male announcer: This
presentation is brought
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to you by the friends of
the Amazing Facts Ministry.
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Doug Batchelor: Martin Luther,
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the 16th century
father of the Reformation,
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showed his grit when he
nailed his 95 theses to the door
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of the church in Wittenberg,
Germany to protest indulgences,
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and other non-biblical practices
endorsed by the Catholic Church.
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After his trial at worms, he was
excommunicated from the church,
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making him a fugitive from
religious and civil authorities.
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But God provided for his rescue
through Frederick the Wise,
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the elector of Saxony, who
staged kidnapping the famous
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reformer and offering him safe
refuge at Wartburg Castle for
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nearly a year.
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While in exile at the
castle, Luther was known
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as Knight George, and
the labor to translate
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the New Testament into German,
making it more accessible
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to the common people.
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Martin Luther taught that
God's grace cannot be earned,
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but it's a gift that
comes through faith in Jesus.
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He was appalled by the church's
suggestion that forgiveness
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could be bought
through an indulgence,
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and he was not afraid to say so.
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Ultimately, his
teaching split Christianity,
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but does what Luther
taught several centuries ago
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still matter for
Christians today?
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Doug Batchelor: We're
gonna be talking about something
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connected with October 31.
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It was All Saints
Day, believe it or not,
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that's part of the reason
it's connected with Halloween.
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But that was a significant day
in history in that that was a
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time when Martin Luther
posted an advertisement on
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the church doors, inviting
other theologians to a debate.
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It was written in Latin.
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He didn't realize he was
gonna turn the religious world
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upside down.
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And so, our message today
is dealing with the subject
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of Luther and the Reformation
and why it still matters.
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Now, I'll give you a little
amazing fact you may not know,
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and if you talk to the
average person in society
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about Martin Luther, you
know who they first think of?
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Martin Luther King, Jr.
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Do you know how Martin
Luther King Jr. got his name?
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He was not born
Martin Luther King Jr.
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He was born Michael King.
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In fact, Michael King, his
father was Michael King also.
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Here was a pastor of a
Baptist Church in Atlanta.
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Martin Luther King,
Jr.'s father, whose name was
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Michael King, went with
some other pastors to Europe.
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They visited the
places of the Reformation.
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He was so inspired by
the courage of Martin Luther
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the Reformer, that
he changed his name.
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And his son was five years
old, he changed his name too.
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But he changed his
name to Martin Luther King,
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his son was Martin Luther
King, Jr. and so even though
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Martin Luther, who was
something of a reformer,
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got his name
because of the inspiration
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from the life of Martin Luther.
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So, before we can
talk a lot about Luther,
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probably need to talk a little
bit about the Reformation.
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Revelation 13, "The
beast I saw was like a leopard.
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His feet were like
the feet of a bear,
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his mouth was like
the mouth of a lion.
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The dragon gave him
his power, his seat,
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his throne, and
great authority."
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You see, it was foretold
that this was gonna happen.
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But after the
time of the apostles,
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and after this great revival
that happened during the church
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of Ephesus, that during
the church of Smyrna there'd be
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great persecution and
then came the deadliest form
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of persecution at
all, a great compromise.
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With a
conversion of Constantine,
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or at least a
pretended conversion of
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the Roman Emperor Constantine,
suddenly Christianity went
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from a forbidden religion,
to the government religion.
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It became very vogue to
say you're a Christian because
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Constantine said, "We'll conquer
unto the sign of the cross."
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His mother claimed Christianity,
though he wasn't baptized
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till the time of his death.
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And some of the leaders
all wanted to be in the palace.
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They got tired of
living in the catacombs.
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And they said, "You know,
we'll reach a lot more people in
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Rome if we, you know, just sort
of adopt some of their customs
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and traditions, we
could get more converts."
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For instance, they
had statues all over Rome.
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Idolatry was everywhere.
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The pagans didn't want to give
up their statutes and so some
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of the church leaders
said, "Well, you know,
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as long as they know that
they're not really praying
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to the statues,
let's just rename them,
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give them Bible names."
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And they started to
take the statues of Mercury,
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and Jupiter, and Apollos,
and Diana, and they named them
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Mary, and Peter,
James, and John, and Jesus.
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Idolatry suddenly
swept through the kingdom.
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The robes and the
vestments of the pagan priests
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were suddenly now being
worn by the Christian bishops.
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And the simplicity
that they once had was lost,
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and it became
the state religion.
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And instead of the humble Jesus
going around with a staff and
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barefoot or sandals, now all
of a sudden they were carrying
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the church leaders
around like royalty,
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and they were living in palaces,
and everything began to change.
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Let me tell you some of
the things that Protestants
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protested against the
church had begun to do.
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The Bible teaches we're
not to bow down to statues.
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The church began
and that's, of course,
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one of the Ten Commandments.
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The church began to say, you can
make and bow down the statues
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and pray to them.
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The Bible says Jesus is the only
mediator between God and man.
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1 Timothy 2:5, the
church began to teach that Mary
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was a co-mediator with Christ,
and you could reach Christ
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through the saints.
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They would mediate.
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The Bible teaches that
Christ offered a sacrifice
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on the cross once for all.
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Hebrews 7, the church
began to teach the priests offer
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Christ's body when
they do the mass every time.
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The Bible teaches that
all Christians are saints
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and priests.
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Ephesians 1, 1 Peter 2, the
church in Rome began to teach
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the priests are a special cast
within the Christian community,
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to be treated differently.
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The Bible teaches that we should
call no religious leader father,
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Matthew 23:9.
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In the Catholic Church,
they began to say you call
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the priests and the
Pope and the bishops father.
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The Bible says not to
pray in vain repetition.
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Jesus said in Matthew 6:7,
the church started saying if you
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want forgiveness, you've gotta
repeat this specific prayer over
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and over again, whether it's
the Lord's Prayer or Hail Mary.
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The Bible says you
confess your sins to God,
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only God can forgive sins.
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Isaiah 43:25, the church in Rome
began to say you must confess
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your sins to the
priests to obtain forgiveness.
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The teaching of
purgatory in limbo,
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prayers for the
dead, nowhere in Scripture,
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the relics of paganism.
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The idea of an everlasting hell
that begins at the time of death
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before you're even judged, all
these things came out of Greek
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mythology about Pluto and Hades.
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And they crept into the church
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until what you
had was milkshake.
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It was a stew.
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It was a hash where
you had the commingling
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of some Christian
truths, but a lot of paganism.
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The church had fallen, and
they then had military power,
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and they began to
persecute those who are faithful
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to the Word, who had to
flee into the wilderness.
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So, you set the stage
for this great apostasy
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that the apostles
foretold was coming.
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And there's a lot more I
could say about the corruption
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that had come in.
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But it got so
bad that the church,
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realizing people reading
the Bible would find out these
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problems and false
doctrines, they took the Bibles
00:07:51.77\00:07:55.10
away from the people.
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They said, "Only the priests can
understand the Bible," and it
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got to the point where
very few priests could even read
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and have the Bible.
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And it just fell into
formalism, and it became
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a corrupt institution.
00:08:05.38\00:08:07.32
So, what the reformers
wanted to do was bring the Word
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back to the people.
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One of the early reformers,
there were many through history.
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The records have been destroyed
because the church would destroy
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these records.
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He was the one who
actually put the Scriptures
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in the language of the people.
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His name was John Wycliffe, and
you'll find it spelt differently
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because they didn't
have the rules of spelling.
00:08:25.50\00:08:28.57
Now sometimes it's
Wycliffe, it's Whitecliff,
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it's Whitecliff.
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But everyone in history knows
who this great reformer was.
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He was the one who really
inspired so many others like us,
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and like Luther.
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He spoke--but he was a priest.
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He was a Roman Catholic
priest, but he realized,
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as he read the Scriptures,
he was a professor in England
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and he said, "They're
not following the Bible."
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He spoke against the
abuses in the church.
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He spoke against the way they
were robbing the people of funds
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and that the priests were
living in luxury, and the monks.
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He challenged the idea
that they would sell forgiveness
00:09:01.30\00:09:03.84
for sin for money.
00:09:03.87\00:09:05.77
See, the idea of purgatory and
never burn in hell that begins
00:09:05.81\00:09:09.21
a death became very profitable
because the church said,
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only the church has the
right to get people out of hell.
00:09:13.31\00:09:17.35
Before you go to hell forever,
you might just go to purgatory
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and there's
still hope for a while.
00:09:20.32\00:09:22.39
But we decide who
gets out of purgatory.
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If you make a good
offering, we will pray.
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Only the
priests have this power.
00:09:27.13\00:09:28.76
And we can shorten their
time in purgatory or get them
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out right away,
depends on how much you give.
00:09:31.83\00:09:34.94
And so, the people
in their superstition,
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they didn't have the Bible.
00:09:37.24\00:09:38.57
They didn't know any different.
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They believed, and
they were being abused.
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They were being
exploited and robbed.
00:09:42.61\00:09:44.91
So, he spoke
against those abuses.
00:09:44.95\00:09:47.02
He challenged the indulgences.
00:09:47.05\00:09:49.15
Here's what Wycliffe said, "It
is plain to me that our prelates
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in granting indulgences
do commonly blaspheme
00:09:51.12\00:09:54.99
the wisdom of God."
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He repudiated the confessional.
00:09:57.23\00:09:59.23
"Private confession," he wrote,
"was not ordered by Christ and
00:09:59.26\00:10:02.63
was not used by the apostles."
00:10:02.66\00:10:05.33
He reiterated the
biblical teaching on faith,
00:10:05.37\00:10:08.44
trust holy in Christ, rely
altogether on his sufferings,
00:10:08.47\00:10:11.94
beware of seeking to be
justified in any other way
00:10:11.97\00:10:15.34
than by his righteousness."
00:10:15.38\00:10:18.61
He believed that every
Christian should have access
00:10:18.65\00:10:20.65
to the Scriptures.
00:10:20.68\00:10:22.12
He began translating the
Bible into English in 1382,
00:10:22.15\00:10:25.89
and I think it's safe to
say, the English translation
00:10:25.92\00:10:28.89
of the Bible that he affected,
altered history more than
00:10:28.92\00:10:33.33
any other document.
00:10:33.36\00:10:35.30
Some of you have
King James Bibles,
00:10:35.33\00:10:36.97
you got New King James.
00:10:37.00\00:10:38.30
Even if you get an N.I.V.
Bible, all of those Bibles
00:10:38.33\00:10:41.00
grew out of the original
translation by Wycliffe.
00:10:41.04\00:10:44.27
There were no Bibles in the
vernacular of the common people.
00:10:44.31\00:10:47.31
The Bible's were in
Latin, and they were very few.
00:10:47.34\00:10:50.88
The first Bible that
Luther ultimately found
00:10:50.91\00:10:52.85
was a Latin Bible.
00:10:52.88\00:10:54.72
If he had not learned Latin
at the pushing of his father
00:10:54.75\00:10:57.65
earlier, he never would
have been able to read it.
00:10:57.69\00:11:00.39
But Wycliffe put the Bible
in the language of the people
00:11:00.42\00:11:04.09
and it change history.
00:11:04.13\00:11:06.49
That leads us to someone who's
considered to be the Elijah
00:11:06.53\00:11:10.33
of the Protestant
Reformation, born November 10,
00:11:10.37\00:11:14.87
in 1483 in Eisleben,
Saxony, and that was part
00:11:14.90\00:11:18.97
of the Holy Roman Empire.
00:11:19.01\00:11:21.31
He originally, at
the urging of his father,
00:11:21.34\00:11:23.88
he entered
school, he studied Latin.
00:11:23.91\00:11:25.75
His father and mother
were lower middle-class people.
00:11:25.78\00:11:29.08
Later in his life,
they did much better because
00:11:29.12\00:11:31.29
of their industry and thrift.
00:11:31.32\00:11:33.69
But they knew
education was everything,
00:11:33.72\00:11:35.69
and so they sent
their son to school.
00:11:35.72\00:11:37.79
They wanted him to be a lawyer.
00:11:37.83\00:11:39.93
Martin Luther's father
had no time for the monks
00:11:39.96\00:11:44.00
in the church.
00:11:44.03\00:11:45.53
He was educated enough to
know it was completely corrupt.
00:11:45.57\00:11:48.97
They were exploiting the people.
00:11:49.00\00:11:50.67
And so, Martin
Luther studied law.
00:11:50.71\00:11:54.14
He had no peace about
his relationship with God.
00:11:54.18\00:11:57.38
And one day after a visit
home, he was riding on a horse
00:11:57.41\00:12:00.12
through the woods on
his way back to law school,
00:12:00.15\00:12:02.85
he got caught in a
terrible thunderstorm.
00:12:02.88\00:12:05.09
Lightning was flashing
and clapping all around.
00:12:05.12\00:12:07.96
He knew the
strikes were very close.
00:12:07.99\00:12:10.23
He was filled with fear
that he was gonna be struck.
00:12:10.26\00:12:12.86
And sure enough, a bolt
of lightning struck right
00:12:12.89\00:12:15.90
by him and his horse.
00:12:15.93\00:12:18.10
He fell from his horse like
the Apostle Paul and in terror,
00:12:18.13\00:12:22.37
he cried out to
Saint Anne and said,
00:12:22.40\00:12:25.44
"Save my life,
and I will be a monk."
00:12:25.47\00:12:30.21
Well, the storm died
away and he realized,
00:12:30.25\00:12:32.45
"I was saved, and
I made a vow to God."
00:12:32.48\00:12:37.72
And against the
pleading of his father,
00:12:37.75\00:12:40.76
he entered the monastery.
00:12:40.79\00:12:42.99
His father didn't
want him to waste his life.
00:12:43.02\00:12:44.76
He said, "You're wasting
all these years of education
00:12:44.79\00:12:46.19
I paid for.
00:12:46.23\00:12:47.50
You're gonna
become a useless monk."
00:12:47.56\00:12:49.23
And he and his father
didn't speak for two years.
00:12:49.26\00:12:51.73
But he realized he had no peace.
00:12:51.77\00:12:53.50
He entered the monastery,
and he did everything he could
00:12:53.54\00:12:55.84
to try to find peace with God.
00:12:55.87\00:12:57.74
He prayed.
00:12:57.77\00:12:59.61
He confessed his sins.
00:12:59.64\00:13:01.38
Matter of fact, he spent one
time four hours in confession.
00:13:01.41\00:13:05.68
And the priests were worn out.
00:13:05.71\00:13:08.15
Whenever Luther
showed up for confession,
00:13:08.18\00:13:09.65
it would wear them out.
00:13:09.68\00:13:10.99
They didn't want to hear his
confessions 'cause every little
00:13:11.02\00:13:13.25
thought, he was so sensitive.
00:13:13.29\00:13:15.19
His conscience was so sensitive
to sin that every little
00:13:15.22\00:13:17.33
thought, and he just saw the
pride, and he saw the problems,
00:13:17.36\00:13:20.50
and he saw the sin,
and all the impurity.
00:13:20.53\00:13:22.43
And he thought, "Well,
maybe I'll find peace if I go
00:13:22.46\00:13:25.27
on this pilgrimage to Rome."
00:13:25.30\00:13:27.00
So, he went to Rome and
he thought Rome, holy city.
00:13:27.04\00:13:29.47
He'd never been there.
00:13:29.50\00:13:30.81
You know, they didn't
have the Internet back then.
00:13:30.84\00:13:32.14
They thought everyone
walked on air in Rome.
00:13:32.17\00:13:34.14
That's where the Pope
was, where the, you know,
00:13:34.18\00:13:37.15
the the apostles were crucified.
00:13:37.18\00:13:39.38
They called it the Eternal City.
00:13:39.41\00:13:42.12
And when he got there, he
found out that it was like,
00:13:42.15\00:13:44.05
it was like Las Vegas.
00:13:44.09\00:13:45.75
It was just a party town, and
there was so much debauchery.
00:13:45.79\00:13:49.22
And he went and he stayed
in some of the monasteries,
00:13:49.26\00:13:52.49
and his monastery's in Germany.
00:13:52.53\00:13:55.10
They were hungry,
they were eating crust.
00:13:55.13\00:13:57.50
Here, they were feasting,
and it was like a brothel.
00:13:57.53\00:14:01.10
And he was shocked.
00:14:01.14\00:14:02.94
And then he finally got
to Rome and he saw it was
00:14:02.97\00:14:04.51
more of the same.
00:14:04.54\00:14:06.34
But he went to
all the holy sites,
00:14:06.37\00:14:07.78
and he's trying to
find peace with God.
00:14:07.81\00:14:09.28
Ultimately, he's going up
this staircase that supposedly
00:14:09.31\00:14:13.42
was the staircase
that where Jesus was tried.
00:14:13.45\00:14:16.52
They called it
Pilate's staircase.
00:14:16.55\00:14:17.85
It's still there today.
00:14:17.89\00:14:19.19
People go up on
their knees, pilgrims.
00:14:19.22\00:14:21.66
And Luther was going up
saying the Lord's Prayer on each
00:14:21.69\00:14:25.09
of the steps, and trying
to find some peace with God.
00:14:25.13\00:14:29.30
And the Scripture kept
going through his mind,
00:14:29.33\00:14:31.47
"The just shall live by faith."
00:14:31.50\00:14:34.24
And finally, he ran
from the place and said,
00:14:34.27\00:14:36.17
"What am I doing, trying to
find forgiveness by working?
00:14:36.20\00:14:39.21
I'm supposed to
find it by faith."
00:14:39.24\00:14:41.74
Back at the monastery, he had
found a Latin copy of the Bible.
00:14:41.78\00:14:46.41
Up until that point,
he'd only read little sections
00:14:46.45\00:14:48.08
of the Bible.
00:14:48.12\00:14:49.42
He had no idea that
someone had the whole book.
00:14:49.45\00:14:51.29
He said, "I'd give everything
for a whole copy of the Bible."
00:14:51.32\00:14:55.22
He just was so
thrilled that he could find one
00:14:55.26\00:14:59.23
in the monastery he could read.
00:14:59.26\00:15:01.00
You and I don't know
the privilege we have
00:15:01.03\00:15:02.36
to have Bibles,
multiple Bibles in our hands.
00:15:02.40\00:15:05.60
And he fell in love
with the Word of God.
00:15:05.63\00:15:07.97
The rest of his life,
he was never the same.
00:15:08.00\00:15:09.80
Everything was
about the Word of God.
00:15:09.84\00:15:11.37
He saw it as
the final authority.
00:15:11.41\00:15:13.38
He could not
trust, the declarations,
00:15:13.41\00:15:15.88
and the edicts of the church.
00:15:15.91\00:15:17.85
He could not trust the words
of various priests and monks.
00:15:17.88\00:15:21.82
He realized the only
authority for what is truth,
00:15:21.85\00:15:24.62
and he'd studied
philosophy, he'd studied law,
00:15:24.65\00:15:26.99
he studied Augustine.
00:15:27.02\00:15:28.32
He studied everything.
00:15:28.36\00:15:29.66
Said, "The final word in life
has to be a book that is divine.
00:15:29.69\00:15:33.36
It's the Word of God."
00:15:33.40\00:15:35.13
So, everything Luther did
from that point was because
00:15:35.16\00:15:36.97
of his respect for the Bible.
00:15:37.00\00:15:39.00
Doug: Don't go
anywhere, friends.
00:15:40.34\00:15:42.74
In just a moment, we're
going to return for the rest
00:15:42.77\00:15:44.54
of today's presentation.
00:15:44.57\00:15:46.81
No other book in the Bible
has been more misunderstood
00:15:46.84\00:15:49.54
than the Book of Revelation.
00:15:49.58\00:15:52.15
Maybe you've even been
a little frustrated trying
00:15:52.18\00:15:54.08
to comprehend it on your own.
00:15:54.12\00:15:56.12
After all, the book is
filled with mysterious symbols,
00:15:56.15\00:15:58.52
ominous
predictions, and strange beasts.
00:15:58.55\00:16:01.89
Nevertheless, Jesus
did pronounce a blessing
00:16:01.92\00:16:04.96
on those who read and keep
the things written in this book.
00:16:04.99\00:16:08.86
Well, I've got good news,
the Book of Revelation can be
00:16:08.90\00:16:11.87
understood and we'd like to help
you experience that blessing.
00:16:11.90\00:16:16.50
"Amazing Facts" wants to send
you a powerful resource called
00:16:16.54\00:16:19.77
"Revelation: The
Bride, The Beast and Babylon."
00:16:19.81\00:16:23.51
It's a 60-minute documentary DVD
that reveals the true identity
00:16:23.55\00:16:27.88
of the beast
power in Revelation,
00:16:27.92\00:16:30.12
and it's a vivid
panorama of biblical history
00:16:30.15\00:16:32.49
from the time of
Christ to our present day.
00:16:32.52\00:16:35.32
This eye-opening feature, which
includes subtitles in many major
00:16:35.36\00:16:39.43
languages, will show
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00:16:39.46\00:16:42.30
for the final
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00:16:42.33\00:16:44.37
To get your free copy,
call the number on the screen
00:16:44.40\00:16:46.77
and ask for offer number
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00:16:46.80\00:16:51.11
And after you read
this incredible resource,
00:16:51.14\00:16:53.31
make sure and
share it with a friend.
00:16:53.34\00:16:55.34
Well, let's return to today's
presentation and learn some more
00:16:55.38\00:16:58.48
amazing facts from the Word God.
00:16:58.51\00:17:01.08
Doug: On the Bible, Luther said,
00:17:02.95\00:17:04.55
"The Bible is alive.
00:17:04.59\00:17:06.49
It speaks to me.
00:17:06.52\00:17:07.82
It has feet, it runs after me.
00:17:07.86\00:17:09.96
It has hands, it
lays hold of me."
00:17:09.99\00:17:12.86
On church practices, "A
simple layman," he said,
00:17:12.89\00:17:16.06
"armed with the Scriptures is
to be believed above the Pope,
00:17:16.10\00:17:19.23
or Cardinal, or
Cardinal without it."
00:17:19.27\00:17:22.14
On human nature he
said, "Nothing is easier
00:17:22.17\00:17:24.67
than sinning."
00:17:24.71\00:17:26.91
And finally, when he saw
the abuses that were happening
00:17:26.94\00:17:29.14
in the church
compared with the Bible,
00:17:29.18\00:17:30.88
he said, "Someone needs
to speak up against this."
00:17:30.91\00:17:33.68
He realized the
church needs revival.
00:17:33.72\00:17:36.32
Now, right about this
time, the church was trying
00:17:36.35\00:17:39.75
to build St. Peter's
Basilica, which is today one of
00:17:39.79\00:17:42.79
the biggest churches, if not the
biggest church, in the world.
00:17:42.82\00:17:45.99
They needed a lot of money.
00:17:46.03\00:17:47.86
They were spending all the
money on the excesses of Rome
00:17:47.93\00:17:50.27
so they needed new revenue.
00:17:50.30\00:17:51.70
So, they thought, we'll
have a fundraising campaign.
00:17:51.73\00:17:53.87
They had a different kind
of capital campaign than we do.
00:17:53.90\00:17:56.64
They said, "We're
gonna sell licenses to sin."
00:17:56.67\00:17:59.37
Not only will you
sell a license to you,
00:17:59.41\00:18:01.78
and I've actually got documents
I could show you that have
00:18:01.81\00:18:04.25
price lists for various
sins, everything from adultery.
00:18:04.28\00:18:08.92
They had a price for murder.
00:18:08.95\00:18:11.32
They had a price list for
sin, that you can be forgiven.
00:18:11.35\00:18:14.42
You could purchase, in advance,
forgiveness for these things.
00:18:14.46\00:18:18.96
Not only that, you could
pay and have your former friends
00:18:18.99\00:18:23.33
and family, that may
have been total atheists,
00:18:23.37\00:18:26.17
to get them out of purgatory.
00:18:26.20\00:18:30.31
And this guy named
Tetzel, he came into Wittenberg
00:18:30.34\00:18:34.51
and he started to
tell people, "You know,
00:18:34.54\00:18:36.11
you come and we're
gonna start this fire here.
00:18:36.14\00:18:39.18
And you've got your loved ones."
00:18:39.21\00:18:40.68
And they had a big
bonfire and they said,
00:18:40.72\00:18:42.12
"Your loved ones are
burning the fires of purgatory,
00:18:42.15\00:18:43.69
but you can get
them out right now.
00:18:43.72\00:18:45.79
As soon as the money
in the coffer's ring,
00:18:45.82\00:18:49.86
a soul from purgatory
flings," or something like that.
00:18:49.89\00:18:52.93
Anyway, he had a
little poem, of course,
00:18:52.96\00:18:55.96
it was in German so I don't
know what the original was.
00:18:56.00\00:18:58.40
But he had all this,
this whole marketing program.
00:18:58.43\00:19:00.20
And everybody lined
up and they're buying
00:19:00.24\00:19:01.70
these indulgences.
00:19:01.74\00:19:03.04
And they're showing
up to Luther and saying,
00:19:03.07\00:19:04.37
"We don't have to confess
our sins anymore because I got--
00:19:04.41\00:19:05.71
I bought an indulgence.
00:19:05.74\00:19:08.21
I'm good to go.
00:19:08.24\00:19:10.08
I can sin all I want
now because I bought--"
00:19:10.11\00:19:12.85
You know, get out of jail
card, you ever play Monopoly?
00:19:12.88\00:19:15.62
It was your get
out of purgatory card.
00:19:15.65\00:19:20.09
And Luther said, "That's
not how you get forgiveness.
00:19:20.12\00:19:23.12
You must repent, you
must confess, you must turn."
00:19:23.16\00:19:25.99
And he was outraged.
00:19:26.03\00:19:27.40
And so, with all of this going
on across Europe and had come
00:19:27.46\00:19:29.33
to his own town, he
said, "Enough is enough,
00:19:29.36\00:19:32.03
we gotta talk about this.
00:19:32.07\00:19:33.37
This is unbiblical."
00:19:33.40\00:19:34.80
So, that's when he
took his Ninety-five Theses
00:19:34.84\00:19:36.67
and he named it, and
nailed it on the door.
00:19:36.71\00:19:38.74
Well, first he thought it
was just gonna be looked at
00:19:38.77\00:19:40.51
by the
theologians around the campus.
00:19:40.54\00:19:43.31
But, you know,
right about this time,
00:19:43.35\00:19:44.65
the printing press was invented.
00:19:44.68\00:19:46.75
Isn't that interesting?
00:19:46.78\00:19:48.38
It's like what, you
know, the internet now.
00:19:48.42\00:19:51.52
And some of the students
took his writings that were
00:19:51.55\00:19:53.62
in the Latin.
00:19:53.66\00:19:54.96
He just meant for
it to-- the priests,
00:19:54.99\00:19:56.69
he wanted to reform
among the leadership.
00:19:56.73\00:19:59.16
But instead, the students
translated it into the language
00:19:59.19\00:20:02.06
of the people, and they
got some of it to Gutenberg.
00:20:02.10\00:20:05.93
And all of a
sudden, Luther's writings,
00:20:05.97\00:20:08.17
the first book on a
printing press was the Bible.
00:20:08.20\00:20:10.24
But a lot of Luther's writings
were on the printing presses
00:20:10.27\00:20:12.47
that were being built now.
00:20:12.51\00:20:13.98
They began to go, not
only throughout Germany,
00:20:14.01\00:20:15.98
they began to go
overseas to England,
00:20:16.01\00:20:17.81
and to Sweden, and
all of a sudden everybody
00:20:17.85\00:20:21.15
was talking about it.
00:20:21.18\00:20:22.48
Then they told Luther,
"You gotta come to Rome,
00:20:22.52\00:20:24.49
answer for your charges."
00:20:24.52\00:20:25.82
He said, "I'm
not going to Rome."
00:20:25.85\00:20:27.66
And the Pope
would denounced him,
00:20:27.69\00:20:28.99
and he'd send a bull.
00:20:29.02\00:20:30.49
And Luther would
stand up in his town.
00:20:30.53\00:20:31.86
The bull was this
big letter from the Pope.
00:20:31.89\00:20:34.23
Luther would burn
the Pope's letter.
00:20:34.30\00:20:35.86
I mean, people were
aghast that he would have
00:20:35.90\00:20:37.67
the audacity to do that.
00:20:37.70\00:20:40.10
They were burning
his writings in Rome,
00:20:40.14\00:20:42.27
Luther said, "I'm gonna
burn your writings here."
00:20:42.30\00:20:45.34
He says, "I've got
the truth on my side."
00:20:45.37\00:20:47.41
And they were hurling
threats back and they said,
00:20:47.44\00:20:50.11
"You're excommunicated,
you're consigned to the flames,"
00:20:50.15\00:20:53.18
and just
everything about Luther.
00:20:53.21\00:20:55.55
But the people in the town
loved him, and the Germans,
00:20:55.58\00:20:57.52
they were getting
tired of being taxed by Rome.
00:20:57.55\00:21:00.76
They started to stand up
for Luther as their hero.
00:21:00.79\00:21:05.79
And pretty soon, he agrees
to go to this August assembly.
00:21:05.83\00:21:12.47
They say Worms, if you're
in Germany, I've been there.
00:21:12.50\00:21:15.30
It was all the princes.
00:21:15.34\00:21:16.67
It was a Holy Roman Empire then.
00:21:16.71\00:21:18.01
Europe was not divided
in the way it is today,
00:21:18.04\00:21:20.71
and the different
princes, and rulers,
00:21:20.74\00:21:23.14
and kings of the different
territories came to this
00:21:23.18\00:21:25.25
incredible gathering for the
purpose of letting this poor,
00:21:25.28\00:21:30.35
humble monk, who is born of a
father who was a copper miner,
00:21:30.39\00:21:36.26
and he's now going to speak
against the largest institution
00:21:36.29\00:21:39.76
in the world back then, which
was the Roman Catholic Church.
00:21:39.79\00:21:42.63
And here's the
actual answer of Luther,
00:21:42.66\00:21:47.07
and this was given to
the Diet of Worms in 1521.
00:21:47.10\00:21:50.57
You can see, he posted
his thing 1517, and so,
00:21:50.61\00:21:53.81
I'd been
spreading for several years.
00:21:53.84\00:21:56.91
"Since your majesty and your
lordships desire a simple reply,
00:21:56.95\00:21:59.58
I will answer without
horns and without teeth.
00:21:59.61\00:22:02.95
Unless I am convicted by
Scripture and plain reason--
00:22:02.98\00:22:06.15
I do not accept the authority of
popes and councils for they have
00:22:06.19\00:22:09.72
contradicted each
other-- my conscience is captive
00:22:09.76\00:22:12.36
to the Word of God.
00:22:12.39\00:22:13.90
I cannot and I will not
recant," in other words,
00:22:13.93\00:22:16.87
renounce what he had said.
00:22:16.90\00:22:18.60
"Anything, for to go against
conscience is neither right
00:22:18.63\00:22:21.40
nor safe.
00:22:21.44\00:22:22.97
God help me.
00:22:23.00\00:22:24.31
Amen."
00:22:24.34\00:22:26.34
He was something of a
modern-day Elijah that God used.
00:22:27.34\00:22:31.01
You see, Elijah was
a person, he appears
00:22:31.05\00:22:33.31
out of nowhere in history.
00:22:33.35\00:22:35.18
Doesn't talk about his
family, says very little about
00:22:35.85\00:22:38.42
where he's from, but there
was a time of great apostasy
00:22:38.45\00:22:42.39
had come to God's
people in the Old Testament.
00:22:42.42\00:22:45.23
You see, what happened is
the King Ahab, the government,
00:22:45.26\00:22:49.00
he married a
pagan Queen, Jezebel,
00:22:49.03\00:22:54.10
the daughter of Ithobaal,
00:22:54.14\00:22:56.30
the king of Sidonians
where they worship Baal.
00:22:56.34\00:23:00.44
And they began to replace the
worship of God with the worship
00:23:00.48\00:23:03.91
of Baal, and idolatry was
introduced in the kingdom.
00:23:03.95\00:23:07.48
And they sort of commingled
and corrupted the worship
00:23:07.52\00:23:10.92
of the true God.
00:23:10.95\00:23:12.85
Well, because of
this terrible apostasy,
00:23:12.89\00:23:15.22
God said that Ahab lead
the people to sin more than
00:23:15.26\00:23:18.86
any that were before him
because his wife spurned him on.
00:23:18.89\00:23:24.67
And Bible analogies, the king,
the government is the state,
00:23:24.70\00:23:28.30
a woman represent what?
00:23:28.34\00:23:31.14
Represents the church.
00:23:31.17\00:23:33.14
So here, you had the commingling
of the church and the state.
00:23:33.17\00:23:36.98
Jezebel began to
persecute the prophets of God.
00:23:37.01\00:23:41.32
They went underground, they
had to go into the wilderness,
00:23:41.35\00:23:43.85
they hid in caves.
00:23:43.89\00:23:46.35
And during this
time of great famine,
00:23:46.39\00:23:48.12
God finally instructed Elijah to
do something that was very bold.
00:23:48.16\00:23:52.13
He summoned the king.
00:23:52.16\00:23:54.63
He confronted the
king with his sins.
00:23:54.66\00:23:56.56
He said, "You
gather all of Israel to me,
00:23:56.60\00:23:58.57
and we're gonna find that
which god is the real God."
00:23:58.60\00:24:01.07
And there was an assembly
on top of Mount Carmel where
00:24:01.10\00:24:04.84
all the prophets of Baal,
there are about 400 of them.
00:24:04.87\00:24:07.84
By the way, you'll
read this in 1 Kings 18:22.
00:24:07.88\00:24:11.75
"Elijah said to the people,
'I alone am left of the prophet
00:24:11.78\00:24:14.82
of the Lord; but Baal's prophets
are four hundred and fifty men."
00:24:14.85\00:24:17.95
And he issued a challenge,
"How long will you halt
00:24:17.99\00:24:20.49
between two opinions?
00:24:20.52\00:24:22.12
If the lord of
Jehovah is God, worship him.
00:24:22.16\00:24:24.89
If Baal is God, worship him.
00:24:24.93\00:24:27.23
I have a proposition let's
see which God is the real God.
00:24:27.23\00:24:29.80
You build an altar to your god,
I'll build an altar to Jehovah.
00:24:29.83\00:24:32.80
Whichever god answers
by fire, he is the God.
00:24:32.83\00:24:37.51
Any moment, they
had been searching
00:24:37.54\00:24:38.91
all over the country for
Elijah because of the famine.
00:24:38.94\00:24:41.28
They had his
wanted poster everywhere.
00:24:41.31\00:24:44.15
Now suddenly, he boldly
appears in front of all of them,
00:24:44.18\00:24:46.82
and nobody dare touches him.
00:24:46.85\00:24:49.65
And he issues
this command, he said,
00:24:49.68\00:24:51.55
"Let's find out who
has the Word of God."
00:24:51.59\00:24:54.39
And then, you know, they
built their altar to Baal
00:24:54.42\00:24:56.62
and they sacrificed,
they danced, and sang,
00:24:56.66\00:24:58.93
and shouted all day
long, and they cut themselves
00:24:58.96\00:25:01.46
and carried on
and nothing but flies.
00:25:01.50\00:25:06.63
Elijah kneels down at the
end, and he prays a prayer,
00:25:06.67\00:25:10.11
takes 30 seconds.
00:25:10.14\00:25:12.37
He prays a prayer, a
simple, humble prayer and said,
00:25:12.41\00:25:14.58
"Lord God, show these people
that you are the true God.
00:25:14.61\00:25:16.88
Bring them back to
you again, and show that
00:25:16.91\00:25:18.98
I've done these
things at your Word."
00:25:19.01\00:25:20.78
And pow, lightning
flashes down like an arc welder
00:25:20.82\00:25:24.32
on the altar of Elijah,
burns up the sacrifices,
00:25:24.35\00:25:27.86
burns up the rocks, burns up
the water that was in the ditch.
00:25:27.89\00:25:32.23
And the people
fell down and said,
00:25:32.26\00:25:33.66
"The Lord, He is God.
00:25:33.70\00:25:35.00
The Lord, He is God."
00:25:35.10\00:25:36.87
And the prophets of Baal start
to slink away from the scene.
00:25:36.90\00:25:40.24
Elijah says, "Seize them,"
and all the prophets of Baal
00:25:40.27\00:25:43.87
were slain.
00:25:43.91\00:25:45.51
That one man had the courage
to stand up at the risk of
00:25:45.54\00:25:50.08
his life against an institution
that had been corrupt.
00:25:50.11\00:25:53.01
And it wasn't over
yet, but through Elijah,
00:25:53.05\00:25:55.72
and through Elisha,
and those that followed,
00:25:55.75\00:25:58.72
a revival was brought
about a Great Reformation.
00:25:58.75\00:26:02.79
Are the principles of
the Reformation under attack
00:26:02.82\00:26:04.89
right now?
00:26:04.93\00:26:06.43
What's changed?
00:26:06.46\00:26:08.86
Does the Catholic Church
still believe in indulgences?
00:26:08.90\00:26:11.57
They do.
00:26:11.60\00:26:13.30
They still offer them.
00:26:13.34\00:26:14.64
Pope Francis offered a
year of mercy and indulgence.
00:26:14.67\00:26:18.27
Do they still have
idols that they pray to?
00:26:18.31\00:26:21.64
Do they still have purgatory?
00:26:21.68\00:26:24.08
Do they still venerate Mary?
00:26:24.11\00:26:26.51
If you go to the--do
they still celebrate the mass
00:26:26.55\00:26:28.98
and say they've got
the power to turn the bread
00:26:29.02\00:26:30.82
into the body of Christ?
00:26:30.85\00:26:32.25
If you go to what the
issues were that the reformers
00:26:32.29\00:26:35.22
protested against, none
of them have been changed,
00:26:35.26\00:26:39.09
and the Protestant
leaders are capitulating,
00:26:39.13\00:26:41.93
they're
surrendering, and accepting
00:26:41.96\00:26:44.53
Baal worship, basically.
00:26:44.57\00:26:47.64
God needs more Elijahs today.
00:26:47.67\00:26:50.64
You know, the
Bible says, "Behold,
00:26:50.67\00:26:51.97
I send you Elijah the Prophet."
00:26:52.01\00:26:53.74
Not only did John the
Baptist come in the spirit
00:26:53.78\00:26:56.28
and the power of
Elijah, Martin Luther
00:26:56.31\00:26:59.61
and many reformers did
the work of Elijah and Elisha.
00:26:59.65\00:27:03.55
But Jesus isn't here yet.
00:27:03.59\00:27:05.69
Just before Christ even
simultaneous with Christ's
00:27:05.72\00:27:09.19
first coming, John the
baptist was doing his work.
00:27:09.22\00:27:11.63
I believe God is looking for
people that will do the work of
00:27:11.66\00:27:14.66
Elijah in the world today that
will speak up boldly and say,
00:27:14.73\00:27:19.47
"This is what the Bible says.
00:27:19.50\00:27:20.97
It doesn't matter
what the church says.
00:27:21.00\00:27:22.87
It doesn't matter
what the world is doing.
00:27:22.90\00:27:24.77
Man is gonna live by
every word that proceeds
00:27:24.81\00:27:27.31
from the mouth of God."
00:27:27.34\00:27:28.64
We need to have
another Reformation.
00:27:28.68\00:27:30.41
We need to be
willing to stand like Luther.
00:27:30.45\00:27:33.98
He wasn't afraid of
what was gonna happen to him.
00:27:34.02\00:27:36.75
He was more concerned
what would happen to the truth
00:27:36.79\00:27:39.72
'cause truth never dies.
00:27:39.75\00:27:41.26
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