Welcome to The
Search for Certainty.
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It's good to see
you here again today
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and I'm looking forward
to enjoying this journey
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on this five part series,
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as we discover the certainty
that we can have in God's word
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in these uncertain
times that we're living.
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Today's subject is entitled
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"How to Face Today's Social
and Economic Uncertainty."
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And I don't need to remind you,
don't need to remind any of us
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that we are living in
a time of great social
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and in particular
economic uncertainty.
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Well today, we want to begin
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by going to the
ancient city of Pompeii.
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I don't know how many of
you've had the opportunity to go
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to that ancient city of Pompeii,
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there located
in Southeast Italy,
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couple of hundred
kilometers away from Rome,
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had the opportunity in 2010
with a bunch of other ministers
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to go to Italy and in particular
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to go to Pompeii.
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It's a fascinating city,
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because up until 250 years
ago or so it remained buried.
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It was buried by
the volcano eruption
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that took place in 79
AD when Mount Vesuvius,
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this mountain that
overlooks the city of Pompeii
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buried the city in
three meters of ash.
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And so today when you
go to the city of Pompeii
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it's like stepping back in time.
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The city has
been so well preserved
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and I just have a few
photos here to show you
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that I was able to take.
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There is the forum
in the city of Pompeii,
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here is another photo
showing the bathhouses.
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As you can see they
are so well preserved,
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even though we are
talking 2000 years ago.
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And the reason is as
I shared Mount Vesuvius
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which we can see
there in the background,
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Mount Vesuvius had
erupted a number of times
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and so the
citizens of Pompeii were
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well aware of this mountain,
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this volcanic,
active volcanic mountain.
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However not too many took
very serious note in 79 AD
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when Mount Vesuvius blew its top
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like at no
other time in history.
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Sadly this was the
response of most of the citizens
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as they watched the smoke
pouring out of Mount Vesuvius
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in the days leading up
to the volcanic eruption
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there in 79 AD.
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One historian noted
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this response
from the people "...
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the sighting of a
column of smoke...
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triggered a response more
of curiosity than of alarm"
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and sadly thousands
and thousands were buried
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and it was kind
of eerie, very eerie,
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very sober to look
at some of these images.
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Here is one image that
you can see of individuals
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who were buried
by this volcanic ash
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that descended upon
the city of Pompeii.
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A very wealthy city,
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a very prominent city there
in the Roman Empire 20, 000
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or so people lived in the city
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and that might not seem
like a lot to you and me today
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living in these millions
and millions of people city,
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however it was quite a
lot in the ancient time.
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This is in particular very
sad picture here of a woman
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who apparently was
giving birth at the time.
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This is the woman
and she was buried
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and she realized that
there was no way to go.
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The volcanic ash came
suddenly and the volcano lava
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came at over a
100 kilometers an hour
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and engulfed the city
of Pompeii in a vast area
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that surrounded
the city of Pompeii.
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As I think of what
took place there in Pompeii,
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I cannot help, but
think of what Jesus warned us
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there in the Bible
concerning the times
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that you and I
would be living in.
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In our previous
presentation we discovered
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that Jesus gave us
signs, a number of signs
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that would help us to know
when his coming would be near,
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even at the doors.
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Unlike the people of
Pompeii, it is my prayer,
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my earnest prayer that we
will heed these signs of love.
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These signs sharing with
us the times we're living in
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and how we can prepare.
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Not all lost their
lives in the city of Pompeii,
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there were some
that heeded the warnings
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that the mountain was
sharing with the population
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and their lives were spared.
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We want to again go
to the words of Jesus
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as we go to that
ancient city of Jerusalem.
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And in this city we
are going to discover
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that Jesus shared a
very powerful message.
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But before we do as always,
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what do we need to do
before we open up God's word?
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We need to pray, so
that's what we'll do.
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Father in heaven, once
again we want to ask and pray
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that you'll be with us,
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we pray that as we
open up your holy word
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that you have given to us,
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that you will open up
our minds and our hearts
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that we may be
willing and ready to receive
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these beautiful
truths from your word
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to prepare us for
the soon return of Jesus,
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for this is our prayer
in Jesus' name, amen, amen.
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Well, I want to
begin with the question,
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a very important question
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and I shared this in
our very first presentation,
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but I do want to restate
this right from the get go,
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right at the outset
of this presentation.
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The question is,
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will knowing the signs
of Jesus' coming save us?
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Do you remember
what I said earlier?
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No, no.
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Notice what
Jesus said in John 17:3
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"And this is eternal
life, that they may know You,
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the only true
God, and Jesus Christ,
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whom You have sent."
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So Jesus here
makes it very clear
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that the only way we are saved
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is through a
relationship with Jesus,
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is by knowing Jesus,
not by knowing the signs,
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you can know all the signs
in the world and still be lost.
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But those signs are
designed to drawer us to Jesus
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and by knowing Jesus,
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we then can have the assurance
of eternal life in him.
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Well, then why did
Jesus give us so many signs?
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Why did he spend so much time
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in the scriptures
signs concerning his coming?
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Why did he give
us all these signs
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and he asked us to watch?
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Notice what we
find in John 14:29,
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"And now I have
told you before it comes,
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that when it does come
to pass, you may" what,
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"you may believe."
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So the whole purpose,
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the main purpose
of giving us the signs
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that he did was to enable us
to come to a point of belief,
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to believe in Jesus.
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And according to John
3:16 that wonderful scripture
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that almost the
entire Christian world knows
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and many others besides,
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John 3:16 says " For
God so loved the world,
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that he gave his
only begotten Son,
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that whosoever what,
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believes in him
should not perish,
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but have everlasting life."
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So the whole purpose
of the signs of the times
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that Jesus gave was
that we may have faith
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and trust in him
that as we see the things
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that Jesus
shared 2000 years ago,
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coming to pass
before our very eyes,
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that they may bring
us to a point of belief
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and trust in God's word.
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And if we can trust God,
if we can trust his word,
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we can trust our
lives into his hands,
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his safe and secured hands.
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And so that is the main purpose
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why God has given us
signs to help us believe.
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Notice what Jesus
said in Luke 21:34,
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"But take heed to yourselves,
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lest your hearts be
weighed down with carousing,
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drunkenness, and
the cares of this life,
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and that day,
speaking of the second coming,
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come on you unexpectedly.
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For it will come as
a snare for all those
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who dwell on the
face of the whole earth.
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Watch therefore,
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and pray always that you
may be counted worthy to escape
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all these things
that will come to pass,
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and to stand
before the Son of Man."
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Notice Jesus
over and over again,
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as we discovered in
our last presentation,
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he says watch, watch, why?
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So that we may be able to stand
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when Jesus comes
that we may be prepared,
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that we may be
ready for his soon return.
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That is the reason why Jesus
has given us all these signs.
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So let's review,
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let's take a look at what
we have looked at thus far.
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We have discovered
that Jesus gave us signs
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in the political world.
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Secondly, we discovered
that Jesus also gave us signs
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in the world of nature.
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Today, we want to take a look
at signs in the social world
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as well as signs
in the economic world.
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We want to begin with
signs in the social world,
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the things that are
happening around us in society.
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Notice what Jesus
said in Matthew 24:37,
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"But as the days of Noah were,
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so also will the
coming of the Son of Man be."
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So Jesus told us very clearly
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that as it was
in the days of Noah,
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it will be the same in the world
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just before Jesus comes.
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Now what was it
like in the days of Noah?
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There were many
things that were going on
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but I've just put
down a few key points.
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Firstly it was
business as usual,
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it was she'll be
right mate kind of world
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in the days of Noah,
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and those who are in Australia
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are well familiar
with she'll be right mate,
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those of you who are watching
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and you're from
another part of the world,
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she'll be right means it
was just business as usual,
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carrying on every day
the same as the previous day
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and so on and so forth.
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Jesus went on
in verse 38 and 39,
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"For as in the
days before the flood,
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they were eating and drinking,
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marrying and giving in marriage,
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until the day that
Noah entered the ark,
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and did not know
until the flood came
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and took them all away,
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so also will the
coming of the Son of Man be."
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Now the life was
going on as it was always,
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just like in
the city of Pompeii,
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people were going about
their as they always had,
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and then all of the
sudden, Mount Vesuvius erupted
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and it was all over in a
matter of few short minutes.
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Jesus is saying as it
was in the days of Noah,
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so will be just before he comes,
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life will be
carrying on business as usual.
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I find these words
fascinating where Jesus says
00:11:01.52\00:11:04.63
and they did not
know until the flood came
00:11:04.66\00:11:06.86
and took them all away.
00:11:06.90\00:11:08.23
Did the people
of Noah's day know
00:11:08.26\00:11:10.23
that there was a flood coming?
00:11:10.27\00:11:11.73
Absolutely.
00:11:11.77\00:11:13.10
God had raised up Noah
00:11:13.13\00:11:15.27
who preached
according to the Book of Peter
00:11:15.30\00:11:18.14
in the New
Testament for 120 years
00:11:18.17\00:11:20.91
Peter was
preaching day in and day out,
00:11:20.94\00:11:23.51
that there was a flood coming,
00:11:23.55\00:11:24.88
and the only safety was
in the ark, the animals,
00:11:24.91\00:11:28.15
the Bible tells us were
making their way into the ark
00:11:28.18\00:11:31.92
just prior to the
flood, two by two.
00:11:31.95\00:11:34.46
Incredible.
00:11:34.49\00:11:35.89
And the people
watched all these signs
00:11:35.92\00:11:38.53
and yet they
continued on business as usual.
00:11:38.56\00:11:44.87
The second thing
I want to point out
00:11:44.90\00:11:46.94
from the days of
Noah is that the earth
00:11:46.97\00:11:49.57
was filled with
violence and corruption.
00:11:49.60\00:11:53.07
Notice what the Bible tells us
00:11:53.11\00:11:55.91
in Genesis 16:11
concerning the days of Noah,
00:11:55.94\00:12:00.05
"The earth also
was corrupt before God,
00:12:00.08\00:12:02.95
and the earth was
filled with violence."
00:12:02.98\00:12:05.99
Do we live in a world today
that is filled with violence?
00:12:06.02\00:12:10.26
Absolutely, there is
violence everywhere, isn't it?
00:12:10.29\00:12:12.56
There is violence on TV,
00:12:12.59\00:12:14.56
there is violence
on the sporting field,
00:12:14.60\00:12:17.50
there are violent video games,
00:12:17.53\00:12:19.33
there are violent movies,
00:12:19.37\00:12:20.94
sadly there is even
violence in the home.
00:12:20.97\00:12:23.87
Today we live in a
world filled with violence,
00:12:23.91\00:12:27.48
we live in a world
filled with corruption.
00:12:27.51\00:12:29.64
Corruption is everywhere sadly.
00:12:29.68\00:12:33.08
Notice what else
Jesus had to say.
00:12:33.11\00:12:35.45
In Matthew 24:12,
00:12:35.48\00:12:37.45
"And because
lawlessness will abound,
00:12:37.49\00:12:40.29
the love of
many will grow cold."
00:12:40.32\00:12:42.12
Lawlessness, is there such
a thing as lawlessness today?
00:12:42.16\00:12:47.40
Absolutely, there is
great lawlessness today.
00:12:47.43\00:12:51.53
What is lawlessness?
00:12:51.57\00:12:52.90
Lawlessness is the
opposite to lawfulness.
00:12:52.93\00:12:56.67
What's lawfulness?
00:12:56.71\00:12:58.04
Lawfulness is people
who are law-abiding citizens
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and the majority,
00:13:01.24\00:13:02.58
I thank God are
law-abiding citizens
00:13:02.61\00:13:05.08
but more and more,
there is lawlessness.
00:13:05.11\00:13:08.35
Jesus went on...
00:13:08.38\00:13:10.45
Before we get to
what Jesus said next,
00:13:10.49\00:13:12.59
notice what Arnold Toynbee,
who is a professor of history,
00:13:12.62\00:13:18.23
he wrote this epic
series A Study of History:
00:13:18.26\00:13:22.43
Why do they
Disintegrate and Collapse?
00:13:22.46\00:13:24.90
He wrote these
series of 17 volumes
00:13:24.93\00:13:29.47
documenting the rise and
fall of a number of empires,
00:13:29.50\00:13:34.28
19 or 21 empires altogether
that have grown to prominence
00:13:34.31\00:13:41.05
and then they
have finally succumbed
00:13:41.08\00:13:43.49
and they are no longer with us.
00:13:43.52\00:13:46.86
And the number one reason
00:13:46.89\00:13:48.86
according to
Professor Arnold Toynbee
00:13:48.89\00:13:51.49
why civilizations
disintegrate and collapse
00:13:51.53\00:13:57.40
is because lawlessness
leads to destruction.
00:13:57.43\00:14:00.94
Lawlessness
leads to destruction.
00:14:00.97\00:14:02.80
So the more and more lawlessness
00:14:02.84\00:14:04.91
we find in our world,
00:14:04.94\00:14:06.78
the greater the destruction
that will be taking place,
00:14:06.81\00:14:10.48
that is based on history,
00:14:10.51\00:14:11.85
that is based on
previous civilizations
00:14:11.88\00:14:14.22
that have gone before us.
00:14:14.25\00:14:16.18
This is a picture of two of
my favorite people in the world.
00:14:16.22\00:14:19.75
These are two of...
00:14:19.79\00:14:21.12
some of my favorite
people in the world.
00:14:21.16\00:14:22.49
Can anyone guess
who they might be?
00:14:22.52\00:14:24.93
Yes, they're my grandparents,
00:14:24.96\00:14:27.13
they're my grandparents.
00:14:27.16\00:14:28.63
And in this year my
grandparents celebrated
00:14:28.66\00:14:31.80
70 years of marriage.
00:14:31.83\00:14:34.24
Isn't that incredible?
70 years of marriage.
00:14:34.27\00:14:38.51
Those numbers you
see there on the cake,
00:14:38.54\00:14:41.04
that was when we celebrated
00:14:41.08\00:14:42.41
their 84th and
their 83rd birthday.
00:14:42.44\00:14:44.81
In case you're wondering,
what those numbers mean.
00:14:44.85\00:14:48.45
That was a few years ago.
00:14:48.48\00:14:50.75
Grandma now is 88,
and granddaddy is 87
00:14:50.79\00:14:54.36
so she was 18 and he was 17
00:14:54.39\00:14:57.69
when they got
married in Macedonia
00:14:57.73\00:15:00.00
all those years ago.
00:15:00.03\00:15:01.96
When I talk to my grandparents,
00:15:02.00\00:15:04.03
and I love to
spend time with them,
00:15:04.07\00:15:05.43
they live down in Melbourne,
so there's a bit of a distance,
00:15:05.47\00:15:07.84
but every time I go down there,
00:15:07.87\00:15:09.74
I always seek to spend at
least a day or two or more
00:15:09.77\00:15:12.57
if I can with them.
00:15:12.61\00:15:13.94
And I love to talk
with my grandparents
00:15:13.98\00:15:16.28
and find out what
life was like in their day.
00:15:16.31\00:15:19.35
What was it like growing up
in their village as a teenager,
00:15:19.38\00:15:22.68
in their early 20s
and so on so forth?
00:15:22.72\00:15:25.22
And when I talk
to my grandparents,
00:15:25.25\00:15:27.69
apart from them not having
electricity in the village,
00:15:27.72\00:15:30.86
apart from them
not having telephones,
00:15:30.89\00:15:33.29
apart from them not
having our whole bunch of things
00:15:33.33\00:15:35.76
that we have today,
life was so, so different,
00:15:35.80\00:15:40.00
especially in
the area of morality.
00:15:40.04\00:15:43.14
Some of the things
that are happening today,
00:15:43.17\00:15:45.27
my grandmother and grandfather,
00:15:45.31\00:15:46.71
they just cannot
get their heads around.
00:15:46.74\00:15:48.91
The way life was back then,
00:15:48.94\00:15:50.91
the morals and the values
00:15:50.95\00:15:53.11
that were rock
solid back in their day,
00:15:53.15\00:15:56.69
back in their society
00:15:56.72\00:15:58.25
they might as well have
lived the 1000 years ago
00:15:58.29\00:16:00.69
compared to the
way we live today
00:16:00.72\00:16:02.92
and the way society is today
00:16:02.96\00:16:04.69
and the things
that are viewed as okay,
00:16:04.73\00:16:08.16
and the things that are I
guess are viewed as not okay.
00:16:08.20\00:16:13.70
Notice what Jesus
went on and said, he said,
00:16:13.74\00:16:16.77
"Because
lawlessness will abound,
00:16:16.81\00:16:18.71
the love of many will grow cold.
00:16:18.74\00:16:21.81
The love of
many will grow cold."
00:16:21.84\00:16:24.28
Sadly today the love
of many is growing cold.
00:16:24.31\00:16:27.52
Sadly today the divorce rate,
I don't need to remind you,
00:16:27.55\00:16:31.79
the tragedy of the divorce
rate were almost one in two
00:16:31.82\00:16:36.62
here in Australia
and in some countries
00:16:36.66\00:16:38.69
it's even greater.
00:16:38.73\00:16:40.56
One in two that say
I do come to the point
00:16:40.60\00:16:42.86
where they say I no
longer, I no longer do.
00:16:42.90\00:16:47.77
Sadly as we know the
children are the ones
00:16:47.80\00:16:50.04
that are caught
up in the crossfire
00:16:50.07\00:16:53.31
and it's devastating,
it's terrible, it's terrible,
00:16:53.34\00:16:57.71
divorce and
separation and all the ills
00:16:57.75\00:17:02.15
that are associated
with families disintegrating.
00:17:02.18\00:17:06.76
I find that today we're
living in a very immoral world,
00:17:06.79\00:17:10.79
in a very immoral world,
00:17:10.83\00:17:12.16
and let me put to
you based on what I see,
00:17:12.19\00:17:15.66
based on what Danny sees
00:17:15.70\00:17:17.37
and I haven't been
around for a long time.
00:17:17.40\00:17:19.67
I've been around for some
40 odd years, 45 to be exact.
00:17:19.70\00:17:24.27
But based on the
way I see the world
00:17:24.31\00:17:26.88
and what I have seen,
this is what I've witnessed,
00:17:26.91\00:17:30.45
and this is what I want
to put to you here today.
00:17:30.48\00:17:33.85
The Downward Spiral of Morality,
00:17:33.88\00:17:36.15
firstly immoral acts,
they are first abhorred,
00:17:36.18\00:17:40.26
then they are tolerated,
00:17:40.29\00:17:42.12
then they are finally accepted
00:17:42.16\00:17:44.76
and then finally
they are defended.
00:17:44.79\00:17:48.73
Are we living
in a day like this?
00:17:48.76\00:17:51.23
We absolutely are.
00:17:51.27\00:17:52.87
Where once upon a time
00:17:52.90\00:17:54.24
something that I just
would not even be spoken of,
00:17:54.27\00:17:57.07
little I'm practiced,
00:17:57.11\00:17:58.44
today that is not only accepted,
00:17:58.47\00:18:00.41
but today it is defended.
00:18:00.44\00:18:02.41
And sadly even in
Christian circles,
00:18:02.44\00:18:05.38
even Christian
leaders today are promoting,
00:18:05.41\00:18:09.02
are condoning practices
00:18:09.05\00:18:11.25
that are clearly in
opposition to God's word.
00:18:11.29\00:18:14.66
You see God has
given us all the principles
00:18:14.69\00:18:17.89
for how we can enjoy healthy
and prosperous relationships,
00:18:17.93\00:18:21.86
how we can have a
healthy and prosperous society.
00:18:21.90\00:18:24.80
They are all
found here in his word.
00:18:24.83\00:18:27.07
In particular they are
found in the Ten Commandments,
00:18:27.10\00:18:31.34
the very first commandment
invites us to put God first,
00:18:31.37\00:18:36.58
what has society done with God,
00:18:36.61\00:18:38.88
it's throwing God out
the window altogether.
00:18:38.91\00:18:42.98
The very first commandment
00:18:43.02\00:18:44.69
dealing with our
relationships with one another.
00:18:44.72\00:18:47.76
Commandment
number five deals with
00:18:47.79\00:18:49.36
honoring your
mother and your father,
00:18:49.39\00:18:51.43
deals with the family unit.
00:18:51.46\00:18:53.26
God has been
thrown out the window,
00:18:53.29\00:18:55.06
and today sadly the
bedrock of any society,
00:18:55.10\00:18:58.67
the family is
under great attack,
00:18:58.70\00:19:02.40
and today sadly the
family is disintegrating
00:19:02.44\00:19:05.87
and as goes the
family so goes society.
00:19:05.91\00:19:09.91
That's the time
that we are living in.
00:19:09.94\00:19:12.35
Today the things
that are permissible,
00:19:12.38\00:19:15.58
once upon a time
were not even dreamed of.
00:19:15.62\00:19:17.92
I remember reading in
some book or some article
00:19:17.95\00:19:22.62
that the first time
00:19:22.66\00:19:23.99
Hollywood decided to take
their cameras into the bedroom
00:19:24.03\00:19:27.66
to view a husband and a wife
00:19:27.70\00:19:29.83
sitting in bed reading together,
00:19:29.86\00:19:32.00
there was an
outcry, an outcry, why?
00:19:32.03\00:19:35.34
What right does Hollywood
00:19:35.37\00:19:37.11
have to bring their
cameras into a bedroom
00:19:37.14\00:19:40.18
to videotape husband
and wife in their pajamas,
00:19:40.21\00:19:44.05
sitting in bed?
00:19:44.08\00:19:46.01
Where do Hollywood
cameras go in today?
00:19:46.05\00:19:48.75
Well, the sky is the
limit, isn't that right?
00:19:48.78\00:19:51.32
Things have completely changed.
00:19:51.35\00:19:54.06
Notice what Isaiah 5:20 says,
00:19:54.09\00:19:58.26
"Woe to those who call
evil good, and good evil,
00:19:58.29\00:20:01.96
Who put darkness for
light, and light for darkness,
00:20:02.00\00:20:04.70
Who put bitter for
sweet, and sweet for bitter!"
00:20:04.73\00:20:07.17
That is so...
00:20:07.20\00:20:10.74
That is so, so, so,
so what it's like today,
00:20:10.77\00:20:15.91
that describes I should say,
00:20:15.94\00:20:17.41
that describes
what it's like today,
00:20:17.45\00:20:20.12
what life is like today
those who plays evil for good,
00:20:20.15\00:20:24.15
and good for evil.
00:20:24.19\00:20:26.72
I don't know if you're familiar
00:20:26.76\00:20:28.09
with this historical
work of Edward Gibbon,
00:20:28.12\00:20:33.09
he wrote this just
over 200 years ago,
00:20:33.13\00:20:35.53
the Decline and
Fall of the Roman Empire.
00:20:35.56\00:20:39.47
Now I want to share with you
00:20:39.50\00:20:40.84
what Edward Gibbon had to
say regarding the reasons,
00:20:40.87\00:20:44.77
the main reasons for the decline
00:20:44.81\00:20:46.98
and fall of the Roman Empire.
00:20:47.01\00:20:48.81
Here they are, the
five major reasons,
00:20:48.84\00:20:51.21
there are others but these
are the five major reasons,
00:20:51.25\00:20:53.88
and I've
summarized them in my words.
00:20:53.92\00:20:56.05
"There was a rapid
increase of divorce,
00:20:56.08\00:20:58.49
with the
undermining of the family unit
00:20:58.52\00:21:00.49
which is the basic foundation
00:21:00.52\00:21:01.92
for a healthy and
prosperous society.
00:21:01.96\00:21:03.89
There were
higher and higher taxes.
00:21:03.93\00:21:06.16
There was a mad craze
for pleasure and sports.
00:21:06.19\00:21:09.83
The building of
gigantic armaments,
00:21:09.86\00:21:12.57
when the real enemy was within,
the decadence of the people.
00:21:12.60\00:21:15.87
And finally the
decay of religion
00:21:15.90\00:21:18.07
where faith had
faded into a mere form."
00:21:18.11\00:21:21.58
Does that
describe our day today?
00:21:21.61\00:21:24.31
These were some
of the major reasons
00:21:24.35\00:21:26.28
that brought down
the mighty Roman Empire
00:21:26.31\00:21:28.88
that ruled then known
word for some six centuries.
00:21:28.92\00:21:32.09
That is a carbon
copy of our society today.
00:21:32.12\00:21:36.02
What did Jesus say?
00:21:36.06\00:21:37.39
Lawlessness will what?
00:21:37.43\00:21:39.36
Lawlessness will abound,
and the love of many will what?
00:21:39.39\00:21:42.66
Grow cold.
00:21:42.70\00:21:44.03
And that is clearly
00:21:44.07\00:21:46.10
what we are
witnessing today in our society.
00:21:46.13\00:21:50.91
What else was
taking place in Noah's Day?
00:21:50.94\00:21:54.28
Notice there was a
population explosion.
00:21:54.31\00:21:57.58
Notice what the
Bible says in Genesis 6:1,
00:21:57.61\00:22:01.12
"And it came to pass,
00:22:01.15\00:22:02.48
when men began to multiply
on the face of the earth,
00:22:02.52\00:22:05.25
and daughters
were born unto them."
00:22:05.29\00:22:06.89
So there was a
population explosion,
00:22:06.92\00:22:08.82
there was a
multiplication of the population
00:22:08.86\00:22:12.53
in Noah's Day.
00:22:12.56\00:22:14.56
Have a look at where
our population graph is.
00:22:14.60\00:22:18.13
For thousands of
years from the time of Noah
00:22:18.17\00:22:22.74
and his flood about
2,500 years before Christ,
00:22:22.77\00:22:26.27
all the way through to
the beginning of the 1800
00:22:26.31\00:22:30.15
so almost 4,500 years of time,
00:22:30.18\00:22:33.18
the population remain steady,
as you can see by that graph.
00:22:33.21\00:22:37.32
But then all of a
sudden, we moved to 1800
00:22:37.35\00:22:40.62
and the population
began to grow exponentially.
00:22:40.66\00:22:46.29
And as you can see
that line is going upward
00:22:46.33\00:22:50.57
very, very
dramatically, isn't that right?
00:22:50.60\00:22:54.14
We are up to over
almost 7.5 billion people.
00:22:54.17\00:22:59.97
And so this is
another clear sign,
00:23:00.01\00:23:02.68
another clear evidence that
the coming of Jesus is near.
00:23:02.71\00:23:06.72
As we shared in
our previous program,
00:23:06.75\00:23:08.82
the signs of Jesus'
coming are important,
00:23:08.85\00:23:13.22
in that Jesus gave the
analogy of the labor pains.
00:23:13.25\00:23:17.03
You remember the labor pains?
00:23:17.06\00:23:18.39
And those labor pains as we know
00:23:18.43\00:23:19.96
before the coming of Jesus,
before the birth of the baby,
00:23:20.00\00:23:23.40
those labor pains,
00:23:23.43\00:23:24.77
they intensify in
frequency and severity.
00:23:24.80\00:23:28.74
And that is what we are
seeing with all these signs,
00:23:28.77\00:23:31.34
all the graphs
are heading north.
00:23:31.37\00:23:34.68
I find this
statement very interesting
00:23:34.71\00:23:37.35
from The Little Green Handbook
00:23:37.38\00:23:40.52
published in
2005 by Ron Nielson.
00:23:40.55\00:23:44.45
And this is what he wrote
00:23:44.49\00:23:46.05
concerning our
population explosion.
00:23:46.09\00:23:48.66
"The population
explosion came suddenly."
00:23:48.69\00:23:51.39
Notice the words
that he uses suddenly,
00:23:51.43\00:23:53.50
the words of Jesus in Luke 21.
00:23:53.53\00:23:56.20
"It took the world
by" what? "By surprise."
00:23:56.23\00:23:59.50
It shouldn't have
taken God's people
00:23:59.53\00:24:00.87
by surprise, should it?
00:24:00.90\00:24:02.34
Because we ought to have
known that this was coming.
00:24:02.37\00:24:05.67
"And we are still not sure
00:24:05.71\00:24:07.38
how to react or
how to it will end,
00:24:07.41\00:24:09.38
except that it will leave a
great deal of damage behind.
00:24:09.41\00:24:13.11
We are not even
sure of surviving it."
00:24:13.15\00:24:16.69
Writes Ron Nielson.
00:24:16.72\00:24:18.15
So this population explosion
00:24:18.19\00:24:20.29
has caught the
world by surprise,
00:24:20.32\00:24:22.86
and I don't need to remind you
00:24:22.89\00:24:24.56
that population is
especially exploding
00:24:24.59\00:24:28.10
in what part of the world?
00:24:28.13\00:24:29.76
The third world,
isn't that right?
00:24:29.80\00:24:31.13
The third world where
they don't have enough food
00:24:31.17\00:24:33.87
to feed those
that they already have
00:24:33.90\00:24:35.70
and so there is
a great explosion
00:24:35.74\00:24:38.01
there in the third world.
00:24:38.04\00:24:40.08
Notice what
else was taking place
00:24:40.11\00:24:41.74
during the days of Noah.
00:24:41.78\00:24:43.75
The Bible says there
were scoffers and skeptics.
00:24:43.78\00:24:47.92
Notice these
words from 2 Peter 3:3.
00:24:47.95\00:24:53.25
"Knowing this
first, writes Peter,
00:24:53.29\00:24:55.59
that scoffers will
come in the last days,
00:24:55.62\00:24:58.73
walking according
to their own lusts.
00:24:58.76\00:25:01.30
And saying, 'Where is
the promise of His coming?'
00:25:01.33\00:25:04.13
For since the
fathers fell asleep,
00:25:04.17\00:25:06.30
all things continue as they were
00:25:06.33\00:25:08.17
from the beginning of creation."
00:25:08.20\00:25:09.57
And as you read
these words from Peter,
00:25:09.60\00:25:11.91
you discover that
he is speaking of,
00:25:11.94\00:25:14.28
and the context is in
relation to the flood.
00:25:14.31\00:25:17.65
He's saying as it
was in the days of Noah,
00:25:17.68\00:25:20.48
people were
scoffing, they were like,
00:25:20.52\00:25:21.85
"Well, where is Jesus,
00:25:21.88\00:25:23.65
why hasn't he
arrived, where is he?"
00:25:23.69\00:25:26.19
And today we live in a world,
00:25:26.22\00:25:29.32
in a western world here
00:25:29.36\00:25:31.33
where religion has
been placed to the side,
00:25:31.36\00:25:34.46
isn't that right?
00:25:34.50\00:25:35.96
People are just not
interested in religion.
00:25:36.00\00:25:38.00
In fact here in Australia,
00:25:38.03\00:25:39.93
those of you who
are in Australia,
00:25:39.97\00:25:41.44
you will know that we
have just had our senses.
00:25:41.47\00:25:44.94
And when it comes to ticking
00:25:44.97\00:25:48.24
which religion you
may or may not be part of
00:25:48.28\00:25:51.41
for the first
time in our senses,
00:25:51.45\00:25:53.55
that no religion box was placed
at the top of that question,
00:25:53.58\00:25:58.45
for good reason.
00:25:58.49\00:26:00.16
Because those who
are not interested
00:26:00.19\00:26:02.39
in any religion,
they wanted to ensure that
00:26:02.42\00:26:05.29
their box
received the most votes.
00:26:05.33\00:26:07.50
And so today
we're living in a day
00:26:07.53\00:26:09.76
where more and more people claim
00:26:09.80\00:26:11.97
they don't have a religion,
00:26:12.00\00:26:13.34
more and more people
claim they have no need of God
00:26:13.37\00:26:16.20
or they don't believe in God.
00:26:16.24\00:26:18.41
That doesn't mean
people are not interested
00:26:18.44\00:26:20.28
in the supernatural.
00:26:20.31\00:26:21.84
As we're all aware,
books like Harry Potter,
00:26:21.88\00:26:24.75
movies like Lord of the Rings
00:26:24.78\00:26:26.48
and Star Wars are more
popular today than ever,
00:26:26.51\00:26:29.05
isn't that right?
00:26:29.08\00:26:30.42
But people just have no
interest in this book here,
00:26:30.45\00:26:33.92
they have no
interest in the word of God,
00:26:33.96\00:26:36.56
they have no
interest in the things of God,
00:26:36.59\00:26:39.26
but they are
interested in the dramatic
00:26:39.29\00:26:42.76
and the interesting
00:26:42.80\00:26:44.13
and the sensational supernatural
00:26:44.17\00:26:46.53
which Hollywood is
pumping out each and every day.
00:26:46.57\00:26:50.41
Now why hasn't Jesus come?
00:26:50.44\00:26:52.24
Why does he delay his coming?
00:26:52.27\00:26:55.18
Notice what Peter goes on
and he says in 2 Peter 3:9,
00:26:55.21\00:27:00.25
"For the Lord is not
slack concerning His promise,
00:27:00.28\00:27:03.02
as some count slackness,
but is longsuffering toward us,
00:27:03.05\00:27:06.39
not willing that
any should perish
00:27:06.42\00:27:08.19
but that all
should come to" what?
00:27:08.22\00:27:10.03
"Repentance." So why
hasn't Jesus come yet?
00:27:10.06\00:27:13.60
He hasn't come yet,
00:27:13.63\00:27:15.23
because he's still
waiting for more people
00:27:15.26\00:27:18.83
to give their
lives to him to repent,
00:27:18.87\00:27:21.00
to turn from
where they are heading
00:27:21.04\00:27:24.87
to turn to the kingdom of
God instead of being lost.
00:27:24.91\00:27:29.34
Jesus invites all to be saved.
00:27:29.38\00:27:31.51
That's the reason why
Jesus hasn't come yet.
00:27:31.55\00:27:34.12
He is waiting for those
to repent, but the truth is,
00:27:34.15\00:27:38.32
the truth is that Jesus
will come, he will come,
00:27:38.35\00:27:42.36
the flood did come.
00:27:42.39\00:27:44.49
Noah preached for 120
years and the flood did come.
00:27:44.53\00:27:49.56
God is patient, God is merciful,
00:27:49.60\00:27:51.90
God is long suffering,
00:27:51.93\00:27:53.27
but the day will come when
God will say enough is enough,
00:27:53.30\00:27:57.54
enough of this
sickness, enough of the sorrow,
00:27:57.57\00:28:00.01
enough of the suffering,
00:28:00.04\00:28:01.38
it's time to
bring my people home,
00:28:01.41\00:28:03.78
it's time to bring those home
00:28:03.81\00:28:05.61
that have put their
faith and trust in me.
00:28:05.65\00:28:10.79
I want to go now to the
signs in the economic world.
00:28:10.82\00:28:14.42
Signs in the economic world,
00:28:14.46\00:28:16.66
we've looked at signs
in the political world,
00:28:16.69\00:28:18.66
signs in the world of nature,
00:28:18.69\00:28:20.33
signs in the social world
00:28:20.36\00:28:21.83
and now these titanic
signs in the economic world.
00:28:21.86\00:28:26.37
Notice what Jesus
said in Luke 17:28-30,
00:28:26.40\00:28:31.77
"Likewise as it was
also in the days of Lot:
00:28:31.81\00:28:35.28
They ate, they
drank, they bought,
00:28:35.31\00:28:37.01
they sold, they
planted, they built,
00:28:37.05\00:28:39.01
but on the day that
Lot went out of Sodom
00:28:39.05\00:28:41.98
it rained fire and
brimstone from heaven
00:28:42.02\00:28:44.45
and destroyed them all.
00:28:44.49\00:28:46.76
Even so will it be in the day
00:28:46.79\00:28:49.59
when the Son of
Man is revealed."
00:28:49.62\00:28:51.39
So here Jesus tells us not only
as it was in the days of Noah,
00:28:51.43\00:28:55.83
but also as it was
in the days of Lot,
00:28:55.86\00:28:58.53
so it will be just
before Jesus comes.
00:28:58.57\00:29:02.94
Now we don't have time to take
a look at the grose immorality
00:29:02.97\00:29:08.41
and destructive
violence that was part
00:29:08.44\00:29:12.21
and parcel of life in Sodom.
00:29:12.25\00:29:14.05
You can read that for yourself
there in the Book of Genesis.
00:29:14.08\00:29:17.02
But apart from the immorality,
and apart from the violence,
00:29:17.05\00:29:23.69
what was one of the
other characteristics
00:29:23.73\00:29:26.36
of the city of Sodom
before God destroyed it
00:29:26.39\00:29:29.86
with fire and
brimstone from heaven?
00:29:29.90\00:29:31.93
Well, let's go to a scripture
00:29:31.97\00:29:33.74
that not many
people are aware of
00:29:33.77\00:29:36.34
that describes what life
was like in the city of Sodom
00:29:36.37\00:29:40.34
found in
Ezekiel 16:49, God says,
00:29:40.38\00:29:45.28
"Look, this was the
iniquity of your sister Sodom:"
00:29:45.31\00:29:48.65
He's here speaking
to his children Israel,
00:29:48.68\00:29:51.12
and he's comparing them
to the city of Sodom, notice.
00:29:51.15\00:29:55.89
"She and her
daughter had pride..."
00:29:55.92\00:29:58.59
I guess speaking of
Gomorrah, Sodom and Gomorrah.
00:29:58.63\00:30:01.90
"Fullness of food,
and abundance of idleness,
00:30:01.93\00:30:04.93
neither did she strengthen
00:30:04.97\00:30:06.57
the hand of the poor and needy."
00:30:06.60\00:30:08.20
Does that
describe life like today?
00:30:08.24\00:30:11.14
It absolutely does.
00:30:11.17\00:30:12.51
That describes life
in the 21st century,
00:30:12.54\00:30:15.01
in particular here
in the western world,
00:30:15.04\00:30:17.68
where we have
those who have a lot
00:30:17.71\00:30:20.38
and then we have those
that don't have much at all,
00:30:20.42\00:30:23.05
isn't that right?
00:30:23.08\00:30:24.42
The gap between the
rich and the poor is what?
00:30:24.45\00:30:28.06
It's growing, and growing,
and growing, and growing.
00:30:28.09\00:30:31.73
As someone once said,
the rich are getting richer
00:30:31.76\00:30:34.50
and the poor are getting babies,
00:30:34.53\00:30:37.70
that's true, the
poor are getting babies,
00:30:37.73\00:30:39.97
they're the ones
that are multiplying.
00:30:40.00\00:30:42.10
Those of us that have got
00:30:42.14\00:30:43.54
hundreds of
thousands of dollars,
00:30:43.57\00:30:45.17
all these big homes,
00:30:45.21\00:30:46.54
we don't want more
than one or two kids.
00:30:46.57\00:30:48.21
And those that
have a little shack,
00:30:48.24\00:30:50.88
they've got six,
seven, eight and 10 kids.
00:30:50.91\00:30:55.68
We have an abundance.
00:30:55.72\00:30:57.62
Notice this magazine
00:30:57.65\00:30:59.29
that I referred to in
our last presentation,
00:30:59.32\00:31:01.46
what really happened
between 2000 and 2010
00:31:01.49\00:31:05.19
this Time Magazine
back in December 6, 2010.
00:31:05.23\00:31:09.30
Notice these statistics,
00:31:09.33\00:31:11.23
it compared the billionaires
in the world of the year 2000,
00:31:11.27\00:31:16.14
as well as the billionaires
00:31:16.17\00:31:17.51
in the world at the end of 2010.
00:31:17.54\00:31:19.57
In 2000 there
were 306 billionaires
00:31:19.61\00:31:23.18
roaming around in the world.
00:31:23.21\00:31:25.31
In 2010 some 10 years later,
00:31:25.35\00:31:27.55
that number had
tripled to more than 1,000.
00:31:27.58\00:31:31.05
But notice, we also
find that the undernourished
00:31:31.09\00:31:34.59
from the year
2000 to the year 2010
00:31:34.62\00:31:37.66
had grown by
almost 75 million people.
00:31:37.69\00:31:41.23
Now you maybe thinking
what 75 million people,
00:31:41.26\00:31:43.70
that's not a
lot, that's not a lot,
00:31:43.73\00:31:46.27
that's like three
Australia's, isn't that right?
00:31:46.30\00:31:49.44
That's the
population of Australia
00:31:49.47\00:31:51.41
three times over
that are today hungrier
00:31:51.44\00:31:54.58
than they were
back in 2000 from 2010.
00:31:54.61\00:31:59.98
I came across this
very interesting article
00:32:00.02\00:32:03.08
in the
Australian Business Review
00:32:03.12\00:32:05.45
that pointed to this gap
between the rich and the poor,
00:32:05.49\00:32:11.36
and I discovered in this article
00:32:11.39\00:32:13.09
that 1% of the
world's population
00:32:13.13\00:32:15.93
now own 50% of
the world's resources.
00:32:15.96\00:32:20.04
That's
phenomenal, think about that.
00:32:20.07\00:32:21.87
1% of this world's population
00:32:21.90\00:32:24.81
own 50% of the
world's resources,
00:32:24.84\00:32:28.91
that's incredible.
00:32:28.94\00:32:30.45
And just in case,
00:32:30.48\00:32:31.81
you didn't think
you were very wealthy,
00:32:31.85\00:32:34.32
those of us who are
living in the western world,
00:32:34.35\00:32:37.65
if you have
$3,000 in assets or cash,
00:32:37.69\00:32:43.76
$3,000 you are part of
the richest 50% in the world.
00:32:43.79\00:32:48.66
So that's all of
you, isn't that right?
00:32:48.70\00:32:50.87
If you have $87,000
00:32:50.90\00:32:54.70
worth of assets in cash
00:32:54.74\00:32:56.37
minus after you've
taken out all your debts,
00:32:56.40\00:32:58.97
you were part of the
top 10% in the world,
00:32:59.01\00:33:02.14
as far as wealth is concerned.
00:33:02.18\00:33:04.25
And if you have $700,000
worth of cash and assets,
00:33:04.28\00:33:08.38
you're part of
that 1% part of the 1%.
00:33:08.42\00:33:12.95
Today, there are those
00:33:12.99\00:33:14.72
who are working
for a $1 or $2 a day,
00:33:14.76\00:33:17.09
while there are
huge corporations
00:33:17.13\00:33:19.16
making billions and billions
and billions of dollars.
00:33:19.19\00:33:21.96
I don't need to
remind you of that,
00:33:22.00\00:33:24.20
we are well familiar with that.
00:33:24.23\00:33:26.94
The Book of James actually
describes our day to a tea.
00:33:26.97\00:33:30.14
Notice these words that we
find in the Book of James 5:1-8,
00:33:30.17\00:33:35.21
"Come now, you rich,
00:33:35.24\00:33:36.95
weep and howl for your miseries
that are coming upon you!
00:33:36.98\00:33:40.08
Your riches are corrupted,
00:33:40.12\00:33:41.48
and your
garments are moth-eaten.
00:33:41.52\00:33:43.28
Your gold and
silver are corroded,
00:33:43.32\00:33:45.52
and their corrosion
will be a witness against you
00:33:45.55\00:33:47.92
and will eat
your flesh like fire.
00:33:47.96\00:33:50.46
You have heaped up
treasure in what days?
00:33:50.49\00:33:53.56
In the last days."
00:33:53.60\00:33:54.93
And as we discovered in
our previous presentation,
00:33:54.96\00:33:56.73
the last days begin when?
00:33:56.77\00:33:59.10
They begin when
Jesus came, the first time.
00:33:59.13\00:34:01.60
That's when the last days begin
00:34:01.64\00:34:03.34
according to the
Book of Hebrews 1
00:34:03.37\00:34:05.67
but those last
days will intensify
00:34:05.71\00:34:08.71
until the coming of Jesus.
00:34:08.74\00:34:10.91
And in particular here
00:34:10.95\00:34:12.28
James is speaking
of the coming of Jesus
00:34:12.31\00:34:14.58
and we'll discover
that in just a few moments.
00:34:14.62\00:34:16.69
He goes on,
00:34:16.72\00:34:18.05
"Indeed the
wages of the laborers
00:34:18.09\00:34:19.72
who mowed your fields,
which you kept back by fraud,
00:34:19.75\00:34:22.32
cry out, and the
cries of the reapers
00:34:22.36\00:34:25.03
have reached the ears
of the Lord of Sabaoth."
00:34:25.06\00:34:28.06
James goes on,
00:34:28.10\00:34:29.43
"You have lived on the
earth in pleasure and luxury,
00:34:29.46\00:34:32.23
you have fattened your
hearts as in a day of slaughter.
00:34:32.27\00:34:35.54
You have condemned,
you have murdered the just,
00:34:35.57\00:34:38.11
he does not resist you.
00:34:38.14\00:34:39.67
Therefore be patient, brethren,
00:34:39.71\00:34:41.54
until the coming of the Lord..."
00:34:41.58\00:34:43.85
And he finishes
off with these words,
00:34:43.88\00:34:45.45
"You also be patient.
00:34:45.48\00:34:46.98
Establish your hearts,
00:34:47.02\00:34:48.35
for the coming
of the Lord is what?
00:34:48.38\00:34:50.39
Is at hand."
00:34:50.42\00:34:51.75
So when you see the gap
between the rich and the poor
00:34:51.79\00:34:55.76
growing like at no
other time in human history,
00:34:55.79\00:34:58.59
then you can know
00:34:58.63\00:35:00.40
that the coming of the
Lord is near even at hand.
00:35:00.43\00:35:04.63
Yes, we've
always had poor people.
00:35:04.67\00:35:07.14
Yes, we've
always had rich people.
00:35:07.17\00:35:08.60
In fact Jesus said,
00:35:08.64\00:35:09.97
"The poor you will
always have in your midst."
00:35:10.01\00:35:13.24
So that's nothing new,
00:35:13.27\00:35:15.11
but what is new is this gap
between the rich and the poor,
00:35:15.14\00:35:20.35
which is never been the case,
certainly not in recent times,
00:35:20.38\00:35:25.92
not in the past 2,000 years,
since Jesus shared these words,
00:35:25.95\00:35:31.03
and since James
shared these words.
00:35:31.06\00:35:34.30
Notice these words
from the Book of Revelation,
00:35:34.33\00:35:36.67
in Revelation 11:18
00:35:36.70\00:35:39.07
we looked at these in
our previous presentation.
00:35:39.10\00:35:41.90
"The nations were what?
00:35:41.94\00:35:44.07
Angry, and Your wrath has
come, and the time of the dead,
00:35:44.11\00:35:46.57
that they should be judged."
00:35:46.61\00:35:47.94
The nations were angry.
00:35:47.98\00:35:50.58
We know that the
nations are angry,
00:35:50.61\00:35:52.88
that's not news to anyone,
00:35:52.91\00:35:54.25
you can just turn
on your news tonight
00:35:54.28\00:35:56.25
and you'll discover
that the nations are angry,
00:35:56.28\00:35:58.32
very, very angry
with one another.
00:35:58.35\00:36:00.66
But I want to put a slight twist
00:36:00.69\00:36:03.32
on the words of
John here in Revelation.
00:36:03.36\00:36:06.76
Let me add a couple of words
00:36:06.80\00:36:09.13
the people of the
nations were angry.
00:36:09.16\00:36:13.60
Are people angry today?
00:36:13.64\00:36:15.80
Absolutely.
00:36:15.84\00:36:17.21
More and more people are angry.
00:36:17.24\00:36:19.41
Let me share with you the
front cover of Time Magazine
00:36:19.44\00:36:23.71
back in December 14, 2011
00:36:23.75\00:36:26.31
"The Protester" subheading
00:36:26.35\00:36:30.52
'From the Arab Spring to Athens,
00:36:30.55\00:36:32.25
From Occupy Wall Street
to Moscow' The Protester.
00:36:32.29\00:36:35.89
Person of the year for 2011
00:36:35.92\00:36:39.33
according to Time
Magazine was the protester,
00:36:39.36\00:36:42.16
for the first
time in Time's history,
00:36:42.20\00:36:46.53
it wasn't a person,
one person, one individual,
00:36:46.57\00:36:50.87
that was the person of the year,
00:36:50.91\00:36:52.37
now it was a group of people.
00:36:52.41\00:36:54.84
I have this
magazine here with me.
00:36:54.88\00:36:58.78
And in the article,
00:36:58.81\00:37:01.28
in the article
it was pointed out
00:37:01.32\00:37:03.15
that for the
first time in history,
00:37:03.18\00:37:05.15
we had protests in nations
00:37:05.19\00:37:08.96
that comprise almost
half the world's population
00:37:08.99\00:37:12.23
taking place
during that year 2011.
00:37:12.26\00:37:17.27
The year of the
protester, people are angry,
00:37:17.30\00:37:21.14
there was a very sad article
00:37:21.17\00:37:25.17
in this
particular Time Magazine,
00:37:25.21\00:37:27.24
the article was concerning
young 26 year old street vendor
00:37:27.28\00:37:33.05
by the name of Mohamed Bouazizi
00:37:33.08\00:37:35.55
who in fact
sparked the Arab Spring
00:37:35.58\00:37:39.32
as it is become
known there in Tunisia,
00:37:39.35\00:37:42.32
in a small village in Tunisia.
00:37:42.36\00:37:43.83
Now what
sparked the Arab Spring?
00:37:43.86\00:37:46.33
Well, Mohamed, a 26
year old street vendor
00:37:46.36\00:37:49.13
just selling his fruit
there on the side of the road,
00:37:49.16\00:37:51.57
trying to make ends meet,
00:37:51.60\00:37:52.93
trying to feed his young family,
00:37:52.97\00:37:54.57
his wife and his children,
00:37:54.60\00:37:56.50
he kept getting
harassed by the authorities
00:37:56.54\00:37:58.67
over, and over and again,
00:37:58.71\00:38:00.11
he just be harassed
almost on a weekly basis.
00:38:00.14\00:38:04.58
And then finally,
00:38:04.61\00:38:06.01
what finally did it for Mohamed
00:38:06.05\00:38:09.72
was to be interrogated
by a police officer,
00:38:09.75\00:38:13.56
a female police officer
who interrogated him once more,
00:38:13.59\00:38:17.63
she slapped in the face
00:38:17.66\00:38:21.16
and in the Middle East
that is a sign of great shame
00:38:21.20\00:38:25.87
and just something
absolutely despicable
00:38:25.90\00:38:30.04
and she confiscated his scales.
00:38:30.07\00:38:33.48
Well, they decided to go to
the authorities to complain,
00:38:33.51\00:38:36.64
he went to the
authorities to complain,
00:38:36.68\00:38:39.01
they told him not interested,
00:38:39.05\00:38:41.92
he walked outside the offices,
00:38:41.95\00:38:44.95
the government
offices and he poured,
00:38:44.99\00:38:48.92
he poured a
paint thinner on him,
00:38:48.96\00:38:51.43
lit a match and killed himself
00:38:51.46\00:38:54.96
that is what
sparked the Arab Spring
00:38:55.00\00:38:57.67
according to this article
there in Tunisia back in 2011.
00:38:57.70\00:39:02.34
That's what
happening in the world today.
00:39:02.37\00:39:04.14
People don't protest
because they want to protest,
00:39:04.17\00:39:06.71
because they've got
nothing better to do.
00:39:06.74\00:39:08.98
The reason why
people are protesting
00:39:09.01\00:39:11.08
all around the world
especially in the third world
00:39:11.11\00:39:15.75
is because they have had enough,
00:39:15.78\00:39:17.82
they can longer live
in this unjust society
00:39:17.85\00:39:22.16
that they are part of,
00:39:22.19\00:39:23.69
and they've made a
decision either we die,
00:39:23.73\00:39:26.90
or there is a change,
00:39:26.93\00:39:28.26
but living like this
just doesn't work anymore.
00:39:28.30\00:39:31.07
That's why
hundreds and thousands
00:39:31.10\00:39:33.34
and millions leave their home,
they get on these little boats,
00:39:33.37\00:39:38.07
these little rubber dinghies
and they risk life and limb
00:39:38.11\00:39:42.21
to get to a part of the world
00:39:42.24\00:39:44.25
where they believe
there will be safety,
00:39:44.28\00:39:45.65
there will be peace,
there will be prosperity
00:39:45.68\00:39:47.52
for them and for their children.
00:39:47.55\00:39:49.62
We are living in a time such
as we have never lived before
00:39:49.65\00:39:54.16
where people are
angry, they're upset,
00:39:54.19\00:39:56.12
even here in our
country in Australia,
00:39:56.16\00:39:58.49
in the United States.
00:39:58.53\00:40:01.16
Take a look at
what's happening over there,
00:40:01.20\00:40:03.20
and in many other parts
of the world, Western Europe,
00:40:03.23\00:40:05.63
there is just anger,
there is just frustration
00:40:05.67\00:40:08.57
that is building up
more and more, and more.
00:40:08.60\00:40:12.34
Notice these
words from Luke 21:9,
00:40:12.37\00:40:17.01
"But when you hear
of wars and commotions,
00:40:17.05\00:40:20.45
do not be terrified,
00:40:20.48\00:40:21.82
for these things
must come to pass first,
00:40:21.85\00:40:24.12
but the end will
not come immediately."
00:40:24.15\00:40:27.19
This is a very
interesting word commotions.
00:40:27.22\00:40:29.46
I looked that
world up commotions
00:40:29.49\00:40:31.73
and the world
literally means unrest,
00:40:31.76\00:40:34.90
it means revolts and riots.
00:40:34.93\00:40:38.07
Do we have
revolts and riots today?
00:40:38.10\00:40:40.60
Absolutely, there
have been revolts and riots
00:40:40.64\00:40:43.30
ever since Jesus spoke
these words 2000 years ago.
00:40:43.34\00:40:46.47
But the revolts and
the riots are on a scale
00:40:46.51\00:40:49.28
such as we have not seen before.
00:40:49.31\00:40:51.21
Notice these words
in the Book of Mark,
00:40:51.25\00:40:53.52
in the Book of Mark 13:8,
00:40:53.55\00:40:58.19
"For nation will
rise against nation,
00:40:58.22\00:41:00.76
and kingdom against kingdom.
00:41:00.79\00:41:02.49
And there will be
earthquakes in various places,
00:41:02.52\00:41:04.83
and there will be
famines and" what?
00:41:04.86\00:41:06.73
Troubles.
00:41:06.76\00:41:08.10
These are the
beginnings of sorrows.
00:41:08.13\00:41:09.46
"Troubles, I looked
up that word trouble
00:41:09.50\00:41:12.17
and the original meaning
for that word is a disturbance,
00:41:12.20\00:41:15.87
a provocation, or sedation.
00:41:15.90\00:41:18.74
Now I have to get my
dictionary out to workout
00:41:18.77\00:41:21.84
exactly what that
word sedition was.
00:41:21.88\00:41:24.08
I had a vague
idea, a pretty good idea
00:41:24.11\00:41:27.92
but this is what the word means
according to the dictionary.
00:41:27.95\00:41:30.89
It means to
conduct or to office speech
00:41:30.92\00:41:35.16
inciting people to
rebel against the authority
00:41:35.19\00:41:38.26
of a state or a monarch.
00:41:38.29\00:41:40.86
Is there rebellion
today against state,
00:41:40.90\00:41:43.77
against authority?
00:41:43.80\00:41:45.13
Absolutely.
00:41:45.17\00:41:46.50
What's it called?
00:41:46.53\00:41:47.87
It's called the Arab
Spring or the Arab Uprising.
00:41:47.90\00:41:50.84
People are rising up, they're
overthrowing governments,
00:41:50.87\00:41:53.71
and that's
exactly what Jesus said
00:41:53.74\00:41:55.78
when he spoke of troubles,
00:41:55.81\00:41:57.15
he spoke of
uprisings, he spoke of riots,
00:41:57.18\00:41:59.41
he spoke of whole
nations being turned upside down
00:41:59.45\00:42:04.82
and great turmoil taking place.
00:42:04.85\00:42:07.12
And that's why
Jesus said in Luke 21:25,
00:42:07.16\00:42:09.99
"And there shall be distress
of nations, with perplexity."
00:42:10.03\00:42:13.90
As we discovered in
our last presentation,
00:42:13.93\00:42:16.26
distress is great
perplexity, great distress.
00:42:16.30\00:42:21.90
Today in
Australia, in Australia,
00:42:21.94\00:42:24.97
the economy may seem that
it's going reasonably well,
00:42:25.01\00:42:28.81
that's why we are told by
the various political leaders
00:42:28.84\00:42:32.25
and by the various economists,
00:42:32.28\00:42:34.62
they're trying to keep
everyone happy and contend,
00:42:34.65\00:42:37.49
and not trying
to alarm the public.
00:42:37.52\00:42:39.82
But I was reading
an article recently
00:42:39.85\00:42:42.82
on the ABC News
website that shared with me
00:42:42.86\00:42:46.09
that in the last 25 years
Australian debt has tripled,
00:42:46.13\00:42:51.67
Australian debt has what?
00:42:51.70\00:42:53.17
Tripled in the last 25 years.
00:42:53.20\00:42:55.77
And everybody knows you can't
just keep accumulating debt
00:42:55.80\00:43:00.54
without any consequences.
00:43:00.58\00:43:03.14
I find it fascinating that
for the first time in history
00:43:03.18\00:43:08.72
the average
house price in Sydney,
00:43:08.75\00:43:12.42
the largest city
here in Australia
00:43:12.45\00:43:14.19
has hit $1 million,
isn't that incredible?
00:43:14.22\00:43:17.36
A million dollars.
00:43:17.39\00:43:18.93
Now I went and did a
little bit of research.
00:43:18.96\00:43:20.70
I'm not an
economist, okay, by any stretch,
00:43:20.73\00:43:24.00
I'm just the simple sign
00:43:24.03\00:43:25.43
and I'm just
looking at the big picture,
00:43:25.47\00:43:28.00
taking a look at
what the Bible says,
00:43:28.04\00:43:30.27
in particular what Jesus says
00:43:30.31\00:43:31.84
and trying to match up
the facts and the figures
00:43:31.87\00:43:35.24
and trying to put
all the dots together.
00:43:35.28\00:43:38.35
I discovered that in 1975,
00:43:38.38\00:43:41.18
okay, so that's many moons ago,
00:43:41.22\00:43:43.45
1975 some of you
will probably remember
00:43:43.49\00:43:45.65
what life was like in 1975,
00:43:45.69\00:43:49.26
the average house
price in Sydney was $30,000.
00:43:49.29\00:43:54.53
The average wage in Sydney
was $7,500, that was in 1975.
00:43:54.56\00:44:01.10
Forty years later in 2015
00:44:01.14\00:44:04.24
while house price as
we've shared has hit what?
00:44:04.27\00:44:07.01
Has hit a million dollars,
it's gone up more than 30 fold,
00:44:07.04\00:44:10.05
the average wage in
Sydney in 2015 was $75, 000
00:44:10.08\00:44:15.35
that's gone up ten times,
00:44:15.38\00:44:17.65
you don't need
to be mathematician
00:44:17.69\00:44:19.82
or an economist to
workout something's not right.
00:44:19.85\00:44:22.26
Wages have gone up by 10 times,
00:44:22.29\00:44:26.13
house prices have gone
up by more than 30 times.
00:44:26.16\00:44:29.16
The greatest
investment a person will make
00:44:29.20\00:44:31.73
in their lifetime in Australia
00:44:31.77\00:44:34.24
will be in a
house, isn't that right?
00:44:34.27\00:44:36.40
So when we have
low interest rates
00:44:36.44\00:44:38.41
as we do now and we
have huge titanic debt,
00:44:38.44\00:44:42.88
it's setting us
up for a huge fall.
00:44:42.91\00:44:45.95
That's what the
economists are sharing with me,
00:44:45.98\00:44:48.58
with us and I won't
go into it too much more,
00:44:48.62\00:44:51.79
but you probably know
some of this yourself.
00:44:51.82\00:44:56.16
I found this graph fascinating.
00:44:56.19\00:44:59.59
Talking about the United States,
00:44:59.63\00:45:01.36
have a look at
their public debt,
00:45:01.40\00:45:04.63
it's up around $20
trillion that's right,
00:45:04.67\00:45:07.90
not billion but
$20 trillion dollars.
00:45:07.94\00:45:10.37
In 1990 it was
around $3 trillion,
00:45:10.41\00:45:14.58
and have a look at that graph,
00:45:14.61\00:45:15.94
it's just going up and up and up
00:45:15.98\00:45:18.65
and we're
almost at $20 trillion.
00:45:18.68\00:45:22.52
The United States is now
in a position where it can,
00:45:22.55\00:45:25.95
where it's
almost impossible for it
00:45:25.99\00:45:29.32
to pay simply the
interest on its debt.
00:45:29.36\00:45:33.26
Things cannot
keep going as they are,
00:45:33.29\00:45:35.83
they just cannot keep going,
00:45:35.86\00:45:37.20
the balloon will
eventually have to pop,
00:45:37.23\00:45:39.87
and that's exactly
what I read in this book
00:45:39.90\00:45:43.00
written by economists,
00:45:43.04\00:45:44.37
I don't believe
they're Christian,
00:45:44.41\00:45:45.74
I'm not sure,
00:45:45.77\00:45:47.11
but it certainly didn't
come across in their way.
00:45:47.14\00:45:49.14
They're just
simply taking a look
00:45:49.18\00:45:50.51
at what's
happening in the world.
00:45:50.55\00:45:51.88
Now these
economists David Wiedemer,
00:45:51.91\00:45:56.22
Robert Wiedemer
and Cindy Spitzer,
00:45:56.25\00:45:58.89
their readable entitled
Aftershock: Protect Yourself
00:45:58.92\00:46:02.39
and Profit in the Next
Global Financial Meltdown.
00:46:02.42\00:46:06.09
They wrote a
previous book in 2006
00:46:06.13\00:46:09.63
entitled
America's Bubble Economy.
00:46:09.66\00:46:11.67
And in that book
they clearly identified
00:46:11.70\00:46:16.40
where America was
at with its economy,
00:46:16.44\00:46:19.07
this bubble housing
economy and where it was going
00:46:19.11\00:46:23.81
and how it would
collapse eventually.
00:46:23.85\00:46:25.95
They basically predicted
and they foretold step-by-step
00:46:25.98\00:46:31.82
the 2008 GFC or
financial crisis,
00:46:31.85\00:46:37.76
the world financial
crisis in that book.
00:46:37.79\00:46:40.90
Now they have written a
book, these same authors,
00:46:40.93\00:46:43.77
and they are
predicting phase two
00:46:43.80\00:46:46.47
of the economic crash.
00:46:46.50\00:46:48.54
And if you have
trouble sleeping,
00:46:48.57\00:46:50.01
it's not a book I'd recommend
00:46:50.04\00:46:51.37
that you read just
before you go to bed.
00:46:51.41\00:46:53.61
I wouldn't recommend that.
00:46:53.64\00:46:55.14
But what they are
simply stating in this book
00:46:55.18\00:46:57.51
and they're not looking at
it from a Biblical perspective,
00:46:57.55\00:46:59.95
they're simply stating
00:46:59.98\00:47:01.35
that the next
economic crash which will come,
00:47:01.38\00:47:05.25
they're not saying may come,
they're saying which will come
00:47:05.29\00:47:09.72
will make the great
depression of the 1930s
00:47:09.76\00:47:12.49
look like a picnic in the park.
00:47:12.53\00:47:15.80
They're saying that life
as we know it on planet earth
00:47:15.83\00:47:18.83
will be completely
changed and transformed forever.
00:47:18.87\00:47:23.61
As I think about that,
00:47:23.64\00:47:25.61
I think about the only
way that I can protect myself,
00:47:25.64\00:47:28.34
the only way you
can protect yourself
00:47:28.38\00:47:30.25
is through Jesus.
00:47:30.28\00:47:31.61
Isn't that right?
That's the only way.
00:47:31.65\00:47:33.52
Notice this front
cover of Time Magazine.
00:47:33.55\00:47:36.92
"The next
recession and where to hide."
00:47:36.95\00:47:40.16
Here they were also
pointing out that we are due,
00:47:40.19\00:47:44.86
we are due for
another financial crisis,
00:47:44.89\00:47:48.36
the world is due.
00:47:48.40\00:47:49.83
According to this magazine,
00:47:49.86\00:47:52.50
every seven or
eight or nine years
00:47:52.53\00:47:57.04
from about the 1970s onwards
00:47:57.07\00:47:59.34
there has been a
recession or a financial crisis.
00:47:59.37\00:48:03.71
Since 2008 how many
years have transpired?
00:48:03.75\00:48:07.35
How long can this
economic bubble keep going,
00:48:07.38\00:48:10.42
only God knows.
00:48:10.45\00:48:11.79
But when I look
at that front cover,
00:48:11.82\00:48:13.52
the next
recession and where to hide,
00:48:13.56\00:48:15.56
where to hide,
where do you hide,
00:48:15.59\00:48:17.39
I love these words
from the Psalmist David,
00:48:17.43\00:48:20.53
notice what he writes.
00:48:20.56\00:48:22.23
David writes in Psalm
91:2 "I will say of the Lord,
00:48:22.26\00:48:26.47
'He is my
refuge and my fortress,
00:48:26.50\00:48:28.84
My God in Him I will trust.'
00:48:28.87\00:48:31.27
" Halleluiah.
00:48:31.31\00:48:33.38
I'm not putting my faith
and trust in the government.
00:48:33.41\00:48:35.88
I'm not putting my
faith and trust in my bank.
00:48:35.91\00:48:37.91
I'm not putting my
faith and trust in my house,
00:48:37.95\00:48:39.95
in my mortgage, in my job,
00:48:39.98\00:48:41.52
I'm putting my faith
and trust in God alone.
00:48:41.55\00:48:44.65
Where is our refuge?
00:48:44.69\00:48:46.12
Where do we hide? We
hide in Jesus Christ.
00:48:46.15\00:48:50.33
If we have Jesus
Christ, we can have peace,
00:48:50.36\00:48:52.96
we can have
happiness, we can have joy.
00:48:52.99\00:48:54.60
If everything is
falling apart around us,
00:48:54.63\00:48:57.67
we are not all that concerned
because we are looking where?
00:48:57.70\00:49:01.14
We are looking up.
00:49:01.17\00:49:02.70
Jesus told us, when you see
all these things come to pass,
00:49:02.74\00:49:06.88
look up, because your
redemption is drawing near.
00:49:06.91\00:49:10.98
These are all signs
that Jesus is on his way.
00:49:11.01\00:49:15.15
We are not to be afraid,
00:49:15.18\00:49:16.72
we're not to lose
sleep over these things,
00:49:16.75\00:49:18.62
whatever will be, will be.
00:49:18.65\00:49:21.09
God knows when and
what and how my role
00:49:21.12\00:49:25.59
and your role is for us to put
our faith and trust in Jesus.
00:49:25.63\00:49:29.13
I love the words of Jesus.
00:49:29.16\00:49:30.50
Let's go to the words of
Jesus in John 14:27 Jesus says,
00:49:30.53\00:49:33.57
"Peace I leave with
you, My peace I give to you,
00:49:33.60\00:49:36.44
not as the world
gives do I give to you.
00:49:36.47\00:49:38.41
Let not your heart be" what?
00:49:38.44\00:49:40.41
"Troubled,
neither let it be afraid."
00:49:40.44\00:49:42.78
In Christ we can have peace,
00:49:42.81\00:49:45.15
in Christ we do
not need to be afraid.
00:49:45.18\00:49:48.35
Jesus over and over again says,
00:49:48.38\00:49:50.59
do not be afraid, do not fear,
00:49:50.62\00:49:52.95
be anxious for nothing
writes the Apostle Paul,
00:49:52.99\00:49:55.79
and what's nothing?
00:49:55.82\00:49:57.23
Nothing is what? Nothing.
00:49:57.26\00:49:58.76
Be anxious for
nothing, but just trust in God,
00:49:58.79\00:50:01.36
put your faith in him.
00:50:01.40\00:50:03.06
Where ought to
be our priorities be
00:50:03.10\00:50:05.33
in these economic
uncertain times that we live in?
00:50:05.37\00:50:08.37
Notice the words of Jesus,
once again Matthew 6:19-21.
00:50:08.40\00:50:12.31
Jesus says,
00:50:12.34\00:50:13.68
"Do not lay up for
yourselves treasures on earth,
00:50:13.71\00:50:16.04
where moth and rust destroy
00:50:16.08\00:50:17.85
and where thieves
break in and steal,
00:50:17.88\00:50:19.78
but lay up for
yourselves treasures" where?
00:50:19.81\00:50:22.45
"In heaven, where
neither moth nor rust destroys
00:50:22.48\00:50:25.39
and where thieves do
not break in and steal.
00:50:25.42\00:50:28.02
For where your treasure is,
there your heart will be also."
00:50:28.06\00:50:31.49
Jesus says do not
lay up for yourself,
00:50:31.53\00:50:34.60
treasure here on this earth,
00:50:34.63\00:50:36.43
because we well
know the stock market
00:50:36.46\00:50:38.47
can swallow it all up in a day.
00:50:38.50\00:50:39.90
Isn't that right?
00:50:39.93\00:50:41.50
Recently we had Brexit
00:50:41.54\00:50:43.20
and what happened to
the world financial market?
00:50:43.24\00:50:45.84
They took a nosedive,
00:50:45.87\00:50:47.98
a nosedive in a
matter of a day or two
00:50:48.01\00:50:51.21
$3 trillion was
wiped off the stock market.
00:50:51.25\00:50:55.55
What? Is $3 trillion,
I've got no idea either.
00:50:55.58\00:50:59.19
Who knows what $3
trillion looks like.
00:50:59.22\00:51:01.86
I'm not gonna have $3 in
my pocket at any one time.
00:51:01.89\00:51:06.73
We can only put our
faith and trust in Jesus,
00:51:06.76\00:51:10.73
store up for
yourself treasure in heaven,
00:51:10.77\00:51:14.80
in heaven, in heaven.
00:51:14.84\00:51:17.64
Jesus said in Matthew 16:26
00:51:17.67\00:51:20.58
"For what profit is
it to a man or a woman
00:51:20.61\00:51:23.31
if he or she
gains the whole world,
00:51:23.35\00:51:25.28
and loses" what?
00:51:25.31\00:51:26.65
"His own soul?
00:51:26.68\00:51:28.02
Or what will a man give
in exchange for his soul?"
00:51:28.05\00:51:31.32
What is the point to
gain the whole world,
00:51:31.35\00:51:36.12
to gain everything
this world has to offer
00:51:36.16\00:51:39.03
and to lose your salvation?
00:51:39.06\00:51:41.23
What is the point says Jesus.
00:51:41.26\00:51:42.90
There is no
point, there is no point.
00:51:42.93\00:51:46.13
I'd rather die
without a dollar in my pocket
00:51:46.17\00:51:52.04
in the Lord
00:51:52.07\00:51:53.98
than die with billions
and trillions of dollars,
00:51:54.01\00:52:00.05
because where my heart is
00:52:00.08\00:52:01.52
that's where my treasure will be
00:52:01.55\00:52:03.85
and my heart is in
the kingdom of God.
00:52:03.89\00:52:06.92
My heart is in heaven,
that's where I'm looking,
00:52:06.96\00:52:10.26
that's where my heart
is, that's where I'm focused,
00:52:10.29\00:52:12.69
so my energies, my
strength, my dollars and cents,
00:52:12.73\00:52:16.36
I want to place
them toward the things
00:52:16.40\00:52:19.03
that will last for eternity,
00:52:19.07\00:52:21.04
not the things that
will be for the here and now.
00:52:21.07\00:52:25.84
In 2009 a great
tragedy took place
00:52:25.87\00:52:30.18
there in my home state
of Victoria in Australia
00:52:30.21\00:52:35.68
where 160 something
individuals lost their lives
00:52:35.72\00:52:40.96
in the greatest natural disaster
00:52:40.99\00:52:43.36
in Australian history,
in modern Australian history
00:52:43.39\00:52:46.70
that we know
today as Black Saturday.
00:52:46.73\00:52:49.56
February 7, 2009
00:52:49.60\00:52:51.97
after intense heat of
over a number of days,
00:52:52.00\00:52:56.57
finally, finally bush
fires just joined together
00:52:56.60\00:53:01.94
and sadly a lot
of property was lost
00:53:01.98\00:53:05.31
but more importantly
many lives were lost.
00:53:05.35\00:53:09.28
I read this news article
00:53:09.32\00:53:12.09
and you can see it
up there on the screen.
00:53:12.12\00:53:14.16
This news article
from the Australian,
00:53:14.19\00:53:16.83
September 9, 2009 in the inquest
00:53:16.86\00:53:19.59
that followed Black Saturday,
00:53:19.63\00:53:21.66
Black Saturday
bush fire victims died
00:53:21.70\00:53:24.13
defending their houses.
00:53:24.17\00:53:27.10
I nearly cried, I
nearly cried when I read that.
00:53:27.14\00:53:32.84
More than 100
people lost their lives
00:53:32.87\00:53:35.38
defending their homes.
00:53:35.41\00:53:37.55
Yes, they had put a lot of time
and effort into their homes,
00:53:37.58\00:53:41.55
but sadly they lost their lives,
00:53:41.58\00:53:44.22
tragically they lost their lives
00:53:44.25\00:53:45.99
defending their homes.
00:53:46.02\00:53:47.69
What did Jesus say,
what does it profit a man,
00:53:47.72\00:53:51.83
if he gains the whole
world but loses his soul.
00:53:51.86\00:53:55.66
My friends,
this is not our home,
00:53:55.70\00:53:58.10
this is not our home,
we're just traveling through.
00:53:58.13\00:54:02.87
The home that
Jesus has prepared for us
00:54:02.90\00:54:06.01
is not on this earth,
00:54:06.04\00:54:07.51
it's in the
heavenly courts above.
00:54:07.54\00:54:09.64
Notice what Jesus
said in John 14:1-3,
00:54:09.68\00:54:13.95
"Let not your heart be troubled,
00:54:13.98\00:54:15.52
you believe in
God, believe also in Me.
00:54:15.55\00:54:17.95
In My Father's
house are many mansions,
00:54:17.99\00:54:20.16
if it were not so,
I would have told you.
00:54:20.19\00:54:22.56
I go to prepare a place for you.
00:54:22.59\00:54:24.83
And if I go and
prepare a place for you,
00:54:24.86\00:54:27.10
I will come again and
receive you to Myself,
00:54:27.13\00:54:29.80
that where I am,
there you may be also."
00:54:29.83\00:54:33.20
This is the place
that Jesus has in mind
00:54:33.23\00:54:36.27
for each and
every one of us, amen.
00:54:36.30\00:54:39.07
The heavenly
mansion, the heavenly mansion
00:54:39.11\00:54:42.78
is what Jesus is preparing
for each and every one of us.
00:54:42.81\00:54:46.01
Yes, we need to live in our
house here, in here and now,
00:54:46.05\00:54:49.05
whether you're renting or
whether you own your home,
00:54:49.08\00:54:51.02
it makes no difference,
00:54:51.05\00:54:52.72
you're not taking it
anywhere with you, are you?
00:54:52.75\00:54:56.16
We're not taking anything
from this world away with us,
00:54:56.19\00:54:59.09
the only thing that
we are taking with us
00:54:59.13\00:55:03.43
is our trust, is our faith,
is our belief in Jesus Christ
00:55:03.47\00:55:08.60
that will prepare us for
his heavenly mansions above.
00:55:08.64\00:55:12.24
In my father's
house are many mansions.
00:55:12.27\00:55:15.14
Enough room for you?
00:55:15.18\00:55:16.78
Absolutely. Is
there enough room for me?
00:55:16.81\00:55:19.68
Absolutely.
00:55:19.71\00:55:21.05
Is there enough
room for everybody?
00:55:21.08\00:55:22.72
Yes, there is,
there is enough room
00:55:22.75\00:55:25.49
or as I love as my
Papua New Guinean friends say,
00:55:25.52\00:55:29.42
plenty good
room, plenty good room.
00:55:29.46\00:55:32.36
There is plenty of good room.
00:55:32.39\00:55:34.20
Today, Jesus is
inviting you and me
00:55:34.23\00:55:36.90
to make a decision,
00:55:36.93\00:55:38.47
to be part of his
everlasting kingdom of love.
00:55:38.50\00:55:41.27
I want to be part of that
everlasting kingdom of love,
00:55:41.30\00:55:44.34
how about you?
00:55:44.37\00:55:45.91
Do you want to
join me in preparing
00:55:45.94\00:55:47.94
for the heavenly courts above?
00:55:47.98\00:55:49.88
Do you want to join me there
in those heavenly mansions?
00:55:49.91\00:55:55.08
I'm so looking
forward to that day.
00:55:55.12\00:55:57.02
And I know that
God wants you and me
00:55:57.05\00:55:59.49
all of us to be
part of that day.
00:55:59.52\00:56:01.42
If that's your desire,
00:56:01.46\00:56:02.79
why don't you just
raise your hand and say Lord,
00:56:02.82\00:56:04.36
I want my mansion in heaven.
00:56:04.39\00:56:08.26
I don't care
about the one down here,
00:56:08.30\00:56:09.86
I want my mansion in heaven.
00:56:09.90\00:56:11.23
Let's pray, Father in heaven,
00:56:11.27\00:56:12.77
we just want to
thank you so much
00:56:12.80\00:56:15.14
that in this day
and age of uncertainty,
00:56:15.17\00:56:19.31
Father, we can put our
faith and trust in your word
00:56:19.34\00:56:23.04
where is there to hide,
the question has been asked,
00:56:23.08\00:56:27.28
oh, the only
place is in the secure,
00:56:27.32\00:56:29.78
in the safe nail
scarred hands of Jesus.
00:56:29.82\00:56:32.79
We thank you Lord that
you have given us the promise
00:56:32.82\00:56:35.12
that you're coming back soon
00:56:35.16\00:56:37.29
and all those that put
their faith and trust in you
00:56:37.33\00:56:40.13
that will be
with you forever more.
00:56:40.16\00:56:43.06
Oh, bless us Lord now I pray,
00:56:43.10\00:56:45.43
keep us close to
Jesus each and every day,
00:56:45.47\00:56:48.04
we pray this in
his precious name,
00:56:48.07\00:56:50.37
amen, amen.
00:56:50.41\00:56:52.07