>>Doug: Hello and welcome to
another It Is Written program,
00:00:01.70\00:00:04.86
My name is Doug Bruce and I've
had the privilege of directing
this program for over 20
00:00:04.86\00:00:08.30
years. In 1973, Pastor Henry
Feyerabend, after returning from
00:00:08.30\00:00:13.53
mission work in Brazil, felt
a need to start a broadcast for
00:00:13.53\00:00:17.20
the Portuguese community in
Toronto. That first program
started out as only 5 minutes
00:00:17.20\00:00:22.56
long but quickly expanded to 30
min and then an English program
00:00:22.56\00:00:26.56
named "Destiny" was added. In
1991, that English program
eventually became know as It Is
00:00:26.56\00:00:32.00
Written Canada. In 2000, Pastor
Shawn Boonstra took over from
00:00:32.00\00:00:37.86
Henry Feyerabend as host of this
program and continued until 2004
when the speaker you are
00:00:37.86\00:00:43.40
all familiar with, Pastor Bill
Santos was called to lead this
00:00:43.40\00:00:48.53
ministry. Today It Is Written
Canada is embracing change once
again and I would like to
00:00:48.53\00:00:52.43
take this opportunity to welcome
our new host, Pastor Chris
00:00:52.43\00:00:56.50
Holland to the It Is Written
family and to thank Bill Santos
for his 10 years of
00:00:56.50\00:00:59.46
dedicated leadership, I know
you have been blessed by his
00:00:59.46\00:01:04.43
ministry and it certainly has
been a pleasure having the
opportunity to work with
00:01:04.43\00:01:07.23
him. Today, Chris Holland will
be presenting "Signs of Hope", I
00:01:07.23\00:01:13.13
know you will be
blessed by today's program.
00:01:13.13\00:01:15.73
ANNOUNCER: It has
stood the test of time.
00:01:27.53\00:01:30.40
God's book: the Bible, still
relevant in today's complex
00:01:31.50\00:01:38.73
world. It Is Written
00:01:39.90\00:01:41.36
Sharing the messages
of hope around the world.
00:01:41.70\00:01:46.63
>>Chris: In the twilight
hours of April 14, 1912 the RMS
00:01:55.33\00:01:59.96
Titanic sped through the icy
waters of the Atlantic. At the
last moment, an iceberg was
00:01:59.96\00:02:04.63
spotted. The Titanic maneuvered
to avoid that iceberg, but it
00:02:04.63\00:02:08.46
tore a gash in the side of the
magnificent ship. Almost three
hours later the ship
00:02:08.46\00:02:13.43
sank with 1500 of her over 2000
crew and passengers perishing in
00:02:13.43\00:02:19.26
the frigid waters. Could it be
that this 100 hundred-year-old
story has a lesson for us
00:02:19.26\00:02:25.26
today? Could it be that this
story sheds light on a teaching
00:02:25.26\00:02:31.16
of Jesus from almost 2000 years
ago? In 1908 White Star Line's
00:02:31.16\00:02:38.33
contracted to have Olympic-class
vessels built. White Star was
trying to stay on the
00:02:38.33\00:02:42.40
cutting edge by building
the largest cruise ships in the
00:02:42.40\00:02:47.10
industry. Those ships would
eventually be known as the
Olympic and the Titanic. Titanic
00:02:47.10\00:02:52.33
boasted a length of almost
300 meters, a width of almost 30
00:02:52.33\00:02:57.70
meters and a height of over 30
meters. It was the largest ship
at that time. This enormous
00:02:57.70\00:03:03.83
boat was a luxurious liner.
Even the third class passenger
00:03:03.83\00:03:08.93
facilities were lavish compared
to other vessels. The Titanic
and Olympic were deemed
00:03:08.93\00:03:14.76
the largest and finest steamers
in the world Many experts of the
00:03:14.76\00:03:19.50
day believed them as unsinkable.
However, as we know today, the
00:03:19.50\00:03:24.56
Titanic was not the unsinkable
ship she was thought to be. On
00:03:24.56\00:03:31.53
April 10, 1912 the fateful
journey of the Titanic began. In
the days leading up to the
00:03:31.53\00:03:35.76
disaster, the Titanic received
several warning messages of
00:03:35.76\00:03:41.53
drifting ice in the area. Under
normal operating procedures of
the times, the Titanic
00:03:41.53\00:03:48.06
continued cruising at full
speed. The ship simply placed a
00:03:48.06\00:03:54.20
lookout to watch for any
imminent danger. Unfortunately,
the spotter saw the iceberg too
00:03:54.20\00:04:00.56
late. After striking that
iceberg, the Titanic sunk and
along with it, 1500
00:04:00.56\00:04:06.30
people perished that day.
It is a tragedy of historic
00:04:06.30\00:04:13.23
proportions. Today, some of
the artifacts from this terrible
00:04:13.23\00:04:17.33
disaster are on display at
Halifax's Maritime Museum of the
00:04:17.33\00:04:22.56
Atlantic. The Titanic received
many warnings but ignored them.
That choice cost many
00:04:23.50\00:04:28.50
lives. Is it possible, friends,
that we are living at a time
00:04:28.50\00:04:33.16
when we have received many
warnings, yet, we have ignored
00:04:33.16\00:04:37.43
them? Is it possible that
despite the numerous warnings,
we, like the Titanic are
00:04:37.43\00:04:43.06
simply cruising through life at
full speed? Almost two thousand
00:04:43.06\00:04:49.40
years ago Jesus gave warning
signs. He presented signs of His
second coming. Those signs
00:04:49.40\00:04:55.30
were given, so that we might
know that it was nearing. As
00:04:55.30\00:05:01.26
Jesus was concluding His
ministry, just before He was
arrested and ultimately
00:05:01.26\00:05:05.40
killed, He met with His
disciples. In Matthew 24, Jesus
00:05:05.40\00:05:11.83
spoke of how the temple in
Jerusalem would be destroyed.
The disciples were troubled by
00:05:11.83\00:05:16.33
the prospect that the great
temple at Jerusalem was to be
00:05:16.33\00:05:22.26
destroyed. So his disciples came
to Him asking questions,
beginning in verse 1,
00:05:22.26\00:05:26.53
The disciples asked Jesus two
questions - when would the
temple be destroyed
00:06:05.70\00:06:12.20
and what was the sign of
His second coming? The disciples
00:06:12.20\00:06:17.60
thought that those two events
were one in the same. However,
they were and are distinct from
00:06:17.60\00:06:23.90
one another.Jesus, as He sat on
the Mount of Olives, overlooking
00:06:23.90\00:06:28.13
Jerusalem, painted a vivid
picture of a time when Jerusalem
00:06:28.13\00:06:32.06
would be destroyed. He pointed
forward to 70 AD when the Roman
00:06:32.06\00:06:37.86
armies led by the General Titus
would come and not leave one
stone upon another. The
00:06:37.86\00:06:45.46
disciples thought for sure that
such a catastrophic event must
00:06:45.46\00:06:50.73
precede the Lord's return, but
they misunderstood. Frankly,
they may not have been
00:06:50.73\00:06:55.70
able to endure the true nature
of all of the events to come.
00:06:55.70\00:07:01.26
So, as Jesus answered He blended
His answer so as to not
overwhelm His disciples.
00:07:01.26\00:07:07.50
They were unprepared for a full
disclosure of future events.
00:07:07.50\00:07:12.70
After Jesus' death, burial,
resurrection and ascension;the
00:07:12.70\00:07:17.43
disciples continued to study
the words of Jesus and with the
00:07:17.43\00:07:21.13
guidance of the promised Holy
Spirit they gained a more
complete understanding. Today,
00:07:21.13\00:07:27.06
like those early disciples, we
are studying the words of Jesus
00:07:27.06\00:07:31.26
to discover what words
of warning He has for us.
00:07:31.26\00:07:36.00
When reading a book or watching
a movie, the final chapter of
00:07:37.06\00:07:41.76
the book or the final minutes of
that movie is often the climax.
00:07:41.76\00:07:47.90
In that final chapter or
minutes, tensions are resolved
and everything that book or
00:07:47.90\00:07:52.50
movie was driving towards
is brought to a conclusion. The
00:07:52.50\00:07:57.83
Bible is no different. The Bible
is replete with warnings to
God's people and in the
00:07:57.83\00:08:03.53
last chapter and the last verses
theat final warning is given,
00:08:03.53\00:08:09.83
which all the other warnings
pointed to. In Revelation 22
verse seven, Jesus says
00:08:09.83\00:08:24.06
"Behold, I am coming quickly!."
And then again in verse 12, "And
00:08:24.36\00:08:31.33
behold, I am coming quickly, and
My reward is with Me, to give to
00:08:31.33\00:08:36.86
every one according to his
work." An finally in verse 20,
He says again, "Surely I am
00:08:36.86\00:08:46.83
coming quickly" In the last
chapter of the Bible with great
00:08:46.83\00:08:52.80
urgency, Jesus tells us three
times tells us that He is coming
quickly. Today we're
00:08:52.80\00:08:58.36
studying specifically the
warnings given in Matthew 24
that point directly to
00:08:58.36\00:09:03.50
the nearness of His coming.
These warnings are in reality
00:09:03.50\00:09:09.23
encouragements to be steadfast
in our faith and to cling more
closely to Him. As we
00:09:09.23\00:09:14.63
begin this study, I want to
share with you a key principle
00:09:14.63\00:09:19.10
in understanding the timing of
the Lord's return. In Matthew 24
verse 36 Jesus is very
00:09:19.10\00:09:28.40
clear,
00:09:28.40\00:09:38.93
Did you hear that? No one knows
the exact time of the Lord's
00:09:49.40\00:09:53.76
return. So, if any pastor,
preacher, or teacher begins
sharing that they know the exact
00:09:53.76\00:09:57.70
timing of the Lord's second
coming - we can know that they
00:09:57.70\00:10:02.10
are not operating according to
Biblical principles. Yet, we
ought to care about the
00:10:02.10\00:10:07.66
nearness of Jesus' return,
because in verse 42, He goes on
00:10:07.66\00:10:15.86
to say, In these verses, Jesus
gives us two key principles that
00:10:33.60\00:10:37.23
will enable us to be prepared
for His return - watch and be
ready. In chapter 24 He
00:10:37.23\00:10:44.73
tells us what to watch for and
gives us the signs of His soon
00:10:44.73\00:10:49.96
return. Then in chapter 25 He
tells us how to be ready through
3 parables. Those two
00:10:49.96\00:10:56.06
principles of watch and be
ready, prepare us for that day
of glorious hope when
00:10:56.06\00:11:01.70
Jesus will come and take us
from this hopeless and helpless
00:11:01.70\00:11:08.23
world. What does it mean to
watch? The original language
gives the idea that this word is
00:11:08.23\00:11:12.96
defined as being on the alert,
being vigilant and having a
00:11:12.96\00:11:18.36
zealous watchfulness. This
watching is not just a casual
00:11:18.36\00:11:23.76
glance,but an intent gaze. This
type of watching pays attention
to the details so as to not
00:11:23.76\00:11:29.23
miss anything.
00:11:29.23\00:11:32.56
With just over 3 minutes to play
in the gold medal women's hockey
00:11:33.40\00:11:38.53
matchup at the Sochi Olympics
the US women's team held a 2-0
lead over the Canadian
00:11:38.53\00:11:43.96
team. However, in a shocking
turn of events, the Canadian
00:11:43.96\00:11:49.23
team tied the game in just less
than two minutes and sent the
match into overtime, where they,
00:11:49.23\00:11:55.76
of course won the gold medal.
Imagine for just a moment that
00:11:55.76\00:11:59.70
you had watched the entire game
and in those closing three
minutes you figured the
00:11:59.70\00:12:04.36
game was over and went and
popped a bag of microwave
popcorn or you went to use
00:12:04.36\00:12:08.60
the washroom or you went outside
to gather your mail. In just
00:12:08.60\00:12:13.96
those few moments you would have
missed some of the most exciting
00:12:13.96\00:12:17.63
moments of Olympic history. When
Jesus said watch, He didn't mean
00:12:17.63\00:12:23.60
that we would stare up in the
clouds all day long, but He
intended that we would carefully
00:12:23.60\00:12:28.46
observe what is going on in the
world around us. Don't
misunderstand what I
00:12:28.46\00:12:34.13
am saying, we should dwell
on heavenly things and fill our
00:12:34.13\00:12:38.66
mind with heavenly thoughts
- yet at the same time we are
00:12:38.66\00:12:44.60
observant of the happenings on
this earth to see the waymarks.
We need to watch until the
00:12:44.60\00:12:49.96
very end.
00:12:49.96\00:12:51.83
Mark chapter 13 is a parallel
chapter to Matthew 24. It shares
00:12:53.16\00:12:57.90
the same event but from a
different perspective. Notice
00:12:57.90\00:13:03.30
Jesus' comment about
watching in Mark 13:28-29,
00:13:03.30\00:13:13.63
Jesus gave a simple
illustration, when we see the
buds on tree branches
00:13:32.13\00:13:36.43
we know the change of season is
at hand. After the harshness of
00:13:36.43\00:13:41.93
winter, the breaking of tree
buds tells us that the warmth of
summer is on its way.
00:13:41.93\00:13:47.43
In the same way Jesus gave signs
in Matthew 24 indicating that
00:13:47.43\00:13:53.30
His return is soon, even though
we do not know the day or the
hour. What are the signs
00:13:53.30\00:14:01.63
of His return? As we study this
chapter we will see that the
00:14:01.63\00:14:06.66
signs of His return can be
grouped into four categories:
signs in the religious world,
00:14:06.66\00:14:11.50
the political world, the natural
world and in the world of
00:14:11.50\00:14:16.70
society. The signs in the
religious world are recorded in
00:14:16.70\00:14:28.50
Matthew 24:23-24, There is the
true Christ and there are true
prophets, but Jesus says
00:14:46.93\00:14:51.00
that there will be counterfeits.
The challenge in many of these
00:14:51.00\00:14:54.56
cases is that counterfeits are
not always easy to recognize. In
00:14:54.56\00:14:58.36
fact Revelation 16:14 says,
00:14:58.36\00:15:05.63
Satan works through them to
perform signs, which deceive and
00:15:21.00\00:15:26.93
confuse. So often error is not
outright error, but it is truth
00:15:26.93\00:15:32.56
mixed with error. This is what
makes counterfeits so dangerous
- they are often truth and
00:15:32.56\00:15:36.83
sometimes a lot of truth mixed
with just a small amount of
00:15:36.83\00:15:42.36
error. You never find a person
who introduces himself or
herself as a card-carrying
00:15:42.36\00:15:45.90
member of the false prophets
club, do you? No the error is
00:15:45.90\00:15:51.36
often couched in truth. When
counterfeiters make bills, you
00:15:51.36\00:15:57.06
don't see them counterfeiting 13
dollar bills, do you? Why not?
Because they don't exist,
00:15:57.06\00:16:03.10
of course. Counterfeiters will
try to copy the genuine article.
00:16:03.10\00:16:08.80
In May of 2000, the town of
Walkerton, Ontario seemed like
00:16:08.80\00:16:13.70
any other small Ontario town.
But suddenly many of the
townspeople began getting sick.
00:16:13.70\00:16:20.40
Little did they know, but the
town's water supply had been
contaminated with the
00:16:20.40\00:16:25.60
deadly E. Coli bacteria. A
silent killer that doesn't have
00:16:25.60\00:16:32.06
a taste or smell. People drank
the water because drinking water
is good for you. But this,
00:16:32.06\00:16:35.90
good for you drink, had been
contaminated with a poison. It
00:16:35.90\00:16:42.20
was good and bad mixed and the
bad made people sick, in fact at
least seven people died.
00:16:42.20\00:16:49.60
Truth and error work the same.
The devil often wraps error with
00:16:53.20\00:16:58.20
enough truth to make it
palatable. What can we use as a
standard for truth? 2
00:16:58.20\00:17:03.93
Timothy 3:16-17 says,
00:17:03.93\00:17:12.26
Scripture is the litmus test. It
will mark with distinction what
00:17:30.90\00:17:35.00
is truth and what is error. It
will make clear what is true and
what is false. Friend,
00:17:35.00\00:17:40.93
I must tell you, beware of any
teacher that steers you from the
00:17:40.93\00:17:47.23
Bible. It is our only true
guide. To many today make
decisions based on emotion and
00:17:47.23\00:17:53.16
feeling, but God's Word gives us
the foundation to help us make
00:17:53.16\00:17:58.80
decisions based on principle.
The devil has packaged false
00:17:58.80\00:18:03.86
teachers and false teachings in
many different forms. Books,
magazines, television
00:18:03.86\00:18:09.13
programs and movies featuring
the occult have grown and are
00:18:09.13\00:18:14.46
some of the most popular. These
falsehoods have been aimed at
our young people and
00:18:14.46\00:18:19.93
teens seem to be the most
fascinated by these teachings.
00:18:19.93\00:18:24.10
Youth and young adults dominate
the number of adherents to the
occult and new members of cults.
00:18:24.10\00:18:31.10
False teachers and leaders use
their magnetic and memorizing
00:18:31.10\00:18:37.50
personalities to
deceive unsuspecting followers.
00:18:37.50\00:18:41.00
In recent history we have seen
the names in the headlines There
00:18:42.80\00:18:47.96
was Jim Jones who formed the
People's Temple. He claimed to
00:18:47.96\00:18:52.60
be the people's saviour and in
1978 ordered a mass suicide.
That day 909 people died
00:18:52.60\00:18:59.63
of drinking cyanide laced
Kool-Aid. In 1993 David Koresh
00:18:59.63\00:19:06.13
made a stand against the US
government in Waco, TX. Koresh
had a magnetic personality who
00:19:06.13\00:19:12.10
drew a number of followers. He
too, claimed to be the Messiah
00:19:12.10\00:19:16.96
of Bible prophecy. On April 19,
1993 78 members of the branch
00:19:16.96\00:19:22.90
davidians, including Koresh
perished when the US government
entered their compound and
00:19:22.90\00:19:27.80
it caught on fire. Marshall
Applewhite, who's piercing eyes
00:19:27.80\00:19:34.26
have been seen in the many news
magazines and television
programs, was known as
00:19:34.26\00:19:37.83
John Doe. He led the Heaven's
gate cult. He taught his
00:19:37.83\00:19:42.46
followers that the famous
Hale-Bopp comet was being
trailed by a spacecraft that
00:19:42.46\00:19:47.10
would receive them and take them
to a place of bliss. Between
00:19:47.10\00:19:54.83
March 22-26 of 1997, 39
individuals took their lives on
the hopes of bliss. In Australia
00:19:54.83\00:20:02.90
AJ Miller claims to be Jesus of
Nazareth reincarnated. He
claimed that in 2012
00:20:02.90\00:20:09.96
Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney
would be engulfed by the sea and
00:20:09.96\00:20:16.00
no longer exist - his
predictions, of course, failed.
Apollo Quiboloy founder of the
00:20:16.00\00:20:22.80
Restorationist church in
the Philippines claims to be the
00:20:22.80\00:20:28.36
appointed son of God. Friends,
while these may seem easy to
identify and easy to avoid, many
00:20:28.36\00:20:36.20
people have been deceived.And
while these are scattered
00:20:36.20\00:20:40.96
isolated instances the Bible
tells us that there will be a
deception of a global
00:20:40.96\00:20:46.00
nature, that all who
dwell on the earth will face.
00:20:46.00\00:20:51.36
The book of Revelation, predicts
this about the end-times, just
00:20:52.83\00:20:58.10
before the return of Jesus,
in chapter 13 verses13-14,
00:20:58.10\00:21:08.93
Do you see the common thread in
the deceptions we read about in
00:21:38.96\00:21:41.43
the Bible? There will be
incredibly amazing, and
seemingly miraculous signs
00:21:41.43\00:21:46.90
and wonders that lead many to
be deceived. Friends, we cannot
00:21:46.90\00:21:52.30
allow that which is exciting, or
exhilarating that plays to our
emotion dictate what
00:21:52.30\00:21:57.13
is truth and error. All these
signs in the religious world,
00:21:57.13\00:22:02.33
should not discourage us. There
is hope for this helpless
planet. These signs point
00:22:02.33\00:22:06.70
to the reality that Jesus is
coming soon. The time is now to
00:22:06.70\00:22:12.03
cling to Him. But Jesus also
said that there would be signs
in the political world, in
00:22:12.03\00:22:17.13
Matthew 24:6,
00:22:17.13\00:22:24.76
When you look back over the
course of the 20th century, what
00:22:47.70\00:22:52.40
you find is that it was the
bloodiest century of all in
history. The 20st century
00:22:52.40\00:22:58.16
brought 180 million deaths
from war. In a society that many
00:22:58.16\00:23:04.00
claim is getting better and
better - reality would suggest
otherwise. Jesus predicted
00:23:04.00\00:23:08.56
a rise in war. In just the
first 14 years alone of the 21st
00:23:08.56\00:23:11.86
century there have been over 25
wars and well over half a
million casualties. Today there
00:23:11.86\00:23:18.20
are fragile peace agreements.
Despite the many political spins
00:23:18.20\00:23:24.86
on peace, so many areas of
the world teeter on the brink of
00:23:24.86\00:23:30.26
war. Countries like Libya and
Egypt have experienced major
political upheavals, Syria
00:23:30.26\00:23:34.83
is still in the midst of
crisis, Iraq and Afghanistan are
00:23:34.83\00:23:38.76
extremely unstable. Just in
these past weeks we have seen
the developments in the
00:23:38.76\00:23:45.70
Ukraine This should come as no
surprise, 1 Thessalonians 5:3,
00:23:45.70\00:23:54.70
Friends, Jesus predicted these
signs, we don't need to worry,
00:24:02.93\00:24:09.13
we don't need to be overwhelmed,
we need to trust. The word of
God is our only guide in this
00:24:09.13\00:24:15.16
chaos of hopelessness. Jesus is
our hope when we feel helpless.
00:24:15.16\00:24:23.80
All of these signs point to His
soon return when He will bring
00:24:23.80\00:24:28.23
an end to sin,
suffering, death and dying.
00:24:28.23\00:24:32.03
Jesus has given many more signs
of His return, which we will
00:24:33.50\00:24:37.56
continue to study. But I want to
leave you with this assurance of
Jesus. Even in all the
00:24:37.56\00:24:43.46
turmoil of this world Jesus has
given these signs of hope. In
00:24:43.46\00:24:49.96
Joshua 1:9, the Bible says,
00:24:49.96\00:24:58.23
Jesus will be with you, He won't
leave you or forsake you, but He
00:25:12.40\00:25:17.43
invites you today to come into
relationship with Him. Joshua
00:25:17.43\00:25:22.16
had these words of encouragement
for the people of Israel on
edges of the promised land, in
00:25:22.16\00:25:28.63
Joshua 24:15
00:25:28.63\00:25:36.06
Heaven is our promised
land. A choice to enter into a
00:25:46.83\00:25:51.56
relationship with Jesus gives us
assurance and hope, not just for
then, but for now and the
00:25:51.56\00:25:57.73
everyday things of our lives.
Deuteronomy 31:6 assures us,
00:25:57.73\00:26:07.23
His signs of hope can give us
courage as we face the future of
00:26:21.93\00:26:28.13
tomorrow and the struggles of
today. Oh friend, Jesus is
reaching out his hand of courage
00:26:28.13\00:26:32.96
today, I invite you to give your
heart and life to him right now.
00:26:32.96\00:26:39.06
Let's pray. Father in heaven we
live in a world that is hopeless
00:26:39.06\00:26:46.50
and helpless. We find many
struggles that exist. We fight
against many things in our every
00:26:46.50\00:26:52.33
day lives, but we need courage,
courage to endure. And so today,
00:26:52.33\00:26:59.50
we give our heart to you and ask
you to give us the endurance as
00:26:59.50\00:27:05.63
we see the signs of the times
to stand fast and cling to you
00:27:05.63\00:27:12.13
every day that we would be ready
for you when you come again. We
pray this in Jesus' name,
00:27:12.13\00:27:16.40
amen.
00:27:16.40\00:27:18.56
Friends, you can get more
information about the program
00:27:27.70\00:27:31.03
today, a resource for your
spiritual library in the
Discover Bible lesson. Here's
00:27:31.03\00:27:35.10
the information you
need to get that lesson.
00:27:35.10\00:27:38.10
>>Chris: Thank you so much
for watching. You can go to
00:28:12.76\00:28:16.36
www.ItIsWrittenCanada.ca to
get more information about this
00:28:16.36\00:28:20.03
program and to see our archived
programs. We hope to see you
again next week and until then
00:28:20.03\00:28:25.36
remember, it is written, man
shall not live by bread alone
00:28:25.36\00:28:31.13
but by every word that
proceeds from the mouth of God.
00:28:31.13\00:28:34.03
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
00:28:36.03\00:28:38.96