Participants: Pastor Stephen Bohr
Series Code: CGC
Program Code: CGC000023
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01:12 Shall we bow our heads for prayer?
01:15 Father in heaven, we thank you so much for the privilege 01:18 of being here today. 01:20 The world is in turmoil. 01:23 Nations are angry 01:26 and we want to know exactly what's happening 01:30 and what will soon transpire in this world. 01:33 We want to be ready for the coming of Jesus. 01:36 And so we ask that as we study 01:38 about the role of the United States in Bible prophecy 01:42 that Your Holy Spirit will be with us to instruct us. 01:46 Give us tender hearts to receive the message 01:48 that You have for us. 01:50 And we pray these things in the precious name of Jesus 01:53 Your beloved Son. Amen. 01:57 We would like to begin our study 01:59 today reviewing 02:03 three prophecies that we have 02:05 already gone over in this seminar. 02:09 The first of these prophecies is found in Revelation 02:13 chapter 12. And basically I'm just going to review. 02:17 We're not going to look up the verses because we've 02:19 studied this before. 02:21 Revelation 12 begins in the Old Testament 02:24 with this woman who is with Child. 02:27 That indicates that this is the Old Testament period 02:31 because the Child has not been born yet. 02:34 And then, of course, you have this dragon. 02:38 And this dragon wants to devour the Child 02:41 as soon as the Child is born. 02:43 It becomes very clear that this power is Rome 02:48 because Rome is the power which tried to slay Jesus 02:51 when Jesus was born. 02:53 Now this dragon had ten horns. 02:57 And the ten horns represent the ten divisions 03:00 into which the Roman Empire was divided. 03:05 Then as you continue with this process in Revelation chapter 12 03:10 you have the woman fleeing into the wilderness 03:13 for 1,260 days 03:17 or time, times, and the dividing of time. 03:21 And then you find at the end of that period 03:25 that the earth helps the woman 03:27 and swallows up the waters of persecution 03:30 which the dragon spewed out of his mouth. 03:33 And then finally in verse 17 03:36 you have the dragon angry with the woman. 03:39 And he goes to make war with the remnant of her seed 03:43 who keep the commandments of God 03:45 and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. 03:48 So we've moved from the Old Testament 03:50 before the Child is born 03:52 to Rome when the Child is born 03:54 to the ten divisions into which the Roman Empire was divided 03:59 to the 1,260 years 04:03 to a time when the earth helped the woman 04:06 eventually to the final war when the dragon 04:11 is enraged with the woman and goes to make war 04:14 with the remnant of her seed 04:16 who keep the commandments of God 04:17 and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. 04:20 So Revelation 12 begins in the Old Testament 04:23 and it continues till the final war of Satan 04:27 against God's people. 04:29 Now in Daniel chapter 7 we have a very similar sequence. 04:34 Daniel chapter 7 presents a lion which is Babylon, 04:38 a bear which is Medo-Persia, 04:41 a leopard which is Greece, 04:44 and then the fourth beast is a dragon-like beast which is Rome. 04:48 You see, that dragon-like beast is the same dragon 04:51 that stood next to the woman to devour her Child 04:54 in Revelation 12. 04:56 And we're told there in Daniel chapter 7 04:58 that this dragon beast sprouted ten horns. 05:03 There you have the same dragon with ten horns 05:06 as in Revelation 12. 05:08 And then we're told that among the ten rises a little horn. 05:12 And the little horn rules for time, times, and the dividing 05:16 of time: 1,260 years... 05:19 the same period that the woman fled to the wilderness 05:23 where the dragon tried to slay her. 05:25 And then we notice in Daniel chapter 7 05:30 that this little horn is destroyed when Jesus comes. 05:34 He's judged and destroyed when Jesus comes which means 05:38 that this little horn must last until Jesus comes. 05:42 You say: "Now wait a minute. You just said that this 05:44 horn was going to have dominion for time, times, 05:47 and the dividing of time... 1,260 years... 05:50 and now you're saying that he's going to exist until the 05:52 second coming of Jesus. " 05:54 It must be that this horn is going to rule 05:58 for 1,260 years then it is going to lose 06:02 its rulership. And its ruler- ship is going to be restored 06:07 in order for this power to be destroyed when Jesus comes. 06:10 Because if he's going to be around when Jesus comes 06:12 and he's going to be destroyed 06:14 he must be ruling when Jesus comes. 06:16 So we notice that Daniel chapter 7 followed the same 06:20 sequence of Revelation 12. 06:22 Begins in the Old Testament with Babylon, Medo-Persia, 06:25 Greece. Continues with the fourth beast - Rome - 06:28 the dragon-like beast. The dragon-like beast 06:30 sprouts ten horns 06:32 just like the dragon-like beast in Revelation 12. 06:36 Then as in Revelation 12 the woman flees to the wilderness 06:40 for 1,260 years. 06:42 The little horn rules for 1,260 years. 06:46 And then in Revelation chapter 12 verse 16 06:49 you have the earth helping the woman. 06:51 In other words, the period of persecution for the woman 06:53 comes to an end. And then of course you have the final 06:57 onslaught against God's people 06:59 which the dragon is enraged with the woman and goes to make 07:03 war with the remnant of her seed. 07:05 Daniel chapter 7 does not directly present that 07:08 but it does tell us that the horn is going to be destroyed 07:11 when Jesus comes which gives us the idea 07:14 that the little horn is going to resurrect to power again. 07:18 Now Revelation 13 follows the same basic sequence 07:22 as Revelation 12 and Daniel 7. 07:25 In Revelation 13 verse 2 you have a dragon 07:31 which is the fourth beast. And then you find three beasts 07:35 that are mentioned that come before the dragon. 07:37 You have a leopard, you have a bear, and you have a lion. 07:41 So notice that Revelation 13 follows the same order 07:44 of Daniel 7. 07:45 You have a lion, a bear, a leopard, a dragon. 07:49 And that dragon has ten horns as we've noticed. 07:53 And then the dragon with the ten horns 07:56 gives his throne, his seat, and his authority 08:00 to the beast, and then the beast rules 42 months. 08:04 Isn't this interesting? The same sequence. 08:07 The beast governs 42 months. 08:09 And at the end of the 42 months the beast power is removed. 08:14 But we're told in Revelation 13, which by the way is amplifying 08:18 Daniel chapter 7, that this beast which received the deadly 08:22 wound, its deadly wound is going to be what? 08:25 Its deadly wound is going to be healed 08:28 and everyone is going to marvel after the beast. 08:32 The whole world is going to marvel after the beast. 08:35 So you'll notice once again the same sequence of events. 08:38 Revelation 13 begins with Babylon. 08:44 Then Medo-Persia, then Greece, 08:47 then Rome... the dragon beast. 08:50 The dragon beast has 10 horns. 08:52 And that dragon beast gives his power to the beast 08:55 who rules 1,260 years. 08:59 It's expressed as 42 months. 09:01 And then at the end of this period 09:04 this power receives a deadly wound. 09:07 For a while it's inactive, but then its deadly wound is healed 09:11 and you have the final persecution 09:13 against God's people. 09:15 So Revelation 12, Daniel 7, and Revelation 13 09:20 are parallel prophecies. 09:23 Is this clear in your mind? 09:25 Now what I particularly want us to notice is 09:28 that this fourth beast has three stages of existence. 09:33 Notice Daniel chapter 7 verses 23 and 24. 09:38 Daniel chapter 7 and verses 23 and 24. 09:43 We're told here the following: 09:54 "which shall be different from all other kingdoms 09:57 and shall devour the whole earth, trample it, 10:01 and break it in pieces. " 10:03 And now notice verse 24: 10:10 You see the sequence? 10:11 You have the dragon beast 10:13 then ten horns rise from this kingdom. 10:16 And then it says in the last part of the verse: 10:26 So how many stages does this fourth beast have? 10:30 It has four... actually three stages. 10:33 We're going to notice that there's a fourth when it 10:35 resurrects, but it has three for our purposes right now. 10:38 The first stage is the dragon beast ruling by itself. 10:42 The second stage is the period of this dragon with ten horns. 10:46 And the third stage is the dragon beast with the little 10:50 horn on its head. 10:52 Now you notice that all of the beasts in Daniel chapter 7 10:56 come up from the waters. 10:59 Now what do waters represent in scripture? 11:02 Well, let's go to Isaiah chapter 17 and verses 12-13. 11:08 Isaiah 17 and verses 12 and 13. 11:12 All of these beasts come up from waters. 11:16 It says there in verse 12 of Isaiah 17: 11:37 So you notice that waters represent what? 11:40 Nations and represent multitudes of peoples. 11:44 All of the beasts of Daniel 7 rise from waters. 11:50 So let me ask you: do they rise in the same 11:53 geographical location? 11:55 Absolutely, because they all rise from the waters 11:58 where there are multitudes of peoples. 12:01 Now what I would like us to do is go to the end 12:06 of the first stage of power of the little horn or the beast. 12:10 Go with me to Revelation chapter 13 and verses 9-10. 12:15 Revelation chapter 13 and verses 9 and 10. 12:20 This is after the little horn or the beast 12:24 has ruled for 1,260 years; 12:27 or time, times, and dividing of time; 12:29 42 months. It's the same period expressed in different terms. 12:33 Notice Revelation chapter 13 and verse 9: 12:48 Who was it that led into cap- tivity during the 1,260 years? 12:52 The beast or the little horn. 13:13 What was this power going to receive at the end of 13:16 the 1,260 years of dominion? 13:19 At the end of the 42 months or the time, times, 13:23 and dividing of time? 13:24 He was going to receive a death wound. 13:28 What was going to give him the death wound? 13:31 A what? A sword. 13:35 Now immediately you ask the question: "What does a sword 13:38 represent in Bible prophecy? " 13:40 Now I know that the sword represents the Bible 13:43 because the Bible is the sword of the Spirit. 13:45 But in this case the sword does not represent the Bible. 13:50 The sword represents the civil powers of the world 13:55 that this beast power or this little horn power 13:59 used to accomplish its purposes. 14:01 You say: "How do we know that? " 14:03 Well, go with me to the book of Romans chapter 13. 14:07 Romans chapter 13. 14:10 Here the apostle Paul is speaking about being subject 14:13 to the civil powers. 14:15 And he says this... Romans 13 and verse 1: 14:33 Now let's jump down to verse 4. 14:36 "For he... " That is, the civil power or the magistrate... 14:59 Question: what does the sword represent in Romans 13? 15:04 It represents the magistrate. 15:07 It represents the civil power 15:10 which preserves the civil order. 15:14 So if Revelation 13:10 says that this beast was going to be 15:19 wounded by the sword it must mean that this beast 15:22 was going to be wounded by the power of what? 15:25 He was going to be wounded by the power of the state 15:29 or by the civil power. 15:30 Now let me ask you: we've already identified 15:33 this system as the Roman Catholic papacy. 15:36 Did the Roman Catholic papacy employ the civil powers 15:40 of Europe to fulfill its purposes during the 1,260 years? 15:45 All you have to do is read history books. 15:47 They allied themselves with the state 15:50 and used the state to accomplish its purpose... 15:54 the papacy's purpose. 15:56 So what must it mean that suddenly the sword 15:59 now rises against this power? 16:01 It must mean that the civil power now rises against 16:04 the papal power. It's no coincidence, folks, 16:08 that in the year 1798 AD - February 10th of 1798- 16:14 General Berthier entered the Vatican City. 16:17 The pope was celebrating the anniversary of his... 16:21 of his accession to the throne. 16:23 It was Pius VI by the way. 16:24 And Berthier came in. He removed the pope from 16:28 his throne. The pope was taken captive and he spent 16:32 some time in different locations. 16:35 And he finally died in exile in France. 16:38 It's interesting that Napoleon Bonaparte 16:40 had the express intention of abolishing the papacy. 16:45 In other words, France removed from the papacy 16:48 the ability to use the civil power. 16:51 And do you know what's interesting? 16:53 No country in Europe wanted to have anything to do 16:57 with the Roman Catholic papacy immediately after 1798 AD. 17:01 They did not want to touch this system with a ten-foot pole 17:04 because they knew what had happened during the 1,260 years 17:09 of the dominion of this power. 17:10 And so France rose against this power and removed 17:14 its civil authority. 17:17 In other words, the Roman Catholic church 17:19 did not disappear as a church but it could no longer 17:23 use the civil powers of the world 17:25 to accomplish its purposes. 17:27 Malachi Martin in his book The Keys of This Blood 17:30 has a statement where he says that the civil powers of the 17:34 world have imposed 200 years of inactivity 17:38 upon the Roman Catholic papacy. 17:40 He himself recognizes that the papacy could no longer use 17:44 the civil powers of the world to accomplish the purposes 17:47 that it accomplished during the 1,260 years. 17:51 And so basically what we have in all three of these prophecies - 17:54 Revelation 12, Daniel 7, and Revelation 13- 17:58 it begins in the Old Testament, moves to the period of the 18:01 dragon, then it moves to the period of the dragon 18:04 with ten horns, then it moves to the period 18:07 of the 1,260 years of persecution, 18:10 and then Revelation 13 emphasizes that at the end 18:13 of this period of persecution persecution ceases. 18:18 Revelation 12 emphasizes that the earth helps the woman 18:22 and swallows up the waters of persecution. 18:25 But then the devil is angry, 18:27 and so he rises this power to new life. 18:32 The deadly wound is healed and you have the final onslaught 18:35 against those who keep the commandments of God 18:37 and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. 18:40 Now in Revelation 13 we have a second beast which rises, 18:44 and we need to identify this second beast. 18:48 And I have 12 characteristics that I want to share with you 18:52 in identifying this second beast. 18:55 Let's go to Revelation chapter 13 and verse 11. 19:00 And we're going to stay in that verse 19:02 for several characteristics. I'm going to take one by one. 19:06 Revelation 13 and verse 11 says: 19:09 "Then... " What does that indicate... then? 19:13 It indicates that this is transpiring when? 19:16 After the first beast receives its deadly wound 19:21 because the previous verse speaks about the deadly wound. 19:25 And what date was the deadly wound given? 19:28 1798 AD 19:30 That's a matter of history. 19:32 You can read it in any history book. 19:34 Which means that this beast is going arise after which date? 19:39 Or at which date? 19:41 It's going to arise around the year 1798 AD 19:46 after the first beast receives its wound. 19:49 Secondly you'll notice that it says in verse 11 19:52 that he saw another beast. 19:57 Now what does a beast represent in prophecy? 19:59 A beast represents a kingdom or a nation. 20:05 The lion is Babylon; the bear is Medo-Persia; 20:08 the leopard is Greece; the dragon is Rome. 20:10 Whenever you find beasts in prophecy it represents 20:13 nations or kingdoms. 20:15 So my question is: is this going to be a nation 20:18 or a kingdom which will arise around the year 1798 AD? 20:22 Absolutely. 20:24 Now let's notice our third characteristic. 20:26 Once again, Revelation 13 and verse 11: 20:35 We need to take a look at that expression 20:39 "coming up. " It's the expression that is used 20:42 to describe the sprouting of a plant. 20:46 In other words, you're not talking about a full-grown tree. 20:49 You're talking about the sprouting of a plant. 20:52 That is that when this power was rising it had not reached 20:56 the apex of its power. 20:58 It actually was just beginning to germinate or to sprout 21:02 when John saw it rise. 21:05 Incidentally, in Matthew 13 and verse 7 21:08 this expression "coming up out of" 21:11 is used the parable of the sower to speak about a plant 21:15 growing up out of the earth. 21:17 So our third characteristic is that in 1798 AD 21:20 this power was not fully grown 21:22 it was just sprouting out of the earth at that time. 21:25 Now let's notice the fourth characteristic. 21:28 It says there in verse 11: 21:30 "Then I saw another beast coming up out of the... " What? 21:34 "Coming up out of the earth. " 21:37 It comes out of the earth. That is significant. 21:40 You say: "Why is it significant? " 21:42 Well, let me ask you: where did all of the previous beasts 21:46 come up from? We've already noticed it. 21:48 They came up from waters 21:51 where there were multitudes and nations 21:54 and tongues and peoples. 21:57 Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, 22:01 Rome... all arose from waters. 22:04 But suddenly we see this beast that arises out of what? 22:08 That rises up out of the earth. 22:11 Would this seem to indicate that this power is going to arise 22:14 in a different place? 22:17 Obviously. 22:18 That's the strong impression that you get. 22:21 Furthermore, there are not only any waters 22:24 there are also no winds. 22:27 In other words, this power is not rising due to warfare. 22:32 Furthermore, this power does not fight any of the 22:35 previous powers to gain its ascendancy. 22:38 Let me ask you: did the bear fight the lion to get its power? 22:41 Sure. Did the leopard fight the bear to get its power? 22:45 Yes. Did the dragon fight the leopard to gain its power? 22:48 Absolutely. Each successive kingdom 22:51 conquers the previous kingdom. 22:53 But with this beast of Revelation 13 22:55 it comes up out of the earth. 22:57 There are no waters which means that there must be a very 23:00 scarcity of inhabitants. It's a different place. 23:04 There are no winds, which we've already studied represents war. 23:08 Represents warfare. This must be a power that 23:12 rises in a different place. 23:14 Not in the midst of conquest. 23:17 Not conquering previous nations. 23:19 So this power rises in a different place. 23:24 Let's go to our fifth characteristic. 23:26 This one is not directly found in Revelation 13 but I think 23:30 that we need to mention it because it's important. 23:34 If you notice the beasts of Daniel chapter 7 23:38 you'll find that the first two beasts rise in Asia: 23:44 Babylon and Medo-Persia. 23:47 The next two beasts rise in Europe. 23:51 In other words, prophecy is moving from east to west. 23:57 Now this beast that you find here rises from the earth 24:02 after all of these powers have risen. 24:06 Would you expect this power to rise further west 24:11 than Asia or Europe? 24:13 Sure... because prophecy is moving in what direction? 24:17 Prophecy is moving from east to west. 24:20 By the way, the reason why this happens is because God's 24:22 people are moving from east to west. 24:24 Prophecy moves with God's people. 24:26 When God's people move - when Christianity moves west - 24:30 prophecy moves west 24:32 because prophecy fulfills with God's people. 24:35 And so this power is further west than Asia or Europe. 24:40 Characteristic number six: 24:42 this power is a global power. 24:46 In fact, it not only is a global power 24:50 but the power that existed before is also a global power. 24:56 Let me ask you: the little horn or the beast 25:00 that governed for 1,260 years... 25:02 was this a global power? 25:05 It most certainly was. 25:07 Revelation chapter 13 and verse 7 says 25:09 that it ruled over every nation, over every kindred, 25:12 over every tongue, and over every people 25:14 during the 1,260 years. 25:17 Now that's interesting. 25:18 So you have one global power and then you're going to notice 25:21 that this beast of Revelation 13 is also a global power. 25:26 So you have two global powers. 25:29 You have the one that ruled during the 1,260 years 25:32 and you have this power or this kingdom 25:35 which arises in 1798 AD. 25:38 And you know what's very very interesting 25:40 is the fact that this second power, this second global power, 25:44 which comes up out of the earth 25:46 instead of fighting with the previous power 25:49 it helps the previous power regain its authority. 25:54 If you look at this second beast, its only purpose 25:58 is... and intention... is to restore power 26:02 to the previous beast. 26:03 Very different than all of the other beasts. 26:05 All of the other beasts try to annihilate the previous power. 26:08 But this power actually helps the previous power 26:13 regain its ascendancy... 26:16 it's political and religious ascendancy. 26:19 So you're supposed to look for two global powers. 26:23 One which ruled in the past 26:25 and one which rises around the year 1798 AD 26:28 which will help the previous power recover its throne. 26:34 Now characteristic number 7. We'll go a step further. 26:38 Now only are these global powers 26:39 but this second power must also be a global political power. 26:45 You say: "Why is it a global political power? " 26:48 Go with me to Revelation chapter 13 and verse 16. 26:51 Revelation 13 and verse 16. 26:55 It says there about this second beast: 27:08 Must this power have political clout in order to make 27:13 everyone receive the mark of the beast? 27:16 It most certainly has world-wide political influence 27:20 so it must be a world-wide global political power. 27:24 But it is also a global economic power. 27:29 You say: "How do we know that? " 27:30 Notice Revelation 13 and verse 17. 27:33 It says in verse 17: 27:44 Does this power control commerce? 27:47 Does it control business? Yes it does 27:50 because it controls buying and selling. 27:53 It must be a global economic power. 27:56 But this power must also be a global military power. 28:00 It must have the power to enforce its decrees. 28:04 Notice Revelation chapter 13 and verse 15. 28:08 Revelation 13 and verse 15. It says: 28:27 So does it have world-wide military power to enforce 28:32 the decrees of that first beast? 28:35 Absolutely. Now what have we seen so far? Reviewing. 28:39 Number one: this power must arise around the year 1798 AD. 28:44 Number two: it is a nation or a kingdom because it's a beast. 28:48 Number three: it's just sprout- ing up around the year 1798 AD. 28:53 Number four: it rises out of the earth where there are 28:56 very few inhabitants. 28:57 It does not arise by fighting any of the previous powers. 29:01 There is no wind of strife. 29:03 In other words, it's going to help the previous power 29:05 recover its power. 29:07 Number five: it is going to arise further west 29:10 than Asia and Europe. 29:12 Number six: it is going to be a global power 29:15 along with that first power that ruled 1,260 days. 29:19 Number seven: it is going to exercise world-wide political 29:24 power. Number eight: it is going to 29:27 exercise world-wide economic power. 29:30 Number nine: it is going to exercise global or world-wide 29:35 military power. 29:37 Now let's go to number ten. 29:39 It is going to be contempo- raneous with the first beast. 29:42 What do I mean by contemporaneous? 29:45 In other words, they're going to be contemporaries. 29:49 In other words, this second beast does not really succeed 29:52 the first beast but they actually rule together. 29:56 Are you following me or not? 29:57 They exist at the same time. 29:59 And the purpose of the second beast is to give power 30:04 back to the first beast but they're contemporaries. 30:07 So what you have to do is you have to look for two powers 30:10 around the year 1798 AD and afterwards 30:13 who are both global powers 30:16 and who rule at the same period 30:18 of time in history. 30:20 Now characteristic number 11: 30:23 we're told that this second beast makes an image 30:27 to the first beast. 30:28 Let me ask you: what is an image? 30:31 An image is a replica, 30:34 a copy, a reproduction. 30:38 So if this beast is going to make an image to the first beast 30:41 is this image going to be simi- lar to what the first beast is? 30:45 Sure. So what do you have to do? 30:48 You have to go and look at the characteristics 30:50 of the first beast. Question: did the first beast 30:53 attempt to change God's law? 30:56 Sure. So if this beast makes an image to the first beast 31:00 is there going to be something having to do with a change 31:02 in God's law? Obviously yes. 31:04 Did the first beast change 31:07 God's prophetic line of events? 31:10 In other words, did he attempt to change God's prophetic 31:13 calendar? Yes he did. 31:15 He instituted Preterism, 31:17 the idea that prophecy was fulfilled in the distant past, 31:19 and he implemented Futurism, the idea that the antichrist 31:23 is going to arrive in the future, way at the end of time. 31:26 And that way people couldn't see that the antichrist was 31:29 right in front of them because they were looking 31:31 way to the past or they were looking way to the future. 31:33 Must this second beast then have the same counterfeit 31:37 prophetic interpretation system? 31:39 Absolutely. Now that beast during the 1,260 years 31:45 mixed or blended church and state. 31:48 If this beast is going to make an image, 31:50 must this also be a blending of church and state? 31:52 Absolutely. This first beast persecuted those who were not 31:56 in harmony with the union of church and state... 32:00 who did not agree with the changes that were made. 32:03 Are we to expect that this second beast is going to bring 32:06 also persecution for the same motivations? 32:09 Absolutely... no doubt about it. 32:11 Now let's go to characteristic number twelve. 32:14 This is the last one. 32:15 Revelation 13 and verse 11. 32:18 Revelation chapter 13 and verse 11. 32:22 Here we find another character- istic which we haven't read 32:25 before... and so we're going to read it now. It says: 32:39 He had two horns like what? 32:41 Two horns like a lamb. 32:44 Now what does that mean? "Two horns like a lamb. " 32:47 Well, let's first of all determine what horns mean 32:51 in Bible prophecy. You know what horns mean in Bible prophecy? 32:54 Horns represent kingdoms or divisions of kingdoms. 32:59 For example, in Daniel chapter 8 33:03 you have a ram with two horns. 33:05 The two horns represent the kingdoms of Media and Persia. 33:08 You have four horns that come out of the head of 33:12 the he-goat of Daniel 8. 33:15 Represents the four divisions of the Grecian Empire 33:18 after the death of Alexander the Great. 33:20 And so horns represent kingdoms. 33:23 And you're saying: "What in the world could be 33:26 represented by these two horns? 33:27 Is that talking about the idea that this is going to be 33:30 two nations or two kingdoms? " 33:33 We already read that there's only one beast. 33:35 But this beast has two horns. Is it possible that this kingdom 33:40 is going to be a dual kingdom in some sense of the word? 33:43 The answer is yes. 33:46 Now before I pursue the meaning of the two horns 33:49 allow me to go through the characteristics once again 33:52 and ask which nation fulfills these exact 33:58 details. What nation arose around the year 1798 AD? 34:03 Is a nation... bona fide nation? 34:06 Was just sprouting in 1798 AD? 34:09 Arose where there were very few inhabitants? 34:12 Did not fight any of the previous powers of prophecy? 34:15 Is further west than Europe and Asia? 34:18 Is a global power con- temporary with the first power? 34:23 Has world-wide political clout? 34:26 World-wide economic clout? 34:29 World-wide military might? 34:32 Which actually is now helping that first beast 34:36 get its power back and which is reflecting 34:40 many of the same teachings and practices 34:43 of that first power? 34:45 Listen folks, there's no doubt whatsoever 34:47 what this beast represents. 34:49 It represents the United States of America. 34:52 You say: "How is that? " 34:55 Did the United States arise to power around the year 1798 AD? 34:59 Absolutely! In fact, the Declaration of Independence 35:02 was signed in 1776 AD. The Constitution in 1787 AD. 35:06 1791 AD you have the Bill of Rights. 35:09 In 1798 AD you have the deadly wound. 35:12 Incidentally, do you know which was the first nation 35:14 that the United States formed official diplomatic relations 35:17 with? It was France. 35:20 Do you know what year? 1798 AD. 35:22 The first nation to recognize the United States 35:25 as a bona fide nation was the very nation 35:28 that gave the deadly wound to that first beast. 35:31 That's significant. 35:32 Is the United States a nation or a kingdom? 35:36 It most certainly is. 35:38 Was the United States fully grown when it first arose 35:41 to power or was it just sprouting up in 1798 AD? 35:45 It was just sprouting up. 35:47 Did the United States arise in a sparsely-populated area? 35:51 Yes. Did it have to defeat any of the kingdoms 35:54 of Europe - of Bible prophecy - that had existed before? 35:58 Absolutely not. 36:00 Is the United States further west than Europe and Asia? 36:03 It most certainly is. 36:05 Is the United States ruling contemporaneously 36:09 with that first beast? 36:11 Are they both world-wide systems? 36:14 The Roman Catholic papacy and the United States? 36:16 Absolutely. 36:18 Is the United States a political global power? 36:21 It is. Is the United States a global economic power? 36:25 It most certainly is. 36:27 Is the United States a global military power? 36:29 Absolutely. 36:31 Is the United States contemporaneous with the 36:34 first beast and actually by what we're seeing today 36:37 is it helping that first beast recover its power 36:41 and its authority? Absolutely. 36:43 And I will share with you a little bit more about that 36:45 later on. Is Protestantism in the United States 36:50 today in this country talking about joining church and state 36:54 and actually joining church and state? Absolutely. 36:57 What day of worship do they say we're supposed to keep? 37:00 The first day of the week. 37:02 Do they say that prophecy is fulfilled with the papacy 37:07 and with apostate Protestantism? 37:09 Is that their perspective of prophecy? 37:11 No. Where are they looking? 37:13 They're looking back at a fellow called Antiochus IV Epiphanies 37:16 or they're looking forward to some future antichrist 37:20 after the church has been raptured to heaven. 37:23 The only thing that is missing of making an image to the 37:26 first beast is the persecution aspect 37:29 because these things have not yet fully matured. 37:32 Are you with me or not? 37:33 Now let's talk about the two horns... 37:36 the two horns like a lamb. 37:38 The word lamb is used in Revelation 29 times. 37:42 Every single time the lamb is a symbol of Jesus Christ 37:47 with this one exception. 37:49 Now if the lamb is a symbol of Christ, 37:53 must these two horns have something to do with Christ? 37:57 Absolutely. Now we noticed that horns represent kingdoms. 38:02 You say: "Well the United States 38:04 isn't two kingdoms. The United States is one kingdom. " 38:07 You're right but allow me to tell you 38:10 in what sense you have two kingdoms in this country. 38:15 Let me ask you: Did Jesus teach that there are 2 kingdoms? 38:18 He said: "Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's 38:23 and unto God that which is God's. " 38:26 Did Jesus recognize there are two kingdoms? 38:28 Did He teach that they're supposed to remain separate? 38:31 He sure did! By the way, the two horns are not one horn... 38:35 they're two horns... they're separate. 38:37 They're on the same beast but they're separate. 38:40 Are you following me or not? 38:42 Did Jesus say that: "My kingdom is not of this world? " 38:45 He most certainly did. 38:47 In that way He's recognizing that there's another kingdom 38:49 that is His. It's not from this world. 38:51 Now, my question is this: 38:54 when the United States began as a nation 38:57 did it recognize that there are actually two kingdoms 39:02 or two powers? 39:04 It most certainly did. 39:06 Did it teach that those two kingdoms need to remain 39:09 separate one from another? 39:11 Absolutely. What kingdoms are we talking about? 39:14 We're talking about church - which is Christ's kingdom 39:19 spiritually on earth - and what? State. 39:24 Church and state. Two kingdoms 39:27 but that are supposed to be what? Separate from one another. 39:31 Now allow me to read you the first amendment of the 39:35 Constitution of the United States. 39:36 It's interesting how this... 39:38 I was listening to a Senator - a very prominent Senator - 39:41 the other day on television on Meet the Press. 39:44 And I had to write a letter to Tim Russert 39:47 to tell him: "How did you let him get away with that? " 39:50 But let me tell you what the issue was. 39:52 This is what the first amendment says. 39:54 By the way, the first amendment actually has 39:59 an establishment clause, a free exercise clause, 40:02 and a civil liberties clause. 40:05 In the same amendment you have religious and 40:08 civil liberties. It says there - the first amendment: 40:20 That's been re-interpreted to mean that Congress cannot 40:23 establish a church or a religion above other religions. 40:27 That's not what the first amendment says 40:29 and that's what this Senator says. He said: 40:31 "What the first amendment forbids is from Congress 40:35 making a law establishing a religion. " 40:36 It doesn't say a religion. It says religion... period. 40:40 "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment 40:43 of religion. " In other words, 40:45 Congress can make no laws having to do with religion 40:49 or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. " 40:54 In other words, Congress cannot make laws 40:59 implementing religion 41:02 or forbidding the free exercise of religion. 41:04 But then the first amendment continues saying this: 41:17 So in the first amendment to the Constitution of the 41:20 United States you have these two principles: 41:23 religious liberty... 41:25 God's kingdom ruling itself 41:28 without interference of 41:29 government, and the civil power 41:31 functioning without the interference of the church. 41:35 In other words, each of these kingdoms separate 41:38 following the principle that Christ established 41:40 that you have two kingdoms 41:43 but the kingdom of God is supposed to be separate 41:45 from the kingdom of men or from the civil power. 41:50 Incidentally, these two principles are called 41:53 Republicanism and Protestantism. 41:57 Republicanism simply means a state 42:02 without a king. 42:05 And Protestantism means a church without a pope. 42:12 Because in the Middle Ages - you know - if the king said "jump" 42:16 you said "how high? " 42:18 I mean the king had all power; the people had no power. 42:21 The king spoke and people obeyed. 42:24 It was a monarchy. The same was in the church. 42:27 You know, when the pope spoke everybody did what he said. 42:31 in the religious realm. There was no civil 42:33 or religious liberty. 42:35 But the founding fathers of the United States decided 42:37 that they would establish a government of the people, 42:39 by the people and for the people 42:41 where religion would be protected by the state 42:45 in the sense that people could practice their religion; 42:48 the government would not interfere; 42:50 and people could be free to worship God according to 42:53 the dictates of their conscience. 42:55 Republicanism and Protestantism. 42:58 In other words, the separation of the two kingdoms. 43:02 Now why would our founding fathers do this? 43:04 Why would they want this kind of government? 43:06 Well you see, they had the benefit of three things. 43:10 Number one: they had the benefit of knowing 43:14 what had happened during the Middle Ages when church and 43:16 state were joined together. They lived very close to that 43:18 period. I mean, 1798 AD... that's when the deadly wound 43:20 was given. They were close to the history. 43:23 One of the problems of the United States is that people 43:25 don't remember history any more. 43:26 They don't remember what this power had done in the past 43:29 and so they're allowing this power to gain ascendancy again. 43:32 Which is scary! But anyway... 43:35 You know, we find that the founders had the benefit 43:40 of knowing the history of the Middle Ages... 43:41 what happens when church and state are joined together. 43:44 They knew it leads to persecution 43:45 like John Huss who was burned at the stake 43:47 because he didn't agree with the teachings of the church. 43:49 So they say: "In this Republic we're not going to have 43:52 that problem. Church and state are going to be separate 43:55 one from another. " 43:56 They also knew the history of the Colonial period of the 43:59 United States. That's a period which many people forget. 44:03 Do you know that the Pilgrims came here looking for freedom? 44:07 By the way, "the earth helped the woman. " 44:10 That's what Revelation 12 means when it says 44:12 "the earth helped the woman. " They fled from Europe. 44:14 They came over here. They came to the territory 44:16 of the United States to look for freedom. 44:19 And once they established themselves, they took away 44:21 peoples' freedom... in the Colonial period. 44:25 If you did not return your tithe... by the way, 44:27 the government paid the pastors. 44:30 People, you know... they returned their tithe 44:32 or they paid their tithe like a tax 44:34 and then the government paid the ministers. 44:37 And if you didn't pay your tithe you could be thrown in jail. 44:40 If you did not go to church on Sunday - which they believed 44:43 to be the day of worship - you could be thrown in jail 44:45 or you could be flogged. 44:47 Only people who professed the Christian religion 44:50 could occupy offices in the government... positions in the 44:54 government in the Colonial period. 44:56 In the early history of the United States... 44:58 not the Constitutional period. 45:01 And Roger Williams who came in the year 1629 45:04 from England to the Massachusetts Bay Colony 45:07 he suffered the wrath of the people there because he was 45:10 teaching the total separation of church and state. 45:12 He had to flee in the dead of winter - a very raw winter. 45:17 He had to cross huge snowdrifts 45:20 and finally ended up in Rhode Island. 45:22 And he established the capitol of Rhode Island known as 45:26 Providence. And it became a city of refuge for everyone... 45:29 Quakers, Jews, atheists. 45:31 All he said: "I want you to come here. 45:33 You can worship God any way that you wish. 45:36 As long as you work hard and you obey the civil laws 45:39 you'll be welcome here. " 45:40 But he was persecuted. They wanted to lynch him 45:43 because of his idea of separation of church and state. 45:47 He was certainly a man ahead of his time. 45:50 Now I want you to notice that as we look at what's happening 45:55 at the United States or with the United States 45:59 it's so amazing and it's happening so fast 46:02 that it makes you dizzy. 46:04 You know, I wish I had a lot of time here to talk to you 46:07 about all of the track record of what's happening... 46:10 happened since 1963. It actually all began at Vatican II 46:15 where under the name aggiornamento 46:18 renewal of the Catholic church 46:21 they gave the Catholic church a facelift. 46:24 No longer mass in Latin. 46:26 You know, they could sing in the worship services and so on. 46:29 It was all cosmetic changes to make the church attractive 46:33 to Protestants. And then of course you have 46:36 the election of John F. Kennedy. 46:38 I'm not saying that he was used by the Catholic church 46:42 but basically there were people who were scared of having 46:44 a Catholic as a president. 46:46 But when John Kennedy came in and he seemed to do a pretty 46:48 good job, people liked him pretty well. They said: 46:50 "Hey, it's not such a threat to have a Roman Catholic 46:52 as the president of the United States. " 46:55 And then, of course, we could go to the 80's. 46:57 The Holy Alliance. 46:58 So it was called by Time Magazine. 47:00 It was on the cover with Reagan and the pope 47:02 on the cover of Time. The Holy Alliance where 47:05 the United States helped the pope 47:10 overthrow Communism in the former Soviet Union. 47:14 It was actually an alliance - a secret alliance - 47:18 between the United States and the Vatican 47:21 to overthrow Communism. 47:23 And then of course you have the book The Keys of This Blood. 47:25 Interesting book written by a Roman Catholic Jesuit 47:29 Malachi Martin. 47:31 In that book he says that there are three powers in this world 47:35 vying for... to sit on the throne of the world. 47:38 Number one: Communism. 47:40 Number two: Western capitalism. 47:43 And number three: the Roman Catholic papacy. 47:46 And in that book he guarantees - 47:49 and by the way, this is before it happened - 47:50 he guarantees that Communism was going to fall, 47:53 Western capitalism was going to fall, 47:57 and eventually the Roman Catholic papacy was going to 48:01 regain the throne of the world. 48:05 You know, we've just seen the death of the pope. 48:10 I can't help but be amazed as I watch on television 48:13 every single news program on television. 48:16 You can't get any other kind of news. 48:19 And you have Protestant ministers and you have Jewish 48:22 rabbis and you have people who don't claim the Christian 48:26 religion being interviewed by these programs. 48:28 And they're saying how wonderful this system is. 48:31 How wonderful this man is. 48:32 The whole world, according to Revelation 13, 48:35 would "wonder after the beast. " 48:37 And by the way, in order for this prophecy to be fulfilled 48:40 that the United States is going to help this first power 48:44 regain its ascendancy, three walls have to come down. 48:48 The first wall is the wall 48:50 of Communism 48:52 represented by the Berlin Wall. 48:54 That thing came down. 48:56 The second wall that needs to be 48:58 knocked down is the wall between 49:00 Protestants and Catholics. 49:02 And that is coming down. 49:05 The document Evangelicals and Catholics Together 49:09 which is a group of very influential evangelicals 49:12 and very influential Roman Catholics 49:14 signed a document saying that they basically 49:17 agree on doctrine and they should just forget 49:19 their differences and they're supposed to go out 49:22 and evangelize the world. 49:24 The Joint Declaration on Righteousness by Faith 49:26 by Catholics and Lutherans 49:28 where basically they're saying that the Protestant Reformation 49:31 was a mistake. They're saying that Catholics and Protestants 49:35 agree on the issue of justification by faith. 49:38 This has just happened in the last few years. 49:40 Recently in Time Magazine there was an incredible article 49:44 where it says that Protestants are adopting the Roman Catholic 49:48 view of Mary. 49:52 Now if this isn't telling us that we're close to the end 49:55 I don't know what does. 49:58 Furthermore, there was a Time Magazine article 50:00 which described the red states so called from the South 50:04 and how Protestants and Catholics are allying themselves 50:08 together to take over the political system. 50:11 This is only in the last 2 or 3 months that I'm talking about. 50:17 So certainly the wall of separation between Protestants 50:20 and Catholics is coming down. 50:21 Do I need to say anything about the third wall: 50:24 the wall of separation between church and state? 50:27 I mean it is coming down so fast, there are so many 50:31 bricks that have been knocked off of that wall, 50:33 that there's not much wall left. 50:36 You know, Protestants allying themselves with Catholics 50:40 to take over the government. 50:42 And in the Terri Schiavo case you can see this. 50:46 You know, they're using... they're actually trying to use 50:49 Congress to intervene in this case 50:53 which is a problem of separation of powers incidentally. 50:57 Not only that, thank God that the judiciary is still 51:00 independent judiciary. Thank God that the judges are 51:05 elected for life and they don't have to worry about elections. 51:10 Because what is going to happen someday when the 51:12 multitudes will not only be able to influence Congress 51:16 for Congress to do what they want - 51:18 even intervene in the case of one person. 51:21 Which by the way, I don't believe that the feeding tube 51:23 should have been removed... I'll tell you that... 51:25 I believe that it should have been left in. 51:27 But apart from that point, it's the mechanism or the process 51:31 that was used that's a problem. 51:34 You know, influencing... The religious right influencing 51:38 Congress to intervene in this case. 51:40 What's going to happen when the judges feel the heat 51:44 and feel the pressure? 51:45 Then God's people are not going to have any court of appeal. 51:49 And that is happening right before our eyes. 51:53 Are you understanding what I'm saying? 51:56 Now, in closing I'd like to say that there are two stories 52:00 from the book of Daniel that illustrate 52:04 the first amendment of the Con- situation of the United States. 52:07 You see, our founding fathers not only knew - 52:10 and by founding fathers I mean the Constitutional fathers - 52:12 they not only knew the history of the Middle Ages 52:16 when church and state were joined together; 52:18 they not only knew the history of the Colonial period 52:22 of the United States... therefore they said 52:24 "We're not going back to the Colonial period. " 52:26 And that's why you have the Constitution 52:29 and that's why you have the Bill of Rights, 52:31 the amendments to the Constitution. 52:33 They said: "We're not going down that road 52:35 of the Middle Ages or the Colonial period. " 52:37 They also knew their Bibles believe it or not. 52:43 They knew the stories of Daniel 3 and Daniel 6. 52:47 And this is what I'm going to speak about to end 52:49 our study today. 52:52 Daniel 3: Nebuchadnezzar tried to 52:57 establish religion. 52:59 Have you ever noticed that? 53:01 He raised an image and he said: "Everybody's going to worship 53:04 that image. " By the way, this is symbolic of what's 53:07 going to happen at the end of time. 53:08 Nebuchadnezzar - who lived as a beast for a period of time - 53:11 lived as a beast, raised an image. 53:15 Whoever did not worship the image was to be killed. 53:18 That sound like Revelation 13? 53:20 You have an image to the beast. 53:23 Whoever doesn't worship will be what? Killed. 53:25 Only back there it was local over there in Babylon. 53:28 At the end of time it's going to be a global situation. 53:31 And the image is not going to be a literal image. 53:34 It is a symbolic image as we have studied. 53:36 In other words, it's a reflection of what that first 53:39 beast was like during the Middle Ages. 53:40 But anyway, Nebuchadnezzar tries to establish religion. 53:45 He says: "Everybody has to worship this way. 53:47 The government says so. " 53:50 But three young men said: "You can't establish religion. 53:53 It's beyond your authority. " 53:55 And the king says: "OK... I'll burn you in the fire. " 53:59 They said: "God will deliver us. And if He doesn't, 54:01 we'll still not follow your establishment of religion. " 54:07 And you know what happened. 54:08 They were thrown into the furnace, but Jesus Himself 54:11 came into the furnace and delivered them. 54:14 Is that going to happen at the end of time again? 54:17 Is there going to be an establishment of religion 54:19 even though we have the first amendment to the 54:21 Constitution of the United States? Absolutely. 54:23 And then you have the story of Daniel chapter 6. 54:26 You know, it's similar but different 54:29 because in Daniel chapter 6 what the king is doing: 54:33 he's forbidding the free exercise of religion. 54:36 I don't know whether you've noticed the difference. 54:38 In Daniel 3 Nebuchadnezzar is saying "You have to worship 54:41 this way. " In Daniel chapter 6 54:44 the king is saying: "You can't worship 54:46 the way you want to worship. " 54:48 In other words, the king is forbidding the free exercise 54:51 of religion. Said: "You can't pray 54:54 to anyone except to the king for a period of 30 days. " 54:57 And Daniel says: "Well, this is the realm of God. 55:00 This is not the realm of government. " 55:02 So he says: "I feel the perfect freedom to 55:05 practice the free exercise of religion. " 55:08 And so Daniel goes to his room 55:11 and he kneels and he prays as usual. 55:17 He's practicing the freedom of religion. 55:21 And what happens as a result? 55:23 The Bible says that he was thrown into the den of lions. 55:27 And interestingly enough it was the angel of the Lord - 55:31 Christ in the Old Testament incidentally - 55:33 who came into the lions' den and closed the mouths of the lions. 55:40 Do you know that even Nebuchadnezzar and Darius 55:43 did not really understand the principle even after 55:45 these stories happened? 55:47 Do you know what Nebuchadnezzar said immediately after 55:49 God delivered the three young men from the furnace? 55:51 He said: "Now I give a decree that whoever doesn't worship 55:54 the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego 55:57 will be cut in pieces. " 55:59 He was out of bounds 56:01 because you can't enforce the worship of a false god 56:05 or the true God. Worship belongs to God 56:08 and only to God... not to government. 56:13 And Darius did the same thing. 56:15 He said: "Now I give a decree that everyone 56:17 is to tremble at the God of Shadrach, Meshach, 56:21 and Abednego. " He was out of bounds. 56:24 That is not the realm of the government. 56:26 Are you understanding what I'm saying? 56:28 And so Revelation chapter 13, this second beast, 56:31 represents the United States. One final point: 56:35 in Revelation chapter 12 it says that the earth helped the woman. 56:41 That earth there is the territory. 56:44 Revelation 13 you have a beast that rises from the earth. 56:47 That's the nation that rises in the territory 56:50 that is mentioned in Revelation chapter 12. 56:53 And in Revelation chapter 12 it says that after the earth 56:57 helps the woman the dragon is enraged with the woman. 57:00 In Revelation chapter 13 interestingly enough 57:03 it says that after this lamb- like beast arises from the earth 57:08 the earth of Revelation 12 that helped the woman 57:11 it says that this beast ends up speaking like a what? 57:15 Speaking like a dragon. 57:18 Friedrich Nietzsche once said 57:20 "Be careful when you fight the dragon lest you become 57:22 a dragon. " |
Revised 2014-12-17