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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
00:08:42.22\00:08:45.42
validate the Bible.
00:08:45.45\00:08:47.06
I'd love you to have this, and
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To get “Digging Up the
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Write to the
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¤[Music]
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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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please call (800) 992-2219
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To receive additional material
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Our toll-free number
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¤[Music]
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>>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,
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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.
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Today, however,
archaeologists agree:
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this place was
built by Africans.
00:13:10.92\00:13:14.16
Now, kingdoms
come and kingdoms go.
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If you were living
here in the 14th century,
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it probably would have been
impossible for you to imagine
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that a place as powerful,
00:13:22.90\00:13:24.63
as great, as sweeping
and as prosperous as this,
00:13:24.67\00:13:29.54
would ever come to...this.
00:13:29.57\00:13:32.47
Well, that's what
happens over time.
00:13:32.51\00:13:34.48
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.
00:13:44.52\00:13:47.16
Long ago, great
pharaohs ruled Egypt.
00:13:47.19\00:13:50.56
And Egypt, an African
country, was a great nation.
00:13:50.59\00:13:54.93
Moses was a son of
Africa, born in Egypt.
00:13:54.93\00:13:59.20
Before his birth, a great famine
caused Jacob and his family
00:13:59.23\00:14:02.47
to come to Egypt for food.
00:14:02.50\00:14:04.74
And then they lived in Egypt
00:14:04.77\00:14:05.77
when Joseph was
the prime minister.
00:14:05.81\00:14:08.54
The magnificent
pyramids and the wealth of Egypt
00:14:08.58\00:14:12.25
testify that this was
a seriously great nation.
00:14:12.28\00:14:16.35
But pharaoh hardened
his heart against God,
00:14:16.38\00:14:19.85
and that once great nation
can today hardly be described
00:14:19.89\00:14:24.06
as great or, in
recent years, even stable.
00:14:24.09\00:14:27.50
A population of
90 million people,
00:14:27.56\00:14:30.37
and it's not any kind
of economic powerhouse.
00:14:30.40\00:14:32.50
In fact, every year
Egypt receives more than a
00:14:32.53\00:14:35.17
billion dollars in military
aid from the United States.
00:14:35.20\00:14:39.41
Then there's
the Assyrian empire.
00:14:39.44\00:14:42.18
Nineveh, the city
Jonah was sent to by God,
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was part of the Assyrian empire.
00:14:44.91\00:14:46.78
It was a great,
powerful and prosperous empire.
00:14:46.82\00:14:49.52
But by the time the sixth
century B.C. rolled around,
00:14:49.55\00:14:53.36
the Assyrian empire was gone.
00:14:53.39\00:14:56.93
And what was known as Nineveh
00:14:56.96\00:14:58.26
is today known as
Mosul in northern Iraq:
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hardly powerful, and
certainly not prosperous.
00:15:01.56\00:15:04.57
Egypt was conquered by Babylon.
00:15:04.60\00:15:07.50
Now, that was a mighty kingdom.
00:15:07.54\00:15:09.94
Ruled by
Nebuchadnezzar in Bible times,
00:15:09.97\00:15:12.74
the book of Daniel records
Nebuchadnezzar surveying Babylon
00:15:12.77\00:15:15.51
one day and saying with pride:
00:15:15.54\00:15:17.65
"Is this not great
Babylon that I have built
00:15:17.68\00:15:20.42
for the house of the kingdom
by the might of my power,
00:15:20.45\00:15:23.69
and for the honor of
my people." (Daniel 4:30)
00:15:23.72\00:15:26.05
In 1899, a German archaeologist
working among the ruins
00:15:26.09\00:15:30.63
of the ancient city of
Babylon found a cuneiform tablet
00:15:30.66\00:15:34.20
on which
Nebuchadnezzar had inscribed:
00:15:34.23\00:15:36.70
"O Babylon, the
delight of mine eyes,
00:15:36.73\00:15:40.44
the excellency of my kingdom.
00:15:40.47\00:15:42.97
May it last forever!"
00:15:43.00\00:15:46.34
But as mighty as it was,
Babylon was done by 539 B.C.
00:15:46.37\00:15:52.78
Gone.
00:15:52.81\00:15:54.28
And today, in spite of
Saddam Hussein's best efforts,
00:15:54.32\00:15:57.62
old Babylon is history.
00:15:57.65\00:16:00.56
And that's all it is.
00:16:00.59\00:16:02.29
Kingdoms come and kingdoms go.
00:16:02.32\00:16:04.76
Once powerful rulers
become historical footnotes.
00:16:04.79\00:16:07.76
Thriving towns die off.
00:16:07.76\00:16:09.70
Borders are redrawn.
00:16:09.73\00:16:11.63
And people, well, we know
what invariably happens there.
00:16:11.67\00:16:17.21
Does anything last forever?
00:16:17.24\00:16:19.61
Back with more in just a moment.
00:16:19.64\00:16:21.94
¤[Music]
00:16:21.98\00:16:34.26
>>Announcer: In Matthew
4:4, the Word of God says...
00:16:34.29\00:16:36.96
“It is written, ‘Man
shall not live by bread alone,
00:16:36.99\00:16:40.03
but by every word that proceeds
from the mouth of God.'”
00:16:40.06\00:16:43.87
“Every Word” is a one-minute,
Bible-based daily devotional
00:16:43.90\00:16:47.14
presented by
Pastor John Bradshaw,
00:16:47.17\00:16:49.34
and designed especially
for busy people like you.
00:16:49.37\00:16:52.27
Look for Every Word
on selected networks,
00:16:52.31\00:16:55.14
or watch it online
every day on our website,
00:16:55.18\00:16:57.51
ItIsWritten.com
00:16:57.55\00:16:59.61
Receive a daily spiritual boost.
00:16:59.65\00:17:01.78
Watch “Every Word.”
You'll be glad you did.
00:17:01.82\00:17:04.69
Here's a sample.
00:17:04.72\00:17:07.86
¤[Theme music]
00:17:07.89\00:17:13.56
>>John Bradshaw:
Thanks for joining me.
00:17:13.60\00:17:14.86
The book of
Daniel is fascinating.
00:17:14.93\00:17:16.97
It shows that God's plans
are going to be worked out
00:17:17.00\00:17:19.30
and will not be
frustrated by anyone.
00:17:19.33\00:17:22.44
In the dream of Daniel
2, Nebuchadnezzar's image
00:17:22.47\00:17:24.97
showed the rise and
the fall of nations,
00:17:25.01\00:17:27.44
including the fall of Babylon,
00:17:27.48\00:17:29.61
right down till the
time of Jesus' return.
00:17:29.64\00:17:32.85
But
Nebuchadnezzar didn't like that.
00:17:32.88\00:17:34.45
He thought Babylon
should last forever.
00:17:34.48\00:17:36.35
So he built a golden
statute declaring Babylon
00:17:36.38\00:17:39.02
should never be overthrown.
00:17:39.05\00:17:40.96
One day he's admiring his
capital city when he says:
00:17:40.99\00:17:43.73
"Is not this great
Babylon that I have built
00:17:43.76\00:17:46.56
for a royal
dwelling by my mighty power,
00:17:46.59\00:17:49.10
and for the honor of
my majesty?" (Daniel 4:30)
00:17:49.13\00:17:52.57
But by the time
the chapter's over,
00:17:52.60\00:17:53.77
Nebuchadnezzar is
a believer in God.
00:17:53.80\00:17:56.07
Not only did Babylon pass
away; Nebuchadnezzar was saved.
00:17:56.10\00:18:01.21
God's plans always
work out for the best.
00:18:01.24\00:18:04.65
Let's live today by every word.
00:18:04.68\00:18:08.42
¤[Theme music]
00:18:08.45\00:18:12.35
>>John Bradshaw:
Thanks for joining me today
00:18:12.39\00:18:13.56
on It Is Written.
00:18:13.59\00:18:15.32
Among other things, the
Bible is a book of history.
00:18:15.36\00:18:19.69
It contains the record
of historical figures like
00:18:19.73\00:18:22.06
kings and caesars,
00:18:22.10\00:18:23.70
historical events such as
the exodus and the diaspora.
00:18:23.73\00:18:27.27
And it speaks of nations that
were once mighty and prominent,
00:18:27.30\00:18:30.71
but have since either
disappeared from the global
00:18:30.74\00:18:32.57
stage or are merely
shadows of their former selves.
00:18:32.61\00:18:36.51
In the book of Daniel,
00:18:36.54\00:18:38.01
you read about a
succession of great kingdoms,
00:18:38.05\00:18:40.05
beginning with the
kingdom of Babylon.
00:18:40.08\00:18:42.38
In Daniel, chapter 2, it's
represented as the head of gold
00:18:42.42\00:18:45.25
on a statue dreamed of
by King Nebuchadnezzar.
00:18:45.29\00:18:48.69
And in Daniel 7,
00:18:48.72\00:18:49.99
it's represented by a
lion with eagle's wings.
00:18:50.03\00:18:54.56
But not even great
Babylon could last forever.
00:18:54.56\00:18:57.97
Which is phenomenal considering
the might of Babylon.
00:18:58.00\00:19:01.44
But Daniel spoke
to the king and said:
00:19:01.47\00:19:03.07
"After you shall arise another
kingdom inferior to yours."
00:19:03.10\00:19:06.94
That's Daniel 2:39.
00:19:06.98\00:19:08.68
Babylon was gone, pushed aside
in one night while its ruler,
00:19:08.71\00:19:13.25
Belshazzar, was
partying the night away.
00:19:13.28\00:19:17.05
Medo-Persia was
a powerful empire.
00:19:17.09\00:19:19.55
It ruled when Queen
Esther came onto the stage.
00:19:19.59\00:19:22.52
Daniel was put into the lion's
den by a Medo-Persian king.
00:19:22.56\00:19:26.73
There are ruins and artifacts
that speak of the might
00:19:26.76\00:19:29.90
of the Medo-Persian empire,
00:19:29.93\00:19:31.53
which occupied a significant
chunk of the Middle East,
00:19:31.57\00:19:34.94
including what
today we call Iran.
00:19:34.97\00:19:38.67
And after
Medo-Persia was Greece,
00:19:38.71\00:19:41.18
which was dominant from around
331 B.C. to about 168 B.C.,
00:19:41.21\00:19:46.85
and figured in the Bible as the
midsection of brass in Daniel 2,
00:19:46.88\00:19:51.92
the leopard in Daniel 7,
and the goat in Daniel 8.
00:19:51.95\00:19:56.49
The influence
of the Greek empire
00:19:56.52\00:19:58.26
is still felt
today through literature,
00:19:58.29\00:20:00.73
politics,
philosophy and architecture.
00:20:00.76\00:20:03.80
But Alexander the Great's
once mighty empire is today
00:20:03.83\00:20:07.37
just a relic of the past.
00:20:07.40\00:20:10.64
Like Great Zimbabwe,
it speaks to a bygone era.
00:20:10.67\00:20:14.84
But it doesn't speak
of present-day might.
00:20:14.88\00:20:18.11
Its sun shone brightly, but now
that sun has well and truly set.
00:20:18.15\00:20:23.49
Now, from a
biblical perspective,
00:20:23.52\00:20:25.52
the next great nation
that emerged on the world scene
00:20:25.55\00:20:28.62
was Rome,
00:20:28.66\00:20:30.19
which dominated the world
until the fifth century A.D.
00:20:30.23\00:20:34.46
Through legal systems, political
systems, architecture, language,
00:20:34.46\00:20:38.17
and even religion,
maybe especially religion,
00:20:38.20\00:20:41.80
the influence of Rome is
still felt in the world today.
00:20:41.84\00:20:45.07
In the book of Daniel,
00:20:45.11\00:20:46.21
Rome is represented as
the legs of iron in chapter 2,
00:20:46.24\00:20:50.31
and as a beast, an
animal, in Daniel 7.
00:20:50.35\00:20:54.48
But the Roman empire today?
00:20:54.52\00:20:56.08
Gone.
00:20:56.12\00:20:57.55
No more.
00:20:57.59\00:20:58.65
Visit Rome, and as
beautiful as it is,
00:20:58.69\00:21:01.22
it speaks of a mighty empire
that was, and not one that is.
00:21:01.26\00:21:06.49
You'll find ruins of a
Roman wall in London, England.
00:21:06.53\00:21:10.57
The wall begun in the second
century by the emperor Hadrian
00:21:10.60\00:21:13.47
to separate Scotland
from England still stands.
00:21:13.50\00:21:16.81
But the mighty Roman Empire?
00:21:16.84\00:21:18.47
That is gone.
00:21:18.51\00:21:21.11
Now, bring it down closer today.
00:21:21.14\00:21:23.18
The Soviet Union is no more.
00:21:23.21\00:21:25.21
Communism has come to
an end almost everywhere.
00:21:25.25\00:21:28.18
There's no more Yugoslavia.
00:21:28.22\00:21:29.65
No Czechoslovakia.
00:21:29.68\00:21:31.49
Go back a little bit further,
00:21:31.52\00:21:32.42
and now there's
no Ottoman empire.
00:21:32.45\00:21:35.02
And we're now living in
a time of some considerable
00:21:35.06\00:21:37.13
political instability.
00:21:37.16\00:21:39.09
It seems that almost
anything could happen.
00:21:39.13\00:21:42.10
The United States
arose from out of obscurity.
00:21:42.13\00:21:45.53
Today it's the
world's only true superpower.
00:21:45.57\00:21:48.80
Will it last forever?
00:21:48.84\00:21:50.57
Well, Nebuchadnezzar thought
that Babylon would last forever.
00:21:50.61\00:21:53.48
And the people who
lived in Great Zimbabwe
00:21:53.51\00:21:55.24
had little reason
to believe that five
00:21:55.28\00:21:57.31
or six hundred years later,
00:21:57.35\00:21:58.88
these magnificent structures
00:21:58.91\00:22:00.38
would only be a
collection of masonry.
00:22:00.42\00:22:03.49
So how does a place
like Great Zimbabwe was,
00:22:03.52\00:22:06.79
become a place like
Great Zimbabwe now is?
00:22:06.82\00:22:10.59
It was mineral rich.
00:22:10.63\00:22:12.53
Its craftsmen were
skilled. The land was fertile.
00:22:12.56\00:22:15.76
And Chinese pottery shards
00:22:15.80\00:22:17.63
and Arabian coins
found at Great Zimbabwe,
00:22:17.67\00:22:20.70
suggest that there was
trade with far-off lands.
00:22:20.74\00:22:23.91
It was truly an
influential location.
00:22:23.94\00:22:27.24
It's believed
that at around 1450,
00:22:27.28\00:22:29.91
when Machu
Picchu was being built,
00:22:29.94\00:22:31.78
and just before the War of
the Roses kicked off in England,
00:22:31.81\00:22:34.78
this civilization
declined due to climate change,
00:22:34.82\00:22:38.42
exhaustion of the goldmines,
and possibly due to famine.
00:22:38.45\00:22:42.49
Today it's one of the
world's lost civilizations.
00:22:42.52\00:22:46.63
Now, there's something
that won't ever pass away.
00:22:46.66\00:22:50.10
Let's talk about
that for a moment.
00:22:50.13\00:22:52.00
In Matthew, chapter 24,
00:22:52.03\00:22:53.47
Jesus was talking about
the destruction of Jerusalem,
00:22:53.50\00:22:55.97
which would happen
in the year 70 A.D.
00:22:56.00\00:22:57.94
And he was talking
about the end of the world.
00:22:57.97\00:23:00.58
"Heaven and
earth shall pass away,
00:23:00.61\00:23:02.88
but my words
shall not pass away."
00:23:02.91\00:23:06.51
Peter used the same
thought when he said this.
00:23:06.55\00:23:08.85
You'll find it in 2
Peter, chapter 3 and verse 10.
00:23:08.88\00:23:12.15
He said:
00:23:12.19\00:23:13.29
The day of the Lord will
come as a thief in the night,
00:23:13.32\00:23:16.56
in the which the heavens will
pass away with a great noise,
00:23:16.59\00:23:19.66
and the elements shall
melt with fervent heat;
00:23:19.69\00:23:22.60
the earth also,
00:23:22.63\00:23:24.10
and the works that are
therein shall be burned up.
00:23:24.13\00:23:27.24
And John wrote in Revelation,
chapter 21 and verse 1,
00:23:27.27\00:23:30.01
he said there
would come a time when:
00:23:30.04\00:23:31.77
the first heaven and the
first earth were passed away.
00:23:31.81\00:23:36.51
1 Peter chapter
1:24 and 25 says:
00:23:36.54\00:23:40.88
“All flesh isas grass,
00:23:40.92\00:23:43.08
and all the glory of
man as the flower of grass.
00:23:43.12\00:23:46.62
The grass withereth, and
the flower thereof falleth away,
00:23:46.65\00:23:50.06
But the word of the
LORD endureth forever.”
00:23:50.09\00:23:54.30
In Daniel 2, after Daniel
has explained to Nebuchadnezzar
00:23:54.36\00:23:57.57
that the kingdom of
Babylon would be conquered,
00:23:57.60\00:23:59.87
and that
Medo-Persian, Greece and Rome
00:23:59.90\00:24:01.80
would all rule for
only a period of time,
00:24:01.84\00:24:05.07
he said that Rome would
break up into 10 nations.
00:24:05.11\00:24:09.34
History showed us
that that's what happened.
00:24:09.38\00:24:12.81
And what then?
00:24:12.85\00:24:14.05
Well, Daniel
explained that a stone
00:24:14.08\00:24:16.35
cut out without hands would
strike the image upon its feet,
00:24:16.38\00:24:21.12
and the whole thing would
be destroyed and blown away
00:24:21.16\00:24:25.19
like the chaff left over
after wheat has been threshed.
00:24:25.23\00:24:28.23
In other words, the kingdoms
of this world would be destroyed
00:24:28.26\00:24:31.73
and swept away.
00:24:31.77\00:24:33.64
And that stone would
become a great mountain
00:24:33.67\00:24:36.37
that would fill
the entire earth.
00:24:36.40\00:24:38.74
That is,
00:24:38.77\00:24:39.94
the kingdoms of this world
will one day all be swept aside
00:24:39.97\00:24:43.18
every one of them.
00:24:43.21\00:24:44.65
And God will set up a kingdom
that will never pass away.
00:24:44.68\00:24:49.72
Speaking of that kingdom, Daniel
said in Daniel 2 and verse 44,
00:24:49.75\00:24:55.56
“...it shall stand forever.”
00:24:55.59\00:24:58.86
And he was so certain
about these future events
00:24:58.89\00:25:01.06
that he said in
the very next verse:
00:25:01.10\00:25:03.47
“...the dream is certain,
00:25:03.50\00:25:05.03
and the
interpretation thereof sure.”
00:25:05.07\00:25:08.44
In other words,
there's nothing more sure
00:25:08.47\00:25:10.71
than the fact that one
day the kingdoms of this world
00:25:10.74\00:25:13.88
will all become like
Great Zimbabwe, and then some.
00:25:13.91\00:25:17.61
And that God's
kingdom will be established
00:25:17.65\00:25:20.08
and won't ever pass away.
00:25:20.12\00:25:22.82
According to the Bible,
it's certain and it's sure.
00:25:22.85\00:25:27.92
The only remaining
question is whether or not
00:25:27.96\00:25:31.39
you'll be part of that kingdom.
00:25:31.43\00:25:34.00
God wants you to
be in that kingdom.
00:25:34.00\00:25:36.23
And if you'll reach out
your heart after Jesus today,
00:25:36.26\00:25:38.67
and the salvation that He
offers you, fully and freely,
00:25:38.70\00:25:43.27
you can be
certain that you will be.
00:25:43.30\00:25:45.91
You know, Jesus
said a fascinating thing
00:25:45.94\00:25:47.58
in John 5 and verse 40.
00:25:47.61\00:25:49.08
He said, “But ye will not come
to Me that you might have life”"
00:25:49.11\00:25:53.62
Something very important
for both of us to understand.
00:25:53.65\00:25:56.72
When Jesus said, “Come
to me, all ye that labor
00:25:56.75\00:25:58.72
and are heavy laden,
and I will give you rest,”
00:25:58.75\00:26:00.66
He was talking to me and you.
00:26:00.69\00:26:04.33
No matter how down
you feel like you are,
00:26:04.36\00:26:06.23
no matter how broken your life,
00:26:06.26\00:26:08.56
no matter how many
times you've messed up,
00:26:08.60\00:26:10.33
you feel like God
couldn't possibly love you,
00:26:10.37\00:26:12.47
would never welcome you back,
00:26:12.50\00:26:14.37
well that's just not true.
00:26:14.40\00:26:16.17
Remember what He said?
00:26:16.20\00:26:17.44
The problem is, you won't come
to me that you might have life.
00:26:17.47\00:26:20.04
He might have said,
your problem is your sin.
00:26:20.08\00:26:22.54
I'm sure we could come at
this from another angle and say,
00:26:22.58\00:26:25.15
yes, that's a big problem.
00:26:25.18\00:26:26.92
But Jesus has
dealt with your sin,
00:26:26.95\00:26:29.42
died on the cross so that
your sins could be forgiven.
00:26:29.45\00:26:31.92
Now,
00:26:31.95\00:26:33.05
He invites you to
bring your heart to Him.
00:26:33.09\00:26:36.42
What's in it for you?
00:26:36.46\00:26:38.46
Everlasting life.
00:26:38.49\00:26:39.73
Life in this world,
00:26:39.76\00:26:41.63
better than you
could even imagine,
00:26:41.66\00:26:43.47
blessed in the presence of God,
and life in the world to come.
00:26:43.50\00:26:48.54
God does not want
you to miss out on that.
00:26:48.57\00:26:51.47
I don't think you do either.
00:26:51.51\00:26:53.54
Be sure today to
open up your heart
00:26:53.58\00:26:56.08
and invite Jesus to
be the Lord of your life.
00:26:56.11\00:26:59.21
¤[Music]
00:26:59.25\00:27:08.36
>>John: I'd love for you
to get this week's free offer,
00:27:10.13\00:27:12.63
my conversation with
archaeologist Dr. Michael Hasel,
00:27:12.66\00:27:15.56
demonstrating how recent
archaeological discoveries
00:27:15.60\00:27:18.73
validate the Bible.
00:27:18.77\00:27:20.30
I'd love you to have this, and
it can be yours absolutely free.
00:27:20.34\00:27:24.14
To get “Digging Up the Truth,”
00:27:24.17\00:27:25.84
a DVD
presentation, and it's free,
00:27:25.87\00:27:28.41
call us on 800-253-3000
00:27:28.44\00:27:31.75
800-253-3000
00:27:31.78\00:27:34.05
Write to the
address on your screen,
00:27:34.08\00:27:35.88
or visit us online at
00:27:35.92\00:27:37.72
ItIsWritten.com
00:27:37.75\00:27:39.49
Thanks for
remembering that It Is Written
00:27:39.52\00:27:41.42
is a faith-based ministry.
00:27:41.46\00:27:43.09
And your support makes
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00:27:43.12\00:27:45.49
God's good news
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00:27:45.53\00:27:48.30
Your
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to the address on your screen,
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00:27:50.07\00:27:53.27
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00:27:53.30\00:27:55.10
Thank you for your
continued prayerful support.
00:27:55.14\00:27:57.81
Again, our toll-free
number is 800-253-3000
00:27:57.84\00:28:01.88
That's 800-253-3000
00:28:01.91\00:28:04.21
And our web
address, that's easy:
00:28:04.25\00:28:06.51
ItIsWritten.com
00:28:06.55\00:28:08.62
¤[Music]
00:28:09.82\00:28:16.26
Let's pray together.
00:28:16.29\00:28:17.99
Our Father in Heaven,
00:28:18.03\00:28:19.06
thank you that we can
see your hand in history,
00:28:19.09\00:28:21.36
and that though the
kingdoms and countries
00:28:21.40\00:28:23.73
and nations and empires
of this world must pass away,
00:28:23.77\00:28:27.84
we thank you that
Jesus is coming back soon
00:28:27.87\00:28:29.70
to establish a kingdom
that will last forever.
00:28:29.74\00:28:33.11
And Father, thank
you for the invitation
00:28:33.14\00:28:34.91
to be part of that
kingdom. We accept that now.
00:28:34.94\00:28:37.41
Friend, do you
accept Christ's invitation
00:28:37.45\00:28:40.95
that you be with Him
in His kingdom forever?
00:28:40.98\00:28:42.48
You can do it; simply
invite Jesus into your heart,
00:28:42.52\00:28:45.72
have the assurance that
He will live his life in you,
00:28:45.75\00:28:47.42
give you a new heart,
make you a new creature,
00:28:47.46\00:28:50.39
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.
00:28:52.83\00:28:56.16
Friend, as you
embrace Jesus now,
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you can have
assurance that he is yours
00:28:57.87\00:28:59.57
and you are His forever.
00:28:59.60\00:29:02.00
Father, we wish to see
this kingdom come soon.
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Keep us until then, we pray,
00:29:04.51\00:29:06.34
in faith, in Jesus' name.
00:29:06.37\00:29:09.28
Amen.
00:29:09.31\00:29:10.85
Thanks for joining me today.
00:29:10.88\00:29:11.88
I look forward to
seeing you again next time.
00:29:11.91\00:29:13.78
Until then, remember:
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“It is written,
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man shall not
live by bread alone
00:29:17.29\00:29:20.06
but by every word that
proceeds from the mouth of God”"
00:29:20.09\00:29:24.39
¤[Theme music]
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