¤[Theme music]¤
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¤[Asian instrumental music]¤
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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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Welcome to the
Philippines and to Manila,
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the nation's capital--
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1.8 million people call
the city of Manila home,
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and almost 13 million
live in the metropolitan area,
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placing metro Manila in
the world's top 20 populations.
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And if you drive through
Manila, and you'll do so slowly,
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you'd believe it.
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It can take a long time to
get from anywhere to anywhere
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in Manila.
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But when it comes to
getting around Manila,
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at least you have options.
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¤[Piano music]¤
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The Philippines is an
archipelago, an island nation.
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But although there are
7,500 or so islands here,
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only 11 of them
are larger than Oahu.
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The Philippines sits on
the Pacific Ring of Fire,
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so earthquakes are common,
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while the eruption of
Mount Pinatubo in 1991
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was the second-largest volcanic
eruption of the 20th century
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and caused temperatures
around the world to fall.
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TIME magazine said
the Philippines was
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"the most exposed country in
the world to tropical storms."
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A typhoon in 2013
killed more than 6,000 people.
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¤[Upbeat instrumental music]¤
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The country's favorite
son is boxer Manny Pacquiao--
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Senator Manny Pacquiao.
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He's so popular
in the Philippines,
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police say that crime stops
in Manila whenever he fights,
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and the busy
streets of Manila go quiet.
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Imelda Marcos was the well-known
Philippines First Lady
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for more than 20 years,
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who became famous for
her collection of shoes--
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some say more than 1,000 pairs;
others say almost 3,000 pairs.
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Although the national language
is Tagalog, or Filipino,
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more people speak
English in the Philippines
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than in the United Kingdom.
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The Philippines was colonized
by Spain in the 16th century.
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More than 300 years later,
the United States took control
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of the country following
the Spanish-American War.
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But two years into World War II,
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the country would be ruled
by yet another power: Japan.
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[Cannon firing]
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¤[Tense music]¤
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Japan attacked the Philippines
on December the 8th, 1941,
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just hours after it
attacked Pearl Harbor.
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[explosions and rapid gunfire]
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The combined US-Filipino
force in the Philippines
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was under-resourced
and under-prepared.
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So Japan made fairly
easy work of rolling through
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the Philippines, occupying
Manila on January the 2nd, 1942.
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Fighting a war on
two fronts made it harder
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for the United
States in the Pacific,
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and as important as
it was to defeat Japan,
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defeating
Germany was the priority.
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Filipinos had felt secure,
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believing that American military
might would see off any attack.
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But that
confidence was misplaced.
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American forces had
no option but to retreat.
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When General Douglas MacArthur
left the Philippines in 1942,
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with thousands of
American servicemen
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still in the Philippines,
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he gave a speech at a train
station in South Australia,
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where he said,
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[Douglas MacArthur
speaks] "I shall return."
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But more than two years passed
before MacArthur made it back
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to the Philippines.
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Two-and-a-half years
or more is a long time
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to be at the mercy
of an invading army.
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General Edward King was ordered
by Douglas MacArthur to defend
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the Bataan
Peninsula at all costs.
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MacArthur told him
that if it came down to it,
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US troops were
to charge the enemy.
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Well, of course, that would have
led to a complete slaughter.
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With his men on a
peninsula, water on three sides,
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and an advancing
enemy on the fourth,
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King knew what he had to do,
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and he chose to disobey
MacArthur's direct command.
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On April the 9th, he
stated that all forces on Bataan
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were to lay down their arms
and surrender to the Japanese.
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It was the worst military
defeat the United States
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had ever suffered.
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Twelve thousand
Americans and 58,000 Filipinos
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were captured that day.
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As King was
negotiating surrender,
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he asked a Japanese military
leader if his men would be
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well-treated as
prisoners of war.
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He was told, "We
are not barbarians."
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Well, the events of the
next few weeks and months
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would prove that
statement to be inaccurate.
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The Bataan Peninsula
would become the starting point
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of a journey of
horror, a march of death.
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American forces
were at a low point,
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many overcome by malnourishment
and diseases such as beriberi
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and scurvy, as
well as dysentery.
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But the Japanese decided they
needed to move 12,000 Americans
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and 58,000 Filipinos
out of the Bataan Peninsula.
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They would move
them to Camp O'Donnell,
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a distance of about 65 miles.
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¤[Somber music]¤
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The prisoners would be
marched to a train station.
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Then they'd march
again to Camp O'Donnell
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when they got off the train.
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It's fair to say Japan had no
idea it would suddenly be stuck
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with having to deal
with 70,000 prisoners of war.
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And if Japan kept
those prisoners weak,
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they'd be easier to manage.
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But what unfolded would be
an unbelievably dark chapter
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of World War II, and
it would prompt the asking
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of some questions that
are not easy to answer.
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One of the questions
most asked by people wrestling
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with matters of faith is,
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"Why does God
allow tragedy to happen?"
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I've been asked that
question all over the world,
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and it's a fair question,
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a question that
comes close to everyone
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because wherever you have
people you have heartbreak
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and pain and loss and grief
and all that comes with it.
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Why do horrible
things like this happen?
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Why do babies die of cancer?
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Innocent people get
killed by drunk drivers?
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Why, if there's a God,
would people be subjected
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to inhuman cruelty?
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Which is precisely what came
to the men unfortunate enough
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to be forced into
the Bataan Death March.
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The answers exist,
but they're not easy.
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And the answers
demand something of us.
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I'll be back in just a moment.
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¤[Music]¤
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>>Announcer 1: We
hear it all the time:
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"God is
all-powerful, and God is love."
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But if God is so
powerful and loving,
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why is there so much suffering?
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Discover what the Bible says
on the subject by requesting
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today's free offer: "Why
Does God Allow Suffering?"
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It's absolutely free.
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Just call 800-253-3000,
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800-253-3000.
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Or write to the
address on your screen.
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You can also make your request
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online at iiwoffer.com.
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¤[Music]¤
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>>Announcer 2: Planning
for your financial future
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is a vital aspect of
Christian stewardship.
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For this reason, It Is
Written is pleased to offer
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free planned giving
and estate services.
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For information on
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please call 800-992-2219.
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Call today or visit our website:
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hislegacy.com.
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Call 800-992-2219.
00:08:23.13\00:08:28.17
>>John Bradshaw: Thanks for
joining me on It Is Written.
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One thing about war is
that it ordinarily takes place
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a long way away from
where you are in time and place.
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Even though World War II
happened a long time ago,
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the horrors of World
War II were very real.
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Try to imagine what
it was like for the men
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on the Bataan Death March in
the Philippines--and you can't.
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Seventy thousand men were
forced to march most of 65 miles
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from the Bataan Peninsula
across the bay from Manila
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in the Philippines to
a prisoner-of-war camp.
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Thousands of them
died along the way.
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Put yourself
into that situation--
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no doubt you'll find yourself
struggling to deal with it.
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Wouldn't you imagine
yourself battling to deal
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with the
senselessness of it all,
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the bitter cruelty of it all,
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marching in sweltering
heat without food and water,
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soldiers being
killed indiscriminately,
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completely without reason?
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How do you make sense
of senselessness like that?
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You might even be
trying to make sense
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out of your own
difficult situation.
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In the Bible, there were
plenty of people who tried
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to make sense out of
their difficult situations.
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In the story of Job,
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Job wrestles with the terrible
affliction that came upon him.
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He lost his home, his
children, his possessions.
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So Job tries to
figure out what's going on.
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But behind the scenes
there's something taking place
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that Job can't
possibly know about.
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Satan is behind the affliction
that Job is suffering,
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and the whole episode
reveals that there are issues
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more important than our
suffering or our well-being,
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issues that God
wants us to understand.
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Now, Job's friends are convinced
that Job has done something
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to cause his misfortune.
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They're thinking,
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"You had to have done
something to deserve this."
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Which isn't uncommon.
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One day, Jesus was told that
Pilate had killed some Galileans
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while they were
offering sacrifices.
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Jesus said, "Do you
suppose that these Galileans
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were worse sinners
than all other Galileans,
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because they
suffered such things?
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I tell you, no."
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And He said in verses 4 and 5,
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"Or those eighteen on
whom the tower in Siloam fell
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and killed them, do you think
that they were worse sinners
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than all other men
who dwelt in Jerusalem?
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I tell you, no."
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People like to have neat
explanations for suffering.
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Take the story of
the rich man and Lazarus.
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The common thought in Jesus'
day was that if you were rich,
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you were clearly blessed by God,
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and poverty was
proof of God's displeasure.
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Well, wrong.
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Jesus turned things
upside down in that story
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when He had a beggar in
glory and a rich man in torment.
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How could that be?
00:11:21.54\00:11:23.24
Neat explanations for life's
deep mysteries might be neat,
00:11:23.28\00:11:28.82
but they're inadequate.
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It sits better with a lot
of people to reduce God down,
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to find throwaway answers
to explain the workings of God.
00:11:33.76\00:11:38.46
So I wonder what might have gone
through the minds of the men
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on the Bataan Death March.
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They were soldiers
fighting for their countries,
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Americans and Filipinos.
00:11:45.20\00:11:47.07
And now their captors
were marching them 65 miles,
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and it was beyond miserable.
00:11:50.37\00:11:53.27
It was obvious that many
of them were going to die
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a ghastly death, unnecessarily.
00:11:55.68\00:12:00.15
How do you explain that?
00:12:00.18\00:12:02.12
¤[Somber music]¤
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Men who were on the
march said the temperatures
00:12:06.52\00:12:08.79
were up over 100
degrees Fahrenheit--
00:12:08.82\00:12:11.43
38 degrees Celsius-- or higher.
00:12:11.46\00:12:14.36
It was the hottest time of
the year in the Philippines.
00:12:14.36\00:12:17.33
And the men were forced to
march without food or water.
00:12:17.37\00:12:20.60
They were already
weakened before the march;
00:12:20.64\00:12:23.37
25 percent of the men
on Bataan were in hospital
00:12:23.41\00:12:26.84
or were being
treated for illness;
00:12:26.88\00:12:28.58
about 40 percent of
the men had malaria.
00:12:28.61\00:12:31.51
They were so short of food
they'd been eating iguanas,
00:12:31.55\00:12:34.35
monkeys, and snakes.
00:12:34.38\00:12:35.85
They had eaten
the cavalry horses.
00:12:35.88\00:12:38.95
By the time the
Bataan Death March started,
00:12:38.99\00:12:41.62
they were out of
food, with nothing to drink,
00:12:41.66\00:12:44.89
marching in the
blistering heat for 65 miles.
00:12:44.93\00:12:49.83
Many of the men on the march
had survived the furious bombing
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and the fierce combat
on the island of Corregidor
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in Manila Bay, only to find
themselves marching to death.
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The brutality was
difficult to imagine.
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Death March
survivor Lester Tenney said,
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"It wasn't called
the Bataan Death March
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only because people died.
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It was called the
Bataan Death March
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because of the way men died.
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If you stopped, you died.
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If you fell down, you died.
00:13:24.33\00:13:27.14
If you had a
malaria attack, you died.
00:13:27.17\00:13:30.07
If you couldn't take
another step, you died.
00:13:30.11\00:13:32.61
Use the bathroom, you died.
00:13:32.64\00:13:35.51
We had no food and no water.
00:13:35.54\00:13:38.21
Either they cut your head off,
00:13:38.25\00:13:40.42
they shot you or
they bayoneted you."
00:13:40.45\00:13:43.69
Many POWs were
killed simply for sport.
00:13:44.52\00:13:47.89
While 1.5 percent of
American prisoners of war
00:13:49.89\00:13:52.99
held by Germany
died in captivity,
00:13:53.03\00:13:56.16
more than 40
percent of American POWs
00:13:56.20\00:13:59.67
held by Japan died in captivity.
00:13:59.70\00:14:04.04
Do you ever ask
yourself the question why?
00:14:05.04\00:14:06.98
"Why me?"
00:14:07.01\00:14:08.41
"Why my
grandfather with Alzheimer's?"
00:14:08.44\00:14:10.91
"Why my
grandmother with cancer?"
00:14:10.95\00:14:14.08
"Why is my brother in prison?"
00:14:14.12\00:14:15.62
"Why did I have that accident?"
00:14:15.65\00:14:17.99
"Why did I lose my
family or my future? Why?"
00:14:18.02\00:14:20.99
Fair questions, that's for sure.
00:14:21.02\00:14:23.46
But no matter what
answer you come up with,
00:14:23.49\00:14:25.23
it's almost
always unsatisfactory
00:14:25.26\00:14:28.16
when you're experiencing
your own, your own private hell.
00:14:28.20\00:14:33.80
Well, the men on
the Bataan Death March
00:14:33.84\00:14:36.60
would eventually arrive
in the town of San Fernando,
00:14:36.64\00:14:39.27
where they would board trains
to take them on the next leg
00:14:39.31\00:14:43.14
of their journey.
00:14:43.18\00:14:44.81
So things were gonna
get better for them, right?
00:14:44.85\00:14:48.48
Well, I'll have
more in just a moment.
00:14:48.52\00:14:52.65
¤[Music]¤
00:14:52.69\00:14:59.79
>>John: Thank
you for remembering
00:15:01.83\00:15:02.96
that It Is Written exists
00:15:03.00\00:15:04.50
because of the kindness
of people just like you.
00:15:04.53\00:15:06.94
To support this international
life-changing ministry,
00:15:06.97\00:15:10.54
please call us
now at 800-253-3000.
00:15:10.57\00:15:14.81
You can send your
tax-deductible gift
00:15:14.84\00:15:16.28
to the address on your screen,
00:15:16.31\00:15:17.75
or you can visit us
online at itiswritten.com.
00:15:17.78\00:15:21.58
Thank you for your prayers
and for your financial support.
00:15:21.62\00:15:24.42
Our number
again is 800-253-3000,
00:15:24.45\00:15:28.59
or you can visit us
online at itiswritten.com.
00:15:28.62\00:15:31.53
[Fire crackling]
00:15:32.53\00:15:33.63
>>Girl: My mom woke up at
11:45, and she smelled smoke.
00:15:33.66\00:15:37.63
[Sirens wailing]
00:15:37.67\00:15:38.73
>>Man: About maybe
1:30 in the morning,
00:15:38.77\00:15:40.80
the, uh, my wife
got a phone call,
00:15:40.84\00:15:44.34
and I could hear the voice
on the other end of the line,
00:15:44.37\00:15:47.18
and she was
basically, uh, screaming,
00:15:47.21\00:15:49.94
"There's a fire! It's massive!
00:15:49.98\00:15:51.58
It's headed your way!
00:15:51.61\00:15:52.78
You need to get
out and get out now!"
00:15:52.81\00:15:54.92
>>Woman: After I hear "Fire,"
I hear in the background,
00:15:54.95\00:15:58.22
"The fire is two to four
blocks away from your house."
00:15:58.25\00:16:00.79
And I panicked.
00:16:00.82\00:16:01.89
We started praying. Our
prayers didn't last long.
00:16:01.92\00:16:04.83
They were desperate;
they were, they were rushed.
00:16:04.86\00:16:08.86
There was a need; it was urgent;
00:16:08.90\00:16:10.57
it was very, very urgent.
00:16:10.60\00:16:11.97
I said, "Please
save my children."
00:16:12.00\00:16:14.80
¤[Music]¤
00:16:14.84\00:16:17.91
>>John Bradshaw: Where
was God when the fires burned?
00:16:17.94\00:16:19.44
Where was God
as people suffered?
00:16:19.47\00:16:21.21
Where was God
while people were dying?
00:16:21.24\00:16:23.98
Where was God in the
midst of the devastation?
00:16:24.01\00:16:26.31
[Fire crackling]
00:16:26.35\00:16:31.35
>>John Bradshaw: When
the Bataan Death March
00:16:33.36\00:16:35.52
reached the train station, this
train station in San Fernando,
00:16:35.56\00:16:40.30
American and Filipino
prisoners of war were crammed
00:16:40.33\00:16:43.26
into metal boxcars
for the journey to Karpas,
00:16:43.30\00:16:45.90
which took more
than a couple of hours.
00:16:45.93\00:16:48.47
One hundred men were pressed
into boxcars large enough
00:16:48.50\00:16:51.51
to hold only 40.
00:16:51.54\00:16:52.61
They were jammed in so
tight they couldn't sit down.
00:16:52.64\00:16:57.01
There were no
sanitation facilities.
00:16:57.05\00:16:59.11
Now, remember,
the men were sick.
00:16:59.15\00:17:01.48
They had dysentery.
00:17:01.52\00:17:03.12
There was no
medical care provided.
00:17:03.15\00:17:04.79
It was well over
100 degrees Fahrenheit.
00:17:04.82\00:17:07.76
The boxcars were like ovens.
00:17:07.79\00:17:10.63
Hundreds of men
who survived the march
00:17:10.66\00:17:13.63
didn't survive
the journey by train.
00:17:13.66\00:17:16.83
When the trains
arrived in Karpas,
00:17:18.90\00:17:21.70
the men had to march again,
00:17:21.74\00:17:23.37
often holding each other up
because they knew should anyone
00:17:23.41\00:17:27.88
fall or stop walking,
that man would be executed.
00:17:27.91\00:17:32.98
The men leaned on
each other for survival.
00:17:33.01\00:17:36.58
The psychological
pressure was immense.
00:17:36.62\00:17:39.32
During the march, their Japanese
captors referred to the POWs
00:17:39.35\00:17:43.56
as cowards, told them
that they were lower than dogs
00:17:43.59\00:17:47.40
because they surrendered.
00:17:47.40\00:17:49.73
Decades later, survivors
of the march would talk about
00:17:49.76\00:17:53.03
the great difficulty they
had just thinking about it,
00:17:53.07\00:17:56.57
the graphic images that would
come to mind when they reflected
00:17:56.60\00:18:00.48
on their time here.
00:18:00.51\00:18:02.71
Once they arrived at what's
now known as Camp O'Donnell,
00:18:06.31\00:18:10.22
the ravages of the march
really began to take hold.
00:18:10.25\00:18:13.76
Hundreds of men
were dying every day.
00:18:13.79\00:18:16.22
Some men died with a canteen in
their hand waiting to get water.
00:18:16.26\00:18:21.80
Now, remember they're
sick, many of them diseased.
00:18:21.83\00:18:24.80
They're malnourished, exhausted;
00:18:24.83\00:18:28.04
they haven't had anything
to eat or drink in ages.
00:18:28.07\00:18:32.37
Within two weeks, the strongest
survivors were shipped to Japan
00:18:35.51\00:18:39.65
to work as slaves in
coal mines or factories.
00:18:39.68\00:18:43.85
The ships that
took them to Japan
00:18:43.89\00:18:45.32
were deliberately left unmarked.
00:18:45.35\00:18:48.02
Nothing indicated that
there were POWs on board.
00:18:48.06\00:18:51.93
Literally thousands of
Americans died on those ships,
00:18:51.96\00:18:55.56
sunk by American forces.
00:18:55.60\00:18:58.47
Twenty-six ships
carrying American POWs were sunk
00:18:58.50\00:19:02.07
by the United States
because Japan refused
00:19:02.10\00:19:05.24
to put markings on the ships.
00:19:05.27\00:19:07.94
So, you're a slave
in a Japanese coal mine;
00:19:07.98\00:19:12.11
you're a long way from home.
00:19:12.15\00:19:14.58
Maybe you wonder what
the sense of it all is.
00:19:14.62\00:19:17.49
Now, go back to
the time of David,
00:19:18.42\00:19:20.79
and no doubt there
were people wondering why.
00:19:20.82\00:19:23.63
The Bible says King
David numbers Israel.
00:19:23.66\00:19:28.20
He conducts a census, something
he should not have done,
00:19:28.23\00:19:32.17
because in doing so, he
was demonstrating that his hope
00:19:32.20\00:19:36.04
was in his army
rather than in God,
00:19:36.07\00:19:38.44
who gave him
victory over Goliath
00:19:38.47\00:19:40.41
and brought down the
walls of Jericho, and so on.
00:19:40.44\00:19:44.01
God wanted David trusting
Him and sending the message
00:19:44.05\00:19:47.18
to Israel that their hope
was in God and not in men.
00:19:47.22\00:19:51.29
Now, as a
consequence of what David did,
00:19:51.32\00:19:53.52
God sent a plague
that killed 70,000 people.
00:19:53.56\00:19:57.49
Now, were these people guilty?
00:19:57.53\00:19:59.49
No, they weren't.
00:19:59.53\00:20:00.63
They were just...
collateral damage.
00:20:00.66\00:20:04.30
Now, try making
sense out of that.
00:20:04.33\00:20:07.14
Is that fair?
00:20:07.17\00:20:09.14
Well, of course it's not fair.
00:20:09.17\00:20:10.77
But if you want to
talk about what's fair,
00:20:10.81\00:20:13.31
let's talk about Calvary.
00:20:13.34\00:20:15.34
Jesus was nailed to a cross.
00:20:15.38\00:20:17.28
He took upon Himself the
sins of the entire world.
00:20:17.31\00:20:21.05
He was
ridiculed, falsely accused.
00:20:21.08\00:20:23.59
He was beaten, tortured, and
He hadn't done anything wrong.
00:20:23.62\00:20:29.36
Now, that was not fair.
00:20:29.39\00:20:32.49
But what all this
reveals is that in God's eyes,
00:20:32.53\00:20:35.06
there are even bigger
questions than our comfort,
00:20:35.10\00:20:38.13
our earthly
well-being, even our survival--
00:20:38.17\00:20:41.47
or His, for that matter.
00:20:41.50\00:20:43.47
And why is that?
00:20:43.51\00:20:44.74
There are things going on
in this world behind the scenes
00:20:45.74\00:20:49.11
that we can't really understand.
00:20:49.14\00:20:50.78
And remember Job?
00:20:50.81\00:20:52.51
Job was unaware of the
spiritual battle taking place
00:20:52.55\00:20:55.75
outside of his view.
00:20:55.78\00:20:57.22
He was also unaware that
his misfortune would help us.
00:20:57.25\00:21:01.46
It would help us to see
that there's a spiritual battle
00:21:01.49\00:21:03.73
taking place
behind the scenes today.
00:21:03.76\00:21:06.56
What Job learned is
that what matters ultimately
00:21:06.59\00:21:09.76
is that we trust God,
00:21:09.80\00:21:11.57
that we realize
there's a bigger picture,
00:21:11.60\00:21:14.17
and that
ultimately God is in control.
00:21:14.20\00:21:17.67
He said in Job 42:5--
a very important verse--
00:21:17.71\00:21:23.98
"I have heard of You
by the hearing of the ear,
00:21:24.01\00:21:27.18
but now my eye sees You."
00:21:27.22\00:21:30.69
Job was saying,
"Finally, I get it.
00:21:30.72\00:21:35.12
My job is to
simply trust You, God,
00:21:35.16\00:21:38.69
no matter what."
00:21:38.73\00:21:40.43
And that's it.
00:21:40.46\00:21:41.73
Trust in God, no matter what.
00:21:41.76\00:21:45.80
In Job 38, God says,
00:21:45.83\00:21:48.67
"Now prepare
yourself like a man;
00:21:48.70\00:21:51.67
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.
00:21:51.71\00:21:55.78
Where were you when I laid
the foundations of the earth?
00:21:55.81\00:21:59.61
Tell me, if you
have understanding."
00:21:59.65\00:22:02.32
Job 38:3-4.
00:22:02.35\00:22:04.99
He goes on to say,
00:22:05.02\00:22:06.35
"Have you commanded the
morning since your days began,
00:22:06.39\00:22:09.69
and caused the
dawn to know its place?
00:22:09.72\00:22:12.19
Have you entered
the springs of the sea?
00:22:12.23\00:22:14.56
Or have you walked
in search of the depths?
00:22:14.56\00:22:16.87
Have the gates of
death been revealed to you?
00:22:16.90\00:22:19.77
Or have you seen the
doors of the shadow of death?
00:22:19.80\00:22:22.84
Have you comprehended
the breadth of the earth?
00:22:22.87\00:22:25.27
Tell me, if you know all this."
00:22:25.31\00:22:27.54
Job 38:12, 16-18.
00:22:27.58\00:22:31.31
For four
chapters, God answers Job.
00:22:31.35\00:22:35.28
It's the longest speech given
by God in the entire Bible,
00:22:35.32\00:22:39.35
and God doesn't deal
with Job's guilt or innocence.
00:22:39.39\00:22:43.02
He doesn't even try to make
sense out of Job's suffering.
00:22:43.06\00:22:46.39
He simply reveals to Job
one of the most important things
00:22:46.43\00:22:50.47
a person could ever learn.
00:22:50.50\00:22:52.77
¤[Somber music]¤
00:22:52.80\00:22:57.67
There are times when
things just don't make sense,
00:22:57.71\00:23:00.48
and that's when you
remember that God is God.
00:23:00.51\00:23:04.98
That's it.
00:23:05.01\00:23:06.11
God is God.
00:23:06.15\00:23:07.98
If you try to make sense
00:23:08.02\00:23:09.15
out of your own
personal difficult experiences,
00:23:09.18\00:23:12.42
well, you're not
always going to be able to.
00:23:12.45\00:23:14.19
People often say,
00:23:14.22\00:23:15.12
"Well, everything
happens for a reason."
00:23:15.16\00:23:16.56
So try telling that to a soldier
on the Bataan Death March,
00:23:16.59\00:23:19.89
or to somebody in
a concentration camp.
00:23:19.93\00:23:22.00
What could the
reason be for that?
00:23:22.03\00:23:25.70
The reason is often simply
that there's sin in the world.
00:23:25.73\00:23:29.30
Wicked things happen because
of the presence of wickedness.
00:23:29.34\00:23:32.11
Why did the Bataan
Death March happen?
00:23:32.14\00:23:34.81
Because a nation
wanted to be a great empire,
00:23:34.84\00:23:37.35
plain and simple.
00:23:37.38\00:23:38.51
Japan's co-prosperity
sphere was promoted:
00:23:38.55\00:23:41.48
"We'll free you from
Western colonial oppression,
00:23:41.52\00:23:44.25
and we'll all prosper."
00:23:44.29\00:23:46.15
Well, that was never
gonna happen, and it didn't.
00:23:46.19\00:23:48.72
You go all the way
back before Creation,
00:23:48.76\00:23:50.83
and Satan said
basically the same thing.
00:23:50.86\00:23:53.33
"I will be like the Most High."
00:23:53.36\00:23:55.13
Isaiah 14:14.
00:23:55.16\00:23:56.97
Someone wanted to be great.
00:23:57.00\00:24:00.60
The truth is
sometimes there's no reason
00:24:00.64\00:24:03.71
for human rights abuses
like the Bataan Death March,
00:24:03.74\00:24:06.64
other than sin.
00:24:06.68\00:24:07.71
I said earlier that when
you ask the question why,
00:24:07.74\00:24:11.28
the answer you find
demands a lot from you--it does.
00:24:11.31\00:24:14.62
When God says, "Just trust
me," that isn't always easy.
00:24:14.65\00:24:18.39
Your child dies. God
says, "Just trust me."
00:24:18.42\00:24:21.69
Let's not kid each other here.
00:24:21.72\00:24:24.03
That's not easy.
00:24:24.06\00:24:25.79
You're involved in
a terrible accident.
00:24:25.83\00:24:28.13
You lose your job or your home.
00:24:28.16\00:24:31.50
God says, "Just trust me."
00:24:31.53\00:24:35.24
You're facing an
impossible future,
00:24:35.27\00:24:37.67
and God says, "Trust me"?
00:24:37.71\00:24:40.18
Yes, that's what God says.
00:24:41.18\00:24:44.41
Because the truth is our time
on this earth is very short.
00:24:44.45\00:24:48.82
The ball isn't always
gonna bounce your way.
00:24:48.85\00:24:52.09
Life can seem unfair,
00:24:52.12\00:24:54.49
but ultimately we're
here to learn a lesson:
00:24:54.52\00:24:59.13
Trust God.
00:24:59.16\00:25:01.23
The Bible says,
00:25:01.26\00:25:02.33
"And we know that all
things work together for good
00:25:02.36\00:25:06.00
to those who love God,
00:25:06.03\00:25:07.77
to those who are the called
according to His purpose."
00:25:07.80\00:25:10.67
Romans 8:28.
00:25:10.71\00:25:12.57
So, what worked for good
00:25:13.58\00:25:15.54
as a result of the
Bataan Death March?
00:25:15.58\00:25:18.15
Well, those who wanted to learn
lessons about war and cruelty
00:25:18.18\00:25:20.98
and war crimes certainly could.
00:25:21.02\00:25:23.35
General Homma, the
Japanese general responsible
00:25:23.39\00:25:25.79
for the death march,
was executed for war crimes.
00:25:25.82\00:25:29.66
The Americans and
Filipinos played their part
00:25:29.69\00:25:31.56
in bringing victory,
and that's no small thing.
00:25:31.59\00:25:34.00
But try telling that to
someone dying of thirst,
00:25:34.03\00:25:37.27
or at the wrong end
of an enemy bayonet.
00:25:37.30\00:25:40.20
It takes a lot
of faith to accept.
00:25:40.24\00:25:43.54
But ultimately we
have to remember that life
00:25:43.57\00:25:45.84
isn't about fairness
or things that make sense.
00:25:45.87\00:25:49.48
Often, life just
doesn't make sense,
00:25:49.51\00:25:51.95
not from our vantage point.
00:25:51.98\00:25:54.45
But if you can trust a
God who is working things out
00:25:54.48\00:25:57.35
behind the scenes,
00:25:57.39\00:25:59.09
if you can trust that God has
your best interests at heart,
00:25:59.12\00:26:02.79
if you can trust
that there's a coming day
00:26:02.82\00:26:04.73
when there'll be no
more sin, no more death,
00:26:04.76\00:26:08.20
no more war, no more cruelty,
00:26:08.23\00:26:11.37
then you can look beyond the
harsh challenges of this world,
00:26:11.40\00:26:15.24
and you can know that one day
00:26:15.27\00:26:16.91
God is gonna make all
things new and all things good.
00:26:16.94\00:26:21.74
¤[Music]¤
00:26:21.78\00:26:28.88
>>Announcer: We
hear it all the time:
00:26:30.69\00:26:32.72
"God is
all-powerful, and God is love."
00:26:32.75\00:26:35.59
But if God is so
powerful and loving,
00:26:35.62\00:26:37.76
why is there so much suffering?
00:26:37.79\00:26:40.03
Discover what the Bible says
on the subject by requesting
00:26:40.06\00:26:42.63
today's free offer: "Why
Does God Allow Suffering?"
00:26:42.66\00:26:45.43
It's absolutely free.
00:26:45.47\00:26:46.90
Just call 800-253-3000,
00:26:46.94\00:26:50.31
800-253-3000.
00:26:50.34\00:26:53.71
Or write to the
address on your screen.
00:26:53.74\00:26:55.44
You can also make your request
00:26:55.48\00:26:56.51
online at iiwoffer.com.
00:26:56.54\00:26:59.58
>>John Bradshaw:
Let's pray together now.
00:27:01.25\00:27:03.25
Our Father in heaven, we
thank You that there is hope.
00:27:03.28\00:27:05.52
We thank You that,
00:27:05.55\00:27:07.32
that things do make
sense from Your perspective,
00:27:07.36\00:27:10.13
and we can trust You
when they don't from ours.
00:27:10.16\00:27:13.93
And so during the challenges,
00:27:13.96\00:27:15.20
in the midst of the
struggles of this world,
00:27:15.23\00:27:16.70
give us grace to look beyond
what we can see immediately,
00:27:16.73\00:27:19.43
to a day when You
will make all things right.
00:27:19.47\00:27:22.50
We thank You that
You see the big picture,
00:27:22.54\00:27:25.41
and that we can
always trust You.
00:27:25.44\00:27:27.71
Friend, can you trust God today?
00:27:27.74\00:27:30.18
Trust Him in the midst
of your present challenge,
00:27:30.21\00:27:32.11
in the midst of
your present distress.
00:27:32.15\00:27:33.58
Tell Him, "I trust You, God.
00:27:33.62\00:27:36.45
I believe You'll
make all things right."
00:27:36.48\00:27:38.52
Lord, we thank You,
and we pray in Jesus' name.
00:27:38.55\00:27:43.12
Amen.
00:27:43.16\00:27:44.66
Thank you so
much for joining me.
00:27:44.69\00:27:46.03
I'm looking forward to
seeing you again next time.
00:27:46.06\00:27:48.26
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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