Moody Radio openline program on March 23, 2019: Tricia Mcmillan with the question: Can you define canon? That's kind of what we are going to talk about. What is the canon? Dr Steven Sanchez: We are not talking about weaponry here. We are talking about a word that means a measuring rod, some sort. The word's suggestion is a stick, an instrument that is used to measure things and now by extension, by metaphor, that becomes a way of describing either the books that measure up to a certain standard or the books that become the measuring standard by which we measure other things. Dr Michael Rydelnik: People use the word canon, talking about the canon of scriptures, the books that should be in the bible. The way people use it, they should understand it because I hear students talk about the canon of Star Wars ... Dr Steven Sanchez: Or the canon of Western literature .. Dr Michael Rydelnik: We are talking which are the key books people should read in western literature or we are talking about the canon of the Star Wars movies, or when we are talking books of the bible, we are saying these are those that are the Word of God. This is the inspired scripture. We are talking about the old testament canon and we are talking about the new testament canon. Which books were included in the bible, that's what we are talking when we are talking canon.
Know the bible
Question from moody radio listener on March 25, 2019 on In the Market with Janet Parshall with Dr Sam Storms: Yeah, I was just wondering if Doctor would share his understanding as to why in John 3:16, Jesus refers to God's love for the world in the past tense? For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son rather than God so loves the world, present that He gave His Son. Answer from Dr Sam Storms: Neal, that's a very important distinction you've drawn there, you know the fact of the matter is very rarely does the New Testament talks about God's love in the present tense. It's almost always in the past tense, that's because typically it's a reference back to the cross of Christ, you know it's in the past for us and it was in the past for those who wrote the New Testament. I think what he's probably doing there in John 3:16 is alluding to the love that God has for fallen sinners before the foundation of the world, so for example, we read in Ephesians 1 that in love, he predestined us for adoption, all that he says was before the foundation of the world, the one place, real quickly I can give you, where the love of God is talked about in the present tense is in Revelation chapter 1. Break Janet Parshall: Neal from Ohio, I thank you for sticking around because you asked such a great question, an important but hefty question about speaking about God's love in the past tense, God so loved the world, referencing John 3:16, as suppose to the present tense and Dr Storms, you've just going up to a verse in Revelation but I want to give you now all the time that you need because I do think it's a most intriguing question, please continue ... Dr Sam Storms: Yeah, it is a good question. I do think that John 3:16 talks about in the past tense because he's connecting it with a decision to give us Christ, for God so loved the world that He gave and it really wouldn't make much sense, if God so loves us that he gives because his Son is already been given in the past, died for us and rose from the dead, very much the same thing in 1 John 4:10, where it says that it's not that we have loved God but He loved us, past tense and send His son for the propitiation for our sins, so I do think that in all likelihood, what we are talking about here is what Paul mentioned in Ephesians 1:4, where he talked about God loving us before the foundation of the world and determining to send his Son for the sacrifice of our sins. But, having said that, go to Revelation 1:5 and you will read that where it says Jesus loves us, present tense and He's free us from our sins by His blood. So, His love is not only past, it is also present and of course, it will be eternal and future. I hope that helps, Neal. Relevant scripture: John 3 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. -nkjv 1 John 4 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. -nkjv Ephesians 1 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, -nkjv Revelation 1 5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, -kjv Revelation 1 5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and has set us free from our sins by His blood, -hcsb
Question on moody radio openline with Pastor Mike Fabarez on March 16, 2019: Just wondering, in the book of Daniel, they speak of Daniel and his three friends, Hananial, Mishael and Azariah have been taken and then also in the first two chapters, it gives their names but in the chapters following, it just uses their Babylonian name, I was wonder why the writer change that or continue to do that? You always hear that in the sermon, they always use their Babylonian name rather than their Hebrew name. Pastor Mike Fabarez: That's a great question. Let me just briefly give an overview: Hananial, Mishael and Azariah. Hananial means the Lord show grace, Mishael, much like Michael, means who is like God, like there is none like God, Azariah means the Lord is my help. Those are great, great Hebrew names that reflect good things, just like Daniel, his name means God is my judge, an answer to just God. Well, they were given Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego. Shadrach represents the moon god, Meshach who is like the moon god and Abed-Nego represents the god of the field. This is a definite insult, just like they took Daniel and the Babylonians named him Belteshazzar, means Belte protects your life, which means Belte should be your hope, not God. So, these names were changed and you asked an excellent question and it's one that has baffled me, why is it that throughout the rest of the book, Daniel now is giving his name, though it's written in the third person, so much of this narrative is given Daniel's Hebrew name and Belteshazzar is not used and Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego are. I can only speculate about this but I can tell you, that when they are in their situation, unlike Daniel, who is a prophet, so removed and taken out and elevated to a place of not just being in that crowd of young men that are being trained for Babylonian use but Daniel as that prophet, the real star of the show so as to speak, such a Godly man. He is taken and always referred to throughout the book as his Hebrew name to remind us that he stepped out of that Babylonian crowd, even though Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego, as I like to preach Hananial, Mishael and Azariah. I think they are now translated into the presence of God. They are in that state of being blessed, they are not in the Babylonian culture anymore, I would like to refer to them even I preached, as Hananial, Mischael and Azariah, that is a picture of them still being in that scene, even though they stand strong in the fiery furnace scene and they prove that they are going to serve the Lord. They are still in a different place in the kingdom, Daniel is exalted, Daniel comes on as the mouth piece of the Lord, as a prophet, Hananial, Mishael and Azariah are not, they are not the prophets spokesman of God and they continue on shining brightly as a great light for the Lord but they do that in a context, in an environment, that's in the rank and file of Babylon. So, it's a good question, that's not necessarily a satisfying answer because I don't have one. I wonder the same thing myself, one day, as I am sure from time to time, Dr Rydelnik has to say on this program, we are going to find out, we are going to know what the reason was.