Hello, friends. Welcome to the second hour of Open Line with me, Michael Zelnick. This is our special New Year edition. So glad that you're joining us today. I'm the academic dean and professor of Jewish Studies and Bible at Moody Bible Institute. And as we do our Bible study across America today, I am so grateful that you're joining me around the radio kitchen table. And we're talking about the questions you've sent in about the Bible, God, and the
spiritual life. We thought to start the new year instead of taking calls. What we do is empty the the the inbox, uh, clear the spindle. What we're doing is answering the questions you've mailed in to the mailbag all this past year. We're trying to get it clear so that next week you can start anew and fill up the the mailbag once again. Joining me to answer questions today is Eva Radulovic. She's my favorite Bible teacher, my wife for many, many years and also a colleague at
Moody Bible Institute. She teaches as well as writes for books like the Moody Bible Commentary and the Moody Handbook of Messianic Prophecy. And also joining me is Tricia McMillan. She's the producer of Open Line. You hear her every week. She's put the mailbag together, and we're going to go right to the questions, this this segment right now. We're going to talk with Tricia. Hey, Tricia. Hi. What are you what have you got for us here?
All right. Linda wrote us on Facebook and said, how would an Old Testament Jewish person understand the Triune God? Before Messiah came? The written prophecies made it clear about the Messiah. Other than Christ's words and miracles, would they have been taught that Christ or the Messiah is God, or is there no understanding that caused the unbelief.
Okay, so here's the problem. People think that everyone understood there's something called progressive revelation. And as the Bible unfolds, we learn more and more to think that there was calcitonin, which was the Council of Chalcedon, where they really clarified the triune nature of God. To think that there was Chalcedonian trinitarianism in the Old Testament is I think that's kind of far fetched. However, there are some hints. It opens with let us make man in our image and
according to our likeness, there seems to be one God. Yeah, but there's a plurality to him. Uh, we have passages like we studied, uh, at Christmas time, Isaiah nine six, where the Messiah is called a wonder of a counselor, the mighty God, the father of eternity, the Prince of Peace, obviously indicating that the Messiah, when he comes, will be deity. Many passages like that and and so even a passage
I think is interesting is Isaiah 4816. Clearly it's talking about God in Isaiah 4816, one of my favorite verses, because people try and make the Bible hard to understand. He says at the beginning, behold, from the beginning I have not spoken in secret, but this is God speaking. If you look at Isaiah 48, the paragraph begins by saying, this is what the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, says. Uh, listen, I'm sorry, I'm reading the
wrong verse. Uh, but, uh, listen to me, Jacob. In Israel, the one called by me, I am he, I am the first. I am also the last. Clearly God is speaking. And then he says, approach me. Listen to this. From the beginning. I have not spoken in secret from the time anything existed, I was there. So he is saying, I am the eternal one. And then he says, and now the Lord God has sent me and His Spirit. So God is sent by God and His spirit. Obviously,
there's a hint of the triune nature of God. Uh, but it's not clear so that everyone would have understood it.
And the word Trinity, as we know, is not a New Testament word. I mean a biblical word, either in the new or the Old Testament. It is just a word that has been formed to try and explain theologians, to try to explain this mystery. And when we were moody students in Jewish Studies, our professor of Jewish studies at that time said that the best way to understand the Trinity is not calling it the Trinity, but as the Old Testament, uh, explanation. It's a mystery form of God. Yeah,
the mystery is a mystery form of God. And one of my favorite verses is Proverbs 30 verse four, where it says, who has ascended into the heavens and descended? Who has gathered the wind in his fist, who has wrapped the waters in his garment, who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name or his son's name? Surely you know. So are there these hints of this mysterious form of God throughout the Old Testament?
Now, Lou Goldberg, don't get me wrong, he believed in the triunity of God. Yeah, no doubt about it. Absolutely. He said when we talk to people, sometimes it's better just to say there's this mystery form of God that that helps us is to think that. And, you know, someone once in the, in the moody, uh, in a book, people call here and I answered the question. Uh, people want a simple explanation of the Trinity. There is no simple explanation of the Trinity.
Very complex thought, right?
It's it's beyond my ability. Uh, in the 50 Most Important Bible questions, there's a question. Can you give a simple explanation of the Trinity? And I answer, I wish I could, but I can't.
So as far as what the Old Testament Jewish person would have probably believed, they knew that there was something mysterious about God that he was, and that the.
Messiah, the.
Father, and that the Messiah would be God. But it wasn't a full formed thought, as we have it in the New Testament revealed to us. Yep.
And even in the after the New Testament when theologians said, how do we explain this? And they came up with trinitarianism, as it was called.
Okay. All right. Thank you. So loosely related, Judith in Illinois listens to WME and says, Psalm 45 seven. This is kind of maybe about this mystery. It may not be. Um, it reads, you love righteousness and hate wickedness. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of joy more than your companions. Is the the first God mentioned referring to Jesus in the Second to Father God. How does the Hebrew translate this?
Well, first of all, verse six, the context. Speaking of the Messiah. Eva, you just read an article in the Moody Handbook of Messianic Prophecy.
This is a very important messianic prophecy. Psalm 45.
It says, your throne, O God, is forever and ever. The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of justice that is addressing the Messiah. And it says that his throne, O God, so it calls the Messiah deity. This is a very important psalm showing the deity of the Messiah, but then still addressing the Messiah. You love righteousness and hate wickedness, and here comes the mystery. Therefore God, your God has anointed you with the oil of joy. I think that's talking about the father.
The father has anointed this person.
Yeah, the one who is God in verse six.
So God in verse six is referring to the Messiah Jesus.
And verse seven.
Is seven, father, both of them is referring to the father. Okay. All right.
Yeah.
That's when one of those verses people get really confused about. They, they because it's people think, oh, this is just about Solomon. But I don't think anyone would call Solomon God as they do in verse six. So.
Okay.
All right. Thank you.
And in the book of Hebrews, by the way. Yeah. I'll go further. Just one other thing in, in Hebrews, uh, when it talks about the Messiah being better than the angels, uh, it says, uh, about the angels. Uh, Hebrews one seven, about the angels. He says he makes his angels winds and his servants a fiery flame. But to the sun. And then it quotes Psalm 45, verse six, your throne, O God, is forever and ever. And the scepter of
your kingdom. Is a scepter of justice. So clearly the writer of Hebrews thought that Psalm 45 six was referring to the Messiah Jesus. Yeah.
Okay, so sticking with the kind of confusing and using using the word God of of who is it talking about? Fred in Indiana listens to WME and is looking at John ten when, um, Jesus tells the Jews that they are gods, uh, quoting from the Old Testament, but, um, it says that the Jews picked up rocks to stone him. Jesus replied, I have shown you many good works from the father. Which of these works are you stoning me for?
We aren't stoning you for a good work, the Jews answered, but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God. Jesus answered them, Isn't it written in your scripture? I said, you are God's. If he called those whom the Word of God came to God's. And the scripture cannot be sorry, I got a page turn. And the Scripture cannot be broken. Do you say you are blaspheming? To the one the father set apart and sent into the world, because I said, I am the Son of God? Mhm.
Well, I'll tell you a little funny part of this. When I started answering questions on the radio, which was even before Open Line, I started on the local station here in Chicago. I did an hour a week for about six years before Open Line. I thought, people are going to ask me questions. I tried to prepare. I tried to anticipate, uh, what question I would be asked. And this is the first one I ever thought I
would be asked. And so I spent hours studying. And then it took years before anyone ever asked me that question.
You were prepared.
Though, to give an answer.
I was I was prepared, but the funny part about it is, I thought, because no one ever asked me this one for years, I stopped preparing. I just like, okay, I'm going to just I'm just going to count on the fact that I've been studying the Bible for a while and I'll be able to answer their questions, uh, which I think is kind of funny that I spent all that. I don't know if you remember me.
I do, I do. So what did you learn about this verse?
Oh, yeah, I'll do that. Psalm 82 is what it's quoting. Uh, and in Psalm 82 it uses the word god referring to judges. Uh, it says, uh, there, uh, here we go. How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality speaking to the judges? Okay. God has taken his place in the divine assembly. He judges among the gods. Now, when it says he judges among the gods, he's referring to earthly rulers or earthly judges. He's not saying he's judging the divine assembly like.
There's a pantheon.
Of pantheon of gods. He's judging earthly rulers. And he says to them, how long will you judge unjustly? He's looking at them because judges represent God, therefore they are called gods. There in verse six he says, you are gods. You are all sons of the Most High because of their being sons of the Most High. These earthly judges are just there representing God, and they can be called gods. Verse seven. However, you will die like men and fall like any other ruler. Rise up, O God. Judge the earth.
So what? It's when it uses the term Elohim like that. It's used of, uh, it's using it of human, earthly ruler judges. And it happens in other places in Exodus 21 six. It's used that way. Uh, and so here's the point that Jesus is making, if earthly Rulers can be called God legitimately. Then how can the Son of God not also be called God? That's his point. If representing God as a human being, uh, is permissible to call someone God, then in the same way calling the
Messiah the Son of God. God, that's perfectly legitimate. That's his argument from quoting Psalm 82. So, uh, once again pointing to Jesus being not just the Messiah, being the being God himself, the God man. We're going to come back with more of your questions in just a moment. This is open line with Michael Reidel, Nick Eva Ray Dolnick and Tricia McMillan. We'll be right back. So stay with us. Sometimes Bible reading can feel like looking at a bunch of puzzle pieces, not quite sure how they
fit together. That's where Paul Benware survey of the New Testament comes in. This comprehensive guide helps you understand how each book fits into God's perfect plan. Connecting the dots from the Gospels to Revelation, it's yours. When you give a gift of any size to open line, call (888) 644-7122 or visit open line radio.org. Everyone has questions about God, the Bible and living out our faith. And that's why we're here on Open Line. We take your questions and
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Eva Rydell, and Tricia McMillan. Lots of questions you've mailed in. We're making good progress, don't you think, Tricia?
We are.
Yeah, we're we're.
Booking through these, which is great. Yeah. I'd love to clear out some of these emails that I know people have been waiting to have answered their questions.
Yeah, I tell them when they when people say, you know, you haven't answered my email, my question I sent in, I said, that's because Tricia won't let me answer it. I tell.
Everyone, I just blame you that. Yeah, yeah. Thank you.
Throw you right under the bus.
Well, our.
Next question is from Diane, and she wants to know how do we reconcile John 734, which says, you will seek me and you will not find me where I am. You cannot come with John 14 three that says, if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and I will take you to myself, that where I am, you may be also. Is he talking to two different sets of people?
Yeah. I think that the key to understanding these two verses is context. You need to read who he's talking to, and then that'll let us know what's happening. In John seven, he's talking to the group of Jewish people who were skeptical of him and opposed to him, and they were trying to to seize him, to to take him, to arrest him, to arrest him in John 734. And as you can see, if you look at the beginning, it, it, it talks about and they were and they were seeking
in verse 30. So they were seeking to seize him. And even though some in the crowd were believing, there were some who didn't and those who didn't, he was those were those he were addressing in 34 and John 14. He says.
He says to them, you can't go where I'm.
Going. Yeah.
That's right. John 14. He's talking to his disciples after the last Passover meal in what is known as the Upper Room discourse. So in John seven, he's talking to his people who were opposed to him. In John 14, he's talking to the 12 who were following him.
So once, once again, the rule is context. Context. Context tells us what's happening in both of those passages. And so there's a great reminder, by the way, I think this is really important. Those of us who are opposed, who are who are trying to stop everything we can and not believe in Jesus. You know what Jesus says? Where? Where I'm going. You can't go. You're going to there's going to come a point. If you're I'm going to you're going to seek me, but you won't submit to me.
And if you won't submit to me, you can't go. Then, on the other hand, he gives comfort to those of us who know him. Uh, that he's going to prepare a place for us. And we have the comfort of knowing that when we die, we're going to go be with him. And so if you're listening and you think I'm kind of intrigued by the Bible, but, you know,
I've never really made a decision. I was just talking with Eva about a dear friend who we've known for so long, who we talk about spiritual and spiritual truth with all the time, but has not yet made a decision to follow Jesus. We care about her so much, and we care about you too, and would love for
you to make that decision. If you've never put your trust in Jesus, now's the time to do it so that you can receive the comfort that he has, that where he's going we can go, that he's going to prepare a place for us and and we'll be with him forever. All we have to do is trust that
Jesus died for our sins and rose again. If you've never made that decision to be to trust in his eternal forgiveness, his forever forgiveness that he provides because he died taking our punishment and rose again proving He's God, now's the time to do it. Put your trust in him. Don't miss out on that opportunity so we can receive that comfort that will go to be with him forever and have.
The abundant life right now.
And if that's something that you want more information about, or you want to let us know that you've done that, you can go to our website openline radio.org. And there is a in the upper right corner. How to know Christ. You can click on that and it will take you to a page where um, where president of Moody doctor Mark Jobe has a little video that you can watch and some scriptures you can look up. And there's a
place where you can request free information too. So Openline radio.org, you can find that link.
Great.
Our next question is Robert in Illinois listens to Wmbi. In acts 2025, Paul told his audience that they would see his face no more. So it says, and now I know that none of you will ever see my face again. Everyone I went about preaching the kingdom to. What did Paul mean by this? And why didn't he just say see you in eternity or something like that?
Because he's not as spiritual as the person asking this question. Apparently, Paul was not as spiritual as as Diane.
Uh, Robert?
Oh, is it Robert?
I'm sorry.
Yeah, yeah. Uh, here's here's why I say this. I'm not. I'm just teasing you, Robert. He's just talking about in this life they had he had spent more time with the Ephesian elders than any other group of people in a church he had built into their lives. They had grown quite dependent on him. And now there's this sad farewell. And he says, I will not see your faces anymore in this life. And and I'm sure that was sad, you know, for all of them, for Paul and these elders.
And that's all he meant in this life.
Okay?
He did write them a letter. Did that letter come after after this farewell. Do you think?
Uh, yeah, I think so, because Timothy was their pastor by then. Yep.
Okay. I know I put you on the spot with that question.
Um, yeah. Because I'm.
Zipping over.
To.
The letters that Paul wrote are not in a chronological order.
In the New Testament. Right. In the New.
Testament. And so lining them up with where they would. Have happened in acts. Did any of them get written during acts?
Yeah they.
Did. Sure. Some of them did. Like for example, one of the earliest epistles is Galatians. It was written between acts 14 and 15. Okay. And this was written Ephesians was written from Rome during Paul's first imprisonment about A.D. 60. Uh, and so somewhere in acts 2830 is where where this falls, this letter to the Ephesians, obviously, after.
After this farewell, because he didn't see them again.
Yeah. I think it's so cute. You put me.
On the spot.
Every question I know puts me on the spot. But he was.
He was he was in he was in Ephesus for three years. It was the longest time that he stayed in any place ministering, right? Was that three years in Ephesus was his longest period of ministry in one spot. But he says, I'm leaving now and I'm not coming back. Yeah. You won't see my face again.
Yeah.
He he knew God had a different plan for him for now, so.
Yeah, yeah.
Well, thank you for answering, even while I put you on the spot.
No, you won't see me.
I'm going to be writing letters, so goodbye.
You won't see me. I'll just send you a letter.
That's it.
Yeah. Yeah, that's great though, because then we have kind of a follow up to the ministry that he had in person to follow it up with written words that they could follow and reread and share among the other churches. Because Ephesians, if I recall, is one of those that was called a circular letter. So it was like sent to all the churches.
Exactly right.
Get encouragement and teaching from him. That's wonderful. Thank you. Our next question is from Annie. What is your opinion on denominations that do not believe or teach the rapture, the tribulation, or the thousand year reign and say that the Book of Revelation has already taken place. Is this a false doctrine, and is this considered a major or
a minor issue? We've talked about kind of three levels of the, the, the issues that where there's like the first level priority levels like this is absolute what you must believe.
Essential and agree.
With essential. Thank you. Yes. The essential doctrines. And then there's secondary doctrines and tertiary doctrines.
Ooh big words.
Where would this. Thank you, thank you. Where would this fall in that.
Well, there's here's what I consider the essential. The essential doctrine is that we have to believe what genuine believers, people who have put their trust in Jesus, they will believe in the bodily return, the visible bodily return of the Lord Jesus. And they may take different views, you know. The pre-trib rapture. The post-trib rapture. They may say there is no rapture. It's just the second coming without the
two phases of a rapture that. But if they they have to believe in the personal, bodily, visible return of the Lord Jesus, that's an essential. But you know, the the other issues I think are important, but they're not essential. And so I'm always reluctant. I don't know, I'm going to see if Eva agrees with me about this. I'm reluctant to call someone whom I disagree with about a teaching like that. That's secondary. Uh, to call them a false.
False teaching? Yeah, I would say I disagree. I think they're mistaken, but it's not a false teaching.
Yeah, I think they they have they they need clarification. Yeah.
Yeah. I tell them if they study a little bit harder, maybe they'll get it right. You know, I always joke around with my friends who have differing views about that. But. But we can still have fellowship. We can still unite together about our faith in Jesus. I think that sometimes people get caught up in the minors. And, you know,
I have. I just finished teaching the Book of Revelation this past fall semester, and I remember talking about some of these issues with my class, and I said, listen, as long as a person believes in the personal, visible, uh, bodily return of the Lord Jesus, they're good, that's fine. But that doesn't mean I don't have convictions. And I don't believe completely what I've been teaching you. I believe the book of Revelation is futurist. As Eva once said.
What did you say to that guy that was trying to push an alternate eschatology on you? You said, I'm pre-trib pre mil.
Yeah. And I and I'm dogmatic. Yeah.
This is back.
In the moody days when I was a.
Student. He came.
Into my office bothering me about.
This. I thought I.
Married the right.
Girl. She's dogmatic about her views. That's it. That's right.
So. And I feel that way. But I recognize that I can have conviction about it. But it doesn't mean that someone else I can't have fellowship when they differ. So, anyway, uh, we're going to come back with more of your questions and hopefully we'll agree on, uh, right, uh, right away. So stay with us. More questions straight ahead. We're so glad that Febc partners with Open Line with Doctor Michael
Ray Dolnick bringing the Febc mailbag every week. Learn how far East Broadcasting Company is taking Christ to the world at febc. Org on their weekly podcast. Until all I've heard with Ed Cannon, you'll hear stories of lives changed by Messiah all across the globe. Again. You can hear the podcast when you visit febc.
C.org.
That's fbc.org. Welcome back to Open Line I'm Michael Ray Dolnick and this is our first program of the year. What we're doing is emptying the mailbag here, trying to get it cleared out so that we can start afresh and anew with new questions for the new year. So don't call in today. We're glad that you're listening. And Tricia McMillan is here with me. She's asking the questions. Eva is helping me answer them, and.
We're having a good.
Time. Boy, are we having a good.
I love these programs because I don't have to do all the talking.
Really glad.
So I get to hang out with my friends.
Yeah.
That too. Yes. For sure. Kyle wrote us from Illinois, listens to the podcast, and said a friend and I were having a discussion about women pastors. My view was women can serve any role except lead pastor. He said that that Kyle was wrong because of what I think he called the prominence theory in Greek that Paul mentions Priscilla before Aquila in his letters because she was the more prominent person in the church, and this would have been considered a pastor or an elder. He also cited
Deborah in The Book of Judges as another example. Is this prominence theory an actual thing? And is this evidence for why women should be pastors?
Well, first of all, there is no such thing as a prominence. It's just the order of names. You know, sometimes even signs are are letters, Michael and Eva, and sometimes she'll sign it. Eva and Michael. Uh, it just there's there's nothing there about indicating just because Priscilla is named first, that somehow she is the more prominent or even a pastor. As far as I can tell, they were both, uh, uh, tent makers. They weren't. Either of them were. Neither of them were pastors. Uh, that's that's
a mistake, Deborah. I think, Deborah. Uh, as a gijet uh, she actually her example is not to be taken because what the problem was that the the male leadership in Israel were failing, and that's why Barak, he was he was told by her to go battle. And she says, oh, I don't want to go. I'm afraid, Deborah, you come with me. So, um, that actually shows the failure of male leadership, not God's intention to have female leaders. And here's the thing. Women can do so much in Scripture. Uh,
they the Bible teaches about women teaching younger women. It teaches about Timothy learning from the scriptures, from his. From his mother and his grandmother. Uh, it talks about Priscilla and Aquila, but Priscilla, uh, helping Apollos, uh, with his understanding of scripture. There's so much so when we look at the limitation in first Timothy two, uh, verse 12, I don't allow a woman to teach or exercise authority
over a man. It's a it's a limitation not for doing ministry, but a particular role, which is to be the senior elder or an elder, an.
Office, an.
Office in, in the local church. That's it. Uh, I think women can pastor in this sense. There's a gift of pastor. And women are often better shepherds at caring for other women in the congregation than I ever was. As a pastor. There was a dear woman who was. She was my age now, but she was quite a bit older than me when I was a young pastor. And she knew the word and she was a really caring person.
So this is the.
Church that we planted way back on Long Island?
Yeah. Way, way back. And when, when there were, there were women who had needs or wanted advice or discipling, I would just say, go see Lita. Right. And, and Lita really functioned as a ministering to the women there. And she used her gift of pastor teacher in a really great way.
You know, I think that one of the things about Priscilla, it was you had a question recently, Michael, about did Jewish women in the first century know the scriptures? Could they read and write? And she's a good example of yes. In the first century, Jewish women did know the scriptures and could read and write. And she was. That's why she was able to teach it, because she knew it. And so it's kind of a myth that women didn't know how to read, didn't know how to write, didn't
know how to study. Priscilla is a great example of that.
Or a myth that God doesn't want to use women in ministry just because there's some limitation there. So anyway, you know, I just.
Think this is this is.
All. We could do this for an hour, but maybe we should move on.
Probably, yeah. Yeah.
Thank you. Kevin Rhodes from Illinois listens to Wbai and said, I'm trying to understand my responsibility as a Christian husband. He came to know our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in December of 2019. So a relatively new.
Kind of a new believer. Yeah. Mhm. Yeah.
So what do you think? What does the Bible say about the responsibility of a Christian husband.
Well it's kind of an interesting thing. People often are mistaken in when we do pre-marital counseling which you know, when I used to do quite a bit of when I led a congregation and then also with, with students who were planning on getting married, but they were away from home and I had a sub for their pastor. Yeah, yeah. So, uh, and I always have them do a, I had a form which had different jobs, like raking leaves, shoveling snow.
Washing, taking out the garbage.
Diapering babies, different things like that. And I and I said, man, a husband or wife who does it. And they would define roles and it said husband, wife, both. And every one of those I think is both okay. You know, uh, it there are no defined roles like that. You know, shoveling snow is not a man's role. And and watering the plants is not a female role. You know, I, I just think that that is goofy to think that way. I've diapered a lot of babies in my time.
So load the.
Dishwasher. Anybody can do that.
Yeah. So. And, you know, even takes out the garbage. I think that that's one of the the I'm so blessed as a husband because she doesn't just leave it there in the kitchen and say.
Honey.
Take out the garbage.
I know the way to the alley. I can carry this out.
But there are roles that a man should follow. And I never tell a woman their role. I always emphasize, because it's not my business. I just tell the man his role. Here's what it says. Husbands, love your wives. This is Ephesians 525 and following. Husbands, love your wives, just as the Messiah loved the church and gave himself for her. So what is it saying there? Husbands love sacrificially.
Isn't that right? Uh, then. Then it says, uh. He did this to present the church to himself in splendor without spot or blemish or anything like that, but holy and blameless. It goes on in verse 29 to say, for no one ever hates his own flesh, but provides and cares for it. I think it's the new American standard says, uh, cherishes it, just as the Messiah does
the church. So as long as we're loving our wives sacrificially, which means putting her needs ahead of ours, uh, providing for her not just materially, but spiritually, providing for her emotional nurture as well, and cherishing her. Uh, then you go to first Peter three where it says, uh, that a man is supposed to grant his wife honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life. If you're granting honor to your wife, those are our special responsibilities as a husband. I know a lot of people don't
like it. That I believe that God has appointed man to be the the chief leader. I think that that means, uh, to be sacrificially leading, serving one's wife. Uh, and, Eva, you know, you what do you always say about that?
The thing about dancing. No.
It works.
Oh, it works for me. That's right, that's right.
It works for me if I do it.
Yeah. And another verse too, about this too. Not about the loving, which I think is the hardest thing. Harder to be a husband than a wife, I think, because of the loving part. Um. Loving as Christ loved the church. Wow. Uh, first Timothy five eight says that. And I think this has to do with the husband's role. If anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse
than an unbeliever. So husbands have to provide for their families and can't sit around on the couch all day and not do nothing.
Of course you read.
The Proverbs 30, Proverbs 31. The Proverbs 31 woman.
She's also providing.
Providing. Yeah, it's a marriage. Teamwork.
Marriage. Teamwork. Exactly. We're going to come back with more of your questions. Straight ahead. Don't miss them. This is Mike Dolnick and Tricia McMillan. You're listening to Open Line on Moody Radio. Did you ever feel Christians can't do anything about the growing anti-Semitism in the world? Well, that's why Chosen People Ministry is one of our partners, is offering a free book called Uncommon Allies American Jews and Christians Uniting Against Hitler, 1933 through 45, written by Alan Shore.
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for listening today. I really appreciate it. I want to thank Omar Mendoza for doing such a great job in helping us record this program, this pre-recorded program. Thanks for, uh, all that you do, Omar. And also thanks, Tricia, for putting the mailbag together. That's a lot of work and really appreciate it. And thanks for being with me today and Eva, for being here to make sure I stay on the straight and narrow in terms of answering questions and moving me along.
Great times, great times. That's good.
Uh, well, we're going to we're going to go right back here to the final questions of, of the day.
So all right, Matt in Ohio, listen to Wtxf and said, I've got a friend who's considering using a Ouija board to contact their deceased spouse. I want to know what you would tell this person when you don't really know where they stand spiritually.
Well, I would think no matter whether a person stands spiritually, I would say, don't do that. The the scriptures is are really clear about not being involved in anything of the occult and the Ouija board, although some people say, oh, it's just a game like monopoly. It is not just a game like monopoly, it is connected to the occult. And like in Leviticus 1926, it says you should not practice divination or soothsaying or trying to make contact with
the dead. In Leviticus 19 and in Leviticus 20, it says that as for any person who turns to mediums and spirits to play the harlot with them, I will set my face against them that it is an abomination. And it's repeated again in in Deuteronomy 1810 through 12, it says that you shouldn't be involved with divination or witchcraft, or one who interprets omens or a sorcerer.
No, you did that.
You talked about this with a friend once.
I did, I had a friend and it's it stands out in my mind. She was didn't know the Lord, but she had had an associate who had gone to a fortune teller. And she said, I'm just really nervous about the future and I don't know, and I'm going to go to this fortune teller. What do you think? And I said, don't go to a fortune teller and talked about some of these verses with her, even though she didn't know the Lord. She had some respect for the scriptures.
I remember you said.
I said, there's only two possibilities. Either the fortune teller is right and has supernatural knowledge only from demons, and you don't want to be involved with demons, or they're wrong and you're just wasting your money on somebody who's a crook. So it's the same thing with the Ouija board. Stay away from it. Don't try to talk to the dead. It is forbidden. It only comes from the occult. You won't really be talking to the dead person. It's only a demonic activity or a charlatan. So don't do.
It. If you care.
For your friend, you warn them.
Warn them. Right?
Yep. Okay.
Tracy in Illinois listens to Wbns and also on the podcast and has a related question about do we know if Satan or demons know the future and how much do they know? Acts 1616 mentions a slave girl who was possessed by a spirit of divination and could tell fortunes is the assumption that those fortunes were accurate. So that's kind of like part one for a question. Well.
Just remember that demons have a vastly superior brain capability than we do. They they are able to look at a person's life, see how it's going. And, ah, you know, there are people who are able to predict the future, not because they're getting supernatural information, but because they're pretty discerning. And they if you do go this direction, then this is going to happen.
They understand that they're.
Great at observation. Yeah.
And I think demonic forces have that ability. They're not 100% accurate, but they can be pretty accurate because they can look at our lives and and discern what the future will hold for a person.
So on a practical level, our moms have this same ability. Yeah, they look at their kids and they know what they've done or what they're planning to do, because we have amazing observational powers. Mom.
Mom. Observations.
And our kids say, how could you know that?
Blah blah blah.
And so that's the kind of it's not because we have supernatural power. We're great observers.
And then obviously there's an infinitely greater amount of observation by a demonic power. And that's why they are able to tell the future.
Okay. So if Satan could see the future, why would he waste his time tempting Jesus or even like in times? Why does he, you know, in revelation with what's going to happen if he knows Jesus is going to win? Why? Why bother?
I think the the basic answer is that Satan and he's convinced these demons to follow him, But Satan is filled with pride. And pride says, I know what the Bible says, because the scriptures say that the demons believe what the scriptures say, and they tremble, but they so they know what the scriptures say. Uh, but Satan is so proud, so arrogant, so, uh, megalomaniac that he thinks
that he can overrule God. I think that's it. That's why it says in Isaiah 14 where it talks about the fall of Satan, I will ascend to the heavens. I will sit on the mount, I will ascend to the highest clouds. I will make myself like the Most High. Those five I wills that he has. It's his arrogance that leads him that direction. He thinks he can somehow overpower God, and it's a falsehood that he has believed about himself. Uh, when he fell, uh, wickedness. His chief
sin is pride, in my opinion. So that's that's why he thinks that.
Okay. All right. Um, Julia in Indiana listens to Wagner and is reading through Romans and noticed verses that seem to be both for and against predestination, or at least kind of present two things. Her first verse is Romans 1122, which says, therefore, consider God's kindness and severity, severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness toward you if you remain in his kindness. Otherwise, you too will be cut off. And then Romans 1129, which says, regarding the gospel,
they are enemies for your advantage. But regarding election they are loved because of the patriarchs. Since God's gracious gifts and calling are irrevocable, so can a believer lose their salvation. And how would someone not continue in God's kindness?
Well, let me just say, these verses that you're reading have nothing to do with individual personal salvation.
They Okay.
There they are in Romans nine through 11, talking about the role of the Jewish people and the role of Gentiles. And what he has said is in the great olive tree. What Gentiles have become have come to right now. They are in the place of prominence. When you look at who are the followers of Jesus, mostly Gentiles are followers of Jesus. Very few Jewish people. And so for the
most part, Jewish people have not believed. And he says, but just because of that, you need to know that if Gentiles, uh, move away from from a position of openness, what's going to happen is they can be cut off, too, and they can lose that position of prominence that they have right now in the church. And so it's talking about the Gentile role. And then when it talks about that,
the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable. Uh, it's talking about Jewish people still being chosen and beloved by God, not talking about individual salvation, but still being a beloved, chosen people. God still has a plan for Jewish people, and he's going to one day bring them to knowledge of him. And and that's what it's talking about. It's talking about the place of prominence. And one day, again, the Jewish people will be central to God's plan. Don't you think that's talking about.
I think that's absolutely right. And but as far as her question seeming to having to do with eternal security, I think we can be secure in our relationship with the Lord Jesus based on our faith decision to believe in him.
If you've put your trust in Jesus, then you have to know that there is nothing that will separate us from the love of God. There's. If you look at Romans eight, it says there is no condemnation now for those who are in the Messiah, Jesus. That's how Romans eight starts. At the end of Romans eight, it says, uh, that, uh, what are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? I am verse 38, I am persuaded Romans 838, that not even death or life,
angels or rulers, things present, things to come. Hostile powers, height or depth, or any other created thing will have the power to separate us from the love of God that is in the Messiah, Jesus our Lord. The one thing that's so crucial about the book of Romans is it tells us that there is nothing that will ever separate us from the love of God that we have found when we trusted in Jesus. So hey, that's my answer. You don't have to worry about losing your salvation. And
thanks all of you for joining me today. Thanks for listening. Thanks, Patricia. Thanks, Eva. That's the program for the week. Thanks for listening, everyone. We'll be back next week with more of your questions. Uh, remember, keep in touch with us by checking out our web page, open Line radio.org has all the links you're looking for right there. Keep reading the Bible. We'll talk about it
next week. Open line with Doctor Michael Dolnick is a production of Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody Bible Institute. Happy New Year, everyone. See you next week.