WEBVTT - Hour 1: Summer Bible Study 0:00:09.880 --> 0:00:15.480 What is the shortest distance between two points? Well, geometry 0:00:15.480 --> 0:00:19.320 tells us it's always a straight line, but with God, 0:00:19.560 --> 0:00:22.160 that could be really different. Stay with me and we'll 0:00:22.160 --> 0:00:26.080 talk about that in just a moment. Hello, friends. Welcome 0:00:26.079 --> 0:00:30.440 to Open Line, Moody Radio's Bible study across America. My 0:00:30.440 --> 0:00:33.080 name is Michael Riedel. I'm the academic dean and a 0:00:33.080 --> 0:00:36.479 professor of Jewish studies and Bible at Moody Bible Institute. 0:00:36.840 --> 0:00:39.320 I am so grateful to be joining you around the 0:00:39.320 --> 0:00:45.240 radio kitchen table. We're talking about your questions about the Bible, God, 0:00:45.560 --> 0:00:48.360 and the spiritual life. If you have a question and 0:00:48.360 --> 0:00:50.480 you'd like to call, now is the time. The phone 0:00:50.479 --> 0:00:58.360 number here is (877) 548-3675. Let me give that to you 0:00:58.400 --> 0:01:07.370 one more time. You can write it down if you like. (877) 548-3675. 0:01:07.410 --> 0:01:11.250 Tricia McMillan is our producer. Omar Mendoza is our tech 0:01:11.250 --> 0:01:16.050 guy handling all these, handling the board and all things technical. Rihanna. 0:01:16.090 --> 0:01:20.410 Rihanna and Ananda are answering the phones today. Again, the 0:01:20.410 --> 0:01:30.089 phone number (877) 548-3675. Let me tell you what happened this morning. 0:01:31.850 --> 0:01:37.890 I was. In Akron area last night at an event 0:01:37.890 --> 0:01:40.929 for Moody Bible Institute. I went to bed as soon 0:01:40.930 --> 0:01:43.810 as the event was over. Got up at 330 in 0:01:43.850 --> 0:01:46.569 the morning to head back to my home so I 0:01:46.569 --> 0:01:49.570 would be here a couple of hours before the program 0:01:49.570 --> 0:01:52.370 began to go to the. I have an in-home studio. 0:01:52.770 --> 0:01:55.570 That's where I was going to be doing the program from. 0:01:55.930 --> 0:02:00.770 And everything was on target. I actually I set the 0:02:00.930 --> 0:02:05.970 the the map program in my car and it said 0:02:05.970 --> 0:02:10.730 I would arrive at 8:30 a.m. at 825. I was 0:02:10.730 --> 0:02:14.010 five minutes from my home and there was a road closure. 0:02:15.210 --> 0:02:17.010 And so I thought, okay, I'll just go around the 0:02:17.010 --> 0:02:19.090 block and go to this other part to enter the 0:02:19.090 --> 0:02:24.010 road there. Nope. Close there. Uh, the very first road closure, 0:02:24.010 --> 0:02:26.090 I said, I'm not sure where to go from here. 0:02:27.090 --> 0:02:29.250 And the people there at the road closure because there's 0:02:29.290 --> 0:02:33.090 a triathlon going on. They said, we don't care because 0:02:33.090 --> 0:02:34.650 I said I didn't know where to go. They said, 0:02:34.650 --> 0:02:37.170 we don't care. I thought that was a funny answer. 0:02:37.610 --> 0:02:42.049 Then I tried another route to get into the the street, 0:02:42.490 --> 0:02:45.090 and there was a police car there blocking off the traffic. 0:02:45.090 --> 0:02:47.769 And I went to the police officer and I asked 0:02:47.770 --> 0:02:49.850 him about how am I supposed to get to my 0:02:49.850 --> 0:02:52.690 home if this road is closed? And he kind of 0:02:52.690 --> 0:02:54.170 looked at me funny and he said, you know, you 0:02:54.169 --> 0:02:58.540 really can't get there from here. And I thought, what 0:02:58.540 --> 0:03:00.780 do you mean? I can't get there from here? And 0:03:00.780 --> 0:03:04.739 I had to drive about 45 minutes around the town 0:03:04.740 --> 0:03:07.940 I live. I never knew where I was going. I'd 0:03:07.940 --> 0:03:10.100 go one place and there'd be a road closure. I'd 0:03:10.100 --> 0:03:12.700 go another place, and there was a road closure. It 0:03:12.700 --> 0:03:15.700 took me 45 minutes to make that five minute trip. 0:03:16.419 --> 0:03:20.859 And it made me think of a message I had 0:03:20.860 --> 0:03:26.620 heard many, many years ago by Don Sinukuan, who is 0:03:26.660 --> 0:03:30.460 a professor of preaching out at Talbot School of Theology. 0:03:31.700 --> 0:03:33.860 When he taught at Dallas, he gave a message that 0:03:33.860 --> 0:03:38.860 was called the shortest distance between two points is a 0:03:38.860 --> 0:03:42.060 zig zag. And he talked about the wilderness wandering in 0:03:42.060 --> 0:03:46.260 particular when Israel first left Egypt, how instead of taking 0:03:46.260 --> 0:03:49.700 the people in Exodus 13, God says, I won't take them. 0:03:49.700 --> 0:03:53.820 Verses 17 through 19 on the the fastest, quickest route 0:03:53.820 --> 0:03:56.420 because they'll see they'll have to come up through Philistine 0:03:56.420 --> 0:03:59.660 territory to go to the Promised Land, and they'll be afraid, 0:03:59.660 --> 0:04:01.820 and they won't want to make that trip. And so 0:04:01.820 --> 0:04:03.980 I'm going to take them down by the Red sea. 0:04:04.220 --> 0:04:07.700 He took them on a zigzag if you follow the route, 0:04:07.940 --> 0:04:10.900 and that was what was best for them. And then 0:04:12.260 --> 0:04:17.660 today I certainly had a zigzag route to my home. 0:04:18.060 --> 0:04:23.060 It made me so anxious because I really needed to 0:04:23.060 --> 0:04:26.020 get home so I could be here to do the program. 0:04:26.300 --> 0:04:29.300 But I kept thinking, as long as I keep my focus, 0:04:30.700 --> 0:04:33.100 I will be able to get home. As long as 0:04:33.100 --> 0:04:35.180 I keep the goal in sight. As long as I 0:04:35.180 --> 0:04:41.740 keep my address in the Google Maps program, I will 0:04:41.779 --> 0:04:45.100 be able to get home. And it sure took me 0:04:45.100 --> 0:04:46.900 a while. But I did get home. It took me 0:04:46.900 --> 0:04:49.300 a zigzag, but I got home and that made me 0:04:49.300 --> 0:04:52.900 think of our walk with the Lord. That sometimes we 0:04:52.900 --> 0:04:57.909 want to go on the fastest route. However, God has 0:04:57.910 --> 0:05:01.430 better plans for us. Alternate ways that will get us 0:05:01.430 --> 0:05:04.310 home to the goal safely get us to where we 0:05:04.310 --> 0:05:09.710 need to be safely, but not the most. Not the 0:05:09.710 --> 0:05:13.470 quickest way. Just the way that he deems best for us. 0:05:13.470 --> 0:05:17.070 And we won't always know why. That is why God 0:05:17.070 --> 0:05:20.110 wants to do it that way instead of another way. 0:05:21.070 --> 0:05:24.029 And I thought, that's a great reminder for us, because 0:05:24.029 --> 0:05:26.750 on our walk with the Lord, there's going to be roadblocks. 0:05:26.750 --> 0:05:32.150 There's going to be obstructions. They're going to be. Holes 0:05:32.150 --> 0:05:34.670 in the potholes in the ground, all sorts of things 0:05:34.670 --> 0:05:37.670 that will change our direction in with our walk. And 0:05:37.670 --> 0:05:40.669 it's not because God doesn't have our best interests at heart. 0:05:40.670 --> 0:05:44.230 It's because he knows what we need and where we 0:05:44.230 --> 0:05:47.029 need to be. But how do we get to the goal, 0:05:47.470 --> 0:05:50.870 even with the obstructions, even with the difficulties? It also 0:05:50.870 --> 0:05:54.950 made me think of Hebrews chapter 12, verses one and two. 0:05:55.790 --> 0:06:00.270 It says, therefore, since we have such a large cloud 0:06:00.270 --> 0:06:04.750 of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every weight 0:06:04.750 --> 0:06:07.710 and the sin that so easily ensnares us. And then 0:06:07.710 --> 0:06:10.070 here's what it says let us run with endurance the 0:06:10.070 --> 0:06:14.630 race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, 0:06:15.190 --> 0:06:19.430 the source and perfecter of our faith. And that's what 0:06:19.430 --> 0:06:23.430 I kept thinking of this morning, because I had the goal, 0:06:23.430 --> 0:06:28.190 the object before my eyes, my home address. That's where 0:06:28.190 --> 0:06:32.190 I needed to go. And there are all sorts of turns, 0:06:32.190 --> 0:06:36.110 all sorts of obstructions, all sorts of ways to get here, detours. 0:06:36.790 --> 0:06:40.589 But because I kept my eye on the goal, because 0:06:40.589 --> 0:06:43.310 I fixed my eye on that, I was able to 0:06:43.310 --> 0:06:45.910 get here. And the same thing in our walk with 0:06:45.910 --> 0:06:48.390 the Lord. No matter what the zig zag is, no 0:06:48.390 --> 0:06:52.440 matter what the detour, whatever the obstruction, the difficulty we face. 0:06:53.000 --> 0:06:55.359 This passage reminds us that we need to keep our 0:06:55.360 --> 0:06:59.400 eyes fixed on the Lord Jesus, who is the source 0:06:59.400 --> 0:07:02.839 and perfecter of our faith, and that will bring us 0:07:02.839 --> 0:07:08.680 home in the fastest in God's timing. The best way 0:07:09.279 --> 0:07:11.880 for us. And that's the great reminder that I had 0:07:11.880 --> 0:07:27.320 this morning on my excitement on the roads. Before we 0:07:27.320 --> 0:07:31.000 go to the phones, I want to mention that we 0:07:31.000 --> 0:07:35.440 have a really great resource this this month. You know, 0:07:35.480 --> 0:07:39.360 people wonder all the time, what kind of books do 0:07:39.360 --> 0:07:42.480 I need to have? Well, I think it's great that 0:07:42.480 --> 0:07:46.280 we build a basic library, and our current resource is 0:07:46.280 --> 0:07:48.920 one of those books that we need to have. It's 0:07:48.920 --> 0:07:52.040 a Bible dictionary when you wonder who are these people 0:07:52.040 --> 0:07:53.920 in the Bible? I just looked up this person I 0:07:53.920 --> 0:07:56.720 don't know. Or where is this place that's mentioned? Or 0:07:56.720 --> 0:08:00.600 what's this event that's cited? What's this holiday holiday that's 0:08:00.600 --> 0:08:04.280 being spoken of? If you have a Bible dictionary, you 0:08:04.280 --> 0:08:06.280 can look it up. And so when you give a 0:08:06.320 --> 0:08:09.680 gift of any size this month to open line, we'd 0:08:09.680 --> 0:08:14.160 like to say thanks by sending you the Ultimate Bible Dictionary. 0:08:14.640 --> 0:08:17.320 It's published by B and H, the same publisher that 0:08:17.320 --> 0:08:21.440 produced the Holman CSB. My favorite Bible translation, the Ultimate 0:08:21.440 --> 0:08:25.160 Bible Dictionary, is easy to carry. It's small, it's easy 0:08:25.160 --> 0:08:28.920 to use. It's just a great resource. And if you'd 0:08:28.920 --> 0:08:31.040 like a copy, it's yours. When you give a gift 0:08:31.040 --> 0:08:33.120 of any size. If you'd like to give a gift, 0:08:33.160 --> 0:08:36.880 go to our website openlibrary.org. You can give there, or 0:08:36.880 --> 0:08:48.240 you can call (888) 644-7122. That's (888) 644-7122. I hope you'll do this. 0:08:48.240 --> 0:08:52.650 I love this resource. Uh, we're going to talk with 0:08:52.650 --> 0:08:56.370 Jeff in Indiana right now listening on WGN. Welcome to 0:08:56.410 --> 0:08:58.490 Open Line, Jeff. How can I help you? 0:08:59.250 --> 0:09:04.010 Good morning. Michael. Um, my question is on Isaiah 57 0:09:04.050 --> 0:09:06.610 one and two. It says the righteous man perishes and 0:09:06.610 --> 0:09:09.209 no one lays it to heart. Devout men are taken 0:09:09.210 --> 0:09:11.810 away while no one understands. For the righteous man is 0:09:11.809 --> 0:09:16.010 taken away from calamity. He enters into peace. They rest 0:09:16.010 --> 0:09:19.330 in their beds, who walk in their uprightness. Some of 0:09:19.330 --> 0:09:23.410 the translations I read talk about children in this passage 0:09:23.410 --> 0:09:27.010 instead of men. Is it talking about young people dying 0:09:27.010 --> 0:09:31.250 before their time or. I just need some direction. Please. 0:09:31.890 --> 0:09:35.370 I need to look up that verse in the Hebrew. 0:09:35.410 --> 0:09:40.210 Hang on a second here. I'm, uh, turning to Isaiah 57. 0:09:40.730 --> 0:09:50.579 In the Hebrew, uh, in verse one. Uh. Well, uh, 0:09:51.580 --> 0:09:57.780 where it says the righteous man perishes. It doesn't say, uh, 0:09:57.780 --> 0:10:02.540 man or child. It says the righteous perish and no 0:10:02.540 --> 0:10:08.380 man takes it to heart. And I don't think it 0:10:08.380 --> 0:10:12.500 gives you age. Let me see the second usage. Uh. 0:10:13.820 --> 0:10:19.300 The righteous man for the righteous is taken away from evil. 0:10:19.660 --> 0:10:27.740 Same thing. The righteous. It should be translated, the righteous person. Uh. And, uh, 0:10:27.780 --> 0:10:31.700 he enters into peace. It's not about age. It's. It's 0:10:31.700 --> 0:10:36.700 about character. Uh, so here's what I would say. The 0:10:36.740 --> 0:10:40.460 peace that a person, it doesn't matter their age. But 0:10:40.460 --> 0:10:43.100 we often think that people have to live a long life. 0:10:43.100 --> 0:10:46.300 God takes us at the right time in his hands. 0:10:46.420 --> 0:10:51.939 Life and death. He knows the right time. And that's 0:10:51.940 --> 0:10:54.500 if we know the Lord. That's when we enter into peace. 0:10:54.540 --> 0:10:56.260 You know, there's a reason this is called the Veil 0:10:56.260 --> 0:11:00.219 of Tears. There's some challenges about living now. I want 0:11:00.260 --> 0:11:02.380 to live a long life, and I'm grateful for every 0:11:02.380 --> 0:11:06.060 year that I have. I'm grateful for being with my family. Uh, 0:11:06.059 --> 0:11:10.900 I almost died, uh, quite early, about 20 years ago, 0:11:11.059 --> 0:11:14.940 a little earlier than I anticipated. Anticipated. And I was 0:11:14.940 --> 0:11:18.220 so grateful when I didn't. And I remember calling my 0:11:18.220 --> 0:11:21.020 friend and saying, wow, I'm so happy to be alive. 0:11:21.059 --> 0:11:24.020 He said, oh, you'd be happier dead. And I thought, well, 0:11:24.020 --> 0:11:27.620 that's really true because I'd be with the Lord. But 0:11:28.220 --> 0:11:31.420 God had purposes for me to be here. Um, I 0:11:31.540 --> 0:11:35.220 thought my wife still needs me. My kids maybe. Don't know, 0:11:35.220 --> 0:11:38.860 but they needed me still. And, uh, there are things 0:11:38.860 --> 0:11:41.260 I still had to do for him. And so God 0:11:41.260 --> 0:11:45.829 knew the timing, and he spared my life. But for 0:11:45.830 --> 0:11:48.949 any person that goes to be with the Lord, that's 0:11:48.950 --> 0:11:52.110 the right time. And that's what this is saying, that 0:11:52.110 --> 0:11:54.550 they rest in their beds, each one who walked in 0:11:54.550 --> 0:11:58.070 his upright way, he enters into peace or she enters 0:11:58.070 --> 0:12:01.430 into peace. It's God's timing that is best. That's what 0:12:01.429 --> 0:12:05.390 that verse is about. Gives us encouragement about knowing that 0:12:05.429 --> 0:12:08.430 when we go to be with him, it's the right time, 0:12:08.710 --> 0:12:09.390 don't you think? 0:12:10.270 --> 0:12:11.590 Yes. Thank you. 0:12:11.630 --> 0:12:15.470 Yeah. Yeah. Well, thanks for your call. Really appreciate it. Uh, 0:12:15.470 --> 0:12:18.870 we're going to take a break here, and when we 0:12:18.910 --> 0:12:20.990 come back, we'll take more of your calls. The phone 0:12:20.990 --> 0:12:30.510 number (877) 548-3675. That's (877) 548-3675. Give us a call with your 0:12:30.510 --> 0:12:33.710 question about the Bible, God or the spiritual life. This 0:12:33.710 --> 0:12:35.990 is open line with Michael Ray. We'll be right back. 0:12:35.990 --> 0:12:58.030 So stay with us. And we're back. My name is 0:12:58.030 --> 0:13:00.870 Michael Melnick. This program is called Open Line, and we 0:13:00.870 --> 0:13:04.790 talk about your questions about the Bible, God and the 0:13:04.790 --> 0:13:08.270 spiritual life. And I am so glad to see our 0:13:08.270 --> 0:13:13.429 team here. Tricia McMillan is our producer and Omar is here. 0:13:13.590 --> 0:13:16.710 I appreciate I, I see them on the screen. They 0:13:16.710 --> 0:13:19.070 smile at me when I mention their names. I always 0:13:19.070 --> 0:13:21.790 like that. Uh, they're really part of the team. And 0:13:21.790 --> 0:13:25.470 one of the things I really appreciate is that when 0:13:25.710 --> 0:13:29.030 people write to the program, they so often tell me 0:13:29.030 --> 0:13:33.829 how much they appreciate the whole team and everyone that participates, uh, 0:13:33.870 --> 0:13:39.270 whether it's phone screeners, engineers, producers, no matter who it is, 0:13:39.270 --> 0:13:41.910 they recognize that this is not a one man operation. 0:13:42.160 --> 0:13:45.320 It's a team. And the team is pretty broad because 0:13:45.559 --> 0:13:49.160 without listeners calling in with their questions, well, we wouldn't 0:13:49.160 --> 0:13:51.800 have a program at all. They're part of the team 0:13:51.800 --> 0:13:55.840 as well, and every listener who benefits grows in their 0:13:55.840 --> 0:13:58.120 walk with the Lord and their understanding of the word. 0:13:58.480 --> 0:14:00.240 They're part of the team as well. And then there 0:14:00.240 --> 0:14:04.080 are some really special people who are part of the 0:14:04.080 --> 0:14:07.600 team because they have become kitchen table partners. I so 0:14:07.600 --> 0:14:11.640 appreciate them. Uh, every one of them who give monthly, 0:14:12.000 --> 0:14:13.720 they give monthly so that we can be on the 0:14:13.720 --> 0:14:17.880 air every week, uh, teaching and studying the word together. 0:14:18.440 --> 0:14:21.600 And as a special thank you for them. What we 0:14:21.600 --> 0:14:24.640 do is Trish and I produce a Bible study moment 0:14:24.640 --> 0:14:29.400 every other week. It's a audio Bible study designed exclusively 0:14:29.840 --> 0:14:33.400 for our kitchen table partners. Get it in the in 0:14:33.440 --> 0:14:35.600 your email. Click on it. Get to listen. It's about 0:14:35.600 --> 0:14:38.800 ten minutes long. And I think it's just a way 0:14:38.800 --> 0:14:41.200 of us saying thanks. We appreciate you so much. We 0:14:41.200 --> 0:14:43.920 want to encourage you with the word. And if you're 0:14:43.920 --> 0:14:47.120 listening and you may have given a gift occasionally, uh, 0:14:47.120 --> 0:14:49.560 if there's a resource that you're interested in or you 0:14:49.600 --> 0:14:52.960 may have never even given before, but you appreciate the program, 0:14:52.960 --> 0:14:56.520 if that's something that you want to continue, perhaps you'll 0:14:56.520 --> 0:15:00.840 consider becoming a kitchen table partner as well. That's pretty 0:15:00.840 --> 0:15:03.840 easy to do. All you have to do is call 0:15:04.120 --> 0:15:13.960 8886447122886447122 or go to open line radio.org. And you too 0:15:14.000 --> 0:15:16.680 can become a kitchen table partner. If you even think 0:15:16.680 --> 0:15:20.160 about it, we'd really appreciate it. We're going to talk 0:15:20.160 --> 0:15:26.720 with Scott in Havelock, North Carolina listening on. Welcome to 0:15:26.760 --> 0:15:28.680 Open Line. Scott. How can I help you today? 0:15:31.880 --> 0:15:36.480 Good morning Michael. Um, my question revolves around the verse 0:15:36.480 --> 0:15:39.930 that says, uh, absent from the body present with the 0:15:39.930 --> 0:15:44.650 Lord when we die as a Christian, um, when our 0:15:44.650 --> 0:15:51.450 soul actually departs and goes to the Lord. Do you 0:15:51.450 --> 0:15:55.730 think that at that time we're conscious and we know 0:15:55.730 --> 0:15:58.650 that we're with the Lord? Or are we still basically 0:15:58.850 --> 0:16:01.090 sleeping until the rapture? 0:16:01.890 --> 0:16:05.090 What? Why would you think we're sleeping till the rapture? 0:16:08.410 --> 0:16:12.530 Well, I don't know. I've heard, you know, so many 0:16:12.530 --> 0:16:16.730 things that say, you know, we're sleeping until the Lord 0:16:16.730 --> 0:16:20.090 comes back. But then I hear absent from the body 0:16:20.090 --> 0:16:23.530 present with the Lord. So I'm. I mean, I'm thinking 0:16:23.530 --> 0:16:29.970 that our eternity in heaven begins at the moment that 0:16:29.970 --> 0:16:31.170 we die. 0:16:31.210 --> 0:16:34.690 So I'm pressing you a little bit here, Scott. My 0:16:34.690 --> 0:16:38.380 friend Scott, this is what I want to know. Why? 0:16:38.580 --> 0:16:42.540 Where have you heard that? We're sleeping and not conscious. 0:16:46.060 --> 0:16:51.460 Well, I think it was, if I remember correctly. Um. 0:16:54.020 --> 0:16:56.140 I can't think of his name. Um. 0:16:57.660 --> 0:17:00.260 So it's a a preacher. Is that what you mean, 0:17:00.260 --> 0:17:03.260 a preacher or a teacher or something like that? Okay. 0:17:03.300 --> 0:17:05.260 Yeah, it was a it was a preacher. No, it 0:17:05.260 --> 0:17:07.060 was a preacher. Yeah. Um. 0:17:07.460 --> 0:17:10.380 Well, let me tell you where that misunderstanding comes from. 0:17:10.380 --> 0:17:13.780 You're absolutely right. Absent from the body. Present with the Lord. 0:17:13.780 --> 0:17:18.859 Even think about Lazarus. Uh, who? When he died, he 0:17:18.859 --> 0:17:23.459 was utterly conscious of where he was being comforted by Abraham. Uh, 0:17:23.580 --> 0:17:30.460 and even, uh, his the rich man, even though he 0:17:30.460 --> 0:17:32.700 wasn't with the Lord, he was conscious of what was 0:17:32.700 --> 0:17:34.980 going on. I know that's a parable, but it's a 0:17:34.980 --> 0:17:38.380 reflection of reality. So of course we're conscious when we're 0:17:38.380 --> 0:17:41.780 present with the Lord. The. The basis of this idea 0:17:41.780 --> 0:17:47.460 of soul sleep until the resurrection is from first Thessalonians 413, 0:17:47.740 --> 0:17:52.380 because it keeps using the word asleep as a euphemism 0:17:52.380 --> 0:17:55.179 for death. It says, for we do not want you 0:17:55.180 --> 0:17:59.940 to be uninformed, brothers, concerning those who are asleep, so 0:17:59.940 --> 0:18:01.820 that you will not grieve like the rest who have 0:18:01.820 --> 0:18:04.300 no hope. And then it says, God will bring with 0:18:04.300 --> 0:18:07.660 him those who have fallen asleep through Jesus. And then 0:18:07.660 --> 0:18:11.020 it says in verse 15, we will certainly have no 0:18:11.020 --> 0:18:15.419 advantage over those who have fallen asleep. Why? Because the 0:18:15.420 --> 0:18:18.180 dead in Christ will rise first, and then we who 0:18:18.180 --> 0:18:20.660 are still alive will be caught up together with them 0:18:20.900 --> 0:18:25.220 in the clouds. And so they fail to understand that 0:18:25.220 --> 0:18:29.500 this is just a euphemism for physical death. And so 0:18:29.500 --> 0:18:31.620 when it says we're asleep, the reason it says that 0:18:31.619 --> 0:18:35.790 is because when we look at a dead body, We 0:18:35.830 --> 0:18:39.629 can see that that dead body looks like they're asleep. 0:18:39.990 --> 0:18:43.270 And so that's why Paul uses that gentler term rather 0:18:43.270 --> 0:18:48.469 than dead. He uses the word asleep. But here's the 0:18:48.470 --> 0:18:50.270 little clue that a lot of people miss. Now, this 0:18:50.270 --> 0:18:54.550 is talking about the return of the Lord at the rapture. Right? Uh, 0:18:54.550 --> 0:18:56.950 that the dead in Christ will rise first, the dead 0:18:56.950 --> 0:19:01.389 in the Messiah rise first, and then we who remain 0:19:01.590 --> 0:19:06.190 will be caught up. Snatched. That's the word that, uh, 0:19:06.190 --> 0:19:08.670 u is used there that we get the word rapture 0:19:08.670 --> 0:19:12.870 from in Latin, but we're caught up, uh, or snatch. 0:19:12.869 --> 0:19:18.830 I call that the great snatch. But back in verse 14, 0:19:19.550 --> 0:19:23.390 here's what it says. Since we believe that Jesus died 0:19:23.390 --> 0:19:28.230 and rose again in the same way, God will bring 0:19:28.510 --> 0:19:33.030 with him those who have fallen asleep through Jesus. So 0:19:33.070 --> 0:19:37.350 the depiction there is when we die. Our immaterial part, 0:19:37.750 --> 0:19:40.869 the spiritual part of us goes to be with the Lord, 0:19:40.869 --> 0:19:44.270 and we're conscious of it. When he descends, he will 0:19:44.270 --> 0:19:49.109 descend with us, with those who have died with their spirits, 0:19:49.470 --> 0:19:54.270 and then their bodies will be resurrected and reunite right 0:19:54.270 --> 0:19:58.230 there up as the Lord descends from heaven. That's when 0:19:58.230 --> 0:20:01.270 we will be resurrected. The resurrection isn't a wake up 0:20:01.270 --> 0:20:05.670 from sleep. It's a reunion, a reunification of our immaterial 0:20:05.670 --> 0:20:09.070 part with our material part. That's what happens at the 0:20:09.070 --> 0:20:13.909 rapture for members of the body. Uh, the the of 0:20:13.910 --> 0:20:17.990 of Messiah. Okay, that's what's going on there. And that's 0:20:17.990 --> 0:20:21.390 where the misunderstanding comes in. Here's what what I find 0:20:21.390 --> 0:20:24.750 people do is very often people who are teaching things 0:20:24.750 --> 0:20:28.070 that aren't accurate. They pick one verse, they misinterpret it, 0:20:28.070 --> 0:20:30.510 and they ignore the rest of Scripture. The rest of 0:20:30.510 --> 0:20:36.240 Scripture we have is that when someone dies, they go 0:20:36.240 --> 0:20:38.359 to be with the Lord and they're conscious of it. 0:20:38.560 --> 0:20:42.680 And that's what Philippians one says. Paul says that to 0:20:42.720 --> 0:20:47.600 live is Messiah, to die is gain. He says it 0:20:47.600 --> 0:20:49.720 would be better if he could for him, if he 0:20:49.720 --> 0:20:51.920 could go to be with the Lord. But he needed 0:20:51.920 --> 0:20:54.000 to remain for the sake of the Philippians and the 0:20:54.000 --> 0:20:57.440 ministry he had with them. Second Corinthians five absent from 0:20:57.440 --> 0:21:01.400 the body is present with the Lord. So yeah, you 0:21:01.440 --> 0:21:03.960 got that right. But it's the immaterial part of us 0:21:03.960 --> 0:21:06.720 that goes to be with the Lord. It's conscious. And 0:21:06.720 --> 0:21:11.560 then when the resurrection happens at the rapture, the physical 0:21:11.560 --> 0:21:16.960 body is resurrected and reunited with that immaterial part, the spirit. 0:21:17.280 --> 0:21:20.679 And that's what happens. There's a great reunification that happens 0:21:20.680 --> 0:21:23.080 at the resurrection. Does that help, Scott? 0:21:24.440 --> 0:21:26.320 Awesome. Thank you so much. 0:21:26.800 --> 0:21:28.920 Yeah. Great. I'm so glad. And by the way, this 0:21:28.960 --> 0:21:31.880 is I think we missed the point. People argue about 0:21:31.880 --> 0:21:36.240 the rapture, they argue about soul sleep, which they shouldn't. 0:21:36.840 --> 0:21:42.359 Here's the thing that so often when people lose someone 0:21:42.359 --> 0:21:45.919 they love, they fall into the depths of despair. Their 0:21:45.920 --> 0:21:52.760 grief is so intense. I completely understand that. But we 0:21:52.760 --> 0:21:56.040 also need to remember that if that person knew the Lord, 0:21:56.440 --> 0:21:59.320 that there's going to be that great reunion, not just 0:21:59.480 --> 0:22:02.920 of the immaterial part with the material, but of all 0:22:02.920 --> 0:22:06.920 of us together, whether we are alive or whether we're asleep. 0:22:07.119 --> 0:22:09.560 We're all going to be together forever with the Lord. 0:22:09.600 --> 0:22:12.000 There's going to be a great reunion. And that's why 0:22:12.000 --> 0:22:15.560 the passage says, we don't grieve as those who have 0:22:15.560 --> 0:22:18.000 no hope. If we had no hope, our grief would 0:22:18.000 --> 0:22:20.959 be far worse. But we have hope. It's not that 0:22:20.960 --> 0:22:24.560 we don't grieve, but our our grief is mixed with 0:22:24.560 --> 0:22:27.639 hope of a great reunion one day, and that gives 0:22:27.640 --> 0:22:32.609 us a great deal of comfort. Okay. Okay. Thanks for 0:22:32.609 --> 0:22:35.690 your call, Scott. We're going to talk to Robert in 0:22:35.690 --> 0:22:41.010 Fort Lauderdale. Listening on. Welcome to Open Line, Robert. How 0:22:41.010 --> 0:22:42.050 can I help you today? 0:22:42.090 --> 0:22:50.890 Hi. Um. Yeah, my question is, I was right. I 0:22:50.890 --> 0:22:57.610 was reading judges this morning, and in judges chapter ten, uh, 0:22:57.609 --> 0:23:03.730 it talks about, uh, uh, Israel going after other gods. 0:23:03.730 --> 0:23:06.810 And in verse 13 it says, I will, uh, God says, 0:23:06.810 --> 0:23:11.850 I will deliver you no more. And then, um, he 0:23:11.850 --> 0:23:15.050 also says in verse 14, let them deliver you in 0:23:15.050 --> 0:23:18.889 the time of your distress. Then God changes his mind. 0:23:18.890 --> 0:23:21.650 In verse 16, he says he could bear the misery 0:23:21.650 --> 0:23:27.410 of Israel no longer. And in verse 16, my question is, uh, 0:23:27.450 --> 0:23:31.330 they put away the foreign gods from among them and 0:23:31.330 --> 0:23:39.729 served the Lord. If that repentance was so sincere, why? Uh, 0:23:39.730 --> 0:23:41.409 I don't know if you have an answer for it, 0:23:41.410 --> 0:23:44.210 or I just want your commentary on it. Why did 0:23:44.250 --> 0:23:49.409 Israel not just destroy those gods and serve the Lord? 0:23:49.450 --> 0:23:52.170 It says in the Scripture, it says they just put 0:23:52.170 --> 0:23:54.689 them away. Meaning to me as they put them on 0:23:54.690 --> 0:23:57.490 a shelf. So when they feel like it, they have 0:23:57.490 --> 0:23:58.890 access to them again. 0:23:59.369 --> 0:24:01.890 Well, you actually don't know how they put them away, 0:24:02.090 --> 0:24:05.210 nor do I. It could be that they smashed them 0:24:05.210 --> 0:24:07.170 and that's how they put them away. It could be 0:24:07.170 --> 0:24:11.129 that they buried them and that's how they put them away. Uh, 0:24:11.650 --> 0:24:16.170 it depends on how easy or hard it would be 0:24:16.570 --> 0:24:20.290 to to destroy them. And it seems to me that 0:24:20.290 --> 0:24:22.490 the word put away means they got rid of them. 0:24:23.090 --> 0:24:26.169 And it could be they got rid of them through destruction. 0:24:26.170 --> 0:24:28.620 Or it could be they got rid of them through burial. 0:24:28.619 --> 0:24:30.300 It could be they got rid of them by throwing 0:24:30.340 --> 0:24:31.820 them in the river. I don't know how they got 0:24:31.820 --> 0:24:35.540 rid of them, but. But they got rid of them. Okay. 0:24:35.660 --> 0:24:37.340 Okay. Right. Yeah. 0:24:38.100 --> 0:24:40.740 I'm not, I'm not. I don't think this means they 0:24:40.740 --> 0:24:43.180 they put them on the shelf to wait for the 0:24:43.180 --> 0:24:45.379 time where they can pull them out again. That doesn't 0:24:45.380 --> 0:24:47.180 seem to be what the text is saying. 0:24:48.940 --> 0:24:54.580 Uh, okay. So. Okay. All right. Thank you. Good, good. 0:24:54.580 --> 0:24:57.460 I'm so glad. Thanks for your call. Hey, uh, one 0:24:57.460 --> 0:25:00.219 of the really fun things that we're going to do 0:25:00.700 --> 0:25:05.100 is I am going to go to Israel in September, 0:25:05.100 --> 0:25:08.340 September 7th through the 18th. And when I go, uh, 0:25:08.340 --> 0:25:10.420 we have a group of people. There's only a few 0:25:10.420 --> 0:25:15.300 spots left. And today or this week is the last week, uh, 0:25:15.300 --> 0:25:18.260 that we have this trip open. So if you are interested, 0:25:18.260 --> 0:25:21.340 I think we only have like 4 or 5 spots 0:25:21.380 --> 0:25:24.140 left on this trip. If you're interested in joining me, 0:25:24.180 --> 0:25:27.190 it's safe. Uh, the best place to go is go 0:25:27.190 --> 0:25:30.870 to open line radio.org. Scroll down. You'll see a link 0:25:31.030 --> 0:25:33.910 to my personal web page if you'd like to join 0:25:33.910 --> 0:25:36.390 us this September in Israel, we'd love to have you 0:25:36.390 --> 0:25:38.750 join us. There's only a few spots left, so don't 0:25:38.750 --> 0:25:41.750 miss out on very little time. Uh, stick with us. 0:25:41.750 --> 0:25:43.710 We're going to come back with the mailbag in just 0:25:43.710 --> 0:25:46.710 a moment. Uh, you're listening to Open Line with Michael Ray. 0:25:47.109 --> 0:26:09.030 Stay with us. We'll be right back. Welcome back to 0:26:09.070 --> 0:26:13.590 Open Line. It's time for the Far Eastern Broadcasting Company mailbag. 0:26:13.630 --> 0:26:19.230 The Febc mailbag. I'm so grateful for Febc because they 0:26:19.230 --> 0:26:23.390 partner with Open Line to bring you the weekly Febc mailbag. 0:26:24.150 --> 0:26:27.270 Febc is a wonderful organization. It brings the gospel to 0:26:27.310 --> 0:26:34.310 people through media and also personal engagement. You should really 0:26:34.310 --> 0:26:40.030 check out this ministry. It's febc. And when you're there, 0:26:40.030 --> 0:26:43.109 you can find their podcast. It's called Until All I've 0:26:43.109 --> 0:26:45.510 Heard featuring Ed Cannon. I know you're going to love it, 0:26:45.510 --> 0:26:50.670 so check out febc. And joining me right now with 0:26:50.670 --> 0:26:56.510 the Febc mailbag is Tricia McMillan. Hey, Tricia. Hello. Well, 0:26:56.510 --> 0:26:58.830 I see you brought a partner today. Someone to work 0:26:58.830 --> 0:26:59.189 with you. 0:26:59.230 --> 0:27:02.430 I did, I brought a special program observer today. It 0:27:02.430 --> 0:27:07.670 is my ten year old son, Duncan. Duncan loves the Bible. 0:27:07.670 --> 0:27:10.150 And so I said you should write up a question. 0:27:10.150 --> 0:27:12.670 And he was like, okay, so he's got five. We're 0:27:12.670 --> 0:27:15.990 not going to ask five. Um, but but that's. 0:27:15.990 --> 0:27:17.270 Going to be a special program. 0:27:17.310 --> 0:27:21.270 He's my Bible reader and knows knows the Bible. And 0:27:21.270 --> 0:27:23.520 so even the questions he came up with Just off 0:27:23.520 --> 0:27:27.240 the top of his head were, um, ones that often 0:27:27.240 --> 0:27:29.439 adults will call in with. And so I was like, okay, 0:27:29.440 --> 0:27:30.200 that's great. Yeah. 0:27:30.240 --> 0:27:32.360 That's great. Hey, Duncan, how are you doing? 0:27:33.480 --> 0:27:34.560 I'm doing good. 0:27:35.280 --> 0:27:38.560 Good. I'm glad. I'm glad you're there. Uh, it's always 0:27:38.560 --> 0:27:44.480 fun when, uh, when, uh, your mom brings in one 0:27:44.480 --> 0:27:48.080 of the kids, and usually it's Annie. So today it's you, Duncan. 0:27:48.119 --> 0:27:51.440 That's pretty exciting. Uh, is this your first time coming 0:27:51.480 --> 0:27:52.280 to open line? 0:27:53.000 --> 0:27:54.760 Yes, I think it is. 0:27:55.400 --> 0:27:57.320 Yeah. And what grade are you in, Duncan? 0:27:57.440 --> 0:28:00.000 Um, I'm going into fifth grade. 0:28:00.720 --> 0:28:02.080 You just finished fourth? 0:28:02.119 --> 0:28:02.560 Yep. 0:28:03.160 --> 0:28:05.800 Wow. That's pretty exciting. Do you have any big plans 0:28:05.800 --> 0:28:06.600 for the summer? 0:28:08.080 --> 0:28:10.560 Well, we're going to Tennessee this summer. 0:28:11.240 --> 0:28:13.439 Oh. That's great. You're going to have a lot of 0:28:13.440 --> 0:28:16.280 fun there. That's a lot of fun. Well, why don't 0:28:16.280 --> 0:28:17.719 you go ahead and ask your question? 0:28:18.680 --> 0:28:22.480 Uh, my first question is, why did Jesus speak in 0:28:22.480 --> 0:28:24.439 parables instead of just telling them? 0:28:25.520 --> 0:28:26.000 Well. 0:28:28.200 --> 0:28:33.239 I think that sometimes we forget that so much of 0:28:33.240 --> 0:28:36.320 the Bible is in story form. Now they're true stories, 0:28:36.320 --> 0:28:40.080 but they're its story form. And I think it's because people, 0:28:40.320 --> 0:28:45.200 for the most part, learn best. Historically, we know this 0:28:45.200 --> 0:28:50.880 through stories. And so the the Lord starts telling stories 0:28:50.880 --> 0:28:54.840 in the book of Matthew starting in Matthew 13. And 0:28:54.920 --> 0:28:58.920 parables are true to life stories with a spiritual message. 0:28:59.560 --> 0:29:05.480 And in verse 11 of, well, let's start with verse ten. 0:29:06.640 --> 0:29:09.280 I think it's interesting because the disciples asked the very 0:29:09.280 --> 0:29:12.400 same question you asked Duncan. It says in verse ten, 0:29:12.440 --> 0:29:15.760 the disciples came up and asked him, why do you 0:29:15.760 --> 0:29:19.600 speak to them in parables? Don't you think that's interesting? 0:29:19.600 --> 0:29:22.770 They're asking the very same question that you are asking. 0:29:23.210 --> 0:29:26.850 And the Lord answered them, because the secrets of the 0:29:26.850 --> 0:29:31.290 kingdom of heaven have been given for you to know. 0:29:32.050 --> 0:29:36.370 But it's not been given to them, for whoever has 0:29:36.370 --> 0:29:39.370 more will be given to him. And the one and 0:29:39.370 --> 0:29:41.890 he will have more than enough. But whoever does not 0:29:41.890 --> 0:29:44.810 have even what he has will be taken away from him. 0:29:44.890 --> 0:29:47.690 So here's the point the Lord makes. One of the 0:29:47.690 --> 0:29:52.450 reasons that he speaks in parables is to reveal the 0:29:52.450 --> 0:29:55.410 truth to people who are open. It helps us if 0:29:55.410 --> 0:29:57.690 we're open to him, if we are listening to him, 0:29:57.690 --> 0:30:00.610 if we want to learn from him. He tells the story, 0:30:00.610 --> 0:30:03.410 these true to life stories, and it makes the spiritual 0:30:03.410 --> 0:30:07.570 truth seem all the more real, all the better. But 0:30:07.570 --> 0:30:11.490 if a person doesn't want to hear from the Lord, 0:30:11.730 --> 0:30:14.730 it's got a closed mind. They think, what are all 0:30:14.730 --> 0:30:17.610 these silly stories? And they don't want to hear them. 0:30:17.770 --> 0:30:20.770 And it conceals the truth that hides it from them. 0:30:21.090 --> 0:30:24.290 So the point of parables is to make it easier 0:30:24.290 --> 0:30:27.530 for people like you and hopefully like you. I know 0:30:27.530 --> 0:30:30.890 it's like your mom, hopefully for me that because we 0:30:30.890 --> 0:30:33.810 love the Lord, we hear the stories and we learn 0:30:33.810 --> 0:30:37.330 from them and we grow. But if a person doesn't 0:30:37.330 --> 0:30:41.810 love the Lord and they're kind of cynical, what happens 0:30:41.810 --> 0:30:43.570 is they hear the story and they think that's a 0:30:43.570 --> 0:30:46.210 silly story. I'm even going to bother with it and 0:30:46.210 --> 0:30:48.610 the truth is hidden from them. So that's the point. 0:30:49.170 --> 0:30:53.450 It either reveals the truth or conceals the truth that 0:30:53.450 --> 0:30:56.730 either explains the truth or it hides the truth. It 0:30:56.730 --> 0:31:00.410 depends on our heart and how we receive the truth. Okay. 0:31:00.770 --> 0:31:01.250 Okay. 0:31:02.010 --> 0:31:06.210 Good. That's. That was a really great question. Uh. Thank you. Tricia. 0:31:06.450 --> 0:31:08.730 Did anyone else have any questions? 0:31:08.810 --> 0:31:11.050 Yes, we did have a couple others. One of them 0:31:11.050 --> 0:31:14.130 is from Shirley, who wrote us on Facebook and wanted 0:31:14.130 --> 0:31:17.570 to know where the apostles got the baskets for the 0:31:17.660 --> 0:31:20.620 food at the feeding of the 5000. 0:31:22.300 --> 0:31:24.420 Mhm. They probably went to target. 0:31:24.460 --> 0:31:24.620 I'm. 0:31:24.620 --> 0:31:26.100 Guessing. I don't know. 0:31:26.460 --> 0:31:28.860 Well what I realized with this question is it can 0:31:28.860 --> 0:31:32.580 seem like this is just a thing of curiosity. However, 0:31:33.060 --> 0:31:38.140 knowing how people lived at that time, it, it seems 0:31:38.140 --> 0:31:40.620 like it would have been more likely that in the 0:31:40.620 --> 0:31:43.540 same way that people today may just carry a large 0:31:43.540 --> 0:31:46.300 purse or a backpack and they just carry them around 0:31:46.300 --> 0:31:50.740 with them, that maybe they just had baskets with them, 0:31:50.780 --> 0:31:52.620 like maybe that was just a normal thing that they 0:31:52.620 --> 0:31:53.780 would bring, I don't know. 0:31:54.340 --> 0:31:56.660 Yeah, they might have brought some things that were they 0:31:56.660 --> 0:31:58.500 may not look like baskets like you have when you 0:31:58.500 --> 0:32:01.580 put bread out at a meal, but they may have 0:32:01.580 --> 0:32:04.140 had some woven things that they carried about with them 0:32:04.180 --> 0:32:06.580 so they could carry things. And those may have been 0:32:06.580 --> 0:32:13.300 the baskets that, that people had. You know, we don't 0:32:13.300 --> 0:32:16.030 know who lived nearby and ran and got baskets. Skits 0:32:17.190 --> 0:32:20.830 that there are all sorts of options. This is this 0:32:20.830 --> 0:32:27.630 is one of those, uh, questions that people ask. And, uh. 0:32:30.230 --> 0:32:32.830 I always want to say, you know, if if that 0:32:32.870 --> 0:32:38.110 were important, it would have been told to us, but 0:32:38.150 --> 0:32:41.950 it wasn't. I'll tell you what's important. How many people 0:32:41.990 --> 0:32:42.750 got fed. 0:32:42.790 --> 0:32:43.270 Right. 0:32:43.870 --> 0:32:47.510 With five loaves and two fish? Right. That's the part 0:32:48.070 --> 0:32:49.910 I think it's kind of funny when we get caught 0:32:49.910 --> 0:32:52.590 up in where the baskets come from. I want to 0:32:52.630 --> 0:32:54.990 know where the fish and loaves came from. That's the 0:32:54.990 --> 0:32:56.350 amazing part, right? 0:32:56.390 --> 0:32:59.670 So that's more the miracle of of what was going 0:32:59.670 --> 0:33:03.350 on and what, what we are to remember from it. 0:33:03.390 --> 0:33:06.950 Yeah. Uh, you know, so often, uh, I trust that 0:33:06.950 --> 0:33:10.390 there were really baskets and they came together. Uh, we 0:33:10.430 --> 0:33:12.230 don't want to become cynical and say, oh, this story 0:33:12.230 --> 0:33:14.709 can't be true. Where'd they get all those baskets? I 0:33:14.830 --> 0:33:17.990 think the harder thing to believe, but I do believe it, 0:33:18.230 --> 0:33:22.830 is that five loaves and two fish became a meal 0:33:22.830 --> 0:33:27.630 for 5000 plus. That's that's what really should stretch our faith. 0:33:27.830 --> 0:33:30.710 Yeah, yeah. Which when you think about it, is just 0:33:30.710 --> 0:33:35.310 incredible that. Yeah, that, that that just came from, um, 0:33:35.470 --> 0:33:39.510 this little boy's lunch and, you know, I mean, as 0:33:39.510 --> 0:33:42.070 a mom that's reading way too much into it here, 0:33:42.070 --> 0:33:44.550 but like, as a mom, knowing it's like, oh, I 0:33:44.550 --> 0:33:46.030 don't know how long I'll be gone. Here's a couple 0:33:46.070 --> 0:33:49.030 snacks or, you know, like, whatever, whoever that mom was 0:33:49.030 --> 0:33:52.310 who sent him with a little snack, you know, not 0:33:52.310 --> 0:33:55.830 knowing the impact of it. And then to have all 0:33:55.870 --> 0:34:00.430 of the leftovers, which I think is even crazier to me, um, 0:34:00.470 --> 0:34:03.870 that that there were so, so much leftover food. 0:34:04.550 --> 0:34:08.549 So, so let me tell you, I went to there 0:34:08.550 --> 0:34:11.110 was a thing that Billy Graham did in Central Park 0:34:11.110 --> 0:34:13.350 in New York City. It was called An Afternoon in 0:34:13.350 --> 0:34:17.080 the Park with Billy Graham. And it was an outreach. 0:34:17.239 --> 0:34:19.080 It wasn't a full week or anything like that. It 0:34:19.080 --> 0:34:24.400 was just one afternoon. And they take an offering and 0:34:24.400 --> 0:34:26.600 I'll tell you who took the offering. It was Ron 0:34:26.600 --> 0:34:28.960 Hutchcraft who should be familiar to many of our Moody 0:34:28.960 --> 0:34:34.360 radio listeners. Yeah. And Ron gets up there. And at 0:34:34.360 --> 0:34:36.360 the time, Ron was in the New York City area, 0:34:36.920 --> 0:34:41.040 and he gets up and I didn't know what he 0:34:41.040 --> 0:34:46.600 was going to say. He says four words, I want 0:34:46.600 --> 0:34:52.000 your lunch. And and, you know, everyone had brought bag 0:34:52.000 --> 0:34:54.319 lunches because we were going to be in the park 0:34:54.320 --> 0:34:57.839 all afternoon. And then what he talked about is, can 0:34:57.840 --> 0:34:59.640 you imagine if we took your lunches, how many people 0:34:59.640 --> 0:35:04.960 we could feed? But now think about five loaves, two fish. 0:35:05.200 --> 0:35:07.719 And what the Lord did with that when he said 0:35:07.719 --> 0:35:12.520 to that little boy, I want your lunch. Give it here. 0:35:12.560 --> 0:35:15.600 Or one of the disciples told him. And then here's 0:35:15.600 --> 0:35:18.960 the thing. That's amazing how God can take anything we 0:35:18.960 --> 0:35:21.239 give him and enlarge it. If he if we take 0:35:21.239 --> 0:35:23.839 our spiritual gifts and we say, Lord, use these. He 0:35:23.840 --> 0:35:27.799 enlarges it. If we take our physical gifts that we 0:35:27.800 --> 0:35:31.960 bring to him, they he can take them and enlarge them. 0:35:32.000 --> 0:35:34.960 It's I'm not trying to be crass here, but, you know, 0:35:35.000 --> 0:35:37.560 we're at the end of our fiscal year at Moody, 0:35:38.280 --> 0:35:43.479 and we're hoping to finish in the black. And one 0:35:43.480 --> 0:35:46.759 of the things that I could say to anyone listening, 0:35:46.800 --> 0:35:49.520 if you gave a gift to Moody Radio, uh, or 0:35:49.520 --> 0:35:53.680 to Moody Bible Institute friends, God can take that gift, 0:35:53.680 --> 0:35:57.520 like those five loaves and two fish and really enlarge it. Uh, 0:35:57.560 --> 0:36:01.440 and we would really, really appreciate it. So, uh, I 0:36:01.480 --> 0:36:03.040 know you didn't expect me to say that, but I 0:36:03.040 --> 0:36:05.680 was really thinking about it. How when we give, God 0:36:05.719 --> 0:36:07.880 takes it and uses it in a great way. 0:36:07.920 --> 0:36:11.930 Yeah. So, yeah. That's great. Thank you. Did you want 0:36:11.969 --> 0:36:14.770 to do one more or you want to do one? Okay. 0:36:14.810 --> 0:36:15.130 No. 0:36:15.330 --> 0:36:17.850 All right. Next one is from Cheryl in Ohio. Listens 0:36:17.850 --> 0:36:21.330 to CRF. Is the Old Testament speaking to the Jewish 0:36:21.330 --> 0:36:23.969 people only? And is the book of Romans through Philemon 0:36:23.969 --> 0:36:28.890 only for Gentiles? She doesn't say Gentiles or Gentiles. 0:36:29.250 --> 0:36:32.810 Yeah. The book of Romans is predominantly written to Romans. 0:36:33.170 --> 0:36:35.890 I'm sure there were Jewish believers in that congregation. So 0:36:35.890 --> 0:36:39.410 it's a mixed crowd. But it's he says in Romans 11, 0:36:39.410 --> 0:36:42.210 I'm writing to you who are Gentiles with this warning. 0:36:42.250 --> 0:36:45.770 Don't become ignorant or don't be ignorant, or don't become 0:36:45.810 --> 0:36:51.730 arrogant toward the branches. The the Jewish believers. So that's, uh, 0:36:52.650 --> 0:36:57.930 obviously he's addressing that to Gentile believers. But the scriptures, 0:36:59.130 --> 0:37:03.930 the oracles of God in Romans three, they are. What 0:37:03.930 --> 0:37:06.290 advantage has the Jew great in every respect? It says 0:37:06.290 --> 0:37:11.450 in Romans three, for to them were Given the oracles 0:37:11.450 --> 0:37:14.130 of God. In a sense, the Jewish people became the 0:37:14.130 --> 0:37:18.049 stewards of the Scripture. The Hebrew Bible. And so they 0:37:18.050 --> 0:37:21.129 had to steward that. Even like when we're we've been 0:37:21.130 --> 0:37:25.450 reading Eva and I and listening to sermons on Obadiah, 0:37:26.210 --> 0:37:28.690 Obadiah is about Edom, but it wasn't written to Edom. 0:37:28.690 --> 0:37:31.570 It was written to Israel to give Israel hope about 0:37:31.570 --> 0:37:35.489 God's handling of Edom for what they're for, the sins 0:37:35.489 --> 0:37:40.290 that they committed. And so, yeah, I think in a sense, uh, the, 0:37:40.650 --> 0:37:44.450 the Bible teaches that the Hebrew Bible's was given to 0:37:44.489 --> 0:37:46.569 the Jewish people, and they were the stewards of it 0:37:46.570 --> 0:37:49.210 so that everyone can read it, Jew or Gentile, and 0:37:49.210 --> 0:37:52.049 benefit from it. And the same thing with the book 0:37:52.050 --> 0:37:55.210 of Romans. Uh, he specifically says in Romans 11 he's 0:37:55.210 --> 0:37:59.050 writing to Gentiles. However, it was a mixed church, and 0:37:59.090 --> 0:38:02.850 I'm sure there were Jewish people who read it as well. 0:38:03.170 --> 0:38:05.490 So it does not mean that we should not read 0:38:05.489 --> 0:38:10.060 it and cannot learn and apply things from those other. 0:38:10.100 --> 0:38:10.259 Of. 0:38:10.260 --> 0:38:10.820 Course, things. 0:38:10.860 --> 0:38:13.299 Yeah. If the Jewish people are the stewards of the book, 0:38:13.300 --> 0:38:17.420 they're stewarding it so that other people who aren't Jewish 0:38:17.420 --> 0:38:21.500 can read it. That's that's the key. Yeah. So, yeah. Well, 0:38:21.500 --> 0:38:26.300 thank you. And thank you, uh, for bringing your assistant in. 0:38:26.340 --> 0:38:27.300 Yes. You're welcome. 0:38:28.620 --> 0:38:30.740 Duncan, thanks for coming. We'll talk to you next hour. 0:38:30.940 --> 0:38:32.380 The mailbag. Uh. 0:38:33.060 --> 0:38:33.820 You're welcome. 0:38:33.860 --> 0:38:37.340 And, uh, we're going to go right back to calls now. Uh, 0:38:37.340 --> 0:38:42.420 if you'd like to give a call, the phone number (877) 548-3675. 0:38:42.460 --> 0:38:44.500 We'll take your call and talk to you about your 0:38:44.500 --> 0:38:47.540 questions about the Bible, God and the spiritual life. That 0:38:47.540 --> 0:38:50.739 was Tricia McMillan and Duncan. I'm Michael Ray. We'll be 0:38:50.739 --> 0:39:11.500 right back. Welcome back to Open Line. You know, Israel 0:39:11.500 --> 0:39:15.259 is in a war that the nation didn't start, didn't want, 0:39:15.300 --> 0:39:19.219 didn't anticipate. It came as a result of the horrific 0:39:19.260 --> 0:39:23.260 October 7th assault by Hamas when they murdered more Jewish 0:39:23.260 --> 0:39:27.500 people in one day since the Holocaust. And now this 0:39:27.500 --> 0:39:31.340 has gone on for more than 600 days. And people 0:39:31.340 --> 0:39:34.820 are wondering, what does the future hold? Well Chosen People Ministries, 0:39:34.820 --> 0:39:39.620 one of our ministry partners, uh, is offering a special 0:39:39.620 --> 0:39:45.100 book called Israel's Glorious Future. This book details God's faithfulness 0:39:45.100 --> 0:39:48.180 to his covenant promises made to Israel in the past. 0:39:48.219 --> 0:39:51.980 It has biblical prophecies yet to be fulfilled in the future. 0:39:53.140 --> 0:39:58.100 God's word reveals that despite current difficulties, Israel's future is 0:39:58.100 --> 0:40:00.740 certain and glorious. And if you'd like a free copy 0:40:00.739 --> 0:40:04.260 of the book Israel's Glorious Future, just go to Open 0:40:04.260 --> 0:40:10.029 Line Radio open line radio.org. That's our website. Open line radio.org. 0:40:10.070 --> 0:40:12.230 Scroll down. You'll see a link that says a free 0:40:12.270 --> 0:40:15.430 gift from Chosen People Ministries. Click on that and you'll 0:40:15.430 --> 0:40:17.270 be taken to a page where you can sign up 0:40:17.270 --> 0:40:21.710 for your very own free copy of Israel's Glorious Future. 0:40:22.030 --> 0:40:23.910 And we're going to go right back to the phones, 0:40:23.910 --> 0:40:26.029 and we're going to talk to Michael in New Jersey 0:40:26.270 --> 0:40:29.710 listening online. Hello, Michael. How are you? 0:40:30.510 --> 0:40:32.990 Doctor, I don't look at your old friend Michael Cohen 0:40:33.030 --> 0:40:37.110 from Brooklyn, uh, currently living in exile in new Jersey. 0:40:37.270 --> 0:40:39.910 Love to you and Eva. You know, I have a 0:40:39.910 --> 0:40:42.589 love back now I have I have ten questions, but 0:40:42.630 --> 0:40:43.870 I'll only ask one. 0:40:44.350 --> 0:40:45.230 Okay, good. 0:40:45.790 --> 0:40:47.989 Okay. I even thought of, like, more while I was on, uh, 0:40:47.989 --> 0:40:52.110 listening to, um. Here's my question. This always bothered me. Okay. 0:40:52.390 --> 0:40:57.230 It's in Daniel 1013, and I almost could swear that 0:40:57.230 --> 0:41:00.390 the same thing happened to Paul. It talks about like 0:41:00.390 --> 0:41:04.200 a mission that Daniel had. And, um, he was delayed 0:41:04.200 --> 0:41:07.480 for three weeks, 21 days, because there was a whole 0:41:07.520 --> 0:41:11.800 fight in heaven between Michael the Archangel and the fallen 0:41:11.800 --> 0:41:13.920 angels or whatever. You know, Satan the prince. 0:41:14.239 --> 0:41:15.840 The Prince of Persia. Yeah. Yeah. 0:41:16.080 --> 0:41:17.839 Right. But we know that that's, you know, that's really 0:41:17.840 --> 0:41:20.400 in the spiritual realm. But yeah, it's really what was 0:41:20.400 --> 0:41:21.960 the big you know what I mean? What was the 0:41:21.960 --> 0:41:24.000 big deal? Like why, you know, why couldn't he just 0:41:24.000 --> 0:41:25.920 blow him away or God, just, you know, blow him 0:41:25.920 --> 0:41:29.000 away and that's it. Yeah. Well, the same thing happened 0:41:29.000 --> 0:41:31.239 to Paul. I almost I'm almost. I think the same 0:41:31.239 --> 0:41:32.920 thing happened to Paul. Maybe I'm wrong. 0:41:33.440 --> 0:41:37.560 Well, he asked three times for a thorn in his 0:41:37.560 --> 0:41:40.440 flesh to be removed, and God said no. Uh, but 0:41:40.440 --> 0:41:41.920 he did ask three times. 0:41:42.080 --> 0:41:42.440 No. 0:41:42.680 --> 0:41:43.200 Uh, okay. 0:41:43.239 --> 0:41:43.799 So. 0:41:45.160 --> 0:41:47.399 Well, here's the thing. I think, uh, Daniel ten is 0:41:47.400 --> 0:41:53.840 a great Old Testament illustration of spiritual warfare. And Daniel 0:41:53.880 --> 0:41:57.920 prayed and it says from the first day, verse 12, 0:41:57.960 --> 0:42:00.880 that you purposed to understand and to humble yourself before 0:42:00.880 --> 0:42:05.319 your God. Your prayers were heard. I have become. I 0:42:05.360 --> 0:42:08.480 have come because of your prayers. But the Prince of 0:42:08.480 --> 0:42:15.200 the Kingdom of Persia opposed me for 21 days. So, uh, 0:42:16.680 --> 0:42:19.960 Daniel prayed. God answered, but the prince. Now, this is 0:42:19.960 --> 0:42:23.319 where we talk about in Ephesians six principalities and powers. 0:42:23.360 --> 0:42:26.840 But behind kingdoms there are angels. Like Michael. The archangel 0:42:27.000 --> 0:42:30.560 is the angel that protects Israel. And there is this 0:42:30.560 --> 0:42:35.320 evil prince, an evil angel, fallen angel that's there with Persia, 0:42:35.360 --> 0:42:40.120 obstructing the angel from God and the angel from God. Uh, 0:42:41.280 --> 0:42:44.160 had to, had to call for. And after three weeks, 0:42:44.440 --> 0:42:47.640 finally a stronger angel, Michael, came and and brought the 0:42:47.640 --> 0:42:50.640 message through. So here's the thing. I think it's a 0:42:50.640 --> 0:42:57.320 lesson about spiritual warfare that sometimes when we pray, God 0:42:57.360 --> 0:42:59.520 is sending the answer immediately. 0:43:00.400 --> 0:43:00.880 Right? 0:43:01.290 --> 0:43:03.730 But the enemy is obstructing it. And so what do 0:43:03.730 --> 0:43:05.569 we have to do? The Lord said we have to 0:43:05.610 --> 0:43:10.410 pray without, uh, without losing heart. We have to persist 0:43:10.410 --> 0:43:14.490 in prayer and not lose heart. And that's, uh, one 0:43:14.530 --> 0:43:18.330 aspect of spiritual warfare. And the other aspect of it 0:43:18.330 --> 0:43:21.090 is Daniel had seen a vision and he wanted to 0:43:21.130 --> 0:43:24.969 understand it. And the angel was coming to explain the vision, 0:43:25.570 --> 0:43:28.410 the vision that was revealed in Scripture. And I think 0:43:28.410 --> 0:43:33.010 so often, uh, the the enemy wants to obstruct our 0:43:33.010 --> 0:43:36.730 understanding of Scripture. And so we have to persist in 0:43:36.730 --> 0:43:39.770 trying to understand what it says by reading it as 0:43:39.770 --> 0:43:42.610 best we can. So here's what I think is interesting, Michael. 0:43:43.410 --> 0:43:46.250 When we think of spiritual warfare, we think of kind 0:43:46.250 --> 0:43:51.290 of real, uh occultic. Uh, kind of. 0:43:51.690 --> 0:43:52.690 Uh, right. 0:43:53.330 --> 0:43:57.210 Battles. But what is this one about? It's about prayer 0:43:57.410 --> 0:44:01.890 and understanding the word. That's what it's about. And and 0:44:01.890 --> 0:44:03.930 I think when we get discouraged and don't want to 0:44:03.930 --> 0:44:07.330 pray because we haven't heard an answer yet, that's spiritual warfare. 0:44:07.330 --> 0:44:09.730 It's why we have to persist in prayer. When we 0:44:09.770 --> 0:44:12.730 don't understand the scriptures, I say, let's read it again, 0:44:12.730 --> 0:44:15.610 because that's part of the spiritual warfare that we're undergoing 0:44:15.650 --> 0:44:19.090 and ask the Holy Spirit. Ask God, through His Holy Spirit, 0:44:19.090 --> 0:44:22.529 to open our eyes to understand truth. I think more 0:44:22.530 --> 0:44:25.930 spiritual warfare has to do with prayer and reading Scripture 0:44:25.930 --> 0:44:29.609 than it does with, uh, things like the movie called 0:44:29.610 --> 0:44:31.690 The Exorcist. Do you understand? 0:44:32.090 --> 0:44:33.650 Yeah. Oh, yeah. It's much. 0:44:33.690 --> 0:44:38.770 Much more mundane than what people think. So, uh. 0:44:38.890 --> 0:44:39.570 Yeah. Anyway. 0:44:40.290 --> 0:44:42.490 Just one just one more second. That's a good answer. 0:44:42.530 --> 0:44:45.489 My only thing like this is what bothers me. Okay? That, like, 0:44:45.489 --> 0:44:48.049 when I witnessed the people. You know that not believe 0:44:48.050 --> 0:44:50.569 whatever I always say. Like that Satan is in charge 0:44:50.570 --> 0:44:52.649 of this world, in charge of the media. And he 0:44:52.650 --> 0:44:55.250 makes it seem like he is, like, all powerful. And 0:44:55.250 --> 0:44:57.690 in reality, I tell him that Satan is like a 0:44:57.690 --> 0:45:01.259 lighted match And God is like a thousand atom bombs. 0:45:01.300 --> 0:45:03.780 And I almost feel like it's a bad like witness. 0:45:03.780 --> 0:45:05.620 Almost like to go like, hey, God. Like, why do 0:45:05.620 --> 0:45:08.100 you present yourself? Like, it's almost like. You know what 0:45:08.100 --> 0:45:08.460 I mean? 0:45:08.900 --> 0:45:12.140 Well, you know, Erwin Lutzer always says that even the 0:45:12.140 --> 0:45:16.380 devil is God's devil. And even these things of of obstruction, 0:45:16.580 --> 0:45:20.060 God is sovereign over that, too. And part of it is, 0:45:20.580 --> 0:45:24.300 what does it do in Daniel's life? He persisted in 0:45:24.300 --> 0:45:27.980 prayer for three weeks. And one of the things that 0:45:27.980 --> 0:45:31.779 God wants us to learn, for example, when prayers are obstructed, 0:45:31.820 --> 0:45:35.379 is to persist in prayer. Don't give up. When when 0:45:35.380 --> 0:45:38.540 our understanding of Scripture is or people say, ah, you know, 0:45:38.580 --> 0:45:40.140 I have a hard time understanding the Bible, I'm not 0:45:40.140 --> 0:45:43.620 going to read it. No, keep reading it. Keep looking 0:45:43.620 --> 0:45:49.140 for it. God wants us to learn persistence, staying power. Uh, perseverance. 0:45:49.140 --> 0:45:52.100 And so often we give up too easy. And one 0:45:52.100 --> 0:45:54.380 of the reasons why God allows this kind of spiritual 0:45:54.380 --> 0:45:58.020 warfare is to develop staying power in us in our 0:45:58.020 --> 0:46:00.500 walk with the Lord. That's the only way we can grow. 0:46:00.500 --> 0:46:03.380 So don't think that God's losing. He's got a plan, 0:46:03.420 --> 0:46:06.540 even when this kind of thing happens. Does that help? 0:46:06.580 --> 0:46:08.339 Amen. Thank you so much. Thank you, I love you. 0:46:08.660 --> 0:46:08.980 Love to. 0:46:09.219 --> 0:46:09.540 Love you. 0:46:09.540 --> 0:46:13.060 To talk to you later. Uh, well, friends, that's that's 0:46:13.060 --> 0:46:15.420 the first hour of Open Line. I can't believe it's 0:46:16.219 --> 0:46:18.899 gone so quickly, but there's a second hour of Open 0:46:18.900 --> 0:46:20.859 line coming up on most of these stations. If you 0:46:20.860 --> 0:46:25.380 don't get it on your station, you can always listen on, uh, 0:46:25.580 --> 0:46:28.420 the website. Or you can get the Moody Radio app, 0:46:28.420 --> 0:46:30.420 or you can get the podcast. I hope you'll do 0:46:30.420 --> 0:46:34.180 one of those. Go to our website, online radio.org. That 0:46:34.180 --> 0:46:36.580 page has all the links you're looking for, whether it's 0:46:36.900 --> 0:46:39.620 linked to the Israel trip that I'm doing in September 0:46:39.620 --> 0:46:42.500 or our current resource, or how to become a kitchen 0:46:42.500 --> 0:46:45.380 table partner. You'll find it there. Stay with us. Second 0:46:45.380 --> 0:46:48.100 hour of Open Line is coming up straight ahead. Open 0:46:48.100 --> 0:46:51.620 line with Doctor Michael Melnick is the production of Moody Radio, 0:46:51.900 --> 0:46:54.660 a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.