??Commanding
Music?? It has stood
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the test of time.
00:00:08.80\00:00:12.13
God's book.
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The Bible.
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Still relevant in
today's complex world.
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It Is Written,
sharing hope around the globe.
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Thanks for joining me
today on It Is Written.
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I'm John Bradshaw, and today
we're going to look at a subject
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that is absolutely
vital for everyone.
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One thing I love to do
is to gaze at the night sky.
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But I found out back in 1986
I'm not much of an astronomer.
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I spent some time one evening
peering into the heavens trying
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to locate Halley's
comet, and I was so excited when
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I discovered this little
white dot traveling along with a
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tail jutting out behind it...
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until I looked in another part
of the sky and saw something
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else that looked
exactly the same.
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And then in another part, and
then in another part and before
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I knew it the whole sky
was filled with millions of
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Halley's Comets.
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I thought maybe I'll have better
luck seeing it when it comes
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back next time - in 2061.
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I'll probably use an app
to help me identify exactly
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what I'm looking at.
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It seems to me that there's
something about the night sky
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that you just cannot argue with.
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While you're living in your own
little corner of Planet Earth
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and then look up and see
millions of stars, a full moon
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with human
footprints on its surface...
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You think of the sun and all
those brilliant stars and the
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other planets out there...
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We're part of an
incredibly vast universe.
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Our Milky Way galaxy is
100,000 light years across.
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Now that means if you could
travel 186,000 miles a second -
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300,000 kilometres a second
- and if you traveled that fast
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for 100,000 years, that's
how long it would take to get
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across our galaxy.
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They tell us there are probably
200 billion galaxies out there -
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maybe as many as 500 billion.
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And that's just mind-boggling.
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So we look up
and maybe we wonder.
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Where did all
those galaxies come from?
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Where did our Earth come from?
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And where did WE come from?
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Back in 2001, NASA partnered
with Princeton University and
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launched the Wilkinson Probe,
which spent a year observing
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the universe from its orbit a
million miles from Planet Earth.
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Almost two years later NASA
shared the probe's stunningly
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detailed composite photos
with the world, calling them
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the best "baby pictures"
ever taken of the universe.
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Dr. Charles L.
Bennett, the mission's principal
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investigator said this.
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"We've captured the infant
universe in sharp focus, and
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from this portrait we can
now describe the universe with
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unprecedented
accuracy," "The data are solid -
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a real gold mine."
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The new portrait, NASA said,
pegged the age of the universe
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at 13.7 billion years
old, with a remarkably small
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1 percent margin of error.
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Many scientists felt that the
data returned by the Wilkinson
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Probe provided strong confirming
evidence for the so-called
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Big Bang-the theory
that the universe began
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billions of years ago in
a single colossal explosion.
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Proponents of the Big Bang idea
say fragments of that massive
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explosion eventually cooled
and became billions of spinning
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galaxies made up of even more
billions of suns and planets.
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And as the eons of time
passed, on at least one of those
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planets, life appeared
and evolved into a nearly
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incomprehensible variety of
forms-plants, sea life, insects,
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animals, and finally, man.
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So that's how we got here!
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We're the result of an explosion
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out of nothingness!
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But that idea would make human
life essentially meaningless!
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Following its own rules, the
investigations of science have
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led to a theory of how the
universe began-but that very
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theory supports the obvious
conclusion that the beginning
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itself HAD TO HAVE A CAUSE.
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Something never
comes from nothing.
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So the results of the very best
in scientific inquiry provide
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one of the most compelling
evidences that the created
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universe had to have a Creator.
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And that's just what the
Bible tells us in its very first
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sentence in Genesis chapter 1:1,
"In the beginning God created
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the heavens and the earth."
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(Genesis 1:1) So: is
there really a Creator?
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Does God really exist?
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If you've never been certain
that there is a God, or if you'd
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like to know how you can tell
others that God really exists,
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then in just a moment I'm going
to give you several reasons why
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you can be certain
that there really is a God,
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and why you can trust
the Bible as the word of God.
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Back in a moment.
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??Music to think by??
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And now it's time for
today's Bible question.
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I believe in the God and read
my Bible, but I haven't found a
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church I really like going to.
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Do I need to go to
church in order to be saved?
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I get more out of
reading my Bible then listening
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to preachers, and
that includes those on TV.
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I'm hopeful you're not including
It Is Written in that...
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Now there isn't a verse in
the Bible that says explicitly,
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Thou shalt go to church.
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It doesn't say that.
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Now, does a person need
to go to church to be saved?
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No, of course not.
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You can accept Jesus on a boat,
in a forest or in a coal mine.
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I accepted Jesus and
salvation in a bath tub.
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But that's not
really the question.
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The question is, What do
you do once you're are saved?
00:07:01.76\00:07:05.13
And the Bible is
pretty clear about that.
00:07:05.13\00:07:07.16
The Biblical model
is to worship together
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with believers of like faith.
00:07:09.90\00:07:12.30
All the way back in the
Old Testament the temple
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services gave people
the opportunity to do that.
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Corporate worship
was the Biblical manner.
00:07:17.80\00:07:21.86
Even Jesus attended
church - every week in fact.
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Luke 4:16 says, "As his custom
was, he went into the synagogue
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on the Sabbath day..."
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The early Christian
church had churches.
00:07:31.50\00:07:34.40
With congregations.
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And they were organized.
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I believe the Bible is clear,
God wants people in church.
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And not just for worship.
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Because the church is like a
place where you come not just
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for common worship but
also for common MISSION.
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Rightly understood, the church
is the training center that
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God's people come to in order
to be fed, filled, commissioned,
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and then sent forth into
the field as workers for Jesus.
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If all we did was stay home and
do what sort of felt right as we
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believed God led us,
Christianity and the spread
00:08:02.93\00:08:06.90
of the gospel would
be in a sorry state.
00:08:06.90\00:08:10.63
I can't think of any significant
organization that flourishes
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without organization.
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Now if you're not getting
anything out of the churches
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you have attended,
here's what I'd recommend.
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Go to your Bible, find the
truth-the message of the Bible.
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And then find a church that
is teaching that truth - as much
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truth as you can possibly find.
00:08:30.93\00:08:33.30
You might even have to move
on to another place as you grow
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and learn more.
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But God will lead you to the
church that is right for you,
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where you can grow, and
help others to do the same.
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If you have a question you'd
like answered, please go to our
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website - www.ItIsWritten.com
and click on the questions tab.
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Submit your questions or
question, and in a future
00:08:51.10\00:08:55.40
program you may discover
the answer to your question.
00:08:55.40\00:08:58.73
If you have a Bible question
for pastor John Bradshaw, please
00:08:58.73\00:09:02.83
write to It Is Written,
Box O, Thousand Oaks, CA 91359
00:09:02.83\00:09:08.00
or visit our
website ItIsWritten.com and
00:09:08.00\00:09:10.83
send us your questions online.
00:09:10.83\00:09:13.73
I told you a moment ago that
I'd share with you some solid
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reasons as to why you can
believe there really is a God,
00:09:16.36\00:09:20.23
and why you can be certain
the Bible is the word of God.
00:09:20.23\00:09:24.53
This gargantuan universe
had to come from somewhere.
00:09:24.53\00:09:28.66
It had to have a cause.
00:09:28.66\00:09:30.96
And its reasonable and logical
to believe that the ultimate
00:09:30.96\00:09:34.50
first cause of the universe
was an all-powerful Creator-God.
00:09:34.50\00:09:39.50
Here's why.
00:09:39.50\00:09:41.13
The universe gives evidence
of order and complex design -
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the most obvious example
of that being the human body.
00:09:44.80\00:09:48.53
And if creation
suggests a Creator, then design
00:09:48.53\00:09:52.50
suggests a Designer.
00:09:52.50\00:09:54.13
You know, a friend of mine was
at a university studying science
00:09:54.13\00:09:58.66
when the professor announced
to the class this...he said
00:09:58.66\00:10:02.40
"If you go way back
there was nothing at all,
00:10:02.40\00:10:05.80
except a few specks of dust.
00:10:05.80\00:10:08.16
Then he said, one day those
specks of dust exploded in the
00:10:08.16\00:10:12.76
Big Bang, and the
universe was the result."
00:10:12.76\00:10:16.06
Now what he did
next was interesting.
00:10:16.06\00:10:17.66
He paused. He looked
at the class very sternly,
00:10:17.66\00:10:21.13
wagged his finger, and
said, "Now don't you ever
00:10:21.13\00:10:24.93
ask me where those
specks of dust came from..."
00:10:24.93\00:10:29.40
You know, I just don't think
that kind of thinking cuts it,
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and honestly I'm surprised
anyone would go for it.
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The world around us suggests it
didn't get here by itself, and
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the complexity of design in
so much of what we see suggests
00:10:41.76\00:10:45.30
there had to be a designer.
00:10:45.30\00:10:48.36
Now, consider this with me.
00:10:48.36\00:10:50.06
The Book of Acts
starts like this: Acts 1:1
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"The former
treatise have I made,
00:10:56.16\00:10:58.36
O Theophilus, of all that Jesus
began both to do and teach.
00:10:58.36\00:11:02.46
Until the day in which he was
taken up, after that He through
00:11:02.46\00:11:06.76
the Holy Ghost had
given commandments unto the
00:11:06.76\00:11:09.96
apostles whom He had chosen."
00:11:09.96\00:11:11.60
(Acts 1:1, 2) Now
notice what he says
00:11:11.60\00:11:13.33
in the next verse.
00:11:13.33\00:11:14.23
"To whom also He showed
Himself after his passion,
00:11:14.23\00:11:18.03
that is, after His death -
"by many infallible proofs."
00:11:18.03\00:11:23.33
(Acts 1:3) Luke, who wrote the
00:11:23.33\00:11:25.96
book of Acts, says you can
believe in Jesus because He
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demonstrated He was
back from the dead by
00:11:28.70\00:11:31.70
"many infallible proofs."
00:11:31.70\00:11:34.93
He says, "You just can't argue
with the fact that Jesus is the
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Messiah because He proved it
- by MANY infallible proofs."
00:11:37.33\00:11:42.96
His thinking is that if Jesus
really came back from the dead,
00:11:42.96\00:11:46.66
that would establish Him as
the Messiah, who of course would
00:11:46.66\00:11:49.93
then be the Son of
God, and so therefore
00:11:49.93\00:11:52.06
there's very clearly a God.
00:11:52.06\00:11:55.23
"Many infallible
proofs," Luke says.
00:11:55.23\00:11:58.26
And what were they?
00:11:58.26\00:11:59.40
Well, He was seen by the
Marys at the tomb after His
00:11:59.40\00:12:01.93
resurrection from the dead.
00:12:01.93\00:12:03.56
That's one.
00:12:03.56\00:12:04.70
Then He was seen in the
Upper Room, that4s another.
00:12:04.70\00:12:07.40
Then He taught, He was seen
by others, He made the disciples
00:12:07.40\00:12:11.33
breakfast one morning
down on the lake shore...
00:12:11.33\00:12:14.03
However you stack it, He was
very definitely dead after dying
00:12:14.03\00:12:17.76
on the cross, and He was very
definitely alive from the dead
00:12:17.76\00:12:22.70
and He spent about 6 weeks
with His friends to prove it.
00:12:22.70\00:12:25.16
Even Doubting Thomas had to
admit, He's back from the dead.
00:12:25.16\00:12:29.40
This would
validate the Bible story.
00:12:29.40\00:12:31.96
And keep in mind - Dr. Luke has
been called by some one of the
00:12:31.96\00:12:36.33
most accurate
historians you could ever read.
00:12:36.33\00:12:40.03
The people who were there
at the time testified that
00:12:40.03\00:12:42.70
Jesus was the Messiah.
00:12:42.70\00:12:45.53
In Acts 2.
00:12:45.53\00:12:46.56
Peter - preaching at
Pentecost - said, "This Jesus
00:12:46.56\00:12:49.93
hath God raised up,
whereof we all are witnesses."
00:12:49.93\00:12:54.86
(Acts 2:32).
00:12:54.86\00:12:56.23
Then in Acts 3, Peter spoke
of Jesus as the One "whom God
00:12:56.23\00:12:59.30
hath raised from the dead."
00:12:59.30\00:13:01.40
Now, I hear somebody
saying, What does that prove?
00:13:01.40\00:13:05.66
Well let me tell
you what it proves.
00:13:05.66\00:13:07.70
The eyewitnesses said He worked
miracles, the eyewitnesses said
00:13:07.70\00:13:11.23
He healed people, they said He
died on the cross, that He rose
00:13:11.23\00:13:14.10
from the dead, that He ascended
to heaven, the eyewitnesses were
00:13:14.10\00:13:18.20
certain He was the Son of God.
00:13:18.20\00:13:20.93
Now someone's going to
say, "Well, I don't believe
00:13:20.93\00:13:23.43
these eye-witnesses!
00:13:23.43\00:13:24.63
That's all a lie."
00:13:24.63\00:13:26.43
Okay, fine.
00:13:26.43\00:13:27.73
So let's transfer that line
of thinking into another part
00:13:27.73\00:13:30.40
of a person's life.
00:13:30.40\00:13:31.86
"Mr. Smith, you have cancer.
00:13:31.86\00:13:33.23
I'm the oncologist, and
I've seen the evidence."
00:13:33.23\00:13:36.80
You know, you're probably going
to believe the oncologist, even
00:13:36.80\00:13:40.76
though you've never
seen the cancer yourself.
00:13:40.76\00:13:44.80
If the people who say that
they've seen your cancer say
00:13:44.80\00:13:47.50
you've got cancer, there's not a
very big chance you're going to
00:13:47.50\00:13:51.13
argue the point, is there?
00:13:51.13\00:13:52.46
You're going to take
their word for it, even though
00:13:52.46\00:13:54.43
you've never seen it yourself.
00:13:54.43\00:13:56.73
And a friend says to
Mr, Smith, "How do you know
00:13:56.73\00:13:59.43
you've got cancer?
00:13:59.43\00:14:00.40
Have you seen it?"
00:14:00.40\00:14:01.26
And he says, "No, I have
not seen it but the experts have
00:14:01.26\00:14:04.30
seen it, and I'm
taking their word for it."
00:14:04.30\00:14:07.56
But the minute someone says,
"I was there, and I saw Jesus
00:14:07.56\00:14:10.90
after He rose from the
dead," someone else says, "Oh,
00:14:10.90\00:14:13.80
I could never believe that."
00:14:13.80\00:14:15.73
What?
00:14:15.73\00:14:17.60
You were driving through town
without a GPS, you got lost, and
00:14:17.60\00:14:20.73
so you asked a perfect stranger,
"Hey, where's Main Street?"
00:14:20.73\00:14:25.06
And he says, "Second right!"
00:14:25.06\00:14:26.90
and you say, "Thanks!"
00:14:26.90\00:14:28.90
and you go on your way without
even questioning whether you're
00:14:28.90\00:14:31.63
going in the wrong direction.
00:14:31.63\00:14:34.33
"She lives here, why
would she lie to me?"
00:14:34.33\00:14:36.83
is what you're thinking.
00:14:36.83\00:14:38.53
You mean a person would
trust somebody just like that?
00:14:38.53\00:14:41.46
You do it all the time.
00:14:41.46\00:14:44.40
But you can't trust someone
who said, "I was there when
00:14:44.40\00:14:47.36
Jesus appeared after His death.
00:14:47.36\00:14:48.60
It's true - He
really is the Messiah!"
00:14:48.60\00:14:51.13
You can't trust that?
00:14:51.13\00:14:53.46
Well John, a lot of experts
say the Bible isn't true.
00:14:53.46\00:14:58.16
You know, it isn't always smart
to blindly trust the experts.
00:14:58.16\00:15:03.36
CNN.com reported about a
woman who was told her baby
00:15:03.36\00:15:06.36
boy needed hearing aids.
00:15:06.36\00:15:08.70
Now she didn't really think
so, but she went along with it.
00:15:08.70\00:15:11.86
She then noticed that her
child was uncomfortable with the
00:15:11.86\00:15:16.43
hearing aids - it was like
everything was too loud for him.
00:15:16.43\00:15:19.66
The doctors told her she was
in denial and said she ought to
00:15:19.66\00:15:22.70
stick with the hearing aids.
00:15:22.70\00:15:24.33
So she got a second opinion and
was told that she should remove
00:15:24.33\00:15:27.56
those hearing aids immediately
before they totally destroyed
00:15:27.56\00:15:32.50
her son's hearing.
00:15:32.50\00:15:35.06
Now when someone makes a claim
that is IMPORTANT - dealing with
00:15:35.06\00:15:38.90
your safety, or the health
of your kids, or especially with
00:15:38.90\00:15:43.26
your eternal life - you owe it
to yourself to investigate those
00:15:43.26\00:15:47.66
claims intelligently,
and then act on what is true
00:15:47.66\00:15:52.00
and what is right.
00:15:52.00\00:15:53.30
When someone like Dr Luke writes
that Jesus demonstrated He was
00:15:53.30\00:15:57.13
the divine Son of God, you
owe it to yourself to check that
00:15:57.13\00:16:01.03
out, not to just dismiss
the claim as if it were a hoax.
00:16:01.03\00:16:06.63
And I'm certain that if you
DO check, you'll be satisfied
00:16:06.63\00:16:10.56
the Bible is absolutely true.
00:16:10.56\00:16:13.66
Now when we return in just a
moment, an unforgettable story
00:16:13.66\00:16:18.36
that will help you be
certain that Bible really is the
00:16:18.36\00:16:22.56
reliable word of God.
00:16:22.56\00:16:25.83
In Matthew 4:4,
the Word of God says
00:16:25.83\00:16:29.83
"It is written, man shall
not live by bread alone but by
00:16:29.83\00:16:33.26
every word that
proceeds from the mouth of God."
00:16:33.26\00:16:36.50
Every Word is a one-minute
Bible-based daily devotional
00:16:36.50\00:16:39.90
presented by Pastor John
Bradshaw and designed especially
00:16:39.90\00:16:43.03
for busy people like you.
00:16:43.03\00:16:44.96
Look for Every Word on selected
networks or watch it online
00:16:44.96\00:16:48.70
every day on our
website ItIsWritten.com
00:16:48.70\00:16:52.26
Receive a daily spiritual boost.
00:16:52.26\00:16:54.40
Watch Every Word.
00:16:54.40\00:16:55.83
You'll be glad you did.
00:16:55.83\00:16:59.56
I told you a moment ago that I'd
share with you an unforgettable
00:17:01.03\00:17:03.93
story that demonstrates that the
Bible really is the word of God.
00:17:03.93\00:17:08.16
But first, let me give you
two other reasons you can have
00:17:08.16\00:17:11.66
confidence in
God, and in the Bible.
00:17:11.66\00:17:15.10
Until the nineteenth century,
very little was known about the
00:17:15.10\00:17:18.36
ancient past except
for the biblical record.
00:17:18.36\00:17:21.00
History seemed locked forever
behind strange picture-writings,
00:17:21.00\00:17:25.06
such as the
hieroglyphics of Egypt.
00:17:25.06\00:17:27.20
There was not a person in Egypt,
or anyone else in the world,
00:17:27.20\00:17:30.43
who had been able to
decipher the markings
00:17:30.43\00:17:33.26
of the ancient language.
00:17:33.26\00:17:34.60
In 1799, one of Napoleon's
soldiers unearthed what became
00:17:34.60\00:17:38.73
known as the Rosetta Stone,
which you can now see in the
00:17:38.73\00:17:42.53
British Museum in London.
00:17:42.53\00:17:44.00
In 1822, a brilliant
young Frenchman by the name
00:17:44.00\00:17:47.80
of Jean François Champollion
cracked that ancient code.
00:17:47.80\00:17:52.20
Scholars were now able to verify
biblical passages dating back
00:17:52.20\00:17:55.26
farther than any for which
historical corroboration had
00:17:55.26\00:17:58.46
existed before.
00:17:58.46\00:17:59.60
Then came the discovery of
the Dead Sea Scrolls, very old
00:17:59.60\00:18:04.63
scrolls which
contained portions of every book
00:18:04.63\00:18:07.96
of the Old Testament,
except for the book of Esther.
00:18:07.96\00:18:10.60
The Isaiah scroll was
complete from the first verse
00:18:10.60\00:18:13.96
to the last.
00:18:13.96\00:18:15.10
An extraordinary find, the
Dead Sea Scrolls were a thousand
00:18:15.10\00:18:18.83
years older than any complete
biblical Hebrew manuscripts
00:18:18.83\00:18:22.96
in existence.
00:18:22.96\00:18:24.76
Scholars around the world were
amazed to learn that the Old
00:18:24.76\00:18:27.46
Testament has come down
to us through the centuries
00:18:27.46\00:18:31.06
practically unchanged!
00:18:31.06\00:18:34.16
Evidently dead
men do tell tales.
00:18:34.16\00:18:37.13
So, Archaeology CONFIRMS
the accuracy and the reliability
00:18:37.13\00:18:42.16
of God's Word.
00:18:42.16\00:18:44.20
A SECOND compelling
evidence that the Bible is
00:18:44.20\00:18:47.63
God's inspired Word
is the Book's ability to
00:18:47.63\00:18:51.00
foretell the future.
00:18:51.00\00:18:52.56
Look at this description
in the book of Isaiah.
00:18:52.56\00:18:55.86
"I am God, and there is
none like Me, declaring the end
00:18:55.86\00:18:59.73
from the beginning,
and from ancient times
00:18:59.73\00:19:03.33
things that are not yet done."
00:19:03.33\00:19:06.36
That's Isaiah 46:9, 10.
00:19:06.36\00:19:08.76
Before the ancient kingdom
of Babylon reached the height of
00:19:08.76\00:19:11.73
its power, God's Book foretold
its fall, in Isaiah 13:19.
00:19:11.73\00:19:17.16
And Babylon, the glory of
kingdoms, The beauty of the
00:19:17.16\00:19:20.70
Chaldeans' pride, Will
be as when God overthrew
00:19:20.70\00:19:24.40
Sodom and Gomorrah.
00:19:24.40\00:19:26.50
(Isaiah 13:19) In
the book of Jeremiah,
00:19:26.50\00:19:29.16
the Bible identified
ahead of time the power that
00:19:29.16\00:19:31.86
would overthrow Babylon.
00:19:31.86\00:19:33.33
And the Bible gets
even more specific!
00:19:33.33\00:19:35.60
The name of the man who would
lead the armies against Babylon
00:19:35.60\00:19:38.73
was prophesied 150 years before
his birth, as was the very way
00:19:38.73\00:19:43.90
he would do it: "Thus says the
Lord to His anointed, To Cyrus,
00:19:43.90\00:19:49.33
whose right hand I have
held, [I will] open before him
00:19:49.33\00:19:52.80
the double doors."
00:19:52.80\00:19:55.16
(Isaiah 45:1) I
don't know about you,
00:19:55.16\00:19:57.40
but I'm impressed by that.
00:19:57.40\00:19:59.03
When I was a teenager a friend
of mine told me he thought the
00:19:59.03\00:20:01.43
Bible was on the same
standing as the tooth fairy.
00:20:01.43\00:20:05.06
Now the minute the
tooth fairy starts accurately
00:20:05.06\00:20:07.76
predicting the future,
be sure to let me know...
00:20:07.76\00:20:11.76
I wish I had time to talk about
the fulfilled prophecies in the
00:20:11.76\00:20:14.23
Bible but we'll go
deeper into that another time.
00:20:14.23\00:20:17.53
The third and perhaps greatest
evidence that the Bible is what
00:20:17.53\00:20:21.66
it claims to be is the power
of the Bible to change lives.
00:20:21.66\00:20:27.33
Listen to this
incredible true story.
00:20:27.33\00:20:33.63
Sam Tannyhill spent his
early life in and out of prison.
00:20:35.73\00:20:40.06
Then two weeks after one
five-year stint, he robbed a
00:20:40.06\00:20:43.60
small restaurant in Ohio,
forced a waitress into his car
00:20:43.60\00:20:46.76
and fled town.
00:20:46.76\00:20:48.13
Her badly beaten body
was discovered the next day.
00:20:48.13\00:20:52.16
Eventually Sam was
captured and sentenced to die
00:20:58.40\00:21:00.93
in the electric chair.
00:21:00.93\00:21:07.96
But he was visited
by several Christians,
00:21:07.96\00:21:09.70
and was given a Bible.
00:21:09.70\00:21:16.00
He opened it
eventually out of sheer boredom.
00:21:16.00\00:21:22.43
Soon, he became absorbed.
00:21:22.43\00:21:24.63
His own words reveal
his spiritual journey:
00:21:24.63\00:21:28.46
"I found a place
where a man named Jesus
00:21:28.46\00:21:31.10
sent some of His
gang to bring Him a mule.
00:21:31.10\00:21:35.60
For this I
thought Him a horse thief.
00:21:35.60\00:21:40.10
Then I ran across a
place where He made wine.
00:21:40.10\00:21:43.36
For this I
called Him a bootlegger.
00:21:43.36\00:21:46.43
Then I found a place where
He raised the dead, healed all
00:21:46.43\00:21:49.46
manner of
sickness, and cast out evil.
00:21:49.46\00:21:53.60
Now I wondered, What
manner of man is this?
00:21:53.60\00:21:57.23
"So I started at Matthew,
and I read all the part called
00:22:01.46\00:22:06.93
the New Testament.
00:22:06.93\00:22:08.13
By that time I found Him,
not a horse thief or bootlegger,
00:22:08.13\00:22:13.03
but the Son of God.
00:22:13.03\00:22:15.23
I knew of people who prayed and
served that God and who lived up
00:22:15.23\00:22:18.30
to His law, but that wasn't me.
00:22:18.30\00:22:21.46
I was a convict on death row,
a murderer, but I read where
00:22:21.46\00:22:25.43
people in the Bible
were also outside of the law.
00:22:25.43\00:22:29.36
Then I was troubled; I wanted
that peace of mind this God was
00:22:29.36\00:22:34.20
giving away, but how
could I get word to Him?
00:22:34.20\00:22:37.66
Can He really
hear you when you pray?
00:22:37.66\00:22:40.80
And will He answer a man
who has never heard of Him?"
00:22:40.80\00:22:45.50
Sam prayed long and earnestly
for forgiveness of his sins,
00:22:52.43\00:22:56.66
and finally found
peace with His God.
00:22:56.66\00:23:00.13
Shortly before his execution
at the Ohio State Penitentiary
00:23:00.13\00:23:03.46
in 1956, he wrote these words:
"There are just four of us on
00:23:03.46\00:23:09.26
death row at
present, but I am glad to tell
00:23:09.26\00:23:12.36
you that three of us are
under the blood of Christ.
00:23:12.36\00:23:16.00
Please pray that we will
be able to get the fourth one
00:23:16.00\00:23:18.86
before it is too late."
00:23:18.86\00:23:22.63
His last audible prayer was,
"Lord, don't hold against these
00:23:23.96\00:23:30.50
guards what they
are about to do tonight.
00:23:30.50\00:23:34.53
It is what I have
done has forced them to do
00:23:34.53\00:23:36.93
what they are about to do.
00:23:36.93\00:23:40.66
And if it is a sin, Lord, then
please charge it to my account,
00:23:40.66\00:23:49.03
and forgive them
as You have forgiven
00:23:49.03\00:23:51.03
all the rest of my sins.
00:23:51.03\00:23:54.66
Amen."
00:23:54.66\00:23:58.56
Never has there been a Book that
could so dramatically change the
00:24:01.60\00:24:04.96
lives of men and women.
00:24:04.96\00:24:07.33
How is it with you friend?
00:24:07.33\00:24:09.00
Have you given the Bible the
opportunity to demonstrate to
00:24:09.00\00:24:12.13
you whether or not it
is really the word of God?
00:24:12.13\00:24:16.13
Sam's life was
completely changed.
00:24:16.13\00:24:20.03
I believe yours will be too.
00:24:20.03\00:24:22.40
Why don't you take the time
to read what the Bible says -
00:24:22.40\00:24:25.20
to take it seriously -
and to ask God to show you
00:24:25.20\00:24:28.70
His love and His
plan for your life.
00:24:28.70\00:24:33.16
Let's ask him right
now, please pray with me,
00:24:33.16\00:24:35.70
would you? Let's pray.
00:24:35.70\00:24:38.63
Father in heaven, we thank
you today that you truly are and
00:24:38.63\00:24:43.30
that your Word, the Holy Bible,
truly is what you say it is.
00:24:43.30\00:24:50.33
And I pray that in our lives
right now it would have power,
00:24:50.33\00:24:55.50
it would be gracious and blessed
and that you, through your Word
00:24:55.50\00:25:00.76
and through faith in
your Word, would make us what
00:25:00.76\00:25:04.00
you want us to be: saved,
secure, confident children
00:25:04.00\00:25:09.86
of the Most High God of heaven.
00:25:09.86\00:25:12.56
We thank you and we believe
today, trusting in you and
00:25:12.56\00:25:16.50
praying in Jesus' name, Amen.
00:25:16.50\00:25:23.06
Perhaps our program today has
touched your heart and impressed
00:25:52.96\00:25:56.23
you with a personal
need for deeper Bible study.
00:25:56.23\00:25:58.80
Do you desire to listen to
God and follow where he leads?
00:25:58.80\00:26:02.20
We've got a wonderful resource
that can help you do that in a
00:26:02.20\00:26:05.20
systemic way, the
Discover Bible Guides.
00:26:05.20\00:26:08.36
These study guides will take
you through the essential truths
00:26:08.36\00:26:11.00
taught in Scripture.
00:26:11.00\00:26:12.30
They give you the big
picture showing how it
00:26:12.30\00:26:14.86
all fits together.
00:26:14.86\00:26:16.00
The Discover Bible Guides are a
wonderful way for you to become
00:26:16.00\00:26:19.00
grounded in the Word of God and
to see how Jesus Christ relates
00:26:19.00\00:26:22.76
to all areas of our lives.
00:26:22.76\00:26:25.06
So please call or write us and
the Discover Bible Guides will
00:26:25.06\00:26:28.50
be on their way to
you and the entire course
00:26:28.50\00:26:31.50
is absolutely free.
00:26:31.50\00:26:32.83
For even easier access, you
can obtain these wonderful Bible
00:26:32.83\00:26:35.70
lessons on-line on our website.
00:26:35.70\00:26:37.80
Here's the information you need.
00:26:37.80\00:26:43.13
You may request today's offer,
The Discover Bible Guides,
00:26:43.13\00:26:45.73
by calling our toll
free number 1 800 253 3000.
00:26:45.73\00:26:49.60
Call right now.
00:26:49.60\00:26:50.70
The operator needs only your
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00:26:50.70\00:26:52.93
plus the name of today's offer,
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00:26:52.93\00:26:55.80
Lines are open 24 hours daily.
00:26:55.80\00:26:58.20
They may be busy so keep trying.
00:26:58.20\00:27:00.26
You may also request today's
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00:27:00.26\00:27:03.16
Written, Box O,
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00:27:03.16\00:27:07.66
Our free offer is for an
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00:27:07.66\00:27:11.43
The Discover Bible Guides are
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00:27:11.43\00:27:14.66
Just visit our
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00:27:14.66\00:27:17.80
Also on line is a complete
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00:27:17.80\00:27:21.03
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00:27:24.96\00:27:28.30
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00:27:28.30\00:27:32.16
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00:27:32.16\00:27:33.90
Our toll free
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00:27:33.90\00:27:37.43
and our web
address ItIsWritten..com
00:27:37.43\00:27:41.73
Thanks for joining me.
00:27:44.46\00:27:45.60
I look forward to
seeing you next time.
00:27:45.60\00:27:47.63
Until then, remember...It
is written, man shall not live
00:27:47.63\00:27:52.10
by bread alone, but by
every word that proceeds
00:27:52.10\00:27:55.73
from the mouth of God.
00:27:55.73\00:27:57.93