It Is Written

The War Behind All Wars

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

Program transcript

Participants: Pr. John Bradshaw

Home

Series Code: IIW

Program Code: IIW001202


00:07 It has stood the test of time.
00:12 God's book.
00:13 The Bible.
00:17 Still relevant in today's complex world.
00:22 It is written sharing hope around the globe.
00:36 I'm John Bradshaw.
00:38 Thanks for joining me today on It Is Written.
00:41 You know, it often seems as though we're living in a world
00:43 where everyone's fighting about something.
00:46 There's someone suing someone else.
00:49 Domestic bliss turning into domestic warfare.
00:52 Political parties that seem determined not to get along.
00:56 Or, worse and far more seriously, nations continue to
01:00 be engaged in wars that claim many lives.
01:04 Today, wars play out on 24-hour TV news channels.
01:07 Unlike years ago, if there's a conflict happening somewhere in
01:10 the world, graphic news footage brings the grim realities of
01:13 warfare right to our TVs, computers and mobile devices.
01:19 So why then has the world's media missed the biggest war of
01:23 them all?
01:25 The longest and most important conflict in all of history is
01:28 being totally ignored: you won't find it reported in the news
01:32 anywhere.
01:34 Today we'll examine this astonishing silence as
01:38 we focus on The War Behind All Wars.
01:46 Dr. Jeremy Stone stares in disbelief at the image on the
01:50 electron microscope monitor.
01:53 Here in this top-secret, five-level underground lab, he
01:56 and his team have worked through the night to isolate the
01:58 microbe, and they are running out of time.
02:01 Two days earlier, a classified military satellite named Scoop
02:05 VII-after developing instability in orbit-had been deliberately
02:09 brought down in the Arizona desert.
02:12 The two-man recovery team sent from Vandenberg Air Force Base
02:15 in California had tracked the satellite's locator signal to a
02:18 remote desert town of Piedmont, population 48.
02:23 Entering the village, the team reported that the streets were
02:26 littered with bodies.
02:28 At Vandenberg, where the progress of the recovery
02:31 operation was being monitored by radio, the staff at Scoop
02:35 Mission Control suddenly heard a high-pitched scream, followed by
02:40 a crunching noise.
02:41 Mission Control could not raise the two men again.
02:45 A second team, outfitted with airtight suits and helmets, had
02:50 then been dispatched to Piedmont.
02:52 There they recovered the satellite and, to their
02:54 surprise, found two survivors-an old man and an infant.
02:57 The survivors and the satellite were then rushed to the
03:01 underground Wildfire Lab just outside Flatrock, Nevada.
03:03 Searching for the cause of the mysterious deaths, the Wildfire
03:09 team had discovered what they had feared might be true.
03:13 The satellite had brought back from space a deadly
03:17 extraterrestrial life form.
03:20 And now, their eyes riveted to the wall monitor, Dr. Stone and
03:23 his colleagues watch the green crystal-like microbe multiply
03:27 rapidly.
03:28 Unless they can find a way to neutralize it-and soon-it will
03:32 quickly spread to destroy all life on earth.
03:38 So goes the chilling scenario of Michael Crichton's 1969
03:42 science-fiction best seller entitled The Andromeda Strain.
03:46 But today, we fear a possible space germ far less than we do a
03:50 number of very real and frightening diseases right here
03:53 on Earth.
03:55 HIV/AIDS is still a disease without a cure.
03:58 And there are other infectious diseases that appear suddenly
04:02 and threaten to spread out of control.
04:04 Diseases with strange names like SARS, hantavirus, ebola, West
04:08 Nile virus, Bird Flu and Mad Cow disease.
04:14 The world has seen its share of deadly epidemics.
04:17 Between 1334 and 1351 A.D., up to 75 million people died in
04:22 Eurasia of the plague known as The Black Death.
04:26 You know, more soldiers died during the Civil War of typhoid
04:29 fever than were killed in action.
04:31 Another 20 million perished worldwide in 1918 and 1919 of
04:36 influenza.
04:38 Tens of millions more have died of cholera, smallpox, and other
04:42 contagious diseases.
04:44 Yet the most lethal virus ever to devastate our planet is not
04:47 AIDS or bubonic plague.
04:49 This killer has proven far more horrific, and has swept away
04:54 more millions, than any other epidemic in world history.
04:58 And whether you realize it or not, every human being alive
05:04 today is infected and is burdened daily with the
05:07 appalling symptoms of this lethal pandemic.
05:11 This super virus, to which all other diseases on Earth trace
05:14 their origin, is called SIN.
05:19 Sin is the ultimate cause of disease and death, of accidents,
05:24 tragedies, and disasters.
05:26 Grief and pain and violence and war and an endless host of other
05:31 horrors exist solely as a result of the merciless invasion of the
05:36 sin virus.
05:38 An urgent, haunting question is: Where did sin come from?
05:43 God Himself answers that question for us in His message
05:47 to us-the Bible.
05:49 The Bible takes us back to a time when there was no sin, no
05:52 trouble, no evil.
05:57 It takes us back to a time long, long ago-to a place far, far
06:00 away--a place called Heaven.
06:05 Heaven was populated with angels who loved God because they
06:08 wanted to - because they CHOSE to - and not because they HAD
06:10 to.
06:11 They had been made with freedom of choice - they weren't created
06:15 as if they were computers who had to be programmed to be
06:18 loved.
06:20 But that very freedom of choice meant that they also had to be
06:23 free to choose against Him.
06:26 That's the risk God took.
06:29 And the highest-ranking angel over them all, was tehthe one
06:34 called Lucifer -"the shining one" was the "covering cherub"
06:39 who stood in the immediate presence of God.
06:43 He is described in Ezekiel chapter 28.
06:47 "You were anointed as a guardian cherub," God said of Lucifer,
06:49 "for so I ordained you.
06:51 You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery
06:56 stones."
06:58 (Ezekiel 28:14) A couple verses earlier Ezekiel says this: "You
07:02 were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in
07:05 beauty."
07:07 (Ezekiel 28:12) In perfect peace and sinlessness, the years of
07:09 eternity past moved on.
07:12 How long Lucifer had lived in Heaven since his creation the
07:15 Bible does not tell us.
07:17 Perhaps thousands of years, maybe millions.
07:20 But as time continued, Lucifer apparently became increasingly
07:25 conscious of his own beauty and wisdom.
07:29 And apparently he felt that he should be elevated to an even
07:33 higher position in Heaven's line of authority.
07:36 Continuing in Ezekiel, the Bible says, "Your heart became proud
07:41 on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom
07:44 because of your splendor."
07:47 (Ezekiel 28:17) "You corrupted your wisdom."
07:49 In other words, Lucifer wasn't thinking straight.
07:52 His judgment had become distorted by a false picture of
07:55 himself that he had chosen to believe.
07:58 Because of his wisdom, his position, and his beauty,
08:02 Lucifer slowly came to see himself as more important in
08:06 Heaven's scheme of things than he actually was.
08:09 He had become proud.
08:12 Self-centered.
08:13 Pride-an exaggerated sense of one's importance-sets one up for
08:18 a fall.
08:19 And fall, Lucifer eventually did.
08:22 After his fall, God would say this of him, "You were blameless
08:26 in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was
08:31 found in you."
08:32 (Ezekiel 28:15) And over in the book of Isaiah we find this
08:35 comment about Lucifer.
08:38 "How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the
08:40 dawn!
08:43 You said in your heart, 'I will ascend to the heavens; I will
08:46 raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on
08:51 the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mt.
08:54 Zaphon.
08:58 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself
09:00 like the Most High.'" (Isaiah 14:12-14) Lucifer's promotion
09:05 never came.
09:07 If he had been thinking clearly, he would never have lost sight
09:10 of the fact that while God was the Creator, Lucifer was and
09:14 could only ever be the creature.
09:18 So he waited with increasing frustration in anticipation of
09:22 something that could never happen.
09:26 As time passed with no indication that God was
09:29 preparing for Lucifer's imminent elevation, the prince of the
09:33 angels was at first puzzled, then bitterly disappointed-and
09:38 finally, angry and jealous.
09:40 And who do you think got the blame?
09:46 This will surprise you.
09:47 I'll tell you in just a moment.
09:49 In Matthew 4:4 the Word of God says "It is written 'Man shall
09:54 not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of
09:59 the mouth of God'."
10:01 Every Word is a one minute Bible-based daily devotional
10:06 presented by Pastor John Bradshaw and designed especially
10:09 for busy people like you.
10:10 Look for Every Word on selected networks or watch it on-line
10:13 everyday on our website itiswritten.com.
10:16 Receive a daily spiritual boost.
10:18 Watch Every Word.
10:19 You'll be glad you did.
10:21 Here's a sample.
10:31 Most everyone loves a good deal.
10:33 In the Bible, God offers us the best deal you could possibly
10:37 imagine.
10:38 In Luke 11:13, Jesus said "If you then, being evil, know how
10:42 to give good gifts to your children, how much more will
10:44 your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask
10:47 Him!"
10:48 What a deal!
10:49 The Holy Spirit.
10:50 .The personal presence of Jesus Christ given to us absolutely
10:53 free.
10:54 People get excited when they find peanut butter on sale at
10:57 the supermarket.
10:58 Find cheap gas and you might even all a friend.
11:01 But God promises to give us the Holy Spirit, the greatest of all
11:05 gifts absolutely free.
11:08 All he says we need to is ask.
11:09 Have you asked God to give you this most incredible gift?
11:12 If not, it's probably time you did.
11:16 Make Luke 11:13 part of the fabric of your life.
11:22 I'm John Bradshaw from It IS Written.
11:24 Let's live today by every Word.
11:24 Who gets the blame when things go wrong?
11:27 It seems strange that this sort of thing could happen in heaven
11:30 of all places, but when Lucifer didn't what he was hoping for,
11:35 he could only conclude one of two things.
11:38 Either the problem was with God-or it was with himself.
11:43 Since the problem could not possibly be within himself,
11:47 Lucifer he reasoned, then it had to be with God.
11:50 And Lucifer's discontent with God soon spread to the other
11:54 angels in heaven, to the extent that the Bible says there was a
11:58 full-scale revolt.
11:59 Look at this description in the book of Revelation.
12:03 "Then war broke out in heaven, Michael [Christ] and his angels
12:06 fought against the dragon [Lucifer], and the dragon and
12:09 his angels fought back.
12:12 But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in
12:16 heaven.
12:17 The great dragon was hurled down-that ancient serpent called
12:21 the devil or Satan, who leads the whole world astray.
12:27 He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him."
12:29 (Revelation 12:7-9 A third of the angels accepted and believed
12:32 Lucifer's false picture of God and were thrown out of Heaven
12:36 with him.
12:38 We read about this a few verses earlier in the same chapter.
12:39 His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them
12:43 to the earth.
12:44 (Revelation 12:4) The great battle between Christ and
12:50 Lucifer-now called the devil or Satan-had begun.
12:53 The war behind all wars-the war that would include and be the
12:59 cause of every war ever fought on earth-was now raging.
13:04 But how is it that you and I are involved in this great war
13:06 between God and His government of love, and Satan and his
13:09 insurrection of selfishness?
13:12 How did the great conflict move from angels to human beings?
13:20 Evicted from Heaven, Satan and the other fallen angels set up
13:24 the headquarters of their new counter-government on the small
13:29 planet called Earth and pledged themselves to everlasting
13:33 hatred-and the ultimate destruction-of their own
13:37 Creator.
13:38 The Bible's first book-Genesis-tells us that on
13:42 this earth, God chose to create a different order of beings.
13:46 Not as powerful as angels, but made in God's own image.
13:50 On the sixth day of creation, God said, in the book of
13:53 Genesis...
13:55 "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness .
14:00 so God created man in His own image; in the image of God He
14:03 created him; male and female He created them."
14:10 (Genesis 1:26, 27) God created Adam and Eve with the same
14:12 freedom of choice He had given the angels.
14:14 He also created a beautiful garden called Eden as the home
14:18 for our first parents.
14:20 Now God did not allow the fallen Satan to have free access to the
14:24 man and woman He had created, confining him to just one tree
14:28 in the center of the garden.
14:30 And God warned Adam and Eve to stay away from the tree and
14:34 commanded them to never eat the fruit of it.
14:38 Then came a tragic day that would change earth and human
14:42 history forever.
14:44 Let me sketch out the story for you as described in the book of
14:47 Genesis chapter 3.
14:50 Eve hadn't intended to wander away from Adam.
14:52 But somehow, happily preoccupied with her work, she suddenly
14:57 found herself alone, looking up at the tree God had warned them
15:00 about.
15:02 "You may eat the fruit from any tree in Eden," He had said.
15:05 "But do not eat fruit from the tree in the center of the
15:08 garden.
15:10 If you do, you will most certainly die."
15:13 Now, as she looked curiously at the tree and noticed its
15:16 attractive fruit, Eve wondered why God had declared this one
15:21 tree off limits.
15:23 "Did God really tell you not to eat fruit from any of the trees
15:26 here in Eden?"
15:29 Startled, Eve searched for the source of the questioning voice.
15:33 But all she could see was a serpent draped across the lower
15:37 branches of the tree, and she noticed it was talking.
15:41 She was fascinated (can't blame her, can you, for being
15:46 fascinated) and responded to the snake.
15:47 "We are free to eat from any tree in the garden but this one.
15:50 God says that if we eat fruit from this tree-or even if we
15:53 touch it-we will die."
15:56 "You're kidding!"
15:58 the serpent laughed.
15:59 "Believe me, you definitely will not die!
16:03 Anyone who eats this moves up to a higher level of consciousness.
16:08 In fact, those who eat this fruit will have the same
16:12 knowledge and power that God has."
16:17 And Satan was insinuating that God's way wasn't fair or just.
16:22 So Eve ate the forbidden fruit, and before long she'd shared it
16:27 with Adam.
16:29 Later that same day, as Lucifer and his forces gleefully
16:32 celebrated their great victory, Adam and Eve heard God calling
16:37 to them in the Garden of Eden.
16:39 Normally when God called, they ran gladly to meet Him.
16:42 But this evening, the Bible says, they hid themselves.
16:48 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden
16:52 in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from
16:57 the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.
17:01 And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where
17:04 art thou?
17:06 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid,
17:10 because I was naked; and I hid myself.
17:15 (Genesis 3:8-10) Adam, afraid of God?
17:18 See that's what happens when sin breaks the harmony that exists
17:22 in a relationship with God.
17:25 Ever since that day in Eden, most people have been uneasy
17:28 around God-even afraid of Him.
17:29 Somehow sin is like that.
17:32 Sin brings a break in our relationship with our Maker that
17:34 causes us to see God, not as He really is, but in a totally
17:39 false light.
17:41 I don't know what your picture of God is like at the moment.
17:44 But I do know that if you are in the least afraid of Him, or
17:47 angry at Him, or uneasy around Him, it's more than likely
17:51 because the separation of sin is keeping you from seeing God as
17:55 He really is.
17:57 Separated from God, we begin to imagine all sorts of things
18:00 about God that simply aren't true.
18:03 We begin to blame God for the pain our own sin brings us.
18:07 We come to see Him as basically against us-as our stern judge or
18:11 our frowning Father, if not our outright enemy.
18:21 And in creating these false pictures of God, we have a lot
18:25 of help.
18:27 Satan, the fallen Lucifer, is constantly at work slinging mud
18:31 at God's reputation to picture Him as the worst of criminals.
18:35 Satan is consumed with the goal of making God look bad by
18:40 misrepresenting Him, by lying about Him.
18:43 So when trouble invades our lives-tragedy, pain, illness,
18:47 grief-Satan immediately presses us to put the blame on God.
18:52 Now, what's the right way to view God?
18:58 I'll have that for you in just a moment.
19:02 Perhaps something in today's program has sparked your
19:04 interest in greater Bible study.
19:06 We invite you to visit our website itiswritten.com where
19:10 you will find a host of inspirational resources
19:13 including free Bible study guides, there's also a complete
19:15 archive of past television programs and special video
19:20 seminars that you can view on-line or download.
19:22 Discover more at itiswritten.com Long ago, Lucifer convinced a
19:29 third of all the angels in heaven that God was unfair and
19:33 unjust.
19:34 He managed to convince Eve in the Garden of Eden that God was
19:37 unfairly withholding good things from her.
19:40 And today, Satan is still peddling his ideas that God is
19:43 unfair and unkind.
19:44 It is common for people to refer to calamities as "Acts of God",
19:49 as though God somehow willingly causes misery to come to some
19:54 innocent, unsuspecting people.
20:00 And when trouble strikes, all too often God gets the blame.
20:03 On August 1, 2007, the fifth-busiest bridge in the
20:06 state of Minnesota - a bridge across the Mississippi River on
20:09 Interstate 35 West - suddenly collapsed during the evening
20:13 rush hour.
20:15 145 people were injured, and 13 people were killed.
20:19 One of them was a 32 year-old mother of two who was returning
20:26 from her cosmetology classes.
20:27 Her ex-husband said this, he said: "God can be so cruel
20:30 sometimes."
20:33 While my heart goes out to people in situations like that,
20:36 I do wish they could know that Satan is the architect of misery
20:40 and death, not God.
20:42 Maybe you've heard of the Bible story about the wheat and the
20:45 tares.
20:46 A farmer discovers someone has sown weeds in his wheat field.
20:50 And don't sell this short: this was a massive inconvenience to
20:53 the affected farmer.
20:55 His servants asked him how it happened.
20:58 Here is how the Bible records his reply.
21:01 "He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.' (Matt 13:28) An
21:06 enemy.
21:07 When you hear of another child randomly killed in a drive-by
21:10 shooting, one took place two miles of where I was staying one
21:15 time, or of a baby with cancer, or of a family devastated when a
21:20 tornado rips though their home and their lives, don't ask "Why
21:27 did God do this?"
21:28 Jesus all too often gets the blame.
21:32 Instead, we ought to be saying as Jesus said: "An enemy has
21:38 done this."
21:39 Here's is how the Bible describes God.
21:42 1 John 4:8 we read that "God is love."
21:50 and verse 16 adds: And we have known and believed the love that
21:53 God has for us.
21:55 God is love.
21:58 (1 John 4:8, 16) Matthew 11:28 has Jesus inviting everyone in
22:03 this way, Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden,
22:07 and I will give you rest.
22:08 (Matthew 11:28) The Apostle Peter, the one who denied Jesus,
22:14 wrote that God loves all his children and does not want a
22:17 single one to be lost.
22:18 He wrote: The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some
22:21 count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, and is
22:24 not willing that any should perish but that all should come
22:32 to repentance.
22:33 (2 Peter 3:9) That's what God wants!
22:35 He wants the very best for you and me.
22:37 And Psalm 16 describes the joy found in God's presence.
22:41 In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are
22:46 pleasures forevermore.
22:49 (Psalm 16:11) Rather than God being the source of woe and
22:55 misery, God invites people, appeals to people, draws people
23:00 to come to Him and be blessed, not cursed.
23:02 In fact, in the book of Isaiah, God even says to people who have
23:04 rebelled against Him, "Come now, and let us reason together...
23:10 Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow.
23:14 Though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."
23:20 The God who would be perfectly within His rights to cast us off
23:23 and forget about us forever instead says, "If you come to
23:30 me, I'll bless you and make you really happy."
23:32 Of course, that does NOT mean God is there to give us
23:35 everything we want, and to provide for our every desire.
23:40 The Bible is the story about God, not Santa Claus.
23:44 Bad things still happen in our lives, and God isn't there to
23:47 prevent every accident and stop every calamity, although
23:52 sometimes of course you wish he would be.
23:57 You see, God's first priority isn't our material or even our
24:01 physical well-being -as important as those things are.
24:07 God's first priority is our 'spiritual' well-being.
24:09 With God's help, our faith can grow and our trust in God can
24:12 grow to the place that no matter what happens, we understand God
24:21 to be just, and just who He says He is - our loving Father wh
24:24 allowed His Son to die for us.
24:26 And if we can learn to trust God even when bad things happen...
24:32 then we are really growing in grace.
24:34 Would you like to have that sort of faith in God today- the sort
24:37 of faith that trusts in God no matter what?
24:40 The sort of faith that allows you to look towards God
24:43 trustingly, even though your world would be falling apart?
24:50 You can have that sort of faith.
24:52 Together, why don't we ask God for that sort of faith right
24:53 now.
24:54 Let's pray.
24:55 Our father in heaven, it seems that our plant is just
24:59 constantly at war and sometimes it seems like our own lives are
25:09 jus full of warring, stress and strife and no peace.
25:10 When what we really want is peace.
25:12 Now we know that Jesus is the Prince of Peace.
25:17 So please, let him live his life in us and bring to us peace,
25:21 even amidst the storm and faith even in the midst of difficulty.
25:32 Lord, help us to trust you.
25:34 We know you are not the cause, the source of sadness and woe.
25:37 We know an enemy has done this.
25:38 Give us faith to trust you now and always I pray and we thank
25:42 you for it and we believe it as we pray in Jesus; name, amen.
25:58 Perhaps our program today has touched your heart and impressed
26:00 you with a personal need for deeper Bible study.
26:05 Do you desire to listen to God and follow where he leads?
26:07 We've got a wonderful resource that can help you do that in a
26:10 systemic way, the Discover Bible Guides.
26:15 These study guides will take you through the essential truths
26:17 taught in Scripture.
26:18 They give you the big picture showing how it all fits
26:23 together.
26:24 The Discover Bible Guides are a wonderful way for you to become
26:26 grounded in the Word of God and to see how Jesus Christ relates
26:28 to all areas of our lives.
26:32 So please call or write us and the Discover Bible Guides will
26:35 be on their way to you and the entire course is absolutely
26:38 free.
26:39 For even easier access, you can obtain these wonderful Bible
26:41 lessons on-line at our website.
26:42 Here's the information you need.
26:51 You may request today's offer, The Discover Bible Guides, by
26:52 calling our toll free number 1 800 253 3000.
26:54 Call right now.
26:56 The operator needs only your name, address and phone number,
26:58 plus the name of today's offer, The Discover Bible Guides.
27:01 Lines are open 24 hours daily.
27:03 They may be busy so keep trying.
27:06 You may also request today's offer by writing to It Is
27:08 Written, Box O, Thousand Oaks, CA 91359.
27:12 Our free offer is for an address in North America only.
27:16 The Discover Bible Guides are also available on the Internet.
27:19 Just visit our website itiswritten.com.
27:23 Also on line is a complete script of today's program.
27:27 If you wish to help the worldwide outreach of It is
27:29 Written, your tax deductible gift may be sent to the same
27:31 address or you may make a gift on line at itiswritten.com Thank
27:36 you for your letters and continued support.
27:39 Our toll free number is 1800 253 3000 and our web address
27:44 itiswritten.com Thanks for joining me today.
27:51 I'm look forward to seeing you next time.
27:53 Until then, remember...It is written, man shall not live by
27:57 bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of
28:02 God.


Home

Revised 2015-02-05