Celebrating the World-Changing Power of the Word

Do you know there were times where the church would penalize those who translated the Bible into the language of the people, that people who translated the Bible into English paid for it with their very lives? Um 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. Thank you. We have so many translations of the Bible today into English.

I was signing up for a new Bible reading plan, just something that would keep me going through the scriptures in addition to the regular study that I do, because often I'll get off track with daily reading because I'm studying certain issues in the Word. And I was just looking at the available translations on one website where you could sign up. And it's amazing how many fine translations that we have. And yet, There was a time when the Church suppressed The Bible. It did not want the masses to have the Bible in their language.

If you could keep it, say, in Latin that most people couldn't read, then only the clergy would know what was in the scriptures. Can you imagine it? And people who tried to translate the Bible into English, like John Wycliffe or William Tyndale, were hotly persecuted or even paid with their language. lives. This is Michael Brown.

Welcome to the line of fire. We'll be celebrating the Word of God today and talking about how the Word of God can even change culture and change nations. And sharing with you a historic new event as the Tree of Life version of the Bible has been embraced by Baker Books, one of the world's largest Christian publishers, and they are now actively distributing beautiful new editions of the Tree of Life Bible, which is. Which is the first ever team effort translation. of the entire scriptures from the original languages into English.

By a team of Messianic Jewish and Christian scholars working together to produce a new translation that would be sensitive to the Jewish roots of the faith and yet readable and powerful to your average English reader. And we've got some special guests that will be talking about that as well. I have read the accounts. of the Bible getting into China. Before it was as available as it is today, it's much more available now than it was in decades past.

Under communism. But the group, maybe of house churches, would get a Bible. And this is the first Bible they had laid their hands on. and then they would tear it to pieces. You said, What do you mean?

They were so excited about it that they were pulling on it. No, no, no. they would tear it to pieces. they would tear out one page at a time, and then each person would get a page. And then you would go and study that page and then bring it in and exchange it for another page.

Now think of I mean, if your page was mainly the sacrificial offerings of Leviticus or the genealogies in the beginning of First Chronicles, And someone else's page was like Romans 8, and someone else's page was John 1. I mean, you're you're dealing with very different scriptural content there, so much more applicable and edifying. But that's how it was cherished. I was given a copy of Go and Sin No More that was distributed in Vietnam. And it had multiple bookmarks in it.

My book, Don't Want to Sin No More. It had multiple bookmarks because multiple people were reading it at the same time. They'd pass it around, and then this one would, when they were done, they'd bookmark it, and the next person would get it, and they would bookmark it so it could be used by multiple people, one reading while the other didn't have the opportunity to. You think of that level of hunger and thirst all the more for the scriptures. We have this extraordinary abundance of scripture.

Have we gotten complacent? Have we gotten lazy? Do we realize that there are countries in the world where the Bible has been banned? Where it has been the most outlawed book in history. Why?

Because it's dangerous. Oh, not the way the new atheists and the skeptics and the critics say. But it's dangerous because it conveys the living truths of the living God that set people free and challenge the establishment. We'll be right back. Change the world.

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 us on the line of fire 8663 Fort Truth. We are celebrating. We are celebrating the word of God today. We are celebrating having the Bible in our language where we can read it and understand it for ourselves when we're not reliant on just leadership to tell us what the Bible says, that every believer can read the scripture and give account to God as a believer. 866-348-7884 is the number to call.

You might say, but Mike, the world is going crazy around us, and the political scene is going crazy. And who knows what the electoral season is going to hold? And you're going to talk about the Bible? Yeah. Yeah, because there's nothing more relevant.

Because there's nothing more world-changing. Because there's nothing more world-shaking. You can look at major changes in countries and societies that can be traced back to biblical literacy. You can look back to things that change the course of nations, and it can be traced back to people reading the Bible and getting the principles of scripture in their hearts and in their minds. I'm working on a book to come out next year that's going to lay out how this is the key for national transformation in America: getting back to biblical principles.

Now, I don't mean a theocracy. I don't mean where we take over. and enforce our views on everyone else, but where we God's people really start being people of the book, people of the word, living out the truths of Scripture. And as we do and then show that God's ways are best, it can have a life-giving effect on all of society.

Now I have mentioned in recent weeks what was called the Old Deluder Act. Was it sixteen forty seven? in the colony in Massachusetts. We are the leadership. These were Christians that fled from England to have religious freedom and came to America.

And one of the issues was that in centuries past, the Bible was not translated into English. Even though the people of England spoke English and not Latin, the Bible was available in Latin. and the average person couldn't read it.

So, the average person was not familiar with the contents of Scripture. And you say, well, why would the church leadership? Church of England or Catholic Church before that, why would it not want people reading the Bible? In their own language. You would think that every pastor, every Christian leader, would want church members to read the Bible for themselves.

Well, not if you wanted to control them. Not if you wanted to have some level of power over them. Not if you wanted to be able to manipulate them. Not if you did not want to perpetuate a A clergy or break down the wall of clergy-laity separation. If everyone can have the Bible, then everyone can be a priest to God, then everyone can read the scriptures for himself or herself.

And everyone can come to their own conclusions about how to live before God, as opposed to someone from the pulpit just telling them this is what we do and this is how we do it. The old Deluter Act. In the United States, well, in the colonies, before we had the United States, basically said when a town gets to 50 people that you or 50 families that you have to establish schools. You have to have places of education. Why?

Because in times past, the old deluder, meaning Satan, the devil, kept the Bible away from the people. Kept the Bible away from the people by not allowing it to be translated into their languages.

Now that we have it in our language, so it would have been the King James Bible, or even before that, the Geneva Bible.

Now that we have that in our language, we need to make sure that people are educated so they can read the Bible. The purpose of the first schools in America was to be sure that people could learn to read so they could read the Bible. This is not an exaggerated picture. This is an accurate picture of the way things were. And you can say that the biblical mindset and the concepts of every human being being created in the image of God.

And the concept of liberty and equality for all, that goes back, all of that goes back to ultimately scriptural. Principles. By the way, if you have a question for me today about Bible translation, about why I recommend one version versus another. About discrepancies, that you know, you can't seem to reconcile this translation with that translation. Give me a call.

I'd gladly take your questions on this today: 866-348-7884. Eight six six six six six six six three four Truth.

So When you go back in history. You see, there were times when it was viewed that your average person can't interpret the Bible for themselves. I mean, you need to be highly educated. You need to know other languages and scriptural principles of interpretation, otherwise, you might come to wrong conclusions. And one of the arguments that was raised against this.

once people were reading the Bible in English for themselves was was this? You know, Jesus said, if your right hand offends you or causes you to sin, cut it off, throw it away. If your right eye causes you to sin, Pluck it out, throw it away. Better to go to heaven with one arm or one hand or one foot, one eye. then with both hands and feet and eyes and to go to hell.

And one of the Christian leaders who was in favor of the people. having the Bible in their own language said look People have been reading these words for centuries where they could read them in their own language. They've been reading these words now in English. And you don't see everybody running around with one hand. Or with one eye.

In other words, people understand it's a figure of speech, that it's not some secret code. That only those who have a certain learning can give you the answer. No, this is. This is the uh the simple, plain truth of Scripture, This is laid out for all to see, and people understand figures of speeches. Um John Wycliffe.

Hunt it like a criminal. for trying to translate the Bible into English. He said, All Christian life is to be measured by Scripture by every word thereof. He said, Holy Scripture is the highest authority for every believer. the standard of faith and the foundation for reform.

He said the gospel alone is sufficient to rule the lives of Christians everywhere. Any additional rules made to govern men's conduct added nothing to the perfection already found in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Consider Consider Consider. The price that was paid in centuries past to get the Bible. into English.

And now consider the wealth of translations that we have. And, friends, This week, I'm going to go to the phones in a moment. This week, You can order through our ministry a beautiful Slimline Edition. Of the tree of life Bible. I literally, when I saw it, I was amazed by the quality of this Baker Books.

Bible. We heard from Dr. Jeff Seife yesterday, the project manager, that pre-orders for this new Bible were 55-0 times higher than Baker expected. They had to go to a second printing before the official release in Israel next week, if you can believe that.

So we're very excited to make this available, but not only so, it's postage paid, and we're giving you a free DVD when you order.

So go to the website, Ask Dr. Brown, A-S-K-D-R-Brown.org. AskDrBrown.org. And take advantage of the special offer. You'll see it right on the home page.

All right, let's go to the phone starting in New York. Frank, welcome to the line of fire. Yes, Michael, thank you. God bless you. God bless you.

Michael, you are dead wrong about the notion that the church tried to keep the Bible from the people during the Middle Ages, Dark Ages or whatever. Let me give you a few quotes. The well known Anglican writer, doctor Blunt, in his History of the Reformation, Volume one, pages five hundred one and five hundred two tells us that, quote, There has been much wild and foolish writing about the scarcity of the Bible in the ages preceding the Reformation. It has almost been taken for granted that the Holy Scriptures was almost a sealed book until it was printed in English by Tyndale and Coverdale and that the only source of knowledge respecting it before them was the translation made by Whitecliff. The facts are as follows.

that all laymen who could read were as a rule provided with their gospels, their Psalter or other devotional portions of the Bible. Men did, in fact, take a vast amount of personal trouble with respect to the production of the Holy Scriptures and accomplished by head, hand and heart Was it? what it is now chiefly done by paid workmen and machinery. The clergy studied the Word of God and made it known to the laity, and those few among the laity who could read had abundant opportunity of reading the Bible either in Latin or English up to the Reformation period. unquote.

Now I could multiply these statements But it doesn't. Uh Michael. in e in every different country, there was at least seventeen different versions of the German translation of the Bible prior to fifteen one when Luther even before he even thought about translating the Bible.

So, this has been exploded many, many times. Tell you what, stay right there. We got a break, Frank. Let's discuss this.

So, please tell me why. Wycliffe was imprisoned. why Tyndale had to flee for his life and was ultimately put to death. for translating the Bible into English, why I can give you multiplied quotes as to how it was suppressed. And then give me a list of all of the English translations that were available to the people before Wycliffe, all right?

We'll have a discussion, Frank. I know you're a studied man. We'll discuss this. Hey, this is Michael Brown. I want to invite you to join me for our second ever trip to Israel, February 25th through March 6th, 2017.

This is a great opportunity I get to interact with you, our radio listening audience, and our ministry partners as we experience the land of Israel together and it will be a life-changer. We've got a great price on the trip. And if you're one of our monthly supporters, our torchbearers, you're eligible to receive a special discount for this once-in-a-lifetime experience. Space is limited, and we're accepting applications on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information on the trip to secure your spot, go to askdrbrown.org, click on the Israel banner, or call our office at 704-782-3760.

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.

We're talking about the Word of God, the importance of God's people having the Word of God, and having a discussion with our Catholic friend Frank in New York about whether it's a myth. that the organized church, be it the Catholic Church or the early Protestant church, if there was uh or church of England, ever suppressed the reading of the Bible by the quote layman. And it was uh William Tyndale who famously said this. He said, I I perceived how that it was impossible to establish the lay people in any truth except the Scripture were plainly laid before their eyes in their mother tongue, and they didn't have that accessible. And he said, I defy the Pope and all his laws.

If God spare my life ere many years, I will cause a boy who drives the plow to know more of the scriptures than you do. And in the hard sayings of the Bible, it's noted that shortly after the publication of William Tyndale's English New Testament, the attempt to restrict its circulation, this is by the Church of England, was defended on the ground that the simple reader might mistakenly take such language literally and, quote, pluck out his eyes, and so the whole realm will be full of blind men to the great decay of the nation and the manifest loss of the king's grace. And thus, by reading of the Holy Scriptures, will the whole realm come into confusion. That, according to a friar who is said to have declared this in a Cambridge sermon, but he met his match, and you Latimer, who in a sermon preached the following Sunday, said that simple people were well able to distinguish between literal and figurative terms. For example, Latimer went on: if we paint a fox preaching in a friar's hood, nobody imagines that a fox is meant, but that craft and hypocrisy.

Are described, which so often are found disguised in that garb. According to everything that I've read over the years, there was legitimate persecution of Wycliffe and Tyndale, costing Tyndale his life. For translating the Bible into English and distributing it among the masses of people.

So, Frank, you're a well-read man. I'm sure you've read the history of the persecution of Wycliffe and Tyndale and others, and these various quotes that they wanted to get the Bible out to the people.

So, how do you deny those accounts? What's your basis, sir?

Well, um Michael, first of all, uh when Luthet uh made his vern his uh uh vulgar translation in German. Even Zwingli said it it had a It was a corruption of the Word of God, and it contained one thousand glaring errors. This is one of the problems.

Now listen to this other quote that I'm going to give you. It deals just with this. In the quarterly review of october eighteen seventy nine, dealing with Goldburn's life of Bishop Herbert D. Lazanga, he says, quote, The notion that the people in the Middle Ages did not read their Bibles is probably exploded except among the more ignorant of controversialists. But at a glance of this volume a glance at this volume is enough to show that the notion is not simply a mistake that is one of the most ludicrous and grotesque of blunders.

If having the Bible at their fingers' ends could have saved the Middle Ages teachers from abuses, false doctrine they were certainly well equipped. They were not merely accomplished tatuaries, They had their minds as saturated with the language and associations of the sacred text as the Puritans of the 17th century. I could go on and on with that. Those are just opinions. individuals That it still does not deny the fact.

Here's what it's like. I come in from outside sopped in the rain. totally soft in the rain from head to toe. And my feet are soft from walking through puddles, and you say, I've got all these reports that it's not raining outside.

Well, there's no accounting then for why Wycliffe and Tyndale were hunted like criminals, why Tyndale paid with his life, why they have all these quotes about how they're going to get the Bible out to the masses of people. And as for Luther's translation, it was no more inaccurate than the Vulgate, which the church used for years. That's a gross inaccuracy, what you just said. It was fraught with errors, Michael. And so is the Vulgate.

So is the Vulgate. Listen, the German translation of the Bible in the Middle Ages, read that book. It proves that previous to the year of 1521, before Luther ever even thought of translating the Bible into the German language, there existed 17 editions of the whole Bible in German besides an almost Catholic Church. I asked about English. Remember I asked you about English.

Which were the English translations before Wycliffe?

Well, maybe they were hunted down like that, Michael, because the church was afraid of what Luther did to the Bible. Wycliffe is before Luther. Wycliffe is before Luther. You're Frank, this much we know. Are you a translation scholar?

Can you read Hebrew, Greek fluently as well as Latin and German fluently? No, but okay, so so when I say that the Vulgate is fraught with errors and you say it's not listen, this is my field. It's not your field. Everybody knows it's Jerome, you know, initially responsible. Jerome did a great job with the knowledge he had, but it still has many errors, and that's why the Vulgate is one text that we use.

But Jerome, Jerome was a church father. Luther was not a church father, Michael. But what does that mean? He was one of the church fathers, the fathers of the church. He's 300 plus years removed from the New Testament.

That's right. That's correct. But what I'm saying to you is what Luther did to the Bible, there was many, many translations of German before Luther that were corrupted, and Luther did just followed in that suit. Luther went to the Hebrew and Greek, and that's why scholars have valued his translation. It's far from perfect, but scholars have valued his translation for centuries, Frank.

Biblical scholars, German biblical scholars. Yeah, Luther's translation is, even Zwingli said it contained a thousand glaring errors. This is what was troubling. And you'll find a thousand glaring errors in the Dury Range. You'll find a thousand glaring errors in the Vulgate.

But see, it really misses the point, in all fairness. I asked a question. You had time during the break to look it up. Give me English translations before Wycliffe. Where are they if they were so abundantly available?

And why were Wycliffe and Tyndale hunted like criminals? Hey, I would talk more, but I've got other callers and I'm at the end of this segment here. I've got a break coming up. By the way, a colleague sent me a chat you had with Michael Savage, where he seemed to really enjoy the conversation. We'll keep talking as always.

Hey, we can agree on this, sir. It's important for every follower of Jesus to read the Bible for himself, herself. Yes, we agree on that. I'm sure.

Okay, I gotta run. Take advantage of this special offer, friend. The tree of life version of the Bible, now in a beautiful edition from Baker Books. It is a beautiful, slimline edition. I was frankly surprised at the fact that it was, well, it was priced as low as it was.

I was genuinely surprised. Take advantage of it, get a copy for yourself, and we'll send you a free DVD and pay the postage. Go to my website, ask Dr. Brown, A-S-K-D-R-Brown.org. 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.

There's an amazing verse in Jeremiah chapter 15 verse 16. Where the prophet says, Your words were found, and I did eat them. And your word became to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart, for I am called by your name, O Lord of hosts. God told Joshua that the word of God should not depart from his lips. He was to repeat it, recite it, meditate on it day and night.

By doing this, he would then walk in obedience and have the blessing of God to conquer the land. A few minutes, I want to take some more of your calls about the Bible in English, Bible translations, the history of the Bible, whether or not it was suppressed by the church in times past. But we're so excited over the latest development with the amazing journey of the Tree of Life, Messianic Jewish version of the Bible, which was a brainchild of Danier Greenberg. And we have been amazed to see how God has opened doors now with Baker Books with all of their clout, with all of their worldwide distribution, with all of their credibility and respectability to get behind the Tree of Life version and to put it out in new editions is a tremendous, tremendous blessing.

So my joy to speak with Danier Greenberg again on the line of fire. Hey, welcome back to the broadcast. It's so good to talk to you, Dr. Brown. God bless you.

Hello. Hello. So what's happening in Israel next week?

Next week, we have our Baker official launch at the Jerusalem Prayer Tower. It's going to be right after the Firm Conference. It's going to be at ten p.m. Jerusalem time, which is actually three o'clock here. On june first, we're going to have a thirty minute Um Production with Jonathan Burness and Dr.

Seyche, my husband Rabbi Mark, myself. A few other faithful friends, Pastor Wayne Hildon will be there, and we're going to be sharing from the Tree of Life version from Jerusalem. Incredible.

Well, Daniel, what's the significance of Baker Books now taking on this translation and in that sense making it their own? I think the most exciting thing is their recognition that the Messianic Jewish scholars of our time have reached a place of excellence in Bible translation that they can really get behind. The fact that they have just embraced these thirty two PhDs that came together to do the project. and the scholarship behind the text. is outstanding.

We've never had that kind of just full support from a seasoned Bible publisher like Baker. It's just a phenomenal event. And Dr. Seife mentioned on the air yesterday that the pre-orders were way beyond what Baker was expecting. Uh Yeah, way beyond.

We've had the most fun working with Baker because just of their openness of wanting to know more about the masculine community, basically how we understand ourselves after years of maturing from the Jesus movement. um you know, from hippies to PhD scholars, we've really come into our own. And in doing that, we we have a language, we have a culture that is very much congruous with faith in Messiah, Jesus. And so to be able to That bridge in language and connect. with people that love Israel through this text has just been miraculous.

And obviously, they feel it's a Bible for the masses and not just for a small group of people who have some kind of Jewish roots obsession or something like that. Oh my gosh, wait. I think that's The most important thing to recognize is that This is not a niche Bible. This is an authoritative Messianic Jewish and Christian collaborative effort that speaks to the very heart. Of our faith in Messiah Yeshua and our faith in Jesus.

It's so critical to our understanding of the roots of our family tree. I mean, God's grafting our family tree back together. Amazing. All right, listen, I want to talk about some of the new developments with the Messianic translation, the Tree of Life Bible with Baker, this new slimline edition, and really the significance historically of this. And I'm going to take your calls.

We come back as well. 866-348-7884. Around the new time, shake the new sign, change the world, change the world. It's fire we want, for fire we please. 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. All right, before I get back to your calls about Bible and Bible translation, I want to talk a few more minutes with Daniel Greenberg, the enthusiastic.

Uh Founder of the Tree of Life Messianic Jewish Version of the Bible, the founder of this project. We've talked before on the air about when she first approached me about it, and when I was teaching leaders at a seminar in Missouri, and I spoke with her, it seemed like an impossibly large, outlandish project. Who knew then? Not only that God would bring an incredible team together, but that it would have so much favor with so many people. It has been the most popular resource that we've offered over the last year through our own ministry.

And now that Baker Books has taken over the production and distribution of the Bible, it's going to get to far, far more many people. Dania, the slimline edition. There's a paperback, but then there's one in I I guess it's the the fake leather look. That's just duravela.

Okay. Yeah, it's amazing. You can it it doesn't, you know, hold an ink marks, it doesn't bend, it doesn't crease. It's It's phenomenal. It's really a great product.

Yeah, and when I saw it, I I thought it was really high-end, you know, one of these mega-expensive special custom Bibles you get as a gift for somebody. I was amazed to see the price, but I guess that's what Baker can do. Their distribution is amazing. And their print capability is extraordinary.

So they've done a wonderful job pulling it together. stuff they put in the helps that they did at our special request. was so touching. I asked them Right before they got ready to print it, I said, you know, would you guys mind putting in just the Shabbat blessings for us? And they went ahead and put them in.

And they made sure that they put in the maps of Israel, they put in the The glossary in the back, I mean the The things that they did to just personalize it and make it really usable for our families was just tremendous. All right, and that's the word that I wanted to talk about in our last couple of minutes, that word family. We were part of a gathering in... In Dallas last year, where the different translators came together. We met with Baker then, talked about potential projects and study Bibles and things like that in the future.

And then the last day, your family led us in a time of corporate worship. And that to me was the sweetest time of all. But that's what you've done as a family for years. And this was part of your vision to have a Bible that could be a family centerpiece. Why is it so critically important that families get back to the study of scripture together?

God bless you, Michael, for asking. That's my heart. The most important thing we can do in this generation is to recognize Better. Bible study at home. Gathering around the Bible, waiting.

worshiping the God of Israel. looking for his presence to indwell our homes. Is a critical is a critical element to keeping families. together in America. that if we can study the Word of God together, worship together, Look to the scriptures for the answers to life's life.

life's difficulties. Your family stands strong. Our family didn't have that growing up. Mark or I, he's Jewish and I'm I was uh raised Catholic and when we came together and wanted to raise our children in one faith, You know, that's what led to this Bible project. But the Bible project itself built a A sense of of such a need for the presence of God in our ha in our families, in our homes.

And the family Bible's got to be back. On the coffee table of every home, Dr. Brown. We need in our country a family Bible revolution, and I'm committed to that. Awesome.

And look, it is people getting into the word. These things have changed cultures, have changed countries because people see what's written, begin to live it out. Hey, I'm thrilled and rejoicing with the success. We've got a bunch of folks on the radio with us celebrating this week. Dr.

Saif John Vernis yesterday, Dan Juster today, others through the rest of the week.

So thanks for joining us. Have a blast in Jerusalem and give my warm regards to the Baker folks as well. I will. God bless you, Dr. Brown.

Stay well. God bless. Thanks. All right. And by the way, by the way, when you're reading the Tree of Life version of the scriptures, So let's say you're reading from the five books of Moses.

It'll mark off for you: okay, this is the opening part. Parashat, the opening portion.

So these are read one portion a week in the synagogue.

So you go through the whole Torah, the whole five books of Moses in a year in the synagogue along with other readings.

So it starts off, beginning of chapter one, Parashat Pereshit, and then you get into the sixth chapter, and beginning of the ninth verse, Parashat Noach.

So if you just want to follow along with the readings in the synagogue, once you start at the beginning of the new year around September, October, you can do that just as you read through the Tree of Life version of the scriptures. All right, let's go to Chelsea, Massachusetts. Daniel, welcome to the line of fire. Hi, Michael Brown. I just want to say that although a lot of Catholic apologists will argue that the restrictions of Rome on Bible translations and vernacular, was mainly due to inaccur inaccuracies.

The uh the facts are that unlike the Puritans, as part of her deformation of the New Testament church, which is what they call it. Um Rome greatly hindered biblical literacy by the laity. And in the modern translations, For decades, like the notes the NAB will show you, They engage in something perhaps just as destructive, in which you have historical accounts rendered as fables, folk tales, things like Noah and the flood. things like that or it's just to dismiss basically or marginalized. and uh which is very dangerous, slippery soap.

But you know, early on, John Christopher, he considered it very important to read the Bible. and he denounced the error that it was per be permitted only by monks and priests. But by 1200 or 1199, the Pope Innocent, for instance, said that the The desire to read the scriptures was praiseworthy, but that the practice was dangerous for the simple and unlearned. Remember that the urine looted people, the ones who Jesus started the church with, Pope Pius the uh Fourth, I believe it was. Um He required the bishops to refuse laid persons to read the scriptures.

uh the Catholic scriptures, unless their confessors or parish priests Judged that such reading was likely to be proven beneficial for them. Trent did the same thing.

Now, the Dewey Reigns Bible admits all this. It says we basically expresses that we do not publish this translation based upon the erroneous error. That the holy scriptures should always be in the mother tongue, whether they should be read impartially by all. Instead, they believed that they were actually hurtful to many, and it was better to be kept and studied only in the ecclesiastical learned languages. And so uh as a result Um you have this basically biblical ignorance.

which the Puritans tried to counteract. There were English translations um, not, you know, too popular, but not uh the point is what what good is that if people don't read them.

So it's necessary to actually educate the people to read as well as provide them the the uh scriptures in their own language, which the Puritans endeavored to do. Daniel, thank you for those quotes, which verify what I've understood. And again, If there was widespread support of everybody should read the Bible in their own language, why were those who translated it into the language of the people persecuted by that very church? Hey, I appreciate the references. And the reminder for all of us.

Yeah, go ahead. In addition to that, I mean, you have all these quotes, especially in the middle evil church, that I Uh the one duty of the Catholics is to simply follow the pastors. I mean, this goes beyond simply infallible pronouncements, and I have a bunch of quotes that show this. But the what was basically fostered was the idea that you simply look to leadership And the leadership interprets everything for you, and that keeps the flock nice and safe, so to speak, nice and unified. Unfortunately, it results in being unified in error, as we see today.

Yeah. And Daniel, even the idea that you have clergy and laity. Gives further fuel to that fire. I absolutely believe in leadership in the body and the importance of leaders and leaders shepherding the flock and guarding against error and building up and edifying and equipping. I do believe that some, especially, have the gift and calling of teaching and will be more at home studying the scriptures and applying them.

But the bottom line is the letter to the Corinthians, who was it written to? To the Corinthians. It wasn't written to the clergy, and then the clergy will. Tell the Corinthians what they think they should know. No, all the New Testament letters to congregations were written by Paul or John or Jacob, James.

They were written to the people to read. The other extreme of this Frank Viola and so forth, which is another radio program. In which Basically, they do away with any pastoral authority. Right.

Well, actually, though, Frank has emphasized that the letters were written to the believers. But Frank would also say that some of the earlier things he said may have been expressed in ways that With maturity, you'd express a little bit differently because he does believe in leadership in the body. And we've talked about these things, but I do understand that you could get the idea that leaders don't matter at all. The fact is, leaders play an important role, but everyone is a child of God. In other words, quote, clergy, laity, we're all children of God.

We're all branches of the vine. We're all priests to the Lord. We're all members of the body of Messiah.

So there is that equality, and then leaders have a role, an important role for the body and for the good of the body. But the clergy-laity distinction makes it as if you have the holy men who know the Bible and know God. And it's the masses who don't know anything. Hey, great call, Daniel. Thank you so much.

Shake the nation, change the world. Join Dr. Michael Brown along with Messianic Jewish pastor Scott Volk for a unique behind-the-scenes tour of Israel, February 25th through March 6th, 2017. Space is limited, so we are accepting applications on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information on the trip and to secure your spot, please visit our website at askdrbrown.org and click on the Israel Tour banner or call our office at 704-782-3760.

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. 866-34Truth, the number to call.

If you could join me in Israel next year, it's going to be an amazing trip, trip of a lifetime. Find out more by going to askdrbrown.org. And signing up today, get your deposit in now. It's first come, first serve because of limited space. And we are thrilled to make room for you on this trip.

And based on the trip we did two years ago, I'm more excited about this one than I was the first one now that I see how people were impacted and what an amazing good deal it is for everything that you get packed in on this trip. 866-34Truth. Back to the phones, Clifford in Rhode Island. Thanks for calling the line of fire. Yes, Dr.

Brown. I wait to see. One thing we're at the rip.

Okay. teams version roughly about So, these guys that have been translating these Bibles down through the years haven't been doing that great of a job. Where do you get that figure from?

Well, it's roughly twenty five thousand. Let your Listeners, you know what I don't like about the show, Dr. Brown? is we need to let the listeners go out there and look for themselves and make up their own minds. Uh As far as this new Uh messianic bio.

Yeah. But but but how how am I not how am I not letting people Make up their own minds. Aren't I encouraging you to do that? No, no, no, it's not you. I'm not saying you, you're not doing it, but we need to, we need to.

Say these things, get it out there. and let the people do some research. When you do your research God sees it yourself Great. And he says, All right, I'm going to help you. I'm going to take you along now.

I'm going to show you the truth. I want to say one thing. This new messianic Bible First of all, is it not written in the old scripture? Yahweh said, I will give thee a new Jerusalem. With the fir tree, the box tree, the great rivers that divide the nation.

The options aren't easy. Side great mineral wealth. What scripture are you quoting? I'm qu qu quoting from the Old Testament. Yeah, what what verse?

Yeah, uh to be honest with you, I don't have it written down in front of me, Doctor. Mm-hmm. Yeah. at work trying to do that while I'm trying to talk to you. Um I I waited through the lunch breaks so I could could speak with me anyhow.

Um the uh Uh the the scripture says, I will give thee a new Jerusalem.

Now, the great cedars of Lebanon.

Well, no, but that's the problem. We can't talk about a scripture that's you kind of created a verse putting a number of things together.

So that's why I can't respond to that if it's not actually a verse in the Bible. Let me go back. great of Lebanon. are only they only grow two places in the world. They grew in Old Lebanon.

And they grow in Northern California, and they're called the sequoias. Yeah. them up in Lebanon.

Now they're only in one place. The United State is the new Jerusalem. It's the regal. It's awesome. Tell you what, so but hang on, hang on, hang on, hang on.

There is not a scripture anywhere in the Bible that says that. And the idea that cedars only, first you made up a verse, now based on a made-up verse, okay? No, not based on a made-up verse. You and I both know he says, I will give thee a new Jerusalem. Of this Jerusalem, I will make in a Bible.

Clifford, tell you what, here's, let's, let's, let's, let's do this, to be fair. Clifford, let's do this to be fair, right? Once you uh I'm going to make an exception. Normally we don't let someone call back within a couple of weeks. I want you to go home.

I want you to find the verse you're looking for. He will give a new Jerusalem. We're not talking about Revelation 21, 22, a new Jerusalem coming down from heaven. Obviously, you're not talking about that because at that point, there's going to be a new heavens and a new earth.

So, who's going to argue about the United States or Lebanon? But let's find your verse, and then let's demonstrate that cedars only exist in one part of the world, and therefore America is the new Jerusalem.

So, I'm going to give you time to look up your actual verses. And prove your point. When you call back, we'll let you back on when you'll have the Bible in front of you. All right? Fair enough.

Thanks for holding through lunch break, but if we're going to do this, let's do it fairly, okay? Uh We shall see, shall we not? Let me try to grab one last call. Steve in New York, welcome to the line of fire. Good afternoon, Doctor Brown.

I got a question about this new version, Tree of Life. I'm curious what category you would put it in, say, compared to a literal version. Like the New American Standard. Where would it fit in? Yes.

Okay. It is. If you want to have, say, the NASB On the right side, of a Is a more literal translation, all right? And then you want to have on the left side. the NIV as a little bit more dynamic.

The the NLT, New Living Translation, that's a bit of a paraphrase.

So if you want to have between major translations the NASB and the NIV, I would say it's in the middle a little bit towards the NASB. In other words, there really was that desire to convey words as opposed to concepts, but you can't do that. I mean, the NASB, you can't do that perfectly anyway. If you did, it would be obscure. In other words, if you went literally from Hebrew and Greek into English, it would make no sense.

The English word structure and sentence would make no sense. But it's a little bit closer. It reads brightly and sharply. To me, it reads much better than the NASB. But for example, like the verb structure in the Gospels.

Where there are some unusual ways of saying things, that's conveyed in English in that way to really get you closer to the Greek in that respect.

So I put it closer. Like I said, it reads more dynamically than the NASB, but to me, it's seeking to be more literal than the NIV.

Something like the ES meeting. Yeah, but I would put it, except to me, it's got a bit more of a dynamic flow than the ESV. ESV is a wonderful translation, but I'd make it just slightly more dynamic reading. Uh more lively in my view than the ESV, just the way the translators did it. Uh but let me just say this uh closer in that regard to the ESV than to the NIV in my opinion.

But not as far as the actual overall words used because of the messianic flavor and things like that, but in terms of the translation style. I'd say a little closer to the ESV than the NIV. As I've been reading through it again and looking at it. Hey, great question, but I'm out of time. Got to run.

You can excerpt it. You can look for yourself and get an idea of it by just going to BibleGateway.com and looking up some of the verses there. But thank you for the question. All right, friends, take advantage of this special offer: a beautiful, slimline, leather-like. Additionally Of the scriptures, the Tree of Life Messianic Jewish Version by a team of Messianic Jewish and Christian scholars.

First work of its kind. When you order the Bible, we're paying the postage and giving you a free DVD as well. Just released now. Go to askdr brown ASKDRBrown.org. My bottom line today: let's take heed to the words of Proverbs, not to let the word out of our sight.

Treasure it, and it'll bring life and healing. Do you know there were times where the church would penalize those who translated the Bible into the language of the people, that people who translated the Bible into English paid for it with their very lives? Uh 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. Welcome, welcome to the broadcast as we celebrate the scriptures today.

Do you realize? The leaders of the civil rights movement here in America They had the Bible in hand. or if not in hand, they had the scriptures on their lips. and most of them were reverends, were ministers. Oh, they may not have all been Orthodox believers in the fullest sense of the word, but when they quoted Scripture, that was their sacred book.

And it was by the scriptures and by the call for justice by the prophets that they challenged the nation. to social justice. Even though there were Christians in America who quoted the Bible to support slavery. It was those quoting the Bible right back and laying out the larger principles of Scripture of freedom from captivity and liberation for the slaves. that they brought about the abolition movement in England and in America.

from a Christian standpoint using the Bible. The Bible literally transforms society. transforms nations. 866-34TRUTH. If you have a question today about the Bible, about Bible translation.

about how reliable are our translations. about how the manuscripts have been preserved that we do have. about different modern translations. I'd love to speak with you. And we are celebrating this week the release.

It'll be actually in Jerusalem, the beginning of next week, of the new edition of the Baker Books Tree of Life version of the Bible. Baker has embraced this version now. They're putting it out in several new editions. We found out that the first printing so exceeded, the response to the first printing so exceeded the expectations of Baker that before the book was even formally released, before it was even formally released, they have had to go to a second printing, which is extraordinary. 8663487884.

Four. It's uh In the first hour, I I spoke with Daniel Greenberg. And Danny is the wife of a Messianic Jewish leader, congregational leader, Messianic Jewish rabbi, Catholic background herself, so in that sense, married into the Messianic Jewish faith. And some years back, she approached me. And I want everyone listening to hear this, please.

I want to talk about a broader subject here, a broader subject. Uh She approached me about this vision of putting out this family Bible. It was going to have in some editions beautiful graphics that would convey the message of Scripture. And it was going to be a new translation. And it was going to be a team effort by Messianic Jewish and Christian scholars, PhDs, others.

And would I get involved or be interested in helping? To be honest, it seems so far fetched I was in the midst of a crazy busy schedule, teaching literally all day and going from that to then do radio broadcasts at night. and even to spend a few minutes during a lunch break was a lot. But she was so clear about, well, of course, you'll meet with me right. And I thought, well, I guess I will.

Can I say no to this? But when she talked to him, I thought, wow, she's got some scholars involved and the right Messianic Jewish leaders, but is this possible? Is it really possible? And I've been amazed to see how God's blessed it.

So, why do I say it? If God has put a dream in your heart, What's impossible with men is possible with God. If God's put a vision in your heart and shared with you something that you're supposed to do, if it's really from above, there will be tests, there will be trials, there will be challenges, but be assured. Be assured. God will finish what he starts.

Change the world. Change the world. Send it along. 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. Do you know why people through the centuries have risked their lives to get the Bible? into closed areas.

Do you know why people have risked their lives in decades past smuggling Bibles into China? getting Bibles into places in the world where they were outlawed. I mean, think of it. How many books are outlawed by nations? How many books are banned?

How many considered that dangerous?

Well, the Bible is the top of the list. For banned books because it is so life-changing, because it exposes the corrupt establishment. Because it brings people into allegiance to God even more than to their government. And that is considered treasonous and dangerous because it shines the light. Therefore, the darkness gets exposed.

This is Michael Brown. We are celebrating the power, the nation-changing power of the Word of God today. And, and you might say, with everything going on in society around us, and with more concern about terrorist attacks and with the craziness of the elections and all of this, you want to talk about the Bible? Yep. Yeah.

Number one, this is not conservative talk radio. I'm not talking politics every day or social issues every day. Although these things will come up frequently. We are Bible-based. This is Christian Talk Radio.

That's one thing. But the other thing is God's Word has the answer. God's Word has the answer for Financial issues? God's word has the answer for.

societal issues. For family issues. for individual issues. If you're battling addiction, If you're on the verge of divorce. If you've got an out-of-control kid.

If your finances are a mess, there's wisdom in the word. And above all, the word can show you how to have a relationship with the God who made you and who rules the universe. And with His help, all things are possible. But you've got to get into the word. The famous Keith Green song, You Love the World and You're Avoiding Me.

Where it's the Lord speaking at Keith Green. And I've heard that, some of the lyrics replay in my mind many times. My word sits there. upon your desk but you love your books and magazines the best. You love the world and you're avoiding me.

Yes, I mean you can hear him singing that. Playing his piano. That's a message for many of us. We have the Bible in so many translations. We have sometimes stacks of Bibles.

It's available everywhere. And yet. We In many ways. Or it Less literate in the Bible than past generations. The younger generation is very much illiterate of Scripture.

In the church, you've got the serious ones, the young people that are more serious than past generations in many ways, but the non-serious outnumber them greatly. Listen to Proverbs, to the wisdom of Proverbs, chapter 4. Beginning in verse 20. My son Pay attention to my words. listening closely to my sayings.

Don't lose sight of them. Keep them within your heart. For they are life to those who find them, and health to those who are. to one's whole body. Wow.

I liken this to you are in an expensive antique shop. Everything in the shop Is five thousand dollars and more in value, much of it old and fragile.

some of it almost priceless. behind glass. You can just look at it. And you have with you your three-year-old nephew. He is full of life, full of energy, full of curiosity.

He doesn't walk, he runs. He doesn't touch, he grabs. And and maybe you're Sister says to you, Listen I need you to keep a careful eye on him in this shop. I've got to figure out which item I'm getting for for our museum. And I need you to watch him like a hawk.

Don't let him out of your sight. What would that mean? If you had to be in that store with that kid, what would that mean? That would mean that your only focus is him. That's the only thing you're paying attention to.

That's the only thing you're looking at. It that that boy. That boy. And you your eye is on him like a hawk, and you probably just got your hand on his shoulder, and maybe more, almost a leash would be nice, because if he starts messing with stuff, that could cost tens of thousands of dollars. You break, you pay.

Let's read this again. My son. Pay attention to my words. Listen closely to my sayings. Don't let them out of your sight.

Keep them within your heart, for they are life to those who find them and health. body. I'm exhorting me as I'm exhorting you. Let's not get so familiar with the scriptures that we don't love and devour the scriptures. Let's not get so familiar with the Bible that we don't cherish the words.

Let me read to you Jeremiah chapter 15 and verse 16 from the Tree of Life edition, the beautiful new slimline edition that I'm holding in my hands as I read. And by the way, this goes by the Hebrew order of the scriptures. When Jesus in Luke 24 speaks of everything that was written about him in the law and the prophets and the psalms, the Torah, the prophets and the psalms, he's talking in all likelihood about the threefold division of the scripture. Torah, Nevi'im, Ketuvim, Torah, which is the five books of Moses, the teaching, the law of God, Nevi'im, which is the prophets. But in the Hebrew order, the prophets are Joshua, Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel.

The historical books that I mentioned were. Considered to be written by prophets. And then the last division called Ketuvim, that's the rest of the writings, the rest of the Hebrew scriptures.

So the historical books like 1st and 2 Chronicles and Ezra and Nehemiah are in there. Other books like Daniel, the 12 minor prophets, of course, they're part of the prophets.

So Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, the 12 minor prophets. And then the rest are in the writings.

So books like Ecclesiastes and Psalms and Proverbs of Job, they're all there.

So this follows the Hebrew division.

So it's also give you a different way of reading the Bible through cover to cover.

So Jeremiah 15, 16, your words were found, so I ate them. Your words were delight to me and the joy of my heart, for I am called by your name Adonai Elohet Sva'ot, which is Lord God of hosts.

So, uh Finding the word. devouring the word. I've been praying in my own life. for a greater love for the word. In the earliest years of being a believer, there was a time when I was so hungry for the word that I would memorize 20 verses every single day.

God helped me to do that without missing a beat for six months. In addition to that, to read the Bible two hours a day. In addition to that, I would pray for hours. And even though I love the word and I'm teaching for the word and preaching from the word and writing commentaries and always in the word, there's another sense where I feel like, no, there's a love for the word. I just can't wait to read it.

I can't wait to devour it. And sometimes getting a brand new translation is the best way to do that.

So something very, very interesting when we talk about Jewish roots and understanding our connection to the Jewish Messiah and the Jewish Apostles and the Jewish Scriptures. I'm a Jew. Most of you listening are Gentiles, and yet we're one in Jesus, we're one in Yeshua. And in that sense, we have common roots. I had a caller last hour who, through a very strange interpretation of the scriptures and some misinformation about some particular trees, concluded that America is the new Israel, the new Jerusalem.

And there's no possible way. if you understood the Jewish roots of the faith. If you understood that the Messiah Jesus, who ascended from the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, is coming back to the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, according to Zechariah 14 and according to Acts the first chapter. As he ascended, he will descend to that same place, and that all the nations of the world at the end of the age will come against Jerusalem. Again, Zechariah 12, Zechariah 14.

As Jerusalem becomes the city of controversy for the whole world and the place against which the world expresses its animosity, when you understand that a Jewish Jerusalem is welcoming back a Jewish Messiah, You cannot then with any stretch of the imagination, say, Oh yeah, that's America Or that's California. No, no, there's no possible way you could do that, because the roots are down properly. You are not going to get so far off the branch that you fall off the tree. Because you'll be rightly connected through the roots and rightly grafted into that tree in a solid way. A translation like the Tree of Life version helps in many, many ways.

ways. In fact, I'll give you an example from the book of Jacob when we come back. Say Jacob? Yeah, Jacob. We'll be right back.

Join Dr. Michael Brown along with Messianic Jewish pastor Scott Volk for a unique behind-the-scenes tour of Israel February 25th through March 6th, 2017. Space is limited, so we're accepting applications on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information on the trip and to secure your spot, please visit our website at askdrbrown.org and click on the Israel Tour banner or call our office at 704-782-3760. Give us strength to always do what's right.

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. Yeah, I hope you can join me in Israel next year.

We've got a great response since we announced the trip.

So just thrilled to Have you come along with us? And yeah, we'll be doing some live broadcasts from Israel as well. God willing, you get to sit in on those. That'll be nighttime at the end of a great day together. 866-348-7-884 is our number.

All right. I'm going to read from, let's see, HCSB. This is a great translation, the Holman Christian Standard Bible. Uh James. One one.

James. A slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes in the dispersion. Greetings. All right. That's the HCSB.

Oh, let's see. Let's read from the ESV. Just about identical. NIV, James, the servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes scattered among. The nations NET from James, the slave of God and the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes dispersed abroad.

The King James says, which are scattered abroad.

Now I'm going to read from Jacob. One one. Say Jacob. Right, right. That's the Greek way of saying James.

So if you're reading from the Tree of Life version, as I have in my hand, it says Jacob in parentheses, James. Jacob A slave of God, and of the Lord Yeshua the Messiah.

Sounds a little more Jewish, does it?

Well, Jacob was a Jewish believer writing to the Jews. to the twelve tribes in the diaspora Shalom. What's the diaspora? The diaspora is the technical way of referring to Jews in exile.

So, not just Jews scattered abroad, the 12 tribes scattered abroad, which some say that's the spiritual Israel, that's the church scattered abroad. No, no, that's not written to the church. Church as a whole. It's written to Jewish believers who are scattered around the world. But the same way that Corinthians was written to Corinthians, right, and Romans was written to Romans, and Galatians was written to Galatians, we understand who it was written to, and then from there we make application to our own lives.

In that sense, it's for all of us, written to a particular audience.

So Jacob was written to Jewish believers scattered around the world. It's for all of us. But starts with that particular audience from once we make application. And that's why he talks about the Torah as much as he does.

So here we go. Jacob, a slave of God and of the Lord Yeshua the Messiah. To the twelve tribes in the diaspora, So the Jewish people scattered around the world, shalom! Yeah, that would be the equivalent of that's how you say peace or greetings. Um Shalom That's where he'd say it.

Now, let's go to. Oh, let's see. Let's go to chapter 2. All right. And I'll read, say, from the New King James in chapter 2.

My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. For if there should come into your assembly A man with gold rings and fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, and he goes on. Notice if there should come into your assembly, Well, now I'll read it in the second chapter from Jacob in the Tree of Life version. My brothers and sisters, do not hold the faith of our glorious Lord Yeshua the Messiah, while showing favoritism. For if a man with a gold ring and fine clothes comes into your synagogue, What?

Synagogue? Yeah, that's what it says in Greek. Synagogue. If a man with a gold ring and fine clothes comes into your synagogue, That's how it reads in the Greek. Check your Greek Bible.

You'll see. In fact, that's the same word translated synagogue throughout the New Testament. Yeshua would go into the synagogue on the Sabbath, as his custom was. Paul would go and preach in the synagogue. Even in Revelation 2 and 3, these derogatory comments about being a synagogue of Satan.

You claim to be Jews in and out, you're a synagogue of Satan. Synagogue, same word. Here's the same word. Why is it that our Christian translations don't say synagogue?

So look. King James? Says assembly, New King James Assembly, HCSB meeting, ESB Assembly. NIV meeting. NET assembly.

Meeting. Why doesn't it say synagogue? Why is it only the complete Jewish Bible and the Tree of Life that says synagogue? Because the idea would be, well, they're Christians, and Christians don't go to synagogues. No, these are Jews who believe in the Yeshua of the Messiah, and the place they gather in is called the synagogue.

That was a gathering place for for Jews. Yeah. Interesting, isn't it?

Well, now let's go to the fifth chapter. All right? Uh let's go uh i in fact um Let's read further down in the second chapter. And Paul says uh Jacob says this Um If you really fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, you shall love your neighbor as yourself, you do well. But if you show partiality, you commit sin and convicted by the law as transgressors.

For whoever shall keep the whole law and yet stumble in one point, he's guilty of all. and listen to it in the Tree of Life. Uh says this. If, however, you fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, you shall love your neighbor as yourself, you do well. But if you show favoritism, you are committing sin and are convicted by the Torah.

As transgressors, for whoever keeps the whole Torah but stumbles in one point, he's become guilty of all. Remember, these are Jews he's writing to.

So they're quite conversant when he speaks of the Torah, what he's speaking about.

Well, now we get to the fifth chapter. And we listened to different translations, 514. James in our normal English translations. Jacob in the Tree of Life version and the complete Jewish Bible. Is anyone sick among you, let him call for the elders of the church.

That's how it is. King James, New King James, Elders of the Church. I'm looking at every other translation in front of me. Church, church, church, church, church, church, church.

Well, hang on. Let's look at it in the tree of life version. As I turn the pages to get there, tree of life version, verse 14. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of Messiah's community.

It wasn't say church because that's not the right way to translate ecclesia. Because in English, that can refer to the building. It's not referring to the building, it's referring to the people. And when we say church, we think Christian. You don't think of a Jewish church.

Jews don't go to church, they go to synagogue. Right? Reformed Jews go to go to temple. Jews go to synagogue, they don't go to church, Christians go to church, Muslims go to mosques. Jews go to synagogue.

But here we saw that he says the meeting place is called the synagogue. What? That's where miscancers would go. and call for the elders of Messiah's community. That's what Ecclesia means.

Not church where it could refer to a building. but it is the people call for the elders of the congregation. the elders of the messianic community. And they will pray for him. See, it makes a difference and it reminds you of the Jewish rootedness of our faith, and it gets past Later Christian culture and tradition, which can sometimes separate us from that.

So, when you read this yourself, you're going to be edified, you're going to be built up. The light's going to go on just as you're reading scripture. You'll make connections, you'll feel that direct connection of yourself back to the Jewish Messiah and the Jewish scriptures as one grafted in. And you'll find it to be a wonderful, lively version. A beautiful new leather-like slimline edition now put out by Baker Books.

It's beautiful. Trust me, you'll be amazed at it. It's a great deal. We're paying the postage, giving you a free DVD when you order. Go to ask Dr.

Brown, A-Sk D-R-Brown.org to order. 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. Welcome, welcome to the line of fire, 866-34TRUTH. Beginning of next week, In Jerusalem. There will be a special Meeting where the new Baker Books edition of The Tree of Life.

Messianic Jewish version of the scriptures will be released. It'll be a special celebration time.

So. We're excited to have the Bibles to make them available. The pre-orders were so big that Baker had to go to a second printing before the Bible was actually officially released.

So, I'm going to take questions today if you have them on the Bible, Bible translation, how we got our translations, reliability of translations, preservation of manuscripts, those kinds of things. I'm glad to take some calls on that. 866-348-7884. Earlier in the broadcast, in our first half hour of these two hours on the air, I talked about how men like William Tyndale and John Wycliffe were hunted like criminals. Criminals even paid with their own lives to get the Bible translated into the language of the people, because often the church had suppressed that.

The church had suppressed that so that your average person, many couldn't read. Those who could read did not have a Bible translation that they could read because why?

Well, people will make too many mistakes. They can't interpret it for themselves. Whereas God wanted everyone to have it. Yes, they're leaders and teachers in the body. But come on, you go to any good congregation, any good church, and when the leader's up there, they want you to be looking things up in your Bible, or they want you to be looking at these scriptures when they go home.

They don't want you to just take their words for it. And many churches, just the custom, make sure you bring your Bible with you. In fact, it's a shame that in some churches they emphasize bring your Bible with you and then they hardly use the scriptures the whole sermon. That's a shame. And if we could dive in the Word and bury our heads and hearts in the Word and then meet with God and then live this out, man, we'd be changed and the world around us would be changed.

In that sense, there is no more revolutionary book that's ever been written than the Bible. All right, one important news item I want to share. One important news item. There is a meeting today. Of black pastors and faith leaders.

So African American pastors and faith leaders. in uh North Carolina. Addressing what they say is the offensive and false civil rights comparison made by the Obama administration. Nearly 50 pastors and faith leaders, many of which form many from the black faith community, stood shoulder to shoulder. On the south side of the Capitol building, to address the Obama administration's offensive and false claims that allowing men to enter women's showers and locker rooms is somehow akin to the very real struggles during the civil rights movements in the 1960s.

And this was a gathering put together by the North Carolina Values Coalition. Speakers included Bishop Dr. Patrick Wood. Maybe some of you listening right now on some of our great stations in Raleigh, maybe you were there at that rally. Clarence Henderson, civil rights leader, chairman of the Governor's Commission on Civil Rights.

Participated in the Woolworth Sit-in Greensboro, North Carolina in 1960. Wow. Doctor Gabriel Rogers, personal friend, senior pastor, Kingdom Christian Church in Charlotte. doctor Leon Thrett, Senior Pastor, Christian Faith Assembly, Charlotte. These are and Kenneth Pastor Kenneth Fontenat and Pastor Odin Olden Thornton.

I preached for Pastor Thornton and Raleigh a couple years back. These are all prominent African-American leaders, all saying to the Obama administration, don't compare a man wanting to use a ladies' room with civil rights movement. Don't tell us transgender is the new black. We have compassion on those struggling, but don't tell us transgender is the new black. Bishop Wooden said this, the language of civil rights shouldn't be hijacked to give privileges to the politically vocal while taking away freedoms from people disfavored by government.

Great quotes here.

Well said. We'll be right back. 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. I've been talking about the importance of the Word of God, celebrating the Word of God on the broadcast today. Talking about how Civil rights leaders had the Bible on their lips as they called for justice and equality. How the abolitionists fighting against slavery had the Bible on their lips as they called for justice and equality. And we've seen in recent years a fresh new attack.

On the fundamentals of the scriptures. Number one, that there is a God, that God exists and created everything. That is under attack by the new atheists and others. The idea of creation, intelligent design keeps coming under attack despite increasing scientific evidence. And then the apex of creation, the culmination of God's handiwork.

God creates human beings in His own image, therefore, every Individual has value from the baby in the womb to the old and frail because we're all created in God's image and. God created us male and female. And there is an all-out war on that, even on gender distinctions. It's a fundamental war on fundamental biblical foundations. I've written a few articles about that in the last few days.

Go to stream.org for some of my recent articles addressing this war on gender. As always, my joy to welcome James Robinson to the broadcast. James, how are you doing today?

Well, I'm good. I've had a little allergy attack or two here. Maybe others understand that, but I'm doing good. I hope congestion doesn't slow me down. All right, good.

Yeah, I've just gotten over some attacks in the last few weeks here. All right. This war on gender, are we missing something if we kind of focus on just, okay, the Obama administration and the edict about schools and bathrooms? Is there a larger war going on that it's against the very fundamentals of God's order in creation?

Well, it's what our founders referred to as nature's God and nature's law. The very law of nature speaks volumes about. Human sexuality. and sexuality. across the board.

Uh biologically. And we're now casting that aside, and we are making an enemy. And a target out of anyone who still believes what nature's law and nature's God revealed and the word of God reveals. It's not a matter, as you continue to emphasize, and not loving people who may be challenged, confused, or Held captive by appetites or desires or feelings they may not understand. I think all of us probably go through.

various challenges in our lives that we Would like to find some kind of escape from the reality of by justifying it as being absolutely. Normal and acceptable when, in fact, we know in our own heart and biblically that certain desires and practices and appetites that we give into are simply not healthy and they are Against the word of God and the will of God, and they're not best for us to feed them. I think we've got a lot of people who are confused. A lot of people who are are addicted to compulsive appetites or desires or unhealthy attractions, whether that be heterosexual or homosexual. And if you are held captive, that is something that God says we need to recognize and deal with.

We don't. change the truth into a lie. And then be given over to what seems to be apparent today, reprobate. minds where you can't even legitimately seem to determine Right from wrong, good from evil, light from dark. And that's where most of our nation seems to be headed right now, just headlong.

into a very real manifestation of depravity. Yeah, and and we're at the point now where if you want to be famous, you release a sex tape. If you think in a generation past, if such a thing was released, that person would never go out in public again. They'd hang their head in shame. They wouldn't want anyone to know who they were.

Today, that's the path to fame and stardom and lasting recognition. James, if we speak about, though, the Bible and sexuality, is the Bible out of date? Is the Bible somehow puritanical and unrealistic in its view of sexuality? Only if you took some extreme let's say, radical view where some religious groups may go to an extreme on a particular point. that nullifies grace or forgiveness and then try to heap shame own people continually when they're actually trying to escape from what brought the shame.

And be set free from it, to continue to shame them would certainly be inappropriate.

Some people might try to. justify that. uh by quoting in scripture and justifying very unchristlike actions. And that that's simply not the case. I I think if people would only recognize that we are all weak, We are weak, but he is strong.

We have weaknesses. But when a person does not recognize that weakness as falling short of the standard. or the appropriate measure. and they cast that aside, that's when you step over into the realm of wickedness. When you have not been deceived or defeated by evil, but you have now sold out to evil, which is ultimate satanic expression.

which Lucifer of course found himself in. And that's where many people today are in our nation They are literally committing themselves to wickedness as much as the drug dealer. plays off the weaknesses of others and he in his wickedness plays on the weakness of others who desperately need help. and many would not like to be held captive. But the evil ones commit to evil, the promotion of evil, not only the discarding of truth, but the assault against truth and against all that is right, righteous, correct, sound, and stable.

Alright, so let's look at this. The flesh wants to do certain things. You don't have to discipline yourself to overeat. You don't have to discipline yourself to sleep late. That's just what the flesh wants to do.

And yet, if we just indulge the flesh, I'm going to be totally free. I'm going to do whatever I want to do, whether it's sex, whether it's drugs, whether it's drinking, whether it's possessions. I'm going to do whatever I want to do. I want to be totally free. The Bible tells us that that's actually not freedom.

That's bondage.

So, God's way of speaking of discipline and moderation. That's the way to freedom. When you do it the world's way and do whatever in the world you want, that's the way of bondage. When you have an idol, Paul made it very clear, you become a sharer with demonic powers and influences. And that can go for people who worship Aspen.

Ports. money, success. Attention, popularity. If you have an idol, something that has captured your heart, you are vulnerable to all manner of deception and demonic. activity.

And many people live their life. Even many who profess Christ. Are tormented by demonic activity because some of them have even made an idol out of a particular religious belief. that may in itself actually be a tradition of men and not in fact the command of God. If we have idols.

We become sharers, Paul says, with demons. And I think you can see the activity. Very demonic expressions. People can just read the comments against the things that you say. That are said in love and in the word of God.

And you can tell it's like the venom of Satan is spewing out through their pen in the comments. It is vile expressions of animosity and hatred.

Sometimes, however, they will ask you masquerade As a very saintly person defending the scripture, when in fact they are actually. denying the scripture.

So they've been deceived and defeated. Yeah, I noticed a comment someone posted when I was addressing some of these issues on YouTube, and they used the screen name Lucifer Beelzebub. How ironic. And said, Mr. Brown is sad.

He is delusional in his beliefs. He exchanged heroin for religion. Both are ways of avoiding living in reality. This is very sad.

So, when the devil is attacking you, you know you're doing the right thing. Hey, James, one more question. Just to switch subjects. You know, the big gathering, maybe 500 evangelical leaders with Donald Trump next month to find out. Talk with him in more depth about what he believes.

I know you've had one-on-one time with him. I did get an invitation, but I'll be in Australia. How do you feel about that? Do you think this is a good move for these leaders to sit down with Donald Trump and probe and ask questions? Or is this just a setup to be told what they want to hear?

Well, we can answer that quickly because uh Joseph did not counsel the most godly person himself, and certainly Daniel had four kings that were anything but ideal. And all of the prophets, both major and minor, addressed to not only the nation of faith, but also wicked kings and people who are out of sight. Regardless of what people think of Mr. Trump, God loves him. I love him.

I love his family. I'm praying for him. I love everyone. And I'm going to deliver the unadulterated truth and love I will not compromise. I think for him to open the door.

to say I want to hear the concerns of these leaders. And he should and must, and we must be faithful to deliver them, but deliver them in love. And hopefully, they will have a profound and positive impact on him, very positive. It is my prayer that they will. I would say this.

Whoever the leader is in this nation, if it's Mr. Trump or someone else, and to be honest with you, the other side seems to have sold out to a very anti-God, anti-biblical, ever-increasing, overpowering federal government, another form of pharaoh.

So, if a man has opened the door to say, I want to hear what's on your heart, your concerns, I would say this. If he is not positive and profoundly affected by the concerns and beliefs of those people who attend that meeting, then I do not think he will succeed even if he's elected overwhelmingly. He's gonna have to receive gladly the wisdom that comes from above. He's gonna have to be willing to listen and learn from people who genuinely love him. love the truth, love and understand freedom, and who will tell him the truth no matter what the cost is.

So that's what I think the leaders should do. I want to believe that he wants that. I pray that he wants it, and I'm going to do everything I can to encourage him. Amen. Wise words.

I join with you in prayer and faith. Hey, thanks for joining us so much and fighting through the allergies. Always a blessing to speak with you. Friends, stream.org for latest cutting-edge articles and commentary. Thanks once again.

Best shootout. Hey, this is Michael Brown. I want to invite you to join me for our second ever trip to Israel, February 25th through March 6th, 2017. This is a great opportunity I get to interact with you, our radio listening audience, and our ministry partners as we experience the land of Israel together and it will be a life-changer. We've got a great price on the trip.

And if you're one of our monthly supporters, our torch bearers, you're eligible to receive a special discount for this once-in-a-lifetime experience. Space is limited, and we're accepting applications on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information on the trip to secure your spot, go to askdrbrown.org, click on the Israel banner, or call our office at 704-782-3760. Oh, God of burning, cleansing. play.

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.

All right, let's have some scripture fun. the last few minutes of this broadcast. All right? Uh Bernard Starr is a psychologist, former professor. who has written about the Jewishness of Jesus.

And he was greatly impacted by debates I've had with Rabbi Shuley Botayach in New York City that he attended. He's been on the show with us a few times. He's read my book, The Real Coaster Jesus. Does he believe Jesus is the Messiah or not? He's never tipped his hand and told us outwardly.

But he's written Articles, brilliant articles, insightful articles. As to the Jewish roots of the faith and the Jewishness of Jesus, and how that was often. Um Very much lost in translation, in art, in conception through church history. And he's got an article, The Transformation. Of the Virgin Mary, how a Jewish girl from Nazareth.

became a Christian icon. You never would have had this transformation in whatever negative sense it's happened and to whatever degree it's detached Mary Miriam from her Jewish roots. You never would have had this happen if all the translations were like the tree of life version through history.

So I'm going to read to you from Luke. chapter 1 verse 26. Are you ready? Then in the sixth month The angel Gabriel was sent by Adonai, Into a town in the Galilee called Natserit.

So Adonai is the Hebrew word for Lord. And it's saying that we're presuming the Hebrew-Jewish concept of Lord, when Greek is saying Kurios, that's what we're assuming.

So it says Adonai. Then in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by Odonion to a town in the Galilee called Natsaret. Why give the Hebrew name just to remind you that it is a Jewish village, a Jewish community? To a virgin engaged to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, the virg virgin's name was Miriam. It doesn't say Mary?

No, because in Hebrew her name was Miriam. It comes to us Through Greek into English, ultimately, as Mary, which is fine. But her name was Miriam. And when you get back to Miriam, suddenly the whole story sounds different, doesn't it? And coming to her, the angel said, Shalom, favored one, Aboniah is with you.

Think of having this as the Bible you're reading. It suddenly reattaches you to things that you may have been detached from. And it works great to preach from the pulpit for any pastor or leader. but at the message he was perplexed and kept wondering what kind of greeting this might be. The angel spoke to her, Do not be afraid, Miriam, for you have found favor with God.

Behold, you will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you shall call his name Yeshua. Which was his name? As opposed to Jesus, which is how it comes to us in English by way of Greek, which is fine in English, but just let's remember he's Yeshua. He will be great and will be called Ben-Alyon. Adoni Elohim will give him the throne of David his father.

So Ben-El Yoom, the son of the Most High, Adoni Lohim, the Lord God, will give him the throne of David his father. He shall reign over the house of Jacob for all eternity, and his kingdom will be without end. Miriam said to the angel, How can this be, since I am not intimate with a man? And responding, the angel said to her, The Ruacha Kodesh will come upon you, the Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of Elyon, Most High, will overshadow you. Therefore the Holy One being born will be called Ben-Elohim, Son of God.

Behold, even your relative Elizabeth has conceived a son in her old age, and the one who was called Baron is six months pregnant for nothing will be impossible with God.

So Miriam said, Behold, the servant of Anani, let it be done to me according to your word. And the angel left. Her. That reads nicely, doesn't it?

So Uh I I I'm encouraging everyone. Me included. To renew your devotion to the word, you say, I'm kind of bored by reading the Bible.

Well, read it differently. Read it out loud. Read it on your knees. Get a new translation, like the tree of life, and read. And.

As by the way, Matt, hard to concentrate on doing serious radio when I'm looking at some of your fine comments here.

So uh When you look, it's like spending time with someone used to be romantic with, relationships a little dull. Go spend time together. Get out on a date night. Spend quality time, enjoyable time.

Well, do it with the word. Don't just read the Bible right before you're going to fall asleep and your eyes are failing. No, no, when you're alert and sharp, say, God, speak to me through your word. And as you read, it's going to begin to open up. As you read, it's going to become wonderful and delectable and enjoyable.

And you're going to want to read more and more. The more you read the word, the more you're going to want to read it. The more you read it, the more you're going to want to put it into practice. Psalm 19 in the Tree of Life version of the Bible. The Torah of Adonai is perfect, restoring the soul.

The testimony of Adonai is trustworthy, making the simple wise. The precepts of Adonai are right, giving joy to the heart. The mitzvot, the commandments of Adonai are pure, giving light to the eyes. The fear of Adonai is clean, enduring forever. The judgments of Adonai are true, and all together.

righteous. Yeah, beautiful read. Get hold of this translation. Baker Books has now Um taken on this translation. For distribution, for their many Bibles that they put out, and they've produced it in different editions.

But the one that's my favorite is this beautiful leather-like slim line. It's mixed color on the front, it's got great imagery, and of course, it's the tree of life version. I thought it was one of these higher-end Bibles when they sent it to me that you pay, you know, $75 for, you know, $100 for these special editions. I was really surprised at the price of it. I'm not saying it just to say it, I genuinely was.

I talked to my staff that was there when I opened it up, and I was thrilled to see the nice edition at a great price. When you order it through our website, through askdrbrown.org, ASKDRBrown.org, we are also giving you a free. Uh Jewish D V D And Paying the postage on this.

So take advantage of it by going to askdrbrown.org, A-S-K-D-R-Brown.org. org Or you can call 1-800-278-9978. Just $30 postage paid for the Slim Line Little Like Bible with the DVD. 1-800-278-9978. Ant.

Best of all, Join me in Israel next year with your Tree of Life Bible in hand. as the Bible comes alive to Like you can, in no other way than when you are in the land of Israel. It's going to be an amazing tour, the trip of a lifetime.

So, join me. Go to ask Dr. Brown, ASKDRBrown.org to find out more. My bottom line today: the Word of God is the sword of the Spirit. And with that Word in our hands, we can destroy spiritual strongholds and bring life, liberation, and healing and wholeness.