Hour 1: Answering Bible Questions

​As you read the Bible each week, write down your questions and ask them to Dr. Michael Rydelnik on Open Line. Whether your question is about the Bible, God, or the spiritual life, join our study each weekend.

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Episode Transcript

S1 (00:09):
We often think of persecution as a negative. But can
God use persecution? He sure can. Hello, friends. Stay with me.
We'll talk about that in just a moment. Welcome to
Open Line. Moody Radio's Bible study across America. A little,

(00:34):
little opening. Uh, technical difficulty there, but I think we're
okay now. My name is Michael Melnick. I'm happy to
be with you every week answering your questions about the Bible, God,
and the spiritual life. So grateful to be with you today.
Sitting around the radio kitchen table, uh, we're talking about

(00:54):
your questions. And if you have a question today, right
now would be a great time to call. The phone
number is [phone]. That's [phone]. To Hera and Lisa are

(01:14):
sitting together next to each other, I should say, in
the producer's chair. Omar Mendoza is our tech guy, as usual.
And Rihanna is answering the phones. Again, the phone number [phone]. Well, uh.

(01:36):
Have you ever been persecuted? Have you been maybe mocked
at work or harassed at school, or maybe even denied
a promotion just because of your faith in Jesus? There's
always more serious persecution. We know about that. But, uh,

(01:57):
how does God use it? How does he use the
everyday persecution that we find or the more serious? Well,
I think the answer to that is found in acts 12.
That's where King Herod was. That's Herod. Agrippa had initiated
a persecution against the early believers, and he took James,

(02:19):
one of the apostles, or Jacob as his real name was,
and took him. And he was, uh, killed James, John's brother,
with the sword. Acts 12 two says, and then he
proceeded to arrest Peter two and then God delivered Peter.
But there was a good deal of persecution. And it

(02:39):
says that Herod, uh, saw that people appreciated his persecution.
And so he wanted to do more and more. But
what I think is so interesting is we can see
what God does with persecution when we come to Herod's
death in acts 12 verse 20, it says that he

(03:00):
had been very angry that Herod Agrippa with the Tyrians
and the Sidonians together they presented themselves before him. They
won over Blastus, who was in charge of the king's bedroom,
and through him they asked for peace, because their country
was supplied with food from the king's country. So on

(03:22):
an appointed day, dressed in royal robes and seated on
the throne, Herod delivered a public address to them. They
assembled the people. The assembled people began to shout, it's
the voice of a god and not a man. At
once an angel of the Lord struck him, because he
did not give the glory to God. And he became

(03:45):
infected with worms and died. Then God's message message flourished
and multiplied. After they had completed their relief mission, Barnabas
and Saul returned to Jerusalem, taking along John, who is

(04:05):
called Mark. Well, what does God do when there's persecution?
The very first thing we see that God uses persecution
to preserve his own glory. Here comes Herod, who had

(04:26):
an exaggerated view of himself. He goes into the theater
at Caesarea. He gives this speech, people start glorifying Him
as God, and he receives it. This is the persecutor,
and God strikes him down. Now what's interesting is the
very same story is found in a non-biblical area, a

(04:47):
non-biblical source in Josephus. Well, he it says that that
when God struck him, he became infected with worms and died.
God will not share his glory with anyone else. And
as a result of that, I would say that one

(05:10):
of the very crucial things for us to remember is never,
ever to allow ourselves to become objects of glory or conceit,
because God wants always to preserve his glory for himself. Uh,
one of the things I learned this is kind of funny.
Early on, if I would ever preach a message when

(05:31):
I was a pastor, and if I thought it was
especially good, I might become a little full of myself. And, uh,
one time I mentioned it to Eva. I said that
sermon was really good today. And Eva just looked at
me and said, watch out, here come the worms. Uh,
based on this passage. And so, yeah, I've got to

(05:52):
always be alert myself to be on guard for the
worms coming. But so first, when we're persecuted. God will
preserve his own glory. Secondly, God will still advance the gospel.
Verse 24, uh says that the message, God's message. This

(06:14):
is after the persecutions by Herod Agrippa. God's message flourished
and multiplied. The more he persecuted, the more the message
of the gospel went forward, as long as they were unafraid.
And that's what happened. That's what we see happening in
the world. Uh, when China closed down, when the Communist
Party took over. Well, of course, people expected when it

(06:38):
opened up again, uh, that there would be no believers.
But there were many, many more believers in the Iranian
Republic today, the Muslim, the Islamic Republic of Iran. That's
where the church is growing the fastest In a place
where it is most persecuted, God still will advance the
gospel despite persecution. And thirdly, God will care for his people.

(07:05):
The people that were being persecuted in this era were
the people, the believers in Jerusalem. So what? God? What
did God do? Uh, they sent God, raised up Barnabas
and Saul to bring a relief mission to Jerusalem. Now,
there would have never been a relief mission if there

(07:27):
had been no persecution. The relief mission came as a
result of that. God raised up other believers to care
for those who were being persecuted. And I think that's
a great reminder for us. We need to pray for
the persecuted church. We need to pray for believers who
might even be persecuted here in our own situation, and

(07:48):
also see how we can care for them as well. Uh,
God will care for his people through other believers. Here's
the point we need never fear persecution because God has
a great plan that he wants to accomplish through it. Well, uh, Tahira,

(08:14):
I seem to have lost all the the the calls, but, uh,
I'll let you know. I wonder if they got all separated.
The the very first call. Uh, will come up in
a minute, but, uh, I do want to tell you
about our current resource. If you'd like to call, the
phone number is [phone]. Uh, the phone number again [phone].

(08:47):
I want to tell you about our current resource. Uh,
it's teaching to change lives. It was written by one
of my favorite professors in seminary, master teacher Professor Howard Hendricks. And, uh,
this is a book that really helps us because we're
all teachers. I think sometimes we forget that, uh, even
if we don't have an official role teaching, we are

(09:09):
teaching someone and maybe our kids. It may be a neighbor.
It may be a friend. Uh, or we could be
actual teachers of a class, a Sunday school class, or
a home Bible study or a small group. Whatever it is,
this book, Teaching to Change Lives will change our lives
and help us to change lives of others. Uh, you'll

(09:31):
discover how to teach heart to heart from this book
instead of head to head. And it's yours with a
gift of any size to open line. Uh, when you
give a gift of any size, I'd like to send
you a copy of Teaching to Change Lives by Howard Hendricks.
Just to say thank you. Give us a call. The
phone number if you'd like to give a gift is
[phone] or go to Open Line Radio. And remember when

(09:58):
you give ask for Teaching to Change Lives by Howard Hendricks.
We're going to take a break here. And when we
come back, we'll have more of your calls. The phone
number [phone]. Give us a call with your question about
the Bible, God or the spiritual life. This program is
called Open Line. I'm Michael Ray. We'll be right back

(10:20):
with more coming up straight ahead right here on Moody Radio.
Welcome back to Open Line with Michael Ray. I'm Michael Ray.

(10:43):
I'm so glad to be with you. And, uh, today's
the day we're going to study the scriptures together. If
you'd like to call with a question, we want to
discuss your passage, your question, your concern about your walk
with the Lord, whatever it is, we want to talk
about it. Uh, the phone number is [phone]. We're going

(11:08):
to talk to Glenda right now. Uh, calling from Florida
on 91.1 FM. Welcome to open Line. Glenda. How can
I help you today?

S2 (11:16):
Good morning. Yes, I have a little bit of how
can I say it in English? Because my is my English,
but a concern or doubt in when in in the
book of acts 217, it states that when the last
day comes, I will give my spirit to everyone. Your

(11:36):
sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions,
and your old men will have dreams. In those days
I will give my spirit to my servants. And the
question is because I have you can listen to this media.
A lot of women's active actually preaching with the word

(11:56):
in line YouTube just giving knowledge to other women. And
a lot of people say, look, women are not supposed
to be preaching. And I, they, they correctly saying that
through Jesus is the way, the truth, the life. And
I just have my doubts because I can I can

(12:17):
sometimes hear some messages where are very positive. And I
want to see because sometimes if you're listening to.

S1 (12:24):
Okay, okay. So Glen, Glenda, let me see if I
understand your question. Okay. You're asking how is it that
it talks about your, uh, women prophesying in Joel 228
through 32 and then in acts two, and then there
are women today who are preaching. And you want to know, uh,

(12:44):
why would people say women should not preach? Is that
what you're asking?

S3 (12:48):
All right. All right.

S2 (12:49):
Thank you.

S1 (12:50):
Okay. Uh, well, first of all, there's a disagreement about
whether or not women should preach. Uh, but I happen
to believe that, uh, there are many venues in which
women can expound the word. For example, women should teach children. Clearly,
we know that from, uh, Book of First Timothy and

(13:13):
second Timothy, where it talks about Timothy learning the scriptures
from his mother and his grandmother, Lois. So we we
should teach children. It says in the Book of Titus,
chapter two that older women should teach younger women to
love their husbands. So obviously that's a case where women
should teach women. Uh, there's obviously lots of places where

(13:34):
women should expound the word. And so we have to
be really careful not to say that the Bible says that,
that women should never teach. It just depends on the context. Uh,
Also the the idea that you're confusing here to me
is prophecy and teaching. Uh, the Bible indicates that prophecy

(13:56):
is when a person is a spokesperson for God. When
that spiritual gift existed, people spoke and it wasn't their words.
They were just a spokesperson for God. And it says
in first Corinthians 11 that, uh, women could pray or
prophesy with her head covered. Uh, and so the woman

(14:20):
needed to be veiled, but she could still get up
in the congregation, pray or prophesy, uh, in, in the
context of a local congregation. So I just I would
say that the limitations on teaching, which would just be
the public proclamation of the word as the congregation gathers,
I think that's what first Timothy two is saying, where

(14:43):
women ought not to, uh, teach uh or or lead
exercise authority over a man. I really believe that that's
dealing with the authoritative role of elder and the proclamation
of the word in the congregation. When the congregation gathers,
it's not talking about other venues, and it's certainly not

(15:06):
talking about prophesy prophesying, which, you know, I don't think
that's something that's going to happen today where a person
speaks direct words from the holy, from the spirit. But, uh,
first Corinthians 11 says, a woman could indeed prophesy, uh,
with her head covered. Okay, Glenda, does that help?

S3 (15:25):
Yeah, that helps a lot.

S2 (15:26):
Thank you so much.

S1 (15:28):
Okay. Thanks for your call. I really appreciate it. Um,
and we're going to talk with Julie in Richmond, Minnesota
on 91.5 FM. The word thanks for calling, Julie. How
can I help you today?

S4 (15:40):
Well, I've been reading my Bible, uh, chronologically, and have
found that right now I'm in Sam. I went through
Samuel and Kings, and it jumps back and forth between Samuel,
first and second kings and first and second Chronicles, and
it chronicles repeats everything the other two books are saying

(16:01):
almost verbatim in some cases. And I was just wondering
why that was.

S1 (16:05):
Well, it's not really verbatim. There's there's lots of things
that are different. I mean, the stories are basically the same,
but in some cases, uh, the, the stories are there's
a lot more information given in one versus the other.
So I think that, uh, sometimes it'd be really helpful

(16:25):
if you're reading it, to put them parallel to each
other and read the section on a particular king, for example, uh,
in in Second Kings, and then compare it to what
it says in Chronicles, and you'll see that they're not exactly, uh,
the same, Uh, and uh uh, so that's one thing

(16:48):
I think they're told from different perspectives. I kind of
feel that the simplest way to understand the different perspectives
that are written is, I think that first Second Kings,
for example, has a prophetic perspective. It's, uh, how the
prophets would consider the prophets were covenant enforcers. And what

(17:09):
it shows is how, uh, the nation of Israel did
not keep the mosaic covenant, and they ended up in captivity. Uh,
the the book of First Second Chronicles has much more
of a priestly perspective. Uh, it's sort of to explain how,
once again, Israel failed in obedience to the word, and

(17:30):
they ended up in captivity. But, uh, the from the
priestly perspective of why the temple was destroyed and why
these bad things happened from that perspective. So you get
a prophetic perspective in first second Kings, a priestly perspective
in first Second Chronicles, and together they give us the

(17:50):
full perspective of what we need to know about what happened.
Does does that help at all? Julie?

S3 (17:56):
Yeah.

S4 (17:56):
Yep. That makes sense. Thank you.

S1 (17:58):
Okay. Okay. Hey, thanks so much for your call. I
really appreciate that now. Uh, Tara tells me a caller
didn't want to go on the air. And this is
the very specific question. She wanted to know if Roman
Catholics will be taken during the rapture. Now, uh, I
don't believe that God's going to ask what tradition you

(18:22):
belong to. Uh, he knows whether or not we are believers,
and it's. I don't think that there's any reason that
someone who identifies as a Roman Catholic, uh, can't be
a believer. I think that there are many times now,
I think that the official doctrines of the church and

(18:45):
the sacraments, as it's, it's uh, basically the, the, the Bible,
I believe, teaches that we are saved by grace through faith. But, uh,
the I think that the official magisterium of the church would,
would say that we're saved by grace through sacraments, that

(19:10):
the means and faith, that the means of receiving grace
is through the sacraments. Now, uh, that said, I think
there are many, many people who are in the Catholic
tradition who are only trusting in Jesus and not anything
else for their salvation. And if they are, then when

(19:31):
the rapture happens, they will be taken just like any other.
Even people who don't believe in a rapture if they're
genuine believers when the rapture happens, it will take them
as well. I hope that helps. The caller. Um, we're
going to talk to, uh, I think it's Pierre in

(19:51):
Ohio listening on WFAA. Uh, welcome to Open Line. How
can I help you today?

S5 (19:58):
I would like to know if the White Throne judgment
is for believers, non-believers or everyone.

S1 (20:07):
Well, when you, uh, when you read that, uh, in
the book of revelation about the great White Throne judgment, uh,
I'm turning to it right now. Here's what it says.
I saw a great white throne and one seated on it.
Earth and heaven fled from his presence, and no place

(20:29):
was found for them. I saw the dead, the great
and the small standing before the throne. And the books
were opened. Now, I think that these the reason why
I think that these are non-believers because up until this point,
pretty much every believer would have been resurrected already. But here,
the rest of the dead are brought up. Another book
was opened, which is the Book of life, and the

(20:50):
dead were judged according to their works by what was
written in the book books. And the sea gave up
its dead, and death and Hades gave up their dead,
and all were judged according to their works. Death and
Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. And so
why is it that I would say that believers are

(21:12):
not going to be judged at the Great White Throne?
Judgment is, first of all, we will be. We will
all have to give an accounting of our lives at
the judgment seat of Christ. The the Bema Seat. And
that's found in second Corinthians five. First Corinthians three. We

(21:32):
have to give an accounting there. Uh, and then the, uh,
The but. So we will have to give an accounting.
But our works will be judged, not not our salvation.
And that's because there's no condemnation for those who are
in the Messiah, Jesus according to Romans eight one and
since there's no condemnation, there's no point in us being

(21:53):
there will have already been resurrected. Uh, but the the
lost will will death in Hades give them up, and
they stand before God in that way. Okay. Does that
help at all? Pierre?

S5 (22:10):
Yes. Thank you.

S1 (22:12):
Okay, good. Well, let me just say this. We're all
going to have to stand before God someday. And I
was once on a TV show. I was just laughing
about this. About 40 years ago, I was on a
TV show, and, uh, a person wanted to make me
talk about how all these people, uh, that, that didn't

(22:32):
believe were, were, were going to hell. And I said, listen,
I'm not the judge. Uh, I will not be the
one to decide who goes to heaven or who goes
to hell. Only the God of the universe, the judge
of all the earth, will decide that. But here's what
I know. I never want to stand before him based
on my own merit. Because I certainly don't have enough. Uh.

(22:56):
And I'm separated from him. And that's why I'm so
grateful that one day, uh, I will stand before him
based on the merit of the Lord Jesus, his righteousness,
his mine. Uh, because I've trusted in him and anyone
else that thinks that they can stand before God based
on their own merit. That's their decision. But I know
I could never do that. And I think that if

(23:18):
you're standing there and you think I've never trusted in Jesus,
I don't think you want to stand before God based
on your own merit. The Bible is really clear. We
we don't have to stand before God and prove how
righteous we are. What we have to do is trust
that Jesus died taking the punishment for our sins, and
that he was raised again, and it brought him life.

(23:39):
And it brings us life, uh, because he's able to
justify us now. And that means he declares us righteous,
not based on what we've done, but based on what
he's done. And we have his righteousness now. And that's
how we can stand before God. That's that's, I think,
what's so crucial. And so, uh, don't don't risk, don't

(24:02):
risk standing before God based on our, our own merit. Uh,
we can't do it. Uh, put your trust in Jesus.
I want to encourage you. If you're driving your car, vacuuming, uh,
your your living room. I don't know what you're doing
today listening to this program, but if you've never put
your trust in Jesus, all you have to do is
tell him, uh, I believe Jesus. Tell God I believe

(24:26):
Jesus died for my sins, took my punishment, was raised again,
and I'm trusting in him for a forever relationship with you.. Uh.
I hope that's something that that you're willing to do, uh,
and that you're ready to do right now. That's what
I want to encourage you to do. Well, uh, here's
the thing. Uh, it's a good time to call [phone]. Uh,

(24:51):
even though the, uh, the mailbag is coming up, uh,
the the point is that mailbag is coming up. Now's
a great time to call. We can get you prepped
to be on the air, and we'll get you on
the air. We'll talk about your questions about the Bible, God,
and the spiritual life. This program is called Open Line.
I'm Michael Wright. Stay with us. We'll be right back

(25:12):
with more discussion about the scriptures right here on Moody Radio.
Welcome back to Open Line. We're so grateful that Far

(25:32):
Eastern Broadcasting Company partners with Open Line to bring you
the weekly Febc mailbag segment. It's a terrific organization. They
bring the good news to people via media and through
personal engagement. Check out their podcast Until All have Heard
by going to Febc. That's Febc. And joining me right

(25:56):
now for the Febc mailbag time is Tricia McMillan. Uh,
the producer, are you senior producer? Yeah. Head honcho. That's it. Yeah. Producer.
Big boss, that's it. Hey, you know, someone just recently

(26:16):
asked me. They they said. They said they signed up.
Are you ready for this? For the breakfast table partners.

S6 (26:24):
Oh, I like that.

S1 (26:25):
Yeah, but we're not a breakfast table. It's kitchen table partners.
And they said, well, why do you call it kitchen table.
And I thought, well we talk about sitting around the
radio kitchen table. We talk about kitchen table partners. Uh, so, uh,
I was wondering, do you remember why we kind of
started that with the program?

S6 (26:41):
Yes. The origin of that phrase comes from way back
in the day when Michael and Eva, his wife, would
host Bible studies at their kitchen table, uh, in ministry
with people who wanted to come over and study the
Bible with them. So in their house, they would study
it around the kitchen table.

S1 (26:59):
Right, exactly. And it's because, uh, the congregation I was planting,
we rented a place when we met, but we didn't
have offices during the week, and we had no place
to meet with people. So we just met with them
in our home and sat around the kitchen table. And, uh,
I remember meeting with some seekers, and they would only
come and study the Bible with us around the kitchen

(27:20):
table if they could smoke. And so I didn't care.
He wanted to study the Bible here. Let's open the
window a little bit and stuck an ashtray in front
of them. Let them smoke. I think that was the
more fun thing. It's like I'm giving you coffee. I'm
giving you a cake. I'm giving you whatever you want.
You want to smoke, go ahead and smoke. But actually, uh,

(27:41):
one couple came to the Lord that way. Wow. Amazing.

S6 (27:44):
Wow.

S1 (27:45):
That was kind of fun. But anyway, that's what it was. People.
We would, uh, study the Bible with people and and
disciple them and do all this stuff, uh, around the
kitchen table of our house. Yeah. And so, uh, I
felt like it was the same thing when we're on
the radio, just answering questions and studying the Bible together. Yeah.
And then, of course, I so appreciate, uh, when when

(28:07):
people began to partner with the program, they were kitchen
table partners because they wanted to give monthly so we
could be on the air every week. And so, uh,
I was just wondering if anyone else out there if
you've given occasionally or never even given, but you would
like to become a kitchen table partner because you appreciate, uh,
the ministry here that we're trying to help people as

(28:30):
they grow in their understanding and their obedience to the word.
So if you'd like to become a kitchen table partner,
it's not hard. All you have to do is go
to our website, Open Line radio.org, or you can call 886447122.
You can become a kitchen table partner. Uh, one of
the things that we'll do if you do that is

(28:51):
we'll send you a Bible study moment. It's a audio
Bible study, an audio Bible study that we send out
every other week. We're going through the book of Ephesians
right now, having a good time doing that, and takes
about eight minutes to listen. I hope it encourages you,
but that's something that we try to do for people
who become kitchen table partners. Well, uh, I think we

(29:15):
better answer some of the questions that Kitchen Table partners
and others have sent in. Yes. Uh, in the Febc mailbag. Okay.

S6 (29:22):
Our first question is from Richard in Ohio, listens to
WCR in Genesis. Jacob wrestles with God In a Bible study,
a man said, My Bible says Angel. So it was
an angel. And I thought angels didn't give blessings. They
proclaimed blessings. I cannot find anywhere in Scripture where an
angel gives a blessing. Is this correct? So this this

(29:44):
specific passage we're going to is Genesis 32, and it's
verses 22 to 32 is where the the passage itself
is talking about. So it's kind of two he doesn't
actually ask about this specific incident, but we're going to
address this incident first.

S1 (30:00):
It's interesting. It doesn't say that this was an angel.
It says and I, I think this is important that
you read it. It says when the man saw that
he could not defeat him, he struck Jacob's hip. So
it says he was left alone. He wrestled with a man.
The man struck his hip. It keeps calling him man.
I mean, I don't I don't know how many times

(30:21):
it says it, but he calls him a man. And
he then says, the man then says to Jacob, your
name will now be called Israel, because you have struggled
with God and with men. Jacob says, please tell me
your name. He says, why do you ask my name?
And Jacob then named the place Peniel, for I have
seen God face to face, and I have been delivered.

(30:44):
So first of all, the text says he was a man. Secondly,
the man says, Jacob seems to think that he has
seen God. I would say that this is although he's
not called an angel. This is an appearance of the
angel of the Lord, which is the pre-incarnate manifestation or
appearance of the Messiah, Jesus. And so you can see,

(31:07):
like in Exodus, when Moses goes to the burning bush bush, there's, uh,
the burning bush, there's the the Lord speaks to him,
and the angel of the Lord speaks to him from
the midst of it. That's not just an ordinary angel.
That is the angel of the Lord, a pre-incarnate manifestation,
a a theophany or since we can't see God, obviously

(31:30):
it's a christophany. But before the incarnation. So.

S6 (31:36):
So now we said it's not an angel. But then
you called it the Angel of the Lord. So is
the pre-incarnate Jesus an angel or just not?

S1 (31:44):
He's not an angel. He's. He manifests himself. The word
angel just means messenger. And sometimes in his preincarnate appearances,
his manifestations, he is a messenger of Yahweh of the Lord. Okay,
that's what he is.

S6 (31:58):
Okay, so not an angel in the way that Gabriel
or Michael the Archangel would be? It's a little bit
different than that. Okay.

S1 (32:06):
And he looked just like a man with with Jacob.

S6 (32:10):
Yeah. And even and even in, um, verse, uh, Genesis
3228 when, um, the man says you have wrestled or
struggled with God. So the man says that implying he
is God, Right? Yeah. In that. Yeah. Okay. Yep. And
names him.

S1 (32:29):
Israel. And Jacob has struggled with everyone. And. Yes. And he.
This is him really coming to the place where he
really submits his life to the Lord, which is kind
of interesting. Yeah.

S6 (32:41):
So. And a little Hebrew lesson. Um, yeah. Uh, Israel,
the l at the end means God, right? And he
named it Peniel, which ends in Peniel as well, which
means God. And so when you see that l like Michael, right,
is the l. And Michael means.

S1 (33:00):
That's God to L. Okay. And but Peniel means the
face of God.

S6 (33:05):
Okay.

S1 (33:06):
That's why he named. He's seen the face of God.
He saw a christophany. Uh, and then, uh, the other
thing where it says that he it sounds like, uh,
some people think Israel the name there means prince with
God might be. But I think it's more likely that it's.
He struggled with God.

S6 (33:24):
Okay. All right. So cool. Well, thank you for that.
And a little bonus Hebrew lesson. So thank you. So,
like Elohim el, that el is significant that we don't
always pay attention to in English. So. All right, you
want to do one more?

S1 (33:39):
Yeah. Let's do one.

S6 (33:40):
Okay. Lori in Florida listens to Wkez as a Bible teacher.
What should we focus our learners on when reading about
all the mayhem in the Old Testament? So you've got
Kings Chronicles, the prophets. There's a lot of of there's
a lot of a lot of chaos and crazy happening. Um,
they always get her students always get caught up in

(34:01):
God's wrath. So are there any suggestions of any suggestions
are appreciated?

S1 (34:07):
Yeah. Well, I think that the idea in when you
read that, it says in first Corinthians ten that all
those about all those stories, uh, that these things were
written for our instruction. Destruction. I think that's a really
important lesson. When I read about all the chaos that's

(34:29):
going on in the Old Testament. Just look around and I,
I look in my society that I live in, and
it sounds just like the Old Testament, doesn't it, to you.
I mean, uh, and so when it says in first
Corinthians ten that these things were written for our instruction.

(34:50):
And it describes an Old Testament situation where the people
got involved in immorality with the Midianite and Moabite women
and some, uh, got involved with, uh, being bitten by snakes.
Do you remember that one? And he says in verse 11,

(35:12):
now these things happened to them as examples. And they
were written as a warning to us, on whom the
ends of the ages have come. So this point is
that we need to be reading these narratives. Yes, there's
the grace of God. I think people always think that
the Old Testament is filled with wrath. But there's the
grace of God. After Israel committed the the sins that

(35:35):
they did with the golden calf. God could have destroyed them,
but he didn't. He showed mercy. Uh, God? God shows
his mercy over and over in the Old Testament. But
also there is wrath. And you know what? That's the
same situation as it is today. These are written for
our example to avoid the sins that they got into.

(35:55):
So I don't think it's that unusual. So okay, as
we read it I think it becomes more normative.

S6 (36:02):
So yeah. Yeah. So look for those places where you
see God's mercy or his grace throughout the entire throughout
those stories, because they are there, those fingerprints throughout that
whole thing. Thanks, Lori, for that question.

S1 (36:13):
Yeah. Well, uh, thanks for bringing those questions in. We'll
have another segment with questions coming up next hour. So, uh,
get ready. Tricia. That was Tricia McMillan. I'm Michael Riedel.
We're going to be right back with more of your
questions right here on Open Line. Stay with us. Don't
go away. And we're back. So glad to be with

(36:47):
you this morning. Talking about the scriptures together. Many of
you call or write with questions about their Jewish friends,
and particularly how you can share your faith with them.
One of the best ways to do that is to
help your Jewish friends understand the phenomenal prophecy of the Messiah,
found in the 53rd chapter of Isaiah. Now Chosen People

(37:11):
Ministries wants to help you. They are offering Open Line
listeners a free book called Isaiah 53 explained as you
read this book, you'll get a much better grasp of
this really crucial passage in the Jewish Bible, and you'll
be able to share its remarkable truths with your Jewish friends.
Or it's the kind of book you can just pass

(37:34):
on to your Jewish friend to read for her or himself.
So to get a free copy of Isaiah 53 explained,
just go to the Open Line Radio website. That's Open
Line radio.org. Scroll down. You'll see the link that says
A free gift from Chosen People Ministries. Click on that
and you'll be taken to a page where you can
sign up for your own free copy of Isaiah 53 explained.

(37:58):
And we're going to talk to Linda in Georgia, listening on.
Welcome to Open Line. Linda, how can I help you?

S7 (38:05):
Oh, thank you doctor. I have wondered about this for
a long time. Thought you might be a good person
to ask. Um, why did Israel never inhabit or conquer
all the land that God had promised them from the
Nile to the Euphrates.

S1 (38:23):
Why. Mhm.

S7 (38:25):
Mhm.

S1 (38:26):
It's you know, they never were perfectly obedient. I think
that's probably the reason. Uh, however uh it's one of
the reasons I actually believe in a literal earthly kingdom
because God will keep his promise. That's the land that
he's given. And I believe that from the river, not
the the river of Egypt, that's what it's called. Uh,

(38:50):
I think that's the Wadi El-arish, uh, not the Nile,
but the river of Egypt up until the Euphrates, up
in the north, up by Iraq. That will be part
of the boundaries of the land of promise in the
messianic kingdom. That's why I believe in a millennium, one
of the reasons. And, uh.

S7 (39:09):
So just during the Millennial Kingdom. So you think that
their reason for not inhabiting it was because of their rebellion?

S1 (39:16):
It was just a lack of obedience. You know, a
lot of times that sounds a little harsh when we say, oh,
the Jewish people are rebellious. I'm going to tell you,
Jewish people are just like everybody else. Uh, I don't
think if if the if the Brits or the French, uh, or,
you know, I don't care what what people group had
been the people of promise. I'm not sure they I'm

(39:39):
convinced no one would have obeyed better than Israel did
or done worse. They were just about the same as
everybody else. And. But that's why. Because the whole point
is that God's going to keep his promises. And that's
why the kingdom will come. Don't you agree, Linda?

S7 (39:56):
Absolutely, absolutely. Yeah. Just I was always curious, you know,
when I read about the boundaries and I thought, well,
why is it this little tiny slip of land the
size of new Jersey.

S1 (40:05):
When.

S7 (40:06):
It.

S1 (40:06):
Should.

S7 (40:06):
Be a large parcel of land?

S1 (40:09):
Yep, yep. You're right. That's it. And it was bigger
some days than Solomon's day and smaller in other days.
But yeah, you're right, Linda, it's. It should be. and
it will be. So anyway, thanks for your call. Appreciate it.
We're going to speak with Yvonne Yvonne in Cape Coral, Florida.
Welcome to Open Line. How can I help you?

S8 (40:29):
Oh, yes. Thank you so much. Um, I just I
go to church every day and.

S1 (40:35):
Every day.

S8 (40:36):
To a lot of young people.

S1 (40:37):
Every.

S8 (40:37):
Day. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. No, no, no, no. Every week.

S1 (40:42):
I'm.

S8 (40:42):
Probably nervous.

S1 (40:44):
Okay. Go ahead.

S8 (40:45):
Um, every week. And my heart goes out to them
because I even think in the churches they're saying that
God is love. And we he loves everyone, no matter
skin color. What nationality. And that's so true. And he
loves and accepts everyone that is giving them to me

(41:10):
an indication that you know, all of everyone, whoever they are, gays, lesbians, transgenders.
It's the way they're born, and we have to love them.

S1 (41:21):
Is that what your church is teaching? Well, no. No.
We have to love them or accept that behavior. Is
that what you're. Which is it?

S8 (41:29):
Well, they don't come right out and say that, but
that so many young people are thinking that we are
the ones that don't accept that, that they're born that
way and it.

S1 (41:40):
Well, just listen, here's the thing. Uh, I think that
the we have to be really clear about what the
Bible teaches, that God's best for us, uh, that he
wasn't looking to hinder our joy by saying that, uh,
sexual relationship is, uh, the best what God intended it

(42:05):
to be between a man and a woman who are
committed to each other for life. That's that to me.
That's what marriage is. That's. God wants us to flourish,
and that's what he wants of us. And that's what
I think churches really need to proclaim. That said, uh,

(42:25):
if you don't feel like your church is doing an
adequate job, if they're, you know, the same thing with
raising kids, you know, when I raise my kids, someone
said to me, you have to have a balance between
love and limits, right? Yes. You love your kids also.
You have boundaries for them. Don't cross this. The consequences

(42:46):
won't be good. Um, and I think that it's clear
in the book of Hebrews chapter 12, it quotes from
the book of Proverbs, and it says, my son, do
not take the Lord's discipline lightly or faint when you
are reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one
he loves. And so God will discipline. It says, endure

(43:10):
suffering as discipline. God is dealing with you as sons,
as children. And so I would just say this, that
that should be the message of the church, that God
has boundaries, limits, as well as love. And also that
he will discipline us if we if we're his children

(43:33):
and we disobey what what he is saying, he will
he will correct us. So that's what I would say. Okay.

S8 (43:40):
Yes, yes, that sounds wonderful.

S1 (43:43):
Okay, Yvonne, thank you so much. Uh, we're going to
speak with Dave in, in North Carolina listening on the
Moody App. How can I help you today, Dave?

S9 (43:52):
Hi. Uh, I'm a kitchen table partner.

S1 (43:56):
And thank you, thank you, thank you.

S9 (43:59):
You're welcome. It's my pleasure. Um, I am also a facilitator.
I hate to say teacher, but, uh, for an adult
men's Bible study. And one of the guys came up
and asked me about my dick, particularly in Hebrews seven three,

(44:21):
and about him being without father or mother, without genealogy,
resembling the Son of God. And the question specifically was,
we know the genealogy and everything of Christ.

S1 (44:37):
So what? You know, I'm out of time. I've only
got about 30s. So let me give you a 32nd answer, Dave. Okay. Uh,
when it says without father or mother or genealogy, it
means that we don't know where Melchizedek came from. He
just appears in the text and then disappears. So we
don't know who his mother was or his father was
or where he came from. Uh, and he we don't

(44:59):
know when he was born. We don't know when he dies.
In the same way he resembles the divine Son of God.
Not talking about the the human, uh, genealogy of Jesus,
but because of the Lord Jesus being God the Son.
He really has no, uh, genealogy. He he doesn't have
anyone that that was a progenitor, uh, of him. He's

(45:22):
the eternal son of God, and that's what it's talking about. Uh,
it's a he fulfills a type that way. Well, uh,
the first hour is up, uh, second hour coming up
on most of these stations. If your station doesn't carry
the second hour of open line, just check out the
Moody Radio app or listen online or get the podcast
during the break. Check out our web page, Open Line radio.org.

(45:45):
That page has links to past programs, a place to
put your questions if you'd like to write in. Also,
how to get our current resource, become a kitchen table partner,
or even get the chosen people resource. The Bible study
across America will continue in the second hour, so stay
with us. Open line with Doctor Michael Zelnick is a
production of Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.

(46:08):
We'll be right back.