¤ [Dramatic Theme] ¤
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It has stood the
test of time. God's book.
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The Bible. Still
relevant in today's
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complex world. It is written
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sharing hope around the globe.
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I'm John Bradshaw.
Thanks for joining me today
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on It Is Written.
Most people, when they hear
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the name Rockefeller,
think of a very rich American
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family, or maybe the
Rockefeller Center in New
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York City, which is
home to such famous places
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as Radio City Music Hall
and Christie's, the world's
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largest auction house.
Yet for many years the name
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Rockefeller was hated
and despised, it was a symbol
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of corporate greed where
the more powerful sweep away
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the weaker and
acquire more and more and more
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for themselves--no matter
who got crushed along the way.
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No wonder. The
founder of the dynasty,
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John D. Rockefeller,
started in the oil business
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in Cleveland during the
1800s, and--through a series
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of backroom deals he
created the monster monopoly
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of Standard Oil.
Because it was so large,
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Standard Oil could
cut prices, forcing all
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competitors either to sell
to it or go bankrupt, in which
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case Rockefeller would
simply buy up the ruined company
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at discount rates.
Rockefeller would come to his
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competitors, show them
his own books, show them
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the financial behemoth that
they were up against--and then
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make them an offer. If
they refused, he simply
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put them out of business
and then get their company
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anyway. He was ruthless.
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He once told his brother
Frank, who had been working
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for a competing oil company:
We are going to buy out all
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the refiners in
Cleveland. We will give everyone
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a chance to come
in. Those who refuse
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will be crushed.
If you don't sell your
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company to us, it
will be valueless.
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Frank refused, and John
D.--true his word--put his
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own brother's
company out of business!
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Now what adds an interesting
wrinkle to this sordid history
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is that John D. Rockefeller
was a church-going man.
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Even worse, he rationalized
his business dealings in,
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of all things--the
name of Christian charity!
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He had convinced himself
that he was actually doing good.
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He said that all these forced
acquisitions were the result
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of the most prosperous business
concern, his own, saying
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to the smaller and
less prosperous ones:
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We will stand in for the risks
and hazards of the refining
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business . Come with us and we
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will do you good. We
will undertake to save you
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from the wrecks of
the refining business.
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What others saw as cutthroat
and villainous business
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practices, John D. defined
as Christian benevolence.
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Now that would
be rationalization
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and presumption.
Well I don t want to judge
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John D. Rockefeller's
heart, how he could justify
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these nasty and vicious
business practices in the name
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of Christian charity
really makes me wonder
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This kind of thinking reminds
me of a scene from a book by
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Russian writer Fyodor
Dostoyevsky, in which a man
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cries out, God,
forgive me for Christ's sake!
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and then cuts his friends
throat with a knife and steals
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his watch. Today
we're going to take
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a look at the Big Picture,
really the biggest picture
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you could imagine. It's
clear that there's a battle
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raging on Planet Earth.
This is what the Bible writer
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Paul was talking about when
he said that we are not fighting
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against flesh and blood,
but against principalities
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and powers. We're
in a spiritual battle,
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is what he was saying. Now
let's see what we can learn
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from Jesus and how he dealt
with Satan, so that we can do
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the same thing ourselves
when faced with similar
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struggles in this great
controversy with a supernatural
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cosmic power much
greater than we are.
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Now, I can imagine
someone saying, Come on, John,
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a supernatural cosmic
battle? Been watching too many
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Star Wars movies or something?
No, we re not talking about
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the kind of journalism
found in the tabloid headlines,
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like the one which
said, 12 U.S. SENATORS
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ARE SPACE ALIENS.
(Someone said you can tell
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that can't be true
because the number is too low!)
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You know, scientists working
with the Search for Extra
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Terrestrial Intelligence,
believe that with the billions
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of galaxies existing in
the universe, there's a good
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chance that other
life might exist out there.
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The scientific term for
this is called astrobiology
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and it's a serious attempt
to seek out life in other parts
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of the universe.
Now, with all due respect,
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while these folks are aiming
their radio telescopes into
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the sky hoping for something
from some far-away alien
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civilization, the Bible teaches
not only that extra-terrestrial
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life exists, but that
some of these beings are HERE,
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on earth, and that some
are hostile to us as well.
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Look at these verses, from
Revelation 12 and we ll begin
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with verse 7: And there was
war in heaven: Michael and his
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angels fought against
the dragon; and the dragon
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fought and his
angels, And prevailed not;
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neither was their place
found any more in heaven.
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And the great dragon was cast
out, that old serpent, called
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the Devil, and Satan,
which deceiveth the whole world:
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he was cast out into
the earth, and his angels
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were cast out with him
(Revelation 12:7-9, KJV).
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A war in heaven?!
A war here on earth,
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that s one thing. But in heaven?
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How can that be? The
short answer comes down
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to one word. Love.
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Because love is the overarching
moral principle that permeates
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God's universe, and love demands
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freedom. You can t love God,
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or anyone, if you
don't have moral freedom.
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You can't have love without
freedom any more than you
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could have a
triangle without three sides.
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Now in a moment, the man
who was married to a robot,
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and why that
didn't work out so well.
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¤ [Gentle
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
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but by every word that proceeds
from of the mouth of God'" .
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Every Word is a one minute
Bible-based daily devotional
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presented by Pastor John
Bradshaw and designed especially
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for busy people like you.
Look for Every Word on selected
00:06:41.30\00:06:45.03
networks or watch it
on-line everyday on our website
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itiswritten.com.
Receive a daily spiritual boost.
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Watch Every Word.
You'll be glad you did.
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¤ [Rythmic Melody] ¤
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Thanks for joining me.
I don't think anyone likes
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being deceived.
But in the last book
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of the Bible, God
warns about massive deception
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affecting the whole
world. In the middle chapter
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of the book of Revelation,
John writes these words,
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Revelation 12:9. "So
the great dragon was cast
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out, that serpent of old,
called the Devil and Satan,
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who deceives the whole
world; he was cast to the earth,
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and his angels
were cast out with him."
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Deception is almost as
old as the world itself.
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Can we be deceived spiritually?
We're told Satan is going to
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deceive the entire world.
But you can avoid being caught
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up in that by asking for
the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
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Jesus is the
"Truth", he said in John 14.
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A total commitment to Him
will keep us on the right path.
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The Bible says the
whole world will head
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in the wrong direction.
But you don't need to,
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through Jesus
Christ. I'm John Bradshaw
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for It Is Written. Let's
live today by Every Word.
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[Thoughtful Melody]
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The uttermost part
of the earth seems like
00:08:06.38\00:08:08.62
an appropriate way
to describe Mongolia,
00:08:08.62\00:08:12.62
sandwiched
between China and Siberia.
00:08:12.62\00:08:16.19
It Is Written's Mission Mongolia
is bringing the Good News
00:08:16.19\00:08:20.06
of Jesus Christ to
the people of Mongolia.
00:08:20.06\00:08:23.37
And your support
makes this happen.
00:08:23.37\00:08:25.93
Your support of Mission Mongolia
will bring the Gospel to more
00:08:25.93\00:08:29.74
Mongolians than ever before.
00:08:29.74\00:08:33.78
Bibles are needed in
the Mongolian language.
00:08:34.11\00:08:36.98
And your help will make it
possible for people to own their
00:08:36.98\00:08:39.25
very own Bible
for the first time,
00:08:39.25\00:08:42.25
and learn of Jesus.
Other humanitarian needs
00:08:42.25\00:08:45.85
will also be met, as
Mission Mongolia provides
00:08:45.85\00:08:49.42
for many people who are
being left behind by a society
00:08:49.42\00:08:53.70
relentlessly rushing
forward. Don't leave Mongolians
00:08:53.70\00:08:57.37
in the dark. Your
help will make it possible
00:08:57.37\00:09:00.74
for Mission Mongolia to
introduce people to Jesus.
00:09:00.74\00:09:05.91
Call now, 1-800-253-3000.
That's 1-800-253-3000,
00:09:05.91\00:09:14.15
to support Mission
Mongolia. Or visit us online at
00:09:14.15\00:09:18.39
www.itiswritten.com. Or
you can support this work or
00:09:18.39\00:09:23.76
learn more about it by writing
to It Is Written, P O Box 6,
00:09:23.76\00:09:28.86
Chattanooga, Tennessee 37401.
00:09:28.86\00:09:32.03
There was a sci-fi story
about a man who, having lost
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his wife to death,
got a robot replacement.
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He had everything about
her programmed in: looks,
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vocabulary, diction,
actions, everything was the same
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as his actual wife.
From all outward appearances,
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it was his wife.
Except that it was robot,
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a machine, and it did everything
his wife did, not because
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it truly loved him, but
because it was programmed
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to do so. It had
no more choice than my
00:10:02.00\00:10:06.23
computer does to start up
when I hit the start-up bottom.
00:10:06.23\00:10:08.77
And in the end he got rid of
it because the most important
00:10:08.77\00:10:11.84
ingredient was
missing, and that was love
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--which can only exist when
one has freedom, only when one
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has the option NOT to
love. And this powerful being,
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Satan--given free will--chose
the not-to-love option
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and eventually
rebelled against God.
00:10:29.76\00:10:31.63
As a result, he and these
other rebellious creatures,
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who had free will too,
were cast out of heaven
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and are now here on
earth. Here again is the Bible,
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Revelation 12.
Therefore rejoice, ye heavens,
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and ye that dwell in
them. Woe to the inhabiters
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of the earth and of the
sea! for the devil is come down
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unto you, having great
wrath, because he knoweth
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that he hath but a short
time (Revelation 12:12, KJV).
00:10:54.52\00:10:58.89
Woe to us! Why?
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Because the devil has come
down unto you and he is full
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of wrath. It s a real mistake
00:11:04.99\00:11:08.10
to allegorize Satan, to make
him out to a figment of human
00:11:08.10\00:11:11.23
imagination, just a symbol
of our darker side or the like.
00:11:11.23\00:11:16.40
My Bible talks again and
again about a literal being
00:11:16.40\00:11:20.78
who is at war
with us and with God.
00:11:20.78\00:11:22.88
Look at the following texts
and keep in mind two points
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that are found in them:
first, the reality of the
00:11:26.08\00:11:29.08
devil; and second, the
fact that he is working against
00:11:29.08\00:11:32.89
us. Firstly, 1 Peter 5:8,
00:11:32.89\00:11:36.09
the Bible says: Be
sober, be vigilant; because
00:11:36.09\00:11:42.53
your adversary the
devil, as a roaring lion,
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walketh about,
seeking whom he may devour
00:11:44.33\00:11:50.07
Ephesians 6:11, KJV Put
on the whole armour of God,
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that ye may be able to stand
against the wiles of the devil
00:11:56.18\00:11:57.81
And 2 Corinthians 2:11,
KJV, Lest Satan should get
00:11:57.81\00:12:02.25
an advantage of us: for we
are not ignorant of his devices
00:12:02.25\00:12:05.65
And before I go further,
there s one more text I want
00:12:05.65\00:12:09.59
to look at because it's
one of the most important ones
00:12:09.59\00:12:13.60
in all the Bible,
one of the most important
00:12:13.60\00:12:16.80
texts that can help
us understand the nature
00:12:16.80\00:12:20.20
and the outcome of
this great controversy.
00:12:20.20\00:12:22.57
Talking about Jesus, the
Bible says in Hebrews 2:14
00:12:22.57\00:12:24.44
that: Forasmuch then as
the children are partakers
00:12:24.44\00:12:33.18
of flesh and blood,
he also himself likewise
00:12:33.18\00:12:34.65
took part of the same;
that through death he might
00:12:34.65\00:12:36.95
destroy him that had the power
of death, that is, the devil
00:12:36.95\00:12:42.39
(Hebrews 2:14, KJV).
Notice that He will destroy
00:12:42.39\00:12:46.19
the one who had the power
of death, that is the devil.
00:12:46.19\00:12:49.10
Satan's ultimate
fate is to be destroyed.
00:12:49.10\00:12:52.10
We might be in a war, in
a battle, in a controversy,
00:12:52.10\00:12:56.54
but we know beforehand
that the good side wins,
00:12:56.54\00:12:57.87
that God wins and,
in a nutshell, what God
00:12:57.87\00:13:01.91
is saying to us in the
Bible is this: Come on over
00:13:01.91\00:13:06.01
to the winning side.
Jesus has won the battle
00:13:06.01\00:13:09.92
for you, and He offers
you the fruits, the promise,
00:13:09.92\00:13:11.62
the guarantee of His
victory against Satan.
00:13:11.62\00:13:14.86
Talk about an offer! I'd
like to say, It's an offer
00:13:14.86\00:13:17.59
you can't refuse,
but in God's universe,
00:13:17.59\00:13:21.76
we all have free
choice, and so we can refuse.
00:13:21.76\00:13:26.10
The question is, Why would we?
00:13:26.10\00:13:29.84
When God offers us everything
and the devil offers us only
00:13:29.84\00:13:33.14
death and destruction, why
would we chose anything else?
00:13:33.14\00:13:36.31
If we do, it's because we are
allowing Satan to deceive us.
00:13:36.31\00:13:41.22
Remember, the Bible says that
he deceives the whole world.
00:13:41.22\00:13:46.42
But we don't have to be fooled.
We just don t have to be,
00:13:46.42\00:13:50.13
as Paul wrote, ignorant of
his devices, and one of the ways
00:13:50.13\00:13:53.56
we can know his
devices is through studying
00:13:53.56\00:13:56.50
the temptation
in the wilderness,
00:13:56.50\00:13:59.43
and how Satan tried to
use his devices on Jesus
00:13:59.43\00:14:02.87
and failed. First,
Satan tried to tempt
00:14:02.87\00:14:06.37
Jesus in the area of
appetite, telling Jesus
00:14:06.37\00:14:10.08
to use His power to
turn stones into bread.
00:14:10.08\00:14:12.68
How did Jesus respond?
He used the power of God's
00:14:12.68\00:14:16.42
Word, saying to Satan:
It is written, Man shall not
00:14:16.42\00:14:18.82
live by bread
alone, but by every word
00:14:18.82\00:14:23.93
that proceedeth out
of the mouth of God.
00:14:23.93\00:14:27.50
(Matthew 4:4, KJV).
Jesus didn't argue with Satan,
00:14:27.50\00:14:30.80
he didn't get into a theological
debate, and he didn't try
00:14:30.80\00:14:33.94
to reason with him. He
simply went to the Bible
00:14:33.94\00:14:37.61
and he quoted the Bible.
And that was enough to shut
00:14:37.61\00:14:40.34
the devil down.
There s an important lesson
00:14:40.34\00:14:43.11
there, when we
struggle with temptations.
00:14:43.11\00:14:46.11
We can go to God s
Word and claim His promises
00:14:46.11\00:14:48.82
for victory, just as Jesus
did. So, what happened next
00:14:48.82\00:14:53.12
in the wilderness?
That first ploy didn't work,
00:14:53.12\00:14:56.22
so Satan tried something
else. Here s Matthew s account
00:14:56.22\00:15:00.36
of the second temptation of
Jesus: Then the devil taketh
00:15:00.36\00:15:05.77
him up into the holy city,
and setteth him on a pinnacle
00:15:05.77\00:15:08.80
of the temple, And saith
unto him, If thou be the Son
00:15:08.80\00:15:12.17
of God, cast thyself down:
for it is written, He shall give
00:15:12.17\00:15:16.88
his angels charge concerning
thee: and in their hands they
00:15:16.88\00:15:21.05
shall bear thee up, lest
at any time thou dash thy foot
00:15:21.05\00:15:24.75
against a stone.
Jesus said unto him,
00:15:24.75\00:15:27.86
It is written again,
Thou shalt not tempt the Lord
00:15:27.86\00:15:31.73
thy God That's Matthew 4:5-7
Look at what s going on here.
00:15:31.73\00:15:38.93
Jesus used Scripture against
the devil, and so what does
00:15:38.93\00:15:42.17
the devil do? He
comes back to Jesus
00:15:42.17\00:15:43.81
and tempts him, this time
quoting Scripture himself!
00:15:43.81\00:15:48.51
Jesus used the Bible
as His means of countering
00:15:48.51\00:15:51.41
the devil's first
attack in the wilderness,
00:15:51.41\00:15:53.42
and so the devil tried to
meet Jesus on His own ground,
00:15:53.42\00:15:55.95
quoting Scripture back at
Him. And yet here's an important
00:15:55.95\00:16:00.42
point. Though the devil quotes
00:16:00.42\00:16:02.96
Scripture, he really misquotes
it, taking it out of context
00:16:02.96\00:16:06.09
and trying to get it
to say something different
00:16:06.09\00:16:08.96
from what it meant.
This has been his ploy
00:16:08.96\00:16:11.47
for millennia now, and
often used for horrendous
00:16:11.47\00:16:14.54
purposes too. The
devil has plenty of folks
00:16:14.54\00:16:18.41
willing to misquote
and misuse the Bible
00:16:18.41\00:16:21.01
for their own ends.
The difference between
00:16:21.01\00:16:24.38
presumption and
faith. That's straight ahead.
00:16:24.38\00:16:30.29
¤ [Adventurous Music] ¤
00:16:30.29\00:16:34.22
Time for today's Bible
question and here it is.
00:16:45.93\00:16:48.64
People say that Jesus couldn't
have worked miracles such as
00:16:48.64\00:16:52.77
raising the dead and healing
the blind as these things
00:16:52.77\00:16:57.28
just aren't possible. How
can I believe in miracles?
00:16:57.28\00:17:02.65
Good question.
Let me try to give you
00:17:02.65\00:17:04.65
a good answer.
There's a reason we call them
00:17:04.65\00:17:07.19
miracles, because
they're extraordinary,
00:17:07.19\00:17:09.86
they're supernatural,
not the sort of thing
00:17:09.86\00:17:11.99
you can explain
by ordinary means.
00:17:11.99\00:17:14.96
So, can God do the extraordinary
and the supernatural?
00:17:14.96\00:17:19.47
Keep in mind - this is
GOD we're talking about!
00:17:19.47\00:17:22.54
If you asked me if my own father
could have worked miracles,
00:17:22.54\00:17:25.01
I'd say no he couldn't.
Now his ability to read my mind
00:17:25.01\00:17:27.94
was sometimes pretty
incredible, but miracles?
00:17:27.94\00:17:30.48
No. But this is God!
00:17:30.48\00:17:33.05
The One who framed the universe!
The One who created the world
00:17:33.05\00:17:37.32
and made people and
created water and who made air.
00:17:37.32\00:17:41.29
If God can do that -
can't He work miracles?
00:17:41.29\00:17:44.69
All of that was a
miracle. You might also want to
00:17:44.69\00:17:47.40
consider this:
there are some things
00:17:47.40\00:17:49.76
in our world that
are pretty incredible.
00:17:49.76\00:17:52.67
We can't call them miracles
because we can explain them
00:17:52.67\00:17:54.77
scientifically,
but, for example,
00:17:54.77\00:17:57.67
even the idea that
you can pick up a phone,
00:17:57.67\00:17:59.81
press some buttons,
and then use it to talk to
00:17:59.81\00:18:02.98
somebody on the
other side of the world...
00:18:02.98\00:18:05.61
The idea that these pictures
you are looking at right now
00:18:05.61\00:18:08.25
are being transmitted
to you. Even people can do
00:18:08.25\00:18:11.95
some pretty incredible stuff.
Now if you want to put upon God
00:18:11.95\00:18:16.79
the limitations of
faulty, frail human beings,
00:18:16.79\00:18:20.00
and say God can't
do what we can't do -
00:18:20.00\00:18:22.76
go ahead and do that.
But if you believe there is
00:18:22.76\00:18:25.27
a God at all -
the One who gave life
00:18:25.27\00:18:29.44
- you shouldn't be
too surprised that He can
00:18:29.44\00:18:31.01
give that life back.
Surely the One who made eyesight
00:18:31.01\00:18:35.08
can restore it.
From a human standpoint,
00:18:35.08\00:18:38.21
miracles are
unlikely, and even impossible.
00:18:38.21\00:18:41.08
But God is not a
mere human being.
00:18:41.08\00:18:44.22
God is God and he rides high
00:18:44.22\00:18:48.32
above the
limitations of humanity.
00:18:48.32\00:18:51.89
And how can you
believe in miracles?
00:18:51.89\00:18:54.10
You can believe in miracles
and God's miracle working power
00:18:54.10\00:18:57.07
by faith. The
Bible says they happened,
00:18:57.07\00:19:00.17
and your faith in the Bible
as believable and accurate and
00:19:00.17\00:19:04.91
trustworthy can lead you to
the place where you can say,
00:19:04.91\00:19:08.54
If the Bible says
it, I can believe it.
00:19:08.54\00:19:11.21
People try to
limit God sometimes.
00:19:11.21\00:19:13.18
But God is not small.
He's big - and He's great.
00:19:13.18\00:19:18.15
Send your Bible questions
to us at www.itiswritten.com.
00:19:18.15\00:19:22.56
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00:19:46.68\00:19:54.69
One of the worst examples of
somebody misquoting the Bible
00:19:56.59\00:19:59.26
was when, during a religious
war in Europe, a commander
00:19:59.26\00:20:03.63
stood over the city they were
about to attack and his aide
00:20:03.63\00:20:06.43
asked him, How are we
going to know who is on our side
00:20:06.43\00:20:09.77
who is the enemy?
The commander responded,
00:20:09.77\00:20:13.61
Kill em all and then,
quoting Scripture, or actually
00:20:13.61\00:20:16.34
misquoting it, added, the
Lord knoweth them that are
00:20:16.34\00:20:19.75
his. And this is what
00:20:19.75\00:20:22.55
Satan does here.
In Matthew 4:6 he says
00:20:22.55\00:20:24.92
to Jesus, For it is written:
He shall give His angels charge
00:20:24.92\00:20:29.52
over you, and, In their
hands they shall bear you up,
00:20:29.52\00:20:35.10
Lest you dash your
foot against a stone.
00:20:35.10\00:20:37.53
" Now that all sounds nice
but the devil doesn't quote
00:20:37.53\00:20:40.17
it in its entirety. He
just takes a certain part
00:20:40.17\00:20:43.24
of it, omitting the rest.
The texts were from Psalm 91
00:20:43.24\00:20:47.58
and read like this: For he
shall give his angels charge
00:20:47.58\00:20:53.01
over thee, to keep
thee in all thy ways.
00:20:53.01\00:20:55.72
They shall bear thee up in
their hands, lest thou dash
00:20:55.72\00:20:59.02
thy foot against a
stone (Psalm 91:11-12, KJV).
00:20:59.02\00:21:02.92
He leaves out the
most important part.
00:21:02.92\00:21:05.96
God will give His angels
charge over you, to keep thee
00:21:05.96\00:21:09.66
in all thy ways, that
is, in all thy ways and paths
00:21:09.66\00:21:13.74
of righteousness, of
obedience of faithfulness.
00:21:13.74\00:21:18.24
That s the crucial qualifier
that Satan leaves out, trying
00:21:18.24\00:21:21.14
to give Jesus the idea
that it doesn't matter what He
00:21:21.14\00:21:24.61
does, God will
protect Him and be with Him.
00:21:24.61\00:21:27.02
But, as we saw, that s
not what the texts said.
00:21:27.02\00:21:31.72
The devil misquoted
the Scriptures and He
00:21:31.72\00:21:35.16
certainly didn t fool
Jesus. How did Jesus respond
00:21:35.16\00:21:37.36
to this temptation?
Back to Matthew, Ch 4.
00:21:37.36\00:21:42.63
Jesus said unto him, It is
written again, Thou shalt not
00:21:42.63\00:21:48.17
tempt the Lord thy
God (Matthew 4:7, KJV).
00:21:48.17\00:21:52.41
' He said it is written again.
00:21:52.41\00:21:56.21
Jesus went back to the Bible.
He didn t argue with Satan,
00:21:56.21\00:21:59.95
and He didn t point out
Satan's misuse of the Bible,
00:21:59.95\00:22:02.68
either. Jesus just went right
00:22:02.68\00:22:04.99
to the Word of God and responded
with a text that rebuked
00:22:04.99\00:22:08.72
the devil s attempt to
lead Him into presumption.
00:22:08.72\00:22:11.73
Now I don't know any promises
in the Bible which tell me
00:22:11.73\00:22:14.96
I can deviate from obedience
and expect God to pour out
00:22:14.96\00:22:18.67
His blessings on me.
You still might get blessed,
00:22:18.67\00:22:22.70
you still might have
success, but that doesn't mean
00:22:22.70\00:22:26.88
it's from the Lord. I
find it hard to believe
00:22:26.88\00:22:28.71
that it was God s will
for John D. Rockefeller
00:22:28.71\00:22:30.58
to put all those folks
out of business and swallow up
00:22:30.58\00:22:32.88
their companies through
his shady and greedy practices.
00:22:32.88\00:22:36.65
Just because something
is what the world would deem
00:22:36.65\00:22:38.72
successful, isn't necessarily
the same thing as being blessed
00:22:38.72\00:22:41.89
by God. Hugh
Hefner, by the world's
00:22:41.89\00:22:46.56
standards, is being
successful, but who would say
00:22:46.56\00:22:50.90
that God was blessing
him? People invoke God s name
00:22:50.90\00:22:54.30
in all sorts of schemes;
people will misquote Scripture
00:22:54.30\00:22:58.64
to justify even the most sordid
deeds; people will do the most
00:22:58.64\00:23:01.94
outrageous things,
believing for whatever reason
00:23:01.94\00:23:06.48
that God will bless
their efforts even if those
00:23:06.48\00:23:07.48
efforts are completely
contrary to His revealed will.
00:23:07.48\00:23:13.25
This is all presumption,
and that is what Jesus
00:23:13.25\00:23:15.76
refused to fall for and
we should refuse to fall
00:23:15.76\00:23:20.50
for it too when we are tempted
to do things in the name of God
00:23:20.50\00:23:22.93
that He would never sanction.
Presumption is the counterfeit
00:23:22.93\00:23:28.70
of faith. Faith trusts in God's
00:23:28.70\00:23:31.97
promises, and brings
forth the fruits of obedience in
00:23:31.97\00:23:35.64
response to those promises.
Presumption, on the other hand,
00:23:35.64\00:23:39.18
claims those promises
but then uses them to excuse
00:23:39.18\00:23:42.75
or justify wrong actions.
Faith trusts that if we obey
00:23:42.75\00:23:49.22
God, if we walk in the
path of obedience, if we comply
00:23:49.22\00:23:52.19
with the conditions sets
forth in the Word, then God
00:23:52.19\00:23:55.53
will bless us
according to His will.
00:23:55.53\00:23:58.63
Presumption, on the
other hand, claims the promises
00:23:58.63\00:24:01.50
of God but ignores or defines
the conditions upon which
00:24:01.50\00:24:06.71
they based. We are in the midst
00:24:06.71\00:24:10.45
of a universal battle
between Christ and Satan.
00:24:10.45\00:24:14.02
And you can be sure
that the devil is using
00:24:14.02\00:24:17.02
every device and every
scheme he can toward each of us,
00:24:17.02\00:24:20.39
especially if we
profess faith in God.
00:24:20.39\00:24:26.36
Presumption is a
sin of the believer,
00:24:26.36\00:24:27.56
not the atheist. The
atheist doesn't presume
00:24:27.56\00:24:31.33
on God because he
doesn't believe in God--though
00:24:31.33\00:24:35.00
I heard of someone who
said, Thank God, I'm still
00:24:35.00\00:24:37.84
an atheist. And
there's good news.
00:24:37.84\00:24:40.18
Christ's death on the
cross covers even the sin
00:24:40.18\00:24:42.74
of presumption. If
you have presumed upon
00:24:42.74\00:24:45.85
God, if you have sought
for the promises without
00:24:45.85\00:24:50.69
following the conditions,
then flee to Jesus and flee
00:24:50.69\00:24:53.59
to the cross. You
can repent of your sins,
00:24:53.59\00:24:55.52
whatever they are, even
that of presumption, and you can
00:24:55.52\00:24:58.46
receive Christ's
forgiveness. And then, in faith
00:24:58.46\00:25:01.50
and in
obedience, you can press on,
00:25:01.50\00:25:05.43
claiming all the
promises offered us in His Word.
00:25:05.43\00:25:08.40
And that's not
presumption. That s faith.
00:25:08.40\00:25:12.87
Let s pray together.
Father in heaven, I pray that
00:25:12.87\00:25:17.08
where we have been
presumptuous you would
00:25:17.08\00:25:20.25
forgive us and lead
us to be people of faith.
00:25:20.25\00:25:24.99
I pray that we would
never lean on the Bible
00:25:24.99\00:25:27.09
and use it to excuse
things we should not be doing.
00:25:27.09\00:25:31.73
I pray the Bible wouldn't be
a cloak that somehow conceals
00:25:31.73\00:25:36.33
our sins but that your
Word would be powerful enough
00:25:36.33\00:25:39.80
to create in us clean
hearts. Help us to come clean
00:25:39.80\00:25:43.94
and have faith
truth faith in your word
00:25:43.94\00:25:47.14
and not to stoop to presumption.
We thank you that you can be
00:25:47.14\00:25:50.88
trusted, we thank you that your
word is perfect, we thank you
00:25:50.88\00:25:52.68
that your ways are
right. Lead us in them please,
00:25:52.68\00:25:55.62
I pray in Jesus'name, amen.
00:25:55.62\00:26:01.02
¤ [Gentle Musical Interlude] ¤
00:26:07.60\00:26:11.60
If you could
just go back in time
00:26:21.44\00:26:23.95
and do things differently!
Perhaps you have struggled
00:26:23.95\00:26:27.22
with regret and the
added weight of guilt.
00:26:27.22\00:26:29.65
While there is no
way to undo the past,
00:26:29.65\00:26:31.75
God offers us a
forgiveness so complete
00:26:31.75\00:26:34.66
that it comes with the promise
of a life that will never end.
00:26:34.66\00:26:38.19
Sound too good to be true?
Well see what the Bible says!
00:26:38.36\00:26:41.60
Our booklet, "Hope
for a Planet in Crisis,"
00:26:41.60\00:26:44.43
will walk you
through the Bible's teachings
00:26:44.43\00:26:46.17
about sin and forgiveness
and show you how a new start
00:26:46.17\00:26:49.17
can be yours. Just
call (800) 253-3000 and
00:26:49.17\00:26:54.31
request your FREE copy of
"Hope for a Planet in Crisis."
00:26:54.31\00:26:58.75
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00:26:58.75\00:27:01.25
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00:27:01.25\00:27:04.49
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00:27:09.19\00:27:12.83
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00:27:27.61\00:27:30.91
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00:27:30.91\00:27:35.12
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Thanks for joining me today.
Look forward to seeing you
00:27:40.32\00:27:42.69
again next time. Until
then be sure to remember
00:27:42.69\00:27:46.53
It Is Written:
man shall not live
00:27:46.53\00:27:49.43
by bread alone,
but by every word
00:27:49.43\00:27:52.60
that proceeds
from the mouth of God.
00:27:52.60\00:27:54.80
¤ [Music Swells] ¤
00:27:56.64\00:27:59.57