male announcer: This
presentation is brought to you
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by the friends of the
"Amazing Facts" ministry.
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¤¤¤
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Doug Batchelor: Bitterness
and revenge is like an acid that
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corrodes the
container that holds it.
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If you are good to those that
are unkind to you, who will win
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in the end?
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God will bless you in the end.
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Doug: You know, Jesus
said that, "If your eye is
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single, your whole
body will be full of light."
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Someone said once, "The
eye is the window of the soul."
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When you talk to a person, you
typically look at their eyes,
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and sometimes we have to tell
our children, "Look at me when
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I'm talking to you."
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You would never tell a person,
"Please look at my elbow when
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I'm talking to you,"
because it seems like so much is
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communicated through the eyes.
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It is very fascinating to me how
we're able to capture light and
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images and depth faster than any
camera that's been created and
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transform those things into
images and colors and meaning.
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Someone said once that, "As much
as 85% of what comes into your
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brain everyday
comes through your eyes."
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Your eyes are not just physical,
you can close your eyes and I
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can speak words and you have
a screen on your mind where you
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see things.
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You know what I'm talking about?
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and you imagine.
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So the eye is
something beyond just the organ.
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Paul says we need to be able to
see what the world isn't looking
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at that we might be
able to see the unseen.
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There's a great story in the
Bible I'd like to look at, it's
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all within one chapter.
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And if you turn in your Bibles
to the second book of Kings, 2
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Kings chapter 6, and we'll start
with verse 8--2 Kings chapter 6,
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verse 8, and hopefully we
will learn how we can have our
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eyes opened.
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This story talks about opening
eyes and closing eyes and then
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opening them again.
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"Now the king of Syria was
making war against Israel; and
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he consulted with his servants,
saying, 'My camp will be in such
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and such a place.'
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And the man of God," Elisha the
prophet, he, "Sent to the King
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of Israel, saying, 'Beware that
you don't go down to this place,
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for the Syrians
are coming down there.'
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Then the king of Israel sent
someone to the place of which
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the man of God had
told," or warned him.
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And, "He warned him, and he was
watchful there, not just once
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or twice."
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Alright, so here's the story:
King of Syria, they're warring
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with the king of Israel,
this had gone on for years.
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Capital for Israel was Samaria,
that was the northern capital
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for the Israelites, the 10
tribes, Syrians's up there in
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Damascus, and they
were at war constantly.
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And so the king of Syria said,
"Well, I'm going to set up an
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ambush for the King of Israel,
and I'm going to set up a camp
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in the spot and when he comes
down we'll overpower him, we'll
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take them."
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And Elisha the prophet would
send a messenger to the king of
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Israel, and say, "You better be
careful not to go through this
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valley or down this road because
the king of Syria is set up
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there too ambush you."
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You know, the secret to
a successful battle, most
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important thing is surprise; in
a war, the element of surprise.
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And so the king of Israel would
send his spies and they'd come
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back and say, "Sure enough, the
Syrians are all gathered there,
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ready to ambush you."
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And he wasn't delivered once
or twice, that means on several
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occasions, every time the king
of Syria had his secret war room
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and they'd talk about how
they're going to attack the king
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of Israel, the king of
Israel suddenly wouldn't go
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there anymore.
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And he was just so flummoxed by
all of this, "How does the king
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of Israel always
know what I'm up to?"
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Well, the first thing we should
be aware of in this story is
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that you've got a war going
on and there's an enemy that is
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seeking to ambush us.
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Have you ever been
ambushed by the devil?
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He gets you when your--least
expect it, temptation.
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1 Peter 5, he said, "Be sober,
be vigilant;" be on your guard,
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"Because your adversary the
devil is going around like a
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roaring lion, seeking
whom he might devour."
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And we all know how
lions work, they ambush.
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Lions can't run very long, they
can run fast for a short time
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but they really depend on
sneaking up on the prey and
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catching them off-guard
when they're not being watchful.
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1 Timothy 3:7, said be careful,
"Lest we fall into reproach and
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the snare of the devil."
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Devil wants to snare
people, tries to catch them.
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Now, how was it the king
of Israel was able to avoid
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these pitfalls?
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The Word of God through Elisha
the prophet gave him warning and
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he listened to the warning.
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Does God give us warnings in
His Word to help us avoid being
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ambushed by the devil?
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Amen.
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The Word is our weapon, and our
safety depends on heeding the
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Word of the Lord through
His prophets and His law.
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2 Chronicles 20:20, "Believe in
the Lord your God, and you will
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be established; believe His
prophets, and you will prosper."
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So, the king of Syria, he is
just so confounded, "How is it
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that the king of Israel always
knows, he always knows what our
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war plans are and when
our ambush's going to be?"
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"Therefore the heart of the king
of Syria was greatly troubled by
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this thing; and he called his
servants," his commanders and
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captains, "And said, 'Will you
not show me which one of us is
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for the king of Israel?'"
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Who's the traitor in our midst?
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"And one of them said, 'None,
my Lord, O king; Elisha, the
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prophet who is in Israel, he
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tells the king of Israel
the words that you speak in
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your bedroom.'"
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He says, "Go and find out
where he is, this is their
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secret weapon.
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I can't conquer the kingdom
unless I get through Elisha
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'cause he's thwarting all of
my plans, so I'll go after him."
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Why did the
devil go after Jesus?
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If the devil wants to
destroy us, he's gotta get
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through Christ.
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And so he focuses on, the
big problem in Israel was this
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single prophet.
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Now, in thinking about this, I
can't help but wonder out of the
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whole king of Israel, they had
trained generals and captains
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and sergeants and soldiers,
they had their champions and men
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of valor.
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And the king of Syria is
worried about the prophet.
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Are you a threat to the devil?
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You should be.
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Has God had people on earth
that were a threat to the devil?
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When God said to Satan, "Have
you considered My servant, Job?"
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oh, just the name of Job just
made the hackles go up on the
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back of Satan's neck.
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"Oh, not Job, I haven't been
able to get anywhere with Job,"
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and Job was a
threat to the devil.
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Don't you want to be living
the kind of life where God says,
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"Have you considered My
servant," put your name in
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there, that you're living the
kind of life that is a threat to
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the devil?
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But part of you is thinking,
"I don't know that I want any
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special attention from the
devil, I'm already getting a
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hard time."
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So I'm sure, if you're like
me, you feel that's like mixed,
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that's a trick question.
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Well, Elisha was a special
threat because of his godliness
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and his
relationship with the Lord.
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I hope we want that
kind of relationship.
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The king naturally reasoned if
he could capture Elisha he could
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overcome the people.
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Now, even Christ quoted that
Scripture, "Smite the shepherd,
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and the sheep will scatter."
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So they went after the shepherd
of the people, the devil was
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trying to attack the
source of communication.
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The way that God was
communicating with the king was
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through Elisha.
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How does God
communicate with us?
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through prayer.
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How do you think
the devil weakens us?
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cuts off our communication, gets
us to neglect prayer, we're in
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too big a hurry.
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Matter of fact, Karen and
I, this morning, here I'm the
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pastor hurrying to go to church
and teach everybody about God
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and I'm running out the door.
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Karen came to the garage to put
some potluck food in there and I
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thought, "We
haven't prayed together."
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And so, standing there in the
garage, we stopped and prayed.
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You know, we've got to
pray together as a family.
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We got so busy doing the
work of the Lord we forgot to
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pray together.
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"Oh, but I'm doing
God's work so it's okay if I
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neglect communication."
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No, we got to make sure the
devil doesn't trick us with that
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old trap.
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So, the King says, "If we could
just get Elisha," he said, "Go
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and see where he is."
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So they got these spies that are
kind of roaming around, they're
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inquiring, "Where is Elisha?"
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They said, "Well,
he's at Dothan right now."
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"Therefore," the king of Syria,
"He sent horses and chariots
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with a great army."
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Now, usually, chariots, that's
like you've taken out the tanks.
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"Horses and chariots and
a great army," for this one
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unarmed prophet.
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Reminds me of when King
Herod went to arrest Peter with
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16 soldiers.
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"And they came by night
and they surrounded the city."
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"We've got him now, no way
of escape, he's surrounded."
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Now, it would seem to me that
the king of Syria would realize,
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"If Elisha knows what things
I say in my bed chamber, he's
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going to know about this
plan too, so what good is it
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going to be?"
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You know, the devil knows that
the way to get to God's people
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is he's got to go through Jesus,
and so the King says, "I've got
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to get Elisha."
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That's why the devil wanted
to kill Jesus, he thought, "If I
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can get Christ to bow down
to me then I'll have the world."
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You know, "The sons of this
world are more shrewd in their
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generation than
the sons of light."
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And Christ has warned us,
"I send you out as sheep in the
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midst of wolves.
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Therefore be wise as
serpents and harmless as doves."
00:10:40.80\00:10:44.04
So, during the night, the king
of Syria with his, it says, "A
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great army," probably
wasn't his whole force but it's
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significant, he's got chariots
and horses, he's got a big
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enough army to
surround the city.
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And maybe the dogs were barking
early in the morning, they heard
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all the horses out there kinda
snorting, they're the first
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to know.
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And the servant of Elisha, now
he's got a new servant because
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you remember, in
chapter 5, Gehazi was stricken
00:11:05.46\00:11:07.76
with leprosy.
00:11:07.96\00:11:09.26
Now we're in chapter 6 of 2
Kings, so this young man, he
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doesn't maybe have the same kind
of faith, he wakes up and he
00:11:12.90\00:11:16.10
says, "Okay, well it's probably
time to get up and go draw some
00:11:16.14\00:11:18.41
water from one of the
wells," and he goes out.
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And the sun is just beginning to
illuminate the sky and he sees
00:11:20.61\00:11:24.11
the glint of something shining
and then he realizes, as eyes
00:11:24.15\00:11:27.98
adjust and he hears the horses
and the murmuring of the men,
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that the city is
surrounded by an army.
00:11:32.15\00:11:37.23
And his heart seizes him with
fear and he drops his bucket
00:11:37.26\00:11:41.10
there at the well and he
runs inside and shakes and wakes
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Elisha, says, "Master,
alas, what will we do?"
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And Elisha gets up like Jesus
when he was woke in the storm
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and he yawns and stretches
and doesn't look at all worried.
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And he walks to the window
and he looks out and he sees the
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soldiers out there, and he
says to the young man, he says,
00:12:02.35\00:12:04.52
"C'mon, let me
get a better view."
00:12:04.55\00:12:05.89
And they walk out on the roof
and there from the roof he can
00:12:05.92\00:12:08.96
see the Syrian army
all around the city.
00:12:08.99\00:12:12.83
And the young man
says, "What will we do?
00:12:13.80\00:12:15.26
What will we do?"
00:12:15.30\00:12:17.40
So he said, "Do not fear, for
those who are with us are more
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than those who are with them."
00:12:22.44\00:12:23.91
Now, if there was one thing that
you can remember today I think
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that'd be a great part of the
sermon to remember, that when
00:12:28.14\00:12:31.68
you are afraid and you think
that the problems are too big or
00:12:31.71\00:12:35.18
that you're outnumbered or
there's no way of escape or
00:12:35.22\00:12:37.72
there are no solutions.
00:12:37.75\00:12:39.12
Does the Lord want
us to live in fear?
00:12:39.39\00:12:40.99
How many times does
Jesus say, "Do not be afraid"?
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There in the storm, the
disciples woke up Jesus and they
00:12:45.93\00:12:48.36
said, "We're afraid, we're
dying," and he said, "Where's
00:12:48.40\00:12:52.03
your faith?
00:12:52.07\00:12:53.40
Why are you so afraid?"
00:12:53.44\00:12:54.74
"Fear not, fear not, fear
not, I am with you," God said.
00:12:54.77\00:12:57.51
"When you go through the
water I'm with you, when you go
00:12:57.77\00:12:59.34
through the fire I'm with you,
when you go through the lion's
00:12:59.37\00:13:02.44
den I'm with you, through the
Red Sea, through the Jordan."
00:13:02.48\00:13:05.88
He said, "I will never leave you
or forsake you," but we forget
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that we don't need to be afraid.
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If we are walking with Christ,
do you know that you and Jesus
00:13:14.39\00:13:18.39
are always the majority?
00:13:18.43\00:13:19.96
You don't ever
have to be afraid.
00:13:21.30\00:13:22.83
He said, "Don't fear, those who
are with us are more than those
00:13:23.73\00:13:27.40
who are with them."
00:13:27.44\00:13:28.80
male announcer: Don't forget
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Doug: Now, Elisha, at this
point is he concerned about
00:14:04.37\00:14:06.64
the Syrian army or is he
concerned about the faith of
00:14:06.68\00:14:09.48
his servant?
00:14:09.51\00:14:11.71
Elisha wants to disciple his
servant the same way that Elijah
00:14:11.75\00:14:18.39
discipled Elisha.
00:14:18.42\00:14:20.16
He says, "I want to
build faith in him."
00:14:20.76\00:14:22.12
This is what they would call
a teachable moment, "That was a
00:14:22.66\00:14:26.19
great teachable moment."
00:14:26.23\00:14:27.56
So one of the first things
that Elisha's thinking about is,
00:14:27.96\00:14:30.27
"Here's this crisis, I'm going
to show him I'm not afraid.
00:14:30.30\00:14:33.67
Because I walked with Elijah,
and I know from being with
00:14:34.10\00:14:38.67
Elijah that, when God pulled
aside the veil, I saw chariots
00:14:38.71\00:14:43.04
and horses of fire around
Elijah, that if you're with
00:14:43.08\00:14:47.98
Elijah you have
nothing to be afraid of."
00:14:48.02\00:14:49.48
And he said, "I need to teach
you that if you're with God you
00:14:50.42\00:14:53.56
have nothing to be afraid of."
00:14:53.59\00:14:54.96
And Elisha said, "Oh Lord,
I pray, open his eyes that he
00:14:55.46\00:14:59.76
may see."
00:14:59.79\00:15:01.13
Hence the title for this sermon.
00:15:01.16\00:15:02.53
Now, Elisha doesn't say, "Open
my eyes," he didn't need his
00:15:03.60\00:15:06.97
eyes opened.
00:15:07.00\00:15:08.30
Jesus said, "Blessed are those
who believe without seeing," but
00:15:08.34\00:15:13.38
sometimes we need some
encouragement, and he said,
00:15:13.41\00:15:15.58
"Lord, he needs a
lesson, open his eyes."
00:15:15.61\00:15:19.55
And behold, "The Lord open the
young man's eyes, and he saw.
00:15:20.78\00:15:24.59
And behold, the mountain was
full of horses and chariots of
00:15:24.79\00:15:29.89
fire all around Elisha."
00:15:29.92\00:15:32.13
So, his eyes were
opened, he felt much better.
00:15:33.26\00:15:35.90
Now Elisha walks out
of the gates of the city.
00:15:35.93\00:15:38.30
It says, "The Syrians came down
to him," I'm in 2 Kings 6:18,
00:15:38.53\00:15:41.77
and they think they're getting
ready to put them in handcuffs
00:15:42.77\00:15:45.14
and Elisha prays again.
00:15:45.17\00:15:46.51
Elisha prays and he says,
"Lord," "'Strike this people, I
00:15:48.08\00:15:51.71
pray, with blindness.'
00:15:51.75\00:15:53.55
And He struck them with
blindness according to the word
00:15:54.35\00:15:56.79
of," the Lord.
00:15:56.82\00:15:58.15
So now the whole army goes
blind, and I don't know if they
00:15:58.19\00:16:02.09
just got confused and they
couldn't figure out while they
00:16:02.12\00:16:03.89
were there or if they physically
when blind but now they can't
00:16:03.93\00:16:07.50
see anything,
whole army struck blind.
00:16:07.50\00:16:09.76
You know, Jesus talked about,
"The blind leading the blind."
00:16:10.87\00:16:13.17
Well, here you have a case
of someone who can see leading a
00:16:13.20\00:16:16.81
blind army.
00:16:16.84\00:16:18.14
And so Elisha says to him,
"You're not looking for me,
00:16:18.17\00:16:21.71
you're only looking for me
because you're really trying to
00:16:22.11\00:16:24.11
get the king."
00:16:24.15\00:16:25.45
He said, "This is not the
way, nor is this the city.
00:16:25.48\00:16:28.72
Follow me, and I'll bring
you to the man who you seek."
00:16:29.02\00:16:33.12
Here you've got Elisha, he hooks
his finger in the bridle of the
00:16:34.29\00:16:38.49
lead horse and he starts walking
down the road between Dothan and
00:16:38.53\00:16:42.00
Samaria with an army in tow.
00:16:42.03\00:16:44.70
And all these Syrian soldiers
are on their horses and they're
00:16:46.17\00:16:48.87
just totally confused
about where they're going.
00:16:48.90\00:16:51.87
Wouldn't that
have been something?
00:16:52.84\00:16:54.31
And as the guards are up on
the walls they see dust in the
00:16:54.34\00:16:58.91
distance and they're
wondering what's going on.
00:16:58.95\00:17:02.45
And they said, "There's an
army coming, lock the gates, get
00:17:03.99\00:17:06.69
everyone, get your
spears, prepare for battle."
00:17:06.72\00:17:09.86
And they said, "Yeah, it looks
like the Syrian army's coming
00:17:10.39\00:17:12.29
but they don't look like they're
in a war formation, they're just
00:17:12.33\00:17:16.60
walking down the road.
00:17:16.63\00:17:17.97
And if we're not mistaken,
it looks like Elisha is
00:17:18.00\00:17:20.60
leading them."
00:17:20.64\00:17:22.00
And all the Hebrew soldiers
gathered around the walls of
00:17:22.47\00:17:25.81
Samaria and they're looking
at this very bizarre sight of
00:17:25.84\00:17:28.54
Elisha and his servant who's
really having a good time now.
00:17:28.58\00:17:31.15
And he sees the prophet leading
the army and he comes within the
00:17:32.58\00:17:37.69
gates and he yells up to
the king of Israel, "Open
00:17:37.72\00:17:41.26
the gates."
00:17:41.29\00:17:42.66
King doesn't argue, they don't
look like they're going to, they
00:17:43.43\00:17:46.39
have no arrows in their bows and
they're not ready for battle.
00:17:46.43\00:17:49.33
They open the gates and into
the capital city of the northern
00:17:49.60\00:17:52.53
kingdom they lead this army.
00:17:52.57\00:17:54.30
And they bring them all in and
they shut the gates, and they're
00:17:55.14\00:17:57.04
there in the central courtyard
of the city and Elisha prays,
00:17:57.07\00:18:02.04
you know, that prime moment.
00:18:02.08\00:18:03.58
He says now, "Lord, open
the eyes of these men, that they
00:18:04.45\00:18:08.25
may see."
00:18:08.28\00:18:09.65
You know, it's only being led
by Elisha, after being led by
00:18:10.39\00:18:12.89
Elisha that they could really
see; it's only by following
00:18:12.92\00:18:17.23
Jesus that we ultimately see.
00:18:17.26\00:18:18.83
"And the Lord opened
their eyes, and they saw; and...
00:18:20.00\00:18:24.30
they were, inside Samaria!"
00:18:24.33\00:18:26.37
You know, this is a great-great
story because here the
00:18:26.57\00:18:30.21
surrounders became the
surrounded, they came to
00:18:30.24\00:18:35.51
surround Dothan, and the eyes
of Elisha's servant are open, he
00:18:35.54\00:18:41.18
says, "All the
chariots and horses of God are
00:18:41.22\00:18:43.22
surrounding you."
00:18:43.25\00:18:44.59
And then the soldiers
are led inside Samaria.
00:18:46.72\00:18:49.29
They originally thought, "We've
got them where we want them."
00:18:49.32\00:18:51.56
Now their eyes are open they're
going, "Wow, talk about turning
00:18:51.79\00:18:54.66
the tables."
00:18:54.73\00:18:56.06
Now they are in the city, the
king of Israel who they've been
00:18:56.67\00:18:59.90
trying to trap has surrounded
them, and that's what that must
00:18:59.93\00:19:05.14
have been a great scene.
00:19:05.17\00:19:06.47
Finally, when they got their
wits about them and all the
00:19:06.51\00:19:09.24
Hebrew soldiers are up on the
walls and on the roofs and they
00:19:09.61\00:19:11.85
got their spears ready to launch
and their arrows ready to fly
00:19:11.88\00:19:14.62
and they're just waiting, you
know, the little laser beams are
00:19:14.95\00:19:17.19
on their targets and they're
just ready for the word, and the
00:19:17.22\00:19:21.12
king looks to Elisha and
says, "Shall I smite them now?
00:19:21.16\00:19:24.19
Shall I smite them now?
00:19:24.23\00:19:25.53
Just give the word,
ready, aim, say it, fire."
00:19:25.56\00:19:28.06
And Elisha says, "No, you're
not going to smite them, you've
00:19:28.76\00:19:33.23
captured them, you captured them
all alive, you captured them
00:19:33.27\00:19:38.21
without firing an arrow."
00:19:38.24\00:19:39.64
So often, battles in the Bible,
God gave deliverance and He
00:19:40.84\00:19:43.91
says, "You won't even have
to fire an arrow," because, "The
00:19:43.95\00:19:47.32
angel of the Lord encamps round
about those that fear Him."
00:19:47.35\00:19:50.82
And what did he say?
00:19:51.35\00:19:52.72
People think the Gospel is
not in the Old Testament, it
00:19:53.39\00:19:56.19
certainly is.
00:19:56.22\00:19:57.59
Elisha said, "Set food and
water before them, that they may
00:19:57.63\00:20:01.83
go to their master."
00:20:01.86\00:20:03.23
You know, the teaching of
the Bible is, "You overcome evil
00:20:03.97\00:20:06.84
with good."
00:20:06.87\00:20:08.20
You don't get anywhere
fighting evil with evil.
00:20:09.07\00:20:11.11
I think it was Gandhi that said,
"If the whole world lives by the
00:20:11.14\00:20:13.54
principle of 'An eye for an
eye,'" he said, "Soon the whole
00:20:13.58\00:20:17.41
world is blind."
00:20:17.45\00:20:18.81
The way you conquer
evil is with kindness.
00:20:19.98\00:20:22.62
He said, "Give them food,
they're probably hungry, give
00:20:23.12\00:20:25.12
them water, send them home, show
them that you're not waging war
00:20:25.15\00:20:29.19
against them, they're
waging war against you and
00:20:29.22\00:20:30.83
it's unprovoked."
00:20:30.86\00:20:32.19
So they made a big
provision, a big feast.
00:20:33.33\00:20:35.53
You know, Proverbs says that
Solomon said, "If your enemy is
00:20:35.56\00:20:38.57
hungry, give him bread to eat;
if he's thirsty, give him water
00:20:38.60\00:20:41.94
to drink; For so you will
heap coals of fire on his head."
00:20:41.97\00:20:45.27
Now, it's not saying that in
doing this you're going to, "I'm
00:20:45.47\00:20:47.68
going to burn them up," it means
their conscience is going to
00:20:47.71\00:20:51.31
smite them and they're going to
go, "Wow, man, they're being so
00:20:51.35\00:20:54.62
good to me and I'm
being so bad to them."
00:20:54.65\00:20:57.09
Some of you might need to
practice that, "Overcome evil
00:20:57.12\00:20:59.29
with good," in your families.
00:20:59.32\00:21:00.72
You've got somebody that's been
given your hard time, you're
00:21:02.46\00:21:05.06
looking for a
good way to get even?
00:21:05.09\00:21:06.46
Someone says something that
is mean and you say, "I got a
00:21:08.40\00:21:10.37
good comeback."
00:21:10.40\00:21:11.77
I got to fight that all the time
because, you know, I can think
00:21:12.50\00:21:14.44
of a clever comeback and do
a, "Gotcha," but that's not what
00:21:14.47\00:21:19.17
Jesus would do.
00:21:19.21\00:21:20.58
"You have heard it said that,
'You shall love your neighbor
00:21:20.61\00:21:23.04
and hate your enemy!'
00:21:23.08\00:21:24.45
But I say to you, love your
enemies," here Elisha is doing
00:21:24.68\00:21:28.55
that in the Old Testament,
"Bless those who curse you, do
00:21:28.58\00:21:31.85
good to those who hate you, pray
for those who spitefully use you
00:21:31.89\00:21:35.82
and persecute you."
00:21:35.86\00:21:37.19
You know, this to me is one
of the hardest places to be a
00:21:37.23\00:21:39.16
Christian, is to love those that
hate you, to be kind to those
00:21:39.19\00:21:44.20
who take advantage of you.
00:21:44.23\00:21:45.60
You've got stories, I've got
stories of people that have done
00:21:46.17\00:21:48.67
maybe very mean things and it's
hard to pray that God will love
00:21:48.70\00:21:53.54
and bless them, but isn't that
what we should pray, for their
00:21:53.58\00:21:57.15
ultimate conversion?
00:21:57.18\00:21:58.55
"That you might be the sons of
your Father in heaven; He makes
00:21:59.91\00:22:03.89
His sun to rise on the evil and
the good, and He sends rain on
00:22:03.92\00:22:06.79
the just and the unjust."
00:22:06.82\00:22:08.26
I remember hearing a story about
this old Scotsman that had just
00:22:10.79\00:22:14.23
a mortal enemy.
00:22:14.30\00:22:15.56
He just hated, he
could not forgive.
00:22:15.60\00:22:17.17
His name was McClintock,
McClintock's the old Scotsman.
00:22:17.20\00:22:20.00
He just spent all this time
brooding, thinking of ways to
00:22:21.40\00:22:23.47
get even with his enemy
that, you know, it was like a
00:22:23.51\00:22:25.97
long-standing feud that
had happened with his neighbor
00:22:26.01\00:22:28.64
in town.
00:22:28.68\00:22:30.01
And one day, the angel appeared
to him, said, "I got good
00:22:30.05\00:22:32.61
news, McClintock."
00:22:32.65\00:22:33.98
He said, "Anything you ask now,
I will give you," said, "But
00:22:34.02\00:22:37.85
just know that whatever you ask
for, I will give twice as much
00:22:37.89\00:22:42.49
to your enemy.
00:22:42.52\00:22:43.86
You ask for a pot of gold, I
will give it to you, but your
00:22:44.29\00:22:46.53
enemy will get two pots of gold.
00:22:46.56\00:22:47.93
You ask for new horse, I
will give him two new horses.
00:22:49.06\00:22:52.10
You ask for a home with
10 rooms, he gets a home with
00:22:52.57\00:22:55.34
20 rooms."
00:22:55.37\00:22:56.74
That bothered him so much,
he was wringing his hands and
00:22:58.11\00:23:00.48
anxious and stewing about,
"What do I want to ask for?
00:23:00.51\00:23:03.01
I don't want him to get it,"
and he just could not forgive.
00:23:03.04\00:23:06.11
And finally, he said, "I
want you to strike me blind in
00:23:06.15\00:23:10.12
one eye."
00:23:10.15\00:23:11.52
Some people just never get it.
00:23:15.89\00:23:17.46
Proverbs 24:17, "Do not rejoice
when your enemy falls, And do
00:23:19.89\00:23:24.90
not let your heart be
glad when he stumbles."
00:23:24.93\00:23:27.44
Peter says, 1 Peter 3:9,
"Nor returning evil for evil or
00:23:28.50\00:23:32.51
reviling for reviling, but on
the contrary blessing, knowing
00:23:32.54\00:23:36.41
that you were called to
this, that you might inherit
00:23:36.44\00:23:39.28
a blessing."
00:23:39.31\00:23:40.65
If you are good to those that
are unkind to you who will win
00:23:40.68\00:23:43.35
in the end?
00:23:43.39\00:23:44.75
God will bless you in the end,
He'll bless you with peace for
00:23:44.79\00:23:48.19
one thing.
00:23:48.22\00:23:49.52
Because when you're always
thinking, bitterness and revenge
00:23:49.56\00:23:53.33
is like an acid that corrodes
the container that holds it.
00:23:53.36\00:23:56.77
If you have unforgiveness that
you are nurturing in your heart,
00:23:57.37\00:24:00.74
it is corroding you.
00:24:00.77\00:24:02.20
So one of the first blessings
that comes when you learn to
00:24:03.20\00:24:05.31
forgive and do good to those
that, say, "Look, this is their
00:24:05.34\00:24:08.01
problem, I'm not going to feel
about them the way they feel
00:24:08.04\00:24:10.05
about me," you'll receive a
blessing and the wonderful thing
00:24:10.08\00:24:15.32
would be if they're
converted in the process.
00:24:15.35\00:24:17.62
Someone said, "Make it a habit
of getting even with people,
00:24:19.62\00:24:22.09
especially the
ones who help you."
00:24:22.12\00:24:23.53
It says, "So he prepared a great
feast for them; and they ate and
00:24:26.19\00:24:30.00
they drank, and he sent
them away and they went to
00:24:30.03\00:24:33.13
their master."
00:24:33.17\00:24:34.50
Notice this part, "So the bands
of Syrian raiders came no more
00:24:34.54\00:24:39.27
into the land of Israel."
00:24:39.31\00:24:41.08
What do you know.
00:24:41.11\00:24:42.44
Here the story starts, they're
just going after the king of
00:24:42.91\00:24:45.48
Israel time and time again,
their relentless, they will not
00:24:45.51\00:24:48.12
give up.
00:24:48.15\00:24:49.48
How did they
finally stop the onslaught?
00:24:49.52\00:24:51.72
Love them, do something good for
them, show them kindness as a
00:24:52.95\00:24:58.53
way to get even.
00:24:58.56\00:24:59.89
And now, how did Jesus
overcome the evil in this world?
00:25:00.23\00:25:04.17
He overcame evil with good.
00:25:06.30\00:25:08.47
While we were yet sinners,
Christ died for us, He didn't
00:25:08.87\00:25:11.71
wait for us to love Him
before He started loving us.
00:25:11.74\00:25:14.34
While we were His enemies He
showed love for us and died for
00:25:14.64\00:25:19.91
our sins.
00:25:19.95\00:25:21.28
Why?
00:25:21.32\00:25:22.55
that the love of God might melt
our hearts and that we can learn
00:25:22.58\00:25:25.79
to love Him in return.
00:25:25.82\00:25:27.16
That's what the
story of the Gospel is.
00:25:27.19\00:25:28.52
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step-by-step guidance that will
00:26:29.22\00:26:32.69
give you absolute confidence
about what the Bible actually
00:26:32.72\00:26:35.96
says about the Second Coming,
the Rapture, the Antichrist and
00:26:35.99\00:26:39.83
the Mark of the Beast.
00:26:39.86\00:26:41.20
You'll also get the truth about
hell and the afterlife, and
00:26:41.53\00:26:44.90
practical insight about grace,
salvation, and how to truly live
00:26:44.93\00:26:49.47
like Jesus.
00:26:49.50\00:26:50.97
Even better, it's absolutely
free at Storacles.com.
00:26:51.01\00:26:55.08
So don't miss out, get started
on your Bible study adventure
00:26:55.68\00:26:59.38
today at Storacles.com.
00:26:59.41\00:27:02.78
male announcer: What if
you could know the future, what
00:27:08.76\00:27:12.73
would you do?
00:27:12.76\00:27:14.10
What would you change?
00:27:15.03\00:27:16.36
To see the future, you
must understand the past.
00:27:17.30\00:27:21.00
male: Alexander the Great
becomes king when he's only 18,
00:27:21.60\00:27:23.97
but he's a military prodigy.
00:27:24.27\00:27:26.04
male: 150 years in
advance, Cyrus had been named.
00:27:27.04\00:27:30.65
male: Rome was violent,
they were ruthless, they
00:27:32.38\00:27:36.02
were determined.
00:27:36.05\00:27:37.35
male announcer: This intriguing
documentary hosted by Pastor
00:27:37.39\00:27:40.29
Doug Batchelor, explores the
most striking Bible prophecies
00:27:40.32\00:27:44.33
that have been dramatically
fulfilled throughout history,
00:27:44.36\00:27:47.46
"Kingdoms In Time."
00:27:47.73\00:27:49.10
Are you ready?
00:27:50.87\00:27:52.20
male announcer: Don't forget to
request today's free offer, it's
00:28:00.98\00:28:03.14
sure to be a blessing.
00:28:03.18\00:28:04.55
And thank you for your continued
support as we take the Gospel of
00:28:04.78\00:28:08.18
Jesus Christ to the world.
00:28:08.22\00:28:09.88
We hope you'll join us next week
as we delve deep into the Word
00:28:10.15\00:28:13.59
of God to explore
more "Amazing Facts."
00:28:13.62\00:28:16.62
male announcer: This
presentation was brought to you
00:28:25.00\00:28:26.40
by the friends of the
"Amazing Facts" ministry.
00:28:26.43\00:28:29.17