WEBVTT - The Ex-Muslim’s Guide to Christianity 0:00:08.210 --> 0:00:13.640 Ostracized, alone, disoriented. If you've left Islam to follow Jesus, 0:00:13.640 --> 0:00:17.180 that's often how you feel. You've left your family, community, 0:00:17.180 --> 0:00:20.660 and everything you've known behind. You may have found a 0:00:20.660 --> 0:00:24.530 loving church community, but no one really understands what it's 0:00:24.530 --> 0:00:26.990 been like for you today on the land. In the book, 0:00:26.990 --> 0:00:30.440 we're going to look at the Ex-Muslims Guide to Christianity, 0:00:30.440 --> 0:00:34.250 help for former Muslims who now follow Christ. Welcome to 0:00:34.250 --> 0:00:37.010 our one hour flyover of the Middle East. The land 0:00:37.010 --> 0:00:39.830 and the book seated in the pilot's chair. As always. 0:00:39.830 --> 0:00:44.750 Captain Charlie Dyer serving as Charlie's first officer. I'm John Gager. Hey, 0:00:44.750 --> 0:00:46.729 maybe you wonder, how do you share the gospel with 0:00:46.729 --> 0:00:50.630 a Jewish person? Because of cultural, historical, and religious differences, 0:00:50.630 --> 0:00:54.560 it can be challenging to navigate a gospel conversation with 0:00:54.560 --> 0:00:57.740 somebody from a Jewish background. You ever wondered how the 0:00:57.740 --> 0:00:59.390 quote professionals do it? 0:00:59.390 --> 0:01:01.850 And to answer that question, our friends at Life and 0:01:01.850 --> 0:01:04.760 Messiah want to mail you samples of the tracks their 0:01:04.760 --> 0:01:07.910 staff use as they present the gospel. This will serve 0:01:07.910 --> 0:01:10.340 a dual purpose. It will equip you with methods of 0:01:10.340 --> 0:01:13.789 presenting the gospel, and also supply you with tracks you 0:01:13.790 --> 0:01:16.550 can share with your Jewish friends and neighbors. Life in 0:01:16.550 --> 0:01:19.460 Messiah's Prayer is that these tracks will help further the 0:01:19.459 --> 0:01:22.640 spread of the gospel among the Jewish people. To receive 0:01:22.640 --> 0:01:25.190 this helpful assortment of tracks, all you need to do 0:01:25.190 --> 0:01:28.250 is visit Life in Messiah org and click on the 0:01:28.250 --> 0:01:33.500 Moody Radio button there for more information. That's Life in messiah.org. 0:01:33.500 --> 0:01:36.380 Now don't miss out on this great opportunity. 0:01:36.380 --> 0:01:38.870 This week we're really excited to shift our focus a 0:01:38.870 --> 0:01:41.930 bit away from regular day to day headlines from the 0:01:41.930 --> 0:01:45.620 Middle East to explore recent archaeological stories out of Israel 0:01:45.620 --> 0:01:47.930 making the news. We've got a lot of listeners, Charlie, 0:01:47.930 --> 0:01:51.050 who are very interested in this. So this is for you. 0:01:51.050 --> 0:01:54.620 Story number one, one of the key difficulties in archaeology 0:01:54.620 --> 0:01:58.310 is trying to determine an exact chronology of the past. 0:01:58.310 --> 0:02:01.490 Carbon 14 dating, of course, has helped, though. There's a 0:02:01.490 --> 0:02:05.180 phenomenon known as Hallstatt plateau, which interferes with the use 0:02:05.180 --> 0:02:08.990 of radiocarbon dating during the Iron Age, stretching from around 0:02:08.990 --> 0:02:12.410 the time of Solomon to the Babylonian captivity. But now 0:02:12.410 --> 0:02:15.230 researchers at the Weizmann Institute believe they've been able to 0:02:15.230 --> 0:02:20.480 establish an absolute chronology for discoveries using new dating techniques. 0:02:20.480 --> 0:02:23.359 So what exactly is the breakthrough that they've discovered? 0:02:23.360 --> 0:02:25.610 Yeah, and this might take people by surprise, because most 0:02:25.610 --> 0:02:29.899 people assume carbon 14 dating provides a fairly accurate timeline 0:02:29.900 --> 0:02:32.780 for history, since it's based on the constant rate of 0:02:32.780 --> 0:02:37.100 decay of carbon 14. In the atmosphere, living organisms absorb 0:02:37.100 --> 0:02:39.500 these atoms into their tissue until they die, at which 0:02:39.500 --> 0:02:45.050 point the carbon 14 undergoes radioactive decay, turning into nitrogen 14. 0:02:45.230 --> 0:02:48.710 The problem is that plots of carbon 14 graphs hit 0:02:48.740 --> 0:02:53.359 a flat area, or plateau, between around 804 hundred BC. 0:02:53.690 --> 0:02:57.380 It's referred to in archaeology as the Hallstatt Plateau, after 0:02:57.380 --> 0:03:00.350 a city in Austria. The city gave its name to 0:03:00.350 --> 0:03:03.829 the dominant European culture during that period, and the Hallstatt 0:03:03.830 --> 0:03:07.790 plateau refers to a change in solar activity that influenced 0:03:07.790 --> 0:03:12.560 the radiocarbon production worldwide during those centuries. In other words, 0:03:12.560 --> 0:03:17.300 carbon 14 dating has a glitch worldwide that unfortunately corresponds 0:03:17.300 --> 0:03:20.450 to much of the Kingdom period for Israel and Judah. Now, 0:03:20.450 --> 0:03:24.230 these researchers used a combination of approaches to help overcome 0:03:24.230 --> 0:03:29.000 the Hallstatt plateau. First, they focused on one site Jerusalem. 0:03:29.000 --> 0:03:32.300 Because of the extensive excavations at that area, they were 0:03:32.300 --> 0:03:37.160 able to collect more than 100 radiocarbon measurements on organic material. 0:03:37.160 --> 0:03:41.240 They conducted multiple radiocarbon measurements to get the highest level 0:03:41.240 --> 0:03:44.870 of accuracy and precision for each specimen, and they were 0:03:44.870 --> 0:03:47.660 able to match each item to its precise location at 0:03:47.660 --> 0:03:51.800 the site. They then used 100 calendar dated tree rings 0:03:51.800 --> 0:03:55.850 from well known worldwide archives. Combining the tree ring dating 0:03:55.850 --> 0:03:58.700 with the radiocarbon method, they were able to obtain a 0:03:58.700 --> 0:04:03.710 more precise and detailed determination of the radiocarbon concentration in 0:04:03.710 --> 0:04:07.790 the atmosphere at that time. Finally, they also used two 0:04:07.790 --> 0:04:12.170 well-established historically dated events in Jerusalem an earthquake at the 0:04:12.170 --> 0:04:16.160 time of King Uzziah that took place around 759 BC, 0:04:16.339 --> 0:04:19.430 and the destruction of the city by the Babylonians in 0:04:19.430 --> 0:04:24.169 586 BC, and combining the archaeological evidence that matched these 0:04:24.170 --> 0:04:28.370 two fixed points with their more precise carbon 14 calibrations, 0:04:28.370 --> 0:04:32.330 they established a detailed chronology of Jerusalem, and the results 0:04:32.330 --> 0:04:37.849 closely matched the Bible with archaeological discoveries. For example, post-earthquake 0:04:37.850 --> 0:04:41.570 redevelopment in Jerusalem is now understood to have begun under 0:04:41.570 --> 0:04:45.650 King Uzziah rather than Hezekiah, and that matches passages like 0:04:45.650 --> 0:04:49.430 Amos one one and Zechariah 14 five, which clearly placed 0:04:49.430 --> 0:04:52.760 the earthquake in the days of King Uzziah. The study 0:04:52.760 --> 0:04:55.969 also shows that the city's expansion began at least a 0:04:55.970 --> 0:04:59.990 century earlier than many scholars had previously thought, again, more 0:04:59.990 --> 0:05:03.800 accurately matching the timeline pictured in the Bible. Now aligning 0:05:03.800 --> 0:05:09.110 archaeological discoveries with carbon 14 dating and. Chronology and fixed 0:05:09.110 --> 0:05:13.310 historical dates provided a greater precision, and in the process 0:05:13.310 --> 0:05:16.400 helps remind us again of the accuracy of God's Word. 0:05:16.430 --> 0:05:20.900 Fascinating. Well, researchers are now using artificial intelligence to help 0:05:20.900 --> 0:05:24.590 fill in the blanks for illegible or damaged ancient texts 0:05:24.589 --> 0:05:27.320 and tablets. How does this new system work? 0:05:27.350 --> 0:05:31.910 Well, the system employs masked language modeling that uses context 0:05:31.910 --> 0:05:35.030 to predict missing words in a phrase or sentence. The 0:05:35.029 --> 0:05:41.450 researchers first fed Biblical Hebrew and Aramaic texts 22,144 sentences 0:05:41.450 --> 0:05:44.780 from the Old Testament into the system. They then tested 0:05:44.779 --> 0:05:49.070 the system on the remaining 536 sentences that they hadn't fed. 0:05:49.070 --> 0:05:51.739 In trying to have it predict words or phrases that 0:05:51.740 --> 0:05:55.070 they would leave out. The model they developed is called 0:05:55.070 --> 0:05:59.300 em Bible. Em Bible. The value of the system is 0:05:59.300 --> 0:06:01.940 the help it will provide to translators when new texts 0:06:01.940 --> 0:06:05.180 are are found and they're constantly being discovered. Many have 0:06:05.180 --> 0:06:09.590 been partially destroyed by earthquakes or natural or human related incidents, 0:06:09.589 --> 0:06:13.099 so their partial and not complete. This system will provide 0:06:13.100 --> 0:06:17.719 translators with suggested reconstructions of the missing parts of texts. 0:06:17.750 --> 0:06:20.150 It's also possible the model will be able to help 0:06:20.150 --> 0:06:23.779 reconstruct plausible text from thousands of fragments found at sites 0:06:23.779 --> 0:06:27.950 like Qumran, many of which are still remaining undecipherable after 0:06:27.950 --> 0:06:32.390 nearly 80 years following their discovery. Now, artificial intelligence won't 0:06:32.390 --> 0:06:35.239 replace the wisdom and skill of linguists, but it could 0:06:35.240 --> 0:06:38.300 become a crucial aid by poring through thousands of possible 0:06:38.300 --> 0:06:42.110 options to offer the most logical possibilities for the translator, 0:06:42.110 --> 0:06:45.229 based on all other available texts. And that could be 0:06:45.230 --> 0:06:48.410 a great help in more rapidly advancing our understanding of 0:06:48.410 --> 0:06:51.529 the Bible in its cultural and historical context. 0:06:51.560 --> 0:06:53.570 Today, on the land in the book, our host, Doctor 0:06:53.570 --> 0:06:56.420 Charlie Dyer, is working us through a list of recent 0:06:56.420 --> 0:07:00.349 archaeological stories that I think are intriguing to just about everybody. 0:07:00.350 --> 0:07:05.150 The Temple Mount Sifting Project uncovered clay tokens that might 0:07:05.150 --> 0:07:08.300 have been part of the system for purchasing offerings for 0:07:08.300 --> 0:07:11.000 use in the temple. What do these tokens look like 0:07:11.000 --> 0:07:12.980 and how would they have been used? 0:07:12.980 --> 0:07:15.770 Yeah, the Temple Mount Sifting Project has actually been going 0:07:15.770 --> 0:07:19.400 now for 20 years, and it's still uncovering details that 0:07:19.400 --> 0:07:21.440 help us understand what life was like at the time 0:07:21.440 --> 0:07:24.620 of the Bible. They've been slowly combing through tons of 0:07:24.620 --> 0:07:27.770 debris and dirt that was dumped outside Jerusalem's Old City 0:07:27.770 --> 0:07:32.210 back in 1999, when Islamic officials dug underneath the southeast 0:07:32.210 --> 0:07:35.510 corner of the Temple Mount to build an underground mosque. Now, 0:07:35.510 --> 0:07:38.540 these particular items were uncovered several years ago, but were 0:07:38.540 --> 0:07:42.440 only just recently published. Other relatively small, less than four 0:07:42.440 --> 0:07:45.560 inches in size, and they're clay tokens that were imprinted 0:07:45.560 --> 0:07:47.989 on the front side and indented or pinched in on 0:07:47.990 --> 0:07:50.840 the back. They aren't the same as the seals placed 0:07:50.840 --> 0:07:53.900 on documents. The one token has an impression of a 0:07:53.900 --> 0:07:57.050 wine jug on it, with an inscription in Greek, a, 0:07:57.050 --> 0:08:00.440 based on some passages in the Mishnah. The archaeologists believe 0:08:00.440 --> 0:08:02.989 these might have been used to indicate payment for the 0:08:02.990 --> 0:08:07.100 different sacrifices used during the three annual feasts, when tens 0:08:07.100 --> 0:08:10.730 of thousands of pilgrims would flock to Jerusalem, the pilgrims 0:08:10.730 --> 0:08:14.090 would pay for the sacrifice at one location and be 0:08:14.090 --> 0:08:16.790 handed their clay token, which they would then take up 0:08:16.790 --> 0:08:20.330 on the Temple Mount to exchange for the appropriate sacrifice. 0:08:20.510 --> 0:08:23.180 The fact that one of the tokens contains Greek letters 0:08:23.180 --> 0:08:27.020 while the other was written in Aramaic, suggests the cosmopolitan 0:08:27.020 --> 0:08:29.750 nature of these gatherings. As Jews from all over the 0:08:29.750 --> 0:08:32.420 world would come to Jerusalem, the list of those on 0:08:32.420 --> 0:08:34.940 the day of Pentecost in Acts two helps explain the 0:08:34.940 --> 0:08:37.970 need for tokens for those who could speak either Greek 0:08:37.970 --> 0:08:40.730 or Aramaic, and these little tokens date back to the 0:08:40.730 --> 0:08:43.970 time of Herod the Great, and show the logistical details 0:08:43.970 --> 0:08:46.130 that were put in place to have the operation of 0:08:46.130 --> 0:08:49.550 the temple run smoothly, even during the busiest of times. 0:08:49.550 --> 0:08:51.860 And sadly, John, they probably also were used to help 0:08:51.860 --> 0:08:54.530 somebody from cheating. You had to have your token before 0:08:54.530 --> 0:08:56.750 you could offer your sacrifice, and you paid at a 0:08:56.750 --> 0:08:59.540 secure spot and then got your sacrifice elsewhere. 0:08:59.540 --> 0:09:03.380 Interesting. Well, a Phoenician era pendant from the First Temple 0:09:03.380 --> 0:09:06.980 period and a merchant's stone box from the Second Temple 0:09:06.980 --> 0:09:10.160 period are two of the more recent discoveries put on 0:09:10.160 --> 0:09:14.150 display in Jerusalem. What is the significance of both objects? 0:09:14.150 --> 0:09:16.580 Well, there are just additional examples of the kinds of 0:09:16.580 --> 0:09:19.610 discoveries that add depth and texture to our understanding of 0:09:19.610 --> 0:09:22.910 life in Bible times. The pendant, which they also think 0:09:22.910 --> 0:09:26.720 could possibly be an earring, is 3000 years old and 0:09:26.720 --> 0:09:30.020 was discovered in excavations just south of the Temple Mount. 0:09:30.020 --> 0:09:32.510 It was found again a decade ago, but was largely 0:09:32.510 --> 0:09:35.780 overlooked until last year. The piece is small. It's just 0:09:35.780 --> 0:09:38.510 over a 10th of an inch high. It's shaped like 0:09:38.510 --> 0:09:41.600 a four handled basket and is made of electrum, which 0:09:41.600 --> 0:09:44.960 is a compound of both gold and silver. The archaeologists 0:09:44.960 --> 0:09:48.020 determined that it was of Phoenician origin and is dated 0:09:48.020 --> 0:09:51.110 to the 10th century BC, which would place it around 0:09:51.110 --> 0:09:54.469 the time of King Solomon. Well, the Bible says Hiram, 0:09:54.470 --> 0:09:57.260 king of tyre, sent laborers to help both David and 0:09:57.260 --> 0:10:00.620 Solomon with their building projects. So it's even possible this 0:10:00.620 --> 0:10:03.380 could be a pendant or earring worn by one of 0:10:03.380 --> 0:10:07.270 those workers. The second discovery takes us forward. In time 0:10:07.270 --> 0:10:10.600 a thousand years to the Second Temple period, a stone 0:10:10.600 --> 0:10:14.290 container about a foot square with nine compartments was found 0:10:14.290 --> 0:10:17.020 in the city of David, inside one of the ancient 0:10:17.020 --> 0:10:20.439 stores along the roadway. It was likely used to display 0:10:20.440 --> 0:10:23.860 small items for sale to pilgrims. The sides of the 0:10:23.860 --> 0:10:27.580 box were blackened, suggesting it was charred when the Romans 0:10:27.580 --> 0:10:30.580 took the city and then burned it in AD 70. 0:10:30.760 --> 0:10:34.090 These relatively small discoveries are the kind of finds that 0:10:34.090 --> 0:10:36.970 help bring Bible times to life by reminding us of 0:10:36.970 --> 0:10:39.339 the day to day lives of these people who walk 0:10:39.370 --> 0:10:42.850 the streets of Jerusalem during the time of both temples. 0:10:42.970 --> 0:10:45.730 And that's a look at archaeological discoveries that are making 0:10:45.730 --> 0:10:48.340 the headlines these days. Hey, do you know anybody who 0:10:48.340 --> 0:10:51.280 has said, I just have too much encouragement going on 0:10:51.280 --> 0:10:54.190 in my life right now, too much encouragement? I didn't 0:10:54.190 --> 0:10:57.699 think so. Everybody could use a bit more encouragement, including 0:10:57.700 --> 0:11:00.160 the team at this station. So why not email them, 0:11:00.160 --> 0:11:02.380 call them, or send them a postcard or note to 0:11:02.380 --> 0:11:05.170 say thank you for airing the land and the book. 0:11:05.170 --> 0:11:08.320 Appreciate your passing on that word of encouragement. Well, a 0:11:08.320 --> 0:11:11.350 full program today, including a look at the Ex-Muslims guide 0:11:11.350 --> 0:11:15.340 to Christianity. Fascinating practical advice coming up next on the 0:11:15.340 --> 0:11:32.230 land and the book. You were born Muslim, you will 0:11:32.230 --> 0:11:36.490 die Muslim. You know what Allah says about infidels? These 0:11:36.490 --> 0:11:39.130 are the words that Kenza Haddock grew up with. Yet 0:11:39.130 --> 0:11:42.819 meeting Jesus Christ changed everything for her. But how does 0:11:42.820 --> 0:11:45.940 an Ex-muslim learn to live the Christian life? What are 0:11:45.940 --> 0:11:49.060 the hurdles that must be overcome? Well, that's our focus. 0:11:49.059 --> 0:11:52.390 Coming up, you're listening to The Land and the book 0:11:52.390 --> 0:11:55.719 from Moody Radio. I'm John Gager, inviting you to think 0:11:55.720 --> 0:11:57.610 with me for just a moment about some ways that 0:11:57.610 --> 0:12:00.100 you and I can share the love of Jesus with 0:12:00.100 --> 0:12:03.910 our Muslim neighbors and coworkers and friends. You know, when 0:12:03.910 --> 0:12:06.580 we think about ministering to Muslims, sometimes we get so 0:12:06.580 --> 0:12:10.120 spun up and technique and questions and concerns, we forget 0:12:10.120 --> 0:12:13.540 that good old fashioned love makes all the difference. And 0:12:13.540 --> 0:12:17.080 maybe that's the best strategy. Call of Hope's president, Stefano 0:12:17.080 --> 0:12:20.319 Farah joins us. And how can we really love Muslims 0:12:20.320 --> 0:12:22.540 in a way that means something to them? 0:12:22.690 --> 0:12:27.280 You know, our missionaries, when they are reaching out to Muslims, 0:12:27.280 --> 0:12:31.929 they very often help them. You know, in Lebanon, for example, 0:12:31.929 --> 0:12:35.530 they bring them blankets and food, and then always the 0:12:35.530 --> 0:12:38.290 people ask them and say, why on earth are you 0:12:38.290 --> 0:12:41.860 helping us? And then the answer is, well, because Jesus 0:12:41.860 --> 0:12:44.740 loves you and this is why I love you. So 0:12:44.740 --> 0:12:49.390 the same thing in our life. Why not just going 0:12:49.480 --> 0:12:53.350 to your neighbor who is a muslim and bringing him 0:12:53.350 --> 0:12:56.200 a cake? I mean, yes, he would look at you 0:12:56.200 --> 0:13:00.340 something like, what are you doing? But they will be 0:13:00.340 --> 0:13:04.030 really touched, you know, uh, you really know that I'm 0:13:04.030 --> 0:13:07.720 your neighbor and you have this love to just come 0:13:07.720 --> 0:13:11.290 and bring that to me. Or maybe this person has 0:13:11.290 --> 0:13:13.929 a problem with the papers they have to fill for 0:13:13.929 --> 0:13:18.100 the government. Why not offering them? Hey, I can help you. 0:13:18.130 --> 0:13:21.670 You know, these are little signs of love. And they 0:13:21.670 --> 0:13:25.030 will ask themselves, why are you doing that? And the 0:13:25.030 --> 0:13:26.949 answer is because Jesus loves you. 0:13:27.250 --> 0:13:30.040 Stefano Farah is with call of Hope us. Thanks for 0:13:30.040 --> 0:13:36.010 those thoughts. Kenza Haddock was born in Casablanca, Morocco. She 0:13:36.010 --> 0:13:38.949 moved to the United States with her family at age 12. 0:13:38.980 --> 0:13:41.679 As a young adult, Kenza was called by God when 0:13:41.679 --> 0:13:45.430 she had a dream about Jesus, so she ultimately renounced 0:13:45.429 --> 0:13:49.390 Islam and became an ambassador for Christ. Today, Kenza is 0:13:49.390 --> 0:13:53.320 a licensed professional counselor. She speaks at church events and conferences, 0:13:53.320 --> 0:13:56.410 telling her story of how God saved her from persecution 0:13:56.410 --> 0:13:59.800 during and after her coming to faith in Christ. We 0:13:59.800 --> 0:14:01.479 are so glad to have you with us today, Kenza. 0:14:01.510 --> 0:14:02.260 Thank you. 0:14:02.530 --> 0:14:04.600 Thank you so much for having me, John. 0:14:04.840 --> 0:14:08.230 Well, you were once convinced that God hated you and 0:14:08.230 --> 0:14:11.440 you went through a period of depression and hopelessness. Describe 0:14:11.440 --> 0:14:13.030 that season for you. 0:14:13.210 --> 0:14:17.320 Yes, absolutely. So I grew up in an Islamic household 0:14:17.320 --> 0:14:22.000 and Islam is based on works. And looking back, my 0:14:22.000 --> 0:14:25.240 personality is very determined. And so I felt like I 0:14:25.240 --> 0:14:29.979 had to just achieve a bunch of works in order 0:14:29.980 --> 0:14:33.340 for me to achieve salvation, so that I could gain 0:14:33.340 --> 0:14:38.440 favor with the God of my understanding. Allah. And I 0:14:38.440 --> 0:14:41.890 felt like the more I worked, it's like taking two 0:14:41.890 --> 0:14:45.790 steps forward just to get knocked back three steps. And 0:14:45.790 --> 0:14:51.340 in Islam, any negative circumstances that happen in your life, John, 0:14:51.340 --> 0:14:56.380 they're considered just bad consequences or punishment from Allah. And 0:14:56.380 --> 0:14:59.260 so I went through that in my life, and by 0:14:59.260 --> 0:15:03.490 the age of 23, I was convinced that God hated me. 0:15:03.790 --> 0:15:06.430 And I remember one time I was sitting on the 0:15:06.430 --> 0:15:11.980 couch one night contemplating ending my life, and in my 0:15:11.980 --> 0:15:15.670 mind I was convinced he hated me. Yes, and that 0:15:15.670 --> 0:15:18.580 was the first time I threw out all of the 0:15:18.580 --> 0:15:23.740 Islamic rituals. I didn't wash up before I prayed. I 0:15:23.740 --> 0:15:26.830 just threw myself on the ground and cried out to 0:15:26.830 --> 0:15:29.530 whoever would hear me out. And I said, God, I 0:15:29.530 --> 0:15:32.500 know you hate me. I know I don't have any 0:15:32.500 --> 0:15:36.490 favor with you. Just show me the way to you. 0:15:36.490 --> 0:15:38.890 And I cried myself to sleep. 0:15:39.130 --> 0:15:42.370 Well, ultimately you did become a follower of Jesus. What 0:15:42.370 --> 0:15:44.920 was that moment like? How did that happen for you? 0:15:45.550 --> 0:15:49.300 So the night I cried myself to sleep, I had 0:15:49.300 --> 0:15:51.609 a dream. I had a dream that it was the 0:15:51.610 --> 0:15:54.880 end times. And in my dream, I was looking out 0:15:54.880 --> 0:15:58.990 of the window. And I saw the sky open. And 0:15:58.990 --> 0:16:01.900 I saw a man in a white robe descending from 0:16:01.900 --> 0:16:05.290 the sky. Now, mind you, I grew up my whole 0:16:05.290 --> 0:16:08.830 entire life. Up until this point, anxiety was a part 0:16:08.830 --> 0:16:13.180 of my normal everyday life. That night in my dream, 0:16:13.180 --> 0:16:15.880 I felt this peace that I had never felt in 0:16:15.880 --> 0:16:19.660 my life. It was a peace that I couldn't even comprehend. 0:16:19.660 --> 0:16:23.200 And as he came down, I knew this man was 0:16:23.200 --> 0:16:26.230 Jesus and I knew he was coming down with authority. 0:16:26.230 --> 0:16:28.780 And I knew he was more than a prophet. And 0:16:28.780 --> 0:16:32.620 as he approached me, I woke up. And I wish 0:16:32.620 --> 0:16:34.300 I could tell you, I woke up and gave my 0:16:34.300 --> 0:16:37.870 life to Jesus and everything was great. But that wasn't 0:16:37.870 --> 0:16:38.560 the case. 0:16:39.070 --> 0:16:42.700 Well, how did you and when did you finally receive Christ? 0:16:43.240 --> 0:16:47.800 It wasn't until about ten months later I did some research. Discreetly. 0:16:47.800 --> 0:16:50.500 I went to the library, did some research, and I 0:16:50.500 --> 0:16:52.900 knew that I had to leave the state. I lived 0:16:52.900 --> 0:16:55.210 in Virginia back then. I knew I had to leave 0:16:55.210 --> 0:16:59.830 the state for safety reasons, because leaving Islam violates Sharia law, 0:16:59.830 --> 0:17:04.210 which violates apostasy law. It's punishable by death. And so 0:17:04.210 --> 0:17:07.840 I left to South Carolina to start my life from scratch. 0:17:07.840 --> 0:17:11.320 And John, I didn't know how to get saved. I 0:17:11.320 --> 0:17:14.470 had no idea. And I was talking to a friend 0:17:14.470 --> 0:17:16.900 on the phone. I called a friend, shared my dream 0:17:16.900 --> 0:17:20.980 with him, and he was a Christian friend. And right 0:17:20.980 --> 0:17:23.620 then and there I was in a parking lot on 0:17:23.619 --> 0:17:27.729 the phone. He opened his Bible and shared Romans ten nine. 0:17:27.730 --> 0:17:30.790 He said, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus 0:17:30.790 --> 0:17:34.480 Christ is Lord, and believe in your heart that God 0:17:34.480 --> 0:17:38.199 raised him from the dead, then you're saved. And I said, really? 0:17:38.380 --> 0:17:40.899 And I was saved right then and there. 0:17:41.020 --> 0:17:43.990 She grew up in Morocco, moved to the United States, 0:17:43.990 --> 0:17:47.440 and found Christ as Savior. Kenza Haddock has written the 0:17:47.440 --> 0:17:50.709 Ex-Muslims Guide to Christianity. I want to get to the 0:17:50.710 --> 0:17:52.960 question of how did your parents respond to your decision? 0:17:52.960 --> 0:17:55.389 But not before I take you back just a moment 0:17:55.390 --> 0:17:58.270 to what you just shared kind of triggered something in me. 0:17:58.270 --> 0:18:01.389 You're saying that in the United States, you felt the 0:18:01.390 --> 0:18:05.200 threat of your choice to leave Islam, maybe putting you 0:18:05.200 --> 0:18:08.740 in a danger point. That seems a little shocking for some. Explain. 0:18:08.740 --> 0:18:13.690 Oh, absolutely. Yes. So when I was raised Muslim, even 0:18:13.690 --> 0:18:18.609 in the United States, I believed that Sharia law superseded 0:18:18.609 --> 0:18:22.149 the law of the land. I mean, just like as believers, 0:18:22.150 --> 0:18:26.410 we believe that if, for example, someone tells us to 0:18:26.410 --> 0:18:30.310 bow down to a different God, we wouldn't do such 0:18:30.310 --> 0:18:34.179 a thing. It was a similar thing in Islam. And 0:18:34.180 --> 0:18:37.180 so leaving Islam is punishable by. 0:18:37.180 --> 0:18:38.200 Death even. 0:18:38.200 --> 0:18:39.850 In the United States. Do you feel that there are 0:18:39.850 --> 0:18:43.570 many in your shoes who would share that similar fear? 0:18:43.600 --> 0:18:49.300 Oh, absolutely. I remember growing up watching someone who was 0:18:49.300 --> 0:18:52.270 in my shoes, I can't remember. I believe her name 0:18:52.270 --> 0:18:57.130 was Rifka, and she left her family. And I remember 0:18:57.130 --> 0:19:01.869 watching her on TV and my parents said that if 0:19:01.869 --> 0:19:04.660 that were their daughter, they would bring her back and 0:19:04.660 --> 0:19:09.730 punish her severely, and she would have to renounce her religion. 0:19:10.180 --> 0:19:10.870 Yeah. 0:19:10.990 --> 0:19:14.649 So then to that question, how did your parents ultimately 0:19:14.650 --> 0:19:16.150 respond to your decision? 0:19:16.630 --> 0:19:21.580 So months after I gave my life to Jesus, I 0:19:21.580 --> 0:19:25.570 met my husband and later on we got married. I 0:19:25.570 --> 0:19:29.260 was pregnant with our first born, and we were in 0:19:29.260 --> 0:19:32.889 our home and all of a sudden we hear it 0:19:32.890 --> 0:19:36.490 wasn't knocking and was banging on the doors. Windows. And 0:19:36.490 --> 0:19:38.590 my family had shown up in our home in South 0:19:38.590 --> 0:19:42.580 Carolina and they were trying to open our windows, doors, 0:19:42.580 --> 0:19:46.120 taking pictures of our cars. And long story short, they 0:19:46.119 --> 0:19:49.480 were trying to. That was their first attempt in trying 0:19:49.480 --> 0:19:52.600 to get me to go back with them. I asked 0:19:52.600 --> 0:19:55.240 my husband not to confront them because I know what 0:19:55.240 --> 0:19:58.090 the Koran says. And so we called the police because 0:19:58.090 --> 0:20:00.399 we had to get it on record. And the police 0:20:00.400 --> 0:20:04.330 officer kindly explained to them that this is the United States. 0:20:04.330 --> 0:20:07.900 I have the freedom to worship the God of Israel 0:20:07.900 --> 0:20:12.100 if I want to, and I can just do that. 0:20:12.100 --> 0:20:15.640 And ever since then, they've come back over and over 0:20:15.640 --> 0:20:20.800 and honestly, God has protected me over and over, just 0:20:20.800 --> 0:20:23.260 going back to the first time they've shown up. I 0:20:23.260 --> 0:20:26.860 was scared to death, but every time they've shown up 0:20:26.859 --> 0:20:30.490 after that, I feared less and less and less because 0:20:30.490 --> 0:20:32.740 I've seen God's faithfulness through it all. 0:20:33.250 --> 0:20:35.950 As a young adult, Kenzo was called by God when 0:20:35.950 --> 0:20:39.670 she had a dream about Jesus, so she ultimately renounced Islam, 0:20:39.670 --> 0:20:43.570 became an ambassador for Christ today. Kenzo speaks at church 0:20:43.570 --> 0:20:46.480 events and conferences telling her story. It's an honor to 0:20:46.480 --> 0:20:48.790 have her with us on the land and the book. 0:20:49.090 --> 0:20:51.159 You say in the book, Islam is one of the 0:20:51.160 --> 0:20:55.030 devil's tools to keep people in bondage. Those are strong words. 0:20:55.030 --> 0:20:56.080 Defend your claim. 0:20:56.650 --> 0:21:02.740 Yes, absolutely. So Islam is based on the belief that 0:21:02.740 --> 0:21:07.630 the deity of Christ is nonexistent. I mean, that's what 0:21:07.630 --> 0:21:11.800 Islam is founded upon. Muhammad claims that he received a 0:21:11.800 --> 0:21:19.719 revelation that counteracts that the deity crucifixion and the resurrection 0:21:19.720 --> 0:21:23.859 of Christ didn't happen. It repudiates it. And so if 0:21:23.859 --> 0:21:27.340 all of that doesn't happen, it puts mankind back into 0:21:27.340 --> 0:21:30.940 the bondage of works. I mean, think about it. The 0:21:30.940 --> 0:21:36.340 enemy had lost a war when when Jesus got crucified, 0:21:36.340 --> 0:21:39.220 he rose from the dead. I mean, I think it's in. 0:21:39.220 --> 0:21:44.109 I don't remember if it's in Colossians, it says that 0:21:44.109 --> 0:21:46.570 Jesus made a spectacle of the enemy. 0:21:46.990 --> 0:21:48.430 Triumphing over them. 0:21:48.430 --> 0:21:49.420 Yes, yes. 0:21:49.420 --> 0:21:52.689 Triumphing over them with the cross. And so after that, 0:21:52.690 --> 0:21:55.149 I mean, I think it was like about 600 years 0:21:55.150 --> 0:22:00.160 after that, Muhammad receives this revelation in a cave that 0:22:00.160 --> 0:22:06.370 directly contradicts God's Word and puts mankind back into works 0:22:06.369 --> 0:22:11.980 and bondage. And yeah, absolutely. Because God is His word. 0:22:11.980 --> 0:22:20.290 And also the way Islam characterizes God's character is so 0:22:20.290 --> 0:22:25.270 wrong and it's so contradictory to how we believe God is. 0:22:25.270 --> 0:22:27.790 I mean, we as believers understand that God is a 0:22:27.790 --> 0:22:32.500 triune God versus Muslims. They don't believe that the way 0:22:32.500 --> 0:22:36.940 Muslims do describe God is like a spiritual Pharaoh. He's 0:22:36.940 --> 0:22:41.170 a dictator who is not interested in a relationship with anyone. 0:22:41.380 --> 0:22:45.879 Kenza Haddock has written the Ex-Muslims Guide to Christianity and 0:22:45.880 --> 0:22:48.429 I have to ask you, you know, have these successive 0:22:48.430 --> 0:22:52.870 visits from your parents become a little bit less confrontational, 0:22:52.869 --> 0:22:56.350 a little more cordial, or is there still a strong 0:22:56.350 --> 0:22:58.209 inclination to try and take you back? 0:22:58.690 --> 0:23:03.100 We have a no contact order now, and so at 0:23:03.100 --> 0:23:08.919 this point, unfortunately, they send different people because South Carolina 0:23:08.920 --> 0:23:13.000 law prohibits sending the same person within a certain amount 0:23:13.000 --> 0:23:16.300 of time. And so they're strategic with it. And so 0:23:16.300 --> 0:23:19.990 to answer your question, no, they have not become less cordial. 0:23:19.990 --> 0:23:24.910 They're still coming after us. They're still persecuting us. But 0:23:24.910 --> 0:23:28.360 God has been faithful in it all. I mean, he 0:23:28.359 --> 0:23:31.420 really has. And he's shown his faithfulness and he has 0:23:31.420 --> 0:23:35.050 shown his sovereignty, and he has shown truly that his 0:23:35.050 --> 0:23:38.350 eye is on the sparrow and he cares about us. 0:23:38.590 --> 0:23:41.949 In your book, The Ex-Muslims Guide to Christianity, you say 0:23:41.950 --> 0:23:44.560 what I find most disturbing about Islam is that some 0:23:44.560 --> 0:23:47.439 of it walks close to the truth in a few ways, 0:23:47.440 --> 0:23:50.200 and then distorts it. Give us an example or two. 0:23:50.650 --> 0:23:56.649 Yeah, absolutely. So for example, Islam starts out with Adam 0:23:56.650 --> 0:24:00.790 and Eve, right? And so it talks about how God 0:24:00.790 --> 0:24:04.900 created Adam and Eve. And so it starts very similar. 0:24:04.900 --> 0:24:08.500 But then it says when Adam and his wife, this 0:24:08.500 --> 0:24:11.740 is the Koran, it says when Adam and his wife sinned, 0:24:11.740 --> 0:24:16.030 they repented. And so that contradicts what the Word of 0:24:16.030 --> 0:24:20.170 God says. That's one. So it starts out with creation. 0:24:20.170 --> 0:24:23.590 There's a contradiction. Number two, I mean, there are so 0:24:23.590 --> 0:24:29.710 many contradictions. Another one, they believe that Abraham almost sacrificed Ishmael, 0:24:29.710 --> 0:24:33.970 not Isaac. And so they believe Ishmael was the chosen one. 0:24:34.150 --> 0:24:36.820 What's the one thing that you want an ex-muslim to 0:24:36.820 --> 0:24:38.590 walk away from this book with? 0:24:40.060 --> 0:24:44.679 To understand that, um, it took me years to grasp 0:24:44.680 --> 0:24:49.060 what Hebrews four six says and actually walk it out 0:24:49.060 --> 0:24:52.300 and it says to approach the throne of grace boldly, right? 0:24:52.300 --> 0:24:54.730 To receive grace and mercy in our time of need, 0:24:55.119 --> 0:24:59.290 and to understand that God, our God, our father, is relational. 0:24:59.470 --> 0:25:03.669 It took me years to walk that out and understand it, 0:25:03.670 --> 0:25:08.470 and it takes perseverance, and it's going to take years 0:25:08.470 --> 0:25:14.890 to unlearn the distortions and the poison and Ex-muslim had 0:25:14.890 --> 0:25:20.140 learned from Islam. And it's okay, but just stay perseverant 0:25:20.140 --> 0:25:24.909 in God's Word. Just keep walking with God. Hang in there, 0:25:24.910 --> 0:25:28.930 fellowship with the Holy Spirit and he will sustain you. 0:25:28.930 --> 0:25:32.650 God is relational, God is faithful, and God is for you. 0:25:32.990 --> 0:25:36.440 Man, boy, those are great words and encouraging words too. 0:25:36.440 --> 0:25:40.070 From Kenzie Haddock, who's written the Ex-Muslims Guide to Christianity, 0:25:40.070 --> 0:25:43.010 a link to her book and her website is at ours. 0:25:43.010 --> 0:25:46.550 The land and the book. Org. Kenza, thank you for 0:25:46.550 --> 0:25:47.270 your time. 0:25:47.300 --> 0:25:49.160 Thank you so much for having me. 0:25:49.190 --> 0:25:51.890 And Charlie Dyer will be back. You know what's coming next. 0:25:51.890 --> 0:25:55.670 Bible questions and answers here on the land and the book. 0:26:06.930 --> 0:26:09.810 Welcome back to the land and the book. I'm John Gager. 0:26:09.810 --> 0:26:11.790 I love this segment where we take a look at 0:26:11.790 --> 0:26:15.209 your questions about the Bible. You know, everybody takes a 0:26:15.210 --> 0:26:17.040 copy of the Bible and comes at it from a 0:26:17.040 --> 0:26:21.420 different background, different life, and comes up with different questions. Charlie. 0:26:21.420 --> 0:26:22.470 It's amazing, isn't it? 0:26:22.470 --> 0:26:25.020 It is. But that's what makes it so fascinating with 0:26:25.020 --> 0:26:26.639 this question and answer segment. 0:26:26.640 --> 0:26:29.159 Well, speaking of questions, maybe one of yours is how 0:26:29.160 --> 0:26:31.950 do I share the gospel with a Jewish friend? Because 0:26:31.950 --> 0:26:35.580 of cultural, historical, and religious differences, it sometimes kind of 0:26:35.580 --> 0:26:39.449 challenging to navigate a gospel conversation with somebody from a 0:26:39.450 --> 0:26:43.080 Jewish background. You ever wonder, though, how the quote professionals 0:26:43.080 --> 0:26:43.650 do it? 0:26:43.650 --> 0:26:45.929 Well, to answer that question, our friends at Life in 0:26:45.930 --> 0:26:48.689 Messiah want to mail you samples of the tracks their 0:26:48.690 --> 0:26:51.570 staff use as they share the gospel. This will serve 0:26:51.570 --> 0:26:54.150 a dual purpose of equipping you with methods of presenting 0:26:54.150 --> 0:26:57.060 the gospel, and also supplying you with tracks you can 0:26:57.060 --> 0:27:00.330 share with your Jewish friends and neighbors. Life in Messiah's 0:27:00.330 --> 0:27:02.700 Prayer is that these tracks will help further the spread 0:27:02.700 --> 0:27:05.669 of the gospel among the Jewish people. Now, to receive 0:27:05.670 --> 0:27:08.159 this helpful assortment of tracks, all you need to do 0:27:08.160 --> 0:27:11.250 is visit Life in Messiah org and click on the 0:27:11.250 --> 0:27:16.139 Moody Radio button for more information. That's life in Messiah org. 0:27:16.170 --> 0:27:18.900 Don't miss out on this great opportunity. 0:27:18.900 --> 0:27:22.350 And now question number one for the day from Alan. 0:27:22.350 --> 0:27:25.230 He says, I recently read that Jesus might have worked 0:27:25.230 --> 0:27:28.740 more with stone than with wood, because stone was easier 0:27:28.740 --> 0:27:32.250 to find in Israel than trees. I remember from our 0:27:32.250 --> 0:27:34.710 trip to Israel that the mangers were usually made from 0:27:34.710 --> 0:27:37.230 stone rather than wood. Well, I looked up the term 0:27:37.230 --> 0:27:41.129 for carpenter in my Concordance and Bible dictionary. The Greek 0:27:41.130 --> 0:27:45.570 term tekton denotes any craftsman, but especially a worker in wood. 0:27:45.570 --> 0:27:49.800 So might Jesus have worked with stone more than wood? 0:27:50.070 --> 0:27:52.260 Well, you know, it's a straightforward question, but the answer 0:27:52.260 --> 0:27:55.169 is a little bit more complex. That word tekton in 0:27:55.170 --> 0:27:58.110 Greek is only used twice in the New Testament, both 0:27:58.109 --> 0:28:02.340 times referring to Jesus's father in Matthew 13 and Mark six. 0:28:02.550 --> 0:28:04.320 The problem comes when we look at the word in 0:28:04.320 --> 0:28:07.320 other places to see how it was used. For example, 0:28:07.320 --> 0:28:12.030 in the Septuagint translation of Second Kings 22, Josiah orders 0:28:12.030 --> 0:28:14.459 those working on the temple to be paid, and the 0:28:14.460 --> 0:28:18.359 writer identifies three groups of workmen the carpenters, the builders, 0:28:18.359 --> 0:28:21.869 and the masons, and he uses tekton for the first group. 0:28:21.869 --> 0:28:24.179 The second group comes from a word that refers to 0:28:24.180 --> 0:28:27.690 construction in general. The third comes from a noun that 0:28:27.690 --> 0:28:29.610 describes a city wall. In other words, they were people 0:28:29.609 --> 0:28:32.790 who worked with stone. They were the stonemasons. And so 0:28:32.790 --> 0:28:36.090 in this case, the word tekton appears to describe woodworkers 0:28:36.090 --> 0:28:40.260 as opposed to general builders or stonemasons. However, in Second 0:28:40.260 --> 0:28:43.260 Samuel five, verse 11, the word tekton is used of 0:28:43.260 --> 0:28:47.340 both carpenters and stonemasons. In fact, the Septuagint literally says 0:28:47.340 --> 0:28:51.180 Hiram sent David's workers. That's the tekton of wood and workers. 0:28:51.180 --> 0:28:54.060 Same word of stone. So in general the word was 0:28:54.060 --> 0:28:56.970 used of carpenters. But there are instances when it was 0:28:56.970 --> 0:29:00.360 used of someone who worked in stone. It's possible Joseph, 0:29:00.360 --> 0:29:03.090 as a craftsman, worked on both, but there was also 0:29:03.090 --> 0:29:05.490 a level of skill and expertise that it was involved 0:29:05.490 --> 0:29:09.000 in both crafts that suggest generally a division of labor. 0:29:09.000 --> 0:29:11.970 So it's possible the gospel writers were using the word 0:29:11.970 --> 0:29:14.430 in its more normal sense of Carpenter. Now I feel 0:29:14.430 --> 0:29:16.800 like I'm dancing between them all. But the bottom line is, 0:29:16.800 --> 0:29:18.930 I don't think we know for sure. I tend to 0:29:18.930 --> 0:29:22.200 stick with Carpenter, but in actuality both are possible. 0:29:22.200 --> 0:29:25.230 Thank you Charlie at our land in the book Facebook page, 0:29:25.230 --> 0:29:29.640 all kinds of videos, photos and comments. Charlie, recently you 0:29:29.640 --> 0:29:32.040 posted a short video of the Garden Tomb and among 0:29:32.040 --> 0:29:35.760 the many encouraging responses was a very negative one that said, quote, 0:29:35.760 --> 0:29:39.300 Jesus died and he's not coming back. Get over it. 0:29:39.300 --> 0:29:42.360 End quote. Well, apart from deleting the comment, how would 0:29:42.360 --> 0:29:44.100 you respond to that individual? 0:29:44.100 --> 0:29:46.980 Yeah, I'd say the evidence for the existence of Jesus, 0:29:46.980 --> 0:29:50.730 including his death and resurrection, is overwhelming to anyone who's 0:29:50.730 --> 0:29:53.250 willing to look at the evidence with open eyes. We 0:29:53.250 --> 0:29:55.860 have more evidence about the life, death, and resurrection of 0:29:55.860 --> 0:29:58.140 Jesus than we do about the life and death of 0:29:58.140 --> 0:30:01.890 Julius Caesar. And most of the evidence about Jesus was 0:30:01.890 --> 0:30:04.950 written shortly after the events took place, by those who 0:30:04.950 --> 0:30:07.770 knew him personally, or who had access to those who 0:30:07.770 --> 0:30:11.100 knew him. Paul provides a compelling list of eyewitnesses to 0:30:11.100 --> 0:30:14.970 Jesus's resurrection in first Corinthians 15. You know, he says, 0:30:14.970 --> 0:30:17.370 he appeared to Peter and the 12, and after that 0:30:17.370 --> 0:30:20.700 to more than 500. And then he mentions the apostles, 0:30:20.700 --> 0:30:23.010 and finally he says, and, and and to me also. 0:30:23.010 --> 0:30:25.560 So there were more than 500 eyewitnesses to the fact 0:30:25.560 --> 0:30:28.230 Jesus rose from the dead. You know, John, any lawyer 0:30:28.230 --> 0:30:31.230 would love to have his court case tried with 500 0:30:31.230 --> 0:30:34.740 witnesses on his side. But there's one last point. These 0:30:34.740 --> 0:30:38.160 people not only claim to have seen Jesus following his resurrection, 0:30:38.160 --> 0:30:40.350 they were willing to be tortured and put to death 0:30:40.350 --> 0:30:42.570 for that claim. You know, if they'd simply made it 0:30:42.570 --> 0:30:45.510 up or were lying. There's something about facing a painful, 0:30:45.510 --> 0:30:49.740 agonizing death that would tempt someone to fess up and admit, oh, 0:30:49.830 --> 0:30:52.800 it really didn't happen. But they didn't. They were brutally 0:30:52.800 --> 0:30:55.290 murdered for their conviction that Jesus had risen from the 0:30:55.290 --> 0:30:58.469 dead and that they had seen him. So Jesus is alive. 0:30:58.470 --> 0:31:00.180 And more than that, he lets us know that he's 0:31:00.180 --> 0:31:02.490 coming back. You can choose to believe it or not, 0:31:02.490 --> 0:31:05.850 but you can't escape the eternal consequences of that choice. 0:31:05.850 --> 0:31:08.970 And that's. What makes such an arrogant statement so frightening? 0:31:08.970 --> 0:31:12.810 Someday everyone will acknowledge Jesus is alive and that he's Lord, 0:31:12.810 --> 0:31:15.900 but that admission could come too late for those unwilling 0:31:15.930 --> 0:31:18.330 to bend their knee now and accept him as Savior 0:31:18.330 --> 0:31:19.590 and Lord in this life. 0:31:19.620 --> 0:31:23.340 Todd asks, what does Psalm 96 verse ten mean when 0:31:23.340 --> 0:31:26.640 it says, the world shall not be moved? Yea. 0:31:26.640 --> 0:31:29.400 And the exact phrase there is the Lord reigns. The 0:31:29.400 --> 0:31:32.550 world is firmly established. It cannot be moved. Now. That 0:31:32.550 --> 0:31:36.000 same phrase, interestingly enough, is found in Psalm 93, verse one, 0:31:36.000 --> 0:31:38.070 and I believe the phrase has the idea of God's 0:31:38.070 --> 0:31:41.880 reign being demonstrated in the reality that he has firmly 0:31:41.880 --> 0:31:44.730 established the created order. We see from the fixed order 0:31:44.730 --> 0:31:47.250 of the sun, the moon, the stars, to the regular 0:31:47.250 --> 0:31:50.340 cycles of nature. The way the world itself runs is 0:31:50.340 --> 0:31:53.850 an example of God's powerful control. And the psalmist also 0:31:53.850 --> 0:31:56.880 then says, God's power will be demonstrated in his rule 0:31:56.880 --> 0:31:59.790 over the nations and people. In other words, what we 0:31:59.790 --> 0:32:03.480 see demonstrated in nature itself will someday be visible in 0:32:03.480 --> 0:32:06.600 the nations as he comes to rule over humanity. 0:32:06.620 --> 0:32:09.260 From Moody Radio, This is the Land and the book 0:32:09.260 --> 0:32:12.020 with our host, Charlie Dyer, I'm John Gager. It's question 0:32:12.020 --> 0:32:15.290 time Bible questions, this one from Steve. Can you recommend 0:32:15.290 --> 0:32:19.850 a book on Levitical offerings, whole burnt offerings, trespass offerings, 0:32:19.850 --> 0:32:24.200 peace meal, sin, red heifer, scapegoat, etc. and their fulfillment 0:32:24.200 --> 0:32:27.560 in Christ. Also what each part of the animal represented 0:32:27.560 --> 0:32:30.980 like the head, shoulder, legs, kidneys and the significance of 0:32:30.980 --> 0:32:33.890 all this. God obviously went into great detail for these 0:32:33.890 --> 0:32:37.580 offerings and it has to be for significant reasons. Any thoughts? 0:32:37.580 --> 0:32:40.100 Yeah, there are a large number of works available, and 0:32:40.100 --> 0:32:43.910 unfortunately they run the gamut from a straightforward explanation to 0:32:43.910 --> 0:32:48.290 rather fanciful typological presentations. Now here are three you might 0:32:48.290 --> 0:32:51.740 want to explore. The first is a reprint titled Christ 0:32:51.740 --> 0:32:55.790 in the Sacrificial Offerings and Other Bible Studies in Leviticus, 0:32:55.790 --> 0:32:58.550 and it's by James M gray. He was the president 0:32:58.550 --> 0:33:02.810 of Moody Bible Institute back from 1904 to 1934. Now 0:33:02.810 --> 0:33:05.270 it's a little more typological in its approach than I 0:33:05.270 --> 0:33:07.910 would be, but there's still some good material in it. 0:33:07.910 --> 0:33:10.970 The second, it's a commentary on Leviticus in the Bible, 0:33:10.970 --> 0:33:14.540 knowledge commentary in the Old Testament side of it. This 0:33:14.540 --> 0:33:17.600 section in the commentary was written by Dwayne Lindsay, who 0:33:17.600 --> 0:33:19.940 taught at Dallas Seminary. And it takes less of a 0:33:19.940 --> 0:33:23.510 typological approach and pretty straightforward. And finally, a fellow I 0:33:23.510 --> 0:33:25.580 really like is Wayne Stiles. We've had him as a 0:33:25.580 --> 0:33:29.240 guest on the program. He wrote on the offerings in Leviticus, 0:33:29.240 --> 0:33:33.110 and you can find it by googling Wayne Stiles blog 0:33:33.110 --> 0:33:36.560 offerings in Leviticus. And it's also a very good, very 0:33:36.560 --> 0:33:38.090 straightforward Stephen. 0:33:38.090 --> 0:33:41.780 Says, I need some clarity on Deuteronomy 27 and Joshua eight. 0:33:41.780 --> 0:33:44.210 In these accounts, half of the tribes stood on Mount 0:33:44.240 --> 0:33:46.970 Gerizim and gave a blessing, and half of the tribe 0:33:46.970 --> 0:33:50.240 stood on Mount Ebal, issuing a curse. It appears that 0:33:50.240 --> 0:33:52.610 the Levites stood in the valley between the two groups 0:33:52.610 --> 0:33:55.640 with the Ark of the testimony. However, the Levites are 0:33:55.640 --> 0:33:58.790 listed on Mount Gerizim, giving a blessing, and then the 0:33:58.790 --> 0:34:00.980 passage goes on to explain. It was the Levites in 0:34:00.980 --> 0:34:04.640 the valley issuing a curse rather than those on Mount Ebal. 0:34:04.640 --> 0:34:07.460 Any way to explain all this? Yeah. 0:34:07.460 --> 0:34:09.620 And I think they can be harmonized if you view 0:34:09.620 --> 0:34:13.010 it in phases. In phase one, Joshua went to the 0:34:13.010 --> 0:34:16.580 top of Mount Ebal, built an altar where sacrifices were offered. 0:34:16.580 --> 0:34:19.189 Now the sacrifices had to be offered by priests who 0:34:19.190 --> 0:34:21.650 were from the tribe of Levi. And remember this all 0:34:21.650 --> 0:34:23.960 priests are from the tribe of Levi. But not all 0:34:23.960 --> 0:34:28.310 Levites were priests then. Phase two Joshua descends from Mount 0:34:28.310 --> 0:34:31.250 Ebal along with the priests into the valley. He copies 0:34:31.250 --> 0:34:33.620 the law of Moses in the presence of Israel, and 0:34:33.620 --> 0:34:35.930 he reads the words of the covenant to the people. 0:34:35.930 --> 0:34:38.210 Now this took place in the valley with Israel on 0:34:38.210 --> 0:34:40.969 both sides of the covenant, facing those who carried it. 0:34:40.969 --> 0:34:43.310 That is, the priests were there who were Levites. It 0:34:43.310 --> 0:34:47.810 says in verse 33. Finally, phase three, the Levites recited 0:34:47.810 --> 0:34:50.509 the words of the Cursings to the people who responded 0:34:50.510 --> 0:34:53.480 with Amen. And then they might also have recited the 0:34:53.480 --> 0:34:56.239 words of the blessing, though that's not specifically stated in 0:34:56.239 --> 0:35:00.109 the Deuteronomy 27 passage. Now I harmonized the different positions 0:35:00.110 --> 0:35:03.500 this way. The Levites were divided into two groups. We 0:35:03.500 --> 0:35:07.190 know from numbers 26. There were 23,000. In the tribe 0:35:07.190 --> 0:35:10.489 of Levi, a smaller number were priests, while the larger 0:35:10.489 --> 0:35:13.520 number were Levites who assisted the priests. I assume it 0:35:13.520 --> 0:35:16.250 was the larger number who were on Mount Gerizim. The 0:35:16.250 --> 0:35:18.320 priests were the ones who went up with Joshua to 0:35:18.320 --> 0:35:20.120 the top of the mountain, and who were also in 0:35:20.120 --> 0:35:22.700 the valley with him. So the bottom line, the group 0:35:22.700 --> 0:35:25.670 on Mount Ebal offering the sacrifices, and the group later 0:35:25.670 --> 0:35:28.010 then in the valley, holding the ark and shouting the 0:35:28.010 --> 0:35:31.219 blessings and cursings to the people are the priests. The 0:35:31.219 --> 0:35:33.529 group standing on Mount Gerizim with the other tribes are 0:35:33.530 --> 0:35:36.110 the bulk of the tribe of Levi, who were Levites 0:35:36.110 --> 0:35:37.700 but not priests. 0:35:37.940 --> 0:35:41.209 In Psalm 82, verses six and seven it says, I said, 0:35:41.210 --> 0:35:44.960 you are gods, sons of the Most High. All of you. Nevertheless, 0:35:44.960 --> 0:35:48.080 like men, you shall die and fall like any prince. 0:35:48.080 --> 0:35:50.990 Todd asks, is this a reference to a divine council 0:35:50.989 --> 0:35:54.140 in heaven, as some say? If so, how can they die? 0:35:54.140 --> 0:35:56.300 Yeah, I don't take this as a reference to some 0:35:56.300 --> 0:35:59.810 divine council. Rather, I see the psalmist drawing a parallel 0:35:59.840 --> 0:36:03.170 between God as the ultimate judge and these wicked rulers 0:36:03.170 --> 0:36:05.810 or judges in his day, who set themselves up as 0:36:05.810 --> 0:36:08.680 having the. Power of life and death over others. They 0:36:08.680 --> 0:36:11.800 saw themselves as gods, lowercase g, in the sense that 0:36:11.800 --> 0:36:14.770 they could actually sentence someone to life or death. But 0:36:14.770 --> 0:36:17.470 now the psalmist is calling on God, the final judge, 0:36:17.469 --> 0:36:20.680 to summon these human judges to account for their actions. 0:36:20.830 --> 0:36:24.250 So I take what's being described as human rulers who, 0:36:24.250 --> 0:36:27.759 because of their power, pridefully, saw themselves as being godlike 0:36:27.760 --> 0:36:29.830 in the sense of deciding the fate of others. But 0:36:29.830 --> 0:36:32.110 he says they're going to experience a far different outcome 0:36:32.110 --> 0:36:35.410 when they appear before the real judge, God himself. 0:36:35.410 --> 0:36:38.710 Thank you Charlie, love those questions and love the answers. 0:36:38.710 --> 0:36:41.620 Looking forward to Charlie's devotional. It's next on the land 0:36:41.620 --> 0:36:57.510 and the book. In a digital age like ours. The 0:36:57.510 --> 0:37:01.290 old expression stop the presses has almost lost its meaning, 0:37:01.290 --> 0:37:04.230 but we still get the idea. It's the land and 0:37:04.230 --> 0:37:06.780 the book from Moody Radio. Charlie Dyer is here with 0:37:06.780 --> 0:37:10.529 segment four and his devotional and stop the presses. Charlie 0:37:10.530 --> 0:37:13.170 is leading to what? Today in your devotional. 0:37:13.290 --> 0:37:16.200 It's going to lead to a fascinating account with, uh, 0:37:16.200 --> 0:37:18.510 Haman and the king and Esther. 0:37:18.510 --> 0:37:20.879 Okay, that's a great, great story, and I can't wait 0:37:20.880 --> 0:37:23.489 to dig into it. First, though, let's pause and listen 0:37:23.489 --> 0:37:25.710 to this testimony from an Israel traveler. 0:37:29.580 --> 0:37:32.009 My name is Doug Sewell. My favorite part of the 0:37:32.010 --> 0:37:35.580 trip is impossible to answer as only one thing. It's 0:37:35.580 --> 0:37:38.819 kind of like asking me, gee, what's your favorite part 0:37:38.820 --> 0:37:41.430 of a Jag convertible? You know, it takes the whole 0:37:41.430 --> 0:37:44.550 thing coming together, and it really is something that you 0:37:44.550 --> 0:37:47.760 have to come and experience to put the whole thing together. 0:37:47.760 --> 0:37:49.920 And when you do, it's just fantastic. 0:37:49.950 --> 0:37:52.950 My name is Sue Sewell. I'm from Austin, Texas, and 0:37:52.950 --> 0:37:57.150 this is my third trip to Jerusalem and to Israel, 0:37:57.270 --> 0:38:00.480 and I just would keep coming back every time there's 0:38:00.480 --> 0:38:06.330 something new and mesmerizing about it. This trip has been 0:38:06.330 --> 0:38:10.320 the Judean wilderness. It is amazing to me that Christ 0:38:10.320 --> 0:38:14.280 could go there and resist Satan. It is just so 0:38:14.280 --> 0:38:16.500 powerful and I love being here. 0:38:18.080 --> 0:38:21.140 All right, Esther, chapter eight is our text, and Charlie 0:38:21.140 --> 0:38:24.170 will stop the presses and let you have at it. 0:38:24.170 --> 0:38:27.140 Well, our devotional today takes us to the ancient city 0:38:27.140 --> 0:38:31.520 of Susa in Persia. That's modern day Iran, where 225 0:38:31.520 --> 0:38:34.970 miles east of ancient Babylon. And our destination is the 0:38:34.969 --> 0:38:39.170 magnificent palace built by Darius the Great, but now occupied 0:38:39.170 --> 0:38:43.819 by Xerxes, also known as King Ahasuerus. Today the palace 0:38:43.820 --> 0:38:46.820 area is in ruins, but from the pieces still remaining, 0:38:46.820 --> 0:38:49.640 you get an idea of how magnificent it was. Built 0:38:49.640 --> 0:38:54.020 on a raised platform covering 250 acres, the site was 0:38:54.020 --> 0:38:58.220 and still is impressive. It included a residential palace, a 0:38:58.219 --> 0:39:02.120 magnificent audience hall and a monumental entrance gate. The building 0:39:02.120 --> 0:39:06.200 was designed to impress and it definitely met those expectations. 0:39:06.200 --> 0:39:09.319 But even more impressive was the reality that this was 0:39:09.320 --> 0:39:12.410 only the Winter Palace for the Persian kings, and even 0:39:12.410 --> 0:39:17.270 larger ceremonial palace complex was built further east at Persepolis. 0:39:17.270 --> 0:39:20.209 But we're not here today to focus on the location 0:39:20.210 --> 0:39:24.230 or even the architectural remains discovered at Susa. We're here 0:39:24.230 --> 0:39:27.950 to focus on an event that took place on June 25th, 0:39:27.950 --> 0:39:35.000 474 BC 2497 years ago this coming week. As near 0:39:35.000 --> 0:39:37.430 as I can tell, that's the first day in history 0:39:37.430 --> 0:39:42.200 when someone stood up and yelled, stop the presses! Now, today, 0:39:42.290 --> 0:39:45.380 even that phrase needs a bit of explanation. As you mentioned, John, 0:39:45.380 --> 0:39:48.740 it comes from those quaint days, not too long ago 0:39:48.739 --> 0:39:52.669 when most people got their information by actually reading a newspaper. 0:39:52.700 --> 0:39:56.930 In those pre-internet days, reporters would gather local, national and 0:39:56.930 --> 0:39:59.899 international news, and then the stories would be arranged and 0:39:59.900 --> 0:40:03.620 set in type before large presses printed and collated the 0:40:03.620 --> 0:40:06.950 different pages. It was a time consuming job, done on 0:40:06.950 --> 0:40:09.560 a tight deadline, because the paper had to be ready 0:40:09.560 --> 0:40:13.070 for distribution early the next morning. But sometimes a late 0:40:13.070 --> 0:40:16.070 breaking story would turn up after the paper had gone 0:40:16.070 --> 0:40:18.830 to bed and the presses were busy churning out the 0:40:18.830 --> 0:40:21.589 copies for the next day. If the story was of 0:40:21.590 --> 0:40:24.680 sufficient importance that it had to be included, the editor 0:40:24.680 --> 0:40:28.250 would shout out stop the presses, and the writers, editors, 0:40:28.250 --> 0:40:32.090 and layout specialists would frantically rearrange everything to add the 0:40:32.090 --> 0:40:35.150 new front page story while still trying to make their 0:40:35.150 --> 0:40:40.430 printing deadline. So what happened on June 25th, 474 BC, 0:40:40.460 --> 0:40:43.880 to have someone shout out, stop the presses and produce 0:40:43.880 --> 0:40:47.120 new copy? The new headline might have read something like 0:40:47.120 --> 0:40:51.200 this Miraculous Deliverance of the Jewish People, and the lead 0:40:51.200 --> 0:40:55.279 paragraph would have added Kings supports Jewish right to self-defense. 0:40:55.280 --> 0:40:59.600 Lead antagonist hanged. Sounds exciting, doesn't it? Well, let's see 0:40:59.600 --> 0:41:03.200 what's behind this sudden rewrite. We've all heard the story 0:41:03.200 --> 0:41:06.109 of Haman and Mordecai. Haman was one of the original 0:41:06.110 --> 0:41:09.770 anti-Semites when he's first introduced in Esther three one, he's 0:41:09.770 --> 0:41:14.450 called Haman, son of Hamidreza. The Agagite most pass over 0:41:14.450 --> 0:41:17.989 the family connection, but it's crucial to the story. Haman 0:41:17.989 --> 0:41:21.980 is a descendant of Agag, the Amalekite God ordered Saul 0:41:22.010 --> 0:41:26.000 to destroy all the Amalekites because of their persistent opposition 0:41:26.000 --> 0:41:30.380 to Israel, but Saul the Benjamite failed. Now one of 0:41:30.380 --> 0:41:33.560 Agagu's descendants, has returned to a place of prominence, and 0:41:33.560 --> 0:41:37.009 very quickly his wrath is directed against a Jew of 0:41:37.010 --> 0:41:40.130 the tribe of Benjamin named Mordecai, son of yea, the 0:41:40.130 --> 0:41:43.670 son of Shimei, the son of Kish. Mordecai was a 0:41:43.670 --> 0:41:47.600 benjamite from the line of Saul. When Mordecai refused to 0:41:47.600 --> 0:41:51.650 honor Haman, Haman wanted revenge, but as Esther three six 0:41:51.650 --> 0:41:55.520 makes clear, he wanted it on a grand scale. Having 0:41:55.520 --> 0:41:58.700 learned who Mordecai's people were, he scorned the idea of 0:41:58.700 --> 0:42:02.240 killing only Mordecai. Instead, Haman looked for a way to 0:42:02.239 --> 0:42:06.200 destroy all Mordecai's people, the Jews, throughout the whole kingdom 0:42:06.200 --> 0:42:10.550 of Xerxes. Long before Hitler, Haman thought to impose his 0:42:10.550 --> 0:42:14.540 own Final Solution on the Jewish people. Haman bribed the 0:42:14.540 --> 0:42:16.730 king into allowing him to set a date to kill 0:42:16.730 --> 0:42:19.009 all the Jews. It would take time to set the 0:42:19.010 --> 0:42:22.640 wheels in motion and publish the edict throughout the entire empire. 0:42:22.640 --> 0:42:27.650 So on April 17th, 474 BC, Haman got the presses rolling. 0:42:27.650 --> 0:42:31.280 The royal secretaries were summoned and the decrees were prepared. 0:42:31.280 --> 0:42:35.060 Dispatches were sent by couriers to all the king's provinces 0:42:35.060 --> 0:42:38.570 with the orders to destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews, 0:42:38.570 --> 0:42:41.750 young and old women and little children on a single day, 0:42:41.750 --> 0:42:45.110 the 13th day of the 12th month, the month of Adar, 0:42:45.110 --> 0:42:49.190 and to plunder their goods. D-Day destruction day for the 0:42:49.190 --> 0:42:53.690 Jews was to be March 7th, 743 BC, just under 0:42:53.690 --> 0:42:56.900 11 months away. The story is it unfolds in the 0:42:56.900 --> 0:43:00.080 book of Esther's, thrilling though God has never once mentioned 0:43:00.080 --> 0:43:02.990 by name, his fingerprints are all over the events that 0:43:02.989 --> 0:43:08.450 transpire Mordecai's delivered. Esther is honored. Haman is exposed and killed, 0:43:08.450 --> 0:43:12.590 but a major problem still remains. The earlier edict has 0:43:12.590 --> 0:43:15.500 already been issued and sent out over two months ago, 0:43:15.500 --> 0:43:19.310 and each copy contained the. Royal seal, meaning even the 0:43:19.310 --> 0:43:23.240 king himself couldn't revoke it. These recent events are newsworthy, 0:43:23.239 --> 0:43:26.210 but what can be done? And to use the old phrase, 0:43:26.210 --> 0:43:28.820 this is when the King and Mordecai shout out hold 0:43:28.820 --> 0:43:32.149 the presses! Well, not quite, but it's almost as dramatic. 0:43:32.150 --> 0:43:35.330 Here's how it's recorded. In Esther eight, the king tells 0:43:35.330 --> 0:43:38.239 Mordecai and Esther to write another decree in the king's 0:43:38.239 --> 0:43:41.330 name in behalf of the Jews, as seems best to you, 0:43:41.330 --> 0:43:44.150 and seal it with the king's signet ring, for no 0:43:44.150 --> 0:43:46.580 document written in the king's name, and sealed with his 0:43:46.580 --> 0:43:50.089 ring can be revoked at once. The royal secretaries were 0:43:50.090 --> 0:43:53.509 summoned on the 23rd day of the third month. By 0:43:53.510 --> 0:43:59.660 the way, that's June 25th, 474 BC, 2497 years ago 0:43:59.660 --> 0:44:02.540 this coming week. Now back to the story. They wrote 0:44:02.540 --> 0:44:05.600 out all Mordecai's orders to the Jews and to the satraps, 0:44:05.600 --> 0:44:10.190 governors and nobles of the 127 provinces stretching from India 0:44:10.190 --> 0:44:12.950 to Kush. These orders were written in the script of 0:44:12.950 --> 0:44:16.100 each province and the language of each people, and also 0:44:16.100 --> 0:44:19.009 to the Jews in their own script and language. Mordecai 0:44:19.010 --> 0:44:21.860 wrote in the name of King Xerxes, sealed the dispatches 0:44:21.860 --> 0:44:24.830 with the king's signet ring, and sent them by mounted 0:44:24.830 --> 0:44:28.910 couriers who rode fast horses especially bred for the king. 0:44:29.000 --> 0:44:32.240 The newest edition of the edict was spread to each 0:44:32.239 --> 0:44:35.090 provincial capital, and then from there it was distributed to 0:44:35.090 --> 0:44:38.509 each city, town and village in the province. And what 0:44:38.510 --> 0:44:41.390 did the new edict say? The king's edict granted the 0:44:41.390 --> 0:44:44.840 Jews in every city the right to assemble and protect themselves, 0:44:44.840 --> 0:44:48.440 to destroy, kill and annihilate any armed force of any 0:44:48.440 --> 0:44:51.859 nationality or province that might attack them and their women 0:44:51.860 --> 0:44:54.680 and children, and to plunder the property of their enemies. 0:44:54.680 --> 0:44:57.170 The day appointed for the Jews to do this in 0:44:57.170 --> 0:45:00.500 all the provinces of King Xerxes was the 13th day 0:45:00.500 --> 0:45:03.650 of the 12th month, the month of Adar. That's the 0:45:03.650 --> 0:45:07.250 same day given in the original edict. For two months 0:45:07.250 --> 0:45:10.100 the enemies of the Jews had been harassing them, hurling 0:45:10.100 --> 0:45:12.800 insults and threats, telling the Jews the very day they 0:45:12.800 --> 0:45:15.890 would die. And then suddenly a second decree arrives from 0:45:15.890 --> 0:45:18.980 the king, telling the Jews they're free to defend themselves 0:45:18.980 --> 0:45:22.820 and destroy those who had planned on destroying them. Oops! 0:45:22.820 --> 0:45:25.700 And when the day came, the Jews struck down all 0:45:25.700 --> 0:45:28.370 their enemies with the sword. The command to stop the 0:45:28.370 --> 0:45:30.980 presses and issue a new decree turned a time of 0:45:30.980 --> 0:45:36.080 threat and annihilation into victorious celebration. And God orchestrated it 0:45:36.080 --> 0:45:40.880 all almost 2500 years ago this coming week. So what 0:45:40.880 --> 0:45:43.580 difference should this account make in our lives today? Let 0:45:43.580 --> 0:45:48.020 me suggest two one personal and one national first. Personally, 0:45:48.020 --> 0:45:50.569 this story in Esther reminds us of the reality that 0:45:50.570 --> 0:45:53.750 God often works behind the scenes to watch over and 0:45:53.750 --> 0:45:57.380 protect his children. Whatever problems or threats or struggles you're 0:45:57.380 --> 0:45:59.990 facing today, go to God in prayer and ask for 0:45:59.989 --> 0:46:02.930 his help. He might not send a fiery angel down 0:46:02.930 --> 0:46:05.930 from heaven or part the Red sea you're facing, but 0:46:05.930 --> 0:46:08.089 you can trust him to work in an amazing way 0:46:08.090 --> 0:46:10.700 to come to your aid. And second, this story is 0:46:10.700 --> 0:46:13.969 a reminder that God's promise to Abraham and his descendants 0:46:13.969 --> 0:46:17.089 in Genesis 12 three is still true. I will bless 0:46:17.090 --> 0:46:20.450 those who bless you and whoever curses you, I will curse. 0:46:20.480 --> 0:46:24.200 As believers, we need to stand against anti-Semitism and show 0:46:24.200 --> 0:46:27.020 our love and support for both the Jewish people and 0:46:27.020 --> 0:46:30.470 the nation of Israel. Doing so aligns you with God, 0:46:30.469 --> 0:46:32.930 and that's a good side to be on. 0:46:33.110 --> 0:46:36.439 And that's a great and very timely reminder. Thank you Charlie. 0:46:36.560 --> 0:46:39.319 As always, we thank you for spending time with us, 0:46:39.320 --> 0:46:42.319 and we thank the management at this station for providing 0:46:42.320 --> 0:46:45.200 room for this broadcast. We call the land and the book. 0:46:45.200 --> 0:46:48.140 I'm John Geiger for our host, Charlie Dyer, our producer, 0:46:48.140 --> 0:46:50.839 Dan Anderson. Thank you for listening. The land and the 0:46:50.840 --> 0:46:53.510 book is a production of Moody Radio, a ministry of 0:46:53.510 --> 0:46:55.010 Moody Bible Institute.