More Thoughts on the Biblical/Jewish Calendar, Repentance and Forgiveness, and Islam

Hey friends, we won't be taking calls today. Sit back and enjoy this pre-recorded show. Do you know the meaning of Tashlich and Achet and Kolnidre? You're about to find out right here. It's time for the line of fire with your host, activist, author, international speaker, and theologian, Dr.

Michael Brown, your voice of moral, cultural, and spiritual revolution. Michael Brown is the director of the Coalition of Conscience and president of Fire School of Ministry. Get into the line of fire now by calling 866-34-TRUT. That's 866-34-TRUTH. Here again is Dr.

Michael Brown. While the Muslim world, much of the Muslim world continues to be incensed with America, while turmoil and unrest rises around the world, while Iran continues to threaten Israel, and Israel potentially prepares a military response. It's a sacred time on the Jewish calendar. We're going to talk about it today. On the line of fire.

Michael Brown, thank you for joining us 866-34TRUTH, 866-348-7884. My website, askdrbrown.org. You can always weigh in with comments on the line of fire link.

So go to askdrbrown.org, click on the line of fire. In the lead-in to the program, I mentioned some Hebrew terms, Tashlich and Alchet and Kol Nidre. I'll explain those to you over the course of this broadcast. They are all Hebrew terms. They have to do with ceremonies that take place, prayers, pronouncements that are made at this time of the year on the Jewish calendar.

And we are on a number of stations across America. We are not on all over America. But a total of 200-something stations across America, some that just air on the weekend, the key ones that are airing live through the week. And when we chose cities to be on initially, by God's grace, we'll continue to expand into more and more cities until we're able to blanket America with this broadcast on radio. When we chose certain cities, we chose them for different reasons.

But one thing that was on my list was to have a potentially large Jewish listening audience. Audience.

So for all of my Jewish friends listening, for Jewish followers of Jesus. For counter-missionaries who oppose Jewish faith in Jesus, for secular Jewish listeners, for religious Jews that are listening secretly right now for fear of anyone knowing you're listening or listening not live but later on by podcast, I welcome you to the broadcast and I want to speak to you candidly about the issue of sin. And repentance and forgiveness, and the question of what it takes for us to be in the right relationship with God.

Now, for anyone listening. whether you're Jewish or Gentile, whether you're a follower of Jesus or a denier of Jesus as Messiah, you're welcome to call me with your questions, with your comments. Jewish-related questions are wonderful of any kind.

So if you're a Christian with Jewish-related questions, 866-34TRUTH, 866-348-7884. And let me say this to all of my Jesus-believing friends who are listening, whether you are Jew or Gentile. If you're a student of Scripture, You know that throughout the Bible, and what Christians call the Old Testament and the New Testament, Israel is a very important subject. You know that throughout the scriptures, this is something of great concern. It does not go away with the New Testament.

Israel does not vanish in the New Testament. In fact, the promises to Israel are renewed and reinforced. And yes, it is true that the majority of Jewish people worldwide do not believe that Jesus Yeshua is the Messiah. But the New Testament makes plain that this rejection will not be permanent and that there will ultimately be a turning. There will be a turning of the Jewish people back to Messiah.

My concern right now, though, is for everyone listening, for this current generation of Jews. I don't know when Jesus Yeshua will return. I don't know at what point there will be a massive turning of my people back to Messiah, say my people as a Jew, for those who don't know me. And this turning we know will happen at the end of the age and will usher in the Messiah's return. I'm concerned right now about everyone listening.

Are you right with God? Are your sins forgiven? Do you know if you were to die right now, you would go into his presence? Is his smile on your life now? Back with a whole lot more.

You don't want to miss it today. We paint the world fire we want, oh fire we Please stand to the fire. It's the line of fire with your host, Dr. Michael Brown. Get into the line of fire now by calling 866-34 TRUTH.

Here again is Dr. Michael Brown. Yes, if you have a Jewish-related question, that number to call 866-342. 3487884. I will get to your calls in a little while.

I just want you to hear some music that plays out a wonderful theme from the New Testament. It's from my friend Mark Chapinski's new CD, Straight from Israel, called Israel's Hope, Messianic Praise and Worship. And it's the second. Second song on on his C D with 14 songs. Many of you would recognize Mark's voice from his vocal work with Israel's Hope.

Together with Paul Wilber and Renee Blanc in years past, I just want you to hear these words sung: Romans 11:26, all Israel shall be saved. I believe through perfect faith that all your people will be saved their soul is dry Oh yeah. Destroy it, all Israel shall see. All his triumph shall be sing. I mean it's right.

Shall we say it? Always right, always right, always right, shan't see. Holy strian. Yeah, come on. And then it's sung in Hebrew, as you just heard that fading out.

If you don't have this yet, $15 postage paid for the CD, call 1-800-278-9978. 1-800-278-9-8-7-8-7-8-8. 278-9978. Trust me, you will not be. disappointed.

All right. Yeah, I was I was tapping my toes to that, smiling, listening, but the bigger thing is that wonderful theme of rejoicing. Quick review, the biblical calendar. begins with Passover, which is comes in March, April. Month of Nissan.

Uh Passover. 14th day of the first month. And then within that first fruits, so it's Passover unleavened bread within that first fruits. 50 days later, Pentecost Shavuot, Feast of Weeks, a break of almost four months, roughly four months. And then, first day of the seventh month, Yom Truah, the day of the sounding of the trumpet, the shofar blast.

10 days later, Yom Kippur, Day of Atonement. Five days after that, a week-long festival with an extra day that's mentioned in the New Testament, Sukkot Tabernacles.

Now, For traditional Jew Yom Truah, which we see as ultimately not just a wake-up call and call for repentance, but the sounding of the shofar speaking of Yeshua's return. Yom Trua has become Rosh Hashanah. In the biblical, in the Jewish mind. In fact, one of my friends in Israel, Ron Cantor, who's been a guest many times on the show, went around asking Israelis in Hebrew: hey, do you know what Yom Truah? He said, never heard of it.

They knew Rosh Hashanah, but they never heard of Yom Truah. This concept is not well known in Jewish tradition, excuse me, in contemporary Judaism. What is well known is Rosh Hashanah. This has become the traditional Jewish New Year. And the sounding of the shofar is a wake-up call.

It is a wake-up call of repentance. Maimonides wrote about this, how when you hear that trumpet blast, that shofar blast, it stirs your heart to repent, to wake up from slumber, to wake up from sin. And even the most religious Jews in the world give extra time to repentance and introspection. In fact, I would say the more religious the Jewish person is, the more seriously they take sin at this time of the year, because they always take sin seriously. They relate to God in a way that's based on keeping commandments and seeking to please him by a life of obedience, and therefore they're acutely aware of sin and falling short.

And there can be self-righteousness in Judaism just like there can be in any faith or among non-believers as well. But traditional Jews especially are searching their hearts and repenting and looking for areas where they may have fallen short or where there's something that's not right with another individual and are repenting before God leading up to Yom Kippur, which will begin the eve of this next Tuesday. Which also corresponds with my mom's 90th birthday. If you're listening, mom, the family is getting ready to travel up and see you at this amazing time in your life.

Now, One of the the ceremonies that takes place during this season is called Tashlich. Tashlich in Hebrew is literally you will cast. You will cast. It's it's done the first afternoon. of Rosha Shana.

Alright, so the Jewish New Year, or the second day, if the first day falls on the Sabbath, it's after the afternoon service called the Mincha service. And what you do is you visit a river. seashore, some other place where water is found. You recite verses from Scripture concerning repentance and forgiveness of sins. And one of the key verses is Micah 7.14.

That says that God will again have compassion on us, He'll subdue our iniquities. And then it says, You, it switches from He to you. You will cast all their sins, Tashlich, you will cast all their sins into the depths. of the sea. We don't know exactly when the custom originated.

Apparently, late Middle Ages, that's what many Jewish scholars believe. We don't know exactly how it came about. In other words, were there other customs that related to this, folk customs that were then taken over as traditional way? There are Additions to this.

Some Jews of a more mystical bent will add things to it. But you'll often see religious Jews. By the side of a body of water, if you live in a community like that, and they are. throwing symbolically their sins into the sea. And then searching our hearts, repenting in what are called Yamim Nora'im, the days of awe, a 10-day period from Rosh Hashanah or Yom Tru'a to Yom Kippur, the day of atonement.

10 often symbolizes testing in Scripture. And then during this time, Hoping, praying, seeking to have their good deeds outweigh their bad deeds, go in the direction of righteousness. then the hope is, come Yom Kippur, that God will accept them and write their name in the book of life for another year. I was talking to a religious Jewish man one time. Again, if you've got a Jewish-related question, 866-34TRUTH, 866-3487-884, with any Jewish-related questions you have, or if you want to challenge me on any points that I'm making about Jesus Yeshua.

But I was talking to an ultra-Orthodox Jewish man in Brooklyn one time. not that long after Yom Kippur.

Now Five days following Yom Kippur is Sukkot Tabernacles, which is a time of great celebration, which is a time of rejoicing in the Jewish community, which would. Say, we have been forgiven of our sins, God has accepted us, we are rejoicing. But I asked this man Are you sure that you have been forgiven? Are you sure that your sins have been forgiven? that your repentance has been accepted.

And he gave me a very honest answer. He said, I don't know yet.

Well, why not? Didn't you ask God for forgiveness? Didn't you pray for mercy? Didn't you say, God, forgive me for my sins? Didn't you confess your sins?

We'll talk about that in a little while. What's called the Achet, which is a confession over this sin and this sin and this sin, which is what Achet means concerning this sin and for this sin. And I said, Didn't you pray for forgiveness? I forget the exact conversation. What stood out in my mind was this.

He said, I don't know if my repentance was sincere yet.

Well, what do you mean you don't know? Did you feel sorry for your sins? Did you beat your breast at certain times, symbolically, touch your fist to your chest? you know, contrition. Didn't you confess all these sins and turn away from them?

I mean, this is what I'm wondering as we're talking. But what he was saying was this. I don't know. if my repentance was sincere enough yet, because I haven't lived it out long enough. In other words, there's a Talmudic principle.

Talk about a man with with lustful intents sinful intense towards another woman. that you know the repentance is sincere. When it's the same woman, Same time, same place. In other words, you've got the same opportunity to sin the way you did the past time, but this time you don't. That's how you know your repentance is sincere.

Can I ask you? Is there any one whose repentance is deep enough and sincere enough to keep you utterly sin free, for the rest of the year. let alone the rest of your life. Can I ask you honestly, if you've truly repented in one area, Isn't there another and another and another that has come up? that you're aware of.

And that where you do have a change in one area, perhaps there is some spiritual pride there. There was a traveler I read about many years ago staying at an inn in England and he noticed that the floor was filthy. And he went to clean the floor. and he went to dust it off and to his shock the more he did the dirtier it got. It was a dirt floor.

That's how it is trying to cleanse our hearts without God's supernatural forgiveness, which comes to us through the Messiah. He can enable you to experience a deeper repentance, but beyond that, He can wipe your sins away in a moment of time and give you a brand new heart where you know that you know that you know you are free. I offer you eternal life, forgiveness of sins, a brand new start, a greater repentance through Jesus Yeshua, the Messiah. Back with your calls. It's the line of fire with your host, Dr.

Michael Brown, your voice of moral, cultural, and spiritual revolution. Here again is Dr. Michael Brown. Thanks for joining me today on the line of fire. Michael Brown, delighted to be with you.

Hey, listen, after the broadcast today, After my workout. Shower, then it's time to head to the airport to fly into New York, that's right. Tomorrow morning, speaking at a pastor's gathering that will take place in Valley Stream, God willing. And then Sunday, all day Sunday, ministering at Bethlehem Assembly of God. The morning service is 8:30, 10:30, 12:30.

Night service with open QA, 6 in the evening, tackling some of the difficult questions of the faith.

So please, everyone listening on WMCA, WLIX, and online in the greater New York area, please join me on Sunday for one of those four meetings. And if you have an opportunity to meet me face to face, do so. I'm hoping also to be signing copies of the Real Kosher Jesus book. Yes, Joey, I was about to email you live from New York with my special traveling equipment.

So I'll be broadcasting live with my special Comrex equipment. Joey, I was about to email you.

Sorry. about that. Our engineers should know that info, don't you think? 866-34TRUTH, 866-348-78. Oh, Joey, I got more info for letting you know.

Trust me, there's more to the story. All right, let me go to the phones here. Jim in Centerville, Virginia, thanks for calling the line of fire. Hey, doctor Brown. Thank you so much for taking my call.

Yes, sir. Can you hear me? Yes, I can. I have a cultural question in the Old Testament and the significance of. of um dreams uh i I was reading in uh Joseph And how he shared dreams that he had with his brothers, which caused him to be hated by them.

And I'm just wondering, what isn't that significant in that culture to share those? And wasn't he supposed to? Or was that something because of the birth order? that he should not have shared that with his family and and I'm just wondering you know the the turmoil that it caused and what culturally was behind that. Yeah, it's one of those things you can really read through our contemporary lens as well.

What I mean is this. Having a dream was important in that culture then, and if someone today really felt God gave them a dream in religious believing circles, that would have meaning. But certainly back then, receiving a dream like that would have more prophetic meaning and more significance, and people might more readily say, Wow, God gave me a dream and feel it's significant. But As one of my friends many years ago said, that Joseph at 17 had the anointing, but he didn't have the wisdom.

So yeah, it's common sense reading it that if you're going to tell your brothers how they're all going to bow down to you and your mother and father are all going to bow down to you one day and you'll be at the highest place and they'll be humbling themselves in front of you, that's just. That's just outlandish. That would be something absolutely not done. And especially in that culture where you would honor the elders and where a child would be much more submissive to a parent, that to have a dream like that would be to go too far.

Now, for Joseph to say, Dad. I had a dream. For Joseph to go to Jacob and say, Dad, I had a dream. and I don't know what to make of it. But can I share it with you?

Oh. That's that's one thing However, to share it with his brothers and to announce it, that was foolishness, and of course that cost him dearly. But in the providence of God, the price that he paid for his foolishness ultimately brought him to a place of greater maturity where he could be used by God to save his people and to save many others. Pretty much common sense reading. Dreams were important, but he was lacking wisdom and sharing them the way he did.

Great, thank you. I thought maybe that's what it was, but we had a lengthy discussion and some just figured it was his confidence and because he was loved so much that, you know, He could share it freely and it was it wasn't a big deal, but I kind of thought that Yeah. No, maybe it was a little bit of pride on his part or just pride. Yeah, or probably pride, but at the very least, lack of wisdom. And look, just think of you going to your, you work for a Christian company, you know.

And you go in to talk to your boss, you're an employee there, and you go in to talk to your boss, and you say, Sir, I just got to share this with you. The Lord gave me a prophetic word, and He confirmed it with a dream that one day I am going to be at the head of this company, and you're going to be taking orders from me, sir. Obviously, you got to be a jerk to share that like that.

So that's what happened. And again, it's self-evident, but all the more. in that culture. All right, Jim, thanks for the call. Thank you, Dr.

Brown. God bless. 866-34TRUTH, because it is Thorley Jewish Thursday, we do take your Jewish-related calls. And just very quick, I'll get into this more later in the broadcast. The the call Nidre ceremony is at the beginning of the Yom Kippur service and it's considered to be a very sacred and important time and it is one in which all vows that have been made are renounced.

You say, what? That's just make any promise you want, make a business arrangement, make a commitment, and then void it out. No, no, no. It had to do with the times of Crusades and Inquisitions. When Jews were given the choice of baptism or death, or renouncing Jewishness or death, if they were already professing Christians and Some tragically capitulated.

You say, why tragically?

Well, they weren't becoming followers of Jesus. They were becoming followers of a religion that was ready to kill them. In Jesus' name. That's not the true gospel.

So some of them capitulated under fear of death or not wanting their family members to be tortured or die, but they secretly continued to try to live as Jews.

Now ultimately the great thing would have been if they could have known the Jewish Messiah Jesus, but that's not something they were being presented with. And at this time of the year, when they came to ask forgiveness, they asked for release from vows. That's how this began. and then played out to other vows that may have been made rashly or unwisely. And then I'll hit.

A prayer where ten times I believe it's recited over the course of the Yom Kippur service, so before the beginning of Yom Kippur. formally and then uh as it ends. 10 times repeat it where you confess a tremendous amount of sins. On your behalf and behalf of the community of Israel asking for forgiveness, I want to say again the forgiveness that we long for and look for is found in Jesus Yeshua. And I live with a clean conscience, assurance of forgiveness 24-7.

And wherever I fall short, I'm quick to repent, have my feet washed, so to say, but I've already been cleaned. from head to toe. Last week. We gave a special resource offer that got such an overwhelming response. I want to do it again today.

It's my book. 60 questions Christians ask about Jewish beliefs. and practices. It answers tons of questions you've asked with in-depth, informative, interesting answers. One of the most practical, enjoyable books I ever wrote.

And what we've done, just for a few dollars extra, we've added in. Uh the the D V D Two hours of my debate with Rabbi Shmueli, moderated by Sid Roth, who's the real coach for Jesus. Actually, we're giving you that for free. $20 postage paid when you get the book, you get the DVD for free. But call it, take advantage of this.

$1-800. 278-9978. 1-800. 278. 9978, and then remind me, remind you to join me live in New York tomorrow on the air.

Hey friends, we won't be taking calls today. Sit back and enjoy this pre-recorded show. It's the line of fire with your host, activist, author, international speaker, and theologian Dr. Michael Brown. Your voice of moral, cultural, and spiritual revolution.

Get into the line of fire now by calling 866-34TRU. Here again is Dr. Michael Brown. Thanks for joining us. 8663.

Four, eight. 7884. Your Jewish-related questions. I'm happy to take on this. Thoroughly Jewish Thursday.

Oh, have you heard the latest from Iran? Let's see here. Ahmedinejad. I am confident that Zionists are goners. and the world will be freed from their existence.

And justice will be established. This was said less than a week ago. the Vice President of Iran. Quote, nuclear weapons in the hands of the Zionist regime pose a threat to international peace and security. I'm sorry, this was Ir Iranian nuclear energy chief Fere Faradun Abbasi Devani.

Oh, he also serves as Iran's vice president. He denied allegations that Iran was pursuing a nuclear bomb. Quote, to liberate Palestine from the conquering Zionists, there is not need for nuclear weapons. The solution is democracy and the holding of a referendum among the original inhabitants. of Palestine.

Boy, that sounds like a little softer comment than I am confident that Zionists are goners and the world will be freed from their existence and justice will be. Established. Eight six six three To your Jewish-related calls. Brenda in Severn, Maryland. Thanks for calling the line of fire.

Thank you for having me. I have a question regarding Yahweh. I notice many of the rabbis that are Chris that are Messianic use Yahweh. It's not God's name, that name is not listed in the Old Testament. Where does it come from?

Where do you find it? Oh, it is. It's in the Old Testament over 6,000 times. Y'all already know. Yes, and it's a little bit.

Yeah, in in Hebrew. In Hebrew. Yahweh occurs more than 6,000 times. It is the primary way that the God of Israel is identified.

Now, what happened is the name was considered too sacred to pronounce by The Jewish people over the centuries.

So ultra-Orthodox Jews will say Hashem, which just means the name. And then uh Normally, when it's being read liturgically, you would say Adonai, which means Lord. And the Jewish scribes took the vowels from Adonai. And put that with the consonants of Yahweh, which was just a scribal technique, to say when you see this word, don't say Yahweh, say instead Adonai. And medieval Christian scholars didn't understand what the Jewish scribes had done, and they thought that this composite of the consonants, Consonants of Yahweh with the vowels of Adonai was the actual word, and they came up with Yehovah, which comes into English as Jehovah.

But there's no such name as Jehovah. God's not offended if we use that name. There's no such name as Jehovah or Yehovah. He was never called by that name, but rather Yahweh, from everything we understand, is the best pronunciation of the name of the God of Israel. And then following the custom of saying Lord, Instead of Yahweh, you'll see in almost all English translations, thousands of times in the Old Testament, capital L and then small caps O R D.

When you see that, so it's got all caps, capital L, then small caps O R D, that means that the original Hebrew says Yahweh. Oh, okay. And also, could you answer one more question if possible? I'll give it a shot. I heard on one of the programs, not yours, but that in the temple there were forty-two I think 42 treasure boxes.

that the priests would fill up with treasures. Do you know anything about that? Honestly, no, I don't. If it exists, I believe it exists more as a... made up tradition.

So I'll see if I can find out where it comes from, but no, no, no scriptural. support for that at all. Hey Brenda, thank you for the calls. Appreciate it. Back with more calls, back with more information about these sacred days on the calendar.

Change the world. It's the line of fire with your host, Dr. Michael Brown. Get into the line of fire now by calling 866-34TRUTH. Here again is Dr.

Michael Brown. Thanks, friends, for... Joining us today on this Thirdly Jewish Thursday on the line of fire, 866-34TRUTH, 866-348-7884. Before I go to the phones, I want to appeal to all of my Christian friends, all of my Messianic Jewish friends, all of you who are followers of Jesus Yeshua, to be praying for the lost sheep of the house of Israel at this sacred and important time of the year on the biblical calendar, and in a sense, even more so on the traditional Jewish calendar, which adds in numerous things about this time of the year. Let me talk to you for a moment about Kol Nidre, 86634Truth, number to call with your Jewish-related questions.

Kol Nidre, which means all vows. And it comes from Hebrew-Aramaic texts ultimately. As Rabbi Louis Jacobs explained, for many Jews, the essence of the Yom Kippur service takes place at the very beginning of the holiday, at the evening service that ushers in Yom Kippur. It is called Kolnidre, the name derived from the first major piece of the Yom Kippur prayers dramatically chanted at the evening service. All the Torahs are taken out, the entire congregation stands, and the Cantor chants this formula three times.

While most people think that Kholnidre is a prayer, it's actually a legal formula as described. And what follows, so all vows, the opening words of the declaration largely in Aramaic, at the beginning of the evening service on Yom Kippur, in which all vows that will be uttered in the coming year are declared null and void. When I mentioned vows that had taken place in the previous year, so this is actually said in terms of what follows, what comes in the succeeding year. And the declaration applies only to religious vows and has no effect on oaths taken in a court of law. If a person makes a vow, say to deny himself wine for a certain period, perhaps as a penance, he must keep his promise, which is thought of as a promise to God, but this applies only if the vow is uttered with full intent.

So. Rabbi Jacobs explains that because it was falsely assumed that call Nidre does apply to oaths taken in the court, Jews were suspected of unreliability in this matter and in a number of countries the infamous More Judaica, a special humiliating form of oath, was introduced when a Jew had to swear in court. Um There has been some dispute at times over the call Nidre Val within Judaism. Yet, it's still recited in the majority of congregations, the night of Yom Kippur being referred to as Kol Nidre Night. There's no doubt Rabbi Jacob says that it is the famous traditional melody with its note of remorse, contrition, hope, and triumph that has saved the Kol Nidre.

The usual practice is for the reader to chant the formula three times, raising his voice each time. An interpretation given to the Kol Nidre is that the congregation declares by implication at the beginning of Yom Kippur, see, O Lord, what miserable sinners we are. We make promises to live better lives each year and yet always fall short of keeping them. Therefore, help us, O Lord, and pardon us for our shortcomings.

So again, if the history of this, if the origin of this was that it was a way to release Jews from vows they had made or vows they were going to make under duress to convert to an apostate Christianity or perhaps under pressure from Islam and other parts of the world could be extended there theoretically. it ultimately becomes something deeper. which Rabbi Jacob says is saying in advance. See, O Lord, what miserable sinners we are. We make promises to live better lives each year and yet always fall far short of keeping them.

Therefore, help us, O Lord, and pardon us for our shortcomings.

Mm-hmm. Yes, a recognition that we're not going to live up to even what we resolve. A recognition of our failings and our need for mercy. I want to declare that God's mercy has been given freely through Jesus the Messiah. who takes our sins and our guilt on his own shoulders.

so that we being dead to sin should live to righteousness. For those listening who know Hebrew, and if it's one of you or 10,000 of you, This is for you. Isaiah fifty three six Culanu katson ta'inu. All of us like sheep have gone astray. Ishle darko paninu, Each one is turned to his own way.

But the Lord has laid upon him The iniquity of All of us. Who is it upon whom the iniquity has been laid? The perfectly righteous Israelite, the remnant of one. Yeshua the Messiah. When we turn to God through Him in faith and repentance, our sins are utterly forgiven, the sentence of condemnation is lifted off of us, and we live free.

free and clear. with obedient hearts before God, not with a license to sin, but with a license to please God with a clean Conscience. 866-34TRUTH. Beverly and Bayshore on Long Island. Thanks for calling the line of fire.

Yes, Michael. I would like to um bring this or asked this question. In Romans eleven, 25 through 36, but I'm just going to read the 25 and 26. Concerning the Jewish people.

Okay. For I would not, brethren, this is what Paul is saying, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceit. that blindness in part It happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved. as it is written.

there shall come out of Sion the deliverer, and she'll turn away ungodliness from Jacob.

So You know, the ministers, I don't see them bringing these chapters up. You know, where the Gentiles could really understand that whatever happened with the Jewish people was in part. to, you know, bring to save the Gentiles. People who do teach on this and speak about it, but not a fraction of what should be, Beverly. I heard from a friend of mine, the late Dwight Pryor, who taught a lot about Jewish roots, that he had a pastor friend who every few years would preach through the book of Romans.

But the pastor friend told him that he skipped Romans 9 through 11, which is Paul's whole section about Israel, because it wasn't relevant. For today, right.

Now, here's what's so important. If we want to understand God's faithfulness, if he made promises to Israel and then doesn't keep them even when Israel fails, we can wonder if he'll keep his promises to the church when the church fails.

So it's relevant in that respect. It's also relevant because the Gentile believers have a historic debt to the people of Israel because the Messiah and the prophets and the apostles came through them. And Paul warns against arrogance in Romans 11, saying to the Gentile believers, Israel has not fallen beyond recovery. Don't think, hey, God's through with them. We're the new kids on the block and God's through with them.

Paul warns against that. That's the very attitude that gave place to a wrong-spirited replacement theology that opened the door to anti-Semitism in church history. And then it's important because beginning in the 11th chapter, about the 12th verse, Paul explains how through Israel's rejection of Messiah, mercy has now come to the Gentiles. and it's up to the Gentile believers to provoke Israel to envy. And that through doing that, Israel's salvation will literally be life from the dead.

And Paul's whole point in verse 25 is to say, don't be arrogant. I don't want you to be ignorant, lest you become arrogant. The hardness is in part. In other words, it's not for the whole nation. There's always a remnant that believes.

And it's not for all times. There will be a turning of Israel and the Jewish people at the end of the age. I encourage every pastor, every teacher, every leader, at least annually, to teach and preach on these things that were so important to Paul that he ultimately devoted, in our numbering now, three whole chapters of Romans to deal with these truths. And it's to have God's full heart. And as that takes place, then we can see the fullness of God among Jewish and Gentile believers.

So, Beverly, thanks for reading those verses at this time of the year. And I wish every Christian would go to Romans and read the entire thing. themselves. Yes. Amen.

You know, let's remember that Paul had not been to Rome yet, and he wrote Romans because he was. He was planning on going to Rome, knew that God would bring him there, and he wanted them to understand doctrinal foundations before he got there.

So he lays out from the first half, the second half of the first chapter through the end of the third chapter, how all of us have fallen short. Jew and Gentile alike are sinners needing mercy in God's sight. Then in chapters 4 and 5, he lays out justification by faith, the glorious truth of the gospel. Then in 6, 7, and 8, he deals with overcoming sin, the battle with sin, overcoming sin, life in the Spirit. And then 9, 10, 11, what happened to Israel, the mystery of Israel.

In other words, this is a foundational part of the gospel. And then 12 through 16, practical application of those truths.

So one of my friends, a colleague here at Fire School of Ministry, Bob Gladstone, has often said, if you don't understand Israel, You don't understand Paul's gospel. Hey, got to Rome, we got to break, but thank you for the call, Beverly. Hey, God bless. God bless you. All right, James in San Diego, I like your question and I want to get to it.

All right, so stay with us on the other side of the break. A fascinating question from James. Oh yeah, you ever heard of the scapegoat? Where does that come from? And more about Yom Kippur Day of Atonement Services.

It's the line of fire with your host, Dr. Michael Brown, your voice of moral, cultural, and spiritual revolution. Here again is Dr. Michael Brown. Thanks friends for joining us on the line of fire 866.

Four truth 866-348-7885. Let me Let me just very quickly mention that traditional Jews pray a prayer called Alchet. which is confession of sins. It said it said ten times in the course of the Yom Kippur services.

So from right before Yom Kippur Day of Atonement to right before sunset on Yom Kippur Eve, twice each During following services, and it's prayed as we. Not just on. As traditional Jewish prayers are, for the sin which we've committed before you under duress or willingly, and for the sin which we've committed before you by hard-heartedness, for the sin which we've committed before you inadvertently, for the sin which we've committed before you with an utterance of the lips, for the sin which we've committed before you with immorality, for the sin which we've committed before you openly or secretly, it's prayed. over and uh it's it's a long list of sins. It would take me quite a while to read them all.

And uh for the sins for which we incurred the penalty of the four forms of capital punishment executed by the courts, stoning, burning, decapitation, and strangulation. Asking for forgiveness. You are the pardoner of Israel and the forgiver of the tribes of Yeshua and in every generation. Aside from you, we have no king who forgives and Pardons These prayers are sincere. These prayers are often prayed passionately, sometimes just by rote and hypocritically, like any person can do in any religion.

But. But Mm-hmm. They are prayed sincerely by many traditional Jews, and yet it will not bring forgiveness. It will not bring true cleansing of the heart and conscience without the blood of Messiah who has paid for our sins. That's why God established the whole sacrificial system to teach us.

the meaning. of atonement and substitution. A couple calls I want to get to before we're out of time here.

So James in San Diego, thanks for calling the line of fire. Yes, doctor Brown. First things first. I'm sure many of your supporters, including me, would like you to give your love to your mother when you visit her. coming from your radio audience.

I will do that, James. Thank you. That that will be so meaningful to her. I will absolutely do that. And and mom, if you're listening now, you're hearing it right from our listeners.

They love you. Having never. Many of us as youth were kind of uh I think uh under the influence of Azizel. Ah, okay. And uh and I I considered myself demon possessed when I was a kid.

And therefore, the subject of Azazel and everything, I think. can be Maybe given from a Jewish perspective, and you might want to. Take it from there.

Okay, so what James is talking about in Leviticus, the 16th chapter, there were two principal goats that were involved in the Yom Kippur Day of Atonement ceremony. One of them had its blood shed, and that blood had to do with making atonement, cleansing, purging because of Israel's sins and transgressions. The other one was called the goat for Azazel. What is that? What is the meaning of that?

That was the goat upon which the high priest would lay his hands and confess the sins of the nation. And then that goat would be sent out into the wilderness, symbolically carrying those sins.

Now, in later Judaism, the goat was actually pushed off a cliff, and the goat would have a scarlet thread around its horn. And the hope would be that before it was pushed off the cliff to die, that that scarlet thread would turn white, symbolizing Isaiah 1:18, though your sins be as scarlet, they'll be made as white as snow. There was also a scarlet thread that would be tied to the temple door, and if that turned white, then the people would have confidence that sins were forgiven. These were customs of the second temple that existed in Jesus' day, from what we can surmise.

Now, we don't know for sure what Azizel stands for.

Some say that it's the name of a demon in the wilderness, and this goat was sent out to the demon in the wilderness. And the question would be, what, are you propitiating a demon in the wilderness? Is that the purpose of it? Others would simply say it was sent out to that demonic, dark place, and that's where the sins were carried. Ultimately, the name scapegoat has come up, speaking of the goat that escaped, as if it was Az Azal, something like that, a goat that escaped, if that meaning could be derived from Hebrew or Semitic languages.

So ultimately, we don't know 100% what Azazel meant. The idea that it was just a demon is. Possible but questionable. Certainly, it was not a goat that was given to demons. Was it the goat that escaped?

Those are good questions. What we know for sure, though, is that this goat symbolically carried the sins of the people. Away and those two goats symbolize what Jesus Yeshua does on the cross. He dies for our sins, sheds His blood to cleanse us and bring atonement to us, and then. And then carries our sins away, He also stands for the high priest who makes intercession.

Yes, all those things are rolled up in who Jesus Yeshua is, what he does. James, thanks for the call. And the kind words. Hey, Sarah, I want to talk to you right on the other side of the break. In fact, our dear Jewish friend Sarah from Brooklyn, Orthodox Jewish woman who, on her 88th birthday, the end of July of this year, had a revelation of Jesus Yeshua, the Messiah.

When I talk to you, Sarah, it reminds me of talking to my. Mom, who's 89 and about to turn 90, so I want to make sure we have adequate time to chat.

Somebody like, I want to hear from Sarah. Yeah, but we've got a break coming up.

So keep listening online. You can listen to the call. That's the beauty of the broadcast. If you lose us on your local radio station, just go to askdrbrown.org and click on the line of fire, and you can keep listening there. Mm-hmm.

Remember Sunday, Sunday, this coming Sunday. I will be with all of you on Long Island.

So if you're listening to me on WMCA, on WLIX, Greater New York, Long Island area, please join me, Bethlehem Assembly of God, pastored by Steve Malazzo. He was a student of mine in the 80s on Long Island with a wonderful ministry in Valley Stream and beyond. And I'll be with him Sunday morning, 8.30, 10.30, 12.30 services, preaching on the problem of suffering and the goodness of God. And then again, 6 in the evening, tackling difficult questions of the faith and taking your questions. Questions and hopefully doing some book signing as well.

So please join us. If you listen regularly, please get out to the meetings. I'd love to greet you personally and at least see your face as one of our listeners. I'm thrilled to be on all over. America.

New York is, that's my hometown.

So we've got special roots in New York, and I love going back out there. And if you have not yet taken advantage of this, we got such an overwhelming response last week. I decided to do this again. One of the most practical, informative books I ever wrote, 60 Questions Christians Ask About Jewish Beliefs and Practices. The book with postage is around $20.

Get the book. We're giving you free with that. My two-hour debate moderated by Sid Roth with Rabbi Shmuly, who is the real kosher Jesus. And I'm telling you, you'll open the books like, I always wondered about that. Oh, that's what that means.

That's where it comes from. You'll find it absolutely fascinating. Fascinating. 60 questions Christians ask about Jewish beliefs and practices. Call now 1-800-278-9978.

That's one. 278-9978. Did you get it? Shall I give it once more? 1-800.

278. 9978. My bottom line today, we can confess our sins endlessly. We can beat our breast in contrition. We can fast and pray for mercy.

We can try our hardest to repent. But God's mercy has been poured out at the cross where Messiah shed his blood for us. If you want mercy, that's the place to look. Hey friends, we won't be taking calls today. Sit back and enjoy this pre-recorded show.

With all the Muslim riots taking place around the world, do we really know what Islam is? Mm-hmm. It's time for the line of fire with your host, activist, author, international speaker, and theologian, Dr. Michael Brown, your voice of moral, cultural, and spiritual revolution. Michael Brown is the director of the Coalition of Conscience and president of Fire School of Ministry.

Get into the line of fire now by calling 866-34 Truth. That's 866-34 Truth. Here again is Dr. Michael Brown. It is Thoroughly Jewish Thursday.

But on Thursdays, there's something else that we do. Thursdays, we focus on Israel, the Jewish people, but also sometimes more broadly on the Middle East. And today, I want to focus as well. on some questions having to do with Islam. But will the real Islam please stand?

Will the real Muslims please stand?

So I'm going to take your Jewish-related calls today as well as your Islamic-related calls today. And I know that some of you listen that are Muslims. I know it from some of our folks running into you and saying, yeah, you listened to the show. In fact, we've invited one Muslim spokesman who was in Charlotte before the Democratic National Convention to join me on the air. Haven't heard back from him yet, but hopefully we will.

866-34TRUTH, 866-348-7884. But before we get into any of that discussion, before we give some updates on the Islamic riots, We have a dear friend that we've gotten to know in recent weeks.

Some of you have been thrilled to hear her voice on the air. She's our 88-year-old Jewish friend Sarah, who has recently become a follower of Jesus Yeshua. And I didn't have time to take her call in the last hour, so we joyfully start this hour with our friend Sarah from Brooklyn. Hey, Sarah, so nice to hear from you. Yes, yes, it's awesome.

To hear from you and thank you and bless you in Jesus' name, hallelujah! For the most beautiful, foundational, spiritual, nutritional. Of food that you sent me through your material. But I have to share something with you. I went to a very special a place on Saturday.

and they were singing hallelujah and everything. As I was singing, I closed my eyes, dear Dr. Brown, and I had a vision that I was walking down an aisle. I was dressed in a bride gown. I went under a canopy and then a man came following and stood next to me.

And then the per I heard the person say to you, Shifra, my Hebrew name is Shifra Sarah. Take this. A very special person and who will be your royal king. And Messiah. I Uh yes, for your wedded husband.

And to go into your heart, I said yes. And then And the person turned to this gentleman and said, Do you take Chip for Sarah? to be your wedded Yeah. And to be Her her comforter and her teacher, and he said yes. And I now pronounce you man and wife.

And he put the ring on my finger. And everybody Was saying was at this place that I was, this special Mercian place. They all said, I do, I do.

So Saturday, dear Michael, I. I was married.

Well, you know, it's an extraordinary vision and experience. Wow. You know, in the New Testament, Paul writes that Messiah and his followers, the body of Messiah, some call it the church or the Messianic congregation, that he's spiritually the husband and that all believers together spiritually are the wife. And it looks like you experience that in a very personal and sacred way.

Next time you read Shir Hashirim, Song of Songs, Song of Solomon, read it as God's love song, not just to the people of Israel, but to the followers of Messiah, and in particular, to you as an individual. Hey, hang on. That's an amazing thing that you shared. It's amazing to have a vision like that. I know you had a question you wanted to ask me about Yom Kippur, Day of Atonement.

So stay right there, and we'll be right back to talk with you further. Our dear friend, Sarah, who brings a smile full of our praises. Let's really pray that God would keep her strong and use her to touch many of her Jewish friends with the good news of Messiah. God of light, hear our cry, send the fire. It's the line of fire with your host, Dr.

Michael Brown, your voice of moral, cultural, and spiritual revolution. Here again is Dr. Michael Brown. Thanks, friends, for joining us on the Line of Fire 866. 3-4-truth on this.

Thoroughly Jewish Thursday. Any Jewish-related questions or questions about Islam? that you have, or if you're a Muslim and you want to weigh in on your views about the riots taking place in different parts of the Muslim world. Give me a call, 866-34TRUTH, 866-3487-884. All right, Sarah, back to you in Brooklyn.

We're thrilled to watch the journey that you're on and stand with you to be of help to you.

So what was your question about Young Keeping? Believe it or not, living in this Brooklyn section of very Orthodox Jewish community. I haven't found a place to go to on Young Kipper.

So, my question is: if I'm going to be alone, My question. I know we don't fast because Ajesha took care of that and the sins. But what should what should I read? What should be my attitude? What should I pray if I'm going to be alone and I cannot find a place?

Yeah, now we'll do our best since we've been in contact with you. We'll do our best to hook you up with some other believers on that day so that you can gather together. And hopefully, we'll be able to do that. I'll have my folks follow through since we have your contact info. But a few things.

The first thing is. Uh if if you if you did fast, if if you could with health purposes, if you could. What you're doing is praying for the people of Israel. Having received forgiveness, what you want to be doing that day is praying for all your friends who'll be fasting.

Sometimes it's the only time they fast during the year. They'll be praying, they'll be saying the alchet, they'll be confessing sin after sin after sin after sin, and yet you know the true forgiveness you received. They haven't received yet.

So, what you want to be doing is praying for them. and saying, Oh God, have mercy on my friends, my fellow Jews. They're so sincere, they don't know you. The same way you gave me a revelation, give them a revelation. The same way you opened my eyes, open their eyes.

That's something very important that you want to be praying for them. Also, remember. That now, as someone in close relationship to the Lord, Even in that sense, married part of his bride to the Lord. We live our life. in the spirit, meaning it's not so much a set of rules and regulations and prayers to pray.

It's done relationally.

So what I would do is I would meditate on some of the teachings of Jesus. In the New Testament, and meditate on, you know, read about some of his miracles. read about his death and his resurrection and and pray, O God, open the eyes of my people to see this. Open the eyes of my people so they'll they'll see and they'll understand and they'll recognize their need for you. And as you do that, you know, you also enjoy the Lord's love for you and give thanks.

It'll be the most unique young kipper you've ever had in your entire life, Sarah. That's right. That's right. And we'll do our best to connect you with some other folks to see if there's a congregation that you'd feel at home in with other believers to spend part of the day together. And every so often there's some Messianic Jewish congregations that they like to pray the same prayers that are prayed in the traditional synagogue, but they're not so much praying for themselves, they're praying for their fellow Jews.

And that's fine as long as they know we're already forgiven and cleansed. It's a great time just to give yourself afresh to the Lord and say, Lord, however many days you have, however many years you have, here I am. I'm your daughter. I want to make you known. Give me the opportunity to share.

And then the best, best thing of all is to pray for the opening of eyes of the lost sheep of the house of Israel. All right? Yes, that's beautiful. That's just so perfect. And I have to say, I asked Jesus, Should I tell this to the congregation about my vision?

He said, No, but the minute after. The lady, she's the pastorist, she says to me, Shift, come under this canopy. Are you serious? There were two people with the poles, and right after opening up, she said, Come on to the canopy.

So I heard Jesus say, Tell them.

So I told them and they all said I do. Wow. That's all. I asked him, he said, tell them to all say I do, the whole congregation, personally out loud, not in the vision. And they all said I do because she told me to go under the canopy.

And so If you're not It uh. I just finished the canopy in my vision and it came out alive. That's amazing. Hey, you have a relationship with the living God. And things like that can happen.

So thank you for sharing that. That's just amazing. We we continue to do that. And uh just I don't I don't want to take because you're going to talk about another subject. But then I heard Jesus say to me, um Shifa Sarah, If you're talking to somebody that you think would be open, you can tell them that and you can ask them if they want to say, I do, whoever I talk to.

Yeah, if they're truly open and they understand what it means You know, to really embrace Jesus Yeshua as the Messiah, to come to the end of living for themselves and now living for God, that's a great way to introduce them to the Lord. Thanks for sharing that, Sarah. God bless you. Stay in touch. Hallelujah for Michael Brown.

Instead of saying three cheers, I say hallelujah. Hallelujah, hallelujah. But Dr. Michael Brown, I'm in. God bless you, Sarah.

Oh boy. Uh all right. Uh Joey, I think we need to capture that call. for our archives as well. Uh What What do you say after that?

I know. Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, for a Savior like that who touches people like that in such a life-transforming way. And can I ask you to really pray for Sarah, someone that comes to faith like that. and then starts to open up like that. Certainly there are going to be those that will oppose her.

and the enemy that will try to attack her.

So let's really pray for grace. in her life and for her to just get more and more grounded in the truth of the word. day by day. There's a story. that someone A couple went to hear one of the famous preachers in England in the eighteen hundreds.

And they went into the meeting. And At the end of the meeting, the man was heard as they left the meeting saying, what a sermon. What a sermon That night, this man and his wife went to hear Charles Spurgeon preach at his tabernacle. And when they left that meeting after hearing his amazing message, the man was overheard saying, What a savior! What a Savior.

And that's that's gotta be our ultimate goal. That Jesus Yeshua gets the glory, gets the attention, gets the honor, that all people are drawn to Him. and that through knowing him and experiencing him They would find life as the God of Israel, the only true God. intended. 866-34-TRUTH.

Last hour, I talked about some of the very interesting Jewish customs and traditions and prayers that are carried out and recited at this time of the year. I'd encourage you to listen to the show. You'll find it very informative because we're on for two hours. We don't repeat. everything in both hours will cover different content in different hours.

Sometimes a subject will be so important, we'll stretch it out over two hours and continue to interact and take your calls. But we're always building and adding through this time.

So go online when you have the opportunity. Go to askdrbrown.org. Click on the line of fire and just within a few hours of the show both hours will be online and archived for you. All right. As we talk about something very close.

to Judaism, something very close to Israel, namely Islam. It's becoming clearer and clearer that the administration has not been telling us the truth about the uprising in Libya. It was not a spontaneous uprising. It was not something that just happened in response to the anti-Islamic movie The Innocence of Muslims. In fact, without the Islamic riots, almost no one would have ever heard about this ridiculous.

poorly done movie. It's becoming increasingly clear and increasingly difficult to deny. that this was an organized, planned not demonstration, not protest, but attack violent, deadly attack on the embassy. that there was al-Qaeda involvement. and that it was in Conjunction with 9-11, that it was also payback for our taking out and boasting about the death of.

Osama bin Laden, the leader of Al Qaeda.

So Uh this is obvious.

Now that in the Islamic world, or to say at least in the radical Islamic world, then triggers other riots. You ever seen the crowd mentality?

Somebody starts yelling, everybody starts yelling. Everybody starts screaming. And Hehehehe It can happen like that in different segments of society and then the Innocence of Muslims movie gets circulated, clips of it, people hear about it, and then that leads to these protests in other parts of the world. But but is that a real picture of Islam? Is that a true picture of Islam?

We'll be back to discuss that. Stay with us. It's the line of fire with your host, Dr. Michael Brown. Get into the line of fire now by calling 866-34TRUTH.

Here again is Dr. Michael Brown. Thanks, friends, for joining us on the Line of Fire broadcast. Michael Brown, delighted to be with you, 866-34Truth, 866-348-788. Eight.

Four. We're Devoting this Thorley Jewish Thursday broadcast not only to Jewish-related questions. I remind you to pray for the lost sheep of the house of Israel, to pray for religious and non-religious Jews around the world at this time of the year, right now in between Yom Truah, the day of the sounding of the trumpet, the shofar blast, which in traditional Judaism becomes Rosh Hashanah, Rosh Hashanah, the new year, a time of repentance, introspection, soul searching leading up to Yom Kippur. or is it colloquially called Yum Kippur? which is ten days.

Later.

So it's right now. Uh eight days away. And that is the day of atonement. Let's be praying for Revelation. for the salvation of Jewish people around the world at this time of the year.

But we're also talking about Islam today on this Thoroughly Jewish Thursday, as we sometimes do.

So if you have a Jewish-related question or an Islamic-related question. We'll do our best to answer. I'm far more expert on Jewish-related questions as opposed to Islamic-related questions, but I had three years of classical Arabic. Of course, I've studied in Quran and traditional Jewish Islamic literature and interacted with Muslims and read Islamic-related books. I'm just not expert in it as I desire to be and expect to be with God's help in the coming years.

But I think we can answer a lot of your questions. The question I want to put out to you. is what's authentic Islam. A Brian McLaren Pastor greatly loved and greatly Reviled. and controversial in many ways.

I definitely differ with his stans about gay activism and some other issues. He's written an article that appeared on religion blogs on CNN. My take, it's time for Islamophobic evangelicals to choose. He says, I was raised as an evangelical Christian in America, and any discussion of Christian-Jewish-Muslim relations around the world must include the phenomenon of American Islamophobia. for which large sectors of evangelical Christianity in America serve as a greenhouse At a time when U.S.

embassies are being attacked and when people are getting killed or over an offensive analysis and purile film targeting Islamic, beyond pathetic in its tawdriness, we must begin to own up to the reality of Islamic Excuse me, of evangelical Islamophobia. Yeah. Hmm. Is there such a thing as evangelical Islamophobia? Or are we rightly.

presenting who Muslims really are. And he says, Look, uh Most Christians that are looking at Islam as this terrible, violent, horrific religion don't even know a Muslim. Never even talked to a Muslim.

Well, I'm wondering who the real Muslims are. Are the representative Muslims the one who were attacking embassies and killing people over this film? And before that, provoked by... History of 9-11 in terms of our retaliation against the Islamic world and taking out of Osama bin Laden. Is that the real Islamic world?

Is the real Islamic world represented by Ahmadinejad and Khameni in Iran wanting to wipe out Israel? Is the real Islamic world represented by a Hamas terrorist? on a suicide mission to kill Israeli men, women, and children. Or is that the Islamic equivalent of, say, Fred Phelps in Christianity with his God hates fag sign and God hates Israel and God hates America signs? It uh or Is the real Muslim The one that doesn't take the Quran literally, that doesn't pray five times a day, that abhors these types of violent acts.

Which is the real Islam? 866-34TRUTH. I want to talk about that with you today. But first to the phones, Tony in Roswell, Georgia. Thanks for calling the line of fire.

Hey, how are you doing, sir? Thank you for taking my call. You're welcome. The first thing that came to mind was when Caiaphas was insight in the crowd. when Jesus was being Okay.

And for some reason that just came to mind. Yeah, but it's that illustration of the crowd mentality. Everyone starts screaming, you start screaming. People start getting violent, violence just breaks out. And that spreads, especially in certain Middle Eastern and Islamic mentalities, that the kind of crowd psychology can explode.

But it can happen in many different cultures across the board. Absolutely. Exactly.

Well, my real question was: you're a mentor of mine. You don't even know it. Um my real question goes back into the ancient Hebrew writing. If you could clarify something for me. Sure.

I I I I had been trying to study ancient Hebrew and I got this stuff on the internet. I forget the name of the guy who who sells it. It shows the what he calls ancient, ancient Hebrew, it's pictorial. like for example, Aleph in in modern Hebrew looks like an X almost. What he's showing is that When Abraham was alive, Aleph was like a bull, the head of a bull.

Yeah, let me just jump in. I'm aware of the website. And the first thing is that's not the place to be learning Hebrew. There's a lot of misleading information there. Or they're trying to read too much into things.

What's called the Paleo-Hebrew script originally came from. from pictograph symbols.

So it's actually pronounced olif, accent on the first syllable. Olive was originally an ox head.

So if you take a capital A, all right, with a rounded top in English. And then extend that line that goes through it. Extend it up as a curve, and it looks like you've got an ox head with horns. Our letter A comes from the Latin, which comes from the Greek, which comes from the ancient Phoenician alphabet. The Hebrews borrowed it from the Phoenicians.

And olif, which means ox, originally looked like an ox head. Bait originally looked like an enclosure because it means house, buy it. But those were just symbols. In other words, once that was put in writing, It was just the letter aleph. It had nothing to do with an ox head anymore.

Beit had nothing to do with a house anymore. And to make anything out of that is just like to say that the English letter A originally goes back to oxhead and was a pictograph. It's meaningless. There's no significance to it. Nothing is gained by that.

And any Hebrew scholar studying Biblical Hebrew knows what the original alphabet was. And the only possible time it could be of use is is if you're looking at a a biblical text. And it seems to the Hebrew as we have it doesn't seem to make perfect sense. You wonder, well, the way it was written originally in the ancient Hebrew script, is that... is is could that shed light on a scribal error somewhere but but that would be like one in ten thousand times what you just need to do is is learn biblical hebrew From any of the standard grammars, just get online and check, you know, learn Biblical Hebrew, and you'll find 100 good sources, C D's, books.

Learn it with the script that's been used for 2,500 years and the script that Jesus would have used when he read in the synagogue. That's what I was going to ask you. What is Okay, it's backtracked, so I I'm I'm not confused. The the stuff that Jesus would have read. I've heard people say Aramaic or whatever.

What was it? It was just called. Biblical Hebrew, correct? When he would have read from a scroll like the book of Isaiah, In Isaiah 61, he would have been reading from Biblical Hebrew. The native language he would have grown up speaking in a small village in Galilee would have been Aramaic.

And if he was studying scripture as well, he'd study it in ancient Hebrew.

So that would have been known to him, but he wouldn't have in all likelihood used that particular script. Hey Tony, I got to run, but I'm glad I can be a mentor and influence in your life. Please write to me. Info at askdrbrown.org with any further questions, and we'd love to help. Hey friends, we won't be taking calls today.

Sit back and enjoy this pre-recorded show. It's the line of fire with your host, activist, author, international speaker, and theologian Dr. Michael Brown. Your voice of moral, cultural, and spiritual revolution. Get into the line of fire now by calling 866-34TRUTH.

Here again is Dr. Michael Brown. Well, thanks for joining us today on this thoroughly Jewish Thursday as we're in the midst of the high holy days on the biblical and Jewish calendar. And we want to be praying in particular for the salvation of the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 866-34Truth with any Jewish-related questions you have.

But also today, I want to take some Islamic Questions in light of what's happening around the world as the news becomes clearer and clearer that there was not a spontaneous protest in front of the Libyan embassy. the American embassy in Libya, that it was planned, that it was retaliation for our actions against al-Qaeda, and that it was planned to take place on 9-11. But Muslim riots continuing to spread. What is the real Islam? 866 Three, four, truth.

Let me read a little bit of this article from Pastor Brian McLaren. CNN religion blogs, it's time for Islam Islamophobic evangelicals to choose. He says, many of my own relatives receive and forward pious-sounding and alarm bell-ringing emails that trumpet in lots of capital letters with exclamation points the evils of Islam that call their fellow evangelicals and charismatics to prayer and spiritual warfare against those alleged evils, and that often, truth be told, contain lots of downright lies. For example, one recent email claimed Egyptian Christians in grave danger as Muslim Brotherhood crucifies opponents. Of course, he says that claim has been thoroughly debunked.

I don't know if it's been thoroughly debunked. It's been debunked. I don't know if it's thoroughly debunked.

However, I shared that and said it's a report, don't know if it's true or not. We know for a fact And I'm interrupting what Pastor McLaren said to interact. We we know, sir, for a fact. that there have been many atrocities committed against Christians in Egypt, especially since the so-called Arab Spring of last year. And that Coptic Christians have had their buildings burned and have been beaten in the streets without police intervention.

And many are living in more and more fear. I've heard that from Coptic Christians in Egypt. That can't be denied.

So the fact that it may not have been crucifixions, shall we go over to Sudan? where I have friends that have worked there for years. and they can talk about the Christians who have been crucified by Muslims in Sudan.

Now, is that representative of Islam as a whole? Or is this just representative of radical Islam? That's a fair question. That's the question we're asking. But please don't.

get upset about what may be a false report in one part of the world when similar things have happened in other parts of the world and other atrocities have already happened within Egypt. Brian McLaren continues. Many sincere and good-hearted evangelicals have never yet had a real Muslim friend and now they probably never will because their minds have been so prejudiced by Islamophobic broadcasts on so-called Christian television and radio. Janet Parshall, for example, popular talk show host on the Moody Radio Network, frequently hosts Wali Shubat, a Muslim evangelical convert whose anti-Muslim claims along with claims about his own biography are frequently questioned. John Hageli, a popular televangelist, also hosts Shubat as an expert on Islam, as does the 700 Club.

Many Christian bookstores that used to sell my books still sell books such as Paul Sperry's Infiltration, How Muslim Spies and Subverses Have Penetrated Washington. In so doing, they fuel conspiracy theories such as the ones U.S. Rep Michelle Bachmann. uh promoted earlier this year And he goes on with his concerns and say, look, This is hate speech. It's no different from the anti-Semitic garbage that's been all too common in Western Christianity.

It's sub-Christian beneath the dignity of anyone with a functioning moral compass. Islamophobic evangelical Christians and the neoconservative Catholics and even some Jewish folks who are their unlikely political bedfellows of late must... Choose.

So is Islamophobia going to spread further among us? But we stop, rethink, and seek a more charitable approach to our Muslim Neighbors. All right, fair question. That's fair question. I've already taken exception to some of the things in that article.

But fair question. Which is the real Islam? Back with your calls and my assessment, 866-34TRUTH. It's the line of fire with your host, Dr. Michael Brown.

Get into the line of fire now by calling 866-34TRUTH. Here again is Dr. Michael Brown. Thanks, friends, for joining us on the line of fire, 866-34Truth.

So which is the real Islam? Who is the real Muslim? What do I mean by that?

Well, if someone says, well, I'm a follower of Jesus. And I believe that all roads lead to heaven. And I don't believe he really rose from the dead or was virgin-born. I don't believe any of those myths. And the Bible is one of many holy books in the world.

Well, that person is not a true Christian. They're not a true follower of Jesus. They have already denied the fundamentals of the faith in saying that.

So if someone says, look, I'm a Muslim. And I I can't stand this violence. It's it's horrific. It's no more representative of Islam than the Crusades are representative of Christianity. And one of these ayatollahs in Iran is no more representative of Islam than...

than some fanatical white supremacist so-called Christian is representative of Christianity. Is that person a real Muslim?

Well, on the one hand, the white supremacist so-called representative of Christianity who say wants to kill all the Jews is not a leader of his nation. He's not um President Ahmed Dinejad of Iran. He is not Ayatollah Khomeini of Iran.

So the comparison doesn't work there.

However, you could still say that that represents a radical stream of Islam. That is still the tiny, tiny minority, and is not true historic Islam.

So, my question would be. Can a person be a true Muslim? in the historic sense of the word. That would have caused this person to be recognized as a true member of the Islamic community 100 years ago, 300 years ago, 500 years ago, in the so-called golden age of Islam. With eight, nine, hundred.

years ago If this person did not pray five times a day, If this person did not fast from dawn to dusk the entire month of Ramadan, If this person did not hold to the absolute inspiration and authority of the Quran, Among other things, Could this person be considered a true Muslim? In other words, I'm wondering if Pastor Brian McLaren with a sincere desire to build bridges. I hope without compromise the truth of the gospel that salvation is only found in Jesus. But that's another question for Pastor McLaren. I'm glad that he wants to build bridges and remove misconceptions.

But I'm wondering, is he mistaking a nominal Muslim? for a true Muslim. Again, there are plenty of nominal Christians out there. They're not really Christians. They're not really followers of Jesus.

There are plenty of nominal Jews out there, but they don't truly represent what Judaism is about. I didn't know what Judaism was about until after I got saved. The Judaism I was raised in was not a true representation of historic Judaism. I guarantee if it was, that Jews would not have persevered and held on to their faith through the centuries because there wasn't that much to hold on to the way I was raised.

So who are the real Muslims? And what is real Islam? 866-34TRUTH. I'm going to give you my thoughts on that, but let me go to your calls first. Rika, we lost Rika in Bradenton, Florida.

If I remember, do I remember correctly Rika as a Messianic Jewish believer? perhaps even Israeli. from Florida. It could be, it's been some time since I heard from her. She's wondering why our government wants to sugarcoat what Islam really is.

And of course there are two possible reasons. One is It's pragmatic politically. to speak about the great world religions and to praise Islam as a great religion as people are rising up and attacking embassies and wanting to kill Americans and now French and of course always Jews. Um Could you imagine a religious Jew just walking around in one of these Islamic countries, how long they would last? Just Just to mention that.

or a street preacher getting up just preaching Jesus is the only way Jesus is the Son of God. And it's the Bible that is God's word, not the Quran, how long they would last. But hey, you want to have peace with your Muslim neighbors. Part of it is political pragmatism. And part of it is the belief...

That Real Islam is peace-loving that real Islam repudiates this kind of violence, that real Islam is no more represented by these fanatics who are rioting than real Christianity, as I said, is represented by the Crusades. I remember uh during our war in Afghanistan. That President Bush publicly commented about what the Quran really said. And the Quran did not support this kind of violence, the violence of the Taliban. And let's understand that within Islam the Taliban are considered extreme.

The main victims of radical Islam are Muslims, not Westerners and Jews. The main victims of radical Islam are other Muslims. It is the Taliban with an extreme version of Islam that has brought much destruction on Afghanistan, which was already in many ways religious, Islamic. Country. But President Bush was explaining that the Quran did not really mean what the Taliban took it to mean and things like that.

And I remember watching a a news conference where some of the Taliban leaders In Afghanistan, said, Oh, now President Bush is the one who can interpret the Quran. It's our book. We know what it means.

So who's got the right perception here? 866-348-7884. Brenda in Atlanta. Thanks for calling the line of fire. Hello?

Hello.

Okay. We had a disconnection. I wanted to say and I have Jewish blood and I'm a believer in Jesus. I wanted to say I don't hate Muslim, but that doesn't change what their core sources say, the Quran, the Hadith, which together comprise Sharia. we can't think with our feelings.

We still have to go to what the Word of God says. And it says, as you know, 1 John 4, that every spirit that does not confess Jesus is from God, this is the spirit of Antichrist. And the the Koran denies Christ. And Personally, I believe that Muslims are the first victims of i of Islam But Islam, when you look at their core sources, the Quran, Hadith and Sharia, is not a religion of peace. It is a religion of violence.

Cut off their heads, cut off their feet. The commentaries say that a Jew, and I take personal offense to this with Jewish blood, should not go out in the rain or they will contaminate the groundwater. All right, so here's the question. Without a doubt, Brenda. When you read sections of the Quran, they do call for violence.

There's no question about that. Correct. Without a doubt, there is a history of violence. Do you do you have the radio on in the background? No, someone else is trying to call.

Ah, all right. Got it. Just heard an echo there. I wasn't sure what that was. But anyway, without a doubt, when you read some Islamic tradition, the authoritative traditions in Hadith, there are.

actions recounted of about the Prophet Muhammad as he's called by Muslims, which are violent and even the practice of beheading would be found going back to Muhammad in Islamic tradition. There's no question about that. The Muslim answer. The Muslim polemic would be, you have verses in the Old Testament that call for violence, that call for genocide, that call for ethnic cleansing. You have these terrible verses and Jesus even implying certain things in the New Testament or parables, bring my enemies before them and cut them to pieces, that could also be used violently.

And that the verses in the Quran that are used to advocate violence, we're talking about a time when there was actually a war going on and the Muslims were fighting in the midst of a war. And then the later passages call for peaceful coexistence. That's the polemic. The problem is that there is no historical timetable. In other words, we can say, no, no, this happened historically.

With Joshua and the Canaanites and so on. And it was something that happened one time, and it is a repudiation. of scripture to say we're supposed to go kill people today. Jesus says, put the sword down, take up the cross, where Islam never comprehensively makes that statement. In other words, I agree with you that the Quran and Hadith with anti-Semitic comments and with calls for violence can be more readily used to justify violence than can the scriptures and especially the teachings of the New Testament.

Plus, the New Testament, we have a new covenant, the Jeremiah 31 new covenant. But I'm speaking specifically of the nineteen ninety one Muslim Brotherhood's written plan to take over this country from within to destroy, quote unquote, their miserable house through cooperation, through religion. through education, through government. A written plan to destroy this country from within, which was written in 1991. and anyone can go online and find the Muslim Brotherhood.

nineteen ninety one plan to take over this country from within But it's frustrating that people who want to put a smiley face on Jesus. are not willing to look at the fact That there are differences between Islam and Christianity, and the interfaith. Dialogues can be very destructive when some of the plans, such as Yeah, Brandon, yeah, I just got to jump in because we've got a break here. The question is, those documents, which are indisputable in terms of their existence, some of the different ones. or the Hamas charter, which is quite blatant in its call.

Do we just ignore those? They do absolutely represent a serious stream of Islam. And I've got to tackle one day the whole Krizlam discussion of Christianity, Islam. coming together. Right, before you call as we come back.

Oh God of burning, cleansing flame. Send the fire. It's the line of fire with your host, Dr. Michael Brown, your voice of moral, cultural, and spiritual revolution. Here again is Dr.

Michael Brown. All right, to be sure I'm clear here. I want to be as clear as I can. The great majority of Muslims worldwide, as I understand it, and having some of our grads working in Muslim worlds and countries and living in Muslim countries for years, and other friends who've done mission work in the midst of Islamic countries for decades. The great majority of Muslims worldwide are not radical.

the great majority of Muslims worldwide would be more peace loving than is reflected in the demonstrations and riots outside of our embassies in many nations. And then certainly there are several hundred million Muslims who are nominal. Just like there are over 2 billion professing Christians in the world, are half of them true? true believers.

Well, in the same way in Islam. It's a fair question to ask in terms of How many would be characterized as true Muslims?

So it's a good chance your neighbor. Your your Muslim neighbor here in America, the Muslim that you go to school with, is probably not that religious a Muslim or is probably not a radical Muslim and therefore we don't want to stereotype. And we want to build relationships and reach out. If they were radical, they're terrorists. You still want to try to reach them with the gospel, of course.

But. to downplay the radical nature of much of Islam or the potential for radicality in Islam. or to deny that, say, a Hamas or a Hezbollah. or an Iranian regime. or a Taliban.

Or others speak for a good sizable portion of Islam representing hundreds of millions of people, that would also be. A serious mistake. To make 866-34-TRUTH CARN in Atlanta, thanks for calling the line of fire. Yes, good afternoon. Good afternoon.

I wanted to comment, and I'm in my car driving, so I'm doing this off the top of my head. But as I understand it, with respect to Those who would consider themselves to be true Muslims or Orthodox. Muslims Be The way to look at it is that Historically, the militant verses in the Quran replaced those that are considered to be peace. loving or peace-oriented versus So the later verses that are militant supersede those that have anything to do with keys. And if you read the Koran, which is very telling, I believe over 60% Um That.

Uh Quran. uh speaks of enmity for Christians and Jews. And so you know, we have to go by what their their documents, their so-called Bible professes. Right, and that's a very important distinction. Many, many people don't know this about the Quran, but there were different sections that were supposedly revealed at different times.

It always struck me, by the way, when our president would make reference to the Quran, when he spoke in Cairo, for example, or even other statements he made, he would make reference to when the Quran was revealed. To me, that's not just speaking sympathetically of Islam. That's speaking as if you believe it. I'm not saying he's a Muslim. I'm just saying that always struck me because that's the orthodox view, that the Quran was revealed to Muhammad, but it was revealed over a period of time.

And Islamic scholars would supposedly be able to say, okay, this was revealed here, this was revealed there. And that's the question. Which ones come first? The polemic would be that the more peaceful, coexistent ones come last and supersede the violent ones. And obviously, what you're presenting is the opposite.

This much we know historically is that Muhammad presents his revelation to Jews, expecting them to embrace him as the prophet. And when they didn't, that's some of the historic enmity and even some of the early violence against the Jews.

So again, I question whether someone could be an Orthodox Muslim in the true sense of the word without ultimately believing that Christians will either convert or come into servitude and Jews will ultimately be destroyed. And maybe I can get some Quranic scholars to come on and discuss that. Thank you for the call. I appreciate that. I've got time for one more call.

Ernest in Honolulu, thanks for calling the line of fire. Thank you, Doctor. Go ahead, sir. Um Yes, I just wanted to say that um I have a lot of um Muslim friends. Here in Hawaii.

And a lot of 'em were like, um, when I was driving taxis, they were Um, a lot of taxi drivers. And I used to ask them, I I even see them reading the Quran and I go, Oh, Quran. And they say, Yes and I say, Oh, I'm Christian and I shake their hand and You're safe. Oh, Father Abraham, we believe in the same Father Abraham. I said, Yeah, but it's like.

They cut off additional They don't acknowledge I did.

So, you know, we start talking a bit. After that, um, I I asked him, Oh, what brought you to Hawaii? And be stood. It's very peaceful here, he said. We are peaceful people.

He said we don't we don't like the violence. back home in um Afghanistan. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, and Ernest, just to jump in, because I'm short on time and I want to ask you a question. Without question, that reflects many Muslims, that they're peace-loving and that they abhor the violence and the authoritarian rule in their society, and they much, much prefer a democratic way of life, which is not really known in most all of the religious Islamic world.

The question is, how religious were they?

So real quick, did these men stop work to pray five times a day?

Well, I don't know that much, but what I do know is that when 9-11 hit, They were horrified. And I told and they looked at me and they said, Ernest, what are we going to do at this? Just praise them. But we have family back in Afghanistan. We have family back in the Middle East, I said.

All you gotta do is just pray for them. Yeah, and Ernest, I appreciate you calling with a first-hand account because, again, it's a reminder. that there are hundreds of millions of professing Muslims like that. around the world that are peace-loving. and that abhor the violence and the attacks.

The question is, does that represent Orthodox Islam? That's a conversation we're going to continue to have. And I'll get some representatives of Islam. Who are religious Muslims to come on and discuss this with me? All right, I'm out of time.

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