Unveiling Jesus Christ

Unveiling Jesus Christ

por John Cassinat

[§221] Rev 13:5: Satan Has a Mouth [Power] Given Him 42 Months

This podcast explains the symbolism and imagery used by John in Revelation 13:5 to describe the Great Apostasy that began after the fall of Rome in 476 AD and before the start of papal authority in 607 AD. John describes the Great Apostasy saying: “And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.” Many interpret this verse to mean that the Dragon (Satan) gave to HIM (the First Beast) a mouth speaking great things, etc. However, the HIM in verse 5 refers to the Dragon who was given a mouth from God to speak great things and blasphemies throughout the world. The First Beast is a symbol for the Roman Empire as just one geographical location in the world where the much larger Great Apostasy was a universal and worldwide loss of truth and priesthood authority, including the church on the western hemisphere among the Nephites and the church among the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel. Revelation 13:5 indicates that the worldwide apostasy lasted 42 months, which is a prophetic period of evil equal to 3½ years or 1260 days. In this case, the 1260 days are prophetic days of years or 1260 years. From John’s perspective, the Great Apostasy was measured as the period of time when there were no legal administrators of the priesthood anywhere on the earth. This means that the 1260 years ended when The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints was restored with priesthood administrators in 1830. Working backwards from this date, the Great Apostasy began on or about 570 A.D. This date corresponds to the translation of the Lost Ten Tribes as the last legal administrators of the priesthood on the earth until the restoration of priesthood authority in 1830. This podcast also explains the difference in John’s 1260 day apostasy in Revelation 13:5 and Daniel’s 1290 day apostasy in Daniel 12:11. Revelation 13:5 defines the apostasy as an absence of priesthood authority, while Daniel 12:11 defines the apostasy as a flood of spiritual darkness that began with the Roman Abomination of Desolation in 70 A.D. The spiritual darkness began to end in 1360 A.D., as the spiritual light of the Renaissance began to emerge and the power of the popes began to decline in the Holy Roman Empire.

[§220] Rev 13:4: Worship of the Dragon and the First Beast

This podcast explains the symbolism used by John in Revelation 13:4 to describe worship in the period of time from the fall of Rome in 476 AD until 607 AD, when Phocus‒the Emperor in Constantinople‒decreed that the bishop in Rome was chief among all other bishops and clergy in the Roman empire. This verse covers more than 100 years between the fall of Rome and the emergence of papal authority in what would later become the Holy Roman Empire. Revelation 13:4 states that "they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?” This verse describes two separate forms of worship, homage, adoration or reverence for things that are not of God. The first form relates to the worship of the Dragon or Satan, which is more universal and worldwide than the worship of the First Beast in the Roman Empire. The worship of the Dragon includes locations like the American continent and all other lands outside the territories of the Roman Empire as of the early seventh century AD. By that time the Great Apostasy was universal in all the world, including apostasy among the Nephites in America and apostasy last of all among the Lost Ten Tribes no later than 570 AD. The worship of the First Beast in the Roman Empire is also tantamount to worship of Satan, who gave the First Beast his power, his seat, and his great authority in Revelation 13:3. As the power of the imperial Roman emperors declined and the power of the pope's increased, worshipers in the Roman Empire rhetorically asked: “Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?” The first question is a parody on the true worship of God. This verse means that earthly ministers of the First Beast (Roman Empire) had elevated themselves to a position above even God. The second question is a rhetorical recognition that there was no power on earth that could defeat or overcome the power of the popes in ancient Rome.

[§219] Rev 13:3: Imperial Rome Dies and Papal Rome Lives On

This podcast explains the symbolic images used by John in Revelation 13:3 to describe the end of the Imperial Roman Empire that fell with Rome in 476 AD, and the rise of papal power in the Holy Roman Empire over the course of hundreds of years. John describes these historical events in symbolic terms, saying: “I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.” (Rev 13:3) There are many and diverse views about the meaning of this verse. One of the seven heads on the symbolic First Beast was mortally wounded by the sword when Germanic tribesmen from the north conquered Rome. The Roman Empire then began to divide into the modern nations of Europe represented by the 10 horns and 10 crowns on the head of the First Beast that died. However, that same head revived as the emerging nations of Europe gave their allegiance to the power of the popes. A major milestone in this revival occurred when Leo III, the Roman bishop and pope at Rome, coronated Charlemagne as the first emperor of the Holy Roman Empire in 800 AD. After this major milestone, the power of the papacy increased to the point that the popes had supremacy over all heads of state in the time of Gregory VII (1073-1095 AD). The popes reached the height of their power in the days of innocent III (1198-1216 AD), and this power continued for the next 100 years. Papal power finally began to decline with the death of Pope Boniface VIII in 1303. This demise of papal power coincided in time with the emerging spiritual light of the Renaissance predicted in Daniel 12:11. In this verse, Daniel said there would be 1290 years of spiritual darkness like a flood from the time of the Roman Abomination of Desolation in 70 AD. Revelation 13:3 also indicates that throughout the Dark Ages, people in the Roman Empire worshiped and wondered after the First Beast. This means they were astonished by the degree of power possessed by the Roman popes and worshipped them as they worshiped the Roman emperors before them.

[§218] Rev 13:2: The First Beast Had the Power of Prior Kingdoms

This podcast explains and interprets the symbolism found in Revelation 13:2, which states: “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: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.” The beast represents the ancient Roman Empire, which incorporates the brutality and tyranny of other empires before it. The beast has the body of a spotted leopard that Daniel 7 identified as the Greek empire. The beast had feet like a bear, which Daniel 7 identified as the Medo-Persian Empire. The beast also had the mouth of a lion, which Daniel 7 identified as a symbol for the Babylonian empire. Satan's power and dominion within each of these prior empires is consolidated into and becomes part of the composite power of the First Beast in Revelation 13. In Revelation 13:2, the Dragon, representing Satan or the devil, gave his power, seat, and authority to the disembodied spirit of Cain as the spiritual head of Satan's dominion within the Roman Empire as of 70 AD. This podcast also explains from whence Satan derived his power when he was Lucifer in the premortal existence.

[§217] Rev 13:1: A Beast [Rome] Rises from the Sea in 70 AD

This podcast explains the symbolic imagery used by John in Revelation 13:1, which states: “I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.” In this verse, the image of a First Beast rises from the sea which represents the bottomless pit, the abyss, and hell. The disembodied spirit of Cain, who is perdition, is the spiritual head of this First Beast and he received his power from Satan (the Dragon). The First Beast represents the Roman empire, as the earthly instrumentality of Satan. After rising from the sea, the First Beast stood upon the seashore symbolizing power and dominion in the Roman Empire. The image of a beast is used to symbolize the Roman empire because of its untamable ferocity toward the ancient church of Jesus Christ. The beast has seven heads. This image confirms the symbolic connection to Rome that was built on seven hills. The beast has 10 horns to symbolize that it exercises one part of the whole of God's power given to it. The beast also has 10 crowns that represent its regal power forcefully taken. The name Blasphemy is inscribed on each of the seven heads of this first beast. Examples are given in this podcast of how the Roman Empire blasphemed the name of God and Jesus Christ during its long history.

[§216] John’s Vision of the Two Beasts Compared with Nephi’s Visions

This podcast compares the apocalyptic writings of Nephi found in 1 Nephi 13 and 14 in the Book of Mormon with the apocalyptic writings of John found in Revelation 13. 1 Nephi 13 covers the period of time from the death of the apostles no later than 70 AD, until the restoration of the gospel in 1830. John's description of this same period of time can be found in Revelation 13:1-11. John and Nephi both describe Satan's kingdom on earth after 70 AD, which John identifies as the symbolic First Beast, and which Nephi identifies as the great and abominable church. The devil is the foundation for the great and abominable church, which was formed after the apostles died and apostate members of the ancient church introduced false doctrines and false ordinances among church members until the true Church ceased to exist during the period of the great apostasy. Both John and Nephi describe this in Revelation 13 and 1 Nephi 13, respectively. 1 Nephi 14 covers the period of time from the restoration of the gospel in 1830 until the Second Coming. John's description of the same time can be found in Revelation 13:12-18. After 1830, Nephi states that there are only two churches on earth. One is the church of the Lamb which is the only true and living church upon the earth that offers salvation. All other churches are called the church of the devil‒not because all other churches are wholly evil‒but because they take people away from salvation offered in the church of the Lamb. John describes these other churches, including both secular and religious institutions, as a Second Beast that looks like a lamb, but speaks like a dragon. John’s symbolism of the Second Beast in Revelation 13:12 matches perfectly the description of the church of the devil given in 1 Nephi 14:10. Nephi confirms that his apocalyptic visions are the same as those seen by John in the Book of Revelation. However, Nephi was forbidden to write the details of his complimentary vision because John was foreordained to write the vision.

[§215] An Overview of Satan’s Kingdom [Two Beasts] in Revelation 13

This podcast provides an overview and explanation of the signs and symbols used by John to describe the kingdom of Satan on earth from about 70 AD to the Second Coming. In Revelation 13:1-8, John describes Satan's war on the remnant of Christ's ancient church through the instrumentality of the First Beast which represents the Roman empire. This First Beast entirely overcame the ancient church of Jesus Christ during the Great Apostasy. Revelation 13:9-11 symbolically describes the Renaissance and Reformation. In Revelation 13:12, John sees a Second Beast rising from the earth which represents Satan's latter-day kingdom that looks like a lamb but speaks like a dragon. The rise of the Second Beast corresponds in time with the restoration of the gospel in 1830. This Second Beast represents all institutions‒both secular and religious‒which lead people away from the true latter-day Church of Jesus Christ. Revelation 13:13-18 focuses primarily on the power of the Second Beast during the last 3½ years before the Second Coming in the period of the Great Tribulation, when the two witnesses will also minister in Jerusalem as described by John in Revelation 11.

[§214] Rev 12:17: The Dragon Makes War on the Woman’s Seed

This podcast explains the symbolism found in Revelation 12:17, which states: “The dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” The historical context and timeframe for this verse is 70 AD, after the Roman Abomination of Desolation destroyed Jerusalem, Herod's Temple, and the Jewish nation as a whole. This violence was symbolically described by John in Revelation 12:15-16. After the violence in 70 AD, verse 17 indicates that the Dragon (Satan) was wroth with the woman who represents the ancient church of Jesus Christ in the meridian of time. Satan was wroth because his efforts to destroy the ancient church physically during the First Jewish War had failed. A remnant of the woman's seed still remained, and he went forth to make war upon that remnant. John tells us specifically that the remnant were those saints after 70 AD that kept the commandments of God and remained firm in their testimony of Jesus Christ. Satan’s war against the Christian remnant after 70 AD included persecution and martyrdom, as well as a growing apostasy from within and among the faithful remnant. The seeds of apostasy were planted among the ancient members of the church, but these seeds of apostasy began to take root and grow in the aftermath of the violence in 70 AD. John's description of Satan's war against the remnant of the church after 70 AD is further evidence that the ancient church was not in a state of apostasy nor was it taken into the wilderness of heaven in Revelation 12:14 as some scholars suggest. The Great Apostasy begins as part of Satan's continuing war against the remnant of the church after 70 AD.

[§213] Rev 12:15-16: Flood Water Threatens the Woman in 70 AD

This podcast interprets the symbolic language found in Revelation 12:15-16, which states: “And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.” In these verses, the serpent is a symbol for Satan acting through the Roman Empire, which is Satan’s mouthpiece or source of the flood. The flood of water is the violence perpetrated by the Roman Empire on the ancient Christian church represented by the woman. This flood of violence occurred in the 3½ years leading up to the Abomination of Desolation in 70 AD, when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and Herod's Temple. This occurred during the First Jewish War that was ostensibly perpetrated by Rome against the Jews but, according to Revelation 12:15, had the woman (the ancient church of Jesus Christ) as Satan's real target. The violence of the flood in the days of Noah is remarkably descriptive of the violence perpetrated by Rome in 70 AD. To explain the violence of the flood imagery, this podcast explores the meaning of the statement in Genesis 7:11 that the fountains of the great deep were broken up on the day of the flood in Noah's day. This podcast goes back to the first and second days of the physical creation to explain the origin of the fountains of the great deep, which began as a subterranean ocean that formed through the creative processes according to natural laws that have always existed. Before his death, the Savior warned members of his ancient church that the Abomination of Desolation was coming and that they would have to flee Judea and Jerusalem to avoid the violence of the Roman flood. Faithful members of the church heeded this warning and escaped to Pella located on the east side of the Jordan river in Perea. The symbol of the earth helping the woman means that church members, by their own earthly means, were able to avoid the Roman flood. The imagery may suggest that the waters of the Jordan River were "swallowed up" so that the Christians could pass through the Jordan riverbed on dry ground. However, there is nothing in recorded history or tradition to suggest that this occurred.

[§212] Rev 12:14: The Church Is Nourished in the Wilderness

This podcast interprets the symbolism found in Revelation 12:14, which states: “To the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.” (Rev 12:14) The context for this verse is the persecution of the Christian church after the death of Jesus Christ and prior to the destruction of the temple at Jerusalem in 70 AD. In this timeframe, members of the ancient church were initially persecuted by the Jews in and around Jerusalem. Revelation 12:14 symbolically describes how the woman representing the earthly church was protected and nourished by the two wings of the Great Eagle. The eagle was an emblem and standard for the Roman empire at that time. Thus, the Roman empire protected the ancient church in the wilderness of the Roman empire beyond Jerusalem, where all religions were generally accepted and tolerated. The woman of the ancient church was protected in the Roman wilderness for a time, times, and half time, representing the symbolic number 3½. In this case, this symbolic number means the 3½ decades from the death of Jesus Christ to the destruction of the temple in 70 AD. During this period of the apostolic era, the ancient church was protected against the serpent who represents Satan, but also the Roman empire as Satan’s earthly agent. Unfortunately, as the end of the apostolic era approached, the Roman Dragon turned on the woman in the time of Nero. After his edicts against Christians in 64 AD, the Roman wilderness ceased to be a place of spiritual refuge. However, even at the time of the Abomination of Desolation in 70 AD, the Christians were protected because they followed the warning of the Savior to flee Judea to Pella in Perea as the Roman armies encircled Jerusalem and ultimately destroyed the city. Many scholars in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints interpret the symbolism in Revelation 12:14, as the Great Apostasy when the ancient earthly church was taken up into heaven. This podcast explains why that interpretation is not correct.

23 de 30