[Dramatic Theme] >:
00:00:01.36\00:00:05.43
It has stood the test of time.
00:00:07.74\00:00:11.94
God's book, the Bible;
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still relevant in
today's  complex world.
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It Is Written, 
sharing hope around the globe.
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[sound of thunder]
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[Foreboding Drone]
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JB: This is It Is Written.
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I'm John Bradshaw.
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Thanks for joining me today.
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It's one of the most 
historic cities on the planet.
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Colorful figures, 
incredible architecture,
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outrageous scandal
 and gripping drama.
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Rome.
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No other city in the history
of  the world has affected or
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affects the world quite like
the  city of Rome has and does.
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Behind me is a monument to 
one of Rome's most influential
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leaders.
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This is the Arch of Constantine,
 and it was during Constantine's
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reign that change happened,
 that we still experience
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and feel today.
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During the reign of Constantine,
 paganism was losing its grip,
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its power,  over
the Roman empire.
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And it seemed possible
that  Christ would finally
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conquer Caesar.
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You know,  there's
an old saying that says,
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if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.
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And that's the
policy  Constantine adopted:
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years of persecution
 had failed to destroy
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the Christian Church.
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So, Constantine decided 
it was time to make a deal.
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Three centuries before, Jesus 
had warned His followers against
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the use of force as a means 
of establishing His authority.
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Remember, that was the kind of
 Savior the religious leaders in
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Jesus' time were looking for:
 a political Messiah who would
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establish an earthly kingdom and
 overthrow the nation's enemies.
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Many of Jesus' disciples had 
a difficult time understanding
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this, especially Peter.
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So when Jesus was arrested
in  the Garden of Gethsemane,
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Peter tried to defend him with
a  sword, whacking off the ear
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of one of those who 
was taking Jesus captive.
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Jesus quickly
healed  the man's ear,
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and then turned to his 
overzealous disciple with words
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many Christians through the ages
 have conveniently forgotten:
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"Put your sword in its place,
 for all who take the sword
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will perish by the
sword,"  Matthew 26:52.
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Early the next morning, 
Jesus found Himself in the
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presence of the Roman
governor,  Pontius Pilate.
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Those opposing Jesus were
 accusing Him of rebellion
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against the Roman government,
 and that's what caught the
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attention of Pontius Pilate.
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Any theological dispute that 
Jesus might have had with Jewish
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leaders wouldn't have
 interested a man like
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Pilate one little bit.
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But rebellion against Rome, 
now that was a different story.
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"We found this fellow perverting
 the nation and forbidding to
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pay taxes to Caesar, saying that
he  himself is Christ, a king,"
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Luke 23:2.
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So Pilate takes Jesus aside and
 asks Him about this, and Jesus
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answers him, using words that
 too many of Jesus' followers
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down through time have ignored.
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"My kingdom  is
not of this world.
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If my kingdom were of this 
world, my servants would fight
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so that I should not
be  delivered to the Jews.
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But now my kingdom is
not  from here," John 18:36.
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So long as Christians were a 
persecuted minority, it was easy
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for them to honor this
 teaching of their Lord.
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But when Constantine became 
Rome's emperor and the lure of
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temporal power was offered to
 the Church, this teaching was
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set aside and the coming 
centuries were destined to
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witness the disaster
that  followed as a result.
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The last great persecution
of  the Christian Church was
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instigated by the emperor, 
Diocletian, in the year 303 A.D.
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These barbs are the primary
 monument found in Rome to
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Diocletian's reign.
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During his reign the empire
had  faced dramatic challenges:
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internal chaos, military 
invasion and economic crisis had
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convulsed Rome's possessions.
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Through herculean efforts, 
Diocletian had brought order out
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of this confusion and had 
brought stability to the empire.
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[Foreboding Drone] 
But one problem remained,
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one glaring challenge to
the  emperor's authority and the
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unity of culture he
sought  within his realm.
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And that was 
the Christian Church.
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It was more powerful
than ever,  deeply entrenched
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in Roman society, 
even in the upper classes.
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But just as Diocletian had faced
 down the worst of internal and
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external threats, he was
now  determined to face this one
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as well.
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And so began the most ruthless
 persecution of the Church
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since Pentecost,
 a reign of terror
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that would last 10 full years.
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But the Church
was just  too strong.
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Local governors, 
members of the Roman senate,
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patricians of high
rank,  many of these now
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professed the Christian faith 
and the more powerful they were,
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the more likely they
could  protect themselves
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and their fellow believers.
00:06:08.16\00:06:10.30
The empire was still traumatized
 by decades of civil strife and
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the ceaseless
wars  on the frontiers.
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It was just too much for
Rome  to handle all at once.
00:06:16.97\00:06:20.81
It became so stressful for
 Diocletian himself that he
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resigned the throne 
in the year 305 A.D.,
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the first ancient monarch
 known to do such a thing.
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But now another leader
emerged  on the Roman stage.
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Once a minor official in 
Diocletian's court, he now stood
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poised to take the
empire  in his grasp.
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I'll have more in just a moment.
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[Hopeful Melody]  >:
You are watching the weekly
00:06:50.37\00:06:52.94
It Is Written program with 
Pastor John Bradshaw, but did
00:06:52.94\00:06:55.98
you know that there's
a daily  program, too?
00:06:55.98\00:06:58.58
"Every Word" is a one-minute,
 Bible-based daily devotional
00:06:58.58\00:07:02.08
presented by Pastor John 
Bradshaw and designed especially
00:07:02.08\00:07:05.29
for busy people like you.
00:07:05.29\00:07:07.26
Look for "Every Word" on 
selected networks, or watch it
00:07:07.26\00:07:10.36
online every day on our
website,  ItIsWritten.com.
00:07:10.36\00:07:14.16
Receive a daily spiritual boost.
00:07:14.16\00:07:16.23
Watch "Every Word."
00:07:16.23\00:07:17.53
You'll be glad you did.
00:07:17.53\00:07:20.30
[Rythmic Melody]
00:07:21.57\00:07:25.14
JB: It's a funny thing.
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Well, more a tragic thing, 
really, that there's a growing
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tendency to treat the
Bible as  less than what it is.
00:07:33.25\00:07:35.72
You've probably heard, just like
 I have, where some so-called
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Bible scholars pronounced that
 these miracles didn't happen or
00:07:38.09\00:07:41.16
creation didn't happen or this
 part of the Bible isn't to be
00:07:41.16\00:07:44.06
taken too seriously.
00:07:44.06\00:07:45.86
Something King Jehoshaphat said
 should clear things up a bit
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for us.
00:07:47.93\00:07:48.90
When the kings of Israel, Judah
 and Edom were going up against
00:07:48.90\00:07:51.37
the king of Moab, who was 
flexing his muscles, they looked
00:07:51.37\00:07:54.74
for guidance from God and a
 servant suggested they speak
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with the prophet Elisha.
00:07:57.91\00:07:59.77
In 2 Kings 3:12 we read, "And
 Jehoshaphat said, 'the word of
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the Lord is with him him.'"
 The prophets spoke the word
00:08:04.71\00:08:07.78
of the Lord.
00:08:07.78\00:08:08.52
What they said then is still
 the word of the Lord today.
00:08:08.52\00:08:11.49
We don't need to criticize it,
 but trust it and believe it.
00:08:11.49\00:08:14.29
You know why?
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Because God's Word is certain.
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I'm John Bradshaw.
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Let's live today by every word.
00:08:18.76\00:08:21.90
[Ominous Melody]
00:08:22.53\00:08:27.04
JB: This is  It Is Written.
00:08:35.31\00:08:36.71
I'm John Bradshaw.
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Thanks for joining me.
00:08:37.65\00:08:39.11
You're joining me
here at  ponte Milvio,
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the Milvian Bridge in
Rome,  the site of one of the
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most famous battles 
in all of Roman history.
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The truth is, it's a
battle that  changed the world.
00:08:47.79\00:08:51.96
After Diocletian resigned
from  being the emperor of Rome,
00:08:51.96\00:08:55.56
the empire was
plunged  into some confusion.
00:08:55.56\00:08:58.37
Who would be his successor?
00:08:58.37\00:09:00.84
The race was on.
00:09:00.84\00:09:02.40
The favorite was a
young man  named Maxentius.
00:09:02.40\00:09:04.87
Maxentius was 
the son of Maximian.
00:09:04.87\00:09:07.41
Maximian was
Diocletian's  associate emperor.
00:09:07.41\00:09:11.28
The associate emperor's son 
seemed to be a natural choice.
00:09:11.28\00:09:15.35
But Constantine had other ideas.
00:09:15.35\00:09:18.92
He assembled an army and won two
 victories against Maxentius in
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northern Italy, and then he 
marched on Rome, determined to
00:09:22.76\00:09:27.30
take the city and the throne.
00:09:27.30\00:09:31.20
On the evening before the famous
 battle fought right here,
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the story goes that 
Constantine had a dream
00:09:35.47\00:09:38.77
in which he saw  a
vision of the cross,
00:09:38.77\00:09:43.01
and he heard a voice say, 
"By this sign you will conquer."
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Well, the next
day,  what do you know.
00:09:48.72\00:09:50.92
Constantine was victorious.
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His rival was defeated and 
drowned here in the Tiber River.
00:09:53.19\00:09:59.19
Constantine marched on to Rome 
and he was accepted in scenes of
00:09:59.19\00:10:02.20
wild jubilation.
00:10:02.20\00:10:05.13
Events were now set in motion
 that wouldn't cease until
00:10:05.13\00:10:09.20
Christianity had
become  the state religion
00:10:09.20\00:10:12.57
of the Roman empire.
00:10:12.57\00:10:14.41
Constantine and his successors
 used the power of imperial Rome
00:10:14.41\00:10:19.35
to spread the Christian message
 and to resolve the Church's
00:10:19.35\00:10:23.05
internal conflicts.
00:10:23.05\00:10:24.79
But what happened was this: 
Pagan beliefs were blended with
00:10:24.79\00:10:30.39
Christian faith.
00:10:30.39\00:10:31.86
Pagan practices were baptized,
 as it were, and given a
00:10:31.86\00:10:35.83
Christian connotation.
00:10:35.83\00:10:37.93
Here's what one author said, 
commenting on this development:
00:10:37.93\00:10:42.44
"As seen in Constantine's 
originating piety, that supreme
00:10:42.64\00:10:46.51
Deity would have been associated
 with the sun, and pagans would
00:10:46.51\00:10:50.45
have recognized, with reason,
 their own solar cult in such
00:10:50.45\00:10:54.62
Christian practices as
orienting  churches to the east,
00:10:54.62\00:10:58.55
worshiping on Sunday, 
and celebrating the birth of
00:10:58.55\00:11:02.56
the deity at the
winter  solstice."
00:11:02.56\00:11:05.66
Jesus warned the religious 
leaders of His day of the great
00:11:05.66\00:11:08.83
danger of giving human ideas
 and human traditions the same
00:11:08.83\00:11:14.60
authority as that
which is found  in the Bible.
00:11:14.60\00:11:17.21
He said this  in
Matthew 15 in verse 9:
00:11:17.21\00:11:20.68
"And in vain they worshiped
me,  teaching as doctrines
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the commandments of men."
00:11:24.98\00:11:27.58
But in Constantine's
day,  the Church seems
00:11:27.58\00:11:30.62
to have forgotten 
these very clear words.
00:11:30.62\00:11:34.12
So they started making sacred 
what Jesus had not made sacred,
00:11:34.12\00:11:38.56
and before long they
were  forbidding what God had
00:11:38.56\00:11:41.90
commanded.
00:11:41.90\00:11:44.23
But the Roman empire was on its
 last legs, and as the fourth
00:11:44.43\00:11:47.97
century unfolded this
became  clear for all to see.
00:11:47.97\00:11:52.64
The Germanic tribes beyond the
 Rhine and Danube, often called
00:11:52.64\00:11:55.58
Barbarians, poured across
the  empire's northern frontier
00:11:55.58\00:11:59.68
in increasing numbers.
00:11:59.68\00:12:01.68
By the end of the fourth century
 many within the Roman army
00:12:01.68\00:12:05.19
itself were German, 
and refused increasingly to
00:12:05.19\00:12:08.52
fight against their own people.
00:12:08.52\00:12:10.59
One vast invasion followed 
another, like sledgehammer blows
00:12:10.59\00:12:14.90
on a crumbling brick fence.
00:12:14.90\00:12:17.03
Finally, in 476
A.D.,  the last emperor,
00:12:17.03\00:12:21.54
a child named Romulus Augustus,
 was deposed by a Barbarian
00:12:21.54\00:12:26.54
chieftain, bringing an end 
to an empire that had lasted
00:12:26.54\00:12:31.61
for over 1,000 years.
00:12:31.61\00:12:34.55
The collapse of the Roman
empire  brought chaos to western
00:12:34.72\00:12:38.39
Europe. Crime was
rampant,  piracy ruled the sea,
00:12:38.39\00:12:42.02
the economy was in tatters.
00:12:42.02\00:12:43.53
There was no longer any
real  civil authority left.
00:12:43.53\00:12:47.56
But there was one mechanism
 remaining from the old Roman
00:12:47.56\00:12:50.97
system, and
historians tell us  what it was.
00:12:50.97\00:12:54.97
With the breakup of the Roman
 bureaucracy, the structure of
00:12:54.97\00:12:58.17
daily life was
threatened with  disintegration.
00:12:58.17\00:13:01.91
The only trace left 
of the Roman organism
00:13:01.91\00:13:04.85
was the Catholic
church,  and the only men with
00:13:04.85\00:13:08.05
administrative
experience  were the bishops.
00:13:08.05\00:13:13.05
When Christianity conquered
 Rome, the ecclesiastical
00:13:13.05\00:13:16.79
structure of the pagan church,
 the title and vestments of the
00:13:16.79\00:13:21.03
Pontifex Maximus, the
worship of  the great Mother
00:13:21.03\00:13:25.13
and the multitude  of
comforting divinities,
00:13:25.13\00:13:27.97
the sense of supersensible
 presences everywhere,
00:13:27.97\00:13:31.41
the joy or solemnity 
of old festivals, and the
00:13:31.41\00:13:34.71
pageantry of immemorial 
ceremony, passed like maternal
00:13:34.71\00:13:39.28
blood into the new
religion, and  captive Rome
00:13:39.28\00:13:43.89
captured her conqueror.
00:13:43.89\00:13:47.46
The reins and skills of 
government were handed down by a
00:13:47.46\00:13:50.19
dying empire to a virile papacy.
00:13:50.19\00:13:54.20
The lost power of the broken
 sword was re-won by the magic
00:13:54.40\00:13:58.13
of the consoling word.
00:13:58.13\00:13:59.97
The armies of the state were
 replaced by the missionaries
00:13:59.97\00:14:02.74
of the church, 
moving in all directions
00:14:02.74\00:14:04.94
along the Roman roads.
00:14:04.94\00:14:06.91
And the revolted provinces 
accepting Christianity again
00:14:06.91\00:14:11.18
acknowledged the
sovereignty  of Rome.
00:14:11.18\00:14:16.38
Catherine Sherman
writes,  "The church,
00:14:16.38\00:14:19.09
with the shadow of the
ancient  authority behind it,
00:14:19.09\00:14:22.72
was the only symbol
left  of imperial Rome,
00:14:22.72\00:14:26.36
and its bishop, the pope, 
was the city's only recourse for
00:14:26.36\00:14:30.27
leadership and protection."
00:14:30.27\00:14:32.97
The Roman empire in Europe would
 be replaced by the spiritual
00:14:32.97\00:14:36.40
empire, which came to be 
temporal as well, whose reigning
00:14:36.40\00:14:40.94
signore was the bishop of Rome.
00:14:40.94\00:14:44.98
In a moment, Rome rises again.
00:14:45.15\00:14:47.58
I'll be right back.
00:14:47.58\00:14:50.32
? [Dramatic Music] ?
 JB: I hope you'll get
00:14:51.59\00:14:53.89
the book I'm
offering you  this week.
00:14:53.89\00:14:55.79
It's called "Revelation Today."
00:14:55.79\00:14:57.89
It unfolds the end times 
scenario presented in the book
00:14:57.89\00:15:01.33
of Reveltion.
00:15:01.33\00:15:02.56
This little book is going to
 help you understand what the
00:15:02.56\00:15:05.00
book of Revelation 
is really all about.
00:15:05.00\00:15:07.67
It untangles the end time 
prophetic scenario to let you
00:15:07.67\00:15:11.27
see how the battle between good
 and evil ultimately plays out.
00:15:11.27\00:15:15.31
Just call or write and I'll
send  you "Revelation Today."
00:15:15.31\00:15:18.68
There's no cost, no obligation,
 it's absolutely free.
00:15:18.68\00:15:22.72
All you need to do is call 
1 (800) 253-3000 and ask for
00:15:22.88\00:15:27.62
"Revelation Today."
00:15:27.62\00:15:28.69
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? [Thoughful Piano Melody] ?
00:16:33.76\00:16:39.36
JB: I'm John Bradshaw.
00:16:46.80\00:16:47.60
This is It Is Written.
00:16:47.60\00:16:49.67
Thanks for joining me.
00:16:49.67\00:16:51.57
St. Peter's Basilica
 at the Vatican City,
00:16:51.57\00:16:57.08
a magnificent building.
00:16:57.08\00:16:58.81
One of the most magnificent 
buildings on the entire planet.
00:16:58.81\00:17:03.65
Now, it's interesting how the
 construction of this building
00:17:03.65\00:17:05.92
was funded.
00:17:05.92\00:17:08.09
Some hundreds of years ago
 emissaries from the Vatican
00:17:08.09\00:17:10.53
would travel throughout Vatican
 territory, selling indulgences.
00:17:10.53\00:17:15.50
At the time, among other
things  they were selling the
00:17:15.50\00:17:17.60
forgiveness of sins.
00:17:17.60\00:17:19.23
Men like Johann Tetzel, who 
aroused Martin Luther to action,
00:17:19.23\00:17:23.84
traveled through places such
as  Germany, declaring to the
00:17:23.84\00:17:26.54
ignorant masses that when they
 put their coins into the box
00:17:26.54\00:17:30.48
that people like Tetzel were
 carrying about, their sins,
00:17:30.48\00:17:34.78
past, present and
future,  would all be forgiven
00:17:34.78\00:17:38.62
before the coin even clinked
 into the bottom of the chest.
00:17:38.62\00:17:43.32
And unsurprisingly, 
that fund-raising venture
00:17:43.32\00:17:47.53
was very successful.
00:17:47.53\00:17:50.67
Temporal power, 
like financial wealth,
00:17:56.04\00:17:59.91
often comes at a price; 
and the price paid by the
00:17:59.91\00:18:03.45
medieval Church was the 
sacrifice of individual liberty.
00:18:03.45\00:18:07.85
The Church,  just
like the old pagan
00:18:07.85\00:18:10.99
empire had done, 
started to dictate to people
00:18:10.99\00:18:13.79
just what it was that they 
should and should not believe.
00:18:13.79\00:18:18.59
And theology was
created to  justify this.
00:18:18.59\00:18:21.96
Writing in his
book  "The City of God,"
00:18:21.96\00:18:24.47
St. Augustine wrote how 
the Church was God's earthly
00:18:24.47\00:18:28.10
means of dictating his
will  to the secular powers.
00:18:28.10\00:18:33.51
One historian wrote
about it  in these words:
00:18:33.51\00:18:37.88
"The Church would later accept
 this identification of itself
00:18:37.88\00:18:41.28
with the city of God 
as an ideological weapon of
00:18:41.28\00:18:44.22
politics and would logically
 deduce from Augustine's
00:18:44.22\00:18:47.79
philosophy the doctrine of a
 theocratic state in which the
00:18:47.79\00:18:51.66
secular powers derived from
men  would be subordinate to the
00:18:51.66\00:18:56.13
spiritual powers held by the
 Church and derived from God."
00:18:56.13\00:19:02.70
Jesus warned His
disciples,  in John 16, verse 2,
00:19:02.70\00:19:06.34
that the time is coming that
 whoever kills you will think
00:19:06.34\00:19:10.45
that he's doing God's service.
00:19:10.45\00:19:12.88
Now, with the thinking of people
 like Augustine and the medieval
00:19:12.88\00:19:15.65
Church, it isn't hard to see how
 that state of thinking might
00:19:15.65\00:19:20.49
actually be put into practice.
00:19:20.49\00:19:22.89
You see, the Church believed
 that humanity was incurably
00:19:22.89\00:19:27.13
depraved beyond even the
power  of God's Holy Spirit
00:19:27.13\00:19:30.13
to fully restore.
00:19:30.13\00:19:31.57
And so, that being the thinking,
 they believed it was perfectly
00:19:31.57\00:19:34.07
acceptable to compel
people,  even by physical force,
00:19:34.07\00:19:39.21
to believe that which  the
Church thought was accurate
00:19:39.21\00:19:42.08
and to reject that which 
the Church taught was error.
00:19:42.08\00:19:47.08
That being so, it isn't a long 
way from there to the horrors of
00:19:47.08\00:19:51.99
the Inquisition with the racks
 and other torture devices that
00:19:51.99\00:19:56.46
were used.
00:19:56.46\00:19:59.09
But the Church wasn't
only  content with harnessing
00:19:59.96\00:20:02.26
civil power.
00:20:02.26\00:20:03.93
It had to exercise power
over  the souls of its members
00:20:03.93\00:20:07.20
as well.
00:20:07.20\00:20:08.80
In time, its leaders came to the
 conclusion that they were the
00:20:08.80\00:20:12.17
sole path to forgiveness before
 God and eternal salvation for
00:20:12.17\00:20:17.28
the human family.
00:20:17.28\00:20:19.01
Innocent the Third, the most 
powerful of the medieval popes,
00:20:19.25\00:20:22.62
who reigned from 1198 to
1216,  made this declaration:
00:20:22.62\00:20:28.09
"The successor of Peter
 is the Vicar of Christ.
00:20:28.09\00:20:31.76
He has been established as a
 mediator between God and man,
00:20:31.76\00:20:35.43
below God but beyond man.
00:20:35.43\00:20:38.40
Less than God, 
but more than man,
00:20:38.40\00:20:41.47
who shall judge all
and  be judged by no one."
00:20:41.47\00:20:47.48
It's interesting that any 
Christian leader could even
00:20:48.24\00:20:50.58
think of making 
such a statement.
00:20:50.58\00:20:53.25
The Apostle Paul declares, 
"For there is one God and one
00:20:53.25\00:20:56.95
mediator between God and
man,  the man Christ Jesus."
00:20:56.95\00:21:02.19
The apostle states in another 
passage, "For we must all appear
00:21:02.36\00:21:06.19
before the judgment seat of 
Christ that each one may receive
00:21:06.19\00:21:09.83
the things done in the body 
according to what he has done,
00:21:09.83\00:21:13.13
whether good or bad."
00:21:13.13\00:21:15.24
Now that Bible
verse  is so clear,
00:21:15.24\00:21:17.91
it's hard to imagine how
anybody  could allow themselves
00:21:17.91\00:21:20.88
to get to the place where
they  believed that there were
00:21:20.88\00:21:23.24
unaccountable to God 
in His final judgment.
00:21:23.24\00:21:26.35
But that's how the medieval 
Church ended up seeing itself.
00:21:26.35\00:21:30.85
And that kind of thinking
led to  a period of persecution
00:21:30.85\00:21:34.62
far worse than
anything  that had happened
00:21:34.62\00:21:37.06
under old pagan Rome.
00:21:37.06\00:21:39.46
Again, here's what
the historian  had to say:
00:21:39.46\00:21:42.13
"Compared with the
persecution  of heresy in Europe
00:21:42.13\00:21:45.70
from 1227 to 1492,  the
persecution of Christians
00:21:45.70\00:21:50.01
by Romans in the first three
 centuries after Christ was a
00:21:50.01\00:21:53.07
mild and humane procedure.
00:21:53.07\00:21:56.11
Making every allowance required 
of an historian and permitted to
00:21:56.11\00:21:59.65
a Christian, we must rank the 
Inquisition, along with the wars
00:21:59.65\00:22:03.75
and persecutions of our time,
 as among the darkest blocks
00:22:03.75\00:22:07.62
on the record of
mankind,  revealing a ferocity
00:22:07.62\00:22:11.13
unknown in any beast."
00:22:11.13\00:22:15.16
It's well known that the Church
 of Rome claims to have the
00:22:15.46\00:22:17.57
authority and the power to
be  able to forgive human sin.
00:22:17.57\00:22:23.10
In 1984, an article ran
 in the Los Angeles Times
00:22:23.10\00:22:27.51
under the headline 
"No forgiveness directly
00:22:27.51\00:22:30.51
from God, says Pope."
00:22:30.51\00:22:32.98
Listen to how the late 
Pope John Paul II was quoted
00:22:32.98\00:22:35.68
in this L.A. Times article:
00:22:35.68\00:22:38.39
"Rebutting a belief 
widely shared by Protestants
00:22:38.85\00:22:42.12
and a growing number of Roman 
Catholics, Pope John Paul II on
00:22:42.12\00:22:45.76
Tuesday dismissed the widespread
 idea that one can obtain
00:22:45.76\00:22:50.67
forgiveness directly from
God  and exhorted Catholics to
00:22:50.67\00:22:54.57
confess more often
 to their priests."
00:22:54.57\00:22:58.24
And it wasn't too long ago that
 we saw this headline, also in
00:22:58.24\00:23:01.04
the Los Angeles Times: 
"Vatican declares Catholicism
00:23:01.04\00:23:06.11
sole path to salvation."
00:23:06.11\00:23:09.68
Which is really what has to 
happen, when the quest for power
00:23:10.29\00:23:13.69
takes precedence over 
the quest for faithfulness to
00:23:13.69\00:23:16.26
the Word of God.
00:23:16.26\00:23:17.49
At the end of the day, 
we're going to be the servants
00:23:17.49\00:23:19.29
of somebody;  we're
going to follow somebody.
00:23:19.29\00:23:22.13
And when we allow somebody's
 word, anybody's word, to take
00:23:22.13\00:23:25.47
the place of God's Word in our
 lives, we in effect become the
00:23:25.47\00:23:29.00
servant of that person or that 
organization, and that person or
00:23:29.00\00:23:34.58
thing ends up
becoming  God in our lives.
00:23:34.58\00:23:38.18
[Pompous Theme]
00:23:38.18\00:23:41.32
It isn't uncommon at
all  for religious people,
00:23:42.82\00:23:44.99
certainly for many Christians,
 to seek temporal power
00:23:44.99\00:23:49.09
to advance what they
believe  to be the cause of God
00:23:49.09\00:23:51.63
in this world.
00:23:51.63\00:23:53.23
But if there's at least
one big  problem with that.
00:23:53.23\00:23:55.90
No dictate of a pope,  no
law passed by the president,
00:23:55.90\00:24:00.74
no decision made
by  the Supreme Court,
00:24:00.74\00:24:03.71
can ever get to the
heart  of the matter.
00:24:03.71\00:24:06.31
They simply can't
change  the human heart.
00:24:06.31\00:24:09.18
The only thing that can restore
 purity and wholeness in a
00:24:09.18\00:24:12.11
person's life and mind
and heart  is the power of the
00:24:12.11\00:24:16.72
transforming
grace of Almighty God.
00:24:16.72\00:24:19.22
That's the only
thing  that can do it.
00:24:19.22\00:24:21.56
The Apostle Paul wrote this
in  2 Corinthians, chapter 6:
00:24:21.56\00:24:26.73
"Do not be unequally yoked
 together with unbelievers,
00:24:26.73\00:24:31.97
for what fellowship has 
righteousness with lawlessness?
00:24:31.97\00:24:35.54
And what communion 
hath light with darkness?
00:24:35.54\00:24:38.84
And what accord 
has Christ with Belial?
00:24:38.84\00:24:42.51
Or what part has a
believer  with an unbeliever?
00:24:42.51\00:24:46.01
And what agreement has
the  temple of God with idols?
00:24:46.01\00:24:49.65
For you are the temple of the
 living God, as God has said:
00:24:49.65\00:24:54.52
'I will dwell in
them,  and walk among them.
00:24:54.52\00:24:57.79
I will be their God 
and they shall be my people.
00:24:57.79\00:25:02.33
Therefore, come out from
among  them and be separate,'
00:25:02.33\00:25:05.53
says the Lord.
00:25:05.53\00:25:06.94
'Do not touch what is unclean,
 and I will receive you.'"
00:25:06.94\00:25:11.94
2 Corinthians 6:14-17.
00:25:11.94\00:25:16.01
You know, I like those
words  very much, when God says,
00:25:16.01\00:25:19.55
"I will receive you."
00:25:19.55\00:25:21.82
And that's the
assurance  we need.
00:25:21.82\00:25:24.62
True faith in God is a matter
of  a heart connecting with a
00:25:24.62\00:25:28.09
heart. You know, the great God
of  heaven, the One the Bible
00:25:28.09\00:25:30.56
says the heaven of heavens
cannot  contain is a God who
00:25:30.56\00:25:34.46
wants for His heart to merge and
blend  together with your heart.
00:25:34.46\00:25:38.70
Now, nobody can force you to do
 that--not a law, not a mandate,
00:25:38.70\00:25:42.27
not a fiat, not
me  or anybody else--
00:25:42.27\00:25:45.01
that's a personal decision.
00:25:45.01\00:25:47.21
And I wonder if you've made that
 decision: the decision that no
00:25:47.21\00:25:50.81
one can make for you.
00:25:50.81\00:25:52.71
It's not a good situation when
 there are those in the world
00:25:52.71\00:25:55.35
wanting to force you or anybody
 else to do what they think you
00:25:55.35\00:25:59.52
should do with regard
to  your spiritual life,
00:25:59.52\00:26:03.22
your relationship with God.
00:26:03.22\00:26:05.39
The decision maker is you.
00:26:05.39\00:26:08.00
What's your
decision today,  friend?
00:26:08.00\00:26:10.00
It seems to me there's only
one  decision a person can make,
00:26:10.00\00:26:12.50
for there's only
One  who died for you,
00:26:12.50\00:26:14.60
One who rose from the dead 
for you, and One who ascended to
00:26:14.60\00:26:17.37
heaven for you where
 He intercedes for you
00:26:17.37\00:26:20.01
at God's right hand.
00:26:20.01\00:26:21.51
He'll be your best Friend
today,  your Savior, your Lord,
00:26:21.51\00:26:25.11
your Guide, your All and in all.
00:26:25.11\00:26:29.12
If you accept Jesus
today,  if you commit your life
00:26:29.12\00:26:31.35
to Christ today,  if
you make a decision to
00:26:31.35\00:26:33.52
stand on the Bible today, 
you've got a future that's worth
00:26:33.52\00:26:39.09
looking forward to.
00:26:39.09\00:26:40.60
An eternity spent with God in 
the presence of His Son, Jesus.
00:26:40.60\00:26:45.60
You don't want to
miss that  for anything.
00:26:45.60\00:26:47.87
Let me pray with
you now,  would you?
00:26:47.87\00:26:49.20
Let's pray together.
00:26:49.20\00:26:50.64
Our Father in heaven, I thank
 You today that You love us
00:26:50.64\00:26:53.61
enough to give us the freedom to
 choose for you according to the
00:26:53.61\00:26:57.25
way we see You leading us.
00:26:57.25\00:26:59.71
Dear Lord, I pray that we all,
 we each, would make a decision
00:26:59.71\00:27:04.55
for You based on that which You
 have revealed about Yourself,
00:27:04.55\00:27:07.72
that you are a God who
is good,  a God who is love.
00:27:07.72\00:27:11.69
I thank You that the one being
 in this universe would could
00:27:11.69\00:27:15.00
force our will, does not.
00:27:15.00\00:27:18.07
And while You give us this 
freedom to choose, I pray that
00:27:18.07\00:27:20.44
we would exercise
that well  and wisely.
00:27:20.44\00:27:24.01
Soon Jesus will return.
00:27:24.01\00:27:25.14
Lord, give us grace to be
ready  for that great day.
00:27:25.14\00:27:29.04
I thank You and I
pray  in Jesus' name.
00:27:29.04\00:27:32.38
Amen.
00:27:32.38\00:27:34.95
? [music rings out] ?
 ? [Peaceful Melody] ?
00:27:34.95\00:27:48.06
JB: Thanks for
joining  me today.
00:27:51.50\00:27:52.93
I look forward to
seeing you  again next time.
00:27:52.93\00:27:54.54
Until then,
remember,  It is written,
00:27:54.54\00:27:57.44
man shall not
live by  bread alone,
00:27:57.44\00:27:59.74
but by every word  that proceeds
00:27:59.74\00:28:02.51
from the mouth of God.
00:28:02.51\00:28:04.45
[It Is Written Theme]
00:28:04.45\00:28:11.62