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>>John: This is It Is
Written. I'm John Bradshaw.
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Welcome to "500."
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Five hundred years ago the world
was a very different place.
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There weren't any
cars, or airplanes.
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No trains.
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No buses.
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No computers.
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There was no radio,
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no television,
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no internet.
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There was no plastic,
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no cardboard,
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no United States.
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There was no Taj Mahal.
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There was no junk food,
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no x-rays,
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no antibiotics,
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no vaccines.
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There was no anesthetic.
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Smoking was virtually unknown.
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No GMOs,
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no cameras, no newspapers...
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It was a different world.
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Now think about this.
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There was no Baptist
Church 500 years ago.
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No Pentecostal Church.
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There were no
Presbyterians, no Methodists,
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no Seventh-day Adventists,
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no Church of England
(or Episcopal Church).
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In fact, there
was only one church.
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Then, as now, it
was led by a pope.
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The popes 500 years
ago were men like Leo X,
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Adrian VI, Clement VII,
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Paul III, Julius
III, and Marcellus II.
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And they weren't only
leaders of the church,
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but they were also immensely
powerful political figures.
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Or to put it another way,
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500 years ago there
was no religious freedom.
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You could attend
church, listen to the priest,
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maybe hear the organ music,
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but you couldn't believe
what you wanted to believe.
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And you definitely
couldn't read a Bible.
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You believed what the
church told you to believe.
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And if you dared
to do otherwise, well,
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life was difficult at best.
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Now, down through the ages
there were those who dissented,
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but they existed in the shadows.
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It was only a tiny minority
that dared to stand up against
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the might of the church.
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Five hundred
years ago it was tough
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if you didn't
agree with the church.
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If you wanted to
believe what you believed,
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you either had to be
very secretive about it,
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or run the risk
of being uncovered,
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persecuted,
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and more than likely killed.
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If you value
religious freedom today,
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the freedom to belong
to the church you want
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and to believe what you believe,
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or even the freedom
to belong to no church
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and believe there is no God,
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then consider that
a few centuries ago
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that freedom didn't exist.
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But all that would change.
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In 1517, on October the 31st,
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a priest in a
small town in Germany
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changed western civilization,
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and risked his life by defying
the power of the ruling church.
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His contribution to
history was so immense that
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Time Magazine ranked him fourth
on the list of the Greatest Men
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of the Millennium.
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Looking at those
ranked above him,
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it's easy to think he should
have been ranked number one.
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Five hundred years ago,
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the Protestant Reformation
began when a young priest
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turned academic by the
name of Dr. Martin Luther
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nailed a list of protests
to the door of this church
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in Wittenberg, Germany.
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When he did so,
he didn't realize
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he was about to
set history on fire.
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He had no intention
of starting a new church.
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All Martin Luther
wanted to see was his church
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come closer to the Bible.
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He was calling for reform.
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Bound up in the genesis of
the Protestant Reformation,
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several very
important questions.
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To begin with,
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how important is it
that a person have that right
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to determine for himself
or herself what to believe?
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Five hundred years ago,
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you believed what the
church told you to believe.
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Beyond that, you
didn't have much of anything.
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How important is it
that you choose for yourself
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what you think
and what you believe?
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Second, when it
comes to what you believe,
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think about that
question that Pilate asked Jesus
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the night before
Jesus was crucified.
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Pilate said to
Him, “What is truth?”
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Today you'll hear that
people have their truth.
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I have my truth.
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You have your truth.
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What is truth?
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And how do you decide?
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Is truth subject to a vote?
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Should there be
a, a court of ideas?
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How do you decide?
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Is there a standard
by which ideas or truths
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can be objectively judged?
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And what's truth worth?
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What is the freedom to
believe actually worth?
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How far do you press this?
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When is it worth being
a troubler of the people?
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And is there ever a time that
the freedom to believe your own
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ideas is something
that's actually worth dying for?
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¤[Music]
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Now, when you
think of a person's
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deeply held personal beliefs,
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you could dismiss that
as just ideas, theories.
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But what we know
is that a person's
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deeply held personal
beliefs provide the framework
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for that person's entire life,
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and they certainly
form that person's faith.
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In looking at the
Protestant Reformation,
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it's important that
you go back and consider
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the foundation of
Christianity altogether.
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Reform today
typically means new ideas,
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whether you're dealing
with political, cultural,
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social, or religious reform.
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It's about finding
something new, whatever's next.
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But not the way God sees it.
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As God looks at reform,
typically He calls us back.
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He calls us back to old ideas,
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to things that he
has established already.
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Speaking for God, the
prophet Jeremiah said this:
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“Thus says the Lord,
Stand in the ways and see,
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and ask for the old paths,
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where the good way
is, and walk in it;
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then you shall find rest
for your souls” (Jeremiah 6:16).
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The Bible, both the
Old and the New Testaments,
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form the basis of the
early Christian church.
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The Apostle Paul, writing
to young Timothy said that
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“all Scripture is
given by inspiration of God,
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and is profitable for doctrine,
for reproof, for correction,
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and for
instruction in righteousness.”
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That's Second
Timothy 3 and verse 16.
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The consuming passion
of the early Christians,
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the death, burial,
and resurrection of Jesus
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for the salvation of humanity,
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was said by Paul to
rest upon the Scriptures:
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“For I delivered to you first of
all that which I also received:
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that Christ died for our sins
according to the Scriptures,
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And that He was buried,
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and that He rose
again the third day
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according to the Scriptures”
(1 Corinthians 15:3 and 4).
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The New Testament teaching
of justification by faith,
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a central focus of the
Protestant Reformation,
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is also said by Paul
to rest upon Scripture.
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Listen to what he said in
Romans, chapter 1, verses 16-17:
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“For I am not ashamed
of the gospel of Christ,
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for it is the power of
God to salvation for everyone
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who believes,
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for the Jew first
and also for the Greek.
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For in it the
righteousness of God
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is revealed from faith
to faith; as it is written,
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‘The just shall live by
faith'” (Romans 1:16 and 17).
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What was clear to the founders
of the Christian religion
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is that the message they shared
was the Word of the eternal God.
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“When you received the word
of God which you heard from us,
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you welcomed it
not as the word of men,
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but as it is in
truth, the word of God,
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which also effectively
works in you who believe”
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(1 Thessalonians 2:13).
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When certain individuals
got it in their heads
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that the church
had to be reformed,
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and when they chose to
put their lives on the line
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to see that it happened,
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things were
going to get exciting.
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I'll be back with
more in just a moment.
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¤[Music]
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[Sound of wolves]
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¤[Music]
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[Camera equipment rattling]
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[Rustling in grass]
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[People talking]
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[Wind Gusts]
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¤[Music]
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¤[Music]
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[Cheering]
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¤[Music]
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>>John: This is It Is
Written, I'm John Bradshaw.
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Thanks for joining me for "500."
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Now, think of some of the great
reform movements of history.
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The Civil Rights
movement in the United States.
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Lunch counter sit-ins.
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Bus boycotts.
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Protest marches.
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Where would the
United States be today
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without those heroes who stood
up boldly and demanded reform?
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Many lost their lives.
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Was it worth it?
00:12:29.24\00:12:31.41
The fall of European
communism in the early 1990s.
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Starting with Lech Walesa
and the Solidarity Movement,
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and desperate East Germans
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who wanted to see the
Berlin Wall come down,
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and Czechs who
protested in Wenceslas Square.
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Was that worth it?
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The Boston Tea Party in 1773.
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Of course the list goes on.
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Sometimes protest is
absolutely essential.
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A protest about
taxation without representation?
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Yeah, that's important.
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Your country is occupied?
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Well, that's important too.
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You don't like your
system of government;
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you feel like
you're being oppressed.
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Well, most of us
can only imagine.
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But the
Protestant Reformation was
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on an
altogether different level.
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¤[Music]
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Christianity began with
people such as Peter and James
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and John and Paul
and Silas and Timothy,
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carrying forward the
message of the gospel.
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But after a few centuries,
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that message
began to get clouded.
00:13:35.78\00:13:38.98
When the Roman Empire
officially accepted Christianity
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and called off its
persecution of the church,
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faith in Jesus became popular.
00:13:44.99\00:13:47.12
Unfortunately, it
also became corrupt.
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Jesus had warned His disciples,
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saying to them in
Luke 6 and verse 26,
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“Woe unto you when all
men speak well of you.”
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Instead of the Bible deciding
what Christians should believe,
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church councils and bishops,
00:14:03.44\00:14:05.51
even Roman
emperors like Constantine,
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began making these decisions.
00:14:07.88\00:14:09.21
Now, of course, not all
of those decisions were bad.
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But more and more
these human judgments
00:14:12.78\00:14:14.98
began subverting the
authority of the Bible.
00:14:15.02\00:14:18.72
Church tradition began to
hold veto power over Scripture.
00:14:18.75\00:14:23.06
Jesus's words regarding
the Pharisees of His day
00:14:23.09\00:14:26.49
began to hold more
and more relevance.
00:14:26.53\00:14:28.90
“And in vain they worship
Me, teaching as doctrines
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the commandments of
men” (Matthew 15:9).
00:14:33.10\00:14:36.17
In the centuries that
followed the so-called
00:14:36.20\00:14:38.91
conversion of Constantine,
00:14:38.94\00:14:40.98
this reliance on human
ideas and human traditions
00:14:41.01\00:14:43.91
became more and more pronounced.
00:14:43.95\00:14:46.15
Those who wanted
to follow the Bible
00:14:46.18\00:14:47.75
were forced to go underground.
00:14:47.78\00:14:50.35
¤[Music]
00:14:50.39\00:14:54.02
The Vatican became
more and more powerful,
00:14:54.06\00:14:56.52
effectively governing
the lives and the souls
00:14:56.56\00:14:59.19
and the political
institutions of Europe.
00:14:59.23\00:15:03.20
No pope was more
powerful than Pope Innocent III,
00:15:03.23\00:15:06.30
who reigned from 1198 to 1216,
00:15:06.33\00:15:10.01
a period that's
been referred to as the
00:15:10.04\00:15:11.81
“high noon” of the papacy.
00:15:11.84\00:15:14.31
A leading Protestant historian,
J.A. Wylie, wrote that
00:15:14.34\00:15:17.58
“the noon of the papacy
was the midnight of the world.”
00:15:17.61\00:15:22.08
Innocent III was able to
compel the monarchs of Europe
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to do his will.
00:15:25.92\00:15:27.69
At times he deposed
those who would not.
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¤[Music]
00:15:30.53\00:15:34.03
One weapon that the
church had in its arsenal
00:15:34.10\00:15:36.97
was something
known as interdict.
00:15:37.00\00:15:39.80
A territory that was
censured with an interdict
00:15:39.83\00:15:42.14
was made to
believe that the priests
00:15:42.17\00:15:44.34
would not hear confession,
00:15:44.37\00:15:46.27
prayers would not be
offered for the dead,
00:15:46.31\00:15:48.21
and the sacraments of the
church would not be dispensed.
00:15:48.24\00:15:51.81
Now, for anybody who
actually believed that the pope
00:15:51.85\00:15:54.32
held the keys to God's kingdom,
this was absolutely terrifying.
00:15:54.35\00:15:59.52
They were effectively
shut out from the grace of God.
00:15:59.55\00:16:03.66
Now this mindset that had
existed for hundreds of years
00:16:03.69\00:16:06.73
and which greeted
the Protestant reformers
00:16:06.76\00:16:09.36
at the beginning of
the sixteenth century
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¤[Music]
00:16:11.07\00:16:12.33
John Wycliffe,
the English scholar
00:16:12.37\00:16:14.40
who translated the Latin
Bible into English in the 1300s,
00:16:14.44\00:16:18.14
is often called the “morning
star of the Reformation.”
00:16:18.17\00:16:22.31
Wycliffe spoke against
what he saw as the inaccuracies
00:16:22.34\00:16:26.61
of the state church.
00:16:26.65\00:16:27.92
Church leaders in Rome
summoned him to stand trial,
00:16:27.95\00:16:31.45
intending to end his life.
00:16:31.49\00:16:33.66
He got sick and died
before he could be tried,
00:16:33.69\00:16:35.76
but Wycliffe's work was done.
00:16:35.79\00:16:39.49
But such was the animosity
of the church towards him
00:16:39.53\00:16:41.83
that his body was
exhumed, and it was burned,
00:16:41.86\00:16:45.97
and his ashes
were dumped in a river.
00:16:46.00\00:16:48.54
Wycliffe's
teachings were carried forward
00:16:51.77\00:16:53.74
by a Bohemian
priest named John Huss.
00:16:53.78\00:16:57.85
The church summoned Huss to a
council in Constance, Germany,
00:16:57.88\00:17:00.98
and promised him protection.
00:17:01.02\00:17:03.28
Huss arrived in
Constance and was arrested,
00:17:03.32\00:17:06.35
thrown into a horrible
prison, sentenced to death,
00:17:06.39\00:17:10.09
and was then
burned at the stake.
00:17:10.13\00:17:13.60
But as one historian wrote,
00:17:13.63\00:17:15.16
“The blood of the
martyrs was seed.”
00:17:15.20\00:17:17.70
The persecution
the Reformers suffered
00:17:17.73\00:17:20.90
only seemed to
further their cause.
00:17:20.94\00:17:24.61
And the need for
reform seemed obvious.
00:17:24.64\00:17:27.64
The luxury and the depravity
indulged in by church leaders
00:17:27.68\00:17:30.75
was breathtaking.
00:17:30.78\00:17:32.45
It's no secret
that there were popes
00:17:32.48\00:17:33.78
who fathered
illegitimate children.
00:17:33.82\00:17:35.78
Church offices
were bought and sold,
00:17:35.82\00:17:39.25
and the luxurious
lifestyle of church leaders
00:17:39.29\00:17:41.39
was out of sync with
the self-denial of Jesus.
00:17:41.42\00:17:44.63
Speaking of the
corruption of that time,
00:17:44.66\00:17:46.49
one historian wrote that
00:17:46.53\00:17:48.50
“the advance of the Turks
00:17:48.53\00:17:49.83
since the fall of
Constantinople in 1453
00:17:49.86\00:17:53.23
was generally considered
to have been allowed by God
00:17:53.27\00:17:56.67
in punishment for
the sins of the Church.”
00:17:56.71\00:18:00.84
The Christian church was
certainly ready for a change.
00:18:00.88\00:18:04.95
But how would
that change come about?
00:18:04.98\00:18:07.08
We'll find out in just a moment.
00:18:07.12\00:18:08.88
¤[Music]
00:18:08.92\00:18:14.22
>>Announcer: In Matthew
4:4, the Word of God says,
00:18:17.29\00:18:19.86
"It is written,
00:18:19.89\00:18:20.90
'Man shall not
live by bead alone,
00:18:20.93\00:18:23.00
but by every word that proceeds
from the mouth of God.'"
00:18:23.03\00:18:26.74
"Every Word" is a one-minute
Bible-based daily devotional
00:18:26.77\00:18:30.01
presented by
Pastor John Bradshaw,
00:18:30.04\00:18:32.14
and designed especially
for busy people like you.
00:18:32.17\00:18:35.21
Look for "Every
Word" on selected networks,
00:18:35.24\00:18:38.08
or watch it online
every day on our website,
00:18:38.11\00:18:40.35
ItIsWritten.com.
00:18:40.38\00:18:42.48
Receive a daily spiritual boost.
00:18:42.52\00:18:44.59
Watch “Every Word.”
00:18:44.62\00:18:45.92
You'll be glad you did.
00:18:45.95\00:18:47.52
Here's a sample.
00:18:47.56\00:18:49.72
¤[Music]
00:18:50.19\00:18:54.76
>>John: After he was arrested,
00:18:54.83\00:18:55.86
a New York man
confessed to six burglaries,
00:18:55.90\00:18:58.97
in the borough of Queens.
00:18:59.00\00:19:00.40
He broke into
churches and stole from them.
00:19:00.44\00:19:02.44
He said he did it
because “I'm mad at God.
00:19:02.47\00:19:04.84
I don't like church anymore.
I break in to get back at God.”
00:19:04.87\00:19:08.98
Get back at God?
00:19:09.01\00:19:10.35
After all God has done for you;
00:19:10.38\00:19:12.01
brought you into existence,
00:19:12.05\00:19:13.21
sustained you,
00:19:13.25\00:19:13.95
gave you opportunity,
00:19:13.98\00:19:14.88
and promised you
everlasting life,
00:19:14.92\00:19:17.69
in a world where there's no sin,
00:19:17.72\00:19:18.89
disappointment,
or broken dreams.
00:19:18.92\00:19:21.02
You can't get back at God.
00:19:21.06\00:19:23.32
If you want to get back at
anyone that'll be the devil who
00:19:23.36\00:19:25.66
is responsible for every ounce
of misery that has ever existed.
00:19:25.69\00:19:30.00
Jesus said in John 5 verse 40:
00:19:30.03\00:19:32.10
“But you are not willing to come
to Me that you may have life.”
00:19:32.13\00:19:35.74
If you want to right
wrongs, come to faith in Christ.
00:19:35.77\00:19:39.01
Staying away from God only
plays into the devil's hands.
00:19:39.04\00:19:43.65
I'm John Bradshaw
for It Is Written.
00:19:43.68\00:19:45.21
Let's live today by every word.
00:19:45.25\00:19:47.52
¤[Music]
00:19:47.55\00:19:49.85
¤[Music]
00:19:50.59\00:19:53.22
One hundred years
after the death of Huss,
00:19:53.25\00:19:56.26
a young German priest by
the name of Martin Luther
00:19:56.29\00:19:59.86
found himself in
the city of Rome,
00:19:59.89\00:20:02.83
seeking to earn God's favor
00:20:02.86\00:20:04.83
by climbing on his
knees up Pilate's Staircase.
00:20:04.87\00:20:09.64
The church
claimed that Jesus Himself
00:20:09.67\00:20:11.37
had walked on that staircase,
00:20:11.41\00:20:13.38
and that it had
been miraculously
00:20:13.41\00:20:15.14
transported from
Jerusalem to Rome.
00:20:15.18\00:20:18.35
While performing this act,
Luther seemed to hear a voice
00:20:18.38\00:20:22.25
as loud as thunder,
00:20:22.28\00:20:24.55
declaring in his ear the
gospel truth articulated by
00:20:24.59\00:20:27.46
both testaments
of the sacred Word:
00:20:27.49\00:20:30.16
“The just shall live
by faith” (Romans 1:17;
00:20:30.19\00:20:33.76
Habakkuk 2, verse 4).
00:20:33.80\00:20:37.07
So why was Luther walking
up a staircase on his knees?
00:20:37.10\00:20:40.60
Because Luther believed
that climbing those steps
00:20:40.64\00:20:45.24
would earn favor with God.
00:20:45.27\00:20:48.58
And why did Luther believe that?
00:20:48.61\00:20:50.45
Because that's
what the church taught.
00:20:50.48\00:20:53.52
¤[Music]
00:20:53.55\00:20:54.48
[Birds chirping]
00:20:54.52\00:20:56.99
The church taught that you could
reduce your punishment for sin,
00:20:57.02\00:21:00.89
that you could lessen
the “temporal effects of sin”
00:21:00.92\00:21:04.69
by doing things such as
attending a certain church
00:21:04.73\00:21:07.76
on a certain day,
00:21:07.83\00:21:09.06
honoring the
“blessed sacrament,”
00:21:09.10\00:21:10.93
praying the rosary,
00:21:10.97\00:21:12.93
or climbing the Scala Sancta,
00:21:12.97\00:21:15.54
Pilate's
Staircase, on your knees.
00:21:15.57\00:21:18.14
In fact, the church
still believes this.
00:21:18.17\00:21:21.71
Here's what the church
says about indulgences.
00:21:21.74\00:21:25.05
"An indulgence is a
remission before God
00:21:25.08\00:21:28.62
of the temporal punishment
due to sins whose guilt
00:21:28.65\00:21:33.25
has already been forgiven,
00:21:33.29\00:21:35.39
which the faithful Christian
who is duly disposed gains
00:21:35.42\00:21:39.03
under certain
prescribed conditions
00:21:39.06\00:21:42.23
through the action
of the Church which,
00:21:42.26\00:21:44.47
as the minister of redemption,
00:21:44.50\00:21:46.74
dispenses and
applies with authority
00:21:46.77\00:21:49.84
the treasury of
the satisfactions
00:21:49.87\00:21:51.94
of Christ and the saints.”
00:21:51.97\00:21:54.74
So you can understand why Luther
felt he had to do something.
00:21:54.78\00:21:58.48
The church was
teaching salvation by works.
00:21:58.51\00:22:02.58
In fact,
indulgences were sold for money.
00:22:02.62\00:22:05.89
Money was raised for the
building of St Peter's Basilica
00:22:05.92\00:22:09.36
through the
selling of indulgences.
00:22:09.39\00:22:11.29
This was Luther's reality.
00:22:11.33\00:22:14.30
Of course he had to protest.
00:22:14.36\00:22:16.13
¤[Music]
00:22:16.16\00:22:19.33
That moment at
Pilate's Staircase proved to be
00:22:19.37\00:22:21.54
the turning point in
Martin Luther's experience.
00:22:21.57\00:22:24.54
With that voice
still ringing in his heart,
00:22:24.57\00:22:26.81
he sprang to his feet
and fled from the place
00:22:26.84\00:22:30.75
in shame and horror.
00:22:30.78\00:22:31.88
¤[Music]
00:22:31.91\00:22:32.85
Luther's zeal would spark a fire
00:22:32.88\00:22:35.18
that spread
throughout Europe and beyond.
00:22:35.22\00:22:38.35
From John Calvin's Geneva
to William Tyndale's England,
00:22:38.39\00:22:41.89
from France to
Scandinavia and the Netherlands,
00:22:41.92\00:22:44.66
and then to
Plymouth Rock on an unknown
00:22:44.69\00:22:47.10
and distant shore,
00:22:47.13\00:22:48.96
the message of
supreme biblical authority,
00:22:49.00\00:22:51.60
justification
through faith in Christ,
00:22:51.63\00:22:54.34
and a conscience
set free from civil
00:22:54.37\00:22:56.14
and ecclesiastical control,
00:22:56.17\00:22:58.31
would inspire millions of
hearts and alter the course
00:22:58.34\00:23:02.44
of human events.
00:23:02.48\00:23:03.65
[Birds singing]
00:23:03.68\00:23:08.98
Luther and
others would also teach
00:23:09.02\00:23:10.75
the principle of "Sola
Scriptura," the Bible alone.
00:23:10.79\00:23:15.69
The Reformers believed that
any teaching should be subjected
00:23:15.72\00:23:18.66
to the ultimate
authority: God's Word.
00:23:18.69\00:23:22.03
Now, 500 years later,
00:23:22.06\00:23:23.90
in much of Christianity,
00:23:23.93\00:23:25.27
we simply take that for granted.
00:23:25.30\00:23:27.77
But five hundred years ago?
00:23:27.80\00:23:29.74
No way.
00:23:29.77\00:23:30.84
That's not the way
the church was run.
00:23:30.87\00:23:34.44
Now, of course, the
Reformers were human,
00:23:34.48\00:23:37.25
and human beings are faulty.
00:23:37.28\00:23:39.58
Martin Luther
certainly had his faults.
00:23:39.61\00:23:42.38
But we must keep in
mind that the Reformers
00:23:42.42\00:23:44.59
came to the Bible a
lot like an archaeologist
00:23:44.62\00:23:47.72
comes to an artifact.
00:23:47.76\00:23:49.22
It was new to them.
00:23:49.26\00:23:51.13
They had to
wrestle with the Bible
00:23:51.16\00:23:52.76
and work some things out.
00:23:52.79\00:23:54.36
They didn't have the
benefit of hundreds of years
00:23:54.36\00:23:56.43
of scholarship
having gone before them.
00:23:56.46\00:23:58.77
Now the truth is,
00:23:58.80\00:23:59.77
we inherit a lot of
what we believe by the people
00:23:59.80\00:24:03.51
who've gone before us
and done the heavy lifting.
00:24:03.54\00:24:06.44
Which is fine, as long
as what we receive from
00:24:06.47\00:24:10.31
those who have
gone before us is true.
00:24:10.35\00:24:12.95
In all cases,
00:24:12.98\00:24:14.08
it's important that we go
to the Bible and find out.
00:24:14.12\00:24:16.85
¤[Music]
00:24:16.89\00:24:19.72
With the translation
of the Bible by Luther
00:24:19.75\00:24:22.12
and Tyndale and others,
00:24:22.16\00:24:23.43
into German and English
00:24:23.46\00:24:25.59
and French and Polish and Czech,
00:24:25.63\00:24:28.26
and with the advent
of the printing press,
00:24:28.30\00:24:30.13
the common people soon
had access to God's Word.
00:24:30.17\00:24:34.40
And when the Bible was put
in the hands of Bible students
00:24:34.44\00:24:37.41
hungry for Scripture,
00:24:37.44\00:24:39.47
the church and the world
could never be the same again.
00:24:39.51\00:24:43.41
¤[Music]
00:24:43.45\00:24:47.25
The church of Rome wasn't about
to quietly tolerate an attack
00:24:47.28\00:24:50.52
on what they genuinely believed
was their God-given right
00:24:50.55\00:24:54.42
to direct the minds and
hearts of men and women,
00:24:54.46\00:24:57.63
to compel them in faith in God,
00:24:57.66\00:24:59.93
and to correct them
when they fell into error.
00:24:59.96\00:25:03.13
The Counter-Reformation would
see Rome fight back, forcefully,
00:25:03.16\00:25:08.84
creatively, and
not always obviously.
00:25:08.87\00:25:11.54
¤[Music]
00:25:11.57\00:25:12.91
So what does a church do when
its authority is threatened,
00:25:12.94\00:25:16.41
along with its hold on
the minds of the people
00:25:16.44\00:25:18.71
of the western world?
00:25:18.75\00:25:20.62
In Europe, there
was a lot of bloodshed.
00:25:20.65\00:25:24.02
Protestants were
burned at the stake.
00:25:24.05\00:25:26.82
Thousands died in the St
Bartholomew's Day Massacre
00:25:26.86\00:25:29.49
in France in 1572.
00:25:29.52\00:25:31.26
And anything resembling
toleration disappeared.
00:25:31.29\00:25:35.93
More than 200,000 fled France.
00:25:35.96\00:25:40.47
The first foreigners
to reach what would become
00:25:40.50\00:25:42.70
the United States of America
00:25:42.74\00:25:44.44
were Protestants
of English descent.
00:25:44.47\00:25:47.31
But even then there
would be growing pains.
00:25:47.34\00:25:50.08
The Puritans of New England
believed that religious freedom
00:25:50.11\00:25:53.72
applied to you only
if you lived and believed
00:25:53.75\00:25:57.15
and worshipped as they did.
00:25:57.19\00:25:59.79
But then along
came Roger Williams,
00:25:59.82\00:26:02.36
who introduced the concept
of religious liberty for all.
00:26:02.39\00:26:06.83
And then the truth
would go marching on.
00:26:06.86\00:26:10.13
Through men like
Ulrich Zwingli in Zurich
00:26:10.17\00:26:12.97
and John Wesley and his
brother Charles in England.
00:26:13.00\00:26:15.94
Through Philip
Melanchthon and Thomas Cranmer
00:26:15.97\00:26:18.57
and Hugh Latimer
and Nicholas Ridley
00:26:18.61\00:26:20.31
and Theodore Beza
and John Knox in Scotland
00:26:20.34\00:26:23.28
and Huss and Jerome
00:26:23.31\00:26:24.15
and William Farel
and Roger Williams
00:26:24.18\00:26:26.98
and many others.
00:26:27.02\00:26:28.65
So when did the Reformation end?
00:26:28.68\00:26:31.12
Or has it ended?
00:26:31.15\00:26:33.36
Perhaps there's
still a work to be done,
00:26:33.39\00:26:35.76
a work of reform,
00:26:35.79\00:26:37.23
a work of calling
people to faithfulness to God
00:26:37.26\00:26:40.63
and to faith in the Word of God.
00:26:40.66\00:26:43.03
Throughout the rest
of this series, 500,
00:26:43.06\00:26:46.10
you'll meet some of the great
characters of the Reformation.
00:26:46.13\00:26:49.84
Your faith in God will grow,
00:26:49.87\00:26:52.21
and your personal
experience with God
00:26:52.24\00:26:54.91
will be richly blessed.
00:26:54.94\00:26:56.24
¤[Music]
00:26:56.28\00:27:01.35
>>John: The book of Revelation
makes clear that Babylon
00:27:03.95\00:27:06.76
will be a major
player on the prophetic scene
00:27:06.79\00:27:09.66
down in the close of time.
00:27:09.69\00:27:11.53
How do we understand that?
00:27:11.56\00:27:12.86
Well, that's why I'd
like you to have this book.
00:27:12.89\00:27:14.30
I wrote it.
00:27:14.36\00:27:15.36
“Babylon Rising.”
00:27:15.40\00:27:17.00
To receive it,
call us at 800-253-3000.
00:27:17.03\00:27:21.97
Or visit us online
at www.itiswritten.com.
00:27:22.00\00:27:27.21
Or you can write to
the address on your screen.
00:27:27.24\00:27:29.74
I'd like you to
receive our free offer,
00:27:29.78\00:27:32.08
“Babylon Rising.”
00:27:32.11\00:27:33.95
And thanks for
remembering that It Is Written
00:27:33.98\00:27:35.88
exists because
of the kind support
00:27:35.92\00:27:37.85
of people just like you.
00:27:37.89\00:27:40.06
Your donation makes it
possible for It Is Written
00:27:40.09\00:27:42.56
to share life-changing
biblical truth with the world.
00:27:42.59\00:27:47.13
You can send your
tax-deductible gift
00:27:47.20\00:27:48.96
to the address on your screen,
00:27:49.00\00:27:50.80
or you can support It Is
Written through our website,
00:27:50.83\00:27:53.23
itiswritten.com.
00:27:53.27\00:27:55.24
Thanks for your
generous support.
00:27:55.27\00:27:57.37
Our number is 800-253-3000,
00:27:57.41\00:28:00.84
and our web
address is itiswritten.com.
00:28:00.88\00:28:03.51
>>John: Let's pray together now.
00:28:05.01\00:28:06.95
Our Father in heaven,
00:28:06.98\00:28:07.98
we thank You that You
have preserved Your Word,
00:28:08.02\00:28:11.29
that we can possess the
Bible not only in our hands,
00:28:11.32\00:28:15.92
but in our hearts.
00:28:15.96\00:28:17.66
And we thank You for Jesus,
00:28:17.69\00:28:19.56
the One the Bible
calls the "Word made flesh."
00:28:19.59\00:28:23.80
As down through the ages
You have guided Your truth,
00:28:23.83\00:28:27.37
guided Your Word
and led Your people,
00:28:27.40\00:28:30.44
I pray that You
would guide us now.
00:28:30.47\00:28:33.07
Friend, do you need to
experience a reformation
00:28:33.11\00:28:36.61
in your heart?
00:28:36.64\00:28:38.78
Father, as we talk
about the Reformation
00:28:38.81\00:28:40.45
from an historical perspective,
00:28:40.48\00:28:42.42
we recognize we must experience
reformation in our lives.
00:28:42.45\00:28:45.59
So now we pray that
You would take our hearts,
00:28:45.62\00:28:49.09
make them Yours.
00:28:49.12\00:28:50.23
Friend, now is an opportunity
for you to yield to God.
00:28:50.26\00:28:52.93
Would you do that?
00:28:52.96\00:28:54.76
Our Father, we thank You,
00:28:54.83\00:28:56.33
as we continue
to study in "500,"
00:28:56.36\00:28:59.77
we pray for Your blessing,
00:28:59.80\00:29:02.10
and we pray in Jesus's name,
00:29:02.14\00:29:05.61
Amen.
00:29:05.64\00:29:07.94
Thanks so much for joining me.
00:29:07.98\00:29:09.04
I'm looking forward to
seeing you again next time.
00:29:09.08\00:29:11.41
Until then, remember:
00:29:11.45\00:29:12.75
"It is written,
00:29:12.78\00:29:14.85
'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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