Participants:
Series Code: IIW
Program Code: IIW018176A
|
00:09 ♪[Theme music]♪
00:20 [Wind blowing] 00:22 ♪[Ominous music]♪ 00:24 >>Franklin D. Roosevelt: Yesterday, December 7th, 1941, 00:32 a date which will live in infamy, 00:38 the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately 00:42 attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan. 00:52 >>John Bradshaw: December the 7th, 1941, 00:55 a day which then-President Franklin Delano Roosevelt 00:59 predicted, correctly, would live in infamy. 01:04 On that day, 350 aircraft of the Empire of Japan attacked 01:09 the United States at Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu, 01:13 which was then part of the territory of Hawaii. 01:18 All eight US Navy battleships in Pearl Harbor were damaged. 01:23 Four of them were sunk, 01:24 although three were raised and returned to the war. 01:28 Still other ships were sunk; 188 US aircraft were destroyed. 01:33 And more than 2,400 Americans were killed 01:37 and almost 1,200 wounded. 01:40 But it could've been worse. 01:42 A couple of weeks after the attack, 01:44 Admiral Chester Nimitz observed that if Japan had attacked 01:48 Pearl Harbor on a weekday rather than on a Sunday, 01:52 casualties would've been as much as 10 times higher. 01:56 If the repair stations in Pearl Harbor had been hit, 01:59 then damaged US warships would've had to have been taken 02:03 back to the mainland. 02:05 And if the massive fuel reserves just five miles 02:08 out of Pearl Harbor had been taken out, 02:11 Nimitz said the war would've dragged on 02:13 for at least another year. 02:16 So as bad as the attack on Pearl Harbor was, 02:19 it could've been much worse. 02:22 ♪[Tense music]♪ 02:23 Japan's burning desire to become a great empire 02:27 drove it to try to grab control of the Pacific. 02:30 Just hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor, 02:33 Japan attacked the Philippines 5,000 miles away. 02:39 But while the United States had a military presence 02:41 in the Philippines, 02:43 it wasn't enough to counter a Japanese onslaught. 02:46 US forces in the Philippines were under the command 02:48 of General Douglas MacArthur. 02:51 He'd retired from the United States military in 1937. 02:55 He became a field marshal in the Philippines army 02:58 and a military advisory to the Philippines government. 03:01 MacArthur came out of retirement to be the commander 03:05 of the United States Army forces in the Far East, 03:08 but it became very clear that not even MacArthur's experience 03:12 and military expertise, along with the combined 03:16 US-Filipino forces in the Philippines, 03:19 were any sort of match for the Japanese. 03:22 ♪[Soft music]♪ 03:25 The American and Filipino troops retreated 03:27 in the face of attack by Japan. 03:30 Eventually, 70,000 men-- 03:32 12,000 Americans and 58,000 Filipinos-- 03:37 withdrew to the Bataan Peninsula, 03:39 leaving them essentially helpless 03:41 against the Japanese onslaught. 03:43 The surrender of American forces on the Bataan Peninsula 03:46 took place in April of 1942. 03:49 The only American stronghold left in the Philippines 03:53 was Corregidor. 03:55 The Island of Corregidor at the entrance to Manila Bay 03:59 covers just two square miles. 04:02 For perspective, 04:03 Manhattan Island in New York City is 11 times larger. 04:09 Corregidor was often referred to as "the Rock" 04:13 because that's essentially what it is. 04:15 As small as it was, the Rock was the scene 04:19 of some of the most intense bombing of World War II, 04:23 most of it confined to a tiny area. 04:26 Millions of dollars had been spent fortifying Corregidor, 04:30 which had been controlled by the United States since 1898. 04:34 But the advent of air attack meant that those defenses 04:37 became obsolete. 04:38 In May of 1942, the thousands of US troops on Corregidor 04:43 couldn't hold out any longer. 04:45 Manila had proved to be indefensible. 04:48 Bataan fell. 04:49 Corregidor fell. 04:52 American POWs were taken to Manila 04:54 or sent on the catastrophic Bataan Death March. 04:59 The Philippines, as far as the United States was concerned, 05:03 was lost to Japan. 05:06 Except for one thing. 05:08 ♪[Soft music]♪ 05:10 On March the 12th, 1942, MacArthur, along with members 05:15 of his staff and family, was evacuated from the Philippines. 05:19 A B-17 transported him to Darwin 05:22 in Australia's Northern Territory. 05:24 And from there, he took a train to Melbourne 05:27 in the state of Victoria. 05:29 As he was changing trains at a railway station in a little town 05:33 called Terowie, 120 miles north of Adelaide in South Australia, 05:38 MacArthur faced the assembled media. 05:41 He said, "The President of the United States ordered me 05:45 to break through the Japanese lines and proceed 05:48 from Corregidor to Australia for the purpose, as I understand it, 05:53 of organizing an American offensive against Japan, 05:56 the primary purpose of which is the relief of the Philippines. 06:01 I came through and I shall return." 06:06 Two thousand years ago, 06:08 as the battle for control of planet earth was raging, 06:11 Jesus left a group of His closest followers, 06:14 His best friends, deep in the heart of enemy territory, 06:18 and He said to them, 06:19 "I go to prepare a place for you. 06:22 And if I go and prepare a place for you, 06:24 I will come again, and receive you unto myself; 06:27 that where I am, there ye may be also." 06:32 "I shall return." 06:36 History tells us that MacArthur did return, 06:39 but not immediately, 06:41 and not before a long, costly, bloody, drawn-out struggle. 06:48 Jesus will return. He's promised. 06:51 It's been two millennia since He made that promise, 06:54 and those 2,000 years have been marked by loss 06:57 and desperation and death. 06:59 So what does the promise of Jesus' return mean for us? 07:03 I'll have more in just a moment. 07:05 ♪[Music]♪ 07:14 >>John: The greatest event in all of history-- 07:17 the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. 07:19 What does the Bible say that will be like? 07:22 Find out by getting today's free offer, 07:24 "The Second Coming of Jesus." 07:26 To receive this free DVD, call 800-253-3000 07:30 or visit us online at iiwoffer.com. 07:34 Find out what the Bible says 07:36 about the Second Coming of Jesus. 07:38 Get the free DVD: 800-253-3000, 07:41 iiwoffer.com. 07:45 [Birds twittering] 07:47 >>John Bradshaw: Thank you for joining me on It Is Written. 07:50 After General Douglas MacArthur was evacuated 07:53 from the Philippines in 1942, 07:56 he made a promise that was heard all around the world. 07:59 MacArthur said, "I shall return." 08:03 Two thousand years ago, standing in the shadow of the cross, 08:07 knowing that virtually everyone in Israel would've judged 08:10 His campaign a spectacular failure, 08:13 Jesus said virtually the same thing. 08:16 He said, "I will come again." 08:20 The Bible speaks about the Second Coming of Jesus 08:23 again and again. 08:25 The Apostle Paul referred to the return of Jesus 08:27 to the world as the "blessed hope." 08:30 But the New Testament isn't alone in forecasting 08:33 the greatest event since the creation of the world. 08:36 Even the book of Job, 08:38 considered to be the first book of the Bible written, 08:41 speaks about Jesus' return to the earth. 08:44 Job 19:25-26-- 08:48 "For I know that my Redeemer lives, 08:50 and He shall stand at last on the earth; 08:53 and after my skin is destroyed, this I know, 08:57 that in my flesh I shall see God." 09:01 He's referring directly to the hope of the Resurrection, 09:04 which takes place after Jesus returns to the world. 09:09 Virtually all of Matthew chapter 24, 09:12 which was spoken by Jesus, deals with the Second Coming of Jesus, 09:17 with Jesus saying in verse 36, 09:20 "But of that day and hour no one knows, 09:23 not even the angels of heaven, but my Father only." 09:26 Which raises an important point. 09:29 Jesus went out of His way to tell us that while we can know 09:33 when His coming is near, 09:35 there's no one who can accurately forecast 09:38 the day of Jesus' return. 09:40 People who say, 09:41 "Jesus is coming back on this day or on that day"... 09:44 No. The Bible says we cannot know. 09:48 We don't know, and we won't know. 09:52 And while Jesus waits, planet earth descends ever deeper 09:56 into secularism and post-modernism and atheism, 10:01 God allowing us to see that our -isms are not the way forward. 10:08 ♪[Music]♪ 10:09 You can get a sense of the want of the world 10:12 for the Second Coming of Jesus by thinking about what went on 10:15 here at Corregidor in Manila Bay in the Philippines. 10:19 It was held by the United States between 1898 and 1942, 10:24 and was taken by Japan as part of Japan's quest 10:27 to take the Pacific. 10:29 It was a desperate struggle. 10:33 The Philippines suffered immensely 10:35 under Japanese occupation. 10:37 Thousands of servicemen, Filipino and American, 10:40 were killed. 10:42 Servicemen suffered from diseases 10:43 like beriberi and scurvy. 10:45 Hundreds of thousands of civilians perished. 10:48 Manila was destroyed. 10:50 MacArthur's biographer wrote that only Warsaw suffered more 10:54 among Allied cities in World War II. 10:57 Seventy-five percent of Manila's factories were destroyed, 11:00 80 percent of the southern residential district, 11:03 100 percent of the business district. 11:06 And after American troops retreated 11:08 to the Bataan Peninsula, 11:09 they were marched to what's known today as Camp O'Donnell 11:13 on what's now referred to as the Bataan Death March. 11:17 Thousands of men died. 11:19 The cruelty they experienced is almost impossible to believe. 11:23 But there was something that gave them hope: 11:26 General MacArthur had made them a promise, 11:29 and the people here in the Philippines, 11:31 the POWs, the Filipinos who wanted their country back, 11:35 American POWs who'd been taken from here to Japan 11:39 to toil as slaves-- 11:41 they didn't think that MacArthur was one to break his promise. 11:45 He said he'd return, and they hung on to those words. 11:48 He would return. 11:52 On October the 20th, 1944, MacArthur returned 11:56 to the Philippines, coming ashore on the island of Leyte, 11:59 350 miles away. 12:02 And that's when things really started to heat up 12:05 on Corregidor. 12:09 You look at Corregidor today, 12:11 and you know that the fighting here was intense. 12:15 One of the main landmarks on the island is what was known 12:17 as the Mile-Long Barracks. 12:19 In reality, they were 1,500 feet long, 12:22 not quite a third of a mile. 12:24 But a good name goes a long way in the service. 12:28 Looking at the ruins here, 12:29 you can only imagine how fierce the fighting was. 12:34 Corregidor was an ideal sort of a place once upon a time. 12:37 There used to be the island headquarters, 12:39 a theater, a nine-hole golf course, a parade ground. 12:44 The vast majority of what's here today 12:46 testifies to the destruction of war. 12:49 And as bad as it was that the buildings were destroyed, 12:53 the loss of life is what really mattered. 12:57 In the 1920s, US Army engineers had carved out 13:01 a labyrinth of tunnels on Corregidor. 13:04 The Malinta Tunnels were a maze of tunnels that burrowed 13:08 as far as 1,450 feet back into the hillside. 13:12 There was a main tunnel and then a network of tunnels 13:16 that spread out from the main tunnel. 13:18 The tunnels were originally designed for storing supplies, 13:22 ammunition, and equipment. 13:24 They were a bomb-proof bunker. 13:27 MacArthur and the Philippines president, Quezon, 13:29 lived here in 1942. 13:32 But as the war overtook Corregidor, 13:34 the Malinta Tunnels became a defensive fortification 13:38 and the home of a 1,000-bed hospital. 13:42 One general remembers these tunnels being a scene 13:45 of unbelievable disorder, congestion, and confusion. 13:51 ♪[Tense music]♪ 13:53 On May the 2nd, 1942, the Japanese bombing 13:58 was so intense that in one 5-hour period, 14:01 3,600 240-millimeter shells blasted the islands, 14:06 mainly in just two locations. 14:08 That's more than 720 an hour, 14:10 more than one every five seconds. 14:14 One day in May, more than 16,000 shells hit Corregidor. 14:19 An American general recalled that "life on Corregidor 14:22 could be compared to sitting in the middle of a bull's-eye 14:25 during rapid-fire target practice." 14:27 But still, men hoped. 14:29 MacArthur said he'd return. 14:32 What other hope did they have? 14:34 I wonder what other hope we have. 14:38 Those -isms I referred to earlier-- 14:41 today the world is assailed by secularism, postmodernism, 14:45 atheism, agnosticism, capitalism, Communism, 14:49 polytheism, spiritualism. 14:52 What's it all achieved? 14:54 Have our developments and our enlightenment brought peace 14:57 and security to the planet? 14:59 No, far from it. 15:01 Life can be so challenging that you can feel 15:03 like you're in your own personal war with life 15:06 or with circumstances or with destiny or the future. 15:11 What hope, really, does a person have beyond this world? 15:17 When you're looking into the eyes of death or loss 15:21 or despair, what hope do you have? 15:26 Well, there is hope because 2,000 years ago, 15:30 Jesus said, "I will come again." 15:35 More in just a moment. 15:37 ♪[Music]♪ 15:45 >>John: Thank you for remembering 15:47 that It Is Written exists 15:48 because of the kindness of people just like you. 15:51 To support this international life-changing ministry, 15:55 please call us now at 800-253-3000. 15:58 You can send your tax-deductible gift 16:00 to the address on your screen, 16:02 or you can visit us online at itiswritten.com. 16:05 Thank you for your prayers and for your financial support. 16:08 Our number again is 800-253-3000, 16:12 or you can visit us online at itiswritten.com. 16:16 >>John: In Guatemala, Central America, 16:19 a volcano had been erupting on and off for many years. 16:23 In June of 2018, everything changed for the people 16:27 living beneath it. 16:28 "Danger on the Doorstep" from It Is Written takes you 16:31 to Volcán de Fuego, the "Volcano of Fire," in Guatemala. 16:35 We speak to survivors of the devastating eruption 16:38 and join heartbroken people looking for their families 16:40 in the aftermath. 16:42 Join It Is Written on location in Guatemala 16:44 for "Danger on the Doorstep" as we visit those rebuilding 16:48 their lives after they'd lost their homes, possessions, 16:51 and even their families. 16:53 And could it be that you are living 16:54 with danger on your doorstep? 16:56 The Bible speaks of the spiritual danger confronting 16:59 our world and helps us to take concrete steps 17:01 to be spiritually safe. 17:03 "Danger on the Doorstep," brought to you by It Is Written. 17:07 Watch now on It Is Written TV. 17:09 Go to www.itiswritten.tv. 17:13 That's itiswritten.tv. 17:17 ♪[Soft music]♪ 17:19 >>John Bradshaw: General Douglas MacArthur led the United States 17:22 and Filipino troops early in World War II from here 17:25 on Corregidor Island in Manila Bay in the Philippines. 17:29 In October of 1944, MacArthur put his feet 17:33 on Philippines soil once more, and in February of 1945, 17:38 Corregidor was retaken. 17:41 Of course, historians differ in their estimation 17:43 of General MacArthur. 17:45 But he said, "I shall return," and return he did. 17:50 And not long after his return, 17:52 America took the Philippines back. 17:55 But it took almost two weeks of ferocious fighting 17:59 to win back Corregidor. 18:01 ♪[Music]♪ 18:06 When American soldiers returned to wrest the Rock 18:09 from the control of the Japanese, 18:11 Japanese soldiers holed up here in the Malinta Tunnels. 18:15 Of course, they didn't have a chance. 18:17 Those that emerged ran directly into the path 18:20 of waiting American guns. 18:22 Rather than surrender, 2,000 or so Japanese soldiers chose 18:28 to commit suicide here in the tunnels. 18:30 They detonated explosives and brought down enormous amounts 18:35 of rock upon themselves, burying themselves beneath. 18:39 The bodies are still there, 18:42 behind or beneath all of that rock. 18:45 Their remains have never been brought out. 18:49 Makes you wonder, doesn't it? 18:50 Two thousand men gave their lives for their emperor, 18:53 a man who claimed to be-- and who they believed to be-- 18:56 a living god. 18:58 They could've given their lives for a Man 19:00 who actually was God in the flesh. 19:03 We still have the opportunity to do that today. 19:07 To do otherwise, it's all a bit like this, really. 19:11 Although trees and vegetation have pretty much swallowed up 19:14 this island over the years, 19:16 graphic reminders of the war on Corregidor are still visible 19:20 just about everywhere you turn-- 19:22 huge guns, craters in the ground produced by massive explosions, 19:27 damage from artillery. 19:30 The Pacific War Memorial stands in honor of the American 19:33 and Filipino troops who gave their lives here on Corregidor. 19:38 And beneath the memorial's dome is a circular altar, 19:42 upon which are inscribed the words, 19:45 "Sleep, my sons, your duty done ...for freedom's light has come. 19:51 Sleep in the silent depths of the sea, 19:54 or in your bed of hallowed sod, 19:56 until you hear at dawn the low, clear reveille of God." 20:03 Which is the thought expressed by the Apostle Paul 20:07 in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4: 20:16 "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven 20:19 with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, 20:21 and with the trumpet of God. 20:23 And the dead in Christ will rise first. 20:27 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together 20:30 with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. 20:34 And thus we shall always be with the Lord." 20:38 First Thessalonians 4:16-17. 20:41 About 210 Americans died in the battle to retake Corregidor, 20:47 790 were wounded, and 5 were reported missing. 20:52 Of the Japanese, almost 6,000 died, 20:57 20 were captured, and 30 escaped. 21:01 Atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki 21:04 on August the 6th and August 9th. 21:08 Japan's emperor, Hirohito, surrendered on August 15, 21:11 and the instrument of surrender was signed on board 21:14 the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay on September the 2nd. 21:19 When Jesus comes back to the earth, 21:21 there'll be no more war. 21:24 In fact, Revelation 21:4 says, 21:27 "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; 21:31 and there shall be no more death, 21:34 neither sorrow, nor crying, 21:36 neither shall there be any more pain: 21:39 for the former things are passed away." 21:43 The return of Jesus to this earth is going to be 21:45 the greatest event in all of human history. 21:48 Unless, of course, it isn't. 21:52 You get to decide. 21:53 For those who've chosen Jesus as their Lord and Savior, 21:56 for those who've surrendered their hearts to Him, 22:00 for those who've chosen to believe that God is love, 22:04 well, the prophet Isaiah puts it this way in Isaiah 25:9-- 22:08 "And it shall be said in that day, 22:11 'Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him, 22:15 and He will save us: 22:17 this is the Lord; 22:18 we have waited for Him, 22:20 we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation." 22:24 But in every war, there's a defeated side. 22:28 Revelation 6:14-17 looks at it from the opposite point of view. 22:33 "And the heaven departed as a scroll 22:35 when it is rolled together; 22:37 and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. 22:40 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, 22:44 and the rich men, and the chief captains, 22:46 and the mighty men, and every bondman, 22:49 and every free man, 22:51 hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; 22:55 and said to the mountains and rocks, 22:57 'Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him 23:00 that sitteth on the throne, 23:02 and from the wrath of the Lamb: 23:04 for the great day of His wrath is come; 23:07 and who shall be able to stand?'" 23:11 So who shall be able to stand? 23:14 Well, it's all incredibly simple. 23:17 Back in Matthew chapter 24, there's an emphasis 23:20 on responding to the signs of the times and being ready 23:25 for the return of Jesus. 23:26 Jesus said, "Watch therefore, 23:30 for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming." 23:33 Two verses later: "Therefore you also be ready, 23:38 for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect." 23:44 Other than the sound of the surf, 23:47 the beaches of Corregidor are quiet now. 23:50 No more American soldiers waiting here to welcome 23:54 the barges bringing Japanese soldiers ashore. 23:57 The sounds of artillery are no longer heard. 24:00 Corregidor is a peaceful place. 24:04 One day soon, the battle raging here on planet earth 24:06 is going to come to an end. 24:08 What, then, for you? 24:11 You know, there's no reason that you should be lost. 24:13 There's no reason anybody should be left out of heaven. 24:17 There's no reason that this earth is all 24:19 that you should have to look forward to. 24:21 God wants you to have everlasting life. 24:24 Matthew 11:28-- 24:27 "Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, 24:30 and I will give you rest." 24:32 John 6:35-- 24:35 "I am the bread of life. 24:37 He who comes to me shall never hunger, 24:40 and he who believes in me shall never thirst." 24:44 The last invitation in the Bible is found just five verses 24:47 from the end of the Bible-- 24:49 Revelation 22:17. 24:52 "And the Spirit and the bride say, 'Come!' 24:55 And let him who hears say, 'Come!' 24:58 And let him who thirsts come. 25:00 Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely." 25:05 Jesus invites you to come to Him in faith. 25:09 If you've already done that, 25:10 then rededicate your life to God now. 25:13 Tell Him that you want Him to keep you and save you. 25:16 If you've never done so, 25:17 if you've never accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, 25:20 if you've never accepted God into your life... 25:24 You know, the Bible says that Jesus is coming back soon. 25:28 You don't wanna miss that. 25:29 Can you open up your heart to God now? 25:33 Tell God you want Him to keep you close. 25:35 Tell God that you want His perfect will 25:39 to be done in your life. 25:41 General Douglas MacArthur once said, "I shall return." 25:47 Jesus once said, "I will come again." 25:52 And if you'll allow it to be so, then when Jesus comes back, 25:57 He'll come back for you. 26:01 >>John: The greatest event in all of history-- 26:04 the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. 26:06 What does the Bible say that will be like? 26:09 Find out by getting today's free offer, 26:11 "The Second Coming of Jesus." 26:13 To receive this free DVD, call 800-253-3000 26:17 or visit us online at iiwoffer.com. 26:22 Find out what the Bible says 26:23 about the Second Coming of Jesus. 26:25 Get the free DVD: 800-253-3000, 26:28 iiwoffer.com. 26:32 >>John Bradshaw: Let's pray together now. 26:34 Our Father in heaven, we thank You for the promise, 26:36 for the certainty, the assurance that Jesus is coming back 26:41 to this world. 26:43 We thank You for those wonderful words: 26:44 "I will come again and receive you unto myself." 26:49 So, inherent in the promise of the Second Coming of Jesus 26:52 is Your desire to receive us to Yourself, 26:56 so that we can be with You throughout the ceaseless ages 26:59 of eternity. 27:00 Friend, are you waiting? Are you resisting? 27:02 Don't wait; don't resist. 27:05 Can you offer God your heart now? 27:07 Can you ask Jesus to forgive you and cleanse you 27:10 and make you His? 27:11 He will do it, gladly so. 27:15 Lord, we wait in hope. 27:17 Thank You for the great promise, 27:19 the reality that Jesus is coming back soon. 27:23 Make us ready for that day, now and always. 27:28 We pray and thank You in Jesus' name. 27:32 Amen. 27:34 Thanks so much for joining me. 27:36 I'm looking forward to seeing you again next time. 27:39 Until then, remember: 27:41 "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, 27:46 but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'" 27:51 ♪[Theme music]♪ 28:02 ♪[Theme music]♪ |
Revised 2019-01-12