WEBVTT - Misunderstanding and Misusing Revelation 0:00:08.940 --> 0:00:11.940 Everyone reads revelation with an eye toward the date of 0:00:11.940 --> 0:00:16.200 Christ's return. And let's face it, clickbait. Eschatology is a 0:00:16.200 --> 0:00:19.680 pretty big seller. But what's often missing in the marketplace 0:00:19.680 --> 0:00:23.310 is an explanation that it provides for God's character. And 0:00:23.310 --> 0:00:26.220 if we're not careful, we can study revelation and miss 0:00:26.220 --> 0:00:29.940 the central theme that's Jesus. Well, coming up, we'll help 0:00:29.940 --> 0:00:34.440 you avoid misunderstanding and misusing revelation. Plus, you'll find an 0:00:34.440 --> 0:00:37.229 update on the conflict in the Middle East. That's all 0:00:37.229 --> 0:00:40.170 ahead on the land and the book. Dr. Charlie Dyer 0:00:40.170 --> 0:00:43.170 is our host. He's an Old Testament scholar, former pastor, 0:00:43.170 --> 0:00:46.500 and a respected Middle East expert. I'm John Geiger, and, 0:00:46.500 --> 0:00:48.360 you know, Israel, of course, has been on all of 0:00:48.360 --> 0:00:50.940 our minds these past months. Many of us have been 0:00:50.940 --> 0:00:53.880 struggling with questions of what to think and feel. And 0:00:53.880 --> 0:00:55.770 in the midst of all this, God's heart for the 0:00:55.770 --> 0:01:01.310 Jewish people remains unchanged. He is faithful to his chosen people. Right, Charlie? 0:01:01.320 --> 0:01:03.570 That's right. John. That's why, as this year is drawing 0:01:03.600 --> 0:01:06.300 to a close, our friends at Life and Messiah would 0:01:06.300 --> 0:01:09.510 like to help you better connect with this crucial aspect 0:01:09.510 --> 0:01:13.110 of God's character. They're offering their new book, Sharing God's 0:01:13.110 --> 0:01:16.350 Heart to Land. In the book listeners, this 30 day 0:01:16.350 --> 0:01:19.619 guided reflection will help connect you with God's heart for 0:01:19.620 --> 0:01:23.340 his precious people. The articles written by Life and Messiah 0:01:23.340 --> 0:01:27.270 staff provide insight into Jewish life and culture. They can 0:01:27.270 --> 0:01:29.640 help prepare you to share with your friends the peace 0:01:29.640 --> 0:01:33.360 of Messiah they so desperately need. If you would like 0:01:33.360 --> 0:01:35.730 one of these insightful books for yourself or is a 0:01:35.730 --> 0:01:39.420 gift for someone else, visit Life in Messiah org and 0:01:39.420 --> 0:01:42.029 click on the Moody Radio button to find out how 0:01:42.030 --> 0:01:46.800 you can receive your copy. That's life in messiah.org. 0:01:46.980 --> 0:01:51.240 Well, Israel's war against Hamas is now into its seventh week. 0:01:51.240 --> 0:01:55.050 Information is finally coming to light, revealing how Hamas was 0:01:55.050 --> 0:01:58.230 able to launch such a deadly attack and catch Israel 0:01:58.230 --> 0:02:01.530 so completely off guard. What is Israel learned so far 0:02:01.530 --> 0:02:03.180 and what are they releasing to the public? 0:02:03.240 --> 0:02:05.640 Yeah, John, you know, like so many surprise attacks in 0:02:05.640 --> 0:02:10.620 the past. Hindsight is always 2020. Looking back, Israel's starting 0:02:10.620 --> 0:02:13.799 to piece together how the terrorists prepared for the invasion. 0:02:13.800 --> 0:02:18.030 Prior to the actual attack, Hamas spent two years planning 0:02:18.030 --> 0:02:22.110 the attack, all the while sending out false signals suggesting 0:02:22.110 --> 0:02:25.410 they weren't looking for a fight. They constructed a mock 0:02:25.410 --> 0:02:29.310 Israeli settlement in Gaza, where they taught their fighters tactics 0:02:29.310 --> 0:02:32.880 for storming the towns. They kept the actual attack plans 0:02:32.880 --> 0:02:36.419 a closely guarded secret known only to a select few. 0:02:36.450 --> 0:02:39.899 The fighters themselves were only told about the mission two 0:02:39.900 --> 0:02:43.140 hours before the attack, and only the squad leaders knew 0:02:43.139 --> 0:02:46.470 the specific targets before each of those groups set out. 0:02:46.470 --> 0:02:50.310 The attack itself was well planned. They gathered intelligence on 0:02:50.310 --> 0:02:54.179 the towns from the Palestinians. Israel allowed in from Gaza 0:02:54.180 --> 0:02:56.910 to work. The attack coincided with the end of the 0:02:56.910 --> 0:03:00.480 second holiday, when many soldiers were away from their posts 0:03:00.480 --> 0:03:03.900 and back home on leave. The attack began with a 0:03:03.900 --> 0:03:09.120 barrage of over 2200 rockets fired against Israel soldiers on 0:03:09.120 --> 0:03:12.960 motorized hang gliders then flew into Israel to secure the perimeter, 0:03:12.960 --> 0:03:16.830 while elite fighters stormed the border wall and used explosives 0:03:16.830 --> 0:03:21.149 and bulldozers to punch through at multiple points. A commando 0:03:21.150 --> 0:03:25.110 unit attacked the army's southern headquarters and jammed communications to 0:03:25.110 --> 0:03:28.560 prevent personnel from sounding the alarm, and then the groups 0:03:28.560 --> 0:03:32.220 of terrorists rushed to pre assigned communities to capture and 0:03:32.220 --> 0:03:35.460 kill as many people as possible. Israel had placed too 0:03:35.460 --> 0:03:39.300 much faith in electronic surveillance, which caused them to reduce 0:03:39.300 --> 0:03:42.600 the number of soldiers on duty. The last time Israel 0:03:42.600 --> 0:03:45.720 was so completely fooled, John was 50 years ago, at 0:03:45.720 --> 0:03:49.770 the start of the 1973 Yom Kippur War, and the 0:03:49.770 --> 0:03:52.200 results were about as catastrophic. 0:03:52.320 --> 0:03:56.520 Well, a recent survey here at home suggests more than 70% 0:03:56.520 --> 0:04:00.600 of us Jewish people feel less safe now than before 0:04:00.600 --> 0:04:03.480 the start of the war. What's causing their angst and 0:04:03.480 --> 0:04:05.310 what can be done to help alleviate it? 0:04:05.610 --> 0:04:08.310 Yeah, sadly, much of it's being caused by the rise 0:04:08.310 --> 0:04:11.430 in antisemitism here in the US as a result of 0:04:11.430 --> 0:04:14.610 the conflict and as a result of the biased reporting 0:04:14.610 --> 0:04:17.220 on the part of the media, the war has become 0:04:17.220 --> 0:04:21.330 a flashpoint on US college and university campuses as students 0:04:21.330 --> 0:04:25.440 staged mass protests against Israel. The phrase that they're shouting 0:04:25.440 --> 0:04:28.320 from the river to the sea. Well, that message, by 0:04:28.320 --> 0:04:30.779 the way, is talking about the establishment of a single 0:04:30.779 --> 0:04:33.810 state of Palestine that would extend from the Jordan River 0:04:33.810 --> 0:04:37.410 to the Mediterranean Sea, in effect wiping out the state 0:04:37.410 --> 0:04:41.520 of Israel. Jewish students are being intimidated on campuses, with 0:04:41.520 --> 0:04:45.450 some receiving anonymous death threats. The same things happening in 0:04:45.450 --> 0:04:48.719 the cities of our country with people being assaulted, with 0:04:48.720 --> 0:04:55.050 synagogues being defaced. Incidents of antisemitism rose nearly 400% since 0:04:55.050 --> 0:04:57.570 the start of the war. And all of this is 0:04:57.570 --> 0:05:01.410 what's worrying both us Jews and Jews living in Europe. 0:05:01.410 --> 0:05:04.710 So what can someone listening right now do to help? 0:05:04.980 --> 0:05:09.010 I'd like to offer two suggestions. First contact. Your elected 0:05:09.010 --> 0:05:12.880 representatives and I mean local and state and national. You 0:05:12.880 --> 0:05:15.640 can do it by email, by letter or by phone call, 0:05:15.640 --> 0:05:19.030 but let them know. There's no place for anti Semitism 0:05:19.029 --> 0:05:22.480 in our country. Encourage them to take a public stand 0:05:22.480 --> 0:05:25.600 against anti Semitism and to make sure our country is 0:05:25.600 --> 0:05:29.529 doing everything it can to protect all our Jewish citizens. 0:05:29.620 --> 0:05:33.190 And then second, watch in your community for rallies or 0:05:33.190 --> 0:05:37.029 gatherings in support of Israel and take the time. Go 0:05:37.029 --> 0:05:41.250 and show your support. Genesis 12 three is still operative. 0:05:41.260 --> 0:05:44.050 God said, I will bless those who bless you and 0:05:44.050 --> 0:05:46.990 the one who curses you, I will curse. So do 0:05:46.990 --> 0:05:50.410 what you can to bless Israel and the Jewish people, 0:05:50.410 --> 0:05:53.530 and then be praying for the peace of Jerusalem. 0:05:53.529 --> 0:05:56.200 You're listening to the land in the book from Moody Radio. 0:05:56.200 --> 0:05:59.469 I'm John Geiger, our host, Dr. Charlie Dyer, bringing us 0:05:59.470 --> 0:06:01.750 an update on the conflict in the Middle East and 0:06:01.750 --> 0:06:06.130 much more. While the horrifying details of Hamas's brutality during 0:06:06.130 --> 0:06:08.979 that initial attack sounds kind of like scenes from the 0:06:08.980 --> 0:06:12.220 Bible coming to life, help us understand these actions from 0:06:12.220 --> 0:06:13.589 a biblical context. 0:06:13.600 --> 0:06:15.520 Yeah, John, you know, I found myself trying to figure 0:06:15.520 --> 0:06:17.890 out why is it I was so disturbed by the 0:06:17.890 --> 0:06:20.349 events as they they reported what came out, and I 0:06:20.350 --> 0:06:24.279 found myself focusing on some of the Old Testament imagery that, frankly, 0:06:24.279 --> 0:06:27.130 we try not to think about in our so-called modern era, 0:06:27.130 --> 0:06:31.930 but it's imagery that helps us explain and understand Hamas's actions. 0:06:31.990 --> 0:06:35.890 Some examples. In judges five, Deborah sings a song following 0:06:35.890 --> 0:06:39.460 her and Barack's victory over the forces of Sisera. In 0:06:39.460 --> 0:06:42.520 verses 28 to 30, she describes the mother of Sisera 0:06:42.520 --> 0:06:45.280 watching out the window for her son to come home, 0:06:45.279 --> 0:06:48.940 having attacked the Jewish people, and the mother wonders why 0:06:48.940 --> 0:06:51.430 it's taking so long for him to return, and her 0:06:51.430 --> 0:06:53.590 attendants try to comfort her. They tell her, well, they're 0:06:53.589 --> 0:06:56.220 just dividing the spoil. And then it says, 1 or 0:06:56.220 --> 0:06:59.230 2 maidens for every warrior, plus some other loot they 0:06:59.230 --> 0:07:02.890 can bring home. Yet plunder and systematic rape were just 0:07:02.890 --> 0:07:06.340 par for the course for those invaders. And that pretty 0:07:06.339 --> 0:07:09.760 much pictures what Hamas was doing. Another example comes from 0:07:09.760 --> 0:07:12.670 the criticism being leveled against Israel. You know, they were 0:07:12.670 --> 0:07:15.370 telling the people in Gaza City to flee south to 0:07:15.370 --> 0:07:17.950 get out of the fighting. Well, I couldn't help but 0:07:17.950 --> 0:07:21.400 think of Jeremiah. In fact, Jeremiah was bitterly criticized for 0:07:21.400 --> 0:07:23.920 giving the same advice to the people of Jerusalem and 0:07:23.920 --> 0:07:27.400 his day. In Jeremiah 21, he's told to tell the people, 0:07:27.420 --> 0:07:30.010 this is what the Lord says. See, I'm setting before 0:07:30.010 --> 0:07:31.660 you the way of life and the way of death. 0:07:31.660 --> 0:07:34.300 Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, 0:07:34.300 --> 0:07:37.600 famine or plague, but whoever goes out and surrenders will live. 0:07:37.630 --> 0:07:40.420 He'll escape with his life. That call to flee was 0:07:40.420 --> 0:07:42.940 for the benefit of the people. And that's what Israel's 0:07:42.940 --> 0:07:45.190 been trying to do as well, and also being criticized 0:07:45.190 --> 0:07:48.400 for it. And then I thought about the taking of hostages. 0:07:48.400 --> 0:07:52.120 Yet Naaman the Syrian, the commander who had leprosy, we 0:07:52.120 --> 0:07:54.970 had a servant girl who told him about Elisha. But 0:07:54.970 --> 0:07:57.220 second Kings five two tells us how she ended up 0:07:57.220 --> 0:08:01.420 in Syria. Invaders had attacked Israel and taken away captive 0:08:01.420 --> 0:08:04.930 this young girl. So rape and looting and the capture 0:08:04.930 --> 0:08:08.890 of innocent civilians and on the opposite end, encouraging civilians 0:08:08.890 --> 0:08:11.290 trapped in a war zone to escape. Well, those were 0:08:11.290 --> 0:08:14.830 the realities in Old Testament times. And we're seeing those 0:08:14.830 --> 0:08:17.800 same scenes being replayed again today. 0:08:17.830 --> 0:08:21.550 But not what is merely just old. But ancient is new, right, Charlie? 0:08:21.670 --> 0:08:26.290 Exactly right. Yeah, well, Israel's education minister has announced plans 0:08:26.290 --> 0:08:30.820 for an eventual Yad Vashem like October 7th memorial. What 0:08:30.820 --> 0:08:33.010 does he have in mind, and how soon might that 0:08:33.010 --> 0:08:33.839 be completed? 0:08:33.850 --> 0:08:36.969 Well, the minister's proposing a center that would preserve everything 0:08:36.970 --> 0:08:39.610 having to do with Hamas's attack, as well as the 0:08:39.610 --> 0:08:43.180 stories of heroes who protected Israel that day. He wants 0:08:43.179 --> 0:08:45.940 the center to be staffed by professionals with the goal 0:08:45.940 --> 0:08:50.590 of educating future generations, much like Yad Vashem, Israel's Holocaust 0:08:50.590 --> 0:08:54.579 museum does today. He wants the center to have a museum, 0:08:54.580 --> 0:08:58.480 a memorial and an information center and a website. It's 0:08:58.480 --> 0:09:01.150 a great idea, though, when it might happen. Well, that's 0:09:01.150 --> 0:09:04.600 anyone's guess. Right now. Israel is still fighting the war, 0:09:04.600 --> 0:09:07.090 and they're also going to be struggling financially once the 0:09:07.090 --> 0:09:10.420 war is over to rebuild the areas impacted and revive 0:09:10.420 --> 0:09:14.830 their economy. Yad Vashem wasn't established until five years after 0:09:14.830 --> 0:09:17.079 the founding of the State of Israel, so it might 0:09:17.080 --> 0:09:20.140 not take as long to establish this memorial, though it 0:09:20.140 --> 0:09:22.600 will certainly take some time to plan where it ought 0:09:22.600 --> 0:09:24.850 to be located and how it ought to be designed 0:09:24.850 --> 0:09:27.460 and how it ought to operate. And in many ways, 0:09:27.460 --> 0:09:29.949 it might be good to allow just a little time 0:09:29.950 --> 0:09:32.559 for healing to take place. But I do look for 0:09:32.559 --> 0:09:36.310 Israel to prepare something in the not too distant future, 0:09:36.309 --> 0:09:39.910 to keep the victims and the heroes from being forgotten. 0:09:39.910 --> 0:09:42.160 Charlie, what are we to make of the softening media 0:09:42.160 --> 0:09:45.700 coverage here? Their increasing unwillingness to call a spade a spade, 0:09:45.700 --> 0:09:48.250 and to put quote marks around things that are factually 0:09:48.250 --> 0:09:52.000 true as far as Hamas's weaponry, tactics, skullduggery, if you will. 0:09:52.000 --> 0:09:55.210 It just seems like the media coverage is just continuing 0:09:55.210 --> 0:09:55.990 to soften. 0:09:55.990 --> 0:09:58.420 Well, to the extent that we no longer have morals, 0:09:58.420 --> 0:10:01.360 no longer have absolute rights and wrongs. You find the 0:10:01.360 --> 0:10:03.490 media saying, well, depending on which side you're on, you know, 0:10:03.490 --> 0:10:06.400 what's who's to say, what's right and what's wrong. And sadly, 0:10:06.400 --> 0:10:09.280 that's the outcome of the. Leaving the Bible and the 0:10:09.280 --> 0:10:12.850 biblical standards of of what's right. And it just keeps 0:10:12.850 --> 0:10:13.900 playing out. Yeah. 0:10:14.320 --> 0:10:16.960 Well, everybody reads revelation with an eye toward the date 0:10:16.960 --> 0:10:19.780 of Christ's return, but if we're not careful, we're going 0:10:19.780 --> 0:10:22.510 to miss its central theme Jesus. We're going to talk 0:10:22.510 --> 0:10:26.079 about misunderstanding and misusing revelation on our next segment here 0:10:26.080 --> 0:10:28.480 on the land in the book, but thanks for staying 0:10:28.480 --> 0:10:30.790 with us and for sharing us with your friends. 0:10:46.740 --> 0:10:48.000 Revelation, the. 0:10:48.000 --> 0:10:51.300 Bible's last book. You think about the fact that this 0:10:51.300 --> 0:10:54.750 is God's final word to mankind, that it offers a 0:10:54.750 --> 0:10:59.250 breathtaking revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ? Though this letter 0:10:59.250 --> 0:11:03.240 describes depravity and devils and destruction, it also provides an 0:11:03.240 --> 0:11:08.250 incredible portrait of our Almighty God, not to mention ultimate hope. Well, 0:11:08.250 --> 0:11:12.030 coming up, a fascinating look at God's great finale. You're 0:11:12.030 --> 0:11:14.460 listening to the land and the book, and for that 0:11:14.460 --> 0:11:17.040 we say thank you. Hey, if we've never met, I'm 0:11:17.040 --> 0:11:20.130 John Geiger. Could we switch gears for just a quick 0:11:20.130 --> 0:11:23.670 second here and talk about sharing Jesus with a Jewish friend? 0:11:23.760 --> 0:11:27.000 What do I mean by that? You've probably heard it 0:11:27.000 --> 0:11:30.690 said before. One opposition to becoming a Christian is the 0:11:30.690 --> 0:11:32.520 sense that a Jewish person has that they're going to 0:11:32.520 --> 0:11:35.520 lose their Jewish identity somehow. You know, I was born 0:11:35.520 --> 0:11:37.199 a Jew. I'm going to die a Jew. I could 0:11:37.200 --> 0:11:40.329 never become a Gentile Christian. What's the answer to that? 0:11:40.350 --> 0:11:42.510 West Tabor is with life in Messiah. 0:11:42.600 --> 0:11:46.590 Well, preserving Jewish identity is a high value among Jewish people. 0:11:46.590 --> 0:11:49.380 For centuries, both the synagogue and the church agreed that 0:11:49.380 --> 0:11:53.219 belief in Jesus meant losing one's Jewish identity. Jewish identity 0:11:53.220 --> 0:11:56.820 is rooted in biology. A physical descendant of Abraham, Isaac, 0:11:56.820 --> 0:11:59.850 and Jacob can rightfully claim to be Jewish, so nobody 0:11:59.850 --> 0:12:03.870 loses their ethnicity. Upon trusting Yeshua. We do gain new 0:12:03.870 --> 0:12:08.370 citizenship in God's kingdom, but Messianic Jews often say believing 0:12:08.370 --> 0:12:11.640 in Yeshua, the one who perfectly fulfills God's promises to 0:12:11.640 --> 0:12:15.060 Israel as Messiah and Redeemer makes me feel all the 0:12:15.059 --> 0:12:15.720 more Jewish. 0:12:15.720 --> 0:12:18.360 So then our focus might not be on converting to 0:12:18.360 --> 0:12:23.010 Christianity so much as trusting in the Jewish Messiah Yeshua. 0:12:23.130 --> 0:12:26.849 Exactly. So we're emphasizing a relationship with the God of Israel, 0:12:26.850 --> 0:12:30.360 not affiliation with a religion. Love the Lord your God 0:12:30.360 --> 0:12:33.120 with all your heart, soul, and strength. We can only 0:12:33.120 --> 0:12:36.390 come to God through the merits of his beloved son, Yeshua. 0:12:37.240 --> 0:12:40.630 Thoughts there from Wes Tabor, who's with life in Messiah. 0:12:42.230 --> 0:12:46.309 Bestselling author Jeff Kinley empowers people with God's truth. He's 0:12:46.309 --> 0:12:49.880 the author of 40 books and previously served in pastoral 0:12:49.880 --> 0:12:53.570 ministry for three decades. Jeff has been featured on Fox 0:12:53.570 --> 0:12:56.660 and Friends, The Glenn Beck Show, The Ben Shapiro Show, 0:12:56.660 --> 0:13:00.770 and hundreds of national radio and television programs. His Vintage 0:13:00.770 --> 0:13:04.340 Truth podcast is heard in more than 100 countries worldwide, 0:13:04.340 --> 0:13:07.820 and he's also the co-host of the Prophecy Pros podcast, 0:13:07.820 --> 0:13:12.800 which get this just surpassed 1 million downloads. Jeff and 0:13:12.800 --> 0:13:16.459 his wife have three grown sons live in little Rock, Arkansas, 0:13:16.580 --> 0:13:18.920 and we welcome him back to the land of the book. 0:13:18.920 --> 0:13:19.940 Good to connect, Jeff. 0:13:20.420 --> 0:13:21.980 Thanks, John. Good to be with you again. 0:13:22.340 --> 0:13:27.050 You write that today's church has become complacent. Lukewarm revelation 0:13:27.050 --> 0:13:30.290 was written to arouse a slumbering bride so that she 0:13:30.290 --> 0:13:33.530 could prepare for the imminent return of the bridegroom. What's 0:13:33.530 --> 0:13:36.559 the way out of our complacency? And why does that 0:13:36.559 --> 0:13:39.050 route seem to take us right through revelation? 0:13:39.440 --> 0:13:41.900 Yeah, well, it's very interesting. You think about revelation was 0:13:41.900 --> 0:13:45.590 written in 95, around 95, and this is about two 0:13:45.590 --> 0:13:50.300 generations now past the death, burial, resurrection, ascension of Jesus Christ. 0:13:50.300 --> 0:13:53.330 And during that time, of course, acts chapter two happened, 0:13:53.330 --> 0:13:57.559 the church was birthed and churches in Asia minor were growing. 0:13:57.559 --> 0:14:02.059 But over time, the second and third generation Christians began 0:14:02.059 --> 0:14:05.420 to be lethargic. They began to fall away. And God 0:14:05.420 --> 0:14:09.620 had one last book to write in his written revelation. 0:14:09.620 --> 0:14:12.470 And he wrote the book of revelation. And so he 0:14:12.470 --> 0:14:14.570 wrote it really as a way to say, this is 0:14:14.570 --> 0:14:16.189 the last thing I'm going to say to you before 0:14:16.190 --> 0:14:19.670 I come back. So it really combines John, a beautiful, 0:14:19.670 --> 0:14:23.960 really combination of not only Intel about the end times, 0:14:23.960 --> 0:14:26.030 but also about God himself. 0:14:26.300 --> 0:14:29.960 One common source of confusion about revelation is the use 0:14:29.960 --> 0:14:33.860 of violent and apocalyptic imagery. We think of the plagues 0:14:33.860 --> 0:14:37.070 and judgments described in the text, and some readers kind 0:14:37.070 --> 0:14:40.280 of struggle, Jeff, to reconcile this imagery with the idea 0:14:40.280 --> 0:14:42.950 of a loving and merciful God, help us out here. 0:14:43.280 --> 0:14:45.440 Yeah, I think sometimes we tend to think of God 0:14:45.440 --> 0:14:47.660 as sort of a one dimensional being. We think he's 0:14:47.660 --> 0:14:50.840 just loving and compassionate and gracious, which of course he is. 0:14:51.170 --> 0:14:53.360 But as you survey the whole of Scripture, you see 0:14:53.360 --> 0:14:57.530 that God is also righteous. He's also holy. He's also 0:14:57.530 --> 0:15:00.620 a God of justice, and he does have an end 0:15:00.620 --> 0:15:05.420 to his patience. And so this particular period of revelation 0:15:05.420 --> 0:15:08.030 really tells us about a time when God will be 0:15:08.030 --> 0:15:12.530 unleashing his wrath on unbelieving mankind on planet Earth, during 0:15:12.530 --> 0:15:16.190 a time we call the tribulation period. Concurrently with that, though, 0:15:16.190 --> 0:15:18.710 there's also a lot of grace that's poured out as well. 0:15:18.710 --> 0:15:21.680 So it is sort of a wake up call, I think, 0:15:21.680 --> 0:15:23.750 for us to see who our God is. In fact, 0:15:23.750 --> 0:15:27.410 in the very first chapter of revelation, Jesus portrays himself 0:15:27.410 --> 0:15:30.410 as one who has eyes of blazing fire and feet 0:15:30.410 --> 0:15:33.410 of burnished bronze and just speaks of his coming in judgment. 0:15:33.410 --> 0:15:37.070 And so he's both loving, gracious, but also righteous and holy. 0:15:37.430 --> 0:15:40.730 God's great finale. That's our focus for this segment on 0:15:40.730 --> 0:15:43.820 the land and the book. Our guest is prophecy expert 0:15:43.820 --> 0:15:48.290 Jeff Kinley, and I'm John Geiger. Another area of confusion 0:15:48.290 --> 0:15:52.310 is the depiction of God as a vengeful judge, particularly 0:15:52.310 --> 0:15:54.770 in the context of the final Judgment. I think some 0:15:54.770 --> 0:15:57.830 people struggle with the idea that God would condemn people 0:15:57.830 --> 0:16:00.500 to eternal punishment. You know, there's there's a lot of 0:16:00.500 --> 0:16:03.410 pushback against hell being, you know, a lake of fire 0:16:03.410 --> 0:16:06.320 that burns forever, though Scripture declares it to be so, 0:16:06.830 --> 0:16:09.380 they find this portrayal of God to be inconsistent with 0:16:09.380 --> 0:16:12.080 the teachings of love and forgiveness found elsewhere in the Bible. Now, 0:16:12.080 --> 0:16:14.450 we've touched on some of this, but how should people 0:16:14.450 --> 0:16:16.730 view revelation in light of all this? 0:16:17.240 --> 0:16:18.950 Well, if you think about it, I mean, when you 0:16:18.950 --> 0:16:21.500 think about God's character, we talk about God being a 0:16:21.500 --> 0:16:25.520 vengeful or a wrathful God. Really, that's nowhere more accurately 0:16:25.520 --> 0:16:29.000 portrayed than at the cross of Christ. Because when Jesus 0:16:29.000 --> 0:16:32.120 died on the cross, God the Father unleashed his holy 0:16:32.120 --> 0:16:35.990 wrath on the son and abandoned him there, and also 0:16:35.990 --> 0:16:39.110 had him punished for the sins of mankind. That's why 0:16:39.110 --> 0:16:41.120 Jesus cried out, My God, my God, why have you 0:16:41.120 --> 0:16:46.640 forsaken me? And yet we have the beauty of love, grace, forgiveness, holiness, wrath, 0:16:46.640 --> 0:16:50.300 and justice all kind of coming to this intersection at 0:16:50.300 --> 0:16:53.300 the cross at Calvary. And so I would say to people, 0:16:53.300 --> 0:16:55.340 you know, you really do want God to be a 0:16:55.340 --> 0:16:57.800 just God. You want him to be a God that 0:16:57.800 --> 0:17:01.400 ultimately punishes sin. Because I think John is within all people, 0:17:01.400 --> 0:17:04.070 a desire for evil just to go away and for 0:17:04.070 --> 0:17:06.830 there not to be any more injustice, any more murder, 0:17:06.980 --> 0:17:11.060 any more rape, any more sex trafficking, all these evils 0:17:11.060 --> 0:17:14.419 that one day God promises he will actually do away with. 0:17:14.420 --> 0:17:16.880 But he can't do that unless he is a God 0:17:16.880 --> 0:17:19.520 of vengeance and of wrath. And so that's the beauty 0:17:19.520 --> 0:17:21.619 of God is that he deals with evil, but at 0:17:21.619 --> 0:17:24.590 the same time he gives us his grace and mercy. 0:17:24.830 --> 0:17:28.460 Jeff Kennelly is the co host of the Prophecy Prose podcast, 0:17:28.460 --> 0:17:32.689 which just surpassed 1 million downloads. He's written 40 books, 0:17:32.690 --> 0:17:37.879 including God's Great Finale. Jeff, aren't there different beliefs regarding 0:17:37.880 --> 0:17:40.639 the timing of the rapture and tribulation? Can you explain 0:17:40.640 --> 0:17:45.109 the differences? In the pre-trib, mid trib and post tribulation 0:17:45.109 --> 0:17:49.310 viewpoints and what each can take away from revelation, despite 0:17:49.310 --> 0:17:51.770 those key differences in interpretation. 0:17:52.190 --> 0:17:56.000 Absolutely. The word tribulation refers to a seven year period 0:17:56.000 --> 0:17:57.889 of time that we believe is going to take place 0:17:57.890 --> 0:18:00.710 at the end of time. That's the place where God 0:18:00.710 --> 0:18:03.689 is pouring out his wrath. When we talk about the rapture. 0:18:03.710 --> 0:18:06.500 The rapture is the rescue of the Bride of Christ 0:18:06.500 --> 0:18:09.890 up to God prior to him pouring out his wrath. 0:18:09.890 --> 0:18:14.810 So the pre-trib rapture view says that believers are rescued 0:18:14.990 --> 0:18:18.890 before God begins those sealed judgments and revelation chapter six. 0:18:18.890 --> 0:18:21.590 Much in the same way that the angels rescued lot 0:18:21.590 --> 0:18:25.520 before God's wrath came down. So the pattern in Scripture 0:18:25.520 --> 0:18:28.700 is sort of God is rescues as his own before 0:18:28.700 --> 0:18:31.490 he pours out his wrath, but he does not necessarily 0:18:31.490 --> 0:18:34.880 save us from man's wrath. So the pre-trib use, as 0:18:34.880 --> 0:18:37.879 it happens before the mid-term review says, in the middle 0:18:37.880 --> 0:18:39.740 of that period of time that three and a half 0:18:39.740 --> 0:18:42.619 years in bow and Antichrist and acts the mark of 0:18:42.619 --> 0:18:45.590 the beast, that right then is where the church is raptured. 0:18:45.590 --> 0:18:49.040 They see God's wrath beginning there and then. The post 0:18:49.040 --> 0:18:52.340 Trib view says that the rapture occurs at the very 0:18:52.340 --> 0:18:55.399 end of the tribulation period, that seven year time where 0:18:55.400 --> 0:18:58.450 Jesus returns to snatch his bride up, take her to heaven. 0:18:58.460 --> 0:19:01.040 They turn right back around and come straight back down 0:19:01.130 --> 0:19:04.490 to earth at the second coming of Christ at Armageddon. 0:19:04.490 --> 0:19:07.880 So three very distinct views. Obviously only one view can 0:19:07.880 --> 0:19:10.670 be right. And this is an issue that we certainly 0:19:10.670 --> 0:19:13.730 don't want to divide the body of Christ over. However, 0:19:13.730 --> 0:19:16.639 if it's important enough to study and if it means 0:19:16.640 --> 0:19:18.980 that we get delivered from God's wrath, it certainly is 0:19:18.980 --> 0:19:21.369 something that every believer should investigate. 0:19:21.380 --> 0:19:24.920 Okay, you have opened up that that can of worms there, 0:19:24.920 --> 0:19:27.530 so to speak. How can Christians interact in a Christ 0:19:27.530 --> 0:19:30.740 like way with those who share different beliefs about the 0:19:30.740 --> 0:19:32.810 rapture and tribulation than we do? 0:19:33.590 --> 0:19:36.740 I think, number one, realizing that it's not a salvific issue. 0:19:36.740 --> 0:19:40.399 In other words, it doesn't determine a one one's eternal destiny. 0:19:40.400 --> 0:19:43.580 And so knowing, hey, you know, with a friend that 0:19:43.580 --> 0:19:45.770 may have a mid trib view, that, look, we're going 0:19:45.770 --> 0:19:48.560 to be in heaven together, regardless of your view of 0:19:48.560 --> 0:19:51.530 my view on on the end times. So that should 0:19:51.530 --> 0:19:55.220 not prevent us from having great fellowship together. And also 0:19:55.220 --> 0:19:57.770 just there are things about the end times that all 0:19:57.770 --> 0:20:00.920 three of those views agree on, which is Jesus will 0:20:00.920 --> 0:20:03.650 come back at his second coming and then set up 0:20:03.650 --> 0:20:06.200 his millennial kingdom on the earth. So there are many 0:20:06.200 --> 0:20:08.570 points of agreement that we have is just on the 0:20:08.570 --> 0:20:11.240 timing of the rapture that we disagreed. 0:20:11.450 --> 0:20:14.600 What about the role of the Antichrist in revelation, Jeff? 0:20:14.900 --> 0:20:17.780 Well, it's huge actually. In fact, the Antichrist is the 0:20:17.780 --> 0:20:22.010 second most mentioned figure in the end times other than 0:20:22.010 --> 0:20:26.330 Jesus Christ himself. There's some hundred passages of Scripture that 0:20:26.330 --> 0:20:29.510 mention Antichrist in the Bible. So he's a he's a 0:20:29.510 --> 0:20:33.590 prime figure. He's a key character in the end times scenario. 0:20:33.590 --> 0:20:37.280 And what happens is he really dovetails into Satan's desire 0:20:37.280 --> 0:20:41.540 to establish a global governance system in the world, and 0:20:41.540 --> 0:20:44.330 for him to be ruling through that, and that, in essence, 0:20:44.330 --> 0:20:47.870 is Satan's way of placing his man of sin in 0:20:47.869 --> 0:20:51.140 a place where he can be worshiped, i.e. worship Satan 0:20:51.140 --> 0:20:54.230 as well. And so it's just Satan's long held desire 0:20:54.230 --> 0:20:56.720 to be worshipped by the world and to rule over 0:20:56.720 --> 0:20:59.750 the world. And he'll do that through the man Antichrist. 0:20:59.810 --> 0:21:03.230 Questions about revelation. We seem to have no end to them, 0:21:03.230 --> 0:21:05.540 which is why it's great to have an expert joining 0:21:05.540 --> 0:21:08.000 us today on the land. In the book, he's best 0:21:08.000 --> 0:21:11.210 selling author, Jeff Kinley, I'm John Geiger. Hey, will there 0:21:11.210 --> 0:21:14.690 be a literal thousand year reign of Christ mentioned in 0:21:14.690 --> 0:21:15.290 the book? 0:21:15.530 --> 0:21:15.920 Yeah, I. 0:21:15.920 --> 0:21:18.740 Believe there will be. In fact, revelation chapter 20 mentions 0:21:18.740 --> 0:21:23.090 the number 1006 times in seven verses. And of course, 0:21:23.090 --> 0:21:25.790 if God says something once, we should pay attention to it. 0:21:25.790 --> 0:21:28.280 But when he repeats it six times and such a 0:21:28.280 --> 0:21:31.280 small amount of time, then we should definitely pay attention 0:21:31.280 --> 0:21:33.140 to that number. So yeah, I think it's a literal 0:21:33.140 --> 0:21:36.950 seven year kingdom. And and the kingdom is mentioned all 0:21:36.950 --> 0:21:39.109 throughout the Old Testament. We don't know how long it 0:21:39.109 --> 0:21:42.350 is until we get to revelation chapter 20. So based 0:21:42.350 --> 0:21:46.010 on just a normal plain interpretation of revelation 20, I 0:21:46.010 --> 0:21:47.750 take it to be a literal 1000 years. 0:21:47.750 --> 0:21:49.910 What about the mark of the beast? With the advancement 0:21:49.910 --> 0:21:54.350 of technology and chips being implanted in people, there's all 0:21:54.350 --> 0:21:57.350 kinds of wild things going around. What do we need 0:21:57.350 --> 0:21:58.879 to know from revelation? 0:21:59.510 --> 0:22:01.670 Well, I think two things. As you know, we've talked 0:22:01.670 --> 0:22:03.530 about the mark of the beast for for many years, 0:22:03.530 --> 0:22:05.689 and people have wondered how in the world will that happen? 0:22:05.960 --> 0:22:09.080 The really two areas that right now make the mark 0:22:09.080 --> 0:22:11.869 of the beast more feasible than any other time in 0:22:11.869 --> 0:22:15.470 human history? The first is technology. The idea that you 0:22:15.470 --> 0:22:19.219 can scan someone's hand or something on someone's hand was 0:22:19.220 --> 0:22:22.820 unprecedented even 20, 30 years ago. But now with things 0:22:22.820 --> 0:22:26.270 like Amazon one, where they're scanning the the palm print 0:22:26.270 --> 0:22:29.210 of your hand and reading the vein structure behind it, 0:22:29.540 --> 0:22:33.890 there's a system, technologically speaking, in place now that can 0:22:33.890 --> 0:22:38.449 transact that economic transaction just through reading your palm. So 0:22:38.450 --> 0:22:40.190 I don't think Amazon wants the mark of the beast. 0:22:40.190 --> 0:22:43.050 But there is the. Technology there. But the second aspect 0:22:43.050 --> 0:22:46.050 of that, John, is the idea of a digital economy. 0:22:46.080 --> 0:22:50.340 In other words, in order for revelation 1316 or 18, 0:22:50.340 --> 0:22:53.430 which says that no man can buy or sell without 0:22:53.430 --> 0:22:56.190 the mark of the beast, meaning you can't pay your mortgage, 0:22:56.190 --> 0:22:58.470 you can't pay online, you can't buy a stick of gum, 0:22:58.470 --> 0:23:01.889 you can't buy food without this mark. Digitally speaking, it 0:23:01.890 --> 0:23:05.040 has to be a digital economy. And so there has 0:23:05.040 --> 0:23:09.090 to be some sort of way to transact online without 0:23:09.090 --> 0:23:13.169 actually exchanging paper or cards or anything like that. And 0:23:13.200 --> 0:23:15.960 of course, there are over 114 countries in the world 0:23:15.960 --> 0:23:18.540 right now that are on their way to implementing a 0:23:18.540 --> 0:23:22.350 digital economy, including the United States of America. So the 0:23:22.350 --> 0:23:24.899 scary thing about that is, is that once that happens, 0:23:24.900 --> 0:23:30.780 every transaction becomes traceable, becomes trackable, it becomes programmable and expendable. 0:23:30.780 --> 0:23:35.280 So in essence, becomes a control issue over everyone's money 0:23:35.280 --> 0:23:38.250 down to the penny. And Antichrist will have to have 0:23:38.250 --> 0:23:40.359 that in order to have that mark of the beast. 0:23:40.380 --> 0:23:42.420 How close do you think we are to that in 0:23:42.420 --> 0:23:43.260 the US? 0:23:44.070 --> 0:23:47.220 Well, the fed now rolled out here this June, and 0:23:47.220 --> 0:23:50.100 this is kind of the test case for banks to 0:23:50.100 --> 0:23:54.540 begin to transact in real time immediately. And of course, 0:23:54.540 --> 0:23:57.359 they're selling all the positive aspects of it. And of course, 0:23:57.359 --> 0:24:00.450 digital transactions themselves are not evil. We do that every day. 0:24:00.450 --> 0:24:03.240 In fact, over half of our transactions in America are 0:24:03.240 --> 0:24:06.690 already done digitally. The scary part is when the government 0:24:06.690 --> 0:24:09.750 gets involved and there's a potential for tyranny to have 0:24:09.750 --> 0:24:13.350 its hand in your pocketbook. And so it's being rolled 0:24:13.350 --> 0:24:16.949 out right now. It's being tested. Our current president wants 0:24:16.950 --> 0:24:20.850 there to be a central digital currency bank, where all 0:24:20.850 --> 0:24:24.630 money just flows through the same digital bank, as it were. 0:24:24.630 --> 0:24:28.200 And so yeah, we're rapidly moving towards that right now. 0:24:28.890 --> 0:24:32.220 What is the ultimate message of revelation for Christians today? 0:24:32.220 --> 0:24:34.440 What would you like our listeners to walk away from 0:24:34.440 --> 0:24:36.899 this conversation with? If it was just one thing? 0:24:37.109 --> 0:24:39.300 Yeah, I think it's just simply this, you know, the 0:24:39.300 --> 0:24:42.450 Old Testament said someone is coming. The New Testament says 0:24:42.450 --> 0:24:46.500 someone has come. The revelation says someone is coming again. 0:24:46.680 --> 0:24:50.250 And I think the message for believers are prepare yourself 0:24:50.250 --> 0:24:54.360 for the return of the bridegroom. Be ready for the 0:24:54.359 --> 0:24:57.120 wedding and for the wedding feast. And that's what revelation does. 0:24:57.119 --> 0:24:59.670 It helps us know God better and know what's going 0:24:59.670 --> 0:25:01.710 to happen so that we can prepare ourselves. 0:25:01.890 --> 0:25:05.040 What's one thing we could do to prepare ourselves well? 0:25:05.040 --> 0:25:07.620 Revelation three two says to the church at Sardis, first 0:25:07.619 --> 0:25:10.590 you have to wake up, and waking up means opening 0:25:10.590 --> 0:25:13.530 your eyes and seeing the risen Christ. In fact, that's 0:25:13.530 --> 0:25:16.590 what revelation chapter one does. And how the whole book 0:25:16.590 --> 0:25:20.400 begins is a vision of who Jesus is right now 0:25:20.400 --> 0:25:23.400 and what he's done for us. And when John looks 0:25:23.400 --> 0:25:25.710 at that vision, the Bible says he falls at his 0:25:25.710 --> 0:25:28.770 feet as a dead man. It overwhelmed him. And so 0:25:28.770 --> 0:25:30.810 it really got his attention. So I think the number 0:25:30.810 --> 0:25:32.820 one thing we need to do is believers is to 0:25:32.820 --> 0:25:36.000 look at Jesus as described in revelation chapter one. 0:25:36.240 --> 0:25:39.270 Jeff Kinley has written God's great Finale, a link to 0:25:39.270 --> 0:25:43.130 his book at our website. The land and the book Talk. 0:25:43.140 --> 0:25:44.580 Thanks for connecting today, Jeff. 0:25:44.820 --> 0:25:46.129 Thank you John. God bless. 0:25:46.140 --> 0:25:49.020 Charlie's back. He's got some questions, no surprise there, but 0:25:49.020 --> 0:25:52.260 some of the answers might just be surprising. Bible questions. 0:25:52.260 --> 0:25:55.109 Maybe one of them. Yours. Next on the land and 0:25:55.109 --> 0:26:08.380 the book. Sure good to have your company today on 0:26:08.380 --> 0:26:11.109 the land. In the book I'm John Yeager, our host, Dr. 0:26:11.109 --> 0:26:14.260 Charlie Dyer. This segment, it's about you, your thoughts, your 0:26:14.260 --> 0:26:17.710 questions about the Bible as you crack open that ultimate 0:26:17.710 --> 0:26:21.070 book of wisdom and maybe ponder a verse of Scripture 0:26:21.070 --> 0:26:23.530 that leaves you scratching your head, you can always get 0:26:23.530 --> 0:26:25.959 your question to us when you email us at The 0:26:25.960 --> 0:26:30.040 Land and the Book at Moody Edu Charlie, many of 0:26:30.040 --> 0:26:32.920 us wonder what the future holds for Israel, and while 0:26:32.920 --> 0:26:36.010 some things are uncertain, the Bible gives us an outline 0:26:36.010 --> 0:26:37.990 of what will happen in the last days. 0:26:37.990 --> 0:26:40.510 Yeah, John and our friends at Life and Messiah recently 0:26:40.510 --> 0:26:45.220 hosted a prophecy conference. Focus specifically on this topic Israel 0:26:45.220 --> 0:26:48.400 and the church living in the last days. They're now 0:26:48.400 --> 0:26:51.310 making the videos of the conference available for early access 0:26:51.310 --> 0:26:54.400 exclusively to the land. In the book listeners, you'll hear 0:26:54.400 --> 0:26:58.000 from many knowledgeable speakers on this topic, including Moody Radio 0:26:58.000 --> 0:27:01.959 host Michael Rudnick and me, Charlie Dyer. These encouraging and 0:27:01.960 --> 0:27:06.130 informative videos will help you better understand God's future plans 0:27:06.130 --> 0:27:09.189 and how we can be actively waiting to get access 0:27:09.190 --> 0:27:12.850 to this video series. Visit Life in Messiah org and 0:27:12.850 --> 0:27:15.550 click on the Moody Radio button to sign up. That's 0:27:15.550 --> 0:27:17.770 life in Messiah org. 0:27:17.770 --> 0:27:20.020 All right, let's dig into our questions for the day. 0:27:20.020 --> 0:27:24.100 Lester starts us off asking, what is a cherubim and 0:27:24.100 --> 0:27:25.210 what does it look like? 0:27:25.420 --> 0:27:28.060 By the way, a cherubim are plural for a single 0:27:28.060 --> 0:27:31.840 is a cherub, multiple are cherubim. And the best description 0:27:31.840 --> 0:27:35.470 is found in Ezekiel one, verses 5 to 14. Cherub 0:27:35.470 --> 0:27:37.480 has a general appearance of a man, it says, but 0:27:37.480 --> 0:27:40.840 with four faces and four wings. The legs are straight, 0:27:40.840 --> 0:27:43.690 but with hooves like a calf. Under its wings are 0:27:43.690 --> 0:27:46.780 the hands of a man, and having described the cherubim, 0:27:46.780 --> 0:27:50.440 Ezekiel identifies them when they reappear, then in chapter ten, 0:27:50.440 --> 0:27:53.140 and that's when he specifically tells us what they are. 0:27:53.140 --> 0:27:55.869 Now cherubim are part of the angelic order, and they 0:27:55.869 --> 0:27:58.600 appear to be the angels who are closest to God 0:27:58.600 --> 0:28:01.480 and who guard the presence and his holiness. In fact, 0:28:01.480 --> 0:28:06.310 according to Ezekiel 2816, Satan was originally a guardian cherub 0:28:06.310 --> 0:28:09.550 until he was judged for his sin. The other descriptions 0:28:09.550 --> 0:28:12.369 we have of cherubim are are the golden representations of 0:28:12.369 --> 0:28:14.860 the cherubim that were placed on the mercy seat over 0:28:14.859 --> 0:28:17.080 the ark of the covenant, and in the Holy of 0:28:17.080 --> 0:28:21.820 Holies in Solomon's Temple. These descriptions are less detailed than Ezekiel's, 0:28:21.820 --> 0:28:24.640 but we're told in Exodus 2520 that they have their 0:28:24.640 --> 0:28:29.020 wings spread upward, overshadowing the mercy seat. Now, obviously we 0:28:29.020 --> 0:28:31.750 don't have any actual pictures of cherubim, though they did 0:28:31.750 --> 0:28:35.110 appear numerous times in the Bible. One thing we do know, though, 0:28:35.200 --> 0:28:37.870 they don't look like those little chubby babies we sometimes 0:28:37.869 --> 0:28:38.920 call cherubs. 0:28:39.550 --> 0:28:41.469 All right, here's a question from Alan. He says, I 0:28:41.470 --> 0:28:45.220 have some questions on John chapter 14. Jesus says, in 0:28:45.220 --> 0:28:48.910 my father's house are many mansions. I've heard two opinions 0:28:48.910 --> 0:28:52.210 on the meaning of my father's house. One commentary said 0:28:52.210 --> 0:28:54.670 it refers to the New Jerusalem, while another said it 0:28:54.670 --> 0:28:58.000 refers to the entire universe that God created. Could my 0:28:58.000 --> 0:29:02.830 father's house be the entire created universe, including all the galaxies? 0:29:02.950 --> 0:29:05.530 Well, I take my father's house in John 14 to 0:29:05.530 --> 0:29:07.959 refer to the New Jerusalem, and I base it in 0:29:07.960 --> 0:29:12.070 part on Hebrews chapter 12, in verses 22 to 24. 0:29:12.100 --> 0:29:14.860 There the New Jerusalem is said to be the abode 0:29:14.860 --> 0:29:18.400 of God and Jesus and angels, the church, the Old 0:29:18.400 --> 0:29:22.240 Testament saints, and the souls of righteous made perfect. In 0:29:22.240 --> 0:29:25.960 John 14, Jesus is talking about his father's house, and 0:29:25.960 --> 0:29:28.209 he also says this is where he will be. He 0:29:28.210 --> 0:29:31.990 tells the disciples, where I am, there you may be also. 0:29:31.990 --> 0:29:34.750 The New Jerusalem does come down to earth at the 0:29:34.750 --> 0:29:37.840 end of the millennium, but it is in existence now. 0:29:37.840 --> 0:29:40.240 And I take it that that's where the dwelling places 0:29:40.240 --> 0:29:42.730 are that Jesus is preparing for us. 0:29:42.730 --> 0:29:45.130 The land and the book from Moody Radio is what 0:29:45.130 --> 0:29:48.820 you're listening to. Questions and answers are focused with host Dr. 0:29:48.820 --> 0:29:52.330 Charlie Dyer. I'm John Geiger with this question from Todd. 0:29:52.330 --> 0:29:54.220 He says, I received a letter from a friend who 0:29:54.220 --> 0:29:57.670 has come to disbelieve the Bible. He has several objections, 0:29:57.670 --> 0:30:01.510 including what he claims is academic consensus that the Pentateuch 0:30:01.510 --> 0:30:05.440 is composed of multiple strands of stories that weren't compiled 0:30:05.440 --> 0:30:08.950 until the exile period, and that the early events are historical. 0:30:09.160 --> 0:30:12.010 He also believes Daniel couldn't have been written until the 0:30:12.010 --> 0:30:15.190 second century, based on the kind of language used and 0:30:15.190 --> 0:30:17.620 the prophecies that it makes. I'm not sure how to 0:30:17.620 --> 0:30:19.510 counter these assertions. Can you help? 0:30:19.780 --> 0:30:21.790 Well, what your friend has done is throw a bunch 0:30:21.790 --> 0:30:24.070 of mud against the wall, hoping that some of it 0:30:24.070 --> 0:30:26.380 will stick, and whether he was taught some of this 0:30:26.380 --> 0:30:28.930 at university or read it in books. The reality is 0:30:28.930 --> 0:30:32.950 that those objections have actually been answered quite convincingly. Now, 0:30:32.950 --> 0:30:34.570 for the sake of time, let me just pick up 0:30:34.570 --> 0:30:37.390 a few of them. His argument against the Pentateuch, based 0:30:37.390 --> 0:30:41.950 on an old, now discredited theory often called the documentary hypothesis, 0:30:41.950 --> 0:30:45.370 which says the Pentateuch was constructed from four or more 0:30:45.370 --> 0:30:48.490 different sources, often called J, E, D, and P, and 0:30:48.490 --> 0:30:52.120 finally stitched together during or after the Babylonian exile. Now, 0:30:52.120 --> 0:30:55.390 a book called The Documentary Hypothesis and the composition of 0:30:55.390 --> 0:30:59.650 the Pentateuch by a Jewish scholar named Humberto Kazuto presents 0:30:59.650 --> 0:31:03.760 a clear and compelling critique of the GDP theory. Another 0:31:03.760 --> 0:31:07.230 book was written. It's titled Before Abraham. M was by 0:31:07.230 --> 0:31:10.470 two professors at UC Berkeley, and the discovery of two 0:31:10.470 --> 0:31:14.500 amulets at Katif, home by Jerusalem, also causes a problem. 0:31:14.520 --> 0:31:16.350 In fact, let me talk about that just a second. 0:31:16.380 --> 0:31:19.590 These two amulets are from the First Temple period, and 0:31:19.590 --> 0:31:23.700 they contain quotations from numbers. Chapter six, the ironic benediction, 0:31:23.700 --> 0:31:26.970 which supposedly is part of the document which wasn't written 0:31:26.970 --> 0:31:30.420 until the exile. And yet, here's some amulets found before 0:31:30.420 --> 0:31:34.740 the exile, quoting something that supposedly hasn't yet been written. Now, 0:31:34.740 --> 0:31:38.670 the Greek loanwords in Daniel, they're actually musical instruments, and 0:31:38.670 --> 0:31:42.270 a scholar named Edwin Yamauchi has shown that musical instruments 0:31:42.270 --> 0:31:45.150 were imported and exported throughout the Middle East long before 0:31:45.150 --> 0:31:49.290 the time of Daniel. The reality that Daniel identified Belshazzar 0:31:49.290 --> 0:31:52.680 as ruling in Babylon was actually lost by the second 0:31:52.680 --> 0:31:55.230 century in the writings of others, but here in the 0:31:55.230 --> 0:31:58.410 past century or so, documents from Babylon were uncovered showing 0:31:58.410 --> 0:32:01.980 Daniel was correct. But the real problem the friend has 0:32:02.010 --> 0:32:05.640 is the issue of predictive prophecy. Can God predict the future, 0:32:05.640 --> 0:32:08.969 including the rise of Persia, Greece and Rome? And if 0:32:08.970 --> 0:32:12.060 he can, there's no problem with those countries being named, 0:32:12.060 --> 0:32:14.520 since that's exactly what God is claiming to do in 0:32:14.520 --> 0:32:17.820 those passages. Now, the bottom line is that every objection 0:32:17.820 --> 0:32:20.460 raised by your friend has a solid answer. A good 0:32:20.460 --> 0:32:23.220 book to recommend as evidence that demands a verdict by 0:32:23.220 --> 0:32:25.860 Josh McDowell. You might want to buy a copy to 0:32:25.860 --> 0:32:28.230 share with him and also get a copy for yourself. 0:32:28.230 --> 0:32:29.250 It's really good. 0:32:29.370 --> 0:32:32.880 Mary writes the church I attend chose a Sunday school 0:32:32.880 --> 0:32:35.430 curriculum I don't like. For example, the lesson assigned to 0:32:35.430 --> 0:32:38.610 me to teach was this promise the Lord will keep 0:32:38.610 --> 0:32:41.580 you from harm. The key verse second Timothy four, verse 0:32:41.580 --> 0:32:45.430 18 in the Bible story about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. 0:32:45.450 --> 0:32:48.390 The point was that God kept them from harm and 0:32:48.390 --> 0:32:51.270 used second Timothy four, verse 18. The Lord will deliver 0:32:51.270 --> 0:32:54.330 me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely 0:32:54.330 --> 0:32:57.300 to his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever 0:32:57.300 --> 0:33:00.720 and ever. But Second Timothy is Paul's swan song. Before 0:33:00.720 --> 0:33:04.200 his execution, wasn't Paul more concerned about his heart attitude 0:33:04.200 --> 0:33:05.100 toward the Lord? 0:33:05.370 --> 0:33:08.370 Well, your concerns are right on target. Shadrach, Meshach, and 0:33:08.370 --> 0:33:10.950 Abednego were convinced God would save them from death. He 0:33:10.950 --> 0:33:13.860 says the God we serve is able to save us 0:33:14.040 --> 0:33:16.230 from the blazing furnace, and he will rescue us from 0:33:16.230 --> 0:33:19.410 your hand, O King. However, they did acknowledge that even 0:33:19.410 --> 0:33:21.450 if he doesn't, we want you to know we will 0:33:21.450 --> 0:33:23.490 not serve your gods. But the point of the story 0:33:23.490 --> 0:33:26.700 is they had faith that God could physically deliver them 0:33:26.700 --> 0:33:30.180 from death. Now, second Timothy four Paul knows he's soon 0:33:30.180 --> 0:33:32.820 going to be executed, and he says in four six, 0:33:32.820 --> 0:33:36.120 the time has come for my departure. And though God 0:33:36.120 --> 0:33:39.300 stood by him during his first defense before Caesar, Paul 0:33:39.300 --> 0:33:41.790 knew the order for his execution would eventually be given. 0:33:41.790 --> 0:33:44.640 So in verse 18, he is saying that God will 0:33:44.640 --> 0:33:47.760 deliver him through death and bring me safely to his 0:33:47.760 --> 0:33:51.690 heavenly kingdom. When teaching this, the best approach is to 0:33:51.690 --> 0:33:54.150 talk through the two stories and have the people note 0:33:54.150 --> 0:33:56.940 the similarities and differences. You know, both accounts are a 0:33:56.940 --> 0:34:01.020 believers remaining faithful during times of persecution, but then you 0:34:01.020 --> 0:34:03.480 can note that the three friends were rescued from death 0:34:03.480 --> 0:34:07.260 while Paul found deliverance through death. In both cases, God 0:34:07.260 --> 0:34:11.100 provided deliverance. But that doesn't mean his followers won't experience 0:34:11.100 --> 0:34:13.830 death or martyrdom. I'm not sure if that's the lesson 0:34:13.830 --> 0:34:16.200 they're trying to give in the literature, but it's the 0:34:16.200 --> 0:34:18.540 lesson I see when you compare those two passages. 0:34:18.540 --> 0:34:21.719 Donna comments I recently saw a documentary about how we 0:34:21.719 --> 0:34:24.660 got our Bible, particularly the Old Testament, and I was 0:34:24.660 --> 0:34:28.410 wondering where the Dead Sea Scrolls used in translating any 0:34:28.410 --> 0:34:32.040 of our modern translations, and if so, which ones? 0:34:32.280 --> 0:34:35.160 Well, I believe most modern translations do use the Dead 0:34:35.160 --> 0:34:37.470 Sea Scrolls in their attempt to arrive at the most 0:34:37.469 --> 0:34:41.970 accurate Hebrew text for translation. Now, here's how the 1984 0:34:41.969 --> 0:34:44.700 and IV translators explained it. They actually wrote this in 0:34:44.700 --> 0:34:47.819 their preface to the translation for the Old Testament. The 0:34:47.820 --> 0:34:50.969 standard Hebrew text, the Masaryk text, as published in the 0:34:50.969 --> 0:34:54.000 latest edition to Biblical Hebraic, was used throughout the text, 0:34:54.000 --> 0:34:56.759 and then they add the Dead Sea Scrolls contain material 0:34:56.760 --> 0:34:59.640 bearing on an earlier stage of the Hebrew text. They 0:34:59.640 --> 0:35:02.730 were consulted, as were in any list. Some other ancient 0:35:02.730 --> 0:35:05.730 sources as well. I remember from my time in seminary 0:35:05.730 --> 0:35:08.910 that there were times when the Septuagint translation and the 0:35:08.910 --> 0:35:12.060 Dead Sea Scrolls seemed to suggest a different reading for 0:35:12.060 --> 0:35:15.299 a passage other than the traditional mass text. It didn't 0:35:15.300 --> 0:35:17.700 happen too often, but those are the places where the 0:35:17.700 --> 0:35:21.330 translators would explore all the different ancient sources to try 0:35:21.330 --> 0:35:24.330 to determine which seems to match best what the original 0:35:24.330 --> 0:35:28.440 author wrote. Now, unfortunately, it's difficult to discover those variations 0:35:28.440 --> 0:35:31.770 in our English translations, and the NIV. They'll usually appear 0:35:31.770 --> 0:35:33.810 as a footnote under the text and will say something 0:35:33.810 --> 0:35:38.250 like or. And then they'll have an alternate reading in italics. 0:35:38.250 --> 0:35:40.290 But you don't know if the alternative readings from the 0:35:40.290 --> 0:35:42.690 Dead Sea Scrolls or the Master Attic text, or some 0:35:42.690 --> 0:35:45.210 other ancient source. To find that, you really need to 0:35:45.210 --> 0:35:48.160 know how to read the textual apparatus in the biblical Hebraic. 0:35:48.360 --> 0:35:50.490 And let me tell you, that's not an easy task. 0:35:50.489 --> 0:35:53.190 And frankly, it's not worth the effort because most of 0:35:53.190 --> 0:35:55.319 what we have is very accurate. 0:35:55.440 --> 0:35:58.489 Todd asks, do we have extra biblical examples of hematite 0:35:58.890 --> 0:36:02.280 being used in a concrete sense of missing the mark, 0:36:02.280 --> 0:36:03.840 as in archery or the like? 0:36:03.840 --> 0:36:06.180 Yeah, the word hammer is the word for sin and an. 0:36:06.530 --> 0:36:08.450 It had the idea of missing the mark or failing 0:36:08.450 --> 0:36:10.850 to achieve a standard. It was used in the time 0:36:10.850 --> 0:36:13.580 of Homer to refer to a warrior who hurled a spear, 0:36:13.580 --> 0:36:16.160 but failed to strike his foe. It was also used 0:36:16.160 --> 0:36:18.380 to refer to someone who missed his way, and of 0:36:18.380 --> 0:36:21.230 a poet who sought to attain results beyond the limits 0:36:21.230 --> 0:36:23.540 of his art. By the time the words used in 0:36:23.540 --> 0:36:26.150 the Septuagint and the New Testament, it took on a 0:36:26.150 --> 0:36:29.899 more definite religious character, meaning to air or to sin. 0:36:30.230 --> 0:36:32.720 Well, it's always a great experience to connect with your 0:36:32.719 --> 0:36:37.129 questions and Charlie's answers. We're not done yet. One more segment. 0:36:37.130 --> 0:36:53.300 It's Charlie's devotional coming up right here. Well, like just 0:36:53.300 --> 0:36:56.390 about anything else in life, Thanksgiving comes with a list 0:36:56.390 --> 0:36:59.930 of do's and don'ts. Yeah, there are probably some rules, 0:36:59.930 --> 0:37:02.900 written or unwritten, that we should follow. As our host, Dr. 0:37:02.900 --> 0:37:05.689 Charlie Dyer, is about to share in his devotional. Charlie, 0:37:05.690 --> 0:37:07.770 what do we mean by do's and don'ts? 0:37:07.790 --> 0:37:09.860 Oh, those are the things your parents tell you before 0:37:09.860 --> 0:37:12.290 you arrive at the grandparents house. Know. Make sure you 0:37:12.290 --> 0:37:14.030 do this and make sure you don't do that. 0:37:14.040 --> 0:37:14.360 Yeah. 0:37:14.719 --> 0:37:17.149 All right. We'll get to that devotional after we hear 0:37:17.150 --> 0:37:21.230 this Holy Land experience. I love these testimonials. Here's another. 0:37:25.350 --> 0:37:29.370 Hi, I'm Paul Lange. I actually was invited to come 0:37:29.370 --> 0:37:31.620 with my wife by friends of ours who have been 0:37:31.620 --> 0:37:35.040 before with Moody, and we turned them down twice, but 0:37:35.040 --> 0:37:38.430 they prevailed on us and we did agree to go. 0:37:38.550 --> 0:37:43.020 And it is a life changing experience. I think the 0:37:43.020 --> 0:37:47.819 reality of what God is doing in such a small place, 0:37:47.910 --> 0:37:52.830 again and again and again, all throughout history, just to 0:37:52.830 --> 0:37:56.220 save us is just the most remarkable thing. And then 0:37:56.219 --> 0:37:59.759 to see that history unfold in front of us and 0:37:59.760 --> 0:38:03.840 to hear about it from experts, it is just a 0:38:03.840 --> 0:38:06.210 remarkable thing. It will change me forever. 0:38:06.480 --> 0:38:10.560 My name is Joyce Pappas, and my experience with what 0:38:10.560 --> 0:38:13.380 the Bible so far has been getting to know the 0:38:13.380 --> 0:38:17.580 Lord and him teaching me on the level that I 0:38:17.580 --> 0:38:21.810 was ready for. And now I can understand things on 0:38:21.810 --> 0:38:24.810 such a greater level and have so much more communication 0:38:24.810 --> 0:38:28.980 with him and reading through the Bible, knowing where he's been, 0:38:28.980 --> 0:38:33.569 knowing where all these events have happened, I can experience 0:38:33.570 --> 0:38:36.480 them at a deeper level and get even more out 0:38:36.480 --> 0:38:39.840 of all the messages that he has for me. I'm 0:38:39.840 --> 0:38:43.560 just so excited to have a whole new world open 0:38:43.560 --> 0:38:44.320 up to me. 0:38:44.340 --> 0:38:47.130 My name is Wayne Steadman and just finishing my second 0:38:47.130 --> 0:38:50.759 trip to Israel, and I'm absolutely struck by the reality 0:38:51.120 --> 0:38:54.480 of the presence of God in this small land. In 0:38:54.480 --> 0:38:58.260 the second visit, there's just it's just become so clear 0:38:58.260 --> 0:39:02.400 that in this small land, God came here first and 0:39:02.400 --> 0:39:06.900 he's still very present, and we know he's with us everywhere. 0:39:07.110 --> 0:39:09.359 But if you want to find God in a footprint, 0:39:09.450 --> 0:39:10.440 come to Israel. 0:39:12.460 --> 0:39:16.330 Psalm 95 is our text today. Appropriately enough, our topic 0:39:16.330 --> 0:39:18.759 is Thanksgiving. Charlie, what you got for us? 0:39:18.910 --> 0:39:21.400 Well, thanks, John. I remember as a child going to 0:39:21.400 --> 0:39:24.460 my grandparents house for Thanksgiving dinner. The kids would play 0:39:24.460 --> 0:39:27.040 outside while the ladies helped prepare the turkey and all 0:39:27.040 --> 0:39:30.340 the other salads and side dishes. And there were certain 0:39:30.340 --> 0:39:32.530 rules of etiquette my parents reminded me of on the 0:39:32.530 --> 0:39:35.590 way to Grammie and Grandpa's, and then quietly reminded me 0:39:35.590 --> 0:39:38.190 of again before we actually sat down to eat. You know, 0:39:38.230 --> 0:39:41.170 in addition to the standard no shouting, no reaching out 0:39:41.170 --> 0:39:43.629 and grabbing for food and make sure you finish what's 0:39:43.630 --> 0:39:48.010 on your plate. There were other Thanksgiving specific rules. Make 0:39:48.010 --> 0:39:49.930 sure you eat the Lima beans in addition to the 0:39:49.930 --> 0:39:53.890 turkey dressing and mashed potatoes. Only dip your vegetables, not 0:39:53.890 --> 0:39:56.710 your fingers, in the salt cellar or the salt dish 0:39:56.710 --> 0:39:59.890 by your plate, and perhaps the most repeated and the 0:39:59.890 --> 0:40:02.800 hardest to obey. Don't just try to scoop out the 0:40:02.800 --> 0:40:06.430 maraschino cherries from the ambrosia salad. It was a great 0:40:06.430 --> 0:40:09.380 meal in spite of all the rules for the kids. Now, 0:40:09.400 --> 0:40:12.250 as we grow up, the specific rules change. But the 0:40:12.250 --> 0:40:15.759 overall concept still remains the same. There are still some 0:40:15.760 --> 0:40:19.690 do's and don'ts we're expected to observe on Thanksgiving, and 0:40:19.690 --> 0:40:23.020 God has specific do's and don'ts for his children as 0:40:23.020 --> 0:40:26.530 they approach him in Thanksgiving. So this coming week, as 0:40:26.530 --> 0:40:29.230 we head into Thanksgiving, let's go back over the house 0:40:29.230 --> 0:40:32.500 rules set up by God in Psalm 95 to help 0:40:32.500 --> 0:40:35.440 us remember how to act. The psalmist begins in the 0:40:35.440 --> 0:40:38.560 first two verses of that psalm by reminding us why 0:40:38.560 --> 0:40:41.950 we're gathering together. Come, let us sing for joy to 0:40:41.950 --> 0:40:44.200 the Lord. Let us shout aloud to the rock of 0:40:44.200 --> 0:40:47.529 our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving, and 0:40:47.530 --> 0:40:51.250 extol him with music and song. The psalmist uses two 0:40:51.250 --> 0:40:54.040 different words to encourage us to gather before the Lord, 0:40:54.040 --> 0:40:57.670 whom he describes as the rock of our salvation. Like 0:40:57.670 --> 0:41:01.510 a solid, immovable peak rising from the valley floor, God 0:41:01.510 --> 0:41:04.089 is the place we can flee to avoid the devastating 0:41:04.090 --> 0:41:07.480 floods of life when they sweep. By now, I like 0:41:07.480 --> 0:41:10.839 the expression, let us come before him with thanksgiving, and 0:41:10.840 --> 0:41:15.040 before him is literally his face picturing God's presence. And 0:41:15.040 --> 0:41:17.739 the word for thanks is the Hebrew word toda. It's 0:41:17.739 --> 0:41:21.250 the Jewish expression used today to say thank you to someone. 0:41:21.250 --> 0:41:24.550 We're to stand before the very presence of God, look 0:41:24.550 --> 0:41:27.730 to him and say thank you. But why are we 0:41:27.730 --> 0:41:30.220 to thank God? Well, verse three says we're to do 0:41:30.219 --> 0:41:32.620 so because of who he is. For the Lord is 0:41:32.620 --> 0:41:36.399 the great God, the great King above all gods. God 0:41:36.400 --> 0:41:39.759 is to be praised and thanked because he is great 0:41:39.910 --> 0:41:42.730 when it says, God is the great King above all gods. 0:41:42.730 --> 0:41:46.330 The writer isn't suggesting there are actually other gods. What 0:41:46.330 --> 0:41:49.569 he's saying is that while other nations might worship idols, 0:41:49.570 --> 0:41:55.120 the God of Israel was infinitely superior to any supposed rival. 0:41:55.239 --> 0:41:57.820 But we're not just to be thankful for who God is, 0:41:57.820 --> 0:42:00.730 we're also to be thankful because of what God has done. 0:42:00.730 --> 0:42:03.009 In his hand are the depths of the earth, and 0:42:03.010 --> 0:42:05.620 the mountain peaks belong to him. The sea is his, 0:42:05.620 --> 0:42:08.919 for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. 0:42:08.920 --> 0:42:12.580 From the ocean depths to the highest mountain peak. God 0:42:12.580 --> 0:42:17.259 created and controls all the earth. In verses six and seven, 0:42:17.260 --> 0:42:20.920 the psalmist changes his theme just slightly. We're not just 0:42:20.920 --> 0:42:22.779 gathering to thank God for who he is and what 0:42:22.780 --> 0:42:26.050 he's done. We're also gathering to worship him for his 0:42:26.050 --> 0:42:29.860 care and protection over us. Come, let us bow down 0:42:29.860 --> 0:42:32.710 and worship. Let us kneel before the Lord our maker, 0:42:32.710 --> 0:42:35.259 for he is our God, and we are the people 0:42:35.260 --> 0:42:38.770 of his pasture, the flock under his care. There are 0:42:38.770 --> 0:42:41.319 three main verbs in these verses that point to us 0:42:41.320 --> 0:42:44.890 humbling ourselves or getting low before God. The word for 0:42:44.890 --> 0:42:47.350 worship means to bow down, and it's used with the 0:42:47.350 --> 0:42:50.080 second word for bowing down, along with another word that 0:42:50.080 --> 0:42:53.590 means to kneel. When we recognize God's greatness and his 0:42:53.590 --> 0:42:57.550 care for us, it causes us to bow in humble submission. 0:42:57.550 --> 0:43:00.940 We're like sheep under the protection of the ultimate good 0:43:00.940 --> 0:43:04.060 and great Shepherd. Now, while the first half of this 0:43:04.060 --> 0:43:08.080 psalm has all the positive instructions, the do's of our thanksgiving, 0:43:08.080 --> 0:43:10.750 if you will, the remainder of the Psalm switches and 0:43:10.750 --> 0:43:15.490 focuses on the don'ts of our relationship during this Thanksgiving season. 0:43:15.489 --> 0:43:18.850 In the remaining verses, the psalmist focuses on the bad 0:43:18.850 --> 0:43:22.480 example of Israel in the wilderness today. If you hear 0:43:22.480 --> 0:43:25.060 his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did 0:43:25.060 --> 0:43:27.400 at Maraba and as you did that day at Massah 0:43:27.400 --> 0:43:30.670 in the desert, the psalmist takes his readers back to 0:43:30.670 --> 0:43:34.810 Exodus 17, when Israel camped at RAF Edem. Here's a 0:43:34.810 --> 0:43:39.040 summary of that chapter. There's no water. So they quarreled 0:43:39.040 --> 0:43:42.100 with Moses and said, give us water to drink. And 0:43:42.100 --> 0:43:45.549 they grumbled against Moses. After this incident, the place was 0:43:45.550 --> 0:43:50.890 called Massa and Maraba. Testing and quarreling. If you truly 0:43:50.890 --> 0:43:54.399 acknowledge God as being both great and good, and being 0:43:54.400 --> 0:43:57.280 the Shepherd who cares for you, then guard against putting 0:43:57.280 --> 0:43:59.920 God to the test, or arguing with him and complaining 0:43:59.920 --> 0:44:02.770 about what you see as the places where he's failed you. 0:44:02.770 --> 0:44:07.029 By not meeting all your demands. In the final three verses, 0:44:07.030 --> 0:44:11.899 the writer switches perspective instead of one human exhorting another human. Come. 0:44:11.960 --> 0:44:16.489 Let us. God himself begins to speak and his message 0:44:16.489 --> 0:44:19.399 is one of warning. This is the. Don't scoop out 0:44:19.400 --> 0:44:22.819 the maraschino cherries from the ambrosia part of the psalm. 0:44:22.940 --> 0:44:27.220 The command is simple and direct. Do not harden your hearts. 0:44:27.230 --> 0:44:30.140 God explains how this worked itself out in the lives 0:44:30.140 --> 0:44:32.960 of those in the wilderness. They were a people whose 0:44:32.960 --> 0:44:36.590 hearts go astray and who have not known my ways. 0:44:37.040 --> 0:44:40.340 The people drifted off course morally and spiritually because they 0:44:40.340 --> 0:44:44.390 didn't come to know intimately God's ways. The word God 0:44:44.390 --> 0:44:47.239 uses for ways is Derek, which is used to describe 0:44:47.239 --> 0:44:50.300 a roadway or a pathway. They failed to pay close 0:44:50.300 --> 0:44:53.779 attention to the pathway of righteousness God had laid out 0:44:53.780 --> 0:44:56.660 for them in His word. As a result, the path 0:44:56.660 --> 0:45:00.440 they chose for themselves led them astray, and the consequences 0:45:00.440 --> 0:45:04.009 for the nation were devastating. So I declared on oath 0:45:04.010 --> 0:45:07.790 of my anger, they shall never enter my rest. An 0:45:07.790 --> 0:45:11.509 entire generation died off in the wilderness, never able to 0:45:11.510 --> 0:45:14.750 enter the place of blessing promised to them by God. 0:45:15.200 --> 0:45:17.719 So what's the point of Psalm 95 for us as 0:45:17.719 --> 0:45:21.169 we get ready to gather this coming Thursday? I can 0:45:21.170 --> 0:45:27.440 summarize it in three brief commands celebrate, submit, or suffer 0:45:27.440 --> 0:45:30.680 the consequences. The majority of the Psalm is a reminder 0:45:30.680 --> 0:45:33.800 for us to sing, shout joyfully, and come into God's 0:45:33.800 --> 0:45:37.279 presence with thanksgiving. This is a day to remember who 0:45:37.280 --> 0:45:40.640 God is and all he has done for us. But 0:45:40.640 --> 0:45:44.960 with great privilege also comes great responsibility. We're also to 0:45:44.960 --> 0:45:48.720 willingly submit, bow down, and kneel before our sovereign King. 0:45:48.739 --> 0:45:51.860 To remember he's the good Shepherd, and we're the sheep 0:45:51.860 --> 0:45:55.160 of his hand. But if we refuse to submit and 0:45:55.160 --> 0:45:58.430 instead harden our hearts, complain about his actions, and put 0:45:58.430 --> 0:46:01.009 him to the test, then we can expect to see 0:46:01.010 --> 0:46:04.279 the other side of our God. Those who shake their 0:46:04.280 --> 0:46:07.280 fist at God and refuse to bend the knee will 0:46:07.280 --> 0:46:10.940 discover that God will eventually abandon them to the consequences 0:46:10.940 --> 0:46:14.299 of their own choices. Those who deliberately choose to follow 0:46:14.300 --> 0:46:17.960 their path, rather than submitting to his will, not enter 0:46:17.960 --> 0:46:20.989 into his place of rest. So what's the secret to 0:46:20.989 --> 0:46:27.320 a restful, blessed Thanksgiving? Celebrate, submit and choose to follow 0:46:27.320 --> 0:46:29.870 the Lord. Oh yeah, and make sure not to scoop 0:46:29.870 --> 0:46:33.650 out the maraschino cherries from the ambrosia salad. Have a 0:46:33.650 --> 0:46:35.130 great Thanksgiving. 0:46:35.150 --> 0:46:38.780 Thank you, Charlie, and I'll watch the cherries. Well, today's 0:46:38.780 --> 0:46:40.790 program has been a full one. You can hear it 0:46:40.790 --> 0:46:44.330 all again at the land and the book org. Happy 0:46:44.330 --> 0:46:47.330 Thanksgiving to you and your family. On behalf of our host, 0:46:47.330 --> 0:46:50.690 Charlie Dyer and Dan Anderson, I'm John Geiger. The land 0:46:50.690 --> 0:46:52.850 in the book is a production of Moody Radio, a 0:46:52.850 --> 0:46:54.830 ministry of Moody Bible Institute.