[Music]
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Jesus is talking with His
disciples one day and He says
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to Philip, "He who has
seen Me has seen the Father.
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That's John 14:9.
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On Father's Day - Happy
Father's Day, Dads - some
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people reflect on the fact
that they didn't have a great
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father while they grew up.
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Gone too much, to angry,
violent, abusive... Tragic.
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But there's a Father you can
love, and even if your earthly
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father didn't give you
a perfect picture of what
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a Dad should be, Jesus said
that if you want to know what
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God the Father is
like, just look at Jesus.
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Jesus reveals what our
Heavenly Father is really
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like.
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He4s kind, patient,
merciful, forgiving, accepting,
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healing, uplifting...
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If you want to know what
the Father is like, look at
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Jesus.
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And when you do that,
you'll agree that you DO
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have a Father you
can love and trust.
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I'm John Bradshaw
for It Is Written.
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Let's live today by Every Word.
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[music]
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[Theme Music]
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It has stood the test of time.
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God's book, the Bible.
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Still relevant in
today's complex world.
00:01:21.76\00:01:26.20
It Is Written sharing
hope around the globe.
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Imagine growing up thinking
you were someone, and then
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discovering you
were someone else.
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And imagine if you found
out your own godfather was one
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of the monsters of history.
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Guntram Weber was a
63-year-old teacher living
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in Berlin, West Germany.
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Like many Germans his
age, he never knew his father,
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and that was because his
dad was killed during the war.
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Or, at least that's
what his mother told him.
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"Guntram, your dad was a
truck driver for the Luftwaffe
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in Croatia and he
died in the fighting."
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And that's all she told him.
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For much of his life,
Guntram remained skeptical
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about what his mother had
said regarding his father.
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He could never quite bring
himself to believe her story.
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It always bothered him
that she never talked about his
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father, and when he
asked questions, she would say
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something quickly and
then change the subject.
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And to make things seem
even more suspicious, there were
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never any photos of his
dad around the house, and he
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couldn't find any documentation.
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Then one day, following a
hint his stepfather gave him,
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Guntram did a little digging
into his past, and much to his
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shock he found the truth.
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Guntram was what they
called a Lebensborn baby, a term
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the Nazis used to describe
their plan to use selective
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breeding to create a
Master Aryan race that would
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eventually rule the world.
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They'd pick out what
they considered to be the most
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Aryan-looking and racially
pure men and women, and under
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the direction of the SS
and Heinrich Himmler, they ran
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a special program where those
people were essentially sent
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to breeding farms
around Europe to give birth
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to supposedly
racially pure children.
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And when Guntram went to
find the truth about his dad,
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that's what he discovered.
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His dad wasn't a lorry
driver killed in Croatia.
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He was a Major-General in
the SS who had a wife and three
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children of his own when he
got Guntram's mother pregnant.
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His mother then went to one
of the "Lebensborn" clinics,
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and thus Guntram
came into the world.
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His real father was deemed
a war criminal and had to flee
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to Argentina after the war,
where he lived until his death
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in 1970.
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But as bad as that
was, it wasn't the only dark
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secret in his life.
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He discovered, to his
horror, that Heinrich Himmler,
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the infamous
director of the death camps,
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was his godfather.
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Imagine: thinking one thing
about your origins all your
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life, and then discovering
the horrible truth: your
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birth was a part of a
systematic eugenics program.
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Thousands of Germans,
after the war, suffered
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the trauma of
making that very discovery.
00:04:09.83\00:04:13.26
[Music] Some of the most
basic questions people ask
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during the course of their
lifetime are things like "Who
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am I?", and "Why am I here?"
00:04:17.66\00:04:19.83
Anybody who lives long
enough and gives life even a few
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moments of serious thought
is going to ask those kinds
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of questions.
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[music] ...
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In his book Anna
Karenina, Leo Tolstoy presents
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a Russian aristocrat
by the name of Konstantin
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Levin who asks three essential
questions: (1) What am I?
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(2) Where am I?,
and (3) Why am I here?
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As the story goes, Konstantin
was looking at his estate
00:05:03.30\00:05:06.10
when he suddenly
wonders: what does it all mean?
00:05:06.10\00:05:10.06
"When these people are
all dead, and I'm dead, too -
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what will all of this mean?"
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I had a conversation once
with a philophosy professor
00:05:15.66\00:05:18.30
in London, England once
told me that philosophers still
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wrestle with the big questions.
00:05:21.06\00:05:23.06
I said "Michael, what are those
big questions?" And he told me:
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"Here are the big
questions we are trying to get
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to the bottom of.
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Who am I?
00:05:28.80\00:05:30.16
Why am I here?
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There's something in
the human heart that cries
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desperately to know
what life is all about.
00:05:34.80\00:05:37.60
What a waste to live here
without knowing why you're
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here and how you're
supposed to spend your time.
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Most people wander through
life not knowing what their
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life really means.
00:05:48.36\00:05:49.96
And then, when it's too late
they discover what they could
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have done.
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So let me ask you: how,
exactly, are you supposed to
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live your life if you don't
know why you're here or where
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you come from?
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Richard Dawkins, the famous
Oxford zoologist and atheist,
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believes quite strongly
that he's got the answer.
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He says that we are cosmic
accidents created by chance
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through the unconscious
mechanism of random mutation
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and natural selection.
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In other words, more
conscious thought and purpose
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went into somebody scribbling
some graffiti under a bridge
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than went into the creation
of you and me - or the whole
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universe even.
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But look at the world around
you: everything seems to have
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a purpose.
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Ears have purpose, the brain
of a dolphin has a purpose,
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the sun has a purpose, the
DNA of a flower has purpose,
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and yet we're being asked
to believe that everything
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around us is an accident
and has no purpose at all?
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After more than a century
of evolutionary theory being
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taught in the
classroom, millions and millions
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of Americans
still don't believe it.
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Most of us still believe
that God purposely created us -
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in His image.
00:07:04.03\00:07:05.40
All the hypotheses and
speculations out there about
00:07:05.40\00:07:08.53
there being a "the
selfish gene," or about "natural
00:07:08.53\00:07:12.06
selection," or about
primordial soup - just don't
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make the same kind of sense
found in the first words of
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the Bible: Genesis 1:1 says,
"n the beginning God created
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the heavens and the earth"
You know, in those few words,
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we have a radically different
perspective on the question
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of life than the stuff
we learned in high school
00:07:33.26\00:07:35.93
biology.
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Are we really just the chance
product of cold cosmic forces
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who never even saw us coming?
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Or are we the purposeful
creation of a loving God who
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made us, as the Bible
says, in His own image?
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There's quite a stark
contrast between those two
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views.
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Guntram Weber thought he
had it pretty bad, having
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Heinrich Himmler
as his godfather.
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But at least his life had
some sort of misguided design
00:08:00.50\00:08:03.60
to it.
00:08:03.60\00:08:04.70
As bad as the picture
was, I think it's even worse
00:08:04.70\00:08:07.13
to be told that your
great-great-great-great-grand
00:08:07.13\00:08:09.43
father was a single-celled
organism coming out
00:08:09.43\00:08:13.43
of a primordial soup.
00:08:13.43\00:08:15.30
Suddenly, your life has
got no kind of meaning at all.
00:08:15.30\00:08:21.13
Now let me ask you this
question: Can a painting of a
00:08:21.13\00:08:24.33
water lily suddenly
become an actual water lily?
00:08:24.33\00:08:30.13
Are you sure you know
the answer to that question?
00:08:30.13\00:08:33.36
I'll bring that answer
to you in just a moment.
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[Music]
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Time for today's Bible
question and thanks for
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submitting Bible questions
to us at It Is Written.
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How can a person really
believe the Bible is true?
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It was written years ago,
it has been copied so many
00:09:02.33\00:09:04.86
times, it was written by
a lot of different people
00:09:04.86\00:09:07.16
and those people wrote
different parts of the Bible
00:09:07.16\00:09:10.66
at different times.
00:09:10.66\00:09:12.26
Help me believe the
Bible is believable.
00:09:12.26\00:09:15.80
Great question.
00:09:15.80\00:09:16.80
Thank you.
00:09:16.80\00:09:17.80
I'll do my best.
00:09:17.80\00:09:18.80
You know what's funny?
00:09:18.80\00:09:20.20
There are historical books
that not many people question
00:09:20.20\00:09:23.70
when it comes to authenticity.
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Let me explain this a bit.
00:09:25.70\00:09:27.53
A historian named Tacitus
wrote The Annals of Imperial
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Rome.
00:09:30.63\00:09:31.63
Few people question its
accuracy or its veracity,
00:09:31.63\00:09:34.80
even though what is available
today comes from a copy and
00:09:34.80\00:09:39.13
doesn't NEARLY date
back to the original.
00:09:39.13\00:09:41.63
Now I'm not knocking Tacitus
at all - just pointing out
00:09:41.63\00:09:46.60
that there's a bit of a
double standard when it comes
00:09:46.60\00:09:48.60
to considering the
accuracy of the Bible.
00:09:48.60\00:09:51.16
Now there are several
reasons you can trust the Bible.
00:09:51.16\00:09:53.96
I'll name just a few.
00:09:53.96\00:09:55.03
Historically it stands up.
00:09:55.03\00:09:57.13
Luke, who wrote Luke and
the Book of Acts, is a very
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accurate historian, and
the historical details found in
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what he wrote stand the
test of thorough scrutiny.
00:10:03.63\00:10:07.86
Archaeology has validated
the Bible again and again.
00:10:07.86\00:10:11.33
On numerous occasions it
has been said that portions of
00:10:11.33\00:10:13.86
the Bible couldn't be
trusted because they couldn't be
00:10:13.86\00:10:16.33
validated by the
archaeological record.
00:10:16.33\00:10:18.70
But again and again
archaeologists have found
00:10:18.70\00:10:21.90
records of cities or other
evidences that show the Bible
00:10:21.90\00:10:26.50
record was accurate after all.
00:10:26.50\00:10:29.30
It has happened
many, many times.
00:10:29.30\00:10:32.00
Then there are the manuscripts.
00:10:32.00\00:10:34.26
There are hundreds of old
manuscripts or portions of
00:10:34.26\00:10:37.10
manuscripts that show us
that what has come down to us
00:10:37.10\00:10:40.06
today is consistent with
what was written hundreds and
00:10:40.06\00:10:43.43
hundreds of years ago.
00:10:43.43\00:10:45.20
Tthe Dead Sea Scrolls,
discovered in the late 1940s
00:10:45.20\00:10:48.83
and early 1950s are
compelling evidence that the
00:10:48.83\00:10:51.23
Bible is legitimate.
00:10:51.23\00:10:52.93
They date back as far back
as before the time of Christ,
00:10:52.93\00:10:57.23
and they show us that
the Bible we read today is
00:10:57.23\00:10:59.30
fundamentally the same
as what was written way back
00:10:59.30\00:11:01.63
then.
00:11:01.63\00:11:03.30
Now the 'differences'
that exist in manuscripts are
00:11:03.30\00:11:05.93
generally so small that
they're just irrelevant.
00:11:05.93\00:11:10.90
You don't find a manuscript
where Jesus says He is not
00:11:10.90\00:11:13.73
the Son of God, or where
Christ is teaching something
00:11:13.73\00:11:16.63
bizarre.
00:11:16.63\00:11:17.63
And consider prophecy.
00:11:17.63\00:11:18.63
Many prophecies of the Bible
are being fulfilled and this
00:11:18.63\00:11:20.70
demonstrates I think,
conclusively, that the Bible
00:11:20.70\00:11:22.73
can be trusted.
00:11:22.73\00:11:25.73
When you've got predictions
made that name a king before
00:11:25.73\00:11:28.53
he is born or that name a
certain invader or conquerer
00:11:28.53\00:11:31.66
before he is born and then
these things come to pass...
00:11:31.66\00:11:34.83
When you have got all those
prophecies about Jesus coming
00:11:34.83\00:11:38.36
to the world one saying He
would be crucified, another
00:11:38.36\00:11:40.86
saying not a bone would
be broken, another saying He
00:11:40.86\00:11:43.43
would be born in Bethlehem,
another saying He would die
00:11:43.43\00:11:46.10
in dishonour, another saying
He would be rejected by the
00:11:46.10\00:11:49.06
ones He came to
save, and on and on...
00:11:49.06\00:11:52.76
You've got a real problem if
you want to argue against the
00:11:52.76\00:11:56.13
inspiration of the Bible.
00:11:56.13\00:11:57.76
What are you going to
do with all that evidence?
00:11:57.76\00:12:02.23
But you know what?
00:12:02.23\00:12:03.60
At the end of the day we
accept the Bible by faith.
00:12:03.60\00:12:07.23
The Bible's critics do
raise fair questions at times -
00:12:07.23\00:12:10.13
sometimes questions
aren't very easy to answer,
00:12:10.13\00:12:12.63
especially to
everybody's satisfaction.
00:12:12.63\00:12:14.80
But there's enough
clear - what I would call -
00:12:14.80\00:12:18.33
"evidence" for us to know
that the Bible really is the
00:12:18.33\00:12:22.03
word of God.
00:12:22.03\00:12:23.03
You can accept it by faith.
00:12:23.03\00:12:24.43
Not blind faith, but
reasonable, studied faith.
00:12:24.43\00:12:28.73
There are many, many good
reasons to trust the Bible.
00:12:28.73\00:12:31.36
So many I"m not sure
how someone can really
00:12:31.36\00:12:35.50
be confident in
rejecting the Bible.
00:12:35.50\00:12:39.00
If there's a question you
would like answered, pleae
00:12:39.00\00:12:41.00
send it to me
at ItIsWritten.com.
00:12:41.00\00:12:43.30
I'll do my very best to
get your question answered.
00:12:43.30\00:12:47.83
[Music]
00:12:48.70\00:12:51.60
Planning for your financial
future is a vital aspect
00:12:55.40\00:12:57.56
of Christian Stewardship.
00:12:57.56\00:12:59.53
For this reason, It Is
Written is pleased to offer free
00:12:59.53\00:13:02.16
planned giving
and estate services.
00:13:02.16\00:13:04.90
For information on how
we can help you, please call
00:13:04.90\00:13:06.96
1.800.992.2219.
00:13:06.96\00:13:10.63
To receive additional material
on the advantages of life
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income plans such as a
charitable gift annuity,
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which can provide you with tax
benefits and income for life,
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call today or visit
our special website,
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www.hislegacy.com.
00:13:23.06\00:13:26.93
You could also write to:
It Is Written, Planned Giving
00:13:26.93\00:13:29.80
and Trust Services,
Box O, Thousand Oaks,
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California, 91359.
00:13:32.60\00:13:35.80
Our toll-free number
again is 1.800.992.2219.
00:13:35.80\00:13:40.90
And our web address
is www.hislegacy.com.
00:13:40.90\00:13:48.30
You know, one of the great
puzzles of modern science is
00:13:48.96\00:13:52.00
the question of life itself:
where, exactly, did it come
00:13:52.00\00:13:55.96
from?
00:13:55.96\00:13:57.90
How did these chemical
products - water, carbon,
00:13:57.90\00:14:01.30
and protein how did they make
00:14:01.30\00:14:03.30
the jump from being -
well, water, carbon, and protein
00:14:03.30\00:14:07.83
- to a living thing?
00:14:07.83\00:14:09.43
The idea of a painting
of a water lily suddenly
00:14:09.43\00:14:12.90
becoming a real water
lily seems impossible.
00:14:12.90\00:14:16.03
How would the painting
make that kind of jump?
00:14:16.03\00:14:19.06
It's not just a small
tweak here and there and then
00:14:19.06\00:14:21.40
suddenly the
painting comes to life!
00:14:21.40\00:14:23.53
It just doesn't seem feasible.
00:14:23.53\00:14:25.93
But the old, old story
you find the Bible DOES seem
00:14:25.93\00:14:29.80
feasible.
00:14:29.80\00:14:30.86
God CREATED life with purpose
and design - and with human
00:14:30.86\00:14:36.06
beings, He took special
steps to make something very
00:14:36.06\00:14:39.50
special.
00:14:39.50\00:14:40.70
Listen to what the Bible
says, in Genesis 2:7 "and the
00:14:40.70\00:14:46.10
LORD God formed man of
the dust of the ground, and
00:14:46.10\00:14:49.46
breathed into his nostrils
the breath of life; and man
00:14:49.46\00:14:53.53
became a living
soul" (Genesis 2:7).
00:14:53.53\00:14:57.10
I want you to notice
the intimacy: it says God
00:14:57.10\00:15:00.06
breathed into our
nostrils the breath of life.
00:15:00.06\00:15:02.83
According to the
Biblical account, it wasn't an
00:15:02.83\00:15:05.40
accident.
00:15:05.40\00:15:06.40
Someone who cares
deeply about our existence
00:15:06.40\00:15:09.13
put us here on
purpose, for a reason.
00:15:09.13\00:15:12.63
Now take that version of
human origins and contrast it
00:15:12.63\00:15:15.53
with what the late
paleontologist Stephen Jay
00:15:15.53\00:15:19.10
Gould said about human
origins: He said, "We are
00:15:19.10\00:15:23.40
here because one odd group
of fishes had a peculiar fin
00:15:23.40\00:15:27.86
anatomy that could transform
into legs for terrestrial
00:15:27.86\00:15:31.83
creatures; because the earth
never froze entirely during
00:15:31.83\00:15:36.00
the ice age; because a small
and tenuous species, arising
00:15:36.00\00:15:41.00
in Africa a quarter of
a million years ago, has
00:15:41.00\00:15:44.20
managed, so far, to
survive by hook and by crook.
00:15:44.20\00:15:49.33
We may yearn for a 'higher'
answer - but none exists."
00:15:49.33\00:15:54.66
I can't imagine anything more
hopeless - and when it comes
00:15:56.90\00:16:00.66
to the really important
questions in life, it just
00:16:00.66\00:16:03.70
doesn't bring any
lasting satisfaction.
00:16:03.70\00:16:06.43
And with all due respect,
how could Dr. Gould be so
00:16:06.43\00:16:09.53
certain?
00:16:09.53\00:16:10.53
He just wasn't there
when it supposedly happened.
00:16:10.53\00:16:13.26
He didn't see any of
his hypothesis take place.
00:16:13.26\00:16:16.96
Instead, he took a few bits
of scattered data - a little
00:16:16.96\00:16:20.86
piece here, a little piece
there - and then building on
00:16:20.86\00:16:24.33
a whole bunch of unproven
assumptions, he cooked up
00:16:24.33\00:16:27.43
a theory of human
origins that just doesn't really
00:16:27.43\00:16:30.43
make sense.
00:16:30.43\00:16:31.86
When I listen to people
like Dawkins and Gould, and all
00:16:31.86\00:16:34.40
these other people who
seem to insist that life is an
00:16:34.40\00:16:37.13
accident, it reminds me of
a passage in the book of Job
00:16:37.13\00:16:41.56
where God asks some
pretty tough questions.
00:16:41.56\00:16:45.36
I'm turning to the book of
Job, Chapter 38 and verse 4,
00:16:45.36\00:16:49.83
Job 38:4 and it says
this, Where were you when I laid
00:16:49.83\00:16:55.76
the foundations of the earth?
00:16:55.76\00:16:57.86
Tell Me, if you
have understanding.
00:16:57.86\00:17:00.90
Who determined its measurements?
00:17:00.90\00:17:03.06
Surely you know or who
stretched the line upon it?
00:17:03.06\00:17:08.80
Just try to imagine standing
in front of God, attempting
00:17:08.80\00:17:12.16
to answer questions like this.
00:17:12.16\00:17:14.76
And the rest of the chapter
has a lot more questions.
00:17:14.76\00:17:17.50
The point of it is
really pretty simple: none of us
00:17:17.50\00:17:20.13
were there.
00:17:20.13\00:17:21.20
We're building a theory of
human origins from scratch,
00:17:21.20\00:17:24.56
based on a tiny bits of
information and a whole lot
00:17:24.56\00:17:28.53
of human arrogance.
00:17:28.53\00:17:30.36
You know, I've heard
people say that it's arrogant to
00:17:30.36\00:17:32.43
suggest that human life is
special, and that Christians
00:17:32.43\00:17:36.23
are arrogant to suggest
that people have a special place
00:17:36.23\00:17:38.93
on planet earth, but
sometimes I really have to
00:17:38.93\00:17:42.16
wonder: when we want to be
smart enough to think that we
00:17:42.16\00:17:46.13
think we hold the key to the
universe, and we're too proud
00:17:46.13\00:17:49.40
to think that Someone
might just have a claim on our
00:17:49.40\00:17:52.33
lives, where does
the real arrogance lie?
00:17:52.33\00:17:57.76
And in the view offered by
Dawkins and Darwin and Gould,
00:17:57.76\00:18:01.80
the universe doesn't last.
00:18:01.80\00:18:03.63
Follow these guys' theories
to their logical conclusion,
00:18:03.63\00:18:06.86
and you get a
pretty hopeless picture.
00:18:06.86\00:18:09.36
Eventually, the universe just
collapses - and nothing will
00:18:09.36\00:18:13.46
have meant anything.
00:18:13.46\00:18:15.13
But the story given in
the Bible bubbless with hope.
00:18:15.13\00:18:19.06
It admits the sad condition
of our planet, it explains
00:18:19.06\00:18:23.06
the pain and suffering we're
living with, and it holds out
00:18:23.06\00:18:26.13
a promise that answers
the toughest questions we can
00:18:26.13\00:18:29.40
ask.
00:18:29.40\00:18:30.50
To put it simply,
God offers us a future.
00:18:30.50\00:18:34.60
Listen to His promise, it's
found at the end of the book
00:18:34.60\00:18:36.83
of Isaiah: For, behold, I
create new heavens and a new
00:18:36.83\00:18:42.26
earth: and the former shall
not be remembered, nor come into
00:18:42.26\00:18:46.06
mind" (Isaiah 65:17).
00:18:46.06\00:18:47.70
If life were really
meaningless, I don't think so
00:18:47.70\00:18:50.20
many people - for so many
years - would have asked so
00:18:50.20\00:18:53.73
many questions.
00:18:53.73\00:18:55.10
If you and I are just
machines that fell together
00:18:55.10\00:18:57.43
by accident, why would we
even care about the meaning
00:18:57.43\00:19:01.03
of life.
00:19:01.03\00:19:02.26
But if our lives are the
creation of a loving, caring
00:19:02.26\00:19:05.16
God, who has our best in
mind, the questions you've
00:19:05.16\00:19:08.96
got about life
begin to make sense.
00:19:08.96\00:19:12.80
They're kind of a homing
beacon, steering you back
00:19:12.80\00:19:14.83
into a relationship with God.
00:19:14.83\00:19:17.23
Now in the book of Ephesians,
the Bible says, Ephesians 1,
00:19:17.23\00:19:21.86
He chose us in Him before
the foundation of the world,
00:19:21.86\00:19:25.76
that we should be holy and
without blame before Him...."
00:19:25.76\00:19:29.63
(Eph. 1:4) You
didn't just happen:
00:19:29.63\00:19:32.70
you were chosen,
and you still are.
00:19:32.70\00:19:36.00
Because of what God did for
you at the cross of Calvary,
00:19:36.00\00:19:38.73
you are free to answer
the call in your heart and
00:19:38.73\00:19:41.70
rediscover your
original purpose.
00:19:41.70\00:19:44.30
Here's another passage found
in 2 Timothy 1:9, where the
00:19:44.30\00:19:48.06
Bible tells us that you
and I have been called, with a
00:19:48.06\00:19:53.26
holy calling, not according
to our works, but according
00:19:53.26\00:19:57.33
to His own purpose and
grace which was given to us in
00:19:57.33\00:20:00.93
Christ Jesus before time
began." Over and over again,
00:20:00.93\00:20:05.90
the Bible says that you
were chosen, you were called
00:20:05.90\00:20:09.33
before the
creation of the world.
00:20:09.33\00:20:11.80
There's a reason you
wonder about the meaning of your
00:20:11.80\00:20:13.93
life.
00:20:13.93\00:20:14.93
Dig a little deeper into
your past, and you're going to
00:20:14.93\00:20:17.86
make a remarkable discovery:
your life really does have
00:20:17.86\00:20:22.60
purpose.
00:20:22.60\00:20:23.90
You were put here
intentionally, and there are
00:20:23.90\00:20:26.46
forces at work in this
universe to keep you from
00:20:26.46\00:20:29.90
discovering the truth.
00:20:29.90\00:20:32.23
In a moment, an incredible
story about two men who found
00:20:32.23\00:20:35.96
out who they really were.
00:20:35.96\00:20:38.06
Eyes for India is giving sight
to the blind and you can be
00:20:42.56\00:20:46.56
a part of this amazing
work that God is doing.
00:20:46.56\00:20:49.43
Fifteen million blind people
live in India, more than any
00:20:49.43\00:20:52.53
other country in the world,
and many of the blind in India
00:20:52.53\00:20:55.96
could see again, if
only they could have simple
00:20:55.96\00:20:58.80
cataract surgery.
00:20:58.80\00:21:00.70
It Is Written is
making that happen.
00:21:00.70\00:21:03.53
Would you
support Eyes for India?
00:21:03.53\00:21:06.70
For just $75 you would be giving
the gift of sight to someone
00:21:06.70\00:21:10.93
who desperately wants to see.
00:21:10.93\00:21:13.70
Here is all you need to do.
00:21:13.70\00:21:15.63
Call 1.800.253.3000 to donate
and support Eyes for India
00:21:15.63\00:21:22.30
or you can write
to It Is Written,
00:21:22.30\00:21:24.16
Box O, Thousand
Oaks, California 91359.
00:21:24.16\00:21:28.46
You'll also find
Eyes for India on-line
00:21:28.46\00:21:31.20
at itiswritten.com.
00:21:31.20\00:21:34.70
Somebody doesn't want you
to know who you really are.
00:21:36.23\00:21:40.16
You know, a little while
ago, I came across a remarkable
00:21:40.16\00:21:42.33
story.
00:21:42.33\00:21:43.53
In the state of Maine, there
were two men - Gary and Randy
00:21:43.53\00:21:46.56
- working at the
same furniture company.
00:21:46.56\00:21:48.70
Customers and coworkers alike
couldn't help but notice that
00:21:48.70\00:21:51.56
they two guys
looked a lot alike.
00:21:51.56\00:21:53.63
Both of them had light
hair, both of them had stocky
00:21:53.63\00:21:55.93
builds, and both of them
wore baseball caps and had
00:21:55.93\00:21:59.06
goatees.
00:21:59.06\00:22:00.40
Their mannerisms and appearance
were so much alike that people
00:22:00.40\00:22:02.43
used to ask if
they were brothers.
00:22:02.43\00:22:04.66
But of course, they
weren't - because if they were
00:22:04.66\00:22:07.20
brothers, they would
have grown up together, right?
00:22:07.20\00:22:10.10
Then one day Randy asked
Gary if he knew the names of his
00:22:10.10\00:22:12.96
biological parents, and to
his surprise, they were the
00:22:12.96\00:22:16.93
same as his biological parents.
00:22:16.93\00:22:19.30
And the fact that they
were both adopted really started
00:22:19.30\00:22:21.96
raising some
important questions.
00:22:21.96\00:22:24.20
Randy knew that he had a
brother out there somewhere,
00:22:24.20\00:22:27.76
and so he asked Gary
what his birthday was.
00:22:27.76\00:22:30.46
It was June 10, 1974 -
the same year that his brother
00:22:30.46\00:22:34.36
had been born.
00:22:34.36\00:22:35.90
Now think about this very
carefully: what are the odds
00:22:35.90\00:22:39.20
that two brothers actually
worked together in the same
00:22:39.20\00:22:42.60
company all those years, and
didn't realize that they were
00:22:42.60\00:22:46.46
brothers?
00:22:46.46\00:22:47.66
What twists of fate had
to happen to bring them both
00:22:47.66\00:22:50.70
together on the same payroll
- and how many days - weeks -
00:22:50.70\00:22:55.66
years , had actually been
wasted because they didn't
00:22:55.66\00:22:59.20
realize just how close
their family really was?
00:22:59.20\00:23:03.10
And now think about
yourself here on planet earth.
00:23:03.10\00:23:06.36
Your heart tells you
that your life is important.
00:23:11.33\00:23:14.33
You've got this overwhelming
sense that you were put here
00:23:14.33\00:23:16.86
for a reason.
00:23:16.86\00:23:18.46
You might struggle to know
what that reason is, but you
00:23:18.46\00:23:22.06
just can't shake the feeling.
00:23:22.06\00:23:24.06
Maybe at night, you look
up at the stars, wondering if
00:23:26.36\00:23:28.50
Somebody is really out there.
00:23:28.50\00:23:32.83
Maybe, in the quiet moments
of your life life, you find
00:23:32.83\00:23:35.13
yourself wanting to talk
to Someone - wanting to have a
00:23:35.13\00:23:38.73
relationship.
00:23:38.73\00:23:41.30
In every human heart, there's
this feeling that we've been
00:23:41.30\00:23:43.56
disconnected - that
we're missing out on the most
00:23:43.56\00:23:46.26
important
relationship in the world.
00:23:46.26\00:23:49.00
Some people describe it as
feeling a little bit homesick
00:23:49.00\00:23:52.66
- as if we recognize that we
really belong somewhere else,
00:23:52.66\00:23:55.80
in a different
set of circumstances.
00:23:55.80\00:23:58.40
That feeling, according
to the Bible, is universal.
00:23:58.40\00:24:01.33
In Ecclesiastes 3:11, the
Bible says that God has put
00:24:01.33\00:24:06.83
eternity in the heart.
00:24:06.83\00:24:12.73
In the last century and a
half, there have been a lot of
00:24:12.73\00:24:15.06
voices telling us that
our existence doesn't mean
00:24:15.06\00:24:18.63
anything.
00:24:18.63\00:24:20.26
But after all this time,
they're failing to convince
00:24:20.26\00:24:23.23
us.
00:24:23.23\00:24:24.23
The call in your
heart just won't go away.
00:24:24.23\00:24:26.46
New theories of human origins
have failed to kill the cry
00:24:26.46\00:24:29.76
of our hearts to
know who we really are.
00:24:29.76\00:24:32.46
And who are we?
00:24:32.46\00:24:34.80
We are beings purposefully
made in the image of God, who
00:24:34.80\00:24:39.73
promised us eternal life
with Him long before the world
00:24:39.73\00:24:43.33
even began.
00:24:43.33\00:24:45.36
So right now, only one
more question remains: Are you
00:24:45.36\00:24:49.23
going to claim your
meaningful life with God?
00:24:49.23\00:24:53.56
According to the Bible,
it's yours for the asking -
00:24:53.56\00:24:56.80
and when you ask,
you're going to discover
00:24:56.80\00:25:00.23
that He's been there all along.
00:25:00.23\00:25:02.13
It's just that maybe
you didn't recognize Him.
00:25:02.13\00:25:05.56
But will you
recognize Him right now?
00:25:05.56\00:25:08.03
Let's pray.
00:25:08.03\00:25:09.03
We will thank God that
he made us for a purpose.
00:25:09.03\00:25:12.86
He made us in his image
and he made both you and me
00:25:12.86\00:25:17.56
so that we might
spend eternity with him.
00:25:17.56\00:25:21.23
Our Father in
heaven, we thank you that we
00:25:22.46\00:25:24.46
are not just accidents.
00:25:24.46\00:25:25.46
We thank you that life is
not meaningless, but that it is
00:25:25.46\00:25:29.53
full of purpose.
00:25:29.53\00:25:30.70
And we pray claiming your
purpose for our life right
00:25:30.70\00:25:34.63
now.
00:25:34.63\00:25:35.63
You made us and not just to
live and die, but you made us
00:25:35.63\00:25:40.56
to live on this earth
and then die or not, live
00:25:40.56\00:25:44.90
eternally with you forever
in the place where it is good
00:25:44.90\00:25:48.40
where the flowers don't
ever fade and when we will enjoy
00:25:48.40\00:25:52.60
and where we will enjoy
meaning and purpose beyond
00:25:52.60\00:25:56.63
our ability right now to
comprehend and so we thank
00:25:56.63\00:26:00.16
you that you are our
father and that we are yours.
00:26:00.16\00:26:03.30
We belong to you and we
are glad and we pray in Jesus'
00:26:03.30\00:26:08.80
name, amen.
00:26:08.80\00:26:11.76
[Music]
00:26:22.66\00:26:25.00
Perhaps our program today
has touched your heart and
00:26:38.70\00:26:40.96
impressed you with a personal
need for deeper Bible study.
00:26:40.96\00:26:44.46
If you desire to listen
to God and follow where he
00:26:44.46\00:26:46.80
leads, we've got a wonderful
resource that can help you do
00:26:46.80\00:26:49.76
that in a systemic way,
the Discover Bible Guides.
00:26:49.76\00:26:54.03
These study guides will
take you through the essential
00:26:54.03\00:26:56.20
truths taught in Scripture.
00:26:56.20\00:26:57.16
They give you the big
picture showing how it all fits
00:26:57.16\00:27:00.73
together.
00:27:00.73\00:27:01.73
The Discover Bible Guides
are a wonderful way for you to
00:27:01.73\00:27:04.53
become grounded in the
Word of God and to see how Jesus
00:27:04.53\00:27:07.83
Christ relates to all
the areas of our lives.
00:27:07.83\00:27:11.33
Please call or write us
and the Discover Bible Guides
00:27:11.33\00:27:14.13
will be on their way to you.
00:27:14.13\00:27:16.20
If you live in North America,
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00:27:16.20\00:27:18.86
free of charge.
00:27:18.86\00:27:19.86
Or for even easier
and immediate access from
00:27:19.86\00:27:22.20
anywhere around the world,
you can get these wonderful
00:27:22.20\00:27:24.86
Bible lessons on our
website itiswritten.com.
00:27:24.86\00:27:28.56
Request the Discover
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00:27:28.56\00:27:31.26
free number 1 800 253 3000.
00:27:31.26\00:27:35.33
Call right now You
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offer by writing to
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00:27:37.66\00:27:41.00
Thousand Oaks, CA 91359.
00:27:41.00\00:27:45.33
Thanks for joining me today.
00:27:46.30\00:27:47.90
And remember It Is Written:
man shall not live by bread
00:27:47.90\00:27:52.43
alone, but by every word
that proceeds from the mouth of
00:27:52.43\00:27:56.33
God.
00:27:56.33\00:27:59.06