♪[theme music]♪
>>John Bradshaw:
This is It Is Written.
I'm John Bradshaw.
Thanks for joining me.
There are few things
more beautiful,
more peaceful, or more relaxing
than a place like this.
♪[soft music]♪
Botanical gardens are a
feature of many major cities,
and if you've ever visited
somewhere like Butchart Gardens
on Vancouver Island
in British Columbia
or the remarkable 300-acre
Kew Gardens near Richmond
in southwest London in England,
you know how
spectacular they can be.
And gardens like these are
typically kept immaculate.
They're orderly,
everything in its place,
manicured.
But look closely
and you'll see
that things are not
as they appear.
It's not all beauty.
Things certainly
aren't orderly,
and they're definitely
not peaceful,
at least not on
a biological level.
Let me show you
what I mean.
♪[ominous music]♪
Take a closer look and you'll
see a life-and-death drama
playing out.
Bugs or insects are going about
their rather ruthless business,
hunting, preying on
other insects or spiders.
Wasps attacking spiders.
Ants hauling away
other bugs or insects.
And often these little things
are locked in a battle,
the outcome of which
isn't always sure.
And it isn't pretty.
These aren't sanitized battles
that are taking place.
You've got little
creatures injecting venom,
paralyzing their victims,
and then taking the victim,
still alive, heart still
beating, but unable to move,
back to its nest where it might
even lay eggs in the victim.
In some cases, the eggs hatch,
and the paralyzed victim
becomes a living food source.
To advance its own interests,
one little creature takes
the life of another.
Look at a rosebush and
you'll often see aphids,
which make their living by
piercing the tender young bark
of the plant and
drinking the rich sap.
These aphids are, in turn,
hunted by a voracious creature
that we've somewhat
romanticized: the ladybug.
A ladybug can eat dozens
of aphids in a day.
It can actually bite humans.
It doesn't feel like much more
than a little pinch for us,
but for aphids,
different story.
A ladybug is an
aphid-eating machine.
Basically, she takes their lives
in order to advance and
further her own life.
That's how she, or he,
for that matter,
goes about his or her business.
And there's no peace in the soil
underneath the beautiful bushes.
The soil is alive.
In a handful of soil are
billions of microorganisms.
And they're at war
with each other.
Opposing armies of different
types of microorganisms
are almost
continually at battle,
and the winner
eats the loser.
The opposing sides employ some
pretty sophisticated strategies
and counter-strategies,
including mimicry,
camouflage, and
chemical warfare.
Let's call it what it is.
In a handful of soil, there
plays out a hellish scenario
of war, strife, and death.
♪[ominous music]♪
And what's happening in
the soil under our feet
is not so different from
what's happening in the grass
and the bushes and the trees
and the water all around us.
In fact, from the
bottom of the oceans
to the tops of
the mountains,
we see the same pattern
repeated throughout nature,
where creatures survive
by taking the lives
or the resources
of other creatures.
By taking.
Selfishness is a
fundamental part
of the planet's
operating system.
In fact, the
organizing principle
of much of the natural world
is selfishness.
And that principle
isn't confined
only to the natural world.
Selfishness is the
organizing principle
for most human endeavors, our
global society, our industry,
and our economy.
Economists will tell you that
Wall Street can't really operate
without it.
In fact, pretty much
the entire world,
from all of nature to most
everything humanity does,
operates on a
selfishness paradigm.
Or, in other words, on a
selfishness-based system.
And for Christians,
that's a real problem.
In fact, it's a huge problem.
But at the same time,
it's a fitting way for us
to start to talk about
the prequel of the Bible.
Now, like any prequel,
the prequel of the Bible
is the back story,
the story behind the
stories that you know.
But once you know the prequel,
it makes everything else
you know fuller and deeper
and more meaningful.
And in our case,
it helps explain a world
based on selfishness.
♪[soft music]♪
So, back to the question
of the selfishness paradigm
and the way nature and
human society operate.
Here's the problem
for Christians:
The Bible says that
God created the world.
More than that, in
the book of Genesis,
the Bible gives a detailed
account of God's creation,
of how He systematically built
up the fundamental systems
of the world--our atmosphere,
our, our hydrosphere,
our soil system--
and how God added life forms to
populate each completed system--
birds, fish,
plants, and animals.
And then when all the
systems were complete,
He added humans.
The Bible describes creation
as a very intentional
and systematic process
undertaken by God.
It also says He was pleased
with each component system
as He finished creating it.
And that He was very pleased
with the final result,
where all systems and
life forms worked together
in one flawless, balanced,
intermeshed whole.
But what kind of world
would God create?
What kind of world did
He create?
I'll have more in just a moment.
♪[music]♪
>>John: Now, here's a question:
Can God be trusted?
Either you've asked
that question yourself,
or you know somebody who has,
and I've got an answer for you.
I'd like you to get
today's free offer,
"Can God Be Trusted?"
To receive it, call
800-253-3000,
write to the address
on your screen,
or visit us at
iiwoffer.com.
"Can God Be Trusted?"
I have an answer for you,
800-253-3000,
or visit us at
iiwoffer.com.
[fire crackling,
crickets chirping]
[coyote barking]
♪[ominous music]♪
[insects chirping]
[camera rattling]
[wind blowing, insects buzzing,
feet crunching grass]
[indistinct voices]
[wind blowing]
[night insects buzzing]
♪[music]♪
[dramatic sounds, heart
thumping, creaking]
♪[dramatic music]♪
[Crowd cheering]
♪[soft music]♪
>>John Bradshaw:
Thanks for joining me today
on It Is Written.
I'm John Bradshaw.
Now, the Bible says
that God is love.
He is the very definition,
the very distillation of love.
He's also a lot of other things.
He's nurturing; He's caring;
He's generous; He's kind;
He's supportive;
He's creative.
But God is love.
Now, thinking
about this logically,
if God is love, then those
things that He creates
wouldn't be--in fact,
I would say couldn't be--
in opposition to
His character.
But just by observing
the world around us,
it's obvious the organizing
principle of the world
is not love, but selfishness.
That is, the organizing
principle of the world
is the exact opposite
of what God says He is.
Now, a God who would make
a world based on selfishness,
where the things He made would
torture and kill one another,
is not a God of love
but is a monster
and isn't a God that is
worthy of our worship.
Let me say that again:
A God who would
intentionally create a world
so that what He made was
designed to torture and to kill
one another, that God is
not worthy of our worship.
So this question: Who is God?
This other question:
What did He make?
They are very important.
♪[soft music]♪
As we look at who
and what God is
and grapple with the difference
between who God says He is
and what we see in
the world around us,
we can run through
several possible reasons
for what really is
a massive disparity.
And I can think of four.
One: Maybe who God says He is
and what we see in the world
are different because
the Bible is false,
and God is actually a monster
who tortures the
things He creates.
Number two:
Maybe there's no God.
Maybe the Bible's
just a book of fables.
That would explain it.
Number three: Perhaps
the Bible is true,
and God is who He says He is,
but something happened
to change the world
from the way He created it
into what it is today.
And maybe there's
a fourth reason:
Maybe God created the world
it actually is right now,
but we simply don't
understand it or Him.
Now, each one of these four
possibilities touches directly
on the character and
the existence of God.
As we start talking about
the state of the world,
we're also thinking about
and talking about
the character of God.
So we have four possible
reasons for the disparity
between who God says He is
and what we see in
the world around us.
God says that He is love.
But the world around us
isn't based on love,
but selfishness.
So let's look at those
four possible reasons
and see if we can
narrow down that list.
What was our first reason?
Maybe God actually is a monster
who tortures the
things He creates.
Well, the entire Bible
says otherwise.
"God is love,"
1 John 4, verse 8.
"I have loved you with
an everlasting love,"
Jeremiah 31:3.
"The thoughts I have towards
you are thoughts of peace
and not of evil."
Jeremiah chapter 29, verse 11.
"God so loved the
world that He gave..."
John 3:16.
So we can reject
that first proposition.
Now, what was our second reason?
There's no God, and the
Bible is a book of fables.
Well, this is It Is Written,
and not "It Is Proposed"
or "It Is Speculated."
So we'll scratch
that one off the list.
Now, let's look at
the fourth reason.
God created the world
just like we see it,
but we simply don't
understand it or that or Him.
Well, undoubtedly, there's a
lot that we don't understand,
but God gave the Bible so
we could understand it.
Jeremiah wrote, "And you
will seek me and find me,
when you search for me
with all [of] your heart."
God wants us to know Him.
So, no.
Now, that leaves
one more possibility
to explain the disparity
between who God says He is
and what we see in the world:
The world changed after
God created it.
The book of Job
helps us with this,
especially Job chapter 38.
There's a conversation going on
between God and Job
where God says to Job,
"Where were you when I
[created the world]? ...
When the morning stars sang...
and all the sons of God
shouted for joy?"
Now, there's a lot going on
between Job and God
in this passage, but what
God said was very important
in relation to the question
that we're pursuing.
Did the earth change
after God created it?
Those morning stars God
talks about are angels.
When God created the earth, it
was so special, so beautiful,
so amazing that the angels
sang and shouted for joy.
If God had created a world that
was contrary to His character,
if it was a world
where the natural
and the biological systems
didn't operate on love,
on universal giving
and nurturing,
the angels would have responded
with shock and confusion.
But they sang,
and they celebrated,
indicating that the world
as it was originally created
was really different from
what we see around us now,
and it was completely consistent
with the character of God.
Its organizing
principle was love.
So can we be sure about that?
Well, yes, we can.
In the first part of Isaiah
chapter 11 Jesus is foretold,
including His character
and His ministry.
And then, a few characteristics
of His restored kingdom
are described, including that a
lion will lay down with a lamb
and that snakes will not be
a threat, even to children.
In verse 9, Christ is quoted
in the first person
and says of the
re-created earth,
"They shall not hurt nor destroy
in all my holy mountain."
Which means the re-created earth
will be very different
from the one in which we live.
It'll be so different,
in so many ways,
that it will require a
different organizing principle.
Its entire system of
operating will be different.
How does this assure us that
God didn't create the world
the way it is now?
[lions snarl]
Two things.
First, in that same chapter,
Isaiah 11, it says in verse 7,
"The cow and the bear
shall graze;
their young ones
shall lie down together;
and the lion shall eat
straw like the ox."
♪[soft music]♪
So bears will graze like cows,
and lions will eat straw.
This is so different from the
reality we now see around us.
We know that the world
just doesn't work that way,
at least not right now.
What the Bible describes
is foreign to us;
it's almost unbelievable.
But let's go back to
the book of Genesis,
towards the end of the first
chapter of this amazing book.
God is giving instructions
for His newly created earth.
There's a passage describing
what humans and animals
are supposed to eat.
And in verses 29 and 30,
the Bible says this:
"And God said, 'See, I have
given you every herb
that yields seed which is on
the face of all the earth,
and every tree whose
fruit yields seed;
to you it shall be for food.
Also, to every beast of the
earth, to every bird of the air,
and to everything that
creeps on the earth,
in which there is life,
I have given every
green herb for food.'"
What the Bible is saying is
that everything God created,
humans and animals,
ate plants.
They didn't kill other
creatures to survive.
Now, that kind of world
would require
an entirely different
system of operating
from what we see
around us today.
But then that's exactly
what the Bible says existed.
When God created the world,
it was profoundly different
from what we see
around us today.
And here's the thing;
God will return the world
to His original model
when the earth is made new.
And something that
wasn't changed
doesn't need to be restored.
Now, we can go even
further with this.
In Revelation 11:18,
where John writes
about the very end of days and
the condition of the earth,
God says that He will "destroy
those who destroy the earth."
So not only is the earth
fundamentally changed,
not only did God not change it,
He's unhappy about it,
and He will bring to justice
those who did the changing.
He will destroy
those who did it.
So, based on what
the Bible says,
we can be sure that the earth
was changed dramatically,
fundamentally from
the way God created it.
We can also be sure that it will
be restored to what it once was.
Now, in a moment, I will
introduce you to a friend.
Well, not a friend exactly,
but a scorpion is a good example
of just what I'm talking about.
Back with more in just a moment.
♪[music]♪
>>John: Thank you for
remembering that It Is Written
exists because of the kindness
of people just like you.
To support this international
life-changing ministry,
please call us now at
800-253-3000.
You can send your
tax-deductible gift
to the address
on your screen,
or you can visit us online at
itiswritten.com.
Thank you for your prayers
and for your financial support.
Our number again is
800-253-3000,
or you can visit us online at
itiswritten.com.
>>John: The experts say
he's living in our midst.
Many people claim
to have sighted him.
A famous film shot in the 1960s
seems to show he exists.
But does he?
Does Bigfoot visit campsites
in towns and forests
across North America?
Don't miss "Bigfoot," part 1
of It Is Written series
"Conspiracy, More
Than Just a Theory."
You'll visit a museum dedicated
to Bigfoot and hear from a man
who claims to have sighted
a Sasquatch twice.
And you'll learn what the Bible
says about the conspiracy
playing out right
before your eyes,
a conspiracy of
eternal importance,
a conspiracy most
people are missing.
Make sure you know about the
greatest conspiracy of them all,
a global conspiracy involving
you and those you love.
Watch "Bigfoot"
from the series
"Conspiracy, More
Than Just a Theory"
on It Is Written TV.
>>John Bradshaw: Thanks for
joining me on It Is Written.
Now, here's a major question
that we really need to answer.
It baffles a lot of people.
How did the earth get
changed from what it was
to what it now is?
What happened to God's earth,
the earth He specially created,
the earth that reflected
His character,
the earth that
dazzled the angels?
This is the question that the
prequel of the Bible answers,
and we'll find that both
the question and the answer
are incredibly important.
Now, think of the implications
of what we're talking about.
This is God we are discussing.
He is the distillation
of loving-kindness.
How did the world,
the world made by God,
become something that does
not reflect His character?
Think through some
of these questions:
Can anything happen that's
contrary to the will of God?
How could it, if God
is all-powerful?
And if it did happen,
then how did it happen?
And think about Jesus
and His life and ministry.
How does Jesus play
into all of this?
We've answered some
important questions,
but a critical question remains.
How did the earth become
something that operates
according to principles
that are inconsistent
with the character of God?
♪[ominous music]♪
[scorpion skitters over gravel]
Now, let's think for a moment
about the scorpion.
You can find them
right here in the desert.
They're plentiful, actually.
You can find them very easily.
♪[fast percussion]♪
The scorpion is an
intimidating creature.
Look at that
stinger on its tail.
They're dangerous things.
But even apart from the stinger,
its claws are imposing as well,
and it uses its stinger and
claws together to deadly effect.
It's a predator that grabs other
small creatures and injects them
with excruciating poison,
a venom specifically designed
to overwhelm the nervous system.
Now, the venom works in
a couple of different ways.
The prey is overwhelmed
with excruciating pain.
Before long, it cannot
coordinate its movements,
and it's incapacitated.
And then the scorpion
will eat its prey,
whether it's dead or alive.
And female scorpions
will, at times,
actually eat male scorpions
during or after mating.
Some scorpions, not
this one, fortunately,
can actually kill
people with their sting,
scorpions such as
the deathstalker.
That's one that you'd
find in the Middle East.
Now, this one wouldn't
kill me if it stung me,
but it would hurt,
something like a bee sting,
maybe a little more.
So I would treat this one
with a great deal of caution
and respect.
Altogether, the
scorpion was cunningly,
it was brilliantly designed
for its purpose
and for its environment.
But the question the
scorpion raises is this:
Does it reflect the
character of God,
that is, as we know it now?
And if it doesn't, how
did it come to be this way?
♪[somber music]♪
The prequel of the Bible
answers this question,
and the prequel takes the form
of a hidden story in the Bible,
an intentionally
hidden story, actually.
And it takes some real
diligence to track it down.
It's scattered across books of
the Bible that were written
over a period of
some 1,500 years.
And it's non-linear.
By that, I mean it doesn't
appear in order in the Bible.
One writer has part of the
middle of the story, let's say,
while another writer
hundreds of years later
fills in part of the
beginning of the story.
The fact that it's non-linear
is actually quite important
because the Bible treats
some key material this way,
as in the book of Revelation.
As non-linear Bible stories go,
what we're going to look at next
is probably the prime example.
And when we unlock the story,
you might find it profoundly
alters your understanding
of why there is death,
disease, suffering,
and injustice in the world.
It also explains
why this creature exists.
So what do we know about God?
We know that God is love.
John wrote those words
twice in nine verses
in the book of 1 John.
Here's what we know.
Out of this chaos, God is going
to create something phenomenal.
♪[soft music]♪
Revelation 21:4 says that "God
shall wipe away all tears...
and there shall be
no more death,
neither sorrow, nor crying,
neither shall there be
any more pain:
for the former things
are passed away."
In Isaiah 65:17, God says,
"I create new heavens
and a new earth:
and the former shall
not be remembered
nor come into mind."
John wrote in Revelation 21:1,
"And I saw a new heaven
and a new earth:
for the first heaven and the
first earth were passed away."
One day, no more bugs
paralyzing other bugs.
No more toxic venom.
Better yet, no more crime, no
more murder, no more injustice.
You know, Peter
noticed what we notice.
He noticed a dysfunctional
world coming apart.
He noticed the world filled
with death and hate and pain,
and he wrote in
2 Peter 3 in verse 13,
"Nevertheless we,
according to His promise,
look for new heavens
and a new earth
in which righteousness dwells."
And we do.
We look for that.
Are you looking for that?
If you are, I can tell you
where you can find it.
You can find it in Jesus Christ,
who left heaven and came
to this earth gone astray
to show you that in spite
of what you see,
in spite of what you
don't understand,
that God is love,
and that the God
who is love
loves you and wants you to
spend eternity with Him.
Next time on It Is Written,
we'll delve deeper into
the prequel of the Bible.
We'll find out how it came
to be that the earth
was so radically changed
from what it was
to what it has become.
And we'll begin to answer some
of the most important questions
that have ever been posed.
>>John: Now, here's a question:
Can God be trusted?
Either you've asked
that question yourself,
or you know somebody who has,
and I've got an answer for you.
I'd like you to get
today's free offer,
"Can God Be Trusted?"
To receive it, call
800-253-3000,
write to the address
on your screen,
or visit us at
iiwoffer.com.
"Can God Be Trusted?"
I have an answer for you,
800-253-3000,
or visit us at
iiwoffer.com.
>>John Bradshaw:
Let's pray together now.
Our Father in heaven,
we thank You today
that in spite of the confusion
and the chaos and the carnage
that we see in the world today,
that high above the
circle of the earth
there is a God who is love,
a God whose Son Jesus will one
soon day come to this earth
and take us home to a place
of absolute perfection.
We pray that that day
would come soon,
but until it does,
give us faith in You.
Help us to trust in You,
to believe in You.
We thank You; we praise You;
we love You.
This is Your world.
We look forward to
Your kingdom to come,
in Jesus' name.
Amen.
Thanks so much
for joining me.
I'm looking forward to
seeing you again next time.
Until then, remember:
"It is written, 'Man shall
not live by bread alone,
but by every word that proceeds
from the mouth of God.'"
♪[theme music]♪
