Participants: John Bradshaw
Series Code: IIW
Program Code: IIW001385A
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00:00 ♪[Dramatic Music Score]♪
00:06 It has stood the test of time, God's book, the Bible. 00:16 Still relevant in today's complex world. 00:21 It Is Written, sharing hope around the globe. 00:36 Thanks for joining me today. This is It Is Written. 00:38 I'm John Bradshaw. We look around society and we 00:41 see something as clear as day. The environment seems to be 00:47 falling apart. The news is full 00:50 of such reports. Scientists are making claims 00:53 whether it's about global warming or a person's carbon 00:56 footprint or the Ozone layer or air pollution or just 01:00 regular old pollution. It certainly seems that today's 01:04 world is not the same as yesterday's world. 01:08 It seems that we are sinking. Today, on It Is Written, 01:10 we are going to look at that through the lens of Scripture. 01:13 Does the Bible support this view? 01:16 Is there anything we can do about it? 01:18 And what does the decay of our environment suggest about the 01:22 fulfillment of Bible prophecy. My guest today is 01:26 Scott Christiansen, a Christian minister and author, 01:29 a seminar presenter and someone who has worked in various 01:32 locations around the world in positions that have enabled him 01:36 to see environmental change up close. 01:39 Scott Christiansen, thanks for joining me. 01:41 Welcome to It Is Written. SC My please. 01:43 Thank you. JB What does the Bible have to 01:44 say about the decay of the environment? Anything? 01:47 Nothing? Something? Much? What? 01:49 SC Well, the Bible says that there will be 01:51 tremendous decay in society as a result of sin. 01:55 Let's go to Isaiah 51:6 where the Bible says the earth will 01:59 wax old as a garment and basically be falling apart and 02:04 let's go to Romans 8:22 where the Bible says that 02:09 all of creation groans. I look at this verse and it is 02:12 clear that it is because of sin. Why else would a world that was 02:16 created in perfection be groaning. 02:17 JB In fact, Paul wrote that creation wants to escape 02:20 the bondage that it is now experiencing. 02:22 SC Absolutely. JB Let me up the ante a little 02:25 bit because there is a verse that comes to my mind in the 02:27 Book of Revelation, Chapter 11, 02:30 the nations were angry, your wrath has come and so on. 02:33 The end of that verse, Revelation 11:18 says 02:37 that God will destroy "those who destroy 02:40 the earth." Revelation 11:18. 02:43 Does that mean what it sounds like it means? 02:46 SC That God is an environmentalist 02:48 or that he is angry over the destruction of his planet? 02:49 JB That God cares about the environment and that destroying 02:51 the earth is not good. Is that what it means? 02:53 SC If we look in Job, we are told that the morning 02:56 star sang at the creation of the earth and we know that God was 03:02 excited about his creation. He looked at it and he said it 03:04 was very good. What we have not really 03:07 appreciated previous to this, as Christians, 03:12 is that sin affects man profoundly and it affects the 03:15 earth itself, profoundly. I mean, there is a reason 03:19 God hates sin and there is a reason that it 03:21 needs to be eradicated completely and the earth needs 03:23 to be re-created because sin only subtracts. 03:27 It only takes away. It only decays. 03:30 It only causes death. It adds to nothing. 03:32 Let's discuss some of what we see specifically because the 03:38 Bible says the earth is falling apart and it connected to sin 03:42 something that your average environmentalist is not going to 03:45 connect the dots like that. Let's be specific. 03:49 What do we see in the world today that suggests the 03:52 environment actually is falling apart. 03:55 Well, if we take a look at the systems that God created, 03:58 let's talk about systems instead of just minor specifics 04:01 around the globe and when I talk about systems 04:04 I mean, our atmospheric system, our climate system, 04:06 our oceanic system, our fresh water system and 04:08 our food production system, you know, 04:10 soil was created and the Garden of Eden, 04:12 food production and human society were created as part 04:16 of the creation week. Let's take a look at the system 04:19 that is falling apart the most rapidly, 04:21 our oceanic system. JB Ok 04:22 SC Good studies out, validated studies out, 04:24 published studies out project that fisheries 04:28 on a global basis will be essentially depleted, 04:30 will be collapsed within 25 years and we are on 04:34 a steep downward slope when it comes to fisheries 04:36 and that is a big deal. There is a billion people who 04:38 rely upon those fisheries for almost all of their food. 04:42 JB And billions of others who rely on the fisheries for some 04:45 of their food. SC When you have a growing 04:47 population, beyond seven billion, 04:48 and we are at a razor-thin margin between what we produce 04:52 and consume every year and you take the food for a billion 04:55 people out of that equation, that is a very big deal. 04:58 Our soils are being systematically degraded. 05:00 We have very poor practices across the globe. 05:02 More than 20 million acres a year consistently are taken out 05:07 of food production because they are totally degraded. 05:09 JB Wait a minute. How much is 20 million acres? 05:12 SC Well I come from the state of Maine and that would not quite 05:15 be the entire state of Maine but it would be a lot of the State 05:17 of Maine. That is a lot of area. 05:19 JB So it is almost the size of Maine. 05:20 SC Yeah, almost the size of Maine. 05:22 We have to remember that some of that is slash and burn in the 05:25 tropics but there is also farmland that has been farmed 05:28 for a very long time that has just become so degraded, 05:31 it comes out of production. JB But essentially that much 05:34 land is taken out every year because it is worthless now. 05:37 SC It is, yes. JB In terms of food production. 05:39 SC That's correct. JB Well that's dramatic. Okay, 05:40 keep talking to me about food production issues. 05:43 I can see that this is directly related to population issues. 05:48 More people to feed now. SC There is an organization out 05:51 of Boston in the US called NECSI and they are easy to find 05:56 and their published studies are easy to find. 05:58 They have taken a look at the 20 year or beyond 06:02 price chart that is published by the United Nations that shows 06:07 significant price spikes in food. 06:09 We had a long period of price stability followed by 06:13 significant price spikes over the last five or six years. 06:16 And then they issued a graph showing that at the peak of 06:21 those price spikes were rebellions and uprisings and 06:25 conflicts within nations and between nations and basically 06:29 what they are saying is "look, there is a perfect correlation 06:32 between price spikes and the increasing instability 06:36 in society. So if you go back and you say 06:39 okay, we are really on the razor's 06:41 edge on a global basis on food and our ability 06:45 to produce is declining and our oceans are crashing, 06:48 we get from there directly into societal instability and we get 06:52 there directly into conflict and you can reference from there 06:56 Matthew 24, wars and rumors of war. 06:58 We see the iron links between the environment and its 07:03 accelerating degradation and the fulfillment of prophecy. 07:08 JB I am very interested in the idea about food production and 07:11 the environmental issues that are squeezing food production 07:15 and therefore, squeezing populations. 07:17 Let's talk more about that in just a moment. 07:19 This is It Is Written. Don't go away, 07:21 we'll be right back. 07:23 ♪(Calming Reflective Music)♪ Every Word is a one-minute 07:25 Bible-based daily devotional presented by Pastor John 07:29 Bradshaw and designed especially for busy people like you. 07:32 Look for Every Word on selected networks or watch it on-line 07:35 everyday on our website, itiswritten.com. 07:40 ♪ [Rythmic Melody] ♪ 07:47 Thanks for joining me. Not long ago I found myself in 07:50 the midst of a storm - a reall big one. 07:53 Trees were uprooted and roads were closed and there was a lot 07:55 of damage - but the storm passed as storms do. 07:59 The Bible talks about the mother of all storms in Daniel 12:1 - 08:02 and encourages us that there's hope even in the midst 08:05 of great trial. "there shall be a time of 08:07 trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, 08:10 even to that time. And at that time your people 08:12 shall be delivered, every one who is found 08:15 written in the book." A time of trouble 08:17 such a never was - but God's people 08:20 will be delivered. If it looks to you like the 08:22 world is getting worse, the truth is 08:24 you ain't seen nothing yet. But the greatest truth 08:27 is that God's people are going to be delivered. 08:30 That's good news I'm John Bradshaw 08:33 for It Is Written. Let's live today by Every Word. 08:40 This is It Is Written Thanks for joining me today. 08:43 We are talking about the environment and its relationship 08:46 to the Word of God in particular to Bible prophecy and my guest 08:50 today is Scott Christiansen. Scott, let's talk about where 08:54 we were just a moment ago, food production. 08:57 Now, you know, where I live, 08:59 I can eat what I want, when I want, 09:02 it doesn't seem like there are many food production issues 09:07 to me. Let's discuss this on a global 09:10 basis and talk about how the collapsing environ is 09:15 actually affecting food production. 09:17 First of all, let's to go to ... 09:18 whether or not you notice it ... many of the people watching this 09:21 program are going to be from North America or Western Europe. 09:24 These are the areas on the globe where there is an abundance of 09:27 resources, not necessarily an abundance of 09:29 good but an abundance of resources they can afford food. 09:32 Well, let's take as an example Corn Flakes. 09:35 Let's say you are having Corn Flakes for breakfast and let's 09:37 say the price of corn doubles, as it did last year. 09:40 Let's say that your Corn Flakes are not going to double in price 09:43 because of packaging, because of marketing, 09:45 because of all the things that go into those Corn Flakes, 09:47 the actual corn in your Corn Flakes is probably only 09:50 20 cents or so. So when the part 09:53 of your Corn Flakes, you pay $4 for that box and 09:55 when the price of corn doubles and it goes up to $4.20 09:58 you don't even notice. Or if you do notice, 10:00 maybe you notice just a little tiny bit, 10:02 but remember ... there's 3.5 billion people on 10:06 the face of the earth that are making $2.50 a day or less and 10:10 they are s pending from 50 to 90% of their income 10:13 on food alone and so when they are 10:16 buying literally a handful of corn or a handful of wheat or a 10:19 handful of rice and prices significantly increase, 10:22 where is that money going to come from so that they can keep 10:24 getting the minimum amount of food that they need. 10:27 These price spikes profoundly affect billions of people on the 10:31 face of the earth and we don't even notice in North America. 10:35 JB Okay, what are some other systems. 10:37 You talk about God-created systems. 10:39 These systems are being affected by sin causing decay 10:44 environmentally. What is another one? 10:46 SC Well, we talked about oceanic systems. 10:48 Our fresh water system. Around the world aquifers are 10:50 being pumped out and this is a huge deal because they are being 10:53 pumped out to keep irrigating crops. 10:57 These aquifers fill up very, very slowly. 10:59 They fill up, if you will, 11:00 on geological time. So when these aquifers are 11:03 pumped out either to give a major city water or to irrigate 11:06 crops. There is no replacing them. 11:09 This is happening all over the world. 11:11 We are not living in any or that is nearly sustainable. 11:13 And let me take as an example the Ogalala Aquifer underlying 11:16 eight states in Central and Midwest US and this underlies a 11:22 significant area of grain production and in fact, 11:26 it provides the water for everything above it. 11:28 The industry, cities and agriculture. 11:31 It is shrinking at the edges and it is expected to be completely 11:34 depleted as a resource within 25 years. 11:37 JB What happens if this thing disappears? 11:38 SC Well we just can't produce the grain and we can't have the 11:41 cities that are there, and the industries there. 11:43 There is nothing to replace it as a resource. 11:45 JB But can't we just build a desalination plant and pump 11:48 water in? SC Well if there is an endless 11:49 supply of energy, yes. 11:52 And that is a very expensive thing that is being proposed. 11:54 Especially if we do it with oil. But if there is an endless 11:56 supply of energy, then theoretically 11:58 we could do many things. You're talking a river flowing 12:01 in reverse to make this thing go and maybe if this was 12:05 our only problem in the globe, we could fix this one thing. 12:08 People say "what's going on?" and there is no real answer to 12:12 that until you start talking about the effect of sin. 12:15 From a Christian perspective, sin is the problem. 12:18 Christ is the solution. JB I think what we are going to 12:22 do in just a moment is talk about the big picture. 12:25 The environment's collapsing. We see markers everywhere, 12:29 signs everywhere telling us that this is a planet in distress, 12:33 a planet in decay. Is there a way out? 12:35 What does it mean? What is the ultimate solution? 12:38 Let's cover that next. SC Very good 12:40 JB We'll be back with more in just a moment. 12:42 I'm John Bradshaw. This is It Is Written. 12:46 ♪ [Thoughtful Melody] ♪ Planning for your financial 12:49 future is a vital aspect of Christian stewardship. 12:52 For this reason, It Is Written is pleased 12:54 to offer free planned giving and estate services. 12:57 For information on how we can help you, 12:59 please call 1 (800) 992-2219. Call today, or visit 13:05 our special website, www.HisLegacy.com 13:16 JB Our discussion today is centering on the relationship 13:18 between the decay we see in the environment around us and 13:23 the signs we read about in the Bible, 13:25 the spiritual implications of an environment that seems to be 13:29 collapsing. Scott, let's talk a little bit 13:32 more about some specifics, where we see, maybe some 13:35 alarm bells ringing in the environment. 13:39 A moment ago we talked about the global food supply and we 13:43 discussed a couple of things that would concern anybody. 13:45 Looking at it biblically, the Bible does say that the 13:48 earth is going to deteriorate, wax old like a garment, 13:52 in fact, it would be destroyed according 13:54 to what we read in Scripture. What are some other areas where 13:57 we see signs that really ought to alarm people and point them 14:01 to what the Bible has said about the environment. 14:04 SC It's an interesting question, really, 14:06 because we only live so long. For us to go back and say well 14:11 here's the amount of damage over the last 400 years and here is 14:15 the extent to which it is accelerating at our current age. 14:17 That's a tough thing. There is a book called 14:20 The End of the Line that looks at the oceans 14:23 as they exist in written records 400 years ago and 300 14:27 years ago and these were incredibly productive oceans. 14:31 I mean, these are oceans that just 14:32 filled with life. I mean, 14:34 you could just harvest and harvest and harvest. 14:36 As late as 1940 and 1950, the oceans were thought to be 14:41 limitless in the amount of resources that they were able 14:43 to give. Now, scientists are calling this 14:47 the Miocene era, the age of slime, 14:50 when most life forms in the ocean are either declining or 14:54 dying and our oceans are transitioning to an environment 14:57 where they are really hospitable for algae, 15:01 fungus and bacteria. JB Are we really seeing an 15:04 increase in recent years or are we just better at observing? 15:08 SC No. We are seeing an absolute decrease, 15:11 if you will, in the amount of resource. 15:13 JB An increase and a decrease. SC Yes. 15:16 If things happen slowly enough and they happened over a 15:20 multitude of lifetimes that prior to say, 1960, 15:24 we weren't really noticing degradation in the environment 15:28 and in addition to that the population burden on the planet 15:30 was half of what it is now. Now we have got more people, 15:33 we've got more pressure and we are seeing a greater and greater 15:36 acceleration in the decay of the actual planet itself and we are 15:39 beginning to see impacts on society and we are sitting up 15:42 and taking notice. It is a big deal. 15:45 JB What is the end game? What is the way out? 15:47 Can it be fixed? SC No. 15:48 My response to this is what is your proposal for reversing the 15:52 effect of sin? Well, let's put it like this. 15:55 What is going on in the world is very serious, 15:57 very serious and for Christians who study their Bible and who 16:01 look at the signs as Christ laid them out in Matthew 24 16:05 and who connect the dots, is our sense of urgency 16:09 commensurate with what we see around us? 16:11 Are we rising to the crisis that is at hand and to the end of 16:15 time? These are very big questions. 16:19 JB Should I be worried about whether or not 16:20 I am going to eat? What can I do or should I 16:22 buy a house with a great big basement 16:24 and stock it with beans and rice and wheat? 16:28 Is that what I should do? SC Well, 16:29 the Bible tells us that we should not worry. 16:33 In fact, it tells us in Matthew 24 16:36 not to worry because these things must happen. 16:39 And the Bible also tells us that our bread will be sure and our 16:42 water will be sure. The question is: 16:46 Are we working for our Master? Are fulfilling 16:49 the great commission? If we are not close to Christ, 16:53 if we don't know him as a friend, 16:55 if we are fully of the world and not of Christ then there is a 16:59 lot to worry about. There's a tremendous amount to 17:01 worry about because the world is ending and we have no hope. 17:04 If Christ is our Savior and we are fully committed to him and 17:09 looking away from the world and toward his coming, 17:11 then we don't need to worry but we do need to work. 17:14 JB So there is a Savior who has pledged to take care of those 17:16 who trust in him. SC Yes JB Even though that the 17:19 world might be falling apart around us. 17:22 There is a hope, is there? 17:23 SC There's great hope. There's tremendous hope. 17:25 JB Prophetically, where do you think this leads us in the 17:29 overall flow of Bible prophecy? SC Well let's go to Scripture. 17:34 I focus on Matthew 24:6-8. There will be wars 17:37 and rumors of wars, etc... In Matthew 24, 17:41 Christ walked his disciples through what would happen 17:45 in history, relatively near term history, 17:48 but also what would happen at the end of time. 17:50 As with all great prophecy, it had a dual application and so 17:54 we know the waymarks. Christ himself articulated the 17:57 waymarks for us that we were to watch for. 18:00 And I look at this and we are early on in the final waymarks. 18:07 But these events happen very rapidly at the close and so we 18:10 are headed towards what some call a time of Jacob's trouble, 18:14 a time of little trouble, a time of great disruption 18:17 on the earth, but before the time of 18:19 tribulation and Christ's coming. The point is, 18:23 because we don't know exactly when those things happen and 18:25 because we don't know exactly the way between here and there, 18:29 [Sounds of Thunder] the point is we are living in 18:31 the End Times. We are living in 18:33 prophetic times. We are living in historic times. 18:38 JB So is it fair to say that if we didn't have some of these 18:40 environmental pressures in the world then we might not see 18:44 last day Bible prophecy being fulfilled with the rapidity 18:47 that it is being fulfilled. Is that what you are saying? 18:50 SC That is what I am saying. If we open our eyes we can see 18:53 things that are pointing to Scripture and that are pointing 18:56 to prophecy and the fulfillment of that prophecy. 18:58 In Mark 13:32-37 we are told repeatedly to watch and to pray. 19:06 We are told to watch. And we are not told to watch and 19:09 then given nothing to watch for. So in this time we are seeing 19:14 the culmination of the effects of sin and we are seeing that 19:18 bleed into or actually be a causative 19:21 of prophetic fulfillment. That's a big deal. 19:24 JB Yes it is. I wonder if we can talk about 19:26 the direct link, how we get from cause to effect. 19:29 There we were in the Garden of Eden, 19:30 everything was very perfect. Eve and then Adam ate the fruit 19:34 that was offered them by the serpent. 19:36 Things went on pretty well, it seems. 19:38 Now God said things are going to change. 19:41 For instance, thorns were going to grow. 19:44 SC That's right. JB So thorns, 19:46 the direct result of sin. SC Thorns are the direct result 19:48 of sin but this is also under debate because God placed three 19:54 successive curses upon the earth. 19:57 There is the curse of Adam. We have to till, 20:00 sweat of your brow, and thorns and thistles. 20:02 So would this curse have come without sin? 20:05 No. Would thorns have come 20:09 without this curse? Well, 20:11 there's room for debate there and I will leave that to the 20:12 theologians. But the two, 20:14 it's definitely one piece. But then there is also the curse 20:17 of Cain where again the productivity of the earth 20:19 is cursed. And then there is the final 20:22 curse if you will, which is not an explicit curse, 20:24 but what else could the flood be called that turned a beautiful 20:28 and perfect world into a world that is not productive the way 20:33 it used to be. JB One thing I am interested in 20:35 is that you say, very appropriately, 20:39 I believe, that it is hard for us to really 20:40 gauge this as we might because we only see 20:43 a very thin slice of the pie owing to the fact that we 20:46 live on this earth such a short time relative to its 20:49 longevity. What do you think we would think 20:53 if we saw the world before the flood? 20:57 SC I think we would be heartbroken that we can't live 20:59 there now. I think we would be so stunned 21:01 by the beauty and the peacefulness and the security. 21:06 You know, the earth that was created to 21:07 delight us daily and astound us daily 21:11 and yet we have to live here. Those who have hope would be 21:16 excited and those without hope might gain hope through Christ. 21:21 But really, if we knew what we were missing 21:23 out on, and we're talking earth, 21:24 not heaven, you know, we are just talking the earth 21:27 and heaven is so much more glorious. 21:28 If we knew what we were missing out on, 21:29 I think we would have a very difficult time just enduring 21:33 our lives here. JB The signs around us tell us 21:36 Jesus is coming back soon. SC Absolutely. 21:39 JB The environment says we are headed in a certain direction. 21:42 It isn't good. Scientists are trying. 21:45 Governments have treaties and protocols and proposals 21:47 and so forth. Nothing is working, is it? 21:50 SC No. The consequences of sin must be 21:53 fully known so that rebellion does not happen again. 21:56 We are told in Revelation that Satan was in rebellion and took 22:00 his angels with him so this can't happen again 22:03 and Christ says, you know, 22:05 these things must happen. These things must take place. 22:08 So there is no fix. But look. 22:10 Here is the thing, you know, 22:12 and I have said it before. Does our sense of urgency match 22:16 the current situation? Are we fully awake? 22:19 Are we on our "A" game for Christ?" 22:22 Are we working in a way that the current situation calls for? 22:27 And no, we are pretty much asleep as in Matthew 25. 22:31 JB There are certain things environmental issues that we 22:33 might see in the world that perhaps there are ... I don't 22:37 want to say solutions for ... but other ways of doing things. 22:41 But there is something that appears to get in the way very 22:44 often and that is human greed which is sin. 22:48 SC Right. JB So if we could only take sin 22:51 out of the picture we might have ways to deal with certain 22:54 environmental issues, certain environmental problems, 22:57 certain pollution issues. But whenever somebody has 23:01 a dollar in the game, a bottom line to protect, that 23:05 old greed instinct kicks in. Self gets involved 23:09 rather than selflessness. It seems as long as there are 23:13 people who are not committed to Jesus and who are living for 23:16 their own self rather than for Christ, 23:21 there is just no way out. SC Well I think this is an 23:23 argument for why the earth has to be recreated and why humans 23:30 are changed in the twinkling of an eye. 23:32 Nothing that is tainted by sin will make it into the new earth 23:37 and will make it into heaven. I mean you talk of basically 23:41 the power of sin, the power of sin to decay, 23:43 the power of sin to destroy. We see it in the world 23:46 around us. We are coming to the point, 23:47 even with our short term observation, 23:50 that we can see it in the natural world. 23:52 It has to be obliterated for us to be able to return to an earth 23:57 that is not in decay. JB The message is the earth 24:01 is going in one direction but the good news about that is 24:05 that it is telling us Jesus is coming back soon. 24:08 SC Absolutely. JB Surely there is no more 24:10 important work we can do now than to be ready for the Lord's 24:13 return. SC And this is the big question. 24:15 Are we ready? Really, this is where the 24:18 rubber meets the road. We see the signs. 24:23 The earth is decaying. We see prophecy being fulfilled. 24:27 We see the fullness of sin, both in man and the earth. 24:31 Are we ready? Do we know Jesus Christ as a 24:32 friend? Are we ready to lean on him in 24:35 the days ahead? Are we ready to embrace Him 24:38 when he returns? This is the actual question. 24:41 JB Scott Christiansen, it has been wonderful. 24:43 Thanks for taking the time. SC My pleasure. 24:44 JB God bless you. 24:48 ♪ [Pensive Interlude] ♪ 24:58 It may be the greatest promise in the whole Bible-- 25:02 "I will come again!" Jesus who died to save us 25:06 is preparing a place for us and is coming soon 25:08 to take us there! But such a promise raises 25:11 obvious questions, such as: when will He return? 25:16 how will He return? and how can I be sure I'm ready? 25:22 It's important to separate fact from fiction, and I'd like 25:24 to send you a FREE booklet that will walk you through 25:27 what the Bible says about the return of Jesus. 25:30 It's called, "The Second Coming of Jesus." 25:33 Just call (800) 253-3000 and ask for your copy 25:38 of "The Second Coming of Jesus." If the line's busy, 25:41 please try again, or write us at It Is 25:44 Written, P.O. Box 6, Chattanooga, TN 37401. 25:50 We'll mail a free copy to you in North America. 25:53 It Is Written is a faith-based ministry and your support makes 25:56 it possible for us to share God's good news with the world. 26:00 Your tax-deductible gift can be sent to the address on your 26:03 screen, or via our website at ItIsWritten.com. 26:07 Thank you for your continued prayerful support. 26:10 Again, our toll- free number is (800) 253-3000, 26:15 and our web address is ItIsWritten.com. 26:21 As we look around the world it seems that there is no doubt 26:24 there are signs that ought to alert us that Jesus is coming 26:27 back soon. The question is: Are you ready? 26:31 When Jesus comes back, will that be good news for you? 26:34 I hope so and he hopes so too. Let's pray together than when 26:38 Jesus returns it will be for us the best thing 26:41 that's ever happened. ♪ [quiet melody] ♪ 26:43 Our Father in heaven, thank you that we have a hope, hope 26:45 through all of the signs, hope through the distress and decay, 26:47 hope through an environment which is creaking 26:50 and waxing old, that Jesus is coming back soon 26:53 and I pray that when he does He'll gather us together 26:56 and take us with him. Lord, there is just one thing 26:59 and that is if Jesus owns our heart. 27:03 Friend, as we pray, would you yield your heart to Jesus? 27:05 Would you invite Him now to be your Lord and your Savior? 27:09 Would you let him live His life in you? 27:12 Father, please do those things and we will look beyond the 27:15 decay of this world to the hope we have in Jesus, 27:18 to that wonderful day when he comes back. 27:20 Keep us until then, I pray, in Jesus' name, Amen. 27:29 ♪ [Musical Interlude] ♪ 27:43 I am very thankful you joined us today. 27:45 I look forward to seeing you again next time. 27:47 Until then, remember It is written, 27:50 man shall not live by bread alone but by every word 27:55 that proceeds from the mouth of God. 27:57 ♪ [Theme Music Swells] ♪ |
Revised 2015-10-15