Heaven—When Faith Becomes Sight

Charlie Dyer, and I'm John Gager. You know, we asked Charlie at this time of year, what does Passover mean for us as believers in Jesus? Some will remember the story from the book of Exodus, but there's a lot more to it. For example, did you know that the Last Supper was actually a Passover meal? Not only did Jesus and his disciples celebrate Passover, it also foreshadowed his death on the cross for our redemption, right?

Seder experience. Every year, their staff engage churches and small groups in an interactive Messiah in the Passover Seder, allowing participants to taste and see the redemption story. If you're interested in having someone come lead a Seder in your area, visit Life in Messiah. Org and click on the Moody Radio button there to learn more. That's life in messiah.org.

to Greece. In 1937, the British Peel Commission recommended transferring more than 200,000 Arabs from the proposed Jewish state to the Arab state. Following World War Two, there were an estimated 40 to 60 million people displaced due to redrawn borders and ethnic tensions. This ultimately included 650,000 Arabs who fled their homes in what became Israel, and about 850 to 950,000 Jews who were forced to flee their homes in the surrounding Arab countries, and in the early 1990s,

after the breakup of Yugoslavia. The war between Bosnia and Serbia resulted in the displacement of over 2 million refugees. Now, in that case, several individuals were convicted of war crimes for the forced transfer and deportation of Bosnians. The bottom line today is that forced population transfer is considered a war crime. However, President Trump stressed a voluntary transfer to

improve living conditions. That's more of a gray area. Which leads to the second question is this plan even workable? And my answer is probably not, at least not as it was described. But it's possible that the very point of the plan is its absurdity. It's Trump's Art of the deal, where you start with an extreme demand that forces everyone to shift the boundaries of what was previously

considered possible. Since his proposal, Arab countries have been meeting to develop an alternative plan, which is far different than their earlier position that Gaza must return to. Exactly what it was before October 7th. One proposal suggests forming a

national Palestinian committee to govern Gaza, replacing Hamas. Jordan offered to take in several thousand children from Gaza for medical treatment, and Egypt's president traveled to Saudi Arabia to discuss an Arab plan that could include up to $20 billion from the region for reconstruction. Ultimately, however, over $53 billion is going to be needed over the next ten years. The

initial $20 billion would only cover the first three years. Now, I have a friend who once described the type of negotiation technique that President Trump used here as the equivalent of throwing a hand grenade on a conference table. What he meant by that was when all sides are so entrenched and no one's willing to compromise, propose something totally outrageous and out of the box and suggest it as your course of action. It forces everyone to scramble for

other alternatives. Now, hopefully, President Trump's plan will get people to cooperate in reaching an acceptable compromise.

uranium into crude nuclear bombs. Now, these recent reports suggest Israel is planning to attack Iran's nuclear facilities sometime this year. But here's the problem. We don't know if those reports are stories that were uncovered by reporters or stories planted by the U.S. or Israel. It's possible the U.S. or Israel want to frighten Iran into being more willing to negotiate a deal to limit their nuclear program. President Trump

has said this would be his preferred outcome. But in light of Iran's intransigence, it's also possible the stories were intended as a final warning to Iran that time is running out. I suspect the second option is more likely. Israel and the U.S. are discussing ways to eliminate or

severely degrade Iran's nuclear facilities. The main question is whether Israel will act alone, or if the U.S. will assist with technical and logistical support, like providing tankers for refueling planes, or if the two countries will actually unite in a joint attack. In the past week, Israel took delivery of 1500 bunker busting bombs from the US. These 200 £0 bombs could damage a great deal of Iran's nuclear facilities, though it's uncertain if they could reach the underground facilities

at places like Fordow. However, the US has developed a 30 zero zero £0 bomb that's apparently able to destroy a facility hundreds of feet underground. If the US and Israel do conduct a joint strike on Iran, it's likely they would set back Iran's nuclear program for years and send a message to other countries as well, like North Korea. Unfortunately, we won't know if the news stories are real or planted until later this year.

of Israel and the Jewish people do intertwine. It reinforces the reality of Israel's historical connection to this strategic piece of real estate. The exhibit includes both photographs and actual discoveries, including a five ton stone from the western wall of the Second Temple in Jerusalem. It also features a hoard of coins discovered in the desert, tools from a Hasmonean era farm near Mount Arbel, ancient weapons and a seal bearing the name Ahab, the King of Israel, who married Jezebel.

Every display and photo comes with its own QR code that will allow passengers to access videos filmed at the excavation sites and other details. Now, the exhibit is scheduled to run through the end of this year and Lord willing, John, I'm looking forward to seeing it during my trip in November.

The one major airline that's still not planning to fly anytime soon is American Airlines. They've said they won't start flights until September. Now, the number of daily flights will start out slowly, which means ticket prices aren't expected to start falling until later in the summer. And that's one part of the less good news. But as airlines expand flights,

hopefully ticket prices will also begin to drop. The other less good news is that beginning in January, travelers are now required to obtain an electronic travel authorization prior to flying to Israel. It's similar to the requirements that are in place in the UK and other places in Europe that are going into place this summer, and we have a similar system for visitors who arrive here from other countries.

Israel's program is going to cost about $7. It's applied for online and it will be valid for two years. So it's a bit of a hassle, but then it's a small price to pay to help make sure that there's no one on that plane who's going to cause problems once they get to Israel.

All Ahead on the land and the book. If ever there was a place of wonder, it's heaven. But when was the last time you actually wondered about heaven? If that's our eternal destiny as believers, shouldn't we give it some thought, some study, some prep? Even I think so. Hey, welcome back to the land and the book. I'm John Gager. We're about to separate what's true about heaven from what's legend. But while we remain here, we're called to share the

love of Christ and His saving message with everybody. So, hey, what do you say we take another shot of encouragement for reaching out to our Jewish friends? Have you ever wondered what the Bible is referring to when it talks about Israel's spiritual blindness? Let's ask Wes Tabor, who's an ambassador with life in Messiah. What do we mean by that? Well, all non-believers are blinded by Satan.

pursue healthy and productive lives. Jennifer has shared her inspiring message to the arena sized audiences of the popular women of Faith conferences and media outlets, including Doctor Phil, Good Morning America, as well as a Billy Graham television special. We really enjoyed our last visit. Jennifer. We had to have you come back and talk about heaven. Thank you for reconnecting.

so much about it. It's a six week Bible study which is video based, and we go through what heaven is, what heaven is, not, what the Bible says about our eternal life, our resurrected bodies. But I do it in such a way that it's like holding the hand of the reader, because I needed somebody to hold my hand as I was learning. And so the beautiful thing is, we learn that God called us to live with him forever in heaven. That's why Jesus came to bring us

to heaven someday. But even better, it's to bring heaven to earth.

pictured this glorified body. Okay. And the more I studied heaven, the more I realized, no, there is a present heaven where yes, we go when we close our eyes to this earth. Because to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. But it's not necessarily the glorified body that we will receive someday when Christ returns. See, when the Bible talks about heaven. For the most part, it's it's speaking of our glorious, unending, this new heavens

and new earth. And that's where we will receive this resurrected body. And the beautiful thing is, John, the Bible says it will be like Jesus resurrected body. And if you study what Jesus's body was like when he raised from the grave, it was a material body. Yes, he ate, he drank, he laughed. And so heaven is not just this ethereal place. It will be a material, literal, glorious, unending. When our faith becomes sight.

their unsaved friends? But the other part of me says we've already been told I has not seen nor ear heard. Neither has it entered into the heart of man. The things that God has prepared for those who love him. So oddly. Heaven itself is a trust issue even after we've trusted Christ for our salvation. How do you react to that?

called the third heaven Paradise. It would be like what we consider today the present heaven where God dwells, where our deceased loved ones in Christ are right now. And so Paul said, I have this experience. And he said several times, whether it was in the body or out of the body, I do not know. God knows. That's how we deal with heaven. But God does, and we can trust him. And really, the point of heaven is Christ Himself. All of the questions we may have, all

the longing. Those are pointers. They're not the destination. They're the pathway to get to the ultimate point of heaven, which is oneness with Christ, which we were created for. Heaven is our ultimate home because Jesus is our Savior, and so he's the point of heaven. Everything else just points to it.

I had a very, oh gosh, self-centered, Jennifer centric view of heaven. It was about me. I can't wait to get there. I'm blind now, but I'm going to be able to see there that is heaven, or I'm going to have a mansion. I'm going to have freedom. Oh, that's heaven, or I'm going to get to see my dad, who I miss so much. Oh that's heaven. And the more I realized and unlearned what Scripture says about heaven,

I realized, no, that's not the point of heaven. If I've got nothing, if I'm just a doorkeeper in the house of the Lord, and I get to see Jesus face to face, which I will. That's heaven enough right there. And so I think if we can move from a self-centered view of heaven to a Christ centered view of heaven, then we're going to really begin to experience the reality of heaven here on this side.

life this side of eternity. It's beautiful, but it's the prologue. The better story is part of the better country. And so when, when we can consider it that way, we look at it almost like C.S. Lewis did, like this is the Shadowland, but there's going to be a greater substance. And when it comes to longing for heaven, I mean, he even talked about death, that we have one of three ways that we experience it. We either fear it, we ignore it, which he contends, most of us in

culture do even Christian culture. And then he said, or we desire it. And I don't really none of us listening right now would desire death. But I think what he's referring to is what Paul did, you know, that I would rather I would more desire to be with Christ. And that's that longing that you're talking about seeing that heaven is about Jesus. And I remember one day, John, I was in the kitchen with my daughter in law. She was new in our family, and with blindness, it's

really hard to do a lot of things. Yeah, my cooking. But I was convinced I was going to impress her and make Thanksgiving dinner by myself. So she's sitting there at the kitchen bar and she's like, can I help you? I'm like, no, I got this. Well, it was clear, John, after a little bit, I did not have it. Like I left the microwave open and banged into it in my face. I burned my hand and she keeps saying, can I help you? And I'm like, no, I got it,

I got it. Well, finally she pauses and she goes, man, blindness must be really hard. And I paused and it was like the kindness of the Lord. He just echoed this phrase in my heart, and I've clung to it ever since. I looked at my daughter in law and I said, yes, blindness is hard, but earth is.

one of them named Thomas. He says, okay, that's good Jesus. But like, how do we know the way?

through me. So if you've been banging your head and burning your hands trying to get to heaven, that's because you're trying to make a way. When Jesus is the way. So to go to heaven simply means you say, Jesus, I trust that you are the way. You are the truth. It's not my truth. It's not anybody else's truth. It's your truth. And because you died on the cross, that cross became the bridge that I can walk across. When I trust you to walk from my sin into your salvation.

From my sad, sinful ending to the glorious, unending of being with you forever.

by the way. Segment three is devoted to questions and answers from Doctor Gerald Peterman, our resident Bible expert here on the Moody Bible Institute faculty. How's your day going today, Jerry?

thousands of years and understanding the history. The importance of this holiday will help you and me better connect with our Jewish friends and neighbors and coworkers. Hey, what better way is there to learn about Passover than to experience a Passover Seder yourself? We did this last year. It was awesome. And if you've never celebrated Passover well, our friends at Life in Messiah would love to partner with

you in hosting a Seder experience. Every year their staff engaged churches and small groups in an interactive Messiah in the Passover Seder, allowing participants to taste and to see the redemption story firsthand. If you're interested, and I bet you are in having somebody come lead a Seder in your area, just head to life in messiah.org. Life in messiah.org. Click on the Moody Radio button there to learn more. Again,

that's life in messiah.org. All right. He's got a lot of time invested in your questions, and I'm looking forward to hearing some of those answers. Ready for this first one.

I think Doctor Michael Dolnick has it right when in the Moody Bible Commentary he says this is a reference to the longing of Jewish women to give birth to the Messiah. So in other words, it's not a romantic reference, but a spiritual one. The Antichrist, as his name tells us, is opposed to the Christ.

It's well worth reading. That event takes place in Joshua nine, but we should keep in mind that Genesis 46 tells us Judah and his brothers and their families went into Egypt, and then 400 years later, out comes Joshua with the people of God for the conquest of the land. So there's a very large gap of time between Judah and his descendant Carmi. Now, wait, there's a second part of this question, and that's about her and Shobal. Her and

Shobal are mentioned in First Chronicles four one. They're descendants of Judah, but in both cases it's difficult to know where to place them. Exactly. I think probably they're from the family of Caleb, from the Tribe of Judah.

early church. The book of acts. They're not anti-Jewish. They're not anti-Semitic. So the question is, what happened. A key turning point was the rise of the allegorical method of interpreting Scripture, which happened during the time of origin. He was a Christian theologian in the second century. This allegorical reading of scripture was adopted by Jerome. You might recognize that name and by Augustine, and it became prominent well

up into the Reformation era. Why does that matter? It matters because in the allegorical interpretation, all the kingdom promises made to Israel in the Old Testament were transferred to

the church. And then once the church, or at least some people in church, were thinking of themselves as a replacement for Israel as the people of God, it opened the door for the church to meld together with the anti-Semitism of the secular Roman Empire, which was evident following the Jewish revolt in the first century and then in the second century. So that's that's kind of a quick history of how this happened.

She says in acts two, when the Holy Spirit came and enabled the apostles to speak in other languages, thus spreading the gospel message, did the apostles change the language as they spoke to different peoples, or did some speak in one dialect and others in another? And when Peter spoke, did the Holy Spirit act as a universal translator, so that Peter spoke in one language? But the people gathered, each heard in their own language? Well, I.

So the spirit gave this supernatural ability to speak in other languages, namely the languages of the people who had all gathered together for the festival in Jerusalem, its people from all over Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia. It's a stunning work of God. So I take it that the spirit enables the people in the church to speak the languages they don't know. So the

gospel is spread. It's a spirit given utterance. But I take it later when Peter preached his first sermon, acts two, verses 14 to 36, he preaches a language he knew, probably Aramaic, although it might have been Greek, and gave that first gospel message and 3000 people came forward. Stunning stuff.

from Paul. Because we come to Second Thessalonians chapter two, we find this concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus and our being gathered to him. We ask you, brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy or report or letter supposed to have come from us saying that the day of the Lord had already come. Now, I suspect that the persecution they were experiencing added to their emotional distress, making this fake news even more plausible

to them. The fact that they were still there, experiencing terrible persecution, was what was causing them to doubt the order of events that Paul had previously taught. So he takes them back to what he previously taught. He chose one piece of teaching that could help them be confident that they were not in the day of the Lord, and that fact was the reality that the day of the Lord would not come until the rebellion came first and the man of lawlessness was revealed, the man doomed

to destruction. It was clear that that man had not showed up yet. So because that was the fact that he had previously told them, he reminds them of it so they can be confident that the day had not yet come.

that's the subject of your devotional coming up. Is that right? That's exactly right, John. And we're headed for Second Chronicles, chapter 26. Welcome back to this final segment of The land and the book. By the way, before we head to Charlie's devotional, let's pause for a thought from somebody who's traveled to the Holy Land and has this reflection for you and me.

Very sobering reminder. And then our moody faculty teacher in reading the Scripture, said something I had never thought about, and that was that. On the Mount of Transfiguration, God showed his grace to Moses by letting him stand in the Promised Land. I had never thought of that in my life.

It's about a foot square, and it's now in the Israel Museum. But it was discovered by an archaeologist in 1931 at the Russian Orthodox Church on the Mount of Olives. The plaque, written in a Hebrew script that was in use about the time of Jesus, says rather simply and yet directly to this place were brought the bones of Uzziah, king of Judah, not to be opened the bones of King Uzziah buried somewhere on the Mount of Olives, but with a plaque dating to the time of Jesus. That's

a mystery worthy of the legendary Sherlock Holmes. And to solve it, we need to visit Jerusalem during the reign of this amazing monarch. So join me on a journey to discover the triumphs and tragedies of one of Judah's longest reigning monarchs. The story of Uzziah is found in the Books of Kings and Chronicles, but relatively few know any of the details concerning his life. Here's what the Book of Second Chronicles tells us about him. Uzziah was 16 years old when he became king, and he reigned

52 years in Jerusalem. The only king who ruled for a longer period of time was Manasseh. But more significant than the length of his reign was the spiritual quality of it. The writer of Chronicles summarized it this way, and he did right in the sight of the Lord. He was one of the good kings militarily. Uzziah strengthened the kingdom. He prevailed over the Philistines on the west, and the ammonites, Mennonites and Arabian kingdoms to the east.

His reign saw an emphasis on national defense. He fortified the walls of Jerusalem, and he built defensive structures in the wilderness. In fact, the Bible goes out of its way to focus on all his military preparations. Patients. Much like modern Israel, Uzziah developed a trained army that could be called up for battle at a moment's notice, and he also focused on making sure his defenses included the

most advanced weapons of the day. Moreover, Uzziah prepared for all the army shields, spears, helmets, body armor, bows, and sling stones, and in Jerusalem he made engines of war, invented by skilled men, to be on the towers and on the corners for the purpose of shooting arrows and great stones. But Uzziah focused on more than just the military. The writer of Second Chronicles goes on to say he hewed many cisterns, for he had much livestock, both in

the lowland and in the plain. He also had plowmen and vine dressers in the hill country and the fertile fields, for he loved the soil. In an age when water and food weren't things taken for granted, Uzziah worked to ensure a steady supply of both for his people. King Uzziah was militarily and economically strong. He was smart, talented and godly. And then he made one incredibly stupid decision. He started to believe all the accolades and praise being

heaped on him by the people. I really am amazing. In fact, I'm indispensable. God needs me and it's time I approached him on a more equal basis. Other kings get to lead worship in their nations, why can't I? I have a right to go to the temple and offer incense to God. And that's just what I'm going to do. Uzziah went to the temple to burn incense on the altar. The high priest, along with 80 other

courageous priests, tried to block his way. It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord, but for the priests, the sons of Aaron. Were it not so tragic? This scene would almost be comical. Picture it. The doorway to the holy place of the temple is open and standing at the threshold as King Uzziah censer

in hand, ready to offer the burning incense. Behind him on the steps are the palace guard, his royal secret service, while inside the temple is the High priest, and filling the space behind him are 80 other priests, all trying to block his path. The Bible says Uzziah became enraged at the priests. Who do you think you are? Don't you know I'm the king? I can do whatever I want. The priest took their lives in their hands to oppose Uzziah, and I suppose it really was a frightening moment for them.

But they needn't have worried, because God was about to step out from behind the curtain to resolve the issue. And he did it in a most dramatic way. As Uzziah screamed at the priests, leprosy broke out on his forehead. Leprosy was seen as a sign of God's displeasure. And just like God did to Moses's sister Miriam. So now he extended his hand of judgment against King Uzziah. The king was forced to flee from the temple, and the Bible records the sad conclusion to an otherwise amazing life.

And King Uzziah was a leper to the day of his death, and he lived in a separate house, being a leper, for he was cut off from the house of the Lord. So Uzziah slept with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the field of the grave which belongs to the kings. For they said, he is a leper. Uzziah went from triumph to tragedy.

In one dramatic moment, the king, who thought so highly of himself that he could barge into God's house and presume on God, ended up being barred from his own royal palace, and when he died, they buried him in the field where the royal tomb was located, but not in the tomb itself. And the last word spoken about him in Second Chronicles 36 tells us why he is

a leper. Fast forward to the time of Jesus. New construction is taking place in Jerusalem, and during the construction a tomb is uncovered, the separate tomb hewn for leprous King Uzziah. The bones need to be moved. The grave relocated outside the expanding city. The likely location is on the Mount of Olives and the grave is about to be sealed up. A small plaque is placed at the entrance,

a plaque that reminds visitors about the tomb's occupant. To this place were brought the bones of Uzziah, king of Judah. Not to be opened. So what lesson can we learn from this small limestone plaque? And the king it commemorates? Perhaps it's this many start well, but far fewer finish well. However far along you are in your walk with Christ, don't ever let yourself reach a point where you forget that he is indispensable to you, and start thinking that

you are indispensable to him. It only takes one foolish mistake to ruin a life. That's the real message of the inscription on Uzziah's tomb. And it ought to be a flashing warning light to all of us. Now, if you'd like to see a photo I took of this plaque, which is now in the Israel Museum, be sure to head over to our land in the book Facebook page where I'll be posting that photo.

going to give out. It's called eight, eight, eight. Need him? Eight. Eight. Eight need him. And listeners can call there. And right now, talk to a real volunteer who knows Jesus and who can help them know Jesus. Seems to me this is something we ought to take care of today, right?