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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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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 Company
rejecting the Beatles in 1962.
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And then, how about this one?
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"The world is going to end
on December the 21st, 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
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Mesoamerican Long Count
calendar, the Maya calendar,
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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
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and others 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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In a country the size of New
Jersey and with the population
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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 evidently it 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
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by 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 on to 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
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that suggests, strongly,
that the Bible is everything
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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
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had a conversion experience
that led him to study the Bible.
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He was determined that he
would 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
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that hoped along
with William Miller.
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But their hopes were
dashed. Jesus didn't return.
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So religious
predictions aren't anything new.
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In fact, go back to the
New Testament and you find
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the followers of Jesus expecting
Jesus to expel the Romans
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from 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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I have plenty.
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I'll share them with
you in just a moment.
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¤[Music]¤
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>>Announcer: The signs of
Jesus' return are all around us.
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But what does the
Bible say we should look for?
00:07:43.86\00:07:46.96
Find out by
getting today's free offer,
00:07:47.00\00:07:48.86
"Seeing the Signs."
00:07:48.90\00:07:50.33
To receive this free DVD,
00:07:50.37\00:07:52.07
call 800-253-3000
00:07:52.10\00:07:54.60
or visit us
online at iiwoffer.com.
00:07:54.64\00:07:58.37
Find out for
yourself what the Bible says
00:07:58.41\00:08:00.31
about the signs of
Jesus' soon return.
00:08:00.34\00:08:02.51
Call 800-253-3000
00:08:02.54\00:08:05.41
or visit iiwoffer.com.
00:08:05.45\00:08:08.62
>>John Bradshaw:
Thursday, August the 5th, 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.
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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 José Mine,
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over two-and-a-half
thousand people gathered,
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and with each
failed rescue attempt,
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despair increased.
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Families gathered
together to pray for a miracle.
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From the Atacama Desert
comes a story of tragedy,
00:08:50.49\00:08:53.76
a story of uncertainty,
yet a story of courage,
00:08:53.80\00:08:57.53
hope, and ultimately,
a story of salvation.
00:08:57.57\00:09:01.50
Wait on the Lord, and
the miracle will come.
00:09:01.54\00:09:05.67
"Camp Hope."
00:09:05.71\00:09:06.88
Watch now on It Is Written TV.
00:09:06.91\00:09:10.21
>>John Bradshaw: In December
of 2012, a hundred members
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of a Christian church
in China were arrested.
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They had been warning
people about what they believed
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would be the trouble
coming to Planet Earth
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on December 21 of that year,
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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.
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The Maya were advanced enough
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to be considered the
Greeks of the New World.
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They had figured out that
the year contained 365 days.
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They had eighteen 20-day
months and five additional days,
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although they
didn't seem to recognize
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the extra quarter
of a day in each year.
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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,
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a time period,
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a cycle to be
followed by another one,
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and then presumably
another one, and so on.
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But that didn't stop
people from getting excited
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about the end of the world.
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In fact, in Russia,
authorities issued a statement
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reassuring Russians that
they had nothing to worry about.
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In the south of France, people
flocked to the top of a mountain
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to wait for what they believed
would be the end of all things.
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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.
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But what this whole Maya
calendar business does reveal
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is that there are
people, many people,
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who are
vulnerable to predictions
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about the end of the
world, no matter how unlikely
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or even nonsensical
those predictions might be.
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So what then about predictions
that are actually reliable?
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If people are going to
get animated about a calendar,
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of 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 predictions
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that are verifiable
and absolutely authentic?
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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.
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Now, the Bible isn't
simply a book of predictions.
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It's the story of God's
love for the human family.
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But it's true that the
Bible does contain predictions.
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In fact, God stakes His
reputation on His ability
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to forecast the future.
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Here's what He says
in Isaiah 46:9 and 10:
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"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,
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declaring the end
from the beginning,
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and from ancient times
things that are not yet done,
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saying, 'My counsel shall stand,
and I will do all my pleasure.'"
00:12:19.13\00:12:25.77
In the 19th century, a Scottish
scientist named James Maxwell
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predicted the
existence of radio waves.
00:12:29.48\00:12:32.51
Turned out he was right.
00:12:32.55\00:12:35.02
Impressive!
00:12:35.05\00:12:36.58
George Orwell's "1984"
00:12:36.62\00:12:38.52
and Aldous
Huxley's "Brave New World"
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both contained
predictions about the future
00:12:40.79\00:12:43.93
that seem now eerily prescient.
00:12:43.96\00:12:47.73
But none of that is anything
compared to what God did.
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You want predictions?
00:12:52.67\00:12:54.10
Here we go.
00:12:54.14\00:12:54.87
Genesis 3:15.
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Three chapters into the Bible.
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Sin had entered the world,
and God says to the serpent,
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"And I will put enmity
between you and the woman,
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and between your
seed and her seed;
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He shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise His heel."
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This was a prediction that
Jesus would come into the world
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and defeat Satan and
that Satan would be destroyed.
00:13:16.46\00:13:20.26
Now, notice the prediction said
that Jesus would be bruised.
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Interesting,
because in Isaiah 53,
00:13:23.77\00:13:26.23
Isaiah used the same
word, saying that the Messiah
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would be bruised
for our iniquities.
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But Satan? He would
ultimately be destroyed.
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Everyone who wishes to can be a
child of God and live eternally.
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And all of this was predicted in
the third chapter of the Bible,
00:13:42.38\00:13:47.69
written, written
thousands of years ago.
00:13:47.72\00:13:51.33
But we're just getting started.
00:13:51.36\00:13:53.26
In Isaiah, chapters 44 and 45,
Isaiah mentions by name the man
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that God would use to lead
the army to defeat Babylon.
00:13:58.77\00:14:03.04
Now, this isn't
Isaiah looking back in time.
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If this was Isaiah
telling his readers something
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that had already happened,
it wouldn't be so impressive.
00:14:08.94\00:14:12.08
But Isaiah is looking ahead,
and 150 years before the event,
00:14:12.11\00:14:19.25
Isaiah names the
man, calls him by name,
00:14:19.29\00:14:23.79
who would deliver
the people of God.
00:14:23.83\00:14:25.53
This is Isaiah chapter
45, verses 1 through 3.
00:14:25.56\00:14:28.93
"Thus says the
Lord to His anointed,
00:14:28.96\00:14:31.37
to Cyrus, whose
right hand I have held--
00:14:31.40\00:14:34.20
to subdue nations before him
and loose the armor of kings,
00:14:34.24\00:14:37.81
to open before
him the double doors,
00:14:37.84\00:14:40.51
so that the gates will not shut:
00:14:40.54\00:14:42.51
'I will go before you and make
the crooked places straight;
00:14:42.54\00:14:46.15
I will break in
pieces the gates of bronze
00:14:46.18\00:14:49.02
and cut the bars of iron.
00:14:49.05\00:14:51.05
I will give you the
treasures of darkness
00:14:51.09\00:14:53.52
and hidden
riches of secret places,
00:14:53.56\00:14:56.06
that you may know that I, the
Lord, who call you by your name,
00:14:56.09\00:15:01.26
am the God of Israel.'"
00:15:01.30\00:15:03.33
Now, that's more impressive than
a Maya calendar non-prediction.
00:15:03.37\00:15:07.97
Now, in Micah 5 and verse 2,
00:15:08.00\00:15:10.64
the prophet Micah names the town
in which Jesus would be born.
00:15:10.67\00:15:15.58
"But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
though you are little among
00:15:15.61\00:15:19.71
the thousands of Judah,
yet out of you shall come forth
00:15:19.75\00:15:23.59
to me the one to
be ruler in Israel,
00:15:23.62\00:15:27.29
whose goings forth are
from old, from everlasting."
00:15:27.32\00:15:31.73
More about Jesus.
This is Isaiah 7:14.
00:15:31.76\00:15:35.46
"Therefore the Lord
Himself shall give you a sign;
00:15:35.50\00:15:38.87
behold, a virgin shall
conceive, and bear a Son,
00:15:38.90\00:15:43.14
and shall call
His name Immanuel."
00:15:43.17\00:15:46.31
God said that the Messiah
would be born of a virgin.
00:15:46.34\00:15:49.68
That's something that
had never happened before.
00:15:49.71\00:15:52.78
You know, somebody
making a prediction like that,
00:15:52.81\00:15:55.18
they should be
laughed out of town.
00:15:55.22\00:15:56.72
Their credibility
should be shot to pieces.
00:15:56.75\00:15:59.95
But that didn't
happen in the case of Isaiah,
00:16:00.06\00:16:01.99
who wrote that prediction,
because in that case,
00:16:02.02\00:16:04.63
and every other case like it,
00:16:04.66\00:16:06.56
what God said
would happen, happened.
00:16:06.59\00:16:10.63
You know, people
just don't do very well
00:16:10.67\00:16:12.73
in predicting the future.
00:16:12.77\00:16:14.40
We just don't know.
00:16:14.44\00:16:16.77
But we do know
what God has predicted,
00:16:16.81\00:16:20.14
and we know that what God
has predicted has come to pass.
00:16:20.18\00:16:24.08
Therefore, we can trust
God, and we can trust the Bible.
00:16:24.11\00:16:29.82
I'll have more in just a moment.
00:16:29.85\00:16:31.39
¤[Music]¤
00:16:31.42\00:16:38.73
>>Announcer: The signs of
Jesus' return are all around us.
00:16:40.50\00:16:43.20
But what does the
Bible say we should look for?
00:16:43.23\00:16:46.17
Find out by
getting today's free offer,
00:16:46.20\00:16:48.10
"Seeing the Signs."
00:16:48.14\00:16:49.57
To receive this free DVD,
00:16:49.60\00:16:51.21
call 800-253-3000
00:16:51.24\00:16:53.88
or visit us
online at iiwoffer.com.
00:16:53.91\00:16:57.48
Find out for
yourself what the Bible says
00:16:57.51\00:16:59.48
about the signs of
Jesus' soon return.
00:16:59.51\00:17:01.75
Call 800-253-3000
00:17:01.78\00:17:04.62
or visit iiwoffer.com.
00:17:04.65\00:17:08.36
>>John Bradshaw:
Thanks for joining me today
00:17:09.39\00:17:10.73
on It Is Written.
00:17:10.76\00:17:11.83
I'm in Belize
in Central America,
00:17:11.86\00:17:14.36
east of Guatemala,
south of southeastern Mexico,
00:17:14.40\00:17:17.63
the Yucatan
Peninsula is just up there,
00:17:17.67\00:17:19.70
and close to Honduras.
00:17:19.73\00:17:21.94
Belize is right in
the heart of what was once
00:17:21.97\00:17:24.94
the Maya civilization.
00:17:24.97\00:17:27.71
A few years ago,
an interpretation
00:17:27.74\00:17:29.81
of the Maya calendar had
people all over the world
00:17:29.84\00:17:33.65
worrying that the
world was going to end.
00:17:33.68\00:17:37.25
Well, it is going to end.
00:17:37.29\00:17:38.92
And if you read the Bible, you
get the idea that there's not
00:17:38.95\00:17:41.82
a lot of time
left for Planet Earth.
00:17:41.86\00:17:44.09
And so therefore we want to
remember at least two things
00:17:44.13\00:17:46.53
that Jesus told us.
00:17:46.56\00:17:48.00
One: We cannot know the day
or the hour of His appearing.
00:17:48.03\00:17:51.77
We just don't know.
00:17:51.80\00:17:53.97
And so therefore, two: Be ready,
no matter when it takes place.
00:17:54.00\00:17:59.14
Live in relation to God
so you will always be ready
00:17:59.17\00:18:03.38
for eternity.
00:18:03.41\00:18:04.95
So how is it with
you? You're ready?
00:18:04.98\00:18:06.61
You say "yes"? That's great.
00:18:06.65\00:18:08.98
You say "no" or "I'm not sure"?
00:18:09.02\00:18:12.95
Well, hmm. Not so good.
00:18:12.99\00:18:15.42
But the good news
is you can be ready.
00:18:15.46\00:18:18.23
There's no need for
anyone not to look into eternity
00:18:18.26\00:18:22.76
with confidence.
00:18:22.80\00:18:24.90
If you choose God as yours,
00:18:24.93\00:18:27.67
then you can have all
the confidence in the world.
00:18:27.70\00:18:31.31
A couple of moments ago,
we looked at some predictions
00:18:31.34\00:18:33.94
that were fulfilled.
00:18:33.98\00:18:35.88
God made the predictions,
and what God says happens.
00:18:35.91\00:18:40.22
So now look at this
with me. Daniel 9, verse 25.
00:18:40.25\00:18:44.02
Daniel wrote these
words hundreds of years
00:18:44.05\00:18:47.26
before Jesus was born:
00:18:47.29\00:18:49.26
"Know therefore and understand,
00:18:49.29\00:18:51.19
that from the going
forth of the command
00:18:51.23\00:18:53.83
to restore and build Jerusalem
unto Messiah the Prince,
00:18:53.86\00:18:58.80
there shall be seven
weeks and sixty-two weeks;
00:18:58.83\00:19:01.77
the street shall be
built again, and the wall,
00:19:01.80\00:19:05.41
even in troublesome times."
00:19:05.44\00:19:08.01
Notice this: From the decree to
restore and rebuild Jerusalem,
00:19:08.04\00:19:13.78
"unto Messiah the Prince,"
00:19:13.82\00:19:15.48
would be a
certain period of time.
00:19:15.52\00:19:17.45
Now, that decree was
issued in the year 457 BC,
00:19:17.49\00:19:21.42
and you'll find the
actual decree in Ezra chapter 7,
00:19:21.46\00:19:25.59
so you can read it for yourself.
00:19:25.63\00:19:27.30
So from 457 BC unto Messiah
the Prince would be 69 weeks.
00:19:27.30\00:19:34.67
In Bible prophecy, a
day represents a year,
00:19:34.70\00:19:37.64
so you've got 69 times 7 years,
00:19:37.67\00:19:41.44
which would be 483 years.
00:19:41.48\00:19:45.15
Start in 457 BC, add 483 years;
you get to the year 27 AD,
00:19:45.18\00:19:52.89
when Jesus would be
anointed as the Messiah.
00:19:52.92\00:19:55.99
So what happened in 27 AD?
00:19:56.02\00:19:57.83
Jesus was baptized.
00:19:57.86\00:20:00.13
He was anointed, right on time,
00:20:00.16\00:20:02.96
predicted
hundreds of years before.
00:20:03.00\00:20:05.50
But wait. There's more.
00:20:05.53\00:20:07.54
The same prophecy said after
this Jesus would be "cut off";
00:20:07.57\00:20:11.14
He would be put to death.
00:20:11.17\00:20:12.84
That's what happened
when He died on the cross
00:20:12.87\00:20:15.14
three-and-a-half
years after He was baptized.
00:20:15.18\00:20:17.61
And then the
prophecy says that Jerusalem,
00:20:17.65\00:20:21.75
after this, would be destroyed.
00:20:21.78\00:20:24.25
And it was, less than 40 years
after Jesus died on the cross.
00:20:24.29\00:20:29.72
Now, you could get all
excited about a Maya calendar
00:20:29.76\00:20:33.16
non-prediction, or you could
hang your hat on predictions
00:20:33.19\00:20:37.63
that you can really trust.
00:20:37.67\00:20:39.63
Listen, Zechariah wrote
that Jesus would be betrayed
00:20:39.67\00:20:43.71
for 30 pieces of silver.
00:20:43.74\00:20:45.41
That's what happened.
Zechariah 11 and verse 12.
00:20:45.44\00:20:48.48
The next verse talks about
Judas throwing away the money
00:20:48.51\00:20:52.21
that he was
paid to betray Jesus.
00:20:52.25\00:20:53.92
That happened, too.
00:20:53.95\00:20:55.42
Zechariah 9 and verse 9
said that Messiah, Jesus,
00:20:55.45\00:20:58.55
would ride into
Jerusalem on a donkey.
00:20:58.59\00:21:01.26
Precisely what took place.
00:21:01.29\00:21:03.66
Isaiah chapter 53 said
that Jesus would be betrayed
00:21:03.69\00:21:07.03
by His own people.
00:21:07.10\00:21:08.60
You get to Psalm 22,
that great messianic psalm;
00:21:08.63\00:21:11.90
it says that Jesus
would be mocked and ridiculed.
00:21:11.93\00:21:14.70
Later, same chapter says
Jesus would be crucified.
00:21:14.74\00:21:18.94
And verse 16 says,
00:21:18.97\00:21:20.51
"The assembly of the
wicked have inclosed me:
00:21:20.54\00:21:23.65
they pierced my
hands and my feet."
00:21:23.68\00:21:26.55
And Psalm 34, verse 20
says that none of Jesus' bones
00:21:26.58\00:21:30.89
would be broken, unusual
for a crucifixion victim.
00:21:30.92\00:21:34.92
The two thieves Jesus
was crucified between?
00:21:34.96\00:21:37.56
They both had their legs broken.
00:21:37.59\00:21:39.23
But not Jesus.
00:21:39.26\00:21:41.26
And this was predicted
many, many years before.
00:21:41.30\00:21:45.37
And then, maybe one of the most
incredible prophecies of all,
00:21:45.40\00:21:49.20
Daniel said that
four world-ruling kingdoms
00:21:49.24\00:21:52.54
would arise in the
earth: the head of gold,
00:21:52.57\00:21:55.71
chest and arms of silver,
belly and thighs of brass,
00:21:55.74\00:21:59.21
and the legs of iron.
00:21:59.25\00:22:00.65
Four kingdoms,
which were Babylon,
00:22:00.68\00:22:03.35
Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome.
00:22:03.39\00:22:06.35
Daniel said, and you
read about this in Daniel 2,
00:22:06.39\00:22:08.86
that the fourth kingdom would
divide into multiple nations,
00:22:08.89\00:22:13.13
and that's
exactly what happened.
00:22:13.16\00:22:15.86
In Daniel 7, he gave the same
information, but with a twist:
00:22:15.90\00:22:20.24
he used animals or
beasts to represent the nations,
00:22:20.27\00:22:23.57
rather than
metals, as in Daniel 2.
00:22:23.61\00:22:26.91
The lion, the bear, the
leopard, and then the...thing.
00:22:26.94\00:22:32.45
Again, four nations:
Babylon, Medo-Persia,
00:22:32.48\00:22:36.62
Greece, and Rome.
00:22:36.65\00:22:39.35
This time he depicted
Rome as having 10 horns,
00:22:39.39\00:22:43.49
and he said specifically
in Daniel that the 10 horns
00:22:43.53\00:22:46.16
were 10 kings, or kingdoms,
that would arise out of Rome.
00:22:46.19\00:22:51.17
And history validates
that prediction 100 percent.
00:22:51.20\00:22:56.07
Now, you'd think that
people would shout this
00:22:56.10\00:22:58.31
from the rooftops.
00:22:58.34\00:22:59.61
The Bible is reliable;
its predictions are sure.
00:22:59.64\00:23:03.21
It's a book that can be trusted.
00:23:03.24\00:23:07.02
You know, what happens is this;
some people will hear this,
00:23:07.05\00:23:09.88
even be willing to believe
that, but then they see those,
00:23:09.92\00:23:13.25
those people who
are a bad advertisement
00:23:13.29\00:23:15.06
for what the Bible
teaches, and it throws them.
00:23:15.09\00:23:17.26
Now, it shouldn't.
00:23:17.29\00:23:18.89
You know, there are
people like that who,
00:23:18.93\00:23:20.23
who don't accurately
represent every belief system,
00:23:20.26\00:23:23.30
every country,
every organization.
00:23:23.33\00:23:25.73
But you don't want
to let the hypocrites--
00:23:25.77\00:23:28.34
and truth be told, there's
a hypocrite inside all of us--
00:23:28.37\00:23:31.17
you don't want to
let the hypocrites,
00:23:31.21\00:23:33.07
the bad eggs, keep you from God.
00:23:33.11\00:23:36.88
Now, the Bible predicted that
Jesus would come into the world.
00:23:36.91\00:23:39.41
It predicted the
circumstances of His life,
00:23:39.45\00:23:42.02
the circumstances of His death.
00:23:42.05\00:23:43.65
It predicted the rise
and the fall of nations,
00:23:43.69\00:23:46.89
and so much more.
00:23:46.92\00:23:48.82
And there's something else.
00:23:48.86\00:23:50.63
Listen to this.
00:23:50.66\00:23:51.43
Paul, writing to
the Thessalonians,
00:23:51.46\00:23:54.00
this is 1 Thessalonians
chapter 4; we start at verse 13:
00:23:54.00\00:23:58.33
"But I do not want
you to be ignorant,
00:23:58.37\00:24:00.37
brethren, concerning
those who have fallen asleep,
00:24:00.40\00:24:03.67
lest you sorrow as
others who have no hope."
00:24:03.71\00:24:07.48
The Thessalonians
evidently believed
00:24:07.51\00:24:09.81
that if you weren't
alive when Jesus came back,
00:24:09.84\00:24:12.31
you couldn't go to
heaven; you couldn't be saved.
00:24:12.35\00:24:15.78
So Paul corrected them.
00:24:15.82\00:24:17.82
"For if we believe that
Jesus died and rose again,
00:24:19.12\00:24:22.99
even so God will bring with
Him those who sleep in Jesus.
00:24:23.02\00:24:26.90
For this we say to you
by the word of the Lord,
00:24:26.93\00:24:29.73
that we who are alive and remain
unto the coming of the Lord
00:24:29.76\00:24:33.23
will by no means
precede those who are asleep.
00:24:33.27\00:24:36.57
For the Lord Himself
will descend from heaven
00:24:36.60\00:24:39.31
with a shout, with
the voice of an archangel,
00:24:39.34\00:24:42.34
and with the trumpet of God.
00:24:42.38\00:24:44.18
And the dead in
Christ will rise first.
00:24:44.21\00:24:47.05
Then we who are alive and remain
shall be caught up together
00:24:47.08\00:24:50.62
with them in the clouds
to meet the Lord in the air.
00:24:50.65\00:24:53.92
And thus we shall
always be with the Lord."
00:24:53.96\00:24:59.33
Paul predicted that Jesus
would return to this earth.
00:24:59.36\00:25:02.60
Undoubtedly
it's going to happen.
00:25:02.63\00:25:04.50
He predicted the resurrection
00:25:04.53\00:25:05.77
that would take
place on the last day.
00:25:05.80\00:25:08.07
That's certainly
going to happen, too.
00:25:08.10\00:25:10.64
Think of all of
the other predictions
00:25:10.67\00:25:12.11
that we've just looked at.
00:25:12.14\00:25:13.27
They've all been fulfilled.
This one will be, as well.
00:25:13.31\00:25:17.21
Jesus is coming back.
00:25:17.25\00:25:19.28
And when He comes back,
He wants you to be ready.
00:25:19.31\00:25:23.22
The Bible is God's book.
Think about what it promises.
00:25:23.25\00:25:26.49
And think about this:
00:25:26.52\00:25:27.99
Life is short, no
matter how long you live.
00:25:28.02\00:25:32.43
Don't cheat yourself.
00:25:32.46\00:25:34.50
God's Word says
that God loves you;
00:25:34.56\00:25:37.57
you know that's true.
00:25:37.60\00:25:39.40
The Bible says
God cares for you.
00:25:39.43\00:25:41.90
You can believe that as well.
00:25:41.94\00:25:43.71
The Bible says that God
would forgive you of your sins.
00:25:43.74\00:25:46.54
Surely that is so.
00:25:46.57\00:25:48.21
And the Bible says that
God will give you a new heart.
00:25:48.24\00:25:51.51
He's just waiting to do
that for you if you'll ask Him.
00:25:51.55\00:25:54.58
You know, if
you'll let God do so,
00:25:54.62\00:25:58.72
He'll work in your life
so that you'll learn to love
00:25:58.75\00:26:01.02
the things that God loves.
00:26:01.06\00:26:03.76
And you'll love life
when you love what God loves.
00:26:03.79\00:26:06.93
You can trust the Bible.
00:26:06.96\00:26:08.83
And you can trust
the God of the Bible.
00:26:08.86\00:26:11.67
You can trust
Him with your heart.
00:26:11.70\00:26:13.27
He'll keep it, and
you, forever and ever.
00:26:13.30\00:26:17.01
>>John: Thank you for
remembering that It Is Written
00:26:18.01\00:26:19.97
exists because of the kindness
of people just like you.
00:26:20.01\00:26:23.41
To support this international
life-changing ministry,
00:26:23.45\00:26:26.65
please call us
now at 800-253-3000.
00:26:26.68\00:26:30.92
You can send your
tax-deductible gift
00:26:30.95\00:26:32.39
to the address on your screen,
00:26:32.42\00:26:33.86
or you can visit us
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00:26:33.89\00:26:37.69
Thank you for your prayers
and for your financial support.
00:26:37.73\00:26:40.53
Our number
again is 800-253-3000.
00:26:40.56\00:26:44.60
Or you can visit us
online at itiswritten.com.
00:26:44.63\00:26:47.64
>>John Bradshaw:
Let's pray together now.
00:26:48.34\00:26:50.41
Our Father in heaven,
00:26:50.44\00:26:51.47
we thank You today that
the Bible can be trusted,
00:26:51.51\00:26:53.58
and that it demonstrates
to us that You can be trusted.
00:26:53.61\00:26:57.71
Lord, if You can be
trusted, and You can,
00:26:57.75\00:26:59.61
then we want to
trust You with our lives.
00:26:59.65\00:27:02.52
Friend, are you
ready to tell God today
00:27:02.55\00:27:04.72
you want to trust
Him with your life,
00:27:04.75\00:27:06.79
want to recommit
your life to Him?
00:27:06.82\00:27:08.52
Or if you've never done so,
00:27:08.56\00:27:10.26
accept Jesus as
your Lord and Savior.
00:27:10.29\00:27:12.93
Tell God now,
00:27:12.96\00:27:14.46
"Lord, I want to follow You.
00:27:14.46\00:27:16.00
This book cannot be
argued; it cannot be denied.
00:27:16.03\00:27:19.50
And so therefore I
want to follow its Author,
00:27:19.53\00:27:22.10
the One who inspired it."
00:27:22.14\00:27:24.04
Friend, can you do that now?
00:27:24.07\00:27:25.14
Lord, take our hearts.
00:27:25.17\00:27:27.41
Take our lives. Make them Yours.
00:27:27.44\00:27:30.15
Guide us. Lead us.
00:27:30.18\00:27:32.75
Ready us for that great
day when we are taken home
00:27:32.78\00:27:36.92
to be with You forever.
00:27:36.95\00:27:38.99
This is our
prayer, in Jesus' name.
00:27:39.02\00:27:42.59
Amen.
00:27:42.62\00:27:44.56
Thank you so much
for joining me today.
00:27:44.59\00:27:46.16
I'm looking forward to
seeing you again next time.
00:27:46.19\00:27:47.93
Until then, remember:
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"It is written, 'Man
shall not live by bread alone,
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but by every word that proceeds
from the mouth of God.'"
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