Scriptural Answers

Each weekend on Open Line with Dr. Michael Rydelnik, Michael gives you scriptural answers for your questions about life. Join us with your Bible questions every Saturday.

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Episode Transcript

S1 (00:09):
Last week was Jerusalem Day. Should people still care about
the city of Jerusalem, especially followers of Jesus? Well, stay
with me. We'll talk about that in just a moment. Hello, friends.
Welcome to Open Line. This is Moody Radio's Bible study
across America. My name is Michael Ray. I'm the academic

(00:31):
dean and a professor of Jewish studies and Bible at
Moody Bible Institute. I'm so grateful to be joining you
around the radio kitchen table. We're talking about your questions
about the Bible, God and the spiritual life. I'm so
happy that we can have this Bible study across America.

(00:53):
That's what really, this is people calling from all over
the country with their questions about the Bible, God and
the spiritual life. If you have a question and you'd
like to call the phone number, here is [phone]. You know, there's, uh,

(01:15):
so many times people say I can't get through. Best
time to call. To get through is the beginning of
the program. Or at least the beginning of the hour. Again,
the number [phone]. Tricia McMillan is our producer. Murals behind
the board. They're taking care of everything. Merle Saint James,

(01:37):
all things technical. Uh, Lisa's helping out, and we're glad
for the whole team here. That's trying to do our
best to answer your questions about Scripture. Um, the phone
number again. [phone]. I want to thank. A couple weeks ago,
Mike Faber sat in for me while I was handling

(01:58):
graduation at the Moody Bible Institute. That went great. And
then last week we had a prerecorded program. Thank you, Tricia,
for putting that together. And now I'm glad to be back.
Live with you. So it's time to go get yourself
a cup of coffee. I've got mine right here. Bring
your Bible, because we're going to study the scriptures together.

(02:21):
So I've heard a lot, in fact, just this very
past week about how believers, now that we follow Jesus,
who is not just the King of Israel, but the
King of the whole world, that we shouldn't really care about,
the city of Jerusalem, the city of Jerusalem, or the
Jerusalem Day, is a celebration of the reunification of Jerusalem

(02:45):
into one city. Both the ancient city of Jerusalem and
the modern city into one city. In 1967, during the
Six-Day War, when Jordan attacked Israel. The result was that
the city was united. And so since 1967, almost 60 years,

(03:05):
that has been celebrated in late May, early June, depending
on when the Jewish calendar counts the day. This past
week it was May 25th and 26th. We celebrated Jerusalem Day.
It's the reunification and people think, well, it shouldn't really matter,
and that it's sort of a negative that that Jewish
people celebrate the reunification of Jerusalem. Here's what one Christian

(03:30):
author wrote about Psalm 48, which is a celebration of Jerusalem.
It says Psalm 48 records the pride and overconfidence of
Israel's view of land. It was a national possession guaranteeing
divine privilege, and it was very negative about Psalm 48.

(03:50):
But I think Psalm 48 shouldn't be viewed negatively or
viewed as a negative about what Jewish people think of Jerusalem. Rather,
it should teach us how we should think about Jerusalem.
Let me read Psalm 48. The Lord is great and
highly praised in the city of our God. His holy mountain,
rising splendidly, is the joy of the whole earth. Mount

(04:13):
Zion on the slopes of the north is the city
of the Great King. God is known as a stronghold
in its citadels. Look! The kings assembled. They advanced together.
They looked and froze with fear. They fled in terror.
Trembling seized them their agony like that of a woman
in labor. As you wreck the ships of Tarshish with

(04:34):
the east wind. Just as we heard. So we have
seen in the city of the Lord of hosts, in
the city of our God, God will establish it forever. God,
within your temple we contemplate your faithful love. Your name,
God like your praise reaches to the end of the earth.

(04:58):
Your right hand is filled with justice. Mount Zion is glad,
glad the towns of Judah rejoice because of your judgments.
Go around Zion. Encircle it. Count its towers. Note its ramparts.
Tour its citadels so that you can tell a future
generation this God, our God, forever and ever. He will

(05:22):
always lead us. So how should we think about Jerusalem today?
Here's four perspectives on Jerusalem. First of all, it's the
capital of the city of the Great King. It's called
the city of our God, his holy mountain. It's called
the city of the Great King in verse two. This

(05:42):
is the city of the King Messiah. So we often
think of it as our city, or a city of Judaism,
or a city of Islam. People want to say it's
that because of the Islamic conquest in the eighth century. No,
we have to remember this is the city of the
messianic King. When it says the city of our God,

(06:05):
the city of the great King, the great King is
the Lord Jesus. It's his city. So we should consider
it the city of the King Messiah. Secondly, it's the
city of the great King will defend at the end
of days. The Psalms need to be read, looking forward
to the end of days. And this describes the kings

(06:25):
assembling and advancing toward it in verses four and following.
And it says that the nations will freeze in terror
when they come to attack Jerusalem. That's described in Zechariah 14,
when all nations gather against Jerusalem. And the Lord Jesus
returns and his feet stand on the Mount of Olives
to bring deliverance. One day when the nations gather, they

(06:47):
will be seized in terror. When the Lord Jesus comes
to defend the city. And then it says in verse
eight that the Lord of hosts in the city of
our God, that he will establish it forever. It will
become the permanent capital of the great King. So it's
the city of the messianic King. It's the city that

(07:08):
the Great King will defend at the end of days. Third,
it's the city from which the great King will rule
the nations. It says in verse ten that your name, God,
like your praise, reaches to the ends of the earth,
and your right hand is filled with justice. What this
is saying is that, yes, one day in the Messianic kingdom,

(07:31):
the Lord Jesus will reign from Jerusalem, but his reign
will extend all the way to the ends of the earth.
In a sense, Jerusalem will not just be the capital
of Israel, but it will be the capital of the
whole world. And so it's the city of the messianic King.
It's the city of the great King that he will
defend at the end of days. It's the city from

(07:52):
which the Great King will defend and rule over the nations.
And lastly, it's the city we should celebrate today because
of what the Great King will do in the future.
Here's what the psalmist says. He says, this is a
psalm of the sons of Korah. The sons of Korah say,
go around Zion, encircle it, walk around its towers. One

(08:14):
of my favorite things to do is when I'm in Jerusalem,
is to walk on the walls of the old city
and just walk around the city and enjoy the beauty
of everything around me so that we can tell a
future generation. Verse 13. This God, our God, forever and ever,
he will always lead us. He led the founding of Jerusalem.

(08:37):
He led the establishment of Jerusalem. He will reign from Jerusalem.
This is his city. So should we not care about Jerusalem?
That's a mistake. We have to celebrate. always. The city
of the Great King. Well, we're going to go right

(09:03):
to the phones. But before anything else, I would really
like to talk with you about our current resource. You know,
one of the things I really want to encourage people
to do is to build a biblical library. I probably
shouldn't have you do that because that will put me
out of business. You know, if you have a great library,
you won't call Open Line with your questions. But I

(09:25):
still think it's important that you're able to study for yourself.
And what I think is so crucial is to have
one of the books you should have. We should all
have is a Bible dictionary. And when you wonder who
is this person here in the Bible? Or why is
that place mentioned? Where is that? Or what's this event

(09:47):
that's being described. Here's a holiday that I don't understand.
When it's all mentioned in the Bible, the best place
to go is to a Bible dictionary. And when you
give a gift of any size, we'd like to say
thanks by sending you the Ultimate Bible Dictionary. It's published
by BNA, the same publisher that produced the Holman CSB

(10:09):
that I like so much, my favorite Bible translation. Anyway.
BNA produced the Ultimate Bible Dictionary. It's easy to carry,
it's easy to use. It's it's just a small book
with a lot of great content. It's a great resource.
And if you'd like a copy, it's yours. When you
give a gift of any size, just go to our website,
openlibrary.org or call [phone]. And by the way, I thank

(10:35):
all of you who have given gifts and I know
you appreciate the resources we send as a thank you,
but thank you for your generosity so much. And if
you've never given to open line and you appreciate the, uh,
the learning that we're doing together here on the program.
I hope you'll decide to give a gift, because this
is a great resource to get. Don't miss out. It's

(10:57):
one of my favorite resources we've ever given away. So
thank you. Uh, once again, call [phone] or go to
open line radio.com. Well we're going to talk to Daniel
in Grand Rapids, Michigan listening on GNB. Welcome to Open
Line Daniel. How can I help you today?

S2 (11:17):
Um, my brother goes to a Pentecostal church, and he
was saying that they taught him that the souls of
the dead go to the bosom of Abraham. What is
all this? The bosom of Abraham. I remember singing a song.
Rock my soul in the bosom of Abraham when we
were kids.

S1 (11:35):
Mhm. Well, I don't think this is a distinctively, uh, um. Uh,
Pentecostal teaching. It's a pretty common teaching that in the
Old Testament, when believers die, they go to a place
called Abraham's bosom. And that's from the story of Lazarus

(11:58):
and the rich man. You know that story where Lazarus
is a parable and Lazarus dies and he's being comforted
by Father Abraham, and the rich man sees in the distance.
You know that story, don't you?

S2 (12:13):
Oh, yes, indeed, very much so.

S1 (12:14):
Yeah. And so what people have said is, before the
death and resurrection and ascension of Jesus, that believers, instead
of going to heaven into the presence of the father,
they went to a place called Abraham's bosom. I think
that misunderstands that verse, because all it means is Lazarus,

(12:35):
who suffered immensely in this life as poverty stricken believer.
He is now finding comfort and peace Through the father Abraham,
who's bringing him comfort, who's holding him, kind of hugging him.
That's the idea. It's not a location. It's it's the place.
He's being comforted by the patriarch. Now, why God chose

(12:56):
chooses Abraham. Maybe because he was a special prophet or
something like that. That's why Abraham is doing that. But
I think that believers go into the presence of God.
And in the Old Testament or the New Testament, we
just go right into our spirits, go to the presence
of God until the great resurrection that will take place
in the future. So that's what I think that is. Uh, however,

(13:18):
there are many, many believers who teach that Abraham's bosom
is a location sort of pre heaven, so to speak,
a place of comfort. Okay.

S2 (13:29):
You know, it confuses the where we're going to go
after we die if they teach that.

S3 (13:33):
Yeah.

S1 (13:34):
But they're, they're not talking about believers today. They're talking
about Old Testament believers. They're not talking about believers today. Uh,
they would say that absent from the body is present
with the Lord. That when we die as followers of Jesus,
we go right into the presence of the Lord. Okay.

S2 (13:49):
Yes. Thank you for talking with me today. And straighten
some things out there and God bless Israel.

S1 (13:55):
Oh thank you. Thanks for calling. We're going to take
a break here. Uh, and when we come back, we're
going to take more of your questions. Uh, your calls. Uh,
try our best to give you a biblical answer. The
phone number [phone]. Give me a call. We'll talk about
your questions on this Bible study across America. My name

(14:18):
is Michael Rey Dominik. I'll be right back with you
in just a moment. Welcome back to Open Line. My

(14:38):
name is Michael Rey. I'm so glad to be with
you every week. It's had a couple of weeks where
I wasn't here live last week. Pre-recorded program the week
before that graduation. Kind of a big deal for me.
That was my last graduation where I'm going to call
the names. Uh, I'm grateful that I've had the privilege
of serving at Moody as a professor for almost 32 years,

(15:02):
and grateful also that, uh, the last few years I've
been the academic dean of the undergraduate school, so I
had to call the names. That's great. But, uh, starting
July 1st, I'll be, uh, sort of a emeritus faculty
member dean. And, uh, that which is a really kind
gift that the board of trustees gave me to. Uh,

(15:24):
it does. I think it means that I get business cards,
but it's a nice title, uh, to me. And I
still have a moody email and all those kinds of things, but, uh,
it's a very, very kind gesture and, start a new
focus of radio ministry and things like that beginning July 1st.

(15:47):
Teaching adjunct different places and especially at Moody. So that'll
be kind of great. Uh, I'm looking forward to that. Um,
you know, one of the things I'm really looking forward
to is continuing radio with Open Line and being with
you on a regular basis to study the scriptures together

(16:07):
and see how, uh, God really gives us the answers
that we're looking for in the Word of God. And
I know a number of you listen all the time
and and really are participants in the program, not just
by calling in with questions, but by looking at the
answers and engaging with that. If you are a regular,

(16:29):
we really appreciate it. Uh, those of you who listen, also,
there are many of you who give regularly, uh, and
I appreciate that so much. And then there are others
who have chosen to become kitchen table partners. They become
part of the team. They want to keep us on
the air, air every week by giving every month. And
that is so appreciated. And if you're listening and you

(16:50):
think I'd like to become a kitchen table partner too,
I would appreciate that as well. Uh, what you have
to do is call [phone] or go to open line radio.org.
And you can become a kitchen table partner. If you do, uh,
we Trish and I produce a Bible study moment every

(17:11):
other week. In your email, you get a audio Bible
study designed exclusively for our kitchen table partners. It's a
way that we can say thank you for being part
of the team. And again, if you want to become
a kitchen table partner, the phone number is 886447122 or
go to open Line radio.org. We're going to talk to

(17:35):
Wayne in Lexington, North Carolina. Listening online. Welcome to Open Line. Wayne.
How can I help you?

S4 (17:43):
Hi. Thank you. Good morning, Michael, and thank you for
your many faithful years of ministry. And may the Lord
bless you as you transition. I have a family member
who's wondering if he can be saved because he thinks
Jesus might have been created from verses like Hebrews five
five where God says of Christ, you are my son,
today I have begotten you. So my question is, how

(18:05):
are we to understand that you know, God the Son
I believe, wasn't created. He's always existed in eternity past.
But how do we explain that somebody and how does
that view impact one's salvation?

S1 (18:20):
Well, it starts with understanding, as you say, that that
God the Son existed eternally in John one one, in
the beginning was the word, and the word was with God,
and the word was God. And that and then it says, God,
that the word became flesh and dwelt among us. So
that's talking about the Lord Jesus. Uh, that's one thing.

(18:44):
Also in Colossians it says there was nothing made that
he didn't make. And so that's crucial to understand. He's
the eternal one. He's the creator. So and of course,
it's not just Hebrews five which calls him the begotten one. Uh,
the begotten Son of God. We know the very famous

(19:06):
John 316. You know every football game. You see the
guy there with the sign For God so loved the
world that he gave his only begotten son. Right. That's
John 316 that whosoever would believe in him should not
perish but have everlasting life. Let's not forget that. So

(19:27):
I think the root of the Hebrews five five quote
really helps us if we go back to where it's from.
It's from the book of Psalms. Arms. And in Psalm
chapter two is where you get that from verse seven,
I will declare the Lord's decree. He said to me,
you are my son. Today I have become your father. Right.

(19:53):
And that's actually today I have begotten you. It's literally
how it's written in Hebrew. And that's where Hebrews is
quoting it from Psalm two seven. Now Psalm two needs
to be understood as an enthronement psalm, and what that
means is at the king's coronation. This is not just

(20:15):
true in Israel, but, uh, in throughout the ancient Near East.
For example, in Egypt, when Pharaoh took the throne, even
though he had existed, was alive before um, and was
considered the son of one of the gods before, when

(20:36):
he took the throne. When he was crowned king. A
coronation song was sung declaring him to be come, the
Son of God. And the same thing is true here
in Psalm two. It is a declaration of his sonship
at his coronation. This is an enthronement psalm. When he

(20:59):
takes the throne, he is declared once again to be
the only begotten of the father. It doesn't mean that's
when he became the Son of God. It means that's
when he takes his throne. And Psalm two is talking
about this in terms of he is declared the Son
of God, and it's talking about the day he takes
the throne over Israel, sort of like what I talked

(21:22):
about in the opening word about reigning from Jerusalem. That's
when this is focused on Psalm two is talking about
that day. But in Romans one, here, as I look
at it, Romans one says, he was declared to be
the Son of God with power through the resurrection. So, uh,

(21:48):
verse four, and who has been declared to be the
powerful Son of God by the resurrection from the dead
according to the spirit of holiness? So there are there's
not just one time when he is declared to be
the only begotten. Uh, he is declared the only begotten
son at his coronation. He will. That's when he will be.

(22:11):
He was declared the Son of God at his resurrection.
He was also declared the Son of God at his birth. Uh,
when it says the the Annunciation to Mary, it says. That, uh,
the child that was is in You will be called

(22:33):
the Son of God because the Holy Spirit will come
over you and this will be a miraculous birth. And
he won't have a human father, and as a result,
he will be declared the Son of God. That's what, um, uh,
Luke chapter one, verse 35 says, The Holy Spirit will
come upon you. The power of the Most High will
overshadow you. Therefore the Holy One to be born will

(22:56):
be called the Son of God. So there are lots
of different times in the eternal ministry of the Son
of God, that he is declared the Son of God,
and to be the only begotten is, uh, when he
is declared the Son of God at his enthronement. But
he is always the son. He is forever the Son
of God, not just at his birth, not just at

(23:18):
his resurrection, not just at his enthronement, but eternally, the
Son of God. Does that help at all, Wayne?

S4 (23:26):
That that helps a lot. Thank you so very much.

S1 (23:29):
Yeah I appreciate your call. That's something I think that
can confuse people. Uh. So. Uh, we're going to talk
to Wayne. That's it. I'm sorry. We just talked to Wayne.
We're going to talk to Aaron in Florida, listening to keys.

(23:50):
Welcome to Open Line. Aaron, how can I help you today?

S5 (23:53):
Yes. If Jesus was baptized to reveal his identity to Israel,
to fulfill all righteousness and to enter a royal priesthood,
what specifically does it mean to fulfill all righteousness? And
I am referring to Matthew 315. In the middle of

(24:13):
Matthew 313 through 17, where he gets baptized and he's
rejected John, saying, I don't baptize you, you baptize me.
But Jesus goes, no, we need to do this to
fulfill all righteousness. I just don't understand what that means.

S1 (24:27):
Yeah, Well, uh, I'll tell you, there are a lot
of different views as to what that would mean. Uh,
some people think he has to fulfill all righteousness, uh,
to be identifiable with sinners. I don't think that's what
it's talking about. Uh, when the Lord Jesus is baptized,

(24:49):
it's because he's entering the office as our great high priest.
That's when he begins his public ministry. And so, because
he's blending the public ministry in Exodus 40, verses 12
through 15, it describes the ritual washing, like baptism that
the high priest goes through before he can enter into

(25:13):
his role as high priest. And so what it what
the Lord Jesus says is that he has to fulfill
all righteousness. He has to fulfill the requirement of the
law to become our great High priest. And that requires,
when he enters into his public ministry as our great
high priest, he has to be baptized. It's according to

(25:36):
the law. He kept the law perfectly. That's how he
fulfills all righteousness. And that's why he's our great high
priest that represents us to the father. Because he did that,
he fulfilled all righteousness. Thanks for your question, Mailbags coming
up with Tricia, so don't go away. This is Michael
Ray Olney on Open Line. Welcome back to Open Line.

(26:12):
We're so grateful for the Far Eastern Broadcasting Company that
they partner with Open Line to bring you the weekly
Febc mailbag. It's a terrific organization. It brings the good
news to people via media and personal engagement. Check out
the Febc podcast until all have heard by going to Febc.

(26:36):
That's Febc. And joining me right now with the Febc
mailbag that she has put together is Tricia McMillan. Hey, Tricia.

S6 (26:45):
Hi. How are you?

S1 (26:47):
I am doing really well. I'm so glad to see you.
It's been a couple of weeks. We haven't been together.

S6 (26:53):
I know we are. We got to have Mike Fabares
in the studio with us a couple weeks ago. And,
you know, I was on the mailbag last week with you.

S1 (27:02):
Yeah. Well, here's the thing. You were with Mike Fabares,
and he was raving on the program. I listened to
the program afterwards on the podcast, and he was talking
about how wonderful you are. And I thought, I'm so
glad that he said that, because I say it all
the time how much even I love you. And, uh,
and then I thought, well, people think I'm just biased.
And so I'm glad that an independent source confirmed that

(27:25):
you are indeed a wonderful person, so thank you. Hey, uh,
I do have a. You remember I mentioned that I'm
taking a group to Israel in September?

S6 (27:34):
Yes.

S1 (27:36):
Yeah, well, that we only have a couple more weeks
to get people registered for that, and we have limited
space available. We have like 11 or 12 spots left
entirely for the trip. And, uh, and I thought, I
better mention it to you now, I probably should have

(27:56):
mentioned it when I talked in the opening word about
walking around the walls of Jerusalem, but because we're going
to walk all over Jerusalem. But, uh, just a I
was thinking 11 or 12 spots. I don't remember what
it was. Sarah, a friend of mine told me about that. But, uh,
I think that people, if they're interested in going to Israel,
they might be concerned. Is it safe? We're not going

(28:17):
to go to any places where there's war. It's a
safe place to go. We wouldn't go anyplace that's not safe.
And it's a beautiful and really wonderful experience to see
the Bible come alive. And you did that with me.
I wanted you to mention that.

S6 (28:31):
I did, I did, it was wonderful. The teaching is
just fantastic because at each of the spots you teach
us something the Bible. Try to teach the Bible of
something that either happened at that place or or was
heard at that place, or will happen at that place. Yeah,
it's really good. What are the dates of that trip?

S1 (28:50):
September 7th through the 18th. We're pretty excited about it.
The best way to find out about the trip is
go to Openline radio.org, and scroll down and click on
the link. That's my personal web page. It says you
can check out Michael's personal web page. That's where you
can find the information about that trip. It's pretty exciting.

S6 (29:08):
And when I get off the air right now, like
after this segment, when I get off the air, I
can add a direct link to right on that main
page so people can find it a little easier. That's great.
I will do that. So good.

S1 (29:20):
Okay. Well, listen, we better answer some of these questions.

S6 (29:25):
Okay. Um, first question is from Jeffrey in Illinois. Listens
to WNBA, wants to know in January 1st seven, Daniels
name and the names of his three friends are changed
from Hebrew to Chaldean. Um, he did look it up
in the Moody Bible Commentary, and the meanings were different.
And so their their Hebrew names meant God is my

(29:49):
judge and God has been gracious. And who is what
God is? And the Lord has helped two things that
were more, um, Babylonian like Bel protect him and the
command of Aku. Um, so in the remainder of the book,
Daniel usually continues to get called Daniel, but Hananiah, Mishael,

(30:11):
and Azariah, which were the Hebrew names, are now called Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego, which we know from lots of songs even
like we know those names. Why are they called by
the Chaldean names? But Daniel continues to be called Daniel.

S1 (30:26):
Well, clearly, first of all, why were their names changed?
I think it was an attempt to force them to assimilate,
to abandon their faith of their fathers, the faith that
they had of believing in l. Daniel. God is my judge.
L is the name of the title of God. Their
God is my judge. It means God. And then, for example, uh,

(30:49):
he is changed to Belshazzar, which has the name Bel,
which is a Babylonian god, and Aku is a Babylonian god.
Nebo is a Babylonian god. So what what they were
doing is trying to force them to assimilate to Babylonian religion.

S6 (31:07):
Which which even in those first the first chapter, when
it's like they were trying to force them to eat
the way that they ate to. And and Daniel did
put up a fuss on that one. It was like, actually,
can we. Yeah. Can we try it this way instead?

S1 (31:21):
They were resistant to assimilation. And then, of course, in
chapter two they went by the the Jewish friends, three
Jewish friends of Daniel. They resisted worshiping the false god.
They wouldn't do it. And even though their names are
being used, those are names that were given to them.
It showed that they still wouldn't give in. They wouldn't

(31:44):
worship Babylonian gods. They would only worship the God of Israel.
And so that's a good thing. Now, why is it
that Daniel is called Daniel? And, uh, I think Daniel's
name is mentioned 75 times, and 65 of them are
Daniel and ten. It's the Babylonian name, whereas the friends
of his, they're only mentioned about 15 times, about five

(32:07):
times with their Hebrew name and ten times with their
Babylonian names. So I think that the, you know, no
one knows the reason why Daniel is called by his
Hebrew name predominantly, and they are not. But I would say,
first of all, that they are not mentioned all that much.
They're done in chapter two. Chapter three. They're done. Uh,
the book goes on for nine more chapters and they're

(32:29):
never mentioned again. So, uh, maybe if they were mentioned
later on, they would be mentioned by their Hebrew names. But, uh, secondly, uh,
they are mentioned. I think that the main reason is
that Daniel was a very famous character by the time
his book was accepted. He's mentioned in the book of Ezekiel. Uh,

(32:50):
and so I think just for the sake of the readers,
because he was a famous prophet, uh, in Israel, and
the book was written really to Israel, they they decided
to use the name just because he's the main character. Uh,
the author, probably Daniel himself, said, I'm just going to
use my name that everyone knows me by. Okay.

S6 (33:08):
And if.

S1 (33:08):
He.

S6 (33:09):
But and if he's.

S1 (33:10):
But we don't know for sure.

S6 (33:11):
Right. And if he's writing it, would that have have uh,
would that also have played a part? Because that's what
he is seeing himself as.

S1 (33:20):
I bet he called his. I bet he called his
friends by their Hebrew names, too.

S6 (33:24):
That's probably so. Yeah.

S1 (33:25):
Yeah. I don't I don't know why, but I think
it's because he was such a significant character and he
was the main character of the book.

S6 (33:32):
Okay. All right. So thank you. Um, this one does
not have to do. I don't think with the Bible,
but Ellie in Illinois wanted to know when the Star
of David became a symbol of the Jewish people.

S1 (33:45):
Well, it's it's quite ancient. Uh, as a symbol used
by other cultures as well. If you go to. When
we went to Capernaum, I don't know if anyone pointed
it out to you. I know you went to Capernaum
with me. But there's a star of David in the
symbols in that town and the ancient Jewish town, uh,
from the first century. So it's it's used, uh, quite often,
but it really became clearly identifiable with the Jewish people

(34:09):
in the Middle Ages. Um, in Czechoslovakia, for example, they,
the Jewish people asked for permission to use it as
their symbol from the government for the Jewish community in Czechoslovakia. Uh,
so I would say that it was always used as
somewhat of a symbol. It became known as the Shield
of David. It was believed by the Jewish community in

(34:31):
the early years of the after the beginning of the
after the turn from pre BC to AD, so to speak.
It became thought of as the shield of David, that
it was a symbol of the house of David, but
only in the Middle Ages was it adopted completely as
a symbol of Israel.

S6 (34:52):
Okay. All right. Thank you. Uh, next question is from
Lynn in Ohio. She listens to CRF, wants to know
if you're a follower of Jesus, and the rapture happens
at a different time than you believe it will. Uh,
will you still go?

S1 (35:07):
That's sort of a partial rapture theory, you know? Uh,
but the rapture is is going to happen, whatever we
believe it. The Bible says that the Lord will descend.
And he'll snatch us. That's the word that's used in
first Thessalonians four. He'll snatch the body of believers. Uh, first,

(35:28):
the dead in Christ will rise first. And then, uh,
we'll be snatched up. And the the idea of a
snatch means that I don't think that we have any consent.
It just happens. And so whether a person believes it's
that's the imagery here is someone I think it's going
to be post-trib. And then it happens as a pre-tribulational rapture.

S6 (35:47):
Right?

S1 (35:48):
Sorry. You're going. You don't have to suffer. You're going
to be taken out first. So.

S6 (35:53):
Right. And in that sense, it wouldn't be any different
than if you don't believe that it will happen. And
God God will still make it happen when he is
planning to make it happen.

S1 (36:03):
Exactly. And you know, here's the thing that people say, well,
what if, uh, the, uh, let's say because I happen
to I think you are too. We're both really committed
to the idea that the rapture will happen before the tribulation.
It's not something I fight about, but it's something I believe.
And then people say, well, what happens if you have

(36:23):
to go through the tribulation? You know, you won't be prepared.
I think, well, you're not going to be prepared either. Uh,
who's prepared for such a thing? Uh, the this is
how I'm prepared. Uh, in John 16, the Lord Jesus said,
in this world you will have tribulation. But fear not.

(36:45):
I have overcome the world. And that's it. If I
trust in Jesus, it doesn't matter. Uh, if I was
if I'm wrong about the pre-trib rapture, which I don't
think I am. But if I was wrong, you know,
I've got Jesus. He. I don't have to fear. He's
overcome the world. I can depend on him. He'll take
me through whatever it is I have to go through.
And we have to be prepared, too. Because, you know,

(37:07):
even without the tribulation, life is not that easy. So, uh.
and some people think, oh, you become a believer. You
never have any difficulties. I don't think that's true. Jesus
didn't think that was true. Uh, but we have the
person who goes through it with us, and that's what
what matters.

S6 (37:24):
But even more prepared than that. Like, we may not
be prepared for the full tribulation, but how can we
even be prepared to go up into the rapture?

S1 (37:36):
Well, here's the way we're prepared. This is it. It's simple. Uh,
we have to recognize that we're separated from God because
of the wrong things we do. But Jesus died to
take the punishment for those wrong things. Then he was
raised again, proving it was all true. And then, uh,
after he was raised, uh, he ascended to the father.

(37:58):
What we have to do is believe in his, uh,
substitution for us, uh, believe that he can give us
new life because he is alive. So all we have
to do is trust him. It's a simple prayer. I
would invite you if you've never made that decision to
be ready, because we can see him tonight. You know,
it may it may be today that the Lord will
call us home and not at the rapture. We have

(38:19):
to be ready to meet him. Just put your trust
in him. Just tell him I know I've done things wrong.
And that separates me from you, father. But I know
the Lord Jesus took the punishment I deserved in his death.
And now he's alive, and he's going to forgive my
sin forever. And I can have a forever relationship with you.
Then we'll be ready for anything. Uh, for. For facing

(38:42):
God or the rapture or whatever it is. Uh, that
that's what prepares us.

S6 (38:47):
Yeah. Yeah. And you can do that wherever you are.
You'll be driving in your car, sitting at home, gardening out,
getting groceries.

S1 (38:55):
Cleaning the house.

S6 (38:56):
Cleaning.

S1 (38:56):
The house, which is what everyone seems to do during
open line. So I hope you'll make that decision. Uh,
we're going to take a break here, but I appreciate
so much, uh, putting the mailbag together. You'll be back
next hour with more questions, Right, Tricia? Yes. Okay. Uh,
this is open line. That was Tricia McMillan. She's the
producer of Open Line. I'm Michael Ray Melnick. I am
the one that tries to answer your questions every week. Uh,

(39:18):
stay with us. We're going to be back with more
of your questions in just a moment. Welcome back to
Open Line, having a great time with you as we
study the scriptures together. You know, people frequently have questions

(39:43):
about the Jewish people in Israel. Uh, this is a
program about Bible. It's about the questions people have about
the Bible, God and the spiritual life. And yet I
think maybe because of our partner, Chosen People Ministries, maybe
because I'm a messianic Jew, uh, I get a lot
of questions about Israel and the Jewish people and where

(40:04):
do they fit in the plan of God and and
Chosen People Ministries, one of our radio partners, recognized that
those questions are there. So they are offering a booklet
called Why Israel that explores the topic of Israel through
the lens of Scripture. Has the church replaced Israel and
the plan of God? Does Israel have a future? What

(40:24):
about what should we think about Israel today? This book
answers those questions, and if you'd like a free copy,
call what you need to do. The free copy is
the book of Why Israel. Go to the Open Line
Radio website. Open Line radio.org. That's our website, open Line radio.org.
And scroll down you'll see a link that says a

(40:46):
free gift from Chosen People Ministries. Click on that, and
that will take you to a page where you can
sign up for your own copy of Why Israel? Uh,
we're going to talk related to this, uh, to Marlene
in Chattanooga, Tennessee, listening on Wmw. Welcome to Open Line, Marlene.

(41:07):
How can I help you?

S7 (41:08):
Thank you. My question is, um, can the words God
spoke to Israel in the Old Testament? Uh. As an example,
Isaiah 4110. Do not fear, for I'm with you. Can
we claim those as believers today? All those wonderful promises?

S1 (41:30):
Well, the answer is no. And yes. How's that? Marlene? Uh, some.
There is a sense where we can. And a sense
that we can't. So let me go to the most
famous one that people ask. Okay. Uh, it's, uh, Jeremiah 2911.
I know the plans I have for you. This is

(41:53):
the Lord's declaration. Plans for your welfare, not for disaster,
to give you a future and a hope. Well, that
sounds like a wonderful promise for us to claim, right?
But the the context there says that I'm going to
send you to Babylon for 70 years as discipline for
your disobedience. Through the years under the law. Right. So clearly,

(42:19):
this is something that's for Israel. God sending them to
Babylon 70 years captivity. And but that's part of God's
good plan. So the answer is no, that's not for us.
On the other hand. Uh, let me ask you this, Marlene.
Do you think if we neglect God, will he discipline us? Marlene?

S7 (42:43):
Yes. Are you there? He will.

S1 (42:44):
Yeah. Of course he will. So it. Would it be
true for us, too, that if, uh. If God disciplines us,
he still has a good plan in our lives so
we can quote it and claim it? What do you think?

S7 (43:00):
Yes. He will.

S1 (43:02):
Yeah, of course we will. So that's how it's applicable
to us. Uh, it's not directly written to us, but
it's applicable. Same thing. If you go to Isaiah 41,
the verse that you cited. It's really for Israel. But
the Lord Jesus said, uh, the book of Hebrews tells
us he will never leave us or forsake us. And
so when he says in Isaiah 41 to Israel that

(43:24):
that he's with them, you know, the truth of it is,
if we've become followers of Jesus, he's with us too.
And we don't we don't have to fear. So as
long as we understand that the promises are applied to us,
but not necessarily written directly to us. I think in
that sense we can apply them in our lives as well. Uh,

(43:44):
is that does that help you with this?

S7 (43:48):
Yeah. Another one is if my people will pray. I've
always heard that is for Israel. Uh, just Israel. Yeah.

S1 (43:58):
Well, uh, the second Chronicles, 714. Uh, where it calls
for a revival. Well, that really is talking about Israel. Uh,
and the application is not the United States. The application
would be for followers of Jesus, uh, for our congregations.
That's where the application lands. Uh, it doesn't say, uh,

(44:23):
that the United States will be revived if we turn
to him. What it's saying. Not that God doesn't want
us to, but it says if my people who are
called by my name, that's Israel, humble themselves, pray and
seek my face and turn from their evil ways, then
I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin and heal

(44:43):
their land. Well, that's talking about Israel. However, if followers
of Jesus, uh, turn the local congregations, let's say near
the churches have, uh, turned cold. If they will repent
in this way, then God will restore their congregations. Uh,
it's not a promise that can be applied by the

(45:05):
United States. Okay.

S7 (45:08):
Well, thank you so much, Michael. Your program's wonderful.

S1 (45:12):
Well. Thank you. You're very kind. I appreciate that. Uh, uh,
thanks for your call, Marlene. We're going to talk to
Tony in West Chicago, Illinois, listening on wmbi. Welcome to
Open Line, Tony. How can I help you?

S8 (45:29):
To understand what it is about the translation you mentioned
frequently that you use, um, that you feel is, uh,
more interesting or more, uh, maybe clear or more trustworthy
in some way?

S1 (45:47):
Yeah. Well, uh, first of all, I use a lot
of translations. I look up stuff all the time. Uh,
and I read from, you know, when I'm studying, I
use multiple translations, Uh, and often will will look at
Hebrew and Greek and make my own translation. Uh, sometimes

(46:08):
my students joke that there should be a translation because
I keep saying, this is how I would translate this. Uh,
but there's a technical kind of word for word kind
of translation, like the new American Standard. That's very helpful
in study. There's a dynamic equivalence translation, like the New

(46:28):
Living Translation, which is good for speedy reading. You know,
if you want to read, uh, things quickly, uh, and
then there's the other possibility that, uh, you might want
something that balances easy reading with accuracy. And I think
that's what the Holman CSB does. It's why I like it. So, uh,

(46:50):
I hope that helps. We're going to be back in
just a moment. This is open line with Michael Ray Holman.