>>John Bradshaw:
This is It Is Written.
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I'm John Bradshaw.
Thanks for joining me.
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In 2013, a woman
living in Wisconsin wondered
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what was going on when
her nine-month-old Husky
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put its nose on her abdomen
and began sniffing deeply.
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The dog did it again and again.
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And then the dog hid from the
woman, as though it was afraid.
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Eventually the woman decided
she would visit the doctor
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to try to find
out what was going on,
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and she learned
she had ovarian cancer.
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When the cancer returned,
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it seemed the dog knew
before anybody else did,
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started acting just
like it did the first time.
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When the cancer
returned for a third time,
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the dog behaved in
exactly the same way.
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So is that a fluke?
Was it a coincidence?
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Well, not
according to the experts,
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who say that there are dogs
who can detect various kinds
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of cancer with a 98
percent accuracy rate,
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which tells us several
things, among them this:
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Animals are amazing.
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Or to broaden that out a little
bit, God's creation is amazing.
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Let's think for a few moments
about some examples of this.
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¤[Music]¤
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You've got camels who can
drink more than 140 gallons
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of water in one go.
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Emperor penguins that
can survive in temperatures
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of minus 70 degrees.
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Grizzly bears, which hibernate
for around six months at a time.
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Octopuses, or octopodes,
which have eight arms,
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three hearts, and blue blood.
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Salmon can live in both
fresh water and salt water.
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And after being
at sea for years,
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they're able to
return to the very river
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in which they were born.
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How do they do that?
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Fragile monarch butterflies
travel hundreds and hundreds
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of miles as they migrate.
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Ants can carry 50
times their body weight.
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Fleas can jump 150
times their own body length.
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That would be like
me jumping 300 yards.
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Today I want to look with
you at something remarkable,
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something basic but remarkable,
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something pretty
well taken for granted,
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but something truly remarkable.
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¤[Low mysterious music]¤
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The Bible starts
off by saying that
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"in the beginning God created
the heaven and the earth."
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And then when God had
finished His work of creation,
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He proclaimed that everything
He had made was very good.
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The psalmist wrote,
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"I am fearfully and wonderfully
made" in Psalm 139, verse 14.
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Jeremiah wrote, "Ah, Lord God!
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Behold, You have made
the heavens and the earth
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by Your great power
and outstretched arm."
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Jeremiah 32:17.
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In Isaiah 44:24, God says,
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"I am the Lord,
who makes all things,
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[and] stretches out
the heavens all alone,
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who spreads abroad
the earth by myself."
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And in the book of Revelation
we read that an angel flies
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in the midst of heaven
having the everlasting gospel
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to preach to the world, saying,
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"Fear God and give glory to Him;
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for the hour of
His judgment is come:
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and worship Him that
made heaven, and earth,
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and the sea, and the
fountains of waters."
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You see evidences of
God's creative power everywhere:
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in animals, in the birds of
the air, in plants and in trees,
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in the oceans, sea creatures.
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I mentioned
octopuses and penguins,
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but think of whales and
sharks and so much more,
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like, well...like seashells.
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Have you ever stopped
to look at a seashell?
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No, I mean, have
you really looked?
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Have you stopped to
think about they are,
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what they're for,
and how they're made?
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I don't think I know anyone
who doesn't like seashells.
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Visit the beach and
you'll find people walking
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with their heads
down, looking for shells,
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looking for something beautiful.
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In order to learn more
about these incredible things,
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I traveled to Minnesota to
talk with Marilee McNeilus,
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who has a
remarkable shell collection.
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She's been shelling for years.
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She even has a
shell named after her,
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and her experience with shells
has given her a close-up view
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of God's incredible creation.
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How did you get into
collecting seashells?
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>>Marilee McNeilus: Well,
that's an interesting question
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because I'm really
not sure how it evolved.
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I know my first
recollection of a shell
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was when we went
to Texas--Galveston--
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saw the ocean for the
first time as a child.
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And I took my little bit of
savings, or my allowance money,
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went into a
store, and bought shells
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because I was just fascinated
by, by shells--the beauty,
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the intricacy--I
don't know what it was.
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>>John: Hey,
let me ask you this.
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I'm, I'm, uh, I'm
gonna pick up a shell here.
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[grunts] I need a crane, I
think, to help me with this one.
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And I'm going to
ask the question--
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I don't know quite
the best way to put this,
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but this looks like it was cast
in concrete or made of plastic
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or some such thing.
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This might not be representative
of every shell in the ocean,
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but that's a seashell.
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It's a big fellow.
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So I'm going to
ask you-- what's this?
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This is a beauty.
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>>Marilee: That is a
syrinx; this is from Australia.
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This is actually an
example of the largest gastropod
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being a one-unit shell,
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which 80 percent of
the shells are gastropods.
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>>John: As opposed to
bivalves, like oysters?
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>>Marilee: Right, correct.
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>>John: Okay.
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>>Marilee: And this one
is the largest gastropod
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in the world, and,
um, from Australia.
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>>John: Which part of
Australia, do you know?
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>>Marilee: Well,
uh, Western Australia.
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>>John: Okay.
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>>Marilee: Mm-hm. I've actually
collected some in Broome.
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>>John: Broome? Not many
people know where Broome is.
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It's--Broome, uh, in
fact, if you, if you,
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if you Google "the
middle of nowhere,"
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Broome comes up, I think.
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>>Marilee: Well--
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>>John: It's way
out there, isn't it?
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>>Marilee: It is, but it
was, it's a fantastic place.
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>>John: Yeah, and does
that, does Broome's location,
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isolated on the
northwestern coast of Australia,
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does that lend
itself in some way to being
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a great shell destination?
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>>Marilee: Well, there's a
lot of good species of shells
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in Australia; it's, it's really
good shelling in Australia.
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>>John: And this
is an example of one?
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>>Marilee: And this
is an example of one--
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>>John: That's fantastic.
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>>Marilee: ...you
know, extreme example.
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>>John: Now, now,
someone camping on the beach
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is gonna find one
of these on the beach?
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>>Marilee: No, no, no.
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When we were in
Broome, we were at a equinox
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of the, of the tides of the sun,
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and there was
30-foot-minus tides--
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>>John: Oh, okay.
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>>Marilee: ...so that
means that where there was
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30 foot of water, the tide
went out far enough that there,
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you now could walk there.
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>>John: So that's a lot
of beach that was available?
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>>Marilee:
That's a lot of beach,
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and mostly it's not beach;
it's rocky, uh, puddles, holes,
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all kinds of just fascinating,
fascinating sea life
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that you're seeing
there, and exposed.
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>>John: So--
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>>Marilee: And this is laying--
the one I collected was,
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of course, much
smaller than that,
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and I think I've given it away,
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but, um, it was laying
on the sandy mud. Mm-hm.
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But to think that this
grew from a little egg--
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most people don't
realize that shells grow.
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They're egg-laying.
They lay eggs in masses.
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I think we have some
examples we can show you,
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but there's some, you
know, little growth series,
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and we could find
these in these little pools,
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these little, teeny-tiny shells.
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>>John: So these grow from eggs?
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>>Marilee: They grow from
eggs. Shells are egg-layers.
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They lay en masse,
like amphibians, you know.
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>>John: So let me
ask you the, the basic,
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maybe ignorant
person's question,
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but I think there's a lot
of people who will resonate
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with this question.
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What's a seashell?
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What are we looking at
when we're looking at a,
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at a seashell?
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>>Marilee: We're
looking at some animal's home.
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>>John: Oh, yeah?
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>>Marilee: Mm-hm.
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>>John: So there was
an animal inside this?
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>>Marilee: That
lived in that house.
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>>John: Well, okay, I
think the easy thing--
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you think about an
oyster or a mussel or a scallop
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that many people
are familiar with--
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that's the animal;
there's, the casing is the home.
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>>Marilee: Mm-hm.
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>>John: Similar principle here.
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>>Marilee: Exactly.
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>>John: Uh, so,
how does this happen?
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Something laid an egg, and it--
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>>Marilee: Grew, it grew,
just like a, just like a baby,
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just like a child, just like--
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>>John: So how do these grow?
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>>Marilee: Just there's a,
the animal in, in the shell--
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>>John: Uh-huh.
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>>Marilee: ...secretes
in its mantle cavity,
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a part of the shell,
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secretes this liquid calcium--
it's like a calcium carbonate--
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that's what it's made up
of, like a bony structure.
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It's just like
reverse of a body.
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The animal lives
inside of the hard surface.
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We have our skin, and
our bone structure internal.
00:09:04.81\00:09:08.64
So the shell grows.
00:09:08.68\00:09:10.21
He always lives
in that same shell.
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He doesn't move
out of the shell.
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He constantly is growing.
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His rate of growth would
depend on food availability,
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water temperature,
other factors in the sea.
00:09:19.59\00:09:23.79
And he just
continues to grow and maintain.
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At some point he
reaches adulthood,
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and then you can see
on some shells where they,
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they're continually
keeping their shell maintained.
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Just like you
maintain your body,
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they maintain, they
maintain their shell.
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>>John: Now, I
understand that there's a shell
00:09:41.64\00:09:43.98
that's been named after you.
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Is that correct?
00:09:47.08\00:09:47.92
>>Marilee: Yes.
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>>John: Okay, so, in just
a moment, I'd like to see it
00:09:49.12\00:09:52.75
and find out the
story behind the marileeae.
00:09:52.79\00:09:58.23
I don't know there'll
ever be a "johnae" seashell,
00:09:58.26\00:10:00.96
so I'd like to
have a look at that.
00:10:01.00\00:10:02.80
Don't go away. We'll be
right back in just a moment.
00:10:02.83\00:10:05.80
¤[Music]¤
00:10:05.83\00:10:13.34
>>Announcer: They're in
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00:10:17.35\00:10:18.58
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00:10:18.61\00:10:21.12
in this life and
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00:10:21.15\00:10:23.39
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00:10:40.17\00:10:44.34
>>John Bradshaw:
Thanks for joining me today.
00:10:45.34\00:10:47.21
Our conversation today
is with Marilee McNeilus,
00:10:47.24\00:10:50.18
an avid shell collector.
00:10:50.21\00:10:52.21
Marilee, someone who has even
had a shell named after her.
00:10:52.25\00:10:58.32
What's this little one?
00:10:58.35\00:11:00.09
>>Marilee McNeilus: Well,
that is called Conus marileeae.
00:11:00.12\00:11:03.02
>>John: Conus marileeae.
It's called "conus" because?
00:11:03.06\00:11:07.13
>>Marilee: It's a
family of cone shell.
00:11:07.20\00:11:08.96
>>John: Cone shape.
00:11:09.00\00:11:10.20
And it's called "marileeae"
because you discovered this one?
00:11:10.23\00:11:14.80
>>Marilee: Yes.
00:11:14.84\00:11:15.94
>>John: How in the world--
well, maybe the answer is,
00:11:15.97\00:11:18.51
is pretty simple, but how
in the world do you discover
00:11:18.54\00:11:21.81
an undiscovered shell?
00:11:21.84\00:11:23.81
Are there many left to be
discovered and categorized?
00:11:23.85\00:11:27.12
>>Marilee: Probably many.
00:11:27.15\00:11:27.78
>>John: You think there are?
00:11:27.82\00:11:28.35
>>Marilee: Yes, I do.
00:11:28.38\00:11:29.32
>>John: Yeah?
00:11:29.35\00:11:29.98
>>Marilee: Mm-hm.
00:11:30.02\00:11:30.82
>>John: How did
you find this one?
00:11:30.85\00:11:31.99
>>Marilee: Well, I had
the privilege of shelling
00:11:32.02\00:11:34.32
with the Smithsonian on
a submersible on the island
00:11:34.36\00:11:37.53
of Curacao, and we dove
at about 900-1,000 feet.
00:11:37.56\00:11:43.90
And along the way we
picked up bottles or anything
00:11:43.93\00:11:48.60
like debris, ocean debris.
00:11:48.64\00:11:52.04
And we also were
looking for specific shells
00:11:52.07\00:11:54.81
that were endemic to
that area of the world,
00:11:54.84\00:11:56.98
and then when we
came up from the dive,
00:11:57.01\00:12:00.05
we would sift
through this debris,
00:12:00.08\00:12:03.22
all this debris that was
collected in these buckets.
00:12:03.25\00:12:06.32
And so there was a lot of
collecting, a lot of searching,
00:12:06.35\00:12:12.13
and then the
working in the microscopes
00:12:12.16\00:12:14.50
because we were looking
at it for really small things
00:12:14.56\00:12:17.30
and then, you
know, the bigger things,
00:12:17.33\00:12:18.53
and this was one of
the, maybe pretty close
00:12:18.57\00:12:21.10
to one of the bigger
things that we found.
00:12:21.14\00:12:23.57
>>John: And you
saw this and you said,
00:12:23.61\00:12:25.04
"Hey, I've never
seen that before."
00:12:25.07\00:12:26.64
>>Marilee: Right.
And everybody said--
00:12:26.68\00:12:28.21
>>John: Really? You did?
00:12:28.24\00:12:28.98
>>Marilee: Well, yeah. Yes.
00:12:29.01\00:12:30.41
>>John: And folks who were
with you said the same thing?
00:12:30.45\00:12:32.55
>>Marilee: Yes, and they said,
00:12:32.58\00:12:33.65
"Yes, we think that
might be something different."
00:12:33.68\00:12:35.65
So we, uh, take this off to
the, back to Washington, DC,
00:12:35.68\00:12:40.39
back to the Smithsonian, back
to the--let the malacologists,
00:12:40.42\00:12:45.06
the curators, have a look-see.
00:12:45.09\00:12:48.26
>>John: Well, that's fantastic.
Have you found a second one?
00:12:49.26\00:12:52.47
>>Marilee: No.
00:12:52.50\00:12:53.30
>>John: No?
00:12:53.34\00:12:53.97
>>Marilee: No.
00:12:54.00\00:12:55.20
>>John: I guess if you found
this at 1,000 feet in Curacao,
00:12:55.24\00:12:58.97
then maybe you're not
likely to find one washed up
00:12:59.01\00:13:01.78
on Sanibel Island.
00:13:01.81\00:13:03.08
>>Marilee: No.
00:13:03.11\00:13:03.75
>>John: No?
00:13:03.78\00:13:04.55
>>Marilee: No.
That won't happen.
00:13:04.58\00:13:05.68
>>John: Fantastic. All right.
00:13:05.71\00:13:07.28
Let's talk about another couple
of, uh, interesting shells,
00:13:07.32\00:13:10.35
fascinating shells, the
ones that you think are cool.
00:13:10.39\00:13:13.36
What would they be?
00:13:13.39\00:13:14.42
>>Marilee: Well, it,
that brings up the subject
00:13:14.46\00:13:16.49
of the chambered
nautilus, Nautilus pompilius,
00:13:16.52\00:13:19.39
and I think we all are kind
of familiar with the nautilus;
00:13:19.43\00:13:21.80
it's a very beautiful
shell and very common shell.
00:13:21.83\00:13:26.47
But there are about
three species of nautilus.
00:13:26.50\00:13:29.27
And, um, the thing
about a nautilus is that it,
00:13:29.30\00:13:34.64
it is a solid, compact thing,
but it, it goes up and down,
00:13:34.68\00:13:38.88
and there's the
chambers within the nautilus--
00:13:38.91\00:13:40.85
there's 36 chambers--
00:13:40.88\00:13:42.45
and there's a siphonal
tube that connects the chambers.
00:13:42.48\00:13:46.05
And if, if, you know,
when we go down, if you dive,
00:13:46.09\00:13:50.26
your body contracts because
of the weight of the water.
00:13:50.29\00:13:54.00
And this shell is down in
the deep, and then it comes up,
00:13:54.03\00:13:56.63
and it has to
go back down again.
00:13:56.67\00:13:58.33
So it regulates the pressures
through this tube in the shell.
00:13:58.37\00:14:04.34
>>John: And these are
simple creatures, aren't they?
00:14:04.37\00:14:06.54
>>Marilee: These
are, yes, but the nautilus
00:14:06.57\00:14:08.01
is one of the most
complex of the, of the mollusks.
00:14:08.04\00:14:10.75
It's a cephalopod, the same
family as a squid and octopus.
00:14:10.78\00:14:14.65
And so they're more intelligent
of the, of the mollusks.
00:14:14.68\00:14:19.55
But, um, the chambered nautilus
is also, I, when I see that--
00:14:19.59\00:14:23.86
you look at the design.
00:14:23.89\00:14:24.93
You can look at one cut
in half, and you can see,
00:14:24.96\00:14:28.40
and you can see the principle,
the mathematical principle
00:14:28.43\00:14:31.40
of Fibonacci and the, the
golden mean of the design.
00:14:31.43\00:14:34.74
And that's, that's, to me,
a sign of creation, of nature.
00:14:34.77\00:14:39.21
I mean, God designed this
perfect symmetry for strength,
00:14:39.24\00:14:43.35
for durability.
00:14:43.38\00:14:44.38
It's the same
symmetrical pattern that we see
00:14:44.41\00:14:47.08
in vegetation and other
things in the world, you know,
00:14:47.12\00:14:50.42
that, that God created.
00:14:50.45\00:14:51.52
And it's just--that,
that's not by accident.
00:14:51.55\00:14:54.16
That is a divine design.
00:14:54.19\00:14:56.93
>>John: So explain this
to me. This looks remarkable.
00:14:56.96\00:15:01.80
Go ahead.
00:15:01.83\00:15:02.86
>>Marilee: This is a
slice of a chambered nautilus.
00:15:02.90\00:15:06.27
I think we
looked, at one other time,
00:15:06.30\00:15:08.14
we looked at some
chambered nautilus,
00:15:08.17\00:15:10.04
and I think we had the shell.
00:15:10.07\00:15:12.67
And I would like you
to look at the shell,
00:15:12.71\00:15:15.44
and this is the
intricate part of the shell.
00:15:15.48\00:15:17.68
As this nautilus grows,
he lives in each section,
00:15:17.71\00:15:21.52
and he grows, and he matures.
00:15:21.55\00:15:23.12
He closes off a section, and
this little opening in here--
00:15:23.15\00:15:27.22
he regulates his
buoyancy through those chambers
00:15:27.26\00:15:31.93
because he's, he moves.
00:15:31.96\00:15:33.80
His, his shell, this
animal that lives in here,
00:15:33.83\00:15:38.40
he is, be in the
bottom during the day;
00:15:38.43\00:15:40.80
at night he may move
up to feed in a hundred
00:15:40.84\00:15:44.41
change--maybe like a
hundred feet or more.
00:15:44.44\00:15:47.54
>>John: Uh-huh.
00:15:47.58\00:15:48.61
>>Marilee: And so,
that, that can't happen
00:15:48.64\00:15:51.65
unless you regulate the chamber.
00:15:51.68\00:15:53.25
>>John: So, unlike an
oyster, which is a shellfish
00:15:53.28\00:15:55.98
that sits on the bottom
and doesn't really move--
00:15:56.02\00:15:58.02
>>Marilee: Right. No.
00:15:58.05\00:15:59.29
>>John: ...this one goes up and
down by means of these chambers.
00:15:59.32\00:16:04.53
>>Marilee: Chambers.
00:16:04.56\00:16:05.66
>>John: And if you look,
there's these little apertures.
00:16:05.69\00:16:09.46
And something passes through
here to increase or decrease
00:16:09.50\00:16:14.44
[speaking simultaneously]
the buoyancy of this creature.
00:16:14.47\00:16:17.57
>>Marilee: And he bobs along,
and he's, he--now, remember,
00:16:17.61\00:16:20.88
he looks like a
oc--he's got a lot of tentacles.
00:16:20.91\00:16:24.11
He's, he's feeding for fish.
00:16:24.15\00:16:25.81
He's, he's, he's eating fish and
squid and other little things,
00:16:25.85\00:16:31.75
a lot of the little animals.
00:16:31.79\00:16:32.89
>>John: And here is a nautilus.
00:16:32.92\00:16:35.49
This is a, this
is a little strip.
00:16:35.52\00:16:37.09
>>Marilee: Mm-hm.
00:16:37.13\00:16:38.03
>>John: Uh, but
this is the whole thing?
00:16:38.06\00:16:39.79
>>Marilee: Right.
00:16:39.83\00:16:40.46
>>John: Pretty much.
00:16:40.50\00:16:41.80
And when you open it up
like that, that's what you see.
00:16:41.83\00:16:44.90
>>Marilee: Right.
00:16:44.93\00:16:46.10
>>John: And this evolved?
00:16:46.13\00:16:47.90
>>Marilee: No, of
course not. Of course not.
00:16:47.94\00:16:50.94
I mean, how long has it taken
man to develop a submarine?
00:16:50.97\00:16:56.61
I don't know. Yeah, I mean--
00:16:56.64\00:16:58.65
>>John: Thousands of years.
00:16:58.68\00:16:59.78
>>Marilee: God, yeah, God
did that. He created that.
00:16:59.81\00:17:01.98
I mean, they named a
submarine the Nautilus,
00:17:02.02\00:17:04.65
you know, because
that animal was created.
00:17:04.69\00:17:09.29
God gave it that
ability. He created that.
00:17:09.32\00:17:11.73
>>John: This is, this
is remarkably intricate.
00:17:11.76\00:17:14.03
>>Marilee: It is.
00:17:14.10\00:17:15.10
>>John: For this, for
the purpose of being able
00:17:15.13\00:17:16.40
to ascend and descend.
00:17:16.43\00:17:17.67
>>Marilee: Right, right.
00:17:17.70\00:17:18.87
>>John: And remain
buoyant or, or less buoyant.
00:17:18.90\00:17:21.47
>>Marilee: Right.
00:17:21.50\00:17:22.70
>>John: In a
moment I want to ask you
00:17:22.74\00:17:24.67
about shells in the Bible.
00:17:24.71\00:17:27.21
Shells in the Bible.
00:17:27.24\00:17:28.84
Don't go away.
We'll be right back.
00:17:28.88\00:17:30.35
¤[Music]¤
00:17:30.38\00:17:37.62
>>John: Thank
you for remembering
00:17:39.02\00:17:40.22
that It Is Written exists
00:17:40.26\00:17:41.72
because of the kindness
of people just like you.
00:17:41.76\00:17:44.49
To support this international
life-changing ministry,
00:17:44.53\00:17:47.83
please call us
now at 800-253-3000.
00:17:47.86\00:17:51.80
You can send your
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00:17:51.83\00:17:53.50
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00:17:53.54\00:17:54.90
or you can visit us
online at itiswritten.com.
00:17:54.94\00:17:58.74
Thank you for your prayers
and for your financial support.
00:17:58.77\00:18:01.64
Our number
again is 800-253-3000.
00:18:01.68\00:18:05.81
Or you can visit us
online at itiswritten.com.
00:18:05.85\00:18:08.85
>>John: "In the beginning God"--
00:18:09.85\00:18:12.15
well, in the
beginning God did what?
00:18:12.19\00:18:14.76
The Bible is clear.
00:18:14.79\00:18:16.56
Society and many commentators
on the Bible are less clear.
00:18:16.59\00:18:22.06
I want to invite you
to be sure that you catch
00:18:22.10\00:18:24.47
"Great Chapters of the
Bible: Genesis Chapter 1,"
00:18:24.50\00:18:28.84
the creation story,
00:18:28.87\00:18:30.57
the story about a great God who
spoke this world into existence.
00:18:30.61\00:18:35.04
Now, when you
consider the creation story,
00:18:35.08\00:18:36.85
you have to
consider what came next.
00:18:36.88\00:18:39.01
Next came sin.
00:18:39.05\00:18:41.12
But what comes next?
00:18:41.15\00:18:43.42
That's when we get
to the end of the story
00:18:43.45\00:18:45.42
and the earth made new.
00:18:45.45\00:18:47.36
Did God create this
world, or didn't He?
00:18:47.39\00:18:49.79
And what about evolution?
00:18:49.82\00:18:51.99
Did God create the world
00:18:52.03\00:18:53.16
in six real, literal days,
or are they figurative days?
00:18:53.19\00:18:56.60
Maybe it was over
millions of years?
00:18:56.63\00:18:59.60
"Great Chapters of the
Bible: Genesis Chapter 1"
00:18:59.63\00:19:03.14
on It Is Written TV.
00:19:03.17\00:19:08.18
>>John Bradshaw:
Thanks for joining us today.
00:19:10.01\00:19:11.31
I'm talking with
Marilee McNeilus,
00:19:11.35\00:19:13.28
a shell collector.
00:19:13.31\00:19:15.15
Uh, not the kind of
shell collector you were
00:19:15.18\00:19:17.85
when you were a child,
or I was when I was a child.
00:19:17.89\00:19:20.02
We're talking about
serious shell collecting.
00:19:20.06\00:19:22.99
And now I want to ask you
about shells in the Bible.
00:19:23.02\00:19:28.30
Does the Bible
speak much about shells?
00:19:28.33\00:19:32.47
What does it have to say?
00:19:32.50\00:19:34.34
>>Marilee McNeilus: Well, one
of the most interesting things
00:19:34.37\00:19:35.97
that I think a lot of
people don't realize--
00:19:36.00\00:19:37.91
that there's this
lady in the Bible in Acts
00:19:37.94\00:19:40.28
who is very hospitable.
00:19:40.31\00:19:41.88
She was a business woman, which
is pretty rare for Bible times.
00:19:41.91\00:19:45.78
Her name is Lydia,
00:19:45.81\00:19:47.42
and it says that Lydia
was a seller of purple.
00:19:47.45\00:19:50.12
>>John: Purple.
00:19:50.15\00:19:51.15
>>Marilee: Now, most
people don't realize that
00:19:51.19\00:19:53.15
the purple in that day came
from a mollusk, from a shell.
00:19:53.19\00:19:56.83
>>John: From a shell?
00:19:56.86\00:19:57.79
>>Marilee: That
shell that you're holding
00:19:57.83\00:19:58.83
is called Murex brandaris.
00:19:58.86\00:20:01.43
Murex are a family of shells;
they're a carnivorous family.
00:20:01.46\00:20:06.13
And that shell was one of
the shells that was collected
00:20:06.17\00:20:09.74
in Phoenicia by
probably fisherman or workers,
00:20:09.77\00:20:14.04
collected this shell
for Lydia and collected them
00:20:14.08\00:20:18.55
in large quantities
because it took a lot of dye.
00:20:18.58\00:20:22.25
You can imagine that
shell-- they probably whacked it
00:20:22.28\00:20:24.59
with a hammer or
some similar object,
00:20:24.62\00:20:28.29
took the animal
out, took one gland,
00:20:28.32\00:20:30.83
one small part of that
shell, and put all these pieces
00:20:30.86\00:20:36.30
together, and
came up with this dye.
00:20:36.33\00:20:39.47
This dye doesn't turn
purple till it hits the air,
00:20:39.50\00:20:42.04
and then it becomes purple.
00:20:42.07\00:20:43.20
>>John: So this is
Lydia, the seller of purple--
00:20:43.24\00:20:45.14
>>Marilee: Seller of purple.
00:20:45.17\00:20:46.11
>>John: ...we read
about in the book of Acts.
00:20:46.14\00:20:47.51
>>Marilee: Right. Mm-hm.
00:20:47.54\00:20:48.51
>>John: And that purple
was extracted from this?
00:20:48.54\00:20:50.81
>>Marilee: From that shell.
00:20:50.85\00:20:52.31
There are, there are other
murex that also excrete it,
00:20:52.35\00:20:55.18
but that was the most
common one in that area.
00:20:55.22\00:20:58.45
>>John: So, where Lydia
was, were these shells nearby,
00:20:58.49\00:21:02.09
or did they have to be
brought from quite a distance?
00:21:02.12\00:21:04.16
>>Marilee: Oh, maybe
it's 30, 40 miles from the,
00:21:04.19\00:21:06.43
from the sea, you know.
00:21:06.46\00:21:08.00
And then, then the
dye was brought up,
00:21:08.03\00:21:10.50
probably cooked or
something, somehow cooked down.
00:21:10.53\00:21:15.10
And then this purple
was extracted from that.
00:21:15.14\00:21:17.31
It took about an
ounce of that purple dye to,
00:21:17.34\00:21:20.51
to make just a, a small
fraction of fabric purple.
00:21:20.54\00:21:26.55
>>John: Yeah.
00:21:26.58\00:21:27.68
>>Marilee: So you can
understand why it was so costly.
00:21:27.72\00:21:29.98
>>John: She was
quite the businesswoman.
00:21:30.02\00:21:32.15
>>Marilee: Yes, she was,
yes, and fairly successful
00:21:32.19\00:21:33.99
because you realize only
the upper echelon of the society
00:21:34.02\00:21:37.89
could afford the purple, so
they made contact with Lydia,
00:21:37.93\00:21:41.26
so she was quite, quite a lady.
00:21:41.30\00:21:43.53
>>John: So Lydia
the seller of purple,
00:21:43.57\00:21:46.77
uh, derived her
income from seashells?
00:21:46.80\00:21:50.47
>>Marilee: Correct.
00:21:50.51\00:21:51.31
>>John: Just like this?
00:21:51.34\00:21:52.54
>>Marilee: And it took hundreds,
probably thousands of shells
00:21:52.57\00:21:54.74
to get the purple that
she needed to dye cloth.
00:21:54.78\00:21:58.61
>>John: Now, these
shells are still there today?
00:21:58.65\00:22:00.62
>>Marilee: Not so many.
00:22:00.65\00:22:01.65
>>John: Oh.
00:22:01.68\00:22:02.65
>>Marilee: They
actually almost became extinct
00:22:02.68\00:22:03.99
because of the
over-collecting of that shell.
00:22:04.02\00:22:07.29
>>John: And does anybody make
purple from the shells anymore?
00:22:07.32\00:22:10.89
>>Marilee: Not anymore.
00:22:10.93\00:22:12.09
>>John: There's just other
ways of making dye, I suppose.
00:22:12.13\00:22:13.50
>>Marilee: Uh-huh, dyes
from plant--plant-based.
00:22:13.53\00:22:15.46
>>John: Okay, one last
thing I want to ask you about:
00:22:15.50\00:22:18.73
In the Bible you don't read
lots of mentions of seashells.
00:22:18.77\00:22:22.90
There's Lydia, who
traded with shells,
00:22:22.94\00:22:26.14
but, there is the
pearl of great price.
00:22:26.17\00:22:30.81
>>Marilee: Right.
00:22:30.85\00:22:31.51
>>John: Talk to me about that.
00:22:31.55\00:22:33.15
>>Marilee: Well, every
shell basically is capable
00:22:33.18\00:22:36.65
of producing a pearl.
00:22:36.69\00:22:38.65
Because a pearl is a irritant
that comes into the shell.
00:22:38.69\00:22:42.56
The irritant comes into
the mantle, where the shell,
00:22:42.59\00:22:45.93
where the liquid is
being produced by the shell,
00:22:45.96\00:22:48.96
and the first
instinct is to get rid of it--
00:22:49.00\00:22:51.73
just like if something that
you and I have a problem with,
00:22:51.77\00:22:54.47
we just get rid of
it, you know, ignore it--
00:22:54.50\00:22:56.40
but pretty soon it's pretty
fixed in there, and it can't.
00:22:56.44\00:22:59.74
So as it's building the
nacre, nacreous from the shell,
00:22:59.77\00:23:04.01
it starts
coating that irritant--
00:23:04.05\00:23:06.15
be it sand, rock, or whatever--
00:23:06.18\00:23:08.48
and so every time it secretes
something from the shell,
00:23:08.52\00:23:11.52
it puts it around that irritant
to smooth it and cover it.
00:23:11.55\00:23:17.73
So in that process a
pearl is made out of the shell.
00:23:17.76\00:23:22.20
>>John: So, of course,
the pearl of great price
00:23:22.23\00:23:24.73
was something
harvested from a seashell.
00:23:24.77\00:23:27.77
>>Marilee: From a seashell.
00:23:27.80\00:23:28.84
>>John: So Jesus in one
of His great illustrations,
00:23:28.87\00:23:32.51
Jesus in one of His great
lessons spoke about a seashell--
00:23:32.54\00:23:37.11
>>Marilee: Right.
00:23:37.15\00:23:38.18
>>John: ...which
produced a pearl, very valuable.
00:23:38.21\00:23:39.91
>>Marilee: Very valuable.
00:23:39.95\00:23:40.75
And you think
about where they were
00:23:40.78\00:23:43.72
and where the
best pearls are today,
00:23:43.75\00:23:46.09
like off the coast of
Australia, Japan, you know,
00:23:46.12\00:23:50.03
where the shells'
pearls are being produced,
00:23:50.06\00:23:52.49
the shells that
produce the best pearls.
00:23:52.53\00:23:55.20
How did that shell
there produce the pearl
00:23:55.23\00:23:58.93
that ended up
in the Middle East?
00:23:58.97\00:24:02.77
>>John: So, the
story would indicate
00:24:02.80\00:24:04.81
that the pearl of great
price was of great price--
00:24:04.84\00:24:08.38
>>Marilee: Exactly.
00:24:08.41\00:24:09.38
>>John: ...partly
because in all likelihood
00:24:09.41\00:24:10.68
it had been imported
from a great distance away?
00:24:10.71\00:24:12.65
>>Marilee: Yes.
00:24:12.68\00:24:13.31
>>John: Fantastic.
00:24:13.35\00:24:14.35
>>Marilee: And in that
time people didn't know
00:24:14.38\00:24:17.45
about cultivating pearls.
00:24:17.49\00:24:18.82
Now we have cultured pearls,
where they take a shell--
00:24:18.85\00:24:22.86
I wanna show you an example.
00:24:22.89\00:24:24.36
This is from Western Australia,
where they've actually gone in
00:24:25.59\00:24:28.76
and taken and put a
plug here and let the shell
00:24:28.80\00:24:34.44
put the nacreous on
top of it, as it's growing,
00:24:34.47\00:24:37.44
and then they
take this, cut it out,
00:24:37.47\00:24:39.14
put the two halves together,
polish it off so you never
00:24:39.17\00:24:42.38
would realize what
you, what they've done.
00:24:42.41\00:24:45.55
The odds of a pearl producing,
a shell producing a pearl
00:24:45.58\00:24:50.02
are great odds.
00:24:50.05\00:24:51.92
>>John: Sure, very, yeah.
00:24:51.95\00:24:52.85
>>Marilee: And
especially a perfect pearl.
00:24:52.89\00:24:54.56
And here are examples
of little pieces of pearls,
00:24:54.59\00:24:58.49
mostly produced by the Strombus.
00:24:58.53\00:25:00.50
>>John: Oh, yeah.
00:25:00.53\00:25:01.13
>>Marilee: Mm-hm.
00:25:01.16\00:25:02.13
You can see the
color, the color variations.
00:25:02.16\00:25:03.60
>>John: Yeah,
they're magnificent.
00:25:03.63\00:25:04.73
>>Marilee: They're beautiful,
but they're irregular;
00:25:04.77\00:25:06.47
>>John: Sure.
00:25:06.50\00:25:07.47
>>Marilee: They're
not perfect. There would--
00:25:07.50\00:25:08.57
they wouldn't
command a price anywhere.
00:25:08.60\00:25:11.11
You know, we don't
know in Christ's time what--
00:25:11.14\00:25:15.28
you know, they knew the value of
a pearl because Paul talks a lot
00:25:15.31\00:25:18.68
in the Bible
about wearing pearls
00:25:18.71\00:25:20.25
and about casting
your pearls to the swine,
00:25:20.28\00:25:22.52
and so they knew there
was some value in the pearl.
00:25:22.55\00:25:25.12
>>John: Yeah.
00:25:25.15\00:25:25.79
>>Marilee: Mm-hm.
00:25:25.82\00:25:26.89
>>John: Well, this has
been fantastic, a lot of fun.
00:25:26.92\00:25:30.16
It's been amazing,
enlightening, and, for me,
00:25:30.19\00:25:35.20
a great encouragement that
we have a wonderful Creator
00:25:35.23\00:25:39.57
who has produced
some incredible things.
00:25:39.60\00:25:43.30
>>Marilee: But
the best part is--
00:25:43.34\00:25:45.14
let's go to our
Bibles to Revelation 21:21.
00:25:45.17\00:25:48.44
>>John: Let's do that.
00:25:48.48\00:25:49.58
>>Marilee: "And the
twelve gates were twelve pearls.
00:25:49.61\00:25:53.35
Every [separate]
gate was of one pearl."
00:25:53.38\00:25:57.82
Can you imagine
that? Can you imagine it?
00:25:57.85\00:26:02.02
>>John: Wonderful. I'm looking
forward to seeing it soon.
00:26:02.06\00:26:04.96
>>Marilee: I hope so.
00:26:04.99\00:26:06.09
>>John: Thanks. I so appreciate
it. It's been wonderful.
00:26:06.13\00:26:09.20
>>Announcer: They're in
the Bible especially for you:
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God's promises,
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who wants the best for you
00:26:14.00\00:26:16.34
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00:26:16.37\00:26:18.64
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>>John Bradshaw:
Let's pray together now.
00:26:40.53\00:26:42.60
Our Father in heaven,
we thank You in Jesus' name
00:26:42.63\00:26:44.80
that You are a great
Creator and a re-Creator.
00:26:44.83\00:26:48.57
All around us we see evidences
of Your creative power:
00:26:48.60\00:26:51.47
the animals, the birds of
the air, the, the sea creatures,
00:26:51.51\00:26:54.41
seashells--all of them
designed by the Master Designer.
00:26:54.44\00:27:00.72
Lord, if You can pour
that much beauty into something
00:27:00.75\00:27:02.82
so seemingly insignificant,
00:27:02.85\00:27:04.52
then undoubtedly You can do
wonderful things in our lives.
00:27:04.55\00:27:09.16
Friend, if you need the touch of
the Creator's hand in your life
00:27:09.19\00:27:11.63
right now, reach out
to Him and ask Him for it.
00:27:11.66\00:27:14.76
Lord, would You touch our lives?
00:27:14.83\00:27:16.13
Touch a heart right now
that is in need of re-creation.
00:27:16.16\00:27:20.14
If you need God to do
something wonderful for you,
00:27:20.17\00:27:22.24
He will do it right now.
00:27:22.27\00:27:24.21
Ask Him to do so.
00:27:24.24\00:27:26.27
You have His
assurance that He is with you.
00:27:26.31\00:27:28.04
Lord, we believe
it. You are great.
00:27:28.08\00:27:31.05
We see it, and we believe
it, and we thank You for it,
00:27:31.08\00:27:35.52
in Jesus' name.
00:27:35.55\00:27:37.12
Amen.
00:27:37.15\00:27:38.49
Thanks so much for joining me.
00:27:38.52\00:27:40.09
Looking forward to
seeing you again next time.
00:27:40.12\00:27:41.82
Until then, remember:
00:27:41.86\00:27:43.59
"It is written, 'Man
shall not live by bread alone,
00:27:43.63\00:27:47.56
but by every word that proceeds
from the mouth of God.'"
00:27:47.60\00:27:51.77
¤[Theme music]¤
00:27:51.80\00:28:05.18