The 700 Club - August 26, 2011

Satan felt at home there. In the first century, it was the place where Satan dwells. In the 20th, it inspired Adolf Hitler. From the first burnt sacrifice . . . . Believers were killed for this. . . . . to the final solution. Jewish people in Germany were subjects of the Reich but not citizens. Discover the mystery of the Pergamum altar, on today's 700 Club. Welcome to The 700 Club. For today's headlines, let's go over to the CBN News Desk. Gordon, people up and down the east coast are battening down the hatches. Overnight, Hurricane Irene weakened slightly to a category two storm, but the National Hurricane Center says it could regain its category three strength, and experts say that for millions of Americans, this will be the hurricane of a lifetime. Here's Efrem Graham. All along the east coast, the message from the government and emergency officials is the same. This is a hurricane to take seriously. We've got to shore up everything that's loose. People don't realize the strength of hurricane winds. A light object becomes a missile. There's no excitement that's worth dying. More than a half a dozen states from North Carolina to New York have declared states of emergency. Irene currently stretches 1,000 miles wide. That's bigger than the state of Texas, and winds are as high as 110 miles an hour. More than 65 million Americans are in the storm's line of fire. I'm always worried about storms. It's going to go through one of the most populated areas on the east coast. North Carolina residents are bracing for a direct blow. Boarded windows with messages to Irene can be seen all along the Outer Banks. Our windows are rated for, I think, I want to say 130 miles an hour, and I hope that's true, but there's only one way to test it, and I don't want to find out. One hundred and eighty National Guard troops will be on the ground in North Carolina with 2,300 on standby. The state's governor is asking those who are choosing to ride out the storm to reconsider. We can always rebuild, but we cannot replace lost lives. Efrem Graham, CBN News. And for more on what we can expect from Irene, we turn to Mark Mancuso of AccuWeather. Mark. Powerful Hurricane Irene continues to churn off the southeast coast of the US, continues to move northward, getting closer and closer to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. This system will sweep rapidly up along the east coast this weekend, and this is a serious threat to lives and property from eastern North Carolina right up into southern New England. Once you get west of I-95, the impact is a lot less. But from I-95 closer to the coast, huge problems here with heavy rain, high winds. Expect a lot of power outages in these areas and right along the immediate coast a lot of destruction, not only from the winds, but also from the storm surge and it's battering ways. Now, this is going to be a big rainfall producer. No doubt about that. From eastern North Carolina right up at the mid Atlantic coast and into southern and central New England, four to eight inches of rain. Locally, 10 inches. Combine that with these tropical storm to hurricane force winds, a lot of trees will be knocked down, and that will lead to a lot of power outages. So right along the immediate coast here and up into the New England states. That's where we'll see the worst of it, starting Friday in North Carolina and then continuing up the coast into the New England states on Sunday. These winds will be strong, over 100 miles an hours at times right along the immediate coast into southern New England. Now the surge will be significant here, especially in eastern North Carolina. Combine that with some battering waves, we'll see a lot of problems at the coast with beach erosion and flooding. Mark Mancuso of AccuWeather. Mark, thank you. East coast utilities are preparing for widespread and lengthy power outages. High winds are the biggest threat, along with downed trees and flooding. An unusually large number of people may be affected by the storm. That's because Irene is forecasted to stay just offshore, as Mark mentioned, and retain much of its power as it moves north along the Eastern Seaboard. East Coast refineries are starting to shut down, and that's boosting gas prices. Once the storm passes, it may take several days for them to start operating again. CBN's Operation Blessing is ready to help victims of Hurricane Irene. OB will help people recover their belongings and clean up their property, and it will provide meals, water, hygiene kits, and even hot showers. We've got more Hurricane Irene coverage, including links to help you track the storm. And you can find it on our website at CBNNews.com. Iran's president says there will be no room for Israel after the formation of a Palestinian state. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made that comment after a day of pro-Palestinian rallies Friday. Those rallies were part of an annual demonstration called Quds Day, when Iranian officials to show their support for Palestine and condemn Israel. This isn't the first time Ahmadinejad has expressed anti-Israeli views. In 2005, he said Israel should be, quote, "wiped off the map." Summer is over for millions of children. It's back to school and back to the books. But some parents are trying out a new teaching method this year, one that allows their kids to have a summer break mentality all year round. Heather Sells reports. It's called unschooling. With this method children are in control of their own learning. Instead of sitting down with an English or math book, the kids go to museums or watch educational television. Diane Targovnik is an advocate. She says that kids can learn many fundamentals from real world experiences. Because if you've ever tried to build a fort, you'll realize that geometry comes in there. Carpentry comes in there. Life science and thinking come in there. Targovnik and a group of parents in Arizona have started the Phoenix Rising Free School. They have a list of potential courses for kids to take that include typical topics like math and history. But there are also options like climbing a tree. Will they know the capitals of the 50 states? No, maybe not, unless it interests them. But they'll know how to get the information, and in today's world that's what really counts. Some psychiatrists caution that kids need structure. And they say that pre-adolescent brains can't reach higher levels without help. But parents involved in the Phoenix Rising Free school disagree. They learned to walk, and they learned to talk when they were ready. And I thought, why should that stop at five or six? Targovnik says that, as a private school, they can issue diplomas; and as long as students choose to take the SATs, college is an option. Heather Sells, CBN News. Fascinating. Half the United States will be obese by the year 2030. A Columbia University study finds that 164 million American adults will be obese by that year unless the trend changes. That could lead to millions of diabetes cases, heart disease, stroke, and cancer. Those are today's top stories. Now, here's a look at what's coming up on The 700 Club. Still ahead . . . . There was a huge sign which said, "Death is not permitted here." . . . . a visit to one of the first hospitals in history. If a snake slithered across you while you were sleeping at night. That was a divine sign that healing power was coming to you. For years, advertisers have focused on younger adults, those aged 18 to 49. Now, baby boomers are considered the most powerful consumers in the marketplace. Charlene Israel shows us why the tables have turned in favor of the older generation. Linda Salzman loves being a grandmother, but she quickly points out that doesn't mean she's over the hill. I've always believed that age is just that; it's a number. My age, I'm 56, but it doesn't dictate my life to me. She loves to travel and have fun without playing the traditional part of Grandma. Tell you the truth, I get a lot of things from the junior department, because it fits me. And I've tried to look—I really have—I've tried to look in more my age group, and it just doesn't work for me. That seems to be the overall attitude of baby boomers, the generation following World War II. At 77 million strong, three-quarters of baby boomers consider themselves middle aged or younger. When I was 25, I thought 50-something was old. Now that I'm 56, 80 doesn't even sound old. Author Matt Thornhill writes about that attitude and much more in his book, Boomer Consumer: Valuable Insights into the Hearts, Minds, and Wallets of Today's Baby Boomers. They're doing things at age 60 that no one's ever done before. My favorite example is that in 2009, at age 60, Bruce Springsteen did 79 live tour events. And he earned more revenue in his concert tour than did Coldplay and the Jonas Brothers combined that same year. Thornhill said this phenomenon caught the ad industry by surprise. It's truly amazing that marketers, who are supposed to be on top of consumer behavior and understand how to motivate consumers to buy things, have missed this. He points out the target has always been those from age 18 to 49. If you were 50, most marketers treated you as if you were either invisible, dead, or just an old person, a senior citizen. I'm 51 myself, and it's like, "Wait a second, I'm still a consumer. I still buy things. I'm not just in the market for a Cadillac or Depends." Americans over the age of 65 will increase from 40 million in 2010 to more than 70 million in 2020. That could translate into huge profits for some companies. They spend 3.5 trillion dollars annually on goods and services, people under 45 about 2.3 trillion. Why would you not be marketing to the ones that spend at least 1.2 trillion more than the younger folks? Every time you get hungry, you turn into a diva. Just eat it, so we can all coexist. Ooh, I turn into a diva! Put it in your system. Retirees spend almost four hours per weekday in front of the TV, a full 75 minutes more screen time each day than the population as a whole. Boomers also consume more mass media than younger consumers. Not only do they watch TV, they read magazines. They read these things called "newspapers" which no one under 40 reads. They drive around in cars, listen to the radio. They see billboards. They're on the Internet. They're the fastest growing groups on social media. Author David Weigelt says boomers are more tech savvy than ever. Eighty percent of boomers are now using some form of a Smartphone, and we just think that's going to be huge in terms of how marketers can reach and engage these consumers. I have everything "i." I have an iPhone. I have an iPad, and I have an iPod. And the reason for that is I love it. I love gadgets. But also, it helps me and my grandchildren to stay connected. When it comes to energy drinks, youth and younger consumers tend to come to mind. But some makers of these products are now including older consumers in their marketing plans. I went to AARP's convention this past year down in Orlando, and I actually took my grandmother with me. And as we were walking up and down the aisles, I was watching her take in these new computers that are being built for boomers and seniors and so forth. And you know what she was struck by most were these energy drinks. So the energy drinks, which we think are for the young, are actually now targeting boomers and seniors as well. Thornhill says if companies are smart, they will follow suit. If you want to grow your company, if you want to sell more candy bars, if you want to sell more cars, if you want to sell more anything, you have to figure out how do I include 50-plus in my marketing? If I don't, I'm going to lose out. I'm going to shrink my business and not grow my business. Charlene Israel, CBN News. Boomers are now seniors. Boy, that doesn't make me feel young. The reason why advertisers for decades targeted the 18 to 49 is they had it in their heads that we identify with specific brands and the time to get that branding, if you will, for a product is in that age group. By the time you're 50, you're less likely to drive a different kind of car or eat different kinds of food or wear different kinds of clothes. But now they're finding all that research is wrong, because we all seem to be changing more than ever and adapting more than ever. And I think it's a good thing. Do you feel catered to? Very. And not in a good way. But we'll be right back with more of The 700 Club. Stay with us. Up next . . . . It was one of the darkest, eeriest cities in the whole Roman Empire. The horrors of human sacrifice. They would take the victim, place him inside the bull, then light a huge fire under the bull. And as the fire heated the bronze, the person inside the bull would slowly begin to roast to death. The city known as the seat of Satan, next. In the Book of Revelation, Jesus told the apostle John to write letters to seven churches in Asia Minor. One of them was the church in Pergamum. Jesus called this city the place where Satan dwells. And recently, I went to the ruins of Pergamum to find out how the city earned its reputation as the seat of Satan. I, John, was on the island that is called Patmos. I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, "To the angel of the church in Pergamum write, 'I know your works and where you dwell, where Satan's throne is. And you hold fast to My name and did not deny My faith even in the days in which Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.'" (Revelation 2:12) Today, all that's left of Pergamum are ruins. But when the apostle John wrote his letter to the church there, it was one of the most influential cities in the Roman Empire. Pergamum had a unique status that was different than any other city, because it was the political center. And it was from there that all of the rulings were made, which affected the whole of Asia Minor. The cities acropolis rivaled Athens, and it's library was the second largest in the ancient world with a collection so great that the Roman General Marc Antony presented it as a wedding gift to Cleopatra. At the end of the first century, Pergamum was a thriving city, so why does the Book of Revelation call it the dwelling place of Satan? The answer lies in the ruins of the city's temples. On one side, it was a very beautiful city. But on the flip side, it was one of the darkest, eeriest cities in the whole Roman Empire. The people of Pergamum were known as the temple keepers of Asia. The city had three temples dedicated to the worship of the Roman emperor, another for the goddess Athena, and the great altar of Zeus, the king of the Greek gods. Many scholars believe this altar is the throne of Satan mentioned in the Book of Revelation. That word "throne" was first used to describe a chair that was used in a personal private residence, and it was the chair for the lord of the house, the master of the house. The very fact that Jesus would use that word in this verse means Satan felt at home there. He sat on a throne there. It was his territory. He was the master of that house. The city also had a healing center called "The Asclepion." It was built in honor of the Greek serpent god, Asclepius. In the first century, this was a cross between a hospital and a health spa where patients could get everything from mud baths to major surgery. Even the emperors came all the way from Rome to be treated here, but this was no ordinary doctor's visit. If you were a terminal patient, then you were not allowed to go into the Asclepion. And these Asclepion priests didn't want anyone hearing somebody had died in the Asclepion. And in fact, there was a huge sign just above the official entrance to the Asclepion, which said, "Death is not permitted here." So the only way you were going to get in to begin with is if they knew you were going to live. Patients entered through this underground tunnel. Then they drank a sedative and slept here in the dormitories while non-poisonous snakes crawled around them all night. They were told that the serpent god Asclepius would speak to them in their dreams and give them a diagnosis. It was believed that the snakes actually carried the healing power of Asclepius, and if a snake slithered across you while you were sleeping at night, that was a divine sign that healing power was coming to you. The next morning, the patients told their dreams to the priests, who prescribed their treatments. Finally, the patients made clay sculptures of the body parts that needed healing and offered them to Asclepius. The people of Pergamum worshipped a myriad of Greek and Roman gods, but when Christianity arrived with the belief in just one God, the city's pagan priests went on the attack, and their most famous victim was a man named "Antipas." In the Book of Revelation, Jesus called Antipas "My faithful martyr." He was the bishop of Pergamum, ordained by the Apostle John; and his faith got the attention of the priests of Asclepius who complained to the Roman governor in Pergamum. The priests testified that demons appeared to them in their dreams and told them that the prayers of Antipas were driving them out of the city. He had cast out so many devils that the demons, the spirits, had been complaining to pagans, "You've got to do something about this Antipas." Antipas was ordered to offer a sacrifice of wine and incense to a statue of the Roman emperor and declare that the emperor was Lord and God. He refused. If you reject the divinity of the emperor, it's the equivalent of rejecting the city of Rome, and believers were killed for this. Antipas was sentenced to death on the altar of Zeus. Most of that altar survives today, and surrounding it are some of the world's most famous marble friezes. They portray the battle between the Greek gods and the giants. At the top of the altar was a hollow bronze bull, designed for human sacrifice. They would take the victim, place him inside the bull. They would tie him in such a way that his head would go into the head of the bull, then light a huge fire under the bull. And as the fire heated the bronze, the person inside of the bull would slowly begin to roast to death. As the victim would begin to moan and begin to cry out in pain, his cries would go through all of the pipes, which were in the head of the bull, so it seemed to make the bull come alive. Even in the midst of the flames, Antipas died praying for his church. A few years later, the Apostle John wrote the Book of Revelation, mentioning the death of Antipas on this very spot. Here in Pergamum, all that's left is the foundation. Today, the altar of Zeus is more than a thousand miles away. In the 19th century, German engineers dismantled the altar and took it to Berlin. The so-called Throne of Satan went on display in the city's Pergamum Museum in 1930, just in time to inspire one of the most brutal dictators the world has ever seen. Still ahead . . . . There is such a thing as evil in my judgment, and this man is evil. From ancient Pergamum to modern Germany, the seat of Satan redesigned by the Nazis. Speer gives all the credit to Hitler. There were drawings of all these things that were given to Speer by Hitler. Next, on The 700 Club. In 1934, Adolf Hitler appointed Albert Speer as the chief architect of the Nazi party. One of Speer's first assignments was to design the parade grounds for Hitler's rallies in Nuremburg. Speer based his design on a 2,000-year-old pagan altar from the ancient city of Pergamum, a place known in the Book of Revelation as the Seat of Satan. Ancient Pergamum: the center of pagan worship in Asia Minor, once known as the "place where Satan dwells." In the first century, it was a thriving city; but after countless wars and natural disasters, the temples of Pergamum lay in ruins. By the mid-19th century, the once-great city of Pergamum was barely a memory. The locals were using the site as a quarry, looting the marble for new buildings until 1864 when a German engineer paid a visit. Carl Humann was shocked by the destruction of the priceless artifacts, so he got permission to excavate the ancient city himself. And what he found was one of the greatest monuments in history: the altar of Zeus. Stone by stone, the altar was excavated and brought here to Berlin, and then it was reassembled and placed in its own museum. The Pergamum Museum was finished in 1930 with the altar as its centerpiece. Eventually, it caught the eye of a young man named Albert Speer, the new chief architect for the Nazi party. Adolf Hitler had commissioned him to design the parade grounds for the party rallies in Nuremberg. And for inspiration, Speer turned to the Pergamum altar. Speer gives all the credit to Hitler. I think that he's like a good interior decorator that someone hires, and that client already has the ideas of what he wants to do, and the decorator agrees with him and just fulfills them. So that's what Speer did. Using the altar as his model, Speer created a colossal grandstand at the rally grounds. It became known as the Zeppelintribüne. After the war, only a small part of it was left standing. In the middle of the grandstand, where the altar to Zeus stood in ancient Pergamum, Albert Speer built Hitler's podium. Hitler wanted to create what he called a "mass experience," and Speer came up with the perfect idea. Most of the Nuremberg rallies were held at night, so Speer surrounded the grandstand with 150 searchlights. The columns of light extended for miles in the sky, creating the mystical effect Hitler wanted, "The concluding meeting in Nuremberg must be exactly as solemnly and ceremonially performed as a service of the Catholic Church" (Adolph Hitler). This effect was known as the "Cathedral of Light," and it became a hallmark of Hitler's events. It was even used in the closing ceremonies of the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. Hitler is very much aware of German mythology, and any time you look at mythology and gods, you're looking skyward. So I don't think it's an accident that he says to Speer, "Let's create an environment of looking towards the heavens," and that's what it does. Inside the rally grounds, thousands of Nazi party members marched in torchlight parades. These events happen at night, which gives a contrasting effect of fear, of strength, of the unknown, of mystery, and that's all intended by him. He's very theatrical. Torchlight fire has always been part of even pre-Christian beliefs. So I think there's kind of a quasi-mystical, semi-religious content to these torch parades. There are many of them in Nazi Germany. From his podium, Hitler mesmerized the crowds: "Not every one of you sees me, and I do not see every one of you. But I feel you, and you feel me!" Then under the Cathedral of Light, thousands of Germans swore what they called a "holy oath." "Blazing flames hold us together into eternity. No one shall take this faith from those who are dedicated to Germany" (Oath Taken at 1936 Nazi Party Rally). From 1933 to 1938, hundreds of thousands of people gathered here every September for the Nazi Party Congress. But it was the 1934 congress that captured the attention of the world, thanks to what may be the greatest propaganda film of all time. The 1934 party film is the consummate picture of Hitler. That's it. No other film was ever made of Hitler, and he didn't want any other film made of him. Everything that he wanted people to know about the Nazis is in that film. It was shown continuously for 12 years in Germany. Triumph of the Will was directed by a young German actress named Leni Riefenstahl. She was a famous movie star. I would characterize her sort of as the female Indiana Jones. And she was pretty but shapely and popular, romantic films, escapist. Hitler's a bit of a romantic, and so he liked her. The film portrayed Hitler as a godlike figure, the savior of the German people. Hitler's entrance in the film is from the sky, as a messiah would be descending down through the heavens, through the clouds to the faithful waiting for him below. And any time he appears, any people that are anywhere near up close to him have these starry-eyed looks in their eyes, glazed looks almost, as if they're in the presence of an unearthly being. That's intentional. In his speeches, Hitler often borrowed Christian phrases, like in this scene with the Hitler Youth. After they sing their song devoted to him, "Hail Hitler to Thee," which is almost like a religious chant, he goes into his speech, and then he says things like, "You are flesh of our flesh and blood of our blood." Well, he borrows that from the Roman Catholic ritual, with which he's very familiar. It's a very physical statement, and it resonates with that crowd. Hitler's popularity skyrocketed after the release of Triumph of the Will. The next year, more than a million Germans came to Nuremberg to hear his speech. On the evening of September 15, 1935, Hitler announced the Nuremberg Laws, laws that took away German citizenship from Jews. The law for the protection of German blood and German honor is intended to begin the marginalization process of the Jewish people. Hitler had a lot of popular support for much of his time in office. One doesn't get popular support by saying to the public, "We're going to put the Jewish people in gas chambers and then incinerate them." You don't do that. What he did was gradually marginalize them. It was also here that Hitler used the phrase "final Solution" for the first time in public: "Bitter complaints have come in from countless places citing the provocative behavior of Jews. This law is an attempt to find a legislative solution. If this attempt fails, it will be necessary to transfer the Jewish problem to the National Socialist party for a final solution" (Adolf Hitler, September 13, 1935). The Nuremberg Laws stripped the Jews of their rights as citizens. They couldn't teach in public universities. They couldn't practice medicine in public hospitals. They couldn't fly the national flag. Then that was coupled with the Reich citizenship law which said that Jewish people in Germany were subjects of the Reich but not citizens. Hitler's "final solution" is now known as the Holocaust, from the Greek word that means "a wholly burnt animal sacrifice." In AD 92, the faithful martyr Antipas died, a wholly burnt sacrifice on the altar of Zeus in Pergamum, the place the Book of Revelation calls "The Throne of Satan." Centuries later in Nuremberg, in the center of a redesigned Pergamum Altar, the bronze bull was replaced by a podium. From there, Adolf Hitler announced his "final solution" to the world; and this time, the burnt sacrifice was six million Jews. After the war was over, Albert Speer said, "It's hard to recognize the devil when he has his hand on your shoulder." What are the signs of the anti-Christ? What are the evidences that someone has this spirit, the spirit of anti-Christ? Well, let's look first to I John 2:18, "Little children, it is the last hour. And as you have heard that the anti-Christ is coming, even now many anti-Christs have come, by which we know that it is the last hour." When you look at this verse in 1st John, you start understanding there isn't just one anti-Christ. There are many. There is a major one to come, but there have been many in history who have set themselves up as against Jesus, against the Messiah, against the Holy One of Israel. And here is how they do it. You find it also in 1st John. This is chapter 4 verse 3, "Every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God, and this is the spirit of anti-Christ, which you have heard was coming and is now already in the world." So as John is telling us, this is already here, and it's been here for thousands of years. And how do you recognize when someone has this spirit, someone who acts as one of the many anti-Christs? Well, here is a clue, and this is directly from Jesus, and He is prophesying about the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem. And it's interesting. His disciples come to Him and say, "Well, when will these things be? And what is the sign of your coming and the End of the Age?" And so there is a three-part question here. Jesus in Matthew 24 answers all three questions but specifically adds in a unique phrase that comes from the Book of Daniel . . . . . . . . "Therefore, when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place, whoever reads, let him understand," and some margin notes say this is the anti-Christ, "Let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains." Now, this specific prophecy of Daniel some claim was fulfilled already before Jesus was even born. Antiochus Epiphanies came, and he slaughtered Jews. About 80,000 were killed. And in the Holy of Holies, in the temple, he set up a statue of Zeus, and there he offered sacrifice. And he sacrificed a pig in the Holy of Holies, and the abomination of desolation in the Holy of Holies. And he offered a pig there. Eighty thousand Jews died. It was illegal to be Jewish. It was illegal to circumcise. It was illegal to observe the Sabbath. It was illegal to offer sacrifices. And all of this had happened before Jesus was even born. So He's prophesying yet another abomination of desolation from the Book of Daniel that would come. His name was Titus. And it happened within a generation of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It happened AD 70. And Titus came, and he looted the temple. And behind me, you can see the arch of Titus, which still stands in the city of Rome. And you see the golden menorah that had been taken. You see the silver trumpets, articles from the temple that were taken as trophies back to the city of Rome by the then-to-be Emperor Titus. And he set them up in a special temple and offered sacrifice to them there. Now, what did Titus do? He absolutely destroyed Jerusalem. He tricked the Jews and said, "If you want to celebrate Passover, you can go into the city." And then when the city was filled, he then shut the gates, and he literally starved them to death. From roughly April to August in AD 70, 1.1 million Jews were killed. And after he took the city, the reports are that he then set up a statue of himself and a Roman legion came in and offered sacrifice in the Holy of Holies to Titus. And he put himself in the place of God in the temple in Jerusalem. Here is what Titus had to say, and you find this from Philostratus. He wrote contemporaneously. And he said this, and he quoted Titus, "After Titus had taken Jerusalem, and when the country all around was filled with corpses, the neighboring races offered him a crown. But he disclaimed any such honor to himself, saying it was not himself that had accomplished this exploit, but merely lent his arms to God, who had so manifested His wrath" (Philostratus, The Life of Apollonius of Tyana, 6.29). This is one of the signs of the anti-Christ, one of the signs of the abomination of desolation. And there is yet to be filled, because we know from both the writings of Paul, the man of sin, from the writings of John in Revelation, and from the words of Jesus, that there will yet be another anti-Christ who will come who will try to set himself up in the Holy of Holies. Here it is from Daniel 8:23-26. These are the signs of the anti-Christ. "And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors have reached their fullness, a king shall arise having fierce features, who understands sinister schemes. His power shall be mighty, but not by his own power. He shall destroy fearfully and shall prosper and thrive. He shall destroy the mighty and also the holy people. Through his cunning he shall cause deceit to prosper under his rule, and he shall exalt himself in his heart. He shall destroy many in their prosperity. He shall even rise against the Prince of princes, but he shall be broken without human means. And the vision of the evenings and the mornings, which was told is true, therefore seal up the vision for it refers to many days in the future." Now, Daniel here is quoting an angel. And that angel is giving him the keys. Let's look at each one. A king shall arise. When you get the understanding it's a king, it's an absolute ruler, and you can call them "emperor," you can call them a "caesar." You can call them a "fuehrer." You can call them a "chairman." You can call them all kinds of things. But you've got to understand, he has absolute rule. When he makes a decree, it becomes the law of the land. Second, his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power. He'll have unusual things. The Book of Revelation talks about he'll have the ability to give signs and wonders. He'll be so unusual in his power that even the elect can be deceived by what he's doing. So when you look at the anti-Christs that have arisen, Titus said, "Well, I didn't destroy Jerusalem. I just lent my arms to God," you start to understand what's going on. The fuehrer said he was tapping into the third Reich, the third millennial reign of the great German people. They always attribute that it's not their own power. They're tapping into some supernatural power. The third sign, he shall destroy fearfully. And then, he shall destroy the mighty and also the holy people. Start understanding; what does the anti-Christ go after? He always goes after the holy people. And whether that's Jews or Christians, he targets them and tries to wipe them out. He exalts himself in his own heart, and then he shall destroy many in their prosperity. So we see destruction, destruction fearfully, destroying the mighty, destroying the holy people, and destroying many in their prosperity. He brings poverty. He brings destruction. He brings genocide against the holy people. And, the final clue, he shall even rise against the Prince of Princes. He exalts himself against the Messiah, against Jesus. He puts himself in the place of the Messiah. And that's the final sign. Where is the hope? He shall be broken without human means. When we understand that God Himself will intervene, God Himself will bring a resolution to the anti-Christ, then we can rest secure knowing our future and our hope are with Him. If you want more information about the Seat of Satan, go to CBN.com and visit our special webpage about Pergamum. There you'll find extended interviews, crew blogs, and photo galleries, all on CBN.com. It's incredible to see what God's faithfulness and your partnership has accomplished through CBN over the past five decades. What began as just a tiny signal that reached to the corner . . . . . . . . has grown into a broadcasting giant, reaching over 100 countries and more than 60 languages. That's why we're having a very special, 50 years of broadcasting celebration here in Virginia Beach, the weekend of October 1st, and we want you to be a part of it. The all-day festival includes live entertainment from Mercy Me, Diamond Rio, and the Annie Moses Band. There will be hot air balloon rides, a petting zoo, Irish dancers, an antique car show, hay rides and a whole lot more. You can go to CBN.com today to find out more about the event and register to be part of this once-in-a-lifetime jubilee. We look forward to having you here with us . . . . . . . . as we praise the Lord for all he's done. God bless you. Welcome back to The 700 Club. one of the few benefits of the weak economy is has been historically low interest rates. The average rate for a 30-year mortgage rose slightly this week to 4.22 percent. But the low rates have not been enough to revive the weak housing industry, with unemployment still high and fears of another recession. However some home owners have been able to take advantage of the lower rates to refinance their homes. Operation Blessing International is building a new school for children in Kenya. The children have been walking a dangerous two mile path to neighboring villages to attend school. They risk being trampled or attacked by lions, hyenas, and other wild animals known to be in the area. Operation Blessing also plans to install a fence to keep animals out. They're also digging a well to supply a clean water supply for the community. OB is working on other projects in the region including irrigation programs, agricultural projects, and water wells. You can find out more about OB and what they're doing by going to it's website at ob.org. Gordon and Terry will be back with more of The 700 Club, right after this. Here at CBN, we see amazing things happen when we stand together. That's why we want to say thank you to the thousands of you . . . . . . . . who recently pledged to join the 700 Club. Your monthly gift makes it possible to bring crucial help to those who need it most. You help heal the sick, feed the hungry . . . . . . . . and preach the Gospel across America and throughout the world. You've brought health and hope to people in desperate need. And changed their lives forever. Chen Xiu couldn't hear or speak. His parents were too poor to afford the speech therapy he needed. His mother prayed that God would help her little boy. That's when you were the answer to her prayers and provided Chen Xiu with the therapy he needed. You took him out of a silent prison and gave him hope for the future. So please watch for this mailing and send in your pledge. This year millions will know . . . . The love and saving power of Jesus Christ. And that only happens, because you were there. Insight into today's events . . . . . . . . news you don't get anywhere else . . . . . . . . and inspiring stories of hope. Now you can share them with your friends. Go to CBN.com to, "I saw it on The 700 Club," for a fast, easy way to share your favorite videos Mary was a divorced mom in a desperate situation. When she lost her job, she had no way to feed her two children until she turned on the television and actually heard her name called out loud. Mary lives in Makurdi, Nigeria, where she loves taking care of her two children. She wants to be sure they have a great future. But not long ago, she was stuck in an abusive marriage. My husband had this temper that kept getting worse, and then he became very physical. His abuse became worse. And I wondered what was wrong, and I went into prayer. I discovered later that he was on drugs. Mary left home to keep her children safe. This led to a painful divorce. Soon after, she lost her job. The children were kicked out of school, because Mary couldn't afford their tuition. They could barely afford food. There was a period when I felt so alone. I was so discouraged. Everything looked bleak. One day as she was watching television, The 700 Club came on. As Gordon Robertson prayed, Mary asked God for help with her finances. Then she heard something she could hardly believe. He actually called my name, and he said, "Mary. There is somebody called Mary, and you just asked for a financial miracle. And God says already it has been released." There is a woman, Mary, and God has just heard your cry and is going to give you that fund now. I actually cried. I called the children to the parlor, and I told them God had remembered us. And I felt so good. Within one week of that prayer, Mary got a call about a business opportunity and started selling computers to a local company. Soon the family's basic needs were met and the children went back to school. Money just kept flowing in. I paid their fees. I paid my rent up front. Everything changed at that point. God came through. Mary was so encouraged, she signed up to become a member of the 700 Club. It's wonderful to be a part of His work this way. I'd like to say a big thank you to The 700 Club, because they are reaching lives. They are touching people. They are changing hearts that are hurting and giving them hope. Thank you so much. Being there for people like Mary. That's what we do. And we want to invite you to join with us. When you join the 700 Club, you are reaching out to the entire world with the love of Jesus, being there for people who are in need and making a difference in the midst of their circumstances. Won't you join with us in touching people's lives with the love of Christ? It's 65 cents a day, 20 dollars a month to join the 700 Club. But when you become a part of the 700 Club, you're joining with thousands of people who are saying, "I can make a difference, and I want to make a difference." It's so easy to join. If you'll just go to your phone and call that toll free number that you see on your screen, it's 1-800-759-0700. Say, "I want to join the 700 Club." We welcome you to the family of ministries here. And by the way, when you call, if you use something we call Pledge Express, it's electronic monthly giving. It means your bank does all the work. You don't have to have stamps or envelopes on hand. You don't have to remember anything. They do it for you. You can stop it whenever you want. But it saves us a lot of administrative costs, so we can put even more of your gift into the lives of people like Mary. So please call now. Make your best pledge as you join the 700 Club. And our way of thanking you for using Pledge Express is to send you "Power for Life" teachings. You'll get one of these a month, and we believe it will really make a difference in your life. So call right now. Well, we've got some e-mail questions as we round out the day. All right. You want this? I do. Coming, ready or not. This is Dave, who says, "I heard that the world is going to end on December 21, 2012. Do you think this means the anti-Christ is alive and well today?" Dave, let me give you two answers here. Number one, if you've heard the world will end on a certain day, you can be certain that it will not end on that day. The reason is that Jesus said clearly, "No man knows the hour or the day." So if you hear people say, "I know the hour. I know the day," they're wrong. And just because they're announcing that, you can guarantee Jesus won't come back, because He has already said nobody knows. And He doesn't even know. Only the Father knows. So put out of your mind December 21, 2012. It's not going to happen that day. The second part of this is do you think the anti-Christ is alive and well? I don't know if the anti-Christ is alive and well. Certainly he has not manifested. There are forces at work that are specifically targeting the Jewish people again. And when you hear statements out of nations like Iran, that they want to wipe out the Jews, that they consider them descended from pigs and apes and that there is no right for Israel to exist, and they want to drive them into the sea, that is certainly a sign. But I haven't seen an absolute ruler, a king, come out of any one of those countries to really put some force into his words. So could he be alive today? Yes. Has he manifested? No. Okay, this is Katie, who says, "What do you think about the theories that say the anti-Christ was actually the Roman Emperor Nero?" Well, in accordance with what John said, there have been many anti-Christs. And so he's writing that roughly around 95 AD. And he's already seen the destruction of Jerusalem. He's already seen Titus come through and kill 1.1 million Jews. The church in Jerusalem listened to the words of Jesus and evacuated and went into the mountains and fled Judea. And they waited the three and a half years that Daniel prophesied, and then they came back and reoccupied. Was Nero a type? Yes, he required people to worship him. He required people to bow down to him and offer sacrifice. Was Titus a type of anti-Christ? Yes. He bought into that whole cult of the emperor. He was a general and he wiped out Jerusalem, but he later became an emperor. Domitian, that great persecution that John himself was caught up. That's why he was on the island of Patmos. He set up a cult of emperor, required people to worship him. So there have been many, and we need to look for the signs. We leave you with these words from Jesus . . . . . . . . "Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." God bless you. Here at CBN, we see amazing things happen when we stand together. That's why we want to say thank you to the thousands of you . . . . . . . . who recently pledged to join the 700 Club. Your monthly gift makes it possible to bring crucial help to those who need it most. You help heal the sick, feed the hungry . . . . . . . . and preach the Gospel across America and throughout the world. You've brought health and hope to people in desperate need. And changed their lives forever. When Kitty was abandoned by her parents, she went to live with her grandmother in the middle of a garbage dump. They ate scraps of food from the dump and tried not to get bitten by the rats. That's when you built them a new home and set up a small clothing business near the market for Kitty's grandmother. You rescued them from hunger and fear. So please watch for this mailing and send in your pledge. This year millions will know . . . . The love and saving power of Jesus Christ. And that only happens, because you were there.