Participants:
Series Code: IIW
Program Code: IIW019206A
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00:19 [waves crash and fizzle]
00:21 ♪[playful instrumental music]♪ 00:26 >>John Bradshaw: This is It Is Written. 00:28 I'm John Bradshaw. 00:30 Thanks for joining me. 00:32 Have you ever seen "Where's Waldo"? 00:34 One of those "Where's Waldo" pictures? 00:36 You know the one, the guy with the funny hat, 00:37 he's wearing a striped shirt, he's in a crowd, 00:41 and he's hidden there somewhere in the picture, 00:43 and your job is to find him. 00:44 Now, the interesting thing about Waldo 00:46 is that he's not actually hidden. 00:49 That is, he's there. 00:50 Once you find him, you realize he was hidden 00:53 right out in the open. 00:54 Hard to find in the midst of everything that's going on, 00:57 but once you got him, you got him, 00:58 and after that, you can't really miss him. 01:01 Today, well, we're not looking for Waldo, 01:03 but we're looking for something that's hidden in plain view. 01:07 It's hidden right out in the open. 01:10 We're looking at a really important story, or theme, 01:14 in the Bible. 01:15 It appears before all the other Bible stories 01:18 that we're familiar with today. 01:20 We're continuing our series "The Prequel of the Bible." 01:24 Dig into this and you gain really important insights. 01:28 When you study the prequel of the Bible, 01:30 you find out what was behind Satan's rebellion. 01:33 You see that in Revelation chapter 12, 01:35 that there was war in heaven. 01:37 But what kind of war? 01:39 Well, really this was a political contest. 01:42 It was a battle of ideas. 01:43 It was a battle of philosophies. 01:45 You see, Satan was charging that God was unfair. 01:50 He attacked God, and in an attempt to gain followers 01:53 for himself, he attacked the character of God. 01:57 He said God was fundamentally unfair. 01:59 He said that God was not loving. 02:01 He said God was keeping back the best for Himself 02:06 and depriving others of what was rightfully theirs. 02:10 ♪[somber music]♪ 02:11 We found that Satan offered a platform, 02:15 an alternate way of running the universe, 02:17 an alternate organizing principle, if you like. 02:20 He rejected God's system, which was based on love 02:24 and universal giving, where the objectives are lovingkindness 02:28 and mutual benefit. 02:30 Instead, what he proposed was something based on selfishness 02:34 and opportunistic taking, 02:36 where power and domination are the key, the objectives. 02:41 He had a surprising amount of success. 02:43 The Word of God says that he attracted one-third 02:46 of the angels of heaven to follow him. 02:48 Ultimately, though, they weren't successful. 02:51 Revelation chapter 12 says they were cast out of heaven. 02:55 Here on the earth he continued his war against God 02:58 and overcame Adam and Eve, 03:00 bringing them under the curse of sin. 03:03 At the same time, he took something from them: 03:07 He took from them the dominion over the earth, 03:10 which God had given them. 03:12 This is why Jesus referred to Satan 03:13 as the ruler of this earth in John 12 and verse 31. 03:21 Once Satan usurped control of the world, 03:25 he set about putting into place 03:27 his system for operating the earth and all life on it. 03:31 He twisted and perverted creation, 03:34 obscuring the amazing earth that God had created. 03:38 And he erased, to the extent he could, 03:40 the character of God as seen in the original creation. 03:44 He put in place a world that is at all levels 03:47 organized around the principle of selfishness. 03:51 And so here we are, 03:52 living on earth as Satan's system plays out. 03:56 The thing is discerning people are able to see 03:58 more and more clearly that the whole thing 04:02 is a complete fiasco. 04:04 That's because selfishness as a system collapses in on itself. 04:08 Not only is it a horrible design; 04:10 it's completely unsustainable. 04:13 And since the world we live in is organized around selfishness, 04:16 we can expect to see the earth, 04:18 all of its natural systems and lifeforms, 04:21 and every area of human endeavor participate in this collapse. 04:25 Satan might as well have been building with sand 04:28 because his system was doomed from the start. 04:32 And...there it goes, the natural result of a flawed design. 04:40 Now, think about what's at stake. 04:41 As Satan's design is doomed, 04:44 then so, too, is everything else that's based on selfishness. 04:48 That part of our lives that we spend fighting to get above 04:50 other people or to exercise control over other people, 04:53 ultimately, it's wasted. 04:55 The extraordinary efforts we make to accumulate 04:57 more and more resources, in the end, wasted. 05:01 The efforts we make to glorify ourselves, 05:04 in the final analysis, it's all for nothing. 05:07 And yet there are billions who continue to be taken in 05:10 by Satan's continuing campaign, 05:13 billions who align themselves with Satan 05:15 and spend massive amounts of energy 05:17 competing within his organizing principle of selfishness. 05:22 Jesus predicted the collapse of Satan's system, 05:26 and He gave us a very detailed account of what will happen 05:28 here on earth. 05:30 In fact, a detailed account of what's actually happening 05:34 right now. 05:35 But before we look at that prophecy in detail, 05:37 let's stand back and look at the big picture, 05:40 starting with creation itself. 05:43 To understand how things are unraveling, 05:45 let's look at how they were put together. 05:48 Let's look together at what happened in Genesis chapter 1. 05:52 ♪[piano music]♪ 05:54 In creating the earth, 05:55 God was very intentional, very methodic. 05:59 He first created two massive and interlinked systems: 06:03 our atmosphere and our hydrosphere. 06:07 With the atmosphere, He created the many layers of gases 06:10 that extend out 60 miles or so into space 06:14 and protect the earth. 06:16 Our atmosphere is amazingly complex 06:19 and constantly in motion. 06:21 With our hydrosphere, God created all the water 06:24 on the surface of the earth: our oceans, lakes, rivers. 06:30 These two systems, the atmosphere and hydrosphere, 06:33 are sister systems, joined at the hip, 06:36 and constantly engaged in exchanges, 06:39 exchanges of heat, chemicals, and energy. 06:43 These two systems really function together 06:45 more as a whole than as separate systems. 06:49 Next, God created dry land, our soil system, 06:53 which is the basis for our food production the world over. 06:56 And then He created plants to live in the soil. 07:01 He then populated each of the systems He created-- 07:04 birds and fish for our atmosphere and hydrosphere 07:07 and then land animals. 07:09 He also created microorganisms to live in the soil 07:13 and, well, just about everywhere else. 07:16 There are untold billions of microorganisms 07:19 in just a handful of soil, 07:21 and they're an irreplaceable part of healthy soil 07:25 that grows food. 07:26 Finally, God created people, 07:29 and when He reviewed what He created 07:31 and how the intermeshed systems functioned as one, 07:35 incredibly complicated but elegantly balanced, 07:38 He was well-pleased with His work. 07:40 Genesis 1:31 says that God judged it to be "very good." 07:44 In other words, it was perfect, 07:47 and it worked exactly the way He designed, 07:49 reflecting His character of love so deeply 07:53 that lovingkindness was the organizing principle. 07:56 The plants, the animals, the people-- 07:58 they all coexisted happily, and they gave to each other; 08:01 they benefited each other with every interaction. 08:06 It was a system based on giving, and no one gave more than God. 08:11 But if you look at the systems that God created, 08:14 in perfect balance, you see that every single one of them 08:19 is in significant and accelerating decline. 08:23 And why is that? 08:25 One simple reason: 08:27 It's because Satan's system based on selfishness 08:31 is a catastrophic failure. 08:35 Take, for instance, 08:36 the massive, majestic, and beautiful ocean system. 08:40 Well, how bad is that? 08:42 Every day it dies a little more, and it's not coming back. 08:46 The loss of life webs, 08:48 the general health of our oceans is staggering. 08:51 We have the logs of sea captains from hundreds of years ago 08:54 describing an ocean that's now foreign to us. 08:57 They wrote of an ocean teeming with life. 08:59 It was a resource thought to be inexhaustible. 09:03 But today the seas that once seemed endless 09:07 are staggeringly polluted and increasingly depleted of fish. 09:11 Massive fishing boats chase the remaining fish 09:13 to the ends of the earth and to the utter depths of the sea. 09:16 And now scientists say that it's not very many years from now 09:20 the oceans will essentially be devoid 09:23 of commercial fishing stocks-- 09:25 completely fished out. 09:27 That's a huge problem 09:29 because about one billion people get most of their food 09:32 from the sea, and those people are even now being forced 09:35 to compete for land-based food, 09:38 and that's a terrible thing because our natural systems 09:41 that support food production are also in accelerating decline. 09:47 And you don't have to be any kind of radical environmentalist 09:50 to see it. 09:51 It's just the way it is. 09:53 Isaiah wrote that the earth would "wax old like a garment." 09:56 Isaiah 51:6. 09:58 And today we're seeing the fulfillment of that. 10:01 I'll have more in just a moment. 10:03 ♪[music]♪ 10:12 >>Announcer: As we look around the world, 10:14 it appears this planet is spinning wildly out of control. 10:18 The world now is a far cry 10:20 from the world of even just a few years ago, 10:22 leaving many people wondering if there's hope. 10:25 Our free offer today is "Hope for a Planet in Crisis." 10:29 To receive this free guide, 10:30 call 800-253-3000 10:34 or go online at iiwoffer.com. 10:38 Get "Hope for a Planet in Crisis." 10:43 ♪[soft piano music]♪ 10:47 >>Man 1: What does the Bible say about astrology? 10:54 >>Man 2: Why do bad things happen to good people? 11:03 >>Girl: What color is Jesus? 11:06 >>John Bradshaw: If you have a question, 11:07 we'd love to find an answer 11:08 for you from the Bible. 11:09 Line Upon Line 11:10 from It Is Written TV. 11:14 >>John Bradshaw: Thanks for joining me on It Is Written. 11:15 I'm John Bradshaw. 11:18 Like our oceans, our fresh water system around the world 11:22 is crashing. 11:23 Most major population centers around the world 11:26 rely on aquifers for their water, 11:28 and many of these aquifers, 11:30 which basically are underground lakes that take centuries 11:33 to fill up, are heading towards depletion. 11:37 Even worse, a significant amount of global food production 11:41 is irrigated with water from aquifers 11:43 that are being depleted, 11:44 such as the Ogallala aquifer in the United States. 11:48 The Ogallala helps feed the world with the crops 11:50 it irrigates, and it's just one of many major aquifers 11:54 around the world that are depleting. 11:57 Should these aquifers completely run dry, 12:00 the impact on our global food production system 12:03 will be profound. 12:06 And at the same time that our aquifers are depleting, 12:09 our weather patterns are becoming 12:10 not just less and less reliable but actually more hostile 12:16 to people and crops. 12:18 Our jet stream, part of our atmosphere, 12:21 is slowing and destabilizing 12:23 as a result of our crashing cryosphere-- 12:26 or in other words, because of massive ice loss in the Arctic. 12:30 What that means is that weather systems are becoming 12:33 more intense and moving more slowly, 12:36 meaning they last longer. 12:39 Now we get more pounding rain instead of nurturing rain. 12:42 We get heat waves that are literally killers 12:45 in some parts of the world, 12:46 causing such extreme heat that plants and humans 12:49 can't survive. 12:51 And we get prolonged droughts 12:53 and dangerous waves of polar air. 12:56 Add it all together 12:58 and the climate is becoming more hostile. 13:02 The industrial revolution-- 13:04 and our industrial agriculture system, in particular-- 13:07 has allowed the world to have a spectacular population boom. 13:11 The population has exploded over the past 250 years. 13:16 And the same industrial agriculture system 13:18 that feeds the world requires massive amounts of water 13:23 and a stable environment. 13:25 So imagine if the aquifers were to run dry. 13:29 How would we feed the almost 8 billion people on the planet? 13:34 Global food prices would spike, 13:36 and the 3 billion people or so who now live 13:38 on less than $2.50 a day would not be able to afford food. 13:43 Does it sound like a future nightmare? 13:46 Actually, with all the pressure on agriculture, 13:48 food prices are already under pressure. 13:51 Even if you have not noticed, 13:52 they've spiked three times in the last 15 years, 13:56 with dire results for half the population on earth. 14:01 If you look at a 50-year chart of global food price movements, 14:05 you'll see that prices fluctuated. 14:08 But between 2007 and 2012, they pretty much exploded. 14:14 Now take a look at this chart 14:15 from the New England Complex Systems Institute in Boston. 14:19 They took part of the food price spike from the chart 14:22 we were just looking at and put on that chart 14:26 all of the uprisings, riots, government overthrows, 14:30 and significant conflicts in the period. 14:33 What they found is that civil unrest exploded 14:37 when food prices spiked. 14:40 When food prices double or triple 14:42 over a short period of time, 14:43 those who can no longer survive sometimes resort to violence. 14:47 So with the destabilization of the natural world, 14:50 you'd expect to see more and more food price spikes 14:53 and more and more violence. 14:56 Now, if you haven't noticed food price spikes, 14:58 it's probably because you live in a developed country 15:01 where food is highly processed. 15:03 In your $4 box of corn flakes, for example, 15:06 the raw corn and sugar in there costs only a few cents. 15:10 So food prices triple, and all of a sudden you're paying $4.30 15:15 for your box of corn flakes-- you'll hardly even notice. 15:19 But if you're trying to live on $2.00 or $2.50 or less a day, 15:24 and you're barely making it, 15:25 and then the cost of your corn and your sugar triples, 15:29 well, you've got no other option but to be hungry. 15:32 ♪[somber music]♪ 15:33 What we're seeing is a world 15:34 where the systems that support life and human society 15:37 are in accelerating decay. 15:40 So what we can reasonably expect is mounting resource pressure, 15:44 food shortages, water shortages, 15:47 as well as increasingly hostile weather, killer heat waves, 15:51 floods, extended droughts, and at the same time, 15:54 we can expect to see wave after wave of conflict, 15:58 with the fault lines most likely being between people groups 16:01 who already don't like each other 16:03 and between those who have resources and those who don't. 16:07 And of course, with food shortages and conflicts 16:10 always comes dramatically increased hunger and disease. 16:18 Now, let's compare what's coming upon the world 16:20 with what the Bible clearly says will happen in the final days 16:24 of earth's history. 16:25 Romans 8, verse 22 says that all of creation is groaning 16:30 because of sin-- Satan's rebellion-- 16:33 and will be liberated from its decay by God. 16:36 Isaiah 51, verse 6 says, 16:38 "The earth will grow old like a garment." 16:42 The picture of earth in earth's last days is clear. 16:46 What started out as whole and strong and perfect 16:50 has become weak, torn, frayed, and full of holes. 16:57 But for the most detailed look at what's coming on the earth, 17:00 let's turn to the description 17:02 that Jesus Himself gave His disciples. 17:05 The account of what He said is included in Matthew chapter 24. 17:09 The setting is really interesting. 17:11 It's just before Jesus was captured, 17:14 put on trial, and crucified. 17:16 So He's down to the last few hours with His disciples, 17:19 and He knows it. 17:21 He meets with them privately, and they ask Him a question. 17:23 They say, "What will be the sign of Your coming, 17:26 and of the end of the age?" 17:28 Jesus gives them an incredibly detailed answer. 17:32 We're going to focus on three verses of that answer, 17:35 Matthew chapter 24, verses 6, 7, and 8: 17:40 "And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. 17:43 See that you are not troubled; 17:44 for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 17:50 For nation will rise against nation, 17:52 and kingdom against kingdom. 17:54 And there will be famines, pestilences, 17:56 and earthquakes in various places. 17:59 All these are the beginning of sorrows." 18:03 Back with more in just a moment. 18:05 ♪[music]♪ 18:14 >>Announcer: As we look around the world, 18:16 it appears this planet is spinning wildly out of control. 18:20 The world now is a far cry 18:22 from the world of even just a few years ago, 18:24 leaving many people wondering if there's hope. 18:27 Our free offer today is "Hope for a Planet in Crisis." 18:31 To receive this free guide, 18:32 call 800-253-3000 18:36 or go online at iiwoffer.com. 18:40 Get "Hope for a Planet in Crisis." 18:45 [fire crackling, crickets chirping] 18:47 [coyote barking] 18:50 ♪[ominous music]♪ 18:55 [insects chirping] 18:57 [camera rattling] 19:00 [wind blowing, insects buzzing, feet crunching grass] 19:03 [indistinct voices] 19:05 [wind blowing] 19:10 [insects buzzing at night] 19:11 ♪[music]♪ 19:19 [dramatic sounds, heart thumping, creaking] 19:29 ♪[dramatic music]♪ 19:31 [crowd cheering] 19:40 ♪[soft music]♪ 19:54 >>John Bradshaw: July 1969. 19:57 And the world watched on 19:59 as American astronaut Neil Armstrong 20:02 took "one small step for a man and one giant leap for mankind." 20:08 [record scratching sound] 20:09 Or did he? 20:10 Don't miss "Moon Landing," 20:13 part 4 of It Is Written's series 20:15 "Conspiracy, More Than Just a Theory." 20:19 Travel to Titusville, Florida, and the Kennedy Space Center 20:22 and meet astronaut Dr. Don Thomas, 20:25 a veteran of four space shuttle missions. 20:28 Open the Bible and find out what you can really believe. 20:33 How can you know the Bible can be trusted 20:35 in today's modern world? 20:37 Increase your faith 20:38 and grow in your understanding of God's Word. 20:42 "Moon Landing," 20:43 part of the series "Conspiracy, More Than Just a Theory." 20:48 Don't miss "Moon Landing" 20:50 on It Is Written TV. 20:55 >>John Bradshaw: Thanks for joining me today 20:57 on It Is Written. 20:58 The Bible verses we're looking at suggest to us 21:01 that we are coming towards a time of real trouble 21:03 for the earth. 21:04 Matthew 24, verse 6 says, 21:06 "You will hear of wars and rumors of wars." 21:08 Now, given the context of the passage, 21:11 it's telling us that in earth's last days 21:13 we'll see actual open fighting, a lot of regrettable situations 21:18 where there will be very real conflict. 21:21 Next we read, "See that you are not troubled; 21:24 for all these things must come to pass, 21:27 but the end is not yet." 21:30 Now, this is really important. 21:32 Remember, in this war between Christ and Satan, 21:36 not only is the character of God 21:39 pitted against the character of Satan, 21:41 but God's system of lovingkindness 21:44 is pitted against Satan's system of selfishness. 21:50 And typical of any politician, 21:53 Satan will try and spin any event into an affirmation 21:57 of his way and into a condemnation of God. 22:01 The whole miserable campaign ends when Satan's system 22:04 is in obvious failure, 22:06 and he's run out of excuses and accusations. 22:09 Until then, "These things must come to pass." 22:12 We have to live through the decline and failure 22:15 of Satan's system. 22:16 For how else could it be proven to be false? 22:19 How else could the charges against God's character 22:22 also be proven false? 22:24 Now, this is an important concept, 22:25 so let me say those words again: 22:28 "See that you are not troubled; 22:29 for all these things must come to pass, 22:32 but the end is not yet." 22:35 Now, the next verse is verse 7. 22:36 It starts out like this: 22:38 "Nation will rise against nation, 22:40 and kingdom against kingdom." 22:42 So we're going to see dramatically more conflict. 22:45 In regard to nation against nation, 22:47 that means conflict between states, 22:49 which are entities that have borders and a flag. 22:52 When it says kingdom against kingdom, 22:54 it refers to groups of affiliated people 22:56 who don't have borders and a flag. 22:59 So this could mean, say, Turks against the Kurds, 23:02 Hutus against Tutsis, Arabs against Jews. 23:04 And, of course, you can get 23:06 tremendously complicated situations going 23:08 where you have both kinds of conflicts at once. 23:11 States against states and people groups against people groups. 23:16 The rest of verse 7 says, "And there [will] be famines, 23:19 ...pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers [areas]." 23:23 The famine part is clear enough. 23:25 "Pestilences" refers to disease. 23:27 That can mean dramatic incidence of diseases that we know 23:31 or the resurgence of diseases that we thought we had beaten 23:35 or the spread of diseases which are new to us. 23:39 And, of course, we're clearly told we will see 23:41 more and more earthquakes, which are something 23:43 that appears to be happening right now in real time. 23:48 The last verse we're looking at, verse 8, says, 23:51 "All these are the beginning of sorrows." 23:54 The word there used means "birth pains," 23:57 which means that, like birth pains, 23:58 it isn't just a one-off earthquake that means too much, 24:01 but it's that these things are becoming more frequent 24:04 and more intense the closer we get to the return of Jesus. 24:08 When we study the state of the earth as it is now 24:11 and in the near future, 24:13 and we compare that to what the Bible says will happen 24:15 during the last days of the earth, 24:17 there are some inescapable conclusions. 24:20 First, the two descriptions are essentially the same. 24:24 What the Bible calls the "last days of the earth" 24:27 have already begun. 24:28 We're living in the end times, 24:31 and we conclude that Satan's system is an utter catastrophe. 24:36 Which makes it all the more amazing that he's still running 24:38 his campaign and still fooling massive amounts of people. 24:44 The natural result of Satan's system is death, 24:48 disease, suffering, injustice, and strife. 24:53 But there's a way out of this nightmare 24:55 Satan's rebellion has caused. 24:57 If we turn our backs on Satan, if we leave his rebellion, 25:02 and if we accept the gift of salvation 25:04 that Jesus has provided us, 25:06 then we have a future ahead of us that's amazing. 25:10 If ever there was a time to pause and open our hearts 25:13 to Christ, it's now. 25:15 And the thing is, He's just waiting to come in. 25:19 Given where we are in history, 25:21 given that we've actually entered "the last days," 25:24 we should be asking some truly critical questions, such as, 25:29 "What should I be doing?" 25:31 and "How does Satan's system end?" 25:33 and "What happens after that?" 25:35 Now, we'll answer those questions 25:37 next time we're together. 25:39 The greatest question we could wrestle with 25:41 is the question of where we stand with God. 25:44 How are things between you and God? 25:47 Have you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior 25:50 Now, that's a question that we can answer now. 25:56 >>John: Thank you for remembering that It Is Written 25:58 exists because of the kindness of people just like you. 26:01 To support this international life-changing ministry, 26:04 please call us now at 800-253-3000. 26:09 You can send your tax-deductible gift 26:10 to the address on your screen, 26:12 or you can visit us online at itiswritten.com. 26:16 Thank you for your prayers and for your financial support. 26:18 Our number again is 800-253-3000, 26:23 or you can visit us online at itiswritten.com. 26:27 >>John Bradshaw: Let's pray together, 26:28 and let's answer that question that we asked just a moment ago. 26:33 Our Father in heaven, we thank You today for Jesus. 26:36 We thank You that things can always be good 26:38 between us and You. 26:41 We thank You that Your heart is toward us. 26:43 We look around a world that's just going down, down, down. 26:47 Things seem to be spinning out of control. 26:50 But we know this is a time to be hopeful, if our hope is in You. 26:54 Friend, is your hope in the God of heaven? 26:56 Does the God of heaven have your heart? 26:59 Have you chosen Jesus as your Lord, 27:02 as your Savior? 27:04 If you do, open your heart to God now, would you? 27:06 Lord, our hearts are open; 27:08 our arms are stretched out towards You. 27:11 Take hold of our hand, keep us, and never let us go. 27:14 We know that these are some of the very final days 27:17 of earth's history. 27:19 And we thank You that Jesus is coming back soon. 27:22 As we've offered You our hearts, we know that we shall be ready, 27:25 not by works of righteousness which we have done, 27:28 but because in Your mercy You save us. 27:31 Now, keep us, we pray, now and eternally, 27:35 in Jesus' name. 27:37 Amen. 27:38 Thank you so much for joining me. 27:39 I'm looking forward to seeing you again next time. 27:42 Until then, remember: 27:44 "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, 27:48 but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'" 27:53 ♪[theme music]♪ |
Revised 2019-11-26