- If you've ever been tempted
00:00:00.96\00:00:02.20
to feel like life
might be a little bit futile,
00:00:02.20\00:00:04.97
that maybe
you're wasting your time
00:00:04.97\00:00:06.63
by investing in your future
00:00:06.63\00:00:08.10
because, well, you're
just going to die anyway.
00:00:08.10\00:00:12.27
I think you're gonna wanna see
00:00:12.27\00:00:13.71
what we've got going on on
today's episode of "Authentic".
00:00:13.71\00:00:18.15
[upbeat music]
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From what I understand,
the world's population
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is rapidly
approaching the 8 billion mark.
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And when you subtract
daily deaths from daily births,
00:00:43.97\00:00:48.14
you realize there's
about 100,000 new people
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coming into this
world every single day.
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Now that's a number that
I can't wrap my head around.
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I mean, what are the odds
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that you're actually
going to meet 100,000 people
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in your lifetime,
let alone all 8 billion.
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It's just an
awful lot of people.
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And to think that
we're only a little more
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than three and a half
billion, the day I was born.
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It means that more people
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have been born
since my first appearance
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than actually existed
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at the moment the
doctor cut my umbilical cord.
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Now, the very best
estimates that I can find
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according to an
article published by the BBC,
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well, they suggest something
like 107 billion people
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have now lived on planet earth.
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Which means that all
the people alive right now,
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only represent about
seven and a half percent
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of all the people
who have ever lived.
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So here's what
bothers me about this.
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I know a lot of people worry
about the limited resources
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we have on this planet,
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and there are people
who fear that eventually
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we're not going to be
able to feed everybody.
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Some of you might
remember a popular book
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that came out in 1968,
the year before I was born,
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it was called
"The Population Bomb".
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It kind of suggested
more than 50 years ago
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that we were on the
verge of a global apocalypse
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because well, the population
was growing way too fast.
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It was written by Paul Ehrlich,
a biologist at Stanford,
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and his first line
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kind of scared the stuffing
out of millions of people.
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He said, "The battle to
feed all of humanity is over."
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In other words,
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millions of people were
about to starve to death.
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And a couple of years
after this book was published
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Dr. Ehrlich predicted
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that we had
something like 15 years left
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before mass starvation
basically wiped all of us out.
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Of course, none
of that came true.
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In fact, there
are now people arguing
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that our global
population is about to decrease
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from any number of reasons.
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So that's not really
what gets my attention
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when somebody
mentions 8 billion people
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or 107 billion people.
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I think what bothers me
most is the sheer potential
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that 8 billion
human brains represents.
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I mean, think about
the number of thoughts
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that roll around in your
own brain every single day.
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I know they're
not all brilliant,
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I know that mine aren't.
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But think about how active
your mind is on a daily basis.
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Now multiply that by 8 billion
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and think about how
much mental information
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is being processed minute
by minute, all over the world.
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Then go back in history
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and think about the way
that a tiny handful of people
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have actually changed the world
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with just a few
powerful thoughts.
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I mean, a lot of
you are watching this
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or listening to
this on the internet
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and that was
somebody's brain brainchild
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just a few decades ago.
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Now, maybe you're not old enough
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to remember life
without the internet
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but let me tell
you if that's the case,
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you have no idea how
much this has changed
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the world forever.
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One thought changed the world.
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How would anybody
live without the internet?
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The more I think about
a guy like Wilhem Rontgen
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back in 1895,
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who was fooling
around in his lab one day
00:04:01.37\00:04:03.64
when he suddenly
noticed a fluorescent screen
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would mysteriously glow
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every time he
turned on an electron beam.
00:04:07.21\00:04:10.35
Even if there was something
sitting between the beam
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and the screen.
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And I don't know if
this was smart or not,
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but eventually he
stuck his hand in between,
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and he saw his
bones on the screen.
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That gave us the x-ray,
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an invention that I've well,
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unfortunately had to
use a lot over the years.
00:04:26.19\00:04:29.16
Think about
something as simple as Teflon,
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which not only gave
us nonstick cooking,
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a delightful
invention to be sure
00:04:35.37\00:04:37.57
but we also discovered that
the body doesn't reject Teflon.
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And so now we use it in all
kinds of replacement body parts.
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And then think
about all the poetry,
00:04:46.58\00:04:49.12
and the music, and the art,
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that has come from a handful
of people over the centuries.
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These kinds of people
only represent a tiny sliver
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of the human population.
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And because they
bothered to write things down,
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or because they were in the
right place at the right time
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and had all the
right opportunities,
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all of us benefit
from their thoughts.
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So now I've got to wonder,
how many important thoughts
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never make it to
the rest of the world?
00:05:18.41\00:05:21.02
You've got to think
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if we've already had 107
billion people on this planet,
00:05:22.45\00:05:26.02
there's just a
lot of great thinking
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that never goes anywhere.
00:05:27.69\00:05:29.79
We never learn about it.
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We lose something like
150,000 people every single day.
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And the moment they die,
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a lifetime of
thinking just evaporates.
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It reminds me of
something you read
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in the ancient book of Psalms,
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where it says, "His spirit
departs, he returns to his
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earth; in that very
day his plans perish."
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In some English
translations of the Bible,
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it says, in that very
day his thoughts perish.
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Your thoughts are gone.
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And so you've got to
wonder what all of us lose
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when a single human
being goes to the grave
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never having shared some
of the most important thoughts
00:06:07.60\00:06:10.73
that crossed his or her mind
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while he or she was still alive.
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Now multiply that
by 150,000 people a day
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or multiply it by the 99
billion who have already died
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and ask yourself this,
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"How many
opportunities have we lost?"
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How many brilliant ideas
never made it out into the open
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because somebody
never had an opportunity
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or maybe even the
desire to share them?
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But then think about
the people who do manage
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to write this stuff down.
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Back in the day
before the internet,
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I used to go to the
library every single week
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I would ride there on my bike.
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And I used to think about
the fact that there was no way
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I would ever be able to read
all those books on the shelf.
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And this was a small town
with a really tiny library.
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Thousands and
thousands of books,
00:07:02.95\00:07:05.09
and there was no
way in a single lifetime
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I was ever going to be
able to read all of them.
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It's not possible.
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Then, when you consider
the information explosion
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taking place on the internet,
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every single day, the
problem gets even worse.
00:07:18.57\00:07:23.57
According to one source I
looked at a few months ago
00:07:23.57\00:07:26.88
more than 2.5
quintillion bytes of data
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is generated every single day.
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That's quintillion.
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That's a one with 30 zeros.
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Even if all 8 billion
of us, all around the world
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were working on
this day and night,
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there's absolutely no way
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we could ever consume
that much information.
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So I guess that's the
thing that bothers me most.
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Just the sheer opportunity cost,
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the daily loss of
unique people with great ideas
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and dreams and
valuable insights.
00:08:00.88\00:08:04.05
I mean realistically, I know
there's no way we could listen
00:08:04.05\00:08:06.88
to everybody all the time,
00:08:06.88\00:08:09.32
but it still bothers me
that most people's lives
00:08:09.32\00:08:11.52
just end unacknowledged.
00:08:11.52\00:08:14.69
Maybe their families and
close friends remember them,
00:08:14.69\00:08:17.26
but let a couple
of generations pass by
00:08:17.26\00:08:20.20
and at best, most of us are
nothing but names on tombstones.
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All of your
experiences now just gone.
00:08:26.20\00:08:30.57
So I'm sure you're wondering
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where in the world I'm
gonna go with all of this.
00:08:32.64\00:08:35.08
And now you're gonna have
to endure a really quick break
00:08:35.08\00:08:37.85
if you wanna find out.
00:08:37.85\00:08:39.08
- [Narrator] Here at
the Voice of Prophecy,
00:08:40.45\00:08:41.92
we're committed to
creating top quality programming
00:08:41.92\00:08:44.35
for the whole family,
00:08:44.35\00:08:45.82
like our audio adventure
series "Discovery Mountain".
00:08:45.82\00:08:48.89
"Discovery Mountain"
is a Bible-based program
00:08:48.89\00:08:51.46
for kids of all
ages and backgrounds.
00:08:51.46\00:08:53.80
Your family will enjoy
the faith building stories
00:08:53.80\00:08:56.53
from this small
mountain summer camp, Penn town.
00:08:56.53\00:08:59.40
With 24 seasonal
episodes every year,
00:08:59.40\00:09:01.94
and fresh content every week,
00:09:01.94\00:09:04.04
there's always a new
adventure just on the horizon.
00:09:04.04\00:09:07.24
- The Library of Alexandria
00:09:10.55\00:09:12.08
was one of the most
important contributions
00:09:12.08\00:09:14.25
ever made to human civilization.
00:09:14.25\00:09:16.65
It was the brain child
00:09:16.65\00:09:17.95
of a guy by the name
of Demetrius Of Phalerum,
00:09:17.95\00:09:20.66
a guy, most of you
have never heard of
00:09:20.66\00:09:22.36
who lived about 300
years before Christ.
00:09:22.36\00:09:25.73
He was a tyrant who
ruled the city of Athens
00:09:26.86\00:09:29.66
because Alexander the
Great put him in charge.
00:09:29.66\00:09:32.80
But of course is predicted
in the Bible's book of Daniel,
00:09:32.80\00:09:36.27
Alexander died and
his empire was divided
00:09:36.27\00:09:38.71
among four of his generals,
00:09:38.71\00:09:40.18
Cassander, Seleucus,
Lysimachus and Ptolemy.
00:09:40.18\00:09:44.31
Ptolemy took over
the north of Africa
00:09:44.31\00:09:47.08
which put the city of
Alexandria under his control,
00:09:47.08\00:09:50.45
and he invited
Demetrius to move across the sea
00:09:50.45\00:09:53.42
and join him as a
court philosopher.
00:09:53.42\00:09:56.76
It was a pretty big promotion.
00:09:56.76\00:09:58.36
So of course,
Demetrius jumped at the chance
00:09:58.36\00:10:00.93
and while he was there,
00:10:00.93\00:10:02.40
he supervised the construction
00:10:02.40\00:10:04.10
of the world's
most famous library.
00:10:04.10\00:10:07.80
What Ptolemy wanted to do,
00:10:07.80\00:10:09.84
is collect all the world's
knowledge in one single place.
00:10:09.84\00:10:14.01
Thanks to the gift of writing,
00:10:14.01\00:10:15.68
they were able to
gather information
00:10:15.68\00:10:17.31
from every culture around them
00:10:17.31\00:10:19.28
and preserve it
all in one location.
00:10:19.28\00:10:22.32
This was kind of
like an ancient internet
00:10:22.32\00:10:25.05
where you could find
just about anything you wanted
00:10:25.05\00:10:26.92
on just about any topic.
00:10:26.92\00:10:29.39
Some people think
there may have been
00:10:29.39\00:10:31.23
as many as 400,000
scrolls in this library,
00:10:31.23\00:10:35.10
which might not sound like much
00:10:35.10\00:10:36.87
after we talk about quintillion.
00:10:36.87\00:10:38.43
But when you consider
that all these scrolls
00:10:39.67\00:10:42.20
were actually written by hand
00:10:42.20\00:10:43.94
and had to
basically travel on horseback,
00:10:43.94\00:10:47.24
this represented a
lot of information.
00:10:47.24\00:10:50.71
Now, today, the whole
Alexandrian library is gone,
00:10:52.11\00:10:55.88
because in 48 BC, Julius Caesar
accidentally burned it down.
00:10:55.88\00:11:00.86
Not all of it,
but a big chunk of it
00:11:02.06\00:11:03.53
because his soldiers
were busy burning the docks
00:11:03.53\00:11:06.33
in the harbor and that
fire got out of control
00:11:06.33\00:11:09.00
and got to the library.
00:11:09.00\00:11:10.70
And that was the
beginning of the end.
00:11:10.70\00:11:12.83
Because even if some of
the library managed to survive
00:11:12.83\00:11:15.94
what was left would
have been finished off
00:11:15.94\00:11:18.81
when the emperor Aurelian
burned down the city again
00:11:18.81\00:11:22.24
about 300 years later.
00:11:22.24\00:11:24.81
So think about this,
try to imagine what we lost.
00:11:26.01\00:11:29.72
We had this comprehensive
collection of ancient knowledge
00:11:29.72\00:11:32.85
gathered from all over the
world, and now it's just gone.
00:11:32.85\00:11:37.86
We really have no
idea what was in there.
00:11:38.99\00:11:41.13
I mean, today, we
can't really explain
00:11:41.13\00:11:42.93
how the pyramids were
so masterfully constructed.
00:11:42.93\00:11:45.57
So you've got to wonder,
00:11:45.57\00:11:47.17
what if there was a book in
that library that explained it?
00:11:47.17\00:11:51.24
But for centuries
people have wondered
00:11:51.24\00:11:53.01
what in the world
Plato was talking about
00:11:53.01\00:11:55.08
when he mentioned a
place called Atlantis.
00:11:55.08\00:11:57.68
And now the internet is
full of conspiracy theories
00:11:57.68\00:12:00.28
because we don't really know.
00:12:00.28\00:12:02.38
What if there was a
book in that library
00:12:02.38\00:12:04.92
that just told us
where Atlantis was,
00:12:04.92\00:12:07.12
who lived there and
what happened to them.
00:12:07.12\00:12:09.32
Can you imagine what we lost
00:12:10.29\00:12:12.06
when 400,000 scrolls
just disappeared in smoke?
00:12:12.06\00:12:17.03
Today archeologists are forced
to piece together the past
00:12:18.43\00:12:19.93
by digging
through broken pottery
00:12:19.93\00:12:22.90
and reading these bits and
pieces of shattered tablets.
00:12:22.90\00:12:27.91
These things are
missing information.
00:12:29.04\00:12:30.71
And there's a
really good likelihood
00:12:30.71\00:12:32.95
that once upon a time,
the Alexandrian library
00:12:32.95\00:12:36.18
had scrolls that
told all these stories
00:12:36.18\00:12:39.12
in remarkable detail.
00:12:39.12\00:12:41.56
It makes me think, that one
of the reasons we're so blind
00:12:41.56\00:12:45.43
when it comes to ancient history
00:12:45.43\00:12:46.86
is because somebody destroyed
our record of the past.
00:12:46.86\00:12:51.77
It really is an
absolute tragedy.
00:12:52.97\00:12:55.67
And this is something I
think about all the time
00:12:55.67\00:12:57.71
because as far as I'm concerned,
there are no little people,
00:12:57.71\00:13:01.21
there are no
inconsequential minds.
00:13:01.21\00:13:05.11
What we have living
all around us are people
00:13:05.11\00:13:08.28
who are experiencing the world
00:13:08.28\00:13:09.75
from their own
unique perspective.
00:13:09.75\00:13:11.92
And they're experiencing God
00:13:11.92\00:13:13.96
from their own
unique perspective.
00:13:13.96\00:13:16.32
And you've got to wonder
00:13:16.32\00:13:18.06
how much richer our
own experience would be,
00:13:18.06\00:13:21.50
if we had access to
all that information,
00:13:21.50\00:13:25.67
but we don't.
00:13:25.67\00:13:26.50
And you never will.
00:13:27.44\00:13:29.00
Because even if it was possible
to preserve all that data,
00:13:29.00\00:13:32.87
the thoughts of a
107 billion people
00:13:32.87\00:13:36.64
you and I have a hard
deadline in this life.
00:13:36.64\00:13:39.51
Most of us only get
70, 80, maybe 90 years
00:13:39.51\00:13:44.02
and then it's over.
00:13:44.02\00:13:45.32
This is easily one of
the biggest frustrations
00:13:45.32\00:13:47.89
about being mortal,
00:13:47.89\00:13:49.59
there isn't time to learn
00:13:49.59\00:13:51.33
and explore
everything that interests you.
00:13:51.33\00:13:55.26
It reminds me of
another ancient passage,
00:13:55.26\00:13:57.03
this one from the
book of Ecclesiastes
00:13:57.03\00:13:59.37
which is a book
of ancient wisdom.
00:13:59.37\00:14:01.84
Here's what it says,
00:14:01.84\00:14:04.14
"All things are full of
labor; man cannot express it.
00:14:04.14\00:14:08.51
"The eye is not
satisfied with seeing,
00:14:08.51\00:14:10.85
"nor the ear
filled with hearing."
00:14:10.85\00:14:14.52
Now, man, isn't that the truth?
00:14:14.52\00:14:16.89
I'm kind of ripping
this verse out of its context
00:14:16.89\00:14:19.52
but one lifetime
isn't nearly long enough
00:14:19.52\00:14:23.09
to satisfy the
curiosity of your eyes and ears.
00:14:23.09\00:14:26.39
You can study and learn
and explore decade after decade
00:14:26.39\00:14:31.37
and it will never be enough.
00:14:32.23\00:14:34.24
Now, that's not really
what the author was saying
00:14:34.24\00:14:37.67
and I'm ripping it out
of context a little bit,
00:14:37.67\00:14:40.44
but ask yourself,
00:14:40.44\00:14:42.18
are you ever really
going to be finished learning?
00:14:42.18\00:14:45.58
Will you ever come to the point
00:14:45.58\00:14:46.95
where you don't
want to see something new
00:14:46.95\00:14:48.65
or hear something new?
00:14:48.65\00:14:51.09
Unless you're the victim of
depression, I really doubt it.
00:14:51.09\00:14:55.92
You know Albert
Einstein once said,
00:14:57.33\00:14:58.83
"I have no special talents.
00:14:58.83\00:15:01.03
"I am only
passionately curious."
00:15:01.03\00:15:03.97
And from what I
know about his story
00:15:03.97\00:15:05.57
that was absolutely true.
00:15:05.57\00:15:07.27
His elementary school teachers
00:15:07.27\00:15:08.84
actually thought he was a dummy.
00:15:08.84\00:15:10.77
This wasn't some kind of
child prodigy like Mozart,
00:15:10.77\00:15:13.78
this was a kid who
actually struggled with math.
00:15:13.78\00:15:17.91
And yet the
product of his curious mind
00:15:17.91\00:15:20.42
completely revolutionized
the world of science forever.
00:15:20.42\00:15:24.35
It was his passionate curiosity
00:15:24.35\00:15:26.96
that disrupted the
work of Isaac Newton
00:15:26.96\00:15:29.12
and opened up the human race
00:15:29.12\00:15:30.59
to a whole new
universe of possibilities.
00:15:30.59\00:15:34.46
So what about all
the other curious minds,
00:15:35.63\00:15:39.77
given the right opportunities
what would they discover?
00:15:39.77\00:15:43.27
And why do I even have a
passionately curious mind
00:15:43.27\00:15:46.74
if I'm just going to die?
00:15:46.74\00:15:49.24
What's the sense of packing
my brain full of information
00:15:49.24\00:15:52.21
for 70 or 80 years and then
all that data just disappears
00:15:52.21\00:15:57.22
the day that I do?
00:15:58.09\00:15:59.35
Why would I be wired like this?
00:16:00.32\00:16:02.12
How does this make sense?
00:16:02.12\00:16:04.86
Let me take you back to
that same passage again.
00:16:04.86\00:16:07.03
Now in the book of Ecclesiastes
00:16:07.03\00:16:08.56
and this time we'll read
it in its original context.
00:16:08.56\00:16:12.30
Here's what it says,
00:16:12.30\00:16:14.00
"What prophet has a man
00:16:14.00\00:16:15.57
"from all his labor in
which he toils under the sun?"
00:16:15.57\00:16:19.37
In other words,
00:16:19.37\00:16:20.84
what's the point of
putting in a lifetime of effort?
00:16:20.84\00:16:24.05
"One generation passes away
00:16:24.05\00:16:26.05
"and another generation comes
00:16:26.05\00:16:27.65
"but the earth abides forever."
00:16:27.65\00:16:30.45
In other words, one
day we're all going to die
00:16:30.45\00:16:33.69
and the world's just
gonna go on without us.
00:16:33.69\00:16:36.42
"The sun also rises,
and the sun goes down,
00:16:36.42\00:16:39.19
"and hastens to the
place where it arose.
00:16:39.19\00:16:41.63
"The wind goes toward the south
00:16:41.63\00:16:43.40
"and turns around to the north;
00:16:43.40\00:16:45.30
"the wind whirls
about continually
00:16:45.30\00:16:47.54
"and comes again on its circuit.
00:16:47.54\00:16:49.57
"All the rivers run into
the sea yet the sea is not full;
00:16:49.57\00:16:52.81
"to the place from
which the rivers come
00:16:52.81\00:16:54.71
"there they return again."
00:16:54.71\00:16:56.88
So what he's describing is
the endless cycle of the world
00:16:56.88\00:17:00.55
and he's wondering
why do you and I exist
00:17:00.55\00:17:02.92
in a place like this?
00:17:02.92\00:17:04.69
We have cognitive abilities,
00:17:04.69\00:17:06.79
we have curious minds,
00:17:06.79\00:17:08.42
and yet somehow we get turned
off after a few short decades
00:17:08.42\00:17:12.23
and the world keeps
on going without us.
00:17:12.23\00:17:14.60
Verse 8 again,
00:17:14.60\00:17:16.30
"All things are full of
labor; man cannot express it.
00:17:16.30\00:17:20.20
"The eye is not
satisfied with seeing
00:17:20.20\00:17:22.57
"nor the ear
filled with hearing."
00:17:22.57\00:17:26.07
So here's what
he's really saying,
00:17:26.07\00:17:29.44
and I think I should
explain this a little bit
00:17:29.44\00:17:31.28
because I took a few
liberties with that passage
00:17:31.28\00:17:33.98
the first time I read it.
00:17:33.98\00:17:36.25
Even if you did live longer,
00:17:36.25\00:17:38.75
even if you had a
thousand-year life span,
00:17:38.75\00:17:42.12
it wouldn't be enough
00:17:42.12\00:17:44.09
because what your heart craves
00:17:44.09\00:17:45.86
more than
anything else in the world
00:17:45.86\00:17:48.16
cannot be found by
accumulating more information.
00:17:48.16\00:17:52.80
I mean, let's say I
did have the ability
00:17:52.80\00:17:55.40
to harvest the
thoughts of 8 billion people,
00:17:55.40\00:17:57.84
would that be enough?
00:17:57.84\00:17:59.84
Would I finally come to
a place where I can say,
00:17:59.84\00:18:02.31
man now I know
what I've been missing,
00:18:02.31\00:18:04.65
now I know enough and
my mind is finally at rest.
00:18:04.65\00:18:09.62
The answer is no,
00:18:09.62\00:18:12.32
because what
you're really looking for
00:18:12.32\00:18:14.56
is not more knowledge.
00:18:14.56\00:18:17.63
What you're looking for is
the source of that knowledge
00:18:17.63\00:18:21.36
the answer to the
puzzle of our existence.
00:18:21.36\00:18:24.67
By sorting through
more and more data,
00:18:24.67\00:18:26.77
your mind is trying to
discover the reason you're here.
00:18:26.77\00:18:31.57
To put it simply, what
you're really looking for is God
00:18:31.57\00:18:35.98
and until you find Him,
00:18:35.98\00:18:37.21
your mind is gonna
be forever restless.
00:18:37.21\00:18:40.28
Now I've got to
take another quick break
00:18:40.28\00:18:42.05
because that's the
way it works around here,
00:18:42.05\00:18:43.89
but I'll be
right back after this.
00:18:43.89\00:18:46.39
- [Narrator] Life
can throw a lot at us.
00:18:47.92\00:18:50.33
Sometimes we don't
have all the answers
00:18:50.33\00:18:52.83
but that's where
the Bible comes in.
00:18:53.96\00:18:56.13
It's our guide to a
more fulfilling life.
00:18:56.13\00:18:59.20
Here at the Voice of Prophecy,
00:18:59.20\00:19:00.77
we've created the
Discover Bible guides
00:19:00.77\00:19:02.90
to be your guide to the Bible.
00:19:02.90\00:19:04.51
They're designed to
be simple, easy to use
00:19:04.51\00:19:06.98
and provide answers to many
of life's toughest questions
00:19:06.98\00:19:10.01
and they're absolutely free.
00:19:10.01\00:19:12.01
So jump online now
00:19:12.01\00:19:13.52
or give us a call and
start your journey of discovery.
00:19:13.52\00:19:16.62
- Hey, if you're just tuning in,
00:19:17.69\00:19:19.15
we've been talking
about all the knowledge
00:19:19.15\00:19:20.99
that disappears from
this planet on a daily basis.
00:19:20.99\00:19:23.86
How we lose something like
150,000 people every single day,
00:19:23.86\00:19:28.63
and all their
thoughts are just gone.
00:19:28.63\00:19:30.77
What a loss that is.
00:19:30.77\00:19:33.54
And then we talked about
the fact that one short lifetime
00:19:33.54\00:19:36.60
seems like a pretty raw deal
00:19:36.60\00:19:38.51
because you were born with
this insatiably curious mind,
00:19:38.51\00:19:43.18
and you're never
going to have the time
00:19:43.18\00:19:44.81
to satisfy your curiosity.
00:19:44.81\00:19:46.82
At least not completely.
00:19:46.82\00:19:49.42
Then I posed a question
00:19:49.42\00:19:50.85
about what it is that
you're actually looking for
00:19:50.85\00:19:53.12
in the first place?
00:19:53.12\00:19:54.46
I mean, I know that
I'm personally curious
00:19:54.46\00:19:56.73
about just about everything.
00:19:56.73\00:19:57.79
I like science,
00:19:57.79\00:19:59.06
I love music,
00:19:59.06\00:20:00.13
I like philosophy,
00:20:00.13\00:20:01.33
I like psychology,
00:20:01.33\00:20:02.73
I like theology,
00:20:02.73\00:20:04.23
I like just about everything
that people like to study.
00:20:04.23\00:20:06.94
And part of that is
because I'm just a wide-eyed kid
00:20:08.34\00:20:10.94
who happened to be born
in a big, interesting world
00:20:10.94\00:20:13.78
that has a lot to offer.
00:20:13.78\00:20:15.91
But you've always got to wonder,
00:20:15.91\00:20:18.11
what am I actually looking for?
00:20:18.11\00:20:20.65
Why do I think it's
important to learn anything?
00:20:20.65\00:20:23.79
I mean, we all know you
have to learn something,
00:20:23.79\00:20:26.25
if you're gonna earn a living,
00:20:26.25\00:20:27.79
but beyond that why do I feel
the need to keep on studying?
00:20:27.79\00:20:31.39
Why are documentaries
and books so fascinating?
00:20:31.39\00:20:34.76
Why do I always, always
wanna see something new?
00:20:34.76\00:20:38.17
And what is it that
gives me this audacious notion
00:20:38.17\00:20:41.94
that there's actually something
valuable out there to learn?
00:20:41.94\00:20:45.34
If think about it,
00:20:46.44\00:20:48.28
if you didn't believe
the universe had a purpose
00:20:48.28\00:20:51.01
and you didn't think
00:20:51.01\00:20:52.71
there was some kind of
order to our existence,
00:20:52.71\00:20:54.52
that was mean that
there is nothing useful
00:20:54.52\00:20:57.29
out there to learn.
00:20:57.29\00:20:59.72
And yet something hardwired
into our brains tells us,
00:20:59.72\00:21:03.56
this isn't true.
00:21:03.56\00:21:05.19
So what in the
world are you looking for?
00:21:05.19\00:21:08.76
Let me show you
another ancient passage
00:21:08.76\00:21:10.80
this time from
the book of Jeremiah.
00:21:10.80\00:21:13.90
And I think there's a chance
I've read this on the show
00:21:13.90\00:21:16.87
at least once before
00:21:16.87\00:21:18.14
because this is one
of my personal favorites
00:21:18.14\00:21:19.77
so bear with me.
00:21:19.77\00:21:21.01
We're gonna read it again
00:21:21.01\00:21:22.24
and you'll probably
hear me read it again
00:21:22.24\00:21:23.41
and again and
again, in the future.
00:21:23.41\00:21:25.28
Here it comes,
00:21:25.28\00:21:26.51
it's Jeremiah chapter
9, starting in verse 23.
00:21:26.51\00:21:29.78
It says, "Thus says the Lord:
00:21:29.78\00:21:32.59
'let not the wise man
glory in his wisdom...'"
00:21:32.59\00:21:36.62
Now, let me push the
pause button right there
00:21:36.62\00:21:39.19
because that's kind of
a bitter pill to swallow
00:21:39.19\00:21:42.50
when you happen
to love knowledge.
00:21:42.50\00:21:45.10
Of course knowledge isn't
exactly the same as wisdom.
00:21:45.10\00:21:49.37
Wisdom is knowing what
to do with your knowledge.
00:21:49.37\00:21:52.64
And if you read
the rest of this book,
00:21:52.64\00:21:54.01
there's absolutely no doubt
00:21:54.01\00:21:56.08
that this book places a very
high value on acquiring wisdom.
00:21:56.08\00:21:59.95
In fact, most of
the book of Proverbs
00:21:59.95\00:22:02.35
advises us to seek wisdom.
00:22:02.35\00:22:04.42
And in the book
of James, it says,
00:22:04.42\00:22:06.35
"If any of you lacks wisdom,
00:22:06.35\00:22:07.99
"let him ask of God
who gives to all liberally
00:22:07.99\00:22:11.79
"and without reproach,
00:22:11.79\00:22:12.89
"and it will be given to him."
00:22:12.89\00:22:14.96
So here in the book of Jeremiah,
00:22:14.96\00:22:18.20
it's not really saying
that wisdom isn't important
00:22:18.20\00:22:20.67
because as it is
00:22:20.67\00:22:22.10
and of course you don't
wanna be the opposite of wise
00:22:22.10\00:22:24.37
which would be foolish.
00:22:24.37\00:22:25.81
And the Bible clearly
advises against becoming a fool.
00:22:25.81\00:22:29.84
So what is Jeremiah saying?
00:22:29.84\00:22:31.31
Well, let's
read the whole thing,
00:22:31.31\00:22:34.05
"Thus says the Lord:
00:22:34.05\00:22:36.02
'let not the wise
man glory in his wisdom,
00:22:36.02\00:22:38.19
let, not the mighty
man glory in his might
00:22:38.19\00:22:40.36
nor let the rich man
glory in his riches.'"
00:22:40.36\00:22:44.49
Now here it comes
the important part
00:22:44.49\00:22:47.30
"but let him who
glories glory in this
00:22:47.30\00:22:50.67
that he understands
hands and knows me."
00:22:50.67\00:22:53.94
Here's what's hiding behind
your insatiable desire to learn.
00:22:55.37\00:22:59.81
You're not just
filling your brain
00:23:01.04\00:23:02.54
with mountains of trivia
for no particular reason.
00:23:02.54\00:23:05.51
You're out there
looking for something.
00:23:05.51\00:23:08.55
I mean, if it's just a matter
of accumulating knowledge,
00:23:08.55\00:23:12.15
it's really a pretty
depressing enterprise
00:23:12.15\00:23:14.26
because the moment you die
[snapping fingers] it's over,
00:23:14.26\00:23:17.76
the information is gone
00:23:17.76\00:23:19.19
and all that
effort was for nothing.
00:23:19.19\00:23:22.10
And honestly, it
wouldn't make sense
00:23:23.23\00:23:26.37
at least not as far as
the universe is concerned.
00:23:26.37\00:23:30.04
Why would the universe
produce all these thinking,
00:23:30.04\00:23:32.94
feeling, curious people,
00:23:32.94\00:23:34.51
if it's just going
to amount to nothing.
00:23:34.51\00:23:37.48
I mean, why didn't
we make our entrance
00:23:37.48\00:23:39.38
into this universe
as mere sea cucumbers?
00:23:39.38\00:23:42.25
Who as far as I can tell,
aren't really curious about much
00:23:42.25\00:23:45.79
besides what they're
gonna have for lunch.
00:23:45.79\00:23:48.49
Why are you as a
human so sophisticated?
00:23:48.49\00:23:51.73
Why are you so inquisitive?
00:23:51.73\00:23:53.90
Who pushed the
button to make you this way?
00:23:53.90\00:23:57.50
It says, "Let him who
glories glory in this,
00:23:57.50\00:24:01.74
that he understands and
knows me that I am the Lord."
00:24:01.74\00:24:06.14
This is what you're looking for.
00:24:07.38\00:24:10.31
This is what
you're hoping to find
00:24:10.31\00:24:12.71
under that vast
mountain of data.
00:24:12.71\00:24:15.58
There is
somebody who put you here
00:24:15.58\00:24:18.45
and then he gave
you a questioning mind
00:24:18.45\00:24:20.69
so that you would find him.
00:24:20.69\00:24:23.26
And if you understand that,
00:24:23.26\00:24:25.29
if you understand that
this is what you're looking for,
00:24:25.29\00:24:29.16
I promise you you're
going to find some peace of mind
00:24:29.16\00:24:32.83
and you will come to
the finish line of your life
00:24:32.83\00:24:35.47
completely satisfied
00:24:35.47\00:24:37.17
because you've
realized your ultimate purpose.
00:24:37.17\00:24:41.24
That book, the book of Jeremiah,
00:24:42.24\00:24:44.55
it was written
to a group of people
00:24:44.55\00:24:46.38
who had been
conquered by the Babylonians.
00:24:46.38\00:24:49.32
And a lot of them
00:24:49.32\00:24:50.85
were going to spend the rest
of their lives in captivity.
00:24:50.85\00:24:54.39
And if you think that life
can feel a little meaningless
00:24:54.39\00:24:57.86
when you're free,
00:24:57.86\00:24:59.73
it can really hit home
when your one and only lifetime
00:24:59.73\00:25:03.50
gets completely used up doing
the bidding of your overlords.
00:25:03.50\00:25:08.50
It was an
oppressive way to live.
00:25:09.57\00:25:11.57
And so here's what
Jeremiah said to the people
00:25:11.57\00:25:14.21
who were just beginning
that life of captivity.
00:25:14.21\00:25:18.55
"And you will seek
me", it's God speaking.
00:25:18.55\00:25:20.75
"And you will
seek me and find me,
00:25:20.75\00:25:22.72
when you search for
me with all your heart.
00:25:22.72\00:25:25.49
I will be found by
you", says the Lord
00:25:25.49\00:25:28.42
"and I will bring you
back from your captivity..."
00:25:28.42\00:25:32.29
So how in the world
does this all matter to you?
00:25:33.50\00:25:38.17
Well, think about this.
00:25:38.17\00:25:40.14
You're a captive to this world
00:25:40.14\00:25:42.40
and there's a part
of you that is looking
00:25:42.40\00:25:44.47
for something much
better than this place
00:25:44.47\00:25:47.21
the way that you're
currently experiencing it.
00:25:47.21\00:25:49.51
So don't you go away,
00:25:50.38\00:25:51.98
I'm gonna be writing back.
00:25:51.98\00:25:53.28
- [Narrator] Are you
searching for answers
00:25:55.95\00:25:57.19
to life's toughest questions
00:25:57.19\00:25:58.82
like where is
God when we suffer?
00:25:58.82\00:26:01.09
Can I find a real happiness?
00:26:01.09\00:26:02.89
Or is there any hope
for our chaotic world?
00:26:02.89\00:26:06.06
The Discover Bible guides
00:26:06.06\00:26:07.50
will help you find the
answers you're looking for.
00:26:07.50\00:26:09.83
Visit us at BibleStudies.com
00:26:09.83\00:26:12.37
or give us a
call at 888-456-7933
00:26:12.37\00:26:16.60
for your free
Discover Bible guides.
00:26:17.81\00:26:20.21
Study online on
our secure website
00:26:20.21\00:26:23.31
or have the free guides
mailed right to your home.
00:26:23.31\00:26:25.88
There is never a
cost or obligation.
00:26:25.88\00:26:28.52
The Discover Bible
guides are our free gift to you.
00:26:28.52\00:26:31.69
Find answers and guides
00:26:31.69\00:26:32.89
like does my life
really matter to God?
00:26:32.89\00:26:35.36
And a second chance at life.
00:26:35.36\00:26:37.49
You'll find answers to the
things that matter most to you
00:26:37.49\00:26:39.86
in each of the 26
Discover Bible guides,
00:26:39.86\00:26:42.46
visit BibleStudies.com
00:26:42.46\00:26:44.67
and begin your journey
today to discover answers
00:26:44.67\00:26:47.94
to life's deepest questions.
00:26:47.94\00:26:50.44
- Okay, so here's what happened,
00:26:54.84\00:26:56.38
I talked too much and we're
out of time for another week
00:26:56.38\00:26:59.85
but here's what I
want you to think about
00:26:59.85\00:27:01.65
until we can meet again.
00:27:01.65\00:27:03.52
The one that you're actually
00:27:04.82\00:27:06.22
looking for
says He can be found.
00:27:06.22\00:27:09.16
He's what you're gonna find
00:27:09.16\00:27:10.46
under that
mountain of information
00:27:10.46\00:27:11.99
that swirls past your
brain every single day.
00:27:11.99\00:27:15.90
And when you find Him,
00:27:15.90\00:27:17.53
He can take you out of the
captivity of a meaningless life
00:27:17.53\00:27:21.87
and bring you
right into His presence
00:27:21.87\00:27:24.21
where He guarantees you'll
be learning new stuff forever.
00:27:24.21\00:27:28.78
And all of that
knowledge you've been picking up
00:27:30.18\00:27:31.98
for an entire lifetime,
00:27:31.98\00:27:33.78
well, if you take all of
that and compare it to this book
00:27:33.78\00:27:37.29
it's all going to fall
together in a beautiful pattern
00:27:37.29\00:27:40.79
and help you understand
the infinite mind of God.
00:27:40.79\00:27:45.43
And according to what
that God says in this book,
00:27:45.43\00:27:48.66
you're gonna keep on
using what you've been learning
00:27:48.66\00:27:51.97
for a very,
very, very long time.
00:27:51.97\00:27:56.97
That's all the time we've
got for another week though.
00:27:58.41\00:27:59.81
You chew on that
until we're together again.
00:27:59.81\00:28:02.58
I'm Shawn Boonstra
00:28:02.58\00:28:04.08
and this has been
another episode of "Authentic".
00:28:04.08\00:28:07.62
[upbeat music]
00:28:07.62\00:28:10.19