The Berean Call Podcast

As we mentioned last week, Isaiah 53 is an astounding picture of the cross, an incredibly clear presentation of what Jesus did for us, isn’t it? Well, let’s continue with verse 5: “But he was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed.” Dave, this is the Lord of the Universe here.

And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
—Acts 17:10-11

Luke documents for us that the Apostle Paul, having left Thessalonica and recently arrived in the city of Berea, preached in the synagogue of the Berean Jews. Paul’s encouraging experience with the Bereans caused Luke to commend them. He wrote that they were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica because they received the Word of God from Paul “with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily” to know whether or not what Paul had to say was true.

The topic that we've been looking at for a number of weeks, and that we'll continue to look at because it's so foundational to the faith; and that's the doctrine of Salvation. Last week we started to look at the book of Isaiah, particularly chapter 53 which is just an awesome passage, not that you could pick and choose and say one verse is better than another, these are all inspired by God. But this is particularly awesome to me because it really deals with the God of the universe becoming a man and dying for our sins. Last week I quoted from Charles Westley, "Amazing love how could it be, that thou my God wouldst die for me." That's just tremendous. And this, these passages in Isaiah 53 spell it out in a way that it's overwhelming. Again we're talking about God here. Now Dave, we left off with verse 3, "He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him: he was despised, and we esteemed him not." Now last week we talked about that there was no beauty in him we went to the previous verse but....

Tom: Welcome to Apostasy Update. I’m T. A. McMahon, and in this program, we’re addressing biblical eschatology—what the Bible has to say prophetically about the last days prior to the return of Jesus Christ. My partner in this discussion is Carl Teichrib. He’s the author of Game of Gods: The Temple of Man in the Age of Re-enchantment.

Carl, welcome back, and thanks for joining me in our ongoing discussions on where the world and Christendom are headed according to the Scriptures as history draws to a close.

Carl: Good to be back, Tom. This is going to be another interesting conversation.

Tom: Much of the information that we’ve been presenting for those of you who have been following our programs, you know that we’ve looked to a number of books: first of all, Carl’s book, Game of Gods; America, the Sorcerer’s New Apprentice; Christianity and Anti-Christianity in Their Final Conflict; and most importantly, the Bible, which is God’s direct communication to mankind.

And, Carl, well, I want to focus again, as we have been for the last couple of weeks, on your book Game of Gods: The Temple of Man in the Age of Re-enchantment. And what I’d like to do in this program is revisit, really revisit, a subject that we discussed not too long ago, and that is sorcery: sorcery, which the Bible declares will be a conspicuous characteristic of society and a popular pursuit in the last days just prior to the return of Jesus Christ.

The term used in the New Testament in Greek is pharmakeia, which has to do with the administering of drugs, and from which we get our English word pharmacy. And one of the reasons I want to revisit sorcery and the Bible’s claim that the use of drugs will be common place in the end times has to do with the recent US election. Bills were passed in a number of states legalizing the use of marijuana for medical purposes and for recreation.

In this segment called “Understanding the Scriptures” we’ve been looking at the doctrine of salvation, a foundational doctrine to what we’re all about as Christians. And I think it’s been really informative—I’m—just listening to you Dave, about some of these things is just really blessed me and I hope our listeners are blessed as well.

What I’d like to talk about today really has to do with the death of Christ, what that means. And maybe for this program and the next program, I’d like to go over Isaiah 53, I mean the entire chapter. The passage here just underscores what Christ did. I mean we are talking about the Son of God here.

In our ongoing discussion in this segment called Understanding the Scriptures, we’ve been looking at the doctrine of salvation. One of the things I want to talk about today, or that we might discuss is the plan of salvation. Some people say, well you know you just have to give your heart to Jesus. You just have to turn your life over to him. You have to seek him. And certainly there’s some truth to that. But it’s not exactly what we’re to do, is it? Isn’t it God’s plan of salvation? Doesn’t it have content? Isn’t there a point where we in fact are saved?

Dave in our segment of Understanding the Scriptures, trying to help our listeners as well as ourselves—I mean we learn from this as well, but trying to understand the scriptures better, the topic has been the gospel of salvation which is central to our whole lives as Christians. But according to the scriptures, man is under condemnation for sin. I want to go over some verses here: Romans 5:12, “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:…” Now Romans 8:1 tells us that there is “therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” John 3:18 says, “He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

Continuing in this section, Understanding the Scriptures, the topic is the gospel of salvation. We’re really trying to, I mean we are taking awhile, but we’re really trying to zero in on exactly what the gospel is. Dave last week we talked about sin. We went back to the Garden of Eden and we recounted how sin entered in and our Lord said the day you eat of it you shall surely die. That’s what I want to talk about this week.

What does the death penalty mean? It is a process of a physical death; we mentioned that. But it also involves the wrath and punishment of God doesn’t it? And [it also means] separation from God forever.

In this segment of our program, Understanding the Scriptures, we’re going over the gospel, the gospel of salvation. Last week we were dealing with the origins of sin. We were back in Genesis and I just want to go over some scriptures for us Dave.

Genesis 1:31, “Then God saw everything that he had made and indeed it was very good.” So the environment as we mentioned before—what God had prepared for Adam and Eve was perfect in every way. And then he had a condition for Adam and Eve, Genesis 2:17, “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat. For in the day that you eat of it, you shall surely die.”

Dave in this part of our program, what I would like to talk about today—again the segment’s called Understanding the Scriptures. And the issue that we’re addressing is the gospel of salvation.
Well, salvation why? What went wrong? I mean God created, we know from in Genesis what he created was good and the last thing he says on the sixth day was is that it was VERY good. Things were good. What happened?