Participants: Pastor Kenneth Cox
Series Code: TOTE
Program Code: TOTE000007
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00:01 Can you believe it?
00:05 Can you build your faith on it? 00:08 The promises of God' Word are sure. 00:12 They do not fail. 00:17 This book has stood the test of time. 00:29 Father up in heaven, 00:32 tonight we want to just come to You, 00:37 open up our minds. 00:40 We ask Lord that You would pare away any pre-conceived ideas 00:44 that we might have 00:47 and that our understanding may be quickened. 00:52 That the Holy Spirit may be able to lead and guide us. 00:58 Bless us as we study this prophecy 01:01 that we may see it, understand it, 01:05 and by faith walk with You. 01:08 For this we pray in Your name, Amen. 01:19 I've noticed rather a strange phenomenon. 01:23 You can talk to almost any 01:28 child in school... 01:30 almost anyone, even... even in grade school... 01:34 and they can name these beasts for you. 01:38 They can tell you what they are. 01:40 Doesn't make any difference whether you're talking about 01:43 barosaurus or whether you're talking about supersaurs 01:47 or whether you're talking about T-rex 01:50 or whether you're talking about triceratops. 01:53 They can name them off... all the dinosaurs. 01:56 And we have them in our books. 01:59 I mean in grade school they have them, 02:02 they see them, they talk about them. 02:05 We even make toys and they play with them. 02:07 And this is all alright. 02:10 And yet if I send you a brochure 02:13 that has the picture of the beasts 02:15 that are mentioned in the Bible 02:17 parents will say to me: 02:19 "Why do you put those awful beasts there on that brochure? " 02:22 And they seem to object 02:25 to understanding it 02:27 yet they'll... don't mind their 02:29 children seeing beasts like this. 02:31 And you can ask them and they can name them. 02:33 But if you mention the beasts in the Bible 02:37 they don't know anything about them. 02:40 And yet those beasts in the Bible 02:43 have a whole, whole lot more 02:47 meaning to you and to me 02:50 than do the dinosaurs. 02:52 As we have been studying Bible prophecy, 02:55 we have looked at them. 02:56 And you remember we've looked at a lion, 02:59 and we found out that this lion 03:02 represented the kingdom of Babylon 03:04 that went from 606 BC to 539 BC. 03:10 And then you remember after the lion 03:13 we took a look at a bear that raised itself up on one side, 03:16 had three ribs in its mouth. 03:18 That bear represented Medo-Persia 03:21 going from 539 BC to 331 BC. 03:25 And then you remember after the bear 03:28 we came to rather a strange beast in the Bible. 03:32 That was a leopard, but that leopard had four heads 03:35 and four wings. You remember that? 03:37 And that leopard represented the kingdom of Greece. 03:41 The four wings on its back represented the swiftness 03:45 with which he... Alexander the Great... took everything 03:47 that was before him. 03:49 The four heads on the beast represented Alexander's 03:52 four generals that the kingdom was turned over to. 03:55 And Greece went from 331 BC 04:00 to 168 BC. 04:02 And then we came to a dragon. 04:05 And we found out that that dragon 04:09 represented the kingdom of pagan Rome. 04:12 Rome was the kingdom that ruled longer than any other 04:16 kingdom from 168 BC to 476 AD. 04:22 So we've taken those one after another. 04:24 And then as we studied it 04:26 we found in Revelation the 13th chapter 04:29 we had kind of a non-descript beast 04:31 that was made up of a leopard, 04:34 made up of a bear, a lion. It had seven heads. 04:38 And as we studied that we found that that beast 04:41 represented the kingdom of papal Rome. 04:45 And so we have looked at those beasts one right after another: 04:49 those five. And I read you a text in God's Word 04:52 that said: "Five of these have fallen. 04:55 One is, one is yet to come. " 04:59 And tonight we're going to take a look at the one that is 05:04 in Revelation the 11th chapter. 05:07 So we're going to see what that beast represents... 05:09 how that all fits together. 05:11 So with that, let's go to Revelation the 11th chapter 05:14 and see what it has to say. Revelation the 11th chapter 05:17 and verse 7: 05:31 So here it speaks about this particular beast. 05:34 I know lots of people that read the 11th chapter of Revelation 05:38 and they never pick up on this beast. 05:41 But it says that this beast would overcome them 05:44 and kill them. Now, what we've got to find out 05:47 is who... who is this beast going to overcome and kill? 05:51 Well, the Bible speaks of two witnesses. 05:54 And it says that this beast would overcome them 05:57 and kill those two witnesses. 05:59 In fact, the scripture says this about it: 06:14 Does that ring any bells with you? 06:17 Huh? Are you with me? OK. 06:21 It says they're going to prophesy 1,260 days. 06:25 Watch what happens... still in the same verse: 06:32 So it says these two witnesses... 06:34 they're going to prophesy for 1,260 days 06:39 in sackcloth. 06:41 What would you think that sackcloth represents? 06:46 What do you think the sackcloth represents? 06:49 Sackcloth represents mourning. 06:53 It represents hard times. 06:56 It represents distress. 06:58 So it says that they're going to prophesy 07:01 1,260 days mourning, in distress. 07:06 All right. So what we want to do tonight now 07:08 is we want to go back and pick up with the first verse 07:11 and we're going to look at verses 1 through 7 07:14 and we're going to begin to put this prophecy together. 07:16 It says in Revelation the 11th chapter 07:20 and verse 1... we read: 07:38 Telling them to rise, measure the temple, and so forth. 07:54 So it said: "Don't measure it, 07:56 it's been given to the Gentiles. " 07:57 Now... now watch, because it's going to tell you how long 08:00 it has been given to the Gentiles. 08:13 All right? 08:22 Now, I've got to make sure you're with me... 08:28 Now, when it says: "These are the two olive trees, " 08:32 who are the two olive trees? 08:34 The two witnesses. 08:36 OK. Make sure you're understand as we're reading 08:39 God's Word. These two witnesses are the two olive trees... 09:14 OK? 09:23 This beast now that rises out of the bottomless pit... 09:30 OK? So what we want to find out tonight 09:34 is what is this talking about? Who are these two witnesses 09:37 that the beast kills? 09:38 Who do they represent? 09:40 Folks, if you're going to understand prophecy, 09:43 you've got to go to scripture. 09:45 You're not going to understand it if you don't go to scripture. 09:49 And let me tell you something: when God puts something down 09:53 He's not writing something that you can't understand. 09:56 Don't accept that. 09:58 You can understand it. 10:00 You can know what He's talking about. 10:02 God didn't reveal it in His Word 10:05 so that you and I couldn't understand it. 10:07 May take a little study... 10:09 But when I was in school I had a professor that said 10:12 it wasn't harmful nor fatal to think. 10:15 And it's not! So you may have to think a little bit, 10:18 but God will bless you if you do. 10:21 So if it's talking about two olive trees 10:24 and two lampstands, 10:26 let's see what the scripture says about those two olive trees 10:29 and those two lampstands. 10:31 And so we're going to go to the book of Zechariah 10:34 and see what it says here. 10:54 So here it's talking about this lampstand... 11:04 Two what? 11:06 Ok, here we are. See, same phrase as used 11:11 in the book of Revelation here in Zechariah. 11:26 He said: "What do these represent? " 11:28 All right, listen carefully. 11:50 He asked him... he said: "No, I don't understand 11:52 what this is. " And he said: "This is the Word of the Lord 11:57 to Zerubbabel. " 11:59 Watch: 12:10 So when he asked him, said: "Who are these two olive trees? 12:13 Who are these two lampstands? " 12:15 He said: "This is the Word of the Lord to Zerubbabel. 12:19 Not by might nor by power 12:22 but by My Spirit, saith the Lord. " 12:24 So what are they? 12:26 What do they represent? 12:28 They represent the Word of God. 12:30 That's what they represent. 12:31 Stands for the Word of God. 12:34 Now you remember that in the Bible 12:37 you'll find the Holy Spirit is pictured many times as 12:42 oil and it's also presented as fire. 12:47 OK. You remember when Samuel anointed David 12:51 he used what? 12:53 Oil. 12:54 And you'll find in many cases in scripture 12:56 oil is used to represent the Holy Spirit. 12:59 You also remember that when the Holy... it says: 13:17 So it says if there's anybody sick 13:19 they're to gather the elders of the church, 13:22 pray for that person, anoint that person with oil 13:25 that represents the Holy Spirit. 13:27 "And the prayer of faith, " it says, "shall save the sick. " 13:30 You also remember that on the Day of Pentecost 13:34 when the Holy Spirit fell upon the people 13:37 it fell as what? Flames of fire on their head. 13:42 So you have those two representations 13:44 of the Holy Spirit. 13:45 "Not by might nor by power 13:49 but by My Spirit saith the Lord. " 13:52 That's how it's to take place. 13:54 So as we're studying God's Word 13:56 it tells us here in II Peter the 1st chapter and verse 21: 14:10 So when we come to the Word of God 14:13 and the Word of God being revealed, it is revealed by 14:18 what? Huh? The Holy Spirit. 14:23 They didn't speak of their own will. 14:25 It was given to them by the Holy Spirit... 14:28 revealed to them by the Holy Spirit. 14:31 So when it talks about those two olive trees 14:34 and oil, that represents the Holy Spirit. 14:37 That oil went to what, folks? 14:40 It went to lampstands. 14:44 That was to give light. 14:47 Are you with me? 14:49 So he's picturing what's going to happen here. 14:51 And that's the reason it says this in Zechariah: 15:09 That oil is flowing through that to the lamps 15:12 to give light. That is the reason it tells us there 15:16 in Zechariah: 15:23 So when you get to the book of Revelation 15:26 and it talks about these two witnesses, 15:29 it says this is the Holy Spirit 15:31 and it is giving light through what? 15:36 This is the what? The "Word of the Lord. " 15:40 It's giving light through the Word of God. 15:49 That's the reason when you read God's Word 15:51 such as in Psalm 119 and verse 105 it says: 16:01 So when the scripture here talks about these two witnesses... 16:06 OK? The two witnesses there... 16:09 You know who those two witnesses are? 16:12 Those two witnesses are the Old and New Testament. 16:17 The Word of God. 16:19 See, that's what it's talking about there. 16:21 And as we study this prophecy tonight 16:24 dear friend you're going to see that with absolute clearness. 16:28 It'll stand out vividly that this is talking about 16:31 the Word of God. 16:33 This is the two witnesses: 16:35 the Old and New Testament. 16:38 It says the beast would do what to them? 16:42 Said it'd kill them. 16:44 OK. Let's watch as the scripture begins to reveal 16:48 what's going to happen here. 16:50 Some people want to hold that these two witnesses 16:54 as Moses and Elijah. 16:56 And you'll hear people say that these two witnesses 16:59 are Moses and Elijah. 17:01 And they seem to think that Moses and Elijah 17:03 are going to come back to the earth 17:04 and that they're going to be killed 17:06 and they're going to lie on the street for 3-1/2 days. 17:09 They won't be buried, and then Moses and Elijah 17:12 are going to be resurrected. 17:13 That's what they... many people teach. 17:16 That is not what the scripture is saying. 17:18 I want you to listen to what the scripture says about it 17:20 and I'll tell you why they think it's Moses and Elijah. 17:25 Revelation 11 verse 5: 17:34 OK. You remember Elijah is the one that prayed for fire 17:38 to come down out of heaven. You remember that? 17:40 So that's the reason it's saying here 17:43 that some people believe that it's Elijah. 17:45 Goes on and says: 17:57 And you remember Elijah was the one who 18:00 prayed that it wouldn't rain and it didn't rain 18:02 for a period of time... 3-1/2 years in Israel. 18:07 And you remember Moses is the one that prayed 18:09 and the water turned to blood. 18:11 So these are the reasons people take and say this represents 18:15 Moses and Elijah. 18:17 "And they have power over waters to turn them to blood. " 18:21 But let's take a look now and see what the scripture tells us 18:24 about these because it says: 18:31 Now what I want to tell you tonight is that Moses 18:35 and Elijah did not do that 18:38 of their own strength. 18:41 Moses and Elijah did that based on the Word of God. 18:45 I can read you in the book of Leviticus 18:48 where it says very clearly that if... 18:51 if the people did not obey God 18:55 and did not follow Him it would not rain. 18:58 I can read that to you in Leviticus. 19:01 And the people of Israel were not obeying God. 19:04 They were not following Him. They were not doing His will. 19:07 And so all Elijah did was say: "Lord, honor Your Word. " 19:12 And based on the Word of God it didn't rain. 19:16 OK. So that is the power. 19:19 That is what was used. 19:21 All right. Let's go to Revelation 11 verse 2. 19:40 So here in Revelation the 11th chapter 19:43 it uses the term forty-two months. 19:46 It also uses the term 1, 260 days. 19:51 Terms that you and I are familiar with 19:53 because we have read those in Daniel 7. 19:58 We've also read it in Revelation 13, right? 20:01 OK. So when it talks about that it says: 20:14 So they're going to prophecy that length of time 20:17 in sackcloth. 20:18 Now, as we have studied God's Word together here 20:21 from night to night, we found that in Daniel 20:24 the 7th chapter it talks about time, 20:28 times, and a half a time. 20:29 It also talks about it in Daniel 12. 20:31 OK. I told you that in Bible prophecy a day represented 20:35 how much? One year. 20:38 When we get to the book of Revelation 20:40 Revelation 12 verse 6 talks about 1,260 days. 20:44 Revelation 12 verse 14 20:47 talks about time, 20:48 times, and a half a time, 20:50 and Revelation 13:5 talks about 20:52 forty-two months. 20:54 All those, folks, and I have mentioned this 20:57 several times now... I'll continue to mention it, 20:59 God is consistent. 21:04 See, I've run onto people that want to change these up. 21:08 If you change them up, you never know 21:11 what... when you get off of one horse and on another. 21:13 God is consistent all the way through. 21:18 That 1,260 years in every case 21:22 will refer to that text where it says: 21:28 So it will represent 1,260 years 21:32 that began... and if you add them up... 21:35 Time represents 360 days... time does. 21:40 Times represents 720. 21:42 A half a time represents 180. 21:45 That gives you 1,260. 21:47 Forty-two months, 30 days in a Biblical month, you multiply it 21:51 times 30 and it gives you 1,260. 21:54 ALL THOSE represent the period of time from 538 AD 21:59 to 1798 AD. 22:00 In every case, it represents that same period of time. 22:07 Now, let's see what takes place because it says 22:11 that they would prophesy in sackcloth 22:16 for 1,260 years. 22:21 Revelation the 11th chapter verse 3: 22:35 If you look at this period of time from 538 AD 22:41 to 1798 AD, folks, 22:44 that covers the period of time known in history 22:48 as the Dark Ages. 22:51 It's a time in which the Bible was taken away from people. 22:57 It was chained to library walls. 23:00 The people were told that they were too ignorant to read it. 23:06 It's a time of great... go back and read your history... 23:10 time of great, great persecution. 23:14 That's why it says they witness in sackcloth and ashes 23:19 because it was a time of hard times, a time of persecution. 23:24 A time of suffering, a time of sorrow. 23:29 A time in which people were burned at the stake. 23:33 All you have to do is read about people such as Hus, 23:37 and Jerome, and Wycliffe. 23:40 Took them and burned them at the stake. 23:43 They didn't burn Wycliffe. He died on... 23:45 before they got to the stake with him. 23:47 But it was a time in which they were persecuted. 23:50 And because the Christians were so terribly persecuted 23:54 they had to flee. 23:56 And they fled up into northern Italy 24:01 and southern France 24:03 where they... and that's what you and I know as the Alps. 24:08 And they came into those areas and they settled those areas. 24:11 And some of those people became known as Waldensian people. 24:16 Others that worshiped and followed the Lord became known 24:20 as Huguenots. 24:22 Others became known as the Abigenses. 24:25 But these were people, folks, that took God's Word 24:29 and they said: "We will build our faith on scripture. 24:33 We will stand on the Word of God. 24:35 This is where we will stand. " 24:37 And because they refused... 24:40 they refused to stand any other place than on the Word of God... 24:44 they were hunted and they were persecuted. 24:47 Greatly persecuted. 24:51 Hard times. Sorrow. 24:54 Time of great, great persecution. 24:59 But as time passed, in Revelation the 12th chapter - 25:04 we'll look at this in detail on another night - 25:07 but Revelation the 12th chapter speaks of this, folks. 25:10 Listen to what it says here. 25:12 And by the way, let me give you a principle. 25:13 I'll come back to it another night. 25:15 But any time you're studying Bible prophecy - 25:18 you're studying God's Word here - 25:21 and you come across a woman in prophecy... 25:24 Now don't apply it outside of prophecy. 25:27 But any time you come across a woman in Bible prophecy 25:30 a woman will always represent God's church. 25:34 OK. If she's a good woman. 25:37 Put that down. 25:39 If she's a good one, OK? 25:41 It will always represent God's church. 25:43 And so when you get to Revelation the 12th chapter 25:46 you have a woman there, and this is what it says about her: 26:06 Are you beginning to see the consistency of scripture? 26:09 The church had to flee into the wilderness 26:13 where she was terribly persecuted. 26:16 God said He prepared a special place just for her 26:23 and that she would witness 26:25 for 1,260 days. 26:32 I've been there. If you've never been there, 26:35 if you want to drive into northern Italy, 26:39 southern France, there's a place there called 26:43 Torre Pellice. 26:46 All you've got to do is walk back into the mountains 26:48 and this is where these Waldensian people lived. 26:53 They persecuted them terribly. 26:55 They sent soldiers up after them. 26:58 Interesting point. 27:00 Says in Revelation 11 verse 7: 27:09 When these people finished their testimony, OK... 27:22 Like I said, this was a terrible, terrible time. 27:26 But all of a sudden across the country 27:30 men began to stand up and preach 27:33 and all of a sudden you have the Reformation taking place. 27:36 Hus, Jerome - who were Bohemians - 27:39 who forfeited their life, were burned at the stake, 27:42 had stood up and said: "We will stand on the Word of God 27:46 and the Word of God alone. " 27:47 Wycliffe, who had taken and translated the Bible 27:52 into English so people could read it and understand it, 27:55 and they were going to burn him at the stake... 27:57 and he died before they did... 27:59 And then other men began to come on like Luther. 28:02 And he began to preach and he began to stand up and say: 28:06 "This is the Word of God and everybody should be able 28:08 to read the Word of God and to follow it. " 28:10 And over in Switzerland, other individuals 28:14 like John Calvin here in Geneva... 28:17 he began to stand up and preach. 28:19 And through the preaching of John Calvin, folks, 28:23 400,00 people accepted the Reformation. 28:29 They became known as Huguenots. 28:32 There were other men like Zwingli. 28:35 These were great men, and they began to preach the Word of God. 28:39 And because they preached the Word of God 28:42 some of the princes of Europe began to stand up 28:48 and they said: "Our conscience will not be dictated to. 28:52 We will follow the Word of God. 28:55 We will believe the Word of God 28:57 as we read the Word of God and understand it. " 28:59 And so they stood up for the Word of God. 29:02 Great men! 29:04 And the persecution began to come to an end. 29:08 Let me tell you what happened. 29:13 Countries like Germany, Switzerland... 29:19 they accepted the Reformation. 29:22 France... France opened its doors... threw them wide open 29:28 and accepted the Reformation. 29:31 And the Reformation began to move across France 29:34 with great rapidity. 29:38 This went on for a few years. 29:41 Then one of the kings of France 29:46 got offended. And because he was offended 29:50 he turned against the Reformation 29:53 and they began to persecute the reformers. 29:58 And France closed its doors 30:03 to the Reformation. 30:05 Just absolutely closed the doors to the Reformation 30:07 and said: "No. " 30:09 Anybody that followed the reformers, they were considered 30:12 heretics. And they were gathered 30:15 and they were burned at the stake. 30:18 You have what was called 30:21 the Massacre of St. Bartholomew 30:26 where they gathered up 60,000 Huguenots 30:30 one Sunday morning and killed them. 30:33 OK. At this time, there's a struggle going on. 30:39 There's a struggle going on politically in Europe. 30:42 And there's a man here - little man right here - 30:46 that is trying to gain control of Europe. 30:50 His name is Napoleon. 30:53 Napoleon wants to control Europe 30:58 but he knows... he knows that he cannot control Europe 31:03 unless he can break the back of the papal power. 31:08 And so we find that on 31:11 February the 15th, 1798 31:15 Napoleon's general, Berthier, 31:18 made his entrance into Rome... 31:25 Now folks, put a line under that word secular. 31:31 Put a line under that word SECULAR 31:34 because all of a sudden 31:35 it's going to start meaning a whole lot more. 31:39 You see, when France turned against the Reformation 31:44 through the preaching of John Calvin, 31:46 thousands and thousands and thousands of people 31:50 accepted it. And the truth about it was 31:54 is those that accepted the message of the Reformation 31:57 were the intelligencie of the country. 32:01 They were teachers, professors, businessmen, tradesmen. 32:05 And all of a sudden France turned its wrath against them 32:10 and they had to flee France. 32:14 And when they fled France, 32:17 it did horrible things to that country's leadership. 32:23 Things began to change drastically, 32:27 and all of a sudden a beast 32:30 begins to rise up. 32:34 Remember it said this beast would come up 32:38 and it would kill the two witnesses? 32:41 Huh? OK, this is the beast that's coming up 32:45 because what happens is this. It says: 32:59 OK. Napoleon has come to power 1798 AD. 33:02 He has established a... 33:06 secular... He has established a secular government. 33:12 People... turning against religion. 33:18 It says... Revelation 11 verse 8: 33:33 So it says that they would kill them. 33:36 They would lie in that street. 33:39 They're going to lie there for 3-1/2 days 33:41 we're going to find out. 33:43 Great persecution took place. 33:46 The king of France, as I told you, went through 33:50 and gathered up anybody that followed the reformers 33:54 and they either killed them with a sword 33:59 or they burned them at the stake 34:00 or they crucified them. 34:02 In fact, they took a man who was a follower of the reformers 34:08 and got him to tell who these people were. 34:11 And as they went down the street he pointed out the houses 34:14 and they put marks on them. 34:16 And then the soldiers came back and gathered these people up. 34:19 It was a terrible time in history. 34:22 Even the papal power... 34:26 the papal power who had been the favored one... 34:30 all of a sudden now found itself in great, great trouble. 34:36 It found that the people had turned against them also. 34:43 A man by the name of Thomas Paine 34:47 has written a book. It's called The Age of Reason. 34:52 That book has circulated all across France. 34:56 And in the book The Age of Reason by Thomas Paine 35:01 he tells them they are to take religion and get rid of it. 35:05 To toss it out... not to follow it. 35:08 That there is no God and they're not to believe in God. 35:12 And that book now has gone all across France 35:15 and France has turned against God and they have established 35:21 what is known in history as The Age of Reason. 35:29 They have kicked religion out of France. 35:33 I want you to listen. That took place 35:46 I want you to listen to a couple historical statements. 35:50 This is from the Life of Napoleon by Sir Walter Scott. 35:55 This is what he had to say: 36:25 The French Assembly said: "We will not worship God; 36:31 we will establish the Age of Reason. " 36:36 One more statement. 36:38 This is taken from a book called The Midnight Cry 36:41 by George Storrs, and it says: 37:13 That's what the French Assembly did. They said: 37:16 "Have nothing to do with God anymore. " 37:29 They took this woman. Put her on a cart 37:33 and pulled her through the streets of Paris 37:36 and worshiped her as the Goddess of Reason. 37:41 This began one of the most horrible times 37:46 in the history of humanity 37:48 referred to by some historians 37:52 as the Reign of Terror. 37:56 Because now people no longer have any kind of standard. 38:02 They've thrown out the book. 38:04 And when they threw out the book they threw out morals. 38:08 They threw out everything that they stood for 38:11 and therefore everything went awry. 38:14 You could believe anything you wanted to 38:16 as long as it wasn't religion. 38:19 You couldn't believe that. If you did, you were in trouble. 38:26 Watch... 38:28 Revelation 11 verse 8: 38:40 You must read that text very carefully because it says 38:44 "spiritually called Sodom and Egypt 38:48 where our Lord was crucified. " 38:50 Please. That is saying spiritually. 38:52 It's not saying literal. 38:54 Christ was not crucified in Egypt, was He? 38:57 Wasn't crucified in Sodom. 39:00 So you've got to understand when you read the Word of God 39:03 and it says spiritually 39:04 you've got to make the application. 39:06 Why is it saying spiritually 39:10 "where our Lord was crucified" 39:12 and it refers to Egypt and Sodom? 39:15 It refers to Egypt for this reason: 39:17 because you remember God called Moses and He said: 39:20 "You go down and you tell Pharaoh 39:22 'let My people go. ' " 39:24 Moses went down and told Pharaoh, he said: 39:29 "God has said 'let My people go. ' " 39:31 And pharaoh said this: 39:45 You see, Egypt stood for atheism. 39:49 They had thrown out God. 39:52 France had. They said: "We're not going to believe 39:54 in any Deity. We're throwing out God. " 39:57 That's the reason God referred to it as Egypt. 40:00 Why did it refer to Sodom? 40:04 Sodom and Gomorrah? 40:06 Those cities were destroyed because of what? 40:09 Loss of morals. 40:13 And dear friend, any time you take the Bible 40:16 and you throw out the Bible 40:19 all morality is gone. 40:21 And France lost its morals. 40:24 I mean there was nothing to restrain the people in any way. 40:30 Fornication, adultery was wide open. 40:32 Unbelievable during that time. 40:34 I can't... It was so bad I can't even describe it to you 40:37 tonight. That's the reason it referred to it as Sodom. 40:42 And it says: "Where our Lord was crucified. " 40:46 Why would it say that? 40:49 Because if you believed in God 40:54 it didn't make any difference what church you went to. 40:59 If you believed in God, you were gathered up 41:01 and taken and guillotined. 41:05 Your head was cut off. 41:07 God said this: 41:12 This was known as the Reign of Terror. 41:14 I mean, they gathered up everybody 41:17 that just even looked like they might be religious 41:21 and they cut their heads off. In fact, 41:23 it went on so bad, folks, that blood ran down the gutters 41:27 of the streets of Paris. 41:28 OK. 41:44 That's why it says: "where My Lord was crucified. " 41:48 Now it says... Revelation 11 verse 9: 42:07 Said: "their dead bodies are going to lie in the street 42:10 for 3-1/2 days. " 42:12 Now, we found out in our study that in Bible prophecy 42:18 a day represents how much? One year. 42:20 "I have laid on you a day for a year. " 42:24 OK. 42:27 The Age of Reason 42:29 began January 1, 1793. 42:35 OK? 42:37 Now I want to read you a couple historical statements. 42:42 I want you to put it in place. 42:44 Back in the time when France 42:48 made the decision that they were not going to go 42:52 with the Reformation, the king turned against the Reformation 42:57 and they went out and they gathered up the Huguenots 43:00 and they burned them at the stake and they killed them all 43:04 history is recording this statement about it. 43:06 Listen to this very carefully: 43:08 Looks like we have lost a computer. 43:12 Maybe we can go back to it... get some help there, 43:16 find out what the problem is. 43:17 But history says that that king marched down the streets 43:21 and as he went down the street they pointed out 43:24 the homes. And they gathered the people 43:27 and they killed them 43:30 one right after another. 43:32 Now folks, we're 200 and about 43:37 56 years later to the very day. 43:42 And now they've gone and they've got Louie XVI 43:47 and they're leading him down the street 43:50 taking him to have his head cut off. 43:53 The very thing that the king of France did 43:56 256 years before 43:59 now is happening to the king of France. 44:02 This was referred to as the Age of Terror. 44:07 Terrible time that took place. 44:10 OK. Let's continue on. It says 44:13 that their dead bodies will lie in the street how long? 44:17 three and a half days. 44:19 Now friends, if there's any of you here tonight that 44:22 have some question about the Word of God... 44:26 that you maybe don't believe that it's exactly right... 44:33 That Age of Reason began January the 21st, OK? 44:39 1893. 44:43 Excuse me, 1793. 44:47 France did away with religion. 44:51 Three and a half years later, 44:54 all right? June the 10th, 44:59 1796, 45:02 things had gotten so bad in France 45:05 absolutely so horrible in France 45:08 that the whole country was falling apart 45:11 that the French Assembly decided to re-establish 45:15 religion in France. 45:17 Exactly three and a half years. 45:21 Said they would lie dead in the street how long? 45:24 Three and a half days. 45:26 In Bible prophecy a day represents how much? 45:28 One year. And it says it would lie in the street 45:31 dead for 3-1/2 days... 45:33 or 3-1/2 years... and it did it to the exact day. 45:38 You'd better believe that when God's giving you prophecy 45:42 it's accurate. 45:43 Now it says here in Revelation 11 45:48 and I'm going to have to have some glasses. 45:52 I won't read this without them. 45:55 Revelation the 11th chapter... they're laying right back there. 45:58 Folks, I don't know what happened there. 46:02 Our screen's coming back. 46:04 OK, maybe we'll get to it, 46:06 take a look at it. But let me just tell you right now... 46:11 If we lose it, well you don't worry about it 46:13 because I can preach without it. 46:15 It's not... it's not required. 46:17 Thank you. It's not required for me to have that 46:20 to preach by it, 46:21 but my glasses are required to be able to see it. 46:25 OK? OK. 46:28 The 11th chapter, I want... So anyhow, at the end 46:32 of 3-1/2 years it's reinstated. 46:35 It's put right back where it was 46:38 because they realize that without religion 46:41 the whole country is falling apart. They can't make it work. 46:45 So they re-establish religion. 46:48 But it says here in verse 12 46:52 "And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them 46:55 'come up here, ' and they ascended to heaven in a cloud 46:59 and their enemies saw them. " 47:01 In other words, those two witnesses came back to life. 47:05 They were resurrected after 3-1/2 days. 47:08 And He said: "Come up here. " And it says they arose 47:11 and caught up into heaven. 47:14 Now, what I'm trying to get across to you tonight, 47:17 folks, is this Word will not fail. 47:20 Absolutely will not fail under any way. 47:25 OK? So watch what happens here. 47:28 And I think we're... well, we were almost there. 47:32 I think we're just about there. 47:34 We'll get there in a minute. 47:35 Maybe we can take it a little farther. 47:37 A little bit more. 47:41 OK, I think that's good. We'll take it from there. 47:45 OK. And it says... Revelation 11 verse 10 says: 48:00 One of the strangest things happen. 48:02 I don't understand. When somebody does something 48:06 then everybody wants to get on the bandwagon. 48:09 And when France tossed religion out of France 48:13 other countries sent them letters and gifts 48:16 and said how wise they were and how smart that they were. 48:19 You know, this is what it's talking about. 48:22 They sent gifts to them, congratulated them 48:24 for what they did. 48:31 At the end of 3-1/2 years the breath of God... 48:42 Great fear fell on those who saw them. 48:45 Now folks, think about it. 48:47 Think about it. 48:49 17... 1796: 48:54 the Word of God hasn't gone anyplace 48:58 because there's no way it could be published. 49:01 Very... very few people had Bibles. 49:03 There wasn't much of a chance for people 49:05 to read the Word of God. 49:06 This is 1796. 49:10 It says that when this came... and they came back to life 49:13 they were caught up. Watch: 49:15 into heaven... 49:27 It says if there's anything that is sure 49:29 it is the Word of God. And I told you tonight 49:32 you can build your faith on it. Watch: 49:35 January 21, 1793 they did away with religion. 49:41 The French Assembly on June 10, 1796 49:45 voted to put it back. 49:47 Exactly 3-1/2 years. 49:50 OK. Three and a half years just as the Word of God 49:54 had prophesied. 50:03 OK, listen to what happened. 50:08 The British Bible Society... 1804. 50:14 Are you getting the picture? 50:15 All of a sudden here the Word of God is caught up. 50:18 The British Bible Society is formed 50:22 and now the Word of God is being circulated around the world! 50:27 1816... American Bible Society. 50:31 And all of a sudden the Bible begins to be circulated 50:34 across the globe. 50:35 All of a sudden foreign missions takes off. 50:39 Judson goes to Burma. 50:43 Carey goes to India. 50:46 Morrison goes to China. 50:48 Moffat and Livingston go to Africa. 50:51 And all of a sudden the Word of God begins to spread across 50:54 this whole world... just exactly as the scripture said it would. 51:01 How does this affect you? 51:04 How does it affect me? 51:06 I want you to listen very, very carefully: 51:21 That beast came up out of the bottomless pit 51:24 on February 15, 1798, 51:28 when Napoleon established a secular kingdom. 51:32 And all of a sudden you find atheism 51:35 for the first time raising its head. 51:39 All of a sudden atheism... as France kicked religion 51:44 out of France and established atheism... came in. 51:48 Now watch, because something begins to happen. 51:52 Out of the writing of Thomas Paine 51:56 The Age of Reason... there's a man that has read that. 52:01 His name is George Hegel. 52:05 Look at the dates of his birth: 1770 to 1831. 52:11 Folks, George Hegel is the father... He is the father 52:16 of modern atheism in philosophy and theology. 52:20 He's the one that introduced all this stuff 52:23 that you find today across the country in which he talks about 52:27 higher criticism and how that all these things in the Bible 52:31 were not true. 52:33 George Hegel did that. 52:36 George Hegel had a student 52:40 that studied George Hegel... 52:43 studied under George Hegel... that also studied 52:46 Thomas Paine. 52:48 And from their writings 52:51 he developed his philosophy. 52:53 And his name was Charles Darwin. 52:57 Look at the dates. Charles Darwin said 53:02 The Origin of the Species... evolution... 53:07 that you and I came from a monkey 53:11 or we came from some protozoa or something else... 53:15 And out of that Christianity and religion was completely 53:19 moved out of it. 53:22 Charles Darwin... Charles Darwin has a friend. 53:27 Charles Darwin has a friend that they study together. 53:32 They study the writings of George Hegel. 53:35 They study the writings of Thomas Paine. 53:37 His name is Karl Marx. 53:42 And Karl Marx decides that they need to set up a society, 53:47 a government, that is built without God. 53:50 And on the basis of the writings of Karl Marx 53:53 you have atheistic communism coming up. 53:56 And it moves into Russia and held them in its palm 54:00 and in its control for 70 years. 54:06 Oh, you want to take it a step farther? 54:08 A man that studied under Karl Marx, 54:13 studied under Charles Darwin... 54:16 his name: Sigmund Freud. 54:21 Sigmund Freud said: "Ah, we are in a time of new morality. 54:27 Why you should do it if it feels good. 54:31 No morals, no restrictions. 54:35 Just do it because why... you came from some animal. " 54:40 So you find that the whole concept completely changed. 54:47 Thus you find that atheistic communism raised its head. 54:52 Now folks, let me tell you what bothers me. 54:56 Russia suffered under communism 55:02 for 70 years. 55:04 Go over to Russia today... 55:08 They invite you into their universities 55:11 to speak to their students to tell them about God 55:14 because they know... they know that it didn't work. 55:20 You come back to the United States 55:22 and they won't let you talk about God in the universities. 55:28 I wonder... I wonder where we are, folks. 55:33 I thought this was supposed to be a country 55:36 that was established on religious principles. 55:40 I thought we were supposed to be God-fearing men and women. 55:44 And yet we have schools 55:49 all across this country that teach that there is no God. 55:53 That they teach evolution 55:57 and tell the young people that that's what they're to believe. 56:01 I think you and I need to very carefully 56:05 re-assess where we are, 56:08 where we stand, and what we believe. 56:12 Atheistic communism ruled... came into power 56:17 and ruled from 1798 to 1991. 56:22 The sixth beast. 56:25 There's the other puzzle. Are you following me? 56:29 You see, it just goes together like that. 56:46 OK, let's look at it. 56:48 This is what we've learned. 56:50 Babylon. Babylon fell to Medo-Persia. 56:56 Medo-Persia fell to Greece. 57:01 Greece fell to pagan Rome. 57:04 Pagan Rome fell to papal Rome. 57:08 And papal Rome fell to atheism. 57:14 Napoleon came in and established a secular kingdom. 57:18 Just exactly as God's Word says 57:21 there's the six. 57:23 But it also says that there's a seventh. 57:27 Seven heads. Five have fallen, one is, 57:31 one is yet to come. 57:40 Now, Wednesday night 57:46 we're going to talk about the seventh one 57:49 and we're going to put that piece of the puzzle in place. 57:54 That's the last one. 57:56 Are you getting the picture? 58:00 You see, we're approaching the coming of Jesus Christ. 58:05 There's no way, dear friends... 58:07 I mean, I can't... I can't take you any farther 58:13 because there's not any other prophecies. 58:15 I mean, we're down to the end of God's Word. 58:19 You've got to understand that it's run out. 58:22 You and I are at the end. 58:26 We're living in the end time... 58:29 the time in which Jesus Christ will come back. 58:33 What you and I need to make sure of 58:37 is that we're ready, that we're ready to meet Jesus Christ. 58:46 To obtain a copy of this program or for more information, 58:49 please write to: |
Revised 2014-12-17