It has stood the test of time.
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God4s book, the Bible
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still relevant in
today4s complex world.
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It Is Written,
sharing hope around the globe.
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Thanks for joining me today.
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In May of 2012 I had a
very interesting experience.
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I was here, in Paris,
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France, to conduct
some Bible lectures
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around the city and it
was while I was here that the
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French presidential
elections were being held.
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The President of France at
the time was Nicolas Sarkozy and
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he was being challenged
for the presidency by François
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Hollande.
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A week or two
before the elections,
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Sarcozy was trailing Messier
Hollande by about 13 points in
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the opinion polls.
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But just before the elections,
that gap had narrowed to about
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six percent.
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It was clear this was
going to be a close race.
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Now, unlike some parts of the
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world, progress
reports on election
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results are not given
throughout Election Day here
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in France.
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That means you don4t get to
find out how the election is
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going until you find out
how the election has gone.
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But that doesn't supports of
presidential candidates making
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preparations for big
victory celebrations.
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The Election Day was a Sunday
and that Sunday morning I was
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here, in the
Place de la Bastille
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and I noticed that the
supporters of Messier Hollande
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were making plans for a
big victory celebration.
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That night, France
had elected itself a
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new president.
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After five years in office,
Mr. Sarcozy had been voted out
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of the presidency and Messier
Hollande would be moving into
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the presidential palace.
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The scenes of jubilation
here at the Place de la Bastille
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were incredible.
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The music blared.
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The people cheered
and shouted and chanted.
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They waived
their flags in the air.
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I came down to witness what
was going on and found myself
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jammed into a massive humanity
right here about 50 yards
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behind me.
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There were tens of thousands
of people jammed into this
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place.
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People were clambering
all over the monument,
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something you just
don4t see everyday.
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But, the fact that people were
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celebrating an
election result here,
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at the Place de la
Bastille, is itself extremely
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significant.
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About 230 years ago,
the Bastille or the Bastille
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prison was stormed.
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Revolutionaries made their
way into that prison located,
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it was located right behind me,
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and the revolution
was not so much born,
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but propelled into prominence.
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Now, there
could be no going back
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for France.
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The Revolution was full on.
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The French Revolution:
One of the most incredible
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revolutions in the
last several hundred years.
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It was a time of
tremendous turmoil,
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a time of terrible bloodshed
and cruelty and a time when
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God was told in no
uncertain terms that he was
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not welcome in France.
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Many people don4t realize
what some of the most remarkable
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things were that happened
in association with The French
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Revolution.
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On yes, we have heard about the
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guillotines, but
what about the story
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behind the story.
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Today we are going to take
a look at this landmark period
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in human history.
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We are going to see that
it is very closely related
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to the Bible and we are
going to find out that people
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ought to be very
careful what they ask for.
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You know that Bible
verse that essentially says
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you reap what you sow?
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That principle was
graphically demonstrated during
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the French Revolution.
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The French people
reaped what they had sown.
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What they had sown
was a rejection of God
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and what they reaped was chaos,
bloodshed at a terrible time
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of intense misery.
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[Music]
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Let's go back, way back.
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During the middle Ages,
the medieval church kept the
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Bible from the people and the
people believed what they were
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told to believe by a church
whose leaders did not do a
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very good job of
modeling Biblical Christianity.
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Rather than making
God directly accessible
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to the people, the
church made God accessible
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to the people
through the church.
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That is, through
the traditions and the
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sacraments of the church.
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The priests were said
to be God's representatives
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here on earth.
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Forgiveness was to be obtained
by going to God through the
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priests of the church.
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The people were not
encouraged to read the Bible.
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As a matter of fact,
those who had the Bible or
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found to have the Bible or
many times even suspected of
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having the Bible
or parts of the Bible,
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were often sentenced to death.
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Now, regarding salvation
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and forgiveness,
the people were told
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that they could even purchase
forgiveness of their sins,
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that salvation could come from
forgiveness of sins that was
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obtained for a price.
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In spite of the
fact that the Bible said,
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Jesus said whoever is
thirsty; he can come and drink
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of the water of life freely.
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Jesus said, come to
me all ye that labor
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and are heavy-laden
and I will give you rest.
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We are told that we have an
advocate with the Father and
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that that is Jesus
Christ, the righteous.
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And when Paul wrote to Timothy,
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he told them that there is one
Mediator between God and men,
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the Man, Christ Jesus.
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This manmade,
tradition-based religion could
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not satisfy the
longings of the human heart.
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But then, light was found.
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People discovered that God had
said salvation came freely by
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grace through
faith in Jesus Christ.
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When that sort
of light was found,
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it could not be kept hidden.
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It was shared.
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It was shared with others.
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And the Protestant
Reformation was born.
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There were many
others, of course,
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but through Hus in
Bohemia and later Luther,
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in Germany and
then Calvin and Zwingli,
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and Wesley in
England and Knox in Scotland,
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the Reformation took off
and thousands and thousands
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of people were introduced
to salvation by grace through
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faith in Jesus Christ
and not through a church,
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a priest or a pope.
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But what about France?
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The Reformation struggled
to take hold in France and as
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long as the
Reformation struggled to get
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off the ground,
the people were stuck
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in tradition.
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They were kept from the
freeing truths of the Bible.
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They were kept in darkness
and ignorance and superstition.
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Now, God did
raise up a people who
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would take hold of the
Word of God here in France.
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There were the
Albigenses and the Huguenots,
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a Bible-believing people
who loved the Word of God.
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There were, at times,
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some people who
sided with the Protestants,
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even some in high places.
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But generally,
the Huguenots were
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relentlessly persecuted
and as many as 200,000
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of them were
hounded right out of France.
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But as bad as that was,
that was nothing compared to
00:08:11.86\00:08:15.16
what would happen in 1572.
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It was in 1572 that
the St. Bartholomew's
00:08:17.73\00:08:21.76
Day Massacre took place.
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At the behest of
the ruling church,
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several thousand Huguenot
Protestants were murdered in
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one night.
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Within a month, 25,000
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Protestants were
murdered here in Paris,
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and tens of thousands of
others were killed in other
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parts of France.
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The signal to start the
massacre was the tolling
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of church bells here in Paris.
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[Music]
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The news of the
massacre was received with joy
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in the Vatican.
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In fact, there are
three frescos in the
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Vatican that
detail the massacre.
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The event is
forever commemorated there.
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[Music÷
00:09:05.30\00:09:09.43
France simply would
not let the light shine.
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The people were
kept in the dark.
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The darkness was
not only welcomed,
00:09:20.36\00:09:22.53
but preserved, even defended,
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and good things do not
tend to happen when people
00:09:24.63\00:09:28.60
are kept in the dark.
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The very large underclass
in French society was forced to
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bare the financial
burden for the nation.
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The nobility was not taxed
but the lower class people;
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the poor people were heavily
taxed and contemptibly treated.
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If you are familiar
with Victor Hugo's book Les
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Miserables, you
understand that the
00:09:48.56\00:09:50.56
central protagonist in
that book was a gentleman named
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Jean Valjean, who
was sentenced to 7 years
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in squalor's prison for
simply stealing a loaf of bread.
00:09:55.43\00:09:59.13
Then, because of various
00:09:59.13\00:10:01.13
infractions, his
seven-year prison sentence
00:10:01.13\00:10:03.13
grew into a
19-year prison sentence.
00:10:03.13\00:10:06.03
Now, I understand that Les
00:10:06.03\00:10:08.03
Miserables is not a documentary,
00:10:08.03\00:10:10.20
it's a work of fiction,
but it does represent how
00:10:10.20\00:10:13.33
French society
operated at that time.
00:10:13.33\00:10:17.66
The French people started to
develop intense resentment and
00:10:17.66\00:10:21.80
bitterness.
00:10:21.80\00:10:22.80
As a matter of fact,
deep hatred for the ruling
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class.
00:10:25.46\00:10:26.73
There came a time when the
king realized that the poorer
00:10:26.73\00:10:29.76
people needed to have
representation in the affairs
00:10:29.76\00:10:32.06
of the state.
00:10:32.06\00:10:33.06
But when the underclass
was given that representation,
00:10:33.06\00:10:37.80
they simply
wanted more, and more,
00:10:37.80\00:10:40.33
and more power.
00:10:40.33\00:10:42.33
An absolute title wave of
anger was let loose across
00:10:44.23\00:10:49.53
France and the
French Revolution was born.
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[Music]
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This is an incredible
piece of architecture and it
00:11:20.93\00:11:24.53
also represents an incredible
amount of arrogance on the
00:11:24.53\00:11:27.93
part of its builder.
00:11:27.93\00:11:28.93
It's the Palace of Versailles.
00:11:28.93\00:11:31.33
It was built by the Sun King,
Luis XIV who was the King of
00:11:31.33\00:11:36.03
France for around 60 years.
00:11:36.03\00:11:39.13
During that time,
France about went bankrupt.
00:11:39.13\00:11:42.90
Louis had several
wars he was fighting,
00:11:42.90\00:11:45.60
but he also spent piles of
money on excesses like this.
00:11:45.60\00:11:50.50
You can imagine how that
went over with the people.
00:11:50.50\00:11:53.60
They resented what the wealthy
class was doing while they
00:11:53.60\00:11:56.46
suffered so badly.
00:11:56.46\00:11:57.86
It was actually Luis XIV
who sowed the seeds of the
00:11:57.86\00:12:02.23
Revolution.
00:12:02.23\00:12:04.40
[Music]
00:12:05.40\00:12:14.30
Now consider the
factors that went into this.
00:12:17.86\00:12:20.10
You had a group of people
who were starved of the Word of
00:12:20.10\00:12:23.10
God and, therefore,
00:12:23.10\00:12:25.13
had no real conception of
the true character of God.
00:12:25.13\00:12:28.26
And this same group of
people had been pushed down,
00:12:28.26\00:12:31.20
manipulated by
the State, persecuted,
00:12:31.20\00:12:34.36
really.
00:12:34.36\00:12:35.36
When this group
of people rose up,
00:12:35.36\00:12:37.76
they really rose up and
what was going to happen wasn't
00:12:37.76\00:12:42.13
going to be pretty.
00:12:42.13\00:12:44.13
In Matthew 4:4 the Word of God
says "It is written 'Man shall
00:12:45.80\00:12:49.86
not live by bread alone but
by every word that proceeds out
00:12:49.86\00:12:53.86
of the mouth of God'."
00:12:53.86\00:12:55.30
Every Word is a one minute
Bible-based daily devotional
00:12:55.30\00:12:59.16
presented by Pastor
John Bradshaw and designed
00:12:59.16\00:13:02.63
especially for
busy people like you.
00:13:02.63\00:13:05.56
Look for Every Word on
selected networks or watch it
00:13:05.56\00:13:10.40
on-line everyday on our
website itiswritten.com.
00:13:10.40\00:13:13.33
Receive a daily spiritual boost.
00:13:13.33\00:13:16.23
Watch Every Word.
00:13:16.23\00:13:17.23
You'll be glad you did.
00:13:17.23\00:13:19.83
I live in a country where
people are free to believe
00:13:19.83\00:13:22.03
whatever they want
to believe about God.
00:13:22.03\00:13:24.30
And I like it that way.
00:13:24.30\00:13:25.83
I like not being forced to
believe something about God
00:13:25.83\00:13:29.23
that I might not necessarily
choose to believe on my own.
00:13:29.23\00:13:32.20
I have noticed in recent years,
00:13:32.20\00:13:35.23
atheists have started to
speak with a louder voice.
00:13:35.23\00:13:38.70
To be honest, in some cases,
00:13:38.70\00:13:40.73
I sympathize with atheists
because the God that many
00:13:40.73\00:13:44.06
atheists don't believe in is
a God that I don't believe in.
00:13:44.06\00:13:48.90
The argument from some
atheists goes like this:
00:13:48.90\00:13:52.20
Because some of the things
that Christians believe are
00:13:52.20\00:13:55.10
just so silly, therefore,
00:13:55.10\00:13:57.83
I don't believe in God.
00:13:57.83\00:13:59.33
Or, because the way many
00:13:59.33\00:14:01.40
Christians act is
just so silly or repugnant,
00:14:01.40\00:14:05.33
therefore, I don't
want to have anything
00:14:05.33\00:14:07.33
to do with God.
00:14:07.33\00:14:09.33
But history shows us that
atheism isn't a great path
00:14:09.33\00:14:13.36
for people to
follow, either as individuals
00:14:13.36\00:14:17.66
or as nations.
00:14:17.66\00:14:19.16
Think about the
implications of atheism.
00:14:19.16\00:14:21.33
number 1 If there is no
God, if there is no God who
00:14:21.33\00:14:25.26
purposely created this earth,
then you and I are just the
00:14:25.26\00:14:28.96
results of a cosmic accident
and we don't have any real
00:14:28.96\00:14:31.40
divine purpose
to our being here.
00:14:31.40\00:14:34.10
Point number two If
there was no creation,
00:14:34.10\00:14:36.83
if there is no God,
then surely there is no
00:14:36.83\00:14:40.43
after life and then
this earth is all you have.
00:14:40.43\00:14:43.90
After your life on
earth, it's all over.
00:14:43.90\00:14:47.10
Is that an attractive
thought; and Point number three
00:14:47.10\00:14:50.43
What happens to morals?
00:14:50.43\00:14:51.56
If there is no God,
there is no absolute source of
00:14:51.56\00:14:54.13
right and wrong.
00:14:54.13\00:14:55.16
There is no final arbiter
in these things other than you
00:14:55.16\00:14:58.73
and me.
00:14:58.73\00:15:00.16
Really?
00:15:00.16\00:15:01.56
You and I get to choose
what is right and wrong about
00:15:01.56\00:15:04.90
everything?
00:15:04.90\00:15:06.40
It's hard to imagine
that that's a good way
00:15:06.40\00:15:08.73
to approach life.
00:15:08.73\00:15:09.73
You know, we
have examples of what
00:15:09.73\00:15:12.06
society would be
like if there was no God.
00:15:12.06\00:15:17.36
[music] European
communism in the 20th
00:15:17.36\00:15:22.20
Century was largely a
Godless form of communism,
00:15:22.20\00:15:26.26
which led to the tyranny
of the state-controlled Soviet
00:15:26.26\00:15:28.60
Union and dictatorships like
that of the Romanian monster,
00:15:28.60\00:15:32.03
Nicolae Ceausescu ,
00:15:32.03\00:15:33.86
who was killed
by his own people.
00:15:33.86\00:15:37.03
[Music] And here in France we
00:15:37.03\00:15:42.43
have a chilling example of
what happens when a country
00:15:42.43\00:15:45.90
turns its back on God.
00:15:45.90\00:15:47.66
France did that, officially.
00:15:47.66\00:15:50.50
It turned its back on God
and declared itself to be an
00:15:50.50\00:15:54.03
atheist state.
00:15:54.03\00:15:56.03
Let's discuss that.
00:15:56.03\00:15:59.86
[Music] The French Revolution
00:16:02.16\00:16:04.90
came about because
of a variety of factors.
00:16:04.90\00:16:06.80
The working class had
been ground down by the ruling
00:16:06.80\00:16:09.90
class and they came to the
place where they decided...
00:16:09.90\00:16:12.86
the working class...
00:16:12.86\00:16:13.70
that they just weren't going
00:16:13.70\00:16:15.23
to take it any longer.
00:16:15.23\00:16:16.36
And so they rose up.
00:16:16.36\00:16:17.66
They took revenge against
the ruling class killing anyone
00:16:17.66\00:16:20.86
who dared to stand in their way.
00:16:20.86\00:16:23.66
A national assembly was formed
and this was an assembly that
00:16:23.66\00:16:27.80
gave voice to the people,
not simply listening to the
00:16:27.80\00:16:29.90
nobility and the ruling classes.
00:16:29.90\00:16:32.80
Now the poverty and the
exploitation being experienced
00:16:32.80\00:16:36.80
by the working class in
Paris, France at the time was
00:16:36.80\00:16:40.33
phenomenal.
00:16:40.33\00:16:41.46
When I talk about
poverty and exploitation,
00:16:41.46\00:16:44.06
I mean really, it
was hard to imagine.
00:16:44.06\00:16:46.26
The difficult circumstances
that the poorer classes went
00:16:46.26\00:16:49.90
through were absolutely amazing.
00:16:49.90\00:16:52.63
So, the TheBastille
00:16:52.63\00:16:53.63
was stormed, as a
symbol of the protest of
00:16:53.63\00:16:57.30
the people.
00:16:57.30\00:16:58.30
The state prison,
the Bastille was stormed.
00:16:58.30\00:17:01.83
Now, there was
only a few people in
00:17:01.83\00:17:03.86
there at the time as prisoners,
00:17:03.86\00:17:05.86
seven, as a matter of fact,
00:17:05.86\00:17:07.86
but they were liberated and
the governor of the prison was
00:17:07.86\00:17:10.20
killed.
00:17:10.20\00:17:11.36
To demonstrate
how serious they were,
00:17:11.36\00:17:13.86
the Bastille was destroyed.
00:17:13.86\00:17:15.36
Parts of it were taken
around France and shown to the
00:17:15.36\00:17:18.70
citizens of France
and this was a way for the
00:17:18.70\00:17:21.70
revolutionaries to say to
the people of France: We are
00:17:21.70\00:17:24.80
serious about this.
00:17:24.80\00:17:26.60
The Revolution
was in full swing.
00:17:26.60\00:17:29.43
The country was now
being run by the people,
00:17:29.43\00:17:31.90
not the nobility.
00:17:31.90\00:17:33.60
And before long, a
Bill of Rights was drafted.
00:17:33.60\00:17:36.60
[Music] And the Church,
which had exercised such power
00:17:42.43\00:17:45.86
in France until this
time, wasn't going to escape the
00:17:45.86\00:17:49.33
attention of
the revolutionaries.
00:17:49.33\00:17:52.03
Its right to collect a tithe,
a ten percent on income from
00:17:52.03\00:17:56.76
every citizen in
France, was abolished.
00:17:56.76\00:18:01.03
In fact, it wasn't
long and the church
00:18:03.56\00:18:05.70
itself would find itself
in the cross hairs of the
00:18:05.70\00:18:08.36
revolutionaries.
00:18:08.36\00:18:09.36
The members of the clergy
who remained loyal to the Pope
00:18:09.36\00:18:13.13
rather than to
the national assembly,
00:18:13.13\00:18:15.23
and that was the majority,
were considered to be traitors
00:18:15.23\00:18:18.53
and now many members of
the clergy were themselves
00:18:18.53\00:18:22.10
persecuted.
00:18:22.10\00:18:24.43
Here is what you had.
00:18:24.43\00:18:25.93
An essentially godless group
of people seizing power and
00:18:25.93\00:18:29.23
rebelling against not only
the State that had persecuted
00:18:29.23\00:18:32.43
them, but
against the Church that
00:18:32.43\00:18:34.53
had extorted and misused them.
00:18:34.53\00:18:36.23
And a group of people with
that sort of power and with
00:18:36.23\00:18:40.00
that sort of bitterness,
not guided by the Holy Spirit
00:18:40.00\00:18:43.53
or anything
remotely resembling Christian
00:18:43.53\00:18:45.53
principles, were
committed to revenge and
00:18:45.53\00:18:49.86
destruction, and
this morphed into a
00:18:49.86\00:18:52.86
hellish period that became
known as the Reign of Terror.
00:18:52.86\00:18:57.83
The Reign of Terror began
in 1793 and it lasted for about
00:19:08.36\00:19:12.13
10 months.
00:19:12.13\00:19:13.63
During that time,
20,000 people were executed
00:19:13.63\00:19:15.63
by guillotine, thousands of them
00:19:15.63\00:19:19.16
here in Paris.
00:19:19.16\00:19:20.16
And tens of thousands of
others were executed by other
00:19:20.16\00:19:22.43
means all over France.
00:19:22.43\00:19:25.06
Many of the
executions happened right here,
00:19:25.06\00:19:27.90
in a place that is now known
as the Place de la Concorde.
00:19:27.90\00:19:32.03
It is a fabulous place now.
00:19:32.03\00:19:33.96
[Music] In one direction is
00:19:33.96\00:19:41.70
the Louvre and the beautiful
gardens that surround it.
00:19:41.70\00:19:44.10
And the other is the
famous Champs-Elysées,
00:19:44.10\00:19:47.26
a magnificent boulevard that
leads to the Arc de Triomphe.
00:19:47.26\00:19:51.76
The National Assembly
Building is right there.
00:19:51.76\00:19:54.46
There is a stunning Obelisk
that was given to France by
00:19:54.46\00:19:58.53
the Nation of Egypt
in the 19th Century.
00:19:58.53\00:20:00.73
But before t here
was an Obelisk here,
00:20:00.73\00:20:04.33
there was a
guillotine and it was kept busy.
00:20:04.33\00:20:08.03
At that time,
instead of being the Place de
00:20:08.03\00:20:15.20
la Concorde, or Concorde Square,
00:20:15.20\00:20:17.76
in other words,
Getting along with each other
00:20:17.76\00:20:20.43
Square, it was
called the Place de la
00:20:20.43\00:20:23.53
Revolution.
00:20:23.53\00:20:24.53
The executioners
started wiping out the nobility.
00:20:24.53\00:20:28.96
King Louis XXI
was executed here.
00:20:28.96\00:20:31.80
So was his wife,
Marie Antoinette,
00:20:31.80\00:20:34.73
who incidentally
probably didn't say,
00:20:34.73\00:20:37.00
"Let them eat cake",
and seems to have been
00:20:37.00\00:20:39.33
executed simply
because people didn't like her.
00:20:39.33\00:20:43.60
You know, the
guillotines were actually
00:20:46.20\00:20:48.26
set up right here.
00:20:48.26\00:20:50.73
They were set up right here
where this Obelisk now stands.
00:20:50.73\00:20:55.13
And when you think about it,
what the revolutionaries were
00:20:55.13\00:20:57.83
really trying to
do was execute God.
00:20:57.83\00:21:02.36
They were so fueled by
their lack of Christianity,
00:21:02.36\00:21:05.06
so maddened by what they
perceived to be the misdeeds
00:21:05.06\00:21:08.40
of the church, that
they began this process
00:21:08.40\00:21:11.06
of banishing God from society.
00:21:11.06\00:21:13.06
What they did was initiate
an intentional process of
00:21:13.06\00:21:17.36
de-Christianization,
where God was pushed out of
00:21:17.36\00:21:20.43
society and not only was
God pushed out of society,
00:21:20.43\00:21:23.43
but atheism was set up
as a national religion.
00:21:23.43\00:21:27.36
Think about it.
00:21:27.36\00:21:28.36
In 1793, the
world heard an educated,
00:21:28.36\00:21:32.23
civilized country
declare in its national assembly
00:21:32.23\00:21:35.73
that there is no God and
masses of people rejoiced.
00:21:35.73\00:21:41.40
[Music]
00:21:41.40\00:21:47.73
But it goes even
further and gets even more
00:21:49.83\00:21:51.83
bizarre than that.
00:21:51.83\00:21:53.26
In a ceremony that now
seems impossible to believe,
00:21:53.26\00:21:56.83
a woman was brought into
France's National Assembly
00:21:56.83\00:22:00.20
building, placed
right next to the
00:22:00.20\00:22:02.20
country's highest
political leaders,
00:22:02.20\00:22:04.66
and declared to be the goddess
of reason and the people were
00:22:04.66\00:22:09.56
told it was this woman
that they would worship from now
00:22:09.56\00:22:13.33
on.
00:22:13.33\00:22:14.56
[music] Then,
00:22:14.56\00:22:20.80
unbelievably,
she was taken here,
00:22:20.80\00:22:24.80
to Notre Dame Cathedral.
00:22:24.80\00:22:25.30
She was elevated before the
people and was presented as an
00:22:25.30\00:22:29.26
object of worship,
receiving the adoration of
00:22:29.26\00:22:33.93
everyone present.
00:22:33.93\00:22:35.93
The weekly day of rest was
set aside and France installed
00:22:37.53\00:22:41.10
every 10th day as a festive day.
00:22:41.10\00:22:44.50
The institutions of
the Bible were banned.
00:22:44.50\00:22:46.86
Baptism and communion
were strictly prohibited.
00:22:46.86\00:22:50.36
A nation had declared
that there was no God.
00:22:50.36\00:22:53.90
France had de-Christianized
itself and installed a goddess
00:22:53.90\00:22:58.30
of reason.
00:22:58.30\00:22:59.90
A nation turned its back on
God and essentially declared
00:22:59.90\00:23:03.16
itself atheist and
look where that got it.
00:23:03.16\00:23:08.13
Having thrown off the
restraining power of the Holy
00:23:08.13\00:23:10.56
Spirit, the
leaders of this movement
00:23:10.56\00:23:13.53
left to their own devices,
filled France with blood.
00:23:13.53\00:23:19.50
Godlessness never prospers
an individual or a nation.
00:23:19.50\00:23:23.96
History shows us that.
00:23:23.96\00:23:25.56
Nobody can point to a place
in the world where Godlessness
00:23:25.56\00:23:28.40
has turned out for the
better and led to advancement or
00:23:28.40\00:23:31.20
prosperity.
00:23:31.20\00:23:32.36
And nobody will
ever be able to do that,
00:23:32.36\00:23:34.70
because that sort of place has
never existed and never will.
00:23:34.70\00:23:40.20
The Bible says,
"The fool has said in his
00:23:40.20\00:23:42.93
heart there is no God."
00:23:42.93\00:23:44.56
Proverbs 14:34 says,
"Righteousness exalts
00:23:44.56\00:23:48.66
a nation." Listen to this,
00:23:48.66\00:23:53.10
So what happens to a nation
when God is left out of the
00:24:09.73\00:24:12.50
picture?
00:24:12.50\00:24:13.93
Well, it can't
possibly go in a good
00:24:13.93\00:24:16.10
direction and history
shows us that only too clearly.
00:24:16.10\00:24:20.03
But what happens to your
life when God is left out of the
00:24:20.03\00:24:23.83
picture.
00:24:23.83\00:24:24.90
In the same way it cannot
possibly go the way that God
00:24:24.90\00:24:27.96
wants it to go.
00:24:27.96\00:24:30.03
You know, I
suppose it's one thing to
00:24:30.03\00:24:32.06
look at a nation and examine
some of the sadder parts of
00:24:32.06\00:24:34.86
its history but it's
altogether another thing and
00:24:34.86\00:24:37.56
most likely a far more
important thing to examine our
00:24:37.56\00:24:41.16
own hearts and ask ourselves
what is going on there.
00:24:41.16\00:24:45.83
Friend, what is
going on in your hear
00:24:45.83\00:24:47.83
today?
00:24:47.83\00:24:48.83
You know, in
Philippians 2:14 Paul
00:24:48.83\00:24:51.03
wrote, and he wrote this words,
00:24:51.03\00:24:53.03
he said: " It is God who works
in you both to will and to do
00:24:53.03\00:24:56.53
for his good pleasure." When
a nation asks God to leave and
00:24:56.53\00:25:00.53
says we don't want your
help and we'll do things our own
00:25:00.53\00:25:03.16
way, a nation will reap what it
00:25:03.16\00:25:05.53
sows.
00:25:05.53\00:25:06.93
Same thing with a person.
00:25:06.93\00:25:08.96
When a person says I don't
think I want God working in me
00:25:08.96\00:25:12.23
both to will and to
do of his good pleasure,
00:25:12.23\00:25:14.36
what can God do?
00:25:14.36\00:25:15.70
But friend, today you can say,
00:25:15.70\00:25:17.70
Lord, whatever
the circumstances of
00:25:17.70\00:25:19.70
my life,
whatever my strengths or
00:25:19.70\00:25:21.70
weaknesses,
whatever my ups and downs,
00:25:21.70\00:25:23.70
I would like you to
live your life in me.
00:25:23.70\00:25:27.16
And when we make
that request of God,
00:25:27.16\00:25:29.83
God honors that request,
and God lives his life in you.
00:25:29.83\00:25:34.03
And then, you reap what you sow,
00:25:34.03\00:25:37.10
but you've sown good
things and you will reap
00:25:37.10\00:25:41.56
everlasting life.
00:25:41.56\00:25:43.73
Revolutions are
nothing new but many years ago,
00:25:43.73\00:25:47.33
a revolution occurred
in heaven and the sin and
00:25:47.33\00:25:50.23
problems we see in the world
today are the result of that
00:25:50.23\00:25:53.46
revolution.
00:25:53.46\00:25:54.46
There is a
last-day battle going on.
00:25:54.46\00:25:56.73
A battle to see who will
rule the earth in earth's final
00:25:56.73\00:25:59.10
days.
00:25:59.10\00:26:00.46
I want you to have a study we
have prepared on this subject,
00:26:00.46\00:26:02.76
called The
Battle for the Throne.
00:26:02.76\00:26:05.40
You will understand the
beasts of Bible prophecy,
00:26:05.40\00:26:07.83
what they mean, and
what they reveal about
00:26:07.83\00:26:10.06
earth's last days.
00:26:10.06\00:26:12.00
The Battle for the Throne.
00:26:12.00\00:26:13.66
In just a few pages,
you will discover what the
00:26:13.66\00:26:15.66
Bible has to say about
the beasts of Bible prophecy
00:26:15.66\00:26:19.06
and it is clearly explained.
00:26:19.06\00:26:20.20
You won't be guessing
or wondering after you read
00:26:20.20\00:26:24.00
The Battle for the Throne.
00:26:24.00\00:26:25.43
And it's our free
gift to you right now.
00:26:25.43\00:26:29.03
This informative and practical
booklet is available free from
00:26:29.03\00:26:32.20
It Is Written.
00:26:32.20\00:26:34.06
Just call 1.800.253.3000
and ask for the Battle for the
00:26:34.06\00:26:37.80
Throne.
00:26:37.80\00:26:38.86
You can also request
this study by writing to It Is
00:26:38.86\00:26:41.63
Written, Box O,
00:26:41.63\00:26:43.63
Thousand Oaks, CA
91359 and we will mail a
00:26:43.63\00:26:47.70
copy to your
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00:26:47.70\00:26:50.63
And be sure to
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00:26:50.63\00:26:52.63
itiswritten.com,
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00:26:52.63\00:26:55.13
more helpful resources on
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00:26:55.13\00:26:58.50
topics.
00:26:58.50\00:27:00.10
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00:27:00.10\00:27:03.03
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00:27:03.03\00:27:04.03
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00:27:04.03\00:27:08.60
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00:27:08.60\00:27:09.96
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00:27:09.96\00:27:12.96
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00:27:12.96\00:27:17.33
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00:27:17.33\00:27:22.90
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Thanks for joining me today.
00:27:22.90\00:27:27.03
Let's pray together.
00:27:27.03\00:27:28.76
Our Father in heaven,
thank you for showing us that
00:27:28.76\00:27:31.73
things work better when you
are in the center of a nation
00:27:31.73\00:27:36.60
and of an individual.
00:27:36.60\00:27:38.26
Lord, please be
the center of our
00:27:38.26\00:27:40.26
lives that we
might reap what we sow,
00:27:40.26\00:27:42.26
having sown the
good, having sown Christ,
00:27:42.26\00:27:45.00
that we might
reap everlasting life.
00:27:45.00\00:27:48.06
Be honored in our lives.
00:27:48.06\00:27:50.00
We pray and thank
you in Jesus' name,
00:27:50.00\00:27:53.16
amen.
00:27:53.16\00:27:56.13
I look forward to
seeing you again next time.
00:27:56.13\00:27:58.06
Until then,
remember "It is written,
00:27:58.06\00:28:00.43
man shall not
live by bread alone,
00:28:00.43\00:28:03.43
but by every word
that proceeds from
00:28:03.43\00:28:05.63
the mouth of God.
00:28:05.63\00:28:08.63