Hour 2: Digging Deep into Scripture

This Saturday on Open Line with Dr. Michael Rydelnik, you call with your Bible questions and we'll do our best to answer them. Take your next step toward following the Savior when you join us this weekend for Open Line.

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Episode Transcript

S1 (00:08):
Hello friends, it's time for the second hour of Open
Line with Doctor Michael Radonich 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 academic
dean and professor of Jewish studies at Moody Bible Institute,

(00:29):
and we're live today sitting around the radio kitchen table
taking your questions so you can just give me a call.
Right now we have a few phone lines open. It's
always good at the beginning of the hour to get
those lines filled up. It's the best time. Call [phone].
That's [phone]. If you can't call, you can just go

(00:55):
to our website open Line radio.org. Click Ask Michael a question,
you'll see that there. And that's where you can post
your question. I hope you have your Bibles open. I
hope you've got your second cup of coffee. I have
such a big cup of coffee. Mine lasts for two
hours in my little special cup. And there it is,
and we're ready to talk about the scriptures. We're going

(01:16):
to talk to Kimberly to begin right, right now in Akron, Ohio,
listening on Wkar's. Welcome to Open Line.

S2 (01:24):
Thank you. Thank you for having me. Um, the question
I have, let me first tell you how I came
up with it. Every Saturday morning, I have an app
on my phone with this King James, and there's a quiz.
And so the question was, which apostle betrayed Jesus? Um,
it gives the list of them. And I saw Joseph Iscariot,
which was the truth. But then it made me wonder,

(01:45):
why is he the only apostle that has a last name?

S3 (01:49):
Uh.

S1 (01:50):
I don't think it's the last name. I think it's
it's a category. Just like, uh, think about.

S4 (01:57):
Uh.

S1 (01:58):
James and John are the sons of Zebedee. Uh, so
James name, actually, uh, James, the son of Zebedee. His
real name was Jacob. If you read the Greek New Testament,
it's Jacobus is the name. And and then it would
be Yaakov in Hebrew or Aramaic Ben, and then Zebedee

(02:24):
as the Hebrew name Zebedee. So that's what, uh, that's
what it would have been. So it sounds like a
last name. Uh, Iscariot. Uh, ish something. But I don't
know what carryout ish is, man. So, uh, that's one
of the things that you can look up and see

(02:44):
what Iscariot is. I think it may have to do
with the nickname more than a last name. Okay.

S2 (02:52):
I'm going to ask the question. Even when I called in,
it was like a question that they thought, wow, I
never thought of that either. So I figured it would
be a good question to ask you.

S1 (03:00):
Yeah, well, you know, it is, you know, but I'm
going to have to say that I'll tell you what
I'm I'm good at. I'm good at answering Bible questions.
I'm really terrible at Bible trivia, so. Ha ha ha.
And and, uh, that's that's what, uh, what sometimes I think, uh,

(03:24):
people think, well, how can I stump the professor? Which is. Okay. Uh,
you know, I don't mind that, but that I'm. I
will easily get stumped. Uh, it's actually, uh, it could,
it could be. They're not sure I'm looking it up
right now about Iscariot. Uh, ish is. Man, I knew

(03:46):
that chariot. Some people, they're not sure what it means.
If it's a place name or if it comes from
the Latin sicarius, which is the assassins or the rebels
that were involved in the first century revolt against Rome,
those who were zealots. And so, uh, that maybe he
comes from that, the ultra nationalist, uh, group of that

(04:11):
leads to the zealots and the war that breaks out
in 66 against Rome. So that's that's what it could be.
That's what it could be. Thanks for your call, Kimberly.
Really appreciate it. We're going to talk to Vivian, uh,
in Selma, Alabama, listening on Wraf. Welcome to Open Line. Vivian.
How can I help you? Yes.

S5 (04:32):
Good morning. Thank you so much, Michael, for taking my question. Sure.
My question is, in Genesis one one, we we see that, um,
God created the heavens and the earth. Also in Matthew 25,
which is part of tomorrow's Sunday school lesson 25, verse 34,
it says the kingdom was prepared since the creation of
the world. But John 14 and three says, and if

(04:56):
I go and prepare a place for you. So my
question is, I know it's not a contradiction. I just
want some clarity.

S6 (05:04):
Well, in.

S1 (05:04):
Genesis one one, God created the heavens and the earth,
and it's really important to understand what it means. The
word heaven has different kinds of meanings there. It's referring
to the space, so to speak, the the sky in space.
Of course you have. That's what Shamayim is. There the heavens. Uh,
when we. When we like, when you look out at

(05:25):
the stars and you see those stars, and you see
the sun in the in the sky, and you see
the the moon in the sky and the heavens, that's
what it's referring to, sort of space. Uh, it's not
talking about heaven as our place where we're going to
be with the Lord. Uh, okay. That's that's Genesis in

(05:51):
Matthew 25. Five, verse 34, uh, it says that, uh,
come into the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation
of the world. That's not talking about heaven, that's talking
about an earthly kingdom where Messiah reigns over from Jerusalem,

(06:13):
over Israel and the whole world. That's the messianic kingdom.
Some people call it the millennium because in revelation 20
it is said to be a thousand years. So that's
not heaven either. One is space two the Matthew 25.
That's the earthly kingdom of the Messiah. And then, uh,

(06:37):
John 14 three uh, this is where Jesus says I
go to prepare a place for you. Um, and, uh,
I if I go away, I will come back there.
He's just saying. He's not saying he's creating a heaven
for us or that he's creating the kingdom. What he's
saying he's preparing, uh, in my father's house, there are many.

(07:02):
I remember one Greek teacher. I had said many apartments. Uh,
we like mansions, but that there's a place to live
in the presence of God and the Lord Jesus goes
to prepare that for us. That's what it's referring to. Uh,
and so those are the three terms. They're not at
all contradictory. They're they're just talking about three different things. Okay, Vivian.

S5 (07:26):
Thank you. Thank you for the clarity.

S1 (07:28):
Yeah, sure. Thanks so much for your call. Boy, I
have to say, this is, uh, talking about heaven. Uh,
I have a dear friend who went to be with
the Lord about two weeks ago, the day after the
Super Bowl, and, uh, I talked with him after the

(07:51):
Super Bowl. He had he was quite ill. And then
he had sort of a little revival on the day
of the Super Bowl. He was in the hospital and
his kids were with him, and they watched the football game,
and he called me and said, you know, I'm going
to be dying soon and will you speak at my
funeral and, and such? And that was a hard conversation.

(08:15):
But I said to him, you know, as hard as
this is, I know we're going to see each other again.
And then he was supposed to go home for hospice,
but passed away in the morning. And every time you
lose someone like that. This has been my friend for
over 50 years and we don't see each other much,
but talk all the time and text all the time

(08:37):
and think of each other all the time. When that happens,
you think, well, eternity is so true. We will get
to be with each other forever. And and I think
that sometimes when, when we die, when someone dies that
we love, we, we get the sense that it's it

(08:58):
will hurt our faith, but it doesn't. It builds my faith.
It strengthens my faith. It gives me hope. We don't.
I'm grieving the loss of this dear friend, but I
don't grieve as those who have no hope. You know,
first Thessalonians four I have a real confidence that I
will see him again. Uh, and he was when I
went to Moody as a student 50 years ago. He

(09:19):
was the funniest student in school. He was just a
crack up. And, uh, as I think about that, I
think I'm going to spend eternity with my old pal laughing.
We're going to be. There's going to be laughter in heaven,
and we're going to be cutting up then as just.
And you know what? Faith in Jesus, friends. Trusting in him,

(09:40):
believing in him, that he died for us and rose
again gives us confidence to face the future, That's what.
That's what this reminds me of. Uh, so anyway, we're
going to go to break now and, uh uh uh,
when we do go to break, I want you to consider, uh,

(10:03):
that that all you have to do is put your
trust in Jesus. Uh, and then you, too, can have
confidence that he died for us. He rose again, and
he has gone to prepare a place for us, and
we'll spend forever with him. I hope you'll make that
decision to tell him. If you've never done that, that

(10:24):
you trust in Jesus. We're going to come back in
just a moment. Uh, we're going to take more of
your calls right here on Open Line with Michael Zelnick.

(10:49):
And we're back. So glad to be with you on
this Saturday morning as we study the scriptures together on
our Bible study across America. I do want to remind
you about our current resource, because I think it's such
a helpful book, and it was written by a friend
of mine, Doctor Paul Benware, and it gives you a
roadmap for the New Testament. It is a survey of

(11:12):
the New Testament by Paul Benware, and Doctor Benware has
been teaching the Bible for beyond years, I can imagine,
and just has had a wonderful ministry, but not just
for people at large. Really has helped me a lot
with my understanding of Scripture and how to put it
all together. And this book, survey of the New Testament

(11:33):
gives you a roadmap of of Matthew through revelation, how
each book is put together and how they all fit together.
It is such a great resource. I don't want you
to miss out on it. And it's our way of
saying thank you to you. When you send a gift
of any size, we'd love to get you a copy
of survey of the New Testament by Doctor Paul Benware.

(11:53):
If you would like to give a gift and get
a copy of this book, all you have to do
is call [phone]. That's [phone] or go to open Line radio.org.
And remember with your gift, be sure to ask for
a survey of the New Testament by Doctor Paul Benware.
You're going to love this book. And we're going to

(12:16):
talk to Jack Johnston in Alaska, listening on 97.7 FM,
Moody Radio. I got to say, Jack, I'm glad you're calling.
Every time I get a call from Alaska, I think
I want to go to Alaska. Never been so. I'm
jealous of you, Jack. Living there in Alaska. How can
I help you?

S7 (12:35):
Yes, sir. Yeah, well, come on up. Yeah. We'd love
to have you. Yes, sir. Well, my Uh, question kind
of is, um, do you think that, uh, cause for
the anti-Semitism, I mean, throughout history even has been because God,
the only true living God gave his word, the law

(12:56):
of Moses. And, you know, all of the Old and
New Testament to Jewish people. I mean, they were the
ones that God spoke to as opposed to all the
other nations that were worshiping idols, you know, created in
their own image. And, um, anyhow, I was just, uh,
my question was, do you think that the hatred of

(13:17):
Jewish folks and believers in the Lord Jesus also, that, um,
is caused because we worship the true living God and
they can't touch him, but they can certainly kill us.
And you know what I'm saying?

S1 (13:31):
Yeah, I think that there's maybe there's a hint of that.
I don't want to say no, I don't, you know,
because I don't know what drives anti-Semitism. But I think
that there are two theological reasons for anti-Semitism. The first
is mentioned in Psalm 83. I talked about it first,
our that that, uh, because the world hates God, they

(13:55):
hate his people, that they that hatred of the God
of Israel fuels hatred of the people of Israel. And
I think that's really there. And I guess what I
would say is Satan hates whom God loves. And and

(14:15):
that's right there. And, and that's why it's like that. Uh,
and the way of hurting people, I think whether knowingly
or not, the enemy wants to hurt God in the
way he hurts God is by hurting those whom God loves.
And and that that's a, I think, a a special reason,

(14:38):
a second reason I believe theologically not based on Psalm 83,
but based on revelation 12, is that Satan wants to
obstruct the plan of God. So think about it. If
if Haman had been successful, then the Messiah could have
never been born because he was promised to come from
the people of Israel. Uh, and when we look at

(15:00):
the future, Matthew 2337 through 39, where it says that
the key to the Second Coming after the tribulation, the
key is when Israel will welcome Jesus as the Messiah.
He says, though he would have gathered them as as
a mother hen gathers her chicks, they were unwilling that.
But you will not see me again until you say,

(15:24):
blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
That's the Hebrew phrase for greeting. Uh, it's written in
Greek there, but it's based on the Hebrew phrase for welcome.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
You can see it in Psalm 118. It's still used
today in modern Hebrew as the welcome. So for that reason,
in my opinion, it is saying there what the Lord

(15:47):
Jesus is saying is when Israel welcomes him back, that's
when he will return. And so if Satan could destroy
the Jewish people, he will obstruct the return of the
Lord Jesus. And so I actually believe it is hatred
for whom God loves, and obstruction of the plan that
God has made that drives anti-Semitism. Okay, Jack?

S7 (16:10):
Yes, sir. Yeah, that's that's neat because like you're saying,
I mean, it just it's.

S1 (16:14):
Illogical, isn't it? It doesn't make any sense.

S7 (16:17):
No, it doesn't, it doesn't. But you know, all throughout history, people,
you know, uh, they, they hate the Jews and believers
in Jesus. Yeah. You know, because of his word, I mean,
everybody I.

S1 (16:31):
Mean, we have if you go back in church history, Jack,
you're going to see that the believers in the Lord
Jesus Also hated the Jewish people. Uh, yeah. The Inquisition.
And if you look at the the Crusades, it's just unbelievable.
When you look at the history of hatred of the
Jewish people. And, uh, I think that that the most

(16:55):
interesting thing to me is that that doesn't change God's heart.
He's going to preserve and protect his people. And, and that's,
that's the the truth of it. And, uh, hopefully the
the pressure will cause Jewish people to consider the Messiah
of Israel, the Lord Jesus. So anyway, thank you for
your call, Jack, I appreciate it. We're going to go

(17:16):
to the next caller. It's Devin, uh, or Devin, I
guess I would say Devin, uh, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, listening
on Moody Radio there. Welcome to Open Line. Devin.

S8 (17:29):
Hi, Michael. Uh, it's actually Devin. You got it right
the first time. Okay. Um, but so my question is
really pertaining to like within my family. And um, Hebrews
1214 says to make every effort to live at peace
with everyone. And, and then in Matthew 1034 and 35,

(17:50):
it talks about setting a man at variance against his
father and bringing a sword and all this. So can
you please give me some wisdom on how to pursue
peace with people that I feel like aren't aren't really
don't have the same heart for that.

S1 (18:07):
You know, that sounds to me like there's a whole
lot more going on. Uh, then then, you know, I
can really answer, but I'll I'll just start with this,
that we should do our best to be at peace
with our family. That mark is a mark 1030. Matthew 1037. Right.

(18:32):
Isn't that what you're talking about? The verse. Did I
get that right, Jack?

S8 (18:36):
1030. Well, 1034 and 35.

S9 (18:38):
Yeah. That's it.

S1 (18:40):
Uh, that's not saying that everyone's going to be at
odds with their parents or their brothers or sisters. Uh, but, uh,
but nevertheless, when it's really saying that there there's a
grave possibility that when a person becomes a follower of Jesus,

(19:03):
it may lead to a separation between parents and children
and siblings and so forth, and children and parents, and
you just don't know. But Romans 1218 says, as much
as is possible, be at peace with all men. So
even though there may be a division in the family,

(19:26):
what we have to do is see where we can go,
what we can do, how we can do it, to
try to find peace, even without compromising our faith. Uh,
I just know. I'll just tell you in my own life,
my own family. When I became a follower of Jesus,
my dad utterly disowned me. He moved away. Wouldn't talk

(19:49):
to me just because I believed in Jesus and the
reason for him. You know, he had lost his first wife,
his five children in the Holocaust, and he saw all
followers of Jesus as, uh, being equated with Nazis. And
so to him, I had become a Nazi. Uh, even. Obviously,
that's not true. And so what I did is I

(20:12):
just spent the rest of his living days trying to
send out appeals, trying to let him know that I
wanted to have a relationship with him. I wanted to
see him. I wasn't going to compromise my faith, but, uh,
I was I if you don't want me to ever
talk about it, I won't ever talk about it. Uh,
I'll leave that to God to to let you know

(20:34):
about it. But I wanted to have a relationship with him.
Had about 2 or 3 times where we could actually talk. Uh,
but nothing really came of it over those years. Uh,
you know, over 25 years of of trying to reach
out to him. I did my best as much as possible.
I wanted to be at peace with him. Uh, without

(20:56):
giving up my faith, that's what I would say. What
kind of sacrifices? Sacrifices we can make to try and
let those whom we love know that we want to
be at peace with them, even if they don't want
to be at peace with us. That's what I would
encourage you to do. Jack. Okay.

S8 (21:12):
Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Michael. Yeah.

S1 (21:14):
Uh, and I'm sorry I said Jack. It was Devin
or Devin or something like that. Okay, we're going to
talk to, uh, Daniel, uh, in Minnesota on Faith radio.
Welcome to Open Line. Daniel. How can I help you?

S10 (21:32):
Thank you, thank you. And peace and glory be upon
you as well. And for all who have an ear
to listen. I am really curious of John 1613 and
when Jesus references the helper and he calls him he
a couple of times. So I wanted to get more
information on how we can look for the helper in
our everyday life. Of course, the Holy Spirit. But then also,

(21:54):
if there is someone that Jesus is sending to that
will testify in his name that he sent.

S1 (21:59):
Well, John 16, where it says that he will guide
you into all truth, I think that he's that's not
a general statement. If I'm right, the guidance of the
Holy Spirit that's being spoken there is in the upper
room discourse to the disciples and uh, uh, and uh,

(22:22):
so I think what he is saying is, uh, that
he will declare to you what is to come and
he will glorify me and so forth, but he will
guide you into all truth. I think he's talking to
the apostles, and that's what empowered them to write the
New Testament. In terms of the Holy Spirit, we fully
have the Holy Spirit. Romans eight says that. And Paul

(22:44):
is writing, obviously after Pentecost, that every believer fully has
the Holy Spirit. It says in Romans eight nine, if, if,
if we don't have the spirit, we don't belong to him. Conversely,
if we do belong to him, we fully have the
Holy Spirit. And that's enough power, the power that raised
the Lord Jesus from the dead. So we're we have
spiritual power. And so what the Bible is teaching also, Paul,

(23:06):
Ephesians 518 we need to be filled or controlled by
the spirit. I believe that's by allowing the Word of
God to take forcible occupation of our lives. That's how
the Holy Spirit controls us. We need to be. We
need to walk in the spirit that that the the
mind set on things of the spirit is spiritual. The
mind set on things of the flesh is is fleshly.

(23:30):
That's what Romans eight says. And so what we're doing
is we're looking to live according to the leading and
guidance of the Holy Spirit by thinking on putting our mind,
our thoughts, our, our, our ideas before the Word of
God and under the control of the Holy Spirit, setting

(23:52):
our minds on things above. Uh, that's that's how we
are led by the spirit today. So, uh, you know,
I don't think we should always, you know, this is
what I think. Sometimes we're looking for signs and wonders
and and powerful exploits what the Holy Spirit is doing
in our lives now. Uh, you know, an evil and

(24:14):
adulterous generation looks after a sign, seeks for a sign.
But what we're looking for is spiritual transformation. That the
Holy Spirit will draw us closer and closer in our
walk with him as we devote ourselves to the things
of the spirit, the things above. By the power of
His Spirit, he's transforming our lives on a daily basis

(24:35):
so we can walk closer and closer with him. Uh,
doesn't mean he's going to reveal all things to come
to us, because that was what he was saying to
the apostles in the upper room. But he is promising
us that we can, by the power of the spirit.
What's what's he say? Put to death the deeds of
the flesh by the power of the Holy Spirit. And

(24:56):
so that's that's that's what he's looking for, uh, to
accomplish in our lives. Uh, Daniel, is is that helpful
at all?

S10 (25:06):
That that is absolutely helpful in a profound way. And
I pray that a lot. Who all hears this does
take away a lot of things. But among those that
really stuck out to me was that the same power,
that and same spirit that Jesus gave to us all
when he left, is that same spirit that resurrected people
from the dead resurrected him? From the dead? Resurrected Lazarus

(25:27):
from the dead?

S9 (25:28):
Yeah.

S10 (25:28):
Those that every single day in the.

S1 (25:30):
Power that raised Jesus from the dead lives in us. Amazing.
When we think about the power. Everyone's looking for more power. Well,
we don't have to look for more power. We just
have to be transformed by the power that's in us already.
We're going to come right back with the the Febc mailbag,
so stick with us. This is open line with Michael Zelnick.

(26:06):
Welcome back to Open Line. So glad to be with
you this morning. And I'm truly grateful for all of
you who give gifts occasionally. You know that you you
hear a resource and you think, uh, yeah, I think
I'd like that. And you give a gift to Open
Line and so appreciated. And you may have never given

(26:27):
a gift and I, I we have this great resource
now survey of the New Testament by Paul Benware. And
if you've never given a gift and you think, yeah,
that's a good one, boy, I sure would appreciate it
if you'd send that gift to us to Open line
to Moody Radio. Not to me, obviously, but I so
appreciate that. But also and we want to say thanks

(26:48):
by sending you the book, but there are many people
who every other month send a gift in because they
want to get the resource, and that's still possible. But
I want to encourage you and ask you, and have
you consider maybe becoming a kitchen table partner, uh, joining
us so that we can budget better and plan better
by committing to giving every month so I can be

(27:09):
on the air every week. And if that's something that
you've never considered doing. But I was hoping you might
consider it now, uh, because, uh, being part of the
team is so essential for what we're doing here. If
you'd consider that, I'd appreciate it if you do what
we do. As I say all the time, we do
a Bible study moment every other week, a special audio

(27:32):
Bible study designed just for our kitchen table partners. I
hope you'll consider becoming one. And if you would like
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do is call [phone]. Also the same number you call
if you just want to give a gift. Uh [phone]

(27:52):
or go to open line radio.org. And it is so appreciated.
Thank you, thank you, thank you. Well joining me right
now is to hear Haynes. And she is our producer today.
And she's the one asking the questions. So glad you're
with us. This is the FBC mailbag. Now, had you
ever heard of FBC before you came to Moody Radio?

S11 (28:14):
I heard about it first on Moody Radio.

S4 (28:17):
Yeah. Well, Ed.

S1 (28:18):
Cannon, wonderful president of this terrific organization that uses media
to reach people all across the globe. A lot of
Moody Radio broadcasting on it as well. People there sending
out bold steps all over the world with with Mark Jobe,
wonderful ministry. And, uh, I hope you'll check out FBC.

(28:42):
Org and and catch their podcast until all have heard.
Well what what do we have on the FBC mailbag today?

S11 (28:49):
We have some great questions. And our first question is
from Nicole and she wrote to us via Facebook. Is
there a concise timeline of the history of Israel through
modern times that would demonstrate to doubters why the Land
of Israel belongs to the Jewish people and has for
thousands of years so many things that the people who

(29:11):
now live in Gaza have ancient roots in Israel, or
as it's sometimes called, Palestine.

S6 (29:17):
Yeah.

S1 (29:17):
Well, let's see, I'm going to say, first of all,
there's a book called understanding the Arab-Israeli conflict. Uh, it's
a little dated because this changes so much. So it
doesn't have the news from the last 15 years or so,
but it does give that timeline, uh, it's published by Moody.

(29:38):
And modesty forbids me for mentioning the name of the
author who's going to be revising it, uh, in the
next few months. So that captures everything up to date. Uh,
but that. I'm just joking. It's a book I wrote
a number of years ago. It's still in print. We're
updating it now. Uh, but that does give you the
timeline you're looking for. Uh, secondly, uh, the idea that

(30:06):
the people in Gaza and the West Bank and even
in Israel, that they were there from ancient times, that
they are the, the, the Philistines continue. That's just not true. Uh,
a couple of things. One, the Arabic language came to
that land with the Arabic conquest in the seventh.

S6 (30:27):
Century A.D..

S1 (30:30):
And so that's where they came from. They conquered that area. Uh,
then also, the land was so destroyed by the policies
of the Ottoman government when it led it from 1517
till 1916. That's the Ottoman. The Turkish government was the, uh, Empire,

(30:50):
the empire that controlled that was over the land of Israel.
What they did is they one of the things, the
stupid things that they did is they taxed you if
you had trees.

S6 (31:01):
Wow.

S1 (31:01):
So people, what do they do? They don't want to
pay taxes. So they cut their trees down and it
denuded the land of trees. And it took away the topsoil,
and it made the place in the north. It just
became swamps. And in the south it was just desert.
And as a result, in 1882, with the birth of

(31:23):
the modern return of Jewish people to the land after
they had been scattered away, there's always some Jewish people there, but, uh,
the majority of Jewish people weren't there. The land had
only had about 225,000 people. This is the land that
sustains a like 13 or 14 million people right now. Uh,

(31:44):
there are only 225,000 people. And the Jewish people began
to return. They drained the swamps, they irrigated the South.
They planted trees. They did all this, which caused the
the rebirth of the land and brought work. And so
people from the entire Mediterranean basin began to come. Even

(32:05):
as Jews were returning, people were returning as well. And
that's where people who claim to be Palestinian today, those
that's when they came. So it's really two immigrant peoples.
It's not like like you hear they were there from
time immemorial, and then the Jews came and drove them out.
That's just not what it was. You have the Jews returning,
and then people from the Mediterranean basin, Circassians and people

(32:30):
from Cyprus, Crete, people from all the surrounding Arab states
began to go there for work. And as a result,
they have two immigrant populations. You can even see this
in a simple book by Mark Twain. He wrote Innocents Abroad,
and he talked about when he went to to Palestine,
as it was called, the name the Romans gave it

(32:53):
in the second century AD to try and take the
Jewishness out of the land. So, uh, what what he
says is he goes, you go days, you don't see anybody,
you travel for days, uh, and you don't see anyone.
It's a really interesting description of the land of Israel
that said, uh, I think that That. It's just the

(33:16):
stories are filled with propaganda. You need to get a
better history of how the land came to be.

S11 (33:21):
Well, thank you for that and thank you for those
good resources as well. Our next question is from Ladina
on Facebook. I've been thinking about how people have been
and will always be saved by grace through faith in
the revealed will of God. What are grace and faith?
How do we know the revealed will of God today?

S4 (33:42):
Well.

S1 (33:43):
Grace means God's undeserved kindness. Faith refers to our trust. Uh.
And uh, so we are saved by God's grace through
faith in. And today is the gospel that the Lord
Jesus died for us and rose again. Uh, in the

(34:06):
Old Testament, it was always by God's grace through faith
in what God had revealed. Offer these sacrifices. Look for
the Messiah. Uh, that's the Old Testament. But the revealed
will of God was found in the in the Word
of God. In the same way, the revealed will of
God today is found in the Word of God, trusting

(34:28):
in the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, who has come. And so, uh,
it's it's not that hard. We're saved by God's undeserved
kindness for us when we trust in the good news
that Jesus died for our sins and rose again, that's
the revealed will of God found in the Word of God.

S11 (34:46):
Okay, wonderful.

S6 (34:47):
Thank you. Okay.

S1 (34:49):
Uh, thanks so much for sending those questions in. All
you have to do is go to the website openline radio.org,
click on Ask Michael a question and to Hera and
Tricia will make sure your question get into the mailbag.
That was Tyra Haynes I'm Michael Melnick. We'll be right
back with more of your questions right here on Openline.

UU (35:23):
And we're back.

S1 (35:25):
So glad to be with you. I've had a wonderful
morning talking with you in our Bible study across America.
My name is Michael Melnick, and, you know, since the
war broke out with Israel and Hamas when Hamas attacked
Israel on October 7th, 2023, and now 16 months, you know,

(35:45):
people have not been going to Israel. They would so
love to go, but can't. There aren't many tours. There
are some tours going back now, but not much. So
one of our ministry partners, Chosen People Ministries, is offering
a coffee table book called Israel, the land and the people,
so you can go to Israel by looking at these pictures.

(36:05):
It is some of the best photos you'll see of
Israel anywhere. It shows the beauty, the history, the culture,
the variety of the Land of Israel, from snow top
Mount Hermon in the north to the fortress of Masada
in the south, from ancient the ancient streets of Jerusalem
to bustling modern Tel Aviv. It's got biblical verses, prayer prompts. Uh,

(36:29):
it's just a great book. And if you'd like a
free copy of Israel, the Land and the people, just
go to Openline. Uh, our web site, Openline. radio.org Openline radio.org.
Scroll down. You'll see a link that says A free
gift from Chosen People Ministries. Click on that. You'll be
taken to a page where you can sign up for
your own copy of Israel, The land and the people. Also,

(36:50):
when you're on the website Openline radio.org, you can scroll
down to the end. There's a link to my personal
web page. People have been asking me about a trip.
We're going to be doing a cruise next December in
the Caribbean and studying the scriptures together. It's a unique
cruise on a tall ship. If you're interested in that,
go to michael-ray. Org or you can just go to

(37:12):
our website and scroll down and click on my personal
web page, and you can find out about that. We're
going to go to the phones right now and speak
with Patti in Florida listening on keys. Welcome to Open Line, Patti.
How can I help you?

S12 (37:29):
Well, good morning, Doctor Michael. So if I could preface
this question with the fact that this question does come
from our Sunday school class, we're studying your 50 most
important Bible questions. Okay, so so we had finished the
chapter about Judas and his suicide. But what came up
was the fact that we were wondering if there's anything

(37:49):
in the Bible that says that we haven't found that
Judas was not truly a believing apostle.

S6 (37:57):
Since he.

S12 (37:58):
Didn't commit suicide. Is there any.

S6 (38:00):
Indication?

S1 (38:01):
I don't think you know, people think that suicide is
the sin that would cause someone to lose their salvation.
I don't think any sin. If we're genuinely saved, we
can't lose our salvation. Uh, but just remember, uh, that
Judas was a sham all along. You know, when the

(38:25):
Lord Jesus. When when the woman washed his feet with
with the with perfume and with her tears. Remember that?
He was like, oh, this money, this could have been
sold and we could have, uh, made so much money, uh,
off of it. So he wasn't genuine all along. He

(38:46):
was there probably because he wanted the Lord Jesus to
overthrow the Romans. And he thought this may be the
way to do it. Uh, and the other phrase that
the Gospel of John uses of, of, of Judas is
that he's the son of perdition. What is perdition mean?
It means damnation. It means the the one who is

(39:10):
destined for eternal punishment. And so I don't think he
was ever a believer. He. I don't think it's possible
to lose your salvation. I don't think he ever had it.
And that was his destiny. So does that help at all?

S12 (39:25):
Yeah, that's kind of what we were thinking, that just
based on what his actions were during that time, he
probably wasn't a true apostle. Which led the other question,
why would Jesus call him except to do that act?

S1 (39:40):
Well, he called him I. You know, the Lord knew
who was a believer, and he also knew who would
betray him. You know, part of this whole thing was,
why would the Lord do something when he knows what?
That's that whole thing where I don't think we should
even engage in the what if and the why for
and all that. Uh, because we can't. The whole issue
of God's sovereignty and human responsibility and how that those

(40:03):
two things work together. I just don't think we can
even comprehend it. It's too mysterious for us. But, you know,
people often say that Judas repented when he threw the
30 shekels back at the leadership who had paid him.
That was not repentance, that was remorse, and it was
not a changed life or he would not have committed suicide. So. Okay, Patti.

S12 (40:28):
Take that back tomorrow.

S1 (40:30):
Okay, good. You have a good class tomorrow. Thanks for calling. Uh,
we're going to talk to Eric in Wisconsin, listening on
90.1 FM, Moody Radio Chicago Wmbi. How can I help
you today, Eric?

S13 (40:45):
Good morning, doctor. Peace be with you. I have a
question regarding Romans 829 to 30 regarding predestination. It's a pretty,
I guess you would say, confusing verse to a lot
of believers and non-believers from the point that when some
people read this, they come up with the conclusion, no

(41:06):
matter how I live my life, the Lord predestined me
to be saved. But then I look at verse 29,
that first word it says for whom he did foreknow.
Could you expand on those two verses for me to
help me get a better understanding of that circle?

S6 (41:20):
Sure.

S1 (41:21):
Well, here, let me just say one thing. There's all
these verses that indicate God's sovereign work in salvation. Then
there are other verses that call on people to believe
human responsibility. And sometimes you even find them right up
against each other. Human responsibility, uh, and God's sovereignty. Uh,

(41:46):
and and the Bible makes no effort to reconcile those things.
When Spurgeon was asked how he reconciles them, he says,
I never reconcile friends. So, uh, they're both true. They're mysterious.
I think that is as far as the heavens are above,
the earth, so high are so much higher are my

(42:06):
thoughts than your thoughts and my ways above your ways.
That's Isaiah 55. The mind of God is far greater
and can comprehend these things better than my mind or
your mind. Eric. So let's just remember that, uh, let's
go through it. He foreknew to Foreknow means to know beforehand,
and the biblical sense of the word to know is

(42:26):
to enter into a relationship. Just you can even see
it in the Bible. You know, God, the man knew
his wife, that that's a relational term. And so God foreknew.
He knew not just didn't know. It's not just does
not just mean that he knew in advance who would believe.
It means that he knew us. We entered into relationship

(42:48):
with him. Before time he foreknew us. He predestined us. Uh.
He determined in advance that we would be conformed to
the image of his son. Uh, and he also called
us to believe there's two calls, there's the general call
and the scripture that everyone should believe. And then there's
the call, effectual call to believe in Jesus and we will.

(43:11):
And those he called, he justified. He declared us righteous
and those he justified. It says he glorified. And it
uses the aorist tense of completed action. But that's yet
to happen in the future. It's called a proleptic error,
something so certain that it's spoken of as a completed action,
even though it hasn't happened yet because it's so certain.

(43:31):
So that's what it says. And all those things are true.
And nevertheless, he calls us to faith. If you read
Romans ten, uh, it says, how shall they believe, uh,
unless unless they have a preacher. Right. Uh, it says,
how can they call on him? They have not believed in.
And how can they believe without hearing about him? And

(43:53):
how can they hear without a preacher? And so what
is seeming to say is people have a responsibility to
believe and they need to hear the message. How can
both those things be true? That God will call predestined
those people who are called? And at the same time
we have to preach the good news. Do you know what?
They're both true. And we have to just live with that.

S13 (44:15):
And it also sounds like there's some actions that the
person or the believer has to take. You just can't
sit on your morals and think everything is hunky dory.

S6 (44:22):
Yeah.

S1 (44:22):
The person's got to respond to the faith, to the call,
to faith. I love the scene in The Silver Chair
by C.S. Lewis where Jill Catchpole, I think that was
her name. Jill comes back, comes to Narnia, and she's
speaking to Aslan, the lion, and she said, we called
out to you and that's why we're here. And he said,

(44:43):
you would not have called had I not called you here.
And I think that there's a lot of truth to
that right there. So. Yeah. So, uh, you know, I,
I don't want to appear simplistic. I know that there
are people like my friend Michael Vanlandingham, who are smart
enough to understand how sovereignty and free will work. I'm

(45:04):
just not bright enough. So I live with the mystery
that both are true. I totally believe, though I would
not have believed had not he called me first. So.
But I do believe I have a responsibility to everyone
and call on people to believe and trust God with it.

(45:26):
Okay Eric, that I think I lost you Eric, but
thank you for your call. I really appreciate it. Well, friends,
what a day it's been. I want you to keep
praying for the people of Israel. This is a very
tough day. A very tough time for them. Uh, some
captives have been released. Others have been returned in gruesome

(45:49):
fashion in boxes. And so we need to keep praying
for the peace of Jerusalem right now. Paying for the
peace in the hearts of the people of Israel. I
want to remind you of that. If you want to
hear more about that, you can go back and listen
to the opening word from today. But that's it for today.
Thanks so much for listening. We're so grateful for all

(46:10):
of you who listen. And thanks for you. Those of
you who called or wrote with your questions, you make
the program possible. And also thanks to the Open Line team,
Merle and Tara and Lisa, we're so grateful for all
that you do. And remember, keep in touch with us
by going to our website, Open Line radio.org. It's got
all the links you're looking for, uh, how to become

(46:31):
a kitchen table partner, how to get our current resource,
how to see my personal website with all that's there.
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
a great weekend.