It Is Written

The Land of Promise

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

Program transcript

Participants: John Bradshaw

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Series Code: IIW

Program Code: IIW001283


00:01 [Music] Ellis Island.
00:06 The main port of entry for people coming to America
00:13 between 1890 and 1954.
00:16 Millions of men, women and children entered the United
00:20 States via Ellis Island.
00:23 My wife's great grandmother was one of them,
00:26 arriving here from Norway in 1913, one of so many
00:30 who came seeking a future in this land of promise.
00:37 The island was originally owned by a man named Samuel Ellis.
00:40 For a time, the State of New York leased the island
00:45 and in 1808 it was acquired by the US Government.
00:52 Technically, Ellis Island is located in Jersey City, New
00:57 Jersey, not New York State or New York City.
01:01 But it was through the Port of New York City that most
01:06 immigrants passed.
01:14 [Music] It has stood the test of time,
01:25 God's book, the Bible.
01:30 Still relevant in today's complex world.
01:35 It Is Written,
01:38 sharing hope around the globe.
01:52 [Music]
01:58 This is Castle Clinton, it was used as an immigration
02:01 station from 1855 to 1890.
02:07 Eight million people passed through here, 12 million passed
02:10 through Ellis Island and today one-third of the population
02:14 of the United States is descended from
02:16 these immigrants.
02:21 Not everybody who entered the United States via
02:23 the ports of New York City had to go through Ellis Island.
02:28 Ellis Island was reserved largely for those who traveled
02:31 here in the steerage class, or the steerage portion
02:34 of the ship.
02:35 Steerage makes you travel in the very lowest decks
02:38 of the ship and it was by far the cheapest way
02:40 of getting from there to here.
02:42 But traveling steerage wasn't for the faint of heart.
02:46 It was difficult.
02:48 The passengers were often exploited or mistreated
02:51 by the crew and the officers.
02:53 It wasn't uncommon for them to sell to the passengers life's
02:56 basic necessities, such as drinking water, and usually
02:59 at exorbitant prices.
03:01 Women were frequently mistreated.
03:04 Sanitation wasn't pretty.
03:06 It wasn't unusual for the passengers
03:09 traveling in the upper decks to throw bread rolls or coins
03:13 down to the poor folks down there in steerage class.
03:15 They weren't doing it out of pity but they were doing it
03:18 out of scorn.
03:20 And then those wealthy patrons were free, in most cases,
03:23 to simply disembark onto American soil
03:26 and here they were, without having to be subject
03:30 to the medical and other screening and processing
03:32 that Ellis Island provided.
03:34 The first full-service immigration inspection station
03:39 on Ellis Island was completed in 1891 and it was opened
03:42 January 1, 1892 to some considerable celebration.
03:47 Three large ships docked at Ellis Island that day and 700
03:51 immigrants were processed.
03:53 In that first year, 450,000 people came through
03:57 Ellis Island.
03:58 Over the next five years, a million and a half more.
04:01 The biggest year in Ellis Island's history in terms
04:04 of immigration numbers was 1907.
04:07 A little over one million people came through Ellis Island
04:11 in that year alone.
04:13 Those who were approved to stay in the United States typically
04:16 spent somewhere between 2 hours and 5 hours at Ellis Island,
04:20 during which time they were asked a total of 29 questions,
04:23 including name, occupation, and how much money
04:27 a person had.
04:28 If you had somewhere around $ 20 or a little over,
04:31 it was considered that you would most likely be able to support
04:35 yourself and you wouldn't become a public charge
04:38 and that was important to the government
04:40 at that time.
04:41 Some people were rejected.
04:43 Some unskilled labors were refused permission to enter
04:47 the United States based on that one issue alone.
04:50 It wasn't uncommon for Ellis Island immigrants to change
04:54 their names upon arriving in the United States.
04:57 Some who didn't change their names when they got here
04:59 changed them a generation or so later.
05:01 The reason was prejudice against non-Anglo immigrants
05:05 into these United States was very real and it continued
05:08 for many decades.
05:10 Most of the major immigrant groups, I'm thinking
05:12 of the Jewish and the Irish and the Polish, the Swedish,
05:15 the Germans, the Italians suffered significant prejudice
05:18 or persecution from those who were here already and considered
05:22 themselves to be the real Americans.
05:26 Two percent of the immigrants didn4t make it in.
05:29 They were turned around and sent home,
05:31 back to their home country and it was usually because
05:34 of a criminal record or insanity or because of disease
05:38 or illness.
05:39 Some people came and then spent time in Ellis Island4s medical
05:43 facilities and hospitals.
05:44 They would recuperate and then be allowed
05:46 into the United States.
05:48 The medical personnel will often mark their patients
05:51 with chalk, indicating what illnesses or diseases the people
05:55 were suffering from but those would-be immigrants wised
05:57 up and realized that chalk could be wiped off or clothes
06:02 could simply be turned inside out, foiling the inspectors
06:08 whose job it was to send those people back home.
06:13 During this time, Ellis Island was known as the place of hope
06:17 and tears.
06:18 Hope because those who were permmitted to come ashore
06:22 were about to start a new life in a new land.
06:25 Tears, because sometimes the people were not permitted
06:28 to come ashore and they had to deal with the sadness of being
06:31 turned around and sent home.
06:34 Over there on Ellis Island there is a place known
06:36 as the "Kissing Post" where waiting relatives
06:39 would greet their loved ones who would arrive and were going
06:42 to be stayúg here in the United States
06:44 and heavy-hearted family and friends would farewell those
06:49 who were not allowed to remain here.
06:53 That had to be tough.
06:55 Ellis Island is a remarkable piece of history.
06:57 It4s a doorway, a portal, an entry point into the greatest
07:02 land of promise this world has ever offered.
07:06 But there's another land of promise, the true land
07:09 of promise, and it is not reached by going
07:12 through Ellis Island.
07:14 It's reached by going through Jesus Christ, the real land
07:19 of promise.
07:20 I'll have more in just a moment.
07:24 In Matthew 4:4 the Word of God says, "It is written man shall
07:29 not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from
07:33 the mouth of God."
07:34 Every Word is a one-minute Bible-based daily devotional
07:37 presented by Pastor John Bradshaw and designed
07:39 especially for busy people like you.
07:41 Look for Every Word on selected networks, or watch it on-line
07:46 everyday on our website itiswritten.com.
07:50 Receive a daily spiritual boost.
07:52 Watch Every Word.
07:53 You'll be glad you did.
07:55 Here's a sample.
08:06 According to the Bible, sin begins with temptation.
08:10 Logical enough.
08:11 What's key in our experience isn't so much whether or not
08:14 we're tempted, because temptation is everywhere.
08:16 It's what you do when temptation comes that's really
08:19 important.
08:20 If you're tempted to yell at your spouse or take something
08:22 that isn't yours or say something that isn't true,
08:24 there are moments in that process when you can
08:26 do something that will get you out of that situation.
08:29 Listen to this, it's Psalm 91:15.
08:34 "He shall call upon me, and I will answer him:
08:36 I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him,
08:38 and honour him."
08:39 When temptation comes, if you'll call upon God,
08:42 He'll deliver you.
08:43 He promises to.
08:44 Often, though, we don't think to call on God when temptation
08:47 comes.
08:47 But if you do, you'll be happier, and if you do, you'll
08:52 be victorious every time.
08:54 I'm John Bradshaw for It Is Written.
08:55 Let's live today by Every Word.
08:59 This is It Is Written.
09:00 Thanks for joining me today.
09:01 I'm John Bradshaw and I'm in New York City and right over
09:06 there is Ellis Island.
09:08 Now I would have loved to have taken you with me to Ellis
09:11 Island today but I am not allowed to go to Ellis Island
09:15 today because following Hurricane damage, Ellis Island
09:18 is now a "no go area" expected to open
09:21 a little later on.
09:23 But whether you can get there or not and I can tell you this
09:25 from experience because I have been there, Ellis Island
09:28 is a fantastically inspiring place and it just oozes history.
09:33 So many Americans have stories to tell that have their roots
09:36 in Ellis Island.
09:40 Isaac Asimov, born in Russia to parents of Jewish decent
09:44 passed through Ellis Island at the age of three
09:47 with his parents and siblings.
09:49 He did most of his growing up in Brooklyn, New York,
09:51 right across the bay from Ellis Island.
09:54 He taught himself to read when he was five years old
09:56 and then finished high school and college early.
10:00 Asimov went on to become famous as a scientist and writer.
10:03 Like countless others, his story represents the promise
10:07 for which millions cross the Atlantic, seeking both material
10:11 and spiritual freedom.
10:15 Like the stories of countless others, his story represents
10:19 the promise that so many millions crossed the Atlantic
10:21 to find. The promise of spiritual
10:25 and material freedom.
10:28 But of course, not every immigrant story turned out
10:30 quite so well.
10:31 There were those who came here looking for freedom and looking
10:34 for a new start and looking for fortune
10:36 and they didn't find it.
10:38 Some were disappointed, some were disillusioned,
10:40 some ended up bitter.
10:42 The story is told of one man who was told before he came
10:45 here that he would discover that the streets of New York
10:47 City were paved with gold.
10:49 He scoffed when he returned home and said "I found there
10:53 was no gold, no streets and I did most of the paving."
10:57 But most who came to America stayed in America.
11:02 Hope was in the air, a glorious future beckoned.
11:06 Liberty and justice were officially this nation's
11:09 guiding principles.
11:11 New York Governor Alfred E. Smith spoke many years
11:14 ago about God's purpose for the United States
11:18 and he said God made this country to be a haven
11:20 of repose and a harbor of refuge for the poor
11:24 and the down-trodden and the oppressed of every land.
11:29 John Jakes, one of America's most famous historical novelists
11:33 wrote a book some years ago.
11:34 He wrote the story of a young German immigrant who came
11:37 to the United States in the 1890's.
11:39 At first he found here much in which he could rejoice,
11:44 but then after a while he himself started to experience
11:47 family disharmony and cruel oppression and racial bigotry.
11:51 In time, he learned to love his new land and its forward
11:56 looking spirit.
11:58 Jakes tells the story in a book entitled Homeland.
12:06 The Bible talks about a Homeland, the true haven
12:09 for the down-trodden, the oppressed, and the poor
12:12 from throughout the world.
12:14 We read about it in the last chapters of the Bible,
12:17 Revelation 21 and 22.
12:20 Here's what John wrote under the inspiration of the Holy
12:23 Spirit, "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first
12:29 heaven and the first earth were passed away."
12:32 That's revelation 21:1.
12:34 He goes on to describe the Holy City, New Jerusalem,
12:37 as being prepared as a bride adorned for her husband
12:41 and then he writes, And I heard a loud voice
12:44 from heaven saying: Behold the tabernacle of God
12:47 is with men and he will dwell with them and they shall
12:51 be his people and God himself will be with them
12:55 and be their God.
12:57 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.
13:01 There shall be no more death nor sorrow nor crying and there
13:06 shall be no more pain for the former things
13:09 have passed away.
13:11 Then he who sat on the throne said, Behold,
13:15 I make all things new."
13:19 New York City Mayor David Dinkins was fond referring
13:22 to New York City as a gorgeous mosaic of ethnic and cultural
13:27 diversity.
13:28 You come to New York City and you realize right away
13:31 it is a big place, 8.5 million inhabitants.
13:35 Landmarks and icons everywhere.
13:37 For instance, right there, is the Empire State Building.
13:41 It feels in much of New York City like a remarkably safe
13:45 place because New York City is a collection of neighborhoods
13:49 and in many of them, it's common to see women
13:51 walking alone late at night.
13:53 That's how safe they either feel or are.
13:55 But in other parts of New York City,
13:58 maybe you wouldn't try that.
14:00 Some parts of the city aren't very easy on the eye
14:03 but generally New York City is beautiful and often
14:07 incredibly so.
14:08 New York Harbor, that jewel in the middle of Manhattan
14:11 known as Central Park and this place Highline Park.
14:14 It used to be an elevated railroad servicing New York
14:17 City's industrial area.
14:19 But it is being developed in the recent years
14:21 into an Oasis.
14:22 And on perfect days like this, people come here to
14:26 enjoy its beauty and its rest.
14:29 Now of course, New York City has not always lived up to
14:33 its beauty and promise, just like any other place
14:36 on earth.
14:37 But God's city, the New Jerusalem,
14:39 will be everything he says it will be.
14:42 There will be no crying.
14:44 There won't be any pain.
14:45 There won't be any sadness and there won't be any death.
14:50 No political corruption, no financial malfeasance,
14:53 no selfish grasping after position and power.
14:57 God's city will be a model of perfect unity, of harmony,
15:02 of integrity and love.
15:04 The Apostle John speaks about the New Jerusalem
15:07 in the book of Revelation when he says this:
15:09 "And the city is laid out as a square and its length
15:16 is as great as its breadth.
15:17 And he measured the city with a reed, 12000 furlongs.
15:22 Its length, breadth and height are equal."
15:27 Now let's think about that.
15:31 You know what we are talking about here?
15:33 A city 375 miles in length, breadth and height.
15:39 Talk about high-rise living.
15:41 The people of Manhattan are going to feel right at home.
15:44 This is remarkable.
15:45 This city is going to be so tall that it stretches
15:47 into space.
15:49 It will sit on the earth like a cube and its length
15:52 and breadth and height will be exactly the same.
15:55 Remarkable!
15:57 But now let's think a little bit more because the Apostle John
16:00 had more to say about this incredible place.
16:04 "And the construction of the wall was of jasper
16:08 and the city was pure gold like clear glass
16:11 and the foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with
16:15 all kinds of precious stones.
16:18 The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire,
16:23 the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald,
16:27 the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius,
16:32 the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl,
16:36 the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase,
16:39 the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.
16:45 And the 12 gates were 12 pearls.
16:48 Each individual gate was of one pearl and the street
16:53 of the city was pure gold like transparent glass."
16:58 It is hard to even imagine a city as glorious as this
17:04 but this is what God promises to all who claim his pardon
17:08 and his transforming power.
17:10 John goes on to write more to describe the city
17:13 and the amazing diversity that is to be found there.
17:17 "And the nations of those who are saved shall walk
17:20 in its light and the kings of the earth bring their glory
17:24 and honor into it and they shall bring the glory and honor
17:28 of the nations into it."
17:30 Now, not all would-be immigrants who came to the United States
17:37 were allowed to enter the country and the same
17:40 is true for the land of promise.
17:44 I'll have more in just a moment.
17:48 [Music]
18:02 Time for today's Bible question.
18:04 Here it is.
18:05 Pastor Bradshaw talked about 1 John 1:9 and that God
18:08 would forgive us of all our sins.
18:11 He did and that's true.
18:12 One verse always comes to mind Matthew 12:31 in which Jesus
18:16 said that blasphemy of the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.
18:19 How do I put all of this together?
18:22 Thanks.
18:23 Well, you're welcome.
18:24 Let's try and do that.
18:25 While the Bible says that God will forgive our sins
18:29 in 1 John 1:9, the Bible does say that blaspheming
18:32 against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven and that
18:35 is because the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is not
18:38 an individual sin.
18:39 It is a condition in sin.
18:42 Keep this in mind.
18:43 Just before the statement, Jesus said all manner of sin
18:46 and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men.
18:50 That's very clear.
18:51 If you can do it, God can and he is prepared
18:54 to forgive it.
18:55 And we have record in the Bible of people being restored to God
18:57 who were murderers and they were immoral and they were
18:59 dishonest and they were angry.
19:01 God forgave them.
19:02 But this blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.
19:04 What about that?
19:05 It is not a particular sin.
19:07 It is a condition in sin.
19:09 One of the works of the Holy Spirit is to bring conviction
19:12 of sin.
19:13 You read that in John 16:8.
19:14 So when a person is involved in the sin against the Holy
19:19 Spirit, here is what happens.
19:20 The Holy Spirit speaks to that person and convicts that person
19:24 that what they are doing is wrong.
19:26 It could be about any certain sin in their life.
19:28 But what some people do is they fail to respond to the voice
19:31 of the Holy Spirit.
19:32 Eventually they come to the place where they don't
19:35 even hear God's spirit speaking to them.
19:38 They become numb or hardened against conviction.
19:42 When a person grieves the Holy Spirit what happens is the Holy
19:46 Spirits voice can no longer be heard.
19:48 That person has committed the sin against the Holy Spirit.
19:52 They have come to the place where they are absolutely not
19:54 going to repent.
19:56 If God calls you to repent and you choose not to do so,
19:59 then the sin you are clinging to cannot be forgiven.
20:04 If you don't confess it, what can God do?
20:06 Now there is a resource on our website I would love for you
20:09 to look at on this subject.
20:10 Go to studies.itiswritten.com, studies.itiswritten.com.
20:13 Look at the Search for Certainty studies and you'll find
20:17 there a study on the Holy Spirit and the unpardonable sin.
20:23 This will give you a little more information.
20:25 If you have a question you'd like me to answer
20:26 on this program, go to itiswritten.com
20:28 and ask your question there and I'll do my best
20:31 to answer your question on a future program.
20:35 [Music ... sound of people]
20:45 New York City is a remarkably diverse place.
20:48 But even the diversity of New York City cannot compare
20:51 to what is going to be experienced when the saved
20:54 of all ages enter into God's Holy City in the new earth.
20:59 At that time, people from all eras of this earth's history
21:03 will gather and dwell together in the presence of God
21:07 in complete and perfect harmony.
21:10 And just as would-be immigrants into these United States
21:14 were not granted unconditional entry when they came through
21:19 Ellis Island, so people will not be given unconditionally
21:22 the gift of salvation.
21:24 The Bible says this, the ancient apostle wrote
21:27 these words in Revelation 21:27, "But there shall by no means
21:32 enter it anything that defiles or causes an abomination
21:36 or a lie but only those who are written in the Lamb's
21:40 book of life."
21:41 That's Revelation 21:27.
21:45 Earlier in the same chapter you read a similar verse.
21:49 He who overcomes shall inherit all thins and I will be his God
21:54 and he shall be my son.
21:56 Revelation 21:7.
22:01 Throughout the book of Revelation,
22:03 this is the promise we find.
22:05 Those who have experienced victory over the power of sin
22:08 through the power of God's grace, those who have given
22:11 their lives to God, who have lived surrendered lives
22:14 as Jesus lives his life in them these are the ones that God
22:19 can trust in heaven.
22:20 Here is Revelation 3:5, "He who overcomes shall
22:26 be clothed in white garments and I will not blot out his name
22:30 from the Book of Life but I will confess his name
22:32 before my Father and before his angels."
22:35 And that can be your experience.
22:39 Writing to the Colossians, Paul stated that the mystery
22:42 of the gospel was Christ in you the hope of glory.
22:47 These days, if you travel from one country to another
22:50 you are going to have to have a passport.
22:52 Our passport into the true land of promise is Jesus Christ.
22:58 If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior,
23:01 if you have surrendered to him, then you can live in confidence,
23:06 confident that one day soon you'll be living with him in
23:10 that world made new.
23:15 Four years before her death in 1883, Emma Lazarus wrote
23:21 the lines chiseled at the base of the statue of liberty
23:25 whose torch still beckons multitudes to a better life
23:28 in America.
23:30 "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning
23:35 to breathe free.
23:37 The wretched refuse of your teaming shores.
23:41 Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me.
23:46 I lift my lamp beside the golden door."
23:52 But a better and a greater golden
23:54 door beckons us.
23:56 The light of God's word welcomes the faithful
23:58 with a torch that shines far more brightly than the light
24:01 in New York Harbor.
24:03 And all are invited ...
24:05 the weary, the wayward, the wretched,
24:08 the tempest-tossed.
24:10 If you'll allow God's saving, transforming grace to transform
24:15 you, then you can look forward confidently to being a forever
24:19 citizen of God's true land of promise.
24:27 It Is Written is dedicated to sharing the gospel around
24:29 the world.
24:30 To discover more about It Is Written, I invite you
24:32 to visit our website, itiswritten.com
24:34 and browse the dozens of pages that describe what we do
24:38 and how we do it.
24:39 Let's get to know each other better.
24:41 Visit our website itiswritten.com today.
24:46 If you'd like to know more about the Book of Revelation,
24:48 Prophecy and Last-Day Events, I have a special book
24:52 for you today.
24:53 It's called The Next Superpower, written by Pastor Mark Finley,
24:57 a former presenter of this very television program.
25:00 The Next Superpower is loaded with insights in the book
25:03 of Revelation.
25:04 Not only will it increase your understanding of Revelation,
25:07 but it will grow your faith in God.
25:10 It is a quality hard-cover book that takes an in-depth look
25:14 at the Book of Revelation.
25:15 Please call or write us and this free book will be
25:18 on its way to you as long as stocks last.
25:21 There is no cost or obligation.
25:23 Just call 1.800.253.3000 and ask for the book
25:28 "The Next Superpower.
25:29 You can call anytime day or night.
25:32 If the line is busy, do keep trying.
25:35 You can also request this free book by writing to
25:37 It Is Written, Box O, Thousand Oaks, California, 91359
25:43 and we'll mail a copy to your address in North America.
25:46 Now please notice this book is limited to the supply on hand
25:50 so call quickly so we can get it on its way to you.
25:54 I also want to encourage you to visit our website,
25:57 itiswriten.com where you'll discover additional helpful
26:00 resources on a host of life-changing topics.
26:03 It Is Written is a faith-based ministry made possibly
26:08 by viewers like you.
26:09 If you wish to help the worldwide outreach
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26:24 Thank you for your letters and your continued support.
26:27 Our toll-free number is 1.800.253.3000 and our web
26:34 address itiswritten.com.
26:42 Let's take this opportunity to pray together.
26:44 Our Father in heaven, thank you that we can know you welcome us
26:48 into your land of promise.
26:50 Before this time, so many people came into this land
26:53 of freedom through the doorway that was Ellis Island and they
26:59 became Americans.
27:01 Now as we enter by faith into that land known
27:04 as your eternal kingdom through not Ellis Island but Jesus,
27:09 we become yours.
27:12 We thank you for that.
27:12 Keep us, please, and let your grace transform us and fit us
27:17 for eternity in your presence.
27:20 We pray in Jesus' name, amen.
27:28 [Music]
27:43 Thanks for joining me today.
27:45 I look forward to seeing you again next time.
27:47 Until then, remember: It is written, man shall
27:51 not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds
27:55 from the mouth of God.


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Revised 2015-02-06