Catholicism’s Influence in Europe’s Future

Transcript

GRM 1057
11/06/2011
Catholicism's Influence in Europe's Future
Revelation 12-13, 17-18
Gil Rugh


The Bible is the Word of God and God is the One who has created all things, He's the One who is moving all things to His sovereignly appointed, sovereignly determined conclusion. And the Bible is the unfolding of the record of God's work with His creation. As a result of sin God provided a Savior and the focal point of biblical prophecy up to this point has been the coming to earth of Jesus Christ to suffer and die on the cross, to be raised from the dead to provide salvation so that God could declare us sinful, hell-deserving sinners forgiven and credit us with His righteousness. That happens when we bow before Him and place our faith in His Son.

The second most important event biblical prophecy relates to the return of Jesus Christ to the earth to establish a kingdom over which He will rule forever. The Bible indicates there are two comings to earth of Jesus Christ. The first coming to earth was to deal with the issue of sin. At the second coming to earth it will not be to pay the penalty for sin, but it will be institute His righteous rule and reign over the earth. As God's people we are to be informed on what God says. Some people think prophecy is something to be left to God and whatever He does will be fine. It is true, He is sovereign in whatever He does, He is right, it will be fine. But God has revealed His plans and purposes so that we would know and understand what He is going to do. He does not waste His words. So to say, well, I'm not that interested in prophecy, or, I think it's confusing, God speaks so that we will listen, understand and know. And that's a great blessing.

Now I'm not a prophet, I can't tell you the future. But I am a Bible teacher, I can study the Bible and share with you what God says about the future. We are going to talk about events taking place in the world that relate to what God says will take place in the future. As we talked about in our previous study, there is a period of seven years that will climax with the return of Jesus Christ to earth to establish His kingdom on the earth. God has much to say about that seven-year period. We are not in that seven-year period. Before that seven-year period begins, the church will be removed from the earth at what is called the Rapture. Caught up to meet Christ in the air and taken to heaven. Then there will be an agreement signed according to Daniel 9, which we've already looked at in our previous study, with the nation Israel. The leader of the western nations, what we refer to as the revived Roman Empire, will sign an agreement with Israel and that will start God's time clock running for His last seven-year period. The first phase of God's program for the nation climaxed with the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, 483 years from the giving of the decree to rebuild Jerusalem to the coming of Messiah the Prince. And after that 69th week, after 483 years He was cut off, He was crucified. And God's time clock for the nation Israel, and Israel is key in all the Bible has to say about prophetic matters, really stopped. It will resume again when the Rapture occurs and then the leader of the western world signs an agreement with Israel.
We talked about the revived Roman Empire unfolded in Daniel 2, Daniel 7, Revelation 13, Revelation 17, that there will be a revived Roman Empire. The nations that were involved in the old Roman Empire will be brought together again as a united nation or empire. Ten nations will comprise this federation and it will have the strength of iron and the weakness of clay, the brittleness of clay, according to Daniel 2. It will come to be dominated by one individual called the little horn in Daniel 7. We usually refer to him as the Antichrist.

Where are we in God's time plan now? Well, what God is talking about, what will take place in that seven-year period after the Rapture of the church. Now as we look and see events beginning to unfold in the world, the Bible says will come to fruition in that seven-year period, it causes us to think we may be living close to the return of Christ for the church. I can't guarantee that, I'm not a prophet. God didn't give me any new revelation this week. I had some various dreams, none of them worth repeating and some of them I don't have the foggiest idea where they come from. I have to quit eating before I go to bed, I guess. But I can go to the Word of God and see what God has said.

Interesting, I turned on the news this morning and what's on the news? Well the prime minister of Greece has resigned. Now the discussion is what is going to happen, what will be the impact now. They through the week thought maybe they were through this crisis, when they come to the conclusion of the week and his government finds enough support to stay in the European Union. Now that they have passed that seeming crisis, he resigns. Now the question is what is going to happen. Europe is key, but Europe is not the most important thing going on in the world. Did you notice the discussion in the news even this past week on whether Israel is going to take out Iran's nuclear capability. And it's been discussed for a while. I was amazed at the number of news commentators and political commentators who were interviewed who think that's become a sure thing—Israel will do it. What is that going to mean? Events going on in the world.

The Bible speaks about coming events and speaks somewhat specifically. We talked about the European Union and how that at least seems it can be what God has been talking about or the anticipation of what God has talked about as you bring Europe together. Let me read you some quotes that come from a book. I want to recommend a book I've recommended before, it was published in 2007 and I recommended it to you several years ago. The European Union and the Suprareligion by Robert Congdon. I hope some day we'll have him here to speak. It is the most helpful book I have found on this subject of Europe and the revived Roman Empire and how the suprareligion fits into that. What began in Babylon, we looked back in Genesis 10-11, as an attempt to establish a world empire, a political power with religion as its center. And that begins the unfolding of the mother and child religion with Nimrod, wife Cimeramus, child born to them and all that develops out of that. It comes down to the present day, the dominant element in religion down through history. So I recommend this to you. I'll be reading some quotes and if I don't tell you where it's from it's because I'm quoting from this work. And I think you'll find it very interesting.

Just read something that happened in May 1948. I remember it well, I was 5. It was the end of World War II. Over 800 delegates from all over war torn and ravaged Europe gathered at this first meeting of the Congress of Europe following World War II. Winston Churchill addressed the delegation. He reminded delegates that the unity of Europe was not something they had to invent, but rediscover. And here is his quote. Ladies and gentlemen, there are many famous names associated with the revival and presentation of this idea, but we may all, I think, yield our pretensions to King Henry IV of France who with his great minister Monsieur Sully between the years 1600 and 1607 labored to set up a permanent committee representing the fifteen, now we're sixteen, leading Christian states of Europe. This is called the grand design.

You'll note he refers to a united Europe, but it's a Christian Europe. You see the religious element that is in the political element as well. And he ties it back to King Henry IV of France. That has been going on since that time down to our time. We have seen Europe come together, the European Union formed. We have seen a currency, the euro, that now we look and it is being compared. How does the euro compare to the dollar and what would happen to the euro if Greece dropped out of the European Union and went back to their own currency, the drachma. There was a time when people doubted whether they could have a common currency. Now we are concerned about the euro and how it impacts currencies, including our own. A time, my files go back a while, you collect articles from news sources and so on, questioning whether there could ever be a United States of Europe. And now we see the power that they have, but the brittleness because there are different nations associated together. They have great power but there is brittleness because of the individual nations there are.

And in all of this remember we are going back to Babylon and the devil's attempt to establish a world empire in opposition to God's plan to establish an empire, a rule on this earth, a kingdom which will rule over all. And Satan's attempt to thwart the plan of God and establish his own kingdom.

Now as we see the European Union coming to fruition and rise to power things happening there that carry us back to the old Babylonian start in Genesis 11 with Nimrod, the tower of Babel and what went on there. I have some pictures, some of them you've seen before but Sean O'Neal got on this for me the end of the week. I always give people lots of advance notice, and asked him to search out some pictures of these things I talked about last week that you could see visually. I don't know how well they will project on the sides. So why don't you put up what you have first and I'll just mention to you what we have. And then I'm going to read some things so this will help.

This is the euro and remember the name for Europe used by all the countries there is Europa. And that's what is written there on the side. This is a euro, where you see it on the bottom, e y as we would have it, would be the Greek letters but the pronunciation is the euro, written in Greek there. You see the woman riding the beast. Revelation 17 where John saw the vision of the woman riding the beast. Go on to the next one. This is from the Netherlands. Beatrix on one side and the euro. Another depiction of the woman riding the beast. Go on to the next one. You see these pictures of the different images are associated with the different European Union buildings—parliament and so on. Here you see another depiction of the woman on the beast.

Let me just stop here. The woman on the beast is Europa as we talked about last week. That's the mythical goddess. And the god Zeus saw Europa and was entranced by her beauty so he transforms himself into a bull and comes and carries her away to the island of Crete. And there they conceive a child. And then the child dies and is miraculously resurrected and you have that constant image of the mother and the child, supernatural activity. So the woman is Europa and the bull represents Zeus. But interesting the imagery they have chosen to repeatedly use on their coins and all. The woman rides the beast which Revelation 17 is the picture of things related to Babylon in the last days, religious Babylon and political Babylon. You have to remember those two elements that will pervade these earthly empires going all the way back to the tower of Babel. That is the religious element and the political element, they are inseparably joined together because there are spiritual forces behind these empires—Satan and his opposition to God.

All right do the next one. This is just another image, I don't have the titles of where they come, associated with what building. But you see just another representation of the woman riding the beast. Head on. Another, so you see it is everywhere. You'll see on the back there the circle of the twelve stars, we'll see that in a moment, on the official flag of Europe, the European Union. All the nations use it. That symbol will tie to Revelation 12, we'll look at that in a moment. This is the official flag of Europe. All the member nations fly this flag. Remember those twelve stars. They have religious significance. So that's the flag, remember that. Now remember the twelve stars here don't represent twelve individual nations. They use twelve to refer to its perfection, its completion. So however many nations there are, there are still twelve stars. And interesting the foundation for that imagery comes from Revelation 12.

This is one artist's rendition, Europe, many tongues one voice. You'll see where we are going. This is the tower of Babel incomplete. You'll see down, and you may not be able to see it in that yellow box, the twelve-star circle, Europe, many tongues one voice. Goes back to what happened in Genesis 11. They had one language, it was confounded and they were divided.

Go ahead. This is the new parliament building in Strasbourg and someone has done an artist's rendition of the old tower of Babel on one side. This new parliament building was modeled very closely after the Renaissance painter Brugel's rendition of the tower of Babel. So here you see them brought together.

Go ahead. This is the European Union parliament building, this is where they meet over here. This is the building, you see at the top it is unfinished like the tower of Babel never got finished. They even have hanging gardens on the upper floors and associate them with the hanging gardens of Babylon. You see it more. This is another view. When you look at it, you look like well, it's not done, they are working on it. But it's done. Now in their representation they say this unfinished building represents the fact that our work together as nations is not finished. We are a work in progress. But interesting the imagery that they use and the biblical background. This is another reflection of that and the way they have rendered it incomplete. You can see some of the garden stuff at the top there, I don't know how clear it comes out.

Go on to the next one. These are the different languages represented in the European Union. They brought together their different languages. Interesting, you have this building that is tied to the European Union which reflects the tower of Babel and here you have the different languages. And anybody familiar with Scripture, and I'm going to read you a little bit of connection of this in a moment. This is interesting, this is another view of that parliament building, you can tell as you look at the top. But this is the entrance and there you see the flags of the different nations. But down here just over the roof of the car, men, don't get distracted with the car, but you can't see it very well, but that statue, that is the Madonna with the child, the baby coming out of the heart. Now for Europe they say this is Mother Europe and the love for her people. But isn't it interesting they use the Madonna with the child, what has been key elements in religion going back to Genesis 11 and down to the present day religious system dominating Europe, from which much of this imagery comes, Roman Catholicism. So if you could see a close up of that, you might find it in Cogdon's book, I think that's in there. Some of these pictures will be reflected in there as well. So keep that in mind.

Just another picture of the building, you have statues there but you can't see it quite as well. This is just the parliament building, this is the inside. Just thought you might be interested in seeing what it looks like where the parliament of Europe meets.

Go ahead. Now we saw the twelve stars on the flag of Europe. Keep in mind where it came from. Europe just says these twelve stars represent perfection, but the man who designed it, I'll read you a quote from him, he says he took it from the statue of Mary with twelve stars around her head which they took from Roman Catholicism as taken from Revelation 12. We'll read that later. And these pictures the same manner. A part of Roman Catholic theology is Mary is the queen of heaven. And if you are familiar with the book of Jeremiah and the prophecies of Jeremiah, Jeremiah was a prophet who prophesied during the Babylonian captivity, before and after the Babylonian captivity and is associated with the Babylonian captivity. He had to pronounce judgment on the Jews for their worship of the queen of heaven. You read Roman Catholic theology and if I have time I'll read you some of that as well, they refer to her as the queen of heaven, she's the queen of heaven. Here she is being crowned the queen of heaven and you'll notice God the Father and the Son crowning her. Here you see the stars, she has her crown because she is the queen of heaven and the twelve stars. Anytime you see that picture you immediately know this is a representation of Mary. Go ahead, another picture of her being crowned queen. So now you've seen the pictures. If you want to see them up closer I have 8½ x 11 pictures as well here.

Let me just read you a couple of comments. That building, the parliament building, the incomplete structure that was modeled after the tower of Babel. Anyone familiar with the famous work of the Tower of Babel by Renaissance painter Brugle is struck by the modern building's resemblance to Brugle's tower. The Babylonian symbolism from the painting is further reinforced by hanging gardens in the upper stories of the building and by the use of multilingual phrases on the exterior glass surfaces of the posterior side where the parliament meets. At its dedication in December 1999 a European spokesman declared that the building symbolized the European Union as being perpetually unfinished, always an imperfect union which we must strive to improve.

You know any time you talk about another religion like Roman Catholicism, people say, you are anti-Catholic. I'm not particularly anti-Catholic, anti-Muslim, anti-Hindu. I am pro-Scripture. And any religion or religious system that disagrees with the Scripture is wrong. We ought to be clear in understanding on how it's wrong, why it is wrong, and how wrong it really, really is. And many who claim to be evangelical Christians fail to appreciate how completely, absolutely, unbiblically Roman Catholicism is. And even among evangelicals there is a move that we ought to play this down. There is an article in my file that I could have brought but I didn't for time, where the writer claim to be an evangelical teaching in an evangelical school says the days of anti-Catholic rhetoric are over. We need to appreciate that we are brothers and can work together. And you're familiar with that kind of failure to acknowledge that this is in the line of the Babylonian system. Any relationships to true biblical Christianity are basically irrelevant.

The European Union's link to Roman Catholicism. On August 26, 2004, Roman Catholic Italian prime minister Berlesconi, are you familiar with that name? Have you watched the news the last couple of weeks? You hear Berlesconi's name connected with Italy, the concern over where is Italy these days. Well, in 2004 he was the president of the European Union. He hinted at European Union's link with the Roman Catholic church when he stated, I am profoundly convinced that the only glue capable of sticking together Europe is Christianity. Now when Berlesconi says the only glue that can put Europe together is Christianity, he's talking about Roman Catholic Christianity.

The intention of solidifying faith with the social, political realm of the European Union is supported by the fact that, now listen, the Vatican has been given the privilege of being the leader and president of the diplomatic corps of all the member governments of the European Union. This was the recognition that declared that the European Union was reckoned to be an alliance of Roman Catholic states. So you see the religion is inseparably intertwined in the political system.

Perhaps the European Union's flag, its prime symbol, reflects these principles. The Council of Europe proclaims it as being the symbol par excellence of united Europe and European Union. On December 8, 1955, the committee of ministers of the Council of Europe officially adopted the flag. An unusual coincidence worth noting is that the vote was conducted on the day of the Roman Catholic feast of the immaculate conception of Mary. The flag is described as having a blue background, portraying the sky over the western world and upon this sky a circle of golden stars which represent solidarity and harmony among the peoples of Europe. The European Union says the number of stars has nothing to do with the number of member states, rather the number twelve was chosen to symbolize the number of perfection, completion, and unity. However, listen, a spokesman for the European Union pointed out that the circle of twelve stars was a Christian symbol representing the virgin Mary's halo. This is from a spokesman for the European Union. The twelve stars was a Christian symbol representing the virgin Mary's halo, which they considered to by symbolic of European identity and unification.

So the very flag of Europe which you saw with the twelve stars and the blue background which every member nation flies, was considered to be a symbol of Europe's unity and identity and it was taken from the virgin Mary's halo. You see where that goes, what gives unity here. The virgin Mary. Back to the worship of the mother and the child.

Since its adoption by the European Union in 1986, all European Union institutions use the flag to represent Europe. Another example. The unveiling of the Council of Europe's stained glass window in the Strasbourg cathedral, that's where the parliament building is that we saw pictures of, here you have the Strasbourg cathedral. The Council of Europe which is _____________ and larger than the European Union, it has a stained glass window in the cathedral there. It was unveiled in 1955. It substantiated this religious aspect of the flag's stars. On this occasion the secretary general of the Council of Europe, Leon Marshal, offered an understanding of the twelve stars when he said that they symbolized the woman of the apocalypse of Revelation 12. When the flag's designer, Arsene Heights, of Strasbourg was questioned regarding the interpretation of the flag's design, he indicated that he based his design upon the iconography of the image of the immaculate conception of Mary as seen in Paris' Rue de Bach.

So the designer of the flag was asked, where did you get that? I got that from the image of the immaculate conception of Mary which was seen in Paris' Rue de Bach. Now at Rue de Bach on November 27, 1830, Catherine Leboure had an apparition of Mary, that's an appearance of Mary, standing on a globe of the world while crushing a snake's head with her feet. That imagery, crushing a snake's head, taken from Genesis 3:15. Roman Catholics back to that, and Protestants will take that generally of Christ, but with them it's transferred to Mary. Now you have this apparition, an appearance of Mary in 1830. Around her head were twelve stars. According to Mary's instructions during the apparition a medal was to be cast depicting the twelve stars. The interpretation of this apparition was based upon the Roman Catholic exposition of Genesis 3:15 and Revelation 12:1. In 1955 Heights was inspired to use the stars in his flag design while reading a description of the apparition. So where did that come from? And you see, even when they say this doesn't stand for this, when you go into the background, that's where it is.

Then all of a sudden you have a statue that is at the entrance of the parliament building of the woman with the child coming out of the heart. Anybody that knows anything about Roman Catholic ideas of Mary knows they talk about the sacred heart of Mary. We have schools and buildings named Sacred Heart and this and that. But they say this is just representing. But the religious imagery is inescapable and when you talk to those who design these things . . . Where did the twelve stars of the flag come from? Oh, I read about the apparition, the appearance of Mary with twelve stars behind her head. And so I thought that would be a good symbol of our unity. Amazing.

It goes on, just one or two more things. More recently on four separate occasions the late Pope John II consecrated the world to our lady. In Gibraltar is the shrine of our lady of Europe. The European Union recently granted one-half of the total cost of the shrine's restoration. Interesting, why would they be funding one-half of the cost of the restoration of the Roman Catholic shrine of our lady of Europe if they don't have any connection to religious _____________?

In 1979 Pope Paul II officially approved Mary's title as our lady of Europe and transferred her feast date to May 5th to coincide with Europe Day. So you see it's going both ways. Those on the political side who are coming up with how we are going to have our identity. Well, you take the twelve stars from the virgin Mary, from the virgin Mary's head in Roman Catholic theology. You have the Madonna and the child at the entryway. Political leaders deciding this. And then you have the religious leader, the Pope, and now the feast day for our lady of Europe and Roman Catholic theology has been made on the same day as Europe Day. It's a political celebration. So now they can be together.

And he said on this occasion, the Pope did, of putting the day of our lady of Europe, transferring that to coincide with Europe Day, he expressed the dream of Europe and how it might be achieved by saying that “under the patronage of Mary the human family will be drawn ever more closely into fraternal unity and peaceful coexistence.”

You know the largest and most extensive international organization in the world is the United Nations. Do you know what the second largest international organization is in the world? The Vatican. It continues to exercise both political and religious influence and power in Europe. It is now the most extensive international organization in the world outside of the United Nations. It has formal state relations with 147 countries of the world, represents 1 billion people in world matters. And on it goes.

So you see the connection of religion and policy in Europe. That's where the focus is. What about the United States? We'll refer to that if we have time in a future study, how many future studies there are, I don't know.

Come to Revelation 17, just to read this in case you weren't here last week or you forgot. I just want you to read the imagery here. Verse 1, then one of the angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me saying, come here I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth committed acts of immorality. Those who dwell on the earth were made drunk with the wine of her immorality. He carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness. I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast full of blasphemous names, having seven heads and ten horns. So you see the woman riding the beast. Interesting, isn't it. Two thousand years approximately, almost, after John writes this, here we have this imagery being picked up. And what may well be the last form of the Roman Empire.

And what's the name? Verse 5, on her forehead a name was written, mystery. Babylon the great, mother of harlots and of the abominations of the earth.

Come back to Revelation 12. This is where Roman Catholic theology gets Mary and that picture of her as queen of heaven and she has twelve stars on her head. Understand, some of this is recent. Even though it was practiced for years, it wasn't official Roman Catholic doctrine until late. The immaculate conception of Mary was declared to be true by Pope Pius IX in 1854. He claimed that he had received a direct revelation from God and no attempt to substantiate it from Scripture that Mary was sinless from conception. Of course that's in a lot of ways since she is not in need of redemption and she can be above all creation, if you will. Remarkable. This is remarkable because the Pope wasn't even infallible in 1854. This same Pope, Pope Pius XI had himself declared, the Pope declared infallible at the first Vatican Council that was meeting in 1870. Through a lot of political maneuver and activity he had himself declared, even though there was some intense opposition, had the Pope declared, and he was the sitting Pope, infallible when he speaks excathedra, out of the chair, representing God's rule on earth. And when he speaks from the chair, that becomes official Roman Catholic dogma. It can never be altered and never changed. That is inspired revelation. It was at that time that the Pope now had absolute power over all bishops, all cardinals, everyone else. They serve at his disposal. A lot of this was being practiced to one degree 16 years earlier. Pope Pius IX had declared by revelation that Mary was immaculately conceived. Maybe he was wrong. He covered that with his . . . You understand a lot of this is recent doctrine.

In Revelation 12. A great sign appeared in heaven. A woman clothed with the sun and the moon under her feet and on her head a crown of twelve stars. There you have the picture. She was with child. She cried out being in labor and in pain to give birth. The Roman Catholics take this as a reference to Mary. There are a number of problems with that. The context of Revelation 12 would be against that and the background of this in the Old Testament is against that.

Come back to Genesis 37. Joseph, remember he is one of the sons of Jacob. The twelve sons of Jacob comprised the leadership for the twelve tribes of Israel. That's where the symbolism of the twelve stars comes from. And he has a dream. The first dream is of sheaves bowing down to his sheaf. Verse 6, listen to this dream. Joseph is telling his brothers the dream. We were binding our sheaves in the field. Lo, my sheaf rose up and stood erect and behold your sheaves gathered around and bowed down to my sheaf. Then his brothers said to him, are you actually going to reign over us? Are you going to rule over us? Verse 9, he had another dream and related it to his brothers. He said, lo, I had still another dream. Behold the sun and the moon and the eleven stars were bowing down to me. That's where that imagery comes from in Revelation 12. What do the sun, the moon and the eleven stars represent? It represents Joseph's parents, the sun and the moon, and the eleven stars represent his brothers. It represents Israel. His father represents this. When he told his father along with his brothers, verse 10, his father said, shall I and your mother and your brothers come and bow down to you? That was literally fulfilled when Joseph became ruler in Egypt and his brothers came down in the famine and so on. But you note the imagery of the sun and the moon and the twelve stars. They recognize what it means. The sun and the moon, that represents your mother and me. And the eleven stars, Joseph would have been the twelfth star to make the twelve brothers here. But the eleven are bowing down to him.

So when you come back to Revelation 12, remember the book of Revelation is the most unoriginal book in the New Testament. It doesn't have any direct quotes from the Old Testament but it has over 500 references to the Old Testament. So to understand the book of Revelation, that's why people have so much trouble, you have to go back into the Old Testament. Like Genesis 37. A sign appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun and the moon under her feet and on her head are twelve stars. Oh yes, that's Genesis 37. That represents Israel. So it's basically Israel as it existed at this time. Jacob and his wife and his twelve sons in their family. She is with child. Christ comes out of Israel.

Verse 3, another sign appeared in heaven, a great red dragon, referring to the devil. He is identified for us throughout the section. Verse 4, the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth so that when she gave birth he might devour her child. She gave birth to a son, a male child who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron. Her child was caught up to heaven to his throne. Then the woman fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared by God that she would be nourished for 1,260 days. Remember this seven-year period?

Come back to Daniel 9:27. When this political ruler who will gain power in these federated states of Europe and become the dominant figure. When he makes a firm covenant, verse 27, with the many. And the many here in the context refers to the Jews. We start out in the opening chapter here. We go to the preceding chapter where Daniel _________________. Concern on this whole area began over understanding that Jeremiah prophesied 70 years' captivity for the nation. And where is the nation going as the 70-year captivity comes to an end, and so on.

He will make a firm covenant with the many for one week. Remember that is one seven, that's a seven-year period, not a seven-day period. In the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering. Who does sacrifices and grain offerings? And on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate. You remember when Jesus spoke in the Olivet Discourse in Matthew 24 He told the Jews, when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet standing in the holy place, then flee. Don't even go back to your house to pack your suitcase because persecution is going to break out immediately. So that's what we have here. We're in the middle of that seven-year period. It is Israel that is being persecuted.

Come back to Revelation 12. John ________________. She finds a place in the wilderness for 1,260 days, verse 6. How long is that? That's 3½ years. Remember a prophetic year is 360 days, a year observed by many ancient nations. Well, that's what we're talking about, we're talking about Israel. It's the same period of time as Daniel 9:27. And then when the devil comes down from heaven, loses his place there.

Verse 13, the dragon saw that he was thrown down to earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the child. But the two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman so she could flee into the wilderness to her place where she was nourished for a time, times and a half time. That's the same expression that Daniel would have referred to, a time, two times and a half time. Another way to refer to 3½ years, 1,260 days. Down in Revelation 13:5 it will be called 42 months. I mean, we tie this with what God revealed in the Old Testament and reveals in the New Testament and it is clear. He is talking about Israel. And she flees to the wilderness.

Verse 14, that's where she is nourished for a time, two times and a half time. Same thing Jesus said in Matthew 24, when you see the persecution break out, you flee. And God is going to preserve a remnant in Israel in the wilderness regions of Edom. Some of you have been to Petra, that's part of the area. God is going to preserve a remnant of Israel as Satan gives all of his energies in those 3½ years to wiping Israel off the map and destroying them. Why? Why so much anti-Semitism and it bubbles under the surface in Europe. Why? Satan wants to be rid of the Jews. Why? Because if there is no Jewish nation, there can be no Jewish kingdom over which the Jewish Messiah rules. And everything Satan is doing is an attempt to assert himself to replace the place of God and rule over the kingdom that he has established. So it's clear we are talking about Israel here.

You know Roman Catholics claim to believe the Bible is the Word of God but there is a hitch in this, and the hitch is the only authoritative interpreters of the Bible are the Roman Catholic magisterial, those who are part of that magisterial. So the Pope ahs ultimate authority, then those who rule with him. So they say the woman in Revelation 12 is Mary. That settles it, there are no other interpretations possibly. It's Mary.

Let me share with you some reading, what the Roman Catholic church says about Mary. I've checked with this, I've read from some other books and they are about the same. I think this is a Roman Catholic book, this is Ten Series of Meditations on the Mysteries of the Rosary. It has the nahele obstat by the diocesan censor, John Hogan. That means it has nothing objectionable, it is Roman Catholic doctrine. It has the imprimateur of Richard Cardinal Cushing. He officially declares it acceptable Roman Catholic doctrine. So this isn't a Protestant writing. These are meditations so the Roman Catholics as they go through the rosary, which has its own pagan background, they can follow it. And I won't be able to read a lot of it.

But interesting, what you have on one page here. There is Mary with the twelve stars around her head and that appears in various things. Quotes from the book. He who asks favors of God without the intercession of Mary is like a bird who tries to fly without wings. Let us ask many graces from God but let us ask them through Mary. She is the aqueduct by which they descend to us.

What about Paul's writing to Timothy, there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. Now they tell me that the only way to get grace from God is through Mary.

Here is what you do when you pray the rosary, here's what ought to be in your mind. Oh the greatness and vastness of the mercy of Mary. It fills the entire world. Listen to this. How many souls would be in hell for all eternity if Mary had not interceded before God for them.

What about 1 John 2, if any man sin we have an advocate with the Father, Mary. No, Jesus Christ the righteous. You see what they do, they take what is said about Christ and they apply it to Mary. They don't attempt to substantiate this with Scripture, it's just Roman Catholic doctrine.

Oh lady, I am not worthy to enter into your heavenly abode but only say the word and my soul will be saved in eternity. You see your salvation is the hands of Mary. She is co-redemptrix of the human race. The church and the saints greet her thus, you, oh Mary, together with Jesus Christ redeemed us. Now really this has the nahele obstat, it has nothing inconsistent with Roman Catholic doctrine. It has the imprimateur of Richard Cardinal Cushing. This was copyrighted in 1981 and 1964. It is published by a Roman Catholic publishing house.

God has ordained that no grace will be granted to us except through Mary. It is a doctrine preached by all the saints that no grace can come to us from heaven without passing through Mary's hands. No one will be saved or obtain mercy except through you, oh heavenly lady. Oh Mary, our salvation is in your hands.

Have we not entered the realm of blasphemy? Listen to this. As mother of the word incarnate, Mary was elevated to a certain equality with the heavenly Father.

I am dumbfounded at how much move there is in evangelicalism that we can unite with Roman Catholics. I mean, is this not pure paganism?

Her heart, remember we saw the Madonna and the child coming out of the heart, the statue as you enter the European Union parliament. Her heart is the temple of divine mercy where every sin finds pardon.

You set up an alternative Savior and what do you have?

During His passion Mary suffered in her heart all the pains that Jesus suffered in His body. So you see you have a co-redemptrix.

Let me read you, this is titled Mary, Co-Redemptrix. Mary is our co-redemptrix because she gave us Jesus, pledge of our salvation. Furthermore, she is co-redemptrix of the human race because with Christ she ransomed mankind from the power of Satan.

Christ didn't do it alone. She with Christ ransomed mankind from the power of Satan. And when Pope Pius IX in 1854 by his own authority declared the immaculate conception of Mary, he said that Mary queen of heaven has crushed the head of the serpent under her immaculate foot. Remarkable.

Jesus redeemed us with the blood of His body, Mary with the agonies of her heart. So there are two redeemers. We were condemned through the fall of one woman, we were saved through the merits of another woman.

You see how they take what the Scripture says about Christ? Romans 5 we studied, by one man sin came into the world and death by sin. And by one man we had righteousness provided. They've transferred it to Eve brought sin into the world and Mary saved us.

Just as Eve was the root of death for everyone, so Mary was the source of life for everyone. Mary is our co-redemptrix because she suffered in her heart what was lacking through the passion of Christ.

I just don't know how more clear you could be in direct conflict with the Word of God. Mary is our co-redemptrix because she suffered in her heart whatever was lacking through the passion of Christ. Christ's sacrifice was not sufficient to finish the work of redemption.

Mary is the mystical neck which inclined the divine head, Jesus, to mercy toward us.
She has the ultimate power here. Why did Christ show mercy to us? Mary moved his head to do that. Well, we could go on. As the stars are illuminated by the sun, so heaven is illuminated by you, oh Mary.

When I go and read about the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21-22, I find it has no need of the sun because God the Father and the Lamb are its illumination. Now I find the illumination of heaven is Mary.

Mary is the complement of the Holy Spirit, before God she asks not, she commands. No true devotee of Mary will be damned because she is the terrible conqueror of the devil.

I mean, is this not as clear as could be that we have those who claim to be evangelicals saying, we don't want to be viewed as anti-Catholic, we're not speaking against Catholics, we have much in agreement with our brothers and we can join together. Where would you have to cross the line to say this is blasphemy? There is only one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. The Bible nowhere ever anywhere intimates that Mary was without sin. Nowhere implies that you could be saved any other way but through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ. The Bible could not be more clear on its declaration that Jesus Christ is the Savior. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, in order that whosoever believes in Him, not in Him and her, in Him might not perish but have everlasting life. This is a heresy that goes beyond the Galatian heresy for which Paul said that those who taught such a thing were anathema, condemned to hell.

This past week I was reading the decrees of the Council of Trent which are available in The Creeds of Christendom, 3 volumes by Philip Shaw, first published in 1876. You know what they decree there? If any man teaches that you can be saved by faith alone, he is anathema. Just reversed the Scripture. Paul in Galatians says that anyone teaches any other gospel but the gospel of salvation by faith alone is anathema, but official Roman Catholic doctrine, the decrees of the Council of Trent, have never been altered, never changed. Anyone who says salvation is by faith alone is anathema, you cannot get anymore opposed to the truth of the Word of God.

Is this an anti-Catholic diatribe? No, but you ought to understand paganism for what it is. You ought to understand that which is unbiblical and antibiblical for what it is. You cannot be a true Roman Catholic and be a true born again Christian. You cannot truly believe Roman Catholic doctrine and dogma and be a true biblical Christian. That's not just true of Roman Catholicism, that's true of being a Muslim, of being a Hindu, of being a liberal Protestant. But we are particularly focusing on Roman Catholicism because who else can assert the power? Who else does the President of the United States to to see? Who else do the leaders of the world go to see? Who else can command the attention of the world as the religious speaker? The Pope can. So we ought to understand where we are in the world, what these days are. To see the Roman Catholic church, to see the rise of Europe, to see Israel back in the land, and we have to pick up more on this in our next study, the most significant event.

We live in remarkable times, exciting times for us. If the Lord doesn't come for a hundred years it won't shake my faith because I'll be in glory by then. But you know we are to be living with the expectation, His return for the church is imminent and it would not surprise me one bit if He returned at 12 o 'clock today. Yes, we've been expecting you, we are amazed you didn't come last week in light of all you are doing in the world in moving it toward its appointed climax.

Let's bow together. Thank you, Father, that you have provided the Savior, the only Savior, the one mediator between God and men. You desire this gospel to be proclaimed to all in its purity because you are a God of grace and mercy, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to the knowledge of the truth of your Son. Thank you for calling us to yourself. How blessed and privileged we are to know the Savior, to have experienced His forgiveness, His cleansing, to have the Spirit of God dwell in us, to have your Word, your very words, as our treasured possession that we can study and understand and grow in knowledge. Thank you, Lord, you have seen fit to unfold these truths concerning the future. And Lord, we simply look at the world around us and realize that you are a sovereign God moving all things to your appointed and determined climax. May we seize every opportunity in these crucial days to share the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And may you be pleased to use it for the salvation of many souls. We pray in Christ's name, amen.