What's the Difference Between Old Testament Holy War and Modern Jihad?

Can you explain the difference between Israel's conquests in the Bible and the Islamic Jihad today. That is one of the questions will be answering on today's addition of core Christianity will hi this is Bill Meyer along with Pastor Israel Sanchez and this is the radio program where we answer your questions about the Bible and the Christian life every day.

You can call us right now with your question. At 833 the core that's 1-833-843-2673 you can post your question on one of our social media sites you can watch a drill right now on YouTube live and message him that way. Of course you can always send us an email at questions@corechristianity.com first up today let's go to voicemail. We received earlier this week from one of our callers named William Lord blessed me loudly.

Boy he walked in the forest of Indiana trained me how to walk as an apostle taught me the protocols of the temple of my soul what to do in his presence what you never do in his presence. The question is why are there so few take churches that even if there are apostles in these days of the ones that teach that why so few of them will teach you how to walk in that calling. That's the question thank you William thank you for that question and there's a lot there first. What I would say is the word apostle in the New Testament is used a couple different ways and were talking about the apostles, the 12 there are no more apostles like that the church were told was built on the foundation of those apostles and the prophets. Paul talked about that in Ephesians chapter 2 verse 20 when Judas who was numbered among the apostles died when he turned away from Christ, committed apostasy that the beginning of the book of acts Peter talked about how he needed to be replaced in accordance with God's word. So they said, look, someone who was a witness of the resurrection of Jesus with us.

Past it has to serve in this office. In this capacity and and they chose someone there in acts chapter 1 but but the 12 were witnesses of the resurrection. They testified to that reality that was that was that the focus and they had this apostolic ministry. Now the word apostle just means that one who is sent out, and so is there a little a looser way of understanding, you know apostle not in the technical sense, will you, you do see that in the New Testament, although I think it's unhelpful to refer to ourselves today as apostles because it creates a lot of confusion when somebody says I'm an apostle. There there claiming that same kind of apostolic authority that was vested to the original 12 and that's something we don't have we don't have an apostolic ministry. If you were not apostles today we have the apostolic message William and that needs to be the focus.

The message of the apostle. The apostles that was handed down from Jesus to the 12 and then from the 12 to the church is that they planted as they proclaimed the word of God the that the gospel of God to the nations. That's the message that we hold and so one of the reasons I don't focus on you know apostles for today that if I did I just don't think that we have apostles in that sense today.

According to the Scripture annexing a lot of abuses in in places in Christian circles where an individual claim to have that kind of apostolic or prophetic authority, and they'll use it to coerce the people of God were to put rules on the people of God that God didn't intend for them to have. The question is not, are you a pop and apostle.

The question is do you teach the apostolic doctrine which focuses our eyes on Jesus Christ and on his gospel and that's what we need to get back to when you get back to the apostolic message the right teaching of the Scriptures, and that's what I would encourage you and William said thank you for forgiving us that: may the Lord bless you in his word. Your listing to core Christianity with Pastor Israel Sanchez would love to hear from you if you ever call a question about the Bible or the Christian life. Give us a buzz right now at 833.

The core let's go to Isabella calling in from Nashville, Tennessee Isabella what your question for Pastor Israel will since hey Isabella, thank you for that question and for giving us a call boy. There's so much there in the first two verses of the book of Genesis and I'm just thank you for reading that for us is in Emerson a comment a little bit on this, so this language of the earth being without form and void it. It's this picture of an uninhabitable wasteland it's used elsewhere actually in in the Scriptures. You see this in places like Isaiah, the picture that Moses who wrote the book of Genesis is giving us is is this this this image of this is no place for people to to be. It's the great nothingness the great void that God speaks into and creates all things and makes it inhabitable. The creating all things from nothing. This is one of the things we believe Isabella about about God is that God made the entire world from nothing and in which we read there also is is the text continues, the spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters and I think it seems like maybe there there some question here about chronology.

This could be referring to what was taking place a little bit later as well is I don't think that we necessarily need to see a contradiction here because it's very clear that God is the one who made all things, so there wasn't these these, that this material that was there before hand to this eternal matter or material. Whatever was what it was water or something else of God made everything from nothing, in the spirit of God was hovering over his creation, making it inhabitable so that mankind could be there and so I think maybe just understanding the chronology there little bit more loosely as is helpful, but the main take away for you and for me and for all of us as we read the early chapters of Genesis is that God is this a great creator.

King, who didn't need any help making anything.

He made everything from nothing, which demonstrates Isabella that he is all powerful and because he is all-powerful he is worthy of our worship. Thank you for giving us a call. God bless hey thanks Isabella so great to hear from our our younger listeners here at core Christianity, by the way.

It really was just thinking of all the things that God has created 901 of your favorite things is Carolina reapers peppers which he has created for your kitchen right yes yeah yeah Billy referring to the fact that one of the one of it when my friends are in the office brought me some Carolina reapers you know with gloves and in a in a special container so that nobody hurt themselves, and I just I just cooked them up yesterday and ground them into powder so I can put them on my pizza now how I may have things yes you got you and God created were talking about the goodness of creation here. God making all things. I don't think this is that there pot because of the fall. I think that there just there just to have gotten the gun so I think you're right.

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Israel and Bill, I am a Swedish listener and I just want to thank you so much for the show. It blesses me so much and helps me grow and understand the word of God better and I know it does for many others. When I hear the news about war and terror and devastating things happening in other countries where people are being slaughtered by terrorists, it sometimes leads me to think about the Old Testament passages where God ordered Israel to take over the land and sometimes kill the people who live there. Both men, women and children.

I have a hard time seeing that the killing, especially of children was something that God was behind Pastor Israel. Can you help me understand this. They will thank you so much for reaching out to us and after that email, you know that there are a few ways we need him to set up. Oftentimes I think when we when we look at the conquest narratives in the Old Testament we just sort of assume that Israel is coming in asked this terrible mighty army and just massacring all of these people on these poor helpless people that kind of the thing we we need to actually have a better understanding of what I think a more biblical understanding in terms of what the real picture was recently when I preached through Genesis chapter 15 were God essentially prophesied God revealed to Abraham what the children of Israel were going to experience for a long period of time and God said to him in Genesis chapter 15 verse 13 know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in the land that is not theirs and will be servants there and they will be afflicted for 400 years, but I will bring judgment on that and on the nation that they serve, and afterwards they shall come out with great possessions there, referring to the exit is that it Egypt. As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace and you shall be buried in a good old age, and they shall come back here that is here to the land of Canaan in the fourth generation for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete. Now that last phrase there is really important to to II think understanding the answer to your question God is essentially saying look, the Amorites are there that the people of Canaan are there in the land and there they're not, you know, defenseless, helpless, innocent there there really sinning against the Lord in very grievous ways they were sacrificing their own children of this language, the, the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet completed.

It demonstrates to us that the inhabitants of Canaan who were there, you know at the time of Joshua's conquest later after the 400 years of of captivity that that God's people were driving them out because of their great wickedness. Their great evil and God's people right. They weren't this mighty Imperial Army. They were slaves who had been battered for hundreds of years and so they're coming out in weakness. Driving out these these terrible nations and destroying what was actually once it's a picture of the final judgment of God's judgment coming here and now in the present because Canaan is this picture supposed to be a picture of Eden as you think about in the Old Testament what what Adam and Eve were called to do.

They were called to drive out the serpent of the false worship the idolatry. That's what Joshua is doing during the time of the conquest now also say there are some scholars who highlighted these cities. They probably weren't cities that were not primarily inhabited by families with women and children that these were sort of military strongholds and so that that the conquest there.

It really would've been a military fight work were not focusing so much on families in the death of children percent are others to save and even that language is just idiomatic.

It's it's a figure of of speech a way of speaking to highlight that this is a great and terrible destruction but but again we just have to understand that really were looking at these these servants of the Lord who have been battered for hundreds of years driving out the Canaanites who were who were really doing terrible, horrible things. This is very different than than what we see today. I'm tragically in places like Afghanistan going on right now in other parts of the world with acts of terror and you know that the persecution of believers and and just others as well. There's a helpful book that I want to recommend to you. It's called the skeletons in God's closet by Joshua Ryan Butler and he Pete really gets into this question. The question of the conquest and how do we make sense of it. I think it it's really helpful. One of the things actually that he says in in the book is. This isn't, but you know the week fighting on behalf of God. It's God himself fighting on behalf of the weak and oppressed his people really and so when we realize, that I think helps us to make much better sense of of the conquest narratives. This is core Christianity with pastor Israel Sanchez.

We love to hear from you. If you have a question about the Bible or the Christian life and we get some challenging ones here and they rules not afraid to take those here's the term here's a number to call is 833 the core that's 833. The core let's go to Mariah in Lincoln Illinois Mariah what your question for pastor.

Israel and encouragement in the market of the initial Bible and possibly a conditioning progressing will be easier understanding Mariah thank you for your question. And I know that this is one that a lot of people are really struggling with now. I've said on the broadcast before know that the Cova 19 vaccine is not the mark of the beast.

We read about the mark of the beast in Revelation chapter 13 it really is that the association with idolatrous worship with the antichrist turning away from the gospel. Turning away from Jesus and embracing sin and evil wickedness. This is not it's not the vaccine you can excellently take it, but your question is is a little bit different. It's well is this preparing people to receive the mark of the beast, and again I would say I don't I don't think so.

I think that I think that you actually are other things that are happening in the world today that are preparing people if you will to receive that more but I wouldn't say it's the vaccine I think if we go to first John chapter 4. Listen to what John said there Mariah and this is where we need to focus as we quiz we think about this kind of question is beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world by this you know the Spirit of God.

Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God.

This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world you know what John says there Mariah the spirit of the antichrist is been at work in the world ever since the days of the apostles and what is he trying to do is not try to get people to take a vaccine that's not his focusing a trend that you know that that's not the focus. The focus is taking our eyes off of Christ and who he really is denying that he came in the flesh and and denying what he came to do to make atonement for our sins and so caught up in all these other things that the question is do we have a right understanding of who Christ is who Jesus is the spirit of the antichrist is at work in the world today trying to take our eyes off of Jesus and to get us get out to fall headlong into sin into unbelief. Those are the things that we should be concerned about spiritually speaking is is breaking God's law. First and foremost, turning away from God's goodness rejecting God's gospel. That's what's leading people in the way of the antichrist and that's where we as believers more than anything. Need to make a stand.

Thank you for your question. Great response great counsel on that as you said a lot of people calling in with that question. Real concerns about the vaccine. What is it mean, what's the biblical ramifications are there any this is core Christianity with pastor Israel Sanchez and we'd love to hear from you.

If you have a question about the Bible or your Christian life or your church. And here's the number again 833.

The core let's go to Mark and St. Louis Missouri. Mark what your question about how you read all believe I can say the word Tory. I got much less binding and how you look that bad of God see someone lament what you look at her cleavage is, but I can't do that right order. What do you believe :-), which I don't have to keep going back and got Julie and Pete and Mark. God bless you brother and I want to pray for you and I want to give you hope in your own flesh right.

We know pulses in our flesh. No good thing dwells in and of ourselves we can't conquer lust.

You can't conquer lust but here's your hope God in heaven is for you.

The will of God is your sanctification that you would abstain from sexual immorality. And so if God is for you who can be against you, and I think you have to get to know that you have to have confidence dared that God is for you so that when you pray Lord lead me not into temptation but deliver me from evil. You know that this is something God is going to do housing to do it by the grace of his Holy Spirit have that confidence brother that is not in you, but no confidence in the flesh, your confidence has to be in the Lord in what Christ is done, and forgiving your sins and giving you a new identity through faith and through baptism and then walking in light of that new identity relying on the Holy Spirit. So then, brothers Paul says in Romans chapter 8 verse 12 we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh proof we live according to the flesh, we will die. But if by the spirit that is the Holy Spirit not your own spirit but by the Holy Spirit. You put to death the deeds of the body, you will live for all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. And so I would just say to you, Mark one.

Don't align yourself get the help that you need accountability and that's that look like confessing sin that looks like it. It depending on what the issue is getting proper accountability. That's what you need the church. You need a local church and and rely primarily on the grace of the Holy Spirit be filled with the Holy Spirit will how you do that is not a magic trick it's meditating upon the word of Christ is the word of Christ dwells in you richly, we are filled with the spirit of God draw near to God in prayer but it is a battle and it's going to be a battle you're going to face, and this is why Jesus commanded us to pray every day. Lead us not into temptation that's in a be the cry every day and and my encouragement to you is don't give up and don't give up hope because the Lord is for you and you know if God is for you that when you cry out to him for forgiveness and for growth and holiness that he hears that prayer and he answers that prayer and I want to pray that prayer for you right now brother so let's pray for Mark and for everyone who's was wrestling with this in particular God.

We know how serious your word takes sin and we know based on the words of our Lord Jesus, that that is not just what we do in of the actions we commit were thinking about something like lust, but even in our own hearts. Jesus, you said to to look at someone with a lustful intent is already to commit adultery. So we come before you, Lord, we we lift our brother Mark up to you. We pray as you've taught us to pray, lead our brother, not into temptation, deliver him from evil fill him with your spirit so that by the grace of the spirit he might put to death that that battle with lust and walk in a manner that is honoring to you and respectful honoring to the people around him, Lord, not treating them as as objects, not seeing them as objects for lust, but as image bearers God worthy of dignity and respect.

And so be with our brother and be with all those Lord who struggle with this. We call upon you asking for your mercy to be poured out in Jesus name, amen, amen.

Thanks much for your your: we appreciated this is core Christianity with pastor Israel Sanchez before we go. Today we want to remind you that we have a wonderful group of people who support this program that called out there called our inner core and would like to invite you to become a member of the inner core and Pedro has some special resources that we will send you if your joint that the inner core brothers and sisters you been blessed by core Christianity. Would you joint to monthly to donation of $25 or more and it helps us to continue to get the word out. You can find out more on our website. And hey, I just wanted also mentioned were to be on the line for another half hour recording it an extra episode today so if you want to give us a call that you have another half hour to give us a call and please reach out to us. God bless. Thanks for listening core Christianity to request your copy of today's special offer. Visit us at core, Christianity.com and click on offers in the menu bar or call us at 1-833-843-2673.

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