Participants: Pastor Charles Byrd
Series Code: IST
Program Code: IST000003
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00:01 Hello again, I'm Karen Byrd.
00:03 A major psychological study was done to find out why some 00:06 factory workers left with a bounce in their step and 00:09 a smile on their face while others dragged themselves 00:12 home after a boring day of repetitious work. 00:16 "What caused the difference?", the investigators wondered. 00:19 They did the same monotonous mind-numbing work and yet 00:22 the investigators noticed that for some of the employees 00:24 the work shifts ended with a positive, upbeat, 00:27 bounce-in-the-step attitude. 00:29 After careful study they finally found the common denominator, 00:33 the one factor that was always present in those who left 00:36 work with a top-of-the-world mindset - versus those who 00:40 drug themselves home. 00:41 The researchers discovered that this positive outlook 00:44 was almost exclusively exhibited in those who had something 00:47 to look forward to after work. 00:49 Dining out with friends, shopping with a daughter, 00:51 game night at the gym, a date with that special someone. 00:55 All those who left work with something special planned 00:58 for that evening were living beyond their present 01:01 reality of work. 01:03 Today Charles is looking for the truth beyond our present reality 01:07 He'll be showing you a picture I'm pretty sure you've 01:10 never seen before. 01:11 For many this is the blessed hope that keeps them pressing 01:15 forward no matter their frustration or present pain. 01:18 Let's join Charles as he goes in search of the truth 01:22 about our final home. 02:02 In our previous program we looked at the reason 02:05 that we can believe this book. 02:07 That reason is prophecy. 02:09 Prophecy gives us testable evidence that a person with 02:12 foreknowledge inspired these writings. 02:15 Together we considered one of the prophecy stories. 02:18 Nebuchadnezzar had had a dream but he couldn't 02:21 remember what it was. 02:23 Daniel, a Hebrew captive from Babylon, after fasting 02:26 and praying for the answer was shown by God 02:29 what the king had dreamed and what the dream meant. 02:32 The king had dreamed of a great image of different 02:35 kinds of metal. 02:36 Each metal represented a world kingdom. 02:39 Babylon was represented by the head of gold. 02:42 But Babylon was not to stand forever. 02:45 In fact it only lasted about 70 years. 02:47 Babylon was then overthrown by the Medes and the 02:49 Persians represented by the chest and arms 02:51 of silver in 538 B.C. 02:54 The belly and thighs of bronze represented the kingdom 02:58 of Greece that began in 331 B.C. when Alexander the Great 03:02 conquered the Medes and the Persians in the battle of Arbela 03:06 The kingdom that followed Greece was the iron monarchy 03:09 of the Roman Empire, which ruled the world 03:12 from 168 B.C. to A.D. 476. 03:16 Daniel was a believer in the God who knows the future. 03:20 And Daniel had read from the prophecies of Isaiah. 03:23 Prophecies are used by God to bring us 03:26 special messages from Him. 03:28 This is what the creator God said, 03:31 "Remember the former things of old: 03:34 for I am God, and there is none else; 03:37 I am God, and there is none like me, 03:40 declaring the end from the beginning, 03:42 and from ancient times the things that are 03:45 not yet done, ..." Isaiah 46:9-10 03:48 It was this same prophet Isaiah that named the king 03:51 who would conquer the Babylon empire 03:53 and then commission the Jews to go back 03:55 and rebuild Jerusalem. 03:57 More than a century before this king was even born 04:00 the creator God knew the future. 04:02 He named Cyrus before his parents were even born! 04:07 Daniel met Cyrus whom Prophet Isaiah had predicted. 04:11 Daniel, inspired by the same Holy Spirit, 04:13 foretold world history with unerring accuracy. 04:17 In Daniel 8 he named the kingdom of Greece 04:20 as the third kingdom some two hundred years 04:22 before it even came into being. 04:25 He predicted that after the four world empires of Babylon, 04:28 Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome 04:30 there would be no other world kingdom. 04:32 Instead there would be a divided kingdom, of iron 04:35 and clay, partly strong, partly weak 04:38 that would never be united. 04:40 And True to Daniel's prophecy the world kingdom of Rome 04:44 splintered into a fractured Europe that to this day 04:47 has never been put back together, 04:50 though much money and blood has been spent trying. 04:53 This twenty six hundred years of prophecy has come true 04:57 with startling exactness. 04:59 Today we are going to take a look at the final act of this 05:03 prophecy that sweeps away earths past history and starts over. 05:06 This prophecy doesn't take much faith to believe either because 05:10 83% of this prophecy is already history. 05:15 Daniel 2:310-35 05:16 "You, O King, were watching; and behold, a great image! 05:21 This great image, whose splendor was excellent, 05:25 stood before you; and its form was awesome. 05:28 "This image's head was of fine gold, and its chest and 05:34 arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs 05:39 of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. 05:44 "You watched while a stone was cut out without hands, 05:49 which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, 05:53 and broke them in pieces. 05:56 "Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver 06:01 and the gold were crushed together, and became like chaff 06:05 from the summer threshing floors; 06:08 and the wind carried them away so that no trace 06:12 of them was found. 06:14 And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain 06:19 and filled the whole earth. 06:22 So what is that stone kingdom, cut out without 06:25 hands that fills the whole earth? 06:27 Daniel explains, "And in the days of these kings 06:31 shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, 06:33 which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom 06:36 shall not be left to other people, but it shall break 06:39 in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall 06:43 stand for ever. 06:45 Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out 06:48 of the mountain without hands, and that it brake 06:51 in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, 06:54 the silver, and the gold; 06:56 the great God hath made known to the king 06:59 what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream 07:02 is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure. " 07:06 Dan 2:44-45 07:07 Many are convinced that we are at the tips of the toes 07:09 of this prophetic image and that the stone kingdom 07:11 is about to be set up. 07:13 But first you have a choice to make. 07:15 You actually are invited by the One who made this prophecy 07:19 to live forever in His kingdom. 07:21 He has left us a great deal of information about heaven 07:25 and its capital city, the New Jerusalem. 07:27 Would you like to learn of this colossal city 07:30 in space that someday will be on earth? 07:32 I hope you stay tuned because today you will see pictures 07:35 that you have never seen before. 07:38 A painting inspired by the very words of this book. 07:41 I'm also going to show you pictures 07:43 of the very place it will be on earth. 07:46 This book prophesied that God would live 07:49 on earth and be one of us. 07:50 The one who fulfilled these prophecies said this 07:53 about the city in space. 07:55 "In my Father's house are many mansions... 07:59 I go [there to] prepare a place for you, [and] I will come again 08:03 and receive you unto myself; that where I am, 08:06 there ye may be also. " John 14:2-3. 08:08 If you wonder what He is preparing, just look around. 08:12 It will be much like living here only a great deal better. 08:16 This is the God who made planet earth 08:19 with all of its beauty that we enjoy. 08:21 He knows how to do a job right. 08:24 Some people think of heaven in childish or even silly terms. 08:28 But you can be sure heaven is a real place, 08:31 and a wonderful place. 08:32 Let's gather together some of the pictures of heaven 08:35 that are left here for us. 08:37 John was a follower of Jesus he was privileged 08:40 to see this city in vision. 08:42 And you can read about what he saw in Revelation 21 & 22. 08:46 First, he tells us it is a very large city 08:50 both in width and height. 08:52 "The city is laid out as a square, and its length is 08:56 as great as its breadth. 08:57 And he measured the city with a reed: twelve thousand furlongs. 09:02 Its length, breadth, and height are equal. " Rev 21:16 NKJ 09:06 We don't measure in furlongs today but a furlong 09:08 is about 1/8th of a mile. 09:10 That means each side of the city is 375 miles long. 09:16 To walk around the city would be a little jaunt of 1,500 miles. 09:20 But there is another interestin point to these measurements 09:24 John gives under inspiration. 09:25 "Its length, breadth, and height are equal. " 09:31 Rev 21:16. 09:32 That means to go from the bottom of the city 09:35 al the way to the top is 375 miles straight up! 09:39 The city appears to be in the shape of a cube. 09:42 An artist was given all the details from 09:45 the Bible of this city. 09:46 Based on what he was told this is what he painted. 09:52 John tells us that this city is called the New Jerusalem 09:55 and it has remarkable walls. 09:58 Now in Jerusalem today you can see some of the walls 10:00 that Jesus saw when he would come to the temple. 10:03 But unlike the imposing walls in the city of Jerusalem today 10:07 the New Jerusalem's walls are even more impressive. 10:12 Here is what John said.... 10:13 "...its wall [is] one hundred and forty-four cubits, 10:16 according to the measure of a man, that is, of an angel. " 10:20 Rev 21:17. 10:21 A cubit is an ancient unit of linear measure, originally 10:23 equal to the length of the forearm from the tip 10:26 of the middle finger to the elbow, 10:29 or about 17 to 22 inches. 10:30 That would make a wall 204 to 264 feet high. 10:36 But the text said that the wall though measured in cubits 10:40 the way a man does, was actually measured by an angel. 10:44 And the angel might well have been bigger than John perhaps 10:48 even twice his size which could make the wall 10:50 as much as 528 feet high. 10:53 Needless to say it was impressive for John to see. 10:56 What was the wall made of? 10:58 John tells us that "the construction of its wall 11:01 was of jasper..." Rev 21:18. 11:03 Think of it. 11:04 A wall 20 to 40 stories high with radiance and beauty 11:08 beyond description. 11:10 Because this city is 375 miles high the artist envisioned 11:15 the city with 12 stories each over 30 miles above the other. 11:21 Today 30 miles up would put us in space so God is going 11:25 to have to do something a little different with our atmosphere 11:28 when He brings His city to earth. 11:30 The Bible tells us that there are 12 gates for the city. 11:33 "And the twelve gates were twelve pearls: 11:36 each individual gate was one pearl. " Rev 21:21 NKJ 11:40 Since the Bible seems to indicate that we will have wings 11:43 the artist saw one gate for each story or floor of heaven 11:47 that the inhabitants of that level can fly into. 11:50 Each gate imagine large enough to accommodate 11:54 all those people and angels. 11:56 Can you imagine the size of the pearl! 11:59 John was able to see into the city and he noticed 12:03 that the street was paved with gold! 12:05 "The street of the city was pure gold, 12:08 like transparent glass. " Rev 21:21 12:10 Imagine how smooth that must feel to walk on. 12:13 Imagine how much glory of heaven that street would reflect. 12:17 Then John's gaze sees a tree unlike anything 12:20 he has seen before. 12:22 "In the midst of the street of it, and on either side 12:25 of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare 12:28 twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: 12:32 and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations." 12:35 Rev 22:2. 12:36 Can you put on your divine imaginations caps and see it? 12:39 There is the tree of life. It's huge! 12:42 Similar to the great redwood that we used to drive 12:45 through in our national park but many times larger. 12:47 This tree straddles the street of gold and the river of life. 12:51 It grows 12 different kinds of fruit and every month 12:55 you can pick from this tree and eat. 12:57 I hope one of the fruits of the tree will be a peach. 13:00 There is nothing like the taste of a tree-ripened peach 13:04 full of succulent flavor. 13:06 This is the tree of life, 13:08 from which, if we eat, we will live forever. 13:11 By the way, this is one of the reasons I want to go to heaven. 13:15 There we get to eat forever! 13:18 "Is it true, " I hear some asking, " 13:21 that this New Jerusalem city will someday be here on earth?" 13:25 Apparently so. 13:27 In the Old Testament is a story about Abraham who was asked 13:30 by God to leave his home in Er, or modern-day Iraq, 13:34 and go to what is now Palestine. 13:37 In faith Abraham obeyed. 13:39 God told him all this land would be given to him someday. 13:43 But it still has not happened as it was prophesied. 13:47 Paul spoke of this experience in his letter to the Hebrews. 13:50 You can read about it in Heb 11 verse 9. 13:53 Heb 11:9-10 13:55 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise,as in a strange 13:58 country, dwelling in tabernacles [or tents] with Isaac and Jacob, 14:03 the heirs with him of the same promise: 14:06 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, 14:09 whose builder and maker is God. 14:13 Abraham was looking for a city that God was to build. 14:16 He expected to live there with all those who love God. 14:20 John was given a most precious privilege of seeing that city 14:24 in vision coming to earth. 14:25 Not in symbol of stone at the end of a bad dream but 14:30 as it would be in reality. 14:32 This is what he saw. 14:34 Rev 21:2 14:35 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, 14:37 coming down from God out of heaven, 14:39 prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 14:42 There is nothing in our experience to match 14:45 the radiance of a bride. 14:48 Jesus leads the way as the great city comes towards earth. 14:51 And then the prophet Zechariah sees His foot 14:54 land on the Mt. of Olives facing Jerusalem. 14:57 Listen to what he saw in 15:00 vision... Zec 14:4 15:01 And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, 15:05 which is before Jerusalem on the east, 15:07 and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof 15:11 toward the east and toward the west, 15:13 and there shall be a great valley; 15:15 and half the mountain shall remove toward the north, 15:18 and half toward the south. 15:20 This city will need a large landing pad 15:24 there in the Middle East. 15:25 It'll take up all of Lebanon, the West Bank, Jordon, 15:30 Israel along with parts of Syria, Saudi Arabia 15:35 and most of Egypt's Sinai peninsula. 15:38 How extraordinary! 15:40 When this glorious city, 1500 miles in circumference 15:45 sets down it will take up a lot of real estate. 15:49 If you go to Jerusalem today, as wonderful as it is 15:53 to be where Jesus was, it still is just a city. 15:57 There are people being killed in and around Jerusalem. 16:00 It's not a city of peace. 16:03 There are people here dying of cancer. 16:05 There are water mains that break making a mess. 16:09 There is dirt and noise in the streets. 16:11 And in the countryside people are fighting and shooting 16:14 at each other just like in so many other places on the earth. 16:18 Why would God bring His heavenly city to planet earth? 16:23 Because He's going to do something special 16:26 here on this rebellious planet. 16:28 First He's going to burn up all the landfills, the plastic 16:31 and aluminum, the toxic dumps and polluted riverbeds. 16:35 He will be destroying all the people who have chosen to 16:39 live selfish and hurtful lives. 16:41 You can read about it in Rev 20 verses 9 and 10. 16:45 "...and fire came down from God out of 16:47 heaven, and devoured them. 16:49 And the devil that deceived them was 16:51 cast into the lake of fire..." Rev 20:9-10 16:53 Peter tells us: 16:55 "...the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, 16:57 and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth 17:00 also and the works that are therein 17:03 shall be burned up. " 2 Pet 3:10 17:05 And now the good news. 17:07 "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth:" 17:11 Said John in Revelation 21:verse 1, 17:14 "for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; 17:17 and there was no more sea. " Rev 21:1 17:20 This promise gave Peter hope! 17:23 "...we, according to this promise, look for new heavens 17:26 and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. " 2 17:30 Peter 3:13. Now hold me back folks cause this is where 17:33 I start getting excited! 17:34 When the New Jerusalem lands here and God destroys 17:37 the earth as it now is with fire and recreates 17:40 recreates the earth fresh and new as it was in the beginning 17:43 everything will be wonderful. 17:46 "And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, 17:49 I make all things new. 17:52 And he said unto me, "Write: for these words are true 17:57 and faithful. " Rev 21:5 17:59 This is the truth of the holy city that will be here. 18:02 The creator will live here in person. 18:05 And those who choose to live here with 18:07 Him will never become bored. 18:09 There will be pleasures forevermore. Psalm 16;11 18:11 There will be no more death, no pain, tears, sorrow, sickness, 18:15 no hospitals, operations, tragedy, or disappointment, 18:19 no trouble, hunger, or thirst Revelation 21:4; Isaiah 33:24; 18:21 Revelation 22:3; Isaiah 65:23; Revelation 7:16. 18:22 Those who live in the New Jerusalem will 18:24 never get tired. Isaiah 40:31. 18:25 Every saved person will be physically whole in every way. 18:28 The deaf will hear, the blind will see, 18:31 the dumb will sing, and the lame will be able to run. 18:34 Isaiah 35:5; Isaiah 35:6; Philippians 3:21. 18:35 Jealousy, fear, hatred, falsehood, envy, impurity, 18:38 cynicism, filth, worry, and all evil will be 18:41 forever shut out of God's kingdom. 18:44 Revelation 21:8; Rev. 21:27 Rev. 22:15. 18:46 People will no longer be burdened with the worries 18:48 and cares that drive them to distraction. 18:50 There will be no more nervous breakdowns. 18:53 Time will become eternity, and the pressures and deadlines 18:56 of earth will be gone forever. 18:59 The vast seas that cover three-fourths of the 19:01 earth's surface today will be gone. Revelation 21:1. 19:04 The deserts will become gardens. Isaiah 35:1-2. 19:06 The animals will all be tame. Isaiah 65:25. 19:08 Little children will lead the lions around. Isaiah 11:6-9. 19:10 There will be no more curse. Revelation 22:3. 19:13 There will be no more violence of any kind. Isaiah 60:18. 19:15 And for you hurting parents who lost a child to SIDS 19:18 or stillbirth the Bible tells us that "...the streets 19:22 of the city shall be full of boys and girls 19:24 playing in the streets. " Zechariah 8:5. 19:27 And for you guilt ridden parent who aborted 19:30 the life of your child, there is hope for you 19:33 because the Bible says there will be nursing babies 19:36 in heaven. Isaiah 11:8. 19:38 Jerusalem is not holy. 19:40 It is not at all a city of peace. 19:43 But the New Jerusalem will be. 19:46 The new city will be our home, if we are among the saved. 19:51 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. 20:03 Music Video "Grant Them Peace" 25:02 "...it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, 25:07 neither have entered into the heart of man, the things 25:10 which God hath prepared for them that love him. 1 Cor 2:9. 25:15 Whatever you can imagine heaven will only be better. 25:18 Jesus tells us, "Let not your heart be troubled: 25:21 ye believe in God, believe also in me. 25:24 In my Father's house are many mansions: 25:27 if it were not so, I would have told you. 25:30 I go to prepare a place for you. 25:33 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, 25:37 and receive you unto myself; that where I am, 25:41 there ye may be also. " John 14:1-3 25:46 Indeed, heaven will be a wonderful place, 25:49 and if you see a joy on my face, a bounce in my step it is 25:52 because I have embraced this blessed hope. 25:55 If you would like to learn more about heaven 25:57 and the New Jerusalem, then get your pencil and 25:59 paper ready for our free offer. 26:01 My hope is not in an earthly king, or a manmade government. 26:05 If we care to look at history and current events 26:09 then we all know that democracy is not the answer. 26:13 It is just as bankrupt as communism or socialism. 26:16 Our only hope is being in heaven with the God of creation. 26:21 Only then will we live in a world that has no pain 26:25 or suffering or sadness. 26:27 I hope each of you will call or write today 26:29 for our wonderful study guide, "a colossal city in space". 26:33 Now, here is the information you'll need 26:36 to get your free study guide. 26:40 A colossal city in space is now under construction. 26:44 To acces this powerful resource go to www.amazingfacts.org 26:51 and simply select the studies button. 26:53 From there, you can order the entire set of the study guides 26:57 or you can look and listen to this particular study guide. 27:01 You can even enroll to the free online bible study course 27:05 wich will answer many of your bible questions. 27:08 Again, this study guide is available to you anywhere 27:11 in the world at www.amazingfacts.org 27:17 We learned today that heaven is our final home. 27:21 But how do we get a ticket to heaven? 27:23 How can we be sure that we will be a resident of 27:25 that wonderful place? 27:27 I hope you'll join us next time as we go in 27:29 search for the ticket in. |
Revised 2014-12-17