It's the world's first visual and interactive Bible. IE Bible presents the entire biblical narrative from Genesis to Revelation as one cohesive story. The goal to animate the Bible and deliver it for free to the global missions community. Amazingly, the Bible is already making a difference in the Middle East, where Bibles are often restricted. Get the whole story when you join us next for the land and the book.
Thanks for connecting with us today. I'm John Gager and it's always an honor to hang out with our host, Middle East expert Doctor Charlie Dyer. Are you doing okay today? Charlie? John, I'm.
Doing great, and it's always good to be with you.
Well, you know, some people wonder, how do you share the gospel with a Jewish person because of a cultural, historical and religious difference that might pop up? It's sometimes challenging to navigate a gospel conversation with someone from a Jewish background. You ever wondered, though, how the quote professionals do it.
And answered this question? Our friends at Life in Messiah want to mail you samples of the tracks their staff use as they share the gospel. This will serve a dual purpose. It will equip you with methods of presenting the gospel, and also supply 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. Now, to receive this helpful assortment of tracks, all you need to do is visit Life in Messiah org and click on the Moody Radio button for more information. That's Life in messiah.org. Don't miss out on this great opportunity!
If you're new to the program, we've got four segments all lined up for you. All action packed, the first being a look at current events, topics, stories from the Middle East all unfolding this week. Conflicting reports continue to circulate over Israel's war with Hamas. Is an invasion of Rafah imminent, or is it being blocked by the United States? Is a deal to release the hostages imminent, or is Hamas simply stalling for time? Where do things now stand?
And finally, was a mass grave found outside a Gaza hospital following the withdrawal there of Israeli troops? Charlie. Your thoughts? Yeah.
John, let me start with that last one. The report about the mass graves. Al Jazeera reported that Palestinian paramedics retrieved 300 bodies from a mass grave in the area of a hospital after Israeli forces departed, the UN rights chief reported. He was horrified by the report. US officials said they were deeply disturbed by the reports. The implication, of course, is that Israel had committed a war crime and then tried to hide it by burying these bodies,
all of which is not true. The truth which finally emerged is that the bodies were of people who had died at the hospital during the fighting in Gaza. Some were likely Hamas fighters, others were patients who had died. The bodies couldn't be taken out for normal burial because of all the fighting in the general area around the hospital. Hospital staff then buried the bodies in the courtyard. A videos posted on social media showed the burials taking place
before Israel ever arrived at the hospital. Now, in regard to those other issues, Israel has said the invasion of Rafah is imminent. They've apparently been constructing a tent city to house the civilians they plan on removing prior to their attack on Hamas. Now, unfortunately, it appears that the US is threatening to restrict arms sales to Israel if they do enter Rafah. Hamas knows the US's reluctance to allow Israel to move forward, and that's enabled them to
harden their position on the hostages. The original deal, which Hamas rejected, would have released 80 hostages for a six week ceasefire. A revised proposal lowered the hostage number to 40 hostages. A Hamas rejected that the deal currently being offered would provide for the release of somewhere between 20 and 33 hostages for a limited truce. That's the number of female, elderly and sick hostages that they still believe are alive. Out of a total of 133 being held.
The fate of the remaining 100? Well, it isn't known, though many of them are thought to be dead now, at some point in the not too distant future, Israel will need to decide whether to cave in to US pressure and look for an exit strategy from Gaza, or to move into Rafah to eliminate Hamas and then head north to face Hezbollah.
Story number two anti-Israel Pro-hamas protests are sweeping many college campuses. Is this simply a relatively small group of college students exercising their First Amendment right to assemble peaceably to protest? Or are there more troubling issues at play? And how should we respond as Christians?
Yeah, well, it's still a relatively small group of students, but the number of schools where they're active is growing. And several disturbing reports suggest the protests are being funded by outside groups. Now, our Constitution does permit individuals and groups to peaceably assemble and protest. Our right to freedom of speech. And freedom of assembly is important. You know, a government that could take away the rights of these protesters is the same government that could take away your
right to gather. In support of Israel or your freedom to gather and worship. So we need to be careful here. But having said that, there are troubling issues at play that do need to be addressed first. Many of these protests aren't peaceful demonstrations when protesters call for the elimination of the State of Israel and say Zionists don't deserve to live, they're inciting violence. When Jewish students are harassed or other anti-Semitic incidents take place that threaten individuals simply
because they're Jewish. That's not free speech, that's terrorism. This parallels what happened in Germany in the 1920s and 30s and that led to the Holocaust. So how should we respond? Well, first, we need to guard against becoming reactionary ourselves. Paul said in Romans 1221, do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Let your government leaders know you support the right to peaceable assembly and free speech, but that you do not support speech that promotes anti-Semitism, or
that calls for the destruction of Israel. Schools should promote the free expression of ideas from all sides, but they must never tolerate harassment or intimidation. Students who cross that line, I think they should be expelled from school and lose access to financial aid, and international students here on visas should be deported. And if a particular individual, group or even nation is funding it all, there should be consequences. And I believe that will solve the problem.
From Moody Radio. This is the Land and the book I'm John Jaeger on segment one, a look at current events from the Middle East. The Technion Israel Institute of Technology just published a booklet highlighting 33 world changing discoveries from that school over the past hundred years of its existence. What are some of the innovations that have come from the Technion over the past century?
Yeah, John, I got really fascinated by this. The booklets called the Booklet of Wonders, and it's actually a fundraising piece from the Technion as part of its 100 year anniversary. And listeners can get a copy if they're willing to provide their name and email address to find the online link. All they need to do is Google Technion booklet of wonders, and they'll find a link to where they can get it. The booklet groups those 33 innovations into five major categories,
from combating Covid to transforming the future. The breadth of discoveries really is amazing. We've covered some of them in the past in our amazing Israel segments, like the system that can produce water from the air even in dry desert regions, generating hydrogen on demand or fuel for rocket engines. That's safer and performs better than conventional fuels. But I found the medical innovations, which are over half the items listed,
to be truly remarkable. A postcranial neurosurgery patch made of synthetic, biodegradable nanofibers that protects from infection, accelerates healing, and prevents spinal fluid from leaking, or a device that holds heart valves at their original size while ensuring they close properly, or personalized antidepressants or 3D printed bionic hands for children who need a prosthetic hand, complete with their favorite superhero or cartoon character on it, so that it gives them
some excitement about having to wear this prosthetic device. Uh, the list is extensive, and people can then Google the name of that device or invention to find out more information about it online. This booklet is actually an amazing Israel segment on steroids.
Well, so many stories and so little time here on the broadcast. So in the time remaining, could you maybe bring us up to date on some of the other stories that we've been following?
Yeah, I'll see how many of these I can get in. You remember the legendary Old City cable car project? Oh, yeah. It's still around. Uh, custodians of of the Catholic sites in the Holy Land have gone to court now to try to get the project stopped, or at least rerouted. They're claiming the city broke its promise not to allow the project to pass over the Franciscan cemetery on Mount Zion. Uh, for those who have been to Jerusalem, that's the cemetery
where Oskar Schindler is buried. Next, during Passover, police detained 13 people trying to smuggle goats onto the Temple Mount to sacrifice the animals for Passover. Now, I don't think this will come as a surprise, but all the suspects were between the ages of 13 and 21. Uh, one goat was hidden in a baby carriage. Another was inside a shopping bag. Still another story. You know, we've talked
about the Sea of Galilee. The Sea of Galilee continues to rise, though, as the winter rains come to an end, the rise is slowing to just under two inches a week. The lake is now 19in below the upper red line, which is when it is absolutely filled. Now, currently it looks like the dam at the southern end of the lake won't need to be opened to release water, unless of course, a major storm were to dump a large
amount of rain in northern Israel. Some rain is still possible, but probably not too likely, so the lake is almost. And right now the water is cold. So even if you were there, you would not want to be swimming. The temperature is in the low 60s. It's not a
good time to go swimming, right? And finally, on a totally different subject, Greece's national statistical agency reported that Greece is facing a significant population decline, with the possibility of becoming the first country in the world to experience, as they call it, population collapse. In 2022, the country reported one birth for every two deaths. Wow. The problem is not only impacting Greece, it's going to start impacting the
EU as a whole. Low birth rates are definitely a problem in that area.
And that's a look at current events. It's the world's first visual and interactive Bible. We'll talk about the AI Bible next here on the land and the book from Moody Radio, our website, the land and the book org. Every day about 66,000 people die, many having had no access to the gospel. But what if there was a visual presentation of the entire story of the Bible? And what if it was visually stunning and easy to translate into any known language? And what if it was available
on devices people already own? That's the theory behind AI Bible, but not just a theory. It's the real deal. It's happening now in production. We'll talk about it next. Welcome to the land and the book segment two I'm John Gager. Before we get into this conversation about the AI Bible, what about a conversation maybe you might need to have with your Muslim friend or neighbor or coworker? Listen to this.
You're walking down the street and a muslim woman coming the other way is going to pass right by you. Do you look her in the eye? Do you say good morning or should you not? Stephan. Affair is with call of Hope. What's the right thing to do here?
Well, we are in America. And if an American comes and looks at me, I greet him. I would do the same thing with a muslim woman to here. I would never try to shake her hands. I mean, that's an insult, but, uh, to greet her. Yes, that's a matter of respect. This is how we show respect in America, isn't it? And, um, I think they would even feel it. I mean, I wouldn't do that in Saudi Arabia. Get me right here. But here in Chicago, on the street, of course. Yes.
Okay. But you said even in America you wouldn't shake her hand. Elaborate?
No, no, because I don't know if she is really a religious woman. She would never touch another man than her family. So, no, I would never do that. That could be a very strange thing to do. Sounds like we're going.
Overboard to make sure we're extremely respectful.
Exactly. Just show respect as you show respect as Jesus would. You are very right. And they know that your culture is not their culture. They are aware of it.
Yeah, well great thoughts, very practical. Thank you Stefano Fair. And we urge you to check out call of Hope us. Andrea Wilson is vice president for Revelation Media, an organization that is creating a compelling case for I. Bible. It's the world's first visual and interactive Bible for a visual and connected world. Andrea's history here has been in consultation
with businesses. She's been in the Christian publishing industry right now, has her hands full, producing an app, working on translations and a whole lot more for this thing called AI Bible. Andrea, for somebody who's new, what exactly is AI Bible?
Well, I Bible started about seven years ago. Our founder, Steve Cleary, he had a dream which he jokes, He's Anglican. So I don't know that they're allowed to have dreams. But God really pressed on him. The need to bring the whole story of the Bible to the whole world. And so in that had found this really was his call to give the story of the Bible in chronological order to the world. Well, it's.
One thing to have a dream, as this Anglican brother did, but quite another to see feet to that dream, to see it begin to take reality. What next? How did it happen, and where are we at right now?
Well, we released The Pilgrim's Progress back in 2019, the animated film. So that was our first film. And then we started asking the question, what would it look like to animate the whole Bible, the entire story of the Bible. I can tell you at that point in time, we were all looking at each other and saying, is this even possible? And as we looked at it, we all knew very, very quickly that it wasn't. And so day by day and step by step, we just started on
the way. And God has blessed the project. It is funded by a whole bunch of individuals, moms, grandmothers, teachers that want to bring Scripture to a generation that here in the Western world has essentially given up on reading. While they all have access to Scripture, they choose not to read it. But that does not mean that our children don't need to be reached, and they don't need the story of the Bible.
Okay, so obviously here in the United States, it's having an impact. You're hearing stories. What kind of stories are you hearing?
Oh, this is the best part is when grandmothers call in and they tell us how how their kids love AI Bible or they're actually reading AI Bible. But I can tell you myself, I have a 21 year old and an 18 year old. They fit into that lovely millennial category that we all talk about trying to reach that feels so far from us, and they don't quite
love all of the work that I do. But they, you know, cheesy is often the term that comes out of them, but they love AI Bible and they'll actually sit and watch the episodes and not just watch the episodes, but they're then asking questions. They're wondering, well, what is this? What does this mean? Why did God allow the serpent to even tempt Eve? They're coming with questions that show that they're interested, that they want the stories of Scripture.
Andrea Wilson is vice president for Revelation Media. We're talking today about AI Bible. You say this is a fascinating conversation. How do I get a hold of this AI Bible for my kids? And then, John, why are we having the conversation here on the land in the book? We're going to get there. We're going to get to the Middle East. But for somebody who is interested right now, how do they access today?
You can go look at AI Bible. All of our episodes are available on YouTube for free. Uh, this big initiative is funded first in the Western world, and then it's given away free to everyone around the world. So you can go to ai.bible.com to see more information. There is an app coming that showcases all of the episodes that are released, in addition to a whole suite of resources for families to talk. For small groups to talk,
there are quizzes to engage children. The purpose is to give people the tools to really dive into Scripture, not just to watch an episode and then move on, but to then take it in and grow closer to Christ through that.
Well, I love the fact that this is not just for us in America. You guys clearly have a vision that is world centered. God so loved the world. And so there are translations in progress, many that have already been done talk about that aspect.
Well, we knew very early on that our children here in the Western world and people around the world that need scripture really speak the same language. And today it's a language of pixels. So they'll watch content on their cell phones. I've been in India, in a village far from most things, and saw a sheep farmer that was out there in the middle of absolutely nowhere standing there. Should have been watching his sheep, I'm sure, uh, on his cell phone. Uh, so you can go in just
about any place, and they have a smart device. And it just really became clear with the number of devices that are out there, we can deliver the entire story of the Bible to the entire world. So we've already released in multiple languages. We have. English, Hindi, Spanish, Farsi, Bulgarian. We have 42 a ie languages that will also be releasing at that time. And then we'll also be going back and releasing all of those once again with human translation.
So we want to get the whole story of Scripture to the whole world as quickly as possible. But our scripts and everything about AI Bible first and foremost must be accurate to Scripture. I think the best compliment I've heard from AI Bible as they read the scripts is it's just the Bible, and that is the point. We're not starting with the New Testament. We started with Genesis. It really is part of our mission to give the the whole world, the whole story of Scripture.
I hold in my hand a small format book here called The Real Story of Jesus AI Bible. How does that connect with the nation of Iran and things that are happening there that you've heard about?
Yeah.
So the real story of Jesus tells Jesus story from creation through his second coming. It is built with over 300 Bible verses telling the entire story of Jesus. We printed a small format book.
About 100.
Pages. I see here.
About 100 pages. That's correct. Beautiful. Full color. It is. Book. What you're reading there is the story of salvation. So we printed those and delivered them to a partner that's on the ground in Iran and Turkey. And they handed these kits out to families in Iran. And they had this book. They had a coloring book that matches, along with some coloring crayons, also a sticker that directs folks to those episodes of AI Bible, to this and to the ones that have been completed so that they can
access the story of Scripture. And it was a bit of an underground initiative. We weren't able to talk and share about that. As you know, the persecution of Christians and the risk of sharing the gospel in that country is it's incredibly high. And they absolutely loved this initiative. We had house churches throughout the country that were able to share the story of Jesus at that time.
How cool is.
That? Yeah. Wow.
Well, I'm intrigued because all of these languages that you've discussed, you also have a heart for Arabic speakers. And, oh, there's not just one Arabic language.
That is true. There are many different languages within the Arab world and also many dialects within those languages. So it is our heart to reach all of those. There are actually 7500. Is the estimate at least over 7000 living languages in the world today? And one thing unique about the Bible is that we are not only giving it away free to the world, we really are trying to partner with others on the ground that are doing work. We have teams that are working with Wycliffe that are
consulting and helping in different parts of the world. We want to empower people to translate this and to get it out into the world.
Andrea Wilson is our guest today on The Land and the book we're talking about, AI Bible. If you haven't picked up on that, a remarkable, beautiful animated series. So of interest to our listeners, we are Middle East focused would be a story you might have based in Iran. Talk about that.
We do have a team on the ground in Iran currently, Turkey as well. And we started with an episode of AI Bible that we titled The Real Story of Jesus. And as we looked at that, we first began and said, okay, if we take all of the scriptures throughout the Bible that talk about Jesus, what are those? And came up with over 300 verses in the Bible that reference Jesus, starting with creation, of course. Then we go into the
fall and then throughout Scripture. And as the team reviewed those and we started to look at them, we said, oh, this is a script. This is the entire story of salvation. So we believe that the story of Jesus does not start with Christmas and end at Easter. It actually starts with creation. That's right. So we created an episode nine minutes long. And what came from that was absolutely beautiful. So we have 110 languages have been funded for the
translation of that. They're currently underway right now. We've released the first eight. The Story of Jesus is also released in our app, so you can watch it there. It also includes a prayer that encourages people to turn from the life they walk now and turn towards Christ and live for him, and encourages them to pray and ask for forgiveness and salvation, and then continue on to walk
with Christ. As part of that, we have a button on the page that says, I have prayed for salvation today just to help us see, is this making the impact that we want? Because ultimately the heart is to draw all people in closer relationship to Christ and within the first nine. 90 days of releasing that we have. Over 1.1 million people have visited that page, and over 73,000 people had already raised their hand and said, I've
prayed for salvation. We have using technology, of course, which is what we're trying to do is bring the Bible to the world. We have tracking pixels in place, and we're able to then retarget those individuals with AI Bible episodes and then begin to deliver to them the whole story of the Bible. So it starts with Jesus, but all people need the whole story.
Now, Andrea, you mentioned that this is a multi year project. You guys are looking at a long curve here. Talk about the numbers that you're looking at here.
Absolutely.
So we've been at this for about seven years. Currently our path looks at to be seven more. So seven is a beautiful number. And and God is blessing us with that. And that is the goal to have all of the AI Bible episodes. There will be around 300 episodes in total telling the entire story of Scripture. Our goal for completion is 2033, where followers of Christ around the world will recognize and celebrate the 2,000th anniversary of the resurrection of Jesus.
That's exciting.
How long are the individual episodes?
Each episode ranges from 3 to 7 minutes long. So short format. As you know, we're in a culture that likes to consume quickly.
The would be missionary inside me says people travel on businesses and then they make friendships, and others have been on missions trips. But this is the kind of thing that you could reach out in an email or on a WhatsApp text to anybody in the world and send them a link.
I love that you're saying that because the reason that Revelation Media exists is to give content free to the mission field. So there are roughly 800 movies that are released every year in the United States, Christian movies. And they're very, very good Christian movies, uh, many of them about football teams. And the next, you know, hit song that has been here, that has touched Christians. Those don't
always translate to the mission field. And our desire is to give missionaries around the world the tools to share Scripture and to tell the story of the Bible, and to make it in a way that they can actually get that for free to do what God has asked of them.
Andrea, we are excited for all that God is doing. Thank you for stopping by making yourself and your ministry available and we'll look forward to connecting again.
Thank you so much, John.
Coming up on the land of the book, Charlie Dyer is back. He's got a look at some questions. Stay with us here on the land and the book. Aren't you glad we've reached the month of May? I am John Gager here. Welcome to segment three at the land of the book, where Charlie Dyer's Bible is open. And why, Charlie?
Uh, because we got questions in and we've got answers for them.
I'm looking forward to those. First, this question, 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. That's certainly been my experience. But have you ever wondered how the professionals do it?
Well, to answer this question, our friends at Life in Messiah want to mail you samples of the tracks their staff use as they share the gospel. This will serve a dual purpose. It will equip you with a method of presenting the gospel, and also supply 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 Moody Radio button for more information. That's Life in messiah.org. Don't miss out on this great opportunity.
As always, no shortage of Bible questions. Let's start with Leah's. She's teaching a homeschool class, Charlie, about biblical archaeology, and she says our course gives a definitive site for biblical Gilgal, citing the shape of a foot slash sandal and the round altar as proof. However, on my trip to Israel, we didn't visit or talk about any site for Gilgal, and other research I found says the site is disputed. Any thoughts here?
Yeah, I've seen the articles claiming to have discovered Gilgal, and my problem is the site usually suggested is too far north to have been the Gilgal to which Joshua brought the children of Israel. You know, Joshua 419 specifically says that Gilgal was near Jericho. In fact, it says, quote, on the eastern border of Jericho that would place it in the general area of Jericho, somewhere between the town and the Jordan River. And the site that's often suggested
is way far north. Now, in the Bible, it does seem like there may have been several sites named Gilgal, uh, but certainly the one mentioned by Joshua is not the one that's often talked about in these articles.
Linnie writes in a recent Bible study, we discussed Mark four and five, where the demons entered the 2000 pigs and drowned. Uh, try to wrap your brain around 2000 hogs drowning at once in the Sea of Galilee. That must have been a horrific sight to see and hear. But her question is, did the demons go to eternal destruction? Their spirits did not die. But were they then sent to their eternal destiny?
Well, the pigs definitely died. The demons did not. Just as they left the man to go into the pigs. I think they left the pigs and went in search of others to indwell at that point. Now, two details lead me to that conclusion. The first is Mark 410, where the demons begged Jesus not to send them out of the area or country, depending on the translation. At first it sounds like they thought Jesus was going to send them to a different geographical area in the region,
but Luke eight three provides a more detailed explanation. They were begging Jesus not to quote, command them to go away into the abyss. The abyss is apparently the equivalent of a supermax security prison for demons. It's mentioned in revelation nine, where demons are confined in the abyss until they're released during the tribulation period, and in revelation 20, Satan is seized and thrown into the abyss during the
thousand year Millennial Kingdom. And though the term isn't used, I suspect Jude six is describing the same place when he talks about angels who didn't keep their position of authority but abandoned them, were put into eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day. Anyway, I think the angels went into the pigs, forced them to rush down the steep bank to their death, and then quickly left looking for other victims to possess and torment.
And you're right about the event in Mark four. It must have been a horrific scene to see and hear and in fact, eventually to smell that took place right there. Wow.
Never thought about the smell. You're right though, uh, Jim says as I read the book of acts and study it, I find that both Jews and Gentiles or Greeks were in the synagogue. I thought only Jews were allowed in the synagogue. Were Gentiles also allowed in?
Yeah. And there are a number of passages that pictured Gentiles attending the synagogue services. I see two distinct groups of people. Some were God fearers, that is, Gentiles who believed in the God of Israel, and who might have been following some of the commands of the Mosaic Law as a result, others were proselytes, that is, Gentiles who were actually in the process of converting to Judaism. And I suspect the first group was by far the larger group,
though apparently both were allowed to attend synagogue services. Uh, some of the places these are found, if you look from acts ten through acts 18, uh, they're mentioned Gentiles or Greeks in the synagogue at, at Pisidian, Antioch and Iconium and Philippi and Thessalonica and Berea and Corinth. So it does seem like it was a common practice for Gentiles attracted to the God of Israel, to be present in the synagogue services throughout the Roman world.
This is the land in the book from Moody Radio. Our host, Doctor Charlie Dyer, is always open to your questions. Email. Mail them to us at the Land and the book at Moody. Edu. Todd asks, how was the Hebrew canon determined, and why do you think the Book of Enoch was excluded from it?
I believe people recognized the unique nature of the Old Testament writings from the very moment I think they were written. The entire Old Testament canon was completed shortly after the writing of the Book of Malachi, probably no later than 400 BC. The clearest record we have on the acceptance of the canon actually comes from Josephus. In a book called Contra Apion, he wrote Against Apion, he said, in how firmly we have given credit to those books of our own nation, is evident by what we do for
during so many ages, as have already passed. No one has been so bold as either to add anything to them or take anything from them. Now he also identifies the books of Scripture, and they correspond to the 39 books of the Bible in our current Old Testament. Now, even before Josephus, the New Testament seems to agree with that basis. In fact, Jesus talks about the law and the prophets and the writings, and that's the threefold division
of the Old Testament. Now, in terms of why the Book of Enoch was excluded, I suspect it was because of two reasons. First, it was written in the Intertestamental period, after the recognized books of the Old Testament had already been collected. And second, and my memory is going back
on this. 40 years ago, I wrote a paper on all these books for a doctoral studies class I had, but it appears that neither the compilers of the Old Testament or the compilers of the New Testament, or the early Church Fathers saw it rising to the level of authenticity that caused them to see it on the same level as the other books of the canon. Now, that doesn't mean that the book doesn't contain some truth or
some accuracy. You know, Jude appears to cite the Book of Enoch, and the book also contains a reference to the thousand year reign of the Messiah, which roughly parallels the message in revelation 20. But the books claim to be from the hands of Enoch, when it was actually written centuries later is likely the main reason it was rejected.
Nancy points to numbers 34, where we find the borders of the Promised Land, as well as the leader of each tribe, who would determine their allotted land. And we also read of some men who were called chief. She wants to know, was this an elected popularity post or an appointed position? I guess the question is who chose the tribes chief and what was their job? Yeah, I.
Believe the individuals were appointed, and I believe it was God who ultimately made that appointment. Now, I say that because in verses 16 to 19, God tells Moses the names of the two men who were to assign the land. He says, Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of nun. God then tells Moses to appoint one leader or chief from each tribe to help assign the land within each tribal allotment. And then in verse 16, God says about
those tribal leaders, these are their names. Now, I take it from that phrase, that God's the one who's actually choosing the individuals to serve as these chiefs or leaders, and that their job was to help with the division of the larger tribal allotments among the individual families. The first individual in the list is Caleb. He, along with Joshua, were the two spies who stood against the whole nation
many years earlier. And that also suggests to me that the individuals God then names had proven themselves as strong, godly leaders. Which is why then the people accepted their appointment from Lenny.
This question Mark six details the miracle of the feeding of the 5000. And there's so much to this story, but I'm stuck on geography. After the feeding, Jesus tells the disciples to get into the boat and go to the other side, but to Bethsaida. And then we have the miracle of Jesus walking on the water when he notices the disciples are in a storm on Galilee, the disciples and Jesus land in Gennesaret, south of Bethsaida and Capernaum. So that's the end of Mark six. Can you please
help me here? Yeah.
We're told the story of the feeding of the 5000 took place on a mountainside in a remote area, and the key to what happens geographically follows the feeding of the 5000. And that happens to be that mark 645, where it says, Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of them to the other side, to Bethsaida. Now, at first it sounds like they must be on the west side of the lake, and then
go to the east side to Bethsaida. And that's why Christian tradition has placed the miracle on the west side at a place called Tabgha. But that spot isn't correct. And here's why. Mark uses two different Greek prepositions in verse 45. The first is to the other side. The preposition there is ice, which, when used with verbs of motion, indicates entrance into a place or direction toward a place. In essence, the first phrase is where Jesus is telling
the disciples their ultimate destination. They're to head to the other side of the lake. Presumably, I think he's telling them to head back across the lake from the east side toward Capernaum. The second Greek phrase Mark uses is to Bethsaida. Here he uses a different preposition pross. This has the idea of toward or add, or up to. In this case, the phrase is denoting direction, not final destination. They're to head to the other side by way of
or by heading in the direction of Bethsaida. In other words, Jesus is using his his divine GPS and telling them to. Hug the northern edge of the lake by rowing toward Bethsaida as they head to the western side, rather than trying to take a shortcut right across the lake, and the wisdom of his instructions becomes apparent when they get caught in a windstorm that took the boat into the middle of the lake. So the miracle happened on the eastern side of the lake on the Golan Heights area.
The storm was as they were trying to go to the other side to Capernaum.
Well, that's a great set of questions today, and I'm always challenged as I hear from listeners. Maybe you'd like to get a question to us. You can email us at the land and the book@moody.edu. Charlie's devotional is next, right here on the land and the book. You and I live in a world where holidays are celebrated, most of them joyous occasions, but in some instances not so much. In the Land of Israel, we're approaching Holocaust Remembrance Day. This is the land in the book. I'm Jon Jaeger.
Our host, Doctor Charlie Dyer, is about to take us to a devotional based on the Book of Lamentations that has everything to do with Yom Hashoah. Charlie. I'm looking forward to that.
Oh, thanks, Jon.
And before we get to it, let me point us to this quick thought from somebody who has traveled to the Holy Land and wanted to share this with you and me.
My family was very blessed to be able to travel to Israel. People often ask, what was your favorite part of Israel? What was your favorite place? I think that's almost an unanswerable question because I would say all of it. But the thing that probably stood out more than anything to me was the Jezreel Valley. I grew up on a multigenerational farm. We still live rurally, so it was such a blessing to see that beautiful farmland. It truly
was a land flowing with milk and honey. We were there basically at the grain harvest and other crops were being planted, and it really made me realize that with water, the desert can bloom. And also, I liked that area because of all the history around it. On Mount Carmel on one side, Mount Tabor, Mount Gilboa, and of course, Megiddo. So it was very meaningful. Uh, after we've returned, I've
thought about Israel almost every day. It seems like what I've realized is that it's not just the land that's so important. It's the person. It's Jesus. That's what made it so special.
Holocaust Remembrance Day has to be a sobering thing to be over there at that time. I know you've been there, Charlie, when it unfolds, but what do you got for us today from the Book of Lamentations?
Well, John, it is a sobering time, and today's devotional takes us to a community bordering the Gaza Strip. It's been seven months since the rampage against those who lived here, but scars from the horrors of October 7th still mar the landscape. The physical destruction. The houses, fences and other buildings are being repaired, but the emotional devastation won't go away so easily. Memories of loved ones brutally murdered, disturbing nightmares still haunting those who face such evil up close
and personal. Such horrors can't simply be wished away. As we stand here, we feel so inadequate. What can we say or do to bring comfort, peace and hope to those who experienced such evil? And then we realize that this is but a small sample of the horror of the Holocaust, which took place just eight decades ago. Instead of 1200 people massacred, 6 million were slaughtered there. Crime,
in both cases, simply being Jewish. This coming week is Yom Hashoah Holocaust Remembrance Day, and it takes on special significance in light of the events of last fall. I need to be careful here. As we look at the destroyed homes along Gaza's border, it's easy to highlight the recent tragedy in a way that minimizes the Holocaust itself. And we must never do that. Yom Hashoah is a day to remember the horror inflicted on the Jewish people by Adolf Hitler and the Nazis, but I do see
two disturbing comparisons. First, the pure hatred and anti-Semitism displayed by Hitler is still around. The human heart isn't evolving in the progress of civilization. It's just as wicked and depraved as ever. We just try to do a better job of hiding it until events like we just experienced come along to remind us that, as Jeremiah wrote, the heart is more deceitful than all else and desperately sick.
And second, I see a similar level of apathy. No, actually, animosity might be a better description between the rest of the world and the Jewish people, both during World War Two and today. The world could have acted to help save the Jewish people during the time of Hitler, but most simply chose not to do so. A thankfully, there were some noble exceptions, but the number was surprisingly small.
And when Israel rose to defend itself following the October 7th attack, the rise in anti-Semitism was shocking, and the number who rose to publicly demonstrate support was far less than we should have expected. Was it apathy or fear, or a quiet animosity that kept so many silent? I quoted earlier from Jeremiah 17, and I seem to be naturally drawn to this weeping prophet, as I think about
Yom Hashoah and the recent events in Israel. In the Book of Lamentations, Jeremiah pours out his heart in sorrow over the destruction the people of Judah experienced in his day. Three times in Lamentations one, Jeremiah describes a city in turmoil with no one nearby to provide comfort. He finally says in verse 16, this is why I weep and my eyes overflow with tears. No one is near to comfort me, no one to restore my spirit. One chapter later,
Jeremiah again describes his overflowing sorrow. My eyes fail from weeping. I'm in torment within. My heart is poured out on the ground because my people are destroyed, because children and infants faint in the streets of the city. And then, he adds, as their lives ebb away in their mother's arms, Jeremiah wept when he thought of the children who died of starvation during the struggle in his day. Imagine how he would have felt had he been around during World
War two, when one and a half. Million children were brutally murdered. How did you feel when you heard the reports of children beheaded, dismembered and burned almost beyond recognition just a few months ago? Pause for a second and look around. This agricultural area bordering the Gaza Strip seems so peaceful now. Listen carefully and you can hear birds chirping in the distance, competing with the thump thumping of
a tractor ploughing in a nearby field. In fact, if we're not careful, we can almost forget the evil that flooded through this place just a few months ago. And that brings me back to the message I want us to focus on as we head home in time to remember Yom Hashoah. First, how do we keep the memory of what happened alive without allowing it to overwhelm us emotionally? And second, what can we do as a result to find a way to bring good out of such evil?
I turn again to Jeremiah to find the answer to my first question and Lamentations three. Jeremiah begins by describing his affliction and bitterness. He feels helpless and hopeless and says, my soul is downcast within me. But then, in the midst of the darkness comes a shining beacon of brightness. Yet this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope. Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning.
Great is your faithfulness. Just like the manna in the wilderness, Jeremiah remembered that God's loyal love, his hesed, his compassion hadn't ceased. There was a fresh supply every morning, and that's when he blurts out the discovery that kept him going. Great is your faithfulness. The world around us and the people in it can prove to be horribly unfaithful. And to the extent we place our trust in them, we will experience heartache and disappointment. But God always remains faithful.
It's a matter of where we choose to place our focus. And that leads to the second question what can we do to bring good out of such evil? Whether it's the Holocaust or the events of October 7th, or for that matter, what can we do to bring good out of evil when it surfaces in our own community? Let me end with four practical suggestions to take us up and out, from despondency to determination, to move us from
words to deeds. First pray up. And by that I mean the first place to go when confronted by things that are disturbing and upsetting is to the Lord in prayer. When Nehemiah heard that Jerusalem's walls were still broken down and that its people were in great trouble and disgrace, his response is a good model for us to follow. I set down and wept. For some days. I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. Nehemiah
was emotionally distraught, but he remembered to pray. Second stand up. Going to God in prayer is the best first step, but sometimes it needs to be followed by taking a stand for what is right. When the king asked Nehemiah why he was troubled, Nehemiah's response is a good model for us. I was very much afraid. But I said to the king, and then what follows leads to his request to be allowed to go and rebuild Jerusalem's walls. There are times when doing what's right forces us out
of our comfort zone. Don't be afraid to take a stand. Third, speak out. Let your voice be heard. When it comes to the growing tide of anti-Semitism, raise your voice in support of Israel and the Jewish people in our country. We're blessed with the opportunity to write, call, or email our local, state, and national leaders to share our concerns. If you're afraid, first write out what you want to say and be sure to speak the truth in love,
but with respect. Voice your feelings and concerns and finally, reach out. Do something practical to demonstrate your love, care and concern. Attend an event demonstrating your support for Israel and your opposition to anti-Semitism. Donate to an organization seeking to make a practical difference in the Middle East. No one can do everything, but everyone can do something. Just remember up and out, pray up, stand up, then speak out and reach out. Do your part to make a difference.
Boy, what a great way to end today's program. Thank you Charlie, time is gone, but we thank you for staying with us and hope you'll be back next week for another edition of The Land and the book, a production of Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.