¤[music ends]¤¤
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>>John Bradshaw:
This is It Is Written.
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I'm John Bradshaw.
Thanks for joining me.
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Although military
combat has historically been
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the domain of men,
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many women have seen
action on the front lines.
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It's said that somewhere
between 400 and 750 women
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fought in the Civil War,
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among them,
Sarah Edmonds Seelye,
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who was known as
Franklin Flint Thompson
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when she fought in
the 2nd Michigan Infantry.
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Albert Cashier was actually
Jennie Hodgers and fought
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in more than 40 engagements
for the 95th Illinois Infantry.
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Red Cross founder Clara
Barton discovered a soldier
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she was treating
following the battle of Antietam
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was, to her surprise,
not a man but Mary Galloway.
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Women served in the Resistance
movement during World War II.
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Some, like Dutch woman
Hannie Schaft, were executed.
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While they didn't
serve in combat roles
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during World War II,
about 350,000 American women
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served with the armed forces.
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The Women's Air Force
Service pilots piloted planes
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to locations
where they'd be needed.
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More than 1,000 women flew
U.S. military aircraft at home.
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The Women's Auxiliary
Army Corps was formed in 1942.
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And there was the
Marine Corps Women's Reserve
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and other
similar reserve groups.
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And of course,
women worked in factories
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and in countless other ways
in support of the war effort.
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One of the most
enduring images of World War II
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was the famous
poster of Rosie the Riveter,
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a depiction of a
female factory worker.
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There's another
famous woman of war--
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this one a mother
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caught in the middle of
a long, trying conflict.
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This mother at war may be the
best known of all women of war.
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And we find her in the book
of Revelation in chapter 12.
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Revelation was
written by the Apostle John
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when he was under house
arrest on the island of Patmos,
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today a Greek
island in the Aegean Sea.
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It's not a large island.
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It's just 1/34th the size of
the island of O'ahu in Hawaii.
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It was there that John wrote
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what became the 22
chapters of Revelation.
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And right about in
the middle of that book
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is the chapter that deals
with a woman, a mother at war.
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Revelation 12
begins with John saying,
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"And there appeared a
great wonder in heaven;
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"a woman clothed with the sun,
and the moon under her feet,
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and upon her head a
crown of twelve stars."
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A great sign in the heavens--
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so we need to ask
ourselves whether what John saw
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was something that we
are to take literally,
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or if he saw something that
was symbolic of something else,
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a representation.
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You might expect
this to be symbolic
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seeing as Revelation is
loaded with signs and symbols.
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So how do you know if
it's literal or symbolic?
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Well, if the
symbolism isn't obvious,
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you let the context advise you.
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This woman is
clothed with the sun.
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She has the moon under her feet.
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She's wearing a
crown, a crown of 12 stars.
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So if this is a literal woman,
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she'd have to be
literally wearing the sun,
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literally standing on the
moon, and literally be wearing
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a crown made out
of 12 literal stars,
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which doesn't make
an awful lot of sense.
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Well, why, then, is
she presented this way?
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You'll notice that she's pure;
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she's wearing
things of natural beauty.
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Now, there's another woman,
another mother in Revelation,
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over in Revelation
17. She's the opposite:
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colorfully attired, wearing
jewels and holding a golden cup.
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That woman is
described as a harlot.
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But our woman in
Revelation 12 is described
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as possessing purity, and
that'll matter as we read on.
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Revelation 12, verse 2:
"And she being with child
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cried, travailing in birth,
and pained to be delivered."
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She's close to delivering her
Child, and she's going to do so
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after going through
some real difficulty.
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She's experiencing birth pains.
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And now we see a great contrast:
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first, the pure woman
adorned with only nature itself.
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While she embodies holiness,
what comes next does not.
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Revelation 12, verse 3:
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"And there appeared another
wonder in heaven; and behold
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"a great red dragon, having
seven heads and ten horns,
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and seven
crowns upon his heads."
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We're going to find out
that this dragon is Satan.
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The Bible will tell us
that just six verses later
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in Revelation 12, verse 9:
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"And the great
dragon was cast out,
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"that old serpent,
called the devil, and Satan,
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which deceiveth
the whole world."
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So the pure woman is
confronted by Satan himself.
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And that's indicative
of life in this world.
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The devil despises
anything that represents Jesus.
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He's been working on
this planet for 6,000 years
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to try to erase the image of
God wherever it might be seen.
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This is Satan, and the
Bible is connecting Satan
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to the great blaspheming
power of earth's last days.
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That phrase "seven heads and
ten horns" appears four times
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in the Bible, all in Revelation:
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right here in Revelation
13 and twice in Revelation 17,
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in Revelation 13 it's
connected to the antichrist,
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so you can know
that this is Satan
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at his most
destructive and evil.
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Now, I want you
to notice something.
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The book of Revelation isn't
written in a linear fashion.
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It's not like the
alphabet going from A to Z.
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It'll move forward,
and then it'll double back.
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And that's what we see here.
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After introducing us to
the woman about to give birth,
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we're given a picture of Satan,
and that picture takes us back
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to heaven before the
fall of Adam and Eve.
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Revelation 12, verse 4:
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"And his tail drew the third
part of the stars of heaven,
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"and did cast them to the earth:
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"and the dragon
stood before the woman
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"which was
ready to be delivered,
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for to devour her Child
as soon as it was born."
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Satan deceived a third
of the angels in heaven.
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When he was evicted from heaven,
they came together to the earth.
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And you'll notice
that Satan was waiting
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for the birth of the Child.
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Knowing the prophecies
about the coming Messiah,
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he was anticipating the event.
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He knew his own future
and the future of the world,
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of the universe,
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depended on this mother and
the Child that she would have.
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Revelation 12, verse 5:
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"And she brought
forth a man Child,
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"who was to rule all
nations with a rod of iron:
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and her Child was caught up
unto God, and to His throne."
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That's the same woman we were
reading about just moments ago,
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a woman who had a baby Boy,
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"who was to rule all
nations with a rod of iron."
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This is Jesus, the One
who was caught up to God
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after His death on the cross.
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Now, ruling with a rod of iron
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shouldn't necessarily
be thought of as severity.
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Jesus was the embodiment of
the love of God for this world.
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If you said that your
neighbor rules his or her family
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with a rod of iron,
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you might be suggesting
that your neighbor is a tyrant.
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Of course,
Jesus is not a tyrant.
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This reference is to
strength and authority,
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not to harshness and severity.
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Jesus' scepter is a scepter
of authority and justice.
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And this reference points
us to Jesus as the Messiah.
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Recapping verses 4 and 5,
we find that Satan deceived
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a third of the angels in
heaven and came to the earth
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to destroy Jesus as
soon as Jesus was born.
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Satan's whole sordid
existence has been dedicated to
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preventing Jesus from carrying
out His work of salvation.
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Right after Jesus was
born, Satan inspired Herod
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to order the
execution of not only Jesus,
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but of all the infant
boys in and near Bethlehem.
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Satan hoped to kill Jesus
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even before His
ministry could get underway.
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But Joseph was warned in a dream
to take his family to Egypt,
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where they stayed
until after Herod was dead.
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Clearly Satan wasn't
successful in his objective.
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The passage tells us Jesus
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"was caught up unto
God, and to His throne."
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Five verses into this chapter
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and you know that the plan
of salvation was successful.
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Jesus ascended to heaven
after His death on the cross.
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But who is this
woman? This mother at war?
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We'll find out in just a moment.
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¤[music swells and ends]¤¤
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>>John Bradshaw: Thanks for
joining me on It Is Written.
00:10:06.40\00:10:09.80
The book of Revelation contains
some fascinating symbols:
00:10:09.84\00:10:13.61
a beast that
rises up out of the sea,
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Jesus returning to the earth
00:10:16.38\00:10:17.65
wearing a robe that
had been dipped in blood
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with a name written on
His robe and on His thigh,
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angels flying in the
midst of heaven with messages
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for the entire world to hear,
00:10:26.25\00:10:28.32
and a new mother who
goes to war with the devil
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the moment she gives birth.
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In fact, the devil is
depicted as waiting for her
00:10:34.36\00:10:37.40
to give birth so he
can destroy her newborn.
00:10:37.43\00:10:41.30
That's a graphic picture.
00:10:41.34\00:10:43.24
Revelation 12 is unique
in the book of Revelation.
00:10:43.27\00:10:46.64
It doesn't portray a single
scene or a snapshot in time.
00:10:46.68\00:10:51.41
Instead, it spans
all of human history,
00:10:51.45\00:10:54.55
from Satan's rebellion in heaven
00:10:54.58\00:10:56.75
right down through history to
the time of the return of Jesus.
00:10:56.79\00:11:00.82
Notice: "And there
was war in heaven....
00:11:00.86\00:11:04.66
And the great dragon
was cast out." And then,
00:11:04.69\00:11:07.96
"The dragon...[made] war
with the remnant of her seed,"
00:11:08.00\00:11:11.77
the last of her offspring.
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He expands his war.
00:11:13.84\00:11:16.74
When Satan couldn't destroy
the Child, he moved in spite
00:11:16.77\00:11:20.88
and hate to destroy
anyone associated with Him.
00:11:20.91\00:11:25.25
Thousands of years covered
in one chapter of the Bible,
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and that's because
God is wanting to show us
00:11:28.95\00:11:30.75
the development of
evil, the character of Satan,
00:11:30.79\00:11:33.62
who relentlessly pursues evil,
00:11:33.66\00:11:36.16
and the history of the
woman and her offspring.
00:11:36.19\00:11:39.13
Let's go to verse 6.
00:11:40.13\00:11:41.80
It says the mother at war
"fled into the wilderness,
00:11:41.83\00:11:45.97
"where she hath a
place prepared of God,
00:11:46.00\00:11:48.67
"that they should feed her there
00:11:48.70\00:11:50.54
a thousand two
hundred and threescore days."
00:11:50.57\00:11:54.64
This starts hinting at
the identity of this woman.
00:11:54.68\00:11:59.11
Remember, Revelation is
filled with signs and symbols.
00:11:59.15\00:12:04.09
That beast that rises up
out of the sea in chapter 13?
00:12:04.12\00:12:07.09
it isn't really a
dinosaur of some kind
00:12:07.12\00:12:09.66
emerging from the ocean.
00:12:09.69\00:12:11.13
That's a symbol
representing something else.
00:12:11.16\00:12:14.36
Three angels in
chapter 14 with messages
00:12:14.36\00:12:16.63
heard by the whole world,
00:12:16.67\00:12:18.30
those angels represent
messengers taking the gospel
00:12:18.33\00:12:22.44
to the entire planet.
00:12:22.47\00:12:24.34
Revelation 20, Satan
bound with a literal chain?
00:12:24.37\00:12:29.68
God doesn't restrain
Satan with an actual chain
00:12:29.71\00:12:33.42
for a millennium. Symbols.
00:12:33.45\00:12:36.42
John saw what he saw,
but those things represent
00:12:36.45\00:12:40.42
other spiritual
realities in many cases.
00:12:40.46\00:12:44.46
Here, a woman, the
mother of a baby Boy.
00:12:44.49\00:12:48.06
Satan tries to
destroy her Child.
00:12:48.10\00:12:51.33
That sounds like the
experience of Mary, and it is.
00:12:51.37\00:12:54.80
But the Bible writer is
painting with broader strokes.
00:12:54.84\00:12:59.21
You have the symbolic
nature of her clothing:
00:12:59.24\00:13:01.21
the sun, the moon, 12 stars.
00:13:01.24\00:13:02.84
Then she's
confronted by not just Satan,
00:13:02.88\00:13:05.71
but by a dragon with
seven heads and ten horns.
00:13:05.75\00:13:08.58
In Daniel 7, Daniel
speaks of a creature,
00:13:08.62\00:13:11.62
a beast with ten horns.
00:13:11.65\00:13:14.29
It's one of several
kingdoms that are mentioned.
00:13:14.32\00:13:16.66
In Daniel 7 we're given
the interpretation right there
00:13:16.69\00:13:19.79
in that same passage:
00:13:19.83\00:13:21.63
"The fourth beast shall be
the fourth kingdom upon earth."
00:13:21.66\00:13:25.67
That's Daniel 7 in verse 23.
00:13:25.70\00:13:28.04
The symbolism in
Revelation shows us
00:13:28.07\00:13:29.94
that the devil is
working through a kingdom.
00:13:29.97\00:13:33.88
The kingdom in power when Jesus
was born was the Roman Empire.
00:13:33.91\00:13:38.58
The dragon represents
Satan working through the might
00:13:38.61\00:13:42.68
of a kingdom.
00:13:42.72\00:13:43.89
And we just read that the
woman fled into the wilderness.
00:13:43.92\00:13:47.02
While Mary and Joseph
fled to Egypt with baby Jesus,
00:13:47.06\00:13:49.99
keep in mind that we're clearly
looking at the big picture here,
00:13:50.03\00:13:54.10
with the war in heaven,
the casting down of Satan,
00:13:54.10\00:13:56.63
and at the end of the chapter,
00:13:56.67\00:13:57.77
it references "the
remnant of her seed."
00:13:57.80\00:14:01.40
Twice in the chapter it
says that the woman went
00:14:01.44\00:14:03.87
into the
wilderness for 1,260 days.
00:14:03.91\00:14:08.61
That time period is repeated
a little later in the chapter
00:14:08.64\00:14:11.21
but expressed as 42 months.
00:14:11.25\00:14:14.05
Then you've got the
serpent sending a flood
00:14:14.08\00:14:16.22
to carry the woman away
00:14:16.25\00:14:17.99
and the earth opening
its mouth to help the woman.
00:14:18.02\00:14:22.29
It's clear that this
mother we're looking at
00:14:23.63\00:14:25.59
isn't restricted
to a single person.
00:14:25.63\00:14:28.63
Here's why. Those
days, more than 1,000 days,
00:14:28.66\00:14:32.37
during which the
woman was in the wilderness,
00:14:32.40\00:14:35.00
they're symbolic, too.
00:14:35.04\00:14:36.77
There are numerous
places in Scripture
00:14:36.81\00:14:38.71
where a day is used
to represent a year.
00:14:38.74\00:14:42.84
Look at Numbers 14:34
where God said to Israel
00:14:42.88\00:14:46.18
that each day the spies
searched the Promised Land
00:14:46.21\00:14:50.12
would stand
against them as a year.
00:14:50.15\00:14:52.52
Forty days of
searching, a day for a year,
00:14:52.55\00:14:55.29
meant that they would spend
40 years in the wilderness.
00:14:55.32\00:15:00.13
In Ezekiel 4, verse 6, God
tells Ezekiel that each day
00:15:00.16\00:15:03.60
in his certain situation
would represent a year.
00:15:03.63\00:15:07.04
In Daniel 9, the days of the
prophecy each represent a year.
00:15:07.07\00:15:11.61
That's how you get from
seven days to seven years
00:15:11.64\00:15:15.41
in Daniel 9:27.
00:15:15.44\00:15:17.68
The 1,260 days mentioned
in both Daniel and Revelation
00:15:17.71\00:15:21.95
apply to a longer period of time
00:15:21.98\00:15:24.82
during which the
church was in the wilderness.
00:15:24.85\00:15:29.12
And look at what Jeremiah wrote:
00:15:29.16\00:15:31.43
"I have likened
the daughter of Zion
00:15:31.46\00:15:34.40
to a comely and delicate woman."
00:15:34.46\00:15:37.30
That's Jeremiah 6, verse 2.
00:15:37.33\00:15:40.37
Isaiah says clearly
that Zion is God's people.
00:15:40.40\00:15:45.94
In fact, several
times Isaiah and Jeremiah
00:15:45.97\00:15:49.08
use the symbol of a
woman when speaking of Israel.
00:15:49.11\00:15:52.85
In prophecy, a woman is a symbol
used to represent God's people.
00:15:52.88\00:15:58.85
In the New Testament,
Paul uses the same symbol
00:15:58.89\00:16:02.62
to represent the
church when he says,
00:16:02.66\00:16:04.63
"I have espoused
you to one husband,
00:16:04.66\00:16:07.86
that I may present you as
a chaste virgin to Christ."
00:16:07.93\00:16:10.87
That's 2
Corinthians 11 in verse 2.
00:16:10.90\00:16:13.20
So when you're looking
at this woman in prophecy,
00:16:13.23\00:16:16.20
the symbol is used to represent
God's people down through time.
00:16:16.24\00:16:21.18
This side of the cross, the
symbol represents the church.
00:16:21.21\00:16:25.98
And with the woman being pure,
00:16:26.01\00:16:28.45
you're looking at God's faithful
people down through the ages.
00:16:28.48\00:16:33.05
Now, a word of
caution with symbols:
00:16:33.09\00:16:36.16
It doesn't mean that
every time in the Bible
00:16:36.19\00:16:37.73
that you read "day" or "woman"
00:16:37.76\00:16:40.40
that it represents a
year or God's people.
00:16:40.43\00:16:43.30
The days of Creation
were, were days, not years.
00:16:43.33\00:16:46.60
Jesus was not in the
tomb for three years.
00:16:46.63\00:16:50.14
The woman who touched the
hem of Jesus' garment? A woman.
00:16:50.17\00:16:54.18
It's in
descriptive symbolic prophecy
00:16:54.21\00:16:57.61
that these terms are symbols.
00:16:57.65\00:17:00.15
So, in Revelation 12,
Mary gives birth to Jesus.
00:17:00.18\00:17:05.39
But then the woman
is in the wilderness--
00:17:05.42\00:17:09.19
God's people, the
church, in the wilderness.
00:17:09.22\00:17:14.23
We'll look at
that in just a moment.
00:17:14.30\00:17:17.27
¤[music swells and ends]¤¤
00:17:17.30\00:17:23.30
>>John: Thank you for
remembering that It Is Written
00:17:26.07\00:17:28.08
exists because of the kindness
of people just like you.
00:17:28.11\00:17:31.48
To support this international
life-changing ministry,
00:17:31.51\00:17:34.75
please call us
now at 800-253-3000.
00:17:34.78\00:17:39.02
You can send your
tax-deductible gift
00:17:39.05\00:17:40.49
to the address on your screen,
00:17:40.52\00:17:41.96
or you can visit us
online at itiswritten.com.
00:17:41.99\00:17:45.86
Thank you for your prayers
and for your financial support.
00:17:45.89\00:17:48.60
Our number
again is 800-253-3000,
00:17:48.63\00:17:52.77
or you can visit us
online at itiswritten.com.
00:17:52.80\00:17:55.80
>>John: There's something placed
by God inside the human heart:
00:17:56.77\00:18:01.14
a yearning to be free.
00:18:01.18\00:18:02.81
¤[soft orchestral
music]¤ [sound of writing]
00:18:02.84\00:18:04.15
And the actions of
some went beyond the page
00:18:04.18\00:18:07.38
and the lecture hall
00:18:07.42\00:18:09.18
to the tracks of
something that became known as
00:18:09.22\00:18:12.19
the Underground Railroad.
00:18:12.22\00:18:15.06
[America Wilson
singing] ¤ Steal away, ¤
00:18:15.09\00:18:19.03
[creak of opening
door] ¤ steal away, ¤
00:18:19.06\00:18:23.20
¤ steal away to Jesus. ¤
00:18:23.23\00:18:30.71
¤ Steal away, ¤
00:18:30.74\00:18:33.58
¤ steal away home. ¤
00:18:34.38\00:18:38.75
¤ I ain't got
long to stay here. ¤¤
00:18:39.85\00:18:47.69
>>Announcer 2:
Watch "Midnight to Dawn"
00:18:48.69\00:18:50.49
on itiswritten.tv.
00:18:50.53\00:18:53.36
>>John Bradshaw: Mothers feature
prominently in the Bible--
00:18:57.00\00:18:59.73
Eve, Sarah, Rebekah, Jochebed,
00:18:59.77\00:19:02.10
Naomi, Elizabeth, Mary,
00:19:02.14\00:19:04.94
all hugely significant.
00:19:04.97\00:19:07.61
And down in the
book of Revelation,
00:19:07.64\00:19:09.51
a woman clothed in
white who gives birth to a Son
00:19:09.54\00:19:12.35
whose life is
immediately threatened
00:19:12.38\00:19:14.68
and is saved only
by a miracle of God.
00:19:14.72\00:19:18.05
Of course, Mary
gave birth to that Son,
00:19:18.09\00:19:20.39
but the woman in Revelation 12
00:19:20.42\00:19:21.92
represents the history of God's
people down through the ages,
00:19:21.96\00:19:26.06
culminating in a picture of
the church in earth's last days.
00:19:26.09\00:19:30.30
In verse 13 we read
that "the dragon"--Satan--
00:19:30.33\00:19:34.44
"persecuted the woman which
brought forth the man Child."
00:19:34.47\00:19:37.81
Verse 14 says,
00:19:37.84\00:19:39.74
"And to the woman
were given two wings
00:19:39.77\00:19:42.31
"of a great eagle, that she
might fly into the wilderness,
00:19:42.34\00:19:46.45
"into her place,
where she is nourished
00:19:46.48\00:19:49.32
"for a time,
...times, and half a time,
00:19:49.35\00:19:53.56
from the face of the serpent."
00:19:53.59\00:19:55.86
Throughout history the
persecution against God's people
00:19:55.89\00:19:58.99
has been relentless.
00:19:59.03\00:20:01.60
It was only a few hundred years
ago that it was against the law
00:20:01.63\00:20:04.90
to own a Bible or to even
possess a fragment of Scripture.
00:20:04.93\00:20:09.34
The Bible-believing church
was ruthlessly persecuted.
00:20:09.37\00:20:12.71
During the Dark Ages,
the Huguenots of France,
00:20:12.74\00:20:15.74
the Waldenses of northern Italy,
00:20:15.78\00:20:17.51
and many others were
slaughtered in great numbers.
00:20:17.55\00:20:22.22
The Bible translator William
Tyndale was burned at the stake
00:20:23.35\00:20:26.82
not because he was
a criminal of any kind
00:20:26.86\00:20:29.52
but because he translated
the Bible. That was his crime.
00:20:29.56\00:20:33.70
John Hus was
burned at the stake,
00:20:33.73\00:20:35.83
again, simply because of
his Bible-based teachings;
00:20:35.86\00:20:40.40
in England, Latimer and
Ridley and countless others.
00:20:40.44\00:20:44.51
Martin Luther wasn't executed,
00:20:44.54\00:20:47.08
but it wasn't for
the want of trying.
00:20:47.11\00:20:49.44
The church, God's
people, was persecuted.
00:20:49.48\00:20:54.15
The church was
in the wilderness.
00:20:54.18\00:20:55.95
Many Christian believers
fled to remote locations.
00:20:55.98\00:20:58.75
People like the Waldenses
worshiped in caves at times
00:20:58.79\00:21:02.19
in order to avoid
capture by a medieval church
00:21:02.22\00:21:05.56
that was bent on
their destruction.
00:21:05.59\00:21:08.06
This is why John wrote that
"the earth helped the woman"--
00:21:08.10\00:21:11.67
God's people--and "opened
her mouth, and swallowed up
00:21:11.70\00:21:15.74
the flood which the
dragon cast out of his mouth."
00:21:15.77\00:21:18.31
Revelation 12:16.
00:21:18.34\00:21:20.48
But I want you to notice that
this chapter ends in victory
00:21:20.51\00:21:24.35
for Christ and His people.
00:21:24.38\00:21:26.65
It says in verse 17,
00:21:26.68\00:21:28.18
"And the dragon"--Satan--
"was wroth"--angry--
00:21:28.22\00:21:31.32
"with the woman"--the
church-- "and went to make war
00:21:31.35\00:21:35.56
with the remnant of her seed"--
the church of earth's last days,
00:21:35.59\00:21:40.96
the remnant of those
that remain at the end,
00:21:40.96\00:21:43.63
like remnants
of fabric left over
00:21:43.67\00:21:45.57
after the majority of
the cloth has been sold,
00:21:45.60\00:21:48.37
a remnant, those remaining,
those remaining faithful.
00:21:48.40\00:21:52.71
The devil will make war with
the church of the end times.
00:21:52.74\00:21:58.05
Can you imagine that happening?
00:21:58.08\00:21:59.85
Of course you can, because
in some parts of the world
00:21:59.88\00:22:02.22
the church is being
persecuted right now,
00:22:02.25\00:22:04.65
and it's
extraordinarily difficult
00:22:04.69\00:22:06.76
to be a believer in Jesus.
00:22:06.79\00:22:08.39
In some countries,
believers cross the border
00:22:08.42\00:22:11.23
into other
countries to be baptized
00:22:11.26\00:22:12.93
because being baptized
is illegal where they live.
00:22:12.96\00:22:16.90
But even where
there's no persecution,
00:22:16.93\00:22:20.00
we can see that the devil
is at war with the church.
00:22:20.04\00:22:24.21
Look at the way
he's attacked the church:
00:22:24.24\00:22:26.78
the assault on
biblical teaching,
00:22:26.81\00:22:29.38
the decreasing
respect for the Bible
00:22:29.41\00:22:31.65
as the inspired Word of God.
00:22:31.68\00:22:34.02
More and more Christians
say they don't believe
00:22:35.28\00:22:38.35
in the virgin birth or a
global flood in Noah's day,
00:22:38.39\00:22:41.76
and that they do
believe in evolution.
00:22:41.79\00:22:45.13
Discounting the virgin birth,
00:22:45.16\00:22:46.73
discrediting the
Flood in Noah's day,
00:22:46.76\00:22:48.76
and claiming
evolution is in any way
00:22:48.80\00:22:51.00
consistent with Scripture
might even do more damage
00:22:51.03\00:22:54.24
to the church than persecution.
00:22:54.27\00:22:56.81
Making the Bible
just another book,
00:22:56.84\00:22:59.07
rationalizing away the
Flood, denigrating the event
00:22:59.11\00:23:02.34
responsible for the
creation of the world,
00:23:02.38\00:23:04.68
God Himself
intentionally intervening
00:23:04.71\00:23:07.12
to bring this
world into existence,
00:23:07.15\00:23:09.12
promoting the idea that God
is not the Creator of the world,
00:23:09.15\00:23:13.09
this shows how for centuries
00:23:13.12\00:23:15.56
the devil has been
warring with the church,
00:23:15.59\00:23:17.93
gradually
undermining God's authority
00:23:17.96\00:23:20.66
and the authority of Scripture
and eroding faith in God.
00:23:20.70\00:23:25.70
But look how it ends:
00:23:25.73\00:23:27.50
God's people
faithful in the end of time.
00:23:27.54\00:23:30.91
They "keep the
commandments of God,
00:23:30.94\00:23:33.48
and have the
testimony of Jesus Christ."
00:23:33.51\00:23:36.28
That's Revelation 12:17.
00:23:36.31\00:23:38.78
They're faithful to God.
00:23:38.81\00:23:40.55
Their lives are characterized
by obedience to His Word.
00:23:40.58\00:23:43.95
They're living by
faith in His Word,
00:23:43.99\00:23:45.99
and they're making
Christ and the cross
00:23:46.02\00:23:48.19
preeminent in their lives.
They're fully surrendered.
00:23:48.22\00:23:51.56
They've prayed the
prayer that says, "Not my will,
00:23:51.59\00:23:54.66
but Yours, be done."
00:23:54.73\00:23:56.60
And they have the
testimony of Jesus,
00:23:56.63\00:23:58.10
the teachings of Scripture, of
Christ and all of His prophets.
00:23:58.13\00:24:02.10
It's a triumphant end
for Jesus and His people.
00:24:02.14\00:24:06.01
We know there's
pressure on mothers today.
00:24:07.31\00:24:09.68
It seems that's
always been the case.
00:24:09.71\00:24:12.08
This mother, the
woman of Revelation 12,
00:24:12.11\00:24:16.02
she's been at war since
before her Child was born.
00:24:16.05\00:24:20.89
And that war against evil
continues until Jesus returns.
00:24:20.92\00:24:24.99
¤[soft music]¤
00:24:25.03\00:24:26.33
It might be that
there's a war raging inside you,
00:24:26.36\00:24:29.83
personal battles,
spiritual battles,
00:24:29.86\00:24:33.00
a war with sin that
threatens to overwhelm you.
00:24:33.03\00:24:36.34
It might be doubt.
00:24:36.37\00:24:38.31
Maybe you can relate
to the father in Mark 9
00:24:38.34\00:24:40.14
who cried out to
Jesus with tears and said,
00:24:40.18\00:24:42.44
"Lord, I believe;
help Thou mine unbelief."
00:24:42.48\00:24:47.02
God is there for you.
00:24:48.02\00:24:50.85
He's been with His
people down through time.
00:24:50.89\00:24:53.46
When Satan attacked
in the Garden of Eden,
00:24:53.49\00:24:55.56
God promised a way of escape.
00:24:55.59\00:24:58.19
His people were enslaved in
Egypt, and by His mighty hand
00:24:58.23\00:25:01.73
God led them out of Egypt in
the most spectacular of ways.
00:25:01.76\00:25:06.07
They wandered for 40
years in the wilderness,
00:25:06.10\00:25:08.14
and God fed them with manna
and brought water out of a rock.
00:25:08.17\00:25:11.54
That same God is with you now.
00:25:11.57\00:25:13.07
The history of God's
dealings with His people
00:25:13.11\00:25:15.61
testifies to that. You're
fighting personal battles?
00:25:15.64\00:25:18.58
God says, "I will never
leave you nor forsake you."
00:25:18.61\00:25:22.12
You're dealing
with spiritual battles?
00:25:22.15\00:25:23.59
God says, "Be still,
and know that I am God."
00:25:23.62\00:25:27.06
Sin threatens you?
00:25:27.09\00:25:29.06
God says that where sin abounds,
"grace [does] much more abound."
00:25:29.09\00:25:33.73
You have moments of doubt?
00:25:33.76\00:25:35.23
And the wise man says,
00:25:35.26\00:25:36.90
"Trust in the Lord
with all your heart."
00:25:36.93\00:25:40.57
We're thankful for our mothers.
00:25:40.60\00:25:42.74
And here in Revelation 12 is
a mother whose very existence
00:25:42.77\00:25:47.01
speaks to the love
of our heavenly Father,
00:25:47.04\00:25:50.21
who longs to
spend eternity with you.
00:25:50.25\00:25:53.72
Do you want to go?
00:25:53.75\00:25:55.22
Do you want to claim
your place in eternity?
00:25:55.25\00:25:57.32
You can. You can claim it now.
00:25:57.35\00:25:59.79
Receive Jesus as
your Savior right now.
00:25:59.82\00:26:02.29
Or recommit
yourself to Him--right now.
00:26:02.32\00:26:05.49
And know that
the peace of Christ,
00:26:05.53\00:26:07.23
know that
acceptance and forgiveness
00:26:07.30\00:26:10.03
and the gift of
everlasting life are yours.
00:26:10.07\00:26:13.64
Pray with me now.
00:26:13.67\00:26:15.37
Our Father in heaven, we
come to You in Jesus' name,
00:26:15.40\00:26:17.61
and we are thankful
that the Bible makes clear
00:26:17.64\00:26:20.41
Christ and His
people triumph at last.
00:26:20.44\00:26:25.41
Between now and then, it's
evident that we are at war.
00:26:25.45\00:26:28.68
We read the dragon
was angry with the woman
00:26:28.72\00:26:31.52
and went to make war with God's
people down to the end of time.
00:26:31.55\00:26:35.82
And, Lord, that would be us.
00:26:35.86\00:26:37.09
Thank You that You are
our defense and our strength.
00:26:37.13\00:26:40.40
We want to confess faith in
Jesus today as Lord and Savior.
00:26:40.43\00:26:43.30
Friend, is that your desire?
00:26:43.33\00:26:44.80
Would you say, "Yes, Jesus,
save me. Jesus, be my Lord.
00:26:44.83\00:26:48.47
Heavenly Father, be my Father"?
00:26:48.50\00:26:51.14
We thank You for the
promise of Jesus' soon return,
00:26:51.17\00:26:54.91
that great day when we
will be gathered together
00:26:54.94\00:26:57.25
to be with You forever.
00:26:57.28\00:26:59.15
Let that day come soon, we pray.
00:26:59.18\00:27:02.92
And we thank You
in Jesus' name. Amen.
00:27:02.95\00:27:07.12
¤[music ends]¤¤
00:27:07.16\00:27:08.86
>>Announcer 1: Discover
God's plan to end the battle
00:27:09.79\00:27:12.19
between good and evil.
00:27:12.23\00:27:13.43
The return of Jesus
is fast approaching.
00:27:13.46\00:27:16.20
Get today's free
offer, "The Great Reset,"
00:27:16.23\00:27:18.83
a DVD presentation from
"The Great Reset" series
00:27:18.87\00:27:21.80
by Pastor John Bradshaw.
00:27:21.84\00:27:23.20
Call 800-253-3000
00:27:23.24\00:27:26.14
or visit us
online at iiwoffer.com.
00:27:26.17\00:27:29.61
Learn how to be ready
for history's greatest event,
00:27:29.64\00:27:32.61
the return of Jesus.
00:27:32.65\00:27:34.48
Call 800-253-3000
00:27:34.52\00:27:36.99
or visit iiwoffer.com.
00:27:37.02\00:27:39.35
>>John: Thanks so
much for joining me.
00:27:40.52\00:27:42.02
Looking forward to
seeing you again next time.
00:27:42.06\00:27:44.76
Until then, remember:
00:27:44.79\00:27:46.93
"It is written, 'Man
shall not live by bread alone,
00:27:46.96\00:27:51.63
but by every word that proceeds
from the mouth of God.'"
00:27:51.67\00:27:55.97
¤[dramatic theme music]¤
00:27:56.00\00:27:59.94
¤[music ends]¤¤
00:28:25.83\00:28:27.84