S1: The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not just a geographical battle over
S1: competing land claims. It's a furious fight between worldviews involving
S1: issues of history, oppression, and the nature of truth itself. Essentially,
S1: the question is Whose God is God? Coming up, a
S1: hard hitting, no nonsense conversation about why Christians should support Israel.
S1: Welcome to the land and the book with Israel expert
S1: and Old Testament scholar Doctor Charlie Dyer. I'm John Gager,
S1: and of course, fall is here. And and that means
S1: the Jewish High Holidays are right around the corner. These
S1: biblical feasts have been celebrated for thousands of years. Think
S1: about that. But this year, of course, has added weight
S1: and significance as Jewish people around the world mark one
S1: year since that brutal attack on Israel by Hamas terrorists. Yeah,
S1: that's right John.
S2: That's why our friends though at Life and in Messiah.
S2: Want to help you learn more about the fall feasts,
S2: the significance they have for us as believers in Jesus,
S2: and how to stand with Jewish people during this time.
S2: They're offering a live zoom teaching session where they're knowledgeable.
S2: Field staff will walk you through the history and significance
S2: of the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and
S2: the Feast of Tabernacles. You'll also hear how you can
S2: use these holidays as a point of connection with your
S2: Jewish friends and neighbors, to show and share the love
S2: of Jesus with them. To sign up for this free teaching,
S2: all you need to do is visit Life in Messiah org.
S2: Click on the Moody Radio logo and sign up. Be
S2: sure to sign up today to discover the fascinating connections
S2: between these feasts and Jesus at Life in messiah.org.
S1: And here's what's happening in the Middle East. Israel's conflict
S1: with Hezbollah continues to heat up. What's been happening between
S1: the two adversaries over this last week? Well, you know.
S2: John, it's hard to keep up with everything that's been
S2: taking place. The exploding pagers we talked about last week
S2: were followed by exploding walkie talkies the next day. In all,
S2: 1500 Hezbollah fighters were taken out of action by those attacks.
S2: Hezbollah then gathered the commanders of their elite, Radwan force
S2: in Beirut, to put plans in motion for an attack
S2: on northern Israel by their fighters, but Israel launched a
S2: surprise aerial attack that brought the building down on those gathered.
S2: The strike killed Ibrahim Akil, the leader, along with 15
S2: other Radwan force commanders, disrupting the planned invasion. Hezbollah and
S2: her allies responded by firing rockets, missiles and drones at
S2: northern Israel from Lebanon, Syria and Iraq. Most were intercepted
S2: or caused little damage. Then, for the first time on Wednesday,
S2: Hezbollah fired a ballistic missile toward the Tel Aviv area,
S2: targeting Mossad's headquarters. It was also intercepted. Israel declared a
S2: nationwide emergency, expecting the conflict with Hezbollah to escalate, and
S2: the head of Israel's Northern Command announced they're prepared to
S2: begin a ground operation to push Hezbollah away from the
S2: northern border. The US's response to all this has been mixed.
S2: On the one hand, we said the killing of Akeel
S2: was a good outcome and that nobody in the US
S2: sheds a tear over his death. Well, that's because he
S2: was the one responsible for the bombing of both the
S2: marine barracks and US embassy in Beirut back in 1983
S2: that killed 241 Americans. The US had offered a $7
S2: million reward for information on him, but we were never
S2: able to apprehend him. Israel took care of that. At
S2: the same time, however, we sent a message to Israel
S2: expressing our concern about the escalation in fighting and warned
S2: Israel not to get into an all out war. Israel
S2: has been careful not to target Lebanese civilians with their attacks. Instead,
S2: they're focused on Hezbollah's leadership and its arsenal of rockets. Gets.
S2: Israel is trying to demonstrate that they're serious about restoring
S2: peace in the north so their citizens can return to
S2: their homes without fear of attack. They've been out of
S2: their homes, and that's almost 80,000 people for nearly a year.
S2: But Hezbollah and her allies, prodded by Iran, don't want
S2: to appear weak. So they're also continuing to ratchet up
S2: their response. Right now, all it would take is one
S2: miscalculation on the part of either side to move from
S2: calculated attacks to all out war, and that really is
S2: a matter that we should all be praying about.
S1: You know, Charlie, it seems to me that Israel almost
S1: has no choice in this. If they're going to return
S1: their citizens in the North to their homes, don't you think?
S2: Well, absolutely. What would we do in the United States
S2: if Mexico or Canada or somewhere else had fired rockets
S2: for the last year at our nation, forcing 80,000 people
S2: from their homes to live as refugees in their own country?
S2: We wouldn't permit that. We wouldn't tolerate it. And yet,
S2: somehow we expect Israel to show restraint and and not respond.
S2: It's something that we wouldn't take, and Israel certainly can't
S2: allow themselves, or they will cease to exist as a
S2: nation at some point.
S1: Well, al Qaeda and ISIS have come and gone and
S1: are now part of the dustbin of history. Right? Or
S1: was our celebration premature? Tell us about reports that are
S1: surfacing on the revival of both groups in Afghanistan.
S2: Yeah. It does seem that the West declared victory and
S2: headed home just a little too soon. There are still
S2: reports of U.S. and other Allied forces eliminating scattered al
S2: Qaeda and ISIS leaders, which makes it sound like both
S2: groups are really down to small pockets of followers hiding
S2: out in remote places. But recent reports suggest that's not
S2: the case right now. ISIS is still active in Syria, Iran, Afghanistan,
S2: Libya and Iraq. It's not as strong or as visible
S2: or as prominent in the media as it was before,
S2: but it is still active. Earlier this year, the State
S2: Department marked the five year anniversary of the recapture of
S2: the territory controlled by ISIS. But they noted during that
S2: time that just in Syria, there are still 43,000 former
S2: ISIS supporters in a displaced persons camp, along with 9000
S2: detained ISIS fighters. And al Qaeda hasn't been vanquished either.
S2: The CIA tried to kill Osama bin Laden's son Hamza
S2: back in 2019, but he managed to survive and he,
S2: along with one of his brothers, are now back in Afghanistan,
S2: rebuilding a terrorist network with ten major training camps. There's
S2: a deep connection between al Qaeda and the Taliban, who
S2: are once again in control of Afghanistan. Other reports suggest
S2: that al Qaeda and the regional ISIS franchise there are
S2: also actively collaborating, the rebuilding of a terrorist network and
S2: preparing for future attacks against the West. In fact, up
S2: to 21 terror networks are now operating in Afghanistan, turning
S2: it into the world's biggest terror hotspot. It took the
S2: West 18 years. Untold billions of dollars and thousands of
S2: lives to remove from power the Taliban, Al Qaeda and ISIS.
S2: But in our haste to declare victory and head home,
S2: we've now allowed the three groups to revive. And if
S2: we're not careful, we could soon see a repeat of
S2: events like those that led up to nine over 11.
S2: If you're just.
S1: Joining us, you're listening to The Land and the book
S1: from Moody Radio. Our host, Doctor Charlie Dyer, is a
S1: noted Middle East scholar. He is a frequent Israel traveler,
S1: and we're unfolding stories that have been throughout the Middle
S1: East this week. Iran has been behind much of the
S1: tension in the Middle East, from Hamas to Hezbollah to
S1: the Houthis. But now Iran is apparently also expanding into
S1: Africa while continuing to build on its alliance with Russia.
S1: Now China is also into Africa. So what impact will
S1: all of this have on the larger region, Charlie?
S2: Yeah. And add to that rushes into Africa as well.
S2: Now these moves, especially the ones by Iran, have the
S2: potential of temporarily upending the balance of power in the
S2: Middle East. Iran's growing alliance with Russia has been making
S2: the news. And apparently, Iran delivered hundreds of short range
S2: missiles to Russia. What's not yet clear is if they
S2: delivered the launch platforms needed to use those missiles. That
S2: might be a case where the missiles were available while
S2: sufficient launch vehicles were still being built. It's hard to
S2: imagine Russia accepting missiles that can't be fired. But in exchange,
S2: Russia's been supplying missile defense systems and has also promised
S2: to supply top of the line fighter jets to Iran.
S2: But the part of this story that most have ignored
S2: is Iran's move into eastern Africa, with the funds received
S2: from the US several years ago. Iran began building alliances
S2: across Africa. Most concerning is the alliance they've been building
S2: with Sudan, coupled with their alliance with the Houthis. Iran
S2: is pushing to gain control along both sides of the
S2: Red sea. That could allow them to disrupt maritime shipping
S2: through the Suez Canal, which is a choke point. 15%
S2: of the global trade flows through the Suez Canal and
S2: has to go up the Red sea to get there.
S2: Iran's Revolutionary Guard has provided Sudan's military leader with drones
S2: and advanced equipment in exchange for establishing a naval base
S2: in that country. They're also making inroads into other countries
S2: like Nigeria and South Africa. Now, biblically, this move is
S2: bringing the world one step closer to the alliance described
S2: in Ezekiel 38 and 39, which describes a future attack
S2: on Israel by a foe from the north, likely Russia,
S2: accompanied by several allies, including Turkey, Iran, Sudan and Libya. Now,
S2: we don't know when that attack is going to occur,
S2: but the Bible clearly tells us what nations will be
S2: aligned in that attack and what God will do to
S2: those nations when the attack takes place.
S1: Charlie, just a quick follow up here. Why does Iran
S1: seem to have unlimited funds, unlimited resources to do what
S1: they're doing? You know, they don't.
S2: What's amazing is that they got billions of dollars from us. We,
S2: I think, foolishly released those dollars to them, which they
S2: have used to expand their terrorist infrastructure, but the reason
S2: they have the money is the people there are suffering.
S2: They have horrible inflation. The economy is in tatters in Iran.
S2: But in spite of all that, they're just diverting all
S2: their resources to what they see as their God given role,
S2: which is preparing for the Mahdi, their Messiah, and destroying
S2: the nation of Israel. And they're committed to that. That's
S2: the part the West doesn't fully understand, but that we
S2: do need to understand if we want to truly stop
S2: Iran from what they're doing.
S1: Charlie, maybe you could take a moment and lead us
S1: in a prayer for the peace of Jerusalem.
S2: Father, we do pray for your people, and we pray
S2: for Jerusalem. Lord, we know that the peace isn't going
S2: to happen till the Messiah comes. But right now, Lord,
S2: we just ask that you would thwart the evil plans
S2: of Iran and others to destroy your people, protect them,
S2: give them wisdom, and we pray it in your son's
S2: precious name.
S1: Amen. Thank you Charlie. And that's a look at current events. Well,
S1: should Christians support Israel? What is this conflict really all about?
S1: What if I told you it's a question about whose
S1: God is God? All of that and much more ahead
S1: in a conversation you don't want to miss on the
S1: land and the book. When Hamas attacked Israel on October
S1: the 7th, they blasted the world with a propaganda campaign. Shockingly,
S1: their publicity has largely succeeded in America, especially with Gen Z.
S1: What in the world is going on? And should Christians
S1: even bother to support Israel? What's the biblical truth from
S1: Moody Radio? This is the land and the book. I'm
S1: John Gager, continuing in our second segment here, inviting you
S1: to pause with me for a moment and think about
S1: some small ways that you and I can easily and
S1: naturally share the love of Christ with a Jewish friend
S1: or neighbor. Most evangelicals believe Judaism is the faith of
S1: the Old Testament, and Christianity is New Testament faith. Is
S1: that a correct view though? Better get that figured out
S1: as we think about sharing Jesus with our Jewish friends.
S1: Wes Tabor is with life in Messiah. Help us out here.
S3: Sure, in reality, already by Isaiah's day, the quote traditions
S3: of the elders, end quote were displacing a loving reverence
S3: for God. The Lord said to Israel through the prophet Isaiah,
S3: this people draw near with their words and honor me
S3: with their lip service, but they remove their hearts far
S3: from me, and their reverence for me consists of tradition
S3: learned by rote. Jesus quotes this in Mark seven. In
S3: Romans ten, Paul describes the ultra-Orthodox of his day as
S3: having a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge, who,
S3: not knowing about God's righteousness or seeking to establish their
S3: own through meriting God's favor.
S1: So, Wes, what then, is the role of the Old
S1: Testament in our sharing the gospel with our Jewish friends?
S3: Well, we remember that the New Testament wasn't even written
S3: when the apostles began using the scriptures to point to Messiah.
S3: Yeshua used Moses and all the prophets in Luke 24
S3: to show how he fulfilled messianic prophecy. We should be
S3: able to share our faith from the Old Testament. The
S3: Moody Handbook of Messianic Prophecy by Doctor Rolnick and Blum
S3: is a great resource.
S1: Good to connect with Wes Tabor with life in Messiah.
S1: Doctor Jeff Myers is president of Summit Ministries as an educator.
S1: Doctor Myers has become one of America's most respected authorities
S1: on youth leadership development. Focus on the family founder James
S1: Dobson referred to him as a very gifted and inspirational
S1: leader and evangelist Josh McDowell called him a man who
S1: is 100% sold out to preparing the next generation to
S1: reflect the character of Christ in the culture through his
S1: speaking engagements and media appearances. Doctor Myers has become a
S1: fresh voice, offering humor and insight from a Christian worldview.
S1: He's the author of 18 books, including Should Christians Support Israel?
S1: A book we're going to put into your hands, as
S1: you'll talk about later on. But for now, Jeff and
S1: his wife Stephanie and their family live in Colorado. We're
S1: so glad to connect with you today on the land
S1: and the book. Jeff.
S4: John, great to visit with you. Super important topic, and
S4: thank you for tackling it.
S1: Well, 103 days after the Hamas attack, you visited some
S1: of the impacted communities in Israel. You describe your visit as, quote,
S1: a stark reminder of the catastrophe that ensues when evil
S1: remains misunderstood and unchecked. But it seems to me in
S1: this conversation, we can't even get folks to agree on
S1: what evil is. Your thoughts?
S4: You're right. This is one of the trickiest issues in
S4: our country. Not because it's divided by Republicans or Democrats,
S4: but between the older generations and younger generations. Older generations
S4: generally say they support Israel. Younger generations generally say they
S4: support Hamas. It got so bad last December that 60%
S4: of Gen Zers said they thought the Hamas attacks on
S4: innocent Israeli civilians were justified. And that's what led me
S4: to 103 days after the war. Go there because I
S4: work with Gen Zers and I don't want them to
S4: be propagandized. I don't want them to be indoctrinated. But
S4: at the same time, I want to take their concerns seriously.
S4: So I felt like I needed to go there and
S4: talk to people on all sides to try to figure
S4: out what was going on, and if there is a
S4: way to see the truth in a tough situation like this. Okay, take.
S1: Me to a moment in that trip that made you
S1: want to cry. What's the story that comes to mind, Jeff?
S4: Well, this is only the second time in my life
S4: that I've been in a war zone, John. And it's
S4: the first time I've ever driven to one from a
S4: nice hotel. It literally is a 90 minute drive to
S4: the Gaza envelope from Jerusalem. And and, you know, you're
S4: getting there because the roads all of a sudden become
S4: rough because of the tanks going back and forth. And
S4: then you immediately see bomb shelters lining the roads like
S4: bus stops. And we're told if we are attacked, we
S4: have seven seconds to take cover. And I realized that
S4: the people who live there have been living with this
S4: kind of pain for decades, and then walking into their communities,
S4: meeting the survivors, seeing the bullet holes in their homes,
S4: the burned out homes, the markings where bodies were recovered,
S4: and then the video evidence that we reviewed of exactly
S4: what happened, because the Israelis were very concerned that people
S4: were just denying that this attack even took place. But
S4: I think the thing that made me cry the most
S4: probably was a video of a father driving a car.
S4: They were attacked by the terrorists. He jumped out of
S4: the car to take his little girl and run to safety.
S4: His body was kind of hunched over her to try
S4: to protect her, and he was shot, and the little
S4: girl just jumped up and ran back down the street
S4: with her hands covering her ears, trying to find her
S4: mother and I. Just the impact on children of a
S4: war really struck me, and it strikes me every time
S4: I see the reports of non-combatants being killed in Gaza
S4: as well. It does seem that in a world like ours,
S4: innocents suffer when evil prevails.
S1: Well, the bullets and bombs have been bad enough, and
S1: you painted a rather graphic picture there. But the war
S1: is also being waged with propaganda, which is proving to
S1: be just as deadly. Jeff, in a culture that almost
S1: worships science and fact checking, why do so little of
S1: either seem to apply to this conflict?
S4: Well, I want to speak specifically to why Gen Z
S4: would be so easily propagandized on this. I think as parents,
S4: we have to take a little bit of the responsibility,
S4: and it's because we tried to train our kids with
S4: a good character trait, and that is if you see
S4: a bully, stop them. Don't be a bully. We taught
S4: them how to protect the vulnerable. What we didn't know
S4: is how in the education system and through social media,
S4: That kind of messaging would be weaponized by evil forces
S4: to protect them from scrutiny. And that's what happened in
S4: this situation. This terrorist group, Hamas, literally launched a propaganda
S4: war on the same day that they launched this attack
S4: into southern Israel. And their goal was, well, several fold.
S4: One was to get the Islamic world to go along
S4: with them, to say this is the central cause of
S4: the ummah, the global community of Muslims. That hasn't happened.
S4: The second one was to win the leftist, progressive sympathizers
S4: in the United States to their side by saying, no
S4: matter what we do, no matter how evil you think
S4: it is, it is legitimate self-defense because we are standing
S4: up against a foe that has a more substantial military
S4: and greater wealth, and all of a sudden, our teaching,
S4: our kids not to be bullies was shoehorned into this
S4: oppressor versus oppressed Mindset that takes all of the complex
S4: issues of the world and simplifies them in such a
S4: way that if we, the professors, tell you that these
S4: are the oppressors, then you know what to do. Stand
S4: up against them. You can even slaughter those people and
S4: it won't be wrong. So it's a horrifying reality of
S4: where we are and what we've allowed to happen in
S4: the last several decades in our own nation.
S1: This is the land and the book. Segment two I'm
S1: John Gager, joined today by Doctor Jeff Myers, president of
S1: Summit Ministries. All right, Jeff, if the typical propagandized Gen
S1: Z really understood what happened on October 7th, they would what?
S4: John I think they would be more compassionate to Jewish people.
S4: What we're facing right now in this country is the
S4: rise of anti-Semitism, and not just on the progressive left,
S4: but now even in the conservative libertarian right. And we're
S4: seeing Jewish people attacked on their campuses. Students are having
S4: swastikas carved into their dorm rooms. Students who are receiving
S4: messages that we're going to slaughter you and slit your
S4: throat and rape you. Um, the horrifying inattention to this
S4: on the part of college administrators is shocking.
S1: Well, because America has largely dispensed any notion of God.
S1: And with that respect for the Bible, seems to me
S1: like we have lost the capacity for significant framework we
S1: can use to build intelligent dialogue. Your thoughts.
S4: John? I think in a situation where young adults are propagandized,
S4: we can turn back to Scripture, especially to the counsel
S4: that the apostle Paul gave his protege Timothy, where he said,
S4: those who oppose him, he must gently instruct and hope
S4: that God will grant them repentance, leading them to a
S4: knowledge of the truth, that they may escape the trap
S4: of the devil who has taken them captive to do
S4: his will. People who've worked with those coming out of
S4: cults say you have to remember that they are enslaved.
S4: They have lost the ability to think authentically about the
S4: key issues they're thinking with. Kind of a cult self.
S4: So what you must do is go back to what
S4: the apostle Paul said. You express caring concern. I'm concerned
S4: for our country. I'm concerned for you. I am concerned
S4: for the truth. And I would like to be able
S4: to have conversations about this, even when it's tough. And
S4: then the second thing is to bring facts to bear
S4: in the situation. A lot of people think that Gen
S4: Z is so feeling driven that they aren't open to
S4: the facts. We have found that to not be true.
S4: If you tell them the truth about what Hamas really is,
S4: then you realize they're the enemy of the Palestinian people
S4: as well as the enemy of Israel. And you can
S4: begin to develop a framework not for saying everything Israel
S4: does is right, but for recognizing that this isn't as
S4: simple of a battle as your professors trying to cram
S4: it into an oppressor versus oppressed mindset say that it is.
S1: Should Christians support Israel? That's the book that Jeff has written. And, Jeff,
S1: I understand you're making an unusual offer today. Go ahead.
S1: I'll let you have the floor.
S4: I would like to give the book to everybody who
S4: is listening. We've had a donor who's made this possible,
S4: and if you just go to summit.org/israel, you can get
S4: your copy. You can get an actual physical copy if
S4: you would like. You can get an audio book. You
S4: can get the Kindle version. Just go to summit.org/israel. And
S4: my hope in this is that you'll get a copy
S4: and give it to your pastor. Maybe you can get
S4: lots of copies to distribute to your church, to your
S4: small group, to the young adults. You know, because this
S4: book is just it's short. It's 120 pages. You can
S4: read it in two hours, but it has 200 pieces
S4: of documentation that will help you see the issue clearly,
S4: biblically and geopolitically.
S1: Well, one huge takeaway for believers, it seems to me, Jeff,
S1: is that we're watching what could be a foreshadowing of
S1: how our culture might turn against Christians. The propaganda is
S1: already out there, and at a point whether the facts
S1: agree with that propaganda or not, publicity wins the day.
S1: Your thoughts?
S4: There are reports now of persecution of Christians around the world.
S4: Persecution of Christians has grown by 10%. Just within the
S4: last year. Some 350 million Christians were persecuted last year
S4: around the world. So we cannot say that that will
S4: never happen here. But the goal in this situation is
S4: to help people come to an understanding of the truth.
S4: A lot of times Christians feel that because we might
S4: be persecuted at some point in the future, we should
S4: be afraid to talk about these issues now. And what
S4: I recommend is we just ask questions. You don't have
S4: to take a stance. You don't have to wander into
S4: the break room at work and start blasting out opinions.
S4: You can just ask questions. How do you see this?
S4: How did you arrive at that conclusion when you use
S4: this term? What do you mean? How do you know
S4: that's true? Just some basic questions like that will allow
S4: you to enter into the conversation without having to be
S4: an expert and without being a jerk.
S1: Well, let's address the question posed in your book's title
S1: Should Christians support Israel? Yes. No. Why?
S4: Well, I want people to get the book and study
S4: the issue further, but I can summarize it very quickly.
S4: I do believe that Christians should support Israel. That does
S4: not mean supporting every Israeli war action or governmental action,
S4: but it does mean recognizing that Israel has a legitimate
S4: right to exist. It has a right to defend itself,
S4: that Hamas must be destroyed in its ability to field
S4: a military and form a government. And as Christians, we
S4: should always remember that God is not done with the
S4: Jewish people, that they are part of his covenantal plan.
S4: And he is working this out in history. History is
S4: going somewhere. It is going there on purpose and this
S4: should be exciting to us, not terrifying.
S1: What about people, typically younger people who say, look, you're
S1: turning a blind eye toward the Palestinian people. After all,
S1: isn't Israel a nation of occupiers?
S4: That's one of the issues that I address very thoroughly
S4: in the book. And it's important for us as Christians
S4: to recognize the just war tradition that has been developed
S4: in Christianity and almost exclusively inside of a Christian worldview
S4: that helps us understand what it means to have a
S4: just war. What genocide actually is, what constitutes genocide, and
S4: those kinds of things. This is where Christians have a
S4: strong tradition they can draw on. We should absolutely be
S4: concerned about the Palestinian people. And for that reason, we
S4: need to stand strongly against Hamas. That's not what is
S4: happening in the rallies that you're seeing on college campuses
S4: and in the streets.
S1: Well, again, the book is called Should Christians Support Israel?
S1: You can get a copy in print. You can get
S1: an audio version or a Kindle version without charge of
S1: any kind. Nothing. Nothing attached to this? No strings. No
S1: fine print. If you go to summit.org/israel summit.org/israel. Jeff been
S1: a great conversation. We look forward to having you back.
S4: Thank you John.
S1: Okay again should Christians support Israel? This is a great
S1: read and we encourage you to visit summit.org/israel for your copy.
S1: Charlie Dyer is back in the studio. We're looking forward
S1: to connecting with him next. One of the best things
S1: about a study Bible is the footnotes, the answers that
S1: come to many of the questions that you might have.
S1: But let's face it, as good as they are, no
S1: Study Bible will answer all of your questions. Well, that's
S1: what this next segment is all about. Welcome back to
S1: the land of the book. It's segment three. I'm John Gager,
S1: our host, Doctor Charlie Dyer. As always with his Bible,
S1: that Bible is open. He's looking forward to answering your questions.
S1: But you know, fall is here. And that means that
S1: the Jewish High Holidays are right around the corner, right?
S1: These biblical feasts have been celebrated for thousands of years,
S1: but this year has added weight, added significance as Jewish
S1: people around the world mark one year since the brutal
S1: attack on Israel by Hamas terrorists. Yeah, that's.
S2: Why our friends at Life and Messiah want to help
S2: you learn more about the fall feasts, the significance they
S2: have for us as believers in Jesus, and how to
S2: stand with Jewish people during this time. They're offering a
S2: live zoom teaching session, where their knowledgeable field staff will
S2: walk you through the history and significance of the Feast
S2: of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles.
S2: You'll also hear how you can use these holidays as
S2: a point of connection with your Jewish friends and neighbors,
S2: to show and share the love of Jesus with them.
S2: Now to sign up for this free teaching, all you
S2: have to do is visit life in Messiah. Org click
S2: on the Moody Radio logo and sign up. Be sure
S2: to sign up today to. Discover the fascinating connections between
S2: these feasts and Jesus at. Life in Messiah. Org.
S1: All right, let's get right to it. We've got lots
S1: of questions to answer today. We'll start with Nancy's. She
S1: takes us to Ruth chapter four, the story of the
S1: kinsman Redemption that went on. Was there an actual monetary
S1: exchange benefiting Naomi, or, more figuratively, covering her with future
S1: provisions and protection by Boaz?
S2: I think Ruth four three suggests that there was a
S2: monetary exchange that took place. It says Naomi, who's come
S2: back from the land of Moab, has to sell the
S2: piece of land which belonged to our brother Elimelech. This
S2: suggests that she still possessed the property owned by her
S2: late husband, but was being forced to sell it to
S2: provide sufficient funds to live. The second part of the
S2: deal was to acquire Ruth as a wife. The first
S2: born son in such a union would belong to the
S2: line of Elimelech, and would ultimately inherit the land that
S2: was being purchased. A verse ten confirms this as Boaz said,
S2: I've acquired Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of Mahlon, to
S2: be my wife in order to raise up the name
S2: of the deceased on his inheritance. One final detail on
S2: it all when Obed is born to Boaz and Ruth
S2: in chapter four, it adds, Then Naomi took the child
S2: and laid him in her lap and cared for him.
S2: The women living there said, Naomi has a son. You know,
S2: it was Boaz and Ruth who were the actual parents.
S2: But the child, whose name, by the way, means servant,
S2: is here connected with Naomi. He symbolically becomes her heir.
S2: What she lost in chapter one is now restored, and
S2: it's through the unselfish compassion of both Ruth and Boaz.
S1: Bill writes, I was listening to a guy the other day,
S1: and he mentioned that the leader, Gog, is dead and
S1: the Khazar Jew is Magog. He says, I found a
S1: lot on this topic as I search mainstream media. Any
S1: links that you know that can explain this to me
S1: in general terms? Is this a valid idea? Charlie, I'm
S1: totally confused by all this.
S2: Yeah, and the fellow that he mentioned, I didn't know personally,
S2: but I assume that this individual is trying to connect
S2: modern Ashkenazi Jews and possibly the nation of Israel with
S2: the Khazars, a tribe of mixed Mongolian Turks, from the
S2: eighth to 11th centuries. And in some ways, he's connecting
S2: all this through the prophecy of Ezekiel 38 to 39.
S2: So with all that in mind here, here's my thoughts. First,
S2: Gog in Ezekiel 38 is a person. Ezekiel actually used
S2: the name of an individual who died about 75 or
S2: 80 years before his time, to paint a one word
S2: portrait of a still future leader. It would be similar
S2: to someone today describing a still future leader as another Hitler.
S2: 80 years after World War Two, we still know exactly
S2: what's meant by that one word. Well, this guy Geser
S2: Gog was a ruthless conqueror, and Ezekiel uses his name
S2: in exactly the same way. But it's also clear Ezekiel
S2: wasn't referring directly to this individual who had already died.
S2: This guy, Jesus Gog, ruled over the kingdom of Lydia,
S2: which is in today western Turkey. But in Ezekiel 38,
S2: this still future Gog is specifically said to be from
S2: the land of Magog, as well as the chief prince
S2: of Meshech and Tubal. Well, those names sound strange to us,
S2: but they were actual geographical places in Ezekiel's day. In fact,
S2: they're already mentioned in the table of nations in Genesis ten.
S2: Hundreds of years earlier, these countries were located between and
S2: just north of the Black and Caspian Seas. In Ezekiel
S2: 3815 he says, God will come from your place in
S2: the far north. Now, third, and this is probably the
S2: big part, the belief that the modern Ashkenazi Jews were
S2: really descendants of this nomadic tribe called the Khazars, and
S2: thus not really Jewish. That's a distorted teaching that's been
S2: debunked by both history and genetic studies, while apparently some
S2: in that kingdom of Khazaria did adopt Judaism, they were
S2: by no means the majority of the Jewish people who
S2: lived in Central and Eastern Europe. Recent genetic studies show
S2: clear links between the Ashkenazi Jews of Europe, the Sephardic
S2: Jews of Spain and Mediterranean region, and the Mizrachi Jews
S2: of the Middle East. Though the Jewish people were scattered,
S2: they continued to share a common genetic link. Now, I
S2: deal with this briefly, actually, in a book that's going
S2: to be coming out in just a few days, it's
S2: titled Who Owns the Land? Published by Moody Publishers. But
S2: this is one of those areas your instincts are right on.
S2: Be very careful to avoid what this fellow is trying
S2: to teach.
S1: Todd asks, why are the same sequence of names repeated
S1: in First Chronicles six, verses seven and eight, and then
S1: in verses 11 through 12?
S2: Yeah, and those names are Amariah, Ahituv, and Zadok. And
S2: the key thing to notice is that those words in
S2: 11 and 12 are not duplicate names of the same
S2: people in verses 7 to 8, but actually later descendants
S2: who were named after their ancestors. And I think I
S2: can prove that for two reasons. First, the father of
S2: Amariah in verse seven is a different father than the
S2: Amariah listed in verse 11. And second, the son of
S2: Zadok in verse eight is different than the son of
S2: Zadok in verse 12. So what I think we're seeing
S2: is a small slice of time in the priestly line,
S2: where fathers named their children after prominent ancestors. There are
S2: actually a few other instances in the Bible where similar
S2: patterns can be found. For example, during the time of
S2: King Jehoshaphat, there were two generations where the kings of
S2: Judah named their sons after the kings of Israel. Now
S2: I also see this happening in real life, when parents
S2: at times just get into a pattern of using family
S2: names for their children. You know, I'm named after my father.
S2: My middle name is the name of my father's father.
S2: My younger brother was named after an older brother of
S2: my father, and my brother's middle name is my mom's dad.
S2: So that kind of pattern just repeats in some family
S2: lines and was done in a way to honor or
S2: preserve the memory of earlier ancestors. And I suspect that's
S2: what happened to these three generations in the priestly line
S2: in first Chronicles six, until someone then came along and
S2: broke the pattern.
S1: It's the land in the book from Moody Radio with
S1: our host, Doctor Charlie Dyer. Brian asks, what about the
S1: betrayal of Jesus by Judas? Up to that point, our
S1: Lord had a public ministry of about three years. It
S1: seemed as if everybody and his brother became aware of him. Why, then,
S1: would the Roman soldiers have needed anybody to point him out?
S2: I think there's several factors that were at play. The
S2: first is the religious leaders were originally concerned about trying
S2: to arrest Jesus during the daytime. In fact, in Matthew 26,
S2: it records a meeting where they had an. And it
S2: says they plotted to arrest Jesus, but it says in
S2: some sly way and kill him, but not during the feast,
S2: they said, or there may be a riot among the people.
S2: Since then, trying to arrest Jesus at a public setting
S2: was considered too dangerous. They were looking for alternatives, and
S2: that's where Judas came to them and offered to betray Jesus.
S2: That's in Matthew 26. I think Judas planned to then
S2: let them know where Jesus and the disciples were going
S2: to celebrate Passover, so they could arrest him with just
S2: a small group there to offer resistance. But Jesus thwarted
S2: their plans by not telling the disciples in advance where
S2: they'd be celebrating Passover. In that same chapter, we see
S2: Jesus having that somewhat cryptic instruction to his disciples you
S2: know that they're to go into the city, meet a
S2: man who'd show them where to celebrate Passover. In fact,
S2: Mark adds, they didn't even know where they were going.
S2: They were only told to meet a man carrying a
S2: jar of water who would then take him to that room.
S2: So in the end, Judas didn't know the location of
S2: the Passover ahead of time, and so he couldn't report
S2: the site to the officials. And that leads to the
S2: third point. Judas did know where Jesus and the disciples
S2: would go afterward. Uh, they would go to the Mount
S2: of Olives, to the olive oil press, get Shemen or Gethsemane.
S2: They evidently spent time there before. So Judas left the
S2: Passover meal, went to report on that change in plan.
S2: And the problem now is how to arrest him. Since
S2: it was at night. It's on a hillside covered in
S2: olive trees. It would be dark and hundreds of perhaps
S2: thousands of others would be on the Mount of Olives
S2: camping out as well. So likely they said, Judas needed
S2: to be there to point out Jesus, lest he slip
S2: into the shadows among all those thousands of others and
S2: get away.
S1: Mark asks, Does Genesis four verse four tell us why
S1: Abel's offering was accepted and Cain's wasn't? Because Abel's was
S1: the firstlings his best?
S2: Well, Genesis four doesn't tell us directly why his was
S2: accepted while Cain's wasn't. But I believe there's an indirect
S2: answer in the immediate context following Adam and Eve's sin.
S2: Genesis 321 says, the Lord made garments of skin for
S2: Adam and his wife and clothed them. I think God
S2: explained to Adam and Eve that for their sin to
S2: be covered, something had to die in their place. I
S2: think this is when God established the principle of animal sacrifice.
S2: So in Genesis four, Abel approached God with such a sacrifice,
S2: while Cain provided the fruit of his own labor. In essence,
S2: he illustrated those who try to work their own way
S2: into heaven, while Abel illustrated the way to God, requiring
S2: the sacrifice of a substitute. And I think it's an
S2: early picture that pointed to the ultimate sacrifice of the
S2: Lamb of God, and that's why his sacrifice was accepted.
S1: Well, I hope you found it satisfying to get some
S1: answers to a lot of these questions, and yours is welcome.
S1: Of course, when you email us at The Land and
S1: the book@moody.edu the land and the book@moody.edu. More to come.
S1: It's Charlie Dyer's devotional next here on the land and
S1: the book. This is the land and the book from
S1: Moody Radio segment for our devotional segment. Charlie, I grew up,
S1: as you know, in a house full of brass instrument players.
S1: We've got a trombone player, I play French horn, a
S1: couple of brothers play trumpets, dad plays trumpet. And your
S1: devotional today is about trumpets.
S2: Yeah. And actually, the trumpet. Loose feast of trumpets.
S1: All right. I'm looking forward to that. Let's listen to
S1: this Holy Land experience first as we begin.
S5: I've had the privilege of being in the Holy Land
S5: for a week now, and I think the thing that
S5: has impressed me most is the extraordinary history of this country,
S5: and the diversity that exists as a result of that
S5: history is probably the most complex situation that I have
S5: ever witnessed or experienced in my now 65 plus years.
S6: Everything was wonderful about this trip. Such a treat to
S6: have a small group of people to walk the steps
S6: of Jesus, Especially at the Sea of Galilee. It was
S6: such a treat to see the distances between the spots
S6: where we read in Scripture. Jesus walked and talked and
S6: lived his life affecting people. I wanted to know how
S6: far apart things were. How big was the Sea of Galilee?
S6: How far away were the towns where he walked? Everything
S6: was just so exciting to see the places and the
S6: spots where Jesus walked and where we learned scripture. Seeing
S6: it through our tour guide, Charlie Dyer's eyes brought little
S6: phrases in the word to life.
S1: All right. We're headed for a couple of different passages
S1: in the Old Testament numbers. And then Nehemiah. Charlie, take
S1: it away.
S2: Thanks, John. Well, the college football season is in full swing.
S2: Alumni and fans by the hundreds of thousands are flocking
S2: to college campuses across the nation to watch their alma
S2: mater battle it out on the gridiron with regional rivals.
S2: But for many, game day doesn't begin at kickoff. It
S2: starts hours earlier in the stadium parking lot with tailgate
S2: parties featuring grilled hamburgers, hot dogs and brats, along with
S2: an overabundance of other food and beverages. Walking through the
S2: crowd while breathing in the aroma of all the meat
S2: sizzling on the grills, well, one sense of excitement is
S2: only matched by that mouthwatering sensation of just how good
S2: one of those burgers would taste right about now, and
S2: I wonder if that's what the people of Israel might
S2: have experienced just a little as they filled the temple
S2: courtyard on Rosh Hashanah, Israel's Feast of Trumpets that marked
S2: the beginning of their fall festivals. The crowd packed together
S2: trumpets sounding the aroma of bulls, rams and lambs being
S2: sacrificed on the temple altar. And the people weren't just
S2: gathering for an athletic event, they were there to appear
S2: before the God of the universe. The excitement must have
S2: been palpable in the Bible. This feast isn't called the
S2: Feast of Trumpets. Numbers 29 simply calls it Yom Teruah,
S2: the day of sounding or the day of blowing. According
S2: to numbers 1010 on the first day of each month
S2: during the New Moon Festival, silver trumpets were blown at
S2: the time of the daily sacrifices, but the first day
S2: of the seventh month was different in at least three ways. First,
S2: on this day, Israel was to hold a sacred assembly
S2: and do no regular work. It was set aside in
S2: a unique way. Second, God described it as a day
S2: to sound the trumpets. This has been understood as the
S2: sounding of the shofar. The ram's horn likely sounded in
S2: addition to the normal silver trumpets. And third, an additional
S2: set of offerings were to be made. God's directions were
S2: very specific as an aroma pleasing to the Lord. Prepare
S2: a burnt offering of one young bull, one ram, and
S2: seven male lambs a year old, all without defect. Include
S2: one male goat as a sin offering to make atonement
S2: for you. These are in addition to the monthly and
S2: daily burnt offerings over three times the normal daily offerings,
S2: accompanied by multiple blasts of the shofar. In addition to
S2: the sounding of the regular silver trumpets, and all the
S2: people were to refrain from their regular work, very likely
S2: those in and around Jerusalem gathered to watch all these activities. Unfortunately,
S2: Judah became very lax in performing the ceremonies prescribed by
S2: the Lord. That's one reason they went into captivity in Babylon,
S2: but now they're back in the land and the temple
S2: has been rebuilt. The walls around Jerusalem have been restored,
S2: and the seventh month has just begun. After an absence
S2: of years or more likely, decades, the people are again
S2: gathered to celebrate the Feast of Trumpets. But after such
S2: a long absence, it's something of an awkward time. Most
S2: have never participated in this celebration. In fact, most have
S2: never even heard it. God's law, written in Hebrew, is
S2: virtually unknown to a generation that has now grown up
S2: speaking only Aramaic. Let's follow the crowd into the square.
S2: Just inside the Watergate on the eastern edge of Jerusalem
S2: will stand off to the side so as not to
S2: disturb anyone. The people are seated on the ground in
S2: small groups, or standing and milling around as they wait
S2: for the event to begin. The low rumble of talking
S2: suddenly ceases as Ezra the priest walks up the stairs
S2: to a high platform at the one end of the plaza.
S2: In his hand, he's holding a vellum scroll. Someone nearby whispers,
S2: it's a copy of The Law of Moses. As Ezra
S2: unrolls the scroll and begins to speak, everyone rises to
S2: their feet. Ezra begins by praising the Lord, and the
S2: people respond with loud cries of Amen! Amen. Then they
S2: all bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces
S2: to the ground, demonstrating their humble submission to God. But
S2: what follows next at first seems confusing to us. As
S2: Ezra read aloud from the scroll, he paused to let
S2: the Levites translate and interpret what was being read into
S2: the Aramaic language spoken by the people. The entire process
S2: of reading and then translating God's Word took from daybreak
S2: until noon. And yet throughout the entire time, the people
S2: remained standing. As we watch the crowd's reaction, we sense
S2: a genuine emotional response to the words being read. They
S2: hear the description of the festivals prescribed by God, including
S2: the one to be held this very day. And yet
S2: they're not in the temple celebrating the Festival of Trumpets.
S2: They're outside the temple near the water gate. They also
S2: hear the blessings God promised for obedience and the cursings
S2: pronounced for disobedience. And they realize they're in danger of
S2: repeating the same errors as their ancestors, the very sins
S2: that destroyed the temple, the city, and the nation. Not
S2: so very long ago. Some in the crowd begin sobbing
S2: and sorrow over their own insubordination. Eventually, the entire group
S2: begins weeping uncontrollably. How could we be so wicked and evil?
S2: What have we done? The leaders sensed what was happening
S2: and quickly took action. Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the
S2: priest and scribe, and the Levites who were instructing the people,
S2: said to them all, this day is sacred to the
S2: Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep. Go and
S2: enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to
S2: those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to
S2: our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the
S2: Lord is your strength. This is when we would have
S2: expected the people to head to the temple to finally
S2: celebrate the Feast of Trumpets, as God had commanded. But
S2: that's not what happened. Nehemiah 812 records what took place next.
S2: Then all the people went away to eat and drink,
S2: to send portions of food, and to celebrate with great joy,
S2: because they now understood the words that had been made
S2: known to them. And as the plaza empties out, we're
S2: left scratching our heads. What just took place? The answer
S2: is that the people discovered an important lesson. God was
S2: more concerned about their own hearts than he was about ritual.
S2: Isaiah had made this clear hundreds of years before, when
S2: he announced God's Word to a rebellious nation in Isaiah one,
S2: the multitude of your sacrifices, what are they to me?
S2: Says the Lord, I have no pleasure in the blood
S2: of bulls and lambs and goats. When you come to
S2: appear before me. Who asked this of you, this trampling
S2: of my courts? Stop bringing meaningless offerings. As the people
S2: resumed the religious festivals, God zeroed in on three lessons
S2: he wanted them to master first. The focus was to
S2: be on God and His word, not themselves. It began
S2: with bowing down to God and then listening to His Word. Second,
S2: God wanted them to view this festival as a time
S2: of celebration rather than mourn or weep. God said, do
S2: not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.
S2: And finally, a practical result was to share with and
S2: care for others. Go and enjoy choice food and sweet
S2: drinks and send some to those who have nothing prepared.
S2: And those are good lessons for us as we think
S2: about the coming week. Take time to read God's Word
S2: and to worship him. Look for opportunities to rejoice in
S2: what God has provided, and then look for ways to
S2: share with those around you. In fact, that's not a
S2: bad way to celebrate every day of the year, even
S2: without a trumpet.
S1: And that's a great reminder. Thank you Charlie. You can
S1: hear the entire program again at our web site, The
S1: Land and the book.org. You know, a lot of listeners
S1: are well outside the range of a radio station that
S1: might carry the land and the book, but the podcast
S1: goes everywhere. So thanks for passing the word along about that.
S1: It's available at The Land and the book.org. Thanks so
S1: much for being a part of today's broadcast. Want to
S1: thank Dan Anderson, our producer, our host Charlie Dyer. I'm
S1: John Gager. The land and the book is a production
S1: of Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.