Revelation Chapter 17
describes a mysterious woman
00:00:09.07\00:00:12.11
named Babylon the Great.
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I hope you're ready for
the truth about this woman
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on His Voice Today.
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Welcome to
another His Voice Today
00:00:19.21\00:00:22.02
with Steve Wohlberg.
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Mystery Babylon Part 2.
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I heard a parable
once about "Truth"
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and he was taking a walk
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and he was heading
toward the city of Humanity,
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and it was a hot day
and as he was walking along
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the scenery was quite attractive
and he looked over on his right
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and he saw a nice,
clear, blue, beautiful lake
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and it was hot and he
decided to take a swim
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so he took his
robes of truth off
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and put them on a tree branch
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and then... took a dive and went
swimming in his birthday suit.
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and as he was
just enjoying the day,
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he didn't realize,
while he was in the water,
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that his ancient enemy
"Lie" had been following him
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and Lie looked
around the corner...
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and saw Truth
swimming in the lake
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and he decided to
pull a trick on him
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and so he went over to that
tree when Truth wasn't looking
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and he grabbed
Truth's robe off that limb,
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and he dropped his
old, dusty robes of Lie
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he put on the robes of Truth
and then he went on his way
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and he got to the top of
a hill and he looked down
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and he saw the City of
Humanity with all these people
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and he gave a shout
and the people looked up
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and they saw who
they thought was Truth
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and they all shouted,
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"Yeah, yeah, Truth is coming
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to teach us the way to heaven"
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and so he came down
and they all surrounded him
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and Lie dressed like Truth,
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began to give them his messages.
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Well, meanwhile,
back at the lake,
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Truth... the real Truth
finally got out of the water
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and went to grab his
robe from off the limb
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and discovered
that it wasn't there
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and he looked
down and there he saw
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his old enemy's raggedy robe...
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Lie, on the ground
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and he knew, "Ah ha,
Lie is up to his old tricks"
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and so... then Truth
had to make a decision,
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should he keep
going in his birthday suit
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as he was...
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or should he put
on the robes of Lie
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so at least he'd be covered.
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Well, he decided he
couldn't wear the robes of Lie
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so he kept on going and
he got to the top of the hill
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and he looked down
to the City of Humanity
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and he saw all these
people surrounding Lie
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thinking that Lie was Truth.
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And so Truth did
what he had to do
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and he gave a big shout
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and he started
heading down the hill
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and the people looked up
and one man shouted and he said,
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"Look, look, here he
comes, it's the naked Truth. "
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Are you ready
for the naked truth.
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We're going to get into
some very powerful things
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today that my conscience
tells me... need to be taught
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and so, I hope
you're ready for it
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as we, again, dive in
to Mystery Babylon Part 2.
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In the book of
Revelation Chapter 14 verse 8
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we have a message,
a very special message
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to all the world before
the coming of Jesus Christ.
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In verse 8 "there followed
another angel and he said,
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'Babylon is fallen, is
fallen, that great city,
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because she has
made all the nations
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drink of the wine of the
wrath of her fornication. '"
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We've also studied in Part 1
that this Babylon is actually
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described in
Revelation 17 as a woman
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and she's a fallen
woman verse 14:8 says,
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"Babylon is
fallen is fallen... "
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and we talked about
it in the last Program.
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How, a woman in
the New Testament
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represents a professed body,
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at least those that
profess to follow Jesus Christ
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and so we have a
woman in Revelation 14
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and Revelation
17 called "Babylon"
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and she is a fallen woman
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representing the fact that
she was upright at one point
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but she has fallen
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and she is a
professed follower of Jesus
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but she is actually fallen away
from the truth of the gospel
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and the truth of the Bible.
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In our last Program we looked at
many New Testament prophecies,
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many New Testament statements,
many New Testament Scriptures
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that prove, beyond
a shadow of a doubt,
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that the New Testament writers
including Jesus Christ Himself
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looked into the
future and recognized
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there was going
to be a falling away,
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an apostasy that
was going to happen
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in church history
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from inside the
professed church of Jesus Christ
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and let me just go over
some of these texts with you,
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we're not going to
look them up right now,
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we did that in Part 1,
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but I'll just give
you a quick review.
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In 2nd Thessalonians
chapter 2, verses 1 and 3,
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Paul talked about
the coming of Jesus
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and our being
gathered together to Him,
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and he said, "Let
no man deceive you
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by any means for
that day when Jesus comes
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will not come except there
come a falling away first... "
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there would be a falling away
and we talked about it in Part 1
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that the Greek word for
falling away is Apostasia
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which means an apostasy
or a departure from within
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and that was something
that Paul knew had to happen
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before Jesus comes
to gather His people.
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In Acts chapter 20,
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Paul was speaking to
a group of the Elders
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of the church in Ephesus
who had come down from Miletus
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to listen to his
counsel and in verse 30,
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Paul warned them about
wolves that would come in
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among the
Leaders after He departed
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and that they would
lead people away from Jesus
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to follow them,
Acts chapter 20 verse 30.
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1st Timothy 4:1, Paul
said that in the latter times
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many would depart from the faith
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giving heed to seducing spirits
and doctrines of devils...
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this would be a
departure from the faith
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inside of the professed
church of Jesus Christ.
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In 2nd Timothy 4 verses 3 and 4
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Paul warned about those
who would have itching ears
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and who would have
teachers gathered around them
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and these teachers would
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turn the ears and
the hearts and the mind
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of professed followers
of Jesus away from the truth
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and they would
be turned to fables
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instead of sound doctrine.
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In 2nd Peter chapter 2
verse 1, Peter warned about
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false prophets that would come
right in among the believers
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and that many would
follow their deceptive ways
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leading away from the
gospel of Jesus Christ.
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In Jude verses 3 and 4,
Jude urged the early believers
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to contend
earnestly for the faith
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that was once and for
all delivered to the saints
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and Jude said that
there would be false teachers
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who would creep into the church,
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certain men who
would turn the grace of God
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into a license for sin and
they would lead people astray.
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Finally, in the book
of Revelation chapter 2,
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Jesus gave a special message
to the church of Ephesus...
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the first church of the
seven in Revelation 2 and 3
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and he urged the early believers
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to repent and
to come back to Him
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because He said,
"You have fallen,
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you have fallen away, you
have left your first love. "
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So, all of these verses...
and we have them again,
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2nd Thessalonians
chapter 2, Acts chapter 20,
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1st Timothy
4:1, 2nd Timothy 4:4,
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2nd Peter 2:1, Jude1:3 and 4,
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Revelation 2 verse
5... they all predict
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that there will be a departure,
an apostasy, a falling away,
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that would happen
inside of the professed church
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of Jesus Christ.
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I don't know if we have any...
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if you happen to be
a Sherlock Holmes fan
00:08:01.04\00:08:04.18
any Holmes' fans out
there but if you are,
00:08:04.21\00:08:06.45
we need to solve a
case and it's a big one
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and the issue is,
"Who is the fallen woman
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that is described in
Revelation chapter 14 verse 8
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and in Revelation chapter 17?"
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Her name is: Mystery
Babylon, Babylon the great.
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Well, let's start
looking up the clues
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and these are shocking
but they're in the Bible.
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I'm going to turn in
my Bible to chapter 17.
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Revelation 17 is the
great chapter that describes
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the details about this woman.
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17:1, the Bible says,
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speaking to John,
"... and I will show you
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Okay, clue number one,
this woman, whoever she is,
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the Bible says, "she would
be sitting on many waters. "
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Now we don't have to guess
what these waters represent.
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In verse 15, the
angel said to John,
00:09:13.52\00:09:16.48
he said, "The
waters which you saw,
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where the whore sits,
are peoples, multitudes,
00:09:19.42\00:09:24.09
nations, and tongues. "
00:09:24.13\00:09:25.99
So, Babylon... this
woman sits upon many waters
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which represent
people around the world.
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So, clue number 1 is
00:09:33.17\00:09:34.80
this woman has global influence,
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she has support from peoples,
multitudes, nations and tongues
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all over the world,
and if that's the case,
00:09:41.28\00:09:44.71
which it is, then
to identify this woman
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who has global influence
is probably not going to be
00:09:48.15\00:09:52.62
an overly popular identification
but somebody once said,
00:09:52.65\00:09:56.69
"What is popular
is not always right
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and what is right
is not always popular"
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and I'm not here to try to
win a popularity contest...
00:10:01.66\00:10:05.83
any true
follower of Jesus Christ
00:10:05.87\00:10:08.30
should be willing
to hold on and to share
00:10:08.34\00:10:11.54
the naked truth no
matter where it leads
00:10:11.57\00:10:14.74
so that's clue number one.
00:10:14.78\00:10:16.91
Clue number two is
found in the next verse,
00:10:16.95\00:10:20.78
verse 2 says, "with whom...
" talking about this woman,
00:10:20.82\00:10:23.69
"with whom the
kings of the earth
00:10:23.75\00:10:26.05
have committed fornication... "
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this woman is involved
with the kings of the earth,
00:10:28.32\00:10:31.63
she has diplomatic relationships
with rulers and with kings
00:10:31.66\00:10:37.40
according to the Bible,
fornication has to do with
00:10:37.43\00:10:40.20
an illicit
involvement with these kings
00:10:40.24\00:10:43.14
and that's what
she's involved in.
00:10:43.17\00:10:44.84
Clue three,
00:10:44.87\00:10:47.18
going on in verse 2 it says,
00:10:47.21\00:10:49.54
"... and the
inhabitants of the earth
00:10:49.58\00:10:51.05
have been made drunk with
the wine of her fornication. "
00:10:51.08\00:10:55.78
The wine refers
to her doctrines,
00:10:55.82\00:10:58.49
the doctrines of this
woman that are the result of her
00:10:58.52\00:11:01.52
mixing with kings and
her mixing with the world
00:11:01.56\00:11:04.49
and the inhabitants of the earth
00:11:04.53\00:11:07.60
have become
drunk with this wine.
00:11:07.63\00:11:10.57
So, this tells us that
the wine of this woman,
00:11:10.60\00:11:13.74
the doctrines of this
woman... they belt the world.
00:11:13.77\00:11:18.77
Clue number four, in
verse 3 Revelation continues
00:11:18.81\00:11:23.75
and the angel... the Bible says,
00:11:23.78\00:11:25.51
this woman has
particular color characteristics
00:11:40.30\00:11:45.43
and these colors
are purple and scarlet.
00:11:45.47\00:11:49.57
Another clue is that
it says that she is decked
00:11:49.60\00:11:52.37
with gold and
precious stones and pearls,
00:11:52.41\00:11:55.54
she is an
extremely wealthy woman
00:11:55.61\00:11:59.01
that has lots and lots of gold.
00:11:59.05\00:12:02.42
Continuing on, the Bible says,
00:12:02.45\00:12:06.22
Verse 5:
00:12:13.80\00:12:18.80
Here's another
clue that this woman...
00:12:26.31\00:12:27.88
she's not just a
woman but she's a mother...
00:12:27.91\00:12:31.71
she claims to be a
mother, she is a mother
00:12:31.75\00:12:35.48
she's the mother of harlots and
of abominations of the earth.
00:12:35.52\00:12:38.95
Next clue, verse 6,
00:12:38.99\00:12:41.62
Whoever this woman is,
00:12:49.40\00:12:51.37
she eventually
becomes a persecuting woman
00:12:51.40\00:12:55.24
and she has killed saints,
she has persecuted saints,
00:12:55.27\00:13:01.24
she has led to the
spilling of their blood
00:13:01.28\00:13:04.58
and she's drunk with
the blood of the saints
00:13:04.61\00:13:07.88
and with the
blood of the martyrs...
00:13:07.92\00:13:09.52
martyrs of Jesus refer to
those who have given their lives
00:13:09.55\00:13:13.09
standing up for their
faith, against apostasy,
00:13:13.12\00:13:16.12
against deception,
00:13:16.16\00:13:18.03
against a falling
away from the truth
00:13:18.06\00:13:20.56
they held on to the
truth no matter what
00:13:20.60\00:13:23.87
and this woman is
drunk with their blood,
00:13:23.90\00:13:27.07
so that's another clue going
down to verse 9, another clue,
00:13:27.10\00:13:31.54
She is sitting
upon seven mountains
00:13:39.25\00:13:43.45
going down to verse 18,
00:13:43.49\00:13:49.76
So here are all the clues
00:13:58.60\00:14:02.00
and let me just
repeat them for you again...
00:14:02.04\00:14:06.88
actually I forgot
one, one more clue,
00:14:06.91\00:14:09.78
chapter 18 and then
I'll give you the summary.
00:14:09.81\00:14:12.61
Chapter 18 verse 4, this
was a very important clue,
00:14:12.65\00:14:15.95
it's amazing and
it's very enlightening.
00:14:15.98\00:14:18.82
In Revelation 18
verse 4, we have a voice
00:14:18.85\00:14:21.62
that is heard from heaven,
00:14:21.69\00:14:23.29
"I heard another
voice from heaven
00:14:23.32\00:14:25.79
saying, 'Come out of
her... '" out of this woman,
00:14:25.83\00:14:28.83
and then God says, "my people,
00:14:28.86\00:14:32.00
let you be not
partakers of her sins,
00:14:32.03\00:14:34.50
and that you receive
not of her plagues. "
00:14:34.54\00:14:36.94
Now, here we have God
talking to His own people
00:14:36.97\00:14:39.27
and He says, "My
people, come out... "
00:14:39.31\00:14:42.11
and that tells us
something very important that
00:14:42.14\00:14:44.41
inside of this woman are
true followers of Jesus Christ.
00:14:44.45\00:14:50.75
Those that
really do love the Lord,
00:14:50.79\00:14:52.99
those that really are sincere,
00:14:53.02\00:14:54.46
those that are doing
the best that they can
00:14:54.49\00:14:56.83
based upon the
light that they have
00:14:56.86\00:14:58.59
they are inside of her...
but they need to come out of her
00:14:58.63\00:15:03.06
and therefore, it
just makes a lot of sense
00:15:03.10\00:15:05.73
that we need to
know who this is,
00:15:05.77\00:15:07.80
we need to identify who this is,
00:15:07.84\00:15:09.84
in order for God's
people to have additional help
00:15:09.87\00:15:14.34
and additional
light so they know
00:15:14.38\00:15:16.38
that they need to exit,
00:15:16.41\00:15:17.81
they need to come out,
00:15:17.85\00:15:19.21
so, let me
summarize these facts...
00:15:19.25\00:15:23.32
twelve facts... from
Revelation chapter 7...
00:15:23.35\00:15:27.12
twelve identifying
clues about Mystery Babylon.
00:15:27.16\00:15:30.93
Number 1... she is a
woman which represents a church
00:15:30.96\00:15:35.30
or at least a professed
church of Jesus Christ.
00:15:35.33\00:15:38.27
She is fallen... which
shows us that at one point
00:15:38.30\00:15:41.17
she was upright
but she has fallen away
00:15:41.20\00:15:43.20
from Bible truth and from
the gospel of Jesus Christ.
00:15:43.24\00:15:46.61
Next point is that
she has global influence,
00:15:46.64\00:15:50.71
people around the
world support this lady.
00:15:50.75\00:15:54.68
Point number 4 is she
has involvement with kings,
00:15:54.72\00:15:58.82
she commits
fornication with kings
00:15:58.85\00:16:00.72
she has diplomatic
relations with kings.
00:16:00.76\00:16:03.66
Number 5, her doctrine...
her wine... circles the world.
00:16:03.69\00:16:08.63
Number 6, she has particular
colors... purple and scarlet.
00:16:08.66\00:16:13.57
Number 7, she's
also extremely wealthy
00:16:13.60\00:16:16.20
gold... lots of gold...
precious stones and pearls.
00:16:16.24\00:16:19.97
Number 8, she is a mother,
00:16:20.01\00:16:22.04
the Bible says,
the mother of harlots
00:16:22.08\00:16:24.98
and abominations of the
earth, she's a mother church.
00:16:25.01\00:16:27.58
Number 9, she has been involved
00:16:27.62\00:16:29.58
in the
persecution of God's people,
00:16:29.62\00:16:32.62
the persecution of
saints and martyrs,
00:16:32.65\00:16:35.62
the martyrs of Jesus,
00:16:35.66\00:16:37.36
she's also a
city... a great city,
00:16:37.43\00:16:40.23
the Bible says, that
sits... Point number 11,
00:16:40.26\00:16:43.40
upon seven mountains,
00:16:43.43\00:16:45.40
and the last
point is that there are,
00:16:45.43\00:16:49.27
in spite of her flaws,
00:16:49.30\00:16:50.64
nevertheless, God
Himself has true people
00:16:50.67\00:16:53.68
that are inside of
her and these people...
00:16:53.71\00:16:56.51
he is calling them to come out.
00:16:56.54\00:16:59.38
Now here are 12
facts about this woman
00:16:59.41\00:17:02.12
who is this lady?
00:17:02.15\00:17:03.85
If I were to have
a white board here
00:17:03.89\00:17:07.09
I wrote down
with a pen or a marker
00:17:07.12\00:17:10.26
and I put down three figures
00:17:10.29\00:17:12.19
let's say it
was 27 or 62 then 95
00:17:12.26\00:17:15.20
and I asked you to add them up,
00:17:15.23\00:17:18.13
to look at the evidence,
00:17:18.17\00:17:20.24
to add up and come
to the right conclusion,
00:17:20.27\00:17:23.30
how many wrong
conclusions could there be?
00:17:23.34\00:17:26.37
How many wrong
answers could there be?
00:17:26.41\00:17:29.28
Obviously, the
options are endless
00:17:29.34\00:17:32.11
but how many right
answers would there be
00:17:32.18\00:17:35.28
if you add up the three figures
00:17:35.35\00:17:36.69
just like you
add up the 12 points
00:17:36.72\00:17:38.05
that we've just looked at,
00:17:38.09\00:17:39.42
how many right
answers are there?
00:17:39.45\00:17:42.02
I think the answer is obvious
that ultimately there are only..
00:17:42.06\00:17:46.33
there is only one right answer
00:17:46.36\00:17:48.16
as to who fits
all of these clues
00:17:48.20\00:17:51.50
everyone...
precisely and exactly.
00:17:51.53\00:17:55.14
If you were to go
back... back in time
00:17:55.17\00:17:58.74
to the 1500s and 1600s and 1700s
00:17:58.77\00:18:01.98
and if you were
to ask Martin Luther
00:18:02.01\00:18:05.18
who founded the Lutheran Church,
00:18:05.21\00:18:06.95
who is this
woman of Revelation 17?
00:18:06.98\00:18:08.65
Luther would tell you.
00:18:08.68\00:18:10.39
If you were to ask John Calvin
00:18:10.42\00:18:12.12
who founded the
Presbyterian Church,
00:18:12.15\00:18:13.89
Calvin would tell you.
00:18:13.96\00:18:15.29
If you were to ask John Wesley
who founded the Methodist Church
00:18:15.32\00:18:17.96
Wesley would tell you.
00:18:17.99\00:18:20.03
If you would have
asked Charles Spurgeon,
00:18:20.06\00:18:21.43
the most famous
Baptist Pastor who ever lived,
00:18:21.46\00:18:24.57
he also would tell you,
00:18:24.60\00:18:27.10
they would give
you the naked truth,
00:18:27.14\00:18:29.87
the naked truth.
00:18:29.90\00:18:31.31
Truth isn't easy sometimes...
00:18:31.34\00:18:36.31
sometimes truth is hard,
00:18:36.34\00:18:37.75
sometimes truth is like medicine
00:18:37.78\00:18:39.41
that doesn't taste good
00:18:39.45\00:18:40.78
but you need it and I've
committed myself to truth,
00:18:40.82\00:18:46.15
think about the phrase,
00:18:46.19\00:18:47.96
"Give me the
truth... the whole truth
00:18:47.99\00:18:50.19
and nothing but the
truth so help me God,"
00:18:50.23\00:18:52.76
and that's what
I've committed myself to
00:18:52.79\00:18:55.26
I've been a
Christian for 33 years
00:18:55.30\00:18:58.03
and when I first
started studying my Bible...
00:18:58.07\00:18:59.73
and studying Revelation,
00:18:59.77\00:19:01.10
I never dreamed
where it would lead me
00:19:01.14\00:19:03.10
but as I put
the pieces together,
00:19:03.14\00:19:05.37
as I read about these 12 points,
00:19:05.41\00:19:07.58
it's very clear to me
and to a lot of other people
00:19:07.61\00:19:11.41
who these points... point to...
00:19:11.48\00:19:15.38
and that is the church,
00:19:15.42\00:19:17.65
I'll just tell
you, the naked truth.
00:19:17.69\00:19:19.82
The church sitting on
the seven-hilled city of Rome
00:19:19.85\00:19:24.96
fits every single
point that is described
00:19:24.99\00:19:28.10
in Bible prophecy,
00:19:28.16\00:19:30.13
I have an article in
my hand that came out
00:19:30.17\00:19:33.17
a number of years ago
during the Persian Gulf War
00:19:33.20\00:19:36.34
it came out in Time Magazine,
this is February 11, 1991,
00:19:36.37\00:19:41.01
it's an essay in the
back of Time Magazine
00:19:41.04\00:19:43.08
and it talks about how...
00:19:43.11\00:19:44.51
because of what
Sadaam Hussein was doing
00:19:44.55\00:19:46.38
trying to rebuild the
ancient city of Babylon,
00:19:46.41\00:19:48.35
how all kinds of prophecy books
00:19:48.38\00:19:50.72
were streaming off the
presses, that were saying,
00:19:50.75\00:19:52.79
"Prophecy is being fulfilled,
prophecy is being fulfilled,
00:19:52.85\00:19:55.19
and the ancient city of
Babylon is rising again,
00:19:55.22\00:19:58.19
Sadaam Hussein... he's
fulfilling the Scriptures"
00:19:58.26\00:20:01.20
and this article
and analyzes this
00:20:01.23\00:20:03.90
and basically takes issue
with the trend toward thinking
00:20:03.93\00:20:10.11
that the Babylon in Revelation
00:20:10.14\00:20:12.67
is going to be a
resurrection of the ancient city
00:20:12.71\00:20:15.31
over in the Middle East
and at the end of this article,
00:20:15.34\00:20:20.28
Time Magazine,
February 11, 1991,
00:20:20.32\00:20:23.18
this is what it says,
"The temptation to secluse
00:20:23.25\00:20:26.32
to the second coming on
CNN is easy to understand
00:20:26.35\00:20:29.42
since Sadaam Hussein
has proclaimed himself
00:20:29.46\00:20:31.86
a successor of Nebuchadnezzar,
the Babylonian king
00:20:31.89\00:20:35.56
who enslaved the
Israelites of old"
00:20:35.60\00:20:37.47
and then it says, "this
makes it deceptively easy
00:20:37.50\00:20:41.04
for prophecy mongers
or prophecy proponents
00:20:41.07\00:20:45.64
to identify Iraq with
Babylon, somewhat awkwardly
00:20:45.67\00:20:50.88
it also
undercuts a long-standing
00:20:50.91\00:20:54.45
Protestant tradition
that this symbol of corruption
00:20:54.48\00:20:59.39
in the book of Revelation
refers to the church of Rome. "
00:20:59.42\00:21:05.06
Now, I didn't write
this but this man...
00:21:05.09\00:21:08.03
he's got his information correct
00:21:08.06\00:21:10.03
because it was a long-standing
Protestant tradition,
00:21:10.07\00:21:12.67
the Lutherans, the
Baptists, the Methodists,
00:21:12.70\00:21:14.44
the
Presbyterians, the Mennonites,
00:21:14.47\00:21:16.24
the Congregationalists,
00:21:16.30\00:21:17.64
the list just goes
on and on and on...
00:21:17.67\00:21:19.54
the teachers and the
scholars who taught exactly
00:21:19.57\00:21:24.71
what I am sharing
with you right now,
00:21:24.78\00:21:27.78
probably one of
the most famous books
00:21:27.82\00:21:30.39
in Christian
history, is this book,
00:21:30.42\00:21:32.95
Fox's Book of Martyrs,
00:21:33.02\00:21:34.36
Fox's Book of Martyrs describes
the Martyrs and the sufferings
00:21:34.39\00:21:37.43
what has happened
to... as Revelation says,
00:21:37.46\00:21:41.66
"the saints and
the martyrs of Jesus"
00:21:41.70\00:21:43.80
I don't really recommend
that you read this book
00:21:43.83\00:21:47.04
unless you have a
very strong stomach,
00:21:47.07\00:21:49.14
you can get it at
any Christian bookstore
00:21:49.17\00:21:51.01
if they don't have
it, they can order it,
00:21:51.07\00:21:52.87
and you can read the facts.
00:21:52.91\00:21:54.81
All the information also...
00:21:54.84\00:21:56.18
that I'm sharing
with you right now,
00:21:56.21\00:21:57.55
is documented in my
book, "End Time Delusions. "
00:21:57.58\00:21:59.91
End Time Delusions
goes into the history
00:21:59.95\00:22:02.18
and there's just a lot of...
there's a wealth of information
00:22:02.22\00:22:05.22
so that you'll know
that I'm not making this up
00:22:05.25\00:22:07.89
these are just historical facts.
00:22:07.92\00:22:10.39
Revelation chapter 17
tells us about this woman,
00:22:10.43\00:22:16.03
I saw the woman in verse 6
00:22:16.06\00:22:19.93
and she was drunken
with the blood of the saints
00:22:19.97\00:22:22.64
and with the blood
of the martyrs of Jesus
00:22:22.67\00:22:25.31
Fox's Book of Martyrs
goes into great detail
00:22:25.34\00:22:28.28
about these
different Martyrdoms.
00:22:28.31\00:22:31.51
Probably one of the most famous
martyrdom in Christian history,
00:22:31.55\00:22:36.45
was a man named
Jerome... Jerome of Prague.
00:22:36.48\00:22:39.75
He was brought before a big
Council in Constance, Germany,
00:22:39.79\00:22:43.63
in the year 1415,
00:22:43.66\00:22:44.99
he was arrayed
before this tribunal
00:22:45.03\00:22:47.76
to answer for his faith,
he was pronounced a heretic
00:22:47.83\00:22:52.07
because he believed in the Bible
00:22:52.10\00:22:54.04
as the sole rule
of faith and practice
00:22:54.07\00:22:56.94
because he believed in
the gospel of Jesus Christ
00:22:56.97\00:22:59.07
because he
believed that he was saved
00:22:59.11\00:23:01.34
by the grace of
God... not works...
00:23:01.38\00:23:03.51
because he didn't believe that
he had to go through the church
00:23:03.55\00:23:06.31
to get to God and he
also put the pieces together
00:23:06.35\00:23:09.78
and he came to
understand what prophecy taught
00:23:09.82\00:23:13.19
about the woman in
Revelation chapter 17
00:23:13.22\00:23:16.42
and so he was
brought before the Council,
00:23:16.46\00:23:18.89
he was condemned and
he was finally led out
00:23:18.93\00:23:21.76
to the place of
execution and there were...
00:23:21.80\00:23:24.57
what they called "fagots"
that were put all around him
00:23:24.60\00:23:29.34
and an executioner finally
came up with a lighted torch
00:23:29.37\00:23:34.08
and he was about
to light the fire,
00:23:34.11\00:23:36.71
and these are the
words of this famous martyr
00:23:36.75\00:23:41.58
who was willing to give his
life for God... no matter what.
00:23:41.62\00:23:44.69
He said, "Come forward
boldly" to the executioner,
00:23:44.72\00:23:49.19
"... come forward
boldly and light the fire
00:23:49.22\00:23:53.56
if I had been afraid,
I would not be here. "
00:23:53.60\00:23:57.93
And so they did,
00:23:57.97\00:24:01.30
the executioner came forward
00:24:01.34\00:24:03.67
and he lit the fire and
the flames began to rise
00:24:03.71\00:24:07.14
and this... this faithful soul
00:24:07.18\00:24:11.28
who was willing to give
his life for Jesus Christ,
00:24:11.31\00:24:14.48
he thought about Jesus
who gave His life for him,
00:24:14.52\00:24:17.19
he thought about the one
who came down from heaven
00:24:17.22\00:24:20.16
and gave everything, He
was willing to be betrayed
00:24:20.19\00:24:22.96
by one of His own disciples,
00:24:22.99\00:24:24.79
He was willing to be
beaten by Roman soldiers,
00:24:24.83\00:24:29.80
He was willing to
suffer with thorns on His head,
00:24:29.83\00:24:34.80
He was willing to be taken
out to a place called Calvary,
00:24:34.84\00:24:38.34
and His arms were stretched out,
00:24:38.37\00:24:40.08
He was willing
to have Roman nails
00:24:40.11\00:24:41.68
pounded inside of His
hands and into His feet
00:24:41.74\00:24:46.31
and as He hung upon the cross,
it wasn't just bodily suffering
00:24:46.35\00:24:50.55
that Jesus was suffering with...
00:24:50.59\00:24:52.85
but it was the
suffering and incredible anguish
00:24:52.89\00:24:56.59
of suffering for sin...
for the sin of the world
00:24:56.62\00:25:00.20
the sin of the whole lost world
that ultimately has fallen away
00:25:00.23\00:25:04.80
from God and from its Creator
00:25:04.83\00:25:07.67
and from the
original plan for humanity
00:25:07.70\00:25:10.64
ever since the days
of the Garden of Eden
00:25:10.67\00:25:13.58
and Jerome thought about Jesus,
00:25:13.61\00:25:16.01
how Jesus not
only died physically
00:25:16.04\00:25:18.38
but He died because
of the sins of the world
00:25:18.41\00:25:21.98
and Jerome knew that no
matter what happens to me,
00:25:22.02\00:25:25.39
no matter if I have to
die and get burned at a stake
00:25:25.42\00:25:28.59
I will follow my Lord,
00:25:28.62\00:25:31.83
I will follow
Jesus no matter what
00:25:31.86\00:25:33.73
even if truth is unpopular,
even if I lose my life,
00:25:33.76\00:25:37.33
I will follow Jesus
Christ, I'll follow His grace,
00:25:37.37\00:25:40.90
I'll follow His book,
00:25:40.94\00:25:42.57
I'll follow His
truth... no matter what.
00:25:42.60\00:25:46.51
There had been many
noble martyrs like Jerome
00:25:46.54\00:25:51.45
and the list just goes on and on
00:25:51.51\00:25:52.88
and may God help us
to be among that group
00:25:52.91\00:25:56.99
who follow Jesus no matter what.
00:25:57.02\00:25:58.52
The book of
Revelation chapter 17 verse 6
00:25:58.55\00:26:02.99
says, "I saw the woman
00:26:03.02\00:26:04.49
and she was drunk with
the blood of the saints
00:26:04.56\00:26:07.36
and with the blood of
the martyrs of Jesus. "
00:26:07.40\00:26:10.70
May God help us to be
true followers of Jesus
00:26:10.73\00:26:13.74
and I know that
there are a lot of people
00:26:13.77\00:26:16.14
inside the woman
that I've just referred to
00:26:16.17\00:26:18.51
and there are
people all around the world
00:26:18.54\00:26:20.78
who love the Lord and are
doing their best to follow Him
00:26:20.84\00:26:23.71
but now is the time
for His voice to be heard,
00:26:23.75\00:26:26.35
now is the time for
the prophecies to unfold
00:26:26.38\00:26:28.92
and God wants us to
take a stand for Jesus Christ
00:26:28.95\00:26:32.19
in these last days...
no matter what it costs.
00:26:32.25\00:26:35.46
You have just
heard His voice today.
00:26:35.49\00:26:39.73
Will Christians soon disappear,
00:26:39.76\00:26:42.26
raptured before
seven years of tribulation
00:26:42.30\00:26:44.37
when the Antichrist
makes war against the Jews?
00:26:44.40\00:26:46.80
Jesus Christ gave this special
warning about the last days,
00:26:46.84\00:26:50.17
"Take heed that no one
deceives you!" Matthew 24:4.
00:26:50.21\00:26:53.48
Find out the truth about
these end-time prophecies
00:26:53.51\00:26:56.75
by ordering
Steve's popular book,
00:26:56.78\00:26:58.71
"End Time
Delusions" for only $13.95.
00:26:58.75\00:27:00.68
To order, call: 1-800-78-BIBLE
00:27:00.72\00:27:02.95
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00:27:02.98\00:27:06.15
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00:27:06.22\00:27:09.32
We hope you've
enjoyed this timely message
00:27:09.36\00:27:12.43
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00:27:12.46\00:27:15.40
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00:27:15.43\00:27:17.90
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00:27:21.60\00:27:24.21
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