Participants: John Bradshaw
Series Code: IIW
Program Code: IIW001438A
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01:30 [Theme music]
01:40 [Theme music] 01:49 >>John Bradshaw: This is It Is Written. I'm John Bradshaw. 01:51 Thanks for joining me. Today, I'm at the Lynn H. Wood 01:54 Archaeological Museum on the campus of Southern Adventist 01:58 University, and I'm joined by the director of the 02:00 archaeological institute, Dr. Michael Hasel. Dr. Hasel, 02:04 thanks for joining me today. >>Michael Hasel: Great 02:05 to be with you. >>John: As we've 02:06 talked before about archaeology, we've gone back in time. We've 02:09 talked about David, and we've talked about Solomon, 02:12 other great luminaries of the Bible. We've talked about 02:15 everyday life in the Bible, looking through the lens 02:18 of archaeology. But I wonder if today we could bring it a little 02:21 closer to where we are and speak about Jesus. What does 02:26 archaeology teach us, reveal to us, about Jesus Christ? 02:30 >>Michael: Well, it teaches us a great deal about the time of 02:33 Jesus, and that is often what archaeology can do for us. 02:36 Sometimes it doesn't give us specific information about 02:39 events. Sometimes it may not give us specific information 02:42 about people. But in the case of Jesus, we're going to look at 02:46 the people surrounding Jesus in the New Testament era, the time 02:49 of Christ, and some of the artifacts that will illuminate 02:52 that period and the stories that Jesus told, which, uh, played on 02:57 everyday circumstances and everyday lessons that 03:00 people could relate to. >>John: My understanding 03:02 is that it's true that there are certain individuals in the 03:05 New Testament account that archaeology does refer to, and 03:09 does shine quite a bit of light on. Now, now who would they be? 03:13 >>Michael: Well, one of them is Caiaphas, the high priest. 03:18 We find both in the book of John and also in the book of Matthew. 03:21 Caiaphas is referred to as the high priest. He is the one that 03:25 uh, initiates, if you will, the plot against Jesus in terms of 03:29 seeking his life. He was also referred to by the Jewish 03:33 historian working on behalf of the Romans, Josephus, who is 03:37 our biggest source for the New Testament era, by the way. 03:40 Josephus refers to Joseph, the son of Caiaphas, uh, as being 03:44 the high priest during this time period. And it was a few 03:47 years ago in the 1990's that excavations took place in 03:53 preparation for a new garden and park south of Jerusalem. 03:57 It's known as the Promenade Park today. And there a tomb 04:00 complex, a family tomb complex, was found dating back to the 04:03 first century A.D. And in that tomb complex there were several 04:08 ossuaries, or bone boxes, which is the typical way that Jews 04:14 were burying the dead at that time. They would allow 04:16 the body to decay. Then they would gather up the bones and 04:19 place the bones in limestone boxes that were carved. One of 04:24 the ossuaries had the Hebrew or Aramaic inscription Joseph son 04:30 of Caiapha, or Caiaphas. And many scholars today believe 04:34 that this was, in fact, the tomb, and, in fact, the bone 04:37 box of Caiaphas himself. It's in the Israel Museum now. 04:40 >>John: Okay, these things are found--tombs, ossuaries, 04:45 bone boxes. How does an archaeologist go about 04:48 establishing who this might be or what period it might be from? 04:50 >>Michael: In this particular case, we have coins that were 04:54 found in the tomb that dated to the middle of the, middle 04:56 of the, um, first century. So the coins are the best source 05:01 that we have in the New Testament period to date 05:04 things, because they give precise, uh, years on them in 05:07 relationship to kings. That was a very good evidence. And then, 05:11 of course, the name itself, which was mirrored in Josephus, 05:14 and we also have in the Bible. This was a very 05:17 elaborate bone box. It was beautifully carved, intricately 05:21 carved. And it came from a very, very prominent, um 05:26 individual and seems to fit that kind of person. 05:29 >>John: Now, when an archaeologist makes this 05:31 kind of discovery, how excited does that archaeologist get? 05:33 I mean, help me put this in perspective. An athlete 05:36 wants to win a gold medal or break a world record. And I'm 05:40 not talking about silly pride here, but, but for an 05:43 archaeologist to find something like this, is this significant, 05:46 is it career-defining, is it a mountaintop experience, 05:50 or is it just another one of those things you come 05:52 across as an archaeologist? >>Michael: I think it's a 05:54 mountaintop experience. I mean, to find a name, not just 05:57 any name, but a name of a very prominent individual who's 06:00 mentioned in the Bible, who's mentioned in ancient sources, 06:03 and then to locate that person's tomb, is an incredible thing. 06:07 Let me share with you another story of one of 06:09 those mountaintop experiences. >>John: Sure, please do. 06:11 >>Michael: Ehud Netzer was a professor at the Hebrew 06:13 University for many, many years. I worked with him at Masada back 06:16 in the 90's. And Ehud Netzer was an expert on Herod the 06:20 Great. He spent his entire career excavating Herod's 06:24 fortresses and buildings at Masada, at Caesaria Maratima, 06:29 the port city that Herod built from scratch. And also he worked 06:34 at Herodium. And as he was excavating there for years, 06:37 he was looking for the tomb of Herod the Great. 06:40 Josephus describes his burial in quite some detail. And it took 06:45 Ehud Netzer, Professor Netzer, 38 years to find that tomb. 06:49 He wasn't looking all the time; he was working at other sites. 06:51 But eventually, in his seventies, he went 06:53 back to Herodium. He began to excavate; he'd already excavated 06:57 the lower palace. He had excavated the fortress itself, 07:00 which is, which is this cone-shaped, almost 07:02 looks like a volcano type of fortress, a huge fortress of 07:06 the Roman era. And Josephus had reported that Herod was 07:09 buried at Herodium. And he had looked everywhere else. 07:12 So what he did, he took apart the entire, um, side of this 07:17 mountain on which Herodium was built. And there he found 07:21 a monumental staircase leading up to a tomb. And there inside 07:25 the tomb, destroyed completely, was a sarcophagus, probably 07:29 destroyed by the Zealots after Herod's death, a sarcophagus 07:32 that was even more elaborate than the one found at Caiaphas's 07:36 tomb, uh, a huge, full-size sarcophagus that was later 07:41 pieced back together. And while it didn't have the name Herod 07:45 the Great on it, based on the description of Josephus, based 07:48 on the monumental staircase, based on the ornateness of this 07:52 sarcophagus, of this coffin, um, we can very likely say that it 07:58 is the tomb of Herod the Great. >>John: That's the same Herod 08:01 who ordered that all of the baby boys in 08:02 Bethlehem be put to death. >>Michael: Exactly. That was 08:05 the same Herod that died just shortly after the birth 08:08 of Christ. And, you know, going back to some of the other people 08:12 surrounding Jesus, what do we know? Well, we not only have 08:16 Caiaphas, who pops up right at the end of Christ's life, 08:20 just before his death, part of the plot to kill Jesus. 08:24 And we have Pontius Pilate. Pontius Pilate was the prefect 08:28 of Judea, and in 1961, in Caesaria Maratima, 08:34 the city that Herod the Great had built, reused as a stone in 08:37 one of the great, um, theaters there, is an inscription that 08:42 basically mentions the name of the emperor, Tiberius, and then 08:45 mentions Pontius Pilate, prefect of Judea. Part of it is broken, 08:52 but the letters are all there. We're able to piece that 08:55 together. So we have the major characters, the major leaders 09:00 around Jesus mentioned. We have, or found in 09:02 archaeological record. We have Caiaphas. We have Herod the 09:06 Great. We have Pontius Pilate. These were the major figures 09:10 surrounding the life of Christ. >>John: If ever you got to 09:13 the place in your experience where you were wondering if 09:15 the Bible can ever be trusted, here are many great reasons why 09:19 you can lean on the Word of God, and believe that what it 09:22 says is valid, and relevant, and important, and true, 09:28 inspired by God Himself. We'll be back with more in 09:30 just a moment. 09:31 [Music] 09:39 >>John: A lot of people are tired of having an up-and-down 09:42 Christian experience. It doesn't need to be you. You can have a 09:45 consistent experience in your faith in God. And I want to show 09:49 you how. Get this week's free offer, a resource called 09:52 "The War is Over." To get it--and it's free--call 09:56 800-253-3000. 800-253-3000. 10:00 Or visit us online at ItisWritten.com. 10:04 ItisWritten.com. If you'd like to write, our address is 10:08 P O Box 6, Chattanooga, TN 37401. 10:12 You can enjoy consistency in your experience and 10:15 faith in God. Get this week's free resource, 10:18 "The War is Over." 800-253-3000, 10:21 or visit us online at ItIsWritten.com. 10:26 This is It Is Written. I'm John Bradshaw. Thanks for joining me 10:29 today at the Lynn H. Wood Archaeological Museum on the 10:33 campus of Southern Adventist University 10:35 in Collegedale, Tennessee. My guest today is archaeologist 10:39 and museum director Dr. Michael Hasel. Dr. Hasel, 10:43 so far we've spoken about Jesus in archaeology, although we've 10:48 spoken around Him a little bit, speaking of the supporting cast, 10:52 some of the prominent figures in the life and 10:55 times and story of Jesus. But what does archaeology 10:58 teach us about Jesus Himself? Where do we find references to 11:02 Christ in the archaeological or the historical record? 11:05 >>Michael: We find references in several important sources. 11:08 Josephus, who we've mentioned before, the Roman historian who 11:11 is actually Jewish, writing for the Romans. He is living in 11:15 the first century, and he mentions Jesus by name. 11:20 He mentions him in reference to events that took place in, 11:24 in that part of the world at that time. Uh, he's Jewish, 11:28 and he has no reason, he's not Christian, he has no reason, 11:30 really to, so he's a kind of an independent person who's 11:33 looking from the outside. We have Tacitus, the senator 11:37 from Rome, who's well known as a Roman historian. And Tacitus, 11:41 in his annals, also refers to several events. He kind of lists 11:46 a string of events that are quite interesting. He mentions 11:50 Jesus Christ, actually Christ, he says, Christos, and he says 11:55 who was put to death by Pontius Pilate. And then he continues to 12:00 refer to the Christians, uh, who are in Rome at that time. 12:04 >>John: For me this is really significant, because I've 12:06 noticed today there's an increasing tendency for 12:08 people to say, oh, Jesus was a good man, probably. I have no 12:12 problem with Jesus. I don't know that I would identify as 12:14 a Christian or claim to be a Christian. But sure, 12:17 I can accept that Jesus was this good guy who lived. 12:21 But here you've got, essentially, contemporary 12:23 historians speaking about him, talking about aspects 12:26 of his life. Uh, fascinating that Tacitus referred to him 12:30 as Christos, and that he was crucified by Pontius Pilate. 12:33 What this suggests strongly is that the Bible narrative 12:36 is for real. It's true. This Jesus as Son of God 12:39 was nailed to a cross. And I imagine that what this should 12:43 do is confront people and say, no, this isn't a theory. 12:47 Jesus wasn't simply a good man, but perhaps--not perhaps from my 12:50 point of view--definitely was everything the Bible 12:53 claimed that he was. And archaeology, 12:55 the historical record, helps us to see that, doesn't it? 12:58 >>Michael: It helps us to see that. You know, the primary 13:01 sources, though, that we really have for Jesus' life are the 13:04 gospels, the four gospels in the New Testament. When you look at, 13:08 uh, the articles that we have that are closest to Christ in 13:12 terms of time, the latest gospel was written about AD 80 by John. 13:17 These were written within the lifetime of individuals who 13:22 could have witnessed Christ's death, who were there, 13:24 who could check the, the record, if you will, to see, 13:29 was Jesus actually born in Bethlehem? Were these 13:33 prophecies that the Old Testament talked about, 13:35 were they really fulfilled in this one man? 13:37 When you have that kind of evidence, and you look, and 13:39 you compare, and you see the, the pattern of events that, 13:43 that they consistently bring out--that Jesus lived, 13:47 that He died, that He was resurrected, that he was seen 13:50 after his resurrection by all of these different witnesses, 13:54 I think that's very significant. >>John: We know from the 13:58 Bible account how Jesus died--nailed to a cross. 14:03 Now, thousands of people were crucified. What does archaeology 14:08 bring to us with regards to the crucifixion of Jesus, or, with 14:12 regards to crucifixion as a phenomenon in and of itself? 14:15 >>Michael: In Jerusalem in 1968, a new, a new development, uh, 14:20 building development was taking place, and a tomb, 14:22 a family tomb was discovered with a number of these ossuaries 14:26 that we've talked about before. And one of these ossuaries 14:29 contained the name of Jehohanan. Well, that's a good name, 14:32 but what the ossuary contained was even more important. 14:36 Inside this ossuary were the remains of a crucified 14:40 individual. And we have a replica of what today is in 14:45 the Israel Museum. It is a part of an ankle bone that you see 14:50 here, with a nail. This is the head of the nail here, 14:53 piercing through that ankle bone and extending to the other side 14:57 of the ankle bone, and then the end of the nail is curved up. 15:00 Maybe it hit a knot in the, in the wood. Uh, we don't know 15:05 exactly what caused that, but that might very well be. 15:08 At any rate, Jehohanan died as a young man, crucified. 15:12 Uh, it dates back to the first century. So the death of Christ 15:19 on the cross is not a unique event. But we have evidence 15:24 for it in the archaeological record. And the only forensic 15:27 evidence, really, we have of crucifixion in the 15:29 archaeological record comes from Jerusalem, from this, 15:32 from this tomb complex. >>John: Crucifixion was 15:36 an especially terrible way to die. Who devised that method? 15:41 How, how did that method of crucifixion come about? 15:45 >>Michael: Well, we have references already back in 15:47 Deuteronomy, um, which is part of the five books of Moses, 15:52 the Torah, the Pentateuch, referring to, um, 15:56 impaled individuals. Uh, that was a little bit different than 16:00 crucifixion. It was impaling a body onto a stake of some type. 16:04 We know that the Assyrians practiced that. We have, 16:07 we have reliefs from their palaces--the palace at Nineveh, 16:10 for example, in Assyria, where they boast about their conquests 16:14 of these cities in the ancient Near East. And one of the cities 16:17 that they mention there is the site of Lachish, which we're 16:20 currently excavating. And, and in the British Museum you have 16:23 the series of reliefs, and it shows a number of prisoners 16:28 or captives that were taken from that city, or perhaps from other 16:31 surrounding cities, and were impaled on the stakes. 16:33 So the Assyrians are doing this early on. And then later on we 16:36 have a, a continuation of this practice as, as the Romans are 16:41 using crucifixion, which is a slightly different way of death. 16:44 You're not impaling somebody, but you're hanging someone on a 16:47 cross. And the method of death is different. You're basically 16:51 hanging on a cross. Every time you breathe, you have to push 16:54 yourself up on those nails that are nailing your feet 16:57 to the cross. In order to breathe, in order for your 16:59 diaphragm to expand, you're pushing yourself up. 17:02 And when you lose strength after several days, you finally, 17:05 you finally can't take a breath anymore, and you asphyxiate. 17:08 You're, you die that way. It was a very painful, 17:12 very humiliating, and a very long process. 17:16 >>John: And Jesus, knowing that that was what was 17:18 before him, chose that route and laid down his life for us. 17:22 >>Michael: Yeah, it was quite amazing. 17:24 >>John: Amazing and powerful. The life of Jesus through the 17:28 lens or through the prism of archaeology--the 17:32 life and times of Jesus. Back with more fascinating insights 17:36 in just a moment. 17:37 [Music] 17:48 Announcer: In Matthew 4:4, 17:50 the Word of God says "It is written, Man shall not live by 17:53 bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." 17:58 Every Word is a one-minute, Bible-based daily devotional 18:01 presented by Pastor John Bradshaw, and designed 18:03 especially for busy people like you. Look for Every Word on 18:08 selected networks, or watch it online every day on our website, 18:11 ItIsWritten.com. Receive a daily spiritual boost. Watch Every 18:16 Word. You'll be glad you did. Here's a sample. 18:22 [Theme music] 18:27 Prophecies are often found in places you 18:30 might not expect them. Psalm 22 deals a lot with 18:32 the death of Jesus. And we read this in Psalm 22:14: "I am 18:36 poured out like water, And all My bones are out of joint; 18:40 My heart is like wax; it has melted within Me." Now, what 18:44 does that sound like to you? Yes, you read about this being 18:47 fulfilled in John 19. This is a picture of Jesus going to the 18:51 cross. Now, this says something remarkable about the inspiration 18:55 of the Bible, and about the love of God. Jesus knew full well 19:01 what this Psalm said, and yet he still came to the earth and 19:05 he still went through the plan of salvation. This Old Testament 19:09 prophecy demonstrates to the world that prophecy can be 19:12 trusted and that God is love. I'm John Bradshaw 19:16 for It Is Written. Let's live today by every word. 19:19 [Theme music] >>John Bradshaw: Thanks for 19:23 joining me today on It Is Written. My guest is 19:25 Dr. Michael Hasel, an archaeologist who has 19:28 spent considerable amount of time digging in Israel and 19:32 unearthing, well, Dr. Hasel, some remarkable things that 19:36 shine a light on--would you say more Old Testament or 19:38 New Testament? >>Michael: Well, I've dug 19:40 at both period sites. I've dug in New Testament period sites 19:43 like Masada, and also up at Dorr, which was a 19:46 New Testament era city that went all the way back to 19:49 Old Testament times. But I, I consider myself more of an 19:52 expert in the ancient Near East and the time 19:55 of the Old Testament. >>John: Well, right now 19:56 we're speaking about archaeology and the life of Jesus. Now, 19:58 I'm going to read from Matthew 25 and verse 1: "Then shall the 20:02 kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took 20:06 their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom," 20:09 This is Jesus speaking here. "and five of them were wise, 20:13 and five of them were foolish. They that were foolish took 20:16 their lamps, and took no oil with them. But the wise took oil 20:21 in their vessles with their lamps." Now, as a layman, 20:28 reading this story for the first or the one-hundred and 20:31 first time, I can't really have an appreciation for what 20:35 Jesus was describing, but through the lens of archaeology 20:39 we get to see what Jesus was talking about. 20:41 Help us understand. >>Michael: Well, exactly. 20:42 When I was growing up as a kid, you know, I loved going 20:45 camping with my family. And we would have 20:47 these Coleman lanterns, these, with kerosene. 20:50 They would be about this big, and I would just be, as I read 20:53 the story, thinking about, you know, those kinds of big lamps. 20:56 The concept is somewhat similar. You put kerosene in the lamp. 20:59 It lights up. The ancient lamp, though, was much smaller, 21:04 and everybody who Jesus is telling the story to would have 21:06 immediately identified with these lamps, because they 21:09 were around during His time. Everybody had many of these in 21:12 their home. This is the kind of lamp that Jesus 21:15 was referring to. This is the typical Herodian lamp that is 21:19 the time of Herod, where the Herods, which goes all the way 21:22 to the destruction of the Temple in AD 70, 21:24 the destruction of Jerusalem. >>John: And this here 21:26 is an original? >>Michael: This is 21:28 an original. This is an original. This is a simple 21:30 Herodian lamp. This is not very complex. You can tell 21:34 it's Herodian lamp because of this flange spout here. 21:37 So you put the oil inside this opening here, and the wick 21:41 would extend out of this opening here and produce the flame. 21:44 And, uh, this was made out of two halves of a bowl, 21:49 and then the spout was added to it, and people would have these 21:54 in their homes in the evenings to provide light. 21:57 >>John: Has this one here been used? Can we know that? 21:59 >>Michael: This one has been used. You can see 22:00 the discoloration around here. You can see the soot that's 22:04 still there after all of these years. I have another lamp here 22:07 that is contemporaneous, from the same time period. 22:11 This is a much more elaborate lamp. You can see that it, 22:15 unlike that lamp, which was possibly formed by hand, or not, 22:19 maybe not done on a wheel. But this one was mold made, 22:23 and a mold would have been placed over this. 22:26 Again, two halves, but you can see the very intricate 22:29 design here, and you can see the very beautiful two 22:33 clusters of grapes. This is a vineyard with two clusters 22:36 of grapes on either side. >>John: Now, I can understand 22:38 this being used in a home. But here were some people 22:40 who went out, that these young ladies went to a place and took, 22:44 took this lamp with them. Was that practical? I mean.. 22:48 >>Michael: Uh, this is, uh, this is a very practical thing. 22:52 You know, what is fascinating to me too is, in the story, 22:55 people would have known exactly how long these lamps 22:59 would have lasted. Because they're all about the same size. 23:02 The content of oil would have been about the same. 23:05 We've tested these out--not the originals, but the replicas that 23:09 we've made, and we can say that the oil would have lasted 23:12 between an hour and a half to two hours. So we can get an idea 23:15 of how long the bridegroom in the story that Jesus is telling, 23:18 and this wedding feast, how long the bridegroom would have been 23:21 delayed in that particular account. And again, they 23:24 would have really understood the context. They've gone to 23:27 weddings. They've seen these lamps. They've used them. 23:30 They would have understood all of that. 23:32 >>John: Now, they took lamps, but the wise ones took oil with 23:35 them. And they took that oil in something like what? 23:38 >>Michael: Well, we have this little jar or juglet here. 23:43 Small jar, and with a nice handle. This would have 23:46 been something that they might have used 23:48 to take--this is a little large. There are smaller 23:50 ones as well. But this would have provided the extra oil, 23:53 perhaps, that they would have needed for any kind of delay. 23:57 >>John: Now, in considering crucifixion again for a moment: 24:01 The Bible speaks in several places about how at funerals, 24:06 at funeral gatherings, there were many mourners. 24:09 Sometimes these were hired mourners to come. 24:12 What has archaeology turned up for us today that helps us 24:16 understand, perhaps, some of idiosyncrasies about, uh, 24:19 funerals in that time? >>Michael: We have found 24:21 archaeologically some very interesting things that come 24:24 from that period. Mourners were often hired, actually, 24:28 at funerals to cry. And their tears were often gathered 24:32 in tear bottles that were then buried with the deceased. 24:36 And this is a tear bottle that comes from the Middle East. 24:38 And you can just imagine these mourners collecting their tears 24:43 and then placing this in the tomb. Uh, at the time of Christ, 24:48 we have the ladies coming to the tomb, uh, after the 24:53 Sabbath has finished. They're coming to the 24:55 tomb on Sunday morning. And Mary, of course, is the first 25:00 one that comes. And it's interesting. They're coming to, 25:03 to see, to mourn, to process what had taken place. 25:08 And, of course, what do they find? 25:10 >>John: An empty tomb. >>Michael: An empty tomb. 25:12 So here we've talked about Caiaphas, for example, 25:15 whose bone box is there. We find Jehohanan's bone 25:19 still stuck onto a nail that was used for crucifixion. 25:26 And yet the tomb of Jesus is empty today. And that's the 25:29 hope that Christianity has through the centuries. 25:32 >>John: The one thing archaeologists will never find. 25:36 >>Michael: That's right. >>John: Archaeology helps 25:37 us understand that the Bible is a real book, that what we read 25:41 in there are accounts of real people, real figures, 25:45 real events, and a real Christ. Today, among other things, 25:49 we've looked at the reality--the awful, the brutal reality 25:52 of crucifixion. And we see that Jesus, the maker of the world, 25:57 was nailed to a cross made from wood which He Himself, 26:01 as Creator, had originated in the first place. 26:05 He was suspended between the Earth and the Heavens to die: 26:08 to die so that we can live. That's an encouraging thought. 26:13 Jesus died for the whole world. That best-known verse 26:17 of the Bible says: "God so loved the 26:19 world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever 26:24 believes in him should not perish. but have 26:25 everlasting life." (John 3:16) 26:27 And you're in that "whosoever." You can write your name there. 26:31 And if today you believe in Jesus, the real Jesus, 26:34 the Jesus spoken of by the Bible and supported by archaeology, 26:39 if you can believe in that Jesus, then you can look 26:42 forward to everlasting life coming soon. 26:46 Let that be your hope today. 26:48 A lot of people are tired of having an up-and-down 26:51 Christian experience. It doesn't need to be you. You can have 26:54 a consistent experience in your faith in God. And I want to 26:58 show you how. Get this week's free offer, a resource called: 27:01 "The War is Over." To get it--and it's free--call 27:05 800-253-3000. 800-253-3000. 27:10 Or visit us online at ItIsWritten.com. 27:13 ItIsWritten.com. 27:15 If you'd like to write, our address is: 27:17 P O Box 6, Chattanooga, TN 37401. 27:21 You can enjoy consistency in your experience 27:24 and faith in God. Get this week's free resource, 27:27 "The War is Over." 800-253-3000, 27:31 or visit us online at ItIsWritten.com. 27:34 Thanks for remembering that It Is Written is 27:37 a faith-based ministry. And your support makes it possible 27:40 for us to share God's good news with the entire world. 27:44 Your tax-deductible gift can be sent to the address 27:47 on your screen, or through our website at 27:49 ItIsWritten.com. 27:52 Thank you for your continued prayerful support. Again, 27:55 our toll-free number is 800-253-3000, 27:59 and our web address is www.ItIsWritten.com. 28:06 >>John: Dr. Michael Hasel, thank you very much. I appreciate 28:09 you taking the time. >>Michael: It's a privilege 28:10 to have been here. >>John: This has been 28:11 terrific. Let's pray together; let's do that right now. 28:14 Our father in heaven, we are thankful today for a Jesus in 28:17 whom we can believe. We thank you for a Bible that is built on 28:23 solid evidence. Now without the archeological evidence, 28:26 we would believe anyway because our experience with you 28:29 testifies that your word is true. We thank you that along 28:33 with the witness of your spirit, you have provided ample 28:36 evidence, many reasons to believe. 28:39 Yes, this is your book, that the things contained in it are true, 28:44 and that the hope offered is real. Give us grace to rejoice 28:48 in that hope, in the hope that Jesus died for everyone of us. 28:54 And that one day soon we will be enjoying the reality of eternity 28:58 with you at your home. We pray with thanks, 29:03 and we pray in Jesus' name, amen. 29:07 Thank you so much for joining me today. I look forward to seeing 29:09 you again next time. Until then, remember: 29:12 "It is written, man shall not live by bread alone but by 29:16 every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." 29:20 [Music] |
Revised 2017-03-25