S1: Hello friends. It's time for the second hour of Open
S1: Line with Doctor Michael Ray. Domenic Moody Radio's Bible Study
S1: Across America. We're talking about your questions about the Bible,
S1: God and the spiritual life. My name is Michael Ray.
S1: I'm the academic dean and a professor of Jewish studies
S1: and Bible at Moody Bible Institute. We're live today sitting
S1: around the radio kitchen table taking your questions. So give
S1: me a call right now. The phone number (877) 548-3675. That's (877) 548-3675.
S1: Beginning the hour. Always the best time to call. So, uh,
S1: give us a call (877) 548-3675. If you can't call, you
S1: can go to our website, open line radio.org. There's a
S1: link there that says Ask Michael a question. Click over
S1: there and you'll you'll be able to post your question
S1: and Trish will collate it. Put it all together and
S1: we'll put them in the mailbag and take them at
S1: a future day. I hope you have your second cup
S1: of coffee and your Bible still open, because we're going
S1: to continue talking about the scriptures, and we're going to
S1: start with trip in central Illinois listening on the Moody
S1: Radio app. Welcome to Open Line Trip. How can I
S1: help you today?
S2: Good morning. Thank you for having me on. So I've
S2: been a Christian a long time, listened to Moody Radio
S2: for several decades. So many excellent speakers such as yourself.
S2: My question is regarding the Trinity, and one of the
S2: things that I've picked up is that, of course, and
S2: I believe the Trinity is three distinct persons, just like
S2: Jesus was 100% man, 100% God when he was here
S2: on earth. The Trinity is three distinct persons in quotes.
S2: And then the last part of that is we will
S2: never fully understand the Trinity till we get to heaven.
S2: So my question is if it's if God the Father,
S2: God the Son, God the Holy Spirit is three distinct persons.
S2: Am I not supposed to have a relationship with each
S2: three each of the three? Should I not be speaking
S2: to each of the one praying to each of them?
S1: And that would be like having three gods, wouldn't it
S1: be trip? Or is there just one God?
S2: No. Well, again, it's this mystery of three persons or
S2: 3 in 1. So I tried.
S1: Wait, wait. Trip trip trip trip trip. I hear what
S1: you're saying. But three persons. But one essence. Yes. I mean,
S1: there's only one God. Uh, yes. And and so, uh,
S1: it seems to me that we should pray in the
S1: way that the Lord Jesus taught us to pray. Right.
S1: How's that.
S2: Lord's Prayer? That was that was my next part of
S2: my question. We have that. But what other scripture? That's
S2: the other part of my question. What scripture do we
S2: have to lead us one way or the other in
S2: this understanding or misunderstanding?
S1: First of all, we have the Lord's Prayer which directs us.
S1: He gives us a model prayer. It's not that we
S1: pray that very prayer. It's a model. It's exemplary. It
S1: teach us to pray. Pray in this way. And it
S1: starts off by saying, our Father in heaven.
S2: Mhm.
S1: And so we we address our prayers to God the Father.
S1: And then if you read the Upper Room discourse, the
S1: Lord directs the disciples in John 14 1516, uh, to
S1: pray in the name of the son. Uh, for example. Well, uh,
S1: John 1413, whatever you ask in my name, I will
S1: do it so that your father may be glorified in
S1: the son. Uh, and, uh, so the idea is that
S1: we pray to the father in the name of the son. But, uh,
S1: where's the Holy Spirit in this? Well, it's interesting to me.
S1: In John 15, it says that the spirit of truth
S1: who proceeds from the father, he will testify about me. So, uh,
S1: some people have called that the shy. The reason that
S1: the the the shy, the shy person of the Godhead,
S1: the Holy Spirit is not about himself, but about pointing
S1: people to the son. And, uh, so the shy Holy Spirit,
S1: by the way, again, John 16, I assure you, anything
S1: you ask the father in my name. He will give you. Uh,
S1: and so the clearest, clearest teaching I have from the
S1: Lord Jesus himself about prayer is that we should pray
S1: to the father in the name of the son. But
S1: the Holy Spirit has a role in empowering our prayers. Uh,
S1: the Holy Spirit guides us. Uh, and even we can
S1: ask God to have the Holy Spirit guide us into
S1: what we need to pray. I think God has to
S1: be in our prayer list as well. Uh, the Holy
S1: Spirit also, when we don't know how to pray anymore,
S1: we're at the end of our rope. It says in
S1: Romans eight that the Holy Spirit prays for us. In
S1: the same way, the spirit also joins to help in
S1: our weakness, because there are times we do not know
S1: what to pray for as we should, but the spirit
S1: himself intercedes for us. So the Holy Spirit and words
S1: and groans too deep for words. It's not audible in
S1: any way. But the Holy Spirit will intercede for us.
S1: And I think there's a verse in Philippians, uh, that, uh,
S1: seems to talk about the Holy Spirit's power. Oh, this
S1: is it. Uh, uh, it's Ephesians 618. Pray at all
S1: times in the spirit. Sometimes people take that, uh, as being, uh,
S1: praying in a unlearned language or something like that, or,
S1: or ecstatic utterance or something like that. That's not what
S1: it means. It means pray at all times in the
S1: power of the spirit, allowing the Holy Spirit to invade
S1: our prayer lists. Um, and and that's what what it's
S1: talking about. So, uh, The idea is that when we pray,
S1: we pray to the father in the name of the son,
S1: by the power of the Holy Spirit invading our prayer lists.
S1: And that's how we should pray, not as having we
S1: not like having an individual relationship with each member of
S1: the Godhead, but praying to the one God, to the
S1: father in the name of the son, by the power
S1: of the spirit. Does that help at all, Tripp?
S2: Well it helps. I'm still a little bit murky on this. And,
S2: you know, there's all kinds of songs and so forth about,
S2: you know, I walk with Jesus and Jesus carries me
S2: and on the sand and so forth. And it.
S1: Does. Yeah. Let me ask you, Tripp. Tripp. Tripp, where
S1: are you going? To get your guidance for how to
S1: pray from the Lord Jesus and the word of God
S1: or from songs?
S2: Yes.
S1: I hope not. From songs, of course.
S3: Right. Right.
S1: Okay.
S3: No.
S2: That's true. That's a.
S3: Basic.
S1: Yeah. Uh, we don't we don't, uh, make decisions by
S1: what we think is a good idea. Uh, we don't
S1: make decisions about how to pray based on a song
S1: that we've heard, or a poem that we've read or
S1: a poster we've seen. The way we learn how to pray.
S1: And by the way, I would recommend wonderful books. I
S1: can't even you know how to resurrect a dead prayer.
S1: Life is one of them. But there are many books,
S1: several books written about prayer by doctor Bill Thrasher, a
S1: professor at Moody. Uh, you can look up Bill Thrasher
S1: about all the books he's written about prayer. I would
S1: I would really encourage you, uh, to pick up some
S1: of those books. He gives a great biblical guidance on
S1: how we're supposed to be praying. Uh, he's he's one
S1: of the godliest men I know. He's, uh. I've known
S1: him for 50 years. Uh, he is. He's taught spiritual
S1: life at Moody for about 49 of those 50 years. Uh,
S1: he was a doctoral student when I was a graduate student,
S1: a master's student in graduate school, and, uh.
S3: Wow.
S1: I just I've known him forever. And he has lived
S1: out that commitment to prayer. And he teaches people how
S1: to pray better than anyone I know. So, uh, why
S1: don't you pick up some of his books there? So.
S3: Okay.
S1: Uh, they're so biblical. Uh, that's what I love. He
S1: he gets the guidance for how? There we go. Uh,
S1: my producer just posted one A Journey to Victorious Praying
S1: by Bill Thrasher. That's a great book, too. So, um.
S3: Check.
S1: Check it.
S3: You know what? You know what, trip?
S1: I'm. That's a moody book. So how about you hang
S1: on a second? Uh, I bet Moody Publishers, uh, would
S1: happily send you a copy of A Journey to Victoria
S1: spraying everyone out there. If you're listening and you think
S1: I would like to enhance my prayer life, uh, that's
S1: a a great, great book, I'd encourage you to pick
S1: it up. You can go to Moody publishers.com, and you
S1: can find it there, or any online bookstore or Christian bookstore,
S1: wherever you want to go. But trip, you hang on.
S1: We'll get your, uh, your address and, uh, to here.
S1: We'll get that information and we'll send you a copy
S1: of Bill Thrasher's Journey to Victorious. Praying. Okay.
S3: Thanks so much.
S1: Yeah, sure. Uh, thanks. Thanks for your call. Uh, you know,
S1: we're going to take a break here. Uh, and when
S1: we come back, uh, we'll have time to, uh, to
S1: take your question, the phone number (877) 548-3675. You're listening to
S1: Open Line on Moody Radio. My name is Michael Melnick.
S1: More questions coming up straight ahead. So stay with us.
S1: And we're back. Uh, you know, I think that, uh,
S1: this is Michael Ray Melnick. You're listening to Open Line.
S1: There are times when I just can't encourage you enough, uh,
S1: to consider giving a gift to open line. Not because
S1: I think. I think our thank you response, our resource
S1: is so fantastic. Uh, and we'll send it to you
S1: for a gift of any size. I'd love everyone to
S1: build a good biblical library. Maybe I shouldn't, because that
S1: would put me out of a job. If people consult
S1: their books, uh, they're not going to call me with
S1: their questions. But I do think you need a library
S1: and you should be able to check things out for yourself.
S1: I obviously talk about getting the Moody Bible Commentary. I
S1: think it's a wonderful resource to help you understand the Bible,
S1: but another resource that every believer should have is a
S1: Bible dictionary. And there are things that you wonder about persons, places,
S1: things in the Bible, you know, what are the Urim
S1: and Thummim? Things like that. And we want to send
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S1: That's the I love this publisher. They published one of
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S1: of any size, the Ultimate Bible Dictionary. The Ultimate Bible
S1: dictionary is about the size of your hand. It's a
S1: small book with a ton of information. It's easy to use.
S1: It's a great resource. I really want to encourage everyone
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S1: Let me give you that number again if you want
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S1: we're going to talk to Lee in Cleveland, Ohio. Uh,
S1: listening on CRF. Welcome to Open Line. Lee, how can
S1: I help you today?
S4: Uh, yes, doctor. Um, you were, uh, were you were
S4: on the run the other day, and, uh, someone asked
S4: you where, uh, in scripture does Jesus say that he's God? And, uh,
S4: that's my question. And I've got pen in hand to
S4: write it down.
S1: Okay. You got a pen in hand, right?
S3: Well.
S1: Where does Jesus exclusively. Is that what you're talking about?
S1: Where does Jesus claim deity, or where does the New
S1: Testament attribute deity to him?
S4: Well, I would say both, because I want to write
S4: that down. That's something I've been wanting steady for quite
S4: some time.
S3: Okay.
S1: Okay. Um, well, a good place to start is, uh,
S1: John 14. You know, I was all all ready to
S1: go to. But if we're going to look at I
S1: was going to go to the Pauline epistles, but John 14. Uh,
S1: in verse eight, uh, Philip says, Lord, show us the father. Uh,
S1: John 14 eight Jesus said to him, have I been
S1: among you all this time without your knowing me, Philip?
S1: The one who has seen me has seen the father.
S1: How can you say. Show us the father. Don't you
S1: believe that I am in the father? And the father
S1: is in me? Uh. The words I speak to you.
S1: I do not speak on my own. The father who
S1: lives in me does his works. Believe in me that
S1: I am in the father, and the father is in me.
S1: If you've seen me, you've seen the father. In other words,
S1: if you've seen me as deity, you've seen the deity
S1: of the father as well. The essence of deity. That's
S1: one place, uh, and uh, then, uh, another uh, verse
S1: is in John eight.
S3: Where 24.
S1: Well, no, that's not that's not the verse. But, uh, when, uh,
S1: your father Abraham was overjoyed that he would see my day.
S1: That's verse 56. He saw it and rejoiced. And they said,
S1: you're not even 50 years old. And you've seen Abraham.
S1: Jesus said to them, I assure you, before Abraham was,
S1: I am. He is declaring his pre-existence. That's one thing.
S1: But more than that, when he says I am, he
S1: is using the Jewish name, the Jewish name for deity,
S1: for God. And so by saying, I am who I am,
S1: basically Jesus is claiming deity. Uh, other places where, uh,
S1: people pick up stones to stone him are significant as well. Uh, so, Jesus, uh,
S1: that happens in, uh, in, uh, John ten, uh, 25
S1: through 33. Uh, that's. That's one of the important verses, uh,
S1: where he says, uh, No one is able to. I,
S1: the father and I are one. John 1030. And they
S1: picked up stones to stone him, because they understood that
S1: that he was claiming deity. That's the same thing that
S1: happened when he said before Abraham was I am. In
S1: John 859 they also picked up stones to throw at
S1: him because he was equating himself with deity. Uh, so
S1: I think lots of places in John. Also, when asked
S1: if he is the Messiah, the Lord Jesus says, you'll
S1: see the Son of Man descending. That's in Matthew, uh,
S1: which is a claim of deity. And the high priest
S1: understands this. Uh, he tears his robes and says, what
S1: more do we need? He's committed blasphemy. He understands this.
S3: And I.
S1: Think one. Really? Pardon me.
S4: That's Matthew. What?
S1: Uh, I'll tell you. Yeah. You expect me to know?
S1: Off the top of my head? I should, but it's
S1: in Matthew chapter 20. And it says in 26. Uh,
S1: let's see if I can find it. There it is,
S1: verse 20, chapter 26, verse 63. Tell us if you
S1: are the Messiah, the Son of God. Verse 64, you've
S1: said it. Jesus told him, but I tell you, in
S1: the future you will see the Son of Man seated
S1: at the right hand of power. That's deity and coming
S1: on the clouds of heaven. That's citing from Daniel 713,
S1: where there's this deity figure called the Son of Man.
S1: And the high priest tore his robes and said, he
S1: has blasphemed because he's claiming deity. Why do we need witnesses? Look,
S1: now you've heard that. Blasphemy. What is your decision. So
S1: Matthew 26, verses 63 through 64. And of course this
S1: is in written by John. It's not a self-declaration in
S1: John by the Messiah, but here's what it says in
S1: John chapter one. In the beginning was the word, and
S1: the word was with God, and the word was God.
S1: He was with God in the beginning. All things were
S1: created through him, and apart from him not one thing
S1: was created that has been created. Life was in him
S1: and that life was the light of men. The light
S1: shines in the darkness. The darkness did not overcome it.
S1: Then you look at. Verse 14, the word that was
S1: the eternal God. The word became flesh and took up
S1: residence among us. Uh, so, uh, that's a verse that
S1: indicates that Jesus is fully God and the God man.
S1: He became flesh. Okay.
S4: Okay. Are there any.
S3: More? There's a lot more.
S1: I really encourage you, uh, to do. Do you have
S1: a book like, um, uh, the Moody Handbook of Theology?
S4: Uh, no, I don't.
S1: Okay, well, you hang on. We're going to get you
S1: a copy of the Moody Handbook of Theology. Uh, the
S1: Moody Handbook of Theology goes through the deity of the Messiah,
S1: the deity of Christ, in a in a very clear way. Uh,
S1: and I think this is one of the problems that
S1: we have is, you know, we we sometimes forget that
S1: we need to pull together everything that the Bible says
S1: on a particular subject. Uh, and that's why we have
S1: a book like the Moody Handbook of Theology. Uh, because
S1: it does that very thing. Okay. So you hang on, Lee, uh, to, uh, uh, Well,
S1: if you get Lee's address, if you're listening and you
S1: think I'd like a better grip of theology, that's one
S1: of the books that you could get the the Moody.
S1: It's and it's easy to understand. It's written for everyday people.
S1: It's the Moody Handbook of Theology by Paul Ends. Great tool.
S1: I really, really encourage you to get a copy that's
S1: going to help you a lot. Um, we're going to
S1: go back to the phones now and talk to, uh,
S1: Ruth in Tampa Bay, Florida, listening on Moody Radio. Uh,
S1: welcome to Open Line. Ruth. How can I help you today?
S5: Well, hello, Michael. I am a kitchen table partner. Saturday morning.
S1: Hey. Thank you. Thank you so much.
S5: I appreciate it, I love it. You've been listening to
S5: you for many years. I grew up listening to Moody Radio.
S5: I have a new friend here in, um, the community
S5: in Florida here who said, I've never had any pastor
S5: be able to answer this question. I said, well, ask me,
S5: you know, maybe I'll call Michael and ask him about.
S5: So here we are. He she said, um, she said.
S1: Now is he. Let me ask you, is he a
S1: cynic or is he someone that believes?
S5: No, she believes she is a lady. She believes. Believes Arianna.
S5: She believes. And, um, but she's a baby Christian. She
S5: just accepted Christ through my friend who's an evangelist, and she's, um.
S5: She's a riot. She's so much fun. So we're spending
S5: a lot of time together because she makes me laugh, right?
S5: So that's always a good thing anyway. So. Yeah. And we're, um.
S5: I was just thinking I should have invited you to
S5: the wedding. We're we're we're getting we're having a reception
S5: next week. We got married in January in Chicago, and
S5: now we're down here to have receptions. But anyway, sorry
S5: I didn't get you an invitation. Anyway, this is her
S5: question now. Um, Genesis three, Adam and Eve. Okay, so
S5: she said, how could the the how could the devil,
S5: the serpent, have tempted Eve when he hadn't even been
S5: kicked out of heaven yet? And she said, she's asked
S5: all these pastors this. And I said, you know what?
S5: I think I know the answer, but I'm going to
S5: ask Michael because I think it has to do with timing.
S5: He had to have already been kicked out of heaven.
S5: He already was the serpent. Right. And then it made
S5: me think, well, I wish there was a way we
S5: could know, because, you know, the Bible, the Old Testament especially,
S5: isn't in order, right? It's it's like, is there something
S5: like with this, this new book, you're saying the dictionary
S5: or the commentary? Does it talk about the order of
S5: the actual. Because I know anyway.
S1: Well, I'm sure The Moody Handbook of Theology is a
S1: book that I don't remember off the top of my head,
S1: whether it does, but I'm pretty sure it's got a
S1: section on Angelology, and it has the.
S5: Oh, that's what it's called. Entomology.
S1: Angel ology. Angel ology?
S5: Oh, angelology.
S1: Oh, yeah. Yeah. Now who's getting married?
S5: I, I got married in January in Chicago, and we're
S5: here because I have a place in Florida, and we're
S5: having two receptions because I have a.
S1: Who are you marrying? Is what I want to know.
S5: I am, I am, I'm Marrying. I'm marrying Rick Howell.
S5: He's the most wonderful man.
S1: Okay.
S5: Okay. I already married him. I already married him. But
S5: I was like, oh, man, I should have invited Michael.
S5: You could have had a trip down to Florida.
S1: Yeah, that would be great. That's great. I was a
S1: little confused there when you. What you were saying? Okay, okay. Uh, now, um.
S1: And revelation 12, it talks about, uh, the Satan and
S1: his tail swept away a third of the stars and
S1: hurled them to earth. Uh, and so at the rebellion
S1: of Satan, I believe Satan was cast out of heaven. Uh,
S1: the Lord Jesus says the same thing, uh, when he says,
S1: I saw Satan cast from heaven. Okay. When he fell,
S1: he was cast out of heaven. But that didn't mean
S1: that he didn't have access to.
S5: Uh, um.
S1: To heaven. So that we see in the book of
S1: job when all the sons of God present themselves. Satan
S1: presents himself there with the other angels, the sons of
S1: God being a term for angels. So and in the
S1: middle of the tribulation he will be cast out of
S1: heaven one more time for good. But the original casting
S1: out of Satan happened when he fell, which was likely
S1: before the world was even created, or perhaps after the
S1: world was created. And that's why he that's when he
S1: became the God of this world. And that's when he, uh, uh,
S1: tried to tempt Satan. Satan tried to tempt Eve. And so, uh,
S1: they he was cast out upon, uh, his rebellion, but
S1: still had access. And he will have his final casting
S1: out right about the middle of the tribulation. And he's
S1: going to turn with venom, uh, on the people of God,
S1: the Jewish people, uh, during the tribulation period. That's what
S1: revelation 12 indicates.
S5: But the access is what? That's interesting. That's the question.
S5: The access that he has.
S1: Yeah. He's. Yeah. People think, well, how can he have
S1: access to God if God it's a place of purity. Uh, but, uh,
S1: God gives him access and is not affected by Satan's sin. Uh.
S5: Jobe. Anyway, Jobe, I know we got music coming, but.
S6: Yeah, well.
S1: Uh, in job chapter one, we're going to come right
S1: back with more of your questions in just a moment.
S1: Stay with us. And we're back. I'm so glad to
S1: be with you today. My name is Michael Riedel, and
S1: it's time for the Febc mailbag. We're grateful that the
S1: Far Eastern Broadcasting Company partners with Openline to bring you
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S1: over the globe, through media, through personal engagement. It is
S1: a terrific ministry. You can check out their podcast. It's
S1: called Until All Have Heard by going to Febc. Org
S1: or to wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Check out febc.
S1: Great location to see all about this really terrific ministry.
S1: Joining me right now is Taira Taira Haynes. She is the, uh,
S1: producer of Open Line. Uh, producer, associate producer, secondary producer.
S1: Other producer. What do we call you? I don't know.
S7: My official title is producer. Uh, just in general for
S7: Moody Radio. But, of course, Tricia is the Open Line
S7: senior producer.
S1: She's. Tricia is my boss, course. I always say whatever
S1: Tricia says I do. You know? That's what I do. Hey,
S1: you know, uh, people have been asking me, when are
S1: we going to go back to Israel? Yes. And I have, uh, I'm.
S1: I know people are a little nervous. They say, oh,
S1: there's a war. We're not going to go any place
S1: that's dangerous. We're going to be in a safe place.
S1: But we're going September 7th. Uh, there's, uh, a great trip.
S1: We're going to walk. Uh, I always say we we
S1: not only walk where? Jesus. Walk where you walk where? Jesus. Uh,
S1: we all sail where Jesus walked. That's what we'll do,
S1: because we're going to go on a boat on the
S1: Sea of Galilee. And, uh, we're going to have a
S1: great time. And if you're interested in joining me in Israel,
S1: a great way to do that is go to Open
S1: Line radio.org. Click on the link that says Michael's, uh,
S1: web page. And that will take you to my web page, michael.org.
S1: And there's a link there about trips to Israel, upcoming
S1: trips in a variety of ways. So if you're interested
S1: in that, check out Open Line Radio org and go
S1: to the link that says Michael's personal web page.
S7: Thank you for that.
S1: Yeah. And okay, so we've got some questions here.
S7: We do. Yes. Thank you. Our first question is from
S7: Lisa in Ohio. Listening from she says, I have a
S7: friend who believes the Gospels were written 300 years ago,
S7: written 300 years ago. She says she has not heard that,
S7: but she does want to know when they were written
S7: and how she should respond to her friend.
S1: Yeah. Well, uh. Robinson wrote a book called Redating the Gospels.
S1: I believe it is. Uh, I'm looking it up right now.
S1: Uh redating. The New Testament, that's what it's called. Um,
S1: Rethinking the dates of the New Testament. Maybe that's it,
S1: but Don A.T. Robinson wrote redating the New Testament. Uh,
S1: that's a book that really makes a case for the
S1: New Testament being including the Gospels being much earlier than
S1: critics have assessed. And I think that's a really great thing. But,
S1: for example, the Gospel of John is one is considered
S1: the latest gospel. Most people believe it was written about 95,
S1: 90 to 95. And we have the John Rylands document.
S1: It's a fragment in Coptic, not even in Greek, the
S1: original language. It's a fragment from the Gospel of John
S1: found in Egypt, not in Israel. And it's dated about 125, 120,
S1: something like that. Some people even say earlier. Now, the
S1: point about that is, if the Gospel of John was
S1: not written to 300. How do we have a fragment
S1: of the Gospel of John in a different language that's
S1: already been translated in a different location, from a different
S1: from where it was written? I mean, that's ludicrous. We
S1: have this fragment. Also, there are many, many papyri. A
S1: papyrus was sort of a writing paper that was used
S1: in Egypt, and because of the dry climate there, it
S1: was preserved. And we have papyri of the New Testament
S1: from much earlier, from the late first century and early
S1: second century. And, and it shows that the critics, who
S1: mostly in the mid 19th century, wanted to redate the
S1: New Testament as 304 hundred were completely wrong, because all
S1: the fragments we have the papyri from Egypt from late
S1: first century, early second century, but I would say redating
S1: the New Testament by John A.T. Robinson, which deals with the.
S1: It's about a 50 year old book, but it deals
S1: with 20 20th century evidence of the early books of
S1: the New Testament.
S7: Thank you for that resource. Thank you. We also have
S7: a question from Jennifer in Illinois. She says that the story,
S7: she wonders, is the story of Jonah real when it
S7: comes to him being swallowed by the whale or large fish?
S1: Is the story of Jonah wrong? Hmm. Ah. You know,
S1: people get all worked up that there was a miracle
S1: that Jonah survived, right? But, you know, the parting of
S1: the Red sea. Big miracle. Resurrection of Lazarus. Big miracle.
S1: If you believe in a God of creation, that God
S1: can create the world with a word. Uh, then certainly
S1: Jonah could have been real and that story could be true.
S1: And I believe it is now. I guess in terms
S1: of genre, when the Bible has narrative story, it doesn't
S1: present it as myth in the sense of, oh, this
S1: is just a story. It's not a just so story. Uh,
S1: like Rudyard Kipling did. It's not Greek mythology. What it is,
S1: is it's factual. It states as fact what happened? Uh,
S1: now it's certainly, uh, composed in such a way to
S1: communicate a message. There's no doubt about that. But it
S1: is not. It is taken as at face value as true.
S1: And so, in light of that being the nature of
S1: Hebrew narrative, uh, in the Bible, I would say that
S1: the story of Jonah, particularly the narrative portions, should be
S1: accepted as factual and that Jonah really was a person,
S1: especially when you think about the Lord Jesus. He talks
S1: about Jonah like a real person. Uh, I think he
S1: would know if he wasn't so. So I would say, yeah, uh, yeah,
S1: we should take it at face value.
S7: Thank you so much for that question. We have another question.
S7: And this one is from Sheila in North Carolina. Listening
S7: through what she is reading a book about communion. And
S7: she says there are, um, are there scriptures that says
S7: communion has the power to heal us and that we
S7: should take communion or that we should take communion to
S7: be healed? And then also, is communion supposed to be
S7: taken with only your blood family, or is it to
S7: be taken with the body of Christ?
S1: Well, first of all, the easier question is the second one, uh,
S1: or the gentler answer is first Corinthians 11 teaches that
S1: it's a fellowship meal for believers. So we take it
S1: in the in our congregations together with other followers of Jesus. Um. Uh,
S1: the she she bases this on a book called The
S1: Power of Communion Assessing miracles through the Body and Blood
S1: of Jesus. Um, now, let me just say, first of all,
S1: the Bible tells us what the purpose of communion is,
S1: and it never says it's healing. The Bible says, uh, that, uh.
S1: Jesus said, do this in remembrance of me. So the
S1: point of it, just like a Passover meal, which is
S1: this the the Lord's Supper is rooted in the Passover meal,
S1: just as in the same way, uh, uh, the Passover
S1: was a memorial meal. So the Lord's Supper is a
S1: memorial meal. It's to remember, uh, the Lord's death and
S1: resurrection implied, uh, until he comes. So we do this
S1: in remembrance of him. It's a proclaim. It's a proclamation meal.
S1: It proclaims our faith because we show forth the Lord's death.
S1: Until he comes. We proclaim. We proclaim his death and
S1: resurrection and return with this meal. So we're remembering and
S1: we're proclaiming by taking it. There's nothing in Scripture that
S1: would say that, uh, communion heals us. Uh, there's a
S1: book review by Ben Johnson on this book called The
S1: Power of Communion. And the book review Ben Johnson says
S1: he quotes Spurgeon. Spurgeon says discernment is not knowing the
S1: difference between right. This is what the quote that he
S1: has of Spurgeon. Discernment is not knowing the difference between
S1: right and wrong. It's knowing the difference between right and
S1: almost right. Now, what I think is funny is that
S1: this author who wrote the review said, unfortunately, there's nothing
S1: even almost right in this book. It is utterly and
S1: completely wrong and don't even waste a minute on reading it. Uh.
S1: The power of communion. Uh. Waste of time. Totally unbiblical. So. Okay.
S7: Thank you so much.
S1: You know, before we, uh, break here, I do want
S1: to say thank you for being part of the team
S1: to hear you're here. Even when Tricia is, uh, you
S1: do so much, uh, to help out during the week.
S1: And I appreciate how much you do on all these
S1: different moody radio programs. And I really appreciate you being
S1: part of the Open Line team, as is Lisa, who's
S1: there today. Uh, I think it is just a great help.
S1: And I appreciate Omar, who keeps keeps me sounding good
S1: and keeps me from cutting off and other things like that.
S1: Omar Mendoza's great team member and I appreciate every listener.
S1: I think a listener is part of the team too.
S1: You know, what would we do if we had this
S1: program and no one was listening? No one was calling? Uh,
S1: it is amazing and I'm grateful for that. I'm grateful
S1: for our partners, our kitchen table partners who are also
S1: part of the team. They want to keep us on
S1: the air. So they give monthly. And I so appreciate it. And, uh,
S1: one of the things I'll be doing is, uh, today
S1: recording another Bible study moment with Omar. Uh, we're going
S1: to get that out to our open line listeners, our
S1: kitchen table partners. Every other week. They get that Bible
S1: study moment, a special audio Bible study prepared exclusively for
S1: our kitchen table partners. So thank you so much for you.
S1: Kitchen table Partners for being part of the team. And
S1: I really want to encourage you, if you are part
S1: of the team of listeners, you may want to become
S1: part of the team of Kitchen Table Partners as well.
S1: If you're listening, the way you can become a kitchen
S1: table partner is by just committing to give monthly and
S1: call (888) 644-7122. That's (888) 644-7122. Or go to open line radio.org.
S1: And uh uh, I hope I hope you'll consider joining
S1: us as being part of that team as well. Thanks
S1: to Hera for helping with the Febc. Uh, mailbag. We're
S1: going to come right back with more of your called
S1: in questions, not your mailed in questions in just a moment.
S1: You're listening to Open Line with Michael Ray Melnick to
S1: hear Haynes. And we'll be right back. More Bible study
S1: across America. America coming up straight ahead. Welcome back to
S1: Open Line. My name is Michael Radonich. I've had a
S1: great time with you this morning studying the Bible together.
S1: People frequently ask questions about the Jewish people and Israel.
S1: I see we have a caller that we hope we
S1: can get on the air. Who has a question about that? Uh,
S1: where do the Jewish people fit in the plan of God?
S1: Are they still the chosen people? Well Chosen People Ministries,
S1: one of our radio partners, is offering a free book,
S1: Why Israel? It explores the topic of Israel through the
S1: lens of Scripture as the church replaced Israel and the
S1: plan of God. Does ethnic Israel still have a future?
S1: What should we think about Israel today? These questions and
S1: more are answered in this book. Why Israel? For a
S1: free copy, just go to our website openline. radio.org. Scroll
S1: down until you see the link that says A free
S1: gift from Chosen People Ministries. Click on that. You'll be
S1: taken to a page where you can sign up for
S1: your own copy of Why Israel? We're going to talk
S1: to Claudio in Skokie, Illinois, listening on WNBA. Welcome to
S1: Open Line, Claudio. How can I help you?
S8: Thank you, thank you. Doctor? Doctor. Uh, yeah. So my
S8: question is, um, as we're, you know, growing up in
S8: a Christian family or Christian church, and we're taught to
S8: fear the Lord, uh, as we mature and we accept
S8: the Lord as savior and we mature. Does that fear
S8: get replaced more by love? And I'm thinking, because of
S8: the passage in one John that says that perfect love
S8: casts out fear. So what fear of the Lord should
S8: we have as we mature in him?
S1: Well, first John 418 is what you're talking about. That's
S1: what I was heading for as you were starting to talk.
S1: There's no fear in love. Instead, perfect love drives out
S1: fear because fear involves punishment. So the one who fears
S1: has not reached perfection. in love. We love because he
S1: first loved us. Well, that's just talking about that. We
S1: don't have that servile, cringing fear of God that others
S1: would have standing before a holy God. We stand before
S1: a father who loves us one day.
S9: Okay, okay, that makes sense.
S1: And it's it's that's what it's saying. On the one hand,
S1: there isn't that kind of fear, that servile, terrified, uh,
S1: breathtaking fear. On the other hand, there's a verse that
S1: I want to encourage you to consider. Uh, it says
S1: in first Peter one, if you address as father the
S1: one who judges impartially based on each one's work, you
S1: are to conduct yourselves in fear during the time of
S1: your temporary residence, your time on earth. For you know
S1: that you were redeemed from your empty way of life,
S1: inherited from the fathers, not with perishable things like silver
S1: or gold, with the precious blood of of Messiah. Like
S1: the lamb without defect or blemish. Uh. So the one
S1: who called you is holy or to be holy. And
S1: if you address as father the one who judges impartially
S1: based on each one's work, you are to conduct yourselves
S1: in fear. What does that mean? If we're if perfect
S1: love drives out fear. That servile fear. How do we
S1: have fear of God the Father who loves us? Well,
S1: I think there's a a genuine recognition that even as
S1: a child of God, he could discipline me, and I,
S1: I don't want to be disciplined. I would rather, uh,
S1: not face correction for wrongdoing. How about you, Claudia?
S9: Yes, that that.
S1: That's a healthy fear. Don't you think that's a healthy
S1: fear to have? Uh, my son, I preach first Peter one.
S1: My son was listening. He was about eight years old.
S1: We went for a bike ride that afternoon. He said, dad,
S1: how come you said we should fear God because you
S1: know God loves us? That's the very question he had.
S1: And it was that passage in first Peter one. And
S1: I said to him, well, uh, do I love you? Yes.
S1: Are you afraid of me? He said, absolutely not. I said,
S1: what if you told a lie? He said, oh, you'd
S1: really give it to me. And I thought, yeah, he's right.
S1: And he does have a fear of fear of me.
S1: It's a healthy fear. So what I would say is, uh,
S1: first John 418 is saying that perfect love casts out unhealthy,
S1: servile fear. But if we love the father and we
S1: want to be holy, uh, then we have a healthy
S1: fear of what he expects of us. Don't you think?
S8: Yes, I appreciate that.
S9: Thank you so much.
S6: Yeah.
S1: Okay. Thanks, Claudia. Appreciate that. We're going to talk to
S1: Teresa in Georgia. Uh, who is listening, I guess, on
S1: the app. Welcome to Open Line. Theresa. How can I
S1: help you?
S10: Hi. Well, I had the comment about the Book of Enoch.
S1: Well, just go ahead. And we're really running up against
S1: the clock, so why don't you just go ask your question?
S11: I just, I just.
S10: Think it's very, uh, knowledgeable to open eyes from the
S10: Ethiopian standpoint, which is not in the King James Version.
S10: And it speaks more vividly about heaven.
S1: Okay. Wait, wait. Theresa is your is your question is,
S1: is the Book of Enoch in the Bible?
S10: It's not.
S1: Okay.
S10: It is.
S12: Not. Uh.
S1: Well, good. Well, it's, uh, it's not in the Bible.
S1: It is not inspired, uh, and it is not something
S1: that should be considered authoritative. Uh, and so I would
S1: just caution you about reading that. I, you know, it's
S1: hard enough to read the Bible every day. Stick with
S1: the Bible. I think it'll be better for us. Okay.
S10: But it does stick with the Bible. That's the whole point.
S1: Well, I don't think so. Appreciate you, Teresa, but no,
S1: I'm just saying stick with the Bible. You're you're going
S1: to do better with that if you stick with the word. Uh,
S1: we're going to quickly talk to Kirk. Kirk, go ahead
S1: and ask your question, because we're we only have about 30s.
S13: Okay. You opened the show with the information about the
S13: things against Israel and the Jewish people. My son has
S13: been doing a dig for a couple of years, and
S13: he's believing that, uh, uh, the Jews that are in
S13: Israel are not true Jews, uh, that the Jewish people
S13: are not God's chosen people, uh, that there's no rapture.
S13: He's been following some people and reading books and so forth.
S13: And what do I do to talk to him?
S1: Well, uh, I'm sorry that he's fallen into this, uh,
S1: anti-Semitic hole. I'm really, really sorry about that. Uh, I
S1: think the best thing to do maybe pick up that
S1: book from chosen people, Israel. And they also have one
S1: called Why the Jewish People? That would be a great gift,
S1: maybe to deal with him, uh, and help him or
S1: help you understand what he's saying.
S14: We can read him. Yeah. Great. Thanks for your call, Kirk.
S1: Sorry about the shortness of time.
S14: That's okay.
S1: That's the program for the week. I can't can't believe
S1: how quickly, uh, this show has gone. Really appreciate you listening.
S1: And all of you who called or wrote in. Thanks
S1: to Tahira and Omar and everyone that checked, checked out
S1: and helped us get through the program. Keep reading the Bible.
S1: We'll talk about it next week. Open line with Doctor
S1: Michael Ray Zelnick is a production of Moody Radio, a
S1: ministry of Moody Bible Institute. See you next.
S14: Week.