WEBVTT - Should Christians Support Israel? 0:00:08.180 --> 0:00:12.890 The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not just a geographical battle over 0:00:12.890 --> 0:00:18.020 competing land claims. It's a furious fight between worldviews involving 0:00:18.020 --> 0:00:22.400 issues of history, oppression, and the nature of truth itself. Essentially, 0:00:22.400 --> 0:00:26.150 the question is Whose God is God? Coming up, a 0:00:26.150 --> 0:00:31.520 hard hitting, no nonsense conversation about why Christians should support Israel. 0:00:31.520 --> 0:00:34.550 Welcome to the land and the book with Israel expert 0:00:34.550 --> 0:00:38.269 and Old Testament scholar Doctor Charlie Dyer. I'm John Gager, 0:00:38.270 --> 0:00:40.790 and of course, fall is here. And and that means 0:00:40.790 --> 0:00:43.910 the Jewish High Holidays are right around the corner. These 0:00:43.909 --> 0:00:47.030 biblical feasts have been celebrated for thousands of years. Think 0:00:47.030 --> 0:00:49.519 about that. But this year, of course, has added weight 0:00:49.520 --> 0:00:52.879 and significance as Jewish people around the world mark one 0:00:52.880 --> 0:00:57.200 year since that brutal attack on Israel by Hamas terrorists. Yeah, 0:00:57.200 --> 0:00:58.070 that's right John. 0:00:58.070 --> 0:01:00.020 That's why our friends though at Life and in Messiah. 0:01:00.020 --> 0:01:02.660 Want to help you learn more about the fall feasts, 0:01:02.660 --> 0:01:05.660 the significance they have for us as believers in Jesus, 0:01:05.690 --> 0:01:08.870 and how to stand with Jewish people during this time. 0:01:08.870 --> 0:01:12.649 They're offering a live zoom teaching session where they're knowledgeable. 0:01:12.650 --> 0:01:16.640 Field staff will walk you through the history and significance 0:01:16.640 --> 0:01:19.699 of the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and 0:01:19.700 --> 0:01:22.700 the Feast of Tabernacles. You'll also hear how you can 0:01:22.700 --> 0:01:25.610 use these holidays as a point of connection with your 0:01:25.610 --> 0:01:29.030 Jewish friends and neighbors, to show and share the love 0:01:29.030 --> 0:01:32.059 of Jesus with them. To sign up for this free teaching, 0:01:32.060 --> 0:01:35.300 all you need to do is visit Life in Messiah org. 0:01:35.330 --> 0:01:38.420 Click on the Moody Radio logo and sign up. Be 0:01:38.420 --> 0:01:41.840 sure to sign up today to discover the fascinating connections 0:01:41.840 --> 0:01:47.270 between these feasts and Jesus at Life in messiah.org. 0:01:47.480 --> 0:01:51.050 And here's what's happening in the Middle East. Israel's conflict 0:01:51.050 --> 0:01:54.440 with Hezbollah continues to heat up. What's been happening between 0:01:54.440 --> 0:01:57.170 the two adversaries over this last week? Well, you know. 0:01:57.200 --> 0:01:59.390 John, it's hard to keep up with everything that's been 0:01:59.390 --> 0:02:03.080 taking place. The exploding pagers we talked about last week 0:02:03.110 --> 0:02:06.920 were followed by exploding walkie talkies the next day. In all, 0:02:06.920 --> 0:02:11.510 1500 Hezbollah fighters were taken out of action by those attacks. 0:02:11.540 --> 0:02:15.410 Hezbollah then gathered the commanders of their elite, Radwan force 0:02:15.410 --> 0:02:18.320 in Beirut, to put plans in motion for an attack 0:02:18.320 --> 0:02:22.130 on northern Israel by their fighters, but Israel launched a 0:02:22.130 --> 0:02:25.880 surprise aerial attack that brought the building down on those gathered. 0:02:25.910 --> 0:02:30.200 The strike killed Ibrahim Akil, the leader, along with 15 0:02:30.200 --> 0:02:35.360 other Radwan force commanders, disrupting the planned invasion. Hezbollah and 0:02:35.360 --> 0:02:38.990 her allies responded by firing rockets, missiles and drones at 0:02:38.990 --> 0:02:43.460 northern Israel from Lebanon, Syria and Iraq. Most were intercepted 0:02:43.460 --> 0:02:47.630 or caused little damage. Then, for the first time on Wednesday, 0:02:47.660 --> 0:02:50.900 Hezbollah fired a ballistic missile toward the Tel Aviv area, 0:02:50.930 --> 0:02:56.240 targeting Mossad's headquarters. It was also intercepted. Israel declared a 0:02:56.240 --> 0:03:00.530 nationwide emergency, expecting the conflict with Hezbollah to escalate, and 0:03:00.530 --> 0:03:03.530 the head of Israel's Northern Command announced they're prepared to 0:03:03.530 --> 0:03:06.950 begin a ground operation to push Hezbollah away from the 0:03:06.950 --> 0:03:10.880 northern border. The US's response to all this has been mixed. 0:03:10.910 --> 0:03:13.310 On the one hand, we said the killing of Akeel 0:03:13.310 --> 0:03:15.950 was a good outcome and that nobody in the US 0:03:15.950 --> 0:03:18.920 sheds a tear over his death. Well, that's because he 0:03:18.919 --> 0:03:21.680 was the one responsible for the bombing of both the 0:03:21.680 --> 0:03:26.299 marine barracks and US embassy in Beirut back in 1983 0:03:26.300 --> 0:03:30.540 that killed 241 Americans. The US had offered a $7 0:03:30.540 --> 0:03:33.830 million reward for information on him, but we were never 0:03:33.860 --> 0:03:37.160 able to apprehend him. Israel took care of that. At 0:03:37.160 --> 0:03:39.830 the same time, however, we sent a message to Israel 0:03:39.830 --> 0:03:43.610 expressing our concern about the escalation in fighting and warned 0:03:43.610 --> 0:03:46.460 Israel not to get into an all out war. Israel 0:03:46.460 --> 0:03:51.440 has been careful not to target Lebanese civilians with their attacks. Instead, 0:03:51.440 --> 0:03:55.310 they're focused on Hezbollah's leadership and its arsenal of rockets. Gets. 0:03:55.340 --> 0:03:59.210 Israel is trying to demonstrate that they're serious about restoring 0:03:59.210 --> 0:04:01.970 peace in the north so their citizens can return to 0:04:02.000 --> 0:04:04.580 their homes without fear of attack. They've been out of 0:04:04.610 --> 0:04:08.030 their homes, and that's almost 80,000 people for nearly a year. 0:04:08.030 --> 0:04:11.720 But Hezbollah and her allies, prodded by Iran, don't want 0:04:11.750 --> 0:04:14.930 to appear weak. So they're also continuing to ratchet up 0:04:14.930 --> 0:04:18.590 their response. Right now, all it would take is one 0:04:18.589 --> 0:04:22.250 miscalculation on the part of either side to move from 0:04:22.250 --> 0:04:26.030 calculated attacks to all out war, and that really is 0:04:26.029 --> 0:04:27.950 a matter that we should all be praying about. 0:04:27.980 --> 0:04:29.900 You know, Charlie, it seems to me that Israel almost 0:04:29.900 --> 0:04:32.659 has no choice in this. If they're going to return 0:04:32.660 --> 0:04:35.450 their citizens in the North to their homes, don't you think? 0:04:35.480 --> 0:04:37.520 Well, absolutely. What would we do in the United States 0:04:37.520 --> 0:04:41.270 if Mexico or Canada or somewhere else had fired rockets 0:04:41.270 --> 0:04:44.540 for the last year at our nation, forcing 80,000 people 0:04:44.540 --> 0:04:47.870 from their homes to live as refugees in their own country? 0:04:47.900 --> 0:04:50.870 We wouldn't permit that. We wouldn't tolerate it. And yet, 0:04:50.870 --> 0:04:55.169 somehow we expect Israel to show restraint and and not respond. 0:04:55.290 --> 0:04:58.200 It's something that we wouldn't take, and Israel certainly can't 0:04:58.200 --> 0:05:00.750 allow themselves, or they will cease to exist as a 0:05:00.750 --> 0:05:02.010 nation at some point. 0:05:02.040 --> 0:05:05.850 Well, al Qaeda and ISIS have come and gone and 0:05:05.850 --> 0:05:08.850 are now part of the dustbin of history. Right? Or 0:05:08.850 --> 0:05:12.719 was our celebration premature? Tell us about reports that are 0:05:12.720 --> 0:05:16.169 surfacing on the revival of both groups in Afghanistan. 0:05:16.200 --> 0:05:18.900 Yeah. It does seem that the West declared victory and 0:05:18.900 --> 0:05:21.779 headed home just a little too soon. There are still 0:05:21.779 --> 0:05:25.440 reports of U.S. and other Allied forces eliminating scattered al 0:05:25.440 --> 0:05:28.500 Qaeda and ISIS leaders, which makes it sound like both 0:05:28.500 --> 0:05:31.650 groups are really down to small pockets of followers hiding 0:05:31.650 --> 0:05:35.550 out in remote places. But recent reports suggest that's not 0:05:35.550 --> 0:05:40.650 the case right now. ISIS is still active in Syria, Iran, Afghanistan, 0:05:40.650 --> 0:05:44.220 Libya and Iraq. It's not as strong or as visible 0:05:44.220 --> 0:05:47.130 or as prominent in the media as it was before, 0:05:47.130 --> 0:05:50.370 but it is still active. Earlier this year, the State 0:05:50.370 --> 0:05:54.000 Department marked the five year anniversary of the recapture of 0:05:54.000 --> 0:05:57.420 the territory controlled by ISIS. But they noted during that 0:05:57.420 --> 0:06:01.560 time that just in Syria, there are still 43,000 former 0:06:01.560 --> 0:06:05.969 ISIS supporters in a displaced persons camp, along with 9000 0:06:05.970 --> 0:06:10.590 detained ISIS fighters. And al Qaeda hasn't been vanquished either. 0:06:10.620 --> 0:06:13.980 The CIA tried to kill Osama bin Laden's son Hamza 0:06:14.010 --> 0:06:18.000 back in 2019, but he managed to survive and he, 0:06:18.000 --> 0:06:21.090 along with one of his brothers, are now back in Afghanistan, 0:06:21.120 --> 0:06:25.800 rebuilding a terrorist network with ten major training camps. There's 0:06:25.800 --> 0:06:28.890 a deep connection between al Qaeda and the Taliban, who 0:06:28.890 --> 0:06:32.580 are once again in control of Afghanistan. Other reports suggest 0:06:32.580 --> 0:06:35.970 that al Qaeda and the regional ISIS franchise there are 0:06:35.970 --> 0:06:40.290 also actively collaborating, the rebuilding of a terrorist network and 0:06:40.290 --> 0:06:43.799 preparing for future attacks against the West. In fact, up 0:06:43.800 --> 0:06:48.810 to 21 terror networks are now operating in Afghanistan, turning 0:06:48.810 --> 0:06:52.020 it into the world's biggest terror hotspot. It took the 0:06:52.020 --> 0:06:56.400 West 18 years. Untold billions of dollars and thousands of 0:06:56.400 --> 0:07:00.510 lives to remove from power the Taliban, Al Qaeda and ISIS. 0:07:00.510 --> 0:07:03.060 But in our haste to declare victory and head home, 0:07:03.060 --> 0:07:05.849 we've now allowed the three groups to revive. And if 0:07:05.850 --> 0:07:08.220 we're not careful, we could soon see a repeat of 0:07:08.220 --> 0:07:10.980 events like those that led up to nine over 11. 0:07:11.010 --> 0:07:11.640 If you're just. 0:07:11.640 --> 0:07:14.040 Joining us, you're listening to The Land and the book 0:07:14.040 --> 0:07:16.860 from Moody Radio. Our host, Doctor Charlie Dyer, is a 0:07:16.860 --> 0:07:20.520 noted Middle East scholar. He is a frequent Israel traveler, 0:07:20.520 --> 0:07:24.180 and we're unfolding stories that have been throughout the Middle 0:07:24.180 --> 0:07:27.090 East this week. Iran has been behind much of the 0:07:27.090 --> 0:07:29.610 tension in the Middle East, from Hamas to Hezbollah to 0:07:29.640 --> 0:07:33.240 the Houthis. But now Iran is apparently also expanding into 0:07:33.270 --> 0:07:36.930 Africa while continuing to build on its alliance with Russia. 0:07:36.960 --> 0:07:40.260 Now China is also into Africa. So what impact will 0:07:40.290 --> 0:07:42.270 all of this have on the larger region, Charlie? 0:07:42.300 --> 0:07:45.630 Yeah. And add to that rushes into Africa as well. 0:07:45.750 --> 0:07:48.270 Now these moves, especially the ones by Iran, have the 0:07:48.270 --> 0:07:51.600 potential of temporarily upending the balance of power in the 0:07:51.600 --> 0:07:54.900 Middle East. Iran's growing alliance with Russia has been making 0:07:54.900 --> 0:07:58.320 the news. And apparently, Iran delivered hundreds of short range 0:07:58.320 --> 0:08:01.560 missiles to Russia. What's not yet clear is if they 0:08:01.590 --> 0:08:04.920 delivered the launch platforms needed to use those missiles. That 0:08:04.920 --> 0:08:07.380 might be a case where the missiles were available while 0:08:07.380 --> 0:08:10.380 sufficient launch vehicles were still being built. It's hard to 0:08:10.380 --> 0:08:14.460 imagine Russia accepting missiles that can't be fired. But in exchange, 0:08:14.460 --> 0:08:18.060 Russia's been supplying missile defense systems and has also promised 0:08:18.060 --> 0:08:21.030 to supply top of the line fighter jets to Iran. 0:08:21.060 --> 0:08:23.370 But the part of this story that most have ignored 0:08:23.400 --> 0:08:27.180 is Iran's move into eastern Africa, with the funds received 0:08:27.180 --> 0:08:30.900 from the US several years ago. Iran began building alliances 0:08:30.900 --> 0:08:34.530 across Africa. Most concerning is the alliance they've been building 0:08:34.530 --> 0:08:38.250 with Sudan, coupled with their alliance with the Houthis. Iran 0:08:38.250 --> 0:08:41.250 is pushing to gain control along both sides of the 0:08:41.250 --> 0:08:44.730 Red sea. That could allow them to disrupt maritime shipping 0:08:44.730 --> 0:08:48.179 through the Suez Canal, which is a choke point. 15% 0:08:48.179 --> 0:08:51.300 of the global trade flows through the Suez Canal and 0:08:51.300 --> 0:08:53.070 has to go up the Red sea to get there. 0:08:53.100 --> 0:08:57.540 Iran's Revolutionary Guard has provided Sudan's military leader with drones 0:08:57.540 --> 0:09:01.320 and advanced equipment in exchange for establishing a naval base 0:09:01.320 --> 0:09:04.740 in that country. They're also making inroads into other countries 0:09:04.740 --> 0:09:08.730 like Nigeria and South Africa. Now, biblically, this move is 0:09:08.730 --> 0:09:11.429 bringing the world one step closer to the alliance described 0:09:11.429 --> 0:09:15.090 in Ezekiel 38 and 39, which describes a future attack 0:09:15.090 --> 0:09:17.610 on Israel by a foe from the north, likely Russia, 0:09:17.640 --> 0:09:22.860 accompanied by several allies, including Turkey, Iran, Sudan and Libya. Now, 0:09:22.860 --> 0:09:24.540 we don't know when that attack is going to occur, 0:09:24.540 --> 0:09:27.540 but the Bible clearly tells us what nations will be 0:09:27.540 --> 0:09:29.580 aligned in that attack and what God will do to 0:09:29.610 --> 0:09:32.220 those nations when the attack takes place. 0:09:32.250 --> 0:09:35.190 Charlie, just a quick follow up here. Why does Iran 0:09:35.190 --> 0:09:38.459 seem to have unlimited funds, unlimited resources to do what 0:09:38.460 --> 0:09:40.320 they're doing? You know, they don't. 0:09:40.410 --> 0:09:43.770 What's amazing is that they got billions of dollars from us. We, 0:09:43.770 --> 0:09:47.220 I think, foolishly released those dollars to them, which they 0:09:47.250 --> 0:09:51.660 have used to expand their terrorist infrastructure, but the reason 0:09:51.660 --> 0:09:53.670 they have the money is the people there are suffering. 0:09:53.670 --> 0:09:57.360 They have horrible inflation. The economy is in tatters in Iran. 0:09:57.360 --> 0:09:59.969 But in spite of all that, they're just diverting all 0:10:00.000 --> 0:10:03.660 their resources to what they see as their God given role, 0:10:03.660 --> 0:10:06.840 which is preparing for the Mahdi, their Messiah, and destroying 0:10:06.840 --> 0:10:09.809 the nation of Israel. And they're committed to that. That's 0:10:09.809 --> 0:10:12.660 the part the West doesn't fully understand, but that we 0:10:12.660 --> 0:10:15.810 do need to understand if we want to truly stop 0:10:15.840 --> 0:10:17.310 Iran from what they're doing. 0:10:17.340 --> 0:10:19.050 Charlie, maybe you could take a moment and lead us 0:10:19.050 --> 0:10:21.390 in a prayer for the peace of Jerusalem. 0:10:21.420 --> 0:10:23.850 Father, we do pray for your people, and we pray 0:10:23.850 --> 0:10:26.550 for Jerusalem. Lord, we know that the peace isn't going 0:10:26.550 --> 0:10:28.440 to happen till the Messiah comes. But right now, Lord, 0:10:28.440 --> 0:10:30.959 we just ask that you would thwart the evil plans 0:10:30.960 --> 0:10:34.800 of Iran and others to destroy your people, protect them, 0:10:34.800 --> 0:10:37.170 give them wisdom, and we pray it in your son's 0:10:37.170 --> 0:10:38.130 precious name. 0:10:38.130 --> 0:10:41.730 Amen. Thank you Charlie. And that's a look at current events. Well, 0:10:41.760 --> 0:10:46.170 should Christians support Israel? What is this conflict really all about? 0:10:46.200 --> 0:10:47.969 What if I told you it's a question about whose 0:10:47.970 --> 0:10:51.000 God is God? All of that and much more ahead 0:10:51.000 --> 0:10:53.190 in a conversation you don't want to miss on the 0:10:53.190 --> 0:11:10.880 land and the book. When Hamas attacked Israel on October 0:11:10.880 --> 0:11:15.720 the 7th, they blasted the world with a propaganda campaign. Shockingly, 0:11:15.720 --> 0:11:20.310 their publicity has largely succeeded in America, especially with Gen Z. 0:11:20.460 --> 0:11:23.550 What in the world is going on? And should Christians 0:11:23.550 --> 0:11:27.090 even bother to support Israel? What's the biblical truth from 0:11:27.090 --> 0:11:30.150 Moody Radio? This is the land and the book. I'm 0:11:30.150 --> 0:11:33.540 John Gager, continuing in our second segment here, inviting you 0:11:33.540 --> 0:11:35.370 to pause with me for a moment and think about 0:11:35.370 --> 0:11:38.400 some small ways that you and I can easily and 0:11:38.400 --> 0:11:41.490 naturally share the love of Christ with a Jewish friend 0:11:41.490 --> 0:11:45.720 or neighbor. Most evangelicals believe Judaism is the faith of 0:11:45.720 --> 0:11:49.350 the Old Testament, and Christianity is New Testament faith. Is 0:11:49.350 --> 0:11:51.900 that a correct view though? Better get that figured out 0:11:51.900 --> 0:11:54.810 as we think about sharing Jesus with our Jewish friends. 0:11:54.840 --> 0:11:57.510 Wes Tabor is with life in Messiah. Help us out here. 0:11:57.540 --> 0:12:01.800 Sure, in reality, already by Isaiah's day, the quote traditions 0:12:01.800 --> 0:12:05.010 of the elders, end quote were displacing a loving reverence 0:12:05.010 --> 0:12:08.130 for God. The Lord said to Israel through the prophet Isaiah, 0:12:08.160 --> 0:12:11.040 this people draw near with their words and honor me 0:12:11.070 --> 0:12:14.250 with their lip service, but they remove their hearts far 0:12:14.250 --> 0:12:16.590 from me, and their reverence for me consists of tradition 0:12:16.590 --> 0:12:19.950 learned by rote. Jesus quotes this in Mark seven. In 0:12:19.950 --> 0:12:24.210 Romans ten, Paul describes the ultra-Orthodox of his day as 0:12:24.210 --> 0:12:27.600 having a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge, who, 0:12:27.600 --> 0:12:31.290 not knowing about God's righteousness or seeking to establish their 0:12:31.290 --> 0:12:33.540 own through meriting God's favor. 0:12:33.540 --> 0:12:36.270 So, Wes, what then, is the role of the Old 0:12:36.300 --> 0:12:39.420 Testament in our sharing the gospel with our Jewish friends? 0:12:39.450 --> 0:12:42.090 Well, we remember that the New Testament wasn't even written 0:12:42.090 --> 0:12:45.360 when the apostles began using the scriptures to point to Messiah. 0:12:45.390 --> 0:12:48.750 Yeshua used Moses and all the prophets in Luke 24 0:12:48.750 --> 0:12:52.319 to show how he fulfilled messianic prophecy. We should be 0:12:52.350 --> 0:12:54.510 able to share our faith from the Old Testament. The 0:12:54.510 --> 0:12:57.929 Moody Handbook of Messianic Prophecy by Doctor Rolnick and Blum 0:12:57.929 --> 0:12:59.250 is a great resource. 0:12:59.280 --> 0:13:02.579 Good to connect with Wes Tabor with life in Messiah. 0:13:03.870 --> 0:13:08.280 Doctor Jeff Myers is president of Summit Ministries as an educator. 0:13:08.309 --> 0:13:11.730 Doctor Myers has become one of America's most respected authorities 0:13:11.730 --> 0:13:15.660 on youth leadership development. Focus on the family founder James 0:13:15.660 --> 0:13:18.809 Dobson referred to him as a very gifted and inspirational 0:13:18.809 --> 0:13:21.989 leader and evangelist Josh McDowell called him a man who 0:13:21.990 --> 0:13:25.800 is 100% sold out to preparing the next generation to 0:13:25.830 --> 0:13:29.130 reflect the character of Christ in the culture through his 0:13:29.130 --> 0:13:33.030 speaking engagements and media appearances. Doctor Myers has become a 0:13:33.030 --> 0:13:37.319 fresh voice, offering humor and insight from a Christian worldview. 0:13:37.350 --> 0:13:41.730 He's the author of 18 books, including Should Christians Support Israel? 0:13:41.760 --> 0:13:43.650 A book we're going to put into your hands, as 0:13:43.650 --> 0:13:46.080 you'll talk about later on. But for now, Jeff and 0:13:46.080 --> 0:13:49.050 his wife Stephanie and their family live in Colorado. We're 0:13:49.050 --> 0:13:50.670 so glad to connect with you today on the land 0:13:50.670 --> 0:13:51.660 and the book. Jeff. 0:13:51.690 --> 0:13:55.199 John, great to visit with you. Super important topic, and 0:13:55.200 --> 0:13:56.610 thank you for tackling it. 0:13:56.640 --> 0:14:00.929 Well, 103 days after the Hamas attack, you visited some 0:14:00.929 --> 0:14:05.070 of the impacted communities in Israel. You describe your visit as, quote, 0:14:05.070 --> 0:14:09.150 a stark reminder of the catastrophe that ensues when evil 0:14:09.150 --> 0:14:13.200 remains misunderstood and unchecked. But it seems to me in 0:14:13.200 --> 0:14:15.540 this conversation, we can't even get folks to agree on 0:14:15.540 --> 0:14:17.910 what evil is. Your thoughts? 0:14:17.940 --> 0:14:21.450 You're right. This is one of the trickiest issues in 0:14:21.450 --> 0:14:24.930 our country. Not because it's divided by Republicans or Democrats, 0:14:24.930 --> 0:14:29.220 but between the older generations and younger generations. Older generations 0:14:29.220 --> 0:14:33.960 generally say they support Israel. Younger generations generally say they 0:14:33.960 --> 0:14:38.040 support Hamas. It got so bad last December that 60% 0:14:38.040 --> 0:14:41.610 of Gen Zers said they thought the Hamas attacks on 0:14:41.650 --> 0:14:46.030 innocent Israeli civilians were justified. And that's what led me 0:14:46.030 --> 0:14:49.600 to 103 days after the war. Go there because I 0:14:49.600 --> 0:14:51.970 work with Gen Zers and I don't want them to 0:14:52.000 --> 0:14:54.850 be propagandized. I don't want them to be indoctrinated. But 0:14:54.850 --> 0:14:57.820 at the same time, I want to take their concerns seriously. 0:14:57.820 --> 0:14:59.950 So I felt like I needed to go there and 0:14:59.950 --> 0:15:02.200 talk to people on all sides to try to figure 0:15:02.200 --> 0:15:03.880 out what was going on, and if there is a 0:15:03.880 --> 0:15:07.300 way to see the truth in a tough situation like this. Okay, take. 0:15:07.300 --> 0:15:09.640 Me to a moment in that trip that made you 0:15:09.640 --> 0:15:12.580 want to cry. What's the story that comes to mind, Jeff? 0:15:13.030 --> 0:15:15.520 Well, this is only the second time in my life 0:15:15.520 --> 0:15:18.340 that I've been in a war zone, John. And it's 0:15:18.340 --> 0:15:21.190 the first time I've ever driven to one from a 0:15:21.190 --> 0:15:24.640 nice hotel. It literally is a 90 minute drive to 0:15:24.670 --> 0:15:28.120 the Gaza envelope from Jerusalem. And and, you know, you're 0:15:28.120 --> 0:15:30.280 getting there because the roads all of a sudden become 0:15:30.280 --> 0:15:32.920 rough because of the tanks going back and forth. And 0:15:32.920 --> 0:15:37.480 then you immediately see bomb shelters lining the roads like 0:15:37.480 --> 0:15:41.470 bus stops. And we're told if we are attacked, we 0:15:41.470 --> 0:15:45.220 have seven seconds to take cover. And I realized that 0:15:45.220 --> 0:15:48.340 the people who live there have been living with this 0:15:48.340 --> 0:15:53.440 kind of pain for decades, and then walking into their communities, 0:15:53.440 --> 0:15:57.040 meeting the survivors, seeing the bullet holes in their homes, 0:15:57.040 --> 0:16:00.550 the burned out homes, the markings where bodies were recovered, 0:16:00.550 --> 0:16:03.850 and then the video evidence that we reviewed of exactly 0:16:03.850 --> 0:16:07.450 what happened, because the Israelis were very concerned that people 0:16:07.450 --> 0:16:10.720 were just denying that this attack even took place. But 0:16:10.720 --> 0:16:12.760 I think the thing that made me cry the most 0:16:12.760 --> 0:16:16.030 probably was a video of a father driving a car. 0:16:16.030 --> 0:16:18.250 They were attacked by the terrorists. He jumped out of 0:16:18.250 --> 0:16:21.160 the car to take his little girl and run to safety. 0:16:21.190 --> 0:16:24.340 His body was kind of hunched over her to try 0:16:24.370 --> 0:16:27.520 to protect her, and he was shot, and the little 0:16:27.520 --> 0:16:30.040 girl just jumped up and ran back down the street 0:16:30.040 --> 0:16:33.160 with her hands covering her ears, trying to find her 0:16:33.160 --> 0:16:37.450 mother and I. Just the impact on children of a 0:16:37.450 --> 0:16:41.110 war really struck me, and it strikes me every time 0:16:41.110 --> 0:16:45.340 I see the reports of non-combatants being killed in Gaza 0:16:45.370 --> 0:16:48.910 as well. It does seem that in a world like ours, 0:16:48.910 --> 0:16:52.780 innocents suffer when evil prevails. 0:16:52.810 --> 0:16:55.450 Well, the bullets and bombs have been bad enough, and 0:16:55.450 --> 0:16:57.910 you painted a rather graphic picture there. But the war 0:16:57.910 --> 0:17:01.240 is also being waged with propaganda, which is proving to 0:17:01.240 --> 0:17:04.420 be just as deadly. Jeff, in a culture that almost 0:17:04.420 --> 0:17:08.139 worships science and fact checking, why do so little of 0:17:08.140 --> 0:17:10.300 either seem to apply to this conflict? 0:17:10.840 --> 0:17:14.410 Well, I want to speak specifically to why Gen Z 0:17:14.440 --> 0:17:18.580 would be so easily propagandized on this. I think as parents, 0:17:18.580 --> 0:17:21.700 we have to take a little bit of the responsibility, 0:17:21.700 --> 0:17:24.340 and it's because we tried to train our kids with 0:17:24.340 --> 0:17:26.830 a good character trait, and that is if you see 0:17:26.830 --> 0:17:30.610 a bully, stop them. Don't be a bully. We taught 0:17:30.609 --> 0:17:34.330 them how to protect the vulnerable. What we didn't know 0:17:34.330 --> 0:17:37.390 is how in the education system and through social media, 0:17:37.390 --> 0:17:41.440 That kind of messaging would be weaponized by evil forces 0:17:41.440 --> 0:17:45.970 to protect them from scrutiny. And that's what happened in 0:17:45.970 --> 0:17:51.220 this situation. This terrorist group, Hamas, literally launched a propaganda 0:17:51.250 --> 0:17:54.880 war on the same day that they launched this attack 0:17:54.880 --> 0:17:58.960 into southern Israel. And their goal was, well, several fold. 0:17:58.960 --> 0:18:02.110 One was to get the Islamic world to go along 0:18:02.109 --> 0:18:05.260 with them, to say this is the central cause of 0:18:05.260 --> 0:18:09.010 the ummah, the global community of Muslims. That hasn't happened. 0:18:09.040 --> 0:18:13.570 The second one was to win the leftist, progressive sympathizers 0:18:13.570 --> 0:18:16.810 in the United States to their side by saying, no 0:18:16.810 --> 0:18:19.840 matter what we do, no matter how evil you think 0:18:19.840 --> 0:18:23.109 it is, it is legitimate self-defense because we are standing 0:18:23.109 --> 0:18:26.770 up against a foe that has a more substantial military 0:18:26.770 --> 0:18:30.040 and greater wealth, and all of a sudden, our teaching, 0:18:30.040 --> 0:18:33.820 our kids not to be bullies was shoehorned into this 0:18:33.820 --> 0:18:38.350 oppressor versus oppressed Mindset that takes all of the complex 0:18:38.350 --> 0:18:41.230 issues of the world and simplifies them in such a 0:18:41.230 --> 0:18:44.560 way that if we, the professors, tell you that these 0:18:44.560 --> 0:18:47.649 are the oppressors, then you know what to do. Stand 0:18:47.650 --> 0:18:50.199 up against them. You can even slaughter those people and 0:18:50.200 --> 0:18:54.550 it won't be wrong. So it's a horrifying reality of 0:18:54.550 --> 0:18:56.800 where we are and what we've allowed to happen in 0:18:56.800 --> 0:18:59.320 the last several decades in our own nation. 0:18:59.350 --> 0:19:01.840 This is the land and the book. Segment two I'm 0:19:01.840 --> 0:19:05.770 John Gager, joined today by Doctor Jeff Myers, president of 0:19:05.770 --> 0:19:10.419 Summit Ministries. All right, Jeff, if the typical propagandized Gen 0:19:10.420 --> 0:19:15.070 Z really understood what happened on October 7th, they would what? 0:19:15.670 --> 0:19:19.120 John I think they would be more compassionate to Jewish people. 0:19:19.119 --> 0:19:22.450 What we're facing right now in this country is the 0:19:22.450 --> 0:19:26.380 rise of anti-Semitism, and not just on the progressive left, 0:19:26.380 --> 0:19:30.700 but now even in the conservative libertarian right. And we're 0:19:30.700 --> 0:19:34.540 seeing Jewish people attacked on their campuses. Students are having 0:19:34.540 --> 0:19:38.200 swastikas carved into their dorm rooms. Students who are receiving 0:19:38.200 --> 0:19:40.720 messages that we're going to slaughter you and slit your 0:19:40.720 --> 0:19:45.610 throat and rape you. Um, the horrifying inattention to this 0:19:45.609 --> 0:19:48.970 on the part of college administrators is shocking. 0:19:49.030 --> 0:19:52.600 Well, because America has largely dispensed any notion of God. 0:19:52.600 --> 0:19:55.270 And with that respect for the Bible, seems to me 0:19:55.270 --> 0:19:58.449 like we have lost the capacity for significant framework we 0:19:58.450 --> 0:20:02.109 can use to build intelligent dialogue. Your thoughts. 0:20:02.590 --> 0:20:06.520 John? I think in a situation where young adults are propagandized, 0:20:06.520 --> 0:20:10.390 we can turn back to Scripture, especially to the counsel 0:20:10.390 --> 0:20:14.619 that the apostle Paul gave his protege Timothy, where he said, 0:20:14.619 --> 0:20:18.010 those who oppose him, he must gently instruct and hope 0:20:18.010 --> 0:20:20.350 that God will grant them repentance, leading them to a 0:20:20.350 --> 0:20:23.139 knowledge of the truth, that they may escape the trap 0:20:23.140 --> 0:20:25.150 of the devil who has taken them captive to do 0:20:25.180 --> 0:20:28.540 his will. People who've worked with those coming out of 0:20:28.570 --> 0:20:32.409 cults say you have to remember that they are enslaved. 0:20:32.440 --> 0:20:37.570 They have lost the ability to think authentically about the 0:20:37.570 --> 0:20:40.930 key issues they're thinking with. Kind of a cult self. 0:20:40.930 --> 0:20:43.930 So what you must do is go back to what 0:20:43.930 --> 0:20:47.980 the apostle Paul said. You express caring concern. I'm concerned 0:20:47.980 --> 0:20:51.310 for our country. I'm concerned for you. I am concerned 0:20:51.310 --> 0:20:53.740 for the truth. And I would like to be able 0:20:53.740 --> 0:20:56.800 to have conversations about this, even when it's tough. And 0:20:56.800 --> 0:20:58.990 then the second thing is to bring facts to bear 0:20:58.990 --> 0:21:01.629 in the situation. A lot of people think that Gen 0:21:01.630 --> 0:21:04.600 Z is so feeling driven that they aren't open to 0:21:04.630 --> 0:21:07.240 the facts. We have found that to not be true. 0:21:07.240 --> 0:21:10.870 If you tell them the truth about what Hamas really is, 0:21:10.869 --> 0:21:14.109 then you realize they're the enemy of the Palestinian people 0:21:14.109 --> 0:21:16.479 as well as the enemy of Israel. And you can 0:21:16.510 --> 0:21:20.440 begin to develop a framework not for saying everything Israel 0:21:20.440 --> 0:21:24.520 does is right, but for recognizing that this isn't as 0:21:24.520 --> 0:21:27.940 simple of a battle as your professors trying to cram 0:21:27.940 --> 0:21:31.719 it into an oppressor versus oppressed mindset say that it is. 0:21:31.750 --> 0:21:36.070 Should Christians support Israel? That's the book that Jeff has written. And, Jeff, 0:21:36.070 --> 0:21:38.410 I understand you're making an unusual offer today. Go ahead. 0:21:38.410 --> 0:21:39.490 I'll let you have the floor. 0:21:39.700 --> 0:21:42.220 I would like to give the book to everybody who 0:21:42.220 --> 0:21:45.399 is listening. We've had a donor who's made this possible, 0:21:45.400 --> 0:21:49.960 and if you just go to summit.org/israel, you can get 0:21:49.960 --> 0:21:52.960 your copy. You can get an actual physical copy if 0:21:52.960 --> 0:21:54.939 you would like. You can get an audio book. You 0:21:54.940 --> 0:21:59.920 can get the Kindle version. Just go to summit.org/israel. And 0:21:59.920 --> 0:22:02.139 my hope in this is that you'll get a copy 0:22:02.140 --> 0:22:04.870 and give it to your pastor. Maybe you can get 0:22:04.869 --> 0:22:07.960 lots of copies to distribute to your church, to your 0:22:07.960 --> 0:22:11.680 small group, to the young adults. You know, because this 0:22:11.680 --> 0:22:14.740 book is just it's short. It's 120 pages. You can 0:22:14.740 --> 0:22:17.200 read it in two hours, but it has 200 pieces 0:22:17.200 --> 0:22:20.800 of documentation that will help you see the issue clearly, 0:22:20.800 --> 0:22:23.350 biblically and geopolitically. 0:22:23.380 --> 0:22:26.109 Well, one huge takeaway for believers, it seems to me, Jeff, 0:22:26.109 --> 0:22:30.129 is that we're watching what could be a foreshadowing of 0:22:30.130 --> 0:22:33.520 how our culture might turn against Christians. The propaganda is 0:22:33.520 --> 0:22:35.949 already out there, and at a point whether the facts 0:22:35.950 --> 0:22:38.950 agree with that propaganda or not, publicity wins the day. 0:22:38.980 --> 0:22:39.820 Your thoughts? 0:22:40.150 --> 0:22:43.929 There are reports now of persecution of Christians around the world. 0:22:43.930 --> 0:22:47.050 Persecution of Christians has grown by 10%. Just within the 0:22:47.050 --> 0:22:52.030 last year. Some 350 million Christians were persecuted last year 0:22:52.030 --> 0:22:55.210 around the world. So we cannot say that that will 0:22:55.210 --> 0:22:58.750 never happen here. But the goal in this situation is 0:22:58.750 --> 0:23:01.570 to help people come to an understanding of the truth. 0:23:01.600 --> 0:23:05.110 A lot of times Christians feel that because we might 0:23:05.109 --> 0:23:07.630 be persecuted at some point in the future, we should 0:23:07.630 --> 0:23:10.630 be afraid to talk about these issues now. And what 0:23:10.630 --> 0:23:13.570 I recommend is we just ask questions. You don't have 0:23:13.570 --> 0:23:16.090 to take a stance. You don't have to wander into 0:23:16.090 --> 0:23:18.610 the break room at work and start blasting out opinions. 0:23:18.609 --> 0:23:21.280 You can just ask questions. How do you see this? 0:23:21.280 --> 0:23:23.650 How did you arrive at that conclusion when you use 0:23:23.650 --> 0:23:26.170 this term? What do you mean? How do you know 0:23:26.170 --> 0:23:29.980 that's true? Just some basic questions like that will allow 0:23:29.990 --> 0:23:32.930 you to enter into the conversation without having to be 0:23:32.930 --> 0:23:35.570 an expert and without being a jerk. 0:23:35.750 --> 0:23:38.510 Well, let's address the question posed in your book's title 0:23:38.540 --> 0:23:42.350 Should Christians support Israel? Yes. No. Why? 0:23:43.190 --> 0:23:45.889 Well, I want people to get the book and study 0:23:45.890 --> 0:23:48.830 the issue further, but I can summarize it very quickly. 0:23:48.830 --> 0:23:51.710 I do believe that Christians should support Israel. That does 0:23:51.710 --> 0:23:56.450 not mean supporting every Israeli war action or governmental action, 0:23:56.450 --> 0:23:59.720 but it does mean recognizing that Israel has a legitimate 0:23:59.720 --> 0:24:02.960 right to exist. It has a right to defend itself, 0:24:02.960 --> 0:24:06.680 that Hamas must be destroyed in its ability to field 0:24:06.680 --> 0:24:11.060 a military and form a government. And as Christians, we 0:24:11.060 --> 0:24:13.970 should always remember that God is not done with the 0:24:13.970 --> 0:24:18.080 Jewish people, that they are part of his covenantal plan. 0:24:18.080 --> 0:24:20.600 And he is working this out in history. History is 0:24:20.630 --> 0:24:23.630 going somewhere. It is going there on purpose and this 0:24:23.630 --> 0:24:26.120 should be exciting to us, not terrifying. 0:24:26.150 --> 0:24:29.100 What about people, typically younger people who say, look, you're 0:24:29.100 --> 0:24:32.520 turning a blind eye toward the Palestinian people. After all, 0:24:32.520 --> 0:24:35.130 isn't Israel a nation of occupiers? 0:24:35.340 --> 0:24:38.190 That's one of the issues that I address very thoroughly 0:24:38.190 --> 0:24:41.460 in the book. And it's important for us as Christians 0:24:41.460 --> 0:24:45.810 to recognize the just war tradition that has been developed 0:24:45.810 --> 0:24:50.790 in Christianity and almost exclusively inside of a Christian worldview 0:24:50.820 --> 0:24:54.359 that helps us understand what it means to have a 0:24:54.390 --> 0:24:59.310 just war. What genocide actually is, what constitutes genocide, and 0:24:59.310 --> 0:25:02.879 those kinds of things. This is where Christians have a 0:25:02.880 --> 0:25:06.660 strong tradition they can draw on. We should absolutely be 0:25:06.660 --> 0:25:10.950 concerned about the Palestinian people. And for that reason, we 0:25:10.950 --> 0:25:14.310 need to stand strongly against Hamas. That's not what is 0:25:14.310 --> 0:25:17.520 happening in the rallies that you're seeing on college campuses 0:25:17.520 --> 0:25:18.510 and in the streets. 0:25:18.810 --> 0:25:22.409 Well, again, the book is called Should Christians Support Israel? 0:25:22.440 --> 0:25:24.780 You can get a copy in print. You can get 0:25:24.780 --> 0:25:28.250 an audio version or a Kindle version without charge of 0:25:28.250 --> 0:25:31.790 any kind. Nothing. Nothing attached to this? No strings. No 0:25:31.790 --> 0:25:40.160 fine print. If you go to summit.org/israel summit.org/israel. Jeff been 0:25:40.160 --> 0:25:42.410 a great conversation. We look forward to having you back. 0:25:42.410 --> 0:25:43.460 Thank you John. 0:25:43.490 --> 0:25:46.640 Okay again should Christians support Israel? This is a great 0:25:46.670 --> 0:25:52.010 read and we encourage you to visit summit.org/israel for your copy. 0:25:52.040 --> 0:25:54.170 Charlie Dyer is back in the studio. We're looking forward 0:25:54.170 --> 0:26:07.670 to connecting with him next. One of the best things 0:26:07.670 --> 0:26:11.060 about a study Bible is the footnotes, the answers that 0:26:11.060 --> 0:26:12.980 come to many of the questions that you might have. 0:26:13.010 --> 0:26:15.619 But let's face it, as good as they are, no 0:26:15.619 --> 0:26:19.460 Study Bible will answer all of your questions. Well, that's 0:26:19.460 --> 0:26:22.280 what this next segment is all about. Welcome back to 0:26:22.310 --> 0:26:25.340 the land of the book. It's segment three. I'm John Gager, 0:26:25.369 --> 0:26:28.400 our host, Doctor Charlie Dyer. As always with his Bible, 0:26:28.400 --> 0:26:31.880 that Bible is open. He's looking forward to answering your questions. 0:26:31.880 --> 0:26:34.459 But you know, fall is here. And that means that 0:26:34.460 --> 0:26:38.300 the Jewish High Holidays are right around the corner, right? 0:26:38.359 --> 0:26:41.750 These biblical feasts have been celebrated for thousands of years, 0:26:41.750 --> 0:26:45.619 but this year has added weight, added significance as Jewish 0:26:45.619 --> 0:26:48.980 people around the world mark one year since the brutal 0:26:48.980 --> 0:26:51.860 attack on Israel by Hamas terrorists. Yeah, that's. 0:26:51.859 --> 0:26:54.020 Why our friends at Life and Messiah want to help 0:26:54.020 --> 0:26:57.109 you learn more about the fall feasts, the significance they 0:26:57.109 --> 0:26:59.780 have for us as believers in Jesus, and how to 0:26:59.810 --> 0:27:03.110 stand with Jewish people during this time. They're offering a 0:27:03.109 --> 0:27:07.040 live zoom teaching session, where their knowledgeable field staff will 0:27:07.040 --> 0:27:10.609 walk you through the history and significance of the Feast 0:27:10.609 --> 0:27:14.330 of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles. 0:27:14.330 --> 0:27:17.179 You'll also hear how you can use these holidays as 0:27:17.180 --> 0:27:20.180 a point of connection with your Jewish friends and neighbors, 0:27:20.180 --> 0:27:23.210 to show and share the love of Jesus with them. 0:27:23.240 --> 0:27:25.729 Now to sign up for this free teaching, all you 0:27:25.730 --> 0:27:29.180 have to do is visit life in Messiah. Org click 0:27:29.180 --> 0:27:32.210 on the Moody Radio logo and sign up. Be sure 0:27:32.210 --> 0:27:35.810 to sign up today to. Discover the fascinating connections between 0:27:35.810 --> 0:27:40.400 these feasts and Jesus at. Life in Messiah. Org. 0:27:40.580 --> 0:27:42.710 All right, let's get right to it. We've got lots 0:27:42.710 --> 0:27:45.980 of questions to answer today. We'll start with Nancy's. She 0:27:45.980 --> 0:27:48.980 takes us to Ruth chapter four, the story of the 0:27:48.980 --> 0:27:53.210 kinsman Redemption that went on. Was there an actual monetary 0:27:53.210 --> 0:27:58.700 exchange benefiting Naomi, or, more figuratively, covering her with future 0:27:58.700 --> 0:28:01.160 provisions and protection by Boaz? 0:28:01.430 --> 0:28:04.010 I think Ruth four three suggests that there was a 0:28:04.010 --> 0:28:07.370 monetary exchange that took place. It says Naomi, who's come 0:28:07.369 --> 0:28:09.739 back from the land of Moab, has to sell the 0:28:09.740 --> 0:28:12.980 piece of land which belonged to our brother Elimelech. This 0:28:12.980 --> 0:28:15.979 suggests that she still possessed the property owned by her 0:28:15.980 --> 0:28:18.200 late husband, but was being forced to sell it to 0:28:18.230 --> 0:28:21.500 provide sufficient funds to live. The second part of the 0:28:21.500 --> 0:28:24.470 deal was to acquire Ruth as a wife. The first 0:28:24.470 --> 0:28:26.990 born son in such a union would belong to the 0:28:26.990 --> 0:28:30.290 line of Elimelech, and would ultimately inherit the land that 0:28:30.290 --> 0:28:34.220 was being purchased. A verse ten confirms this as Boaz said, 0:28:34.250 --> 0:28:37.369 I've acquired Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of Mahlon, to 0:28:37.400 --> 0:28:39.620 be my wife in order to raise up the name 0:28:39.620 --> 0:28:43.340 of the deceased on his inheritance. One final detail on 0:28:43.340 --> 0:28:45.920 it all when Obed is born to Boaz and Ruth 0:28:45.920 --> 0:28:49.370 in chapter four, it adds, Then Naomi took the child 0:28:49.370 --> 0:28:51.620 and laid him in her lap and cared for him. 0:28:51.620 --> 0:28:54.320 The women living there said, Naomi has a son. You know, 0:28:54.350 --> 0:28:56.990 it was Boaz and Ruth who were the actual parents. 0:28:56.990 --> 0:28:59.840 But the child, whose name, by the way, means servant, 0:28:59.840 --> 0:29:04.040 is here connected with Naomi. He symbolically becomes her heir. 0:29:04.070 --> 0:29:07.370 What she lost in chapter one is now restored, and 0:29:07.370 --> 0:29:11.240 it's through the unselfish compassion of both Ruth and Boaz. 0:29:11.270 --> 0:29:13.940 Bill writes, I was listening to a guy the other day, 0:29:13.940 --> 0:29:17.360 and he mentioned that the leader, Gog, is dead and 0:29:17.360 --> 0:29:20.570 the Khazar Jew is Magog. He says, I found a 0:29:20.570 --> 0:29:23.690 lot on this topic as I search mainstream media. Any 0:29:23.690 --> 0:29:25.850 links that you know that can explain this to me 0:29:25.850 --> 0:29:29.090 in general terms? Is this a valid idea? Charlie, I'm 0:29:29.090 --> 0:29:30.530 totally confused by all this. 0:29:30.560 --> 0:29:33.260 Yeah, and the fellow that he mentioned, I didn't know personally, 0:29:33.260 --> 0:29:35.510 but I assume that this individual is trying to connect 0:29:35.510 --> 0:29:39.500 modern Ashkenazi Jews and possibly the nation of Israel with 0:29:39.500 --> 0:29:43.460 the Khazars, a tribe of mixed Mongolian Turks, from the 0:29:43.460 --> 0:29:46.670 eighth to 11th centuries. And in some ways, he's connecting 0:29:46.670 --> 0:29:49.640 all this through the prophecy of Ezekiel 38 to 39. 0:29:49.640 --> 0:29:52.370 So with all that in mind here, here's my thoughts. First, 0:29:52.400 --> 0:29:56.360 Gog in Ezekiel 38 is a person. Ezekiel actually used 0:29:56.360 --> 0:29:58.980 the name of an individual who died about 75 or 0:29:58.980 --> 0:30:02.240 80 years before his time, to paint a one word 0:30:02.240 --> 0:30:05.150 portrait of a still future leader. It would be similar 0:30:05.150 --> 0:30:09.260 to someone today describing a still future leader as another Hitler. 0:30:09.290 --> 0:30:12.470 80 years after World War Two, we still know exactly 0:30:12.470 --> 0:30:15.320 what's meant by that one word. Well, this guy Geser 0:30:15.350 --> 0:30:19.430 Gog was a ruthless conqueror, and Ezekiel uses his name 0:30:19.430 --> 0:30:23.090 in exactly the same way. But it's also clear Ezekiel 0:30:23.090 --> 0:30:26.480 wasn't referring directly to this individual who had already died. 0:30:26.750 --> 0:30:29.870 This guy, Jesus Gog, ruled over the kingdom of Lydia, 0:30:29.870 --> 0:30:33.470 which is in today western Turkey. But in Ezekiel 38, 0:30:33.500 --> 0:30:36.740 this still future Gog is specifically said to be from 0:30:36.740 --> 0:30:39.140 the land of Magog, as well as the chief prince 0:30:39.140 --> 0:30:42.470 of Meshech and Tubal. Well, those names sound strange to us, 0:30:42.470 --> 0:30:46.820 but they were actual geographical places in Ezekiel's day. In fact, 0:30:46.820 --> 0:30:50.150 they're already mentioned in the table of nations in Genesis ten. 0:30:50.180 --> 0:30:54.080 Hundreds of years earlier, these countries were located between and 0:30:54.080 --> 0:30:57.800 just north of the Black and Caspian Seas. In Ezekiel 0:30:57.830 --> 0:31:01.670 3815 he says, God will come from your place in 0:31:01.670 --> 0:31:04.550 the far north. Now, third, and this is probably the 0:31:04.550 --> 0:31:08.030 big part, the belief that the modern Ashkenazi Jews were 0:31:08.030 --> 0:31:11.630 really descendants of this nomadic tribe called the Khazars, and 0:31:11.630 --> 0:31:15.590 thus not really Jewish. That's a distorted teaching that's been 0:31:15.590 --> 0:31:20.270 debunked by both history and genetic studies, while apparently some 0:31:20.270 --> 0:31:23.510 in that kingdom of Khazaria did adopt Judaism, they were 0:31:23.510 --> 0:31:26.239 by no means the majority of the Jewish people who 0:31:26.240 --> 0:31:29.840 lived in Central and Eastern Europe. Recent genetic studies show 0:31:29.840 --> 0:31:33.680 clear links between the Ashkenazi Jews of Europe, the Sephardic 0:31:33.680 --> 0:31:37.640 Jews of Spain and Mediterranean region, and the Mizrachi Jews 0:31:37.640 --> 0:31:40.550 of the Middle East. Though the Jewish people were scattered, 0:31:40.550 --> 0:31:43.790 they continued to share a common genetic link. Now, I 0:31:43.790 --> 0:31:45.560 deal with this briefly, actually, in a book that's going 0:31:45.590 --> 0:31:47.510 to be coming out in just a few days, it's 0:31:47.510 --> 0:31:50.900 titled Who Owns the Land? Published by Moody Publishers. But 0:31:50.900 --> 0:31:53.960 this is one of those areas your instincts are right on. 0:31:54.050 --> 0:31:56.420 Be very careful to avoid what this fellow is trying 0:31:56.420 --> 0:31:57.080 to teach. 0:31:57.110 --> 0:32:01.550 Todd asks, why are the same sequence of names repeated 0:32:01.550 --> 0:32:04.850 in First Chronicles six, verses seven and eight, and then 0:32:04.850 --> 0:32:06.620 in verses 11 through 12? 0:32:06.650 --> 0:32:11.719 Yeah, and those names are Amariah, Ahituv, and Zadok. And 0:32:11.720 --> 0:32:13.910 the key thing to notice is that those words in 0:32:13.910 --> 0:32:16.820 11 and 12 are not duplicate names of the same 0:32:16.820 --> 0:32:20.270 people in verses 7 to 8, but actually later descendants 0:32:20.270 --> 0:32:22.940 who were named after their ancestors. And I think I 0:32:22.940 --> 0:32:25.610 can prove that for two reasons. First, the father of 0:32:25.610 --> 0:32:28.820 Amariah in verse seven is a different father than the 0:32:28.820 --> 0:32:32.180 Amariah listed in verse 11. And second, the son of 0:32:32.180 --> 0:32:34.820 Zadok in verse eight is different than the son of 0:32:34.850 --> 0:32:37.160 Zadok in verse 12. So what I think we're seeing 0:32:37.160 --> 0:32:39.800 is a small slice of time in the priestly line, 0:32:39.800 --> 0:32:43.940 where fathers named their children after prominent ancestors. There are 0:32:43.940 --> 0:32:46.760 actually a few other instances in the Bible where similar 0:32:46.760 --> 0:32:49.430 patterns can be found. For example, during the time of 0:32:49.430 --> 0:32:52.610 King Jehoshaphat, there were two generations where the kings of 0:32:52.610 --> 0:32:55.910 Judah named their sons after the kings of Israel. Now 0:32:55.910 --> 0:32:58.310 I also see this happening in real life, when parents 0:32:58.310 --> 0:33:00.800 at times just get into a pattern of using family 0:33:00.800 --> 0:33:03.830 names for their children. You know, I'm named after my father. 0:33:03.830 --> 0:33:06.560 My middle name is the name of my father's father. 0:33:06.560 --> 0:33:09.260 My younger brother was named after an older brother of 0:33:09.260 --> 0:33:12.860 my father, and my brother's middle name is my mom's dad. 0:33:12.860 --> 0:33:15.620 So that kind of pattern just repeats in some family 0:33:15.620 --> 0:33:18.720 lines and was done in a way to honor or 0:33:18.720 --> 0:33:22.260 preserve the memory of earlier ancestors. And I suspect that's 0:33:22.260 --> 0:33:25.620 what happened to these three generations in the priestly line 0:33:25.620 --> 0:33:28.440 in first Chronicles six, until someone then came along and 0:33:28.440 --> 0:33:29.580 broke the pattern. 0:33:29.580 --> 0:33:31.980 It's the land in the book from Moody Radio with 0:33:31.980 --> 0:33:35.430 our host, Doctor Charlie Dyer. Brian asks, what about the 0:33:35.460 --> 0:33:38.880 betrayal of Jesus by Judas? Up to that point, our 0:33:38.880 --> 0:33:41.940 Lord had a public ministry of about three years. It 0:33:41.940 --> 0:33:45.630 seemed as if everybody and his brother became aware of him. Why, then, 0:33:45.660 --> 0:33:49.080 would the Roman soldiers have needed anybody to point him out? 0:33:49.290 --> 0:33:51.209 I think there's several factors that were at play. The 0:33:51.210 --> 0:33:54.450 first is the religious leaders were originally concerned about trying 0:33:54.450 --> 0:33:57.900 to arrest Jesus during the daytime. In fact, in Matthew 26, 0:33:57.930 --> 0:34:00.120 it records a meeting where they had an. And it 0:34:00.120 --> 0:34:02.820 says they plotted to arrest Jesus, but it says in 0:34:02.820 --> 0:34:05.729 some sly way and kill him, but not during the feast, 0:34:05.730 --> 0:34:08.250 they said, or there may be a riot among the people. 0:34:08.280 --> 0:34:11.160 Since then, trying to arrest Jesus at a public setting 0:34:11.160 --> 0:34:14.790 was considered too dangerous. They were looking for alternatives, and 0:34:14.790 --> 0:34:17.919 that's where Judas came to them and offered to betray Jesus. 0:34:17.920 --> 0:34:21.460 That's in Matthew 26. I think Judas planned to then 0:34:21.460 --> 0:34:23.740 let them know where Jesus and the disciples were going 0:34:23.739 --> 0:34:26.799 to celebrate Passover, so they could arrest him with just 0:34:26.800 --> 0:34:30.100 a small group there to offer resistance. But Jesus thwarted 0:34:30.130 --> 0:34:33.279 their plans by not telling the disciples in advance where 0:34:33.280 --> 0:34:37.030 they'd be celebrating Passover. In that same chapter, we see 0:34:37.060 --> 0:34:40.509 Jesus having that somewhat cryptic instruction to his disciples you 0:34:40.510 --> 0:34:42.460 know that they're to go into the city, meet a 0:34:42.460 --> 0:34:45.460 man who'd show them where to celebrate Passover. In fact, 0:34:45.460 --> 0:34:47.799 Mark adds, they didn't even know where they were going. 0:34:47.830 --> 0:34:49.540 They were only told to meet a man carrying a 0:34:49.540 --> 0:34:52.150 jar of water who would then take him to that room. 0:34:52.150 --> 0:34:55.090 So in the end, Judas didn't know the location of 0:34:55.090 --> 0:34:57.820 the Passover ahead of time, and so he couldn't report 0:34:57.820 --> 0:35:00.040 the site to the officials. And that leads to the 0:35:00.040 --> 0:35:03.160 third point. Judas did know where Jesus and the disciples 0:35:03.160 --> 0:35:06.370 would go afterward. Uh, they would go to the Mount 0:35:06.370 --> 0:35:09.940 of Olives, to the olive oil press, get Shemen or Gethsemane. 0:35:10.360 --> 0:35:13.240 They evidently spent time there before. So Judas left the 0:35:13.239 --> 0:35:16.230 Passover meal, went to report on that change in plan. 0:35:16.230 --> 0:35:18.720 And the problem now is how to arrest him. Since 0:35:18.719 --> 0:35:21.030 it was at night. It's on a hillside covered in 0:35:21.030 --> 0:35:24.120 olive trees. It would be dark and hundreds of perhaps 0:35:24.150 --> 0:35:26.250 thousands of others would be on the Mount of Olives 0:35:26.250 --> 0:35:30.000 camping out as well. So likely they said, Judas needed 0:35:30.000 --> 0:35:32.609 to be there to point out Jesus, lest he slip 0:35:32.610 --> 0:35:35.340 into the shadows among all those thousands of others and 0:35:35.340 --> 0:35:36.239 get away. 0:35:36.450 --> 0:35:40.290 Mark asks, Does Genesis four verse four tell us why 0:35:40.320 --> 0:35:44.700 Abel's offering was accepted and Cain's wasn't? Because Abel's was 0:35:44.700 --> 0:35:46.830 the firstlings his best? 0:35:47.340 --> 0:35:50.040 Well, Genesis four doesn't tell us directly why his was 0:35:50.040 --> 0:35:52.799 accepted while Cain's wasn't. But I believe there's an indirect 0:35:52.800 --> 0:35:56.310 answer in the immediate context following Adam and Eve's sin. 0:35:56.310 --> 0:35:59.790 Genesis 321 says, the Lord made garments of skin for 0:35:59.790 --> 0:36:02.279 Adam and his wife and clothed them. I think God 0:36:02.280 --> 0:36:04.230 explained to Adam and Eve that for their sin to 0:36:04.260 --> 0:36:06.930 be covered, something had to die in their place. I 0:36:06.930 --> 0:36:10.710 think this is when God established the principle of animal sacrifice. 0:36:10.710 --> 0:36:14.910 So in Genesis four, Abel approached God with such a sacrifice, 0:36:14.910 --> 0:36:18.000 while Cain provided the fruit of his own labor. In essence, 0:36:18.000 --> 0:36:20.609 he illustrated those who try to work their own way 0:36:20.610 --> 0:36:24.120 into heaven, while Abel illustrated the way to God, requiring 0:36:24.120 --> 0:36:26.430 the sacrifice of a substitute. And I think it's an 0:36:26.430 --> 0:36:29.250 early picture that pointed to the ultimate sacrifice of the 0:36:29.250 --> 0:36:32.700 Lamb of God, and that's why his sacrifice was accepted. 0:36:32.730 --> 0:36:34.770 Well, I hope you found it satisfying to get some 0:36:34.770 --> 0:36:37.830 answers to a lot of these questions, and yours is welcome. 0:36:37.860 --> 0:36:40.620 Of course, when you email us at The Land and 0:36:40.620 --> 0:36:48.180 the book@moody.edu the land and the book@moody.edu. More to come. 0:36:48.180 --> 0:36:51.299 It's Charlie Dyer's devotional next here on the land and 0:36:51.300 --> 0:37:06.450 the book. This is the land and the book from 0:37:06.450 --> 0:37:11.040 Moody Radio segment for our devotional segment. Charlie, I grew up, 0:37:11.040 --> 0:37:14.280 as you know, in a house full of brass instrument players. 0:37:14.280 --> 0:37:17.340 We've got a trombone player, I play French horn, a 0:37:17.370 --> 0:37:20.879 couple of brothers play trumpets, dad plays trumpet. And your 0:37:20.880 --> 0:37:22.830 devotional today is about trumpets. 0:37:22.860 --> 0:37:25.980 Yeah. And actually, the trumpet. Loose feast of trumpets. 0:37:26.010 --> 0:37:28.020 All right. I'm looking forward to that. Let's listen to 0:37:28.050 --> 0:37:30.839 this Holy Land experience first as we begin. 0:37:35.070 --> 0:37:38.489 I've had the privilege of being in the Holy Land 0:37:38.489 --> 0:37:41.160 for a week now, and I think the thing that 0:37:41.160 --> 0:37:47.009 has impressed me most is the extraordinary history of this country, 0:37:47.010 --> 0:37:52.049 and the diversity that exists as a result of that 0:37:52.080 --> 0:37:57.330 history is probably the most complex situation that I have 0:37:57.330 --> 0:38:03.239 ever witnessed or experienced in my now 65 plus years. 0:38:03.330 --> 0:38:06.660 Everything was wonderful about this trip. Such a treat to 0:38:06.660 --> 0:38:09.210 have a small group of people to walk the steps 0:38:09.210 --> 0:38:13.830 of Jesus, Especially at the Sea of Galilee. It was 0:38:13.830 --> 0:38:18.360 such a treat to see the distances between the spots 0:38:18.360 --> 0:38:21.570 where we read in Scripture. Jesus walked and talked and 0:38:21.570 --> 0:38:25.529 lived his life affecting people. I wanted to know how 0:38:25.530 --> 0:38:29.550 far apart things were. How big was the Sea of Galilee? 0:38:29.580 --> 0:38:33.480 How far away were the towns where he walked? Everything 0:38:33.480 --> 0:38:36.720 was just so exciting to see the places and the 0:38:36.719 --> 0:38:40.950 spots where Jesus walked and where we learned scripture. Seeing 0:38:40.950 --> 0:38:44.670 it through our tour guide, Charlie Dyer's eyes brought little 0:38:44.670 --> 0:38:47.340 phrases in the word to life. 0:38:49.140 --> 0:38:51.210 All right. We're headed for a couple of different passages 0:38:51.210 --> 0:38:54.570 in the Old Testament numbers. And then Nehemiah. Charlie, take 0:38:54.570 --> 0:38:55.170 it away. 0:38:55.350 --> 0:38:58.650 Thanks, John. Well, the college football season is in full swing. 0:38:58.680 --> 0:39:01.620 Alumni and fans by the hundreds of thousands are flocking 0:39:01.650 --> 0:39:05.009 to college campuses across the nation to watch their alma 0:39:05.010 --> 0:39:08.340 mater battle it out on the gridiron with regional rivals. 0:39:08.340 --> 0:39:11.759 But for many, game day doesn't begin at kickoff. It 0:39:11.760 --> 0:39:15.270 starts hours earlier in the stadium parking lot with tailgate 0:39:15.270 --> 0:39:19.200 parties featuring grilled hamburgers, hot dogs and brats, along with 0:39:19.200 --> 0:39:22.620 an overabundance of other food and beverages. Walking through the 0:39:22.620 --> 0:39:25.230 crowd while breathing in the aroma of all the meat 0:39:25.260 --> 0:39:28.560 sizzling on the grills, well, one sense of excitement is 0:39:28.560 --> 0:39:32.400 only matched by that mouthwatering sensation of just how good 0:39:32.400 --> 0:39:35.370 one of those burgers would taste right about now, and 0:39:35.370 --> 0:39:37.440 I wonder if that's what the people of Israel might 0:39:37.469 --> 0:39:40.470 have experienced just a little as they filled the temple 0:39:40.469 --> 0:39:44.460 courtyard on Rosh Hashanah, Israel's Feast of Trumpets that marked 0:39:44.460 --> 0:39:48.060 the beginning of their fall festivals. The crowd packed together 0:39:48.060 --> 0:39:52.410 trumpets sounding the aroma of bulls, rams and lambs being 0:39:52.410 --> 0:39:55.620 sacrificed on the temple altar. And the people weren't just 0:39:55.620 --> 0:39:58.320 gathering for an athletic event, they were there to appear 0:39:58.320 --> 0:40:01.410 before the God of the universe. The excitement must have 0:40:01.410 --> 0:40:04.800 been palpable in the Bible. This feast isn't called the 0:40:04.800 --> 0:40:08.910 Feast of Trumpets. Numbers 29 simply calls it Yom Teruah, 0:40:08.940 --> 0:40:12.569 the day of sounding or the day of blowing. According 0:40:12.600 --> 0:40:15.299 to numbers 1010 on the first day of each month 0:40:15.300 --> 0:40:19.110 during the New Moon Festival, silver trumpets were blown at 0:40:19.110 --> 0:40:22.290 the time of the daily sacrifices, but the first day 0:40:22.290 --> 0:40:25.830 of the seventh month was different in at least three ways. First, 0:40:25.860 --> 0:40:28.770 on this day, Israel was to hold a sacred assembly 0:40:28.770 --> 0:40:31.950 and do no regular work. It was set aside in 0:40:31.950 --> 0:40:35.549 a unique way. Second, God described it as a day 0:40:35.550 --> 0:40:38.339 to sound the trumpets. This has been understood as the 0:40:38.340 --> 0:40:42.060 sounding of the shofar. The ram's horn likely sounded in 0:40:42.060 --> 0:40:45.989 addition to the normal silver trumpets. And third, an additional 0:40:45.989 --> 0:40:48.750 set of offerings were to be made. God's directions were 0:40:48.750 --> 0:40:52.080 very specific as an aroma pleasing to the Lord. Prepare 0:40:52.080 --> 0:40:54.930 a burnt offering of one young bull, one ram, and 0:40:54.930 --> 0:40:58.469 seven male lambs a year old, all without defect. Include 0:40:58.469 --> 0:41:00.930 one male goat as a sin offering to make atonement 0:41:00.930 --> 0:41:03.719 for you. These are in addition to the monthly and 0:41:03.719 --> 0:41:08.310 daily burnt offerings over three times the normal daily offerings, 0:41:08.310 --> 0:41:11.910 accompanied by multiple blasts of the shofar. In addition to 0:41:11.940 --> 0:41:15.000 the sounding of the regular silver trumpets, and all the 0:41:15.000 --> 0:41:18.210 people were to refrain from their regular work, very likely 0:41:18.210 --> 0:41:23.910 those in and around Jerusalem gathered to watch all these activities. Unfortunately, 0:41:23.910 --> 0:41:27.540 Judah became very lax in performing the ceremonies prescribed by 0:41:27.540 --> 0:41:31.260 the Lord. That's one reason they went into captivity in Babylon, 0:41:31.260 --> 0:41:33.720 but now they're back in the land and the temple 0:41:33.719 --> 0:41:36.960 has been rebuilt. The walls around Jerusalem have been restored, 0:41:36.960 --> 0:41:41.009 and the seventh month has just begun. After an absence 0:41:41.010 --> 0:41:44.580 of years or more likely, decades, the people are again 0:41:44.580 --> 0:41:48.270 gathered to celebrate the Feast of Trumpets. But after such 0:41:48.300 --> 0:41:51.900 a long absence, it's something of an awkward time. Most 0:41:51.900 --> 0:41:55.920 have never participated in this celebration. In fact, most have 0:41:55.920 --> 0:41:59.279 never even heard it. God's law, written in Hebrew, is 0:41:59.280 --> 0:42:02.760 virtually unknown to a generation that has now grown up 0:42:02.760 --> 0:42:06.390 speaking only Aramaic. Let's follow the crowd into the square. 0:42:06.420 --> 0:42:10.410 Just inside the Watergate on the eastern edge of Jerusalem 0:42:10.410 --> 0:42:12.300 will stand off to the side so as not to 0:42:12.330 --> 0:42:15.210 disturb anyone. The people are seated on the ground in 0:42:15.210 --> 0:42:18.300 small groups, or standing and milling around as they wait 0:42:18.300 --> 0:42:21.600 for the event to begin. The low rumble of talking 0:42:21.600 --> 0:42:25.350 suddenly ceases as Ezra the priest walks up the stairs 0:42:25.350 --> 0:42:28.380 to a high platform at the one end of the plaza. 0:42:28.410 --> 0:42:32.730 In his hand, he's holding a vellum scroll. Someone nearby whispers, 0:42:32.730 --> 0:42:36.060 it's a copy of The Law of Moses. As Ezra 0:42:36.060 --> 0:42:39.330 unrolls the scroll and begins to speak, everyone rises to 0:42:39.360 --> 0:42:42.630 their feet. Ezra begins by praising the Lord, and the 0:42:42.630 --> 0:42:47.160 people respond with loud cries of Amen! Amen. Then they 0:42:47.160 --> 0:42:49.980 all bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces 0:42:49.980 --> 0:42:54.060 to the ground, demonstrating their humble submission to God. But 0:42:54.060 --> 0:42:58.140 what follows next at first seems confusing to us. As 0:42:58.140 --> 0:43:00.960 Ezra read aloud from the scroll, he paused to let 0:43:00.960 --> 0:43:04.810 the Levites translate and interpret what was being read into 0:43:04.810 --> 0:43:08.650 the Aramaic language spoken by the people. The entire process 0:43:08.650 --> 0:43:12.399 of reading and then translating God's Word took from daybreak 0:43:12.430 --> 0:43:16.480 until noon. And yet throughout the entire time, the people 0:43:16.480 --> 0:43:20.380 remained standing. As we watch the crowd's reaction, we sense 0:43:20.380 --> 0:43:24.370 a genuine emotional response to the words being read. They 0:43:24.400 --> 0:43:28.030 hear the description of the festivals prescribed by God, including 0:43:28.030 --> 0:43:30.700 the one to be held this very day. And yet 0:43:30.700 --> 0:43:33.730 they're not in the temple celebrating the Festival of Trumpets. 0:43:33.730 --> 0:43:37.270 They're outside the temple near the water gate. They also 0:43:37.270 --> 0:43:40.960 hear the blessings God promised for obedience and the cursings 0:43:40.960 --> 0:43:44.740 pronounced for disobedience. And they realize they're in danger of 0:43:44.739 --> 0:43:48.550 repeating the same errors as their ancestors, the very sins 0:43:48.550 --> 0:43:51.910 that destroyed the temple, the city, and the nation. Not 0:43:51.910 --> 0:43:55.540 so very long ago. Some in the crowd begin sobbing 0:43:55.540 --> 0:43:59.980 and sorrow over their own insubordination. Eventually, the entire group 0:43:59.980 --> 0:44:04.000 begins weeping uncontrollably. How could we be so wicked and evil? 0:44:04.000 --> 0:44:07.420 What have we done? The leaders sensed what was happening 0:44:07.420 --> 0:44:11.080 and quickly took action. Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the 0:44:11.080 --> 0:44:14.350 priest and scribe, and the Levites who were instructing the people, 0:44:14.350 --> 0:44:16.930 said to them all, this day is sacred to the 0:44:16.930 --> 0:44:19.930 Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep. Go and 0:44:19.930 --> 0:44:23.230 enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to 0:44:23.260 --> 0:44:26.410 those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to 0:44:26.440 --> 0:44:29.380 our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the 0:44:29.380 --> 0:44:32.440 Lord is your strength. This is when we would have 0:44:32.440 --> 0:44:35.050 expected the people to head to the temple to finally 0:44:35.050 --> 0:44:38.620 celebrate the Feast of Trumpets, as God had commanded. But 0:44:38.620 --> 0:44:43.300 that's not what happened. Nehemiah 812 records what took place next. 0:44:43.300 --> 0:44:45.730 Then all the people went away to eat and drink, 0:44:45.730 --> 0:44:49.000 to send portions of food, and to celebrate with great joy, 0:44:49.000 --> 0:44:51.850 because they now understood the words that had been made 0:44:51.850 --> 0:44:54.969 known to them. And as the plaza empties out, we're 0:44:54.969 --> 0:44:59.140 left scratching our heads. What just took place? The answer 0:44:59.140 --> 0:45:02.450 is that the people discovered an important lesson. God was 0:45:02.450 --> 0:45:05.719 more concerned about their own hearts than he was about ritual. 0:45:05.750 --> 0:45:08.719 Isaiah had made this clear hundreds of years before, when 0:45:08.719 --> 0:45:12.230 he announced God's Word to a rebellious nation in Isaiah one, 0:45:12.260 --> 0:45:14.989 the multitude of your sacrifices, what are they to me? 0:45:14.989 --> 0:45:17.569 Says the Lord, I have no pleasure in the blood 0:45:17.570 --> 0:45:20.000 of bulls and lambs and goats. When you come to 0:45:20.030 --> 0:45:22.880 appear before me. Who asked this of you, this trampling 0:45:22.880 --> 0:45:27.140 of my courts? Stop bringing meaningless offerings. As the people 0:45:27.140 --> 0:45:31.040 resumed the religious festivals, God zeroed in on three lessons 0:45:31.040 --> 0:45:34.610 he wanted them to master first. The focus was to 0:45:34.640 --> 0:45:38.299 be on God and His word, not themselves. It began 0:45:38.300 --> 0:45:42.350 with bowing down to God and then listening to His Word. Second, 0:45:42.380 --> 0:45:44.660 God wanted them to view this festival as a time 0:45:44.690 --> 0:45:47.990 of celebration rather than mourn or weep. God said, do 0:45:47.989 --> 0:45:50.840 not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength. 0:45:50.870 --> 0:45:54.319 And finally, a practical result was to share with and 0:45:54.320 --> 0:45:57.470 care for others. Go and enjoy choice food and sweet 0:45:57.469 --> 0:46:00.890 drinks and send some to those who have nothing prepared. 0:46:00.920 --> 0:46:03.200 And those are good lessons for us as we think 0:46:03.200 --> 0:46:06.350 about the coming week. Take time to read God's Word 0:46:06.350 --> 0:46:09.799 and to worship him. Look for opportunities to rejoice in 0:46:09.800 --> 0:46:12.890 what God has provided, and then look for ways to 0:46:12.890 --> 0:46:15.440 share with those around you. In fact, that's not a 0:46:15.440 --> 0:46:18.169 bad way to celebrate every day of the year, even 0:46:18.170 --> 0:46:19.400 without a trumpet. 0:46:19.430 --> 0:46:22.430 And that's a great reminder. Thank you Charlie. You can 0:46:22.430 --> 0:46:25.100 hear the entire program again at our web site, The 0:46:25.100 --> 0:46:29.090 Land and the book.org. You know, a lot of listeners 0:46:29.120 --> 0:46:31.970 are well outside the range of a radio station that 0:46:31.969 --> 0:46:34.730 might carry the land and the book, but the podcast 0:46:34.760 --> 0:46:38.210 goes everywhere. So thanks for passing the word along about that. 0:46:38.210 --> 0:46:43.040 It's available at The Land and the book.org. Thanks so 0:46:43.040 --> 0:46:45.230 much for being a part of today's broadcast. Want to 0:46:45.230 --> 0:46:48.380 thank Dan Anderson, our producer, our host Charlie Dyer. I'm 0:46:48.380 --> 0:46:51.500 John Gager. The land and the book is a production 0:46:51.500 --> 0:46:55.100 of Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.