S1: Well. Hello friends. It's time for the second hour of
S1: Open Line with Doctor Michael Riedel, Nick Moody Radio's Bible
S1: Study Across America, as we call it. We're here taking
S1: questions from you about the Bible, about God, about the
S1: Christian life, about something you're facing. My name is doctor
S1: Mike Fabares. I'm filling in for Doctor Michael Riedel. Nick,
S1: we both have the same first name and difficult to
S1: pronounce last names, but he's out traveling. I'm here in studio,
S1: and I'm answering your questions. He is in a great
S1: educational trip, and he's visiting Turkey and Greece and Rome
S1: and all those great places where the apostle Paul was.
S1: And it's not just about vacationing, it's about learning, learning
S1: the truth of God's Word. And Michael is working hard.
S1: So pray for him right now. I know he's on
S1: the other side of the world, but pray that he
S1: would be a great teacher, that people's light bulbs would
S1: come on in their minds. Just pray for him and
S1: for that whole team that's out there studying with him
S1: on a vacation slash educational trip for them. But a
S1: work trip for Doctor Rydell. And we're so grateful for him.
S1: What a great man. And we can't wait for him
S1: to be back. And he should be back with us
S1: next week. My name Mike Varvaris I am the pastor
S1: of Compass Bible Church here in South Orange County, a
S1: place called Aliso Viejo. If you know where that is,
S1: you get a gold star so you can give yourself
S1: a pat on the back if you know where Aliso
S1: Viejo is. And I am the Bible teacher on Focalpoint radio,
S1: which I hope you listen to here on Moody Radio.
S1: I've got some moody publications that I've written, and I
S1: wrote one, I'll just say for another publisher, harvest House.
S1: And it is about mistakes people make about heaven, hell
S1: in the afterlife. If you look that up, I know
S1: that's going to answer a lot of the questions about
S1: what we have been dealing with just before the break.
S1: And I'm going to go back to John here in
S1: just a second to talk about it. But if you
S1: have a question and you're patient, then you give us
S1: a call (877) 548-3675. I'll do my best to get through
S1: as many of these questions as I can. If you
S1: want to write in a question open line radio, or
S1: you can just look for that little button there. Ask
S1: Michael a question, fill out that form and we'll put
S1: it in the mailbag. Probably get around to it in
S1: future broadcasts, but we'd love to get it. We've got
S1: so much going on here. Let's get back to John's
S1: question in Florida. John, just before the break, you asked
S1: about heaven, and I'm going to say this. Let me
S1: quote Mark Twain. He was a gifted writer, but a
S1: terrible critic of Christianity. And one day he blasphemously said, hey,
S1: you Christians, you can go to heaven if you want.
S1: I'd rather stay right here in Bermuda. That was one
S1: of his favorites vacation getaway spots. And I'll tell you what,
S1: the reason Mark Twain would rather go to Bermuda than
S1: Heaven is because he thinks heaven is something other than
S1: what it is. He can go to Bermuda and see
S1: people riding bikes and playing golf and shopping and riding
S1: horseback on the beach and sitting there and soaking in
S1: the sun and on their catamarans and scuba diving and
S1: all the rest, eating right there by the water. It's beautiful.
S1: I've been there. It's a beautiful place. But I'll tell
S1: you what. He didn't want heaven because he thinks it's
S1: some cotton ball cloud and see through body. It's not.
S1: It is not. Second Peter three says it is a
S1: new earth in which righteousness dwells. Okay, there's some beauty
S1: in Bermuda for sure. But I'll tell you what. There's
S1: a lot of sin there. Just go to the crime
S1: blotter in Bermuda. You can find crooks. You can find
S1: you can find larceny. You can find a white collar
S1: crimes in their banking industry. It's not. It's not a
S1: perfect place. And there's cemeteries there because people die on Bermuda.
S1: Guess what? No tears, no suffering, no pain. You have
S1: no locks, no safes. Everyone is going to be righteous there.
S1: They're going to be set in their righteousness in a
S1: bodily existence. You're going to have fingernails. You're going to
S1: have eyelashes. You're going to have a nose. You're going
S1: to have lips. You're going to have teeth. You are
S1: going to have a bodily existence, a perfect body in
S1: a in a perfect place, in a physical environment. Right.
S1: We just need to understand that. Let me just give
S1: you a sense here from a real theologian, Jonathan Edwards
S1: said years ago, if we spend our lives in the
S1: pursuit of a temporal happiness, such as riches or sensual pleasures, right?
S1: A credit and esteem from men delight in our children
S1: and the prospect of seeing them well brought up and
S1: well settled, etc., etc. all these things will be of
S1: little significance to us. Death will blow up our hopes
S1: and put an end to all these enjoyments. There's nothing
S1: in this world, including Bermuda, that is not going to end.
S1: And it's going to end in suffering and pain and
S1: sickness and death. And here's the new reality for us.
S1: None of that's going to happen. None of it's going
S1: to be a reality there. None. No sin, no temptation,
S1: no no illness, no pain. Christ himself, who's the giver
S1: of all good things, is going to live with us
S1: and dwell among us. According to Isaiah chapter 65, we're
S1: not even going to remember the painful realities of our
S1: past earlier life. We're going to think about the joys
S1: and the happiness of what is to come. So there's
S1: some reminders for you. John, are you still on on
S1: the on the line with me?
S2: Yes, sir. I sure appreciate you. I just the whole
S2: idea of heaven, uh, being there with Jesus and the
S2: whole thing is just, uh, how how it's going to
S2: roll up like a scroll. There'll be a new heaven
S2: and a new earth. It's just so wonderful. It's mind blowing. Really?
S2: It really is. The whole thing is wonderful to think about.
S2: Of no more pain. And, uh, I've had the joy
S2: coming out of me before. Like it was almost like
S2: sunlight or love or something. I you can't describe it.
S2: And it's, uh, only Christians that you do. You see
S2: the word word of God coming alive in your life
S2: and and the whole experience of God, his presence and
S2: praying for that and feeling it. And, oh, it's just, uh.
S2: And being there is going to be it's going to
S2: feel like, almost like you're going to explode with, uh, glory.
S2: God's glory is going to be too much. It's going
S2: to feel so good. Undescribable. The whole thing just blows
S2: my mind. Really. Mike, I thank you for expounding on that.
S1: Well, John, it's a great call. And in God's providence,
S1: you came right after a man that was denying any
S1: reality of the afterlife. And to hear someone at peace
S1: about the joy that's coming. And sadly, our previous caller
S1: had that brother that got on the phone with me.
S1: About 15% of our nation today believes in no afterlife.
S1: And that's that's a pretty significant number, 15% and sadly, right.
S1: That's the biggest mistake of all. I've written a whole
S1: book on this called ten Mistakes People Make About Heaven, hell,
S1: and the afterlife. If you want to get Ahold of
S1: that book, just go anywhere that books are sold and
S1: just spend some time thinking about what is to come.
S1: And while I've got some rough chapters to read on
S1: the judgment for non-Christians. I've got some good chapters to
S1: read about the joys of heaven, and maybe you'll enjoy
S1: that book. John. Stay on the air. If you get
S1: your address to our screener, we will. I'll make sure
S1: we send you a free copy of that book. Thanks
S1: so much for the call, John. It was good to
S1: be with you on the program today. Let's go to
S1: Kevin on line number nine. Kevin, you're on the air
S1: with Mike Fabares. How can I help?
S3: Hey. Good morning. Good morning sir. I'm glad you're having
S3: an amazing day. And technology is working perfect for you. Yes.
S1: Well, we're going to hope it's going to go better now. Kevin. Yeah.
S1: Thank you.
S3: There you go. I have a brother in our men's
S3: group who doesn't believe the Old Testament is the same.
S3: The God of the Old Testament is the same God
S3: of the New Testament who is loving. Oh, no. Yeah,
S3: that's there's more wrath of the Old Testament and believes
S3: that the rules of the Old Testament were man made
S3: to control people. Like you can't eat pork because it's
S3: a sin, he says. That's because people didn't wash their hands.
S3: They were trying to protect them from themselves as she
S3: comes up with scenarios like that. And you go, what? Right. Yeah.
S1: Well, it's very popular for people to dismiss the Old
S1: Testament these days, sadly increasingly popular because the Old Testament
S1: clearly reminds us, perhaps with more verbiage than the New Testament,
S1: that there is a coming judgment. And some of that
S1: judgment is laid out in temporal ways, because we had
S1: nations oftentimes recording the fact that God was using one
S1: nation to be the judgment of God on another nation.
S1: And certainly there were ceremonial laws, and that's true. But
S1: those ceremonial laws were to lead us to the realities
S1: of Christ. It's a lot like Kevin, if you and
S1: I were invited to be groomsmen in our friend's a
S1: mutual friend's wedding, right. We do a lot of things
S1: we wouldn't normally do. We'd have to go get fitted
S1: for our rental tuxedo and put on shiny shoes. And maybe,
S1: I don't know, depending on the fashions, put on all
S1: these extra things like a bow tie or a cummerbund
S1: or whatever. And we'd say this is kind of a hassle. Well,
S1: it was a hassle to have dietary restrictions and not
S1: eating pork and all the rest. But these pictures were
S1: pictures of the ceremony regarding Christ coming. Christ came. And
S1: then guess what happens? We return the tuxedo. We put
S1: all that away. We put on comfortable shoes, and we
S1: continue on with the reality of Christ. And that's what
S1: this was all about. This was about getting us ready
S1: for Christ. Now the ceremonial ceremonial law was gone. But
S1: the moral law continues. And one of the reasons people
S1: don't like the moral law of the Old Testament is
S1: because it expounds very clearly on things like homosexuality is
S1: a sin. You know, all kinds of things that people
S1: like to say, well, maybe the New Testament doesn't have
S1: as many verses on it. So Old Testament I can
S1: dismiss it. And now I can kind of be up
S1: with the times, the cultural mores of today. But I
S1: would I would point your friend to First Corinthians chapter nine,
S1: if he has any respect for the New Testament. When
S1: Paul is telling that church that they should be paying
S1: their pastors, he asks the question. In verse eight. He says,
S1: do I say these things on human authority? Now this
S1: is a New Testament book talking about a New Testament church.
S1: Does not the.
S4: Law.
S1: Capital L the Old Testament Mosaic Law say the same thing,
S1: for as it is written in the law of Moses,
S1: you shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out
S1: the grain. Is it for oxen that God is concerned?
S1: Does he not certainly speak this for our sake as
S1: it is written? It is written for our sake, because
S1: the ploughman should plough in hope, and the thresher should
S1: thresh in hope. And it says that if they have
S1: sown spiritual things in you, is it too much that
S1: they reap material things from you? So this reality of
S1: the Old Testament has no bearing. Paul is quoting an
S1: Old Testament passage about not putting a muzzle on an ox,
S1: so that he can occasionally put his head down and
S1: eat some of the grain that he's treading out. He
S1: says that's a principle that we ought to study and
S1: read and extract a principle from it and apply it
S1: to things like a pastor shouldn't be working all week
S1: long trying to serve and counsel and teach a church
S1: and not get a paycheck. That is a binding, authoritative command.
S1: And it comes from the Old Testament. And it said
S1: so many times, as Jesus is confronted with moral issues,
S1: he says, have you not read in the law that
S1: God made them male and female. Think about that. Jesus
S1: is quoting the issues of our day. Gender fluidity is
S1: blown away by Jesus quoting an Old Testament text. So
S1: the Old Testament does have bearing Kevin. And I think
S1: passages like First Corinthians nine could not make that more clear.
S1: The whole book of Hebrews tells us the ceremonial law
S1: is gone, but the rest of the New Testament is
S1: going to remind us that so many of the things
S1: that are told to us, even if they seem so irrelevant,
S1: I don't have an ox. I'm not treading out grain
S1: in my field. I don't even have a field. Well,
S1: that's true, but there are principles in all the Old
S1: Testament texts that are binding. They're authoritative. That's the word
S1: he uses. This is divine authority that is binding on
S1: our lives. So, Kevin, I appreciate the call. It may
S1: be trendy for people to dismiss the Old Testament, but
S1: call back again. And Doctor Rydell, who spent so much
S1: of his time in the Old Testament, will be as
S1: clear and even more clear than I am, and adamant
S1: that the Old Testament is as relevant today as it's
S1: ever been. Thank you so much for the call. We've
S1: got a break here coming up, so let us do
S1: that right now. My name is Mike Fabros. I'm sitting
S1: in today for Doctor Michael Riedel. You're listening on Open
S1: Line with Doctor Michael Ray Dolnick Moody's radio Bible study
S1: across America. Love for you to call me at (877) 548-3675.
S1: The lines right now are pretty full, but you can
S1: get in if you want to. We'll hopefully get to
S1: your call. We'll see if we can. I'll be back
S1: sitting in for Michael Ray Dolnick Mike Flores right after this.
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S1: Well, welcome back to Open Line with Doctor Michael Reidel.
S1: Nick I'm doctor Mike Faber is sitting in for doctor
S1: Ray Melnick and the number is (877) 548-3675. We're taking your calls.
S1: Let's go to Barbara now on line one. Barbara, you're
S1: on the air with Mike Fabares. How can I help?
S6: Hi, Mike. Um, I have been following along with, um,
S6: Michael Wright in his travels, and I was I don't
S6: know why this is just now, after 66 years in
S6: the Bible. This is just now a question. But my
S6: basic question is what? I always thought that Christ was
S6: Jesus's last name, like Jesus Christ. But in acts 17
S6: three it says this Jesus whom I proclaim to you
S6: is the Christ.
S7: Yes.
S6: So there must be a difference.
S1: Yes, there is a difference. That's good. That's right. It's
S1: not Mr. Christ. Right? This isn't.
S7: About that.
S1: This is not his surname. And let me just clarify.
S1: Here's a couple of words. I know that you've heard Messiah.
S1: You've heard that word, right. Messiah. Messiah is the is
S1: the Hebrew version of the word Christos in Greek. We
S1: just transliterate that slide into English. In English and we
S1: say Christ. So when we say Jesus the Christ or
S1: Jesus Christ. What we're saying is that Jesus is the
S1: Messiah and Messiah and Christ. Both those words in Greek
S1: and in Hebrew come from the verb Meshach. In Hebrew,
S1: and I'm sure Doctor Redlich would say that more authentically
S1: than me. And in Greek, Krio, both of those mean
S1: to pour, to pour or smear liquid on. Or another
S1: way to translate it is the word anoint, which I
S1: try not to use that word because people don't quite
S1: think of what that literally means. But what it literally
S1: means is to pour oil on someone. Now, what's that about? Well,
S1: in Exodus 30. You would pour the oil on the priest.
S1: You would set him apart in a ceremony like. Today
S1: we have someone on the steps of the Capitol. They
S1: put their hand on a Bible, they raised their right
S1: hand and they stand in front of the Supreme Court justice.
S1: There's a ceremony in the ceremony of making a priest. Right.
S1: We poured oil, a special kind of oil that was
S1: smelled like a fragrant oil, had cinnamon in it, had
S1: some fragrant cane in it, Cassia, all these things. I
S1: don't even understand what they might have smelled like, but
S1: it smelled really good. And you couldn't use that for
S1: anything else. A perfumer had to make it, and it
S1: was poured over the head of the priest. It was
S1: also poured over the head of a new king in
S1: one Samuel nine. You remember that Saul came. I'm sorry.
S1: Samuel came and poured that flask of oil over David's head.
S1: Also used in first King nine, first Kings 19 to
S1: anoint the prophet Elijah anoints Elisha and says, this is
S1: the next prophet. So to be anointed, right to go
S1: from the verb creo to the word Christos or mashiach
S1: to to Messiah or Messiah in Hebrew is to say,
S1: you are the one that has been anointed, officially put
S1: into a position. Now you got three positions to choose
S1: from in the Old Testament. You got a position of
S1: a priest or a prophet or a king. And I'm
S1: saying Jesus comes and according to the New Testament, he
S1: fulfills all three. He's the ultimate Son of David, the
S1: ultimate king. He's the ultimate son of Levi, if you will,
S1: in the sense that he fulfills Levi's office, even though
S1: not genetically connected to the tribe of Levi. He's also
S1: the ultimate spokesperson for God. He is the Word of God,
S1: the ultimate Elijah, if you will. So all of these
S1: are true of Jesus, and therefore he gets the title Christos,
S1: the one who's been created, right. He is the Messiah, Messiah,
S1: the one who's been Messiah. And if you want to
S1: put it into horrific English. So the idea of this
S1: is that he fulfills all of the roles of prophet, priest,
S1: and king. And I'm sure you've heard that as well, Barbara.
S1: But that's what we mean when we say he is
S1: the Christ. He is the Messiah. He is the Anointed One.
S1: He's the one on whom the oil has rightly been poured.
S1: Not in a ceremony, right? But even at the baptism
S1: when the Holy Spirit came down, that was the ceremony
S1: from the father showing that he's been anointed. He's been
S1: given the spirit like oil poured on him to say,
S1: this is your prophet, priest and king. Hear him. He's
S1: the king. He's the spokesperson of heaven, and he represents
S1: you humans before me. He's the ultimate priest. Does that help, Barbara?
S8: Yes. Wonderful.
S6: And I followed everything because I've. I've been in all
S6: those books.
S7: Yes.
S6: That's wonderful. Thank you for that.
S1: Very good. Barbara, love the question. Let's go to Kathleen now.
S1: Line four. Holland, Michigan. You're on the air with Mike Fabares.
S1: How can I help?
S9: Good morning.
S7: Good morning.
S9: My question comes from Psalm 37. I have an adult
S9: daughter who was a very strong Christian as a teenager,
S9: and she was hurt by men in the church, and
S9: now she has completely stepped away. I think she's bitter.
S9: And Psalm 37 says, pray, and you will be given
S9: the desires of your heart. How can you help me
S9: with this?
S1: Well, number one, I would like to disconnect hurt from
S1: individuals in an institution to the importance of the institution.
S1: I may have been hurt by a professor in college once,
S1: but I didn't walk away from an education. See, so
S1: it's important that we know that many people get hurt
S1: in the church by an individual in the church, or
S1: maybe a group in the church, but that doesn't mean
S1: we walk away from the institution itself. So I would
S1: plead with someone to look past the sins. Go ahead.
S9: I have, I have.
S1: Okay, well then.
S7: All I can say.
S9: My focus.
S1: Okay, then here's what.
S7: I would say.
S9: Is Psalm 37. Go ahead.
S1: Okay. Yeah. Psalm 37. I'm assuming it's based on verse four.
S1: Delight yourself in the Lord. He'll give you the desires
S1: of your heart. Is that what you're speaking of?
S7: Yes. Okay. Yes.
S1: Well, here's what I would say.
S7: Keep praying.
S1: You should. But here's how you pray in Romans chapter nine,
S1: verse two, when Paul is praying for the ones that
S1: he loves, his fellow Jews that are rejecting Christ. He says,
S1: I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.
S1: I wish that I myself were accursed and cut off
S1: from Christ for the sake of my brothers. Here's the
S1: thing he is pleading with the Lord. He is praying
S1: for them in John. In Romans chapter ten, the very
S1: next chapter, he says, my heart's desire and prayer for
S1: them is that they be saved. So it's going to
S1: be a painful prayer, and you're going to pray it
S1: with with tears in your eyes. Kathleen. It's going to
S1: be hard, but you just keep on praying and you
S1: don't stop. You pray that God would work in every
S1: opportunity you have. You plead with your daughter and you say,
S1: I know you've been hurt. I get that, but we
S1: need to trust in the Lord and you call her
S1: to repentance. And you you in your own prayers. You
S1: realize that it's never a happy prayer to pray for
S1: a loved one who is lost. And Paul, he gives
S1: us the example of anguish and pain and tears. So
S1: don't expect it to be a happy road. A lot
S1: of Christian books, a lot of Christian preachers, unfortunately, make
S1: us think that if we're doing things right, it's going
S1: to be a happy existence. But you see in these passages,
S1: it's not it's going to be painful. This is probably
S1: the most painful thing that thoughtful Christians deal with a
S1: lost loved one. And I would say, keep going. I
S1: just talked to someone that lost a non-Christian relative. They
S1: were very endeared to and loved, and it was so
S1: godly of them to say, I trust the Lord. I
S1: know they're not saved. God is just I've got to
S1: turn my attention now to the living and praise God
S1: your daughter is still alive. Keep your attention there. Keep praying.
S1: I know a lady that prayed for over 50 years
S1: for her lost husband and finally he came to Christ
S1: after 50 years. She never gave up praying for him
S1: and I was had the privilege of baptizing him in
S1: his old age. And I would say, Kathleen, all I
S1: can tell you is it's going to be painful, but
S1: don't stop. Keep praying. Kathleen, I know that's hard and
S1: you speak for many. I'm sure listening on the program
S1: today that know what it is to struggle through the
S1: pain of a loved one that's not walking with the Lord.
S1: But please continue on. Hang in there. We need to
S1: continue to pray for those that we love. And I
S1: know it's never going to be an easy road ever, ever.
S1: All right. We're going to take a quick break. My
S1: name is Mike Fabares. I'm sitting in here. Oh, I
S1: am not taking a break. I am so sorry. Let's
S1: go to price on line five. You're on the air
S1: from Butler, Georgia, listening on WGN. You're on the air
S1: with Mike Fabares. How can I help? All right, let's
S1: go to Karen on line two, then. Karen, you're on
S1: the air from Ohio, listening on Wtxf love that you're
S1: on with Mike Fabares. Karen, if you're there, how can
S1: I help?
S10: Hi. So it's not just one, but many of my
S10: contemporaries and I'm older are really doubting the interpretation of
S10: the word, especially when it comes to the gay lifestyle. Uh,
S10: they they think it was influenced by culture And there's
S10: no there's no happy way in this. But how do
S10: I respond? What do I say? How do I love
S10: them in this?
S1: Right. Well, the.
S7: Church.
S1: For 2000 years has read all these same passages that
S1: your friends are reading, that my friends are reading, and
S1: no one was confused by them. They were very clear
S1: because there was no pressure from the outside. They could
S1: look at a passage of Scripture and they could quote it,
S1: and they say, it's clear. It's black and white. We
S1: understand it and we know what it means. And I
S1: think we need to say, I think you need to
S1: really check your motive. If the whole culture, right, was
S1: against it and you read these passages, would you really
S1: say it's influenced by culture? Right. Just because our last generation,
S1: and it's really only been now, at least in the West,
S1: where we've been all about it. Yeah, let's let's do it.
S1: Let's let's not care about who you love. Let's just
S1: celebrate whoever you want to love. Love whoever you want
S1: to love. Is, as the Democratic candidate just said on
S1: an interview, right? Just be proud to love whoever you
S1: want to love. Well, the Bible says you shouldn't. As
S1: a matter of fact, Romans chapter one says there are
S1: rules for this, and we have to maintain those rules
S1: because God is a good teacher. That's what I like
S1: to remind people of. And I like to sometimes just
S1: tell them, here's a verse, here's what it says, what's
S1: unclear about this, and they can't really say the Bible
S1: is unclear when they read it. Right. Even Jesus, he says,
S1: haven't you read right? God made them from the beginning
S1: of creation, male and female. Even that statement against all
S1: this gender discussion, this gender confusion that's going on when
S1: when the psychological world said this is gender dysphoria and
S1: it's and it's a, it's a defect. And then all
S1: of a sudden they voted and said, no, it's not
S1: a defect. As a matter of fact, it's fine. We
S1: should all celebrate it, right? It's not a vote of
S1: man that gets to change this view, right? God gets
S1: to say what is right and wrong because we're all
S1: going to stand before him. Not a psychological board who's
S1: publishing journals. We're going to stand before God. And God
S1: has made clear in his word. And so every man's
S1: conscience is going to have to testify when they read
S1: the Bible. Because I do think the Bible is not clear.
S1: You say interpretation, you can say interpretation. We're interpreting it
S1: to not matter anymore. But Jesus represents this clearly to
S1: us in biology about procreation, reproduction. All of this is
S1: what the Bible says. So we cannot in any way
S1: doubt the fact that if we read something 2 or
S1: 3 times in the text of Scripture, it is clear,
S1: it is clear. And, Karen, I know it breaks your heart.
S1: It breaks my heart. I got plenty of colleagues that
S1: have done the same thing. I got a letter this
S1: week from a friend of mine, and he said he's
S1: abandoning biblical orthodoxy. And I thought, how can that be right?
S1: He's read the same Bible I have for all these years.
S1: But you're right, Karen, they're influenced by the culture. And
S1: I think we need to say, how would I read
S1: this if the culture had no pressure on me at all? So, Karen,
S1: pray for them because there's a big price to pay, unfortunately,
S1: when we do not adhere to what the Lord Jesus
S1: Christ has said to us and what the Bible has taught,
S1: God is a good teacher. There's no confusion there in
S1: the pages of Scripture. Karen, keep praying. Keep standing on
S1: the Word of God. It is a firm foundation, there's
S1: no doubt about that. Well, we are going to have
S1: more of the program right after this. We got the
S1: mailbag segment coming up. This is Open Line with Doctor
S1: Michael Riddell on Moody Radio. I'm Mike Faber sitting in today.
S1: We'll be back with the mailbag right after this.
S5: Sometimes we want to read the Bible but don't know
S5: how to get the most out of it. My friend,
S5: Moody Professor Doctor Jim Coakley, has written 14 Fresh Ways
S5: to Enjoy the Bible, a book that helps us understand
S5: the full riches of Scripture by giving 14 practical principles
S5: to bring them to life. Request your copy today with
S5: a gift of any amount to open line, call 7122
S5: or visit open line radio.org.
S1: Well, welcome back to Open Line. I'm doctor Mike Faber
S1: is filling in for Doctor Michael Riedel. This is the
S1: mailbag segment where we take all the questions that you
S1: send in to us on Open Line. Org and open
S1: Line Radio. Org. And joining me with those questions Tierra,
S1: you're here and you've got a mailbag full of questions.
S1: How are you.
S11: I am doing well. And yes, I do have many questions.
S11: And we'll get started with Margaret from Michigan and she
S11: listens via podcast. My husband and I are each doing
S11: a revelation Bible study. Both studies emphasize that there are
S11: basically four end time views, but they do not focus
S11: on one particular view. Does it matter that these studies
S11: don't teach a particular view of the revelation?
S1: Well, you know, here is the problem with some of
S1: these community Bible studies. They know they're they're trying to serve,
S1: you know, different churches with different views on the end times.
S1: And so you go to a study and it feels
S1: many times unsatisfying because we think, well, what which view
S1: is right. And I don't think that sometimes studies of
S1: the end times with various people from various churches can
S1: be very satisfying, because we we don't want to start
S1: arguments in these groups because there are there's definitely at
S1: least four and probably more views of the end times
S1: when you look at all the options. And that's why
S1: sometimes studying the end times is best in your own church. Oh,
S1: just ask your pastor, can we have a class on
S1: the End times, or can we do a study on
S1: the end times? Or at least a small group where
S1: we're focused on the end times? And your church definitely
S1: is going to have a view? Your pastor should be
S1: convinced about one of the views, the views that he holds,
S1: and in that church should be good for you to
S1: study those. Now just remember, it does matter what view
S1: you have, because it's going to determine how you read
S1: the totality of Scripture. If you start to look at
S1: the end times, once you say, well, I think this
S1: is how it works. I think there's a millennium coming,
S1: for instance, that's going to fulfill the promises to national Israel.
S1: And I do think this time of Jacob's trouble is
S1: going to be a time for them and not for us.
S1: ET cetera. ET cetera. Then it's going to determine how
S1: you read these passages. And if you want to start
S1: a fight, right, you can go to a community Bible study,
S1: one that's designed for lots of different churches, and just
S1: start being emphatic about your view. And you'll get a
S1: lot of people that are going to argue. And we
S1: don't want to argue, right? That's not what we want
S1: to do. We want to get to what we believe,
S1: and we want to settle in on that. And we
S1: want to know that good Christians disagree. Doesn't mean you're
S1: not a Christian. If you don't agree with my end
S1: times view. It just means that we're probably going to
S1: have a hard time studying the Book of Daniel, or
S1: the Book of Isaiah, or the Book of Jeremiah, or
S1: even Matthew, Matthew 24. We're not going to be able
S1: to to sit down and be in agreement on those things,
S1: because all of our understanding of end times is going
S1: to have its impact. And all of the Scripture. So
S1: ask your church to start an end times Bible study,
S1: and then ask your pastor to lead it. That would
S1: be that'd be great, because then he can be clear
S1: about his view, and hopefully all of you can study
S1: that and analyze it for yourself.
S11: Great advice. Thank you for that response, Mike, and thank
S11: you for that question, Margaret. Thank you. And I also
S11: want to mention just that the Moody Bible Institute and
S11: Chosen People Ministries present a summit on opposing anti-Semitism. This
S11: conference is coming up Saturday, November 9th, 2024 at the
S11: Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. If you would like more
S11: information or if you'd like to register, please visit the
S11: Open Line Radio website at openline. radio.org and some of
S11: the topics addressed. What does it mean to be anti-Semitic?
S11: What are the origins of anti-Semitism? So please register now
S11: and check out the information at openline. radio.org. Thank you.
S1: Yeah, this is important to hear. I know that we've
S1: got to study this, so I certainly recommend everyone be
S1: there on November the 9th if you can. If you're
S1: in the area you can drive there. Please take time
S1: to do it. It's as relevant as the headlines that
S1: you read on the news every day.
S11: I agree, thank you for that. And we'll go back
S11: to the mailbag. We have Emily from Wisconsin who listens
S11: on wmbi her her pastor preached from Second Thessalonians chapter two,
S11: verses 1 to 3, and said that this passage changed
S11: his mind about the rapture. He has always believed in pre-tribulation,
S11: but after studying this, he's now convinced that the rapture
S11: will be post-tribulation. Please share your thoughts on this.
S7: I love.
S1: That. Here's the thing to remember, and I think Doctor
S1: Readerlink would agree fully with me on this as I
S1: sit in here on his show. Uh, we are pre-tribulation
S1: in the sense that we believe that God is going
S1: to take his church out of the way when God
S1: then deals with 144,000 and he starts this time of
S1: Jacob's trouble. The 70th week of Daniel found in Daniel nine.
S1: We believe it's Pre-tribulational. Now, when you read Second Thessalonians two,
S1: it talks about you didn't miss the coming of the
S1: Lord to gather us together because we haven't seen the
S1: man of lawlessness rise to the scene. This man of destruction, this,
S1: this Antichrist, as we call him elsewhere. And here's what
S1: I'm saying. Remember this number one, the Bible is written
S1: not just for us, but for everyone. The Bible is
S1: going to be a guide for the people that live
S1: through the tribulation period. So there's a lot of information
S1: about the tribulation just read from our perspective. Doctor Rydell
S1: and I that revelations, chapter six through 19 are going
S1: to give us a roadmap for the tribulation when you're
S1: in it, but we don't plan to be there. No
S1: mention of the church in that whole section of the Bible.
S1: But in this passage here, he's saying, some people think
S1: you missed it. Well, if you missed it, you would
S1: see these things happening and you don't see these things happening.
S1: So you didn't miss it. I can read Second Thessalonians
S1: and be even more assured of my pre-tribulational view because
S1: of the logic of the text. Yes, he talks about
S1: the man of rebellion. You would have seen this. In
S1: other words, if I said we're going to leave the
S1: game before halftime, the football game. And you said, oh,
S1: I think we missed halftime. And then I'd say, no,
S1: you didn't miss halftime because the marching band comes out,
S1: the the football players go in down the tunnel and
S1: they go back to the locker room and you got
S1: the flag girls out there. You know, we would have
S1: seen all that if we missed leaving before halftime. So yes,
S1: he's going to explain something about halftime here if you will,
S1: or the tribulation. But what he's trying to say is
S1: we didn't miss the rapture. We didn't miss getting gathered
S1: together with him. Verse one. Because you didn't see any
S1: of that. He's not saying you got to see that.
S1: And then we go, he's saying, you would have seen
S1: that had you missed it. And that's the false doctrine
S1: that was being taught to the Thessalonians that you missed
S1: the rapture. So, Emily, if you're listening, that that is,
S1: I think, something that doesn't shake me at all reading
S1: this text. Matter of fact, it reassures me in my
S1: pre-tribulational view of the rapture.
S11: Mike, thank you for that explanation and that analogy, just
S11: to help us better understand. Thank you. And we have
S11: another question from the book of Revelation. It's from Janet
S11: in Florida who listens via wcqs. Her question who are
S11: the 24 elders? And is this one of God's mysteries?
S1: Yeah, the 24 elders in the book of of revelation.
S1: This is a hard one, and I'll admit that. But
S1: even when I get this question, I've got to give
S1: a shout out to Wcqs. We had a lot of
S1: questions from that station. What a great station, uh, doing
S1: doing God's work there in Florida. So praise God for
S1: them 24 elders. All I can tell you is that
S1: the elders sit in a very important role here in heaven.
S1: There's only 24 and the 24 that seem to matter,
S1: as I read throughout all of the book of Revelation,
S1: are the 12 apostles whose names are going to be
S1: written on the foundation stones in the New Jerusalem, and
S1: the 12 leaders of the tribes of Israel that are
S1: going to be written on the gates. So we have
S1: 24 names forever inscribed around the walls of the New Jerusalem.
S1: And I think those 24 names probably represent the 24
S1: elders who are now in heaven in a very special,
S1: exalted place. Jesus said in Matthew 19 that the 12
S1: apostles would sit on the 12 thrones, judging the 12
S1: tribes of Israel very special, limited role, 12 apostles, 12
S1: leaders of Israel. I think those are the 24 elders.
S1: And that's an educated guess, because I can't point you
S1: to a Bible verse that says, here are the names
S1: of the 24 elders. So I understand Janet's frustration. I
S1: wish we had clarity on that. But the Bible is
S1: only so thick, so he's not telling us every little
S1: detail we may want to know, but I think that's
S1: probably a pretty good educated guess. And so, Janet, listening
S1: on keys, look me up a thousand years from now
S1: and let's see if I was right. And we'll find
S1: out whether the 24 elders are, in fact, the 12
S1: leaders of the tribes of Israel and the 12 apostles.
S1: And I'm kind of thinking I'm right on that, but
S1: that's just an educated guess. All right, Tierra, thanks for
S1: those questions. And I know we want to see them
S1: keep coming. There's so many great questions to be asked,
S1: and we'd love to give a crack at answering them.
S1: If you want more questions answered, tune in. Keep listening.
S1: I'm Doctor Mike Farber as you're listening to Open Line
S1: with Doctor Michael right here on Moody Radio. And we'll
S1: be right back.
S5: We're so glad that Febc partners with Open Line with
S5: Doctor Michael Rolnick, bringing the Febc mailbag every week. Learn
S5: how far East Broadcasting Company is taking Christ to the
S5: world at febc. Org on their weekly podcast. Until all
S5: have heard with Ed Cannon, you'll hear stories of lives
S5: changed by Messiah all across the globe. Again. You can
S5: hear the podcast when you visit febc. Org That's Febc. Org.
S1: Well welcome back to Open Line I'm doctor Mike Faber
S1: sitting in today for Doctor Michael Riedel. We're taking your calls.
S1: Let's go back to the phones. Line six Scott, you're
S1: on the air with Mike Fabares. How can I help?
S12: Hey, Mike, how are you doing?
S7: I'm doing great.
S12: Enjoy listening. Enjoy listening to you today.
S7: Thank you. So.
S12: Um, when we. Modern science has taught us that when
S12: we see the light of the moon, it is the
S12: sunlight reflecting off the moon. But yet in Genesis, it
S12: clearly states that God made two light sources, one for
S12: the day and one for the night. And I was
S12: just wondering what your thoughts were on that.
S7: Yeah, well, I'll.
S1: Bet the scientist, when he sits on a beach with
S1: his girl and the sun is setting, he he might
S1: say to her, wasn't that a beautiful sunset? But in reality,
S1: he he should say as a scientist. Wasn't that a
S1: great rotation of the Earth? You know, outside the optic
S1: line of sight of the ball of fusion? I mean,
S1: we understand that the Bible is trying to teach us
S1: about creation. And there's one thing we know if I'm
S1: out there in the nighttime, like we just had a
S1: full moon here and I had clear skies where I
S1: live in Orange County, California. And man, I could I
S1: could probably read some of the mail in my mailbox
S1: from the light of the of the moon. It's not
S1: a light source, but it is a source of light
S1: for me. And I understand that one of the things
S1: I love about Don Deyoung's book, he wrote a book
S1: on the moon. He talks about the reflectivity, even of
S1: the gray matter, the dust, the moon dust that we have.
S1: It's just a perfect reflector up in the sky. Matter
S1: of fact, if you haven't taken that book, Don DeYoung
S1: writes a book called Our Created Moon, and I think
S1: John Whitcomb is writing the intro, if not co-authoring that book.
S1: But look that book up wherever you find your books
S1: are created. moon. It's a beautiful reminder of the amazing
S1: features of the moon, including its reflectivity of light. Not
S1: to mention, there's a lot of moons out there in
S1: the planets of our solar system, but there's no moon
S1: like ours. I mean, here's a moon that is 400
S1: times smaller in diameter than the sun, but it just so,
S1: quote unquote, happens to be by chance. Wink, wink. 400
S1: times closer than the sun. So that they appear to
S1: be the same disk size. If you want to put
S1: it that way from the surface of our Earth, that's
S1: an amazing feature. It's not an accident. How long would
S1: it take you to throw two random sized spheres at
S1: two random distances, and come up with exactly the same
S1: proportions 400 times apart? It would take you forever to
S1: get that proportionality because it didn't happen by chance. God
S1: is a creator. So many things about our moon, I
S1: learned in that short little book. I think even created
S1: a DVD that is even better with the visuals that
S1: he brings in that DVD on looking at all the
S1: created features of the moon. So I understand that the
S1: Bible is speaking in the language of appearance, and that
S1: the light in the sky for us at night is
S1: the moon. I look up and it's light, even though
S1: I know it's reflective light. And I realize that in
S1: the modern era, without any doubt, that we have the
S1: reflection of this ball of fusion on the other side
S1: of the world. When I'm looking up at the moon,
S1: an amazing orbital feature, even the size of it, impossible
S1: to have it fall into our gravitational orbit without it
S1: being placed there. It's just scientists have a hard time
S1: even describing they got theories. But how in the world
S1: some rotating satellite around our earth made it to be
S1: right where it is to be perfectly aligned, not only
S1: to give us tides, but life itself in so many
S1: ways dependent on the moon, a great vacuum cleaner for
S1: asteroids and space dust and dirt and debris and rocks
S1: and and all the rest. But an amazing thing. So
S1: study that book if you haven't already. And I'm not
S1: troubled at all when I read about a greater light
S1: and a lesser light, because to me, that's exactly what
S1: they are. Language of appearance. Does that help at all? Scott?
S12: Yeah. I appreciate your time.
S7: Okay.
S1: But let's keep going. If there's some doubt or concern,
S1: do you expect the Bible to to be technical science
S1: manual or, you know, to be written for astrophysicists? It
S1: can't be right. This Bible is for all people and
S1: it is a source of light for us, even though
S1: it is not a light source. Right? It's not emanating
S1: from itself, but it certainly was put in there as
S1: a light, just like I have. I've got a friend
S1: in lighting, and so much of the light now that's
S1: made is a light reflecting off some kind of dome
S1: or canister that is giving reflected light. And we still say, oh,
S1: the light's coming from there, but it's really reflecting off
S1: of these great new designs for the street lights that
S1: we have. So, you know, I get it.
S7: You know, some.
S12: Technical person. Yeah. I hate to interrupt you. The light
S12: bulb just went off. Okay. It's really dead, and I
S12: thank you. Okay. I yeah.
S7: For.
S1: Terrific, I appreciate it. All right. Thanks, Scott, for the call.
S1: Let's go to Anne now in Cleveland, Ohio. Anne, you're
S1: on the air with Mike Fabares. How can I help?
S13: Okay, yes, this is in reference to questions that were, uh,
S13: asked on the temple. And I'm referencing Second Corinthians chapter
S13: 616 to 18, where we are called the temple of
S13: the Living God. Uh, as God said, I will live
S13: in them and walk among them. I will be their God,
S13: and they will be my people. Therefore come out from
S13: among unbelievers. Separate yourselves from among them. And is this
S13: my first question is, is this a case against cremation?
S13: And I wondered about our age in heaven, and also
S13: how that, uh, uh, lines up with abortion that's been
S13: going on. Okay.
S1: Yeah. And that's a lot of questions. Let me try
S1: and deal with them quickly. Uh, the temple discussion like
S1: in first Corinthians three and I think in Second Corinthians
S1: six is talking about us collectively. And yet, in other words,
S1: the church, the people of God, like it is in
S1: in Ephesians chapter two, but we also are individually. It
S1: says in first Corinthians six verse 19, our bodies, each
S1: individual body is housing the Holy Spirit. So we are
S1: the temple of the Holy Spirit. The temple is sacred,
S1: of course, and as a living person is alive, of
S1: course it's sacred. You can't go and just destroy someone's body. Well,
S1: when someone dies, people are in the in the habit
S1: of destroying bodies and fire and blenders and cremating their bones.
S1: I'm against that because I do think the body is
S1: still a sacred vessel. That God, even though it's empty
S1: and devoid of the Holy Spirit or that person's spirit,
S1: is going to be Recreated. And just like Jesus being
S1: put in a tomb, whatever is left of that by
S1: natural decomposition will be recreated by God. So I do
S1: think it has a bearing on our decision about what
S1: to do with our loved ones bodies when they die.
S1: And the pattern of Scripture is burial, and I think
S1: that's a good pattern. I've written a chapter in my
S1: book which someone was asking about earlier, ten Mistakes People
S1: Make About Heaven, hell in the afterlife. The 10th chapter
S1: stands on its own. It's a case for why, I think,
S1: by natural extension, of biblical principles, that we should not
S1: cremate our loved ones bodies. If you have no big deal,
S1: God can certainly recreate that body out of whatever is
S1: left in the, you know, the universe. But God is,
S1: I think, teaching us by the pattern of Scripture to
S1: lay aside bodies as respectfully as we can, awaiting the resurrection. Yes,
S1: there are so many things about abortion that we could say,
S1: but we should recognize that life begins at conception. Inception.
S1: And I do think every human life is sacred and
S1: God has made life. We do not have the authority
S1: to take it. And in that sense, just because a
S1: person made in the image of God is housed in
S1: that body, I think we should certainly be pro-life and
S1: be separating ourselves from this culture of death. So you
S1: had one more question, an tucked in that give me
S1: what it was.
S13: Well, it had it had to do with our age
S13: in heaven. That sounds kind of trivial.
S7: But no, no it's not.
S1: Here's the thing. You've got DNA in your body. I've
S1: got DNA in my body. The DNA is a is
S1: an instruction manual for how your body should be. Now,
S1: there's mistakes in your DNA in some way. In mine,
S1: two weaknesses in it. God's going to make our DNA
S1: our very unique DNA, I think, and make it absolutely
S1: robust with no mistakes in it. And we will be
S1: made according to that instruction manual. Well, it's not going
S1: to be as a child or an infant or a pre-adolescent.
S1: It's not going to be as an elderly person. It's
S1: going to be the exact fullness of health and vitality
S1: in that DNA code, which I think is going to
S1: mean that we're going to be at our all time
S1: best without any problems. And I think that's probably going
S1: to put us at some ideal age, whatever you might think,
S1: that is when we're at our peak. So I do
S1: think our age in heaven is going to be fully
S1: mature and beautiful, and I think so mature and beautiful
S1: that people that knew us as, as elderly people are
S1: going to have a hard time recognizing us. We may
S1: have to wear name tags or as young people that
S1: have died or infants even. Right. We're going to have
S1: to wear name tags for sure to introduce ourselves, because
S1: these bodies will be nothing like we've ever seen, because
S1: the DNA code, I think, will be reconstructed exactly as
S1: it should be without reference to sin. I deal with
S1: that also in that book, and I'll just recommend it.
S1: It's not a moody publication, but it's a solid Christian
S1: publisher by harvest House. It's called ten Mistakes People Make
S1: About Heaven hell in the afterlife. And if you want
S1: to stay on the line, give us your address, and
S1: I'm happy to send you out a complimentary copy of
S1: that book, and we'll get that to you. So, Anne,
S1: thanks for the call. We appreciate it so much. The
S1: show is all about answering your calls, and we're never
S1: going to have calls about the Christian life or the Bible.
S1: Like an excellent question unless you're studying it. So keep
S1: studying the Bible. That's really the exhortation that we should
S1: all have. Keep your nose in the book and make
S1: sure you're studying God's Word. It's the only roadmap. We
S1: have the instruction manual from our manufacturer, our king and
S1: our judge. So thanks for listening and thanks for calling
S1: for all those left online. Call us back next week.
S1: Doctor Michael Melnick will be back. We've had a great
S1: team here. Tierra has been producing the show. Ryan has
S1: been spinning the dials, making sure it works. We've had Tierra. No,
S1: we haven't had Tierra on the phone. We've had, um.
S1: Remind me who's been answering it. Jonathan Anthony. That's it.
S1: Anthony's been on the phones. Thank Anthony for all your work.
S1: For more information about Open Line, go to Open Line
S1: radio.org open line with Doctor Michael Riedel. Nick, a production
S1: of Moody Radio, a ministry of the Moody Bible Institute.
S1: Mike Faber is sitting in. Thank you so much for listening.
S1: We'll see you next time.