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S1: 15 years. That's how long the land and the book

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S1: has been on the air. 15 years. Imagine that. Hey,

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S1: welcome to our very special 15th anniversary edition of the

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S1: broadcast with Doctor Charlie Dyer, our favorite Middle East expert.

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S1: And I'm John Yeager. Charlie, what a great honor to

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S1: be celebrating 15 years of ministry to the glory of God.

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S2: Absolutely, John. And the 15 years with you, with Dan,

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S2: and with our listeners has just been truly a joy

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S2: from my perspective.

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S1: This is program number 785, if you can believe that.

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S1: And to celebrate, we're giving away a package of three books,

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S1: all by Doctor Charlie Dyer, our host. First there's who

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S1: owns the land, then there's experiencing the land of the book.

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S1: And what does the Bible say about the future? These

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S1: are very, very relevant, very current. And I invite you

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S1: to enter our contest to see if you might just

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S1: win one of these three books. Who owns the land

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S1: experiencing the land of the book? And what does the

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S1: Bible say about the future? Here's how you can enter

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S1: to win. Email us at the land and the book at.

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S1: The land and the book at. We need three things

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S1: from you. One. How long have you been listening to

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S1: the program? Two why? What do you get out of it?

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S1: And three be sure to include your mailing address. If

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S1: you should win, email us by midnight Sunday night and

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S1: we'll choose a winner and let you know who won

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S1: next week. All right, let's swing our focus toward current

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S1: events after we answer this question. Charlie, how do I

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S1: share the gospel with my Jewish friend? It's a good

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S1: question many people ask. And that question recognizes the need

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S1: for a sensitive approach to sharing with Jewish people. Right?

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S2: That's exactly right. And that's why our friends at Life

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S2: in Messiah want to help you answer that question. They

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S2: put together a series of helpful articles on how you

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S2: can share the good news with Jewish people around you.

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S2: You'll learn about Jewish cultural sensitivities, how anti-Semitism Antisemitism affects

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S2: Jewish evangelism. The importance of messianic prophecy and more. To

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S2: access the articles, visit Life in Messiah. Click on the

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S2: Moody Radio logo there and sign up. You'll receive the

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S2: articles to equip you with practical ways to share the

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S2: good news with Jewish people around you or online. You'll

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S2: find that moody radio icon at Life in Messiah.

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S1: And now a look at current events based in the

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S1: Middle East. Over the past 15 years, we have seen

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S1: seismic shifts in the Middle East. What are some of

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S1: the major stories and topics that we've covered, Charlie, during

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S1: that time?

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S2: You know, when you think about it, John, the scope

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S2: is almost breathtaking. The so-called Arab Spring began just a

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S2: few months after we went on air. It morphed into

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S2: the rise of ISIS, which captured Mosul in 2014 and

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S2: was not finally defeated until 2019. The Muslim Brotherhood came

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S2: to power in Egypt in 2012, until they were ousted

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S2: by the military in a coup. A year later. Turkey's

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S2: President Erdogan survived an attempted coup of his own in 2016,

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S2: and since then he's been moving Turkey toward Islamic fundamentalism

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S2: and supporting groups like Hamas. The Assad regime in Syria

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S2: managed to stay in power in spite of groups like ISIS,

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S2: thanks to support from Russia and Iran. Until their dramatic

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S2: collapse earlier this year, Israel endured seven general elections over

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S2: the past 15 years. Amazingly, Netanyahu remained in office for

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S2: 14 of those years. A deepening water crisis gripped the

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S2: region for over a decade. Only Israel, thanks to its

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S2: desalination plants, has sufficient water right now. Israel's tourism was

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S2: growing at an explosive rate until Covid hit in the

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S2: spring of 2020, shutting everything down for over 18 months.

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S2: Tourism started to recover, only to have the attack by

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S2: Hamas in October 2023 bring it all to a halt again.

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S2: One of the first current events topics we ever discussed

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S2: on the program was Iran's threatened nuclear program. Negotiations led

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S2: to an agreement in 2015, but when the US pulled

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S2: out in 2018, Iran again restarted that program. This all

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S2: ended when Israel and the US attacked Iran's nuclear facilities

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S2: earlier this year in June. We tried to stay up

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S2: on current archaeological discoveries, including the excavations on the pilgrim

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S2: roadway in the city of David. We actually got to

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S2: walk on it while it was still being excavated. We

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S2: also interviewed hundreds of individuals impacting the Middle East for

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S2: Jesus Christ. And by my count John, we've answered something

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S2: like 4000 Bible questions on the program. We've also recorded

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S2: a number of Moody radio specials on location, from Christmas

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S2: and Easter specials to a look at the situation in

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S2: Israel post October 7th. And John, that's just some of

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S2: what we've covered in the past 15 years.

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S1: Wow, that's a lot. And Charlie, you mentioned October 7th. seven.

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S1: This week marks the two year anniversary of Hamas's deadly

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S1: attack on Israel. What's the latest update on the conflict

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S1: with Gaza?

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S2: Well, let me answer two ways. First, the reality is

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S2: that Israel is winning the fight on the ground but

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S2: losing the PR battle. Israeli forces have surrounded Gaza City,

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S2: and 800,000 people listened to Israel's warning and fled. Israel's

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S2: been striking hundreds of terror targets there and tightening the

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S2: noose on Hamas. Unfortunately, they've been far less successful fighting

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S2: the PR war. The charges of genocide and mass starvation

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S2: have been repeated so often by Hamas, and by news

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S2: organizations and politicians that they've been accepted as fact, in

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S2: spite of Israel's attempts to answer them. Israel is doing

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S2: everything possible to avoid targeting civilians, while Hamas embeds itself

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S2: among its own people to create more casualties while releasing

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S2: casualty figures as well that don't distinguish between military and

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S2: civilian deaths. Western countries are bowing to internal pressure and

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S2: pushing to recognize a Palestinian state. They're also framing Israel

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S2: as a pariah, even though the conflict was started by Hamas.

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S2: Prime Minister Netanyahu gave a strong defense of his country's

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S2: policies and actions at the UN, but the focus ended

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S2: up being on the boycott of his speech by 77 countries,

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S2: showing their support for Hamas. Now, the second part of

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S2: the update is President Trump's peace plan that was just

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S2: announced this last week, which could, in theory, at least,

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S2: end the conflict. Many in Israel favored the plan, as

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S2: do many Muslim countries and other Western states. However, the

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S2: real question is whether Hamas will accept it and abide

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S2: by it. And what will happen if they don't? The

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S2: plan calls for the release of all hostages within 48

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S2: hours after its acceptance, and for Hamas to lay down

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S2: its weapons. Israel would halt fighting and withdraw all forces

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S2: from Gaza, which would become a deradicalized terror free zone.

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S2: Gaza would be governed by a transitional government, and Hamas

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S2: would have no role in that government. Now, I wish

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S2: I could be optimistic about this, but it would require

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S2: a fundamental shift in Hamas that I really struggle to

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S2: see happening.

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S1: This is the land and the book from Moody Radio,

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S1: our host, Doctor Charlie Dyer. I'm John Gager. Welcome to

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S1: this 15th anniversary broadcast program, number 785, as we always do.

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S1: We're working our way through a list of current events,

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S1: stories based in the Middle East. And Israeli-syrian security arrangement

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S1: was to have already been announced, but last minute complications

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S1: delayed it. What's the reason for the delay and can

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S1: those details be quickly worked out?

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S2: Well, the deal was said to be 99% complete, but

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S2: a last minute snag arose. Standing in solidarity with its

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S2: own Druze community, Israel expressed concern over the Druze in Syria,

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S2: who were attacked. After the new government was established, Israel

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S2: submitted a proposal for a humanitarian corridor to Syria's southern

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S2: province of Sweida to provide aid to the Druze who

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S2: lived there. Syria rejected the proposal as a breach of

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S2: their sovereignty. So right now, conversations are focused on scaling

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S2: down the proposed security deal to make it simply a

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S2: de-escalation agreement. Israel wants a demilitarization of southwestern Syria that

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S2: would preserve their safety and security, as well as that

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S2: of the Druze who live there. It's possible a deal

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S2: can be worked out, but how quickly it can be

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S2: done is now anyone's guess, since neither side really trusts

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S2: the other.

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S1: Well, Israel announced its ion beam system is now operational

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S1: and in the process of being implemented. What level of

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S1: protection does this new system offer to Israel?

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S2: This happens to be a case where we need to

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S2: look carefully at all the details. The Israeli Defense Force

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S2: will begin to take delivery by the end of the year.

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S2: In the announcement, the Defense Ministry said the system will

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S2: be able to intercept rockets, mortars, aircraft and UAVs. On

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S2: the surface, that sounds pretty impressive. It does seem capable

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S2: of shooting down most threats Israel has faced from Hamas

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S2: and Hezbollah, but the ion beam isn't designed to replace

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S2: the Iron Dome or David's Sling or the arrow system.

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S2: It will shoot down smaller projectiles while leaving the larger

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S2: ones for those other systems. And the new system might

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S2: not be as foolproof as one might think. The larger

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S2: projectiles it's not designed to shoot down would apparently include

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S2: things like the ballistic missiles that were fired by Iran,

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S2: and a laser system isn't as effective in low visibility

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S2: situations like heavy cloud cover or bad weather. Now, the

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S2: system will continue to improve as Israel works to expand

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S2: the power of the lasers and even to mount them

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S2: on aircraft that could fly above inclement weather. But the

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S2: reason for the announcement and the implementation right now is

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S2: probably to send a message to Hamas, Hezbollah and the

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S2: Houthis that Israel has developed a system that can shoot

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S2: down their weapons in a far more cost effective way.

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S2: And really, that is a good message for them to

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S2: be delivering.

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S1: Well, Charlie, this is our 15th anniversary broadcast. I'm going

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S1: to give you a shot at giving one sentence each

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S1: on the three books we're giving away in this package

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S1: of somebody lucky winner experience book number one, who owns

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S1: the land? What's it about?

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S2: Well, as the name implies, who really does have the

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S2: rightful claim to the land that we now call Israel,

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S2: or that someone will call Israel and Palestine. And we

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S2: go back through the history of the land and what

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S2: the Bible says about it.

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S1: Book number two, experiencing the land of the book.

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S2: Ah, that's my favorite book, actually. It was written during

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S2: the Covid period, and it's my attempt to take somebody

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S2: on a trip to Israel. I say it's the cheapest

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S2: trip you'll ever have to the land of Israel.

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S1: And what does the Bible say about the future.

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S2: That comes right from the program? We took 30 of

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S2: the questions that have been asked about prophecy in the future,

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S2: and tried to give short answers to those 30 questions

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S2: so that it can help people understand what the Bible

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S2: says the future holds.

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S1: You can enter to win at the land and the

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S1: book at Moody's. It's one thing to read about Bible history,

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S1: but it's another to live it. You say, how do

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S1: you do that? Well, you could do what we're about

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S1: to do. Take a tour of the Biblical History Center. Hi,

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S1: I'm John Gager. This is the land and the book

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S1: segment two. And as you can tell from the background sounds,

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S1: we have left our studios today. We're in Lagrange, Georgia,

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S1: an easy drive from Atlanta. We're about to visit some

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S1: of the highlights of the Biblical History Center. First, though,

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S1: let's pause for this suggestion on lovingly reaching out to

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S1: a Jewish friend or neighbor. Objections to Jesus. Everybody's got em,

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S1: including Jewish people. How do we handle those objections? Justin

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S1: Crone is with Chosen People Ministries.

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S3: I think it's helpful for us to understand that when

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S3: sharing our faith with Jewish people, that we should keep

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S3: in mind that the objections that they have to the

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S3: gospel may not have anything to do with the fact

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S3: that they're Jewish. It might just have something to do

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S3: with their human identity and really, their desire to be

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S3: the boss of their own lives, rather than surrendering their

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S3: lives to the authority of God and his redemptive plan.

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S3: Paul made it very clear in his letter to the

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S3: church to Rome that Jews and Gentiles alike are all

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S3: under sin. There's no one who seeks God. And so

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S3: I think we need to just remember that sometimes when

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S3: Jewish people object to the gospel, it's not because they're Jewish.

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S3: It's just simply because they're they're human. Yeah. And, you know,

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S3: someone once said that Jewish people are like everyone else,

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S3: just more so. So, you know, they have the same

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S3: kind of objections that a lot of other people do.

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S3: And considering such, I think it should just remind us

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S3: that we need to understand what is it that actually

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S3: is holding them back from wanting to consider who God

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S3: is or who Jesus is, and then speak to that

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S3: specific objection in their life.

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S1: Great counsel from Justin Krohn, who serves with Chosen People Ministries.

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S1: Always a pleasure to have you. Stop by, Justin.

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S3: Thanks, John.

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S1: Ben Stevens is the executive director of the Biblical History

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S1: Center in Lagrange, Georgia, a museum that brings the world

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S1: of the Bible to life through real artifacts, hands on exhibits,

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S1: and archaeological replicas. He's passionate about sharing the rich history

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S1: of the Bible and the church, using historical education to

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S1: help people like me and you connect more deeply with

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S1: their faith by exploring Scripture and its original cultural and

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S1: historical context. Hey, welcome to the land and the book.

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S4: Ben, thank you very much.

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S1: So here we are outside the Biblical Artifacts Gallery, just

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S1: one of the many, many places that you guys have

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S1: got a fabulous look, by the way. You feel like

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S1: you're in Israel. And I say that standing next to

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S1: my wife, Diana, who's been with me to Israel some

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S1: 8 or 9 times.

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S4: And that's the goal. That's what we want for folks

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S4: that aren't ever going to get the opportunity to go

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S4: to Israel. You have the opportunity to come here and

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S4: experience what that would be like.

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S1: Ben, do me a favor. Open that door to the

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S1: Biblical Life Artifacts gallery. I'm excited.

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S4: Yes, sir. Come on.

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S1: Let's do it. I noticed the temperature in here is

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S1: kept quite cool, and I'm sure that's for a reason.

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S4: Yes, sir. We keep it. Temperature and humidity controlled. This

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S4: is per IAA regulations. That's the Israel Antiquities Authority. We

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S4: have to keep this room at a specific temperature and

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S4: humidity level to make sure that these artifacts are here

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S4: for a very long time, so multiple people can enjoy them.

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S4: Multiple people can enjoy the stories that they hold.

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S1: I'm looking at some beautifully preserved clay figures, which are

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S1: small pots. How would you describe these?

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S4: Yes, these would be oil vessels. This would be used

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S4: in carrying oil. Specifically, we've placed them here in our

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S4: Old Testament burial tomb. That would be used for anointing

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S4: people after they had perished.

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S1: Wow. So this is the size that we're talking about.

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S1: Maybe not unlike what Mary and the others would have

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S1: carried to anoint Jesus. Is that fair?

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S4: Yeah, similar. Um, of course, we know that their pots

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S4: are in the first century. While these ones would have

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S4: been in more of a Bronze Age timeline. So some

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S4: differences there. But yeah, about the same size.

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S1: Let's move on to this next display. Quite a collection

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S1: of different oil lamps.

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S4: Yes. So we have quite a few oil lamps here.

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S4: And they're placed inside our Israelite house. Um, that we've

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S4: kind of cut in half so you could see the

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S4: construction method of these houses. These oil lamps would have

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S4: been very important for, uh, every Israelite in the first century.

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S4: These are lighting your homes. These, of course, are lighting

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S4: your path, right?

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S1: You know, I'm intrigued. As I look at these, I'm

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S1: reminded our first trip to Israel, I guess I always

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S1: expected them to be larger. Sort of like an Aladdin's lamp,

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S1: maybe the size of a small football. But they're not. They.

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S1: They fit easily in your palm.

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S4: Yes, exactly. It's I mean, this is a practical use.

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S4: This is something that you're using every day in every

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S4: application that you can. And they're using them in the

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S4: temple quite frequently as well. Also.

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S1: Ben Stevens is the executive director of the Biblical History

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S1: Center of Lagrange, Georgia. We're walking through it today, a

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S1: super fast tour. You should not go at the rate

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S1: we're going. You should come and enjoy it. I love

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S1: what we're looking at right now. Describe this very tiny coin.

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S4: Yes. So we have quite a few coins, but my

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00:16:18,380 --> 00:16:21,260
S4: favorite coin we have is one coin. It kind of

303
00:16:21,300 --> 00:16:22,700
S4: looks like it has a P on it, but that's

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00:16:22,700 --> 00:16:25,020
S4: not what that actual symbol is. But it is very

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00:16:25,020 --> 00:16:29,540
S4: convenient because this coin was minted by Pontius Pilate, this

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S4: coin would have been in circulation during the time of Christ,

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S4: and it's one of my favorite coins that we have

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00:16:35,340 --> 00:16:37,940
S4: in here to show everybody and share.

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S1: You mentioned an amazing statistic, a claim for the Biblical

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S1: History Center about numbers of artifacts and so on.

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S4: Yes, sir. We have over 250 artifacts here in the

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S4: Biblical History Center. That's going to be the largest collection

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S4: that you have in the United States. That's from Israel.

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S4: We're only one of 4 or 5 in the US

315
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S4: that has actual loans from the nation of Israel, and

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00:16:59,890 --> 00:17:01,530
S4: we're very blessed to have the largest.

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S1: So much to see here. What do you say we

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S1: continue on and see what else there is?

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S4: Absolutely.

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S1: So we have stepped outside the artifacts gallery. Where are

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S1: we now, Ben?

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S4: This is a typical Israelite house from the first century.

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S1: And I noticed the ceilings are quite low.

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S4: The ceilings are very low. Your average Israelite male at

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S4: the time wouldn't have been over five seven.

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S1: And describe the home itself. This four room house.

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S4: We have our family room and we have our dining room.

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S4: And then there's two rooms outside, of course, our kitchen.

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S4: And there would have been a pantry or storage room

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S4: on the outside of the house.

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S1: Okay. And the rooms, none of them very big either.

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S4: No, none of the rooms are very big. They're all

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S4: very small. You have to imagine, especially in a place

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S4: like Jerusalem, you're very cramped inside the city and building

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S4: essentially on top of each other to have these homes.

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S4: So they were very, very small.

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S1: We're talking with Ben Stevens today, the executive director of

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S1: the Biblical History Center in Lagrange, Georgia. I think standing

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S1: here is the only way that you could really get

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S1: a sense of what homes might have been like. You

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S1: can read about it. You can see a picture maybe

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S1: in the back of a Bible or online or something.

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S1: But when you're here and you go, oh, my elbows

344
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S1: could almost stretch out and touch both walls, you go.

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S1: It is small.

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S4: It is a very small and, uh, different idea of

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S4: a house than what we think of when we think

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S4: of a house, that's for sure. When our field trips come,

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S4: the kids are always shocked that the family would share

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S4: the family room. You sleep in the same room as

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S4: your mother and your father and your brothers and your sisters.

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S4: This is this is one family house.

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S1: Again, lots to see here. Let's continue as we stand

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S1: outside here at the Biblical History Center, we come to

355
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S1: a very interesting device. Ben. What are we looking at?

356
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S4: This is going to be a first century Roman olive crusher.

357
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S4: This would have been used to crush the olives before

358
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S4: you pressed them. For the Romans, they found that if

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00:18:47,109 --> 00:18:49,790
S4: you crushed the olives before you pressed them, it's a

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S4: little bit shorter of a process than pressing them from

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S4: the whole olive. And you actually got more olive oil

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S4: out of the process itself. Of course, you know, olives

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S4: are very hard. Even when they're ripe. It takes an

364
00:19:00,470 --> 00:19:03,070
S4: extreme amount of weight to crush or press them.

365
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S1: All right, Ben, we're going to see if you're up

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S1: to it. I'm going to invite you to put some

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S1: muscle into that thing and see if you can move

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S1: this stone.

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S4: All right, here we go.

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S1: Here we go. And, ladies and gentlemen, Ben has passed

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S1: the test.

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S4: Well done. Yes. Thank you very much.

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S1: Let's move on. For a lot of Bible readers, biblical

374
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S1: units of volume become really tricky. We don't quite get it.

375
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S1: You've done a great job here in this exhibit.

376
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S4: Describe it. So it is very hard to understand the

377
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S4: And the measurements, especially when you can't see them. So

378
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S4: what we've done is taken the common liquid and dry measures,

379
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S4: and we've placed them in a row here so folks

380
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S4: can come and see how exactly big was a bath.

381
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S1: Okay. So I'm looking here, for example, an omer. You

382
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S1: see that? To me that's like a shoebox. And you've

383
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S1: got it under acrylic. A cab is roughly a butter

384
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S1: tub and a bath. Well, now that's a that's a vase.

385
00:19:58,770 --> 00:20:01,330
S1: That's what, almost six gallons. So bigger than a five

386
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S1: gallon pail. And in a beautiful vase. So puts a

387
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S1: good handle on what these things really were.

388
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S4: Yeah, absolutely. It really helps especially again educational for children.

389
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S4: It helps them visualize what we're talking about in scripture.

390
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S1: Okay. You mentioned children. And as you walk around clearly

391
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S1: this is a place where kids are welcome. You can

392
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S1: see where they would absolutely enjoy hanging out and seeing

393
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S1: the Bible come to life from their perspective at their

394
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S1: age level.

395
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S4: Absolutely everything we have here, of course, outside of the

396
00:20:30,130 --> 00:20:34,880
S4: artifacts themselves, our hands on this is all for the children,

397
00:20:34,880 --> 00:20:38,000
S4: for everyone to come and explore, to touch, to feel,

398
00:20:38,040 --> 00:20:41,119
S4: to move, to be a part of the presses, to

399
00:20:41,160 --> 00:20:43,960
S4: get on top of the guard tower and to look around.

400
00:20:43,960 --> 00:20:47,800
S4: This is all immersive. This is an immersive experience to

401
00:20:47,840 --> 00:20:48,840
S4: help educate.

402
00:20:49,240 --> 00:20:51,720
S1: By the silence. You can tell we're no longer outside

403
00:20:51,760 --> 00:20:53,359
S1: Ben Stevens. Where are we?

404
00:20:53,400 --> 00:20:55,719
S4: We are in our biblical meal rooms, one of two

405
00:20:55,720 --> 00:20:58,879
S4: biblical meal rooms we have where we invite guests in

406
00:20:58,880 --> 00:21:02,600
S4: with reservation, of course, to dine with us and experience

407
00:21:02,600 --> 00:21:04,639
S4: what it would have been like to eat in the

408
00:21:04,640 --> 00:21:06,320
S4: first century in Israel.

409
00:21:06,680 --> 00:21:08,600
S1: Steak is not on the menu, I presume?

410
00:21:08,600 --> 00:21:10,400
S4: No, we do serve chicken, however.

411
00:21:10,400 --> 00:21:11,080
S1: And what else?

412
00:21:11,359 --> 00:21:15,480
S4: We'll have a lot of Mediterranean items grapes, black and

413
00:21:15,480 --> 00:21:18,680
S4: green olives. We also have a salad that's pre dressed.

414
00:21:18,720 --> 00:21:21,320
S4: We say it's kind of a biblical meal. I don't

415
00:21:21,320 --> 00:21:24,040
S4: remember spinach artichoke ever being mentioned in the Bible, but

416
00:21:24,040 --> 00:21:25,720
S4: we do serve it. And I have to believe that

417
00:21:25,720 --> 00:21:28,040
S4: Jesus would have loved it because it's delicious right.

418
00:21:28,040 --> 00:21:31,280
S1: Well, quite beyond the menu itself. I think your real

419
00:21:31,280 --> 00:21:34,470
S1: impression here for everybody who comes is the actual appearance.

420
00:21:34,470 --> 00:21:36,870
S1: The lighting is low. They didn't have bright lights. The

421
00:21:36,869 --> 00:21:38,550
S1: seating is low. Describe that.

422
00:21:38,630 --> 00:21:40,990
S4: The seating is low. As low as we could make

423
00:21:40,990 --> 00:21:43,310
S4: it without being uncomfortable. We still want our guests to

424
00:21:43,310 --> 00:21:46,830
S4: be able to sit. But it's interesting. When we go

425
00:21:46,830 --> 00:21:49,470
S4: through our meals, we let folks know that the Israelites

426
00:21:49,470 --> 00:21:51,990
S4: would not have been sitting for their meals, especially not

427
00:21:51,990 --> 00:21:54,790
S4: a Passover Seder meal. They would have been laying down

428
00:21:54,790 --> 00:21:55,790
S4: for those meals.

429
00:21:56,230 --> 00:21:59,389
S1: So again, this fully immersive experience is what you get

430
00:21:59,390 --> 00:22:01,389
S1: as you show up here at the Biblical History Center

431
00:22:01,390 --> 00:22:03,990
S1: in Lagrange, Georgia. We've got at least one more stop.

432
00:22:03,990 --> 00:22:06,310
S1: We want to get in here. Let's move on. Ben,

433
00:22:06,350 --> 00:22:07,550
S1: what are we standing in?

434
00:22:07,550 --> 00:22:10,230
S4: So what we're standing in right now is our authentic

435
00:22:10,230 --> 00:22:13,230
S4: camel and goat hair tent. This is an authentic tent

436
00:22:13,230 --> 00:22:15,710
S4: from Jordan that we had made and brought to the

437
00:22:15,710 --> 00:22:19,070
S4: United States that we use to illustrate the life of

438
00:22:19,109 --> 00:22:20,669
S4: the nomadic Israelite.

439
00:22:21,109 --> 00:22:23,470
S1: A couple things about this camel hair tent. Number one,

440
00:22:23,470 --> 00:22:26,190
S1: it's very, very thick. It's not the ripstop nylon that

441
00:22:26,190 --> 00:22:27,470
S1: we think of tents today.

442
00:22:27,470 --> 00:22:30,390
S4: No, definitely not a synthetic material. It's very, very thick,

443
00:22:30,390 --> 00:22:33,420
S4: but it's got some very interesting properties about it. But

444
00:22:33,420 --> 00:22:35,700
S4: of course it is very rough to the touch. Of course,

445
00:22:35,700 --> 00:22:38,899
S4: I always tell people to remind themselves of John the Baptist.

446
00:22:38,940 --> 00:22:41,780
S4: What kind of clothing is he wearing? Camel skin. Clothing. It's.

447
00:22:41,780 --> 00:22:44,060
S4: It's very rough to the touch. And you can understand

448
00:22:44,420 --> 00:22:47,340
S4: what kind of movement John the Baptist is from.

449
00:22:47,820 --> 00:22:49,980
S1: Doesn't seem like a very deluxe kind of a setup

450
00:22:49,980 --> 00:22:51,940
S1: to be living in in Bible times.

451
00:22:52,140 --> 00:22:55,100
S4: Well, this really is a very deluxe, especially the size

452
00:22:55,100 --> 00:22:57,380
S4: of this tent. This is a very large family. This

453
00:22:57,380 --> 00:23:00,140
S4: is a very wealthy family. They have a lot they

454
00:23:00,140 --> 00:23:01,899
S4: have a lot of animals and they can provide a

455
00:23:01,900 --> 00:23:04,500
S4: lot for themselves. Uh, just because it doesn't seem like

456
00:23:04,500 --> 00:23:06,860
S4: a lot to us doesn't mean it wasn't a lot

457
00:23:06,859 --> 00:23:09,180
S4: to them. They are nomadic. They're moving from place to place.

458
00:23:09,180 --> 00:23:12,379
S4: So the more you have, the harder it is to move.

459
00:23:12,700 --> 00:23:14,900
S4: So you are compact in lifestyle.

460
00:23:15,140 --> 00:23:17,780
S1: I see they've got some room partitions they've created here

461
00:23:17,820 --> 00:23:21,180
S1: and a little bit of seating and some ventilation as well.

462
00:23:21,340 --> 00:23:24,300
S4: Yeah. So there's two separate rooms that you have in

463
00:23:24,340 --> 00:23:26,379
S4: the tent that is the male side of the tent

464
00:23:26,380 --> 00:23:28,619
S4: and the women's side of the tent. This is a

465
00:23:28,619 --> 00:23:31,090
S4: part of the culture that you're going to expect during

466
00:23:31,090 --> 00:23:33,930
S4: this day and age. But this is a family unit, right?

467
00:23:33,970 --> 00:23:35,649
S4: No one's going to get in trouble for going and

468
00:23:35,650 --> 00:23:37,330
S4: talking to dad. No one's going to get in trouble

469
00:23:37,330 --> 00:23:39,410
S4: for going and talking to mom. We have multiple examples

470
00:23:39,410 --> 00:23:42,490
S4: of that in the Bible, but there is some cultural

471
00:23:42,490 --> 00:23:45,330
S4: exchanges there for men and women side of the tent.

472
00:23:45,330 --> 00:23:48,210
S4: And you said something about ventilation. Uh, we do have

473
00:23:48,210 --> 00:23:51,250
S4: one side of the tent open to, uh, keep it ventilated,

474
00:23:51,250 --> 00:23:54,250
S4: but this would be a completely enclosed tent. But there's

475
00:23:54,250 --> 00:23:58,610
S4: little holes inside the fabric themselves. It's not woven so

476
00:23:58,650 --> 00:24:00,810
S4: tightly that the air can't flow through.

477
00:24:01,010 --> 00:24:02,850
S1: What does that say, though, about a rainstorm, Ben?

478
00:24:02,890 --> 00:24:04,890
S4: Well, that's the great thing about camel and goat hair,

479
00:24:04,890 --> 00:24:08,010
S4: is that it's going to absorb that moisture rapidly. And

480
00:24:08,010 --> 00:24:12,010
S4: you could quite literally watch those threads expand and those

481
00:24:12,010 --> 00:24:14,530
S4: holes disappear. So the water just sheds right off.

482
00:24:14,850 --> 00:24:18,169
S1: Pretty cool. You really couldn't call this a biblical history

483
00:24:18,210 --> 00:24:21,250
S1: center without some kind of a reference to what, Ben.

484
00:24:21,570 --> 00:24:24,370
S4: This would be a reference to our cross, our crucifixion.

485
00:24:24,410 --> 00:24:26,690
S4: Of course, we know the Romans are pretty keen on

486
00:24:26,690 --> 00:24:31,600
S4: crucifixion for punishment on the hardest of criminals as well

487
00:24:31,600 --> 00:24:35,120
S4: as revolting slaves. Right. And so we have an example

488
00:24:35,119 --> 00:24:38,120
S4: of one of these crucifixes here that is a little

489
00:24:38,160 --> 00:24:41,000
S4: bit different from what most people think of a crucifix,

490
00:24:41,000 --> 00:24:44,600
S4: especially when they're thinking about Jesus. When we think about Jesus,

491
00:24:44,600 --> 00:24:46,359
S4: what do we think of? We think of our big,

492
00:24:46,359 --> 00:24:48,840
S4: pretty wooden cross that we have in our churches, or

493
00:24:48,840 --> 00:24:52,080
S4: the beautiful golden or silver one we have around our necks.

494
00:24:52,240 --> 00:24:55,520
S4: But that's just not the case. I always remind people

495
00:24:55,560 --> 00:24:58,480
S4: the old hymn, The Old Rugged Cross. It really would

496
00:24:58,480 --> 00:25:02,120
S4: have been an old rugged cross. This vertical pole would

497
00:25:02,119 --> 00:25:06,200
S4: have been stationary, reused over and over and over again.

498
00:25:06,520 --> 00:25:09,040
S4: Now I know what you're thinking. It says very clearly

499
00:25:09,040 --> 00:25:11,040
S4: in the Bible that Jesus carried his own cross. How

500
00:25:11,040 --> 00:25:13,399
S4: is that pole stationary? If he's carrying his own cross, well,

501
00:25:13,400 --> 00:25:15,840
S4: he would have been carrying the cross beam. This cross

502
00:25:15,880 --> 00:25:17,800
S4: beam would have still been very heavy. And of course,

503
00:25:17,800 --> 00:25:20,639
S4: you have to understand the the kind of experience Jesus

504
00:25:20,680 --> 00:25:22,800
S4: has just had before he's carrying this cross beam, it

505
00:25:22,800 --> 00:25:25,240
S4: would have been very difficult. So this is a very

506
00:25:25,240 --> 00:25:28,590
S4: illuminating exhibit that we have here in our garden that

507
00:25:28,590 --> 00:25:29,950
S4: we love to share with folks.

508
00:25:30,310 --> 00:25:32,550
S1: Yeah. Painful to ponder. And yet there is no point

509
00:25:32,550 --> 00:25:34,470
S1: to anything of what we read in Scripture. If there

510
00:25:34,470 --> 00:25:36,389
S1: isn't a cross, if there isn't a Christ, and if

511
00:25:36,390 --> 00:25:39,149
S1: there isn't an empty tomb. Ben, you have led us

512
00:25:39,150 --> 00:25:41,270
S1: on a fabulous tour and I want to say thank

513
00:25:41,270 --> 00:25:42,310
S1: you for this visit.

514
00:25:42,310 --> 00:25:44,750
S4: Thank you very much for being here. We really appreciate it.

515
00:25:45,190 --> 00:25:48,429
S1: Ben Stephens, executive director of the Biblical History Center just

516
00:25:48,470 --> 00:25:51,510
S1: outside of Atlanta. Up next on the land and the book,

517
00:25:51,510 --> 00:25:54,110
S1: it's another set of Bible questions. I hope yours is

518
00:25:54,109 --> 00:26:09,870
S1: one of them. Stay tuned. Welcome back to the land

519
00:26:09,869 --> 00:26:12,350
S1: and the book. And not just any edition of the

520
00:26:12,350 --> 00:26:15,869
S1: land and the book. This is our 15th anniversary. I'm

521
00:26:15,869 --> 00:26:19,109
S1: John Gager here hosting our Q&A segment with Doctor Gerald

522
00:26:19,109 --> 00:26:22,750
S1: Peterman of Moody Bible Institute faculty. And Doctor Peterman. We've

523
00:26:22,750 --> 00:26:24,550
S1: done a little math here. Are you ready for this?

524
00:26:24,590 --> 00:26:25,189
S5: Yes, sir.

525
00:26:25,230 --> 00:26:27,459
S1: Our producer, Dan Anderson, sat down and figured out that

526
00:26:27,460 --> 00:26:31,620
S1: if we answered roughly five questions per segment over 15 years,

527
00:26:31,619 --> 00:26:34,460
S1: we've done just shy of 4000 questions.

528
00:26:34,580 --> 00:26:34,980
S5: Wow.

529
00:26:35,140 --> 00:26:38,900
S1: 4000. If it's six, it would be nearly 5000. And

530
00:26:38,900 --> 00:26:41,700
S1: if it's seven per segment, it'd be about 5500. So

531
00:26:41,700 --> 00:26:46,340
S1: somewhere between, I don't know, four and 6000 questions have

532
00:26:46,340 --> 00:26:47,580
S1: been answered over the years.

533
00:26:47,619 --> 00:26:48,780
S5: Oh, man. Thanks be to God.

534
00:26:48,820 --> 00:26:52,859
S1: Amen. Well, before we get to today's set of questions,

535
00:26:52,859 --> 00:26:55,619
S1: you might be asking yourself, how do I share the

536
00:26:55,660 --> 00:26:59,180
S1: gospel with my Jewish friend? It's a good question, and

537
00:26:59,180 --> 00:27:02,020
S1: many people are asking that. And the question recognizes the

538
00:27:02,020 --> 00:27:06,780
S1: need for a sensitive approach to sharing with Jewish people. Well,

539
00:27:06,859 --> 00:27:09,140
S1: good news for you. Our friends at Life in Messiah

540
00:27:09,140 --> 00:27:12,100
S1: want to help answer that very question. They've put together

541
00:27:12,100 --> 00:27:14,620
S1: a series of helpful articles on how you can share

542
00:27:14,619 --> 00:27:17,980
S1: the good news with Jewish people around you, and you'll

543
00:27:17,980 --> 00:27:23,180
S1: learn about Jewish cultural sensitivities, how anti-Semitism affects Jewish evangelism,

544
00:27:23,180 --> 00:27:27,210
S1: the importance of messianic prophecy and more. To access these articles,

545
00:27:27,210 --> 00:27:33,209
S1: visit Life in Messiah, that's life in Messiah. Click on

546
00:27:33,210 --> 00:27:36,290
S1: the Moody Radio logo there and sign up. You'll receive

547
00:27:36,290 --> 00:27:39,450
S1: the articles to equip you with practical ways to share

548
00:27:39,450 --> 00:27:43,210
S1: the good news with Jewish people around you or online. Again,

549
00:27:43,210 --> 00:27:46,530
S1: you'll find the moody radio icon at Life in Messiah,

550
00:27:48,010 --> 00:27:52,490
S1: life in Messiah. Well, all right, now to our questions

551
00:27:52,490 --> 00:27:54,650
S1: for the day. We're going to start with Janice's question.

552
00:27:54,650 --> 00:27:57,570
S1: After I remind you of our email address, the way

553
00:27:57,570 --> 00:28:01,210
S1: that you connect your question to our broadcast, just email

554
00:28:01,210 --> 00:28:05,570
S1: us at the land and the book at Moody. That's

555
00:28:05,570 --> 00:28:09,770
S1: the land and the book at Moody. Maybe you're wondering,

556
00:28:09,890 --> 00:28:11,770
S1: how long does it take to get an answer? Well,

557
00:28:11,770 --> 00:28:15,010
S1: Doctor Peterman normally takes from a few days to a week,

558
00:28:15,050 --> 00:28:18,010
S1: depending on his class load, his travel schedule, that kind

559
00:28:18,050 --> 00:28:20,689
S1: of thing. But you do get a personalized response back.

560
00:28:20,690 --> 00:28:22,770
S1: And then we put you in our queue for the

561
00:28:22,770 --> 00:28:27,110
S1: broadcast itself. All right. Janice's question is this. I've been

562
00:28:27,109 --> 00:28:30,230
S1: puzzled by some of Jesus sayings, especially as I've thought

563
00:28:30,230 --> 00:28:33,909
S1: of him saying, my teaching is not mine, but his

564
00:28:33,910 --> 00:28:37,189
S1: who sent me. Why not say it's his? Happy to

565
00:28:37,190 --> 00:28:38,510
S1: have your thoughts on this.

566
00:28:38,750 --> 00:28:41,150
S5: I can see where this would be puzzling. Now the

567
00:28:41,150 --> 00:28:45,750
S5: question comes from John 716. It almost sounds like a contradiction.

568
00:28:45,790 --> 00:28:48,230
S5: My teaching is not mine. So how does that work?

569
00:28:48,270 --> 00:28:52,950
S5: This is something our Lord does. Yeah, it's a rhetorical

570
00:28:52,950 --> 00:28:57,310
S5: way of speaking where he seems to deny something that's true.

571
00:28:57,630 --> 00:29:01,630
S5: In order to emphasize something else that's more important for

572
00:29:01,630 --> 00:29:05,390
S5: the context. What is happening over and over in John's gospel,

573
00:29:05,390 --> 00:29:08,390
S5: there's a challenge to Jesus's authority. There's a challenge to

574
00:29:08,430 --> 00:29:11,870
S5: where is he from? There's a challenge. Who sent him?

575
00:29:12,070 --> 00:29:15,230
S5: So when he says the teaching is not mine, it's

576
00:29:15,230 --> 00:29:18,110
S5: like I didn't come on my own authority. But it's

577
00:29:18,110 --> 00:29:21,110
S5: him who sent me. That is, I've come from the father.

578
00:29:21,190 --> 00:29:25,420
S5: In the context of these verses, we have this question

579
00:29:25,420 --> 00:29:29,220
S5: about the middle of the feast. John 714 Jesus went

580
00:29:29,220 --> 00:29:33,020
S5: up into the temple and began teaching. The crowds marveled.

581
00:29:33,700 --> 00:29:36,420
S5: How was this man had learning when he's never studied?

582
00:29:36,660 --> 00:29:40,140
S5: And then Jesus gives us that response. My teaching is

583
00:29:40,140 --> 00:29:43,220
S5: not my own. It's his who sent me. So it

584
00:29:43,220 --> 00:29:45,100
S5: makes total sense in its context.

585
00:29:45,140 --> 00:29:47,820
S1: Yeah. Well, and I think it's important to underscore that

586
00:29:47,820 --> 00:29:51,140
S1: sometimes Jesus does do that very thing that you mentioned earlier.

587
00:29:51,380 --> 00:29:54,260
S1: He goes down a road that we weren't expecting, a

588
00:29:54,260 --> 00:29:57,780
S1: road that we feel isn't germane to the conversation, but

589
00:29:57,780 --> 00:30:00,260
S1: it's the thing he wants us most to know.

590
00:30:00,380 --> 00:30:03,740
S5: So, John, I'm not the only one who noticed that. Yes, absolutely.

591
00:30:03,780 --> 00:30:06,219
S5: It's like, what direction is he going? Yeah. And then suddenly,

592
00:30:06,220 --> 00:30:08,740
S5: if you're really paying attention, you think, ah, I get

593
00:30:08,740 --> 00:30:09,340
S5: it now.

594
00:30:09,380 --> 00:30:12,860
S1: Yeah. Question number two from Sean. And this is a

595
00:30:12,860 --> 00:30:16,580
S1: bold one. Will we ever see God the Father? I

596
00:30:16,580 --> 00:30:19,340
S1: know some verses indicate that we will, while others teach

597
00:30:19,340 --> 00:30:22,250
S1: that we will only see Jesus, God the Son. I

598
00:30:22,250 --> 00:30:25,770
S1: understand that Jesus told the disciples, if you have seen me,

599
00:30:25,810 --> 00:30:28,530
S1: you have seen the father, and that God lives in

600
00:30:28,530 --> 00:30:33,050
S1: unapproachable light. Still, I wonder if we will ever see

601
00:30:33,050 --> 00:30:35,570
S1: the father face to face. What are your thoughts?

602
00:30:35,610 --> 00:30:38,730
S5: Wow. Shawn brings us to a place in Scripture where

603
00:30:38,730 --> 00:30:43,050
S5: there's some tension, not a contradiction. There's just some tension.

604
00:30:43,050 --> 00:30:46,450
S5: Like what's going on with that? So on the one hand,

605
00:30:46,690 --> 00:30:49,250
S5: what does Scripture let us know? It lets us know

606
00:30:49,250 --> 00:30:53,610
S5: that sometimes people have seen God. Where could we go?

607
00:30:53,650 --> 00:30:57,370
S5: We could go to Genesis 32. Jacob wrestles the angel.

608
00:30:57,370 --> 00:31:00,489
S5: Then what does he say? I have seen God. What

609
00:31:00,490 --> 00:31:05,690
S5: do we find at Isaiah's call? Isaiah 61I saw the

610
00:31:05,690 --> 00:31:09,650
S5: Lord seated on his throne, high and raised up. On

611
00:31:09,650 --> 00:31:12,810
S5: the other hand, there are some passages of Scripture that

612
00:31:12,810 --> 00:31:17,370
S5: say no one has ever seen God. John 118 or

613
00:31:17,410 --> 00:31:21,560
S5: first Timothy six six. Speaking of God, it says God

614
00:31:21,560 --> 00:31:25,560
S5: dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen

615
00:31:25,560 --> 00:31:29,720
S5: nor can see. So to come back to Sean's conclusion,

616
00:31:29,720 --> 00:31:33,400
S5: I think in the new heaven and new earth, God

617
00:31:33,400 --> 00:31:37,840
S5: will let us see him. I don't know how and

618
00:31:37,840 --> 00:31:41,600
S5: why will he do it? He'll do it for our worship.

619
00:31:41,800 --> 00:31:45,480
S5: He'll do it for our joy. He'll do it because

620
00:31:45,800 --> 00:31:49,400
S5: it's loving and kind and gracious. But I don't know

621
00:31:49,400 --> 00:31:52,480
S5: how we're going to see an invisible God. I mean,

622
00:31:52,480 --> 00:31:56,680
S5: Jesus makes us this promise. Matthew five eight. The pure

623
00:31:56,680 --> 00:32:00,080
S5: in heart will see God. How will it happen? I

624
00:32:00,080 --> 00:32:00,640
S5: don't know.

625
00:32:01,080 --> 00:32:03,280
S1: This is the land and the book from Moody Radio.

626
00:32:03,280 --> 00:32:06,160
S1: And I love the humility in that answer. Doctor Peterman yes,

627
00:32:06,160 --> 00:32:09,080
S1: there are scriptures that do say some things that would

628
00:32:09,080 --> 00:32:11,680
S1: lead us to one conclusion, but as you've left it,

629
00:32:11,680 --> 00:32:14,880
S1: it's probably best to say I don't know how. Yeah.

630
00:32:15,480 --> 00:32:18,040
S1: All right. Let's go to Laurie's question after I remind

631
00:32:18,040 --> 00:32:21,790
S1: you that you can email us anytime with your Bible question.

632
00:32:21,790 --> 00:32:24,470
S1: Connect with yours when you email us at the Land

633
00:32:24,470 --> 00:32:30,510
S1: and the book@moody.edu. That's the land and the book at Moody.

634
00:32:32,190 --> 00:32:35,630
S1: Interesting question here from Lori. She takes us to Matthew 28.

635
00:32:35,750 --> 00:32:39,710
S1: Jesus sends Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, telling them

636
00:32:39,710 --> 00:32:42,670
S1: to go tell the disciples that he has risen from

637
00:32:42,670 --> 00:32:46,390
S1: the dead. Her question does this make these two Mary's

638
00:32:46,430 --> 00:32:48,710
S1: apostles like Peter and John?

639
00:32:48,910 --> 00:32:52,430
S5: Okay. I really appreciate this question. My short answer is

640
00:32:52,830 --> 00:32:56,110
S5: I think they are not apostles like Peter and John,

641
00:32:56,510 --> 00:32:58,950
S5: but they are a different kind of apostles. I think

642
00:32:58,950 --> 00:33:04,390
S5: we can talk about apostle capital A, an apostle lowercase a.

643
00:33:04,670 --> 00:33:08,230
S5: Where do we find the apostle uppercase A? We go

644
00:33:08,230 --> 00:33:11,350
S5: to the beginning of acts and Peter's leading the group.

645
00:33:11,350 --> 00:33:13,790
S5: And what does Peter say? This is wrong. There's 11

646
00:33:13,790 --> 00:33:16,990
S5: of us. There must be 12. Someone must take Judas's place.

647
00:33:17,740 --> 00:33:22,380
S5: And so they give the qualifications for the person to

648
00:33:22,380 --> 00:33:25,140
S5: take judas's place. Someone who's been with us from the

649
00:33:25,140 --> 00:33:28,380
S5: baptism of John all the way to the Ascension. In

650
00:33:28,380 --> 00:33:30,820
S5: other words, you have been a witness to the whole

651
00:33:30,820 --> 00:33:34,340
S5: life of Jesus. Yes. And they put forward two men.

652
00:33:34,700 --> 00:33:38,260
S5: And Matthias is chosen and he becomes a an apostle.

653
00:33:38,260 --> 00:33:41,500
S5: Capital A, let me give you the apostle lowercase a.

654
00:33:41,580 --> 00:33:45,940
S5: We go to Philippians. And Paul is almost certainly in

655
00:33:45,940 --> 00:33:48,580
S5: a jail in Rome when he writes this epistle. And

656
00:33:48,580 --> 00:33:52,940
S5: the Philippian congregation has sent someone to him with food

657
00:33:52,940 --> 00:33:56,220
S5: or clothing or something, a gift. And this person's name

658
00:33:56,220 --> 00:34:01,140
S5: is Epaphroditus. And what does Paul say? I'm sending back

659
00:34:01,140 --> 00:34:06,020
S5: to you Epaphroditus, my brother, my fellow worker and fellow soldier,

660
00:34:06,020 --> 00:34:10,940
S5: and your messenger and minister to my need. That term

661
00:34:10,980 --> 00:34:16,610
S5: messenger is the term apostle. So Epaphroditus itis is an apostle.

662
00:34:16,610 --> 00:34:19,250
S5: Does he have the power and the prestige of John

663
00:34:19,250 --> 00:34:23,089
S5: and Peter? No, but the congregation has given him a

664
00:34:23,090 --> 00:34:26,649
S5: special task. He has risked his life for it, and

665
00:34:26,650 --> 00:34:29,730
S5: he was sent. So I believe that Mary and Mary

666
00:34:29,770 --> 00:34:33,410
S5: were sent as apostles. Lowercase a.

667
00:34:34,050 --> 00:34:36,410
S1: All right. Since we have already ventured into these waters,

668
00:34:36,410 --> 00:34:39,850
S1: let me take me into even more dangerous currents. I

669
00:34:39,850 --> 00:34:43,049
S1: recently received an email from someone saying, well, Mary and

670
00:34:43,050 --> 00:34:47,569
S1: the other Mary were apostles. All right. That was her conclusion. Therefore,

671
00:34:47,810 --> 00:34:50,690
S1: it's okay to have women preachers. Uh, that was the

672
00:34:50,690 --> 00:34:53,330
S1: conclusion that this lady reached in an email. Your reaction?

673
00:34:53,530 --> 00:34:56,529
S5: Um, I think there's a logical problem. That is, I'm

674
00:34:56,530 --> 00:34:58,250
S5: not quite sure you can get from one to the other.

675
00:34:58,570 --> 00:35:01,730
S5: But even if we say they are apostles, what do

676
00:35:01,730 --> 00:35:03,529
S5: we mean? Do we mean uppercase or lowercase? That has

677
00:35:03,530 --> 00:35:07,770
S5: to be defined for us. But no, I think, um,

678
00:35:08,090 --> 00:35:10,489
S5: they're not going to be pastors and teachers because what

679
00:35:10,489 --> 00:35:13,010
S5: does Paul say that is the pastors and teachers are

680
00:35:13,010 --> 00:35:17,350
S5: elders and the elder is a man of one wife.

681
00:35:17,390 --> 00:35:20,150
S5: See first Timothy three. And the elders are the ones

682
00:35:20,150 --> 00:35:24,230
S5: who guide the congregation. Paul also says in first Timothy two,

683
00:35:24,630 --> 00:35:27,029
S5: I do not allow a woman to exercise authority over

684
00:35:27,070 --> 00:35:30,510
S5: a man, because the man was created first, the woman second.

685
00:35:30,510 --> 00:35:33,629
S5: I know that's for our 21st century West. I know

686
00:35:33,630 --> 00:35:37,030
S5: that sounds rather harsh, but I'm going to stick with it.

687
00:35:37,070 --> 00:35:40,710
S1: Yeah. For sure. Harsh but biblical. Thank you Jerry. We'd

688
00:35:40,710 --> 00:35:42,509
S1: love it if you'd let a friend know about the

689
00:35:42,510 --> 00:35:45,350
S1: land and the book broadcast. Uh, tell them where they

690
00:35:45,350 --> 00:35:48,270
S1: can listen, whether it's a local station in their area

691
00:35:48,270 --> 00:35:51,750
S1: or our podcast. Speaking of which, have you tried it yet?

692
00:35:51,790 --> 00:35:54,350
S1: It's a great way to connect with the program further.

693
00:35:54,670 --> 00:35:57,390
S1: You'll find the podcast at our website. The land and

694
00:35:57,390 --> 00:36:02,430
S1: the book. That's the land and the book. Love to

695
00:36:02,430 --> 00:36:05,509
S1: hear from you. How the program encourages you, informs you,

696
00:36:05,550 --> 00:36:08,830
S1: maybe even corrects some of your wrong ideas. That happens

697
00:36:08,830 --> 00:36:11,149
S1: for me all the time. Email us would you? At

698
00:36:11,190 --> 00:36:15,700
S1: the land and the book at. Moody Dot. That's the

699
00:36:15,700 --> 00:36:20,420
S1: land and the book at Moody's dot. Up next, it's

700
00:36:20,420 --> 00:36:22,739
S1: your friend in mine, our host, Doctor Charlie Dyer. He's

701
00:36:22,739 --> 00:36:24,940
S1: back with a devotional, and I love the way he

702
00:36:24,940 --> 00:36:27,580
S1: takes us to places in Scripture, connects them with places

703
00:36:27,580 --> 00:36:29,540
S1: in Israel, and does it in such a way that

704
00:36:29,540 --> 00:36:32,260
S1: we never forget either. Stick around for more on today's

705
00:36:32,260 --> 00:36:48,020
S1: edition of The Land and the book right here. Paul

706
00:36:48,020 --> 00:36:50,859
S1: is here. Time for football. And it's also time for

707
00:36:50,860 --> 00:36:55,060
S1: festivals on the Jewish calendar. Charlie, I understand your devotional

708
00:36:55,060 --> 00:36:57,020
S1: is based on one of those festivals.

709
00:36:57,020 --> 00:36:58,460
S2: That's exactly right, John.

710
00:36:58,460 --> 00:37:00,260
S1: Well, we're looking forward to that. By the way, welcome

711
00:37:00,260 --> 00:37:02,580
S1: back to this fourth and final segment on the land

712
00:37:02,580 --> 00:37:04,540
S1: and the book. We're right about now, we'd like to

713
00:37:04,540 --> 00:37:07,340
S1: feature a testimony from somebody who's traveled to Israel.

714
00:37:11,500 --> 00:37:15,129
S6: My husband had the opportunity to go to Israel as

715
00:37:15,130 --> 00:37:18,290
S6: a seminary student, and he would always come home from

716
00:37:18,290 --> 00:37:22,730
S6: several trips and just repeat how his life was changed,

717
00:37:22,730 --> 00:37:25,130
S6: and that he couldn't wait until the day I'd be

718
00:37:25,130 --> 00:37:27,610
S6: able to go to Israel with him. And in the

719
00:37:27,610 --> 00:37:31,250
S6: back of my mind, I thought, oh, that's great, that's wonderful.

720
00:37:31,530 --> 00:37:35,089
S6: But I really wasn't totally convinced that a trip to

721
00:37:35,130 --> 00:37:38,810
S6: Israel was going to be that life changing. Well, the

722
00:37:38,810 --> 00:37:43,250
S6: time finally came in 2003. We were able to travel

723
00:37:43,250 --> 00:37:47,770
S6: to Israel with some close friends, and on about day three,

724
00:37:47,890 --> 00:37:51,490
S6: I turned and looked at my husband and said, when

725
00:37:51,489 --> 00:37:56,049
S6: are we coming to Israel again? Um, the trip to

726
00:37:56,090 --> 00:37:59,770
S6: Israel has changed my life. It has changed the way

727
00:37:59,770 --> 00:38:03,570
S6: I read God's Word when I read God's Word. Now,

728
00:38:04,090 --> 00:38:06,810
S6: if I don't know where a place is on the

729
00:38:06,810 --> 00:38:10,450
S6: map of Israel, I have to find it. I check

730
00:38:10,450 --> 00:38:12,520
S6: to see how close to the Dead Sea it is.

731
00:38:12,560 --> 00:38:14,640
S6: Is it close to the Mediterranean or is it in

732
00:38:14,640 --> 00:38:16,960
S6: the north? Is it in the south? Is this an

733
00:38:16,960 --> 00:38:20,480
S6: area where Jesus would have been performing miracles? All of

734
00:38:20,480 --> 00:38:24,920
S6: those things came to life for me because I was

735
00:38:24,920 --> 00:38:29,120
S6: in the land. We open God's Word at each step,

736
00:38:29,400 --> 00:38:33,840
S6: and traveling with Doctor Dyer gave that opportunity for us

737
00:38:33,840 --> 00:38:37,920
S6: to not only walk on the land, but to read

738
00:38:37,920 --> 00:38:41,800
S6: the verses from God's Word and find out where God's people,

739
00:38:41,800 --> 00:38:46,640
S6: where God's Son ministered in this very special place.

740
00:38:48,640 --> 00:38:51,000
S1: Well, Charlie, lots of the festivals we celebrate on the

741
00:38:51,000 --> 00:38:54,880
S1: Jewish calendar are Jewish exclusive, but you're talking about a

742
00:38:54,880 --> 00:38:57,640
S1: festival today that involves Gentiles as well, I understand.

743
00:38:57,680 --> 00:38:59,880
S2: That's right. John. You know, and as you mentioned earlier,

744
00:38:59,880 --> 00:39:02,759
S2: fall is here. You know, the days are getting shorter

745
00:39:02,960 --> 00:39:06,040
S2: and the air feels crisp and cool, and football is

746
00:39:06,040 --> 00:39:08,839
S2: in full swing. And high schools and colleges across the

747
00:39:08,840 --> 00:39:13,350
S2: country are having homecoming celebrations. The harvest season is almost over.

748
00:39:13,550 --> 00:39:16,509
S2: And even the county fairs are starting to wind down.

749
00:39:16,830 --> 00:39:19,950
S2: But looking back at all the blessings God has given us,

750
00:39:19,989 --> 00:39:22,870
S2: we've had a great opportunity to celebrate. And as you've

751
00:39:22,870 --> 00:39:27,710
S2: already heard on this week's program, we're celebrating our 15th anniversary.

752
00:39:27,910 --> 00:39:30,630
S2: When we started back in 2010, we had no idea

753
00:39:30,630 --> 00:39:34,390
S2: what would happen. But looking back over all 15 years

754
00:39:34,430 --> 00:39:39,270
S2: and 785 programs, we see clear evidence of God's faithfulness

755
00:39:39,270 --> 00:39:42,870
S2: to Israel and to us. Fall is a great time

756
00:39:42,870 --> 00:39:46,430
S2: to gather with friends and remember God's faithfulness. And that's

757
00:39:46,430 --> 00:39:48,390
S2: why we're so thankful to have you as part of

758
00:39:48,390 --> 00:39:52,030
S2: the land and the book family. Now, growing up every fall,

759
00:39:52,030 --> 00:39:54,350
S2: I loved going to the Bloomsburg State Fair, which was

760
00:39:54,350 --> 00:39:57,230
S2: about five miles from my house. I'd shuffled down the

761
00:39:57,230 --> 00:40:01,310
S2: midway with all the crowds, check out all the exhibits, livestock,

762
00:40:01,350 --> 00:40:05,950
S2: farm equipment, games, rides, and new gadgets. Fall gatherings like

763
00:40:05,950 --> 00:40:08,819
S2: that are just so much fun. They allow us to

764
00:40:08,860 --> 00:40:11,219
S2: look back over the year, and they also get us

765
00:40:11,219 --> 00:40:14,780
S2: excited about what's coming. Israel had its own fall gathering

766
00:40:14,780 --> 00:40:18,259
S2: and it starts this coming Monday evening. Sukkot, or the

767
00:40:18,260 --> 00:40:21,980
S2: Feast of Booths or Tabernacles, is the last festival in

768
00:40:21,980 --> 00:40:25,779
S2: Israel's cycle of feasts. So let's head to Jerusalem. Past

769
00:40:25,780 --> 00:40:29,299
S2: and future. To explore the Feast of Tabernacles. As we

770
00:40:29,340 --> 00:40:31,339
S2: walk through the Huldah Gates into the court of the

771
00:40:31,340 --> 00:40:34,540
S2: Gentiles at the temple, we find ourselves packed into a

772
00:40:34,540 --> 00:40:37,700
S2: huge crowd. It seems like the entire space, from the

773
00:40:37,700 --> 00:40:41,340
S2: royal portico to the separation wall around the inner court,

774
00:40:41,380 --> 00:40:44,660
S2: is filled with people. There's a sense of excitement and

775
00:40:44,660 --> 00:40:47,739
S2: joy in the crowd, and all that energy helps keep

776
00:40:47,739 --> 00:40:51,860
S2: us from feeling claustrophobic. As we settle into the lively atmosphere,

777
00:40:51,860 --> 00:40:55,660
S2: we catch a whiff of something tantalizing the sizzling aroma

778
00:40:55,660 --> 00:40:59,140
S2: of meat being grilled over an open flame. At first

779
00:40:59,180 --> 00:41:01,980
S2: we were puzzled, but then we spot the smoke rising

780
00:41:01,980 --> 00:41:04,899
S2: beyond the walls in the inner court, and that's when

781
00:41:04,900 --> 00:41:07,930
S2: it hits us like a ton of bricks. The unmistakable

782
00:41:07,930 --> 00:41:11,770
S2: smell of meat being cooked over an open flame were

783
00:41:11,770 --> 00:41:14,770
S2: taken aback, until we remember all the sacrifices being made

784
00:41:14,770 --> 00:41:18,089
S2: during the festival over the course of seven days. The

785
00:41:18,090 --> 00:41:22,930
S2: priests offer a whopping 70 bulls, 14 rams and 98

786
00:41:22,969 --> 00:41:29,730
S2: lambs a total of 182 animal sacrifices. Why so many sacrifices? Well,

787
00:41:29,730 --> 00:41:33,330
S2: David Brickner suggests that the emphasis on seven seven days

788
00:41:33,330 --> 00:41:36,810
S2: for the feast and multiples of seven for the sacrifices

789
00:41:36,850 --> 00:41:40,650
S2: points to perfection and balance. And guess what? The 70

790
00:41:40,690 --> 00:41:44,090
S2: bull offerings were thought to symbolize the 70 other known

791
00:41:44,090 --> 00:41:47,890
S2: nations in addition to Israel at the time. Now let's

792
00:41:47,890 --> 00:41:51,770
S2: talk about Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles. It looks back

793
00:41:51,770 --> 00:41:54,609
S2: at Israel's 40 year journey in the wilderness, when they

794
00:41:54,610 --> 00:41:57,890
S2: lived in tents instead of permanent homes. But it was

795
00:41:57,890 --> 00:42:00,129
S2: also a symbol of the harvest season coming to an

796
00:42:00,130 --> 00:42:02,930
S2: end and the start of the winter rains, the beginning

797
00:42:02,930 --> 00:42:06,520
S2: of the new cycle of planting and harvesting. And here's

798
00:42:06,520 --> 00:42:09,840
S2: something interesting. During the Feast of Tabernacles, there was a

799
00:42:09,840 --> 00:42:13,080
S2: water drawing ceremony. Every morning, the priest would draw water

800
00:42:13,080 --> 00:42:15,279
S2: from the Pool of Siloam and carry it up to

801
00:42:15,320 --> 00:42:17,879
S2: the temple to pour on the altar. It was a

802
00:42:17,880 --> 00:42:21,000
S2: way to remember God's provision of water in the wilderness,

803
00:42:21,000 --> 00:42:24,240
S2: and a request for him to again bless the nation

804
00:42:24,239 --> 00:42:28,400
S2: with winter rains. John seven describes a scene from Jesus's

805
00:42:28,400 --> 00:42:31,480
S2: life that happened during the feast of Sukkot. There we

806
00:42:31,480 --> 00:42:34,440
S2: see Jesus standing in the temple and shouting, if anyone

807
00:42:34,440 --> 00:42:36,799
S2: is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. He

808
00:42:36,840 --> 00:42:39,839
S2: who believes in me, as the Scripture say, from his

809
00:42:39,840 --> 00:42:43,359
S2: innermost being will flow rivers of living water. Now in

810
00:42:43,360 --> 00:42:46,160
S2: doing so, Jesus gave a whole new meaning to the

811
00:42:46,200 --> 00:42:49,120
S2: pouring out of the water on the altar. The Sukkot

812
00:42:49,120 --> 00:42:52,319
S2: festival marked the end of the Jewish festival cycle. It

813
00:42:52,320 --> 00:42:55,400
S2: was a seven day festival held in the seventh month.

814
00:42:55,400 --> 00:42:59,200
S2: It symbolized God's provision in the wilderness and pointed forward

815
00:42:59,200 --> 00:43:03,120
S2: to the new year. And finally, it also foreshadowed the

816
00:43:03,120 --> 00:43:08,700
S2: completion of God's redemption cycle. Sukkot pictures God's final harvest

817
00:43:08,980 --> 00:43:11,660
S2: at the end of his book. The prophet Zechariah portrays

818
00:43:11,660 --> 00:43:15,060
S2: the Messiah's return to the Mount of Olives. He describes

819
00:43:15,060 --> 00:43:18,620
S2: God's rescue of his people and their spiritual renewal. But

820
00:43:18,620 --> 00:43:21,540
S2: the story doesn't end there. God had called Israel to

821
00:43:21,580 --> 00:43:24,419
S2: be a light to the nations, and Zechariah ends his

822
00:43:24,420 --> 00:43:28,460
S2: message by using the festival of Sukkot to illustrate how

823
00:43:28,500 --> 00:43:32,460
S2: Israel will impact the world. Zechariah envisions a time when

824
00:43:32,460 --> 00:43:36,020
S2: the nations or Gentiles will come to Jerusalem to worship

825
00:43:36,020 --> 00:43:39,620
S2: God and celebrate Sukkot. Some might interpret this as a

826
00:43:39,620 --> 00:43:43,259
S2: symbolic representation of heaven when all the righteous gather to

827
00:43:43,300 --> 00:43:47,100
S2: worship God. However, Zechariah adds, and it will be that

828
00:43:47,140 --> 00:43:49,339
S2: whoever of the families of the earth does not go

829
00:43:49,340 --> 00:43:52,739
S2: up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts,

830
00:43:52,739 --> 00:43:55,540
S2: there will be no rain on them. That's challenging to

831
00:43:55,580 --> 00:43:59,580
S2: imagine someone in heaven refusing to worship God, but in

832
00:43:59,580 --> 00:44:02,340
S2: the coming kingdom on earth, there will still be people

833
00:44:02,340 --> 00:44:06,250
S2: living in their normal earthly bodies. Some might choose to disobey.

834
00:44:06,530 --> 00:44:09,210
S2: But just like any good parent, God will gently nudge

835
00:44:09,210 --> 00:44:12,890
S2: them back to faithfulness. Now, let's not miss the big

836
00:44:12,890 --> 00:44:16,850
S2: picture here. Sukkot isn't just for the Jewish people in

837
00:44:16,850 --> 00:44:19,610
S2: the Kingdom age to come. It'll be celebrated by Jews

838
00:44:19,610 --> 00:44:24,370
S2: and Gentiles alike. As Zechariah says, this festival is a

839
00:44:24,370 --> 00:44:27,810
S2: sign that God's plan for the earth is coming to fruition.

840
00:44:27,850 --> 00:44:32,009
S2: A time of ingathering and blessing. Imagine living water, symbolizing

841
00:44:32,010 --> 00:44:35,770
S2: the Holy Spirit flowing freely, and the hatred many people

842
00:44:35,770 --> 00:44:39,090
S2: show toward the Jewish people, being replaced with a deep

843
00:44:39,090 --> 00:44:42,210
S2: love for them and for their God. Now it was

844
00:44:42,210 --> 00:44:45,450
S2: Charles Dickens who wrote about the spirit of Christmas past

845
00:44:45,450 --> 00:44:48,610
S2: and present and future. But what I focused on here

846
00:44:48,610 --> 00:44:51,450
S2: is the meaning of Sukkot in the past and in

847
00:44:51,450 --> 00:44:54,969
S2: the future. And yet, what about today? What can we

848
00:44:54,969 --> 00:44:58,370
S2: learn from this future time together that can help us

849
00:44:58,370 --> 00:45:03,200
S2: in our lives right now? Here's a thought. Sukkot reminds

850
00:45:03,200 --> 00:45:07,120
S2: us of God's faithfulness and our need to be thankful.

851
00:45:07,440 --> 00:45:10,479
S2: In Ephesians one, Paul talks about all the blessings God

852
00:45:10,480 --> 00:45:15,800
S2: has freely bestowed and lavished on us, including forgiveness of sin,

853
00:45:15,960 --> 00:45:19,600
S2: being part of his family, having the Holy Spirit indwell us,

854
00:45:19,600 --> 00:45:23,439
S2: and sharing in the promise of a heavenly inheritance. This

855
00:45:23,440 --> 00:45:27,240
S2: is a great time to remember all that God has provided,

856
00:45:27,560 --> 00:45:31,120
S2: and then to pause today to thank him for his

857
00:45:31,120 --> 00:45:33,200
S2: incredible faithfulness.

858
00:45:33,600 --> 00:45:36,319
S1: Thank you Charlie. Well, speaking of faithfulness, we think of

859
00:45:36,320 --> 00:45:40,279
S1: God's faithfulness in 15 years of creating this program. That's

860
00:45:40,280 --> 00:45:42,719
S1: an amazing testimony to all that God has done.

861
00:45:42,719 --> 00:45:45,600
S2: I think I agree with you, John. It's been a

862
00:45:45,640 --> 00:45:48,080
S2: truly a wonderful ride. But the focus needs to be

863
00:45:48,080 --> 00:45:50,320
S2: on God because he's the one behind it all.

864
00:45:50,320 --> 00:45:53,280
S1: That's exactly right. And we want to encourage you to

865
00:45:53,480 --> 00:45:56,880
S1: thank this station for their faithfulness in airing this program.

866
00:45:56,920 --> 00:45:59,120
S1: Talk about the impact, Charlie, of an email or a

867
00:45:59,120 --> 00:46:01,469
S1: card or phone call to the management.

868
00:46:01,510 --> 00:46:03,150
S2: You know, every one of us loves to get a

869
00:46:03,150 --> 00:46:05,589
S2: card or a note or something. Just thanking us for

870
00:46:05,590 --> 00:46:09,030
S2: something we've done. And management at your station, they're no different.

871
00:46:09,310 --> 00:46:12,830
S2: Just a simple email. A simple note reminds them that

872
00:46:12,830 --> 00:46:15,630
S2: they're being heard, and it's a great way to just

873
00:46:15,670 --> 00:46:17,870
S2: say thank you for all that they're doing.

874
00:46:17,870 --> 00:46:19,870
S1: So thank you for doing that. In honor of our

875
00:46:19,870 --> 00:46:23,230
S1: 15th anniversary. If you've not been to the website lately,

876
00:46:23,230 --> 00:46:25,710
S1: we encourage you to do that. It's a great way

877
00:46:25,710 --> 00:46:28,670
S1: to connect further with the program because you can find

878
00:46:28,670 --> 00:46:32,910
S1: out information about past programs, future programs, information about our guests,

879
00:46:32,950 --> 00:46:35,750
S1: also links to books that Charlie's written, and more. You'll

880
00:46:35,750 --> 00:46:40,390
S1: find us at the land and the book. The land

881
00:46:40,390 --> 00:46:43,790
S1: and the bookstores. Well, our time has gone, but we

882
00:46:43,790 --> 00:46:45,790
S1: sure thank you for being a part of it all.

883
00:46:45,790 --> 00:46:48,390
S1: I'm John Gager for our host, Charlie Dyer, our producer,

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S1: Dan Anderson. The land and the book is a production

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S1: of Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.