May 10, 2025 • 46 mins
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
S1 (00:09):
A prominent conservative, was interviewed recently on a very popular
program and he said he only cared for his own
nation and his own people, his own family. He just
doesn't care about Israel and the Jewish people. Should we,
as followers of Jesus, care about the Jewish people? Stay
(00:29):
with me. We'll talk about that in just a moment. Hello, friends.
Welcome to Open Line, Moody Radio's Bible study Across America.
My name is Michael Rolnick. I'm the academic dean and
professor of Jewish studies and Bible at Moody Bible Institute.
I'm so grateful to be able to sit around the
(00:51):
radio kitchen table and join you as we're talking about
your questions about the Bible, God and the spiritual life.
If you have a question and you would like to
call the phone number, here is (877) 548-3675. Let me give
that to you again. You can write it down. (877) 548-3675.
(01:16):
To hear Haynes is in the producer's chair today. Omar
Mendoza is our tech guy. Again, the phone number (877) 548-3675.
Go get yourself a cup of coffee. Open your Bible.
Because we're about to study the scriptures together. Well, this
prominent conservative who said he just didn't care about Israel
(01:38):
or the Jewish people. He's mostly a political commentator. However,
with that said, he also has been outspoken about his faith.
And yet he he doesn't think that his faith should
affect his concerns. Uh, because he said, I just don't care.
(01:58):
I don't care about what's going on in Israel. I
was thinking I could give political answers to this political commentator,
but I think as a Bible believer, I need to
give biblical answers to what he has to say. And
of course, there are many reasons that we should care
about Israel and the Jewish people. But here are five
reasons we should care about Israel and the Jewish people.
(02:23):
First of all, we should care because Israel is distinct
among the nations. What he said is Israel is just
another nation. It's not important. It's insignificant. It's just one
of many nations. And it's a small one at that.
And he just didn't care. Well, uh, this is what
(02:45):
Ezekiel 25 eight says. This is what the Lord God says,
because Moab and Seir said. Seir said, look at the
house of Judah. to look. The house of Judah is
like all the other nations. Therefore I will. I will
indeed expose the flank of Moab, beginning with its frontiers.
(03:07):
Here's what God is saying. He's saying Moab had the
temerity to say that the nation that God chose is
just like any other nation, and it's not significant. God
says no, Israel is significant. It is distinctive. And then
he says, because Moab said that I will execute judgments
(03:27):
on Moab. That's what it says. And then they will
know that I am the Lord. So first of all,
we need to recognize that God has made a choice
to take this nation and make them his nation. Not better,
not stronger, not greater, but beloved by God because he
chose them. So Israel is distinct among the nations, and
(03:51):
we need to be concerned for this nation that God
has made distinctive. Now, second reason that we should care
about Israel and the Jewish people is because God loves
the Jewish people forever. Jeremiah 31 three says this the
Lord says, I have loved you to Israel. I have
(04:12):
loved you with an everlasting love. Therefore I have drawn
you with loving devotion. God loves the Jewish people. He has.
That's the reason he chose them. It's it's total elective love.
It was his choice. It was unconditional. There was no
merit in Israel to cause God to choose Israel. But
(04:33):
God chose Israel and he set his love upon this nation. Now,
some people say God used to love the Jewish people. Uh,
but he doesn't any longer because the Jewish people have
not believed in the Jewish Messiah, Jesus. Well, Paul can
corrects that view in Romans chapter 11. Uh, in chapter 11,
(04:55):
He talks about God's faithfulness to his love for Israel,
regardless of Israel's unbelief in Jesus. Now, Jewish people are
not unbelieving about everything, but they do not, for the
most part, believe in Jesus. I think I would be
an exception, but there are many of us who are
in the remnant that are exceptions. But for the most part,
Jewish people have not yet believed in Jesus. And this
(05:16):
is what it says in Romans 1128 regarding the gospel.
They are enemies for your advantage. That means they are
opposed to the gospel, not enemies of God, but enemies
of the gospel. And it's to the advantage of the Gentiles,
because now the gospel has spread to the whole world.
But then it says, but regarding election or chosen us
chosenness they are loved, present, tense, loved because of the patriarchs,
(05:43):
since God's gracious gifts and calling are irrevocable, Romans 1128
and 29 make it clear that even though most Jewish
people have not believed in Jesus. God still has his
chosen love for them because of the choice of the patriarchs.
And so why should we care about Israel? Because Israel
is distinct among the nations. Because God loves the Jewish
(06:07):
people forever. Also, because God cares about what happens to Israel.
God cares about it in Isaiah 49, 15 and 16.
This is what he says. Can a woman forget her
nursing child or lack compassion for the son of her womb?
Even if she could forget, I will not forget you. Behold,
(06:29):
I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands.
Your walls are ever before me. God says that the
situation in Israel. God's concern about this people is perpetual.
It never stops like a mom who will never forget
her own nursing child. Now, there may be a bad
(06:49):
mom out there that will forget, but God would not
be like that. He is ever concerned for his beloved Israel.
That's so important for us to remember that God cares
about what is happening in Israel. It's not something that's
just pass. Whatever happens, happens. God is carefully observing the
(07:10):
walls of Jerusalem. The concerns of Israel are ever before him.
So we should care because God cares. God Israel is
distinct among the nations. God loves Israel and the Jewish
people forever. God cares about what happens to Israel. Fourthly,
because God will bless us for caring. Genesis 12 three.
(07:31):
One of the most famous verses God says to Abraham
and his descendants, I will bless those who bless you
and curse those who curse you. And all the families
of the earth will be blessed through you. Now again,
people say that is just a an Old Testament idea,
that it's not a New Testament idea. I think it's
so interesting in Luke chapter seven where the centurion would
(07:54):
like to have his servant healed. And the Jewish community
of Capernaum come to the Lord Jesus. And in Luke
seven four through six they came to Jesus and pleaded
with him earnestly, this man is worthy to have you
grant this, for he loves our nation and has built
our synagogue. And then it says in the next verse,
(08:17):
So Jesus went with them. Why did the Lord respond
to the needs of this centurion? Well, obviously, because he
loves him. But especially because it was in response to
what the Jewish community there said. He loves our nation.
He built our synagogue. The direct result of that, the
(08:38):
Lord gets up to go bless this man by caring
for his servant. It's an outworking of that Abrahamic covenant
in Genesis. Genesis 12 three God blessed the centurion because
he had blessed the Jewish people. So we should care
about Israel. If we want to be blessed, we should
care about the Jewish people. If we want to experience
(09:01):
God's blessing, because God will bless those who bless the
Jewish people. So why should we care? Because Israel is distinct.
Because God loves the Jewish people forever. Because God cares
about what happens to Israel. Because God will bless us
for caring. And here's the fifth reason. Because caring for
(09:21):
the Jewish people is a way to care for the Messiah,
Jesus himself. What do I mean by this? Well, in
Matthew 25, verse 31, there is a parable, the parable
of the sheep and the goats. And a lot of
people think this is just something that's describing our circumstances today.
But it really there obviously applications for today. But here's
(09:45):
what it says when the Son of Man comes in
his glory. So it's at the return of the Lord
Jesus and all the angels with him. He will sit
on his glorious throne. And then it says, all the
nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate
the people one from another, as a shepherd separates the
sheep from the goats. And he places the sheep on
(10:06):
the right and the goats on the left. And the
king says to those on the right, come, you who
are blessed by my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for
you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry.
You gave me something to eat, I was thirsty, you
gave me something to drink. I was a stranger and
you took me in. I was naked and you clothed me.
I was sick and you looked after me. I was
(10:29):
in prison and you visited me. Then the righteous. These
are people who are righteous by faith. They believed in
the Lord Jesus. But the righteous will answer him. Lord,
when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty,
or give you something to drink? They say, we don't
know anything about this. When did all these things happen? Well,
(10:50):
the answer is the king will reply. Whatever you did
for the least of these brothers of mine, you did
for me. What that is saying is, during the future tribulation,
when there are believers in this world and the future
false Messiah is persecuting and attacking Jewish people, it is
(11:10):
the believers who will take a stand and care for
the Jewish people during that time. And at that time,
the Lord Jesus, when he judges the nations, he'll say
to those righteous, because you are caring for my brothers,
the Jewish people. It was as if you were caring
for me. That's what the Lord Jesus was saying, because
(11:31):
caring for the Jewish people is directly attributable to caring
for the Lord Jesus, who is the king of the
Jewish people. If we care about the King of the Jews,
we should certainly care for his people. So these are
the reasons that we should care for the Jewish people today,
(11:52):
care for Israel today because Israel is a distinct nation,
because God loves the Jewish people forever, because God cares
about what happens to the Jewish people. Because God will
bless us for caring. Because caring for the Jewish people
is a way of expressing our care for the Messiah,
Jesus himself. Uh, someone once wrote, how odd of God
(12:14):
to choose the Jews. I think that was an interesting
statement that was made. Ogden Nash replied, how odd of
God to choose the Jews, but not so odd as
those who choose the Jewish God, but spurn the Jews
by saying, I don't care what happens to Israel. This
is someone spurning the Jewish people. We should never do that.
(12:36):
We should love whom God loves, and God loves the
Jewish people, and God loves the nation of Israel. Well,
I did want to mention something about our current resource
(13:02):
that is something that I think you you need to
be aware of. Uh, I often tell people to build
a library that there's a book, there's several books that
we should all have so we understand the Bible better
and study it better. Um, and one of the books
I think everyone should have is a Bible dictionary. And
there are many really good Bible dictionaries, but they're important.
(13:26):
It's not looking at words so much as who are
certain people in the Bible where as a place that
is mentioned. What is this event that is being described?
You can get out a Bible dictionary and look it
up and what we are offering for a gift of
any size, we'd like to send you and say thanks
by sending you the Ultimate Bible Dictionary. The reason I
(13:49):
love this Bible dictionary is it is tiny. It is
about the size of my hand and it's published by
B and H, the same publisher that produced my favorite
Bible translation, the the Holman CSB. And this ultimate Bible
dictionary is so easy to carry, so easy to use.
It's just a great resource. I love it that we're
(14:10):
able to offer it for a gift of any size.
If you'd like a copy, just send your gift and
we would love to say thank you, uh, for that
gift of any size, uh, by sending you a copy
of the Ultimate Bible Dictionary. Here's the number you should
call if you would like to give a gift and
receive a copy of the Ultimate Bible Dictionary, call (888) 644-7122.
(14:38):
That's 44. 7122. And uh, uh, or you can go
to open line radio.org. Of course. And you can give
online and that would be great. You know what I
think I'm going to do? I talked a little bit
too long in my opening word. So I think what
we're going to do is take a little break here
and then we'll just, uh, hit the ground running when
(15:00):
we come back after this break and take your calls
and your questions. Uh, my name is Michael Melnick. The
program is called Open Line. We're going to be right back.
So stay right there with your questions coming up right
here on Open Line. Welcome back to Open Line. So
(15:34):
glad to be with you. We're going to go right
to the phones. My name is Michael Ray Dolnick. This
program is open line. And we're going to take your
questions about the Bible, God and the spiritual life. Here's
Tony in Ketchikan, Alaska, listening on K120, I guess is
what it's called. Welcome to Open Line, Tony. How can
(15:56):
I help you?
S2 (15:57):
Yes. Good morning doctor. I need the help, please. John
one two, verse 15, where it says, do not love
the world. Okay. I have been wondering with this question
for a long time. When I drive, I do like
travel and driving and I see this beautiful God's creation
the rolling hills, mountains, flowers, whatever, and the Grand Canyon,
(16:17):
which I have been there hundreds of times. And every
time I go, it's like a wonder to my brain.
Now my question. Would you please. Is he wrong to
love and to admire this God's creation of us?
S1 (16:33):
You're asking about first John 215 where it says, do
not love the world or the things that belong to
the world. Yes, if anyone loves the world, the love
of the father is not in him. Well, it's not
talking about the beauty of creation there. When it's talking
about the world, it's talking about the cosmos. The organized
system that is, uh, led by Satan and opposed to God.
(16:58):
That's that's what it's talking about. The world system, the culture,
the the world culture. It's organized. Cosmos means organized. And
it's led by Satan, the prince of, uh, the god
of this world. And it's organized in direct opposition to God.
So that's what it's talking about when you think about
(17:21):
three battlegrounds, uh, of a believer in Ephesians chapter two.
Here's what it says. Uh. That was my very quick
definition of what the Bible means by the world. they're in.
First John two. Uh, it's it's the world system organized, uh,
(17:44):
by Satan in opposition to God. Here's what it says.
But before we knew the Lord, you were dead in
your trespasses and sins in which you previously walked according
to the ways of this world. That's what it's talking about.
That satanic organized system organized in opposition to God, according
(18:06):
to the ruler who exercise authority over the lower heavens.
That's the devil. So the world, the devil. Those are
the first two. The spirit now working in the disobedient.
We too, all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires.
Those are the three enemies of the believer the world,
the flesh, the devil. And those are all designed to
(18:28):
try and oppose God. That's what we were like, uh,
before we knew the Lord. We were living under those.
Now they're still our enemies. They're still what we battle.
But what first John two is saying, we need to
oppose in our hearts and our actions this system organized
by Satan in opposition to God. That's what it's talking about.
(18:51):
It's not talking about the Grand Canyon. It's not talking
about the Rocky Mountains or the the beautiful scenery and
and glory of creation in Alaska. Okay, Tony.
S2 (19:02):
Thank you so very much. Thank you.
S1 (19:04):
Yeah, yeah. Thank you for your call. Appreciate it. Uh,
we're going to talk to Kathy in Brookfield, Illinois, listening on.
Welcome to Open Line. Kathy, how can I help you today?
S3 (19:18):
Okay. I'm reading. Thank you. I'm glad to talk to you.
I'm reading Matthew 16, 18 and 19 where, um, where
Peter when Christ is talking to Peter and saying, on
this rock I will build my church in the gates
of Hades will not overcome it. But Jesus is the
(19:39):
rock Saint Peter, right?
S1 (19:43):
Well, this is talking to Peter. Jesus is the rock.
Do you remember the song? Uh, I always think of
this when. When I first came to Faith, Larry Norman
was doing all this rock and roll music. First Christian rock.
And he sang Jesus is the Rock. And he rolled
my blues away. Remember that? Anyway. So yes, Jesus is
the rock. However, he is not a rock. He is
(20:04):
not made of granite. He is. He's a. The Lord
Jesus is the God man in his humanity. He is
flesh and blood. He is not rock. What? That is
when the Bible calls the Lord the rock. That is
a metaphor for his firm. Uh, his firmness, his strength. Uh,
(20:30):
it is also, Uh, in Ephesians 220. He is the cornerstone.
He's not really a cornerstone. That, too, is a metaphor. Um,
and then if you, uh, if you look at other places,
the Lord Jesus is called. Many other metaphors. Okay. Uh,
(20:54):
we can just go on and on. And the reason
I point this out is that at times, a metaphor
can be used not only of the Lord Jesus, but
of someone else. And in this context, in Matthew 16,
I know a lot of people who are Protestants don't
like this because they think, uh, well, because other traditions
(21:17):
have used this to make Peter the first pope. But
Peter wasn't the first pope. But after Peter's great confession,
he where he says, you are the Messiah, the son
of the living God. He says, uh, Peter, you're blessed
because my father in heaven revealed this to you. Uh.
And you are Peter, which is a name that means stone.
(21:44):
And on this rock. Now, it's not just Peter's confession,
it's Peter himself. I will build my church. And the
question then is, how is it that Peter was the rock? Uh,
I believe that the answer to that is found in
verse 19. I will give you the keys of the
kingdom of heaven. Now, people have taken that to mean
(22:06):
that Peter is the one that we meet in heaven.
Remember when we see Saint Peter because he's God.
S4 (22:11):
He was the gatekeeper.
S1 (22:12):
Well, yeah, but I don't think that's what that means.
If you look at the book of acts, the very
first person to preach to Jewish people was Peter. He
opened he unlocked the gate and proclaimed the gospel to
Jewish people at Pentecost. And then in chapter eight, Even
though Philip had preached to the Samaritans, it was Peter
(22:35):
that had to go lay hands on the Samaritans so
that the Holy Spirit could fall on them. And he
opened the door of the spirit and the church being
built in Samaria. And then in acts ten, he is
the one that the Lord sends to Cornelius, the first Gentile,
to become a believer and be to in, in the,
(22:58):
in the ecclesia in the church. And Peter is the
one that preaches to him, so he unlocks it for Jews,
Samaritans and then Gentiles. That's the way he is, a
sort of foundational and opening the door of the gospel
and the building of the body of the Messiah through, uh,
(23:18):
through Peter. That's what what happened there? Does that help?
S4 (23:22):
Yeah. Well.
S3 (23:24):
It does help. I just, um, I was Catholic when
I was a kid, and I remember some priests talking
explaining this a long time ago. I thought, Jesus is
the Rock.
S4 (23:38):
But he is the rock. Don't get me wrong, he
is the rock.
S3 (23:41):
I believe he's the rock.
S4 (23:43):
Yeah he is. I think he is too. But that
doesn't mean the metaphor. Yeah, yeah, but that doesn't.
S1 (23:48):
Mean that the metaphor of rock can't be used of
someone else.
S4 (23:52):
Just as there.
S1 (23:53):
Are many metaphors, that's what.
S4 (23:55):
It is.
S3 (23:55):
Can you explain really quickly about the the keys to
the kingdom? It looks like he was giving Peter the
keys to the kingdom, whatever.
S4 (24:03):
He was given the keys, because he.
S1 (24:05):
Is the one that unlocked the door.
S4 (24:07):
For Jews.
S1 (24:08):
To believe. Acts to Samaritans to be enveloped into the
body of the Messiah. Acts eight. And then acts ten. Cornelius,
the first Gentile to be in the body of the Messiah.
S4 (24:20):
So Jews.
S1 (24:20):
Samaritans, Gentiles. That's how he got the keys. Okay.
S4 (24:24):
That's how.
S3 (24:25):
Thank you very much.
S1 (24:26):
Yeah. Thank you for your call. Appreciate it.
S4 (24:29):
Uh.
S1 (24:32):
Well, you know what? Uh, we're we're we're going to
take more calls in a moment. What we're going to
do is I do want to tell you about becoming
a kitchen table partner. There are such wonderful partners of
this program. There are people who partner by listening. And
I so appreciate that. I always thought that Eva would
be the only one listening to the program. So when
(24:52):
I meet listeners across the country, I'm always amazed and grateful.
I'm amazed that there are some people who give occasionally
when they they hear a resource that they would really
like to have. But then there are people who, regardless
of resource, regardless of anything else, they are our kitchen
table partners. I'm so grateful that they partner with us
by giving monthly so that we can be on the
(25:13):
air weekly. Uh, we do a special Bible study moment
for them that they receive, uh, in their inbox. And
every other week it's a Bible study moment that they
can listen to and, and study the word a few
minutes with me, or sometimes me and Eva. Uh, I
just so appreciate, uh, you becoming a Bible. Uh, a
kitchen table partner. Uh, the way to become a kitchen
(25:35):
table partner, if you're interested, is go to eight, call
(888) 644-7122 or go to openline.org. We really appreciate if you
do that. Uh, we'll be right back with more of
your questions in just a moment. In fact, the Febc
mailbag is coming right up. Stay with us. Welcome back
(26:09):
to Open Line. So glad that you're listening today. I'm
so grateful that the Far Eastern Broadcasting Company partners with
Open Line to bring you the weekly Febc mailbag. It's
a terrific organization. They bring the good news to people
all over the world via media, and also they have
individual personal engagement, people who are out there talking about
(26:31):
the Lord and they do a marvelous work. Check out
the Febc podcast. It's called Until All I've Heard. You
can find that on your whatever podcast distributor you have,
or you can go to Febc. Org, that's Febc. Org.
And joining me right now with the Febc mailbag is
(26:51):
to hear, Haynes, I am so glad you're sitting in
today for Tricia, or I guess you partner with Tricia
in sharing the duties on Saturday mornings. I'm so glad
that you're able to come and join me to hear.
S5 (27:04):
Thank you. I'm happy to be here. Thank you. Yeah,
we do share the duties.
S1 (27:08):
Yeah, I think that's great. I think it's wonderful. Uh,
people said to me, why would why is Tricia not
coming every Saturday? Because we need to get you on
the air, too. That's that's. We need.
S5 (27:22):
And I think it's also just just we're here during
the week. And so just to give us a balance
we share the Saturdays.
S1 (27:30):
Yeah. And you know, she's I have to say, uh,
Trish is a mom. She's got little kids that are
home on Saturdays, and I'm happy that she gets to
be with them every Saturday, that she is not with me,
but she's still prepared the mailbag. Did she not?
S5 (27:45):
She did. She sent these questions to us via email.
So thank you.
S4 (27:49):
Yep, yep.
S1 (27:50):
So. Well no, no, it's not via email. It's a
huge bag like in miracle on 34th Street where they
carry the bags in at the end. That's what it
looks like, right?
S5 (27:59):
Right.
S1 (28:01):
Yeah. The the theater of the mind. Okay. Uh, let's
let's look at some of these questions.
S5 (28:07):
Sure. We will start with Kathleen from Ohio listening through.
She says my friend lost her mother recently. She says,
where can I tell her that her mother is now?
She has hopes that because they are the chosen people. Um.
They're Jewish. That those. She died without proclaiming Jesus as
her Lord and savior. That she is with Jesus. How
(28:29):
can you comfort someone whose loved one has passed away
when you're uncertain of their eternity, but doubt they're with Jesus?
S1 (28:39):
You know, I think one of the things that people
want to have is to have a special deal for
Jewish people. And of course, if you care about Jewish people,
if you care about, uh, others in other religious groups, uh,
you think, okay, well, maybe the Lord will reveal himself
after death or something like that, but I want to
(29:01):
just say this. The Bible says for, uh, that, that
God so loved the world that he gave his one
and only son. And whoever believes in him will not
perish but have everlasting life. That's a really simple verse.
But do you notice the point? God has made provision
for everyone, but it has to be activated by faith.
(29:24):
This is what the Lord Jesus said specifically to Jewish people,
but it applies to everyone. Therefore, this is John 824
therefore I told you that you will die in your sins.
If you do not believe that I am he, you
will die in your sins. In other words, and by
the way that I am, he is a declaration of deity.
S5 (29:46):
Okay.
S1 (29:47):
It literally says, unless you believe that I am, uh,
then you'll die in your sins. So, uh, I don't
think anyone, Jew or Gentile, uh, gets a special backdoor
way into the hand, into the the the eternity. There
(30:09):
is a need. We. That's why we proclaim the gospel.
That's why I tell Jewish people and Gentiles, even people
who are from a a Bible believing tradition. That's why
we were proclaiming the gospel regularly. The good news is
this that Jesus died for our sins and rose again.
He took our punishment with his death. He was declared
(30:30):
to be God with power through the resurrection. And his
ability to save us is clear. So what do I
say to someone? And this doesn't just mean Jewish people
who may have lost a loved one. I don't know
the destiny of most people who die, and I don't
offer hope that way. All I ever do is ask. Uh.
(30:57):
All I do is I ask for God to comfort, uh,
the people. And I always like, with a Jewish person.
I say, may you be comforted among the mourners of Zion.
That's what we traditionally say. Uh, I ask for God
to bring the those who who are here to bring
them comfort. Unless I am absolutely certain that this Jewish
(31:19):
person or Gentile person. Had made a firm decision to
follow Jesus. You know, I don't you know, I trust
that God knows what he's doing. The judge of all
the earth will do right. And I do believe that
God can bring comfort, even to people who have lost
a loved one. And we don't know their destiny. Uh,
(31:41):
the other thing I always say is that there are
many Jewish people who were secret believers because of the
difficulty of taking a stand for Jesus publicly. It's not
like they rejected him or. HID their faith. They just
didn't speak up. And so sometimes I've talked to Jewish
people and they say, yeah, I've believed that. Um, and
(32:06):
it is kind of sad to me that they are
not bolder, but it causes me to be very hesitant
to decide on this side of the equation, who is lost?
Who is in heaven. I just trust God to bring comfort.
And that's what I would say. Kathleen. Just to say,
may God bring you comfort now. May you find comfort
(32:26):
among the mourners of Zion. Uh, that the the Lord
can give you comfort.
S5 (32:31):
Michael, thank you for that caring, truthful, truthful response we have.
S1 (32:37):
It's, by the way, uh, I hate doing funerals. And
let me just say, when I officiate at a funeral,
most of the time I've not known the destiny of
the person. Uh, I had a dear friend that passed
away a few weeks ago, and it was one of
the most joyous occasions. Even though I was heartbroken about
(32:59):
losing a friend because he had taken a really clear, uh, position,
he had trusted in the Lord. He had walked with
the Lord and and, you know, I know where he is.
But most of the time, it's not like that.
S5 (33:13):
So thank you so much, Michael. We have another question
from David in Florida who listens through the Moody Radio app.
His question is, are faith and belief synonyms?
S1 (33:27):
Yeah, he I see his question. He's written out a
lot more. You know, we're saved by grace through faith,
but we're actually saved by belief. Well, the word group
in Greek is from the verb pisteuo or pistis, which
is the noun, and it means belief or faith, believe
(33:51):
or trust. It's all the same word. It's it's in English.
We have different synonyms for it, but it's all the
same word. It's all the same word group. The word
group in Greek. And the same thing in Hebrew. Uh,
Ammon is the Hebrew word, and it's all the same
(34:11):
word group. Whether you see, trust, believe, Have faith. It's
all the same. So yeah, they are actually faith and
believe are absolute belief are absolute synonyms. Yes.
S5 (34:26):
Thank you David.
S1 (34:27):
They're synonyms English. In Greek they're not even synonyms. They're
the same word. So okay.
S5 (34:32):
Thank you for that. Thank you so much. Um, another
question is from Ron, also in Florida, who listens through
Moody Radio Florida. Is there a difference in the temptations
of the flesh and temptations from Satan in our battle
against the flesh? Is our battle against the flesh instigated
by Satan, or are there two different areas we face?
S1 (34:54):
Well, one of the things that we're going to see
is that, uh, in the Millennial Kingdom, there will still
be people born. There will still be people who are.
Who need to trust in Jesus. Uh, and they will.
Some of them won't. And they will be battling the
(35:15):
flesh even though Satan is bound. So, uh. And so
there are the the flesh itself operates within us. Uh,
but I don't today. I don't doubt that there is
a connection between. I read it earlier in the program,
(35:36):
Ephesians two one through three, where we have our three.
Enemies the world, the flesh and the devil. And I
think in James one. There's a passage that that kind
of reflects what's going on. It says, uh, no one
(35:59):
undergoing a trial should say, I'm being tempted by God.
For God is not tempted by evil. He doesn't tempt anyone.
He himself. But each person is tempted when he is
drawn away and enticed by his own evil desires. Now
the evil desires is a reflection of the flesh. The
temptation or enticement that is drawing him away is the devil.
(36:25):
I think that the the devil is out there fishing
and he's dropping bait, and our flesh is the one
that responds to it. And he knows which areas of
the flesh are different areas of weakness for each of us. Um,
you know, I, I remember having a dear friend once.
She would have never been tempted to be immoral. Not
(36:45):
at all. Ever. Uh, this is, uh, I've been friends
with this person for maybe 50 years now, but when
we were in college, she would have never been tempted
to be immoral as she isn't now. However, she was
tempted to marry someone that didn't know the Lord because
he was a good and kind person. And. And that
(37:07):
was a temptation from the enemy. Uh, so, you know,
I think that that he knows each of our desires secretly,
that maybe even better than we do because he observes
us and he drops the enemy or his, you know,
the demons will drop bait in front of us. Try
(37:28):
and arrange things to be so that we're tempted based
on our own individual fleshly desires. And so, uh, they're
not the same, but they certainly do operate together. I
would say.
S5 (37:42):
Thank you for that.
S1 (37:43):
Yeah. By the way, that's why we need to shore up.
Know the word of God, resist it. Uh, resist the
enemy and he will flee. And, uh, quoting the Word
of God, I believe, is the best way to resist
those temptations of the flesh.
S5 (37:58):
So. Amen.
S1 (37:58):
Anyway, thank you. Tara. We're going to come back with
more of your questions in just a moment. This is
Tara Haynes. Michael. Ray. Dominic. This is open line on
Moody Radio. Stay with.
S4 (38:09):
Us.
S1 (38:23):
Welcome back to Open Line. My name is Michael Ray.
I'm so glad you're listening today. I love talking with
you about your questions about the Bible, God and the
spiritual life. Uh uh, the, uh, The Chosen People Ministries
has done something. It actually really relates well to, uh.
(38:49):
What I opened the show with talking about why we
should care about Israel. People frequently ask questions about the
Jewish people. They frequently, frequently ask questions about Israel. Are
they the chosen people? Where do they fit in the
plan of God? And so Chosen People ministries, who partners
to bring you open line every week? they are offering
(39:09):
a free booklet called Why Israel? It explores the topic
of Israel through the lens of Scripture, and it deals
with questions like has the church replaced Israel today? What
what should we think about Israel today? Uh, these questions
and more will be answered with an outline of biblical
theology of Israel. And if you'd like a free copy
of Why Israel? Just go to the Open Line website.
(39:33):
That's open Line radio.org. Scroll down. You'll see a 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 very own free copy
of Why Israel? Well, we're going to go to the
phones right now. We're going to talk to Jeff in Akron, Ohio,
(39:53):
listening on CRF. Welcome to Open Line. Jeff. I hear
you're driving, right.
S6 (39:59):
Well, I just pulled over, so I think we're good.
S4 (40:01):
Oh, good.
S1 (40:01):
That's what I was going to ask you to do.
Please pull over so that we can talk and not
be distracted. That's good. Keep safe. How can I help
you today, Jeff?
S6 (40:11):
So my question, um, comes out of, uh, first Corinthians 714,
where Paul writes that a believing spouse will sanctify his
unbelieving spouse. And, um, and then he goes on to say,
otherwise the children would be unclean. So my concern or
(40:33):
question is, um, facing an impending divorce, where would that
leave my spouse? And, you know, most most importantly, like
my my kids, as far as being unclean.
S1 (40:47):
Is your spouse a believer? Is your wife a believer?
S6 (40:50):
I it's hard to say. Um, you know, I hate
to comment on what someone believes.
S4 (40:55):
No, no.
S1 (40:56):
But she let me just say, has she professed to
be a believer?
S6 (41:02):
Like, I, she keeps it to herself. She doesn't go
to church. She has some church hurt from the past,
so I don't know where that lies with her.
S1 (41:11):
Okay, well, the context here is about, uh, staying married. Mhm.
That's that's the point. Uh, if any brother, verse 12
has an unbelieving wife and she is willing to live
with him, he must not leave her. Verse 13, if
also if any woman has an unbelieving husband, and he
(41:31):
is willing to live with her, she must not leave
her husband. The idea is that, uh, generally speaking, it
is more likely for. Well, first, those two verses are
saying that if your, uh, if a person's spouse is
not a believer but still willing to stay with the believer,
(41:53):
stay together. Uh, that's because, uh, in ancient times, when
this was being written to the Corinthians, when people became believers,
they wanted to leave their spouse. who didn't know the Lord.
And Paul is saying, no, no, stay in that circumstance.
Stay with her. Why? For that's the explanatory word. The
(42:14):
unbelieving husband is set apart for God by the wife,
and the unbelieving wife is set apart for God by
the husband. The word sanctify means set apart. And I
like how the CSB translates it set apart. In other words,
what it's saying is this person, this unbelieving spouse, if
you stay married, is more likely to become a believer
(42:38):
in the context of a of a loving relationship. Then
if you just break up because one is a believer
and one isn't. So that's what it's saying. That's why
we stay together, because that that will enable the spouse
who doesn't believe. More likely not certain, but more likely
to become a follower of Jesus as well. Otherwise, your
(43:00):
children would be Corrupt, but now they are set apart
for God. The same thing if if, for example, uh, you, uh,
if a person has a spouse that's not a believer
and takes the children with them, they are now less
likely to become believers outside the confines of this loving
(43:20):
family and the outside of the influence of the believer.
That's what Paul is saying. He's not saying that children
are automatically not going to be believers, but it's it's
more about likelihood, um, staying together in a context of
with the believing spouse is better for the unbelieving spouse.
(43:41):
It's better for the unbelieving children. They are much more
likely to become believers. Uh, how old are your children today, Jeff?
S6 (43:51):
Um, well, I have a stepson is 17, and then the, um,
my daughter is seven.
S1 (43:58):
Well, let's talk about your daughter. Uh. if she. The
thing that this is saying is not that she automatically
becomes I mean, we're all unclean in the sense that we, uh,
if we don't believe we're in our sins, but the
likelihood for her to be set apart, to become a
believer is better for her to be as you have
influence in her life. So even if you're going to divorce,
(44:22):
you cannot abandon your child. You have to, uh, try
and have good influence into her life, both emotionally, physically,
but spiritually as well. Uh, that's that's that's there. Yeah,
but that's what it's talking about there.
S6 (44:41):
So.
S1 (44:42):
Okay. Okay. And you're still close with your daughter?
S6 (44:46):
Yes. It's still we go to church every week, and, um,
she's a believer and she's been baptized. She's okay. All that.
It's the spouse. It's my spouse who's requesting the separation. So,
you know, I kind of I don't want to hold
her hostage by it, but I also just concerned with
my daughter and and him wording that unclean. I just,
(45:08):
you know, she automatically become unclean.
S1 (45:11):
No, no. Do you understand what that's saying? It's about taking.
S6 (45:14):
Her.
S1 (45:15):
Taking her out of the influence of of the the believer.
That's what it's talking about. So just keep influencing her,
even with the separation or a divorce. Okay.
S6 (45:27):
Right. Thank you.
S1 (45:28):
Okay. Yeah. Uh, Jeff, I'm sorry that you're going through this. It's.
I think it's the most painful thing. Um, sometimes I
think a divorce is even harder than losing a spouse. Uh,
and so the thing is, don't lose the influence you
can have, uh, on on even your 17 year old stepson, uh,
(45:51):
your daughter and maybe even, uh, continue to love and
care for your wife, even if she proceeds with the divorce,
because who knows what kind of impact you can have
in her life in the long run. So anyway, thanks
for your call, Jeff. I can't believe it. The first
hour of the program is done, but there's a whole
(46:13):
other hour of open line coming up a second hour
on most of these stations. You know, if your station
doesn't carry it, that's okay. You can listen online, you
can listen on the podcast, you can get the Moody
Radio app. There's all sorts of ways you can get
the second program during the break. Check out our website, radio.org.
That page has links to past programs, questions, things like that.
(46:34):
How to get our current resource. Even if you're interested
in going to Israel with me or traveling with me,
there's a link to my personal web page. Org you
should check that out. The Bible study across America will
continue in the second hour, so stay with us. Open
line with Doctor Michael Melnick is a production of Moody Radio,
a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.
A prominent conservative, was interviewed recently on a very popular
program and he said he only cared for his own
nation and his own people, his own family. He just
doesn't care about Israel and the Jewish people. Should we,
as followers of Jesus, care about the Jewish people? Stay
(00:29):
with me. We'll talk about that in just a moment. Hello, friends.
Welcome to Open Line, Moody Radio's Bible study Across America.
My name is Michael Rolnick. I'm the academic dean and
professor of Jewish studies and Bible at Moody Bible Institute.
I'm so grateful to be able to sit around the
(00:51):
radio kitchen table and join you as we're talking about
your questions about the Bible, God and the spiritual life.
If you have a question and you would like to
call the phone number, here is (877) 548-3675. Let me give
that to you again. You can write it down. (877) 548-3675.
(01:16):
To hear Haynes is in the producer's chair today. Omar
Mendoza is our tech guy. Again, the phone number (877) 548-3675.
Go get yourself a cup of coffee. Open your Bible.
Because we're about to study the scriptures together. Well, this
prominent conservative who said he just didn't care about Israel
(01:38):
or the Jewish people. He's mostly a political commentator. However,
with that said, he also has been outspoken about his faith.
And yet he he doesn't think that his faith should
affect his concerns. Uh, because he said, I just don't care.
(01:58):
I don't care about what's going on in Israel. I
was thinking I could give political answers to this political commentator,
but I think as a Bible believer, I need to
give biblical answers to what he has to say. And
of course, there are many reasons that we should care
about Israel and the Jewish people. But here are five
reasons we should care about Israel and the Jewish people.
(02:23):
First of all, we should care because Israel is distinct
among the nations. What he said is Israel is just
another nation. It's not important. It's insignificant. It's just one
of many nations. And it's a small one at that.
And he just didn't care. Well, uh, this is what
(02:45):
Ezekiel 25 eight says. This is what the Lord God says,
because Moab and Seir said. Seir said, look at the
house of Judah. to look. The house of Judah is
like all the other nations. Therefore I will. I will
indeed expose the flank of Moab, beginning with its frontiers.
(03:07):
Here's what God is saying. He's saying Moab had the
temerity to say that the nation that God chose is
just like any other nation, and it's not significant. God
says no, Israel is significant. It is distinctive. And then
he says, because Moab said that I will execute judgments
(03:27):
on Moab. That's what it says. And then they will
know that I am the Lord. So first of all,
we need to recognize that God has made a choice
to take this nation and make them his nation. Not better,
not stronger, not greater, but beloved by God because he
chose them. So Israel is distinct among the nations, and
(03:51):
we need to be concerned for this nation that God
has made distinctive. Now, second reason that we should care
about Israel and the Jewish people is because God loves
the Jewish people forever. Jeremiah 31 three says this the
Lord says, I have loved you to Israel. I have
(04:12):
loved you with an everlasting love. Therefore I have drawn
you with loving devotion. God loves the Jewish people. He has.
That's the reason he chose them. It's it's total elective love.
It was his choice. It was unconditional. There was no
merit in Israel to cause God to choose Israel. But
(04:33):
God chose Israel and he set his love upon this nation. Now,
some people say God used to love the Jewish people. Uh,
but he doesn't any longer because the Jewish people have
not believed in the Jewish Messiah, Jesus. Well, Paul can
corrects that view in Romans chapter 11. Uh, in chapter 11,
(04:55):
He talks about God's faithfulness to his love for Israel,
regardless of Israel's unbelief in Jesus. Now, Jewish people are
not unbelieving about everything, but they do not, for the
most part, believe in Jesus. I think I would be
an exception, but there are many of us who are
in the remnant that are exceptions. But for the most part,
Jewish people have not yet believed in Jesus. And this
(05:16):
is what it says in Romans 1128 regarding the gospel.
They are enemies for your advantage. That means they are
opposed to the gospel, not enemies of God, but enemies
of the gospel. And it's to the advantage of the Gentiles,
because now the gospel has spread to the whole world.
But then it says, but regarding election or chosen us
chosenness they are loved, present, tense, loved because of the patriarchs,
(05:43):
since God's gracious gifts and calling are irrevocable, Romans 1128
and 29 make it clear that even though most Jewish
people have not believed in Jesus. God still has his
chosen love for them because of the choice of the patriarchs.
And so why should we care about Israel? Because Israel
is distinct among the nations. Because God loves the Jewish
(06:07):
people forever. Also, because God cares about what happens to Israel.
God cares about it in Isaiah 49, 15 and 16.
This is what he says. Can a woman forget her
nursing child or lack compassion for the son of her womb?
Even if she could forget, I will not forget you. Behold,
(06:29):
I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands.
Your walls are ever before me. God says that the
situation in Israel. God's concern about this people is perpetual.
It never stops like a mom who will never forget
her own nursing child. Now, there may be a bad
(06:49):
mom out there that will forget, but God would not
be like that. He is ever concerned for his beloved Israel.
That's so important for us to remember that God cares
about what is happening in Israel. It's not something that's
just pass. Whatever happens, happens. God is carefully observing the
(07:10):
walls of Jerusalem. The concerns of Israel are ever before him.
So we should care because God cares. God Israel is
distinct among the nations. God loves Israel and the Jewish
people forever. God cares about what happens to Israel. Fourthly,
because God will bless us for caring. Genesis 12 three.
(07:31):
One of the most famous verses God says to Abraham
and his descendants, I will bless those who bless you
and curse those who curse you. And all the families
of the earth will be blessed through you. Now again,
people say that is just a an Old Testament idea,
that it's not a New Testament idea. I think it's
so interesting in Luke chapter seven where the centurion would
(07:54):
like to have his servant healed. And the Jewish community
of Capernaum come to the Lord Jesus. And in Luke
seven four through six they came to Jesus and pleaded
with him earnestly, this man is worthy to have you
grant this, for he loves our nation and has built
our synagogue. And then it says in the next verse,
(08:17):
So Jesus went with them. Why did the Lord respond
to the needs of this centurion? Well, obviously, because he
loves him. But especially because it was in response to
what the Jewish community there said. He loves our nation.
He built our synagogue. The direct result of that, the
(08:38):
Lord gets up to go bless this man by caring
for his servant. It's an outworking of that Abrahamic covenant
in Genesis. Genesis 12 three God blessed the centurion because
he had blessed the Jewish people. So we should care
about Israel. If we want to be blessed, we should
care about the Jewish people. If we want to experience
(09:01):
God's blessing, because God will bless those who bless the
Jewish people. So why should we care? Because Israel is distinct.
Because God loves the Jewish people forever. Because God cares
about what happens to Israel. Because God will bless us
for caring. And here's the fifth reason. Because caring for
(09:21):
the Jewish people is a way to care for the Messiah,
Jesus himself. What do I mean by this? Well, in
Matthew 25, verse 31, there is a parable, the parable
of the sheep and the goats. And a lot of
people think this is just something that's describing our circumstances today.
But it really there obviously applications for today. But here's
(09:45):
what it says when the Son of Man comes in
his glory. So it's at the return of the Lord
Jesus and all the angels with him. He will sit
on his glorious throne. And then it says, all the
nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate
the people one from another, as a shepherd separates the
sheep from the goats. And he places the sheep on
(10:06):
the right and the goats on the left. And the
king says to those on the right, come, you who
are blessed by my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for
you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry.
You gave me something to eat, I was thirsty, you
gave me something to drink. I was a stranger and
you took me in. I was naked and you clothed me.
I was sick and you looked after me. I was
(10:29):
in prison and you visited me. Then the righteous. These
are people who are righteous by faith. They believed in
the Lord Jesus. But the righteous will answer him. Lord,
when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty,
or give you something to drink? They say, we don't
know anything about this. When did all these things happen? Well,
(10:50):
the answer is the king will reply. Whatever you did
for the least of these brothers of mine, you did
for me. What that is saying is, during the future tribulation,
when there are believers in this world and the future
false Messiah is persecuting and attacking Jewish people, it is
(11:10):
the believers who will take a stand and care for
the Jewish people during that time. And at that time,
the Lord Jesus, when he judges the nations, he'll say
to those righteous, because you are caring for my brothers,
the Jewish people. It was as if you were caring
for me. That's what the Lord Jesus was saying, because
(11:31):
caring for the Jewish people is directly attributable to caring
for the Lord Jesus, who is the king of the
Jewish people. If we care about the King of the Jews,
we should certainly care for his people. So these are
the reasons that we should care for the Jewish people today,
(11:52):
care for Israel today because Israel is a distinct nation,
because God loves the Jewish people forever, because God cares
about what happens to the Jewish people. Because God will
bless us for caring. Because caring for the Jewish people
is a way of expressing our care for the Messiah,
Jesus himself. Uh, someone once wrote, how odd of God
(12:14):
to choose the Jews. I think that was an interesting
statement that was made. Ogden Nash replied, how odd of
God to choose the Jews, but not so odd as
those who choose the Jewish God, but spurn the Jews
by saying, I don't care what happens to Israel. This
is someone spurning the Jewish people. We should never do that.
(12:36):
We should love whom God loves, and God loves the
Jewish people, and God loves the nation of Israel. Well,
I did want to mention something about our current resource
(13:02):
that is something that I think you you need to
be aware of. Uh, I often tell people to build
a library that there's a book, there's several books that
we should all have so we understand the Bible better
and study it better. Um, and one of the books
I think everyone should have is a Bible dictionary. And
there are many really good Bible dictionaries, but they're important.
(13:26):
It's not looking at words so much as who are
certain people in the Bible where as a place that
is mentioned. What is this event that is being described?
You can get out a Bible dictionary and look it
up and what we are offering for a gift of
any size, we'd like to send you and say thanks
by sending you the Ultimate Bible Dictionary. The reason I
(13:49):
love this Bible dictionary is it is tiny. It is
about the size of my hand and it's published by
B and H, the same publisher that produced my favorite
Bible translation, the the Holman CSB. And this ultimate Bible
dictionary is so easy to carry, so easy to use.
It's just a great resource. I love it that we're
(14:10):
able to offer it for a gift of any size.
If you'd like a copy, just send your gift and
we would love to say thank you, uh, for that
gift of any size, uh, by sending you a copy
of the Ultimate Bible Dictionary. Here's the number you should
call if you would like to give a gift and
receive a copy of the Ultimate Bible Dictionary, call (888) 644-7122.
(14:38):
That's 44. 7122. And uh, uh, or you can go
to open line radio.org. Of course. And you can give
online and that would be great. You know what I
think I'm going to do? I talked a little bit
too long in my opening word. So I think what
we're going to do is take a little break here
and then we'll just, uh, hit the ground running when
(15:00):
we come back after this break and take your calls
and your questions. Uh, my name is Michael Melnick. The
program is called Open Line. We're going to be right back.
So stay right there with your questions coming up right
here on Open Line. Welcome back to Open Line. So
(15:34):
glad to be with you. We're going to go right
to the phones. My name is Michael Ray Dolnick. This
program is open line. And we're going to take your
questions about the Bible, God and the spiritual life. Here's
Tony in Ketchikan, Alaska, listening on K120, I guess is
what it's called. Welcome to Open Line, Tony. How can
(15:56):
I help you?
S2 (15:57):
Yes. Good morning doctor. I need the help, please. John
one two, verse 15, where it says, do not love
the world. Okay. I have been wondering with this question
for a long time. When I drive, I do like
travel and driving and I see this beautiful God's creation
the rolling hills, mountains, flowers, whatever, and the Grand Canyon,
(16:17):
which I have been there hundreds of times. And every
time I go, it's like a wonder to my brain.
Now my question. Would you please. Is he wrong to
love and to admire this God's creation of us?
S1 (16:33):
You're asking about first John 215 where it says, do
not love the world or the things that belong to
the world. Yes, if anyone loves the world, the love
of the father is not in him. Well, it's not
talking about the beauty of creation there. When it's talking
about the world, it's talking about the cosmos. The organized
system that is, uh, led by Satan and opposed to God.
(16:58):
That's that's what it's talking about. The world system, the culture,
the the world culture. It's organized. Cosmos means organized. And
it's led by Satan, the prince of, uh, the god
of this world. And it's organized in direct opposition to God.
So that's what it's talking about when you think about
(17:21):
three battlegrounds, uh, of a believer in Ephesians chapter two.
Here's what it says. Uh. That was my very quick
definition of what the Bible means by the world. they're in.
First John two. Uh, it's it's the world system organized, uh,
(17:44):
by Satan in opposition to God. Here's what it says.
But before we knew the Lord, you were dead in
your trespasses and sins in which you previously walked according
to the ways of this world. That's what it's talking about.
That satanic organized system organized in opposition to God, according
(18:06):
to the ruler who exercise authority over the lower heavens.
That's the devil. So the world, the devil. Those are
the first two. The spirit now working in the disobedient.
We too, all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires.
Those are the three enemies of the believer the world,
the flesh, the devil. And those are all designed to
(18:28):
try and oppose God. That's what we were like, uh,
before we knew the Lord. We were living under those.
Now they're still our enemies. They're still what we battle.
But what first John two is saying, we need to
oppose in our hearts and our actions this system organized
by Satan in opposition to God. That's what it's talking about.
(18:51):
It's not talking about the Grand Canyon. It's not talking
about the Rocky Mountains or the the beautiful scenery and
and glory of creation in Alaska. Okay, Tony.
S2 (19:02):
Thank you so very much. Thank you.
S1 (19:04):
Yeah, yeah. Thank you for your call. Appreciate it. Uh,
we're going to talk to Kathy in Brookfield, Illinois, listening on.
Welcome to Open Line. Kathy, how can I help you today?
S3 (19:18):
Okay. I'm reading. Thank you. I'm glad to talk to you.
I'm reading Matthew 16, 18 and 19 where, um, where
Peter when Christ is talking to Peter and saying, on
this rock I will build my church in the gates
of Hades will not overcome it. But Jesus is the
(19:39):
rock Saint Peter, right?
S1 (19:43):
Well, this is talking to Peter. Jesus is the rock.
Do you remember the song? Uh, I always think of
this when. When I first came to Faith, Larry Norman
was doing all this rock and roll music. First Christian rock.
And he sang Jesus is the Rock. And he rolled
my blues away. Remember that? Anyway. So yes, Jesus is
the rock. However, he is not a rock. He is
(20:04):
not made of granite. He is. He's a. The Lord
Jesus is the God man in his humanity. He is
flesh and blood. He is not rock. What? That is
when the Bible calls the Lord the rock. That is
a metaphor for his firm. Uh, his firmness, his strength. Uh,
(20:30):
it is also, Uh, in Ephesians 220. He is the cornerstone.
He's not really a cornerstone. That, too, is a metaphor. Um,
and then if you, uh, if you look at other places,
the Lord Jesus is called. Many other metaphors. Okay. Uh,
(20:54):
we can just go on and on. And the reason
I point this out is that at times, a metaphor
can be used not only of the Lord Jesus, but
of someone else. And in this context, in Matthew 16,
I know a lot of people who are Protestants don't
like this because they think, uh, well, because other traditions
(21:17):
have used this to make Peter the first pope. But
Peter wasn't the first pope. But after Peter's great confession,
he where he says, you are the Messiah, the son
of the living God. He says, uh, Peter, you're blessed
because my father in heaven revealed this to you. Uh.
And you are Peter, which is a name that means stone.
(21:44):
And on this rock. Now, it's not just Peter's confession,
it's Peter himself. I will build my church. And the
question then is, how is it that Peter was the rock? Uh,
I believe that the answer to that is found in
verse 19. I will give you the keys of the
kingdom of heaven. Now, people have taken that to mean
(22:06):
that Peter is the one that we meet in heaven.
Remember when we see Saint Peter because he's God.
S4 (22:11):
He was the gatekeeper.
S1 (22:12):
Well, yeah, but I don't think that's what that means.
If you look at the book of acts, the very
first person to preach to Jewish people was Peter. He
opened he unlocked the gate and proclaimed the gospel to
Jewish people at Pentecost. And then in chapter eight, Even
though Philip had preached to the Samaritans, it was Peter
(22:35):
that had to go lay hands on the Samaritans so
that the Holy Spirit could fall on them. And he
opened the door of the spirit and the church being
built in Samaria. And then in acts ten, he is
the one that the Lord sends to Cornelius, the first Gentile,
to become a believer and be to in, in the,
(22:58):
in the ecclesia in the church. And Peter is the
one that preaches to him, so he unlocks it for Jews,
Samaritans and then Gentiles. That's the way he is, a
sort of foundational and opening the door of the gospel
and the building of the body of the Messiah through, uh,
(23:18):
through Peter. That's what what happened there? Does that help?
S4 (23:22):
Yeah. Well.
S3 (23:24):
It does help. I just, um, I was Catholic when
I was a kid, and I remember some priests talking
explaining this a long time ago. I thought, Jesus is
the Rock.
S4 (23:38):
But he is the rock. Don't get me wrong, he
is the rock.
S3 (23:41):
I believe he's the rock.
S4 (23:43):
Yeah he is. I think he is too. But that
doesn't mean the metaphor. Yeah, yeah, but that doesn't.
S1 (23:48):
Mean that the metaphor of rock can't be used of
someone else.
S4 (23:52):
Just as there.
S1 (23:53):
Are many metaphors, that's what.
S4 (23:55):
It is.
S3 (23:55):
Can you explain really quickly about the the keys to
the kingdom? It looks like he was giving Peter the
keys to the kingdom, whatever.
S4 (24:03):
He was given the keys, because he.
S1 (24:05):
Is the one that unlocked the door.
S4 (24:07):
For Jews.
S1 (24:08):
To believe. Acts to Samaritans to be enveloped into the
body of the Messiah. Acts eight. And then acts ten. Cornelius,
the first Gentile to be in the body of the Messiah.
S4 (24:20):
So Jews.
S1 (24:20):
Samaritans, Gentiles. That's how he got the keys. Okay.
S4 (24:24):
That's how.
S3 (24:25):
Thank you very much.
S1 (24:26):
Yeah. Thank you for your call. Appreciate it.
S4 (24:29):
Uh.
S1 (24:32):
Well, you know what? Uh, we're we're we're going to
take more calls in a moment. What we're going to
do is I do want to tell you about becoming
a kitchen table partner. There are such wonderful partners of
this program. There are people who partner by listening. And
I so appreciate that. I always thought that Eva would
be the only one listening to the program. So when
(24:52):
I meet listeners across the country, I'm always amazed and grateful.
I'm amazed that there are some people who give occasionally
when they they hear a resource that they would really
like to have. But then there are people who, regardless
of resource, regardless of anything else, they are our kitchen
table partners. I'm so grateful that they partner with us
by giving monthly so that we can be on the
(25:13):
air weekly. Uh, we do a special Bible study moment
for them that they receive, uh, in their inbox. And
every other week it's a Bible study moment that they
can listen to and, and study the word a few
minutes with me, or sometimes me and Eva. Uh, I
just so appreciate, uh, you becoming a Bible. Uh, a
kitchen table partner. Uh, the way to become a kitchen
(25:35):
table partner, if you're interested, is go to eight, call
(888) 644-7122 or go to openline.org. We really appreciate if you
do that. Uh, we'll be right back with more of
your questions in just a moment. In fact, the Febc
mailbag is coming right up. Stay with us. Welcome back
(26:09):
to Open Line. So glad that you're listening today. I'm
so grateful that the Far Eastern Broadcasting Company partners with
Open Line to bring you the weekly Febc mailbag. It's
a terrific organization. They bring the good news to people
all over the world via media, and also they have
individual personal engagement, people who are out there talking about
(26:31):
the Lord and they do a marvelous work. Check out
the Febc podcast. It's called Until All I've Heard. You
can find that on your whatever podcast distributor you have,
or you can go to Febc. Org, that's Febc. Org.
And joining me right now with the Febc mailbag is
(26:51):
to hear, Haynes, I am so glad you're sitting in
today for Tricia, or I guess you partner with Tricia
in sharing the duties on Saturday mornings. I'm so glad
that you're able to come and join me to hear.
S5 (27:04):
Thank you. I'm happy to be here. Thank you. Yeah,
we do share the duties.
S1 (27:08):
Yeah, I think that's great. I think it's wonderful. Uh,
people said to me, why would why is Tricia not
coming every Saturday? Because we need to get you on
the air, too. That's that's. We need.
S5 (27:22):
And I think it's also just just we're here during
the week. And so just to give us a balance
we share the Saturdays.
S1 (27:30):
Yeah. And you know, she's I have to say, uh,
Trish is a mom. She's got little kids that are
home on Saturdays, and I'm happy that she gets to
be with them every Saturday, that she is not with me,
but she's still prepared the mailbag. Did she not?
S5 (27:45):
She did. She sent these questions to us via email.
So thank you.
S4 (27:49):
Yep, yep.
S1 (27:50):
So. Well no, no, it's not via email. It's a
huge bag like in miracle on 34th Street where they
carry the bags in at the end. That's what it
looks like, right?
S5 (27:59):
Right.
S1 (28:01):
Yeah. The the theater of the mind. Okay. Uh, let's
let's look at some of these questions.
S5 (28:07):
Sure. We will start with Kathleen from Ohio listening through.
She says my friend lost her mother recently. She says,
where can I tell her that her mother is now?
She has hopes that because they are the chosen people. Um.
They're Jewish. That those. She died without proclaiming Jesus as
her Lord and savior. That she is with Jesus. How
(28:29):
can you comfort someone whose loved one has passed away
when you're uncertain of their eternity, but doubt they're with Jesus?
S1 (28:39):
You know, I think one of the things that people
want to have is to have a special deal for
Jewish people. And of course, if you care about Jewish people,
if you care about, uh, others in other religious groups, uh,
you think, okay, well, maybe the Lord will reveal himself
after death or something like that, but I want to
(29:01):
just say this. The Bible says for, uh, that, that
God so loved the world that he gave his one
and only son. And whoever believes in him will not
perish but have everlasting life. That's a really simple verse.
But do you notice the point? God has made provision
for everyone, but it has to be activated by faith.
(29:24):
This is what the Lord Jesus said specifically to Jewish people,
but it applies to everyone. Therefore, this is John 824
therefore I told you that you will die in your sins.
If you do not believe that I am he, you
will die in your sins. In other words, and by
the way that I am, he is a declaration of deity.
S5 (29:46):
Okay.
S1 (29:47):
It literally says, unless you believe that I am, uh,
then you'll die in your sins. So, uh, I don't
think anyone, Jew or Gentile, uh, gets a special backdoor
way into the hand, into the the the eternity. There
(30:09):
is a need. We. That's why we proclaim the gospel.
That's why I tell Jewish people and Gentiles, even people
who are from a a Bible believing tradition. That's why
we were proclaiming the gospel regularly. The good news is
this that Jesus died for our sins and rose again.
He took our punishment with his death. He was declared
(30:30):
to be God with power through the resurrection. And his
ability to save us is clear. So what do I
say to someone? And this doesn't just mean Jewish people
who may have lost a loved one. I don't know
the destiny of most people who die, and I don't
offer hope that way. All I ever do is ask. Uh.
(30:57):
All I do is I ask for God to comfort, uh,
the people. And I always like, with a Jewish person.
I say, may you be comforted among the mourners of Zion.
That's what we traditionally say. Uh, I ask for God
to bring the those who who are here to bring
them comfort. Unless I am absolutely certain that this Jewish
(31:19):
person or Gentile person. Had made a firm decision to
follow Jesus. You know, I don't you know, I trust
that God knows what he's doing. The judge of all
the earth will do right. And I do believe that
God can bring comfort, even to people who have lost
a loved one. And we don't know their destiny. Uh,
(31:41):
the other thing I always say is that there are
many Jewish people who were secret believers because of the
difficulty of taking a stand for Jesus publicly. It's not
like they rejected him or. HID their faith. They just
didn't speak up. And so sometimes I've talked to Jewish
people and they say, yeah, I've believed that. Um, and
(32:06):
it is kind of sad to me that they are
not bolder, but it causes me to be very hesitant
to decide on this side of the equation, who is lost?
Who is in heaven. I just trust God to bring comfort.
And that's what I would say. Kathleen. Just to say,
may God bring you comfort now. May you find comfort
(32:26):
among the mourners of Zion. Uh, that the the Lord
can give you comfort.
S5 (32:31):
Michael, thank you for that caring, truthful, truthful response we have.
S1 (32:37):
It's, by the way, uh, I hate doing funerals. And
let me just say, when I officiate at a funeral,
most of the time I've not known the destiny of
the person. Uh, I had a dear friend that passed
away a few weeks ago, and it was one of
the most joyous occasions. Even though I was heartbroken about
(32:59):
losing a friend because he had taken a really clear, uh, position,
he had trusted in the Lord. He had walked with
the Lord and and, you know, I know where he is.
But most of the time, it's not like that.
S5 (33:13):
So thank you so much, Michael. We have another question
from David in Florida who listens through the Moody Radio app.
His question is, are faith and belief synonyms?
S1 (33:27):
Yeah, he I see his question. He's written out a
lot more. You know, we're saved by grace through faith,
but we're actually saved by belief. Well, the word group
in Greek is from the verb pisteuo or pistis, which
is the noun, and it means belief or faith, believe
(33:51):
or trust. It's all the same word. It's it's in English.
We have different synonyms for it, but it's all the
same word. It's all the same word group. The word
group in Greek. And the same thing in Hebrew. Uh,
Ammon is the Hebrew word, and it's all the same
(34:11):
word group. Whether you see, trust, believe, Have faith. It's
all the same. So yeah, they are actually faith and
believe are absolute belief are absolute synonyms. Yes.
S5 (34:26):
Thank you David.
S1 (34:27):
They're synonyms English. In Greek they're not even synonyms. They're
the same word. So okay.
S5 (34:32):
Thank you for that. Thank you so much. Um, another
question is from Ron, also in Florida, who listens through
Moody Radio Florida. Is there a difference in the temptations
of the flesh and temptations from Satan in our battle
against the flesh? Is our battle against the flesh instigated
by Satan, or are there two different areas we face?
S1 (34:54):
Well, one of the things that we're going to see
is that, uh, in the Millennial Kingdom, there will still
be people born. There will still be people who are.
Who need to trust in Jesus. Uh, and they will.
Some of them won't. And they will be battling the
(35:15):
flesh even though Satan is bound. So, uh. And so
there are the the flesh itself operates within us. Uh,
but I don't today. I don't doubt that there is
a connection between. I read it earlier in the program,
(35:36):
Ephesians two one through three, where we have our three.
Enemies the world, the flesh and the devil. And I
think in James one. There's a passage that that kind
of reflects what's going on. It says, uh, no one
(35:59):
undergoing a trial should say, I'm being tempted by God.
For God is not tempted by evil. He doesn't tempt anyone.
He himself. But each person is tempted when he is
drawn away and enticed by his own evil desires. Now
the evil desires is a reflection of the flesh. The
temptation or enticement that is drawing him away is the devil.
(36:25):
I think that the the devil is out there fishing
and he's dropping bait, and our flesh is the one
that responds to it. And he knows which areas of
the flesh are different areas of weakness for each of us. Um,
you know, I, I remember having a dear friend once.
She would have never been tempted to be immoral. Not
(36:45):
at all. Ever. Uh, this is, uh, I've been friends
with this person for maybe 50 years now, but when
we were in college, she would have never been tempted
to be immoral as she isn't now. However, she was
tempted to marry someone that didn't know the Lord because
he was a good and kind person. And. And that
(37:07):
was a temptation from the enemy. Uh, so, you know,
I think that that he knows each of our desires secretly,
that maybe even better than we do because he observes
us and he drops the enemy or his, you know,
the demons will drop bait in front of us. Try
(37:28):
and arrange things to be so that we're tempted based
on our own individual fleshly desires. And so, uh, they're
not the same, but they certainly do operate together. I
would say.
S5 (37:42):
Thank you for that.
S1 (37:43):
Yeah. By the way, that's why we need to shore up.
Know the word of God, resist it. Uh, resist the
enemy and he will flee. And, uh, quoting the Word
of God, I believe, is the best way to resist
those temptations of the flesh.
S5 (37:58):
So. Amen.
S1 (37:58):
Anyway, thank you. Tara. We're going to come back with
more of your questions in just a moment. This is
Tara Haynes. Michael. Ray. Dominic. This is open line on
Moody Radio. Stay with.
S4 (38:09):
Us.
S1 (38:23):
Welcome back to Open Line. My name is Michael Ray.
I'm so glad you're listening today. I love talking with
you about your questions about the Bible, God and the
spiritual life. Uh uh, the, uh, The Chosen People Ministries
has done something. It actually really relates well to, uh.
(38:49):
What I opened the show with talking about why we
should care about Israel. People frequently ask questions about the
Jewish people. They frequently, frequently ask questions about Israel. Are
they the chosen people? Where do they fit in the
plan of God? And so Chosen People ministries, who partners
to bring you open line every week? they are offering
(39:09):
a free booklet called Why Israel? It explores the topic
of Israel through the lens of Scripture, and it deals
with questions like has the church replaced Israel today? What
what should we think about Israel today? Uh, these questions
and more will be answered with an outline of biblical
theology of Israel. And if you'd like a free copy
of Why Israel? Just go to the Open Line website.
(39:33):
That's open Line radio.org. Scroll down. You'll see a 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 very own free copy
of Why Israel? Well, we're going to go to the
phones right now. We're going to talk to Jeff in Akron, Ohio,
(39:53):
listening on CRF. Welcome to Open Line. Jeff. I hear
you're driving, right.
S6 (39:59):
Well, I just pulled over, so I think we're good.
S4 (40:01):
Oh, good.
S1 (40:01):
That's what I was going to ask you to do.
Please pull over so that we can talk and not
be distracted. That's good. Keep safe. How can I help
you today, Jeff?
S6 (40:11):
So my question, um, comes out of, uh, first Corinthians 714,
where Paul writes that a believing spouse will sanctify his
unbelieving spouse. And, um, and then he goes on to say,
otherwise the children would be unclean. So my concern or
(40:33):
question is, um, facing an impending divorce, where would that
leave my spouse? And, you know, most most importantly, like
my my kids, as far as being unclean.
S1 (40:47):
Is your spouse a believer? Is your wife a believer?
S6 (40:50):
I it's hard to say. Um, you know, I hate
to comment on what someone believes.
S4 (40:55):
No, no.
S1 (40:56):
But she let me just say, has she professed to
be a believer?
S6 (41:02):
Like, I, she keeps it to herself. She doesn't go
to church. She has some church hurt from the past,
so I don't know where that lies with her.
S1 (41:11):
Okay, well, the context here is about, uh, staying married. Mhm.
That's that's the point. Uh, if any brother, verse 12
has an unbelieving wife and she is willing to live
with him, he must not leave her. Verse 13, if
also if any woman has an unbelieving husband, and he
(41:31):
is willing to live with her, she must not leave
her husband. The idea is that, uh, generally speaking, it
is more likely for. Well, first, those two verses are
saying that if your, uh, if a person's spouse is
not a believer but still willing to stay with the believer,
(41:53):
stay together. Uh, that's because, uh, in ancient times, when
this was being written to the Corinthians, when people became believers,
they wanted to leave their spouse. who didn't know the Lord.
And Paul is saying, no, no, stay in that circumstance.
Stay with her. Why? For that's the explanatory word. The
(42:14):
unbelieving husband is set apart for God by the wife,
and the unbelieving wife is set apart for God by
the husband. The word sanctify means set apart. And I
like how the CSB translates it set apart. In other words,
what it's saying is this person, this unbelieving spouse, if
you stay married, is more likely to become a believer
(42:38):
in the context of a of a loving relationship. Then
if you just break up because one is a believer
and one isn't. So that's what it's saying. That's why
we stay together, because that that will enable the spouse
who doesn't believe. More likely not certain, but more likely
to become a follower of Jesus as well. Otherwise, your
(43:00):
children would be Corrupt, but now they are set apart
for God. The same thing if if, for example, uh, you, uh,
if a person has a spouse that's not a believer
and takes the children with them, they are now less
likely to become believers outside the confines of this loving
(43:20):
family and the outside of the influence of the believer.
That's what Paul is saying. He's not saying that children
are automatically not going to be believers, but it's it's
more about likelihood, um, staying together in a context of
with the believing spouse is better for the unbelieving spouse.
(43:41):
It's better for the unbelieving children. They are much more
likely to become believers. Uh, how old are your children today, Jeff?
S6 (43:51):
Um, well, I have a stepson is 17, and then the, um,
my daughter is seven.
S1 (43:58):
Well, let's talk about your daughter. Uh. if she. The
thing that this is saying is not that she automatically
becomes I mean, we're all unclean in the sense that we, uh,
if we don't believe we're in our sins, but the
likelihood for her to be set apart, to become a
believer is better for her to be as you have
influence in her life. So even if you're going to divorce,
(44:22):
you cannot abandon your child. You have to, uh, try
and have good influence into her life, both emotionally, physically,
but spiritually as well. Uh, that's that's that's there. Yeah,
but that's what it's talking about there.
S6 (44:41):
So.
S1 (44:42):
Okay. Okay. And you're still close with your daughter?
S6 (44:46):
Yes. It's still we go to church every week, and, um,
she's a believer and she's been baptized. She's okay. All that.
It's the spouse. It's my spouse who's requesting the separation. So,
you know, I kind of I don't want to hold
her hostage by it, but I also just concerned with
my daughter and and him wording that unclean. I just,
(45:08):
you know, she automatically become unclean.
S1 (45:11):
No, no. Do you understand what that's saying? It's about taking.
S6 (45:14):
Her.
S1 (45:15):
Taking her out of the influence of of the the believer.
That's what it's talking about. So just keep influencing her,
even with the separation or a divorce. Okay.
S6 (45:27):
Right. Thank you.
S1 (45:28):
Okay. Yeah. Uh, Jeff, I'm sorry that you're going through this. It's.
I think it's the most painful thing. Um, sometimes I
think a divorce is even harder than losing a spouse. Uh,
and so the thing is, don't lose the influence you
can have, uh, on on even your 17 year old stepson, uh,
(45:51):
your daughter and maybe even, uh, continue to love and
care for your wife, even if she proceeds with the divorce,
because who knows what kind of impact you can have
in her life in the long run. So anyway, thanks
for your call, Jeff. I can't believe it. The first
hour of the program is done, but there's a whole
(46:13):
other hour of open line coming up a second hour
on most of these stations. You know, if your station
doesn't carry it, that's okay. You can listen online, you
can listen on the podcast, you can get the Moody
Radio app. There's all sorts of ways you can get
the second program during the break. Check out our website, radio.org.
That page has links to past programs, questions, things like that.
(46:34):
How to get our current resource. Even if you're interested
in going to Israel with me or traveling with me,
there's a link to my personal web page. Org you
should check that out. The Bible study across America will
continue in the second hour, so stay with us. Open
line with Doctor Michael Melnick is a production of Moody Radio,
a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.
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