We shouldn't be surprised
at this kind of compromise
00:00:01.36\00:00:03.90
because down through Christian
history, down through the
00:00:03.93\00:00:07.44
Israelite history, they
had the true religion from God,
00:00:07.47\00:00:11.17
there was always this
pressure to make some kind of
00:00:11.21\00:00:14.91
peace between the paganistic
world and the true religion
00:00:14.94\00:00:18.98
and the true
gospel of the Lord Jesus.
00:00:19.01\00:00:21.45
So we shouldn't be so
surprised at some of this.
00:00:21.68\00:00:24.35
So let's go back to again
this pagan Babylonian religion.
00:00:24.45\00:00:28.09
What was it like, and
how did all this get started,
00:00:28.26\00:00:31.16
and why does this
have a relationship to 666?
00:00:31.19\00:00:35.46
Well the Babylonian
religion had a seven-headed,
00:00:35.80\00:00:39.73
now this is fascinating,
00:00:39.77\00:00:41.10
seven-headed
astrological dragon.
00:00:41.14\00:00:44.84
Does that sound familiar?
00:00:44.94\00:00:46.57
A seven-headed
astrological dragon.
00:00:46.84\00:00:48.91
And he ruled over 36
sub-gods called decons.
00:00:48.94\00:00:52.68
And over all of
them ruled the sun god.
00:00:52.85\00:00:57.12
And they considered the sun god
to be the father of the gods.
00:00:57.92\00:01:00.99
Of course, that's a substitute
for our heavenly father
00:01:01.02\00:01:04.06
and for our
wonderful Lord Jesus Christ.
00:01:04.09\00:01:06.73
Well every one of their
gods, and the Babylonian thing,
00:01:06.96\00:01:09.30
each one of them had
their own sacred number.
00:01:09.33\00:01:11.87
And these numbers indicated
the god's power and place
00:01:12.60\00:01:17.01
in this 36 setup of gods.
00:01:17.11\00:01:20.78
And the Babylonians
divided this astrological house
00:01:21.31\00:01:24.41
into twelve
different houses in the zodiac.
00:01:24.45\00:01:28.92
And each one of
those were divided into
00:01:28.95\00:01:31.35
three rooms making 36.
00:01:31.39\00:01:33.32
Remember that number. 36.
00:01:33.36\00:01:35.09
36 gods, 36 rooms, and
they're ruling, of course,
00:01:35.12\00:01:39.83
the universe, so to speak.
00:01:39.93\00:01:41.46
So the first god they counted
got the number 1 assigned to it.
00:01:41.86\00:01:46.00
That was also
the sun god's number,
00:01:46.23\00:01:47.80
but he also gets another number
because he's considered to be
00:01:47.84\00:01:50.51
the father of all these gods.
00:01:50.54\00:01:52.27
And you'll see
that in just a moment.
00:01:52.31\00:01:53.81
The second one was the
moon god, and so forth.
00:01:53.84\00:01:55.91
Up to 36.
00:01:55.94\00:01:57.71
Well where did
this 666 come from?
00:01:57.91\00:02:01.58
Well if you take their gods
and each one of their numbers,
00:02:02.15\00:02:06.59
the first one, 1 + 2 +
3, all the way up to 36,
00:02:06.62\00:02:13.29
guess what that
number comes out to be?
00:02:13.40\00:02:16.03
It's six hundred
and sixty-six. Or 666.
00:02:16.30\00:02:20.54
So that number became a
sacred mysterious number
00:02:20.90\00:02:25.61
for the Babylonian religion
00:02:25.64\00:02:27.64
because it was the
sum total of their gods
00:02:27.68\00:02:30.25
and it was also the number
that they gave to the sun god,
00:02:30.28\00:02:34.05
because the sun god ruled
over this astrological set
00:02:34.08\00:02:38.69
of 36 sub-gods.
00:02:38.72\00:02:41.12
So people then would say,
"Well, if that's the case,
00:02:41.46\00:02:46.19
I want to make a charm."
00:02:46.23\00:02:47.56
Because these
ancients were fearful.
00:02:47.60\00:02:50.30
They were afraid.
00:02:50.47\00:02:51.90
They were afraid of these gods.
00:02:51.93\00:02:53.47
The Bible teaches
in the New Testament
00:02:53.50\00:02:55.80
that these pagan gods are
backed up by unseen demons.
00:02:55.84\00:02:59.74
Remember, Satan
works through his agencies.
00:02:59.77\00:03:03.91
And he's working
through the Babylonian religion.
00:03:03.95\00:03:06.95
People have a
reason to be afraid.
00:03:06.98\00:03:08.92
There's a supernatural
power behind these gods.
00:03:09.02\00:03:12.32
It's not the God of heaven,
it's not His supernatural power,
00:03:12.35\00:03:15.92
but it is power
unseen that is putting charms
00:03:15.96\00:03:21.56
and spells, and all
these kinds of things.
00:03:21.60\00:03:23.40
So these people were
rightly afraid of these gods.
00:03:23.43\00:03:28.60
And so they wanted to protect
themselves from these gods.
00:03:28.80\00:03:31.67
And so they decided
the way they could do that
00:03:31.71\00:03:33.61
is they would make a charm.
00:03:33.64\00:03:35.21
And the charm had on
it this astrological table
00:03:35.68\00:03:40.22
with the 36, and
each row added up to 111,
00:03:40.25\00:03:46.32
and then the subtotal
of each side would be 666.
00:03:46.42\00:03:51.89
They put that on the charm.
00:03:51.93\00:03:53.50
And then on the
other side of the charm
00:03:53.53\00:03:55.63
they would put the
face of the sun god.
00:03:55.66\00:03:57.93
And they believed that
if they could wear this,
00:03:58.03\00:04:00.47
that this would
protect them from these demonic
00:04:00.50\00:04:03.84
evil powers that
they were afraid of
00:04:03.94\00:04:07.91
and worried about.
00:04:08.11\00:04:09.61
They didn't want to get
struck down by these powers.
00:04:09.91\00:04:13.15
So the design of
these charms was to achieve
00:04:13.18\00:04:16.62
a magical purpose.
00:04:16.65\00:04:18.72
You know, our
world today is just,
00:04:18.82\00:04:20.36
they're possessed
with magic and witches,
00:04:20.56\00:04:23.56
and all of these pagan gods.
00:04:23.59\00:04:26.19
And all of these things
have just come in like a flood.
00:04:26.23\00:04:31.00
And the entertainment world,
the entertainment world makes
00:04:31.23\00:04:34.37
this something young
people know more about witches
00:04:34.40\00:04:37.57
and they know more
about this kind of stuff
00:04:37.61\00:04:40.38
than they know
about the Bible today.
00:04:40.48\00:04:43.28
They don't read the Bible.
00:04:43.31\00:04:44.65
Because these evolutionists
have taught them that,
00:04:44.68\00:04:47.12
you know, they came from
some kind of monkey or amoeba,
00:04:47.15\00:04:50.29
or something, whatever.
00:04:50.32\00:04:51.69
But let's go back to this.
00:04:52.72\00:04:54.19
How does this get
into Christianity?
00:04:54.22\00:04:56.93
In the early Christian
church, the Christian church
00:04:56.96\00:05:00.50
refused to go along with this.
00:05:00.90\00:05:02.36
This is why the
Romans put them to death.
00:05:02.40\00:05:04.50
The early church
would not compromise.
00:05:05.13\00:05:07.97
They had one wonderful Jesus,
and they were not going to
00:05:08.17\00:05:12.04
put Him in this
pantheon of Roman gods.
00:05:12.07\00:05:15.94
Rome was happy if you
just add your god to theirs,
00:05:16.14\00:05:19.75
and they're fine.
00:05:19.78\00:05:21.12
But you had to
accept everybody's god.
00:05:21.15\00:05:23.72
And the
Christians wouldn't do it.
00:05:23.92\00:05:25.65
And so that's
why they hated them.
00:05:25.85\00:05:28.02
They wouldn't compromise.
00:05:28.22\00:05:29.56
They wouldn't
amalgamate their religion.
00:05:29.59\00:05:31.69
But there was a
group of Christians,
00:05:31.73\00:05:33.29
and you could just
see it coming almost,
00:05:33.33\00:05:35.20
called the Gnostics.
00:05:35.23\00:05:36.77
And the Gnostics were this...
00:05:36.87\00:05:38.87
And we think, some of us
think that they were probably
00:05:39.00\00:05:41.70
at least the forerunners or
the descendants, if you please,
00:05:42.24\00:05:45.77
of the Nicolaitans.
00:05:45.81\00:05:47.34
But they basically compromised,
just like in the Old Testament,
00:05:47.38\00:05:52.25
with these
Babylonian kinds of concepts
00:05:52.45\00:05:56.25
and these pagan gods.
00:05:56.28\00:05:58.05
And they began to
amalgamate early Christianity.
00:05:58.09\00:06:01.69
And they would
see this parallel,
00:06:01.72\00:06:03.06
and they would
see that parallel.
00:06:03.09\00:06:04.43
And they would say,
"Oh, isn't that nice.
00:06:04.46\00:06:06.09
Maybe this isn't
so bad after all."
00:06:06.13\00:06:07.60
And pretty soon it began
to dilute true Christianity.
00:06:07.63\00:06:11.93
In fact, Edwin
Goodnow, professor of religion
00:06:12.27\00:06:17.51
at Harvard University,
he actually had this to say
00:06:17.54\00:06:20.48
about that very thing.
00:06:20.51\00:06:22.11
And he said, "The
Gnostics combined elements
00:06:22.21\00:06:25.15
from Babylonian, Persian,
Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Hebrew,
00:06:25.18\00:06:29.25
and Christian religions,"
listen at what he says,
00:06:29.28\00:06:32.19
"into the
universal Catholic system
00:06:32.22\00:06:35.52
which embraced all others."
00:06:35.86\00:06:38.59
It's kind of like
the old pagan Rome.
00:06:38.63\00:06:40.36
They wanted to
control the world.
00:06:40.40\00:06:42.16
They wanted to have
all the gods put together.
00:06:42.20\00:06:44.53
You hear a lot of that nowadays.
00:06:44.57\00:06:46.50
People saying, "Well,
there are many ways to heaven."
00:06:46.80\00:06:48.90
That's not what the Bible says.
00:06:48.94\00:06:50.47
But that's what
many people like to say.
00:06:50.77\00:06:52.81
They feel comfort in it.
00:06:52.84\00:06:54.18
But you know, by the way,
never take refuge in lies.
00:06:54.21\00:06:57.01
They won't get
you anywhere any good.
00:06:57.05\00:06:58.98
You want to know the truth.
00:06:59.01\00:07:00.42
The truth as it is in Jesus.
00:07:00.58\00:07:03.08
And so he goes on to
say, "The summary number
00:07:03.99\00:07:07.29
includes the whole circuit of
the heavens and all its gods,"
00:07:07.32\00:07:11.39
and then he goes on to
say, this Harvard professor,
00:07:11.43\00:07:14.03
"the number 666, the
secret and most sacred number,
00:07:14.06\00:07:18.70
we believe, in all of paganism."
00:07:18.73\00:07:22.20
So the Gnostics were
part of bringing this into
00:07:22.24\00:07:25.87
the Christian church.
00:07:25.91\00:07:27.58
And as they began to do that,
00:07:28.21\00:07:29.94
and as
Christianity went through time,
00:07:29.98\00:07:32.75
time that begins
to change things,
00:07:32.85\00:07:35.65
and people came in
that shouldn't have come in,
00:07:35.75\00:07:38.72
then they began to
lose their distinctiveness.
00:07:38.75\00:07:41.92
Now we want to
note something here.
00:07:41.96\00:07:43.99
That this number is not
only the number of a man,
00:07:44.03\00:07:46.63
it's the number of a system.
00:07:46.66\00:07:48.73
So the beast or this
symbol represents a systematic
00:07:49.50\00:07:54.67
power in the end of time.
00:07:54.70\00:07:57.41
Now, let's go to our friends
the papacy and just look at
00:07:58.84\00:08:04.61
what has
happened with the papacy.
00:08:04.65\00:08:05.98
Because basically what the
papacy has done is embraced
00:08:06.01\00:08:09.28
all of this kind of thing.
00:08:09.32\00:08:10.85
Our Sunday Visitor,
that's a Roman Catholic paper
00:08:11.45\00:08:15.79
that's still produced
today November 15, 1914,
00:08:15.82\00:08:19.49
had this to say, "The
title of the pope of Rome
00:08:19.53\00:08:22.06
is Vicarius Filii Dei.
00:08:22.10\00:08:23.87
And if you take the
letters of his title,
00:08:23.90\00:08:25.97
which represent Latin
numerals printed large,
00:08:26.00\00:08:28.90
and add them
together, they come to 666."
00:08:28.94\00:08:32.41
Really? Wow!
00:08:32.44\00:08:34.08
Now there are some
people that come along and say,
00:08:34.18\00:08:35.51
"Oh, you know, that Filii Dei,
00:08:35.54\00:08:37.85
that's not really
the name of the pope."
00:08:37.88\00:08:39.25
Well he doesn't use
that name as much today,
00:08:39.28\00:08:41.32
but it was a significant name
in the papacy for many years.
00:08:41.35\00:08:45.69
A document called the,
Donation of Constantine,
00:08:45.79\00:08:48.99
centuries ago was forged by
the papacy to defend its power
00:08:49.86\00:08:55.13
on secular power as
well as religious power.
00:08:55.33\00:08:58.20
They put this together.
00:08:58.23\00:08:59.57
And in there they use
Filii Dei, Vicarius Filii Dei
00:08:59.60\00:09:04.41
as the title for the popes.
00:09:04.44\00:09:07.38
And then Dr. Johannes Quasten,
he's a renowned Catholic
00:09:07.58\00:09:12.45
scholar who
studies church fathers,
00:09:12.48\00:09:15.25
when we was questioned
about Vicarius Filii Dei,
00:09:15.28\00:09:18.85
he affirmed it by saying that
the title, Vicarius Filii Dei,
00:09:19.09\00:09:22.69
as well as the
title, Vicarius Christi,
00:09:22.89\00:09:25.23
which is usually the one they
use nowadays in modern times,
00:09:25.26\00:09:28.20
is a very common
title for the pope.
00:09:28.73\00:09:32.33
And then the book, Summary,
on the power of the church
00:09:32.90\00:09:36.97
has been described as
one of the most influential
00:09:37.01\00:09:40.54
and important books
written on the nature
00:09:40.58\00:09:44.01
of papal supremacy.
00:09:44.05\00:09:45.48
It was
commissioned by Pope John XXII,
00:09:45.71\00:09:49.58
and it set forth
both the ecclesiastical,
00:09:49.75\00:09:52.75
that's the
church religious power,
00:09:52.79\00:09:55.69
and the temporal,
meaning civil authority,
00:09:55.72\00:09:58.66
of the papacy.
00:09:58.69\00:10:00.03
And in it, it has
at least 29 references
00:10:00.06\00:10:03.57
calling the pope,
Vicarius Filii Dei.
00:10:03.60\00:10:06.67
And let me quote here from that.
00:10:07.84\00:10:10.51
It says, "Only the
pope is said to be the
00:10:10.54\00:10:12.41
Vicar of the Son of God...
00:10:12.44\00:10:15.48
The decision of the
pope and the decision of God
00:10:15.64\00:10:18.31
constitute one decision...
00:10:18.35\00:10:20.82
Therefore no one can
appeal from the pope to God..."
00:10:21.02\00:10:24.39
This is quite a statement
on the power of the papacy.
00:10:24.42\00:10:27.39
"...because there is one
decision and one court of God,
00:10:27.42\00:10:31.23
and the pope."
00:10:31.43\00:10:32.76
So it's basically
saying the pope and God
00:10:32.79\00:10:34.80
are one and the same.
00:10:34.83\00:10:37.07
And then here is another one.
00:10:37.90\00:10:39.80
It says that, "As seen here
that the honor that is due to
00:10:39.83\00:10:44.71
Christ as God is
due also to the pope."
00:10:44.74\00:10:48.51
It's an amazing statement from
these authoritative sources.
00:10:48.54\00:10:52.11
"Because the honor
is due to the power,
00:10:52.28\00:10:54.72
and the power of Christ as
God and the power of the pope
00:10:54.75\00:10:57.89
are one, which is
shown to be true."
00:10:57.92\00:11:01.19
Well, in the Greek, the early
church fathers always thought
00:11:02.02\00:11:07.26
the Latin speaking man
would be the antichrist,
00:11:07.30\00:11:10.63
if you please, or this
power that's spoken of.
00:11:10.67\00:11:13.44
And when you look
in the Greek language
00:11:13.64\00:11:15.34
and you use the
Greek numerical counting,
00:11:15.37\00:11:17.67
then it also comes up to 666,
00:11:17.91\00:11:20.21
just like "Vicarius
Filii Dei" comes up to 666
00:11:20.24\00:11:24.51
using the Latin approach to it.
00:11:24.68\00:11:28.88
So we see all of these things
that have come into the church,
00:11:30.09\00:11:33.39
this amalgamation with paganism.
00:11:33.42\00:11:37.09
So let me just say
this, that this number, 666,
00:11:37.29\00:11:43.33
is the number of a pagan
religion for two reasons.
00:11:44.00\00:11:50.54
One, it brings the
church and the state together.
00:11:50.57\00:11:53.94
It's the number of
religion that does that.
00:11:53.98\00:11:55.81
And number two, it
persecutes God's people,
00:11:56.14\00:11:59.51
just like ancient Babylon did.
00:11:59.61\00:12:02.02
It persecuted Daniel
and his three friends.
00:12:02.05\00:12:04.75
It threw Daniel
into the lion's den.
00:12:04.79\00:12:07.46
And they say, "We'll never find
anything against this Daniel
00:12:07.49\00:12:10.16
except if we
don't find it according
00:12:10.19\00:12:12.46
to 'the law of his
God,'" quote unquote.
00:12:12.69\00:12:16.10
The law of his God.
00:12:16.56\00:12:18.30
The law of God
always comes into play.
00:12:18.53\00:12:21.04
So this 666 is the number
that stamps this opposing power
00:12:21.24\00:12:28.04
to Jesus, this
persecuting power,
00:12:28.08\00:12:30.75
this power whether it's
pagan Rome or papal Rome,
00:12:30.78\00:12:34.78
or this image to the
beast that's going to be formed
00:12:34.82\00:12:37.99
in the end of
time, it's the same power
00:12:38.02\00:12:42.46
and it works the same way.
00:12:42.49\00:12:45.19
And that's why Jesus is
trying to help us to understand
00:12:45.49\00:12:48.80
that our only
safety is not receiving
00:12:48.96\00:12:52.73
this mark of the beast,
00:12:52.77\00:12:54.40
and we'll talk about that
mark, or the image of his name.
00:12:54.44\00:12:57.44
Listen, our only
safety is clinging to this
00:12:57.84\00:13:00.08
incomparable Jesus,
00:13:00.11\00:13:01.74
clinging to His gospel and to
His truth as it is in Scripture.
00:13:01.78\00:13:06.25
And as the Bible says, if
you don't have the doctrine
00:13:06.45\00:13:08.52
of Christ, in 2
John, you don't have God.
00:13:08.55\00:13:11.85
The teaching of Jesus cannot
be amalgamated with paganism.
00:13:11.89\00:13:16.89
So hold on to the
incomparable Jesus.
00:13:16.99\00:13:21.16