and it's going to take years
S4: to unlearn the distortions and the poison and Ex-muslim had
S4: learned from Islam. And it's okay, but just stay perseverant
S4: in God's Word. Just keep walking with God. Hang in there,
S4: fellowship with the Holy Spirit and he will sustain you.
S4: God is relational, God is faithful, and God is for you.
S1: Man, boy, those are great words and encouraging words too.
S1: From Kenzie Haddock, who's written the Ex-Muslims Guide to Christianity,
S1: a link to her book and her website is at ours.
S1: The land and the book. Org. Kenza, thank you for
S1: your time.
S4: Thank you so much for having me.
S1: And Charlie Dyer will be back. You know what's coming next.
S1: Bible questions and answers here on the land and the book.
S1: Welcome back to the land and the book. I'm John Gager.
S1: I love this segment where we take a look at
S1: your questions about the Bible. You know, everybody takes a
S1: copy of the Bible and comes at it from a
S1: different background, different life, and comes up with different questions. Charlie.
S1: It's amazing, isn't it?
S2: It is. But that's what makes it so fascinating with
S2: this question and answer segment.
S1: Well, speaking of questions, maybe one of yours is how
S1: do I share the gospel with a Jewish friend? Because
S1: of cultural, historical, and religious differences, it sometimes kind of
S1: challenging to navigate a gospel conversation with somebody from a
S1: Jewish background. You ever wonder, though, how the quote professionals
S1: do it?
S2: Well, to answer that question, our friends at Life in
S2: Messiah want to mail you samples of the tracks their
S2: staff use as they share the gospel. This will serve
S2: a dual purpose of equipping you with methods of presenting
S2: the gospel, and also supplying you with tracks you can
S2: share with your Jewish friends and neighbors. Life in Messiah's
S2: Prayer is that these tracks will help further the spread
S2: of the gospel among the Jewish people. Now, to receive
S2: this helpful assortment of tracks, all you need to do
S2: is visit Life in Messiah org and click on the
S2: Moody Radio button for more information. That's life in Messiah org.
S2: Don't miss out on this great opportunity.
S1: And now question number one for the day from Alan.
S1: He says, I recently read that Jesus might have worked
S1: more with stone than with wood, because stone was easier
S1: to find in Israel than trees. I remember from our
S1: trip to Israel that the mangers were usually made from
S1: stone rather than wood. Well, I looked up the term
S1: for carpenter in my Concordance and Bible dictionary. The Greek
S1: term tekton denotes any craftsman, but especially a worker in wood.
S1: So might Jesus have worked with stone more than wood?
S2: Well, you know, it's a straightforward question, but the answer
S2: is a little bit more complex. That word tekton in
S2: Greek is only used twice in the New Testament, both
S2: times referring to Jesus's father in Matthew 13 and Mark six.
S2: The problem comes when we look at the word in
S2: other places to see how it was used. For example,
S2: in the Septuagint translation of Second Kings 22, Josiah orders
S2: those working on the temple to be paid, and the
S2: writer identifies three groups of workmen the carpenters, the builders,
S2: and the masons, and he uses tekton for the first group.
S2: The second group comes from a word that refers to
S2: construction in general. The third comes from a noun that
S2: describes a city wall. In other words, they were people
S2: who worked with stone. They were the stonemasons. And so
S2: in this case, the word tekton appears to describe woodworkers
S2: as opposed to general builders or stonemasons. However, in Second
S2: Samuel five, verse 11, the word tekton is used of
S2: both carpenters and stonemasons. In fact, the Septuagint literally says
S2: Hiram sent David's workers. That's the tekton of wood and workers.
S2: Same word of stone. So in general the word was
S2: used of carpenters. But there are instances when it was
S2: used of someone who worked in stone. It's possible Joseph,
S2: as a craftsman, worked on both, but there was also
S2: a level of skill and expertise that it was involved
S2: in both crafts that suggest generally a division of labor.
S2: So it's possible the gospel writers were using the word
S2: in its more normal sense of Carpenter. Now I feel
S2: like I'm dancing between them all. But the bottom line is,
S2: I don't think we know for sure. I tend to
S2: stick with Carpenter, but in actuality both are possible.
S1: Thank you Charlie at our land in the book Facebook page,
S1: all kinds of videos, photos and comments. Charlie, recently you
S1: posted a short video of the Garden Tomb and among
S1: the many encouraging responses was a very negative one that said, quote,
S1: Jesus died and he's not coming back. Get over it.
S1: End quote. Well, apart from deleting the comment, how would
S1: you respond to that individual?
S2: Yeah, I'd say the evidence for the existence of Jesus,
S2: including his death and resurrection, is overwhelming to anyone who's
S2: willing to look at the evidence with open eyes. We
S2: have more evidence about the life, death, and resurrection of
S2: Jesus than we do about the life and death of
S2: Julius Caesar. And most of the evidence about Jesus was
S2: written shortly after the events took place, by those who
S2: knew him personally, or who had access to those who
S2: knew him. Paul provides a compelling list of eyewitnesses to
S2: Jesus's resurrection in first Corinthians 15. You know, he says,
S2: he appeared to Peter and the 12, and after that
S2: to more than 500. And then he mentions the apostles,
S2: and finally he says, and, and and to me also.
S2: So there were more than 500 eyewitnesses to the fact
S2: Jesus rose from the dead. You know, John, any lawyer
S2: would love to have his court case tried with 500
S2: witnesses on his side. But there's one last point. These
S2: people not only claim to have seen Jesus following his resurrection,
S2: they were willing to be tortured and put to death
S2: for that claim. You know, if they'd simply made it
S2: up or were lying. There's something about facing a painful,
S2: agonizing death that would tempt someone to fess up and admit, oh,
S2: it really didn't happen. But they didn't. They were brutally
S2: murdered for their conviction that Jesus had risen from the
S2: dead and that they had seen him. So Jesus is alive.
S2: And more than that, he lets us know that he's
S2: coming back. You can choose to believe it or not,
S2: but you can't escape the eternal consequences of that choice.
S2: And that's. What makes such an arrogant statement so frightening?
S2: Someday everyone will acknowledge Jesus is alive and that he's Lord,
S2: but that admission could come too late for those unwilling
S2: to bend their knee now and accept him as Savior
S2: and Lord in this life.
S1: Todd asks, what does Psalm 96 verse ten mean when
S1: it says, the world shall not be moved? Yea.
S2: And the exact phrase there is the Lord reigns. The
S2: world is firmly established. It cannot be moved. Now. That
S2: same phrase, interestingly enough, is found in Psalm 93, verse one,
S2: and I believe the phrase has the idea of God's
S2: reign being demonstrated in the reality that he has firmly
S2: established the created order. We see from the fixed order
S2: of the sun, the moon, the stars, to the regular
S2: cycles of nature. The way the world itself runs is
S2: an example of God's powerful control. And the psalmist also
S2: then says, God's power will be demonstrated in his rule
S2: over the nations and people. In other words, what we
S2: see demonstrated in nature itself will someday be visible in
S2: the nations as he comes to rule over humanity.
S1: From Moody Radio, This is the Land and the book
S1: with our host, Charlie Dyer, I'm John Gager. It's question
S1: time Bible questions, this one from Steve. Can you recommend
S1: a book on Levitical offerings, whole burnt offerings, trespass offerings,
S1: peace meal, sin, red heifer, scapegoat, etc. and their fulfillment
S1: in Christ. Also what each part of the animal represented
S1: like the head, shoulder, legs, kidneys and the significance of
S1: all this. God obviously went into great detail for these
S1: offerings and it has to be for significant reasons. Any thoughts?
S2: Yeah, there are a large number of works available, and
S2: unfortunately they run the gamut from a straightforward explanation to
S2: rather fanciful typological presentations. Now here are three you might
S2: want to explore. The first is a reprint titled Christ
S2: in the Sacrificial Offerings and Other Bible Studies in Leviticus,
S2: and it's by James M gray. He was the president
S2: of Moody Bible Institute back from 1904 to 1934. Now
S2: it's a little more typological in its approach than I
S2: would be, but there's still some good material in it.
S2: The second, it's a commentary on Leviticus in the Bible,
S2: knowledge commentary in the Old Testament side of it. This
S2: section in the commentary was written by Dwayne Lindsay, who
S2: taught at Dallas Seminary. And it takes less of a
S2: typological approach and pretty straightforward. And finally, a fellow I
S2: really like is Wayne Stiles. We've had him as a
S2: guest on the program. He wrote on the offerings in Leviticus,
S2: and you can find it by googling Wayne Stiles blog
S2: offerings in Leviticus. And it's also a very good, very
S2: straightforward Stephen.
S1: Says, I need some clarity on Deuteronomy 27 and Joshua eight.
S1: In these accounts, half of the tribes stood on Mount
S1: Gerizim and gave a blessing, and half of the tribe
S1: stood on Mount Ebal, issuing a curse. It appears that
S1: the Levites stood in the valley between the two groups
S1: with the Ark of the testimony. However, the Levites are
S1: listed on Mount Gerizim, giving a blessing, and then the
S1: passage goes on to explain. It was the Levites in
S1: the valley issuing a curse rather than those on Mount Ebal.
S1: Any way to explain all this? Yeah.
S2: And I think they can be harmonized if you view
S2: it in phases. In phase one, Joshua went to the
S2: top of Mount Ebal, built an altar where sacrifices were offered.
S2: Now the sacrifices had to be offered by priests who
S2: were from the tribe of Levi. And remember this all
S2: priests are from the tribe of Levi. But not all
S2: Levites were priests then. Phase two Joshua descends from Mount
S2: Ebal along with the priests into the valley. He copies
S2: the law of Moses in the presence of Israel, and
S2: he reads the words of the covenant to the people.
S2: Now this took place in the valley with Israel on
S2: both sides of the covenant, facing those who carried it.
S2: That is, the priests were there who were Levites. It
S2: says in verse 33. Finally, phase three, the Levites recited
S2: the words of the Cursings to the people who responded
S2: with Amen. And then they might also have recited the
S2: words of the blessing, though that's not specifically stated in
S2: the Deuteronomy 27 passage. Now I harmonized the different positions
S2: this way. The Levites were divided into two groups. We
S2: know from numbers 26. There were 23,000. In the tribe
S2: of Levi, a smaller number were priests, while the larger
S2: number were Levites who assisted the priests. I assume it
S2: was the larger number who were on Mount Gerizim. The
S2: priests were the ones who went up with Joshua to
S2: the top of the mountain, and who were also in
S2: the valley with him. So the bottom line, the group
S2: on Mount Ebal offering the sacrifices, and the group later
S2: then in the valley, holding the ark and shouting the
S2: blessings and cursings to the people are the priests. The
S2: group standing on Mount Gerizim with the other tribes are
S2: the bulk of the tribe of Levi, who were Levites
S2: but not priests.
S1: In Psalm 82, verses six and seven it says, I said,
S1: you are gods, sons of the Most High. All of you. Nevertheless,
S1: like men, you shall die and fall like any prince.
S1: Todd asks, is this a reference to a divine council
S1: in heaven, as some say? If so, how can they die?
S2: Yeah, I don't take this as a reference to some
S2: divine council. Rather, I see the psalmist drawing a parallel
S2: between God as the ultimate judge and these wicked rulers
S2: or judges in his day, who set themselves up as
S2: having the. Power of life and death over others. They
S2: saw themselves as gods, lowercase g, in the sense that
S2: they could actually sentence someone to life or death. But
S2: now the psalmist is calling on God, the final judge,
S2: to summon these human judges to account for their actions.
S2: So I take what's being described as human rulers who,
S2: because of their power, pridefully, saw themselves as being godlike
S2: in the sense of deciding the fate of others. But
S2: he says they're going to experience a far different outcome
S2: when they appear before the real judge, God himself.
S1: Thank you Charlie, love those questions and love the answers.
S1: Looking forward to Charlie's devotional. It's next on the land
S1: and the book. In a digital age like ours. The
S1: old expression stop the presses has almost lost its meaning,
S1: but we still get the idea. It's the land and
S1: the book from Moody Radio. Charlie Dyer is here with
S1: segment four and his devotional and stop the presses. Charlie
S1: is leading to what? Today in your devotional.
S2: It's going to lead to a fascinating account with, uh,
S2: Haman and the king and Esther.
S1: Okay, that's a great, great story, and I can't wait
S1: to dig into it. First, though, let's pause and listen
S1: to this testimony from an Israel traveler.
S6: My name is Doug Sewell. My favorite part of the
S6: trip is impossible to answer as only one thing. It's
S6: kind of like asking me, gee, what's your favorite part
S6: of a Jag convertible? You know, it takes the whole
S6: thing coming together, and it really is something that you
S6: have to come and experience to put the whole thing together.
S6: And when you do, it's just fantastic.
S7: My name is Sue Sewell. I'm from Austin, Texas, and
S7: this is my third trip to Jerusalem and to Israel,
S7: and I just would keep coming back every time there's
S7: something new and mesmerizing about it. This trip has been
S7: the Judean wilderness. It is amazing to me that Christ
S7: could go there and resist Satan. It is just so
S7: powerful and I love being here.
S1: All right, Esther, chapter eight is our text, and Charlie
S1: will stop the presses and let you have at it.
S2: Well, our devotional today takes us to the ancient city
S2: of Susa in Persia. That's modern day Iran, where 225
S2: miles east of ancient Babylon. And our destination is the
S2: magnificent palace built by Darius the Great, but now occupied
S2: by Xerxes, also known as King Ahasuerus. Today the palace
S2: area is in ruins, but from the pieces still remaining,
S2: you get an idea of how magnificent it was. Built
S2: on a raised platform covering 250 acres, the site was
S2: and still is impressive. It included a residential palace, a
S2: magnificent audience hall and a monumental entrance gate. The building
S2: was designed to impress and it definitely met those expectations.
S2: But even more impressive was the reality that this was
S2: only the Winter Palace for the Persian kings, and even
S2: larger ceremonial palace complex was built further east at Persepolis.
S2: But we're not here today to focus on the location
S2: or even the architectural remains discovered at Susa. We're here
S2: to focus on an event that took place on June 25th,
S2: 474 BC 2497 years ago this coming week. As near
S2: as I can tell, that's the first day in history
S2: when someone stood up and yelled, stop the presses! Now, today,
S2: even that phrase needs a bit of explanation. As you mentioned, John,
S2: it comes from those quaint days, not too long ago
S2: when most people got their information by actually reading a newspaper.
S2: In those pre-internet days, reporters would gather local, national and
S2: international news, and then the stories would be arranged and
S2: set in type before large presses printed and collated the
S2: different pages. It was a time consuming job, done on
S2: a tight deadline, because the paper had to be ready
S2: for distribution early the next morning. But sometimes a late
S2: breaking story would turn up after the paper had gone
S2: to bed and the presses were busy churning out the
S2: copies for the next day. If the story was of
S2: sufficient importance that it had to be included, the editor
S2: would shout out stop the presses, and the writers, editors,
S2: and layout specialists would frantically rearrange everything to add the
S2: new front page story while still trying to make their
S2: printing deadline. So what happened on June 25th, 474 BC,
S2: to have someone shout out, stop the presses and produce
S2: new copy? The new headline might have read something like
S2: this Miraculous Deliverance of the Jewish People, and the lead
S2: paragraph would have added Kings supports Jewish right to self-defense.
S2: Lead antagonist hanged. Sounds exciting, doesn't it? Well, let's see
S2: what's behind this sudden rewrite. We've all heard the story
S2: of Haman and Mordecai. Haman was one of the original
S2: anti-Semites when he's first introduced in Esther three one, he's
S2: called Haman, son of Hamidreza. The Agagite most pass over
S2: the family connection, but it's crucial to the story. Haman
S2: is a descendant of Agag, the Amalekite God ordered Saul
S2: to destroy all the Amalekites because of their persistent opposition
S2: to Israel, but Saul the Benjamite failed. Now one of
S2: Agagu's descendants, has returned to a place of prominence, and
S2: very quickly his wrath is directed against a Jew of
S2: the tribe of Benjamin named Mordecai, son of yea, the
S2: son of Shimei, the son of Kish. Mordecai was a
S2: benjamite from the line of Saul. When Mordecai refused to
S2: honor Haman, Haman wanted revenge, but as Esther three six
S2: makes clear, he wanted it on a grand scale. Having
S2: learned who Mordecai's people were, he scorned the idea of
S2: killing only Mordecai. Instead, Haman looked for a way to
S2: destroy all Mordecai's people, the Jews, throughout the whole kingdom
S2: of Xerxes. Long before Hitler, Haman thought to impose his
S2: own Final Solution on the Jewish people. Haman bribed the
S2: king into allowing him to set a date to kill
S2: all the Jews. It would take time to set the
S2: wheels in motion and publish the edict throughout the entire empire.
S2: So on April 17th, 474 BC, Haman got the presses rolling.
S2: The royal secretaries were summoned and the decrees were prepared.
S2: Dispatches were sent by couriers to all the king's provinces
S2: with the orders to destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews,
S2: young and old women and little children on a single day,
S2: the 13th day of the 12th month, the month of Adar,
S2: and to plunder their goods. D-Day destruction day for the
S2: Jews was to be March 7th, 743 BC, just under
S2: 11 months away. The story is it unfolds in the
S2: book of Esther's, thrilling though God has never once mentioned
S2: by name, his fingerprints are all over the events that
S2: transpire Mordecai's delivered. Esther is honored. Haman is exposed and killed,
S2: but a major problem still remains. The earlier edict has
S2: already been issued and sent out over two months ago,
S2: and each copy contained the. Royal seal, meaning even the
S2: king himself couldn't revoke it. These recent events are newsworthy,
S2: but what can be done? And to use the old phrase,
S2: this is when the King and Mordecai shout out hold
S2: the presses! Well, not quite, but it's almost as dramatic.
S2: Here's how it's recorded. In Esther eight, the king tells
S2: Mordecai and Esther to write another decree in the king's
S2: name in behalf of the Jews, as seems best to you,
S2: and seal it with the king's signet ring, for no
S2: document written in the king's name, and sealed with his
S2: ring can be revoked at once. The royal secretaries were
S2: summoned on the 23rd day of the third month. By
S2: the way, that's June 25th, 474 BC, 2497 years ago
S2: this coming week. Now back to the story. They wrote
S2: out all Mordecai's orders to the Jews and to the satraps,
S2: governors and nobles of the 127 provinces stretching from India
S2: to Kush. These orders were written in the script of
S2: each province and the language of each people, and also
S2: to the Jews in their own script and language. Mordecai
S2: wrote in the name of King Xerxes, sealed the dispatches
S2: with the king's signet ring, and sent them by mounted
S2: couriers who rode fast horses especially bred for the king.
S2: The newest edition of the edict was spread to each
S2: provincial capital, and then from there it was distributed to
S2: each city, town and village in the province. And what
S2: did the new edict say? The king's edict granted the
S2: Jews in every city the right to assemble and protect themselves,
S2: to destroy, kill and annihilate any armed force of any
S2: nationality or province that might attack them and their women
S2: and children, and to plunder the property of their enemies.
S2: The day appointed for the Jews to do this in
S2: all the provinces of King Xerxes was the 13th day
S2: of the 12th month, the month of Adar. That's the
S2: same day given in the original edict. For two months
S2: the enemies of the Jews had been harassing them, hurling
S2: insults and threats, telling the Jews the very day they
S2: would die. And then suddenly a second decree arrives from
S2: the king, telling the Jews they're free to defend themselves
S2: and destroy those who had planned on destroying them. Oops!
S2: And when the day came, the Jews struck down all
S2: their enemies with the sword. The command to stop the
S2: presses and issue a new decree turned a time of
S2: threat and annihilation into victorious celebration. And God orchestrated it
S2: all almost 2500 years ago this coming week. So what
S2: difference should this account make in our lives today? Let
S2: me suggest two one personal and one national first. Personally,
S2: this story in Esther reminds us of the reality that
S2: God often works behind the scenes to watch over and
S2: protect his children. Whatever problems or threats or struggles you're
S2: facing today, go to God in prayer and ask for
S2: his help. He might not send a fiery angel down
S2: from heaven or part the Red sea you're facing, but
S2: you can trust him to work in an amazing way
S2: to come to your aid. And second, this story is
S2: a reminder that God's promise to Abraham and his descendants
S2: in Genesis 12 three is still true. I will bless
S2: those who bless you and whoever curses you, I will curse.
S2: As believers, we need to stand against anti-Semitism and show
S2: our love and support for both the Jewish people and
S2: the nation of Israel. Doing so aligns you with God,
S2: and that's a good side to be on.
S1: And that's a great and very timely reminder. Thank you Charlie.
S1: As always, we thank you for spending time with us,
S1: and we thank the management at this station for providing
S1: room for this broadcast. We call the land and the book.
S1: I'm John Geiger for our host, Charlie Dyer, our producer,
S1: Dan Anderson. Thank you for listening. The land and the
S1: book is a production of Moody Radio, a ministry of
S1: Moody Bible Institute.