>>Announcer: It has
stood the test of time.
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God's book, The Bible
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Still relevant in
today's complex world
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It Is Written
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Sharing messages of
hope around the world!
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>>Chris: Len and Nicole Clamp
wanted the joy of raising a
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child. They were given that
opportunity when they became
foster parents to little Grayson
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when he was only 7 weeks
old. They noticed something was
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different about Grayson. After
going through testing the
doctors discovered that
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Grayson was completely deaf. The
Clamp's had Grayson for almost a
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year and right after receiving
the news of his impairment, they
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were given the opportunity
to adopt him. They decided that
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they could be the best parents
for Grayson and decided to adopt
him They learned different
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ways to communicate with him.
Grayson's being deaf was caused
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by the fact that he was born
without the nerve that connects
the ear to hearing center
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of the brain. Because of
this, cochlear implants were not
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possible and wouldn't help.
However, the doctors working
with the Clamps proposed a
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solution. The proposed an
auditory brainstem implant, if
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approved Grayson would be the
first child to receive such an
implant in the United
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States. So, the doctors at
the University of North Carolina
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Medical Center mapped out a
careful surgery. They then
performed that surgery in
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April of 2013. On May 21st they
activated Grayson's device and
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in now what is a very popular
YouTube video Grayson heard his
father's voice for the
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very first time. The look of
utter surprise on his face is
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priceless. He had never actually
heard before and now was hearing
for the very first time.
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Often when we learn new
things we are greatly surprised.
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Sometimes that is a welcome
surprise and sometimes that
surprise is almost too much and
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is overwhelming. Over the
last several weeks we have been
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studying the question, is heaven
for real? And our study has led
us to look at what the
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Bible says about what happens
when you die. If you've missed
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the last two weeks shows, you
can go to our website w w
w.itiswrittencanada.ca
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or www.youtube.com/IIWCanada
and there find the
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archived programs. The
conclusion of our study may have
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led to surprise in many of our
viewers. For some it might be a
little shocking to realize
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that when someone dies, the
Bible says they are sleeping -
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in a totally unconscious state
awaiting the Lord's return. You
know friends, when I began
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studying the Bible and learned
this for the very first time - I
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too was shocked - so shocked
that it made me angry. How could
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I have been taught wrong for so
long? But then I learned the
origins of the idea of going
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immediately to heaven or hell.
In fact, the concept that the
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body and soul exist apart from
one another comes from Greek
dualism, which was derived
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from ancient Egyptian belief.
Friend, we are concerned with
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what the Bible teaches, not what
Greek philosophy or Egyptian
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paganism teach. We want the Word
and only the Word. Today, we are
going to take some time to
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study some misunderstood
texts in the Bible.
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Often I'll have some people that
say to me Pastor Chris, wait a
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second, what about the thief on
the cross? Didn't Jesus say to
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the thief on the cross-'Today,
you'll be with me in paradise?'
You know, it's amazing to
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me, there are over 1600 passages
in the Bible about the soul.and
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not one of them ever speaks of
the 'immortal' soul. You see the
Bible is very clear
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when in says in
Ecclesiastes 9:5,
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In over 50 places the
Bible says death is but a sleep.
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Unfortunately, however, there
are a number of people that want
to throw out hundreds of
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clear texts in the Bible about
death, about the second coming
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of Christ and about the
resurrection and accept the
Greek and Egyptian ideas about
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the immortality of the soul.
See, we miss a very important
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principle of Bible study and
that is we start with passages
that are clear and then move to
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passages that are more
challenging. We cannot base our
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beliefs on one or a few texts,
but we must go by the
preponderance of the evidence.
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So, what about that thief on the
cross? What happened that day?
The closing chapters
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of gospel of Matthew and the
gospel of Luke tell the story of
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the final moments of Jesus' life
here on this earth. When Jesus
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was crucified, the Bible records
that He was crucified between
two thieves. And these two
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thieves were not the finest of
fellows. Matthew 27:38-44 tells
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the story, One nailed on either
side of Christ. Both of them
reviled - both of them
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complained and insulted Jesus.
But while those criminals hung
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next to Jesus, something began
to happen. One of them saw
Jesus, a completely
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innocent man dying on the cross
yet He did not retaliate, nor
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complain.in fact, He asked God
to forgive them. Luke adds
further insight into the
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story and demonstrates that
transformation in Luke 27:39-42,
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That thief began to experience
the transformation of his
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heart. He looked at Jesus and
saw that Jesus was the Messiah
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of the world. And that thief
cries out to Jesus, "Remember me
when you come into Your
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kingdom."
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How then does Jesus
respond? Luke 27:43,
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And it is here that we have a
misunderstood text What is this
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text really all about? Is Jesus
saying to that thief, 'I say to
you today, this day that
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I've got the crown of thorns on
my head, this day that I've got
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the nails in my hands, this
day that I'm dying on the cross,
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this day that it doesn't look
like I can save anybody, I say
to you today, this very day, you
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will be with Me in Paradise.' Or
is it possible that there is a
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different meaning to the text?
You see, it all depends on where
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you put that comma. If you put
that comma before the word
'today' the text seems to
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read, 'Assuredly I say to you,
today you'll be with Me in
Paradise.' It seems
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to say that Jesus was assuring
the thief he would be in
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Paradise with Him that very day.
But, let's put the comma after
'today' and look at the
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difference of the meaning.
"Assuredly, I say to you today,'
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In other words this day I'm
hanging on the cross, this day
with nails through My hands.
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I'm making this statement to you
today, "you will be with Me in
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Paradise.'" in the future.
Somebody says, 'Well, Pastor
Chris, when were the commas put
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in there?' The commas were not
put in in the original text when
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it was written in the first
century. The commas were put in
1300 years later during the
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Middle Ages.
00:10:31.93\00:10:34.30
Somebody says, 'Pastor Chris,
how do you know where to put the
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comma?'You know where to put the
comma because of the fact that
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the Bible has to harmonize. The
Bible can't be broken. If the
commas weren't in the
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original text, if the commas
weren't put in there for 1300
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years later and if indeed the
Bible is very clear in telling
us that death is but a sleep,
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then you put the commas exactly
in harmony with the rest of the
00:11:00.96\00:11:06.86
Bible. You do not throw out the
clear teaching of the Bible on
the subject of death and
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sleep and accept an Egyptian
idea on the immortality of the
00:11:10.36\00:11:15.70
soul based on one comma that's
put in there 1300 year after the
00:11:15.70\00:11:20.56
Bible was written. Now, there's
another reason why you know that
00:11:20.56\00:11:26.30
comma has to be after the word
'today' and not before. And that
is, how could Christ promise
00:11:26.30\00:11:34.53
the thief that he would be with
Him in Paradise that day if
Jesus Himself never
00:11:34.53\00:11:41.80
went to Paradise that day? Some
say - what are you talking about
00:11:41.80\00:11:48.40
Jesus not going there? The Bible
tells us that Jesus died on the
00:11:48.40\00:11:54.66
Preparation Day -Friday - many
of us know that as Good Friday.
The next day was the Sabbath;
00:11:54.66\00:12:01.40
Jesus slept and rested in the
tomb on the Sabbath. The next
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day, Sunday, the first day,
Easter Sunday as recognized by
many that Jesus rose from the
00:12:11.16\00:12:19.10
dead. Do you remember the story
of resurrection day? Mary went
to the tomb to embalm
00:12:19.10\00:12:23.46
His body;she didn't know He
had risen from the dead. There
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through her teary eyes she saw
the empty tomb. Then she saw
someone she thought was
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the gardener. But it wasn't the
gardener. It was Jesus. Listen
00:12:37.06\00:12:42.16
to the story
unfold in John 20:15-17,
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Friends, did you here those
words - He hadn't yet ascended
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to heaven. It was Sunday. If He
hadn't ascended to the Father on
Sunday, how could He have
00:13:29.40\00:13:37.26
said to the thief on Friday
that they would be together in a
00:13:37.26\00:13:41.43
place that He did not yet go
until Sunday? Because He wasn't
telling the thief on
00:13:41.43\00:13:49.00
Friday that they were going to
go there together. You see, it
00:13:49.00\00:13:55.56
is that comma that makes the
difference Because Jesus was
saying, 'I say unto
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you today, this day that
I'm dying on the cross, this day
00:14:01.70\00:14:07.16
with blood running down my head.
I'm promising you today, you
00:14:07.16\00:14:12.56
will be with Me in Paradise when
I come again to resurrect the
dead.' A simple comma makes all
00:14:12.56\00:14:18.60
the difference in the world.
I am thankful that Jesus' Word
00:14:18.60\00:14:27.13
makes it plain, aren't you?
Jesus' Word makes it so plain.
He was saying to the thief, 'you
00:14:27.13\00:14:31.76
don't need to fear death and the
reason you don't need to fear
00:14:31.76\00:14:36.73
death is because through My
death on the cross, you can have
00:14:36.73\00:14:47.36
eternal life.' Wherever you are
today, you need not fear death.
Christ speaks to you
00:14:49.60\00:14:55.66
today. Because of His death on
the cross you can have eternal
00:14:55.66\00:15:01.73
life. Because of His death on
the cross, your sins can be
forgiven. Because of what He
00:15:01.73\00:15:08.83
did. 1 Corinthians 15:55 says,
00:15:08.83\00:15:12.86
There is victory in Jesus over
death, victory in Jesus over the
00:15:25.83\00:15:31.80
grave. The tomb is empty of
Christ and our tomb can be
opened up emptied when Jesus
00:15:31.80\00:15:38.46
Christ returns.The same Christ
that ascended will descend. The
00:15:38.46\00:15:47.76
same Christ that went is going
to return. This is the lesson of
the thief on the cross
00:15:47.76\00:15:52.83
that we will rest in the grave
with the assurance that Jesus
00:15:52.83\00:16:04.33
Christ will come again to wake
us up and take us home. Some
will ask further questions
00:16:04.33\00:16:10.60
about the prophet Samuel.
Doesn't the Bible say that he
00:16:10.60\00:16:19.43
came back to life
visited as a disembodied spirit?
00:16:19.43\00:16:24.60
Again, friends, we have seen the
evidence for the Bible telling
00:16:25.33\00:16:32.30
us that death is like a sleep.
But there is a story. Let's go
and see what the Bible
00:16:32.30\00:16:44.30
actually says. In 1
Samuel 28:7-15 tell that story.
00:16:44.30\00:16:56.50
I would like for us to
take notice of several important
00:18:41.70\00:18:45.13
points in this passage. First
Saul is acting in direct
disobedience to God.
00:18:45.13\00:18:53.06
Deuteronomy 18:10-14 forbids
the consulting of a medium,
00:18:53.06\00:19:03.16
Friends, God calls the art of
witchcraft or attempting to call
00:19:50.80\00:19:54.70
up the dead an abomination -
why? Because it is in direct
contradiction to His Word.
00:19:54.70\00:20:04.10
Secondly, in 1 Samuel 28:14 the
Bible says that Saul perceived
00:20:04.10\00:20:10.83
that it was Samuel, but could it
have really been Samuel? Of
course not.Ecclesiastes
00:20:10.83\00:20:18.30
9:5 says
00:20:18.30\00:20:21.26
Friends, this was a witch who
was using the art deception and
00:20:33.70\00:20:39.63
mystical practices. The Bible
says that Satan in 2 Corinthians
00:20:39.63\00:20:53.60
11:14, Friends, this wasn't
Samuel, but some demonic being
impersonating Samuel
00:21:02.83\00:21:09.53
in order to deceive Saul
further. The dead are simply
00:21:09.53\00:21:16.10
sleeping waiting for Jesus to
return. Samuel was resting in
his grave and couldn't be
00:21:16.10\00:21:21.13
awaked by anyone other than
Jesus. Friends that Bible is
00:21:21.13\00:21:28.43
very plain that the dead are
sleeping awaiting the return of
Jesus. Some will say that
00:21:28.43\00:21:33.96
Paul advocates people
going straight to heaven in 2
00:21:33.96\00:21:45.80
Corinthians 5:6-8. But
what does it really say?
00:21:45.80\00:21:48.26
Friend is Paul advocating and
existence apart from the body.
00:22:06.30\00:22:11.60
No, he is stating what the Bible
clearly teaches. Friends while
00:22:11.60\00:22:16.30
in these mortal bodies, we are
absent for the Lord. When is
that we come to be present with
00:22:16.30\00:22:22.43
the Lord? Paul is clear
in 1 Corinthians 15:51-52,
00:22:22.43\00:22:29.26
It is at the last trumpet that
we are raised incorruptible and
00:22:47.06\00:22:54.70
are present with the Lord. Again
Paul is clear in 2 Timothy 4:8,
00:22:54.70\00:23:04.26
When are we present with God and
receive that crown of
righteousness? It is
00:23:17.70\00:23:21.73
after the second coming of
Jesus. Until that time, we rest
in the grave waiting
00:23:21.73\00:23:28.16
for that return of Jesus.
00:23:28.16\00:23:31.50
I know some have claimed to have
Near Death Experiences, where
00:23:33.83\00:23:38.86
they have claimed to have gone
to heaven and visited loved
ones.now, I want to
00:23:38.86\00:23:43.00
be very careful not to offend
anyone, but friends we must
00:23:43.00\00:23:49.86
concern ourselves with what the
Bible says not emotion or
feelings or perceived feelings.
00:23:49.86\00:23:58.60
Several scientists believe that
these near death experiences can
00:23:58.60\00:24:01.93
by explained physically.
Neuroscientist Dean Mobbs says,
00:24:01.93\00:24:10.96
In addition a 2005 study found
that out-of-body experiences can
00:24:20.53\00:24:25.46
be artificially triggered by
stimulating the right
temporoparietal junction
00:24:25.46\00:24:33.43
in the brain, suggesting
that confusion regarding sensory
00:24:33.43\00:24:38.13
information can radically alter
how one experiences one's body.
But friends, science
00:24:38.13\00:24:45.13
doesn't have the best answer,
the Bible has best and only
00:24:45.13\00:24:52.33
answer to these questions. The
Bible records at least 9
resurrections - in not one
00:24:52.33\00:25:01.60
of these cases is there a
recorded story of the afterlife.
00:25:01.60\00:25:10.00
The Bible is clear, over and
over again that when we die, we
sleep awaiting the resurrection
00:25:10.00\00:25:17.83
of Jesus. There is no
consciousness, no recognition of
00:25:17.83\00:25:23.93
time. It will be like one of
those nights, where you lay your
head on the pillow and
00:25:23.93\00:25:29.96
seemingly just as you close
your eyes, your alarm goes off
00:25:29.96\00:25:36.50
moments later - but 8 hours had
passed. We will fall asleep and
00:25:36.50\00:25:48.93
the next moment we who have
fallen asleep in Jesus will
awake to that last trumpet. So
00:25:48.93\00:25:56.63
there needs to be no fear of
death. No fear of what happens
00:25:56.63\00:26:02.60
when we die. As we give our
hearts and lives to Jesus, we
are secure in Him and never have
00:26:02.60\00:26:10.83
to fear.
Revelation 1:18 promises,
00:26:10.83\00:26:20.33
Friends, Jesus defeated
death and He is coming again to
00:26:39.10\00:26:45.20
destroy death and sin. In the
kingdom of Heaven we will live
with Him forever. Don't you
00:26:45.20\00:26:52.43
want to place yourself fully in
the trust of His arms? Why not
00:26:52.43\00:27:01.13
decide to
follow Him fully today?
00:27:01.13\00:27:08.43
Lord, we we give ourselves fully
to you today. Take care of us
00:27:10.46\00:27:15.10
and remember us, we
pray, in Jesus' name, amen.
00:27:15.10\00:27:19.56
The subject of heaven, and
especially, the subject of death
00:27:24.76\00:27:28.43
and what happens after you die,
can be a confusing subject. I
want to offer to you today the
00:27:28.43\00:27:32.53
Signs of the Times special
edition on death. Here's the
information you need
00:27:32.53\00:27:38.56
to get today's offer.
00:27:38.56\00:27:40.60
I hope you enjoyed today's
program. Please join us again
00:28:21.10\00:28:25.43
next week. Until then, remember,
it is written, "Man shall not
live by bread alone, but
00:28:25.43\00:28:32.00
by every word that
proceeds from the mouth of God."
00:28:32.00\00:28:36.13
$$$$$$$
00:28:38.33\00:28:40.36