What It's Like to Be an Archaeologist

us now for the land and the book. Our host and guide is Doctor Charlie Dyer, who's hiking boots are always on, who's been to a number of excavations himself. He's traveled to Israel more than 100 times. I'm John Gager and you know Charlie Israel, of course. So much in the news this past year, the Bible jam packed with end times prophecies about epic world events, the regathering of the Jewish people to their ancient homeland, and of course,

Jesus coming return. It is crucial for us as believers, though, to have a proper understanding of Bible prophecy so we can have a view of the future that's shaped by Scripture, not just today's headlines. Right?

the scriptures say about these issues. Now, if you're interested in learning more about what God has in store, visit Life in Messiah. Org and click on the Moody Radio button to find out how you can receive your copy of God, Israel and Bible Prophecy. That's life in messiah.org.

regain their honor by attacking Israel. Now, at the same time, the leadership in both countries are concerned about Israel's ability to launch devastating attacks against them, which could potentially cause them more shame and even threaten their holds on power. Now, add to that the military buildup from the United States. They aren't sure if we're as willing to assist Israel in launching retaliatory strikes, but they've brought in sufficient firepower that if we choose to do so, we could cause

major damage. And that's probably the key reason they've held off responding so long. Now, they publicly tied the delay to the ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas, a successful conclusion to those talks, which right now doesn't look that hopeful, could be used as an excuse to keep from launching an attack that would help restore their honor, at least partially. But that doesn't mean they won't attack Israel. They will

continue looking for ways to attack, directly or indirectly. They know the US won't keep its forces in the region long term, so they might simply wait for us to withdraw before launching that direct attack. In the meantime, they're looking for other ways to hit back at Israel, including supporting Hamas's attempts to send suicide bombers into Israeli towns like the one who accidentally blew himself up this past week.

Police in Argentina recently thwarted a planned terrorist attack on the Jewish community there back in 1994, Iran and Hezbollah bombed a Jewish community center in Argentina, killing 85. So they've done this before. And Hezbollah published a video showing a vast underground network of tunnels from which it can launch missiles against Israel. Now, all this to say, Israel remains on alert. They were surprised by Hamas on October 7th. They won't be surprised by Iran or by Hezbollah this time.

the return of all the hostages. Hamas didn't follow through completely on the last hostage deal, and the bridging proposal requires multiple stages to bring about a permanent cease fire, to get all the hostages home and to begin the process of rebuilding Gaza. And most of the pressure to compromise keeps being placed on Israel, not Hamas. I think we always need to remember that Hamas started this conflict, not Israel, and they're the ones opposing the attempts to

end it. In this most recent round of negotiations, it seems the US has been overly optimistic, while Israel has been far more realistic. And unfortunately, Hamas keeps saying that any apparent progress is just an illusion and they're looking for any excuse to say no. Now I go back to the question asked by God in Amos three three. Can two walk together except they be agreed? You know, there's not much Israel and Hamas can agree on going forward.

From its very founding, Hamas has been committed to the total destruction of Israel. That hasn't changed. Even if a ceasefire and hostage deal comes about. There's another issue that still has to be addressed. Who will run Gaza the day after hostilities cease? Hamas wants to remain in power, while Israel says they can't. And my point here is that even if Israel and Hamas could reach a deal, that's just the first step in a long process that

still lies ahead. And that's a realistic assessment of what's happening right now.

it's usually not very crowded. Now here's the problem though with this story, John. At least as it was reported, it's really not very accurate. In fact, it's rather misleading. First, there isn't a lost temple there. There are ruins of a Byzantine era synagogue, and recent excavations at the synagogue have uncovered what archeologists believe are the remains of the first century synagogue on the same spot, and that shouldn't

be a surprise. The synagogue tourists see at Capernaum is also a Byzantine era structure built on the foundation of the synagogue there in the first century. The second problem with the story is that nothing significant has actually been discovered, certainly nothing directly connecting that synagogue to Jesus. Now the Bible tells us he taught in the synagogues in the region,

and that he performed miracles in Chorazin. But nothing has been uncovered in this new excavation linking Jesus to the site. This is a case where someone, I think, is trying to hype an archaeological dig that really hasn't uncovered anything of significance, at least not yet. And to me, it's a good reminder to read more than just the headlines when you come across this type of story. I love Chorazin, but the headline for this story was Way Over the Top.

title Epic of Gilgamesh comes from. The Bible preserves the true account of a worldwide flood, but it's no surprise that other civilizations preserved parallel accounts of the flood, though those other accounts, like the Epic of Gilgamesh, became corrupted as they were passed down from generation to generation. But now to. This story. Those other accounts are on clay tablets, some of which have never been translated. There are as many as half a million cuneiform tablets in museums around

the world, and even more tablet fragments. And with so few experts in cuneiform, many have not even been read or published. And that's where the fragmentarium comes in. This is an AI project from the University of Munich that uses machine learning to piece together digitized tablet fragments at a much faster rate than what humans can do. The project has helped researchers discover new, previously unknown segments of the Gilgamesh epic and hundreds of words and lines from

other works by speeding up the process. This project could help advance our understanding of ancient Mesopotamia. But if you really want to know what happened during the flood, don't go to the Epic of Gilgamesh. Stick with the Bible.

kind of the tip of the iceberg. Hey, up next, a conversation with with a great biblical archaeologist you need to meet. Welcome to segment two of The Land and the book. And as you're putting on your sunscreen for today's exploration, let's pause for this insight on how to share your faith with a Jewish friend or relative or coworker.

Maybe it's an next door neighbor. So you want to reach out to your Jewish friends, and you're starting by asking what sort of not so effective, maybe what's marginally effective. That's a question for Eva Rydell, who serves on staff with Chosen People Ministries in Chicago. What's what's only so-so with effectiveness, or maybe not working at all with Jewish people these days?

Jewish mind, Christian and Gentile are parallel. And here's a sad corollary to that. And the Jewish mind, so often Christian and anti-Semite are corollary. So to invite a person to leave their Jewish identity and all their heritage and become a member of a group which has historically persecuted Jewish people. This is not a step that a Jewish person wants to take. So I think the opening gambit of don't you want to be a Christian is the wrong move to make. In its.

for Trinity Southwest University. Doctor Collins teaches Old and New Testament history, biblical languages, biblical interpretation, and Christian evidential apologetics. A welcome to the land and the book. Steven.

You're working with trowels and dustpans and brushes and, you know, an occasional pick. But, you know, you're removing things very, very slowly and it takes years. Our, our excavations at Tal Hamam just wrapped up after after almost 20 years. So it's a it's a slow, slow process. And then it takes you 8 or 10 years to publish all your findings. So when you get involved in a big project, sometimes it can eat your life up.

field for so long. I mean, we have day jobs. We, you know, we teach, we write, and so you have to get back to what you're actually getting paid for. So being in the field is where we like to be.

which is almost ten feet thick. So when you see the massive buildings, it's just incredible. It really helps you understand that these ancient people were highly technical builders. They understood what they wanted to do and how to do it, and their lives were not small. Many of these Canaanite kings lived lived life on a pretty big scale.

a provable historical event. But I like the illuminating power of archaeology to give us insight into how people lived. So when you talk about, for example, Abraham lit a lamp, or David lit a lamp, or Jesus talks about lamps, what are those lamps look like? What does that world look like? If they ate a meal, what does that plate or bowl look like? And so these are the simple things that I like that just show how people lived.

And of course, we dig up what they ate and how they cooked it and what kind of ovens they had. So it's really a comprehensive look at what kind of world they lived in.

David's time. And those kind of lamps go all the way down until the conquering of the area by Alexander the Great. And then you get the Greek style lamp introduced, which was very similar to what the Romans eventually did

in the time of Jesus. So the Herodian lamp, that New Testament period lamp that Jesus would have used, and all the Jewish communities would have used, is very small and very simple and very unlike what King David, that open bowl that King David used because Jesus's time, the lamps are closed so they don't spill as easy, let's say.

It's a very secular liberal, often atheistic, discipline. And what was interesting about that is working in Jordan as long as I have, I always tell my Jordanian colleagues, you guys are more biblically conservative than the Israelis on the other side of the river. And that's generally true because, you know, they have everybody from Abraham to Jesus as one of their own prophets. So you just can't categorically

dismiss all of that history. And so believing the Bible and working with biblical texts and finding biblical sites is pretty comfortable thing to do in Jordan, simply because there is a lot of respect amongst the Jordanians about these biblical characters that are also shared by the Islamic tradition.

but this is the time of Moses and Joshua. This is the Iron Age two period. This is the time of King David and Solomon. And go back and read those chapters and review that. So you get a sense of the culture. What did the weapons look like? What did the houses look like? What is this world that they live in? Because each period is different, the times of Moses are very different from the later times of the Israelite kings.

something that makes you kind of scratch your head. And this is the place to not just scratch your head, but fill it with some answers. So welcome. Well, you know, Israel has been in the news quite a bit over the past year. And as we know, the Bible is jam packed with end times prophecies about epic world events, the regathering of the Jewish people to their homeland. And of course, Jesus returned. It is crucial for us as believers, though,

to have a proper understanding of Bible prophecy. Otherwise, our future is shaped by headlines in the news rather than Scripture. Right, Charlie?

digging into what the scriptures say about these issues. Now, if you're interested in learning more about what God has in store, visit Life in messiah.org and click on the Moody Radio button there to find out how you can receive your copy of God, Israel and Bible prophecy. That's life in messiah.org. All right.

man's visit. Do you have any idea, though, how or why this tradition evolved that they appeared on the scene at the stable at the time of his birth, along with the shepherds, and we're also wondering why this has been carried along by the church when it's quite clear that this image is incorrect. Your thoughts?

year and a half to two years later. We sometimes assume this because in Matthew 216 it says Herod ordered the soldiers to kill the babies two years old and under. But since there weren't any birth certificates issued at birth, how would the soldiers know the child's age? The wise men might have been somewhat imprecise in their calculations, but Herod was nothing if not thorough. If the child were several months or more old by his reckoning, how could he be sure to kill the right baby? Well, two

years old is about when children start to speak. Any child who couldn't yet talk was to be killed, and the baby was said to be born in Bethlehem. But Herod decided to kill all the male children, it says, in Bethlehem and its vicinity. So how old was Jesus at the time of the wise men visiting? Well, depending on the length of the journey of the wise men, I suspect it was likely several months, or perhaps even

as much as a year. The event did take place sometime after Jesus was born, since the families now living in a house. but the decision to kill all the boys two and under is more a reflection, I think, of Herod's paranoia than it is of Jesus's actual age at the time.

and understand what pain would be like. Now, I don't believe anything, including an understanding of pain, could exist outside God's knowledge. He fully understood the impact that it would have on individual humans. In the incarnation, God became flesh in the person of Jesus, and as God man, he fully experienced pain. At revelation 13 eight says, Jesus was the lamb who was slain from the creation of the world.

And I take that to mean even prior to the beginning of the universe, God's plan included the suffering of his own son. Putting all that together, I think God fully knew what physical pain would be like in his creation, and that his Son would experience it as part of the plan necessary to purchase our redemption. And and then, in the unfolding of time, what he knew because of

his omniscience became known experientially through Jesus. And I think actually Isaiah 53 graphically describes that 700 years before it ever came to be.

In first Corinthians 310 to 15, Paul talks about there by the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder and someone else is building on it. But then he says everyone should be careful how he builds. In fact, he talks there about if any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is because the day will bring it to light. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward.

If it is burned up, he'll suffer loss. He himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames. Then later in two Corinthians five, Paul wrote, we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each 1st May receive what is due him for the things done in the body, whether good or bad. So I think our eternal destiny is secure through the work of Christ. But as children of God, we're responsible to continue to

grow and mature in Christ likeness. And one aspect comes through not only what we do, but what we say. And I'll close with a portion of what James said in James three two. We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he's a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check. And the word for perfect. There has the idea of mature or complete. You know, our speech is an x ray that helps reveal how spiritually mature we really are inside.

Now that's how life generally works. But the Book of Job reminds us that there are exceptions. In job's case, it was due to a cosmic conflict, totally unknown to job. But even in the book of job, his earlier life in the first chapter shows the same general pattern, that is, that God was blessing him because of his faithfulness. And in the end of the book, the same thing is true. So I see this as a reminder that this is

how life generally works. But I'm also reminded there are times in life when we do see apparent exceptions, and in those times we just need to walk by faith and not by sight.

But to answer the question, this does make perfect sense in that culture.

was killed by Absalom following his rape of Tamar. Now we're not told anything about the second son listed. His name is Daniel, which suggests maybe he died before reaching adulthood. The next child, listed as Absalom, who led a failed coup against David and died in battle, and the next son listed as Adonijah, who tried to usurp the throne at the time of David's death, he failed. He was later put to death for again trying to manipulate events

to replace Solomon. Now, we don't know much about the other male heirs, though I think it's probable that Solomon could legitimately have been the next in line. So he was the first legitimate heir to be able to take the throne.

Right here. Have you ever come to a passage in Scripture and you say, I should memorize that verse? And maybe you memorize the verse and then you see the one surrounding and you go, I should memorize those two and maybe the whole chapter for me. Colossians chapter three is one of those chapters. I'm John Gager. This is the land and the book. But, Charlie, you've singled out a special verse today that we're going to look at in your devotional. Tell us about it.

To see the ingenuity that he has given the people to work the land and to make it produce for them. And I guess my last set of tears were for the fact that I could not give up my citizenship here in America and just move and live there in the land, and to be there when Jesus returned.

Mount Cadmus rises up, forming a majestic background. And next to where we're standing, the Lycus River rushes down from the hills and out onto the plain. About four centuries before the time of Jesus, Colossae was a populous and prosperous town known for its wool trade. It had also gained something of a geographical and religious notoriety in volume

two of his history. Fifth century BC writer Herodotus described Colossae as a great city of Phrygia, where the river Lycus falls into an opening in the earth and disappears from view, and then, after an interval of about five furlongs, that's about 3300ft. It comes up to view again before

eventually flowing into the Maeander River. This geographical anomaly became connected to a mixture of pagan and Jewish mysticism, and even as the town declined economically, religious speculation continued unabated with its mixture of pagans, Jews and then Christians. The inhabitants of Colossae were influenced by a syncretistic blend of different beliefs. One aspect of this has been called a Jewish cult of angels. F.F. Bruce described it this way

there were powerful forces at work. Chief among those were those tendencies which in a few decades blossomed forth in the elaborate system of the various schools of Gnosticism. One form of incipient Gnosticism is the Syncretistic angel cult of nonconformist Jewish foundation and pagan superstructure. So how did the

disappearing and reappearing Lycus River connect to an angel cult? Well, this unorthodox cult venerated the Archangel Michael, who is said to have caused a curative spring to gush from a fissure in the earth. The reappearance of the river, combined with this mixture of Jewish and pagan beliefs, could be what Paul had in mind when he wrote in his letter to the church at Colossae to warn them against

anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels. Now, as far as we know, Paul never visited the city of Colossae, and yet he cared deeply for the believers there. As he penned his letter to this church, he wrote in chapter two. I want you to know how much I am struggling for you, and for those at Laodicea,

and for all who have not met me personally. The phrase out of sight, out of mind didn't describe Paul or his genuine care for the believers in this town, but right about now you might be asking yourself, so why are we standing here at the site of ancient Colossae? After all, the town has vanished. The mound in front of us has never been excavated. The site's relatively small, and the city likely only had a few thousand inhabitants. By the time Paul wrote to them, it had been

eclipsed by the nearby cities of Laodicea and Hierapolis. From the tiny letter of Philemon, we do know Paul hoped to visit here after his release from prison, but were never told whether he made it or not. So what makes this place so important? And what's the famous 316 in Paul's letter here that can transform our lives? I'm glad you asked Paul's answer to a church struggling theologically, to a church that he'd never visited personally, was to

point them to Jesus. The best way to spot a counterfeit, any counterfeit is to become intimately acquainted with the original. From counterfeit money to forged paintings. The more you know all the subtle details and characteristics of the original, the better prepared you are to spot any fakes. So what's the original Paul holds up for them to study? Simply put, it's Jesus. In chapter one, verses 15 and 16, Jesus is the image of the invisible God and the one

who created all things in 117. He's the one who holds all things together in one. 18 to 19 Jesus is the head of the church. He's the one who rose from the dead and who's supreme over all. He's the one who died on the cross and shed his own blood to reconcile us to God. In chapter two, verse three, Jesus is the one in whom are hidden

all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. In chapter two, verse eight, Paul says that any so-called truth, apart from the truth found in Jesus, is just hollow and deceptive philosophy. In two nine, Jesus is the one in whom all the fullness of the deity lives in bodily form. Jesus is the head over every power and authority. The Old Testament dietary laws and religious festivals were a foreshadowing of the reality that was to come. But Paul says in

verse 17, the reality is found in Christ. You get the picture. To avoid getting sucked into false teaching, whatever its source, the solution is to come to know everything you can about Jesus in his fullness as God's Son and our Savior. And then Paul comes to chapter three, where he explores the practical outworking of our focus on Jesus. He begins in verses one and two by telling us to set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind

on things above, not on earthly things. Move your mental zip code from earth to heaven, and concentrate on the one with whom you will be spending eternity. People sometimes say, you can be so heavenly minded that you're no earthly good, but Paul would disagree. In fact, he gets very practical as he moves through the chapter. Since Christ is all and is in all, our connection with him should show up in all we do in life. Listen to his

list of practical commands. Clothe yourself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievance you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you, and over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Setting your heart on things above with Jesus will show up in your day to day walk as you look forward to being with him in eternity. And then we come to

Paul's 316 moment. Well, actually, his 316 is set like a jewel in a three jewel crown. Where to? Where? Verse 15. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts. Verse 16, let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly. Verse 17. Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Experience Jesus's peace. Take in Jesus's Word and represent Jesus well in your actions. Cults.

false religions and syncretistic forms of worship. Focus on your duties, what you must do to win favor with God. They can sound good, but in the end, it's all about your effort, and there's a sense of pride that comes with the feeling that you're on the inside track, that you mastered the secret recipe that you're working your way into God's favor through your own efforts, and the way to avoid getting sucked into such a trap is to

focus on the genuine article. Jesus. Get to know him deeply, personally, intimately. And Colossians 316 provides the key. Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly. If you want to know Jesus, get to know His word. Paul then explains how later in the verse, teach and admonish one another with all wisdom. Go to church, attend Bible studies, listen online or read for yourself, but connect to God's Word. Take it in. Let it become part of the very fabric of your

being so you can begin to think God's thoughts. And when you do, you'll find yourself experiencing God's supernatural peace with a thankful heart. Now, as we say goodbye to Colossae and head home, what practical lessons can you take along with you? Let me suggest this. This next week

take time to read through the book of Colossians. It's only four chapters and highlight or underline everything Paul says about Jesus, what he's done for you and what he now calls on you to do as you wait to meet him, and then see if you don't find yourself thinking more clearly and living more. Thankfully, as you allow His Word to dwell richly in you.