Hello friends. It's time for the second hour of Open Line with Doctor Michael Dolnick Moody Radio's Bible Study Across America. We're talking about your questions about the Bible, God and the spiritual life. I'm Michael Ray Dolnick. I'm the academic dean and professor of Jewish studies and Bible at Moody Bible Institute. We're live today right here, right around the radio kitchen table taking your questions. So give me a call. The number is (877) 548-3675. Again (877) 548-3675. If you can't call
just go to our website Openline radio.org. And there's a link there that says Ask Michael a question. Click on that and you'll be taken to a page where you can put your question there. Trish will put it in the mailbag. We'll get to it in upcoming weeks. I hope you have your Bibles open. I hope you have a second cup of coffee. We're going to talk about the scriptures in just a moment. I did want to tell you about something that's coming up here at Moody
Bible Institute in just under a month, November 9th. It's the Moody Summit opposing anti-Semitism. I'm really grateful to God that Moody is hosting this together with Chosen People Ministries. We're going to have some very special speakers. Doctor Mark Jobe, who is the president of Moody Bible Institute and you know him on radio from Bold Steps, we're going to have doctor Don Sweeting, who is the chancellor, former president,
but now the chancellor of Colorado Christian. He is the son of our former president, Doctor George Sweeting, who's gone on to be with the Lord. Uh, also, we'll have Doctor Mitch Glazer, who's the president of Chosen People Ministries, Chicago area listeners, Carl from Carl and crew. Carl Clawson will be speaking. Uh, very, very excited about this, uh, this event. I'll be speaking as well. Eve is going
to lead a workshop. It's going to be a really great time to learn about this current problem and see what we can do as followers of Jesus, to oppose this hatred of the people whom God loves. And so don't miss out November 9th. It's a it's a very
important day. Uh, join us for the summit. And I did want to let you know there's a there's a small registration fee, but when you register, if you put the words in Caps summit and then no space 20, uh, summit 20, uh, you will get a 20% discount for registration. So that would be a now is the time to go grab that registration, take care of it. If you want to get a link to the registration, just go to Open Line radio.org. There's a banner that says, uh,
summit opposing anti-Semitism. Semitism. Okay, so that's how you can go to it. We're going to go right back to the phones now and talk with Pam in Cincinnati, Ohio listening on Wfxg. Welcome to Open Line. Pam, how can I help you?
Good morning. Thank you for taking my call. I have a question. I've been trying to figure out the best study, um, for to connect the Old Testament with the New Testament. Mhm. And I've been, um, reading a recent, um, book from Rabbi Sobel, and I enjoyed his. But I gave it away before I was done. And I do have, um, Nehama Leibowitz studies the Pentateuch. And I wondered if that was a good set of books to have.
Well, that's not going to be a book that connects you to the New Testament at all. So.
And I found that out. Yeah.
So, uh, you know, there are a number of books that will help you. Uh, for example, uh, some of them are a little more challenging than, than others, but they're still helpful. I would, first of all, recommend The Moody Handbook on Messianic Prophecy, because what that does is it goes through virtually everything in the Old Testament that points to Jesus and, and really helps you see how the Old Testament is foretelling the new. And that's a
very good book, The Moody Handbook of Messianic Prophecy. Uh, then there's another book that I wrote called The Messianic Hope. Is the Hebrew Bible really messianic? Uh, again, that's an academic academic book, but it's, uh, it's a, I think a helpful book. If you read slowly and write down your questions and call me back with them, and I'm happy to talk, you talk it through with you. Uh,
then there's a book by Walt Kaiser. Doctor Kaiser contributed to The Moody Handbook, but he wrote a book called The Messiah in the Old Testament. That's a great book. Again, it connects to Jesus in the new. Very helpful book. Uh, and, uh, I think the, the there there's a lot of ways that we can connect the old with the new, uh, but that that's sort of the some good starters for you. Uh, they, you know, sometimes when you get books that are more popular,
they have kind of a superficial connection. And so that's why I recommend these books that have a little bit more substance to get you connected to the new. Okay.
Thank you. That's what I want.
Thank you. Great. So glad you called, Pam. Thank you so much.
Have a blessed.
Day. You too. Okay. Bye bye. Uh, okay. We're going to talk with Kent in Urbana, Illinois. Listening to on WGN. Welcome to Open Line, Kent. How can I help you today?
Hi, doctor. Mike. Um, in Jeremiah, he talks about the destruction of Babylon, and it will never be rebuilt again. Then what? Babylon is being talked about by the Apostle John in Revelation 18.
Well, I think in revelation 17 and 18, uh, what we have, there's two views. There's some people who think it's sort of a Babylon is used symbolically of Rome. Uh, and that could very well be sort of a rebuilt Rome, Roman religion, Roman state. And the and some people think that, uh, uh, I'm a little skeptical. You know, I have this. If the plain sense makes sense, seek no other sense, lest it result in nonsense. I don't believe that the the revelation.
I don't believe that Jeremiah 50 and 51 has been fulfilled in its complete way. That's described there. I agree with Doctor Charlie Dyer from the host of The Land of the book, who's written quite extensively about Babylon, that it will be rebuilt, and that revelation 17 and 18 aligns with Jeremiah 50 and 51, and foretells the actual destruction at the end of days, destruction of Babylon. So that's what I think it is. Uh, maybe a book that you would find helpful is a moody publishers book
called The Rise of Babylon by Charlie Dyer. So that might be helpful to you. Uh, we're going to. Thanks for your call, Kent. Hope that helps. We're going to talk to Louise in Chicago, listening online. Welcome to Open Line, Louise. How can I help you today?
Thank you. It's Larissa, actually.
Oh, Larissa. Larissa.
Sorry. That's okay. Um, my question is, Second Corinthians. In the King James Version of the Bible. We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. And so I, I've always I'm a little confused because I hear people say, when someone dies, oh, they're with the Lord, they're in heaven.
But then I've also heard, um, I've read in like revelations that when, when we die, we're, we're we're actually sleeping in our graves, waiting on the Lord to come back. So that's just always been. I'm a little confused about it.
Okay. Well, I think you got second Corinthians five nine, right? Therefore we are at home or away. We make it our aim. Uh. I'm sorry. Second Corinthians five eight. Uh, while we're at home, this is I'm going to begin with verse six. Uh, we are always confident and know that while we are at home in the body, we are away from the Lord. Verse seven. For we walk by faith, not by sight, and we are confident and satisfied to be out of the body when we're out
of our body. We're home with the Lord when we die. Therefore, whether we're at home or away, we make it our aim to be pleasing to him. Okay, so, uh, clearly. And then in Philippians one, it's Paul talks about the potential for dying and what what he says is that he would rather be, uh, away from them and with the Lord. So when he dies, he anticipates going to be with the Lord. And, uh, and so this is what what he says, uh, uh, for me, living is
this verse 21, Philippians one. For me, living is Christ, or living is Messiah, and dying is gain. If I live on in the flesh, this means fruitful work for me, and I don't know which one I should choose. I am pressured by both. I have the desire to depart and be with the Messiah, which is far better, but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you. Sounds like Paul thinks that when he dies, he goes
right to be with the Lord. The issue comes up in a passage like First Thessalonians chapter four, where it talks about the rapture and it talks about people, uh, in the church who have died. That's what they were concerned that they were going to somehow miss, uh, being, you know, missed the return of the Lord because they're sleeping. And so. Right. Uh, it says concerning those who are asleep and he's using the word asleep repeatedly. Uh, yes.
For being dead. And the reason it's a euphemism when you look at a dead body, uh, if they're at peace, they look like they are merely asleep. And so he is using the euphemism for dead. Okay, So concerning those who are dead. Uh, and then he says those who have died through Jesus. Uh, and he says we have no advantage over those who are take away the euphemism instead of falling asleep. We have no advantage over those
who are dead. That's what it means. Uh, okay. So. And and that's the reason I know that is he calls them the dead in Christ. So we know that's what it's talking about. So what what I think is happening here, and I think there's a little hint in the text and I'll show it to you. Is that when we die, our, uh, immaterial part, the soul or spirit, goes to be with the Lord. Our bodies are asleep, so to speak, physically as they decay in the grave. Right. Mhm. Mhm. Uh, decompose.
And then, uh, when the resurrection happens we will, the people who have died in the Lord will return there. Their spirits will return with him and their bodies will be resurrected and resurrected and reconstructed. And and then they will become one with their new immortal body. Here's why I say that. Uh, if you look at, uh, it says concerning those who are asleep, those who have died don't grieve as the rest, who have no hope. Now
look at verse 14, first Thessalonians four, verse 14. Since we believe that Jesus died and rose again in the same way, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep through Jesus. So when the Lord Jesus is descending, who's coming back with him? Those who have fallen asleep, their immaterial part that has gone to be with the Lord all these years will descend with him, and then the dead in Christ will rise. And so those who have died, they're returning with the Lord. Their immaterial part
is returning at the rapture. Their physical body is resurrected, and they're reunited as one. That's what it. That's what it's referring to.
Oh. Oh thank you. That was, that was a great that that helps me.
Great, great. I'm so glad. No soul sleep. We go to be with the Lord when we die. And then we will be resurrected physically to an immortal, glorious body that the Lord has made way for us. First Corinthians 15 he's he's the first fruits, but we get to experience it when we're resurrected, so.
Oh my. Okay, well that is a blessing and we look forward to that. Amen. Thank you so much. I really appreciate it.
Yeah. Great. Well thank you. Uh, Larissa, thanks for your call. Really appreciate it. And, uh, when we come back, we're going to take more of your questions. Uh, this is open line with Michael Ray Dolnick. The number (877) 548-3675. Stay with us. We're going to have lots of time in our Bible study across America. Uh, coming right back. Right here. My name is Michael Ray Dominic, and.
This is Open Line.
Welcome back to Open Line. So glad to be with you. And so grateful that you're listening today. Uh, I did want to mention the the current resource that we're using. First hour, I had the great privilege of interviewing the author of 14 Fresh Ways to Enjoy the Bible. My friend Jim Coakley, who teaches here at Moody Bible Institute. This is a really great book. It will open your
eyes to how to read the Bible. Uh, I really do believe the best way to understand the Bible is by reading it, but sometimes we read it superficially we don't really read for it's, uh, about for what it's saying. And this is a great way of stepping up our reading ability. It shows us how we are supposed to read the scriptures. I think you're really going to love it. It's very practical, easy to understand. Not a very long book either. It's less than 200 pages, easy to read,
and really, really helpful. When the Christianity Today Book of the year award for Bible study, because it is so helpful in reading the Bible, I don't want you to miss out. It's yours as our gift to you. Our thank you gift when you give a gift of any size to open line. Uh, if you'd like to give a gift, all you have to do is go to our website, openline radio.org. And if you go there, we'll be happy to give you a copy of this book, uh,
with your gift. Or you can call, uh, 88864471228886447122. Remember, ask for 14 fresh ways to enjoy the Bible. You're going to love this book. It is terrific. And let me just mention, there are some of you who listen all the time. I so appreciate it. But you've never, ever given a gift. This is a great time to give that first gift because you're going to love this book. Uh, 14 Fresh Ways to Read the Bible to Enjoy the Bible. Okay, we're going to go back to the phones now. Tracy
in Chicago listening on Wmbi. Welcome to Open Line, Tracy. How can I help you today? Hey, Tracy, I can't hear you.
Oh, hello. Can you hear me now?
Now I can. Yep. Thank you. Okay.
Sorry about that. Yes. Thank you for taking my call. And thank you for what you do. Um, my call is in relation to the last caller's, like, um, regarding people being absent from the body and being present with the Lord. Um, and the resurrection of those that are asleep in Christ. I want to know, how does that connect to Hebrews? Uh 927. Bit confused by that because it says it's appointed unto man every one to die once. What does that mean exactly? Is that a physical death
in the body? Um. Or can that be a spiritual, natural death?
Uh, it's talking about the context is, uh, the Messiah's death. So it's talking about physical death, and it says, okay, verse 27, just as it is appointed for people to die once, and after this, the next step before God is there will be a judgment. So also the Messiah having been offered once that's referring to his death to bear the sins of many will appear a second time, but not to bear sin, but to bring salvation. So it's saying is, uh, that Jesus isn't going to die again.
That's the real point he's making. But he's saying, just as people die once it's appointed for man to die once, and then they stand before God, there's the judgment in the same way that people just die once. The Lord Jesus, when he appears again, when he returns, he's not going to die the second time, okay? He's going to appear as judge. And now the one thing is that people often say, well, if the Bible says people, all people die once. Uh, what about Enoch? He walked with God
and he was no more. And what about Elijah, who apparently was translated, wait. What about everyone that's alive at the rapture will be translated instantly.
So that was my question.
Uh, so what you have here in verse 27 is a general rule for life. It is true that we're all going to die. I always say that, you know, one of the things that's hard for us to accept that when we're in denial that we're going to die one day, everyone's going to die. I hope to be raptured, but everyone's going to die if we're not raptured. That's a general rule of life. It doesn't mean there aren't exceptions. It doesn't mean Enoch and Elijah didn't die. I mean, uh,
had to die. No, they didn't die. They were translated in the same way. The church alive at the return of Jesus at the rapture will be translated into his presence. Those are the exceptions. But what's the general rule? Uh, generally speaking, Tracy, I'm going to die. You're going to die. Everyone's going to die. Unless now we get raptured. So. And I long for the rapture. I want it to be in my lifetime. But, you know, we have to be ready to die. Every one of us needs to
be ready to die. And the best way to be ready to die is to believe in Jesus today and live your life for him. Uh, today, the we have to believe if we're going to spend eternity with him so we're ready to die. We have to believe that, you we all do things wrong, but Jesus died for those wrong things. He took the punishment we deserve. He was raised again, proving that he can take the punishment that he is God. And now he's going to come back.
But what we have to believe is that he took the punishment for our sin by his death and was raised again. We just have to trust that. That that's sufficient to establish a forever forgiven relationship with God. Okay, Tracy. So I believe you know that. But if you're listening and you're wondering, I'm not ready to die. Ha! The first step is not to go and get your, uh, a grave set up and buy your coffin. And that's a great thing to do if you want to do that.
But that's not getting ready to die. Being ready to die starts when we put our trust in Jesus. Then we never have to fear. We can go right into his presence. And I'll tell you what there's this great benefit is he gets he comes into our lives. We he transforms our lives today. So as long as we live, it's whether we live or die. We're living for him. And it's a glorious life. Okay, Tracy.
Okay. Yeah. Thank you for sharing that. I'm still just slightly confused, though, with the rapture portion. What are you confused about? No one. Well, it seems as though if everyone dies, then who's going to be raptured?
No, no, everyone is going to die. Except. Well, that's a general rule that all people die. That's all I'm saying. It's a general rule. All people die. Sooner or later, we're all going to die. However, if we are alive at that time when the rapture happens and we're followers of Jesus will be translated, it will be an exception to the rule. That's all I'm saying.
Mhm. Okay.
Okay, good. Okay. Thank you so much. Sure. Thanks for your call. Uh, we're going to speak with Mike in Russellville, Arkansas, listed on Moody Radio. Welcome to Open Line. Mike. How can I help you today?
Uh, good morning, doctor. Thank you so much for taking my call. Sure. Uh, actually, I'm listening to you on the app. Okay, great. Have a station close. But, uh, my question comes with regards to Isaiah 37 four. Uh, and then also in verse 20, it's the use of the word uh, your God and in our God. And in verse four there, uh, Hezekiah has sent Eliakim and Shebna and the elders to Isaiah. And he says, it may be that the Lord your God will hear the words of the Rebekah. And then in verse 20, this
is where Isaiah is praying. Wait a second.
The and will rebuke him for the words that the Lord your God has heard, right? Yes, yes.
And I'm just curious, because it's also I've seen that in Nehemiah, uh, chapter eight, verses Versus nine and it uses your God. And then in verse ten it says hours. So I'm just curious as to why they would not use our all the time as a vote, you know, in that in those.
Well.
Instances.
Uh, do you have, uh, is the Lord Jesus your Messiah?
Absolutely.
He's mine too. Yes. But I might say to you, your God, when I talk with you. I've listened to a lot of preachers. I always want to tell them use the first person. But a lot of preachers say your faith, your your decision, your walk. You're this your God. Uh, they're just talking to people because he is indeed the God of Israel. So when Hezekiah talks to Israel, to Judah, he he says, your God. However, he recognizes that he's part of Israel. And then in verse 20, he talks
about our God because he's one of them. That's all. It's it's recognizing the same thing. And I might do the same thing talking with you about your Messiah. Make Jesus your Messiah. He's our Messiah. You know, it's the it's the same deal. Don't read more into that than it ought to be read. He's talking to them, and then he includes himself with them. That's the same thing that that I do when I talk with people as well. Okay. Right. Okay.
Very good, I appreciate it. Great. Thanks for your call, Mike. Really appreciate it. Uh, have a blessed day. Okay. Jonathan in Cleveland, listening on Wkjf. Welcome to Open Line. Go ahead with your question. We're up against the break, so just ask your question.
Yes. Good morning. Um, I'm a new Christian, and I'm not sure. Do I have to be baptized to participate in communion?
How long have you been a Christian?
Uh, maybe five months.
Five months? Uh, well, I think it's time for you to be baptized. Yes. What do you think?
I for sure. Um.
That's the. That's the real question. The real question is, why aren't you baptized yet? That's the real question.
The church that I go to, um, has set up every like 90 days or so, and I accepted Christ in between those times. And I'm not sure why they haven't had that.
Okay, well, you talk to your pastor and say it's time for time for me to be baptized. Let me know about that. And then the other thing is, do they have a rule that you have to be baptized to take the Lord's Supper?
Yes, I believe the congregation does.
Well, I, I, I think it's within their right to establish a rule like that. That's totally fine. You know, when I was a pastor, I didn't have that a rule. As a rule, uh, in my church, my congregation, what I believed was the best thing to do was, uh, if you were a follower of Jesus to participate in the Lord's table, that was what was acceptable. However, I really do believe different congregations can have different rules about that. Jonathan.
And if your congregation has that rule, just respect it and then talk to your pastor about getting baptized. Okay. I hope that's okay. We're going to come back with the mailbag in just a moment. This is Michael Ray Dolnick. You're listening to Open Line. Uh, and we'll be back with more of your questions, so don't go away. Welcome back to Open Line. I'm Michael Ray Dolnick. I'm so grateful for you listening today. And also I'm so grateful
to Far Eastern Broadcasting Company. They partner with Open Line to bring you the weekly Febc mailbag. And Far East Broadcasting Company is a terrific Horrific organization. They bring the good news to people. They use media, but they also use personal touch. And I appreciate that so much. You should check out their podcast. It's called Until All Have Heard It features editor cannon. And to find that podcast just go to FBC org. That's fbc.org. Well joining me
right now is uh, the troublemaker in charge. Is that it.
I don't sure.
She keeps asking me questions. I don't know the answer to that.
That part is true. Yeah.
That's Tricia McMillan. I'm so glad that you're here. Uh, hey, Tricia. Uh, one of the things I loved about being on that cruise.
Last month when. Yeah, it was.
A it was a lovely cruise and bus trip and all that. We saw the journeys of Paul. We saw great sights. But what I love most is I met all these people and they'd say, I'm a kitchen table partner. I'm a kitchen table partner, I'm part of the open line team. And it meant so much to me to to get to know people who are kitchen table partners. And it's because they so they were so encouraging because they really believe in the value of this program. And,
you know, sometimes I forget you lose track. I bet you don't because you keep track of everything, but you lose track that people are listening and growing. And I met people who said that they grow so much because of this Bible study that we're doing, and they became kitchen table partners. And I just appreciated that so much. And I want to let people know that if you listen and you find this a really encouraging, helpful program, if you're walking closer with the Lord, you may have
even given a gift occasionally to get a resource. But you'd like to say, hey, I'd like to formalize that into becoming a kitchen table partner. We'd so appreciate you considering doing that. We'll send you a Bible study moment every other week. It's a Bible study designed exclusively for our kitchen table partners. You'll also get the whatever the resource is Periodically.
They have to request. They have to request it. Okay. But you can request that.
You can request it and get the resource whenever it changes. And so so grateful for that and just really, really grateful for those kitchen table partners. And that's what we want to do. When you do become one is to get that Bible study moment to you, get you the possibility to get the resource. I think you even get a Tumblr when you become a kitchen table partner.
Yes you do.
Yeah. So it's I.
Think it's a mug. It's an online kitchen table partner mug. Okay.
That's what it is. Good. I'm so glad. Well, anyway, if you'd like to become a kitchen table partner, all you have to do is call (888) 644-7122. That's (888) 644-7122. Or go to open line radio.org. And what have we got in the mailbag Tricia.
All right. Well a question.
That I've called you so many things. Queen of the.
Questions. Yeah.
Malka. That's the word.
Queen in Hebrew. Yeah.
And now troublemaker.
In charge maker. Yay! there we go. Well, our first question came in today. Um, I think after hearing your opening word in the first hour, uh, Yasmin wants to know, as Christians who have received Jesus as our once and for all atonement, should we refrain from doing any activities on this day, like your kids activities in order to observe this day as holy? Today is Yom Kippur. Um, and you had talked about that and what Jewish people do.
Yeah. Well, I'm a Jewish person. Yeah. I think this is the first time that Open Line has. I've hosted Open Line on on a.
Saturday, Yom.
Kippur. Um, uh, I usually get a guest host, but frankly, we've got so many things happening in the past. And coming up, I couldn't be away. Yeah. And so, uh, I do believe that this is holy work because I'm teaching the Bible. That's when I led a messianic congregation. What did I do on Yom Kippur? I taught the Bible. And so I'm grateful that I have this great privilege
to teach the Bible, uh, even on a holy day. Uh, as a Jewish person, I identify with the Jewish people, and I usually take this day as a day of I'm still doing this day of personal reflection, prayer for my people. All that is still happening for me today, but I don't think I'm obliged. There's no obligation to do it, which is why I could be here today. Uh, a very unusual thing for me. I bet you were surprised.
I was, when I realized I was like, wait, I don't think he's he's not normally here for this one, but.
Yeah. Yeah.
I mean, I'm glad to see you, but.
Yeah, but it's it's surprising.
It is. Yes.
It was the most surprised was Eva. She said you're doing what. So. But that's just me, you know, that's that's my, uh, personal conviction. I don't think anyone should have to feel that obligation, particularly if someone's not Jewish. If, as a Jewish person, I identify with my people completely on this day, and I will even fast. But my fasting isn't for atonement of my sins. I fast for my people to find atonement in Jesus, and I use
my my meal times to pray for my people. So. And then we we celebrate with other Jewish believers when we break fast. And that's always a fun thing to do to celebrate our mutual faith and confidence in our forgiveness, our assurance of forgiveness. So I would say up to you, follow your conscience. Don't, don't in any way think that there's an obligation, but there's an opportunity if a person wants to do that.
Okay. All right. Thank you. Thanks for that question, Yasmin. Our next question is from Gary in Indiana. Uh, he's in a study on the Gospel of John and wants to know how do we harmonize? John? Um, looking at John one, um, starting in verse 35, it says again, the next day, John was standing with two of his disciples when he saw Jesus passing by. He said, look, the Lamb of God. The two disciples heard him say
this and followed Jesus. When Jesus turned and noticed them following them, following him, he asked them, what are you looking for? They said to him, Rabbi, which means, teacher, where are you staying? Come and you'll see, he replied. So they went and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day. It was about ten in the morning. Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who who had heard John and followed him.
He first found his own brother Simon and told him, we have found the Messiah, which means anointed one, and brought him brought Simon to Jesus. So how do we harmonize that with, um, saying that these two disciples had followed Jesus the day after Jesus's baptism with the other gospels, which would be Matthew, Mark, and Luke saying Jesus fasted and was in the desert tempted by Satan, and then chose his first disciples.
Um.
So, for example, you have Luke five. Uh. which is the first disciples, right? So they're on the Sea of Galilee, Lake Gennesaret, and they can't. These are the worst fishermen ever. They never can catch anything.
It does seem that way. Yeah.
And I think it's because they always had to mend their nets. Because their nets were so big. The fish were. No, no, that's not really true. But they spent more time mending nets than actually using them, it seems like. Uh. And the Lord does a miracle for them. And then what does he do? Uh, he says, don't be afraid. From now on, you'll be catching people. And they brought the
boats to land and left everything and followed him. So I actually think that what you have in John one is them first meeting Jesus and kind of becoming a general follower of Jesus, then you have them following him more, uh, being called actually to be part of a closer knit circle. So it's a second event, not the same event.
Okay.
Uh, and then what you have is like, for example, in Matthew ten, where he, uh, summoning his 12 disciples, he gave them authority, and then they became the 12 apostles. Uh, so what you have is a gradual, uh, a movement of them to becoming called into the inner circle, so to speak. Okay. Uh, and that's so it's not the same event in John one as in Luke five.
Okay. So, okay. And Matthew.
Ten.
Even so, it does, though I think the what we find that the Matthew, Mark, and Luke are often called the synoptic Gospels because they have a lot of similar stories. Um, and then there's John.
Kind of John tells.
It much later.
Yeah. Okay.
His book is much later, and he tells it from his perspective alone. They all do what they are. People think of the gospels as biographies and they're looking for why is there any kind of difference? But they're more, um,
Apostolic memoirs is what I would call it. Uh, a memoir is like when someone goes to work in the administration as secretary of defense or the chief of staff or whatever they do, speechwriter and then they leave whatever presidential administration, and they write their memoir, and then we don't get the memoirs out and compare what the chief of staff wrote compared to the the the counsel to the president. Why do we do that? We don't. Why
don't we compare? Because they each had their own experience, and they're writing it from their own perspective, and they can harmonize, but they aren't necessarily the same experience. And so I think that, uh, John is thinking about when he first met Jesus. Okay. And and the disciples and the Synoptics, or particularly the different gospels, are also doing, having a different purpose, different plan. So as a result, they're not exactly the same. And they have to be harmonized,
but they're not the same. And sometimes you might read A Life of Christ like A.T. Robertson did A Life of Christ, where he takes all the passages and harmonizes them. There's other life. Live other books called The Life of Christ as well. But A.T. Robertson is most famous.
Or even a harmonization, like I have, um, a harmonization of the Bible book, which just takes all of the scriptures and sticks them in.
Harmony in.
Chronological like these happen at the same time. And this happened first. And then this passage from John will be slipped in and that kind of thing.
Exactly.
And so, uh, I like to read each gospel on its own merit.
Okay.
But, uh, to help people understand that they're true. It's good to harmonize them, but for understanding their meaning, stick to each one individually.
Okay. Okay.
So is it kind of.
Like.
My family goes on vacation and then we come all together and we say, here's what my vacation was like.
Yeah. Everyone has a different story.
Got a different story. And some of you were there for. And others you heard second hand or you heard. Yeah. You know, like my sister told me this story, that this is what happened.
Yeah. She was.
At the beach and this and.
This happened, and I.
Wasn't there, but I. This is what she said. And so I can include that in the vacation stories. Okay.
Exactly. That's a good way of doing it.
Okay. So yeah those vary.
They do vary, don't they?
Like you.
Did what? Where was I?
Where was I? You were cooking. That's it.
Okay. All right. Thank you for that. Um, I think I think that's it.
That's it. We're gonna take a break here.
Let's take a break. Thank you.
Tricia, for bringing those questions. I hope that helps people understand the gospels and get yourself a good harmony of the Gospels. And that will answer a lot of those questions. Uh, when we when we come back, we're going to take more of your questions, so don't go away. That was Tricia McMillan. She's producer and the troublemaker in charge. That's it. That's her new title. I'm Michael Ray Dominic. We're going to be right back with more of your questions. Stay
with us. Welcome back. I'm Michael Ray Dolnick. So glad to be with you. Thank you for listening today. Really appreciate all of you who are calling. We're going to try and get to some of the questions you've posted as fast as I can do. Sort of a quick answer for things just to get to as many of you in before we do that, I do want to tell you, uh, Chosen People Ministries is offering a terrific book. It's called A Small Book, but it's called The Portion.
It's a weekly devotional based on the portion of the Pentateuch or the Torah that's read by Jewish people around the world. As you read this encouraging weekly Devotional, you'll discover how the Torah lays the foundation for the rest of Scripture, even gives us guidance for our lives. Today. You're going to love this book. It's for your free copy.
Just go to our website openline. radio.org. Scroll down. Click on the link that says a free gift from Chosen People Ministries, and that will take you to a page where you can sign up for your own free copy of the portion. Also, I want to remind you again, uh, the Summit on Opposing anti-Semitism coming up right here at Moody Bible Institute on November 9th. People from all over the country are already planning to come. If you're an
open line listener, you get to have a discount. It's just a really it's actually a minimal fee for the registration, but you get, uh, 20% off. Go to open Line radio.org, click on the summit, uh, opposing anti-Semitism banner. And when you sign up, uh, make sure to put a code Summit 20 in summit 20. And then you'll be able to get a 20% discount on the registration. Hope you will join us. Okay, we're going to talk to Kylie in Fishers, Indiana, listening on the Moody Radio app. Welcome
to Open Line. Kylie. Go ahead with your question.
Hi. Thank you for taking my call. Um, I feel like I have kind of a silly question, but I am in a season of life with little children, and I can't tell you how many times we've read, you know, the story of Jonah. And so I have this question that I think about when we read this story of why did Jonah not just, I guess, like, throw himself off the boat in the storm and instead, you know, he knew he was the cause of the storm. And he said, if you throw me overboard, you know, the
the storm will calm. Maybe I was just.
Maybe he was afraid to commit suicide, which is what he would be doing, I guess, uh, I wouldn't want to jump into that. But he knew he had to get into it and get off the boat. So he asked them to throw him. Uh, or maybe, uh, because, maybe maybe it was. You know, I've been on these boats. It's a little hard to get to them to the place where you would do. It's not like an easy way to jump off. So maybe he just maybe for the sake of ease, he would have him throw him overboard.
I don't know what the answer is, but probably it's one of those. Okay. Okay, great. Thanks for your call. Appreciate it. We're going to talk to Lucy in Holland, Michigan, listening on Wndb. Go ahead with your question, Lucy. Yes.
Hello. So this has to do with lying. And in two verses particularly, it seems that the Lord has folks lie. One is having Samuel lie to the elders of Bethlehem. Why he is there. He's saying that he's there to sacrifice when actually he's there looking for the next king.
And then. But did he sacrifice too?
Did he sacrifice too? Yes.
Okay, so he just didn't give him all the information.
Well, yeah, but still it wasn't. You know, the whole point was that he was fearful.
I'm going to I'm going to answer your question.
In a minute.
But but okay.
And then. Okay. And then the second one is Exodus 318, where the Lord has Joseph and Aaron lie to Pharaoh, asking to let his let the people go for three days so that they can sacrifice to their Lord, when actually the intent was to get everybody out of there completely.
Actually, it might have been a that actually might have been true, but Pharaoh resisted. So then it expanded to a complete exodus. That might have been just like preparatory for what would have later been the Exodus. And then when Pharaoh wouldn't do it, then they just went ahead with the Exodus, so that that could very well have been a true statement, not a lie. But I find it interesting when you see people like in Exodus one, the midwives lie. Uh, right. And it says, verse 20,
so God was good to the midwives. And the Hebrew is very clear. It connects the blessing of God to the, the dishonesty, the lie of, of the midwives. Same thing with Rahab. God blesses her. She's called a woman of faith. What does she do? She lies about the 12 spies. She lies right? I think that what the. What? The truth of it is, is that there are certain circumstances, uh, where you have to choose the greater good. So, for example, with the midwives and with Rahab, they were. Saving a
life is superior to truth telling. All things being equal, always tell the truth. But when you have two commandments in conflict with each other, like preserving life versus uh, uh, telling the truth. You choose the greater of the two, the greater good. And so as a result of that, it's sort of like. I'll give you the illustration. What if you, uh. Are you married? Do you have kids?
No. I'm not.
Okay, well.
I know I don't.
Uh, my wife is married to me, and we had kids. And when we were driving to the, uh, to the doctors, I was very careful for the. When she was giving birth, when she was in labor, I was very careful to stop at every light. However, if she were really close, I'll tell you what I'd have done. I'd have gone to those lights. I would have checked both ways, and then I would have driven right through. Right. I would have broken that traffic law. Why? Because of, uh, for
the greater good of my wife. And if the police had stopped me, I would have said, my wife's in labor. She's giving birth. They'd have said, follow us. And they would put their, uh, sirens on their headlights and their their flashing lights and taking me through. Uh, right. So what what it is is it's it's following the greater good, and then you're exempt from the lesser commandment. It's not that you get to break it and and have to
confess it is. You're exempt from it. And so when, when there's a greater and again, all things being equal, always tell the truth. But when telling the truth, you know, are you just think about the Nazis. Are you hiding any Jewish people in your house? Uh, yeah. Here they are. You know. No. You want to preserve life, you know? Right? You know, the you know, you let them in, don't you know, and let them search because you've hidden them well, but don't, uh, you might even tell a lie. No.
No Jews being hidden here. Uh, that's that's a really important principle that we learn that the greater good is to preserve life. And. And then you're exempt from the truth telling commandment. Okay. Does that help at all?
Samuel then? Well, it does help. But in the case of Samuel, there's really not life.
Well, the great, the greater good was not to stir up the killing of David and his family. Uh, which would have happened by. By Saul if they had announced. I'm looking for a new king. So.
Okay.
Yeah, I get it.
Good.
Thanks. Appreciate it. Lucy. Thanks. Thanks for listening. That's the program. I can't believe how quickly the program is over, but it is over. And, uh, when we come back next week, we'll take more of your questions. Uh, check out our web page during the week. Open Line radio.org has all the links you're looking for. The Bible study across America will continue next week. Keep reading the Bible. We'll talk
about it then. Open line with Doctor Michael Rolnick is a production of Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.