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>>John Bradshaw:
This is It Is Written.
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I'm John Bradshaw.
Thanks for joining me.
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I'm in Zimbabwe, Africa, the
country once known as Rhodesia.
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It's a country with a
long and colorful history.
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Colonists arrived
here in the 1880s.
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Independence was
declared in 1965.
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Civil war followed.
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And since 1980,
Zimbabwe has been a republic.
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The country has a
population of around 14 million,
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and 16 official languages.
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Zimbabwe is about the
size of the state of Montana.
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The capital,
Harare, is in the northeast,
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and today we're
traveling from right about
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the middle of the
country, in the city of Gweru,
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and heading to see
some fascinating history.
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We're traveling a
little over 200 kilometers,
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or what will be about 130 miles,
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just beyond the
town of Mashvingo,
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to Great Zimbabwe,
remarkable ancient ruins
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that shine a light into
the deep history of this land.
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There's something fascinating,
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something compelling,
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about archaeological sites,
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about artifacts.
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They speak to us
about a bygone era,
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and they
transport us into the past.
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They raise a lot of questions.
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They ask us, where did
these civilizations come from?
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Where did they go?
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What did the people who
lived here at the time do?
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They raise a lot
of questions because,
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as you realize when you
come to a place like this,
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stones don't talk.
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Real people lived here once.
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They lived, they loved,
they worked, they played,
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they created, they earned,
they celebrated, they died.
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That was long ago.
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Some of the world's most iconic
locations are historic sites.
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The pyramids of Egypt that speak
of the might of the pharaohs,
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remind us of the time
God's people spent in captivity.
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The Mayan ruins in Mexico,
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Machu Picchu in Peru,
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the Great Wall of China,
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Rome with the
Coliseum and the Forum,
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Angkor Wat in Cambodia.
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They give us a glimpse
into how people used to live,
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and how
societies used to operate.
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But there's so
much more we don't know
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about what happened
to these civilizations.
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How did they develop?
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How did they disappear?
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What would these stones tell us
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if they could talk?
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When it comes to the
birth of civilizations,
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there are two opposing theories.
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The first one says
that civilizations developed
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in different places around the
world independent of each other.
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The second theory,
the diffusionist theory,
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says that civilizations began
in one place and then spread out
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around the world from there.
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This was the theory promoted
by the Norwegian anthropologist
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and adventurer Thor Heyerdahl.
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During his famous
Kon-tiki expedition in 1947,
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he sailed a primitive
raft built from balsa wood
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across the Pacific Ocean.
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Heyerdahl's goal was to
prove that ancient mariners
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could have crossed the Pacific
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or the
Atlantic, for that matter,
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showing
civilizations could spread
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from one continent to another.
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These are the remains
of a lost civilization
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in the heart of
Africa, in central Zimbabwe.
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This is what was once the
stone kingdom of Great Zimbabwe.
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It's thought the word
Zimbabwe means essentially
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“stone houses,”
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which is
fitting enough for sure.
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During the late Africa
iron age, this was a great city,
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the capital of the
kingdom of Zimbabwe.
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At its peak, it was the largest
settlement in southern Africa.
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Construction of
what you see here today
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began in around
the 12th century.
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By the time Portuguese explorers
got here in the early 1500s,
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the civilization was gone,
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and all that
remained of Great Zimbabwe...
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were these ruins.
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Now, most likely,
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Great Zimbabwe
served as the royal palace
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for the Zimbabwean monarch.
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And what's so
impressive about this place,
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or one of the many impressive
things about this place,
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is that, like Machu Picchu,
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it's all built
entirely without mortar.
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You get up close to these
structures and you realize
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just how
impressive they truly are,
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all of it built
one stone at a time.
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There are a lot of other similar
ruins throughout Zimbabwe,
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but this one's
the most prominent.
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That's why it's
called Great Zimbabwe.
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That term, great,
sets this place apart
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from all of the
other, smaller Zimbabwes.
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There are other theories
about Great Zimbabwe's past.
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It was at the intersection
of major slave trade routes.
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It's been suggested
that slaves were held here,
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and that the stonework
here can be traced to India,
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where slave traders originated.
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Inside these walls
there's what appears to be
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a speaker's platform,
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which gave rise to the
theory that this enclosure
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was a place of education,
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an initiation school
where younger members of society
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were taught the rules
and customs of the culture.
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Visiting historic sites
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transports you
back into the past.
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And that's what
reading the Bible does.
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The last book of the Bible was
penned almost 2,000 years ago.
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And when you read the Bible,
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you're transported back into
a bygone era, or bygone eras.
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Read the Bible, and you
discover kingdoms and empires
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and nations which were once
mighty, but have long since,
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like Great Zimbabwe,
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passed off the world's stage.
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Or you read
about nations, empires,
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kingdoms once they flourished,
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but today they've,
they've lost their former glory.
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Now, there was an
interesting theory floated
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about this place some years ago
that connected Great Zimbabwe
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directly with the Bible.
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I'll tell you
more in just a moment.
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my conversation with
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demonstrating how recent
archaeological discoveries
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validate the Bible.
00:08:45.99\00:08:47.59
I'd love you to have this, and
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To get “Digging Up the
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>>John Bradshaw: Planning
for your financial future
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is a vital aspect of
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For this reason, It Is Written
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To receive additional material
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¤[Music]¤
00:10:01.90\00:10:10.57
>>John: This is It Is Written.
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I'm John Bradshaw.
Thanks for joining me today
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at Great Zimbabwe,
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in the country of
Zimbabwe in southern Africa.
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Several hundred years ago
there was a thriving kingdom
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that flourished right
here on this very spot.
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Today, all we have is rocks
and the occasional tourist.
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In the 1870s, a German explorer
came here and he, he popularized
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a theory that
suggested that this place
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had a very
interesting biblical connection.
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And he wasn't the only person
to have come to that conclusion.
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Now, in the book of
1 Kings and chapter 10,
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we come across the
story of King Solomon
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entertaining a
very important visitor.
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Now when the queen of Sheba
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heard of the fame of Solomon
concerning the name of the Lord,
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she came to test
him with hard questions.
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She came to Jerusalem
with a very great retinue,
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with camels that bore spices,
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very much gold,
and precious stones;
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and when she came to Solomon,
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she spoke with him about
all that was in her heart.
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1 Kings 10 verses 1 and 2.
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Then she gave the king
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one hundred and
twenty talents of gold,
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spices in great
quantity, and precious stones.
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There never again came
such abundance of spices
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as the queen of
Sheba gave to King Solomon.
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1 Kings 10 verse 10.
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A hundred and twenty
talents is a lot of gold.
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That's over four tons of gold.
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Can't imagine how many camels
it took the Queen of Sheba
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to transport all that
gold to Solomon's place.
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Well, the Bible goes on to
say that when the Queen of Sheba
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finished her visit, she
left and went back home.
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Now King Solomon gave the
queen of Sheba all she desired,
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whatever she asked,
00:12:04.35\00:12:05.75
besides what
Solomon had given her
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according to the
royal generosity.
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So she turned and
went to her own country,
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she and her
servants. 1 Kings 10:13.
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The theory was floated for a
while that the Queen of Sheba
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came from Africa,
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and that this was where
her kingdom was located.
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Thing is, the Bible doesn't
have anything at all to say
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about where the
Queen of Sheba's home was.
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Some early archaeologists
believe that Great Zimbabwe
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was built by Arab,
Egyptian, Phoenician,
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and even Roman immigrants.
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They said these structures
resemble those seen in Arabia.
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Some suggested,
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the city was built by
the lost tribes of Israel.
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But a lot of what
prompted most of those theories
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was nothing more than racism.
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If you stop and think about
some of the regrettable aspects
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of southern
Africa's early history,
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then you realize
there were plenty of people
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who didn't want others
thinking that black Africans
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were capable of
building a complex like this.
00:13:05.78\00:13:08.98
Today, however,
archaeologists agree:
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this place was
built by Africans.
00:13:11.72\00:13:14.96
Now, kingdoms
come and kingdoms go.
00:13:14.99\00:13:16.86
If you were living
here in the 14th century,
00:13:16.89\00:13:19.96
it probably would have been
impossible for you to imagine
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that a place as powerful,
00:13:23.70\00:13:25.43
as great, as sweeping
and as prosperous as this,
00:13:25.47\00:13:30.34
would ever come to...this.
00:13:30.37\00:13:33.27
Well, that's what
happens over time.
00:13:33.31\00:13:35.28
Kingdoms come and kingdoms go.
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Think about kingdoms
and empires in the Bible.
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Let's take a moment to
think about some of them now,
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consider what they once were,
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and consider
where they are today.
00:13:45.32\00:13:47.96
Long ago, great
pharaohs ruled Egypt.
00:13:47.99\00:13:51.36
And Egypt, an African
country, was a great nation.
00:13:51.39\00:13:55.70
Moses was a son of
Africa, born in Egypt.
00:13:55.73\00:14:00.07
Before his birth, a great famine
caused Jacob and his family
00:14:00.10\00:14:03.34
to come to Egypt for food.
00:14:03.37\00:14:05.61
And then they lived in Egypt
00:14:05.64\00:14:06.64
when Joseph was
the prime minister.
00:14:06.68\00:14:09.41
The magnificent
pyramids and the wealth of Egypt
00:14:09.44\00:14:13.11
testify that this was
a seriously great nation.
00:14:13.15\00:14:17.22
But pharaoh hardened
his heart against God,
00:14:17.25\00:14:20.72
and that once great nation
can today hardly be described
00:14:20.76\00:14:24.93
as great or, in
recent years, even stable.
00:14:24.96\00:14:28.36
A population of
90 million people,
00:14:28.40\00:14:31.23
and it's not any kind
of economic powerhouse.
00:14:31.27\00:14:33.37
In fact, every year
Egypt receives more than a
00:14:33.40\00:14:36.04
billion dollars in military
aid from the United States.
00:14:36.07\00:14:40.28
Then there's
the Assyrian empire.
00:14:40.31\00:14:43.04
Nineveh, the city
Jonah was sent to by God,
00:14:43.08\00:14:45.75
was part of the Assyrian empire.
00:14:45.78\00:14:47.65
It was a great,
powerful and prosperous empire.
00:14:47.68\00:14:50.39
But by the time the sixth
century B.C. rolled around,
00:14:50.42\00:14:54.22
the Assyrian empire was gone.
00:14:54.26\00:14:57.79
And what was known as Nineveh
00:14:57.83\00:14:59.13
is today known as
Mosul in northern Iraq:
00:14:59.16\00:15:02.46
hardly powerful, and
certainly not prosperous.
00:15:02.50\00:15:05.50
Egypt was conquered by Babylon.
00:15:05.53\00:15:08.44
Now, that was a mighty kingdom.
00:15:08.47\00:15:10.87
Ruled by
Nebuchadnezzar in Bible times,
00:15:10.91\00:15:13.68
the book of Daniel records
Nebuchadnezzar surveying Babylon
00:15:13.71\00:15:16.44
one day and saying with pride:
00:15:16.48\00:15:18.58
"Is this not great
Babylon that I have built
00:15:18.61\00:15:21.35
for the house of the kingdom
by the might of my power,
00:15:21.38\00:15:24.62
and for the honor of
my people." (Daniel 4:30)
00:15:24.65\00:15:26.99
In 1899, a German archaeologist
working among the ruins
00:15:27.02\00:15:31.56
of the ancient city of
Babylon found a cuneiform tablet
00:15:31.59\00:15:35.13
on which
Nebuchadnezzar had inscribed:
00:15:35.16\00:15:37.63
"O Babylon, the
delight of mine eyes,
00:15:37.67\00:15:41.37
the excellency of my kingdom.
00:15:41.40\00:15:43.91
May it last forever!"
00:15:43.94\00:15:47.28
But as mighty as it was,
Babylon was done by 539 B.C.
00:15:47.31\00:15:53.72
Gone.
00:15:53.75\00:15:55.22
And today, in spite of
Saddam Hussein's best efforts,
00:15:55.25\00:15:58.55
old Babylon is history.
00:15:58.59\00:16:01.56
And that's all it is.
00:16:01.59\00:16:03.29
Kingdoms come and kingdoms go.
00:16:03.32\00:16:05.76
Once powerful rulers
become historical footnotes.
00:16:05.79\00:16:08.73
Thriving towns die off.
00:16:08.76\00:16:10.70
Borders are redrawn.
00:16:10.73\00:16:12.63
And people, well, we know
what invariably happens there.
00:16:12.67\00:16:18.21
Does anything last forever?
00:16:18.24\00:16:20.61
Back with more in just a moment.
00:16:20.64\00:16:22.94
¤[Music]¤
00:16:22.98\00:16:35.26
>>Announcer: In Matthew
4:4, the Word of God says...
00:16:35.29\00:16:37.96
“It is written, ‘Man
shall not live by bread alone,
00:16:37.99\00:16:41.00
but by every word that proceeds
from the mouth of God.'”
00:16:41.03\00:16:44.87
“Every Word” is a one-minute,
Bible-based daily devotional
00:16:44.90\00:16:48.14
presented by
Pastor John Bradshaw,
00:16:48.17\00:16:50.34
and designed especially
for busy people like you.
00:16:50.37\00:16:53.27
Look for Every Word
on selected networks,
00:16:53.31\00:16:56.14
or watch it online
every day on our website,
00:16:56.18\00:16:58.51
ItIsWritten.com
00:16:58.55\00:17:00.68
Receive a daily spiritual boost.
00:17:00.72\00:17:02.85
Watch “Every Word.”
You'll be glad you did.
00:17:02.88\00:17:05.75
Here's a sample.
00:17:05.79\00:17:08.92
¤[Theme music]¤
00:17:08.96\00:17:14.60
>>John Bradshaw:
Thanks for joining me.
00:17:14.63\00:17:15.93
The book of
Daniel is fascinating.
00:17:15.96\00:17:18.03
It shows that God's plans
are going to be worked out
00:17:18.07\00:17:20.37
and will not be
frustrated by anyone.
00:17:20.40\00:17:23.51
In the dream of Daniel
2, Nebuchadnezzar's image
00:17:23.54\00:17:26.04
showed the rise and
the fall of nations,
00:17:26.07\00:17:28.51
including the fall of Babylon,
00:17:28.54\00:17:30.68
right down till the
time of Jesus' return.
00:17:30.71\00:17:33.92
But
Nebuchadnezzar didn't like that.
00:17:33.95\00:17:35.52
He thought Babylon
should last forever.
00:17:35.55\00:17:37.42
So he built a golden
statute declaring Babylon
00:17:37.45\00:17:40.09
should never be overthrown.
00:17:40.12\00:17:42.02
One day he's admiring his
capital city when he says:
00:17:42.06\00:17:44.79
"Is not this great
Babylon that I have built
00:17:44.83\00:17:47.60
for a royal
dwelling by my mighty power,
00:17:47.66\00:17:50.17
and for the honor of
my majesty?" (Daniel 4:30)
00:17:50.20\00:17:53.64
But by the time
the chapter's over,
00:17:53.67\00:17:54.84
Nebuchadnezzar is
a believer in God.
00:17:54.87\00:17:57.14
Not only did Babylon pass
away; Nebuchadnezzar was saved.
00:17:57.17\00:18:02.34
God's plans always
work out for the best.
00:18:02.38\00:18:05.78
Let's live today by every word.
00:18:05.81\00:18:09.55
¤[Theme music]¤
00:18:09.58\00:18:13.49
>>John Bradshaw:
Thanks for joining me today
00:18:13.52\00:18:14.69
on It Is Written.
00:18:14.72\00:18:16.46
Among other things, the
Bible is a book of history.
00:18:16.49\00:18:20.83
It contains the record
of historical figures like
00:18:20.86\00:18:23.20
kings and caesars,
00:18:23.23\00:18:24.83
historical events such as
the exodus and the diaspora.
00:18:24.87\00:18:28.40
And it speaks of nations that
were once mighty and prominent,
00:18:28.44\00:18:31.84
but have since either
disappeared from the global
00:18:31.87\00:18:33.71
stage or are merely
shadows of their former selves.
00:18:33.74\00:18:37.65
In the book of Daniel,
00:18:37.68\00:18:39.15
you read about a
succession of great kingdoms,
00:18:39.18\00:18:41.18
beginning with the
kingdom of Babylon.
00:18:41.22\00:18:43.52
In Daniel, chapter 2, it's
represented as the head of gold
00:18:43.55\00:18:46.39
on a statue dreamed of
by King Nebuchadnezzar.
00:18:46.42\00:18:49.82
And in Daniel 7,
00:18:49.86\00:18:51.13
it's represented by a
lion with eagle's wings.
00:18:51.16\00:18:55.66
But not even great
Babylon could last forever.
00:18:55.70\00:18:59.10
Which is phenomenal considering
the might of Babylon.
00:18:59.13\00:19:02.64
But Daniel spoke
to the king and said:
00:19:02.67\00:19:04.27
"After you shall arise another
kingdom inferior to yours."
00:19:04.31\00:19:08.14
That's Daniel 2:39.
00:19:08.18\00:19:09.88
Babylon was gone, pushed aside
in one night while its ruler,
00:19:09.91\00:19:14.45
Belshazzar, was
partying the night away.
00:19:14.48\00:19:18.25
Medo-Persia was
a powerful empire.
00:19:18.29\00:19:20.76
It ruled when Queen
Esther came onto the stage.
00:19:20.79\00:19:23.73
Daniel was put into the lion's
den by a Medo-Persian king.
00:19:23.76\00:19:27.93
There are ruins and artifacts
that speak of the might
00:19:27.96\00:19:31.10
of the Medo-Persian empire,
00:19:31.13\00:19:32.73
which occupied a significant
chunk of the Middle East,
00:19:32.77\00:19:36.14
including what
today we call Iran.
00:19:36.17\00:19:39.87
And after
Medo-Persia was Greece,
00:19:39.91\00:19:42.38
which was dominant from around
331 B.C. to about 168 B.C.,
00:19:42.41\00:19:48.05
and figured in the Bible as the
midsection of brass in Daniel 2,
00:19:48.08\00:19:53.12
the leopard in Daniel 7,
and the goat in Daniel 8.
00:19:53.15\00:19:57.69
The influence
of the Greek empire
00:19:57.73\00:19:59.46
is still felt
today through literature,
00:19:59.49\00:20:01.90
politics,
philosophy and architecture.
00:20:01.93\00:20:05.00
But Alexander the Great's
once mighty empire is today
00:20:05.03\00:20:08.57
just a relic of the past.
00:20:08.60\00:20:11.84
Like Great Zimbabwe,
it speaks to a bygone era.
00:20:11.87\00:20:16.04
But it doesn't speak
of present-day might.
00:20:16.08\00:20:19.31
Its sun shone brightly, but now
that sun has well and truly set.
00:20:19.35\00:20:24.69
Now, from a
biblical perspective,
00:20:24.72\00:20:26.72
the next great nation
that emerged on the world scene
00:20:26.76\00:20:29.82
was Rome,
00:20:29.86\00:20:31.39
which dominated the world
until the fifth century A.D.
00:20:31.43\00:20:35.63
Through legal systems, political
systems, architecture, language,
00:20:35.66\00:20:39.37
and even religion,
maybe especially religion,
00:20:39.40\00:20:43.00
the influence of Rome is
still felt in the world today.
00:20:43.04\00:20:46.27
In the book of Daniel,
00:20:46.31\00:20:47.41
Rome is represented as
the legs of iron in chapter 2,
00:20:47.44\00:20:51.51
and as a beast, an
animal, in Daniel 7.
00:20:51.55\00:20:55.68
But the Roman empire today?
00:20:55.72\00:20:57.29
Gone.
00:20:57.32\00:20:58.75
No more.
00:20:58.79\00:20:59.85
Visit Rome, and as
beautiful as it is,
00:20:59.89\00:21:02.49
it speaks of a mighty empire
that was, and not one that is.
00:21:02.52\00:21:07.76
You'll find ruins of a
Roman wall in London, England.
00:21:07.76\00:21:11.83
The wall begun in the second
century by the emperor Hadrian
00:21:11.87\00:21:14.74
to separate Scotland
from England still stands.
00:21:14.77\00:21:18.07
But the mighty Roman Empire?
00:21:18.11\00:21:19.74
That is gone.
00:21:19.77\00:21:22.38
Now, bring it down closer today.
00:21:22.41\00:21:24.45
The Soviet Union is no more.
00:21:24.48\00:21:26.48
Communism has come to
an end almost everywhere.
00:21:26.51\00:21:29.45
There's no more Yugoslavia.
00:21:29.48\00:21:30.92
No Czechoslovakia.
00:21:30.95\00:21:32.75
Go back a little bit further,
00:21:32.79\00:21:33.69
and now there's
no Ottoman empire.
00:21:33.72\00:21:36.29
And we're now living in
a time of some considerable
00:21:36.32\00:21:38.39
political instability.
00:21:38.43\00:21:40.36
It seems that almost
anything could happen.
00:21:40.40\00:21:43.37
The United States
arose from out of obscurity.
00:21:43.40\00:21:46.80
Today it's the
world's only true superpower.
00:21:46.84\00:21:50.07
Will it last forever?
00:21:50.11\00:21:51.84
Well, Nebuchadnezzar thought
that Babylon would last forever.
00:21:51.87\00:21:54.74
And the people who
lived in Great Zimbabwe
00:21:54.78\00:21:56.51
had little reason
to believe that five
00:21:56.54\00:21:58.58
or six hundred years later,
00:21:58.61\00:22:00.22
these magnificent structures
00:22:00.25\00:22:01.72
would only be a
collection of masonry.
00:22:01.75\00:22:04.82
So how does a place
like Great Zimbabwe was,
00:22:04.85\00:22:08.12
become a place like
Great Zimbabwe now is?
00:22:08.16\00:22:11.93
It was mineral rich.
00:22:11.96\00:22:13.86
Its craftsmen were
skilled. The land was fertile.
00:22:13.90\00:22:17.10
And Chinese pottery shards
00:22:17.13\00:22:18.97
and Arabian coins
found at Great Zimbabwe,
00:22:19.00\00:22:22.04
suggest that there was
trade with far-off lands.
00:22:22.07\00:22:25.24
It was truly an
influential location.
00:22:25.27\00:22:28.58
It's believed
that at around 1450,
00:22:28.61\00:22:31.25
when Machu
Picchu was being built,
00:22:31.28\00:22:33.11
and just before the War of
the Roses kicked off in England,
00:22:33.15\00:22:36.12
this civilization
declined due to climate change,
00:22:36.15\00:22:39.75
exhaustion of the goldmines,
and possibly due to famine.
00:22:39.79\00:22:43.83
Today it's one of the
world's lost civilizations.
00:22:43.86\00:22:47.96
Now, there's something
that won't ever pass away.
00:22:47.96\00:22:51.43
Let's talk about
that for a moment.
00:22:51.47\00:22:53.34
In Matthew, chapter 24,
00:22:53.37\00:22:54.80
Jesus was talking about
the destruction of Jerusalem,
00:22:54.84\00:22:57.31
which would happen
in the year 70 A.D.
00:22:57.34\00:22:59.27
And he was talking
about the end of the world.
00:22:59.31\00:23:01.98
"Heaven and
earth shall pass away,
00:23:02.01\00:23:04.28
but my words
shall not pass away."
00:23:04.31\00:23:07.92
Peter used the same
thought when he said this.
00:23:07.95\00:23:10.25
You'll find it in 2
Peter, chapter 3 and verse 10.
00:23:10.29\00:23:13.56
He said:
00:23:13.59\00:23:14.69
The day of the Lord will
come as a thief in the night,
00:23:14.72\00:23:17.96
in the which the heavens will
pass away with a great noise,
00:23:17.99\00:23:21.03
and the elements shall
melt with fervent heat;
00:23:21.06\00:23:24.00
the earth also,
00:23:24.03\00:23:25.50
and the works that are
therein shall be burned up.
00:23:25.53\00:23:28.64
And John wrote in Revelation,
chapter 21 and verse 1,
00:23:28.67\00:23:31.41
he said there
would come a time when:
00:23:31.44\00:23:33.17
the first heaven and the
first earth were passed away.
00:23:33.21\00:23:37.91
1 Peter chapter
1:24 and 25 says:
00:23:37.95\00:23:42.28
“All flesh is as grass,
00:23:42.32\00:23:44.49
and all the glory of
man as the flower of grass.
00:23:44.52\00:23:48.02
The grass withereth, and
the flower thereof falleth away,
00:23:48.06\00:23:51.46
But the word of the
LORD endureth forever.”
00:23:51.49\00:23:55.70
In Daniel 2, after Daniel
has explained to Nebuchadnezzar
00:23:55.73\00:23:58.97
that the kingdom of
Babylon would be conquered,
00:23:59.00\00:24:01.34
and that
Medo-Persian, Greece and Rome
00:24:01.37\00:24:03.27
would all rule for
only a period of time,
00:24:03.30\00:24:06.54
he said that Rome would
break up into 10 nations.
00:24:06.57\00:24:10.81
History showed us
that that's what happened.
00:24:10.85\00:24:14.28
And what then?
00:24:14.32\00:24:15.52
Well, Daniel
explained that a stone
00:24:15.55\00:24:17.82
cut out without hands would
strike the image upon its feet,
00:24:17.85\00:24:22.59
and the whole thing would
be destroyed and blown away
00:24:22.62\00:24:26.66
like the chaff left over
after wheat has been threshed.
00:24:26.70\00:24:29.70
In other words, the kingdoms
of this world would be destroyed
00:24:29.73\00:24:33.20
and swept away.
00:24:33.23\00:24:35.10
And that stone would
become a great mountain
00:24:35.14\00:24:37.84
that would fill
the entire earth.
00:24:37.87\00:24:40.21
That is,
00:24:40.24\00:24:41.41
the kingdoms of this world
will one day all be swept aside
00:24:41.44\00:24:44.65
every one of them.
00:24:44.68\00:24:46.11
And God will set up a kingdom
that will never pass away.
00:24:46.15\00:24:51.19
Speaking of that kingdom, Daniel
said in Daniel 2 and verse 44,
00:24:51.22\00:24:57.03
“...it shall stand forever.”
00:24:57.06\00:25:00.40
And he was so certain
about these future events
00:25:00.43\00:25:02.60
that he said in
the very next verse:
00:25:02.63\00:25:05.00
“...the dream is certain,
00:25:05.03\00:25:06.57
and the
interpretation thereof sure.”
00:25:06.60\00:25:09.97
In other words,
there's nothing more sure
00:25:10.01\00:25:12.24
than the fact that one
day the kingdoms of this world
00:25:12.27\00:25:15.41
will all become like
Great Zimbabwe, and then some.
00:25:15.44\00:25:19.15
And that God's
kingdom will be established
00:25:19.18\00:25:21.62
and won't ever pass away.
00:25:21.65\00:25:24.35
According to the Bible,
it's certain and it's sure.
00:25:24.39\00:25:29.46
The only remaining
question is whether or not
00:25:29.49\00:25:32.93
you'll be part of that kingdom.
00:25:32.96\00:25:35.50
God wants you to
be in that kingdom.
00:25:35.53\00:25:37.77
And if you'll reach out
your heart after Jesus today,
00:25:37.80\00:25:40.20
and the salvation that He
offers you, fully and freely,
00:25:40.24\00:25:44.81
you can be
certain that you will be.
00:25:44.84\00:25:47.44
You know, Jesus
said a fascinating thing
00:25:47.48\00:25:49.11
in John 5 and verse 40.
00:25:49.14\00:25:50.61
He said, “But ye will not come
to Me that you might have life.”
00:25:50.65\00:25:55.15
Something very important
for both of us to understand.
00:25:55.18\00:25:58.25
When Jesus said, “Come
to me, all ye that labor
00:25:58.29\00:26:00.32
and are heavy laden,
and I will give you rest,”
00:26:00.36\00:26:02.26
He was talking to me and you.
00:26:02.29\00:26:05.93
No matter how down
you feel like you are,
00:26:05.96\00:26:07.83
no matter how broken your life,
00:26:07.86\00:26:10.17
no matter how many
times you've messed up,
00:26:10.20\00:26:11.93
you feel like God
couldn't possibly love you,
00:26:11.97\00:26:14.07
would never welcome you back,
00:26:14.10\00:26:15.97
well that's just not true.
00:26:16.00\00:26:17.77
Remember what He said?
00:26:17.81\00:26:19.07
The problem is, you won't come
to me that you might have life.
00:26:19.11\00:26:21.64
He might have said,
your problem is your sin.
00:26:21.68\00:26:24.15
I'm sure we could come at
this from another angle and say,
00:26:24.18\00:26:26.75
yes, that's a big problem.
00:26:26.78\00:26:28.52
But Jesus has
dealt with your sin,
00:26:28.55\00:26:31.02
died on the cross so that
your sins could be forgiven.
00:26:31.05\00:26:33.52
Now,
00:26:33.56\00:26:34.66
He invites you to
bring your heart to Him.
00:26:34.69\00:26:38.03
What's in it for you?
00:26:38.06\00:26:40.06
Everlasting life.
00:26:40.10\00:26:41.30
Life in this world,
00:26:41.33\00:26:43.23
better than you
could even imagine,
00:26:43.26\00:26:45.07
blessed in the presence of God,
and life in the world to come.
00:26:45.10\00:26:50.14
God does not want
you to miss out on that.
00:26:50.17\00:26:53.07
I don't think you do either.
00:26:53.11\00:26:55.14
Be sure today to
open up your heart
00:26:55.18\00:26:57.68
and invite Jesus to
be the Lord of your life.
00:26:57.71\00:27:00.88
¤[Music]¤
00:27:00.92\00:27:10.03
>>John: I'd love for you
to get this week's free offer,
00:27:11.79\00:27:14.30
my conversation with
archaeologist Dr. Michael Hasel,
00:27:14.30\00:27:17.23
demonstrating how recent
archaeological discoveries
00:27:17.27\00:27:20.40
validate the Bible.
00:27:20.44\00:27:21.97
I'd love you to have this, and
it can be yours absolutely free.
00:27:22.00\00:27:25.81
To get “Digging Up the Truth,”
00:27:25.84\00:27:27.51
a DVD
presentation, and it's free,
00:27:27.54\00:27:30.08
call us on 800-253-3000
00:27:30.11\00:27:33.42
800-253-3000
00:27:33.45\00:27:35.72
Write to the
address on your screen,
00:27:35.75\00:27:37.55
or visit us online at
00:27:37.59\00:27:39.39
ItIsWritten.com
00:27:39.42\00:27:41.16
Thanks for
remembering that It Is Written
00:27:41.19\00:27:43.09
is a faith-based ministry.
00:27:43.12\00:27:44.76
And your support makes
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00:27:44.79\00:27:47.13
God's good news
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00:27:47.20\00:27:49.96
Your
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to the address on your screen,
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00:27:51.73\00:27:54.94
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00:27:54.97\00:27:56.77
Thank you for your
continued prayerful support.
00:27:56.81\00:27:59.47
Again, our toll-free
number is 800-253-3000
00:27:59.51\00:28:03.61
That's 800-253-3000
00:28:03.65\00:28:05.95
And our web
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00:28:05.98\00:28:08.25
ItIsWritten.com
00:28:08.28\00:28:10.35
¤[Music]¤
00:28:11.55\00:28:17.99
Let's pray together.
00:28:18.03\00:28:19.73
Our Father in Heaven,
00:28:19.76\00:28:20.80
thank you that we can
see your hand in history,
00:28:20.83\00:28:23.10
and that though the
kingdoms and countries
00:28:23.13\00:28:25.47
and nations and empires
of this world must pass away,
00:28:25.50\00:28:29.57
we thank you that
Jesus is coming back soon
00:28:29.60\00:28:31.44
to establish a kingdom
that will last forever.
00:28:31.47\00:28:34.84
And Father, thank
you for the invitation
00:28:34.88\00:28:36.64
to be part of that
kingdom. We accept that now.
00:28:36.68\00:28:39.15
Friend, do you
accept Christ's invitation
00:28:39.18\00:28:42.68
that you be with Him
in His kingdom forever?
00:28:42.72\00:28:44.22
You can do it; simply
invite Jesus into your heart,
00:28:44.25\00:28:47.46
have the assurance that
He will live his life in you,
00:28:47.49\00:28:49.16
give you a new heart,
make you a new creature,
00:28:49.19\00:28:52.13
help you to love the things
that He loves and turn from
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the things that He
wishes we would turn from.
00:28:54.56\00:28:57.90
Friend, as you
embrace Jesus now,
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you can have
assurance that he is yours
00:28:59.60\00:29:01.37
and you are His forever.
00:29:01.40\00:29:03.81
Father, we wish to see
this kingdom come soon.
00:29:03.84\00:29:06.27
Keep us until then, we pray,
00:29:06.31\00:29:08.14
in faith, in Jesus' name.
00:29:08.18\00:29:11.08
Amen.
00:29:11.11\00:29:12.65
Thanks for joining me today.
00:29:12.68\00:29:13.68
I look forward to
seeing you again next time.
00:29:13.72\00:29:15.58
Until then, remember:
00:29:15.62\00:29:17.39
“It is written,
00:29:17.42\00:29:19.05
man shall not
live by bread alone
00:29:19.09\00:29:21.86
but by every word that
proceeds from the mouth of God.”
00:29:21.89\00:29:26.19
¤[Theme music]¤
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