Participants: Ron Halvorsen
Series Code: 13RVT
Program Code: 13RVT000001
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00:05 In today's troubled world
00:08 people are wondering where we are headed? 00:13 Revelation Today presents the answers. 00:17 Bible prophecy reveals what the future holds in store. 00:23 Revelation Today. 00:37 Good evening, everyone. 00:39 I'm John Bradshaw from It Is Written television. 00:42 Now, I would love to be with you personally tonight, 00:45 but instead I'm going to be joining you each night 00:47 via that wonder we call technology. 00:51 Tonight's presentation is Our Day in Bible Prophecy. 00:55 What do the prophecies of the Bible tell us 00:57 about where we are in the stream of time? 01:00 Now for the longest time people have been predicting 01:03 the end of all things and the return of Jesus, 01:05 but can we know just where we are? 01:09 Jesus once said that no man knows 01:12 the day or the hour of His return, 01:14 so let's go to the Bible tonight 01:16 as we'll do every night during Revelation Today. 01:19 I know you'll be especially blessed 01:21 by tonight's presentation. 01:23 So please welcome 01:24 the presenter of Revelation Today, 01:26 Ron Halvorsen. 01:33 When I come to a first audience, 01:35 you know, I'm a little nervous. 01:36 You are-- You're wondering who is this guy? 01:38 Come on. 01:40 You're wondering, who is he? 01:41 And-- I'm like the mother who had seven kids. 01:46 I don't know if you've heard about her 01:48 but she was going to the store 01:50 and her seven kids were in circle 01:53 and were looking in the circle and they were transfixed. 01:56 Now if you have two or three kids, 01:59 you can understand this. 02:00 I mean, seven kids in a circle and they're not moving. 02:03 So she went to the store and she came back 02:05 they were in the same place. 02:08 And so mother came up 02:10 and looked over the shoulders of the kids 02:11 and in the middle of the circle was bunch of baby skunks. 02:16 Now mom didn't know what to do. 02:17 Come on. 02:18 So she finally said, kids run 02:21 and they each grabbed a skunk 02:22 and they ran, you know. 02:25 You know great problem today is we don't know. 02:27 You know we're from all different churches, 02:28 all different backgrounds 02:30 and yet we want to come together 02:31 in one spirit, don't we? 02:32 We want to come in the Spirit of Jesus 02:34 and so I want to reach in 02:36 and I don't know what we're going to grab, 02:37 but we're going to grab from the word of God, okay? 02:39 That will be our text. 02:41 Let's bow our heads for a word of prayer. 02:42 Let's seek the presence of the Holy Spirit 02:44 as we open God's word tonight. 02:46 Gracious Father, I pray now for the Holy Spirit 02:48 to come amidst us. 02:51 We want clear understanding of the word. 02:54 We're so tired of all these explanations 02:57 and all these scenarios. 03:00 We want to hear what you said to John. 03:03 We want to see what John saw 03:06 and we'll give You the honor and praise and glory as always, 03:08 in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, amen. 03:14 Before I take you to the Book of Revelation, 03:17 I want you to look at a painting with me. 03:20 Now the first time I saw this painting, 03:22 I thought it depicted hopelessness. 03:25 Take a look at it. 03:26 I mean there is a woman with her head bent over 03:28 in despair. 03:30 She's clothed in rags and dirty and she's bandaged. 03:35 She's been wounded 03:36 and blood is seeping through the bandages. 03:39 There her feet are cut and bruised 03:42 and there's she's sitting on top of a world that's muddy 03:44 and dark and the world seems foreboding. 03:47 I mean, when I read the name of the title 03:50 that the artist gave to the painting, 03:53 by the way his name was George Watts 03:55 and he gave it to the British Museum in 1897. 04:00 When I read the title he said, This Is Hope. 04:03 Look at that painting. 04:05 That's hope? 04:07 I mean I thought it was hopelessness, 04:08 but no this is the picture of hope. 04:12 What hope? 04:13 A woman sitting on top of the world, 04:17 despondent, dirty, sick. 04:22 She's holding a harp in her hand. 04:24 Do you notice the harp? 04:26 Every string is broken, but one string, one string. 04:32 And so I said, well, was this man crazy? 04:35 Hope? And then I saw it. 04:38 I got a closer look and I saw her. 04:43 There it is, it's a picture of a music note. 04:49 A note rising upward to heaven. 04:53 One single note. 04:56 And what it was saying is hope is above us, 04:59 hope is outside of us, hope is from heaven. 05:03 And then I understood 05:04 what the artist was trying to say. 05:06 I think what God is trying to tell us 05:08 is that there is hope. 05:10 Does your life seem desperate? 05:13 Come on now, I mean, does your future look bleak? 05:16 Does your heart ache for hope? 05:18 I mean, then this series is just for you 05:21 because the message of Revelation 05:23 will bring you the hope that you long for. 05:25 I mean, this is a book full of hope. 05:27 Think of it, while you're sitting here, 05:30 no matter how optimistic you are, 05:33 down deep in your heart, you know, 05:34 there's something wrong with our world, right? 05:36 I mean, our world cares more about bombs for the enemy 05:41 than it does bread for the hungry. 05:44 I mean our world is concerned 05:46 more about the color of your skin 05:48 than about the content of your character. 05:52 I mean, it cares more about what Hollywood says 05:56 than what heaven says 05:58 and that brings us to our subject tonight 06:00 "Our Day in the Life of Bible Prophecy: End Time Signs." 06:05 Perhaps you heard about the man on the Brooklyn bridge 06:07 and he was about to take a dive into the East River. 06:10 A patrolman driving from Brooklyn to Manhattan 06:13 saw the man up on the super structure 06:15 and he said to himself, 06:17 the man's going to commit suicide, 06:18 he's going to jump. 06:19 He pulled his patrol car over. 06:21 He jumped out and he ran towards the man 06:23 and said don't jump, don't jump. 06:26 The man said stay back. 06:28 I'm going to jump. 06:29 Life is not worth living. 06:31 And the policeman said, oh no, life is worth living. 06:33 He says give me 10 minutes 06:35 to tell you why life is worth living 06:37 and I'll give you 10 minutes to tell me 06:40 why life is not worth living. 06:42 After the 10 minutes then you can decide to jump. 06:45 And so there's the boy from Brooklyn, 06:47 I mean a patrolman from Brooklyn 06:49 with a Brooklyn accent. 06:51 I've lost mine but anyway, a Brooklyn accent, 06:54 rough old Brooklyn... 06:55 and he's trying to-- he's trying to 06:56 describe the world eloquently. 06:59 He's trying to show the world as being beautiful 07:01 and sunsets and sun rising with a heavy Brooklyn accent 07:05 and he talks about family and he talks about children 07:07 and he talks about your job 07:09 and he goes on and on and on 07:11 about the beautiful things in life 07:13 and there are many. 07:16 And after 10 minutes it was the man's turn 07:19 and he said I lost my job, I lost my family. 07:25 He said, I was mugged twice. 07:29 He said, I live in my car on Atlantic Avenue 07:32 and he went on and on and on 07:34 and told about his terrible life 07:36 and how terrible it was and finally after 10 minutes 07:38 they took hands and both men jumped. 07:44 Come on, now that's about the situation 07:46 you find yourself in today, isn't it? 07:48 I mean no matter how optimistic you are, 07:50 I mean you're going to jump. 07:51 That's a fact. 07:53 That's a fact. 07:56 You see the Book of Revelation 07:58 describes a world that's in collision course. 08:01 You see here is a world out of control. 08:03 He speaks of antichrist 08:04 and he talks about beastly religion 08:06 and he talks about confusion and counterfeit and Babylon 08:10 and lies that seem to be truth 08:13 and how we're caught up into this. 08:16 And it's all here right in this book. 08:20 I mean the symbols are graphic in the Book of Revelation 08:25 and John writing he says this, 08:28 "And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, 08:31 and he opens the seals and he says, 08:33 I heard, as it were the noise of thunder. 08:35 It's God trying to get our attention. 08:38 It's thunder and one of the four beasts saying, 08:39 Come and see. 08:41 And I saw, and behold a white horse." 08:44 And he goes on to describe this in symbolic terms. 08:47 "And he that sat upon him had a bow, 08:49 and he had a crown was given unto him: 08:52 and he went forth conquering and to conquer. 08:54 And when he had opened the second seal, 08:56 I heard the second beast say. 08:58 And there went out another horse that was red: 09:00 and power was given to him that sat thereon 09:03 to take peace from the earth, 09:05 and that they should kill one another: 09:06 and there was given unto him a great sword." 09:09 What a description. He goes on... 09:10 "And when he had opened the third seal, 09:12 I heard the third beast say, Come and see. 09:15 And I beheld, and lo a black horse, 09:17 he that sat on him 09:18 had a pair of balances in his hand." 09:20 And what was he doing? He was balancing. 09:22 "And I heard a voice in the midst of 09:23 the four beasts say, 09:25 A measure of wheat for a penny, 09:26 and three measures of barley for a penny, 09:29 and see that you hurt not the oil nor the wine. 09:31 And when he had opened the fourth seal, 09:33 I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, 09:36 Come and see. 09:38 And I looked, and behold a pale horse: 09:40 and his name that sat on him was Death." 09:43 And he goes on John. 09:45 "And Hell followed after with him. 09:47 And power was given unto them 09:49 over the fourth part of the earth, 09:50 to kill with sword, war, 09:52 and the part of the earth it says with hunger, 09:55 and then a part of the earth with death itself, 09:58 and the beasts of the nations of the earth 10:00 came together in war." 10:02 What a description? 10:05 John there on the isle of Patmos. 10:07 John there because of his faith. 10:09 He's imprisoned. 10:11 You see they could lock him up 10:13 but they could not lock up his soul. 10:15 They could put him in chains 10:17 but they could not chain up his heart. 10:19 And the old man John, almost 100 years old, 10:21 on the Alcatraz of the Middle East. 10:24 Here he is on Patmos and there he catches the vision 10:27 and he sees the horses galloping across the stage, 10:29 the stage of human events. 10:31 The tempo of evil is increasing here in Revelation. 10:34 Passions are rising here in the Book of Revelation. 10:37 I mean evil men and seducers in the Book of Revelation 10:41 and they're defying authority and they're inventers of evil 10:44 and the world is doomed, damned and crushed 10:46 and bound for hell. 10:49 That's bad news. 10:53 But there is good news amidst the bad 10:57 and that is a lamb slain 11:02 from the foundations of the earth. 11:04 Can you say amen here. 11:05 A lamb slain, the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, amen. 11:09 There is hope. There's a Savior. 11:12 A Savior can help us get out of this mess. 11:15 That's what he says in Revelation. 11:16 He says John you're in prison now, 11:18 but I'm going to set you free. 11:20 He says there's no prison that can hold you. 11:22 Let me tell you Christian friend, 11:24 let me tell you who searches, 11:25 let me tell you tonight, 11:27 there's nothing can hold you once God releases you. 11:30 Once God sets you free. I tell you. 11:34 And here he describes not only the Savior 11:36 but he describes a coming King and that King is the Lamb 11:43 that was slain from the foundation of the earth, 11:48 the coming King. 11:50 Now the symbols of Revelation are very graphic. 11:52 I mean, there are three judgments 11:54 here in Revelation. 11:55 They're the seal judgments, 11:56 I mean, there are the trumpet judgments 11:58 and there are the vial judgments. 12:00 You see the earth is under the judgment of God 12:03 and he opens the seals so we can see the rider 12:06 and the rider is none other on the white horse 12:09 than Jesus Christ. 12:10 Come and see the earth He says, it's ruined by man. 12:14 I put them in a garden. 12:15 They turned it into a wilderness. 12:17 I come now to the wilderness 12:18 to turn it back into a garden. 12:23 War is everywhere and bloodshed. 12:26 Social upheaval. 12:29 Not a pretty picture, friend. 12:30 Listen to me. It's not a pretty picture. 12:32 Voices clambering for our attention. 12:34 I mean, voices trying desperately 12:36 to catch our attention 12:37 to communicate some dire message to us. 12:40 I mean, with all this how can a person live 12:42 in today's world with its problems and concerns 12:45 and yet look forward confidently towards the future? 12:48 Where are we in the grand scheme of things 12:51 in the prophetic vision of God? 12:53 What a day in Bible prophecy? 12:56 Where are we? 12:57 Listen to me, friend, 12:58 you're hearing voices everywhere. 13:02 I mean, every time you turn on your television... 13:04 Do you realize you have 5000 media impressions a day 13:08 if you're an average television viewer? 13:10 They're trying to sell you everything 13:12 from soap to shoes to drink. 13:15 We've got smart phones and Twitter and Facebook 13:18 and iPads and we have texting. 13:22 Hey, when I was a teenager I had five words to say. 13:26 Where do they get all these words to say? 13:29 You know I'm trying to figure this out. 13:31 But God's frontline method of 13:33 getting a communication off to you, 13:35 getting a message out for you is the word of God. 13:38 It's the Bible and the Bible only. 13:40 If you would spend time in the Bible, 13:42 you would know the way 13:43 and you would know the truth and you would know the life 13:46 and you would be on your way 13:47 as a pilgrim to the kingdom of God. 13:51 It's all there in the word. 13:54 I mean, war in Afghanistan and listen, look around. 13:57 I mean it's depressing, isn't it? 13:59 I mean we have Africa. 14:01 We have tribal war. 14:02 We have Egypt. We have Syria. 14:04 We have civil war. 14:05 And you know Luke looked down the scan of time 14:07 and through prophetic eyes he said... 14:09 "Men's hearts failing them for fear." 14:11 What a description of the 21st century... 14:14 "For looking after those things 14:15 which are coming upon the earth: 14:17 for the powers of heaven shall be shaken." 14:19 If I had time tonight, 14:20 I'd show you the powers of heaven. 14:22 It refers to the split of the atom 14:26 and since the atom bomb and mushroom 14:27 cloud out in bomb hangs over us, 14:30 we have been living under fear. 14:32 We have been living in fear. 14:36 It's not a bright picture. 14:38 Reminds me of what happened in an urban hospital 14:40 some time ago. 14:42 Someone put under the window of the nursery these words. 14:47 Research shows 14:49 that the first 5 minutes of life can be risky. 14:53 My great grand baby, she was premature. 14:57 They had her hooked up and we didn't know 14:59 if she'd live or die. 15:00 I mean it's risky. 15:02 Thank God she came out of it and she's a happy beautiful, 15:06 beautiful, beautiful, beautiful little girl. 15:08 You can imagine. 15:09 She looks like her great grandfather. 15:13 But a nurse later on wrote under that sign this word. 15:17 She said the last 5 minutes ain't so hot either. 15:23 Come on now. 15:24 I find myself somewhere 15:25 between the first 5 minutes and the last 5 minutes 15:28 and if prophecy is true, and I know it is, 15:30 then I think we're closer to the last five minutes 15:32 than the first five minutes. 15:34 Can you say amen here tonight? 15:35 Can you give God glory tonight? 15:38 We're crammed between the first 5 minutes 15:40 and the last 5 minutes of civilization. 15:45 It's late. 15:47 You heard about the husband and wife old people 15:50 that were trying to get to sleep 15:52 and grandma fell asleep first and she's snoring away 15:55 and grandpa, he's trying to get to sleep, 15:58 and the old grandfather clock is ticking away. 16:03 Ten o'clock, boom, 11 o'clock, boom, 16:06 12 o'clock, boom, 1 o'clock, boom, 16:13 13, boom, 14, boom, 15. 16:17 Finally the old lady turned over and said 16:19 honey what time is it? 16:20 He said it's later than it's ever been before. 16:23 And I want to tell you according to scripture 16:25 it's later than it's ever been before. 16:33 Doomsday sayers everywhere today 16:35 are making dire predictions about the future. 16:38 The fear of terrorism, the fear of violence, 16:41 fear for family. 16:43 Good news, nothing but good news 16:46 for the people of God. 16:47 Nothing but good news 16:48 for the believer in Jesus Christ, 16:50 nothing but good news for those 16:52 who adhere to the word of God 16:53 and are fully directed by the word of God 16:55 and fully wanting to work and walk 16:58 and live in the word of God. 17:00 There's no greater hope. 17:01 I tell you He overcomes our fear. 17:05 Hear from the old man of Patmos, John. 17:07 His pen is dipped in the red blood ink of Calvary 17:09 and he drops and found faith like 17:11 golden pollen from stems of shaken lilies 17:14 to sweeten the lives of men in every age. 17:16 The old man writes from Patmos 17:18 and he writes about his Redeemer. 17:21 He writes about hope. 17:24 And the Revelation speaks about hope. 17:27 And I want you to call your family to prayer 17:29 and know that "A thousand will fall at your side, 17:31 and ten thousand at your right hand, 17:34 but it will not come nigh thee nor thy dwelling." 17:36 That's the protection of God. 17:40 So Revelation is a book of hope. 17:43 I want to share 5 specific signs with you tonight 17:46 that show you where you are in the scheme of God's plan. 17:49 All right, 5. 17:51 There are many but I want to just take 5 signs 17:54 and we're going to look at them in the light of Bible prophecy 17:56 and just see that I'm not making this up. 17:59 I want you to see, there's a clear word of God, 18:01 it comes right from Him, and I want you to notice. 18:03 There are 5 specific signs about end time. 18:06 First of all, sign in the religious world, 18:09 signs in the political world, 18:11 signs in the ecological world, 18:13 signs in the social world 18:15 and finally signs in the economical world. 18:19 I want you to see these signs as God describes them. 18:21 Come back with me to a mountain. 18:24 Jesus is sitting there with His disciples 18:26 and there as He's sitting there the disciples come unto Him. 18:29 Listen to their words because this is the word 18:31 the disciples of the 21st century should say, 18:34 "And as he sat upon the Mount of Olives, 18:36 the disciples came unto him privately, saying, 18:39 'Tell us, when shall these things be? 18:41 What shall be the sign of thy what? 18:45 Coming." 18:46 ' There are two things about this text. 18:48 First of all, it says the signs of your coming 18:51 and then he says that with the signs of your coming 18:54 comes the end of the world. 18:57 Two things: The signs, 18:59 He's coming back the second time. 19:01 Now the first time He came, He came as a babe 19:03 wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger. 19:06 The second time He comes, 19:08 wrapped in a cloud of glory through Orion's band. 19:11 Listen, the first time He came, 19:13 He came through a mother's womb. 19:15 The second time He comes in the cloud of heaven. 19:18 The first time He came, listen to me, 19:20 first time He came as a little babe; 19:22 the second time He comes as 19:24 King of Kings and Lord of Lords. 19:26 We look forward to the return of Jesus Christ 19:28 because the disciples wanted to know, 19:30 surely you who are a disciple, a modern disciple, 19:34 you should be, want to know. 19:37 Amen. You want to know. 19:39 And so Jesus says here about that. 19:44 Some years ago, I read a 5th volume of a book 19:46 written by Arnold Toynbee 19:48 and he wrote a history of civilization 19:50 and in the 5th volume he called it, 19:52 The Disintegration of Civilization. 19:54 He gave 6 unmistakable 19:56 evidences for the disintegration 19:58 and collapse of the world's civilizations. 20:00 And what was astounding as I read it, 20:03 it closely corresponded 20:07 with the five evidences that Jesus gave to His disciples 20:10 there on the mount, the mount called Olivet. 20:13 By the way, in Matthew 24, 20:15 if you ever want to know about the signs of the times, 20:17 you don't have to be a theologian. 20:18 It's in the 24th chapter of Matthew and the 25th. 20:23 And there in the 24th chapter there is a 94-verse resume 20:26 about the return of Christ and the kingdom of God. 20:29 Read it. It would be exciting. 20:31 And there he tells us about the signs, 20:33 the signs of the times. 20:35 Now we're going to look at scripture 20:36 because all scripture is given by inspiration of God. 20:39 It's profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, 20:41 for instruction in righteousness 20:43 that men of God may be perfect, 20:45 thoroughly furnished unto all good works. 20:47 You can't pick and choose. 20:52 Well, I like that one. 20:56 Well, Brother Halvorsen, I love the New Testament. 21:00 The New Testament finds 21:01 its foundation in the Old Testament. 21:05 So we can't pick and choose 21:06 and say, well, I like those texts 21:07 but I don't like that text. 21:09 Well, preacher I like what you said last night 21:11 but you sure said something tonight I don't like. 21:17 If I was going to be in a popularity contest, 21:19 I'd do something different, 21:21 but I have to be faithful to the word of God. 21:24 It's for doctrine, reproof, correction, 21:26 instruction in righteousness 21:27 that men of God may be perfect 21:28 thoroughly furnished unto all good works. 21:30 It's amazing to me that Jesus Christ 21:32 when He talks about it, 21:34 thoroughly furnished unto all good works 21:36 that is Jesus sat upon the Mount of Olives, 21:38 the disciples keep telling us when shall these things be, 21:41 what shall be a sign of thy coming 21:42 and of the end of the world and then he tells us 21:46 that it would be in the religious world, 21:47 it would begin in the church. 21:49 Can you imagine that? 21:50 Religion around the world is in a chaotic state. 21:54 It's the fulfillment of the words of prophecy 21:56 in this book. 21:57 "Many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ, 21:59 and shall deceive many." 22:01 He starts there at deception. 22:04 He describes it in verse 11, 22:06 "And many false prophets shall rise, 22:08 and come, and deceive many deception." 22:12 Again and again, deception, deception. 22:15 Well, how can I be kept from deception? 22:17 There are so many voices. 22:18 The word of God. 22:20 Compare to the word of God. 22:22 "And there shall arise false Christs, 22:23 and false prophets, and shall shew great signs 22:26 and wonders, in so much that, 22:27 if it were possible, it would deceive the very elect." 22:31 I mean the master plot is in the church. 22:34 I mean they are parleying for the most money. 22:36 Come on. 22:39 The biggest building, the most members, 22:44 the most TV stations, the most radio programs. 22:49 It begins in honesty and ends in dishonesty. 22:52 They get a messiah complex. 22:54 And that's why He said there'd be false prophets 22:56 in the last days. 22:57 Revelation 13:14. 22:59 "Deceiveth them that dwell on the earth 23:01 by the means of those miracles 23:02 which he had power to do in the sight of the beast." 23:04 In fact God says in Matthew, He says there will come a day 23:07 when you'll say Lord have we not prophesied in Your name, 23:10 have we not cast out devils in Your name? 23:12 Haven't we done these wonderful things? 23:14 And Jesus says depart from me ye workers... 23:17 It's not how high you jump. 23:19 It's how straight you are. 23:27 It all began back there in history, 23:31 "Saying to them that dwell on earth, 23:32 and they shall make an image of the beast, 23:34 which had the wound by a sword, and did live." 23:37 I'm going to show you what that beast-like power was. 23:40 And it came out of the church. 23:42 I want you to look at this. False messiahs. 23:45 Look so nice. 23:47 "And Jesus answered and said, 23:49 Take heed that no man deceive you. 23:50 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am what? 23:53 Christ. 23:54 And shall what? Deceive many." 23:57 And the Bible tells us that plainly. 23:59 Now early false messiahs. 24:01 There came first of all Judah Maccabee. 24:04 That was 165 B.C claimed to be the messiah. 24:08 Then there came Simon, Herod the Great's Slave 24:11 and then there came Theudas in 45 A.D. 24:14 And then we come up to modern times. 24:15 I mean the false prophets and false messiahs. 24:18 There was Jim Jones and there was David Berg, 24:20 and then there came Sun Moon, 24:22 and then there came, Krishna 24:23 and then there came Maharaj Ji 24:25 and there came David Koresh 24:27 who called himself the sinful Christ. 24:29 Can you imagine that? 24:31 My Lord was pure. 24:33 Not defiled by sin. 24:36 The false prophets, false messiahs, 24:38 they come upon the scene of human events, 24:40 Heaven's Gate and lesser cults. 24:42 There's a struggle going on today 24:44 between Islam and Christianity. 24:47 Christians are nervous. 24:49 When you consider Islam is growing faster 24:51 than Christianity for the first time in history. 24:54 Now I know you like pretty little sermons, 24:56 come on, with bubbling brooks 24:59 and positive attitudes and pop psychology. 25:02 But I want to tell you friend, get serious 25:06 because we're living in serious times, serious times. 25:10 Psychics are having a heyday and the Bible tells us that 25:15 "There would be spirits of devils, 25:17 working miracles, which go forth 25:18 unto the kings of the earth and the whole world, 25:20 to gather them to the day of the battle of God Almighty." 25:22 That is the battle of Armageddon 25:24 and psychics are having a payday. 25:26 False predictions. 25:27 The Bible is the only safe book that you can trust. 25:32 It all leads to reign of antichrist. 25:34 Tribulation, the churches, deliverance, 25:36 return of Christ in our generation. 25:39 Now, listen to a prophetic passage. 25:41 Revelation 16, "I saw three unclean spirits..." 25:43 Now remember symbols, 25:44 "frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, 25:46 and out of the mouth of the beast, 25:48 and out of the mouth of the false prophet." 25:50 You see there's the trinity of evil. 25:51 We have the trinity of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. 25:54 The trinity of good. 25:55 Now, we have the trinity of evil. 25:56 You see evil is always after good. 25:58 And here comes the trinity of evil 26:00 and he says there is a beast, pagan Christianity, 26:03 paganism went into Christianity, 26:06 then there came Satan, dragon, 26:07 spiritism and all that. 26:09 I mean, poured in psychic phenomena 26:11 and then false prophet, eastern religions and later. 26:15 I'll say more about that another night. 26:17 Even some Christians have been deceived 26:19 by the counterfeit revival. 26:20 The Bible is being questioned, 26:22 did you know that in seminaries today? 26:25 They're trying to alter the Bible, 26:27 rewrite the Bible. 26:29 I mean, if we can't trust the Bible, 26:31 who can we trust? 26:33 But secondly, we look at not only the signs 26:35 in the religious world, 26:36 we look at those prophetic symbols, the beast 26:38 and we look at the dragon 26:40 and we look at the false prophet, 26:41 but then we look at the political scene. 26:44 Listen, friend, 26:45 "And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: 26:47 see that ye be not troubled: 26:48 for all these things must come to pass, 26:50 but the end is not yet. 26:53 For nation shall rise against nation, 26:56 and kingdom against kingdom." 26:58 It says that when these wars are universal, he says, 27:00 then lift up your head, look up. 27:02 You say we've had wars for all history. 27:04 That's right. 27:05 We had 30-day wars 30-year wars, 27:08 100-year wars. 27:11 Now, we have 30-day wars, we have six-day wars. 27:15 I mean, now we have atomic bombs. 27:18 You see we have enough bombs 27:20 to destroy every living person on earth 27:24 and the only thing that will be left 27:25 will be cockroaches. 27:28 They have a bomb now that blows up babies 27:30 but leaves buildings. 27:33 What kind of insanity is that? 27:35 Politically we see a world 27:37 that's living at the very edge of a war 27:39 called the war of Armageddon, 27:41 called the final war of history and we're about to enter it. 27:45 You say, we've had wars 27:46 ever since the beginning of time. 27:48 True, but listen as we go into this tonight. 27:51 Look at the graves. 27:53 The International Red Cross estimates 27:55 there have been 100 million people 27:57 being killed during the wars 27:58 during the 20th century. 28:00 Did you get me? 28:01 A 100 million people. 28:05 24 million people died in World War I, 28:09 60 million people died in World War II. 28:12 Listen wars and rumors of wars. 28:15 We could talk more about that. 28:17 There had been 150 wars since World War II ended. 28:20 23 million people have perished in conflict 28:24 since World War II. 28:25 Just think since the fall of Berlin Wall, 28:27 50 million people have been forced from their homes. 28:32 Nation shall rise against nation 28:34 and the original Greek says tribe against tribe 28:38 and if you go with me to Africa 28:39 as I have been to Africa, tribe against tribe. 28:44 Tribal war and all this leads 28:50 to end time, to end time. 28:53 The United Nations have met 81 times in 18 months 28:56 to resolve the problem of war 28:58 and not one single problem was solved. 29:00 Do you realize that $4 trillion 29:02 was spent on arms and defense 29:06 and that's enough money to clothe and feed 29:07 the entire world for a year? 29:10 Don't be disillusioned by our political leaders 29:13 and I don't care what you are, Republican and Democrat. 29:15 Two things I don't argue, religion and politics. 29:18 But listen to me, dishonesty come on in high places. 29:21 You know that. 29:22 Doesn't it bother you? 29:25 I mean fraud, lies, immorality, 29:29 running rampant through the political scene. 29:33 I mean, there was Watergate, 29:34 and Contra affair and White Water 29:36 and Trooper gate and Zipper gate. 29:37 I could go on. 29:38 There's the IRS and I could go on. 29:41 And the Syrian dictator who gassed his own people. 29:46 But there are signs also in the ecological world. 29:49 The Bible says that we would see signs in nature. 29:51 "And there shall be famines, and pestilences, 29:53 and earthquakes, in divers places." 29:55 How can God be clearer than that? 29:56 He talks about ecological problem 29:58 in the world. 29:59 And, mommy, I'm hungry. 30:01 I have seen the hungry. 30:04 Terrible scene. I mean, famine is a fact. 30:08 925 million hungry people in our world." 30:12 India: 638 million and they're malnourished. 30:15 I've been all over India. 30:17 Terrible scene. What a picture. 30:20 India, Bangladesh, Africa. 30:22 Listen he says all these things. 30:24 In fact, if the farmer did not spray insecticides 30:28 12 times during the growing season, 30:30 we wouldn't have food. 30:33 And all this 27 million diagnosed 30:36 with heart disease. 30:38 1.5 million cancer cases. 30:40 600,000 cancer deaths. 30:44 And you know what's amazing. 30:45 We Americans, this is amazing. 30:47 Listen, it takes 56 million gallons of water 30:52 to sustain one American for a life time. 30:56 37,000 gallons of gasoline. 31:00 One citizen for a lifetime. 31:03 Five-and-half tons of meat. 31:04 Boy, that's a lot of cholesterol. 31:08 Five-and-half tons of wheat, one citizen for a lifetime, 31:12 nine tons of milk and cream. 31:14 This is our country 31:16 while thousands and millions around the world are dying. 31:19 I could talk about the ozone layer. 31:22 I could talk about those Americans 31:24 26 millions have diabetes, 31:27 AIDS kills 1 person every 15 seconds in our world. 31:31 SARS, Ebola, Mad Cow, Bird Flu on and on. 31:34 I mean what about the seas. They're polluting our waters. 31:38 Oil spills. 31:39 The west coast, I mean, polluting our waters. 31:42 In New York City they send the barges out every day 31:45 out into the ocean to drop our garbage 31:47 and it floats around in the ocean. 31:48 We're destroying our planet. 31:50 If Jesus doesn't intervene soon, 31:53 we will kill ourselves. 31:57 Look around the world, fish are dying. 32:01 Do you realize a major earthquake, 32:02 he talks about these earthquakes 32:04 in divers places," and different places. 32:05 Listen to me, around the world 32:07 look at the earthquakes, bursting out around the world. 32:11 It's everywhere. 32:13 Do you realize there are over 30,000 more earthquakes 32:16 in the 20th century than in all the previous centuries 32:18 for 5,000 years? 32:20 The earth would tremble like a drunk man, 32:22 he describes it in one place. 32:23 But let's look at the social signs. 32:25 Something's wrong with the ethics and morality 32:27 of our nation. 32:29 You don't have to be a religious man, 32:31 a theologian or religious woman. 32:33 I mean, look at it. A murder every 22 minutes. 32:39 Rape every 4 minutes. 32:42 A robbery every 26 seconds. 32:45 Look at this social world. 32:47 "But as the days of Noah were, 32:48 so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." 32:50 So here on one side we have the complacent, 32:52 eating, drinking, marrying, give in marriage. 32:54 Ah yeah it's... 32:56 And then on the other side we have all this violence. 33:00 I mean, this violence, robbery everywhere, 33:03 "This know also, that in the last days 33:04 perilous times shall come. 33:05 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, 33:08 boasters, proud, blasphemers" he goes on to describe it. 33:12 He says, crime levels remain at historical high. 33:15 And "disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 33:20 without natural affection one for another." 33:22 Come on now, "trucebreakers, false accusers, 33:25 incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good." 33:28 Have you noticed that? 33:30 Try to stand for a moral principle 33:33 and see how they feel about you. 33:37 I mean this is here, this is the sign. 33:40 I mean, I believe Jesus is coming soon, don't you say? 33:43 Wave your hand, let him know that. 33:46 The people in Charlotte, North Carolina. 33:48 I mean, it's dangerous out there. 33:49 My nephew who is a policeman, 33:50 one of the finest in New York, nice young man. 33:53 His wife, he has a wife and child. 33:55 He's a triathlon runner and so one night he said 33:58 I'm going to go run around the track a little bit. 34:00 I'll be home before dark. He never showed up. 34:02 His wife went to look for him. 34:03 Found him dead on the track. 34:06 Someone had shot him dead. 34:07 His wife was pregnant for twins. 34:10 She gave birth two weeks later to two beautiful girls. 34:12 They've never seen their father. 34:14 Listen to me, and why did he kill my nephew Jimmy? 34:20 For no better reason than he looked at a movie, 34:22 Natural Born Killers 34:24 and he thought, well, that's a thrill kill, 34:27 that's the thrill. 34:28 He wanted a thrill. 34:31 And ruined the life of those little babies. 34:34 You talk about the social problems in America. 34:37 Listen to me, In God we trust stamped upon our coins 34:40 but not written in our hearts. 34:43 Not written in our hearts. 34:45 But that's not only New York. 34:47 I mean, this is your city. 34:48 Let me show you something about your city. 34:50 Police arrest suspect serial... 34:51 I just looked back to a few since I've been in town. 34:54 I mean, from your newspaper. 34:55 I mean, man shot to death in southwest Charlotte. 34:58 Police ID person of interest in attempt 35:00 of child abduction. 35:01 I mean, this is your city. 35:02 I mean this is the Queen City. 35:05 Charlotte police found more than 100 violations DWI. 35:09 That's in your city. 35:11 I mean, three in custody 35:12 after officer-involved shooting chase. 35:14 Three dead including gunman in North Carolina shooting. 35:17 I mean, I could go on. 35:18 Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department 35:21 seeks a person of interest in homicide. 35:22 I mean, this is your city. 35:24 High school quarter back charged with selling pot. 35:26 I mean Charlotte swimming coach 35:28 charged with sexual misconduct. 35:29 I mean, this is your city. 35:31 This is every city in America. 35:35 I think about Columbine. Listen to me. 35:39 What about Virginia Tech massacre? 35:42 What about that thing that happened in Norway? 35:45 A country that has the least amount of crime 35:47 and look what happened. 35:49 It's not safe anywhere, is it? 35:50 Come on now. 35:51 It's not safe anywhere in our world. 35:54 Hey by the way, this is your city 35:58 and that's the crime. 36:00 The red are crimes against people. 36:02 I'm staying out of those neighborhoods. 36:05 I do most of my work in the inner cities 36:06 across America at East LA. 36:09 San Bernardino, Brooklyn, New York, Harlem. 36:11 I mean, that's where I've done my ministry 36:13 for 30-some years and it's dangerous out there. 36:15 Let me tell you. I'm not reading this in a book. 36:18 I haven't learned this in a seminary. 36:20 I've learned it out on the street 36:21 when I ministered to the Hippies 36:23 and the Yippies and the Wagumps 36:24 and the Freebee Gypsies and the gangs MS13 36:28 and gangs like the Crips and the Bloods. 36:31 Hey, I mean, this is real. 36:34 Your city is covered with it. 36:37 I think Jesus Christ needs to come, don't you friend? 36:39 Come on now, don't you think the Lord should come. 36:41 I mean, if He doesn't come, we'll kill ourselves. 36:43 We'll destroy ourselves. 36:46 But not only that, 36:48 let's look at the economic sign. 36:51 James 5 tells us about the economy in the last days. 36:54 "Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries 36:57 that shall come upon you. 36:58 Your riches shall be corrupted or worthless, 37:01 and your garments are motheaten." 37:03 That means its... you buy a suite lately, 37:05 how long it lasts I mean, he says, 37:07 "your gold, your silver is cankered, it's worthless. 37:10 He says and the rust of them, it's like rust, 37:12 and shall be a witness against you, 37:14 and shall eat your flesh with fire. 37:16 Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days. 37:18 Behold, the hire of the laborers 37:20 who have reaped down your fields, 37:23 Ye have lived in pleasure.' 37:25 ' Come on, this is not my word. 37:27 "And been wanton, ye have nourished your hearts, 37:29 as in a day of slaughter. 37:30 Ye have condemned and killed the just; 37:31 and he doth not resist you." 37:34 You talk about the problems of the economy. 37:37 Do you realize this friend? 37:39 We spend $20 billion in entertainment in America, 37:41 20 billion. 37:44 We spend 70 billion on gambling in America. 37:48 We spend 28 billion on alcohol in America. 37:53 We spend $8 billion on the church. 37:56 The economy. 37:57 We talk about 16 trillion dollar debt. 37:59 Now I don't know. My mama was a real economist. 38:02 You know, when you grow up in the ghetto, 38:03 you have to be an economist. 38:04 Come on. 38:06 When you grow up poor you have to be. 38:07 My mama used to say 38:08 if you have 5 bucks kid, don't spend 6. 38:13 That's pretty good, huh? 38:15 I wish the government would hear that. 38:16 Come on now. 38:17 I mean, I wish the government would hear that. 38:19 If you have 5, don't spend 6. 38:22 My mother was an economist. 38:25 I mean if you placed all the economists together, 38:27 they'd all point in a different direction. 38:28 Come on. Here's the facts. 38:32 The average family in America from Jet Works from January 1 38:36 to the middle of May for government for tax debt. 38:41 Since 1960 on to almost 2000 38:43 the tax burden on two-parent families 38:45 with four children increased 224 percent. 38:49 In the same period of time there was a 600 percent 38:51 increase of Social Security Tax. 38:55 Everybody is talking about a wonderful economy, phew. 39:00 Wait till they retire. 39:03 They raise your electricity. Come on now. 39:06 They don't raise much here. 39:09 And you're sinking, aren't you? 39:11 Do you know that most Americans 39:12 are three months from bankruptcy? 39:15 Credit card debt. Jesus Christ has to come. 39:18 But you don't have to be an economist. 39:20 Have you been to the grocery store lately? 39:22 My wife goes on Thursday. I try to get out of town. 39:27 She's from Venus, I'm from Mars. 39:31 My wife caught me one day. 39:32 She said let's go shopping. I said yes honey. 39:34 I'm married 56 years so I know when to say yes. 39:39 And so I went shopping. 39:40 But you know, if you see me 39:42 in a grocery store in Charlotte, 39:44 stay out of my way because I move with that cart. 39:51 And I memorize where everything is. 39:53 My wife says string beans. 39:55 I run boo, boo, boom, four cans and she says oh no wait. 39:59 Stop how many ounces. 40:00 I said you said green beans not ounces. 40:02 And no she says no. 40:04 And so there I was all afternoon ounces, money, 40:06 ounces come one. 40:08 Then you get to that counter and that woman has that stare. 40:12 Huh? $2.10. 40:17 A computer voice. 40:20 $5.4. 40:23 At the end this string of paper is coming out 40:25 and dangling around your feet 40:27 and wrapping around you like a snake and... 40:31 $143 and you pick it up in both arms 40:34 and walk out of the store. 40:36 I mean, you don't have to be an economist. 40:42 And the Bible says that's a sign, 40:46 that's a sign when you see those things. 40:50 You know, five specific signs, Religious World, 40:55 the Political World, the Ecological World, 40:58 and in the what? 40:59 Social World and in the signs in the Economical World. 41:03 I was in Detroit, Michigan preaching for God, 41:05 teaching a seminar in the inner city in Detroit. 41:09 And they're wonderful people, 41:11 wonderful people in that poor city. 41:14 Lot of poor people are suffering here. 41:17 And this little lady was coming to my meetings 41:19 and I looked and I saw her coming. 41:21 She always sat up front and, you know, 41:24 I just had to talk to her 41:27 and so I went over and talked to her one night 41:28 and she was so friendly and lovely. 41:30 And she was coming with her nephew. 41:32 Her nephew would bring her in. 41:33 And then one night he didn't show up 41:35 and she didn't show up and the next night 41:37 he didn't show up and she didn't show up. 41:39 And finally about the fifth night he showed up 41:43 and I said, well, where is your sweet aunt? 41:45 He says, she's been murdered. Murdered? 41:48 He said yeah. I took her shopping. 41:50 She got $8 worth of groceries and she ran up the stairs 41:54 because I kept the car running 41:55 and I was going to take her for a ride out in the country. 41:57 She didn't come back, she didn't come back 41:59 so I went in and I found her. 42:02 They slaughtered her for $8 worth of groceries. 42:07 Jesus needs to come. I want him to come. 42:10 But the whole crux of this message is this. 42:14 Jesus says, "Therefore be ye also ready: 42:19 for in such an hour as ye think not 42:22 the Son of man cometh." 42:24 The whole part of the prophecy is here. 42:29 Be ye ready. Be ready. 42:33 Readiness, readiness, that's the important thing. 42:37 Some years ago I was taking a trip to California. 42:39 I had this preaching, teaching a seminar 42:41 and I had two teenagers. 42:43 My Diane and my Ronnie. 42:45 And you know how it is when you go 42:46 and you leave the teenagers home. 42:47 The 10 commandments become 250. 42:50 You know how it is. 42:51 And you put it not in granite 42:53 but you put it on the refrigerator. 42:56 And I said to my son, he was the oldest by two years. 42:59 I said, son since you're the oldest, 43:00 shows you how dumb I am, 43:01 I said, son, you're the oldest, I want you to be in charge. 43:06 When I got out of the house he was like Hitler. 43:10 My poor daughter had to move into her friend's house. 43:16 When I was gone I said, son, 43:17 I'm going to be back on Thursday, be ready. 43:20 Flew out to California, my wife and I, 43:22 and I was at the seminar and I noticed in the seminar 43:25 writing that I was going to finish on Wednesday. 43:28 And I said to my wife, I said honey this is great. 43:33 We could go home a day early and surprise the kids. 43:40 Shows you who's smart in this family. 43:42 She says I don't know if that's a good idea. 43:44 I said, oh, no honey, I think it's brilliant. 43:47 I said, and so we changed our tickets. 43:49 In those days you could change your ticket. 43:51 We flew into Dallas, Texas. 43:52 I was a university pastor and just out of Dallas 43:56 and so I called the deacon of the church. 43:59 I said, deacon, we're at the airport, 44:01 I don't know why I was whispering. 44:02 We're in the airport in Dallas. 44:05 Would you come and pick us up. 44:06 He said what about your son. I said, oh no. 44:08 We're supposed to come tomorrow. 44:09 I'm going to surprise him. 44:11 And there was silence for the space of a half hour. 44:16 So he said, all right pastor. 44:17 He came out and 40 minutes later 44:18 he picked us up and drove us into this little college town, 44:20 Christian college town. 44:22 And the people had said their prayers and gone to bed. 44:25 You know, ho, it was the New Jerusalem here on earth 44:28 but any way I figured me being their pastor 44:31 they should be saints. 44:34 So I pulled up at our house. 44:38 The lights were out. 44:41 I said look honey they take care after me. 44:46 She says I don't know 44:47 if this is a very good idea. 44:54 I said, oh, honey, I think it's a great idea. 44:56 She said ring the doorbell. 44:58 I said no, no, let's surprise them. 45:03 You get the drift, don't you? 45:06 And so I opened the door and crept in 45:08 and flipped on the lighting, 45:09 it was to my living room and looked in. 45:10 It couldn't have been my living room. 45:13 I mean I couldn't even see my couch. 45:16 I mean underwear and shirt and footballs and basketballs 45:20 and I mean, dirty socks everywhere. 45:23 I mean, come on. That's my couch. 45:29 And then I went into the kitchen. 45:35 Turned on the light. 45:36 The dishes were piled to the ceiling. 45:38 I couldn't believe that they would use so many dishes 45:41 for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. 45:46 There was a hand mark everywhere, 45:48 you know, and my kids. 45:50 So I walked down the hallway to my boy's room, 45:56 to my boy's room. 46:00 And I opened the door quietly, flipped on the light 46:06 and my boy sat up rubbing sleep from his eyes. 46:08 He says dad, you're supposed to come tomorrow. 46:14 I said be ye ready! 46:21 Be ye ready! 46:25 It may be at dawn, it may be at night, 46:29 it may be in mid-day, it may be tonight 46:34 because you see 46:37 he's only a heartbeat away. 46:44 I was invited to give a lecture at an Ivy League Seminary, 46:48 you know, those high church seminary. 46:51 You had to walk up a ladder to get to the pulpit. 46:55 You know, it's one of those Ivy League places. 46:59 I felt a little uncomfortable you know, 47:01 I'm just a boy from Brooklyn 47:02 and only by the grace of God I do what I do. 47:05 And when I got saved I had a 98 IQ. 47:11 Now that I'm saved I have a 99. 47:13 Hey look, don't worry about it. 47:16 It's not what you're born, it's what you're reborn. 47:21 It's what you're reborn. 47:23 Anyway I said I'll go and do it. 47:25 And I love to talk about faith 47:27 and about those great themes of the Bible 47:29 and what I believe as a Christian 47:31 and the great themes of what the Bible says. 47:33 I stood up and I talked about those great themes. 47:36 I talked about this God who is omnipotent. 47:38 This God who is omniscient, everywhere. 47:41 You can't run from Him. 47:42 Hey, don't you understand why God made a round world? 47:46 Because the farther you run away from home, 47:48 the closer you come back to home. 47:54 I talked about this omnipotent God 47:57 that moved upon space 47:59 and I talked about the creator God 48:01 which I believe in. 48:04 And I talked about this creator God 48:05 and how this creator God, His Son Came into this world. 48:08 I talked about the gospel, the good news. 48:10 Salvation is a free gift. 48:11 You don't earn it nor do you deserve it. 48:14 I mean, I was bold 48:18 in this Ivy League Seminary 48:23 and I talked about the birth, the incarnation of Jesus. 48:28 You see there are three great themes in the scripture 48:32 the New Testament, the incarnation, the crib, 48:35 the cross and the coming. 48:38 And I spoke about the second coming. 48:40 I finished with the second coming. 48:42 I said I believe in the visible, audible, 48:43 literal return of Christ to the earth the second time 48:46 and he's coming soon and I ended it. 48:48 That's a good place to end. 48:50 And then it was question and answer period. 48:52 I'm great at questions. 48:54 It's the answers I have problems with. 48:56 Ask my teachers. 48:59 And so it's question and answer. 49:00 One man raised his hand. He was back in the back. 49:02 He was their theologian. 49:04 I mean he got up and he introduced himself as Dr. 49:07 so and so, with PhD, DDT. 49:14 He really impressed me, and he said young man, 49:18 that could be 49:20 and all the students are looking at their favorite... 49:22 That could be one thousand years from now. 49:28 I said, mister, I wasn't going to call him doctor, 49:32 I said mister put your hand on your heart. 49:37 For you it's not a thousand years from now, 49:39 be ye therefore ready. 49:42 And I want to tell you what Jesus told you. 49:46 The whole crux of the whole matter. 49:49 If you see the signs in the religious world 49:51 and understand them and interpret them, 49:53 if you understand the political scene 49:54 and be able to interpret it from prophecy. 49:57 If you understand the ecological scene 50:00 and the social scene and the economic scene, 50:03 but you don't understand 50:05 that it's all for the purpose of preparing the people 50:07 for the return of Christ to the earth a second time. 50:10 That's why I say you need to be a pilgrim, 50:16 a pilgrim in this world loving and serving 50:22 and living for the Lord Jesus Christ. 50:27 Father, God, which art in heaven, 50:29 I thank you for tonight. 50:31 It's a beautiful night in a beautiful city. 50:35 But, Lord, we look for a city 50:36 whose builder and maker is God. 50:40 We look for a world where there will be no illness 50:43 or sickness or pain or suffering or death. 50:46 We look for a city whose builder and maker is God. 50:52 And God we pray to You right now 50:53 because You're the God that can wipe away our tears. 50:57 You're a God that can come and comfort us 51:01 and a God that come and deliver us. 51:04 And so now we pray 51:06 that you would touch the lives of those 51:08 who have come to this place tonight. 51:11 May your Holy Spirit be real to them. 51:15 And may they leave this place 51:18 knowing and trusting God for His miracles. 51:25 I pray in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. 51:29 Amen and amen. 51:54 Time for today's Bible question 51:56 and thanks for submitting Bible questions to us 51:57 here at It Is Written. 51:59 How can a person really believe the Bible is true? 52:04 It was written years ago, it's been copied so many times, 52:06 it was written by a lot of different people 52:08 and those people wrote different parts of the Bible 52:11 at different times. 52:13 Help me believe the Bible is believable. 52:17 Great question. Thank you. 52:18 I'll do my best. You know what's funny? 52:21 There are historical books that not many people question 52:25 when it comes to authenticity. 52:27 Let me explain this a bit. 52:29 An historian named Tacitus 52:30 wrote The Annals of Imperial Rome. 52:33 Few people question its accuracy or its veracity, 52:36 even though what's available to us today 52:38 comes from a copy, not the original, 52:40 and that copy doesn't nearly date back to the original. 52:43 Now, I'm not knocking Tacitus 52:45 and the Annals of Imperial Rome. 52:47 I'm just pointing out that 52:48 there's a bit of a double standard 52:49 when it comes to considering the accuracy of the Bible. 52:53 Now there are several reasons you can trust the Bible. 52:55 I'll name just a few. Historically it stands up. 52:58 Luke, who wrote Luke and the Book of Acts, 53:01 is a very accurate historian, 53:03 and the historical details found in what he wrote 53:06 stand the test of thorough scrutiny. 53:09 Archaeology has validated the Bible again and again. 53:13 On numerous occasions it's been said that 53:15 portions of the Bible couldn't be trusted 53:17 because they couldn't be validated 53:18 by the archaeological record. 53:21 But again and again archaeologists 53:24 have found records of cities or other evidences 53:28 that show that Bible record was accurate after all. 53:31 It's happened many, many times. 53:33 Then there are the manuscripts. 53:35 There are hundreds of old manuscripts 53:37 or portions of manuscripts that show us that 53:40 what has come down to us today is consistent 53:43 with what was written hundreds and hundreds of years ago. 53:47 The Dead Sea Scrolls, 53:48 discovered in the late 1940s and early 1950s 53:51 are compelling evidence that the Bible is legitimate. 53:54 They date back as far back as before the time of Christ, 53:58 and they show us that the Bible we read today is 54:00 fundamentally the same as what was written 54:03 way back then. 54:04 Now the 'differences that exist in manuscripts 54:07 are generally so small that they're practically irrelevant. 54:11 You don't find a manuscript where Jesus says 54:13 He is not the Son of God, 54:15 or where Christ is teaching something bizarre. 54:18 And consider prophecy. 54:20 Many prophecies of the Bible have been fulfilled 54:23 and this demonstrates, I think, conclusively 54:25 that the Bible can be trusted. 54:27 When you've got predictions made that name a king 54:30 before he is born or that name a certain invader or conqueror 54:35 before he is born and then these things come to pass. 54:38 When you've got all these prophecies 54:40 about Jesus coming to the world, 54:41 one saying He would be crucified, 54:43 another saying not a bone would be broken, 54:45 another saying He would be born in Bethlehem, 54:47 another saying He would die in dishonor, 54:49 another saying He would be rejected 54:51 by the ones He came to save, and on and on... 54:55 You've got a real problem if you want to argue 54:57 against the inspiration of the Bible. 55:00 What are you going to do with all that evidence? 55:03 But you know what? 55:05 At the end of the day we accept the Bible by faith. 55:09 The Bible's critics do raise fair questions at times. 55:11 Some questions aren't very easy to answer, 55:14 especially to everybody's satisfaction. 55:17 But there is enough clear, what I would call evidence 55:21 for us to know that the Bible really is the word of God. 55:24 You can accept it by faith. 55:26 Not blind faith, but reasonable, studied faith. 55:30 There are many, many good reasons 55:32 to trust the Bible. 55:33 So many, I'm not sure how somebody 55:36 can really be confident in rejecting the Bible. 55:40 If there's a question you'd like answered, 55:42 please send it to me at itiswritten.com. 55:44 I'll do my very best 55:46 to get your Bible question answered. 56:16 Eyes for India is giving sight to the blind 56:20 and you can be a part of this amazing work that God is doing. 56:24 15 million blind people live in India, 56:26 more than any other country in the world. 56:29 And many of the blind in India could see again, 56:32 if only they could have simple cataract surgery. 56:35 It Is Written is making that happen. 56:38 Would you support Eyes for India? 56:41 For just $75 you'll be giving the gift of sight 56:45 to someone who desperately wants to see. 56:48 Here's all you need to do. 56:49 Call 1-800-253-3000 56:52 to donate and support Eyes for India 56:56 or you can write to It Is Written, Box O, 56:59 Thousand Oaks, California, 91359. 57:03 You'll also find Eyes for India online 57:06 at itiswritten.com. |
Revised 2014-12-17