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Series Code: DPM
Program Code: DPM000013A
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00:09 Today, there are a lot of people
00:12 who are very confused 00:13 when it comes to Bible prophecy. 00:16 And one of the reasons is because the Books of Daniel 00:19 and Revelation are different from other books of the Bible. 00:23 They're filled with all sorts of strange beasts 00:26 and symbolisms. 00:27 And people don't always know what to do with them. 00:30 And as a result, over the centuries, 00:32 people have come up with some very strange 00:35 and some very interesting interpretations. 00:38 And because of that, there are many people today 00:41 who will tell you, "Oh, you shouldn't study 00:44 the Book of Revelation. 00:45 You can't understand it." 00:47 And there will even be churches 00:49 who will tell you don't read that book, 00:51 because it'll just make a religious fanatic out of you. 00:55 But, friends, God has put Revelation 00:58 in the Bible for a reason. 00:59 Can you say amen? 01:01 And He himself pronounces a blessing 01:04 on those who study it. 01:06 Notice what it says in Revelation 1:3. 01:10 The Bible says, "Blessed is he who reads 01:15 and those who hear the words of the prophecy of this book, 01:20 and keeps those things which are written in it 01:23 for the time is," what? 01:25 "It is near." 01:27 See, God pronounces a threefold blessings 01:29 on those who study Revelation. 01:32 He blesses those who read it, He blesses those who hear it, 01:36 and He blesses those who keep or obey the things 01:40 that are written in it. 01:42 So that tells us 01:44 that even with the subject of antichrist, 01:46 God has a special blessing in store. 01:50 Now, as we journey into this subject, 01:52 there's something that we need to understand 01:54 about the word antichrist itself. 01:58 Notice the prefix anti. 02:01 Traditionally we think that that prefix anti 02:05 refers to being against something. 02:08 But the word anti can also mean in place of 02:13 or in the stead of something. 02:15 So when we're talking about antichrist, 02:18 we're not necessarily looking for an atheistic power 02:22 that denies the existence of God all together. 02:25 What we're looking for, is something that seeks 02:29 to take God's place on this earth 02:32 or something that seeks to usurp His divine authority. 02:36 In other words, something that claims to have power 02:40 that is only available to God and to God alone, 02:43 antichrist in the stead of or in the place of Christ. 02:48 So that itself gives us a big clue 02:51 as to what we're looking for. 02:53 And so people ask the question, "Is the Beast a person?" 02:58 Some people thought that when Adolf Hitler 03:00 was around in World War II that maybe he was the beast. 03:04 Because he murdered 6 million Jews 03:06 and he brought many of the world powers 03:08 into conflict. 03:10 But that didn't work out. 03:11 Some people thought 03:13 Saddam Hussein might be the beast, 03:15 because he was a powerful leader 03:17 in the Middle East. 03:18 And that didn't happen. 03:20 Others have even conjecture 03:21 that certain presidents of the United States 03:24 from the past might be the beast, 03:26 because apparently their names equaled 666. 03:30 But that didn't happen either. 03:32 Some wonder well, "Is the Beast an organization? 03:37 Is it some sort of political kingdom? 03:39 Is it a religious kingdom?" 03:41 Maybe it's the United Nations or maybe it's the Illuminati, 03:45 is it an organization? 03:47 And then some people wonder "What does 666 mean?" 03:51 And they become very wary of anything 03:54 that even closely resembles that number. 03:58 Well, I got good news for you tonight. 04:00 Did you know that based on the clues 04:02 that both Daniel and Revelation give us, 04:05 the Bible answers every one of those questions 04:08 in a very clear and a very understandable way. 04:11 So let's begin with the most significant chapter 04:15 about the beast in the Book of Revelation. 04:17 Let's go to Revelation Chapter 13. 04:21 You want to take your Bibles and we're going to Revelation, 04:24 and we're going to start in Chapter 13. 04:27 This is the chapter in the apocalyptic book 04:31 that tells us the most about the beast. 04:35 The Bible says, 04:37 "Then I stood on the sand of the sea, 04:41 and I saw a," what? 04:43 "A beast rising up out of the sea, 04:46 having seven heads and ten horns, 04:50 and on his horns ten crowns, 04:52 and on his heads a blasphemous name. 04:56 Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, 04:59 his feet was like the feet of a bear, 05:01 and his mouth was like the mouth of a lion. 05:04 The dragon gave him his power, 05:06 his throne, and great authority. 05:10 And I saw one of his heads 05:12 as if it had had been mortally wounded, 05:15 and the deadly wound was healed. 05:19 And all the world marveled and followed the beast." 05:24 Verse 4, "So they worshiped the dragon 05:28 who gave authority to the beast, 05:30 and they worship the beast, saying, 'Who is like the beast? 05:34 Who is able to make war against him?' 05:38 And he was given a mouth speaking great things 05:41 and blasphemies, 05:43 and he was given authority to continue," for how long? 05:47 "Forty-two months. 05:49 Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, 05:53 to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, 05:57 and those who dwell in heaven. 05:59 And it was granted him to make war with the saints 06:02 and to overcome them. 06:04 And authority was given him over every tribe, 06:08 tongue, and nation." 06:11 Now I'm going to stop there. 06:13 That's quite a description, don't you think? 06:15 And right there within that passage, 06:18 John gives us many different clues about the beast 06:23 that we need to be able to look at. 06:25 So let's start with the first. 06:26 The first question is this beast 06:29 that John is describing, 06:31 would you say it's a frightening looking beast, 06:33 yes or no? 06:35 Yeah, I mean, it's made up of all these parts. 06:37 It's got the body of a leopard, the feet of a bear, 06:40 the mouth of a lion. 06:42 Now, is that meant to be literal or symbolic, 06:44 what do you think? 06:46 Sure, it symbolizes something that doesn't mean 06:48 that antichrist is literally going to be 06:50 this weird conglomeration of different animals. 06:54 So the question is, what does a beast symbolize 06:57 in Bible prophecy? 06:59 And you will find that Daniel gives us the answer. 07:02 In Daniel 7:23, which we're going to study 07:05 in a few minutes. 07:06 Daniel tells us what a beast represents 07:09 in Bible prophecy. 07:10 Notice what it says. 07:12 "The fourth beast shall be a fourth," what? 07:16 "Kingdom on earth." 07:18 So, right here from the Bible and the Bible alone, 07:22 it's already telling us that a beast represents 07:26 a kingdom or a power. 07:29 So from the beginning, it's telling us 07:32 antichrist cannot be simply one man 07:36 who only rises at the end of time, 07:39 because the Bible just told us a beast represents a kingdom. 07:45 So we know that much so far. 07:48 Well, let's keep going on. 07:49 It says that this beast rises from where, 07:53 in verses 1 and 2? 07:55 From the sea. 07:56 So the beast rises up out of the waters. 08:00 Is that significant? 08:02 And you find that it is. 08:03 Because in the Book of Revelation, 08:06 the seas or the waters 08:08 are meant to symbolize something. 08:11 You say, "Well, what does it represent?" 08:13 Well, instead of guessing or taking our own opinion, 08:16 let's allow the Bible to give us the interpretation. 08:20 So we're going to have to just go to Revelation 17:15, 08:24 which I'm putting on the screen. 08:25 Now, this is a different vision. 08:26 We're not going to study this vision tonight. 08:29 But the angel does say something to John 08:32 and tells him what waters represent in Bible prophecy. 08:36 Revelation 17:15. 08:38 The Bible says, "The waters which you saw, 08:43 where the harlot sits, are," what? 08:46 "Peoples, multitudes, nations and tongues." 08:50 In other words, water or seas in Bible prophecy 08:55 is meant to represent multitudes of people 08:59 of different languages. 09:01 So just those two clues tell us that antichrist is a kingdom 09:06 that is going to rise 09:08 in a populated area of the world 09:11 where there are multitudes of people. 09:14 Now that's not based on what I think, 09:16 that's based on what the Bible and the Bible alone says. 09:20 So those are our first two clues. 09:23 But let's keep going 09:24 because Revelation 13 says more. 09:28 Revelation 13 says 09:29 that the dragon gives it its power. 09:33 Now in Revelation, who's the dragon? 09:35 We've already studied that. 09:36 Yeah, that's Satan. 09:38 So the devil has something to do 09:41 with working behind the scenes, 09:43 to make sure this kingdom rises to power or to dominance. 09:49 We're told that this beast has a deadly wound 09:53 that will eventually be, what? 09:55 Healed. 09:57 So somehow this kingdom loses power 09:59 for a short time, 10:01 but then quickly regains it. 10:04 John also told us that people worship the beast. 10:10 Now that gives us a clue 10:12 that it's not only a political kingdom, 10:15 but it must be religious in some way 10:18 because people worship it. 10:22 It says that this kingdom, this beast blasphemes God 10:26 or seeks to cover up His Word or speak against God, 10:31 and has power for, how long? 10:34 Now we got to do a little calculation there. 10:36 Remember the prophetic principle of interpretation 10:39 we learned a few nights ago, that in Bible prophecy, 10:44 one day symbolizes, what? 10:46 One year. One year. 10:47 So we got to do some calculations here. 10:50 If I want to know how many days are in a 42 month period, 10:55 then I go 42 times 30, because the Bible calendar 10:59 upon which this is based always had 30 days in a month. 11:03 So 42 times 30 comes to what number, you tell me? 11:07 One thousand two hundred and sixty days. 11:09 Twelve hundred and sixty days. 11:11 Apply the day for a year principle, 11:14 and what its saying is the beast, 11:17 this antichrist kingdom 11:20 rules for 1260 years. 11:25 Again, that tells us that cannot be one man 11:27 because one man does not live that long. 11:30 And then lastly, Revelation 13 tells us 11:34 that it persecutes God's saints, 11:37 so it's going to be a persecuting power. 11:42 Now, right there in Revelation 13, 11:45 we might even be able to figure out 11:47 who or what it is 11:49 just based on that chapter alone, 11:51 because it gave us some very significant clues. 11:57 However, does Revelation 13 come right out and tell us 12:01 who or what it is, yes or no? 12:03 It doesn't. So guess what we have to do? 12:07 We have to go to another part of the Bible 12:11 that's going to fill in the blanks for us. 12:14 So we can keep our finger on Revelation 13, 12:17 but now we're going to take a look at Daniel Chapter 7. 12:21 So I want you to turn there in your Bibles. 12:25 Daniel 7:1. 12:28 The Bible says, 12:30 "In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, 12:35 Daniel had a dream and visions of his head while on his bed. 12:41 Then he wrote down the dream, telling the main facts. 12:45 Daniel spoke, saying, 'I saw in my vision by night, 12:50 and behold the four winds of heaven 12:53 were stirring up the Great Sea. 12:56 And four great beasts came up from the sea, 13:00 each different from the other.'" 13:03 So here's what Daniel sees, four beasts rise, 13:07 four nations that would have worldwide dominance 13:10 from the time of Daniel onward. 13:13 So let's briefly take a look at each of these beasts. 13:16 Let's start with the first beast, 13:18 which is described in verse 4. 13:22 If you are in Daniel 7:4 with me, 13:24 let me hear you say, amen. 13:26 Amen. All right, Daniel 7:4. 13:29 The Bible says, "The first was like a lion, 13:34 and had eagle's wings. 13:37 I watched till its wings were plucked off, 13:40 and it was lifted up from the earth 13:43 and made to stand on two feet like a man, 13:46 and a man's heart was given to it." 13:50 So here we see a picture of a winged lion. 13:53 And the question is, 13:55 who is that supposed to represent? 13:57 Well, you'll find the Bible and archaeology 14:00 make this very clear and understandable. 14:03 What was the nation 14:04 that dominated the world in Daniel's day? 14:06 Do you remember? 14:08 It was Babylon, 14:09 also represented by the head of gold 14:12 in Daniel Chapter 2. 14:13 You see what, how do you know that's Babylon? 14:16 First of all, in the Old Testament, 14:19 God represented Babylon as a lion. 14:22 Did you know that? 14:24 Read Jeremiah 4:7, because God told Israel 14:28 that if they don't stop being unfaithful to Him 14:30 and worshiping other gods, He said, 14:32 "The lion will come out of the thicket 14:35 and destroy you." 14:38 What nation was it that conquered Jerusalem 14:41 and took the Jews into captivity? 14:44 Nebuchadnezzar and the nation of Babylon. 14:48 Secondly, archaeology had just have discovered 14:52 that when they have unearthed the ruins of Babylon, 14:54 guess what symbol they found 14:56 all over the palace and the walls of that city? 14:59 Winged lions. 15:01 There's no doubt the winged lion 15:03 represents Babylon. 15:06 But let's go to the second beast. 15:08 Now in verse 5, the Bible says, 15:13 "And suddenly another beast, a second, like a bear. 15:19 It was raised up on one side, and had three," what? 15:23 "Ribs in its mouth between its teeth. 15:27 And they said thus to it 'Arise, 15:30 and devour much flesh!'" 15:34 You say, "Well, who is this bear 15:35 with three ribs in its mouth?" 15:37 Well, the simple question is, what nation conquered Babylon 15:41 and chronologically 15:43 became the next worldwide power. 15:45 And the answer is Medo-Persia. 15:49 It's doing the same thing 15:50 as the vision of Daniel Chapter 2. 15:53 Now, the Medo-Persian Empire was made of two people groups, 15:57 the Medes and the Persians. 15:59 The Persians were stronger. 16:01 That's why some history books 16:02 just call it the Persian Empire. 16:04 This is probably why the bear is raised up on one side. 16:08 You say, "But what about the three ribs 16:10 in its mouth?" 16:11 The Empire of Babylon was divided 16:14 into three provinces, Babylonia, Egypt, and Lydia. 16:18 So when Persia conquered them, 16:20 they had to conquer all three of those provinces. 16:25 So the bear is Medo-Persia. 16:28 But let's go to the third beast. 16:30 The third beast is mentioned in verse 6. 16:35 Daniel continues to say, "After this I looked, 16:40 and there was another, like a leopard, 16:44 which had on its back four wings of a bird. 16:48 The beast also had four heads." 16:51 How many heads? Four. 16:53 "And dominion was given to it." 16:57 So what is this leopard with wings on its back 17:01 and it's got four heads? 17:03 Well, the logical question is, 17:05 what nation conquered Medo-Persia 17:07 and became the next dominant power in the world? 17:11 And the answer is Greece. 17:13 See, the problem is when we try to take 17:16 these symbols and compare them to nations today, 17:19 it does not work in its context. 17:21 It is very clear that Daniel 7 is following the same pattern 17:26 as the statue of Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 2. 17:29 But when we get to the fourth beast, 17:32 Daniel 7 is going to give a lot more detail about things. 17:37 So clearly this leopard with four heads 17:40 and wings on its back is Greece. 17:42 And it's interesting that they are represented 17:45 by one of the fastest animals on land, 17:48 because Alexander the Great 17:50 conquered the world quicker than anybody. 17:52 You know how old he was 17:53 when he dominated the then known world? 17:56 He was in his early 30s. 17:58 And no doubt the wings on the back represents speed. 18:02 You say, "Well, what about those four heads?" 18:05 When Alexander the Great died, history tells us 18:09 his Grecian Empire was divided into 18:12 guess how many parts? 18:14 Four parts were divided among his four main generals, 18:17 Cassander, Lysimachus, Ptolemy, Seleucus. 18:24 All documented in history. 18:27 But now, we go to the fourth beast, 18:31 because the fourth beast is where our focus is tonight. 18:36 Let's pick it up in verse 7. 18:39 Listen very carefully to what Daniel describes. 18:44 Daniel 7:7. 18:46 The Bible says, 18:49 "After this I saw in the night visions, 18:53 and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, 18:58 exceedingly strong. 19:00 It had huge iron teeth, and it was devouring, 19:04 breaking in pieces, and trampling the residue 19:08 with its feet. 19:09 It was different from all the beasts 19:12 that were before it, and it had ten horns." 19:17 Let's pause there. 19:20 Daniel sees a fourth beast. 19:22 He describes it as terrible, dreadful, exceedingly strong. 19:28 It has iron teeth, and it devours everything 19:33 in its path. 19:35 So the question is, 19:37 what nation is that representing? 19:40 Well, what would be the power that defeated Greece 19:44 and became the next worldwide dominant superpower? 19:49 And the answer is Rome. 19:52 It's interesting that this beast has 19:54 what kind of teeth that Daniel said? 19:56 Iron. Iron. 19:58 And history calls Rome, the iron kingdom, 20:00 they ruled for nearly 600 years and truly, 20:04 they conquered and crushed everyone 20:07 that was in their path. 20:09 So you can see clearly, it's the same four empires, 20:14 Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome. 20:18 But now in verse 8 20:21 is where we kick it into slow gear, 20:25 because a little horn starts 20:27 to come out of the fourth beast. 20:30 A power starts to rise out of the pagan Roman Empire. 20:35 And notice that as Daniel describes it, 20:39 this little horn gets his attention immediately. 20:43 Verse 8, "I was considering the horns, 20:49 and there was another horn, 20:51 a little one, coming up among them, 20:55 before whom three of the first horns 20:57 were plucked out by the roots. 21:00 And there, in this horn, 21:02 were eyes like the eyes of a man, 21:05 and a mouth speaking pompous," 21:08 or some version say, "blasphemous words." 21:11 Now we got to stop there. 21:13 Whatever this little horn was, it got Daniel's attention 21:17 because he specifically says, I was considering the horns. 21:22 I was thinking about this. 21:23 I was focused on this, 21:25 a horn rises out of the fourth beast. 21:28 When it does, it plucks out 21:30 three of the ten horns on this beast's head. 21:35 And this little horn develops eyes and a mouth like a man 21:39 and it starts to speak arrogant and pompous words against God. 21:45 Can you imagine how easily that got Daniel's attention, 21:48 yes or no? 21:50 The question is, what is that little horn? 21:56 So here's what we need to do. 21:58 A little bit later in this chapter, 22:01 the angel of the vision comes to Daniel 22:04 and gives him the interpretation 22:06 of many of these things. 22:07 We don't even have to guess. 22:09 I don't have to speculate. 22:11 We don't have to take a majority vote, 22:13 because the angel is going to tell us 22:16 the interpretation of many of these things. 22:20 So let's skip over now to verse 23. 22:23 We're still in Daniel 7:23, 22:27 now the angel begins to speak to Daniel. 22:31 Daniel 7:23. 22:33 The Bible says, "Thus he said, 22:37 'The fourth beast shall be a fourth kingdom on earth," 22:42 well, we already knew that, 22:44 "which shall be different from all other kingdoms, 22:47 and shall devour the whole earth, 22:49 trample it and break it in pieces. 22:52 " Now we already know that to be Rome. 22:54 Verse 24, "The ten horns are ten kings." 23:00 Or it can also be translated kingdoms 23:03 because every king has a what? 23:05 A kingdom. 23:06 So these ten horns coming out of the fourth beast 23:09 are ten kingdoms that will rise when Rome falls. 23:13 Verse 24, "The ten horns are ten kings 23:16 who shall arise from this kingdom. 23:19 And another shall rise after them, 23:22 he shall be different from the first ones, 23:25 and shall subdue three kings. 23:28 He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, 23:32 shall persecute the saints of the Most High, 23:35 and shall intend to change times and law. 23:40 Then the saints shall be given into his hand for a time 23:45 and times and half a time.'" 23:49 Now we got to pause. 23:52 I want to put a summary in the screen 23:53 of what the angel has just said. 23:56 The angel in verse 23 said the fourth beast 23:58 is a kingdom. 24:00 We already know that's Rome. 24:02 The ten horns coming out of Rome, 24:05 the fourth beast represent ten kingdoms 24:09 that will come out of the Roman Empire 24:11 when it falls. 24:14 And we keep going on. 24:15 This is a list of some of the people groups 24:18 that came out of the Roman Empire 24:19 when they fell. 24:20 Notice there are ten of them. 24:22 But you notice what's interesting. 24:25 Three of them, the Heruli, 24:28 the Vandals and the Ostrogoths are extinct. 24:33 They were exterminated. 24:37 What did Daniel say happen when a little horn rose? 24:41 Three of the ten horns were plucked out. 24:47 That's going to become interesting in a few minutes. 24:50 It went on to say 24:51 that the little horn would speak 24:53 great words against God. 24:55 The little horn would persecute God's people, 24:57 the saints. 24:58 The little horn would think 25:00 to change God's times and God's law, 25:03 and it would rule for a times, time and half a time. 25:07 Now we got to talk about that time period 25:09 before we go any farther. 25:10 That's a new and that phrase is new for us. 25:13 What is a time, times and half a time? 25:16 You know, when you do the calculations 25:18 from the Bible, it's 1260 days. 25:23 All you have to do is just take a note 25:25 in your Bible here. 25:26 We're not going to look it up now. 25:27 But when you have a chance later, 25:29 look up Revelation 12:6 and 14. 25:33 And it will clearly tell you that time, 25:35 times and half of time is 1260 days. 25:39 In fact, let's do the calculation. 25:41 Time in the Bible, that term symbolically 25:44 represents one year. 25:46 Times is, guess what? 25:49 Two years. So half a time is what? 25:52 Half a year. 25:53 You add all them up 25:54 because again in the Bible calendar 25:56 30 days to a month, 360 days to a year, 26:00 it equals out to 1260 days. 26:04 You apply the day for a year principle, 26:07 1260 years, the little horn rules. 26:10 The same time period 26:12 that Revelation 13 said the beast would rule, 26:16 the beast and the little horn are the same power. 26:22 Now, here's what we have to do. 26:25 Between Revelation and Daniel, 26:26 we have just been given 13 points from the Bible. 26:31 Now I'm going to very quickly review 26:32 those 13 points, 26:34 because I want us to be absolutely sure 26:36 that we got every one of those points 26:38 from the Bible and from the Bible alone. 26:41 So point number one. 26:43 Daniel said, this kingdom rises out of the fourth beast, 26:47 which is Rome. 26:49 So antichrist is going to arise out of Rome 26:53 somewhere in Western Europe. 26:55 That's where Rome is. 26:57 Point number two. 26:59 Daniel said, this kingdom will come out of the ruins 27:03 of the pagan Roman Empire. 27:04 Rome did not fall until 476 AD, according to the history books. 27:10 So the antichrist kingdom would not rise 27:14 to worldwide dominance until sometime after 476 AD. 27:21 Point number three. 27:23 Daniel said, 27:24 "This kingdom it's represented by a little horn." 27:27 In other words, this kingdom will be a little kingdom, 27:29 not large in size, geographically. 27:34 Point number four. 27:36 Daniel said, "The little horn would uproot 27:38 three of the ten horns." 27:40 This little kingdom 27:42 would conquer three of the kingdoms 27:44 which came out of Rome. 27:46 That was the Heruli, the Vandals and the Ostrogoths. 27:50 Point number five. 27:52 Daniel said, "The little horn had eyes 27:55 and the mouth like a man which would speak for it." 27:58 So this kingdom would have man at its head 28:01 who represents it to the world. 28:04 Point number six. 28:06 Daniel said, "The little horn would be different 28:08 from the other horns." 28:10 So there's something about this kingdom 28:12 that is different from other kingdoms. 28:15 Something unique about it. Point number seven. 28:20 The little horn would speak great words 28:22 against the Most High. 28:24 In other words, this kingdom would speak 28:25 blasphemy against God. 28:27 You say, "Well, what does that mean?" 28:30 Well, we got to let the Bible define it. 28:32 The Bible defines blasphemy 28:35 as assuming any rights or powers 28:38 that belong to God, and God alone. 28:41 There are two examples, at least in Scripture. 28:44 One, when a man on earth claims to be God. 28:47 In John Chapter 10, 28:49 Jesus told the Jews that He is God. 28:52 He claimed equality with the Father. 28:54 They wanted to stone Him for that. 28:56 They said, "You're saying blasphemy." 28:58 Now Jesus could say that because He is God. 29:01 Can you say amen? 29:02 But they didn't believe that. 29:04 The other example was Luke Chapter 5, 29:06 when a man claims to forgive sin. 29:09 Remember, Jesus told the paralytic, 29:10 "Your sins are forgiven." 29:12 And the Pharisees had a fit. 29:14 They said, "That's blasphemy. Only God can forgive sins." 29:18 But Jesus is God. 29:20 So He could forgive sins, amen? 29:22 But they didn't believe that. 29:24 So those are two examples of blasphemy in the Bible, 29:27 when someone or something assumes power or authority 29:31 that belongs only to God. 29:33 So whatever this kingdom is, it would do that. 29:37 Point number eight. 29:39 This kingdom would make war against the saints, 29:42 so it would be a persecuting power. 29:45 Point nine. 29:47 Daniel said, "This kingdom would try to change 29:50 God's times and God's law." 29:54 Point number 10. 29:56 The little horn would rule for time, 29:58 times and half a time, 1260 years. 30:03 Point number 11. 30:05 Revelation said, "This kingdom receives 30:07 a deadly wound and would be healed." 30:10 Point number 12. 30:12 Revelation said, 30:13 "People follow and worship the beast." 30:15 So it's not only a political kingdom, 30:18 it's a religious power. 30:21 And point number 13. 30:23 Finally, this kingdom will be represented 30:26 by the number 666. 30:28 It will be the number of a man 30:31 and it will be the number of his name. 30:34 Now, before we say who or what it is, 30:37 I'm going to ask an honest question. 30:40 How many of you are willing to say that yes, 30:42 we got all 13 of those points from the Bible 30:45 and the Bible alone? 30:47 If we agree on that, can I see your hands? 30:49 Did I make any of those points up 30:51 from other places other than the Bible? 30:53 None. They all came from Scripture. 30:57 And the truth is there is only one power 31:02 in all of human history that has fulfilled 31:06 all 13 of those points in absolute detail. 31:11 Some of you probably 31:12 have already put the clues together 31:13 and know what it is. 31:15 But before I say it, it's very important 31:18 that you hear what I say after I say it, 31:21 did you catch that? 31:23 That's going to become important. 31:25 The only power that has fulfilled 31:27 all 13 of those points, 31:30 is the power known as the papacy, 31:34 Vatican City, or papal Rome. 31:39 You say, "Whoa!" 31:41 Understand this now. 31:43 God does not bring this out to hurt or offend anybody, 31:48 and neither do I. 31:49 God is warning His people of a persecuting power 31:54 that would rise in the Middle Ages 31:56 and unfortunately do some nasty things 31:59 as history tells us. 32:01 He's warning His people about a power 32:04 that would take the Word of God away from the people, 32:08 a power that would cover up Jesus Christ and the cross. 32:12 And He wanted His people to be aware of what happened. 32:16 It's important to know, God is not talking 32:19 about individual Catholic people today. 32:23 Can you say amen? 32:24 He's talking about a system. 32:26 He's talking about a kingdom 32:28 that, neither, you or I have any control over 32:31 that will do some unfortunate things 32:33 in the Middle Ages. 32:34 Catholic people who are alive today, 32:36 there are many who love God with all their heart. 32:39 They seek to serve God and their fellowman, 32:43 they weren't alive back then. 32:44 They had nothing to do with the things 32:46 that occurred in the Middle Ages. 32:48 Can somebody say amen to that? 32:50 So this is not meant to be turned 32:52 into a Protestant versus Catholic thing. 32:55 God is warning about how church and state would unite 32:58 in the Middle Ages would become a persecuting power 33:02 and take the Bible away from the people. 33:07 Now, having said that, since I understand 33:09 this is very of a sensitive nature 33:11 and very emotional, 33:14 it's important that we be sure 33:17 that the papacy fits all 13 of these points. 33:22 Because the truth is what I'm saying up here 33:24 is not my opinion, 33:25 nor the interpretation of a church. 33:29 This is what has been taught from the beginning. 33:32 The reformers knew who antichrist was. 33:35 Paul knew that antichrist was starting to form. 33:39 In the early centuries, 33:40 pagan Rome persecuted God's people. 33:43 In the Middle Ages, 33:44 papal Rome persecuted God's people. 33:48 The problem is, it's only been 33:49 in the last couple of hundred years 33:51 that we veered to some other theory 33:53 that says antichrist is one man 33:56 that only arrives at the end of time. 33:59 And the truth is that actually comes 34:02 from Rome in the Middle Ages. 34:04 They had commissioned someone to come up 34:06 with a different interpretation of the antichrist 34:09 to take the heat off of what was happening 34:12 in the Middle Ages. 34:13 And they invented what was called futurism. 34:16 I talked about that a few nights ago, 34:18 the idea that antichrist is one man. 34:22 Now, before I go back to these points, 34:24 there is one question I want to clarify 34:26 that I forgot. 34:27 In parts of Daniel, the Bible uses the word he 34:31 to describe the little horn. 34:33 And sometimes that makes us think we'll see it's one man. 34:37 But you have to understand, 34:38 the Bible uses the personal pronoun he and she 34:42 to describe nations many times in Scripture. 34:45 I'll give you an example. 34:47 In the Old Testament, numerous times God referred 34:51 to the nation of Israel as a woman, 34:53 and He would use the term she or her. 34:57 When Israel was faithful, 34:59 He represented her as a pure woman. 35:03 When Israel was unfaithful to Him, 35:05 He represented her as a prostitute. 35:07 So don't let the word he fool you in Bible prophecy. 35:11 He does not mean one man when it comes to Daniel, 35:14 because it rules for 1260 years. 35:16 God uses he and she to also represent nations. 35:22 So now let's go back over all 13 of these points, 35:25 make sure that it represents papal Rome. 35:29 Now, as I do this, I'm just going to tell you, 35:31 we're going to uncover some very sensitive things. 35:35 But we have to go over it simply to show 35:38 how Bible prophecy has been fulfilled. 35:41 And then at the end, we need to ask ourselves 35:45 the most important question, 35:47 what does this mean for me today? 35:50 How do I apply it to my life, in the 21st century? 35:54 That by far is the most important question. 35:57 So let's go through these points again, 35:59 and see if papal Rome fulfilled them. 36:02 Point number one. 36:04 Daniel said, "The little horn rises 36:08 from the 10 divisions of the pagan Roman Empire." 36:12 History tells us the papacy came out of pagan Rome, 36:16 and still resides in Western Europe today. 36:20 Point number two. 36:22 The little horn rises 36:23 after the fourth beast Rome falls. 36:27 Rome didn't fall till 476 AD. 36:30 History tells us the papacy rose 36:33 to worldwide dominance in 538 AD, 36:36 and that's when the Emperor Justinian 36:40 gave political power to the pope. 36:42 So from that moment on, church and state 36:46 were united in a persecuting power. 36:51 Point number three. 36:53 Daniel said the little horn is like a little kingdom. 36:57 The papacy is the smallest kingdom 36:59 in Western Europe. 37:00 It encompasses only 109 acres. 37:04 But today it is probably the most powerful 37:06 and the most richest kingdom in the world. 37:10 Point number four. 37:12 Daniel said the little horn conquers three of the kingdoms 37:16 that came out of Rome. 37:18 History tells us that the papal armies 37:21 eradicated the Ostrogoths, 37:24 the Vandals, and the Heruli kingdom 37:27 because of doctrinal differences. 37:30 The last to be eliminated was the Ostrogoths in 538 AD. 37:35 Point number five. 37:37 Daniel said, a little horn would have a man at its head 37:39 who speaks for it. 37:41 The papacy has the office of pope at its head 37:45 who speaks for it, represents it to the world. 37:48 Now that doesn't mean pope is antichrist. 37:50 There have been many different pope. 37:51 It's the system that arose in the Middle Ages, 37:55 the Bible is speaking of. 37:57 Point number six. 37:59 Daniel said, "The little horn is different 38:01 from the other kingdoms." 38:04 The papacy is different. 38:06 Because it is not simply a political kingdom ruled by, 38:09 you know, presidents and prime ministers, 38:11 it's a religious system 38:13 that rules with bishops and cardinals, etcetera. 38:17 That's unique, church and state together. 38:22 Point number seven. 38:23 And this is where it gets sensitive. 38:26 Daniel said, the little horn would speak words of blasphemy. 38:31 Now please understand what I share next, 38:32 I do in love only to show how Bible prophecy 38:36 was fulfilled. 38:38 Did papal Rome do that in the Middle Ages? 38:42 Remember the definition of what blasphemy is? 38:45 Assuming any rights or power that belongs to God 38:49 and to God alone. 38:51 And what were the two illustrations from Scripture, 38:53 a man claiming to be God 38:55 and a man claiming to forgive sin. 38:57 That's why the Jews accused Jesus of blasphemy. 39:01 Did that happen in the Middle Ages? 39:04 Unfortunately, it has. 39:06 From the papal document claiming to be God 39:10 under Ferrari's Ecclesiastical Dictionary, 39:13 it has this quote, 39:15 "The pope is of so great dignity 39:18 and so exalted that he is not a man, 39:21 but as it were, God, and the Vicar of God. 39:24 The pope is called 'Most Holy' 39:27 because he is rightfully presumed to be such. 39:30 The pope alone is deservedly called by the name 'Most Holy' 39:33 because he alone is the Vicar of Christ. 39:37 Moreover the superiority, 39:39 and the power of the Roman Pontiff, 39:42 are even over angels, of which he is greater. 39:46 So that if it were possible 39:48 that angels might err in the faith, 39:51 or might think contrary to the faith, 39:53 they could be judged 39:54 and excommunicated by the pope." 39:57 And the last sentence, 39:58 "The pope is as it were God on earth, 40:01 so sovereign of the faithful of Christ," 40:04 now notice the next phrase, "Chief," what? 40:07 "King of kings, having plenitude of power." 40:11 Who is King of kings in the Bible? 40:14 Jesus. Remember what antichrist means? 40:17 In the place of, instead of Christ. 40:22 See, this is the things that were happening 40:24 during the Middle Ages. 40:26 You and I can't really relate to it 40:28 because we've never lived in a situation 40:30 or circumstance like that. 40:33 In the book "Popular Catholic theology," 40:36 it says this about the forgiveness of sins, 40:39 quoting from volume 6, "Seek where you will, 40:43 through heaven and earth, and you will find 40:46 but one created being who can forgive the sinner, 40:49 who can free him from the chains of hell, 40:52 that extraordinarily being the priest. 40:56 The priest not only declares the sinner is forgiven, 40:59 but he really forgives him. 41:01 The priest raises his hand, 41:03 pronounces the word of absolution, 41:05 and in an instant, quick as a flash of light 41:08 the chains of hell are burst asunder, 41:11 and the sinner becomes a child of God. 41:14 So great is the power of the priest 41:17 that the judgments of heaven itself 41:19 are subject to his decisions." 41:23 These are coming from papal documents. 41:26 This is what was going on in the Middle Ages. 41:29 Unfortunately, Rome fulfills that point of assuming rights 41:33 that belong only to God. 41:38 Point number eight. 41:39 Daniel said, 41:40 "The little horn would make war against the saints." 41:44 If you've ever read history, it tells us 41:46 how the papal armies martyred millions of people 41:50 during the Dark Ages and during the Reformation. 41:55 Now I want to pause here for a second. 41:57 You know sometimes, 41:59 as Protestants we're tempted to get 42:01 a little bit of a superiority, holier than thou attitude. 42:06 Some mistakes were made in the Middle Ages. 42:08 That's obvious. 42:10 Can we say that our churches have never made mistakes? 42:15 Can we say as individuals, we've never made mistakes? 42:19 Folks, it was only 50-60 years ago, 42:22 the Protestant churches would turn a black man 42:25 away at the door simply because he was black 42:30 or would make him sit on the floor 42:32 as if he was a lesser child of God. 42:35 Today we would say that was a mistake. 42:39 Have to remember, all of us have made mistakes. 42:42 And it's only by the grace of God that we can turn around. 42:45 Can you say amen? 42:46 So I just want us to understand that 42:48 all religious establishments have at times made mistakes. 42:53 Point number nine. 42:54 Daniel said, "The little horn would think 42:56 to change God's times and law." 43:00 Now here is where it gets really, really serious. 43:06 Did papal Rome do that in the Middle Ages? 43:11 From the book or document "Prompted Bibliotheca" it says, 43:18 "The pope is of so great authority and power, 43:22 that he is able to modify, declare, 43:25 and even interpret divine laws." 43:30 And in the Encyclical Letters of Pope Leo XIII, it says, 43:35 "We hold upon this earth, the place of God Almighty." 43:40 Let me give you an illustration of this. 43:43 You remember how we learned the other night, 43:45 Rome's version of the Ten Commandments 43:47 is different than what's recorded in the Bible? 43:52 You see, well, how can that be? 43:54 If you look at Rome's version in the Catechism, 43:57 the second commandment is completely blotted out that, 44:00 you know, the one about 44:01 forbidding graven images, etcetera, 44:03 because, you know, images and statues were used in Rome. 44:07 And so for convenience sake 44:08 that one was completely blotted out of the Bible. 44:11 And the tenth commandment about, 44:13 "Thou shalt not covet," 44:14 it was just broken into two separate commandments, 44:16 so you could still keep Ten Commandments. 44:20 You see God's law has been changed 44:24 and tampered with. 44:27 But what about God's times? 44:31 And here's where the Sabbath comes back to us 44:35 in a completely new light. 44:40 From the book "Faith of our fathers," 44:42 one of the most popular papal books in recent times, 44:45 Cardinal James Gibbons says, 44:49 "You may read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, 44:52 and you will not find a single line 44:54 authorizing the sanctification of Sunday. 44:58 The Scriptures enforce 44:59 the religious observance of Saturday, 45:02 a day which we never sanctify. 45:05 Now he's speaking truth there. 45:07 You see, well, why is he saying? 45:09 Why is he saying that 45:10 the seventh day Sabbath in the Bible, 45:12 that's the true Sabbath, why is he saying that? 45:15 He's challenging Protestants. 45:17 Protestants are saying, "We broke away from you, 45:20 because you don't go by the Bible 45:22 and the Bible alone. 45:23 You're putting your traditions above the Word of God." 45:26 And so Rome is coming back and saying, 45:28 "Now, wait a minute, you say you go by the Bible, 45:31 but yet you keep the Sunday that comes straight from us. 45:36 You ignore the Bible Sabbath and you keep the day 45:39 that we sanctified by putting the churches laws 45:42 above God's laws." 45:44 And he's using that to challenge them. 45:46 And he's saying, 45:47 "See, you're still following Rome as the Mother Church, 45:50 you might as well come back to us." 45:53 He's challenging them with that. 45:55 And in a sense, if you want to summarize 45:57 this in plain language, here's what it's saying. 46:00 "If you want to go by the Bible, 46:01 worship on Saturday. 46:03 But Rome says tradition is ahead of the Bible, 46:06 and we've established Sunday. 46:08 Rome changed it by tradition." 46:13 And see this is where you begin to realize 46:15 the deeper issue about Sabbath and Sunday. 46:19 It's not about two different days. 46:24 Now we understand it's about do I follow tradition? 46:29 Or do I follow what the Word of God says? 46:33 Do I follow the commandments of men? 46:37 Or do I follow the commandments of God? 46:40 Do I follow human authority 46:44 or God's divine authority? 46:48 Because I can tell you for me when I understand 46:50 that the seventh day Sabbath is taught throughout scripture 46:54 that it points me to God as my Creator 46:56 and Christ as my Savior. 46:59 And I understand that Sunday comes 47:02 from the very power that the Bible calls antichrist 47:08 causes me to stop in my tracks 47:10 and think about that very, very seriously. 47:17 Do I follow something that comes from antichrist? 47:21 Or do I follow that which comes from the Bible 47:25 and the Bible alone? 47:27 You see, why this is a tough subject 47:29 to preach and study sometimes. 47:32 Point number 10. 47:34 The little horn would have power, 1260 years. 47:39 The papacy ruled, church and state were united 47:42 from 538 all the way till 1798. 47:47 Because in 1798, Napoleon in the French Revolution, 47:52 abolished the papal government for a time. 47:55 And if you do the addition from 538 to 1798 47:59 is exactly how long? 48:02 1260 years. 48:05 The Bible was exact in its prophecies. 48:10 Point number 11. 48:11 Revelation said, the beast would receive a deadly wound. 48:14 That deadly wound was 1798 48:17 when Napoleon abolished the papal government, 48:19 the pope at that time died in exile. 48:24 But they didn't lose their power for long. 48:26 Because in 1929, the Italian Dictator 48:30 Mussolini restored power 48:32 to the papacy in the Lateran Treaty, 48:36 and the deadly wound was healed. 48:38 In fact, I got to show you this, 48:39 I found this. 48:41 I want to show you the newspaper article 48:43 that came out in 1929, 48:45 describing when the Papal power got its authority back. 48:49 I want you to notice the wording 48:51 that was used all the way back in the 1929, 48:54 San Francisco Chronicle. 48:56 Notice, "The Roman question tonight was a thing of the past 49:03 and the Vatican was at peace with Italy. 49:06 In affixing the autographs to the memorable document 49:11 healing the," what? 49:13 "Wound, extreme cordiality was displayed on both sides." 49:18 Isn't it interesting when Italy gave Vatican City 49:21 their power back again, the secular newspaper 49:25 uses the very phrase that Revelation talks about 49:30 healing the world. 49:33 That's not by chance or coincidence. 49:36 That's Bible prophecy being fulfilled. 49:38 And the last two points. 49:40 Revelation said, the beast would be 49:41 a religious power that would be worshipped. 49:44 Rome is a religious power with great political influence. 49:50 And lastly, point number 13. 49:54 Revelation said the beast would have the number 666. 49:58 It would be the number of a man and the number of his name. 50:05 Did you know the official title of the Pope 50:08 has been Vicarius Filii Dei. 50:13 In Latin it means instead of Christ. 50:16 And when you add the Roman numerals up of that title, 50:21 it equals 666. 50:25 The number of a man, 50:28 the number of his name. 50:32 Say, wow. 50:36 There's no doubt 50:39 that this is what Bible prophecy 50:41 is pointing towards. 50:42 Again, understand, God's not seeking to condemn 50:45 dear Catholic people today. 50:47 There are people of all faiths living up 50:49 to all the light that they know and they love Jesus. 50:52 Can you say amen? Amen. 50:53 But God is telling us about a power 50:56 that would rise when church and state will unite, 50:59 it would be a persecuting power. 51:02 It would be a power that would take the Bible 51:04 away from the people. 51:08 But what's that mean for me today? 51:11 This is a question I need to ask. 51:15 These are the principles of the beast. 51:17 These are the principles 51:19 that came from Rome in the Middle Ages. 51:21 Look at them carefully. 51:22 The principles that were taught and espouse 51:25 throughout the world was this, 51:28 the commandments of men 51:30 are above the commandments of God, 51:33 tradition is placed above Bible truth, 51:38 and human authority or religious authority 51:42 is more important than God's authority. 51:45 Those were the principles that came out of the beast 51:48 in the Middle Ages. 51:49 And so the question that you and I 51:51 must ask ourselves tonight is this, 51:56 am I following those principles in my life today? 52:01 See, when you apply it, it'll make no difference 52:03 whether you're Catholic, Protestant, Muslim, 52:06 Adventist, Buddhist, 52:07 whatever, the point is, in my life, 52:12 when I look at the Bible and I say, 52:14 "Well, I see what the Bible says," 52:16 but this person says it's not important. 52:21 Lord, I see what your truth declares, 52:24 but this Church says something else. 52:27 God, I know what I'm reading in the scriptures, 52:31 but Lord, this pastor says it's not important. 52:34 When I look at the Word of God, 52:37 but purposely choose to put something else 52:40 or someone else's authority above it, 52:43 I am following the principles of the beast. 52:48 No matter what denomination I may be from. 52:53 That's how I need to apply this to my life today. 52:58 See, what God is telling us in Revelation 13, 53:03 what happened in the Middle Ages, 53:06 where church and state unite, 53:09 where people were forced to choose 53:11 between man's law and God's law, 53:14 they were forced to choose upon penalty of death. 53:19 God is using that as an illustration to show me 53:24 what's going to happen again at the end of time. 53:28 Because Revelation tells me, there's going to be 53:31 another great crisis at the end and history will repeat itself. 53:36 The beast will rise, 53:38 churches state will again unite, 53:41 and people will be forced and coerce to choose, 53:45 whether they will follow man 53:47 or whether they will follow God, 53:50 whether they will follow human commandments, 53:53 or whether they will follow God's commandments. 53:57 We're going to talk about that Sunday night. 54:00 And so knowing that is coming, 54:03 the question we need to ask ourselves, 54:05 we go home tonight is this, if you forget anything tonight, 54:09 if you go home and say 54:10 "I can't remember all those 13 points," 54:11 that's okay. 54:13 Because the whole point of the message 54:14 is in the next three questions. 54:17 Question 1, am I following Jesus, 54:22 above everyone else? 54:25 Am I following His Word above everything else? 54:31 Am I giving my allegiance to the Commandments of God? 54:38 Am I truly following Christ in His Word? 54:41 No excuses. No straddling the fence. 54:45 With all my heart, all my soul, and all my mind. 54:50 Cause if I plan to follow Him in the end times, 54:54 by His grace I need to choose to follow Him today. 55:01 Now we could stop here. But I'm not going to stop here. 55:05 Because the vision of Daniel 7 does not end with Antichrist. 55:10 There is one more part is vision 55:13 that we got to take the last few minutes for, 55:16 because I want you to see this. 55:18 It's awesome. 55:19 In Daniel Chapter 7, 55:23 after God talks about the little horn, 55:25 about Antichrist, notice what Daniel sees next. 55:30 Do not miss this. Daniel 7:9. 55:35 Daniel says, 55:36 "'I watched until thrones were put in place, 55:40 and the Ancient of Days was seated. 55:44 His garment was white as snow, 55:46 and the hair of his head was like pure wool. 55:50 His throne was a fiery flame, its wheels a burning fire. 55:55 A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him. 56:00 A thousand thousands,'" did what? 56:03 "'Ministered to him. 56:05 Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him.'" 56:09 And notice the last sentence. 56:10 "'The court was seated and the books were opened.' 56:15 " What's happening here? It gives us a picture. 56:19 God the Father called the Ancient of Days 56:22 is seated on his throne, a fiery throne. 56:25 Thousands upon thousands of angelic beings 56:28 are surrounding him. 56:30 And then it says something interesting. 56:32 The court was seated and books were opened. 56:37 This is a judgment scene. 56:41 God is about to judge the world. 56:43 In fact, God is about to judge the little horn 56:46 for what happened in the Middle Ages. 56:49 But before I worry about the little horn, 56:52 I better worry about myself, 56:54 because when it says books are open, 56:56 those are the books that record the record 56:58 of our lives every deed, every act. 57:02 And so the question is, am I going to be 57:05 able to make it through the judgment 57:07 when God looks at my book of record? 57:13 And notice what Daniel sees next, Daniel 7:13. 57:20 "'I saw in the night visions, and behold, 57:23 one like the Son of Man came with the clouds of heaven, 57:28 and came to the Ancient of Days, 57:31 and they brought him near before Him.' 57:33 " Who is the Son of Man from the Bible, 57:35 can you tell me? 57:36 This is Jesus. 57:38 Jesus is entering the courtroom. 57:41 Jesus is entering the judgment seat. 57:44 He's appearing before the Father, 57:47 as our Mediator, as our Advocate, 57:49 as our Defender. 57:51 And so when God looks 57:53 over the record of your life or mine, 57:55 Jesus steps in. 57:56 and Jesus says, "I know that child, 57:59 I know David, I know Susie I know Elaine, 58:02 I know Bob, I know Perry. 58:04 Yes, they've made mistakes, but they've accepted Me 58:06 as their Savior. 58:08 And therefore I have forgiven them. 58:10 I've wiped their slate clean. 58:12 I have allowed My righteousness to cover them." 58:16 And so in the eyes of the Father, 58:18 when He looks at your life, 58:20 He sees you as absolutely perfect. 58:24 Not because of the life you live, 58:25 but because the life of Jesus counts for you. |
Revised 2019-09-30