[upbeat music]
00:00:01.70\00:00:04.37
[gun shots]
00:00:07.24\00:00:09.77
[bomb exploding]
00:00:09.77\00:00:10.57
- There was a desperate hope
00:00:10.57\00:00:11.94
as the world staggered back
from the unprecedented ravages
00:00:11.94\00:00:15.04
of World War One, that
things could get better,
00:00:15.04\00:00:18.18
that they had to get
better, that we must find a way
00:00:18.18\00:00:21.32
to prevent ourselves
from ever getting that close
00:00:21.32\00:00:23.85
to the precipice again.
00:00:23.85\00:00:25.72
So at the beginning of
1919, a convention was called
00:00:25.72\00:00:29.02
in Paris, the
Paris Peace Convention,
00:00:29.02\00:00:32.53
where it was agreed
that war is a crime,
00:00:32.53\00:00:35.00
not just against the
people who are fighting
00:00:35.00\00:00:37.80
but against the
whole of humanity.
00:00:37.80\00:00:40.14
By January the 10th 1920,
the League of Nations was born,
00:00:40.14\00:00:45.04
a cooperative pact between
the nations of Daniel statue
00:00:45.04\00:00:48.61
to provide for the
collective security of all.
00:00:48.61\00:00:52.18
And for a while
everybody's hopes ran very high.
00:00:52.18\00:00:55.82
Maybe the human race had
finally learned it's lesson,
00:00:55.82\00:00:58.89
maybe we could
finally put an end
00:00:58.89\00:01:00.72
to many long centuries
of senseless bloodshed.
00:01:00.72\00:01:04.03
[upbeat music]
00:01:04.03\00:01:06.70
All across the
western world, people touted
00:01:20.51\00:01:22.98
the League of Nations
as the ultimate answer,
00:01:22.98\00:01:26.11
humanity's best bet
to mitigate suffering.
00:01:26.11\00:01:29.52
Even here in America,
President Woodrow Wilson,
00:01:29.52\00:01:32.42
who had been very
reluctant to enter the war
00:01:32.42\00:01:34.82
in the first place,
boarded a train in 1919
00:01:34.82\00:01:38.56
to promote the League of
Nations all across the nation.
00:01:38.56\00:01:42.70
But, of course, looking
back more than 100 years later,
00:01:42.70\00:01:46.80
we know that the optimism
had no basis in reality,
00:01:46.80\00:01:51.14
even though the
ambitious multinational deal
00:01:51.14\00:01:53.34
provided for arbitration
between bickering nations
00:01:53.34\00:01:56.31
and imposed economic
sanctions on any country
00:01:56.31\00:01:59.71
that even considered
war, we tragically discovered
00:01:59.71\00:02:03.22
that World War One was
just the tip of the iceberg,
00:02:03.22\00:02:06.45
and the world had
not yet seen the worst
00:02:06.45\00:02:09.42
that our fallen
humanity has to offer.
00:02:09.42\00:02:12.03
[upbeat music]
00:02:12.03\00:02:14.20
By 1939, a new war had started
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that would make World War
One seem tame by comparison.
00:02:17.23\00:02:21.60
Our best
estimates say that anywhere
00:02:21.60\00:02:23.67
from nine to 21
million people died
00:02:23.67\00:02:27.34
in the trenches
of the Great War,
00:02:27.34\00:02:28.81
depending on what you
consider a war casualty.
00:02:28.81\00:02:32.31
And that's a number
that defies imagination.
00:02:32.31\00:02:35.82
But in World War
Two, the number jumped
00:02:35.82\00:02:39.05
with estimates ranging
from 56 to 85 million people.
00:02:39.05\00:02:43.83
It's as if the states of
California, Texas and New York
00:02:43.83\00:02:47.36
all disappeared overnight.
00:02:47.36\00:02:50.07
And between 1939 and 1945,
00:02:50.07\00:02:53.67
as the human race sunk
to new lows with death camps
00:02:53.67\00:02:57.04
and gas chambers, the
headquarters for the League of
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Nations in Paris sat
vacant, a painful reminder
00:03:00.38\00:03:04.58
that Daniel was
absolutely right.
00:03:04.58\00:03:06.98
The human race does
not have the answers,
00:03:06.98\00:03:09.32
and the only viable solution
will have to come from God.
00:03:09.32\00:03:13.56
[contemplative music]
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[music continues]
00:03:25.30\00:03:30.34
[music strings]
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As World War
Two drew to a close,
00:03:46.89\00:03:49.72
the failed League
of Nations was replaced
00:03:49.72\00:03:51.99
by another hopeful organization,
the United Nations.
00:03:51.99\00:03:56.77
But again, we have failed
to bring any kind of real peace
00:03:56.77\00:04:00.10
to this broken world world.
00:04:00.10\00:04:01.84
Looking from World
War Two into the Cold War
00:04:01.84\00:04:03.91
and the Korean
Conflict and Vietnam,
00:04:03.91\00:04:06.31
and the endless
wars in the Middle East.
00:04:06.31\00:04:08.44
Well, the world is
looking every bit as broken
00:04:08.44\00:04:11.51
as it always has been.
00:04:11.51\00:04:13.21
"Nation will rise against
nation." Jesus warned us,
00:04:13.21\00:04:16.08
"And kingdom against kingdom."
00:04:16.08\00:04:18.65
There is no real lasting peace,
00:04:18.65\00:04:21.46
not on this side
of the Second Coming,
00:04:21.46\00:04:23.63
When Isaiah tells us,
00:04:23.63\00:04:25.16
"Everything will be
completely different."
00:04:25.16\00:04:27.93
[upbeat music]
00:04:27.93\00:04:30.57
"They shall beat
their swords into plowshares
00:04:48.08\00:04:50.59
"and their spears
into pruning hooks,
00:04:50.59\00:04:52.59
"nation shall not lift
up sword against nation,
00:04:52.59\00:04:55.32
"neither shall
they learn war anymore."
00:04:55.32\00:04:58.36
[upbeat music]
00:05:00.30\00:05:02.86
Of course as horrific as
international strife has become,
00:05:08.50\00:05:12.91
it's only a symptom
of a much deeper problem.
00:05:12.91\00:05:16.11
A problem that
originates strangely enough
00:05:16.11\00:05:18.25
in the very heart of Paradise,
00:05:18.25\00:05:20.68
where God had arranged
for a perfect human existence.
00:05:20.68\00:05:24.65
The Lord God planted a
garden eastward in Eden,
00:05:24.65\00:05:27.52
the sacred record tells us,
00:05:27.52\00:05:29.16
and there he put the
man whom he had formed.
00:05:29.16\00:05:31.83
And out of the ground, the
Lord God made every tree grow
00:05:31.83\00:05:34.93
that is pleasant to
the site and good for food.
00:05:34.93\00:05:38.33
Now, a river went out of
Eden to water the garden,
00:05:38.33\00:05:41.24
and from there it parted
and became four river heads.
00:05:41.24\00:05:44.87
The precise
location of that garden
00:05:45.91\00:05:48.01
was lost a very long time ago,
00:05:48.01\00:05:50.45
buried under many long centuries
of desperate heartbreak
00:05:50.45\00:05:53.72
that altered the very
face of God's creation.
00:05:53.72\00:05:57.22
We have no idea
where the garden was,
00:05:57.22\00:05:59.35
but almost
everybody instinctively knows
00:05:59.35\00:06:02.12
that it was there at some point,
00:06:02.12\00:06:04.76
because there's something
very deep in the human heart
00:06:04.76\00:06:08.03
that keeps reminding us
that the world we live in
00:06:08.03\00:06:11.87
is not the way it's supposed
to be, that something is wrong.
00:06:11.87\00:06:16.30
As the sorrowful author
of Ecclesiastes reminds us,
00:06:16.30\00:06:19.07
"God has put
eternity in our hearts."
00:06:19.07\00:06:23.04
So at every
graveside, at every crime scene,
00:06:23.04\00:06:26.92
at every battlefield
and by every hospital bed,
00:06:26.92\00:06:30.32
there is something from
Eden still wrenching our hearts,
00:06:30.32\00:06:34.52
constantly reminding us that
this world as it is right now,
00:06:34.52\00:06:38.66
is not the way
it's supposed to be.
00:06:38.66\00:06:41.26
We still compare
this broken existence
00:06:41.26\00:06:43.67
to something much better
from our very distant past,
00:06:43.67\00:06:47.50
because God has made
sure that we would never be
00:06:47.50\00:06:50.14
completely satisfied
with anything less than him.
00:06:50.14\00:06:55.21
"I will put enmity
between you and the woman."
00:06:56.51\00:06:58.18
God told the serpent.
00:06:58.18\00:07:00.12
It was a divine safeguard,
a way to make sure that
00:07:00.12\00:07:03.42
our hearts would never
be completely comfortable
00:07:03.42\00:07:06.55
with a world
governed by fallen angels,
00:07:06.55\00:07:09.22
because that is in
fact what we created
00:07:09.22\00:07:12.16
the moment we handed our God
given dominion over this planet
00:07:12.16\00:07:15.96
to a jubilant Lucifer,
who now claimed it as his own.
00:07:15.96\00:07:20.50
[Indian inspired music]
00:07:24.04\00:07:26.68
In India, in the city of Agra,
00:07:28.34\00:07:30.18
stands one of the
most magnificent monuments
00:07:30.18\00:07:32.85
to broken hearts ever
created, the Taj Mahal,
00:07:32.85\00:07:37.15
often called a
teardrop on the cheek of time,
00:07:37.15\00:07:39.59
it was built in the
middle of the 17th century
00:07:39.59\00:07:42.12
by the Mughal
Emperor Shan Xiao Han,
00:07:42.12\00:07:44.73
when his favorite wife died,
00:07:44.73\00:07:47.23
giving birth to
their 14th child.
00:07:47.23\00:07:49.96
[slow strings music]
00:07:50.77\00:07:52.87
in the throes of
unbearable grief,
00:07:52.87\00:07:54.44
he decided to build
her an extravagant tomb,
00:07:54.44\00:07:57.71
a structure that
many people consider
00:07:57.71\00:07:59.41
to be the most
beautiful building in the world.
00:07:59.41\00:08:03.95
But what many
people miss when they visit
00:08:03.95\00:08:06.31
this famous landmark, is
the unique layout of the grounds
00:08:06.31\00:08:09.92
in front of the monument.
00:08:09.92\00:08:12.35
It's based on what might
be the oldest landscape design
00:08:12.35\00:08:16.09
in the world,
dating all the way back to
00:08:16.09\00:08:18.43
at least Cyrus the Great
or maybe even much earlier,
00:08:18.43\00:08:22.53
to an ancient time
that now lies obscured
00:08:22.53\00:08:25.70
under the murk
of ancient history.
00:08:25.70\00:08:28.90
Have a look at the Taj Mahal
from space and you'll see it,
00:08:28.90\00:08:33.24
it's a garden with a
fountain of water in the middle
00:08:33.24\00:08:36.54
known to the ancients
as the fountain of life.
00:08:36.54\00:08:40.12
And from that point,
there are four rivers
00:08:40.12\00:08:41.85
that run to the edge
of the garden just like
00:08:41.85\00:08:44.19
the four rivers
that ran from Eden
00:08:44.19\00:08:46.65
in the first days of human life.
00:08:46.65\00:08:49.32
The design is known
simply as a walled garden,
00:08:49.32\00:08:53.36
or in the Persian
language, a Paradeisos,
00:08:53.36\00:08:56.16
the root of our word Paradise.
00:08:57.43\00:09:01.20
It's a Paradise Garden,
walled off from the world
00:09:01.20\00:09:05.21
for the exclusive use of a king.
00:09:05.21\00:09:07.71
And in this case, what you find
00:09:07.71\00:09:09.58
is the tomb of his beloved
wife just outside the wall,
00:09:09.58\00:09:13.98
a monument to the
Kings unbearable grief.
00:09:13.98\00:09:16.82
And the message to
the world is clear,
00:09:16.82\00:09:19.62
one day, the king
hopes that his beloved bride
00:09:19.62\00:09:22.99
will join him again, in
the delights of the garden.
00:09:22.99\00:09:27.00
It's the story of
this natural enmity
00:09:27.00\00:09:30.10
the human race has
with the ravages of sin.
00:09:30.10\00:09:32.60
It's the story of Eden,
the story of a Creator King
00:09:32.60\00:09:36.07
whose bride was
stolen by sin and death.
00:09:36.07\00:09:39.44
And while she must die on
the outside of the garden,
00:09:39.44\00:09:43.01
because that's how sin works,
00:09:43.01\00:09:45.61
the king has
never abandoned hope.
00:09:45.61\00:09:47.52
He knows that the
dominion of fallen angels
00:09:47.52\00:09:49.82
will not last forever,
00:09:49.82\00:09:52.35
and if his people
would only choose him,
00:09:52.35\00:09:55.22
they could once
again walk in Paradise.
00:09:55.22\00:09:58.49
[dreamy music]
00:10:01.40\00:10:04.13
There's another ancient story,
00:10:04.93\00:10:07.07
recording on what might be
the oldest book in the world,
00:10:07.07\00:10:11.14
about a man who
refused to acknowledge
00:10:11.14\00:10:13.44
the dominion of fallen angels,
00:10:13.44\00:10:15.11
a man who knew that his
king would rightfully take back
00:10:15.11\00:10:18.81
what belongs to him.
00:10:18.81\00:10:20.95
At the opening of that book,
00:10:20.95\00:10:22.45
we find one of the
most remarkable scenes
00:10:22.45\00:10:24.52
ever recorded by the
pen of a human author,
00:10:24.52\00:10:27.12
a scene that takes place
in the very presence of God.
00:10:27.12\00:10:32.19
"Now there was a
day when the sons of God
00:10:33.33\00:10:34.96
"came to present
themselves before the Lord
00:10:34.96\00:10:37.03
"and Satan also came among them.
00:10:37.03\00:10:39.87
"And the Lord said to Satan,
00:10:39.87\00:10:41.87
"'From where do you come?'
00:10:41.87\00:10:43.61
"So Satan
answered the Lord and said,
00:10:43.61\00:10:45.37
"'From going to
and fro on the earth,
00:10:45.37\00:10:47.61
"'and from walking
back and forth on it.'"
00:10:47.61\00:10:50.38
The importance of that
statement should not be missed.
00:10:51.71\00:10:54.82
This is not the devil
making some casual remark
00:10:54.82\00:10:57.65
about what he was doing
the day before this meeting,
00:10:57.65\00:11:00.22
this is a bold claim in the
presence of the whole universe,
00:11:00.22\00:11:04.53
that the earth which had
been the apple of God's eye,
00:11:04.53\00:11:07.50
the home of a
race, made in His image,
00:11:07.50\00:11:10.53
was now the home
of Satan's rebellion.
00:11:10.53\00:11:13.60
In the ancient world, you see,
00:11:13.60\00:11:14.97
the foot was a symbol of
ownership, because, well,
00:11:14.97\00:11:18.14
a man was free to
walk on whatever he owned.
00:11:18.14\00:11:20.88
And now that the
human race had handed over
00:11:20.88\00:11:22.71
their God given dominion,
Satan felt that it was his right
00:11:22.71\00:11:26.82
to show up in
the heavenly Council,
00:11:26.82\00:11:29.38
as this earth's representative.
00:11:29.38\00:11:32.45
But then, God did
something rather profound
00:11:32.45\00:11:35.12
in a move that gives
our fallen race hope.
00:11:35.12\00:11:38.79
"Not so fast", He
says, "Because even though
00:11:38.79\00:11:41.06
"you managed to
deceive the whole human race,
00:11:41.06\00:11:43.37
"there is someone down
there whose heart does not
00:11:43.37\00:11:47.17
"belong to you, have you
considered my servant Job?"
00:11:47.17\00:11:51.67
And from that point forward,
the devil did his level best
00:11:51.67\00:11:55.48
to demolish the
faith of a man who refused
00:11:55.48\00:11:57.88
to believe even in
the throes of untold agony
00:11:57.88\00:12:00.52
that a kingdom of fallen
angels was the final word
00:12:00.52\00:12:03.95
for this corner
of God's creation.
00:12:03.95\00:12:06.42
He chose to place his
faith in the one who would come,
00:12:06.42\00:12:10.23
the one who said that he could
crush the head of the serpent
00:12:10.23\00:12:13.40
and take back the title deed
00:12:13.40\00:12:15.73
that should have stayed
with us in the first place.
00:12:15.73\00:12:18.37
Many years ago now, I
conducted my very first funeral,
00:12:19.90\00:12:23.20
and as often happens
with death and heartbreak,
00:12:23.20\00:12:25.77
I found myself at a
loss for something, well,
00:12:25.77\00:12:28.91
meaningful to say.
00:12:28.91\00:12:30.68
So I asked if I could see
the deceased woman's Bible
00:12:30.68\00:12:34.15
hoping it would provide me
with some kind of inspiration.
00:12:34.15\00:12:38.72
And that's where I
found it underlined by someone
00:12:38.72\00:12:41.06
who knew she only had
a few weeks left to live.
00:12:41.06\00:12:44.59
"For I know that
my Redeemer lives,
00:12:44.59\00:12:47.60
"and he shall stand
at last on the earth.
00:12:47.60\00:12:50.23
"And after my skin is
destroyed, this I know,
00:12:50.23\00:12:53.34
"that in my
flesh I shall see God,
00:12:53.34\00:12:55.84
"whom I shall see for
myself and my I shall behold,
00:12:55.84\00:12:59.51
"and nother.
00:12:59.51\00:13:00.78
"How my heart yearns within me."
00:13:00.78\00:13:04.65
The years went by
after Job was laid to rest,
00:13:04.65\00:13:08.05
and in the fullness
of time, God raised up
00:13:08.05\00:13:11.22
an entire nation of people,
00:13:11.22\00:13:13.05
descended from a
Chaldean named Abraham.
00:13:13.05\00:13:16.22
And they were to
remind the whole world
00:13:16.22\00:13:18.96
that the iron grip of fallen
angels would not last forever
00:13:18.96\00:13:22.03
because Messiah was coming.
00:13:22.03\00:13:24.77
And even though the ultimate
redemption of this world
00:13:24.77\00:13:27.10
was still in the
future, they already lived
00:13:27.10\00:13:29.74
in a special covenant community
where God was their king.
00:13:29.74\00:13:34.44
"Now it shall come to
pass in the latter days."
00:13:34.44\00:13:37.25
the prophet Isaiah wrote
in a stunning description
00:13:37.25\00:13:40.38
of what Israel
was supposed to be,
00:13:40.38\00:13:42.62
"That the mountain
of the Lord's house
00:13:42.62\00:13:44.59
"shall be established
on top of the mountains,
00:13:44.59\00:13:47.66
"and shall be
exalted above the hills
00:13:47.66\00:13:50.03
"and all nations
shall flow to it."
00:13:50.03\00:13:53.76
This covenant people,
was meant as a beacon of hope
00:13:53.76\00:13:57.00
to the whole world,
showcasing the fact that God
00:13:57.00\00:13:59.73
had not forgotten
this sinful planet,
00:13:59.73\00:14:02.10
and then he had
plans to take it back,
00:14:02.10\00:14:04.91
to return us to the
paradise of the garden.
00:14:04.91\00:14:08.51
But in a tragic move
that has profoundly affected
00:14:08.51\00:14:11.51
the world ever since, God's
covenant people suddenly decided
00:14:11.51\00:14:15.32
it wasn't enough,
they wanted a worldly king,
00:14:15.32\00:14:19.69
they wanted to live
like the nation's next door.
00:14:19.69\00:14:22.59
And so God let them
have what they wanted
00:14:22.59\00:14:25.13
because his kingdom
has never been about force.
00:14:25.13\00:14:28.23
"Heed the voice of the people
in all that they say to you."
00:14:28.23\00:14:31.83
God told the prophet Samuel.
00:14:31.83\00:14:33.40
"For they have not rejected
you, but they have rejected me
00:14:33.40\00:14:37.31
"that I should
not reign over them."
00:14:37.31\00:14:39.64
It was exactly
what Esau the brother
00:14:39.64\00:14:42.04
of their namesake had done.
00:14:42.04\00:14:43.91
In a moment of weakness
when an immediate solution
00:14:43.91\00:14:46.28
to a temporary
discomfort seemed like, well,
00:14:46.28\00:14:48.92
the most important
thing in the world,
00:14:48.92\00:14:50.95
he traded his birthright
for nothing but pottage.
00:14:50.95\00:14:55.66
And that's what
we have to this day,
00:14:55.66\00:14:57.49
instead of living in
a kingdom built by God,
00:14:57.49\00:15:00.26
we have this painful
bowl of political stew,
00:15:00.26\00:15:03.40
because we handed
over the keys again.
00:15:03.40\00:15:06.63
And we got a world
run by fallen people
00:15:06.63\00:15:09.14
taking orders
from fallen angels.
00:15:09.14\00:15:12.27
So what you find in
the pages of the Bible
00:15:12.27\00:15:15.11
is a record of human kings
who become more and more wicked,
00:15:15.11\00:15:19.21
until God just
folds his people back
00:15:19.21\00:15:21.75
into the kingdoms of this world,
00:15:21.75\00:15:23.22
sending His
people back to Chaldea
00:15:23.22\00:15:26.82
the very place
that Abraham had left
00:15:26.82\00:15:29.16
in pursuit of
the promise of God.
00:15:29.16\00:15:31.36
But even then, God
refused to abandon hope,
00:15:32.63\00:15:36.36
that his beloved
bride could come back home,
00:15:36.36\00:15:38.80
because as his people slaved
in the hot Mesopotamian sun
00:15:38.80\00:15:43.24
for a king who was
nothing like our Creator,
00:15:43.24\00:15:47.08
God disrupted the
sleep of Nebuchadnezzar
00:15:47.08\00:15:49.51
with a startling
picture of things to come.
00:15:49.51\00:15:52.68
[music]
00:15:52.68\00:15:53.75
It was true, Israel
would never be the same.
00:15:53.75\00:15:57.32
There would be an
endless progression
00:15:57.32\00:15:59.05
of human kingdoms
pretending to run this world
00:15:59.05\00:16:01.89
with all the pain and
chaos that comes with that,
00:16:01.89\00:16:05.13
until the day that God Himself
takes it all back as His own.
00:16:05.13\00:16:09.96
[music fades]
00:16:10.83\00:16:12.37
[jarring music]
00:16:13.64\00:16:15.10
After 70 long
years in captivity,
00:16:15.10\00:16:18.01
the people of God made their
way back to the promised land,
00:16:18.01\00:16:21.51
where they began
the work of rebuilding
00:16:21.51\00:16:23.68
the city and the temple.
00:16:23.68\00:16:26.15
God had given
them one more chance.
00:16:26.15\00:16:28.72
70 weeks the angel
Gabriel told the prophet
00:16:28.72\00:16:31.59
Are determined for your
people and for your holy city.
00:16:31.59\00:16:35.76
The clock had started ticking,
the kingdom must be rebuilt
00:16:35.76\00:16:39.29
because Messiah was coming.
00:16:39.29\00:16:42.46
The work however, proved
to be exceptionally difficult,
00:16:42.46\00:16:45.60
they would not be
working in comfort or ease.
00:16:45.60\00:16:48.57
And at one point, opposition
from their Samaritan neighbors
00:16:48.57\00:16:51.57
was so overwhelming that the
work slowly ground to a halt,
00:16:51.57\00:16:56.14
and God's people began to focus
on their own needs instead,
00:16:56.14\00:17:00.65
they lost faith, they faltered.
00:17:00.65\00:17:02.52
And they told themselves
that the time was wrong,
00:17:02.52\00:17:05.25
and some other generation
would have to finish the work.
00:17:05.25\00:17:08.32
Now that ripped
God's heart in two because,
00:17:08.32\00:17:10.86
the only thing he's
ever asked of us is faith
00:17:10.86\00:17:15.30
and the courage to believe.
00:17:15.30\00:17:17.83
"Thus speaks the
Lord of hosts say,
00:17:17.83\00:17:20.17
"this people says
the time has not come,
00:17:20.17\00:17:22.57
"the time that the
Lord's house should be built."
00:17:22.57\00:17:26.51
It was not at all what God
had said, but for some reason,
00:17:26.51\00:17:30.18
you and I have
always struggled to believe
00:17:30.18\00:17:32.41
that God will actually
use us to finish the work.
00:17:32.41\00:17:36.69
And it's easy to
identify the obstacles
00:17:36.69\00:17:38.55
that stand in the way,
the world is too secular,
00:17:38.55\00:17:42.02
the work is too big, the
population is growing faster
00:17:42.02\00:17:45.56
than we can hope
to share the Gospel,
00:17:45.56\00:17:47.60
and we find studies that
prove that it can't be done.
00:17:47.60\00:17:51.53
So like those people have old,
00:17:51.53\00:17:53.40
we start
turning to other things.
00:17:53.40\00:17:55.27
We find reasons that
some that other generation
00:17:55.27\00:17:57.74
will have to finish the work,
00:17:57.74\00:17:59.01
that it couldn't possibly be us.
00:17:59.01\00:18:01.18
And the discouragement
that starts on the outside
00:18:01.18\00:18:04.58
of the church quickly
moves into the pews and defeats
00:18:04.58\00:18:08.95
the people of God who
really ought to know better.
00:18:08.95\00:18:12.19
So maybe, when we're
tempted to succumb to the words
00:18:13.52\00:18:16.52
of these last day Samaritans,
we should return to the pages
00:18:16.52\00:18:20.33
of God's book and
remind ourselves that what God
00:18:20.33\00:18:23.70
has asked of his people
has never been possible,
00:18:23.70\00:18:28.20
and that's the whole point.
00:18:28.20\00:18:30.94
He wants us to understand that
we have never had the answer.
00:18:30.94\00:18:34.81
Don't forget, when
the stone returns to crush
00:18:34.81\00:18:38.55
the kingdoms of this
world, the Bible says,
00:18:38.55\00:18:41.45
"It will be cut out
without human hands,"
00:18:41.45\00:18:44.69
which means that the
kingdom will be entirely
00:18:44.69\00:18:49.06
the act of God.
00:18:49.06\00:18:50.96
"The glory of this
latter temple shall be greater
00:18:50.96\00:18:53.23
"than the former," the Prophet
Haggai told God's people,
00:18:53.23\00:18:56.50
which probably
created great excitement,
00:18:56.50\00:18:59.07
because when the First
Temple had been dedicated,
00:18:59.07\00:19:01.47
the very presence
of God had filled it
00:19:01.47\00:19:04.31
with unspeakable glory.
00:19:04.31\00:19:06.14
But on the day of the
dedication of the Second Temple,
00:19:07.38\00:19:10.85
the Shekinah did not come,
00:19:10.85\00:19:13.45
and they didn't have
the Ark of the Covenant.
00:19:13.45\00:19:16.69
So how could this new
temple possibly be greater?
00:19:16.69\00:19:20.36
It was because
the Son of God himself
00:19:20.36\00:19:23.32
would step out
from behind the veil,
00:19:23.32\00:19:25.83
and set foot on
those temple grounds
00:19:25.83\00:19:28.63
as a flesh and blood human
being, Emmanuel, God with us.
00:19:28.63\00:19:33.70
Therefore, in all
things he had to be made
00:19:35.50\00:19:37.71
like his brethren,
that he might be a merciful
00:19:37.71\00:19:40.51
and faithful high priest
in things pertaining to God,
00:19:40.51\00:19:43.61
to make propitiation
for the sins of the people.
00:19:43.61\00:19:47.02
Where you and I had
failed, the Son of God,
00:19:48.45\00:19:51.02
who was now the Son
of Man would triumph,
00:19:51.02\00:19:55.16
and take back
this world as his own.
00:19:55.16\00:19:58.39
The Lamb of God has
defeated the powers at darkness,
00:19:58.39\00:20:01.43
at the cross and seized
the title deed to this planet,
00:20:01.43\00:20:05.83
not just for him, but
for anybody who wants it.
00:20:05.83\00:20:10.14
[slow music]
00:20:14.81\00:20:17.48
Today the world
still lives in the shadow
00:20:18.58\00:20:20.92
of all those worldly empires.
00:20:20.92\00:20:23.75
The head of gold, the
chest and arms of silver,
00:20:23.75\00:20:25.92
the belly and thighs of
brass, and the legs of iron,
00:20:25.92\00:20:29.06
have all come and gone.
00:20:29.06\00:20:31.39
And we find
ourselves in the toes
00:20:31.39\00:20:33.56
at the very end of the prophecy.
00:20:33.56\00:20:36.56
And the whole of
creation is now groaning,
00:20:36.56\00:20:39.67
waiting for Jesus to come.
00:20:39.67\00:20:41.34
The people who live next
door to us, they sense it,
00:20:42.80\00:20:46.07
they know there's
something wrong because the more
00:20:46.07\00:20:48.58
our world strives for
peace, the more we tried to fix
00:20:48.58\00:20:52.08
what we've done to this place,
00:20:52.08\00:20:54.08
well, the worst
things seem to get.
00:20:54.08\00:20:56.99
And at some point in
the not too distant future
00:20:56.99\00:20:59.69
our human race is
going to try and fix it,
00:20:59.69\00:21:02.62
and we will rebuild
a League of Nations,
00:21:02.62\00:21:06.06
but on a much grander scale,
00:21:06.06\00:21:09.03
because somehow we
still haven't learned,
00:21:09.03\00:21:11.40
no human
kingdom has ever worked,
00:21:11.40\00:21:15.10
and no human kingdom ever will.
00:21:15.10\00:21:18.11
And yet, we see the sad
prediction that we're going
00:21:18.11\00:21:20.14
to try it one last time.
00:21:20.14\00:21:23.41
"The 10 horns,
which you saw are 10 kings
00:21:23.41\00:21:25.85
"who have
received no kingdom as yet,
00:21:25.85\00:21:28.08
"but they receive
authority for one hour
00:21:28.08\00:21:30.65
"as kings with the beast.
00:21:30.65\00:21:32.99
"These are of one mind
and they will give their power
00:21:32.99\00:21:35.99
"and authority to the beast."
00:21:35.99\00:21:38.46
So here we are, on the
verge of the final moments
00:21:39.79\00:21:43.73
where nation is still
rising against nation,
00:21:43.73\00:21:46.20
and kingdom is
rising against kingdom.
00:21:46.20\00:21:48.77
And this world is eventually
going to push the panic button,
00:21:48.77\00:21:52.74
because we always
seem to sell our birthright
00:21:52.74\00:21:55.64
for a measly bowl of pottage.
00:21:55.64\00:21:58.55
But this time it's
going to set the stage
00:21:58.55\00:22:01.85
for the final showdown.
00:22:01.85\00:22:04.39
And here we are, Gods people
asked to do just one thing.
00:22:04.39\00:22:08.86
And even though people
are worried that the world
00:22:08.86\00:22:11.06
always seems poised
on the brink of disaster,
00:22:11.06\00:22:13.90
we know based on what God
says that tanks and planes,
00:22:13.90\00:22:18.67
parliaments and kings
or banks and currencies,
00:22:18.67\00:22:21.84
those aren't the real
issue, because all of that
00:22:21.84\00:22:25.67
is just preparing the world
to accept the wrong alternative.
00:22:25.67\00:22:30.55
The real war, the real crisis
runs much deeper than that.
00:22:30.55\00:22:35.62
"For we do not wrestle
against flesh and blood,"
00:22:36.95\00:22:38.05
Paul reminds us, "But
against principalities,
00:22:38.05\00:22:40.36
"against powers, against
the rulers of the darkness
00:22:40.36\00:22:42.96
"of this age, against
spiritual hosts of wickedness
00:22:42.96\00:22:46.80
"in the heavenly places."
00:22:46.80\00:22:48.63
For a lot of people this fight
seems like a hopeless cause.
00:22:50.10\00:22:53.74
we tell ourselves that
for now it's already over,
00:22:53.74\00:22:56.74
maybe some other generation
will have to finish the work
00:22:56.74\00:22:59.31
because our
congregations are aging,
00:22:59.31\00:23:01.91
and our pews
seem to be half empty.
00:23:01.91\00:23:05.31
And we can point
to the very Samaritans
00:23:05.31\00:23:07.58
who tell us it's
true, we are defeated.
00:23:07.58\00:23:11.35
But what we're
really telling ourselves
00:23:11.35\00:23:13.92
is that God has made
a horrendous mistake,
00:23:13.92\00:23:16.79
that God has
told his church a lie,
00:23:16.79\00:23:19.43
because the way the Bible reads
00:23:19.43\00:23:20.96
there is anything but
defeat on the horizon.
00:23:20.96\00:23:24.90
"After these
things," The Bible says
00:23:24.90\00:23:26.50
"I saw another angel
coming down from heaven,
00:23:26.50\00:23:29.00
"having great
authority and the earth
00:23:29.00\00:23:31.41
"was
illuminated with his glory."
00:23:31.41\00:23:34.24
And in Revelation
chapter seven, John tells us,
00:23:34.24\00:23:36.61
"I looked and
behold, a great multitude
00:23:36.61\00:23:39.91
"which no one could
number of all nations,
00:23:39.91\00:23:42.32
"tribes, peoples and tongues,
standing before the throne
00:23:42.32\00:23:45.49
"and before the lamb,
clothed with white robes
00:23:45.49\00:23:48.32
"with palm
branches in their hands,
00:23:48.32\00:23:50.46
"and crying out
with a loud voice saying,
00:23:50.46\00:23:53.03
"'Salvation belongs to our God
00:23:53.03\00:23:56.03
"'who sits on the
throne and to the Lamb.'"
00:23:56.03\00:24:00.10
And in the closing
chapter of Daniel, God says,
00:24:00.10\00:24:02.70
"At that time
Michael shall stand up,
00:24:02.70\00:24:04.77
"the great prince who
stands watch over the sons
00:24:04.77\00:24:07.14
"of your people, and there
shall be a time of trouble,
00:24:07.14\00:24:10.11
"such as never was
since there was a nation
00:24:10.11\00:24:12.68
"even to that time.
00:24:12.68\00:24:14.98
"And at that time, your
people shall be delivered,
00:24:14.98\00:24:18.09
"everyone who was
found written in the book."
00:24:18.09\00:24:22.06
And back in
Revelation again, Chapter 19,
00:24:22.06\00:24:25.49
"And I heard as it were,
the voice of a great multitude,
00:24:25.49\00:24:28.23
"as the sound of many waters
00:24:28.23\00:24:30.10
"and as the sound of
mighty thundering saying,
00:24:30.10\00:24:32.30
"'Hallelujah, for the
Lord God omnipotent reigns.
00:24:32.30\00:24:35.94
"'Let us be glad and
rejoice and give him glory,
00:24:35.94\00:24:38.54
"'for the marriage
of the Lamb has come
00:24:38.54\00:24:40.64
"'and his wife has
made herself ready.'
00:24:40.64\00:24:43.81
"To her it was granted
to be arrayed in fine linen,
00:24:43.81\00:24:46.55
"clean and
bright, for the fine linen
00:24:46.55\00:24:49.18
"is the righteous
act of the saints."
00:24:49.18\00:24:52.32
Then, in chapter 11,
"Then the seventh angel sounded
00:24:52.32\00:24:55.69
"and there were loud
voices in heaven saying,
00:24:55.69\00:24:57.69
"'The kingdoms of this
world have become the kingdoms
00:24:57.69\00:25:01.13
"'of our Lord and of His Christ,
00:25:01.13\00:25:03.10
"'and He shall
reign forever and ever.'"
00:25:03.10\00:25:06.33
There's just no
shortage of promises that
00:25:07.34\00:25:09.20
what God has asked us to do
is possible, and it will happen.
00:25:09.20\00:25:14.28
So the decision
really rests with us.
00:25:15.31\00:25:17.65
This time, are
we going to go back
00:25:17.65\00:25:19.71
and work on something else like
00:25:19.71\00:25:21.25
the disheartened
people have Haggai's day?
00:25:21.25\00:25:23.15
Or will we choose to
believe that if we do
00:25:23.15\00:25:26.62
the tasks that God
has laid at our feet,
00:25:26.62\00:25:28.56
the one thing he
has asked us to do,
00:25:28.56\00:25:31.49
that we will
actually see the feet of Jesus
00:25:31.49\00:25:33.56
walk the surface of this world.
00:25:33.56\00:25:36.63
You know, when
John the Revelator,
00:25:36.63\00:25:37.70
was exiled to a
barren piece of rock
00:25:37.70\00:25:39.70
in the middle of the Aegean sea,
00:25:39.70\00:25:41.50
when it looked like all
was lost, God offered John hope
00:25:41.50\00:25:46.51
like he did for Daniel and
Ezekiel when they were in exile.
00:25:46.51\00:25:50.61
And what God showed him
was the closing of the work,
00:25:50.61\00:25:54.62
a generation that
would not lose hope,
00:25:54.62\00:25:56.72
who would light up the
world with the glory of Christ
00:25:56.72\00:25:59.09
in the last few moments
of this world's history.
00:25:59.09\00:26:02.99
And we can choose to believe
00:26:02.99\00:26:05.73
that he saw some
other generation,
00:26:05.73\00:26:08.06
some other group of
people who will finish the work
00:26:08.06\00:26:10.60
after we've been laid to rest.
00:26:10.60\00:26:13.07
Or we can choose to
believe that the prophet saw us,
00:26:13.07\00:26:18.07
that we have the
courage to finish the work.
00:26:19.14\00:26:21.78
We can wait or we can do it.
00:26:21.78\00:26:25.35
We can lay plans, we
can join hands, we can pray,
00:26:25.35\00:26:28.22
and we can take down this
continent for the glory of God.
00:26:28.22\00:26:32.49
What if what
we're starting right now
00:26:32.49\00:26:35.32
is the beginning of the end?
00:26:35.32\00:26:37.33
What if 2020 is the day we said,
00:26:37.33\00:26:40.73
we believe the promise of God?
00:26:40.73\00:26:44.53
Satan's work of
Ruin is forever ended.
00:26:44.53\00:26:47.37
For 6,000 years he
has wrought his will,
00:26:47.37\00:26:50.14
filling the earth with
broil and causing grief
00:26:50.14\00:26:52.41
throughout the universe.
00:26:52.41\00:26:53.94
The whole creation has grown
and travail together in pain.
00:26:53.94\00:26:57.95
Now God's creatures
are forever delivered
00:26:57.95\00:26:59.91
from his
presence in temptations,
00:26:59.91\00:27:02.58
the whole world is
at rest and is quiet.
00:27:02.58\00:27:05.42
They, the righteous,
break forth into singing
00:27:05.42\00:27:08.69
and a shout of
praise and triumph descends
00:27:08.69\00:27:11.16
from the whole loyal universe.
00:27:11.16\00:27:13.26
The voice of a great multitude,
as the voice of many waters
00:27:13.26\00:27:17.23
and as the voice of mighty
thundering is heard saying,
00:27:17.23\00:27:20.50
"Hallelujah, for the
Lord God omnipotent reigneth."
00:27:20.50\00:27:25.47
[strings music fades]
00:27:25.47\00:27:27.31
[piano music]
00:27:31.08\00:27:33.28
- [Announcer] Voice
of Prophecy is proud
00:27:56.30\00:27:58.01
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00:27:58.01\00:28:00.08
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00:28:00.08\00:28:03.68
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00:28:03.68\00:28:06.78
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00:28:06.78\00:28:09.15
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00:28:09.15\00:28:12.29
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00:28:12.29\00:28:17.36
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00:28:19.13\00:28:21.73