Question from listener on moody radio: I am wondering about Daniel's vision of the ram and goat and the goat with a little horn in Daniel chapter 8. Who does all these animals represent and what is the beautiful land? What are the events that have already taken place or are they yet in the future? Answer from Dr Michael Rydelnik: The answer is in Daniel chapter 8 and it starts with a lopsided ram. It has 2 horns and it says in verse 3 that the horns were long and one was longer than the other and the longer one came up last and that's speaking about the Medo-Persian empire, which was the empire that came and dominated the land of Israel and the world after 539 BC. The Medo-Persian empire came after Babylon. That kingdom was conquered and taken over by the next animal, which is a goat. The ram was charging to the west, to the north and to the south. Why was it not charging to the east? It is because the ram is from the east, it is starting from the fertile crescent from the east where Persia is. The male goat comes and appears from the west, that is from Greece, across the surface of the entire earth without touching the ground. It is conquering very quickly. The goat has a conspicuous horns between its eyes and it came to the ram which had two horns, seen standing beside the canal and rushed at him with savage fury. The goat has a conspicuous horn, that's its first king. The passage tells us later on that that is Alexander the great. The prophecy during the time of Daniel about the events of the Medo-Persian empire took place around 120 years later. What is the beautiful land? The beautiful land is Israel. The events have already taken place. Out of the goat comes four kingdoms, four horns. One of which is Antiochus Epiphanes. Antiochus Epiphanes is the little horn of this passage who is destroyed by God for his oppression of the Jewish people in the land of Israel. The answer was given on Moody Radio openline on Dec 26, 2015.
Know the bible
Isaiah 7:14 is the verse prophesying the virgin birth of our Lord Jesus: 14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. -kjv A moody radio listener ask if there is more to the verse of Isaiah 7:15-16 following Isaiah 7:14? Isaiah 7 15 Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good. 16 For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings. -kjv 15 He will be eating curds and honey when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, 16 for before the boy knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste. -niv 15 By the time he learns to reject what is bad and choose what is good, he will be eating butter and honey. 16 For before the boy knows to reject what is bad and choose what is good, the land of the two kings you dread will be abandoned. -hcsb Answer from Michael Rydelnik on this question: It is a pretty detailed exposition that you will need to do and we can do a whole hour on it easily. Here's what it is: Isaiah is told to go to King Ahaz, the wicked king, in offering the sign that God will deliver him from the present attack by his enemies. Isaiah is told to bring his son with him, Shearjashub. Ahaz was asked to test God by asking Him for a sign but he refuses and Isaiah turns from speaking in the singular as in King Ahaz to the whole house of David in Isaiah verse 13 as in 'you all'. The Lord is going to give the house of David, 'you all', a sign, that is the birth of the Messiah by the virgin in verse 14. Then Isaiah says when he, that is,the Messiah, rejects what is bad and choose what is good, that is when he's coming to an age of moral knowledge, he will be eating butter and honey. The thing is when you look at the later part of the passage when Assyria comes to judge the land, they are going to shave the land and there won't be any domestic agriculture. The Israelites are just going to eat only curds because they are still going to have cattles and goats and they are going to get dairy from that. In other words, curds and honey are the foods of oppression. What verse 15 is saying that the Messiah will be born and grow up under Roman political oppression. From verse 15 to verse 16, Isaiah goes back to the singular and he is now talking to Ahaz again and refers to Shearjashub again and prophesy that when he gets to the age of knowing right from wrong, the two kings King Ahaz dread will be abandoned. This segment is heard from Moody Radio openline on 26 Dec 2015
Question from moody radio listener: Romans 12:3 says we are distributed a certain amount of faith but Romans 10:17 says faith comes from hearing the word of God. If we are distributed our faith, then it cannot grow but can our faith grow? Answer from the two Michaels from open line moody radio: Romans 12:3 the phrase measure of faith is really debated. I think the best understanding of that phrase in Romans 12:3 is not so much that we are given an amount of faith though that is frequently understood that way. The idea is the word measure can actually mean an instrument that we can measure ourselves against and what we can measure ourselves against is faith, that is saving faith. We are all saved by grace through faith, then we are going to think accurately and humbly about ourselves. So if we see ourselves against the standard of saving faith, then I am no better than Rydelnik and Rydelnik is no better than me and we are no better than you are because we are saved by faith. Having said that, that's about saving faith but in Romans 14, we have another aspect of faith - our strongly held spiritual beliefs or opinions. In Romans 14:1, it says as to one who is weak in faith, welcome him but not to quarrel over his opinion. One person has faith that he may eat anything while the weak person eats only vegetable. So we have here people who are strong in their spiritual beliefs and others who are weaker and even others who are weak can grow strong as they become informed about what scripture says about the host of different issues. Their strength can grow and develop but that's a different aspect of faith than saving faith. I think God imparts to us the ability to have saving faith. I am not sure that that grows but our ongoing relationship with God based on our knowledge of the truth of the word, that can grow and that can deepen and become much stronger. Romans 12 3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. -kjv Romans 10 17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. -kjv Romans 14 1Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations. -kjv Above explanation given on moody radio openline on December 12, 2015.