Participants: Ranko Stefanovic
Series Code: RCK
Program Code: RCK000020
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00:21 Welcome again to our program that we have titled
00:25 as "Revelation of the Coming King." 00:29 I'm Ranko Stefanovic, Professor of the New Testament 00:34 at the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary, 00:37 Andrews University. As I mentioned, 00:39 I'm professor of the New Testament, 00:41 but also the Old Testament. 00:44 I'm student of the Bible, 00:46 but my focus of my teaching, my research and my presentations 00:52 that I make across the globe, 00:56 it's about the Book of Revelation 00:58 and the final events. 00:59 So I feel privileged and honored to have 01:01 a wonderful group of my audience here 01:04 and this crew that they're making this program possible 01:07 that we can open the word of God 01:09 and to study the Book of Revelation. 01:13 I don't know how you feel, but you can see more and more 01:17 we're going through the Book of Revelation 01:19 that this is indeed on one side a difficult book, 01:22 on the other side that we have a many, many help 01:26 from the Bible itself. 01:28 How to understand these messages 01:30 of the last book of the Bible? 01:32 So I'd like to urge you 01:35 that you put in front of yourself. 01:38 This is the best commentary on the Book of Revelation 01:40 that is my hand is the Bible itself 01:43 because really this is an excellent tool. 01:45 When you follow the instructions here in this book, 01:48 you cannot be far away from the truth. 01:51 It's there, it's there, but we have to know 01:54 how to interpret and how to study this text. 01:57 Okay, as we mentioned already so many times says, 02:00 it is impossible in the time that is allotted to us to cover 02:05 most what is there in the last book of the Bible. 02:08 But the purpose of this program 02:09 is not really to give us explanations of every thing. 02:13 It's simply to give provide us the guidance--guidelines. 02:17 Okay, second thing is somehow that we learn 02:20 how to interpret the text, so once these program is over 02:23 that you can go and to continue to study for yourself. 02:28 And I would like to urge our viewers, 02:30 you can do it by yourself, but the best way 02:34 is to find the group of devoted Christians. 02:38 Sit together, open the word of God 02:41 and study together and we have an excellent tools. 02:45 Actually I'd like to purge you, if you have not done it yet 02:49 to provide for yourself this tool which is titled 02:54 "Revelation of Jesus Christ." 02:56 I'm the author, Ranko Stefanovic which is the author, okay. 02:59 It's verse-by-verse commentary on the Book of Revelation. 03:03 Keep in mind, this is jus a tool. 03:05 This is the real thing, okay. 03:09 But maybe you'll ask your self a question. 03:13 What is the purpose of this commentary? 03:15 The purpose of this commentary is number one, 03:17 to stimulate your appetite. 03:19 Second one is, to give you those hundred 03:22 and even thousand and thousand Old Testament references 03:27 that then help you to understand 03:29 the text of the Book of the Revelation. 03:30 And we need each other. 03:32 I have my friends there at Andrews University. 03:34 And sometimes I like to pay per do research. 03:37 The first thing I do, 03:39 I give to those people to read it. 03:41 As I say, "Please, be as much critical as you can." 03:46 And then once they give me suggestions 03:50 and they write it then I give to the people 03:52 who disagree with me. 03:54 I'd like to-- I would like to see, 03:56 what's the problem that they find in that? 03:58 Friends, we need it. 03:59 The best to study the Book of Revelation 04:01 is to do it in the group as we're doing here. 04:03 I would really like to urge you-urge you 04:06 to continue to study the Book of Revelation. 04:08 And what a precious truth. 04:11 Okay, and thus you'll find-- 04:13 you'll find here on the pages of this book. 04:17 But above all, we need the wisdom of the Holy Spirit. 04:21 As we have done it always, we will do it again. 04:23 We'd like to ask God for the guidance of the wisdom 04:26 as we're trying to understand the Book of Revelation. 04:29 Our Heavenly Father, we're coming again to You 04:35 and humbly asking You that You be with us, 04:38 that You will give us Your Holy Spirit to open our minds, 04:42 to give us open mind, Father, and to thrive to discernment 04:47 that we can understand these beautiful messages 04:49 that are coming from the pages of the last book of the Bible, 04:53 the Book of Revelation, 04:54 which is actually the Revelation of Jesus Christ 04:57 that we can recognize how great Savior we have in Him. 05:01 Thank you, Father, for the blessings. 05:03 Please, be with us and help us 05:05 that they understand these messages 05:07 and apply to our daily lives. 05:08 We pray all of this into His precious name, amen. 05:13 Let me remind you one more time 05:16 that that the section of the Book of Revelation 05:21 that we're covering now, 05:23 actually it's written extensively in this commentary 05:26 and from page 4 to 1. So from page 4 to 1. 05:31 And I don't know where we will stop. 05:33 Okay. So one more time please, 05:38 would you turn with me to Revelation 13? 05:42 Okay, let me remind you what we talked so far. 05:46 We saw that the Book of Revelation 05:49 introduces the two allies of Satan. 05:53 Okay, two of his associates that will play the key role 06:00 at the time of the end prior to the second coming of Christ. 06:02 And I know we have Christians 06:05 coming from different denominations, 06:07 but I don't believe that that anyone of us 06:10 did not hear about the battle of Armageddon? 06:13 That final scenario that is found there 06:15 in the Book of Revelation. 06:17 And this is actually what we have to understand, 06:18 Revelation 13 actually describes the preparation 06:23 for that end time scenario. 06:25 And we saw that the first of the two associates 06:29 is known as the sea beast 06:30 or the beast coming out of the sea. 06:33 Actually received the mortal wound. 06:35 So that totalitarian and religious pressure 06:38 that lasted during the medieval period 06:40 was brought to the end of the French 06:43 by the events of French Revolution, okay. 06:45 When human reason, okay, and everything 06:50 what is man centered actually replace the God 06:54 centered theology that people believe. 06:57 You see, sometimes people have the problem with institution 07:00 and the systems and they claim God 07:02 and they reject the God and the biblical teaching. 07:05 That's not the right way to do? 07:08 You see, it was the events of French Revolution 07:11 is that the totalitarian medieval system was killed. 07:16 So we do not have any religious pressure 07:20 any longer since the time of the French Revolution. 07:22 We enjoy great freedom, 07:24 but that freedom brought many negative things 07:28 to the mother world. 07:30 But according to the Book of Revelation 07:31 as we studied it, the time is coming 07:35 when this mortal wound will be healed. 07:37 And please, allow me again to use our blackboard. 07:42 Okay. 07:47 We saw that Revelation 13 introduces the first beast, 07:53 and that beast, okay that first beast, 07:56 the sea beast will have the history of the activities 07:59 during the prophetic period of 1,260 days or 42 months 08:04 or time two times and half a time, okay. 08:07 Let's put it here. 08:09 Historically, the activities of these beasts 08:12 as religious political power started in, okay, 08:17 AD 538. 08:22 Okay. 08:25 When is the conclusion of this prophetic period? 08:29 Events of French Revolution in the year 08:31 that is rightly taken is the year 1798. 08:37 So we're dealing here with the period of 1,260 days. 08:43 Do you see that? 08:45 Now let me put here something is. 08:49 The section of the Book of Revelation that portrays 08:51 the activities of these beasts. 08:53 It's actually a Revelation, let's put it here. 08:56 It's Revelation 13:1-7. 09:02 Keep in mind, that this section of the book, 09:05 the first seven verses of chapter 13 09:07 they do not deal with the end time 09:09 activities of the beast. 09:13 These are the activities of the beast during this period. 09:17 After this date, 09:19 after the events of French Revolution, 09:22 this system has been killed. 09:26 So they are now dealing with the period 09:31 when the beast is not. 09:33 By the way, I cannot wait 09:35 to come to Revelation Chapter 17. 09:37 You see, Revelation 17 will summarize everything 09:40 what we're talking now and making 09:42 much more sense of that, okay. 09:44 But then here, we have Revelation, okay, 09:49 Revelation now again 13, 09:52 but we're dealing with the verses, okay, 8 to 18. 10:00 Okay, he's telling us that eventually 10:04 somewhere in the future this mortal wound 10:07 of the beast will be healed 10:09 and the beast will come back to life. 10:11 What does it mean? 10:12 That would happen before during this period, 10:16 that will also happen again at the time of the end. 10:19 Are you still with me? 10:22 You see, if we're living 10:25 somewhere between these two period, 10:27 I want to address here one issue. 10:30 There are some Christians 10:33 who are using some papers 10:34 that were published before the Second World War 10:39 when Mussolini, the great dictator in Italy 10:44 actually gave back Vatican to the papacy. 10:48 And they're using this as the evidence 10:50 that actually the mortal wound was healed in the year 1929. 10:58 Friends, I just want to tell you, 11:00 we have to be very careful. 11:02 Has the mortal wound being healed or not? 11:05 If the mortal wound has been healed, 11:07 we will not have 3ABN to proclaim this message. 11:11 You see, when the mortal wound is healed, 11:14 it means what happened during the medieval period 11:17 will also happen at the time of the end. 11:19 Are you still with me? 11:22 of course, there're some of my dear friends 11:25 they're asking me, but can we take the year 1928 11:28 when pope got the Vatican back, 11:30 as the beginning of the healing of the mortal wound. 11:32 Oh, yes. 11:34 There are many events today in the world 11:38 that indicates that the mortal wound is being healed. 11:42 And then your religious leaders would like to have, 11:46 something very similar 11:48 what happened in the past history. 11:50 But the mortal wound has not been healed yet. 11:54 The only text that refers to the future is verse 8, 11:57 and we read it. 11:59 It says, "When the mortal wound is healed, 12:01 the whole world will be amazed and worship the beast." 12:07 But there is a question, how the mortal wound be healed? 12:11 And according to Revelation 13, what we're reading here it says, 12:15 "That there's another entity, 12:17 political entity that will appear on the scene, 12:21 and that entity is referred 12:22 to as the beast coming out of the earth. 12:26 We saw already that the same earth in Revelation 12 12:30 they saved the church from Satan to be destroyed. 12:35 The entity that was very friendly to the church, 12:38 okay in Revelation 12. 12:40 Actually it is out of that friendly territory 12:43 and political power will come. 12:47 That political power will look friendly 12:51 with two little horns of a lamb with a Christian robe, 12:56 but then John notices something that this friendly power 13:02 coming out of the friendly territory to the church 13:06 will start speaking as a dragon. 13:11 We have here a great riddle. 13:14 What does it mean to speaking like a dragon? 13:17 What was the dragon speaking? 13:19 I want to be like God. 13:21 I want to make my throne to be equal to God. 13:26 So somehow those tendencies 13:29 that were so evident in the past history 13:33 that Satan work from the political powers 13:36 will also become a prominent feature 13:39 that will characterize the final events. 13:41 This is what we learn here-- here from the text. 13:44 Now let us go to verse 12 and it says, 13:50 He, who is that He? 13:57 I would like you that we watch out actually 13:59 who is the key player in the end time drama? 14:06 Usually when Christians are talking, 14:07 they're focusing on the first beast, 14:10 but I'd like you to notice. 14:12 John here provides the answer--answer. 14:15 How is that the mortal wound will be healed? 14:18 And the answer is that this new power which is a new, 14:22 does not have a historical-- strong historical background. 14:26 It's completely new on the war scene, 14:28 that actually will be the key player, 14:30 it's making possible the healing of the mortal wound. 14:34 Are you still with me? 14:35 And it says, "He the second beast, 14:38 the earth beast exercises all the authority 14:42 of the first beast in His presence." 14:44 Please, please, can you help me to understand the text? 14:52 If you have a president of country, 14:56 he has the authority in power to exercise 14:59 and he chooses a certain person 15:01 who does not have any power and telling him, 15:05 "Please, take my order to there. 15:07 You're sent by me. You see, this is your ID. 15:11 This is the authority that provided to you." 15:13 When that person goes there to make that order work, 15:17 people look in that person the president himself 15:21 because that person exercises the authority or the president. 15:24 Are you still with me? 15:26 So when the text says here that this earth beast exercises 15:30 all the authority of the first beast in his presence. 15:33 What does it mean? 15:36 What the first beast was doing here, 15:40 the earth beast will be doing here. 15:43 Amen. 15:44 Okay. Do you remember what-- 15:46 when we made comparison who sees me, 15:49 He sees the Father. Amen. 15:51 As the Holy Spirit, 15:53 thus under instruction of Christ representing Christ, 15:57 so these beasts represents the first beast. 16:00 It says, "And he makes the earth 16:02 and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast 16:06 whose fatal wound was healed." 16:09 Who will make the possible of the healing 16:12 of this mortal wound of the first beast? 16:15 Now to understand the purpose here on this text. 16:18 And it says, "He performs great signs, 16:23 so that even makes fire that's come down 16:26 of heaven to the earth in the presence of men. 16:31 And he deceives those who dwell on the earth 16:34 because of the signs which was given him 16:37 to perform in the presence of the beast. 16:40 Telling those who dwell on the earth 16:43 to make an image to the beast 16:46 who had the wound of the sword and has come to life." 16:51 I have to stay here-- here now with this text. 16:53 What do we have here in this text? 16:55 What does it say? Number one, 16:57 what will be the main tool of Satan in the final events? 17:01 Deception. You remember we talked about that? 17:05 Actually the text says here, "That the time of the end, 17:09 we will have a great signs and miracles 17:14 that even this power will make even fire that comes down 17:21 from the heaven to the earthy in the presence of men." 17:27 What would you say to me, 17:29 if I'm able to bring a fire and to destroy certain city 17:32 or certain group of people? 17:35 Would you say that this is a miracle? 17:37 But actually if you take any Bible Commentary, 17:39 you will see that they say, 17:41 "What we have here is the counterfeit 17:43 of the Day of the Pentecost. 17:46 You remember when the Holy Spirit 17:48 came in fire on the Day of the Pentecost? 17:51 Actually there is something-- 17:53 you remember that actually the first beast 17:56 is the counterfeit of Jesus Christ, 17:58 trying to take His place in this world. 18:00 Are you still with me? What about this power? 18:03 What about these beasts? 18:05 These beasts actually takes the place of the Holy Spirit, 18:08 imitating what happened on the Day of the Pentecost? 18:11 Friends, I don't want to be specific. 18:16 But every Christian can see today 18:18 what's going today in the world. 18:20 Religion based on emotions. When you have thousand, 18:23 thousand people gathering at one place, 18:25 "miracles" are taking place. 18:27 By the way, we can talk about this miracle 18:29 and please I don't want to put people down. 18:31 But many TV program were made. 18:33 What people can believe everything? 18:36 The Bible does not talk here about real miracles, 18:38 He talks about force miracles. 18:40 Imitation of the miracles of God. 18:43 It says even there will be something at the time of the end 18:46 that will imitate and to remind the Day of Pentecost. 18:50 Okay, according to Apostle Paul, 18:52 it will lack the real godliness. 18:55 And, friends, we are not talking here about sincere Christians 18:58 who are looking for God. 19:00 We're talking about something that will happen in the future. 19:01 I'm not even referring now what's taking place around us. 19:05 There is something that will happen in the future. 19:07 How it would be realized? 19:08 Please, I would like to advise you to wait, 19:12 but to study for our self, to fall in love with God. 19:16 Amen. To come unto the Christ. 19:19 Don't point to other people around you and say, 19:21 "This is what they're doing." 19:24 This is not the purpose of Revelation. 19:26 The purpose of the Book of Revelation 19:27 is not to point to other people, 19:29 is to point to ourselves and say, 19:31 "This is what will happen in the future." 19:33 Now it's the time for me 19:35 to settle my relationship with God. 19:38 See, when your friends 19:40 are talking about these final events, 19:41 we already mentioned that the key word 19:46 for Satan's end time activities it's counterfeit. 19:49 What is counterfeit? 19:52 Just look in Revelation 13, 19:56 everything that is said. Are you with me? 19:59 Everything that was said about the earth beast 20:02 could be said about Jesus Christ. 20:06 What the language that describes the first beast? 20:08 Is the language of Jesus Christ? 20:10 What about the second beast? 20:12 Is the language of the Holy Spirit? 20:15 It's the same language? 20:17 Do you know what counterfeit is? 20:19 Counterfeit something that looks like real. 20:22 And you can hardly recognize that it is not the real. 20:30 But I'd like to invite the viewers and all of us. 20:33 If you want really to understand what counterfeit is, 20:38 what are you supposed to do? 20:40 To study the original. 20:43 You know the stories. I read about the person 20:47 who brought that genuine picture of Picasso, 20:51 and he was so proud of that he invested 20:53 a lot of money and after he died, 20:55 his son wanted to sell that picture. 20:57 Finally, they discovered it was counterfeit. 21:00 How did they discover it was counterfeit? 21:02 Because an artist came 21:03 who really new the original picture of Picasso. 21:08 Friends, I see Christians today who are trying to study Satan, 21:10 everything about Satan, what he will be doing? 21:13 Everything they're doing writing books about Satan, 21:15 about history, etcetera. 21:17 Friends, this is not what you're supposed to do. 21:20 Remember the reference to Revelation 12, 21:22 we have to study the original. We have to study the truth. 21:25 Amen. Amen. 21:27 So when the counterfeit comes, 21:29 we will know that this is counterfeit. 21:33 But according to the Book of Revelation 21:34 something strange will happen in the world. 21:37 Please, you can put me in the spot 21:39 and ask me to go into more details. 21:40 I can simply tell you, I don't know. 21:44 I know what will happen. 21:45 I know that the Day of Pentecost will be repeated. 21:49 The entire world will be deceived 21:50 and go there and shout to God, 21:53 there will be many miracles that were taking place 21:55 like in the Book of Acts. 21:57 And believe me your and my faith will be tested at that time. 22:02 I do study about this, 22:04 not to point fingers to other people. 22:08 But to spend more time in prayer-- 22:10 Amen. Study of the Bible. 22:12 To come much closer to Christ that I know that original. 22:16 Amen. 22:17 So when the counterfeit comes, 22:20 I'll be stable, 22:24 I will remain in my royalty to God, 22:27 but the time is coming according to the Book of Rev-- 22:29 When? I don't know. 22:31 But it will happen prior to the second coming of Christ. 22:34 So now the Book of Revelation is more specific. 22:37 What is that that will happen? 22:40 Do you want to read with me? 22:41 It says, "What will this second beast do?" 22:46 It says, "That the beast will tell to the people 22:49 to make an image to the beast." 22:52 Which beast? 22:54 It says, "The beast that received the mortal wound." 22:57 Are you still with me? 22:59 Now, when I go among Christians, 23:03 I hear big discussions about the image of the beast. 23:05 What is the image of the beast? 23:08 Okay. Let's do something very practical. 23:15 This is my driver's license. 23:18 Did you see here picture? 23:19 What is this picture? 23:22 I remember several times it happened 23:24 in my travel experience. 23:26 For instance in New Zealand few years ago 23:28 I went there. They did not know me, 23:30 but they wanted to wait for me at the airport. 23:32 So they went there to Google, they found my picture. 23:35 And I saw people are-- several people walking around. 23:39 I don't know what they were doing 23:41 because I didn't see that was actually my picture. 23:42 They tried to see the picture 23:44 and recognized the person who is there. 23:46 Of course, the picture that they found in Google 23:49 was completely different 23:50 and how I looked today in the reality. 23:53 So finally but they found me. See, this is the image. 23:56 So we'll say that the second beast 23:59 will impose the people of the world 24:03 to make the image of the beast. 24:05 What does it mean? 24:08 You see, what is the image? This is the image. 24:10 Is the image of the reality? 24:11 So it means there is something at the end 24:13 that these beasts will make the image of this 24:19 that happened during the medieval period. 24:21 Are you still with me? What is that? 24:25 By the way, I meet many good Christians. 24:29 They say, "Boy, do you remember those old times 24:32 when everybody went to the church. 24:36 Do you remember those times when we all believed in God, 24:40 on certain day of the week when we all have the rest. 24:44 Enjoy the blessing of the Lord. But do you see now? 24:47 Do you see now in this word? 24:49 Do you see now in United States of America? 24:50 We need to save America and bring back to God. 24:53 Do you see what's taking-- If all people believe in God, 24:56 we will not see all those wickedness 24:58 and bare things around us. It will be sincere desire. 25:02 The religious people would like to do something. 25:04 The desire we want to come back to God, 25:06 but they will do it in their own way. 25:09 Friends, you cannot impose our religion 25:10 to anybody because he said, 25:14 that the second beast will create, what will do? 25:16 Create the image. We saw what image is. 25:20 But tell me, what is the characteristic of image? 25:23 Hey, I'm sorry. 25:24 You can take this image, you can spit on it. 25:28 You can do it. No harm done. 25:32 Why? Because this image according to the Old Testament, 25:34 the image of those gods. They don't hear. 25:37 They don't see-- they don't see anything. 25:39 But these beasts will ask people to create the image. 25:43 The image will be created. Institution will be created, 25:46 but what is the problem that this institution does not work? 25:49 And then we read in verse 15, 25:51 "And it was given to Him to this beast, 25:55 to give the breath to the image of the beast, 25:58 so that the image of the beast would even speak 26:01 and cause as many as do not worship 26:04 the image of the beast and be killed." 26:06 Are you still with me? What do we have here? 26:08 What is the image here? 26:09 Remember when God created Adam in His image. 26:13 Adam was there. He had mouth, could not speak. 26:16 He had eyes, he could not see. 26:17 He had ears, could not hear anything. 26:19 And God did, He put the breath of life in Adam. 26:23 And Adam, that image suddenly started talking. 26:26 This is what we have here is. 26:28 This image of the beast that we created 26:30 of this institution of the medieval period, 26:32 the time of the end will be repeated, 26:35 but this time the second beast 26:37 will make that institution works, 26:39 the system works at the time of the end. 26:41 Are you still with me? 26:42 In which way? In which way? 26:45 First, it will be done with persuasiveness, 26:50 but if persuasiveness does not work, 26:52 what is the next one? 26:54 Let's read it. Let's read it. 26:56 It says, "It was given to him to give 26:58 the breath to the image of the beast. 27:00 So that the image of the beast would even speak 27:03 and cause as many as do not worship 27:06 the image of the beast to be killed." 27:08 Now again comes to the force. 27:10 But friends, we're dealing here with the time 27:12 strictly prior to the second coming of Christ. 27:15 Short time, prior to the second coming of Christ, okay. 27:19 There will be again corrosion. 27:21 There will be again force. In verse 16 it says, 27:24 "And He causes all the small and the great, 27:27 and the rich and the poor, and the free man and the slaves, 27:33 to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, 27:37 and he makes that no one will be able to buy or to sell, 27:42 except the one who has the mark, 27:45 either the name of the beast or the number of his name." 27:51 Okay. What do you have here 27:54 that happens in the final scenario? 27:58 According to the Book of Revelation, 27:59 the system will be created that will repeat the history 28:03 what happened during the medieval period. 28:05 And the inhabitants of this world will have only one option 28:10 and what is the option? 28:13 Either to accept the system 28:16 or reject it and remain faithful to the Bible. 28:19 What will happen to those who reject that system? 28:24 The same. You remember 28:25 what the image of the beast is? What that system is all about? 28:28 They will be subject to the same treatment 28:31 as the followers of Christ are subjected 28:35 during the medieval period. Okay. 28:39 Friends, you saw what we know from the prophecies. 28:43 How it will realize let us just to wait, 28:45 but I'd like to urge our viewers, 28:48 if you want to see more in details 28:49 more explanation on that, 28:51 to read few last chapters of the book called 28:54 "The Great Controversy." 28:56 It's fantastic description of this end time scenario. 28:59 I'm here sticking to the Book of Revelation, 29:03 but I don't want to say something 29:05 that you can read for yourself. 29:06 It's the last few chapters. It's a fantastic book. 29:09 The author is Ellen White. 29:11 The title of the book is the "Great Controversy." 29:13 The last few chapters. 29:15 By the way, please read the entire book. 29:18 It's a great book. 29:21 But there is one entity here that is very important 29:23 that we have to explain and what is notice. 29:25 It's the Mark of the Beast. 29:28 All those who side with that system 29:31 will receive the Mark of the Beast. 29:33 We already explained that actually 29:35 the Mark of the Beast is antithesis of the seal of God. 29:41 You see, as God is marking His people, 29:44 so the beast is marking his followers. 29:49 As God is putting the seal, 29:52 His seal, the seal of God on His worshippers. 29:57 Now the beast is putting the mark on His worshippers. 30:03 By the way, the key issue in the final crisis is worship. 30:11 So, friends, we are not dealing here simply 30:14 with the political issues. 30:17 In the Bible-- and sometimes 30:19 I see very good Christians. 30:22 Everything that they read the Book of Revelation 30:24 is about political issues. 30:26 Everything that we read. 30:28 Friends, the Book of Revelation 30:29 is not interested in politics. 30:34 If politics is refer to in the Book of Revelation 30:37 is only in the context of the conclusion 30:39 of the Plan of Salvation. 30:42 The politics that Satan will use at the time of the end 30:45 to prevent the accomplishments of God's plan 30:50 to establish His kingdom on this earth. 30:52 Are you still with me? 30:54 This is so far I can go interpretation 30:56 of the biblical prophecies. 30:58 But Mark of the Beast, what is Mark of the Beast? 31:02 It's related to worship. 31:04 The worshippers of God, they receive the seal of God. 31:08 The worshippers of the beast, 31:10 they receive the Mark of the Beast. 31:12 Please, I'd like now that you help me. 31:18 You will need to wonder around 31:21 because the Bible is telling us 31:22 exactly what the Mark of the Beast is. 31:26 And maybe some viewers they hear 31:28 about this for the first time. 31:30 And I just want to tell you 31:32 when you take the Bible to interpret itself. 31:34 You don't need to be far away. 31:36 Please, would you go with me one more time? 31:39 Are you there? 31:42 As we read this text, can you do me a favor? 31:46 Viewers, you are included here. 31:48 Can you put yourself in the position 31:52 of the Christians who lived in the first century? 31:54 What was the Bible that they read? 31:58 The Old Testament, they did not have New Testament. 32:02 For Jewish Christians, 32:03 what was the most important part of the Old Testament? 32:08 The Torah, the five books of Moses. 32:11 What was the most important part of the Torah? 32:16 Actually it's the Book of the Deuteronomy Chapter 6. 32:20 So called Shema. 32:22 When God instructed the people, 32:24 we will read this text in few more minutes, 32:26 to take the law of God and what to do with it, 32:32 to bind on their forehead, to put on their arms, 32:38 to put even on the doorpost of their house, 32:41 to be a constant reminder to them they belong to God. 32:45 Can you keep that in mind? 32:46 Can you put yourself in the position 32:47 of those people who lived in the first century? 32:50 And ask yourself how could they understand these texts? 32:53 Are you with me? Let's go there. 32:55 It says one more time, one more time, verse 16. 32:59 "And he, the earth beast causes all, 33:04 the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, 33:08 and the free man and the slaves." 33:11 Are you with me? 33:13 "To be given a mark on their right hand 33:17 or on their forehead." 33:20 If you're the first century reader, 33:22 when you read that the mark 33:24 had to be put on their forehead or right hand, 33:27 what would suddenly come to our mind? 33:30 The instruction that God gave for Moses 33:32 to the people of Israel in Deuteronomy Chapter 6. 33:36 I'd like you to turn here to this passage. 33:41 Deuteronomy Chapter 6. 33:52 I'd like that we read, for instance verse 8 33:56 and maybe--maybe let's read from verse 4. 33:59 Let's read from verse 4, okay, to verse 8. 34:05 Are you there? 34:07 "Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our God, 34:10 the Lord is one." This is Shema. 34:13 Hebrew means here, okay, here Israel. 34:16 "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart 34:21 and with all your soul with all your might. 34:25 These words, which I am commanding to you 34:27 shall be on your heart. 34:29 You shall teach them diligently to your sons 34:32 and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, 34:35 when you walk by the way, 34:37 when you lay down and when you rise up." 34:40 Now please, pay attention to verse 8. 34:42 "You shall bind them as a sign on your hand 34:47 and they shall be as frontals on your forehead." Amen. 34:51 If you are the first century Christians 34:54 knowing the Old Testament very well. 34:56 When you read Revelation 13 that this beast will force 34:59 people to receive the Mark of the Beast 35:01 on their foreheads or the right hand, 35:03 what will suddenly come to our mind? 35:05 What is this beast trying to do? 35:09 Trying to counterfeit the clear instruction of God, 35:13 what to do with his law. Amen. 35:19 As you said, amen, we can conclude the section 35:23 because this is very, very clear 35:25 what will actually happen at the time of the end. 35:29 Because the Mark of the Beast that is actually 35:31 the counterfeit of the seal of God. 35:34 It's related somehow to the obedience to God 35:37 in keeping His commandments. 35:41 God's faithful people, of course-- 35:43 of course, you will understand. 35:45 When Moses said to the people of Israel, 35:47 you shall write God's law, okay, on your hand, 35:53 put on your hand and put on your forehead, 35:57 Moses did not mean it literally. 35:59 Actually the Jews during medieval period 36:02 they put it in the form of filacterias and put it there. 36:05 Even-even today all those Jews are doing that, 36:08 but Moses never intended to tell people 36:10 they have to do it in literal way. 36:11 It is very symbolic telling people 36:13 that they accepted the law of God 36:15 with their mind and right hand 36:18 is the-- actually right hand 36:21 is the symbol of an action of works. 36:23 So it means, believe and do it. 36:27 This is actually what Moses meant, okay. 36:31 But what do we have in Revelation 13 36:34 that actually this beast at the time of the end 36:37 will try to do away with God's commandments. 36:42 And to enforce the human institutions 36:46 and the human commandments 36:48 as the substitute for God's commandment. 36:51 Are you still with me? 36:52 Because the Mark of the Beast is a counterfeit 36:54 to the seal of God and we saw 36:55 that the seal of God is related to the obedience of God. 36:59 Actually substitute for the obedience of God, 37:05 forcing people to obey the human institutions 37:08 and the human laws instead of God laws 37:12 and show true obedience to Him. 37:13 Are you still me? This is the best explanation. 37:17 And, friends, this suggested to us 37:22 that at the time of the end, at the time of the end, 37:26 the key issue in the final crisis 37:30 will be obedience to God 37:33 or obedience to human institution. 37:36 By the way, do you remember that? 37:39 I told you we'll come to that. We read in Revelation 12:17. 37:46 That though the Satan wants to destroy the time of the end 37:49 are characterized by, what? 37:51 Those who keep the Commandments of God. 37:54 Now we'll listened why. What is the issue? 37:58 Also, if you go to Revelation 14:12, 38:02 we'll come to that text. 38:03 It says, "Here is the perseverance of the saints 38:07 who keep the Commandments of God and they have-- 38:10 they have the faith of Jesus." 38:13 What is the issue--what is the issue in the final crisis? 38:18 It's worship, but keep in mind, 38:21 when Christians are talking about worship, 38:22 we always have our idea what worship is. 38:26 According to the Bible, 38:28 the people who worship God they obey God. 38:32 You remember in the gospels, the Pharisees, 38:35 they worship God, but they did not obey God 38:38 and that's why Jesus criticized them, 38:41 telling them of the consequences, 38:43 we'll come to that. 38:44 Friends, the issue in the final crisis 38:46 are God's Commandments. 38:48 But let me tell you something else. 38:51 Not any commandment, 38:53 it appears that when you read the Book of Revelation 38:57 very clearly that the first four commandments 39:03 are the test of the loyalty to God in the final crisis. 39:07 What are you talking about? 39:09 First four commandments are the commandments 39:10 that are talking about our relationship with God. 39:13 Note those six commandments 39:14 they're talking about our relationship 39:16 with fellow human beings. 39:18 Keep in mind. 39:20 The six commandments are the test of loyalty to God today. 39:24 We have to be loving Christians, 39:26 but we're talking here about this final moments 39:29 of this earth history and the test of our loyalty to God 39:32 and faithfulness to God 39:33 will be the first four commandments. 39:35 By the way, if you go to my commentary page 453, 39:40 I put here that appears 39:41 that the first four commandments of Decalogue in particular. 39:45 "You shall not have other gods before Me. 39:48 You shall not make for yourself idol." 39:50 Do you remember the image of the beast-- 39:51 the image of the beast? Okay, okay. 39:56 "Or any likeness or what is in heaven 39:58 above or the earth beneath or in the water 40:01 under the earth in order to wash it them. 40:04 You shall not take the name of the Lord, 40:06 your God in vain." 40:07 Do you remember what the beast is doing? 40:08 Blasphemy against God's name. 40:11 Do you remember that? 40:13 And finally they said, it says, 40:16 "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy." 40:20 See, these four commandments, they'll be the test 40:23 of our loyalty to God in the final crisis. 40:26 And it appears that Sabbath in particular 40:29 will be the test of our loyalty to God. 40:31 We dealt with that subject in the Revelation Chapter 7 40:35 with reference to the seal of God. 40:37 Is the seal of God is related to our test of loyalty to God 40:40 in the final crisis with reference 40:42 to the Seventh-day Sabbath 40:44 than really the Mark of the Beast? 40:48 Okay, characterizes the worshippers of the beast 40:51 in obeying today and institution in the final crisis 40:55 that the beast will actually establish in this world, okay. 41:01 So you can see we can talk so much about this, 41:05 but I know that my viewers are very impatient, 41:11 and I did it intentionally I reserved 41:12 only the last 15 minutes for that. 41:16 We really need 3-4 hours to talk about that. 41:20 It's Revelation 13:18. 41:22 And I know some of you are so eager to hear 41:24 what I will say. 41:26 But I have to say what is in the Bible, okay. 41:29 Let's go--let's go here to this text. 41:31 Chapter 13 verse 18. 41:35 Now this is the conclusion of the entire section. 41:39 It says, "Here is the wisdom." 41:42 Let me stop here for a while. 41:45 I meet many good Christians and they come here to this text 41:49 and they think that these it's call 41:51 for a wisdom of mathematical calculations. 41:55 Better mathematician you are, better you can understand 41:58 what is in chapter 13:18. 42:00 Friends, this is not a call for human, 42:03 artistic wisdom or skills. 42:08 If you go to the Bible, we have even 42:10 so called wisdom literature. 42:13 In the Book of Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, 42:18 it says, "That the beginning of the wisdom 42:21 is actually the fear of the Lord." 42:24 In the Book of James, letter of James in Chapter 1, 42:29 he's telling us, "If anyone of us lacks the wisdom." 42:33 James does not say, go and study mathematics. 42:37 He is telling us ask God and He will give you 42:42 the insight and that wisdom 42:44 because God will not discriminate anybody. 42:47 So when we have here a call for wisdom, 42:50 what kind of wisdom is here? 42:52 It's the wisdom that only the Holy Spirit 42:55 can impart to their faithful at the time of the end, 42:59 to really have discernment of the true nature of the beast. 43:02 Are you still with me? 43:04 So here is the call for wisdom. 43:07 "Let him who had understanding 43:10 calculate the number of the beast, 43:15 for the number is that of a man." 43:19 In my translation that says. 43:22 "And his number is six hundred and sixty-six." 43:25 By the way, if you want to study more on this subject 43:27 I have a lot, just to read it we need one good hour, okay. 43:31 It's found from page 425 and on, okay. 43:35 You have about 4-5 pages here in the commentary, 43:39 from page 425, okay. 43:44 So what is a great enigma here? 43:47 What is the great enigma is here? 43:49 It's the number that is expressed here at 666. 43:57 Friends, in the history of the interpretation 43:58 of the Book of Revelation literally, 44:00 thousand and thousand names were calculated 44:06 and people try to find the meaning of number 666. 44:11 And the normal method that people 44:14 are using is the so called Gematria. 44:18 I don't know if you're familiar with the-- 44:20 with the word Gematria, but Gematria is the word 44:23 from which the word geometry comes. 44:26 Gematria is the Greek expression. 44:29 If you want to translate into English, 44:30 it simply means playing with the numbers. 44:34 By the way, after the time of the Book of Revelation, 44:37 you know, today how do we have numbers? 44:39 We express them with Arabic signs. 44:43 That's how we have the numbers. 44:45 But in ancient world and in the time 44:47 when the New Testament was written 44:48 whether in Hebrew or Greek or Latin, 44:52 people wrote number in terms of the letters of the alphabet. 44:58 Let's put it in English to be very practical. 45:00 It means--it means, using our alphabet to do it if we can. 45:06 A would be number 1, okay. B would be number 2. 45:13 C, number 3. 45:16 So the 11 letter you would make it to be 100, 45:20 the 12 letter would be 500, et cetera. 45:22 Are you still with me? 45:24 So it means that the numbers were expressed 45:26 by means of Gematria 45:27 and we have in the 2nd century, 45:30 the person would go for a long trip 45:32 and after that he will send a letter to his wife and say, 45:35 "I'm writing this letter to my dear one 45:37 whose name is 52,857." 45:42 What did he do? 45:43 By playing Gematria, he would replace the letters 45:47 of her name into the number, okay. 45:51 Unfortunately, many Christians 45:55 and this is the majority of usage of this. 45:57 They're using Gematria in order to find different names, 46:04 in order to calculate the number 666. 46:07 Please, I don't want here to refer 46:09 to any particular practice. 46:14 I don't want to offend anybody, but I'd like to stimulate 46:17 your passion for study with the Book of Revelation 46:19 and do it for our self. 46:21 And I would like to ask you several questions, please. 46:26 I'm talking about very good Christians 46:30 who are really using Gematria 46:31 and they don't know what they're doing. 46:34 Number 1, it says for wisdom. 46:38 People who practice Gematria, they think they must be 46:40 a good mathematician in order to do it. 46:44 This is not what the text talks about. 46:46 Second thing is it says, 46:47 "Let him who has understanding 46:49 calculate the number of the beast." 46:53 Calculate, and that's how people think 46:55 that Gematria should be put 46:57 because we have to calculate the number. 46:58 Unfortunately the word calculate here 47:01 is very, very confusing. 47:03 Since I see that I have only 47:04 10 minutes to finish today's lecture. 47:08 Please, you have in my commentary 47:09 all the information is there. 47:11 The word calculate that is used here is used 47:13 only several times in the New Testament. 47:16 Actually it does not mean calculate. 47:18 It means, figure out. 47:21 Actually, Jesus used that word when He said, 47:24 "When the person decides to build a city 47:27 or decide to go to the war, 47:29 he first have to figure out the cause. 47:33 It's not about calculation to figure out the cause. 47:37 And after that to decide whether he will go 47:39 to the war or decide to build the city or the house." 47:43 Are you still with me? 47:44 This is not really about calculation. 47:46 It means about to decide, 47:48 to find out what comes out there. 47:51 The proper word in English is to figure out. 47:55 Let him who has understanding 47:57 empowered by the Holy Spirit 47:59 figure out the number of the beast. 48:02 And John mentions here that this is the number 48:06 of a man according to New American Standard Version. 48:10 By the way, let me put here on the blackboard. 48:14 And please, I don't want to put in Greek now, 48:17 let me put in Latin alphabet, 48:19 that we know what we're talking about. 48:21 It's the Greek word, Anthropos, 48:28 which is used here. 48:29 Sometimes--sometimes in Greek language, 48:32 it can refer to particular man as we're doing that in English. 48:37 But the word Anthropos, the true meaning of this word, 48:40 it means a humanity or a human being, okay. 48:45 Actually the Greek word Aner, 48:47 means a man as distinguished from a woman. 48:51 Like in Hebrew you have Ish and Isha. 48:56 Ish means man. Isha means woman. 48:59 But the first man that God created was not Ish. 49:02 It was Adam, 49:03 which actually is equivalent to the Greek, Anthropos. 49:07 Are you still with me? It means humanity. 49:10 And Anthropos can be either man or a woman. 49:15 You see many good Protestant Christians, 49:17 they like this expression man and many translation 49:20 of the Bible are misleading. Why? 49:22 Because they're translated by the people 49:24 who believe that antichrist, this power is a man 49:27 one single person who'll appear in Europe as antichrist, 49:31 that's why they put the word a man. 49:34 But this is not about one particular man. 49:36 Keep in mind, that the Book of Revelation 49:38 does not deal with individuals. 49:41 The Book of Revelation deals with the systems, 49:46 with the human beings. 49:48 So the antichrist of Revelation 17 49:50 is not one particular individual. 49:52 Are you still with me? 49:55 It's with the system, of course, 49:56 that will involve the human beings. 49:59 So let's make right translation. 50:01 "For this is the number of the humanity." 50:04 And what is the number of the humanity? 50:08 In Hebrew mind-- in Hebrew mind, 50:11 number 7 is the number of God. 50:16 It's a number of perfection, okay. 50:18 The number of completeness. 50:21 But in Hebrew mind, 50:22 the human beings were created on the sixth day, okay. 50:28 But if human beings want to enter 50:30 into fellowship with divine, 50:31 they have to enter into the number 7, 50:33 that's the significance of the 7 in the Bible. 50:37 So the number of 6 is the number of the humanity, 50:41 but not here any humanity is the humanity 50:44 that wants to become equal to God. 50:47 But the message is here that this power, 50:50 the system that wants, 50:52 that claims the prerogatives of God. 50:53 Do you remember we saw it? 50:55 This power that claim equality to God. 50:58 Actually the message to this power 51:00 that this is just a fallen humanity. 51:04 This power cannot be divine. 51:06 This power cannot claim equality with God. 51:10 And now John concludes and says, 51:13 "That the number of this humanity is the number 666." 51:21 Oh, boy, what is this now? 51:24 6 number and 66. Okay. 51:32 I hear many people are providing 51:35 different interpretation of this text. 51:39 And please, oh, boy, I don't have here 51:42 now eraser and we have only five minutes. 51:44 Please, I will use this blackboard as much as I can. 51:47 I'd like that you see how define-- 51:50 that's okay now. I will use it here. 51:52 I hope even our viewers will be able to see 51:55 what we have here. 51:57 Actually in Greek, it looks like this. 52:02 I'm putting in Latin alphabet. 52:10 Okay, accessory is. 52:24 Okay. 52:26 I know it's foreign language to you, 52:29 but try to notice something. 52:31 How is John writing this number? 52:34 You see, hexacosi, it means 600, 52:41 hexaconta, it means 60, and hex, it means 6. 52:48 This is not normal way of writing in Greek. 52:53 If you want to write 666, what do you do? 52:56 You write the three letters of the alphabet. 52:58 Do you remember what I told you? 53:01 A means 1, B means 2, 53:04 the 11th number actually means 100 53:08 and you have 500. 53:11 So this is not the way. 53:13 In Greek, if you want to write 666, 53:15 you'll put simply three letters of the alphabet. 53:19 But then, John is doing completely is the same today. 53:22 Instead of writing 666, you put in a sentence 53:27 six hundred and sixty-six. 53:29 This is what he is doing? 53:30 This is not a normal to writing. Why? 53:34 Because he wanted to tell us something. 53:41 What is hex? It's a 6. 53:45 To point clearly to the readers about three sixes. 53:49 Why three sixes? 53:52 I know I have to bring my lecture to the conclusions. 53:56 Actually, it's to telling us, we're dealing 53:58 with the humanity that claimed to be equal to God. 54:01 Do you remember the parody of God? 54:04 The parody of the trinity? 54:06 You're talking about three persons of the unholy, 54:10 the trinity that counterfeits God. 54:13 They take--they tried to take the place of God. 54:17 We're talking about counterfeit trinity. 54:19 That's why we have here three hexes. 54:23 One hex one 6 for each member 54:28 of the counter-- of the counterfeit trinity. 54:31 I know it means something to you. 54:36 We are dealing here with a number 54:38 that really pertains to the end time power. 54:42 Please, keep in mind. 54:45 I know my, friends and Christians, 54:48 even my own denominations that I belong to I-- 54:52 we love each other so much, but many people 54:57 try to apply the number 666 to the papacy. 55:01 And, friends, papacy is included there. 55:04 This is not denial of the papacy. 55:05 Are you still with me? 55:07 It's there, but when they try to calculate number 666, 55:10 they try to take one certain title 55:13 that will several times use to papacy 55:15 during the medieval period. 55:18 But keep in mind, Revelation 11-- 55:21 13:18 is not about the medieval period, 55:24 it's about the time of the end. 55:25 What time of the end? 55:27 When Satan, the first beast 55:30 and the second beast will work together, 55:32 the second beast will make the Mark of the Beast and enforce. 55:35 Are you still with me? 55:37 We're dealing with the time of the end. 55:38 Not about the medieval period? 55:40 So the number of 666 has to be applied 55:44 to the time of the end 55:45 when we have the collision of Babylon 55:49 of this anti divine power at the time of the end. 55:55 They will draw all the people into the final deception. 55:58 And by the way, why Babylon? 56:01 Because the number of 6 was the basic number 56:06 and the measuring system in ancient Babylon. 56:11 By the way, everything in ancient Babylon 56:14 was about number 6. 56:16 However that measuring system was lost. 56:19 By the way, you have in my commentary. 56:21 You have all those information there. 56:23 The only thing that we got 56:24 from ancient Babylon that measures 6. 56:27 Any idea what is that? 56:28 Is the measure for time? 60 seconds? 56:33 3600--okay. What else? 56:36 And the measure for the angle. 56:38 That's the only time that we got from up. 56:40 Everything was about 6. 56:41 We call, so called hexadecimal system. 56:44 By the way, do you remember about the measure of the statue 56:50 that the King Nebuchadnezzar created in Daniel Chapter 6? 56:56 What was the height of that statue? 57:00 It was 60 cubic. 57:02 How wide was the statue? 6 cubic. 57:04 Because number 6 was the sacred number 57:07 of ancient Babylon. 57:08 That's why John is using number 6 to tell us 57:11 that this is number of the fallen humanity 57:13 of the enemy power that want to be equal to God, okay. 57:18 But God's people do not need to be deceived. 57:21 That's why we need the divine understanding. 57:24 We need that wisdom. 57:26 And praise God, we have the Holy Spirit 57:28 who can really enable us to understand the truth forever. |
Revised 2014-12-17