Israel, Music and More

welcome to the land and the book. Our team leader is Doctor Charlie Dyer, noted Middle East scholar, author, and frequent tour guide. I'm John Geiger asking, what does Passover mean for us as believers in Jesus? Some might remember the story from the book of Exodus, but there's so much more to it. For example, did you know that the Last Supper was actually a Passover meal? Not only did Jesus and his disciples celebrate Passover, it also foreshadowed his death on the cross for our redemption.

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

is booby trapping tunnels for further defense? Should the IDF have to return?

women being reunited with family members. In return, Israel released about 90 Palestinian prisoners and detainees, 30 for each civilian hostage. Israel has also agreed to release 50 Palestinian detainees for every Israeli female soldier who will be released in this first phase. Now, by the end of this initial hostage exchange. 33 Israelis are to be released. Your math is correct, John. They've got to up the number of people being released.

But I think they might do that because for Israel to get the 33 Israelis back, they're going to give up 1800 Palestinians. And the Palestinians do want those back as well. The second group of four hostages to be released is scheduled to be actually today. And a third group of three more hostages will be released next Saturday. So the numbers are there, but they're going to have to start picking up the number to get to the

total of 33 in the time allowed. The outpouring of joy over the release of the first three hostages was tempered somewhat by anxiety over what the release schedule looks like for the remaining hostages, as well as which of those hostages are still alive and which are dead. Hamas has refused to share that information. Shiri and her two young children are on the list of hostages to be released during this first phase. Back in November, Hamas said

they'd been killed. However, there's been no real confirmation either way, so people are waiting and hoping that they're among the living. This psychological trauma will be played out every week for the remaining five weeks of this ordeal, as Israel watches and waits and prays for those still being held. And once this first six week phase is over, there will still be 64 Israelis alive and dead in Gaza awaiting

release during the next two phases of the deal. Negotiations on the two remaining phases is scheduled to begin 16 days after the start of the first phase, or just over a week from now. The new Trump administration's foreign policy team is already working to help formulate that second phase of the cease fire. Those negotiations could likely end up being more contentious and complicated than the ones for the first phase of the deal. And of course, they took almost a year.

majority in the Knesset, though an incredibly slim one. The other party that opposed the agreement was the National Religious Party, led by Bezalel Smotrich, but he and his party chose to remain in the coalition because, he said, his exit from the government would have forced new elections. Though he opposed the deal, he believed it was inevitable, he said,

giving the current political situation. When asked his opinion of Ben-Gvir choosing to resign over the deal, Smotrich called him an irresponsible pyromaniac, somewhat of colorful words there for his former colleague. Smotrich believed the war isn't over, and he wants to be in the government to help it achieve the final downfall of Hamas. Once, as he believes Hamas breaks the agreement, Netanyahu was able to finesse his coalition

into moving forward. However, the budget, the bill to draft the ultra-Orthodox into the army and bills to reform the judiciary still remain as battles on the horizon. Those along with his continuing trial, will definitely keep Netanyahu busy working to hold his fractious coalition together.

I was given a private tour of the site almost two years ago, and the excavations actually took place back in 2010 and 11. So the discovery is almost 15 years old. Now, it takes a long time for archaeologists to examine everything uncovered, and then to formulate and write up their conclusions. In fact, because nothing had yet been published, I was asked not to write or comment on the tour I was given. But now that a formal article

has been published, I can share what I saw. A row of rooms were uncovered further up the hillside from the entrance to the Gihon Spring. A bits of pottery from the Bronze Age into the Iron Age were uncovered, along with some other curious markings, including three v shaped grooves in the floor of one of the rooms. The problem is that there's nothing really there to help define the purpose for the rooms, the archaeologists described what they felt were the base of an altar, along with a

sacred stone pillar. But that altar platform was just an eight inch high raised area. The stone pillar was simply a flat stone standing on a pile of rocks eight inches high. The stone itself was only about 16in high. They also discovered items that seemed to connect to industry rather than religion. For example, they found stone loom weights used in weaving as well as possible grape and olive oil presses. If it was a religious site, was it in use prior to the time of David capturing the city,

with the rooms later being repurposed? And were the mysterious v shaped grooves on the floor part of a structure to hold possibly animals for sacrifice, or simply places used to help secure the loom for weaving. The answer is we really don't know. Religious worship would have taken place in Jebus prior to David capturing the city. We also know that Israel kept turning to idolatry even after Solomon

built the temple. But it's possible this could simply be a case where rooms that may or may not have been used for ritual purposes simply were repurposed once Solomon's Temple had been built. The bottom line is that what I saw really wasn't that impressive, and the now published archaeological report didn't change my opinion.

the Middle East and find a way forward. You know, we're told to pray for peace, and that's one of the best things we could be doing right now.

conversation with singer and songwriter Matthew West. It's all ahead here on the land and the book from Moody Radio. You know him for songs like Don't Stop Praying, The God Who Stays, Do Something. Hello, My Name Is, and a whole lot more. He's a singer who connects with us at a level most do not. I'm talking, of course, about singer and songwriter Matthew West. Hi, I'm John Gager. This is segment two of The Land and the book.

And let's pause right now. Put our heads together for a fresh idea that just might point your Jewish friend to our Jewish Messiah, Jesus. Listen to this. No educated or religious Jewish person would ever believe in Jesus. Is that a true statement? Levi Hazen is executive director of Life in Messiah. What say you?

750 research publications. He's been granted over 130 patents and named one of the top 50 influential scientists in 2019. He's a Jewish believer in Jesus. So this lie can simply be responded to with grace and love by giving multiple examples of Jewish people who do believe.

single Don't Stop Praying. Matthew has also written seven books. More on the way. He and his wife, Emily have two daughters. And Matthew, it is great to connect with you on the land and the book.

many of my songs. Of course, you know, I'm far from the first one to sing anthems about the message of grace, you know? And that's what's the most widely sung song is amazing Grace. That saved a wretch like me. And so I feel like a lot of my songs echo that same sentiment, just the amazement. And really a lot of the songs that I write are reminders to myself and anybody listening that there is a gift that

each one of us needs. We're all born sinners, and we're all in need of a gift that we could never be good enough to earn, or else it wouldn't be a gift. And so years ago, I wrote in my journal, sort of a personal mission statement that I'm going to write and sing songs about what I know I need, what I know I don't deserve, and what helps me get up in the morning. And the answer to all three of those is the word grace. You know, getting up in the morning knowing that God's not done with me.

to do that at some point in the future. But from everybody I've talked to, that has made the trip. One of the most common refrains I hear is just how they felt that it it really brought Scripture to life in a whole new way. And I felt similar feelings in recent travels to Rome, Italy, and just some of my tours that I took, and just seeing where some of the early Christians were buried and things like that. Like, you know, it just kind of really puts some things

into perspective. So I have a feeling a trip to the Holy Land is going to do the same.

And that's a question that somebody like myself, who spends so much of my life in the public spotlight singing songs and, and people would look and applaud and go, man, you're singing about Jesus. That's so great. Yeah, but then what if I forget to take care of first things first if I'm singing about Jesus, but I'm not spending

time talking to him. And so a lot of it can just be as simple as what I did today of just reading a verse of the day and listening to a devotional on my phone as I'm sitting on an airplane, you know, and trying to turn off Instagram, turn off social media, and turn myself into God's Word and really focus there, even just for a few moments, even in the middle of a chaotic schedule. It helps keep me grounded and it gives me the strength that I need.

the songs that I wrote, and that's me. And so the songs that I put out, they've been lived in, they've been lived through, and their message is that God has shown me, you know, Matthew, I'm inspiring you to write this song. But it's not just for the masses. The song is for the singer, too. And so I think songs, Music, when it's at its best, hopefully is most importantly going to point people to Jesus. But a lot of times my songs are nudges in in terms

of conviction to and reminding me. I write a lot of songs these days about legacy, just thinking about how do I want to be remembered, what's most important? Focusing on the right things and being a good husband and being a good father. So you'll hear those themes come through a lot in my songs, and that's usually evidence that that's what I'm wrestling with or that's what I'm, you know, worried about. Like, oh, have I been on tour too much? Am I making my family a big

enough priority? So, you know, I think the songs that I write challenge me just as much as I hope they challenge somebody out there who's listening to them.

saying to yourself when it isn't perfect? And you do got to go out there and sing.

but I do it anyway. Some of the songs that I'm singing that have been my biggest hits were on days where I didn't think I had anything in the tank. Yeah, same thing when I get on stage. You know, I love that opportunity to get up on stage. And I will say, the enemy for years has done a number on me in moments before I would walk on stage, just feel like I'd hear the lies of the enemy saying, who are you to go out there and sing about

God's love and act like you've got it all together? Like, if these people only knew how messed up you are or whatever, right? I mean, these are the lies of the enemy that anybody in ministry might hear, you know, because it's almost like we're, you know, the enemy wants us to believe that we're supposed to be somehow superhuman while everybody in the congregation gets to be just human. Right? And I think the biggest remedy I've been able to find to that is running, not walking to the truth

of the scriptures and who God says I am. And that's why even in my songs, you hear a lot of Scripture literally song word for word, like, because I need these reminders of God's grace, of God's strength. The reminder that I don't have to grow weary in well-doing. So. So I would say, like, I'm thankful for those days when I feel like I don't have it. I can't bring it. I didn't live it today. God forgive me.

And then I feel like my posture is one of humility before I walk on stage, because I know the only way I can get up there tonight and be a testament of God's grace is because of what God's grace is showing me in my life, that when I am weak, then I am strong, that his strength is perfect and his grace is sufficient.

The response, the just the vitriol and stuff. So so that breaks my heart, you know what I mean? So I, I guess maybe my prayer is that I that I would when I was there. Hopefully I could sing songs about healing. Um, songs about, uh, the reminder that Jesus is coming back. Amen. So I'd have to work on that playlist, but I think it'd be a pretty special one.

for me. You know, I think, uh, these days, I think your answer is gonna be going to be different to that question throughout different seasons of your life, I suppose. Yes, sure. And so these days, I'd say I feel like, um, parenthood is one where I'm like, I don't know. I'm in new territory. I've got a daughter who's in college now, and and I'm struggling with that feeling of empty nester, you know, that, like, and I'm wondering if, did I

do a good enough job as a dad? And how do I help continue to, like, raise my kids to to know the Lord and pursue a relationship with the Lord? And so sometimes I feel like my impossible is just going, man, every new season as a parent is unchartered territory for me, and I'm asking God to show me how to be a good dad.

And I think I would think he would be pleased, hopefully, that I want my heart posture to be what pleases him the most, that my desire is not. Did I sell enough records? Did I sell enough T-shirts? Did I make them a fan of me? Most importantly, it probably be the end of the night where at the end of every concert that I do, I give a gospel presentation and invite anybody who doesn't know the Lord to make the most important decision of their life, just like

Billy Graham did when I was a little kid. And I asked Jesus into my heart. So I'd probably say, man, more than any one song, it's how all the songs are leading up to that pivotal moment in someone's life, where they feel God knocking at the door of their heart, and then together we pray and they say yes to Jesus. So that's probably what I would say, hands down the most important part of my show. Were you going to guess a certain song? Yeah.

mean for us as believers in Jesus? Some might remember the story from the book of Exodus, but there's so much more to it. Did you know that the Last Supper was actually a Passover meal? Not only did Jesus and his disciples celebrate Passover, it also foreshadowed his death on the cross for our redemption. Jewish people have been observing the feast of Passover for thousands of years, and understanding the history and importance of this holiday will help

you better connect with your Jewish friends and neighbors. And what better way is there to learn about Passover than to experience a Passover Seder yourself? If you've never celebrated Passover, get this. Our friends at Life in Messiah would love to partner with you in hosting a Seder experience. Every year, their staff engage churches and small groups in an interactive Messiah in the Passover Seder, allowing participants to taste and

see the redemption story. So if you're interested in having somebody come to lead a Seder in your area, just visit Life in Messiah org and click on the Moody Radio button there to learn more. That's life in messiah.org. You ever get tired of questions that come to you from students? Doctor Peterman I mean, you teach these classes year after year. Do the questions weary you?

at the definition it means to remain, to continue. So then, is it correct to say that abiding is the position of every true believer, or is there something more or deeper to abiding?

staying in His word? Are we trusting Him in His word? Because several times in John's Gospel there's another option. It's a poor option, but there's another option that is, you get into John six and we find that after Jesus teaches for a while, some of his disciples stop following him. This is very bad. And in John six there are some who believe for a while, then they stop believing. So one of the things our Lord wants to communicate to us is hang in there, stay connected to me.

Keep listening, keep trusting, keep obeying. I want to add one more thing and that is abiding is not about perfection. Abiding is just being consistently faithful. When we sin, we don't lose our relationship with God. We can abide by then confessing the sin just like a husband and wife. They might get angry, but they still remain husband and wife. We will always have eternal life in Christ. But what he's talking about here is that daily hanging in there, cultivating the relationship with him.

six 24 hour days as we know them? It would seem like at least the sixth day creatures would take more than 24 hours to evolve. When you consider the life cycles and seasons your thoughts.

rest of scripture about typical days. And then when we come to Exodus, when God is giving the law and he's talking about the Sabbath on the sixth day, that's being presented as as a literal week. Now, of course, there's a lot we don't know about creation, because God is so rich and deep and majestic. There's a lot we don't know about creation. But here's my view. In my view, God created the world with the appearance of age. What do we have? We have Adam in the garden.

It appears he's full grown. And it appears that the trees are full grown and they have fruit. And then when he makes Eve. Thanks be to God. He makes Eve and brings her and brings her to Adam. It appears that she is full grown. Certainly. Right. So that is the appearance of age, even though they're both brand new. So what other appearances of age might there be embedded in our world, when in fact there is a six day creation? I think we. Yes, we can believe in a six day creation.

So do we see the specific land promise starting to come true? Yes. But what Israel currently occupies is not all that's promised in numbers 34. So that's beginning to come true. How about the promise sea? Do we see millions of Jews in the world? We do. I'd like to see more. But we see that promise beginning to be fulfilled. But through Abraham's offspring, all the nations on earth will be blessed. Let's go to revelation five. What

do we find there? We find that John sees people from every tribe and tongue and people and nation worshiping God. That hasn't happened yet. There's still much mission to be done. But because God has begun to fulfill the Abrahamic promises, I think we can be sure that he will continue to fulfill them.

number come from? Where does this assertion come from? It comes from Kathleen Kenyon, who way back in the 1950s did some excavations there and made some assertions. Now you have to keep in mind at least a couple of things that happen when we're talking about archaeology. Many times, archaeologists make the assumption of the world being billions of years old, or they make the assumption about evolution. This

can sometimes taint their results. Furthermore, you're absolutely right. A previous question that came to us has to do with could the flood have rearranged some things? Could the flood have caused layers of sediment to be mixed up? Yes, absolutely. And over the course of time, much of this could

have happened. Now, I don't see that this assertion by the post really negates the chronology we find in our Old Testament, because the assertion made by the post is largely based on evolutionary presuppositions.

of existence of entire human groups. It is Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran that have been trying to destroy Israel and the Jewish people within Israel. There's something like 2 million Palestinians, about 20% of Israel's population. And Israel wants those folks to be safe in their homeland, as they want to be safe in their homeland themselves. So we do not

wish anyone to die in this region. But we also believe that Israel has the right to live in their land without fear of attacks like that of October 7th. And Hamas, Hezbollah and ultimately Iran have caused the current crisis. God said he would bless those who bless Israel and curse those who curse them. That's Genesis 12 three. They've chosen to curse Israel, and in so doing, they have set themselves against the God of the Bible.

a little bit about my trip to Israel. What really strikes me is every time this is my third trip here, and every time I come is, you know, just going through the various places where Jesus actually was and just the sense that whether you're on the Sea of Galilee or you're, you know, in Jerusalem or anywhere along the way, just the fact that Jesus was actually there, and then the thought just keeps coming back to me how much he really loved us and what he was willing to

do for us in the And the sacrifice to come to earth, to give up his place in heaven, to come to earth and to make the sacrifices for our salvation so that we we can honor and bring glory to him. It's just really makes me very reflective each and every time I come here. I think the thing that really stands out to me this time was standing on the Mount of Olives and just looking down on the city of David and thinking about the last week

or so that he was here on earth. And that just really, really struck me this time.

20 centuries. The scarred and pocked sandstone hints at the storms that have lashed at it through the years. Walking into the theatre brings a sense of excitement, but that visceral emotional reaction does not come from the height or the grandeur or the intricate workmanship of the structure. Rather, it comes from being face to face with a visible, tangible link to the past, a gateway back to the

time of the Bible. Herod the Great may have walked across the same stones, his hands brushing against the very walls you're now touching. The remains of his palace are just a few hundred yards away. And that's where the apostle Paul was imprisoned for two years before being taken to Rome. During that time, Paul spoke boldly to Felix and Festus, and to the great grandson of Herod the Great, King Herod Agrippa the Second Luke records these encounters in

acts 24 and 25. Paul's life and ministry is intertwined with this ancient Roman city on the shore of the Mediterranean. But those who look beyond the impressive ruins soon see the fatal flaw in Herod the Great's original design. The city's foundations did not rest on solid rock. Instead, the city spread out along the shifting sands of the Mediterranean coast. Herod's harbor is gone, sunk beneath the waves. The aqueduct that once brought Caesarea, its life giving water from Mount Carmel,

now stands in complete isolation. Its northern edge disappears beneath the sand that has relentlessly reclaimed its territory, while the southern end has been torn away by the Mediterranean, leaving a gap between the aqueduct and the city it was built to serve. Vast parts of the ancient city are now covered by sand. What Herod thought was permanent was only temporary. The city named after Caesar, built with Roman technology and intended as a monument to Herod's greatness, hasn't endured.

The buildings may have been grand, but their foundations rested on nothing more than sand. The entire western side of the original Hippodrome, the horse racing track between Herod's Palace and the harbor, is gone. It was washed away by the relentless waves of some long ago storm that tore away the sandstone blocks and carried them out to sea.

The Apostle Paul spent two years under guard at Herod's palace in Caesarea, probably as nothing more than a footnote in the ledgers of the Roman rulers who governed Judea from here. But the mission to which Paul had committed his life was not built on sand. It was anchored on the solid rock of God's eternal son. As Paul himself reminded the church at Corinth in one Corinthians 311, for no one can lay any foundation other than the

one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. Paul's words in that verse raise an important question in what should I place my trust? That's likely a question that many who listen to Paul must have asked themselves. They could see the visible might of Rome. Could it somehow be less permanent than God's promise of salvation? Grounded in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ? To many in Paul's day,

such a choice must have sounded absurd. Festus, the Roman governor in Caesarea, after hearing Paul's impassioned message, cried out in acts 26, Paul, you're out of your mind. He lived in a magnificent palace with a pool that extended out into the Mediterranean. He attended Roman plays in the nearby theater, or listened to the pounding of horse's hooves as they thundered around the hippodrome next to his palace.

From the palace roof, he could see the other impressive buildings already standing while hearing the clank of hammers, hitting chisels, fashioning still more monuments to Rome's greatness. To Festus, Hephaestus. These stones and statues and monuments were reality. How could Paul believe that the power of God through Jesus Christ

could be greater than this? That seemed absolutely absurd. It's been almost 2000 years since Paul Festus and Herod Agrippa the Second met in the audience hall at Caesarea, originally built by Herod the Great. Only fragments of Herod's palace remain, bits of tesserae that once formed grand mosaic floors. The outline of the pool cut into solid rock and jutting into the Mediterranean. Pieces of elegantly carved statues that only

hint at the glory that once adorned the site. This city that was built to honor the name of Caesar and promote the greatness of Herod is little more than an archaeological curiosity worn, weathered, world weary. But the message announced by the Apostle Paul in the room where we're now standing, spread with power around the globe, and continues to do so even today. It's almost time to head

back to the bus to continue our journey. But as you look around one last time, I want to challenge you to look at Ancient Caesarea and at your own country in a different light, just as it must have been in Paul's day. So today, it's easy to be

overwhelmed by the great feats of human accomplishment. The buildings, roads, monuments, and palatial homes are definitely impressive, and the world around us encourages us to devote our lives to plans and projects that seem so grand, so awe inspiring, so permanent.

But what looks permanent is only temporary. Remember, it's not the structure, but the foundation on which the structure is built that ultimately provides stability, for no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. Edward Mote was born to parents who managed a pub in England. He grew up not even knowing there was a god. As a teenager, he became an

apprentice cabinetmaker. maker. His employer took him to a meeting where, for the first time, he heard a minister share the message of Christ. He responded and it changed his life. He did become a successful cabinet maker, but one who sought to serve Christ in his 50s. He entered the ministry. He also expressed his love for God through music, writing about 100 hymns. The words to his best known him go like this. My hope is built on nothing less

than Jesus blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus name. On Christ, the solid rock I stand. All other ground is sinking sand. All other ground is sinking sand. And that leads me to ask a simple question as we close today, what's the foundation on which your life is built?