Participants: John Bradshaw
Series Code: IIW
Program Code: IIW001384A
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01:30 ♪[Theme Music]♪
01:49 ♪[Music]♪ Thanks for joining me today 01:58 on It Is Written. I'm John Bradshaw. 02:01 You know as well as I do that in recent years, 02:04 environmental issues have become very big news. 02:07 People talk about climate change, the resulting rising 02:11 in sea levels, the polar ice cap melting, people in danger, 02:15 wildlife endangered, species becoming even more endangered. 02:19 In recent years there has been talk about ozone layer 02:22 depletion, nuclear issues, particularly when natural 02:27 disasters cause problems at nuclear power stations. 02:30 People fear what are we going to do to avoid nuclear waste 02:35 and nuclear fall-out. There's any number 02:38 of environmental issues today, some of them have been 02:41 highly politicized but my question today 02:44 is what does any of this have to do with the Bible? 02:48 Maybe nothing, maybe something. My guest today 02:52 is Scott Christiansen. Scott has worked virtually all 02:55 of his adult life in Christian ministry, at times, working 02:59 with environmental issues in various parts of the world. 03:03 He has seen, up close, the way the environment is changing 03:07 and the effect that that has on society and its relationship 03:13 to the Bible. Scott is an author and his 03:15 seminar on the Bible and the Environment has been 03:18 warmly and enthusiastically received all across 03:21 North America. Scott Christiansen, 03:23 thanks for joining me today. SC: Thank you John. 03:25 It's my pleasure to be here. JB: Tell me, to begin with, 03:27 what do environmental issues have to do with the Bible, 03:30 if anything at all? SC: Well, let's go straight 03:33 to Scripture. Let's go to Matthew 24. 03:35 Christ told his disciples what the waymarks would be 03:37 before he came. He gave us many, 03:40 many things to look for. And in fact, 03:42 in Mark, Chapter 13, we are told to watch. 03:45 We have a responsibility to watch. 03:48 So we are not to be passive. When in Matthew 24 we are told 03:52 that there will be wars and rumors of wars. 03:54 We are told that there will be pestilences and famines 03:56 and earthquakes in diverse places. 03:58 In the last 50 years or so, we've seen increasing 04:03 disturbances in the environment and we are 04:05 coming to understand destabilization in the 04:07 environment destabilizes a society and leads to conflict, 04:10 and leads to pestilence, and leads to famine. 04:13 It leads to the fulfillment of prophecy and we're 04:16 seeing it now. JB: So why are environmental 04:20 issues biblical issues? Where is the correlation? 04:24 SC: You have to go back to the systems, not just 04:28 the things that were created during creation week 04:30 because we all know that the oceans were made 04:32 and the atmosphere and everything else, but you 04:34 have to go back to the systems. JB: What do you mean systems? 04:37 SC: Well, our oceanic system and how it interacts with our 04:41 atmospheric system. How these two systems which 04:43 were created on the same day, two halves of one whole, our 04:46 atmosphere and our hydrosphere, how these were created and are 04:49 constantly interacting with each other, chemical balances 04:52 and thermal balances and that enabled, of course, animal life 04:55 and the animal life depended upon the plant life that was 05:00 created which depended, of course, upon the soil 05:03 being healthy. All of these things are systems. 05:07 You've got our fresh water system and you've got such 05:11 things as our nutrient system, our nitrogen cycle, our alkaline 05:16 metal cycle, which is potassium, calcium, magnesium. 05:19 So the Lord made massive systems, oceanic, atmospheric, 05:23 climate, and he made small systems and they all fit 05:27 together and work together perfectly. 05:29 He created everything in perfection. 05:31 And then sin entered the world. JB: What did sin do to 05:35 the perfection of God's systems? SC: What is the consequence 05:38 of sin? The consequence of sin is death. 05:42 And we have always said, well, OK, people die, animals die, 05:45 humans understand that. What we have not appreciated 05:49 is that sin affects the planet itself. 05:52 JB: So when death entered the world, and if we stop 05:54 and think about this, sin brings death but also 05:57 it brought death to trees and whatever else dies, 06:02 stuff in the water. SC: It brought death to every 06:05 part of the massive systems that God created to sustain 06:09 life on this planet and, therefore, it brought death 06:13 to those systems themselves. If every piece is dying, 06:15 if every cell in your body is dying, then your entire 06:17 body is dying. God created the planet in such 06:20 perfection, and in such perfect balance, that it has gone 06:24 on for a very long time. However, like a spinning top, 06:30 you know, it goes perfectly at first. 06:33 It's very stable. But then it destabilizes 06:35 and it begins to wobble and you have seen 06:37 the spinning top. The end comes very quickly 06:39 and looking at the evidence in their natural world, 06:43 we are at the point where the systems that God created 06:47 are so affected by sin that they are destabilized 06:50 and like a top they are wobbling significantly. 06:52 JB: Somebody is going to say, Why are you blaming sin for 06:57 a hole in the ozone layer when scientifically we would believe 07:01 that that is because of too much CFC's gone in the environment. 07:05 Why are you blaming sin for my careless use of refrigerants? 07:10 SC We were told to be stewards of this planet. 07:15 We were given dominion over the planet. 07:17 If we were living up to our charge, we would not be 07:20 destabilizing the earth. And that's a fact of sin in man. 07:24 You have to trace the problem all the way back. 07:27 You can say that people are not responsible. 07:29 You can say that corporations aren't responsible. 07:31 You can say that governments are not responsible 07:33 but that does not trace the problem back to its roots. 07:36 You trace the problem back to its roots, 07:38 and it's the effect of sin. There is a reason that God 07:41 hates sin. It only decays, it only 07:44 destroys, it only causes death. JB: We tend to think 07:48 of industrialization and flash cars, nice cars, as progress. 07:55 SC: What we've done as a global human society 07:59 is kind of build a bubble around ourselves. 08:03 Cars are part of it. The industrial life 08:04 is a part of it. But we think we don't really 08:08 need God. And we think we don't really 08:10 need the world that He created. We think that spirituality 08:14 is outside of our industrial society and we think that nature 08:19 is outside of our industrial society. 08:21 In fact, God created systems that support life on this earth 08:25 and we are anything but outside of those systems. 08:28 So as the earth continues to decay and it is an accelerating 08:31 decay, right now, so its not just a 08:33 linear process, it is an accelerating decay. 08:35 As the earth continues to decay, we will be more and more 08:40 destabilized as a global society and that's a big deal because 08:44 it leaves us to the fulfillment of prophecy. 08:46 JB: The decay we see in society not just people killing 08:51 each other and interpersonal problems, but environmental 08:55 issues we see because they are a result of sin. 08:58 SC: Absolutely. Oh, absolutely! 09:00 Let me give you a specific example just of a society 09:04 that's being impacted by environmental decay. 09:07 Let's go to Syria. For the last six years, 09:11 there has been ... and it has kind of gone 09:13 up and down a little bit, but there has been a very 09:15 significant drought in the Middle East 09:17 and in the Mediterranean region. So much so, that in Syria, 09:20 in particular, there have been successive years of crop 09:23 failures and successive years of herds of animals 09:27 that could not graze and had to be slaughtered. 09:30 Subsistence farmers had less and less and less. 09:33 Now, scientific studies have validated that the Arab spring, 09:39 so-called, while it was in response to despotic 09:42 governments, was actually triggered by a sharp rise 09:46 in food prices. So all around the Middle East 09:49 you had the Arab spring rise. It was triggered ultimately 09:53 by this drought. Now so what we see is a shift 09:56 in climate, people that are hungry 10:00 and desperate, rebellions and then massive death 10:04 and displacement and continuing disruption to neighboring 10:07 countries. So we see wars and rumors 10:09 of wars. We see famine. 10:12 We see pestilence because of rise in disease. 10:15 This is just one grain of sand on the scale. 10:18 But when you see the trend that we are one as a globe, you see 10:22 how this lines up with prophecy and we're really 10:25 not awake to it. JB: Societal issues brought 10:27 about by environmental issues, which were triggered by sin. 10:30 SC: Right, right. JB: In just a moment I am going 10:32 to ask you this question. I want to give you a second 10:34 to think about it. The question is: Is God 10:37 an environmentalist? Give that some thought. 10:39 You can give that some thought too. 10:41 We'll be back with more on It is Written in just a moment. 10:46 ♪ [Gentle Music] ♪ 10:57 Every Word is a one-minute Bible-based daily devotional 11:01 presented by pastor John Bradshaw and designed especially 11:04 for busy people like you. Look for Every Word on selected 11:08 networks or watch it online everyday on our website, 11:11 itiswritten.com. 11:14 ♪ [Bright Rythmic Melody] ♪ Well they say the Mayan calendar 11:23 was going to expire on December 21, 2012. 11:26 Some say the world was going to end, 11:28 but we're still here. The expiration of this 11:30 particular cycle of the Meso-American long count 11:33 calendar was most likely only meant to signify the end of a 11:36 particular cycle and not the end of the world. 11:38 The world was never going to come to an end on December 21, 11:42 but it will one day. In Matthew 24, Jesus spoke of 11:44 certain things that would take place in the world and then he 11:47 said in verse 33, "When you see all these things, 11:50 know that it is near - even at the doors!" 11:53 And those signs he spoke of look very much like 11:55 they're very near the point of fulfillment. 11:58 If you follow an old calendar, you'll likely believe 12:00 anything, but if you trust the Bible, 12:02 you'll know that Jesus will soon be here and 12:06 you'll be ready. [Bright rhythmic tune] 12:07 I'm John Bradshaw for It Is Written. 12:09 Let's live today by Every Word. 12:15 Thanks for joining me today on It Is Written. 12:17 My guest today is author, seminar presenter, Christian 12:21 minister, Scott Christiansen. And we are discussing today 12:25 the relationship between the environment, the decaying 12:28 environment, and the Bible. Scott, I told you just a moment 12:32 ago that I am about to ask you this question. 12:34 SC: Right. JB: Here's the question. 12:36 Is God an environmentalist? SC: If you take the word 12:40 "environmentalist" and you ask people to define it you are 12:44 going to get a bunch of different ... so I have to be 12:46 careful in my answer because if I say yes, then theres 12:48 going to be a dozen different people thinking 12:50 a dozen different things. So let me just put it like this: 12:53 when God created the world, we're told in Job 12:55 that the morning stars sang, that heaven was amazed 12:58 and celebrated over this amazing earth. 13:02 So if you mean by "environmentalist" that this 13:04 is someone who loves the beauty and majesty of the earth 13:07 and who celebrates it, then my answer 13:10 is absolutely yes! And if you mean that by 13:13 "environmentalist" that this is someone who wants to preserve 13:16 the earth, then my answer is yes. 13:19 And all we have to do is go to the most commonly quoted 13:23 and memorized text in all of Christendom. 13:25 "For God so loved the world..." JB: There's a tension here. 13:30 Probably in everything there is a tension and we are going 13:32 to zero in on the tension here. God created the world. 13:36 The question I asked you is a loaded question, 13:39 "Is God an environmentalist?" because it is loaded with 13:42 so many different meanings, but looking at it, 13:44 the first verse of the Bible says "in the beginning 13:46 God created," so God loves the environment, obviously, 13:50 and he made a perfect and a beautiful earth which 13:52 is still very beautiful but far from perfect today. 13:55 God made the earth to serve us, did He not? 14:00 SC: Yes He did. It's our home. 14:02 JB: Kill that animal under a certain circumstance, cut down 14:04 that tree under a certain circumstance, these were 14:06 renewable resources, so probably God was not taking a big risk 14:10 with that. But there's a tension, 14:12 isn't there, between how to appropriately manage 14:17 the environment. How does the Christian find that balance? 14:21 SC: First of all, we have to remember that the world 14:24 is not only tainted by sin, it is dying 14:26 as a result of sin. If we are going to try and fix 14:29 something, if we are going to try and save the world, 14:33 then what is the proposal for reversing the effects of sin? 14:38 What is the proposal for not having prophecy come 14:42 to fulfillment that the earth will be destroyed 14:45 and recreated? JB: Are you saying 14:46 that environmental activism is futile? 14:49 SC: I have to walk a very fine line here. 14:50 JB: That's the tension. SC: That's the tension because 14:52 here's the thing. If you only have so much time 14:55 and you only have so many resources, are you going 14:57 to invest those in a planet that's dying or are you 15:00 going to invest those in people who can be saved? 15:03 And you have to balance that, with the fact 15:05 that there is a tremendously disproportionate distribution 15:09 of resources in the world. There is 3.5 billion people who 15:13 make less than $2.50 a day. Some of those people spend 90% 15:17 of their income on food and their lives are desperate. 15:21 So everything that we do that consumes more resources, 15:25 disproportionately, in excess if you will, and everything that we 15:29 do that places a greater burden on the planet, makes those 15:33 people's lives more difficult. There is a responsibility there. 15:37 There is a balance there and I think it is to 15:39 the individual to decide where it is. 15:41 For me, it's a matter of putting all of my efforts into 15:46 pointing people to Christ and His very, very soon coming. 15:49 JB: I imagine ... I'm imagining that if somebody loves God they 15:52 are going to love what God loves and that would instill in them 15:55 a care, at least, for the environment. 15:59 Should Christians be environmentalists? 16:01 Should Christians be greenies? SC: Christians should be 16:04 environmentalists in this sense: Well, first they should be 16:08 responsible to their fellow man and they should not have 16:11 a disproportionate use of resources. 16:13 They need to be careful but at the same time 16:16 understanding, of course, that the world is dying. 16:19 Christians should be environmentalists in the sense 16:21 that they are absolutely looking forward to seeing the earth 16:25 recreated in its full glory and full 16:27 majesty. In that sense, I am a raging 16:30 environmentalist. I can hardly wait to see 16:32 the earth as God created it in its perfection. 16:34 It fills me with joy just to think about it. 16:38 But our responsibility is here and now. 16:40 Our responsibility is spreading the good news 16:43 of Christ's return. JB: A few moments ago you 16:46 mentioned that you'll find the right words 16:49 ...the destruction of the earth, 16:50 the decay of the earth. You said it's happening 16:53 in a fashion that is not linear, but it's accelerating. 16:56 How do we see this accelerating decay of the planet. 17:00 Let's talk about some examples. SC: I want to go immediately 17:03 to scientific studies and data and all of that. 17:06 But, concurrent with scientific studies, you get a general sense 17:11 when you talk to people or when people observe the environment 17:13 around them. This was not happening 17:15 when I was a kid. People themselves observe 17:17 changes. Greater storms, greater heat 17:20 waves, more droughts and you can't always trust those things. 17:24 When you've got a global sense that things are changing 17:27 and things are different and that the planet 17:29 is more hostile, that in itself is a data point. 17:32 Aside from that, let's go back to data. 17:35 Let's go to something that is hard. And that is, we 17:37 have had a quintupling of damage from disasters 17:40 on a global basis, with a disproportion amount of that 17:44 damage centered in the United States, which is interesting. 17:47 JB: Before we talk about natural disasters, let me slip 17:50 in here if I may. Don't we simply have better 17:55 mechanisms for recording disasters? 18:01 The Richter scale has only been in existence for so long 18:03 and so forth. SC: It's interesting. 18:05 Let's go back to the frequency of disasters. 18:08 Now I have a chart that I use that tracks disasters and this 18:11 is out of an organization called EM-DAT out of Brussels and you 18:15 have to use the chart very, very carefully because these are 18:18 observed disasters or these are reported disasters, 18:21 more accurately. And so, you go back to 1900 18:24 and while we were still using, you know, the telegraph, 18:27 but if you look at the data trend on this and you notice 18:31 from, say, 1970, 1980, we had satellites, we had 18:36 communication everywhere. We had cable TV in the 80's 18:39 but the rise in disasters has been constant 18:43 since then and extremely significant. 18:46 So yes, we are seeing an increase in disasters 18:49 and an increase in the magnitude of disasters as well. 18:52 It's happening and it is a big deal and it fulfills prophecy. 18:55 JB: And an increase in the cost of those disasters in turn goes 18:59 on to affect society in many ways. 19:01 SC: We underestimate the profound affect 19:05 of society by an environment that is steadily destabilizing. 19:09 We think we are separate. We think there's just trees 19:13 and grass and things out there but, as a matter of fact, we're 19:16 pumping out our aquifers all over the world. 19:18 In major cities, we're beginning to run out of water, 19:22 especially in Asia. It's a big deal. 19:24 The oceans are crashing. It's expected, 19:28 scientists who have looked at this carefully, that the oceans 19:31 will be essentially fished out of commercial species 19:33 in the next 25 years. The ecosystem is crashing 19:36 and there is a billion people who rely on the oceans 19:39 for their food. JB: Let's come back to this 19:41 in just a moment. And also, let's look at some 19:44 biblical references to the problems the environment 19:51 is facing due to the work of sin. 19:55 We'll be back with more in just a moment. 19:59 ♪ [Gently thoughtful Melody] ♪ 20:10 If you could just go back in time and do things differently! 20:14 Perhaps you've struggled with regret, 20:16 the added weight of guilt. While theres no way to undo 20:19 the past, God offers us a forgiveness so complete that it 20:23 comes with the promise of a life that will never end. 20:26 Sound too good to be true? See what the Bible says! 20:30 Our booklet, "Hope for a Planet in Crisis," 20:33 will walk you through the Bible's teachings 20:34 about sin and forgiveness and show you how a new start 20:37 can be yours. Just call (800) 253-3000 and 20:43 request your FREE copy of "Hope for a Planet in Crisis." 20:47 If the line's busy, please do keep on trying. 20:49 Or write to It Is Written, P.O. Box 6, 20:53 Chattanooga, TN 37401. We'll mail a free copy to your 20:57 address in North America. It Is Written is a faith-based 21:01 ministry and your support makes it possible for us to share 21:05 God's good news with the world. Your tax-deductible gift can be 21:09 sent to the address on your screen, 21:11 or through our website at itiswritten.com. 21:15 Thank you for your continued prayerful support. 21:17 Again, our toll-free number is (800) 253-3000, 21:22 and our website address is itiswritten.com. 21:29 This is It Is Written. I'm John Bradshaw. 21:30 My guest today is Scott Christiansen who is an author, 21:34 a Christian minister, and a seminar presenter, 21:36 dealing with the very important and timely subject of the decay 21:41 in the environment around us and how that relates 21:45 to the Word of God. Now Scott, Isaiah wrote many, 21:48 many years ago that the earth would wax old like a garment. 21:52 What do you think he was talking about there? 21:54 SC: In my interpretation, under sin, the world destabilizes. 21:59 The world falls apart. JB: So sin doesn't just make 22:01 murderers out of people, it affects the ground and the 22:06 trees and the air and the ocean. Absolutely and surprisingly! 22:09 And you know, we couldn't actually see this because 22:12 we only have a generational view, because we only see 22:14 things in our lifetime. Until the decay of the earth 22:18 accelerated. Basically within the last 50 years 22:20 we've been able to begin to see this and now 22:23 we have a building sense, as a global community we have 22:25 a building sense that something's wrong. 22:29 Let's zero in a little bit on some of these systemic 22:33 collapses. You'd spoke before briefly 22:36 about the oceans. You mentioned that a colossal 22:40 amount of people depend upon the oceans. 22:43 SC: A billion or more than a billion. 22:45 JB: But the oceans are collapsing. 22:48 I've heard about these dead spots in the ocean. 22:51 Tell me about that. SC: Well what happens is, we 22:53 apply massive amounts of fertilizer to grow 22:56 the food that the planet needs and, by the way, 22:58 we're on a razor's edge, we might want to talk about that 23:00 when it comes to global food supply. 23:02 But this fertilizer and pesticides that we use 23:04 all over the world, part of it gets washed off 23:06 the land and then you have all these nutrients flowing 23:09 into the ocean, and that causes a bloom, an algal bloom, 23:13 and that algal bloom just expands, just explodes 23:16 and then collapses and dies, and when that algal 23:19 bloom dies the decay sucks all the oxygen out of the water. 23:22 In the Gulf of Mexico you have a dead spot the size of Vermont, 23:27 for instance, where the water is dead. 23:30 Theres nothing in there that's living. 23:31 It is below the surface, because the surface of the water 23:35 exchanges oxygen with the atmosphere, 23:37 but below the surface, if something swims in, 23:39 it doesn't swim out. It is completely dead. 23:41 JB: Okay. We're talking about the oceans. 23:42 The ocean is really big, man. It covers this great big part 23:45 of the earth. You talk about a size 23:47 of Vermont. Here's my question. 23:49 Is it really that big? SC: It's really that big. 23:51 JB: No, no, I mean really. Is it really that bad or is this 23:54 just environmental hysteria, some greenie who hugs trees 23:58 wants you to think that we're at crisis point. 24:01 Is it really that bad? SC: It's really that bad. 24:04 Let's take your point. You say the ocean's big. 24:07 Now when I worked in Mongolia I would frequently fly from 24:11 Los Angeles to Beijing. I get on the plane in seconds 24:14 I would be over the Pacific Ocean. 24:16 I'd read a book. I'd watch a movie. 24:18 I'd start another book. I'd take a nap, 24:21 and you know what? At 600 miles an hour we were 24:23 still over the Pacific Ocean. It's massive. 24:25 It's huge and yet, it's very well documented. 24:28 The entire ocean, not just the Pacific, our entire 24:31 hydrosphere is collapsing, the ocean specifically. 24:35 The life in it, the fish in it, the very acid levels which are 24:39 affecting life chains, our corals, 24:41 everything's falling apart the most rapidly of any system 24:44 that we are observing. It's profound 24:47 and it's very serious. JB: And the implications of this 24:51 collapsing ocean will be what? SC: Well over there the economic 24:54 implications are huge, though we're mostly 24:57 focusing on the spiritual. But let's go to the things 25:00 that are linked to prophecy. We've got a billion people 25:03 who depend primarily on the ocean for food. 25:06 Each year that food gets less now. 25:08 The resource is less on a global basis, but within 25:12 25 years or less, it'll be entirely fished out 25:16 for all practical purposes. Then you have got a billion 25:19 people that, starting now, are having to transition over 25:22 to land-based food. Now, we are right at a razor's 25:26 edge between the amount of food that we produce and the amount 25:30 of food that we consume. Last year we consumed more food 25:33 than we produced. Yes, that's a very big deal. 25:36 It's very serious. We're in a world of trouble 25:40 and we can see the process is flowing that, where society 25:43 becomes more destabilized, we see more wars and rumors 25:47 of wars over food, over water, over oil, over metals, 25:51 over something like phosphate, which is a critically pressured 25:55 resource. All of these things are coming 25:57 at once in our age. We're seeing this confluence 26:01 of forces. JB: Won't we figure it out? 26:04 I mean, we've got brilliant people around this world. 26:06 We've figured out all the problems so far. 26:09 I mean, isn't there a way out of this? 26:11 SC: It is the fundamental nature of man to try and figure out 26:15 a solution to these, to problems. 26:18 And we've dodged the bullet, as a global society, 26:22 we've dodged the bullet a number of times. 26:24 But we've got a number of problems facing us right now. 26:27 We've got a decay in our atmosphere. 26:31 We've got a decay in our hydrosphere -- that's fresh 26:34 water and salt water. We've got significant decay 26:37 of soils around the world, and their ability to produce. 26:41 We've got a growing population base. 26:44 If we look at one problem, one universal problem that the globe 26:50 got together, the nations of the earth got together 26:53 and solved, what would that problem be? 26:56 There's almost no example. So we've got these numbers 26:59 of problems which are converging and which accelerate each other 27:03 and we've got no basis for solving anything. 27:06 But, above and beyond that, let me ask again, 27:09 you know, what is the proposal for reversing the effects of sin 27:12 and how does that sync with scripture? 27:15 JB: So, looking at this scripturally, the environment 27:17 is falling apart as a result of sin collapsing. 27:19 What's the end game? SC: The end game is laid out 27:22 very well in Matthew 24 and it's a good chapter 27:26 to read every month. We know that we have a time 27:28 of little trouble coming. We know we have a time of great 27:31 trouble coming, and we know that Christ's coming is soon and this 27:35 really is my message to people. It's not an environmental 27:38 message. The message is Jesus 27:40 really is coming. JB: And the environment is yet 27:43 another marker, demonstrator of that fact. 27:46 SC: Right. Christ would not tell us 27:48 in Mark 13 to watch and give us nothing to watch 27:51 for. And this is one more sign that His coming is very, 27:54 very soon. Is our sense of urgency 27:57 commensurate with the nearness of His coming? 28:00 JB: Facinating discussion today about the biblical connection 28:04 between the deterioration of our environment 28:07 and the prophetic signs of Jesus' return. 28:12 Scott Christiansen, I'm so thankful you were 28:14 here with me today. SC: It's been my pleasure. 28:15 JB: Let's take the opportunity to pray and ask God to bless 28:18 as we get ready for Jesus' return. 28:21 ♪ [Gentle Melody] ♪ Our Father in heaven, 28:23 how thankful we are that we have much to look forward to. 28:26 The signs around us that herald the return of Jesus, while they 28:30 can alarm us on so many levels, also excite us. 28:33 It was Luke who wrote Jesus' words "When you see these things 28:37 begin to come to pass, lift up your heads and look up 28:40 for your redemption draws nigh." Lord, thank you for the message 28:43 that around us the world tells us our redemption draws nigh. 28:48 We thank you for a Savior who loves us enough to return 28:51 and take us home. Let that day come soon, I pray, 28:54 in Jesus' name, Amen. ♪ [Thoughtful Melody] ♪ 29:18 ♪ [It Is Written Theme] ♪ Thank you for joining me today. 29:20 I look forward to seeing you again next time. 29:22 Until then, remember, "It is written, 'man shall not 29:25 live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds 29:30 from the mouth of God.'" ♪[Music]♪ |
Revised 2018-02-13