So who received the
power, and throne, and authority
00:00:01.70\00:00:06.13
from the old pagan Roman Empire?
00:00:06.17\00:00:08.50
Who did he give that to?
00:00:08.70\00:00:10.61
How did that get transferred?
00:00:10.87\00:00:12.54
Stanley's history, renowned
historian, English historian
00:00:12.77\00:00:16.44
from the 1600's, makes
this powerful statement.
00:00:16.48\00:00:20.42
And we're going to let
history now give the answer.
00:00:20.58\00:00:23.95
This is what he says, he says,
"The popes filled the place
00:00:24.35\00:00:27.92
of the vacant emperors of Rome,
inheriting their power, prestige
00:00:27.96\00:00:34.46
and titles from paganism.
00:00:34.50\00:00:36.93
Constantine left all
to the bishop of Rome...
00:00:37.17\00:00:40.30
The Papacy is but the ghost
of the deceased Roman Empire
00:00:40.34\00:00:44.97
sitting crowned upon its grave."
00:00:45.01\00:00:48.01
So he said here that
it's the popes, the papacy,
00:00:48.04\00:00:52.31
that has really received
all of that from pagan Rome.
00:00:52.58\00:00:55.72
And here's another
outstanding historian.
00:00:55.85\00:00:59.19
His name is
Abbott's Roman History.
00:00:59.22\00:01:03.12
Or that's the work that he did.
00:01:03.43\00:01:04.93
He's an American historian who
taught at Princeton University.
00:01:04.96\00:01:08.56
And he wrote several
works on the Roman Empire
00:01:08.60\00:01:11.87
and its civilization.
00:01:11.90\00:01:13.47
And this is what he says.
00:01:13.50\00:01:15.10
He says, "The transfer
of the emperor's residence
00:01:15.14\00:01:18.01
to Constantine..."
00:01:18.04\00:01:19.37
It's talking about
the Roman emperors.
00:01:19.41\00:01:21.18
"...to Constantinople was a sad
blow to the prestige of Rome,
00:01:21.21\00:01:26.01
and at the time one might have
predicted her speedy decline.
00:01:26.05\00:01:30.55
But the development of
the church, and the growing
00:01:30.79\00:01:33.96
authority of the
Bishop of Rome, or the pope,
00:01:33.99\00:01:37.39
gave her," Rome,
"and new lease on life
00:01:37.43\00:01:40.70
and made her,"
Rome, "again the capital,
00:01:40.73\00:01:44.27
this time the religious capital,
of the civilized world."
00:01:44.30\00:01:49.70
So a different phase,
but it's going to turn out
00:01:49.94\00:01:54.94
not so good for God's
people in the end of time
00:01:54.98\00:01:59.35
and all down
through Christian history.
00:01:59.51\00:02:02.05
So let's look
at the data so far.
00:02:02.35\00:02:04.35
The great red dragon was pagan
Rome led by the serpent, Satan.
00:02:05.05\00:02:08.72
Pagan Rome gives the
leopard beast from the sea
00:02:08.76\00:02:11.69
its seat, and
power, and authority.
00:02:11.73\00:02:14.23
And now the papacy,
symbolized by the leopard beast,
00:02:14.26\00:02:17.60
receives its seat and power
and authority from pagan Rome.
00:02:17.63\00:02:21.37
Papa Rome,
signified by the leopard beast
00:02:21.90\00:02:25.07
with seven heads and
ten horns, is the new phase
00:02:25.11\00:02:29.41
of the old Roman Empire,
signified by the red dragon
00:02:29.64\00:02:33.25
with seven heads and ten horns.
00:02:33.28\00:02:35.82
And actually, one of
the great titles of the pope
00:02:35.85\00:02:38.59
is Pontifex Maximus,
which was a title of the
00:02:38.62\00:02:41.72
emperors of the Roman
Empire, and now is also taken on
00:02:41.76\00:02:46.70
by the papal sea.
00:02:46.96\00:02:49.10
So we want to go
back to the text again.
00:02:50.37\00:02:53.64
And the text says that this
power would rule for 42 months
00:02:53.67\00:02:58.07
or 1260 days, or years.
00:02:58.11\00:03:02.04
Days of years again.
00:03:02.08\00:03:04.21
In 538 AD we have something
very interesting happen.
00:03:04.48\00:03:10.42
Justinian, who now
was in Constantinople,
00:03:10.45\00:03:13.02
the pope is in Rome,
Justinian makes some laws
00:03:13.05\00:03:18.06
in which he gives the pope
supremacy over all the ministers
00:03:18.09\00:03:23.30
Byzantine and western,
gives him the authority
00:03:23.33\00:03:27.74
to be over them all.
00:03:28.17\00:03:29.50
He did that in 533 AD.
00:03:29.54\00:03:31.14
It's a very interesting
story what happens here.
00:03:31.17\00:03:34.44
But Rome and Italy is under
the thumb of the Ostrogoths.
00:03:35.51\00:03:40.92
And they are not letting
the pope have very much power.
00:03:40.95\00:03:44.25
And so Justinian
sends his general,
00:03:44.82\00:03:48.76
and his general invades Rome.
00:03:48.96\00:03:51.79
And when he
takes the city of Rome,
00:03:52.26\00:03:55.33
he overthrows the
Ostrogoths in 538.
00:03:55.36\00:03:59.27
Now Justinian's
law can go into effect.
00:03:59.40\00:04:02.10
Because the popes are now
free to exercise authority
00:04:02.27\00:04:06.81
over the Christian
church all over the world,
00:04:07.08\00:04:10.61
according to Justinian.
00:04:10.65\00:04:12.55
Now the Bible says that would
last for 1260 days of years.
00:04:14.05\00:04:20.89
For 1260 years that would last.
00:04:21.29\00:04:24.09
So if you look 1260 years later,
you come to the time of 1798.
00:04:24.19\00:04:28.83
That gets it down closer
to our time, those 1260 years.
00:04:28.86\00:04:32.13
There had been the
American Revolution,
00:04:32.33\00:04:34.07
the United States of
America is coming on the scene.
00:04:34.10\00:04:36.34
You have the French Revolution,
the rise of Napoleon.
00:04:36.47\00:04:39.21
Napoleon crowns himself, refuses
to be crowned by the popes.
00:04:39.31\00:04:43.01
And actually he goes
into Rome, captures the pope,
00:04:43.28\00:04:46.45
takes him prisoner,
and he dies in exile.
00:04:46.48\00:04:49.72
And that is the deadly wound
that happened to the papacy
00:04:50.55\00:04:54.89
at the end of
those 1260 years in 1798.
00:04:54.92\00:05:02.00
We'll come back to
more of that in a moment,
00:05:02.53\00:05:04.07
but we want to go to something
else that this power does.
00:05:04.10\00:05:06.50
The Bible says that he
would speak great words
00:05:06.53\00:05:08.47
against the Most High.
00:05:08.50\00:05:09.94
And it even uses
the word, "blasphemies."
00:05:10.21\00:05:12.37
The first time that,
"blasphemy," shows up
00:05:12.71\00:05:14.78
in the book of Revelation
is in chapter 2 verse 9
00:05:14.81\00:05:17.81
where Jesus says,
"I know the blasphemy
00:05:17.98\00:05:19.95
of those who say
they are Jews..."
00:05:19.98\00:05:21.88
Talking, using them
as a symbol of Christians
00:05:22.08\00:05:24.32
in the early church.
00:05:24.35\00:05:25.69
"...and are not, but are
of the synagogue of Satan."
00:05:25.72\00:05:28.86
In this context, blasphemy
is calling yourself something
00:05:29.72\00:05:33.53
that you're not, inserting
yourself into something
00:05:33.56\00:05:36.13
that you're not.
00:05:36.26\00:05:37.60
Now this is painful for
me to have to share this,
00:05:38.07\00:05:40.74
but it has to be
shared because it's the truth.
00:05:40.77\00:05:43.71
Cardinal Bellarmine,
he was the Jesuit rector
00:05:44.37\00:05:48.54
of the Gregorian
University in Italy
00:05:48.58\00:05:50.88
and was considered to be
one of the most outstanding
00:05:50.91\00:05:53.15
instructors there,
and this is what he said
00:05:53.38\00:05:56.58
about the papacy.
00:05:56.62\00:05:58.12
He said all the
names that apply to Christ,
00:05:58.32\00:06:00.96
all the names that
apply to Christ, "by virtue of
00:06:00.99\00:06:04.89
which has been established
that He is over the church,
00:06:04.93\00:06:07.40
all the same names
apply to the pope."
00:06:07.43\00:06:12.17
Well it gets worse.
00:06:13.17\00:06:15.60
And this is Pope Pius XI being
quoted, and it was in 1922.
00:06:15.64\00:06:22.28
On April 29 he had a
group of people with him.
00:06:22.31\00:06:25.08
And as he had them
with him and he was kind of
00:06:25.41\00:06:27.78
introducing himself at
the start of his papacy,
00:06:27.82\00:06:30.59
he said this, he said, "You
know that I am the holy father,
00:06:31.35\00:06:35.86
the representative of God
on earth, vicar of Christ.
00:06:36.49\00:06:41.56
Which means, I am God on earth."
00:06:41.60\00:06:46.00
Well that's very sobering
to say something like that.
00:06:46.97\00:06:49.34
Pope Leo XIII in an
encyclical letter said this,
00:06:49.37\00:06:55.21
he said, "We
hold upon this earth
00:06:55.24\00:06:58.05
the place of Almighty God."
00:06:58.28\00:07:00.52
And according to
the holy Scriptures,
00:07:00.55\00:07:02.38
Jesus said the Holy Spirit
was His representative on earth.
00:07:02.42\00:07:06.39
Now we appreciate ministers,
and we appreciate the many
00:07:06.42\00:07:08.86
wonderful priests
that are very sincere,
00:07:09.06\00:07:12.09
and many wonderful
Christians are sincere
00:07:12.29\00:07:15.16
in all kinds of faiths.
00:07:15.20\00:07:16.93
But no Christian minister
has the right to say that he
00:07:17.27\00:07:20.67
takes the place of
Almighty God on the earth.
00:07:20.70\00:07:25.47
This power would also,
during those 1260 years,
00:07:25.77\00:07:28.24
would wear out the
saints of the Most High.
00:07:28.28\00:07:30.85
It's very interesting what
the Catholic encyclopedia says.
00:07:31.61\00:07:34.65
No one, including the
Roman Catholic papacy,
00:07:34.75\00:07:37.25
denies that the church
did persecute horribly.
00:07:37.29\00:07:40.46
Everybody knows
about the Inquisition.
00:07:40.49\00:07:42.42
In fact, the United States
Constitution has actually,
00:07:42.46\00:07:45.13
some of it, is a reaction to the
Dark Ages and the persecution.
00:07:45.16\00:07:48.36
Because many people came to this
land to escape the persecution
00:07:48.40\00:07:53.44
of the Roman Catholic
Church and the papacy.
00:07:53.54\00:07:55.94
So they came here, and
this is the reason Protestantism
00:07:56.30\00:07:58.27
has been established here.
00:07:58.31\00:07:59.81
But they admit, in the
Catholic encyclopedia online,
00:08:00.61\00:08:04.08
that the Christian teachers
of the first three centuries,
00:08:04.28\00:08:07.12
including the apostles, insisted
on complete religious freedom.
00:08:07.15\00:08:12.65
That's interesting.
00:08:12.69\00:08:14.02
And they urged that
religion could not be forced.
00:08:14.52\00:08:18.13
Now that sounds like
the American Constitution.
00:08:18.16\00:08:20.80
And that's the way it should be.
00:08:20.83\00:08:22.53
But a change took place
as the popes came into power.
00:08:22.70\00:08:26.90
This same encyclopedia defends
the behavior of the popes
00:08:27.54\00:08:32.17
and their persecution.
00:08:32.41\00:08:33.94
It says, "The
churches legislation on heresy
00:08:34.51\00:08:37.11
and heretics is often
reproached with charges of
00:08:37.15\00:08:40.98
cruelty and intolerance."
00:08:41.02\00:08:43.99
And they go on to say, "Well,
if this cruelty, if it exceeds
00:08:44.65\00:08:52.09
the requirements of the
case, then it becomes cruelty."
00:08:52.19\00:08:55.06
And they use the comparison
of a father punishing his son.
00:08:55.10\00:08:58.27
Well, that's a
whole different ball game.
00:08:58.30\00:09:00.04
The church, popes, have no right
to punish other Christians.
00:09:00.17\00:09:04.24
A father who disciplines
his son is helping him to grow.
00:09:04.27\00:09:07.44
But even that
discipline cannot be cruel.
00:09:07.48\00:09:09.81
And that's what
they're saying here.
00:09:09.91\00:09:12.18
And the opponents,
Protestant opponents
00:09:12.41\00:09:14.85
of the papacy say,
"Precisely, precisely,
00:09:14.88\00:09:18.55
the rigors of the Inquisition
violated all human feelings."
00:09:18.59\00:09:25.09
I can't tell you, if you've ever
read, Foxes Book of Martyrs,
00:09:25.19\00:09:28.60
the tortures were
worse than pagan Rome.
00:09:28.80\00:09:32.97
And millions of
people lost their lives
00:09:33.00\00:09:37.77
under the hand of the popes.
00:09:38.24\00:09:41.41
Now I say that not unkindly.
00:09:41.61\00:09:45.28
But it's the truth.
00:09:45.45\00:09:47.15
And love, love
will tell the truth.
00:09:47.75\00:09:51.42
It rejoices in the truth.
00:09:51.45\00:09:52.79
Even though that
truth is painful.
00:09:52.89\00:09:55.19
And it is painful to say
that in the name of Christ
00:09:55.79\00:09:59.39
these popes did
this kind of thing.
00:09:59.43\00:10:02.26
And it goes on,
the opponents say,
00:10:03.43\00:10:05.77
"We answer, they
offend the feelings..."
00:10:05.87\00:10:07.54
I'm sorry, the Catholic
encyclopedia responds to
00:10:07.57\00:10:12.04
the Protestant
opponents by saying,
00:10:12.07\00:10:14.18
"They offend the feelings
of later ages in which there is
00:10:14.84\00:10:19.25
less regard for
the purity of faith."
00:10:19.28\00:10:21.18
What!
00:10:21.22\00:10:22.55
Do you mean that in
the age of the Inquisition
00:10:23.92\00:10:27.29
when people were being tortured
with all kinds of horrible
00:10:27.32\00:10:30.09
tortures in the name of
Christ, that the Catholic faith
00:10:30.13\00:10:34.73
was more pure then than it
is now where we insist that
00:10:34.76\00:10:39.83
people not be treated that way
00:10:39.87\00:10:41.64
and that religion has no
right to punish somebody else
00:10:41.67\00:10:43.71
for their different beliefs?
00:10:43.74\00:10:45.14
So what does that mean?
00:10:45.77\00:10:47.44
Does that mean if
the church gets more pure
00:10:47.88\00:10:50.08
and has power, it
return again to persecution?
00:10:50.11\00:10:54.48
I find this incredible.
00:10:55.12\00:10:57.05
And they go on to say
that the Medieval people
00:10:57.79\00:11:00.42
found no fault with the system.
00:11:00.46\00:11:01.86
What!
00:11:01.89\00:11:03.22
The United States Constitution,
again, a reflection of those
00:11:04.36\00:11:07.06
terrible
persecutions of the Dark Ages,
00:11:07.10\00:11:09.06
the United States Constitution
says you cannot invoke
00:11:09.30\00:11:12.57
on people cruel
and unusual punishment.
00:11:12.60\00:11:16.77
The Medieval people hated it.
00:11:18.11\00:11:20.18
That's why there's a reaction.
00:11:20.21\00:11:21.54
That's why there was
the Protestant Reformation.
00:11:21.58\00:11:23.45
That's why the United
States of America rose up and
00:11:23.48\00:11:25.85
declared religious freedom.
00:11:25.88\00:11:27.75
This is a terrible
thing, but it's reflection
00:11:30.29\00:11:33.49
of that old Roman Empire
that persecuted God's people
00:11:34.16\00:11:38.59
in those times.
00:11:39.79\00:11:41.30
It says it would
speak against the Most High,
00:11:41.40\00:11:43.43
against the tabernacle.
00:11:43.47\00:11:45.03
But let me just
finish up by saying this.
00:11:45.43\00:11:48.07
That deadly wound
that was healed in 1798,
00:11:49.27\00:11:53.17
it said it would be healed.
00:11:53.27\00:11:54.78
And then it said all
the world would wonder
00:11:55.48\00:11:58.41
after this power again.
00:11:58.45\00:12:00.38
And you've actually seen
that fulfillment in your day.
00:12:01.22\00:12:03.42
But let me flash back to
when this thing was healed.
00:12:03.45\00:12:06.19
The papacy made a special treaty
with none other than Mussolini.
00:12:07.12\00:12:12.39
Because they had lost
all their temporal power
00:12:12.43\00:12:15.76
over the states of Italy.
00:12:15.80\00:12:17.37
But now Mussolini, in a
treaty, and with Hitler,
00:12:17.57\00:12:22.67
they had a treaty, and
that power was restored.
00:12:23.24\00:12:26.47
What does the church of
Christ have making treaties
00:12:26.51\00:12:31.41
with the people like
Mussolini and Hitler?
00:12:31.45\00:12:33.95
Why would they do that?
00:12:34.22\00:12:35.68
But now we see the effects.
00:12:36.32\00:12:38.22
As time has gone on,
people have forgotten
00:12:38.32\00:12:40.72
the Reformation,
they've forgotten the Dark Ages.
00:12:40.76\00:12:42.99
They've forgotten what happened
during those 1260 years.
00:12:43.02\00:12:47.56
I say this with sweet kindness,
but as Christians we need to
00:12:47.86\00:12:52.43
rest on the Scripture.
00:12:52.47\00:12:53.90
We need to focus on
Christ as our High Priest.
00:12:54.04\00:12:57.41
He's the only High Priest.
00:12:57.44\00:12:59.37
And our heavenly
Father is the only Holy Father
00:12:59.47\00:13:02.88
that there is.
00:13:02.91\00:13:04.25
Jesus is the incomparable Jesus.
00:13:04.31\00:13:07.22
Beware of false
christs who insert themselves
00:13:07.25\00:13:11.05
in the place that
only Jesus should hold.
00:13:11.15\00:13:14.76
Jesus is the real
Christ, and He's the one
00:13:15.02\00:13:20.43
who really, really loves you.
00:13:21.00\00:13:24.43