Participants: Chris Holland
Series Code: IIWC
Program Code: IIWC201312
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00:11 ANNOUNCER: It has stood the test of time.
00:14 God's book: the Bible, still relevant in today's complex world. 00:23 It Is Written 00:26 Sharing the messages of hope around the world. 00:39 >>Chris: In 1962 David Bernays and Charles Sawyer were on a mountain 00:43 expedition investigating the Cordillera Blanco mountain range in Peru. 00:48 Along their journey, they decided to investigate glacier "511." Their 00:54 findings were absolutely frightening. They saw that an enormous piece of the 00:58 rock bed had been compromised by the glacier and just the slightest 01:03 disturbance would release an avalanche that would spell certain doom for the 01:08 town of Yungay in the valley below. Equipped with this ominous warning, 01:15 the men contacted the authorities and newspaper Instead of being grateful 01:19 for the warning, Bernays and Sawyer were thrown into jail and threatened 01:24 because of the hysteria they might cause. They were told to recant their 01:29 story or face lengthy prison sentences. The men were able to escape the 01:35 country and the authorities were able to suppress any warnings that 01:39 may have leaked. Everything went back to normal and for several 01:43 years nothing happened. However, on May 31, 1970, Bernays and Sawyer's worst 01:48 fears became reality. An undersea earthquake, named the Ancash earthquake, 01:57 tipped the scale at 7.9-8 on the Richter scale. The short quake set off a most 02:05 devastating turn of events. The movement of the earth shook loose the 02:09 damage to the rock bed of the mountain sending a colossal avalanche, which 02:15 included an 800 meter section of glacier down the mountain. There was so 02:21 much debris that it buried the entire city of Yungay, killing 20,000 people 02:27 instantly. It was a warning that was ignored. The complacency and 02:34 suppression of the truth by the authorities led to tragedy. We are right now 02:41 living in a time of warning. Jesus warned us almost 2000 years ago that 02:46 this world was going to an end. He gave signs to watch for that we might 02:51 know how soon He is coming. In Matthew 24 Jesus gave us signs of His 02:55 return to give hope to this helpless planet. Jesus taught that there 03:01 would be signs in the religious world, the political world, the 03:04 natural world and in the world of soety. Last week we reviewed the signs 03:09 we are seeing fulfilled in the religious world. We see a rise in false 03:14 teachings and a general pulling away from Biblical truth. We also studied the 03:19 increasing political tensions and wars in our world today, knowing that 03:25 those signs in the political world point again to the coming of 03:29 Jesus, but there are other signs in the political world. There has been a 03:33 dramatic rise in the potential for world destruction. The world's 03:39 ability to destroy itself is sobering. Revelation 11:18 cautions, 03:59 Humanity's technological advances to have weapons that can destroy the earth 04:04 is much greater than it ever has been. Just think of the countries with the 04:10 known capacity for nuclear weapons: the United States, Russia, United 04:16 Kingdom, France and Japan. They have more nuclear weapons on hand to destroy 04:21 the earth many times over. And countries like India, Pakistan, North Korea, 04:28 Israel and Iran are all suspected, by some, to be capable of producing some 04:34 type of nuclear weapon as well. Walter Lippman's portentous words are a 04:41 living reality, 04:54 What hope is there for this helplessly hopeless planet? Only the return of 05:01 Jesus. He will bring all of this turmoil and suspicion to an end. 05:07 William Ripley, a journalist who covered the affects of the atomic bomb 05:12 broadcast these almost prophetic words as he stood in the midst of the 05:17 aftermath of Hiroshima, 05:26 2000 years ago, Jesus shared today's prevailing modern mind set when He 05:33 spoke these words in Luke 21:26, 05:56 People wonder today, What do things things mean for me? What does this mean 06:01 for my family? Is there any meaning at all? What hope do I have for today? 06:07 Is there any hope for tomorrow? Jesus also warned that there would be 06:11 signs in the natural world, in Matthew 24:7, 06:27 The study of things happening on and to this earth shows an increasing 06:31 intensity of natural disasters. The increasing frequency of tornados, 06:36 earthquakes, hurricanes, floods and fires point to this planet being in 06:41 distress. Sadly, Famines are happening all over this earth. While we in 06:47 the west are rarely plagued with famine, many of us will never forget 06:51 the tragic pictures of Ethiopian small children and youth emaciated and 06:57 hungry. The United Nations reports that there are over 35 nations 07:02 experiencing food shortage. One-sixth of the world's population is 07:08 undernourished. 10,000 people per day . over 3.5 million people year die of 07:16 starvation. In 2012, The Associated Press reported that 80 percent of the 07:22 people living in the conflict of the Sudan were eating only 1 meager meal 07:30 per day. 07:32 But famine wasn't the only sign Jesus gave, He also said that there would be 07:35 pestilences. What is a pestilence? A pestilence is a strange disease that 07:41 afflicts human beings, crops and the environment. In addition, a pestilence 07:47 can be new diseases that spring up around the world. Just think of some 07:52 of those new diseases that were unheard of in previous generations: Lyme 07:56 disease, Marrburg Virus, HIV-AIDS, Mad Cow Disease, the Bird Flu, and H1N1 08:05 just to name a few. Many medical experts believe that our current 08:10 antibiotics will no longer be able to provide a defense against the 08:15 strongest pathogens. Diseases of the plant life have grown increasingly 08:19 complex to deal with. The loss of soil has weakened plants natural resistance 08:25 to pests and disease. Resistance to pesticides and herbicides grows 08:30 stronger and at times requires more of these chemicals potentially 08:37 causing further damage to the environment. Some have estimated that 08:41 50-120,000 premature deaths are caused each year by the 2.4 billion 08:49 pounds of toxic pollutants released into the atmosphere. In 1992 1700 08:57 scientists met together and wrote a document entitled, "A warning to 09:03 humanity". They said the following, 09:46 Did you hear those words? Human beings and the natural world are on a 09:51 collision course. In almost prophetic language, these scientists confirm 09:57 what Jesus predicted would be a sign of His soon return.They went on to 10:03 say, 10:19 While these signs can cause great fear and distress, Jesus warned 10:23 that they would happen. All of these events should draw us nearer and nearer 10:29 to Jesus and rely on him in this time of trouble. 10:36 In Matthew 24:7, He also cautioned that we would see earthquakes in various 10:40 places. The US geological survey estimates that, worldwide, there are on 10:46 average more than 40 earthquakes per day. That is more than 14,000 per 10:51 year. Luke 21:11 echoes the words of Jesus in Mathew 24 where it is 10:59 recorded, 11:10 The total chaos in the natural world has led many to wonder what is going to 11:16 happen to this planet of ours. Describing this state of uncertainty and 11:21 anxiety, Luke 21:26 reveals, 11:40 Is there any hope for the future?Is there any hope for today? Our only hope 11:46 is in Jesus Christ. The natural world continues to experience all types of 11:52 turmoil . Tsunamis seem to be on the rise and occurring in various 11:57 places such as Japan, Indonesia, Sumatra, and Turkey. Many remember the 12:03 tragic Christmas Eve Asian Tsunami of 2004 in which an estimated 230,000 12:11 people died. This tsunami was set off by a 9.1 magnitude earthquake under 12:17 the ocean which produced the destructive waves. 12:24 Although in some parts of the world, the 2013 hurricane season was one 12:28 of the least active in decades, hurricanes have in recent years been 12:33 increasing in numbers and intensity. The 2005 Atlantic hurricane season, 12:38 with the most named storms in history, culminated with Hurricane Katrina. 12:44 The central Gulf states of the United States were impacted by this storm 12:48 leaving behind over 100 billion dollars in damage It had a 250 billion 12:54 dollar economic impact. Romans 8:22 reflects this by saying, 13:16 These natural phenomena are like the labor pains of a woman, revealing that 13:21 something is about to happen. Jesus has told us that, that something, is 13:26 His soon coming. Jesus also taught that there would be signs in the 13:31 world of society. In Matthew 24:37-38, He says, 13:59 In Noah's day, there was rampant moral decay in the land. Genesis chapter 6 14:06 verses 5 and 6 tell us what it was like in Noah's day, 14:37 Man had reached a point of such degradation that God was actually sorry He had 14:42 made mankind. Mankind was wicked to the very core. Genesis 6 verses 11 and 12 14:51 further emphasize, 15:10 Corruption, evil, and wickedness were the words used to describe the time 15:15 of Noah. Jesus said that it would be the same way on the earth just prior to 15:21 His coming. 15:25 Over the last several decades some of the greatest areas of moral 15:28 decay in society has been the break-up of the family unit, and complacent 15:34 attitudes toward spiritual things and moral living. Over the last 25 years, 15:39 the births of babies to unwed mothers has increased almost 3 fold in 15:45 Canada. Depending on what part of the world you are in, 50-75% of all 15:50 marriages end in divorce Worldwide crime and violence are on the rise 15:57 in intensity and in numbers. Author Scott Christiansen speaks of the 16:02 problem of densification. Densification is the general movement to city 16:08 living. It is the urbanization of society. As humanity moves closer 16:13 into urban centers, it places more of the population in a smaller 16:18 area. This densification has led to many problems, but one of the greatest is 16:24 an increase of crime and violence. The World Report on violence and 16:30 health states, 16:53 Jesus warned, " And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many 16:58 will grow cold." This lawlessness and violence in society has many 17:05 contributing factors, but, no doubt, many experts will point to the increase 17:10 of violence in the media as a major factor. The statistics are astounding. 17:16 On average children watch 3 hours of television per day. By the age 12, 17:23 through media, they've witnessed 14,000 murders. In addition there has been 17:29 a large increase in the allowable foul language and sexual content in the 17:34 media. It is no wonder that there has been such moral decay. 17:42 Economic uncertainty is another sign in the world of society James 5 sums up 17:48 our situation well in verses 1-3, 18:21 The banking crisis and collapse of major financial institutions 18:24 brought to the forefront the greed that exists in our day. As one area in 18:29 our world crumbles it often has a domino effect on other areas as well, 18:34 creating a more catastrophic situation. The Canadian Press 18:39 released an article entitled, "Bank of Canada: Ukraine tensions adding to 18:44 economic uncertainty". 19:03 Friend the uncertainty is real. The signs that Jesus gave almost 2000 years ago 19:08 are being fulfilled with increasing intensity each day. We can see the signs 19:14 in the religious world being fulfilled, the signs in the political world are 19:19 all there, the natural world is in turmoil, and society is in total decay. 19:25 All the signs are pointing to the imminent return of Christ. However, one of 19:30 the most powerful signs of the return of Jesus is found in Matthew 24:14, 19:52 The gospel going to all the world is one of the most definitive signs that 19:56 Jesus is coming soon. 20:00 All around the world, people are more receptive to the gospel than ever 20:04 before. Radio, television and the Internet have opened territories that 20:09 couldn't be entered just a few years ago. Today you can see that God is on the 20:13 move. Thousands are being baptized each day. While there is a tremendous 20:18 amount of work still to do, things are happening. Some good friends of mine 20:22 led out in Bible prophecy lectures that took place in Angola, over 8,000 20:27 people were baptized. Other friends have been involved in outreach in 20:31 India where over the course of 10 years 20,000 people have become 20:36 baptized followers of Jesus. Even in the western world, where society has 20:42 become disinterested in the church, places like New York and Chicago have 20:46 seen explosive growth as the gospel is shared. God is on the move. His coming 20:52 is very near. Are you watching? Will you be ready? It could be that 20:59 the signs of the times that Jesus predicted that would happen globally are 21:04 happening to you in a personal way. Maybe in your life, right now you 21:09 are searching for truth. Maybe you wonder if there even is any truth. Maybe 21:15 you have found it difficult to believe in the God you have been 21:19 taught or have heard about. You owe it to yourself to come to the 21:23 Bible and discover its truths. You can learn for yourself, first hand, the 21:28 truth about a loving God and His plan to give you an abundant life, both now 21:32 and eternally. Maybe you are experiencing political tension and war in your 21:38 family. I'm not talking about differences in political parties but the 21:43 wars and clashing of ideals that families experience, particularly 21:47 between the parents and children. Where the various parties argue for 21:51 their particular agendas and words are used like knives to cut and 21:55 sometimes kill the ones we should love and care about the most. Do others see 22:00 our families as being "perfect" yet within the walls of our homes, there 22:04 is violence, abuse, neglect? God has something so much better in store 22:09 for you. In a prophecy describing the days before Jesus returns, Malachi 22:14 4:5,6 indicates that there will be a call for people to repent and that the 22:20 heart of the fathers will be turned toward the children and the heart of 22:25 the children to their fathers. Do want that for your family? Jesus 22:30 promises that He can begin that work in your family today. Maybe you see signs 22:35 in your life from the natural world. Maybe you are going through 22:39 something right now that is out of your control. Suffering from a physical 22:44 illness, maybe from physical hunger, maybe you feel like there is a 22:50 hurricane over your head and it is leaving in its path untold damage to you 22:56 physically, mentally. Jesus invites you to look to Him who can say to the 23:03 storms of your life, "Peace, be still." 23:09 The moral decay of society is prevalent because of what is happening in the 23:14 lives of individuals. If you are someone who has witnessed either 23:18 personally or through the media, acts of violence and crime, if you have 23:22 succumbed to societal pressures to do what feels right only to find out 23:27 that it doesn't always end up right, if what you have been watching and 23:32 participating in has led you in circles, or driven you to despair, I invite 23:37 you today to accept the invitation of Jesus to look unto Him who is the 23:42 author and finisher of our faith, to look unto Him who has promised to give 23:47 you a future and a hope. You could be experiencing economic uncertainty in 23:51 your life today, struggling just to make ends meet. Jesus again has 23:56 the answer by asking us today to seek Him first and in 1 Peter 5:7 He 24:03 invites you to "cast all your care upon Him for He cares for you." In Matthew 24:10 24 the last sign that Jesus talks about is the gospel going to all the 24:16 world. Today, the gospel is not just going to all the world, but it has come 24:21 to you personally. Today you have seen the signs in world around you, you have 24:27 seen the signs in your own life, and today you have the opportunity to heed 24:33 these warnings of Jesus. Maybe you've been discouraged. Maybe you 24:39 have slipped in your Christian walk. Maybe you've never engaged in a 24:44 personal walk with Jesus. Why not take the hand of Jesus and be encouraged to 24:50 watch and be ready today? Maybe you're a faithful Christian and needed this 24:56 encouragement to stay on the course. Friends, no matter where you are or 25:02 who you are, Jesus desires that we would watch and be ready. Are you watching? 25:10 The signs are being fulfilled. Why don't you today commit or recommit 25:16 yourself to following Jesus all the way and watch to the very end 25:22 while we pray. 25:26 O heavenly Father, the signs of the times are being experienced 25:30 globally. We see them with our own eyes, we read about them. We know your 25:36 coming is soon. But the signs of the times are happening in our own 25:42 personal lives. We have been affected and today we come to you and we open up 25:48 our heart and we open up our arms and we say Jesus please come and give us 25:56 the encouragement we need. Today we give our lives to you Lord, submit to you 26:02 fully. Give us the encouragement to continue to watch and be ready 26:09 until the very end, we pray in Jesus name, Amen. 26:35 It Is Written Canada is please to present internationally acclaimed 26:38 Christian recording trio "Selah" in 2 amazing concerts. 26:44 September 20 in Surrey British Columbia 26:47 and October 11 in Red Deer, Alberta. 26:52 For more information and to purchase tickets log on to ItIsWrittenCanada.ca 26:57 Or call 905-404-6510. 27:02 Friend we would like to offer you the Discover Bible Lessons to furthur 27:06 your study on the signs of Jesus' second coming Right now, here is the 27:12 information you need to get those lessons. 28:15 >>Chris: Thank you so much for watching. I want to remind you about our 28:19 website, ItIsWrittenCanada.ca There you will find 28:21 resources to help you in your spiritual growth. I hope to see you next week. 28:25 Until then remember, it is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but 28:32 by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. 28:38 $$$$$$$$$$$$$ |
Revised 2015-02-05