It has stood the test of time.
00:00:07.13\00:00:12.13
God's book.
00:00:12.13\00:00:13.43
The Bible.
00:00:13.43\00:00:17.10
Still relevant in
today's complex world.
00:00:17.10\00:00:21.93
It is written sharing
hope around the globe.
00:00:21.93\00:00:37.13
The city of Rome has
long been shrouded in mystery.
00:00:37.13\00:00:42.36
Its origin has been explained
with a legend: two brothers,
00:00:42.36\00:00:45.53
Romulus and Remus are
said to have built the city.
00:00:45.53\00:00:49.10
They were the children of Mars,
the god of war, and they were
00:00:49.10\00:00:52.76
raised by a she -wolf.
00:00:52.76\00:00:55.33
When they built their legendary
city, an argument broke out over
00:00:55.33\00:00:59.23
whose name the city should bear
- so Romulus stood on one hill,
00:00:59.23\00:01:03.10
and Remus on another.
00:01:03.10\00:01:06.03
A flock of birds descended
on Romulus, signifying that the
00:01:06.03\00:01:10.40
gods preferred him as the king,
and Romulus murdered his brother
00:01:10.40\00:01:15.10
with a shovel.
00:01:15.10\00:01:16.93
Of course, that delicate story
is just a legend, even though
00:01:16.93\00:01:20.10
it's highly possible that men by
the names of Romulus and Remus
00:01:20.10\00:01:23.20
actually existed.
00:01:23.20\00:01:25.33
And regardless of how the city
got started, nobody can argue
00:01:25.33\00:01:28.56
the fact that Rome has proven
to be one of the most powerful
00:01:28.56\00:01:32.16
cities on the planet.
00:01:32.16\00:01:36.76
[Chanting in the background]
The names of her emperors are
00:01:36.76\00:02:04.03
familiar to just about
everybody: Julius - Augustus -
00:02:04.03\00:02:07.03
Nero.
00:02:07.03\00:02:08.90
Her poets have become required
reading for almost every college
00:02:08.90\00:02:12.20
student: men like
Horace and Virgil.
00:02:12.20\00:02:15.66
And traces of her system of
government, which had executive,
00:02:15.66\00:02:18.46
legislative and
judicial functions, and featured
00:02:18.46\00:02:22.30
institutions like the Senate,
can still be found in modern
00:02:22.30\00:02:25.53
civilization.
00:02:25.53\00:02:26.93
Even though many centuries
have passed since her collapse,
00:02:26.93\00:02:30.53
there's no question that her
fingerprints have not been wiped
00:02:30.53\00:02:33.66
away.
00:02:33.66\00:02:35.26
And the story of Rome has become
especially pivotal for one group
00:02:35.26\00:02:39.60
of people in particular:
the followers of a Galilean
00:02:39.60\00:02:43.10
carpenter known
as Jesus of Nazareth.
00:02:43.10\00:02:47.56
For the most part, the Romans
were very tolerant when it came
00:02:47.56\00:02:51.23
to religion - their conquered
subjects were allowed to worship
00:02:51.23\00:02:55.26
whoever or whatever they wanted,
as long as the Caesar in Rome
00:02:55.26\00:02:59.20
was added to the
line-up of deities.
00:02:59.20\00:03:02.13
Now that posed a special problem
for Jews and Christians, of
00:03:02.13\00:03:05.53
course, because they
were monotheists: people who
00:03:05.53\00:03:07.80
worshiped just one God.
00:03:07.80\00:03:09.83
To add other deities--even minor
ones--was completely out of the
00:03:09.83\00:03:13.53
question.
00:03:13.53\00:03:15.56
When Nero burned the city to the
ground and found his move highly
00:03:15.56\00:03:19.46
unpopular with the citizens
of Rome, he needed a scapegoat.
00:03:19.46\00:03:22.20
So he suggested the Christians
must have torched the city on
00:03:22.20\00:03:26.73
purpose, and the Christians
were rounded up and murdered in
00:03:26.73\00:03:29.96
unbelievably inhumane rituals.
00:03:29.96\00:03:33.76
So intense was Roman persecution
of the early church that the
00:03:33.76\00:03:37.63
Christians began to use
codewords to describe the city.
00:03:37.63\00:03:41.46
Peter finishes his first letter,
with a cryptic greeting to his
00:03:41.46\00:03:44.86
audience from a
mysterious Christian church.
00:03:44.86\00:03:48.10
You read about it in, 1
Peter 5:12,13 By Silvanus, our
00:03:48.10\00:03:53.26
faithful brother as I consider
him, I have written to you
00:03:53.26\00:03:57.53
briefly, exhorting and
testifying that this is the true
00:03:57.53\00:04:01.80
grace of God in which you stand.
00:04:01.80\00:04:04.60
She who is in Babylon, elect
together with you, greets you;
00:04:04.60\00:04:11.26
and so does Mark my son.
00:04:11.26\00:04:14.76
1 Peter 5:12,13 NKJV
Who, exactly, were the
00:04:14.76\00:04:17.56
"elect of Babylon?"
00:04:17.56\00:04:18.83
We know it wasn't a church
in the literal city of Babylon,
00:04:18.83\00:04:21.83
because that city had been
laying in ruins since the days
00:04:21.83\00:04:24.53
of Alexander the Great.
00:04:24.53\00:04:26.43
Check the scholarly footnotes of
almost any edition of the Bible,
00:04:26.43\00:04:29.96
and you'll find that most every
scholar agrees: Babylon is code
00:04:29.96\00:04:35.46
for the city of Rome...
00:04:35.46\00:04:38.53
which, of course, sheds great
light on the use of the word
00:04:38.53\00:04:41.60
"Babylon" in other
New Testament writings.
00:04:41.60\00:04:44.73
For example, when John wrote the
book of Revelation some years
00:04:44.73\00:04:48.00
after Peter wrote his letters,
Roman persecution against the
00:04:48.00\00:04:52.33
church was still burning hot.
00:04:52.33\00:04:54.96
After a botched execution
attempt, John was exiled to the
00:04:54.96\00:04:58.70
Island of Patmos, during which
exile the material for the Book
00:04:58.70\00:05:02.06
of Revelation was born.
00:05:02.06\00:05:03.83
In the 17th chapter of
Revelation, he makes reference
00:05:03.83\00:05:07.23
to a woman with a mysterious
inscription on her forehead: And
00:05:07.23\00:05:12.66
on her forehead was a name
written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE
00:05:12.66\00:05:17.33
GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS
AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE
00:05:17.33\00:05:21.60
EARTH.
00:05:21.60\00:05:22.60
I saw the woman, drunk with the
blood of the saints and with the
00:05:22.60\00:05:25.83
blood of the martyrs of Jesus.
00:05:25.83\00:05:27.66
And when I saw her, I
marveled with great amazement.
00:05:27.66\00:05:33.93
Revelation 17:5,6 But John
didn't marvel for long, because
00:05:33.93\00:05:36.76
an angel quickly explains what
the imagery means down in verse
00:05:36.76\00:05:40.76
nine: Revelation 17:9 Here is
the mind which has wisdom: the
00:05:40.76\00:05:43.90
seven heads are seven mountains
on which the woman sits.
00:05:43.90\00:05:47.16
And again, in verse 18:
Revelation 17:18 And the woman
00:05:47.16\00:05:52.90
whom you saw is that great city
which reigns over the kings of
00:05:52.90\00:05:55.66
the earth.
00:05:55.66\00:05:58.10
The woman, according to the
Bible itself, is a city that
00:05:58.10\00:06:01.13
sits on seven hills that reigns
over the kings of the earth.
00:06:01.13\00:06:05.70
Now in all of human history,
there is only one city that
00:06:05.70\00:06:08.50
matches that description
and that's the city of Rome, the
00:06:08.50\00:06:12.60
city of seven hills.
00:06:12.60\00:06:14.53
Writing some time in the
second century AD, the Christian
00:06:14.53\00:06:18.26
apologist Tertullian confirms
what the early Christians
00:06:18.26\00:06:21.86
understood by the
codeword "Babylon."
00:06:21.86\00:06:24.80
"So, again, Babylon, in our own
John, is a figure of the city
00:06:24.80\00:06:29.90
Rome, as being equally
great and proud of her sway, and
00:06:29.90\00:06:35.76
triumphant over the saints."1
So if Babylon is a codeword for
00:06:35.76\00:06:40.20
"Rome", that's got to raise
some interesting questions.
00:06:40.20\00:06:44.66
We'll look at
those in just a moment.
00:06:44.66\00:07:04.66
Here's today's Bible question.
00:07:04.66\00:07:05.56
I've often wondered - where in
the world did Cain get his wife?
00:07:05.56\00:07:11.76
Hmmm...
00:07:11.76\00:07:13.36
Listen very carefully to this.
00:07:13.36\00:07:15.46
As distasteful as this might
sound, there is no escaping the
00:07:15.46\00:07:19.26
fact that Cain
married his sister.
00:07:19.26\00:07:21.76
Adam and Eve had many children.
00:07:21.76\00:07:23.80
Genesis 5:4 makes that clear
when it says, "And the days of
00:07:23.80\00:07:27.26
Adam after he had
begotten Seth, were 800 years.
00:07:27.26\00:07:31.16
And he begat
sons and daughters."
00:07:31.16\00:07:34.56
And if a couple are going to
live to be older than 900 years
00:07:34.56\00:07:37.70
old, there's the potential for
them to be having a lot of kids.
00:07:37.70\00:07:40.73
Now, I don't think we have
to believe Cain married a girl
00:07:40.73\00:07:42.76
whose pigtails he pulled and who
he complained at about using his
00:07:42.76\00:07:45.80
tennis racket when
she wasn't supposed to.
00:07:45.80\00:07:48.36
It is conceivable Cain hardly
knew her that well when he met
00:07:48.36\00:07:51.46
her, that is if he left home as
an adult and then came back home
00:07:51.46\00:07:55.53
in later years and met
the young woman he married.
00:07:55.53\00:07:58.60
This shouldn't
shock anyone, really.
00:07:58.60\00:08:01.16
Even Abraham married his
half sister, and Moses' father
00:08:01.16\00:08:04.36
married an aunt.
00:08:04.36\00:08:06.56
It was a different world then.
00:08:06.56\00:08:08.56
And way back then we didn't have
the same issues that we have to
00:08:08.56\00:08:10.80
worry about today concerning
birth defects and so forth, so
00:08:10.80\00:08:14.00
certain dangers we face
today were not issues back then.
00:08:14.00\00:08:17.83
Now the time did come when God
strictly forbade the marrying of
00:08:17.83\00:08:21.36
close relatives.
00:08:21.36\00:08:23.30
It had been necessary for that
kind of marriage to exist in the
00:08:23.30\00:08:27.20
first place, but when the
population grew to a certain
00:08:27.20\00:08:30.70
level it was
necessary no longer.
00:08:30.70\00:08:33.13
Even though the Egyptians still
did so, God's people were not to
00:08:33.13\00:08:35.90
do so any longer.
00:08:35.90\00:08:37.76
I'm glad to
receive your questions.
00:08:37.76\00:08:39.73
To get a question to me, please
go to ItIsWritten.com and click
00:08:39.73\00:08:42.70
on the questions tab.
00:08:42.70\00:08:44.40
Submit your questions there and
I'll do my best to answer your
00:08:44.40\00:08:48.00
Bible question.
00:08:48.00\00:08:50.40
If you have a Bible question
for Pastor John Bradshaw, please
00:08:50.40\00:08:52.90
write to It Is Written, Box O,
Thousand Oaks, CA 91359 or visit
00:08:52.90\00:08:57.70
our website itiswritten.com and
send us your questions on-line.
00:08:57.70\00:09:05.33
If "Babylon" was a codeword
for "Rome" among the early
00:09:05.33\00:09:08.33
Christians, it raises some
interesting questions, because
00:09:08.33\00:09:09.80
the descriptions of "Babylon"
given in the book of Revelation
00:09:09.80\00:09:11.63
are very detailed.
00:09:11.63\00:09:19.96
It goes way beyond the obvious
identifying marks, like seven
00:09:19.96\00:09:22.70
hills and world-wide rule.
00:09:22.70\00:09:23.86
John's first mention of Babylon
comes in Revelation chapter
00:09:23.86\00:09:26.30
fourteen.
00:09:26.30\00:09:27.50
In Revelation 14:8, we
read this: And another angel
00:09:27.50\00:09:30.60
followed, saying, "Babylon
is fallen, is fallen, that great
00:09:30.60\00:09:36.70
city, because she has made all
nations drink of the wine of the
00:09:36.70\00:09:40.90
wrath of her fornication."
00:09:40.90\00:09:45.06
NKJV When the word "Babylon" is
first introduced to the reader,
00:09:45.06\00:09:49.33
it's not a
flattering description.
00:09:49.33\00:09:51.30
She stands against the Creator,
in opposition to the God of
00:09:51.30\00:09:55.56
heaven.
00:09:55.56\00:09:56.60
She is a fornicator - meaning
she is engaged in spiritual
00:09:56.60\00:09:59.70
infidelity - and her influence
is felt, and her example
00:09:59.70\00:10:04.36
followed, all over the planet.
00:10:04.36\00:10:06.96
In Revelation 17, she is the
great prostitute, with the words
00:10:06.96\00:10:10.86
"Mystery Babylon"
written on her forehead.
00:10:10.86\00:10:14.90
According to the Apostle Paul's
letter to the Ephesians, the
00:10:14.90\00:10:17.76
church is the bride of Christ,
and in a key passage found in
00:10:17.76\00:10:22.26
the writings of the prophet
Ezekiel, the nation of Israel
00:10:22.26\00:10:25.46
was also
considered to be God's wife.
00:10:25.46\00:10:28.93
"When I found you,"
God says to Israel (Eze.
00:10:28.93\00:10:36.60
16), "you were a wretched little
nation that nobody cared about,
00:10:36.60\00:10:39.20
but I took you in, and when
you were fully grown, I married
00:10:39.20\00:10:42.80
you."
00:10:42.80\00:10:44.20
A woman, in Bible prophecy,
represents God's people.
00:10:44.20\00:10:47.76
In the book of Jeremiah,
God says, "I have likened the
00:10:47.76\00:10:51.53
daughter of Zion to a
lovely and delicate woman."
00:10:51.53\00:10:55.73
(Jeremiah 6:2) The problem with
Israel, according to Ezekiel,
00:10:55.73\00:11:00.50
was that she had a wandering
eye: Ezekiel 16:14, 15 Your fame
00:11:00.50\00:11:05.53
went out among the nations
because of your beauty, for it
00:11:05.53\00:11:08.70
was perfect through My splendor
which I had bestowed on you,"
00:11:08.70\00:11:11.43
says the Lord GOD.
00:11:11.43\00:11:14.63
"But you trusted in your
own beauty, played the harlot
00:11:14.63\00:11:17.60
because of your fame, and poured
out your harlotry on everyone
00:11:17.60\00:11:23.46
passing by who would have it."
00:11:23.46\00:11:25.10
In the prophetic portions of the
Bible, harlotry or prostitution
00:11:25.10\00:11:28.50
is used to describe
unfaithfulness to God.
00:11:28.50\00:11:31.50
The bride of Christ is
fooling around on her husband.
00:11:31.50\00:11:35.56
Of course, that raises a very
important question: if "Babylon"
00:11:35.56\00:11:40.60
is codeword for the Roman
Empire--as we've seen from the
00:11:40.60\00:11:43.86
writings of the early church
fathers and more importantly,
00:11:43.86\00:11:46.40
from the Bible itself--then in
what sense could Rome be guilty
00:11:46.40\00:11:50.76
of spiritual adultery?
00:11:50.76\00:11:53.00
How could Rome be the unfaithful
bride, if she never was a bride
00:11:53.00\00:11:56.36
in the first place?
00:11:56.36\00:11:58.80
That's an important
question--and it leads to some
00:11:58.80\00:12:01.33
rather uncomfortable issues
in the history of Christianity
00:12:01.33\00:12:04.33
itself.
00:12:04.33\00:12:05.80
Take another look at
the seventeenth chapter of
00:12:05.80\00:12:09.00
Revelation with me.
00:12:09.00\00:12:10.83
Revelation 17:18 And
the woman whom you saw is
00:12:10.83\00:12:16.00
that great city which reigns
over the kings of the earth.
00:12:16.00\00:12:21.50
There's no question about
it: the harlot is a great city
00:12:21.50\00:12:24.86
that reigns over the kings
of the earth--but she's also a
00:12:24.86\00:12:28.46
woman, and that's an
unmistakable symbol for God's
00:12:28.46\00:12:31.20
people.
00:12:31.20\00:12:32.76
So is it possible that when John
addresses the issue of Babylon,
00:12:32.76\00:12:36.90
he's not just talking
about the pagan Roman Empire?
00:12:36.90\00:12:41.40
There's a fascinating prediction
found in Paul's second letter to
00:12:41.40\00:12:44.40
the Thessalonians, chapter
two--a prophecy long associated
00:12:44.40\00:12:48.16
with the rise of Antichrist.
00:12:48.16\00:12:50.43
It's 2 Thessalonians 2:3,4.
00:12:50.43\00:12:53.10
Here's what Paul writes: Let
no one deceive you by any means;
00:12:53.10\00:12:58.80
for that Day will not come
unless the falling away comes
00:12:58.80\00:13:02.93
first, and the man of sin is
revealed, the son of perdition,
00:13:02.93\00:13:07.60
who opposes and exalts himself
above all that is called God or
00:13:07.60\00:13:12.73
that is worshiped, so that
he sits as God in the temple of
00:13:12.73\00:13:16.90
God, showing
himself that he is God.
00:13:16.90\00:13:22.26
After establishing that the man
of sin would make his entrance
00:13:22.26\00:13:27.50
onto the world scene before the
Second Coming of Christ, Paul
00:13:27.50\00:13:30.06
provides more
details on the timing.
00:13:30.06\00:13:32.93
Listen carefully to what he
says: 2 Thessalonians 2:5-7 Do
00:13:32.93\00:13:38.60
you not remember that when I was
still with you I told you these
00:13:38.60\00:13:42.00
things?
00:13:42.00\00:13:43.40
And now you know what is
restraining, that he may be
00:13:43.40\00:13:47.16
revealed in his own time.
00:13:47.16\00:13:49.70
For the mystery of lawlessness
is already at work; only He who
00:13:49.70\00:13:54.80
now restrains will do so until
He is taken out of the way.
00:13:54.80\00:14:01.70
Something or somebody was
standing in the way of the
00:14:01.70\00:14:06.36
lawless man's appearance.
00:14:06.36\00:14:08.90
And some of the early church
fathers saw something very
00:14:08.90\00:14:13.36
specific in this.
00:14:13.36\00:14:15.46
"What obstacle is there," wrote
Tertullian,2 "but the Roman
00:14:15.46\00:14:19.83
state, the falling away of
which, by being scattered into
00:14:19.83\00:14:23.86
ten kingdoms, shall introduce
Antichrist upon (its own
00:14:23.86\00:14:28.66
ruins)?"
00:14:28.66\00:14:31.06
3 Building on the prophecies
found in the book of Daniel,
00:14:31.06\00:14:34.56
Tertullian predicted that
the biggest problems for the
00:14:34.56\00:14:37.60
Christian church wouldn't come
from the Roman Empire itself,
00:14:37.60\00:14:41.46
but from something that happened
after the Empire collapsed.
00:14:41.46\00:14:45.93
For some reason, he couldn't
see the man of sin becoming a
00:14:45.93\00:14:49.63
problem as long as the Roman
Empire stood in his way - and
00:14:49.63\00:14:55.06
Paul described the man of sin
appearing after a great "falling
00:14:55.06\00:14:59.10
away," a time when the church
itself would become unfaithful
00:14:59.10\00:15:03.26
to the teachings of Christ.
00:15:03.26\00:15:05.40
Start putting the
pieces together, and you get a
00:15:05.40\00:15:08.23
startling picture.
00:15:08.23\00:15:10.30
As troublesome as the pagan
Roman Empire was for the early
00:15:10.30\00:15:13.16
Christian church, there
were much worse problems on the
00:15:13.16\00:15:17.43
horizon--distinctly
internal problems.
00:15:17.43\00:15:22.86
As long as Rome was persecuting
the church, there was little
00:15:22.86\00:15:25.96
chance that the church
itself could exert the kind of
00:15:25.96\00:15:28.46
influence needed to
produce such colossal problems.
00:15:28.46\00:15:32.26
But take the Roman Empire out
of the way, and the church could
00:15:32.26\00:15:35.03
build on her ruins.
00:15:35.03\00:15:37.56
Which, of course, is
exactly what happened.
00:15:37.56\00:15:43.53
After the conversion of the
Roman Emperor Constantine early
00:15:43.53\00:15:46.33
in the fourth century,
Christianity shifted away from
00:15:46.33\00:15:49.06
its status a despised,
marginalized sect to become the
00:15:49.06\00:15:53.96
official religion of
the Roman Empire itself.
00:15:53.96\00:15:57.43
And then, after the empire's
collapse at the hands of
00:15:57.43\00:16:01.50
marauding barbarians, the church
continued to expand and prosper
00:16:01.50\00:16:05.36
in ways that defied imagination.
00:16:05.36\00:16:08.93
Saint Augustine called the
expanding Christian church "the
00:16:08.93\00:16:11.33
City of God," and envisioned
the church triumphing over the
00:16:11.33\00:16:16.70
pagans to become a
global kingdom for Christ.
00:16:16.70\00:16:20.40
And of course, who's
going to argue with a successful
00:16:20.40\00:16:22.96
Christian church?
00:16:22.96\00:16:24.36
Taking the name of Christ to
the world was a good thing - but
00:16:24.36\00:16:28.16
honest Christians will have
to admit that along the way, our
00:16:28.16\00:16:31.76
history as a church has included
some pretty dark chapters.
00:16:31.76\00:16:37.83
As pagan Rome gave way to a new
Christian empire in the west, it
00:16:37.83\00:16:41.36
brought some distinct problems.
00:16:41.36\00:16:42.90
Pagan Rome stopped persecuting
Christians, but after a while,
00:16:42.90\00:16:50.56
Christians began to persecute
each other over religious
00:16:50.56\00:16:54.43
differences of opinion.
00:16:54.43\00:16:58.50
During the period known as
the Dark Ages, something like 50
00:16:58.50\00:17:01.50
million people were put to death
over matters of conscience - and
00:17:01.50\00:17:07.50
suddenly, you can see how the
symbols described in the book of
00:17:07.50\00:17:10.50
Revelation can be used to
describe both a city AND a
00:17:10.50\00:17:15.26
church.
00:17:15.26\00:17:16.60
We go to Revelation 17 and we
read verse 6: I saw the woman,
00:17:16.60\00:17:22.60
drunk with the blood of the
saints and with the blood of the
00:17:22.60\00:17:26.20
martyrs of Jesus.
00:17:26.20\00:17:28.13
And when I saw her, I
marveled with great amazement.
00:17:28.13\00:17:34.73
John is "amazed" by the sight
of the woman, and given the way
00:17:34.73\00:17:38.50
that John himself was persecuted
by the emperor Domitian, it
00:17:38.50\00:17:42.16
couldn't have been just the
early Roman persecution that he
00:17:42.16\00:17:45.40
witnessed.
00:17:45.40\00:17:47.10
He saw an impure woman--the
symbol of an unfaithful
00:17:47.10\00:17:51.36
church--committing the same
crimes as the Roman Emperors.
00:17:51.36\00:17:56.96
[Music] So what have Christians
stood guilty down through the
00:17:56.96\00:18:10.00
ages?
00:18:10.00\00:18:13.03
What was this Christian against
Christian persecution John saw
00:18:13.03\00:18:16.16
going on?
00:18:16.16\00:18:17.76
We are going to take a
look at that just ahead.
00:18:17.76\00:18:22.93
In Matthew 4:4 the Word of God
says "It is written 'Man shall
00:18:22.93\00:18:27.23
not live by bread alone but
by every word that proceeds from
00:18:27.23\00:18:31.10
the mouth of God'."
00:18:31.10\00:18:32.50
Every Word is a one minute
Bible-based daily devotional
00:18:32.50\00:18:35.76
presented by Pastor John
Bradshaw and designed especially
00:18:35.76\00:18:39.06
for busy people like you.
00:18:39.06\00:18:41.06
Look for Every Word on selected
networks or watch it on-line
00:18:41.06\00:18:44.46
everyday on our
website itiswritten.com.
00:18:44.46\00:18:48.06
Receive a daily spiritual boost.
00:18:48.06\00:18:50.00
Watch Every Word.
00:18:50.00\00:18:52.00
You'll be glad you did.
00:18:52.00\00:18:53.20
Here's a sample.
00:18:53.20\00:19:03.30
I read a fascinating article
recently titled, Why Do We Let
00:19:03.30\00:19:06.70
Them Dress Like That?
00:19:06.70\00:19:08.33
Author Jennifer Moses asks, "Why
do so many of us not only permit
00:19:08.33\00:19:13.86
our teenage daughters to dress
like this-like prostitutes, if
00:19:13.86\00:19:16.00
we're being honest with
ourselves-but pay for them to do
00:19:16.00\00:19:17.96
it with our AmEx cards?"
00:19:17.96\00:19:19.96
I don't mean to pick on girls,
or women, but have you noticed
00:19:19.96\00:19:23.50
that modesty has just about
become a thing of the past?
00:19:23.50\00:19:26.70
Maybe God saw what was coming
and so urged Paul to write 1
00:19:26.70\00:19:31.13
Timothy 2:9: "In like manner
also, that the women adorn
00:19:31.13\00:19:33.73
themselves in modest apparel,
with propriety and moderation."
00:19:33.73\00:19:37.06
We're living in the most
overtly sexualized generation in
00:19:37.06\00:19:39.66
history.
00:19:39.66\00:19:40.80
Can that be denied when
retailers are now selling padded
00:19:40.80\00:19:43.70
bras for eight year olds?
00:19:43.70\00:19:46.30
A commitment to modesty--for
everyone--would certainly be in
00:19:46.30\00:19:49.76
line with God's
will for His children.
00:19:49.76\00:19:52.46
I'm John Bradshaw.
00:19:52.46\00:19:53.96
Let's live today by every word.
00:19:53.96\00:19:55.76
If Christians care to be honest,
it doesn't take a degree in
00:19:55.76\00:20:00.66
history to uncover the
atrocities committed by the
00:20:00.66\00:20:03.26
Christian church.
00:20:03.26\00:20:05.76
There were systematic pogroms
in Europe--the horrors of the
00:20:05.76\00:20:09.00
Inquisition--shady financial and
political deals done in the name
00:20:09.00\00:20:12.20
of Christ...
00:20:12.20\00:20:13.36
over the centuries, some pretty
horrible things have been done
00:20:13.36\00:20:17.16
under the banner of Jesus...
00:20:17.16\00:20:21.10
Search the pages of the
Bible, and you won't find God
00:20:21.10\00:20:23.40
advocating the use of force
by His people to establish a
00:20:23.40\00:20:25.20
kingdom on earth.
00:20:25.20\00:20:27.16
The Inquisition and other
atrocities like it were not born
00:20:27.16\00:20:30.30
of the Bible; they were born
of Christians who were being
00:20:30.30\00:20:35.76
unfaithful to the
teachings of Jesus.
00:20:35.76\00:20:37.60
And the remarkable thing is that
Bible prophecy predicted it.
00:20:37.60\00:20:40.10
Today, a lot of the Christian
world is looking over the fence
00:20:40.10\00:20:42.56
at other people, trying to
figure out where all the trouble
00:20:42.56\00:20:45.30
in the book of Revelation
is going to come from.
00:20:45.30\00:20:47.86
Once, the Soviet Union
was the spiritual bogey man.
00:20:47.86\00:20:50.60
Today, some look at the European
Union, others watch Islamic
00:20:50.60\00:20:53.90
terrorist organizations.
00:20:53.90\00:20:56.36
And while there's no question
that all of these things have
00:20:56.36\00:20:59.13
presented important challenges
for the Christian church, the
00:20:59.13\00:21:02.56
message of the Bible is
clear: we need to be especially
00:21:02.56\00:21:06.43
vigilant of what takes place
in the name of Christianity.
00:21:06.43\00:21:10.66
There will come a time, Paul
says, when people will have a
00:21:10.66\00:21:13.23
"form of godliness," but they
will deny the real power behind
00:21:13.23\00:21:17.26
it.
00:21:17.26\00:21:19.76
The biggest problem we face
is not atheism or communism.
00:21:19.76\00:21:25.26
It's a misguided Christianity
that presents itself as the real
00:21:25.26\00:21:29.66
thing.
00:21:29.66\00:21:31.03
Just listen to the daunting
words of Jesus found in Matthew
00:21:31.03\00:21:33.70
24: Matthew 24:24-25 For false
christs and false prophets will
00:21:33.70\00:21:42.16
rise and show great signs and
wonders to deceive, if possible,
00:21:42.16\00:21:43.90
even the elect.
00:21:43.90\00:21:45.40
See, I have told you beforehand.
00:21:45.40\00:21:53.30
Before the consummation of
history, the Bible predicts an
00:21:53.30\00:21:56.66
overwhelming religious
deception--so overwhelming that
00:21:56.66\00:22:02.03
God's own people
might just fall for it.
00:22:02.03\00:22:06.33
And of course, that would
create a situation where God's
00:22:06.33\00:22:08.60
"woman"--the
church--has become unfaithful.
00:22:08.60\00:22:20.83
We know from history
that it's already happened.
00:22:20.83\00:22:22.46
Daniel, John and Paul were
absolutely right: on of the
00:22:22.46\00:22:23.56
ashes of the Roman Empire was
built a tainted Christianity,
00:22:23.56\00:22:24.76
one answering precisely to the
description given in the book of
00:22:24.76\00:22:26.00
Revelation.
00:22:26.00\00:22:26.30
You know, there's no better word
than "Babylon" to describe the
00:22:26.30\00:22:34.06
spiritual problems in this
world, and you might say in the
00:22:34.06\00:22:37.03
Christian church.
00:22:37.03\00:22:38.30
The root of the word Babylon is
"Babel," from the tower built in
00:22:38.30\00:22:41.60
defiance against God--and the
word itself means "confusion."
00:22:41.60\00:22:47.86
Babylon is inhabited by people
who think they're right--but
00:22:47.86\00:22:52.53
they're drunk, and they
have no concept of reality.
00:22:52.53\00:22:56.36
There's a self-centered religion
where people convince themselves
00:22:56.36\00:22:59.93
they're still living within the
boundaries of God's will, when
00:22:59.93\00:23:03.43
they're doing anything but.
00:23:03.43\00:23:05.70
But that sort of religion
is bound to ultimately fall.
00:23:05.70\00:23:09.80
The Bible says so.
00:23:09.80\00:23:12.70
Revelation 18 we read, in
verses 2, 3 and 4: And he cried
00:23:12.70\00:23:19.80
mightily with a loud voice,
saying, "Babylon the great is
00:23:19.80\00:23:23.23
fallen, is fallen, and
has become a dwelling place of
00:23:23.23\00:23:27.30
demons, a prison for every foul
spirit, and a cage for every
00:23:27.30\00:23:30.83
unclean and hated bird!
00:23:30.83\00:23:33.63
For all the nations have drunk
of the wine of the wrath of her
00:23:33.63\00:23:36.13
fornication, the kings of the
earth have committed fornication
00:23:36.13\00:23:43.33
with her, and the merchants
of the earth have become rich
00:23:43.33\00:23:45.13
through the
abundance of her luxury."
00:23:45.13\00:23:46.93
And I heard another voice from
heaven saying, "Come out of her,
00:23:46.93\00:23:51.26
my people, lest you share in her
sins, and lest you receive of
00:23:51.26\00:23:56.93
her plagues."
00:23:56.93\00:24:00.10
The prophetic message of the
Bible is clear: there's only one
00:24:00.10\00:24:03.26
safe place to stand, and that's
right here, on God's Word.
00:24:03.26\00:24:09.46
Anything else is confusion -
it's Babylon, and right now, God
00:24:09.46\00:24:14.83
is calling you out of Babylon.
00:24:14.83\00:24:18.46
So in these moments, just before
Jesus comes, where are you going
00:24:18.46\00:24:21.66
to stand?
00:24:21.66\00:24:23.06
Will you stand on a man-made
religion or will you stand on
00:24:23.06\00:24:28.50
the Word of God?
00:24:28.50\00:24:30.16
I want to stand with Jesus,
and I want to live by His Word.
00:24:30.16\00:24:33.70
If that's your desire too,
let's tell him that right now.
00:24:33.70\00:24:38.06
Would you pray with me?
00:24:38.06\00:24:39.96
Father in heaven, we thank you
that you are God enough to speak
00:24:39.96\00:24:44.00
to us very directly and to tell
us that down here in the last
00:24:44.00\00:24:47.70
days of the earth's history
a huge challenge, the most
00:24:47.70\00:24:52.00
pressing challenge, is going
to come from within Christianity
00:24:52.00\00:24:56.00
itself, from Christians who have
concocted, who have put together
00:24:56.00\00:25:02.26
a form of religion that
doesn't square with the Bible.
00:25:02.26\00:25:04.53
Lord, teach us
please to be biblical.
00:25:04.53\00:25:07.86
Help us to be faithful.
00:25:07.86\00:25:09.00
Let us live by every Word that
proceeds from out of your mouth.
00:25:09.00\00:25:11.40
Give us that grace today and
Lord grant that we would trust
00:25:11.40\00:25:16.06
in Jesus fully.
00:25:16.06\00:25:18.73
This we pray in
Jesus' name, amen.
00:25:18.73\00:25:48.56
An ancient city rises ...
00:25:48.56\00:25:56.16
the most wicked city on earth.
00:25:56.16\00:26:04.63
The prophets said
it would be destroyed.
00:26:04.63\00:26:10.73
They were right.
00:26:10.73\00:26:16.36
It has never been rebuilt
yet the ancient prophets saw her
00:26:16.36\00:26:22.83
rising and then the world ends.
00:26:22.83\00:26:26.26
Babylon rising.
00:26:26.26\00:26:41.83
Do you know what's coming?
00:26:41.83\00:26:46.26
Babylon Rising is a dynamic book
by Pastor John Bradshaw that
00:26:46.26\00:26:49.66
describes the significance of
Babylon in Bible Prophecy Right
00:26:49.66\00:26:53.53
now, this powerful book
is available free from It Is
00:26:53.53\00:26:57.56
Written.
00:26:57.56\00:26:58.33
Just call 1-800-253-3000, ask
for the book: BABYLON RISING.
00:26:58.33\00:26:59.83
Or write to It Is Written, Box
O, Thousand Oaks, CA 91359, and
00:26:59.83\00:27:07.33
we will mail a copy to
your address in North America.
00:27:07.33\00:27:10.80
Please note: This free book is
limited to the supply on hand.
00:27:10.80\00:27:13.76
For even faster access, you
can download a FREE electronic
00:27:13.76\00:27:18.96
version of the book
Babylon Rising from our website.
00:27:18.96\00:27:20.96
Babylon Rising is also a
four-part seminar presented by
00:27:20.96\00:27:23.33
John Bradshaw.
00:27:23.33\00:27:24.90
For details, please visit
our website: itiswritten.com and
00:27:24.90\00:27:27.93
discover more about
Babylon Rising, and many other
00:27:27.93\00:27:31.30
inspirational resources.
00:27:31.30\00:27:31.90
It Is Written is a faith-based
outreach made possible by
00:27:31.90\00:27:33.43
viewers like you.
00:27:33.43\00:27:36.73
Thank you for
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00:27:36.73\00:27:38.80
Our toll-free
number is: 1-800-253-3000.
00:27:38.80\00:27:41.86
And our web address:
itiswritten.com Thanks for
00:27:41.86\00:27:48.06
joining me today.
00:27:48.06\00:27:49.30
And remember--It Is Written: man
shall not live by bread alone,
00:27:49.30\00:27:53.73
but by every word that
proceeds from the mouth of God.
00:27:53.73\00:27:59.33