July 27, 2024 • 47 mins
No matter the season, it's important to read your Bible. When you have questions, bring them to Open Line with Dr. Michael Rydelnik. He is here, rain or shine, hot or cold, to answer your questions about God, the Bible, and the spiritual life. Join us this Saturday for Open Line.
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S1 (00:08):
Hello friends. It's time for the second hour of Open
Line with Doctor Michael Radonich. This is Moody Radio's Bible
study Across America. We're talking about your questions about the Bible,
God and the spiritual life. My name is Michael Radonich.
I'm the academic dean at Moody Bible Institute. I'm still
the professor of Jewish studies. I've got great news. We
(00:30):
have a new Jewish Studies professor joining me starting this August.
I'm pretty excited about that, but I'll still be teaching
a little bit besides being Dean, but I am mostly
happy to be with you right here on the radio today.
So glad that you have joined me and that you're
listening live across the whole Moody Radio Network. I'm coming
(00:51):
to you from Chicago, but I was just talking with
Chris Siegert that I'm amazed people are listening in Ohio,
people are listening in Florida, and they're those that have
my personal phone number. They're texting me about this or that.
They're usually I get the right answers from Eva. But, uh, today, uh,
other encouragement just to see that there are people listening.
(01:13):
I'm so grateful for this, this audience across the United
States and across the globe. There are people that listen
all over the world. And so glad for this Bible
study across America and around the world. If you have
a question, now's the time to call (877) 548-3675. If you
can't get through, if you can't call, if you can't, uh,
(01:35):
somehow get in that way, what you can do is
go to our website, openline radio.org. There's a link that
says Ask Michael a question, click on that and fill
out the form. And the question comes in and Trish
puts it in the mailbag. And we'll get to it
as soon as we can. But right now we're going
to go right back to the phones. And we're going
(01:55):
to talk with Kim in Florida. Where in Florida? Kim. Hello. Hello, Kim.
Where are you calling from? Yeah. Where are you calling
from in In Florida?
S2 (02:07):
Uh, we're calling from Lake City, Florida, North central Florida,
North central.
S1 (02:12):
And I guess you're listening on Wcqs.
S2 (02:14):
But I'm listening. No. I'm listening. No, I told my
Alexa to play Moody Radio South Florida.
S1 (02:20):
Ah, there we go. Okay, R&B, that's our station.
S2 (02:24):
Whenever I can get it.
S1 (02:25):
Yeah.
S2 (02:26):
That's great. That's right.
S1 (02:27):
Yeah, I you know, I love it when I go
down there. Bye bye Boca Raton. We've done a number
of live events down there and it is so much fun, uh,
to meet all these people. It's like being in New York. Yeah. Yes.
It's my.
S2 (02:43):
Old. It's my old stomping ground. Yes. Yeah.
S1 (02:47):
Okay. How can I help you, Kim?
S2 (02:50):
Well, thank you so much for taking my call. I
have this question very near and dear to my heart. Um,
the subject of intercessory prayer. And, um, I'm I'm wondering what,
if any biblical basis that you can point out for
me that would support the belief that a person can
be saved through faithful intercessory prayer after they've already. Oh,
(03:15):
after they've basically.
S1 (03:16):
If they die without knowing the Lord. Right.
S2 (03:19):
Well, even if they knew the Lord. Um, you know,
there's a lot of scenarios, as you can imagine. But
if someone did know the Lord or if someone was, was,
was young and backslidden and all of these different things.
But my main thing is God is outside of time
and limitations. So based upon intercessory prayer, how can that affect.
S1 (03:44):
Yeah.
S2 (03:46):
Yeah, yeah. Well, do you know what I mean?
S1 (03:49):
Yeah, but we're never outside of time. God is transcendent.
We are not. So, uh, we're immortal, but not transcendent
above time. So, uh, I don't think that we can
When we die, we don't become, uh, in the same
(04:09):
sense of of above time out of time, transcendent the
way God is. So whether he is or not, our
prayers for people who are temporal beings doesn't change. Um, and, uh,
some people have misused the verse and I'm going to
(04:32):
just focus on can we see about someone being. But
if someone knew the Lord but was backslidden and they'd
die and but they knew the Lord, right? There's no
point in praying for them because they're with the Lord.
And and they, you know, when we see him, we
shall be like him all the sin, uh, that that
(04:57):
tripped us up in this life is going to be gone.
So I don't see why you would pray for someone
that was backslidden and then passed away, do you? Kim?
S2 (05:13):
Yes. Um, I never, you know, it's like I said,
it's very close to my near and dear to my heart.
And so I, uh.
S1 (05:24):
Do you understand what I'm saying? When, when when someone
goes to be with the Lord, whether they were backslidden
or not, they are now. They are now, uh, made whole. Uh,
you know, there the Bible does say when we see him,
we shall be like him. So now, the only question
that we often get is what about praying for people
(05:45):
who didn't know the Lord and then they passed away?
Can they still be saved? Do they get a second chance?
And they base it on a verse in first Peter
319 that he went and made a proclamation to the
spirits now in prison. So Jesus preached to them after
they had died, and And therefore, uh, they say that
(06:08):
they have another, another chance. They hear the gospel again. Uh, well,
truth to tell, if he does make I don't believe
the Lord Jesus descended to hell and made proclamation. I
don't think that's what this is saying. However, if that's
what it meant, he would be proclaiming his victory. He
wouldn't be proclaiming them a second chance, because Hebrews 927
(06:32):
is real clear. It's appointed unto man once to die
and then the judgment. What it means in first Peter
319 is he preached to them while they were yet
alive through Noah, because that's the context. And they are
now having disbelieved Noah, spirits in prison, uh, awaiting future judgment.
(06:55):
So the Bible is pretty clear that this is our opportunity. Uh,
just like, just. I'll give you the example of Lazarus
and the rich man knowing it's a parable. But there's
a principle. Remember, the rich man didn't get a second
opportunity to be comforted by Father Abraham. He wanted while
(07:17):
they were still alive, to get the message to his brothers. Uh,
the message of repentance. I think that that's the great
motivation we need to have is while people are alive,
we get the message to them of the good news
that Jesus died for us and rose again. And we
(07:40):
can be forgiven forever if we trust in him. That's
the first part. Secondly, if people have passed away and
we don't know what their destiny is, here's a great reminder.
The Bible says the judge of all the earth will
do what is right. And as much as we would
like it, uh, you know, he knows what's right and
(08:03):
good and just. And we just have to trust him
for that. So, uh. Yes. Uh, but, you know, when
when someone passes away, I never pray for the person
who passed away. Uh, I pray for the people who
were left be left here who are grieving that loss.
(08:24):
And I do pray for those people. Okay?
S3 (08:29):
Yes.
S2 (08:30):
Okay. Yes. Thank you. Appreciate your answer. Yeah.
S1 (08:32):
I appreciate your question. I really do truly understand it. So, uh,
we're going to speak next with Cheryl listening in Illinois someplace. Uh,
is there a town where you're living, Cheryl, or are
you just hovering over the whole state?
S3 (08:49):
No.
S2 (08:50):
Yeah, I told her. We live in.
S3 (08:51):
Lagrange.
S1 (08:52):
Lagrange, Illinois? That's the Chicago area. I guess you're listening
on Wmbi. Yes.
S3 (08:57):
Great. Yes we are. That's great. Yeah. Um, you know,
I'm reading in Genesis, and God promised Jacob that he
was living in the land of Canaan. But then, of course,
his whole family and him end up in Egypt because
of the famine. So I'm wondering what how long were
(09:19):
they in Egypt? And it almost seems like God diverted
his whole plan of them living in the Canaan because
they ended up in Egypt, and then they ended up
being the slaves. And I just was wondering if you
could kind of flesh out that history part of it.
For me.
S1 (09:35):
That wasn't a diversion of God's plan. Uh, he says
to Abraham in Genesis 15, know this for certain verse 13,
your offspring will be foreigners in a land that does
not belong to them. They will be enslaved and oppressed
(09:55):
400 years. However, I will judge the nation they serve,
and afterward they will go out with many possessions. But
you will go to your fathers in peace and be
buried at a ripe old age in the fourth generation.
They will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites
(10:17):
has not yet reached its full measure. What does that mean?
God told Abraham that his descendants of Isaac and Jacob,
the Jacob and his sons, would go down to Egypt
and his descendants would live there. And I think this
is approximately 400 years. Paul tells us in Galatians, it
was for 430 years, exactly so 430 years. This is
(10:42):
a general about 400 years. And um, and then after
that they will go out with many possessions. Egypt will
be judged. And the reason for this plan of God?
It's not a diversion. It's the plan is that the
sins of the Amorite, that's one of the people groups.
(11:04):
Another way of saying Canaanites is not complete. They are idolatrous.
They were wicked. Uh, they were they were engaged in
child sacrifice and abominable sexual sins and, uh, just awful.
And God like Romans one talks about, he gave them
over to their sin. He was saying, okay, I'm going
(11:25):
to let them give them 400 years to repent. They're
in the land or to go their own direction. And
then when that's complete, God will bring the Jewish people
back out of Egypt to be his agents of judgment
on the Canaanites. So that was part of the plan.
And that's what exactly what happened. Okay. Cheryl.
S3 (11:44):
So Jake. So Jacob knew that then what you're saying?
S1 (11:49):
Uh. You know, it doesn't say whether he knew it
because Moses wrote this. So did Jacob know what the
vision was to Abraham? Uh, I don't know, probably he did, but, uh,
it doesn't say which generation of Jewish people would go
(12:10):
to the land. It only says that his that Abraham's
descendants would go. So Jacob may have known that some
descendants of Abraham would go, but I don't know if
he knew at that time that he would be the one.
But I'll tell you what they did know. Uh, he
asked to be buried back in the land of Israel.
Joseph met that need. and Joseph, also, when he was buried,
(12:34):
told his descendants to bring his bones back to the
land because he fully expected to be brought back. Uh,
the Jewish people to go back to the land of Canaan,
the land of promise, and established Israel. And he said,
take my bones. And they brought them along.
S4 (12:52):
So, yeah.
S1 (12:53):
Okay.
S3 (12:54):
Can you tell me that verse again in Genesis that
you quoted in the beginning where it says that.
S1 (12:59):
Yeah, it's Genesis 15 verses 13 through 16. So thanks
for your call, Cheryl. Hope that helps. Really appreciate you, uh,
reading the Bible so carefully and wondering about that. If
you have a question, give me a call (877) 548-3675. I'll
do my best to answer it. You're listening to Open
(13:21):
Line right here on Moody Radio. My name is Michael Radulovic,
and I'll be right back. Come back. Welcome back to
Open Line. My name is Michael Radulovic. I'm so glad
(13:42):
to be with you today. And you know, one of
the things I love, I was just mentioning to the
the team here by Beyond the Window is that I
just love answering Bible questions. I did it for years
with students, and I'm grateful for every opportunity Moody has
given me on the radio to answer Bible questions. And
(14:02):
one of the things I try to do is help
people figure out how to get their questions answered without
even calling me. That's why I recommend books from time
to time, why I worked on the Moody Bible Commentary,
all those kinds of things. And one book that in
the Bible that breeds a lot of questions, makes people
sometimes get a little confused is the book of acts.
(14:23):
When I came to Moody as a student, this August,
next month will be 50 years. I was a prodigy.
I came as a five year old. But anyway. Uh, no,
that don't believe that. But anyway, uh, when I came
here 50 years ago, I was surprised that we even
studied the book of acts at Moody Bible Institute. And
then it became my favorite course I took. And, uh,
(14:46):
I loved it and still love it. And one of
the most helpful little books that you can get to
explain many of the questions in the book of acts
is the everyday Bible commentary by Doctor Charles Ryrie, he
of the Ryrie Study Bible. He was my professor in seminary. Uh,
loved him as a professor. He's very clear, very concise.
It's a really helpful little book, and it's our current resource. Uh,
(15:10):
we'd love to send you a copy. If you send
a gift of any size. It's our way of saying
thank you for your gift. And, uh, it's it's something
I don't know if people realize, uh, how helpful it
is to have a good little commentary that's easy to
understand and answer your questions. It might keep you from
(15:31):
having to call me. That's fine. Uh, I'm really grateful
for this book. If you'd like to give a gift
and receive a copy of Acts by Doctor Ryrie, call
Call (888) 644-7122 or go to Open Line Radio. Org and
remember ask for the book of Acts everyday Bible commentary
(15:52):
by Doctor Charles Ryrie. We're going to talk to reader Rita.
My New York accent just came out there. Reader. Uh,
Rita in Huntersville, North Carolina, welcome to Open Line. Rita,
how can I help you?
S5 (16:06):
Hi, doctor Michael redlich. Hi. Yeah, that's Henderson, that's Hendersonville,
and I'm a transplant from Chicago.
S1 (16:13):
Hendersonville I know Hendersonville, yes.
S5 (16:16):
The mountains.
S1 (16:17):
I'm just, you know, I just read what's on there,
so I'm sorry, I, you know, I said Colleen is
Pauline and Hendersonville is Huntersville. So sorry about that.
S5 (16:28):
Just don't just don't call me late for dinner.
S4 (16:30):
Anyways. Where are you from originally?
S1 (16:31):
You're not from North Carolina? Where are you from?
S5 (16:34):
Oh, no, from Chicago.
S1 (16:35):
Chicago. There we.
S4 (16:36):
Go.
S5 (16:36):
Yes, sir. Yes, sir. I'm a Yankee. That's what they
call me anyway. Yankee forever. Cubs fan forever. So, anyway, um,
I read a passage this morning that kind of rocked
my world. You know how you read something a million times,
and all of a sudden you see something in there
that wasn't there yesterday?
S4 (16:52):
Yeah, sure.
S5 (16:54):
I'm reading in John 12 how Jesus had done all
kinds of miraculous signs in the presence of the Jews,
and they still would not believe in him. And then
they it says for this reason they could not believe, because,
as Isaiah said elsewhere, he has blinded their eyes and
deadened their hearts. And it just kind of I never
(17:15):
really saw that. It says he has blinded their eyes.
So it was like God blinded their eyes and dead
in their hearts. So is this kind of like he
blinded or he hardened Pharaoh's heart even more in Egypt?
Does this apply to people today, or was this for
the Jews then?
S1 (17:31):
Okay, so let me see if I can simplify the question.
Is there a distinct judicial blindness that Jewish people alone experience?
That's what you're asking, right?
S4 (17:44):
Yeah.
S5 (17:45):
I mean, is it does this go for people today who. Yeah.
Who just used to believe or.
S1 (17:51):
Well, here's the thing. The Bible does talk in first
in Isaiah six and there in John 12, Romans 11
about Jewish people being blinded by their unbelief. John nine
is a great example of that. Although, uh, the man
who believes in John nine, the blind man, the man
who was born blind. He's Jewish too. But the Jewish leadership,
(18:13):
they don't believe Matthew 12. John 12. All those places
where you're you're talking about there does appear to be
a blindness. But here's what I'm going to say. The
reason Jewish people are blinded is because they don't believe.
And I would say it's in a Jewish context. It
(18:34):
sounds like he's picking on Jews. But what about people
in a non-Jewish context? What happens to them if they
refuse to believe? What do you think, Rita?
S5 (18:45):
Well, that's my whole question.
S4 (18:47):
Yeah, what do you think?
S1 (18:48):
But what happens to people who aren't Jewish, who don't believe?
Just guess. What do you think the answer is?
S5 (18:53):
I think it's the same.
S1 (18:54):
It's the same. Exactly. Second Corinthians four four says this,
the God of this age and the reason that the
God of this age can do it is because God
has mandated this. So, uh, even Satan is God. Satan.
But here's what it says. The God of this age
has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so they cannot see
the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ,
(19:17):
who is the image of God. Wait a second. What
does the God of this age do to people who
don't believe? He blinds them in first Corinthians. That's that's
second Corinthians four four. The God of this age, that
Satan has blinded the minds of unbelievers. Look at that.
(19:39):
And then in first Corinthians chapter two, he says, he's
talking about, uh, the natural man, which my version, the
CSB translate, uh, the it translates unbeliever, but it means
a natural man, someone who doesn't know the Lord. It
(20:00):
says the unbeliever. Verse 14 does not welcome what comes
from God's Spirit, because it is foolishness to him. He's
not able to understand it since it's evaluated spiritually. Look
at that. A non-believer, what happens to them? They're blinded.
S5 (20:19):
This, um. But this passage in John, it says he
has blinded their eyes. Meaning God. So is this kind
of the same way as Romans 126 that God gave
them over?
S1 (20:31):
Well, no, I think what God yes, God does it
even in second Corinthians four four where the God of
this age does it Satan. God is still in charge
of that. That would not happen if God did not
deem it necessary and right.
S4 (20:50):
Got it.
S1 (20:51):
Uh, so every person who doesn't believe is blinded in
Jewish context. It sounds like it's only Jewish people, but
that's not the case. It's surprising that Jewish people who
have so much there's, I think, a almost a greater
accountability because, you know, it says in Romans three, Jewish
(21:12):
people are the, you know, to what advantage does a
Jewish person have great in every respect to them were
committed the oracles of God, right? Yeah. So, uh, we
had direct revelation, Jewish people. Uh, so there's almost a
greater accountability to believe it. Jewish people had all these covenants,
(21:33):
the Abrahamic Covenant, the Davidic Covenant, the New covenant made
with them. Uh, how in the world do we not
believe so? It's more surprising, and the blindness is more shocking.
But it doesn't matter how much information we had, the
fact that Jewish people don't believe that's the shock. But, uh,
(21:56):
no matter how much information people have, if they don't
believe the good news, if they don't believe what God
has revealed, then what's the result? Blindness. Blindness and what
breaks it? Only the Spirit of God. You know, I
am getting ready for going to the Aegean and going
to places like Philippi. So I've been reading in the Bible, uh,
(22:21):
the some of the places I'll be going. What happened there?
And I was reading about Philippi, and here's what it says. Uh, that, uh,
we sat down, uh, this is on the Sabbath day.
This is acts 1613. We went outside the city by
the river where we thought there was a place of prayer.
(22:43):
We sat down and spoke to the women gathered there.
A woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from
the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God, was listening. She
was a Jewish woman. She was listening. Listen to the
to the second half of verse 14. The Lord opened
(23:05):
her heart to pay attention to what was spoken by Paul.
And she and her household were baptized. After she and
her household were baptized, she urged us, if you consider
me a believer in the Lord, come and stay at
my house. And she persuaded us. Now here's the deal.
How is it that she believed the Lord opened her
(23:26):
heart so that a person on their own would never
believe this? What does it take? The Spirit of God
working in their heart to open their hearts, to believe?
It's what the Bible calls efficacious enablement, or what theologians
called efficacious enablement or efficacious grace. Uh, that's that's what
(23:49):
we're looking for. That's why we pray for people to believe. Okay.
S5 (23:53):
Amen. Thank you. Doctor. Yeah.
S1 (23:55):
Thank you so much for your call. Uh, we're going
to speak with, uh, Mark in Chicago, listening on Wmbi.
Welcome to Open Line. Mark.
S4 (24:04):
Mark, how can I help you? Thank you for.
S6 (24:05):
Taking my call. Sure, sure. So I'm looking in, um,
Genesis chapter 12. God blesses Abraham. Abraham. Yeah. And he says,
I will bless those who bless you. And whoever curses you,
I will curse. Did that blessing and curse apply only
to Abraham, or does this apply to all his descendants
(24:26):
and in particular to Israel today? I think to you
here in the United States.
S1 (24:33):
Uh, it's really clear to me that it does apply
to Abraham. No question about that. Uh, it's quoted again
in numbers 24, uh, about a descendant of Abraham. So
it seems to me that, yes, it does apply to
(24:58):
the descendants of Abraham. When you look at the history
of the Jewish people in the Bible, there's blessing for
blessing wherever Pharaoh blessed Joseph, uh, or when Potiphar blessed Joseph,
when the jailer blessed Joseph, what did God do? He
blessed all of Joseph's hand. And it led to the
blessing of those who blessed, uh, the descendant of Jacob. Uh,
(25:22):
you look at history. Uh, when Haman wanted to curse
the Jewish people, the curse came upon him. So I
think it does continue. Uh, Romans 1128 and 29 says
that the chosenness of Israel continues, and those blessings will continue, uh,
even to this day. That's Romans 11 2829. We'll be
(25:44):
back with the mailbag in just a moment. Thanks for
your call, Mark. Really appreciate it. Uh, this is open
line with Michael, right? I'll be right back.
UU (26:07):
And we're back.
S1 (26:08):
My name is Michael Ray Melnick, and I am so
glad that you're listening in to Open Line today right
here on Moody Radio. We're having a great time sitting
around studying the word together. You know, whenever something happens
in the Middle East, it always prompts a lot of
questions about Bible prophecy. And there's all sorts of people
will make all kinds of weird speculations and, uh, claims
(26:32):
about prophecy. It just spurs a lot of questions. And
that's why Chosen People Ministry is one of our partners
that helps keep open Line on the air. Uh, they
are offering a terrific, Moody Publishers book for free. It's
called What Does the Bible Say About the future? 30
Questions on Bible Prophecy, Israel and the End Times. It
was written by our very own Charlie Dyer from Moody Radio,
(26:56):
host of The Land in the book. This book gives
an insight into what the Bible says about the future,
not what people speculate. And it's a really helpful, uh,
informational book. I think you're going to really love it.
And it's yours for free. All you have to do
is go to our website, openline. Radio org. Scroll down.
(27:16):
You'll see a link that says a free gift from
Chosen People Ministries, and then you can get a copy
of it for yourself. Uh, joining me right now is
Karen Hendren. She's got the mailbag that Tricia prepared. Prepared.
But you're dragging it in. It's a very heavy mailbag,
isn't it? It is, it is.
S7 (27:35):
I have to go to the gym to drag this
thing in.
S1 (27:38):
That's right. Well, uh, it's the Febc mailbag. And one
of the things I appreciate that Febc partners with us
to bring Open line and sponsor the mailbag. I so
appreciate that. I appreciate Febc, even if they didn't sponsor
the mailbag, because Far Eastern Broadcasting Company is bringing the
good news to people all over in places where we
(28:01):
couldn't really reach them except for media, and then they
actually have people on the ground that follow up. It's
a tremendous ministry, and if you'd like to know more
about it and how they're having a great impact in
unreached countries, just go to their website febc. Org it's
got a link there. It's to their podcast. It's called
Until All Have Heard. Check it out. I think you're
(28:22):
going to really appreciate them. And now Karen what have
you got here. You've got all these questions right. Yeah.
Any of them really ring true with you that you think. Yeah.
I was wondering that.
S7 (28:33):
Um, you know what? They're they're always are. You know, uh,
looking through these, there's always. And and some of these questions, too,
are also questions that I've heard other people ask over
and over again, you know. So, yeah.
S1 (28:49):
I'm really glad that a lot of people ask questions
over and over again, because I'm always amazed that there
are new questions every week that I've never heard. But
then there's enough that I've heard before, so I've been
able to study the answer.
S7 (29:01):
Yeah. Well, we're going to start with Don in from Mississippi.
He listens in on Wcmh and he wants to know
what happened during the silence between the old the writing
of the Old and New Testament.
S1 (29:14):
Well, probably a lot of things happened, you know. You know,
the the silent years. But, uh, I actually teach about
the the Intertestamental period. That's what it's called the what
he calls the 400 silent years. A lot of people
usually call a silent century. Uh, uh, because there's some
things that we don't know. But here's some things that
(29:37):
that I would say happened. Okay. One, because you go
from the Old Testament, no synagogue to the New Testament
of the Gospels, Jesus goes into the synagogue. So what happened?
S7 (29:49):
It was built.
S1 (29:50):
The synagogue developed? Yeah. Uh, the idea. When Jewish people
went into captivity in Babylon, they would gather, it says
in Ezekiel and Ezekiel's home for prayer. And that led
to synagogues being established. And then when the Jewish people
came back to the land, they even there because they
(30:11):
weren't in Jerusalem all the time. They. And in Jerusalem,
they didn't go to the temple all the time. So
they developed the synagogue. That's one of the things that
happened in the 400 silent years. Another thing that happened was,
according to the historian Josephus, the dispersion of the Jewish
people expanded all across the globe so that there wasn't
a place anywhere, according to Josephus, where this people has
(30:34):
not had their influence, felt the Jewish people expanding. So
the dispersion that helps explain quite a bit. When we
come to the book of acts and everywhere Paul goes
with the on his missionary journeys, he generally starts with
Jewish people. He goes to the synagogue first. Why? Because
not only has the synagogue developed, but people.
S7 (30:54):
Moved.
S1 (30:55):
People moved, and they've established synagogues in Greece, in Asia, in, uh,
in Europe, in Macedonia, in, uh, Rome. Even so.
S4 (31:07):
Yeah.
S1 (31:08):
Okay. So that's another thing that happened. Uh, you have
the whole story of the Maccabees.
S4 (31:13):
Mhm.
S1 (31:14):
Uh, which we celebrate at Hanukkah about, uh, the temple
was rebuilt in the silent years or at the end
of the Old Testament period, but then you have this
attack by Antiochus, uh, the Seleucid, Antiochus the Fourth, and
it leads to the Maccabees. Well, what's significant about that
is that development of, uh, different kinds of, of Jewish
(31:38):
sects at that time leads ultimately to when we opened
the New Testament to Pharisees and Sadducees and Herodians and
all those different sects that we see of the Jewish
people in the New Testament that really is rooted right
in the Maccabean period. And so the Jewish revolt against
the Seleucids. And when the Seleucids tried to make worship
(32:00):
of the, the god of the Bible illegal. There's a
Jewish revolt and there's deliverance and rededication of the temple,
which is Hanukkah. But that led to the different factions
in among the Jewish people. And so therefore, we have
when we come to the New Testament, Pharisees, Sadducees, Herodians, Essenes,
(32:23):
different groups like that. Uh, another really important factor, uh,
is you have the prominence of the high priest as
a leader of the Jewish people, that develops in this
Intertestamental period. So we come to the New Testament and
who is really the leader of the Jewish people, not
(32:44):
a king. King Herod wasn't so respected, but it's the
the high priest. So there there are some really significant
things that develop. I'll tell you one other thing that
happened in the interim. This this may be more information
than people really want, but it helps us understand when
the New Testament opens. Uh, the.
S7 (33:03):
Time, the culture. Yeah. All the all the things that
we relate to now.
S1 (33:09):
Like, how did this happen? We opened the New Testament. Well, the,
the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible in
the second and first century BC. In Alexandria, it spreads
across the globe Jewish people, the lingua franca, the the
language of the world at that time was Greece, Greek.
And so Jewish people have have the Bible. Well, a
(33:33):
Ptolemaic king has the Bible translated in Alexandria, Egypt, into Greek.
And then this becomes the Bible for Jewish people around
the world because they're reading Greek, not Hebrew, and even
the the apostles, for the most part, when they quote
the Old Testament in the in the New Testament, they're
quoting it from the Greek Septuagint.
S7 (33:55):
Okay. So that's where that came from. Yeah. Okay. Interesting.
S1 (33:58):
Yeah. So there's a lot of things that happen. It's
one of the reasons why I love teaching Jewish history.
When I teach the Survey of Jewish History, we start
with an overview of Bible.
S4 (34:09):
Um.
S1 (34:10):
In about two days. And then after that we take off.
in a good bit of it is taken on those
400 silent years, because otherwise we wouldn't understand what's happening.
We come to the New Testament. So yeah.
S7 (34:22):
Well thank you.
S8 (34:23):
Yeah.
S7 (34:24):
All right. Well, we'll we'll jump in with, uh, MJ, uh,
he listens in on wmw and wants to know about
recent worship songs. Their, their Hebrew names of God that
are two parts like El Shaddai or Jehovah Jireh. But, um,
some recent worship songs. Oh, it's only used the second
(34:48):
half of these names. And so he's wondering if that's irreverent. No.
S4 (34:53):
No, just.
S1 (34:56):
The words mean the words, you know, uh, Jireh is
is sees, uh, if you say, my God, yea, I
don't know the songs he's talking about, right, right, right. Yeah.
It's not a problem. Yeah. It's fine, uh, that people
shouldn't worry so much. Everyone relax. Yeah.
S7 (35:15):
Right.
S8 (35:15):
Yeah. Okay. Well, we'll jump in.
S7 (35:17):
Uh, Ellis in Ohio listens in on Wtxf and has
a question about Genesis 315 and wants to know what
or who is the serpent seed referring to.
S1 (35:29):
In Genesis 315? This is what it says. Uh, this
is after the people sin. Uh, the judgment starts with
the animal. And verse 14, it's addressed to the serpent
that the serpent, uh, will be more cursed. It will
(35:49):
eat dust. It will glide on its belly, which I
think it already was gliding on its belly. But now
it was. It's the that gliding is now deemed a curse. Uh,
but then it says I will put hostility between you
and the woman, between your seed and her seed. Now,
I don't think this is talking to an animal. I
think it's talking in verse 15 to the power behind
(36:14):
the animal. Why do I think there is a power
behind that animal? Because the serpent talked. Now I just
want you to know this is not myth where animals talk.
This is biblical narrative which is factual. Moreover, uh, it's
not Narnia. The fact that an animal can talk means
(36:35):
that there's a supernatural being that opened its mouth, just
as in numbers 22, when the when the donkey talks right?
God opened its mouth. That's not natural. In the same way,
when the serpent talks, uh, a supernatural being opened its mouth. Now,
I don't think it was God who did it, because
(36:56):
I don't think God would tempt Eve to sin. Right.
So an evil, supernatural being opened the serpent's mouth and
that was the enemy, Satan. So when in verse 15,
it addresses the hostility between Satan and the woman and
between your seed, the follower seed referring to the followers
(37:17):
of Satan, the figurative use of the word seed doesn't
always mean offspring. The figurative usage is followers. Okay? And so, uh,
between your followers, that would be the enemy and the
demons that followed him. There'll be enmity between the demonic
world and the human beings and one particular offspring of
(37:40):
the woman who will crush the head of the serpent,
crush the head of Satan, and that is the Messiah.
So that's what the verse is about.
S7 (37:49):
Okay. Yeah.
S1 (37:49):
Thank you. So anyway, those are good questions. Uh, thanks
for bringing them in. Appreciate it. Thanks. Yeah. We're going
to come right back with more of your questions in
just a moment. You're listening to Karen Hendren, our guest
producer today, and Michael Radulovic. Open line is the name
of the program.
UU (38:08):
And we'll be right back.
S1 (38:26):
Welcome back to Open Line. I just want to say
thank you to all of you who listened. Thank you
for being part of the team. Thank you. For those
of you who are kitchen table partners, really appreciate that. Uh,
thank you also, for those of you who give occasionally
when you when you there's a resource that you're interested in.
And I appreciate that generosity so much. Uh, and I
(38:50):
just wanted to make a suggestion that maybe if you
would consider it, maybe you want to go from an
occasional gift for whatever the current resources to kitchen table partner,
you'll still get that resource. You'll get them all. But
this really, really helps us out. And we really would
love to see our kitchen table partners grow. And and additionally,
(39:11):
not just the resource, but what you'll get is a
Bible study moment in your email every other week. Click
on it, uh, and you can, uh, you can listen
to a special Bible study. Right now, even I have
recorded a bunch of Bible studies on the covenants of
the Bible. And another thing, if you people will commit
to $30 a month or more, one of the great
(39:33):
benefits of that is you get $50 50% off everything
in the Moody Publishers catalog. Great tool like that. Really
appreciate people becoming kitchen table partners. If you'd like to
become one.
S4 (39:46):
Uh.
S1 (39:47):
Just call (888) 644-7122 or go to our website openline. radio.org. Well,
it's time for the lightning round. Let's see if you
can ask your question really quickly, and I'll do my
best to answer it as quickly as I can, okay?
Dwayne in Tennessee, you're up. How can I help you today?
S4 (40:07):
Okay. Well.
S9 (40:09):
Uh, two parts. The first part is, do you think
that when Israel went back into the land in 1948,
that that was a fulfillment of prophecy? And then in
the Old Testament, I read this somewhere. They will be
in their land during the time of Jacob's trouble, Jacob's troubles, tribulation.
The rapture has to happen before the tribulation. So do
you believe that Israel will be back in their land
(40:31):
when the tribulation starts and the rapture happens?
S1 (40:35):
Okay, let's start with, uh, the premise that you have
that Israel came back to the land in the 1940s. Well,
first of all, there was always a Jewish presence in
the land from the time of the Roman destruction in
AD 70 till today. That's first number two. The Great
Return actually began in 1882, not 1948. That's why by 1948,
(41:02):
they were able to partition what was called Palestine, British
Mandate Palestine, into a Jewish and an Arab state. The
UN made that decision. Uh, Israel accepted it. The Palestinians
did not. The Arabs chose not to do that. And
they that led to a lot of conflict today, sadly. Uh,
(41:22):
do I think it was a fulfillment of Bible prophecy? Yes.
Ezekiel 3624 promises that God will bring the people back, uh,
from all the different countries, and not when they became believers,
but only after, uh, in verse 25, then I will
sprinkle clean water on you. So the Jewish people would
have to come back in unbelief. Also in Ezekiel 37,
(41:46):
you've got the.
S4 (41:46):
The, the.
S1 (41:48):
The dry bones, which basically teaches that Jewish people would
return in stages, which is what we've seen since 1882.
And yes, Israel needs to be in the land. Uh,
at the start of the tribulation, because they that's how
the tribulation starts, according to Daniel nine. Uh, when Israel
(42:08):
makes a covenant with the future false messiah, that's when
the tribulation begins. So, yes, I do think they have
to be in the land at the beginning of the tribulation.
Hope that helps. Okay. Deborah. You're up. Uh, how can
I help you today?
S3 (42:25):
Yes. Hi. I have a.
S10 (42:27):
Question about Zerubbabel's. I think I'm saying that right. Temple. Uh,
did Herod add on to it, or was it built
on top of. I'm not understanding that whole thing. Like
what happened to it during the Intertestamental period.
S1 (42:42):
You're from New York, I can tell, right? Are you
from New York, Debra?
S10 (42:46):
From Queens.
S4 (42:47):
Okay.
S1 (42:47):
From. Okay. Just go back to 1970 when the Yankees
had the Yankee, had Yankee Stadium rebuilt? Uh, they they
made it much better. And then, of course, now there's
a new Yankee Stadium. Well, what happened was the rubber
bill had the temple built about 520 BC, and then
Herod wanted to make it one of the great ones.
And so what he did is he expanded it. And
(43:10):
so it wasn't a third temple. It was really taken
zerubbabel's little temple and making it massive and one of
the wonders of the world. But it was the same temple, okay?
S10 (43:20):
It was the same temple. Okay. Because I had questions
about that. Somebody was telling me that it. Herod's temple
was built on top of it.
S1 (43:28):
Yeah, the same thing as the Yankee Stadium being rebuilt 1970.
That's it.
S4 (43:32):
Okay, great. Okay.
S1 (43:34):
Thanks for your call, Deborah. Mhm. Uh, Jack in Ohio,
welcome to Open Line. How can I help you?
S11 (43:42):
Yes. Do you think Adam and Eve and Abel went
to heaven?
S1 (43:47):
Yeah. Do you?
S11 (43:50):
Well, I think Abel able did because, uh, God favored his, uh,
offering over Cain. But Adam and Eve caused, uh, sin worldwide. Yeah.
I'm not sure. What. What did they do to get
to heaven?
S4 (44:04):
Uh.
S1 (44:06):
Well, they believed that's that's, uh, you know, they they sinned. Uh,
let me ask you this. Do you think you'd have
done differently if you had been them?
S11 (44:19):
Um, I guess not.
S1 (44:20):
Yeah, I don't think so either. I mean, I like you, Jack, but, uh,
I don't think you'd have been sinless. I don't think
that Adam, uh, there's only one, uh, who didn't have. Now,
Adam didn't. He had untested holiness, but he still, uh,
you know, that's the nature of human beings. When I
look at Hebrews 11. Uh, it seems to me that
(44:47):
it does start with Abel. So I'm sure by faith
Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain. But
Adam and Eve, they were there. They heard God's mercy
and grace in the midst of the judgment of the serpent.
And God gave them, uh, uh uh uh, skins and
(45:07):
redeemed them. And yes, they went to heaven. Uh, Debbie
in Chicago, you're up next. Let's see if I can
answer your question really quickly.
S4 (45:16):
I sure.
S5 (45:16):
Hope so.
S2 (45:17):
John 113.
S5 (45:19):
Could you just.
S10 (45:19):
Explain the human decision.
S12 (45:21):
Or the husband's will to me?
S1 (45:24):
Oh, I see, uh, John 113 is not talking about
the birth of a child. Here's what it says in
John 113. Well, you need to read verse 12 to
all who received him. He gave the right to be
children of God, to those who believed in his name.
So that's talking about becoming a believer, right? Who were
(45:46):
born not of blood. It's not talking about physical birth.
It's talking about spiritual birth, nor the will of the flesh.
That's not something that a human being decides, nor the
will of man. Now, that's not decided by man who
decides who is the one that opens a heart to believe.
Only the Holy Spirit, the will of God. That's what
(46:07):
it's talking about. It's talking about spiritual birth here. And
it's saying that spiritual birth is a work of God,
not ours. We can believe if God is opening your
heart right now, put your trust in Jesus. That's what's
so crucial. That's the program for the week. Thanks for listening, everyone.
Thanks for the Open Line team. Karen Hendren, Chris Sigurd
and Tiara. Thanks for doing all you do. Remember. Keep
(46:30):
in touch during the week by going to our website
Openline radio.org. It's got links to past programs. Also links
to our current resource. How to become a kitchen table partner.
Keep reading the Bible. We'll talk about it next week.
Open line with Doctor Michael Ray Dolnick is a production
of Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody Bible Institute. Have
(46:52):
a great weekend and I'll see you next week.
Hello friends. It's time for the second hour of Open
Line with Doctor Michael Radonich. This is Moody Radio's Bible
study Across America. We're talking about your questions about the Bible,
God and the spiritual life. My name is Michael Radonich.
I'm the academic dean at Moody Bible Institute. I'm still
the professor of Jewish studies. I've got great news. We
(00:30):
have a new Jewish Studies professor joining me starting this August.
I'm pretty excited about that, but I'll still be teaching
a little bit besides being Dean, but I am mostly
happy to be with you right here on the radio today.
So glad that you have joined me and that you're
listening live across the whole Moody Radio Network. I'm coming
(00:51):
to you from Chicago, but I was just talking with
Chris Siegert that I'm amazed people are listening in Ohio,
people are listening in Florida, and they're those that have
my personal phone number. They're texting me about this or that.
They're usually I get the right answers from Eva. But, uh, today, uh,
other encouragement just to see that there are people listening.
(01:13):
I'm so grateful for this, this audience across the United
States and across the globe. There are people that listen
all over the world. And so glad for this Bible
study across America and around the world. If you have
a question, now's the time to call (877) 548-3675. If you
can't get through, if you can't call, if you can't, uh,
(01:35):
somehow get in that way, what you can do is
go to our website, openline radio.org. There's a link that
says Ask Michael a question, click on that and fill
out the form. And the question comes in and Trish
puts it in the mailbag. And we'll get to it
as soon as we can. But right now we're going
to go right back to the phones. And we're going
(01:55):
to talk with Kim in Florida. Where in Florida? Kim. Hello. Hello, Kim.
Where are you calling from? Yeah. Where are you calling
from in In Florida?
S2 (02:07):
Uh, we're calling from Lake City, Florida, North central Florida,
North central.
S1 (02:12):
And I guess you're listening on Wcqs.
S2 (02:14):
But I'm listening. No. I'm listening. No, I told my
Alexa to play Moody Radio South Florida.
S1 (02:20):
Ah, there we go. Okay, R&B, that's our station.
S2 (02:24):
Whenever I can get it.
S1 (02:25):
Yeah.
S2 (02:26):
That's great. That's right.
S1 (02:27):
Yeah, I you know, I love it when I go
down there. Bye bye Boca Raton. We've done a number
of live events down there and it is so much fun, uh,
to meet all these people. It's like being in New York. Yeah. Yes.
It's my.
S2 (02:43):
Old. It's my old stomping ground. Yes. Yeah.
S1 (02:47):
Okay. How can I help you, Kim?
S2 (02:50):
Well, thank you so much for taking my call. I
have this question very near and dear to my heart. Um,
the subject of intercessory prayer. And, um, I'm I'm wondering what,
if any biblical basis that you can point out for
me that would support the belief that a person can
be saved through faithful intercessory prayer after they've already. Oh,
(03:15):
after they've basically.
S1 (03:16):
If they die without knowing the Lord. Right.
S2 (03:19):
Well, even if they knew the Lord. Um, you know,
there's a lot of scenarios, as you can imagine. But
if someone did know the Lord or if someone was, was,
was young and backslidden and all of these different things.
But my main thing is God is outside of time
and limitations. So based upon intercessory prayer, how can that affect.
S1 (03:44):
Yeah.
S2 (03:46):
Yeah, yeah. Well, do you know what I mean?
S1 (03:49):
Yeah, but we're never outside of time. God is transcendent.
We are not. So, uh, we're immortal, but not transcendent
above time. So, uh, I don't think that we can
When we die, we don't become, uh, in the same
(04:09):
sense of of above time out of time, transcendent the
way God is. So whether he is or not, our
prayers for people who are temporal beings doesn't change. Um, and, uh,
some people have misused the verse and I'm going to
(04:32):
just focus on can we see about someone being. But
if someone knew the Lord but was backslidden and they'd
die and but they knew the Lord, right? There's no
point in praying for them because they're with the Lord.
And and they, you know, when we see him, we
shall be like him all the sin, uh, that that
(04:57):
tripped us up in this life is going to be gone.
So I don't see why you would pray for someone
that was backslidden and then passed away, do you? Kim?
S2 (05:13):
Yes. Um, I never, you know, it's like I said,
it's very close to my near and dear to my heart.
And so I, uh.
S1 (05:24):
Do you understand what I'm saying? When, when when someone
goes to be with the Lord, whether they were backslidden
or not, they are now. They are now, uh, made whole. Uh,
you know, there the Bible does say when we see him,
we shall be like him. So now, the only question
that we often get is what about praying for people
(05:45):
who didn't know the Lord and then they passed away?
Can they still be saved? Do they get a second chance?
And they base it on a verse in first Peter
319 that he went and made a proclamation to the
spirits now in prison. So Jesus preached to them after
they had died, and And therefore, uh, they say that
(06:08):
they have another, another chance. They hear the gospel again. Uh, well,
truth to tell, if he does make I don't believe
the Lord Jesus descended to hell and made proclamation. I
don't think that's what this is saying. However, if that's
what it meant, he would be proclaiming his victory. He
wouldn't be proclaiming them a second chance, because Hebrews 927
(06:32):
is real clear. It's appointed unto man once to die
and then the judgment. What it means in first Peter
319 is he preached to them while they were yet
alive through Noah, because that's the context. And they are
now having disbelieved Noah, spirits in prison, uh, awaiting future judgment.
(06:55):
So the Bible is pretty clear that this is our opportunity. Uh,
just like, just. I'll give you the example of Lazarus
and the rich man knowing it's a parable. But there's
a principle. Remember, the rich man didn't get a second
opportunity to be comforted by Father Abraham. He wanted while
(07:17):
they were still alive, to get the message to his brothers. Uh,
the message of repentance. I think that that's the great
motivation we need to have is while people are alive,
we get the message to them of the good news
that Jesus died for us and rose again. And we
(07:40):
can be forgiven forever if we trust in him. That's
the first part. Secondly, if people have passed away and
we don't know what their destiny is, here's a great reminder.
The Bible says the judge of all the earth will
do what is right. And as much as we would
like it, uh, you know, he knows what's right and
(08:03):
good and just. And we just have to trust him
for that. So, uh. Yes. Uh, but, you know, when
when someone passes away, I never pray for the person
who passed away. Uh, I pray for the people who
were left be left here who are grieving that loss.
(08:24):
And I do pray for those people. Okay?
S3 (08:29):
Yes.
S2 (08:30):
Okay. Yes. Thank you. Appreciate your answer. Yeah.
S1 (08:32):
I appreciate your question. I really do truly understand it. So, uh,
we're going to speak next with Cheryl listening in Illinois someplace. Uh,
is there a town where you're living, Cheryl, or are
you just hovering over the whole state?
S3 (08:49):
No.
S2 (08:50):
Yeah, I told her. We live in.
S3 (08:51):
Lagrange.
S1 (08:52):
Lagrange, Illinois? That's the Chicago area. I guess you're listening
on Wmbi. Yes.
S3 (08:57):
Great. Yes we are. That's great. Yeah. Um, you know,
I'm reading in Genesis, and God promised Jacob that he
was living in the land of Canaan. But then, of course,
his whole family and him end up in Egypt because
of the famine. So I'm wondering what how long were
(09:19):
they in Egypt? And it almost seems like God diverted
his whole plan of them living in the Canaan because
they ended up in Egypt, and then they ended up
being the slaves. And I just was wondering if you
could kind of flesh out that history part of it.
For me.
S1 (09:35):
That wasn't a diversion of God's plan. Uh, he says
to Abraham in Genesis 15, know this for certain verse 13,
your offspring will be foreigners in a land that does
not belong to them. They will be enslaved and oppressed
(09:55):
400 years. However, I will judge the nation they serve,
and afterward they will go out with many possessions. But
you will go to your fathers in peace and be
buried at a ripe old age in the fourth generation.
They will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites
(10:17):
has not yet reached its full measure. What does that mean?
God told Abraham that his descendants of Isaac and Jacob,
the Jacob and his sons, would go down to Egypt
and his descendants would live there. And I think this
is approximately 400 years. Paul tells us in Galatians, it
was for 430 years, exactly so 430 years. This is
(10:42):
a general about 400 years. And um, and then after
that they will go out with many possessions. Egypt will
be judged. And the reason for this plan of God?
It's not a diversion. It's the plan is that the
sins of the Amorite, that's one of the people groups.
(11:04):
Another way of saying Canaanites is not complete. They are idolatrous.
They were wicked. Uh, they were they were engaged in
child sacrifice and abominable sexual sins and, uh, just awful.
And God like Romans one talks about, he gave them
over to their sin. He was saying, okay, I'm going
(11:25):
to let them give them 400 years to repent. They're
in the land or to go their own direction. And
then when that's complete, God will bring the Jewish people
back out of Egypt to be his agents of judgment
on the Canaanites. So that was part of the plan.
And that's what exactly what happened. Okay. Cheryl.
S3 (11:44):
So Jake. So Jacob knew that then what you're saying?
S1 (11:49):
Uh. You know, it doesn't say whether he knew it
because Moses wrote this. So did Jacob know what the
vision was to Abraham? Uh, I don't know, probably he did, but, uh,
it doesn't say which generation of Jewish people would go
(12:10):
to the land. It only says that his that Abraham's
descendants would go. So Jacob may have known that some
descendants of Abraham would go, but I don't know if
he knew at that time that he would be the one.
But I'll tell you what they did know. Uh, he
asked to be buried back in the land of Israel.
Joseph met that need. and Joseph, also, when he was buried,
(12:34):
told his descendants to bring his bones back to the
land because he fully expected to be brought back. Uh,
the Jewish people to go back to the land of Canaan,
the land of promise, and established Israel. And he said,
take my bones. And they brought them along.
S4 (12:52):
So, yeah.
S1 (12:53):
Okay.
S3 (12:54):
Can you tell me that verse again in Genesis that
you quoted in the beginning where it says that.
S1 (12:59):
Yeah, it's Genesis 15 verses 13 through 16. So thanks
for your call, Cheryl. Hope that helps. Really appreciate you, uh,
reading the Bible so carefully and wondering about that. If
you have a question, give me a call (877) 548-3675. I'll
do my best to answer it. You're listening to Open
(13:21):
Line right here on Moody Radio. My name is Michael Radulovic,
and I'll be right back. Come back. Welcome back to
Open Line. My name is Michael Radulovic. I'm so glad
(13:42):
to be with you today. And you know, one of
the things I love, I was just mentioning to the
the team here by Beyond the Window is that I
just love answering Bible questions. I did it for years
with students, and I'm grateful for every opportunity Moody has
given me on the radio to answer Bible questions. And
(14:02):
one of the things I try to do is help
people figure out how to get their questions answered without
even calling me. That's why I recommend books from time
to time, why I worked on the Moody Bible Commentary,
all those kinds of things. And one book that in
the Bible that breeds a lot of questions, makes people
sometimes get a little confused is the book of acts.
(14:23):
When I came to Moody as a student, this August,
next month will be 50 years. I was a prodigy.
I came as a five year old. But anyway. Uh, no,
that don't believe that. But anyway, uh, when I came
here 50 years ago, I was surprised that we even
studied the book of acts at Moody Bible Institute. And
then it became my favorite course I took. And, uh,
(14:46):
I loved it and still love it. And one of
the most helpful little books that you can get to
explain many of the questions in the book of acts
is the everyday Bible commentary by Doctor Charles Ryrie, he
of the Ryrie Study Bible. He was my professor in seminary. Uh,
loved him as a professor. He's very clear, very concise.
It's a really helpful little book, and it's our current resource. Uh,
(15:10):
we'd love to send you a copy. If you send
a gift of any size. It's our way of saying
thank you for your gift. And, uh, it's it's something
I don't know if people realize, uh, how helpful it
is to have a good little commentary that's easy to
understand and answer your questions. It might keep you from
(15:31):
having to call me. That's fine. Uh, I'm really grateful
for this book. If you'd like to give a gift
and receive a copy of Acts by Doctor Ryrie, call
Call (888) 644-7122 or go to Open Line Radio. Org and
remember ask for the book of Acts everyday Bible commentary
(15:52):
by Doctor Charles Ryrie. We're going to talk to reader Rita.
My New York accent just came out there. Reader. Uh,
Rita in Huntersville, North Carolina, welcome to Open Line. Rita,
how can I help you?
S5 (16:06):
Hi, doctor Michael redlich. Hi. Yeah, that's Henderson, that's Hendersonville,
and I'm a transplant from Chicago.
S1 (16:13):
Hendersonville I know Hendersonville, yes.
S5 (16:16):
The mountains.
S1 (16:17):
I'm just, you know, I just read what's on there,
so I'm sorry, I, you know, I said Colleen is
Pauline and Hendersonville is Huntersville. So sorry about that.
S5 (16:28):
Just don't just don't call me late for dinner.
S4 (16:30):
Anyways. Where are you from originally?
S1 (16:31):
You're not from North Carolina? Where are you from?
S5 (16:34):
Oh, no, from Chicago.
S1 (16:35):
Chicago. There we.
S4 (16:36):
Go.
S5 (16:36):
Yes, sir. Yes, sir. I'm a Yankee. That's what they
call me anyway. Yankee forever. Cubs fan forever. So, anyway, um,
I read a passage this morning that kind of rocked
my world. You know how you read something a million times,
and all of a sudden you see something in there
that wasn't there yesterday?
S4 (16:52):
Yeah, sure.
S5 (16:54):
I'm reading in John 12 how Jesus had done all
kinds of miraculous signs in the presence of the Jews,
and they still would not believe in him. And then
they it says for this reason they could not believe, because,
as Isaiah said elsewhere, he has blinded their eyes and
deadened their hearts. And it just kind of I never
(17:15):
really saw that. It says he has blinded their eyes.
So it was like God blinded their eyes and dead
in their hearts. So is this kind of like he
blinded or he hardened Pharaoh's heart even more in Egypt?
Does this apply to people today, or was this for
the Jews then?
S1 (17:31):
Okay, so let me see if I can simplify the question.
Is there a distinct judicial blindness that Jewish people alone experience?
That's what you're asking, right?
S4 (17:44):
Yeah.
S5 (17:45):
I mean, is it does this go for people today who. Yeah.
Who just used to believe or.
S1 (17:51):
Well, here's the thing. The Bible does talk in first
in Isaiah six and there in John 12, Romans 11
about Jewish people being blinded by their unbelief. John nine
is a great example of that. Although, uh, the man
who believes in John nine, the blind man, the man
who was born blind. He's Jewish too. But the Jewish leadership,
(18:13):
they don't believe Matthew 12. John 12. All those places
where you're you're talking about there does appear to be
a blindness. But here's what I'm going to say. The
reason Jewish people are blinded is because they don't believe.
And I would say it's in a Jewish context. It
(18:34):
sounds like he's picking on Jews. But what about people
in a non-Jewish context? What happens to them if they
refuse to believe? What do you think, Rita?
S5 (18:45):
Well, that's my whole question.
S4 (18:47):
Yeah, what do you think?
S1 (18:48):
But what happens to people who aren't Jewish, who don't believe?
Just guess. What do you think the answer is?
S5 (18:53):
I think it's the same.
S1 (18:54):
It's the same. Exactly. Second Corinthians four four says this,
the God of this age and the reason that the
God of this age can do it is because God
has mandated this. So, uh, even Satan is God. Satan.
But here's what it says. The God of this age
has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so they cannot see
the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ,
(19:17):
who is the image of God. Wait a second. What
does the God of this age do to people who
don't believe? He blinds them in first Corinthians. That's that's
second Corinthians four four. The God of this age, that
Satan has blinded the minds of unbelievers. Look at that.
(19:39):
And then in first Corinthians chapter two, he says, he's
talking about, uh, the natural man, which my version, the
CSB translate, uh, the it translates unbeliever, but it means
a natural man, someone who doesn't know the Lord. It
(20:00):
says the unbeliever. Verse 14 does not welcome what comes
from God's Spirit, because it is foolishness to him. He's
not able to understand it since it's evaluated spiritually. Look
at that. A non-believer, what happens to them? They're blinded.
S5 (20:19):
This, um. But this passage in John, it says he
has blinded their eyes. Meaning God. So is this kind
of the same way as Romans 126 that God gave
them over?
S1 (20:31):
Well, no, I think what God yes, God does it
even in second Corinthians four four where the God of
this age does it Satan. God is still in charge
of that. That would not happen if God did not
deem it necessary and right.
S4 (20:50):
Got it.
S1 (20:51):
Uh, so every person who doesn't believe is blinded in
Jewish context. It sounds like it's only Jewish people, but
that's not the case. It's surprising that Jewish people who
have so much there's, I think, a almost a greater
accountability because, you know, it says in Romans three, Jewish
(21:12):
people are the, you know, to what advantage does a
Jewish person have great in every respect to them were
committed the oracles of God, right? Yeah. So, uh, we
had direct revelation, Jewish people. Uh, so there's almost a
greater accountability to believe it. Jewish people had all these covenants,
(21:33):
the Abrahamic Covenant, the Davidic Covenant, the New covenant made
with them. Uh, how in the world do we not
believe so? It's more surprising, and the blindness is more shocking.
But it doesn't matter how much information we had, the
fact that Jewish people don't believe that's the shock. But, uh,
(21:56):
no matter how much information people have, if they don't
believe the good news, if they don't believe what God
has revealed, then what's the result? Blindness. Blindness and what
breaks it? Only the Spirit of God. You know, I
am getting ready for going to the Aegean and going
to places like Philippi. So I've been reading in the Bible, uh,
(22:21):
the some of the places I'll be going. What happened there?
And I was reading about Philippi, and here's what it says. Uh, that, uh,
we sat down, uh, this is on the Sabbath day.
This is acts 1613. We went outside the city by
the river where we thought there was a place of prayer.
(22:43):
We sat down and spoke to the women gathered there.
A woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from
the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God, was listening. She
was a Jewish woman. She was listening. Listen to the
to the second half of verse 14. The Lord opened
(23:05):
her heart to pay attention to what was spoken by Paul.
And she and her household were baptized. After she and
her household were baptized, she urged us, if you consider
me a believer in the Lord, come and stay at
my house. And she persuaded us. Now here's the deal.
How is it that she believed the Lord opened her
(23:26):
heart so that a person on their own would never
believe this? What does it take? The Spirit of God
working in their heart to open their hearts, to believe?
It's what the Bible calls efficacious enablement, or what theologians
called efficacious enablement or efficacious grace. Uh, that's that's what
(23:49):
we're looking for. That's why we pray for people to believe. Okay.
S5 (23:53):
Amen. Thank you. Doctor. Yeah.
S1 (23:55):
Thank you so much for your call. Uh, we're going
to speak with, uh, Mark in Chicago, listening on Wmbi.
Welcome to Open Line. Mark.
S4 (24:04):
Mark, how can I help you? Thank you for.
S6 (24:05):
Taking my call. Sure, sure. So I'm looking in, um,
Genesis chapter 12. God blesses Abraham. Abraham. Yeah. And he says,
I will bless those who bless you. And whoever curses you,
I will curse. Did that blessing and curse apply only
to Abraham, or does this apply to all his descendants
(24:26):
and in particular to Israel today? I think to you
here in the United States.
S1 (24:33):
Uh, it's really clear to me that it does apply
to Abraham. No question about that. Uh, it's quoted again
in numbers 24, uh, about a descendant of Abraham. So
it seems to me that, yes, it does apply to
(24:58):
the descendants of Abraham. When you look at the history
of the Jewish people in the Bible, there's blessing for
blessing wherever Pharaoh blessed Joseph, uh, or when Potiphar blessed Joseph,
when the jailer blessed Joseph, what did God do? He
blessed all of Joseph's hand. And it led to the
blessing of those who blessed, uh, the descendant of Jacob. Uh,
(25:22):
you look at history. Uh, when Haman wanted to curse
the Jewish people, the curse came upon him. So I
think it does continue. Uh, Romans 1128 and 29 says
that the chosenness of Israel continues, and those blessings will continue, uh,
even to this day. That's Romans 11 2829. We'll be
(25:44):
back with the mailbag in just a moment. Thanks for
your call, Mark. Really appreciate it. Uh, this is open
line with Michael, right? I'll be right back.
UU (26:07):
And we're back.
S1 (26:08):
My name is Michael Ray Melnick, and I am so
glad that you're listening in to Open Line today right
here on Moody Radio. We're having a great time sitting
around studying the word together. You know, whenever something happens
in the Middle East, it always prompts a lot of
questions about Bible prophecy. And there's all sorts of people
will make all kinds of weird speculations and, uh, claims
(26:32):
about prophecy. It just spurs a lot of questions. And
that's why Chosen People Ministry is one of our partners
that helps keep open Line on the air. Uh, they
are offering a terrific, Moody Publishers book for free. It's
called What Does the Bible Say About the future? 30
Questions on Bible Prophecy, Israel and the End Times. It
was written by our very own Charlie Dyer from Moody Radio,
(26:56):
host of The Land in the book. This book gives
an insight into what the Bible says about the future,
not what people speculate. And it's a really helpful, uh,
informational book. I think you're going to really love it.
And it's yours for free. All you have to do
is go to our website, openline. Radio org. Scroll down.
(27:16):
You'll see a link that says a free gift from
Chosen People Ministries, and then you can get a copy
of it for yourself. Uh, joining me right now is
Karen Hendren. She's got the mailbag that Tricia prepared. Prepared.
But you're dragging it in. It's a very heavy mailbag,
isn't it? It is, it is.
S7 (27:35):
I have to go to the gym to drag this
thing in.
S1 (27:38):
That's right. Well, uh, it's the Febc mailbag. And one
of the things I appreciate that Febc partners with us
to bring Open line and sponsor the mailbag. I so
appreciate that. I appreciate Febc, even if they didn't sponsor
the mailbag, because Far Eastern Broadcasting Company is bringing the
good news to people all over in places where we
(28:01):
couldn't really reach them except for media, and then they
actually have people on the ground that follow up. It's
a tremendous ministry, and if you'd like to know more
about it and how they're having a great impact in
unreached countries, just go to their website febc. Org it's
got a link there. It's to their podcast. It's called
Until All Have Heard. Check it out. I think you're
(28:22):
going to really appreciate them. And now Karen what have
you got here. You've got all these questions right. Yeah.
Any of them really ring true with you that you think. Yeah.
I was wondering that.
S7 (28:33):
Um, you know what? They're they're always are. You know, uh,
looking through these, there's always. And and some of these questions, too,
are also questions that I've heard other people ask over
and over again, you know. So, yeah.
S1 (28:49):
I'm really glad that a lot of people ask questions
over and over again, because I'm always amazed that there
are new questions every week that I've never heard. But
then there's enough that I've heard before, so I've been
able to study the answer.
S7 (29:01):
Yeah. Well, we're going to start with Don in from Mississippi.
He listens in on Wcmh and he wants to know
what happened during the silence between the old the writing
of the Old and New Testament.
S1 (29:14):
Well, probably a lot of things happened, you know. You know,
the the silent years. But, uh, I actually teach about
the the Intertestamental period. That's what it's called the what
he calls the 400 silent years. A lot of people
usually call a silent century. Uh, uh, because there's some
things that we don't know. But here's some things that
(29:37):
that I would say happened. Okay. One, because you go
from the Old Testament, no synagogue to the New Testament
of the Gospels, Jesus goes into the synagogue. So what happened?
S7 (29:49):
It was built.
S1 (29:50):
The synagogue developed? Yeah. Uh, the idea. When Jewish people
went into captivity in Babylon, they would gather, it says
in Ezekiel and Ezekiel's home for prayer. And that led
to synagogues being established. And then when the Jewish people
came back to the land, they even there because they
(30:11):
weren't in Jerusalem all the time. They. And in Jerusalem,
they didn't go to the temple all the time. So
they developed the synagogue. That's one of the things that
happened in the 400 silent years. Another thing that happened was,
according to the historian Josephus, the dispersion of the Jewish
people expanded all across the globe so that there wasn't
a place anywhere, according to Josephus, where this people has
(30:34):
not had their influence, felt the Jewish people expanding. So
the dispersion that helps explain quite a bit. When we
come to the book of acts and everywhere Paul goes
with the on his missionary journeys, he generally starts with
Jewish people. He goes to the synagogue first. Why? Because
not only has the synagogue developed, but people.
S7 (30:54):
Moved.
S1 (30:55):
People moved, and they've established synagogues in Greece, in Asia, in, uh,
in Europe, in Macedonia, in, uh, Rome. Even so.
S4 (31:07):
Yeah.
S1 (31:08):
Okay. So that's another thing that happened. Uh, you have
the whole story of the Maccabees.
S4 (31:13):
Mhm.
S1 (31:14):
Uh, which we celebrate at Hanukkah about, uh, the temple
was rebuilt in the silent years or at the end
of the Old Testament period, but then you have this
attack by Antiochus, uh, the Seleucid, Antiochus the Fourth, and
it leads to the Maccabees. Well, what's significant about that
is that development of, uh, different kinds of, of Jewish
(31:38):
sects at that time leads ultimately to when we opened
the New Testament to Pharisees and Sadducees and Herodians and
all those different sects that we see of the Jewish
people in the New Testament that really is rooted right
in the Maccabean period. And so the Jewish revolt against
the Seleucids. And when the Seleucids tried to make worship
(32:00):
of the, the god of the Bible illegal. There's a
Jewish revolt and there's deliverance and rededication of the temple,
which is Hanukkah. But that led to the different factions
in among the Jewish people. And so therefore, we have
when we come to the New Testament, Pharisees, Sadducees, Herodians, Essenes,
(32:23):
different groups like that. Uh, another really important factor, uh,
is you have the prominence of the high priest as
a leader of the Jewish people, that develops in this
Intertestamental period. So we come to the New Testament and
who is really the leader of the Jewish people, not
(32:44):
a king. King Herod wasn't so respected, but it's the
the high priest. So there there are some really significant
things that develop. I'll tell you one other thing that
happened in the interim. This this may be more information
than people really want, but it helps us understand when
the New Testament opens. Uh, the.
S7 (33:03):
Time, the culture. Yeah. All the all the things that
we relate to now.
S1 (33:09):
Like, how did this happen? We opened the New Testament. Well, the,
the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible in
the second and first century BC. In Alexandria, it spreads
across the globe Jewish people, the lingua franca, the the
language of the world at that time was Greece, Greek.
And so Jewish people have have the Bible. Well, a
(33:33):
Ptolemaic king has the Bible translated in Alexandria, Egypt, into Greek.
And then this becomes the Bible for Jewish people around
the world because they're reading Greek, not Hebrew, and even
the the apostles, for the most part, when they quote
the Old Testament in the in the New Testament, they're
quoting it from the Greek Septuagint.
S7 (33:55):
Okay. So that's where that came from. Yeah. Okay. Interesting.
S1 (33:58):
Yeah. So there's a lot of things that happen. It's
one of the reasons why I love teaching Jewish history.
When I teach the Survey of Jewish History, we start
with an overview of Bible.
S4 (34:09):
Um.
S1 (34:10):
In about two days. And then after that we take off.
in a good bit of it is taken on those
400 silent years, because otherwise we wouldn't understand what's happening.
We come to the New Testament. So yeah.
S7 (34:22):
Well thank you.
S8 (34:23):
Yeah.
S7 (34:24):
All right. Well, we'll we'll jump in with, uh, MJ, uh,
he listens in on wmw and wants to know about
recent worship songs. Their, their Hebrew names of God that
are two parts like El Shaddai or Jehovah Jireh. But, um,
some recent worship songs. Oh, it's only used the second
(34:48):
half of these names. And so he's wondering if that's irreverent. No.
S4 (34:53):
No, just.
S1 (34:56):
The words mean the words, you know, uh, Jireh is
is sees, uh, if you say, my God, yea, I
don't know the songs he's talking about, right, right, right. Yeah.
It's not a problem. Yeah. It's fine, uh, that people
shouldn't worry so much. Everyone relax. Yeah.
S7 (35:15):
Right.
S8 (35:15):
Yeah. Okay. Well, we'll jump in.
S7 (35:17):
Uh, Ellis in Ohio listens in on Wtxf and has
a question about Genesis 315 and wants to know what
or who is the serpent seed referring to.
S1 (35:29):
In Genesis 315? This is what it says. Uh, this
is after the people sin. Uh, the judgment starts with
the animal. And verse 14, it's addressed to the serpent
that the serpent, uh, will be more cursed. It will
(35:49):
eat dust. It will glide on its belly, which I
think it already was gliding on its belly. But now
it was. It's the that gliding is now deemed a curse. Uh,
but then it says I will put hostility between you
and the woman, between your seed and her seed. Now,
I don't think this is talking to an animal. I
think it's talking in verse 15 to the power behind
(36:14):
the animal. Why do I think there is a power
behind that animal? Because the serpent talked. Now I just
want you to know this is not myth where animals talk.
This is biblical narrative which is factual. Moreover, uh, it's
not Narnia. The fact that an animal can talk means
(36:35):
that there's a supernatural being that opened its mouth, just
as in numbers 22, when the when the donkey talks right?
God opened its mouth. That's not natural. In the same way,
when the serpent talks, uh, a supernatural being opened its mouth. Now,
I don't think it was God who did it, because
(36:56):
I don't think God would tempt Eve to sin. Right.
So an evil, supernatural being opened the serpent's mouth and
that was the enemy, Satan. So when in verse 15,
it addresses the hostility between Satan and the woman and
between your seed, the follower seed referring to the followers
(37:17):
of Satan, the figurative use of the word seed doesn't
always mean offspring. The figurative usage is followers. Okay? And so, uh,
between your followers, that would be the enemy and the
demons that followed him. There'll be enmity between the demonic
world and the human beings and one particular offspring of
(37:40):
the woman who will crush the head of the serpent,
crush the head of Satan, and that is the Messiah.
So that's what the verse is about.
S7 (37:49):
Okay. Yeah.
S1 (37:49):
Thank you. So anyway, those are good questions. Uh, thanks
for bringing them in. Appreciate it. Thanks. Yeah. We're going
to come right back with more of your questions in
just a moment. You're listening to Karen Hendren, our guest
producer today, and Michael Radulovic. Open line is the name
of the program.
UU (38:08):
And we'll be right back.
S1 (38:26):
Welcome back to Open Line. I just want to say
thank you to all of you who listened. Thank you
for being part of the team. Thank you. For those
of you who are kitchen table partners, really appreciate that. Uh,
thank you also, for those of you who give occasionally
when you when you there's a resource that you're interested in.
And I appreciate that generosity so much. Uh, and I
(38:50):
just wanted to make a suggestion that maybe if you
would consider it, maybe you want to go from an
occasional gift for whatever the current resources to kitchen table partner,
you'll still get that resource. You'll get them all. But
this really, really helps us out. And we really would
love to see our kitchen table partners grow. And and additionally,
(39:11):
not just the resource, but what you'll get is a
Bible study moment in your email every other week. Click
on it, uh, and you can, uh, you can listen
to a special Bible study. Right now, even I have
recorded a bunch of Bible studies on the covenants of
the Bible. And another thing, if you people will commit
to $30 a month or more, one of the great
(39:33):
benefits of that is you get $50 50% off everything
in the Moody Publishers catalog. Great tool like that. Really
appreciate people becoming kitchen table partners. If you'd like to
become one.
S4 (39:46):
Uh.
S1 (39:47):
Just call (888) 644-7122 or go to our website openline. radio.org. Well,
it's time for the lightning round. Let's see if you
can ask your question really quickly, and I'll do my
best to answer it as quickly as I can, okay?
Dwayne in Tennessee, you're up. How can I help you today?
S4 (40:07):
Okay. Well.
S9 (40:09):
Uh, two parts. The first part is, do you think
that when Israel went back into the land in 1948,
that that was a fulfillment of prophecy? And then in
the Old Testament, I read this somewhere. They will be
in their land during the time of Jacob's trouble, Jacob's troubles, tribulation.
The rapture has to happen before the tribulation. So do
you believe that Israel will be back in their land
(40:31):
when the tribulation starts and the rapture happens?
S1 (40:35):
Okay, let's start with, uh, the premise that you have
that Israel came back to the land in the 1940s. Well,
first of all, there was always a Jewish presence in
the land from the time of the Roman destruction in
AD 70 till today. That's first number two. The Great
Return actually began in 1882, not 1948. That's why by 1948,
(41:02):
they were able to partition what was called Palestine, British
Mandate Palestine, into a Jewish and an Arab state. The
UN made that decision. Uh, Israel accepted it. The Palestinians
did not. The Arabs chose not to do that. And
they that led to a lot of conflict today, sadly. Uh,
(41:22):
do I think it was a fulfillment of Bible prophecy? Yes.
Ezekiel 3624 promises that God will bring the people back, uh,
from all the different countries, and not when they became believers,
but only after, uh, in verse 25, then I will
sprinkle clean water on you. So the Jewish people would
have to come back in unbelief. Also in Ezekiel 37,
(41:46):
you've got the.
S4 (41:46):
The, the.
S1 (41:48):
The dry bones, which basically teaches that Jewish people would
return in stages, which is what we've seen since 1882.
And yes, Israel needs to be in the land. Uh,
at the start of the tribulation, because they that's how
the tribulation starts, according to Daniel nine. Uh, when Israel
(42:08):
makes a covenant with the future false messiah, that's when
the tribulation begins. So, yes, I do think they have
to be in the land at the beginning of the tribulation.
Hope that helps. Okay. Deborah. You're up. Uh, how can
I help you today?
S3 (42:25):
Yes. Hi. I have a.
S10 (42:27):
Question about Zerubbabel's. I think I'm saying that right. Temple. Uh,
did Herod add on to it, or was it built
on top of. I'm not understanding that whole thing. Like
what happened to it during the Intertestamental period.
S1 (42:42):
You're from New York, I can tell, right? Are you
from New York, Debra?
S10 (42:46):
From Queens.
S4 (42:47):
Okay.
S1 (42:47):
From. Okay. Just go back to 1970 when the Yankees
had the Yankee, had Yankee Stadium rebuilt? Uh, they they
made it much better. And then, of course, now there's
a new Yankee Stadium. Well, what happened was the rubber
bill had the temple built about 520 BC, and then
Herod wanted to make it one of the great ones.
And so what he did is he expanded it. And
(43:10):
so it wasn't a third temple. It was really taken
zerubbabel's little temple and making it massive and one of
the wonders of the world. But it was the same temple, okay?
S10 (43:20):
It was the same temple. Okay. Because I had questions
about that. Somebody was telling me that it. Herod's temple
was built on top of it.
S1 (43:28):
Yeah, the same thing as the Yankee Stadium being rebuilt 1970.
That's it.
S4 (43:32):
Okay, great. Okay.
S1 (43:34):
Thanks for your call, Deborah. Mhm. Uh, Jack in Ohio,
welcome to Open Line. How can I help you?
S11 (43:42):
Yes. Do you think Adam and Eve and Abel went
to heaven?
S1 (43:47):
Yeah. Do you?
S11 (43:50):
Well, I think Abel able did because, uh, God favored his, uh,
offering over Cain. But Adam and Eve caused, uh, sin worldwide. Yeah.
I'm not sure. What. What did they do to get
to heaven?
S4 (44:04):
Uh.
S1 (44:06):
Well, they believed that's that's, uh, you know, they they sinned. Uh,
let me ask you this. Do you think you'd have
done differently if you had been them?
S11 (44:19):
Um, I guess not.
S1 (44:20):
Yeah, I don't think so either. I mean, I like you, Jack, but, uh,
I don't think you'd have been sinless. I don't think
that Adam, uh, there's only one, uh, who didn't have. Now,
Adam didn't. He had untested holiness, but he still, uh,
you know, that's the nature of human beings. When I
look at Hebrews 11. Uh, it seems to me that
(44:47):
it does start with Abel. So I'm sure by faith
Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain. But
Adam and Eve, they were there. They heard God's mercy
and grace in the midst of the judgment of the serpent.
And God gave them, uh, uh uh uh, skins and
(45:07):
redeemed them. And yes, they went to heaven. Uh, Debbie
in Chicago, you're up next. Let's see if I can
answer your question really quickly.
S4 (45:16):
I sure.
S5 (45:16):
Hope so.
S2 (45:17):
John 113.
S5 (45:19):
Could you just.
S10 (45:19):
Explain the human decision.
S12 (45:21):
Or the husband's will to me?
S1 (45:24):
Oh, I see, uh, John 113 is not talking about
the birth of a child. Here's what it says in
John 113. Well, you need to read verse 12 to
all who received him. He gave the right to be
children of God, to those who believed in his name.
So that's talking about becoming a believer, right? Who were
(45:46):
born not of blood. It's not talking about physical birth.
It's talking about spiritual birth, nor the will of the flesh.
That's not something that a human being decides, nor the
will of man. Now, that's not decided by man who
decides who is the one that opens a heart to believe.
Only the Holy Spirit, the will of God. That's what
(46:07):
it's talking about. It's talking about spiritual birth here. And
it's saying that spiritual birth is a work of God,
not ours. We can believe if God is opening your
heart right now, put your trust in Jesus. That's what's
so crucial. That's the program for the week. Thanks for listening, everyone.
Thanks for the Open Line team. Karen Hendren, Chris Sigurd
and Tiara. Thanks for doing all you do. Remember. Keep
(46:30):
in touch during the week by going to our website
Openline radio.org. It's got links to past programs. Also links
to our current resource. How to become a kitchen table partner.
Keep reading the Bible. We'll talk about it next week.
Open line with Doctor Michael Ray Dolnick is a production
of Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody Bible Institute. Have
(46:52):
a great weekend and I'll see you next week.
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