The Mark of the Beast and of course the question is 00:00:34.15\00:00:36.67 when you come to the Mark of the Beast 00:00:36.70\00:00:39.00 who is beast or what is the beast, 00:00:39.03\00:00:41.92 and what is the significance of his is mark? 00:00:41.95\00:00:45.97 And specifically how about that number 666, 00:00:46.00\00:00:48.51 what is that all about? 00:00:48.54\00:00:50.59 Now these are some of the questions 00:00:50.62\00:00:52.03 we want to answer tonight 00:00:52.06\00:00:53.54 as we again turn our attention 00:00:53.57\00:00:55.49 to that apocalyptic Book of Revelation. 00:00:55.52\00:00:58.44 You know, the Bible 00:00:58.47\00:00:59.50 in contemning this apostate power 00:00:59.53\00:01:01.19 gives us one of the strongest mornings 00:01:01.22\00:01:03.74 anywhere in scriptures. 00:01:03.77\00:01:06.22 We find it and it's gonna be on the screen to night 00:01:06.25\00:01:07.74 Revelation 14:9,10 where it says "And another angel" 00:01:07.77\00:01:13.05 that would angel translates out to be messenger aggelos 00:01:13.08\00:01:16.87 the Greek word means actually messenger. 00:01:16.90\00:01:19.16 "And another angel, a third one, 00:01:19.19\00:01:21.47 followed them, saying with a loud voice, 00:01:21.50\00:01:23.85 'If anyone worships the beast and his image, 00:01:23.88\00:01:28.20 and receives a mark on his forehead 00:01:28.23\00:01:31.14 or upon his hand, 00:01:31.17\00:01:32.75 he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, 00:01:32.78\00:01:35.39 which is mixed in full strength in the cup of his anger." 00:01:35.42\00:01:38.85 I mean, this eminently is very strong language, 00:01:38.88\00:01:40.97 isn't it? 00:01:41.00\00:01:42.48 And then it goes on to say 00:01:42.51\00:01:43.85 "And he will be tormented with fire and brim-stone 00:01:43.88\00:01:47.13 in the presence of the holy angels 00:01:47.16\00:01:48.89 and in the presence of the Lamb." 00:01:48.92\00:01:51.23 My friend, we do serve a God of love 00:01:51.26\00:01:54.20 but a God of love that in the end 00:01:54.23\00:01:57.10 is going to take action to eliminate and destroy evil. 00:01:57.13\00:02:01.74 It is a cancer and it must be dealt with. 00:02:01.77\00:02:06.89 But again we know that He's gonna do everything 00:02:06.92\00:02:09.20 that He possibly can to say as many who will. 00:02:09.23\00:02:12.97 But we all have the choice in this, don't we? 00:02:13.00\00:02:15.65 And when it comes down to the issue of the mark 00:02:15.68\00:02:17.44 we have a choice in all of this. 00:02:17.47\00:02:20.37 And so if we make the right choice 00:02:20.40\00:02:21.96 and our love for Jesus Christ 00:02:21.99\00:02:23.73 my friend, we have nothing to fear about the end times, 00:02:23.76\00:02:26.53 we have nothing fear about the beast 00:02:26.56\00:02:28.12 and the mark and all of these issues. 00:02:28.15\00:02:30.30 Again I remind you the promise is that, 00:02:30.33\00:02:33.93 you know, Jesus said I am with you always 00:02:33.96\00:02:36.08 even to the end of the age or the end of the world. 00:02:36.11\00:02:40.00 But the Lord clearly as given us warning 00:02:40.03\00:02:43.50 to keep us from being deceived 00:02:43.53\00:02:45.69 and receiving the terrible judgments 00:02:45.72\00:02:48.08 and the final destruction in the lake of fire 00:02:48.11\00:02:50.77 for those who receive the mark of the beast. 00:02:50.80\00:02:53.91 And so tonight we're going to-- 00:02:53.94\00:02:55.97 our subjects divided into two parts. 00:02:56.00\00:02:57.90 We're going to first of all identify the beast 00:02:57.93\00:03:01.44 and we're going to do that 00:03:01.47\00:03:02.50 by taking seven identifying characteristic 00:03:02.53\00:03:05.98 straight out of the Book of Revelation Chapter 13. 00:03:06.01\00:03:09.78 And then the later part of the presentation 00:03:09.81\00:03:12.51 we'll examine what the Mark of the Beast is all about. 00:03:12.54\00:03:15.81 And we will spend near as much time on the mark 00:03:15.84\00:03:19.68 it's very important of course. 00:03:19.71\00:03:22.13 But we will not spend as much time in the mark 00:03:22.16\00:03:24.43 as we do in the identity of the beast 00:03:24.46\00:03:27.56 because that is essential for us to be clear on. 00:03:27.59\00:03:29.64 Won't you agree? 00:03:29.67\00:03:31.52 And by the way for those who thought there 00:03:31.55\00:03:33.18 we're gonna get a presentation 00:03:33.21\00:03:34.29 as we come to the Mark on the issue of the mark 00:03:34.32\00:03:36.86 whether it's a literal mark. 00:03:36.89\00:03:39.18 I do not deny the possibility 00:03:39.21\00:03:41.17 that they could be a literal mark 00:03:41.20\00:03:42.67 I believe however that it represents a choice. 00:03:42.70\00:03:49.23 He says Mark in the forehead, 00:03:49.26\00:03:51.50 I think they are those 00:03:51.53\00:03:52.65 who are gonna buy into this last deception 00:03:52.68\00:03:54.82 I think that's what he's represented there. 00:03:54.85\00:03:57.14 And then it says those-- 00:03:57.17\00:03:58.55 and those who are received it in their hand 00:03:58.58\00:04:01.60 and that is they are going to go long 00:04:01.63\00:04:03.88 not because they are so convinced 00:04:03.91\00:04:06.65 but you do understand, 00:04:06.68\00:04:07.93 you know, unless we have the Mark we can buy or sell. 00:04:07.96\00:04:10.52 There's consequences that follow if you don't have the mark. 00:04:10.55\00:04:13.00 So some are just gonna go a long. 00:04:13.03\00:04:15.37 So let's look at this matter the beast 00:04:15.40\00:04:16.98 as we turn to Revelation Chapter 13 00:04:17.01\00:04:19.72 and we look at verses 1 and 2 00:04:19.75\00:04:21.68 where it says "And I stood" 00:04:21.71\00:04:23.35 John says "I stood upon the sand of the sea, 00:04:23.38\00:04:26.52 and I saw a beast rise up out of the sea, 00:04:26.55\00:04:29.55 having seven heads and ten horns, 00:04:29.58\00:04:32.98 and upon his horns ten crowns, 00:04:33.01\00:04:35.65 and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. 00:04:35.68\00:04:38.72 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, 00:04:38.75\00:04:41.75 and his feet were as the feet of a bear, 00:04:41.78\00:04:45.06 and his mouth as the mouth of a lion, 00:04:45.09\00:04:47.78 and the dragon gave him his power, 00:04:47.81\00:04:50.43 and his seat and great authority." 00:04:50.46\00:04:53.30 It's great composite beast is what we have in Revelation 13 00:04:53.33\00:04:59.56 and it's important to take note of the fact 00:04:59.59\00:05:02.35 that the dragon is involved with the beast 00:05:02.38\00:05:05.37 and the dragon it says gave him his power, 00:05:05.40\00:05:09.17 his seat and great authority. 00:05:09.20\00:05:12.46 That's gonna be important in our identity 00:05:12.49\00:05:15.22 of the beast as we move into it. 00:05:15.25\00:05:18.01 So anyway this idea beast, 00:05:18.04\00:05:20.07 remember again in the Book of Revelation 00:05:20.10\00:05:21.76 as we noted on numerous occasions 00:05:21.79\00:05:23.98 this is a book that is filled with prophetic symbolisms, 00:05:24.01\00:05:28.41 right. 00:05:28.44\00:05:29.47 It's coded but we can as we study 00:05:29.50\00:05:33.02 we can understand the great things 00:05:33.05\00:05:35.54 that we find in the Book of Revelation. 00:05:35.57\00:05:37.40 In fact as we talk about the symbolisms 00:05:37.43\00:05:40.58 these Prophetic symbolisms 00:05:40.61\00:05:42.09 we're not unfamiliar with this kind of symbolisms. 00:05:42.12\00:05:45.94 In fact, when you look at the bear 00:05:45.97\00:05:47.91 what great countries represent by the bear? 00:05:47.94\00:05:50.48 Yeah, Russia you've got it. 00:05:50.51\00:05:52.20 And let's go on how about the Lion, 00:05:52.23\00:05:54.61 what country is represented by the lion? 00:05:54.64\00:05:56.84 And my friend, the answer is 00:05:56.87\00:05:59.27 that represents Great Britain doesn't it? 00:05:59.30\00:06:01.50 And now if you miss this one you plunge a course 00:06:01.53\00:06:05.79 because the bald eagle represents what great country? 00:06:05.82\00:06:10.87 It represents the United States. 00:06:10.90\00:06:13.89 So again, we know something about symbolisms 00:06:13.92\00:06:19.70 and we have them here and we can understand 00:06:19.73\00:06:22.36 what is behind the symbolisms. 00:06:22.39\00:06:25.14 But remember it said there in those first verses 00:06:25.17\00:06:28.18 "That the dragon gave the beast his seat, 00:06:28.21\00:06:30.93 his power and great authority." 00:06:30.96\00:06:33.50 And of course, the question 00:06:33.53\00:06:34.65 then naturally follows who is the dragon? 00:06:34.68\00:06:36.51 And we certainly had studied this one out, haven't we? 00:06:36.54\00:06:39.38 But less we be confuse about it. 00:06:39.41\00:06:41.13 Let's go to the chapter and verses its Revelation 12:9 00:06:41.16\00:06:45.41 where it says "And the great dragon 00:06:45.44\00:06:47.17 was thrown down, the serpent of old 00:06:47.20\00:06:49.56 who is called the devil and Satan, 00:06:49.59\00:06:51.03 who deceives the whole world, 00:06:51.06\00:06:52.61 he was thrown down to the earth." 00:06:52.64\00:06:54.90 And so the dragon represents whom? 00:06:54.93\00:06:58.02 It represent Satan, it represents the devil. 00:06:58.05\00:07:01.56 And I don't think if I-- well, let me ask you a question. 00:07:01.59\00:07:04.18 Anybody surprised to find out 00:07:04.21\00:07:06.74 that behind a beast is the devil? 00:07:06.77\00:07:10.91 No, I don't think we'll be surprise at all 00:07:10.94\00:07:13.03 but it's exclusively explained here. 00:07:13.06\00:07:15.71 And for the more in that some context 00:07:15.74\00:07:18.01 that is in Revelation 12 looking at verses 3-5 00:07:18.04\00:07:22.27 we see the conflict and we see the hatred of the evil one. 00:07:22.30\00:07:28.17 In verse 3 it says "And behold, a great red dragon 00:07:28.20\00:07:31.97 having seven heads and ten hors, 00:07:32.00\00:07:34.06 and on his heads were seven diadems. 00:07:34.09\00:07:38.96 And the dragon stood before the woman 00:07:38.99\00:07:41.00 who was about to give birth, 00:07:41.03\00:07:42.53 so that when she gave birth he might devour here child. 00:07:42.56\00:07:46.64 And she gave birth to a son, 00:07:46.67\00:07:49.84 a male child, who is to rule 00:07:49.87\00:07:51.86 all the nations with a rod of iron, 00:07:51.89\00:07:54.32 and here child was caught up to God and to His throne." 00:07:54.35\00:07:58.17 Well, who is that talking about? 00:07:58.20\00:08:01.33 It's talking about Jesus, isn't it? 00:08:01.36\00:08:03.86 And so we see the dragon, 00:08:03.89\00:08:05.29 he is anticipating the coming of Jesus. 00:08:05.32\00:08:09.49 Again the language here prophetic 00:08:09.52\00:08:10.99 but he certainly his anticipating 00:08:11.02\00:08:12.89 the coming of Jesus. 00:08:12.92\00:08:14.00 And what is his intention? 00:08:14.03\00:08:16.48 Well, he is-- what is rebelled it is evil. 00:08:16.51\00:08:21.05 And my friend, he knew everything 00:08:21.08\00:08:23.16 depended on the outcome of this conflict with Jesus. 00:08:23.19\00:08:27.54 And He was determined that word that is used here 00:08:27.57\00:08:30.37 that he would devour Jesus 00:08:30.40\00:08:33.76 when He came into the world. 00:08:33.79\00:08:36.69 And so we're going to trace this, 00:08:36.72\00:08:38.46 we're gonna see how this plate out historically 00:08:38.49\00:08:40.79 which will help us 00:08:40.82\00:08:42.94 again in identifying who the beast really is. 00:08:42.97\00:08:46.50 We need to take note 00:08:46.53\00:08:47.83 that the devil rarely operates in the open. 00:08:47.86\00:08:51.45 I mean, he is the great manipulator. 00:08:51.48\00:08:53.69 He works behind the scenes often manipulating individuals, 00:08:53.72\00:08:58.21 and manipulating powers and institutions 00:08:58.24\00:09:02.12 that's what we know of him. 00:09:02.15\00:09:04.39 And so he would seat to devour the Christ child 00:09:04.42\00:09:07.34 and we look at the historical the biblical record of it 00:09:07.37\00:09:10.46 and it takes us right back to the wise men. 00:09:10.49\00:09:12.46 Remember they've been following the star for the east. 00:09:12.49\00:09:15.50 They have been studying the prophecies 00:09:15.53\00:09:17.71 they predicted the birth of a king. 00:09:17.74\00:09:21.01 Unfortunately the people of God had not really been 00:09:21.04\00:09:24.85 keeping in touch with those prophecies. 00:09:24.88\00:09:27.45 But anyway they came to Jerusalem 00:09:27.48\00:09:28.93 following the star and they were asking. 00:09:28.96\00:09:30.75 They thought everybody would be excited about the fact 00:09:30.78\00:09:33.36 you know the king was gonna be born 00:09:33.39\00:09:35.23 and you know they again create 00:09:35.26\00:09:37.37 a quite a bit of activity within the city as they were 00:09:37.40\00:09:41.06 you know asking the question. 00:09:41.09\00:09:42.68 King Herod, King Herod, God word 00:09:42.71\00:09:46.96 of the stir that was happening in Jerusalem 00:09:46.99\00:09:49.88 from these strangers these mystic strangers 00:09:49.91\00:09:53.31 from the east. 00:09:53.34\00:09:54.95 And so he had to brought into his presents 00:09:54.98\00:09:58.07 and we've been through this little bit before 00:09:58.10\00:09:59.76 and he turn to his Jewish counselors 00:09:59.79\00:10:01.56 and he said you know do you have any idea where the king, 00:10:01.59\00:10:04.53 you know, the new born king would be born? 00:10:04.56\00:10:06.94 And they turned to the prophecy 00:10:06.97\00:10:08.34 of Mike 5:2 said it was gonna be Bethlehem. 00:10:08.37\00:10:11.56 And remember he said to the wise men, go find Him 00:10:11.59\00:10:15.25 and when you find Him send me word 00:10:15.28\00:10:17.70 so I too can come and worship. 00:10:17.73\00:10:20.65 Well, he didn't have worship in mind at all. 00:10:20.68\00:10:23.39 He perceived this is threat to his position. 00:10:23.42\00:10:27.03 He was the king, King Herod 00:10:27.06\00:10:30.13 and he was gonna have none of it 00:10:30.16\00:10:32.66 and remember when the wise man were told 00:10:32.69\00:10:37.44 to get out of Bethlehem 00:10:37.47\00:10:39.53 do not return to King Herod 00:10:39.56\00:10:42.88 and further more Joseph received a dream 00:10:42.91\00:10:45.27 and he said to take the child at his mother 00:10:45.30\00:10:47.83 and get out of town and head down to Egypt. 00:10:47.86\00:10:50.90 When that became apparent to Herod 00:10:50.93\00:10:53.22 he sent his soldiers into Bethlehem 00:10:53.25\00:10:55.35 and they destroyed every child, every male child 00:10:55.38\00:10:58.57 two years of age and under. 00:10:58.60\00:11:01.52 That has to go down in history 00:11:01.55\00:11:03.12 as one of the most dastardly deeds 00:11:03.15\00:11:05.38 in his attempts to destroy the Christ child. 00:11:05.41\00:11:08.05 And again the prophecy is that the devil, 00:11:08.08\00:11:10.61 the evil one would seek to devour the Christ child. 00:11:10.64\00:11:13.64 And again we see how he was manipulating behind the scenes 00:11:13.67\00:11:17.62 working in this case through King Herod, 00:11:17.65\00:11:21.09 but King Herod did not stand 00:11:21.12\00:11:23.74 upon his own authority is what we find. 00:11:23.77\00:11:27.33 In fact, it goes back to 37 B.C, 37 B.C. 00:11:27.36\00:11:31.36 The practice of the Roman Empire that period of time 00:11:31.39\00:11:33.84 was to establish these-- we will call them puppet states 00:11:33.87\00:11:37.85 on the frontiers of the empire 00:11:37.88\00:11:39.96 buffer states is what they were 00:11:39.99\00:11:41.58 buffer states to well lay beyond the empire. 00:11:41.61\00:11:45.94 And so Octavian 00:11:45.97\00:11:48.46 you know that word from history don't you, 00:11:48.49\00:11:50.53 Octavian and Mark Antony interestingly again in 37 B.C 00:11:50.56\00:11:56.22 sponsored Herod to become the king 00:11:56.25\00:11:59.90 of the state this buffer state. 00:11:59.93\00:12:02.19 Now the emperor-- empire was setting up 00:12:02.22\00:12:06.07 and the Roman senate conferred on Herod his kingship. 00:12:06.10\00:12:12.13 And so what was-- who is the power behind 00:12:12.16\00:12:15.37 the authority of King Herod? 00:12:15.40\00:12:18.35 My friend, it was Rome. 00:12:18.38\00:12:20.55 And we're talking about imperial or pagan Rome. 00:12:20.58\00:12:24.42 And we will discover 00:12:24.45\00:12:25.48 that imperial pagan Rome played a role, a part 00:12:25.51\00:12:28.03 it is not the beast but it played part 00:12:28.06\00:12:31.76 in this matter of seeking to destroy the Christ child. 00:12:31.79\00:12:34.51 I remind you that it was before a Roman governor 00:12:34.54\00:12:38.61 that Jesus was tied and condemned 00:12:38.64\00:12:41.23 that was by Roman soldiers 00:12:41.26\00:12:42.92 that He was crucified on the cross of Calvary 00:12:42.95\00:12:45.26 and at the tomb there was Roman God and Roman sealed 00:12:45.29\00:12:48.15 that was put over the tomb. 00:12:48.18\00:12:50.17 So imperial Rome plays a major role 00:12:50.20\00:12:53.44 in this matter of the transparence 00:12:53.47\00:12:56.06 of the dragon seat and power and great authority. 00:12:56.09\00:13:00.74 In fact, Constantine played a major role in this. 00:13:00.77\00:13:04.48 This is going into the early 4th Century the 300s 00:13:04.51\00:13:09.14 and it was Constantine 00:13:09.17\00:13:10.86 who transferred the seat of his power 00:13:10.89\00:13:13.66 from Rome the City of Rome to Constantinople. 00:13:13.69\00:13:18.38 He established the city in the east 00:13:18.41\00:13:20.28 and part of the empire and he named it after himself. 00:13:20.31\00:13:22.91 He did that in 330 A.D is what the Bible 00:13:22.94\00:13:26.83 as what history tells us. 00:13:26.86\00:13:28.82 And in the resulting vacuum in Rome-- 00:13:28.85\00:13:32.54 papal Rome gradually became more dominate 00:13:32.57\00:13:37.68 assuming both civil and religious authority, 00:13:37.71\00:13:42.23 again is what the Bible indicates to us. 00:13:42.26\00:13:45.42 Let me share a couple of statements 00:13:45.45\00:13:46.80 historically that we bear this out 00:13:46.83\00:13:48.72 Labianca from the University of Rome 00:13:48.75\00:13:51.55 may this observation he said 00:13:51.58\00:13:53.03 "To the succession of the Caesars 00:13:53.06\00:13:54.82 came the successions of the Pontiffs in Rome. 00:13:54.85\00:13:57.78 When Constantine left Rome 00:13:57.81\00:13:59.35 he gave his seat to the Pontiff." 00:13:59.38\00:14:03.70 And then we move on to Abbots Roman History 00:14:03.73\00:14:05.72 page, 236 where he says 00:14:05.75\00:14:07.63 "the transference of the emperor's residence 00:14:07.66\00:14:10.16 to Constantinople was a sad blow to the prestige of Rome, 00:14:10.19\00:14:14.54 and at the time one might have predicted her speedy decline. 00:14:14.57\00:14:19.40 But the development of the Church, 00:14:19.43\00:14:21.57 and the growing authority of the Bishop of Rome, 00:14:21.60\00:14:23.99 or the pope, gave her a new lease on life, 00:14:24.02\00:14:27.64 and made here again the capital 00:14:27.67\00:14:31.04 this time the religious capital of the civilized world." 00:14:31.07\00:14:34.82 Then it is a historical fact, papal Rome. 00:14:34.85\00:14:40.85 And my friend, key to the immersions of papal Rome 00:14:40.88\00:14:44.82 in this position of dominates 00:14:44.85\00:14:46.74 was the influence of Constantine. 00:14:46.77\00:14:50.18 Constantine had a dramatic influence on-- 00:14:50.21\00:14:55.70 in the immersions 00:14:55.73\00:14:57.50 under development of the papal system. 00:14:57.53\00:15:00.47 So was through the influence of Constantine 00:15:00.50\00:15:02.70 coupled with the disintegration of the empire over time 00:15:02.73\00:15:08.26 these two factors were major in the emergence 00:15:08.29\00:15:11.56 and the development of papal system. 00:15:11.59\00:15:13.97 And so as we examine the Biblical evidence 00:15:14.00\00:15:17.29 it clearly points to papal Rome 00:15:17.32\00:15:19.81 as the only possible power or institution 00:15:19.84\00:15:23.12 that immerge out of disintegration of pagan Rome 00:15:23.15\00:15:26.97 that fulfills the prophecy here of Revelation Chapter 13. 00:15:27.00\00:15:31.34 So papal Rome in Herod it is seed 00:15:31.37\00:15:33.81 and powerful imperial Rome 00:15:33.84\00:15:35.44 another historically event that is important 00:15:35.47\00:15:38.30 in the emergence of the papal system. 00:15:38.33\00:15:40.60 Came in the 6th Century the 6th Century, 00:15:40.63\00:15:44.75 when the emperor Justinian, 00:15:44.78\00:15:47.50 Justinian made a decree 538 AD 00:15:47.53\00:15:51.30 in which he settle the issue of the supremacy 00:15:51.33\00:15:55.87 of the Bishop of Rome over the church universal. 00:15:55.90\00:16:00.35 But churches of the east had been resisting 00:16:00.38\00:16:02.77 the authority of the Bishop of Rome. 00:16:02.80\00:16:05.53 And so 538 was important. 00:16:05.56\00:16:08.52 And so 538 is a key date 00:16:08.55\00:16:12.51 in the establishment of the papal system. 00:16:12.54\00:16:15.88 And by the way that decree went into effective 538, 00:16:15.91\00:16:20.05 when the strangle hold of the Ostrogoths 00:16:20.08\00:16:25.15 with the city of Rome was broken, was broken 538 A.D 00:16:25.18\00:16:32.01 and that day we will come back to. 00:16:32.04\00:16:34.57 So again remember we're gonna be looking 00:16:34.60\00:16:36.05 at seven identifying characteristics, 00:16:36.08\00:16:37.87 so we have just started. 00:16:37.90\00:16:39.53 Let me just put the evidence together 00:16:39.56\00:16:41.01 both biblically and from the historical record. 00:16:41.04\00:16:43.72 But we go on back into Revelation 13 00:16:43.75\00:16:46.14 and looking at verses 5and 6 00:16:46.17\00:16:47.72 as we pick up another identifying characteristic 00:16:47.75\00:16:50.53 where it says "And there was given unto him 00:16:50.56\00:16:52.31 a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies. 00:16:52.34\00:16:56.26 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, 00:16:56.29\00:16:59.91 to blaspheme His name, and his tabernacle, 00:16:59.94\00:17:03.08 and them that dwell in heaven." 00:17:03.11\00:17:05.97 I mean, this is quite an outstanding passage isn't it. 00:17:06.00\00:17:10.05 Blasphemy it would guilty a blasphemy 00:17:10.08\00:17:13.11 could that possibly be true of the papal system. 00:17:13.14\00:17:18.77 And what is blasphemy anyway? How would you define it? 00:17:18.80\00:17:23.55 Well, we have to do it biblically, don't you think. 00:17:23.58\00:17:26.29 Let's get a cup of biblical definitions of blasphemy. 00:17:26.32\00:17:28.79 In John 10:33 that chief priest describes accuse Jesus of this 00:17:28.82\00:17:34.79 it says "The Jews answered Him, saying, 00:17:34.82\00:17:36.95 'For a good work we do not stone You, 00:17:36.98\00:17:39.60 but for blasphemy, and because You, 00:17:39.63\00:17:42.10 being a man, make Yourself God." 00:17:42.13\00:17:46.05 Now they were correct on the principal of it. 00:17:46.08\00:17:49.95 No human being as right to take those purgatives 00:17:49.98\00:17:53.43 and take those claims 00:17:53.46\00:17:54.73 that belong to God alone, to God alone. 00:17:54.76\00:17:59.61 So they were right in the principal 00:17:59.64\00:18:01.04 they were wrong in the application of it, 00:18:01.07\00:18:03.59 to Jesus Christ, 00:18:03.62\00:18:05.74 who clearly is God. 00:18:05.77\00:18:07.93 We've studied that haven't we? He is God. 00:18:07.96\00:18:09.89 Look at some of the claims 00:18:09.92\00:18:11.26 that are made by the papal system 00:18:11.29\00:18:14.42 this is from the, Extracts from Ferraris, 00:18:14.45\00:18:16.50 Ecclesiastical Dictionary it's an Article on the Pope. 00:18:16.53\00:18:20.85 "The Pope is of so great dignity 00:18:20.88\00:18:22.84 and so exalted that he is not a mere man, 00:18:22.87\00:18:27.02 but as it were God, and the vicar of God. 00:18:27.05\00:18:30.11 He is likewise, the divine monarch 00:18:30.14\00:18:34.92 and supreme emperor and king of kings." 00:18:34.95\00:18:38.90 By the way does the Bible tells is the king of kings. 00:18:38.93\00:18:43.02 Jesus is the King of Kings. 00:18:43.05\00:18:45.70 I mean really fantastic extraordinary claims 00:18:45.73\00:18:49.27 as you really study out again the papal system. 00:18:49.30\00:18:51.55 It goes on to say 00:18:51.58\00:18:52.61 "So that if it were possible 00:18:52.64\00:18:54.19 that the angels might err in the faith, 00:18:54.22\00:18:56.51 or might think contrary to the faith, 00:18:56.54\00:18:58.43 they could be judged and excommunicated by the Pope." 00:18:58.46\00:19:02.69 Even claims of the authority 00:19:02.72\00:19:05.24 over the angels of God in heaven, think of that. 00:19:05.27\00:19:10.80 Truly as I said a moment ago, extraordinary. 00:19:10.83\00:19:12.92 Pope Leo XIII said very simply 00:19:12.95\00:19:15.05 "We hold upon this earth the place of God Almighty." 00:19:15.08\00:19:21.12 And my friend, you can multiply many of these kinds of claims 00:19:21.15\00:19:25.08 but I think it's a sufficient for our study this evening. 00:19:25.11\00:19:29.46 I had privilege of being there that is in Rome. 00:19:29.49\00:19:33.33 It was kind of trip that was kind of pull together 00:19:33.36\00:19:35.70 at the last moment 00:19:35.73\00:19:37.47 decided I want to get to the holy land 00:19:37.50\00:19:39.58 and I could get three days in Rome. 00:19:39.61\00:19:41.76 What do you do with three days in Rome? 00:19:41.79\00:19:44.72 Well, if you're me and interested in history 00:19:44.75\00:19:47.57 as I am you know you've got compact 00:19:47.60\00:19:51.34 a lot of you know sightseeing 00:19:51.37\00:19:54.10 in three days and I prepared for it. 00:19:54.13\00:19:57.78 I knew the things I want to see in Rome 00:19:57.81\00:19:59.99 and I was not really interested in the fountains 00:20:00.02\00:20:02.80 of some of the typical thing that many sightseers 00:20:02.83\00:20:06.67 would have been interested in 00:20:06.70\00:20:07.90 but I was particularly interested 00:20:07.93\00:20:10.12 in visiting the Vatican. 00:20:10.15\00:20:12.56 And so the last day that I was there, 00:20:12.59\00:20:14.55 there was general people audience 00:20:14.58\00:20:16.95 and I determine I was gonna be there. 00:20:16.98\00:20:18.99 We were flying out the very next morning. 00:20:19.02\00:20:21.44 And so I came 00:20:21.47\00:20:22.91 this is the entrance to St. Peter's Square 00:20:22.94\00:20:27.08 and let me tell you the security was out in force. 00:20:27.11\00:20:31.45 It was, they had this they put up this fences 00:20:31.48\00:20:35.04 and entrances only at certain places 00:20:35.07\00:20:38.05 where you could go into St. Peter's Square. 00:20:38.08\00:20:41.02 And they were looking crowd over intently. 00:20:41.05\00:20:45.12 In fact, as I bring this picture up 00:20:45.15\00:20:46.81 you will see this man right here, 00:20:46.84\00:20:48.82 you see with his arms up 00:20:48.85\00:20:50.17 lifted like this they're searching him. 00:20:50.20\00:20:52.67 Again you believe it they stopped me. 00:20:52.70\00:20:56.82 They did. 00:20:56.85\00:20:58.92 Well, you see I was carrying this bag 00:20:58.95\00:21:00.83 it was about this long and about this bigger island 00:21:00.86\00:21:04.30 and they just had to see what was in it 00:21:04.33\00:21:06.69 and so I open it up and I said see its a tripod. 00:21:06.72\00:21:10.84 You know, I have my camera there. 00:21:10.87\00:21:12.41 I have big camera bag on one side of me 00:21:12.44\00:21:14.85 with all the lenses and stuff 00:21:14.88\00:21:16.27 that we use to do with 35 millimeter cameras 00:21:16.30\00:21:18.81 and I had a tripod. 00:21:18.84\00:21:21.21 I came two hours early and this was as close 00:21:21.24\00:21:25.72 as I could get, believe or not. 00:21:25.75\00:21:29.20 And then you know there was stirring 00:21:29.23\00:21:31.93 and before we knew what was happening 00:21:31.96\00:21:33.82 the people in front of us was guard 00:21:33.85\00:21:36.71 we're all on standing on top of their seats 00:21:36.74\00:21:40.74 and some of them have brought banners 00:21:40.77\00:21:42.87 you would have thought they-- 00:21:42.90\00:21:44.62 were you at a super bowl game. 00:21:44.65\00:21:47.07 You know, and they were just ecstatic. 00:21:47.10\00:21:51.70 And we couldn't see anything 00:21:51.73\00:21:54.33 because they were standing on their seats 00:21:54.36\00:21:56.22 and we wanted to see what they were so excited about. 00:21:56.25\00:22:00.10 And so, you know, I don't speak Italian 00:22:00.13\00:22:02.55 but you know it wasn't really we're going gregarine chant 00:22:02.58\00:22:05.50 but they began to pick up this chant around me 00:22:05.53\00:22:08.53 I knew what they were saying, 00:22:08.56\00:22:09.86 so I added my English tongue. 00:22:09.89\00:22:12.14 We were shouting sit down, sit down. 00:22:12.17\00:22:16.60 Yes, we did. 00:22:16.63\00:22:17.98 And they were enough of us 00:22:18.01\00:22:19.22 that we got the attention of some of them 00:22:19.25\00:22:21.77 on the back seats, they looked back 00:22:21.80\00:22:24.38 but didn't make any difference that all. 00:22:24.41\00:22:26.71 But finally they settled down 00:22:26.74\00:22:28.73 and when they did sure enough he was there Pope John Paul II. 00:22:28.76\00:22:34.30 And praise the Lord for telephoto lens 00:22:34.33\00:22:36.28 when you are that far back. 00:22:36.31\00:22:38.91 And he gave various greetings in quite a few languages. 00:22:38.94\00:22:43.89 You know, it's this cathedral, 00:22:43.92\00:22:46.52 it's this temple that was so fascinating. 00:22:46.55\00:22:48.95 It is the largest cathedral in Christendom. 00:22:48.98\00:22:52.08 And I want to tell you it is magnificent. 00:22:52.11\00:22:54.93 The architecture and the art that went into this cathedral 00:22:54.96\00:22:59.78 and it was huge. 00:22:59.81\00:23:03.49 You know, I am not good estimating crowds 00:23:03.52\00:23:05.52 not crowds like that where 00:23:05.55\00:23:06.75 in that particular cathedral that day 00:23:06.78\00:23:08.80 but I wouldn't be surprised to hear 00:23:08.83\00:23:10.78 there were 10,000 people inside of that cathedral. 00:23:10.81\00:23:14.09 It was just jammed paked full. 00:23:14.12\00:23:17.16 And so, you know, I was with my group, 00:23:17.19\00:23:19.56 I was with my group 00:23:19.59\00:23:20.62 that I just been a week with in the holy land 00:23:20.65\00:23:23.96 and it was our first day. 00:23:23.99\00:23:25.51 Now I'll take you back a little bit. 00:23:25.54\00:23:27.56 It's the first day I was there twice. 00:23:27.59\00:23:30.06 And so we have an official tour of the Vatican. 00:23:30.09\00:23:33.27 And we had this tall Italian he stood ahead 00:23:33.30\00:23:37.18 and almost shoulders above the rest of the crowd 00:23:37.21\00:23:39.85 wearing a black hat 00:23:39.88\00:23:42.05 and he sometimes put on his umbrella 00:23:42.08\00:23:43.94 so we wouldn't get lost in the crowd 00:23:43.97\00:23:45.53 as we are trying to find 00:23:45.56\00:23:46.59 and he was explain this and that and micro Angelo 00:23:46.62\00:23:49.43 and what he did here and there. 00:23:49.46\00:23:51.31 And eventually we got down 00:23:51.34\00:23:53.59 to the main altar there in St. Peter's Cathedral. 00:23:53.62\00:24:00.64 And I want tell you its pretty fantastic. 00:24:00.67\00:24:02.82 This is the seat of St. Peter 00:24:02.85\00:24:05.05 I guess it would be the proper way to refer to 00:24:05.08\00:24:07.80 it is the official thrown of the pope. 00:24:07.83\00:24:11.63 And the only time did he ever sits on that 00:24:11.66\00:24:13.99 is when he speaks ex-cathedral 00:24:14.02\00:24:16.97 that is with the final word of authority 00:24:17.00\00:24:19.69 for the papal system. 00:24:19.72\00:24:23.11 And to my knowledge put John Paul II 00:24:23.14\00:24:25.12 never sat in that seat 00:24:25.15\00:24:27.02 and Pope Benedict XVI has not either. 00:24:27.05\00:24:30.41 So it's a rare occasion. 00:24:30.44\00:24:32.70 But I mean, look at that. 00:24:32.73\00:24:34.66 I mean, that is just pretty fantastic 00:24:34.69\00:24:37.62 when you take look at it. 00:24:37.65\00:24:38.68 Well, I saw that a prophecy came to my mind 00:24:38.71\00:24:42.57 a prophecy that Paul made in 2 Thessalonians 2 00:24:42.60\00:24:46.21 beginning with verse 3 where he said 00:24:46.24\00:24:48.15 "Let no man deceive you in any way, 00:24:48.18\00:24:50.77 for it will not come." 00:24:50.80\00:24:52.42 Remember that's talking about the coming of Jesus. 00:24:52.45\00:24:54.30 "For it will not come unless the apostasy comes first 00:24:54.33\00:24:59.34 and the man of lawlessness is revealed, 00:24:59.37\00:25:02.79 the son of destruction who opposes and exalts himself 00:25:02.82\00:25:06.05 above every so called God or object of worship 00:25:06.08\00:25:08.87 so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, 00:25:08.90\00:25:13.83 displaying himself as being God." 00:25:13.86\00:25:18.20 Now you understand why I made that connection 00:25:18.23\00:25:21.20 when you look at this particular statements scripture 00:25:21.23\00:25:24.49 and I will take you back 00:25:24.52\00:25:25.60 to what we read in Revelation 13:6. 00:25:25.63\00:25:29.33 I want to remind you something we just read. 00:25:29.36\00:25:32.23 It said that "He would open his mouth 00:25:32.26\00:25:35.39 in blasphemies against God, and His tabernacle." 00:25:35.42\00:25:41.56 What is God's tabernacle? What's another word for that? 00:25:41.59\00:25:46.26 God's temple and remember we've been studying 00:25:46.29\00:25:49.24 about that Friday night particularly 00:25:49.27\00:25:51.21 we're studying about how the earthly temple 00:25:51.24\00:25:54.17 with symbolic of the heavenly temple. 00:25:54.20\00:25:56.51 How the earthly temple system was done away with 00:25:56.54\00:26:00.03 with the sacrifice of Jesus and then his ascension 00:26:00.06\00:26:02.98 into the heavenly temple as our intercessor. 00:26:03.01\00:26:06.17 And there is a connection here 00:26:06.20\00:26:08.15 when he talks about he open his mouth in blasphemy 00:26:08.18\00:26:10.69 against his tabernacle against the temple of God. 00:26:10.72\00:26:14.40 Remember Hebrew 8:1, 2 00:26:14.43\00:26:16.83 it says "We have such a high priest, 00:26:16.86\00:26:18.84 who has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne 00:26:18.87\00:26:21.84 of the Majesty in the heavens, 00:26:21.87\00:26:23.65 a minister in the sanctuary, which the Lord pitch not man." 00:26:23.68\00:26:28.20 And so my friend, we have two systems 00:26:28.23\00:26:31.72 one if Heavenly, one if Earthly. 00:26:31.75\00:26:34.67 And the earthly system here is counterfeit of the heavenly. 00:26:34.70\00:26:38.87 In heavenly system we have our high priest 00:26:38.90\00:26:42.39 the one that pay the price of our redemption 00:26:42.42\00:26:45.05 split his blood on the cross of Calvary for us 00:26:45.08\00:26:49.98 who has we noted already ascended into heaven 00:26:50.01\00:26:53.19 and now functions as high priest in the heavenly temple 00:26:53.22\00:26:57.84 that counterfeit has its temple. 00:26:57.87\00:27:00.32 I told you I was gonna show that temple to you 00:27:00.35\00:27:02.49 and I just done it, 00:27:02.52\00:27:04.55 and we haven an earthly temple 00:27:04.58\00:27:06.16 in which operates or functions a counterfeit high priest. 00:27:06.19\00:27:11.23 Now I know this is really kind of laying it out, isn't it? 00:27:11.26\00:27:16.72 But I remind you he spent three weeks 00:27:16.75\00:27:18.67 and there is lot of things we've studied 00:27:18.70\00:27:20.52 that really prepared the background 00:27:20.55\00:27:22.66 for our study to night. 00:27:22.69\00:27:25.04 And I just want to go on record 00:27:25.07\00:27:26.45 we're talking about an institution tonight. 00:27:26.48\00:27:29.44 We're not here to talk about the people. 00:27:29.47\00:27:32.49 I mean, undoubtedly. 00:27:32.52\00:27:35.31 You know there are probably are more sincere Christians 00:27:35.34\00:27:40.36 in the Roman Catholic Church than any other church. 00:27:40.39\00:27:44.85 Again we're not here to talk about the people 00:27:44.88\00:27:48.41 because they are many sincere people 00:27:48.44\00:27:51.39 in the Roman Catholic communion that loved the Lord 00:27:51.42\00:27:55.08 and I believe many of them are gonna be saved 00:27:55.11\00:27:57.14 as I believe in many, 00:27:57.17\00:27:59.05 you know, I think that's true of all churches, don't you. 00:27:59.08\00:28:01.99 We're not to be exclusive about this. 00:28:02.02\00:28:04.30 However the prophecy does makes it pretty clear 00:28:04.33\00:28:07.98 that is talking about a system 00:28:08.01\00:28:09.95 and this is not new novel interpretation, 00:28:09.98\00:28:12.57 this an interpretation that goes back 00:28:12.60\00:28:14.35 to great reformers beginning with Martin Luther. 00:28:14.38\00:28:17.26 Now listen, his language was not always temper 00:28:17.29\00:28:19.50 when it came to this issue but anyway this is what he said. 00:28:19.53\00:28:23.39 "Let the great day of God come 00:28:23.42\00:28:25.43 and destroy the devil's nest at Rome." 00:28:25.46\00:28:27.45 I don't really like that kind of language, do you? 00:28:27.48\00:28:30.50 But, you know, I didn't live through 00:28:30.53\00:28:32.21 what Martin Luther live through. 00:28:32.24\00:28:34.56 He says "There sits the man 00:28:34.59\00:28:36.18 of whom Paul said he shall act as God, 00:28:36.21\00:28:38.84 the man of sin and the son of perdition." 00:28:38.87\00:28:42.21 Quoting 2 Thessalonians 2 as we just did. 00:28:42.24\00:28:45.73 Each of the reformers without exception 00:28:45.76\00:28:49.31 may the application of these prophecies 00:28:49.34\00:28:51.59 in reference to the antichrist 00:28:51.62\00:28:53.79 to the Church of Rome to the papal system. 00:28:53.82\00:28:57.72 And we don't hear this so often today. 00:28:57.75\00:29:01.34 But he said delicate issue it is delicate to be sure. 00:29:01.37\00:29:06.12 John Calvin for those of us 00:29:06.15\00:29:08.25 who may be from a reform background 00:29:08.28\00:29:10.16 and his Institutes, volume 2 page, 410 00:29:10.19\00:29:13.26 said "Some people think us too severe and censorious 00:29:13.29\00:29:17.80 when we call the Roman Pontiff antichrist 00:29:17.83\00:29:21.03 His kingdom will consist in speaking great words, 00:29:21.06\00:29:24.07 or blasphemies against the Most High." 00:29:24.10\00:29:27.63 And in The Blessed Hope page, 33 it observes 00:29:27.66\00:29:30.69 "Many of the great Christians of Reformation 00:29:30.72\00:29:32.94 and post-Reformation times 00:29:32.97\00:29:34.94 shared this view of prophetic truth 00:29:34.97\00:29:37.25 and identified the antichrist with the Roman Papacy. 00:29:37.28\00:29:40.51 "Among adherents of this interpretation 00:29:40.54\00:29:42.66 were the Wilderness, the Hussites, Wyclif, 00:29:42.69\00:29:46.30 Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, Melanchton" 00:29:46.33\00:29:49.41 an associate of Martin Luther 00:29:49.44\00:29:51.58 "the Baptist theologian John Gill, the martyrs" 00:29:51.61\00:29:54.39 of course the martyrs we would expect that 00:29:54.42\00:29:56.31 "Cranmer, Tyndale, Latimer, and Ridley." 00:29:56.34\00:29:59.90 So my friend, this is not a new or novel interpretation 00:29:59.93\00:30:04.48 it may be to us if we never heard it 00:30:04.51\00:30:07.39 and we just really have gotten started. 00:30:07.42\00:30:09.72 So let me just line them up. 00:30:09.75\00:30:11.64 You know, when you study the-- 00:30:11.67\00:30:13.05 when you study Bible truth 00:30:13.08\00:30:14.58 its like have you ever built a fence? 00:30:14.61\00:30:18.66 You know I did built a fence once I had help with it 00:30:18.69\00:30:21.67 but you know your laying down a post, 00:30:21.70\00:30:24.00 you are laying down the post, 00:30:24.03\00:30:25.31 and when you put the first post in 00:30:25.34\00:30:27.37 you know, casual observer may not have any idea 00:30:27.40\00:30:30.02 just really where you are going with that 00:30:30.05\00:30:31.63 but, when you put down the second 00:30:31.66\00:30:32.93 and third and fourth post 00:30:32.96\00:30:34.58 you began to get a sense of the line 00:30:34.61\00:30:37.09 of direction that you are heading. 00:30:37.12\00:30:38.89 And my friend, that's what we do when we study the word of God. 00:30:38.92\00:30:41.26 We take a Bible text, 00:30:41.29\00:30:42.68 its like putting a post in the ground 00:30:42.71\00:30:44.13 then you take another relevant Bible text 00:30:44.16\00:30:46.09 and you put in place and then another 00:30:46.12\00:30:48.46 and then you began to see the line of truth 00:30:48.49\00:30:51.52 and that's what we were doing 00:30:51.55\00:30:52.58 as we're looking at the seven identifying characteristics 00:30:52.61\00:30:55.60 as we get each one into position, into place. 00:30:55.63\00:31:00.91 Now, there's another definition of blasphemy 00:31:00.94\00:31:03.29 that we find in Luke 5:21 where it says, 00:31:03.32\00:31:05.24 "And the scribes and the Pharisees 00:31:05.27\00:31:06.56 began to reason, saying, 00:31:06.59\00:31:08.28 'Who is this man which speaks blasphemies? 00:31:08.31\00:31:10.84 Who can forgive sins, but God alone?'" 00:31:10.87\00:31:14.83 And again, they write on the principal, 00:31:14.86\00:31:17.14 they were just wrong and making it an application to Jesus. 00:31:17.17\00:31:22.36 No one has the authority to forgive sins. 00:31:22.39\00:31:27.31 Notice this from the Dignity and Duties of the Priest, 00:31:27.34\00:31:30.00 volume 12, page 27 where it says, 00:31:30.03\00:31:33.07 "God Himself is obliged to abide by the judgment of His priest, 00:31:33.10\00:31:37.63 and either not to pardon or to pardon, 00:31:37.66\00:31:40.06 according as they refuse or give absolution. 00:31:40.09\00:31:43.41 The sentence of the priest precedes," 00:31:43.44\00:31:45.83 it goes first, "and God subscribes to it." 00:31:45.86\00:31:48.27 That's secondary. That's official teaching. 00:31:48.30\00:31:52.14 This is from The Catholic Priest, pages 78, 79, 00:31:52.17\00:31:55.14 "Seek where you will, through heaven and earth, 00:31:55.17\00:31:57.73 and you will find but one created being 00:31:57.76\00:32:00.07 who can forgive the sinner, that extraordinary being 00:32:00.10\00:32:02.67 is the priest, the Catholic priest." 00:32:02.70\00:32:05.30 And my friends, I found them all 00:32:05.33\00:32:07.35 through Saint Peter's Cathedral, the confessional. 00:32:07.38\00:32:10.58 Individuals, I don't know what they had on their hearts 00:32:10.61\00:32:12.94 it wasn't my business to know that 00:32:12.97\00:32:15.43 nor do I think it's any other human's business 00:32:15.46\00:32:18.42 to know that outside of somebody as I said, who has been wronged. 00:32:18.45\00:32:21.96 Let me share with you 00:32:21.99\00:32:23.19 what the Bible teaches about this matter. 00:32:23.22\00:32:25.21 In 1 Timothy 2:5 it says, "For there is one God, 00:32:25.24\00:32:28.89 and one Mediator" what" mediator or intercessor 00:32:28.92\00:32:32.84 "between God and men, the man Christ Jesus." 00:32:32.87\00:32:39.52 My friends, as I already noted it 00:32:39.55\00:32:40.79 in our study the other night 00:32:40.82\00:32:42.93 temples came to an end 00:32:42.96\00:32:45.58 when Jesus ascended to heaven and to the heavenly temple. 00:32:45.61\00:32:48.64 Earthly priest came to an end 00:32:48.67\00:32:51.49 with the heavenly priesthood of Jesus Christ. 00:32:51.52\00:32:54.63 But my friend, when we have sinned 00:32:54.66\00:32:56.95 we can go directly to Jesus and we can confess our sins 00:32:56.98\00:33:02.34 and we know how we will be received 00:33:02.37\00:33:05.66 because we know something 00:33:05.69\00:33:06.81 about he depths of His love for us. 00:33:06.84\00:33:10.40 Forgiveness and pardon is freely extended 00:33:10.43\00:33:13.92 to every one of us. 00:33:13.95\00:33:15.38 It's marvelous as you look at the plan of salvation. 00:33:15.41\00:33:20.75 This one in Revelation 13:7, it says, 00:33:20.78\00:33:23.76 "And it was given unto him to make war with the saints," 00:33:23.79\00:33:26.79 to make war with the saints-- with the people of God, 00:33:26.82\00:33:29.18 "and to overcome them and power was given him over all kindreds, 00:33:29.21\00:33:32.58 and tongues, and peoples." 00:33:32.61\00:33:35.34 Making war with the saints, persecuting the saints, 00:33:35.37\00:33:38.56 could that be true of papal system? 00:33:38.59\00:33:41.35 And my friends, sadly history does bear testimony to that 00:33:41.38\00:33:45.99 and to his credit Pope John Paul II 00:33:46.02\00:33:48.86 acknowledged that historically 00:33:48.89\00:33:50.60 the church have been guilty of some of these things. 00:33:50.63\00:33:52.76 I mean, that took some crunch on his part to acknowledge that. 00:33:52.79\00:33:56.59 Don't you think? 00:33:56.62\00:33:57.90 Now I'll give you one or two examples 00:33:57.93\00:33:59.91 of what we are talking about historically. 00:33:59.94\00:34:01.53 It was Pope Pius V 00:34:01.56\00:34:03.49 and this was when the reformation 00:34:03.52\00:34:05.67 was really taking hold in Europe 00:34:05.70\00:34:07.99 and they were shaking the church. 00:34:08.02\00:34:09.82 It shook the church down to its very foundations 00:34:09.85\00:34:12.96 and Pope Pius V gave to the king of France 100 crowns 00:34:12.99\00:34:18.83 if he would eliminate the Protestants from his realm. 00:34:18.86\00:34:23.47 They were called Huguenots. 00:34:23.50\00:34:25.51 And the king of France agreed. 00:34:25.54\00:34:30.19 In Paris alone it is estimated 00:34:30.22\00:34:32.43 some 70,000 Huguenots were put to death 00:34:32.46\00:34:37.38 because of the insistence of the Church of Rome. 00:34:37.41\00:34:41.80 And the general persecution and martyrdom 00:34:41.83\00:34:46.19 of the reformation followers 00:34:46.22\00:34:49.74 proceeded for the next two months. 00:34:49.77\00:34:52.47 I mean, I take no pleasure in sharing this 00:34:52.50\00:34:55.98 but it is historically what happened, 00:34:56.01\00:34:58.71 exactly what happened. 00:34:58.74\00:35:00.80 The church was guilty of seeking to put society 00:35:00.83\00:35:03.96 to cleanse society of decadence. 00:35:03.99\00:35:07.73 It's estimated by historians that between 1540 and 1580 00:35:07.76\00:35:11.42 some 900,000 people were put to death by the Church of Roman. 00:35:11.45\00:35:15.21 I mean, that's just 00:35:15.24\00:35:16.32 kind of blows your mind, doesn't it. 00:35:16.35\00:35:18.49 And during the 30 years of the Spanish inquisition 00:35:18.52\00:35:21.68 it is estimated some 150,000 were put to death. 00:35:21.71\00:35:27.81 Now we have to be balance about this, 00:35:27.84\00:35:29.18 there were occasions in which 00:35:29.21\00:35:31.17 the reformers also were guilty of persecuting Catholics. 00:35:31.20\00:35:37.45 Let's be clear in that. 00:35:37.48\00:35:39.53 But my friend, it was never to the extent 00:35:39.56\00:35:41.69 that it was by the Church of Rome 00:35:41.72\00:35:43.95 who saw its authority 00:35:43.98\00:35:45.60 being undermined by the reformation. 00:35:45.63\00:35:50.18 And then I take you on Revelation 13:5, 6. 00:35:50.21\00:35:53.81 We have looked at this in part 00:35:53.84\00:35:55.17 but it says here, "And he was given a mouth 00:35:55.20\00:35:57.92 speaking great things and blasphemies; 00:35:57.95\00:36:00.15 and he was given authority 00:36:00.18\00:36:01.67 to continue for forty-two months." 00:36:01.70\00:36:04.55 That's a prophetic time period, 42 months. 00:36:04.58\00:36:07.94 And remember, we've been looking at time prophecies 00:36:07.97\00:36:10.38 so this not to you know, 00:36:10.41\00:36:12.72 it's not gonna be foreign territory to most of us. 00:36:12.75\00:36:15.68 So again as we done 00:36:15.71\00:36:17.01 when we looked at the 70 week prophecy 00:36:17.04\00:36:20.17 just yesterday 00:36:20.20\00:36:22.14 we're gonna break it down to prophetic days 00:36:22.17\00:36:23.84 and in a prophetic month there are exactly 30 days. 00:36:23.87\00:36:27.80 So we multiply 42 by 30 00:36:27.83\00:36:30.82 and the resulting number is 1,260 00:36:30.85\00:36:33.49 prophetic days or years, okay. 00:36:33.52\00:36:38.10 Is what we find, that's based on the principles 00:36:38.13\00:36:40.42 of Ezekiel 4:6 where it says, 00:36:40.45\00:36:42.40 "I have given you a day for a year." 00:36:42.43\00:36:47.02 1,260 years. 00:36:47.05\00:36:49.76 So when we'll begin that prophetic period of time? 00:36:49.79\00:36:52.71 Well, my friend, I gave you the date 00:36:52.74\00:36:54.51 of the decree made by Justinian in 538. 00:36:54.54\00:36:59.66 And so it stretches from 538, 00:36:59.69\00:37:04.17 1,260 years down to 1798. 00:37:04.20\00:37:10.41 And if you look at that period of time 00:37:10.44\00:37:12.25 and you thinking to yourself, well, that's the Dark Ages. 00:37:12.28\00:37:17.86 My friend, it is largely the period of the Dark Ages. 00:37:17.89\00:37:21.94 And the papal system has to accept 00:37:21.97\00:37:25.12 some major responsibilities, not exclusively 00:37:25.15\00:37:27.58 but some major responsibility for that dark period 00:37:27.61\00:37:31.22 of superstition than in developed Europe. 00:37:31.25\00:37:33.85 1,260 years. 00:37:36.25\00:37:39.07 Furthermore back in verse 3 it says, 00:37:39.10\00:37:40.98 "And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death, 00:37:41.01\00:37:43.58 and his deadly wound was healed 00:37:43.61\00:37:45.13 and all the world wondered after the beast." 00:37:45.16\00:37:47.77 Interestingly, this part of the prophecy 00:37:47.80\00:37:50.60 was fulfilled in 1798. 00:37:50.63\00:37:52.82 What was going on in 1798? 00:37:52.85\00:37:55.06 Well, my friend, this is what was going on, 00:37:55.09\00:37:57.46 Napoleon was going on, 00:37:57.49\00:37:59.38 Alexandre Berthier has in 1798 was sent by Napoleon 00:37:59.41\00:38:05.36 and he abolished the papal government, 00:38:05.39\00:38:08.15 he abolished the papacy standing army. 00:38:08.18\00:38:14.35 I mean, this is kind of hard for us to grasp 00:38:14.38\00:38:17.45 that the church had at that time a standing army. 00:38:17.48\00:38:21.28 They had to disarm them, they had to dismiss the troops. 00:38:21.31\00:38:26.42 And out of it came the emergence of the republic of Italy. 00:38:26.45\00:38:31.71 And this is what it says in The Modern Papacy, 00:38:31.74\00:38:33.62 "Berthier entered Rome on the 10th February, 1798, 00:38:33.65\00:38:37.44 and proclaimed a republic. 00:38:37.47\00:38:39.64 Half Europe thought Napoleon's veto would be obeyed, 00:38:39.67\00:38:42.47 and that with the Pope the Papacy was dead." 00:38:42.50\00:38:46.01 That's what they thought 00:38:46.04\00:38:48.25 would happen and in fact, 00:38:48.28\00:38:49.63 this is the copy of the actual document 00:38:49.66\00:38:53.59 that was executed by Berthier in 00:38:53.62\00:38:57.60 and I get abolished the papal government 00:38:57.63\00:39:00.11 in establishing a republic. 00:39:00.14\00:39:02.49 You will find this on the website 00:39:02.52\00:39:03.84 if you look for it. 00:39:03.87\00:39:05.37 You will actually be able to see it. 00:39:05.40\00:39:07.90 And so that's what happened 00:39:07.93\00:39:09.02 and it was Pope Pius VI 00:39:09.05\00:39:11.66 that was taken into exile and died in exile. 00:39:11.69\00:39:15.70 And people really thought 00:39:15.73\00:39:17.19 that the church really was pretty much done in. 00:39:17.22\00:39:21.43 They received a deadly wound. 00:39:21.46\00:39:23.16 But remember the prophesy said, 00:39:23.19\00:39:24.53 it would-- it would be healed. 00:39:24.56\00:39:27.83 And my friend as we look at it, 00:39:27.86\00:39:29.41 yeah, there it is, Revelation 13:3, 00:39:29.44\00:39:31.35 "And his deadly wound was healed." 00:39:31.38\00:39:33.19 And again, we can trace this out historically. 00:39:33.22\00:39:37.12 This happened in the year 1929 00:39:37.15\00:39:39.75 as reported here in the San Francisco Chronicle, 00:39:39.78\00:39:42.25 February 11, 1929. 00:39:42.28\00:39:44.63 This is what the article said, the report said, 00:39:44.66\00:39:46.92 "The Roman question tonight was a thing of the past, 00:39:46.95\00:39:49.27 and the Vatican was at peace with Italy. 00:39:49.30\00:39:51.69 In affixing the autographs 00:39:51.72\00:39:53.14 to the memorable document healing the wound, 00:39:53.17\00:39:55.93 extreme cordiality was displayed on both sides." 00:39:55.96\00:40:00.22 And I have a photograph of the signing of this agreement 00:40:00.25\00:40:04.88 between the Italian government 00:40:04.91\00:40:07.24 and representatives of the Vatican. 00:40:07.27\00:40:09.43 On one hand is Cardinal Gasparri and on the other, 00:40:09.46\00:40:14.41 do you recognize him? 00:40:14.44\00:40:16.27 It's Mussolini. 00:40:16.30\00:40:18.97 And he restored the church and established the sovereignty. 00:40:19.00\00:40:23.12 Recognize the sovereignty of the church. 00:40:23.15\00:40:24.71 I mean, on a very reduce scale, 00:40:24.74\00:40:28.78 you know, its not-- 00:40:28.81\00:40:31.38 you know, it's not a very large at all. 00:40:31.41\00:40:34.51 But then we move on, Revelation 13:7, 00:40:34.54\00:40:36.78 it says, "An authority was given him over every tribe, 00:40:36.81\00:40:39.41 and tongues and nations." 00:40:39.44\00:40:41.20 My friend, Revelation 13 tells us 00:40:41.23\00:40:44.08 that what has happened in the past 00:40:44.11\00:40:45.95 is going to be repeated in the end time. 00:40:45.98\00:40:48.22 History is going to repeat itself 00:40:48.25\00:40:50.98 under the papal system. 00:40:51.01\00:40:52.69 And can you imagine any deadlier 00:40:52.72\00:40:55.61 deception than that, that comes-- 00:40:55.64\00:40:57.71 than that which will come to us in the name of Christ? 00:40:57.74\00:41:00.91 Well, there is, that says, 00:41:00.94\00:41:02.53 "The whole earth would be amazed." 00:41:02.56\00:41:05.28 Would be amazed. 00:41:05.31\00:41:06.74 My friends, this is in development. 00:41:06.77\00:41:10.05 And we can really talk about the pope and circumstance 00:41:10.08\00:41:13.26 and I mean, you know it's something else 00:41:13.29\00:41:16.63 when you consider it. 00:41:16.66\00:41:17.69 I mean, there we see the representatives 00:41:17.72\00:41:19.78 of our government and past presidents 00:41:19.81\00:41:22.23 who were there at Pope John Paul II's burial. 00:41:22.26\00:41:27.70 Interesting as you look at it. 00:41:27.73\00:41:29.92 And the tapestries of the position 00:41:29.95\00:41:34.41 representing the authority 00:41:34.44\00:41:36.95 is something to really behold. 00:41:36.98\00:41:39.50 And we remember when Pope Benedict XVI 00:41:39.53\00:41:42.58 visited this country just a year or two ago. 00:41:42.61\00:41:45.12 Remember? 00:41:45.15\00:41:46.56 And of all of the world representatives 00:41:46.59\00:41:49.37 that have ever come to this country 00:41:49.40\00:41:52.17 our President George Bush 00:41:52.20\00:41:54.21 gave the pope an official red carpet 00:41:54.24\00:41:57.53 welcome at the airport. 00:41:57.56\00:42:00.86 He had never done that for any other, 00:42:00.89\00:42:04.05 again, representative of any other country. 00:42:04.08\00:42:08.22 And so you know, you would be amazed, 00:42:08.25\00:42:10.08 he spoke before the U.N. week ago, on and on. 00:42:10.11\00:42:12.52 Couldn't we? 00:42:12.55\00:42:14.25 But there's one other-- 00:42:14.28\00:42:15.87 there's one other identifying characteristic 00:42:15.90\00:42:18.28 and yes, it's that number. 00:42:18.31\00:42:19.51 We find it in Revelation 13:18 00:42:19.54\00:42:22.08 where it says, "Here is wisdom. 00:42:22.11\00:42:23.42 Let him who has understanding 00:42:23.45\00:42:25.54 calculate the number of the beast, 00:42:25.57\00:42:27.02 for it is the number of a man, 00:42:27.05\00:42:32.03 His number is six hundred and sixty-six." 00:42:32.06\00:42:35.94 Now notice this from Our Sunday Visitor, 00:42:35.97\00:42:39.30 it asks the question, 00:42:39.33\00:42:40.40 "What are the letters inscribed in the pope's crown or mitre? 00:42:40.43\00:42:44.10 And what do they signify if anything?" 00:42:44.13\00:42:46.66 And here's the answer, Vicarius Filii Dei, 00:42:46.69\00:42:49.66 which is Latin for Vicar of the son of God. 00:42:49.69\00:42:51.85 And indeed this is one of the official titles 00:42:51.88\00:42:55.90 of the head of the Church of Rome 00:42:55.93\00:42:57.80 of the papal system Vicarius Filii Dei. 00:42:57.83\00:43:00.96 And when you work it out 00:43:00.99\00:43:02.04 according to the simple Roman numerals, 00:43:02.07\00:43:05.30 guess what, it's in your notes, 00:43:05.33\00:43:06.95 it comes out to exactly 666. 00:43:06.98\00:43:10.59 And my friends, the evidence just lines up from the Bible. 00:43:10.62\00:43:13.43 One and-- you know, it could be coincidental 00:43:13.46\00:43:16.17 but when you have all seven 00:43:16.20\00:43:18.57 clearly historically lining up, this is not coincidental. 00:43:18.60\00:43:24.83 It's not. 00:43:24.86\00:43:26.88 And remember, this comes out of the apostasy. 00:43:26.91\00:43:29.51 I've not really gotten into this 00:43:29.54\00:43:31.07 but the church went through apostasy 00:43:31.10\00:43:33.94 and allowed the counterfeit system. 00:43:33.97\00:43:37.37 So we come to what is the mark. 00:43:37.40\00:43:40.31 What's the Mark of the Beast? Let's look at that. 00:43:40.34\00:43:42.30 Daniel 7:25 deals with the same identifying characteristics 00:43:42.33\00:43:46.66 as it relates to the system. 00:43:46.69\00:43:48.01 But it adds one important one. 00:43:48.04\00:43:50.40 Daniel 7:25, it says, 00:43:50.43\00:43:51.86 "And he shall speak great words against the most High, 00:43:51.89\00:43:54.87 and shall wear out the saints of the most High," 00:43:54.90\00:43:58.04 we saw that, didn't we 00:43:58.07\00:43:59.62 in little bit different language. 00:43:59.65\00:44:00.83 And furthermore, "And think to change times and laws." 00:44:00.86\00:44:05.08 He would think to change times and laws. 00:44:05.11\00:44:07.86 Now I don't know Latin 00:44:07.89\00:44:09.38 so but here is where the statement is taken from 00:44:09.41\00:44:12.32 and it's from the Episcop Cap, 00:44:12.35\00:44:16.36 I can read that. 00:44:16.39\00:44:17.85 It's from the church, a formal declaration. 00:44:17.88\00:44:21.59 It says, "The Pope has the power to change times, 00:44:21.62\00:44:24.86 to abrogate laws, and to dispense with all things, 00:44:24.89\00:44:28.23 even the precepts of Christ." 00:44:28.26\00:44:32.07 I tell you, the papal system has some extraordinary claims 00:44:32.10\00:44:36.06 and there's a totally different authority base 00:44:36.09\00:44:39.38 in the papal system 00:44:39.41\00:44:40.67 than there is in any other church. 00:44:40.70\00:44:43.34 Most other churches would profess 00:44:43.37\00:44:47.00 that the authority of faith comes from the Bible. 00:44:47.03\00:44:52.63 The papal system does not feel bound at all 00:44:52.66\00:44:55.74 to the authority of the Bible. 00:44:55.77\00:44:57.24 They believe their authority stands above that of the Bible. 00:44:57.27\00:45:01.38 And so the decleration of the church to the pope 00:45:01.41\00:45:05.98 and the decleration of the church councils 00:45:06.01\00:45:09.00 and as it embodied in cannon law 00:45:09.03\00:45:13.36 is the final authority. 00:45:13.39\00:45:15.63 And yet I find most Roman Catholics, 00:45:15.66\00:45:17.89 I mean in this country 00:45:17.92\00:45:19.72 yet have a high regard for the Bible 00:45:19.75\00:45:22.45 and believe that really we ought to take the Bible 00:45:22.48\00:45:25.12 very seriously in the matters of faith. 00:45:25.15\00:45:28.16 So they think to change times and laws. 00:45:28.19\00:45:30.23 What laws? Human laws come and go. 00:45:30.26\00:45:33.25 Devine Law? 00:45:33.28\00:45:34.72 There's only one what that would be of significance 00:45:34.75\00:45:37.75 and when we think of the commandments, 00:45:37.78\00:45:39.47 when we think of the law of God, 00:45:39.50\00:45:40.69 which commandment deals with the issue of time? 00:45:40.72\00:45:43.82 Do you think they change times and laws. 00:45:43.85\00:45:45.34 There's only one, 00:45:45.37\00:45:46.58 and it's the one that deals with the Sabbath. 00:45:46.61\00:45:48.95 This is from The Convert's Catechism, 00:45:48.98\00:45:51.18 the question is, "Which is the Sabbath day?" 00:45:51.21\00:45:53.36 The answers is "Saturday is the Sabbath day." 00:45:53.39\00:45:56.17 Question, "Why do we observe Sunday instead of Saturday?" 00:45:56.20\00:46:00.08 Answer, "We observe Sunday 00:46:00.11\00:46:02.01 instead of Saturday because the Catholic Church 00:46:02.04\00:46:06.10 transferred the solemnity from Saturday to Sunday." 00:46:06.13\00:46:12.05 And my friends, the Church of Rome admittedly, 00:46:12.08\00:46:14.89 and the documentation historically is absolutely clear 00:46:14.92\00:46:20.68 was involved in tampering with the commandments. 00:46:20.71\00:46:23.29 Father Enright in a lecture declared, 00:46:23.32\00:46:25.42 "It was the holy Catholic Church 00:46:25.45\00:46:27.10 that changed the day of rest 00:46:27.13\00:46:28.44 from Saturday to Sunday, the first day of the week. 00:46:28.47\00:46:31.15 And it not only compelled all to keep Sunday, 00:46:31.18\00:46:33.33 but at the Council of Laodicea, 00:46:33.36\00:46:35.90 in 364 AD, anathematized 00:46:35.93\00:46:38.71 all who kept the Sabbath and urged all persons to labor 00:46:38.74\00:46:42.15 on the seventh day under the pain of anathema." 00:46:42.18\00:46:45.51 Which is one step short of being excommunicated. 00:46:45.54\00:46:52.10 Why did the church feel it was necessary 00:46:52.13\00:46:53.86 to declare an anathema 00:46:53.89\00:46:56.78 except that it bears testimony, 00:46:56.81\00:46:58.25 there was a significant number of Christians 00:46:58.28\00:47:00.60 who did not embrace Sunday but still honor the Sabbath. 00:47:00.63\00:47:04.91 Another saying from The Catholic Mirror, 00:47:04.94\00:47:06.55 "The Catholic Church for over one thousand years 00:47:06.58\00:47:09.50 before the existence of a Protestant 00:47:09.53\00:47:13.09 changed the day from Saturday to Sunday. 00:47:13.12\00:47:16.18 The Christian Sabbath" 00:47:16.21\00:47:17.44 and they are talking about Sunday 00:47:17.47\00:47:19.13 "is therefore to this day, 00:47:19.16\00:47:20.57 the acknowledged offspring of the Catholic Church 00:47:20.60\00:47:22.97 without a word of remonstrance from the Protestant world." 00:47:23.00\00:47:26.03 That's not quite true, there are 15 million of us 00:47:26.06\00:47:28.70 Sabbath keeping Christians that are saying, 00:47:28.73\00:47:31.39 this is not what the Bible teaches. 00:47:31.42\00:47:34.62 Something is wrong here. 00:47:34.65\00:47:37.10 Again, from the Catholic Record, "Sunday is founded, 00:47:37.13\00:47:39.59 not on scripture, but on tradition, 00:47:39.62\00:47:41.68 and is distinctly a Catholic institution." 00:47:41.71\00:47:45.76 And my friends, if the change 00:47:45.79\00:47:48.34 is not documented in the scriptures 00:47:48.37\00:47:51.24 and it is not, nobody has come to me with that text 00:47:51.27\00:47:56.53 and I've been preaching this a long time. 00:47:56.56\00:47:58.09 They never come with a text because it's not there. 00:47:58.12\00:48:01.80 And my friend, if it is not in the Bible the change 00:48:01.83\00:48:04.12 then we have to turn to the historical record. 00:48:04.15\00:48:06.75 And this is what the historical record tells us. 00:48:06.78\00:48:09.71 It's the church that assumed 00:48:09.74\00:48:11.51 the authority to make the change 00:48:11.54\00:48:15.51 contrary to what the Bible actually teaches. 00:48:15.54\00:48:18.27 You know, there's a lot of documentations, 00:48:18.30\00:48:19.70 I was-- I just a year ago in Modesto, California. 00:48:19.73\00:48:23.19 I had a very devout young woman that was attending, 00:48:23.22\00:48:26.29 very devout woman, catholic. 00:48:26.32\00:48:28.14 She's sitting in the very back, she was there every night 00:48:28.17\00:48:30.51 and when she heard this presentation of the Sabbath 00:48:30.54\00:48:34.10 the next day she was at her-- she was at mass 00:48:34.13\00:48:38.08 and after the mass she took her priest aside 00:48:38.11\00:48:41.80 and she said, "Father, is it true that the church 00:48:41.83\00:48:45.29 changed the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday?" 00:48:45.32\00:48:48.13 She came back and told me, 00:48:48.16\00:48:49.19 she said, "I was shocked, he told me, 00:48:49.22\00:48:51.15 'Yes, the church changed it.'" 00:48:51.18\00:48:54.71 I will tell you after a few conversations 00:48:54.74\00:48:57.29 of that nature with her priest 00:48:57.32\00:48:59.18 and she had known him for a long time, 00:48:59.21\00:49:01.49 she made a decision to become a Sabbath keeping Christian. 00:49:01.52\00:49:05.82 And she was in a baptism. 00:49:05.85\00:49:08.08 I mean, that is really sincerity of faith. 00:49:08.11\00:49:11.60 Don't you think, 26 years of age, 00:49:11.63\00:49:13.90 bless her heart. 00:49:13.93\00:49:15.49 Young people, I can share a lot of statements with you 00:49:15.52\00:49:19.09 and you have a lot of them in your notes. 00:49:19.12\00:49:22.03 But I take you to our Catholic Records, 00:49:22.06\00:49:23.43 it says, "Sunday is our mark of authority. 00:49:23.46\00:49:26.41 The church is above the Bible, 00:49:26.44\00:49:27.75 and this transference of Sabbath observance 00:49:27.78\00:49:30.48 is proof of that fact." 00:49:30.51\00:49:34.89 Sunday keeping is the Mark of the Beast. 00:49:34.92\00:49:40.53 These things have not come into focus yet, 00:49:40.56\00:49:43.85 this is our future. 00:49:43.88\00:49:46.22 And my friends, to be clear about it 00:49:46.25\00:49:48.74 I mean, there are so many 00:49:48.77\00:49:50.33 sincere Sunday keeping Christians 00:49:50.36\00:49:52.40 that love the Lord, they are born again, 00:49:52.43\00:49:55.08 the issue of their salvation is not in question. 00:49:55.11\00:49:59.49 You know, most Christians don't really understand 00:49:59.52\00:50:01.83 why they keep Sunday it's just the established 00:50:01.86\00:50:04.27 and traditional practice. 00:50:04.30\00:50:05.72 That's' all they know. 00:50:05.75\00:50:07.77 And so we're not condemning 00:50:07.80\00:50:10.37 you know, those who are doing it without knowing. 00:50:10.40\00:50:12.92 But my friend, there is an issue of truth here 00:50:12.95\00:50:16.50 and that's what I am trying to get at. 00:50:16.53\00:50:18.36 It's just like that, you know, it can't be a day, 00:50:18.39\00:50:21.88 it can't be the issue 00:50:21.91\00:50:22.94 the Sabbath or Sunday the Mark. 00:50:22.97\00:50:25.98 Oh, my friend, think this over again. 00:50:26.01\00:50:27.04 Think about the tree of the knowledge 00:50:27.07\00:50:28.32 of good and evil. 00:50:28.35\00:50:29.39 You can say of that fruit, it's just a piece of fruit. 00:50:29.42\00:50:32.80 And as I said a number of times, 00:50:32.83\00:50:34.47 it was not just a piece of fruit 00:50:34.50\00:50:36.50 it is what it represented. 00:50:36.53\00:50:39.23 And my friends, so it is with the Sabbath 00:50:39.26\00:50:41.67 and this issue of Sunday, it is what it represents. 00:50:41.70\00:50:45.34 Sabbath represents loyalty to God and to His word 00:50:45.37\00:50:48.50 and to the commandments and to Jesus. 00:50:48.53\00:50:52.54 Sunday represents apostasy. 00:50:52.57\00:50:56.64 It carries with it the marks of the apostasy 00:50:56.67\00:50:59.25 for it was out of the apostasy 00:50:59.28\00:51:01.19 of the church that this pagan day 00:51:01.22\00:51:04.78 that dedicated to sun was embraced. 00:51:04.81\00:51:08.45 Are we just gonna go by that which is convenient? 00:51:08.48\00:51:11.46 I like this, sounds good to me over here, 00:51:11.49\00:51:13.67 I embrace this, I like-- 00:51:13.70\00:51:15.97 I don't know about this, 00:51:16.00\00:51:18.08 because again, something's go against 00:51:18.11\00:51:19.90 the natural inclination of our natural hearts. 00:51:19.93\00:51:25.83 Is that true? It does. 00:51:25.86\00:51:28.97 We say, we believe that the Bible 00:51:29.00\00:51:32.29 is the only rule of our faith and practice. 00:51:32.32\00:51:35.05 But my friend, are we consistent? 00:51:35.08\00:51:37.86 So on one hand we have the declarations of the church, 00:51:37.89\00:51:41.78 on the other we have the declarations of scripture. 00:51:41.81\00:51:45.23 And my friend, where is our first loyalty? 00:51:45.26\00:51:48.19 Is our first loyalty to the church? 00:51:48.22\00:51:51.77 You think so or is our first loyalty to Jesus, 00:51:51.80\00:51:55.62 who is the head of the church 00:51:55.65\00:51:57.71 and to the teachings of His word? 00:51:57.74\00:52:02.36 And I remind you it is one of the commandments. 00:52:02.39\00:52:04.82 Exodus 20 says, "Remember the Sabbath day, 00:52:04.85\00:52:07.27 to keep it holy. 00:52:07.30\00:52:08.53 Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, 00:52:08.56\00:52:10.64 but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord 00:52:10.67\00:52:13.25 your God in it you shall not do any work, 00:52:13.28\00:52:16.25 you, nor your son, nor your daughter, 00:52:16.28\00:52:18.43 now your male servant, nor your maidservant, 00:52:18.46\00:52:20.65 nor your cattle, nor your stranger 00:52:20.68\00:52:22.84 who is within your gates. 00:52:22.87\00:52:24.66 For in six days" I mean, it's a long one, isn't it. 00:52:24.69\00:52:27.77 "For in six days the Lord made heavens and earth, 00:52:27.80\00:52:30.67 the sea, and all that in them is, 00:52:30.70\00:52:32.36 and rested the seventh day. 00:52:32.39\00:52:34.09 Therefore the Lord blessed 00:52:34.12\00:52:35.46 the Sabbath day, and hallowed it." 00:52:35.49\00:52:37.65 Again I can imagine somebody saying, 00:52:37.68\00:52:39.62 well, it can't really be this, it can't really be this. 00:52:39.65\00:52:42.59 I am gonna show you in context, 00:52:42.62\00:52:45.09 in reference to the warning about the Mark of the Beast 00:52:45.12\00:52:47.64 that it is this issue and I am gonna read it again 00:52:47.67\00:52:50.69 going back to Revelation 14. 00:52:50.72\00:52:52.02 Remember what we read at the beginning, 00:52:52.05\00:52:53.78 "And another angel, a third one, 00:52:53.81\00:52:55.21 followed them, saying with a loud voice, 00:52:55.24\00:52:57.43 'If anyone worships the beast and his image, 00:52:57.46\00:53:00.68 and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, 00:53:00.71\00:53:04.16 he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, 00:53:04.19\00:53:07.65 which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger 00:53:07.68\00:53:12.13 and he will be tormented with fire" 00:53:12.16\00:53:14.09 this language is really pretty tough, isn't it? 00:53:14.12\00:53:16.66 "With fire and brimstone 00:53:16.69\00:53:18.28 in the presence of the holy angels 00:53:18.31\00:53:20.25 and in the presence of the Lamb. 00:53:20.28\00:53:22.11 And the smoke of their tormen 00:53:22.14\00:53:23.17 goes up forever and ever, 00:53:23.20\00:53:25.12 and they have no rest day and night, 00:53:25.15\00:53:26.86 those who worship the beast and his image, 00:53:26.89\00:53:29.09 and whoever receives the mark of his name.'" 00:53:29.12\00:53:33.37 Next verse, right in the context, 00:53:33.40\00:53:36.01 in contrast to those at the end time, 00:53:36.04\00:53:39.06 this is all future, 00:53:39.09\00:53:40.36 who sell themselves out to the apostasy 00:53:40.39\00:53:42.65 of which this is represented by this pagan holiday. 00:53:42.68\00:53:48.82 Notice in contrast to those who receive the mark, 00:53:48.85\00:53:51.49 God's people are identified. 00:53:51.52\00:53:53.73 Verse 12 says, Here "Here is the perseverance of the saints 00:53:53.76\00:53:58.16 who keep the commandments of God 00:53:58.19\00:54:01.28 and their faith in Jesus." 00:54:01.31\00:54:04.35 So in contrast of those who receive the mark, 00:54:04.38\00:54:06.54 what are God's people noted for? 00:54:06.57\00:54:08.94 And there are two significant things 00:54:08.97\00:54:11.12 and the most significant of them is the last one. 00:54:11.15\00:54:15.35 There will be noted for their faith in whom? 00:54:15.38\00:54:19.79 Their faith in Jesus. 00:54:19.82\00:54:22.29 And as I said early, it takes a lot of faith in Jesus 00:54:22.32\00:54:26.06 sometimes to make some of the changes 00:54:26.09\00:54:29.36 in our lifestyle to bring ourselves into harmony. 00:54:29.39\00:54:32.24 By His grace we do this in harmony 00:54:32.27\00:54:34.29 with the teachings of principles of scripture. 00:54:34.32\00:54:36.45 Does it take faith in Jesus to do that? 00:54:36.48\00:54:40.42 Absolutely. 00:54:40.45\00:54:42.07 And the other identifying characteristic here 00:54:42.10\00:54:45.38 is that they keep the Commandments of God. 00:54:45.41\00:54:48.35 How many do you think 00:54:48.38\00:54:49.87 that by their faith in Jesus they keep? 00:54:49.90\00:54:54.06 What do you think? 00:54:54.09\00:54:56.22 All by the grace of Jesus 00:54:56.25\00:54:58.20 which leads us to the conclusion, 00:54:58.23\00:55:02.30 that they are keeping all by His grace 00:55:02.33\00:55:04.96 they are seeking to enter into the rest of the Sabbath. 00:55:04.99\00:55:11.40 And Jesus said it, "If you love me, 00:55:11.43\00:55:12.99 you will keep My commandments." 00:55:13.02\00:55:15.97