?(Dramatic Music Score)?
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It has stood the test of
time, God's book, 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.
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This is It Is Written.
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I am John Bradshaw.
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We look around society and we
see something as clear as day.
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The environment
seems to be falling apart.
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The news is
full of such reports.
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Scientists are making
claims whether it's about global
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warming or a person's carbon
footprint or the Ozone layer
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or air pollution or
just regular old pollution.
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It certainly seems that
today's world is not the same
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as yesterday's world.
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It seems that we are sinking.
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Today, on It Is Written,
we are going to look at that
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through the lens of Scripture.
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Does the Bible
support this view?
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Is there anything
we can do about it?
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And what does the decay of our
environment suggest about the
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fulfillment of Bible prophecy.
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My guest today is
Scott Christiansen,
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a Christian minister and author,
a seminar presenter and someone
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who has worked in various
locations around the world in
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positions that have
enabled him to see environmental
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change up close.
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Scott Christiansen,
thanks for joining me.
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Welcome to It Is Written.
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SC My please.
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Thank you.
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JB What does the Bible have
to say about the decay of the
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environment? Anything?
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Nothing? Something?
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Much? What?
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SC Well, the Bible
says that there will be
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tremendous decay in
society as a result of sin.
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Let's go to Isaiah 51:6 where
the Bible says the earth will
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wax old as a garment and
basically be falling apart and
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let's go to Romans 8:22
where the Bible says that
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all of creation groans.
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I look at this verse and it is
clear that it is because of sin.
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Why else would a world that
was created in perfection be
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groaning.
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JB In fact, Paul wrote
that creation wants to escape
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the bondage that it
is now experiencing.
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SC Absolutely.
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JB Let me up the ante a little
bit because there is a verse
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that comes to my mind
in the Book of Revelation,
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Chapter 11, the
nations were angry,
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your wrath has come and so on.
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The end of that
verse, Revelation 11:18 says
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that God will
destroy "those who destroy
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the earth."
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Revelation 11:18.
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Does that mean what
it sounds like it means?
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SC That God is
an environmentalist
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or that he is angry over
the destruction of his planet?
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JB That God cares about the
environment and that destroying
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the earth is not good.
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Is that what it means?
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SC If we look in Job, we
are told that the morning
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star sang at the creation of the
earth and we know that God was
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excited about his creation.
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He looked at it and
he said it was very good.
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What we have not really
appreciated previous to this,
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as Christians, is
that sin affects man
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profoundly and it affects
the earth itself, profoundly.
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I mean, there is a
reason God hates sin
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and there is a reason
that it needs to be eradicated
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completely and the earth
needs to be re-created because
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sin only subtracts.
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It only takes away.
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It only decays.
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It only causes death.
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It adds to nothing.
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Let's discuss some of what
we see specifically because the
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Bible says the earth is falling
apart and it connected to sin
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something that your average
environmentalist is not going to
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connect the dots like that.
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Let's be specific.
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What do we see in the
world today that suggests the
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environment
actually is falling apart.
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Well, if we take a look at
the systems that God created,
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let's talk about systems
instead of just minor specifics
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around the globe and
when I talk about systems
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I mean, our atmospheric
system, our climate system,
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our oceanic system,
our fresh water system and
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our food production system,
which actually, you know,
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soil was created
and the Garden of Eden,
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food production and human
society were created as part
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of the creation week.
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Let's take a look at the
system that is falling apart
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the most rapidly,
our oceanic system.
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JB Ok SC Good studies out,
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validated studies out,
published studies out that
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project that
fisheries on a global basis
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will be essentially depleted,
will be collapsed within 25
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years and we are on
a steep downward slope
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when it comes to fisheries
and that is a big deal.
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There is a billion people who
rely upon those fisheries for
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almost all of their food.
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JB And billions of others who
rely on the fisheries for some
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of their food.
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SC When you have a
growing population,
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beyond seven billion,
and we are at a razor-thin
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margin between what we produce
and consume every year and you
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take the food for a billion
people out of that equation,
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that is a very big deal.
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Our soils are being
systematically degraded.
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We have very poor
practices across the globe.
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More than 20 million acres a
year consistently are taken out
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of food production because
they are totally degraded.
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JB Wait a minute.
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How much is 20 million acres?
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SC Well I come from the state of
Maine and that would not quite
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be the entire state of Maine but
it would be a lot of the State
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of Maine.
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That is a lot of area.
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JB So it is
almost the size of Maine.
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SC Yeah, almost
the size of Maine.
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We have to remember that some
of that is slash and burn in the
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tropics but there is also
farmland that has been farmed
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for a very long time that
has just become so degraded,
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it comes out of production.
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JB But essentially that much
land is taken out every year
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because it is worthless now.
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SC It is, yes.
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JB In terms of food production.
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SC That's correct.
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JB Well that's dramatic. Okay,
keep talking to me about food
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production issues.
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I can see that this is directly
related to population issues.
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More people to feed now.
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SC There is an organization out
of Boson in the US called NECSI
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and they are easy to find
and their published studies
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are easy to find.
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They have taken a look
at the 20 year or beyond
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price chart that is published
by the United Nations that shows
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significant
price spikes in food.
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We had a long period of
price stability followed by
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significant price spikes
over the last five or six years.
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And then they issued a graph
showing that at the peak of
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those price spikes were
rebellions and uprisings and
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conflicts within nations and
between nations and basically
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what they are saying is "look,
there is a perfect correlation
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between price spikes and
the increasing instability
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in society.
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So if you go
back and you say okay,
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we are really on the
razor's edge on a global basis
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on food and our
ability to produce is declining
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and our oceans are crashing,
we get from there directly into
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societal instability and we get
there directly into conflict and
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you can reference
from there Matthew 24,
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wars and rumors of war.
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We see the iron links
between the environment and its
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accelerating degradation
and the fulfillment of prophecy.
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JB I am very interested in the
idea about food production and
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the environmental issues that
are squeezing food production
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and therefore,
squeezing populations.
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Let's talk more about
that in just a moment.
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This is It Is Written.
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Don't go away,
we'll be right back.
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?(Calming Reflective
Music)? In Matthew 4:4,
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the Word of God
says, "It is written,
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'man shall not live by bread
alone but by every word that
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proceeds from the mouth of God.
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Every Word is a one-minute
Bible-based daily devotional
00:07:40.90\00:07:44.23
presented by Pastor John
Bradshaw and designed especially
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for busy people like you.
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Look for Every Word on selected
networks or watch it on-line
00:07:49.26\00:07:53.16
everyday on our
website, itiswritten.com.
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Receive a daily spiritual boost.
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Watch Every Word.
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You'll be glad you did.
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Here's a sample.
00:08:01.76\00:08:03.43
?(Catchy rythmn and groove)?
00:08:04.06\00:08:06.66
Thanks for joining me.
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Every now and then my daughter
will show me a feature on my
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phone that I knew nothing
about and I'll say, "well,
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that's really
helpful, I did not know that."
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It can be like that
with God's blessings.
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There might be things we are
missing out on because we simply
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don't know about them.
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You know, the Bible
says in Exodus 20:8,
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"Remember the
Sabbath day to keep it holy."
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God carved a day out of the rock
of time and set it aside for us
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to spend time
especially with him.
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If you are missing it, you
are missing a real blessing.
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I wonder how many people
are losing a blessing because
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they are not
remembering the Sabbath day.
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Just letting the hours
pass by without taking them
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to spend with God.
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Don't make that mistake.
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Let the Sabbath be the
blessing that God wants it to be
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in your life.
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I am John
Bradshaw for It Is Written.
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Let's live today by Every Word.
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This is It Is Written.
00:09:04.56\00:09:05.53
Thanks for joining me today.
00:09:05.53\00:09:06.63
We are talking about the
environment and its relationship
00:09:06.63\00:09:09.96
to the Word of God in particular
to Bible prophecy and my guest
00:09:09.96\00:09:13.83
today is Scott Christiansen.
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Scott, let's talk about
where we were just a moment ago,
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food production.
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Now, you know, where I live,
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I can eat what I
want, when I want,
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it doesn't seem like there
are many food production issues
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to me.
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Let's discuss this on a global
basis and talk about how the
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collapsing environment
is actually affecting food
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production.
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First of all, let's to go to ...
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whether or not you notice it ...
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many of the people watching this
program are going to be from
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North America or Western Europe.
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These are the areas on the globe
where there is an abundance of
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resources, not
necessarily an abundance of
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good but an abundance of
resources they can afford food.
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Well, let's take as
an example Corn Flakes.
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Let's say you are having Corn
Flakes for breakfast and let's
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say the price of corn
doubles, as it did last year.
00:10:00.93\00:10:03.66
Let's say that your Corn Flakes
are not going to double in price
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because of
packaging, because of marketing,
00:10:07.16\00:10:09.06
because of all the things
that go into those Corn Flakes,
00:10:09.06\00:10:11.36
the actual corn in your
Corn Flakes is probably only
00:10:11.36\00:10:13.76
20 cents or so.
00:10:13.76\00:10:15.53
So when the part
of your Corn Flakes,
00:10:15.53\00:10:18.13
you pay $4 for that box and
when the price of corn doubles
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and it goes up to
$4.20 you don't even notice.
00:10:20.76\00:10:23.43
Or if you do notice,
maybe you notice just a little
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tiny bit, but remember ...
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there's 3.5 billion people on
the face of the earth that are
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making $2.50 a day or less and
they are s pending from 50 to
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90% of their
income on food alone.
00:10:35.70\00:10:39.90
That much of their budget goes
to food and so when they are
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buying literally a handful of
corn or a handful of wheat or a
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handful of rice and
prices significantly increase,
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where is that money going to
come from so that they can keep
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getting the minimum
amount of food that they need.
00:10:51.66\00:10:53.96
These price spikes profoundly
affect billions of people on the
00:10:53.96\00:10:58.86
face of the earth and we don't
even notice in North America.
00:10:58.86\00:11:02.93
JB Okay, what are
some other systems.
00:11:02.93\00:11:04.33
You talk about
God-created systems.
00:11:04.33\00:11:06.63
These systems are being
affected by sin causing decay
00:11:06.63\00:11:11.90
environmentally.
00:11:11.90\00:11:12.96
What is another one?
00:11:12.96\00:11:13.56
SC Well, we talked
about oceanic systems.
00:11:13.56\00:11:15.16
Our fresh water system.
00:11:15.16\00:11:16.70
Around the world aquifers are
being pumped out and this is a
00:11:16.70\00:11:20.26
huge deal because they
are being pumped out to keep
00:11:20.26\00:11:23.66
irrigating crops.
00:11:23.66\00:11:25.10
These aquifers
fill up very, very slow.
00:11:25.10\00:11:27.70
They fill up, if you will,
00:11:27.70\00:11:28.43
on geological time.
00:11:28.43\00:11:30.03
So when these aquifers are
pumped out either to give a
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major city water
or to irrigate crops.
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There is no replacing them.
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This is happening
all over the world.
00:11:37.40\00:11:39.06
We are not living in any
or that is nearly sustainable.
00:11:39.06\00:11:41.66
And let me take as an example
the Ogalala Aquifer underlying
00:11:41.66\00:11:44.90
eight states in Central and
Midwest US and this underlies a
00:11:44.90\00:11:50.93
significant area of
grain production and in fact,
00:11:50.93\00:11:54.43
it provides the water
for everything above it.
00:11:54.43\00:11:56.63
The industry,
cities and agriculture.
00:11:56.63\00:11:59.53
It is shrinking at the edges and
it is expected to be completely
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depleted as a
resource within 25 years.
00:12:03.06\00:12:05.60
JB What happens if
this thing disappears?
00:12:05.60\00:12:06.93
SC Well we just can't produce
the grain and we can't have the
00:12:06.93\00:12:09.26
cities that are there,
and the industries there.
00:12:09.26\00:12:11.70
There is nothing to
replace it as a resource.
00:12:11.70\00:12:14.00
JB But can't we just build
a desalination plant and pump
00:12:14.00\00:12:16.20
water in?
00:12:16.20\00:12:17.30
SC Well if there is an
endless supply of energy,
00:12:17.30\00:12:18.96
yes.
00:12:18.96\00:12:20.56
And that is a very expensive
thing that is being proposed.
00:12:20.56\00:12:22.26
Especially if we do it with oil.
00:12:22.26\00:12:23.90
But if there is an
endless supply of energy,
00:12:23.90\00:12:25.50
then theoretically
we could do many things.
00:12:25.50\00:12:28.06
You're talking a river flowing
in reverse to make this thing go
00:12:28.06\00:12:32.06
and maybe if this was our
only problem in the globe,
00:12:32.06\00:12:34.73
we could fix this one thing.
00:12:34.73\00:12:37.00
People say "what's going on?"
00:12:37.00\00:12:39.36
and there is no real answer
to that until you start talking
00:12:39.36\00:12:41.60
about the effect of sin.
00:12:41.60\00:12:43.50
From a Christian
perspective, sin is the problem.
00:12:43.50\00:12:46.86
Christ is the solution.
00:12:46.86\00:12:49.96
JB I think what we are going
to do in just a moment is talk
00:12:49.96\00:12:51.66
about the big picture.
00:12:51.66\00:12:53.86
The environment's collapsing.
00:12:53.86\00:12:56.63
We see markers everywhere,
signs everywhere telling us that
00:12:56.63\00:12:58.86
this is a planet in
distress, a planet in decay.
00:12:58.86\00:13:02.86
Is there a way out?
00:13:02.86\00:13:04.06
What does it mean?
00:13:04.06\00:13:05.83
What is the ultimate solution?
00:13:05.83\00:13:07.03
Let's cover that next.
00:13:07.03\00:13:07.63
SC Very good JB
We'll be back with more
00:13:07.63\00:13:09.40
in just a moment.
00:13:09.40\00:13:10.46
I'm John Bradshaw.
00:13:10.46\00:13:11.46
This is It Is Written.
00:13:11.46\00:13:13.26
It Is Written is
dedicated to sharing the gospel
00:13:14.50\00:13:17.00
around the world.
00:13:17.00\00:13:18.00
To discover more
about It Is Written,
00:13:18.00\00:13:19.90
I invite you to
visit our website,
00:13:19.90\00:13:21.70
itiswritten.com and browse the
dozens of pages that describe
00:13:21.70\00:13:25.76
what we do and how we do it.
00:13:25.76\00:13:27.90
Let's get to know
each other better.
00:13:27.90\00:13:29.16
Visit our website
ItIsWritten.com, today
00:13:29.16\00:13:33.13
JB Our discussion today is
centering on the relationship
00:13:33.83\00:13:36.60
between the decay we see in
the environment around us and
00:13:36.60\00:13:40.73
the signs we read
about in the Bible,
00:13:40.73\00:13:42.96
the spiritual implications of
an environment that seems to be
00:13:42.96\00:13:47.36
collapsing.
00:13:47.36\00:13:49.16
Scott, let's talk a little
bit more about some specifics,
00:13:49.16\00:13:51.96
where we see, maybe
some alarm bells ringing
00:13:51.96\00:13:55.26
in the environment.
00:13:55.26\00:13:57.06
A moment ago we talked about
the global food supply and we
00:13:57.06\00:14:00.76
discussed a couple of things
that would concern anybody.
00:14:00.76\00:14:03.23
Looking at it biblically,
the Bible does say that the
00:14:03.23\00:14:06.23
earth is going to deteriorate,
wax old like a garment,
00:14:06.23\00:14:09.83
in fact, it would
be destroyed according
00:14:09.83\00:14:12.40
to what we read in Scripture.
00:14:12.40\00:14:13.66
What are some other areas where
we see signs that really ought
00:14:13.66\00:14:16.96
to alarm people and point them
to what the Bible has said about
00:14:16.96\00:14:20.66
the environment.
00:14:20.66\00:14:21.76
SC It's an
interesting question, really,
00:14:21.76\00:14:24.26
because we only live so long.
00:14:24.26\00:14:26.86
For us to go back and say well
here's the amount of damage over
00:14:26.86\00:14:31.03
the last 400 years and here
is the extent to which it is
00:14:31.03\00:14:33.73
accelerating at our current age.
00:14:33.73\00:14:35.43
That's a tough thing.
00:14:35.43\00:14:36.93
There is a book
called The End of the Line
00:14:36.93\00:14:39.36
that looks at the oceans as
they exist in written records
00:14:39.36\00:14:44.23
400 years ago and 300
years ago and these were
00:14:44.23\00:14:47.23
incredibly productive oceans.
00:14:47.23\00:14:49.30
I mean, these
are oceans that just
00:14:49.30\00:14:50.53
filled with life.
00:14:50.53\00:14:52.03
I mean, you
could just harvest and
00:14:52.03\00:14:53.33
harvest and harvest.
00:14:53.33\00:14:54.53
As late as 1940 and 1950,
the oceans were thought to be
00:14:54.53\00:14:58.73
limitless in the amount of
resources that they were able
00:14:58.73\00:15:01.33
to give.
00:15:01.33\00:15:02.46
Now, scientists are
calling this the Miocene era,
00:15:02.46\00:15:06.83
the age of slime,
when most life forms in the
00:15:06.83\00:15:10.40
ocean are either declining
or dying and our oceans are
00:15:10.40\00:15:13.53
transitioning to an environment
where they are really hospitable
00:15:13.53\00:15:17.50
for algae, fungus and bacteria.
00:15:17.50\00:15:21.30
JB Are we really seeing an
increase in recent years or are
00:15:21.30\00:15:23.90
we just better at observing?
00:15:23.90\00:15:26.00
SC No. We are seeing
an absolute decrease,
00:15:26.00\00:15:29.03
if you will, in
the amount of resource.
00:15:29.03\00:15:30.90
JB An increase and a decrease.
00:15:30.90\00:15:32.33
SC Yes.
00:15:32.33\00:15:33.96
If things happen slowly
enough and they happened over a
00:15:33.96\00:15:37.83
multitude of lifetimes
that prior to say, 1960,
00:15:37.83\00:15:42.03
we weren't really noticing
degradation in the environment
00:15:42.03\00:15:45.70
and in addition to that the
population burden on the planet
00:15:45.70\00:15:48.50
was half of what it is now.
00:15:48.50\00:15:50.20
Now we have got more people,
we've got more pressure and we
00:15:50.20\00:15:52.60
are seeing a greater and greater
acceleration in the decay of the
00:15:52.60\00:15:55.60
actual planet itself and we
are beginning to see impacts on
00:15:55.60\00:15:58.70
society and we are
sitting up and taking notice.
00:15:58.70\00:16:01.30
It is a big deal.
00:16:01.30\00:16:03.10
JB What is the end game?
00:16:03.10\00:16:04.00
What is the way out?
00:16:04.00\00:16:05.10
Can it be fixed?
00:16:05.10\00:16:05.90
SC No.
00:16:05.90\00:16:06.46
My response to this is what is
your proposal for reversing the
00:16:06.46\00:16:10.20
effect of sin?
00:16:10.20\00:16:11.56
Well, let's put it like this.
00:16:11.56\00:16:13.06
What is going on in
the world is very serious,
00:16:13.06\00:16:15.53
very serious and for Christians
who study their Bible and who
00:16:15.53\00:16:19.46
look at the signs as Christ
laid them out in Matthew 24
00:16:19.46\00:16:22.90
and who connect the
dots, is our sense of urgency
00:16:22.90\00:16:27.30
commensurate with
what we see around us?
00:16:27.30\00:16:29.43
Are we rising to the crisis that
is at hand and to the end of
00:16:29.43\00:16:33.50
time?
00:16:33.50\00:16:34.66
These are very big questions.
00:16:34.66\00:16:36.73
JB Should I be
worried about whether or not
00:16:36.73\00:16:38.30
I am going to eat?
00:16:38.30\00:16:38.96
What can I do or
should I buy a house
00:16:38.96\00:16:41.56
with a great big basement
and stock it with beans and rice
00:16:41.56\00:16:45.16
and wheat?
00:16:45.16\00:16:45.76
Is that what I should do?
00:16:45.76\00:16:46.46
SC Well, the
Bible tells us that we
00:16:46.46\00:16:49.46
should not worry.
00:16:49.46\00:16:50.80
In fact, it
tells us in Matthew 24
00:16:50.80\00:16:54.03
not to worry because
these things must happen.
00:16:54.03\00:16:56.76
And the Bible also tells us that
our bread will be sure and our
00:16:56.76\00:16:59.96
water will be sure.
00:16:59.96\00:17:01.36
The question is: Are
we working for our Master?
00:17:01.36\00:17:06.13
Are fulfilling
the great commission?
00:17:06.13\00:17:08.73
If we are not close to
Christ, if we don't know him
00:17:08.73\00:17:12.60
as a friend, if we
are fully of the world and
00:17:12.60\00:17:16.23
not of Christ then
there is a lot to worry about.
00:17:16.23\00:17:18.60
There's a tremendous amount to
worry about because the world is
00:17:18.60\00:17:20.36
ending and we have no hope.
00:17:20.36\00:17:22.23
If Christ is our Savior and we
are fully committed to him and
00:17:22.23\00:17:27.23
looking away from the
world and toward his coming,
00:17:27.23\00:17:29.66
then we don't need to
worry but we do need to work.
00:17:29.66\00:17:32.60
JB So there is a Savior who has
pledged to take care of those
00:17:32.60\00:17:34.63
who trust in him.
00:17:34.63\00:17:35.93
SC Yes JB Even though that
the world might be falling apart
00:17:35.93\00:17:38.86
around us.
00:17:38.86\00:17:39.86
There is a hope, is there?
00:17:39.86\00:17:41.56
SC There's great hope.
00:17:41.56\00:17:42.26
There's tremendous hope.
00:17:42.26\00:17:43.63
JB Prophetically, where do
you think this leads us in the
00:17:43.63\00:17:46.96
overall flow of Bible prophecy?
00:17:46.96\00:17:50.23
SC Well let's go to Scripture.
00:17:50.23\00:17:51.73
I focus on Matthew 24:6-8.
00:17:51.73\00:17:54.50
There will be wars
and rumors of wars, etc...
00:17:54.50\00:17:57.13
In Matthew 24,
Christ walked his disciples
00:17:57.13\00:18:00.90
through what
would happen in history,
00:18:00.90\00:18:04.56
relatively near term history,
but also what would happen
00:18:04.56\00:18:07.56
at the end of time.
00:18:07.56\00:18:08.66
As with all great prophecy,
it had a dual application and so
00:18:08.66\00:18:12.10
we know the waymarks.
00:18:12.10\00:18:14.20
Christ himself
articulated the waymarks for us
00:18:14.20\00:18:16.76
that we were to watch for.
00:18:16.76\00:18:18.60
And I look at this and we are
early on in the final waymarks.
00:18:18.60\00:18:24.80
But these events happen very
rapidly at the close and so we
00:18:24.80\00:18:28.56
are headed towards what some
call a time of Jacob's trouble,
00:18:28.56\00:18:32.46
a time of little trouble,
a time of great disruption
00:18:32.46\00:18:34.93
on the earth, but
before the time of
00:18:34.93\00:18:37.43
tribulation and Christ's coming.
00:18:37.43\00:18:39.93
The point is,
because we don't know exactly
00:18:39.93\00:18:42.03
when those things happen and
because we don't know exactly
00:18:42.03\00:18:45.30
the way between here and there,
the point is we are living in
00:18:45.30\00:18:49.10
the End Times.
00:18:49.10\00:18:50.40
We are living
in prophetic times.
00:18:50.40\00:18:52.33
We are living in historic times.
00:18:52.33\00:18:54.73
JB So is it fair to say that
if we didn't have some of these
00:18:54.73\00:18:56.73
environmental pressures in the
world then we might not see last
00:18:56.73\00:19:02.33
day Bible prophecy being
fulfilled with the rapidity that
00:19:02.33\00:19:05.33
it is being fulfilled.
00:19:05.33\00:19:06.50
Is that what you are saying?
00:19:06.50\00:19:07.06
SC That is what I am saying.
00:19:07.06\00:19:08.10
If we open our eyes we can
see things that are pointing to
00:19:08.10\00:19:12.23
Scripture and that are pointing
to prophecy and the fulfillment
00:19:12.23\00:19:14.53
of that prophecy.
00:19:14.53\00:19:15.53
In Mark 13:32-37 we are told
repeatedly to watch and to pray.
00:19:15.53\00:19:23.30
We are told to watch.
00:19:23.30\00:19:24.26
And we are not told to watch and
then given nothing to watch for.
00:19:24.26\00:19:28.16
So in this time we are seeing
the culmination of the effects
00:19:28.16\00:19:32.66
of sin and we are seeing
that bleed into or actually
00:19:32.66\00:19:37.80
be a causative of
prophetic fulfillment.
00:19:37.80\00:19:41.80
That's a big deal.
00:19:41.80\00:19:42.56
JB Yes it is.
00:19:42.56\00:19:43.16
I wonder if we can
talk about the direct link,
00:19:43.16\00:19:45.60
how we get from cause to effect.
00:19:45.60\00:19:47.56
There we were in
the Garden of Eden,
00:19:47.56\00:19:48.80
everything was very perfect.
00:19:48.80\00:19:50.96
Eve and then Adam ate the fruit
that was offered them by the
00:19:50.96\00:19:53.46
serpent.
00:19:53.46\00:19:55.50
Things went on
pretty well, it seems.
00:19:55.50\00:19:57.10
Now God said things
are going to change.
00:19:57.10\00:20:00.00
For instance,
thorns were going to grow.
00:20:00.00\00:20:02.30
SC That's right.
00:20:02.30\00:20:03.00
JB So thorns, the
direct result of sin.
00:20:03.00\00:20:05.96
SC Thorns are the direct result
of sin but this is also under
00:20:05.96\00:20:09.63
debate because God
placed three successive curses
00:20:09.63\00:20:14.60
upon the earth.
00:20:14.60\00:20:15.56
There is the curse of Adam.
00:20:15.56\00:20:17.30
We have to till,
sweat of your brow,
00:20:17.30\00:20:18.96
and thorns and thistles.
00:20:18.96\00:20:22.46
So would this curse
have come without sin?
00:20:22.46\00:20:24.46
No.
00:20:24.46\00:20:25.36
Would thorns have
come without this curse?
00:20:25.36\00:20:28.83
Well, there's
room for debate there
00:20:28.83\00:20:29.93
and I will leave
that to the theologians.
00:20:29.93\00:20:31.80
But the two, it's
definitely one piece.
00:20:31.80\00:20:34.40
But then there is also the
curse of Cain where again the
00:20:34.40\00:20:37.06
productivity of
the earth is cursed.
00:20:37.06\00:20:39.06
And then there is the
final curse if you will,
00:20:39.06\00:20:40.70
which is not an explicit curse,
but what else could the flood be
00:20:40.70\00:20:43.60
called that turned a beautiful
and perfect world into a world
00:20:43.60\00:20:48.80
that is not productive
the way it used to be.
00:20:48.80\00:20:52.56
JB One thing I am
interested in is that you say,
00:20:52.56\00:20:55.96
very appropriately, I believe,
00:20:55.96\00:20:58.16
that it is hard for us to
really gauge this as we might
00:20:58.16\00:21:01.06
because we only see a
very thin slice of the pie
00:21:01.06\00:21:04.40
owing to the fact that
we live on this earth such a
00:21:04.40\00:21:06.50
short time
relative to its longevity.
00:21:06.50\00:21:09.70
What do you think we would think
if we saw the world before the
00:21:09.70\00:21:13.80
flood?
00:21:13.80\00:21:15.00
SC I think we would be
heartbroken that we can't live
00:21:15.00\00:21:17.60
there now.
00:21:17.60\00:21:18.80
I think we would be so
stunned by the beauty and the
00:21:18.80\00:21:21.43
peacefulness and the security.
00:21:21.43\00:21:24.20
You know, the
earth that was created to
00:21:24.20\00:21:26.16
delight us daily
and astound us daily
00:21:26.16\00:21:29.70
and yet we have to live here.
00:21:29.70\00:21:32.66
Those who have hope would be
excited and those without hope
00:21:32.66\00:21:37.03
might gain hope through Christ.
00:21:37.03\00:21:39.66
But really, if we
knew what we were missing
00:21:39.66\00:21:41.66
out on, and we're talking earth,
00:21:41.66\00:21:43.23
not heaven, you know, we
are just talking the earth
00:21:43.23\00:21:45.20
and heaven is so
much more glorious.
00:21:45.20\00:21:46.60
If we knew what we
were missing out on,
00:21:46.60\00:21:48.16
I think we would have a very
difficult time just enduring
00:21:48.16\00:21:51.03
our lives here.
00:21:51.03\00:21:53.70
JB The signs around us tell
us Jesus is coming back soon.
00:21:53.70\00:21:56.70
SC Absolutely.
00:21:56.70\00:21:57.33
JB The environment says we are
headed in a certain direction.
00:21:57.33\00:22:00.60
It isn't good.
00:22:00.60\00:22:02.10
Scientists are trying.
00:22:02.10\00:22:03.60
Governments have treaties
and protocols and proposals
00:22:03.60\00:22:06.10
and so forth.
00:22:06.10\00:22:07.16
Nothing is working, is it?
00:22:07.16\00:22:08.73
SC No.
00:22:08.73\00:22:09.83
The consequences of sin must
be fully known so that rebellion
00:22:09.83\00:22:13.63
does not happen again.
00:22:13.63\00:22:14.86
We are told in Revelation that
Satan was in rebellion and took
00:22:14.86\00:22:18.86
his angels with him so
this can't happen again
00:22:18.86\00:22:21.96
and Christ says, you know,
00:22:21.96\00:22:23.20
these things must happen.
00:22:23.20\00:22:24.66
These things must take place.
00:22:24.66\00:22:26.46
So there is no fix.
00:22:26.46\00:22:28.06
But look.
00:22:28.06\00:22:28.66
Here is the thing, you know,
00:22:28.66\00:22:31.00
and I have said it before.
00:22:31.00\00:22:31.96
Does our sense of urgency
match the current situation?
00:22:31.96\00:22:36.13
Are we fully awake?
00:22:36.13\00:22:37.90
Are we on our
"A" game for Christ?"
00:22:37.90\00:22:40.70
Are we working in a way that
the current situation calls for?
00:22:40.70\00:22:46.00
And no, we are pretty
much asleep as in Matthew 25.
00:22:46.00\00:22:49.86
JB There are certain things
environmental issues that we
00:22:49.86\00:22:51.86
might see in the world that
perhaps there are ... I don't
00:22:51.86\00:22:55.43
want to say solutions for ...
00:22:55.43\00:22:56.96
but other ways of doing things.
00:22:56.96\00:22:59.66
But there is something that
appears to get in the way very
00:22:59.66\00:23:02.26
often and that is
human greed which is sin.
00:23:02.26\00:23:06.80
SC Right.
00:23:06.80\00:23:07.96
JB So if we could only take sin
out of the picture we might have
00:23:07.96\00:23:11.36
ways to deal with
certain environmental issues,
00:23:11.36\00:23:13.96
certain environmental problems,
certain pollution issues.
00:23:13.96\00:23:17.23
But whenever somebody
has a dollar in the game,
00:23:17.23\00:23:21.86
a bottom line to protect, that
old greed instinct kicks in.
00:23:21.86\00:23:26.20
Self gets involved
rather than selflessness.
00:23:26.20\00:23:29.90
It seems as long as there are
people who are not committed to
00:23:29.90\00:23:34.06
Jesus and who are living
for their own self rather than
00:23:34.06\00:23:37.26
for Christ, there
is just no way out.
00:23:37.26\00:23:41.16
SC Well I think this is an
argument for why the earth has
00:23:41.16\00:23:44.26
to be recreated and why humans
are changed in the twinkling of
00:23:44.26\00:23:49.93
an eye.
00:23:49.93\00:23:51.03
Nothing that is tainted by sin
will make it into the new earth
00:23:51.03\00:23:55.76
and will make it into heaven.
00:23:55.76\00:23:57.40
I mean you talk of
basically the power of sin,
00:23:57.40\00:24:00.66
the power of sin to decay,
the power of sin to destroy.
00:24:00.66\00:24:03.73
We see it in
the world around us.
00:24:03.73\00:24:05.43
We are coming to the
point, even with our short term
00:24:05.43\00:24:07.30
observation, that
we can see it in the
00:24:07.30\00:24:08.83
natural world.
00:24:08.83\00:24:10.43
It has to be obliterated for us
to be able to return to an earth
00:24:10.43\00:24:16.13
that is not in decay.
00:24:16.13\00:24:18.23
JB The message is the earth
is going in one direction but
00:24:18.23\00:24:22.06
the good news about that is
that it is telling us Jesus is
00:24:22.06\00:24:25.90
coming back soon.
00:24:25.90\00:24:26.60
SC Absolutely.
00:24:26.60\00:24:27.63
JB Surely there is no more
important work we can do now
00:24:27.63\00:24:29.73
than to be ready
for the Lord's return.
00:24:29.73\00:24:32.26
SC And this is the big question.
00:24:32.26\00:24:34.13
Are we ready?
00:24:34.13\00:24:35.76
Really, this is where
the rubber meets the road.
00:24:35.76\00:24:40.03
We see the signs.
00:24:40.03\00:24:41.63
The earth is decaying.
00:24:41.63\00:24:43.63
We see prophecy being fulfilled.
00:24:43.63\00:24:45.40
We see the fullness of
sin, both in man and the earth.
00:24:45.40\00:24:49.33
Are we ready?
00:24:49.33\00:24:49.86
Do we know Jesus
Christ as a friend?
00:24:49.86\00:24:51.96
Are we ready to lean
on him in the days ahead?
00:24:51.96\00:24:54.66
Are we ready to
embrace Him when he returns?
00:24:54.66\00:24:57.76
This is the actual question.
00:24:57.76\00:25:00.16
JB Scott Christiansen,
it has been wonderful.
00:25:00.16\00:25:01.63
Thanks for taking the time.
00:25:01.63\00:25:02.33
SC My pleasure.
00:25:02.33\00:25:03.66
JB God bless you.
00:25:03.66\00:25:05.53
Let me ask you.
00:25:08.10\00:25:09.43
Why do you believe what you
believe and is there really good
00:25:09.43\00:25:12.80
evidence for having
faith in God and the Bible?
00:25:12.80\00:25:16.80
I want you to have solid
evidence for your faith which is
00:25:16.80\00:25:19.86
why I am offering
you this free book,
00:25:19.86\00:25:22.06
When Faith Crumbles .
00:25:22.06\00:25:24.26
Reading this book will grow your
faith in God and give you reason
00:25:24.26\00:25:27.30
after reason that you
can believe the Bible.
00:25:27.30\00:25:30.73
To get your free copy
of When Faith Crumbles ,
00:25:30.73\00:25:33.20
call right now, 1.800.253.3000,
00:25:33.20\00:25:37.90
that's 1.800.253.3000.
00:25:37.90\00:25:42.30
Now supplies of this book
are limited so call right away.
00:25:42.30\00:25:45.83
If the line is busy, do
call again and let us know
00:25:45.83\00:25:48.70
you want to receive
When Faith Crumbles .
00:25:48.70\00:25:51.93
Now as I said,
supplies are limited so call
00:25:51.93\00:25:54.70
right away.
00:25:54.70\00:25:55.63
800.253.3000 and
please keep in mind
00:25:55.63\00:25:59.16
that It Is Written is a
donor-supported ministry.
00:25:59.16\00:26:01.76
If it was not for the
support of people like you,
00:26:01.76\00:26:04.56
I would not be able to share
the good news of the Bible with
00:26:04.56\00:26:07.06
people all over the world
and people all over the world
00:26:07.06\00:26:10.13
must hear the great
truths of the Bible.
00:26:10.13\00:26:13.23
Please, share the
blessing you receive.
00:26:13.23\00:26:15.23
Help us change
lives for eternity.
00:26:15.23\00:26:18.16
To support It Is Written
call 1.800.253.3000 or visit us
00:26:18.16\00:26:22.66
on-line at itiswritten.com
00:26:22.66\00:26:26.83
As we look around the world
it seems that there is no doubt
00:26:27.96\00:26:30.46
there are signs
that ought to alert us
00:26:30.46\00:26:32.40
that Jesus is coming back soon.
00:26:32.40\00:26:34.16
The question is: Are you ready?
00:26:34.16\00:26:37.40
When Jesus comes back,
will that be good news for you?
00:26:37.40\00:26:40.40
I hope so and he hopes so too.
00:26:40.40\00:26:42.66
Let's pray together than when
Jesus returns it will be for us
00:26:42.66\00:26:46.90
the best thing
that has ever happened.
00:26:46.90\00:26:49.00
Our Father in heaven,
thank you that we have a hope,
00:26:49.00\00:26:50.96
hope through all of the
signs, hope through the distress
00:26:50.96\00:26:52.60
and decay, hope
through an environment
00:26:52.60\00:26:55.20
which is
creaking and waxing old,
00:26:55.20\00:26:57.36
that Jesus is coming back soon
and I pray that when he does
00:26:57.36\00:27:01.16
He'll gather us
together and take us with him.
00:27:01.16\00:27:04.20
Lord, there is just one
thing and that is if Jesus
00:27:04.20\00:27:07.20
owns our heart.
00:27:07.20\00:27:08.80
Friend, as we pray,
would you yield your heart to
00:27:08.80\00:27:11.13
Jesus?
00:27:11.13\00:27:11.83
Would you invite Him now to
be your Lord and your Savior?
00:27:11.83\00:27:15.10
Would you let him
live His life in you?
00:27:15.10\00:27:17.60
Father, please do those
things and we will look beyond
00:27:17.60\00:27:20.90
the decay of this world
to the hope we have in Jesus,
00:27:20.90\00:27:23.40
to that wonderful
day when he comes back.
00:27:23.40\00:27:25.60
Keep us until then, I pray,
00:27:25.60\00:27:28.10
in Jesus' name, Amen.
00:27:28.10\00:27:31.60
I am very thankful
you joined us today.
00:27:47.00\00:27:49.13
I look forward to
seeing you again next time.
00:27:49.13\00:27:51.30
Until then,
remember It is written,
00:27:51.30\00:27:54.23
man shall not live by bread
alone but by every word that
00:27:54.23\00:27:59.23
proceeds from the mouth of God.
00:27:59.23\00:28:02.30