Participants: Lonnie Melashenko
Series Code: VOPS
Program Code: VOPS000018
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00:30 Have you ever been swindled?
00:32 Most people have at one time or another. 00:35 In fact Americans are a nation basically 00:39 of cheats and liars according to Time Magazine. 00:44 In fact this article "Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire," 00:49 big picture of a long nose Pinocchio, 00:52 Time Magazine says that's we are, in fact, 00:54 ever since the early New England settlers in 1626 00:58 traded just $24 worth of colorful beads and cloth 01:03 to the unsuspecting Indians for Manhattan Island, 01:07 we've been a nation of swindlers. 01:10 Just look at Enron, stock market scandals, 01:12 World Bank, the record of swindling and fraud seems 01:15 to run throughout our American history. 01:19 And I'm embarrassed to admit this, 01:21 especially to all of our world guests 01:22 listening in by satellite, 01:24 but, folks, con men in New York City 01:27 still make thousands of dollars re -selling 01:30 the Empire State Building over and over to gullible tourists 01:33 and immigrants on their first trip 01:35 to New York City every day. 01:37 Well, some of us smile. 01:38 We think that's amusing. Perhaps. 01:42 But it isn't the-- it isn't only the innocent 01:44 and the naive and the greenhorns 01:46 that are victimized by con artists. 01:48 The National Business Bureau says, 01:51 "No matter how intelligent or careful you are, 01:54 at least once in your life you will be swindled." 01:58 Unfortunately, it happens every day. 02:02 But, you know, clever as these forgeries and con men are, 02:05 they are just babes in the woods compared 02:07 with the granddaddy of them all 02:09 who stands without peer 02:11 when it comes to swindling, cheating, and counterfeiting. 02:15 Who would that be? Satan, of course. 02:18 Only he doesn't work openly, 02:20 he works through people, other powers, 02:22 agencies, undercover, sometimes masquerading 02:25 in the very garb of religion, 02:28 ingeniously mixing truth and error with one purpose, 02:33 just one goal to draw people away 02:35 from the true worship of God. 02:38 Now that's been his all-consuming 02:40 passion for thousands of years 02:41 and we find the first con job recorder records 02:44 way back there in Genesis Chapter 3, 02:47 under the guise of a talking snake. 02:49 "Psst, Eve, disobey God's word, 02:53 and ka-ching, you win, every time. 02:56 Eve, you won't die. Cash in your chips." 03:00 And it was a deception. Eve did die. 03:05 Not because she conscientiously believed a lie, 03:09 but because she didn't believe the truth about God's warning, 03:13 and obey what He said. 03:15 Which is a lesson for us, isn't it? 03:17 Folks, our only protection 03:18 against the great pretender is obedience to God's word. 03:22 Amen. 03:23 I mean, whatever out there contradicts God's written word, 03:27 we may be sure, it is not true. 03:30 Well, someone says, 03:32 "Lonnie, the devil can't con me. 03:34 I can hold my own." Don't be too hasty. 03:39 You know, the devil's been in this business 03:40 for 6,000 years, 03:42 studying men's and women's weaknesses 03:45 to design the best strategy to deceive us. 03:51 In fact, Lucifer, the Bible says, 03:52 deceived one-third of the heavenly angels, 03:55 Revelation 12, we've studied this already, verses 7, 9 03:58 "And war broke out in heaven: Michael," 04:01 that's Jesus, "and his angels fought with the dragon, 04:04 and the dragon and his angels fought," 04:06 so the great dragon was cast out, 04:08 that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, 04:10 who deceives the whole world, he was cast out to the earth 04:13 and his angels were cast out with him. 04:16 Well, and then we find that when Jesus came to this world, 04:18 Satan tried to con Him, too. Remember? 04:21 Christ was fasting in the wilderness 04:23 there for 40 days. 04:24 Who should happen to drop by for a friendly little visit? 04:28 Satan, masquerading though in the guise of a helpful, 04:33 loyal, supportive, heavenly angel. 04:35 "Hey, Jesus. 04:37 God's word says he'll give you bread to eat. 04:41 Here, try this stone-ground variety." 04:47 Same con game. 04:49 Find a way around God's clear written word. 04:54 Friend, tonight as the Voice of Prophecy speaks, 04:58 scripture warns us once again, 05:01 Lon, be on your guard because the great imposter is out there 05:04 with deceptions so overwhelming, 05:06 Jesus said in Matthew 24:24, "If it were possible, 05:10 they shall deceive the very" who? 05:12 Elect. 05:14 "Elect" and Peter warns in 1 Peter 5:8, 05:17 "Be sober, be vigilant rather 05:20 because your adversary the devil 05:22 walks about like a roaring lion, 05:24 seeking whom he may devour." 05:28 That could get scary, but does God leave us 05:30 at the mercy of the great pretender? 05:34 No. 05:35 In the Voice of Prophecy, 05:37 He has given us special information 05:39 to recognize this boogey-man. 05:41 And prophecy unmasks 05:43 his greatest deceptions of all time, 05:45 to uncover the pervert pretender's profoundest plot, 05:50 and God's strategy to defeat it. 05:52 Are we ready? 05:53 Evil's masterstroke revealed through the prophet, Daniel. 05:59 God foretold the devil's master plan 06:02 to deceive the whole world during earth's last hours 06:06 when Satan would use this Book, the Bible. 06:11 So don't be surprised that his strategy 06:13 includes churches, priests, ministers, rabbis, 06:18 a powerful spiritual Taliban 06:21 movement claiming to follow God, 06:22 claiming to speak for God, 06:23 but surreptitiously and directly 06:26 subverting scripture. 06:29 Daniel called this power the little horn. 06:34 Now you'll remember in our study 06:36 of the second chapter of the Book of Daniel, 06:39 we saw how God accurately outlined world history 06:44 in that great big metal statue, remember, 06:46 of that metal man which represented Babylon, 06:50 Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome. 06:53 Well, now this evening as we look back 06:55 into the history of the Christian church, 06:58 I want us to remember something very important. 07:01 This is our church, remember, 07:04 it's my church we're talking about, your church. 07:07 We're not trying to pick on anybody's denomination 07:09 as we pointed out last night. 07:10 We're going to be looking 07:11 at ourselves in the mirror here. 07:14 The Bible points out some serious trends 07:17 to sound an alarm. 07:20 Now if a prophecy does happen to step in on our toes though, 07:24 whether it points to me as a Protestant 07:26 or a Catholic or a Jew specifically, 07:29 what we're gonna do is do each other the courtesy 07:31 of always quoting from their own sources to be fair. 07:34 Is that all right? 07:36 So let's proceed as good students 07:38 looking into church history as outlined in prophecy. 07:43 If you have your Bibles in Daniel Chapter 7, 07:46 we're gonna spend our evening tonight. 07:48 Daniel 7 we find something brand new. 07:50 We find now four beasts coming up out of the sea 07:55 or as the Bible describes that 07:56 the populated areas of the planet earth. 07:59 Daniel 7:17, 23 tells us these four beasts 08:04 represent four world empires that would arise on earth. 08:09 First, Daniel saw a lion with eagle's wings, 08:14 and he explains that this represents 08:15 the ancient world of Babylon. 08:19 Then the next beast is a very lopsided looking bear. 08:23 That pictures the second world empire of Medo-Persia. 08:28 Then followed a leopard beast with four heads and four wings, 08:32 Greece, the Bible tells us 08:34 that's Grecia, under Alexander the Great. 08:37 And fourth, the most frightening 08:39 of all of the beasts made its way out of the water. 08:42 I want you to notice now verse 7. 08:44 "After this I saw in the night visions, 08:46 and behold a fourth beast, dreadful, terrible, 08:49 exceedingly strong, it had huge iron teeth. 08:52 It was devouring, breaking in pieces, 08:55 trampling the residue with its feet, 08:57 it was different from all the beasts 08:59 that were before it, and it had ten horns." 09:05 Now we have identified this power already 09:07 as the old Roman Empire, of course, with its Caesars. 09:12 But Daniel had never seen an animal 09:13 that even remotely resembled this fourth beast. 09:17 But as sensational and dramatic 09:19 as its appearance was one particular 09:21 part of that fourth beast intrigued Daniel 09:24 more than anything else. 09:25 And He says here in verse 8, 09:27 "I was considering all of these ten horns, 09:30 and there was another horn, 09:32 a little one, coming up among them, 09:35 before whom three of the first horns 09:38 were plucked out by the roots. 09:40 And there, in this horn, 09:42 were eyes like the eyes of a man, 09:45 and a mouth speaking pompous words." 09:49 Which translated really means blasphemy. 09:54 This little horn troubled Daniel, 09:57 in fact, so much, notice verse 21, 25, 10:01 "I was watching and the same horn 10:03 was making war against the saints, 10:06 and prevailing against them. 10:08 He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, 10:12 he shall persecute the saints of the Most High, 10:14 and shall intend to change times and law. 10:18 Then the saints shall be given into his hand 10:20 for a time and times and half a time." 10:23 And that is when Daniel's heart stopped cold. 10:27 Daniel was stunned. 10:30 He realized that this prophecy 10:32 was more than just the prediction 10:33 of secular world history or politics. 10:37 This prophecy now concerned God's people, His church. 10:41 The little horn power would make war 10:44 against the saints and prevail against them 10:46 over a long, long period of time. 10:49 And as Daniel realized the persecution 10:52 and hardships that God's people 10:54 would have to endure for centuries, 10:56 that upset him so much, he got sick. 10:59 Notice verse 28, 11:00 "...I, Daniel, was deeply troubled by my thoughts, 11:04 and my face turned pale." 11:09 Gabriel. 11:10 Gabriel, what does this mean? Who is this little horn? 11:15 Well, as we examine more closely 11:16 the Bible's description of this little horn, 11:19 we discover that the New Testament 11:21 characteristics of antichrist are identical 11:26 to this little horn power of Daniel 7. 11:29 So this becomes extremely serious. 11:33 In fact, Paul wrote to the Thessalonians 11:35 concerning the work of this power in 2 Thessalonians 2:4. 11:40 It says "He will exalt and"-- 11:43 He will oppose and will exalt himself 11:46 over everything that is called God or is worshiped, 11:48 so that he sets himself up in God's temple, 11:51 proclaiming himself to be God." 11:55 In Revelation, John wrote in Revelation 13:5, 6, 12:00 "And he was given a mouth speaking 12:03 great things and blasphemies, 12:05 and he was given authority 12:06 to continue for forty-two months. 12:10 Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, 12:13 to blaspheme His name..." 12:16 Those of you, who watched our presentation 12:19 the last time we were together, 12:20 know that 42 months is just another way 12:23 of figuring those 1,260 years or the Dark Ages. 12:29 We discovered in our last session. 12:32 And John the Revelator warned that this power 12:35 was already flexing its muscles back here during his lifetime. 12:39 Notice 1 John 4:3 12:42 "...And this is the spirit of antichrist, 12:45 whereof ye have heard that it should come, 12:47 and even now already is it in the world." 12:53 Daniel says this power formally rises 12:56 to superior political influence after the break-up 13:00 of the fourth world empire Rome. 13:02 And then continues to deceive the world 13:04 until the close of this world's history. 13:07 Well, who or what was this? 13:11 Well, what did the reformers believe 13:14 and teach during the Reformation? 13:17 We studied that the other night. 13:19 Your pastors in any denomination 13:22 will tell you that all 13:23 of the great Protestant Reformation scholars 13:26 agreed upon one thing, 13:27 they didn't agree on a lot of things, 13:29 but they agreed on this, this little horn power. 13:32 In fact, they believed it so strongly, 13:34 it led them to break with the medieval church 13:37 and ignite the Reformation, 13:39 willing to die at the stake if necessary. 13:41 It was all based on Daniel Chapter 7. 13:45 Take for example, this quotation 13:48 from Professor George Eldon Ladd 13:50 of Pasadena's Fuller Theological Seminary. 13:53 I'm quoting, "Many of the great Christians of Reformation 13:58 and post-Reformation times shared this view 14:01 of prophetic truth and identified antichrist 14:05 with the Roman Papacy..." 14:07 And He continues, "Among adherents 14:09 of this interpretation were the Waldenses, 14:12 the Hussites, Wycliffe, Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, 14:15 Melanchthon, Tyndale, Latimer, and Ridley." 14:19 Let me quote from another scholar, 14:20 Roy Allen Anderson wrote, I'm quoting, 14:23 "Leaders such as Luther, Calvin, Knox, 14:25 and Cranmer, pointed to Daniel 7 and Revelation 17, 14:29 identifying the great apostasy with headquarters in Rome." 14:33 And it goes on. 14:34 He continues, "The Scriptural message of Revelation 18:4 14:37 formed the basis of many of their sermons, 14:39 'Come out of her, my people, 14:41 that ye be not partakers of her sins.'" 14:46 Remember yesterday we discovered the whole issue 14:48 of the Reformation was over the Bible. 14:51 The reformer shockingly concluded, 14:53 listen, from God's Word, it's crystal clear. 14:56 The papal power fulfills Daniel's prophecies. 14:59 In fact, John Wycliffe who's called by historians, 15:02 the one from England, 15:04 the morning star of the Reformation, 15:05 John Wycliffe wrote, "The Pope is antichrist here on earth." 15:12 Now let me remind you, ladies and gentlemen, 15:13 this was no easy position for a great reformer to take, 15:17 because it resulted always in persecution, 15:19 hanging, being burned at the stake 15:22 or being hunted down and tortured. 15:24 In fact, Martin Luther once said himself, 15:26 quoting, "O, how much pain it has caused me, 15:31 though I had the Scriptures on my side... 15:33 that I should dare to make a stand alone against the pope, 15:37 and hold him forth as antichrist... 15:39 'Twas so I fought with myself and with Satan, 15:42 till Christ, by his own infallible word, 15:45 fortified my heart against these doubts." 15:50 And my question tonight to you, 15:52 ladies and gentlemen of the jury, 15:54 is, were these reformers' interpretations 15:57 of Daniel's prophecy just mere speculation? 16:01 Or does history confirm it? 16:04 I want you to join me in examining 16:06 the evidence from the scripture, 16:08 'cause there's no need for question. 16:10 You see, when God outlines 16:11 the unique characteristics of the little horn power, 16:15 there's only one logical conclusion, 16:17 unlike the photos that you see in the post office 16:20 of the most wanted criminals 16:22 or maybe the photos we've seen of Saddam Hussein 16:25 and all of his doubles. 16:26 When you match all of the unique characteristics, 16:29 the color of the eyes, the height, the weight, 16:31 and scars, tattoos, a wart 16:33 or a pimple or something, a person's thumb, 16:35 and then DNA, bingo, nobody else can match. 16:39 Well, that is the way it is with the little horn, 16:42 only one system, one power on earth can match 16:45 all ten of God's unique identifying 16:48 characteristics clearly catalogued 16:50 in the prophetic Book of Daniel. 16:52 So let's take a look at the Bible 16:55 and what history records 16:56 concerning the little horn's fulfillment, 16:58 'cause this is gonna have something to do 17:00 with a couple of messages a few nights from now, 17:02 very, very critical. 17:04 When Daniel described the fourth world empire 17:07 of pagan Rome, he said in verses 7, 8 17:11 that it would be "...Dreadful and terrible, 17:14 and exceedingly strong... and it had ten horns." 17:17 Then he says, "I was considering the horns, 17:19 and there was another horn, 17:20 a little one, coming up among them..." 17:24 Answer me, what did the ten horns 17:26 represent that Daniel saw in vision? 17:30 Well, let's have a text. 17:32 Daniel 7:24, "And the ten horns 17:34 out of this kingdom are ten" what? 17:37 "Kings that shall arise..." 17:39 But now something new. 17:42 Instead you see of another fifth world empire 17:45 in world history after Babylon, 17:47 Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, a major change. 17:50 Bible prophecy clearly predicted 17:52 there would be a division of the Roman Empire 17:55 resulting in ten lesser kingdoms 17:57 and we've discovered already that history confirms 17:59 that the Roman Empire collapsed through internal strife, 18:03 through moral decay and prosperity 18:05 and ease Rome just fell apart at the seams 18:07 under the Barbarian invasions from the North. 18:11 So that, by about the year 476 A.D., 18:16 Rome divided up into basically our nations 18:18 of modern Europe today and historian Edward Elliott, 18:22 in his book "Horae Apocalypticae," 18:24 reminds us ten barbaric tribes 18:27 over-ran the Roman Empire from 351 to 476 A.D. 18:32 and he lists each of these 18:34 with their modern counterparts today. 18:35 You'll see it on the screen. 18:37 The Alamanni are the Germans, 18:39 Burgundians are our Switzerland friends, 18:41 the Franks, that's France, Lombards, that's Italy, 18:45 the Saxons, that's England, right? 18:47 Suevi are the Portuguese, the Visigoths are the Spanish, 18:51 but there's three that are now extinct, 18:53 the Heruli, the Ostrogoths and the Vandals. 18:56 We know that term "vandalism". 18:59 So are we clear? 19:01 These ten horns of Daniel's fourth beast 19:04 are the ten nations of Europe. 19:07 But now notice, according to the prophecy, 19:10 the little horn was to rise to greater power 19:13 after those ten divisions 19:15 of the Roman Empire were in place. 19:17 In other words, we need to watch 19:19 for the emergence of the little horn after 476. 19:24 Daniel 7:24 "And the ten horns 19:28 out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise, 19:31 and another shall rise after them... 19:34 and he shall subdue three kings." 19:37 All right, turning again to history. 19:40 We find that three 19:41 of the ten horns are those kingdoms. 19:43 They proved to be an obstruction 19:46 to the supremacy of the Roman Church, 19:49 because of their religious differences. 19:53 Any preacher knows that these tribes were called Arian, 19:59 because they believed 20:00 in a very strange form of Christianity, 20:02 taught by a missionary by the name of Arius, 20:05 who basically did not believe that Jesus was divine. 20:10 So the bishop of Rome 20:12 declared that the Arians were heretics 20:15 and he did the right thing, they were. 20:18 But then history tells us 20:20 that with the help of the Catholic emperors 20:22 in the eastern empire, 20:24 the church found ways 20:26 to eliminate these three Arian powers. 20:28 I mean, it is fascinating history. 20:30 The Heruli kingdom met its fate 20:33 with the help of the Catholic Emperor, 20:35 Zeno in 493 A.D. 20:39 Then we've talked about the emperor Justinian 20:41 and his decree last night. 20:43 With his help... 20:45 the bishop exterminated the Vandals in 534 A.D. 20:50 And then finally broke the power 20:52 of the Ostrogoths in 538 A.D. 20:56 Thus those three horns of Daniel's prophecy 20:59 were plucked out by the roots 21:01 making the rise of the Church of Rome a reality. 21:06 Now it was exactly this same time here 21:09 that the Roman emperor Justinian 21:12 made a remarkable decree establishing the bishop of Rome 21:15 as the political and religious leader of Western Rome. 21:20 I want you to notice this amazing statement 21:22 by historian Thomas Hobbes about the Vatican. 21:26 "If a man considers the original of this great, 21:29 ecclesiastical dominion, he will easily perceive 21:33 that the papacy is none other than the ghost 21:36 of the deceased Roman Empire 21:39 sitting crowned upon the grave thereof." 21:44 Are we together? Yes. 21:46 All right, the power which came up 21:47 after the other ten kingdoms of Europe 21:50 was none other than the Roman church 21:53 of the Middle Ages. 21:55 But it was not until 538 A.D. 21:58 that the Emperor Justinian's decree 22:00 finally gave the bishop of Rome political, 22:04 as well as ecclesiastical power. 22:06 And that is when this little horn power 22:08 became as Daniel predicted in verse 20 22:11 "...More stout than his fellows." 22:14 More powerful, more influential 22:16 than the other horns or kingdoms. 22:19 Historian Carl Conrad Eckhart wrote, 22:21 and I'm quoting, "Under the Roman Empire 22:25 the popes had no temporal power. 22:27 But when the Roman Empire had disintegrated 22:30 and its place had been taken 22:32 by a number of rude barbarous kingdoms, 22:35 the Roman Catholic Church not only became 22:37 independent of the states and religious affairs 22:40 but dominated secular affairs as well." 22:43 Now Daniel wrote that this power verse 24 22:46 "...shall be different from the first..." 22:49 those other kingdoms. 22:51 And, folks, indeed it was. 22:53 All previous world empires 22:56 and kingdoms were political powers. 22:59 But the little horn power was a church 23:02 that wielded political power. 23:05 Again, Catholic historian, J. J. Ignatious Von Dollinger 23:09 wrote this and I'm quoting, 23:11 "Out of the ruins of the Roman Empire 23:13 there gradually arose a new order of states 23:16 whose central point was the Papal See. 23:19 Therefore, inevitably resulted a position, not only new, 23:23 but very different from the former." 23:27 You see, the finger of God's prophecy 23:30 seems to point unerringly already toward the Roman Church 23:34 as the little horn power of Daniel 7. 23:37 But you say, "Well, now wait a minute, Lonnie. 23:38 What about all those other characteristics. 23:40 You said there were ten of them given in prophecy? 23:42 Do they, too, point to the papal power?" 23:45 I want you to consider 23:46 what Daniel said next of this power in verse 25, 23:50 "And he shall speak great words against the Most High." 23:55 Or blasphemy, in other words as some translations say, 23:58 maybe you have that tonight. 23:59 What is blasphemy? 24:01 Remember, when Jesus was here on earth, 24:03 He was accused of blasphemy, wasn't He? 24:05 Why? 24:07 On two counts, first they claimed 24:10 that he was claiming to be equal with God. 24:14 And he also claimed to have power to forgive sins. 24:17 Well, since Jesus was God, 24:21 He could claim to be equal with God. 24:23 Therefore, He could also forgive sins, 24:26 no problem, right? 24:27 But can human beings claim to be God? 24:30 Can any human forgive sins? No. 24:34 We discover though from their own teachings, 24:37 the Roman church makes these very claims, 24:39 they claim to forgive sins 24:41 and also to be equal with Christ. 24:44 The pope's common title officially is Vicarius Christi, 24:51 Vicar of Christ, God on earth. 24:55 But Daniel's prophecy detailed 24:57 more identifying specifics, notice verse 21, 25 25:01 "...the same horn was making war 25:04 against the saints, and prevailing against them." 25:06 Notice verse 25 says, "it would persecute 25:10 the saints of the Most High." 25:13 Well, after hearing the presentation yesterday, 25:16 you can answer this, but unless you were here. 25:18 But has the Roman church ever persecuted? 25:21 Well, let's read the church's own writings about this. 25:24 I'm gonna quote from the Catholic Church, 25:27 "The church has persecuted. 25:29 Only a tyro," meaning novice, 25:31 "in church history will deny that... 25:34 We have always defended the persecution 25:36 of the Huguenots and the Spanish Inquisition... 25:38 when she thinks it good to use physical force, 25:40 she will use it." 25:43 And we discovered 25:44 that in the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre alone 25:46 in August 22, 1572, 50,000 Protestants 25:51 were dragged from their beds 25:52 at the toll of the bell at midnight 25:54 and they were slaughtered in the streets of Paris, 25:56 by Catholics trying to destroy at one stroke the Huguenots. 26:01 We all know from history about the Inquisition, 26:04 everybody here knows about the Crusades of the church, 26:07 persecution of the Waldenses, the Albigenses, 26:09 the 30 years war, the rack, the dungeon, 26:11 the flames of the martyrs burned at the stakes, 26:14 all historically linked to the Roman church 26:16 during the Dark Ages. 26:17 That's why they are called Dark Ages 26:20 of its years of supremacy. 26:21 But remember, folks, 26:22 let's remember please, this is our church. 26:28 We believers are looking 26:29 at ourselves here in the mirror. 26:32 The little horn power of Daniel 7 is none other 26:34 than the Christian church of the middle ages. 26:37 Our Christian church committed these crimes. 26:41 But why all of these wholesale slaughter? 26:44 Friend, the answer is one of conscience, 26:47 faithfulness to the Bible. 26:50 The martyrs were willing to stand at the stake. 26:55 They didn't want to compromise 26:56 their belief in God's holy word. 26:57 They refused to follow any more man-made traditions 27:01 and traditions of the medieval church. 27:03 And thus, they were branded heretics, 27:06 torture them, burn them at the stake, 27:08 guillotine them, massacre them, 27:10 clear up until this past century, 1999. 27:18 That's why those Huguenots moved to North America 27:21 to Charleston, South Carolina. 27:24 Folks, listen to me, this is your history. 27:28 That's why when Y2K came, brand new millennium. 27:32 Remember the shocking news of all places 27:34 from the Vatican and apology. 27:37 In the March 20, 2000 issue of Time Magazine, page 23, 27:42 recognize this person, Pope John Paul the II. 27:46 He apologized to the world 27:48 for the horrors committed by the Roman church. 27:52 It reads: "Act of contrition," an act of contrition, 27:58 "in the jubilee year and the season of Lent, 28:00 Pope John Paul the II confronts the Crusades, 28:03 the Inquisition, the Holocaust, 28:05 and other horrors in seeking to express regret for sins 28:09 committed by Catholics in the past 2,000 years." 28:14 They admit they were responsible for those. 28:18 But now, friend, listen, please. 28:20 However disturbing these revelations 28:22 and statistics might be, please remember, 28:24 God intended that this prophecy 28:26 would be a kind appeal and loving warning 28:30 against this great apostate system. 28:34 But He never intended that they point fingers 28:36 against any individuals of that system. 28:39 Never forget, this was our church 28:42 and that there are loving and sincere Christians 28:44 in every communion. 28:47 I mean this with all of my heart. 28:49 Most Catholics put us to shame 28:53 because they are consistent in what they believe. 28:57 But there are some more important 29:00 distinguishing characteristics of this little horn power. 29:02 We are not through yet. 29:03 And they are big, they affect you, they affect me. 29:07 Today, prophecy predicted in Daniel 7:25, 29:11 this system would "...think to change times and laws..." 29:17 Well, does this power claim to have the ability 29:19 to change God's times and God's holy law? 29:22 Let's quote again from official Catholic dogma. 29:25 Some of you've seen a quote something like this before. 29:28 I'm quoting, "The pope has power 29:31 to change times, to abrogate laws, 29:35 and to dispense with all things, 29:37 even the precepts of Christ." 29:41 We've discovered on previous nights 29:44 papal power attempted to change God's divine law, 29:48 over there in Exodus 20, and she freely admits it. 29:51 In their catechisms, right out here 29:53 in the streets of Columbia, 29:55 they openly admit they have changed 29:57 all the commandments except one. 30:00 But to be fair again, 30:01 let's quote from the Catholic sources. 30:04 The Catholic Encyclopedia says, "The Church, 30:08 after changing the day of rest from the Jewish Sabbath 30:11 of the seventh day of the week to the first, 30:13 made the third Commandment refer to Sunday 30:15 as the day to be kept as the Lord's Day." 30:18 And let's take another quotation 30:19 from the Catholic journal, Our Sunday Visitor. 30:23 This is what they say, 30:24 "Seventh-day Adventists still keep the Sabbath, 30:27 and we honor them... for their logic. 30:29 But it is difficult to see how," Protestants, 30:32 "the people who proclaim that they take their religion 30:35 from the Bible and the Bible only, 30:37 can reconcile their observance of Sunday as the Lord's Day. 30:41 You can go through the New Testament 30:42 with the finest of fine combs and not come out with one verse 30:45 that justifies or that even mentions 30:47 the changing of the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday. 30:50 Catholics take their beliefs 30:53 both from Scripture and tradition. 30:55 Each is basically the Word of God. 30:58 The one written, the other handed down orally 31:01 from generation to generation." 31:02 Now notice, "in this particular instance, 31:05 it is only tradition that tells us 31:08 that the infant Church... buried the Sabbath... 31:12 and chose... Sunday as the Lord's Day." 31:16 Now God in Malachi 3:6 explicitly says, 31:20 "I am the Lord, I change not." 31:24 Psalm 89:34 "...I will not break, nor alter 31:29 the Word that has gone out of My lips." 31:30 Amen. Praise the Lord. 31:31 The same yesterday, today, forever. 31:34 Jesus said heaven and earth would have to pass away 31:36 before even one jot or tittle of His holy law is changed, 31:39 Matthew 5:18, Luke 16:17. 31:42 You see, folks, God cannot, He will not change His law. 31:47 And no one else has the right to alter God's law ever. 31:51 Forever. 31:53 But there's one final identifying mark 31:55 of this little horn, in case there's any shadow 31:57 of a doubt, a thumbprint identity. 32:01 Daniel specifically pinpoints when this antichrist, 32:05 this little horn would reign supreme. 32:09 Even tells the length of time 32:10 that it would persecute God's saints. 32:12 Watch closely in Daniel 7:25 32:15 "...and they shall be given into his hand 32:18 until a time and times and the dividing of time." 32:23 Couple of more Bible symbols here, 32:25 I hope you have that glossary we gave you last night. 32:27 But God's word supplies the key to solve this riddle. 32:31 Time is simply an Aramaic word "iddan," 32:34 meaning a year, 360 days in the Jewish calendars. 32:39 Times signifies 2 years or 720 prophetic days. 32:44 Dividing of time would simply mean 32:47 half of a year or only 180 prophetic days. 32:52 So when you add time 360 times 720, 32:56 and the dividing of time, 180, 32:58 you arrive at a total of 1,260 prophetic days. 33:03 But remember, Ezekiel's formula, 33:05 a prophetic day signifies a year, 33:07 that's Ezekiel 4:6, Numbers 14:34, 33:09 I have appointed thee each day for a year, 33:12 and voila, once again history confirms 33:16 the accuracy of this time period 33:18 because the height of the Roman church's 33:20 papal supremacy lasted for 1,260 years. 33:25 We call them the Dark Ages, 538-1798. 33:30 Now stay with me one last time 33:32 as we go back to history 33:33 because it's absolutely fascinating 33:35 how accurate your Bible prophecy is. 33:38 The Ostrogoths, the last of those three Arian kingdoms 33:42 to oppose the Roman church, 33:44 they were overthrown in the year 538, 33:47 leaving the papacy free to develop 33:49 her political and ecclesiastical power. 33:52 Exactly 1,260 years later, Napoleon's general, Berthier, 33:58 he broke the Roman church's political power in that year 34:02 by taking the pope prisoner. 34:05 Pinpoint accuracy of Bible prophecy. 34:08 Now let me show you how accurate. 34:09 You go to your history books. 34:11 When France and its armies under Napoleon 34:14 overthrew the Roman power of the church in 1798, 34:18 well, Napoleon actually received explicit instructions 34:22 to take the pope captive in 1797. 34:27 But for some strange reason Berthier waited, 34:31 didn't do it in 1797. 34:34 But as soon as 1798 rolled around, 34:38 General Berthier was sent 34:39 to capture the pope, take him captive. 34:41 He imprisoned him in Avignon, France 34:44 and it's a very sad and unfortunate time 34:47 in Catholic history, because, 34:48 well, they didn't have faxes and newspapers, 34:51 so nobody knew what had happened to the pope. 34:54 They didn't know whether he was dead or alive 34:55 there in that French prison in Avignon. 34:57 So the cardinals back in Rome elected a new pope in Rome. 35:01 Now you cannot have two popes in catholic theology. 35:04 It doesn't work. There's not two gods. 35:07 If He's God on earth, there's only one. 35:09 But now they had two popes. 35:11 When the pope in France, 35:13 the first one, heard about this, 35:15 he excommunicated the Roman pope, 35:17 who in turn then excommunicated the other pope. 35:21 So they elected a new pope, now they had three popes. 35:24 I mean, folks, it was a mess. 35:27 It is known in Catholic history 35:28 as the "Babylonian Captivity of the Popes." 35:31 Sad, but listen, the papacy at that point was crushed 35:36 and received what Daniel calls its deadly wound, 35:40 specifically prophesied in Revelation 13:3. 35:44 Not one year too soon, because the voice of prophecy 35:48 in Daniel 7 said 1798, not 1797. 35:53 Every piece of evidence falls into place perfectly, 35:56 because, folks, prophecy doesn't make a mistake. 36:00 Amen. 36:03 But now what I'm about to say is very, very important. 36:08 I want you to fast forward to the climax 36:10 of Daniel's great prophecy, 36:12 for it has a very happy ending for the people of God, 36:15 right here in our day. 36:18 The Daniel 7 isn't about bad news, 36:21 but about good news. 36:23 And the bottom line is that even though in vision 36:26 Daniel watched political and religious powers 36:29 struggle for dominance, even though he saw travesties 36:32 that this little horn would do, 36:34 wearing out the saints of the Most High, 36:36 changing times, trying to change God's law, 36:38 yet Daniel saw something else. 36:40 He saw that this power 36:43 would eventually come to an end, 36:46 because Daniel's attention was suddenly shifted from earth 36:49 and this great pretender power 36:51 and all of its corruption to heaven. 36:53 Notice verses 26, 27, "But the judgment shall sit, 36:58 and they shall take away his dominion, 37:01 to consume and to destroy it unto the end 37:03 and the kingdom and dominion, 37:05 and the greatness of the kingdom 37:07 under the whole heavens, 37:08 shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, 37:11 whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom..." 37:15 Friend, the good news today is God is still in control. 37:19 Amen. Praise to Lord. 37:20 Prophecy tells us, when you see 37:22 all of these historical events unfold, 37:25 you can know for certain, God's eternal kingdom, 37:29 the second coming of Jesus, is just about to happen. 37:32 Go back to verses 13 and 14 in Daniel 7, 37:36 "I saw in the night visions, and behold, 37:39 one like the Son of Man came with the clouds of heaven, 37:42 and came to the ancient of days, 37:44 and they brought Him near before Him. 37:47 And there was given Him dominion and glory, 37:50 and a kingdom that all people, nations, 37:53 and languages should serve Him: 37:56 His dominion is an everlasting dominion, 37:59 which shall not pass away." 38:01 Can you say Hallelujah? Amen. 38:04 What a contrast though, Christ's kingdom 38:06 is to all of the kingdoms this earth has ever known. 38:09 No more armies, no more police, 38:11 no more prisons, no more poverty, 38:12 no more sickness, no more death. 38:14 Just peace, love, beauty, pole to pole. 38:19 The good news is Daniel 7 tells us Jesus wins. 38:27 Amen. 38:28 Folks, world kingdoms may look like 38:30 the ruins of Afghanistan 38:32 and Saddam Hussein's banged-out Baghdad 38:35 and the powder keg of the Middle East. 38:36 The stock market may plunge society into chaos 38:39 and things look pretty grim. 38:41 But God tells me, "Lonnie, 38:43 hold on tight because I'm still in control. 38:46 Kings may come, kings may go. 38:48 Empires will rise and fall, 38:50 world trade centers and Wall Street, 38:52 but I have not forgotten you." 38:54 Amen. 38:55 You know what else this means to me tonight? 38:57 This is an invitation from Jesus. 39:00 God's word tells us, all of the world's kingdoms, 39:03 political and religious, 39:05 have almost reached their complete fulfillment. 39:09 The only solution to this planet's global problems 39:12 won't be President Bush. 39:15 It won't be Tony Blair, it won't be coalition forces, 39:18 neither will it be Osama bin Laden 39:20 and maybe our Muslim friends or the Jews or the Arabs 39:23 or North Korea or Indonesia or Venezuelan oil. 39:26 Friend, no, Jesus is the answer. 39:28 Amen. 39:29 Jesus is the solution. Praise the Lord. 39:30 The prophecy of Daniel 7 39:31 is all about one thing for absolutely sure Jesus, 39:35 He's coming soon to establish His kingdom. 39:39 And right now He invites you to be a part of that kingdom. 39:42 Matthew 25:34, He says 39:45 "...Come, you blessed of My Father, 39:48 inherit the kingdom prepared for you 39:50 from the foundation of the world." 39:53 Remember, friend, Jesus is a gentleman. 39:57 Jesus won't force any person to choose Him. 40:02 The decision is yours to accept Him. 40:05 Invite Him to take full control of your life. 40:09 Do it today, we don't know about tomorrow. 40:12 And that's precisely why this prophecy is given 40:15 on purpose to help us realize we can't hesitate. 40:18 We don't know about tomorrow, we don't. 40:21 Soon Jesus will come. Amen. 40:25 And there's only two classes of people in that day, 40:27 those who've chosen to follow Christ 40:29 and His Word, and those who have not. 40:32 And not to decide is to decide 40:36 to follow the arch deceiver, the antichrist. 40:40 Won't you just now make a conscious decision 40:42 and say, "Yes, Jesus." 40:44 Take hold of those nail-scarred hands and tell Him, 40:47 "Jesus, I want You to be My Lord, and not a pretender." 40:53 You businessmen out there, you women discouraged, 40:55 maybe concerned, intoxicated with getting just too busy 40:58 on the roller coaster of the stock market, 41:00 you career women, you have two jobs, 41:02 your marriage is in jeopardy. 41:04 For the young person out there 41:05 who is struggling with integrity and purity 41:08 in high school or college, worldliness, 41:10 tempted to get involved in some relationship that's not right. 41:13 For the person out there who tonight is discouraged 41:15 and your heart is breaking, you are about to give up. 41:17 Friend, listen, Jesus is here. 41:21 Jesus is still in control, Jesus wants to take your life 41:24 and give you His peace, His forgiveness, 41:27 His promised tomorrow. 41:30 Jesus says to you, "I want you to be My-- in My Kingdom." 41:34 And I know you'll decide right now for Jesus 41:36 as you listen to this song. 41:41 Jesus, be the Lord of all 41:46 Jesus, be the Lord of all 41:52 Jesus, be the Lord of all 41:57 The kingdoms of my heart 42:05 In my heart are kingdoms 42:09 Of a world that's all my own 42:15 Kingdoms that are only seen 42:20 By myself and God alone 42:25 In the past when I tried to rule my world 42:30 It just seemed to fall apart 42:35 So please, Jesus, be the Lord 42:40 Of all the kingdoms of my heart 42:47 Jesus, be the Lord of all 42:52 Jesus, be the Lord of all 42:57 Jesus, be the Lord of all 43:02 The kingdoms of my heart 43:07 For if You're not Lord of everything 43:13 Then You're not Lord at all 43:24 Let's pray together. 43:25 Lord, what a prophecy, what amazing insights, 43:29 clear is tomorrow mornings newspaper and what promises. 43:33 God, You're gonna soon overturn 43:34 all earthly kingdoms and Jesus will come. 43:37 But tonight You reach out to us 43:39 through this dusty old prophecy of Daniel 7, 43:42 for the express purpose of inviting us 43:44 to be part of that kingdom, 43:46 ready for that glorious moment when Jesus returns. 43:50 Friend, I want to invite you to make 43:51 an important decision tonight on those cards 43:52 that should be in your hands now. 43:55 Number one, I love Jesus 43:58 and want to obey Him regardless of the cost. 44:00 I hope everyone will check that. 44:02 Number two, perhaps more than ever before, 44:04 you now see clearly 44:05 that the true Bible Sabbath is Saturday 44:07 and you want to choose to keep His day holy. 44:11 Number three, I love Jesus, desire to be baptized soon. 44:16 Mark that down even if you've already made that decision, 44:18 we'd like to have your underscored. 44:19 Number four, maybe you'd like 44:20 additional material on the Bible Sabbath 44:22 we'll be happy to provide that 44:24 as Joey sings, make your decision. 44:27 Jesus, be the Lord of all 44:32 Jesus, be the Lord of all 44:37 Jesus, be the Lord of all 44:42 The kingdoms of my heart 44:47 For if You're not Lord of everything 44:53 Then You're not Lord at all 45:03 And, Lord, bless each commitment now. 45:05 Give us the strength to follow our convictions 45:08 and embrace Your wonderful truth. 45:09 We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. 45:14 You'll have a very special Discover 45:15 Bible lesson given you tonight. 45:17 Be sure to stop by the Discover desk. 45:19 Wednesday night "Spiritual Suicide, 45:23 The Unpardonable Sin." 45:25 Again, at all of our hospitality locations 45:27 we're gonna be meeting you, 45:28 we want to have you meet our staff 45:30 and your host and hostesses. 45:32 Thank you for coming. 45:33 Remember as we go, that the Bible says 45:34 and God always wants to remind us, 45:37 that He really does, friend, love you. 45:41 God bless you. |
Revised 2014-12-17