Participants:
Series Code: UBP
Program Code: UBP000002S
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00:01 Is COVID-19 a sign that the world is about to end? Will we
00:05 have another economic collapse? Is Jesus appearing in different 00:09 places around the world right now? Did you know that the Bible 00:12 precisely predicts events surrounding the end of the world 00:15 But most importantly the Bible gives instruction on how we can 00:19 be ready for that end. Together we will be answering these 00:23 questions from the Bible right now on Unlocking Bible 00:26 Prophecies. 00:30 The rise of an international pandemic polarizing global 00:34 politics. Increasingly destructive natural disasters 00:38 Bush fires in Australia are a warning of what may be to come 00:41 around the world. 00:43 What does it all mean? What does the future hold? Join 00:49 international speaker Cami Oetman on a journey for answers 00:53 in Unlocking Bible Prophecies. In her travels around the world 00:57 she's come face to face with real life struggles but in the 01:00 midst of them she's found miracles of hope. Join Cami 01:05 Oetman for Unlocking Bible Prophecies as she shares how 01:08 Bible prophecy is being fulfilled faster than ever 01:12 before. 01:14 ♪ ♪ 01:21 Hi, I'm Cami Oetman. Welcome back to Unlocking Bible 01:24 Prophecies, a thrilling journey through some of the most 01:26 important prophecies in the Bible. Yesterday we began with 01:30 in incredible story of the ancient king Nebuchadnezzar and 01:33 his dream given to him by God that predicted the rise and fall 01:38 of the major world empires. When Jesus foretold how this world's 01:42 final end time events will play out can we trust that this is 01:46 what will happen? Absolutely, friend. God keeps every one of 01:50 his promises to us. The Bible also lets us know that God cares 01:54 for this world and most importantly he cares for you. 01:57 As we look to the past we will sit at the feet of Jesus and 02:01 hear a most sobering teaching on the signs of the end of the 02:04 world. You won't want to miss his incredible instruction on 02:07 this, an all important topic. But before we get into the 02:11 presentation I'd like to go over some of the logistics of 02:14 Unlocking Bible Prophecies. We have several resources we would 02:17 like to offer you, all of which can be accessed by going to 02:21 awr.org/bible. First you can find all of the archived 02:27 presentations to watch and share with others. Second, our goal 02:30 at Unlocking Bible Prophecies is for you to receive tools to grow 02:34 spiritually. So we invite you to enroll in our online Bible 02:37 school where you will have the opportunity to dig more deeply 02:41 into many Bible topics. Before we begin our second presentation 02:44 The Signs, let's pray together. 02:47 Heaven Father, King of the Universe, Lord we come before 02:52 tonight. We want to learn about the signs that you have given 02:55 us so that we are warned in advance of how to prepare for 02:59 them so that we're not frightened but that we are 03:02 relying on you and have us fall deeply in love with you tonight 03:06 as we study your warnings for us Lord. We love and adore you and 03:11 many people out there that have been wondering about these 03:14 things have their questions answered tonight so they can 03:17 feel assured by you in your Holy Word. In Jesus' precious, 03:21 powerful name, Amen. 03:22 We have been in the midst of a worldwide global shutdown, a 03:27 global pandemic. This is something unprecedented 03:31 and many people are afraid for themselves and their loved ones. 03:35 Potential economic disaster might be around the corner. 03:39 And many shelves in the grocery stores are now empty and you may 03:43 not be able to get what you need You may be afraid of what the 03:47 future holds. Our minds are flooded with unanswered 03:50 questions. Will the economy collapse? Will I be able to feed 03:54 my family or have a place to live? Will a vaccination be 03:59 found quickly for COVID-19? When we look around the world 04:04 tonight we see many people are perplexed and troubled. People 04:08 of all backgrounds and cultures are becoming increasingly 04:11 anxious. They are worried as they look toward the future. 04:14 They wonder what is coming next? Bible prophecy clearly reveals 04:20 God's plan for the future. Let's repeat our theme for this series 04:32 The book of Revelation begins and ends with the glorious 04:36 climax of the coming of Jesus. Revelation 1:7 promises:... 04:55 Revelation lifts our eyes upwards to heaven, taking us 04:59 from the problems of this world to the solution who is Jesus. 05:03 The last chapter of the book of Revelation shows us how close we 05:07 are to Jesus' second coming. Revelation 22:20 says:... 05:21 In Revelation 22 Jesus says three times:... 05:27 He wants us to be prepared for this climactic event. You may be 05:31 wondering how soon is Jesus going to come? Jesus' disciples 05:36 wondered the same thing. They asked him directly in 05:39 Matthew 24 verse 3:... 05:45 In chapter 24 Jesus outlines more than 20 signs of his return 05:52 Isn't that exciting? He loves us so much he lets us know in 05:57 advance, so let's go through some of these together tonight. 06:00 In a masterful presentation, Jesus blended the events 06:03 associated with the fall of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. with those 06:08 that would take place at the end of the world. He foretold signs 06:13 of his return that would be occurring in the world of 06:15 religion, the arena of politics, the sphere of nature and in the 06:20 culture of society. The first of these signs concerns the world 06:25 of religion. Let's go to Matthew 24:24 and see what Jesus warns. 06:37 Before the second coming we should expect an explosion of 06:41 false teachings from religious leaders who are misleading 06:44 people away from the word of God by false signs. Not all 06:50 miraculous works are done by God friends. The Bible teaches that 06:53 evil spirits can perform miracles too. Let's look in 06:56 Revelation 16:14:... 07:09 You see these false teachers call attention to their supposed 07:14 miracles as proof of their powers so that you believe 07:18 whatever they teach. But these signs will be demon inspired to 07:23 deceive men and women. They are counterfeits. The closer they 07:28 get to the original the more credible the counterfeit appears 07:31 That's why you need to know the Bible for yourself, my friend. 07:36 Beware if any religious teacher tries to lead you away from the 07:41 Bible. So what is the Bible standard of a true teacher then? 07:45 I John 2 verse 4:... 07:56 Therefore, a true teacher will keep the commandments and speak 08:01 the truth. So beware if anyone comes to you, even if they claim 08:05 miraculous signs and they can heal the sick, if they disregard 08:09 the plain teachings of the Bible run! Run to your Bible. And this 08:14 is precisely why each Bible text is on the screen so you can see 08:17 it with your own eyes and please look it up in your very own 08:22 Bible. I commit to you that we will only use God's word as our 08:27 guide during these meetings. I invite you to study it for 08:30 yourself. Don't take my word for it. You need to make sure that 08:34 what you believe is truth. A Thus sayeth the Lord. False 08:40 teachers leading religious cults are rising up around the world. 08:43 We can see that. For example: Shoko Asahara published a book 08:47 declaring himself Christ. He also claimed to be Japan's only 08:52 fully enlightened master and took the title Lamb of God. 08:56 Asahara claimed that he could transfer spiritual power to his 09:00 followers and take away their sins and they bad karma. Three 09:05 years after his book was published his followers released 09:08 a deadly gas in the Tokyo subway killing 13 and injuring 09:13 thousands of people. In the last 50 years there has been a rapid 09:18 increase in those claiming to be divine spiritual leaders. On the 09:22 continent of Africa Joseph Kibwetere and Credonia Mwerinde 09:27 led hundreds of their cult followers to a fiery death 09:30 after feasting on three bowls and drinking 70 crates of soft 09:35 drinks. The final death toll settled at 924 people. Jesus 09:41 also cautioned there would be an end time explosion in occult 09:45 activity, in psychic phenomena. Books on the occult and magic 09:50 continue to sell in the multimillions. Supernatural 09:54 themes permeate our blockbuster movies, our hit TV shows and 09:59 there are countless sites promoting it on the internet. 10:01 More and more people are turning to psychics, mediums, 10:05 astrology, et cetera. Desperate people are seeking real answers 10:11 to their problems, but they won't find them in the stars. 10:14 We can see these false Christs and false prophets are a sign of 10:19 the last day. Next, let's turn to Matthew 24 verses 6 and 7. 10:24 Jesus says:... 10:33 Jesus predicted just before the end there would be international 10:39 conflicts on a global scale. In other words, there would be 10:43 world wars. Now looking back at the last century we know it has 10:47 been the bloodiest of all. One sociologist estimated in the 10:52 20th century there were 180 million deaths just from war 10:57 alone. In the 21st century, there have been so many 11:01 conflicts across the globe, like Iraq, Afghanistan, Ukraine, 11:06 Yemen, Syria. That's just to name a few. So much devastation 11:12 as war rages on. All the uncertainty and unrest in so 11:17 many of the nations around the world. People are looking for 11:22 hope and the only real hope is in Christ our Savior. It doesn't 11:26 matter where you live on this planet, people are longing for 11:31 peace. But world peace is very fragile. The Bible predicts that 11:36 all human attempts to achieve global peace will fail. 11:40 The apostle Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5:3 11:43 describes it this way:... 11:53 A classic example of a peace treaty that was supposed to end 11:57 all war is the Treaty of Versailles on June 28, 1919, 12:01 which then led to the League of Nations. But that didn't work. 12:06 No. It wasn't long until the worst world war in history, 12:10 World War II, broke out and then this led to the formation of the 12:13 United Nations in 1945. But it's best efforts have also failed 12:18 to achieve world peace. You see war has continued to just 12:22 engulf this planet. God's word is so accurate. It speaks of our 12:28 day. Never before in history has the human race had the ability 12:32 to exterminate itself. When Jesus comes again it will be at 12:38 a time when the human race has a capacity to destroy the whole 12:41 earth. Did the human race have this ability a hundred years 12:45 ago? No. Today we have the nuclear capability to annihilate 12:50 earth's population multiple times over. Jesus promised that 12:55 when the world would be gripped with fear, he would step in, 12:59 intervene and deliver us. Luke 21:26 says:... 13:13 When the world is closing in on you and fear is gripping your 13:19 heart you need to turn your eyes on Jesus because he's the peace 13:23 maker. All of history is moving towards a grand climax. Jesus 13:30 says, Lift your eyes off this earth and focus them on Divine 13:35 reality. He says, I am about to return. Unlocking these Bible 13:42 prophecies reveals there is hope friends. We have looked at the 13:46 signs in religion and politics. Now what does the Bible say are 13:50 the signs in nature? The Bible predicts that all nature will be 13:54 out of control just before the coming of Jesus. We should 13:57 expect tornadoes, fires, floods, hurricanes and an epidemic of 14:03 destruction that we can hardly even imagine. Among these 14:07 natural disasters is the Bible's prediction for worldwide hunger 14:11 and famine. Matthew 24 verse 7: 14:20 Now we have always had famines and hungry children but the 14:25 difference is that it is escalating on an international 14:28 scale at an unprecedented rate. According to the World Food 14:33 Program at the end of 2019, 135 million people were living with 14:39 acute hunger. But with many countries around the world 14:43 enforcing quarantine that number is likely to rise to 265 million 14:49 The article goes on to say before the coronavirus even 14:54 became an issue 2020 would be facing the worse humanitarian 14:58 crisis since World War II for a number of reasons. As deaths 15:04 caused by coronavirus around the world continue to rise the World 15:08 Food Program has warned that the world faces a possible hunger 15:13 pandemic as a number of people most in need of food could 15:19 almost double this year. For example, right now there are 15:24 millions in India who have been without work for weeks during 15:28 COVID-19 that are facing hunger. BBC reports that this shutdown 15:32 could lead to a global famine. Another contributing factor to 15:37 human hunger is a strange occurrence that is happening in 15:40 several places. Beginning in 2019 there has been a locust 15:45 infestation spreading across Africa, the Arabian Peninsula 15:49 and South Asia. This outbreak of desert locusts is threatening 15:54 the food supply across the region. There are more and more 15:57 people to feed and less and less food to feed them. We can see 16:02 with precise accuracy that what the Bible has predicted is 16:06 coming true. Let's look at Matthew 24:7 again, it says:... 16:14 Hmm. That is a uncommon word. What is a pestilence? It is a 16:19 contagious or infectious epidemic disease that is 16:23 poisonous and lethal, such as we have all experienced with 16:28 COVID-19. Again Bible prophecy is being fulfilled. There are 16:34 millions of deaths from vector borne diseases or pestilences 16:37 such as malaria, dengue, yellow fever, Japanese encephalitis. 16:42 You've heard of pesticides on our crops. Well the reason 16:46 farmers put pesticides on crops is because diseases are 16:49 destroying them. Jesus also warned in Matthew 24:7 there 16:54 would be earthquakes:... 17:01 Well the National Earthquake Information Center records an 17:04 average of 20,000 earthquakes every year. That's about 50 a 17:09 day around our world. There are, however, millions of earthquakes 17:13 estimated to occur every year that are too weak to even be 17:16 recorded:... 17:24 Let's now look at Luke 21 verse 11:... 17:37 This upheaval in nature would reveal itself in various ways. 17:41 Hurricanes, typhoons, tornadoes, floods and fires would manifest 17:47 themselves in rapid succession. Did you know that in 2019 17:51 40 billion dollars was spent on weather disasters alone? We have 17:58 seen so many fires happening recently like in California and 18:02 the devastation in Australia. In New South Wales, well they just 18:07 had the worst fire season in history with 13.6 million acres 18:11 burned or six percent of their entire state. Zimbabwe faced the 18:17 deadliest weather-related disaster on record last year 18:20 as a result of a tropical cyclone Ida. The Bahamas 18:24 suffered their most expensive weather-related disaster when 18:27 Hurricane Dorian hit in 2019. Just months ago in Batangas, 18:32 Philippines the world witnessed the eruption of Taal Volcano. 18:37 My video crew and I had just been filming a miracle story at 18:40 the top of this beautiful mountain weeks before. These 18:45 natural disasters are signs of prophecy being fulfilled. We can 18:49 have confidence in the Bible because Jesus told us these 18:53 things in advance, not to scare us but to inform us because he 18:58 loves us so much. We see what the Bible says regarding the 19:02 signs of Jesus' coming in religion, politics, and nature. 19:06 Now let's look at his predictions regarding the social 19:09 life around us. Our Lord predicted society's morals 19:13 would be degraded and fall apart before the second coming. Jesus 19:17 says in Matthew 24 verse 37:... 19:25 So what did the days of Noah look like? People were focused 19:31 on themselves self-gratification They only cared about having fun 19:36 and attending the latest parties They sought pleasure and 19:39 relaxation, drinking and feasting. They just cared about 19:43 having a good time. They had numbed themselves from Godly 19:47 things. In Genesis chapter 6:11,12 we are told regarding 19:52 this time:... 20:08 In Noah's day God destroyed the world with a flood because it 20:11 was filled with violence. Through their actions they 20:14 illustrated they had little desire to repent of their sins. 20:17 People had become so hardened by their persistent rejection of 20:22 God's word and were so out of tune of spiritual natters that 20:26 when they witnessed the supernatural miracle of the 20:29 animals filing through the ark's door in perfect organization it 20:33 didn't even phase them. Only for a brief moment were they 20:37 slightly impressed with God's sign that their world was coming 20:41 to an end. Friend, let's not be numb like in Noah's day. Can you 20:47 see the signs? Even the most casual observers among us know 20:52 that this past year, this past month, was an important time in 20:56 human history. Something is brewing; everyone can feel it. 21:01 Friends is our Lord coming soon Yes he is and it would be well 21:06 for us to be like Noah who had an understanding of the time in 21:10 which he lived. And he and his family followed God's word and 21:14 got into the ark. The Bible also predicts economic uncertainty as 21:19 a sign of the last days. James 5:1-3 describes it this way:... 21:43 Wow! Revelation 18:17 then says 21:48 Within the last few months we have all seen the stocks markets 21:52 crash. Jesus is coming. These prophecies are being fulfilled 21:56 before our very eyes today. But there is one more sign which 21:59 will prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that indeed we are living 22:03 in the very last days of this world's history. What is it? 22:07 The final sign that Jesus gives is in Matthew 24: The gospel 22:12 will be preached to the whole world. Matthew 24 verse 14. 22:17 I love this text:... 22:27 Revelation 14:6 says:... 22:41 In my travels documenting miracles in the most remote 22:44 corners of this world, I have witnessed with my own eyes, God 22:48 is reaching the unreachable. It is happening right now. Those of 22:54 you watching this series are a part of this great prophecy. 22:57 As you are hearing this gospel message being aired in every 23:00 time zone around the world tonight. In my work, I see first 23:04 hand how God has no walls, no borders and no limits. Let me 23:10 show you what I mean. Come with me to the Philippine Islands. 23:13 Here we find a group of terrorist rebels hiding 23:16 throughout the mountain tops. For the past 49 years, they have 23:20 been dominating these areas with guerilla warfare. They call 23:25 themselves the New People's Army the NPA. These men and women are 23:30 determined to overthrow the government. Over 40,000 locals 23:34 have died in this war between the NPA and the government 23:37 military troops. These mountain natives have traditionally been 23:42 pagans. You see each family is only allowed to have three 23:45 children. If a fourth child is born the child is immediately 23:48 buried alive. This is a culture where 13-year-old girls are 23:52 forced to marry and men can pay 400 Philippine pesos to swap 23:58 wives. That's equal to about eight dollars in U.S. currency. 24:02 Like all of us, these people need Jesus and his lifesaving 24:06 principles. Less than three years ago Adventist World Radio 24:10 began broadcasting Bible messages from the coastal cities 24:13 to the highest mountain tops. Some of the NPA rebels tuned in 24:17 to this Christian station and became intrigued. Their hearts 24:20 were softened by the stories of Jesus' love. One of the top 24:24 commanders sent four of his soldiers to find the radio 24:28 broadcaster and bring him to their remote camp. They did just 24:33 that. They questioned him about Jesus and about the Bible. Soon 24:38 Bible workers were sent to study with many of the troops up in 24:41 the jungle forest. God's truth quickly spread to over 118 24:48 villages. Isn't that incredible? Our team was able to witness the 24:52 baptisms of 60 rebel soldiers and five of their top commander 24:56 generals and that was just the beginning. There have been 100s 25:00 more since. These terrorists have laid down their AK-47 guns 25:05 in exchange for a Bible and a new life in Christ. Many of them 25:10 have learned new trades like farming and selling goods in the 25:14 outdoor markets. My video crew and I had the opportunity to 25:18 film several of their personal testimonies and recreate their 25:22 stories into a short documentary film. I have to share one of 25:27 them with you. His name is Daniel. His father was a 25:32 commander in the NPA and his uncle and cousins also had 25:36 joined the troops. Daniel grew up through the ranks. It was the 25:39 only life he knew. At the age of 13 he killed for the very first 25:43 time. Soon after he was given the important title, 25:47 The Executioner, for the entire NPA. He became really, really 25:53 good at killing and was promoted to the lead hit man throughout 25:56 the Philippines. He could not even count how many he has 26:01 killed as there have been too many from politicians to 26:04 military soldiers, policemen and local criminals. The more he 26:09 killed the more numb he became never wanting to remember their 26:13 faces. Until one day. He was given a termination order, a TO 26:18 for a Christian pastor. He abducted the pastor and isolated 26:23 him in the forest jungle. The pastor was begging for his life. 26:27 And even though Daniel was stunned by the kindness in this 26:31 man's eyes he pulled the trigger You see, Daniel always completed 26:36 his killing assignments. He was known for getting the job done. 26:41 But Daniel could not forget the pastor's face and the memory 26:45 tormented him. He could find no rest. NPA soldiers are allowed 26:52 to leave their hidden posts to go home to their families for 26:55 three days every two months. So when Daniel entered his house he 27:00 heard a radio playing loudly. His wife and children were 27:04 listening to a Christian bible program. He recognized the 27:07 station as Adventist World Radio He knew other NPA comrades who 27:12 were listening and had given up fighting and were baptized. But 27:16 this was the first time he really listened. 27:19 Daniel heard stories 27:21 about a loving Savior who would leave his 99 sheep and go out 27:25 and search for the one that was lost. Daniel's heart was moved 27:29 and in that moment he understood that he was the one lost sheep. 27:35 His heart softened and Daniel and his wife took Bible studies 27:40 and were baptized along with four more generals of the NPA. 27:44 Daniel is now on a mission to share Jesus with the thousands 27:49 of other NPA troops in the jungle mountains so they too can 27:53 have better life filled with peace and the hope of life 27:57 eternal. Matthew 24:14 is coming true friends. This gospel 28:03 of the kingdom will be preached in all the world. Now come with 28:07 me to Zambia, a country in southern Africa where my three 28:10 videographers and I were entering the highest maximum 28:14 security prison in the entire country. As soon as we entered 28:18 they confiscated our camera equipment and put us in a 28:21 holding room. The guards on duty were not aware of 28:24 our invite and told 28:25 us that no media has ever been allowed inside their prison 28:29 walls. But once they confirmed that we were Adventist World 28:32 Radio they escorted us in onto their prison grounds. This was 28:38 unprecedented. You see God had made a way for gospel truth to 28:42 reach these prisoners through the airwaves into their jail 28:46 cells. This prison averages around 2400 inmates and over 28:52 1150 have now been baptized. Can you believe it? And out of 28:58 250 death row prisoners more that 50 have accepted Jesus. 29:03 That's a lot of the prison who are now Bible believing, Jesus 29:07 loving, peace filled Christians. They have the hope in Jesus. 29:11 Even Zambia's general commissioner met with us 29:14 to express his appreciation for AWR changing the atmosphere of 29:19 his prison camp. You see Jesus can do that. Hallelujah! Isn't 29:24 God incredible. He is reaching the unlikeliest in the deepest 29:28 darkest corners of this earth. That's what Jesus does. Just as 29:32 the thief who hung on the cross must have thought about his life 29:35 and the choices he had made, he knew that his crimes were 29:39 deserving of this punishment. If the man next to him, Jesus, was 29:43 so peaceful and kind, He even prayed for his persecutors. 29:48 The thief was convinced this man was the Son of God. In his last 29:53 act he only asked to be remembered. Jesus assured the 29:56 thief that he would be redeemed. From that moment on he died with 30:01 the hope of salvation. This is the same hope given to these 30:04 inmates on death row today. During this trip when we were 30:08 visiting the prison in Zambia AWR had over 1070 evangelistic 30:13 sites across the country. And 1000 of these were in the 30:16 capitol city of Lusaka alone. This has never happened before. 30:20 These people were listening to the same Bible topics that we 30:24 are studying together now. And at the end of three weeks 18,000 30:29 were baptized. Isn't that amazing? But wait. God had an 30:33 even bigger surprise when we preached across the country of 30:36 Rwanda as there were almost 108,000 baptized at the end of 30:42 three weeks. Did you hear that? One hundred and eight thousand 30:45 baptisms in a day. People are hungry for the straight truth 30:49 from the Bible. No matter the culture or where they live 30:53 There's a human desire to need the Lord. I've been sharing with 30:58 you grand scale stories but remember that within these mass 31:01 baptisms God is pursuing each one of us individually, 31:06 personally. So next I want to tell you about Rubin. Rubin 31:12 lives in Argentina. He grew up in a Christian home, but once he 31:17 set out on his own to pursue his dreams of becoming a successful 31:20 businessman, he drifted away from God. Soon he was at the 31:25 top of his game with a thriving business and everything seemed 31:28 to be going well in his world. But one day on his way home from 31:33 work he tried to hail a bus by stretching out his arm and the 31:36 driver didn't see him and Rubin was dragged under the bus. 31:40 He woke up in the ICU with broken legs, a collapsed lung 31:44 and multiple other injuries. A long and painful recovery 31:49 followed. But something strange happened that sustained him 31:52 through those grueling months. As Rubin drifted in and out of 31:56 consciousness he heard a voice telling him, You are not alone. 32:02 You will make it through this. And a peace he had never known 32:07 before washed over him and he felt hope. After four months in 32:12 the hospital Rubin went home in a wheelchair. He soon realized 32:16 he was unable to do the activities that he had once 32:20 enjoyed. He shared with us that we gradually fell into a deep 32:23 depression. I lost my job, my money, my business and the 32:29 prestige that I'd felt in my community. I was just a shell of 32:32 myself and in my anguish I decided I just didn't want to 32:36 live anymore. One day Rubin decided that he would end his 32:41 painful life by committing suicide. As he grabbed a knife 32:46 to slash his wrists the radio playing in the background 32:50 suddenly changed stations. This had never happened before and 32:54 it took him by surprise. Rubin was startled by this especially 32:59 when he a voice coming through the radio. The very same voice 33:04 he'd heard in the hospital ICU telling him that he was not 33:10 alone and he would pull through. He again felt the peace he'd 33:14 felt in the hospital. It washed over him now and all thoughts of 33:19 suicide vanished. Amazingly unbeknownst to Rubin, this is 33:24 what's really interesting, he was listening to the very first 33:29 test broadcast of one of our AWR stations. He listened to that 33:34 station all that day and every day afterward. The messages he 33:39 heard touched his heart and Rubin felt a burning desire to 33:43 get to know the truth. Today Rubin has been completely healed 33:47 He is active in his local church and leads out in a weekly 33:50 Bible study group. But the best part is that he gets to walk all 33:55 day, something he thought he'd never be able to do again, 33:57 sharing the saving gospel of Jesus. As you can see friends 34:03 the gospel leaps across all barriers through radio, 34:07 television and the internet. Many people can receive text 34:10 messages even on their phones. Biblical presentations right on 34:15 their cell phones. God is reaching people in every way 34:19 possible, from remote villages to barren deserts, to wealthy 34:24 homes in gated communities to prisons and the cities with 34:27 their teeming masses. The gospel is going forth in these last 34:31 days in remarkable ways. Millions are being stirred as 34:35 never before with a sense of urgency. Times are changing. 34:39 Millions are turning from the uncertainty of this world to 34:43 seek for a better world to come. Many have sacrificed all to take 34:48 the gospel to the far regions of this world. God is on the move. 34:52 He is doing something special. He is fulfilling prophecy. We're 34:57 on the verge of the kingdom of God. The signs that Jesus 35:01 forewarned us of in Matthew 24 are becoming more frequent and 35:07 intense. It is the midnight hour friends. And God is appealing to 35:11 you to be ready for his return. Jesus' last words to his 35:15 disciples before ascending back to heaven were something like 35:19 this: I have to leave you now, but not forever. One day I will 35:25 return and just before I do the world will seem as if it is 35:29 falling apart. Nations will grow angry with each other. Wars will 35:34 come. Even nature will seem deranged. Earthquakes will 35:38 escalate in magnitude. There will be infectious outbreaks in 35:42 epidemic proportions. And when these things begin to happen the 35:47 majority of people will be terrified. But my followers need 35:52 not be. Indeed, when all of this begins it is time to look up for 35:59 their redemption draweth nigh. Jesus says: Lo I am with you 36:04 always even unto the end of the world. And remember I love you. 36:10 Jesus is after just one thing. He longs for you to give him 36:16 your heart and enter into a relationship with him. 36:20 The second coming of Jesus is all about a reunion with you. 36:24 Right now would you like to offer up your heart to him? 36:28 Would you like to say, Jesus I see the signs of the times. It 36:32 is clear that you are coming soon. It is clear that I want to 36:38 be ready for you. 36:39 Heavenly Father, as we see the chaos in the world today, we are 36:45 so thankful that you forewarned us that these things would take 36:49 place. You have given us the assurance that you are in 36:53 control. Please take our hearts and help us to be prepared for 36:57 the soon coming of Jesus. In his precious name, Amen. 37:03 Thank you so much for watching and join us tomorrow night for 37:08 a topic titled, The Warning, where we will learn the three 37:12 angels messages and what God specifies for our generation. 37:16 You won't want to miss it. Thanks again for joining us in 37:21 Unlocking Bible Prophecies. Choose God's way. 37:24 Good night friends. 37:25 As a special bonus for our 3ABN viewers we wanted to share 37:31 stories of God's incredible miracles before we end this 37:34 program. Thank you for your prayers and support of Adventist 37:38 World Radio. Everyday lives like these are being changed 37:42 for eternity. 37:50 Find out how AWR radio has gone past the steel 37:56 cold guns straight 37:58 into the heart of youthful rebels. This is AWR 360. 38:05 ♪ ♪ 38:19 Adventist World Radio has been broadcasting God's last day 38:22 message to the unreached people groups of the world in their own 38:25 languages from its very beginning. AWR began 48 years 38:30 ago in 1971 and our mission and vision have grown beyond all 38:36 expectations. Jesus is coming very, very soon and all God's 38:41 people in spreading the gospel all around the world, all around 38:45 this little ball of mud. Our expanded focus of AWR 360 38:49 Broadcast to Baptism reaches people not only through the 38:53 radio but also through most media platforms, cell phone 38:56 evangelism and mobile medical clinics. Now incredible results 39:00 are happening all over the world because of this intense 39:03 direction, which by the way, was the dream of Allen Steel, the 39:07 founder of Adventist World Radio 39:09 One of those meetings took place one year ago on the island of 39:13 Mindoro in the Philippines. Along with the broadcast many 39:17 meetings took place and more than 2000 were baptized. Then 39:22 soon after over 77 new villages turned their lives over to the 39:27 Lord as the laymen radio hosts kept preaching. But then some of 39:31 the new listeners made a surprise visit to one of our AWR 39:35 radio broadcasters, Robert Dulay As he was biking home one day 39:41 he saw four strangers at his front door. They told him they 39:47 were rebels. On March 29, 1969 the New People's Army was formed 39:53 Armed with weapons they gradually infiltrated the 39:57 country. Their goals have been to overthrow the government 40:01 and establish a Maoist style communist regime. They regularly 40:07 ambush police and military forces. Are these men and women 40:12 to be feared for their brutality to be rejected and abandoned? 40:16 Or is God calling his faithful to go out into the highways and 40:20 byways to preach there too. 40:23 They pleaded with us to send 40:24 someone to the village to preach as they had been listening to 40:27 the radio and wanted to know more about Jesus. 40:30 It is now four months later. AWR 360 is heading to the forbidden 40:36 mountain area in the midst of where these rebels live. Where 40:42 Jesus went he often healed those around him. In like manner, we 40:46 are bringing in a team of medical laymen who are committed 40:49 to following God's healing message across the Philippines. 40:52 Helping take the medical supplies to the station point is 40:56 the Philippine military, the Fourth Division Scorpion Unit. 41:00 Seeing the good work that AWR has done in reaching the rebel 41:04 soldiers they put forth their full support of what we are 41:08 doing. They load the supplies and before we head out we have a 41:11 prayer, AWR, the medical laymen and the military, all praying 41:18 hand in hand to our God for his blessing on what we are about to 41:22 do. Finally after a long and difficult drive we reach the 41:26 staging point. As we wait, we notice many porters coming down 41:30 the trail. They will help carry the supplies the rest of the way 41:34 up the mountain. This will be a long trip with a very heavy load 41:39 Some of the porters are members of the rebel group. Once again 41:44 we have a prayer. And then the supplies are loaded for the 41:48 journey ahead. We say goodbye to the laymen and the villagers 41:52 as they make their way up the trail. It will be a tiresome 41:55 trek through the jungles, rivers and mud. It will take at least 42:01 eight hours for some to reach the village. For others, it will 42:05 be an overnight walk. The next morning we board a small mission 42:10 helicopter and it takes us to the top of the mountain. I smile 42:15 as I relive God's miracles and how he reached the rebellious 42:20 militant minded soldiers that we were about to meet face to face. 42:24 As the helicopter comes to a halt I look at the crowd 42:28 gathered before us. They are lit with smiles. We are welcomed and 42:33 the natives eagerly give us a tour. It's amazing to see how 42:37 these precious people live. Then I sit down with Efron, the 42:42 first, one who started listening to AWR. 42:47 My life was always on edge. I did many things I would rather 42:51 not talk about. But one day as I was listening to the radio 42:56 something different came on. 42:59 It was AWRs health program. 43:02 As I listened I discovered that 43:04 these people were helping many with their health problems. 43:07 They also talked about the Supreme Healer, one whose life 43:11 was devoted to others rather than himself. 43:14 This thought appealed to him and he felt the need to share it 43:18 with others. Then he began to wonder. Who are these people who 43:23 are sharing this loving message. He knew he had to find out for 43:27 himself. 43:29 I had to know more so I sought out the speaker of this program. 43:33 I sent fellow members of my unit to invite him to the mountain 43:38 top. The road they took down many times had been used to hurt 43:42 or injure, but this time it was different. My friends asked him: 43:48 Please come preach to us in the mountains. 44:01 As they met Efron shared how he has a desire to learn more about 44:08 Jesus. And AWR 360 was happy to oblige. Many laymen pastors also 44:16 climbed the mountain to preach. And soon many new rebels heard 44:20 about God through the radio and Bible studies. And they too have 44:26 a need to share it with others. And then the day came when Efron 44:32 himself walked down the mountain with one final request. 44:38 I want to be baptized and so do many others. 44:42 And so on top of this once dangerous mountain laymen 44:48 doctors healed those who were sick. And the mouths were 44:52 cleaned by the volunteer dentists. Our AWR 360 team spoke 44:57 with many villagers and prayed with many more. Additional 45:02 rebels arrived because they were interested in witnessing what 45:06 was going on. Our team preached to them and then it was time to 45:11 baptize those who had made their decision for Christ. It was a 45:16 joyous walk to the baptismal site and I believe all of heaven 45:21 was rejoicing with us as we watched Pastor McKey baptize 45:25 five rebel generals along with 60 other soldiers. These men who 45:32 were once killers in the land have now died to self. They have 45:37 laid down their earthly weapons and exchanged them for heavenly 45:41 rewards. What I witnessed today was truly a miracle. In one of 45:48 the most dangerous places on earth Adventist World Radio 45:52 boldly went forth so yearning ears could hear the mercy and 45:56 forgiveness of Jesus. Lives were changed for eternity and now 46:01 many more have a new hope of heaven forever. And this is only 46:07 the beginning. 46:09 Friends, the far reaching work of AWR is only possible with 46:14 your fervent prayers and generous financial support. 46:17 Every donation is so important. Visit our website now to donate 46:22 online. Keep in touch with AWR. We want and need you with us. 46:28 Remember, it is only working together that we will reach the 46:32 whole world with the good news of our Lord and Savior. He is 46:36 coming back so soon. This is AWR 360. 46:41 ♪ ♪ 46:57 Come with me as I discover how a self-tuning radio divinely 47:01 thwarted a suicide attempt right here in Argentina. 47:05 Hi, I'm Cami and this is AWR 360. 47:10 ♪ ♪ 47:28 Today I'm in the western part of Argentina in the city of Mendoza 47:31 Situated at the base of the Andes mountains this peaceful 47:36 place is home to just over 100,000 people. The many streets 47:41 are lined with lovely trees offering shade to passersby and 47:45 those who stop to enjoy the many colorful shops and cafes. 47:49 Outside of town lie sprawling vineyards surrounded by majestic 47:54 mountains. It's a beautiful place, but I'm not here only to 47:59 enjoy the sights. I'm here to meet Rubin and hear his 48:03 conversion story. 48:04 I find Rubin in town and I am struck by his contagious laugh 48:10 and smile. Rubin grew up in a Christian home learning about 48:14 God from his parents. But as he grew older he began to trust 48:19 more in himself than God. 48:26 I worked hard pursuing my dreams and soon became a successful 48:31 businessman. There were ups and down economically but always I 48:35 would look at myself and proudly say, Thanks to me I'm getting 48:40 back up again. 48:44 But then something happened that would challenge Rubin's ability 48:49 to get back up again and alter his life forever. 48:55 ♪ ♪ 49:01 One day on his way home from work Rubin stretched out his arm 49:04 trying to flag down an oncoming bus. For some reason though the 49:11 bus driver did not see him. The next thing he remembers is 49:19 waking up in the hospital. ♪ ♪ 49:27 Both of his legs were broken and he had a collapsed lung 49:30 along with other injuries. This terrible accident and the 49:34 complications that ensued would take Rubin two long years to 49:39 recover from. But God was at work. 49:43 ♪ ♪ 49:47 When I was in ICU drifting in and out of consciousness I felt 49:51 a peace that I had never experienced before. And I heard 49:54 a voice telling me that I was not alone and that I would make 49:57 it through alive. 50:00 After four months in the hospital, Rubin returned home 50:04 alone. Unable to do the activities he once enjoyed 50:08 depression set in. 50:12 I was a terrible mess. People would look at me strange and 50:16 they would start to cry. I was no longer the man I used to be. 50:21 I had lost my job, my money, my prestige as a businessman and 50:26 professor, everything. My life was one of anguish. I didn't 50:32 want to life anymore and decided to kill myself. 50:36 ♪ominous music♪ 50:51 On the day Rubin had decided to commit suicide something strange 50:55 and miraculous happened. While listening to his radio, it 50:59 suddenly changed stations on its own. Rubin recognized the voice 51:08 on the other end. It was the voice he had heard in the 51:11 hospital and the same feeling of peace washed over him. 51:15 Unbeknownst to Rubin what he had heard was the first test 51:19 broadcast for the new Adventist World Radio station called 51:23 Nuevo Tiempo. 51:24 I anxiously listened to Nuevo Tiempo day 51:29 after day and the words touched my heart. I wanted to know who 51:34 is the man speaking and who are Seventh-day Adventists? To find 51:40 answers Rubin went the phone book and searched for Adventists 51:44 He called the number he found 51:48 and a sweet voice answered. It was the wife of the local church 51:52 pastor and she invited him to attend church that Sabbath. 51:56 The only problem was the church was a mile and a half from his 52:00 home and he had no transportation. 52:02 I felt God telling me to walk. Walk? I can't walk with my legs 52:12 like this. But God gave me the strength and I walked the whole 52:23 way. When I got there the members welcomed me so warmly 52:30 and when I walked into the church the same feeling of peace 52:34 flooded my soul. 52:39 While at the church, he met the local pastor who recognized his 52:44 talent in sales and encouraged Rubin to attend colporteur 52:48 school. This he did and when he finished he was invited to the 52:52 conference office. He went at the appointed time, not knowing 52:55 what to expect and was ushered into a room and given a brief 53:00 case books and a colporteur jacket. 53:03 I was so excited to become a colporteur. I knew in my heart 53:09 that this was truth and I wanted to share it with others. 53:14 After completing Bible studies Rubin was baptized into the 53:18 Seventh-day Adventist church. Today he's very active in the 53:28 local church serving as a deacon leading out in prayer meeting 53:31 and a small group study. He goes door to door daily sharing the 53:39 saving gospel of Jesus through the books he sells. Rubin has 53:45 been healed completely. You would never know he once could 53:50 not walk. 53:52 I have not seen God but I feel like I hear his voice through 53:58 the messages and music of Adventist World Radio. Jesus 54:04 truly does exist. He is real. And I know this because of the 54:11 radio. To me it's a spring of living water. I owe my life to 54:16 the word of Adventist World Radio. 54:20 ♪ Music and voice over radio ♪ 54:25 ♪ ♪ 54:37 Across the globe there are millions living in difficult to 54:39 reach places where missionaries cannot go. North Africa, the 54:44 Middle East, China, North Korea, and many more. It is into these 54:49 very countries that AWRs broadcasts are penetrating 54:53 every single day from our strategic network of short wave 54:57 AM, FM, and internet stations. So how can you help spread the 55:03 gospel in these difficult to reach places? Here are two 55:07 practical ways: First pray. Prayer is the key in the hand 55:11 of faith that can unlock heaven's storehouse. 55:14 And second, visit AWR.org where you can help to expand the reach 55:19 of AWRs broadcasts by your generous donation. Thank you 55:23 for joining us and hastening Jesus' soon coming by your 55:27 needed prayers and support. Until next time: This is AWR 360 55:33 ♪ ♪ |
Revised 2021-10-12