Participants: Pr. John Bradshaw
Series Code: IIW
Program Code: IIW001204
00:07 It has stood the test of time.
00:12 God's book. 00:13 The Bible. 00:17 Still relevant in today's complex world. 00:21 It is written sharing hope around the globe. 00:37 The city of Rome has long been shrouded in mystery. 00:42 Its origin has been explained with a legend: two brothers, 00:45 Romulus and Remus are said to have built the city. 00:49 They were the children of Mars, the god of war, and they were 00:52 raised by a she -wolf. 00:55 When they built their legendary city, an argument broke out over 00:59 whose name the city should bear - so Romulus stood on one hill, 01:03 and Remus on another. 01:06 A flock of birds descended on Romulus, signifying that the 01:10 gods preferred him as the king, and Romulus murdered his brother 01:15 with a shovel. 01:16 Of course, that delicate story is just a legend, even though 01:20 it's highly possible that men by the names of Romulus and Remus 01:23 actually existed. 01:25 And regardless of how the city got started, nobody can argue 01:28 the fact that Rome has proven to be one of the most powerful 01:32 cities on the planet. 01:36 [Chanting in the background] The names of her emperors are 02:04 familiar to just about everybody: Julius - Augustus - 02:07 Nero. 02:08 Her poets have become required reading for almost every college 02:12 student: men like Horace and Virgil. 02:15 And traces of her system of government, which had executive, 02:18 legislative and judicial functions, and featured 02:22 institutions like the Senate, can still be found in modern 02:25 civilization. 02:26 Even though many centuries have passed since her collapse, 02:30 there's no question that her fingerprints have not been wiped 02:33 away. 02:35 And the story of Rome has become especially pivotal for one group 02:39 of people in particular: the followers of a Galilean 02:43 carpenter known as Jesus of Nazareth. 02:47 For the most part, the Romans were very tolerant when it came 02:51 to religion - their conquered subjects were allowed to worship 02:55 whoever or whatever they wanted, as long as the Caesar in Rome 02:59 was added to the line-up of deities. 03:02 Now that posed a special problem for Jews and Christians, of 03:05 course, because they were monotheists: people who 03:07 worshiped just one God. 03:09 To add other deities--even minor ones--was completely out of the 03:13 question. 03:15 When Nero burned the city to the ground and found his move highly 03:19 unpopular with the citizens of Rome, he needed a scapegoat. 03:22 So he suggested the Christians must have torched the city on 03:26 purpose, and the Christians were rounded up and murdered in 03:29 unbelievably inhumane rituals. 03:33 So intense was Roman persecution of the early church that the 03:37 Christians began to use codewords to describe the city. 03:41 Peter finishes his first letter, with a cryptic greeting to his 03:44 audience from a mysterious Christian church. 03:48 You read about it in, 1 Peter 5:12,13 By Silvanus, our 03:53 faithful brother as I consider him, I have written to you 03:57 briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true 04:01 grace of God in which you stand. 04:04 She who is in Babylon, elect together with you, greets you; 04:11 and so does Mark my son. 04:14 1 Peter 5:12,13 NKJV Who, exactly, were the 04:17 "elect of Babylon?" 04:18 We know it wasn't a church in the literal city of Babylon, 04:21 because that city had been laying in ruins since the days 04:24 of Alexander the Great. 04:26 Check the scholarly footnotes of almost any edition of the Bible, 04:29 and you'll find that most every scholar agrees: Babylon is code 04:35 for the city of Rome... 04:38 which, of course, sheds great light on the use of the word 04:41 "Babylon" in other New Testament writings. 04:44 For example, when John wrote the book of Revelation some years 04:48 after Peter wrote his letters, Roman persecution against the 04:52 church was still burning hot. 04:54 After a botched execution attempt, John was exiled to the 04:58 Island of Patmos, during which exile the material for the Book 05:02 of Revelation was born. 05:03 In the 17th chapter of Revelation, he makes reference 05:07 to a woman with a mysterious inscription on her forehead: And 05:12 on her forehead was a name written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE 05:17 GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE 05:21 EARTH. 05:22 I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the 05:25 blood of the martyrs of Jesus. 05:27 And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement. 05:33 Revelation 17:5,6 But John didn't marvel for long, because 05:36 an angel quickly explains what the imagery means down in verse 05:40 nine: Revelation 17:9 Here is the mind which has wisdom: the 05:43 seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits. 05:47 And again, in verse 18: Revelation 17:18 And the woman 05:52 whom you saw is that great city which reigns over the kings of 05:55 the earth. 05:58 The woman, according to the Bible itself, is a city that 06:01 sits on seven hills that reigns over the kings of the earth. 06:05 Now in all of human history, there is only one city that 06:08 matches that description and that's the city of Rome, the 06:12 city of seven hills. 06:14 Writing some time in the second century AD, the Christian 06:18 apologist Tertullian confirms what the early Christians 06:21 understood by the codeword "Babylon." 06:24 "So, again, Babylon, in our own John, is a figure of the city 06:29 Rome, as being equally great and proud of her sway, and 06:35 triumphant over the saints."1 So if Babylon is a codeword for 06:40 "Rome", that's got to raise some interesting questions. 06:44 We'll look at those in just a moment. 07:04 Here's today's Bible question. 07:05 I've often wondered - where in the world did Cain get his wife? 07:11 Hmmm... 07:13 Listen very carefully to this. 07:15 As distasteful as this might sound, there is no escaping the 07:19 fact that Cain married his sister. 07:21 Adam and Eve had many children. 07:23 Genesis 5:4 makes that clear when it says, "And the days of 07:27 Adam after he had begotten Seth, were 800 years. 07:31 And he begat sons and daughters." 07:34 And if a couple are going to live to be older than 900 years 07:37 old, there's the potential for them to be having a lot of kids. 07:40 Now, I don't think we have to believe Cain married a girl 07:42 whose pigtails he pulled and who he complained at about using his 07:45 tennis racket when she wasn't supposed to. 07:48 It is conceivable Cain hardly knew her that well when he met 07:51 her, that is if he left home as an adult and then came back home 07:55 in later years and met the young woman he married. 07:58 This shouldn't shock anyone, really. 08:01 Even Abraham married his half sister, and Moses' father 08:04 married an aunt. 08:06 It was a different world then. 08:08 And way back then we didn't have the same issues that we have to 08:10 worry about today concerning birth defects and so forth, so 08:14 certain dangers we face today were not issues back then. 08:17 Now the time did come when God strictly forbade the marrying of 08:21 close relatives. 08:23 It had been necessary for that kind of marriage to exist in the 08:27 first place, but when the population grew to a certain 08:30 level it was necessary no longer. 08:33 Even though the Egyptians still did so, God's people were not to 08:35 do so any longer. 08:37 I'm glad to receive your questions. 08:39 To get a question to me, please go to ItIsWritten.com and click 08:42 on the questions tab. 08:44 Submit your questions there and I'll do my best to answer your 08:48 Bible question. 08:50 If you have a Bible question for Pastor John Bradshaw, please 08:52 write to It Is Written, Box O, Thousand Oaks, CA 91359 or visit 08:57 our website itiswritten.com and send us your questions on-line. 09:05 If "Babylon" was a codeword for "Rome" among the early 09:08 Christians, it raises some interesting questions, because 09:09 the descriptions of "Babylon" given in the book of Revelation 09:11 are very detailed. 09:19 It goes way beyond the obvious identifying marks, like seven 09:22 hills and world-wide rule. 09:23 John's first mention of Babylon comes in Revelation chapter 09:26 fourteen. 09:27 In Revelation 14:8, we read this: And another angel 09:30 followed, saying, "Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great 09:36 city, because she has made all nations drink of the wine of the 09:40 wrath of her fornication." 09:45 NKJV When the word "Babylon" is first introduced to the reader, 09:49 it's not a flattering description. 09:51 She stands against the Creator, in opposition to the God of 09:55 heaven. 09:56 She is a fornicator - meaning she is engaged in spiritual 09:59 infidelity - and her influence is felt, and her example 10:04 followed, all over the planet. 10:06 In Revelation 17, she is the great prostitute, with the words 10:10 "Mystery Babylon" written on her forehead. 10:14 According to the Apostle Paul's letter to the Ephesians, the 10:17 church is the bride of Christ, and in a key passage found in 10:22 the writings of the prophet Ezekiel, the nation of Israel 10:25 was also considered to be God's wife. 10:28 "When I found you," God says to Israel (Eze. 10:36 16), "you were a wretched little nation that nobody cared about, 10:39 but I took you in, and when you were fully grown, I married 10:42 you." 10:44 A woman, in Bible prophecy, represents God's people. 10:47 In the book of Jeremiah, God says, "I have likened the 10:51 daughter of Zion to a lovely and delicate woman." 10:55 (Jeremiah 6:2) The problem with Israel, according to Ezekiel, 11:00 was that she had a wandering eye: Ezekiel 16:14, 15 Your fame 11:05 went out among the nations because of your beauty, for it 11:08 was perfect through My splendor which I had bestowed on you," 11:11 says the Lord GOD. 11:14 "But you trusted in your own beauty, played the harlot 11:17 because of your fame, and poured out your harlotry on everyone 11:23 passing by who would have it." 11:25 In the prophetic portions of the Bible, harlotry or prostitution 11:28 is used to describe unfaithfulness to God. 11:31 The bride of Christ is fooling around on her husband. 11:35 Of course, that raises a very important question: if "Babylon" 11:40 is codeword for the Roman Empire--as we've seen from the 11:43 writings of the early church fathers and more importantly, 11:46 from the Bible itself--then in what sense could Rome be guilty 11:50 of spiritual adultery? 11:53 How could Rome be the unfaithful bride, if she never was a bride 11:56 in the first place? 11:58 That's an important question--and it leads to some 12:01 rather uncomfortable issues in the history of Christianity 12:04 itself. 12:05 Take another look at the seventeenth chapter of 12:09 Revelation with me. 12:10 Revelation 17:18 And the woman whom you saw is 12:16 that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth. 12:21 There's no question about it: the harlot is a great city 12:24 that reigns over the kings of the earth--but she's also a 12:28 woman, and that's an unmistakable symbol for God's 12:31 people. 12:32 So is it possible that when John addresses the issue of Babylon, 12:36 he's not just talking about the pagan Roman Empire? 12:41 There's a fascinating prediction found in Paul's second letter to 12:44 the Thessalonians, chapter two--a prophecy long associated 12:48 with the rise of Antichrist. 12:50 It's 2 Thessalonians 2:3,4. 12:53 Here's what Paul writes: Let no one deceive you by any means; 12:58 for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes 13:02 first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, 13:07 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or 13:12 that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of 13:16 God, showing himself that he is God. 13:22 After establishing that the man of sin would make his entrance 13:27 onto the world scene before the Second Coming of Christ, Paul 13:30 provides more details on the timing. 13:32 Listen carefully to what he says: 2 Thessalonians 2:5-7 Do 13:38 you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these 13:42 things? 13:43 And now you know what is restraining, that he may be 13:47 revealed in his own time. 13:49 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who 13:54 now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. 14:01 Something or somebody was standing in the way of the 14:06 lawless man's appearance. 14:08 And some of the early church fathers saw something very 14:13 specific in this. 14:15 "What obstacle is there," wrote Tertullian,2 "but the Roman 14:19 state, the falling away of which, by being scattered into 14:23 ten kingdoms, shall introduce Antichrist upon (its own 14:28 ruins)?" 14:31 3 Building on the prophecies found in the book of Daniel, 14:34 Tertullian predicted that the biggest problems for the 14:37 Christian church wouldn't come from the Roman Empire itself, 14:41 but from something that happened after the Empire collapsed. 14:45 For some reason, he couldn't see the man of sin becoming a 14:49 problem as long as the Roman Empire stood in his way - and 14:55 Paul described the man of sin appearing after a great "falling 14:59 away," a time when the church itself would become unfaithful 15:03 to the teachings of Christ. 15:05 Start putting the pieces together, and you get a 15:08 startling picture. 15:10 As troublesome as the pagan Roman Empire was for the early 15:13 Christian church, there were much worse problems on the 15:17 horizon--distinctly internal problems. 15:22 As long as Rome was persecuting the church, there was little 15:25 chance that the church itself could exert the kind of 15:28 influence needed to produce such colossal problems. 15:32 But take the Roman Empire out of the way, and the church could 15:35 build on her ruins. 15:37 Which, of course, is exactly what happened. 15:43 After the conversion of the Roman Emperor Constantine early 15:46 in the fourth century, Christianity shifted away from 15:49 its status a despised, marginalized sect to become the 15:53 official religion of the Roman Empire itself. 15:57 And then, after the empire's collapse at the hands of 16:01 marauding barbarians, the church continued to expand and prosper 16:05 in ways that defied imagination. 16:08 Saint Augustine called the expanding Christian church "the 16:11 City of God," and envisioned the church triumphing over the 16:16 pagans to become a global kingdom for Christ. 16:20 And of course, who's going to argue with a successful 16:22 Christian church? 16:24 Taking the name of Christ to the world was a good thing - but 16:28 honest Christians will have to admit that along the way, our 16:31 history as a church has included some pretty dark chapters. 16:37 As pagan Rome gave way to a new Christian empire in the west, it 16:41 brought some distinct problems. 16:42 Pagan Rome stopped persecuting Christians, but after a while, 16:50 Christians began to persecute each other over religious 16:54 differences of opinion. 16:58 During the period known as the Dark Ages, something like 50 17:01 million people were put to death over matters of conscience - and 17:07 suddenly, you can see how the symbols described in the book of 17:10 Revelation can be used to describe both a city AND a 17:15 church. 17:16 We go to Revelation 17 and we read verse 6: I saw the woman, 17:22 drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the 17:26 martyrs of Jesus. 17:28 And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement. 17:34 John is "amazed" by the sight of the woman, and given the way 17:38 that John himself was persecuted by the emperor Domitian, it 17:42 couldn't have been just the early Roman persecution that he 17:45 witnessed. 17:47 He saw an impure woman--the symbol of an unfaithful 17:51 church--committing the same crimes as the Roman Emperors. 17:56 [Music] So what have Christians stood guilty down through the 18:10 ages? 18:13 What was this Christian against Christian persecution John saw 18:16 going on? 18:17 We are going to take a look at that just ahead. 18:22 In Matthew 4:4 the Word of God says "It is written 'Man shall 18:27 not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from 18:31 the mouth of God'." 18:32 Every Word is a one minute Bible-based daily devotional 18:35 presented by Pastor John Bradshaw and designed especially 18:39 for busy people like you. 18:41 Look for Every Word on selected networks or watch it on-line 18:44 everyday on our website itiswritten.com. 18:48 Receive a daily spiritual boost. 18:50 Watch Every Word. 18:52 You'll be glad you did. 18:53 Here's a sample. 19:03 I read a fascinating article recently titled, Why Do We Let 19:06 Them Dress Like That? 19:08 Author Jennifer Moses asks, "Why do so many of us not only permit 19:13 our teenage daughters to dress like this-like prostitutes, if 19:16 we're being honest with ourselves-but pay for them to do 19:17 it with our AmEx cards?" 19:19 I don't mean to pick on girls, or women, but have you noticed 19:23 that modesty has just about become a thing of the past? 19:26 Maybe God saw what was coming and so urged Paul to write 1 19:31 Timothy 2:9: "In like manner also, that the women adorn 19:33 themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation." 19:37 We're living in the most overtly sexualized generation in 19:39 history. 19:40 Can that be denied when retailers are now selling padded 19:43 bras for eight year olds? 19:46 A commitment to modesty--for everyone--would certainly be in 19:49 line with God's will for His children. 19:52 I'm John Bradshaw. 19:53 Let's live today by every word. 19:55 If Christians care to be honest, it doesn't take a degree in 20:00 history to uncover the atrocities committed by the 20:03 Christian church. 20:05 There were systematic pogroms in Europe--the horrors of the 20:09 Inquisition--shady financial and political deals done in the name 20:12 of Christ... 20:13 over the centuries, some pretty horrible things have been done 20:17 under the banner of Jesus... 20:21 Search the pages of the Bible, and you won't find God 20:23 advocating the use of force by His people to establish a 20:25 kingdom on earth. 20:27 The Inquisition and other atrocities like it were not born 20:30 of the Bible; they were born of Christians who were being 20:35 unfaithful to the teachings of Jesus. 20:37 And the remarkable thing is that Bible prophecy predicted it. 20:40 Today, a lot of the Christian world is looking over the fence 20:42 at other people, trying to figure out where all the trouble 20:45 in the book of Revelation is going to come from. 20:47 Once, the Soviet Union was the spiritual bogey man. 20:50 Today, some look at the European Union, others watch Islamic 20:53 terrorist organizations. 20:56 And while there's no question that all of these things have 20:59 presented important challenges for the Christian church, the 21:02 message of the Bible is clear: we need to be especially 21:06 vigilant of what takes place in the name of Christianity. 21:10 There will come a time, Paul says, when people will have a 21:13 "form of godliness," but they will deny the real power behind 21:17 it. 21:19 The biggest problem we face is not atheism or communism. 21:25 It's a misguided Christianity that presents itself as the real 21:29 thing. 21:31 Just listen to the daunting words of Jesus found in Matthew 21:33 24: Matthew 24:24-25 For false christs and false prophets will 21:42 rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, 21:43 even the elect. 21:45 See, I have told you beforehand. 21:53 Before the consummation of history, the Bible predicts an 21:56 overwhelming religious deception--so overwhelming that 22:02 God's own people might just fall for it. 22:06 And of course, that would create a situation where God's 22:08 "woman"--the church--has become unfaithful. 22:20 We know from history that it's already happened. 22:22 Daniel, John and Paul were absolutely right: on of the 22:23 ashes of the Roman Empire was built a tainted Christianity, 22:24 one answering precisely to the description given in the book of 22:26 Revelation. 22:26 You know, there's no better word than "Babylon" to describe the 22:34 spiritual problems in this world, and you might say in the 22:37 Christian church. 22:38 The root of the word Babylon is "Babel," from the tower built in 22:41 defiance against God--and the word itself means "confusion." 22:47 Babylon is inhabited by people who think they're right--but 22:52 they're drunk, and they have no concept of reality. 22:56 There's a self-centered religion where people convince themselves 22:59 they're still living within the boundaries of God's will, when 23:03 they're doing anything but. 23:05 But that sort of religion is bound to ultimately fall. 23:09 The Bible says so. 23:12 Revelation 18 we read, in verses 2, 3 and 4: And he cried 23:19 mightily with a loud voice, saying, "Babylon the great is 23:23 fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of 23:27 demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every 23:30 unclean and hated bird! 23:33 For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her 23:36 fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication 23:43 with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich 23:45 through the abundance of her luxury." 23:46 And I heard another voice from heaven saying, "Come out of her, 23:51 my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of 23:56 her plagues." 24:00 The prophetic message of the Bible is clear: there's only one 24:03 safe place to stand, and that's right here, on God's Word. 24:09 Anything else is confusion - it's Babylon, and right now, God 24:14 is calling you out of Babylon. 24:18 So in these moments, just before Jesus comes, where are you going 24:21 to stand? 24:23 Will you stand on a man-made religion or will you stand on 24:28 the Word of God? 24:30 I want to stand with Jesus, and I want to live by His Word. 24:33 If that's your desire too, let's tell him that right now. 24:38 Would you pray with me? 24:39 Father in heaven, we thank you that you are God enough to speak 24:44 to us very directly and to tell us that down here in the last 24:47 days of the earth's history a huge challenge, the most 24:52 pressing challenge, is going to come from within Christianity 24:56 itself, from Christians who have concocted, who have put together 25:02 a form of religion that doesn't square with the Bible. 25:04 Lord, teach us please to be biblical. 25:07 Help us to be faithful. 25:09 Let us live by every Word that proceeds from out of your mouth. 25:11 Give us that grace today and Lord grant that we would trust 25:16 in Jesus fully. 25:18 This we pray in Jesus' name, amen. 25:48 An ancient city rises ... 25:56 the most wicked city on earth. 26:04 The prophets said it would be destroyed. 26:10 They were right. 26:16 It has never been rebuilt yet the ancient prophets saw her 26:22 rising and then the world ends. 26:26 Babylon rising. 26:41 Do you know what's coming? 26:46 Babylon Rising is a dynamic book by Pastor John Bradshaw that 26:49 describes the significance of Babylon in Bible Prophecy Right 26:53 now, this powerful book is available free from It Is 26:57 Written. 26:58 Just call 1-800-253-3000, ask for the book: BABYLON RISING. 26:59 Or write to It Is Written, Box O, Thousand Oaks, CA 91359, and 27:07 we will mail a copy to your address in North America. 27:10 Please note: This free book is limited to the supply on hand. 27:13 For even faster access, you can download a FREE electronic 27:18 version of the book Babylon Rising from our website. 27:20 Babylon Rising is also a four-part seminar presented by 27:23 John Bradshaw. 27:24 For details, please visit our website: itiswritten.com and 27:27 discover more about Babylon Rising, and many other 27:31 inspirational resources. 27:31 It Is Written is a faith-based outreach made possible by 27:33 viewers like you. 27:36 Thank you for yore continued support. 27:38 Our toll-free number is: 1-800-253-3000. 27:41 And our web address: itiswritten.com Thanks for 27:48 joining me today. 27:49 And remember--It Is Written: man shall not live by bread alone, 27:53 but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. |
Revised 2015-02-06