Transcript / Notes: OPEN LINE LIVE (Moody Radio) – Saturday, 30 January 2016
– Transcribed by Gordon Wayne Watts (GordonWatts.com / GordonWayneWatts.com)
(Intro) OPEN LINE LIVE Producer, Deb Solomon tells host, Dr. Michael Rydelnik, that she's going to be moving on to a new program on MOODY RADIO, which she's started in January (2016), called “Equipped, with Chris Brooks,” and then they take mailbag questions.
(00:00) DEB SOLOMON (Producer): “...Wow, why didn't I know that? I should have known that. So, lots of great things I've learned while I've listened to you, so I'll just have to keep listening.”
(00:06) DR. MICHAEL RYDELNIK (Host): “Yeah, I hope so. I hope so.”
(00:07) DEB SOLOMON: “And for those who haven't heard, I'm going to be moving off to a new program here at Moody Radio, um, actually, it started in January already. It's called 'Equipped with Chris Brooks', and I'm looking forward to being part of that. So, um, Michael, we have a question from Mildred who wrote in, and she said, 'I've heard the teaching that all babies go to heaven. If this is so, would it [not] be better for all people to just die in infancy and [thus] avoid the possibility of hell? If all babies go to heaven?”
(00:37) DR. MICHAEL RYDELNIK: “Wow.”
(00:38) DEB SOLOMON: “I know, that's kind of an interesting perspective on that question.”
(00:41) DR. MICHAEL RYDELNIK: “Yeah. Well, let me just say, ah... We have to think about life the way God thinks of it. And we shouldn't... That's a... That's almost, ah,... It's... It's... It's almost, ah... not, it's... I guess, maybe we would say, Ok, logically speaking, the best thing in the world is to have eternal life, and so,... But, that would be encouraging: 'Ok, everyone, let's abort our children'. Ah...” [Editor's Note: I agree with Dr. Rydelnik here: Eternal life is superior to temporary life because it is imperishable, offering an everlasting, unseen reality (2 Cor 4:18) “While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.” (2 Cor. 4:18, KJV)]
(01:06) DEB SOLOMON: “And, we're gonna assume this is a 'philosophical' question for Mildred...”
(01:10) DR. MICHAEL RYDELNIK: “Yeah.”
(01:10) DEB SOLOMON: “...that she's not really trying to do that.”
(01:11) DR. MICHAEL RYDELNIK: “No, no, of course not. But, ah... But we... philosophically speaking, we have to support what God says about life. And what he says is every human life is precious. Ah, and so every human life being precious, uh, we have to protect it. Uh, and so... uh, that's why in... every human life has the image of God upon it. That's why Genesis 9 says that murder has to be paid for with capital punishment, ah, because of the image of God. And so we have to protect that human being with the image of God. Secondly, we... we have to recognize that the greatest opportunity people have is to have an opportunity to believe in Jesus. And so we don't want to short circuit that. And then thirdly, ah, God wants us here on earth to serve Him... He needs... He.. He has commanded us to be His servants. And if we say, 'Oh, the better thing is to go to heaven, so therefore, ah, we're not going to serve Him,' no, He needs people... He wants people (I don't think He needs anything), but He wants people to be His servants... So, He has set it up that way. And so, therefore, ah, we have to preserve life, for that reason. So, ah, there are too many reasons for us to protect human life, ah, that philosophically, whether philosophically that makes sense to you or not, that's not what God would want.” [Editor's Note: #1. IMAGE OF GOD argument ; #2. – FAITH IN JESUS argument ; #3. – SERVICE TO GOD argument]
(02:39) DEB SOLOMON: “It's just... God's glory. What does He get the glory from? And...” [Editor's Note: #4. – GLORY TO GOD argument]
(02:41) DR. RYDELNIK: “Yeah.”
(02:41) DEB SOLOMON: “...ultimately, that's our purpose, isn't it?”
(02:43) DR. MICHAEL RYDELNIK: “And also, it's so important that people love God and respond to Him, ah, with their will. Ah, we're not robots. And, uh, if... if every person just automatically goes to heaven 'cause we're... well, God wants us to make the choice to believe in Him. And so that's what He... He is really giving us the opportunity to do when we live on earth. And so,...” [Editor's Note: #5. – “FREE WILL” aka “WE'RE NOT ROBOTS” argument]
(03:06) DEB SOLOMON: “Yes.”
(03:07) DR. MICHAEL RYDELNIK: “...in all those ways I think it gives greater glory to God, ah, to... to preserve life. So,...”
(03:12) DEB SOLOMON: “Good.”
(03:13) DR. MICHAEL RYDELNIK: “Uh, VNA, do you have a tweet coming in there?”
(03:16) VNA (Third Voice): “It was actually a Facebook message...”
(03:18) DR. MICHAEL RYDELNIK: “Okay?”
(03:19) VNA (Third Voice): “...um... and Ashley sent in...I would like a clear understanding of 1st JOHN 5:6, where it states that Jesus came by the Spirit, Water, and Blood.”
(03:28) DR. MICHAEL RYDELNIK: “Hm... well?” (03:29)
** Evidentiary Sources & Verification: ** [Linked below and archived in The Wayback Machine for redundancy]
Raw Audio (MP3) https://GordonWatts.com/Rydelnik-Jan2016.mp3 OR: https://GordonWayneWatts.com/Rydelnik-Jan2016.mp3
Full PDF Transcript https://GordonWatts.com/Rydelnik-Transcript.pdf OR: https://GordonWayneWatts.com/Rydelnik-Transcript.pdf
Timeline Verification: In this audio, Producer Deb Solomon announces her move to *Equipped with Chris Brooks*. Industry
records confirm *Equipped* officially launched on Moody Radio on January 4, 2016, verifying this broadcast's date. Rev. Chris Brooks
currently serves on the Moody Bible Institute Board of Trustees alongside Dr. Mike Fabarez and Dr. Paul Nyquist.
LINKS: https://MoodyAudio.com/products/ready-be-equipped OR:https://Archive.vn/pStgv
https://Web.Archive.org/web/20230304132714/https://moodyaudio.com/products/ready-be-equipped
https://HisAir.net/news/2015/september-december2015.htm OR: https://Archive.vn/kSWpX
https://Web.Archive.org/web/20160329043155/https://hisair.net/news/2015/september-december2015.htm
“Easy” Bible Question: (USE EASY VERSION to show respect for Dr. Rydelnik / staff)
BIBLE QUESTION: “Dr. Rydelnik, given that popular teachings on automatic infant salvation are sometimes tragically misinterpreted by troubled individuals looking for a spiritual shortcut, how does the grammatical shift—moving from 'krima' for final, definitive judgment in Hebrews 6:2 to 'krisis' for an investigative process in Hebrews 9:27—help pastors better protect vulnerable souls with sound, life-affirming doctrine, while strictly safeguarding personal faith as a Scriptural requirement?”
If Dr. Rydelnik asks:
*** “Why am I asking?” ANSWER: My uncle passed away in still birth, plus I'm pro-life (Google me to see my near win in Schiavo.)
*** “What do you think is correct answer?” ANSWER: [1.] SCRIPTURE REQUIREMENTS: Deceased infants must have faith to be saved, but aren't automatically saved, get a chance in Heb. 9:27 judgment, maybe millennium, uncertain. [2]. PLUS: If all babies are saved & Once Save, Always saved, then all adults are saved, but all adults AREN'T saved, so all babies CAN'T be saved. [3.] MOREOVER: Doctrine of faith is clear: Faith is requirement. [4.] LASTLY: Dr. Rydelnik tried to talk Mildred out of killing her babies, and accepted eternal life is more important and shortcut would be valie if true, but never refuted Mildred's belief in this dangerous false-hope shortcut that killing kids = automatic guaranteed eternal salvation.
“Hard” Version (*only* if he asks for clarification and gives permission to seek clarification)
**Draft 1: The Unified Screener (Text / Paper / Verbal)**
"Gordon from Plant City. I’d like to ask Dr. Rydelnik about his January 2016 response to Mildred regarding the Age of Accountability. He acknowledged that if early death guarantees heaven, it creates a logical paradox where early death is preferable. I want to ask if contrasting the original Greek of Hebrews 9:27 (*krisis*—an investigative process) with Hebrews 6:2 (*krima*—final judgment) provides the biblical solution to this loophole by preserving the necessity of personal faith, without resorting to universalism."
**Draft 2: The Live Microphone Execution**
"Dr. Rydelnik, in January 2016, you addressed Mildred’s question about the Age of Accountability. She asked if it’s better for infants to die early to guarantee heaven. You rightly acknowledged the terrifying logic, saying on air: *'Logically speaking, the best thing is eternal life, but that would be encouraging, okay everyone, let's abort our children.'* You tried to argue against murder philosophically, but you left the automatic salvation premise intact—a premise other Moody hosts like Dr. Dyer and Dr. Peterman strongly affirm. To definitively close this dangerous loophole scripturally: In Hebrews 6:2, the author uses *krima* to describe final, eternal judgment. But in Hebrews 9:27, the author deliberately switches to *krisis*—an investigative process. Doesn't applying the precise Greek meaning of *krisis* dismantle this fatal shortcut by proving death leads to a just process, not an automatic guarantee, thereby preserving personal faith as the absolute requirement?"
**Draft 3: The Media / Post-Event Leave-Behind (Excerpt Adjustment)**
The Broadcast Admission & The "Shortcut" Fallacy: In a recorded January 30, 2016, *Open Line* segment, Dr. Michael Rydelnik addressed a letter from a listener named Mildred asking whether it would be better for children to die before reaching accountability to guarantee their salvation. On air, Dr. Rydelnik explicitly conceded the logical trap. He stated: *"Logically speaking, the best thing in the world is to have eternal life, and so, but that would be encouraging, 'okay everyone, let's abort our children.'"* While Dr. Rydelnik attempted to argue against this conclusion philosophically, he failed to biblically refute the underlying premise of automatic infant salvation. Furthermore, other prominent Moody Radio theologians, such as Dr. Charlie Dyer and Dr. Gerald Peterman, actively affirm this "automatic salvation" guarantee. Documented legal cases—such as Andrea Yates (2001) and Deanna Laney (2003)—prove that mentally ill parents explicitly cite this exact theological logic ("sending them to heaven while innocent") to justify altruistic filicide.
Extra Credit (End Times question if there's time in session 2)
BIBLE QUESTION: Longtime listener from Plant City via WKES. I'm struggling to understand two things about the pre-tribulation view. First, if there is a publicly announced 7-year peace treaty (Daniel 9:27), wouldn't people be able to count down the exact timeline, destroying the idea of 'imminence'? Second, wouldn't the sudden vanishing of millions of people in a Rapture cause global panic, completely destroying the 'peace and safety' mentioned in 1 Thess 5:3 Thanks for helping me understand!
If Dr. Rydelnik asks:
*** “Why am I asking?” ANSWER: Curious about end times as most are!
*** “What do you think is correct answer?” ANSWER: Can't be pre-trib (peace/safety impossible and no imminence), can't be post-trib (no peace/safety during interim), can only be mid-trib (1ST half is peace/safety, so mid-week = pre-trib), and Matt. 1 taken (Matt 24: 17-18 right after Abomination of Desolation, parallel recap of 24:40-41 taken/left / Luke 17 taken/left) is affectionate “Enoch” rescue (paralambano, Mt. 24:40), not “Noah's flood” swept away in judgment (airo, Mt. 24:39), so rapture must be mid-week, but pre-trib, with “God's wrath” tribulation in 2ND half of Daniel's 70TH week. (If possible, apologize for my questions being too difficult.)