Participants: John Bradshaw
Series Code: IIW
Program Code: IIW001285
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00:07 It has stood the test of time.
00:12 God's book, the Bible. 00:17 Still relevant in today's complex world. 00:21 It Is Written, sharing hope around the globe. 00:36 Thanks for joining me today on It Is Written. 00:38 I am John Bradshaw. 00:40 Have you ever noticed that food products you so often 00:44 see in advertisements don't seem to bear much resemblance 00:48 to the food you actually see in restaurants and fast-food 00:51 places? 00:52 These big glossy pictures you see in billboards and on signs 00:54 and in magazines and various ads here and there - 00:58 I've often heard people say, and I'm sure I've said 01:00 myself, "That doesn't look a lot like anything 01:07 I've ever purchased..." 01:08 McDonald's in Canada recently released a video showing how 01:10 one of their burgers is prepared for a photo shoot. 01:13 For a burger to look good in an advertisement it takes 01:15 a whole team of stylists several hours of preparation. 01:19 The video shows that the burger is prepared 01:21 meticulously before being photographed in a photo 01:23 studio - the cheese is melted down with a warmed knife 01:27 and mustard and ketchup are actually added 01:29 with a syringe. 01:30 The bun is then strategically slanted to show off 01:33 the ingredients in the most attractive way, 01:36 and then comes - computer magic. 01:38 The colors in the photo are digitally enhanced, and all 01:41 the imperfections in the bun are smoothed out so that 01:44 everything looks perfect. 01:46 [Music in the background] You might think you're 01:48 looking at the real thing, but you're not. 01:51 The real thing is far less perfect that the publicity 01:56 suggests. 02:01 I haven't eaten one of these in more than 20 years... 02:04 Now, I hope you don't mind me comparing a fast-food burger 02:08 to the church, but I'm about to. 02:11 It isn't uncommon to have an idea in your mind of what 02:14 the church should be like, and, then find out 02:17 that like this burger right here the church often appears 02:21 to be more perfect than it really is. 02:25 You drive past a beautiful big building and you might 02:27 think to yourself, "Ooooh." 02:29 Or you hear the choir sing or the pastor speak or you hear 02:32 about the community programs and you might think, "Those 02:35 people must be so close to God!" 02:37 And maybe some of them are. 02:40 I remember the first time I walked into a church after 02:42 I'd decided to be a follower of Jesus. 02:45 They sang! 02:46 They prayed! 02:47 They acted the part! 02:48 I thought they were all ready to go to heaven right then. 02:51 But before too long, the gloss started to wear off, in that I 02:55 discovered people weren't as perfect as I thought 02:59 they might have been. 03:01 And over the years, I've discovered that it's very 03:03 hard to find a perfect church. 03:05 In fact, I've never found one. 03:08 Never even come close. 03:10 And this discourages some people, you know? 03:13 Here's the sad truth. 03:14 Church leaders and pastors and ministers and members 03:16 frequently get it wrong: there are moral failings, 03:21 financial messes, inter-personal friction... 03:23 and some of these things even make the headlines in the news 03:26 media. 03:27 People are imperfect, they act imperfectly, and yet 03:32 Jesus rested the hopes for the future of the church 03:36 upon imperfect people. 03:37 And how does He feel about this? 03:40 Well, God's history with His people is sort of complex, 03:43 in a way. 03:44 He created a perfect world and put two perfect people 03:46 in a perfect garden, and they went astray! 03:49 He would have to send His Son Jesus to redeem the world 03:52 and bring the human family back into harmony with Him. 03:55 Later, God called Abraham to follow Him. 03:58 But even Abraham didn't always get it right. 04:01 Then, like his dad, Isaac lied about his wife; Jacob 04:05 swindled Esau; and the sons of Jacob were just plain 04:09 dysfunctional at times. 04:10 And these were God's "leaders". 04:14 Israel was in the wilderness 40 years because of their 04:16 unbelief, and they were led by Moses, who was a murderer! 04:21 They finally made it to the Promised Land, and acquitted 04:24 themselves so badly 10 of the twelve tribes were 04:29 scattered and absorbed into the heathen nations around them. 04:32 Then, when Jesus came to Israel - His church, really - 04:36 He hardly got a great welcome. 04:39 There were hundreds of prophecies about His coming. 04:41 John 1:11 puts it this way. 04:44 He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. 04:48 The book of Isaiah says in chapter 53:3, He is despised 04:53 and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with 05:00 grief. 05:01 His own people called for His death, and had Him nailed 05:05 to a cross. 05:06 His own people! 05:07 And you think YOUR church has problems. 05:11 Someone who was there when Jesus was crucified was 05:14 the apostle John. 05:15 About 60 years after the crucifixion, John wrote 05:18 the book of Revelation. 05:20 John was a prisoner on the Island of Patmos, a tiny 05:23 island in the Aegean Sea, close to Turkey, measuring 05:26 just 13 square miles in area. 05:28 Now for perspective, New York City is 468 square miles. 05:32 Patmos is just over half the size of Providence, 05:36 Rhode Island, and smaller than Frankfort, KY. 05:38 And there was John, on Patmos, a prisoner, when God 05:42 gave him the vision that ended up being 05:46 the Book of Revelation. 05:47 And John was aware that the early Christian church 05:50 was far from perfect! 05:51 He'd seen it all - arguing, theological debates, 05:55 troublemakers in the church, faulty church leaders... 05:58 But I want you to notice something - and that is, 06:02 where John saw Jesus. 06:04 Let's look in Revelation 1, verses 12 and 13. 06:09 "Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. 06:12 And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands, 06:14 and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son 06:18 of Man." 06:21 Now this is fascinating, because we read in Revelation 06:23 1:20 that "the seven lampstands which you saw are 06:28 the seven churches." 06:31 Isn't that something? 06:32 Jesus is shown as being in the midst of His churches- 06:35 His far from perfect churches. 06:36 What does Jesus say about these churches? 06:42 We're going to find that in spite of all her failings, 06:45 Jesus has a lot to say about the churches that is good. 06:49 In just a moment, we'll open up Revelation 2, and find our 06:54 what Jesus likes about His church. 07:00 In Matthew 4:4 the Word of God says "It is written 'Man 07:04 shall not live by bread alone but by every word that 07:08 proceeds out of the mouth of God'." 07:10 Every Word is a one minute Bible-based daily devotional 07:13 presented by Pastor John Bradshaw and designed 07:16 especially for busy people like you. 07:18 Look for Every Word on selected networks or watch 07:21 it on-line everyday on our website itiswritten.com. 07:24 Receive a daily spiritual boost. 07:28 Watch Every Word. 07:29 You'll be glad you did. 07:30 Here4s a sample. 07:41 I get asked every now and then about this. 07:43 We're saved by grace through faith. 07:45 Right. 07:45 But then Revelation 22:12 says, "And, behold, I come 07:48 quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man 07:52 according as his work shall be." 07:55 It sounds to some people as though this is saying we're 07:56 not saved by God's grace, but by our works. 07:59 Now lets look at this carefully. 08:00 John writes that we're JUDGED by our works, not SAVED by our 08:04 works. 08:05 The point is that our works - how we live our lives - 08:08 demonstrates or gives evidence regarding the reality of our 08:11 profession. 08:13 Anyone at all can claim to be a follower of Jesus, 08:15 but it isn't what you say that really matters. 08:18 It's how you live. 08:19 That's where the evidence really is. 08:22 In the judgment, it isn't a profession God is looking for. 08:24 It's the real thing. 08:28 I'm John Bradshaw for It Is Written. 08:30 Let's live today by Every Word. 08:32 [Music] In Revelation chapters 2 08:35 and 3, John writes to seven churches in Asia Minor - 08:38 today we'd call that part of the world Turkey. 08:42 Now these were literal churches in literal places - 08:44 Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, 08:48 Philadelphia and Laodicea. 08:51 So the messages were in the first place 08:53 for those churches. 08:54 But that number 7 appears all over the book of Revelation. 08:58 You read about not only 7 churches but seven Spirits, 09:01 the seven candlesticks, seven stars, seven lamps of fire, 09:06 a book that has seven seals, the seven horns and seven 09:09 eyes of the Lamb, seven angels with seven trumpets, 09:12 seven thunders, a dragon with seven heads and seven 09:16 crowns, a beast with seven heads, seven angels having seven 09:19 vials containing the seven last plagues, and the beast 09:22 with seven heads, which are also said to be seven 09:25 mountains and seven kings. 09:27 This repeated use of the number seven with so many different 09:29 symbols suggests there's a symbolic element 09:33 to it. 09:34 Throughout Scripture the number seven, when used 09:36 symbolically, is generally understood to indicate 09:38 completeness, perfection. 09:41 While the messages to the seven churches applied to conditions 09:44 in the church of John's day, it also appears 09:48 reasonable to understand these messages as descriptive 09:51 of the whole church at any time during its history. 09:54 A Christian writer wrote in about 200 A.D. 09:56 that "John writes to the seven churches, yet he speaks to all". 10:01 In other words, there's something in there for everyone. 10:05 The churches are listed in the order a messenger 10:07 carrying a letter from John on Patmos would get to those 10:10 cities. 10:11 And the churches, though they existed long ago, 10:14 are representative of the Christian church at various 10:17 stages down through history. 10:19 Let's look at that, and let's see what Jesus likes about 10:22 His church. 10:23 First the church of Ephesus. 10:26 The word 'Ephesus' means "desirable". 10:28 It represents the first period of church history 10:30 after Christ died. 10:32 Ephesus had been a stronghold of paganism where the apostle 10:35 Paul had taught and preached and worked miracles. 10:37 Now this era represented by the church of Ephesus was one 10:40 when the gospel message was pure and the church grew, 10:45 and Jesus commends the Ephesian church by saying 10:48 in Revelation 2:2,3, "I know your works, your labor, 10:52 your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. 10:57 And that you have tested those who say they 10:59 are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; 11:03 and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored 11:05 for My name's sake and have not become weary. 11:09 Jesus says, "I know your works." 11:12 I'm aware of your deeds as they give evidence of your 11:15 moral character, and I know how you've endured.. 11:18 This was a time when the church grew. 11:22 Churches sprung up, and paganism actually feared 11:25 for it's existence. 11:26 Jewish leaders said believers had turned the world upside 11:29 down. 11:30 And Jesus commends the Ephesians by saying, "I know 11:34 how you can not bear them which are evil. 11:37 You have tried them who claim to be true believers, 11:40 and you've uncovered them." 11:41 Now Jesus likes it when we have very little tolerance 11:45 for sin - especially in our own lives. 11:47 Not intolerance for evildoers, because there is an evildoer 11:50 inside all of us. 11:52 Jesus says, What I like about my church, is that they have 11:56 accepted my standard of righteousness. 11:59 Now here's a challenge for us. 12:02 We live in an age of moral relativism. 12:05 Preachers are under immense pressure to soft-peddle 12:08 the Bible. 12:09 But some things are wrong, and always will be wrong. 12:12 Now you don't want to sound harsh, but there are some 12:14 things that aren't consistent with Christianity. 12:17 And surely it's okay to acknowledge that. 12:19 In fact, we have a responsibility to do so. 12:21 Now, on the other hand, if you're immoral, if you're 12:26 breaking the 10 commandments, If you4re ... 12:29 whatever you4re into ... 12:31 you may know that you're doing wrong, but you may not 12:34 know how to fix that. 12:35 My friend, remember, Jesus is in the midst of his churches. 12:39 He identifies with His people. 12:41 If you hear God's voice, don't resist. 12:44 If you know that God is inviting you to make the simple request, 12:46 Lord Jesus, come into my heart and make me new, 12:49 He will do that for you! 12:53 He really will. 12:54 The Ephesian church actually stood for something, and Jesus 12:56 said, That's something I like about My church! 13:02 The next church mentioned is the church of Smyrna, and we 13:06 will look at the church of Smyrna in just a moment. 13:08 I4ll be right back. 13:12 Planning for your financial future is a vital aspect 13:14 of Christian Stewardship. 13:16 For this reason, It Is Written is pleased to offer free 13:18 planned giving and estate services. 13:22 For information on how we can help you, please call 13:24 1.800.992.2219. 13:27 To receive additional material on the advantages of life 13:30 income plans, such as a Charitable Gift Annuity 13:34 which could provide you with tax benefits and income for life, 13:36 call today or visit our special website: 13:40 www.hislegacy.com. 13:44 You could also write to It Is Written, Planned Giving 13:46 and Trust Services, Box O, Thousand Oaks, California 13:49 91359. 13:52 Our toll-free number again is 1.800.992.2219 and our web 13:58 address is www.hislegacy.com. 14:09 Eyes for India is giving sight to the blind and you 14:12 can be a part of this amazing work that God is doing. 14:16 Fifteen million blind people live in India, more than any 14:19 other country in the world. 14:21 And many of the blind in India could see again, if only they 14:24 could have simple cataract surgery. 14:27 It Is Written is making that happen. 14:30 Would you support Eyes for India? 14:33 For just $75 you'll be giving the gift of sight to someone 14:37 who desperately wants to see. 14:40 Here's all you need to do. 14:40 Call 1.800.253.3000 to donate and support Eyes for India. 14:48 Or you can write to: It Is Written, Box O, 14:51 Thousand Oaks, California, 91359. 14:55 You will also find Eyes for India on-line 14:58 at itiswritten.com. 15:02 Thanks for joining me today on It Is Written. 15:04 Today we are looking at the churches mentioned 15:07 in the opening chapters of the book of Revelation. 15:09 The next church we4re looking at is the church of Smyrna. 15:12 Smyrna - might mean "sweet smelling", which possibly 15:14 equates with the many who gave their lives for their 15:18 faith in Jesus. 15:20 Some scholars say the church of Smyrna correlates with 15:22 the period of history from about the end of the 1st century 15:25 to about the beginning of the 4th. 15:26 What does Jesus like about this church? 15:29 Let's read Revelation 2:9 "I know your works, tribulation, 15:33 and poverty (but you are rich); and I know 15:37 the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews and are not, 15:41 but are a synagogue of Satan." 15:44 He goes on to urge them not to fear, but to hold fast 15:47 and be faithful. 15:49 These were people who were poor in this world's goods, 15:51 but Jesus called them rich because they were rich 15:55 in faith, and Jesus liked that about His church. 15:58 Jesus likes it when His church manifests faith in Him 16:01 no matter what the circumstances. 16:03 And that's what faith is. 16:04 Faith is believing the word of God simply because 16:07 it's the word of God, and not because of anything external 16:11 suggesting that you should. 16:13 Anyone can trust God when things are good, but when 16:15 the chips are down, that's another matter. 16:18 I read the story of a man who'd been wrongly imprisoned 16:21 in the State of Oregon for over 20 years, for a crime 16:23 he didn't commit. 16:24 When he was finally released he was able to say, 16:28 God is good. 16:29 No bitterness. 16:30 You see, he never lost his faith and he trusted in God, 16:32 even when the chips were down. 16:34 And that's faith. 16:35 And that's what Jesus liked about the church of Smyrna. 16:38 Rich in faith, even when they had nothing else. 16:43 The third church is the church of Pergamos, which means 16:45 "elevation". 16:48 What did Jesus like about this church? 16:51 When the Roman Emperor Constantine embraced 16:53 Christianity, the Christian faith was elevated to a position 16:56 of favor among the Roman Empire. 16:59 Church and state started to join hands. 17:02 And Jesus says to the church of Pergamos in Revelation 17:06 2:13, "I know your works, and where you dwell, where 17:11 Satan's throne is. 17:13 And you hold fast to My name, and did not deny My faith." 17:18 Jesus likes it because they have not denied His faith. 17:22 Not denied the "faith" in Him, and therefore in 17:25 His word. 17:27 You know, I don't have to have answers to all 17:29 the questions that the Bible raises, and I don't know 17:32 anyone who does, actually. 17:34 I might have answers for many, but I can't tell you 17:36 how Jesus could raise the dead. 17:39 Or give sight to the blind. 17:40 Or turn water into wine. 17:41 Or heal lepers. 17:43 But I don't have to know how He did it. 17:46 I simply believe that He did it. 17:48 It's that easy. 17:49 You know today, a staggering amount of churches don't believe 17:51 in the Bible account of a 6-day creation. 17:54 Why? 17:55 Because certain scientific 'evidence' raises questions 17:59 that can be difficult to answer. 18:01 Now it's wise to be as educated as you can be on different 18:03 subjects, but at the end of the day I might just have 18:06 to admit that I don't understand certain things, 18:09 but that I've understood I can trust God. 18:13 That's faith. 18:15 I can't tell how God wrapped rings around Saturn or 18:17 painted that big red spot right there on the side 18:20 of Jupiter. 18:21 You know, a group of scientists calculated that 18:24 there are more than 70 sextillion stars in the sky. 18:27 And these are just the ones you can count. 18:30 You might ask, How many is that? 18:34 Well, I4ll tell you. 18:35 More stars than grains of sand on all the beaches 18:38 and in all the deserts there are on planet earth. 18:42 These are just the ones you can see! 18:44 In other words, the universe is infinite. 18:46 And so is God! 18:48 So when Jesus says, when the church believes, 18:53 has faith, I like that! 18:54 We can understand what He4s saying. 18:57 If you're wondering why we're ignoring the 'bad' things 18:59 about these churches listed in Revelation 2 and 3, 19:03 the things Jesus 'doesn't' like, we looked at those things 19:06 in another It Is Written program. 19:08 Yes, there are plenty of things Jesus doesn't like 19:10 about these churches. 19:11 But again, remember where He stands. 19:14 Revelation has Jesus standing in the midst of the churches. 19:17 Even when His people don't get it right, Jesus stands 19:21 with His church. 19:22 The church of Thyatira is said to correspond 19:26 to the middle and dark ages, a time of great persecution. 19:30 Here is what Jesus says in Revelation 2:19 "I know your 19:37 works, love, service, faith, and your patience; 19:43 and as for your works, the last are more than the first." 19:48 The last were more than the first. 19:51 In other words, they experienced spiritual growth. 19:55 Jesus was able to say, I like that about my church. 19:57 They're growing. 19:58 They're pushing forward. 19:59 They're becoming more like me. 20:02 They're not staying still. 20:03 There was plenty about Thyatira that wasn't so good. 20:07 But here's a key point: God wants us to be pressing 20:10 forward in our faith. 20:12 You might not be what you ought to be, but if you're 20:14 not what you used to be that could demonstrate that you're 20:18 growing. 20:19 Faith in God is to be a growing experience. 20:21 A continual pressing forward. 20:23 You don't want to get to the place where you stop 20:27 growing, where you quit moving forward, where you've 20:29 plateaued and you're not becoming more like Christ. 20:34 Remember what Jesus said in John 8:31 & 32. 20:40 "Then Jesus said ..."If you abide in My word, 20:43 you are My disciples indeed. 20:45 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you 20:49 free." 20:50 The thought there is continuing in God's word, not stagnating. 20:55 How is it with you, friend? 20:56 Don't be satisfied with the status quo 20:59 in your experience. 21:00 Keep on pressing forward with Jesus. 21:04 The church of Sardis is said to be the church during 21:06 Protestant reformation times. 21:08 Jesus says in Revelation 3:4, "You have a few names even 21:16 in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they 21:21 shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy." 21:26 There were some here who stayed true to Jesus, even 21:30 though the majority had forsaken Him. 21:32 Jesus likes that! 21:34 And that tells me that we can stay close to Him even when 21:37 those around us don't. 21:40 Many people have lived Christian lives in un-Christian 21:42 homes. 21:43 Spouses who have weathered difficult marriages 21:45 to individuals who looked like they'd never change or who 21:48 would never make a spiritual commitment in their lives. 21:51 But Jesus is with His people in those difficulties. 21:54 Some in Sardis hadn't defiled their garments, and Jesus 21:58 liked that! 22:00 Then there's the church at Philadelphia. 22:02 Jesus says in Revelation 3:10, "Because you have kept 22:05 My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the 22:10 hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, 22:14 to test those who dwell on the earth." 22:18 There's something about just hanging on to God. 22:20 Here were people who had kept the word of His patience. 22:23 Jesus liked that. 22:25 If we hang on to Him with a faith that just refuses to 22:28 let go, He will keep us from temptation. 22:31 You know, the spiritual strength we need from day 22:33 to day is found in God. 22:35 Really, ours is just to hold on to God and expect Him 22:39 to do what He wants to do in our lives. 22:41 The church at Philadelphia did that. 22:43 They persevered. 22:45 And now the church of Laodicea. 22:47 Laodicea means "a people judged", or "the judging 22:50 of the people" This Laodicean church correlates 22:53 to the end-time church. 22:55 There's not much here that's very complimentary. 22:57 In fact, I can't find anything in this passage that would 23:00 constitute Jesus saying something positive, something 23:03 He likes, about His church. 23:06 And maybe......maybe that's what's most encouraging. 23:11 When the church is failing Him, Jesus still says, 23:14 "That's my church." 23:16 I'm not trying to give a free pass to unfaithful churches 23:18 or church leaders. 23:20 If you read the rest of the letters to the 7 23:22 churches, you'll find that Jesus doesn't give them any kind 23:24 of free pass either. 23:26 But to a lukewarm church, the church of Laodicea, a church 23:29 that doesn't even know the seriousness of its lost 23:31 condition, Jesus issues an invitation. 23:35 In Revelation 3:20, 21 he says, "Behold, I stand 23:41 at the door and knock. 23:42 If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come 23:46 in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. 23:50 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My 23:53 throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father 23:57 on His throne." 24:00 Even though the church has let Him down, Jesus issues 24:03 a gracious invitation. 24:04 The invitation to repent, and to have your life 24:09 connected with His. 24:11 Even in this day when imperfect people often fail 24:15 to represent God as they could, or should, God offers 24:18 us the chance to be connected with Him. 24:21 In spite of our own imperfections, our own 24:23 failings, Jesus is gracious enough to offer us a seat 24:27 with Him in His throne. 24:29 Jesus still sees things He likes about His church. 24:33 And about you. 24:35 The offer is open, to all of us, to open the door of our 24:39 hearts and let Jesus come into our lives. 24:44 I want to ask you, are you willing to do that today? 24:48 The church might be imperfect, we might be imperfect. 24:52 Yet, God finds something about us to rejoice in. 24:55 And perhaps it is simply this: That we are his. 25:00 Let's pray together. 25:02 Our Father in heaven, thank you. 25:04 Thank you. 25:05 Thank you that we can look at these seven churches 25:07 so imperfect and yet find that Jesus says, "Here's what 25:10 I like about my church." 25:13 Thank you, Lord, that you can look at our lives and find 25:15 something in us that is worth redeeming, something in us 25:19 that you wish to save. 25:20 I pray today that as you find something likeable about 25:25 these churches, as you find something to be joyful about 25:30 in the seven churches in the Book of Revelation, 25:33 I am grateful that you can find in us something that makes your 25:35 heart glad. 25:36 Lord, would you take your heart and let us be like 25:38 these people invited in Revelation to open up 25:41 the door and let you come in so that we might spend real 25:45 time, eternal time, with you. 25:47 We thank you today for encouraging us 25:50 from your word and we pray in Jesus' name, Amen. 26:26 I hope you'll get the book I am offering you today. 26:29 It's called Revelation Today. 26:31 It adds a lot of details to the end-time scenario 26:32 presented in the Book of Revelation. 26:34 This little book is going to help you understand what 26:36 the Book of Revelation is really all about and it untangles 26:38 the end-time prophetic scenario to let you see how the battle 26:42 between good and evil ultimately plays out. 26:45 Just call or write and I will send you Revelation Today. 26:47 There is no cost. 26:48 There is no obligation. 26:50 It is absolutely free. 26:51 All you need to do is call 1.800.253.3000 and ask 26:54 for Revelation Today. 26:56 You can call 24 hours a day. 26:57 If the line is busy, please just keep on trying. 26:59 You can also request your free copy of Revelation Today 27:02 by writing to It Is Written, Box O, Thousand Oaks, 27:06 California, 91359. 27:07 We'll mail you a copy to your address in North America. 27:12 Please note: This free book is limited to the supply 27:15 on hand. 27:16 To get it right away, you can download a free electronic 27:18 version of the book Revelation Today from our website, 27:20 itiswritten.com. 27:23 It Is Written is a faith-based ministry made possible 27:26 by viewers like you. 27:28 Thank you for your kind support. 27:29 Your tax deductible gift can be sent to the address 27:32 on our screen or you can support us on-line 27:35 at itiswritten.com. 27:36 Our toll-free number is 1.800.253.3000 and our web 27:41 address is itiswritten.com. 27:47 Music Thanks for joining me today. 27:49 I look forward to seeing you next time. 27:52 And remember - It Is Written: man shall not live by bread 27:55 alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth 27:59 of God. |
Revised 2015-02-05