World War two and the Holocaust. Everyone knows what happened to Jews living in Germany, Poland, Hungary or Romania. But the untold story of Jews in Bulgaria is one you've got to hear. Just ahead, we'll share the odyssey of a Jewish rabbi and an Orthodox priest who teamed up to save 50,000 lives. It's an amazing story. Welcome to the land and the book with our host, Doctor Charlie Dyer,
noted Old Testament scholar, Middle East expert. I'm John Gager, and Romans 116 reminds us that the gospel is to the Jew first and also to the Gentile. But how do you share the gospel with a Jewish person? Because of cultural, historical, and religious differences, it's sometimes challenging to navigate a gospel conversation with someone from a Jewish background. You ever wondered how the professionals do it?
And to answer that question, our friends at Life in Messiah want one Amelia samples of the tracks their staff use as they share the gospel. This will serve a dual purpose of equipping you with methods of presenting the gospel, while also supplying you with tracks you can share with your Jewish friends and neighbors. Life in Messiah's Prayer is that these tracks will help further the spread of the
gospel among the Jewish people. To receive this helpful assortment of tracks, all you need to do is visit Life in Messiah org and click on the radio button for more information. And that's life in Messiah. Don't miss out on this great opportunity.
All right, let's swing our focus now toward current events in the Middle East. With the war between Israel and Iran now in the rear view mirror. Early speculation is finally giving way to a more fact based analysis of what really took place. What do we know so far? Charlie?
Well, Israel released an official summary of their operation. It began with intelligence gathering that showed Iran was rapidly enriching uranium to the 60% level, which would allow them to produce multiple nuclear bombs in a very short period of time. Intelligence also uncovered Iran's plans to advance nuclear weapon research, as well as plans to triple its supply of missiles from 2500 to 8000. Israel's opening strike allowed them to
achieve complete surprise and establish air superiority over Iran. During those next 12 days, Israel flew 1200 missions, striking over 900 targets. Israel destroyed over half of Iran's ground to ground missile launchers and about a thousand missiles before they could be launched. They also eliminated 30 senior Iranian defense officials, including the top three commanders and at least 14 top
nuclear scientists. Iran launched 550 missiles at Israel. Most were shot down, but 31 impacted population areas, killing 28 and leaving about 9000 homeless because of the apartment buildings that were hit. Iran also launched over a thousand drones at Israel, although only one made it through and hit a house. There's been a debate over the ultimate success of Israel's attack in stopping Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. Now, it's not yet known what happened to the nearly £900 of
uranium enriched to 60%. Did it get buried under the rubble of the facilities, or did Iran manage to spirited away and hide it? And right now, no one really knows. Despite reports that Iran could resume enriching uranium within a few months, it appears that most of their centrifuge production lines were destroyed, so their ability to enrich uranium will be greatly reduced. More significantly, their ability to convert enriched uranium gas back into a solid metal form, which is
necessary for assembling a warhead, was destroyed. This bottleneck alone could set Iran's nuclear program back years. And even as Iran vows to reconstruct its nuclear program, their economy was already hurting because of all the sanctions. Israel has also started rebuilding, though it will take time for them to repair the hospital in Beersheba, as well as the apartments and other buildings that were damaged. But in the end, Israel really scored a major victory in this attack.
What impact will the end of war have on the conflict with Gaza and with the rest of the Middle East?
Well, this week could see some dramatic announcements. Both President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu would like to have the hostilities in Gaza come to an end. That will be a key topic in their meeting Monday in Washington. A proposal on the table is for a 60 day cease fire that would include the release of ten hostages and 18 deceased ones in phases during that time, leaving an
additional ten hostages and 12 deceased still in Gaza. Israel has apparently agreed to an American demand that the talks will lead to the war's complete end. Some coalition members, though, oppose that deal. They want the fighting to continue until Hamas is eliminated. Hamas has demanded that any deal lead to a complete end to the fighting, which in theory could allow them to remain in Gaza. Now, a second topic on the agenda this Monday will be the Abraham Accords.
Trump and Netanyahu both want the Abraham Accords to expand to include Saudi Arabia and Syria. Saudi Arabia has said removing Hamas from Gaza and developing a pathway to a Palestinian state are conditions for normalization with Israel. An agreement with Syria could formally end years of hostilities between the two countries and allow Israel to keep the Golan Heights. Now, a third topic that will be discussed will be Iran.
Israel would like the U.S. to give the green light for future Israeli attacks on Iran, should they become necessary. Of all those issues, the demand for Palestinian statehood and what to do with Hamas and Gaza are probably the most difficult right now. It's unclear how they can be resolved, how we'll have to wait and see what comes out of the meetings in Washington on Monday.
You're listening to the first of four segments in a broadcast we call The Land and the book very Middle East focused. And our host is Doctor Charlie Dyer, who's traveled there nearly a hundred times. I'm John Gieger. This is story number three. In our continuing look at current events. In 2005, Egypt began construction on the Grand Egyptian Museum, originally scheduled to open in 2012. The project has faced
more than a decade of delays. What's the latest on when this new museum will finally be open?
Well, John, let me start with the positive. When this museum is fully open, it will be spectacular. The overcrowded museum in downtown Cairo, which I loved. It was like going through grandma's attic, except with King Tut being one of the pieces that's in there. Well, that's going to be replaced with this magnificent building which is located near
the pyramids. Unfortunately, the project has been plagued by a series of delays, including the Arab Spring, the uprising that started and then followed by Covid and then a financial crisis. It finally opened partially in October 2024, but some of the main exhibits, like the Tutankhamun treasures, are still located in the old museum at that time. When it first opened, they announced the museum would be fully open on July 3rd, 2025.
This past week, but then on June 14th, an announcement was posted on the museum's website saying the opening has once again been delayed, this time till the fourth quarter of 2025. No explanation was given. Well, that puts it, at least in theory, sometime between October and December of this year. But their inability to meet past deadlines doesn't instill confidence in those wanting to plan a trip when the museum is open. The treasures on display in Egypt
are simply amazing. And the new museum, it's going to provide some much needed space right now. G the Grand Egyptian Museum is still a gem in the rough, but hopefully and I say that hopefully it will be polished and ready for display before the end of the year. And when it's ready, I think it will be one of the truly great museums in the world, and it really will be one of the top things to visit if someone goes to Egypt.
Charlie, it sounds wonderful, but I think, is it not true that the global concern regarding security of a basic American or any other citizen visiting there is a top concern?
Well, it is, and I say it this way. You know, when you go to Israel or go to some other countries, uh, there are, uh, struggles between the Israelis and the Arabs or between other groups. But the tourists weren't the subject of attack in Egypt. They've had a history of attacking tourists because tourism is such a vital part of the economy. Uh,
the last couple of years it's been relatively safe. But that still is a problem, and certainly this will make it one of the targets for terrorists who want to try and bring the Egyptian government down.
How safe is your financial information online? Did the recent discovery of 16 billion passwords and credentials released online make you nervous? Well, an Israeli startup called Unibeam believe they have the answer. Tell us about this company from Amazing Israel.
Yeah. Did it make us nervous while I was changing passwords like crazy as a result of that announcement? And my wife would just like to get her hands around the necks of those who released them. But companies are working overtime to try and stop the theft of data. And sometimes that involves real money being taken away from
unsuspecting individuals. Now, if you bank or shop online, you've probably experienced two factor authentication and the use of one time passwords to prove you are who you claim to be when logging into your account. But cyber criminals are also working overtime to stay one step ahead. and one
of their latest attacks involves SIM swapping. They trick your mobile phone carrier into transferring your phone number to a SIM card they control, allowing them to intercept calls and texts, including those two factor authentication codes sent to your number, which then lets them into your account. And that's where Israeli startup Unibeam comes in. Using the security built into every mobile phone SIM card, they link a person's identity to the actual phone number, the SIM card ID, and
the actual mobile device ID. A person might try to steal your phone number, but if they don't have your actual SIM card and your mobile device, they can't break into your account. Unibeam has developed this authentication system that banks and other financial institutions can purchase and implement, to make it impossible for someone to steal your identity by hijacking your phone number. And that sounds like another great idea coming our way from Amazing Israel.
Thank you Charlie. Sure appreciate your attention to current events in the Middle East. Always a great segment. a second one coming your way. As we sit down and talk about what happened in the nation of Bulgaria during World War two. An amazing rescue story. Next. Some heroes are in the spotlight. Others are hidden. You're about to meet some lesser known folks whose bravery saved countless Jewish lives during the Holocaust of World War Two. This is the
land and the book. I'm John Yeager, and before we launch into today's story, let's think about ways that you and I can show the love of Christ to Jewish friends right in our own neighborhood. Antisemitism is a growing problem, but is it a fit subject for you and your Jewish friend for conversation? Roy Schwarz of Chosen People Ministries, what say you?
Well, I would say it's an opportunity to say, what do you think is the cause of anti-Semitism? And you could say from my perspective, the cause of anti-Semitism is the world, the flesh and the devil. All three things despise God and are at work against God. God has chosen the Jewish people for a purpose and for a reason, and they ultimately will be the ones that will lead the world to righteousness and to the Messiah, and to be a nation where God will bring all the nations
of the world to celebrate his appointed times. And so anti-Semitism is a movement by the devil organizing the world system, as well as the fleshly nature of man to oppose God's will for the world. His will will be done. But the enemy is using the world, the flesh and the devil. And I might add that sometimes we as Christians, because we are fleshly, We become unwitting tools of the enemy.
Words of caution and some good advice from Roy Schwartz with Chosen People Ministries. Thanks. World War two and the Holocaust. Everyone knows what happened to Jews living in Germany, Poland, Hungary or Romania. But the untold story of Jews in Bulgaria is our focus today, and helping us tell that story is Avi Mizrahi. Avi was born and raised in Tel Aviv. He served in the Israeli Air Force and also served as a reservist with the Israel Defense Forces.
Avi is also the founding pastor of Adonai Roy Congregation and the visionary behind Dugit Outreach Ministries. His passion is to share the gospel with Israelis and to help believers grow in their faith. Avi has co-written legacy of Hope, A welcome to the land and the book. Avi.
Thank you. Thank you.
So take us to Bulgaria at the outbreak of World War Two. According to your book, there were about 50,000 Jewish people living there then, and I'm assuming that they're involved in all levels of society. And to that point, living for the most part, harmoniously with their non-Jewish neighbors. Is that accurate, or how would you correct that?
Yeah, there was a good relationship between the Jews in Bulgaria and the Christians in Bulgaria.
And in your book, you reference a law that was ultimately presented by the Bulgarian government. Ironically, it was called the law for the protection of the nation. Yet somebody pointed out in a newspaper editorial, it was actually a means of oppression and persecution of the Jewish minority in the land. And for this, Stefan mentioned in your book, was publicly slandered and received all kinds of threats. Explain just a bit more here.
Yeah, well, when the Nazis took over Europe and they came to Bulgaria, they enforced their laws where they took all the rights from the Jews and Jews had to wear the yellow star. For example, my grandfather. He had a business in downtown Sofia, and the Nazis kicked him out and took over his business. And basically, the Jews were ostracized. They were like they had no rights. They could not have a business. They couldn't be lawyers, they couldn't be teachers. And they were treated very bad by
the Nazis. That's what they did. Wherever they went all over Europe. And that's what they did also in Bulgaria.
In reading the book, I noticed that the persecution of Jewish people was a gradual thing, a process that took root over time. Do you see a parallel in the United States and in other places with regard to the rise of anti-Semitism?
Very good question. After the war broke a year and a half ago in Israel with Gaza, and we have seen all over the world the rise of anti-Semitism and anti-Semitic slogans and riots against Jews. It really reminded us what happened in the early 30s, before the Second World War, as the Nazis came to power, the same evil spirit coming against the Jews and anti-Semitism. Now it's called anti-Israel. And, uh, we see definitely a parallel between those years and now.
Legacy of Hope offers readers a gripping and inspiring testament to resilience, faith, and divine protection. We're talking with the book's co-author, Avi Mizrachi, here on the land and the book. Well, your story points out that Bulgarian politicians eventually committed to what the Nazis called the Final Solution at the end of 1941. Describe what that actually meant.
Well, the Nazis, the leaders met in Wannsee. It's a well-known place in Germany. And that's where they made the decision that, uh, we need to kill this Jewish race as quickly as possible and eliminate them from all over Europe and all over the world. And that's where they start looking. Every country. How many Jews live and collected those numbers and names with a purpose to send them all to Auschwitz, to be gassed and murdered and slaughtered.
You know, looking back, people would rightly ask, why would Bulgarian leaders agree to such an evil plan?
That's a good question. Well, it was evil. There was darkness over Europe during the Second World War with the Nazis. But what's good is that the church and the leaders of the church of the Orthodox Church in Bulgaria, they rose up, especially the Metropolitan, who is the bishop of Sofia, Metropolitan Stefan. He rose up because he was a vulnerable believer,
follower of Christ. And he believed the Bible. And he said, no, we need to stand with our Jewish brothers and we need to do everything we can to save them from being slaughtered. We're talking about 50,000 Jews who lived in Bulgaria at that time.
Yeah. This is the land and the book. I'm John Yeager, joined today by Avi Miss Rocky. Okay, you mentioned Metropolitan Stefan. So help me understand the meaning of the word Metropolitan. We think of the word city when we hear that word metropolitan. What is his status, his role in the church at the time?
At that time, he was the head of the church. He was the bishop of the whole church, all the churches in Bulgaria. And he had a great influence on all the churches and other places. And he called the all the leaders. When the Nazis came to Bulgaria, he called all the leaders into Sofia and told them, God is calling us in such a time as this. According to Romans 910 and 11, who knows that God wants to use us to welcome the window, to open the churches and welcome the Jews, and we need to provoke
them to jealousy. And he had a heart for God, and he had a heart for the people of Israel. And he said, we need to issue them. Even a certificate of baptism will do that, so that the Nazis will not take them and kill them. He was a very strong believer and a protector of the Jewish people.
He was not alone in this fight. Introduce us to a rabbi named Daniel Zion.
Yes. They became a good friend even before the Second World War. In the 30s, he became a good friend of Rabbi Daniel Zion. And it was because he loved the Jewish people. So he became a friend. They will meet together, and of course, they will argue theology and all those things.
Right.
And in fact, he gave him once a whole Bible in Bulgarian. And Rabbi Daniel saw that he saw the New Testament. He taught the New Testament and threw it on the floor and said, Now I'll read your scriptures, which is only the Old Testament. But because of the friendship, Metropolitan Stefan said, Rabbi, don't do this to my scriptures. So out of respect and because of relationship, he picked up the New Testament and put it on a bookshelf
and they continued their relationship. But one morning Rabbi Danielson was praying and he saw a vision of a white person and a light, and it really scared him. He didn't know what to do, so he went to Stefan and asked him, what do you think now? Stefan already knew because he'd been praying for him. Yes, he said, well, next time it shows up, why don't you say Hineni, here I am. Who are you? And Robert said, well,
that's a good thing. Yeah. The next morning, again he prayed a vision and he saw a person, a light from a person coming. Bright light. So he asked Hineni, who are you? And? And the person said, I'm Yeshua, your Messiah.
Hmm. And what was rabbi's response to that?
The fear of God fell upon him and he realized that Yeshua Jesus is the Messiah. So he went to his bookshelf to pick up that New Testament that months ago, he threw it on the floor. He picked it up the New Testament and opened to Matthew chapter one and start reading it. And he said, oh, this is the Son of death, the genealogy of Jesus. This is Jewish. This is a Jewish book written by Jews. And he
was amazed. So he read the New Testament and realized that indeed, Yeshua Jesus is the promised Messiah and he became a believer.
Wow, what a story of conversion right in the middle of the tensions of World War Two. And that's an inspiring story. And yet this whole drama is still playing out. So what became of the Rabbi? What became of Metropolitan Stefan, and how did these two ultimately work toward the the rescue of these 50,000 Jews in Bulgaria? What happened next?
This was totally the plan of God and the grace of God because they became friends, close friends, and they became believers even before 1939 when the Second World War started, when when Hitler invaded Poland. So they became friends. And when this happened, they made an agreement that Rabbi Danielson, who was the chief rabbi of Bulgaria, and Metropolitan Stefan, who was the bishop of the whole church, and they made an agreement like an agreement, like a covenant, saying,
we're going to stand together. We're going to fight the evil one. We're going to pray, and we'll do everything we can to stop. And we have definitely the church rising up to stand with the Jewish people and not hand over their 50,000 Jews. That King Boris at that time promised to give it to Hitler. And that's how they work together.
It's a rescue drama of lesser known heroes showing uncommon bravery today on the land. And the book where we're enjoying a conversation with Avi Mizrachi. Well, it's one thing to have this passion, this common bond in Christ, but quite another to pull off what they did. So what was the actual doing that spared these 50,000 Jews? What did they do?
For example, they saw Metropolitan Stefan. He called all the leaders of all the churches in Bulgaria and Bulgaria to Sofia and told them, we must stand with the Jews. And according to the scriptures. And he will quote Romans 910 and 11. Okay. That does not cast away his people They for such a time as this. They were by their rejection salvation come to the nations. But now it's time for us to provoke them to jealousy and love them into the Kingdom of God. We need to
stand with our brothers because they are cold. They are the chosen people and we need to stand with them. He understood that and really mobilized the church to stand with the Jews, the same way Robert called for prayer in the synagogue. And the people will pray there and then they had they even had a special day of demonstration. And the Nazis arrested Rabbi Daniel Zion and put him in a work camp and really beat him up and
things like that. But the church opened their churches and they said, If Jews run to us, we're going to go and accept them and open our doors. And if the Nazis will try to take them, we'll issue even a certificate of baptism saying, no, they are part of the church and we will not let them take the Jews. They were very eminent. They they wrote letters to the parliament they met with high places in the government. They even met with King Boris. The King of Bulgaria at
that time, they handed him a letter. They went to him without an appointment. You know, he could have really put him in jail, but somehow he accepted them. So Rabbi Daniel Zion and Metropolitan Stefan went to see the king, and they told him, King Boris, you know, if you cooperate with the Nazis, God will require their blood from your hands. Don't cooperate with them. And they really brought
the fear of God upon King Boris. And from that point on, he changed his mind and decided not to cooperate with the Nazis.
And thus 50,000 lives were saved. Amazing. So in the end, if I'm hearing you right, it was a combination of of a letter writing campaign. It was meetings with highly placed government officials. It was the issuance of certificates of baptism which made these people off limits to the Nazis. It was a combination of things that resulted in their deliverance, all of it to the glory of God and a tribute to the the great courage of these two men,
Metropolitan Stefan and Rabbi Daniel Zion. What a fabulous story.
Yes. And I'll just say this. In 1943, Hitler sent the trains three times. Three times he sent the trains to Bulgaria to collect the Jews. To make a long story short, three times those trains went back to Berlin and to Auschwitz. Empty because the church to the Jews and said, no, we're not going to let you have the Jews. And 50,000 Jews were rescued from being killed.
But to me, that says the church today has a capacity to make a stand, the ability to make a loud noise and to stand up against anti-Semitism and evil of all kinds. Right?
That's right. I believe in the one you meant the Jew and non-Jew. When we followers of true followers and disciples of Jesus, of Yeshua and we stand together in prayer and we win by, we overcome the evil by the word of our testimonies, by the blood of the lamb, and willing to lay down our lives for the gospel.
Well, there's a lot more to this story, including some great photos as well that you can track in the book legacy of Hope Hidden Heroes from Generation to Generation. The story you probably haven't heard but probably need to hear. We'll post a link to that book at our website. The land and the book. Avi, thank you so much for digging into this story, for making it come alive. We appreciate you visiting with us.
Thank you very much, sir. God bless you.
And you as well. It's a visit with Gerald Peterman next to answer your Bible questions here on the land and the book. Hope your day is going well. This is the land and the book. I'm John Gager. It's about to get better for you because I think you'll be intrigued as you hear the questions that have come in from listeners all across the country who opened their Bibles just like you do, and wonder some of the same things that you do, or maybe something slightly different.
Those questions being addressed, of course, by the one and only Doctor Gerald Peterman of the Moody Bible Institute faculty who's enjoying his summer, aren't you, sir?
I certainly am. Yeah.
Something to celebrate. Well. Romans 116 says the gospel is to the Jew first and also to the Gentile. But how do you share the gospel with a Jewish person? Because of cultural, historical and religious differences. It sometimes kind of challenging to navigate a gospel conversation with someone from a Jewish background. You ever wonder how the quote professionals do this?
To answer this question, our friends at Life and Messiah want to mail you samples of the tracks their staff use as they share the gospel. This will serve a dual purpose of equipping you with methods of presenting the gospel, and also supplying you with tracks you can share with your Jewish friends and neighbors. Life in Messiah's Prayer is that these tracks will help further the spread of the
gospel among the Jewish people. To receive this helpful assortment of tracks, all you need to do is visit Life in Messiah and click on the Moody Radio button for more information. That's life and Messiah. Don't miss out on this great opportunity.
Gayle kicks off our Q&;A segment today with a question about the chosen TV series. She says the number of Christians endorsing that show is disheartening. The Mormon aspect alone should be a red flag. Why are you endorsing it? And of course, there are people who are saying, wow, what Mormon? What? Red flag. Help us out here.
Well, I appreciate Gayle's question, and I understand that The Chosen has some mixed reviews. Now, I personally don't endorse the show. If by endorse we mean I think the show always and only communicates biblical events and words. It doesn't do that. Many times the dialogue in the show is drawn straight from Scripture and I think that's good. Other times, the dialogue and even the characters are made
up by the writers of the show. I understand how that works because something very similar happens with modern Christian songs. They don't just quote scripture or modern Christian books. They don't always just simply quote scripture. So I think since there are many times when the dialogue of the chosen is straight from the Word of God, I think God can use it if he chooses to, and he might even choose to use the portions that are made up or might not. I'm willing to leave that whole thing
to him who endorses it or who doesn't. I don't think is the primary issue. Is it faithful to Scripture? I think is the primary issue?
Yeah. Thanks for that thoughtful answer. Rona asks. With 300 to 400 years between Rahab and Ruth, is there any way to know the missing information about how Rahab could be the mother of Boaz? Was she actually a great grandmother of Boaz?
I think Rona is moving in a really good direction. I'm glad she's asking this. Apparently she's been reading Matthew chapter one, so good job. Keep in mind that genealogies in both the Old Testament and the New Testament, genealogies are selective. The writer chooses generations to talk about, and he chooses them with a purpose. If you read Matthew one, you read Luke three. They both have genealogies of Jesus, but they're very different. So I think the short answer
is yes, Rahab is an ancestor. Boaz probably a great grandmother or a grandmother, but it's hard to know the rest of the details.
You're listening to the Land and the book. It's our question and answer segment, and you should know right away that your question is welcome any old time. If you just send us an email, we'll get back to you with a personalized answer and then put your question in our queue for a future broadcast. Our email address to connect is the land and the book at the land, and the book at Moody's. In Genesis 614, the NASB version of the Bible says, make for yourself an ark
of gopher wood. Okay. This is God's instructions to Noah. He goes on, you should make the ark with compartments and cover it inside and out with pitch. Carol says it appears that the ark should look black if it was painted inside and out with pitch. You know, we say pitch black. Can you tell me if the ark was painted inside and out with a black pitch? Or was the pitch some other color?
I really love the question, but I'm afraid I cannot answer it. Almost certainly. The pitch is dark, very dark, maybe black, maybe a very dark brown, and it must cover the whole boat. Thus, as far as I can take it. In other words, if you look at a children's storybook about the Ark, almost certainly we see it as it's planks and we see the seams.
The beautiful wood grain.
Beautiful wood grain, almost certainly all that was covered. Thanks be to God to make it waterproof so it would keep Noah and his family safe.
But the actual color? Not so sure.
Hard to know. Yes.
Andrew takes us to Isaiah 817, where it says, I will wait for the Lord who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope in him. And Andrew wants to know how can God hide?
I'm so glad Andrew brings this question, because I've often thought about this and reread Isaiah and reread Isaiah. God hiding himself is a relational term. That is, when we are idolatrous, when God's people turn away from him, when they're deep in sin, he turns away, metaphorically speaking, relationally speaking. That's a kind of way of distancing. So now we should repent. Now we should seek him. Actually, God mentions several times in Isaiah this kind of hiding. Isaiah 4515
is another one. The prophet says, truly you are a God who hides himself. In Isaiah 59 two, the prophet says about Israel, your sins have hidden his face from you. You know what's very interesting about this is in John's Gospel, it's the only gospel where Jesus is said to hide himself. You remember in John chapter eight when our Lord says, Before Abraham was, I am. And you know, the hostile crowd picks up stones to stone him, and he hides himself.
That is, he turns away from the relationship because of sin. God sometimes does this.
It seems to me that those Isaiah references, though, are not so much about a physical game of hide and seek as it is a a withdrawing of of one's connectedness and blessing. Yes, rapport. Would that be fair?
Exactly right. Thanks for that way of describing it, John. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah.
Okay, let's go on to Glenn's question. Many times on the program, I've heard you mention to the Jew first and also to the Greek from Romans 116. So what is the first all about here?
So I really appreciate Glenn's question. I take it that in part, Paul's theology of Jew first does get worked out. Just read the book of acts. When he goes into a new city, he goes to synagogue first. This is one way it works out. But I think there's another way it happens. And I really like how Michael Vanlandingham
has talked about this in the Moody Bible Commentary. He says first is not just historical, but it's also theological, because the gospel of a Jewish Messiah, the gospel of an incarnate Jewish man who'd been becomes king of Israel that is deeply rooted in the Old Testament. And so it fits Jewish people first before it fits Gentiles like me. So for the Jew first is the gospel is just well suited to Jewish people.
Pete asks. After Jesus was crucified and raised from the dead, he made two statements to two of his followers. First, in John 20 verse 17, Jesus says to Mary, do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to my father, but go to my brethren, and say to them, I am ascending to my father and your father, and to my God and your God. But then eight days later in John 20, verse 27, he said to Thomas, reach your finger here and look at my hands and reach your hand there and put it into my side.
Do not be unbelieving, but believing. And the third thing is, did Jesus ascend between these two meetings?
I'm really happy that Pete is really thinking and asking really good questions. So we've got three things that we need to respond to. First, what's going on with Jesus and Mary outside the tomb? I don't think our Lord is being harsh. I think he's saying something like, let's stop the hug for now because you have a task. You're the only one who's seen me alive. Now you should go tell the others. So let's stop that affection for this moment so you can get on that task.
But then later, Jesus welcomes Thomas, touching him. Why is that? Well, because Jesus is omniscient and he knows what Thomas said he needed. Whether we think Thomas should have said that or not is irrelevant, right? Jesus sometimes gives us things that we think we need. And so this is how our Lord invites him to touch me. Don't be unbelieving, but be believing now. Peter has the third question does the ascension happen in that eight days between the encounter
with Mary and the encounter with Thomas? I think the answer is no. I think the answer is no, because our Lord several times talks about things as present tense when they are pending, when they're the next thing on his agenda. So this is the way he's speaking in John's gospel. The next thing he's going to be doing is ascending. But that ascension, as we know from other places in Scripture, happens some many days after the resurrection, not between these two appearances.
I want to go back to Thomas and his demand, you know, to to see and touch Jesus. And and, you know, I think he's gotten a bum rap. We call him Doubting Thomas, but we so easily dismiss the fact that he was the only one who wasn't there when the disciples were. They had the advantage of seeing him and they already had their touch moment perhaps themselves. So unfair, I think, to beat up on Thomas. What do you.
Think? I think it's unfair to beat up on Thomas. But on the other hand, our Lord does say it's better to believe even if you don't see.
Yes.
So I want to be somewhere in between, you know. Yeah. I think Thomas often gets a bad rap. He indeed does.
And that's a look at some of the questions that have come in. We're looking for yours. Email us at the land and the book at Moody's. Well, don't go away. We've got a great devotional from our host, Charlie Dyer. It's next. Welcome back to the land and the book. Does anybody remember the very colorful character on TV, Mr. T? I do remember his favorite saying, I pity the fool. Well, what's more foolish than a fool? Actually, there is an answer. And, Charlie, that's the basis of today's devotional.
It is John.
All right. I can't imagine where we're going, but I'll look forward to that after we hear this Holy Land experience. Check out this testimonial.
I've been to the Holy Land twice and some of the surrounding area. And for me, as I think a lot of people who have been there, it's like taking the Bible from black and white and making it color. It really comes to life. Um, sitting in the Garden of Gethsemane, uh, one evening, as we were praying and talking about to partake of the Lord's Supper, it really became apparent to me, as my Lord that night was saying, uh, father, not my will, but thine be done if you can
take this cup from me. And there I was, sitting in the same area, saying, Dear father, don't take this cup from me, but let me have this cup. And just how the the land becomes such an alive thing and, and fills in a lot of the gaps in Scripture. It's a very, very powerful a very meaningful experience to be able to go and to walk where Jesus walked.
I have never been to Israel, but I was in Egypt, in Jordan, and I sort of got to trace the same path that Moses traced. I went through the Sinai desert, over the Red sea, up Jordan, and ended up in the Jordan River and on Mount Nebo. Um, and we weren't allowed to go into Israel because there was a State Department warning on Israel at the time. But I got to basically see the same perspective that Moses had, and to look out over the land from Mount Nebo
and see the beauty of it from afar. And it was just a remarkable experience to yearn for the land and and to be so close to it, but not to be able to go in as Moses did and just to be in that part of the country.
All right. Nobody wants to be a fool, but you can be even more foolish than a fool, I guess. Charlie, what do you got for us today?
Well. Thanks, John. In fact, this is even older than Mr. T. Years ago, Bing Crosby sang a song called Would You Like to Swing on a star? Well, the song focused on the importance of education, and I still remember some of the lyrics. A mule is an animal with long, funny ears. He kicks up at anything he hears. His back is brawny, but his brain is weak. He's just plain stupid with a stubborn streak. And by the way, if you hate to go to school, you may grow up to be a mule. A great song, but is
it true? Does school keep someone from growing up to be stubborn and stupid? Well. Not necessarily. Look at what's happening in some of our universities today. Many seem to be focused more on indoctrination than actual education. And even in those that don't, there's a vast difference between knowledge and wisdom. Education can help a person become more knowledgeable, but it won't necessarily make the person any wiser. The
Bible distinguishes between knowledge and wisdom. Knowledge refers to the facts, you know. Wisdom to the skills necessary to live life successfully. To be wise is to understand that God is in charge of the world, and that we need to align our lives to God's standards. In the Bible, a fool isn't someone without knowledge. It's someone who refuses to submit to God, who believes he or she is somehow smarter than God. The Book of Proverbs is God's textbook on wisdom.
It explains how life works and how we need to respond to our destination. Today is Proverbs 26. The first 11 verses are a series of comparative statements about the fool. Solomon begins by explaining the danger of honoring a fool like snow and summer, and like rain and harvest. So honor is not fitting for a fool. Israel can get snow during the wet winter months, but snow in the summer is just out of place. The land is too hot and too dry. snow and summer is inappropriate, and
rain during harvest was even worse. The winter rains have ended by harvest season. Farmers didn't want rain during the harvest because it would damage their crops. Rain at harvest wasn't just inappropriate, it was dangerous. And so is honoring those who oppose God. In verse eight, Solomon also spoke about honoring a fool. There he said, such honor was not only inappropriate and dangerous, it was also ineffective. Like one who binds a stone in a sling. So is
he who gives honor to a fool. Imagine what would have happened to David if he had tied the stone to the inside of his sling before he faced Goliath? As Goliath charged, he would have twirled the sling, taken aim, let go of the one end, and then watched as the stone stayed inside the sling. The story would have had a different ending. Honoring a fool doesn't help him and it just might end up hurting you. Solomon has
several other colorful descriptions of the fool. He says we don't need to get upset by a foolish person's threats, which he compares to a bird swooping this way and that while never actually landing. A fool shoots off his mouth so often that his words are no longer taken seriously. Fools never seem to get it until they experience the
consequences of their actions. Just as someone might use a whip or bridle to get a horse or donkey to move in the right direction, so it seems as if personal consequences, like a rod on the back, was the only way to get a fool to pay attention. Two of my favorite proverbs appear next. They show why we need to view wisdom literature like Proverbs as principles showing how life generally works rather than as ironclad promises. Verses four and five actually seem to be saying just the
opposite of each other. Do not answer a fool according to his folly, lest you also be like him. Answer a fool as his folly deserves, lest he be wise in his own eyes. Well, sometimes the best response to a fool is to ignore him rather than lashing back. But other times an answer is needed, lest the fool think his argument has validity. Which response is most appropriate? Well, it depends on the circumstances. And that's why both proverbs are necessary. Well, thus far Solomon has painted a very
bleak picture of the fool. Honoring a fool is inappropriate, dangerous, and ineffective. A fool needs to be ignored or challenged based on the specific circumstances. A fool doesn't add value to a conversation and can actually complicate things if his advice is followed. Fools are undependable and seemingly incapable of learning from past mistakes. Wow. At this point, we feel like a fool is the bottom of the barrel the ultimate example of stupidity? The person Bing Crosby was singing about.
And yet, in many ways, that's an accurate assessment. But that's why I find verse 12 so amazing. Having shown how destructive a fool really is, Solomon then describes someone who's even more foolish than a fool. Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There's more hope for a fool than for someone who thinks he's smarter than he really is. But what does Proverbs 26 have to do with us today? Well, I'm glad you asked. We live in a time when many believe the words
of the Bible are passé, antiquated, out of date. They say that those who believe the Bible are troglodytes, members of the Flat Earth Society. Impediments to true progress. Don't believe it. Even if everyone else seems to be heading in the same direction, if that direction runs contrary to what God has said in His word, then don't join the parade. Jesus said it best. Enter by the narrow gate, for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter
by it. But the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it. Stick with the standards laid out by God and His Word. The pathway might appear to be narrow and the number of travelers relatively few, but the destination to which it leads makes the journey worthwhile. And those who walk on that pathway are wise.
Thank you Charlie. Great insights there from Proverbs. And you know, a lot of times we ignore what is so obvious in the Proverbs. It seems to me. It's amazing how we think we have better wisdom sometimes when God Himself has clearly spoken. We we have a better way. We think. Right, Charlie?
That's exactly right, John. And yet, in the end, God is always proven correct.
Yeah. Well, Charlie, talk about the importance of connecting with this station on a personal level with perhaps an encouraging card, email or letter even.
Oh, absolutely. John. Yeah. The station that you're listening to right now puts us on by faith. They hope that we're making an impact on people's lives, but they don't know. And one of the ways they can get to know is if you take time right now to give them a call, write an email or send a letter to them just to let them know how much you appreciate the land in the book and the impact it has
on your life. That will help them know that the program is effective and it will be an encouragement to them at the same time.
Yeah, you know, the older I get, the more I tend to value a handwritten note. There's something about it. And as you look back in history, even in modern times, the great communicators seem to connect best, make the biggest impact with a handwritten note, and I think you'll have more influence than you know if you'll take the time to do that. So thanks for letting others know about your appreciation for the land of the book, specifically letting
the people at this station know. Well, thanks for your time today. Always great to connect with you on behalf of our host, Doctor Charlie Dyer, our producer, Dan Anderson, I'm John Geiger, inviting you back next week for another edition of The Land and the book The Land. And the book is a production of Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.