¤[Music]
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¤[Music]
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>>John Bradshaw:
This is It Is Written,
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I'm John Bradshaw.
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Thanks for joining me.
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There have been some
less-than-stellar predictions
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made over the years.
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In 1878, Sir William Preece,
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the chief engineer of the
British Post Office, said,
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"The Americans have need of
the telephone, but we do not.
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We have plenty
of messenger boys."
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Albert Einstein said, "There
is not the slightest indication
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that nuclear energy
will ever be obtainable.
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It would mean that the atom
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would have to be
shattered at will."
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"We don't like their sound,
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and guitar groups
are on the way out."
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The Decca Recording Co.
rejecting the Beatles, 1962.
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And then how about this one:
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the world is going to
end on December 21, 2012!
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Now, that's what
some people said.
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The facts are
these: December 21, 2012
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was when the
5,125-year Meso-American
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Long Count calendar, the Maya
calendar, was said to expire.
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Many said with the
expiration of this calendar
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would come the end of the world.
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Interest in the whole affair was
fueled largely by two groups:
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one, the media, and two,
conspiracy theorists and others
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like them who never
did meet a good theory
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they didn't just
fall in love with.
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And actually, there
was a third thing: money.
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When Hollywood comes to
the party and produces a movie
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dealing loosely
with the subject,
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you've got a runaway train.
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Add internet
rumors, speculation,
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and just enough information
about the ancient Maya
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to tantalize the curiosity,
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and something like this
takes on a life of its own.
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I'm in Belize,
in Central America,
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in the heart of what
was once Maya country.
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The Maya really
were a remarkable people.
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¤[Music]
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In a country the size
of New Jersey and with the
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population of Wichita, Kansas,
a little less than 400,000,
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there are still a lot of
remnants of the Maya past.
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The Maya flourished from about
250 AD to around 1200 AD or so,
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building incredible
cities made entirely from stone,
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and made without
the use of steel tools.
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So did the Maya calendar really
portend the end of the world?
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You know, it's interesting
that there are some people
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who just love speculation.
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Interesting, but
probably not surprising,
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that is, there's a
lot of mystery about life.
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We weren't there in the past,
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and we haven't yet
been to the future.
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So, some people just
can't help but speculate.
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And there are some who love
speculation, and prediction.
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Recent history is
littered with claims
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about the end of the world.
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One man forecast it
would occur in 1994,
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which it evidently did not.
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So he reconsidered and concluded
the correct year would be 2011,
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which didn't
work out well either.
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Did people really believe that,
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that the world
would end in 2011?
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Well, yes and no.
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The yes was a very small group
of people who were committed
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to the idea largely out
of respect for their teacher.
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Did the public at
large buy that the world
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was coming to an
end in May of 2011?
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Not for a moment.
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But the Maya calendar,
now that got people excited.
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The predictions were made;
the predictions were heard;
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the predictions
were widely publicized.
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But the
predictions, predictably enough,
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came to nothing.
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Now, thinking people aren't
going to get carried away by
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this sort of thing, are they?
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No facts, no
science, no evidence at all
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to suggest
these things are true?
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Surely thinking
people aren't going
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to buy in to this kind of stuff.
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Well, you'd hope not.
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But... seers, astrologers,
psychics: big business.
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Recent reports state
that more and more people,
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especially Millennials,
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are embracing
witchcraft and astrology.
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Eastern meditation,
yoga, which is Hinduism,
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tarot card reading: they're
all having a moment right now.
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People are grabbing onto this,
even though there's absolutely
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no evidence that it's valid,
and they're rejecting the Bible,
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for which there's
a ton of evidence.
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Now, of course, Christianity
is ultimately a faith venture.
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You don't meet
God on the street,
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shake Him by the hand.
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We believe in the
existence of God by faith.
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But there's this
document, the Bible.
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It's either true or it isn't.
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If it isn't, it isn't.
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But what do you do with
the mountain of evidence that
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suggests strongly that the Bible
is everything it claims to be?
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There's a bit of
history in the United States
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as far as
religious predictions go.
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In the 1830s, a Baptist named
William Miller had a conversion
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experience that led
him to study the Bible.
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He was determined that
he'd work out or work through
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any contradictions
or inconsistencies
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he found in the Bible.
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He studied
methodically and seriously.
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He found a prophecy
that he was convinced
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dealt with the end of the world
and with the return of Jesus,
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and he became certain that
Jesus was going to come back
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to the Earth in the year 1843.
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Some of Miller's followers;
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Millerites, they
were referred to,
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discovered that this
kind Baptist preacher
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was wrong in his
calculations by a year.
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Jesus would be
coming back in 1844!
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Now, William
Miller wasn't a fanatic
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and he wasn't a crackpot.
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He was simply an
honest Baptist Christian man
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who was honestly wrong.
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There were thousands of people
in America's northeast that
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hoped along with William Miller,
but their hopes were dashed.
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Jesus didn't return.
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So religious
predictions aren't anything new.
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In fact, you go back to the
New Testament and you find the
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followers of Jesus expecting
Jesus to expel the Romans from
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Israel and set up
His kingdom on Earth,
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and they were far
from right about that.
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And then there's
the Maya calendar,
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which some people, many people,
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took to mean, that
the end of the world
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was going to take
place in December of 2012.
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Now, the Maya were
remarkable builders,
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they were
brilliant mathematicians,
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and they were
skilled astrologers.
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But they did not
predict the end of the world.
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And even if they had,
they would have been wrong.
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So where can we find
predictions that we can trust?
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¤[Music]
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I have plenty.
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I'll share them with
you in just a moment.
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¤[Theme music]
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>>Announcer: The signs of
Jesus' return are all around us.
00:09:11.51\00:09:14.02
But what does the
Bible say we should look for?
00:09:14.05\00:09:17.15
Find out by
getting today's free offer,
00:09:17.19\00:09:19.09
“Seeing the Signs.”
00:09:19.12\00:09:20.56
To receive this free DVD,
00:09:20.59\00:09:22.29
call 800-253-3000,
00:09:22.32\00:09:24.83
or visit us
online at iiwoffer.com.
00:09:24.86\00:09:28.56
Find out for
yourself what the Bible says
00:09:28.60\00:09:30.43
about the signs of
Jesus' soon return.
00:09:30.47\00:09:32.63
Call 800-253-3000
00:09:32.67\00:09:35.54
or visit iiwoffer.com.
00:09:35.57\00:09:39.74
>>John: Thursday,
August the fifth, 2010
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was not a happy day for 33 men,
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when a collapse in a
mine in Chile buried them
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2,300 feet below ground.
00:09:51.55\00:09:55.66
No matter how much
they tried to escape,
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there was no way out.
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Rescue would have
to come from above.
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On the outskirts
of the San Jose Mine,
00:10:04.30\00:10:06.67
over two and a half
thousand people gathered,
00:10:06.70\00:10:10.21
and with each
failed rescue attempt,
00:10:10.24\00:10:12.44
despair increased.
00:10:12.47\00:10:15.31
Families gathered
together to pray for a miracle.
00:10:15.34\00:10:20.68
From the Atacama Desert
comes a story of tragedy,
00:10:20.72\00:10:23.89
a story of uncertainty,
yet a story of courage,
00:10:23.92\00:10:27.69
hope, and ultimately,
a story of salvation.
00:10:27.72\00:10:31.59
Wait on the Lord, and
the miracle will come.
00:10:31.63\00:10:35.73
“Camp Hope.”
00:10:35.76\00:10:36.93
Watch now on itiswritten.tv.
00:10:36.97\00:10:40.27
>>John: In December of 2012 a
hundred members of a Christian
00:10:40.77\00:10:44.61
church in China were arrested.
00:10:44.64\00:10:47.54
They had been warning people
about what they believed would
00:10:47.58\00:10:50.05
be the trouble coming to Planet
Earth on December 21 of that
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year, when the 5,125-year
Maya calendar expired.
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The time that some
people were teaching
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would bring about
the end of the world.
00:11:02.79\00:11:06.06
The Maya were advanced enough
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to be considered the
Greeks of the New World.
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They'd figured out the
year contained 365 days.
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They had eighteen 20-month
days and five additional days,
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although they didn't
seem to have recognized
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the extra quarter
of a day each year.
00:11:20.01\00:11:21.91
Their architecture was advanced.
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In some places they
even built sporting arenas,
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courts for a ball game
something like handball.
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And they built
impressive observatories.
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Watching the movements
of the stars and planets
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was important to the Maya.
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And as interesting as
their 5,125-year calendar was,
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it never actually
predicted the end of the world.
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It simply
suggested the end of an age,
00:11:46.13\00:11:48.37
a time period,
00:11:48.40\00:11:50.11
a cycle to be
followed by another one,
00:11:50.14\00:11:52.51
and then presumably
another one, and so on.
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But that didn't stop
people from getting excited
00:11:56.61\00:11:59.31
about the end of the world.
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In fact, in Russia,
authorities issued a statement
00:12:00.52\00:12:03.85
reassuring Russians that
they had nothing to worry about.
00:12:03.89\00:12:07.52
In the south of France, people
flocked to the top of a mountain
00:12:07.56\00:12:10.89
to wait for what they believed
would be the end of all things.
00:12:10.93\00:12:15.50
Well, we know that the
end of the world didn't occur
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December 21, 2012,
and it was never going to.
00:12:17.70\00:12:21.57
But what this whole Mayan
calendar business does reveal
00:12:21.60\00:12:26.68
is that there are
people, many people,
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who are
vulnerable to predictions
00:12:28.24\00:12:30.45
about the end of the
world, no matter how unlikely
00:12:30.48\00:12:34.38
or even nonsensical
those predictions might be.
00:12:34.42\00:12:39.39
So what then about predictions
that are actually reliable?
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If people are going to get
animated about a calendar of
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which they had heard
nothing prior in their lives,
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if folks will get excited
about somebody like Nostradamus,
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who certainly was not a
prophet in the reliable,
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biblical sense, what should
people do about predications
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that are verifiable
and absolutely authentic?
00:12:58.54\00:13:02.94
Now, I'm going to share with you
some predictions that you can
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depend on; predictions that
were made and then fulfilled.
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Predictions,
predictions you can trust.
00:13:10.29\00:13:13.42
Now, the Bible isn't
simply a book of predictions.
00:13:13.46\00:13:18.19
It's the story of God's
love for the human family.
00:13:18.23\00:13:20.86
But it's true that the
Bible does contain predictions.
00:13:20.90\00:13:24.47
In fact, God stakes His
reputation on His ability
00:13:24.50\00:13:29.24
to forecast the future.
00:13:29.27\00:13:31.11
Here's what He says
in Isaiah 46:9 and 10:
00:13:31.14\00:13:34.54
“Remember the former
things of old, for I am God,
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and there is no other; I am
God, and there is none like me,
00:13:38.38\00:13:43.35
declaring the end
from the beginning,
00:13:43.39\00:13:45.25
and from ancient times
things that are not yet done,
00:13:45.29\00:13:49.26
saying, ‘My counsel shall stand,
and I will do all my pleasure."
00:13:49.29\00:13:55.90
In the 19th century, a Scottish
scientist named James Maxwell
00:13:55.93\00:13:59.57
predicted the
existence of radio waves.
00:13:59.60\00:14:02.70
Turned out he was right.
00:14:02.74\00:14:05.21
Impressive.
00:14:05.24\00:14:06.78
George Orwell's “1984”
00:14:06.81\00:14:08.71
and Aldous
Huxley's “Brave New World”
00:14:08.74\00:14:10.61
both contained
predictions about the future
00:14:10.65\00:14:14.12
that seem now eerily prescient.
00:14:14.15\00:14:17.92
But none of that is anything
compared to what God did.
00:14:17.95\00:14:22.86
You want predictions?
00:14:22.89\00:14:24.33
Here we go.
00:14:24.36\00:14:25.09
Genesis 3:15.
00:14:25.13\00:14:27.30
Three chapters into the Bible.
00:14:27.36\00:14:28.96
Sin had entered the world,
and God says to the serpent,
00:14:29.00\00:14:33.44
“And I will put enmity
between you and the woman,
00:14:33.47\00:14:36.20
and between your
seed and her seed;
00:14:36.24\00:14:38.44
He shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise His heel.”
00:14:38.47\00:14:43.04
This was a prediction that
Jesus would come into the world
00:14:43.08\00:14:46.55
and defeat Satan, and
that Satan would be destroyed.
00:14:46.58\00:14:50.39
Now, notice the prediction said
that Jesus would be bruised.
00:14:50.42\00:14:53.89
Interesting,
because in Isaiah 53,
00:14:53.92\00:14:56.39
Isaiah used the same
word, saying that the Messiah
00:14:56.42\00:15:00.36
would be bruised
for our iniquities.
00:15:00.40\00:15:03.23
But Satan, he would
ultimately be destroyed.
00:15:03.26\00:15:07.10
Everyone who wishes to can be a
child of God and live eternally.
00:15:07.14\00:15:12.54
And all of this was predicted in
the third chapter of the Bible
00:15:12.57\00:15:17.88
written, written
thousands of years ago.
00:15:17.91\00:15:21.52
But we're just getting started.
00:15:21.55\00:15:23.45
In Isaiah chapters 44 and 45,
Isaiah mentions by name the man
00:15:23.49\00:15:28.96
that God would use to lead
the army to defeat Babylon.
00:15:28.99\00:15:33.19
Now, this isn't
Isaiah looking back in time.
00:15:33.23\00:15:36.87
If this was Isaiah telling
his readers something that had
00:15:36.90\00:15:39.27
already happened, it
wouldn't be so impressive.
00:15:39.30\00:15:42.20
But Isaiah is looking ahead,
and 150 years before the event,
00:15:42.24\00:15:49.38
Isaiah names the
man, calls him by name,
00:15:49.41\00:15:53.92
who would deliver
the people of God.
00:15:53.95\00:15:55.65
This is Isaiah chapter
45, verses 1 through 3.
00:15:55.68\00:15:59.09
“Thus says the
Lord to His anointed,
00:15:59.12\00:16:01.59
to Cyrus, whose
right hand I have held-
00:16:01.62\00:16:04.43
to subdue nations before him
and loose the armor of kings,
00:16:04.46\00:16:08.00
to open before
him the double doors,
00:16:08.03\00:16:10.70
so that the gates will not shut:
'I will go before you and make
00:16:10.73\00:16:14.74
the crooked places straight;
I will break in pieces the gates
00:16:14.77\00:16:18.57
of bronze and
cut the bars of iron.
00:16:18.61\00:16:21.24
I will give you the treasures
of darkness and hidden riches of
00:16:21.28\00:16:24.95
secret places, that
you may know that I,
00:16:24.98\00:16:27.65
the Lord, who
call you by your name,
00:16:27.68\00:16:31.42
am the God of Israel.'
00:16:31.45\00:16:33.56
Now, that's more impressive than
a Maya calendar non-prediction.
00:16:33.59\00:16:38.13
Now, in Micah 5 and verse 2,
00:16:38.16\00:16:40.80
the prophet Micah names the town
in which Jesus would be born.
00:16:40.83\00:16:45.70
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
though you are little among the
00:16:45.73\00:16:50.01
thousands of Judah, yet out of
you shall come forth to me the
00:16:50.04\00:16:54.58
one to be ruler in Israel,
00:16:54.61\00:16:57.41
whose goings forth are
from of old, from everlasting.”
00:16:57.45\00:17:02.12
More about Jesus.
00:17:02.15\00:17:03.35
This is Isaiah 7:14.
00:17:03.39\00:17:05.69
“Therefore the Lord
Himself shall give you a sign;
00:17:05.72\00:17:09.09
behold, a virgin shall
conceive, and bear a son,
00:17:09.12\00:17:13.36
and shall call
His name Immanuel.”
00:17:13.40\00:17:16.50
God said that the Messiah
would be born of a virgin.
00:17:16.53\00:17:19.87
That's something that
had never happened before.
00:17:19.90\00:17:22.97
You know, someone
making a prediction like that,
00:17:23.00\00:17:25.37
they should be
laughed out of town.
00:17:25.41\00:17:26.91
Their credibility
should be shot to pieces.
00:17:26.94\00:17:30.15
But that didn't
happen in the case of Isaiah,
00:17:30.18\00:17:32.11
who wrote that
prediction, because,
00:17:32.15\00:17:33.72
in that case, and
every other case like it,
00:17:33.75\00:17:36.69
what God said
would happen, happened.
00:17:36.72\00:17:40.79
You know, people just don't do
00:17:40.82\00:17:42.12
very well in
predicting the future.
00:17:42.16\00:17:44.56
We just don't know.
00:17:44.59\00:17:46.93
But we do know
what God has predicted,
00:17:46.96\00:17:50.27
and we know that what God
has predicted has come to pass.
00:17:50.30\00:17:54.20
Therefore, we can trust
God and we can trust the Bible.
00:17:54.24\00:17:59.44
I'll have more in just a moment.
00:17:59.47\00:18:01.58
¤[Music]
00:18:01.61\00:18:08.92
>>Announcer: The signs of
Jesus' return are all around us.
00:18:10.69\00:18:13.25
But what does the
Bible say we should look for?
00:18:13.29\00:18:16.39
Find out by
getting today's free offer,
00:18:16.42\00:18:18.33
“Seeing the Signs.”
00:18:18.36\00:18:19.79
To receive this free DVD,
00:18:19.83\00:18:21.50
call 800-253-3000,
00:18:21.53\00:18:24.07
or visit us
online at iiwoffer.com.
00:18:24.10\00:18:27.80
Find out for
yourself what the Bible says
00:18:27.84\00:18:29.77
about the signs of
Jesus' soon return.
00:18:29.80\00:18:31.87
Call 800-253-3000
00:18:31.91\00:18:34.74
or visit iiwoffer.com.
00:18:34.78\00:18:38.75
>>John: Thanks for joining
me today on It Is Written.
00:18:39.78\00:18:42.02
I'm in Belize,
in Central America,
00:18:42.05\00:18:44.52
east of Guatemala,
south of southeastern Mexico,
00:18:44.55\00:18:47.79
the Yucatan
Peninsula is just up there,
00:18:47.82\00:18:49.86
and close to Honduras.
00:18:49.89\00:18:51.89
Belize is right in
the heart of what was once
00:18:51.93\00:18:55.06
the Maya civilization.
00:18:55.10\00:18:57.83
A few years ago, an
interpretation of the Maya
00:18:57.87\00:19:00.70
calendar had
people all over the world
00:19:00.74\00:19:03.51
worrying that the
world was going to end.
00:19:03.54\00:19:07.61
Well, it is going to end.
00:19:07.64\00:19:09.11
And if you read the Bible, you
get the idea that there's not a
00:19:09.14\00:19:12.08
lot of time left
for Planet Earth.
00:19:12.11\00:19:14.28
And so therefore we want to
remember at least two things
00:19:14.32\00:19:16.72
that Jesus told us.
00:19:16.75\00:19:18.22
One, we cannot know the day
or the hour of His appearing.
00:19:18.25\00:19:21.99
We just don't know.
00:19:22.02\00:19:24.19
And so therefore, two, be ready
no matter when it takes place.
00:19:24.23\00:19:29.33
Live in relation to God so you
00:19:29.36\00:19:31.77
will always be
ready for eternity.
00:19:31.80\00:19:35.07
So how is it with you?
00:19:35.10\00:19:35.94
You're ready?
00:19:35.97\00:19:36.74
You say yes?
00:19:36.77\00:19:37.94
That's great.
00:19:37.97\00:19:39.11
You say no, or I'm not sure?
00:19:39.14\00:19:43.08
Well, hmm, not so good.
00:19:43.11\00:19:45.55
But the good news
is, you can be ready.
00:19:45.58\00:19:48.35
There's no need
for anyone not to look
00:19:48.38\00:19:51.62
into eternity with confidence.
00:19:51.65\00:19:55.06
If you choose God as yours,
00:19:55.09\00:19:57.83
then you can have all
the confidence in the world.
00:19:57.86\00:20:01.56
A couple of moments
ago we looked at some
00:20:01.60\00:20:03.33
predictions that were fulfilled.
00:20:03.37\00:20:06.00
God made the predictions,
and what God says happens.
00:20:06.03\00:20:10.34
So now look at this with me.
00:20:10.37\00:20:12.14
Daniel 9, verse 25.
00:20:12.17\00:20:14.14
Daniel wrote these
words hundreds of years
00:20:14.18\00:20:17.38
before Jesus was born.
00:20:17.41\00:20:19.38
“Know therefore and understand,
00:20:19.41\00:20:21.32
that from the going
forth of the command
00:20:21.35\00:20:23.95
to restore and build Jerusalem
unto Messiah the Prince,
00:20:23.99\00:20:28.96
there shall be seven
weeks and sixty-two weeks;
00:20:28.99\00:20:31.86
the street shall be
built again, and the wall,
00:20:31.89\00:20:35.46
even in troublesome times.”
00:20:35.50\00:20:38.07
Notice this: from the decree to
restore and rebuild Jerusalem,
00:20:38.10\00:20:43.57
unto Messiah the Prince,
00:20:43.61\00:20:45.54
would be a
certain period of time.
00:20:45.57\00:20:47.18
Now, that decree was
issued in the year 457 BC,
00:20:47.21\00:20:51.48
and you'll find the
actual decree in Ezra chapter 7,
00:20:51.51\00:20:55.65
so you can read it for yourself.
00:20:55.68\00:20:57.35
So from 457 BC unto Messiah
the Prince would be 69 weeks.
00:20:57.39\00:21:04.83
In Bible prophecy, a
day represents a year.
00:21:04.86\00:21:07.76
So you've got 69
times seven years,
00:21:07.83\00:21:11.57
which would be 483 years.
00:21:11.60\00:21:15.27
Start in 457 BC, add 483 years,
and you get to the year 27 AD,
00:21:15.30\00:21:22.34
when Jesus would be
anointed as the Messiah.
00:21:22.38\00:21:26.11
So what happened in 27 AD?
00:21:26.15\00:21:27.52
Jesus was baptized.
00:21:27.55\00:21:29.08
He was anointed, right on time,
00:21:29.12\00:21:33.12
predicted
hundreds of years before.
00:21:33.15\00:21:35.66
But wait.
00:21:35.69\00:21:36.99
There's more.
00:21:37.03\00:21:38.33
The same prophecy said after
this Jesus would be “cut off,”
00:21:38.36\00:21:41.26
He would be put to death.
00:21:41.30\00:21:42.96
That's what happened
when He died on the cross
00:21:43.00\00:21:45.27
three and a half
years after He was baptized.
00:21:45.30\00:21:47.84
And then the
prophecy says that Jerusalem,
00:21:47.87\00:21:51.87
after this, would be destroyed.
00:21:51.91\00:21:54.38
And it was, less than 40 years
after Jesus died on the cross.
00:21:54.41\00:21:59.85
Now, you could get all
excited about a Maya calendar
00:21:59.88\00:22:03.35
non-prediction, or you could
hang your hat on predictions
00:22:03.39\00:22:07.96
that you can really trust.
00:22:07.99\00:22:09.86
Listen.
00:22:09.89\00:22:10.83
Zechariah wrote that
Jesus would be betrayed
00:22:10.86\00:22:14.00
for 30 pieces of silver.
00:22:14.00\00:22:15.60
That's what happened.
00:22:15.63\00:22:16.56
Zechariah 11 and verse 12.
00:22:16.60\00:22:18.67
The next verse talks about
Judas throwing away the money
00:22:18.70\00:22:22.40
that he was
paid to betray Jesus.
00:22:22.44\00:22:24.11
That happened too.
00:22:24.14\00:22:25.77
Zechariah 9 and
verse 9 said that Messiah,
00:22:25.81\00:22:28.31
Jesus, would ride
into Jerusalem on a donkey.
00:22:28.34\00:22:31.38
Precisely what took place.
00:22:31.41\00:22:33.78
Isaiah, chapter 53, said
that Jesus would be betrayed
00:22:33.82\00:22:37.19
by His own people.
00:22:37.22\00:22:38.25
You get to Psalm 22,
that great messianic psalm;
00:22:38.29\00:22:42.06
it says that Jesus
would be mocked and ridiculed.
00:22:42.09\00:22:44.86
Later, same chapter says
Jesus would be crucified.
00:22:44.89\00:22:48.80
And verse 16 says,
00:22:48.83\00:22:50.63
“The assembly of the
wicked have inclosed me:
00:22:50.67\00:22:53.77
they pierced my
hands and my feet.”
00:22:53.80\00:22:56.17
And Psalm 34:20 says that none
of Jesus' bones would be broken,
00:22:56.20\00:23:02.08
unusual for a
crucifixion victim.
00:23:02.11\00:23:05.11
The two thieves Jesus
was crucified between?
00:23:05.15\00:23:07.75
They both had their legs broken.
00:23:07.78\00:23:09.42
But not Jesus.
00:23:09.45\00:23:11.32
And this was predicted
many, many years before.
00:23:11.35\00:23:15.02
And then, maybe one of the most
incredible prophecies of all.
00:23:15.06\00:23:19.43
Daniel said that
four world-ruling kingdoms
00:23:19.46\00:23:22.83
would arise on the
earth: the head of gold,
00:23:22.86\00:23:25.90
chest and arms of silver,
belly and thighs of brass,
00:23:25.93\00:23:29.40
and the legs of iron.
00:23:29.44\00:23:30.77
Four kingdoms,
which were Babylon,
00:23:30.81\00:23:33.74
Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome.
00:23:33.78\00:23:36.48
Daniel said, and you
read about this in Daniel 2,
00:23:36.51\00:23:38.98
that the fourth kingdom would
divide into multiple nations,
00:23:39.01\00:23:43.25
and that's
exactly what happened.
00:23:43.28\00:23:46.02
In Daniel 7 he gave the same
information but with a twist:
00:23:46.05\00:23:50.39
he used animals or
beasts to represent the nations,
00:23:50.43\00:23:53.73
rather than
metals as in Daniel 2.
00:23:53.76\00:23:57.03
The lion, the bear, the
leopard, and then the...thing.
00:23:57.07\00:24:02.64
Again, four nations:
Babylon, Medo-Persian,
00:24:02.67\00:24:06.88
Greece, and Rome.
00:24:06.91\00:24:09.54
This time he depicted
Rome as having ten horns,
00:24:09.58\00:24:13.68
and he said specifically in
Daniel that the ten horns were
00:24:13.72\00:24:16.65
ten kings, or kingdoms,
that would arise out of Rome.
00:24:16.69\00:24:20.89
And history
validates that prediction 100%.
00:24:20.92\00:24:26.76
Now, you'd think that people
00:24:26.80\00:24:27.86
would shout this
from the rooftops.
00:24:27.86\00:24:29.80
The Bible is reliable;
its predictions are sure.
00:24:29.83\00:24:33.34
It's a book that can be trusted.
00:24:33.37\00:24:37.14
You know, what happens is this:
some people will hear this,
00:24:37.17\00:24:40.01
even be willing to believe
that, but then they see those,
00:24:40.04\00:24:43.38
those people who
are a bad advertisement
00:24:43.41\00:24:45.18
for what the Bible
teaches, and it throws them.
00:24:45.21\00:24:47.38
Now, it shouldn't.
00:24:47.42\00:24:49.02
You know, there are
people like that who,
00:24:49.05\00:24:50.35
who don't accurately
represent every belief system,
00:24:50.39\00:24:53.46
every country,
every organization.
00:24:53.49\00:24:55.89
But you don't want
to let the hypocrites,
00:24:55.92\00:24:58.49
and truth be told, there's
a hypocrite inside all of us,
00:24:58.53\00:25:01.36
you don't want to
let the hypocrites,
00:25:01.40\00:25:03.26
the bad eggs, keep you from God.
00:25:03.30\00:25:07.07
Now, the Bible predicted that
Jesus would come into the world.
00:25:07.10\00:25:09.60
It predicted the
circumstances of His life,
00:25:09.64\00:25:12.21
the circumstances of His death.
00:25:12.24\00:25:13.84
It predicted the rise
and the fall of nations,
00:25:13.88\00:25:17.08
and so much more.
00:25:17.11\00:25:19.11
And there's something else.
00:25:19.15\00:25:20.82
Listen to this.
00:25:20.85\00:25:21.62
Paul, writing to
the Thessalonians,
00:25:21.65\00:25:24.59
this is 1
Thessalonians chapter 4,
00:25:24.62\00:25:26.82
we start at verse 13:
00:25:26.86\00:25:28.76
“But I do not want
you to be ignorant,
00:25:28.79\00:25:30.53
brethren, concerning
those who have fallen asleep,
00:25:30.56\00:25:33.83
lest you sorrow as
others who have no hope.”
00:25:33.86\00:25:37.77
The Thessalonians
evidently believed that,
00:25:37.80\00:25:40.14
if you weren't alive
when Jesus came back,
00:25:40.17\00:25:42.44
you couldn't go to Heaven.
00:25:42.47\00:25:44.07
You couldn't be saved.
00:25:44.11\00:25:45.14
And so Paul corrected them.
00:25:45.17\00:25:47.74
“For if we believe that
Jesus died and rose again,
00:25:47.78\00:25:53.11
even so God will bring with
Him those who sleep in Jesus.
00:25:53.15\00:25:57.02
For this we say to you
by the word of the Lord,
00:25:57.05\00:25:59.89
that we who are alive and remain
until the coming of the Lord
00:25:59.92\00:26:03.46
will by no means
precede those who are asleep.
00:26:03.49\00:26:06.80
For the Lord Himself will
descend from heaven with a
00:26:06.83\00:26:09.83
shout, with the
voice of an archangel,
00:26:09.86\00:26:12.53
and with the trumpet of God.
00:26:12.57\00:26:14.37
And the dead in
Christ will rise first.
00:26:14.40\00:26:17.24
Then we who are alive and remain
shall be caught up together with
00:26:17.27\00:26:21.04
them in the clouds to
meet the Lord in the air.
00:26:21.08\00:26:24.11
And thus we shall
always be with the Lord.”
00:26:24.15\00:26:29.52
Paul predicted that Jesus
would return to this Earth.
00:26:29.55\00:26:32.75
Undoubtedly
it's going to happen.
00:26:32.79\00:26:34.66
He predicted the resurrection
00:26:34.69\00:26:35.92
that would take
place on the last day.
00:26:35.96\00:26:38.23
That's certainly
going to happen too.
00:26:38.26\00:26:40.46
Think of all of
the other predictions
00:26:40.50\00:26:42.23
that we just looked at.
00:26:42.26\00:26:43.20
They've all been fulfilled.
00:26:43.23\00:26:45.43
This one will be as well.
00:26:45.47\00:26:47.34
Jesus is coming back.
00:26:47.37\00:26:48.97
Now, when He comes back,
He wants you to be ready.
00:26:49.00\00:26:53.34
The Bible is God's book.
00:26:53.38\00:26:54.71
Think about what it promises.
00:26:54.74\00:26:56.14
And think about
this: life is short,
00:26:56.18\00:27:00.32
no matter how long you live.
00:27:00.35\00:27:02.62
Don't cheat yourself.
00:27:02.65\00:27:04.72
God's word says
that God loves you;
00:27:04.75\00:27:07.79
you know that's true.
00:27:07.82\00:27:09.36
The Bible says
God cares for you.
00:27:09.39\00:27:12.13
You can believe that as well.
00:27:12.16\00:27:13.93
The Bible says that God
would forgive you of your sins.
00:27:13.96\00:27:16.73
Surely that is so.
00:27:16.77\00:27:17.90
And the Bible says that
God will give you a new heart.
00:27:17.93\00:27:21.70
He's just waiting to do
that for you if you'll ask Him.
00:27:21.74\00:27:24.77
You know, if
you'll let God do so,
00:27:24.81\00:27:28.91
He'll work in your life
so that you'll learn to love
00:27:28.94\00:27:31.15
the things that God loves.
00:27:31.18\00:27:33.88
And you'll love life
when you love what God loves.
00:27:33.92\00:27:37.05
You can trust the Bible.
00:27:37.09\00:27:38.99
And you can trust
the God of the Bible.
00:27:39.02\00:27:41.82
You can trust
Him with your heart.
00:27:41.86\00:27:43.29
He'll keep it, and
you, forever and ever.
00:27:43.32\00:27:47.60
>>John: Thank you for
remembering that It Is Written
00:27:47.60\00:27:50.10
exists because of the kindness
of people just like you.
00:27:50.13\00:27:53.54
To support this international
life-changing ministry,
00:27:53.57\00:27:56.77
please call us
now at 800-253-3000.
00:27:56.81\00:28:01.11
You can send your
tax-deductible gift
00:28:01.14\00:28:02.58
to the address on your screen,
00:28:02.61\00:28:04.05
or you can visit us
online at itiswritten.com.
00:28:04.08\00:28:07.88
Thank you for your prayers
and for your financial support.
00:28:07.92\00:28:10.72
Our number
again is 800-253-3000.
00:28:10.75\00:28:14.96
Or you can visit us
online at itiswritten.com.
00:28:14.99\00:28:18.06
Let's pray together now.
00:28:19.03\00:28:20.00
Our Father in heaven,
00:28:20.03\00:28:21.60
we thank You today that
the Bible can be trusted,
00:28:21.63\00:28:23.77
and that it demonstrates
to us that You can be trusted.
00:28:23.80\00:28:27.90
Lord, if You can be
trusted, and You can,
00:28:27.94\00:28:29.80
then we want to
trust You with our lives.
00:28:29.84\00:28:32.64
Friend, are you
ready to tell God today
00:28:32.67\00:28:34.84
you want to trust
Him with your life?
00:28:34.88\00:28:36.31
You want to
recommit your life to Him,
00:28:36.34\00:28:38.65
or if you've never done so?
00:28:38.68\00:28:39.71
Accept Jesus as
your Lord and Savior.
00:28:39.75\00:28:43.05
Tell God now,
00:28:43.08\00:28:44.59
“Lord, I want to follow You.
00:28:44.62\00:28:46.15
This book cannot be argued;
00:28:46.19\00:28:48.49
it cannot be denied.
00:28:48.52\00:28:49.66
And so therefore I
want to follow its Author,
00:28:49.69\00:28:52.26
the one who inspired it.”
00:28:52.29\00:28:54.20
Friend, can you do that now?
00:28:54.20\00:28:55.26
Lord, take our hearts.
00:28:55.30\00:28:57.53
Take our lives.
00:28:57.57\00:28:58.57
Make them Yours.
00:28:58.60\00:29:00.34
Guide us.
00:29:00.37\00:29:01.57
Lead us.
00:29:01.60\00:29:02.94
Ready us for that great
day when we are taken home
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to be with You forever.
00:29:07.14\00:29:09.18
This is our
prayer, in Jesus' name.
00:29:09.21\00:29:12.78
Amen.
00:29:12.81\00:29:14.75
Thank you so much
for joining me today.
00:29:14.78\00:29:16.35
I'm looking forward to
seeing you again next time.
00:29:16.38\00:29:18.12
Until then, remember:
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“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 the mouth of God.'”
00:29:24.16\00:29:28.80
¤[Theme music]
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