Are you ready to travel?
00:01:00.43\00:01:01.56
Fasten your seatbelts then.
00:01:01.59\00:01:02.84
We shall go to
Bethlehem, you and I.
00:01:02.87\00:01:05.52
Only about 8 miles
from the city of Jerusalem,
00:01:06.28\00:01:09.48
is the little
village of Bethlehem.
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And for your interest sake, for
your political interest sake,
00:01:12.31\00:01:15.76
this is a town that's
ruled over by communists.
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And I mean that, not so
much in the dogmatic sense,
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as in sort of the
political way in which it's
00:01:25.23\00:01:28.34
organized and governed.
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Our Lord Jesus said
that a city set upon a hill
00:01:30.43\00:01:33.04
cannot be hidden.
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It was the custom in Bible times
during the time of Christ and
00:01:34.36\00:01:39.29
for a long while prior to that,
to build the village or the city
00:01:39.32\00:01:44.24
atop a hill.
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You find the same thing
at Jerusalem, for instance.
00:01:45.25\00:01:48.10
The reason for that was, the
travelers during the night time
00:01:48.13\00:01:53.50
would watch for the
flickering lanterns and candles.
00:01:53.53\00:01:57.24
And they would make
their way home that way,
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long before
flashlights, of course.
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And when a torch,
perhaps, would only burn
00:02:02.19\00:02:06.14
for just a few minutes, our Lord
Jesus then you remember said,
00:02:06.17\00:02:10.23
a city that is set upon
a hill cannot be hidden.
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So it is here in
the city of Bethlehem.
00:02:14.39\00:02:18.05
Now, they call this
field from which we're taking
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our first view,
the Shepherds Field.
00:02:22.48\00:02:25.32
And the Bible says
the shepherds watch
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their flocks by night.
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And an angel choir began to
sing over and above a manger.
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And a brilliant
light began to shine.
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And we still
today, sing don't we,
00:02:37.59\00:02:40.47
"O little town of Bethlehem,
how still we see thee lie. "
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Now there is a
miracle, ladies and gentlemen,
00:02:46.78\00:02:49.87
in the birth of our Lord Jesus
having happened in Bethlehem.
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Back in the Old Testament
times, it said from the prophecy
00:02:55.21\00:03:00.28
given 700 years before
the birth of Jesus, Micah 5:2,
00:03:00.31\00:03:05.18
"But thou Bethlehem Ephrathah,
though thou be little among the
00:03:05.21\00:03:09.56
thousands of Judah, yet out of
thee shall He come forth to Me
00:03:09.59\00:03:12.69
who is to be Ruler in Israel,
00:03:12.72\00:03:14.33
Whose going forth have been
from old, from everlasting. "
00:03:14.36\00:03:18.94
Now let's suppose
you and I are tourists
00:03:19.66\00:03:22.68
and it's 2000
years back to the future.
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And we're walking up and
down the streets of Nazareth
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50 miles, yes
nearly 70 miles from here.
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And we see a beautiful
young lady and she's in the
00:03:33.12\00:03:36.33
final trimester of pregnancy.
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And I might say to
you, "Where do you think
00:03:38.53\00:03:41.57
this baby's going to be born?
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What is your best guess?"
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And you would say to me,
"I'll lay odds the baby's
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going to be born right here.
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This girl isn't
going anywhere of distance,
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not in her advanced condition.
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Not with the modes of
travel that they have here. "
00:03:52.83\00:03:55.51
You know what happened.
00:03:56.69\00:03:58.36
It was the Roman governor,
Pilate, who following the orders
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from the city of Rome
made the decree that required
00:04:03.23\00:04:06.40
every head of house to
back to the place of his birth
00:04:06.43\00:04:10.09
so that the census, the
head count, could be taken
00:04:10.12\00:04:13.33
and the taxes collected.
00:04:13.36\00:04:15.15
And Jesus, through
His earthly father Joseph,
00:04:15.18\00:04:18.88
was related to King David.
00:04:18.91\00:04:21.08
Joseph was a
relative of King David.
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And the city of
Bethlehem is called still today,
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the city of David.
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We're going to turn
around now, just 180 degrees,
00:04:30.21\00:04:33.95
and look at a
housing development.
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This is a new
neighborhood, a subdivision.
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That's the best way to say it.
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This is a new subdivision
just on the outskirts
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of the city of Bethlehem.
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You can see the houses are
built in what we might call
00:04:45.74\00:04:49.12
the Santa Fe style.
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Like down in the Southwest
deserts of the United States.
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The roofs are flat and
they have patios up on the roof
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where they'll sometimes
take their meals in the evening,
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in the cool of
the day particularly.
00:05:00.44\00:05:02.79
And they need not worry
about the rain because there's
00:05:02.82\00:05:05.77
very, very little rain here.
00:05:05.80\00:05:07.74
The Bible does speak about
the early and the latter rain
00:05:07.77\00:05:11.53
in both Old and New Testaments.
00:05:11.56\00:05:13.18
So there does come a
bit of rain in the spring.
00:05:13.21\00:05:15.64
And they take advantage
of that in order to sprout
00:05:15.67\00:05:18.69
the seeds and the crops.
00:05:18.72\00:05:19.84
And then the latter rain, or the
fall rain, that brings the crops
00:05:19.87\00:05:24.32
to fruition, and
brings them ready to harvest.
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We're ready then to go
into the village itself.
00:05:26.87\00:05:30.70
We have moved together,
you and I, down to the end of
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King David street to Manger
Square, in the center of which
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is the Church of the Nativity.
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For hundreds and hundreds
of years, it's been said that
00:05:41.69\00:05:44.54
this is where Jesus was born.
00:05:44.57\00:05:47.86
Can we prove that? No.
00:05:47.89\00:05:49.75
On the other hand,
the historical tradition
00:05:49.78\00:05:53.45
is very early.
00:05:53.48\00:05:54.64
In other words, from
just a few years after
00:05:54.67\00:05:58.50
the ascension of
Jesus, folks were saying
00:05:58.53\00:06:01.23
that this is the
spot where Jesus was born.
00:06:01.26\00:06:05.30
While we can't be sure of
that, we can be sure that it was
00:06:06.25\00:06:10.08
the mother of the
Roman Emperor Constantine,
00:06:10.11\00:06:12.63
the first of the emperors
to claim to be a Christian,
00:06:12.66\00:06:15.29
who came here and built the
church over the presumed site
00:06:15.32\00:06:19.83
of the birthplace of Jesus.
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And we're going to go
inside and see that site
00:06:21.96\00:06:24.81
in just a little bit.
00:06:24.84\00:06:26.51
Helena built other churches
throughout the near east and
00:06:27.54\00:06:30.55
throughout
Europe, for that matter.
00:06:30.58\00:06:32.59
But this church,
ladies and gentlemen,
00:06:32.62\00:06:34.60
is the only Christian
church in the middle east
00:06:34.63\00:06:38.07
that was not
destroyed by invading Persians
00:06:38.10\00:06:41.21
in and around 614, there abouts.
00:06:41.24\00:06:44.98
They determined to be
rid of Christianity by
00:06:45.01\00:06:48.98
destroying the
Christian churches.
00:06:49.01\00:06:50.90
And so they would go to them and
go inside with their animals;
00:06:50.93\00:06:54.46
camels, horses, have a
rodeo, at the end of which
00:06:54.49\00:06:58.55
they pulled down the
altar and smashed it.
00:06:58.58\00:07:01.66
And then they would
either knock the building down
00:07:01.69\00:07:04.83
with force of hammers and
animals, or if it was burnable
00:07:04.86\00:07:09.39
they would set it afire.
00:07:09.42\00:07:10.78
But this one was
saved, and in a little while
00:07:10.81\00:07:13.74
where going to see why
and talk about the miracle
00:07:13.77\00:07:17.66
that saved the place.
00:07:17.69\00:07:19.15
Before you can go inside
here, ladies and gentlemen,
00:07:20.51\00:07:23.15
you must go, now, through
one of those metal detectors
00:07:23.18\00:07:26.44
just like the one that's at
the airport and, tragically now,
00:07:26.47\00:07:30.17
in many of the high schools
and other public buildings.
00:07:30.20\00:07:33.46
This part of the world
gave birth to three great
00:07:33.86\00:07:36.99
major world religions.
00:07:37.02\00:07:38.92
The first, of
course, was Judaism.
00:07:38.95\00:07:41.06
And the second was Christianity.
00:07:41.09\00:07:43.66
And the third was
the faith of Islam.
00:07:43.69\00:07:46.16
And that is why this
area is called the Holy Land.
00:07:46.19\00:07:50.26
Not just for Christians
and Jews, but also for
00:07:50.29\00:07:52.93
followers of Islam.
00:07:52.96\00:07:54.15
And that's a part of the
struggle out in this part of
00:07:54.18\00:07:56.57
the world still
to this very day.
00:07:56.60\00:07:58.52
And so folk come here
from all over the world.
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They come from the United States
with a Christian background.
00:08:01.43\00:08:04.49
They come from the areas
of Europe where there are
00:08:04.52\00:08:07.41
lots and lots of
Jews or Jewish ghettos.
00:08:07.44\00:08:09.47
And they come from the
world of Islam, which is now
00:08:09.50\00:08:13.05
not only in the
middle east and the far east,
00:08:13.08\00:08:15.66
but down in South and
Central America and out in the
00:08:15.69\00:08:17.78
Philippines and a host
of other places as well.
00:08:17.81\00:08:20.72
And you never know who's
coming and so this is a place
00:08:20.75\00:08:24.11
where there could very
well be some tragedies,
00:08:24.14\00:08:27.28
some terrorism and
that sort of thing.
00:08:27.31\00:08:29.34
And so they're very,
very careful whom they let in.
00:08:29.37\00:08:32.06
And you must go
through the metal detectors
00:08:32.09\00:08:34.54
as we have just
mentioned a bit ago.
00:08:34.57\00:08:36.41
Alright.
00:08:36.44\00:08:37.41
We see the guards here
with their automatic weapons
00:08:38.14\00:08:41.19
slung over their shoulders.
00:08:41.22\00:08:42.24
And what you can't
see, I'll tell you.
00:08:42.27\00:08:43.58
Also at the sides of
these Israeli soldiers
00:08:43.68\00:08:47.18
is the most reliable,
they claim, automatic weapon
00:08:47.21\00:08:53.71
and can be made
fully automatic, the Uzi.
00:08:53.74\00:08:56.33
That ppprrrrr gun, you know.
And the gang people love those.
00:08:56.36\00:09:00.03
And so they're guarded highly
by police force when they can.
00:09:00.06\00:09:04.32
Now we've moved up to the
entrance and I want you folks to
00:09:04.35\00:09:07.17
look up at the very top of
the screen and there you'll see
00:09:07.20\00:09:09.52
a big lintel beam.
00:09:09.55\00:09:11.43
That big stone slab was
the top of the original door.
00:09:12.60\00:09:17.21
Everything beneath that
was the original door of entry
00:09:17.24\00:09:21.79
to this church, the
Church of the Nativity.
00:09:21.82\00:09:24.99
And then they closed it off.
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Down toward the bottom of
the screen, you'll see an arch.
00:09:26.84\00:09:30.32
This then was the second entry.
00:09:30.35\00:09:33.93
And I think in our
next picture we have
00:09:33.96\00:09:35.76
even a better view of it.
00:09:35.79\00:09:37.34
There it is, you can see
the arch about mid-screen there.
00:09:37.37\00:09:40.34
That was the second doorway.
00:09:40.37\00:09:42.86
But today the
doorway is very low.
00:09:42.89\00:09:45.10
You see it down toward
the very bottom of the screen.
00:09:45.13\00:09:47.77
Now, my buddy Ben
is standing there.
00:09:47.80\00:09:49.73
And Ben is not a
particularly large man.
00:09:49.76\00:09:51.89
He stands at about 5 feet
and 10.5 inches, I suppose.
00:09:51.92\00:09:55.58
And you can see that the entry
door is way below his shoulder.
00:09:55.61\00:09:59.25
Now, if you were to ask the
folks here, "Why has the door
00:09:59.28\00:10:03.05
been made so very low?"
the likelihood is that your
00:10:03.08\00:10:06.94
tour guide will give you
this answer, this reasoning.
00:10:06.97\00:10:10.43
"This is such a holy place,
this is such a special place,
00:10:10.46\00:10:15.16
that we want the
folk who go inside to go
00:10:15.19\00:10:18.31
in an attitude of reverence.
00:10:18.34\00:10:19.65
We want them to go
inside with a bowed head. "
00:10:19.68\00:10:23.35
So even a child, in order to get
inside without banging the head
00:10:23.90\00:10:28.49
has to bend over.
00:10:28.52\00:10:30.69
And while they'll tell
you that, I think that's not
00:10:31.48\00:10:33.87
the real reason for
the lowering of the door
00:10:33.90\00:10:36.84
again and again and again.
00:10:36.87\00:10:38.55
We mentioned a bit ago
that when the invading Persians
00:10:39.42\00:10:42.32
would come to these holy
places, they would go inside
00:10:42.35\00:10:45.43
with their
camels and have a rodeo.
00:10:45.46\00:10:47.89
And so they made the
door so small you couldn't
00:10:47.92\00:10:51.10
ride a camel inside.
00:10:51.13\00:10:52.94
And then they began
to go inside with horses.
00:10:53.34\00:10:55.91
So they made the door so low
you couldn't ride a goat inside.
00:10:55.94\00:11:00.84
Couldn't have a
goat rodeo in here.
00:11:00.87\00:11:02.88
And that, I think, is the
real reason for the making of
00:11:02.91\00:11:06.05
the doorway smaller and
smaller, and smaller still.
00:11:06.08\00:11:09.45
We step inside now and we
see the contrast, the beauty.
00:11:09.48\00:11:13.34
The outside is rather plain,
in fact, a little austere.
00:11:13.37\00:11:16.74
But the inside is
really very, very lovely
00:11:16.77\00:11:19.99
in its restorative condition.
00:11:20.02\00:11:22.24
And for your interest sake, the
architecture style is Byzantine.
00:11:22.27\00:11:27.59
And I think on another evening
we mentioned that Turkey today
00:11:27.62\00:11:31.56
is ancient Byzantium.
00:11:31.59\00:11:33.05
And that's where
the east meets the west,
00:11:33.08\00:11:34.81
and when the "when and where" of
the influence of various styles
00:11:34.84\00:11:38.49
of architecture came together.
00:11:38.52\00:11:39.97
But this one is
largely Byzantine.
00:11:40.00\00:11:42.44
And up near the front
is the altar, beneath which
00:11:42.47\00:11:45.70
they say Jesus was born.
00:11:45.73\00:11:47.46
But before we go to
pay attention to that,
00:11:47.49\00:11:49.66
I want you to look up at the top
and you will see on either side
00:11:49.69\00:11:54.06
a row of windows.
00:11:54.09\00:11:55.26
There they are.
00:11:55.29\00:11:56.45
Opposite side is the same.
00:11:56.48\00:11:58.60
Beneath those windows,
there once were frescos.
00:11:58.63\00:12:03.85
A fresco, ladies and
gentlemen, you probably know,
00:12:03.88\00:12:07.06
is a painting
upon a plastered wall.
00:12:07.09\00:12:11.38
The paintings upon the
wall here told the story
00:12:14.97\00:12:19.80
of the birth of Jesus.
00:12:19.83\00:12:21.71
And in the first
frame, you saw a family,
00:12:23.25\00:12:26.97
a man leading a little donkey.
00:12:27.00\00:12:29.23
And on the back of
that, a pregnant wife.
00:12:29.26\00:12:32.30
And then in the next
frame, you saw a manger.
00:12:32.33\00:12:36.36
And the cattle and
the sheep gathered around.
00:12:36.39\00:12:39.18
And then in the
final frame, a little baby
00:12:39.21\00:12:42.98
who's been placed in the manger.
00:12:43.01\00:12:45.01
The story of the nativity,
hence the name of the church,
00:12:45.04\00:12:48.40
the Church of the Nativity.
00:12:48.43\00:12:50.44
Now we mentioned that
most of the other churches were
00:12:50.47\00:12:53.16
destroyed by the
invaders in and around 614-617,
00:12:53.19\00:12:57.41
right in through there.
00:12:57.44\00:12:58.41
But this one was
saved, it was not destroyed.
00:12:58.42\00:13:01.67
And I'm going to
tell you why and how.
00:13:01.70\00:13:03.76
When the invading Persians...
00:13:03.79\00:13:06.13
And by the way, what
do we today call Persia?
00:13:06.16\00:13:08.40
What do we call it today?
00:13:08.43\00:13:09.94
Iraq, exactly.
00:13:09.97\00:13:11.41
A portion of Iran maybe as
well, but largely it's Iraq.
00:13:11.44\00:13:14.69
Or Iraq, either way you
say it, I guess is correct.
00:13:14.72\00:13:18.51
But when they came in
here, ready to have a rodeo and
00:13:19.41\00:13:22.09
smashed the place down, they
looked up beneath the windows
00:13:22.12\00:13:25.19
and they saw the paintings.
00:13:25.22\00:13:27.81
And in one of the
scenes, there were three kings.
00:13:27.84\00:13:32.62
Now the Bible doesn't
say that there were three.
00:13:32.65\00:13:36.12
It does say there were
three gifts, do you remember.
00:13:36.15\00:13:38.29
One, a gift of gold.
One a gift of frankincense.
00:13:38.49\00:13:42.84
And yet another,
the gift of myrrh.
00:13:42.87\00:13:45.27
But when we sign
about it today, we sing,
00:13:45.30\00:13:48.14
"We three kings of Orient are.
Bearing gifts we travel afar. "
00:13:48.17\00:13:53.47
And so, in the early painting
here, there were three kings
00:13:53.50\00:13:57.91
from Persia who are
bringing gifts to this baby.
00:13:57.94\00:14:00.92
And the invaders then in
614, around in there, said,
00:14:00.95\00:14:04.97
"Look, our forebearers came
here and they worshiped here.
00:14:05.00\00:14:09.06
There was something
special, something sacred here
00:14:09.09\00:14:11.21
that they recognized.
00:14:11.24\00:14:12.25
Therefore then,
we're going to save it. "
00:14:12.28\00:14:14.75
And the
paintings saved the church.
00:14:14.78\00:14:17.67
Now, what
happened to the paintings?
00:14:17.70\00:14:20.46
That's the next question.
00:14:20.49\00:14:22.25
Because they've been
gone for a long, long while.
00:14:22.28\00:14:25.08
The original tiles of
the roof were made of lead.
00:14:25.97\00:14:30.03
Now that's not so unusual.
00:14:30.06\00:14:32.53
Many places in Europe, you'll
find buildings with lead tiles.
00:14:32.56\00:14:37.00
Up until more recently,
we've discovered that lead
00:14:37.03\00:14:40.05
can make you unwell if you
drink the water and the runoff
00:14:40.08\00:14:43.43
and all that sort of thing.
00:14:43.46\00:14:44.55
Tragically, that has
polluted some of our most lovely
00:14:44.58\00:14:47.57
and most pristine lakes
here in the Pacific Northwest.
00:14:47.60\00:14:50.43
But at any event, the
original tiles or shingles
00:14:50.46\00:14:53.83
were made of lead.
00:14:53.86\00:14:55.06
Lead makes a wonderful shingle,
it'll turn the water forever.
00:14:55.92\00:14:59.12
But it has another value.
00:14:59.15\00:15:01.52
That being the
making of bullets.
00:15:01.55\00:15:03.90
And every time a war
would break out here,
00:15:04.50\00:15:06.29
someone would get a ladder
and get up on the roof and
00:15:06.32\00:15:08.38
pull off a few
shingles and throw them down and
00:15:08.41\00:15:10.23
melt them and make bullets.
00:15:10.26\00:15:11.41
And tragically, they
didn't replace the shingles.
00:15:11.45\00:15:14.09
And over the
years, the water came in
00:15:14.12\00:15:16.56
and destroyed the paintings.
00:15:16.59\00:15:19.27
But the story is
still being told to everyone
00:15:20.21\00:15:24.14
who comes to visit here.
00:15:24.17\00:15:25.74
Well, we're going to
move up now to the altar
00:15:25.77\00:15:29.19
and then go down a little
staircase into, what I suppose
00:15:29.22\00:15:33.76
we would call the basement.
00:15:33.79\00:15:35.38
And as we do this, I'm going to
just share a thought with you.
00:15:35.41\00:15:40.03
We, because of the
things we've seen in church or
00:15:40.83\00:15:44.96
in our early
training or perhaps in school,
00:15:44.99\00:15:47.70
the nativity scene
leaves in our mind, a picture
00:15:47.73\00:15:51.56
of a batten board
building, doesn't it.
00:15:51.59\00:15:53.47
Maybe 1x12's with, you
know, batten on the seams.
00:15:53.50\00:15:57.34
2x4 shack or some
such thing as that.
00:15:58.28\00:16:01.07
Well that's not
necessarily the way it was.
00:16:01.10\00:16:04.14
Still today in this part of the
world, when bad weather comes
00:16:04.17\00:16:08.00
they will put the sheep and the
cows and the oxen and the mules
00:16:08.03\00:16:14.23
and the burrows inside
natural caves or grottos
00:16:14.33\00:16:18.03
to get the out of the weather.
00:16:18.06\00:16:19.56
And maybe on another evening, we
will see the evidence of that.
00:16:19.59\00:16:22.12
But they're still doing it.
00:16:22.15\00:16:23.56
We'll see the
animals back inside.
00:16:23.59\00:16:25.69
And so it is very
likely that instead of our Lord
00:16:26.43\00:16:29.39
having been born in what
we traditionally think of as a
00:16:29.42\00:16:33.00
manger or little barn, He
was born inside a natural cave
00:16:33.03\00:16:37.37
into which they would put
the animals during bad weather.
00:16:37.40\00:16:41.34
Now, while we can't be
100% sure that this is where
00:16:42.17\00:16:45.25
Jesus was born, we
can be absolutely certain
00:16:45.28\00:16:49.37
that it was here in this grotto,
before it was made lovely
00:16:49.40\00:16:52.90
and decorated as you see
it now, it was in this grotto
00:16:52.93\00:16:56.30
that a Christian
man came to do a work
00:16:56.33\00:17:00.53
of great Biblical importance.
00:17:00.56\00:17:03.81
This guy knew the original
languages of the Bible as if
00:17:06.59\00:17:10.89
they'd been his mother tongue.
00:17:10.92\00:17:12.59
His name was Jerome.
00:17:13.39\00:17:14.99
And often today, he's
referred to as Saint Jerome.
00:17:15.02\00:17:18.54
At the time of Jerome
in the mid-fourth century,
00:17:20.08\00:17:25.22
the language of the
world was, of course, the Latin
00:17:25.25\00:17:29.60
where Rome ruled the
world for hundreds of years.
00:17:29.63\00:17:33.43
The language of Rome
was the Latin language.
00:17:34.28\00:17:37.56
But there was no Latin Bible.
00:17:37.59\00:17:39.88
The Bible still was in
its original languages.
00:17:39.91\00:17:43.69
The Hebrew of the Old
Testament and the Greek,
00:17:43.72\00:17:46.72
a bit of Sanscript
perhaps, in the New Testament.
00:17:46.75\00:17:49.82
But there was no
Bible for the common man.
00:17:49.85\00:17:52.44
The priest, the church leaders,
were schooled in the Latin.
00:17:53.03\00:17:56.26
And they then read the Bible,
and sometimes they misquoted it.
00:17:56.29\00:18:01.76
And we can expect that,
I suppose, to some degree.
00:18:01.79\00:18:05.12
But at any event,
Jerome had this great burden
00:18:05.15\00:18:09.05
to give the people the
Bible in their own language.
00:18:09.08\00:18:12.68
And so he decided there was no
better place to find inspiration
00:18:12.71\00:18:16.86
than here in the grotto
where they say Jesus was born.
00:18:16.89\00:18:20.22
And so he sequestered himself.
00:18:20.25\00:18:21.93
Literally had
himself locked inside.
00:18:21.96\00:18:25.16
Came out only for
reasons of emergency.
00:18:25.19\00:18:28.12
His meals were
brought here to him.
00:18:28.15\00:18:29.97
And for months and months
and months, he laboriously
00:18:30.00\00:18:33.76
translated the Bible,
word for word for word,
00:18:33.79\00:18:37.01
from the Old Testament
Hebrew, the New Testament Greek,
00:18:37.04\00:18:40.94
into the Latin language.
00:18:40.97\00:18:43.06
Now, because he was such a
scholar, because he did his work
00:18:43.09\00:18:47.59
so early and so meticulously,
still today when any new
00:18:47.62\00:18:52.83
translation of the Bible
is made, the folks go back
00:18:52.86\00:18:55.89
and check themselves
out word by word by word
00:18:55.92\00:18:59.79
with Saint
Jerome's Latin Vulgate.
00:18:59.82\00:19:03.18
That's the way it's
know today, if you look it up
00:19:03.21\00:19:05.41
in the encyclopedia
or on your internet.
00:19:05.44\00:19:07.88
Jerome's Latin Vulgate.
00:19:07.91\00:19:09.94
And that word "Vulgate"
by the way, originates from
00:19:10.04\00:19:13.02
the word "vulgar".
00:19:13.05\00:19:14.42
Which doesn't, at its
base, mean nasty or naughty,
00:19:14.45\00:19:17.52
but rather that which is common.
00:19:17.55\00:19:20.08
That which is for the
common man, the blue collar guy.
00:19:20.11\00:19:24.73
That's the idea.
00:19:24.76\00:19:25.83
And so, the Bible was made
available to the common man
00:19:25.86\00:19:32.26
right here in this place that
I consider special and holy,
00:19:32.29\00:19:36.64
if for no other
reason than that.
00:19:36.67\00:19:38.81
We owe to Jerome, a
great debt of gratitude
00:19:38.84\00:19:41.54
whether the
background is Catholic or some
00:19:41.57\00:19:44.03
branch of Protestantism.
00:19:44.06\00:19:45.25
He was a great man of God,
he did a great missionary work.
00:19:45.28\00:19:48.60
Now we have left the
village of Bethlehem,
00:19:48.63\00:19:53.01
headed back toward Jerusalem.
00:19:53.04\00:19:55.12
But before we get
into the town of Jerusalem,
00:19:55.15\00:19:58.17
we see a side road.
00:19:58.20\00:20:00.35
And that, ladies and
gentlemen, is the Jericho Road.
00:20:00.38\00:20:04.26
You remember the
story that Jesus told?
00:20:05.16\00:20:07.66
"A certain man," He said, "went
down from Jerusalem to Jericho
00:20:09.35\00:20:14.49
and he fell among thieves. "
00:20:14.52\00:20:16.45
Now the context of the telling
of the story was this of course.
00:20:18.19\00:20:21.96
There was a scribe,
and in our parlance today,
00:20:21.99\00:20:25.68
we would probably
call him an attorney.
00:20:25.71\00:20:28.98
A man of letters.
00:20:30.04\00:20:31.80
And he thought that
he would trap Jesus.
00:20:32.77\00:20:35.51
But Jesus had been preaching the
gospel based on grace and love.
00:20:35.54\00:20:40.33
And so he thought he would stand
up and ask Jesus a question
00:20:40.36\00:20:44.02
that would find Him
in a trap, catch Him
00:20:44.05\00:20:47.41
in a catch 22, if you please.
00:20:47.44\00:20:49.78
He was sure that if Jesus gave
an answer to his question based
00:20:49.81\00:20:53.65
on love and grace, he would say,
"Well, but what about the law?"
00:20:53.68\00:20:56.67
And upon the other hand
Jesus answered with an answer
00:20:56.70\00:20:59.68
that was based law, the
attorney would have said,
00:20:59.71\00:21:02.32
"But what about your
teaching of love and grace?"
00:21:02.35\00:21:04.50
And so, instead of
being trapped in either trap,
00:21:04.53\00:21:08.61
Jesus told the story,
"A certain man went down
00:21:08.64\00:21:13.54
from Jerusalem to Jericho. "
00:21:13.57\00:21:15.12
What was the
attorney's question?
00:21:15.15\00:21:17.15
What was the trap that he fixed?
00:21:17.18\00:21:19.25
He stood up in the
midst of the crowd and said,
00:21:19.62\00:21:22.30
"Lord, I want you to
tell me who is my neighbor?"
00:21:22.34\00:21:25.99
That question is still
being asked today, isn't it.
00:21:28.28\00:21:30.81
Whom do I have
any responsibility?
00:21:32.02\00:21:34.27
What do I owe him
or anyone in humanity?
00:21:34.98\00:21:38.25
Who is my neighbor?
00:21:38.28\00:21:39.83
Jesus said, "A certain man. "
00:21:40.47\00:21:43.59
Now listen my dears,
in the first sentence
00:21:43.62\00:21:47.52
of the answer of Jesus,
He forever settled the issue.
00:21:47.55\00:21:51.86
Jesus said, if he's a
part of the human race.
00:21:52.86\00:21:56.52
And by the way,
Jesus purposely in answer,
00:21:56.55\00:21:59.31
used the word anthropos.
00:21:59.34\00:22:01.07
That's the translation
from "a certain anthropos".
00:22:01.10\00:22:04.20
And it's from that word that
we have our word anthropology.
00:22:04.23\00:22:07.93
The origins of
all men and all races.
00:22:07.96\00:22:11.11
And so Jesus said, if he's
a man, if he stands up right,
00:22:11.14\00:22:15.72
if he stands on two
feet, regardless of the origin
00:22:15.75\00:22:18.72
of his birth, regardless
of the color of his skin,
00:22:18.75\00:22:21.33
if he's a part of the
human race, he is your neighbor.
00:22:21.36\00:22:24.54
And then He went
on to tell the story.
00:22:25.96\00:22:28.82
This man went down
from Jerusalem to Jericho
00:22:29.57\00:22:33.76
and he fell among thieves.
00:22:33.79\00:22:35.61
And it was no idle
phrase that Jesus used,
00:22:35.64\00:22:38.78
"A certain man went down. "
00:22:38.81\00:22:41.09
Because Jerusalem
sits atop Mount Zion nearly
00:22:41.12\00:22:44.09
3000 feet in elevation.
00:22:44.12\00:22:45.87
While Jericho, only 12
miles distant as the crow flies,
00:22:45.90\00:22:51.32
is the lowest place on
earth not covered with water.
00:22:51.35\00:22:54.40
It's about 800
feet below sea level.
00:22:54.43\00:22:57.33
And so, to go from
Jerusalem to Jericho
00:22:57.73\00:22:59.96
you're going to drop in
elevation nearly 4000 feet.
00:22:59.99\00:23:03.23
In order to make the
drop in that short distance,
00:23:03.26\00:23:07.54
the old highway had
many twists and turns.
00:23:07.57\00:23:11.30
And we today would refer to them
as switchbacks, wouldn't we.
00:23:11.33\00:23:14.92
Yea, those kind of places where
they make the kids car sick.
00:23:14.95\00:23:18.85
Any of you folks have a
problem with getting car sick?
00:23:18.88\00:23:21.21
Yea, have you ever known of
folks that had to sit in the
00:23:21.74\00:23:25.50
front seat, couldn't
sit in the back seat?
00:23:25.53\00:23:27.77
Well Lyle has to drive.
00:23:27.80\00:23:29.98
And sometimes I
make myself sick.
00:23:31.80\00:23:34.65
Maybe someday I'll
learn how to drive.
00:23:36.08\00:23:38.07
But at any event, there
were these hairpin curves,
00:23:38.10\00:23:41.43
these switchbacks.
00:23:41.46\00:23:42.46
And in the rocks and
bushes on the uphill side of the
00:23:42.49\00:23:46.05
switchback, the robbers and
the briggins and the bad guys
00:23:46.08\00:23:49.46
would hide out.
00:23:49.49\00:23:50.46
And when they found
a fellow coming along,
00:23:50.49\00:23:52.83
maybe an elderly
couple, or maybe someone alone,
00:23:52.86\00:23:56.33
they would come out from
the brush and jump upon them
00:23:56.36\00:24:00.08
and beat them up, and
often take their lives, and
00:24:00.11\00:24:02.69
take their
possessions at the same time.
00:24:02.72\00:24:05.42
In the story that Jesus tells,
the certain man is a Samaritan.
00:24:06.48\00:24:11.55
Now while they were
distant cousins, the Jew and the
00:24:12.05\00:24:16.74
Samaritan were
bitter, bitter enemies.
00:24:16.77\00:24:19.85
In fact, when the Jew referred
to the Samaritan, he would
00:24:19.88\00:24:22.37
often refer to him as a dog.
00:24:22.40\00:24:24.62
And he wasn't talking about
that sweet little lap animal,
00:24:24.65\00:24:27.86
but rather those mangy curs
that eat out of the garbage dump
00:24:27.89\00:24:31.48
and run wild
through the back alleys.
00:24:31.51\00:24:34.15
A certain man fell among
thieves and he was beaten up.
00:24:36.03\00:24:40.36
And the man who was
robbed and beaten was a Jew.
00:24:41.14\00:24:43.92
And everyone knew that.
00:24:43.95\00:24:45.22
And then Jesus has, coming down
this road going from Jerusalem
00:24:45.75\00:24:49.38
to Jericho, a scribe.
00:24:49.41\00:24:51.55
A church officer,
a church attorney.
00:24:51.58\00:24:53.98
And he obviously sees
the man wounded and dying.
00:24:54.01\00:24:57.27
And he goes
right on down the road.
00:24:57.30\00:25:00.09
And then the next
passerby is a temple priest.
00:25:00.49\00:25:03.98
And he certainly sees the
man because makes an effort
00:25:04.01\00:25:06.57
to go around him.
00:25:06.60\00:25:08.08
And it may well have been
his thought, "What should I do?"
00:25:08.96\00:25:11.96
He may have paused and
pondered, "What ought I do?
00:25:11.99\00:25:15.12
Here's this guy that needs
help, he's bleeding and all.
00:25:15.15\00:25:18.64
But on the other hand,
down at the temple in Jericho,
00:25:19.68\00:25:22.91
there are 300 folks
waiting for my blessing
00:25:22.94\00:25:24.87
and my sermon, my prayers.
00:25:24.90\00:25:26.13
Should I help the one guy
or should I go help the 300?
00:25:26.16\00:25:28.92
Well, I better go help the 300."
00:25:28.95\00:25:31.41
And so he purposely
walked by the wounded man.
00:25:31.44\00:25:35.17
And the third
traveler was the Samaritan.
00:25:35.57\00:25:38.73
He stops, gets off his
little donkey, and binds the
00:25:42.01\00:25:47.51
mans wounds,
staunches the bleeding.
00:25:47.54\00:25:49.99
Perhaps pours
oil upon his sores.
00:25:50.02\00:25:53.17
And then he has to load
the man on his little animal
00:25:53.20\00:25:57.20
and lead him to
the Good Samaritan Inn.
00:25:57.23\00:26:00.16
For hundreds and hundreds
of years, they've been saying
00:26:01.39\00:26:03.82
that this is that inn.
00:26:03.85\00:26:06.28
Can we be sure? No.
00:26:06.31\00:26:07.56
But again, the
tradition is early.
00:26:07.59\00:26:09.86
And many good scholars,
careful scholars, believe
00:26:09.89\00:26:12.72
that this is the place.
00:26:12.75\00:26:14.10
And when he comes
to the inn keeper,
00:26:14.13\00:26:16.27
he turns the man
over to his care.
00:26:16.30\00:26:19.59
And he says to
him, "Here is money.
00:26:19.62\00:26:21.89
If this isn't sufficient,
in a few days I'll be
00:26:21.92\00:26:24.66
coming by here again.
00:26:24.69\00:26:26.31
And I will pay you
then, the balance. "
00:26:26.34\00:26:28.55
What he's saying is,
don't worry about the money
00:26:28.58\00:26:31.80
but worry about the man.
00:26:31.83\00:26:33.74
The good Samaritan.
00:26:38.52\00:26:39.96
Well, as we go towards
the city, we want to notice
00:26:40.99\00:26:46.28
one or two other things.
00:26:46.31\00:26:47.74
Here is the tomb, ladies
and gentlemen, of Rebecca.
00:26:47.77\00:26:52.97
Do you remember how Isaac was
00:26:53.00\00:26:56.38
granted his
wife, beautiful girl?
00:26:56.41\00:26:58.60
And Abraham's hired man
went off into the far country.
00:26:58.63\00:27:01.95
And the test was,
if she brings water.
00:27:01.98\00:27:04.46
Do you remember the story?
00:27:04.49\00:27:05.85
And oh how Isaac loved her.
00:27:05.88\00:27:07.45
And when she died, he buried her
between Jerusalem and Jericho.
00:27:07.48\00:27:12.89
And Jewish folks and
Christian folks and people just
00:27:12.92\00:27:16.56
interest in history stop
here and pay their respects
00:27:16.59\00:27:20.13
at the tomb of Rebecca.
00:27:20.16\00:27:22.53
And as we go again further
toward the city of Jerusalem,
00:27:22.56\00:27:26.20
we see some Palestinians working
out in their grain fields.
00:27:26.23\00:27:30.87
Now we talked
together our second night here
00:27:30.98\00:27:33.95
about the conflict between the
Palestinians and the Iranians
00:27:33.98\00:27:40.01
and the Iraqi's and the Jews.
00:27:40.04\00:27:42.17
And about the
potential of Armageddon,
00:27:42.20\00:27:44.37
and all of that sort of thing.
00:27:44.40\00:27:45.80
So, in picture tonight,
I'm going to share with you
00:27:45.83\00:27:48.39
a bit of the
reality of that conflict.
00:27:48.42\00:27:50.88
Here is a Palestinian lady.
00:27:50.91\00:27:52.82
That means that she
and her husband are Arabs
00:27:52.85\00:27:57.04
who were born in the holy land.
00:27:57.07\00:27:59.48
And their fathers and
forefathers before them
00:27:59.51\00:28:01.58
were born here in the holy land.
00:28:01.61\00:28:03.83
And this lady is out in the
afternoon heat cutting the grain
00:28:05.54\00:28:10.07
with a hand scythe in the
same way that their forebearers
00:28:10.10\00:28:14.41
have harvested, back to the
times of Isaiah and Jeremiah
00:28:14.44\00:28:18.36
and probably before that.
00:28:18.39\00:28:20.59
And then after the harvesting
is done, after the grain
00:28:20.99\00:28:23.89
has been cut, they will carry
it to the place of winnowing.
00:28:23.92\00:28:27.11
And here is the husband.
00:28:27.14\00:28:29.16
He's had a little donkey to walk
upon the grain that's fallen
00:28:29.19\00:28:33.30
upon the hard stone floor.
00:28:33.33\00:28:35.45
And the footprints, the
hoof prints of the little animal
00:28:35.48\00:28:40.83
have shredded off the hulls and
when the afternoon breeze blows,
00:28:40.86\00:28:46.59
and they have to do
the worse part of the work
00:28:46.62\00:28:48.41
in the afternoon, in the
afternoon heat, you understand.
00:28:48.44\00:28:50.69
Because that's when
the breeze comes up.
00:28:50.72\00:28:52.30
Then he throws the wheat,
the chaff, rather the straw,
00:28:52.33\00:28:56.37
up into the air and the kernels
of the grain fall back down
00:28:56.40\00:29:00.11
to the threshing floor and
the wind blows the chaff away.
00:29:00.14\00:29:03.95
Nowadays, they set
up some pretty big fans
00:29:03.98\00:29:07.05
to do the same thing
and they can do it in
00:29:07.08\00:29:08.47
the cool of the evening.
00:29:08.50\00:29:09.74
But often they're doing it still
in this style, in the same way
00:29:09.77\00:29:12.85
that they have
done for hundreds,
00:29:12.96\00:29:14.84
yes, thousands of years.
00:29:14.87\00:29:16.52
And then they carry tremendous
burdens into the market place.
00:29:16.55\00:29:20.39
Now, while the Palestinian
is farming like this,
00:29:21.25\00:29:26.75
with hand implements,
by the sweat of the brow
00:29:27.45\00:29:30.90
and the aching back,
their Jewish neighbor
00:29:30.93\00:29:34.18
in the adjoining field or
in the field across the road
00:29:34.21\00:29:38.30
is harvesting his crop as
he drives an air conditioned
00:29:38.33\00:29:42.49
John Deer tractor and has
stereo headphones upon his ears.
00:29:42.52\00:29:47.11
I want to thank you for
traveling with me tonight.
00:29:47.71\00:29:49.94
Ladies and gentlemen, would
you please open your Bibles
00:29:53.05\00:29:55.05
to Revelation chapter 1.
00:29:55.08\00:29:56.96
We've read a number of
verses from the last book
00:29:57.84\00:30:00.18
for those who
live in the last days.
00:30:00.21\00:30:01.48
But we've not
read this one as yet.
00:30:01.51\00:30:04.76
So we're going to begin
at the very first verse,
00:30:06.12\00:30:08.29
the first chapter.
00:30:08.32\00:30:10.45
The book for those
who live in the last days,
00:30:10.48\00:30:12.68
the book of Revelation.
00:30:12.71\00:30:14.13
The prophet without honor.
00:30:15.35\00:30:16.69
And let's read
about him, shall we?
00:30:16.72\00:30:18.40
Revelation 1:1
00:30:18.43\00:30:21.17
Here it says,
"This is the Revelation
00:30:21.20\00:30:24.40
of John the
disciple which God gave... "
00:30:24.43\00:30:27.88
What?
00:30:27.91\00:30:29.23
I have to check you
out from time to time.
00:30:29.26\00:30:30.95
It's a revelation of whom then?
00:30:30.98\00:30:33.01
Of Jesus Christ.
00:30:33.04\00:30:34.41
I need to pause
here for just a minute.
00:30:34.44\00:30:36.35
I remember not so terribly
long ago talking to a pastor
00:30:36.38\00:30:40.21
who said, "In my church,
I never allow a scripture
00:30:40.24\00:30:43.99
to be read from the Revelation.
00:30:44.02\00:30:45.50
I won't permit it. "
00:30:45.96\00:30:47.19
He said, "It's a book that's
just filled with hocus pocus.
00:30:47.22\00:30:50.28
It's a book with strange symbols
and all kinds of weirdness. "
00:30:50.31\00:30:54.42
And he said, "I just won't
allow it read in my church. "
00:30:54.45\00:30:58.25
And I didn't say it, but I
was thinking, what a tragedy.
00:30:58.28\00:31:01.62
What a real tragedy.
00:31:01.65\00:31:03.33
Because this is not
only the book for those who
00:31:03.36\00:31:06.34
live in the last days.
00:31:06.37\00:31:07.63
This is the only one of the
66 books that make up our Bible
00:31:07.66\00:31:11.07
in which you find a promise
given to those who will read it
00:31:11.10\00:31:14.52
and take advantage of it.
00:31:14.55\00:31:16.11
The Revelation of Jesus Christ.
00:31:16.14\00:31:19.02
Some of my preacher
friends love to preach from
00:31:19.05\00:31:21.56
the gospel of John.
00:31:21.59\00:31:22.96
And some others
love the book of Romans
00:31:22.99\00:31:25.84
because it's so clear
on righteousness by faith.
00:31:25.87\00:31:28.07
Still others like the book
of Galatians, and our scholars
00:31:28.10\00:31:31.70
after the pattern
of the apostle Paul.
00:31:31.73\00:31:33.60
But I'm here to tell you folks
tonight that after 40+ years
00:31:33.63\00:31:37.04
of study, I am
absolutely convinced
00:31:37.14\00:31:39.78
that righteousness by faith is
as clearly taught in this book
00:31:39.81\00:31:43.24
as it is in any other.
00:31:43.27\00:31:44.85
The Pauline writings,
or those of Peter or John,
00:31:44.88\00:31:47.73
or any other gospel.
00:31:47.76\00:31:49.62
The Revelation of Jesus Christ.
00:31:49.65\00:31:51.75
Where do we find Him in
the first three chapters?
00:31:51.78\00:31:54.44
We find our Lord Jesus walking
among the golden candlesticks.
00:31:54.47\00:31:58.27
Those lights that represent
His people, His churches.
00:31:58.30\00:32:02.42
And so that's why we sing,
"This little light of mine. "
00:32:02.45\00:32:05.91
He's the senior Pastor
with a shepherd's heart.
00:32:05.94\00:32:09.15
And so He gives
those special messages
00:32:09.18\00:32:12.30
to the various churches.
00:32:12.33\00:32:13.64
The church at Philadelphia.
00:32:13.67\00:32:15.36
"You thought that you
were alone often times.
00:32:15.39\00:32:17.58
But in the darkest hour, I
was right there with you. "
00:32:17.61\00:32:20.56
And to the church of Thyatira.
00:32:20.59\00:32:22.39
And to this church where Satan's
seat is, "I know the struggles
00:32:22.42\00:32:25.33
that you've been through.
00:32:25.73\00:32:26.74
I know the
difficulties you've had to face.
00:32:26.77\00:32:28.50
I know that there were
dark days when you thought
00:32:28.53\00:32:30.94
that you were all
alone in the world.
00:32:30.97\00:32:32.98
But I was right
there with you. "
00:32:33.01\00:32:35.13
And then he comes to the last
church, the church of Laodicea.
00:32:35.16\00:32:38.76
And these churches,
I believe by the way,
00:32:38.79\00:32:40.65
have to do with time periods.
00:32:40.68\00:32:42.36
And the last one is Laodicea.
00:32:42.39\00:32:44.11
And I believe the
message is for you and for me.
00:32:44.14\00:32:46.34
And it talks
about luke warmness.
00:32:46.37\00:32:48.21
And we're going to
be relating that idea
00:32:48.24\00:32:50.23
as we go further as well.
00:32:50.26\00:32:51.80
But what Jesus is saying to
us is, "During those last days,
00:32:51.83\00:32:55.65
during those really difficult
times, when the weather is foul
00:32:55.68\00:32:59.23
and there are diseases
and there are tornadoes
00:32:59.26\00:33:01.36
and there are plagues
and there are earthquakes
00:33:01.39\00:33:03.62
in all of these
different places, please know
00:33:03.65\00:33:06.94
just as surely as I was
with the folks at Thyatira,
00:33:06.97\00:33:10.19
just as surely as I was
with the people in Philadelphia,
00:33:10.22\00:33:13.62
I'm going to be
right beside you. "
00:33:13.65\00:33:16.74
That's Jesus in the first
three chapters of Revelation.
00:33:16.77\00:33:20.20
We come over to chapters 5, 6,
and 7, and 8 the first verses,
00:33:20.80\00:33:25.32
and we find a crisis now.
00:33:25.35\00:33:27.16
There's a book that holds
evidence, that holds information
00:33:28.20\00:33:32.47
for the very last days.
00:33:32.50\00:33:33.88
It's a book that
if read and understood
00:33:34.48\00:33:37.33
could help the folks prepare.
00:33:37.36\00:33:40.11
Spiritual preparation, largely.
00:33:40.14\00:33:42.73
But there's no one that
knows how to read the book.
00:33:43.38\00:33:46.33
And more than that, if
one found could read the book,
00:33:46.36\00:33:49.68
he'd be unable to open it
because the thing is sealed up
00:33:49.71\00:33:52.32
with seven seals.
00:33:52.35\00:33:53.32
And we could today, liken
it to seven combination locks.
00:33:53.33\00:33:58.05
And when this thing
passed before John in vision,
00:33:58.08\00:34:00.69
it was so real to
him, it was so terrifying
00:34:00.72\00:34:03.77
before him that he cried.
00:34:03.80\00:34:06.11
"I wept a lot," he said,
00:34:06.84\00:34:08.77
"because there
was found no man. "
00:34:08.80\00:34:11.34
And then there came a
cry, "Stop, stop your weeping.
00:34:11.37\00:34:15.24
Hush it up, now wipe your tears
John, for we have found one.
00:34:15.27\00:34:19.19
Look, the Lion of
the tribe of Judah. "
00:34:19.22\00:34:22.51
Revelation chapter
5 and the 5th verse.
00:34:22.54\00:34:24.93
He not only
knows the combinations,
00:34:24.96\00:34:27.11
He knows how to read the book.
00:34:27.14\00:34:28.97
And Jesus then,
unfolds the future.
00:34:29.00\00:34:31.78
Jesus comes to the rescue
riding upon the white horse.
00:34:31.81\00:34:35.70
Jesus is our Lord and Savior.
00:34:35.73\00:34:38.19
You find Him then,
again, as the dragon slayer in
00:34:38.22\00:34:42.51
chapters 11, 12, and 13.
00:34:42.54\00:34:44.71
And a bit further, you
find Him in chapters 19 and 20
00:34:44.74\00:34:48.24
as the Bridegroom riding
down the corridor of space,
00:34:48.27\00:34:52.19
coming with a crown on His head
and the scepter in his hand,
00:34:52.22\00:34:55.85
coming to marry His bride
and to take her to be eternally
00:34:55.88\00:35:00.90
in the Father's house.
00:35:00.93\00:35:02.62
It is the
Revelation of Jesus Christ.
00:35:02.65\00:35:05.07
Shall we read on
chapter 1 and the 1st verse?
00:35:05.10\00:35:07.86
Verse 1 of Revelation 1.
00:35:07.89\00:35:09.64
The Revelation of Jesus
Christ which God gave unto Him
00:35:10.57\00:35:13.12
to show His servants the things
that would shortly come to pass.
00:35:13.16\00:35:15.95
He sent and signified it by
His angel unto the servant John.
00:35:15.98\00:35:20.04
And John bare record of the
word of God and of the testimony
00:35:20.07\00:35:23.39
of Jesus Christ and of
all things that he saw.
00:35:23.42\00:35:26.40
Blessed then... "
00:35:26.43\00:35:27.77
And by the way, that
word that is "blessed"
00:35:27.80\00:35:30.42
has a more basic meaning.
00:35:30.45\00:35:32.46
And we today could
translate it by saying "happy".
00:35:32.49\00:35:35.60
Happy, contented.
00:35:36.42\00:35:38.30
"Blessed, happy and contented
then, is the one that reads,
00:35:39.08\00:35:43.36
and they that hear the
words of this prophecy,
00:35:43.39\00:35:45.38
and keep the words
that are written therein. "
00:35:45.41\00:35:47.19
I've had on many occasions,
folks come to me and say,
00:35:47.22\00:35:49.45
"You know Lyle, I don't know why
you like the book of Revelation
00:35:49.49\00:35:53.36
because it's so scary.
00:35:53.39\00:35:55.05
I mean, it has all those weird
things and beasts and horns
00:35:55.08\00:35:57.87
and all of
those strange symbols.
00:35:57.90\00:36:00.35
It's just frightening to me. "
00:36:00.38\00:36:02.23
And I say to them, "Oh
no. No it's not frightening. "
00:36:02.83\00:36:06.49
"Happy are they, peaceful
are they, blessed are they
00:36:06.52\00:36:12.03
who read and understand;
for the time is at hand. "
00:36:12.06\00:36:16.60
I want to talk to you a little
bit about the whole idea of
00:36:18.78\00:36:21.87
rejecting the
Jesus of Revelation.
00:36:21.90\00:36:24.14
We're going to talk
about the result of it all
00:36:25.11\00:36:27.40
and the reasoning
behind a lot of it.
00:36:27.50\00:36:29.55
And it's not
necessarily good news.
00:36:29.58\00:36:31.59
You know, it often
comes to my mind that as we
00:36:31.62\00:36:35.07
near the last days, as there
come more troubles and trials
00:36:35.10\00:36:38.84
and temptations and difficulties
and diseases and pestilences
00:36:38.87\00:36:42.96
and all of the rest,
folks would become more serious.
00:36:42.99\00:36:45.84
That we'd see the churches
overflowing on worship morning.
00:36:45.87\00:36:49.27
But the reverse, here in
the United States at least,
00:36:49.30\00:36:51.75
seems to be the case.
00:36:51.78\00:36:53.31
But you go to the average place
of worship on worship morning
00:36:53.34\00:36:56.47
and you'll find lots and
lots and lots of empty pews.
00:36:56.50\00:36:59.98
And our Lord Himself said that
folks would become more secular
00:37:00.01\00:37:04.62
and more humanistic and less
interested in spiritual things
00:37:04.65\00:37:08.45
as you get down
near the end of time.
00:37:08.48\00:37:11.52
We somehow seem to
want to defend our sins.
00:37:11.55\00:37:15.68
Because our Lord Jesus,
and the word that is His,
00:37:16.09\00:37:19.75
condemns our lifestyle.
00:37:19.78\00:37:21.62
We've rejected His honesty.
00:37:21.65\00:37:23.65
Whether it comes to
filling out our taxes or
00:37:24.15\00:37:26.10
doing something else.
00:37:26.13\00:37:27.33
You've seen, by the
way, the tests haven't you,
00:37:27.36\00:37:30.23
where they will drop a
$5 bill in the parking lot
00:37:30.26\00:37:32.71
or maybe in the
aisle of the grocery store
00:37:32.74\00:37:34.50
just to see how many
folks are willing to turn it in?
00:37:34.53\00:37:37.38
Well there are not
so very many anymore.
00:37:37.41\00:37:39.56
We've rejected His honesty.
00:37:39.59\00:37:40.93
We've rejected
His sexual purity.
00:37:40.96\00:37:43.04
And we have turned away
from the truths of His word.
00:37:44.01\00:37:47.59
Many have described our
day and age as hedonistic.
00:37:47.99\00:37:52.30
And I decided this
morning as I studied a bit
00:37:52.33\00:37:55.01
that I would look that
up again for my own sake.
00:37:55.04\00:37:57.50
And so I went to Mr. Webster
and I looked up hedonism.
00:37:57.53\00:38:00.66
And this is what I found.
00:38:00.69\00:38:01.86
It's a devotion to pleasure.
00:38:01.89\00:38:04.42
A total
self-gratification attitude.
00:38:04.45\00:38:09.05
Well it seems to me that pretty
much identifies our society.
00:38:09.08\00:38:13.91
Doesn't it seem that way to you?
00:38:13.94\00:38:15.38
Now, God said it would be
like this in the end time.
00:38:15.78\00:38:20.15
I want you please, to open
your Bibles with me to a passage
00:38:20.18\00:38:23.06
that we've read before.
00:38:23.09\00:38:24.09
It's just before the
Revelation, just before the
00:38:24.12\00:38:26.31
three little letters of John.
00:38:26.34\00:38:28.01
2 Peter chapter 3.
00:38:28.04\00:38:30.62
We alluded to this
passage on another occasion,
00:38:30.65\00:38:32.74
but we must of
necessity do it again tonight.
00:38:32.77\00:38:34.83
2 Peter chapter 3,
and we're going to notice
00:38:34.86\00:38:38.47
beginning at the 3rd verse.
00:38:38.50\00:38:40.03
2 Peter 3:3-4
00:38:40.06\00:38:43.75
"Know this, that there will
come in the last days scoffers
00:38:43.78\00:38:47.03
who are walking after
their own lusts saying,
00:38:47.06\00:38:48.97
'Where is the
promise of His coming?
00:38:49.00\00:38:52.81
For since our fathers fell
asleep, all things continue
00:38:52.84\00:38:55.91
just as they were
from the very beginning. '"
00:38:55.94\00:39:00.04
You go back to the first
chapter and you see there,
00:39:01.53\00:39:05.53
2 Peter chapter 1, the first
chapter, and verses 19 and 20,
00:39:05.56\00:39:09.49
just the reverse from that.
00:39:09.52\00:39:10.86
"We have also a more sure
word of prophecy where unto we
00:39:10.89\00:39:15.81
do well to take heed,
like the light that shines
00:39:15.84\00:39:18.87
in the dark place. "
00:39:18.90\00:39:20.27
Ladies and gentlemen,
I want to go on record
00:39:23.69\00:39:25.56
to say to you tonight that
Lyle has a purpose driven life.
00:39:25.59\00:39:28.69
I've been asked again and
again if I've read this book
00:39:29.55\00:39:31.82
or that book about having
Christian purpose in your life.
00:39:31.85\00:39:34.60
And my answer has
always been the same.
00:39:34.63\00:39:36.34
No I haven't because since
the day Jesus called me and
00:39:36.37\00:39:39.75
gave me my ministry, my
life has been purpose driven.
00:39:39.78\00:39:43.75
And it's going
to continue to be.
00:39:44.47\00:39:46.25
And one of the things that
has impressed me as I've come
00:39:46.28\00:39:49.57
nearer and nearer to Jesus,
is His fulfilled prophecy.
00:39:49.60\00:39:52.29
I think that this is
my greatest reason really
00:39:52.32\00:39:55.73
for being a Christian.
00:39:55.76\00:39:57.03
The certainty of the prophecy.
00:39:57.06\00:39:58.29
"This sure word of
prophecy where unto we
00:39:58.32\00:40:01.45
do well to take heed. "
00:40:01.48\00:40:02.93
The atheism and the disbelief
is not only to be found out in
00:40:02.96\00:40:08.34
Hollywood, as we've mentioned,
but it's tragically somehow
00:40:08.37\00:40:11.35
moved inside the church.
00:40:11.38\00:40:12.95
And sometimes it's
referred to as the New Theology
00:40:12.98\00:40:15.99
and it's almost always
a watering down of that
00:40:16.02\00:40:18.50
which was there before.
00:40:18.53\00:40:19.70
The easy gospel, "Come to
the altar and get saved and just
00:40:19.73\00:40:22.82
go do whatever you want to do.
00:40:22.85\00:40:24.50
If you want to divorce
that girl and take that one,
00:40:24.53\00:40:26.61
why go ahead and do it.
00:40:26.64\00:40:27.75
If you want to keep on drinking
and beating up on the neighbors,
00:40:27.78\00:40:30.66
go ahead and do
it, it's alright. "
00:40:30.69\00:40:33.72
And if you say anything
contrary to that these days,
00:40:34.57\00:40:37.18
someone is bound to be offended.
00:40:37.21\00:40:38.96
You make almost any statement
from God's word and the folks
00:40:38.99\00:40:42.13
will say to you, "Well now look.
00:40:42.16\00:40:43.26
I'm going to go check
it out with my preacher.
00:40:43.29\00:40:45.75
I'm going to go ask my preacher
what it says about it all. "
00:40:46.15\00:40:49.74
You know what I
think we ought to do?
00:40:49.77\00:40:51.46
We ought not to check the
Bible out with the preacher,
00:40:51.49\00:40:54.97
we ought to check the
preacher out with the Bible.
00:40:55.00\00:40:57.69
And that includes
certainly this one.
00:41:02.47\00:41:04.36
Not so terribly long
ago, I climbed the cliffs
00:41:10.32\00:41:15.50
on the west
side of the Dead Sea.
00:41:15.53\00:41:17.96
to go inside
the caves of Qumran.
00:41:17.99\00:41:22.63
Khirbet Qumran, if you
look it up in your dictionary.
00:41:23.24\00:41:25.88
In 1947, a Bedouin boy,
a little goat herder boy
00:41:27.79\00:41:32.06
was tending the herd
along the base of the cliffs
00:41:32.09\00:41:36.95
when he began, to just entertain
himself, to throw rocks
00:41:36.98\00:41:40.90
up inside those caves.
00:41:40.93\00:41:42.77
And when he threw one, it
went right inside, bull's-eye.
00:41:42.80\00:41:46.08
And he heard the smashing
like the breaking of glass.
00:41:46.11\00:41:49.06
And so he climbed up
there and went inside.
00:41:49.09\00:41:50.77
And he found earthen
jugs with wax stoppers,
00:41:50.80\00:41:54.26
inside which there
were ancient scrolls.
00:41:54.29\00:41:56.90
And tragically, he and his
family sold the whole thing
00:41:57.39\00:42:00.84
for just a pittance.
00:42:00.87\00:42:01.86
I think at the time, it
amounted to what today would
00:42:01.89\00:42:04.21
be about 40 dollars.
00:42:04.24\00:42:05.84
The Dead Sea Scrolls.
00:42:05.87\00:42:07.90
And the news was
flashed around the world.
00:42:07.93\00:42:09.81
We now have copies of the books
of the Bible that date back
00:42:09.84\00:42:13.54
to the time of
Isaiah and Jeremiah.
00:42:13.57\00:42:15.26
And then some research was done
to discover that the scrolls
00:42:15.29\00:42:18.76
most likely were placed there
at the time that Titus Vespasian
00:42:18.86\00:42:22.86
moved in on Jerusalem in 70
AD and tore the place apart.
00:42:22.89\00:42:26.30
And the folks took the sacred
word, took those holy scrolls
00:42:26.33\00:42:29.94
and hid them in the caves and
made them to be in water tight
00:42:29.97\00:42:34.01
and air tight vessels
for their preservation.
00:42:34.04\00:42:36.57
They took some of these
scrolls and carefully, carefully
00:42:37.20\00:42:41.36
put them in humidity controlled
rooms just exactly the
00:42:41.39\00:42:45.00
right temperature to soften them
up and make them more pliable.
00:42:45.03\00:42:49.13
And then they
unrolled the first one.
00:42:49.16\00:42:52.55
And as they
unrolled the first scroll,
00:42:53.11\00:42:55.22
it opened to Isaiah 40:8.
00:42:55.25\00:42:58.82
Let's turn there
together shall we?
00:42:58.85\00:43:00.61
It's really
important that we do it.
00:43:00.64\00:43:02.32
Isaiah 40:8
00:43:02.35\00:43:06.50
Just before
Jeremiah and Ezekiel.
00:43:06.53\00:43:11.19
Chapter 40 of
Isaiah and the 8th verse.
00:43:11.22\00:43:14.90
Here's what they found
when they unrolled the scroll.
00:43:14.93\00:43:18.38
Chapter 40 and verse 8.
00:43:18.41\00:43:21.39
"The grass withers
and the flowers will fade,
00:43:24.23\00:43:27.91
but the word of
God lasts forever. "
00:43:27.94\00:43:33.89
Hidden in the scrolls
buried for hundreds and hundreds
00:43:33.92\00:43:37.43
and hundreds of years.
00:43:37.46\00:43:38.68
"The word of God
stands forever. "
00:43:38.71\00:43:40.65
And so my belief in my
Bible leads me simultaneously
00:43:40.68\00:43:45.29
to my belief in
my Lord Jesus Christ.
00:43:45.32\00:43:47.99
He's my Lord and He's my Savior.
00:43:48.02\00:43:50.07
Man has made so many
vain efforts to try to
00:43:50.10\00:43:53.22
destroy the word of God.
00:43:53.25\00:43:54.70
Tradition has dug a grave
for it and attempted to bury it,
00:43:54.73\00:43:57.84
but it lives on.
00:43:57.87\00:43:58.93
It's been burned in great
piles and great pyres and fires.
00:43:58.96\00:44:02.36
It lives on.
00:44:02.39\00:44:03.53
There have been Judas'
who have tried to destroy it
00:44:03.56\00:44:06.05
with a kiss, but the
word of God lives on.
00:44:06.08\00:44:08.43
There have been
Peter's who've denied it
00:44:08.46\00:44:09.90
with curses, with
oaths, and it lives on.
00:44:09.93\00:44:11.85
For truth never dies.
00:44:11.88\00:44:13.82
And so God would say through
the psalmist, Psalm 119:89,
00:44:13.85\00:44:18.11
"Forever, O Lord, thy word
is settled in the heavens. "
00:44:18.14\00:44:21.81
That's it.
00:44:21.84\00:44:23.23
I remember not to very long ago,
there was a man who was involved
00:44:23.26\00:44:27.13
in a little bit of a theological
debate with someone else.
00:44:27.16\00:44:29.86
And he said, "Well,
I can see your point.
00:44:29.89\00:44:32.25
But I don't know how to
impress it upon my neighbor. "
00:44:32.28\00:44:34.75
And it had to do with healthful
living, for your interest sake.
00:44:34.78\00:44:37.55
"I don't know how to make him
see the importance of it all. "
00:44:37.58\00:44:40.27
And the other fellow said,
"Why don't you just tell him
00:44:40.30\00:44:43.10
God said don't do it. "
00:44:43.13\00:44:45.02
And so we sing together,
"God says it and I believe it.
00:44:47.10\00:44:51.30
And that settles it. "
00:44:51.33\00:44:52.87
"An old time religion,
it's good enough for me. "
00:44:53.81\00:44:57.45
There's a man who wrote a book.
00:44:57.48\00:44:59.90
He entitled his book, "The Last
Words of Saints and Sinners. "
00:44:59.93\00:45:04.15
And what he had done
was travel to folks who were
00:45:04.18\00:45:07.08
on their death beds.
00:45:07.11\00:45:08.54
Folks who knew they were dying
and were, perhaps, able to put
00:45:08.57\00:45:11.87
the distilled wisdom of a
lifetime into their last words.
00:45:11.90\00:45:14.77
And he wrote a fascinating book.
00:45:14.80\00:45:16.06
And then he decided to go beyond
that and to look at the lives,
00:45:16.09\00:45:19.11
and then the deaths, of
some other important men.
00:45:19.14\00:45:21.71
One of those that he wrote a
bit of biographical information
00:45:21.74\00:45:25.30
about was a man by the
name of Francois Voltaire.
00:45:25.33\00:45:29.05
Not too long ago, Peggy
and I stood beside his grave
00:45:29.08\00:45:32.33
over in Paris.
00:45:32.36\00:45:33.43
He was a philosopher.
00:45:33.46\00:45:34.73
He lived from 1694 to 1778.
00:45:34.76\00:45:37.98
And he said this about
1750, "In 50 years, the Bible
00:45:38.84\00:45:44.33
is going to be extinct. "
00:45:44.36\00:45:46.06
But you know what?
00:45:46.09\00:45:47.06
Today, after nearly
everyone has forgotten Voltaire,
00:45:47.07\00:45:50.42
the Bible is still the
best seller in all the world.
00:45:50.45\00:45:53.16
And his biographer says
that when Voltaire died,
00:45:53.19\00:45:56.78
he died screaming, "I'm going
to the realm of the damned. "
00:45:56.81\00:46:00.61
And then there was Thomas Paine.
00:46:02.86\00:46:04.38
He was an American
patriot and we own him that.
00:46:04.41\00:46:06.78
He lived in a little cabin there
out of New Rochelle, New York.
00:46:06.81\00:46:10.20
From 1737 to 1809 was his life.
00:46:10.23\00:46:14.66
He wrote a book that he
entitled, "The Age of Reason. "
00:46:14.69\00:46:17.56
And he laughed at God and at
Religion, and Christ certainly.
00:46:17.59\00:46:20.14
His biographer says he died
screaming the name of Jesus.
00:46:20.17\00:46:23.99
And his last sentence was,
"I'd give the world if I'd never
00:46:24.02\00:46:26.91
written 'The Age of Reason'.
00:46:27.01\00:46:28.50
Lord, have mercy.
Oh God, have mercy. "
00:46:28.53\00:46:31.87
One of my indoor
sports has been to read of
00:46:32.19\00:46:34.70
the English
literate, Samuel Johnson.
00:46:34.73\00:46:38.69
Perhaps the best known
writer over in Great Britain.
00:46:38.72\00:46:41.76
He had a buddy who sat at
his feet, who would drink in
00:46:43.04\00:46:46.36
his words, and
then write them down.
00:46:46.39\00:46:48.15
His name was Boswell.
00:46:48.18\00:46:49.75
Boswell writes of his death, and
I read it years and years ago.
00:46:49.78\00:46:53.37
He said Samuel
Johnson, who denied God,
00:46:53.40\00:46:55.96
died screaming with fear.
00:46:55.99\00:46:58.31
And just across town at the
same time, only blocks away,
00:46:59.61\00:47:04.12
there was dying, the Christian
by the name of John Wesley.
00:47:04.15\00:47:08.73
And his last words,
said his wife, were these.
00:47:09.62\00:47:12.40
"Best of all, God is with us. "
00:47:12.43\00:47:18.12
I've told you before, I
have two kids that are nurses.
00:47:19.42\00:47:21.93
And my son Troy
would tell you how he hates
00:47:22.43\00:47:26.30
to attend the death of
one who's dying without faith.
00:47:26.33\00:47:30.78
He said it's
terrible, it's frightening.
00:47:30.81\00:47:32.75
You can see the fear in
their eyes and you can see the
00:47:32.78\00:47:36.07
tension, you can see on the
monitors the heart rate go up.
00:47:36.10\00:47:39.20
And that they're
dreading the unknown.
00:47:39.23\00:47:41.67
And then I contrast that
with the death of my own father.
00:47:42.63\00:47:46.06
I was holding a
meeting down in Medford.
00:47:46.09\00:47:48.09
And I knew my dad was
getting more and more sick.
00:47:50.08\00:47:52.75
And so I called him up.
00:47:53.40\00:47:54.99
And I said, "Daddy,
I'd like to come home. "
00:47:55.02\00:47:57.61
"I'd like to be with you. "
00:47:59.81\00:48:01.22
My daughter, Tammy,
was at his bedside just
00:48:05.30\00:48:09.74
nearly around the clock.
00:48:09.77\00:48:11.56
And my dad
said, "No, you stay. "
00:48:13.48\00:48:15.52
"Stay and preach. "
00:48:16.61\00:48:17.96
I was talking to him as he died.
00:48:17.99\00:48:22.24
Perfect peace have they
00:48:26.43\00:48:28.64
who love thy word, and
nothing shall offend them.
00:48:29.59\00:48:33.26
The apostle Paul, in contrast
to the others who died in fear,
00:48:34.67\00:48:38.11
would write a letter to a young
preacher by the name of Timothy.
00:48:38.14\00:48:40.60
And in the first chapter
and the twelfth verse, he said,
00:48:40.63\00:48:43.35
"I know the One
in whom I believe.
00:48:43.38\00:48:46.81
And I know that He's
able to keep that which I've
00:48:46.84\00:48:49.75
committed to Him
against that Day. "
00:48:49.78\00:48:53.04
"I have confidence in my
future with Jesus Christ. "
00:48:53.07\00:48:56.84
That's the apostle Paul.
00:48:56.87\00:48:58.27
Fulfilled prophecy.
00:48:58.30\00:49:00.11
The atheist, the
agnostic, the infidel.
00:49:00.14\00:49:03.09
They won't believe
the Bible because it
00:49:03.12\00:49:04.65
condemns their lifestyle.
00:49:04.68\00:49:06.20
But on the other hand, the
agnostics down in Hollywood
00:49:06.23\00:49:09.50
and in New York City, and
everywhere, and in this town,
00:49:09.53\00:49:12.90
are willing to place
their faith in cloverleaf,
00:49:12.93\00:49:15.25
four leaf clovers, in
crystal balls, in rabbits feet.
00:49:15.28\00:49:18.88
And by the way, it wasn't so
lucky for the rabbit, was it.
00:49:18.91\00:49:21.67
Fortune tellers, mediums,
necromancers, channelers,
00:49:23.96\00:49:26.67
tarot cards,
and fortune cookies.
00:49:26.70\00:49:28.27
All very scientific, huh?
00:49:28.30\00:49:30.44
Nah. The proof
is in the prophecy.
00:49:30.48\00:49:32.52
Some say the
proof is in the pudding.
00:49:32.55\00:49:34.56
I like to say the
proof is in the prophecy.
00:49:34.59\00:49:37.12
And so I'm going
to have to hurry now.
00:49:37.15\00:49:38.78
We're not going to be able
to read it all, but I'm going to
00:49:38.81\00:49:41.18
reference, and you go
home and study it for yourself.
00:49:41.28\00:49:43.62
Ezekiel chapter
26 verses 3 and 4.
00:49:43.65\00:49:47.04
And then put also, will
you please, verses 14 and 19.
00:49:47.07\00:49:52.02
And I'll give you the
background of the story.
00:49:52.05\00:49:54.30
There was a place
called Tyre over along
00:49:55.54\00:49:57.61
the Mediterranean coast.
00:49:57.64\00:49:59.24
And it was a sailor town.
00:49:59.27\00:50:01.07
It was a New
York City of its day.
00:50:01.10\00:50:02.45
It was a port town and
it was desperately wicked.
00:50:02.48\00:50:05.51
And God said, "I'm
going to destroy you.
00:50:05.54\00:50:07.80
One of these days I'm
going to knock the place down
00:50:07.83\00:50:10.46
and it's never, never
going to be rebuilt. "
00:50:10.49\00:50:13.68
That was God's warning.
00:50:13.96\00:50:15.61
In 575, a guy by the name
of Nebuchadnezzar, young man,
00:50:15.99\00:50:20.19
set out to rule the whole world,
moved in against the place
00:50:20.22\00:50:23.13
because he was
upset with the folk there.
00:50:23.16\00:50:25.22
And he destroyed the
city and the rubble was strewn
00:50:25.25\00:50:28.64
over square acres.
00:50:28.67\00:50:31.10
The folk who lived there decided
they'd get the last laugh and
00:50:32.33\00:50:36.49
they got in boats and moved what
was left out onto an island.
00:50:36.52\00:50:40.30
But you remember
now, God had said,
00:50:40.33\00:50:42.87
"I'm going to leave the place
desolate and completely empty.
00:50:42.90\00:50:46.70
And then it's going to be
as flat as the top of a rock.
00:50:46.73\00:50:50.65
They're going to scrape the dust
from it and the fishermen will
00:50:50.68\00:50:53.38
lay there their nets. "
00:50:53.41\00:50:55.00
225 before Christ, 250 years
after Nebuchadnezzar's attack,
00:50:55.50\00:51:01.65
there came a guy by the
name of Alexander the Great.
00:51:01.68\00:51:04.09
And he got really upset
with the folks who were laughing
00:51:04.12\00:51:06.46
at him out on the island.
00:51:06.49\00:51:07.66
And guess what he did.
00:51:07.69\00:51:08.90
He gathered up all of the
stones and all of the columns
00:51:08.93\00:51:13.66
and all of the
broken rocks and rubble.
00:51:13.69\00:51:16.22
And he had his soldiers
begin to build a causeway.
00:51:16.25\00:51:20.46
They built it out to
the island a half mile away.
00:51:20.49\00:51:24.03
And when they'd
gotten the rubble in place,
00:51:24.06\00:51:26.43
they needed some fill dirt
and so they scraped the tops
00:51:26.46\00:51:30.52
of the rocks with dust
pans and filled in the potholes.
00:51:30.55\00:51:34.19
And the word of God
was fulfilled in exact
00:51:34.22\00:51:37.21
and careful detail.
00:51:37.24\00:51:38.89
You can count on what God says.
00:51:38.92\00:51:41.06
Now let me tell you a
little bit about my Lord Jesus
00:51:41.09\00:51:43.65
so you can have some
faith and some trust in Him.
00:51:43.68\00:51:45.88
The prophet without honor.
00:51:45.91\00:51:47.34
In John's gospel
chapter 4, at verses 43 and 44,
00:51:47.37\00:51:51.30
He referred to Himself in
that way, "I am without honor
00:51:51.33\00:51:54.61
in My own country. "
00:51:54.64\00:51:55.96
And He's without honor in a lot
of countries still yet today.
00:51:55.99\00:51:58.90
Jesus was up at Capernaum.
00:52:00.13\00:52:01.64
We visited there up on
the screen a few evenings ago.
00:52:01.67\00:52:04.11
And He worked
wonderful miracles.
00:52:04.14\00:52:07.09
He healed a lady,
Peter's mother-in-law.
00:52:07.12\00:52:10.25
He healed another lady
who'd had a bleeding problem
00:52:10.28\00:52:13.35
for many, many years.
00:52:13.38\00:52:14.76
He had healed a paralytic who
was let down through the roof.
00:52:14.79\00:52:17.56
He had raised back to
life Jairus' daughter.
00:52:17.59\00:52:20.19
And in spite of all of
that, the folks rejected Him.
00:52:20.22\00:52:22.35
They would not accept Him.
00:52:22.38\00:52:24.05
And so Jesus said,
"Capernaum, you're going to
00:52:24.08\00:52:26.12
be brought low. "
00:52:26.15\00:52:27.12
Today out in Capernaum,
there are only snakes and
00:52:29.20\00:52:33.34
spiders and scorpions.
00:52:33.37\00:52:35.01
The place is
desolate, it's empty.
00:52:35.04\00:52:36.81
No one has lived there
since the time of Christ.
00:52:36.84\00:52:40.43
And then go with me
please, and find Jesus
00:52:40.46\00:52:42.98
with His
disciples on a hillside.
00:52:43.01\00:52:45.84
It's called the Mount of Olives.
00:52:45.87\00:52:47.43
They were headed to Bethany
and they sat down to rest.
00:52:47.46\00:52:49.97
And as they looked back toward
Jerusalem, they saw the temple.
00:52:50.00\00:52:52.95
And the disciples said,
"Lord, isn't it beautiful. "
00:52:52.98\00:52:55.03
He said, "Yes it is, but
one day the place is going to be
00:52:55.06\00:52:58.53
ransacked till not one
stone is left upon another. "
00:52:58.56\00:53:01.51
About 40 years later, Titus
Vespasian, who at the time was
00:53:01.54\00:53:06.00
the most able general
of all of Romans legions,
00:53:06.03\00:53:08.98
came to the city
and took it apart.
00:53:09.01\00:53:11.46
And the peoples of
Jerusalem hid inside the temple.
00:53:11.49\00:53:14.44
They were sure that they'd
be safe inside God's house.
00:53:14.47\00:53:17.03
So en masse, they
went inside the temple.
00:53:17.06\00:53:19.41
And there was a man among them
who became a very trusted and
00:53:19.44\00:53:23.76
trustworthy historian.
00:53:23.79\00:53:25.31
His name was Flavius Josephus.
00:53:25.34\00:53:27.57
Josephus said, "I
pled with them to give up.
00:53:27.97\00:53:30.44
I pled with them to come
out but they stayed inside. "
00:53:30.47\00:53:33.86
And so Titus Vespasian
put the torch to the place
00:53:33.89\00:53:37.16
and burned it down.
00:53:37.19\00:53:38.87
And the folks on the
inside died in the fire crying,
00:53:38.90\00:53:42.00
"Ichabod, ichabod, the
glory of God has departed. "
00:53:42.03\00:53:46.37
And when the stones cooled
and the ashes were nothing but
00:53:46.40\00:53:51.84
embers now, the Romans dug
up the stones, removed everyone,
00:53:51.87\00:53:58.00
shoveled the dirt into strainers
to recapture the gold that
00:53:58.03\00:54:02.57
had fallen between the cracks.
00:54:02.60\00:54:03.86
Jesus said not one stone
would be left upon another.
00:54:03.89\00:54:07.23
You can trust His word.
00:54:07.26\00:54:08.85
Our Lord said, "Heaven
and earth will pass away,
00:54:08.88\00:54:11.05
but My word will last forever. "
00:54:11.08\00:54:13.77
And now, ladies and gentlemen,
I must make to you an appeal.
00:54:15.41\00:54:17.92
That same Jesus said, "He
that hath the Son hath life.
00:54:19.00\00:54:23.58
But he that hath not the
Son hath not eternal life. "
00:54:23.61\00:54:26.75
I beg you tonight, if
you haven't already done it,
00:54:26.78\00:54:29.33
make Him the Lord of your life.
00:54:29.36\00:54:31.13
Not only One who
separated BC from AD.
00:54:31.84\00:54:34.64
Not only One who's
important in history.
00:54:34.67\00:54:36.98
But invite Him to come and
sit on your heart's throne.
00:54:37.01\00:54:40.46
Make Him your
Savior, and at the same time
00:54:40.49\00:54:43.03
He'll be your very best friend.
00:54:43.06\00:54:45.51
I read recently about the
little boy who came from poverty
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and wanted so for a little
red wheel barrel for Christmas.
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And at the family circle, he
would pray night after night,
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"Oh Jesus, just
bring me a wheel barrel,
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a little red wheel barrel. "
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And his parents
scraped and saved and scraped,
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and went without things.
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And they bought a
little red wheel barrel.
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And on Christmas morning, the
little boy saw under the tree,
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his heart's desire.
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And he took it outside
and, without his coat, he went
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running up and down the streets.
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Not far away, there in front of
the church was a nativity scene.
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And sometime midmorning
someone came in to the pastor
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with a report,
"Someone has stolen the doll
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from the nativity scene. "
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And a bit later, a neighbor
said, "I saw a little boy
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with a little red wheel
barrel with a doll and going
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up and down the streets. "
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And they went up and down the
streets, found the little guy,
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and surely enough,
there was the nativity doll.
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And they said, "Son, why
did you steal the little doll?"
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"Oh no," he said,
"I didn't steal it. "
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He said, "I promised Jesus
if he'd bring me a wheel barrel,
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I'd give Him the first ride. "
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And what about you, huh?
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What about us?
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We give Him the
first ride when we make Him
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the supremacy of our lives.
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Will we?
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He'll fill all of our needs.
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Every one.
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Romans 5:1, there God said
Jesus will bring you peace.
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You want peace?
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He'll bring it.
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1 Corinthians 15:57
says He'll bring us victory.
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You have a problem with temper
or drugs or alcohol or tobacco?
00:56:30.72\00:56:33.83
He'll bring you victory.
00:56:33.86\00:56:35.22
In Matthew 1:21 says
He'll bring us salvation.
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He came to save His
people from their sins.
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John 15:11 says He'll
bring to us happiness and joy.
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Could you use
some joy in your life?
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Best of all and most of
all, He'll give us life eternal.
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I don't know,
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I can't understand,
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how folks can go to the cemetery
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and bury there their hearts,
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their dreams,
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their spouse or their kids,
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and face life
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without Jesus.
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Thank You, Lord, for Your word,
00:57:30.47\00:57:32.38
for Your promise,
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for Your presence.
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When we found You, we
have found not only a friend
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and a comforter,
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but one who brings peace
and victory and salvation,
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and happiness in the interim.
00:57:51.56\00:57:53.53
If there's one here
tonight that hasn't accept You
00:57:55.20\00:57:57.56
as their best
friend and their Savior,
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don't let them rest.
00:57:59.60\00:58:00.88
Don't give them peace
or contentment until they
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settle it with You.
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Then let us bask eternally
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in Your
sunlight, in Your kingdom.
00:58:11.18\00:58:14.43
In Jesus' name, amen.
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