- There's a really old teaching
00:00:00.66\00:00:01.90
floating around in this world
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that suggests that
someone has been hiding
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the most powerful secret
in the universe from you.
00:00:06.03\00:00:09.54
And today, countless
people swear that this is true.
00:00:09.54\00:00:12.84
If you just know this secret,
00:00:12.84\00:00:14.78
you can actually bend the whole
universe in your direction.
00:00:14.78\00:00:18.28
On today's show, I'm gonna
show you why they're dead wrong.
00:00:18.28\00:00:21.78
[dramatic music]
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My pagan ancestors used
to look up at the night sky
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and find some kind
of meaning up there.
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My generation today
tends to look at the stars
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and just think of them
in terms of pure physics,
00:00:53.31\00:00:55.55
massive furnaces
driven by the process
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of stellar nucleosynthesis.
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But my pagan ancestors,
they saw something different.
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They noticed the
rhythms of the universe,
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how heavenly bodies
moved in a procession.
00:01:06.70\00:01:09.46
So regular, you could use
them as an astronomical calendar
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to mark the
precise time of year.
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When certain stars
appeared just above the horizon,
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it was time to plant.
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And when other
stars took their place,
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it was time for something else.
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But then, my ancestors
also developed this idea
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that somehow our
lives corresponded
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to what was happening
up there in the heavens.
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An idea that still persists
today in the world of astrology.
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They said, if you were
born at a certain time of year
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under the sign of a
certain constellation,
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it said something
about your personality
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and your proclivities.
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If one of the planets was moving
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through a
particular constellation,
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it was considered a
message, a sign of the times.
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Now to us, that all
seems kind of childish
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as if our ancestors
were unthinking simpletons
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who needed to
make up silly stories
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to explain the natural world.
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I mean, how else
would you explain the fact
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that most people way
back when worshiped the Sun,
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I mean, at some
point in history.
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Except for the fact
that they didn't really
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do those kinds of things.
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I know they had Sun gods and
there were temples to the Sun,
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but what they
were actually doing
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was not quite as
simple as we make it sound.
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The ancient pagans
didn't really think of the Sun,
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the Moon and the planets,
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and the stars as
celestial deities.
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They thought of the
more like special portals
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to the spirit world
that existed out there
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just beyond the grasp
of our physical senses.
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These people
believed that in the beginning
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the universe wasn't a
physical material place at all.
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It just happened
to become physical
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through an
unfortunate series of events.
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And in the process, it
trapped the likes of you and me
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in these physical bodies.
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This is why you find
some of the pagan philosophers
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suggesting that death
is probably a good thing,
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because it's
going to release you
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from this painful physical
existence we have right now,
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and just return
you to the universe,
00:03:02.44\00:03:04.55
to your original
state as a spirit being.
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In the beginning, these
people said the entire universe
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was nothing but spirit.
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And the only thing that
really existed out there
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was the mind of God.
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But then that
mind of God started
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to congeal into a fine mist.
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And then that
mist became particles.
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And eventually we
got the material universe
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as you find it today.
00:03:25.43\00:03:27.40
But then they said,
that the entire point
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of our human
existence now is to find
00:03:30.24\00:03:32.74
our way back out of
this physical existence
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to return to the
great mind of God
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or one of the more
famous metaphors they used
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was to compare this
mind of God, to a fire.
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And all of us,
they said were sparks
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that kind of leaped
out of the fireplace
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into a state of being
that wasn't supposed to happen.
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In some accounts, the
reason the world happens
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to be a really tough
place to live is because
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some lesser being
actually did the work
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of creating this physical
world, and he botched it.
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The pure mind of
God, these pagans said
00:04:01.04\00:04:03.17
would never create this place.
00:04:03.17\00:04:06.34
And so, the Sun, the Moon
and the stars were like windows
00:04:06.34\00:04:10.25
that allowed you to communicate
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with the great
mind of the universe.
00:04:11.48\00:04:13.55
They were a go between.
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They didn't actually
think of these things
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as sentient beings.
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Now, that isn't
going to be the way
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you're gonna find
the story being taught
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in the pages of
everyday pagan mythology,
00:04:22.82\00:04:25.46
but in many of the
ancient elite mystery schools,
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which were only open to a
handful of enlightened people,
00:04:28.83\00:04:32.50
that's actually
what they taught.
00:04:32.50\00:04:34.90
And part of that way of thinking
00:04:34.90\00:04:36.67
created a system
of correspondence
00:04:36.67\00:04:38.81
where the objects in the
sky were said to correspond
00:04:38.81\00:04:41.98
to the various activities
that happen here on Earth.
00:04:41.98\00:04:44.78
And you could learn
about the nature of reality
00:04:44.78\00:04:47.05
in the workings of the world,
00:04:47.05\00:04:48.45
by studying those
movements in the heavens.
00:04:48.45\00:04:51.39
Furthermore, some of
these ancient pagans also said
00:04:51.39\00:04:54.56
that the various heavenly
bodies they were studying,
00:04:54.56\00:04:57.29
actually, corresponded
to the various parts
00:04:57.29\00:04:59.43
of our human bodies.
00:04:59.43\00:05:01.76
So for example, the planet Venus
00:05:01.76\00:05:04.40
was sent to govern your kidneys,
00:05:04.40\00:05:05.80
and it was also
the planet of desire.
00:05:05.80\00:05:08.14
Mars was the planet of war,
00:05:08.14\00:05:10.01
which governed your marshal
passions and the red blood,
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that courses through
your veins and so on.
00:05:12.74\00:05:15.64
There was a
heavenly correspondence
00:05:15.64\00:05:17.38
for almost everything
that happened here on Earth.
00:05:17.38\00:05:21.08
And while I know there are
people who will dispute this
00:05:21.08\00:05:24.89
underneath this
system of belief,
00:05:24.89\00:05:26.55
there was an
assumption that the universe
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revolves around us,
around the human race.
00:05:28.69\00:05:31.89
We thought we were
the center of existence,
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the whole point of the universe.
00:05:34.03\00:05:36.10
And even though there was a
higher mind out there somewhere,
00:05:36.10\00:05:39.63
they taught were
part of that higher mind,
00:05:39.63\00:05:41.44
and we're destined to
return to our former status.
00:05:41.44\00:05:44.84
I'm convinced this
is one of the reasons
00:05:44.84\00:05:47.54
that people like
Copernicus and Galileo
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met with such
resistance when they suggested
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that the Earth was not
the center of the universe.
00:05:52.78\00:05:56.58
I mean, there's no
doubt, no doubt at all,
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they also attracted the
wrath of the official church
00:05:59.35\00:06:02.09
when they spoke
about Heliocentrism.
00:06:02.09\00:06:04.16
I mean, that's the
story we all learned.
00:06:04.16\00:06:06.76
And they got
heat from the church
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because they were challenging
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a number of
theological conventions
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that the medieval
church absolutely relied on.
00:06:11.07\00:06:15.27
But personally, I'm not
convinced the Catholic Church
00:06:15.27\00:06:18.14
was the only group that didn't
like what they were hearing.
00:06:18.14\00:06:21.71
Any system of belief that
establishes us, the human race,
00:06:21.71\00:06:25.41
as the central
point of the universe
00:06:25.41\00:06:27.18
would be very troubled to hear
00:06:27.18\00:06:29.72
that maybe we
didn't actually occupy
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center stage,
physically speaking.
00:06:31.82\00:06:35.22
I mean, I can only imagine
what kinds of mental anguish
00:06:35.22\00:06:38.16
they would have to go through
if they had also at that time
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become aware
that our solar system
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isn't even at the
center of our galaxy,
00:06:42.90\00:06:45.00
but it's way out on the edge.
00:06:45.00\00:06:47.74
Let me give you an example
of what I'm talking about
00:06:49.20\00:06:50.67
from a relatively recent
and somewhat popular teacher
00:06:50.67\00:06:54.94
of this ancient
pagan way of thinking.
00:06:54.94\00:06:57.91
Manly P. Hall was a well-known
practitioner of the occult
00:06:57.91\00:07:01.75
back in the 20th
century, not that long ago.
00:07:01.75\00:07:04.89
And most of his
writings borrowed heavily
00:07:04.89\00:07:07.99
from the
alchemists of the middle ages
00:07:07.99\00:07:10.29
and the ancient pagans who
gave the alchemists their ideas.
00:07:10.29\00:07:13.93
Here's what Manly P.
Hall said as he wrote about
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the significance
of the human body.
00:07:17.10\00:07:19.43
He says, "The
mysteries of every nation taught
00:07:19.43\00:07:23.27
that the laws, elements,
and powers of the universe,
00:07:23.27\00:07:26.54
were epitomized in
the human constitution;
00:07:26.54\00:07:29.51
that everything which
existed outside of man
00:07:29.51\00:07:32.35
had its analogue within man."
00:07:32.35\00:07:35.45
He continues a
little further on, he says,
00:07:35.45\00:07:37.39
"...the early philosophers
turn their attention
00:07:37.39\00:07:40.52
from the inconceivable
Divinity to man himself;
00:07:40.52\00:07:43.99
within the narrow confines
of whose nature they found
00:07:43.99\00:07:46.90
manifested all the mysteries
of the external spheres.
00:07:46.90\00:07:51.33
As the natural
outgrowth of this practice
00:07:51.33\00:07:53.47
there was fabricated a secret
theological system in which
00:07:53.47\00:07:56.91
God was considered as the
Grand Man and, conversely,
00:07:56.91\00:08:00.71
man as the little god.
00:08:00.71\00:08:03.04
Continuing this analogy, the
universe was regarded as a man,
00:08:03.04\00:08:06.35
and, conversely, man
as a miniature universe."
00:08:06.35\00:08:10.62
Now, Mr. Hall
certainly put his own twist
00:08:10.62\00:08:13.29
on all these
ancient secret teachings,
00:08:13.29\00:08:15.16
just like other fairly
recent esoteric teachers
00:08:15.16\00:08:18.33
like Madame Blavatsky,
the founder of Theosophy.
00:08:18.33\00:08:22.16
But the basic
ideas are all there.
00:08:22.16\00:08:25.40
And they really do
stretch all the way back
00:08:25.40\00:08:27.64
to very ancient times.
00:08:27.64\00:08:29.64
In fact, a lot of these
ideas come from Ancient Egypt
00:08:29.64\00:08:33.14
and famous Greek thinkers
like Pythagoras and Plato
00:08:33.14\00:08:36.95
borrowed very heavily from the
Egyptians, and they admit it.
00:08:36.95\00:08:41.08
This kind of
thinking still puts us
00:08:42.52\00:08:44.85
at the center of the universe,
00:08:44.85\00:08:46.22
even though it does acknowledge
00:08:46.22\00:08:48.76
some kind of higher
power, a supreme being,
00:08:48.76\00:08:52.63
but it teaches we are the
universe and the universe is us.
00:08:52.63\00:08:56.13
We are God, and God is us.
00:08:56.13\00:08:59.00
It's a system of belief
that does not correspond
00:08:59.00\00:09:02.20
to the teachings of the Bible.
00:09:02.20\00:09:04.01
Even though you will
find elements of this,
00:09:04.01\00:09:07.81
that have crept into Christian
thinking over the centuries,
00:09:07.81\00:09:10.38
thanks to the way that
Christians were so heavily
00:09:10.38\00:09:14.08
influenced by the convergence
of pagan and biblical beliefs
00:09:14.08\00:09:17.05
in the ancient
city of Alexandria.
00:09:17.05\00:09:20.72
And in recent years, I've
noticed more and more and more
00:09:20.72\00:09:24.83
of this kind of thinking,
00:09:24.83\00:09:26.29
making a bit of a comeback
right here in the modern west.
00:09:26.29\00:09:29.80
So, don't go away.
I'm gonna come right back
00:09:29.80\00:09:32.30
and show you what I mean,
00:09:32.30\00:09:33.57
and why I think,
the Christian scriptures
00:09:33.57\00:09:36.60
are a bit of an antidote for
some really messed up thinking.
00:09:36.60\00:09:40.74
- [Narrator 1] Life
can throw a lot at us.
00:09:43.04\00:09:45.48
Sometimes we don't
have all the answers,
00:09:45.48\00:09:48.85
but that's where
the Bible comes in.
00:09:48.85\00:09:51.29
It's our guide to a
more fulfilling life.
00:09:51.29\00:09:53.52
Here at The Voice of Prophecy,
00:09:54.39\00:09:55.92
we've created the
Discover Bible Guides
00:09:55.92\00:09:58.09
to be your guide to the Bible.
00:09:58.09\00:09:59.69
They're designed to
be simple, easy to use
00:09:59.69\00:10:02.13
and provide answers to many
of life's toughest questions
00:10:02.13\00:10:05.17
and they're absolutely free.
00:10:05.17\00:10:07.17
So jump online
now, or give us a call
00:10:07.17\00:10:09.50
and start your
journey of discovery.
00:10:09.50\00:10:11.74
- Back in 2006, there
were suddenly a new book
00:10:12.91\00:10:15.28
in the self-help
section of most bookstores
00:10:15.28\00:10:17.48
and it was
selling like hotcakes.
00:10:17.48\00:10:20.95
It was the same year that
"The DaVinci Code" came out
00:10:20.95\00:10:24.39
and it made the New
York Times bestseller list.
00:10:24.39\00:10:26.86
And oddly enough,
both of these books
00:10:26.86\00:10:29.39
were kind of pushing the same,
00:10:29.39\00:10:31.79
well, I'll just
call it nonsense.
00:10:31.79\00:10:34.30
"The DaVinci Code"
was a work of fiction,
00:10:34.30\00:10:36.33
even though some people
didn't really realize that.
00:10:36.33\00:10:39.23
And even though it was
fiction, it was still trying to,
00:10:39.23\00:10:42.64
well, push off this subtle idea.
00:10:42.64\00:10:45.47
It was trying to convince people
00:10:45.47\00:10:47.11
that this ancient
pagan way of thinking
00:10:47.11\00:10:49.34
that we've been talking about
00:10:49.34\00:10:50.95
is the real secret
teaching of Christianity.
00:10:50.95\00:10:54.48
Dan Brown suggests
that the Western church,
00:10:54.48\00:10:57.05
after Constantine,
perverted the real scriptures
00:10:57.05\00:10:59.82
and twisted them into what is
now modern Christian thinking.
00:10:59.82\00:11:04.13
And again, let me just say that,
00:11:04.13\00:11:05.76
I'm glad they were honest enough
00:11:05.76\00:11:07.36
to mark this book as fiction
00:11:07.36\00:11:09.20
because that's what it is.
00:11:09.20\00:11:10.93
Now, the other book that was
selling really well that year
00:11:10.93\00:11:14.90
was Rhonda
Byrne's, "The Secret",
00:11:14.90\00:11:16.71
which was also
made into a movie.
00:11:16.71\00:11:19.01
And I'm sure it was also made
00:11:19.01\00:11:20.34
into a big pile of
cash for Rhonda Byrne.
00:11:20.34\00:11:23.18
This book preaches something
called, The Law of Attraction.
00:11:23.18\00:11:26.75
And the basic idea behind this
00:11:26.75\00:11:28.55
is the notion that the
universe somehow answers to you.
00:11:28.55\00:11:32.85
All you really
need to do, she says,
00:11:32.85\00:11:34.26
is, basically, tell
the universe what you want,
00:11:34.26\00:11:36.52
focus your thoughts on it,
00:11:36.52\00:11:38.19
and then it will happen.
00:11:38.19\00:11:39.66
Let me give you a taste of
this from the very first chapter
00:11:39.66\00:11:42.60
where she
summarizes what her secret is.
00:11:42.60\00:11:45.57
Here's what she writes,
00:11:45.57\00:11:47.17
"Thoughts are magnetic
and thoughts have a frequency.
00:11:47.17\00:11:50.31
As you think, those thoughts
are sent out into the Universe,
00:11:50.31\00:11:53.01
and they magnetically
attract all like things
00:11:53.01\00:11:56.08
that are on the same frequency.
00:11:56.08\00:11:57.75
Everything sent out
returns to the source.
00:11:57.75\00:12:00.22
And that source is You."
00:12:00.22\00:12:02.38
She continues,
00:12:02.38\00:12:03.62
"You are a human
transmission tower,
00:12:03.62\00:12:06.09
and you are more
powerful than any
00:12:06.09\00:12:07.72
television tower
created on Earth.
00:12:07.72\00:12:10.03
You are the most
powerful transmission tower
00:12:10.03\00:12:12.29
in the Universe.
00:12:12.29\00:12:13.56
Your
transmission creates your life
00:12:13.56\00:12:15.70
and it creates the world.
00:12:15.70\00:12:17.50
The frequency you
transmit reaches beyond cities,
00:12:17.50\00:12:20.14
beyond
countries, beyond the world.
00:12:20.14\00:12:21.97
It reverberates
throughout the entire Universe.
00:12:21.97\00:12:24.84
And you are transmitting that
frequency with your thoughts!"
00:12:24.84\00:12:29.71
So, in other
words, you are essentially
00:12:29.71\00:12:31.28
creating your own
reality with your thoughts.
00:12:31.28\00:12:34.35
And she openly admits that
00:12:34.35\00:12:35.95
she got this idea
from the ancient pagans
00:12:35.95\00:12:37.89
who more or less
taught the same thing,
00:12:37.89\00:12:40.06
or at least they did
in the higher echelons
00:12:40.06\00:12:42.59
of the pagan mystery schools.
00:12:42.59\00:12:44.23
And again, this is a
way of thinking that puts
00:12:44.23\00:12:46.76
human beings at the
very center of the universe.
00:12:46.76\00:12:51.17
Let me read you just one
more snippet from this book,
00:12:51.17\00:12:53.27
because it really demonstrates
what I'm getting at.
00:12:53.27\00:12:56.30
This comes from the
chapter that promises
00:12:56.30\00:12:58.27
to teach you what you
supposedly really are.
00:12:58.27\00:13:01.18
It's a chapter
called, The secret to you.
00:13:01.18\00:13:03.75
She says, "Some of the
greatest teachers and avatars
00:13:03.75\00:13:06.92
described the Universe in
the same way as Dr. Hagelin,
00:13:06.92\00:13:09.72
by saying that all that exists
is the One Universal Mind,
00:13:09.72\00:13:13.89
And there is nowhere
that the One Mind is not.
00:13:13.89\00:13:16.83
it exists in everything.
00:13:16.83\00:13:18.26
The One Mind is
all intelligence,
00:13:18.26\00:13:20.40
all wisdom and all perfection,
00:13:20.40\00:13:22.16
and it is everything and
everywhere at the same time.
00:13:22.16\00:13:25.43
If everything is
the One Universal Mind,
00:13:25.43\00:13:27.40
and the whole of
it exists everywhere,
00:13:27.40\00:13:29.74
then it is all in You!"
00:13:29.74\00:13:32.91
Well, I'll give Ms Byrne
this, she's absolutely right
00:13:32.91\00:13:36.21
that a lot of teachers have said
00:13:36.21\00:13:37.55
this stuff over the centuries,
00:13:37.55\00:13:39.21
but that's because
this way of thinking
00:13:39.21\00:13:41.15
dates all the way back
00:13:41.15\00:13:42.42
to the earliest pagan
cultures on the planet.
00:13:42.42\00:13:45.25
They believed that you
are God and God is you.
00:13:45.25\00:13:48.46
You are the universe
and the universe is you.
00:13:48.46\00:13:51.13
All of us are made
out of divine energy
00:13:51.13\00:13:53.13
and that means
that we can become
00:13:53.13\00:13:54.46
masters of our own destiny.
00:13:54.46\00:13:56.70
So yes, I will concede,
00:13:56.70\00:13:59.03
it's a very old way of thinking.
00:13:59.03\00:14:00.74
But I will not
concede that it's true,
00:14:00.74\00:14:03.81
because it isn't.
00:14:03.81\00:14:06.14
And yet Ms. Byrne also insists
that this way of thinking
00:14:06.14\00:14:09.24
is taught in the pages
of the Bible and it is not.
00:14:09.24\00:14:13.35
She says, and I quote,
00:14:13.35\00:14:15.88
"The Creative
Process used in The Secret,
00:14:15.88\00:14:18.19
which was taken from the
New Testament in the Bible,
00:14:18.19\00:14:21.46
is an easy guideline for
you to create what you want..."
00:14:21.46\00:14:25.26
No, no it's not.
00:14:25.26\00:14:27.66
This is not the
teaching of the New Testament,
00:14:27.66\00:14:30.27
not even close.
00:14:30.27\00:14:31.53
It is the
teaching of Ancient Egypt.
00:14:31.53\00:14:33.54
It is the
teaching of Ancient Greece,
00:14:33.54\00:14:36.04
but it is not the
way the scriptures
00:14:36.04\00:14:38.11
talk about the universe.
00:14:38.11\00:14:39.91
The way the Bible describes it,
00:14:39.91\00:14:42.04
you and I are not
the center of attention.
00:14:42.04\00:14:45.05
We are not the
center of the universe.
00:14:45.05\00:14:47.15
And we are
certainly not the same as God.
00:14:47.15\00:14:50.75
In fact, in the opening
pages of the book of Genesis,
00:14:50.75\00:14:53.69
we find a serpent suggesting
something remarkably similar
00:14:53.69\00:14:58.16
to the
teachings of "The Secret".
00:14:58.16\00:15:00.46
I'll show you what I mean.
00:15:00.46\00:15:01.86
This is Genesis Chapter
Three, beginning in verse one,
00:15:01.86\00:15:05.63
it says, "Now the
serpent was more cunning
00:15:05.63\00:15:08.94
than any beast of the field,
00:15:08.94\00:15:10.14
which the LORD God had made.
00:15:10.14\00:15:12.01
And he said to the
woman, 'Has God indeed said,
00:15:12.01\00:15:14.51
'You shall not eat of
every tree of the garden?'
00:15:14.51\00:15:17.48
And the woman
said to the serpent,
00:15:17.48\00:15:19.31
'We may eat the fruit
of the trees of the garden;
00:15:19.31\00:15:21.25
but of the fruit of the tree
00:15:21.25\00:15:22.75
which is in the midst of
the garden, God has said,
00:15:22.75\00:15:25.35
'You shall not eat it nor shall
you touch it, lest you die.'
00:15:25.35\00:15:30.36
Then the serpent
said to the woman,
00:15:31.53\00:15:32.46
'You will not surely die.
00:15:32.46\00:15:34.76
For God knows that
in the day you eat of it
00:15:34.76\00:15:36.93
your eyes will be open
and you will be like God,
00:15:36.93\00:15:39.60
knowing good and evil.'"
00:15:39.60\00:15:42.47
What the Bible talks
about is a deadly lie
00:15:42.47\00:15:45.04
that the human
race, tragically, bought.
00:15:45.04\00:15:47.01
A suggestion that you
and I can be like God.
00:15:47.01\00:15:49.91
Now to be sure,
the Bible does say
00:15:49.91\00:15:52.28
that we were made
in the image of God.
00:15:52.28\00:15:54.35
So there is a tiny
degree of similarity
00:15:54.35\00:15:56.95
because you and I
were supposed to reflect
00:15:56.95\00:15:59.15
the one who made us,
00:15:59.15\00:16:01.16
but the serpent's lie
goes a lot further than that.
00:16:01.16\00:16:04.16
It suggests that we can
actually become like God,
00:16:04.16\00:16:07.40
knowing the things
that only God can know.
00:16:07.40\00:16:10.67
And wouldn't you know it,
00:16:10.67\00:16:12.10
all these ancient mystery
cults said the very same thing.
00:16:12.10\00:16:15.54
They said, you are
part of the universe,
00:16:15.54\00:16:17.74
a part of the
divine mind of God.
00:16:17.74\00:16:19.94
And you can transcend
this humble physical existence
00:16:19.94\00:16:23.35
and return to your
rightful, exalted sphere
00:16:23.35\00:16:25.88
out there in
the spiritual realm.
00:16:25.88\00:16:28.65
You, they said are
the point of the universe.
00:16:28.65\00:16:31.49
And because you are
part of the divine mind,
00:16:31.49\00:16:34.99
you can actually bend the
universe in your direction.
00:16:34.99\00:16:39.19
if only you knew how.
00:16:39.19\00:16:40.76
That was precisely
what the alchemists
00:16:41.90\00:16:44.00
of the middle ages
were actually trying to do.
00:16:44.00\00:16:46.37
I know, in school, we learned
00:16:46.37\00:16:47.97
that they were trying
to turn lead into gold
00:16:47.97\00:16:50.37
and there is some evidence
00:16:50.37\00:16:52.21
that some of
them were doing that.
00:16:52.21\00:16:54.31
And we even have
some legends to suggest
00:16:54.31\00:16:56.31
maybe some of them appeared
to have been successful.
00:16:56.31\00:16:59.71
But, alchemy was not so much
about magically producing gold
00:16:59.71\00:17:04.55
as it was about
proving that our human minds
00:17:04.55\00:17:07.36
could actually
control the universe.
00:17:07.36\00:17:09.86
Remember, these people believeD
00:17:09.86\00:17:12.23
that all of us were originally
part of the divine mind.
00:17:12.23\00:17:15.76
So, if that's true they
said you could use that mind,
00:17:15.76\00:17:19.17
that you're part of, to bend
the universe in your direction.
00:17:19.17\00:17:23.27
And a transmutation
from lead into gold
00:17:23.27\00:17:26.81
was symbolic of that.
00:17:26.81\00:17:28.14
It would prove
that it's possible.
00:17:28.14\00:17:30.15
You know, when "The Secret"
00:17:31.18\00:17:32.31
first hit
bookshelves back in 2006,
00:17:32.31\00:17:35.05
a lot of people were
talking about that book
00:17:35.05\00:17:37.22
like it was
brand new information.
00:17:37.22\00:17:40.36
But as Rhonda
Byrne herself admits,
00:17:40.36\00:17:42.79
this is some of the oldest
information on the planet.
00:17:42.79\00:17:45.86
And there is no way, no
way it can be reconciled
00:17:45.86\00:17:49.23
with the teachings of the Bible.
00:17:49.23\00:17:51.03
It might be Egyptian thinking.
00:17:51.03\00:17:52.73
It might be Greek thinking.
00:17:52.73\00:17:53.84
It might be Persian thinking.
00:17:53.84\00:17:55.84
But it certainly is
not biblical thinking.
00:17:55.84\00:17:58.81
Writing to the Christians
who lived in the city of Rome,
00:18:00.28\00:18:02.84
the Apostle Paul describes
the root of the problem
00:18:02.84\00:18:05.68
that gave birth to this
ancient pagan way of thinking.
00:18:05.68\00:18:09.15
He says that way back in
the distant past, we quote,
00:18:09.15\00:18:13.39
"...exchanged the
truth of God for the lie,
00:18:13.39\00:18:16.83
and worshiped and
served the creature
00:18:16.83\00:18:19.36
rather than the Creator."
00:18:19.36\00:18:21.70
What we did was mentally move
00:18:21.70\00:18:23.87
the center of the
universe away from the Creator,
00:18:23.87\00:18:26.53
and we moved it
on top of ourselves.
00:18:26.53\00:18:29.64
And in just a few minutes,
I'll come back and show you
00:18:29.64\00:18:31.71
why that's such a huge problem.
00:18:31.71\00:18:34.78
I'll be back after this.
00:18:34.78\00:18:35.98
- [Narrator 2] Dragons,
beasts, cryptic statutes.
00:18:38.11\00:18:42.38
Bible prophecy can be
incredibly vivid and confusing.
00:18:42.38\00:18:46.96
If you've ever read,
"Daniel, A Revelation",
00:18:46.96\00:18:49.16
and come away scratching
your head, you're not alone.
00:18:49.16\00:18:52.19
Our free Focus
On Prophecy guides
00:18:52.19\00:18:54.56
are designed to help you unlock
the mysteries of the Bible
00:18:54.56\00:18:57.33
and deepen your understanding
00:18:57.33\00:18:58.93
of God's plan for
you and our world.
00:18:58.93\00:19:01.44
Study online or
request them by mail
00:19:01.44\00:19:03.87
and start bringing
prophecy into focus today.
00:19:03.87\00:19:06.78
- Little while
ago, I came across
00:19:07.91\00:19:09.24
a relatively recent
book by Robert Lanza,
00:19:09.24\00:19:12.05
it's called, "Biocentrism".
00:19:12.05\00:19:14.55
And in here, he takes a
more scientific approach
00:19:14.55\00:19:17.35
to some of the
same kinds of ideas.
00:19:17.35\00:19:19.72
It's not exactly the same,
00:19:19.72\00:19:20.86
but the same kinds of ideas
00:19:20.86\00:19:22.46
that the ancient
pagans were teaching.
00:19:22.46\00:19:24.76
Now, this book is easily,
00:19:24.76\00:19:26.33
far more
scientific than Rhonda Byrne.
00:19:26.33\00:19:28.96
And there's a lot of really
interesting stuff in here.
00:19:28.96\00:19:31.63
And at one point he suggests
that maybe in some ways,
00:19:31.63\00:19:34.37
those ancient
pagans had it right.
00:19:34.37\00:19:36.44
And he does this
by making an appeal
00:19:36.44\00:19:38.04
to the strange
world of quantum physics,
00:19:38.04\00:19:40.34
which, admittedly, is really
hard to wrap your mind around
00:19:40.34\00:19:44.08
because the physical
laws of the subatomic world
00:19:44.08\00:19:47.52
appear to be different
00:19:47.52\00:19:48.88
from the larger,
physical world around us.
00:19:48.88\00:19:51.52
Up here at our level, we
use the science of physics
00:19:51.52\00:19:53.96
to make reliable predictions,
00:19:53.96\00:19:56.36
which helps us do
things like engineer a bridge,
00:19:56.36\00:19:59.16
or calculate the
path of a projectile.
00:19:59.16\00:20:02.03
These are the
physical laws that allowed us
00:20:02.03\00:20:04.63
to escape gravity and start
the age of space exploration.
00:20:04.63\00:20:09.44
But then down in
the subatomic world,
00:20:09.44\00:20:11.34
the same kind of predictability,
00:20:11.34\00:20:13.61
it's really hard to come by.
00:20:13.61\00:20:15.38
In fact, what
we're discovering is that
00:20:15.38\00:20:17.85
subatomic particles
actually change their behavior
00:20:17.85\00:20:22.05
when you observe them.
00:20:22.05\00:20:23.65
Before you observe them,
particles behave like waves,
00:20:23.65\00:20:27.06
but when you measure them,
00:20:27.06\00:20:28.36
when you pay
attention to what they're doing,
00:20:28.36\00:20:30.29
the wave function
suddenly collapses
00:20:30.29\00:20:32.33
and they behave
more like particles
00:20:32.33\00:20:34.03
that exist in a
specific time and place.
00:20:34.03\00:20:37.23
So, what Robert
Lanza does is suggest
00:20:37.23\00:20:40.20
that our consciousness
might actually be creating
00:20:40.20\00:20:44.07
the world around us.
00:20:44.07\00:20:45.91
To his way of thinking,
00:20:45.91\00:20:47.58
that would explain why
a photon does one thing
00:20:47.58\00:20:50.25
when you don't measure it,
00:20:50.25\00:20:51.78
but it does something completely
different when you do.
00:20:51.78\00:20:54.78
I mean, how in the
world would a particle
00:20:54.78\00:20:57.49
know that you're watching?
00:20:57.49\00:20:59.82
Here's the way he
addresses the problem.
00:20:59.82\00:21:02.49
"If most of the primary
questions of the universe
00:21:02.49\00:21:05.23
have traditionally
been tackled by physicists
00:21:05.23\00:21:07.83
attempting to create
grand unified theories-
00:21:07.83\00:21:10.60
exciting and
glamorous as they are-
00:21:10.60\00:21:13.27
such theories
remain and evasion,
00:21:13.27\00:21:15.60
if not a reversal of the
central mystery of knowledge;
00:21:15.60\00:21:19.31
that the laws of
the world somehow
00:21:19.31\00:21:21.01
produced the
observer in the first place!
00:21:21.01\00:21:24.28
And this is one of the
central themes of biocentrism
00:21:24.28\00:21:27.25
and this book:
that the animal observer
00:21:27.25\00:21:30.02
creates reality and
not the other way around."
00:21:30.02\00:21:33.39
Now, I wanna be
fair to Dr. Lanza
00:21:34.56\00:21:35.96
and not make a
caricature out of this book,
00:21:35.96\00:21:37.86
because it is an honest attempt
00:21:37.86\00:21:40.60
to understand
human consciousness.
00:21:40.60\00:21:42.23
And it is based on real science.
00:21:42.23\00:21:44.43
And it's not fair to
lump his far more serious book
00:21:44.43\00:21:48.17
in with a book
like "The Secret",
00:21:48.17\00:21:51.11
but in a way it's the
same kind of thinking.
00:21:51.11\00:21:53.58
It suggests that we are
the center of the universe
00:21:53.58\00:21:56.48
and he openly admits,
00:21:56.48\00:21:57.98
even though he's not
quite willing to acknowledge
00:21:57.98\00:21:59.61
the Creator, God of the Bible,
00:21:59.61\00:22:01.72
that belief in a God of
some kind does answer questions
00:22:01.72\00:22:05.65
about the
phenomenon of consciousness
00:22:05.65\00:22:08.29
that modern
science just can't explore.
00:22:08.29\00:22:12.26
But again, it's this idea
that the universe exists for us.
00:22:12.26\00:22:14.93
And it doesn't.
00:22:14.93\00:22:16.20
I mean, it might've
been created for our benefit,
00:22:16.20\00:22:18.07
but we are not the
point of the universe.
00:22:18.07\00:22:20.84
This is where all
these ancient pagan theories
00:22:20.84\00:22:22.70
about the nature of
existence contradict the Bible.
00:22:22.70\00:22:26.24
This is why at the
most fundamental level
00:22:26.24\00:22:28.38
Paganism and
Christianity can never agree.
00:22:28.38\00:22:32.05
Let me give you an
example of what the Bible
00:22:32.05\00:22:33.88
teaches from something I
was reading just the other day.
00:22:33.88\00:22:36.28
This is Psalm 96, which
is dedicated to the Creator.
00:22:36.28\00:22:40.26
I only wish we had time
to read the whole thing,
00:22:40.26\00:22:41.79
but maybe I'll just
pick it up in verse 10,
00:22:41.79\00:22:44.26
where it says,
"Say among the nations,
00:22:44.26\00:22:46.76
'The LORD reigns; The world
also is firmly established.
00:22:46.76\00:22:50.13
it shall not be moved;
00:22:50.13\00:22:51.37
He shall judge the
peoples righteously.'
00:22:51.37\00:22:53.77
Let the heavens rejoice
00:22:53.77\00:22:55.07
and let the Earth be glad;
00:22:55.07\00:22:56.57
Let the sea roar,
and all its fullness;
00:22:56.57\00:22:58.67
Let the field be
joyful, and all that is in it.
00:22:58.67\00:23:01.58
Then all the trees of
the woods will rejoice
00:23:01.58\00:23:04.25
before the LORD."
00:23:04.25\00:23:05.58
Now it's poetic
language because, obviously,
00:23:05.58\00:23:07.58
trees don't actually sing.
00:23:07.58\00:23:09.58
But what it's
telling us is that creation
00:23:09.58\00:23:11.59
is here for the
sake of the Creator.
00:23:11.59\00:23:13.59
It was supposed
to reflect His glory,
00:23:13.59\00:23:15.66
but you and I have
tried to make the universe
00:23:15.66\00:23:17.59
a reflection of us.
00:23:17.59\00:23:19.13
And we've attempted to remake
this planet in our own image.
00:23:19.13\00:23:23.70
You and I are a tiny
speck on a much bigger creation.
00:23:23.70\00:23:26.77
A spec that has
gone completely off base.
00:23:26.77\00:23:30.11
Instead of letting
our lives also reflect
00:23:30.11\00:23:32.44
the glory of the Creator,
00:23:32.44\00:23:33.48
like the rest of the universe,
00:23:33.48\00:23:35.54
we have insisted that the
universe should project our
00:23:35.54\00:23:39.08
glory. And what we've
done is ruin our potential for
00:23:39.08\00:23:42.12
happiness, because
you will never be able
00:23:42.12\00:23:43.95
to satisfy the desires
of a self-centered heart.
00:23:43.95\00:23:47.19
And that's because
you and I were never made
00:23:47.19\00:23:49.29
to serve our own egos.
00:23:49.29\00:23:52.46
You know, in that regard, I
guess the pagans had it right.
00:23:52.46\00:23:55.16
You and I really have fallen
00:23:55.16\00:23:56.50
from a much higher
plane of existence,
00:23:56.50\00:23:59.03
but it's not
because we were once gods
00:23:59.03\00:24:01.30
it's because we were
once a perfect reflection
00:24:01.30\00:24:03.47
of the beauty of God
00:24:03.47\00:24:04.94
and we destroyed that by making
ourselves the central point.
00:24:04.94\00:24:08.78
I'll be right back.
00:24:08.78\00:24:09.81
[upbeat music]
00:24:12.68\00:24:14.18
- [Narrator 3] Are
you searching for answers
00:24:14.18\00:24:15.38
to life's toughest questions?
00:24:15.38\00:24:17.02
Like, where is
God when we suffer?
00:24:17.02\00:24:19.32
Can I find a real happiness?
00:24:19.32\00:24:21.12
Or is there any hope
for our chaotic world?
00:24:21.12\00:24:24.29
The Discover Bible
guides will help you
00:24:24.29\00:24:25.89
find the answers
you're looking for.
00:24:25.89\00:24:28.03
Visit us at BibleStudies.com
00:24:28.03\00:24:30.60
or give us a
call at [888] 456-7933
00:24:30.60\00:24:34.80
for your free
Discover Bible guides.
00:24:36.04\00:24:38.44
Study online on
our secure website,
00:24:38.44\00:24:41.54
or have the free guides
mailed right to your home.
00:24:41.54\00:24:44.11
There is never a
cost or obligation.
00:24:44.11\00:24:46.75
The Discover Bible
guides are our free gift to you.
00:24:46.75\00:24:49.88
Find answers and guides like,
00:24:49.88\00:24:51.29
"Does My Life
Really Matter to God?",
00:24:51.29\00:24:53.56
and "A Second Chance at Life".
00:24:53.56\00:24:55.69
You'll find answers to the
things that matter most to you
00:24:55.69\00:24:58.09
in each of the 26
Discover Bible guides.
00:24:58.09\00:25:00.73
Visit BibleStudies.com
and begin your journey today
00:25:00.73\00:25:04.80
to discover answers to
life's deepest questions.
00:25:04.80\00:25:08.64
- At the end of the Bible,
there's this remarkable scene
00:25:12.97\00:25:15.31
where God sends a final
message to our broken planet.
00:25:15.31\00:25:18.38
And he offers to restore
us to our original state.
00:25:18.38\00:25:21.75
Here's what it says,
00:25:21.75\00:25:23.35
"Then I saw another angel
flying in the midst of heaven,
00:25:23.35\00:25:26.12
having the everlasting gospel
00:25:26.12\00:25:27.96
to preach to those
who dwell on the Earth-
00:25:27.96\00:25:29.99
to every nation,
tribe, tongue and people-
00:25:29.99\00:25:32.26
saying with a loud voice,
00:25:32.26\00:25:33.83
'Fear God and give glory to Him,
00:25:33.83\00:25:36.13
for the hour of
His judgment has come;
00:25:36.13\00:25:38.60
and worship Him who
made heaven and Earth,
00:25:38.60\00:25:41.50
the sea and springs of water."
00:25:41.50\00:25:44.04
It's a final appeal to
worship the one who made.
00:25:44.04\00:25:47.44
It's an appeal to return to
what we were supposed to be.
00:25:47.44\00:25:50.48
Part of a perfect universe,
00:25:50.48\00:25:52.18
where all of creation
was a song to the Creator.
00:25:52.18\00:25:56.82
And in the final act of
God's mercy to this world,
00:25:56.82\00:25:59.25
He does not absorb us into
the great mind of the universe,
00:25:59.25\00:26:02.06
the way the pagans believed,
00:26:02.06\00:26:04.06
but He actually
becomes one of us.
00:26:04.06\00:26:06.26
And before the
story is finished,
00:26:06.26\00:26:07.73
this God in human flesh moves
00:26:07.73\00:26:09.66
right here to
this world with us.
00:26:09.66\00:26:11.97
Revelation 21 says,
00:26:11.97\00:26:13.90
"And I heard a loud
voice from heaven saying,
00:26:13.90\00:26:16.20
'Behold, the
tabernacle of God is with men,
00:26:16.20\00:26:19.07
and He will dwell with them,
00:26:19.07\00:26:20.74
and they shall be His people.
00:26:20.74\00:26:22.34
God Himself will be
with them and be their God.'"
00:26:22.34\00:26:26.61
I mean, listen,
there are people out there
00:26:26.61\00:26:28.12
telling you that you are
the point of the universe.
00:26:28.12\00:26:30.42
You're not.
00:26:30.42\00:26:31.69
That doesn't mean
you're not important
00:26:31.69\00:26:33.09
or that God doesn't
value you or notice you
00:26:33.09\00:26:35.32
because, obviously, He does.
00:26:35.32\00:26:37.23
I mean, remember what Jesus
taught in Matthew Chapter Six,
00:26:37.23\00:26:39.89
he said,
"Therefore I say to you,
00:26:39.89\00:26:41.80
do not worry your life,
00:26:41.80\00:26:43.70
what you will eat
or what you will drink;
00:26:43.70\00:26:46.03
nor about your body,
00:26:46.03\00:26:47.30
what you will put on,
is not life more than food
00:26:47.30\00:26:50.84
and the body more than clothing?
00:26:50.84\00:26:52.57
Look at the birds of the air,
00:26:52.57\00:26:54.04
for they neither sow nor
reap nor gather into barns;
00:26:54.04\00:26:56.51
yet your heavenly
Father feeds them.
00:26:56.51\00:26:58.91
Are you not of
more value than they?"
00:26:58.91\00:27:01.98
And the answer to
that, of course, is yes,
00:27:01.98\00:27:03.95
you are important.
00:27:03.95\00:27:05.52
And the only way you're
gonna find peace of mind
00:27:05.52\00:27:07.56
and an authentic human life
00:27:07.56\00:27:10.16
is to put the center of the
universe back where it belongs.
00:27:10.16\00:27:13.46
This universe
doesn't exist for your sake,
00:27:13.46\00:27:16.23
but oddly enough,
the one who made it,
00:27:16.23\00:27:18.07
the Creator, He
does exist for your sake.
00:27:18.07\00:27:20.74
He gives
everything He has to make sure
00:27:20.74\00:27:23.37
that you can be a
part of His universe
00:27:23.37\00:27:25.74
and stay there forever.
00:27:25.74\00:27:27.64
The universe does
bend in God's direction
00:27:27.64\00:27:29.94
and He offers to
share that with you.
00:27:29.94\00:27:32.08
The Bible teaches that
the universe really does sing,
00:27:32.08\00:27:35.05
but it doesn't sing to you.
00:27:35.05\00:27:37.09
It does invite
you to join the song.
00:27:37.09\00:27:39.45
And when you do, you're
gonna find out that a loving God
00:27:39.45\00:27:42.82
really does bend
in your direction.
00:27:42.82\00:27:45.99
I'm Shawn Boonstra.
00:27:45.99\00:27:47.50
Thanks for joining me.
00:27:47.50\00:27:48.70
This has been authentic.
00:27:48.70\00:27:50.90
[dramatic music]
00:27:50.90\00:27:53.67