- Here in North America,
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trust in the government
seems to be at an all-time low.
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And unfortunately, that
also means that some people
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are calling the
court system into question,
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the one branch of government
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that's supposed to be impartial.
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Today on
"Authentic," what in the world
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can you actually trust?
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[mellow music]
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A little more than a generation
before the birth of Christ,
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one of the most
important court cases
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in the history of
Western civilization went down,
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and it revealed to
the public something
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they kind of already knew.
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The system that was
governing them was corrupt.
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It happened during the
days of the Roman Republic
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when the state was notoriously
plagued by civil war.
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And in many ways,
this court case contributed
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at least somewhat to
the decline of the republic
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and the relatively
peaceful empire mode
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that was
established by Augustus Caesar.
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The records from this ancient
case are remarkably detailed,
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and they provide historians
with some really important
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insights into how the Roman
Republic was actually governed.
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And it all began with
a very corrupt individual
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named Gaius Verres.
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Sometimes you'll see
his name as Caius with a C,
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but most of the
time, Gaius with a G.
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Gaius was born to a
fairly high ranking member
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of Roman society,
which probably gave him
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a taste for the good life.
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According to some
records, or more accurately,
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according to some accusations,
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his father was less than honest,
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which probably also
taught him corruption.
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In time, Gaius
Verres began to climb
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through the
ranks of Roman society,
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and he quickly realized
that his position in power
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gave him the ability to
plunder other people's goods,
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to accumulate
wealth for himself.
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He became a legatus,
or a high ranking officer
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to the governor of Sicilia,
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where he used his position
to start robbing pagan temples,
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taking the expensive
statues and pictures.
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On top of that, he
soon realized that his power
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also gave him the ability
to exercise his lust for women,
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any women, married or not,
with little danger of recourse.
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This guy was, to put it
mildly, a really bad man.
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But the world being what it is,
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bad men often
get nice promotions.
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And before long, he made
his way to the city of Rome,
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where he
obtained a judicial office
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that gave him
oversight of civil litigation.
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And of course, that
enabled him to extort money
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from both parties
in any given case.
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It was an elected position,
and from what we can tell,
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he got the job through bribery,
forking out something like
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300,000 Roman sesterces
to various individuals.
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That was a small fortune.
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He was also in charge of
overseeing public construction
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in the city of Rome,
which made it possible for him
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to extort money
from contractors.
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What he would do when a
project was getting close
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to completion was send an
inspector with instructions
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to find
something wrong, anything.
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And then he accepted
bribe money from the contractor
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who couldn't get
paid unless Verres
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signed off on the project.
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So then in 73 BC, he suddenly
became the governor of Sicily,
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a rich province with all
kinds of potential for plunder.
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Over the next three years,
Verres stayed true to form.
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He misused the
courts for personal gain.
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He extorted money from
landowners and farmers.
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He plundered artwork
from temples and from private
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citizens. He illegally took
a slice of every inheritance.
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He forced the local government
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to make a gold
statue in his honor.
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He illegally tortured
and executed Roman citizens.
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And he made an absolute
wreck of the Roman navy.
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He was the most corrupt governor
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the republican had ever seen.
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So after his
departure in the year 70 BC,
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he was eventually put on trial.
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And unfortunately for
Verres, the prosecutor
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in this case was Cicero, a
man whose rhetorical prowess
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is still being studied
in classrooms to this day.
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Cicero accused various
of unbridled corruption.
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And then he asked the
court to give him time
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to assemble a case.
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He was given 110
days, 50 of which were spent
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collecting evidence and
interviewing witnesses in
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Sicily. And every step of
the way, Cicero was hindered
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by Verres's friends.
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Fortunately, however,
for the cause of justice,
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Cicero was relentless.
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To his delight, the chief
magistrate appointed to this
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case was a guy by
the name of Glabrio,
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a man considered
completely incorruptible.
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I mean, everybody
knew there was no chance
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you could scare
Glabrio or bribe him.
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Now, of course, that
terrified the crooked Verres
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because his only hope
of getting an acquittal
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was by resorting to corruption.
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So his representative, a
guy by the name of Hortensius,
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tried to stall the case, why?
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Well, Glabrio's
term as judge was over
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by the end of the year.
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And if they could
kick the can down the road
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to the new year, they
would get a different judge.
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And hopefully, one
who could be bribed.
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Aware of this, Cicero
shortened the initial hearings
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dramatically, making a
single speech that exposed
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the corrupt plans of
Verres and challenged the court
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to consider the fact that
very few people trusted them
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because, well, everybody
realized that wealthy and
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powerful people seldom ever
got a conviction in that court.
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They were obviously
favoring their powerful friends,
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and even taking bribes.
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"I will present such a
convincing case," Cicero argued,
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"that if you don't
convict Gaius Verres,
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you'll be
condemning your own character."
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Now, from what I can
tell, and I'm no legal scholar,
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but from what I can tell,
Cicero then used a technique
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that was brand-new at the time,
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at least to my understanding.
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He called witnesses from Sicily
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and interviewed them
in front of the court,
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allowing the
defense to cross examine.
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That's what you and I expect,
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especially in movies that
feature a courtroom drama.
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But Cicero seems to
write that he was implementing
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something
brand-new when he did that.
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The process went
on for nine days,
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and the evidence he
produced against Verres
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was so compelling that
Verres's own lawyer panicked
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and suggested that
the crooked governor
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should probably disappear
before the trial was over.
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Verres took that advice and
went to modern-day Marseilles,
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where I believe he
spent the rest of his days.
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Now, here's what I want
you to see in this case.
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There's an important
feature in Cicero's arguments
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that still rings
true in our world.
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He makes a very clear
case for Verres's corruption,
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bringing out credible witnesses
for every single accusation.
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But he also makes the case
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that the court
itself was on trial.
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Let me show you what I mean.
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Cicero states that this
trial was a potential gift
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from the gods, a way for the
court to redeem its reputation
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because the people
believed it was corrupt.
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He says, "For an opinion
has now become established,
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pernicious to us and
pernicious to the republic,
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which has been the
common talk of everyone,
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not only at Rome, but
among foreign nations also,
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that in the courts of
law as they exist at present,
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no wealthy man,
however guilty he may be,
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can possibly be convicted."
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In other words,
everybody knew the rich
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and powerful
never got a conviction.
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It's not unlike the sentiment
that plagues our system now.
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A lot of people now suspect
rather strongly that one way
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or another, our courts are
stacked, and there's little hope
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of actual justice
for the average person.
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The rich and powerful
never seem to pay their dues,
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and the rest of us
seem powerless to stop it.
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That's the way it
was in Cicero's day.
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And a little later,
this is what he says.
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"This is a trial in
which you'll be deciding
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about the defendant,
the Roman people, about you.
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By the example of
what happens to this man,
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it will be determined whether,
when senators are the judges,
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a very guilty and a very
rich man can be condemned."
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So in other words,
there are two trials
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taking place at the same time.
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On the one hand,
they will be considering
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the case of the
crooked governor.
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But on the other hand, the
people will be judging them.
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"I hope," says Cicero,
"that the only wickedness
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found in these proceedings
will be those of the defendant.
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"But now," he says, men
are on the watch towers.
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They observe how every
one of you behaves himself
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in respecting religion
and in preserving the laws."
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You can see this was
not an ordinary trial.
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Gaius Verres was really a proxy
for the whole Roman system,
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which means that the
republic itself was on trial.
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Would the judges be as
corrupt as people thought,
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or would this be a real trial,
a real display of justice?
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And that is still one of
the most important questions
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in the world, so I'll
be right back after this
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to explore it
just a little bit more.
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[gentle music]
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- [Announcer] Life
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- The case against
Gaius Verres was so obvious,
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so compelling, that
even the most corrupt judges
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wouldn't dare rule in his favor.
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By acquitting such
an obvious criminal,
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they'd be condemning themselves.
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And Cicero had made
it obvious that this time
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public trust was on the line.
00:10:05.47\00:10:07.90
The condemned man ran
away. He hidden the hinterlands.
00:10:07.90\00:10:10.44
And in 43 BC, Mark
Antony went after him
00:10:10.44\00:10:13.71
to get the
artwork he had stolen.
00:10:13.71\00:10:16.28
Verres refused to give it back,
and so from what I can tell,
00:10:16.28\00:10:19.45
he was summarily executed.
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Justice had finally been done.
00:10:21.58\00:10:24.35
But the
questions raised by Cicero
00:10:24.35\00:10:26.86
continue to plague
our world to this day.
00:10:26.86\00:10:28.89
Can we really trust
the system in a world
00:10:28.89\00:10:31.19
where power and money
continue to produce results
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that should never, ever happen?
00:10:34.10\00:10:36.30
Do we live under a fair
government, a just system of
00:10:36.30\00:10:40.20
laws? Or is there one set
of laws for the elites of this
00:10:40.20\00:10:42.84
world, and another
set for you and me?
00:10:42.84\00:10:44.91
Now, honestly, even if the
courts were perfectly fair,
00:10:44.91\00:10:47.98
and I think for the
most part they tend to be,
00:10:47.98\00:10:50.41
but if public
perception says they're not,
00:10:50.41\00:10:52.61
then we've got a
really serious problem.
00:10:52.61\00:10:55.42
When public trust disintegrates,
00:10:55.42\00:10:57.49
the stability of
society begins to corrode.
00:10:57.49\00:11:00.52
And that's something
that's clearly going on
00:11:00.52\00:11:02.59
all over the world right now.
00:11:02.59\00:11:04.96
Public trust in government has
been declining now for years.
00:11:04.96\00:11:08.96
In 2014, Pew Research
discovered that 81% of Americans
00:11:08.96\00:11:13.34
were either angry or frustrated
with the federal government.
00:11:13.34\00:11:17.07
And only 24% said
they trusted government.
00:11:17.07\00:11:20.68
Fortunately, according to
a 2019 survey by Annenberg,
00:11:20.68\00:11:24.58
a little more
than 2/3 of people say
00:11:24.58\00:11:26.41
they still trust
the Supreme Court.
00:11:26.41\00:11:28.98
But 57% did say that it
had become too political.
00:11:28.98\00:11:33.36
And in recent
months, the Supreme Court
00:11:33.36\00:11:35.19
has become yet
another political football.
00:11:35.19\00:11:38.86
And of course, what that
all means is that our generation
00:11:38.86\00:11:41.80
is a lot like the
generations that came before us.
00:11:41.80\00:11:44.70
None of us in the
history of this world
00:11:44.70\00:11:46.77
has ever produced a utopia.
00:11:46.77\00:11:49.40
Human government has been
constructed by human beings
00:11:49.40\00:11:52.57
who are
inherently self-interested.
00:11:52.57\00:11:54.81
And it is the very
rare person, indeed,
00:11:54.81\00:11:57.11
who continues
to serve the public
00:11:57.11\00:11:58.51
with absolutely
no regard for self.
00:11:58.51\00:12:01.42
We just don't have that
many altruists in the world.
00:12:01.42\00:12:04.49
And that's one of the
major points being made
00:12:04.49\00:12:06.76
in the Old
Testament Book of Daniel.
00:12:06.76\00:12:09.69
The Hebrew
people had been brought
00:12:09.69\00:12:11.06
into a covenant
relationship with God,
00:12:11.06\00:12:13.50
declaring him to be
their only sovereign.
00:12:13.50\00:12:16.40
But as time progressed,
they demanded human forms
00:12:16.40\00:12:19.77
of government so they
could be like other nations.
00:12:19.77\00:12:22.07
And then they became
plagued by the same corruption
00:12:22.07\00:12:24.91
that goes with human government.
00:12:24.91\00:12:26.68
So in the end, as
the Hebrews persisted
00:12:26.68\00:12:29.38
in this political
rebellion against God,
00:12:29.38\00:12:32.41
God just released
them to their wishes.
00:12:32.41\00:12:34.35
He allowed them to
go and live in a world
00:12:34.35\00:12:36.58
that was run by Gentile kings,
00:12:36.58\00:12:38.95
which is one of the big
points in Daniel chapter 7,
00:12:38.95\00:12:42.59
where the prophet sees a series
of strange-looking animals
00:12:42.59\00:12:45.39
coming up out of the sea
and walking up on the land.
00:12:45.39\00:12:48.96
These animals represented
various Gentile kingdoms
00:12:48.96\00:12:51.80
that Israel would
have to live under
00:12:51.80\00:12:53.27
from that point forward.
00:12:53.27\00:12:55.17
The Babylonians, the Persians,
the Greeks, and the Romans.
00:12:55.17\00:12:59.74
In fact, the vision
continues all the way down
00:12:59.74\00:13:02.11
to the final judgment,
where the kingdom of God
00:13:02.11\00:13:04.51
is reestablished and real
justice is finally restored.
00:13:04.51\00:13:09.22
What this prophetic
passage does is remind readers
00:13:09.22\00:13:11.99
that all of us
are sleeping in a bed
00:13:11.99\00:13:14.72
that we made for ourselves,
and there are consequences
00:13:14.72\00:13:17.89
to our desire
for self-sufficiency.
00:13:17.89\00:13:20.73
And of course, when
you bring up the subject
00:13:20.73\00:13:22.60
of a final judgment,
a lot of people raise
00:13:22.60\00:13:25.57
exactly the same
question Cicero did.
00:13:25.57\00:13:28.47
Can we really trust
the court to be fair?
00:13:28.47\00:13:31.41
And by that, we're
talking about God's court.
00:13:31.41\00:13:34.31
There's a story in the Old
Testament that really highlights
00:13:35.68\00:13:37.85
this question, the
story of Sodom and Gomorrah.
00:13:37.85\00:13:41.85
Before destroying
these wicked cities,
00:13:41.85\00:13:43.72
God approached
Abraham to discuss his plans,
00:13:43.72\00:13:46.29
because after all,
Abraham had been told
00:13:46.29\00:13:49.02
that he and his descendants
would inherit the lands
00:13:49.02\00:13:51.49
where Sodom and
Gomorrah were standing.
00:13:51.49\00:13:53.90
This was gonna
be their new home.
00:13:53.90\00:13:56.43
So let's pick up that
story in Genesis chapter 18,
00:13:56.43\00:14:00.67
where God is discussing the
fate of these wicked cities.
00:14:00.67\00:14:03.54
And I think you're gonna
find this really interesting.
00:14:03.54\00:14:06.41
It says, "And the Lord
said, 'Shall I hide from Abraham
00:14:06.41\00:14:10.78
What I'm doing,
since Abraham shall surely
00:14:10.78\00:14:13.31
become a great
and mighty nation,
00:14:13.31\00:14:15.25
and all the nations of the
earth shall be blessed in him?
00:14:15.25\00:14:18.59
For I have known him, in
order that he may command
00:14:18.59\00:14:21.09
his children and
his household after him,
00:14:21.09\00:14:23.29
that they may keep
the way of the Lord
00:14:23.29\00:14:25.13
to do righteousness
and justice, that the Lord
00:14:25.13\00:14:28.46
may bring to Abraham
what he has spoken to him.'"
00:14:28.46\00:14:32.30
And here's what I
want you to consider.
00:14:33.44\00:14:35.67
There is no reason
that God was required
00:14:35.67\00:14:38.74
to explain himself to Abraham.
00:14:38.74\00:14:40.98
As the creator, God
could do whatever he wanted.
00:14:40.98\00:14:43.75
But he chose to
disclose his plans
00:14:43.75\00:14:45.81
to a mere human
being in spite of that.
00:14:45.81\00:14:49.32
I mean, Abraham was a person
who couldn't possibly hope
00:14:49.32\00:14:53.05
to see the situation
from God's perspective,
00:14:53.05\00:14:55.22
but in spite of that, God
brought him into the loop.
00:14:55.22\00:14:58.83
I'm not gonna
hide what I'm gonna do
00:14:58.83\00:15:00.40
from Abraham, God says.
00:15:00.40\00:15:02.26
The story
continues down in verse 20.
00:15:02.26\00:15:05.17
"And the Lord
said, 'Because the outcry
00:15:05.17\00:15:08.04
against Sodom and
Gomorrah is great,
00:15:08.04\00:15:10.64
and because their
sin is very grave,
00:15:10.64\00:15:12.44
I will go down now and
see whether they have done
00:15:12.44\00:15:14.78
altogether according
to the outcry against it
00:15:14.78\00:15:18.21
that has come to me,
and if not, I will know.'"
00:15:18.21\00:15:22.78
In other words, the
behavior of these two cities
00:15:22.78\00:15:25.15
was so outrageous at this point
that they'd become notorious
00:15:25.15\00:15:29.99
even in the courts of heaven.
00:15:29.99\00:15:31.99
And there was just
no escaping the fact
00:15:31.99\00:15:33.90
that something had to be done.
00:15:33.90\00:15:36.13
Verse 23, "And
Abraham came near and said,
00:15:36.13\00:15:39.50
'Would you also destroy
the righteous with the wicked?
00:15:39.50\00:15:43.24
Suppose there were 50
righteous within the city.
00:15:43.24\00:15:46.07
Would you also destroy
the place and not spare it
00:15:46.07\00:15:48.68
for the 50
righteous that were in it?'"
00:15:48.68\00:15:51.08
And here comes the
really important part.
00:15:51.08\00:15:53.35
"Far be it," Abraham says,
"from you to do such a thing
00:15:53.35\00:15:56.82
as this, to slay the
righteous with the wicked
00:15:56.82\00:15:59.49
so that the righteous
should be as the wicked.
00:15:59.49\00:16:01.52
Far be it from you!
00:16:01.52\00:16:03.06
Shall not the judge of
all the earth do right?"
00:16:03.06\00:16:06.66
This is the part of the
story that reminded me of Cicero
00:16:08.03\00:16:10.93
and the case
against Gaius Verres.
00:16:10.93\00:16:14.40
Cicero reminded the
court that it wasn't just
00:16:14.40\00:16:16.60
a criminal being tried.,
the system itself was on trial.
00:16:16.60\00:16:20.91
And Abraham
basically says the same thing.
00:16:20.91\00:16:23.08
Lord, if you do
the wrong thing here,
00:16:23.08\00:16:24.81
your reputation as a righteous
judge is going to be ruined.
00:16:24.81\00:16:28.02
Shall not the judge of
all the earth do right?
00:16:28.02\00:16:31.82
Now, what's interesting
about this is that the dialogue
00:16:31.82\00:16:35.09
you find in this chapter
spends more time judging God
00:16:35.09\00:16:38.69
than it does Sodom and Gomorrah.
00:16:38.69\00:16:40.76
Abraham says, what if there
were 50 righteous in that city?
00:16:40.76\00:16:44.13
I know what kind of God you are.
00:16:44.13\00:16:45.87
If there were 50 good
people, you wouldn't do this.
00:16:45.87\00:16:49.30
And then God says,
well, Abraham you're right.
00:16:49.30\00:16:51.14
I wouldn't, but there
aren't 50 righteous people.
00:16:51.14\00:16:54.41
So Abraham drops the
number to 45, and then 40
00:16:54.41\00:16:57.65
and 30 and 20, and finally, 10,
00:16:57.65\00:17:00.32
if there are 10
righteous people.
00:17:00.32\00:17:02.65
But of course there
are no righteous people,
00:17:02.65\00:17:04.99
and it turns out that
God's verdict is just.
00:17:04.99\00:17:08.09
So the really big
question here is not so much
00:17:08.09\00:17:10.19
the injustice of these
cities, but the justice of God.
00:17:10.19\00:17:14.83
There are two important things
going on at the same time.
00:17:14.83\00:17:17.30
The criminals are
being tried. That's for sure.
00:17:17.30\00:17:20.37
But so is the court.
00:17:20.37\00:17:22.04
And given the incredibly
long litany of complaints
00:17:22.04\00:17:24.74
that human beings have lodged
against God and his justice,
00:17:24.74\00:17:28.78
you've got to know
that this story with Abraham
00:17:28.78\00:17:31.18
might just be foreshadowing
00:17:31.18\00:17:33.05
the work of
God's final judgment.
00:17:33.05\00:17:36.28
I'll be right back after this.
00:17:36.28\00:17:38.59
- [Announcer] Here at
the Voice of Prophecy,
00:17:41.56\00:17:43.22
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every week, there's
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- There's a really
serious problem with the way
00:18:11.95\00:18:13.79
that you and I try to
assess the character of God,
00:18:13.79\00:18:16.49
and it has to do with our, well,
00:18:16.49\00:18:18.39
rather limited
body of knowledge.
00:18:18.39\00:18:21.56
I mean, it's one thing for
an all-powerful, all-knowing God
00:18:21.56\00:18:24.50
to judge me, but how could
I possibly hope to judge him?
00:18:24.50\00:18:29.50
It's a question that
shows up in what might be
00:18:30.87\00:18:32.11
the oldest book of the
Bible, the Book of Job.
00:18:32.11\00:18:35.24
Most people know
this story pretty well.
00:18:35.24\00:18:37.78
Job is unfairly,
unjustly afflicted
00:18:37.78\00:18:41.12
through no fault of his own.
00:18:41.12\00:18:42.82
He loses his
wealth, he loses his family,
00:18:42.82\00:18:45.62
he loses his health.
00:18:45.62\00:18:47.29
His friends of
course assume that somehow
00:18:47.29\00:18:48.96
this has got to be
Job's fault, because otherwise
00:18:48.96\00:18:52.03
they can't imagine why
all this stuff would happen.
00:18:52.03\00:18:54.83
And of course in
time, Job begins to suspect
00:18:54.83\00:18:58.27
that maybe something is wrong.
00:18:58.27\00:19:00.17
And he begins to ask
the same kinds of questions
00:19:00.17\00:19:02.57
you and I ask when
life becomes unfair.
00:19:02.57\00:19:05.57
So in Job chapter 38,
we find one of the most
00:19:05.57\00:19:08.38
astonishing
accounts ever put to paper.
00:19:08.38\00:19:11.95
God himself appears, and
he begins to question Job.
00:19:11.95\00:19:16.15
Here's what it says.
00:19:16.15\00:19:18.02
"Then the Lord answered Job
out of the whirlwind, and said,
00:19:18.02\00:19:21.72
'Who is this who darkens counsel
by words without knowledge?
00:19:21.72\00:19:25.96
Now, prepare
yourself like a man.
00:19:25.96\00:19:28.46
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.
00:19:28.46\00:19:32.27
Where were you when I laid
the foundations of the earth?
00:19:32.27\00:19:35.17
Tell me, if you
have understanding."
00:19:35.17\00:19:38.37
And then the questioning
goes on for several pages.
00:19:38.37\00:19:41.11
And I would
probably, if I was Job,
00:19:41.11\00:19:43.45
I would probably wither
under this kind of questioning
00:19:43.45\00:19:46.25
because God
obviously has a big point here.
00:19:46.25\00:19:49.28
You and I just
don't know very much.
00:19:49.28\00:19:52.19
There's an old
saying that true wisdom
00:19:53.32\00:19:55.02
consists of knowing
that you know nothing,
00:19:55.02\00:19:57.29
which is often
attributed to Socrates,
00:19:57.29\00:19:59.96
although he never
actually spoke those words.
00:19:59.96\00:20:03.40
Yet, there's some truth to that.
00:20:03.40\00:20:05.67
Eventually life has
a way of showing you
00:20:05.67\00:20:07.67
how little you really know.
00:20:07.67\00:20:09.84
The older you get, the
less sure of yourself you get.
00:20:09.84\00:20:12.81
And the more the human race
discovers about the universe,
00:20:12.81\00:20:15.71
the more that
principle proves to be true.
00:20:15.71\00:20:18.51
So judging God is a
pretty ambitious undertaking,
00:20:18.51\00:20:21.72
to say the least.
00:20:21.72\00:20:23.79
But that doesn't mean
that God isn't interested
00:20:23.79\00:20:26.86
in demonstrating his
justice or proving it to us.
00:20:26.86\00:20:30.09
I mean, he doesn't have to
explain himself, but he does.
00:20:30.09\00:20:34.30
1 Samuel 16, verse 7
says, "The Lord does not see
00:20:34.30\00:20:37.47
as man sees, for man
looks at the outward appearance,
00:20:37.47\00:20:41.17
but the Lord
looks at the heart."
00:20:41.17\00:20:44.54
God is telling us that
he's trustworthy and fair.
00:20:44.54\00:20:48.61
You and I make horrible mistakes
when we judge other people
00:20:48.61\00:20:51.88
because we use all
the wrong criteria,
00:20:51.88\00:20:54.85
and the truth of a
person's character is often
00:20:54.85\00:20:57.09
hidden away from our sight.
00:20:57.09\00:20:58.92
At the end of the day, you
and I just aren't mind readers.
00:21:00.42\00:21:03.63
But God is able to
weigh the entire person.
00:21:03.63\00:21:07.76
And you know, even then,
00:21:08.83\00:21:10.20
he doesn't ask us
to trust him blindly.
00:21:10.20\00:21:12.57
A few moments ago, I referred
to those Gentile kingdoms
00:21:12.57\00:21:15.60
you read about in
Daniel 7, and I mentioned
00:21:15.60\00:21:17.97
that the sequence
of worldly government
00:21:17.97\00:21:19.54
ends with a final judgment.
00:21:19.54\00:21:22.01
So let me show you
something fascinating
00:21:22.01\00:21:24.18
about the way that
Daniel describes that judgment.
00:21:24.18\00:21:28.22
"I watched till
thrones were put in place
00:21:28.22\00:21:30.89
and the Ancient
of Days was seated.
00:21:30.89\00:21:32.79
His garment was white as snow,
00:21:32.79\00:21:34.39
and the hair of his
head was like pure wool.
00:21:34.39\00:21:37.36
His throne was a
fiery flame, and its wheels,
00:21:37.36\00:21:39.69
a burning fire.
00:21:39.69\00:21:41.16
A fiery stream issued and
came forth from before him."
00:21:41.16\00:21:44.30
So this is a pretty
solemn scene to say the least.
00:21:44.30\00:21:47.27
"A thousand
thousands ministered to him,
00:21:47.27\00:21:49.77
10,000 times
10,000 stood before him."
00:21:49.77\00:21:53.14
Now, most commentators
believe those thousands,
00:21:53.14\00:21:55.54
that's a reference to angels.
00:21:55.54\00:21:57.28
So now watch this,
"The court was seated
00:21:57.28\00:22:01.55
and the books were opened."
00:22:01.55\00:22:04.22
Now, here's what I
want you to think about.
00:22:04.22\00:22:06.49
Why in the world
would an omniscient,
00:22:06.49\00:22:08.56
all-knowing God need books?
00:22:08.56\00:22:11.49
Wouldn't he
already know everything?
00:22:11.49\00:22:12.99
Wouldn't he know
what was in the books?
00:22:12.99\00:22:15.23
Well, the answer's yes,
00:22:15.23\00:22:16.50
but God's not the
only party to this process.
00:22:16.50\00:22:19.93
It says a vast multitude
is gathered around the throne.
00:22:19.93\00:22:22.84
And of course, those
beings are not omniscient.
00:22:22.84\00:22:25.77
So what this is
telling us, frankly,
00:22:26.91\00:22:28.54
is that God plans to
show the universe everything.
00:22:28.54\00:22:31.91
He doesn't have to. We
certainly don't deserve it.
00:22:31.91\00:22:35.02
But he's not afraid
to show us the truth
00:22:35.02\00:22:37.02
because his
court is not corrupt,
00:22:37.02\00:22:40.29
and the judgment
is going to prove it.
00:22:40.29\00:22:43.26
And because of that,
and here's the big idea,
00:22:43.26\00:22:46.39
we can leave the judging to God.
00:22:46.39\00:22:48.80
I mean, listen to
this important statement
00:22:48.80\00:22:50.53
from the apostle Paul.
00:22:50.53\00:22:52.03
He writes, "Therefore
judge nothing before the time,
00:22:52.03\00:22:55.57
until the Lord comes,
who will both bring to light
00:22:55.57\00:22:58.51
the hidden things of darkness
00:22:58.51\00:23:00.38
and reveal the
counsels of the hearts.
00:23:00.38\00:23:02.78
Then each one's
praise will come from God."
00:23:02.78\00:23:05.45
What God promises
is full disclosure.
00:23:06.61\00:23:10.42
And I don't know about you,
but I have two minds about that.
00:23:10.42\00:23:13.36
On the one hand to finally
have the unvarnished truth
00:23:13.36\00:23:16.62
about everybody and everything,
00:23:16.62\00:23:19.09
that's gonna be a huge relief.
00:23:19.09\00:23:21.00
I mean, most of us can't
even imagine living in a world
00:23:21.00\00:23:23.43
where everybody is honest
and everything is transparent.
00:23:23.43\00:23:27.57
Every election cycle, we
hear more and more promises
00:23:27.57\00:23:30.97
that somebody is
going to form, quote,
00:23:30.97\00:23:33.11
the most transparent
government in history.
00:23:33.11\00:23:36.01
But you know full
well it never happens.
00:23:36.01\00:23:38.98
So on the one
hand, yeah. Bring it on.
00:23:38.98\00:23:41.32
Give me the unvarnished truth
about absolutely everything.
00:23:41.32\00:23:45.79
But of course,
that would also mean
00:23:45.79\00:23:47.82
the unvarnished truth about me.
00:23:47.82\00:23:50.06
And I have to suppose if there's
gonna be full disclosure,
00:23:50.06\00:23:53.43
that the future
will be kinder to people
00:23:53.43\00:23:55.80
who choose to live honestly.
00:23:55.80\00:23:58.10
Now, of course, living
honestly is a really tall order
00:23:58.10\00:24:01.37
in a crooked world,
because the right thing
00:24:01.37\00:24:03.87
is almost never the easy thing.
00:24:03.87\00:24:06.07
Jesus once said, "Let your
yes be yes, and your no, no.
00:24:06.07\00:24:09.61
For whatever is more than
these is from the evil one."
00:24:09.61\00:24:13.25
He was telling us
that honesty matters,
00:24:13.25\00:24:15.85
transparency matters,
and dishonesty is going to be
00:24:15.85\00:24:20.86
exposed. In fact, those who
have been profiting by their
00:24:22.29\00:24:24.29
dishonesty, Jesus said,
"Therefore whatever you have
00:24:24.29\00:24:26.80
spoken in the dark
will be heard in the light.
00:24:26.80\00:24:29.20
And what you have spoken
in the ear in inner rooms
00:24:29.20\00:24:31.67
will be
proclaimed on the housetops."
00:24:31.67\00:24:35.10
All right, time
for one last break.
00:24:35.10\00:24:36.81
I'll be right back after this.
00:24:36.81\00:24:38.71
- [Announcer] Dragons,
beasts, cryptic statues.
00:24:42.18\00:24:46.78
Bible prophecy can be
incredibly vivid and confusing.
00:24:46.78\00:24:51.42
If you've ever read Daniel
or Revelation and come away
00:24:51.42\00:24:54.19
scratching your
head, you're not alone.
00:24:54.19\00:24:56.66
Our free Focus on
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00:24:56.66\00:24:59.53
to help you unlock
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00:24:59.53\00:25:01.76
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00:25:01.76\00:25:04.20
for you and our world.
00:25:04.20\00:25:05.87
Study online, or
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00:25:08.30\00:25:11.21
- Let your yes be
yes, and your no be no.
00:25:12.41\00:25:14.78
It's not unlike the advice
that Cicero gave the judges
00:25:14.78\00:25:17.65
right before he exposed
the corruption of Gaius Verres.
00:25:17.65\00:25:21.58
He knew full well that
Verres had been trying to bribe
00:25:21.58\00:25:24.05
these judges, and
so he told them this.
00:25:24.05\00:25:26.35
Quote, "I promise the
Roman people that this shall be
00:25:26.35\00:25:28.72
the most
honorable and the fairest
00:25:28.72\00:25:30.76
employment of my aedileship."
00:25:30.76\00:25:32.73
That was the
public office Cicero had.
00:25:32.73\00:25:35.10
"I warn, I forewarn, I give
notice beforehand to those men
00:25:35.10\00:25:38.60
who are wont
either to put money down,
00:25:38.60\00:25:40.90
to undertake for
others, to receive money,
00:25:40.90\00:25:43.17
or to promise money, or
to act as agents in bribery,
00:25:43.17\00:25:46.04
as go-betweens in
corrupting the seat of judgment,
00:25:46.04\00:25:48.74
and who have promised their
influence or their impudence
00:25:48.74\00:25:51.48
in aid of such a
business, in this trial
00:25:51.48\00:25:54.32
to keep their
hands and inclinations
00:25:54.32\00:25:56.38
from this nefarious wickedness."
00:25:56.38\00:25:59.12
In other words,
the case against Verres
00:25:59.12\00:26:01.02
was gonna be so
compelling that anybody found
00:26:01.02\00:26:03.66
defending this man was gonna
look pretty wicked himself.
00:26:03.66\00:26:07.30
It would be obvious to everybody
that he'd allowed himself
00:26:07.30\00:26:10.33
to be unduly influenced.
00:26:10.33\00:26:13.00
And that's why this is
one of the most important
00:26:13.00\00:26:15.37
trials in history.
00:26:15.37\00:26:16.87
It was not just a
matter of one wicked man.
00:26:16.87\00:26:19.31
There were plenty of wicked
people in the halls of power.
00:26:19.31\00:26:22.48
But Gaius Verres was
exceptional for one reason.
00:26:22.48\00:26:25.11
He became a type, a
symbol of the entire system
00:26:25.11\00:26:28.55
which everybody
knew was crooked.
00:26:28.55\00:26:30.89
And on this one
occasion Cicero argued
00:26:30.89\00:26:33.36
the court had a
chance to redeem itself.
00:26:33.36\00:26:36.26
He continued, "For an opinion
has now become established,
00:26:36.26\00:26:40.16
pernicious to us, and
pernicious to the republic,
00:26:40.16\00:26:42.96
which has been the
common talk of everyone,
00:26:42.96\00:26:45.20
not only at Rome, but
among foreign nations also,
00:26:45.20\00:26:48.20
that in the courts of
law as they exist at present,
00:26:48.20\00:26:50.54
no wealthy man,
however guilty he may be,
00:26:50.54\00:26:53.38
can possibly be convicted."
00:26:53.38\00:26:55.64
Would the court be
just, or would it be corrupt?
00:26:55.64\00:27:00.65
And so it goes with
the government of God.
00:27:00.65\00:27:02.78
Everybody knows something
is wrong with this world.
00:27:02.78\00:27:04.95
We can see the
corruption, the abuse of power,
00:27:04.95\00:27:07.32
the senseless
suffering, and we wonder,
00:27:07.32\00:27:09.59
doesn't God see all this?
00:27:09.59\00:27:10.93
And if he does, why
doesn't he do something?
00:27:10.93\00:27:13.86
The temptation is to get
cynical, to mistrust God,
00:27:13.86\00:27:16.83
to assume he's
also self-interested
00:27:16.83\00:27:18.77
and willing to abuse his power.
00:27:18.77\00:27:20.90
Why should we trust the ultimate
judge? I'll tell you why.
00:27:20.90\00:27:25.91
It's because he didn't
isolate himself from our pain.
00:27:27.24\00:27:28.64
He became one of
us. He lived here.
00:27:28.64\00:27:30.81
He knows what
this world is like.
00:27:30.81\00:27:32.38
And then he laid his
life on the line to save you.
00:27:32.38\00:27:35.25
And then before it's
all over, he says he's gonna
00:27:35.25\00:27:37.35
open the books
and show you nothing
00:27:37.35\00:27:38.92
because he's
got nothing to hide.
00:27:38.92\00:27:40.76
And after that, it says
in the Book of Revelation,
00:27:40.76\00:27:43.32
"He reaches out and wipes away
00:27:43.32\00:27:44.69
your tears with his own hand.
00:27:44.69\00:27:47.30
He stacked
everything in your favor.
00:27:47.30\00:27:49.93
That's why you can trust him.
00:27:49.93\00:27:51.33
If you haven't
been reading this book,
00:27:51.33\00:27:53.20
maybe it's time to have
a look and see what else
00:27:53.20\00:27:55.84
God has already
shown us in the pages.
00:27:55.84\00:27:59.44
Thanks for joining me today.
00:27:59.44\00:28:01.01
I'm Shawn
Boonstra and this has been
00:28:01.01\00:28:02.41
another episode of "Authentic."
00:28:02.41\00:28:05.15
[upbeat music]
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