S1: Predictably, we meet them only during the Christmas season. Herod
S1: the Great and Mary, the mother of Jesus, both play
S1: an enormous role in that story, but a deeper look
S1: at their lives and legacies is a journey, I think,
S1: worth taking. So coming up, we're going to explore facets
S1: of Herod and Mary that will surprise and amaze. So
S1: join us now for the land and the book. It's
S1: your weekly visit to the Middle East with travel guide
S1: Doctor Charlie Dyer. And I'm John Gager. You know, Charlie
S1: is the end of this year approaches. Many world events
S1: have left us wondering what God's plan is for the future.
S1: And that's, I suppose, especially true when it comes to Israel.
S1: Despite its small size, people around the world are just
S1: intensely focused on what takes place there. Our today's headlines
S1: connected in any way with the prophecies in Scripture. And
S1: how should followers of Jesus interpret current events as we
S1: await his second coming?
S2: Yeah, absolutely. John. And people are thinking that, especially in
S2: light of events just even this past week. But to
S2: help answer those important questions, our friends at Life and
S2: Messiah encourage you to check out their book, God, Israel
S2: and Bible Prophecy with Scripture as its foundation. This book
S2: will take you on a journey into what God has
S2: in store for the Jewish people and the nations. This
S2: book is for anyone who wants to explore where modern
S2: day events fit on God's grand timeline. Now, if that's
S2: you or someone you know, this would be a great
S2: resource or gift. Visit Life in Messiah org and click
S2: on the Moody Radio button to find out how you
S2: can receive your copy of God, Israel and Bible Prophecy.
S2: That's life in messiah.org.
S1: Much to talk about in the Middle East this past week.
S1: Let's dig into our top stories. A week ago, judges
S1: at the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli
S1: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Yahoo and former defence minister Yoav Gallant.
S1: What's the basis for the charges? How valid are they
S1: and what could they impact?
S2: Well, the court issued the arrest warrants for Netanyahu and
S2: Galant for war crimes. Specifically, they're charged with using starvation
S2: as a method of warfare and with crimes against humanity
S2: through the use of murder, persecution and other inhumane acts,
S2: including attacks against civilian populations. But the charges are based
S2: on shaky legal ground. The court has no jurisdiction against
S2: Israel since Israel, nor the US for that matter, are
S2: members of the International Criminal Court, and the treaty that
S2: established the court precludes the court from considering cases against
S2: any country with a valid judicial system that's willing and
S2: able to investigate alleged crimes on its own. As a result,
S2: France said, Netanyahu and Galant should be immune from the
S2: charges and that they wouldn't arrest them. The Wall Street
S2: Journal noted that the precedent that's trying to be established
S2: could actually harm all democracies, not just Israel, by making
S2: it difficult to defend against terror groups or rogue states.
S2: The laws of warfare by which war crimes are defined
S2: were written when wars were fought by nations with standing armies.
S2: The rise in terrorism has upended those rules. This war
S2: began when Hamas invaded Israel, killing 1200 Israeli citizens, taking
S2: 250 Israelis as hostages and committing other atrocities like rape
S2: and torture, and firing thousands of rockets against Israeli towns
S2: and cities. They also embedded their soldiers, command centers, rocket
S2: launchers and weapons in and under hospitals, mosques, schools, homes
S2: and apartments, using their own citizens as human shields. Yet
S2: the low ratio of civilians to combatants killed illustrates the
S2: reality that Israel didn't deliberately target civilians. The Wall Street
S2: Journal study noted that the IDF may have achieved the
S2: lowest ratio of civilian to combatant deaths in the history
S2: of urban warfare, and rather than seeking to starve the
S2: people of Gaza as the court has charged, Israel facilitated
S2: the transfer of more than 57,000 aid trucks and 1.1
S2: million tons of aid into Gaza in its fight against Hamas.
S2: Israel has worked hard to avoid civilian casualties, but what
S2: happens next? It's up to the leaders in the US
S2: and the West. The West needs to stand up and
S2: declare that Islamic fundamentalism and its fanatical hatred of Israel
S2: and the Jews is the root cause of this conflict,
S2: and that the so-called rules of war need to be
S2: modified to enable countries to fight terrorists without facing legal
S2: charges for doing so.
S1: Story number two A cease fire between Israel and Hezbollah
S1: was all the talk this week, approved by all parties,
S1: went into effect early Wednesday. What are the details of
S1: the truce and how likely is it to lead to
S1: peace in the North?
S2: Well, again, the US, with help from France and others,
S2: developed a pathway forward that was acceptable to all parties.
S2: That's based in part on the UN Security Council Resolution
S2: 1701 that really never did take effect. Wednesday was the
S2: beginning of a 60 day truce during which Israel will
S2: withdraw from southern Lebanon, allowing the Lebanese Army and UN
S2: forces to deploy there. Hezbollah will be prohibited from returning
S2: south of the Litani River. A five country mechanism that
S2: includes the US, France, the UN, Lebanon and Israel will
S2: monitor the cease fire. The US issued a letter of
S2: guarantee to Israel while the exact contents weren't made public.
S2: Apparently it spells out specific situations where Israel can respond
S2: to Hezbollah should they violate the agreement. There was some
S2: opposition to the deal in Israel, because it doesn't allow
S2: residents in the North to return immediately to their homes.
S2: There were also concerns over Hezbollah's past violations of UN
S2: resolution 1701. The agreement is only good if Hezbollah is
S2: willing to honor it. The hope is that the Lebanese
S2: army can now enforce it against a weakened Hezbollah. The
S2: next 60 days are crucial. That's just about the amount
S2: of time the Biden administration will remain in power. So
S2: do they have the will to implement the agreement, or
S2: will Hezbollah try to reestablish itself in the area before
S2: the next administration takes office? Only time will tell. And
S2: now we need to be watching to see if a
S2: ceasefire can also be brokered in the South with Gaza.
S1: Charlie, what's your guess as to the likelihood of this
S1: cease fire truly being a ceasefire and and going all
S1: 60 days?
S2: I think it will last mainly because Hezbollah has been
S2: hit so hard, and Israel has made it very clear
S2: that they won't tolerate any violations of the agreement.
S1: And I noted President Biden's support along those same lines
S1: in a public statement. Absolutely. Story number three, the world
S1: has been waiting for over a month for Iran's threatened
S1: revenge attack against both Israel and the U.S. so what
S1: exactly has been happening or in this case, not happening
S1: with Iran.
S2: You know, they continued to make threats. The International Atomic
S2: Energy Agency adopted a resolution censuring Iran for failure to
S2: cooperate with the agency. In response, Iran announced it would
S2: immediately bring new, more advanced centrifuges online to enrich uranium.
S2: But threats of a direct attack on Israel have given
S2: way more to talk about improving Iran's economy, despite boasts
S2: that Israel is heading toward the dustbin of history. Iran
S2: is concerned about its own weakness right now. The election
S2: of President Trump has raised concern that the US could
S2: allow Israel to respond to any Iranian attack, and the
S2: US might even join in. Apparently, Iran's Assembly of Experts
S2: convened several months ago to secretly elect a new ayatollah
S2: to replace Khamenei, and that new ayatollah is his son.
S2: The decision, though, has been kept secret out of fear
S2: it might spark national protests. Iran's economy is in shambles,
S2: and Trump is threatening to reimpose drastic economic sanctions lifted
S2: by the Biden administration in spite of its vast oil
S2: and gas reserves. Iran is experiencing widespread blackouts. The electric
S2: grid is unable to meet demand. Iran is also experiencing
S2: a severe water shortage. Instead of investing in infrastructure, over
S2: the years, the country has been investing in weapons in
S2: its nuclear program and in its support for international terror,
S2: and they are now fearful that Israel might retaliate to
S2: another attack by eliminating several of their key nuclear facilities,
S2: or by taking its oil refineries out of commission, plunging
S2: the nation into absolute chaos. Iran might boast, but watch
S2: carefully to see what the regime does, to try to
S2: avoid conflict and to stay in power.
S1: This is the land and the book moving just a
S1: little further afield. Tensions continue to rise in Africa between Egypt,
S1: Sudan and Ethiopia. What's causing all the tension and why
S1: is it so important?
S2: Yeah, you know, it's an area we don't focus on regularly,
S2: but it does bear watching. The dispute between Egypt and
S2: Ethiopia is primarily over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. The
S2: dam was completed in 2023 and has been generating electricity
S2: for the past year. Egypt's fear is that the dam
S2: will reduce the flow of the Nile River, and the
S2: Nile supplies 98% of Egypt's water. But the dam isn't
S2: the only area of contention. Ethiopia has reached out to
S2: support Somaliland, a breakaway region in neighboring Somalia, in exchange
S2: for giving Ethiopia access to the Red sea. Somalia is
S2: upset over the deal, and Egypt and Somalia want to
S2: form a coalition to block Ethiopia's growing influence. Ethiopia has
S2: had 10,000 soldiers in Somalia to help fight against the
S2: al-Shabab militant group. Somalia now wants the Ethiopian soldiers out
S2: when the agreement ends at the end of this year. Meanwhile,
S2: Egypt has sent a thousand of their own troops into Somalia,
S2: and another 10,000 are scheduled to arrive in January. Egypt
S2: has also been sending planeloads of arms and ammunition to Somalia.
S2: Ethiopia is concerned that Egypt and Somalia could eventually attack them.
S2: And as if all that's not enough trouble. Yemen and
S2: the Houthis are just across the Red sea. These clients
S2: of Iran have also had an interest in this region
S2: in Africa. Now, it might not make our news, but
S2: the region is crucial because it impacts shipping through the
S2: Red sea and the Suez Canal.
S1: Charlie, so much swirling around right now and just a
S1: lot of trouble in the Middle East. I'm going to
S1: invite you to pause and pray, as Scripture says, for
S1: the peace of Jerusalem and the entire region.
S2: Lord, we do pray right now for that region. Thank
S2: you for this agreement that has just been brokered this week.
S2: We do pray that it would take hold, that it
S2: would be effective, that it would help save lives in
S2: Lebanon and in Israel. And we pray that an agreement
S2: could also be reached with Hamas that could bring the
S2: hostages back home. Lord, we know you love peace. We
S2: know you're the God of peace. And we ask that
S2: you would bring that peace, even temporarily, to the region now. Amen.
S1: Up next, a visit with Herod and Mary. You'll discover
S1: things you never saw before on the land and the book. Predictably,
S1: we meet them only during the Christmas season. Herod the
S1: Great and Mary the mother of Jesus. And they both
S1: play an enormous role in that story. But their lives
S1: and legacies are much bigger than the birth of Christ. Hey,
S1: welcome back to the land and the book segment two.
S1: I'm John Gager. Coming up, the true story of the
S1: tyrant king and the mother of the Risen Savior. Right now, though,
S1: let's get fired up about a fresh idea for sharing
S1: Jesus with a Jewish friend. So maybe you've tried reaching
S1: out to your Jewish friend by way of thoughts on
S1: on your own spiritual journey, and you find that they're polite,
S1: but they don't seem to want to go any deeper
S1: on the subject. Why are my Jewish friends so polite
S1: about my faith in Jesus, but don't really want to
S1: go any further along that conversation? Let's ask Eva Radonich
S1: with Chosen People Ministries. What's the answer there?
S3: Well, I think our Jewish friends are encouraged by our faith,
S3: our spiritual practice. They're very broad in their acceptance of
S3: any sort of spirituality or religious practice, and they're happy
S3: that we have a relationship with God that is meaningful
S3: to us. But for them, Christianity, Jesus is a closed door.
S3: They want to be, oh, this is really good for you,
S3: but it's not for me. And our challenge is to
S3: say it's really for everybody. I'm not targeting you because
S3: you're Jewish. I just want everybody to understand the promises
S3: that God made in the Tanakh, the Old Testament, and
S3: how they were fulfilled in Jesus, Yeshua. And they're for everybody.
S3: For me, as a non-Jew and for Jewish people as well,
S3: they don't want to offend us by saying, oh, don't
S3: talk to me. They're very open and warm, but they're hesitant.
S1: Yeah. Two thoughts about this closed door analogy. Number one
S1: would be it's never polite to bang on a door.
S1: So there's some sensitivity there for us. And number two,
S1: Jesus still specializes in opening locked or slammed doors, is
S1: he not?
S3: Exactly. And I think our best tool is to love
S3: people until they ask us why.
S1: Eva Radonich serves with Chosen People Ministries. Thanks for your conversation.
S3: Thank you John.
S1: Doctor Brian Litvin grew up in Dallas, Texas, Oxford, England
S1: and Memphis, Tennessee. It's a shame he doesn't get around.
S1: He earned a degree in print journalism from the University
S1: of Tennessee, a master's degree in historical theology at Dallas Seminary,
S1: and a Ph.D. in the field of ancient church history
S1: at the University of Virginia. The author of four non-fiction
S1: books and six novels, Doctor Litvin now works as Professor
S1: of Bible and theology at Rawlings School of Divinity at
S1: Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. He recently joined forces with
S1: Kathie Lee Gifford to create the book Harold and Mary. Hey,
S1: welcome to the land and the book. Brian.
S4: Great to be here. John, thanks so much for having me.
S4: It's an honor.
S1: Well, Brian, why these two characters compared and contrasted in
S1: the book?
S4: Yeah. Well, you know, um, it's sort of a dark
S4: versus light in some ways. And Kathie has had a
S4: fascination for a long time with Herod, ever since she's
S4: kind of traveled in the land and wanted to tell
S4: his story. She calls it the greatest story never told.
S4: And as we began to think about, you know, how
S4: do you tell the story of a of a tyrant
S4: or how do you delve into kind of the evil
S4: mind of someone like this? Is that just going to
S4: be a big negative story? Well, what we realized is
S4: that the Lord had arranged a kind of counterpoint in
S4: the narrative where you've got this figure of Mary. If
S4: you could tell her backstory as much as it could
S4: be imagined or reconstructed, you'd have this kind of opposite
S4: where you have this tyrant figure. But behind the scenes,
S4: the Lord is doing something good with a more insignificant person.
S4: And so, weaving their story together, we call the story
S4: of Mary a golden thread that's weaving its way through
S4: the dark fabric of Herod's life.
S1: I absolutely love the timeline that you created for us
S1: up front. A super job of juxtaposing secular history with
S1: the biblical record. How difficult was that to create? Assigning
S1: actual dates to so many things?
S4: Well, it was not as difficult with Herod because we
S4: have extensive sources, mostly Josephus, about his life, and his
S4: life is correlating with Roman history. So you can kind
S4: of anchor a few points with Mary. You don't have
S4: that except in early Christian traditions about her life, where
S4: you don't know for sure they're not coming directly from
S4: the Bible. So of course they're not inspired. But, you know,
S4: they might have nuggets of truth in them. And so
S4: that was the more challenging part was to maybe anchor
S4: some of Mary's backstory and imagine that. But we did
S4: the best we could and tried to kind of tell
S4: the story as best we can.
S1: Herod and Mary, the true story of the tyrant king
S1: and the mother of the risen Savior. This is the
S1: land and the book. I'm John Gager, joined today by
S1: Doctor Brian Litvin. Well, let's get to Herod, the man.
S1: We know him, of course, for his infamous killing of
S1: the baby boys in Bethlehem. But killing was really part
S1: of his DNA. That wasn't the first incident. So who
S1: were some of the more notable people on Herod's hit list?
S1: There were a whole lot of them. Yeah.
S4: There were. I mean, he started slow, you might say.
S4: I mean, he didn't start out like that, you know,
S4: like it's in his DNA in one sense. But in
S4: some ways, it was that creeping decision to be that
S4: kind of person. And he starts out by killing political
S4: enemies or executing supposed criminals, but he begins to cross
S4: those lines. And as you mentioned, he crosses the lines
S4: even to his family. And so, you know, for example,
S4: his favorite wife, Mariamne, and he has her put to
S4: death along with her mother, as well as Mariamne's handsome
S4: brother that he was threatened by, and then the two
S4: sons that they had with them, and Herod's firstborn son
S4: as well. Antipater. So you know the baby boys that
S4: you see in the book of Matthew, in the Gospel
S4: of Matthew are just kind of a culmination of, unfortunately,
S4: a lifetime of killing. And so by the end, yeah,
S4: he was a killing machine for sure.
S1: Well, an important bit of family lineage here. Elaborate on
S1: why this was such a big deal.
S4: Well, you know, with Herod, I mean, in one sense
S4: it was Jewish and in another sense it wasn't. And
S4: so he was called a half Jew. So he was idumean,
S4: which is really in the Old Testament. They were the Edomites.
S4: And so they were the enemies of Israel, and they
S4: lived in an adjacent kingdom. But over time that kingdom
S4: had been captured by the Jewish state by the Hasmoneans,
S4: and so it had been forced to convert. So theoretically,
S4: now the Idumaeans were Jewish, but they weren't the inheritors of,
S4: you know, of Judea and of Jerusalem. And so he
S4: always felt that as trying to be the King of
S4: the Jews, he was behind the gun, so to speak.
S4: He didn't fit in. He was a half breed or
S4: something like that. And he wasn't true royalty, true nobility.
S4: And so it affected his confidence in that way, as
S4: well as his wife, his wife, Mary. And they despised
S4: him for not being truly royal.
S1: Doctor Brian Litvin has teamed up with Kathie Lee Gifford
S1: to write the book Herod and Mary. It's great to
S1: have you with us today on the land and the book. Well,
S1: let's swing the focus of this conversation toward the Christmas
S1: season that we're in now. Brian, only when we understand
S1: that Herod was named King of the Jews can we
S1: understand how Herod's world was utterly rocked by the question
S1: of the Magi who came to him asking, where is
S1: he who was born King of the Jews? Brian, do
S1: your best to climb inside Herod's head at that very moment.
S1: What's he really thinking but would never say out loud?
S4: Well, I mean, he's clearly paranoid. One of the things
S4: that maybe readers don't know as they encounter the story
S4: that Matthew puts forward because he doesn't mention it. But
S4: Herod at that time was at the very end of
S4: his life. He was sick. He was on his deathbed.
S4: And so, you know, Herod wasn't worried someone's going to
S4: supplant me right now, do an overthrow of my kingdom
S4: right at this moment, because he knew he was dying.
S4: What he was worried about at that point was, who
S4: is going to take over after me? You know who's
S4: going to be the follower? Am I going to leave
S4: a legacy? Am I creating a dynasty? Will my sons
S4: rule after me and show that my power continues? Or
S4: am I kind of a one and done and someone
S4: else is going to come in and be the new
S4: king of the Jews and someone who might claim to
S4: be born one, as opposed to a half breed. And
S4: so he was really paranoid about securing his legacy. And
S4: that helps to explain why he said, you know, wherever
S4: this pretender is, I'm not going to let some peasant
S4: boy in Nazareth come along or Bethlehem come along and
S4: become the replacement for me. And so he went and
S4: had his soldiers slaughter those babies.
S1: You write in the book the struggles within Herod's household,
S1: as well as God's redemptive work behind the scenes, have
S1: many parallels today. Give me an example, if you could,
S1: of a modern parallel.
S4: So often you see that outer household, or the outer
S4: people that are visible to the public eye look like
S4: a disaster. But behind the scenes, God hasn't abandoned the
S4: people that are involved. God is doing a work, and
S4: so he's up to something good. And I think you
S4: know that. I would answer that by just saying there's
S4: kind of a general pattern in which God is doing something,
S4: even when what looks to be terrible is happening on
S4: the outside, he still has his purposes underneath it.
S1: Well, let's swing our focus toward Mary for a moment.
S1: Most of us think we know Mary fairly well. Share
S1: a few life details that might have escaped some of us.
S4: You know, we have the biblical record. And so that
S4: is fairly clear. And I think most people know the
S4: story of how she was visited by the angel and
S4: how she's honored in that way and gives birth to Messiah.
S4: What we have in the book here is we try
S4: to use some other sources that we don't claim to
S4: be 100% accurate, but they are the earliest recollections that
S4: could be part of an oral tradition about who Mary was.
S4: For example, that as a young girl she lived at
S4: the Jewish temple and worked there and was perhaps a
S4: musician or something like that, that she might have had
S4: a a singing role. Because we do know that in
S4: the Jewish temple that there were virgins, young virgin girls
S4: who were part of musical ministries. And so maybe that
S4: was part of Mary's life. And if you think about
S4: one of the most prominent things that we find in
S4: the gospel, in Luke's gospel is that Mary sings a song.
S4: Where does that song come from? Well, maybe she's been
S4: trained as a young girl to burst into worshipful songs.
S4: And so that humility of Mary. And even in the
S4: book we explore her parents, Anna and Joachim. So how
S4: did her home life shape who she became? And we
S4: try to imagine that and see what could be true there.
S4: Those kind of things are, I think, one of the
S4: real values of this book, to give the backstory of
S4: Mary that most Christian readers don't know.
S1: If Mary were given the stage at a National Women's
S1: Christian conference today, what do you think she might say
S1: in her message to other women?
S4: I have to ask myself if she would even take
S4: that stage. You know, that's kind of not who she is, right?
S4: I mean, the purpose of understanding Mary is she's not visible.
S4: She's not out front. She probably would have been very timid.
S4: And that's kind of the point, is that, you know, like,
S4: Herod is the one who builds the glamorous temple that
S4: everybody sees, but who's the real temple of Messiah? This
S4: peasant girl whose womb is the home of the Shekinah glory,
S4: whose womb is the home of the presence of God.
S4: So she's very humble. She's very offstage, like so many
S4: Christians today, so many women out there that don't get
S4: the notice of the world. But what they do get
S4: is the notice of the Lord God who says, favored one,
S4: blessed one, graced one. So I don't know that she
S4: ever would be a speaker like that. But in the
S4: spirit of your question, I would say she would point
S4: everyone to the glory of God and the mercies that
S4: he has, even on the lowly of spirit.
S1: Was this a difficult book to write? Why or why not?
S4: Yes, it was a difficult book because you have to
S4: delve into someone like Herod, and you have to kind
S4: of watch his descent into evil because he doesn't start
S4: that way. He's this really young prince, and he's handsome
S4: and everyone loves him. And probably if you were around Herod,
S4: especially in his early life, you'd have said, this guy
S4: is cool. I love hanging around with him. And that
S4: is actually how the Roman emperors thought. This guy is
S4: so cool. I love hanging out. He's so easy to
S4: be around and kind of a winsome personality, but he
S4: descends into this darkness and that's part of what makes
S4: the book hard. But on the other hand, you know what?
S4: I got to admit, it was a great joy.
S1: The the book reads far more like a novel than
S1: a historical biography. Forgive the very trite expression. I really
S1: was hard pressed to put it down. But what is
S1: your highest hope for us as readers of this book?
S1: I mean, it's it's easy and simplistic to say, well,
S1: be nice like Mary, not mean like Herod.
S4: Well, my greatest hope is the same that Kathy has,
S4: and that is that readers would turn their eyes toward Yeshua,
S4: Yeshua Hamashiach, Jesus the Christ. And so she and I
S4: share that deep passion of pointing our readers to the
S4: one that Mary wanted to point to. And so if
S4: the reader comes away with a greater appreciation that Messiah,
S4: that Jesus the King is not a king after the
S4: pattern of someone like Herod who had to be out there,
S4: he had to be dominant. He had to be the
S4: man who left a legacy, and the man who conquered,
S4: and the man who was praised, and the man who
S4: was rich and had all those things that the world offers.
S4: And so our readers might look and think, well, I'm
S4: none of those things. I'm insignificant. I'm small. I'm in
S4: a small town. My home is not magnificent. I guess
S4: maybe God has passed me by or doesn't really use
S4: people like me and Kathy and I want our readers
S4: to say no. That's exactly who God uses. Look at
S4: how he took the most excluded person a female, a
S4: young female, a female who had shame on her. And
S4: he said, I am going to make that my actual
S4: temple for the presence of the Holy Spirit. Right. Because
S4: that's what happens. The Holy Spirit comes into the womb
S4: of Mary, and God Himself lives in that physical space.
S4: He's not living anymore in the physical space of the
S4: temple that Herod made. He's living in the physical space
S4: of the most excluded person of that society, wrongfully shamed
S4: but shamed, female young person. And so that's the message
S4: right there. The readers might think I'm invisible and God says,
S4: not to me. You're not. And just you wait until
S4: I take your fish and your loaves and multiply that
S4: into an amazing ministry and praise God for being just
S4: that sort of God.
S1: Doctor Brian Litvin, who along with Kathie Lee Gifford, has
S1: written Herod and Mary, if you would like to come
S1: to know these characters like you've never known them before,
S1: this is the book for you. Herod and Mary a
S1: link at our website. The land and the book. Org. Brian,
S1: thanks for the conversation.
S4: Great to be here. Thanks for having me.
S1: And up next, our friend Charlie is back. You know
S1: what it is. Questions and answers. Right here on the land.
S1: And the book. From Moody Radio. This is the land
S1: and the book. I'm John Geiger. Our host, Charlie Dyer,
S1: is here. And. Well, for many people, this is a
S1: fascinating segment, Charlie, because we all have puzzles, questions, things
S1: that just kind of cause us to wonder as we
S1: open the pages of Scripture. And this is the place
S1: where we're able to take our time, take a look
S1: at these questions and bring some answers that I think
S1: are very encouraging. So with that said, just a quick
S1: thought here. At the end of this year, as it approaches,
S1: many world events have left us wondering what God's plan
S1: is for the future. And this is especially true when
S1: it comes to Israel. Boy, talk about questions, Charlie. And
S1: despite its small size, people around the world are intensely
S1: focused on what takes place there. So the question is,
S1: are today's headlines connected in any way with prophecies in
S1: the Bible? How should followers of Jesus interpret current events
S1: as we await his second coming?
S2: Well, to help answer those important questions, our friends at
S2: Life and Messiah encourage you to check out their book, God, Israel,
S2: and Bible Prophecy with Scripture as its foundation. This book
S2: will take you on a journey into what God has
S2: in store for the Jewish people and the nations. This
S2: book is for anyone who wants to explore where modern
S2: day events fit on God's grand timeline. If that's you
S2: or someone you know, this would be a great resource
S2: or gift. Visit Life in Messiah org and click on
S2: the Moody Radio button to find out how you can
S2: receive your copy of God, Israel and Bible Prophecy. That's
S2: life in messiah.org.
S1: All right. Question number one from Jean. Will the marriage
S1: supper of the lamb be in heaven during the seven
S1: years or on earth during the millennium? Yeah.
S2: This is a topic where good and godly people disagree.
S2: So what I tell people in those cases take what
S2: I'm about to say with a grain of salt. I
S2: personally see the marriage supper of the lamb as a
S2: figure of speech pointing to the Millennial Kingdom. Now, here's
S2: why I say that. First, Jesus used the imagery of
S2: the bridegroom's arrival for the wedding banquet in Matthew 25,
S2: verses 1 to 13. And that's where he tells the
S2: parable of the wise and foolish virgins. But he's picturing
S2: his return to earth as king. He ends that parable
S2: by telling Israel to keep watch because you do not
S2: know the day or the hour. And second, the phrase
S2: wedding supper of the lamb only occurs in revelation 19,
S2: verses 7 to 9. Now, chronologically, those verses occur at
S2: the end of the seven year tribulation period, following the
S2: outpouring of the final bowls of judgment in chapter 16
S2: and the destruction of Babylon in chapter 17 and 18.
S2: Just after the wedding, supper's announced Jesus returns from heaven
S2: to earth in chapter 19, verses 11 to 16. So
S2: it looks to me as if the wedding feast, announced
S2: in chapter 19, is intended as a picture of the
S2: blessing and joy that are about to follow in the
S2: Millennial Kingdom after his return.
S1: Sadie asks, does the prophecy about Japheth being expanded by
S1: God have to do with the historical fact that the
S1: descendants of Japheth, whether they be Seleucids, Ottomans, Romans, British,
S1: French and so on, have been effectively in control of
S1: world history.
S2: Well, I'm wondering if you might be confusing Japheth with Jabez.
S2: There's nothing in Genesis ten about the descendants of Japheth
S2: being expanded by God, only that they spread out into
S2: their territory in verse five that they were occupying by
S2: the time Moses wrote Genesis. Now, in contrast, Jabez, who
S2: was from the tribe of Judah, did pray and ask
S2: God to bless me and enlarge my territory. That's in
S2: first Chronicles four. Now, in terms of the second part
S2: of the question, while later history does connect Japheth's descendants
S2: with powers that dominated much of the world, that's not
S2: the complete picture of both Assyria and Babylon, which were
S2: early world powers came from Nimrod, who was from the
S2: line of Ham through Cush. He's mentioned in Genesis ten,
S2: verses 8 to 11, and Egypt. Mitzrayim was another early
S2: world power that was also from the line of ham.
S1: Sadie wants to know, does the curse of Ham have
S1: to do with the enslavement of blacks by Arabs, English, etc.,
S1: as well as the fact that Ethiopians and cops going
S1: into the Monophysite heresy early on in the church?
S2: I do not see the curse of Ham referring to
S2: the enslavement of blacks in Genesis nine, verses 24 and 25.
S2: Noah didn't pronounce the curse on Ham, but on his
S2: youngest son, Canaan. The descendants of Ham and Genesis ten
S2: included Cush, which was to the south of Egypt. Mitzrayim,
S2: which is Egypt, put the area around Libya and North
S2: Africa to the west of Egypt and Canaan. But the
S2: text clearly says the curse was placed on the descendants
S2: of Canaan. We're not told why Canaan was cursed, since
S2: Ham was the one who had seen his father's nakedness.
S2: It's possible that something else took place that's not included
S2: in the text, but it is clear that the curse
S2: was just on Canaan and not on the other descendants
S2: of Ham. And the Monophysite heresy, at least early on,
S2: involved more than just the cops and Ethiopians. So I
S2: don't believe it developed along racial lines.
S1: It's the land and the book from Moody Radio. Charlie
S1: Dyer is answering your questions. I'm John Gager, firing at
S1: them as fast as I can because they come in
S1: very fast over email. And you can get yours to
S1: us at The Land and the At moody.edu ed wonders,
S1: do you agree with those who say that the two
S1: state solution would wipe Israel off the map?
S2: Well, I need to answer two ways. First, I don't
S2: agree with those who say a two state solution will
S2: wipe Israel off the map. Rather, I see what's happening.
S2: Aligning with what Zechariah said would take place in the
S2: final days. He said, I'm going to make Jerusalem a
S2: cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling. Judah will
S2: be besieged as well as Jerusalem on that day when
S2: all the nations of the earth are gathered against her,
S2: I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations.
S2: All who try to move it will injure themselves. Second,
S2: I do believe a two state solution as envisioned by
S2: most of the world is simply unworkable and would result
S2: in greater instability in the region. Israel would again be
S2: under pressure, similar to what they experienced from 1948 to 1967,
S2: when they faced attacks by terrorists from these same areas.
S2: What we've seen happening in Gaza would end up taking
S2: place in the West Bank, as Israel would be forced
S2: to go on the offensive against the forces seeking to
S2: attack her. And once again, Zechariah 12 describes the results.
S2: He says, on that day, I'll make the leaders of
S2: Judah like a firepot in a woodpile, like a flaming
S2: torch among sheaves. They will consume right and left all
S2: the surrounding peoples, but Jerusalem will remain intact in her
S2: place if forced to do so. Israel will defend herself,
S2: and God will be with her.
S1: Mark asks, my wife and I have been grappling with
S1: Ecclesiastes seven, verse 18. It is good that you should
S1: grasp one and not hold on to the other. We've
S1: looked at this verse in the NIV and the ESV,
S1: but just don't get it. Can you help?
S2: Well, I think the key here is viewing verse 18
S2: in light of the larger context. Solomon's been talking about
S2: wisdom versus foolishness and wickedness in verses four and five
S2: are good examples of the comparison he's making. But then
S2: Solomon reminds the reader that not everything in life turns
S2: out as we might expect. Wisdom like that displayed by
S2: job's friends, says that being righteous always brings God's blessing,
S2: while being wicked always brings judgment. And while that's generally true,
S2: we know in job's case it wasn't. And that's the
S2: point Solomon is making in verses 15 to 18. There
S2: are some who try to live a perfectly righteous life,
S2: which of course is humanly impossible, but they do so
S2: assuming God will have to bless them. Others see people
S2: who seem to get away with being evil, and then
S2: assume there aren't consequences to actions in spite of what
S2: God said. But living with a proper awe or respect
S2: of God helps us avoid those two extremes. Wisdom is
S2: realizing that life might present some apparent exceptions, at least
S2: for a time, but that consequences do eventually follow. So
S2: verses 18 and 19, then, are the conclusion. It's good
S2: to remember both realities, depending on our own righteousness, will
S2: not always guarantee success, and ignoring God's standards of right
S2: and wrong. To do whatever we want won't always bring
S2: immediate judgment. The wise person won't forget or let go
S2: of either reality, in spite of what might appear to
S2: be true for a time.
S1: Carl takes us to the book of Joel, chapter three,
S1: verses nine through 14 describe the battle of Armageddon. Verse
S1: ten describes the weapons as spears, not missiles. Isaiah 29
S1: three also speaks of siege works. My question when do
S1: you think that the earth loses their access to weapons
S1: of modern warfare?
S2: The answer is I don't know. I believe it's possible
S2: to answer two ways, and I'm not sure we know
S2: which is correct. Now, the first possibility is to take
S2: those references literally to suggest everything from transportation to warfare
S2: will become much more primitive during the tribulation period. The
S2: devastation pictured in the book of revelation, from half the
S2: world's population being destroyed, to the almost unimaginable devastation of
S2: the land and the seas, to the total disruption of
S2: food supplies and even drinking water, could completely undo what
S2: we think of as our modern way of life. Imagine
S2: what it would be like if the power grid was
S2: taken down, along with the banking system, refineries, fuel distribution systems,
S2: and even basic services like trash collection and fire and
S2: police protection. A nuclear war or other world wide conflagration
S2: early in the tribulation could quickly push the world back
S2: to such primitive means, and then the words of these
S2: prophets would make perfect sense at that time. At the
S2: second possible answer, though, is to assume that the writers
S2: describe events using words and images that made sense to
S2: their audience in that day, but that might be understood
S2: in a slightly different way today. For example, in Ezekiel 38,
S2: he describes a future invasion against Israel by an army
S2: from the North, and he says all of them are
S2: riding on horses, a great horde, a mighty army. While
S2: in Ezekiel's day most armies were foot soldiers, a vast
S2: army all on horseback would have seemed as totally unstoppable.
S2: The description in modern times might be like an army
S2: that's totally mechanized and armored. Now, I need to say
S2: that my normal approach to interpretation is to take the
S2: first option. I believe it's entirely possible to see a
S2: rapid decline in how the world will function during the
S2: tribulation period. And that could involve going back to more
S2: primitive methods of warfare. But in either case, I believe
S2: those alive at the time will understand exactly what the
S2: biblical writers met with the words they wrote.
S1: And that's a look at some of the questions that
S1: you've shared with us. Thank you for doing that, by
S1: the way. It keeps the program going, keeps it very interesting.
S1: Our email address for your question. The land and the book@moody.edu. Well,
S1: Charlie Dyer's devotional is next. It's always something intriguing. I
S1: hope you'll stay with us on the land and the book.
S1: Has a bumper sticker says don't hassle me. I'm easily confused.
S1: Hi John Gager here at The Land and the book.
S1: Our host, Doctor Charlie Dyer, has a devotional that has
S1: everything to do with confusion. Where are we going today?
S2: We're going to be heading to acts chapter 16 to
S2: talk about the man from Macedonia.
S1: I'm looking forward to that. But first, let's pause for
S1: a testimony from somebody who's been to Israel and wanted
S1: to share this with you and me.
S5: I'm Jack from Coral Gables. My Holy Land experience was multifaceted,
S5: but the one thing that strikes me again today is
S5: the proximity of Israel's enemies in this very small part
S5: of the world, that Syria is right on top of Israel.
S5: And so that underscores the great danger there, and the
S5: courage of the people of Israel to live there and
S5: to put up with that danger on an hourly basis.
S6: Hello, my name is Israel Garcia and my Holy Land experience,
S6: as there's many experiences that happen in Israel, and seeing
S6: the Bible come to life was definitely when I was
S6: at the in the boat trip to the Sea of
S6: Galilee and just sitting there and as the boat was
S6: playing actually Christian music and worshiping God. And just to
S6: think that Jesus walked over those waters and walked into
S6: the storm and seeing the calmness of it and just
S6: knowing that Jesus was there and did all these miracles
S6: and the experience of worship was just overwhelming, that tears
S6: just came out of my eyes and say, wow, this
S6: is the place where my Savior walked and he's walking
S6: with me now. So that was my Holy Land experience.
S1: All right, Charlie, I'm looking forward to your devotional today.
S1: Acts 16. The man from Macedonia. Take it away.
S2: Thank you. John. And I could use that bumper sticker
S2: you were talking about. I need to briefly start though,
S2: by sharing two stories and see if you can find
S2: the common thread linking them together. Story number one. About
S2: six months after receiving my driver's license, my best friend
S2: and I drove to southeastern Pennsylvania to visit his girlfriend.
S2: It was only 90 miles from home, but I'd never
S2: driven to the area before, and my dad gave strict
S2: instructions to be home before dark. We had a great visit,
S2: but we stayed too long. No problem though, because the
S2: girl's father wrote out directions for a shortcut to get
S2: us back to the main highway. It was a warm
S2: day and we had the windows rolled down in the car.
S2: Traffic was heavy, but it was moving along at a
S2: pretty good clip, and then a gust of wind sucked
S2: the directions from the dashboard and right out the passenger
S2: side window. We had no idea where we were and
S2: no idea where we should go. And this was back
S2: in the dark ages. No GPS, no cell phone. A
S2: story number two. Two years later, I was a freshman
S2: in college. Harry Balbach from Word of Life was flying
S2: to our school for meetings, and I was asked to
S2: drive to National Airport. Now Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
S2: in D.C. to pick him up. I had never been
S2: to National Airport, nor had I ever met Harry Balbach,
S2: but in my naive state, I wondered how hard this
S2: could be. I mean, after all, in our airport back home,
S2: we only had a very limited number of planes arrive
S2: each day. I would just watch for a plane to
S2: land and look for someone wearing a suit. Right. And
S2: then I walked into the first major airport I'd ever
S2: seen and experienced a wave of panic. There were scores
S2: of flights and gates and hundreds of people in suits.
S2: I didn't know the airline he was flying on, or
S2: the arrival time, or the gate number or what Harry
S2: Balbach even looked like I knew nothing. So what's the
S2: common element between the two stories? Well, apart from my
S2: own stupidity, it's that growing sense of uncertainty or unease
S2: bordering almost on panic when you suddenly realize you have
S2: no idea what you're doing or what you're supposed to
S2: be doing. Now, before I go on, let me quickly
S2: provide the happy ending to both stories. Somehow, my friend
S2: and I saw a sign telling us the way to
S2: the Pennsylvania Turnpike. I didn't know where that went, and
S2: I knew what exit to take to get home. I
S2: made it home just as the sun was starting to
S2: set and Harry balbach well, I shot up a desperate
S2: prayer to heaven. Lord, help me find Harry Balbach. And
S2: as I turned around, there was a man standing and
S2: holding a handwritten sign that said I'm Harry Balbach. He
S2: had the presence of mind to anticipate the lack of
S2: experience of a typical college freshman. Now, what does all
S2: this have to do with our journey today into Asia minor?
S2: The western part of modern Turkey. We're here today traveling
S2: with a very perplexed Apostle Paul. He's on his second
S2: missionary journey, and things haven't been going as well as
S2: he had hoped. The trip hadn't even started before Paul
S2: and Barnabas got into a heated discussion over whether they
S2: ought to take a Long John Mark, who had abandoned
S2: them on their earlier journey. Acts 1539 records the result.
S2: They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company.
S2: Paul chose Silas and headed into Asia minor, but their
S2: journey was as roundabout as the one my friend and
S2: I took on those back roads in Pennsylvania. Here's how
S2: Luke described their itinerary. Paul and his companions traveled throughout
S2: the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by
S2: the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province
S2: of Asia. When they came to the border of Mysia,
S2: they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus
S2: wouldn't allow them to. So they passed by Mysia and
S2: went down to Troas. Now most of those names are
S2: unfamiliar to the average person, and that's where a good
S2: Bible atlas can help. Leaving behind the cities Paul had
S2: visited on his first missionary journey, the intrepid travelers initially
S2: planned to head west into the province of Asia. This
S2: is where the major cities like Ephesus and Pergamum were located,
S2: but God prohibited them from heading in that direction. The
S2: two travelers and their entourage then pivoted to the north,
S2: passing through Phrygia and Galatia. They reached the border of
S2: Mysia and assumed the most logical destination would then be Bithynia,
S2: along the southern shore of the Black Sea. But once
S2: again God set up a spiritual do not enter sign
S2: to block their way. The one direction that now remained
S2: open was due west along the border between Mysia and Bithynia,
S2: but they soon found themselves running into a dead end
S2: When they reached the port city of Troas, about 15
S2: miles from the ancient city of Troy. I wonder if
S2: Paul might have felt similar to how I felt when
S2: trying to find Harry Balbach. Now what Lord, were you
S2: trying to send us? And that night, God provided an
S2: answer even more dramatic than turning to see a man
S2: holding a sign with his name on it. During the night,
S2: Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing
S2: and begging him, come over to Macedonia and help us.
S2: Now I suppose God could have told Paul his final
S2: destination at the very beginning. Likely it would have saved
S2: Paul both time and perhaps some confusion had he known
S2: to head straight to Macedonia. But God's directions aren't always
S2: that direct. So why did God use a roundabout way
S2: to get Paul to Macedonia? We're not told directly, but
S2: there are some details in the account that do offer
S2: a few clues. First, if Paul had known from the
S2: very beginning that Macedonia was to be his final destination,
S2: he might have traveled there directly by boat from Syrian Antioch.
S2: But had he done that, he wouldn't have encountered young
S2: Timothy in Lystra. And Timothy plays a large part in
S2: Paul's later ministry. And then there's a tiny detail with
S2: great significance. Once Paul finally arrived in Troas. Listen carefully
S2: to the change in pronouns in the account. Verse eight.
S2: So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. Paul, Silas,
S2: and Timothy went to Troas. Now verses 10 to 12,
S2: after Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at
S2: once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called
S2: us to preach the gospel to them. From Troas we
S2: put out to sea, and sailed straight for Samothrace, and
S2: the next day on to Neapolis. From there we traveled
S2: to Philippi. The switch from third person to first person
S2: marks the entrance of Luke into Paul's life and ministry.
S2: We're not told the circumstances, but that slight change lets
S2: us know that Luke was a believer, that he lived
S2: in Troas, and that this is where he first joins
S2: Paul on his travels. God orchestrated this divine rendezvous between
S2: Paul and Luke. Finally, God arranged for Paul to arrive
S2: in Philippi at just the right time. A few days
S2: after his arrival, Paul and his entourage went outside the
S2: city gate to the river, where we expected to find
S2: a place of prayer. We sat down and began to
S2: speak with the women who had gathered there. One of
S2: those listening was a woman named Lydia. The city apparently
S2: didn't have a synagogue, but it did have some women
S2: who wanted to know and follow the God of the Bible.
S2: And one of those women was Lydia. She heard and believed,
S2: and she provided a place to stay for Paul, Silas,
S2: and Timothy and Luke. So who was the man from
S2: Macedonia who begged Paul to come? Some think it was Luke,
S2: but were never told that that's the case. It was
S2: a vision, so it might simply have been a supernatural
S2: dream given by God to Paul. We tend to focus
S2: on that vision, but I'm amazed at all the other
S2: details God brought together to connect Paul and Silas with Timothy,
S2: and then with Luke in Troas, just in time to
S2: direct them to Philippi, to encounter a very special woman
S2: who became the first convert to Christianity in Europe. So
S2: what's the lesson in all this for us? Perhaps this.
S2: Don't get frustrated when life seemingly becomes messy, cluttered, and
S2: even a bit disorganized. God could be working behind the
S2: scenes to direct you to just the right place, and
S2: just the right person at just the right time. Keep
S2: trusting God and keep moving forward.
S1: Well, that's practical and really love those stories. Glad you
S1: made your way back home and glad you finally did
S1: discover who Harry Baalbek was. Well, our time is gone,
S1: but you can hear the entire program again at our website.
S1: The land and the book.org for Charlie Dyer and Dan Anderson.
S1: I'm John Geiger, the land and the book is a
S1: production of Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.