(uplifting music)
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>>Welcome to "Sabbath School,"
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brought to you by It Is Written.
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We're glad that you
could join us again this week
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as we continue our journey
through the book of Revelation,
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especially looking at
the three angels' messages.
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This is week number 12 of 13,
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so that means
we've got one more week
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to cap everything off,
but this week is a big one.
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We are looking
at "The Seal of God
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and [the] Mark of
the Beast: Part 2,"
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kind of picking up from
where we left off last week.
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Our guest this week
again is Pastor Mark Finley,
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he's an international
speaker and evangelist.
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We're delighted to
have him back once again,
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but before we
look into this subject
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and get his thoughts on it,
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we are going to
spend a moment in prayer.
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So join me if you would.
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Father, thank You so much
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for being with us
along this journey,
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as we've looked at the three
angels' messages of Revelation.
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As we spend some time looking
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at another significant
portion of that today,
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"The Seal of God and
[the] Mark of the Beast,"
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help us to understand it,
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and to understand how it applies
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to us today, in a very real way.
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We thank You in Jesus' name.
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>>Amen. >>Amen.
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>>Pastor Mark,
welcome back once again.
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>>Thank you. >>So last week,
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we left off on an
interesting subject,
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"interesting" is
probably not even as broad
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as an adjective as I could use,
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but "The Seal of God and
[the] Mark of the Beast."
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We looked at the
identity of the beast power,
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the antichrist as
it's often referred.
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We kind of
dropped off the end there,
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and this week we pick
up on "The Seal of God
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and [the] Mark of the
Beast: Part [Number] 2."
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Now, when we talk about
the identity of the beast
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or the identity
of the antichrist,
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a lot of times
people get this idea
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that it's some world
leader, some secular power
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or individually, a
dictator, if you will.
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How do we know
that the beast power
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is not some sort
of a secular leader
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or power or dictator or
something along those lines?
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>>I think one of the
ways we know the answer
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to that question is by
looking at Revelation 13 itself.
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Last week we pointed out
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that Revelation 13
talks about the beast power
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rising after
Babylon, after Medo-Persia,
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after Greece, after Rome,
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and that it would get its
authority from pagan Rome.
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So we have to look back
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at the historical nature
of the rise of the beast.
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So the beast rises,
not simply at end-time,
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but the beast power is a power
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that has been present
historically through history,
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and it rises out of pagan Rome,
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and we saw that papal Rome did.
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Secondly, the beast
power in the book of Revelation
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is a power that the Bible
says is a blasphemous power,
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and the Bible defines blasphemy
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as one claiming the
authority or privileges
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or prerogatives as God's equal,
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and one, in addition to that,
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claiming the authority and
the ability to forgive sin.
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So, we see that
it's a religious power,
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but there is a
third identifying mark
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that I think comes to the
very heart of your question.
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It's found in
Revelation, chapter 13,
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and it's found in verse four.
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Revelation 13, verse 4,
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and would you like to
read that, Pastor Eric?
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>>Sure, it says, "So
they worshiped the dragon
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"who gave
authority to the beast;
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"and they
worshiped the beast, saying,
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"'Who is like the beast?
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Who is able to
make war with him?'"
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>>So whoever
this beast power is,
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the beast power is one
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that compels worship.
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So you have to
have a worshiping power.
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This is not some
business person that rises.
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I will not name any
who have been suggested
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'cause I don't wanna put
any ideas in people's heads,
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but it's not some
business leader that rises,
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it's not some
political leader that rises,
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it's a power
that grew out of Rome,
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it's a system,
not an individual.
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So, just like, for
example, in Daniel,
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where it talks
about the lion, the bear,
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the leopard, the dragon,
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in Daniel 7, verse 17, it says,
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"These...beasts, which are four,
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"are four kings [or kingdoms,
that] arise out of the earth."
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So Babylon was not
simply Nebuchadnezzar,
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it was the kingdom of Babylon,
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or the lion was not
simply Nebuchadnezzar,
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it was the kingdom of Babylon.
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The bear wasn't Cyrus or Darius,
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it was the
kingdom of Medo-Persia.
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The leopard wasn't Alexander,
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it was the kingdom of Greece,
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and the same with the Rome,
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you know, it's not simply
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a Herod or a Caesar,
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it is rather, the kingdom.
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So this is
talking about a system
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that would grow out of Rome,
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a system of religious
worship, a system of a leader
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that would claim
the authority of God,
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so, we can know that.
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Also, there's some
interesting mathematical proof
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about the duration of its reign.
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>>So, talk a little bit
about that mathematical proof.
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Where do we find that?
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And I'm looking here
at at verse number five,
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it says it was given
authority for 42 months.
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I'm guessing that might be part
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of the
mathematical element of this,
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but unlock, unpack a
little bit more of that,
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that mathematical element.
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>>So the authority of 42 months.
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Now remember in Bible prophecy,
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one prophetic day
equals one literal year.
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When you look, for example,
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at the prophecies in Daniel
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that talk about this same power,
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you have the
antichrist mentioned
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in Thessalonians by Paul.
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You have the little horn
power mentioned by Daniel.
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You have the beast
power mentioned by Revelation.
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But the identification--
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identifying marks of
these powers are all the same.
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So let's go back to
Daniel, chapter 7 and verse 25.
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Daniel 7, verse 25.
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We've read 42 months,
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we're gonna go to two or
three other Bible passages,
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and we'll go to
Daniel 7, verse 25.
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And go ahead and
read those, Pastor.
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>>Sure, Daniel 7:25 says,
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"He shall speak pompous words
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"against the Most High,
shall persecute the saints
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"of the Most High, and shall
intend to change times and law.
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"Then the saints
shall be given into his hand
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for a time and
times and half a time."
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>>Notice this power
would intend to think
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that they had the
ability to change times and law.
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Well, the only law
that has to do with time
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is the Sabbath commandment.
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And if the central issue
in the book of Revelation,
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and Daniel, is worship,
and who and how do you worship,
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the Sabbath commandment is
the one that speaks of worship.
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If the central
issue is one of authority,
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the Sabbath commandment
gives you the authority
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for the whole law.
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It talks about who gave
the law, the Creator God,
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and it talks about why we
worship God and His title.
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We're gonna look at that later
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when we talk
about the seal of God.
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But notice, here, it
says that this power,
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that would attempt to
change the law of God,
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would reign for time,
times, and half a time.
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42 months, time,
times, and half a time,
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what's all that about?
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Let's now go to
Revelation, chapter 12,
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this will bring
things home to us.
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Revelation, chapter 12,
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and we're gonna look
here at verse 6 and verse 14.
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Revelation 12,
verse 6 and verse 14.
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So go ahead and
read verse 6, then 14.
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>>Verse six says,
"Then the woman fled
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"into the wilderness,
where she has a place prepared
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"by God, that they
should feed her there
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one thousand two
hundred and sixty days."
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Then over in verse 14 it says,
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"But the woman was given
two wings of a great eagle,
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"that she might fly into
the wilderness to her place,
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"where she is
nourished for a time and times
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and half a time, from
the presence of the serpent."
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>>Forty-two months, 1,260 days,
time, time, and half a time.
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In the Jewish calendar,
there were 30 days in a month.
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So if you look at 30
times 42, it's 1,260.
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Here you got 1,260.
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Time, many translations say,
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year, two years, half a year,
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three and a half prophetic
years, 42 months, 1,260 days.
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So, if a
prophetic day equals a year,
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you've got 1,260 years, 42
months, 1,260 days, 1,260 years.
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Babylon reign, then Medo-Persia,
then Greece, then Rome.
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The Roman Empire fell apart
from about 351 AD to 476 AD.
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By 538 AD, the papal power was
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the dominant power in Europe.
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The pagan Roman emperor,
Justinian, gave to Vigilius II,
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the pope of Rome, the
civil and religious authority.
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So the 1,260 years
would've begun in 538.
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1798, Berthier, the
French general, looks down,
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and he takes the pope captive
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and brings the
pope into captivity.
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So the amazing thing
is, that mathematically,
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the papal power fits into
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this prophecy remarkably.
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Let's look at these four
identifying characteristics.
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The papal power receives
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its authority from pagan Rome.
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The papal power
is a worldwide system
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of worship, Revelation 13:5.
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The papal power claims the
authority of God to forgive sin.
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The papal power
reigned for 1,260 years.
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So, here are some
very clear historical facts
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that identify the papacy
00:10:10.07\00:10:11.74
as a system of religious power
00:10:11.74\00:10:15.54
that rises in
Revelation, chapter 13.
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>>Pastor Mark, you
mentioned that in 1798,
00:10:18.21\00:10:21.02
Napoleon's general Berthier
took the pope into captivity.
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Here in the lesson on Sunday,
you mentioned a deadly wound.
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How are these things
related one to another?
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>>Sure, in
Revelation, chapter 13,
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if you let your eyes
drop down to a couple passages
00:10:34.63\00:10:37.50
in Revelation 13,
verse 3, Revelation 13:3,
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"And I saw one of his heads
00:10:41.60\00:10:42.94
as...it had been
mortally wounded,
00:10:42.94\00:10:44.67
"and his deadly
wound was healed.
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"And all the world
marveled...[after] the beast."
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So, and then if
you go down further
00:10:49.98\00:10:53.48
to the ninth verse,
00:10:53.48\00:10:56.62
go ahead and pick up verse nine.
00:10:56.62\00:10:58.15
>>Verse nine says,
00:10:58.15\00:10:59.45
"If anyone has an
ear, let him hear.
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"He who leads into captivity
shall go into captivity;
00:11:01.42\00:11:04.83
"he who kills with the sword
must be killed with the sword.
00:11:04.83\00:11:07.50
Here is the patience and
the faith of the saints."
00:11:07.50\00:11:09.96
>>So, this deadly
wound would occur.
00:11:09.96\00:11:12.70
Napoleon is in the North,
00:11:12.70\00:11:14.87
he's in France,
00:11:14.87\00:11:15.87
he looks down to Italy,
00:11:15.87\00:11:17.61
he sees a dominant rival to him,
00:11:17.61\00:11:20.08
sends Berthier down.
00:11:20.08\00:11:21.84
He goes down in
1797, but pulls back.
00:11:21.84\00:11:25.15
Well, another
general goes down in 1797,
00:11:25.15\00:11:27.08
but Berthier comes down in
1798, takes the pope captive.
00:11:27.08\00:11:30.22
He goes up to
Valencia, in France,
00:11:30.22\00:11:32.45
and he dies there in captivity.
00:11:32.45\00:11:35.49
So it's a direct
fulfillment to this prophecy,
00:11:35.49\00:11:38.16
exactly at the end
of the 1,260 years,
00:11:38.16\00:11:41.10
exactly as the Bible
says, exactly in the way
00:11:41.10\00:11:44.50
that he says the
deadly wound takes place.
00:11:44.50\00:11:47.57
Interestingly enough, in
1928, Mussolini gives civil
00:11:47.57\00:11:51.91
and religious
authority back to the pope.
00:11:51.91\00:11:54.44
And in the "San
Francisco Chronicle," it says,
00:11:54.44\00:11:57.65
"Deadly wound is healed."
00:11:57.65\00:11:59.28
So, these prophecies--prophecy
does not guess,
00:11:59.28\00:12:03.02
it knows. They've
been fulfilled exactly.
00:12:03.02\00:12:05.32
>>And so we're seeing evidence,
00:12:05.32\00:12:06.65
after evidence, after evidence,
00:12:06.65\00:12:08.79
that the identification
00:12:08.79\00:12:10.59
that we have been studying here
00:12:10.59\00:12:13.96
over the last couple of weeks,
00:12:13.96\00:12:15.43
in fact, the identification
that many Protestant scholars
00:12:15.43\00:12:17.93
over the years
have made, is accurate.
00:12:17.93\00:12:21.47
There are some fanciful ideas
00:12:21.47\00:12:22.77
of, like you said, political
00:12:22.77\00:12:23.97
and business leaders
today, fulfilling these,
00:12:23.97\00:12:26.41
but you can't fit everything
00:12:26.41\00:12:29.74
in those individuals.
00:12:29.74\00:12:32.25
Any other thoughts on
this before we go to break?
00:12:32.25\00:12:35.38
>>I do, I have one
thought on it, and it is this.
00:12:35.38\00:12:39.39
If you look at the reformers,
00:12:39.39\00:12:41.52
you look at Martin
Luther, for example,
00:12:41.52\00:12:43.93
he saw in the antichrist,
in the little horn power,
00:12:43.93\00:12:47.96
in the beast
power, he saw the papacy.
00:12:47.96\00:12:50.23
You look at the
Protestant--great Protestant
00:12:50.23\00:12:53.74
reformers, John Wycliffe, Huss,
Jerome, all of these men saw,
00:12:53.74\00:12:58.74
in these
prophecies, the prediction
00:12:58.74\00:13:02.61
of the rise of the papacy
00:13:02.61\00:13:04.81
that would
substitute tradition for truth,
00:13:04.81\00:13:07.02
substitute the
commandments of men
00:13:07.02\00:13:08.75
for the commandments of God.
00:13:08.75\00:13:10.12
Again, this is not
speaking about individuals,
00:13:10.12\00:13:13.02
but we're looking at a system.
00:13:13.02\00:13:14.82
This is not some
Johnny-come-lately,
00:13:14.82\00:13:17.93
pull a rabbit out of a hat,
you know, trick, not at all.
00:13:17.93\00:13:21.66
It is rather, the
clear historical chain
00:13:21.66\00:13:26.37
of truth outlined in Scripture.
00:13:26.37\00:13:28.27
>>One more powerful evidence
00:13:28.27\00:13:29.90
that we can,
indeed, believe the Bible.
00:13:29.90\00:13:32.94
I wanna encourage you as
you're studying the Bible
00:13:32.94\00:13:35.21
and getting to know it better,
00:13:35.21\00:13:36.44
make sure that you
pick up the companion book
00:13:36.44\00:13:37.85
to this quarter's lesson.
00:13:37.85\00:13:39.28
It is called "Three Cosmic
Messages" by Pastor Mark Finley,
00:13:39.28\00:13:42.45
and you will find
it at itiswritten.shop.
00:13:42.45\00:13:46.19
It goes into more detail
00:13:46.19\00:13:47.59
on the subject that
we're looking at today,
00:13:47.59\00:13:49.39
as well as many other
subjects that we have covered.
00:13:49.39\00:13:51.73
itiswritten.shop,
"Three Cosmic Messages"
00:13:51.73\00:13:54.83
by Pastor Mark Finley.
00:13:54.83\00:13:56.13
In just a moment,
we will come back,
00:13:56.13\00:13:58.20
and we're going to
be looking at, the one
00:13:58.20\00:14:01.00
that gets all the
flash and the fanfare,
00:14:01.00\00:14:03.34
is the mark of the beast.
00:14:03.34\00:14:05.07
The one that often gets
overlooked is the contrast
00:14:05.07\00:14:08.21
to the mark of the beast,
and that is the seal of God,
00:14:08.21\00:14:11.28
and we're going to be delving
into that in just a moment.
00:14:11.28\00:14:13.72
We'll see you back momentarily.
00:14:13.72\00:14:16.38
>>There's
nothing like a great dad.
00:14:20.02\00:14:22.82
Great dads
influence their children,
00:14:22.82\00:14:24.96
protect and grow their families,
and contribute to society.
00:14:24.96\00:14:29.06
But the truth is, not
every dad is a great dad.
00:14:29.06\00:14:33.74
There are plenty of
average dads, and, sad but true,
00:14:33.74\00:14:38.01
there's no shortage of bad dads.
00:14:38.01\00:14:40.91
Bad dads are found
all through the Bible,
00:14:40.91\00:14:43.41
God preserving their stories,
00:14:43.41\00:14:45.18
so we can avoid making
the same mistakes they made.
00:14:45.18\00:14:48.68
Don't miss "Bad Dads
and What They Teach Us."
00:14:48.68\00:14:51.99
Learn from the failings of some
00:14:51.99\00:14:53.46
of the most illustrious
people in biblical history,
00:14:53.46\00:14:56.96
people who manage to
make a mess of parenting.
00:14:56.96\00:15:00.70
There's hope for every parent
00:15:00.70\00:15:02.76
who doesn't always get it right,
00:15:02.76\00:15:04.93
and that's because
the best dad of all wants
00:15:04.93\00:15:08.10
to see parents be
all that they can be.
00:15:08.10\00:15:11.07
"Bad Dads and
What They Teach Us,"
00:15:11.07\00:15:13.58
brought to you
by It Is Written TV.
00:15:13.58\00:15:16.48
You know that at It Is Written,
00:15:20.62\00:15:22.08
we are serious about
studying the Word of God,
00:15:22.08\00:15:24.45
and we encourage you
to be serious as well.
00:15:24.45\00:15:27.22
Well here's what you do
if you want to dig deeper
00:15:27.22\00:15:29.52
into God's Word. Go
to itiswritten.study
00:15:29.52\00:15:32.56
for the It Is Written
Bible study guides online.
00:15:32.56\00:15:35.50
Twenty-five in-depth
Bible studies that will take you
00:15:35.50\00:15:38.00
through the major
teachings of the Bible.
00:15:38.00\00:15:40.40
You'll be blessed, and
it's something you'll want
00:15:40.40\00:15:42.50
to tell others about as well.
00:15:42.50\00:15:43.71
itiswritten.study.
00:15:43.71\00:15:45.74
Go further, itiswritten.study.
00:15:45.74\00:15:48.34
(uplifting music)
00:15:50.45\00:15:53.35
>>Welcome back
to "Sabbath School,"
00:15:55.08\00:15:56.32
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:15:56.32\00:15:58.05
We are looking at a
fascinating subject this week
00:15:58.05\00:16:00.46
that is "The Seal of God
and [the] Mark of the Beast."
00:16:00.46\00:16:03.32
Pastor Mark, we kind of--
00:16:03.32\00:16:04.56
we left off on asking,
what is the seal of God?
00:16:04.56\00:16:08.70
First of all, where do we
read about the seal of God
00:16:08.70\00:16:11.43
in the book of Revelation?
00:16:11.43\00:16:13.07
Where do we find it?
00:16:13.07\00:16:14.60
>>We find it in Revelation,
chapter 7 and verses 1 to 3
00:16:14.60\00:16:18.71
where it says,
"After these things
00:16:18.71\00:16:20.71
"I saw four angels
standing [on] the four corners
00:16:20.71\00:16:22.74
of the earth, holding
the four winds of the earth."
00:16:22.74\00:16:25.71
Now wind is a
symbol of destruction.
00:16:25.71\00:16:28.05
The four corners of the earth,
00:16:28.05\00:16:29.52
the four points of the compass,
00:16:29.52\00:16:31.12
north, south, east, west.
00:16:31.12\00:16:32.85
"That the wind," that
is the wind of destruction
00:16:32.85\00:16:35.72
through the seven last plagues,
00:16:35.72\00:16:37.06
"should not blow on the earth,
00:16:37.06\00:16:38.46
"on the sea, or on any tree.
00:16:38.46\00:16:40.26
"Then I saw another
angel...from the east,
00:16:40.26\00:16:42.40
"having the seal
of the living God.
00:16:42.40\00:16:45.03
"And he cried with a
loud voice to the four angels
00:16:45.03\00:16:47.67
"to whom it was granted to
harm the earth and the sea,
00:16:47.67\00:16:50.17
"saying, 'Do not harm the
earth, the sea, or the trees
00:16:50.17\00:16:54.01
"'till we have
sealed the servants of...God
00:16:54.01\00:16:55.88
on their foreheads.'"
00:16:55.88\00:16:57.05
So we find that
concept of the seal of God
00:16:57.05\00:17:01.12
in the light of
the coming of Christ,
00:17:01.12\00:17:03.28
just before the
seven last plagues,
00:17:03.28\00:17:05.35
here in
Revelation, chapter seven.
00:17:05.35\00:17:08.29
We find the seal
of God in contrast
00:17:08.29\00:17:10.53
to the mark of the beast.
00:17:10.53\00:17:12.36
>>So, if it's
going to play a role
00:17:12.36\00:17:15.13
shortly before the
seven last plagues,
00:17:15.13\00:17:17.40
shortly before Jesus comes back,
00:17:17.40\00:17:19.37
that would indicate
that it's gonna be playing
00:17:19.37\00:17:20.87
a significant
role very, very soon.
00:17:20.87\00:17:23.30
>>Exactly.
00:17:24.07\00:17:25.51
In fact, in these
messages of the three angels,
00:17:25.51\00:17:28.78
that's why God has given
this urgent message to mankind.
00:17:28.78\00:17:32.38
And we read in Revelation
14, could you read verse seven,
00:17:32.38\00:17:36.82
then verse nine,
and then verse 12?
00:17:36.82\00:17:40.72
>>Verse seven says,
00:17:40.72\00:17:41.66
"Saying with a loud voice,
00:17:41.66\00:17:42.89
"'Fear God and
give glory to Him,
00:17:42.89\00:17:44.76
"'for the hour of
His judgment has come;
00:17:44.76\00:17:47.30
"'and worship
Him who made heaven
00:17:47.30\00:17:48.80
and earth, the sea and
[the] springs of water.'"
00:17:48.80\00:17:51.70
Verse nine says, "Then a
third angel followed them,
00:17:51.70\00:17:54.20
"saying with a loud voice,
00:17:54.20\00:17:55.67
"'If anyone worships
the beast and his image,
00:17:55.67\00:17:58.07
"'and receives his mark on
his forehead or [in] his hand,'"
00:17:58.07\00:18:01.54
verse 10 talks about
what's going to happen to them.
00:18:01.54\00:18:04.31
And then verse number 12 says,
00:18:04.31\00:18:05.78
"Here is the
patience of the saints;
00:18:05.78\00:18:07.52
"here are those who
keep the commandments of God
00:18:07.52\00:18:10.39
and the faith of Jesus."
00:18:10.39\00:18:11.82
>>Notice the contrasts.
00:18:11.82\00:18:13.72
Worship the
Creator, verse seven,
00:18:13.72\00:18:16.69
don't worship the
beast, verse nine,
00:18:16.69\00:18:18.89
and then, keep the
commandments of God.
00:18:18.89\00:18:21.70
So the final conflict
regarding the mark of the beast
00:18:21.70\00:18:25.37
and the seal of
God is over worship.
00:18:25.37\00:18:28.34
This final conflict focuses
on worshiping the Creator
00:18:28.34\00:18:32.37
and worshiping the beast.
00:18:32.37\00:18:34.04
So worshiping
the Creator must be
00:18:34.04\00:18:38.11
in total harmony
with the commandments.
00:18:38.11\00:18:42.35
So what commandment has to
do with worshiping the Creator?
00:18:42.35\00:18:44.82
The Sabbath.
00:18:44.82\00:18:46.12
So the question
becomes then, is the Sabbath
00:18:46.12\00:18:50.16
the visible symbol
of the seal of God?
00:18:50.16\00:18:53.86
See, if somebody asked
me, "What is the seal of God?"
00:18:53.86\00:18:55.70
It is a settling
into God's truth,
00:18:55.70\00:18:58.40
spiritually and intellectually,
00:18:58.40\00:19:00.07
so you can never be moved.
00:19:00.07\00:19:02.00
But the visible
manifestation of that settling
00:19:02.00\00:19:06.91
into God's truth, at a time
00:19:06.91\00:19:08.64
when an economic
boycott has passed
00:19:08.64\00:19:10.81
and a death decree has passed,
00:19:10.81\00:19:12.31
the visible manifestation
of the inner commitment
00:19:12.31\00:19:14.58
is the external
keeping of the Sabbath.
00:19:14.58\00:19:16.48
So do we find the seal of
God in the Sabbath commandment?
00:19:16.48\00:19:20.19
Well, let's go back and
look at Exodus, chapter 20.
00:19:20.19\00:19:22.76
And I'll talk a little
bit about ancient seals.
00:19:23.86\00:19:26.73
What was an
ancient seal used for?
00:19:27.93\00:19:30.20
An ancient seal
authenticated a legal document.
00:19:30.20\00:19:34.30
So if there was a legal
document in ancient times,
00:19:34.30\00:19:37.87
they would have a seal.
00:19:37.87\00:19:39.61
Many thousands of
seals have been discovered
00:19:39.61\00:19:43.48
by the archaeologists.
00:19:43.48\00:19:44.98
These seals would have the
name of the sealer, typically,
00:19:44.98\00:19:49.85
some of them would, or
the symbol of the sealer.
00:19:49.85\00:19:52.39
They would have the
title of the sealer.
00:19:52.39\00:19:54.09
They would have the territory,
00:19:54.09\00:19:55.79
but there would be
something that indicated name,
00:19:55.79\00:19:57.89
title, and
territory of the sealer.
00:19:57.89\00:20:00.70
They often wouldn't
have the exact name,
00:20:00.70\00:20:03.30
but the the seal would
indicate the authority,
00:20:03.30\00:20:06.33
the one who has the
authority to make that seal.
00:20:06.33\00:20:08.97
The key thing about a seal
00:20:08.97\00:20:10.41
is that they
authenticate a legal document,
00:20:10.41\00:20:13.27
and they have to
declare who is the one
00:20:13.27\00:20:16.04
who has the authority to
authenticate that document.
00:20:16.04\00:20:19.35
The 10 Commandments
were written by God,
00:20:19.35\00:20:21.65
on tables of stone,
with His own finger.
00:20:21.65\00:20:24.49
Has He authenticated
that document, and how has He?
00:20:24.49\00:20:28.12
Well, let's look
at Exodus, chapter 20.
00:20:28.12\00:20:31.13
And why don't you read just
right down, eight through 11?
00:20:31.13\00:20:35.80
>>Okay, verse eight says,
00:20:35.80\00:20:37.23
"Remember the
Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
00:20:37.23\00:20:39.57
"Six days you shall
labor and do all your work,
00:20:39.57\00:20:42.04
"but the seventh day is the
Sabbath of the Lord your God.
00:20:42.04\00:20:45.21
"In it you shall do no work:
00:20:45.21\00:20:46.71
"you, nor your
son, nor your daughter,
00:20:46.71\00:20:48.84
"nor your male servant,
00:20:48.84\00:20:50.25
"nor your female
servant, nor your cattle,
00:20:50.25\00:20:52.48
"nor your stranger
who is within your gates.
00:20:52.48\00:20:55.05
"For in six days the Lord
made the heavens and the earth,
00:20:55.05\00:20:57.95
"the sea, and
all that is in them,
00:20:57.95\00:21:00.26
"and rested the seventh day.
00:21:00.26\00:21:01.62
"Therefore the Lord
blessed the Sabbath day
00:21:01.62\00:21:04.09
and hallowed it."
00:21:04.09\00:21:05.33
>>Now let's look
at that carefully.
00:21:05.33\00:21:07.86
It says,
"Remember the Sabbath day."
00:21:07.86\00:21:09.63
God said, "Remember," but
human beings have forgotten.
00:21:09.63\00:21:12.83
He wrote these commandments,
00:21:12.83\00:21:14.50
with His own
finger, on tables of stone.
00:21:14.50\00:21:18.04
He says, "Six
days you shall labor,
00:21:18.04\00:21:19.61
"but the seventh day is the
Sabbath of the Lord your God."
00:21:19.61\00:21:22.94
There's His name,
00:21:22.94\00:21:23.91
He's the Lord your God.
00:21:23.91\00:21:25.15
Then it goes on to say,
about doing no work therein,
00:21:26.48\00:21:30.19
and He says, "For
in six days," verse 11,
00:21:30.19\00:21:34.46
"the Lord made
heavens and earth,
00:21:34.46\00:21:37.53
"the sea, and
all that in them is."
00:21:37.53\00:21:40.33
The Lord made,
00:21:40.33\00:21:41.43
He's a maker or creator,
00:21:41.43\00:21:43.50
that's His title.
00:21:43.50\00:21:44.87
He's the maker,
and here's His domain,
00:21:44.87\00:21:47.30
heaven, earth, sea,
and all that in them is.
00:21:47.30\00:21:49.84
"He rested the
Sabbath, the seventh day.
00:21:49.84\00:21:51.81
"Therefore the Lord
blessed the Sabbath day
00:21:51.81\00:21:53.71
and hallowed it."
00:21:53.71\00:21:55.01
In the Sabbath commandment
00:21:55.01\00:21:56.61
you have the name of
God, the Lord my God.
00:21:56.61\00:21:59.41
You have the title, is Creator,
00:21:59.41\00:22:02.52
and you have His
domain, heaven, earth, and sea.
00:22:02.52\00:22:06.09
So the Sabbath commandment
contains the seal of God.
00:22:06.09\00:22:10.13
Just like in the days of Daniel,
00:22:10.13\00:22:13.63
when Nebuchadnezzar
built the golden image,
00:22:13.63\00:22:17.40
that the second
commandment was a test question.
00:22:17.40\00:22:21.27
It revealed an inner faith,
just like the first commandment
00:22:21.27\00:22:26.14
in the days of Daniel, when
he was threatened not to pray
00:22:26.14\00:22:30.71
to any God
except the king Darius,
00:22:30.71\00:22:34.48
and he went into the lions' den.
00:22:34.48\00:22:37.22
Just like Daniel,
himself, had that faith,
00:22:37.22\00:22:42.29
the second commandment was a
visible, external manifestation
00:22:43.63\00:22:45.73
of that inner faith.
00:22:45.73\00:22:46.90
The Sabbath commandment,
worshiping the Creator,
00:22:48.23\00:22:52.00
at the climax
of earth's history,
00:22:52.00\00:22:54.30
is a visible
manifestation of genuine,
00:22:54.30\00:22:57.34
authentic faith in God.
00:22:57.34\00:23:00.21
And keeping the Sabbath
00:23:00.21\00:23:01.58
is not a
legalistic form of salvation,
00:23:01.58\00:23:05.15
but it is a revelation
of the faith of Christ
00:23:05.15\00:23:09.22
at a time of crisis.
00:23:09.22\00:23:11.15
Now, if the seal of
God indeed is the Sabbath,
00:23:11.15\00:23:14.72
and if there's a
test over the law of God,
00:23:14.72\00:23:17.23
how might we
look at this conflict
00:23:17.23\00:23:18.99
between the seal of God
and the mark of the beast?
00:23:18.99\00:23:21.80
>>So it seems that
the mark of the beast
00:23:21.80\00:23:23.30
would have to stand
00:23:23.30\00:23:24.47
in contrast to it. >>It would.
00:23:24.47\00:23:25.97
>>If the manifestation
of settling into the truth
00:23:25.97\00:23:29.64
for God is the
recognition and the practice
00:23:29.64\00:23:32.54
of keeping the
Sabbath, then the flip side
00:23:32.54\00:23:35.28
would have to be
the mark of the beast.
00:23:35.28\00:23:37.48
>>Exactly.
00:23:37.48\00:23:38.61
You know, here,
there's a couple things
00:23:38.61\00:23:40.72
that I think--couple statements
that are quite critical.
00:23:40.72\00:23:44.05
If you look, for example,
on page 100 of the quarterly,
00:23:44.05\00:23:47.82
there's a
statement from the book
00:23:47.82\00:23:49.49
"Great Controversy," page 592.
00:23:49.49\00:23:53.86
Is that one that
you have you could read?
00:23:53.86\00:23:55.56
>>It is.
00:23:55.56\00:23:56.80
Says, "Those who
honor the Bible Sabbath
00:23:56.80\00:23:58.40
"will be denounced as
enemies of law and order,
00:23:58.40\00:24:01.14
"as breaking down the
moral restraints of society,
00:24:01.14\00:24:03.87
"causing anarchy and corruption,
00:24:03.87\00:24:06.21
"and calling down the
judgments of God upon the earth.
00:24:06.21\00:24:09.24
"Their conscientious scruples
will be pronounced obstinacy,
00:24:09.24\00:24:12.68
"stubbornness, and
contempt of authority.
00:24:12.68\00:24:15.48
"They will be
accused of disaffection
00:24:15.48\00:24:17.99
toward the government."
00:24:17.99\00:24:19.25
>>That's a pretty
serious statement.
00:24:19.25\00:24:21.09
Now, how does that play
into the mark of the beast,
00:24:21.09\00:24:23.83
and what might the
mark of the beast is?
00:24:23.83\00:24:25.49
Why are they being claimed
00:24:25.49\00:24:29.43
as enemies of law and order?
00:24:29.43\00:24:32.60
Could it be that the
opposite of Sabbath worship
00:24:32.60\00:24:36.94
is sun worship
coming back into the church,
00:24:36.94\00:24:39.84
like in the days of Constantine?
00:24:39.84\00:24:41.91
Could it be that
the mark of the beast,
00:24:41.91\00:24:44.68
is the mark of the
papal power uniting
00:24:44.68\00:24:48.22
with the state and
the economic leaders,
00:24:48.22\00:24:50.29
at a time of
crisis, to initiate laws
00:24:50.29\00:24:53.92
to worship on Sunday, at a
time the world's falling apart?
00:24:53.92\00:24:57.73
In "The American
Catholic Quarterly Review,"
00:24:57.73\00:25:01.36
January 1883,
00:25:01.36\00:25:03.53
I'm reading a
statement that says,
00:25:03.53\00:25:05.93
"Of course the Catholic
Church claims that the change,"
00:25:05.93\00:25:09.80
that's the change of the
Sabbath, "was her act....
00:25:09.80\00:25:12.01
"And the act is a mark
of her ecclesiastical power
00:25:12.01\00:25:15.58
and authority in
religious matters."
00:25:15.58\00:25:17.91
So the church says that
the change of the Sabbath,
00:25:17.91\00:25:21.45
from Saturday to
Sunday, is a mark
00:25:21.45\00:25:23.59
of her ecclesiastical authority.
00:25:23.59\00:25:26.02
Well, if you
change the law of God,
00:25:26.02\00:25:27.52
written with God's own
finger on tables of stone,
00:25:27.52\00:25:29.92
you must have an
authority greater than God.
00:25:29.92\00:25:32.09
Nobody has an
authority greater than God,
00:25:32.09\00:25:34.40
He is the highest authority.
00:25:34.40\00:25:36.56
There are those
that say it's impossible,
00:25:36.56\00:25:38.60
for example, that
Sunday would ever become
00:25:38.60\00:25:41.77
a common day of
rest and worship.
00:25:41.77\00:25:44.04
It's very interesting,
00:25:44.04\00:25:45.54
on June 6th, 2012, and I've
listed this in the quarterly,
00:25:45.54\00:25:49.94
"Pope Benedict XVI
made an urgent appeal
00:25:49.94\00:25:52.71
"to more than
15,000 people gathered
00:25:52.71\00:25:55.02
[at] St.
Peter's Square in Rome."
00:25:55.02\00:25:57.55
And he said, "Sunday must
be a day of rest for everyone."
00:25:57.55\00:26:00.22
And he goes on to say,
00:26:00.22\00:26:01.72
"By defending Sunday,
one defends human freedom."
00:26:01.72\00:26:05.16
Now this isn't, of course,
calling for Sunday legislation,
00:26:05.16\00:26:09.96
but what it is saying is
00:26:09.96\00:26:12.67
that--it is
preparing the way for that.
00:26:12.67\00:26:15.50
It's saying, look, Sunday
is a day for workers to rest.
00:26:15.50\00:26:20.14
It's a day for social
opportunity with our family.
00:26:20.14\00:26:23.14
It's a day for
shops to be closed.
00:26:23.14\00:26:25.18
The mind is being conditioned
00:26:25.18\00:26:27.12
to accept this
Sunday law in the future.
00:26:27.12\00:26:29.72
In fact, in Europe, there
is a movement right now, today.
00:26:29.72\00:26:34.32
In some places in
Europe, there's a movement
00:26:34.32\00:26:37.29
to have Sunday as a
day of rest for laborers,
00:26:37.29\00:26:40.90
not so much a worship day
because Europe is quite secular,
00:26:40.90\00:26:44.07
but you can see
at a time of crisis,
00:26:44.07\00:26:47.07
at a time of earthquake,
famine, fire, flood, war,
00:26:47.07\00:26:51.21
threat of nuclear war,
00:26:51.21\00:26:53.48
it might be possible for these
prophecies to be fulfilled.
00:26:53.48\00:26:57.61
I think it's highly
likely that they could.
00:26:57.61\00:26:59.25
>>Yeah, I think we're getting
closer and closer to that.
00:26:59.25\00:27:02.55
And if you're paying
attention to what's happening
00:27:02.55\00:27:04.22
in the world around
you, and I hope that you are,
00:27:04.22\00:27:06.35
and if you're paying attention
00:27:06.35\00:27:07.69
to what the Bible says
is happening right now,
00:27:07.69\00:27:09.99
and will be
happening in the near future,
00:27:09.99\00:27:12.19
you're aware of
some of the things
00:27:12.19\00:27:13.70
that are shortly going to
come to pass on this earth.
00:27:13.70\00:27:16.13
And it has been very interesting
00:27:16.13\00:27:17.33
to look at what's
happening in the news,
00:27:17.33\00:27:18.80
especially in Europe
with some of these things.
00:27:18.80\00:27:21.27
But God has not left us to
be ignorant of what's happening,
00:27:21.27\00:27:24.81
He gives us plenty of
opportunity to know what's going
00:27:24.81\00:27:28.44
on and to prepare
for what's going on.
00:27:28.44\00:27:30.85
It's not just a matter of a day.
00:27:30.85\00:27:33.98
It's a matter of
something much deeper,
00:27:33.98\00:27:35.72
and that's of heart and loyalty.
00:27:35.72\00:27:38.89
And what God is doing today,
00:27:38.89\00:27:40.09
is He's calling
people to trust Him,
00:27:40.09\00:27:42.76
to believe in Him,
to have faith in Him,
00:27:42.76\00:27:45.53
and to walk forward in the
truth that He has shown them.
00:27:45.53\00:27:48.70
And my hope and prayer
00:27:48.70\00:27:50.00
is that God is encouraging you
00:27:50.00\00:27:51.87
to do the very same thing.
00:27:51.87\00:27:53.13
Pastor Mark,
thank you for joining us
00:27:53.13\00:27:54.40
again this week. >>Thank you.
00:27:54.40\00:27:55.34
>>And thank you for joining us.
00:27:55.34\00:27:56.84
Next week, we
will get together again
00:27:56.84\00:27:59.07
for our final time this quarter,
00:27:59.07\00:28:01.11
as we pull
together the last thoughts
00:28:01.11\00:28:02.94
on "Three Cosmic Messages."
00:28:02.94\00:28:05.61
God bless you, and
we'll see you next week.
00:28:05.61\00:28:08.25
(uplifting music)
00:28:08.25\00:28:11.15
(music ends)
00:28:26.90\00:28:29.54