Today we are in the midst of a rebellion 00:00:01.36\00:00:02.70 against old customs, traditions and long held beliefs 00:00:02.73\00:00:05.87 that were the foundation of our society. 00:00:05.90\00:00:08.80 Some call it the culture wars, 00:00:08.84\00:00:10.81 and nothing is considered to be sacred. 00:00:10.84\00:00:13.04 We are witnessing the destruction of old values 00:00:13.07\00:00:15.71 and the emergence of a brave new world 00:00:15.74\00:00:17.81 where truth is what you want it to be. 00:00:17.85\00:00:20.18 Everything, including marriage, 00:00:20.22\00:00:22.18 family, and the Christian church 00:00:22.22\00:00:24.55 is up for grabs. 00:00:24.59\00:00:26.35 Where can security be found? 00:00:26.39\00:00:28.39 John Carter has traveled the Middle East more times 00:00:28.42\00:00:31.36 than he cares to remember. 00:00:31.39\00:00:32.93 He has walked in the footsteps of the ancient Hebrew prophets. 00:00:32.96\00:00:36.06 He has explored the crumbling remains 00:00:36.10\00:00:37.97 of an ancient civilization. 00:00:38.00\00:00:39.63 He believes he has found the answer 00:00:39.67\00:00:42.10 in an ancient book. 00:00:42.14\00:00:45.44 How do you know the Bible is true 00:00:45.47\00:00:47.94 when some people of science 00:00:47.98\00:00:49.31 call it fiction and even nonsense? 00:00:49.34\00:00:51.91 Isn't it time to accept the fact that 00:00:51.95\00:00:54.25 it is a collection of myths? 00:00:54.28\00:00:58.25 Hello, friend. Thanks for joining us today. 00:00:58.29\00:01:01.39 I'm John Carter. 00:01:01.42\00:01:03.19 Welcome to my house. 00:01:03.22\00:01:04.79 It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood, 00:01:04.83\00:01:08.00 and I'm so glad that 00:01:08.03\00:01:09.36 you're going to be my neighbor today. 00:01:09.40\00:01:12.13 That's really a very good question. 00:01:12.17\00:01:16.14 But you know, there's a better answer 00:01:16.17\00:01:18.17 than the question 00:01:18.21\00:01:19.54 because the question even though it's good... 00:01:19.57\00:01:22.78 Well, it's not so good. 00:01:22.81\00:01:24.65 Because the question is said that 00:01:24.68\00:01:26.55 all the scientists in the world 00:01:26.58\00:01:28.08 believe that the Bible was false 00:01:28.12\00:01:29.98 and all the scientists in the world are atheists. 00:01:30.02\00:01:33.72 Well, that isn't true. 00:01:33.76\00:01:36.19 Have you heard of Francis Collins, 00:01:36.22\00:01:38.99 one of the most distinguished scientists in the world, 00:01:39.03\00:01:42.56 some say, the greatest scientist in the world. 00:01:42.60\00:01:45.93 He wrote the book, the Language of God. 00:01:45.97\00:01:49.30 He is a firm believer in God, and in Christ, 00:01:49.34\00:01:53.61 and in the Holy Scriptures. 00:01:53.64\00:01:56.44 But you know, I believe in God 00:01:56.48\00:01:59.38 and I believe in the Holy Scriptures, 00:01:59.41\00:02:01.42 not because of my blind faith. 00:02:01.45\00:02:04.22 I don't believe in this thing called blind faith. 00:02:04.25\00:02:06.96 I just don't believe that idea. 00:02:06.99\00:02:09.52 I know we're often criticized as Christians, 00:02:09.56\00:02:12.06 because people say, atheists say to us, 00:02:12.09\00:02:14.00 "You've got blind faith." 00:02:14.03\00:02:15.36 That's what Richard Dawkins says. 00:02:15.40\00:02:17.40 But I don't believe in blind faith. 00:02:17.43\00:02:20.17 I believe in a faith that is based upon hard, 00:02:20.20\00:02:25.61 concrete evidence. 00:02:25.64\00:02:27.58 Are you listening to me? 00:02:27.61\00:02:30.95 I was down in Egypt some time ago 00:02:30.98\00:02:32.68 with my great friend, 00:02:32.71\00:02:34.32 Dr. Randy Younker from Andrews University. 00:02:34.35\00:02:38.79 Dr. Younker is one of the world's 00:02:38.82\00:02:41.12 great archaeologists, a great biblical archaeologist. 00:02:41.16\00:02:44.49 And we went along in the town of Luxor deep 00:02:44.53\00:02:48.83 in the heart of Egypt. 00:02:48.86\00:02:50.27 And we went to the tomb of Rekhmire. 00:02:50.30\00:02:54.20 What's so important about the tomb of Rekhmire? 00:02:54.24\00:02:58.04 When you go inside this tomb, and on the walls, 00:02:58.07\00:03:00.64 you see these fantastic paintings 00:03:00.68\00:03:03.91 that go back about 3,500 years, 00:03:03.95\00:03:07.32 back to the days of the Bible, 00:03:07.35\00:03:10.15 and portrayed in living color after thousands of years, 00:03:10.19\00:03:15.26 you've got pictures of Egyptians beating up Asiatic 00:03:15.29\00:03:20.53 and Semites exactly as you read in the Bible. 00:03:20.56\00:03:25.27 Now, I believe in the historicity 00:03:25.30\00:03:27.60 of the Bible, 00:03:27.64\00:03:28.97 not because of blind faith, 00:03:29.00\00:03:30.54 I believe it because of the evidence, 00:03:30.57\00:03:33.44 I'm going to read you a text now 00:03:33.48\00:03:35.01 out of the Book of Exodus. 00:03:35.04\00:03:36.41 Exodus, let me see 1:11-14. 00:03:36.44\00:03:42.08 It says, "So they put slave masters over them 00:03:42.12\00:03:46.09 to oppress them with forced labor, 00:03:46.12\00:03:48.92 and they built Pithom 00:03:48.96\00:03:51.19 and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh." 00:03:51.23\00:03:54.46 These cities were probably 00:03:54.50\00:03:56.00 called this after the time of the great persecution. 00:03:56.03\00:04:00.97 'But the more they oppressed, 00:04:01.00\00:04:02.60 the more they multiplied and spread as the Egyptians 00:04:02.64\00:04:05.84 came to dread the Israelites 00:04:05.87\00:04:09.14 and they worked them ruthlessly. 00:04:09.18\00:04:13.15 They made their lives bitter 00:04:13.18\00:04:15.08 with hard labor in brick and mortar 00:04:15.12\00:04:18.15 and with all the kinds of work in the fields, 00:04:18.19\00:04:22.46 in all their hard labor 00:04:22.49\00:04:23.83 the Egyptians used them ruthlessly." 00:04:23.86\00:04:27.53 You can read it in the Bible. 00:04:27.56\00:04:29.46 You can read it in the ancient Chronicles, 00:04:29.50\00:04:32.00 and you can see it on the walls of the tomb, 00:04:32.03\00:04:35.94 or the worship center of Rekhmire. 00:04:35.97\00:04:41.54 And who's this guy Rekhmire? 00:04:41.58\00:04:43.71 You say to me, 00:04:43.75\00:04:45.08 "Now, John Carter, who's this guy Rekhmire? 00:04:45.11\00:04:46.92 What's he gonna do with believing God? 00:04:46.95\00:04:50.55 While Rekhmire was a high official 00:04:50.59\00:04:53.82 under Thutmosis III. 00:04:53.86\00:04:58.56 When I was in the Cairo Museum some time back, 00:04:58.59\00:05:01.26 I was taken into the Royal Mummy room 00:05:01.30\00:05:04.17 and I saw Thutmosis III. 00:05:04.20\00:05:09.00 Remember this name, Thutmosis III. 00:05:09.04\00:05:12.51 He's even got Moses in his name. 00:05:12.54\00:05:16.08 Now, if you go according to the ancient chronologies, 00:05:16.11\00:05:20.08 including 1 Kings 6:1, 00:05:20.12\00:05:24.85 it appears that the children of Israel got out of Egypt 00:05:24.89\00:05:29.12 at the death of the pharaoh 00:05:29.16\00:05:31.59 in 1450 BC. 00:05:31.63\00:05:36.73 This was the time of Thutmosis III 00:05:36.77\00:05:40.24 and the time of Rekhmire. 00:05:40.27\00:05:44.44 There you go into the worship center of Rekhmire in Luxor, 00:05:44.47\00:05:49.28 and you see the Semites, 00:05:49.31\00:05:52.18 most likely the Israelites being enslaved 00:05:52.21\00:05:55.75 and beaten up by the Egyptians. 00:05:55.78\00:05:58.42 Don't tell me 00:05:58.45\00:05:59.79 this is a matter of blind faith. 00:05:59.82\00:06:02.82 I believe in the Bible, not because of blind faith, 00:06:02.86\00:06:07.26 my friend, 00:06:07.30\00:06:08.70 but because of the evidence. 00:06:08.73\00:06:14.70 "You mentioned Egypt, but what about Iraq? 00:06:14.74\00:06:18.27 In the Bible, Iraq is known 00:06:18.31\00:06:20.24 as the land of Mesopotamia, or Assyria. 00:06:20.28\00:06:23.68 What evidence have you found there 00:06:23.71\00:06:25.98 to support your claim the Bible is not fiction?' 00:06:26.01\00:06:31.35 I've been to Iraq on many, many occasions. 00:06:31.39\00:06:35.32 I've been there for going there sort of regularly 00:06:35.36\00:06:38.23 for the past 40 or 50 years. 00:06:38.26\00:06:41.76 I know the ancient land of Mesopotamia. 00:06:41.80\00:06:45.87 The word Mesopotamia 00:06:45.90\00:06:47.90 means the land between the rivers. 00:06:47.94\00:06:51.81 It is the land of modern Iraq 00:06:51.84\00:06:54.01 that is sitting between the River Euphrates 00:06:54.04\00:06:57.15 and the River Tigris. 00:06:57.18\00:06:59.68 Of course, it's mentioned in the Bible 00:06:59.71\00:07:02.08 over and over and over again, 00:07:02.12\00:07:04.62 because this is where much of the Bible 00:07:04.65\00:07:07.49 came from the land of Mesopotamia. 00:07:07.52\00:07:11.43 Now, let me tell you something, which I find quite amazing. 00:07:11.46\00:07:16.87 Have you heard of Jehu? 00:07:16.90\00:07:21.80 The Bible says, hey, he's coming pretty fast. 00:07:21.84\00:07:24.74 He's driving like crazy. 00:07:24.77\00:07:26.34 He's driving like Jehu. 00:07:26.37\00:07:30.61 Now Jehu was the king of Israel. 00:07:30.65\00:07:34.62 Now, many people say 00:07:34.65\00:07:35.98 you can't believe any of this stuff in the Bible, 00:07:36.02\00:07:37.62 because it's all fiction. 00:07:37.65\00:07:39.35 It's all as my old father used to say, it's all hooey. 00:07:39.39\00:07:45.06 That's what my father used to say once he did, John, 00:07:45.09\00:07:47.90 it's all hooey, but he changed his mind. 00:07:47.93\00:07:51.50 And maybe some people who are watching me today 00:07:51.53\00:07:53.70 and watching this telecast, 00:07:53.74\00:07:55.14 you're going to change your mind too. 00:07:55.17\00:07:57.31 Now Jehu is mentioned in the Bible 00:07:57.34\00:07:59.77 and the skeptic used to say, 00:07:59.81\00:08:02.14 there was no such person as Jehu 00:08:02.18\00:08:06.25 until this happened. 00:08:06.28\00:08:08.48 I'm going to tell you about it. 00:08:08.52\00:08:10.49 They found what is called the Black Obelisk. 00:08:10.52\00:08:15.26 It was found in Nimrud, 00:08:15.29\00:08:18.36 that is now called Kalhu. 00:08:18.39\00:08:20.60 Have I been there? Yeah, heapful times. 00:08:20.63\00:08:23.70 And on the Black Obelisk, you got a picture. 00:08:23.73\00:08:28.27 It's been carved into the stone of Jehu, 00:08:28.30\00:08:32.81 of King Jehu kneeling 00:08:32.84\00:08:35.58 before the great dictator, Shalmaneser. 00:08:35.61\00:08:41.52 Now both these characters are mentioned in the Bible, 00:08:41.55\00:08:44.62 they are real historical characters. 00:08:44.65\00:08:48.42 I believe it. 00:08:48.46\00:08:50.86 Now, I'm gonna tell you something else. 00:08:50.89\00:08:54.93 On a recent trip to Iraq, 00:08:54.96\00:08:58.53 I was taken to the city of Nimrud, not Nineveh. 00:08:58.57\00:09:03.74 Nimrud or Kalhu is about, 00:09:03.77\00:09:07.28 let me think, 20, 30 miles from Nineveh. 00:09:07.31\00:09:12.55 I was the first person from the west to get there 00:09:12.58\00:09:17.32 when they were making 00:09:17.35\00:09:18.79 this extraordinary archaeological discovery. 00:09:18.82\00:09:23.76 They opened up the pavement of an old building, 00:09:23.79\00:09:27.46 they had worked on that old building 00:09:27.50\00:09:30.20 for hundreds of years 00:09:30.23\00:09:31.57 and they had missed the discovery of the century. 00:09:31.60\00:09:36.64 Because there they had found a royal tomb containing... 00:09:36.67\00:09:41.24 If my memory is working correctly, 00:09:41.28\00:09:43.24 I think it was 100 pounds, 00:09:43.28\00:09:46.01 maybe is 50 large quantity 00:09:46.05\00:09:49.62 of gold jewelry 00:09:49.65\00:09:52.59 that I've actually seen. 00:09:52.62\00:09:54.06 I was the first foreigner from the west to see it. 00:09:54.09\00:09:58.63 It was such a hot discovery that the Los Angeles Times 00:09:58.66\00:10:02.23 sent a reporter to my home 00:10:02.26\00:10:04.20 in the United States and they interviewed me 00:10:04.23\00:10:07.17 and the Los Angeles Times put a page about it. 00:10:07.20\00:10:11.67 The fact that I was there and I had seen it. 00:10:11.71\00:10:15.54 What's so significant, 00:10:15.58\00:10:17.81 because it was the jewelry of the wife of Sargon 00:10:17.85\00:10:23.22 the Great who was mentioned in the Bible. 00:10:23.25\00:10:27.99 Just another little bit of evidence, 00:10:28.02\00:10:30.63 so that you can believe that the Bible 00:10:30.66\00:10:33.33 is an historical document. 00:10:33.36\00:10:35.86 I've been there, I've seen it. 00:10:35.90\00:10:41.64 "What about Belshazzar and Nabonidus?" 00:10:41.67\00:10:45.91 That's a great question, Belshazzar and Nabonidus. 00:10:45.94\00:10:49.94 Now for many, many, many years, 00:10:49.98\00:10:52.38 skeptics said there was no such character 00:10:52.41\00:10:54.78 as Belshazzar. 00:10:54.82\00:10:56.89 That's what they said. 00:10:56.92\00:10:58.75 Now, when you turn in the Bible to the Book of Daniel, 00:10:58.79\00:11:03.29 you read there that the last king 00:11:03.32\00:11:05.29 or the last person ruling on the throne 00:11:05.33\00:11:09.00 of the ancient Babylonians was a guy 00:11:09.03\00:11:11.83 by the name of Belshazzar. 00:11:11.87\00:11:15.74 But secular historian said, 00:11:15.77\00:11:18.04 "No, the Bible is completely wrong here. 00:11:18.07\00:11:20.18 It wasn't Belshazzar. 00:11:20.21\00:11:21.78 It was a guy by the name of Nabonidus." 00:11:21.81\00:11:26.11 Now have I been to Babylonian? 00:11:26.15\00:11:27.48 Yes, heaps of times. 00:11:27.52\00:11:29.32 Have I been to Nebuchadnezzar's palace? 00:11:29.35\00:11:31.39 Yes, heaps of times. 00:11:31.42\00:11:33.42 Have I seen the inscriptions? 00:11:33.46\00:11:34.79 Yes, heaps of times. 00:11:34.82\00:11:37.19 I was almost put in prison 00:11:37.23\00:11:39.06 because I'd gone to Babylon at the time 00:11:39.09\00:11:41.43 when Saddam was going there at the same time. 00:11:41.46\00:11:44.47 I could have easily been killed, 00:11:44.50\00:11:46.00 but I was there because I was on an exploration 00:11:46.03\00:11:50.41 looking for truth. 00:11:50.44\00:11:53.17 Now, in old Babylonia, in Mesopotamia, 00:11:53.21\00:11:57.98 they have discovered some time back 00:11:58.01\00:12:00.98 quite a while back, 00:12:01.02\00:12:03.05 they have discovered a clay cylinder. 00:12:03.08\00:12:07.62 Wait for it, written with Cuneiform. 00:12:07.66\00:12:12.23 The cuneiform are those funny little wedge shaped letters. 00:12:12.26\00:12:16.73 You know what I'm talking about? 00:12:16.77\00:12:19.27 And this one, 00:12:19.30\00:12:20.64 which was celebrating the moon goddess 00:12:20.67\00:12:24.34 ends with a prayer for Nabonidus 00:12:24.37\00:12:27.98 and his son, Belshazzar. 00:12:28.01\00:12:33.55 We now know for certainty that the Bible was right, 00:12:33.58\00:12:36.52 because Nabonidus retired, 00:12:36.55\00:12:38.79 he got sick of the rat race in Babylon. 00:12:38.82\00:12:42.02 And so he left Babylon, 00:12:42.06\00:12:43.99 he retired and he put his son 00:12:44.03\00:12:46.70 as the power on the throne of Babylon. 00:12:46.73\00:12:52.00 So there you got it. 00:12:52.03\00:12:54.00 Nabonidus in inscription, 00:12:54.04\00:12:55.44 the Belshazzar in inscription, 00:12:55.47\00:12:56.97 you put it all together, 00:12:57.01\00:12:58.57 we are not talking about fiction, 00:12:58.61\00:13:00.68 we are talking about hard historical facts. 00:13:00.71\00:13:05.78 I believe in the Bible, not because of blind faith, 00:13:05.81\00:13:08.75 but because of the evidence. 00:13:08.78\00:13:12.09 "Who was Nebuchadnezzar?" 00:13:12.12\00:13:16.12 The Old Testament talks a great deal 00:13:16.16\00:13:18.46 about a great king by the name of Nebuchadnezzar. 00:13:18.49\00:13:22.36 It's a great name, isn't it? 00:13:22.40\00:13:24.27 Nebuchadnezzar. 00:13:24.30\00:13:26.13 There's a book in the Bible by the Book of Daniel. 00:13:26.17\00:13:29.50 He was a prophet in the Old Testament. 00:13:29.54\00:13:32.34 And when he was a young man, 00:13:32.37\00:13:33.71 he got to know another young man, 00:13:33.74\00:13:35.08 his name was Nebuchadnezzar 00:13:35.11\00:13:36.71 who was the king of the great Babylonian Empire. 00:13:36.75\00:13:40.08 For many, many years, 00:13:40.12\00:13:41.45 of course, skeptics thwarted the Bible 00:13:41.48\00:13:44.85 because of its insistence 00:13:44.89\00:13:47.16 upon the historicity of characters like 00:13:47.19\00:13:49.99 Belshazzar and Nebuchadnezzar, 00:13:50.03\00:13:52.76 and also characters like Daniel. 00:13:52.79\00:13:55.56 They can't say this any longer, my friend. 00:13:55.60\00:13:59.53 I've been to Babylon, 00:13:59.57\00:14:00.90 and I've seen with my own eyes 00:14:00.94\00:14:02.70 the inscriptions that were written by Nebuchadnezzar. 00:14:02.74\00:14:05.81 I've been to the great museums in the Middle East. 00:14:05.84\00:14:09.11 I've been to the great museums in Baghdad. 00:14:09.14\00:14:12.98 And there you can see for instance, 00:14:13.01\00:14:14.98 the stele that actually mentions 00:14:15.02\00:14:18.42 Nebuchadnezzar's building list. 00:14:18.45\00:14:21.42 Now in the Bible, Nebuchadnezzar was walking 00:14:21.46\00:14:23.19 around his palace on one occasion, 00:14:23.22\00:14:24.89 and he said, "Isn't this great Babylon that 00:14:24.93\00:14:26.86 I built for my glory?" 00:14:26.90\00:14:28.60 He was a great boaster. 00:14:28.63\00:14:31.60 He was a... 00:14:31.63\00:14:32.97 He would have fitted into well into politics today. 00:14:33.00\00:14:35.97 I would think he was the great bolder, 00:14:36.00\00:14:39.11 boaster and the great builder, 00:14:39.14\00:14:42.11 but he left a record of these things. 00:14:42.14\00:14:45.25 We now know that Belshazzar was a real person. 00:14:45.28\00:14:50.02 Nebuchadnezzar was a real person. 00:14:50.05\00:14:52.59 We now know that the Bible 00:14:52.62\00:14:54.76 is an accurate historical record. 00:14:54.79\00:14:57.66 You can believe in the scriptures. 00:14:57.69\00:15:01.60 "What about discoveries in Israel? 00:15:01.63\00:15:03.67 Do they prove the Bible is historically true? 00:15:03.70\00:15:06.33 Can we follow everything it says in confidence 00:15:06.37\00:15:09.14 as our world changes so fast? 00:15:09.17\00:15:11.57 Can we put our trust in this book 00:15:11.61\00:15:13.41 or is it a collection of fairy tales?" 00:15:13.44\00:15:17.45 No, it's not a collection of fairy tales. 00:15:17.48\00:15:19.61 It is an accurate historical record. 00:15:19.65\00:15:23.92 Even Richard Dawkins, 00:15:23.95\00:15:25.55 the world's greatest atheist and skeptic says that 00:15:25.59\00:15:28.86 Jesus was a real person. 00:15:28.89\00:15:31.66 Of course, he didn't always say that, 00:15:31.69\00:15:33.90 for a long time Richard Dawkins 00:15:33.93\00:15:35.43 derided the historicity of Jesus Christ. 00:15:35.46\00:15:39.83 But even Richard Dawkins today says, 00:15:39.87\00:15:41.87 yes, there was a Jesus. 00:15:41.90\00:15:46.01 There's so much evidence, so much historical evidence. 00:15:46.04\00:15:50.48 All of these great events 00:15:50.51\00:15:51.85 were written down by eyewitnesses, 00:15:51.88\00:15:53.58 and they were preserved. 00:15:53.62\00:15:55.05 And we have those records today. 00:15:55.08\00:15:59.49 You've heard about Pilate, haven't you, Pontius Pilate? 00:15:59.52\00:16:02.06 He was the Roman governor, 00:16:02.09\00:16:03.99 who handed Jesus over to the Jewish authorities 00:16:04.03\00:16:07.50 to be put to death. 00:16:07.53\00:16:09.03 Every person has heard about Pilate. 00:16:09.06\00:16:11.93 For a long time, people never believed 00:16:11.97\00:16:13.57 because the skeptics never believed in Pilate. 00:16:13.60\00:16:17.17 But then they found this inscription, 00:16:17.21\00:16:20.28 the pile of stone. 00:16:20.31\00:16:22.84 It actually has the name of Pilate, 00:16:22.88\00:16:25.11 the procurator, the Roman governor. 00:16:25.15\00:16:28.75 These events that are written down 00:16:28.78\00:16:30.29 in the Bible have been shown to be reliable 00:16:30.32\00:16:34.66 by the most amazing discoveries in archaeology. 00:16:34.69\00:16:40.66 I've gone to the Middle East, 00:16:40.70\00:16:42.13 time after time I've gotten there as a bit of a skeptic. 00:16:42.16\00:16:47.20 I've gone there because I wanted to check it out. 00:16:47.24\00:16:49.47 I don't want anybody fooling me. 00:16:49.50\00:16:51.54 I don't want any church fooling me. 00:16:51.57\00:16:53.34 I don't want any preacher deceiving me. 00:16:53.38\00:16:55.58 I want to know for myself, and I have seen the evidence. 00:16:55.61\00:17:00.92 And my testimony is this, 00:17:00.95\00:17:02.65 you can believe in the historical records 00:17:02.68\00:17:06.09 of the scriptures. 00:17:06.12\00:17:07.46 I believe it is the Word of God. 00:17:07.49\00:17:10.23 And let me give you 00:17:10.26\00:17:11.59 an astounding piece of evidence. 00:17:11.63\00:17:14.76 It concerns the destruction of the city of Jerusalem 00:17:14.80\00:17:19.00 in the year 70 AD. 00:17:19.03\00:17:22.40 Now I'm going to turn here to Matthew Chapter 24. 00:17:22.44\00:17:25.84 And I'm going to read it to you out of the scriptures. 00:17:25.87\00:17:28.01 Matthew 24:1-2, 00:17:28.04\00:17:31.71 "Jesus left the temple and was walking away 00:17:31.75\00:17:35.32 when His disciples came up to Him 00:17:35.35\00:17:37.79 to call His intention towards buildings. 00:17:37.82\00:17:41.99 'Do you see all these things?' 00:17:42.02\00:17:43.46 he asked. 00:17:43.49\00:17:44.83 'I tell you the truth, 00:17:44.86\00:17:46.19 not one stone here will be left on another, 00:17:46.23\00:17:49.36 every one will be thrown down.'' 00:17:49.40\00:17:54.44 Jesus predicted the destruction of the Jewish temple. 00:17:54.47\00:17:59.61 Jesus said it would be completely destroyed. 00:17:59.64\00:18:04.08 And Jesus went on and gave other prophecies 00:18:04.11\00:18:06.31 concerning the destruction of Jerusalem, 00:18:06.35\00:18:09.08 prophesies which are so amazing. 00:18:09.12\00:18:12.42 It is evidence of a divine presence. 00:18:12.45\00:18:18.39 Now, about 40 years after Jesus gave this prophecy, 00:18:18.43\00:18:22.46 the Romans came against the city of Jerusalem, 00:18:22.50\00:18:25.37 they completely destroyed it. 00:18:25.40\00:18:28.07 That is an amazing story. 00:18:28.10\00:18:30.94 In 66 AD, the Jewish people 00:18:30.97\00:18:34.08 tired of the injustice 00:18:34.11\00:18:36.64 of the Roman overlord rose up 00:18:36.68\00:18:40.35 and tried to kick the Romans out. 00:18:40.38\00:18:42.25 That was in 66 AD. 00:18:42.28\00:18:46.02 And for a while they were succeeding. 00:18:46.05\00:18:49.02 They struck a coin that said, in the first year of liberty. 00:18:49.06\00:18:55.00 The Romans sent down their governor from Assyria, 00:18:55.03\00:18:58.10 a guy by the name of Cestius Gallus. 00:18:58.13\00:19:01.47 He attacked Jerusalem 00:19:01.50\00:19:02.84 but he could not really defeat the Jews. 00:19:02.87\00:19:07.11 But it seemed for a while 00:19:07.14\00:19:08.48 that he was going to destroy them. 00:19:08.51\00:19:10.61 But then for some strange, 00:19:10.65\00:19:12.31 inexplicable reason he withdrew 00:19:12.35\00:19:14.62 and went down 00:19:14.65\00:19:15.98 the Beth-horon road to the coast. 00:19:16.02\00:19:18.02 The Jews who were fantastic fighters, 00:19:18.05\00:19:21.29 they came out like wild hornets, 00:19:21.32\00:19:23.79 and they attacked the Romans 00:19:23.83\00:19:25.36 and they killed thousands of them 00:19:25.39\00:19:27.23 in the Beth-horon passes. 00:19:27.26\00:19:30.60 But Jesus said, "Don't be taken in," 00:19:30.63\00:19:33.27 because He said, 00:19:33.30\00:19:34.64 "Jerusalem is going to be utterly destroyed." 00:19:34.67\00:19:38.47 The Romans came back. 00:19:38.51\00:19:40.81 They came back a few years later, 00:19:40.84\00:19:43.31 under General Vespasian and Vespasian 00:19:43.35\00:19:47.52 drove all the Jewish people towards the city of Jerusalem, 00:19:47.55\00:19:51.35 destroying all the cities and all the towns. 00:19:51.39\00:19:55.62 And then he was called to be 00:19:55.66\00:19:57.29 the emperor of the mighty Roman Empire, 00:19:57.33\00:20:00.80 and his son became the general 00:20:00.83\00:20:03.47 who was going to 00:20:03.50\00:20:04.93 overthrow the city of Jerusalem. 00:20:04.97\00:20:09.40 And that general was General Titus, 00:20:09.44\00:20:12.01 who later became the emperor of Rome himself. 00:20:12.04\00:20:17.61 This is an amazing, amazing story, 00:20:17.65\00:20:20.65 because you got Bible prophecy here, 00:20:20.68\00:20:23.18 and I'm going to take my Bible 00:20:23.22\00:20:25.12 and I'm going to turn to a text in the Old Testament. 00:20:25.15\00:20:28.86 I'm going to turn to the Prophet 00:20:28.89\00:20:31.09 Daniel 9:26. 00:20:31.13\00:20:37.73 This chapter written about 550 years 00:20:37.77\00:20:42.00 before Christ is a prophecy 00:20:42.04\00:20:45.47 about the destruction of Jerusalem. 00:20:45.51\00:20:47.81 It was amazingly fulfilled, 00:20:47.84\00:20:51.51 it's quite incredible. 00:20:51.55\00:20:54.62 "After the sixty-two 'sevens,' 00:20:54.65\00:20:59.35 the Anointed One 00:20:59.39\00:21:00.72 who is the Messiah will be cut off, 00:21:00.76\00:21:02.99 and will have nothing." 00:21:03.02\00:21:04.36 In other words, the Messiah would be murdered. 00:21:04.39\00:21:06.46 That's what happened to Him in 31 AD. 00:21:06.49\00:21:10.10 "The people of the ruler who will come," 00:21:10.13\00:21:12.93 that is Titus, the people of the ruler, 00:21:12.97\00:21:15.04 the ruler was Titus, 00:21:15.07\00:21:16.44 "who will come will destroy the city 00:21:16.47\00:21:19.81 and the sanctuary. 00:21:19.84\00:21:21.74 The end will come like a flood: 00:21:21.78\00:21:24.45 War will continue until the end, 00:21:24.48\00:21:28.08 and desolations have been the decreed." 00:21:28.12\00:21:30.79 The text is quite explicit. 00:21:30.82\00:21:33.09 This text which is about 2,500 years old, 00:21:33.12\00:21:35.69 it says, the people of the ruler 00:21:35.72\00:21:38.56 who will come, 00:21:38.59\00:21:39.93 the people of the prince who will come. 00:21:39.96\00:21:42.03 Now the prince was Titus. 00:21:42.06\00:21:44.87 In 70 AD, Titus tried to save 00:21:44.90\00:21:47.54 the Jewish city of Jerusalem. 00:21:47.57\00:21:49.90 The city had been surrounded for months 00:21:49.94\00:21:51.67 and months and months. 00:21:51.71\00:21:53.04 There were hundreds of thousands of Jewish people 00:21:53.07\00:21:55.08 inside the city of Jerusalem. 00:21:55.11\00:21:56.64 It was chaos. 00:21:56.68\00:21:58.61 The people were dying of starvation. 00:21:58.65\00:22:00.72 There was a civil war that was raging. 00:22:00.75\00:22:03.49 And Titus eventually broke down the walls 00:22:03.52\00:22:05.72 of Jerusalem exactly 00:22:05.75\00:22:07.09 as the prophecy predicted. 00:22:07.12\00:22:10.53 But some of the Roman soldiers 00:22:10.56\00:22:13.19 just caught up in the passion of warfare, 00:22:13.23\00:22:15.96 rushed to the Jewish temple, and they decided 00:22:16.00\00:22:18.93 that they were going to destroy the Jewish temple. 00:22:18.97\00:22:21.00 In fact, they took flaming torches, 00:22:21.04\00:22:23.51 and they threw them into the Jewish temple. 00:22:23.54\00:22:26.94 But Titus rushed down to the Jewish temple, 00:22:26.98\00:22:29.44 because he said, 00:22:29.48\00:22:30.81 this is the temple of Almighty God, 00:22:30.85\00:22:32.68 this is the temple of Yahweh. 00:22:32.71\00:22:34.65 And he said to the Roman soldiers, 00:22:34.68\00:22:36.82 "You must spare the Jewish temple. 00:22:36.85\00:22:38.95 It is the temple of Almighty God.' 00:22:38.99\00:22:43.36 But strangely, miraculously, 00:22:43.39\00:22:47.10 the Roman soldiers would not listen to Titus. 00:22:47.13\00:22:51.30 And the Roman soldiers rushed into the temple 00:22:51.33\00:22:53.64 and completely destroyed 00:22:53.67\00:22:55.00 and they burned it to the ground. 00:22:55.04\00:22:56.97 Titus did not destroy the temple, 00:22:57.01\00:22:58.77 he tried to destroy the temple, the Bible said 2,500 years ago. 00:22:58.81\00:23:02.88 The people of the prince, 00:23:02.91\00:23:06.01 the people of the prince, the Roman soldiers, 00:23:06.05\00:23:09.12 they shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. 00:23:09.15\00:23:12.09 The prophecy came to pass. 00:23:12.12\00:23:14.59 I believe in Holy Scripture 00:23:14.62\00:23:16.73 because of Bible prophecy and also 00:23:16.76\00:23:19.59 because of archaeological evidence. 00:23:19.63\00:23:22.20 It is not a case of blind faith, 00:23:22.23\00:23:24.03 it is a case of overwhelming evidence, 00:23:24.07\00:23:27.34 my friend. 00:23:27.37\00:23:30.34 "With so much evidence, 00:23:30.37\00:23:32.01 why do so many people 00:23:32.04\00:23:33.68 and scientists not read the Bible? 00:23:33.71\00:23:36.78 What is it that they do not understand 00:23:36.81\00:23:39.18 about Christians and Christianity?" 00:23:39.21\00:23:44.09 One of the most famous scientists 00:23:44.12\00:23:45.52 in the world is a guy 00:23:45.55\00:23:46.89 by the name of Richard Dawkins, 00:23:46.92\00:23:49.09 the professor from Oxford University. 00:23:49.12\00:23:52.26 He wrote the book, The God Delusion. 00:23:52.29\00:23:55.70 He says, "If you believe in God, 00:23:55.73\00:23:57.07 you are completely deluded. 00:23:57.10\00:23:58.97 Now, I'm not saying Richard Dawkins 00:23:59.00\00:24:00.44 is a dishonest person, not for one moment. 00:24:00.47\00:24:04.74 But I don't think Richard Dawkins 00:24:04.77\00:24:06.27 knows the evidence. 00:24:06.31\00:24:08.98 There is overwhelming evidence 00:24:09.01\00:24:10.68 why you can believe in the Bible 00:24:10.71\00:24:12.05 simply from the viewpoint of archaeology, 00:24:12.08\00:24:14.45 and the viewpoint of Bible prophecy. 00:24:14.48\00:24:16.12 I haven't scratched the surface today. 00:24:16.15\00:24:19.39 I can take you to heaps and heaps and heaps of places. 00:24:19.42\00:24:22.82 I am a firm believer, 00:24:22.86\00:24:24.36 I say not because of blind faith. 00:24:24.39\00:24:26.03 Richard Dawkins says, "You believers, you're crazy 00:24:26.06\00:24:28.43 because you just simply believe because of blind faith." 00:24:28.46\00:24:31.63 He says, "There's a difference between faith and evidence," 00:24:31.67\00:24:34.77 and that's where he gets it completely wrong. 00:24:34.80\00:24:38.27 Like the great professor from Oxford University, 00:24:38.31\00:24:42.51 Professor John Lennox, mathematician, 00:24:42.54\00:24:45.98 I believe that faith has to be built 00:24:46.01\00:24:49.85 upon truth and evidence. 00:24:49.88\00:24:52.52 I do not believe in blind faith. 00:24:52.55\00:24:55.62 I believe in an intelligent faith 00:24:55.66\00:24:57.73 that rests upon the pillars of truth, 00:24:57.76\00:25:01.20 and the pillars of evidence 00:25:01.23\00:25:04.07 that can be tested. 00:25:04.10\00:25:07.44 Let me give you just a little bit of evidence, 00:25:07.47\00:25:10.01 departing for a moment for... 00:25:10.04\00:25:12.27 departing from the field of biblical archaeology. 00:25:12.31\00:25:14.91 Let's just talk about science for a moment. 00:25:14.94\00:25:18.51 Now, the idea that all the scientists in the world 00:25:18.55\00:25:20.55 are unbelievers is absolutely false. 00:25:20.58\00:25:23.39 I know heaps and heaps of world rate scientists 00:25:23.42\00:25:27.06 who have complete faith in God, 00:25:27.09\00:25:29.12 and they believe in Jesus. 00:25:29.16\00:25:31.49 And they don't have a blind faith. 00:25:31.53\00:25:33.86 They have a faith that is based upon evidence. 00:25:33.90\00:25:36.36 Now the greatest statement that was ever made, 00:25:36.40\00:25:39.13 I believe, is Genesis 1:1. 00:25:39.17\00:25:42.90 Now most people can say it off by heart. 00:25:42.94\00:25:44.94 "In the beginning, 00:25:44.97\00:25:46.31 God created the heavens in the earth." 00:25:46.34\00:25:48.84 The Bible teaches that the heavens and the earth, 00:25:48.88\00:25:51.08 all the universe had a beginning. 00:25:51.11\00:25:54.38 Are you with me? 00:25:54.42\00:25:56.62 Up until about 60 years ago, or 70 years ago, 00:25:56.65\00:26:00.92 almost all the scientific community 00:26:00.96\00:26:02.82 did not believe that the universe 00:26:02.86\00:26:04.73 had a beginning. 00:26:04.76\00:26:06.39 You say to me, no, you... 00:26:06.43\00:26:08.06 You can't be telling me the truth here. 00:26:08.10\00:26:10.07 Absolutely. 00:26:10.10\00:26:12.47 Scientists believed in the eternity of matter. 00:26:12.50\00:26:16.77 They did not believe that there was a point in time 00:26:16.81\00:26:21.78 when the universe came into being. 00:26:21.81\00:26:25.78 In the 1950s, and the 1960s, and the 1970s, 00:26:25.81\00:26:30.39 scientists discovered that 00:26:30.42\00:26:31.99 there was overwhelming evidence to support 00:26:32.02\00:26:35.36 Genesis 1:1 that says, "In the beginning, 00:26:35.39\00:26:39.33 God created the heavens and the earth." 00:26:39.36\00:26:43.10 I listened to a remarkable program 00:26:43.13\00:26:44.77 sometime back on PBS, 00:26:44.80\00:26:46.37 it was called the Echo of Creation. 00:26:46.40\00:26:51.47 Scientists have discovered with their listening devices 00:26:51.51\00:26:56.11 that are out there in space, there is a murmur, 00:26:56.14\00:27:00.75 there is an echo. 00:27:00.78\00:27:03.69 It is the echo of that cataclysmic, 00:27:03.72\00:27:08.46 amazing creative event. 00:27:08.49\00:27:11.39 Scientists call it the Big Bang. 00:27:11.43\00:27:13.26 I don't care what you want to call it. 00:27:13.29\00:27:15.96 But scientists say now, "Yes, the universe had a beginning." 00:27:16.00\00:27:21.27 That's exactly what the Bible says. 00:27:21.30\00:27:23.77 Have you ever thought about this? 00:27:23.81\00:27:26.51 The whole of the scientific world, 00:27:26.54\00:27:29.14 virtually every one of them except believers 00:27:29.18\00:27:32.58 had got it wrong. 00:27:32.61\00:27:35.32 They had got it wrong. 00:27:35.35\00:27:38.09 The Bible was right. 00:27:38.12\00:27:39.49 And the whole scientific, 00:27:39.52\00:27:40.92 almost the whole scientific organization, 00:27:40.96\00:27:43.89 including the Richard Dawkins were wrong. 00:27:43.93\00:27:48.86 I believe in Scripture, not because of blind faith, 00:27:48.90\00:27:52.73 but because of the evidence. 00:27:52.77\00:27:55.00 So I say to you today, my friend, 00:27:55.04\00:27:57.91 this is John Carter from his home, 00:27:57.94\00:28:00.11 saying it's been good talking to you today. 00:28:00.14\00:28:02.24 But my message to you is this, 00:28:02.28\00:28:04.68 believe in the God who believes in you. 00:28:04.71\00:28:08.48 For a copy of today's program, please contact us 00:28:21.60\00:28:24.67 at P.O. Box 1900, Thousand Oaks, 00:28:24.70\00:28:27.84 California 91358. 00:28:27.87\00:28:31.34 Or in Australia, contact us at 00:28:31.37\00:28:33.98 P.O. Box 861, Terrigal, 00:28:34.01\00:28:37.21 New South Wales 2260. 00:28:37.25\00:28:40.68 This program is made possible 00:28:40.72\00:28:42.52 through the generous support of viewers like you. 00:28:42.55\00:28:45.49 We thank you for your continued support. 00:28:45.52\00:28:48.52 May God richly bless you. 00:28:48.56\00:28:50.29