It has stood the test of time... 00:00:11.41\00:00:14.44 God's book, The Bible 00:00:14.81\00:00:17.78 Still relevant in today's complex world 00:00:18.45\00:00:21.92 It Is Written 00:00:24.52\00:00:25.49 Sharing messages of hope around the world! 00:00:25.99\00:00:29.89 There is a story told by the great literary giant of Russia, Leo Tolstoy, and he tells the 00:00:38.80\00:00:44.31 story of a man by the name of Pahom. Pahom lived in a little village, and there in that 00:00:44.41\00:00:50.55 little village, he had a little farm. He had his whitewash, bricked house. There in that 00:00:50.65\00:00:57.35 little farm, he enjoyed the fruits of his labour. But one day, while Pahom was out in the 00:00:57.45\00:01:02.72 field and was working, he asked himself the question, "How much land does a man need?" He began 00:01:02.82\00:01:12.03 to contemplate, how much land does a man need? Then through the grapevine, Pahom learned of 00:01:12.13\00:01:20.38 a people called the Bashkirs. Now, the Bashkirs lived in a picturesque place and they had a 00:01:20.48\00:01:26.95 lot of land. But the Bashkirs were going to be giving away their land. So Pahom learned 00:01:27.05\00:01:36.42 of this. And here is what the deal was: for 1,000 roubles, which was a lot of money at the 00:01:36.52\00:01:43.53 time, you would give it to the Bashkir tribe, and then you would take off at sunrise in the 00:01:43.63\00:01:50.51 morning with a shovel in your hand. And every 100 metres, you would dig a hold and drop a 00:01:50.61\00:01:57.71 stake. And you had until sunset to make a full and complete circle, and whatever you could 00:01:57.81\00:02:06.35 do in that approximately 12 hours would be your land for 1,000 roubles. So, one day, 00:02:06.45\00:02:16.46 Pahom made a visit to the Bashkirs, and there he met the chief, and he gave the chief his 00:02:16.56\00:02:22.00 1,000 roubles, and he said, "Okay, Pahom, here's what you need to do. Here's your shovel, 00:02:22.10\00:02:29.24 here are your stakes. Go out and claim your land." And so Pahom dashed off, and every 100 yards, 00:02:29.34\00:02:36.79 dig a hole, drop a stake, dig a hole, drop a stake. And it got to about noon and Pahom said to 00:02:36.89\00:02:43.66 himself, "I need to start turning back so I get there in time," because you see, if you 00:02:43.76\00:02:48.83 did not get there in time, you lost your money and you got no land. But just as Pahom was 00:02:48.93\00:02:55.84 about to turn, he noticed this beautiful lake and the woods behind the lake and he said, 00:02:55.94\00:03:01.18 "Surely I need this lake. And those woods will provide heat for me for a long time." And so 00:03:01.28\00:03:08.28 he hurried around the lake, digging a hole very 100 metres and dropping a stake. And he was 00:03:08.38\00:03:13.62 pushing himself and pushing himself and pushing himself And then, as he was getting 00:03:13.72\00:03:20.00 ready to turn back, he saw this meadow with a babbling brook running through it. He says, "I 00:03:20.10\00:03:25.20 certainly need the babbling brook and I need that meadow." And so he pushed himself and 00:03:25.30\00:03:30.37 pushed himself, digging those holes every 100 metres and dropping a stake. And as he 00:03:30.47\00:03:37.88 pushed himself, it was one of those moments - have you ever had those moments when you've 00:03:37.98\00:03:45.79 been running or working hard and your chest starts to hurt because you've been working so 00:03:45.89\00:03:48.76 hard? And he's huffing and he's puffing and he's running and he's noticing the sun's setting. 00:03:48.86\00:03:52.59 And he sees the chief off in the distance. And he begins to run even harder and harder and 00:03:52.69\00:03:59.40 harder. And as he passed the woods, he saw the chief of the Bashkirs off in the distance. He 00:03:59.50\00:04:07.94 knew he would make it. And he dug those holes every 100 metres. And as he finally 00:04:08.04\00:04:13.38 arrived to the chief, he fell down in exhaustion, and all the Bashkir people were cheering. 00:04:13.48\00:04:19.02 But then they noticed, Pahom was not moving. And they turned Pahom over, thinking he had only 00:04:19.12\00:04:31.13 been exhausted; he was not breathing. You see,Pahom had died for exhaustion. And 00:04:31.23\00:04:40.94 Tolstoy ends the story with this question: How much land does a dead man need? The Bashkir 00:04:41.04\00:04:49.42 people answered that. They buried Pahom in 6 feet of land You see, Tolstoy wrote this 00:04:49.52\00:04:58.86 story as an allegory of what is happening in society today. Some of you remember when the word 00:04:58.96\00:05:08.07 "multitasking" did not exist. But we live in a society where we drive and shave and eat and 00:05:08.17\00:05:17.88 talk on the phone all at the same time. We live in a world where we are pressed, pressed, 00:05:17.98\00:05:24.55 pressed by the stresses of society and the stresses of the world in which we live. And it 00:05:24.65\00:05:29.76 leaves us asking the question, "Is this really what God intended in our lives?" The 00:05:29.86\00:05:35.56 devices we have are supposed to make us more efficient and one device is not enough.a smart 00:05:35.66\00:05:44.51 phone, a tablet, a laptop, so on and so forth. Dear friends, we live in a society where there is 00:05:44.61\00:05:50.61 no rest, just press, press, press forward. Statistics tell us that this year, 1.3 million 00:05:50.71\00:05:58.02 Canadians will live with heart disease. Over 350,000 Canadians will be hospitalized with heart 00:05:58.12\00:06:05.33 disease or stroke. 66,000 people in Canada will die this year of heart disease and stroke, with 00:06:05.43\00:06:13.37 the major contributing factor to that being the stress and anxiety in which they live. 00:06:13.47\00:06:20.48 Dr. Nieca Goldberg of the New York University School of Medicine says this: "Chronic 00:06:20.58\00:06:26.58 anxiety can significantly increase the risk of heart attacks, at least in men. There 00:06:26.68\00:06:33.02 is a correlation between the heart and the mind." Interesting study. 25% of Canadian workers 00:06:33.12\00:06:40.60 actually say they have high stress and anxiety in their jobs, but three-fourths of 00:06:40.70\00:06:46.17 Canadian workers indicate that their jobs causes some type of stress. And when we talk about 00:06:46.27\00:06:51.64 that stress, we're talking about unhealthy stress. The question that I ask is this, is this 00:06:51.74\00:06:58.48 really what God intended for us? Or does God have the ultimate answer to the problems of 00:06:58.58\00:07:05.09 stress, anxiety, tension, and worry? Today, we'll journey back in time. Almost 2000 years 00:07:05.19\00:07:16.16 ago the bookof Revelation was written. Revelation's last-day message, the true Jerusalem 00:07:16.26\00:07:23.51 Factor, calls out to us, that Jesus, who is in the temple in heaven has placed before us a 00:07:23.61\00:07:30.55 solution to the frantic pace of the 21st century. It is a call to rest.rest in our Creator. The 00:07:30.65\00:07:41.06 Apostle John writing from that rocky crag of an island, Patmos, and this is what he said in 00:07:41.16\00:07:48.96 Revelation 4:11 as he witnessed the throne room scene of heaven: 00:07:49.10\00:07:53.37 You see, creation is a powerful concept. It should not surprise us that in the 21st century, 00:08:08.28\00:08:13.19 there is a great push-back from the concept of creation. But in the Bible, creation is a 00:08:13.29\00:08:22.03 powerful concept, because it leads us back to the One Who made us, and gives us security 00:08:22.13\00:08:27.37 and rest in His love and in His care. The call of the first angel in the three angels 00:08:27.47\00:08:32.21 messages of Revelation 14 is to fear God and give glory to Him. Why? For the hour of His 00:08:32.31\00:08:44.42 judgement has come. This is final key of the Jerusalem Factor and the reality of 00:08:44.52\00:08:50.69 judgement taking place in the heavenly sanctuary. The verse 00:08:50.79\00:08:57.63 goes on. You see, the call of 00:09:03.14\00:09:05.01 the final days is a callback, not just to be ready because we live in a time of judgement, but 00:09:05.11\00:09:12.25 it is a callback to the worship of the Creator. So how do we worship the Creator of heaven 00:09:12.35\00:09:18.95 and earth and find rest and security in Him? Let's go back to the very beginning of time. 00:09:19.05\00:09:25.66 Let's go back to the very first book of the Bible.to the book of Genesis. There in Genesis, it 00:09:25.76\00:09:32.50 records the Creation week, where God makes the heavens and the earth and all that in them is, 00:09:32.60\00:09:38.67 and He makes the trees and the plants and the water and all of these things. And then on the 00:09:38.77\00:09:45.71 sixth day, the Bible says that God said this: "Let us make man in our image." In the image of 00:09:45.81\00:09:53.42 God he created him; male and female he created them Creation is a powerful concept 00:09:53.52\00:10:01.06 because it connects us with the One Who made us. In a world that says that all of this we see 00:10:01.16\00:10:06.70 around us is just the result of a grand accident, God puts the brakes and says, "No, no, no 00:10:06.80\00:10:14.31 wait a second. I made you. I formed you. I thought about you. You were by design. The Bible 00:10:14.41\00:10:24.45 says that God knew each of usbefore we were born, while we were yet in the womb. That 00:10:24.55\00:10:31.93 creation week, God made everything perfect. The Bible then tells us that God did 00:10:32.03\00:10:42.24 something on the seventh day. He didn't create any objects, but the Bible says in Genesis 2:2, 00:10:42.34\00:10:50.05 Now, let me ask you a question that seems rather obvious. Did God rest on the seventh day 00:11:00.72\00:11:06.26 because He was tired? No, God doesn't get tired. God rested on the seventh day with a specific 00:11:06.36\00:11:13.37 purpose. What did God create on the sixth day? God created mankind on the sixth day and He 00:11:13.47\00:11:23.65 rested on the seventh day. Why was that? Because God was able to understand that man would 00:11:23.75\00:11:30.92 need a specified period of time in which they could reconnect with the Creator. So God created 00:11:31.02\00:11:39.86 the Sabbath. A window in time in which man could be revived, restored and recreate in the 00:11:39.96\00:11:48.87 presence of his Creator. The Bible then says that God did something very special to the 00:11:48.97\00:11:55.88 seventh day. What did He do? In Genesis 2:3 it says, 00:11:55.98\00:12:00.98 The seventh-day Sabbath given at the creation was to be God's perpetual reminder of our roots. 00:12:12.99\00:12:19.40 The seventh day. You have the first day of the week, the second day, the third day, the 00:12:19.50\00:12:24.61 fourth day, the fifth day, the sixth day, and God comes to that seventh day, and the Bible says 00:12:24.71\00:12:29.28 that He blessed it, and when He blessed it, He made it as an eternal sign of the powerful 00:12:29.38\00:12:36.15 creative acts of God and His infinite love, and then He sanctified it. That word 00:12:36.25\00:12:43.39 "sanctified" literally means to be set aside for a holy purpose. And then the Bible says that He 00:12:43.49\00:12:51.30 rested. At creation, God placed a seven-day cycle into the very fabric of our being. Let me pose 00:12:51.40\00:13:00.48 a few questions for you. How long is a year? This is not a trick question, by the way. How 00:13:00.58\00:13:06.65 long is a year? 365 days? What is that time duration? It's how long it takes the earth to go 00:13:06.75\00:13:20.16 around the sun. Then you have the month, 30 days long. How do we get that? By the cycle of the 00:13:20.26\00:13:28.14 moon coming around the earth. What celestial body tells us how long the week is? Is that how 00:13:28.24\00:13:36.24 long Saturn takes to get around? No. You see, It's a trick question. There is no celestial 00:13:36.34\00:13:42.75 body that tells us how long a week is. The origin of the week comes from God Himself, the 00:13:42.85\00:13:48.86 origin of the seven-day week. And look at this fascinating study that has been done. Recent 00:13:48.96\00:14:00.64 research in something called chronobiology reveals these weekly rhythms. Susan Perry and 00:14:00.74\00:14:07.54 Jim Dawson in the bookThe Secrets our Body Clocks Reveal 00:14:07.64\00:14:13.45 say this: Circaseptan literally means "about seven." They studied the human body as well 00:14:24.19\00:14:30.20 as other organisms outside of humanity, and here's the amazing thing that they research 00:14:30.30\00:14:35.70 concluded: the rejection of organ transplants seems to follow a seven-day cycle. The 00:14:35.80\00:14:42.91 immune system response to infection follows a seven-day cycle. Blood and urine chemicals 00:14:43.01\00:14:49.02 follow a seven-day cycle. Blood pressure follows a seven-day cycle. Heartbeat, the common 00:14:49.12\00:14:54.59 cold, and coping hormones all follow this seven-day cycle. It appears that God made us to 00:14:54.69\00:15:02.30 operate on a seven-day cycle. In fact, Deuteronomy 5:33 says 00:15:02.40\00:15:13.71 this: Isn't that fascinating. What is even more intriguing is that Deuteronomy chapter 5 00:15:24.55\00:15:36.26 records God giving to Moses once again the Ten Commandments. You'll remember the story of the 00:15:36.36\00:15:42.07 Ten Commandments, the children of Israel rebel, Moses throws down the tablets, the tablets 00:15:42.17\00:15:50.45 are broken, and he needs a second set of tablets. God rewrites those commandments on 00:15:50.55\00:15:57.09 the tablets, and the first portion of Deuteronomy chapter 5 records that rewriting. And then 00:15:57.19\00:16:06.86 God says, "Hey, if you follow My ways, you'll live, you'll be well, and you'll prolong your 00:16:06.96\00:16:12.33 days." If you follow all of my commands including the Sabbath you'll be well. Now, did God 00:16:12.43\00:16:20.91 know what He was talking about? Let's take a little journey in history. During the French 00:16:21.01\00:16:29.82 Revolution and during Stalin's time in Russia, both of these ruling countries actually 00:16:29.92\00:16:34.79 experimented and helped us understand this seven-day cycle. During the French Revolution, 00:16:34.89\00:16:40.93 during the age of reason, in the 18th century, France decided to move from a seven-day week to a 00:16:41.00\00:16:46.33 ten-day week. They wanted to get more productivity out of their workers. But here was the 00:16:46.43\00:16:52.77 problem: after they did that, productivity actually decreased. The new secular rational week of 00:16:52.87\00:17:01.02 ten days was devised and approved by the ruling convention in October 1793. That 00:17:01.12\00:17:07.49 didn't work and France returned to a seven-day work week Unfortunately for the Russians, 00:17:07.59\00:17:13.66 they failed to learn those lessons from the French, and so Russia, under Stalin, also went 00:17:13.76\00:17:19.10 to a ten-day work week, and notice what happens. After 11 years of disappointing 00:17:19.20\00:17:25.81 production and epidemic irresponsibility in the workplace, Stalin called it 00:17:25.91\00:17:30.51 quits and gave the Soviet people back their seven-day week Experiments have been done with 00:17:30.61\00:17:37.52 shorter work weeks of a four-day week. And all of these experiments have utterly failed. 00:17:37.62\00:17:44.73 Well, why is that? You see, because when God created man, He created man to function on a 00:17:44.83\00:17:51.93 seven-day week. Now, you'll remember, when we've been studying the book of Daniel, 00:17:52.03\00:18:00.04 that we've noticed some interesting things. Daniel, in Daniel chapter 7, said these 00:18:00.14\00:18:14.46 words, speaking of this power, this little horn power, that is a religiopolitical entity, it 00:18:14.56\00:18:16.52 says this: 00:18:16.62\00:18:18.76 Who's law is this power trying to change? For sure it is God's law. In fact the Bible tells 00:18:25.13\00:18:29.90 us, at the end of time, there would be an entity that would address God's law and times. 00:18:30.01\00:18:34.88 The book of Revelation also talks about this issue. Revelation chapter 13 beginning 00:18:34.98\00:18:40.58 in verse 3: 00:18:40.68\00:18:43.18 Here is the key piece that we must not miss in the context of this study. The key issue at the 00:19:20.79\00:19:26.43 end of time as outlined in the book of Revelation is not where will war break out, who will be 00:19:26.53\00:19:32.23 involved in that war, how that war will be administered, but the key question that Revelation 00:19:32.33\00:19:38.01 addresses is, who will we worship? Many people are looking for a rebuilt temple in 00:19:38.11\00:19:45.95 Jerusalem and that may well happen, but the True Jerusalem factor is to look up to the 00:19:46.05\00:19:51.82 heavenly Jerusalem. It is there that we find Jesus our High Priest, the One whom we should 00:19:51.92\00:19:57.36 worship.The book of Revelation presents two entities. There is the dragon. Who's the dragon? 00:19:57.46\00:20:04.83 Satan. And then there is the Lamb. And who is the Lamb? Jesus the One who dwells in the 00:20:04.93\00:20:11.94 heavenly sanctuary. In the book of Revelation, there are two cities, the city of Babylon, and 00:20:12.04\00:20:17.75 then the city of Jerusalem. It is a choice, you see. This is what the book of Revelation is 00:20:17.85\00:20:25.39 all about, a choice on, ultimately, who will we worship In the Garden of Eden, when God 00:20:25.49\00:20:36.06 created mankind, He gave mankind the seventh-day Sabbath as a reminder that we wouldn't forget 00:20:36.16\00:20:43.71 Who the Creator was, that we would worship the One Who made the heavens, the earth, and all 00:20:43.81\00:20:48.81 that in them is. And as a reminder, Revelation 12:17 speaks of those who are faithful 00:20:48.91\00:20:55.32 to God in the end times, and what will they do? They will keep the commandments of God and 00:20:55.42\00:21:01.09 have the testimony of Jesus Christ. Revelation 14:12 says that: And so we have this 00:21:01.19\00:21:13.50 crisis now. God made mankind with a seven-day cycle. He gave him the seventh-day Sabbath to 00:21:13.60\00:21:20.81 remember Him so he would not forget Him, which sounds a little obvious, but that's why 00:21:20.91\00:21:28.35 God did it. And then at the end of time, we see that the key issue is worship. Who will we 00:21:28.45\00:21:34.59 worship? You see, when God wrote the Ten Commandments, God could've written the Ten 00:21:34.69\00:21:40.40 Commandments in any type of material He wanted to. But what did He write the Ten 00:21:40.50\00:21:44.73 Commandments in? He wrote them in stone. See, He did not write them in sand, because you see, 00:21:44.83\00:21:49.70 with sand, the wind will blow it away, the waters will wash it away, but stone represents this 00:21:49.80\00:21:59.15 idea of eternity. God did not write it on paper, because paper can burn up. But interestingly 00:21:59.25\00:22:08.49 enough, God wrote it on stone to represent the endurance of the law forever but more than 00:22:08.59\00:22:13.03 external tablets of stone, God desires more for you, which is why Hebrews chapter 8 verse 10 00:22:13.13\00:22:20.70 says this: 00:22:20.80\00:22:22.07 Today, God has made plain, that He loves you and He loves me. H has not forgotten us and He 00:22:29.71\00:22:35.32 desires that we would not forget Him. Do you desire to walk with Him and experience full rest in 00:22:35.42\00:22:41.72 Him? He came to this earth to die for you, so you might live. In invite you to live fully in 00:22:41.82\00:22:49.26 Him today, experience the law of liberty, experience keeping the Sabbath Holy and it shall be 00:22:49.36\00:22:57.91 well with you as you are in Him. Heavenly Father we thank you so much that you have given us the 00:22:58.01\00:23:06.72 Sabbath as a day that we can rest in you. We pray this in 00:23:06.82\00:23:14.56 Jesus name, Amen. Hi, everyone! So, here's the dilemma. You want to eat healthy, but you feel 00:23:35.74\00:23:40.38 it's going to be expensive. Well, I've got good news for you. Eating healthy can be very 00:23:40.48\00:23:46.86 low cost. With careful planning and preparation you can stretch your food dollar, and still buy 00:23:46.96\00:23:52.33 wholesome, nourishing food that tastes great. Here's how to do it: First, avoid buying 00:23:52.43\00:23:58.63 convenience foods. They tend to be more expensive because the more that's done to food before 00:23:58.73\00:24:04.34 you buy it, the more you pay. Preparing food from scratch will help stretch your dollars. And, 00:24:04.44\00:24:10.71 buy foods that will give you more "bang for your buck". For example: purchase beans and 00:24:10.81\00:24:16.62 vegetables like potatoes and carrots in bulk. Purchase fruits and vegetables that are 00:24:16.72\00:24:22.76 in-season.For example, buy strawberries in early summer peaches in mid-summer, and pears 00:24:22.86\00:24:29.63 in the fall. For more information on in-season produce, visit the Foodland 00:24:29.73\00:24:34.87 Ontario website. On the Forks Over Knives website, I read an article where the author was 00:24:34.97\00:24:41.41 able to live on a budget of $1.50 per dayfor 5 days by purchasing only potatoes, 00:24:41.51\00:24:48.72 carrots, brown rice, brown lentils, brown rice pasta, tomato sauce, and oatmeal. Sure, 00:24:48.82\00:24:55.29 it was a verylimited menu, but the author was creative, it was nutritious, and it worked! Here 00:24:55.39\00:25:02.03 are some other helpful tips for eating inexpensively: Plan your food budget by planning your 00:25:02.13\00:25:07.54 meals for the week Make a shopping list, and stick to it Don't be swayed by the colorful 00:25:07.64\00:25:13.68 packages that are vying for your attention on the store shelf! Check for sales and though it 00:25:13.78\00:25:20.08 might be a little old-fashioned, use coupons if you've got them. Shop at farmers markets; you can 00:25:20.18\00:25:27.26 get luscious produce at great prices. Shop on a full stomach If you shop when you're hungry, 00:25:27.36\00:25:34.03 you're likely to buy more than you really need. Been there, done that! After you've planned 00:25:34.13\00:25:41.10 your meals and done your shopping, use some spare time to make as many of the meals as 00:25:41.20\00:25:45.57 possible, and freeze them. When you arrive home during the week, it will be easy to just reheat, 00:25:45.67\00:25:51.18 and you won't be tempted to spend money on take-out. And last, plant your own garden! If 00:25:51.28\00:25:58.25 you've got a back yard, use it to grow your own organic food.You'll love it! Now, a 00:25:58.35\00:26:04.63 quick word about beans. Beans really are a "best buy" item, especially when you buy them dry 00:26:04.73\00:26:10.80 and in bulk. They're full of protein, fibre, and minerals They are low in fat and high in 00:26:10.90\00:26:16.77 good carbs! What I've done here is I boiled some agate soybeans given to me by It Is Written 00:26:16.87\00:26:23.95 supporter, Mrs. Villeneuve who grows them in her garden, and I've added them to a soup, a 00:26:24.05\00:26:30.62 salad, and a spinach/collard green/onion/tomato dish. You can add beans to rice, pasta, baked 00:26:30.72\00:26:38.56 goods, and even puree them and use them as a dip with vegetables or on crackers, like 00:26:38.66\00:26:45.00 I've done here. This is the same soy beans just put in the processor and look at that - so 00:26:45.10\00:26:52.71 good. Use your imagination and use beans often. It's inexpensive and delicious to 00:26:52.81\00:27:00.18 shop plant-based. I'll see you next time. 00:27:00.28\00:27:04.45 My dear friends, God created a day that we could remember Him and draw near to Him. Today I 00:27:11.49\00:27:17.40 would like to over you for free a magazine called "A Day To Remember", there you can learn 00:27:17.50\00:27:22.84 more about the Sabbath and drawing nearer to Jesus at that time. In addition to that offer, 00:27:22.94\00:27:29.01 I would like to offer you the full set of the "Jerusalem Factor". You can have all 8 00:27:29.11\00:27:34.45 episodes in 2 DVD's for any size donation. Here's the information you need for today's offer. 00:27:34.55\00:27:42.16 Dear friend, God loves you so much that he made a day entirely to spend with you that you would 00:28:06.92\00:28:12.52 draw nearer to Him. If you would like to learn more about drawing nearer to Jesus Christ, I invite 00:28:12.62\00:28:16.89 you to go to our website www. ItIsWrittenCanada.ca. I hope you found true peace in Jesus today. 00:28:16.99\00:28:22.73 I hope that you'll join us again next week and until then remember, It Is Written, man 00:28:22.83\00:28:28.20 shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. 00:28:28.30\00:28:35.01