It has stood the test of time.
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God's Book, the Bible.
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Still relevant in
today's complex world.
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It is Written,
sharing hope around the globe.
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I'm John Bradshaw Thanks
for joining me on It Is Written.
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When Adolph Hitler rose to
power, he had the ability to
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captivate huge crowds of people
with just the sound of his
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voice--and as his global
ambitions became more and more
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apparent, Bible-believing
Christians all over the world
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started wondering: could this
man be the beast of Revelation
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chapter 13?
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After all, the Beast has a mouth
speaking great things, it goes
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to war against God's people, and
it demands the admiration of the
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whole world.
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So was Hitler the Beast?
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Today, you don't find too many
people who think so, because
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Hitler's been dead for a long
time--but that doesn't mean that
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Christianity's search for
the Beast has come to an end.
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According to Christian history,
the Roman Emperor Domitian, in
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an attempt to get rid of the
last remaining disciple, had him
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boiled alive in
a cauldron of oil.
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Miraculously, the Apostle John
survived, so the Emperor had him
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banished to the Island of
Patmos, a small rocky prison
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colony located miles
from the coast of Asia Minor.
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It was there, as a prisoner,
that John had a vision, which
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became the last book of the
Bible: the book of Revelation.
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And of all the books ever
written, I can't think of one
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that has caused as much
speculation or fear--mongering
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as that one--especially when it
comes to Revelation chapter 13.
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Right after John gives an
account (in chapter 12) of an
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incredible war that actually
takes place in heaven, he goes
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on to describe how the conquered
dragon (who's been cast out of
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heaven) moves his
operations to planet earth.
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And then in chapter thirteen,
the dragon gives power to a
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fearful creature
that emerges from the sea.
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(Sound of thunder, lightening)
Here's how John describes it:
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Revelation 13:1-5 Then I
stood on the sand of the sea.
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And I saw a beast rising up out
of the sea, having seven heads
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and ten horns, and on his horns
ten crowns, and on his heads a
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blasphemous name.
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Now the beast which I saw was
like a leopard, his feet were
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like the feet of a bear, and his
mouth like the mouth of a lion.
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The dragon gave him his power,
his throne, and great authority.
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And I saw one of his heads as
if it had been mortally wounded,
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and his deadly wound was healed.
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And all the world
marveled and followed the beast.
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So they worshiped the dragon who
gave authority to the beast; and
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they worshiped the beast,
saying, "Who is like the beast?
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Who is able to
make war with him?"
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And he was given a mouth
speaking great things and
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blasphemies, and he was
given authority to continue for
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forty-two months.
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Now you can imagine the
impact those words must have had
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on the Christians
who first read them.
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It describes a world-wide
movement of false worship
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created specifically to
counter-act the work of the
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Christian church.
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At the end of chapter 12, it
says the dragon was angry with
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the woman--which is a symbol
of the Christian church--and the
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dragon does his best
to wage war against them.
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This beast, who comes up
out of the sea, is the dragon's
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aggressive attack on the church.
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Now, to the early Christians,
that kind of a scenario wasn't
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mere speculation: they were
starting to experience some of
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the worst persecution
Christians would ever face.
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In the year 64 AD, a fire
suddenly broke out in the city
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of Rome, and by the time the
flames were extinguished a week
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later, ten of the fourteen
districts in Rome were either
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damaged or completely destroyed.
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Emperor Nero saw to it that
the brand new sect of Christians
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that had recently been
established in the city got the
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blame for what had taken place.
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The Roman historian Tacitus put
it this way: "...to get rid of
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the report, Nero fastened
the guilt and inflicted the most
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exquisite tortures on a class
hated for their abominations,
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called Christians
by the populace....
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Mockery of every sort
was added to their deaths.
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Covered with the skins of
beasts, they were torn by dogs
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and perished, or were nailed to
crosses, or were doomed to the
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flames and burnt, to serve
as a nightly illumination, when
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daylight had expired.
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Nero offered his gardens for the
spectacle, and was exhibiting a
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show in the circus, while he
mingled with the people in the
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dress of a charioteer or
stood aloft on a car...."
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It's hard for
Western Christians to imagine
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today, but there was a time when
you literally risked your life
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by professing Christianity.
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By the time John's letter
was first circulated among the
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churches of Asia Minor, they
knew a thing or two about living
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their faith in the
face of persecution.
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Even though the Roman Empire was
tolerant of various religious
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ideas, the Christians became
the exception to the rule.
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They became the most
hated group on earth.
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So you can imagine what kind of
impact the thirteenth chapter of
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Revelation would have on them.
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Here's a beast, coming up
out of the sea, who manages to
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captivate the world, and who
kills off anybody who stands in
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its way.
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If Nero was bad, this
was going to be worse.
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How much worse?
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We'll look at that in a moment.
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In Matthew 4:4 the Word of God
says "It is written 'Man shall
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not live by bread alone but by
every word that proceeds out of
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the mouth of God'."
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Every Word is a one minute
Bible-based daily devotional
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presented by Pastor John
Bradshaw and designed especially
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for busy people like you.
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Look for Every Word on selected
networks or watch it on-line
00:06:44.93\00:06:49.46
everyday on our
website itiswritten.com.
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Receive a daily spiritual boost.
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Watch Every Word.
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You'll be glad you did.
00:06:56.36\00:07:01.73
If Nero was bad, this
was going to be a lot worse.
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For the last two thousand years,
Christians have pored over the
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last book of the Bible, trying
to establish who or what the
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"beast" of
Revelation thirteen represents.
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In the earliest days, there
were people who pointed to the
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Emperor Nero, but as Nero
died and Christianity continued,
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other candidates
starting coming to light.
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For example, the early church
father Irenaeus continued to
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look to the city of Rome for his
candidate, as did Tertullian,
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Victorinus, Jerome, and a
host of other significant early
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Christians.
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Today, however, the search
for the "beast" of Revelation is
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decidedly less focused, with
Christians choosing candidates
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from just about every
imaginable walk of life.
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When Hitler rose to power in the
1930s, some people were certain
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that he was the antichrist.
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You can imagine why
they might have thought that.
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He may have spoken "great
words," like the beast, and he
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may have waged war against half
the planet, but nobody outside
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of a tiny group of Nazis
actually worshiped Adolph
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Hitler, and his global ambitions
came to an abrupt end in the
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Führerbunker in 1945.
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Other popular suggestions have
included Napoleon Bonaparte,
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Henry Kissinger, Mikhail
Gorbachev, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad,
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and even Ronald
Reagan and Barack Obama.
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But instead of sorting
through the mass of suggested
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candidates, we're going to look
at the original description, the
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way John wrote it.
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In just a moment, we're going
to start unpacking Revelation 13
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itself.
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??? ?????? It's
time for today's Bible
00:08:41.73\00:08:58.63
question and here it is.
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I heard a preacher who predicted
the end of the world on a
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certain day, but
that day came and went.
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How do we know when the second
coming will really happen?
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You know what?
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You're probably going to hear
that sort of prediction again
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before too long.
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It seems that
people never learn.
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One of the really sad things
about failed predictions about
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the return of Jesus is that
they cause a lot of people to
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consider the whole
idea to be nonsensical.
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But here's what we know: We know
that the Bible says Jesus is
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going to return to this earth.
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Now your question is, How do we
know when the second coming will
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really happen?
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I'll tell you exactly when
the second coming is going to
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happen.
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Follow me now.
00:09:45.93\00:09:47.43
In Matthew 24, Jesus gives us a
lot of signs, harbingers of his
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second coming.
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He mentions war and rumours
of wars; he mentions famines;
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pestilences; earthquakes...
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And if you take a look at all
the signs listed and then look
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at the world around you, you
might get the idea that Jesus'
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return is near.
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Jesus said in Matthew 24:33,
"When ye shall see all these
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things, know that it is
near, even at the doors."
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Jesus spoke of these things in
response to a question about the
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end of the world.
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He lists the signs and
then says, When you see them
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happening, you can
know that my return is near.
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Of course, these are
subjective to a degree.
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Haven't there always
been earthquakes and famines?
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The answer is yes.
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But in Mt 24:8, Jesus spoke of
these things as being like birth
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pains.
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The closer to the arrival of the
baby, the more frequent and the
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more intense they become.
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Maybe with what seems to be
an increasing amount of tsunamis
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and floods and fires and
earthquakes we're at that place
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where Jesus coming
is even at the doors.
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I said a moment ago I would
tell you when Jesus is going to
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return.
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Here's the answer.
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"Soon."
00:11:01.20\00:11:04.70
Jesus is coming back soon.
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That's what the signs
seem to be indicating.
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If you have a question you'd
like answered, go to our website
00:11:12.06\00:11:14.80
- www.ItIsWritten.com and
click on the questions tab.
00:11:14.80\00:11:19.20
Submit your question, and in a
future programme I might be able
00:11:19.20\00:11:22.16
to answer your question too.
00:11:22.16\00:11:23.76
If you have a question for
pastor John Bradshaw, please
00:11:23.76\00:11:29.06
write to It is
Written, P. O. Box O,
00:11:29.06\00:11:32.63
Thousand Oaks, Calfornia
91359 or visit our website
00:11:32.63\00:11:35.63
itiswritten.com and send
us your questions on-line.
00:11:35.63\00:11:41.10
So what kind of information does
John provide about the Beast of
00:11:41.10\00:11:44.86
Revelation 13?
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In trying to understand this,
it's important to gather as much
00:11:46.76\00:11:50.06
Biblical information as we can
so we don't start speculating
00:11:50.06\00:11:53.96
and taking
things out of context.
00:11:53.96\00:11:56.10
Really, what we want to know is
what John would have understood
00:11:56.10\00:11:59.36
by the symbols being used.
00:11:59.36\00:12:01.03
That way you end up with
the big picture instead of with
00:12:01.03\00:12:04.60
prophetic theories that have to
change every time there's a new
00:12:04.60\00:12:07.73
headline in the news.
00:12:07.73\00:12:10.00
It's such a detailed chapter
that we're not going to have
00:12:10.00\00:12:12.60
enough time to look at
everything in one program, but
00:12:12.60\00:12:15.40
let's start collecting the data
and see what kind of picture
00:12:15.40\00:12:18.73
begins to emerge.
00:12:18.73\00:12:21.06
To begin with, John sees this
"beast" coming up out of the
00:12:21.06\00:12:24.43
sea.
00:12:24.43\00:12:26.60
In Revelation 17--a passage that
closely parallels Revelation
00:12:26.60\00:12:30.60
13--you find a very explicit
description of what John
00:12:30.60\00:12:35.13
understood by the
symbol of "water".
00:12:35.13\00:12:37.93
Revelation 17:15 Then he said to
me, "The waters which you saw,
00:12:37.93\00:12:45.06
where the harlot sits, are
peoples, multitudes, nations,
00:12:45.06\00:12:50.06
and tongues.
00:12:50.06\00:12:51.86
NKJV You know, over the
years, I've seen all sorts of
00:12:51.86\00:12:55.63
speculation when it
comes to Bible prophecy.
00:12:55.63\00:12:58.90
I've got to tell you about one
guy who came to me after I had
00:12:58.90\00:13:03.46
presented a
study on the subject.
00:13:03.46\00:13:05.80
He said to me "John, I
think you've got it all wrong.
00:13:05.80\00:13:08.76
This beast of Revelation is
actually Proctor and Gamble.
00:13:08.76\00:13:14.80
You know, the large company that
produces all kinds of products."
00:13:14.80\00:13:18.23
I was terrified.
00:13:18.23\00:13:19.40
I mean I like Pringles and if
eating Pringles was going to get
00:13:19.40\00:13:21.86
me the mark of the
beast, I'm in big trouble.
00:13:21.86\00:13:24.30
I said, Ok, tell me why Proctor
and Gamble is the antichrist.
00:13:24.30\00:13:29.30
Evidently, so his explanation
went, Proctor and Gamble used to
00:13:29.30\00:13:32.86
have some funky little logo
or maybe still does, that if you
00:13:32.86\00:13:36.00
held it right and looked at
it just right or the wrong way
00:13:36.00\00:13:39.23
maybe it looked like 3
sixes or something like that.
00:13:39.23\00:13:43.66
He was convinced the antichrist
was Proctor and Gamble.
00:13:43.66\00:13:47.00
I said okay, tell me, how can
you be so certain the antichrist
00:13:47.00\00:13:51.50
is Proctor and Gamble?
00:13:51.50\00:13:53.10
And he said to me, "John, do you
know where Proctor and Gamble's
00:13:53.10\00:13:56.86
head corporate offices are?
00:13:56.86\00:14:01.06
I said "come on, man,
you're not serious" I did know.
00:14:01.06\00:14:04.66
He said "I'm serious."
00:14:04.66\00:14:06.53
He said "They're in Cin-cinatti
and the antichrist, the Bible
00:14:06.53\00:14:11.63
says is the man of sin.
00:14:11.63\00:14:14.66
I said man, I know it's the man
of sin, but I don't read where
00:14:14.66\00:14:18.43
the Bible says it's
the man of Cincinatti.
00:14:18.43\00:14:20.93
I mean, that idea was popular
a while ago, what about 20 years
00:14:20.93\00:14:24.26
ago but it's so far out there
that if you believe that, you'll
00:14:24.26\00:14:29.76
be anything.
00:14:29.76\00:14:31.26
Here's what I've discovered.
00:14:31.26\00:14:33.10
If you simply let the Bible
speak for itself instead of
00:14:33.10\00:14:35.50
taking a shot in the dark,
usually, you're going to find
00:14:35.50\00:14:38.36
that it does a pretty
good job of explaining itself.
00:14:38.36\00:14:42.46
In Revelation 13, you've got an
animal coming up out of the sea,
00:14:42.46\00:14:47.66
in and in Revelation 17, you've
got a prostitute sitting on the
00:14:47.66\00:14:51.96
waters.
00:14:51.96\00:14:52.86
They're parallel chapters, and
one of them describes what the
00:14:52.86\00:14:55.16
symbol of water means: it's
"peoples, multitudes, nations
00:14:55.16\00:14:59.86
and tongues."
00:14:59.86\00:15:02.33
The beast that comes from the
sea is something that comes from
00:15:02.33\00:15:05.23
Gentile nations.
00:15:05.23\00:15:07.73
And of course, when John
uses this symbol, he isn't using
00:15:07.73\00:15:11.33
something new.
00:15:11.33\00:15:13.00
Hundreds of years before John
saw this beast in Revelation 13,
00:15:13.00\00:15:17.23
the prophet Daniel saw something
remarkably similar also coming
00:15:17.23\00:15:21.23
out of the water.
00:15:21.23\00:15:22.73
Here, let me show you.
00:15:22.73\00:15:26.63
It's Daniel Chapter 7, and
we will read in verses 2 and 3.
00:15:26.63\00:15:29.96
Daniel 7:2,3 Daniel spoke,
saying, "I saw in my vision by
00:15:29.96\00:15:32.16
night, and behold, the four
winds of heaven were stirring up
00:15:32.16\00:15:36.60
the Great Sea.
00:15:36.60\00:15:38.70
And four great beasts came
up from the sea, each different
00:15:38.70\00:15:42.80
from the other.
00:15:42.80\00:15:44.90
Notice again that Daniel is
standing by the sea, but now he
00:15:44.90\00:15:48.36
adds a new detail: the four
winds of heaven are whipping up
00:15:48.36\00:15:52.43
the sea, and then four different
animals come out of the water.
00:15:52.43\00:15:55.90
Wind, in the ancient Biblical
world, was a symbol for warfare
00:15:55.90\00:16:00.70
and strife - so when Daniel
describes the winds stirring up
00:16:00.70\00:16:04.73
the sea, he's telling us that
the Gentile nations are fighting
00:16:04.73\00:16:08.40
with each other.
00:16:08.40\00:16:10.00
And those fights produce four
different animals - which happen
00:16:10.00\00:16:13.53
to be the same four
animals mentioned in the book of
00:16:13.53\00:16:16.43
Revelation: a lion, a bear,
a leopard, and then a strange
00:16:16.43\00:16:21.36
looking animal that defies
zoological classification.
00:16:21.36\00:16:25.96
The parallels between Daniel's
vision and John's vision are so
00:16:25.96\00:16:29.90
striking, there's just no
mistaking it: when John wrote
00:16:29.90\00:16:33.83
the book of Revelation, he
expected that we would compare
00:16:33.83\00:16:38.70
it to the book of Daniel.
00:16:38.70\00:16:40.40
Not only are the animals
the same, but if you do a little
00:16:40.40\00:16:43.50
math, you'll
discover something remarkable.
00:16:43.50\00:16:46.93
Because one of the animals in
Daniel 7 has four heads, there's
00:16:46.93\00:16:50.43
a total of seven heads - and of
course, the Beast of Revelation
00:16:50.43\00:16:54.90
13 also has seven heads.
00:16:54.90\00:16:56.83
The fourth beast of Daniel 7 has
ten horns - as does the Beast of
00:16:56.83\00:17:01.70
Revelation 13.
00:17:01.70\00:17:03.36
The two visions are so similar
that they actually become keys
00:17:03.36\00:17:08.30
for unlocking each other.
00:17:08.30\00:17:10.80
So what does it mean?
00:17:10.80\00:17:12.56
Now there's no way we
could possibly unpack all of the
00:17:12.56\00:17:15.83
details right now, but there's
one important detail I want you
00:17:15.83\00:17:19.13
to see in the time we have left.
00:17:19.13\00:17:20.73
There's no need to speculate
here, because the Bible leaves
00:17:20.73\00:17:23.86
no room for guesswork
when it comes to the Beast of
00:17:23.86\00:17:27.16
Revelation 13.
00:17:27.16\00:17:28.70
You're not going
to want to miss this.
00:17:28.70\00:17:30.36
We'll delve into
it in just a moment.
00:17:30.36\00:17:35.10
Perhaps something in
today's program has sparked your
00:17:35.10\00:17:37.46
interest in greater Bible study.
00:17:37.46\00:17:39.30
We invite you to visit our
website itiswritten.com where
00:17:39.30\00:17:43.26
you will find a host
of inspirational resources
00:17:43.26\00:17:46.06
including free Bible study
guides, there's also a complete
00:17:46.06\00:17:49.26
archive of past television
programs and special video
00:17:49.26\00:17:52.00
seminars that you can
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00:17:52.00\00:17:55.50
Discover more at itiswritten.com
As we've looked so far at the
00:17:55.50\00:18:01.33
Beast of Revelation 13, and
paid careful attention to the
00:18:01.33\00:18:04.76
Biblical details, we've
discovered that in Bible
00:18:04.76\00:18:08.63
prophecy, "the sea"
represents masses of people.
00:18:08.63\00:18:11.93
And we've found that Daniel
chapter 7 is a critical key that
00:18:11.93\00:18:14.63
unlocks Revelation 13.
00:18:14.63\00:18:16.56
Now, let's turn to the
nature of the Beast itself.
00:18:16.56\00:18:20.40
Now, keep in mind: in the Bible,
when you come across that word
00:18:20.40\00:18:23.93
"beast, it's just an
old-fashioned way of saying
00:18:23.93\00:18:26.90
"animal," and while Revelation
13 doesn't outright tell us what
00:18:26.90\00:18:30.86
animals symbolize in
Bible prophecy, Daniel 7
00:18:30.86\00:18:35.60
does explain it.
00:18:35.60\00:18:35.96
We'll read in
Daniel 7 and verse 17.
00:18:35.96\00:18:39.76
Daniel 7:17 Those great beasts,
which are four, are four kings
00:18:39.76\00:18:44.76
which arise out of the earth.
00:18:44.76\00:18:47.40
NKJV Now, it really couldn't get
any simpler than that: a beast
00:18:47.40\00:18:49.83
(or an animal) in Bible prophecy
usually represents a king.
00:18:49.83\00:18:55.30
And a few verses later, in verse
23, it expands on that idea:
00:18:55.30\00:19:01.56
Daniel 7:23 "Thus he said: 'The
fourth beast shall be a fourth
00:19:01.56\00:19:06.03
kingdom on earth, which shall
be different from all other
00:19:06.03\00:19:10.96
kingdoms."
00:19:10.96\00:19:12.80
So there you have it,i
spelled out in black and white:
00:19:12.80\00:19:15.56
a beast (or an animal)
represents a king or a kingdom.
00:19:15.56\00:19:18.10
And the fact that the four
animals mentioned in Daniel 7
00:19:18.10\00:19:23.76
are also mentioned in Revelation
13 tells us something very
00:19:23.76\00:19:26.63
important: somehow, there's a
direct tie between the kingdoms
00:19:26.63\00:19:30.43
of this world and the kingdom
of the beast of Revelation 13.
00:19:30.43\00:19:34.46
Somehow, the values, the ideas,
the methods of operating from
00:19:34.46\00:19:38.80
Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece
and Rome are handed down through
00:19:38.80\00:19:43.73
time and find their clearest
expression in this entity known
00:19:43.73\00:19:47.80
as "the beast."
00:19:47.80\00:19:50.86
So what you actually have
in Revelation 13 is a king or a
00:19:50.86\00:19:53.46
kingdom - a political entity
- that really exhibits the
00:19:53.46\00:19:57.63
characteristics
of human government.
00:19:57.63\00:20:00.80
It's the absolute apex of
man's rebellion against God.
00:20:00.80\00:20:05.00
When the human race made the
conscious choice to turn away
00:20:05.00\00:20:07.86
from the Creator and run things
their own way, it resulted in
00:20:07.86\00:20:11.66
the disaster we live with today.
00:20:11.66\00:20:14.03
Remember the big picture: long
ago in heaven, Satan rebelled
00:20:14.03\00:20:17.83
against God, and what
he coveted was worship.
00:20:17.83\00:20:22.16
The Bible tells us straight out
that Lucifer wanted to sit on
00:20:22.16\00:20:25.50
God's throne.
00:20:25.50\00:20:26.60
You read that in Isaiah 14.
00:20:26.60\00:20:29.30
After he was evicted from
heaven, he came to this earth,
00:20:29.30\00:20:32.13
determined to get on earth the
worship he wasn't able to get in
00:20:32.13\00:20:35.46
heaven.
00:20:35.46\00:20:36.86
And so he creates his
masterpiece of deception, the
00:20:36.86\00:20:39.96
beast of Revelation 13.
00:20:39.96\00:20:42.30
And if you look carefully at
that chapter, you'll notice in
00:20:42.30\00:20:45.03
that verse 2, it says that
the beast gets his power, his
00:20:45.03\00:20:48.86
throne, and great
authority from "the dragon."
00:20:48.86\00:20:53.03
And who is the dragon?
00:20:53.03\00:20:54.53
There's no guesswork involved,
because the Bible tells us
00:20:54.53\00:20:58.06
explicitly: Revelation
12:9 So the great dragon was
00:20:58.06\00:21:06.50
cast out, that serpent of old,
called the Devil and Satan, who
00:21:06.50\00:21:09.60
deceives the whole world....
00:21:09.60\00:21:12.60
All through human history,
we've been dealing with exactly
00:21:12.60\00:21:15.30
the same situation: a fallen
angel has been working over
00:21:15.30\00:21:19.10
human race, using two principle
strategies: deception and force.
00:21:19.10\00:21:24.93
He's been trying to obliterate
our memory of the living God and
00:21:24.93\00:21:29.20
redirect our
worship towards himself.
00:21:29.20\00:21:32.73
The beast of Revelation 13
is simply the culmination of
00:21:32.73\00:21:36.63
centuries of concentrated
effort, and the devil's ultimate
00:21:36.63\00:21:40.63
objective is really obvious when
you compare Revelation 13 to a
00:21:40.63\00:21:44.66
remarkable passage
found in the writings of Paul.
00:21:44.66\00:21:48.23
Here's what Paul says regarding
the Second Coming of Christ in
00:21:48.23\00:21:51.73
Second Thessalonians, chapter 2.
00:21:51.73\00:21:53.73
2 Thessalonians 2:3,4 Let no one
deceive you by any means; for
00:21:53.73\00:21:57.93
that Day will not come unless
the falling away comes first,
00:21:57.93\00:22:01.30
and the man of sin is revealed,
the son of perdition, who
00:22:01.30\00:22:05.30
opposes and exalts himself above
all that is called God or that
00:22:05.30\00:22:08.93
is worshiped, so that he sits
as God in the temple of God,
00:22:08.93\00:22:13.16
showing himself that he is God.
00:22:13.16\00:22:16.26
When you gather the
biblical data and start looking
00:22:16.26\00:22:20.20
at the big picture, you discover
that this is a much bigger issue
00:22:20.20\00:22:23.66
than bloodthirsty
tyrants like Hitler or Nero.
00:22:23.66\00:22:27.06
This is a global issue driven by
the subject of worship - and the
00:22:27.06\00:22:32.33
ultimate question
is a matter of loyalty.
00:22:32.33\00:22:35.60
So here's what we know:
even though the beast is a
00:22:35.60\00:22:38.76
strange-looking animal, it's
still an animal, which means
00:22:38.76\00:22:42.70
that it's a political entity of
some sort-and it's a political
00:22:42.70\00:22:45.96
entity that demands worship.
00:22:45.96\00:22:49.10
It's got to be something that's
global in scope, because the
00:22:49.10\00:22:52.06
Bible says, "the whole
world wonders after the beast."
00:22:52.06\00:22:56.36
It's a human kingdom, because
it comes up out of the sea of
00:22:56.36\00:22:59.26
humanity, and it represents
the very peak of the devil's
00:22:59.26\00:23:03.16
attempts to redirect
worship towards himself.
00:23:03.16\00:23:06.73
And of course, that means it's
not only political, it's also,
00:23:06.73\00:23:10.33
by its very nature, religious.
00:23:10.33\00:23:13.33
You know, I've heard almost
every theory imaginable about
00:23:13.33\00:23:16.93
this, from a massive
supercomputer in Belgium, to a
00:23:16.93\00:23:20.13
single head of state somewhere
in Europe or the Middle
00:23:20.13\00:23:22.83
East--but a lot of those
theories are based on nothing
00:23:22.83\00:23:25.90
more than
guesswork and speculation.
00:23:25.90\00:23:28.90
The mystery of the
Beast is not a mystery at all.
00:23:28.90\00:23:31.46
In fact, if you want to do
something interesting, start
00:23:31.46\00:23:34.13
checking out what our
forefathers in the Christian
00:23:34.13\00:23:36.53
church understood about
Revelation 13, and you'll
00:23:36.53\00:23:39.40
discover that at one time there
wasn't much confusion about the
00:23:39.40\00:23:42.46
topic at all.
00:23:42.46\00:23:45.53
And of course, the real question
for right now isn't really a
00:23:45.53\00:23:48.46
matter of identifying the
beast - it's more a matter of
00:23:48.46\00:23:51.76
identifying you.
00:23:51.76\00:23:53.53
Right now, at this moment, are
you directing your own life - or
00:23:53.53\00:23:56.66
does your loyalty
belong to your Creator?
00:23:56.66\00:24:01.20
As the events of Bible prophecy
play out in real life, that's
00:24:01.20\00:24:04.93
going to be one of the most
important questions in the world
00:24:04.93\00:24:08.73
- because if your heart is not
with your Creator, you're going
00:24:08.73\00:24:11.46
to find yourself a sitting
duck for the biggest scam in the
00:24:11.46\00:24:15.50
history of the world.
00:24:15.50\00:24:17.20
And when you consider the cross
- when you consider what God has
00:24:17.20\00:24:20.80
done to secure your place in His
kingdom, there's really only one
00:24:20.80\00:24:25.10
choice to make.
00:24:25.10\00:24:28.60
Today would you choose Jesus?
00:24:28.60\00:24:30.20
Would you choose to give
your heart to the Lamb of Bible
00:24:30.20\00:24:35.40
prophecy because ultimately,
whoever the beast is, and you
00:24:35.40\00:24:38.96
can know, if the Lamb, Jesus,
owns your heart, then you're
00:24:38.96\00:24:44.80
going to be okay.
00:24:44.80\00:24:46.40
Let's pray together, Our Father
in heaven, we thank you today
00:24:46.40\00:24:50.53
that the mysteries of
Bible prophecy can be made clear
00:24:50.53\00:24:53.70
through the leading of your Holy
Spirit and through the study of
00:24:53.70\00:24:57.20
your Word and I pray
that you will give us clear
00:24:57.20\00:24:59.76
understanding, a full
understanding of this subject.
00:24:59.76\00:25:01.93
Don't let us be swept away by
ideas and speculative theories,
00:25:01.93\00:25:05.53
no matter how
popular they might be.
00:25:05.53\00:25:09.70
Give us your grace to stand on
your Word, to stand on the truth
00:25:09.70\00:25:11.70
and to live surrendered to the
one who is the Way, the Truth
00:25:11.70\00:25:14.60
and the Life.
00:25:14.60\00:25:16.16
Bless us now, please, we pray,
not selfishly, but that you
00:25:16.16\00:25:22.90
would be glorified.
00:25:22.90\00:25:24.30
We pray in Jesus name, amen.
00:25:24.30\00:25:48.26
An ancient city rises,
the most wicked city on earth.
00:25:48.26\00:26:04.60
The prophets said
it would be destroyed.
00:26:04.60\00:26:10.86
They were right.
00:26:10.86\00:26:16.46
It has never been rebuilt
yet the ancient prophets saw her
00:26:16.46\00:26:24.63
rising and then the world ends.
00:26:24.63\00:26:35.56
Babylon rising.
00:26:35.56\00:26:41.96
Do you know what's coming?
00:26:41.96\00:26:45.96
Babylon Rising is a dynamic book
by Pastor John Bradshaw that
00:26:45.96\00:26:49.86
describes the significance
of Babylon in Bible Prophecy.
00:26:49.86\00:26:53.56
Right now, this powerful book
is available free from It Is
00:26:53.56\00:26:56.06
Written.
00:26:56.06\00:26:56.96
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00:26:56.96\00:27:02.63
Or write to It Is Written, Box
O, Thousand Oaks, CA 91359, and
00:27:02.63\00:27:06.66
we will mail a copy to
youre address in North America.
00:27:06.66\00:27:11.43
Please note: This free book is
limited to the supply on hand.
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00:27:14.20\00:27:17.10
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Babylon Rising from our website.
00:27:17.10\00:27:19.93
Babylon Rising is also a
four-part seminar presented by
00:27:19.93\00:27:22.53
John Bradshaw.
00:27:22.53\00:27:23.90
For details, please visit
our website: itiswritten.com and
00:27:23.90\00:27:28.16
discover more about
Babylon Rising, and many other
00:27:28.16\00:27:31.06
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00:27:31.06\00:27:32.80
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00:27:32.80\00:27:36.43
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00:27:36.43\00:27:37.43
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00:27:37.43\00:27:39.60
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00:27:39.60\00:27:42.50
And our web
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00:27:42.50\00:27:46.60
Thanks for joining me today.
00:27:46.60\00:27:48.60
And remember - It Is Written:
man shall not live by bread
00:27:48.60\00:27:52.90
alone, but by every word that
proceeds from the mouth of God.
00:27:52.90\00:27:57.83