Participants: John Bradshaw
Series Code: IIW
Program Code: IIW001469A
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01:30 ♪[Theme music]♪
01:40 ♪[Theme music]♪ 01:49 ♪[Sound of bell ringing]♪ 02:00 ♪[Sound of bell ringing]♪ 02:14 >>John Bradshaw: This is It Is Written. I'm John Bradshaw. 02:17 Thanks for joining me in Varanasi, India, 02:21 on the banks of the Ganges River. 02:23 [Laundry slapping on rocks] 02:26 [Sea gulls] 02:31 It's a bustling city, 02:33 believed to be one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world. 02:42 It has a population of over 1.2 million people, 02:46 one of 50 or so Indian cities 02:49 that have a population of a million or more. 02:52 For centuries it's been renowned for silk weaving 02:55 and carpet making. 02:57 More than three million tourists come here every year 03:01 from all over India and from around the world. 03:04 ♪[Music]♪ 03:08 [Chanting] 03:17 Varanasi is considered to be the most sacred 03:20 of Hinduism's seven sacred cities, 03:23 and it sits on the banks of Hinduism's most sacred river. 03:28 The city is also important to Buddhism. 03:31 It is said that Buddha founded Buddhism here in this place 03:34 about 500 years before Christ. 03:37 In fact, he delivered his first sermon 03:40 about six miles from here. 03:42 [Sea gulls] 03:44 [Water splashing] 03:48 It's the spiritual capital of India, 03:51 and it's an important intellectual 03:52 and theological center. 03:55 And for more than a billion Hindus, 03:58 if you want to live for eternity, 04:01 no place matters more than Varanasi. 04:04 ♪[Music]♪ 04:11 [Man speaking Hindi] 04:15 In Varanasi we have an order of monks 04:19 that have been here since the 1800s. 04:26 I find great peace here. 04:30 I feel like I am at home when I am here. 04:47 >>John: Hindus believe the Ganges River, 04:50 Ganga, they call it here, 04:51 came from heaven, 04:53 given by the god Shiva, 04:55 one of the principal gods of Hinduism. 04:59 [Man speaking Hindi] 05:00 To us monks, the Ganges River is sacred 05:03 as it came from the hills of lord Shiva. 05:06 We come here to purify ourselves and when we take a bath in it, 05:13 we feel rejuvenated. 05:22 Hindu man: It is said that the lord himself chose this place 05:25 built this place, 05:26 resides in this place, 05:28 and does not leave the place. 05:32 He does not forsake those destitutes that come to him. 05:37 He's the lord of the destitutes, the orphans, the widows, 05:40 the persons that don't have anybody else. 05:42 ♪[Music]♪ 05:49 >>John: What is it that makes the Ganges River so special? 05:53 >>Hindu man: So Ganga is the most holy river in India 05:55 than others because she is our mother. 06:00 We are calling Ganga Ma. 06:06 Varanasi is a very holy city and a very powerful city. 06:10 People come for so many things. 06:12 They go to temple, 06:14 pray for family, 06:15 pray for parents, 06:16 bring the ashes. 06:18 Of course, when they come to us, 06:20 we bless them so they can have a good life. 06:23 They go to the temple, they have a good life. 06:26 They think it is the good karma they do. 06:29 ♪[Music]♪ 06:38 >>John: But it's what happens here on the ghats, 06:41 these flights of massive steps leading down to the river, 06:44 that makes Varanasi so important. 06:49 It's here that Hindus cremate their dead. 06:54 So many cremations take place here 06:56 that they happen continually, 06:59 24 hours a day, seven days a week 07:03 the only place where that happens. 07:07 It's believed that if you are cremated on the banks 07:12 of the Ganges River, 07:13 then you receive salvation as a direct consequence of that. 07:17 There's a story told about an unrepentant sinner 07:20 who was killed by a tiger in the forest. 07:24 His soul was on its way to hell. 07:27 At that same time, 07:28 some vultures were picking away at the remains of his body. 07:32 A vulture took off, flew away, with a bone of the man's foot. 07:36 As it was flying above this river, the Ganges, 07:39 it fought off another bird, 07:42 lost its grip on that foot bone, 07:45 the foot bone fell from the air into the Ganges River, 07:48 and at that moment that the bone of the man's foot 07:51 made contact with the water of the Ganges, 07:54 his soul, which was just about to enter hell, 07:57 was rescued and taken instead off to heaven. 08:02 So you can see, 08:04 the Ganges River is very important in the life 08:08 and in the afterlife of Hindu believers. 08:12 And just behind me, 08:13 there are some lodgings where people 08:14 will come to live out their last days. 08:17 They die here, thanking the gods. 08:20 They're cremated right about where they died, 08:24 and sure enough, everlasting life is theirs. 08:29 ♪[Music]♪ 08:30 The question that motivates the people who come to Varanasi 08:33 is the same question that speaks to every human heart: 08:37 what of the afterlife? 08:40 Where will you spend eternity? 08:43 And how do you get there? 08:44 How do you have hope beyond death? 08:49 That's an important question. 08:51 You live your three score and ten, and then? 08:54 Benjamin Franklin wrote, 08:56 “I look upon death to be as necessary 08:58 to the constitution as sleep. 09:01 We shall rise refreshed in the morning.” 09:05 Varanasi, the pathway to heaven, is well established. 09:09 But how can you get from here to there? 09:13 I'll have more in a moment. 09:14 ♪[Music]♪ 09:27 >>John: Today our free book offer 09:29 is for one of my very favorite books, 09:31 “Steps to Christ.” 09:33 Please call or write us and 09:35 “Steps to Christ” 09:36 will be on its way to you. 09:38 There's no cost and no obligation. 09:40 Just call 1-800-253-3000, 09:44 and ask for the book “Steps to Christ.” 09:47 You may also request this free book by writing to 09:50 It Is Written, P O Box 6, Chattanooga, Tennessee 37401, 09:56 and we'll mail a copy to your address in North America. 09:59 For immediate access 10:00 you can download a free electronic version of the book 10:03 “Steps to Christ” 10:04 from our website, itiswritten.com. 10:08 Our toll-free number is 1-800-253-3000, 10:12 and our web address is itiswritten.com. 10:18 ♪[Music]♪ 10:26 >>John: Thanks for joining me today on It Is Written. 10:28 I'm John Bradshaw. 10:30 In Varanasi, India, on the banks of the Ganges River, 10:33 in Uttar Pradesh State. 10:35 From here it's only 150 miles to Nepal. 10:40 There are 1.3 billion people living in India. 10:43 That's more than the United States and Europe combined. 10:46 There are more people in India than there are in all of Africa. 10:51 And while not every Indian is Hindu, 10:53 the vast majority of people who live in India 10:56 are certainly of that religious persuasion. 11:00 It's here on the ghats, 11:03 the steps leading down to the Ganges River, 11:05 that Hindus cremate their dead. 11:07 It is believed that if you're cremated 11:09 on the banks of the Ganges, 11:11 then you automatically receive salvation. 11:14 And if you're not, your ashes are deposited in the river, 11:18 then that's very special. 11:19 Now, it's not always as simple as it might appear 11:23 for someone to be cremated here who wants to be. 11:26 Varanasi is in the north of the country. 11:29 There's logistical factors to consider, and cost factors too. 11:34 For someone who doesn't have a lot of money, 11:36 even buying the wood for a cremation 11:39 can be absolutely impossible, out of their reach. 11:43 Every cremation requires more than half a ton of wood. 11:47 And when you multiply that out, 11:50 factoring in how many cremations take place in India a year, 11:53 that means somewhere between 50 and 60 million trees 11:58 are used in cremations in India every year. 12:05 They call this antyeshti, the last sacrifice. 12:09 It's a detailed ceremony. 12:11 The body is washed, 12:13 wrapped typically in white cloth, 12:15 carried to the cremation ground, 12:16 and placed with the feet facing south. 12:20 The body is washed in the Ganges, 12:21 and Ganges water is placed in the mouth of the deceased. 12:26 The person leading the ceremony 12:28 walks around the pyre and the body, 12:30 placing sesame seeds or rice in the dead person's mouth. 12:34 The body is sprinkled with ghee, clarified butter. 12:38 The last act of cremation 12:40 is for the skull to be pierced with a poker, 12:44 so the soul can be let out. 12:48 But one thing's for sure: 12:51 the Hindu wants to make it to a state called moksha, 12:55 which is essentially the same as Nirvana in Buddhism. 12:59 Moksha is a state of oneness with Brahman, 13:02 the One Supreme Self. 13:08 >>Hindu man: When dead bodies are cremated here, 13:11 they will get moksha and go directly to God. 13:15 And God, God will keep them for all time, 13:19 and never send again to the circle (Samsara). 13:24 If someone dies far away 13:27 and you bring the dead body to Varanasi, 13:29 also they will have moksha. 13:31 I've seen from France, 13:33 I've seen from Delhi, 13:34 I've seen from Mumbai. 13:35 If they have enough money to bring, 13:37 of course they try. 13:41 Varanasi is sure. 13:44 Hundred percent sure. 13:46 [Water splashing] 13:50 >>John: In order to achieve moksha, 13:52 to go to heaven basically, 13:54 a Hindu goes through samsara, 13:57 the cycle of death and rebirth. 14:00 You live, you die, and you return in another form. 14:04 It might be as a human. 14:06 It might be as an animal. 14:08 Reincarnation is fundamental to Buddhism. 14:12 You didn't rise high enough in this life 14:14 to make it to the ultimate place, 14:16 so you come back again and repeat the process, 14:18 hopefully having learned from what you've endured before. 14:25 In common with most other religious faiths, 14:28 Hinduism concerns itself with 14:30 getting to the ultimate place in the afterlife. 14:34 So how do you get to your place in the afterlife? 14:38 How do you receive salvation? 14:41 For the people who come to Varanasi, 14:43 it's more about achieving than receiving. 14:48 And a big part of this is something called karma. 14:53 The western mind has been conditioned to view karma as, 14:56 you did something bad, and so now something equally bad 15:00 is going to happen to you. 15:01 Which essentially is the idea that good actions 15:03 lead to good consequences, 15:05 while bad intentions and actions contribute to bad karma 15:08 and future suffering. 15:09 Your actions decide your fate. 15:12 If you want a better outcome, change your actions. 15:15 Which, when you think about it, 15:17 is a tremendously difficult path to the afterlife. 15:21 How much good is enough to get to heaven? 15:24 [Water splashing] 15:27 Man speaking Hindi: Whether I am cremated, 15:29 put into the water or buried, 15:32 is that my salvation? 15:33 No. 15:35 It is by worship. 15:37 My works, writing, charity, and food is my salvation. 15:43 If I serve the poor or children it is counted toward salvation. 15:50 Respecting the saints is my salvation. 15:53 It is not necessary that I be cremated to get salvation. 15:55 It is by my devotion. 15:59 People come here to worship and to get salvation. 16:04 The work is to help the poor and hungry 16:07 who will die without help. 16:12 It is also important to help the lepers and the lame. 16:20 We need to give food to the hungry 16:23 and teach love to all. 16:25 Kashi does not teach to sow thorns. 16:27 In all ghats there is the presence of the truth 16:29 and the lord. 16:32 >>John: Karma sounds an awful lot like 16:35 “you reap what you sow.” 16:37 That's what Paul said to the Galatians: 16:39 “Whatever a man sows, that shall he also reap.” 16:42 But when you stop and think about it, 16:44 karma can only be salvation by works. 16:48 Ultimately, with karma, your good deeds 16:51 outweigh your bad deeds. 16:52 Now, think about that. 16:55 Think about somebody like the thief on the cross. 16:57 He was a thief; 16:58 he was unrepentant until the last moment of his life, 17:02 when on the cross he cried out to Jesus, and he said, 17:04 “When you come in your kingdom, remember me.” 17:07 That man, we know, died saved. 17:11 Karma couldn't have helped him, 17:12 because a life of bad deeds 17:14 certainly could not be outweighed 17:16 by one good deed at the end. 17:18 Now, you've got to be careful when you talk about karma. 17:20 It's a nuanced thing, 17:21 and Hinduism is a little bit like there. 17:23 There are lots of different schools of thoughts, 17:26 lots of different philosophies, many different interpretations. 17:28 So we must be careful 17:30 that we don't draw this thing in too tightly. 17:32 But ultimately, karma says salvation depends upon you, 17:38 what you've done during your life, 17:40 what you've managed to accumulate. 17:42 So that in the judgment there's more to credit you 17:45 than to discredit you, 17:46 and so therefore you have salvation. 17:49 Christianity teaches that we're all hopelessly lost, 17:52 that there's no amount of good that you can do 17:55 to merit salvation in any way. 17:58 Nothing you can do outweighs the fact 18:01 that you have sinned and come short of the glory of God. 18:04 Now, of course, that does not mean we should not do good; 18:06 saved people do good; 18:08 people who have come to faith in Christ live lives to please God. 18:13 But Christianity teaches karma cannot help you. 18:17 As a lost person, salvation is out of your reach. 18:22 The only thing that can help you to produce 18:25 good deeds in your life is the power of Christ, 18:28 as the Holy Spirit works through you. 18:30 Christianity teaches we are lost and without hope; 18:34 we are saved by grace, through faith in Jesus Christ. 18:40 Our faith in Jesus lays hold on the grace of God, 18:44 which gives us the salvation that we can never deserve, 18:50 never earn, 18:52 and that in no way could we ever merit. 18:55 I'll be back with more in just a moment. 18:57 ♪[Music]♪ 19:07 ♪[Music]♪ 19:10 Today I'd like to ask you to help It Is Written 19:12 open the eyes of the blind. 19:15 India has more blind people than any country on Earth, 19:18 but simple cataract surgery can make the difference 19:20 between seeing and not seeing. 19:22 Eyes for India is a project thats providing cataract surgery 19:26 for people in desperate need of the gift of sight. 19:29 Please help today. 19:30 Call 800-253-3000 19:34 Or visit ItIsWritten.com 19:37 >>John: Thanks for joining me today on It Is Written. 19:40 More than one billion people around the world 19:43 consider Varanasi in northeastern India 19:46 to be the world's most sacred city. 19:48 People come here from all over the planet in search of hope. 19:54 Hindus believe that death is a doorway to another existence. 19:59 The goal for the Hindu is moksha, 20:02 what Buddhists would call nirvana. 20:05 Devoted Hindus try to live virtuous lives 20:07 so they can finally make it out of the cycle of life and death. 20:14 And all day, every day, 20:16 the dead are cremated here on the banks of the Ganges River. 20:21 And that's really what Varanasi is all about. 20:24 People come here to die. 20:26 They'll take up residence here, 20:28 because if you die here in Varanasi, 20:31 you get moksha, 20:32 salvation, just like that. 20:34 If you're cremated here: moksha. 20:38 People have been brought here from all over the world 20:40 to be cremated, because if you're cremated here, 20:43 you go to heaven. 20:50 Man speaking Hindi: Ganga is a salvation giver. 20:53 It resides in the feet of Narayan. 20:56 It starts from the wheel of Bharma 20:59 and falls in the feet of Narayan. 21:02 From Narayan it goes to the sea. 21:06 Ganga is important and vital. 21:08 Man will understand when Ganga is taken away. 21:11 ♪[Music]♪ 21:16 >>John: And all of this represents a couple of things. 21:19 One: billions of people in the world, 21:21 in various religious traditions, believe in salvation by works. 21:27 By just do this, or that, 21:30 make this pilgrimage, 21:31 say this prayer, 21:33 die here, 21:34 visit this priest, 21:36 if I do these things I'll find favor with God 21:39 and I'll be given salvation. 21:41 That's salvation dependent entirely upon what you do. 21:46 Salvation by works. 21:48 But the Bible is clear that salvation is a gift of God. 21:52 God grants it by grace. 21:55 Good works are a response to the gift of salvation. 21:58 They don't merit salvation. 22:03 And now think of this: 22:04 it's obvious that people want hope in death, 22:08 to the extent that they'll spend as much money 22:10 as it takes to live or die here, 22:14 to be cremated here. 22:16 I met a man here who told me he has come to Varanasi 22:18 to “wait for my liberation,” as he put it. 22:22 He can't get that in any other city, so he's here. 22:26 If he dies here, eternal life, right place. 22:34 The afterlife matters. 22:35 If this life was all you had, 22:37 then you would have something that's painfully small. 22:39 God wants you to live forever. 22:41 But, of course, the question is, how? 22:44 Now, if you were looking to make a pilgrimage 22:47 to somehow merit favor with God, 22:49 let me save you a whole lot of money. 22:51 In John 14, verse 6, Jesus said, 22:55 “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” 22:59 According to the Bible, salvation is free. 23:02 Your passport to the afterlife is free, 23:04 and it comes through Jesus Christ. 23:06 If you know Christ Jesus, 23:08 then you have what the people who come here to Varanasi 23:11 would refer to as moksha: salvation. 23:13 ♪[Music]♪ 23:17 Getting out of this world and into the next world 23:19 is totally dependent upon faith in Jesus Christ. 23:23 Here's what happens at the end of this age. 23:25 First Thessalonians 4:16 and 17 say, 23:28 “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven 23:31 with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, 23:34 and with the trumpet of God. 23:35 And the dead in Christ will rise first. 23:40 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together 23:42 with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. 23:46 And thus we shall always be with the Lord.” 23:50 John wrote in First John 5:12: 23:53 “He who has the Son has life; 23:56 he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.” 24:00 And there's salvation. 24:02 In Jesus Christ. 24:04 You know, there's something attractive to the human heart 24:07 about the idea that you can actually do something 24:10 to merit salvation. 24:12 But it's the absolute antithesis of the message of the gospel. 24:17 Now, let me ask you, 24:19 where is your hope? 24:20 Do you have hope right now? 24:23 I'll bet so many people, living without hope, 24:25 they feel like for some reason eternity is closed off to them. 24:30 You'd be surprised how many people wander through life 24:34 feeling like they're just not good enough to go to heaven. 24:38 And then there are those people who feel like 24:39 they are good enough to go to heaven. 24:40 That might be an even bigger problem. 24:44 Our salvation is found in Jesus Christ. 24:46 It's not through what we have done, 24:48 not through anything that we deserve; 24:49 it's not by something we can earn; 24:51 there's no ritual we can perform that, by performing that ritual, 24:56 somehow turns the frown of God into the smile of God. 25:00 Salvation just doesn't work like that. 25:02 No, we don't deserve it. 25:04 But it's free to us. 25:05 It's a gift, a gift given to us when we possess Jesus Christ. 25:08 I want you to know, and God wants you to know, 25:10 that God so loved the world that He gave Jesus Christ, 25:14 so that by believing in Him, you might have salvation. 25:17 Hope now in this world, 25:20 and hope for the world to come. 25:22 Salvation because of what God has done for you. 25:26 And when you accept Jesus Christ into your life, 25:28 He will do in you, 25:30 if you'll allow Him to, 25:31 everything that needs to be done. 25:33 Remember Second Corinthians 12, verses 9 and 10. 25:36 Paul wrote: 25:37 “And He said to me, 25:39 ‘My grace is sufficient for you, 25:41 for My strength is made perfect in weakness.' 25:46 Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, 25:49 that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 25:53 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, 25:56 in reproaches, 25:57 in needs, 25:58 in persecutions, 25:59 in distresses, 26:00 for Christ's sake. 26:03 For when I am weak, then I'm strong.” 26:08 [Sound of motor] 26:09 We're people. 26:10 We want hope, 26:11 hope in this world and hope for the world to come. 26:13 Now, it would be something, 26:15 if you could just do a certain thing and know 26:17 that on the basis of that one thing, 26:20 everlasting life is yours. 26:22 Well, salvation is not like that. 26:26 We receive it when we don't deserve it, 26:30 through faith in Jesus Christ, 26:32 who said in John 11 and verse 25, 26:35 “I am the resurrection and the life. 26:38 He who believes in Me, though he may die, 26:40 yet shall he live.” 26:44 If you choose to believe in Jesus today, 26:46 you have salvation. 26:49 It's free. 26:50 No, you don't deserve it, 26:52 but you receive it as a gift from a gracious God. 26:56 ♪[Music]♪ 27:07 >>John: Today our free book offer 27:09 is for one of my very favorite books, 27:11 “Steps to Christ.” 27:13 Please call or write us, and “Steps to Christ” 27:16 will be on its way to you. 27:18 There's no cost and no obligation. 27:20 Just call 1-800-253-3000, 27:24 and ask for the book “Steps to Christ.” 27:27 You may also request this free book by writing to 27:30 It Is Written, P O Box 6, Chattanooga, Tennessee 37401, 27:36 and we'll mail a copy to your address in North America. 27:39 For immediate access you can download 27:41 a free electronic version of the book 27:43 “Steps to Christ” 27:44 from our website, itiswritten.com. 27:46 It Is Written is a faith-based ministry 27:50 made possible by viewers like you. 27:53 If you wish to help the worldwide outreach of 27:56 It Is Written, your tax-deductible gift 27:58 may be sent to the same address. 28:00 Or you can make a gift online at 28:02 itiswritten.com. 28:07 >>John: So how is it with you today? 28:09 If you have hope in Jesus Christ, 28:11 I want to encourage you to rededicate your life to him now. 28:14 If you've not chosen Jesus as your Lord and Savior, 28:17 you can do so now and face the future with confidence. 28:22 You can know that through Jesus eternity is yours. 28:24 Why don't we pray together to that end? 28:26 Come on, let's pray. 28:28 Our Father in Heaven, 28:29 we thank You today for hope in Jesus. 28:31 We know there's nothing we can do to merit salvation, 28:34 to earn Your favor. 28:36 You've already demonstrated Your love for us 28:37 by having Jesus die for our eternity. 28:42 So now we choose to accept Him. 28:43 Friend, would you do that? 28:45 Jesus, come into our hearts. 28:47 Take them and make them Yours. 28:50 And we choose now to believe that through Christ 28:51 we have salvation, 28:53 now and forever. 28:55 And Lord, work in us, please, 28:58 both to will and to do for Your good pleasure. 29:01 We've accepted You, and we thank You, 29:03 and we praise you, with confidence, 29:05 in Jesus' name. 29:07 Amen. 29:09 Thanks so much for joining me today. 29:11 I'm looking forward to seeing you again next time. 29:14 Until then, remember: 29:15 It Is Written. 29:17 Man shall not live by bread alone, 29:18 but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. 29:22 ♪[Theme music]♪ |
Revised 2017-09-12