¤[Theme music]¤
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¤[Theme music]¤
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>>John: This is It Is
Written. I'm John Bradshaw.
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Thanks for joining me in Rome.
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¤[Music]¤
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3 million people
call this city home.
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It's one of the most
visited cities in the world.
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And has some of
the planet's most
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recognizable
tourist attractions.
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20 million people
visit Rome every year.
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4 million alone
visit the Colosseum.
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That's 11,000 a day.
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[Vehicle sounds]
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Legend has is that
Rome was founded in 753 B.C.
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Which means people
have been living here
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almost 3 thousand years;
most likely a lot longer.
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Rome was home to the emperors,
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Constantine,
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and Trajan,
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and Nero,
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and others.
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The Olyimpc games
were held here in 1960,
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Rome was bombed
during Word War II,
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history oozes from the
pores of the eternal city.
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The Roman empire which
ruled for around 600 years
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was governed from Rome.
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As well as being the
capital of Italy today,
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Rome was the
capital of the Roman empire,
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and for half a millenium was
the largest city in the world.
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The Roman empire stretched
all the way from Hadrian's wall
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in the north of England,
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across Europe and north
Africa to the Persian Gulf.
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But visit Rome and there's
no escaping an obvious fact,
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the city is dominated by a
certain entity which happens
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to be the largest Christian
denomination in the world.
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St. Peter's
Basilica in the Vatican city
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is one of the largest
church buildings in the world.
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It's not a cathedral,
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the cathedral of
the pope of Rome,
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who also happens to
be the Bishop of Rome
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is the archbasilica
of St. John Lateran;
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which is about
3 miles from here.
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And the faithful come
here from all over the world
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to visit shrines and
cathedrals and Holy sites
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that are
important to their faith.
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Rome claims that it is the one
true church founded by Jesus,
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and that the pope is
St. Peter's successor.
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But while the church of
Rome has occupied the place
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of greatest influence
of any church in the world
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for well over a thousand years,
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there was a time when
its influence and supremacy
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was jeopardized.
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When the Protestant
Reformation challenged
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the authority of the established
church 500 years ago,
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it took on what had become
the most powerful institution
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in western civilization.
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So how did the
church become so powerful?
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Well when the
Roman empire collapsed
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in the 5th century A.D.
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an enormous power
vacuum was created in Europe.
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By that time, Christianity
had been established
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as the state
religion of the Roman empire.
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That had been so
for more than 150 years.
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There was only one
power that could provide
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any measure of stability,
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one historian put it this way.
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“With the breakup of the Roman
bureaucracy the structure of
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daily life was
threatened with disintegration.
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The only trace left
of the Roman organism
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was the Catholic Church,
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and the only men with
administrative experience
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were the bishops.”
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Another historian wrote:
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“The reins and
skills of government were
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handed down by a dying
empire to a virile papacy;
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the lost power of the
broken sword was rewon
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by the magic of
the consoling word;
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the armies of the state were
replaced by the missionaries
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of the Church
moving in all directions
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along the Roman roads,
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and the revolted provinces,
accepting Christianity,
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again acknowledged
the sovereignty of Rome.”
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The transition from
ancient to medieval Christianity
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began in earnest
with the conversion
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of the emperor Constantine.
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Which was almost certainly
only a nominal conversion.
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Constantine's arch,
built more than 1700 years ago,
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very near the Colliseum,
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commemorates the victory that
brought Constantine to power
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in 312 A.D.
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Constantine claimed that
he'd received a vision from God
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assuring him
that he would triumph
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which led him to
embrace Christianity,
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which until that time
had been a persecuted sect.
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Christianity became the
means through which Constantine
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brought peace and
unity to the empire.
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But that peace and
unity came at a high price.
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As the church found acceptance
with kings and emporers,
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Christianity itself
underwent a metamorphisis.
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It began to resemble less and
less the early Christan church,
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and was influenced
more and more, by Paganism.
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Keep in mind that the Roman
emporers including Constantine,
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had been Pagans.
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As you might imagine, it
would've been difficult at best
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for Constantine's new
found faith not to have been
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influenced by
his Pagan background.
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Turned out to be impossible.
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Centuries before Jesus
had said of the Pharisees:
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“In vain they worship Me,
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teaching as doctrines
the commandments of men.”
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Matthew 15:9.
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Throughout western Christianity,
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Paganism and the faith of Jesus
along with church and state,
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were blended together.
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The Roman empire
was a Pagan empire,
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when it embraced Christianity
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it didn't rid
itself of Pagan influences.
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Instead, it embraced
them and absorbed them.
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As a result, the church
lost the power of the Gospel.
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The story is told
that Pope Julius the second
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was once speaking with the
scholar Erasmus here in Rome.
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He referred to the
church's great wealth
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and then referenced Peter's
statement in Acts chapter 3:
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“Silver and gold have I none.”
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The pope turned to
the scholar and he said,
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“well we cannot
say that now, can we?”
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And the scholar
replied by saying.
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“no we cannot.
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And neither can we
say, rise up and walk.”
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Back with more in just a moment.
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[Music]
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>>John: I'm John
Bradshaw from It Is Written,
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inviting you to join me for 500,
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nine programs
produced by it Is Written
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taking you deep
into the Reformation.
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This is the 500th
anniversary of the beginning
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of the Reformation,
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when Martin Luther
nailed his 95 theses
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to the door of the Castle
church in Wittenberg, Germany.
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We'll take you to Wittenberg,
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and to Belgium,
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to England,
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to Ireland,
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to Rome,
00:09:01.84\00:09:02.57
to the Vatican City,
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and introduce you to the people
who created the Reformation,
00:09:03.94\00:09:06.91
who pushed the
Reformation forward.
00:09:06.94\00:09:08.81
We'll take you to
sites all throughout Europe
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where the reformers
lived and, in some cases, died.
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We'll bring you
back to the United States
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and take you to a little
farm in upstate New York,
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and show you how God
spread the Reformation here.
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Don't miss 500.
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You can own the
500 series on DVD.
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Call us on 888-664-5573,
00:09:26.39\00:09:31.03
or visit us online
at itiswritten.shop.
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>>John: Thanks for
joining me on It Is Written.
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The New Testament
church had very little wealth
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and absolutely
no political power.
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But it did have what the
apostle Paul described as
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“the power of God to salvation.”
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And the book of
Acts says that that power
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“turned the world upside down.”
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But when the church
compromised with the world
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in order to receive
favor and protection,
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that primitive power
of the Gospel was lost.
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¤[Music]¤
00:10:05.87\00:10:11.74
But civil and ecclesiastical
power soon fell into the hands
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of the church as
Europe searched for stability.
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The Emperor Justinian,
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who had ruled what was once the
eastern half of the Roman Empire
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became the champion
for Roman Christianity.
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The Emperor became the
defender of the church,
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and set about to
destroy by military means
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the theological
enemies of the church.
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Tribes such as the Heruli,
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the Ostrogoths and the Vandals
were subdued and conquered.
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One historian
reflected upon these conquests.
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“The Church, with the shadow of
the ancient authority behind it,
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was the only symbol
left of imperial Rome,
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and its bishop,
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the Pope,
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was the city's only recourse
for leadership and protection,
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The Roman Empire in
Europe would be replaced
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by the spiritual empire,
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which came to be
temporal as well,
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whose reigning seigneur
was the bishop of Rome.”
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There were some colorful
characters associated with
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the papacy in the Middle Ages.
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Pope Gregory the Seventh,
who reigned in the 11th century,
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forced the
German Emperor Henry IV
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to wait outside in
the snow for three days
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before agreeing to see him
and reconcile him to the church.
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Now, you might not expect things
to be done that way today,
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but in the medieval church,
that's how things were done.
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¤[Music]¤
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Pope Sixtus the Fourth,
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famous for building
the Sistine Chapel in Rome,
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which was named for him,
reigned in the 15th century.
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He was also deeply
involved in the politics
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of the Italian States,
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and in 1476 he was
involved in a conspiracy
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to assassinate an Italian
statesman and his brother,
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whose family at the time were
rulers in the city of Florence.
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Other popes such as Alexander
the Sixth and Julius the Second
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kept mistresses and
fathered illegitimate sons,
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and even maneuvered
these illegitimate sons
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into positions of influence.
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[Crowd noises]
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Of course they weren't all bad,
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and you can't judge
an entire organization
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by a few rotten eggs.
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But it was a system
that dictated to countries,
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manipulated states,
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and believed that the line
separating church and state
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should simply disappear.
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And it helps us to
understand why the Reformation
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should take place at all.
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The system was simply broken.
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In time, the
papacy got to the place
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where tradition had
authority over Scripture.
00:13:01.48\00:13:05.08
Pope Innocent III, who
ruled between 1198 and 1216,
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and was the most powerful
of all of the medieval popes,
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had this to say
about his spiritual role:
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"The successor of
Peter is the Vicar of Christ;
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he has been established as a
mediator between God and man,
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below God but beyond man,
00:13:23.23\00:13:25.63
less than God but more than man,
00:13:25.67\00:13:28.74
who shall judge all
and be judged by no one."
00:13:28.77\00:13:33.11
And the church had
tools at its disposal
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to strike fear into
the heart of people,
00:13:35.38\00:13:37.98
of people who were
largely ignorant and,
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when it came to the scriptures,
completely illiterate.
00:13:40.68\00:13:44.42
The sentence of interdict,
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a sort of censure the
church placed upon dissenters,
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meant that sins
couldn't be forgiven,
00:13:49.36\00:13:51.96
the sacraments
couldn't be dispensed,
00:13:51.99\00:13:53.73
prayers for the
dead couldn't be heard.
00:13:53.76\00:13:56.13
Essentially, heaven
was cut off for people
00:13:56.16\00:13:59.23
who were living
in the affected area.
00:13:59.27\00:14:01.44
And when you consider that the
church is the doorway to heaven,
00:14:01.47\00:14:04.41
well, when the church
goes ahead and shuts that door,
00:14:04.44\00:14:08.34
you can imagine.
00:14:08.38\00:14:09.58
During the
reign of Innocent III,
00:14:09.61\00:14:11.18
the nation of France
was placed under interdict
00:14:11.21\00:14:14.08
as the pope tried
to persuade the king
00:14:14.12\00:14:17.15
to take back his estranged wife.
00:14:17.19\00:14:19.49
During the 1400s,
the city of Prague,
00:14:19.52\00:14:22.32
in what was then Bohemia
and is now the Czech Republic,
00:14:22.36\00:14:25.26
suffered a similar fate during
the ministry of John Huss.
00:14:25.29\00:14:29.03
[Sound of water]
00:14:29.06\00:14:32.80
And it got much
worse than interdict.
00:14:35.27\00:14:37.91
Anyone living in the
world dominated by the church
00:14:37.94\00:14:40.71
in the Middle Ages had to
deal with some grim realities.
00:14:40.74\00:14:45.11
Under the
influence of Saint Augustine,
00:14:45.15\00:14:47.42
the church accepted the
theory that humanity's willpower
00:14:47.45\00:14:50.75
was so depraved that the
use of force against heretics
00:14:50.79\00:14:55.36
and sinners was
sometimes necessary.
00:14:55.39\00:14:59.09
As a result, the medieval church
resorted to some of the most
00:14:59.13\00:15:02.83
brutal tactics ever
seen in history as a means of
00:15:02.86\00:15:05.83
controlling the
consciences of God's people.
00:15:05.87\00:15:08.60
Christians
during these centuries
00:15:08.64\00:15:10.17
were burned at the stake,
00:15:10.21\00:15:11.94
tortured on the rack,
00:15:11.97\00:15:13.98
and a whole lot more,
all in the name of God.
00:15:14.01\00:15:18.18
¤[Music]¤
00:15:18.21\00:15:23.22
One historian wrote,
00:15:25.45\00:15:27.09
“Compared with the
persecution of heresy in Europe
00:15:27.12\00:15:29.86
from 1227 to 1492,
00:15:29.89\00:15:33.16
the persecution of
Christians by Romans
00:15:33.19\00:15:35.23
in the first three
centuries after Christ
00:15:35.26\00:15:38.03
was a mild and humane procedure.
00:15:38.07\00:15:41.77
Making every allowance
required of an historian
00:15:41.80\00:15:44.81
and permitted to a Christian,
we must rank the Inquisition,
00:15:44.84\00:15:48.81
along with the wars and
persecutions of our time,
00:15:48.84\00:15:51.85
as among the darkest
blots on the record of mankind,
00:15:51.88\00:15:55.38
revealing a ferocity
unknown in any beast.”
00:15:55.42\00:15:59.62
¤[Music]¤
00:15:59.65\00:16:00.89
So you can understand why
Wycliffe spoke out in England,
00:16:00.92\00:16:04.26
and why John Huss protested
in what we know today to be
00:16:04.29\00:16:07.10
the Czech Republic,
00:16:07.13\00:16:08.60
why Calvin rose up in Geneva
00:16:08.63\00:16:10.77
and Knox in Scotland
00:16:10.80\00:16:12.20
and Zwingli in Zurich.
00:16:12.23\00:16:14.00
The church was
broken, abusing its power,
00:16:14.04\00:16:17.97
choking off the
Scriptures from the people,
00:16:18.01\00:16:20.28
and teaching
falsehood in the place of truth.
00:16:20.31\00:16:23.24
Of course, church leaders today
don't speak in quite the same
00:16:25.38\00:16:28.32
tone as Pope Innocent
III did all those years ago.
00:16:28.35\00:16:32.09
But Rome still takes a
hard line on how its teachings
00:16:32.12\00:16:35.12
are to be evaluated,
00:16:35.16\00:16:36.39
maintaining it holds a unique
place among Christian faiths.
00:16:36.42\00:16:40.83
In 1997,
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger,
00:16:40.86\00:16:43.73
who went on to
become Pope Benedict XVI,
00:16:43.77\00:16:46.63
said that the use of Scripture
to evaluate Church teaching
00:16:46.67\00:16:50.21
“was one of the
most dangerous currents
00:16:50.24\00:16:52.67
to flow out of the
Vatican II Council.”
00:16:52.71\00:16:56.58
So what do you do
when you're a church leader
00:16:56.61\00:16:59.41
and you discover that there
are inconsistencies between
00:16:59.45\00:17:02.38
what the Bible
teaches and what you hold to
00:17:02.42\00:17:05.22
be true as an organization?
00:17:05.25\00:17:07.29
Problem, or not?
00:17:07.32\00:17:09.29
We'll find out in just a moment.
00:17:09.32\00:17:11.86
¤[Music]¤
00:17:11.89\00:17:17.27
>>Announcer: In Matthew
4:4, the Word of God says,
00:17:19.90\00:17:22.57
"It is written, 'Man
shall not live by bread alone,
00:17:22.60\00:17:25.71
but by every word that proceeds
from the mouth of God.'"
00:17:25.74\00:17:29.44
“Every Word”
00:17:29.48\00:17:30.41
is a one-minute,
Bible-based daily devotional
00:17:30.45\00:17:32.68
presented by
Pastor John Bradshaw,
00:17:32.71\00:17:34.42
and designed especially
for busy people like you.
00:17:34.45\00:17:37.55
Look for Every Word
on selected networks,
00:17:37.59\00:17:40.29
or watch it online
every day on our website,
00:17:40.32\00:17:42.79
ItIsWritten.com.
00:17:42.82\00:17:45.16
Receive a daily spiritual boost.
00:17:45.19\00:17:47.23
Watch “Every Word.”
00:17:47.30\00:17:48.20
You'll be glad you did.
00:17:48.23\00:17:50.20
Here's a sample.
00:17:50.23\00:17:53.00
¤[Theme music]¤
00:17:53.70\00:17:58.94
>>John: Five hundred years
after the Protestant Reformation
00:17:58.97\00:18:01.31
began on October 31, 1517,
00:18:01.34\00:18:04.58
we might be tempted to
wonder what Luther and Knox
00:18:04.61\00:18:06.68
and Zwingli and Calvin
00:18:06.72\00:18:07.55
and Farel and
Beza and the Huguenots
00:18:07.58\00:18:09.15
and the Anabaptists and
so many others achieved.
00:18:09.18\00:18:12.92
Today it would seem
that the protest is over.
00:18:12.95\00:18:15.12
Even though the most
influential church in the world
00:18:15.16\00:18:17.73
offers indulgences,
00:18:17.76\00:18:18.86
hears confessions,
00:18:18.89\00:18:19.83
teaches justification
by faith and works,
00:18:19.86\00:18:22.56
considers Mary
the queen of Heaven,
00:18:22.60\00:18:24.90
where're the Protestants today?
00:18:24.93\00:18:26.70
Protestants are being welcomed
back into the church of Rome,
00:18:26.74\00:18:29.00
and many see this as positive.
00:18:29.04\00:18:30.54
It's been said
it's more important
00:18:30.57\00:18:33.11
to be divided by truth than
it is to be united by error.
00:18:33.14\00:18:36.98
Paul said in II
Timothy 4, verse 2,
00:18:37.01\00:18:39.41
“Preach the word;
be instant in season,
00:18:39.45\00:18:42.12
out of season; reprove, rebuke,
00:18:42.15\00:18:44.05
exhort with all long
suffering and doctrine.”
00:18:44.09\00:18:45.99
The Word.
00:18:46.02\00:18:47.02
Anything less will never do.
00:18:47.06\00:18:49.59
I'm John Bradshaw
for It Is Written.
00:18:49.62\00:18:51.03
Let's live today by every Word.
00:18:51.06\00:18:52.46
¤[Music]¤
00:18:52.49\00:18:56.43
>>John: By the
time of the Reformation,
00:18:56.46\00:18:58.17
the church of
Rome had become by far
00:18:58.20\00:19:00.84
not only the most
powerful church on the planet,
00:19:00.87\00:19:04.14
but also the most
powerful political entity.
00:19:04.17\00:19:07.01
And that happened as
Rome filled a vacuum left
00:19:07.04\00:19:09.64
by the failed Roman Empire.
00:19:09.68\00:19:11.81
It was basically
thrust into that role.
00:19:11.85\00:19:13.58
That could have been
a wonderful opportunity
00:19:13.62\00:19:16.22
for church leaders to elevate
the gospel and the message
00:19:16.25\00:19:19.39
of Christ's righteousness
and grace and mercy.
00:19:19.42\00:19:24.49
But traditions
started coming into the church
00:19:24.53\00:19:26.80
a lot like a rising
tide creeping up a beach.
00:19:26.83\00:19:29.90
One of the unique teachings that
the Reformers were up against
00:19:29.93\00:19:33.30
was that of the Magisterium,
00:19:33.34\00:19:34.70
the “teaching
office” of the church,
00:19:34.74\00:19:37.17
the church's ability to decide
what's true and what is not.
00:19:37.21\00:19:41.54
It's said that
Jesus Christ is the source
00:19:41.58\00:19:45.21
of all of the
church's teachings,
00:19:45.25\00:19:46.58
but that those teachings
rest upon Scripture AND
00:19:46.61\00:19:51.09
“sacred tradition.”
00:19:51.12\00:19:52.42
In other words,
00:19:52.45\00:19:53.62
our traditions provide us
with a source of unerring truth,
00:19:53.66\00:19:56.56
and we know that to be
true because we say it is true.
00:19:56.59\00:20:01.83
And we can say it's
true because God has given us
00:20:01.86\00:20:04.43
the authority to do that.
00:20:04.47\00:20:05.73
And we know He's given us that
authority because we say so.
00:20:05.77\00:20:11.57
¤[Music]¤
00:20:11.61\00:20:20.42
The teachings of the
Magisterium are said to be
00:20:20.45\00:20:22.72
“the prime, God-given
means of finding the truth.”
00:20:22.75\00:20:27.06
But appealing to the
Bible as your authority
00:20:27.09\00:20:30.33
only gets you
someplace if people accept
00:20:30.36\00:20:33.46
that the Bible is authoritative.
00:20:33.50\00:20:36.03
Now, do the
teachings of the church
00:20:36.06\00:20:37.40
ever contradict the
teachings of the Bible?
00:20:37.43\00:20:39.90
Yes, at times they do.
00:20:39.93\00:20:42.00
But that's okay, because
the church says it's okay.
00:20:42.04\00:20:47.28
Even Pope John Paul II admitted
00:20:47.31\00:20:49.01
that he was contradicting
the teachings of Jesus.
00:20:49.04\00:20:53.35
"Have no fear when people
call me the Vicar of Christ,
00:20:53.38\00:20:57.15
when they say
to me 'Holy Father'
00:20:57.19\00:20:59.35
or 'Your Holiness,'
00:20:59.39\00:21:00.92
or use terms similar to these,
00:21:00.96\00:21:03.19
which seem even
inimical to the gospel.
00:21:03.22\00:21:06.39
Christ Himself declared,
00:21:06.43\00:21:08.43
'Call no one on
earth your father;
00:21:08.46\00:21:11.00
you have but one
father in heaven.
00:21:11.03\00:21:13.17
Do not be called Master;
00:21:13.20\00:21:14.97
you have but one Master,
the Messiah' (Matthew 23:9-10).
00:21:15.00\00:21:19.94
These expressions, nevertheless,
00:21:19.97\00:21:21.54
have evolved out
of a long tradition,
00:21:21.58\00:21:24.25
becoming part of common usage.
00:21:24.28\00:21:26.98
One must not be afraid
of these words either.”
00:21:27.02\00:21:31.19
Modern popes have also made it
clear that people must confess
00:21:31.22\00:21:34.99
their sins to a priest to
receive God's forgiveness.
00:21:35.02\00:21:39.39
“Rebuffing a belief
widely shared by Protestants
00:21:40.56\00:21:43.57
and a growing
number of Roman Catholics,
00:21:43.60\00:21:45.33
Pope John Paul II on
Tuesday dismissed the
00:21:45.37\00:21:49.20
'widespread idea that
one can obtain forgiveness
00:21:49.24\00:21:52.47
directly from God,'
00:21:52.51\00:21:54.31
and exhorted
Catholics to confess more often
00:21:54.34\00:21:57.11
to their priests.”
00:21:57.15\00:21:59.25
The Apostle John wrote,
00:21:59.28\00:22:00.58
“If we confess our sins,
00:22:00.62\00:22:02.72
He is faithful and
just to forgive us our sins
00:22:02.75\00:22:06.55
and to cleanse us
from all unrighteousness.”
00:22:06.59\00:22:12.06
And the Reformers knew that,
00:22:12.09\00:22:14.36
and were determined that people
could find forgiveness in Christ
00:22:14.36\00:22:18.13
rather than through a
church and its sacraments.
00:22:18.17\00:22:21.60
One of the practices
that spurred Martin Luther
00:22:21.64\00:22:24.14
to write his 95 theses was
the selling of indulgences.
00:22:24.17\00:22:28.68
But even though the
selling of indulgences
00:22:28.71\00:22:30.28
virtually
kick-started the Reformation,
00:22:30.31\00:22:32.95
things haven't changed.
00:22:32.98\00:22:34.88
"Pope John Paul II
announced yesterday
00:22:34.92\00:22:37.09
that throughout the
millennium celebration,
00:22:37.12\00:22:39.45
penitents who do a charitable
deed or give up cigarettes
00:22:39.49\00:22:43.02
or alcohol for a day
can earn an 'indulgence'
00:22:43.06\00:22:46.93
that will
eliminate time in purgatory."
00:22:46.96\00:22:49.60
This was reported
in the New York Times:
00:22:49.63\00:22:52.70
“In recent months
dioceses around the world
00:22:52.73\00:22:55.54
have been offering
Catholics a spiritual benefit
00:22:55.57\00:22:58.01
that fell out of favor
decades ago, the indulgence,
00:22:58.04\00:23:02.41
a sort of amnesty from
punishment in the afterlife,
00:23:02.44\00:23:05.61
and reminding them
of the church's clout
00:23:05.65\00:23:07.88
in mitigating the wages of sin.
00:23:07.92\00:23:10.82
“The fact that many Catholics
under 50 have never sought one,
00:23:10.85\00:23:14.12
and never heard of indulgences
00:23:14.16\00:23:15.62
except in high
school European history
00:23:15.66\00:23:18.13
(Martin Luther denounced
the selling of them in 1517
00:23:18.16\00:23:21.96
while igniting the
Protestant Reformation),
00:23:22.00\00:23:24.73
simply makes their
reintroduction more urgent
00:23:24.77\00:23:27.67
among church leaders bent
on restoring fading traditions
00:23:27.70\00:23:31.37
of penance in what they
see as a self-satisfied world.”
00:23:31.41\00:23:35.61
So the issues that were raised
by the Protestant Reformers
00:23:37.68\00:23:41.42
still exist today,
00:23:41.45\00:23:43.39
emphasized by a headline
that appeared on the front page
00:23:43.42\00:23:46.25
of the Los Angeles
Times back in the year 2000:
00:23:46.29\00:23:50.16
"Vatican Declares Catholicism
Sole Path to Salvation."
00:23:50.19\00:23:55.86
The Secretary of the
World Council of Churches
00:23:55.90\00:23:58.07
at the time said
this in response:
00:23:58.10\00:24:00.67
“It's realistic to acknowledge
that this is the official
00:24:00.70\00:24:03.20
Catholic position and we
cannot simply wish it away.”
00:24:03.24\00:24:07.58
Men like John Huss and his
colleague Jerome in Bohemia,
00:24:07.61\00:24:11.08
Louis de Berquin in France,
00:24:11.11\00:24:13.15
William Tyndale of England,
00:24:13.18\00:24:14.88
Ridley,
00:24:14.92\00:24:15.68
Latimer and Cranmer in England,
00:24:15.72\00:24:17.49
Patrick Hamilton and
George Wishart in Scotland,
00:24:17.52\00:24:19.65
and millions of
others during those dark,
00:24:19.69\00:24:21.99
blood-stained
centuries, gave their lives,
00:24:22.02\00:24:24.89
in the words of
the apostle John,
00:24:24.93\00:24:27.03
“for the Word of God and for
the testimony of Jesus Christ”
00:24:27.10\00:24:30.73
(Revelation. 1:2).
00:24:30.77\00:24:33.50
There's a remarkable story
told about a Dutch Anabaptist
00:24:33.54\00:24:36.30
named Dirk Willems,
00:24:36.34\00:24:38.41
who was condemned
to die by the church
00:24:38.44\00:24:40.71
for refusing to adhere
to the church's teachings,
00:24:40.74\00:24:43.21
specifically on infant baptism.
00:24:43.24\00:24:46.28
But Willems managed to escape
from where he was being held,
00:24:46.31\00:24:49.75
and he crept across the
frozen ice covering a moat.
00:24:49.78\00:24:53.56
A prison guard noticed what was
going on and pursued Willems,
00:24:53.59\00:24:57.16
but he fell through that
thin ice into the frigid waters.
00:24:57.19\00:25:01.33
He cried help for help.
00:25:01.36\00:25:02.56
There was nobody to help him
00:25:02.60\00:25:04.20
except for the
escaping Dirk Willems,
00:25:04.23\00:25:06.80
who did not want
to see the man perish.
00:25:06.84\00:25:09.97
He went back
and rescued the man,
00:25:10.01\00:25:11.61
but he paid a high
price for his bravery.
00:25:11.64\00:25:16.54
He was recaptured,
00:25:16.58\00:25:18.31
put in prison again,
00:25:18.35\00:25:20.18
and was burned at
the stake by the church.
00:25:20.22\00:25:23.55
See, these great
men and women of faith
00:25:23.59\00:25:25.75
believed the words of Jesus
found in Revelation 2, verse 10,
00:25:25.79\00:25:28.92
where Jesus said,
00:25:28.96\00:25:29.89
“Be faithful unto death,
00:25:29.92\00:25:32.63
and I will give
you the crown of life.”
00:25:32.66\00:25:34.63
This was the world into which
00:25:38.23\00:25:39.77
the Protestant
Reformers were born.
00:25:39.80\00:25:41.80
They rose up to
oppose something God
00:25:43.87\00:25:45.77
had never
intended would be created:
00:25:45.81\00:25:48.21
a system of salvation
based on works and not grace,
00:25:48.24\00:25:53.21
where the only
freedom believers had was that
00:25:53.25\00:25:55.45
given them by the church.
00:25:55.48\00:25:57.05
A powerful system that,
00:25:57.09\00:25:59.82
believing it was
doing the work of God,
00:25:59.85\00:26:01.96
was prepared to use
force to get its way.
00:26:01.99\00:26:06.09
But the dark clouds that
held back the light of truth,
00:26:08.43\00:26:11.07
the unholy alliance
of church and state,
00:26:11.10\00:26:15.60
couldn't endure forever.
00:26:15.64\00:26:18.17
The corruption and cruelty
of the Renaissance church
00:26:18.21\00:26:21.08
was like the
hour before the dawn.
00:26:21.11\00:26:24.41
The morning sun would
soon drive away the darkness.
00:26:24.45\00:26:27.55
Grace and truth
would break forth.
00:26:29.82\00:26:32.49
¤[Music]¤
00:26:32.52\00:26:36.69
In Old Testament times,
00:26:36.73\00:26:37.99
God's people
suffered for many years
00:26:38.03\00:26:40.00
under the heavy
hand of Egyptian slavery.
00:26:40.03\00:26:43.50
But then there was a
miraculous breakthrough,
00:26:43.53\00:26:45.77
and God delivered His people,
00:26:45.80\00:26:47.17
opening up the Red Sea
00:26:47.20\00:26:49.47
and guiding them
to the Promised Land.
00:26:49.50\00:26:51.51
Well, there would be a
miraculous breakthrough again.
00:26:53.34\00:26:55.81
The light of God's
Word was going to shine.
00:26:55.84\00:26:58.31
God's plans would
not be frustrated.
00:26:58.35\00:27:01.65
A new day would dawn
for believers everywhere.
00:27:01.68\00:27:04.55
God's work was not done.
00:27:04.59\00:27:07.02
Great days were ahead.
00:27:07.06\00:27:08.29
¤[Music]¤
00:27:08.32\00:27:14.20
>>John: Who is the
mystery beast of Revelation?
00:27:15.70\00:27:18.23
The Book of Revelation
speaks of a power of tremendous
00:27:18.27\00:27:20.54
religious and political
significance that will rise up
00:27:20.57\00:27:23.64
in Earth's last days.
00:27:23.67\00:27:25.64
Find out who it is by
receiving this free offer,
00:27:25.67\00:27:28.41
“The Mystery
Beast of Revelation.”
00:27:28.44\00:27:31.05
Call us on 800-253-3000,
00:27:31.08\00:27:34.22
or visit us online
at itiswritten.com.
00:27:34.25\00:27:37.99
Or you can write to
the address on your screen.
00:27:38.02\00:27:40.76
I'd like you to
receive our free offer,
00:27:40.79\00:27:43.02
“The Mystery
Beast of Revelation.”
00:27:43.06\00:27:45.56
>>John: Thank you for
remembering that It Is Written
00:27:45.59\00:27:47.36
exists due to the gracious
support of people like you.
00:27:47.40\00:27:51.60
It's your support that makes
it possible for It Is Written
00:27:51.63\00:27:53.84
to share Jesus and the
great truths of the Bible
00:27:53.87\00:27:57.07
with the world.
00:27:57.11\00:27:58.64
You can send your
tax-deductible gift
00:27:58.67\00:28:00.51
to the address on your screen,
00:28:00.54\00:28:02.41
or you can support It Is
Written through our website,
00:28:02.44\00:28:04.61
itiswritten.com.
00:28:04.65\00:28:07.52
Thanks for your
generous support.
00:28:07.55\00:28:08.98
Our number is 800-253-3000,
00:28:09.02\00:28:12.35
and our web address is
00:28:12.39\00:28:13.36
itiswritten.com.
00:28:13.39\00:28:15.22
>>John: Let's
prayer together now.
00:28:16.76\00:28:18.66
Our Father in Heaven,
00:28:18.69\00:28:20.50
we thank You
that in Your goodness
00:28:20.53\00:28:21.76
You have
preserved Your Word for us.
00:28:21.80\00:28:24.73
We thank You for
Jesus, the Word made flesh.
00:28:24.77\00:28:27.54
We wish that He
would live in our hearts
00:28:27.57\00:28:29.27
and we pray You
would make that so.
00:28:29.30\00:28:32.01
And we pray that our lives
would be based on Your Word.
00:28:32.04\00:28:36.64
We thank You that there
were men and women of old
00:28:36.68\00:28:38.88
who dared to
stand up for Your Word,
00:28:38.91\00:28:40.75
they in many cases
paid the ultimate price
00:28:40.78\00:28:43.69
so we could have
delivered to us the freedom
00:28:43.72\00:28:47.36
that comes through
knowing You personally,
00:28:47.39\00:28:51.09
through Your Word.
00:28:51.13\00:28:52.86
So bless us Lord I
pray that any reform
00:28:52.89\00:28:55.30
that must take place in
our own lives would happen
00:28:55.33\00:28:58.63
so that we can be by Your Grace,
00:28:58.67\00:29:00.80
everything that
You wish we would be.
00:29:00.84\00:29:04.31
We thank You and ask Your
blessing and we pray together
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in Jesus' name,
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Amen.
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Thanks so much for joining me,
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I'm looking forward
to seeing you again.
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Until then, remember:
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“It is written, man
shall not live by bread alone,
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but by every word that
proceeds from the mouth of God."
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¤[Theme music]¤
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