Now, last evening I was deluged with questions, and I didn't feel that I could talk too much more last night. I was just talked out, and I couldn't answer all the questions. I might have given a sentence here and a sentence there, but I thought this morning that what I would do would be to take up where we left off last evening and be able to accommodate you with the answers to some of the questions. I'm not going to say in the course of the study, now this question was asked me, but I'm just going to address the question. And if you ask the question, then of course you can profit by whatever we have to say. If you agree by, you don't. Just keep on studying. And the Lord richly bless you. Now, last evening we discussed two great chapters in the book of Daniel. I must review just a few moments to bring us up to date. In Daniel seven, we saw the... the revival of the ancient Roman Empire. It will be revived in the future in the form of ten sovereign states. There will emerge from one of those ten states a powerful ruler whom he called the dictator of the Roman Empire yet future. I don't know what that will be called. I do not mean to suggest that it will be called the Roman Empire. What we are saying, and I believe the average prophetic teacher means, is that out from the territorial area of the ancient Roman Empire, there will emerge a kingdom of ten states which can be viewed as a revival of Roman dictatorial power. Out of the ten states will emerge a strong man. He is a devil-possessed man. He is a warrior in the sense of being an aggressor. And he conquers three of those ten states. And with himself he becomes ruler overboard. In due time, they give him all their power, and he is master of the pen. What is his attitude toward God? He hates God. He loves Satan. He loves sin. He will persecute believers in the tribulation period. He hates Israel. In the last three and a half years of the seven-year period, he will persecute the nation Israel he would demand to be worshipped and unfortunately will receive the worship of Israel in the land of Israel now in chapter eight we saw two kings the purpose of chapter eight is to narrow down the prophecy of chapter seven And its purpose is to show us that while this great character of the future emerges from ten states in seven, he emerges from four states in chapter eight. And last night our thesis was that this same figure, devil-driven, a warrior, a hater of Israel, a hater of God, This same person is narrowed down as to his origin, and he is shown to develop or to emerge from four states. And those four states represent in that chapter the ancient Grecian Empire, which was an empire extending from Greece to the Indus River. It included Lebanon, Palestine, it included Egypt and go eastward it included Syria Iraq and Iran and ancient Persia now that's the boundaries of the ancient Greek Empire and this person of the future is said in chapter seven to emerge from ten states but in chapter eight the ten are shrunken to the limits of the old Greek Empire, and it shows that that man emerges from that territorial area. And we do believe that because Antiochus Epiphanes in that section is a type of this dictator to come, that the dictator of the future will undoubtedly emerge from that northeastern section of the ancient Greek Empire. I do not look for this man to come from Rome. I think that has been overdone without foundation, and if you disagree, I love you. I hope you'll love me. But I've studied this for many years, and I don't propose to have the last word on it, but I do believe that there's a reason for the narrowing down of the ten states before And when you come to chapter eleven, it is narrowed down to two states, and it shows that that man of the future is there called the king of the north. Not Russia, but the king of the north is the place. Russia will be involved as a colleague, according to Ezekiel thirty-eight. But this awful person comes out of the northeastern portion Perhaps from Iraq, more likely from Iran. And keep in mind that Iran is much in the news today. And undoubtedly will continue to be largely in the news. Now, with that said, I'd like to turn to Revelation chapter thirteen. And with this section, I think we can answer at least half of the questions. that were proposed last evening. I do want to be helpful. If you don't consider it help, then just forget you heard it. Lameon Strauss is coming along soon, and he'll give you the real answers, you know. We love him dearly, and I know that he loves this book. We were schoolmates, and I appreciate his fine ministry and the ministry of his great son, indeed. Now, Revelation chapter thirteen. Have you got your Bible open to that place? And it's not a pen or a pencil handy. Good. I am going to buy a large stockport someday. One little fold up, I don't know how old it is, but then I'll have it with me. And although I have... transparency and all these things prepared and I walked off without them I do some dumb things you don't believe me ask my wife all right it says in verse one of chapter thirteen and I stood this is John speaking upon the sand of the sea and saw a beast rise up out of the sea. Now immediately I note several things. One, the sea is a type of the Gentile nation of Earth. I think the sea here would be the Mediterranean. It's not. But the sea is a typical tool to represent The Gentile nations. So whoever is represented by this beast emerges as a Gentile. There will be another beast emerge in a few moments in this chapter. But he is not a Gentile. He is from the land. He's a Jewish person. The Antichrist. Now notice. I stood upon the sand of the sea. and saw a beast. This is a Gentile character, an immensely important person of that name. He arises up from the sea, and will you notice that he has seven heads and ten horns? The very fact that he has ten horns immediately clues you in to chapter seven of the book of Daniel. God does not mix his metaphors. God is consistent in the choice of representation for these various items of prophetic truth. And so we have the same ten horns that we have in Daniel seven. And I have no doubt that what the beast of this chapter is the beast of Daniel chapter seven. Will you note it up? There's something peculiar about him. It says he has ten horns. We've seen that. But he has seven heads. Turn with me to Revelation seventeen. Revelation seventeen. I want you to notice verse nine. And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sitteth, and there are seven kings. Now, let this be a little reminder in the margin of your memory. This is a matter of seven kingdoms, not seven kings. Seven kingdoms are represented by the seven heads on the beast. Notice five are fallen. What is it, clap? Shouldn't it? Five are fallen. One is, and the other is not yet come. Now it is one of the heads that is wounded on the death. Let this answered some of the questions given to me. I hope it will. This beast is not put to death. Some believe that the beast is put to death and will rise from the dead and mimic the resurrection of Christ in a satanic effort to impress people with the reality of his power and his person. There is no such thing taught in this passage. It is one of the heads that's wounded, not the beast. It is one of his heads. Who are the heads? Didn't God say in Revelation seventeen, they are seven kingdoms, five are fallen, one is, and the other is not yet come, that may suggesting you the names of the heads. Keep in mind this is a Gentile coalition of states. This beast represents a Gentile ruler of the future. I emphasize his Gentile background. The seven heads are the seven great Gentile kingdoms of all time on the earth. They are one Egypt, two Assyria, three Babylon, four Medo-Persia, five Greece. That's why John says five are fallen. Go back as far as you can go in the Bible and you will discover that Egypt is the first great kingdom that deals with Israel. And the second is Assyria. And the third was Babylon. And the fourth was Medo-Persia. And the fifth was Greece. Five are fallen. They don't exist in John's day. Why not? Because Rome has taken over. Rome is master of the world in John's day. That's why he says, one is. And then he said of the seventh, it is not yet come. One Gentile kingdom was in power in John's day. But there will be another Gentile kingdom in power in the latter days in the tribulation period. And so this beast has seven heads, meaning since seven is the fullness, the number of completion, he represents in himself and in his power and in his work a summary, a summation of all diabolical power exercised against Israel by the Gentile nations of all time. So when he says one is fallen, he is saying here that, excuse me, when he says that one is, he's talking about Rome. But he indicates that there is one yet to come, and that one to come is the kingdom that we've seen in Daniel chapter seven. Now look a little further at this person. this kingdom and the person because the king and the kingdom are identified here he has ten horns which of course lines him up with Daniel seven and upon his heads the name of blasphemy blasphemy the true God every one of those kingdoms were worshippers of false gods every one And so they blaspheme the name of the true God. Now notice this. This is interesting. And I want you to get your pen and make a little mark here in a moment. And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard. And his feet were as the feet of a bear. And his mouth as the mouth of a lion. Now look at this creature. He has the mouth of a lion, and he has the feet of a bear. But notice this, beloved. He has the body of a leopard. And in Daniel the leopard is always Greece. And that's the larger part of the animal, the body. This kingdom yet to come will be dominantly, largely Greeceian. And that's why we say that this king emerges in time from some area of the ancient Greek Empire. And since Iran and Iraq, that part of the Middle East was definitely part of the Greek Empire. Remember, Alexander ruled at all. There's no question in my mind, but that this empire and this emperor is not largely Roman, but he's largely Grecian, and he is in a particular sense Grecian in that he emerges from the northeast section of which Antiochus Epiphanes was a type. Now it says in this passage that the devil gave him, the dragon gave him his power. Etzousia, his authority. His is a pipeline directly to Satan. And will you notice that the devil gave him his seat, Dronas, his throne, and the great Etzousia, great authority. Now here is the interesting passage that some people have trouble with. I saw one of his heads, as it were, wounded to death. Now remember, this creature with ten heads or ten horns and seven heads is a type of the kingdom and the king. And we read here that one of his heads, as it were, was wounded to death. Not the man himself. Not the one that we're going to read about in this passage. But it says one of his heads. One of the seven heads was wounded. This is Greece. It was wounded to death. Greece is no more. You see, Rome was on the throne when this man stalked the earth. And then it says, his deadly wound was healed. He is speaking now about a revival of an empire. Yes, a resurrection of an empire, which is Greece in the future. And out of that comes one who reigns over a resurrected empire. typified by the large body of the leopard. Now God is not going to name the leopard one thing in chapter seven and in chapter eight of Daniel and then name it something else in chapter thirteen. God is a consistent teacher and if only we could understand if only we could stop following always following a man and get into the Word of God and see what God has to say, I believe we would be considerably better as students of the Word. Make sure that what you believe is in the book. That's what we all do in the assemblies. We are certain of our stand, and there we stand. Go help us God. We don't want to be moved from those convictions. And we're there because they are our convictions. And so we must treat the whole of the scripture in the same manner. It says they worshipped the dragon. Now I read, oh, I love how many commentaries I have. Dr. Ironside had over a hundred commentaries on the revelation. I see them. I don't know. I might have forty or fifty. But oh, so many of them tell me that in the tribulation period the dominant religion is going to be Roman Catholicism. God says here that they worship the dragon. That is devil worship. That's the worship of the Arkham. Several writers of recent days, prophetic words, have come to see that the dominant religion of the tribulation period will be the religion of the occult. Go to Philadelphia. Go to LA. And you'll see placards inviting men, women, to the worship of the devil. Great, big placards call attention to devil worshippers. Double Day used to have just one title on astrology. And when I had the task of teaching Satanology in the college, I had to investigate books, books, books on the subject. And I found that Double Day, who once had one volume, now have one hundred and twenty-eight volumes on astrology. You can get a book on the astrology of your unborn child, the astrology of your dog, the astrology of your cat, crazy, crazy doctrines. But the worst of it all is that behind it is the religion of Nimrod, the raising up of worship. that had to do with worshiping the sun, the moon, and the stars. Nimrod and his people were building a tower in Genesis, weren't they? Chapter fourteen. I've heard it taught that they were building a tower that would reach up into the heavens. Those people weren't that dumb. Why those Babylonians, those ancient Chaldeans, They knew algebra. They knew how long the solar year was. We say the solar year is three hundred sixty-five days, five hours, forty-eight minutes, and forty-two seconds. And they were only five hours off of our modern computation with atomic tools to work with. Babylon or the old Chaldeans exchanged medical information with the Egyptians. They exchanged mathematical equations with the Egyptians and the Egyptians with the Chaldeans. We must not think of these people as wearing loincloths and carrying big clubs and taking their wives by the hair and going down for a restaurant occasionally. No, no. Maybe the wife would be in the pot. No. That's not the idea. Yes, they were primitive people in many ways. But let me tell you, you already need to study Genesis chapter four until you see that they were not a group of dumbbells. And I believe that when Nimrod suggested the tower, that it was a tower, a step pyramid, a ziggurat, that was built under the worship of the heavens. In fact, it is said that his wife's name was Semiramis, the moon goddess. I was in Syria. I stayed in Damascus in the hotel Semiramis. I felt that it was a bum deal to give me a room in that hotel with such an awful name, degraded name. But you know, he was worshipped. Semiramis was worshipped. Other gods and goddesses were worshipped. And they were building a ziggurat, which is like this, a stone foundation. Up in, up, in, up, in. And on the top was the altar to the sun god. And they offered sacrifices to the sun god. It was the beginning of astrology. And believe me, you would think that being that close to the flood and so close to what God Almighty did and what He did to revive life and so far on the face of the earth, that they would have had some understanding of who and what God is. But they were filled with the dream of worshiping the sun, moon, and star. And so it was built a tower unto the heavens, not upward to the heavens. But it was dedicated to the worship. And now we have them worshiping the dragon. In the future, worshiping Satan. Today, worshiping Satan. A couple of young people were saved. out of the church of Satan and came into the Philadelphia College of Bible to study the word and give their lives through Christ and his service. I listened to tapes recently of a couple that were saved and entered into Moody Bible Institute as former worshippers of Satan. And I heard their testimony. The outstanding witch of all England has been saved. through the Billy Graham campaign there. I heard her testimony on tape. I have it at home. It is a positively thrilling testimony to the grace of God that can reach down and lift up a person whose whole life was dedicated to the worship of and pleasing faith. And yet in the future, it is suggested in this passage that they will worship the devil and that's the worship of God now. I believe it would be the religion. Oh, but just say her name is called Babylon. The Scarlet Woman's name is Babylon. Isn't that a nickname or a surname for Rome? No. Her name is Babylon because her name is Babylon. And what is she? She's the mother of harlots. And when you read of harlotry in such a context in scriptures, you read of false religion. And her name is Babylon, because Babylon is the mother of all false religion. And so, this man worships the devil. And furthermore, the people worship the devil, and they give power unto the beast. He is in control of all worship. And they worship the beast, And they said, who is like under the beast? He's a representative of the outcult on the earth, who is able to make war with him. And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies. And look what else he does. It was given to him to continue forty and two months, three and a half years, the last three and a half years. and he opened his mouth the blaspheme God in verse six and then he pours out his hatred toward believers at that time in six and seven and so we read of this character yet future I believe one who will arrive out of the Middle East and who will become a ruler of the vast empire and who will become At first the friend of Israel, but then the enemy of all Israel. Now there is another character in verse eleven of this same chapter. Some question and ask about this character. I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth. Notice this is not the sea. It is the earth. The earth is the opposite of the sea. This word in the Greek language is day, G-E, death, death. Earth sometimes is used of a particular part of the earth, a nation with such and such a day, death. That's how it's used here. It refers to a land and the land of God Love for Israel. I think this is homicide. This man that arises is not a political figure because he is the false prophet. He looks like a lamb. He is a religious figure. Antichrist is a religious figure. So many people make of him a political figure. And God says he is antichrist. until in the Greek. It can mean that he's against Christ. But the more useful, the greater use of the word until, according to great scholars such as Robertson and Diceman and so forth, is that the word means instead of. Antichrist is a Christ offered instead of. of Jesus Christ. He is against Christ's truth, but he is offered to men instead of Christ. And Israel, you see, that's the heart of it all. Now look at it. It says, he spake as a dragon. He's got the same voice as this political figure. Yes, is his representative politically. But now notice he exercises all the power the first beast before him. He has an alliance with the political figures. He also handles not only religion, but he handles commerce. And so he's allied to the political power. But he is dominantly a religious figure. He directs worship. And then what do you notice? That it says, he causes the earth and them that dwelleth therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. He causes the world to worship the beast who is represented by the empire that had a deadly wound, it passed off the political scene, off the historical scene. It was revived in this person as the Greek Empire. And he drew it great wonders. He's a miracle worker. He'd make it fire to come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. That's very conclusive to the Jews. That makes them think of Old Testament carriages. And so he deceived them to dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast, in the sight of the political power. So he's a miracle working person. And you know, if one comes working miracles, it's pretty hard to downgrade that person, isn't it? It's always been a means of fooling people. And so, keep in mind that Messiah had certain credentials. He was to come working miracles. And so Jesus Christ came. He had power over death, power over darkness, power of the devil, power over demons, power over disease. He had all the credentials of Messiah. And he is Messiah. This man comes working miracles. It persuades the people. And notice he says to them to dwell on the earth. That they should make an image. These are people that dwell on the land. This is Palestine. That they should make an image to the beast. The political leader. Which had the wound by a sword and did live. Let's just characterize this. Suppose we're talking here, I don't think we are, but suppose we're talking about the Ayatollah who wants to be worshipped, who offers himself to a nation who will worship him. I know he is a Shiite, and he would say worship God, only one God, but the whole nation, with your exception, bow down before that man whose mind is diabolical. And out there there are many pictures of that person. In Russia there are many pictures of Stalin. In Germany many pictures of Hitler. You see these people who want worship from those who are their underladens. They want something that constantly reminds the people. of who they are and what they can do. And so this man, Antichrist, sets up an image of this one who is the beast, the emperor who demands the deified. And unfortunately, an image of this man is set up in the temple, which will be rebuilt in Jerusalem. It is not planned for rebuilding now. Don't ever, ever swallow that story. It is not now being planned to be rebuilt. The priesthood is being planned. I know that for a fact. I have the best of evidence on that, but not the temple. I read in a magazine that should know better that all of the stone had been quarried in Indiana. put on flat cars and take them down as a coach. And that out in Israel all the pillars are in place. That is nonsense. The Knesset is too smart to say, let's rebuild the temple. They have enough trouble without getting a world of four hundred million Muslims on them tomorrow. They have enough trouble. The Knesset would never approve it. But there will come a time There will be a day when the temple will be rebuilt. That is Scripture, and it appears in the prophetic word. And so the image of this awful character, the political figure, is put up in the temple, and even the Antichrist appears there, and both the Antichrist and this character are worshipped. by Israel that's a terrible thing God had to destroy the ten northern tribes bringing in the Assyrians because they chose to worship false gods God had to take hold of his battle acts which was Nebuchadnezzar and bring in the Babylonian to chastise and carry away the two southern tribes for their false worship. And now, in the time of the end, watch this, and this is a clue that might help someone with a question last night. In the time of the end, Israel will join itself to a false worship. And that's why in Daniel nine, God said, because you walk after a false God, you are like chicks that take refuge under the wings of the mother hand in time of difficulty. Because when nations are threatening you, as Israel, you run and take refuge under the wings of a desolator because you've done it. He said, in nine, twenty-six, twenty-seven, I'll send in a real decimator. Someone said to me last night, I guess that's why Russia comes down and mentions something. And I thought to myself, no, I can't get into it. But you know, Israel is going to be chastised by God in the last three and a half years because they take refuge under the wings of a desolator, a nation whose leader will represent, ostensibly represent God. And it's the greatest act of infidelity that Israel has ever purchased. And that's the reason why God sends in the great colossus of the north, which is Russia. And Russia moves into the land as a chastisement for Israel. And to chastise Israel, Russia, moves in with all her colleagues. But not only to chastise Israel, but the real purpose in the Russian mind. He doesn't know God's mind. But the real purpose in the Russian mind is to move into the land and go down and possess Egypt. And Daniel, eleven, forty to forty-five, tells us that Russia will conquer Egypt. and have access to all that Egypt represents and swears and so forth. And then an ominous note comes out of the north and out of the east. And now the beast marches his armies in the north, and in from the east comes the nations of the sun rising. And that's a threat to Russia. And Russia moves back. And in Daniel, he's seven forty to forty-five. It says that Russia would plant military palaces in the mountains. In other words, it would set up its defenses there. But no nation would destroy Russia. God Almighty has reserved the destruction of Russia and her allies for himself. And those allies have set before us. And he's seeking it from you. But this man, who we call Antipas, is a religious figure. He demands the worship of the beast, of Daniel Samuel. And I believe that that man represents a revived form of Grecian power represented by the lepers in the end of the age. And so, as you come to the end of the chapter, you find that this man has a number, six, six, six. I have in my notes at home, I think about a hundred and twenty-five uses of six, six, six. I think people give themselves to concern about something here that they cannot know precisely what it means. I'm not going to waste time. I'm not going to be in the tribulation period. Did you know that? And neither are you if you're in Christ. And let them solve that problem then. Don't try to solve it now. Six, six, six. I don't know what it means. And I'm not going to guess. And I'm not going to run around after people who say they know. No. I got more better use than that. Better use is just to take the book and now and study it. And what I... Don't believe God has revealed, he said, Lord, in due time, you'll reveal what we offer you to the master. Now that may answer some questions you can ask me. So put it all together. I have three minutes. Put it all together. We have an emperor who's going to rise out of ten feet. He's going to conquer four. Why four? His and three others. Why? Because the divided empire, the Greeks, was divided. That is, it existed in four parts. Oh, God has written in many ways how that empire will be raised up. He conquers four states, his own three others. And so Greece has risen from the dust again. In chapter eight, there it is. And it says that the leader of that coalition or state will be put down by the Prince of Britain, the Lord Jesus Christ. So I know it's the man of the end of the age. And Daniel in heaven, he's called the King of the North. Because he is definitely out of a northern part of the Greek Empire. And it will swoop down within the ages of the Greek Empire. He's also doubtless alive. In the day when it's all fulfilled, he's alive with Russia to the north. And so Assyria is written about by Isaiah. The Assyrian is this thing that we have. Now the Lord bless his mercy. If we have helped to make the wheels turn a little bit more, wonderful. Nothing wrong with study. What's wrong? It's wrong with hearing a thing and saying, that's it, without checking the description. Oh, beloved, remember, this book is God's Word. We handle it with care. And so we read, we study, to the best of our ability, and we teach what we believe to be the truth of the Word. Now, thank you for coming. And for putting up with me, with this goofy voice of mine, I only lost my voice like this twice on other cases. And my wife never seems to lose hers, but I lose mine. How about it, Dally? Well, the Lord bless her. And bless you. And keep on keeping on with the word. Many good books in that bookstore about there. And you can get some prophetic help, I'm sure. and build a library and get the study. Some of you are semi-retired or retired. Just don't get so tired that you don't study. Get into the book. Get into the book and just remember that I also believe that in heaven we're going to keep on learning. My oh my, to create a thing like a mine and then have it snuffed out at sixty-five, seventy-five, eighty-five. That doesn't look to me like something God would do. And I don't think we're going to strum a harp in heaven. I've got something else to do. I think we're going to spend an eternity with God and we'll be instructed. We shall know as we're known. And I believe that we're going to love. Happy is the Christian who studies here. You better do it. Because you'll have to be used to some of it over there. Now, you can quote that, but just remember, I don't have chapter and verse one. I'm just a man of a little life. Tell me that.