Participants:
Series Code: AU
Program Code: AU000026S
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00:01 - All of us have this nagging feeling that the human race
00:02 is supposed to mean something that we're here for a reason. 00:07 We're not just some accident of the universe. 00:10 So, today on Authentic, 00:12 we're gonna go digging in the very ancient past 00:14 and listen to what our ancestors claimed they knew 00:18 about the reason that you and I are here. 00:20 [bright upbeat music] 00:42 I think perhaps one of the most intriguing questions 00:44 we could deal with is the matter of who we are, 00:48 or maybe to be more accurate what we're supposed to be, 00:52 because I think we all have this sense 00:54 that something is not quite right 00:57 with the way we're doing life right now. 00:59 And we appear to be pushing toward something better. 01:03 A few years into our childhood, 01:04 we begin to discover that life is rather imperfect 01:07 or even painful. 01:08 And something deep in our core tells us 01:11 it's not supposed to be like this. 01:14 So if you and I are just an accident, 01:17 the product of particles smashing into each other 01:19 over billions of years, then where do we get this idea 01:22 that life could be better? 01:25 I mean, what if this existence is it? 01:27 What if you and I are always going to be at war 01:30 with a universe that doesn't really care about us? 01:32 A universe that just accidentally coughed us up on the edge 01:36 of an insignificant spiral galaxy. 01:39 It's kind of a depressing thought, 01:41 but then you have to ask yourself, 01:43 why is that thought depressing? 01:45 Why is it that we seem to have a sense 01:47 that something is wrong with this world? 01:50 I know that our generation tends to think 01:53 of anything more than a couple of centuries 01:55 old is archaic and out of touch 01:57 is if our ancestors were incapable 01:59 of pondering these kinds of deep questions 02:02 in any meaningful or constructive way. 02:05 But if you take the time to poke around 02:06 in the writings of people who lived thousands of years ago, 02:09 you'll notice philosophically speaking 02:12 that very little has changed. 02:15 For example, you and I have this tendency 02:17 to dismiss the myths of the ancient Greeks or Egyptians 02:21 as the product of simple minds that didn't have access 02:24 to our current heightened state of knowledge. 02:27 So, those ancient people just wrote silly little stories 02:30 to explain the world and what amounts 02:32 to the language and understanding of a kindergartner. 02:35 I mean, how else do you explain a people 02:38 that believed the world was flat 02:40 and actually rested on the shoulders of a giant named Atlas? 02:44 Except they didn't believe that. 02:46 The idea that our ancestors believed the world was flat 02:49 is actually one of our modern day myths. 02:51 Back some 500 years Before Christ, 02:54 the Greeks had already figured out 02:55 that the earth is a sphere. 02:57 As you can see from Plato's contemplation on the meaning 03:00 and the reason for creation. 03:03 The fact that the ancient Greeks realized 03:05 that the universe must be here for some kind of purpose 03:08 is a story in and of itself. 03:09 But that would likely be a diversion 03:11 from where we need to go today in the time that we have. 03:14 So, for right now, 03:15 let me just show you Plato's conception of planet earth 03:18 which comes from his Timaeus dialogue. 03:21 Here's what he says, "For this reason, 03:24 "and by this reasoning, he that's God 03:27 "made this world one complete whole, 03:29 "consisting of parts that are all wholes, 03:31 "and subject neither to age nor to disease." 03:35 That by the way just happens to agree 03:37 with the account you find in the book of Genesis, 03:39 which tells us that this world we live in 03:42 used to be a much different place. 03:44 And if we have time, 03:45 we'll come back to that thought in just a little bit. 03:47 Here comes the important part for now. 03:50 This is Plato again. 03:51 "The shape he gave it," that's God giving the earth a shape. 03:55 "The shape he gave it was suitable and akin to its nature. 03:59 "A suitable shape for a living being 04:01 "that was to contain within itself all living beings 04:05 "would be a figure that contains 04:06 "all possible figures within itself. 04:09 "Therefore he turned it the earth 04:12 "into a rounded spherical shape 04:15 "with the extremes equidistant 04:17 "in all directions from the center." 04:20 Now what's important to understand here, 04:23 is that the ancient Greeks dabbled in something 04:25 they knew as sacred geometry, 04:28 which apparently they picked up 04:30 from the ancient Egyptians before them. 04:32 Sacred geometry teaches that shapes and measurements 04:37 mean something they've revealed something profound 04:40 about the universe. 04:42 That's why Pythagoras is famous 04:44 for more than just his observations on the right triangle. 04:47 He was studying the shapes you find in the universe, 04:50 like the five pointed star that Venus draws in the sky 04:54 over the course of eight years. 04:57 He tried to attach those shapes to some kind of meaning. 05:01 Venus of course, was the planet of desire. 05:05 And that's at least part of the reason 05:07 the Medieval Church came to the conclusion 05:09 that the forbidden fruit of Eden must have been an apple 05:13 it's because the center of an apple 05:15 when you cut it in half also has a five pointed star 05:19 just like the path of Venus. 05:21 So, what Plato is saying is that it only makes sense 05:25 at least to him, that the earth would be a sphere, 05:27 because every other shape can fit neatly inside a globe, 05:31 much like the much revered dodecahedron, 05:35 a shape you create by putting 12 pentagons together, 05:39 the Greeks worship this shape practically. 05:41 It gives you a 12 sided object 05:43 that fits nicely inside of a sphere. 05:48 But the real point we need to make 05:49 is not what the Greeks thought 05:50 about all those geometric shapes 05:52 and what they might reveal about the nature of the universe. 05:56 What we really need to understand 05:58 is that the Greeks were not making up silly fairytales 06:01 because they were such simple people 06:02 that those stories were all they had. 06:06 What they were doing was searching for meaning 06:08 in the universe, just like we did. 06:10 And the myths they told were actually complicated metaphors 06:13 designed to convey the meanings 06:15 they thought they discovered behind the universe. 06:18 So, when they said the world was resting 06:20 on the shoulders of Atlas, 06:22 it wasn't because they were recovering cavemen 06:25 in need of a superstitious story. 06:27 They were creating a metaphor 06:29 that explained what they considered 06:31 to be the meaning of human existence 06:33 and the meaning of the universe at large. 06:36 And of course you'll notice that they didn't for one minute, 06:39 believe that the earth was actually flat. 06:42 I know that some people think our ancestors 06:44 believed that idea, but it's just not true. 06:46 They knew full well it was a sphere. 06:49 And as early as 240 BC, 06:52 they actually knew exactly how large that sphere was. 06:56 It was a Greek mathematician by the name of Eratosthenes 06:59 who put a stick in the ground at 12 noon 07:02 on the summer solstice in the city of Alexandria. 07:05 And he did it because further south 07:06 in the Egyptian city of Syene, 07:08 he noticed that the sun was directly overhead 07:12 at 12 noon on the solstice 07:14 because when he looked down a well at that precise moment, 07:17 his head completely blocked the reflection of the sun. 07:20 He also knew that Alexandria was 5,000 stadia 07:25 to the north for about 570 miles. 07:28 And when he put that stick in the ground at 12 noon there, 07:32 it cast a shadow that reached seven degrees in 12 minutes 07:35 from the top of the stick. 07:37 Seven degrees and 12 minutes is roughly 150th of a circle. 07:41 So he multiplied 5,000 stadia by 50, 07:45 and he got the circumference of the planet. 07:47 And he was accurate to within 100 miles. 07:53 So, this idea that our ancestors 07:55 were unsophisticated bumpkins 07:57 who told unsophisticated stories 07:59 because they didn't know better, 08:01 well it might just be that we're the ones 08:03 who are busy telling fairytales. 08:05 I mean, it's very tempting to think that human knowledge 08:07 is always tracking upwards, 08:09 that it's improving because our species is always improving. 08:14 And in some regards, that might be a little bit true. 08:16 We really have advanced in terms of technology, 08:20 but when it comes to contemplating 08:22 the nature of human existence and the reason we're here, 08:25 we might have to concede the point that our ancestors 08:28 were hardly less sophisticated than we are. 08:31 In fact in some ways, we might be the simpletons, 08:35 which brings me to another ancient record, 08:37 that again, many people dismiss as nothing but a fairytale. 08:41 Another so-called unsophisticated record of human origins 08:45 that doesn't make sense anymore 08:46 in a scientifically enlightened world. 08:49 And of course, I'm talking about the Bible, 08:52 a body of ancient literature that has helped shape 08:55 the pillars of Western civilization. 08:58 If you want to weigh the relative impact 09:00 of the Greeks and the Hebrews on our civilization, 09:04 I'd have to argue that the Hebrews 09:06 are at least half of the picture, if not more. 09:10 So here's what we're going to do right now. 09:11 We're gonna take a really quick break 09:13 because that's how things work around here. 09:15 And then you might wanna grab a pen and paper 09:17 while I'm on break, 09:18 because you're about to see an amazing offer 09:21 from the good people at the Voice of Prophecy. 09:24 Then I'll be right back to examine what this old book says 09:27 about the nature of your existence. 09:31 - [Announcer] Dragons, beasts, cryptic statues, 09:36 Bible prophecy can be incredibly vivid and confusing. 09:40 If you've ever read Daniel and Revelation 09:43 and come away scratching your head, you're not alone. 09:46 Our free "Focus on Prophecy Guides" are designed to help you 09:49 unlock the mysteries of the Bible 09:51 and deepen your understanding of God's plan 09:53 for you and our world. 09:55 Study online, or request them by mail 09:57 and start bringing prophecy into focus today. 10:03 - [Announcer] Are you searching for answers 10:04 to life's toughest questions? 10:06 Like where is God when we suffer? 10:08 Can I find real happiness? 10:10 Or is there any hope for our chaotic world? 10:13 The "Discover Bible Guides" will help you find the answers 10:15 you're looking for. 10:17 Visit us at biblestudies.com or give us a call 10:20 at 888-456-7933 for your free "Discover Bible Guides." 10:27 Study online on our secure website, 10:30 or have the free guides mailed right to your home. 10:33 There is never a cost or obligation. 10:35 The "Discover Bible Guides" are our free gift to you 10:39 find answers and guides like, 10:40 "Does My Life Really Matter to God?" 10:42 And, "A Second Chance at Life." 10:44 You'll find answers to the things that matter most to you 10:47 in each of the 26 discover Bible guides, 10:49 visit Biblestudies.com and begin your journey today 10:53 to discover answers to life's deepest questions. 11:02 - One man, one woman, a tree, and a talking serpent. 11:06 It all seems kind of silly to some people 11:08 with our 21st century mindset 11:10 until you start reading the story itself 11:13 and you see what it says about who we are. 11:17 What I thought I would do today 11:19 is just touch down on a number of highlights 11:21 from the first three chapters of Genesis. 11:23 And you see if they don't make sense, 11:26 but before we get started, 11:27 I want to point out just one important detail. 11:30 Even though people today tend to lump this story in 11:33 with the myths of Greece, Rome, and Egypt, 11:36 we should probably notice that it doesn't read like a myth. 11:40 It has this factual, no nonsense tone to the narrative 11:43 that makes it seem well more real. 11:46 In fact, the rest of the Bible 11:48 provides blow by blow genealogies of people 11:51 we know for sure we're absolutely real. 11:54 And they can be traced all the way back 11:56 without missing a beat to the story of the Garden of Eden. 12:00 So if we're gonna treat Eden 12:01 as nothing but an unsophisticated myth, 12:03 we've got a bit of a problem. 12:05 You have to look at those lists of very real people. 12:08 Like the one you find in Luke 3. 12:11 And if you insist that Adam was nothing but a myth, 12:14 you're gonna have to draw a line somewhere in that genealogy 12:17 and say, on this side of the line the people are real, 12:20 but on that side, well they're all fictitious. 12:25 So, I'll leave that for you to think about, 12:27 but what's really important for our study today, 12:30 is that we notice the tone of Genesis 12:32 is radically different than the stories 12:34 that come from Mount Olympus. 12:36 This is not a Pantheon of capricious arbitrary gods 12:39 amusing themselves by toying with the human race. 12:43 It's a simple story, 12:44 the story of a divine creator and the world that he made, 12:47 this story is just qualitatively different. 12:51 So, what kinds of things can we learn 12:54 from the story of Genesis? 12:55 What does it say about the nature of human existence? 12:59 Well, the first thing we discover 13:00 is that human beings were made in the image of God. 13:03 Here's what it says. 13:05 "Then God said, let us make man in our image, 13:08 "according to our likeness, 13:10 "let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, 13:12 "over the birds of the air, and over the cattle 13:14 "over all the earth and over every creeping thing 13:17 "that creeps on the earth. 13:19 "So God created man in his own image, 13:21 "in the image of God he created him, 13:23 "male and female He created them. 13:26 "Then God blessed them and God said to them, 13:28 "be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it. 13:32 "Have dominion over the fish of the sea, 13:34 "over the birds of the air, 13:36 "and over every living thing that moves on the earth." 13:40 Now, to be honest there is no way in the time that we have 13:43 that we could unpack what it really means 13:45 to be created in God's image. 13:48 That's something that theologians 13:50 have been discussing for hundreds of years. 13:52 And I could probably do a mini series 13:54 on the conversations that they've had. 13:57 So for now, let's just consider a few things 13:59 that are obvious from the story itself. 14:04 First of all, human thinkers have long suspected 14:07 that somehow this planet we live on exists for our sake. 14:11 Now I know that's an idea that drives people crazy 14:13 in the 21st century, 14:15 where a lot of people hate the idea that human beings 14:17 might be in charge of this planet. 14:20 They criticize that idea 14:22 because of the way we treat the planet 14:24 like it's some kind of disposable resource. 14:27 And to some extent, I'd have to agree. 14:29 The planet really has paid a terrible price 14:32 for what amounts to human selfishness. 14:34 We pollute the air, we pollute the water, 14:36 we strip the earth of its resources 14:38 without any real consideration for the future. 14:41 And of course we're littering the beaches with our plastic. 14:45 Our domination of this planet has been very problematic. 14:49 And the Bible actually this and describes it 14:52 as a perversion of the original order. 14:55 The book of Genesis says we were given dominion 14:57 over the planet, 14:59 but then the rest of the Bible describes 15:00 how we twisted our dominion into something terrible. 15:05 The fact remains however, 15:06 that we have always had this sense 15:08 that the world was put here for us. 15:10 And Peter aside, we've also had this sense, 15:13 that you and I are somehow qualitatively different 15:17 from the other beings who live on this planet. 15:19 I mean, it's hard to deny 15:20 that people are different than animals. 15:25 The way the Bible describes it, 15:26 is that we were made in the image of God. 15:29 And I understand that some of you might not believe in God, 15:31 but here's what I want you to consider. 15:34 All of us have a sense that we're supposed 15:36 to be better than the way we are. 15:38 We realize there's something wrong 15:40 when people use each other to their own advantage. 15:43 We know there's something wrong 15:44 when people oppress other people 15:46 and do a thousand other terrible things. 15:48 So you've got to wonder why it is that we think 15:51 we're supposed to be better than we are. 15:53 I mean, if we really are just the product 15:56 of accidental organic material producing life, 15:59 then why should we care about being better? 16:02 Why not just be happy with a tooth and claw existence? 16:05 I mean, it is what it is, right? 16:07 Survival of the fittest. 16:09 Except that at a fundamental level that bothers us, 16:13 the idea of a few powerful people dominating everybody else 16:17 just seems wrong 16:18 because we understand that human beings 16:20 aren't supposed to be this way, 16:22 the way that Genesis describes it, 16:24 we were made in the image of God. 16:26 We were created to reflect something greater, and bigger, 16:30 and higher and better than our current state. 16:34 Somehow we're supposed to transcend this current existence 16:37 and become something more. 16:41 So again, you might not believe that this story 16:44 is literally true. 16:45 I happen to think it is, 16:47 but you'd still have to admit that the concepts 16:50 you find in this narrative run deeper 16:51 than primitive superstition. 16:53 Whoever wrote this book, knew something about human nature. 16:58 So now let's look at another key passage this time 17:00 from Genesis 2, where it says, 17:03 "Then the Lord, God took the man 17:06 "and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it." 17:11 What I want you to notice is that this account 17:13 doesn't end by explaining how we got here. 17:16 It also reveals what we were created to do. 17:18 We were made to tend to the creation, to do creative work, 17:23 which is also a big part of what it means 17:25 to be made in the creator's image. 17:28 You know, one of the most intriguing video games 17:30 ever created is Minecraft 17:32 because it gives you an entire planet 17:34 of block shape wilderness, 17:36 and then invite you to mold and shape it 17:38 into something a little more organized. 17:41 You can build houses, dig for minerals, cut down trees, 17:44 put up fences and gardens and even build working machines. 17:49 And I think one of the reasons that Minecraft 17:51 has been so successful 17:53 is the fact that it taps into a basic human impulse, 17:57 this irresistible instinct we have 18:00 to tame the world around us. 18:03 I mean, just take a bunch of kids, 18:04 put them in a sandbox and watch what happens. 18:07 Before too long, 18:08 they're making roads and houses and mountains, 18:10 give a kid a pile of Lego, and you're gonna get a car, 18:13 or a house or something creative. 18:16 Human beings are not bottom feeders on this planet. 18:19 Happy to slurp up a little nutrition from the Hughes. 18:22 We appear to have higher instincts 18:25 and an irresistible urge to create. 18:27 We don't just want shelter, we want a house, 18:30 a home, with a yard or a garden. 18:33 And we love to make our own little corner 18:35 of the planet seem well, more orderly. 18:39 So whoever wrote this biblical account 18:41 was obviously aware of our most basic emotional instincts. 18:45 And we'd be foolish to dismiss this story too quickly. 18:48 This is not a fairy tale. 18:50 It's a perceptive account of who we are, 18:53 and there's so much more, 18:55 but right now I'm up against another break so don't go away. 18:58 I'm just getting warmed up and I'll be right back 19:01 to create something else. 19:05 - [Woman] Here at the Voice of Prophecy, 19:06 we're committed to creating top quality programming 19:09 for the whole family. 19:10 Like our audio adventure series "Discovery Mountain." 19:13 "Discovery Mountain" is a Bible based program 19:16 for kids of all ages and backgrounds. 19:18 Your family will enjoy the faith building stories 19:21 from this small mountain summer camp, Penn town, 19:24 with 24 seasonal episodes every year 19:26 and fresh content every week. 19:28 There's always a new adventure just on the horizon. 19:35 - Let me show you a little part of the Genesis story 19:37 that I find absolutely fascinating 19:39 because it's such a good description of who we are. 19:43 This comes from Genesis 3 now 19:46 where the first humans have broken their agreement with God 19:49 and they have compromised the original created order, 19:52 which led to the mess we live in today. 19:55 Now God asks them what they've done and why they did it. 19:59 Here's what it's says. 20:00 "Then the Lord, God called to Adam and said to him, 20:03 "where are you?" 20:05 So he said, "I heard your voice in the garden 20:07 "and I was afraid because I was naked and I hid myself." 20:11 So here we find the concepts of shame and guilt, 20:14 which wouldn't make sense in a world 20:15 that happened by accident. 20:17 If you and I are nothing but biological machines, 20:19 then why ever feel guilty? 20:22 I mean, if someone's standing in your way, kill them. 20:25 If someone has something you want, take it, 20:28 except for some reason we know 20:30 there's a right and wrong way to live. 20:31 And when we do things the wrong way, 20:34 we find ourselves compelled to cover our tracks. 20:37 I remember talking to a guy who spent some time 20:40 in a Nazi labor camp and he somehow managed to escape. 20:43 And when you asked him how he escaped, 20:46 he would suddenly fall quiet. 20:47 He would tear up and he would refuse to talk about it. 20:51 Rumor was that he and his friends 20:52 actually killed a Nazi guard in order to escape. 20:56 And that was something that haunted him 20:58 the rest of his life even though it seemed 21:00 perfectly justified given the circumstances. 21:03 So you got to ask yourself this question. 21:05 Why does something like the death of a stranger bother us? 21:09 When we see a video of some horrific crime 21:11 circulating on social media, 21:12 like those young girls who stole a car in DC 21:15 and ended up killing the driver, 21:17 why does that make our stomach churn? 21:20 How is it that we have a moral sense of right and wrong? 21:24 And why do we struggle with guilt 21:25 when we do the wrong thing? 21:27 Again, you might not believe the Bible, 21:30 but I still want you to notice that the opening chapters 21:32 deal with the reality of human existence 21:35 in a very compelling way. 21:37 Now in chapter three, verse 11, 21:39 God suddenly asked Adam why he was hiding. 21:42 And I want you to notice what happens. 21:44 "And he said, who told you that you were naked? 21:47 "Have you eaten from the tree 21:49 "which I commanded that you should not eat? 21:51 "Then the man said, the woman whom you gave to be with me, 21:54 "she gave me of the tree and I ate. 21:57 "And the Lord God said to the woman, 21:59 "what is this you have done? 22:01 "The woman said the serpent deceived me and I ate." 22:05 So, what we have here is the first recorded instance 22:08 of passing the buck. 22:10 When God asks Adam, what he did, 22:12 he does something that almost every parent is seen. 22:14 He blames somebody else. 22:16 "It's really this woman who did this, 22:19 "it's not me", says Adam. 22:21 But then he also says, "It's this woman you gave me God." 22:25 So in other words, 22:26 absolutely everybody else is to blame 22:27 for what happened including God. 22:30 And that gives us a couple of really good insights 22:33 into the way that human beings are wired. 22:35 First of all, we know there's a right 22:37 and a wrong way to live. 22:39 And when we do the wrong thing, 22:41 we know instinctively that something has to be done. 22:43 There has to be some kind of justice. 22:46 It's not good enough to say what happened was bad. 22:49 We also understand that it has to somehow be made right. 22:53 And of course we don't wanna be the ones to pay the price 22:56 so we point to somebody else. 22:58 We blame the government, we blame our neighbors, 23:00 we blame another country, or another culture, 23:03 or another people group. 23:04 We even blame God in an attempt 23:07 to shift the spotlight off of self. 23:09 And you have to wonder where in the world that comes from, 23:12 why do we seem to have so much trouble 23:14 owning what we've done? 23:16 And why do we have millions of pages of philosophers 23:20 wrestling with the concept of justice 23:23 and why we seem to have such a hard time finding it? 23:26 It's pretty obvious that the Bible 23:28 is not the work of simpletons who needed a story 23:30 to fill the gaps in their scientific knowledge. 23:34 They were wrestling with the same questions 23:36 that bother us to this day. 23:39 And the fact that Adam blames God for this, 23:42 well that might just uncover the biggest question 23:44 in the universe. 23:46 If there is a God, 23:48 why in the world would he allow so much pain and suffering? 23:51 Every time you and I see something we think is wrong, 23:53 and we say that shouldn't happen. 23:56 We're dipping into this overwhelming belief 23:58 that some kind of moral order has been violated 24:02 or we're dipping into the belief 24:03 like the early Christian Gnostics, 24:06 that whoever made this place must have made a huge mistake. 24:09 And maybe the creator isn't perfect. 24:13 Here in Genesis you find that same question 24:15 laid out as plain as day. 24:17 And you can see that God 24:19 didn't violate the covenant with humanity. 24:21 We violated that covenant. 24:24 God warned us not to do this. 24:25 He told us what would happen if we did it 24:28 and we did it anyway, and then we blame God. 24:31 And for the next 926 chapters, 24:34 the authors of the Bible unpack that concept 24:37 in painstaking detail. 24:39 If God really is good, then why do we suffer? 24:44 Which of course leads us to the ultimate question of death. 24:48 I'll be right back after this. 24:52 - [Woman] Life can throw a lot at us. 24:54 Sometimes we don't have all the answers, 24:57 but that's where the Bible comes in. 25:00 It's our guide to a more fulfilling life. 25:03 Here at the Voice of Prophecy, 25:05 we've created the "Discover Bible Guides" 25:07 to be your guide to the Bible. 25:09 They're designed to be simple, easy to use, 25:11 and provide answers to many of life's toughest questions. 25:14 And they're absolutely free. 25:16 So jump online now, 25:18 or give us a call and start your journey of discovery. 25:22 - I think of all the issues that bother us the most 25:24 death is quite handily at the top of the list. 25:27 And even though the thinkers, 25:29 the philosophers of the 19th century wanted us to believe 25:31 that life is pretty much meaningless 25:33 and that death is just a natural part of life, 25:36 there's something in the human psyche 25:38 that refuses to let us just accept that idea. 25:43 We logically know that we're gonna die, we all will. 25:46 But somehow that seems unacceptable 25:48 and you've got to wonder why is it unacceptable? 25:51 What you find in the pages of the Bible 25:53 is not some part answer, 25:55 but a careful and detailed explanation 25:57 for why death bothers us so much. 25:59 And I know we're basically out of time this week, 26:02 and all I've really managed to do 26:04 is raise a whole bunch of questions 26:06 that we're not gonna be able to explore easily or quickly. 26:09 Questions like, why does the human race 26:12 feel like it's special? 26:13 What sense does that make before an accident? 26:16 Why do we feel like we should be morally better 26:18 than we currently are? 26:20 Why do we, on the one hand struggle 26:22 with the concept of justice, 26:24 and then refuse justice when everybody else 26:27 wants to apply it to us? 26:29 Why does life have to be so painful? 26:32 And why does the idea of dying bother us 26:36 at a really core level? 26:38 I mean, why would that bother us 26:40 if we're really just another animal? 26:44 Believe me, that's just the tip of the iceberg. 26:47 When it comes to the questions, 26:48 the real questions that the Bible deals with. 26:51 And I guess what I wanna do today is this. 26:53 I mean, I would love to unpack those in greater detail. 26:56 We could spend hours and hours on those questions, 26:59 but what I want you to do 27:01 is discover the answers for yourself. 27:02 I wanna dare you to read this book. 27:05 I know people make fun of the Bible today. 27:08 I know you've been told it's a myth, it's a fairy tale, 27:10 it belongs on Mount Olympus, 27:13 but maybe just maybe it's time to have a look for yourself. 27:15 Why would you let the naysayers 27:17 who have never read this book, 27:19 cheat you from what might be one of the most profound 27:21 experiences of your life? 27:23 Pick up a Bible. 27:24 I think you're gonna be blown away 27:26 by what you find is in here. 27:28 Thanks for joining me again this week, I'm Sean Boonstra, 27:31 you've been watching authentic. 27:34 [bright upbeat music] |
Revised 2021-10-13