>>John Bradshaw:
This is It Is Written.
00:00:19.25\00:00:21.52
I'm John Bradshaw.
Thanks for joining me.
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The late Charles Colson,
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special counsel to US
President Richard Nixon
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during the Watergate scandal,
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is probably best remembered
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for his Christian
conversion experience.
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Took place during the
time he stood for trial
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for his role in the
Watergate conspiracy.
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In later years,
he would point out
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that what he and other
Watergate defendants endured
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as a result of their crimes
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provided some of the very best
evidence for the literal truth
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of Jesus'
resurrection from the dead.
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The lesson of
Watergate, Colson said,
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is that a lie
cannot live for long.
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"Here were 10 of
the most powerful men
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in the United
States," Colson said,
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referring to the
leading Watergate conspirators.
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"With all that power we couldn't
contain a lie for two weeks."
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On that basis, Colson
dismissed out of hand the theory
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of certain ones that the
accounts of Jesus' resurrection
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were a conspiracy
perpetuated by His disciples.
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"Take it from one who
was involved in conspiracy,
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who saw the frailty of man
firsthand," Colson declared.
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"There is no
way the 11 apostles,
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who were with Jesus at
the time of the Resurrection,
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could ever have gone
around for 40 years proclaiming
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Jesus' resurrection
unless it were true.
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Had the New Testament
account not been true,
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he explained, "Peter would have
been exactly like John Dean,"
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referring, of course, to
the White House legal counsel
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who blew the whistle
on the Watergate coverup.
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If the apostles' story
about the Resurrection had begun
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to unravel as the
Watergate coverup did,
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Colson maintained that,
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like himself and his
fellow Watergate defendants,
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"the apostles would have
sold out to save their skins."
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Let's also try to keep in mind
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that those
Watergate conspirators,
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who in fact were sentenced
to prison like Mr. Colson,
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served their prison time
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in relatively
comfortable surroundings.
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Unlike the disciples of
Jesus-- all but one of them died
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a martyr's death on account
of their witness for Christ--
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the Watergate defendants
never even remotely confronted
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the possibility of death for the
conspiracy that they created.
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That means the disciples
of Jesus had every reason
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to break down
and admit the falsity
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of the Resurrection story--if
in fact the story was not true.
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The point is if the Resurrection
story is in fact a myth,
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it's the strangest myth in
the history of the human race.
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Because if the
Resurrection story is a lie,
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it's the first time human
beings have invented a lie
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in order to get
themselves killed.
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People tell lies to get
themselves out of trouble,
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not to get themselves into it.
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Now, some will always
come back with the argument
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that millions of
people throughout the history
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of the world have given
their lives for something
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that turned out to be
not true, and that's correct.
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But when they gave
their lives for the lie,
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they thought the lie was true.
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They didn't know
the lie was a lie.
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Crusaders,
terrorists, Nazis, Communists--
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millions have in
fact given their lives
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for a host of falsehoods.
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Those who flew
airplanes into the Twin Towers
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of the World Trade
Center on 9/11 certainly died
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for a falsehood.
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But again, they
thought the falsehood was true
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when they died for it.
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They didn't know it was
a falsehood at the time.
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This is the bottom line
with the Resurrection story:
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If in fact it's not true, those
who invented or just exaggerated
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the story and went
on to deceive millions
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would have known
the story was false
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when they were faced
with a martyr's death.
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They would have died for
a lie they knew was a lie.
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And who would do such a thing?
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As we continue our series,
"Great Chapters of the Bible,"
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we're going to look
at the literal truth
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of Jesus'
resurrection from the dead
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and why it
matters for our salvation.
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The chapter our study will
focus on is 1 Corinthians 15,
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one of the most powerful
discussions in all the Bible
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on the subject
of the Resurrection.
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Paul starts this
chapter by making it clear
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just how
important this topic is:
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"Moreover, brethren, I
declare to you the gospel
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which I preached to you,
which also you've received
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and in which you stand,
by which also you are saved,
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if you hold fast that
word which I preached to you--
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unless you believed in vain."
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That's 1 Corinthians 15:1-2.
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In other words,
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Paul is saying that what
he's about to share with them,
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what they and he
have believed already,
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is the means of their salvation.
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He then goes on to speak of
the Old Testament foundation
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for this New Testament truth,
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and the reality of all
the witnesses who can verify
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the fact that Jesus
did rise from the dead.
00:05:06.50\00:05:11.21
"For I delivered to you first of
all that which I also received:
00:05:11.24\00:05:15.48
that Christ died for our sins
according to the Scriptures,
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and that He was buried, and
that He rose again the third day
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according to the Scriptures, and
that He was seen by Cephas"--
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that's Peter--
"then by the twelve.
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After that He was seen by over
five hundred brethren at once,
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of whom the greater
part remain to the present,
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but some have fallen asleep.
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After that He was seen by
James, then by all the apostles.
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Then last of all He
was seen by me also,
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as one born out of due time."
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First
Corinthians 15, verses 3-8.
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It's important to notice
that Paul doesn't make up
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this doctrine of
the Resurrection,
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nor the doctrine of
Jesus being sacrificed
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for the sins of humanity.
00:05:58.12\00:05:59.75
It's the Old Testament
scriptures that foretell
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this decisive event
in the sacred story.
00:06:02.62\00:06:05.66
The 53rd chapter of Isaiah
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is one of the most powerful
forecasts of the sufferings
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of Christ and how He
would die for the whole world.
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"But He was wounded
for our transgressions,
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He was bruised
for our iniquities;
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the chastisement [of]
our peace was upon Him,
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and by His
stripes we are healed.
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All we like
sheep have gone astray;
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we have turned,
every one, to his own way;
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and the Lord has laid on
Him the iniquity of us all."
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That's Isaiah 53:5-6.
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The Old Testament
even pinpoints the time
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when Jesus would come to die.
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The prophet Daniel
gives this information
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in chapter 9 of
the book he wrote.
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In fact, you can see
it in Daniel 9:24-27.
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And that's a
fascinating study in itself.
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Now, in a moment, even though
the Bible is so plain on this,
00:06:53.24\00:06:56.68
there are many Christians
and even church leaders
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who don't believe
in the Resurrection.
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How could that be?
I'll be right back.
00:07:02.25\00:07:05.22
¤[Music]¤
00:07:05.25\00:07:12.79
>>Announcer 1: Death
is a coldhearted mystery
00:07:14.76\00:07:16.53
that can invade our
lives without warning
00:07:16.56\00:07:18.33
and leave us with questions
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00:07:18.37\00:07:21.87
Today's free offer,
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provides biblical answers
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the topic of death.
00:07:26.31\00:07:27.71
What happens when we die?
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Where does our soul
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>>John Bradshaw: Thanks for
joining me on It Is Written.
00:07:44.69\00:07:47.23
I'm John Bradshaw.
00:07:47.30\00:07:48.43
We're looking
at 1 Corinthians 15
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as part of our ongoing series,
"Great Chapters of the Bible."
00:07:51.20\00:07:55.67
Paul is
unequivocal in this chapter.
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Jesus died, he says,
and Jesus rose again.
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In fact, when he
summarized what the gospel was
00:08:03.11\00:08:05.88
at the start of the chapter,
00:08:05.91\00:08:07.92
he made clear that
to him the Resurrection
00:08:07.95\00:08:10.09
is an integral
part of the gospel.
00:08:10.12\00:08:12.62
No resurrection of
Jesus? No gospel for the world.
00:08:12.65\00:08:16.76
And what gives
him his confidence?
00:08:16.79\00:08:18.59
Not only does Paul point back to
the Old Testament as the basis
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for Jesus' mission to die
for our sins and rise again;
00:08:21.80\00:08:25.70
he makes it clear that
eyewitnesses can verify
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the testimony that he's giving.
00:08:28.40\00:08:30.37
We saw how he reminds
his readers that he himself
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is one of those eyewitnesses,
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a point the book of
Acts records in its account
00:08:35.28\00:08:37.98
of Paul's conversion.
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That's Acts 9:1-6.
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In Paul's listing of the
witnesses in 1 Corinthians 15,
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we find an interesting note
that isn't found anywhere else
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in the New Testament,
not even in the four Gospels.
00:08:49.26\00:08:52.33
We saw how Paul says that
Jesus after His resurrection
00:08:52.36\00:08:55.86
"was seen by over five
hundred brethren at once,
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of whom the greater
part remain to the present,
00:08:59.33\00:09:01.97
but some have fallen asleep."
00:09:02.00\00:09:04.07
That's verse 6.
00:09:04.11\00:09:05.81
Now, you won't find reference
to this encounter anywhere else
00:09:05.84\00:09:09.11
in the Bible.
00:09:09.14\00:09:10.48
It's like that statement in the
book of Hebrews about the time
00:09:10.51\00:09:12.85
when Moses "refused to be called
the son of Pharaoh's daughter."
00:09:12.88\00:09:16.45
You won't find
that incident recounted
00:09:16.48\00:09:18.35
in the Old
Testament story of Moses.
00:09:18.39\00:09:20.56
It's like the verse in
Acts chapter 20, verse 35,
00:09:20.59\00:09:24.53
which quotes Jesus as saying,
00:09:24.56\00:09:26.29
"It's more blessed to
give than to receive."
00:09:26.33\00:09:28.93
You won't find
this saying of Jesus
00:09:28.96\00:09:30.37
in any of the Gospel accounts,
but it clearly happened,
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and it's quoted
there in the book of Acts.
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Now, this helps us understand
that in order to understand
00:09:35.57\00:09:37.77
the full truth of the Bible,
we have to consider everything
00:09:37.81\00:09:40.71
it includes regarding a
subject or an historical event.
00:09:40.74\00:09:44.48
Obviously the story
of the 500 seeing Jesus
00:09:44.51\00:09:46.75
after His resurrection
is one of those examples.
00:09:46.78\00:09:49.78
It was a fact
well-known to the apostles,
00:09:49.82\00:09:52.12
and the witnesses in question
were obviously still alive,
00:09:52.15\00:09:54.89
many of them,
00:09:54.92\00:09:56.06
when Paul wrote this passage
to the church at Corinth.
00:09:56.09\00:09:59.36
Paul continues in 1
Corinthians 15 to point out
00:09:59.39\00:10:02.46
that if Jesus
didn't rise from the dead,
00:10:02.50\00:10:05.70
the faith of the
Christian loses all meaning:
00:10:05.73\00:10:09.70
"Now if Christ is
preached that He has been raised
00:10:09.74\00:10:12.54
from the dead,
how do some of you say
00:10:12.57\00:10:15.31
that there is no
resurrection of the dead?
00:10:15.34\00:10:18.05
But if there is no
resurrection of the dead,
00:10:18.08\00:10:21.05
then Christ is not risen:
00:10:21.08\00:10:23.72
and if Christ is not risen,
00:10:23.75\00:10:26.05
then our preaching is vain
and your faith is also vain.
00:10:26.09\00:10:31.56
For if the dead do not
rise, then Christ is not risen.
00:10:31.59\00:10:36.56
And if Christ is not
risen, your faith is futile;
00:10:36.60\00:10:40.94
you are still in your sins!"
00:10:40.97\00:10:43.57
That's verses
12-14 and 16 and 17.
00:10:43.61\00:10:46.88
In fact, he goes
on to say in verse 19
00:10:46.91\00:10:48.84
in the King James Version,
00:10:48.88\00:10:50.45
"If in this life only
we have hope in Christ,
00:10:50.48\00:10:53.18
we are of all
men most miserable."
00:10:53.21\00:10:57.39
But a survey commissioned
by the BBC in Great Britain,
00:10:57.42\00:11:01.36
a survey of
Christians in Great Britain,
00:11:01.39\00:11:03.79
revealed that a quarter of
British Christians don't believe
00:11:03.83\00:11:08.23
in the resurrection of Jesus.
00:11:08.26\00:11:10.63
The idea seems to go all
the way up to the highest levels
00:11:10.67\00:11:14.80
of church leadership in Britain.
00:11:14.84\00:11:17.14
A senior church official acting
as his denomination's ambassador
00:11:17.17\00:11:20.88
to the Vatican City
has been quoted as saying
00:11:20.91\00:11:23.61
that the resurrection
of Jesus shouldn't be seen
00:11:23.65\00:11:27.28
in physical terms, but
as a spiritual reality.
00:11:27.32\00:11:32.05
He said the disciples only felt
Jesus' presence after His death,
00:11:32.09\00:11:37.46
and that what we
read in the Gospels
00:11:37.49\00:11:38.89
isn't an historical record
as we would write history today.
00:11:38.93\00:11:42.96
In other words, the
Bible clearly says it,
00:11:43.00\00:11:45.40
but you can
reject it, if you wish.
00:11:45.43\00:11:47.50
In fact, he says
you should reject it.
00:11:47.54\00:11:50.54
But in 1 Corinthians 15, Paul
explains why the Resurrection
00:11:51.21\00:11:54.44
is essential to the Christian
faith and why without it
00:11:54.48\00:11:58.08
the enemies of the
gospel remain victorious.
00:11:58.11\00:12:02.48
He wrote, "For
since by man came death,
00:12:02.52\00:12:05.85
by Man also came the
resurrection of the dead.
00:12:05.89\00:12:09.49
For as in Adam all die,
00:12:09.52\00:12:11.89
even so in Christ
all shall be made alive.
00:12:11.93\00:12:15.96
For He must reign till He has
put all enemies under His feet.
00:12:16.00\00:12:20.44
The last enemy that
will be destroyed is death."
00:12:20.47\00:12:24.31
Verses 21 and 22 and 25 and 26.
00:12:24.34\00:12:28.04
Here we find Paul taking up
a theme he explains elsewhere
00:12:28.08\00:12:31.71
in his writings.
00:12:31.75\00:12:32.55
In chapter 5 of
the book of Romans,
00:12:32.58\00:12:34.18
he speaks of how the
first human being, Adam,
00:12:34.22\00:12:37.22
was the one who brought
sin and death to the world,
00:12:37.25\00:12:40.06
and that as a result,
Jesus has come to this world
00:12:40.09\00:12:43.32
to make available
salvation and life everlasting.
00:12:43.36\00:12:46.96
In the book of Genesis,
death was the first great enemy
00:12:47.00\00:12:49.90
presented to Adam and Eve.
00:12:49.93\00:12:51.67
This is why God
forbade them to eat
00:12:51.70\00:12:53.64
of the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil.
00:12:53.67\00:12:56.17
The Genesis story tells us that
"the Lord God commanded the man,
00:12:56.20\00:12:59.91
saying, 'Of every tree of
the garden you may freely eat;
00:12:59.94\00:13:04.01
but of the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil
00:13:04.05\00:13:06.45
you shall not eat,
00:13:06.48\00:13:08.45
for in the day that you eat
of it you shall surely die.'"
00:13:08.48\00:13:12.39
Genesis 2:17.
00:13:12.42\00:13:14.59
When Adam and Eve
chose to disobey God and eat
00:13:14.62\00:13:16.93
of this fruit, it
became important that the sin
00:13:16.96\00:13:19.69
they had committed
not become immortalized.
00:13:19.73\00:13:23.70
It was for this reason
that God said they couldn't stay
00:13:23.73\00:13:26.03
in the garden after the
Fall, in case they should eat
00:13:26.07\00:13:29.00
of the fruit of the tree of
life and make sin last forever.
00:13:29.04\00:13:34.64
Sin, in other words, must die.
00:13:34.68\00:13:38.65
And all who cling to
sin, according to the Bible,
00:13:38.68\00:13:41.55
are destined to
die along with it.
00:13:41.58\00:13:43.99
It's Romans 6:23 that says,
"The wages of sin is death."
00:13:44.02\00:13:49.86
And once the wicked are forever
destroyed in the fires of hell,
00:13:49.89\00:13:53.06
the Bible tells us
what will happen then:
00:13:53.09\00:13:56.13
"And God will wipe away
every tear from their eyes;
00:13:56.16\00:14:00.07
there shall be no more
death, nor sorrow, nor crying.
00:14:00.10\00:14:04.81
There shall be no more pain,
00:14:04.84\00:14:06.64
for the former
things have passed away."
00:14:06.68\00:14:09.78
Revelation 21, verse 4.
00:14:09.81\00:14:12.61
That's what Paul means in 1
Corinthians 15 when he says,
00:14:12.65\00:14:15.72
"The last enemy that
will be destroyed is death."
00:14:15.75\00:14:19.32
The resurrection of
Jesus is the ultimate guarantee
00:14:19.35\00:14:22.62
that the final enemy,
death, will one day cease to be.
00:14:22.66\00:14:28.10
That's why Paul describes Jesus
as the firstfruits of those
00:14:28.13\00:14:31.37
who've fallen asleep.
00:14:31.40\00:14:33.03
But if Jesus hadn't
been raised from the dead,
00:14:33.07\00:14:35.54
then this hope doesn't exist.
00:14:35.57\00:14:38.44
The first and final
enemy of God's universe, death,
00:14:38.47\00:14:43.24
which the entrance
of sin made inevitable,
00:14:43.28\00:14:45.85
would always be the persistent
companion of God's children
00:14:45.88\00:14:50.25
if Jesus hadn't shown
that it could be conquered.
00:14:50.29\00:14:53.82
Because in fact Jesus
has achieved this conquest,
00:14:53.86\00:14:56.89
we can be certain
that His victory over death
00:14:56.93\00:15:00.66
can be ours as well.
00:15:00.70\00:15:02.86
Now, was there ever
a time that you wished
00:15:02.90\00:15:04.37
you could do
something about your body?
00:15:04.40\00:15:06.63
Maybe you wished
there was less of it.
00:15:06.67\00:15:08.94
You want to lose weight.
00:15:08.97\00:15:10.27
You might wish your hair was
different--or that you had hair.
00:15:10.31\00:15:13.81
You might wish
your back didn't ache,
00:15:13.84\00:15:15.38
or that you could walk again,
00:15:15.41\00:15:16.78
or that you
didn't get migraines,
00:15:16.81\00:15:18.41
or that you could see better.
00:15:18.45\00:15:20.95
Well, if you've ever
had a thought like that,
00:15:20.98\00:15:23.05
I've got good news for
you. Paul offers us real hope.
00:15:23.08\00:15:27.26
I'll tell you
more in just a moment.
00:15:27.29\00:15:28.86
¤[Music]¤
00:15:28.89\00:15:36.33
>>John: Thank
you for remembering
00:15:37.23\00:15:38.87
that It Is Written exists
00:15:38.90\00:15:40.40
because of the kindness
of people just like you.
00:15:40.44\00:15:43.20
To support this international
life-changing ministry,
00:15:43.24\00:15:46.44
please call us
now at 800-253-3000.
00:15:46.47\00:15:50.71
You can send your
tax-deductible gift
00:15:50.75\00:15:52.18
to the address on your screen
00:15:52.21\00:15:53.65
or you can visit us
online at itiswritten.com.
00:15:53.68\00:15:57.49
Thank you for your prayers
and for your financial support.
00:15:57.52\00:16:00.32
Our number
again is 800-253-3000.
00:16:00.36\00:16:04.39
Or you can visit us
online at itiswritten.com.
00:16:04.43\00:16:07.50
>>John: It was
like a ticking time bomb
00:16:08.13\00:16:10.20
just waiting to
explode, and when it did,
00:16:10.23\00:16:13.40
a city was plunged into chaos;
a town was completely destroyed.
00:16:13.44\00:16:18.27
More than 300
people were left dead
00:16:18.31\00:16:21.14
and thousands left homeless.
00:16:21.18\00:16:23.45
It remains one of the
nation's least-known atrocities,
00:16:23.48\00:16:26.98
yet it was one of the
most destructive race riots
00:16:27.02\00:16:29.58
in United States history.
00:16:29.62\00:16:31.95
Join It Is Written on
location in Tulsa, Oklahoma,
00:16:31.99\00:16:35.96
for "Black Wall Street," as
we look at the problem of evil.
00:16:35.99\00:16:41.16
We'll investigate the
destruction of a community
00:16:41.20\00:16:43.73
and ask some
searching questions.
00:16:43.77\00:16:46.30
How can this happen?
00:16:46.33\00:16:47.54
[Fire crackling] And
who would do such a thing?
00:16:47.57\00:16:49.74
How do "good people"
commit truly wicked acts?
00:16:49.77\00:16:53.04
"Black Wall Street" will take
you there to the very streets
00:16:53.07\00:16:56.18
where evil reared its ugly
head in a way not often seen.
00:16:56.21\00:17:00.72
Don't miss "Black Wall
Street" on It Is Written TV.
00:17:00.75\00:17:05.42
>>John Bradshaw:
Thanks for joining me today
00:17:08.49\00:17:10.29
on It Is Written.
00:17:10.33\00:17:11.79
First Corinthians chapter 15 is
truly one of the great chapters
00:17:11.83\00:17:14.83
of the Bible.
00:17:14.86\00:17:16.03
And in 1 Corinthians chapter 15,
00:17:16.06\00:17:17.97
the writer, Paul,
offers us great hope.
00:17:18.00\00:17:20.87
He tells us that Jesus has
conquered grave and the death.
00:17:20.90\00:17:24.17
In fact, that through
Jesus, death has been destroyed.
00:17:24.21\00:17:28.41
And he offers you and me
real hope on a very practical,
00:17:28.44\00:17:32.38
tangible level.
00:17:32.41\00:17:34.02
If you've ever had a backache
or a knee ache or a sore throat
00:17:34.05\00:17:37.02
or a headache or a sore shoulder
00:17:37.05\00:17:38.95
or a bad back or an
accident of some kind,
00:17:38.99\00:17:42.02
and you've, you've
felt less than satisfied
00:17:42.06\00:17:45.06
about your physical condition,
00:17:45.09\00:17:46.86
well, Paul offers us
hope when he tells us
00:17:46.90\00:17:48.86
that our resurrected
bodies will be different
00:17:48.90\00:17:51.70
from our present natural bodies.
00:17:51.73\00:17:54.44
And the reason for that
is because they will be made
00:17:54.47\00:17:57.47
to last forever.
00:17:57.51\00:18:00.14
Starting in verse 40, he writes,
00:18:00.18\00:18:01.78
"There are also celestial
bodies and terrestrial bodies;
00:18:01.81\00:18:06.01
but the glory of
the celestial is one,
00:18:06.05\00:18:08.28
and the glory of the
terrestrial is another.
00:18:08.32\00:18:11.22
The [terrestrial]
body is sown in corruption,
00:18:11.25\00:18:13.72
it's raised in incorruption.
00:18:13.76\00:18:16.16
It is sown in
dishonor, it is raised in glory.
00:18:16.19\00:18:19.83
It is sown in
weakness, it is raised in power.
00:18:19.86\00:18:23.50
It is sown a natural body,
it is raised a spiritual body.
00:18:23.53\00:18:28.97
There is a natural body,
and there is a spiritual body."
00:18:29.00\00:18:32.47
Verses 40, 42, 43, and 44.
00:18:32.51\00:18:35.74
Now, I do need to point out
that while our resurrected body
00:18:35.78\00:18:38.58
is described as spiritual,
00:18:38.61\00:18:41.48
this doesn't mean
it's not also physical.
00:18:41.52\00:18:44.52
Jesus made this plain when
He appeared to His disciples
00:18:44.55\00:18:47.09
in His resurrected
body in the upper room,
00:18:47.12\00:18:50.43
and He said to them,
00:18:50.46\00:18:51.69
"Behold my hands and my
feet, that it is I myself.
00:18:51.73\00:18:56.36
Handle me and see, for a spirit
does not have flesh and bones
00:18:56.40\00:19:00.50
as you see I have."
00:19:00.54\00:19:01.64
Luke 24:39.
00:19:01.67\00:19:03.84
First Corinthians 15 just
has to be included in any list
00:19:03.87\00:19:07.21
of the great
chapters of the Bible.
00:19:07.24\00:19:09.18
It tells us there is
hope beyond the grave.
00:19:09.21\00:19:11.81
It tells us Jesus
conquered sin and death.
00:19:11.85\00:19:14.38
It tells us we have so
much to look forward to.
00:19:14.42\00:19:18.12
And as the apostle
concludes the chapter,
00:19:18.15\00:19:21.02
he draws back the
curtain of the future
00:19:21.06\00:19:23.73
and tells us how this
final victory over death
00:19:23.76\00:19:26.93
on the part of God's
redeemed saints will occur
00:19:26.96\00:19:29.93
when Jesus comes back to
the earth at His Second Coming.
00:19:29.96\00:19:34.50
"Behold, I tell you a
mystery: We shall not all sleep,
00:19:34.54\00:19:39.57
but we shall all be
changed--in a moment,
00:19:39.61\00:19:43.11
in the twinkling of an
eye, at the last trumpet.
00:19:43.14\00:19:46.51
For the trumpet will sound,
00:19:46.55\00:19:48.08
and the dead will be
raised incorruptible,
00:19:48.12\00:19:51.19
and we shall be changed.
00:19:51.22\00:19:53.52
For this corruptible
must put on incorruption,
00:19:53.56\00:19:55.96
and this mortal
must put on immortality.
00:19:55.99\00:19:59.69
So when this corruptible
has put on incorruption,
00:19:59.73\00:20:02.16
and this mortal
has put on immortality,
00:20:02.20\00:20:05.03
then shall be brought to
pass the saying that is written:
00:20:05.07\00:20:08.20
'Death is
swallowed up in victory.'
00:20:08.24\00:20:11.21
'O Death, where is your sting?
00:20:11.24\00:20:13.84
O Hades'"--that's the grave--
"'where is your victory?'
00:20:13.88\00:20:18.35
But thanks be to God,
who gives us the victory
00:20:18.38\00:20:21.55
through our Lord Jesus Christ."
00:20:21.58\00:20:23.69
Verses 51-55 and 57.
00:20:23.72\00:20:26.89
Here Paul gives us a picture
of the Second Coming of Jesus.
00:20:26.92\00:20:30.43
He's clear that some people will
be alive when Jesus returns,
00:20:30.46\00:20:33.83
which is why he says,
"We shall not all sleep."
00:20:33.86\00:20:37.80
But he's equally clear that both
the Christians who are raised
00:20:37.83\00:20:41.67
from the dead and
those who are taken to heaven
00:20:41.70\00:20:44.37
without seeing death
will have new bodies.
00:20:44.41\00:20:47.51
In 1 Thessalonians,
00:20:47.54\00:20:49.44
Paul describes this breathtaking
event in similar language:
00:20:49.48\00:20:52.88
"For the Lord Himself
shall descend from heaven
00:20:52.91\00:20:55.58
with a shout, with the
voice of the archangel,
00:20:55.62\00:20:58.15
and with the trump of God:
00:20:58.19\00:21:00.16
and the dead in
Christ shall rise first:
00:21:00.19\00:21:03.93
then we which are alive
and remain shall be caught up
00:21:03.96\00:21:06.49
together with
them in the clouds,
00:21:06.53\00:21:07.76
to meet the Lord in the air:
00:21:07.76\00:21:10.37
and so shall we
ever be with the Lord.
00:21:10.40\00:21:14.14
Wherefore comfort one
another with these words."
00:21:14.17\00:21:16.67
First Thessalonians 4:16-18.
00:21:16.71\00:21:19.71
¤[Soft music]¤ What
a remarkable promise.
00:21:19.74\00:21:23.21
Death isn't the end because
Jesus died and rose again.
00:21:23.24\00:21:28.45
Everyone who believes
in Him and trusts in Him
00:21:28.48\00:21:32.29
and claims His power and
His presence in their life
00:21:32.32\00:21:35.72
will one day rise again.
00:21:35.76\00:21:39.43
As Jesus was about to
perform what might even be
00:21:39.46\00:21:42.00
His greatest miracle,
00:21:42.03\00:21:43.60
raising His friend
Lazarus from the dead,
00:21:43.63\00:21:46.27
He spoke to Martha, the sister
of Lazarus, and He said this:
00:21:46.30\00:21:50.07
"'Your brother will rise
again.' Martha said to Him,
00:21:50.11\00:21:53.68
'I know that he will
rise again in the resurrection
00:21:53.71\00:21:56.04
at the last day.'
00:21:56.08\00:21:57.78
Jesus said to her,
00:21:57.81\00:21:59.11
'I am the
resurrection and the life.
00:21:59.15\00:22:02.88
He who believes in me, though
he may die, he shall live.
00:22:02.92\00:22:08.72
And whoever lives and believes
in me shall never die.'"
00:22:08.76\00:22:12.99
John 11:23-26.
00:22:13.03\00:22:15.93
This was a theme Jesus
reiterated again and again
00:22:15.96\00:22:18.53
during His ministry.
00:22:18.57\00:22:20.10
Earlier in the Gospel of John,
00:22:20.14\00:22:21.67
Jesus said in John
5, starting in verse 28,
00:22:21.70\00:22:25.11
"Do not marvel at this;
00:22:25.14\00:22:27.11
for the hour is coming in
which all who are in the graves
00:22:27.14\00:22:29.74
will hear His voice and come
forth--those who have done good,
00:22:29.78\00:22:34.32
to the resurrection of life,
and those who have done evil,
00:22:34.35\00:22:38.62
to the
resurrection of condemnation."
00:22:38.65\00:22:41.29
Death is the one
human circumstance
00:22:41.32\00:22:44.56
that not one of us
can do anything about.
00:22:44.59\00:22:48.76
Although people are trying.
00:22:48.80\00:22:50.50
There are agencies that believe
cryonics is the best hope
00:22:50.53\00:22:53.07
that we have of living forever.
00:22:53.10\00:22:54.44
Cryonics involves freezing
people in liquid nitrogen
00:22:54.47\00:22:57.51
in the hope that one day
science will have advanced
00:22:57.54\00:22:59.81
to the place where frozen people
can be thawed out and revived.
00:22:59.84\00:23:03.88
Mmm, no.
00:23:03.91\00:23:06.18
Scientists are discussing
switching out aging body parts
00:23:06.21\00:23:10.05
with newer, younger
parts so that you might be able
00:23:10.09\00:23:12.72
to stay at,
say, 30 years of age.
00:23:12.75\00:23:15.52
Hmm, no again. No way.
00:23:15.56\00:23:19.36
Another thing
that's being proposed
00:23:19.39\00:23:20.50
is that your brain could
be uploaded to "the cloud,"
00:23:20.53\00:23:23.50
and then you could download
it into an android body.
00:23:23.53\00:23:27.10
So they're saying that
you could download your brain
00:23:27.14\00:23:29.40
into an android, a robot,
basically, maybe in India,
00:23:29.44\00:23:32.54
and then you could
visit the Taj Mahal
00:23:32.57\00:23:34.28
without going to India.
00:23:34.31\00:23:36.04
And when are these
things likely to happen?
00:23:36.08\00:23:38.01
They say maybe 30
or 40 years from now.
00:23:38.05\00:23:41.82
Again, hmm, no.
00:23:41.85\00:23:45.22
The good news is
God has a better plan.
00:23:45.25\00:23:47.99
But the old saying is that
00:23:48.02\00:23:49.52
"there are two things that you
can't avoid: death and taxes."
00:23:49.56\00:23:53.29
The gospel of
Jesus Christ is unique.
00:23:53.33\00:23:56.13
Jesus offers you an end
to the tragedy of death,
00:23:56.16\00:23:58.77
once and for all,
00:23:58.80\00:24:00.20
when Jesus returns and
establishes His eternal kingdom.
00:24:00.24\00:24:04.44
"In Christ," Paul says
in 1 Corinthians 15:22,
00:24:04.47\00:24:08.31
"all shall be made alive."
00:24:08.34\00:24:11.31
We're all too familiar
with the pain caused by death.
00:24:11.35\00:24:14.88
The resurrection we read
about in 1 Corinthians 15
00:24:14.92\00:24:17.99
is the hope of
the believer in Jesus.
00:24:18.02\00:24:21.22
When we farewell a loved one,
00:24:21.26\00:24:23.46
receive the tragic news
that death has taken away
00:24:23.49\00:24:25.89
another friend, another
family member, another child,
00:24:25.93\00:24:29.03
another parent,
another grandparent,
00:24:29.06\00:24:32.03
no promise shines so brightly
as the New Testament assurance
00:24:32.07\00:24:35.27
that "the trumpet will sound,
and the dead will be raised
00:24:35.30\00:24:37.71
incorruptible, and
we shall be changed."
00:24:37.74\00:24:42.08
As Paul wrote in
1 Corinthians 15:57,
00:24:42.11\00:24:45.71
"Thanks be to God,
who gives us the victory
00:24:45.75\00:24:49.58
through our Lord Jesus Christ."
00:24:49.62\00:24:52.25
Friend, let me ask
you: Do you have that hope?
00:24:52.29\00:24:56.39
Jesus offers the
hope of eternal life,
00:24:56.42\00:24:58.89
the hope of the resurrection
to everyone who will receive.
00:24:58.93\00:25:03.83
That hope can be yours today--
00:25:03.87\00:25:05.27
the hope of a
tomorrow, the hope of a future,
00:25:05.30\00:25:09.37
the hope of a
life beyond this life,
00:25:09.40\00:25:12.87
the hope of being in a
place where there's no more sin
00:25:12.91\00:25:16.21
and no death, not ever again.
00:25:16.24\00:25:19.21
And that hope becomes yours
00:25:19.25\00:25:22.12
when you accept
it by faith in Jesus.
00:25:22.15\00:25:26.15
Can you accept that hope now?
00:25:26.19\00:25:28.56
Jesus offers it to you now.
00:25:28.59\00:25:31.96
And it's yours the moment
you open your heart and say,
00:25:31.99\00:25:35.00
"Thank you, Jesus,
I believe it's mine."
00:25:35.03\00:25:37.90
>>Announcer 1: Death
is a coldhearted mystery
00:25:38.77\00:25:41.17
that can invade our
lives without warning
00:25:41.20\00:25:42.94
and leave us with questions
as big as the loss that we feel.
00:25:42.97\00:25:46.51
Today's free offer,
"The Mystery of Death,"
00:25:46.54\00:25:48.58
provides biblical answers
for the questions that haunt
00:25:48.61\00:25:50.91
the topic of death.
00:25:50.95\00:25:52.15
What happens when we die?
00:25:52.18\00:25:53.65
Where does our soul
go? Is there an afterlife?
00:25:53.68\00:25:56.85
To discover answers to
these questions and many more,
00:25:56.89\00:25:59.39
call 800-253-3000.
00:25:59.42\00:26:02.26
Write to the
address on your screen
00:26:02.29\00:26:03.69
or visit iiwoffer.com.
00:26:03.73\00:26:08.80
¤[Upbeat music]¤
00:26:09.80\00:26:11.77
>>Announcer 2: Planning
for your financial future
00:26:11.80\00:26:13.34
is a vital aspect of
Christian stewardship.
00:26:13.37\00:26:17.27
For this reason, It Is
Written is pleased to offer
00:26:17.31\00:26:19.91
free planned giving
00:26:19.94\00:26:21.28
and estate services.
00:26:21.31\00:26:22.88
For information on
how we can help you,
00:26:22.91\00:26:25.08
please call 800-992-2219.
00:26:25.11\00:26:30.05
Call today,
00:26:30.09\00:26:30.89
or visit our
website, hislegacy.com.
00:26:30.92\00:26:34.32
Call 800-992-2219.
00:26:34.36\00:26:38.83
>>John Bradshaw:
Let's pray together now.
00:26:39.83\00:26:41.86
Our Father in
heaven, we thank You today
00:26:41.90\00:26:43.40
for the hope of
the resurrection.
00:26:43.43\00:26:45.67
A hope that is
real, not imaginary,
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not a myth, but real.
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One day a real Jesus will
come back to this real earth,
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and the dead in
Christ shall rise.
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And the dead and
the living at the time
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will all be caught up
together in the clouds
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to meet Jesus in the air.
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We'll always be with You.
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We'll never age,
we'll never get sick,
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and we'll never die because
death will have been destroyed,
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thanks to Jesus.
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We thank You
today for the gospel.
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Friend, do you have that hope?
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If you don't, would you invite
Jesus to give you that hope now?
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Would you believe it is yours?
Will you claim it as yours?
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Would you say in your heart,
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"Jesus, I accept You
as my Lord and Savior.
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Heavenly Father,
I believe in, and I,
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I gladly accept the
hope of the resurrection"?
00:27:31.21\00:27:34.05
Lord, we look forward to
it, and we pray with John,
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who wrote Revelation,
"Even so, come, Lord Jesus."
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In Jesus' name we pray.
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Amen.
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Thanks so much for joining me.
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I'm looking forward to
seeing you again next time.
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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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¤[Theme music]¤
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