June 14, 2025 • 46 mins
Our weekly Bible study sticks around this summer and we want to study the Scriptures with you. Bring your questions about God, the Bible, or the spiritual life to this Saturday's Open Line with Dr. Michael Rydelnik. We'll try to answer them on ai this weekend.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
S1 (00:08):
Hello friends. It's time for the second hour of Open
Line with Doctor Michael Ray 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 Ray. I'm academic
dean and a professor of Jewish studies and Bible at
Moody Bible Institute. We're live today sitting around the radio
(00:31):
kitchen table taking your questions. Now is the time to
give me a call. Always best at the beginning of
an hour. Lots of open line open phone lines here.
Free waiting for your call. The phone number. Write this down. (877) 548-3675.
That's (877) 548-3675. Remember, if you can't call, you can always
(00:59):
go to our website, Open Line radio.org and click on
Ask Michael a question. You can leave your question there
and Trish will put it in the mailbag. I want
to thank Trish our producer. She our senior producer. She
was loath to tell me that the other day I said,
you're not just a producer, you're senior producer. And anyway,
(01:21):
she posted a link to, uh, information about Avner Boesky,
who I interviewed in the first segment of the first
our first and second segments. I encourage you go back
and check that out. Listen to that interview. Avner has
been serving in Israel for about 40 years, and a
great friend of mine, and brilliant insights into what's going
(01:44):
on and how to read Scripture in a way to
understand what's going on. So do check out that interview
and thanks, Trish for posting the links to Avner's information. And.
Now also, uh. I wanted to, uh, invite. He's not
a caller. Callers are coming in. We got plenty of callers.
(02:07):
Keep calling, though. (877) 548-3675. But Omar Mendoza, our engineer, asked
me a question on the break. I said, that's a
good question. People are wondering that, too. So, Omar, you
have a question. Why don't you go ahead and ask it?
S2 (02:21):
Yeah, I do have a question. Um, so, uh, what
was the straw that broke the camel's back, which led
Israel to launch the strike?
S1 (02:34):
Okay. Why did Israel strike Iran? Now, this has been
an issue for 20 years, since they began the plans
in Iran to have a nuclear weapon. And Israel is
Benjamin Netanyahu's whole career, his second time in office and
his now his third time. He's had three different times
(02:54):
he's been in office. He has been railing about the
danger of Iran getting a nuclear weapon. Why now? Well,
a couple of things. One, President Trump told the Iranian
government that they had 60 days to make an agreement
with the United States. They were negotiating. And amazingly, they
(03:18):
just the Iranian government just dawdled and dawdled. They were
trying to protract as much as long as they could
the negotiations so they could get to the nuclear bomb
without having been stopped. And so President Trump gave them
an ultimatum. He said, you have 60 days to negotiate something.
Day 61 is when this happened. So once again, Iran
(03:40):
was trying to protract the negotiations. Secondly, Israeli intelligence, which
is outstanding. I don't know if you realize how much
in this assault was carried out at the initial level
by the Mossad. I'm sure you saw the information that they.
The Mossad set up, uh, drone factory. A drone factory
(04:03):
right in Iran, so that the opening assault, which was
by drones, were from drones that they built right there
in Iran. Amazing. And they knew precisely where the heads
of all the military agencies were. Uh, the information, the
intelligence they receive is excellent. And the intelligence that Israel
(04:24):
had was that they were not months or years away,
but days or weeks away from producing nuclear warheads. Uh,
the number varied from 9 to 15. Uh, they thought,
but they were right on the cusp. They were on
the verge of creating nuclear warheads. And the government of
(04:47):
Israel could not risk a nuclear Iran. And that's what
began this assault. And so it was being so close
and giving. I think they were very respectful of Donald Trump,
the president of the United States, and they said he
wants 60 days. We're going to wait 60 days. And
that's why that's why it happened precisely on the 61st day.
S2 (05:08):
Got it. Okay. Yeah. Thank you.
S1 (05:10):
Great. Hey, thanks for that. That's a great question. I
thought other people were asking it to Omar. So thank
you for asking that. Uh, Colin in Georgia listening to
w w m e. Welcome to Open Line. How can
I help you today?
S3 (05:24):
Hello. Um, I'm a question about, uh, Joshua 1301. Um,
Joshua 12 talks about all the kings that Joshua and
Israel defeated in the land. Joshua, 31, says Joshua became
very old, and there was still a lot of land
that wasn't defeated or conquered. So is that saying something
(05:46):
like Ecclesiastes, that there's a lot of work to be
done and just have a lot of work to be done?
Or is that something like Prophet Elisha did a lot
of good things, but he still didn't cause revival. So
what sort of thing is it trying to say that
he got old, but he still didn't conquer a lot
of land. Joshua 13 one he says.
S1 (06:05):
You have become become old, getting on in years, but
a great deal of the land remains to be possessed.
I think that's important. So then that takes us right
to the valedictory address, the final address of Joshua in
Joshua 24, where he recounts the history of Israel. And
(06:29):
then he says, as for me and my house, we
will follow the Lord. That's what he says. Uh, he said,
choose this day for yourselves, the one you will worship.
The gods your fathers worshiped beyond the Euphrates, the false gods.
But as for me and my family. We will worship
(06:52):
the Lord. We will serve the Lord and the. So
he challenges the people to go on with the Lord,
and then he dies. And then he goes on, uh,
the the story goes on. You can pick it up
in the book of judges, where the people have these
cycles of sin and then repentance, restoration, uh, and so forth. Um,
here's what it tells me is until the Lord returns
(07:14):
were not the end of the story, God has lots
of work to do. We serve him as best we
can in our days and then someone else goes on.
I just made the decision. I mentioned this recently. Uh,
I became the dean a few years ago, and we
brought in a new Jewish studies professor. I've been Jewish
studies professor at Moody now for 32 years, almost. And
(07:39):
but it was time for a new one. And we
have a great new Jewish studies professor, uh, Michael Gabizon.
And then not only that, but I thought my time.
Really I need to focus on some other areas of ministry,
and I've retired from education. I'm not going to be
the dean after June 30th and after June 30th July 1st.
(08:00):
I will focus more on radio and conference ministry with Moody,
and that's what I'm going to be doing. The point is,
I am grateful that I get to serve the Lord
in another way. But sometimes we have to pass on
the ministry, uh, to the next person. And then we
after it's been passed on to us, we pass it
(08:21):
on to the next person and the next person, right
until the Lord returns. And that's the message there with
Joshua in Joshua 13, one that help Colin.
S3 (08:31):
Well, one reason why it's interesting because people always say
things like, well, if Moses didn't hit the rock, he
could have done so much like go to prom or something.
If David didn't do it, did the right, he could
have done so much. But if Joshua could only do
so much, then how much did all these things? Well,
if David didn't do well, he could have done that.
And all this.
S1 (08:47):
It seems to me that Moses probably could have led
the people into the land and then turned it over
to Joshua. But God disciplined him. It could have been
that maybe David could have been more successful in the
second half of his life, the second half of his reign,
had he not had that, uh, mess up, uh, with
Bathsheba and with Uriah? So, uh, that's not saying that
(09:11):
that just because we have to pass on the ministry
from time to time, uh, at the near the end
of our lives, uh, you know, I'm looking right now
at the last phase of my life. I want to
end well. But, uh, that doesn't mean that if I
messed up, I couldn't shorten the ministry that I might have,
(09:32):
or maybe diminish the ministry that I might have had.
That's what we see with. With David and with Moses. Okay, Colin.
S3 (09:40):
Thank you very much. Thank you.
S1 (09:42):
Yeah. Thanks for your call. Appreciate it. Uh, Jim in Albany, Georgia.
S4 (09:48):
Hi, doctor.
S1 (09:49):
Robert listening on Zeke. I don't think I've ever seen
that station name. So glad you're listening. How can I
help you?
S4 (09:57):
Um, I have a question from Isaiah 65 and verse 20.
And if I can read that out of the NIV,
it says, never again will there be in it an
infant who lives but a few days, or an old
man who lives, who does not live out his years?
(10:17):
He who dies at a hundred will be thought a
mere youth. He who fails to reach a hundred will
be considered accursed. Now this is during the millennial period,
and at the end of the millennium, there is one
final resurrection of of of dead people who face the.
S1 (10:43):
Just go ahead with your question. What? What is it
that you're wondering?
S5 (10:46):
I'm wondering.
S4 (10:46):
I'm wondering if those who died during the millennium are
considered to be unsaved and will be consigned to the
lake of fire?
S1 (10:56):
You know what? I'm going to leave the decision about?
Who goes to heaven and who goes to hell, who
goes to the lake of fire and the Lord. Here's
what I understand about this. All that it's telling us
is that, uh, generally speaking, people will live long. If
they sin, they will die earlier, uh, so that a
(11:18):
hundred will be considered. If a person dies at 100,
this verse that you're looking at, uh, if a person
dies at 100, they will be considered like a young person, right?
Isn't that what it's saying? Yeah. And they will be.
And the, uh, when it says that, they would be accursed, um,
(11:42):
it says indeed, the youth will die at 100 years,
and the one who misses 100 years will be cursed.
And the idea there in 6520 is that it appears
to be. I don't know if it's an eternal, but
someone has done something wrong, and there's a curse upon
their lives. And it could happen that the Lord will
(12:03):
take even a believer earlier if there's some sort of
serious sin. I would suspect that that's mostly there are
people who are going to be saved in the millennium
because they're going to be born in the millennium. They'll
have to put their trust in Jesus. There will be
people who don't put their trust in Jesus. And then
they when the resurrection happens at the Great White Throne,
(12:23):
they will be among those who are cast into the
lake of fire. But, you know, I I'm just presuming that. Okay.
S4 (12:33):
But if they are, if they are believers and they die.
Then what's the what's the standing at the White Throne judgment.
S1 (12:43):
There won't be if they're believers when they die. Everyone's
going to die because they're going to be people born
in the millennium. Uh, there will be people. There will
be glorified bodies in the millennium, and there will be
people who are born, uh, that enter the millennium as
mortals without being resurrected. They will marry. They will have children.
(13:06):
And so everyone's going to have to die or be translated.
That's that's what we know. Translated into an immortal body.
So are we.
S4 (13:14):
To are we to understand that those people who enter
and those people who are born in the millennium, will
live out the entire millennial reign?
S1 (13:24):
Bible doesn't tell us. It just says that if they
die at 100, they'll be considered young.
S4 (13:33):
So I still don't understand. Well, if been raised at
the end of. at the end of.
S1 (13:42):
Let me just. I'm going to start again. Maybe this
will explain it. Okay. Israel waiting for the Lord to
return at the end of the tribulation period. The the.
They will enter those who are saved. They will enter
the kingdom without being resurrected or translated. Uh, they will
enter the Millennial Kingdom. The nations that that, uh, the
(14:03):
sheep will enter the kingdom without having been resurrected or translated.
So they will be mortal. They will be. Then, uh,
they will live there. They will marry. They have, uh, children. Everyone,
all their children will have to trust the Lord, uh,
sometime in their lifespan. Some will, some won't. But everyone,
(14:26):
they'll have longer life spans. Some may die. They'll be
resurrected at the same time as the lost being resurrected. Uh, there.
Some will be translated, I presume, but the Bible doesn't
speak to it. Uh, but there will be believers who
will die in the kingdom, but they will live very,
very long lives. Okay, I that's the best I can
(14:47):
tell from what Scripture says. Okay, Jim.
S4 (14:51):
Okay, thanks.
S1 (14:53):
Okay. Uh, let me just caution us to say, you know,
there are some details that the Bible just doesn't specify. Uh,
and that's the best we can tell from going into
the kingdom. Uh, you know, but the main thing is
to be ready to go to the kingdom by trusting
in Jesus. That's what I would say. Uh, well, we're
(15:14):
going to be right back with, uh, more of your
questions in just a moment. This is open line with
Michael Ray Dolan. Welcome back to Open Line. I, I
(15:34):
so appreciate people who want to study the Bible and
understand it more and more. And what I encourage everyone
to do is to build a Bible study library. Uh,
and I think one of the essential books we need
is a good Bible dictionary. And that's because sometimes we
(15:55):
read a text, we might wonder, who are these people?
Or where's that place mentioned, or what? What's this event?
What's this holy day that seems to be mentioned? And
so our current resource is a really handy Bible dictionary.
It's called the Ultimate Bible Dictionary. It's published by BNA publishers,
(16:16):
the very same publisher that produced the Holman CSB, which,
as you know, is my favorite Bible translation. And when
you give a gift of any size, we'd like to
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We appreciate you so much. And I do want you
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(16:37):
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(16:58):
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(17:24):
And we thank you so much. Uh, we're going to
talk to Savannah in South Carolina. Uh, thank you for calling. Uh,
how can I help you today?
S6 (17:35):
Um. So my husband and I would like to know
how we know that God has answered our prayers and
how we've heard from him. Our faith has been rocked
because we think there is an answer and we think
we're following him. But we're left questioning and doubting because
everything falls through. We don't know what to do.
S1 (17:58):
Uh, you know, are you dealing with health or. Well,
I'm not sure what what you're what you're talking about. Just.
S6 (18:06):
Um. We followed. We thought, God, um, 16 months ago
to leave our house in Florida and moved to South Carolina.
And that house hasn't sold in Florida. And so we're struggling, um, financially, obviously,
but also, like, why are we here? Are we supposed
to go back? We pray. We read, we ask for wisdom.
(18:29):
We just don't know what to do. So I was
hoping you could help me.
S1 (18:34):
Well, uh. Okay. Uh, I understand how you feel. Uh,
you know, I think everyone knows that there are times
in our lives that are like this that we think
we're following the Lord in one direction, and something may happen. I.
I don't know whether you should go back to Florida. You,
you know, or. That's not what I would say. Here's, uh,
(19:00):
here's what I feel. Last week, I mentioned this in
the opening word that I do at the first hour
that in the book of Exodus, it says that God
didn't want to send the people of Israel on the
(19:21):
fast route, uh, through, uh, Gaza up into the promised land, uh,
because they weren't ready and they'd be intimidated and they
would be scared. And so what he did is he
sent the people instead via the long way through the
(19:41):
Sinai desert. Um, now what? What's the point in math?
We say the closest distance between two points is a
straight line. But I really believe with the Lord that
the closest distance with two points is usually a zig zag.
What what God is doing is he's building our faith,
building our our endurance, our spiritual, uh, dependence on him.
(20:03):
And so when when we go these through these tough
times where things aren't, uh, uh, things aren't going exactly the,
the way that we feel that they should we have
to remember that, first of all, the Lord Jesus promised,
(20:24):
in this world you will have tribulation. Why would he
promise that? Uh, in John 16? Well, the reason is
because it is through tribulation difficulties, challenges, that we learn
dependence on God and it stretches our faith. And without
faith it's impossible to please him. So, Savannah, all I'm
(20:46):
trying to say to you is God has a purpose
for what's going on. There's also a promise in Scripture
that God will work all things together for good, for
those who love him and are called according to his purpose.
That's Romans 828. It may seem like that's not true,
but it is. And what he's doing is he's teaching
you greater and greater dependence on him. Uh, and I
(21:11):
would say take your solace, your comfort. Receive it by, uh,
studying the Psalms, seeing how God has encouraged people, uh, historically, uh,
in the word of God through their laments that they
many of the Psalms are psalms of lament and you
can pray those prayers of lament as well and seek
(21:33):
God's direction. Also pray that God would give you confidence
in him despite the challenges. And as I said in
last week's opening word, the way you get to the
goal is by fixing our eyes on Jesus. Hebrews 12
one and two. Keep your eyes focused on Jesus, trusting
him through a really, really tough time. And I know
(21:55):
it's a tough time. I hear it in your voice,
but know that God still has a good plan. Even
with the challenge you're facing. He's building your your trust
and faith in him. I hope that helps a little bit. Savannah. Okay.
S6 (22:10):
Yes. Thank you.
S1 (22:12):
Okay. Uh. Call back. Let me know how God delivers you. Okay.
S6 (22:17):
I will.
S1 (22:19):
Okay, thanks. Okay. Uh, we'll, uh, we'll talk to Susie now,
listening on the Good News Network. Welcome to Open Line, Suzy.
How can I help you?
S7 (22:32):
Oh, thank you, doctor, for taking my call. I try
to listen to you almost every Saturday and we are
kitchen table partners. Thank you. We we do listen to, uh,
a Bible teacher we have for years, and he seems
to be pretty accurate, but he tells been telling us
over and over that there are two gospels he teaches.
(22:55):
There's the gospel of the kingdom for the Jewish people,
and there's the gospel of grace for the Gentiles, which
the gospel of grace he gives us. First Corinthians 15
one through four. And so we're not sure he's accurate
in that. I was wondering what you think.
S1 (23:14):
Well, first of all, the word gospel just means good news.
And so, uh, the when the Gospels, the the four
memoirs that the evangelists had about their walk with Jesus, right? Matthew, Mark,
Luke and John. They talk about the gospel of the kingdom.
(23:38):
The gospel of the kingdom was that when the King appeared,
if they would follow him, the kingdom of God would arrive.
And that's what the gospel of the kingdom was.
S7 (23:48):
If they would recognize Jesus as the Messiah.
S1 (23:51):
Yeah, that was the gospel of the kingdom. The good
news of the kingdom. The Kingdom of God is at hand.
If they had accepted the king, the kingdom would have begun. Correct.
And but for those who did, everyone didn't reject it.
The kingdom that is not of this world did begin.
We are followers of the King living in a spiritual
kingdom right now. But there will be a spiritual and
(24:13):
physical kingdom when? When the Lord returns. But, uh, the
the the message of grace has always been true in
the Bible. Uh, there's grace in the Old Testament. We've
always been saved by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus. Well,
by grace through faith in the revealed will of God.
Now the Messiah has come. We have to believe that
(24:34):
Jesus died for us and rose again. Now, uh, this
idea that the gospel of grace is for the Gentiles.
How would that fit with Romans 116 where Paul says,
I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is
the power of God for salvation, first for the Jew
(24:54):
and also for the Greek. That's the gospel, that Jesus
died for us and rose again. Paul doesn't distinguish that.
He doesn't say, that's the one for the Gentiles. He
says it's pre-eminently a Jewish message. That's what first means
preeminently a Jewish message, but one also for the for
the Greeks, it's for everyone. Uh, so I would say
(25:16):
be careful about this teacher. I think he's, uh, dividing.
I think it sounds to me like he is what
is called an ultra or a hyper dispensationalist. And so
be cautious about that, okay? Uh, we're going to take
a break here. Thanks for your call, Susie. When we
come back, we've got the mailbag coming up, the Febc mailbag.
(25:38):
So stay with us. This is open line with Michael Zelnick.
We'll be right back. Welcome back to Open Line. I'm
(26:08):
Michael Radonich. So glad to be with you. It's time
for the Febc mailbag. Right now, the Far Eastern Broadcasting
Company partners with Open Line to bring you the mailbag
every week. We so appreciate them. It's a wonderful ministry
that brings the gospel to people through radio and and
other digital means, as well as through personal engagement. If
(26:32):
you want to check out what they're doing, it's a
wonderful ministry to know about, go to Phoebe. That's Phoebe. Org.
Check out their podcast Until All I've Heard featuring Ed Cannon.
And joining me right now with the Febc mailbag, dragging
it in is producer of Openline, Tricia McMillan. That bag
(26:54):
is getting bigger all the time.
S8 (26:56):
It is, it is. I think we're due for a
mailbag program this summer. Yeah, that'd be good to do.
S1 (27:01):
Got to do that. That'd be great. So, uh, well, let's, uh,
I do want to say this before we do anything
else that I love working with you. And I thought
it was so great when I heard Mike Weber's a
few weeks ago, he was talking about how great it
is to work with you. That's really a great team program.
Omar's terrific to work with. We have a great time
(27:23):
with him and I get him to laugh sometimes, which
is always fun. Uh, when he's. I see him on
the screen laughing at something I'm saying, which I'm glad
to know that someone gets it when I. It's it's
it's part of the team effort. And I really appreciate
our whole team. The people who listen, people who give occasionally.
And also there are kitchen table partners. They're part of
(27:45):
the team they give. I think it's very sacrificial and
I'm really grateful for it because they give monthly so
we can be on the air weekly. And what we
do is we send a Bible study moment. It's a
it's an audio Bible study prepared exclusively for our kitchen
table partners. They get it in the email, click on it.
And if you become a kitchen table partner, you'll be
(28:07):
able to listen to these ten minutes or so Bible
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table partner, call (888) 644-7122. Or go to Open Line Radio. Org. Okay. Tricia,
what have you got for me now?
S8 (28:26):
All right. Our first question is from Daniel on Facebook.
Who listens to the Moody Radio app, which you can
find in your app store. It is free. You can
listen to it. It's great. It is? Yeah. Um, he
wants to know if you can clarify what the term
ordination means. Um, as part of this, he's trying to
understand the qualifications to hold the title of pastor. And
(28:49):
is that different than the qualifications for an elder, or
is it the same?
S1 (28:54):
Okay. Well, first of all, the word ordination does not
appear in the Bible any more than the word Trinity.
But it's true. There is ordination, but it's described just
as the Trinity is described. And that's how the word
Trinity came to be known. Uh, ordination, for example, in
(29:15):
acts 13 it says set apart Barnabas and Paul Saul
for the work that I have for them. Uh, you've got, uh,
for example, in, uh, in the Timothy's there's several examples
about this in first Timothy 414, for example, uh, it says, uh, Paul, uh,
(29:42):
I'm looking in the wrong book. There we go. This
is the problem. First Timothy 414 says, do not neglect
the gift that is in you. It was given to
you through prophecy, with the laying on of hands by
the Council of elders. So the gift may be referring
to a spiritual gift that became evident when Timothy was
(30:06):
set apart for ministry, ordained for ministry, and then first
Timothy five uh 22. Don't be too quick to appoint
or to lay hands on. That's what the phrase is
to lay hands on literally, or to ordain anyone as
an elder and don't share in the sins of others.
(30:26):
Keep yourself pure, so don't be too quick to name
anyone an elder that to lay hands on someone is
to ordain them. And there are various places like that, um, that, uh,
that we can be aware of. Uh, first, second Timothy
one six is also, uh, a place where you could
(30:47):
see that it says, uh, Paul reminds Timothy to keep
ablaze the gift of God that is in you through
the laying on of my hands. So I think the
phrase that that we're talking about is actually to lay
on hands. And, uh, now the question was asked, what
about the qualifications for elder? Are they different than a pastor? No.
(31:11):
The qualifications for a pastor found or an elder are
found in first Timothy three, um, uh, and then also
in Titus one. And there are these different characters. It's
they really deal with character, competence and conviction, the character
(31:34):
or things like someone who's not pugnacious, not a fighter. Uh,
so their character issues like that. Then there's also, uh, competence.
He has to be apt to teach, uh, and he
has to hold true to the faith. And so there's,
there are these qualifications that's true for elder or pastor.
(31:58):
I think the word pastor is only found in first
Peter five, where it says, Shepherd the flock of God
among you. That's addressed to elders. So all elders are,
in a sense, shepherding or pastoring people. So that's, that's
it's the same qualifications. Now, you know, when we look
at those qualifications in first Timothy three, for example, a
lot of people think that that is, well, a person
(32:21):
has to be perfect. No one can live up to these.
An overseer must be above reproach. The husband of one wife, self-controlled, sensible, respectable, hospitable,
apt to teach or able to teach. Not addicted to wine.
Not a bully, but gentle. Not quarrelsome. Not greedy. You know,
it just goes on managing his household well. Well, I
(32:45):
think that I. I would consider those to be relative
qualities relative to other believers, not absolute qualities. Meaning a
person has to be perfectly above reproach and never have sinned.
That's not possible for anyone to be like that. So, uh,
it's it's more along those lines of a more mature believer.
(33:07):
Those are qualities of maturity.
S8 (33:11):
Okay. And so one of the things that Daniel included,
which I did not in my question to you, is
must um, he has seen this in his church of
this title of pastor being taken by women. Is that is.
S1 (33:28):
That that's a horse of another color. You know, that's
as they say in The Wizard of Oz. Yeah.
S8 (33:34):
So, so as the I mean, I think that the
qualifications are things that all of us as believers, men
and women should be trying to live as to to
live Christ like ways with that character, competence and conviction
that you talked about. Yeah. Is there a differentiation and
how much is just a title of.
S1 (33:57):
Yeah. Well, here's the thing that I would say about
a pastor. If a I don't think the office of elder, uh,
is really and there's disagreement about this many good believers,
godly believers think that women should be elders. I don't
believe the Bible teaches that. You know, based on first
Timothy 211 through 15 and and so forth. But I
(34:20):
do think that women can have the gift of pastor, pastor,
teacher found in Ephesians four and not necessarily be an elder.
When when I led a congregation, I was a young man.
When I planted a congregation, I was 26 years old.
When I planted my first, not my. I was 25
(34:42):
when I was pastoring the first for, to begin with,
planted a congregation when I was 26. And we had
a really I felt that it was not I was
not really good at shepherding women. And my wife, we
had little kids. It wasn't like I could say, here, Eva,
you do it. But there was a woman. She was
(35:05):
to me. She seemed old. She was around 60. Isn't
that funny? at the time. When I was 25 and
26 and 27, she was around 60 and she definitely
had the gift of pastor teacher. She's the one that
would do the discipleship groups with women. She's the one
that if someone had an issue that they needed some
biblical guidance with, I would always refer them to her.
(35:28):
And you know what? She didn't have enough office as
an elder, but she was like one of those verses
in Titus three. I believe it is where it says,
let the older women teach the younger women.
S8 (35:40):
Titus two.
S1 (35:41):
Yeah, let the older women teach the younger women. And
that's what I was living by when when I asked
her her name was Lita, and Lita would do that.
And she was just a great help and a godly
role model for our women. And so she, in a sense,
pastored women.
S8 (36:00):
Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Well, thank you. Thank you for that.
I know that there are lots of different opinions on that,
and you'll find churches with women in that position and
role and office and others where the women are just
exercising that gift. And so I'm glad that with the gifts,
God does not differentiate that he gives.
S1 (36:23):
Men and women serve regardless.
S8 (36:25):
Yeah. Yes. Yes. Yeah.
S1 (36:28):
So I think let's, let's let's do that quick. I
can do that pretty quickly.
S8 (36:32):
We'll do a quick one Brian. Oh the gifts okay.
Our our quick gift is Lori in Indiana. Quick question
about gifts. Lori in Indiana listens to WGN. Are are
the gifts of the spirit that are listed in first
Corinthians 1214, Ephesians four, which you referenced briefly, and Romans 12.
(36:53):
There's three different lists. Are they different from each other?
S1 (36:56):
They are different. Uh, some people think that that means that, uh,
that there could be even more gifts that are mentioned
in the Bible than what are mentioned in the Bible.
So a person might have the gift of youth ministry
or something like that? I don't think so. I think
the best way to look at these passages is to
take them all three together, show that there's some overlap,
(37:18):
some that are different, and that there are about 20.
Some people say 19, some people say 21. Gifts of
the Holy Spirit. Those are our options for gifts, uh,
as we go through them. And that's the amount of
the number of spiritual gifts that there are. If you
take all three of those passages, the most important thing
(37:40):
I would say is first Peter 410, where it says,
based on the gift each one has received, use it
to serve others as good managers of the varied grace
of God. If anyone speaks, it should be as one
who speaks God's words. If anyone serves, it should be
from the strength God provides. Here's a couple of quick
(38:01):
observations one. We all have at least one spiritual gift.
That's from first, uh, first Peter 410. Uh, and we
have to steward them well and use them to serve God.
And then it categorizes the two areas or two categories
of spiritual gifts speaking and serving. Speaking are the public gifts. Uh,
(38:25):
and whether you have the gift of teaching or exhortation
or something like that, use that. Knowing that God is
giving you His Word through the Word of God when
you speak and serving as we serve using God's strength,
that may be the more behind the scenes kinds of work,
but it's just as important. And it it builds up
(38:45):
the body, and we have to use it in the
strength that God provides. And so that's what I would
encourage everyone understand. We have at least one gift and
then use them to the glory of God.
S8 (38:55):
All right. Thank you. Thanks for that question, Lori.
S1 (38:57):
Well, we're going to break here. And when we come back,
we'll have time for more of your phoned in questions,
but I appreciate you guys sending these questions in. You
can always go to Open Line radio.org. Click on the
link that says Ask Michael a question and post your
question there. And that will go into Trisha's mailbox. She'll
put them in the mailbag, for which I'm very grateful,
(39:20):
and we'll go over them again. That was Tricia McMillan.
I'm Michael Ray Zelnick. We'll be right back with more
of your questions. Straight ahead on Open Line. Welcome back
to Open Line. I'm Michael Ray Zelnick. As you know,
(39:41):
Israel is in a war, a war that the nation
really didn't choose. Iran launched it on October 7th with
the Hamas attack. Hezbollah got involved, the Houthis got involved.
Even Syria was involved. Most of those. Fronts have been Transformed. Now.
(40:02):
Even Gaza really can't attack Israel at this point, although
Hamas is still holding out. Nevertheless, there's a war with Iran.
It's it's so terrifying when we think when we see
war like this. But what's the future hold? Is there
a good future for Israel? Well Chosen People Ministries, one
(40:22):
of our underwriters, is offering a free book based on scripture.
It's called Israel's Glorious Future, and it details God's faithfulness
to his people and how he will bring about a
great and glorious future for Israel. If you'd like a
copy of this book, just go to our website openlibrary.org.
Scroll down till you see the link that says A
(40:43):
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's Glorious Future. Well, let's
talk to Richard. Listening in Iowa on 89.3. Welcome to
Open Line. Richard. How can I help you?
S9 (41:01):
I'm trying to figure out my son's kind of lost
his way. Trying to figure out a verse or something
to send him. Um, he's out homeless at this point,
and they kind of tell him to leave, and, uh,
he's just having a rough time, but he's trying. He
(41:22):
keeps falling in and out of God, and I'm just
trying to figure out what to tell him. Like on
Father's Day or.
S1 (41:30):
You know, they're they're verses that you might want to
use about seeking God's blessing. Uh, you know, I think
that's what you want. You want God to, uh, bring
blessing to him. So maybe this time you could, uh,
give him something like number six, verse 24. I'll read
(41:53):
it to you. It's the it's the famous benediction that
Aaron used to bless the children of Israel. Uh, that
might be a good verse that you're praying for this,
for him, that this would become his reality. It says, uh,
verses 24 through 26 of numbers six, number six, 24
through 26. May the Lord bless you and keep you.
(42:15):
May the Lord make his face shine on you and
be gracious to you. And may the Lord look with
favor on you and give you peace. That's what your
hope is, your longing for your son. That's a good
verse to use. Okay.
S9 (42:29):
All right. Thanks.
S1 (42:31):
Yeah. Thanks for your call. Appreciate it. Uh, we're going
to talk to Mary listening on. That's in Grand Rapids,
is it not?
S10 (42:42):
Mary is in Indiana.
S1 (42:44):
Indiana. Okay. I'm sorry. Indiana. I get them confused. Uh,
there are a lot of different stations. Hey, thank you
for your call, Mary. How can I help you?
S11 (42:54):
Uh, Jesus. Cast out evil spirits. Where did they go?
And where are they now?
S1 (43:01):
Where did they go? Apparently, now they're in the UN. But, uh.
The UN. I'm joking. Mary. Uh, the the the Bible
doesn't really say we know that. For example, the demons
that were cast out asked for permission to go into
(43:23):
the swine. Do you remember that? Because they want to
be in a body.
S11 (43:28):
Apparently so. Yeah. Keep going.
S1 (43:32):
Then they. Then they killed those swine. So. Well, where'd
they go then? Not sure. Yeah. The only thing I
can think of is, um, Matthew 1243, it says when
an unclean spirit comes out of a man, it roams
through waterless places looking for rest, but doesn't find any.
(43:54):
Then it says, I'll go back to my house that
I came from. And returning it finds the house vacant. Swept.
That means the body of the person that was cast
out of and put in order, and it goes off
and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself.
And they enter and settle down there. Uh, now that's
in a parable, but it's based on, I think, what
demons actually do. I think they're when they're cast out,
(44:17):
they look for a physical body to inhabit.
S11 (44:22):
Oh, so they keep looking for new, vulnerable people?
S1 (44:26):
Yep. Or or swine? Apparently so. Okay.
S11 (44:30):
Yeah. All right. Right. Yes. Okay. That gives a little
bit more.
S1 (44:34):
Uh, by the way, I think the lesson, the lesson
of that parable is we just don't we don't become vacuous, uh,
to protect our what is the most important protection against demonic, uh,
affliction is to fill the house, fill the body with
that which is good. Well, first of all, I would
(44:55):
say a person needs to trust the Lord Jesus. The
Holy Spirit will come and indwell us. That's a great
protection against a demonic entrance. And then the second, uh,
those of us who, uh, would we need to fill
it with the word of God, uh, meditate on it,
understand it, read it. Uh, that will be a protection against, uh,
demonic affliction from the outside. So.
S11 (45:17):
Great.
S1 (45:18):
Uh, yeah. Okay. Thank you. Mary.
S11 (45:20):
Appreciate it.
S1 (45:22):
Uh. Uh. Janice in Bloomington, Indiana. Can you ask your
question really fast? Because we're up against a break.
S11 (45:32):
Um, okay. I found out that my church believes in
replacement theology. Um, I'm not sure what where to go
with that. Um, and I don't live in a large
city where I can go elsewhere, and.
S1 (45:50):
Well, let me just say, Janice, that that's not the
biggest issue. If your church believes in Jesus and your
church believes that Jesus died and rose again and he's returning.
Focus on that. If you don't have an alternative church
to go to, uh, try and focus on the things
that you agree on that are most essential. That's what
(46:12):
I would say. Thanks for your call, Janice. I really
appreciate it. And that's the program for the week. Thanks
for listening, everyone, especially those of you who called or
wrote in, really appreciate that. Thanks to the Open Line team.
Omar Mendoza for handling all things technical and to Hira
Haines and Lisa and Trish. Uh, thanks for always taking
(46:33):
care of stuff. Keep in touch with us by checking
out our website, Open Line radio.org. Keep reading the Bible.
We'll talk about it next week. Open line with Doctor
Michael Wright is a production of Moody Radio, a ministry
of Moody Bible Institute. See you next week.
Hello friends. It's time for the second hour of Open
Line with Doctor Michael Ray 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 Ray. I'm academic
dean and a professor of Jewish studies and Bible at
Moody Bible Institute. We're live today sitting around the radio
(00:31):
kitchen table taking your questions. Now is the time to
give me a call. Always best at the beginning of
an hour. Lots of open line open phone lines here.
Free waiting for your call. The phone number. Write this down. (877) 548-3675.
That's (877) 548-3675. Remember, if you can't call, you can always
(00:59):
go to our website, Open Line radio.org and click on
Ask Michael a question. You can leave your question there
and Trish will put it in the mailbag. I want
to thank Trish our producer. She our senior producer. She
was loath to tell me that the other day I said,
you're not just a producer, you're senior producer. And anyway,
(01:21):
she posted a link to, uh, information about Avner Boesky,
who I interviewed in the first segment of the first
our first and second segments. I encourage you go back
and check that out. Listen to that interview. Avner has
been serving in Israel for about 40 years, and a
great friend of mine, and brilliant insights into what's going
(01:44):
on and how to read Scripture in a way to
understand what's going on. So do check out that interview
and thanks, Trish for posting the links to Avner's information. And.
Now also, uh. I wanted to, uh, invite. He's not
a caller. Callers are coming in. We got plenty of callers.
(02:07):
Keep calling, though. (877) 548-3675. But Omar Mendoza, our engineer, asked
me a question on the break. I said, that's a
good question. People are wondering that, too. So, Omar, you
have a question. Why don't you go ahead and ask it?
S2 (02:21):
Yeah, I do have a question. Um, so, uh, what
was the straw that broke the camel's back, which led
Israel to launch the strike?
S1 (02:34):
Okay. Why did Israel strike Iran? Now, this has been
an issue for 20 years, since they began the plans
in Iran to have a nuclear weapon. And Israel is
Benjamin Netanyahu's whole career, his second time in office and
his now his third time. He's had three different times
(02:54):
he's been in office. He has been railing about the
danger of Iran getting a nuclear weapon. Why now? Well,
a couple of things. One, President Trump told the Iranian
government that they had 60 days to make an agreement
with the United States. They were negotiating. And amazingly, they
(03:18):
just the Iranian government just dawdled and dawdled. They were
trying to protract as much as long as they could
the negotiations so they could get to the nuclear bomb
without having been stopped. And so President Trump gave them
an ultimatum. He said, you have 60 days to negotiate something.
Day 61 is when this happened. So once again, Iran
(03:40):
was trying to protract the negotiations. Secondly, Israeli intelligence, which
is outstanding. I don't know if you realize how much
in this assault was carried out at the initial level
by the Mossad. I'm sure you saw the information that they.
The Mossad set up, uh, drone factory. A drone factory
(04:03):
right in Iran, so that the opening assault, which was
by drones, were from drones that they built right there
in Iran. Amazing. And they knew precisely where the heads
of all the military agencies were. Uh, the information, the
intelligence they receive is excellent. And the intelligence that Israel
(04:24):
had was that they were not months or years away,
but days or weeks away from producing nuclear warheads. Uh,
the number varied from 9 to 15. Uh, they thought,
but they were right on the cusp. They were on
the verge of creating nuclear warheads. And the government of
(04:47):
Israel could not risk a nuclear Iran. And that's what
began this assault. And so it was being so close
and giving. I think they were very respectful of Donald Trump,
the president of the United States, and they said he
wants 60 days. We're going to wait 60 days. And
that's why that's why it happened precisely on the 61st day.
S2 (05:08):
Got it. Okay. Yeah. Thank you.
S1 (05:10):
Great. Hey, thanks for that. That's a great question. I
thought other people were asking it to Omar. So thank
you for asking that. Uh, Colin in Georgia listening to
w w m e. Welcome to Open Line. How can
I help you today?
S3 (05:24):
Hello. Um, I'm a question about, uh, Joshua 1301. Um,
Joshua 12 talks about all the kings that Joshua and
Israel defeated in the land. Joshua, 31, says Joshua became
very old, and there was still a lot of land
that wasn't defeated or conquered. So is that saying something
(05:46):
like Ecclesiastes, that there's a lot of work to be
done and just have a lot of work to be done?
Or is that something like Prophet Elisha did a lot
of good things, but he still didn't cause revival. So
what sort of thing is it trying to say that
he got old, but he still didn't conquer a lot
of land. Joshua 13 one he says.
S1 (06:05):
You have become become old, getting on in years, but
a great deal of the land remains to be possessed.
I think that's important. So then that takes us right
to the valedictory address, the final address of Joshua in
Joshua 24, where he recounts the history of Israel. And
(06:29):
then he says, as for me and my house, we
will follow the Lord. That's what he says. Uh, he said,
choose this day for yourselves, the one you will worship.
The gods your fathers worshiped beyond the Euphrates, the false gods.
But as for me and my family. We will worship
(06:52):
the Lord. We will serve the Lord and the. So
he challenges the people to go on with the Lord,
and then he dies. And then he goes on, uh,
the the story goes on. You can pick it up
in the book of judges, where the people have these
cycles of sin and then repentance, restoration, uh, and so forth. Um,
here's what it tells me is until the Lord returns
(07:14):
were not the end of the story, God has lots
of work to do. We serve him as best we
can in our days and then someone else goes on.
I just made the decision. I mentioned this recently. Uh,
I became the dean a few years ago, and we
brought in a new Jewish studies professor. I've been Jewish
studies professor at Moody now for 32 years, almost. And
(07:39):
but it was time for a new one. And we
have a great new Jewish studies professor, uh, Michael Gabizon.
And then not only that, but I thought my time.
Really I need to focus on some other areas of ministry,
and I've retired from education. I'm not going to be
the dean after June 30th and after June 30th July 1st.
(08:00):
I will focus more on radio and conference ministry with Moody,
and that's what I'm going to be doing. The point is,
I am grateful that I get to serve the Lord
in another way. But sometimes we have to pass on
the ministry, uh, to the next person. And then we
after it's been passed on to us, we pass it
(08:21):
on to the next person and the next person, right
until the Lord returns. And that's the message there with
Joshua in Joshua 13, one that help Colin.
S3 (08:31):
Well, one reason why it's interesting because people always say
things like, well, if Moses didn't hit the rock, he
could have done so much like go to prom or something.
If David didn't do it, did the right, he could
have done so much. But if Joshua could only do
so much, then how much did all these things? Well,
if David didn't do well, he could have done that.
And all this.
S1 (08:47):
It seems to me that Moses probably could have led
the people into the land and then turned it over
to Joshua. But God disciplined him. It could have been
that maybe David could have been more successful in the
second half of his life, the second half of his reign,
had he not had that, uh, mess up, uh, with
Bathsheba and with Uriah? So, uh, that's not saying that
(09:11):
that just because we have to pass on the ministry
from time to time, uh, at the near the end
of our lives, uh, you know, I'm looking right now
at the last phase of my life. I want to
end well. But, uh, that doesn't mean that if I
messed up, I couldn't shorten the ministry that I might have,
(09:32):
or maybe diminish the ministry that I might have had.
That's what we see with. With David and with Moses. Okay, Colin.
S3 (09:40):
Thank you very much. Thank you.
S1 (09:42):
Yeah. Thanks for your call. Appreciate it. Uh, Jim in Albany, Georgia.
S4 (09:48):
Hi, doctor.
S1 (09:49):
Robert listening on Zeke. I don't think I've ever seen
that station name. So glad you're listening. How can I
help you?
S4 (09:57):
Um, I have a question from Isaiah 65 and verse 20.
And if I can read that out of the NIV,
it says, never again will there be in it an
infant who lives but a few days, or an old
man who lives, who does not live out his years?
(10:17):
He who dies at a hundred will be thought a
mere youth. He who fails to reach a hundred will
be considered accursed. Now this is during the millennial period,
and at the end of the millennium, there is one
final resurrection of of of dead people who face the.
S1 (10:43):
Just go ahead with your question. What? What is it
that you're wondering?
S5 (10:46):
I'm wondering.
S4 (10:46):
I'm wondering if those who died during the millennium are
considered to be unsaved and will be consigned to the
lake of fire?
S1 (10:56):
You know what? I'm going to leave the decision about?
Who goes to heaven and who goes to hell, who
goes to the lake of fire and the Lord. Here's
what I understand about this. All that it's telling us
is that, uh, generally speaking, people will live long. If
they sin, they will die earlier, uh, so that a
(11:18):
hundred will be considered. If a person dies at 100,
this verse that you're looking at, uh, if a person
dies at 100, they will be considered like a young person, right?
Isn't that what it's saying? Yeah. And they will be.
And the, uh, when it says that, they would be accursed, um,
(11:42):
it says indeed, the youth will die at 100 years,
and the one who misses 100 years will be cursed.
And the idea there in 6520 is that it appears
to be. I don't know if it's an eternal, but
someone has done something wrong, and there's a curse upon
their lives. And it could happen that the Lord will
(12:03):
take even a believer earlier if there's some sort of
serious sin. I would suspect that that's mostly there are
people who are going to be saved in the millennium
because they're going to be born in the millennium. They'll
have to put their trust in Jesus. There will be
people who don't put their trust in Jesus. And then
they when the resurrection happens at the Great White Throne,
(12:23):
they will be among those who are cast into the
lake of fire. But, you know, I I'm just presuming that. Okay.
S4 (12:33):
But if they are, if they are believers and they die.
Then what's the what's the standing at the White Throne judgment.
S1 (12:43):
There won't be if they're believers when they die. Everyone's
going to die because they're going to be people born
in the millennium. Uh, there will be people. There will
be glorified bodies in the millennium, and there will be
people who are born, uh, that enter the millennium as
mortals without being resurrected. They will marry. They will have children.
(13:06):
And so everyone's going to have to die or be translated.
That's that's what we know. Translated into an immortal body.
So are we.
S4 (13:14):
To are we to understand that those people who enter
and those people who are born in the millennium, will
live out the entire millennial reign?
S1 (13:24):
Bible doesn't tell us. It just says that if they
die at 100, they'll be considered young.
S4 (13:33):
So I still don't understand. Well, if been raised at
the end of. at the end of.
S1 (13:42):
Let me just. I'm going to start again. Maybe this
will explain it. Okay. Israel waiting for the Lord to
return at the end of the tribulation period. The the.
They will enter those who are saved. They will enter
the kingdom without being resurrected or translated. Uh, they will
enter the Millennial Kingdom. The nations that that, uh, the
(14:03):
sheep will enter the kingdom without having been resurrected or translated.
So they will be mortal. They will be. Then, uh,
they will live there. They will marry. They have, uh, children. Everyone,
all their children will have to trust the Lord, uh,
sometime in their lifespan. Some will, some won't. But everyone,
(14:26):
they'll have longer life spans. Some may die. They'll be
resurrected at the same time as the lost being resurrected. Uh, there.
Some will be translated, I presume, but the Bible doesn't
speak to it. Uh, but there will be believers who
will die in the kingdom, but they will live very,
very long lives. Okay, I that's the best I can
(14:47):
tell from what Scripture says. Okay, Jim.
S4 (14:51):
Okay, thanks.
S1 (14:53):
Okay. Uh, let me just caution us to say, you know,
there are some details that the Bible just doesn't specify. Uh,
and that's the best we can tell from going into
the kingdom. Uh, you know, but the main thing is
to be ready to go to the kingdom by trusting
in Jesus. That's what I would say. Uh, well, we're
(15:14):
going to be right back with, uh, more of your
questions in just a moment. This is open line with
Michael Ray Dolan. Welcome back to Open Line. I, I
(15:34):
so appreciate people who want to study the Bible and
understand it more and more. And what I encourage everyone
to do is to build a Bible study library. Uh,
and I think one of the essential books we need
is a good Bible dictionary. And that's because sometimes we
(15:55):
read a text, we might wonder, who are these people?
Or where's that place mentioned, or what? What's this event?
What's this holy day that seems to be mentioned? And
so our current resource is a really handy Bible dictionary.
It's called the Ultimate Bible Dictionary. It's published by BNA publishers,
(16:16):
the very same publisher that produced the Holman CSB, which,
as you know, is my favorite Bible translation. And when
you give a gift of any size, we'd like to
say thanks by sending you the Ultimate Bible Dictionary as
a just way of saying thank you, thank you, thank you.
We appreciate you so much. And I do want you
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(16:37):
Moody Radio. Uh, it'd be a great time to send
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And if you can send a gift now, boy, it
would help us stay solvent and strong, uh, for the
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I am really excited that I get to send this
as a thank you. The ultimate Bible dictionary. It's easy
(16:58):
to carry, easy to use. It's just a great resource.
And if you've never given to open line boy, we
appreciate it if you would, but especially because this is
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like a copy, it's yours with a gift of any
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that's where you can give or you can call (888) 644-7122.
(17:24):
And we thank you so much. Uh, we're going to
talk to Savannah in South Carolina. Uh, thank you for calling. Uh,
how can I help you today?
S6 (17:35):
Um. So my husband and I would like to know
how we know that God has answered our prayers and
how we've heard from him. Our faith has been rocked
because we think there is an answer and we think
we're following him. But we're left questioning and doubting because
everything falls through. We don't know what to do.
S1 (17:58):
Uh, you know, are you dealing with health or. Well,
I'm not sure what what you're what you're talking about. Just.
S6 (18:06):
Um. We followed. We thought, God, um, 16 months ago
to leave our house in Florida and moved to South Carolina.
And that house hasn't sold in Florida. And so we're struggling, um, financially, obviously,
but also, like, why are we here? Are we supposed
to go back? We pray. We read, we ask for wisdom.
(18:29):
We just don't know what to do. So I was
hoping you could help me.
S1 (18:34):
Well, uh. Okay. Uh, I understand how you feel. Uh,
you know, I think everyone knows that there are times
in our lives that are like this that we think
we're following the Lord in one direction, and something may happen. I.
I don't know whether you should go back to Florida. You,
you know, or. That's not what I would say. Here's, uh,
(19:00):
here's what I feel. Last week, I mentioned this in
the opening word that I do at the first hour
that in the book of Exodus, it says that God
didn't want to send the people of Israel on the
(19:21):
fast route, uh, through, uh, Gaza up into the promised land, uh,
because they weren't ready and they'd be intimidated and they
would be scared. And so what he did is he
sent the people instead via the long way through the
(19:41):
Sinai desert. Um, now what? What's the point in math?
We say the closest distance between two points is a
straight line. But I really believe with the Lord that
the closest distance with two points is usually a zig zag.
What what God is doing is he's building our faith,
building our our endurance, our spiritual, uh, dependence on him.
(20:03):
And so when when we go these through these tough
times where things aren't, uh, uh, things aren't going exactly the,
the way that we feel that they should we have
to remember that, first of all, the Lord Jesus promised,
(20:24):
in this world you will have tribulation. Why would he
promise that? Uh, in John 16? Well, the reason is
because it is through tribulation difficulties, challenges, that we learn
dependence on God and it stretches our faith. And without
faith it's impossible to please him. So, Savannah, all I'm
(20:46):
trying to say to you is God has a purpose
for what's going on. There's also a promise in Scripture
that God will work all things together for good, for
those who love him and are called according to his purpose.
That's Romans 828. It may seem like that's not true,
but it is. And what he's doing is he's teaching
you greater and greater dependence on him. Uh, and I
(21:11):
would say take your solace, your comfort. Receive it by, uh,
studying the Psalms, seeing how God has encouraged people, uh, historically, uh,
in the word of God through their laments that they
many of the Psalms are psalms of lament and you
can pray those prayers of lament as well and seek
(21:33):
God's direction. Also pray that God would give you confidence
in him despite the challenges. And as I said in
last week's opening word, the way you get to the
goal is by fixing our eyes on Jesus. Hebrews 12
one and two. Keep your eyes focused on Jesus, trusting
him through a really, really tough time. And I know
(21:55):
it's a tough time. I hear it in your voice,
but know that God still has a good plan. Even
with the challenge you're facing. He's building your your trust
and faith in him. I hope that helps a little bit. Savannah. Okay.
S6 (22:10):
Yes. Thank you.
S1 (22:12):
Okay. Uh. Call back. Let me know how God delivers you. Okay.
S6 (22:17):
I will.
S1 (22:19):
Okay, thanks. Okay. Uh, we'll, uh, we'll talk to Susie now,
listening on the Good News Network. Welcome to Open Line, Suzy.
How can I help you?
S7 (22:32):
Oh, thank you, doctor, for taking my call. I try
to listen to you almost every Saturday and we are
kitchen table partners. Thank you. We we do listen to, uh,
a Bible teacher we have for years, and he seems
to be pretty accurate, but he tells been telling us
over and over that there are two gospels he teaches.
(22:55):
There's the gospel of the kingdom for the Jewish people,
and there's the gospel of grace for the Gentiles, which
the gospel of grace he gives us. First Corinthians 15
one through four. And so we're not sure he's accurate
in that. I was wondering what you think.
S1 (23:14):
Well, first of all, the word gospel just means good news.
And so, uh, the when the Gospels, the the four
memoirs that the evangelists had about their walk with Jesus, right? Matthew, Mark,
Luke and John. They talk about the gospel of the kingdom.
(23:38):
The gospel of the kingdom was that when the King appeared,
if they would follow him, the kingdom of God would arrive.
And that's what the gospel of the kingdom was.
S7 (23:48):
If they would recognize Jesus as the Messiah.
S1 (23:51):
Yeah, that was the gospel of the kingdom. The good
news of the kingdom. The Kingdom of God is at hand.
If they had accepted the king, the kingdom would have begun. Correct.
And but for those who did, everyone didn't reject it.
The kingdom that is not of this world did begin.
We are followers of the King living in a spiritual
kingdom right now. But there will be a spiritual and
(24:13):
physical kingdom when? When the Lord returns. But, uh, the
the the message of grace has always been true in
the Bible. Uh, there's grace in the Old Testament. We've
always been saved by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus. Well,
by grace through faith in the revealed will of God.
Now the Messiah has come. We have to believe that
(24:34):
Jesus died for us and rose again. Now, uh, this
idea that the gospel of grace is for the Gentiles.
How would that fit with Romans 116 where Paul says,
I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is
the power of God for salvation, first for the Jew
(24:54):
and also for the Greek. That's the gospel, that Jesus
died for us and rose again. Paul doesn't distinguish that.
He doesn't say, that's the one for the Gentiles. He
says it's pre-eminently a Jewish message. That's what first means
preeminently a Jewish message, but one also for the for
the Greeks, it's for everyone. Uh, so I would say
(25:16):
be careful about this teacher. I think he's, uh, dividing.
I think it sounds to me like he is what
is called an ultra or a hyper dispensationalist. And so
be cautious about that, okay? Uh, we're going to take
a break here. Thanks for your call, Susie. When we
come back, we've got the mailbag coming up, the Febc mailbag.
(25:38):
So stay with us. This is open line with Michael Zelnick.
We'll be right back. Welcome back to Open Line. I'm
(26:08):
Michael Radonich. So glad to be with you. It's time
for the Febc mailbag. Right now, the Far Eastern Broadcasting
Company partners with Open Line to bring you the mailbag
every week. We so appreciate them. It's a wonderful ministry
that brings the gospel to people through radio and and
other digital means, as well as through personal engagement. If
(26:32):
you want to check out what they're doing, it's a
wonderful ministry to know about, go to Phoebe. That's Phoebe. Org.
Check out their podcast Until All I've Heard featuring Ed Cannon.
And joining me right now with the Febc mailbag, dragging
it in is producer of Openline, Tricia McMillan. That bag
(26:54):
is getting bigger all the time.
S8 (26:56):
It is, it is. I think we're due for a
mailbag program this summer. Yeah, that'd be good to do.
S1 (27:01):
Got to do that. That'd be great. So, uh, well, let's, uh,
I do want to say this before we do anything
else that I love working with you. And I thought
it was so great when I heard Mike Weber's a
few weeks ago, he was talking about how great it
is to work with you. That's really a great team program.
Omar's terrific to work with. We have a great time
(27:23):
with him and I get him to laugh sometimes, which
is always fun. Uh, when he's. I see him on
the screen laughing at something I'm saying, which I'm glad
to know that someone gets it when I. It's it's
it's part of the team effort. And I really appreciate
our whole team. The people who listen, people who give occasionally.
And also there are kitchen table partners. They're part of
(27:45):
the team they give. I think it's very sacrificial and
I'm really grateful for it because they give monthly so
we can be on the air weekly. And what we
do is we send a Bible study moment. It's a
it's an audio Bible study prepared exclusively for our kitchen
table partners. They get it in the email, click on it.
And if you become a kitchen table partner, you'll be
(28:07):
able to listen to these ten minutes or so Bible
study moments on every other week basis. And I hope
you'll consider that if you'd like to become a kitchen
table partner, call (888) 644-7122. Or go to Open Line Radio. Org. Okay. Tricia,
what have you got for me now?
S8 (28:26):
All right. Our first question is from Daniel on Facebook.
Who listens to the Moody Radio app, which you can
find in your app store. It is free. You can
listen to it. It's great. It is? Yeah. Um, he
wants to know if you can clarify what the term
ordination means. Um, as part of this, he's trying to
understand the qualifications to hold the title of pastor. And
(28:49):
is that different than the qualifications for an elder, or
is it the same?
S1 (28:54):
Okay. Well, first of all, the word ordination does not
appear in the Bible any more than the word Trinity.
But it's true. There is ordination, but it's described just
as the Trinity is described. And that's how the word
Trinity came to be known. Uh, ordination, for example, in
(29:15):
acts 13 it says set apart Barnabas and Paul Saul
for the work that I have for them. Uh, you've got, uh,
for example, in, uh, in the Timothy's there's several examples
about this in first Timothy 414, for example, uh, it says, uh, Paul, uh,
(29:42):
I'm looking in the wrong book. There we go. This
is the problem. First Timothy 414 says, do not neglect
the gift that is in you. It was given to
you through prophecy, with the laying on of hands by
the Council of elders. So the gift may be referring
to a spiritual gift that became evident when Timothy was
(30:06):
set apart for ministry, ordained for ministry, and then first
Timothy five uh 22. Don't be too quick to appoint
or to lay hands on. That's what the phrase is
to lay hands on literally, or to ordain anyone as
an elder and don't share in the sins of others.
(30:26):
Keep yourself pure, so don't be too quick to name
anyone an elder that to lay hands on someone is
to ordain them. And there are various places like that, um, that, uh,
that we can be aware of. Uh, first, second Timothy
one six is also, uh, a place where you could
(30:47):
see that it says, uh, Paul reminds Timothy to keep
ablaze the gift of God that is in you through
the laying on of my hands. So I think the
phrase that that we're talking about is actually to lay
on hands. And, uh, now the question was asked, what
about the qualifications for elder? Are they different than a pastor? No.
(31:11):
The qualifications for a pastor found or an elder are
found in first Timothy three, um, uh, and then also
in Titus one. And there are these different characters. It's
they really deal with character, competence and conviction, the character
(31:34):
or things like someone who's not pugnacious, not a fighter. Uh,
so their character issues like that. Then there's also, uh, competence.
He has to be apt to teach, uh, and he
has to hold true to the faith. And so there's,
there are these qualifications that's true for elder or pastor.
(31:58):
I think the word pastor is only found in first
Peter five, where it says, Shepherd the flock of God
among you. That's addressed to elders. So all elders are,
in a sense, shepherding or pastoring people. So that's, that's
it's the same qualifications. Now, you know, when we look
at those qualifications in first Timothy three, for example, a
lot of people think that that is, well, a person
(32:21):
has to be perfect. No one can live up to these.
An overseer must be above reproach. The husband of one wife, self-controlled, sensible, respectable, hospitable,
apt to teach or able to teach. Not addicted to wine.
Not a bully, but gentle. Not quarrelsome. Not greedy. You know,
it just goes on managing his household well. Well, I
(32:45):
think that I. I would consider those to be relative
qualities relative to other believers, not absolute qualities. Meaning a
person has to be perfectly above reproach and never have sinned.
That's not possible for anyone to be like that. So, uh,
it's it's more along those lines of a more mature believer.
(33:07):
Those are qualities of maturity.
S8 (33:11):
Okay. And so one of the things that Daniel included,
which I did not in my question to you, is
must um, he has seen this in his church of
this title of pastor being taken by women. Is that is.
S1 (33:28):
That that's a horse of another color. You know, that's
as they say in The Wizard of Oz. Yeah.
S8 (33:34):
So, so as the I mean, I think that the
qualifications are things that all of us as believers, men
and women should be trying to live as to to
live Christ like ways with that character, competence and conviction
that you talked about. Yeah. Is there a differentiation and
how much is just a title of.
S1 (33:57):
Yeah. Well, here's the thing that I would say about
a pastor. If a I don't think the office of elder, uh,
is really and there's disagreement about this many good believers,
godly believers think that women should be elders. I don't
believe the Bible teaches that. You know, based on first
Timothy 211 through 15 and and so forth. But I
(34:20):
do think that women can have the gift of pastor, pastor,
teacher found in Ephesians four and not necessarily be an elder.
When when I led a congregation, I was a young man.
When I planted a congregation, I was 26 years old.
When I planted my first, not my. I was 25
(34:42):
when I was pastoring the first for, to begin with,
planted a congregation when I was 26. And we had
a really I felt that it was not I was
not really good at shepherding women. And my wife, we
had little kids. It wasn't like I could say, here, Eva,
you do it. But there was a woman. She was
(35:05):
to me. She seemed old. She was around 60. Isn't
that funny? at the time. When I was 25 and
26 and 27, she was around 60 and she definitely
had the gift of pastor teacher. She's the one that
would do the discipleship groups with women. She's the one
that if someone had an issue that they needed some
biblical guidance with, I would always refer them to her.
(35:28):
And you know what? She didn't have enough office as
an elder, but she was like one of those verses
in Titus three. I believe it is where it says,
let the older women teach the younger women.
S8 (35:40):
Titus two.
S1 (35:41):
Yeah, let the older women teach the younger women. And
that's what I was living by when when I asked
her her name was Lita, and Lita would do that.
And she was just a great help and a godly
role model for our women. And so she, in a sense,
pastored women.
S8 (36:00):
Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Well, thank you. Thank you for that.
I know that there are lots of different opinions on that,
and you'll find churches with women in that position and
role and office and others where the women are just
exercising that gift. And so I'm glad that with the gifts,
God does not differentiate that he gives.
S1 (36:23):
Men and women serve regardless.
S8 (36:25):
Yeah. Yes. Yes. Yeah.
S1 (36:28):
So I think let's, let's let's do that quick. I
can do that pretty quickly.
S8 (36:32):
We'll do a quick one Brian. Oh the gifts okay.
Our our quick gift is Lori in Indiana. Quick question
about gifts. Lori in Indiana listens to WGN. Are are
the gifts of the spirit that are listed in first
Corinthians 1214, Ephesians four, which you referenced briefly, and Romans 12.
(36:53):
There's three different lists. Are they different from each other?
S1 (36:56):
They are different. Uh, some people think that that means that, uh,
that there could be even more gifts that are mentioned
in the Bible than what are mentioned in the Bible.
So a person might have the gift of youth ministry
or something like that? I don't think so. I think
the best way to look at these passages is to
take them all three together, show that there's some overlap,
(37:18):
some that are different, and that there are about 20.
Some people say 19, some people say 21. Gifts of
the Holy Spirit. Those are our options for gifts, uh,
as we go through them. And that's the amount of
the number of spiritual gifts that there are. If you
take all three of those passages, the most important thing
(37:40):
I would say is first Peter 410, where it says,
based on the gift each one has received, use it
to serve others as good managers of the varied grace
of God. If anyone speaks, it should be as one
who speaks God's words. If anyone serves, it should be
from the strength God provides. Here's a couple of quick
(38:01):
observations one. We all have at least one spiritual gift.
That's from first, uh, first Peter 410. Uh, and we
have to steward them well and use them to serve God.
And then it categorizes the two areas or two categories
of spiritual gifts speaking and serving. Speaking are the public gifts. Uh,
(38:25):
and whether you have the gift of teaching or exhortation
or something like that, use that. Knowing that God is
giving you His Word through the Word of God when
you speak and serving as we serve using God's strength,
that may be the more behind the scenes kinds of work,
but it's just as important. And it it builds up
(38:45):
the body, and we have to use it in the
strength that God provides. And so that's what I would
encourage everyone understand. We have at least one gift and
then use them to the glory of God.
S8 (38:55):
All right. Thank you. Thanks for that question, Lori.
S1 (38:57):
Well, we're going to break here. And when we come back,
we'll have time for more of your phoned in questions,
but I appreciate you guys sending these questions in. You
can always go to Open Line radio.org. Click on the
link that says Ask Michael a question and post your
question there. And that will go into Trisha's mailbox. She'll
put them in the mailbag, for which I'm very grateful,
(39:20):
and we'll go over them again. That was Tricia McMillan.
I'm Michael Ray Zelnick. We'll be right back with more
of your questions. Straight ahead on Open Line. Welcome back
to Open Line. I'm Michael Ray Zelnick. As you know,
(39:41):
Israel is in a war, a war that the nation
really didn't choose. Iran launched it on October 7th with
the Hamas attack. Hezbollah got involved, the Houthis got involved.
Even Syria was involved. Most of those. Fronts have been Transformed. Now.
(40:02):
Even Gaza really can't attack Israel at this point, although
Hamas is still holding out. Nevertheless, there's a war with Iran.
It's it's so terrifying when we think when we see
war like this. But what's the future hold? Is there
a good future for Israel? Well Chosen People Ministries, one
(40:22):
of our underwriters, is offering a free book based on scripture.
It's called Israel's Glorious Future, and it details God's faithfulness
to his people and how he will bring about a
great and glorious future for Israel. If you'd like a
copy of this book, just go to our website openlibrary.org.
Scroll down till you see the link that says A
(40:43):
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's Glorious Future. Well, let's
talk to Richard. Listening in Iowa on 89.3. Welcome to
Open Line. Richard. How can I help you?
S9 (41:01):
I'm trying to figure out my son's kind of lost
his way. Trying to figure out a verse or something
to send him. Um, he's out homeless at this point,
and they kind of tell him to leave, and, uh,
he's just having a rough time, but he's trying. He
(41:22):
keeps falling in and out of God, and I'm just
trying to figure out what to tell him. Like on
Father's Day or.
S1 (41:30):
You know, they're they're verses that you might want to
use about seeking God's blessing. Uh, you know, I think
that's what you want. You want God to, uh, bring
blessing to him. So maybe this time you could, uh,
give him something like number six, verse 24. I'll read
(41:53):
it to you. It's the it's the famous benediction that
Aaron used to bless the children of Israel. Uh, that
might be a good verse that you're praying for this,
for him, that this would become his reality. It says, uh,
verses 24 through 26 of numbers six, number six, 24
through 26. May the Lord bless you and keep you.
(42:15):
May the Lord make his face shine on you and
be gracious to you. And may the Lord look with
favor on you and give you peace. That's what your
hope is, your longing for your son. That's a good
verse to use. Okay.
S9 (42:29):
All right. Thanks.
S1 (42:31):
Yeah. Thanks for your call. Appreciate it. Uh, we're going
to talk to Mary listening on. That's in Grand Rapids,
is it not?
S10 (42:42):
Mary is in Indiana.
S1 (42:44):
Indiana. Okay. I'm sorry. Indiana. I get them confused. Uh,
there are a lot of different stations. Hey, thank you
for your call, Mary. How can I help you?
S11 (42:54):
Uh, Jesus. Cast out evil spirits. Where did they go?
And where are they now?
S1 (43:01):
Where did they go? Apparently, now they're in the UN. But, uh.
The UN. I'm joking. Mary. Uh, the the the Bible
doesn't really say we know that. For example, the demons
that were cast out asked for permission to go into
(43:23):
the swine. Do you remember that? Because they want to
be in a body.
S11 (43:28):
Apparently so. Yeah. Keep going.
S1 (43:32):
Then they. Then they killed those swine. So. Well, where'd
they go then? Not sure. Yeah. The only thing I
can think of is, um, Matthew 1243, it says when
an unclean spirit comes out of a man, it roams
through waterless places looking for rest, but doesn't find any.
(43:54):
Then it says, I'll go back to my house that
I came from. And returning it finds the house vacant. Swept.
That means the body of the person that was cast
out of and put in order, and it goes off
and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself.
And they enter and settle down there. Uh, now that's
in a parable, but it's based on, I think, what
demons actually do. I think they're when they're cast out,
(44:17):
they look for a physical body to inhabit.
S11 (44:22):
Oh, so they keep looking for new, vulnerable people?
S1 (44:26):
Yep. Or or swine? Apparently so. Okay.
S11 (44:30):
Yeah. All right. Right. Yes. Okay. That gives a little
bit more.
S1 (44:34):
Uh, by the way, I think the lesson, the lesson
of that parable is we just don't we don't become vacuous, uh,
to protect our what is the most important protection against demonic, uh,
affliction is to fill the house, fill the body with
that which is good. Well, first of all, I would
(44:55):
say a person needs to trust the Lord Jesus. The
Holy Spirit will come and indwell us. That's a great
protection against a demonic entrance. And then the second, uh,
those of us who, uh, would we need to fill
it with the word of God, uh, meditate on it,
understand it, read it. Uh, that will be a protection against, uh,
demonic affliction from the outside. So.
S11 (45:17):
Great.
S1 (45:18):
Uh, yeah. Okay. Thank you. Mary.
S11 (45:20):
Appreciate it.
S1 (45:22):
Uh. Uh. Janice in Bloomington, Indiana. Can you ask your
question really fast? Because we're up against a break.
S11 (45:32):
Um, okay. I found out that my church believes in
replacement theology. Um, I'm not sure what where to go
with that. Um, and I don't live in a large
city where I can go elsewhere, and.
S1 (45:50):
Well, let me just say, Janice, that that's not the
biggest issue. If your church believes in Jesus and your
church believes that Jesus died and rose again and he's returning.
Focus on that. If you don't have an alternative church
to go to, uh, try and focus on the things
that you agree on that are most essential. That's what
(46:12):
I would say. Thanks for your call, Janice. I really
appreciate it. And that's the program for the week. Thanks
for listening, everyone, especially those of you who called or
wrote in, really appreciate that. Thanks to the Open Line team.
Omar Mendoza for handling all things technical and to Hira
Haines and Lisa and Trish. Uh, thanks for always taking
(46:33):
care of stuff. Keep in touch with us by checking
out our website, Open Line radio.org. Keep reading the Bible.
We'll talk about it next week. Open line with Doctor
Michael Wright is a production of Moody Radio, a ministry
of Moody Bible Institute. See you next week.
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On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
Ridiculous History
History is beautiful, brutal and, often, ridiculous. Join Ben Bowlin and Noel Brown as they dive into some of the weirdest stories from across the span of human civilization in Ridiculous History, a podcast by iHeartRadio.