Good morning,
friends, and welcome
00:00:35.06\00:00:36.26
to Sabbath School Study Hour
00:00:36.30\00:00:37.83
here at the Granite Bay
Seventh-day Adventist Church.
00:00:37.87\00:00:40.64
Very warm welcome, as always,
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to those who are
joining us online,
00:00:42.44\00:00:44.07
our extended
Sabbath School class,
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and also those watching
00:00:46.51\00:00:47.54
on the various
television networks.
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Thank you for joining us again
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as we study this very
important lesson entitled,
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it's lesson number 12,
"Babylon and Armageddon".
00:00:54.32\00:00:57.75
I also like to welcome
those who are right here
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in our
congregation this morning.
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We have a number of
visitors who are with us today
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as well as our
regular church members,
00:01:04.43\00:01:06.19
very warm welcome to all of you.
00:01:06.23\00:01:08.23
I'm glad you
joined us as we study.
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We knew in the end of
this lesson quarterly,
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it's been a very
important study entitled,
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"Preparation for the End Times".
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Today we find
ourselves on lesson number 12,
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dealing with the
subject of Armageddon.
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Babylon and Armageddon,
that's lesson number 12.
00:01:22.88\00:01:25.98
Now we do have
a free offer that,
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I think, ties
in just beautifully
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with our study for today.
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It is a book written
by Joe Crews entitled,
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"Armageddon".
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And this is our free offer
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for those who
are joining us online
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or watching on
the various networks.
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If you'd like to
receive a free copy of our book,
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Armageddon,
please call 866-788-3966,
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and you can ask
for offer number 168.
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For those who
are watching online,
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if you'd like to order
this book in a digital format,
00:01:52.84\00:01:56.01
you'll be able to
download it to your phone
00:01:56.04\00:01:57.68
or whatever electrical
device you might have there.
00:01:57.71\00:02:00.82
In order to get
that, all you'll have to do
00:02:00.85\00:02:02.85
is text the
following number, "40544",
00:02:02.88\00:02:08.02
and you want to
text the code "SH012",
00:02:08.06\00:02:12.36
and we'll be able
to give you a link
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as to where you can
download the book Armageddon,
00:02:13.96\00:02:16.67
and you can read it
right there on your device.
00:02:16.70\00:02:19.30
Well, before we get to
our lesson study time today,
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instead of having our
regular congregational singing,
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we have something special today.
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We have Erwin
and Genelle Nanashi
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who will be bringing us
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our special
musical item at this time.
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Holy words long preserved
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For our walk in this world
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They resound
with God's own heart
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Oh, let the ancient words impart
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Words of life, words of hope
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Give us strength, help us cope
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In this world,
where ever we roam
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Ancient words will guide us home
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Ancient words ever true
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Changing me, and changing you
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We have come with open hearts
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Oh, let the ancient words impart
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Holy words of our faith
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Handed down to this age
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Came to us through sacrifice
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Oh, heed the
faithful words of Christ
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Holy words long preserved
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For our walk in this world
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They resound
with God's own heart
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Oh, let the ancient words impart
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Ancient words ever true
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Changing me, and changing you
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We have come with open hearts
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Oh, let the ancient words impart
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Ancient words ever true
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Changing me, and changing you
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We have come with open hearts
00:06:03.99\00:06:09.56
Oh, let the ancient words impart
00:06:09.60\00:06:16.20
We have come with open hearts
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Oh, let the ancient words impart
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Dear Father, once
again we're grateful
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for the opportunity to
be able to gather together
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and open up Your Word
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and study this
prophetic subject talking about
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Armageddon and
Babylon in Bible prophecy,
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what does that mean,
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how does that
relate to us today.
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Father, we ask
for Your Holy Spirit
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in a special way to guide us,
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this is a very important
study and important subject.
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So be with Pastor
Doug as he opens the word,
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in Jesus name, amen.
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It's my privilege to invite
Pastor Doug to come forward,
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and he'll be sharing
with us our study today.
00:07:08.96\00:07:11.36
Thank you, Pastor Ross,
and good morning, everybody.
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We've been gone a couple weeks,
I don't know if anyone noticed,
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but it's good to be home,
want to welcome our friends
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that are watching on
satellite or live stream
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or one of the other mechanisms.
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We have a number of
people who are members
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of the Granite Bay Church,
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some of them are digital members
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or online members,
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that's folks all
around the world.
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We met some when we
were on our recent trip
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to the Middle East.
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They have no local
church where they can attend,
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and so they become
online members of Granite Bay.
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And if you're in that category,
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you'd like to
know how to do that,
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you can just go to
the Granite Bay website,
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GraniteBaySda.org,
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and they'll share
more information there
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with you about
what that process is.
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Maybe I should just say we're...
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As I mentioned, we've been gone
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for a couple of weeks
to a very interesting part
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of the planet at a
very interesting time.
00:08:06.82\00:08:10.25
Pastor Ross, and I,
and Karen, and Ruth,
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along with a number
of Amazing Facts friends,
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I think we had about 85 or 90,
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a few from the church
here, went to the Holy Land.
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There's a couple of
speaking appointments there,
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so there was some evangelism
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we were doing
while we were there.
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I was able to
preach in Jerusalem twice
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as well as various
holy sites along the way.
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And a matter of fact,
we may have a few pictures,
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oh, they got it up
there on the screen, yeah.
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Trinity Broadcasting
Network has some studios
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where we are able to preach
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at beautiful outdoor auditorium,
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overlooks the Holy Mountain
in the Old City of Jerusalem,
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just beautiful spot.
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And while we were
there, it was very exciting
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because we met people
who were baptized in Israel
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from watching
Amazing Facts programs.
00:09:02.80\00:09:05.51
And that's what it's all about.
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You know, we've been
on several channels there,
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Daystar TV and Middle
Eastern Television for years,
00:09:10.28\00:09:14.35
and so I've
seen the fruit of it.
00:09:14.38\00:09:16.65
And the Bible comes alive, also.
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If you've not been
on one of these trips,
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some time in your life,
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I think it's
great if you can go.
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If you wait for a time
when there's no problems
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in the Middle
East, you'll never go.
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So people said,
"Aren't you afraid
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there's fighting
in the Gaza Strip?"
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I said, "No, that's
probably very safe."
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You know sometimes
people say, you go to, you know,
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other parts of the
world and they say,
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"Do you feel safe in America?
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I hear that they're all
killing each other in Chicago."
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I said, "Well, that may be,
00:09:44.98\00:09:46.11
but we're long way from Chicago.
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And where we went,
most of the holy sites
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are a long way
from the Gaza Strip,
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so don't be afraid by
some of those things you hear.
00:09:51.95\00:09:55.39
But it is clear that
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they've got
very strong security.
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As we drove along, we
went into the Golan Heights,
00:10:01.36\00:10:04.43
we went into the West
Bank, we had to pass through
00:10:04.47\00:10:07.17
some very
interesting security points.
00:10:07.20\00:10:09.37
We saw signs in red that said,
00:10:09.40\00:10:12.27
"If you are Israeli,
do not cross this line,
00:10:12.31\00:10:15.51
your life could be at
risk, you could be killed."
00:10:15.54\00:10:17.78
I mean, I took pictures
of it, it's pretty strong.
00:10:17.81\00:10:20.25
So there is very
definite tension that's there,
00:10:20.28\00:10:23.55
and I've never gone through
00:10:23.59\00:10:25.12
such thorough
security getting into
00:10:25.15\00:10:30.39
or leaving an
airport as in Israel.
00:10:30.43\00:10:33.19
They pulled our car off the road
00:10:33.23\00:10:35.50
before we got to the airport,
Karen's here, she's chuckling.
00:10:35.53\00:10:39.60
They asked us
questions separately,
00:10:39.63\00:10:41.24
made her get out of the
car, took our passports,
00:10:41.27\00:10:43.24
questioned our driver,
00:10:43.27\00:10:44.74
wanted to see our
bags, I mean, it was very...
00:10:44.77\00:10:47.54
Yeah, they stopped the
van, made us drive over a mere,
00:10:47.58\00:10:49.98
check for explosives,
00:10:50.01\00:10:51.11
and this is just
our taxi to the airport.
00:10:51.15\00:10:54.18
I haven't even
gotten to the airport yet,
00:10:54.22\00:10:55.58
then there's another
raft of security there.
00:10:55.62\00:10:57.99
So it's clear that they do
have security issues there.
00:10:58.02\00:11:04.23
It does
strengthen your faith though
00:11:04.26\00:11:06.13
when you get oriented
what the Bible lands are,
00:11:06.16\00:11:10.60
and where things happened,
00:11:10.63\00:11:13.50
it's really neat to go
to places like Ein Gedi,
00:11:13.54\00:11:16.24
and you say, this
waterfall here out
00:11:16.27\00:11:18.27
in the middle of
the desert is a place
00:11:18.31\00:11:20.51
where David hid from Saul,
and he found Saul in the cave,
00:11:20.54\00:11:24.25
and to see where
the Dead Sea Scrolls
00:11:24.28\00:11:26.45
were discovered,
00:11:26.48\00:11:27.68
and to see the
eastern gate of Jerusalem
00:11:27.72\00:11:31.69
that is all walled up.
00:11:31.72\00:11:32.82
And then you read in
the prophecy of Ezekiel 44.
00:11:32.85\00:11:35.52
It says, "That
gate will be closed
00:11:35.56\00:11:36.96
because the Lord
has passed through it."
00:11:36.99\00:11:38.59
That's the gate
Jesus went through
00:11:38.63\00:11:39.96
during the triumphal entry,
00:11:40.00\00:11:41.46
and later the
Muslims walled it up
00:11:41.50\00:11:42.96
to try to prevent
the Messiah from coming,
00:11:43.00\00:11:45.33
and they put a
cemetery in front of it.
00:11:45.37\00:11:46.77
You read it
then in the prophecy.
00:11:46.80\00:11:49.04
And you read where Jesus says,
00:11:49.07\00:11:50.27
"There will not be
one stone upon another
00:11:50.31\00:11:52.34
that will not be
cast out from the temple."
00:11:52.37\00:11:54.61
And then we took a
tour that went underneath
00:11:54.64\00:11:56.64
the Western Wall,
00:11:56.68\00:11:59.01
and you see the great
pile of massive stones
00:11:59.05\00:12:01.62
that were pushed
off by the Romans,
00:12:01.65\00:12:03.05
and there is a sign
that tells you about it,
00:12:03.08\00:12:05.12
not written by Christians,
00:12:05.15\00:12:06.19
but written by
the nation of Israel.
00:12:06.22\00:12:08.62
And so you see the fulfillment
of prophecy everywhere.
00:12:08.66\00:12:11.36
So it was very inspiring.
00:12:11.39\00:12:12.93
But just one reason, I
wanted to tell you about it,
00:12:12.96\00:12:14.83
just as sort of a
little mission report,
00:12:14.86\00:12:17.03
is all along the way,
00:12:17.07\00:12:18.70
first of all one of
our guides was baptized,
00:12:18.73\00:12:22.30
a Jewish guy baptized by a
Seventh-day Adventist minister.
00:12:22.34\00:12:26.64
Now he was just baptized
in the Jordan to accept Jesus,
00:12:26.68\00:12:29.48
which is a big deal
if you're an Israeli
00:12:29.51\00:12:32.75
and you're a Jew, to
say I am accepting Jesus.
00:12:32.78\00:12:36.32
He had not yet
joined the Adventist Church,
00:12:36.35\00:12:38.39
but we gave him our book.
00:12:38.42\00:12:40.16
And I took some
testimony books with us,
00:12:40.19\00:12:42.32
and so he, and I, and Karen,
00:12:42.36\00:12:43.93
we ate together and
hope we'll pray for him.
00:12:43.96\00:12:46.39
I'll not say his name,
00:12:46.43\00:12:47.50
don't want to
put him on the spot.
00:12:47.50\00:12:49.56
And it was fun going
around because as we were there
00:12:49.60\00:12:52.33
with our group
00:12:52.37\00:12:54.54
doing the
inspiration instructional tour,
00:12:54.57\00:12:57.17
I would break
away every now and then
00:12:57.21\00:12:58.84
with our crew to
videotape things,
00:12:58.87\00:13:00.64
were doing kind of
an Amazing Fact thing
00:13:00.68\00:13:02.38
on the Holy Land.
00:13:02.41\00:13:04.25
And people would stop me
00:13:04.28\00:13:06.15
that were with other tour groups
00:13:06.18\00:13:07.48
and they'd say,
00:13:07.52\00:13:08.62
"Oh, we've been watching
your program for years."
00:13:08.65\00:13:11.12
Well, one gentleman
came up and he said,
00:13:11.15\00:13:13.69
"Can I get a picture with you?"
00:13:13.72\00:13:14.92
And he said, "I was in Chicago.
00:13:14.96\00:13:19.03
And I was at a
really bad place in my life,
00:13:19.06\00:13:21.23
struggling with drugs,
my life was falling apart.
00:13:21.26\00:13:23.26
I saw your programs,
00:13:23.30\00:13:24.43
and I began to watch every week,
00:13:24.47\00:13:25.90
gave my heart to the Lord,"
he said, "Now I'm a pastor."
00:13:25.93\00:13:29.24
He's a Baptist
pastor but he's a pastor,
00:13:29.27\00:13:30.94
you know, he came to the Lord.
00:13:30.97\00:13:33.17
So he's very happy.
00:13:33.21\00:13:34.58
And then we're coming
down the Mount of Olives,
00:13:34.61\00:13:37.11
and this Indian gentleman,
00:13:37.15\00:13:38.68
who was leading a
group of Indian Christians,
00:13:38.71\00:13:41.62
and he had his suit on,
00:13:41.65\00:13:43.49
he was just dressed very nicely,
00:13:43.52\00:13:44.62
and I'm wearing a t-shirt
00:13:44.65\00:13:46.22
because we were
out all day that day
00:13:46.25\00:13:48.02
and it's 100 degrees.
00:13:48.06\00:13:50.03
And he said,
"Can I get a picture?"
00:13:50.06\00:13:52.83
And I'm
surprised he recognized me
00:13:52.86\00:13:54.20
because I've got a
baseball cap and sunglasses on.
00:13:54.23\00:13:57.60
And he said, "Oh, yeah,
00:13:57.63\00:13:59.53
we watch your
programs in India."
00:13:59.57\00:14:01.54
Another pastor
from Detroit stopped us.
00:14:01.57\00:14:04.44
We were in Ein Gedi,
another couple of messianic,
00:14:04.47\00:14:07.78
Sabbath keeping
Christians not Adventist,
00:14:07.81\00:14:10.65
stopped us and got a picture.
00:14:10.68\00:14:12.48
And so it's just
wonderful to see the impact
00:14:12.51\00:14:14.78
of the ministry
all over the world.
00:14:14.82\00:14:17.09
So just wanted to
give you a little update,
00:14:17.12\00:14:20.06
and maybe some time if
you've never been there,
00:14:20.09\00:14:22.89
it does really...
00:14:22.92\00:14:25.33
You never look at
the Bible quite the same
00:14:25.36\00:14:27.50
as when you kind
of get the orientation
00:14:27.50\00:14:29.46
of where the
things were happening.
00:14:29.50\00:14:30.93
So it was an inspiring time.
00:14:30.97\00:14:33.57
Anyway, going to
get to our lesson,
00:14:33.60\00:14:34.74
very important lesson,
00:14:34.77\00:14:35.80
don't want to
gobble up all of our time,
00:14:35.84\00:14:37.74
talking about
Babylon and Armageddon.
00:14:37.77\00:14:40.64
We have a memory verse.
00:14:40.68\00:14:42.64
It's from Revelation
17:5, we'll be reading
00:14:42.68\00:14:44.95
part of Revelation
17 in just a moment.
00:14:44.98\00:14:47.52
Give you a chance to find that,
00:14:47.55\00:14:48.65
and I hope
you'll say it with me,
00:14:48.68\00:14:50.25
Revelation 17:5
00:14:50.29\00:14:52.55
and this comes from
the New King James Version,
00:14:52.59\00:14:54.82
here in your lesson.
00:14:54.86\00:14:55.99
Are you ready?
00:14:56.02\00:14:57.99
"On her forehead
a name was written,
00:14:58.03\00:15:02.73
Mystery, Babylon The Great,
00:15:02.76\00:15:05.60
The Mother Of Harlots
00:15:05.63\00:15:07.60
And The
Abominations Of The Earth."
00:15:07.64\00:15:11.17
Now whenever you
hear the word "mystery",
00:15:11.21\00:15:13.01
the Bible talks about
the mystery of iniquity,
00:15:13.04\00:15:15.64
it talks about the
mystery of godliness.
00:15:15.68\00:15:17.88
There are not that
many mysteries in the Bible,
00:15:17.91\00:15:20.55
but Babylon is a mystery.
00:15:20.58\00:15:22.68
Babylon is a word,
a term that you find
00:15:22.72\00:15:25.62
in the Bible all
the way from Genesis
00:15:25.65\00:15:28.59
where you may first hear
it called Babel to Revelation.
00:15:28.62\00:15:34.83
Not only do you
find it in the first book
00:15:34.86\00:15:36.70
of the Old Testament,
00:15:36.73\00:15:38.17
you find it in the first
book of the New Testament.
00:15:38.20\00:15:40.90
Have you ever noticed
in the genealogy of Jesus
00:15:40.94\00:15:43.34
that Matthew gives,
00:15:43.37\00:15:44.74
he does it in the
context of Babylon.
00:15:44.77\00:15:48.68
Look in Matthew chapter...
00:15:48.71\00:15:50.48
This is the section
under the wine of the wrath.
00:15:50.51\00:15:53.95
Matthew 1:17, "So
all the generations
00:15:53.98\00:15:59.12
from Abraham to David
are fourteen generations,
00:15:59.15\00:16:01.56
from David until
the captivity in Babylon
00:16:01.59\00:16:04.99
are fourteen generations,
from the captivity in Babylon
00:16:05.03\00:16:08.43
until the time of Christ
are fourteen generations."
00:16:08.46\00:16:12.10
Then go to Matthew
1:11, "Josiah begot Jeconiah
00:16:12.13\00:16:17.77
and his brothers about the time
00:16:17.81\00:16:19.04
they were
carried away to Babylon.
00:16:19.07\00:16:21.44
And after that they
were brought to Babylon,
00:16:21.48\00:16:23.85
Jeconiah begot Shealtiel,
00:16:23.88\00:16:25.48
and Shealtiel begot Zerubbabel."
00:16:25.51\00:16:27.55
Who was of the king's seed.
00:16:27.58\00:16:29.85
And then you go to Matthew 1:17,
00:16:29.88\00:16:32.22
"So all the generations
from Abraham to David
00:16:32.25\00:16:34.49
are fourteen generations,
00:16:34.52\00:16:35.86
from David to the
captivity in Babylon
00:16:35.89\00:16:38.33
are fourteen generations,
00:16:38.36\00:16:39.56
and from the
captivity in Babylon
00:16:39.59\00:16:41.56
until the Christ are
fourteen generations."
00:16:41.60\00:16:44.40
So it's interesting that
Matthew begins the gospel
00:16:44.43\00:16:47.10
by listing
three groups of seven.
00:16:47.14\00:16:51.11
Seven's interesting number.
00:16:51.14\00:16:52.77
And you find Babylon mentioned
00:16:52.81\00:16:54.74
one, two, three,
four, five, six, seven times
00:16:54.78\00:16:59.85
in the first chapter.
00:16:59.88\00:17:02.02
It's a very
interesting grouping.
00:17:02.05\00:17:05.45
You see Babylon
is the polar opposite
00:17:05.49\00:17:09.96
of Jerusalem biblically.
00:17:09.99\00:17:13.29
God's people are
being called out of Babylon,
00:17:13.33\00:17:16.36
and our ultimate
goal is the New Jerusalem.
00:17:16.40\00:17:20.47
When we are going
away from Jerusalem,
00:17:20.50\00:17:22.80
and this was all very real,
00:17:22.84\00:17:24.01
having just come
from the Old City
00:17:24.04\00:17:25.54
and listening
to all the stories,
00:17:25.57\00:17:28.04
were heading
the wrong direction.
00:17:28.08\00:17:30.41
When the man fell among thieves,
00:17:30.45\00:17:32.78
he had his back to Jerusalem
00:17:32.81\00:17:34.38
and he was
going down to Jericho.
00:17:34.42\00:17:37.85
When the children of Israel
00:17:37.89\00:17:40.29
disobeyed and
they turned to idols,
00:17:40.32\00:17:42.42
God punished them
00:17:42.46\00:17:43.79
by sending the pagan
king to carry them out,
00:17:43.83\00:17:47.40
they were carried away
00:17:47.40\00:17:49.46
from the
Promised Land to Babylon.
00:17:49.50\00:17:53.37
When he blessed them,
they came out of Babylon,
00:17:53.40\00:17:56.50
they went back to
rebuild Jerusalem.
00:17:56.54\00:18:00.14
We're trying to get
to the New Jerusalem.
00:18:00.18\00:18:02.58
When God curse the
languages of the world,
00:18:02.61\00:18:05.08
where did that happen?
00:18:05.11\00:18:08.15
They wanted to make
a name for themselves.
00:18:08.18\00:18:10.52
And this is Genesis 11,
so they were going to build
00:18:10.55\00:18:12.79
a tower to heaven
to save themselves.
00:18:12.82\00:18:15.82
God said, "Go
scatter, be fruitful."
00:18:15.86\00:18:17.79
They didn't want to.
00:18:17.83\00:18:18.86
They wanted to
congregate in one spot.
00:18:18.89\00:18:20.86
So he cursed it.
00:18:20.90\00:18:22.00
The name of that
place they called Babel,
00:18:22.03\00:18:25.23
later known as Babylon.
00:18:25.27\00:18:28.74
And it's a symbolic
of confusion of tongues,
00:18:28.77\00:18:32.87
and God confounded
their languages there
00:18:32.91\00:18:35.14
and this is
where we get the word
00:18:35.18\00:18:36.58
"Babbling" from.
00:18:36.61\00:18:39.18
And that's why you may not know
00:18:39.21\00:18:40.85
that a baby is
called a baby in English
00:18:40.88\00:18:44.49
because it comes
from the word babble.
00:18:44.52\00:18:47.56
Baby is babble.
00:18:47.59\00:18:48.82
Now the original name
for Babylon meant Babel,
00:18:48.86\00:18:51.93
was a gate of God.
00:18:51.96\00:18:53.60
It's come to mean babbling
because of what happened there,
00:18:53.63\00:18:56.50
but it meant gate to
God or gate of the gods,
00:18:56.53\00:18:59.23
and they were
trying to find a gate
00:18:59.27\00:19:01.34
to heaven for themselves.
00:19:01.37\00:19:03.37
And so you get these
two things in the Bible.
00:19:03.41\00:19:07.64
There are two women.
00:19:07.68\00:19:09.24
You've got God's bride,
00:19:09.28\00:19:10.98
and then you have
an unfaithful bride.
00:19:11.01\00:19:12.75
Now one of the
great prophetic books
00:19:12.78\00:19:14.05
in the Bible is Daniel.
00:19:14.08\00:19:16.05
Right after Daniel, what book?
00:19:16.08\00:19:19.79
You got to look, don't you?
00:19:19.82\00:19:22.46
What's after
Genesis? So you know that.
00:19:22.49\00:19:25.33
What's after Daniel? Hosea.
00:19:25.36\00:19:28.80
So if you go to
the book of Hosea,
00:19:28.83\00:19:31.63
the whole book of Hosea is about
00:19:31.67\00:19:33.37
God's people playing the harlot.
00:19:33.40\00:19:37.61
And let me just say,
00:19:37.64\00:19:38.64
God asks His
prophet to do something,
00:19:38.67\00:19:40.58
I hope He never asked me to do.
00:19:40.61\00:19:43.75
He says, "Go take
a wife of harlotry,"
00:19:43.78\00:19:47.02
that'd be kind of
tough on a pastor.
00:19:47.05\00:19:49.12
If you get a
message from the Lord
00:19:49.15\00:19:50.85
and say, "Go
marry a prostitute."
00:19:50.89\00:19:53.62
But sometimes God ask
these Old Testament prophets
00:19:53.66\00:19:55.76
to do things to
illustrate things.
00:19:55.79\00:19:57.59
I mean He ask Isaiah
to take off his clothes,
00:19:57.63\00:20:00.56
we hope he wasn't totally naked
00:20:00.60\00:20:02.30
to illustrate the
children of Israel
00:20:02.33\00:20:03.80
were going to be
carried off naked.
00:20:03.83\00:20:06.87
You'd probably fire
your pastor if he did that.
00:20:06.90\00:20:11.17
He asked Ezekiel to
cook his food on dung
00:20:11.21\00:20:15.98
to illustrate that
the children of Israel
00:20:16.01\00:20:18.61
we're going to be going
through a time of famine.
00:20:18.65\00:20:22.52
He also asked
Ezekiel to cut off his beard
00:20:22.55\00:20:27.02
and separate the
beard hairs to illustrate
00:20:27.06\00:20:29.19
how they were
going to be divided up.
00:20:29.22\00:20:30.56
I mean, He asked the prophets
to do some strange things
00:20:30.59\00:20:33.23
to give three
dimensional parables
00:20:33.26\00:20:35.63
to help them
remember the lessons.
00:20:35.66\00:20:38.40
Told Jeremiah to
go, make a scroll,
00:20:38.43\00:20:41.24
put it in a jar,
take it up to Euphrates,
00:20:41.27\00:20:43.30
and bury it there,
and come and get it.
00:20:43.34\00:20:45.67
That was a piece of a
rag, and he buried the rags,
00:20:45.71\00:20:48.18
and it was a ruined garment.
00:20:48.21\00:20:49.44
I mean, He asked them
to do some strange things.
00:20:49.48\00:20:50.88
Well, Hosea 1:2
00:20:50.91\00:20:55.78
"Then the Lord
began to speak by Hosea,
00:20:55.82\00:20:57.72
and the Lord said to him,
00:20:57.75\00:20:58.82
'Go, take
yourself a wife of harlotry
00:20:58.85\00:21:01.72
and children of harlotry,
for the land has committed
00:21:01.76\00:21:05.19
great harlotry
departing from the Lord.'"
00:21:05.23\00:21:08.10
Not always, but
typically in the Bible
00:21:08.13\00:21:10.20
when God talked to
Israel and Judah about harlotry,
00:21:10.23\00:21:13.00
what were they talking about?
00:21:13.03\00:21:15.04
Idolatry.
00:21:15.07\00:21:16.84
It meant they were
now turning to other gods.
00:21:16.87\00:21:19.51
He often referred
to it as idolatry.
00:21:19.54\00:21:23.01
Now with that in mind, we
start reading about Babylon.
00:21:23.04\00:21:28.45
And turn in...
00:21:28.48\00:21:31.85
1 Peter 5:13.
00:21:35.59\00:21:40.03
Peter is writing a letter.
00:21:40.06\00:21:42.86
And ostensibly, he is in
Rome when he writes this letter
00:21:42.90\00:21:49.44
and he says, "She
who is in Babylon,
00:21:49.47\00:21:52.44
elect together with you,
00:21:52.47\00:21:54.08
greets you, and
so does Mark my son."
00:21:54.11\00:21:58.05
Why does Peter say,
she who is in Babylon.
00:21:58.08\00:22:00.98
This has been much contested.
00:22:01.02\00:22:02.22
As far as we know,
there wasn't much happening
00:22:02.25\00:22:04.25
with Christianity
in Iraq at the time.
00:22:04.29\00:22:10.19
Very few Jews were still
in Babylon at this point.
00:22:10.23\00:22:14.73
During the days of
Alexander the Great,
00:22:14.76\00:22:16.60
you remember the
Jews were captive
00:22:16.63\00:22:18.30
under Cyrus in
Babylon, some stayed behind.
00:22:18.33\00:22:21.10
God said, "Great
plagues would fall
00:22:21.14\00:22:22.70
on those who stayed behind,
00:22:22.74\00:22:23.77
come out of
Babylon, Babylon is fallen."
00:22:23.81\00:22:26.98
And when Alexander
conquered the Persians,
00:22:27.01\00:22:31.35
he tried to move
his capital to Babylon,
00:22:31.38\00:22:33.18
he died, Babylon was
burned, it fell into disarray.
00:22:33.21\00:22:36.85
By the time of
Peter, Babylon had fallen
00:22:36.89\00:22:39.45
under the curse of
Isaiah 13, where He says,
00:22:39.49\00:22:42.12
"It will not be built,
it will not be inhabited."
00:22:42.16\00:22:46.63
Or the Arabian won't
even pitch his tent there.
00:22:46.66\00:22:48.36
It will be a place
of doleful creatures.
00:22:48.40\00:22:50.77
God had cursed Babylon saying,
"It would never rise again."
00:22:50.80\00:22:53.37
So when Peter says,
"The church in Babylon,"
00:22:53.40\00:22:56.20
who's he talking about?
00:22:56.24\00:22:59.11
Rome.
00:22:59.14\00:23:00.88
Now let me give you
further emphasis of that.
00:23:00.91\00:23:04.61
God had people in Rome,
00:23:04.65\00:23:05.78
Rome was given over to idolatry.
00:23:05.81\00:23:08.05
They had all the
idols from the Greeks,
00:23:08.08\00:23:09.72
and all the idols
from the Roman religions.
00:23:09.75\00:23:12.95
And even as the church
was in its infancy in Rome,
00:23:12.99\00:23:16.09
they were
surrounded by idolatry,
00:23:16.12\00:23:17.66
they called symbolically
Rome Babylon among the Jews.
00:23:17.69\00:23:23.97
Why? Another reason.
00:23:24.00\00:23:25.27
Why is Peter
calling Rome Babylon?
00:23:25.30\00:23:27.54
Did the
Babylonians oppressed Israel
00:23:27.57\00:23:30.64
and overcome them? Yeah.
00:23:30.67\00:23:32.87
Were the Romans oppressing
00:23:32.91\00:23:34.98
and had they
overcome the Jews again?
00:23:35.01\00:23:37.68
So they saw it as
just another Babylon.
00:23:37.71\00:23:39.48
And so that shouldn't
surprise you that he said that.
00:23:39.51\00:23:42.35
You look in Revelation 17.
00:23:42.38\00:23:44.35
I'm going to back up to verse 1.
00:23:44.39\00:23:45.55
Revelation 17 is
where you find this harlot,
00:23:45.59\00:23:49.22
and it talks about this woman.
00:23:49.26\00:23:52.33
Go to the last
verse of Revelation 17,
00:23:52.36\00:23:55.86
that's Revelation 17:18.
00:23:55.90\00:23:58.73
"And the woman that
you saw is that great city
00:23:58.77\00:24:01.74
that reigns over
the kings of the earth."
00:24:01.77\00:24:03.77
What great city was reigning
over the kings of the earth
00:24:03.81\00:24:06.17
when John had the
vision of Revelation?
00:24:06.21\00:24:09.14
Rome.
00:24:09.18\00:24:10.48
And so, the
early church saw Rome
00:24:10.51\00:24:13.28
as a type of
Babylon way back then.
00:24:13.31\00:24:17.49
So, when we talk about Babylon,
00:24:17.52\00:24:20.49
we're talking
about ancient Rome,
00:24:20.52\00:24:22.92
was a type of Babel...
00:24:22.96\00:24:23.99
First of all, you get
Babel, back in the days
00:24:24.03\00:24:27.30
a city built by Nimrod,
00:24:27.30\00:24:28.70
way back in the
Book of Genesis, okay.
00:24:28.73\00:24:30.70
So you get Babel,
Babylon, they built a tower.
00:24:30.73\00:24:33.27
Then you got the Babylonians
00:24:33.30\00:24:36.20
who sent
ambassadors to Hezekiah.
00:24:36.24\00:24:39.87
And God told Hezekiah
00:24:39.91\00:24:41.14
because you didn't
show them the Lord,
00:24:41.18\00:24:42.61
and you showed them your stuff,
00:24:42.64\00:24:44.08
they're going
to come back later,
00:24:44.11\00:24:45.15
they're going to take your sons
00:24:45.18\00:24:46.25
and make them
eunuch in their palace.
00:24:46.28\00:24:48.25
That's what
happened with Daniel,
00:24:48.28\00:24:49.48
Hananiah, Mishael, Azariah,
00:24:49.52\00:24:51.19
they were children
of Judah, royal seed,
00:24:51.22\00:24:54.42
descendants of
Hezekiah carried to Babylon
00:24:54.46\00:24:56.62
and made eunuchs,
00:24:56.66\00:24:58.03
the very thing He said happened.
00:24:58.06\00:24:59.73
All the treasures
Hezekiah bragged about
00:24:59.76\00:25:01.53
were carried to Babylon.
00:25:01.56\00:25:03.40
The Nebuchadnezzar, they
were basically imprisoned
00:25:03.43\00:25:06.17
because of the
captivity in Babylon.
00:25:06.20\00:25:08.77
He destroys Jerusalem,
they held captive there
00:25:08.80\00:25:12.67
under the time of Nebuchadnezzar
00:25:12.71\00:25:14.14
and for several years after him.
00:25:14.18\00:25:16.51
Finally, with
the fall of Babylon
00:25:16.54\00:25:18.95
during the time of Belshazzar,
in the handwriting on the wall,
00:25:18.98\00:25:23.32
Persians come into
power, a joint kingdom,
00:25:23.35\00:25:25.92
the
Medo-Persians, Darius the Mede,
00:25:25.95\00:25:28.12
when he died, Cyrus,
his nephew, became the king.
00:25:28.16\00:25:31.83
He was a Persian.
00:25:31.86\00:25:33.36
And he told them
they could go home.
00:25:33.40\00:25:36.73
But the problem was,
00:25:36.77\00:25:38.23
they'd been in
Babylon for so long,
00:25:38.27\00:25:40.07
they'd gotten comfortable.
00:25:40.10\00:25:42.47
I mean, if you
live somewhere 70 years,
00:25:42.50\00:25:44.31
how deeply would
you put your roots down?
00:25:44.34\00:25:47.08
They spoke the language,
you know, Jews in America,
00:25:47.11\00:25:49.48
my mom doesn't speak Hebrew.
00:25:49.51\00:25:51.55
Jews in America spoke American,
00:25:51.58\00:25:53.82
something like
English, a little different.
00:25:53.85\00:25:57.92
And our guide in
Israel was from England,
00:25:57.95\00:26:03.56
he was a Jew born in
England, and I said I...
00:26:03.59\00:26:06.49
I you can tell from your accent.
00:26:06.53\00:26:07.93
He said, "I
don't have an accent,"
00:26:07.96\00:26:08.96
he said, "you do."
00:26:09.00\00:26:10.50
You got to be careful about it
when you're in another country
00:26:10.53\00:26:12.30
telling an Englishman
if you have an accent.
00:26:12.33\00:26:15.70
But...
00:26:15.74\00:26:17.31
So they've gotten
comfortable in Babylon.
00:26:17.34\00:26:20.81
And God said, "Come out."
00:26:20.84\00:26:22.08
Well, you know, of
all the Jews in Babylon,
00:26:22.11\00:26:23.81
very few came back
with Ezra and Nehemiah.
00:26:23.85\00:26:26.92
A lot of them stayed there.
00:26:26.95\00:26:28.45
Some of them
struggled under plagues
00:26:28.48\00:26:29.95
that later came
on those kingdoms.
00:26:29.98\00:26:32.09
God blessed the
ones who came back.
00:26:32.12\00:26:33.79
They had some
struggles but He protected,
00:26:33.82\00:26:35.32
and blessed them,
and prospered them
00:26:35.36\00:26:37.23
during the time of Ezra,
Nehemiah, and Zerubbabel.
00:26:37.26\00:26:41.73
But then you
got the Babylonians,
00:26:41.76\00:26:45.13
in the time of the early church,
00:26:45.17\00:26:46.87
representing Rome
was a type of Babylon,
00:26:46.90\00:26:50.27
that's pagan Babylon,
then you have papal Babylon.
00:26:50.31\00:26:56.61
Let's talk about
that for just a minute.
00:26:56.64\00:26:59.15
Go to Revelation 17.
00:26:59.18\00:27:01.35
Now what I'm
about to share with you,
00:27:01.38\00:27:02.48
most of you
know, some are watching
00:27:02.52\00:27:04.42
and they may not know.
00:27:04.45\00:27:08.06
There are several kinds
of Babylon that you find.
00:27:08.09\00:27:12.76
There is a Babylon
that rules for 1260 years
00:27:12.79\00:27:16.10
and persecutes God's people.
00:27:16.13\00:27:19.47
And to identify who that is,
00:27:19.50\00:27:21.70
you just look at
some of the earmarks.
00:27:21.74\00:27:23.94
Protestants typically
identified spiritual Babylon
00:27:23.97\00:27:28.91
of the Dark Ages with
the Roman Catholic Church.
00:27:28.94\00:27:32.95
Don't get mad at
me for saying that,
00:27:32.98\00:27:34.38
I'm stating a fact of history.
00:27:34.42\00:27:37.99
Martin Luther, Calvin Wesley,
00:27:38.02\00:27:41.62
Spurgeon, Huldrych,
00:27:41.66\00:27:45.79
Melanchthon, Wycliffe,
00:27:45.83\00:27:48.13
take your pick, John Knox,
00:27:48.16\00:27:50.20
all looked at this
prophecy in Revelation 17
00:27:50.23\00:27:53.67
and said, "No
questions, slam dunk,
00:27:53.70\00:27:58.74
without a doubt
this is talking about
00:27:58.77\00:28:00.91
the Roman Catholic Church."
00:28:00.94\00:28:02.94
Let me give you a few examples.
00:28:02.98\00:28:04.31
First of all,
she's called the mother,
00:28:04.35\00:28:06.48
mother of harlots.
00:28:06.51\00:28:07.75
Harlots because a
woman represents what?
00:28:07.78\00:28:12.35
She's got daughters
who came out of her.
00:28:12.39\00:28:14.72
Many, many
branches of Christianity say
00:28:14.76\00:28:19.06
they broke away and
came out of Catholicism
00:28:19.09\00:28:22.60
or at least what we
would call the Western Church.
00:28:22.63\00:28:28.20
The word, it's
supposed to be Universal Church,
00:28:28.24\00:28:30.24
that's where you
get the word Catholic,
00:28:30.27\00:28:31.44
it means universal.
00:28:31.47\00:28:32.51
It is around the world,
00:28:32.54\00:28:34.21
it's the largest
Christian denomination
00:28:34.24\00:28:37.01
in the world today.
00:28:37.05\00:28:39.68
It says that it's one with whom
00:28:39.71\00:28:42.12
the kings of the
earth who committed...
00:28:42.15\00:28:43.42
Well, let me read this to you.
00:28:43.45\00:28:45.05
You go to Revelation 17:1,
"Then one of the seven angels
00:28:45.09\00:28:49.56
who had the seven bowls
came and talked with me, saying,
00:28:49.59\00:28:52.26
'Come, and I will show you
the judgment of the great whore
00:28:52.29\00:28:55.16
who sits on many waters..."
00:28:55.20\00:28:56.46
Waters represent peoples,
00:28:56.50\00:28:57.90
multitudes,
language, and tongues.
00:28:57.93\00:29:00.40
You read that in
the same chapter.
00:29:00.44\00:29:02.00
"With whom the kings of the
earth committed fornication."
00:29:02.04\00:29:04.34
It is a
religious, political power.
00:29:04.37\00:29:07.11
Only church in the
world that has a seat
00:29:07.14\00:29:09.21
at the United
Nations that has ambassadors
00:29:09.24\00:29:11.41
that go out to the world
is the Roman Catholic Church.
00:29:11.45\00:29:14.48
You tell me another pastor
that's had a general assembly
00:29:14.52\00:29:18.32
of the United Nations
00:29:18.35\00:29:20.06
and I'll
retract, there's only one.
00:29:20.09\00:29:23.39
"With whom the
kings of the earth
00:29:23.43\00:29:24.46
have committed fornication,
00:29:24.49\00:29:25.59
and the inhabitants of the earth
00:29:25.63\00:29:26.80
were made drunk with the
wine of her fornication."
00:29:26.83\00:29:30.27
It says the wine in
her cup is fermented.
00:29:30.30\00:29:32.60
During the mass,
00:29:32.63\00:29:33.87
Catholic Church
uses fermented wine.
00:29:33.90\00:29:36.44
That wine is also
a symbol of doctrine.
00:29:36.47\00:29:38.97
Jesus said that His teaching
is new wine in a new bottle.
00:29:39.01\00:29:43.18
He talks about the gospel
is a doctrine of teachings.
00:29:43.21\00:29:46.72
People have been intoxicated
00:29:46.75\00:29:48.45
by the false
teachings of Babylon.
00:29:48.48\00:29:51.49
The idea that you die
and go right to heaven
00:29:51.52\00:29:53.49
and hell before a
judgment is wine of Babylon.
00:29:53.52\00:29:56.12
The idea that a man
can change the law of God,
00:29:56.16\00:29:58.56
and change the times and laws,
00:29:58.59\00:30:00.63
and say the seventh
day is the first day,
00:30:00.66\00:30:02.86
and freely admit it,
and people follow it,
00:30:02.90\00:30:06.00
to say that you
can bow down to statues
00:30:06.03\00:30:08.30
when God's Word says you cannot.
00:30:08.34\00:30:10.24
To say that you can
call a religious leader,
00:30:10.27\00:30:12.17
"Father" when Jesus
had called no man father.
00:30:12.21\00:30:14.71
To say that you can
ask a man for forgiveness,
00:30:14.74\00:30:19.01
when only God can
forgive your sins.
00:30:19.05\00:30:22.02
I've been going down a long
litany of doctrines to say that
00:30:22.05\00:30:26.15
you are to worship
Mary, and other dead apostles,
00:30:26.19\00:30:29.66
and pray to them.
00:30:29.69\00:30:32.29
This is just a
long list of doctrines
00:30:32.33\00:30:35.20
that would qualify
00:30:35.23\00:30:36.26
as the
intoxicating wine of Babylon,
00:30:36.30\00:30:39.03
so that's one thing.
00:30:39.07\00:30:40.50
Has a golden cup in her
hand or the central vessel
00:30:40.54\00:30:43.97
in the Roman Catholic worship
00:30:44.01\00:30:45.34
is the golden
cup the priest holds.
00:30:45.37\00:30:47.51
Says that she's adorned
00:30:47.54\00:30:48.58
with the colors of
purple and scarlet.
00:30:48.61\00:30:51.18
Scarlet is the color of
the cardinals' leadership,
00:30:51.21\00:30:56.02
purple is the
color of the bishops.
00:30:56.05\00:30:58.29
You've probably
seen these assemblies
00:30:58.32\00:30:59.69
where they are in
their beautifully,
00:30:59.72\00:31:01.66
brilliant scarlet and
purple, and a golden cup.
00:31:01.69\00:31:06.53
Says that she's got many
precious stones and pearls.
00:31:06.56\00:31:10.00
Oh, you've got to do is
take a trip to the Vatican.
00:31:10.03\00:31:11.80
You'll see things
that are ornate everywhere,
00:31:11.83\00:31:14.54
gold and pearls.
00:31:14.57\00:31:16.64
And she's called
the "Mother Church".
00:31:16.67\00:31:18.61
Do you know that
the pope is not only
00:31:18.64\00:31:20.58
the head of the Catholic Church,
00:31:20.61\00:31:22.51
he is a pastor of the
Lateran Church in Rome.
00:31:22.54\00:31:26.21
And on the door of
the Lateran Church,
00:31:26.25\00:31:28.02
you'll see an engraving
that says the Lateran Church
00:31:28.05\00:31:30.52
is the mother of all
churches in the world.
00:31:30.55\00:31:33.99
And just right there, I
wish I'd brought my slides,
00:31:34.02\00:31:35.99
I could show you all this,
00:31:36.02\00:31:37.86
you'd probably find it in
my presentation on Babylon,
00:31:37.89\00:31:41.03
but I've still got to
talk about Armageddon,
00:31:41.06\00:31:43.00
I haven't even gotten there yet.
00:31:43.03\00:31:45.13
Matter of fact, I see
someone texting in the question,
00:31:45.17\00:31:47.17
"Is Armageddon a
physical or a spiritual war?"
00:31:47.20\00:31:50.51
Someone's texted in.
00:31:50.54\00:31:52.37
Quick answer, a spiritual war.
00:31:52.41\00:31:54.94
Most of the terms
and the names that
00:31:54.98\00:31:56.58
you find in Revelation
have their spiritual names,
00:31:56.61\00:32:02.52
and Armageddon,
00:32:02.55\00:32:03.82
which we're going
to get to in a moment,
00:32:03.85\00:32:04.99
that is also an example of that.
00:32:05.02\00:32:07.56
So it tells us
where she is or it says,
00:32:07.59\00:32:10.79
it's a persecuting power.
00:32:10.83\00:32:12.06
"I saw this woman,"
this unfaithful church,
00:32:12.09\00:32:14.93
"drunken with the
blood of the saints,
00:32:14.93\00:32:16.80
and with the blood of
the martyrs of Jesus."
00:32:16.83\00:32:19.37
All the Catholic
Church freely admits
00:32:19.40\00:32:21.07
they're
responsible for persecuting
00:32:21.10\00:32:25.77
Pope John Paul II,
freely admitted that,
00:32:25.81\00:32:28.28
2000 at a special
ceremony where he said,
00:32:28.31\00:32:31.15
we're asking for forgiveness
for what some in the church,
00:32:31.18\00:32:34.42
he didn't say, "I did it."
00:32:34.45\00:32:35.78
He says some in
the church did it,
00:32:35.82\00:32:38.52
where they persecuted.
00:32:38.55\00:32:39.92
And if you go
on tours in Europe,
00:32:39.95\00:32:42.69
many of the churches
I've been there and seen it,
00:32:42.72\00:32:44.76
they'll take you to the dungeons
00:32:44.79\00:32:46.03
under the churches
00:32:46.06\00:32:47.03
where they
conducted the inquisitions
00:32:47.10\00:32:48.50
and they tortured
Christians and Jews,
00:32:48.53\00:32:51.67
and so millions suffered.
00:32:51.70\00:32:57.57
Look at those who were
burned at the stake like
00:32:57.61\00:33:00.91
Hus, and Jerome, and others.
00:33:00.94\00:33:03.38
So is no question about
00:33:03.41\00:33:05.48
what this
prophecy is describing,
00:33:05.51\00:33:07.38
it tells you where it is.
00:33:07.42\00:33:09.22
"Here is the
mind that has wisdom,"
00:33:09.25\00:33:10.72
the seven heads on the creature
on which the woman is sitting.
00:33:10.75\00:33:13.46
"There's seven mountains
on which the woman sits."
00:33:13.49\00:33:16.99
Very few cities are known
as the city of seven hills,
00:33:17.03\00:33:20.53
but if you just
Wikipedia, Google Rome,
00:33:20.56\00:33:23.97
you'll find one of its names
is the city of seven hills.
00:33:24.00\00:33:27.94
And again, it says
"This woman is the great city
00:33:27.97\00:33:30.57
that rules over the
kings of the earth."
00:33:30.61\00:33:32.94
Now this is very
interesting because...
00:33:32.97\00:33:36.88
I'm getting, I got
so much yet to cover,
00:33:36.91\00:33:39.11
I'm looking at the clock here,
this is a fascinating study.
00:33:39.15\00:33:43.92
Look here.
00:33:43.95\00:33:45.19
Someone's going to read for me,
in just a second, Isaiah 13:1.
00:33:45.22\00:33:49.89
You'll have that, Hoftis.
00:33:49.92\00:33:50.96
Before you get to
that, I'm going to read
00:33:50.99\00:33:52.16
a troubling passage.
00:33:52.19\00:33:54.46
You read in Revelation 14:8,
00:33:54.50\00:33:56.03
"Another angel followed, saying,
00:33:56.06\00:33:57.77
'Babylon is fallen, is
fallen, that great city,
00:33:57.80\00:34:00.37
because she..."
00:34:00.40\00:34:01.57
Not a church, it's a city.
00:34:01.60\00:34:03.41
"Has made all
nations drink the wine
00:34:03.44\00:34:05.31
of the wrath of
her fornication."
00:34:05.34\00:34:06.64
The teachings have become global
00:34:06.68\00:34:08.84
and it tells us that
00:34:08.88\00:34:09.94
there is forced worship involved
00:34:09.98\00:34:11.85
that happened
especially during the Dark Ages.
00:34:11.88\00:34:14.25
The church forced
people to believe,
00:34:14.28\00:34:16.99
if not their goods
could be confiscated,
00:34:17.02\00:34:18.95
they could be
imprisoned and killed.
00:34:18.99\00:34:22.62
Babylon forced worship
00:34:22.66\00:34:26.56
on God's people
in the Old Testament.
00:34:26.59\00:34:28.56
What happened with
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego?
00:34:28.60\00:34:31.67
Then the king say,
you need to fall down
00:34:31.70\00:34:33.30
and worship the way I tell you
to worship or you'll be killed.
00:34:33.34\00:34:36.34
But they stood up
00:34:36.37\00:34:38.34
and that's what
God's people want...
00:34:38.37\00:34:39.74
Let me read you, Psalm 137.
00:34:39.77\00:34:41.68
This is a troubling
psalm, it's somewhat prophetic.
00:34:41.71\00:34:45.91
Children of Israel are
carried off to Babylon.
00:34:45.95\00:34:49.28
"By the rivers of
Babylon, there we sat down,
00:34:49.32\00:34:51.69
yea, we wept when
we remembered Zion.
00:34:51.72\00:34:54.42
We hung our harps upon the
willows in the midst of it.
00:34:54.46\00:34:57.29
For those who carried us
away captive asked of us a song,
00:34:57.33\00:35:00.80
and those who plundered
us requested of us mirth,
00:35:00.83\00:35:03.63
saying, 'Sing one
of the songs of Zion!'
00:35:03.67\00:35:06.33
How shall we
sing the Lord's song
00:35:06.37\00:35:08.10
in a foreign land?"
00:35:08.14\00:35:09.57
By the way, this is one of the,
00:35:09.60\00:35:11.04
this very thing
happened to many Jews
00:35:11.07\00:35:13.21
who were imprisoned by
Nazis in concentration camps.
00:35:13.24\00:35:17.95
They say, "We hear you, Jews,
are very talented musicians,
00:35:17.98\00:35:20.35
play for us, sing for
us, sing us a Jewish song."
00:35:20.38\00:35:23.28
And the Jews would remember,
00:35:23.32\00:35:24.42
how can we do
that in this place.
00:35:24.45\00:35:28.32
"Those who
requested mirth of us, saying,
00:35:28.36\00:35:30.16
'Sing us a song of Zion!'
00:35:30.19\00:35:32.43
How shall we
sing the Lord's song
00:35:32.46\00:35:34.03
in a foreign land?
00:35:34.10\00:35:35.50
If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
00:35:35.53\00:35:37.20
let my right
hand forget its skill!
00:35:37.23\00:35:39.33
If I do not
remember you, let my tongue
00:35:39.37\00:35:41.47
cleave to the roof of my mouth.
00:35:41.50\00:35:43.51
If I do not exalt
Jerusalem above my chief joy."
00:35:43.54\00:35:46.81
Notice, Babylon,
Jerusalem, same song.
00:35:46.84\00:35:51.15
"Remember, O Lord,
against the sons of Edom
00:35:51.18\00:35:53.45
the day of Jerusalem,
00:35:53.48\00:35:55.48
who said, 'Raze it,
raze it, to its foundation!'"
00:35:55.52\00:35:58.92
To lay one stone upon another.
00:35:58.95\00:36:01.62
"O daughter of Babylon,
who are to be destroyed,
00:36:01.66\00:36:05.59
happy is the one who repays
you as you have served us!
00:36:05.63\00:36:08.83
Happy is the one who takes
and dashes your little ones
00:36:08.86\00:36:11.60
against the rock!"
00:36:11.63\00:36:13.57
Now that is a verse
that really troubles people.
00:36:13.60\00:36:16.20
How can someone sing
a song as happy as he
00:36:16.24\00:36:19.81
who dashes your
little ones against the rock.
00:36:19.84\00:36:22.68
Before I answer that
question, I want to read to you
00:36:22.71\00:36:24.68
a prophecy of
Isaiah, help you understand.
00:36:24.71\00:36:29.65
"Behold, I will stir up
the Medes against them,"
00:36:29.68\00:36:31.89
speaking of Babylon,
"Who will not regard,"
00:36:31.92\00:36:35.22
it was a Medo-Persians
that destroyed Babylon.
00:36:35.26\00:36:37.56
"I will stir up the Medes,"
they were going to fulfill
00:36:37.59\00:36:39.33
the prophecy about
overthrowing Babylon.
00:36:39.36\00:36:41.93
"Who will not regard
silver, and as for gold,
00:36:41.96\00:36:44.00
they will not delight in it."
00:36:44.03\00:36:45.23
You won't be able to bribe them.
00:36:45.27\00:36:47.80
"Also their bows will
dash young men to pieces,
00:36:47.84\00:36:52.01
and they will have no
pity on the fruit of the womb,
00:36:52.04\00:36:54.54
their eyes will
not spare children.
00:36:54.58\00:36:56.81
And Babylon, the
glory of kingdoms,
00:36:56.85\00:36:58.55
the beauty of
the Chaldeans' pride,
00:36:58.58\00:37:00.42
will be as when God
overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.
00:37:00.45\00:37:03.32
It will not be inhabited."
00:37:03.35\00:37:04.92
Now why does it say that
about dashing the little ones,
00:37:04.95\00:37:08.26
I mean, that's very troubling,
that would be in there.
00:37:08.29\00:37:12.43
That was a signal that
you would wipeout a people
00:37:12.46\00:37:15.73
when you not only
conquered their soldiers,
00:37:15.76\00:37:18.87
but you destroyed the wives.
00:37:18.90\00:37:21.17
They would not even
reproduce with anyone else,
00:37:21.20\00:37:22.77
and you destroyed the baby.
00:37:22.80\00:37:23.84
So there was no name,
no seed, no people left.
00:37:23.87\00:37:28.48
This is what's going to
happen to spiritual Babylon,
00:37:28.51\00:37:31.31
the wicked, what's
going to happen to them?
00:37:31.35\00:37:33.92
They are going to meet an end.
00:37:33.95\00:37:35.45
And so think of this...
00:37:35.48\00:37:36.72
Not about human earthly wars,
think about this in a spiritual
00:37:36.75\00:37:40.19
sense that those who have
tried to persecute God's people,
00:37:40.22\00:37:43.83
it's going to backfire,
00:37:43.86\00:37:44.89
and their name will
be forever abolished.
00:37:44.93\00:37:46.90
It will be eternally destroyed.
00:37:46.93\00:37:48.96
That's what this is
really is talking about.
00:37:49.00\00:37:51.70
All right, go ahead read for us,
00:37:51.73\00:37:54.90
verse 13:1.
00:37:54.94\00:37:57.44
Isaiah 13:1, "The
burden against Babylon
00:37:57.47\00:38:01.78
which Isaiah the
son of Amoz saw."
00:38:01.81\00:38:05.71
When you go to Revelation,
you're going to see that
00:38:05.75\00:38:08.75
Revelation is
composed of prophecies
00:38:08.78\00:38:11.72
throughout the Old Testament,
some even from the new.
00:38:11.75\00:38:15.02
And so the fall of Babylon
00:38:15.06\00:38:16.49
is foretold by
Jeremiah, by Isaiah.
00:38:16.52\00:38:19.36
You get to Revelation 18.
00:38:19.39\00:38:22.20
Look in Revelation 18:2,
00:38:22.23\00:38:24.70
"And he cried mightily
with a loud voice, saying,
00:38:24.73\00:38:27.47
'Babylon the great
is fallen, is fallen,
00:38:27.50\00:38:30.14
and has become a
dwelling place of demons,
00:38:30.17\00:38:32.01
and a prison of
every hateful bird!
00:38:32.04\00:38:34.51
For nations have
drunk of the wine
00:38:34.54\00:38:36.28
of the wrath of
her fornication."
00:38:36.31\00:38:37.68
We read that in 17,
talks about the luxury.
00:38:37.71\00:38:40.88
Now when you talk
about the fall of Babylon,
00:38:40.92\00:38:43.05
it seems to fall in degrees.
00:38:43.08\00:38:44.25
Notice something here.
00:38:44.29\00:38:48.42
Revelation 16:19,
00:38:48.46\00:38:51.29
"Now the great city
was divided in three parts,
00:38:51.33\00:38:53.76
and the cities
of the nations fell.
00:38:53.80\00:38:55.76
And great Babylon was
remembered before God,
00:38:55.80\00:38:58.33
to give her the cup of the wine
00:38:58.37\00:38:59.73
of the fierceness of His wrath."
00:38:59.77\00:39:02.24
Ever sung that song,
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah?
00:39:02.27\00:39:06.21
Takes about the grapes of wrath.
00:39:06.24\00:39:09.01
It's talking about
some of these judgments
00:39:09.04\00:39:10.85
that come on Babylon.
00:39:10.88\00:39:12.38
Look in Revelation
18, "Babylon has fallen."
00:39:12.41\00:39:15.85
It says, "It's become
the prison of every foul."
00:39:15.88\00:39:18.82
And this is in verse 2,
00:39:18.85\00:39:20.92
"The prison of every foul spirit
00:39:20.96\00:39:23.02
in the cage of every
unclean and hateful bird!"
00:39:23.06\00:39:25.56
The spiritualism
that's happened here.
00:39:25.59\00:39:28.43
Someone's going to
read for me Revelation 18:10
00:39:28.46\00:39:31.17
in just a moment.
00:39:31.20\00:39:32.53
One of you got those, okay?
00:39:32.57\00:39:34.54
I'm going to read
2 Thessalonians 2:9.
00:39:34.57\00:39:37.84
"The coming of the lawless one
00:39:37.87\00:39:39.27
according to the
working of Satan,
00:39:39.31\00:39:40.51
with all power,
signs, and lying wonders,
00:39:40.54\00:39:43.01
and with all
unrighteous deception
00:39:43.04\00:39:44.78
among those who perish,
00:39:44.81\00:39:46.05
because they did not
receive a love of the truth,
00:39:46.08\00:39:48.48
that they might be saved."
00:39:48.52\00:39:49.55
It talks about
power, signs, lying wonders,
00:39:49.58\00:39:52.95
there's spiritualism in Babylon.
00:39:52.99\00:39:56.26
And then it
describes in Revelation 18,
00:39:56.29\00:39:59.86
the fall of Babylon
seems to happen in degrees,
00:39:59.89\00:40:02.46
it talks about three parts.
00:40:02.50\00:40:05.17
You notice when we said
Babylon is divided, when God...
00:40:05.20\00:40:08.17
Now we're getting
into the Armageddon part.
00:40:08.20\00:40:12.74
Armageddon is the
battle that takes place
00:40:12.77\00:40:17.91
in a valley in front of Megiddo.
00:40:17.95\00:40:21.62
We were in
Megiddo two weeks ago,
00:40:21.65\00:40:23.99
stood there overlooking
the Valley of Jezreel.
00:40:24.02\00:40:27.26
And a lot of biblical battles
took place in that valley.
00:40:27.29\00:40:31.79
Among them, the
battle of Gideon,
00:40:31.83\00:40:34.46
that would be a
little bit to the east.
00:40:34.46\00:40:38.03
You had a battle
with King Josiah.
00:40:38.07\00:40:41.54
There was a battle
with Deborah and Barak.
00:40:41.57\00:40:43.57
It's the crossroads
of three continents,
00:40:43.61\00:40:46.54
that Valley of Jezreel.
00:40:46.57\00:40:48.91
Even tectonic plates
that go through there,
00:40:48.94\00:40:51.71
and so it sort of symbolic
00:40:51.75\00:40:53.11
of just a very
important crossroads
00:40:53.15\00:40:56.12
that needed to be conquered.
00:40:56.15\00:40:57.75
Whoever own that
owned everything.
00:40:57.79\00:41:00.06
It was a place of showdowns.
00:41:00.09\00:41:01.19
Now when Gideon
fought his battle,
00:41:01.22\00:41:03.19
so these names of these battles,
00:41:03.22\00:41:05.03
you've got to go
back in the Bible.
00:41:05.06\00:41:06.86
How did he divide his army?
00:41:06.90\00:41:09.33
He had how many men
finally? Three hundred.
00:41:09.36\00:41:12.03
He divided them in
three parts, 100 each.
00:41:12.07\00:41:16.87
And he went
against an enemy of three,
00:41:16.91\00:41:20.68
the Amalekites, the Midianites,
and the people of the East.
00:41:20.71\00:41:24.48
So he had his
forces divided in three,
00:41:24.51\00:41:26.78
and they went against three,
00:41:26.82\00:41:27.98
and if you read
about the three ways
00:41:28.02\00:41:30.09
that Babylon falls,
00:41:30.12\00:41:32.25
and it talks about
three several times
00:41:32.29\00:41:34.69
in these place that come.
00:41:34.72\00:41:37.69
Go ahead, read for
us Revelation 18:10.
00:41:37.73\00:41:40.33
Revelation 18:10,
00:41:40.36\00:41:42.46
"Standing at a distance
for fear of her torment,
00:41:42.50\00:41:44.90
saying, 'Alas, alas,
that great city Babylon,
00:41:44.93\00:41:48.54
that mighty city!
00:41:48.57\00:41:49.74
For in one hour
your judgment has come."
00:41:49.77\00:41:52.17
Right here it says,
00:41:52.21\00:41:53.38
"In one hour your
judgment has come."
00:41:53.41\00:41:56.11
I'm going to
read Revelation 18:17.
00:41:56.14\00:41:59.38
"For in one hour such
riches have came to nothing."
00:41:59.41\00:42:03.12
Now I'm going to
read Revelation 18:19.
00:42:03.15\00:42:05.49
"For in one hour she
is being made desolate."
00:42:05.52\00:42:09.56
Now, when you read
in Revelation a day.
00:42:09.59\00:42:13.50
What is a day equal in prophecy?
00:42:13.53\00:42:16.97
Do we sometimes,
as we interpret...
00:42:17.00\00:42:21.00
Like when it says for
about the space of half an hour,
00:42:21.04\00:42:23.51
do we look at
that prophetically?
00:42:23.54\00:42:26.54
Yes, silence in heaven
about the space of half an hour
00:42:26.57\00:42:29.31
because if one
hour is 1/24 of a day,
00:42:29.34\00:42:35.22
and if there are 360
days in a Jewish year,
00:42:35.25\00:42:38.39
being on a lunar calendar,
00:42:38.42\00:42:40.39
that means 1 hour is 15 days,
about half an hour is seven.
00:42:40.42\00:42:46.93
We believe that
this is talking about
00:42:46.96\00:42:49.10
that seven day journey
00:42:49.13\00:42:50.97
when God comes and
we go back to glory.
00:42:51.00\00:42:54.67
When you read the
prophecy in Revelation 9:15,
00:42:54.70\00:42:58.27
"So the four angels,
who had been prepared
00:42:58.31\00:43:00.64
for an hour, a day, a month
and a year, were released."
00:43:00.68\00:43:05.41
Our expositors,
they add up those times
00:43:05.45\00:43:07.42
and they come with a
figure including the hour.
00:43:07.45\00:43:11.45
So if Babylon
falls in three hours,
00:43:11.49\00:43:15.72
three different
ways, and you got one hour,
00:43:15.76\00:43:17.53
it seems that it
falls politically,
00:43:17.56\00:43:19.29
you've got the second hour
it seems to fall economically,
00:43:19.33\00:43:22.16
in third hour, there's a
physical implosion or fall.
00:43:22.20\00:43:26.53
So if a day equals
a year in prophecy,
00:43:26.57\00:43:32.47
1/24th of the day,
that's a year with 360 days,
00:43:32.51\00:43:37.35
you can check my math,
that means 1 hour is 15 days
00:43:37.38\00:43:44.22
so the fall of Babylon,
00:43:44.25\00:43:45.62
it seems like it's happening
over a period of 15, 15, 15
00:43:45.65\00:43:49.26
is how much?
00:43:49.29\00:43:51.13
Forty five, very good.
00:43:51.16\00:43:53.09
Now here's a question,
I'm going to stir things up.
00:43:53.13\00:43:55.70
I'm just sharing with
you what some people believe.
00:43:55.73\00:43:58.63
Just so you'll know.
I'm not endorsing this.
00:43:58.67\00:44:01.34
Do you find a 45
day period in Daniel 12?
00:44:01.37\00:44:06.94
What's the difference
between 1290 and 1335?
00:44:06.98\00:44:10.28
Forty five, it's a
rhetorical question.
00:44:12.75\00:44:15.35
So I'm not going
to take that very far
00:44:15.38\00:44:17.25
because I believe...
00:44:17.29\00:44:18.39
Personally, I
believe the historic
00:44:18.42\00:44:20.19
fulfillment of prophecy.
00:44:20.22\00:44:21.69
But some have thought,
maybe some of these prophecies
00:44:21.72\00:44:23.73
have a dual application.
00:44:23.76\00:44:26.63
I don't want you to
think about that too much.
00:44:26.66\00:44:28.46
I want to get you
back to our study here,
00:44:28.50\00:44:30.90
talk about Armageddon.
00:44:30.93\00:44:33.97
And if you look
in Revelation 16,
00:44:34.00\00:44:36.84
let's read this
again, it's interesting,
00:44:36.87\00:44:38.31
I just preached on
Armageddon a few weeks ago.
00:44:38.34\00:44:40.44
Revelation 16:12,
"The sixth angel,"
00:44:40.48\00:44:44.98
this is the
plagues that are falling.
00:44:45.01\00:44:46.82
"The sixth angel
pours out his bowl
00:44:46.85\00:44:48.65
on the great river Euphrates,
and its water is dried up,
00:44:48.68\00:44:51.65
so the way of the
kings from the east
00:44:51.69\00:44:53.29
might be prepared."
00:44:53.32\00:44:55.32
Now, you have to know something
00:44:55.36\00:44:56.99
from extra biblical
history for this to make sense.
00:44:57.03\00:45:00.90
Babylon was
surrounded by a moat.
00:45:00.93\00:45:04.57
Belshazzar, the king,
was having a great feast
00:45:04.60\00:45:06.90
when Daniel read the
handwriting on the wall.
00:45:06.94\00:45:09.20
At the same
time, the Medo-Persians
00:45:09.24\00:45:10.91
had been encamped
outside of Babylon.
00:45:10.94\00:45:13.98
Babylonians were
not afraid, they thought
00:45:14.01\00:45:15.48
they'll never
breach the wall with...
00:45:15.51\00:45:17.65
They'll never breach the
moat, but Cyrus did something
00:45:17.68\00:45:20.92
they had not anticipated.
00:45:20.95\00:45:22.85
Way upstream, he
diverted the river
00:45:22.88\00:45:25.95
where it ran down the Babylon,
he diverted it, he dug a canal,
00:45:25.99\00:45:29.59
there was a dry lake
bed, they broke the dam,
00:45:29.62\00:45:32.06
they drained the river,
the water level in the river
00:45:32.09\00:45:35.86
almost instantly went down.
00:45:35.90\00:45:38.43
His soldiers, a few of them,
were able to go under the wall,
00:45:38.47\00:45:41.40
there were two walls,
00:45:41.44\00:45:42.77
the inner gates
had been left open,
00:45:42.80\00:45:44.34
as Isaiah prophesied,
'cause they were drinking,
00:45:44.37\00:45:46.47
they didn't think
there would be any threat.
00:45:46.51\00:45:48.54
Needs to go
through the inner gate
00:45:48.58\00:45:50.71
to access the river,
and they left them open.
00:45:50.75\00:45:54.55
The soldiers have been
drinking because of the feast.
00:45:54.58\00:45:57.95
They open the outer gates,
00:45:57.99\00:45:59.85
they let all of
their soldiers in,
00:45:59.89\00:46:02.59
and Babylon almost
instantly fell in one night,
00:46:02.62\00:46:05.33
Daniel 5 tells us.
00:46:05.36\00:46:08.63
So it talks about the
way for the kings of the East
00:46:08.66\00:46:10.93
might be prepared.
00:46:10.97\00:46:12.43
Darius and Cyrus were considered
00:46:12.47\00:46:14.50
good kings for God's people.
00:46:14.54\00:46:16.74
Kings of the East,
kind of like wise men
00:46:16.77\00:46:18.67
came from the
East with good tidings.
00:46:18.71\00:46:21.11
These two kings let
God's people go home.
00:46:21.14\00:46:24.68
They believed in one God,
00:46:24.71\00:46:26.65
whereas the
Babylonians were polytheistic,
00:46:26.68\00:46:29.45
the Persians were monotheistic.
00:46:29.48\00:46:32.29
And so there's a type there,
00:46:32.32\00:46:34.12
Cyrus is even
called my anointed,
00:46:34.16\00:46:35.89
Cyrus the general,
00:46:35.92\00:46:37.29
which is a title
reserved for God.
00:46:37.33\00:46:40.83
"That the way of the kings
of the east might be prepared.
00:46:40.86\00:46:44.90
And I saw three
unclean spirits like frogs,"
00:46:44.93\00:46:47.77
this final
battle that transpires.
00:46:47.80\00:46:52.07
"Coming out of the
mouth of the dragon."
00:46:52.11\00:46:53.84
Frogs are unclean,
their power's in their tongue.
00:46:53.88\00:46:57.05
It's a message,
just like you've got
00:46:57.08\00:46:59.05
God's angels in
heaven with a message,
00:46:59.08\00:47:00.82
the devil's got
his frogs on earth.
00:47:00.85\00:47:04.19
"Out of the mouth of the beast,"
00:47:04.22\00:47:05.82
messages come out of the mouth.
00:47:05.85\00:47:07.32
"Mouth of the false
prophet, mouth of the dragon,
00:47:07.36\00:47:10.03
they are the spirits
of demons performing signs
00:47:10.06\00:47:12.66
that go out to the
kings of the earth."
00:47:12.69\00:47:13.93
There...
00:47:13.96\00:47:15.03
Now Jesus said, "Look, if
you don't believe My message
00:47:15.06\00:47:16.63
believe Me
because of the miracles."
00:47:16.67\00:47:18.27
The devil's going
to do the same things.
00:47:18.30\00:47:19.60
He'll say, "I got a message,
and I got miracles to back it."
00:47:19.63\00:47:22.50
We're going to have
to really go by the word
00:47:22.54\00:47:24.41
in the last days.
00:47:24.44\00:47:26.64
"To gather them to the
battle of the great day
00:47:26.68\00:47:28.44
of God Almighty.
00:47:28.48\00:47:29.68
'Behold, I come as a thief.
00:47:29.71\00:47:31.18
Blessed is he who
watches, and keeps his garments,
00:47:31.21\00:47:33.72
lest he walk naked
and they see his shame.'
00:47:33.75\00:47:36.58
And they gathered them together
to the place called in Hebrew,
00:47:36.62\00:47:39.92
Armageddon."
00:47:39.95\00:47:40.96
Arma means Hill of
Megiddo, Armageddon.
00:47:40.99\00:47:45.16
I told you that this
is a mysterious word,
00:47:45.19\00:47:47.10
it's not found anywhere
else, they've not found it yet,
00:47:47.13\00:47:49.66
maybe they'll
discover an ancient document,
00:47:49.70\00:47:52.50
not founded anywhere else
00:47:52.53\00:47:53.94
in Greek or in
Hebrew, just like this.
00:47:53.97\00:47:57.24
It does sound similar to
a phrase you find in Hebrew
00:47:57.27\00:48:01.38
were God speaks to Gideon,
said, God spoke to Gideon,
00:48:01.41\00:48:04.15
that sounds like Harmagedon.
00:48:04.18\00:48:07.12
And so they're wondering
if they're talking about
00:48:07.15\00:48:09.28
when Gideon that
was on the mountain
00:48:09.32\00:48:11.29
and down in the
valley where the enemy,
00:48:11.32\00:48:14.56
the million, it looked
like they were outnumbered,
00:48:14.59\00:48:16.49
and with a very small force
God fought against the enemy.
00:48:16.52\00:48:20.76
And Gideon's weapons
00:48:20.80\00:48:22.00
were all symbols
of the Word of God.
00:48:22.03\00:48:23.97
You had, it says, the
sword of the Lord and Gideon,
00:48:24.00\00:48:26.30
and they broke the
pitchers, and the lamps shined,
00:48:26.33\00:48:28.54
and the trumpets blew.
00:48:28.57\00:48:30.04
God's Word is a
lamp, the sword is a word,
00:48:30.07\00:48:34.21
and the trumpet is a word.
00:48:34.24\00:48:35.24
So the lamp is a
word, the sword is a word,
00:48:35.28\00:48:37.85
the trumpet is a word,
they overcame the enemy
00:48:37.88\00:48:40.95
with the symbols
of the Word of God
00:48:40.98\00:48:42.95
there in that valley.
00:48:42.98\00:48:44.12
And so, some have thought,
00:48:44.15\00:48:45.45
"Is this the
battle of the Megiddo?"
00:48:45.49\00:48:47.52
Doesn't matter whether you think
00:48:47.56\00:48:48.52
it's Deborah and Barak
it's harkening back to.
00:48:48.56\00:48:50.89
It's talking about God
fighting for His people.
00:48:50.93\00:48:53.53
Now the battle of
Armageddon, it's not a battle
00:48:53.56\00:48:55.43
between Russia and China,
00:48:55.46\00:48:56.63
and even while I was
there I heard tour guides
00:48:56.67\00:49:00.84
there at Megiddo,
00:49:00.87\00:49:01.94
I was listening
to another tour group
00:49:01.97\00:49:03.24
while we were
meeting with our tour group
00:49:03.27\00:49:05.24
and they're talking about,
00:49:05.27\00:49:06.68
"Yeah, the
Russians, and the Chinese,
00:49:06.71\00:49:09.08
and the Americans going
to gather in this valley,
00:49:09.11\00:49:11.28
and there could be
400 million soldiers."
00:49:11.31\00:49:13.58
And I'm going, "Oh, brother."
00:49:13.62\00:49:17.09
You can't fit 400
million soldiers in that valley,
00:49:17.12\00:49:19.72
and that's not the
way we fight today.
00:49:19.75\00:49:22.26
We don't all just march
off against each other like
00:49:22.29\00:49:24.49
Napoleon, and Waterloo,
00:49:24.53\00:49:26.93
and they don't do
it that way anymore,
00:49:26.96\00:49:28.20
they just, they fire drones.
00:49:28.23\00:49:30.43
And so the battle of Armageddon
00:49:30.47\00:49:34.20
is a battle between
those who serve God.
00:49:34.24\00:49:36.40
It tells us the dragon
made war with the woman,
00:49:36.44\00:49:40.08
who keeps the
commandments of God.
00:49:40.11\00:49:41.78
Her descendants that
keep the commandments of God
00:49:41.81\00:49:43.58
and have the testimony of Jesus.
00:49:43.61\00:49:45.15
Christ is seen
coming out of the heavens,
00:49:45.18\00:49:46.92
riding on the horse.
00:49:46.95\00:49:48.42
He's got a sword
coming out of His mouth.
00:49:48.45\00:49:49.98
Is that a symbol?
It's a Word of God.
00:49:50.02\00:49:52.59
It says on His
thigh, the Word of God.
00:49:52.62\00:49:55.02
And so it's talking about
a battle between the truth
00:49:55.06\00:49:58.29
and the
counterfeit in the last days
00:49:58.33\00:50:00.06
for the souls of people.
00:50:00.10\00:50:01.30
It will end up in a
great physical conflict.
00:50:01.33\00:50:06.37
And the final battle in
the battle of Armageddon,
00:50:06.40\00:50:08.94
it starts before Jesus come,
it ends after the millennium
00:50:08.97\00:50:12.84
when fire comes down
and devours the adversaries.
00:50:12.87\00:50:16.95
So just like any war,
you may have several battles,
00:50:16.98\00:50:20.05
the last battle of Armageddon
00:50:20.08\00:50:21.42
is at the end
of the 1,000 years.
00:50:21.45\00:50:23.99
All right, I see
another question on the screen.
00:50:24.02\00:50:27.02
"Is it likely that
there will be a 3rd world war
00:50:27.06\00:50:29.92
as it relates to
Babylon and Armageddon,
00:50:29.96\00:50:31.89
the US and
Israel, in the last days?"
00:50:31.93\00:50:36.36
I don't know.
00:50:36.40\00:50:39.20
I don't know if
there's going to be.
00:50:39.23\00:50:40.70
I mean, you know, we hear
everyone's always struggling,
00:50:40.74\00:50:43.41
man typically has
not made a weapon.
00:50:43.44\00:50:44.77
He did not use,
00:50:44.81\00:50:45.87
and we're so concerned
right now that it could be...
00:50:45.91\00:50:49.28
Let me back up
and say it this way.
00:50:49.31\00:50:50.91
Something I think is
going to be a catalyst
00:50:50.95\00:50:53.55
to make the world
suddenly very religious
00:50:53.58\00:50:55.52
and to catapult
certain religious leaders
00:50:55.55\00:50:58.99
into prominence.
00:50:59.02\00:51:00.09
People do it typically by fear.
00:51:00.12\00:51:02.92
The catalyst could
be an economic disaster,
00:51:02.96\00:51:06.46
a global economic disaster.
00:51:06.49\00:51:08.50
It could be a
major terrorist event.
00:51:08.53\00:51:12.00
It could be a
major natural disaster.
00:51:12.03\00:51:15.87
It could be something
that looks like a 3rd world war
00:51:15.90\00:51:19.71
that drives people to
religion through fear,
00:51:19.74\00:51:23.38
where they are ready to
listen to a totalitarian leader
00:51:23.41\00:51:27.82
that has happened historically.
00:51:27.85\00:51:30.22
Hitler came into power
00:51:30.25\00:51:31.65
on the heels of
an economic disaster.
00:51:31.69\00:51:34.56
Napoleon came into power
00:51:34.59\00:51:36.16
on the heels of
an economic disaster.
00:51:36.19\00:51:37.96
Those disasters
often came because of war.
00:51:37.99\00:51:40.70
The economic disaster in Germany
00:51:40.73\00:51:42.56
came from World War I.
00:51:42.60\00:51:44.23
And Kaiser
Wilhelm, Hitler was able to
00:51:44.27\00:51:46.40
use that disaster for them
00:51:46.43\00:51:49.17
to welcome a despot, a dictator.
00:51:49.20\00:51:52.14
Napoleon did the
same thing, and Louis XIV,
00:51:52.17\00:51:55.21
and you look through history,
00:51:55.24\00:51:56.31
so I think there's
going to be some event,
00:51:56.34\00:51:58.81
whether that disaster will
be brought by a 3rd world war
00:51:58.85\00:52:02.42
or natural disaster, I mean.
00:52:02.45\00:52:05.92
We had economic
problems after 9/11
00:52:05.95\00:52:07.86
because of Wall
Street what happened.
00:52:07.89\00:52:10.26
So I don't know.
00:52:10.29\00:52:11.56
And, then last question.
00:52:11.59\00:52:13.96
What does the Bible
say, someone's texting in,
00:52:14.00\00:52:17.33
what is the "Wine" of her
wrath referring to Babylon?
00:52:17.37\00:52:21.47
That's referring to some
Old Testament prophecies that
00:52:21.50\00:52:23.61
talks about drinking the dregs,
the wine of the wrath of God,
00:52:23.64\00:52:28.68
referred to again in Babylon.
00:52:28.71\00:52:30.65
It means, it's
unmixed with mercy.
00:52:30.68\00:52:33.21
Got off and
mitigates his punishment
00:52:33.25\00:52:35.32
by showing some degree of mercy.
00:52:35.35\00:52:37.09
But when the wrath
finally falls on Babylon,
00:52:37.12\00:52:39.19
it is going to be
full force, no mercy.
00:52:39.22\00:52:43.83
And anyway, hopefully,
you learned something.
00:52:43.86\00:52:46.19
I want to remind our friends,
00:52:46.23\00:52:47.30
we have a free
offer about Armageddon.
00:52:47.36\00:52:50.80
You'll enjoy this.
00:52:50.83\00:52:51.83
If you like to get a
copy of the book Armageddon,
00:52:51.87\00:52:54.10
then just ask for,
00:52:54.14\00:52:56.20
or call the number 866-788-3966,
00:52:56.24\00:53:01.21
that's 866-Study-More,
00:53:01.24\00:53:03.71
and you can also
download this for free
00:53:03.75\00:53:06.31
from AFTV.org.
00:53:06.35\00:53:10.49
Thank you so much
for studying with us.
00:53:10.52\00:53:12.19
We'll study His Word
together again next week.
00:53:12.22\00:53:16.09
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For over 60
years, Jeepneys have been
00:53:59.03\00:54:01.14
the virtual king of the
road here in the Philippines.
00:54:01.17\00:54:03.97
These unique
vehicles that are festive
00:54:04.01\00:54:06.11
with colorful stickers,
lights, and chrome have grown
00:54:06.14\00:54:09.18
into the chief
source of transportation
00:54:09.21\00:54:11.05
in the country.
00:54:11.08\00:54:12.08
Let's go.
00:54:12.11\00:54:13.18
These iconic four-wheel-drive
military vehicles
00:54:17.62\00:54:20.56
made by the Willys
Company were known as Jeeps
00:54:20.59\00:54:23.56
because it stood
for general purpose.
00:54:23.59\00:54:26.36
And it also
came from a character
00:54:26.39\00:54:28.53
in a Popeye cartoon
00:54:28.56\00:54:30.53
that was known
as Eugene the Jeep.
00:54:30.57\00:54:32.83
He was an imaginary
dog that could crawl
00:54:32.87\00:54:34.74
across the
ceilings and the walls,
00:54:34.77\00:54:36.47
and these jeeps
could go anywhere.
00:54:36.50\00:54:38.41
When the Americans
left the Philippines
00:54:38.44\00:54:40.24
following World War II,
it was just cheaper for them
00:54:40.28\00:54:43.21
to leave these thousands
of military vehicles behind
00:54:43.24\00:54:45.85
rather than to transport
them back to the States.
00:54:45.88\00:54:48.42
The creative Filipino people
00:54:48.45\00:54:50.45
modified these military vehicles
00:54:50.49\00:54:52.25
by extending the
frame about six feet.
00:54:52.29\00:54:54.82
They added a
couple of cozy inventions
00:54:54.86\00:54:56.69
that are designed to
carry about 18 people.
00:54:56.73\00:54:59.83
They put a cab
over it to prevent
00:54:59.86\00:55:01.50
the water from
coming in, but I've seen
00:55:01.53\00:55:04.40
what looks like 20
to 25 people hanging
00:55:04.43\00:55:06.80
on every possible edge
and ledge of a Jeepney.
00:55:06.84\00:55:09.67
They're jumping off,
they're jumping on as it goes
00:55:09.70\00:55:12.24
through
congested Manila traffic.
00:55:12.27\00:55:16.04
Every Jeepney is
little bit different.
00:55:16.08\00:55:18.35
Some are just held together
with patches of daily wire
00:55:18.38\00:55:21.42
and bubblegum, a
little bit of duck tape.
00:55:21.45\00:55:23.85
Some are little
more ornate and modern,
00:55:23.89\00:55:25.49
they've got chrome
and stainless steel.
00:55:25.52\00:55:28.02
And there's good reason
that the ceilings are padded.
00:55:28.06\00:55:30.33
When one of the local Filipinos
wants to ride on a Jeepney,
00:55:33.46\00:55:36.26
they just flag
them down, they shout,
00:55:36.30\00:55:38.13
they tap on the hood,
and then they jump on board.
00:55:38.17\00:55:40.74
They may not even
slowdown when they do this.
00:55:40.77\00:55:43.30
Then they pay about 8 pesos
00:55:43.34\00:55:45.31
which is
equivalent of 16 cents for us.
00:55:45.34\00:55:47.94
It's by far the
most economical way
00:55:47.98\00:55:49.84
to get around in the country.
00:55:49.88\00:55:51.15
Some Jeepneys are even equipped
with an old emergency privy.
00:55:56.25\00:56:02.12
One little
downside to the Jeepneys
00:56:02.16\00:56:03.99
is because the
cabs are open like this,
00:56:04.03\00:56:06.23
they're not air-conditioned,
it gets very hot in summertime
00:56:06.26\00:56:09.30
and all the fumes
from the street coming in
00:56:09.33\00:56:11.77
which can make it an
exhausting experience.
00:56:11.80\00:56:15.37
One of the downside of
the Jeepney is they don't have
00:56:15.40\00:56:17.37
all of the modern
safety features, no seatbelts.
00:56:17.41\00:56:20.78
You have to take
advantage of the padding
00:56:20.81\00:56:22.48
if you hit a hard bump.
00:56:22.51\00:56:23.95
And if there is
a serious accident,
00:56:23.98\00:56:25.75
there is no airbags
other than the friends
00:56:25.78\00:56:28.05
that might be
sitting around you.
00:56:28.08\00:56:29.75
And that's the
upside of the Jeepney
00:56:29.78\00:56:31.52
because you're up close
and personal with everybody,
00:56:31.55\00:56:33.99
you make some new friends.
00:56:34.02\00:56:35.86
Riding on a
Jeepney requires teamwork.
00:56:35.89\00:56:38.36
If you buy something
from one of the vendors,
00:56:38.39\00:56:40.26
you all sort of pass
it back to each other.
00:56:40.30\00:56:42.36
And when
passengers get on board,
00:56:42.40\00:56:44.37
you just pass
your money upfront.
00:56:44.40\00:56:46.17
Thanks a lot.
00:56:51.94\00:56:52.97
Friends, it's safe to
say there are no two Jeepneys
00:56:56.78\00:56:59.51
that are exactly the same.
00:56:59.55\00:57:01.48
They're all unique and
distinct and so are you.
00:57:01.52\00:57:05.02
Have you ever felt that you
get lost in a massive humanity
00:57:05.05\00:57:08.22
and God doesn't notice you?
00:57:08.26\00:57:10.06
The Bible tells us
that He knows your name,
00:57:10.09\00:57:12.16
the very hairs of
your head are numbered
00:57:12.19\00:57:14.00
and He hears your prayers.
00:57:14.00\00:57:15.46
More than that, the Lord wants
to take you to His kingdom,
00:57:15.50\00:57:18.63
you just have to get on board.
00:57:18.67\00:57:20.47
Let's face it, it's not always
easy to understand everything
00:57:33.65\00:57:36.95
you read in the Bible.
00:57:36.99\00:57:38.55
With over 700,000
words contained in 66 books,
00:57:38.59\00:57:42.19
the Bible can
generate a lot of questions.
00:57:42.22\00:57:44.96
To get biblical
straightforward answers,
00:57:44.99\00:57:47.23
call into Bible Answers Live,
00:57:47.30\00:57:49.06
a live nationwide
call-in radio program
00:57:49.10\00:57:51.73
where you can talk
to Pastor Doug Batchelor
00:57:51.77\00:57:54.04
and ask him your most
difficult Bible questions.
00:57:54.07\00:57:56.44
For times and
stations in your area
00:57:56.47\00:57:58.71
or to listen to answers online,
00:57:58.74\00:58:00.68
visit Bal.AmazingFacts.org.
00:58:00.71\00:58:04.21