WEBVTT - Inside the Muslim World 0:00:08.000 --> 0:00:11.629 Is the gospel really able to penetrate the world of Islam? 0:00:11.660 --> 0:00:14.810 You ever wonder what's actually happening in the Muslim world, 0:00:14.810 --> 0:00:18.710 particularly in the Middle East? Well, Todd Nettleton was just there. 0:00:18.710 --> 0:00:22.400 And on today's program, he shares firsthand accounts. You'll hear 0:00:22.400 --> 0:00:26.360 true stories of Muslims turning to Christ against all odds, 0:00:26.360 --> 0:00:29.540 stories to encourage you and motivate you to pray. That's 0:00:29.540 --> 0:00:33.860 all ahead on today's edition of The Land and the book. Welcome. 0:00:33.860 --> 0:00:37.040 I'm John Gager, checking in with our host, Doctor Charlie Dyer. 0:00:37.070 --> 0:00:38.840 You all set for Thanksgiving, Charlie? 0:00:38.870 --> 0:00:42.050 John, I am ready for Thanksgiving. Our daughter and son 0:00:42.080 --> 0:00:44.180 in law are coming in from London, so we are. 0:00:44.210 --> 0:00:44.990 We're excited. 0:00:45.020 --> 0:00:47.390 All right, that sounds fun. Well, at the end of 0:00:47.390 --> 0:00:50.090 the year approaches, many world events have left us wondering 0:00:50.090 --> 0:00:53.629 what God's plan is for the future. This is especially 0:00:53.630 --> 0:00:56.840 true when it comes to Israel. Despite its small size, 0:00:56.840 --> 0:01:00.110 people around the world are intensely focused on what takes place. 0:01:00.110 --> 0:01:03.830 There are today's headlines connected. We wonder in any way 0:01:03.830 --> 0:01:06.650 with prophecies in the Bible and and how should followers 0:01:06.650 --> 0:01:10.459 of Jesus interpret current events as we await his second coming? 0:01:10.490 --> 0:01:13.490 And to help answer these important questions, our friends at 0:01:13.520 --> 0:01:17.779 Life and Messiah urge you to check out their new book, God, Israel, 0:01:17.780 --> 0:01:21.709 and Bible Prophecy with Scripture as its foundation. This book 0:01:21.709 --> 0:01:24.229 will take you on a journey into what God has 0:01:24.230 --> 0:01:27.650 in store for the Jewish people and the nations. This 0:01:27.650 --> 0:01:30.500 book is for anyone who wants to explore where modern 0:01:30.500 --> 0:01:34.100 day events fit on God's grand timeline. Now, if that's 0:01:34.100 --> 0:01:36.800 you or someone you know, this would be a great 0:01:36.830 --> 0:01:41.000 resource or gift. Visit Life in messiah.org and click on 0:01:41.000 --> 0:01:43.160 the Moody Radio button there to find out how you 0:01:43.160 --> 0:01:47.480 can receive your copy of God, Israel and Bible Prophecy. 0:01:47.480 --> 0:01:50.540 That's life in messiah.org. 0:01:50.690 --> 0:01:52.700 And now a look at current events from the Middle 0:01:52.700 --> 0:01:56.930 East region all unfolding as we speak. Story number one, 0:01:56.930 --> 0:02:00.920 recent reports suggest a possible cease fire agreement between Israel 0:02:00.920 --> 0:02:04.790 and Hezbollah might be near. How reliable are these predictions 0:02:04.790 --> 0:02:07.190 of an imminent halt to the fighting in Lebanon? 0:02:07.220 --> 0:02:11.329 Well, the cease fire hasn't yet materialized, though apparently Lebanon 0:02:11.330 --> 0:02:15.710 and Hezbollah both responded positively to the initial draft. In 0:02:15.710 --> 0:02:19.760 the meantime, Israel is trying to force Hezbollah into submission. 0:02:19.790 --> 0:02:24.590 They've attacked Hezbollah's strongholds throughout Lebanon, leveling buildings, taking out 0:02:24.620 --> 0:02:29.450 missile launchers and supply depots, and killing senior leadership. Israel's 0:02:29.450 --> 0:02:32.870 goal is to force Hezbollah to agree to fully implement 0:02:32.870 --> 0:02:37.940 UN Security Resolution 1701, which includes moving their fighters north 0:02:37.940 --> 0:02:41.149 of the Litani River and away from Israel's border. They 0:02:41.150 --> 0:02:44.840 want southern Lebanon demilitarized, except for the Lebanese Army and 0:02:44.840 --> 0:02:47.840 the UN forces, and they reserve the right to go 0:02:47.840 --> 0:02:51.769 back in if Hezbollah tries to rearm. In the meantime, 0:02:51.770 --> 0:02:56.180 Hezbollah is still trying to harm Israel economically and militarily. 0:02:56.210 --> 0:02:59.540 They fired thousands of rockets, missiles and drones over the 0:02:59.540 --> 0:03:04.970 past year, forcing 60,000 Israelis to abandon their homes. Service 0:03:05.000 --> 0:03:07.910 time for Israeli reservists in the military has now reached 0:03:07.910 --> 0:03:11.750 an average of 136 days per year, putting a great 0:03:11.750 --> 0:03:16.399 strain on Israel's economy. It's also increased tensions between secular 0:03:16.400 --> 0:03:20.359 Israelis and the ultra-Orthodox who refuse to serve in the army. 0:03:20.389 --> 0:03:23.600 I think right now all sides would like the conflict 0:03:23.600 --> 0:03:25.970 in the north to end, but each one wants to 0:03:26.000 --> 0:03:28.760 do it in a way that allows them to claim victory. 0:03:28.790 --> 0:03:32.930 Story number two. Discord and dissension within Israel is once 0:03:32.930 --> 0:03:36.020 again bubbling to the surface. You mentioned the tension over 0:03:36.020 --> 0:03:39.800 drafting the ultra-Orthodox into the army, but help us untangle 0:03:39.830 --> 0:03:42.440 all the other disputes fracturing the country. 0:03:42.710 --> 0:03:46.220 Oh, yeah. John, we know how divided our country is politically. 0:03:46.220 --> 0:03:50.000 After this last election, and with just two major parties, 0:03:50.000 --> 0:03:53.960 though it's a small country, Israel has far more fracture lines. 0:03:53.960 --> 0:03:56.990 The Likud party of Prime Minister Netanyahu. The ones that 0:03:56.990 --> 0:04:00.770 are leading the coalition now can be characterized as conservative 0:04:00.770 --> 0:04:04.640 and nationalistic. They believe Israel should encompass all the land 0:04:04.640 --> 0:04:08.360 of the Jewish people, including Judea and Samaria. And they're 0:04:08.360 --> 0:04:11.780 not necessarily overly religious, but they do believe in Jewish 0:04:11.780 --> 0:04:16.130 traditions and culture. A slightly smaller group, represented by Benny 0:04:16.160 --> 0:04:19.610 Gantz and the National Unity Party, are similar to Likud 0:04:19.610 --> 0:04:22.850 in their focus on strong national defense, but they're more 0:04:22.850 --> 0:04:26.060 secular and lean more to the left on social issues. 0:04:26.089 --> 0:04:29.270 A third group are the secular Israelis. They tend to 0:04:29.270 --> 0:04:31.760 be younger and are more like the progressive wing of 0:04:31.760 --> 0:04:35.930 the Democratic Party here. Up until October 7th, many favored 0:04:35.930 --> 0:04:39.290 the formation of a Palestinian state. And then there are 0:04:39.290 --> 0:04:43.159 the ultra-Orthodox Israelis. They're opposed to having their members serve 0:04:43.160 --> 0:04:46.700 in the army, insisting that their primary task is to 0:04:46.730 --> 0:04:49.609 study the Talmud and Torah. They see themselves as the 0:04:49.640 --> 0:04:54.320 keepers of historic religious Judaism. And still another group are 0:04:54.320 --> 0:04:58.279 the Arab-israelis. Most, though not all, are Muslim. Within this 0:04:58.279 --> 0:05:01.340 group are various subgroups, some of which strongly oppose the 0:05:01.339 --> 0:05:05.240 current government. Now, right now, there are four main issues 0:05:05.240 --> 0:05:09.469 dividing the country. First, should the ultra-Orthodox Jews be required 0:05:09.470 --> 0:05:12.470 to serve in the army? Second, do the courts need 0:05:12.470 --> 0:05:16.430 to be reformed to limit their power? Third, should term 0:05:16.430 --> 0:05:19.370 limits be imposed on the Prime Minister? And then finally, 0:05:19.370 --> 0:05:23.089 what kind of state should Israel ultimately be? A liberal 0:05:23.089 --> 0:05:26.870 secular state, or one with roots in Jewish law and tradition? 0:05:26.990 --> 0:05:30.710 Here's just one example should buses run on Saturdays? Those 0:05:30.710 --> 0:05:32.780 are the kind of things that are dividing the country. 0:05:32.779 --> 0:05:35.990 And the main fracture lines now pit liberal and secular 0:05:35.990 --> 0:05:40.099 Jews against conservative, nationalistic Jews. And then add in the 0:05:40.100 --> 0:05:45.020 ultra-Orthodox and the Arab-israelis, and you have an incredibly fractured country. 0:05:45.050 --> 0:05:48.140 Charlie, wouldn't it be true, statistically, though, that the liberal 0:05:48.140 --> 0:05:51.980 secular Jews would vastly outnumber the conservative Jews in Israel, 0:05:52.010 --> 0:05:53.090 the liberals? 0:05:53.410 --> 0:05:55.870 Well, I say it this way the secular Jews outnumber 0:05:55.870 --> 0:05:59.410 the religious Jews, though the religious Jews are growing. However, 0:05:59.410 --> 0:06:03.850 within the secular group, there's a growing conservative movement in 0:06:03.850 --> 0:06:07.029 Israel because of especially the events in October 7th. And 0:06:07.029 --> 0:06:09.970 right now, in elections, they still outnumber the liberal Jews. 0:06:10.000 --> 0:06:12.520 This is the land in the book from Moody Radio. 0:06:12.550 --> 0:06:14.890 We're working through a list of current events, stories from 0:06:14.890 --> 0:06:19.570 the past week. President elect Trump doesn't assume office until January, 0:06:19.570 --> 0:06:22.690 but he's already influencing events in the Middle East. What 0:06:22.690 --> 0:06:25.900 impact is he having on the different conflicts between Israel, 0:06:25.900 --> 0:06:28.390 Iran and the Palestinian Authority? 0:06:28.900 --> 0:06:32.080 The main impact so far focuses on the perceived difference 0:06:32.080 --> 0:06:36.370 between the previous administration and President Trump, as one observer 0:06:36.400 --> 0:06:38.980 put it. The perception in the Middle East is that 0:06:38.980 --> 0:06:42.880 both President Obama and President Biden were unwilling to project 0:06:42.880 --> 0:06:46.270 power and confront adversaries in the region. They knew how 0:06:46.270 --> 0:06:49.599 to speak out forcefully, but that was it. The latest 0:06:49.600 --> 0:06:53.680 example this week was a proposed UN Security Council resolution 0:06:53.680 --> 0:06:57.880 forcing Israel to withdraw from Gaza. As that vote approached, 0:06:57.880 --> 0:07:01.060 Israel didn't know if President Biden would side with them 0:07:01.060 --> 0:07:04.719 and veto it or allow it to pass, harming them. Now, 0:07:04.720 --> 0:07:07.989 contrast that with President Trump's first term. He ended the 0:07:07.990 --> 0:07:12.190 nuclear agreement with Iran, increased the sanctions on Iran, moved 0:07:12.190 --> 0:07:15.580 the US embassy to Jerusalem, and officially recognized the Golan 0:07:15.580 --> 0:07:19.450 Heights as part of Israel. Several of Trump's announced appointees, 0:07:19.450 --> 0:07:23.620 including Mike Huckabee as ambassador, have suggested Trump will again 0:07:23.650 --> 0:07:26.530 be following up his words with strong actions when it 0:07:26.530 --> 0:07:29.890 comes to implementing policy. It's interesting to see how the 0:07:29.890 --> 0:07:34.480 different countries are responding. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has 0:07:34.480 --> 0:07:38.560 been reaching out to president elect Trump through the Lebanese-American 0:07:38.560 --> 0:07:41.770 father in law of Trump's daughter. Abbas wants to have 0:07:41.770 --> 0:07:45.340 President Trump push for peace between the Palestinians and Israel 0:07:45.370 --> 0:07:49.300 based on a two state solution. He remembers Trump's funding 0:07:49.300 --> 0:07:52.510 cuts in response to the Palestinian rejection of a deal 0:07:52.510 --> 0:07:56.110 during Trump's first term. For its part, Israel is encouraged 0:07:56.110 --> 0:07:59.590 by statements made by Huckabee and others suggesting Trump might 0:07:59.590 --> 0:08:02.680 even be open to allowing Israel to annex the West Bank, 0:08:02.710 --> 0:08:05.980 the area they would call Judea and Samaria. They're also 0:08:05.980 --> 0:08:09.790 encouraged by statements suggesting the US will not handcuff Israel 0:08:09.820 --> 0:08:13.930 to keep them from responding to Iranian attacks. Iran, at 0:08:13.960 --> 0:08:17.830 least now, is keeping a lower profile, though they've reportedly 0:08:17.830 --> 0:08:20.890 promised they won't try to assassinate Trump. It will be 0:08:20.890 --> 0:08:24.130 interesting to see how all this plays out once Trump 0:08:24.130 --> 0:08:25.930 assumes office in January. 0:08:25.960 --> 0:08:29.590 A recent article in The Jerusalem Post reported that scientists 0:08:29.590 --> 0:08:33.250 have unlocked the secret of A3000 year old tablet that 0:08:33.250 --> 0:08:36.520 reveals the path to Noah's Ark. So is this report 0:08:36.520 --> 0:08:37.990 fact or fiction? 0:08:38.020 --> 0:08:40.840 It sounds like something out of Hollywood, doesn't it? I'd 0:08:40.840 --> 0:08:43.540 love for this report to be true, but I really 0:08:43.540 --> 0:08:46.690 have doubts. The story claimed that scientists have unlocked the 0:08:46.690 --> 0:08:50.170 secrets of the world's oldest map, revealing the location of 0:08:50.170 --> 0:08:53.439 Noah's Ark. But this so-called map is really just a 0:08:53.440 --> 0:08:57.309 clay tablet on display in the British Museum. The tablet 0:08:57.309 --> 0:09:01.210 shows Babylon and the Euphrates River and identifies eight outlying 0:09:01.240 --> 0:09:05.050 regions representing the then known world. On the reverse side, 0:09:05.050 --> 0:09:10.300 it describes, in broken and largely unintelligible paragraphs, apparent distances 0:09:10.300 --> 0:09:14.110 and directions to these regions. It also identifies animals and 0:09:14.110 --> 0:09:17.530 gods connected to the Babylonian account of creation along with 0:09:17.530 --> 0:09:20.770 their account of the flood, but the text mentions Urartu, 0:09:20.800 --> 0:09:24.130 which the authors suggest is a reference to Mount Ararat. 0:09:24.160 --> 0:09:27.490 Now Urartu is in the general region of Ararat, but 0:09:27.490 --> 0:09:29.620 it takes a great leap in logic to assume the 0:09:29.620 --> 0:09:32.380 text is really referring to the mountain and pointing to 0:09:32.380 --> 0:09:35.290 the location of the ark. The tablet dates to the 0:09:35.290 --> 0:09:39.250 late 600 seconds BC, at the time of the Babylonian Empire. 0:09:39.280 --> 0:09:43.540 The flood happened at least 700 years earlier, now I believe. 0:09:43.570 --> 0:09:47.020 Noah's Ark did exist, but you won't find it using 0:09:47.020 --> 0:09:48.430 that so-called map. 0:09:48.429 --> 0:09:50.710 We got time for one final story here. Tell us 0:09:50.710 --> 0:09:54.250 about the rain that fell in Israel this past week, Charlie. 0:09:54.280 --> 0:09:56.380 Yeah. You know, rain in Israel is a blessing. And 0:09:56.380 --> 0:09:59.620 Israel was blessed this past week. They experienced, in fact, 0:09:59.650 --> 0:10:03.490 record breaking rain along the northern coast. In one town 0:10:03.490 --> 0:10:06.760 on Mount Carmel, just under eight inches of rain fell 0:10:06.760 --> 0:10:11.620 in four hours. That's 60% of that area's average annual rainfall. 0:10:11.650 --> 0:10:15.100 On Tuesday and Wednesday, the rain soaked the coastal area, 0:10:15.130 --> 0:10:18.400 along with central and northern Israel, and some rain extended 0:10:18.400 --> 0:10:21.699 down into the Shfela and into the Judean Desert around 0:10:21.700 --> 0:10:25.480 the Dead Sea. It's the first major rainfall of the season, 0:10:25.480 --> 0:10:28.300 and they're hoping it will be followed by much more 0:10:28.300 --> 0:10:29.710 over the coming months. 0:10:29.740 --> 0:10:32.560 Charlie, what do we know about the progress of desalination 0:10:32.559 --> 0:10:35.260 plants that have been worked on for several years now? 0:10:35.260 --> 0:10:38.290 Well, they have five desalination plants up and running and 0:10:38.290 --> 0:10:42.580 working on some others. So right now Israel is water self-sufficient. 0:10:42.610 --> 0:10:45.069 In fact, they're drawing very little to any water from 0:10:45.070 --> 0:10:47.439 the Sea of Galilee, but they're hoping to be able 0:10:47.440 --> 0:10:49.809 to provide even more water that they could then use 0:10:49.809 --> 0:10:52.510 in foreign relations with some of the nations, like Jordan. 0:10:52.540 --> 0:10:54.490 All right. Sounds good. Thank you for that update on 0:10:54.490 --> 0:10:57.880 current events. We're looking forward to a conversation with Todd Nettleton, 0:10:57.880 --> 0:11:01.630 who takes us inside the Muslim world. Stories of Muslims 0:11:01.630 --> 0:11:04.839 turning to Christ against all odds. If it's been a 0:11:04.840 --> 0:11:07.000 while since you've been to our website, check it out. 0:11:07.000 --> 0:11:11.260 It's at the Land and the book.org, the land and 0:11:11.260 --> 0:11:14.680 the Book org. We're going Inside the Muslim World with 0:11:14.679 --> 0:11:32.260 Todd Nettleton next on the land and the book. When 0:11:32.260 --> 0:11:34.990 it comes to trouble, there is no place quite like 0:11:34.990 --> 0:11:38.650 the Middle East. It is just laced with trouble and tension. 0:11:38.650 --> 0:11:40.870 And this last year in particular, we have heard so 0:11:40.870 --> 0:11:43.240 much about the Middle East. But did you know that 0:11:43.240 --> 0:11:45.460 the Middle East is also where God is doing many 0:11:45.480 --> 0:11:48.390 great things, and he's doing a surprising amount of those 0:11:48.390 --> 0:11:52.170 things among Muslim people. This is the land and the book. 0:11:52.170 --> 0:11:54.870 Segment two. I'm John Gager. Before we jet off to 0:11:54.900 --> 0:11:57.990 the Middle East, let's pause for a creative idea on 0:11:57.990 --> 0:12:00.450 reaching out to the Muslim friends that God has placed 0:12:00.450 --> 0:12:03.150 in our path here at home. You and I, when 0:12:03.150 --> 0:12:05.880 we come to any conversation, including a conversation with our 0:12:05.880 --> 0:12:09.840 Jewish friends, have a certain perspective. We bring we and they, 0:12:09.870 --> 0:12:12.599 Josh and Rachelle Norman, are here to help us understand 0:12:12.600 --> 0:12:17.880 how those perspectives contribute or maybe cause trouble in our dialogue. Josh, one. 0:12:17.880 --> 0:12:21.120 Of the great objections to believing in Jesus is the 0:12:21.120 --> 0:12:24.480 Holocaust and the Crusades. And they say, If Jesus is 0:12:24.480 --> 0:12:26.640 your Messiah. If Yeshua is your Messiah, then how can 0:12:26.640 --> 0:12:30.360 he in his name? Many things happen and you know 0:12:30.390 --> 0:12:32.850 there's really no one solid answer we can throw out 0:12:32.850 --> 0:12:36.240 there and everything will be fine. It's humbly accepting the 0:12:36.240 --> 0:12:38.760 fact that you know what things have been done in 0:12:38.760 --> 0:12:42.510 the name of Yeshua, but that's not who he is, 0:12:42.540 --> 0:12:46.740 and he is somebody who loves you, somebody who died 0:12:46.740 --> 0:12:48.690 for you, who atoned for you. And it is a 0:12:48.690 --> 0:12:49.679 very Jewish thing. 0:12:49.679 --> 0:12:51.480 And when a Christian is able to show that to 0:12:51.510 --> 0:12:54.089 their Jewish friend, it really opens a lot of doors 0:12:54.120 --> 0:12:57.060 very quickly. Even if it's a shorter relationship, you're not 0:12:57.059 --> 0:12:58.590 going to be with them a long time or it's 0:12:58.590 --> 0:13:01.530 in passing at work. It opens a lot of doors 0:13:01.530 --> 0:13:03.720 to a real open relationship. 0:13:03.750 --> 0:13:06.960 Give me another example of a perspective that I might 0:13:06.960 --> 0:13:09.179 have or my Jewish friend might have. That could potentially 0:13:09.179 --> 0:13:10.410 be a brick wall. Josh. 0:13:10.440 --> 0:13:14.069 Well, I would say that, um, you're not converting if 0:13:14.100 --> 0:13:18.150 you become a believer in Messiah, you're still Jewish because 0:13:18.150 --> 0:13:22.680 he found his fulfillment in the Tanakh in the Old Testament. 0:13:22.800 --> 0:13:26.070 There's no converting leaving behind your Jewish identity. 0:13:26.100 --> 0:13:27.900 I think what Josh is bringing up here, too, is 0:13:27.900 --> 0:13:31.470 terminology is really important. Using words like Messiah instead of 0:13:31.470 --> 0:13:34.350 Christ is powerful to the Jewish person. 0:13:34.380 --> 0:13:37.560 Our conversation today with Josh and Rochelle Norman with Chosen 0:13:37.559 --> 0:13:41.850 People Ministries here on the land and the book Todd 0:13:41.880 --> 0:13:44.610 Nettleton is vice president of message for the voice of 0:13:44.610 --> 0:13:47.280 the martyrs USA and host of the Voice of the 0:13:47.280 --> 0:13:50.850 Martyrs Radio. During his more than 25 years of service 0:13:50.850 --> 0:13:53.730 with voice of the martyrs, Todd has traveled the world 0:13:53.730 --> 0:13:57.390 and conducted face to face interviews with hundreds of Christians 0:13:57.390 --> 0:14:00.959 who have suffered persecution in more than 40 nations. He's 0:14:00.960 --> 0:14:04.740 been interviewed more than 4000 times, so this will be 4001, 0:14:04.740 --> 0:14:07.650 I think. Todd has also written the Moody Publishers book 0:14:07.650 --> 0:14:11.729 when Faith Is Forbidden. Recently, he met with Christians in 0:14:11.730 --> 0:14:14.040 the Middle East, finding out how God is working in 0:14:14.070 --> 0:14:16.170 that part of the world. And we want to say, 0:14:16.170 --> 0:14:18.960 welcome back to the land and the book. Todd, thanks. 0:14:18.960 --> 0:14:20.700 So much, John. It's good to be with you. 0:14:20.730 --> 0:14:24.030 So describe some of the challenges and the circumstances that 0:14:24.030 --> 0:14:26.880 many of these brothers and sisters face in daily life. 0:14:26.910 --> 0:14:30.450 Well, one of the things about the Islamic context that 0:14:30.450 --> 0:14:32.310 most of our brothers and sisters in the Middle East 0:14:32.310 --> 0:14:37.110 find themselves is that persecution usually doesn't start with the 0:14:37.110 --> 0:14:40.710 police or with the government. It's usually much closer to home. 0:14:40.710 --> 0:14:43.290 It starts with your dad. It starts with your big 0:14:43.290 --> 0:14:46.230 brother who will come to you and say, listen, we 0:14:46.230 --> 0:14:49.380 are a muslim family. We've always been a muslim family. 0:14:49.380 --> 0:14:51.990 If you're not a muslim anymore, if you're a follower 0:14:51.990 --> 0:14:54.870 of Jesus Christ, you're not really part of our family. 0:14:54.900 --> 0:14:57.360 We don't have a spot for you in our family anymore. 0:14:57.360 --> 0:15:00.720 And so that is typically the first line of persecution. Now, 0:15:00.720 --> 0:15:04.080 that sounds horrible to us here in America. But when 0:15:04.080 --> 0:15:07.530 you understand the context of the Middle East, all of 0:15:07.530 --> 0:15:12.360 your opportunities in life come through family connections, your opportunity 0:15:12.390 --> 0:15:16.800 for education, your opportunity for jobs, your opportunity to get married. 0:15:16.800 --> 0:15:20.340 All of that is through connections from your family or 0:15:20.340 --> 0:15:23.400 your tribal group. And so being cut off from that 0:15:23.400 --> 0:15:26.190 group is being cut off from all of your future, 0:15:26.190 --> 0:15:28.950 from all of your opportunities. So it is a very 0:15:28.950 --> 0:15:31.290 high price that our brothers and sisters in the Middle 0:15:31.290 --> 0:15:32.850 East are paying speak. 0:15:32.850 --> 0:15:35.220 To the difference that we have of religion here in 0:15:35.220 --> 0:15:38.160 the West, being sort of an optional add on thing, 0:15:38.160 --> 0:15:41.760 where over there it's very much woven into every fabric 0:15:41.760 --> 0:15:42.630 of your life. 0:15:42.660 --> 0:15:46.830 That's absolutely right. You are born a muslim. You are 0:15:46.830 --> 0:15:49.560 expected to live your whole life as a muslim and 0:15:49.560 --> 0:15:52.590 you will die as a muslim. And in fact, Islam 0:15:52.590 --> 0:15:56.850 really kind of runs in your blood. To be Jordanian, 0:15:56.850 --> 0:16:00.870 to be a Saudi, to be a Qatari is to 0:16:00.900 --> 0:16:03.900 be a muslim. And so when you as one of 0:16:03.900 --> 0:16:06.900 those a citizen of one of those nations, you come 0:16:06.900 --> 0:16:09.810 and say, well, actually, I'm not a muslim, I'm a 0:16:09.810 --> 0:16:13.380 follower of Jesus Christ. There is that that perception. Well, 0:16:13.410 --> 0:16:17.040 you've betrayed not only your family, you've betrayed your country. 0:16:17.070 --> 0:16:21.180 You've betrayed your ethnicity. It is seen as a complete 0:16:21.210 --> 0:16:24.960 turning away from your identity. And so one of the 0:16:24.960 --> 0:16:29.340 things that happens is the body of Christ becomes your family. 0:16:29.340 --> 0:16:33.120 They become a part of your identity. And pastors and 0:16:33.120 --> 0:16:35.910 church leaders in that part of the world, they understand 0:16:35.910 --> 0:16:39.150 very well. When I lead someone to Christ, I need 0:16:39.150 --> 0:16:40.950 to not just be ready to be their pastor. I 0:16:40.950 --> 0:16:42.690 need to be ready to be their father. I need 0:16:42.690 --> 0:16:45.090 to be ready for them to sleep on my couch. I, 0:16:45.090 --> 0:16:47.550 I need to be ready to provide some help for 0:16:47.550 --> 0:16:50.880 them because their families are likely to cut them off, 0:16:50.880 --> 0:16:53.760 and the church has to become their family. 0:16:53.790 --> 0:16:57.060 You were enrolled in a school of prayer through the 0:16:57.060 --> 0:16:59.820 life example of the host that you stayed with. How 0:16:59.850 --> 0:17:02.430 do people in the Middle East pray differently than we 0:17:02.430 --> 0:17:03.090 do in the West? 0:17:03.120 --> 0:17:06.330 Todd You know, we had such an amazing time being 0:17:06.330 --> 0:17:08.850 in the Middle East. And our host was, you know, 0:17:08.880 --> 0:17:12.270 the Bible verse that says, pray without ceasing. That is 0:17:12.270 --> 0:17:15.180 how he lives his life. And so when you roll 0:17:15.180 --> 0:17:18.389 up to a checkpoint, you pray, Lord, we're coming up 0:17:18.390 --> 0:17:20.490 to a checkpoint. We need your help to make sure 0:17:20.490 --> 0:17:23.520 we get through safely. When you have a trial. Hey, 0:17:23.520 --> 0:17:25.680 we need to pray. Lord, you need to help us 0:17:25.680 --> 0:17:28.859 with this trial. When you meet someone, you offer to 0:17:28.890 --> 0:17:31.170 pray for them. When you hear, oh, my wife is 0:17:31.170 --> 0:17:34.560 struggling with sickness or oh, I've just lost my job. 0:17:34.560 --> 0:17:38.370 The natural response of someone who prays without ceasing is, well, hey, 0:17:38.369 --> 0:17:41.159 let me pray for you. And when you pray in 0:17:41.160 --> 0:17:44.340 the name of Jesus and then those prayers are answered, 0:17:44.340 --> 0:17:46.620 that person has a question in their mind. They want 0:17:46.650 --> 0:17:48.959 to come back to you and say, whoa, you prayed 0:17:48.960 --> 0:17:52.950 for me. And then that problem got solved. Tell me 0:17:52.950 --> 0:17:55.350 more about this Jesus that you prayed to. And so 0:17:55.350 --> 0:17:57.510 that is one of the ways the gospel is spreading 0:17:57.510 --> 0:18:00.660 is just through bold Christians who are willing to say, hey, 0:18:00.660 --> 0:18:02.880 I see that you have a problem, I hear you, 0:18:02.880 --> 0:18:05.940 I care about you. Let me pray for you. And 0:18:05.940 --> 0:18:08.910 then when Jesus answers those prayers, it plants the seed 0:18:08.910 --> 0:18:10.710 of the gospel in that person's heart. 0:18:10.740 --> 0:18:13.139 God at work in the Middle East. That's our focus 0:18:13.140 --> 0:18:15.930 today on the land and the book as we talk 0:18:15.930 --> 0:18:18.570 with Todd Nettleton of Voice of the martyrs, I understand 0:18:18.570 --> 0:18:21.960 that you went to two different underground church gatherings. How 0:18:21.960 --> 0:18:25.199 would those gatherings differ from what many of us experience 0:18:25.200 --> 0:18:26.520 on a Sunday morning? 0:18:26.609 --> 0:18:29.910 Well, it was interesting getting in because, you know, there 0:18:29.910 --> 0:18:32.520 was a door lock and a gate and a camera 0:18:32.520 --> 0:18:34.590 at the gate, and they were checking who was coming 0:18:34.590 --> 0:18:37.950 and who was going. But once we got inside, it 0:18:37.950 --> 0:18:41.760 actually was very similar to what we experience here in 0:18:41.760 --> 0:18:44.850 our church. And honestly, at one point they were singing 0:18:44.850 --> 0:18:47.340 so loudly, I was kind of looking around like, hey, 0:18:47.369 --> 0:18:49.649 are you sure we shouldn't maybe turn it down a 0:18:49.650 --> 0:18:52.080 little bit because, you know, we're not supposed to be here. 0:18:52.080 --> 0:18:56.190 This is illegal. And so but they are boldly worshiping 0:18:56.190 --> 0:18:59.790 the Lord. And, you know, it's interesting in, in many 0:18:59.790 --> 0:19:02.550 of these countries, you have to think that the government 0:19:02.580 --> 0:19:05.280 knows at least a little bit of what's going on. Yeah, 0:19:05.400 --> 0:19:08.790 it would be impossible for, you know, 85 or 100 0:19:08.790 --> 0:19:13.020 people to gather without somebody noticing what's happening. And yet 0:19:13.020 --> 0:19:17.310 the governments are in many cases, allowing that to happen. Um, 0:19:17.310 --> 0:19:19.980 and there's a there's kind of a little dance. Well, 0:19:19.980 --> 0:19:21.870 one of the things we heard is, well, let's be 0:19:21.869 --> 0:19:24.870 careful not to shame the government. We don't want to 0:19:24.900 --> 0:19:27.420 sort of throw it up in their face what we're doing, 0:19:27.420 --> 0:19:29.790 because that would embarrass them, that would shame them, and 0:19:29.790 --> 0:19:31.650 then they would feel the need to respond. They would 0:19:31.650 --> 0:19:34.200 feel the need to crack down. So let's let's be 0:19:34.200 --> 0:19:37.040 careful how we talk about this, and they are careful 0:19:37.040 --> 0:19:39.410 as they gather. They don't do it in a public way. 0:19:39.410 --> 0:19:42.320 They don't certainly don't put a sign on their church saying, hey, 0:19:42.320 --> 0:19:46.220 we have worship services this Friday. Come at noon. They 0:19:46.220 --> 0:19:48.950 don't do things like that. And there seems to be 0:19:48.950 --> 0:19:51.260 a little bit of balance that is being achieved, at 0:19:51.290 --> 0:19:54.230 least in some of the countries where the government says, okay, fine, 0:19:54.230 --> 0:19:57.860 you have your meetings, just don't embarrass us as you 0:19:57.859 --> 0:19:58.520 have them. 0:19:58.550 --> 0:19:58.850 Mm. 0:19:59.000 --> 0:20:02.270 Well, that said, there was still a concern, perhaps even 0:20:02.270 --> 0:20:05.060 an element of danger in these brothers and sisters being 0:20:05.090 --> 0:20:07.369 found out. But what about you and Chas? What if 0:20:07.400 --> 0:20:10.280 you had been found at these underground church meetings? What then? 0:20:10.310 --> 0:20:12.679 You know, one of the great blessings of having an 0:20:12.680 --> 0:20:16.550 American passport is the likelihood is we would be put 0:20:16.550 --> 0:20:18.800 on a plane and we would be sent home. They 0:20:18.800 --> 0:20:20.840 would tell us not to come back. And don't be 0:20:20.840 --> 0:20:24.470 a troublemaker and go on home. I'm always aware, as 0:20:24.470 --> 0:20:29.120 I travel into hostile and restricted nations, the danger for 0:20:29.119 --> 0:20:32.810 the Christians that I am meeting with is far, far 0:20:32.810 --> 0:20:35.870 greater than any danger that I face. Because, you know, 0:20:35.900 --> 0:20:38.810 I've got my blue passport and I've got a ticket home. 0:20:38.810 --> 0:20:40.969 They're still going to be there, they still are going 0:20:41.000 --> 0:20:43.760 to live there, and they will still the government certainly 0:20:43.760 --> 0:20:47.630 has access to them to punish them. And so, yeah, 0:20:47.630 --> 0:20:51.109 there's a certain amount of danger or worry as we go. 0:20:51.109 --> 0:20:53.960 But I always am aware that the danger that they 0:20:53.960 --> 0:20:57.170 face is so much greater than anything that we do. 0:20:57.200 --> 0:20:59.810 Thanks for connecting with the land and the book today. 0:20:59.810 --> 0:21:02.720 If you just joined us, I'm John Gager. Our guest today, 0:21:02.750 --> 0:21:05.480 Todd Nettleton of the Voice of the martyrs, just back 0:21:05.480 --> 0:21:08.060 from a visit to the Middle East. Well, you mentioned 0:21:08.090 --> 0:21:11.450 the idea that some of these believers are praying for 0:21:11.450 --> 0:21:14.810 and with their unsaved Muslim friends. What are some other 0:21:14.810 --> 0:21:18.230 ways that you would share Jesus in the context that 0:21:18.230 --> 0:21:18.740 you were in? 0:21:18.770 --> 0:21:23.210 Todd one of the things we heard was how long 0:21:23.240 --> 0:21:26.300 of a process it is for a muslim in the 0:21:26.300 --> 0:21:30.380 Middle East to really renounce Islam and come to faith 0:21:30.380 --> 0:21:32.840 in Jesus Christ. And, you know, we talked about the 0:21:32.840 --> 0:21:35.510 fact that they're turning their back on their culture. Their 0:21:35.510 --> 0:21:38.240 family is likely to turn their back on them. All 0:21:38.240 --> 0:21:41.360 of their future opportunities are cut off. So it's it's 0:21:41.359 --> 0:21:44.330 a big decision to make that decision. Okay, fine. I'm 0:21:44.330 --> 0:21:47.270 going to follow Jesus. I'm going to leave Islam behind 0:21:47.270 --> 0:21:50.840 that typically. And we heard this from multiple Christians. That's 0:21:50.840 --> 0:21:53.899 not a one time conversation that we might think of 0:21:53.930 --> 0:21:55.520 in the West. Well, you know, I'm going to I'm 0:21:55.520 --> 0:21:57.050 going to sit down with my friend. We're going to 0:21:57.080 --> 0:21:59.270 walk through the Romans Road. And at the end, I'm 0:21:59.270 --> 0:22:01.070 going to bring them to a point of praying a 0:22:01.070 --> 0:22:04.790 prayer and choosing to follow Jesus Christ in the Middle East. 0:22:04.820 --> 0:22:08.000 We heard stories of how that is often a years 0:22:08.030 --> 0:22:12.320 long process. It's not one conversation, it's hundreds of conversations. 0:22:12.320 --> 0:22:15.889 And Christians there don't think about sort of bringing people 0:22:15.890 --> 0:22:17.929 to a point of decision right now or in the 0:22:17.930 --> 0:22:21.890 next half hour. They think about planting a seed and 0:22:21.890 --> 0:22:25.850 then planting another seed, maybe months later, maybe even years later, 0:22:25.850 --> 0:22:28.370 and then watering the seeds that have been planted, or 0:22:28.369 --> 0:22:30.530 watering the seeds that someone else has been able to 0:22:30.560 --> 0:22:35.090 plant and in months or years we hope this person 0:22:35.090 --> 0:22:37.790 makes a decision to follow Jesus Christ. But it is 0:22:37.790 --> 0:22:41.150 very rarely and in fact, I would say almost never. 0:22:41.150 --> 0:22:44.780 One conversation or one encounter that leads someone to follow 0:22:44.780 --> 0:22:47.240 Jesus out of a muslim background. In the Middle East, 0:22:47.240 --> 0:22:50.840 it is typically a years long process of planting and 0:22:50.840 --> 0:22:54.110 watering those seeds. And as I mentioned, prayer can be 0:22:54.109 --> 0:22:57.590 a big part of that. We had a conversation with 0:22:57.590 --> 0:23:01.609 some Muslims there and a Christian friend who was with us. 0:23:01.609 --> 0:23:04.399 And one of the things that has happened is our 0:23:04.400 --> 0:23:07.820 Christian friend has prayed for these Muslims. He's prayed for 0:23:07.820 --> 0:23:12.500 their business to succeed. And since he's done that, they 0:23:12.500 --> 0:23:15.740 have noticed that their business has succeeded more than it 0:23:15.740 --> 0:23:19.010 did before. And they have actually attached those two things 0:23:19.010 --> 0:23:22.100 in their mind like, hey, after you prayed for us, 0:23:22.130 --> 0:23:25.159 our business really has taken off. We've really experienced a 0:23:25.160 --> 0:23:30.260 lot of success. And so they understand like something happened 0:23:30.260 --> 0:23:33.290 when you prayed for us. And so that certainly was 0:23:33.290 --> 0:23:35.990 a seed that's been planted. And now our friend is 0:23:35.990 --> 0:23:38.150 trying to water that seed. He's trying to follow up 0:23:38.150 --> 0:23:40.310 and say, is there is there other things that I 0:23:40.310 --> 0:23:43.820 can pray to Jesus for on your behalf because he 0:23:43.820 --> 0:23:46.310 wants them to see? Yes. When we pray to Jesus, 0:23:46.310 --> 0:23:49.790 things happen. Jesus is the one who answers prayer. And 0:23:49.790 --> 0:23:52.940 so that's an example of that sort of planting a seed, 0:23:52.940 --> 0:23:56.030 watering a seed, but not thinking in terms of, okay, 0:23:56.060 --> 0:23:58.070 you know, we're going to sit down over coffee right 0:23:58.070 --> 0:23:59.900 now and I'm going to nail you down and you're 0:23:59.900 --> 0:24:02.510 going to make a decision. It really is a long 0:24:02.510 --> 0:24:04.220 process in the Middle East. 0:24:04.250 --> 0:24:07.070 All right. Another facet of prayer would be our praying 0:24:07.070 --> 0:24:09.859 for these people in the Middle East. How could we 0:24:09.859 --> 0:24:12.530 pray both for believers there and for those who have 0:24:12.560 --> 0:24:14.119 yet to find Jesus? 0:24:14.390 --> 0:24:16.910 You know, I think for believers, we obviously we want 0:24:16.940 --> 0:24:19.790 to pray for God's protection over them. It can be 0:24:19.790 --> 0:24:22.850 very dangerous depending where you are. In the Middle East, 0:24:22.880 --> 0:24:25.940 there are family conflicts. There are family that will come 0:24:25.940 --> 0:24:29.180 after you. There are police and there are governments that 0:24:29.180 --> 0:24:30.919 will come after you as well. So we want to 0:24:30.920 --> 0:24:33.890 pray for God's protection. I think we also, though, want 0:24:33.920 --> 0:24:37.100 to pray for opportunities to witness as we think about 0:24:37.100 --> 0:24:41.389 that long process of planting seeds and watering seeds and 0:24:41.390 --> 0:24:45.200 hoping for a harvest. Let's just pray for our Christian 0:24:45.200 --> 0:24:48.200 brothers and sisters in the Middle East that that even today, 0:24:48.200 --> 0:24:51.410 they get an opportunity to plant a seed. They get 0:24:51.410 --> 0:24:54.590 an opportunity to make a difference and to say something 0:24:54.590 --> 0:24:57.590 that would lead someone to ask questions or to to 0:24:57.619 --> 0:25:00.680 want to know more about Jesus Christ. The other thing 0:25:00.680 --> 0:25:02.689 that I would encourage people as we're praying, is to 0:25:02.720 --> 0:25:06.830 remember as as Jesus instructed us to pray for the persecutors. 0:25:06.830 --> 0:25:09.620 We want to pray for government leaders in the Middle 0:25:09.619 --> 0:25:12.350 East to have a radical encounter with Jesus Christ, to 0:25:12.380 --> 0:25:16.369 have their hearts transformed by him. We want to pray 0:25:16.369 --> 0:25:19.460 for some of these parents or older brothers who are 0:25:19.460 --> 0:25:22.250 persecuting new believers. We want to pray for them to 0:25:22.280 --> 0:25:24.980 have a dream or a vision where they see Jesus. 0:25:24.980 --> 0:25:28.859 And so let's remember also to pray for the enemies 0:25:28.859 --> 0:25:31.590 of the gospel as we pray for our brothers and 0:25:31.590 --> 0:25:32.550 sisters as well. 0:25:32.580 --> 0:25:35.129 Well, those are all great prayer points. Thank you Todd. 0:25:35.160 --> 0:25:38.340 I appreciate your time, your insights. Always good to get 0:25:38.580 --> 0:25:41.100 up to the minute reports from you, and God bless 0:25:41.100 --> 0:25:43.560 you as you continue to travel and speak out on 0:25:43.560 --> 0:25:45.030 behalf of the persecuted church. 0:25:45.060 --> 0:25:48.330 Thanks so much for having me. I always enjoy our conversations. 0:25:48.330 --> 0:25:50.310 Thank you Todd. Hey, I'm looking forward to a look 0:25:50.340 --> 0:25:52.260 at some Bible questions that have come in to our 0:25:52.290 --> 0:26:07.109 email inbox. That's next on the land and the book. Well, 0:26:07.109 --> 0:26:10.649 if your eyeballs are functioning and your brainwaves are at 0:26:10.650 --> 0:26:14.310 all alive, when you read the Bible, you bump into questions, 0:26:14.310 --> 0:26:16.679 I sure do. Hi, I'm John Gager. This is the 0:26:16.680 --> 0:26:19.379 land and the book, and this is the segment that 0:26:19.380 --> 0:26:23.880 we devote exclusively to answering your questions about your own thoughts, ruminations, 0:26:23.880 --> 0:26:27.619 and puzzlements as you open Scripture for yourself. Doctor Charlie 0:26:27.650 --> 0:26:29.750 Dyer's Bible is open. And before we get to our 0:26:29.750 --> 0:26:31.429 first question, though, I just want to think about the 0:26:31.430 --> 0:26:33.500 fact that as the end of the year approaches, many 0:26:33.530 --> 0:26:36.980 world events have left us wondering what God's plan is 0:26:36.980 --> 0:26:39.470 for the future. And this is especially true when it 0:26:39.470 --> 0:26:43.220 comes to Israel. Despite its small size, people around the 0:26:43.220 --> 0:26:47.450 world are just intensely focused, Charlie, on what takes place there, 0:26:47.480 --> 0:26:50.600 this tiny little country. So our today's headlines connected in 0:26:50.600 --> 0:26:53.359 any way with prophecies in the Bible. And how should 0:26:53.359 --> 0:26:57.350 followers of Jesus interpret current events as we await his 0:26:57.350 --> 0:26:58.280 second coming? 0:26:58.310 --> 0:27:01.459 Those are great questions. And to help answer those important questions, 0:27:01.490 --> 0:27:04.310 our friends at Life and Messiah encourage you to check 0:27:04.340 --> 0:27:08.869 out their book, God, Israel, and Bible Prophecy with Scripture 0:27:08.869 --> 0:27:11.179 as its foundation. This book will take you on a 0:27:11.180 --> 0:27:13.939 journey into what God has in store for the Jewish 0:27:13.940 --> 0:27:17.119 people and the nations. This book is for anyone who 0:27:17.119 --> 0:27:20.540 wants to explore where modern day events fit on God's 0:27:20.540 --> 0:27:24.350 grand timeline. If that's you or someone you know, this 0:27:24.350 --> 0:27:27.649 would be a great resource or gift. Visit Life in 0:27:27.650 --> 0:27:31.250 messiah.org and click on the Moody Radio button to find 0:27:31.250 --> 0:27:34.940 out how you can receive your copy of God, Israel 0:27:34.940 --> 0:27:39.139 and Bible Prophecy. That's life in messiah.org. 0:27:39.290 --> 0:27:41.900 Well, fittingly enough, our first question takes us to the 0:27:41.900 --> 0:27:45.290 Old Testament. Teresa wants us to look at numbers ten 0:27:45.320 --> 0:27:48.530 one through ten, where the Lord instructs Moses concerning the 0:27:48.530 --> 0:27:52.070 blowing of the trumpets at different times and for different reasons. 0:27:52.070 --> 0:27:54.920 She says. Verses eight and nine clearly point out this 0:27:54.920 --> 0:27:57.260 is a lasting ordinance for the priest to blow the 0:27:57.260 --> 0:28:00.260 trumpets when Israel goes into battle in their own land 0:28:00.260 --> 0:28:03.440 against an enemy that is oppressing them. My question, she says, 0:28:03.440 --> 0:28:06.560 do you know if this happens today during these many 0:28:06.560 --> 0:28:07.610 months of war? 0:28:07.640 --> 0:28:10.460 Well, we know Israel certainly used the trumpets during their 0:28:10.460 --> 0:28:13.429 time in the wilderness, and apparently they also continued to 0:28:13.460 --> 0:28:17.090 use them during their festivals. The Temple Mount Faithful group 0:28:17.090 --> 0:28:21.110 in Jerusalem have fashioned new silver trumpets for use in 0:28:21.109 --> 0:28:24.340 the rebuilt temple. However, as far as I'm able to determine, 0:28:24.340 --> 0:28:27.760 modern Israel does not sound trumpets when they go into battle. 0:28:27.790 --> 0:28:30.369 Part of the reason could be that the other uses 0:28:30.369 --> 0:28:33.369 for the trumpets during feasts, new moon festivals, and all 0:28:33.369 --> 0:28:36.010 those others, well, they await the rebuilding of a temple 0:28:36.010 --> 0:28:39.760 and the resumption of animal sacrifices and the priestly system. 0:28:39.760 --> 0:28:43.090 So I don't believe verse nine is being observed today. 0:28:43.210 --> 0:28:46.270 Fran asks, can you please give me your take on 0:28:46.270 --> 0:28:49.570 why Jesus and the people of the Bible are depicted 0:28:49.570 --> 0:28:53.920 by secular and non-secular media as European and Caucasian? 0:28:53.950 --> 0:28:57.250 Yeah, I believe Jesus and other Bible characters are depicted 0:28:57.250 --> 0:29:01.450 that way because most European artists through the centuries pictured 0:29:01.450 --> 0:29:04.030 the people and the other details in the Bible in 0:29:04.030 --> 0:29:07.720 light of their own European experience. So the characters look 0:29:07.750 --> 0:29:11.470 European as well as the clothing, the houses, the furnishings. 0:29:11.500 --> 0:29:14.260 You know, Da Vinci's Last Supper looks like a European 0:29:14.260 --> 0:29:18.250 banquet table, not like a typical low table triclinium where 0:29:18.280 --> 0:29:20.530 guests would have been in the time of Jesus. Now, 0:29:20.530 --> 0:29:23.740 some other descriptions did come from church tradition, like the 0:29:23.740 --> 0:29:27.340 Three Wise Men, but most artists use local models and 0:29:27.340 --> 0:29:30.580 then over time, the images they produced became the lens 0:29:30.580 --> 0:29:33.670 through which many viewed the Bible stories. Now, lest we 0:29:33.700 --> 0:29:36.010 be too hard on them, we tend to do exactly 0:29:36.010 --> 0:29:40.150 the same thing as we unconsciously insert biblical characters and 0:29:40.150 --> 0:29:43.960 events into locations from our own background, or into what 0:29:43.960 --> 0:29:46.780 we envision the scenes and people to have looked like. 0:29:46.810 --> 0:29:49.810 I guess that's just because it's human nature, but it's 0:29:49.810 --> 0:29:52.360 also maybe a good reason why a trip to Israel 0:29:52.390 --> 0:29:54.190 can be incredibly helpful. 0:29:54.220 --> 0:29:57.940 Terry takes us to Ephesians chapter one. Verse four tells 0:29:57.940 --> 0:30:01.180 us that God chose us in him before the foundation 0:30:01.180 --> 0:30:04.180 of the world. I know that Isaiah 55 nine tells 0:30:04.180 --> 0:30:06.190 us that his ways are higher than our ways, and 0:30:06.190 --> 0:30:09.580 his thoughts than our thoughts. But why would God create 0:30:09.580 --> 0:30:13.720 some with a predestination of condemnation? The intersection of free 0:30:13.750 --> 0:30:17.950 will and predestination is a puzzle. Yet predestination is referenced 0:30:17.950 --> 0:30:20.500 in many places in the New Testament. Any insight? 0:30:20.500 --> 0:30:23.650 Yeah, I know the issue of predestination versus free will 0:30:23.650 --> 0:30:26.800 is one that I believe extends beyond our ability to 0:30:26.830 --> 0:30:30.760 truly comprehend. Yet I do believe both elements are true. 0:30:30.760 --> 0:30:34.270 And as you noted, Ephesians one four says, God predestined 0:30:34.270 --> 0:30:36.790 us to be adopted as his sons. But I would 0:30:36.790 --> 0:30:39.580 make two other observations there. First, it says that it 0:30:39.580 --> 0:30:42.790 was in love. He did this. That is, predestination is 0:30:42.790 --> 0:30:46.780 connected to God's love, not to condemnation. I personally don't 0:30:46.780 --> 0:30:51.580 believe God actively predestined others to be condemned. Romans 512 0:30:51.610 --> 0:30:54.040 makes it clear that sin entered the world through one 0:30:54.040 --> 0:30:56.830 man and death through sin. So it was Adam's choice 0:30:56.830 --> 0:30:59.470 to sin against God, and when he did, it impacted 0:30:59.470 --> 0:31:03.430 the spiritual DNA of all humanity. Now, God certainly understood 0:31:03.430 --> 0:31:05.440 this was the case, and it became part of his 0:31:05.440 --> 0:31:08.260 master plan for the universe. At the same time, his 0:31:08.260 --> 0:31:11.140 plan for salvation, including the death of his son, was 0:31:11.140 --> 0:31:14.500 also part of that plan. That's why revelation 13 eight 0:31:14.500 --> 0:31:18.550 describes Jesus as slain from the creation of the world. Anyway, 0:31:18.580 --> 0:31:21.830 my point here is that predestination in Ephesians one four 0:31:21.860 --> 0:31:24.890 isn't described as God deciding who goes to heaven and 0:31:24.890 --> 0:31:28.459 who goes to hell. Following Adam's sin, all humanity stands 0:31:28.460 --> 0:31:31.730 condemned before God, but in his love, God chose some 0:31:31.730 --> 0:31:35.030 from among humanity to be adopted as his sons. 0:31:35.030 --> 0:31:37.160 This is the land and the book with our host, 0:31:37.160 --> 0:31:40.940 Charlie Dyer. I'm John Geiger, enjoying your questions as always. 0:31:40.940 --> 0:31:43.820 Here's one from Cara. As I think about how Samuel 0:31:43.820 --> 0:31:46.670 worked in the Tabernacle and related to God, I'm curious, 0:31:46.670 --> 0:31:49.730 was he serving God in the tabernacle primarily because of 0:31:49.730 --> 0:31:53.900 his Nazarite vow and his mother's vow, or also because 0:31:53.900 --> 0:31:55.910 of being from the tribe of Levi? 0:31:55.940 --> 0:32:00.470 Well, in First Chronicles six, those genealogies that drive us nuts, 0:32:00.530 --> 0:32:02.990 they're really important. And in fact, in chapter six, verses 0:32:02.990 --> 0:32:06.290 22 to 28, the writer traces the descendants of the 0:32:06.290 --> 0:32:09.440 Kohathites who were part of the tribe of Levi, down 0:32:09.440 --> 0:32:13.910 through several generations of individuals named Elkanah, until he reaches 0:32:13.910 --> 0:32:16.729 Samuel and his two sons. And the passage makes it 0:32:16.730 --> 0:32:19.690 very clear that Samuel and his father Elkanah were from 0:32:19.690 --> 0:32:23.200 the tribe of Levi. Through his son Kohath. The problem, 0:32:23.230 --> 0:32:25.570 of course, is that in first Samuel one one it 0:32:25.570 --> 0:32:28.270 makes it sound as if Samuel's father Elkanah, was from 0:32:28.270 --> 0:32:30.370 the tribe of Ephraim, since it says he was from 0:32:30.370 --> 0:32:33.910 the hill country of Ephraim. But it's very possible there. 0:32:33.940 --> 0:32:36.760 Elkanah is just a Levite. He's from the tribe of Kohath, 0:32:36.760 --> 0:32:40.060 and just happened to be living in Ramah of Bethlehem, 0:32:40.060 --> 0:32:43.150 which may have become part of the territory of Ephraim, 0:32:43.150 --> 0:32:46.390 and assigned to the Levites following the Benjamite civil war. 0:32:46.420 --> 0:32:47.620 In the Book of Judges. 0:32:47.650 --> 0:32:50.680 Mary asks, was the body Christ had when he appeared 0:32:50.680 --> 0:32:54.010 to his disciples the same body that took on powers 0:32:54.010 --> 0:32:57.370 because it wasn't subject to earthly decay? Did the risen 0:32:57.370 --> 0:32:59.230 Christ have a special body? 0:32:59.260 --> 0:33:02.590 Christ's natural body didn't experience decay in the same way 0:33:02.590 --> 0:33:04.990 that the bodies of believers who died in Christ over 0:33:04.990 --> 0:33:08.020 the years do. And I say that because of acts two. 0:33:08.050 --> 0:33:11.500 Peter quotes from Psalm 1610, where David wrote that God 0:33:11.500 --> 0:33:14.500 would not let his Holy One, the Messiah, see decay. However, 0:33:14.500 --> 0:33:18.040 that's not the reason Jesus was able to appear, disappear, 0:33:18.070 --> 0:33:21.790 or demonstrate other miraculous powers following his resurrection. I think 0:33:21.790 --> 0:33:24.130 the best answer for that is one Paul gave in 0:33:24.130 --> 0:33:26.890 first Corinthians 15. Now here's what he said in part. 0:33:26.920 --> 0:33:29.320 He said, some might ask, how are the dead raised? 0:33:29.350 --> 0:33:31.990 With what kind of body will they come? The body 0:33:31.990 --> 0:33:34.900 that is sown is perishable. It's raised imperishable. It's sown 0:33:34.900 --> 0:33:37.750 with dishonor. It's raised in glory. It's sown in weakness. 0:33:37.780 --> 0:33:40.540 It's raised in power. It's sown a natural body. It's 0:33:40.540 --> 0:33:43.300 raised a spiritual body. And just as we have borne 0:33:43.330 --> 0:33:45.700 the likeness of the earthly man Adam, in our bodies, 0:33:45.700 --> 0:33:48.100 so we shall bear the likeness of the man from heaven, 0:33:48.100 --> 0:33:50.770 that is Jesus. So when we receive our new bodies 0:33:50.770 --> 0:33:53.410 at the time of the rapture, we'll receive a body 0:33:53.410 --> 0:33:56.320 like the one Jesus now has. I don't know everything 0:33:56.320 --> 0:33:59.140 about what that body will be like, but we're assured 0:33:59.140 --> 0:34:01.300 that it will be like that of Jesus, and that 0:34:01.300 --> 0:34:03.040 means it's going to be pretty amazing. 0:34:03.070 --> 0:34:06.010 Kim says, I've noticed in Genesis chapter five that the 0:34:06.010 --> 0:34:09.640 descendants of Adam have children much earlier in their lives 0:34:09.640 --> 0:34:13.240 than Noah. Is there any biblical understanding of why this 0:34:13.239 --> 0:34:14.260 would be the case? 0:34:14.560 --> 0:34:17.719 Nothing in the text actually tells us why Noah was 0:34:17.719 --> 0:34:20.029 so much older at the time of his son's birth 0:34:20.030 --> 0:34:23.600 than his ancestors were, so we can only speculate. It's 0:34:23.600 --> 0:34:26.090 possible that Noah and his wife had trouble conceiving that 0:34:26.090 --> 0:34:28.490 there are other cases of that in the Bible. It's 0:34:28.489 --> 0:34:31.940 also possible that the world situation that was described there 0:34:31.940 --> 0:34:34.700 in Genesis six, verses 1 to 7, which is when 0:34:34.700 --> 0:34:38.000 Noah lived, caused him to delay getting married and having children. 0:34:38.000 --> 0:34:40.669 But the reality is, we don't know why he was 0:34:40.670 --> 0:34:43.970 so much older before he and his wife began having children. 0:34:44.000 --> 0:34:46.580 I do remember a paper I read in seminary that 0:34:46.580 --> 0:34:49.070 compared the ages when children were born, as well as 0:34:49.070 --> 0:34:52.520 the total lifespan of those from Adam through the patriarchs. 0:34:52.550 --> 0:34:55.910 Though not an exact parabolic curve, the numbers show a 0:34:55.910 --> 0:34:58.700 clear pattern of decline for example, the age at which 0:34:58.700 --> 0:35:01.490 the first child was born declines until just before the 0:35:01.489 --> 0:35:05.120 time of Enoch. It then seems to stabilize until the flood. Now, 0:35:05.120 --> 0:35:07.700 following the flood, the age at which children were born 0:35:07.700 --> 0:35:11.510 declines again, dropping into the low 30s. In the same way, 0:35:11.510 --> 0:35:15.550 the total lifespan of individuals declines slightly, though, staying relatively 0:35:15.550 --> 0:35:18.940 constant until the flood, but following the flood, the total 0:35:18.940 --> 0:35:23.259 lifespan declines rather markedly. As someone suggested, it's possible the 0:35:23.260 --> 0:35:25.780 fall and the entrance of death began to have an 0:35:25.780 --> 0:35:29.020 impact on human DNA with the arrival of disease and 0:35:29.020 --> 0:35:32.739 other cellular mutations, and then the changing conditions on Earth 0:35:32.739 --> 0:35:36.880 following the flood resulted in another dramatic decline. These shorter 0:35:36.880 --> 0:35:40.030 lifespans might also account for the desire to have offspring 0:35:40.030 --> 0:35:43.000 at an earlier age, but again, these are only possible 0:35:43.000 --> 0:35:46.060 suggestions based on what we observe in the text. We're 0:35:46.060 --> 0:35:49.060 never told specifically why this is so. 0:35:49.090 --> 0:35:51.520 Diane says, I love my Ryrie Study Bible, but I 0:35:51.520 --> 0:35:54.640 noticed the notes often refer to Palestine, and I'm now 0:35:54.640 --> 0:35:57.850 encountering that term in my Thursday Bible study. When did 0:35:57.850 --> 0:36:00.880 that term first get used and by who and why? 0:36:00.969 --> 0:36:02.080 Can you help me out here? 0:36:02.110 --> 0:36:04.630 Yeah, well, the term Palestine actually came from the time 0:36:04.630 --> 0:36:07.240 of the Roman emperor Hadrian, about 100 years after the 0:36:07.239 --> 0:36:10.330 time of Jesus. After the second Jewish revolt against Rome, 0:36:10.330 --> 0:36:13.830 he renamed the land Philistine land Palestine. And from his 0:36:13.830 --> 0:36:17.520 day up until the 20th century, the term Palestine became 0:36:17.520 --> 0:36:21.600 a geographical term for the region. Since 1948, especially then 0:36:21.600 --> 0:36:24.840 since 1967, though, it took on a more political term 0:36:24.840 --> 0:36:27.270 to refer to the Arabs who lived there and who 0:36:27.270 --> 0:36:29.670 are not part of the State of Israel. Now, by 0:36:29.670 --> 0:36:32.790 using the term, I think in Bibles and Bible atlases. Sadly, 0:36:32.790 --> 0:36:35.310 I think it's unfortunate. It's really an anachronism. 0:36:35.310 --> 0:36:38.370 And that's today's look at questions and answers. More to 0:36:38.400 --> 0:36:40.680 come on the broadcast as Charlie opens his Bible to 0:36:40.710 --> 0:36:43.860 bring us a devotional right here on the land and 0:36:43.860 --> 0:37:00.029 the book. Everybody loves a parade. There's just something about 0:37:00.030 --> 0:37:03.600 getting together, sitting down, watching the floats, the bands, the 0:37:03.600 --> 0:37:06.420 people go by. Well, there's a different kind of parade 0:37:06.420 --> 0:37:08.940 in store for us as we continue here on the land. 0:37:08.940 --> 0:37:11.370 And the book with our host, Charlie Dyer. What's this 0:37:11.370 --> 0:37:12.450 all about, Charlie? 0:37:12.630 --> 0:37:14.670 Oh, we're going to be having a fun time heading 0:37:14.670 --> 0:37:16.950 out to the original Thanksgiving Day parade. 0:37:16.980 --> 0:37:20.370 Okay, that's the subject of his devotional that comes after 0:37:20.370 --> 0:37:23.009 this Holy Land experience. Testimony. Check it out. 0:37:27.180 --> 0:37:30.390 Hello, land in the book friends. Doctor Dyer, I so 0:37:30.420 --> 0:37:33.120 enjoyed your devotional last week and it reminded me of 0:37:33.150 --> 0:37:37.320 that torrential downpour that I experienced at Megiddo. One of 0:37:37.320 --> 0:37:40.979 my favorite places was at Mount Carmel. I was able 0:37:40.980 --> 0:37:43.950 to get a better visual of how Elijah was able 0:37:43.950 --> 0:37:47.640 to beat Ahab's chariot on foot from that mountain to 0:37:47.640 --> 0:37:50.970 the Jezreel Valley below. After defeating the prophets of Baal, 0:37:51.420 --> 0:37:53.969 I saw how Ahab's chariot would have had a most 0:37:53.969 --> 0:37:57.750 difficult time getting through that muddy mess. I think about 0:37:57.750 --> 0:38:01.170 my Israel experience every day as I read God's Word. 0:38:01.200 --> 0:38:04.800 Not just the places, but the people as well. It 0:38:04.800 --> 0:38:08.070 was amazing to see all the archaeological finds such as 0:38:08.100 --> 0:38:11.190 the Capernaum ruins, the church of the Nativity, which sits 0:38:11.190 --> 0:38:14.460 upon the cave of Jesus birth, the Dead Sea Scrolls, 0:38:14.460 --> 0:38:17.820 just to name a few. And still the majority of 0:38:17.820 --> 0:38:21.870 its residents are not believers. I am reminded to pray 0:38:21.870 --> 0:38:24.330 for the people of that land, that the scales will 0:38:24.330 --> 0:38:26.580 be removed, and that they would accept the Lord Jesus 0:38:26.580 --> 0:38:29.879 as their Messiah. What a gift to be a part 0:38:29.910 --> 0:38:33.930 of God's story, to walk in a land rich with history, 0:38:33.930 --> 0:38:37.739 and the place where God's final victory over Satan will occur. 0:38:37.950 --> 0:38:41.820 Thank you Doctor Dyer for the most amazing trip ever. 0:38:41.850 --> 0:38:44.730 God bless you all and thank you for your service. 0:38:46.620 --> 0:38:49.560 All right. We're headed for Second Chronicles, chapter 20, in 0:38:49.590 --> 0:38:53.850 a devotional you've titled Jehoshaphat's Parade. Looking forward to this, Charlie. 0:38:54.090 --> 0:38:59.100 Thanks, John. For the past century. Since 1924, Macy's Thanksgiving 0:38:59.100 --> 0:39:01.650 Day Parade in New York City has marked the start 0:39:01.650 --> 0:39:04.680 of the holiday season. But while the Macy's parade might 0:39:04.680 --> 0:39:07.770 be the most well known, it's not the oldest. That 0:39:07.770 --> 0:39:11.069 honor belongs to Philadelphia, which held its first Thanksgiving Day 0:39:11.070 --> 0:39:15.270 parade four years earlier in 1920. It's actually the oldest 0:39:15.270 --> 0:39:18.960 Thanksgiving Day parade in our country, but both of these 0:39:18.960 --> 0:39:22.680 Thanksgiving Day parades are eclipsed by the first Thanksgiving Day 0:39:22.680 --> 0:39:27.120 parade held in Israel nearly 2800 years earlier. And that 0:39:27.120 --> 0:39:30.210 Thanksgiving Day parade was not only the first, it was 0:39:30.210 --> 0:39:33.420 also the longest parade in terms of the distance covered. 0:39:33.450 --> 0:39:37.440 The parade route extended for nearly 35 miles, and it 0:39:37.440 --> 0:39:41.400 included marching bands and choirs and the military. But I'm 0:39:41.430 --> 0:39:43.859 getting ahead of myself, so follow me out to the 0:39:43.860 --> 0:39:47.610 town of Toccoa for our front row seats, and while 0:39:47.610 --> 0:39:49.680 we wait for the parade to arrive, I'll explain how 0:39:49.680 --> 0:39:53.370 it started. Toccoa is a small town, but perched up 0:39:53.370 --> 0:39:55.500 on this hill. It provides us with a wonderful view 0:39:55.500 --> 0:39:58.620 of the roadway below. The road winds its way north 0:39:58.620 --> 0:40:02.940 and west, skirting by Bethlehem before heading to Jerusalem. That's 0:40:02.940 --> 0:40:05.580 the direction from which the parade will come. Well, then, 0:40:05.580 --> 0:40:07.859 the road extends to the right, below us as it 0:40:07.890 --> 0:40:11.940 drops into the Judean wilderness. Eventually it reaches Enjeti along 0:40:11.940 --> 0:40:14.790 the shores of the Dead Sea. This is the roadway 0:40:14.820 --> 0:40:17.910 taken by Ruth and Naomi several hundred years earlier, when 0:40:17.910 --> 0:40:21.450 the two returned from Moab to Bethlehem. The origin of 0:40:21.450 --> 0:40:24.390 today's parade is actually quite recent. In fact, it all 0:40:24.420 --> 0:40:27.450 began just a few days ago, when some men. I'm 0:40:27.450 --> 0:40:30.210 not sure if they were travelers or guards or simply 0:40:30.210 --> 0:40:33.509 shepherds tending their flocks, but they showed up in Jerusalem. 0:40:33.510 --> 0:40:36.419 It's obvious they had been running for some distance because 0:40:36.420 --> 0:40:39.540 they were exhausted. They hurried to the palace entrance and 0:40:39.540 --> 0:40:43.200 delivered a grim report to King Jehoshaphat. A vast army 0:40:43.200 --> 0:40:45.810 is coming against you from Edom, from the other side 0:40:45.810 --> 0:40:49.080 of the sea. It is already in Hazon. Tamar. That 0:40:49.080 --> 0:40:53.100 is Enjeti. Were we not sitting here in Toccoa, we 0:40:53.100 --> 0:40:56.670 might pass over those details without grasping their significance. But 0:40:56.670 --> 0:41:00.029 they were not lost on the king or his subjects. 0:41:00.030 --> 0:41:02.940 The other details in the report fill in the who, what, 0:41:02.969 --> 0:41:06.450 where and when. Who. It's not just one nation coming 0:41:06.480 --> 0:41:10.540 to attack Judah. It's a coalition of three nations the Moabites, 0:41:10.540 --> 0:41:14.470 the ammonites and the Edomites. These three countries straddled the 0:41:14.469 --> 0:41:18.160 eastern side of the Dead Sea. What? These nations have 0:41:18.160 --> 0:41:22.510 formed an alliance against Judah and Jerusalem, where they managed 0:41:22.510 --> 0:41:25.180 to cross the Dead Sea, possibly at the tongue of 0:41:25.180 --> 0:41:29.140 land that extends partway across. And they've now rendezvoused at Engedi, 0:41:29.140 --> 0:41:32.290 an oasis at the start of the back door entrance 0:41:32.290 --> 0:41:37.150 to Jerusalem, when apparently those reporting saw the armies as 0:41:37.150 --> 0:41:40.180 they began gathering at Engedi. It might take the three 0:41:40.180 --> 0:41:43.330 armies several days to get organized and finalize their plan 0:41:43.330 --> 0:41:45.520 of attack, and then it will take another day or 0:41:45.520 --> 0:41:48.280 so to climb the steep pathway up into the wilderness, 0:41:48.280 --> 0:41:51.790 and still another day to cross the wilderness and reach Tekoa. 0:41:51.790 --> 0:41:53.979 But at that point, they're less than a day from 0:41:53.980 --> 0:41:57.700 the gates of Jerusalem. Judah has less than a week 0:41:57.700 --> 0:42:01.660 to get ready for this massive invasion. King Jehoshaphat wasted 0:42:01.660 --> 0:42:05.520 no time, and his steps to prepare are instructive. First 0:42:05.550 --> 0:42:09.120 he resolved to inquire of the Lord. He started by 0:42:09.150 --> 0:42:12.989 going to God. Then he proclaimed a fast for all Judah, 0:42:12.989 --> 0:42:15.630 and had the people of Judah come together to seek 0:42:15.630 --> 0:42:18.989 help from the Lord. People poured into the city from 0:42:18.989 --> 0:42:21.930 every town in Judah to seek him. The king led 0:42:21.960 --> 0:42:24.060 the people in prayer as he opened his heart to 0:42:24.090 --> 0:42:27.630 the Lord. We have no power to face this vast 0:42:27.630 --> 0:42:30.540 army that is attacking us. We do not know what 0:42:30.540 --> 0:42:34.469 to do, but our eyes are upon you. God sent 0:42:34.469 --> 0:42:37.350 a direct message of encouragement and hope through a Levite 0:42:37.380 --> 0:42:40.620 who stood up and said, listen, King Jehoshaphat and all 0:42:40.650 --> 0:42:43.259 who live in Judah and Jerusalem, this is what the 0:42:43.260 --> 0:42:46.140 Lord says to you. Do not be afraid or discouraged 0:42:46.140 --> 0:42:49.350 because of this vast army, for the battle is not yours, 0:42:49.350 --> 0:42:54.150 but God's. The next day, Jerusalem's ragtag army of minutemen 0:42:54.180 --> 0:42:57.150 were to march out to face the attackers, which by 0:42:57.150 --> 0:43:00.060 now would likely be ready to climb the cliffs toward 0:43:00.060 --> 0:43:03.480 the Judean wilderness. And that's what brings us here today 0:43:03.480 --> 0:43:08.120 for Jehoshaphat's Thanksgiving Day Parade. I see the confused look 0:43:08.120 --> 0:43:11.270 in your eyes. How is this a Thanksgiving Day parade? 0:43:11.270 --> 0:43:14.569 Isn't it more like a panicked mob racing to stop 0:43:14.570 --> 0:43:18.140 what must have looked like an invincible army? The word 0:43:18.140 --> 0:43:21.080 that would normally come to mind is fear. Not Thanksgiving 0:43:21.080 --> 0:43:23.569 at a time like this, isn't it? And that's where 0:43:23.570 --> 0:43:26.750 this story takes quite a dramatic turn. We would expect 0:43:26.750 --> 0:43:29.930 to see the army of Judah marching below, desperately trying 0:43:29.930 --> 0:43:32.690 to reach the overlook before the much larger army was 0:43:32.690 --> 0:43:36.110 able to climb up the steep cliffs. But instead we're 0:43:36.140 --> 0:43:39.020 watching a parade, and the army is at the back 0:43:39.020 --> 0:43:41.480 of the parade, not the front. Here's how the book 0:43:41.480 --> 0:43:45.470 of Second Chronicles records what happened next. Early in the morning, 0:43:45.469 --> 0:43:48.529 they left for the desert of Tekoa. That's right below us. 0:43:48.530 --> 0:43:51.950 As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, listen to me, 0:43:51.950 --> 0:43:55.070 Judah and people of Jerusalem have faith in the Lord 0:43:55.070 --> 0:43:57.830 your God, and you will be upheld. Have faith in 0:43:57.830 --> 0:44:01.820 his prophets and you will be successful. After consulting with 0:44:01.820 --> 0:44:05.100 the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord 0:44:05.100 --> 0:44:07.770 and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness 0:44:07.770 --> 0:44:10.170 as they went out at the head of the army, saying, 0:44:10.170 --> 0:44:13.710 give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever. 0:44:14.160 --> 0:44:17.640 And here comes the parade. A large choir with musicians 0:44:17.640 --> 0:44:21.840 are leading the procession, with the army following behind. Instead 0:44:21.840 --> 0:44:25.080 of shouting war cries trying to psych themselves up for battle, 0:44:25.080 --> 0:44:29.250 they're giving thanks to God. And what happened next? As 0:44:29.250 --> 0:44:31.920 they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes 0:44:31.950 --> 0:44:34.260 against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir, 0:44:34.290 --> 0:44:37.830 who were invading Judah, and they were defeated. Ammon and 0:44:37.830 --> 0:44:40.710 Moab turned against the Edomites and attacked them. Then the 0:44:40.710 --> 0:44:44.400 Ammonites and Moabites fought each other over the spoil. By 0:44:44.400 --> 0:44:46.410 the time the men of Judah came to the place 0:44:46.410 --> 0:44:49.440 that overlooks the desert and looked toward the vast army, 0:44:49.440 --> 0:44:53.010 they saw only dead bodies lying on the ground. No 0:44:53.010 --> 0:44:56.250 one had escaped. As we pick up our folding chairs 0:44:56.250 --> 0:44:58.740 and begin to head home, what lessons can we take 0:44:58.739 --> 0:45:03.170 with us from Jehoshaphat? Thanksgiving day parade. How about this? 0:45:03.200 --> 0:45:06.650 Usually we thank God after he's done something for us. 0:45:06.650 --> 0:45:10.190 But Jehoshaphat and the people gave thanks to God before 0:45:10.190 --> 0:45:12.290 he had come to their aid. In fact, it was 0:45:12.290 --> 0:45:15.500 after they began singing praises to God that he intervened. 0:45:15.530 --> 0:45:19.640 Whatever problem you're facing today, pause first and say a 0:45:19.640 --> 0:45:23.719 prayer of thanksgiving, praising God for the reality that his 0:45:23.719 --> 0:45:28.219 loyal love endures forever. However great your problem might seem, 0:45:28.219 --> 0:45:31.580 stop and remember that God's power and his love for 0:45:31.580 --> 0:45:36.620 you are infinitely greater. One final detail it's possible the 0:45:36.620 --> 0:45:39.950 psalm sung by the procession that just passed below us 0:45:39.950 --> 0:45:43.460 was Psalm 136. I say that because the theme of 0:45:43.460 --> 0:45:46.670 the entire psalm is the same as the summary verse 0:45:46.670 --> 0:45:51.230 recorded by the writer of two Chronicles 20. Psalm 136 begins, 0:45:51.230 --> 0:45:53.719 give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His 0:45:53.719 --> 0:45:58.220 love endures forever. In fact, every single verse ends with 0:45:58.219 --> 0:46:02.600 his love endures Forever. The psalmist traces God's goodness from 0:46:02.600 --> 0:46:07.040 creation through the Exodus and wilderness wanderings and into the conquest. 0:46:07.040 --> 0:46:09.530 And he ends by reminding the people that the God 0:46:09.530 --> 0:46:13.009 of the past is still present and powerful today. He 0:46:13.010 --> 0:46:15.590 is the one who remembered us in our lowest state, 0:46:15.590 --> 0:46:18.410 and who freed us from our enemies. And he did 0:46:18.410 --> 0:46:21.890 all this because he's the God of heaven. Just remember 0:46:21.890 --> 0:46:25.940 to pause and praise God today, for his love endures forever. 0:46:25.940 --> 0:46:28.790 And if you have some free time, read Second Chronicles 0:46:28.790 --> 0:46:33.590 20 and Psalm 136. If you do. I'm confident you 0:46:33.590 --> 0:46:35.210 will be encouraged. 0:46:35.239 --> 0:46:37.670 Thank you Charlie, always refreshing to have you open the 0:46:37.670 --> 0:46:40.430 word and take us to a passage there and just 0:46:40.430 --> 0:46:43.069 open our eyes to things we maybe haven't thought about. Well, 0:46:43.070 --> 0:46:45.050 our time is gone, but I want to thank you, Charlie, 0:46:45.050 --> 0:46:47.810 our producer, Dan Anderson, and the management of this station 0:46:47.810 --> 0:46:50.210 for carrying the land and the book. We're a production 0:46:50.210 --> 0:46:53.660 of Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody Bible Institute. 0:46:53.690 --> 0:46:54.680 Have a great day.