>>John Bradshaw:
This is It Is Written.
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I'm John Bradshaw.
Thanks for joining me.
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You can't hear the
sounds now, but you can imagine.
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This is, or was, New Echota.
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For a time, for
one people group,
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it was the center of the world.
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In 1825, New Echota became the
capital of the Cherokee Nation.
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There was a courthouse here.
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The first Indian-language
newspaper was printed here.
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There was a council house.
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The home of missionary
Samuel Worcester was here.
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There were stores.
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It was a small
sort of settlement,
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but extraordinarily important.
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And when
councils were held here,
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hundreds of
Cherokee would gather.
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But eventually,
soldiers would fill this place,
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and the people for whom
these lands had been home
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for hundreds or,
or thousands of years,
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would be removed
and marched 800 miles
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on what the Cherokee
would call "Nunna daul Tsuny,"
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"The Place Where They Cried."
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We know it today
as the Trail of Tears.
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Entire people groups would
be dispossessed of their land.
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Thousands would die in a series
of acts of gross inhumanity.
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The United States had been
populated by Native Americans,
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American Indians.
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Hundreds of tribes
lived across what would become
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the 49 states, with
Hawaii being the exception.
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From the Wabanaki in
Maine in the Northeast
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to the Navajo and the
Chumash in the Southwest,
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from the Muckleshoot and
the Quinault in Washington
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and the Aleuts and
Athabascans in Alaska
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to the Seminoles in
Florida in the Southeast,
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North America
was Indian country.
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Europeans first came to what
we'd now call the United States
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early in the 1500s.
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Settling here didn't come easy,
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and to begin with, it
didn't go well at all.
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The Calusa people resisted
attempts made by Ponce de León
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to settle in
Florida, and he left.
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Other conquistadors and
explorers followed in his wake:
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Verrazzano, Gómez.
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De Soto explored the Southeast
from Florida to Arkansas,
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becoming likely
the first European
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to cross the Mississippi.
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Spanish settlers founded
St. Augustine, Florida, in 1565,
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and in 1585, British
settlers attempted to establish
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a colony on Roanoke
Island, on what today we call
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the Outer Banks
of North Carolina,
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incidentally, just 10
miles or so from where
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the Wright Brothers would
become the first in flight.
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The first permanent European
settlement in the Americas
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was Jamestown, near present-day
Williamsburg, Virginia,
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established in 1607.
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The Mayflower arrived
in Plymouth, Massachusetts,
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in 1620, and there
could be no going back.
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For the settlers, there was
a massive expanse to explore
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and tame and...colonize.
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But there was a
delicate question:
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What to do about the
people already living here?
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American history is colored
with stories romanticizing
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the early
settlement of this country:
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stories about
European-Native relations,
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Pocahontas, and Squanto,
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and cowboys and
Indians in the Wild West.
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But what can be easy to overlook
is that the earliest inhabitants
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of this land were real
people, with real families,
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and a very real way of life.
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This was going to get difficult,
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this question of
the native peoples.
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This was their land.
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What do you do about that?
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[rasping sound of cicadas]
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President George
Washington favored assimilation,
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meaning that, over time, the
native peoples and the Europeans
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would become so intertwined
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that they would
basically become one people.
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In other words,
Indians would assimilate
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into the European culture.
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Their own culture
would basically die out,
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and the Europeans
would end up with the land.
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President Thomas Jefferson
urged Indian tribes in the East
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to relocate to the West.
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He hoped that the Louisiana
Purchase would provide land
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for eastern tribes
to voluntarily relocate.
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Some did.
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The government wanted
Indians out of the East.
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It's hard to say how
many Indians were living
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in what became the United States
when Europeans first arrived.
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No question it
was in the millions,
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maybe tens of millions.
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But once Europeans arrived,
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and along with them disease
epidemics and then conquest,
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those numbers plunged.
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But there were more than enough
Indians in North America to...
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well, to get in the way,
and they were in the way.
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They were in the way of
progress, as some saw it.
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They were in the way of
expansion and domination,
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and they were in the
way of power and wealth.
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By the 19th century, there were
five Native American tribes--
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or nations actually--in the
Southeast of the United States.
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They were known as
the Five Civilized Tribes.
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They were the Chickasaw,
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the Choctaw, the Creek,
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the Seminole, and the Cherokee.
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They had adopted
Christianity to some extent.
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There was literacy,
intermarriage with whites,
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and generally good
relationships with Europeans
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and the United
States government.
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The Cherokee in particular
had adopted many European ways.
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But in the 19th century,
the federal government initiated
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Indian removal, the
forced relocation of the tribes,
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or nations, living
east of the Mississippi.
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The government would
compel people who had occupied
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certain territory for
hundreds, thousands of years
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to leave their homes,
their possessions, their land
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and everything on it,
and everything below it,
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and move almost a
thousand miles away--on foot.
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Obtaining Indian land
had been a stated goal
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of the U.S. government since
the 1790s, perhaps even before.
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But in the 1800s,
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the whole process was
kicked into high gear.
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Almost 40 different treaties
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enacted between 1721 and 1819
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saw Cherokee lands
reduced drastically
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from what they were
before European settlement.
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Much of the Cherokee land
in Tennessee had been lost.
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The land in Kentucky, Virginia,
and West Virginia was lost.
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The Cherokee lost 90
percent of their territory.
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After he was elected the seventh
president of the United States
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in 1829, Andrew Jackson said
during his inaugural address
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that he wanted to "observe
toward the Indian tribes
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"within our limits a
just and liberal policy,
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"and to give that humane
and considerate attention
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"to their rights and their wants
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"which is consistent with
the habits of our Government
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and the feelings of our people."
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Some hoped this might mean
the United States would honor
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the numerous agreements and
treaties it had already signed
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with native peoples.
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But that was not to be.
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Things became truly
dire for the Cherokee in 1829
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when gold was
discovered in northern Georgia.
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The Georgia state
legislature enacted
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a series of draconian laws.
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Cherokees could not
dig for gold, for example.
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A Cherokee couldn't testify
against a white man in court.
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Contracts between a Cherokee and
a white man had to be witnessed
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by two whites.
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Cherokee land was
sold to European settlers
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through a lottery system.
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Cherokee were
driven from their homes;
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often their homes
were looted and burned.
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A year later, May 28, 1830,
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President Jackson
signed the Indian Removal Act,
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which stated the Five Civilized
Nations would have to leave
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their ancestral lands and
move to present-day Oklahoma.
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In 1835, a group of Cherokees
signed the Treaty of New Echota
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in a home right here, making the
Trail of Tears an inevitability.
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And God watched on,
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hoping to see
humanity rise to the occasion,
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strengthening those in
the position of weakness,
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and hoping that those in
authority would be humble enough
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to act with dignity
and fairness and honor.
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God is familiar with tears.
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I'll be back in just a moment.
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¤[music swells and ends]¤
00:09:01.44\00:09:07.44
>>John: There is
power in the Word of God,
00:09:10.21\00:09:12.38
and power available to you
through the promises of God.
00:09:12.41\00:09:17.05
God wants you to experience
that power, and so do I.
00:09:17.09\00:09:20.09
I'd like you to
have today's free offer,
00:09:20.12\00:09:21.99
"Promises of Power,"
00:09:22.02\00:09:23.59
new from It Is Written.
00:09:23.63\00:09:25.19
To receive "Promises of Power,"
00:09:25.23\00:09:26.80
call 800-253-3000.
00:09:26.83\00:09:29.80
You could write to
the address on your screen
00:09:29.83\00:09:31.63
or visit us
online at iiwoffer.com.
00:09:31.67\00:09:35.80
And be sure you
receive "Promises of Power."
00:09:35.84\00:09:39.64
¤[ominous music]¤
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>>John Bradshaw: Thanks for
joining me on It Is Written.
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The New World was a vast expanse
promising wealth and opportunity
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to those who settled here.
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But the reality for those who
came to this new land was that
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they'd invited themselves
into someone else's backyard.
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So the government
of the United States,
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along with state governments,
were determined to move
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the original
habitants of this continent
00:10:04.03\00:10:06.43
off their ancestral land.
00:10:06.47\00:10:09.60
President Jackson's Indian
removal bill, signed in 1830,
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passed in the
House of Representatives
00:10:13.94\00:10:15.51
by just five votes.
00:10:15.54\00:10:18.15
The Cherokee took the
state of Georgia to court.
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Supreme Court decisions
meant that Georgia had no right
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to enforce its laws
in Cherokee territory.
00:10:24.69\00:10:27.89
A reprieve for the Cherokee.
00:10:27.92\00:10:30.36
But President Andrew Jackson,
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President Andrew Jackson ignored
the ruling of the Supreme Court.
00:10:32.73\00:10:38.97
The Cherokee would be
rounded up and moved out.
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Now, people everywhere
knew that this was wrong.
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This wasn't
something which at the time
00:10:47.28\00:10:49.14
appeared less
deplorable owing to the times
00:10:49.18\00:10:52.45
and was only seen for
what it was many years later.
00:10:52.48\00:10:55.92
No, at the time, this
was recognized by many
00:10:55.95\00:11:00.36
as a reprehensible,
morally repugnant, criminal act.
00:11:00.39\00:11:05.69
But the people entrusted
with the responsibility
00:11:05.73\00:11:08.20
to stop such actions wouldn't.
00:11:08.23\00:11:11.67
The Seminole would be removed
from their home in Florida.
00:11:12.67\00:11:16.27
The Creek occupied
parts of Georgia, Florida,
00:11:16.30\00:11:19.34
South Carolina, and Alabama.
00:11:19.37\00:11:21.48
The Choctaw were located mainly
in Mississippi and Alabama.
00:11:21.51\00:11:24.88
The Chickasaw were in Alabama,
Mississippi, and Kentucky,
00:11:24.91\00:11:28.32
while the Cherokee
originally were in Tennessee,
00:11:28.35\00:11:31.52
North Carolina,
South Carolina, Georgia,
00:11:31.55\00:11:34.76
parts of West
Virginia, and Virginia as well.
00:11:34.79\00:11:38.63
All would have to leave.
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Other smaller tribes to the
north would also be removed,
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but they were small enough that
they couldn't really provide
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any real
resistance to the government.
00:11:46.40\00:11:49.20
The five larger tribes
strongly resisted removal.
00:11:49.24\00:11:53.31
But by 1832, four of
the five had signed treaties
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with the government
agreeing to move west.
00:11:57.41\00:12:00.78
What else could they really do?
00:12:00.82\00:12:02.68
Their removal was inevitable.
00:12:02.72\00:12:05.19
The Cherokee held out
for several more years.
00:12:05.22\00:12:08.06
Their opposition was led
by a man named John Ross,
00:12:08.09\00:12:11.13
who for nearly 40 years was the
principal chief of the Cherokee.
00:12:11.16\00:12:15.66
Ross himself had felt the sting
in the tail of the government.
00:12:15.70\00:12:19.67
After traveling to Washington
to represent his people in 1833
00:12:19.70\00:12:23.74
in an attempt to
stop their removal,
00:12:23.77\00:12:26.24
Ross returned home
to Georgia to discover
00:12:26.27\00:12:29.14
that his plantation had
been given away by lottery.
00:12:29.18\00:12:32.91
He found his family walking
to Tennessee in the rain.
00:12:32.95\00:12:37.35
He moved to
Tennessee and settled
00:12:37.39\00:12:39.32
in present-day Chattanooga.
00:12:39.35\00:12:41.36
This is the site
of Ross's Landing.
00:12:42.36\00:12:44.96
Cherokee gathered here as
they prepared to move west,
00:12:44.99\00:12:49.26
never again to
see their homeland.
00:12:49.30\00:12:51.67
Now, not all
Cherokee felt as Ross did.
00:12:51.70\00:12:54.84
Some felt that the
prudent thing to do
00:12:54.87\00:12:56.67
would be to sign a
treaty and move west,
00:12:56.71\00:12:59.34
believing that resisting the
federal government was futile.
00:12:59.37\00:13:03.48
A small group of Cherokee signed
a treaty with the government
00:13:03.51\00:13:06.28
at a council at New Echota.
00:13:06.31\00:13:08.65
The government would
give the Cherokee $5 million,
00:13:08.68\00:13:11.72
a place to live, and
the Cherokee would move.
00:13:11.75\00:13:15.62
The problem was the
group who signed the treaty
00:13:15.66\00:13:18.36
were not authorized to do so.
00:13:18.39\00:13:20.30
John Ross traveled
to Washington, D.C.,
00:13:20.33\00:13:22.50
to protest the treaty,
00:13:22.53\00:13:24.60
but he wasn't permitted
to meet with the President.
00:13:24.63\00:13:27.10
The Senate approved
the treaty by one vote,
00:13:27.14\00:13:32.04
and that was
enough for Andrew Jackson,
00:13:32.07\00:13:33.71
who passed it into law.
00:13:33.74\00:13:35.84
Approximately 16,000 Cherokee
would eventually sign a petition
00:13:35.88\00:13:39.81
protesting the treaty,
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but new president Martin
Van Buren ignored the petition.
00:13:41.75\00:13:46.45
Under General Winfield Scott,
the Cherokee were rounded up
00:13:47.46\00:13:50.86
at military posts and
taken to one of 11 camps
00:13:50.89\00:13:54.46
in Tennessee and Alabama.
00:13:54.50\00:13:56.33
They were
typically kept in stockades.
00:13:56.36\00:13:58.87
The possessions they left
behind were looted by settlers.
00:13:58.90\00:14:02.90
A soldier who had grown up
among the Cherokee later said
00:14:02.94\00:14:06.01
that he "witnessed the execution
of the most brutal order
00:14:06.04\00:14:10.01
"in the History
of American Warfare.
00:14:10.05\00:14:12.45
"I saw the helpless
Cherokees arrested and dragged
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"from their homes, and
driven at the bayonet point
00:14:15.35\00:14:18.25
"into the stockades.
00:14:18.29\00:14:20.09
"And in the chill of a drizzling
rain on an October morning
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"I saw them loaded
like cattle or sheep
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"into six hundred
and forty-five wagons
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and started toward the west."
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By the end of June of 1838,
00:14:32.17\00:14:34.84
the last Cherokee had
been expelled from Georgia.
00:14:34.87\00:14:38.54
Fifteen hundred
departed from right here.
00:14:38.57\00:14:41.94
Their removal to the west
was to be carried out by boat,
00:14:41.98\00:14:45.25
but a severe drought caused
river levels to become so low
00:14:45.28\00:14:49.02
this wasn't possible.
00:14:49.05\00:14:50.29
It was also
very hot that summer.
00:14:50.32\00:14:52.69
The forced removal would be
delayed until later in the year.
00:14:52.72\00:14:56.46
Conditions in the
Cherokee camps were...abysmal.
00:14:56.49\00:15:01.33
So Chief John Ross negotiated
00:15:01.36\00:15:03.16
for Cherokee to
lead their own removal.
00:15:03.20\00:15:06.87
¤[ominous music]¤
00:15:06.90\00:15:08.87
[traffic noise]
00:15:08.90\00:15:10.37
When the Cherokee
finally left to head west
00:15:10.41\00:15:13.01
in October of 1838,
rain and cold weather came.
00:15:13.04\00:15:18.18
The multiple groups
took varying routes.
00:15:18.21\00:15:21.35
One group left from
Fort Cass, Tennessee,
00:15:21.38\00:15:24.12
in what is present-day
Charleston, Tennessee.
00:15:24.15\00:15:27.46
Those that would go to Oklahoma
00:15:27.49\00:15:29.06
via the northern
land route assembled here.
00:15:29.09\00:15:32.09
Some sources say the majority
of Cherokee were gathered
00:15:32.13\00:15:35.13
at the internment camp
that was situated here.
00:15:35.16\00:15:38.40
General Winfield
Scott's headquarters were here.
00:15:38.43\00:15:41.54
[rasping sound of cicadas]
00:15:41.57\00:15:43.24
Here at Blythe Ferry
on the Hiwassee River,
00:15:43.27\00:15:46.07
many of the groups that
left their ancestral homeland
00:15:46.11\00:15:49.14
crossed right here
into an uncertain future.
00:15:49.18\00:15:53.52
The man who operated the
ferry was William Blythe,
00:15:53.55\00:15:56.28
who, according to historians,
left the area himself
00:15:56.32\00:15:59.62
and headed west
with his Cherokee wife.
00:15:59.65\00:16:03.26
[footsteps]
00:16:03.29\00:16:05.33
¤[ominous music]¤
00:16:05.36\00:16:07.00
The memorial here
today features the names
00:16:07.03\00:16:09.63
of 2,500 heads of household.
00:16:09.66\00:16:13.54
Although there are
no accurate records
00:16:13.57\00:16:15.24
for the numbers of deaths that
resulted from the relocation,
00:16:15.27\00:16:18.37
it's generally
believed that around 4,000
00:16:18.41\00:16:21.18
of the 16,542 Cherokees forcibly
removed from their homeland
00:16:21.21\00:16:26.88
perished as a result
of the Cherokee removal
00:16:26.92\00:16:29.55
in 1838 and 1839.
00:16:29.58\00:16:32.19
Of course, that number
could be significantly higher.
00:16:32.22\00:16:35.02
The wife of John Ross was
one who died along the way.
00:16:35.06\00:16:39.49
The Trail of Tears
wasn't simply one road or trail
00:16:39.53\00:16:42.80
from the east to Oklahoma.
00:16:42.83\00:16:45.37
The Cherokee and those
who traveled with them,
00:16:45.40\00:16:47.47
including slaves they owned,
traveled in 17 or so groups
00:16:47.50\00:16:51.87
along three main land
routes and a river route.
00:16:51.91\00:16:55.51
Those who traveled
by land either walked
00:16:55.54\00:16:58.18
or traveled by
wagon or on horseback.
00:16:58.21\00:17:01.75
Many of them traveled
for more than three months
00:17:01.78\00:17:04.59
during what was an
especially harsh winter.
00:17:04.62\00:17:09.62
Over the years, the
Cherokee did whatever they could
00:17:09.66\00:17:12.33
to appease the
people wanting their land.
00:17:12.36\00:17:14.86
They often ceded great
chunks of land to the settlers
00:17:14.93\00:17:17.80
in an attempt to keep the peace.
00:17:17.83\00:17:20.04
But peace couldn't be kept.
00:17:20.07\00:17:22.54
It was land the settlers
wanted, and they would get it.
00:17:22.57\00:17:26.68
And they did.
00:17:26.71\00:17:28.34
It reminds me of
another land grab.
00:17:28.38\00:17:30.95
Someone who came from
a faraway place to a land
00:17:30.98\00:17:34.45
that was not his own and claimed
dominion he had no right to.
00:17:34.48\00:17:39.62
That story,
however, has a happy ending,
00:17:39.65\00:17:42.76
because Somebody
else came to the world
00:17:42.79\00:17:45.53
and walked His
own trail of tears.
00:17:45.56\00:17:48.76
I'll have more in just a moment.
00:17:48.80\00:17:51.23
¤[music swells and ends]¤
00:17:51.27\00:17:57.54
>>John: There is
power in the Word of God,
00:18:00.08\00:18:02.41
and power available to you
through the promises of God.
00:18:02.44\00:18:07.02
God wants you to experience
that power, and so do I.
00:18:07.05\00:18:09.98
I'd like you to
have today's free offer,
00:18:10.02\00:18:11.89
"Promises of Power,"
00:18:11.92\00:18:13.46
new from It Is Written.
00:18:13.49\00:18:15.19
To receive "Promises of Power,"
00:18:15.22\00:18:16.69
call 800-253-3000.
00:18:16.73\00:18:19.79
You could write to
the address on your screen
00:18:19.83\00:18:21.50
or visit us
online at iiwoffer.com.
00:18:21.53\00:18:25.67
And be sure you
receive "Promises of Power."
00:18:25.70\00:18:29.24
>>John: Join me on It Is Written
00:18:30.07\00:18:32.07
for one of the great
chapters of the Bible:
00:18:32.11\00:18:35.18
Isaiah chapter 53.
00:18:35.21\00:18:37.71
Isaiah has been
called the gospel prophet
00:18:37.75\00:18:39.85
because how he
repeatedly brings Jesus to light
00:18:39.88\00:18:43.25
throughout the book of Isaiah,
00:18:43.28\00:18:44.99
and there's no
chapter in the book of Isaiah
00:18:45.02\00:18:46.86
where he does that
more than Isaiah chapter 53.
00:18:46.89\00:18:50.59
Isaiah 53 has been quoted in the
New Testament numerous times,
00:18:50.63\00:18:54.83
and you see why
when you study God's Word
00:18:54.86\00:18:57.67
and focus on Isaiah chapter 53.
00:18:57.70\00:19:00.74
It's about Jesus
Christ crucified,
00:19:00.77\00:19:03.91
the One who died for
the sins of the world.
00:19:03.94\00:19:06.17
The Jesus that you and I know
is coming back to this world
00:19:06.21\00:19:10.01
to take us home.
00:19:10.05\00:19:11.48
Don't miss "Great Chapters of
the Bible: Isaiah [Chapter] 53."
00:19:11.51\00:19:17.09
You will be
moved. You'll be blessed.
00:19:17.12\00:19:19.72
And you will be
encouraged in faith in God.
00:19:19.75\00:19:23.76
"Great Chapters of
the Bible: Isaiah 53."
00:19:23.79\00:19:26.83
Watch now on It Is Written TV.
00:19:26.86\00:19:29.50
>>John Bradshaw: The Trail
of Tears was the forced removal
00:19:30.67\00:19:33.23
of the Five Civilized Tribes
from the American Southeast.
00:19:33.27\00:19:37.97
They were far from the only
tribes removed and dispossessed
00:19:38.01\00:19:41.11
of their ancient lands.
00:19:41.14\00:19:42.54
But the Cherokee were
the last to be removed.
00:19:42.58\00:19:45.65
They were taken
from various locations.
00:19:45.68\00:19:48.35
The vast majority walked the
800 miles to what would become
00:19:48.38\00:19:52.29
their new home in Oklahoma.
00:19:52.32\00:19:54.96
Thousands died along the way.
00:19:54.99\00:19:57.99
Before the journey began, they
were kept in hideous conditions
00:19:58.03\00:20:00.73
in internment camps.
00:20:00.76\00:20:03.03
Forty minutes from Ross's
Landing is Red Clay State Park.
00:20:03.06\00:20:08.60
It's where the Cherokee national
government met for the last time
00:20:08.64\00:20:11.74
before the enforcement
of the Indian Removal Act.
00:20:11.77\00:20:15.18
Between 1832 and 1837, a
dozen or so general councils
00:20:15.21\00:20:19.71
were held right here.
00:20:19.75\00:20:21.98
Thousands of
Cherokee would attend,
00:20:22.02\00:20:24.15
again and again rejecting
the proposed agreements
00:20:24.19\00:20:27.62
to surrender their
land and move west.
00:20:27.66\00:20:30.39
The Trail of
Tears really began here.
00:20:30.43\00:20:33.76
An eternal flame
burns here at Red Clay,
00:20:33.80\00:20:36.80
a perpetual memorial to
those who suffered and died
00:20:36.83\00:20:39.87
during the atrocity.
00:20:39.90\00:20:43.61
Now, sometimes in stories like
this you find a silver lining.
00:20:43.64\00:20:46.17
"Well, at least this happened."
00:20:46.21\00:20:49.24
Except there's no
silver lining in this story,
00:20:49.28\00:20:51.88
no fairytale ending.
00:20:51.91\00:20:53.98
The Cherokee and other tribes
were driven from their land,
00:20:54.02\00:20:56.82
sent to live in
another time zone,
00:20:56.85\00:21:00.09
and that was that.
00:21:00.12\00:21:01.86
That's often
what happens in life.
00:21:01.89\00:21:03.93
We're reminded that the
Bible speaks about a time
00:21:04.93\00:21:07.40
when people would
lose their liberties
00:21:07.40\00:21:10.23
through no fault of their own.
00:21:10.27\00:21:12.33
According to the
book of Revelation,
00:21:12.37\00:21:14.44
there'll be a time when
people who are faithful to God
00:21:14.47\00:21:17.04
will not be
able to buy and sell,
00:21:17.07\00:21:19.31
and ultimately, many
will lose their lives.
00:21:19.34\00:21:23.28
Daniel wrote about
"a time of trouble,
00:21:23.31\00:21:25.61
such as never was
since there was a nation,"
00:21:25.65\00:21:28.62
in Daniel 12 and verse 1.
00:21:28.65\00:21:31.19
If there's someone
who understands injustice,
00:21:31.22\00:21:33.96
it's God.
00:21:33.99\00:21:35.36
"In the beginning God created
the heavens and the earth,"
00:21:35.39\00:21:38.23
according to the very
first line of the Bible.
00:21:38.26\00:21:41.50
He created a
beautiful dwelling place
00:21:41.53\00:21:43.60
for our first grandparents.
00:21:43.63\00:21:45.47
But it wasn't long
before an enemy had robbed them
00:21:45.50\00:21:49.50
of their homeland.
00:21:49.54\00:21:51.27
They were banished
from the Garden of Eden,
00:21:51.31\00:21:54.14
and everywhere they
went, sin followed them.
00:21:54.18\00:21:58.35
When were the first
tears shed on this earth?
00:21:59.35\00:22:03.52
Was it then, when Adam and
Eve were banished from Eden?
00:22:03.55\00:22:06.99
Was it when
they began to realize
00:22:07.02\00:22:08.66
the awful consequences of sin?
00:22:08.69\00:22:11.13
The Bible doesn't say,
but it's hard to imagine
00:22:11.16\00:22:14.30
that there were no tears around
the time sin entered the world.
00:22:14.36\00:22:18.37
Animals died to provide
clothing for Adam and Eve,
00:22:18.40\00:22:21.74
the first animals to die.
00:22:21.77\00:22:24.01
We could safely suppose
that there were tears then.
00:22:24.04\00:22:27.71
It's interesting that
the first time you find tears
00:22:29.48\00:22:32.18
explicitly mentioned in
the Bible, it's in the case
00:22:32.21\00:22:35.48
of people who'd been
banished from their home.
00:22:35.52\00:22:38.55
In Genesis 21, Hagar is
rejected by Abraham and Sarah.
00:22:38.59\00:22:42.69
She believes her child
Ishmael is going to die.
00:22:42.72\00:22:46.03
"So she sat opposite him,
and lifted her voice and wept."
00:22:46.06\00:22:50.87
Tears of desperation.
00:22:50.90\00:22:53.34
In Genesis 23:2 we read:
00:22:53.37\00:22:55.60
"And Sarah died...and
Abraham came to mourn for Sarah
00:22:55.64\00:23:00.04
and to weep for her."
00:23:00.08\00:23:02.14
Tears of lamentation.
00:23:02.18\00:23:04.28
Joseph wept when he was
reunited with his brothers.
00:23:04.31\00:23:07.42
They were tears
of reconciliation.
00:23:07.45\00:23:09.98
Baby Moses wept
in the basket boat.
00:23:10.02\00:23:12.92
Tears of innocence.
00:23:12.95\00:23:14.59
The children of
Israel wept in the wilderness
00:23:14.62\00:23:16.42
as they remembered the
food they had back in Egypt.
00:23:16.46\00:23:19.03
Tears of greed,
of faithlessness.
00:23:19.06\00:23:23.13
Hannah wept because
she was without child.
00:23:23.16\00:23:25.53
Tears of supplication.
00:23:25.57\00:23:27.57
Israel wept in the Psalms
when they remembered Zion,
00:23:27.60\00:23:30.04
Psalm 137.
00:23:30.07\00:23:31.57
Tears of, of
regret, tears of longing.
00:23:31.61\00:23:35.34
Jeremiah has been
called "the weeping prophet."
00:23:35.38\00:23:38.25
He said, "Oh that
my head were waters,
00:23:38.28\00:23:41.08
"and mine eyes a fountain
of tears, that I might weep
00:23:41.12\00:23:44.12
day and night for the slain
of the daughter of my people!"
00:23:44.15\00:23:48.02
Jeremiah 9, verse 1.
00:23:48.06\00:23:50.69
Mary Magdalene washed Jesus'
feet with tears of repentance.
00:23:50.73\00:23:55.06
Peter wept.
00:23:55.10\00:23:56.56
Matthew 26:75 says that
after he had denied Jesus
00:23:56.60\00:23:59.93
the third time, "he
went out, and wept bitterly."
00:24:00.04\00:24:04.27
The shortest verse
in the Bible tells us
00:24:04.94\00:24:07.41
that as He stood at the
tomb of Lazarus, "Jesus wept."
00:24:07.44\00:24:11.35
John 11:35.
00:24:11.38\00:24:13.38
Jesus' ministry was
its own trail of tears.
00:24:13.42\00:24:17.42
He came to this world to live
the life that we could not live
00:24:17.45\00:24:20.59
and to offer us
everlasting life, as a gift.
00:24:20.62\00:24:24.33
You know, I don't want
to stretch this too far,
00:24:24.36\00:24:26.86
but if God doesn't weep
over seeing people reject
00:24:26.90\00:24:30.50
the gift of salvation, at
least it has to break His heart.
00:24:30.53\00:24:34.67
But what happens in
the end of all this?
00:24:35.60\00:24:39.04
One of the most
hopeful verses in the Bible
00:24:39.07\00:24:42.61
is Revelation 21, verse 4.
00:24:42.64\00:24:44.41
It says,
00:24:44.45\00:24:45.58
"And God shall wipe away
all tears from their eyes;
00:24:45.61\00:24:48.92
"and there shall
be no more death,
00:24:48.95\00:24:50.39
"neither sorrow, nor crying,
00:24:50.42\00:24:52.55
"neither shall
there be any more pain:
00:24:52.59\00:24:54.72
for the former
things are passed away."
00:24:54.76\00:24:57.03
In this world, there's
injustice; there's pain.
00:24:58.03\00:25:01.76
Some of that can be addressed.
00:25:01.80\00:25:03.33
Sometimes wrongs are righted.
00:25:03.37\00:25:06.53
Sometimes.
00:25:06.57\00:25:07.87
It didn't happen in the
case of the Trail of Tears.
00:25:07.90\00:25:10.87
But there's coming a time when
every wrong will be righted,
00:25:10.91\00:25:14.48
when every illness
will have been cured,
00:25:14.51\00:25:17.01
where death no longer happens,
00:25:17.05\00:25:19.55
where tears will
never more be shed.
00:25:19.58\00:25:23.35
For some people, the pain
of this earth is just too much.
00:25:23.39\00:25:26.05
Seems that way.
00:25:26.09\00:25:27.72
But one day, one
day when Jesus returns,
00:25:27.76\00:25:30.96
He's going to make
all the wrongs right,
00:25:30.99\00:25:33.80
and He wants you to
be ready for that day.
00:25:33.83\00:25:36.53
Jesus has been
through enough pain already.
00:25:36.56\00:25:39.10
He shed enough tears.
00:25:39.13\00:25:41.27
Your salvation
will mean more to heaven
00:25:41.30\00:25:44.07
than you could possibly know.
00:25:44.11\00:25:47.31
Can you make a decision today to
allow Jesus to have your heart?
00:25:47.34\00:25:51.31
To look beyond this
world to the world to come,
00:25:51.35\00:25:53.45
to accept Jesus
into your life by faith?
00:25:53.48\00:25:56.15
One day, no more tears,
just perfection forever.
00:25:56.18\00:26:00.79
You want to be there.
00:26:00.82\00:26:02.96
God wants you to be there.
00:26:02.99\00:26:04.99
>>John: Thank you for
remembering that It Is Written
00:26:06.26\00:26:08.16
exists because of the kindness
of people just like you.
00:26:08.20\00:26:11.60
To support this international
life-changing ministry,
00:26:11.63\00:26:14.87
please call us
now at 800-253-3000.
00:26:14.90\00:26:18.94
You can send your
tax-deductible gift
00:26:18.97\00:26:20.48
to the address on your screen,
00:26:20.51\00:26:22.04
or you can visit us
online at itiswritten.com.
00:26:22.08\00:26:25.88
Thank you for your prayers
and for your financial support.
00:26:25.91\00:26:28.72
Our number
again is 800-253-3000,
00:26:28.75\00:26:32.89
or you can visit us
online at itiswritten.com.
00:26:32.92\00:26:35.96
>>John Bradshaw:
Let's pray together now.
00:26:37.16\00:26:38.93
Our Father in heaven,
00:26:38.96\00:26:40.43
we thank You that one day
00:26:40.46\00:26:41.66
there will be no more tears.
00:26:41.70\00:26:44.60
The Trail of Tears
reminds us that this is a world
00:26:44.63\00:26:48.24
of injustice and harshness and
cruelty and sadness and pain.
00:26:48.27\00:26:53.94
But we are reminded today
00:26:53.98\00:26:55.34
that this is still
a world of blessing.
00:26:55.38\00:26:57.95
Your Word reminds us that Your
mercies are new every morning,
00:26:57.98\00:27:02.08
and our hope today
is in the blessed hope.
00:27:02.12\00:27:04.75
One day Jesus will come back and
take care of all of those things
00:27:04.79\00:27:09.69
that trouble us.
00:27:09.72\00:27:11.03
Friend, where
is your hope today?
00:27:11.06\00:27:13.09
Can you look beyond this world?
00:27:13.13\00:27:15.13
To a Savior who
has shed tears for you
00:27:15.16\00:27:18.83
and is looking forward
to coming back to this world
00:27:18.87\00:27:21.70
so that you can
be with Him forever.
00:27:21.74\00:27:23.74
Is the return of
Jesus your hope, friend?
00:27:23.77\00:27:25.84
If it isn't, tell God right now
00:27:25.87\00:27:28.31
you wish Jesus
to be your Savior.
00:27:28.34\00:27:30.61
Invite the God of heaven to take
your heart and make it His own.
00:27:30.65\00:27:35.05
And He will.
00:27:35.08\00:27:36.92
Father, we look
forward to that day,
00:27:36.95\00:27:39.09
and we thank You that
through Jesus we have now
00:27:39.12\00:27:43.29
the hope of everlasting life
in a land with no more tears.
00:27:43.32\00:27:47.76
And we pray in Jesus' name,
00:27:47.76\00:27:50.50
amen.
00:27:50.53\00:27:51.67
Thanks so much for joining me.
00:27:51.70\00:27:53.00
I'm looking forward to
seeing you again next time.
00:27:53.03\00:27:54.87
Until then, remember:
00:27:54.90\00:27:56.97
"It is written, 'Man
shall not live by bread alone,
00:27:57.01\00:28:00.41
but by every word that proceeds
from the mouth of God.'"
00:28:00.44\00:28:05.08
¤[dramatic theme music]¤
00:28:05.11\00:28:13.12