Participants: Pr Shawn Boonstra
Series Code: TAP
Program Code: TAP000001
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00:36 So many years we have waited
00:41 but time just seems to creep 00:44 we long to reach our bright eternal home. 00:49 So many miles along the road we've traveled, 00:55 the pathway seems so steep 00:58 but through it all, we've never walked alone. 01:04 On the edge of eternity 01:08 we stand by God's grace and mercy, 01:13 we will reach the promised land, 01:17 we must fix our eyes on Jesus, 01:20 as we travel hand in hand, 01:23 for we stand on the edge of eternity. 01:31 Oh, can you see the signs around us, 01:36 it's happening every day. 01:39 There's poverty, there's famine, there is war, 01:44 We can not help, but watch it all and wonder, 01:50 we can not help, but say: 01:53 He's coming soon, He's almost at the door. 01:59 On the edge of eternity we stand 02:04 by God's grace and mercy 02:08 we will reach the promised land, 02:12 we must fix our eyes on Jesus 02:15 as we travel hand in hand, 02:18 for we stand on the edge of eternity. 02:26 We long to be made willing to walk by faith not sight, 02:32 to trust His word and lift his banner high, 02:36 put on our Savior's royal armor 02:43 and never quit the fight 02:46 for someday soon will light the Eastern sky. 02:52 We will meet Him in the sky. 02:57 On the edge of eternity, 03:01 we stand by God's grace and mercy, 03:06 we will reach the promised land, 03:10 we must fix our eyes on Jesus, 03:13 as we travel hand in hand, 03:17 for we stand on the edge of eternity. 03:21 There's where we stand, 03:23 for we stand on the edge... 03:28 We are bound for the promised land, 03:36 We are bound for the promised land, 03:42 Oh, who will come 03:46 and go with me? 03:49 I am bound for the promised land, 03:56 I am bound for the promised land. 04:03 We are bound for the promised land, 04:13 we are going to the promised land. 04:32 It's been called the worst disaster in U.S history. 04:36 An entire American city wiped out in a heartbeat, 04:40 by the terrible forces of nature. 04:42 Why does it seem like disasters are getting worse 04:46 with each passing year? 04:48 Is something happening to our planet, 04:50 that we should be aware of 04:52 and is it possible that ancient prophets saw hurricane Katrina? 04:58 Are we living on a planet in upheaval? 05:07 Ladies and gentlemen it's my great delight tonight 05:09 to introduce Shawn Boonstra to you. 05:11 Shawn is the speaker director of the 05:13 "It Is Written" television program. 05:15 Has been here in Southern California from his native 05:18 Canada, for almost a year now. 05:21 And I tell you what, Shawn is someone who loves God. 05:25 He loves the Lord with all of his heart, he's passionate, 05:29 as I know you will find out, about what he believes and 05:32 what he wants to share with you. 05:33 Please welcome tonight Shawn Boonstra. 05:42 Good evening. 05:44 Is everyone feeling good this evening? Yes. 05:48 Yeah. There are more of you here than that, I can see you. 05:53 Is everyone feeling good this evening? 05:55 I'm glad that you've come to The Appearing 05:57 and if you're joining us by satellite television, 05:59 I'm glad you've joined us, wherever you happen to be 06:02 across the continent or around the world. 06:04 What are we going to do the next five nights? 06:06 We going to talk about an event that has been predicted 06:09 for thousands of years to happen here on planet Earth. 06:12 And people are starting to sense 06:14 Time magazine polls, News week magazine polls, 06:17 even The Economist have told us, 06:19 that the general public is beginning to sense 06:22 that we are sitting on the verge of that very event the Appearing 06:25 For five nights we're going to look at what the ancients said 06:28 about that event. 06:29 We're going to examine the prophecies, we're going to see 06:31 if they fit the modern day world that we live in, 06:35 and we're going to let God speak to our hearts 06:38 about what it is that's just around the corner 06:40 here on planet Earth. 06:41 Now, each evening's presentation is going 06:44 to build on the night before, 06:45 so you're not going to want to miss one of them. 06:47 Each night you going to find that what we studied the 06:49 night before is important to what we're studying that night. 06:53 And in the next night we'll build on the second night, 06:55 the forth on the third and the fifth on the forth. 06:58 And I almost said, and so on... but there are only five nights. 07:01 Five nights: "The Appearing". 07:03 Our subject tonight will be "Planet Earth in upheaval". 07:09 It is my conviction that something has changed 07:12 here on planet Earth, 07:13 that things are changing; 07:15 that the world we live in today is not the world that 07:17 we lived in yesterday, certainly not the world we lived in 07:21 a generation ago. 07:22 Tonight our subject is: "Planet in upheaval" 07:26 but it is my conviction that every time we open the Bible, 07:29 God's word, that we ought to ask God's blessing on it. 07:33 I don't believe that the Bible is like other books, 07:35 I believe that the Bible is an extraordinary book. 07:39 It is my belief that every time you open it 07:41 you don't hear men's opinion, you hear 07:43 the voice of Almighty God. 07:45 And so tonight just before we open the Bible 07:48 and we look at our subject, 07:50 I'd like to bow our heads where ever you happen to be tonight, 07:53 and just ask God's blessing, very briefly. 07:56 Gracious Father in heaven, 07:58 tonight we count it a privilege to be able to open the Bible, 08:02 the word of God, 08:03 we believe that when we read the words of the Bible 08:06 we are going to hear an opinion 08:08 that matters more than any other opinion in this Universe. 08:11 We believe that we are going to hear the truth, 08:13 we believe that we are going to hear the voice of Almighty God. 08:18 And so tonight as we turn to the pages of the Bible, 08:21 we ask that You would bless our understanding, 08:23 I ask that You would bless my lips, that I could speak 08:27 only Bible truth, 08:28 that I would only be able to speak 08:30 those words which would represent the courts of heaven. 08:33 I ask Father, most of all, 08:35 that we would see a picture of You tonight. 08:37 And I ask these things in the precious name of Jesus Christ. 08:43 Amen. 08:45 There is a prophecy 08:47 recorded in the Bible that has hunted the human race 08:51 for 2000 years. 08:52 It has bothered people as they've read it and 08:54 they've often wondered: will I live 08:56 to see its fulfillment? 08:58 Let me set the stage for you just a little bit tonight: 09:01 Jesus and His disciples are walking past 09:05 the temple in Jerusalem, 09:07 and as they go by it 09:08 the disciples point to that temple and they said: 09:11 Jesus, look at this temple, 09:14 this is a symbol of the fact that God has blessed 09:18 our nation above every other nation. 09:20 This is a symbol of how important our nation is. 09:24 This temple is an attraction that draws the whole world. 09:28 Jesus looks at that temple with His disciples 09:31 and in His mind He knows that just 40 years down the road the 09:35 Roman armies are going to come and destroy the city of 09:38 Jerusalem,and as He looks at that temple He says to the 09:42 disciples: I'm telling you, that one day soon 09:46 there will not be one stone left upon another 09:50 here at this temple sight. 09:51 Not one stone on top of another. 09:54 The disciples are taken aback. 09:55 They can't believe what it is they've just heard; 09:58 and they think in their minds, if the temple 10:00 is going to be destroyed, 10:01 if that magnificent structure is going to come down 10:04 it must be the end of the world. 10:07 So they confer with each other and than they come to Jesus 10:10 with a question. 10:11 Here's the question they asked Jesus, 10:13 in Matthew, chapter 24, verse 3. 10:17 And as He sat upon the mount of Olives, 10:21 the disciples came unto him privately, saying, 'Tell us, 10:24 when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign 10:29 of Your coming... 10:30 The sign of Your what? 10:32 Coming. What will be the sign of Your coming, end of the 10:37 end of the age?' " 10:39 Than Jesus speaks some words 10:41 that have hunted us for nearly 2000 years. 10:45 Because Jesus tells us, what to watch for, 10:49 as we wait for His coming, and the end of the age. 10:53 Listen carefully now to the words that Jesus spoke, 10:56 beginning in Matthew chapter 24 and verse 4. 10:59 The Bible says: 11:00 And Jesus answered and said unto them: 11:04 "Take heed that no one deceives you. " 11:07 For many will come in my name... 11:09 How many will come? 11:11 ...many will come in my name, saying, 'I am the Christ; 11:14 and will deceive many. 11:17 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. 11:20 See that you are not troubled; for all these things 11:23 must come to pass, but the end is not yet. " 11:27 Verse 7.: For nation will rise against nation, 11:30 and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, 11:33 pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 11:37 Some translations of the Bible says divers or different places. 11:42 Watch out, said Jesus, when you see these things happen, 11:45 you will know that my coming, the Appearing, 11:48 is getting very very close. 11:51 Just like Jesus says in the same passage, 11:53 if you see a fig tree putting out it's leaves, 11:56 you know that it's almost summertime 11:57 when you see all these things, you will know, 12:00 that it's just about time for the Appearing. 12:03 Nonsense, says the skeptic. 12:05 People look at this prophecy today and they say: 12:08 that's not true. 12:09 That can't possibly be so; 12:11 we have always had earthquakes, 12:13 we have always had famine, 12:15 we have always had pestilence, 12:17 we have always had warfare, 12:19 we've always had kooks and nutcases running around 12:22 claiming to be Jesus Christ. 12:24 These are not signs of the end, say the skeptics. 12:27 You can't count on those things, 12:28 they don't say a thing about where we live in Earth's history 12:32 it's a bunch of nonsense. 12:34 But the skeptics 12:36 forgot to read verse 8. 12:38 Here's what it says in Matthew 24, verse 8. 12:41 Jesus finishes the prophecy by saying this: 12:49 The beginning of what? Sorrows. 12:52 That is a very interesting word, that Jesus chose. 12:56 I believe, He chose that word on purpose. 13:01 It was 1:30 in the afternoon, 13:03 I was sitting at my desk, in my office, 13:06 and the telephone rang, I picked it up, 13:08 it was my wife, Jean on the phone. 13:10 Honey, she said, 13:11 I'm about to get into the car 13:13 and drive over the office to see you. 13:14 I should: Well that's lovely honey, 13:16 but it's 1:30 in the afternoon, 13:18 I have a lot to do yet today, 13:19 why in the world are you coming over to see me, 13:22 at 1:30 in the afternoon? 13:23 She said: I'm coming to see you at 1:30 in the afternoon, 13:26 because I've been in labor for the last hour and a half. 13:30 I said: okay, you better come, we only had one car 13:33 or I would have gone to pick her up. 13:35 Jean got in the car, she drove over to the office, 13:37 I'll never forget it. 13:39 She came up the stairs, into my office 13:41 we had a big, ugly, yellow couch right there in the foyer. 13:44 Foyer? I'm learning to speak American. 13:48 She sat down very gingerly in that couch, 13:51 and she looked me in the eye and she said: 13:54 Now, Shawn there's something you need to understand. 13:56 I know what you're like, you panic all the time, 14:00 so I don't want you to panic, 14:02 I'm going to sit here on this couch 14:03 and we have all the time in the world, 14:06 this baby is not coming anytime soon, 14:08 you go and finish what you're doing. 14:09 I said: Are you sure? She said: Absolutely. 14:12 The contractions are 20 minutes apart, 14:13 we have all the time in the world. 14:15 The baby is not coming anytime soon, I just want to 14:18 be here so that you can relax. 14:19 Are you sure? She said: Yes, I am sure 14:22 so I went back into my office and I finished the letter 14:24 that I've been writing. 14:26 When I was done I put my head out of the door and I said: 14:28 Jean how are you doing? 14:29 She said: Fine, still 20 minutes apart, 14:32 we have all the time in the world. 14:34 The baby is not coming. 14:35 So I went back into my office, I finished the sermon 14:37 that I was working on, 14:38 than I alphabetized my books, 14:40 I've got 3000, put them all in 14:42 Alphabetical order, 14:43 and I dusted the bookshelves and finally I couldn't handle it 14:46 anymore, I went out and said: Jean, that's it. 14:48 We're going to the hospital, I'm not going to wait here anymore, 14:51 it's killing me. She said: we can't go to the hospital, 14:54 It is far too soon to go to the hospital, 14:56 they're going to laugh at me, they're going to send me home, 14:58 I know what, she said: You haven't eaten all day, have you? 15:01 Why don't we go out for lunch? 15:03 I said, I'm not going out for lunch, when you're in labor. 15:06 I am not going to have my baby in Denny's. 15:08 It's just not going to happen! 15:10 She said, okay, if you wont go for lunch, why don't we go down 15:13 to Best Buy, and we can go computer shopping. 15:15 I know how you like to look at all the new gadgets, and 15:18 than I could walk up and down the aisles, 15:20 and it will help me feel better. 15:22 I said, I am not going to Denny's. 15:24 My second child is not going to be born, in the computer 15:27 department at Best Buy. We're going to the hospital. 15:30 She said, we are not, it is far too soon. 15:32 I said, well, if you won't go to the hospital 15:34 maybe we could take our oldest daughter, 15:36 over to our friends house, and drop her off, so she can 15:38 spend the night there. And at least we 15:40 are doing something, to get ready. 15:42 Okay, she said, I'll do that. So we took Natalie, 15:45 with her little suitcase, we went over to our friends' house, 15:48 we dropped her off at the front door. 15:50 Rang the bell, and they opened it up, Natalie ran inside, 15:54 and at that very moment, my wife doubled over, 15:57 and grabbed her tummy. I said, what's the matter honey? 16:00 She said, I just had a contraction, just like that. 16:03 I just had a contraction. 16:05 I said, how far apart now? She said, ten minutes. 16:07 There ten minutes apart, I said that's it, 16:09 we're going to the hospital. She said, no it's far too soon, 16:12 they're going to send me home. 16:14 We got to go, do something else, why don't we go home and drink 16:17 herbal tea together. 16:18 I said, we are not drinking herbal tea together, we are 16:21 going to... This is the only argument I ever won 16:23 in 12 years of marriage. 16:25 I got in the car, with my wife, we drove down to the hospital, 16:28 we pulled into the park-ade, and as we pulled in, my wife 16:32 grabbed her tummy again. I said, how far apart now? 16:34 She said, three minutes. Three minutes. 16:37 I said, let's go inside. She said, no why don't we sit 16:40 out here, and listen to the radio for a little while. 16:42 I said, your kidding, right? I got out of the car, 16:45 I walked all the way around to the other side, 16:47 I opened her door for her, 16:49 and I grabbed her by the elbow and yanked her out. 16:52 I pulled her along to the hospital door. 16:54 And she had three contractions on the way from the car 16:57 to the door. Three of them. 16:59 As we got upstairs, we got into the admissions department 17:02 in the maternity ward, she sat down in her chair, 17:06 and looked the nurse in the eye and said: 17:10 I have no idea why I'm here. 17:15 And the nurse looked her over, and said: 17:17 I have a pretty good idea, why you're here today. 17:20 They admitted her, they put her in the observation room, 17:22 and they put the little monitor on her tummy, 17:25 to check the baby's heartbeat. As they did that, 17:27 Jean looked at me and said: Listen you still haven't 17:30 eaten today, why don't you run downstairs, 17:31 and get a sandwich. 17:33 I said: OK, you're in good hands now, I will. 17:35 So I ran downstairs, and I went and bought a sandwich, 17:38 it was the worst sandwich, I have ever had. 17:42 Is anybody here a hospital cafeteria worker? 17:45 Somebody by satellite is a hospital cafeteria worker. 17:48 It was the worst sandwich I have ever had. 17:50 Noah left it on the ark, because it was stale then. 17:53 And I ate that sandwich, I ran back upstairs, 17:56 ran into the maternity ward, around the corner 17:59 to my wife's bed, and she was gone. 18:04 I turned around, there was nobody there. 18:06 There was no doctor, there was no nurse, 18:08 there were no aids, there was nobody there. 18:10 I stepped outside, I looked down 18:12 the corridor, there must have been 30 doors. 18:15 and I sent up a little prayer. 18:17 Dear Lord, honestly, I prayed it, 18:20 I really don't want to step into the wrong one. 18:23 I walked down the hallway, and I listened at the first door. 18:27 Is that Jean? No. 18:30 Second door, is that her? No. 18:33 Third door, that's not her either. 18:36 Fourth door? Maybe. 18:40 So with one eye pinched shot I pushed the door opened 18:45 - it was the right room. 18:48 That baby came at six o'clock. 18:50 We have checked into the hospital at 4:30. 18:53 The doctor almost didn't make it there. 18:55 I'm glad she did, or I would've had to deliver our second child. 18:58 I don't have the stomach for that. Here's the point. 19:02 The skeptics say: All those things have always happened. 19:06 We've always had earthquakes, we've always had famine, 19:08 we've always had pestilence, we've always had war, 19:11 we've always had religion gone bad. 19:12 Those aren't signs of the end of the time. 19:15 Nonsense they say, but they forget what Jesus said. 19:18 He said: 19:23 What is that word, He used? 19:24 It's "Odin", it's contractions, it's labor pain. 19:30 My wife said: This baby is never going to come! 19:33 The skeptics say, Jesus is never going to come. 19:36 But Jesus said: Listen, I know that 19:39 there've always been earthquakes, I know 19:41 there's always been war, I know there's always been famine, 19:44 I know there's always been pestilence, 19:45 I know those things happen. But, said Jesus, 19:49 when the contractions get bigger, when the contractions 19:53 become more intense, when they become more frequent, 19:56 then you know that I'm almost there. 20:00 Just like the fig tree puts out its leaves in summer. 20:04 You know, that summertime is coming when you see those leaves 20:07 when the contractions get big, then you know. 20:09 Let me ask you a question tonight. 20:11 How big are the contractions, in Planet Earth? 20:16 Are there any? Are they getting bigger? 20:19 Jesus gives us signs to watch for, in three general areas. 20:25 He gives us signs to watch for in the Religious World. 20:28 He gives us signs to watch for in the Political World. 20:31 He gives us signs to watch for in the Natural World, 20:34 the environment around us, and Jesus says: 20:37 When the contractions get big in these three areas, 20:40 then you know, that My coming is almost here. 20:44 That it's just about time. Let's ask a question: 20:47 How big are the contractions in these three areas? 20:50 I wish we have a lot more time, than we have tonight, but let me 20:53 give you just a taste of where our world is tonight, 20:57 in these three areas that Jesus speaks about. 21:00 First of all, He speaks about signs in the Religious World. 21:04 Jesus said: "For many will come in My name... " 21:07 How many? 21:08 Many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' 21:12 and will deceive many'. 21:14 You know, as you look through history books, 21:17 and you examine the history of Christianity, you will discover 21:20 there have always been one or two people 21:22 scattered all the way through history, that have thought 21:25 for some reason or other, that they were Jesus Christ. 21:28 Almost every century has somebody that got the 21:31 Messiah complex. 21:33 Somebody who believed themselves to be divine. 21:36 But have you noticed, in the last 30 or 40 years, 21:41 how bad it's gotten? How many of them there are? 21:44 Let me give you just a taste. 21:46 Many of you will remember Jim Jones and his cult. 21:49 Jim Jones in San Francisco managed to convince his 21:52 followers, that he was indeed Jesus Christ. 21:54 They followed him down to Jonestown, Guyana 21:57 where because they believed he was Christ, 21:59 drank poisoned Kool-Aid in honor of him, at his command. 22:04 Jim Jones was just one of that era, then we have Charles Manson 22:08 right here from Southern California. 22:10 Charles Manson convinced his followers, 22:13 that he was Jesus Christ, and they were so convinced of it, 22:17 that they were ready to kill for him. 22:20 Not only Charles Manson, we have Sun Myung Moon, 22:22 who is still active today. He heads the Unification Church. 22:27 The Unification Church you may know as the Moonies. 22:30 They are the ones who have the big mass wedding. 22:32 Sun Myung Moon, has thousands, upon thousands of followers, 22:36 and he has told them now at this point, 22:39 that he is God in the flesh. And they believe him. 22:43 Not only Sun Myung Moon, we have David Koresh in Waco. 22:46 David Koresh convinced his followers, that he was 22:49 the reincarnation of Jesus Christ. 22:51 He said: Jesus had to come the first time, and be sinless, 22:55 but now he'd come again to indulge in sins, 22:58 so that He could see what it was like. If you can imagine that. 23:01 His conned followers were so convinced of it, 23:03 they wouldn't leave the compound in Waco, 23:05 and they lost their lives for it. 23:07 Then there was Marshall Applewhite, in San Diego. 23:09 That's two in a row in Southern California. 23:13 Marshall Applewhite in San Diego, convinced his followers 23:16 that he was the incarnation of Jesus Christ. 23:19 He said: I am here, to help you ascend to the next 23:23 level of existence, above human existence. 23:27 There is, he said, if you remember the story, there is 23:29 a flying saucer, hiding behind comet Hale-Bopp, 23:33 and if we were to just take our lives, 23:35 that flying saucer would take us up to the next level above human 23:38 and they did it. 23:39 They all went out for dinner one night, and when they got home, 23:43 they poisoned themselves, and suffocated themselves 23:45 because they believed, that Marshall Applewhite was indeed 23:50 the reincarnation of Jesus Christ. 23:53 As the millennium approached, so many people showed up in the 23:56 city of Jerusalem, in the year 1999, that they actually had to 24:00 come up with a name for it. So many people showed up in 24:03 Jerusalem, believing themselves to be Elijah, 24:06 John the Baptist, or Jesus Christ, 24:09 that they came up with a name for it, 24:11 it's now called the Jerusalem Syndrome. 24:14 People show up there in droves believing they are Jesus Christ. 24:18 Jesus said: When many say 24:21 that they are Christ, that's a contraction. 24:24 Then you know, that My coming is very close. 24:27 It is just about time for the Appearing. 24:29 Watch, said Jesus, for signs in the Religious World. 24:32 But that's not all He said, to watch for. 24:34 He said, watch for signs in the Political World too. 24:38 Because they're going to be there. 24:39 Watch for signs, in the way that nations 24:43 relate to each other. Jesus' actual words were, 24:45 in Matthew 24, verse 6. 24:54 You know, the famous German philosopher, Nietzsche 24:57 at the end of the eighteen hundreds, 25:00 looked at the 20th century. 25:01 He convinced himself, that God did not exist. 25:04 And as a matter of fact, Nietzsche managed to convince 25:07 a whole bunch of other people, that God did not exist. 25:10 And as he wrote, that God no longer exists, 25:13 that God is dead, he said: If this is true, 25:16 if nobody believes in God, then the 20th century 25:20 will be the bloodiest century in the history of the human race. 25:24 And he was right. Nation rose against nation. 25:27 In the 20th century 203 million people died 25:33 as a result of warfare. 25:34 203 million, more then in any other stretch of history, 25:39 in the history of the human race. 25:42 Something has changed. Right now, tonight as we are 25:45 gathered together, studying what Jesus said, 25:47 about a day, that was coming. 25:49 There are 38 armed conflicts, being fought right this moment, 25:53 in 28 countries, all around this world. 25:55 Not only is it warfare, Jesus said, 25:57 nation would rise against nation and right now, at this moment 26:11 Without exception, all 192. Watch it, said Jesus. 26:17 When all the nations are rising up against each other, 26:20 when the contractions are getting stronger, 26:22 and closer together, then you know that My coming is close. 26:26 Then you know, not only that. 26:29 We know now that the 8 countries we know 26:32 that have nuclear weapons... 26:34 Now, there are 8, that we know about. 26:36 We're a little worried at this point, that there 26:38 might be a few, that we don't know about. 26:51 In one hour! 26:52 Now, it's not what we used to fear, was the nuclear threat. 26:56 It's not we fear most anymore though. Is it? 26:59 Sure there are 8 countries, with nuclear warheads, 27:01 but that's not the scariest thing anymore. 27:03 It's just not the scariest thing anymore. 27:06 Because nuclear warheads are expensive. 27:08 The human race has been thinking about this, 27:10 and we've managed to come up with 27:12 a way, to do it much less expensively. 27:15 In the former Soviet Union, there is a 27:17 little community known as Stepnogorsk. 27:20 Stepnogorsk is a planned city for five thousand people. 27:24 The Soviets built it to house 5,000 scientists, 27:28 whose sole job it was to develop biological weapons. 27:32 That's all they did, day in, and day out. 27:36 Now, when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1989, 27:40 and the wall came down in Berlin, 27:43 all of the scientist left, 27:45 but all of the weapons stayed behind. 27:48 How many biological weapons did they make? 27:51 One former employee said: 27:56 It all stayed behind, and it's just a few kilometers away 28:02 from the Afghanistan border. All sitting there. 28:05 Now, some of you I can see tonight saying: 28:07 You know, I felt pretty good, before I came to this 28:10 meeting of yours tonight. 28:11 Hang in there, there's a point. We're going somewhere with this. 28:15 Terrorism, you know, that in 2003 we set 28:18 a world record for terrorist events? 28:20 There were 175 terrorist events, everyone looked at, and said: 28:24 We have never had so much terrorism, in all the world's 28:28 history, as 175 events, in one year. 28:32 In 2004, it was 655 events. 28:36 655, watch it, said Jesus, when you see those signs 28:40 when you see those contractions, you know, 28:43 that it's just about time for the Appearing. 28:45 What was Jesus trying to do, scare us? Not at all. 28:49 He's trying to tell us, 28:50 look as the world seems to be falling apart, 28:52 lift up your heads, and take some hope, 28:54 because it's almost time for the Appearing, 28:56 and I'm going to turn it all around. 28:59 Natural signs, Jesus said, one more general area to watch. 29:02 He said, when you see signs, contractions 29:05 and the natural world around you, you will know 29:08 that it's just about time for My coming. 29:10 In Matthew 24:7, He said: 29:20 Different places. All over the face of the earth. 29:25 I wonder, if there are any 29:26 contractions in these areas tonight? 29:29 I have looked at famine and hunger, on Planet Earth 29:32 and I'm convinced, there are more 29:34 contractions, that there have ever been. 29:36 Right now, tonight, 28 million people face food shortages 29:40 in sub-Saharan Africa. 29:42 They don't have enough to eat. That's 28 million. 29:44 That's almost the population of my whole home country. 29:48 28 million, right now tonight. 29:51 A child dies of starvation every six seconds. 29:56 Every six seconds! There are 850 million people 30:00 almost 1/6 of the Earth's population, 30:02 that do not have enough food for basic nutritional needs. 30:07 And 4 out of 5 children who are born tonight 30:10 are born into families that can't possibly 30:13 afford to feed them. 30:14 "Watch it", said Jesus. 30:16 When famine is on the rise, when it's a real problem that 30:19 nobody has an answer to, 30:21 I'm telling you something: it's just about time for me to come 30:24 and I will have an answer to it. 30:25 I will feed the nations 30:27 and hunger won't be a problem anymore. 30:29 Pestilence. What's pestilence? 30:32 Pestilence is a weird disease. That's what pestilence is. 30:34 I don't have a dictionary definition for you tonight. 30:37 But pestilence is a weird disease. 30:39 It's something that kills off your crops 30:41 or kills off your animals, or kills off you. 30:44 Pestilence. Jesus said: "Watch for increased pestilence" 30:48 I've been keeping a little telling. 30:50 Not because I like the idea of pestilence. 30:52 But I've been wondering over the last few years 30:54 do we have any new diseases in circulation? 30:57 Do you think we do? 30:58 Have I put everyone to sleep tonight? 31:00 I still have the satellite audience, they're with me. 31:03 Do we have any new diseases? Yeah. 31:05 Oh, yeah, we do. Let me list a few. 31:07 Remember? Streptococcus A. 31:08 They used to hang out in the back of your throat. 31:11 It used to give you a strep throat. 31:13 And maybe it will give you scarlet fever 31:15 if it got a little bit out of control. 31:17 Then Streptococcus A decided to leap out from your mouth 31:19 and all over your body. 31:21 And it begin the flesh eating disease. 31:23 An amazing thing that wasn't there when I was a little kid 31:26 I'm not all that old. This showed up in our life time. 31:29 Spinal Meningitis on the way back 31:31 and people are having trouble treating it. 31:33 The Black Plague is making a come back 31:35 in the streets of India. 31:36 We thought it was long gone. 31:38 And then all of a sudden it showed up again. 31:40 The Ebola Virus. You know the Ebola Virus is very interesting. 31:43 A lot of people think that happens out there, 31:45 over there somewhere 31:46 That disease has touched down in North America 31:49 by accident, once already in Philadelphia. 31:51 They just managed to contain it. 31:52 Tuberculosis is making a come back and they don't know 31:55 what to do with the super strains of Tuberculosis. 31:58 SARS, that's a new disease. 31:59 That wasn't there and a few years ago showed up in 32:02 Asia, showed up in my city of Toronto. 32:04 I was living there at that time. 32:06 West Nile Virus, we didn't deal with that 32:08 when I was a little kid. 32:09 One of my own friends has already succumbed 32:11 to the West Nile Virus disease. 32:13 Mad Cow Disease. What in the world is that? 32:17 Where did that come from? 32:18 I noticed something the other day, by the way. 32:20 Mad Cow Disease. 32:21 I saw this restaurant in Southern California 32:24 It was called the "El Pollo Loco". "The crazy Chicken". 32:27 And I'm just wondering 32:29 if they picked that name before Mad Cow Disease. 32:32 Have you thought about this? 32:33 Where did all those diseases come from? 32:36 Pestilence. Right now... 32:45 During the World Wars we turned to antibiotics and we said: 32:48 "Here is something that will help us". 32:49 And it did. I praise God for the minds 32:52 that examined those things and gave us those things. 32:54 But all of the sudden, the bugs turned around and said: 32:57 "We're bigger than that". 32:58 And we can't control it anymore. 33:00 Jesus said: "When you see contractions," 33:03 "in that world, in the realm of pestilence", 33:06 "then you'll know". That's not all He said. 33:08 Earthquakes He talked about. 33:10 Jesus said: earthquakes in various places 33:12 Now... earthquakes are a little bit confusing. 33:14 Because everybody that talks about earthquakes as a sign of 33:17 the times we live in 33:19 applies different criteria to the earthquakes. 33:21 They choose the ones they're going to report differently. 33:24 So I decided to go to the library 33:26 up in Victorian British Columbia at the University of Victoria. 33:29 And I went to the geography and seismology departments 33:32 and I got down every book they had on the subject. 33:35 They've got 1,5 million volumes in that library. 33:38 I had hundred of books and I thought 33:40 I'm going to find out for myself 33:42 if there has been any increase in the contractions. 33:44 Any increase at all. 33:46 And I went through a number of volumes and I discovered 33:49 no matter how you choose your criteria, 33:51 no matter how in the world you divide the pie, 33:54 it always comes up looking exactly the same. 33:57 The numbers might look a little different, 33:59 but the chart looks the same. 34:00 In the first three hundred years since Jesus, 34:03 we had one major earthquake. 34:04 How do you pick a major earthquake? I picked the ones 34:07 that brought down houses and destroyed cities. 34:09 We had one in three hundred years. 34:11 In the next... How many? 300 or 500? I'm new to Math. 34:14 300 to 500, next two hundred years we had two. 34:17 The next three hundred years we had one. 34:19 The next two hundred years there was three. 34:22 Now... a little bit of increase. Three in two hundred years. 34:25 In the one thousands we had two. 34:27 And in the eleven hundreds it went up to two. 34:29 Let's fast forward a little bit. 34:31 Let's go to the 1300's. Again, just one for that century. 34:34 In the 1400's, one. The 1500's we had two. 34:37 Then something very interesting happened in the 1600's. 34:40 We jumped to seven in one century. 34:43 Then we get to the 1700's. It went to 13 it doubled nearly. 34:47 Then in the 1800's it went up to 26. 34:50 In one century. 34:51 And then in the 1900's I stopped counting after I got to 130. 34:55 Because I couldn't keep up with it anymore. 34:57 A hundred and thirty in one century. 35:00 Then we come to December 26th, of 2004. 35:04 The Tsunami Earthquake. 35:05 It was 9.3 on the Richter scale. 35:08 Remember the one in the Indian Ocean? 35:10 I mean, what is 9.3? That is a massive earthquake. 35:14 It is huge. 35:15 We were worried when we see 7 or 8. It was 9.3! 35:19 This was the first earthquake to be felt by every seismograph 35:22 on the face of the earth. 35:23 It is the longest earthquake in recorded history: 10 min. long. 35:28 And it ripped a gash in the Ocean floor: 800 miles long. 35:32 CNN reported in their science report 35:34 that even veteran scientists and seismologists 35:37 were silenced by the magnitude of this earthquake. 35:40 They've never seen anything like it. 35:42 Jesus said: "You watch out". 35:44 When all these things happen you know. 35:50 "Watch!", said Jesus. 35:51 I know these things have always happened. 35:53 I know they have always happened. 35:56 But when the contractions get bigger, 35:58 and the contractions get stronger, 36:00 then you know beyond the shadow of a doubt 36:03 that My coming is getting close. 36:05 Lift up your heads, there's hope around the corner. 36:08 This planet is not going to end in a whimper, 36:10 this planet is not going to end in a bang, 36:12 this planet is going to end with the Appearing. 36:14 Jesus is coming back. 36:15 Let me ask you a question tonight. 36:17 What time is it? 36:18 What time is it in Earth's history? 36:20 I've been looking at the headlines 36:22 for just the last few years, 36:23 I've gathered the Time Magazine covers, 36:25 since the Twin Towers fell in 2001. 36:29 And I asked myself: did something change that year? 36:31 I think it did. 36:33 Watch the pace of change in our world today. 36:36 Many of us have already forgotten 36:37 what's happened in the last 3 years. 36:39 Shortly after the Twin Towers fell, 36:41 somebody started sending Anthrax in the mail. 36:44 Remember that? It scared everybody. 36:46 Now we're getting the pestilence through the U.S. postal service. 36:50 Then shortly after that we went to War in Afghanistan. 36:53 That war is still ongoing to the tune of one 36:55 billion U.S. dollars every single month. 36:57 Then shortly after that there was flooding in Europe 37:00 that drove nearly a hundred thousand people 37:03 out of their homes that same year. 37:05 Then a Nuclear threat showed up in North Korea. 37:08 We still haven't decided what we're going to do 37:10 to respond to that 37:11 and just when we think we're within a heart's beat 37:14 of peace on the face of this Earth, 37:16 somebody does something to disturb the peace. 37:19 Jesus said: "Watch as the contractions get" 37:22 "bigger and stronger the next event is My coming". 37:24 Shortly after that somebody went loose in Washington D.C. 37:27 shooting people for the fun of it. I know 37:30 people have been shot before. But not like this. 37:33 When I was a kid people got shot but it was a hunting accident 37:37 or an act of rage but this was for fun. 37:41 Something's gone wrong. Shortly after that 37:43 we went to War in Iraq. 37:45 That war is ongoing to the tune of 4 billion dollars a month. 37:49 Then SARS showed up. I was living in Toronto at the time. 37:53 I remember what is was like. 37:54 The set up a thermo imaging device at the Airport. 37:57 So they can take our temperatures 37:59 as we boarded the plane. 38:00 And if you had a fever they pulled you out of line, 38:03 and they quarantined you for ten days. 38:05 I had a fever as I was boarding a plane. 38:07 I was worried they would quarantine me. 38:09 And the fever broke as two people ahead of me 38:11 were standing in front of the imaging device, 38:13 I got on the airplane. 38:14 SARS, a brand new disease. 38:17 Holy Jones. Let me go to a more American example. 38:20 Elizabeth Smart abducted. 38:21 Children have been abducted before, 38:23 but not like they are being abducted now. 38:26 And this was somebody who was abducted 38:28 by some religious nutcase who had a religious motivation. 38:32 "Watch out", said Jesus, "when religion goes bad", 38:34 "when crime is on the rise". 38:36 Then next summer we didn't have a flood in Europe, 38:38 it changed all the way around, we had a heat wave 38:41 that killed thousands in Europe. 38:43 Then we discovered in the news there was a Smog Cloud in Asia 38:46 that was stretching all the way from India over to the 38:49 East Coast of China 38:50 so thick that it was disrupting the ecosystem 38:53 and tens of thousands of people have been driven 38:55 from their ancestral farm lands. 38:57 Then the Mad Cow crisis 38:59 showed up first in my country of Canada. 39:01 And then we brought it down here for you. 39:03 Mad Cow Crisis. 39:06 Shortly after that we heard about the West Nile Virus, 39:09 then Hurricane Isabel went up to East Coast in 2003, 39:12 one week later hurricane Juan went up to Coast 39:15 and then the next fall, in 2004 we had 39:18 four hurricanes in six weeks 39:20 through the Caribbean and up to Coast of Florida 39:23 that left more than 2,000 people dead. 39:25 "Watch out", said Jesus. 39:27 "When all changes, then you'll know, lift up your heads" 39:30 "I am almost there, it is almost time for the Appearing". 39:34 Discover Magazine, January 2005. 39:37 Just this year called 2004 "the year of calamity" 39:41 because never in the history of the Earth, 39:44 have they seen so many natural disasters in one year. 39:46 And that went to press just before the news of December 26 39:50 when the biggest earthquake in recorded history 39:53 caused the biggest devastation 39:54 the Tsunami of December 26. 39:57 Just a while back, the London bombings. 40:01 One thing after another. Then most recently, 40:05 an entire American city, wiped out in a heartbeat 40:08 by the terrible forces of nature. 40:11 Let me ask you what time it is tonight. 40:13 Is it time to be worried, is it time to be afraid? 40:16 Not at all. 40:18 Jesus said in John 16 40:20 as He talks about His Appearing, He said: 40:45 Jesus said: "Sure it's going to be painful". 40:47 Sure there will be contractions, warfare, pestilence, 40:49 earthquakes, disease, 40:51 all those things are going to happen 40:53 but Jesus said: "You will soon forget about it" 40:56 "when you see Me coming in the sky". 40:57 When the Appearing takes place, 40:59 you won't remember the pain you had to live for, for joy. 41:03 But the Child has been born. 41:05 Jesus said: "They were contractions". 41:08 Jesus said: "They were birth pains". 41:10 And He said when the birth pains have passed, 41:12 you won't remember anymore. 41:15 I have two little kids, now. 41:17 Some of you might think: 41:19 You never finished the story. What did you have? 41:21 I had a baby, that's what we had. 41:24 My wife actually had the baby. 41:26 I have two little girls. 41:29 As they ride in the back of the car 41:31 and we're driving long distance, I bet you can't guess 41:34 what their favorite question is. 41:36 Are we there yet? 41:39 Daddy, are we there yet? 41:41 Next favorite question is: Are we near a gas station, daddy? 41:44 Are we there yet? 41:46 Jesus knows what we're like. 41:49 So many people are hanging on to the guard rail of life 41:52 with white knuckles, 41:53 afraid of what might happen next. 41:55 And Jesus says: "Look, I know you're riding in the back seat" 41:58 "and My children and My people are crying out" 42:01 Are we there yet? 42:04 He said: "Watch". 42:05 "Just like when the fig tree puts out its leaves", 42:08 "you'll know". 42:10 You hang on, we're almost there. 42:13 And when you'll see Me, you won't remember 42:17 a bit of the pain you had to live with in this life. 42:21 We're going to open the Word of God tonight, we're going to 42:24 study what the Bible says on what we've just seen. 42:27 We're going to take a few moments and examine the Bible 42:30 texts and wherever you are, now is time 42:33 to pull out Lesson number 1. 42:35 Lesson number 1 and we're going to open the Word of God 42:38 and we're going to talk about 42:40 what Jesus says about the day and age that we live in. 43:36 Now, if you're still with us tonight and 43:38 I'm glad that you are, 43:40 this is the time to pull out lesson number 1. 43:42 We're going to spend a little time now going through 43:44 what the word of God says about the subject 43:46 and we're going to just review very quickly 43:48 and maybe 43:49 enhance a few thoughts and to help me do that tonight 43:52 is my friend, Dan Houghton. 43:53 Dan, why don't you come on up? 43:57 Thank you, Shawn. 43:58 Can you think of anything more exciting than the 44:00 Appearing, that you've been hearing about here tonight? 44:05 You know, if there's any one thing I want to be 44:09 on time for, 44:10 it's the Appearing when it comes. 44:12 You have your lessons out? 44:14 Okay... thank you! 44:15 We're going to go right to the very first 44:18 question, a Planet in Upheaval. 44:23 And this is the question: 44:25 The signs that Jesus gave to us, to watch 44:29 for can be broken down into three general areas. 44:31 Okay? 44:32 Do you remember what those three were? Anyone? 44:34 Remember what those three areas of... 44:37 okay? 44:39 Religious is the first one, religious. 44:42 Political 44:45 and in the natural world. 44:48 And that you would have to be blind 44:49 not to see all of those things happening 44:51 around us where we live in our world. 44:53 If you watch CNN or Fox News, or any newscast, 44:57 you see those things happening all around this in our world. 45:00 Now! 45:02 Your next question. 45:04 Is it true or false? You feel like you're in class 45:06 this evening? 45:08 Okay... 45:18 Okay! Do you think that's the case? 45:19 You think we might be able to figure out a date 45:22 when the Appearing may take place? No? 45:24 Okay! 45:25 Let's look at Matthew 24:36 45:28 and see what the Scriptures say. Okay? 45:41 You talk about a situation 45:44 where secrecy surrounds the event! 45:47 This is one that God the Father 45:49 is not even trusting the angels to know, 45:52 because He does not want the evil one 45:55 to be able to counterfeit 45:57 or to know when that time might come. 46:00 So you are right, it is false. 46:03 You can mark that in your lesson. 46:04 Those of you who may be watching 46:06 and participating in this program 46:08 from a church or from an auditorium 46:10 or home some place. 46:11 I hope that you are also filling out 46:13 your lessons as well this evening. 46:15 Question number 3. 46:20 You think we'll be able to tell when it'll happen? 46:23 Yes, absolutely we will know that. 46:25 What does Jesus compare the signs 46:27 that were coming down to that time? 46:30 What does He compare those signs to in Matthew 24:32? 46:48 It's being compared to the leaves on a fig tree. 46:52 I have two fig trees in my yard. 46:55 Some of you, I can see by the nods, you have 46:58 fig trees as well. 46:59 Isn't it something whenever you see 47:01 those leaves start to come? 47:02 Now one of the things that's fascinating about a fig tree 47:05 every time a leaf comes out 47:06 what comes out along with that leaf? 47:09 It's the fig. For every leaf 47:11 there's a little place where there's a fig. 47:13 And Jesus says: 'Whenever you start 47:15 to see those fig leaves, you can know that it's summer. 47:17 When you see all these signs, 47:19 that pastor Shawn talked about this evening, 47:21 you can know 47:22 that we are headed right towards the Appearing. 47:29 Yes, we certainly will. 47:32 If you want to fill that in 47:34 the blank on your lesson. 47:44 Now, if you will look on number 4 47:47 on your study guide, in Matthew 24:8 47:51 Jesus describes the signs of His Appearing 47:55 and the end of the world as the beginning 47:57 of sorrows. Now I wanted to make 47:58 sure you note this word. 48:01 The original word... 48:08 You heard pastor Shawn describing 48:11 how the contractions are getting closer and closer together. 48:14 Now, the original word 48:16 used in the Greek text is 48:17 Odin and it means birth pains. Please write 48:19 that in your lesson. 48:39 What are some of the signs that you are looking for? 48:41 War, I thought someone said that: war. 48:44 What's another sign that we can be 48:46 anticipating? 48:47 False religion, famines. 48:49 You know, it breaks my heart to think, 48:52 as pastor Shawn pointed out a few moments ago, 48:54 how many children are starving to death 48:57 every second that goes by in our world. 49:00 Famines around our world. Pestilences... 49:04 You know, these unusual diseases 49:05 that are striking people down around our world. 49:08 Another sign: earthquakes. Somebody mentioned 49:10 that a moment ago. And of course, in Southern-California 49:13 we are very tuned to earthquakes. 49:14 And we're grateful that God has mercy on us just a little bit 49:17 longer, but around our world in lots of places 49:20 earthquakes... 49:21 We also have false prophets 49:28 and a general state of lawlessness. 49:31 Doesn't it seem to you, 49:33 that in the world we live people are 49:35 more and more careless about what anybody else thinks, 49:37 particularly law. 49:38 They want to do... everybody wants to be a law 49:41 in and of themselves and do whatever they'd like to do. 49:44 What was the world like in the days of Noah? 49:47 Okay? Number 6 in your study guide. 49:50 Matthew 24:37-39. 49:53 Jesus makes reference to the fact that 49:56 the world will resemble the days 49:58 of Noah just before His Appearing. 50:00 What was the world like in those days? 50:02 We're going to read in Genesis 6:5. 50:16 Have you heard anyone in our political world 50:19 speak of the word evil? 50:21 When they talk in terms of terrorism and some other things. 50:24 Evil only continually, God had to bring the destruction 50:27 to the world for the first time with the flood 50:30 at the time of Noah, because the thoughts 50:32 of men's heart was only evil continually. 50:50 Matthew 24:44. 51:03 What did Jesus say on this subject? I want you to write 51:05 this down in your study guide. 51:09 Be ready at any time, anytime, because Jesus is coming 51:14 in an hour when you do not expect Him! 51:19 For whatever reason He's choosing to do this 51:21 as a surprise, 51:23 He's not wanting people, because, let's face it, 51:26 if you knew, when Jesus was going to come, 51:29 if you could pick the date, 51:31 what would be happening in our world? 51:34 There be a party going on, right up unto the last minute, 51:36 because our human nature is such that we'd want to try 51:39 to figure out how to have the best 51:41 of the world we live in and than slide in to home plate. 51:46 Jesus has wisely said: 'No, I'm not going to let you know when, 51:50 you could see all the signs, you could know when it's going 51:53 to come, you can have a general idea, 51:54 but you're not going to know the day or the hour, 51:57 and be ready, because when I come, 51:59 it's going to be a surprise. 52:02 He asked us to be ready. Is it your desire today 52:07 to be ready for the Appearing? Is it your desire? 52:11 You know, whenever pastor Shawn 52:14 was talking about his little girls, 52:15 as they are riding on a trip, 52:17 and they're trying to go to some distant destination, 52:21 and those little girls are sitting in the back seat 52:23 and time seems to go so slowly. 52:27 And they cried out what? Do you remember what he told you 52:29 they said just a moment ago? 52:31 Are we there yet? 52:34 And, oh... some times we get to be very-very impatient. 52:39 We say: Oh, Lord, can You come tomorrow? 52:42 If not tomorrow, how about the next day? Or maybe next week? 52:45 But, you know, before two weeks... 52:47 Have you ever had the desire: 52:48 Lord, would You please come quickly? 52:50 You know, it may be that you have experienced 52:53 a loss in your life, that has created 52:56 a little bit of anxiety and pain. 52:59 You say: Oh, Lord, can You just hurry and come? 53:03 I know that I have been through some of those circumstances, 53:06 and I can hardly wait for Jesus to come. 53:08 I long to see His face. 53:11 I'm going to invite you where you are just now, 53:14 to bow your heads with me 53:16 as we pray and ask in your hearts while we're praying. 53:20 I want you to think of this question: 53:21 Where will you be at the Appearing? 53:26 Where will you be at the Appearing? 53:28 Heavenly Father, it is our privilege, 53:32 to study Your Word and to explore what You have said 53:37 through Your prophets and through Your own words 53:40 about Your Appearing. 53:43 We know that You have not left our planet 53:46 and the people on it, each one of us, alone. 53:49 We know that Your Spirit is here 53:51 and You are longing to come back and take us home. 53:53 Lord, I pray that every single person 53:56 who is here in our live studio audience 53:58 and those who are watching and participating in this study, 54:03 wherever they may be in our world, 54:05 I just pray Lord, that You would cause each one of us to have 54:08 in our hearts a deep yearning 54:12 to be there for Your Appearing. I pray in Jesus' name, amen. 54:17 Subtitled by Christian Media Services 54:21 www. chms. ro |
Revised 2014-12-17