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EARTH IS A BATTLEFIELD[br]with Scott Christiansen

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SCOTT CHRISTIANSEN[br]Author, <i>Planet In Distress</i>

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I have here, a handful of dirt--

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a handful of soil actually.[br]It's alive, it smells alive.

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I've taken it from this park-- hopefully I'm[br]not going to get in trouble for doing so--

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and the thing is, there's a[br]lot going on in this handful of soil,

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including pitched war.

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That's right. War.

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There's a battle going on in here.

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There's hundreds of millions, [br]maybe billions, of micro-organisms.

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There's predator and prey.[br]Some of them, amazingly, are forming teams,[br]

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and they're engaging in[br]chemical and biological warfare,

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one type of organism against another.

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Or they're engaging in fierce one-on-one[br]battles, where the winner eats the loser.

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In these fights, you can see[br]specialized and sophisticated weapons.

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You can see defenses, measures,[br]counter-measures, tactics, responses.

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What's going on in this handful of[br]dirt, frankly, is a hellish nightmare

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of conflict, struggle, and death.

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But the thing is, what goes on in this[br]handful of soil is no different, really,

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than what goes on throughout[br]all of the natural world.

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This is representative of the relationships [br]of the creatures of the earth,

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from the smallest right[br]on up to the largest.

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All the earth, in fact,[br]is a battleground.

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Everywhere,[br]we're seeing predator and prey,

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we see conflict and fear, we see disease[br]and parasites, we see suffering and death,

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and for Christians, that's a problem.

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In fact, it's a profound problem.

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You see, the Bible tells us[br]in Genesis chapter one

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how God created the earth.

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It also tells us in Job 38:7,[br]that when He created it, the angels sang.

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And from this, we conclude[br]that it was so beautiful, so special,

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that it dazzled the angels.[br]It was so good in fact,

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that God called it "very good"[br]at the conclusion of His creation work.

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Now, the Bible tells us that God is love.

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In other words, the essence[br]of His character is love.

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He is also generous, He is supportive,[br]He is nurturing, He is protective of us,

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but more than anything else,[br]He is the very definition of love.

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In fact, in John 3:16, the most[br]memorized verse in the Bible,

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the Bible says that God[br]profoundly loves the world,

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which includes humans,[br]and everything else He created--

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we're talking the world[br]that He loved, not just mankind.

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So taking all this into account,

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let's ask a critical[br]and fundamental question:

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What kind of world would God create?

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If God's character[br]is the definition of love,

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then really, He could create nothing[br]but a loving, harmonious, elegant,

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supportive, nurturing,[br]amazing world, right?

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A character of perfect love[br]cannot create something

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that is contrary to its character.

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So what God created would[br]necessarily reflect His character, right?

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Further, we can understand that love,

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or more broadly,[br]let's call it "loving-kindness",

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would be God's organizing principle[br]for the operation of His earth.

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In other words, love,[br]or loving-kindness,

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would define how the world[br]fundamentally operates.

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It would define the[br]relationships between creatures,

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and even define the[br]operation of the natural systems

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that support life on earth,

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such as our atmosphere, our hydrosphere,[br]our oceanic systems, our climate systems.

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If God created a world that operated[br]on a system that's contrary to love,

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then logically, God would not be[br]who the Bible says He is.

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And if God created something[br]that was contrary to His character,

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then the angels would not be dazzled by it[br]nor would they respond by singing.

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They would in fact,[br]respond in shock and confusion instead.

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But the world doesn't operate[br]on a system of loving-kindness,

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we know that just[br]by looking all around us.

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Because when we look around us, we see[br]struggle, we see fear, we see fighting,

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we see disease,

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we see parasites and death.

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The world calls this system,[br]"the survival of the fittest".

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But when I look at everything going on,[br]I see more than just individual struggle.

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The system that I see is,[br]in fact, an intentional system.

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And if we examine it carefully,

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we see that the ultimate[br]organizing principle of this system,

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is selfishness.

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Which is the exact opposite[br]of what the Bible says God's character is.

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So, here's our dilemma:

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If God created the world as we observe it,

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then the Bible is false,

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and God is a monster[br]who is unworthy of our worship.

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Full-stop.

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It's either that,[br]or He is who He says He is,

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and the Bible is true,

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but something happened to change[br]the organizing principle of the earth

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from loving-kindness, to selfishness.

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If this second choice is true,

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then it raises[br]a whole slew of questions--

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important questions.

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Including, "Why would an all powerful[br]God, allow His earth to be twisted

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and perverted like that?

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And how is that consistent with a God that[br]the Bible says has a character of love?"

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Well, these are really,[br]truly important questions,

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and we'll begin to take them up,[br]in this series.

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In the course of doing so,

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we'll eventually come back[br]to this handful of soil.

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Because there's more that it can[br]teach us about the character of God,

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and the organizing principle of the earth.

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It can in fact, teach us[br]something about ourselves.

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SCOTT CHRISTIANSEN[br]Author, <i>Planet In Distress</i>

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Here I am in Fort Knox,[br]off of Bucksport, Maine.

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This is not the Fort Knox[br]with all the gold in it.

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What this fort has a lot of is big, huge[br]granite blocks. It's a civil war era fort.

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It's got gun-ports all around[br]it, and the walls are so thick

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that if I reach through those gun-ports,

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I can't possibly touch [br]the outside of the wall.

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It's massive.

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Well, this fort is a fitting place to take[br]up our discussion, in this video series,

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because one of the central points in this[br]series is that Earth is a battlefield.

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In fact, all the life forms on Earth--[br]from the micro-organisms in our soil,

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all the way up to the massive blue whale--

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function within a framework,[br]a paradigm if you will,

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of predator and prey, struggle and fear,

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while also dealing[br]with disease, and parasites,

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and the constant threat of death.

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There is a pitched war going on,[br]and what we're asking is,

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"Where is God in all of this?"

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Well, let's go back[br]to what I said a minute ago--

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the earth is a battle field;[br]a battlefield between opposing forces.

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And on this battlefield is playing[br]out a war that we can barely see,

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a war between God and Satan.

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To understand the earth, to[br]understand God, to understand our lives,

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we first have to understand[br]this war, and our role in it,

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because everything, everything,[br]everything, that happens on Earth

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happens in the context of this great war.

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This war, oddly enough, started in heaven,

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where Satan was an angel,[br]the highest ranking angel actually,

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and he was then named Lucifer.

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We find that he had everything,[br]and functioned in a perfect universe.

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We also find that he wasn't satisfied.

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He wanted more.

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The Bible tells us that Lucifer[br]was perfect in all his ways.

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This means his thoughts,[br]his feelings, his behavior.

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So perfect in all his ways was he, that[br]right up until iniquity was found in him,

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was he perfect.

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When iniquity was found in him,[br]he began to be called Satan,

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which means "adversary."

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What iniquity was found in Satan?

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Selfishness.

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Lucifer decided he wanted to be like God;[br]he wanted to be "like the Most High"

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is the way it's phrased in Isaiah 14:14.

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We can understand that Lucifer went[br]to work undermining God's character,

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making accusations that God[br]was not what He said He was.

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By denying the essential[br]goodness of God's character,

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Satan attempted to erode trust toward God,

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and incite rebellion against Him.

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How else do you rise above God,[br]but to bring Him down?

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Satan's undermining was successful.[br]We understand from Revelation 12:4,

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that a third of the angels were[br]deceived by this cunning plot.

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Well, here's a thing[br]which fixates me a bit:

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logically, Satan could not have[br]recruited angels to his side

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simply by making a charge against God.

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He couldn't just say, "God is bad",[br]and have angels follow him.

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So logically, Satan had to also[br]offer a better way (his words)

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of organizing the universe[br]than what God had put in place.

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So what was this competing system?

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We can find out[br]by following what Satan did.

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What Satan did was press his attacks,[br]and as we're told in Revelation 12:7,

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war broke out in heaven.

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Ty Gibson has an excellent study on this[br]subject, and he points out in this text,

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that the word translated[br]as "war", is "polemos" in Greek,

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which is related to the words[br]like "polemic" and "politics".

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And so the conflict wasn't primarily a war[br]of physical engagement or force of arms,

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it was mostly a political war, [br]a propaganda campaign,

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a character assassination scheme.

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Satan waged his war by telling lies[br]about the fundamental character of God,

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and by offering a different way.

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Looking at Satan's rebellion,[br]in Ezekiel 28:16,

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we find that Lucifer was cast out[br]of heaven because he sinned.

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In 1 John 3:4, we find that[br]John defines sin as "lawlessness."

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In other words,[br]Satan rebelled against God's law.

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In Romans 13:10,[br]Paul defines God's law as love.

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So Satan made war on God's character.

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But my studies have lead me to understand [br]that this war was not only on God,

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he also made war on God's paradigm,[br]His organizing principle for the universe--

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His organizing principle of love,[br]or more broadly, loving-kindness.

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In a way, Satan had to do this[br]because God's character of love

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was reflected[br]in everything He did in creation.

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We're told in Revelation 12:9,[br]that Satan and his angels,

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when they lost the war in heaven,[br]were cast to the earth.

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Here, Satan deceived man into sinning.

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When Satan overcame man,[br]he took our dominion of the earth,

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and according to Corinthians 4:4,[br]he's now the "god" of this world,

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that's god with a lowercase 'g'.

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As god of this world,[br]and as the former highest angel,

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Satan had sufficient power,[br]and sufficient freedom,

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to twist creation, and put into place[br]his own operating system,

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his operating paradigm.

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In other words, Satan had a chance[br]to pit his claimed system, his paradigm,

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against God's paradigm.

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And how do we know[br]what Satan's paradigm is?

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Well, we only need to look[br]at what Satan did to the earth.

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Looking around us, we see fierce[br]competition, we see struggle,

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we see fighting,[br]we see predator, we see prey,

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we see disease, and suffering and death.

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The world calls it survival of the fittest[br]but it is more than that.

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I conclude that it is[br]an intentionally designed system,

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whose organizing principle is selfishness.

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What we see all around us then,

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is the continuation[br]on Earth of the rebellion

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that Satan started in heaven.

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On the one side,[br]we have God and His system of love--

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the loving-kindness paradigm.

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On the other side is Satan,[br]and his system based on selfishness--

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the selfishness paradigm.

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What are the implications of a world[br]run on the selfishness paradigm?

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Well, that's what we'll take up[br]in the next video in this series,

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when we'll look at just how[br]big a deal Satan's paradigm is.

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How it pervades everything,[br]everything, here on Earth,

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and what that means for you and me,[br]at this point in prophetic history.

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SCOTT CHRISTIANSEN[br]Author, <i>Planet In Distress</i>

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Here we are, in the Washington,[br]New Hampshire church,

0:11:43.558,0:11:47.480
which is this charming old church[br]with its beautiful acoustics.

0:11:47.480,0:11:52.484
This is a church where[br]Sabbath-keeping Adventists first met

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and eventually it became the first[br]Seventh-day Adventist Church,

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a very historic church.

0:11:58.729,0:12:02.316
This church hasn't changed[br]in many, many years.

0:12:02.316,0:12:04.026
It still doesn't have electricity.

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It hasn't changed.

0:12:05.267,0:12:08.731
But we can't say[br]the same thing for creation.

0:12:08.731,0:12:12.469
You see, when God created the world,[br]it was a really, really different place

0:12:12.469,0:12:14.285
than the one we live in now.

0:12:14.285,0:12:16.309
For one thing, it didn't rain.

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It's hard for us[br]to imagine a world like that.

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But we're told in Genesis 2:5 and 6

0:12:21.244,0:12:23.924
that a mist of sorts[br]would rise up from the ground,

0:12:23.924,0:12:27.000
and it sounds similar[br]to hydroponic systems

0:12:27.000,0:12:30.390
which is pretty much[br]the most ideal way of growing plants

0:12:30.390,0:12:32.398
that's currently known to man.

0:12:32.398,0:12:36.741
But that wasn't the only difference.[br]Animals were created as vegetarians.

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Think about that for a moment;[br]they only ate plants. All of them.

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It says so in Genesis 1:29 and 30,[br]so yeah, according to Genesis 1,

0:12:45.162,0:12:48.298
the earth was a really,[br]really different place.

0:12:48.298,0:12:51.943
These texts though,[br]are really a challenge to some people.

0:12:51.943,0:12:55.934
Scientists for instance,[br]or those with a scientific bent of mind.

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Most scientist who read these texts[br]will respond by saying

0:12:59.409,0:13:03.094
that we just don't observe[br]in the world what the Bible describes.

0:13:03.094,0:13:05.354
Well, okay, fair enough.

0:13:05.354,0:13:07.695
There's herbivores like[br]sheep, horses and elephants,

0:13:07.695,0:13:10.427
okay, but dogs, birds, fish...

0:13:10.427,0:13:13.397
people will be quick to point out[br]that most of these animals

0:13:13.397,0:13:15.579
were designed to eat other animals.

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End of discussion.

0:13:20.736,0:13:24.865
So, because there is a disparity[br]between what we see,

0:13:24.865,0:13:26.435
and what the Bible says,

0:13:26.435,0:13:29.994
scientists are quick, and many[br]people are quick, to dismiss the Bible.

0:13:29.994,0:13:31.494
Far too quick actually,

0:13:31.494,0:13:33.741
because there's a very[br]good explanation for this.

0:13:33.741,0:13:37.501
The Bible goes on to recount[br]how sin entered the world,

0:13:37.501,0:13:41.238
and how that changed the world, literally.

0:13:41.238,0:13:45.417
Because the consequence of sin[br]is disease, it's suffering, it's conflict,

0:13:45.417,0:13:47.637
ultimately it's death.

0:13:47.637,0:13:52.005
So, let's take this and think this through[br]a little, on our own,

0:13:52.005,0:13:54.548
and the place[br]to start thinking, this disparity,

0:13:54.548,0:13:58.098
the place to start thinking,[br]is with the character of God.

0:13:58.098,0:14:01.894
And we know that the character of[br]God is complex. After all, He is God.

0:14:01.894,0:14:05.863
But we also know it's ultimately[br]simple, because God is love.

0:14:05.863,0:14:07.980
So, let's take a look at[br]what we know of God,

0:14:07.980,0:14:10.410
and apply it to the[br]operation of His world.

0:14:10.689,0:14:14.188
Doing that, we can say that[br]in God's world there's absolutely no fear,

0:14:14.188,0:14:18.484
no domination, no predation,[br]no suffering, no disease, no parasites.

0:14:18.484,0:14:21.324
That would mean[br]that animals eat plants and seeds,

0:14:21.324,0:14:24.167
as the Bible says was originally the case.

0:14:24.167,0:14:27.996
It would also mean that some plants,[br]and maybe even some animals,

0:14:27.996,0:14:31.013
would produce specialized[br]food for other animals.

0:14:31.013,0:14:33.085
In other words,[br]they would produce a blessing.

0:14:33.085,0:14:35.041
Filter feeders comes to mind:

0:14:35.041,0:14:37.962
animals producing food for filter feeders.

0:14:37.962,0:14:41.754
But so far, we have only defined[br]God's world by what is absent--

0:14:41.754,0:14:44.921
fear and predation and such,[br]and not by what is present.

0:14:44.921,0:14:46.457
So let's add to our model,

0:14:46.457,0:14:49.371
and to do that, we need to[br]again turn to the character of God.

0:14:49.951,0:14:54.170
Based on what we know of God, we can say[br]that His world would involve generosity,

0:14:54.170,0:14:55.845
and mutual care.

0:14:55.845,0:14:57.493
Sharing, if you will.[br]

0:14:57.493,0:15:00.830
Each life form would provide[br]a blessing to other life forms.

0:15:00.830,0:15:03.925
Essentially, to get to God's[br]world you have to reverse

0:15:03.925,0:15:07.284
part of the world as we know it;[br]a substantial part of the world.

0:15:07.284,0:15:10.663
In our world, which is[br]fundamentally based on selfishness,

0:15:10.663,0:15:13.397
most everything takes, takes--

0:15:13.397,0:15:16.890
but in a world without sin, in a world[br]based on the character of God,

0:15:16.890,0:15:19.163
everything would give.

0:15:19.163,0:15:21.272
Now taking what we know[br]of the character of Satan,

0:15:21.272,0:15:25.104
we can see that the current earth[br]functions more or less as a pyramid,

0:15:25.104,0:15:27.562
with the bottom[br]of the pyramid giving the most,

0:15:27.562,0:15:29.883
and the benefits flowing[br]to the top of the pyramid.

0:15:29.883,0:15:32.883
The powerful take and the powerless give.

0:15:32.883,0:15:36.264
We see this model throughout[br]the natural world, we see the food chain,

0:15:36.264,0:15:39.435
but we also see it throughout[br]human society, human economy,

0:15:39.435,0:15:43.272
where every level of the pyramid[br]takes from the levels below it.

0:15:45.322,0:15:47.056
By applying what we know of God,

0:15:47.056,0:15:50.276
we can see that we[br]take this model, and we invert it,

0:15:50.276,0:15:52.421
where the pyramid is upside down.

0:15:52.421,0:15:55.511
Where everything blesses[br]and gives to everything else,

0:15:55.511,0:15:58.425
and where goodness flows[br]from the stronger to the weaker,

0:15:58.425,0:16:03.134
which is to say God gives more[br]than anything or anyone else.

0:16:03.134,0:16:07.101
This model, this upside down[br]pyramid, these blessings flowing,

0:16:07.101,0:16:10.512
is consistent with what we[br]know of the character of God.

0:16:11.341,0:16:13.154
For a world like this to work,

0:16:13.154,0:16:15.833
all life forms on it would have to[br]have to be returned from their current

0:16:15.833,0:16:20.041
twisted and perverted states,[br]back to their original created states.

0:16:20.701,0:16:24.843
At the same time, plants would have[br]to be returned to their original state.

0:16:24.843,0:16:28.633
In fact, everything would have to[br]be returned to its original state,

0:16:28.633,0:16:32.725
and that is exactly what God[br]says He'll do in Revelation 21:1,

0:16:32.725,0:16:36.196
when the earth is created new[br]without any trace or stain of sin.

0:16:36.894,0:16:40.609
What we'll see, is a complete[br]elimination of the selfishness paradigm.

0:16:40.609,0:16:42.878
There won't be one thing that just takes.

0:16:42.878,0:16:47.007
And what we will is a pure expression[br]of the loving-kindness paradigm.

0:16:47.007,0:16:51.602
The result of that is given in Isaiah 11:9,[br]where it says, referring to the new Earth,

0:16:51.602,0:16:54.633
"They will not hurt or destroy[br]in all my holy mountain."

0:16:54.633,0:16:57.723
An Earth that isn't a battlefield?

0:16:57.723,0:17:02.268
You know, to me that just sounds[br]really, really good. I mean really good.

0:17:02.268,0:17:04.353
Next, we'll look[br]at the selfishness paradigm

0:17:04.353,0:17:08.571
as reflected in our lives, our work,[br]our play, our money, our egos--

0:17:08.571,0:17:09.738
we're going to look at all of that.

0:17:09.738,0:17:12.608
And we'll briefly explore[br]some of the truly critical questions

0:17:12.608,0:17:17.342
about how Christians relate to a world[br]that operates on the selfishness paradigm,

0:17:17.342,0:17:20.772
including this question: "How can[br]Christians live out the character of God,

0:17:20.772,0:17:24.537
and constantly give,[br]in a world that only wants to take?"

0:17:33.945,0:17:35.973
SCOTT CHRISTIANSEN[br]Author, <i>Planet In Distress</i>

0:17:35.973,0:17:39.721
As we look at the world, and its[br]selfishness-based systems of operation,

0:17:39.721,0:17:42.463
there's one thing that[br]we need to keep in mind,

0:17:42.463,0:17:43.822
and that's this:

0:17:43.822,0:17:47.501
Selfishness is the ultimate[br]expression of unsustainability.

0:17:48.191,0:17:52.325
This is because, by its very nature,[br]selfishness collapses in on itself.

0:17:53.025,0:17:56.712
So the things that the world relentlessly[br]pursues: wealth, power, status,

0:17:56.712,0:18:00.480
fame, domination-- those will[br]all come to nothing in the end,

0:18:00.480,0:18:04.314
precisely because they are[br]the very definition of selfishness.

0:18:04.314,0:18:07.030
Now, selfishness is self-defeating.

0:18:07.030,0:18:11.520
This probably puts the plainest face on[br]the folly of man's rebellion though sin.

0:18:12.090,0:18:13.183
This world will end,

0:18:13.183,0:18:15.642
and judging by the fulfillment of[br]prophecy that we see all around us,

0:18:15.642,0:18:17.020
it's going to end soon.

0:18:17.020,0:18:21.480
So, what you see behind me, this[br]town, the things around me, the trees,

0:18:21.480,0:18:24.476
all around us, that's going to end.

0:18:24.476,0:18:27.753
And judging by the fulfillment of prophecy[br]that we see all around us,

0:18:27.753,0:18:29.439
it's going to end soon.

0:18:29.969,0:18:31.925
Now, about a hundred and fifty years ago,

0:18:31.925,0:18:34.379
there were Seventh-day[br]Adventists that were meeting.

0:18:34.379,0:18:37.009
The "Adventist" part comes[br]from people who believed

0:18:37.009,0:18:40.057
that Jesus was returning very soon,[br]and the Seventh-day part

0:18:40.057,0:18:42.488
comes from people who believe[br]in the fourth commandment:

0:18:42.488,0:18:46.106
worshiping God on the seventh day,[br]the Sabbath, as He commands.

0:18:46.106,0:18:48.027
So that was about a[br]hundred and fifty years ago,

0:18:48.027,0:18:50.737
and they understood that there was[br]work that urgently needed to be done,

0:18:50.737,0:18:51.691
at that time.

0:18:51.691,0:18:54.352
They understood that we are[br]all warriors for one side or another,

0:18:54.352,0:18:56.582
and that we're also[br]the stakes in this battle.

0:18:56.862,0:19:00.451
The battle they saw building,[br]is now nearing its culmination.

0:19:01.181,0:19:02.437
That being the case,

0:19:02.437,0:19:05.436
we live in a time when there are[br]things that urgently need to be done,

0:19:05.436,0:19:08.580
and we live in a time when[br]we need to see things clearly.

0:19:09.060,0:19:10.575
So let's dig a little deeper.

0:19:10.575,0:19:14.755
Let's look at the systems of the[br]world today, through the clarifying lens

0:19:14.755,0:19:16.470
of the selfishness paradigm.

0:19:16.470,0:19:18.917
And we're going to start with an easy one.

0:19:19.217,0:19:20.535
Capitalism.

0:19:20.535,0:19:23.089
Now, capitalism is the[br]financial organizing system

0:19:23.089,0:19:25.510
almost universally employed[br]throughout the world.

0:19:25.510,0:19:28.695
And, quite interestingly,[br]it actually requires selfishness to work.

0:19:28.695,0:19:32.204
The system requires that everyone[br]act in their own self-interest,

0:19:32.204,0:19:36.887
and that the actions and reactions be[br]predictable, and based on this expectation.

0:19:36.887,0:19:41.007
Capitalism rewards those who try[br]hardest to grasp and hold resources.

0:19:41.437,0:19:44.126
Now, capitalism itself[br]isn't really good or bad,

0:19:44.126,0:19:47.536
but if we're going to put things[br]in either a loving-kindness paradigm,

0:19:47.536,0:19:51.802
or a selfishness paradigm (in other words,[br]how the earth operates) then clearly,

0:19:51.802,0:19:54.486
capitalism belongs in[br]the selfishness paradigm.

0:19:54.856,0:19:57.046
Now let's try another[br]one: our political system.

0:19:57.046,0:20:01.188
Now, particularly as practiced here[br]in America, it's been said that politics

0:20:01.188,0:20:04.784
is the process that we use[br]to decide who gets what.

0:20:04.784,0:20:07.659
Perhaps you'll agree that[br]the system as it currently exists

0:20:07.659,0:20:11.142
is less about competent[br]administration of our civil institutions,

0:20:11.142,0:20:14.648
and more about a fierce[br]competition for power and resources.

0:20:14.968,0:20:18.684
It's hard to see any loving-[br]kindness in this system, so clearly,

0:20:18.684,0:20:21.690
we can put this in the[br]selfishness paradigm category.

0:20:22.090,0:20:25.612
Ultimately, all of society's[br]systems can be evaluated

0:20:25.612,0:20:27.933
in comparison to the selfishness paradigm.

0:20:28.465,0:20:32.754
But interestingly, so can also[br]most of our individual actions.

0:20:32.754,0:20:35.518
How we drive, to pick something at random.

0:20:35.518,0:20:38.843
Are we selfish in our driving,[br]or do we express loving-kindness?

0:20:38.843,0:20:40.319
How about our conversations?

0:20:40.319,0:20:43.891
Do we engage others in order[br]to be able talk about ourselves,

0:20:43.891,0:20:47.450
or are we actually interested in[br]the other person, and ask after them?

0:20:47.860,0:20:49.523
How about parenting?

0:20:49.523,0:20:52.843
If a parent-- an overworked[br]parent, a tired parent--

0:20:52.843,0:20:55.145
but if a parent treats[br]a child dismissively,

0:20:55.145,0:20:58.860
in order to avoid longer interactions,[br]and tries dominating them

0:20:58.860,0:21:01.657
instead of taking time[br]and energy to engage with them,

0:21:01.657,0:21:03.900
what paradigm does that belong in?

0:21:03.900,0:21:06.923
What about relationship[br]dynamics between married people?

0:21:07.423,0:21:10.331
It seems every action,[br]every thought, whether large or small,

0:21:10.331,0:21:13.150
can fit into one[br]or the other of these two systems.

0:21:14.610,0:21:18.113
The question then, is whether we[br]are intentional, steadily intentional,

0:21:18.113,0:21:22.111
about recognizing this divide,[br]and increasingly living our lives

0:21:22.111,0:21:24.196
in the loving-kindness paradigm.

0:21:24.399,0:21:28.868
If we do that, we'll be trying to be givers[br]of blessings in a world that only takes.

0:21:29.378,0:21:31.762
No one can do that,[br]at least not for very long.

0:21:31.762,0:21:33.281
So how can it be done?

0:21:33.281,0:21:35.777
Well, by fixing our eyes on Christ.

0:21:35.777,0:21:39.770
By making our relationship with[br]Him our most important goal,

0:21:39.770,0:21:42.121
and our most valuable possession.

0:21:42.121,0:21:46.378
Ultimately, we must be so close to Christ,[br]that He gives blessings through us.

0:21:46.728,0:21:50.011
That is how we can give and give[br]in a world that only wants to take,

0:21:50.011,0:21:53.778
because it is Christ working with us[br]and through us, who does the giving.

0:21:53.778,0:21:56.562
That's who He is, that's what He does.

0:21:56.562,0:21:59.019
How different from the rest of[br]the world are we going to be,

0:21:59.019,0:22:02.636
if we're truly trying to live within[br]the loving-kindness paradigm?

0:22:02.636,0:22:05.119
We're going to be really, really[br]different, that's the answer.

0:22:05.119,0:22:08.528
We'll truly be a peculiar people in[br]comparison to the majority of the world.

0:22:08.528,0:22:11.023
But then how else can we be an example?

0:22:11.023,0:22:13.632
If we are not different as[br]a result of what we believe,

0:22:13.632,0:22:15.532
then what's the use of believing?

0:22:15.532,0:22:18.374
After all, Christianity is not some[br]mere sprinkling of pixie dust

0:22:18.374,0:22:21.193
on top of what the world[br]does and calling it God's way.

0:22:21.193,0:22:24.851
Ultimately, we are or will be,[br]of one paradigm or another.

0:22:24.851,0:22:27.342
We're going to be either sheep,[br]or we're going to be goats.

0:22:27.342,0:22:31.756
In the end, we either have Christ's loving-[br]kindness, or we have Satan's selfishness.

0:22:31.756,0:22:35.408
At the conclusion, there's no middle path,[br]there's no lukewarm response.

0:22:35.848,0:22:38.742
In this light, the implications[br]of a hard look at our lives,

0:22:38.742,0:22:43.058
through the selfishness paradigm,[br]are truly significant, maybe revolutionary.

0:22:43.508,0:22:46.558
The message is aimed at us from[br]all sides that we should be chasing

0:22:46.558,0:22:47.922
what the world is chasing.

0:22:47.922,0:22:51.250
Some even say that the pursuit of wealth[br]is a Christian right and duty,

0:22:51.250,0:22:54.151
and success is proof of God's blessing.

0:22:54.151,0:22:55.317
But no.

0:22:55.317,0:22:58.082
Christ was emphatic that His[br]kingdom was not of this world,

0:22:58.082,0:23:00.694
and in fact, that is what[br]we're going to be looking at

0:23:00.694,0:23:02.462
next in this series:

0:23:02.462,0:23:07.185
the contest between Christ's paradigm[br]and Satan's paradigm in the Bible.

0:23:07.185,0:23:09.639
How we see both of those[br]at work in the world today,

0:23:09.639,0:23:14.067
and the challenge of being in[br]the world, but not of the world.

0:23:22.691,0:23:24.845
SCOTT CHRISTIANSEN[br]Author, <i>Planet In Distress</i>

0:23:26.135,0:23:29.699
I'm sitting beside the Sabbath[br]Trail, which is this really cool trail,

0:23:29.699,0:23:33.608
that starts and ends at the Washington[br]Seventh-day Adventist Church,

0:23:33.608,0:23:36.057
in Washington, New Hampshire,

0:23:36.057,0:23:38.313
which is the first[br]Seventh-day Adventist church,

0:23:38.313,0:23:39.814
the oldest Seventh-day Adventist church.

0:23:39.814,0:23:43.233
And this is a trail[br]that winds through the woods

0:23:43.233,0:23:46.212
for about a mile,[br]it's got twenty-two separate stops on it,

0:23:46.212,0:23:48.943
each of which has a part

0:23:48.943,0:23:51.943
in tracing the Sabbath through the Bible,[br]through the ages.

0:23:51.943,0:23:54.919
If you ever get a chance to visit,[br]I highly recommend it.

0:23:55.339,0:23:58.464
For our purposes,[br]this trail is an ideal spot to continue

0:23:58.464,0:24:01.494
our look at the selfishness paradigm.

0:24:01.494,0:24:04.983
We have to wait to see a pure expression[br]of the loving-kindness paradigm,

0:24:04.983,0:24:07.437
God's paradigm--[br]we won't see that until heaven.

0:24:07.437,0:24:11.355
But today, even though Satan[br]has twisted things around severely,

0:24:11.355,0:24:14.763
God, as master designer of[br]the earth, can still be seen.

0:24:15.183,0:24:17.949
The author Ellen White, in[br]the book <i>Desire of Ages</i>

0:24:17.949,0:24:20.458
talks about how there's[br]both good and evil in the world,

0:24:20.458,0:24:22.837
and we can see God in nature still.

0:24:22.837,0:24:26.775
Where the only thing that is,[br]or can completely be evil,

0:24:26.775,0:24:30.821
is the hearts of those humans[br]who decide to be wholly evil.

0:24:31.426,0:24:34.706
And here is what she says[br]on page twenty of her book:

0:24:34.706,0:24:37.586
she says, "Now sin[br]has marred God's perfect work,

0:24:37.586,0:24:39.373
yet that handwriting remains.

0:24:39.373,0:24:43.093
Even now, all created things[br]declare the glory of His excellence.

0:24:43.093,0:24:48.107
There is nothing, save the selfish[br]heart of man, that lives unto itself.

0:24:48.107,0:24:51.796
No bird that cleaves the air, nor[br]animal that moves upon the ground,

0:24:51.796,0:24:54.800
but ministers to some other life.

0:24:54.800,0:24:58.953
There is no leaf of the forest, or lowly[br]blade of grass but has its ministry.

0:24:58.953,0:25:02.753
Every tree and shrub and leaf[br]pours forth that element of life

0:25:02.753,0:25:06.018
without which neither[br]man nor animal could live.

0:25:06.018,0:25:12.084
And man and animal, in turn, minister to[br]the life of the tree and shrub and leaf.

0:25:12.084,0:25:15.938
The flowers breathe fragrance and unfold[br]their beauty in blessing to the world,

0:25:15.938,0:25:19.401
the sun sheds its light[br]to gladden a thousand worlds.

0:25:19.401,0:25:24.225
The ocean, itself the source[br]of all of our springs and fountains,

0:25:24.225,0:25:29.955
receives the streams[br]from every land, but takes to give.

0:25:29.955,0:25:33.665
The mists ascending from its bosom[br]fall in showers to water the earth,

0:25:33.665,0:25:35.971
that it may bring forth and bud."

0:25:37.181,0:25:39.943
So, we can even[br]still see God in His earth.

0:25:39.943,0:25:43.912
And we can see Him, even in the soil,[br]if you'll remember video number one.

0:25:44.482,0:25:48.503
The soil is full of micro-organisms, there[br]are probably literally billions of them

0:25:48.503,0:25:49.915
in a handful.

0:25:49.915,0:25:52.889
And while there is war[br]going on in our soil,

0:25:52.889,0:25:55.128
and war going on at[br]every level all around us,

0:25:55.128,0:25:57.400
so also is there a little cooperation,

0:25:57.400,0:25:59.720
a little sharing,[br]a little passing of blessings.

0:25:59.720,0:26:04.264
We see a little bit of that[br]paradigm-- God's paradigm.

0:26:04.264,0:26:08.098
We can see bacteria capturing nitrogen[br]from the air to make it available to plants

0:26:08.098,0:26:11.496
who then provide the bacteria[br]with nutrients, and fungus in the soil,

0:26:11.496,0:26:15.232
the filaments of fungus[br]cycle nutrients and enhance plant life.

0:26:15.412,0:26:18.513
Plants provide food to the fungus;[br]symbiotic relationships.

0:26:19.083,0:26:22.082
So even though the tapestry[br]of creation is tattered and faded,

0:26:22.082,0:26:24.765
we can still catch a glimpse[br]of God's paradigm in it.

0:26:24.765,0:26:27.994
And in catching this glimpse,[br]we can better understand

0:26:27.994,0:26:31.477
that He wants us to return[br]to a much, much better world

0:26:31.477,0:26:33.277
than the one that we now live in.

0:26:34.177,0:26:37.718
But, for now we're here, in the midst[br]of this war between Christ and Satan,

0:26:37.718,0:26:41.929
this pitched battle, which started in[br]heaven and will soon end, praise the Lord,

0:26:41.929,0:26:43.101
here on Earth.

0:26:43.101,0:26:45.190
And this war has been[br]raging without pause.

0:26:45.190,0:26:47.272
And we're going to look[br]at a couple of the skirmishes

0:26:47.272,0:26:50.822
between these paradigms we've been[br]talking about, as recorded in the Bible.

0:26:50.822,0:26:54.593
We'll start with the temptation[br]of Adam and Eve, in the garden of Eden,

0:26:54.593,0:26:56.914
in Genesis 3:3 and 4.

0:26:56.914,0:27:00.275
Satan cleverly offered to Adam[br]and Eve an alternate paradigm,

0:27:00.275,0:27:02.095
disguised though it was.

0:27:02.095,0:27:05.915
To this first couple,[br]who had everything, he offered more.

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He told them that God was a liar.

0:27:08.435,0:27:12.399
And he told them that by disobeying Him,[br]they would receive the amazing thing

0:27:12.399,0:27:15.554
He was keeping from them,[br]and that they would become like gods,

0:27:15.554,0:27:17.237
knowing good and evil.

0:27:17.237,0:27:19.347
Well, they fell for it.

0:27:19.347,0:27:21.301
And they were ashamed,[br]they were appalled,

0:27:21.301,0:27:23.491
and they were incredibly[br]sorrowful as a result.

0:27:23.491,0:27:28.855
God then pronounced a broad-ranging[br]curse in Genesis 3:14 through 19.

0:27:28.855,0:27:32.309
But within that curse[br]is something very, very interesting.

0:27:32.309,0:27:35.832
He put enmity between us and Satan.

0:27:35.832,0:27:40.013
I read this to say, in part, that God[br]gave us the ability to resist Satan,

0:27:40.013,0:27:41.931
who had just conquered us.

0:27:41.931,0:27:45.250
Our friend in Maine, Arnet Mathers,[br]who has studied this deeply,

0:27:45.250,0:27:48.604
and he concludes that[br]Satan didn't see that coming.

0:27:49.054,0:27:53.073
That our ability to resist him after[br]he conquered us, was a surprise to him.

0:27:54.003,0:27:58.188
That perspective gives us a sense[br]of just how dynamic this war was,

0:27:58.188,0:27:59.437
and is.

0:27:59.967,0:28:04.488
Next, going to the book of Job,[br]we see Satan claiming that Job serves God

0:28:04.488,0:28:08.446
only through selfishness,[br]and asserting that Job follows God

0:28:08.446,0:28:11.677
only because God[br]has blessed him, and protected him.

0:28:12.087,0:28:14.270
Note that Satan is accusing God

0:28:14.270,0:28:18.760
of employing the selfishness paradigm[br]to get followers.

0:28:18.760,0:28:19.728
Wow!

0:28:20.258,0:28:23.700
God responds by saying that He[br]will remove His protection from Job.

0:28:23.700,0:28:28.236
And eventually, Satan takes[br]everything from Job except his life.

0:28:28.776,0:28:33.122
But even though Job regrets his[br]being born, he does not curse God.

0:28:33.122,0:28:36.772
Satan and his paradigm[br]were defeated, soundly,

0:28:36.772,0:28:39.332
and God restored to Job what he had lost.

0:28:39.912,0:28:43.753
But the Bible's ultimate hand to hand[br]combat between Christ and Satan,

0:28:43.753,0:28:46.079
the ultimate clash of paradigms?

0:28:46.609,0:28:49.621
That's what we're going[br]to look at next in this series.

0:28:49.621,0:28:51.380
It's fascinating.

0:28:51.380,0:28:52.616
Join me.

0:28:59.513,0:29:01.949
SCOTT CHRISTIANSEN[br]Author, <i>Planet In Distress</i>

0:29:02.091,0:29:04.434
Here I am,[br]sitting in front of the graveyard

0:29:04.434,0:29:08.203
of the Washington, New Hampshire[br]Seventh-day Adventist church.

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Now, a graveyard is a burial ground that's[br]next to a church, attached to a church.

0:29:13.100,0:29:16.904
A cemetery is a burial ground[br]that is not attached to a church.

0:29:16.904,0:29:19.511
So I'm definitely sitting in[br]front of a graveyard here.

0:29:19.511,0:29:24.673
And what a place this will be,[br]what a tumultuous place this will be,

0:29:24.673,0:29:27.109
at the resurrection,[br]where people come out

0:29:27.109,0:29:30.109
absolutely joyous when Christ comes.

0:29:30.829,0:29:36.718
And for that reason, this is a good[br]place for us to conclude our discussion.

0:29:37.098,0:29:39.774
And I want to talk about[br]the limits of life, actually.

0:29:40.174,0:29:45.223
Emergency room physicians have a saying[br]to remember the limits of human endurance,

0:29:45.223,0:29:48.638
and it goes something like this,[br]"Three minutes without oxygen,

0:29:48.638,0:29:52.731
three days without water,[br]thirty days without food."

0:29:53.171,0:29:55.674
It's a memorable saying,[br]but it's not quite accurate.

0:29:55.674,0:30:00.175
The absolute limit of human endurance[br]without food is right about forty days.

0:30:00.515,0:30:02.998
And if we look at Matthew 4:1 through 11,

0:30:02.998,0:30:05.975
we're told that Christ was led[br]by the Spirit into the wilderness,

0:30:05.975,0:30:08.079
where He fasted for forty days.

0:30:08.079,0:30:12.412
So we know He was at the absolute, outer[br]edge of life, he was profoundly weakened.

0:30:12.412,0:30:16.106
But at the same time, we also know that[br]He was closer than ever to His Father,

0:30:16.106,0:30:17.277
through prayer.

0:30:17.277,0:30:22.409
And it is in this state of weakness and[br]strength, that Satan joins battle with Him.

0:30:22.409,0:30:25.080
At stake is the universe. Literally.

0:30:25.080,0:30:27.445
Satan pushes his paradigm:

0:30:27.445,0:30:31.235
get or take what we want or need,[br]pursuing our desires

0:30:31.235,0:30:34.101
at the expense of those who[br]are weaker-- that's his model.

0:30:34.871,0:30:39.397
Satan came at Christ three times[br]in the desert, when He was so weak.

0:30:39.397,0:30:41.672
First, he tempted with food.

0:30:41.672,0:30:46.386
And it was an overwhelming temptation[br]since Christ's body was at the very edge

0:30:46.386,0:30:48.432
of the eat or die stage.

0:30:48.432,0:30:49.891
But it didn't work.

0:30:49.891,0:30:53.716
Christ responded with a quote from[br]Scripture, so Satan tempted Him

0:30:53.716,0:30:55.872
with something far more insidious.

0:30:55.872,0:31:00.605
He cast doubt on whether God[br]really loved, and would care for Christ.

0:31:00.605,0:31:06.473
He implied the necessity of selfishness,[br]and in watching out for ourselves.

0:31:07.143,0:31:10.452
This temptation, too,[br]Christ met by quoting Scripture.

0:31:11.012,0:31:13.716
Then came the third[br]and the final temptation.

0:31:13.716,0:31:17.075
The fiercest clash of these two paradigms.

0:31:17.075,0:31:20.535
Satan showed Christ the results[br]of his earthly paradigms:

0:31:20.535,0:31:26.076
the mighty kingdoms, the striving people,[br]the struggling that had built great societies,

0:31:26.076,0:31:27.608
and accumulated great wealth.

0:31:27.608,0:31:30.707
He said Christ could have it all[br]if only He would worship Satan.

0:31:30.707,0:31:33.173
In other words,[br]if only He would acknowledge

0:31:33.173,0:31:37.084
that Satan's paradigm[br]was superior, and worth having;

0:31:37.084,0:31:41.096
if only He would acknowledge[br]that Satan's way was better.

0:31:41.876,0:31:44.248
Well, praise God.

0:31:44.248,0:31:46.128
Christ did not succumb.

0:31:46.128,0:31:49.098
And Satan and his paradigm[br]did not prevail.

0:31:51.468,0:31:55.522
The war rages on now in its final battle,[br]with you and I as the warriors,

0:31:55.522,0:31:59.302
on one side or the other, and[br]with us also as the prize in the war.

0:31:59.735,0:32:04.100
The Bible's very clear in regard[br]to what places us on one side or another,

0:32:04.100,0:32:06.512
but I want to add one more indication.

0:32:06.512,0:32:07.836
And that is whether or not

0:32:07.836,0:32:12.183
we fundamentally want to operate[br]under a loving-kindness paradigm,

0:32:12.183,0:32:13.689
or a selfishness paradigm.

0:32:13.689,0:32:20.022
Whether or not our hearts pull us to give,[br]and love, or to take, and control.

0:32:20.472,0:32:23.863
This war started out as a charge[br]against the character of God,

0:32:23.863,0:32:26.496
and an assertion that[br]there was a better way.

0:32:26.496,0:32:29.231
It remains a war, over just those things.

0:32:29.417,0:32:31.736
And so here's the question for you:

0:32:31.736,0:32:35.686
Does your heart naturally pull you[br]toward a loving-kindness paradigm,

0:32:35.686,0:32:37.682
where you give, where you bless,

0:32:37.682,0:32:40.687
where you nourish,[br]and where Christ gives through you?

0:32:40.687,0:32:44.245
Or does your heart naturally pull[br]you toward a selfishness paradigm,

0:32:44.245,0:32:47.758
where you take, where you accumulate,[br]where you control?

0:32:47.758,0:32:51.907
Or are you still conflicted-- some mixture[br]of the two, somewhere in the middle?

0:32:52.657,0:32:55.642
In the end, we will[br]all be one or the other,

0:32:55.642,0:32:58.643
and if you are fighting[br]the pull of the world, the good news is

0:32:58.643,0:33:00.139
you don't have to fight alone.

0:33:00.139,0:33:04.923
In fact the battle, and the war,[br]have already been won for you.

0:33:05.383,0:33:11.003
Jesus was God made into human flesh,[br]to overcome the principle of selfishness

0:33:11.003,0:33:13.182
in real life experiences.

0:33:13.182,0:33:16.100
While on earth,[br]He battled every temptation we battle,

0:33:16.100,0:33:17.890
and He remained sinless.

0:33:17.890,0:33:22.589
Then on the cross, He became sin[br]for us to put to death in our hearts

0:33:22.589,0:33:25.009
the root of all sin-- the self.

0:33:25.009,0:33:29.067
And through His victory on the cross,[br]the war with Satan was won.

0:33:29.067,0:33:34.212
Even if the final battle of the war[br]is not yet concluded, the war is won.

0:33:34.742,0:33:38.297
I'm Scott Christiansen, and I hope[br]you have enjoyed this video series.

0:33:38.297,0:33:41.298
I hope it gives you[br]something to think about.