Participants: Charles Byrd (Host), Steve Haley, Stephen Fowler, Levi Longoria, Andrea Endries
Series Code: THL
Program Code: THL000002
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00:12 Are the people who inhabit planet earth
00:15 alone in this vast universe? 00:19 Are there other intelligent beings 00:21 with whom humans have made contact? 00:25 From cave drawings to renaissance art and paintings, 00:30 from grainy photographs to pop culture, 00:33 communicating with beings from beyond planet earth 00:36 has intrigued our imagination. 00:40 S.E.T.I. is the acronym for our search 00:42 for extraterrestrial intelligence. 00:45 It is a modern high tech attempt to answer this age old question. 00:50 Are we alone in the cosmos? 00:53 S.E.T.I.s most famous radio telescope 00:55 is the Arecibo observatory in Puerto Rico. 00:59 At 305 meters, it is the largest focusing dish on earth. 01:05 While this dish does much more than just listens for ETs. 01:09 This is one of its ongoing functions. 01:11 It is constantly receiving data that is analyzed to see 01:15 if we can detect intelligent life 01:17 beyond our blue orb. 01:19 But are we listening to the wrong signals? 01:22 What if other life forms aren't using radio waves? 01:26 What if beings from beyond, 01:28 simply prefer face to face communication? 01:32 Stay tuned as we explore one area of planet earth 01:35 that has experienced extensive, 01:37 personal contact with extraterrestrials. 02:33 Hello, I am Charles Byrd. 02:35 In 1960, astronomer Frank Drake from Cornell University 02:39 performed the first modern S.E.T.I. experiment. 02:42 S.E.T.I. the search for extraterrestrial intelligence 02:46 has to date spent an estimated 02:47 $160 million listening, listening. 02:54 But perhaps Dr. Drake and the many talented scientists, 02:57 who have continued to probe the recesses of space, 03:00 could have saved a lot of money 03:02 by going straight to the source of wisdom. 03:06 Join us as we travel 03:07 to an approximately 60 by 90 mile patch of earth, 03:11 that has recorded at least 18 extraterrestrial encounters, 03:15 surrounding the life of one man. Levi? 03:20 Thanks, Charles. 03:22 I'm on Mount Zion, 03:23 just outside the golden gate here in Jerusalem 03:25 because this hill is the epicenter of a single life 03:29 that was powerfully impacted by intelligent beings from beyond. 03:33 Beings that were not unfamiliar to the Jewish culture. 03:36 They were called from earliest times angels or messengers. 03:40 From about 5 BC to 31 AD, 03:43 one man's whole life seemed to have revolved 03:45 around beings from another place and perhaps another dimension. 03:50 And the Jews knew Him by the name Yeshua. 03:52 And Christians know Him as Jesus. 03:54 And two angel visits on this very hill 03:57 actually foreshadowed the life of Christ. 03:59 The first happened in about 1891 BC. 04:03 At God's direct command 04:05 Abraham was climbing this very hill to offer a sacrifice. 04:09 The land of Canaan was dotted with altars 04:10 Abraham had used to make sacrifices to his God, 04:13 so and this was unusual. 04:16 On that day, however climbing this hill with him 04:19 was his precious son. 04:22 What the boy didn't know at the time was 04:24 that God has asked his father to offer him as a sacrifice. 04:29 And for three days, 04:30 Abraham's heart had been deeply pained, 04:32 as he traveled to the appointed place. 04:35 His son was a bright lad. 04:37 On the way up this hill, 04:38 he noticed that they had the wood and the fire 04:40 for the sacrifice, but they had forgotten the lamb. 04:44 When he queried his father, 04:45 Abraham's pained response was 04:47 "My son, God will provide himself 04:51 a lamb for a burnt offering." 04:53 Muslims believe that boy was Ishmael. 04:56 Jews and Christians say it was Isaac. 04:58 Now today, I don't want to argue that point 05:00 and so lose sight of something far more important. 05:03 You see, Abraham's answer 05:06 "My son, God will provide himself 05:08 a lamb for a burnt offering" was prophetic. 05:12 For as the knife was raised to slay his child of promise, 05:15 the angel cried out, "Abraham, Abraham, 05:18 lay not thine hand upon the lad." 05:21 In a wave of relief, 05:22 Abraham's gaze is directed to a ram caught in a thicket 05:26 and quickly taking the new victim, 05:28 he offers it instead of his son. 05:32 In his joy and gratitude, 05:33 Abraham gave a new name to the sacred spot 05:36 "Jehovah Jireh" which means "The Lord will see to it." 05:41 That is to say, "The Lord will provide." 05:44 But there was another extraterrestrial visitant 05:47 who also appeared on this holy hill. 05:50 Andrea? That's true, Levi. 05:52 And we even know this one's name, "Gabriel." 05:56 God's prophetic timetable knows no haste or delay. 06:01 And the God of Creation was about to provide the lamb. 06:05 In the fall of 6 B.C., 06:06 one of the priests by the name of Zacharias is chosen by Lot, 06:10 to say prayers for the people 06:11 before the altar of incense in the Holy Place of the temple, 06:15 which was located inside this gate. 06:18 Zacharias has indeed been praying for the people 06:21 including one person in particular, his barren wife. 06:26 Of course, it's too late for her to bear a child due to her age, 06:30 but he prayed that the Lord might bring 06:31 comfort to her heart. 06:34 Then suddenly the angel Gabriel appears 06:38 and the angel said unto him, 06:40 "Fear not, Zacharias, for thy prayer is heard, 06:44 and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, 06:48 and thou shalt call his name John. 06:51 And thou shalt have joy and gladness, 06:53 and many shall rejoice at this birth. 06:56 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, 06:59 and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink, 07:02 and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, 07:05 even from his mother's womb. 07:07 And many of the children of the Israel 07:09 shall he turn to the Lord their God. 07:12 And he shall go before him 07:14 in the spirit and power of the Elias, 07:16 to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, 07:19 and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, 07:23 to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." 07:27 The question in this verse is, 07:29 who is the he and who is the him? 07:33 The Bible is not so hard to understand 07:35 if you check out the context. 07:37 The context tells us, that the "he" is Zacharias son, John. 07:42 But who is the 'him?' 07:44 The him is none other than the promised 07:47 and long looked for Messiah. 07:50 This passage Luke 1:17 07:52 has universally been understood to be a messianic passage. 07:57 In 6 B.C., Andrea, 07:59 the Jewish people were into Roman governance 08:01 and longed to be delivered. 08:03 And they saw in these words to Zacharias by the angel, 08:06 a fulfillment of Daniel's prophecies 08:08 which actually predicted 08:10 the very year Messiah would appear. 08:13 At John's birth, Zacharias also made a startling prophecy 08:18 along with the prophetic word of Gabriel. 08:20 A clearly established Zacharias's son 08:23 would be the forerunner of the Messiah. 08:27 What Zacharias saw right here on the mountain 08:29 was a being from beyond us? 08:31 Coming and talking to human kind 08:33 about what is arguably the most important event in history. 08:38 This being not only was from beyond us, 08:41 but also brought us knowledge 08:42 of what would happen in the future. 08:45 For approximately six months 08:47 after talking to Zacharias in the temple, 08:50 Gabriel showed up some 70 miles North in Nazareth of Galilee 08:55 where he spoke with the young virgin. 08:57 Steven picks up the story. 09:00 Thanks, Andrea. 09:01 The ancient city of Nazareth is estimated to have 09:03 as few as 500 residents during the time of Christ. 09:07 In December 2009, archeologists unveiled 09:09 what could be the remains of the first dwelling in Nazareth 09:12 that can be dated back to the time of Jesus. 09:15 The dig has revealed, 09:17 they were simple folk living spurned lives. 09:20 Since this is the first structure 09:21 from that time period to be excavated 09:22 in Jesus' hometown, there is still much to learn. 09:26 But based on the urban sprawl here in Nazareth, 09:29 there probably won't be much of that in the immediate future. 09:33 But what we do know from reported eyewitness accounts 09:36 is that Gabriel came to the biblical city of Nazareth. 09:39 This visitor from beyond our realm found Mary 09:42 and gave her the stunning news 09:43 that she was gonna be the mother of the Messiah. 09:47 I can't imagine what it would have been like to see an angel. 09:49 Tradition says Mary came to the well for water, 09:52 when Gabriel showed up with a startling announcement. 09:55 Notice how involved in this event the angel is? 09:59 The angel named her baby Jesus. 10:05 Gabriel also told Mary that her child will be holy 10:08 and that he would be the Son of the Highest 10:10 and the Son of God. 10:12 While we don't know the exact spot 10:14 where Gabriel and Mary talked, we could be sure that 10:16 something otherworldly took place here in Nazareth, 10:19 that made a huge impact on our world's history. 10:22 And don't forget the other angel visit right here in Nazareth, 10:24 that corroborated Mary's story. 10:27 When Joseph, Mary's fiancée 10:29 found out that she was with child, 10:31 he was gonna call off the wedding. 10:32 After all, we all know how babies are conceived. 10:35 And even for Joseph, 10:36 it was hard to imagine the story Mary told about seeing an angel, 10:40 but once again a celestial visitor shows up telling him. 10:43 "Joseph, thou son of David, 10:46 fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife, 10:49 for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost." 10:54 And once again, the angel confirms to Joseph 10:57 the name given to Mary. 10:59 "Thou shall call his name Jesus, 11:01 for he shall save his people from their sins." 11:04 Joseph not only was the father figure 11:06 to this implausible child, Emmanuel, God with us. 11:10 He also had two other angel visits. 11:13 The first was in Bethlehem, 11:15 when an angel woke him up in the night and told him, 11:19 "Take the young child and his mother 11:21 and flee into Egypt and be thou there 11:23 until I bring thee word, 11:25 for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him." 11:29 The second was in Egypt. 11:30 After the death of Herod, 11:32 when the angel again appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, 11:35 "Arise, and take the young child and his mother, 11:38 and go into the land of Israel, 11:40 for they are dead which sought the young child's life." 11:43 But before Joseph had these last two encounters, 11:46 there was a mass extraterrestrial encounter 11:49 that intersects this story, 11:50 which I'm sure, greatly encouraged 11:52 the faith of Joseph and Mary. 11:55 Ah, yes. The shepherd story in Bethlehem. 11:58 Most people who have heard of the birth of Jesus, 12:01 know the shepherd story. 12:02 The shepherds, minding their own business, 12:05 watching their flocks in the field by night 12:07 are startled by a visitor from beyond. 12:11 First, they see a great light so bright they are all, 12:14 but put into a complete panic. 12:17 And the angels said unto them. 12:19 "Fear not, for, behold, 12:21 I bring you good tidings of great joy, 12:25 which shall be to all people. 12:27 For unto to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, 12:32 which is the Christ the Lord. 12:34 And this shall be a sign unto you. 12:36 Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, 12:40 lying in a manger." 12:42 Here, we have something called triangulation. 12:45 If you were laying out a foundation for a house, 12:47 you would want to make sure that 12:48 corners were square or at 90 degrees. 12:52 To do that, you would add a triangular measurement. 12:55 Once the distance between two opposing corners is equal, 12:59 you know you've found the true 90 degrees, 13:01 and you're ready to build your home properly squared. 13:04 Well, Mary could have just made up a story 13:06 about her virgin pregnancy and in fact most things she did. 13:10 But then comes another person, Joseph, saying, 13:13 "An angel told him Mary's story is true." 13:16 This helps us consider Mary's story, 13:18 but does not necessarily make us believe. 13:21 It still might not square with reality. 13:25 After all, it could be 13:26 that Joseph is simply co-dependent 13:28 and can't stand the thought of living without Mary. 13:31 He could join her in the fraud, people do that sometimes, 13:34 just like Sapphira did with Ananias, 13:36 like Adam did with Eve. 13:38 But then, along comes a group of shepherds 13:40 who all see an angel 13:42 telling them the same thing Joseph was told. 13:44 A Savior is born. You'll find Him in Bethlehem. 13:48 He'll be in a barn, in a feeding trough, 13:50 wrapped in strips of cloth. 13:52 And if that weren't enough, 13:54 there then appears a great multitude of angels praising God 13:57 for this wonderful gift to mankind. 14:00 Suddenly, this story is squaring up 14:02 as a truth worthy of consideration. 14:05 For the shepherds receiving an angel message 14:07 and then seeing a multitude of them 14:10 would have had nothing to do with Joseph and Mary. 14:12 They would have no knowledge of 14:14 or vested interest in Mary's claim of a virgin birth. 14:17 But there's one more consideration, 14:19 this story maybe squaring because one author made it up, 14:23 made up the whole thing. 14:25 Perhaps, the disciples of Jesus 14:26 got together and contrived this complete fairytale. 14:31 That's a possibility. 14:33 But as a former police officer, 14:34 the evidence here tells me it is completely improbable, 14:38 that the 11 disciples would be willing to die 14:40 a modest death for their own made up story. 14:43 It's also unlikely that many hundreds, 14:46 perhaps thousands of people 14:47 who lived during the time of Jesus, 14:49 folks who met Him and knew Him, 14:51 would allow themselves to be martyred, run out of town, 14:55 or be in anyway abused just to maintain a known lie. 14:59 And besides all this, 15:01 there are 12 more times that angel encounters, 15:04 intersect the life of Jesus and those around him. 15:07 Well, way beyond mere triangulation. 15:10 Each encounter now simply gives 15:12 added evidence to a profound truth. 15:15 We are not alone and the child Jesus knew it. 15:20 Indeed, Jesus could not have grown up 15:22 without hearing the stories that how an angel 15:25 talked with mommy and told her He was coming. 15:28 How an angel told daddy to marry mommy 15:31 and then sent them to Egypt. 15:33 His bedtime stories must have included the story of Zacharias, 15:38 the shepherds and the angel who sent them home from Egypt, 15:43 but are all alien encounters positive. 15:47 Arguably, the world's most famous scientist, 15:50 Steven Hawking, has weighed in the subject of aliens, 15:54 in his Discovery channel program into the universe. 15:58 He questions the wisdom of our trying 16:00 to contact beings from beyond, 16:02 suggesting that they might not be friendly at all. 16:12 According to the teachings of Jesus 16:14 and other Bible authors, 16:15 there are indeed evil alien beings, 16:18 who are seeking contact with us. 16:20 Jesus had sent His disciples out two by two. 16:24 They were to go ahead of Jesus 16:25 into every city and place He would come. 16:28 And Jesus gave them important instructions 16:30 as to how to carry out their ministry. 16:33 He also gave them power over something 16:34 he called unclean spirits. 16:37 These spirit beings are actually a group of angels 16:40 that chose to rebel against God's kingdom. 16:43 They chose to be the avowed enemies of God. 16:46 In Revelation 12:7-9, 16:49 Jesus pulls back the dark curtain of past history. 16:53 He tells us there was war in heaven 16:55 that Satan and his angels were cast out. 16:59 These alien beings are here on earth, 17:01 tempting to sin and causing destruction, 17:03 and suffering, and pain. 17:06 So Jesus did not send His disciples out to face 17:09 these most powerful beings without divine power over them. 17:13 And when the disciples returned, 17:15 they were excited to report 17:16 "Lord even the devils are subject unto us 17:19 through thy name." 17:21 This was Jesus' response to the disciples 17:23 concerning evil alien beings, 17:25 "I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven." 17:29 Jesus, the overarching messenger of heaven 17:32 or Michael had already defeated Satan in heaven. 17:36 Now, He had come to do battle 17:38 with the fallen angels here on earth. 17:41 In Matthew 8:28, Jesus met two men 17:44 who were possessed with devils along the shores of Gennesaret. 17:48 These evil aliens had taken possession of the bodies 17:51 and minds of these men. 17:53 The demon spoke to Jesus through the mouths of the man. 17:56 "What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? 18:00 art thou come hither to torment us before the time?" 18:03 They knew who Jesus was. 18:06 Jesus sent those demons into a herd of pigs, 18:09 who ran violently down the steep bank into the lake 18:11 and died in the water. 18:14 It was in the synagogue in Capernaum 18:16 that Jesus again faced a man possessed by an evil spirit. 18:20 It was Sabbath and Jesus was teaching the people. 18:23 They were amazed at His doctrines. 18:25 Jesus' sermon was interrupted 18:27 as the man cried out with a loud voice saying, 18:30 "Let us alone, what have we to do with thee, 18:33 thou Jesus of Nazareth. 18:35 Art thou come to destroy us? 18:37 I know thee who thou art, the Holy one of God. 18:41 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, 18:44 Hold thy peace, and come out of him. 18:47 And when the devil had 18:48 thrown him in the midst, he came out." 18:51 But these evil aliens also came after Jesus directly. 18:57 Jesus did not simply encounter humans 18:58 with alien beings possessing their bodies. 19:01 Jesus was personally accosted by a shape-shifter himself. 19:06 As Jesus was baptized the Holy Spirit 19:08 directed Him to the wilderness. 19:10 There is a whole lot of nothing there, I tell you. 19:13 After being in the wasteland for 40 days without any food, 19:17 Satan himself came to Jesus. 19:19 But not as an evil marches 19:21 being as seen in the modern movies of today, 19:23 but as an angel of light, 19:25 pretending to be a faithful messenger from God Himself, 19:29 but this dark angel was still doing what he does best. 19:32 He questions the truth seeking to enlist our doubts 19:35 thus affecting our choice to step out of God's will. 19:38 Being familiar with the truth of the Bible, 19:41 Jesus compared the words of this angel of light 19:44 against the truth already revealed by God. 19:47 At each temptation Jesus quoted from the Bible 19:49 as His only defense 19:50 against the suggestions of his arch enemy. 19:54 The lens of scripture helps bring into focus 19:57 who was really talking to him. 19:59 In spite of Satan's appearance 20:00 Jesus could tell who he really was. 20:03 Satan and his minions are still in the acting business. 20:06 At times, they impersonate our dead loved ones. 20:09 They also appear as new age spirit guides. 20:12 2 Corinthians 11:14 says, 20:15 "And no marvel, for Satan himself 20:17 is transformed into an angel of light. 20:20 It is not surprising, then, 20:21 if his servants masquerade as servants 20:23 or ministers of righteousness." 20:25 Come here, check this out. 20:34 Now this stone is a mere reminder 20:35 of our Savior's conflict with Satan. 20:37 According to Luke 4:9, 20:39 Satan transported Jesus to one of the pinnacles of the temple. 20:43 This word 'pinnacle' comes from the Greek word 'pterugion.' 20:46 It means the wing or any pointed extremity 20:48 and what's commonly used to refer 20:49 to turret like structures. 20:52 This stone has led many to believe 20:53 the southwest corner of the temple mount 20:55 is the same place where Jesus was taken by Satan, 20:58 encouraging him to jump off 21:00 because the angels will protect Him. 21:02 From the lofty height above, 21:03 priests would blow their trumpets 21:05 calling the people of the city 21:06 to come to the temple and worship. 21:08 We know this, thanks to this inscription. 21:11 Many people who use this walkway to come 21:13 to the temple from David's city, 21:15 would've been able to see those two figures. 21:17 I'm sure Satan made jumping off this spot and floating down 21:20 in the view of the people seems appealing, 21:23 tempting Jesus to announce 21:24 that he was the Messiah by miraculous show 21:27 and protected by the very angels of God. 21:30 But that was not the time and that was not the way. 21:34 The path for Jesus to become the Messiah 21:37 was through a tomb, not a palace. 21:40 It was on a cross, not a throne. 21:44 The pathway laid out for Christ to be our Messiah, 21:46 our Savior was to death to self, 21:50 in an olive garden within the view of the temple. 21:53 And not surprisingly, this story also contains 21:56 an encounter with an angel. 21:59 It was Passover time in Jerusalem 22:01 with many programs in the city. 22:04 Jesus had just celebrated 22:05 the Passover meal with His disciples. 22:08 Judas, one of His disciples went on betrayal 22:10 had left to meet with the priests. 22:13 Jesus then went to the garden of Gethsemane. 22:16 He knew that He was about to die for the sins of the world. 22:21 He knew His own people were going to turn him over 22:23 to the Romans for crucifixion. 22:26 Everything inside his human heart was saying 'no.' 22:30 Self was doing battle 22:32 with the established will of His Father. 22:36 You can be assured that Satan was there too, 22:38 whispering thoughts into His heart. 22:41 Why go through with this? 22:43 No one cares about what You're doing. 22:45 Even Your own disciples won't pray with you or for You. 22:48 You are alone. 22:51 But Jesus exercised the one thing He possessed, 22:55 the one thing we possess as human beings, 22:59 the power of choice. 23:02 He chose to surrender those satanic thoughts to God. 23:05 He chose to surrender His will to His heavenly Father. 23:09 Over and over, He prayed. 23:11 "Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me, 23:16 nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done." 23:21 Not what I want, but what you want. 23:25 His mental agony was snuffing out His life. 23:29 He would have died right there in the garden among the trees, 23:32 but that would not have fulfilled prophecy. 23:36 So God sent an angel. 23:39 In my minds eye, I can see 23:40 the angel getting down on the ground 23:43 and getting into the tear-stained face of Jesus, 23:46 taking Christ's shaking hands and trembling heart 23:49 at his own other worldly hands, 23:52 strengthening Him to fulfill His destiny. 23:56 When Jesus realized that there was no other way, 23:59 but through death, self waged one last tumultuous battle. 24:04 There was thunder in the Holy Land. 24:07 In the spirit realm, the clash of wills exploded. 24:11 He began to suffer hematidrosis. 24:14 Jesus' pores opened up and blood began to drip from His flesh. 24:19 I don't believe the cross was the greatest event 24:22 that happened outside the walls of Jerusalem. 24:25 For the cross was just the culmination 24:27 of what had already happened right there in the garden. 24:32 It is indeed holy ground. 24:40 We too, can stand on holy ground every time 24:43 we chose like Christ to surrender our will to God. 24:48 When we are going through our Gethsemane, 24:51 oppressed by Satan, when we are doing battle with self, 24:55 God's faithful angels will come and help us 24:59 just as they did Jesus. 25:01 For "Are they not all ministering spirits, 25:05 sent forth to minister for them 25:07 who shall be heirs of salvation?" 25:10 And why should this be such a surprise? 25:13 For angels visited father Abraham in his tent. 25:16 They came to Lot's home in Sodom, 25:18 escorting him and his family to safety. 25:22 God, His Son and the angels are all ministering 25:26 to those who are afflicted, suffering in sinful. 25:30 And friend, if you give yourself to God for the same work, 25:34 if you will use His gifts of time, talent, and money 25:38 for the purpose of saving souls, 25:40 you will enter into partnership with the angels. 25:44 Your heart will pulse in sympathy with theirs. 25:47 Your character will become like theirs. 25:50 And like Jesus, you'll be no stranger to heavenly beings. 25:56 Of course, if time would permit, 25:58 there is so much more Jesus taught about angels, 26:01 but here is a brief summary. 26:03 Jesus taught us that angels are real beings 26:06 who have constant contact with God. 26:09 That they care about us, especially, the children. 26:12 That they rejoice in our victories, 26:14 that they will come with Jesus, when He returns to get us. 26:18 Jesus pulls back the curtain of history telling us 26:21 that many of the angels 26:23 who used to be in heaven have fallen. 26:26 And He clearly teaches that when it is safe to do so, 26:29 the devil and all his minions will ultimately be destroyed. 26:34 So are we alone in the universe. 26:38 No, my friend, according to Jesus, 26:41 we are not alone. |
Revised 2014-12-17