¤[Theme music]¤
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¤[Theme music]¤
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>>John Bradshaw: This is It
Is Written. I'm John Bradshaw.
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Thanks for joining me for 500,
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a series of nine
programs where we study together
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the Protestant Reformation,
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which 500 years ago, on October
the 31st in the year 1517,
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roared into life when
a young Catholic priest
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named Martin Luther
nailed a protest to the door
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of the Castle Church
in Wittenberg, Germany.
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History would never be the same.
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In this first episode of 500
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we will take an overarching
look at the Reformation.
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And after our
program, filmed on location,
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my guest will be
Dr. Gerard Damsteegt,
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recently retired from the
seminary at Andrews University.
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Dr. Damsteegt, thanks
so much for joining me.
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>>Dr. Damsteegt:
It's a pleasure for me.
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Appreciate you taking the time.
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I think together we're
going to have a good look
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at the Reformation in
sort of an overview way.
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And you've made the Reformation
quite a field of study,
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haven't you?
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>>Dr. Damsteegt: Oh, every year
we go with a group of people
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to Europe and study the whole
scenario of the Christian church
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from the time of
the first century
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until what
happened to the church,
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the apostasy that took place,
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the Reformation,
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and finally the
restoration of the gospel.
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>>John: How many
Reformation tours have you led?
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>>Dr. Damsteegt: Presently,
about forty since 1994.
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>>John: So, Dr.
Damsteegt is a man who knows
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something about the Reformation.
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And as a scholar, as
a biblical Christian,
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he's dug deep into the
matters of the Reformation,
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not only for his
own personal enrichment,
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but in order to
share with others.
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And in this
program Dr. Damsteegt
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will be sharing with you and me.
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The Reformation.
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One of the most
significant events in political
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or religious history
of the last 2,000 years.
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The Reformation focused on
the work done by Reformers,
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people such as Martin Luther,
but many others besides Luther
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who worked to reform
the Roman Catholic Church,
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which for hundreds of
years was immensely powerful,
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both
politically and religiously,
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and it affected the
world in profound ways.
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We'll look at
some of those tonight.
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There are nine
programs in this series of 500,
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all of them filmed on location.
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Our first program is an
overview of the Reformation,
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filmed in
numerous sites in Europe
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and here in North America.
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Program number 2
takes us to Ireland,
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the Republic of
Ireland and Northern Ireland.
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We look at a man who,
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although not one of
the classical Reformers
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as we think back over the
last several hundred years,
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was a Reformer in word and deed.
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Patrick of Ireland,
actually, Patrick of England.
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And we'll share
more about that with you.
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Our third program in
500 takes us to England.
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William Tindale is a gentleman
not thought of as much today
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as others like Luther or
Zwingli or Wesley or Knox.
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But Tindale was a
supremely influential figure who
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stood up against the
might of King Henry the Eighth,
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and who dared to translate
the Bible into modern English,
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at least the English
that was modern in his day.
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And Tindale's ministry
urged forward the Reformation
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by placing into the hands
of people the Word of God,
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the Holy Bible.
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Our fourth program will focus
on the Roman Catholic Church,
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Rome, and the Reformation.
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We'll take you to Rome.
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We'll take you
inside the Vatican City.
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And we'll look at this power,
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this supremely
influential power,
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spoken of in the Bible and
focused on in Bible prophecy.
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What was it about Rome,
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the ruling church,
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the medieval church,
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which made a
Reformation necessary and,
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perhaps we could say, possible?
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That's Rome and the Reformation.
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But after the Reformation there
came the Counter-Reformation.
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A very significant figure was
a man named Ignatius of Loyola.
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Who seeing what was taking place
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as the authority of the
Roman church was being eroded,
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decided that he
must do something.
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He was a man
experienced in the military;
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he had an extremely sharp mind.
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And he petitioned
the pope and asked,
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“Allow us to do
what we need to do
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to restore this great
church to its former glory.”
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Ignatius Loyola and
the Counter-Reformation,
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which included very
interesting developments
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in the interpretation
of Bible prophecy,
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reasserted the
dominance of the Roman church.
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Up until now, the
Reformation has taken place
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and has been centered
on the continent of Europe.
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But then, changes
would take place as political
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and religious
forces led to Protestants
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moving from
Europe to North America.
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Up until this
point there had been no
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real religious
freedom in the world.
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But the Pilgrims
that came to New England
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and settled in
these United States
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and ultimately
formed these United States,
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through a gentleman
named Roger Williams,
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a Puritan minister from England
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who brought the
concept of religious freedom.
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He founded the
Rhode Island colony
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and established
the city we know today
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as Providence, Rhode Island.
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So the concept
of religious liberty
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was introduced to Christianity,
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and people began to
take hold of the Bible
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and think for themselves.
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One of those thinkers was
a man named William Miller,
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who studying the
Bible, came to the conclusion
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that Jesus would
return to the earth
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at a certain time
in the early 1840s.
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This Baptist minister
gathered a following around him
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of people known as Millerites.
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They were Adventists
because they believed
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in the imminent advent of Jesus.
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Well, as you and I both know,
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Jesus did not
return in the 1840s.
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So what next?
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All of the
progress that had been made
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as people studied their Bible,
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fought their
way out of the dark,
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walked in the light
of religious freedom,
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established a personal
relationship with Jesus Christ.
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All of that had
been accomplished,
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but there was more
work that needed to be done.
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The Reformation had to
be brought to a conclusion.
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And so as you read
the Book of Revelation,
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you discover that
God brings into focus
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a group of people He
identifies as a “remnant,”
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and commits to
them a special message
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of prophetic significance,
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which the Bible
says will be proclaimed,
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preached to all the world,
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to every nation,
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kindred, tongue and people.
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The Reformation
began 500 years ago.
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As we look at the Bible,
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we come to the
conclusion that the Reformation
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cannot possibly be finished,
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that there's still
work for God's people to do.
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So, in a moment,
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we'll take a look at our first
program in this series, 500.
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And our guest
following this program
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will be Dr. Gerard Damsteegt.
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Back with more in a moment.
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[Children laughing]
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>>John: Okay, who
wants to hear a joke?
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>>Children: Me, me.
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>>John: All right.
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How long did
Cain hate his brother?
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For as long as he was Able.
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Okay, not great.
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Here's another one.
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Who was known as the best
mathematician in the Bible?
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Moses.
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He wrote the book of Numbers.
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All right, you'll like this one.
00:10:04.57\00:10:07.47
Who was the biggest
law-breaker in the Bible?
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No?
00:10:13.91\00:10:15.41
Moses.
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He broke all Ten
Commandments at once.
00:10:16.81\00:10:19.11
[Crickets chirping]
00:10:19.15\00:10:20.28
>>Announcer: There's a
better way to get your kids
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interested in the Bible.
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00:10:22.92\00:10:25.12
to the Bible and
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00:10:25.15\00:10:27.99
Here your kids will
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00:10:28.02\00:10:30.16
while having fun.
00:10:30.19\00:10:31.53
That's MyPlaceWithJesus.com.
00:10:31.56\00:10:35.76
>>John: This is It Is
Written. I'm John Bradshaw.
00:10:37.33\00:10:40.70
Welcome to 500.
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¤[Music]¤
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¤[Music]¤
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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.
00:11:07.30\00:11:08.00
No buses.
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No computers.
00:11:08.70\00:11:10.37
There was no radio,
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no television,
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no internet.
00:11:12.07\00:11:13.84
There was no plastic,
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no cardboard,
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no United States.
00:11:16.54\00:11:17.61
There was no Taj Mahal.
00:11:17.64\00:11:19.74
There was no junk food,
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no x-rays,
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no antibiotics,
00:11:21.44\00:11:22.41
no vaccines.
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There was no anesthetic.
00:11:23.41\00:11:25.31
Smoking was virtually unknown.
00:11:25.35\00:11:27.42
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 the 10th,
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Adrian the 6th,
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Clement the 7th,
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Paul the 3rd,
00:12:01.48\00:12:02.75
Julius the 3rd
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and Marcellus the 2nd.
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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.
00:12:09.52\00:12:13.96
Or, to put it another way,
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500 years ago there
was no religious freedom.
00:12:15.66\00:12:19.33
You could attend
church, listen to the priest,
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maybe hear the organ music,
00:12:21.44\00:12:23.51
but you couldn't believe
what you wanted to believe.
00:12:23.54\00:12:26.47
And you definitely
couldn't read a Bible.
00:12:26.51\00:12:29.38
You believed what the
church told you to believe.
00:12:29.41\00:12:32.78
And if you dared
to do otherwise, well,
00:12:32.81\00:12:35.58
life was difficult at best.
00:12:35.62\00:12:38.52
Now, down through the ages
there were those who dissented,
00:12:38.55\00:12:41.56
but they existed in the shadows.
00:12:41.59\00:12:43.89
It was only a tiny minority
that dared to stand up against
00:12:43.93\00:12:47.66
the might of the Church.
00:12:47.66\00:12:49.10
¤[Music]¤
00:12:49.13\00:12:54.30
Five hundred
years ago it was tough
00:12:54.34\00:12:56.77
if you didn't
agree with the church.
00:12:56.81\00:12:59.11
If you wanted to
believe what you believed,
00:12:59.14\00:13:01.68
you either had to be
very secretive about it,
00:13:01.71\00:13:04.55
or run the risk
of being uncovered,
00:13:04.58\00:13:06.92
persecuted,
00:13:06.95\00:13:08.72
and more than likely killed.
00:13:08.75\00:13:11.22
If you value
religious freedom today,
00:13:11.25\00:13:13.29
the freedom to belong
to the church you want
00:13:13.32\00:13:16.39
and to believe what you believe,
00:13:16.42\00:13:18.26
or even the freedom
to belong to no church
00:13:18.29\00:13:20.63
and believe there is no God,
00:13:20.66\00:13:23.30
then consider that
a few centuries ago
00:13:23.33\00:13:26.07
that freedom didn't exist.
00:13:26.10\00:13:28.57
But all that would change.
00:13:31.97\00:13:33.61
In 1517, on October the 31st,
00:13:33.64\00:13:37.01
a priest in a
small town in Germany
00:13:37.05\00:13:40.88
changed western civilization,
00:13:40.92\00:13:43.75
and risked his life by defying
the power of the ruling church.
00:13:43.79\00:13:49.26
His contribution to
history was so immense that
00:13:49.29\00:13:52.26
Time Magazine ranked him fourth
on the list of the Greatest Men
00:13:52.29\00:13:55.96
of the Millennium.
00:13:56.00\00:13:58.00
Looking at those
ranked above him,
00:13:58.03\00:13:59.47
it's easy to think he should
have been ranked number one.
00:13:59.50\00:14:05.41
Five hundred years ago,
00:14:05.44\00:14:06.84
the Protestant Reformation
began when a young priest
00:14:06.88\00:14:10.61
turned academic by the
name of Dr. Martin Luther
00:14:10.65\00:14:14.58
nailed a list of protests
to the door of this church
00:14:14.62\00:14:18.35
in Wittenberg, Germany.
00:14:18.39\00:14:19.99
When he did so,
he didn't realize
00:14:20.02\00:14:21.39
he was about to
set history on fire.
00:14:21.42\00:14:24.13
He had no intention
of starting a new church.
00:14:24.16\00:14:27.13
All Martin Luther
wanted to see was his church
00:14:27.13\00:14:29.90
come closer to the Bible.
00:14:29.93\00:14:32.23
He was calling for reform.
00:14:32.27\00:14:34.64
Bound up in the genesis of
the Protestant Reformation,
00:14:36.71\00:14:39.47
several very
important questions.
00:14:39.51\00:14:41.91
To begin with,
00:14:41.94\00:14:43.08
how important is it
that a person have that right
00:14:43.11\00:14:47.82
to determine for himself
or herself what to believe?
00:14:47.85\00:14:52.52
Five hundred years ago,
00:14:52.55\00:14:53.72
you believed what the
church told you to believe.
00:14:53.76\00:14:56.73
Beyond that, you
didn't have much of anything.
00:14:56.76\00:14:59.09
How important is it
that you choose for yourself
00:14:59.13\00:15:01.80
what you think
and what you believe?
00:15:01.83\00:15:05.20
Second, when it
comes to what you believe,
00:15:05.23\00:15:07.80
think about that
question that Pilate asked Jesus
00:15:07.84\00:15:10.91
the night before
Jesus was crucified.
00:15:10.94\00:15:12.71
Pilate said to
him, “What is truth?”
00:15:12.74\00:15:17.61
Today you'll hear that
people have their truth.
00:15:17.65\00:15:20.12
I have my truth.
00:15:20.15\00:15:21.58
You have your truth.
00:15:21.62\00:15:23.39
What is truth?
00:15:23.42\00:15:24.95
And how do you decide?
00:15:24.99\00:15:26.79
Is truth subject to a vote?
00:15:26.82\00:15:29.52
Should there be
a, a court of ideas?
00:15:29.56\00:15:32.76
How do you decide?
00:15:32.79\00:15:34.60
Is there a standard
by which ideas or truths
00:15:34.63\00:15:39.87
can be objectively judged?
00:15:39.90\00:15:43.97
And what's truth worth?
00:15:44.01\00:15:45.54
What is the freedom to
believe actually worth?
00:15:45.57\00:15:50.68
How far do you press this?
00:15:50.71\00:15:53.01
When is it worth being
a troubler of the people?
00:15:53.05\00:15:57.09
And is there ever a time that
the freedom to believe your own
00:15:57.12\00:16:02.16
ideas is something
that's actually worth dying for?
00:16:02.19\00:16:07.23
¤[Music]¤
00:16:07.30\00:16:10.90
Now, when you
think of a person's
00:16:10.93\00:16:12.97
deeply held personal beliefs,
00:16:13.00\00:16:15.77
you could dismiss that
as just ideas, theories.
00:16:15.80\00:16:20.24
But what we know
is that a person's
00:16:20.28\00:16:22.54
deeply held personal
beliefs provide the framework
00:16:22.58\00:16:26.48
for that person's entire life,
00:16:26.51\00:16:28.12
and they certainly
form that person's faith.
00:16:28.15\00:16:32.72
In looking at the
Protestant Reformation,
00:16:32.75\00:16:34.29
it's important that
you go back and consider
00:16:34.32\00:16:36.36
the foundation of
Christianity altogether.
00:16:36.39\00:16:40.63
Reform today
typically means new ideas,
00:16:40.66\00:16:44.20
whether you're dealing
with political, cultural,
00:16:44.23\00:16:46.53
social, or religious reform.
00:16:46.57\00:16:48.14
It's about finding
something new, whatever's next.
00:16:48.17\00:16:52.17
But not the way God sees it.
00:16:52.21\00:16:54.34
As God looks at reform,
typically He calls us back.
00:16:54.38\00:16:57.81
He calls us back to old ideas,
00:16:57.85\00:17:01.42
to things that he
has established already.
00:17:01.45\00:17:05.79
Speaking for God, the
prophet Jeremiah said this:
00:17:05.82\00:17:08.32
“Thus says the Lord,
Stand in the ways and see,
00:17:08.36\00:17:12.53
and ask for the old paths,
00:17:12.56\00:17:14.56
where the good way
is, and walk in it;
00:17:14.60\00:17:17.90
then you shall find rest
for your souls” (Jeremiah 6:16).
00:17:17.93\00:17:23.41
The Bible, both the
Old and the New Testaments,
00:17:23.44\00:17:26.44
form the basis of the
early Christian church.
00:17:26.47\00:17:30.11
The Apostle Paul, writing
to young Timothy said that
00:17:30.15\00:17:32.85
“all Scripture is
given by inspiration of God,
00:17:32.88\00:17:35.78
and is profitable for doctrine,
for reproof, for correction,
00:17:35.82\00:17:40.09
and for
instruction in righteousness.”
00:17:40.12\00:17:41.72
That's Second
Timothy 3 and verse 16.
00:17:41.76\00:17:44.23
The consuming passion
of the early Christians,
00:17:44.26\00:17:48.03
the death, burial,
and resurrection of Jesus
00:17:48.06\00:17:50.87
for the salvation of humanity,
00:17:50.90\00:17:52.70
was said by Paul to
rest upon the Scriptures:
00:17:52.73\00:17:56.40
“For I delivered to you first of
all that which I also received:
00:17:56.44\00:18:00.98
that Christ died for our sins
according to the Scriptures,
00:18:01.01\00:18:05.28
And that He was buried,
00:18:05.31\00:18:06.35
and that He rose
again the third day
00:18:06.38\00:18:09.15
according to the Scriptures”
(1 Corinthians 15:3 and 4).
00:18:09.18\00:18:13.82
The New Testament teaching
of justification by faith,
00:18:13.86\00:18:17.19
a central focus of the
Protestant Reformation,
00:18:17.23\00:18:20.23
is also said by Paul
to rest upon scripture.
00:18:20.26\00:18:23.77
Listen to what he said in
Romans, chapter 1, verses 16-17
00:18:23.80\00:18:28.67
“For I am not ashamed
of the gospel of Christ,
00:18:28.70\00:18:32.21
for it is the power of
God to salvation for everyone
00:18:32.24\00:18:36.48
who believes,
00:18:36.51\00:18:37.91
for the Jew first
and also for the Greek.
00:18:37.95\00:18:42.15
For in it the
righteousness of God
00:18:42.18\00:18:44.39
is revealed from faith
to faith; as it is written,
00:18:44.42\00:18:48.59
‘The just shall live by
faith'” (Romans 1:16 and 17).
00:18:48.62\00:18:54.63
What was clear to the founders
of the Christian religion
00:18:54.66\00:18:57.83
is that the message they shared
was the Word of the eternal God.
00:18:57.87\00:19:03.14
“When you received the word
of God which you heard from us,
00:19:03.17\00:19:05.74
you welcomed it
not as the word of men,
00:19:05.77\00:19:08.71
but as it is in
truth, the word of God,
00:19:08.74\00:19:13.15
which also effectively
works in you who believe”
00:19:13.18\00:19:16.69
(First Thessalonians 2:13).
00:19:16.72\00:19:19.15
When certain individuals
got it in their heads
00:19:19.19\00:19:21.36
that the church
had to be reformed,
00:19:21.39\00:19:23.76
and when they chose to
put their lives on the line
00:19:23.79\00:19:26.13
to see that it happened,
00:19:26.16\00:19:28.06
things were
going to get exciting.
00:19:28.10\00:19:32.03
I'll be back with
more in just a moment.
00:19:32.07\00:19:34.00
¤[Music]¤
00:19:34.04\00:19:39.27
[Sound of wolves]
00:19:42.08\00:19:46.21
¤[Music]¤
00:19:46.25\00:19:53.92
[Camera equipment rattling]
00:19:53.96\00:19:56.62
[Rustling in grass]
00:19:56.66\00:19:59.86
[People talking]
00:19:59.89\00:20:01.50
[Wind Gusts]
00:20:01.53\00:20:06.84
¤[Music]¤
00:20:06.87\00:20:16.91
¤[Music]¤
00:20:16.91\00:20:25.72
[Cheering]
00:20:25.75\00:20:36.60
¤[Music]¤
00:20:36.63\00:20:49.48
>>John: This is It Is
Written, I'm John Bradshaw.
00:20:50.65\00:20:53.52
Thanks for joining me for 500.
00:20:53.55\00:20:57.05
Now, think of some of the great
reform movements of history.
00:20:57.09\00:21:00.56
The Civil Rights
movement in the United States.
00:21:00.59\00:21:03.29
Lunch counter sit-ins.
00:21:03.32\00:21:04.83
Bus boycotts.
00:21:04.86\00:21:06.23
Protest marches.
00:21:06.26\00:21:08.06
Where would the
United States be today
00:21:08.10\00:21:10.00
without those heroes who stood
up boldly and demanded reform?
00:21:10.03\00:21:14.94
Many lost their lives.
00:21:14.97\00:21:18.07
Was it worth it?
00:21:18.11\00:21:20.28
The fall of European
communism in the early 1990s.
00:21:20.31\00:21:23.85
Starting with Lech Walesa
and the Solidarity Movement,
00:21:23.88\00:21:27.65
and desperate East Germans
00:21:27.68\00:21:29.58
who wanted to see the
Berlin Wall come down,
00:21:29.62\00:21:32.72
and Czechs who
protested in Wenceslas Square.
00:21:32.75\00:21:37.56
Was that worth it?
00:21:37.59\00:21:39.16
The Boston Tea Party in 1773.
00:21:39.19\00:21:42.43
Of course the list goes on.
00:21:42.46\00:21:44.60
Sometimes protest is
absolutely essential.
00:21:44.63\00:21:49.10
A protest about
taxation without representation?
00:21:49.14\00:21:52.24
Yeah, that's important.
00:21:52.27\00:21:53.68
Your country is occupied?
00:21:53.71\00:21:55.48
Well, that's important too.
00:21:55.51\00:21:56.58
You don't like your
system of government;
00:21:56.61\00:21:59.31
you feel like
you're being oppressed.
00:21:59.35\00:22:01.75
Well, most of us
can only imagine.
00:22:01.78\00:22:04.09
But the
Protestant Reformation was
00:22:04.12\00:22:06.52
on an
altogether different level.
00:22:06.55\00:22:08.39
¤[Music]¤
00:22:08.42\00:22:13.93
Christianity began with
people such as Peter and James
00:22:13.96\00:22:17.23
and John and Paul
and Silas and Timothy,
00:22:17.27\00:22:20.54
carrying forward the
message of the gospel.
00:22:20.57\00:22:23.41
But after a few centuries,
00:22:23.44\00:22:24.67
that message
began to get clouded.
00:22:24.71\00:22:27.91
When the Roman Empire
officially accepted Christianity
00:22:27.94\00:22:30.55
and called off its
persecution of the church,
00:22:30.58\00:22:33.88
faith in Jesus became popular.
00:22:33.92\00:22:36.05
Unfortunately, it
also became corrupt.
00:22:36.08\00:22:40.12
Jesus had warned His disciples,
00:22:40.16\00:22:41.99
saying to them in
Luke 6 and verse 26,
00:22:42.02\00:22:43.96
“Woe unto you when all
men speak well of you.”
00:22:43.99\00:22:48.93
Instead of the Bible deciding
what Christians should believe,
00:22:48.96\00:22:52.27
church councils and bishops,
00:22:52.30\00:22:54.37
even Roman
emperors like Constantine,
00:22:54.40\00:22:56.71
began making these decisions.
00:22:56.74\00:22:58.07
Now, of course, not all
of those decisions were bad.
00:22:58.11\00:23:01.74
But more and more
these human judgments
00:23:01.78\00:23:03.98
began subverting the
authority of the Bible.
00:23:04.01\00:23:07.72
Church tradition began to
hold veto power over scripture.
00:23:07.75\00:23:12.05
Jesus' words regarding
the Pharisees of His day
00:23:12.09\00:23:15.49
began to hold more
and more relevance.
00:23:15.52\00:23:17.93
“And in vain they worship
Me, teaching as doctrines
00:23:17.96\00:23:22.06
the commandments of
men” (Matthew 15:9).
00:23:22.10\00:23:25.17
In the centuries that
followed the so-called
00:23:25.20\00:23:27.90
conversion of Constantine,
00:23:27.94\00:23:29.97
this reliance on human
ideas and human traditions
00:23:30.01\00:23:32.91
became more and more pronounced.
00:23:32.94\00:23:35.14
Those who wanted
to follow the Bible
00:23:35.18\00:23:36.75
were forced to go underground.
00:23:36.78\00:23:39.35
¤[Music]¤
00:23:39.38\00:23:43.02
The Vatican became
more and more powerful,
00:23:43.05\00:23:45.52
effectively governing
the lives and the souls
00:23:45.55\00:23:48.19
and the political
institutions of Europe.
00:23:48.22\00:23:52.16
No pope was more powerful
than Pope Innocent the Third,
00:23:52.19\00:23:55.23
who reigned from 1198 to 1216,
00:23:55.26\00:23:58.93
a period that's
been referred to as the
00:23:58.97\00:24:00.80
“high noon” of the papacy.
00:24:00.84\00:24:03.37
A leading Protestant historian,
J.A. Wylie, wrote that
00:24:03.41\00:24:06.64
“the noon of the papacy
was the midnight of the world.”
00:24:06.68\00:24:11.15
Innocent the Third was able
to compel the monarchs of Europe
00:24:11.18\00:24:14.95
to do his will.
00:24:14.98\00:24:16.75
At times he deposed
those who would not.
00:24:16.79\00:24:19.55
¤[Music]¤
00:24:19.59\00:24:23.12
One weapon that the
church had in its arsenal
00:24:23.16\00:24:26.06
was something
known as interdict.
00:24:26.09\00:24:28.86
A territory that was
censured with an interdict
00:24:28.90\00:24:31.20
was made to
believe that the priests
00:24:31.23\00:24:33.40
would not hear confession,
00:24:33.44\00:24:35.34
prayers would not be
offered for the dead,
00:24:35.37\00:24:37.27
and the sacraments of the
church would not be dispensed.
00:24:37.31\00:24:40.88
Now, for anybody who
actually believed that the pope
00:24:40.91\00:24:43.38
held the keys to God's kingdom,
this was absolutely terrifying.
00:24:43.41\00:24:48.58
They were effectively
shut out from the grace of God.
00:24:48.62\00:24:52.65
Now this mindset that had
existed for hundreds of years
00:24:52.69\00:24:55.72
and which greeted
the Protestant reformers
00:24:55.76\00:24:58.39
at the beginning of
the sixteenth century
00:24:58.43\00:25:00.13
¤[Music]¤
00:25:00.16\00:25:01.40
John Wycliffe,
the English scholar
00:25:01.43\00:25:03.53
who translated the Latin
Bible into English in the 1300s,
00:25:03.57\00:25:07.27
is often called the “morning
star of the Reformation.”
00:25:07.30\00:25:11.44
Wycliffe spoke against
what he saw as the inaccuracies
00:25:11.47\00:25:15.74
of the state church.
00:25:15.78\00:25:17.05
Church leaders in Rome
summoned him to stand trial,
00:25:17.08\00:25:20.58
intending to end his life.
00:25:20.62\00:25:22.78
He got sick and died
before he could be tried,
00:25:22.82\00:25:24.89
but Wycliffe's work was done.
00:25:24.92\00:25:28.62
But such was the animosity
of the church towards him
00:25:28.66\00:25:30.99
that his body was
exhumed, and it was burned,
00:25:31.03\00:25:35.10
and his ashes
were dumped in a river.
00:25:35.13\00:25:37.67
Wycliffe's
teachings were carried forward
00:25:40.90\00:25:42.87
by a Bohemian
priest named John Huss.
00:25:42.90\00:25:46.98
The church summoned Huss to a
council in Constance, Germany,
00:25:47.01\00:25:50.05
and promised him protection.
00:25:50.08\00:25:52.35
Huss arrived in
Constance and was arrested,
00:25:52.38\00:25:55.42
thrown into a horrible
prison, sentenced to death,
00:25:55.45\00:25:59.15
and was then
burned at the stake.
00:25:59.19\00:26:02.79
But as one historian wrote,
00:26:02.82\00:26:04.39
“The blood of the
martyrs was seed.”
00:26:04.43\00:26:06.93
The persecution
the Reformers suffered
00:26:06.96\00:26:10.10
only seemed to
further their cause.
00:26:10.13\00:26:13.80
And the need for
reform seemed obvious.
00:26:13.84\00:26:16.84
The luxury and the depravity
indulged in by church leaders
00:26:16.87\00:26:19.94
was breathtaking.
00:26:19.97\00:26:21.64
It's no secret
that there were popes
00:26:21.68\00:26:22.98
who fathered
illegitimate children.
00:26:23.01\00:26:24.98
Church offices
were bought and sold,
00:26:25.01\00:26:28.45
and the luxurious
lifestyle of church leaders
00:26:28.48\00:26:30.59
was out of sync with
the self-denial of Jesus.
00:26:30.62\00:26:33.82
Speaking of the
corruption of that time,
00:26:33.86\00:26:35.69
one historian wrote that
00:26:35.72\00:26:37.73
“the advance of the Turks
00:26:37.76\00:26:39.06
since the fall of
Constantinople in 1453
00:26:39.09\00:26:42.43
was generally considered
to have been allowed by God
00:26:42.46\00:26:45.87
in punishment for
the sins of the Church.”
00:26:45.90\00:26:49.97
The Christian church was
certainly ready for a change.
00:26:50.01\00:26:54.08
But how would
that change come about?
00:26:54.11\00:26:56.21
We'll find out in just a moment.
00:26:56.24\00:26:58.01
¤[Music]¤
00:26:58.05\00:27:03.49
>>Announcer: In Matthew
4:4, the Word of God says,
00:27:06.55\00:27:09.12
"It is written,
00:27:09.16\00:27:10.16
'Man shall not
live by bead alone,
00:27:10.19\00:27:12.29
but by every word that proceeds
from the mouth of God.'"
00:27:12.33\00:27:16.00
"Every Word"
00:27:16.03\00:27:16.97
is a one-minute,
Bible-based daily devotional
00:27:17.00\00:27:19.27
presented by
Pastor John Bradshaw,
00:27:19.30\00:27:21.40
and designed especially
for busy people like you.
00:27:21.44\00:27:24.47
Look for Every Word
on selected networks,
00:27:24.51\00:27:27.34
or watch it online
every day on our website,
00:27:27.38\00:27:29.61
ItIsWritten.com.
00:27:29.64\00:27:31.75
Receive a daily spiritual boost.
00:27:31.78\00:27:33.85
Watch “Every Word.”
00:27:33.88\00:27:35.18
You'll be glad you did.
00:27:35.22\00:27:36.79
Here's a sample.
00:27:36.82\00:27:38.99
¤[Music]¤
00:27:39.45\00:27:44.06
>>John: After he was arrested,
00:27:44.09\00:27:45.16
a New York man
confessed to 6 burglaries,
00:27:45.19\00:27:48.23
in the borough of Queens.
00:27:48.26\00:27:49.60
He broke into
churches and stole from them.
00:27:49.63\00:27:51.63
He said he did it
because “I'm mad at God.
00:27:51.67\00:27:54.04
I don't like church anymore.
I break in to get back at God.”
00:27:54.07\00:27:58.17
Get back at God?
00:27:58.21\00:27:59.54
After all God has done for you;
00:27:59.57\00:28:01.28
brought you into existence,
00:28:01.31\00:28:02.54
sustained you,
00:28:02.58\00:28:03.28
gave you opportunity,
00:28:03.31\00:28:04.21
and promised you
everlasting life,
00:28:04.25\00:28:07.02
in a world where there's no sin,
00:28:07.05\00:28:08.22
disappointment,
or broken dreams.
00:28:08.25\00:28:10.35
You can't get back at God.
00:28:10.39\00:28:12.65
If you want to get back at
anyone that'll be the devil who
00:28:12.69\00:28:14.99
is responsible for every ounce
of misery that has ever existed.
00:28:15.02\00:28:19.36
Jesus said in John 5 verse 40:
00:28:19.39\00:28:21.43
“But you are not willing to come
to Me that you may have life.”
00:28:21.46\00:28:25.07
If you want to right
wrongs, come to faith in Christ.
00:28:25.10\00:28:28.34
Staying away from God only
plays into the devil's hands.
00:28:28.37\00:28:32.97
I'm John Bradshaw
for It Is Written.
00:28:33.01\00:28:34.54
Let's live today by every word.
00:28:34.58\00:28:36.85
¤[Music]¤
00:28:36.88\00:28:39.18
¤[Music]¤
00:28:39.91\00:28:42.55
One hundred years
after the death of Huss,
00:28:42.58\00:28:45.59
a young German priest by
the name of Martin Luther
00:28:45.62\00:28:49.19
found himself in
the city of Rome,
00:28:49.22\00:28:52.19
seeking to earn God's favor
00:28:52.23\00:28:54.20
by climbing on his
knees up Pilate's Staircase.
00:28:54.20\00:28:58.97
The church
claimed that Jesus Himself
00:28:59.00\00:29:00.77
had walked on that staircase,
00:29:00.80\00:29:02.84
and that it had
been miraculously
00:29:02.87\00:29:04.61
transported from
Jerusalem to Rome.
00:29:04.64\00:29:07.81
While performing this act,
Luther seemed to hear a voice
00:29:07.84\00:29:11.71
as loud as thunder,
00:29:11.75\00:29:14.02
declaring in his ear the
gospel truth articulated by
00:29:14.05\00:29:16.92
both Testaments
of the Sacred Word:
00:29:16.95\00:29:19.62
“The just shall live
by faith” (Romans 1:17;
00:29:19.65\00:29:23.22
Habakkuk: 2, verse 4).
00:29:23.26\00:29:26.56
So why was Luther walking
up a staircase on his knees?
00:29:26.59\00:29:30.07
Because Luther believed
that climbing those steps
00:29:30.10\00:29:34.70
would earn favor with God.
00:29:34.74\00:29:38.04
And why did Luther believe that?
00:29:38.07\00:29:39.91
Because that's
what the church taught.
00:29:39.94\00:29:42.98
¤[Music]¤
00:29:43.01\00:29:43.95
[Birds chirping]
00:29:43.98\00:29:46.45
The church taught that you could
reduce your punishment for sin,
00:29:46.48\00:29:50.29
that you could lessen
the “temporal effects of sin”
00:29:50.32\00:29:54.09
by doing things such as
attending a certain church
00:29:54.12\00:29:57.19
on a certain day,
00:29:57.23\00:29:58.49
honoring the
“blessed sacrament,”
00:29:58.53\00:30:00.36
praying the rosary,
00:30:00.40\00:30:02.33
or climbing the Scala Sancta,
00:30:02.36\00:30:04.93
Pilate's
Staircase, on your knees.
00:30:04.97\00:30:07.54
In fact, the church
still believes this.
00:30:07.57\00:30:11.11
Here's what the church
says about indulgences.
00:30:11.14\00:30:14.44
"An indulgence is a
remission before God
00:30:14.48\00:30:18.01
of the temporal punishment
due to sins whose guilt
00:30:18.05\00:30:22.65
has already been forgiven,
00:30:22.68\00:30:24.79
which the faithful Christian
who is duly disposed gains
00:30:24.82\00:30:28.42
under certain
prescribed conditions
00:30:28.46\00:30:31.66
through the action
of the Church which,
00:30:31.69\00:30:33.90
as the minister of redemption,
00:30:33.93\00:30:36.13
dispenses and
applies with authority
00:30:36.16\00:30:39.23
the treasury of
the satisfactions
00:30:39.27\00:30:41.34
of Christ and the saints.”
00:30:41.37\00:30:44.14
So you can understand why Luther
felt he had to do something.
00:30:44.17\00:30:47.88
The church was
teaching salvation by works.
00:30:47.91\00:30:51.91
In fact,
indulgences were sold for money.
00:30:51.95\00:30:55.22
Money was raised for the
building of St Peter's Basilica
00:30:55.25\00:30:58.69
through the
selling of indulgences.
00:30:58.72\00:31:00.69
This was Luther's reality.
00:31:00.72\00:31:03.79
Of course he had to protest.
00:31:03.83\00:31:05.63
¤[Music]¤
00:31:05.66\00:31:08.80
That moment at
Pilate's Staircase proved to be
00:31:08.83\00:31:11.00
the turning point in
Martin Luther's experience.
00:31:11.03\00:31:14.00
With that voice
still ringing in his heart,
00:31:14.04\00:31:16.27
he sprang to his feet
and fled from the place
00:31:16.30\00:31:20.21
in shame and horror.
00:31:20.24\00:31:21.34
¤[Music]¤
00:31:21.38\00:31:22.31
Luther's zeal would spark a fire
00:31:22.34\00:31:24.65
that spread
throughout Europe and beyond.
00:31:24.68\00:31:27.82
From John Calvin's Geneva
to William Tyndale's England,
00:31:27.85\00:31:31.35
from France to
Scandinavia and the Netherlands,
00:31:31.39\00:31:34.12
and then to
Plymouth Rock on an unknown
00:31:34.16\00:31:36.56
and distant shore,
00:31:36.59\00:31:38.46
the message of
supreme biblical authority,
00:31:38.49\00:31:41.06
justification
through faith in Christ,
00:31:41.10\00:31:43.80
and a conscience
set free from civil
00:31:43.83\00:31:45.60
and ecclesiastical control,
00:31:45.63\00:31:47.77
would inspire millions of
hearts and alter the course
00:31:47.80\00:31:51.84
of human events.
00:31:51.87\00:31:53.04
[Birds singing]
00:31:53.07\00:31:58.38
Luther and
others would also teach
00:31:58.41\00:32:00.22
the principle of Sola
Scriptura, the Bible alone.
00:32:00.25\00:32:05.22
The Reformers believed that
any teaching should be subjected
00:32:05.25\00:32:08.19
to the ultimate
authority: God's Word.
00:32:08.22\00:32:11.59
Now, 500 years later,
00:32:11.63\00:32:13.46
in much of Christianity,
00:32:13.50\00:32:14.83
we simply take that for granted.
00:32:14.83\00:32:17.30
But five hundred years ago?
00:32:17.33\00:32:19.27
No way.
00:32:19.30\00:32:20.37
That's not the way
the church was run.
00:32:20.40\00:32:23.97
Now, of course, the
Reformers were human,
00:32:24.01\00:32:26.78
and human beings are faulty.
00:32:26.81\00:32:29.11
Martin Luther
certainly had his faults.
00:32:29.14\00:32:31.91
But we must keep in
mind that the Reformers
00:32:31.95\00:32:34.12
came to the Bible a
lot like an archaeologist
00:32:34.15\00:32:37.25
comes to an artifact.
00:32:37.29\00:32:38.75
It was new to them.
00:32:38.79\00:32:40.66
They had to
wrestle with the Bible
00:32:40.69\00:32:42.29
and work some things out.
00:32:42.32\00:32:43.89
They didn't have the
benefit of hundreds of years
00:32:43.93\00:32:45.99
of scholarship
having gone before them.
00:32:46.03\00:32:48.30
Now the truth is,
00:32:48.33\00:32:49.30
we inherit a lot of
what we believe by the people
00:32:49.33\00:32:52.97
who've gone before us
and done the heavy lifting.
00:32:53.00\00:32:55.90
Which is fine, as long
as what we receive from
00:32:55.94\00:32:59.77
those who have
gone before us is true.
00:32:59.81\00:33:02.54
In all cases,
00:33:02.58\00:33:03.75
it's important that we go
to the Bible and find out.
00:33:03.78\00:33:06.45
¤[Music]¤
00:33:06.48\00:33:09.32
With the translation
of the Bible by Luther
00:33:09.35\00:33:11.72
and Tyndale and others,
00:33:11.75\00:33:13.02
into German and English
00:33:13.05\00:33:15.19
and French and Polish and Czech,
00:33:15.22\00:33:17.89
and with the advent
of the printing press,
00:33:17.93\00:33:19.76
the common people soon
had access to God's word.
00:33:19.79\00:33:24.00
And when the Bible was put
in the hands of Bible students
00:33:24.03\00:33:27.00
hungry for Scripture,
00:33:27.04\00:33:29.07
the church and the world
could never be the same again.
00:33:29.10\00:33:33.01
¤[Music]¤
00:33:33.04\00:33:36.85
The church of Rome wasn't about
to quietly tolerate an attack
00:33:36.88\00:33:40.12
on what they genuinely believed
was their God-given right
00:33:40.15\00:33:44.02
to direct the minds and
hearts of men and women,
00:33:44.05\00:33:47.22
to compel them in faith in God,
00:33:47.26\00:33:49.52
and to correct them
when they fell into error.
00:33:49.56\00:33:52.69
The Counter-Reformation would
see Rome fight back, forcefully,
00:33:52.73\00:33:58.37
creatively, and
not always obviously.
00:33:58.40\00:34:01.14
¤[Music]¤
00:34:01.17\00:34:02.57
So what does a church do when
its authority is threatened,
00:34:02.60\00:34:06.07
along with its hold on
the minds of the people
00:34:06.11\00:34:08.38
of the western world?
00:34:08.41\00:34:10.28
In Europe, there
was a lot of bloodshed.
00:34:10.31\00:34:13.68
Protestants were
burned at the stake.
00:34:13.72\00:34:16.48
Thousands died in the St
Bartholomew's Day Massacre
00:34:16.52\00:34:19.15
in France in 1572.
00:34:19.19\00:34:20.92
And anything resembling
toleration disappeared.
00:34:20.96\00:34:25.63
More than 200,000 fled France.
00:34:25.66\00:34:30.13
The first foreigners
to reach what would become
00:34:30.17\00:34:32.37
the United States of America
00:34:32.40\00:34:34.10
were Protestants
of English descent.
00:34:34.14\00:34:36.97
But even then there
would be growing pains.
00:34:37.01\00:34:39.74
The Puritans of New England
believed that religious freedom
00:34:39.77\00:34:43.38
applied to you only
if you lived and believed
00:34:43.41\00:34:46.82
and worshipped as they did.
00:34:46.85\00:34:49.45
But then along
came Roger Williams,
00:34:49.48\00:34:51.95
who introduced the concept
of religious liberty for all.
00:34:51.99\00:34:56.42
And then the truth
would go marching on.
00:34:56.46\00:34:59.76
Through men like
Ulrich Zwingli in Zurich
00:34:59.79\00:35:02.70
and John Wesley and his
brother Charles in England.
00:35:02.73\00:35:05.67
Through Philip
Melanchthon and Thomas Cranmer
00:35:05.70\00:35:08.30
and Hugh Latimer
and Nicholas Ridley
00:35:08.34\00:35:10.04
and Theodore Beza
and John Knox in Scotland
00:35:10.07\00:35:13.01
and Huss and Jerome
00:35:13.04\00:35:13.88
and William Farel
and Roger Williams
00:35:13.91\00:35:16.71
and many others.
00:35:16.75\00:35:18.38
So when did the Reformation end?
00:35:18.41\00:35:20.85
Or has it ended?
00:35:20.88\00:35:23.08
Perhaps there's
still a work to be done,
00:35:23.12\00:35:25.49
a work of reform,
00:35:25.52\00:35:26.96
a work of calling
people to faithfulness to God
00:35:26.99\00:35:30.36
and to faith in the Word of God.
00:35:30.39\00:35:32.79
Throughout the rest
of this series, 500,
00:35:32.83\00:35:35.83
you'll meet some of the great
characters of the Reformation.
00:35:35.86\00:35:39.57
Your faith in God will grow,
00:35:39.60\00:35:41.94
and your personal
experience with God
00:35:41.97\00:35:44.64
will be richly blessed.
00:35:44.67\00:35:45.97
¤[Music]¤
00:35:46.01\00:35:51.01
>>John: The book of Revelation
makes clear that Babylon
00:35:53.62\00:35:56.42
will be a major
player on the prophetic scene
00:35:56.45\00:35:59.32
down in the close of time.
00:35:59.35\00:36:01.26
How do we understand that?
00:36:01.29\00:36:02.66
Well, that's why I'd
like you to have this book.
00:36:02.69\00:36:04.13
I wrote it.
00:36:04.16\00:36:05.19
“Babylon Rising.”
00:36:05.23\00:36:06.83
To receive it,
call us at 800-253-3000.
00:36:06.86\00:36:11.77
Or visit us online
at www.itiswritten.com.
00:36:11.80\00:36:17.01
Or you can write to
the address on your screen.
00:36:17.04\00:36:19.54
I'd like you to
receive our free offer,
00:36:19.57\00:36:21.88
“Babylon Rising.”
00:36:21.91\00:36:23.75
And thanks for
remembering that It Is Written
00:36:23.78\00:36:25.68
exists because
of the kind support
00:36:25.71\00:36:27.65
of people just like you.
00:36:27.68\00:36:29.85
Your donation makes it
possible for It Is Written
00:36:29.88\00:36:32.35
to share life-changing,
biblical truth with the world.
00:36:32.39\00:36:36.96
You can send your
tax-deductible gift
00:36:36.99\00:36:38.79
to the address on your screen,
00:36:38.83\00:36:40.63
or you can support It Is
Written through our website,
00:36:40.66\00:36:43.03
itiswritten.com.
00:36:43.06\00:36:45.03
Thanks for your
generous support.
00:36:45.07\00:36:47.17
Our number is 800-253-3000,
00:36:47.20\00:36:50.57
and our web
address is itiswritten.com.
00:36:50.61\00:36:53.24
>>John: Thanks for
joining me for 500.
00:36:54.08\00:36:56.38
My guest is Dr.
Gerard Damsteegt,
00:36:56.41\00:36:59.38
retired professor of church
history from Andrews University
00:36:59.41\00:37:02.48
in Berrien Springs, Michigan.
00:37:02.52\00:37:03.89
Dr. Damsteegt, thank
you so much for joining me.
00:37:03.92\00:37:06.65
>>Dr. Damsteegt:
It's a pleasure for me.
00:37:06.69\00:37:07.86
>>John: Help me understand
just what the Reformation was.
00:37:07.89\00:37:13.19
>>Dr. Damsteegt: When we
speak about the Reformation,
00:37:13.23\00:37:15.06
it is good to look at
the significance of the word.
00:37:15.10\00:37:18.57
And it comes from
the Latin reformare.
00:37:18.60\00:37:21.50
And what the key
element is there,
00:37:21.54\00:37:24.34
is stopping abuse,
00:37:24.37\00:37:27.01
corruption, and restoring
something to its original.
00:37:27.04\00:37:31.91
>>John: This leads
me to the next question.
00:37:31.95\00:37:33.55
Why was the
Reformation necessary?
00:37:33.58\00:37:35.62
>>Dr. Damsteegt: The
Apostle Paul points already out
00:37:35.65\00:37:38.52
in Second Thessalonians,
the second chapter,
00:37:38.55\00:37:41.66
that before Christ returns,
00:37:41.69\00:37:44.59
there would become a power,
it's called the man of sin,
00:37:44.63\00:37:50.23
the mystery of iniquity,
00:37:50.27\00:37:52.50
and that would corrupt
the church and proclaim to be,
00:37:52.53\00:37:57.31
as it were, God or above God.
00:37:57.34\00:38:00.44
And if we look into the
history of Christianity,
00:38:00.48\00:38:03.98
by the sixth, seventh century,
00:38:04.01\00:38:05.88
we see a condition of the church
that is far from different
00:38:05.91\00:38:10.22
from the early church.
00:38:10.25\00:38:12.25
The gospel of
Christ being central,
00:38:12.29\00:38:15.09
His forgiveness
being powerful there,
00:38:15.12\00:38:17.63
His atonement, His cross,
00:38:17.66\00:38:19.46
it doesn't exist anymore.
00:38:19.49\00:38:21.56
It is now
centered around one man,
00:38:21.60\00:38:24.43
called the pope, and everyone,
all the leaders of the church,
00:38:24.47\00:38:30.37
should pay obedience
to him, listen to him,
00:38:30.41\00:38:33.54
and he controls
everything that is going on.
00:38:33.58\00:38:36.61
And then in time
things get perverted,
00:38:36.64\00:38:41.08
and, for example,
00:38:41.12\00:38:42.95
one important thing is that
when people saw the perversion,
00:38:42.98\00:38:47.76
they quoted Scriptures,
00:38:47.79\00:38:49.49
and now the church
was trying to eliminate
00:38:49.52\00:38:52.96
the access of the
people to the Scriptures.
00:38:52.99\00:38:56.03
Secondly, how are you
going to get forgiveness of sin,
00:38:56.06\00:39:01.14
atonement, if the
Bible is still there?
00:39:01.17\00:39:04.21
So the Bible is
removed, and secondly,
00:39:04.24\00:39:08.78
in regards to the beautiful
forgiveness of Jesus Christ,
00:39:08.81\00:39:13.98
we get now a concept
being introduced, indulgences.
00:39:14.02\00:39:18.55
What are indulgences?
00:39:18.59\00:39:20.36
The church has a whole
pool and whole treasure
00:39:20.39\00:39:23.46
of indulgences
that bring forgiveness.
00:39:23.49\00:39:27.03
It eliminates
your stay in purgatory,
00:39:27.10\00:39:31.60
and all those things together.
00:39:31.63\00:39:34.10
And so, as a result,
what is going to happen?
00:39:34.14\00:39:38.44
We, as common people,
don't go to the Scriptures,
00:39:38.47\00:39:42.91
don't go to Jesus
Christ, but we go to the church.
00:39:42.94\00:39:45.95
We become dependent on
the church for forgiveness
00:39:45.98\00:39:49.65
and for
elimination of punishment.
00:39:49.68\00:39:53.49
And that, how does
the church get this?
00:39:53.52\00:39:56.46
This whole pool of all
good works come from the saints,
00:39:56.49\00:40:00.70
or from Mary.
00:40:00.73\00:40:01.90
And over time, those
heroes, those saints,
00:40:01.93\00:40:06.37
have accumulated so
much grace and mercy
00:40:06.40\00:40:10.54
that it is being made available
to God's people, for a price.
00:40:10.57\00:40:16.21
And then, of course,
00:40:16.24\00:40:17.31
when people
[inaudible] protest it,
00:40:17.35\00:40:19.51
what do you get?
00:40:19.55\00:40:20.92
You get then some
very interesting things.
00:40:20.95\00:40:23.12
The church becomes now or
declares to be infallible.
00:40:23.15\00:40:28.06
We as a church don't err.
00:40:28.09\00:40:30.79
You have to accept what we say.
00:40:30.83\00:40:33.86
And that is the key to success.
00:40:33.90\00:40:37.20
And so the pope then
becomes also infallible.
00:40:37.23\00:40:40.90
>>John: Now, you mentioned the
man of sin a few moments ago.
00:40:40.94\00:40:42.94
And it's
interesting that the Reformers
00:40:42.97\00:40:45.77
didn't only say the
church needed to be reformed,
00:40:45.81\00:40:49.48
but it was corrupt.
00:40:49.51\00:40:51.31
And some of those Reformers
00:40:51.35\00:40:52.51
identified the Roman Catholic
Church as the man of sin.
00:40:52.55\00:40:56.75
In fact, it seems most all of
the prominent Reformers did so.
00:40:56.79\00:41:00.82
How did they come
to that conclusion?
00:41:00.86\00:41:02.72
>>Dr. Damsteegt: They
looked at the person of Christ,
00:41:02.76\00:41:07.76
and they looked at the pope,
00:41:07.76\00:41:10.83
and they saw tremendous
contrast between those two.
00:41:10.87\00:41:14.94
And so they said,
hey, this must then be
00:41:14.97\00:41:18.57
what has been
predicted in the early church.
00:41:18.61\00:41:22.34
Jesus Christ will not
come until the apostasy,
00:41:22.38\00:41:25.38
the falling away, is revealed.
00:41:25.41\00:41:29.32
And so they compared.
00:41:29.35\00:41:30.82
Who is Christ?
00:41:30.85\00:41:32.12
Christ did not want to
have any earthly power.
00:41:32.15\00:41:35.29
He ran away from this.
00:41:35.32\00:41:37.06
Look at the pope.
00:41:37.09\00:41:38.86
What does he do?
00:41:38.89\00:41:40.33
He has a triple crown.
00:41:40.36\00:41:43.13
He has the keys, the two keys:
00:41:43.16\00:41:46.30
the key of worldly power
and the key to spiritual power.
00:41:46.33\00:41:52.64
What does Christ do?
00:41:52.67\00:41:53.78
He washed the
feet of his disciples.
00:41:53.81\00:41:58.11
What does the pope do?
00:41:58.15\00:41:59.91
The pope let his feet
be kissed by his followers.
00:41:59.95\00:42:06.62
And so they saw
this tremendous contrast.
00:42:06.65\00:42:09.99
>>John: Now, people
might listen to this and say,
00:42:10.03\00:42:11.29
yeah, the
Reformation is ancient history.
00:42:11.33\00:42:12.99
After all, it was 500 years ago.
00:42:13.03\00:42:15.56
And today we have a
pope who said he doesn't want
00:42:15.60\00:42:19.60
to live in the papal palace,
00:42:19.63\00:42:21.67
who goes out and
meets the people,
00:42:21.70\00:42:23.24
kisses babies, hugs the sick.
00:42:23.27\00:42:26.27
He says, “Who am I to judge?”
00:42:26.31\00:42:29.68
If Luther was around today,
00:42:29.71\00:42:32.08
do you think he would see that
there's a need for reformation
00:42:32.11\00:42:35.35
in the church, or would
he say it's a new church?
00:42:35.38\00:42:39.32
>>Dr. Damsteegt: Ah, in Luther's
time, during the Reformation,
00:42:39.35\00:42:42.96
there were various actions taken
00:42:42.99\00:42:45.56
to improve the
morality of the church.
00:42:45.59\00:42:48.30
Certain of the abuses.
00:42:48.33\00:42:50.23
But the basic teachings
that led to all the corruption
00:42:50.27\00:42:56.50
was not changed at all.
00:42:56.54\00:42:57.77
If you go today and
you look at the staircase
00:42:57.81\00:43:02.01
that Martin Luther climbed,
00:43:02.04\00:43:03.98
you'll see on the side still,
00:43:04.01\00:43:06.38
you can get indulgences
by doing the same thing.
00:43:06.41\00:43:10.62
And so the
teachings have not changed.
00:43:10.65\00:43:15.36
And so the teaching that
led to all the corruptions
00:43:15.39\00:43:18.36
and the power of the
church has not changed at all.
00:43:18.39\00:43:21.70
>>John: I think it's
worth noticing to that some of
00:43:21.73\00:43:23.30
those teachings have been
brought into the 21st century.
00:43:23.33\00:43:26.13
If you followed the pope on
Twitter during World Youth Day,
00:43:26.17\00:43:30.97
you get an indulgence.
00:43:31.01\00:43:32.54
There's been a
resurgence, as a matter of fact,
00:43:32.57\00:43:35.18
in some of these old
teachings from Catholicism.
00:43:35.21\00:43:37.71
Rome hasn't
repudiated them at all.
00:43:37.75\00:43:40.15
A question for you:
00:43:40.18\00:43:41.82
What do you think would
have happened if Martin Luther
00:43:41.85\00:43:43.59
hadn't nailed the thesis to
the door of the Castle Church,
00:43:43.62\00:43:48.12
if he just shrugged
his shoulders and said,
00:43:48.16\00:43:50.56
“I wish my church would change,”
but did nothing about it?
00:43:50.59\00:43:54.23
What do you think
would have happened?
00:43:54.30\00:43:55.50
>>Dr. Damsteegt: Well,
sooner or later somebody else
00:43:55.53\00:43:57.63
would have picked it up.
00:43:57.67\00:43:59.17
But the uniqueness of Martin
Luther was he made a very,
00:43:59.20\00:44:02.60
very study
after he went to Rome.
00:44:02.64\00:44:05.11
And so the
uselessness of the indulgences,
00:44:05.14\00:44:08.88
he analyzed this,
00:44:08.91\00:44:10.71
and by the time the pope
had announced a new indulgence,
00:44:10.75\00:44:15.15
and the, and the power
of the indulgences was,
00:44:15.18\00:44:19.82
exceeded every other
previous indulgences,
00:44:19.85\00:44:22.99
you could have get
a forgiveness of sins
00:44:23.02\00:44:24.89
you hadn't even committed,
00:44:24.93\00:44:27.13
you was going to
do in the future.
00:44:27.20\00:44:29.36
And, and so when
Luther saw [inaudible].
00:44:29.40\00:44:32.60
he said, “Oh, Martin, we don't
even need to go to confession,
00:44:32.63\00:44:36.20
we don't even need to
go to ask forgiveness,
00:44:36.24\00:44:38.34
because we have
already those indulgences
00:44:38.37\00:44:41.11
to take care of those things.”
00:44:41.14\00:44:42.91
So when Martin Luther
saw this, he analyzed this,
00:44:42.94\00:44:46.45
and then the 95 thesis
is a destructive analysis
00:44:46.48\00:44:51.25
of the power and the
efficacy of the indulgences.
00:44:51.29\00:44:56.73
However, among those 95 thesis,
00:44:56.76\00:45:00.36
he made one statement about
the true treasury of the church,
00:45:00.40\00:45:06.57
and he said, “The
true treasury of the church
00:45:06.60\00:45:10.31
is the gospel of
Jesus Christ through God.”
00:45:10.34\00:45:15.78
And so that is
available for all, free.
00:45:15.81\00:45:20.92
So keep in mind,
00:45:20.95\00:45:22.25
here people were paying
tremendous amount of money
00:45:22.28\00:45:26.39
to get the forgiveness
00:45:26.42\00:45:27.99
and the declaration for
forgiveness from the church.
00:45:28.02\00:45:31.43
And here, in the 95
thesis, it was free.
00:45:31.46\00:45:36.87
>>John: And that's really
the essence of the Reformation.
00:45:36.90\00:45:40.44
Not man's word, God's word.
00:45:40.47\00:45:42.80
Dr. Damsteegt, let's
hold that thought right there.
00:45:42.84\00:45:45.27
We'll be back with
more in just a moment.
00:45:45.31\00:45:46.91
>>John: The book of Revelation
makes clear that Babylon
00:45:47.71\00:45:50.58
will be a major
player on the prophetic scene
00:45:50.61\00:45:53.45
down in the close of time.
00:45:53.48\00:45:55.32
How do we understand that?
00:45:55.35\00:45:56.62
Well, that's why I'd
like you to have this book.
00:45:56.65\00:45:58.12
I wrote it.
00:45:58.15\00:45:59.12
“Babylon Rising.”
00:45:59.15\00:46:01.06
To receive it,
call us at 800-253-3000.
00:46:01.09\00:46:05.79
Or visit us online
at www.itiswritten.com.
00:46:05.83\00:46:11.10
Or you can write to
the address on your screen.
00:46:11.13\00:46:13.57
I'd like you to
receive our free offer,
00:46:13.60\00:46:15.77
“Babylon Rising.”
00:46:15.80\00:46:17.74
>>John: Welcome back to 500.
00:46:18.31\00:46:19.74
I'm John Bradshaw
from It Is Written.
00:46:19.77\00:46:22.41
Dr. Damsteegt, a moment ago,
00:46:22.44\00:46:24.75
a historical look
at how the Word of God
00:46:24.78\00:46:27.65
was asserted back
above the word of man
00:46:27.68\00:46:31.19
during the
Protestant Reformation.
00:46:31.22\00:46:32.59
That was really the
essence of the basis of it all.
00:46:32.62\00:46:35.62
You're going to go on here with,
00:46:35.66\00:46:36.83
but I think we're
going to look at this
00:46:36.86\00:46:38.26
as it applies to us today.
00:46:38.29\00:46:39.89
So why don't you look
at that further for us.
00:46:39.93\00:46:41.23
>>Dr. Damsteegt: Yeah.
00:46:41.26\00:46:42.16
So if you summarize
the process of spire,
00:46:42.20\00:46:45.47
it was a solemn witness against
the religious intolerance,
00:46:45.50\00:46:50.31
and an assertion of the
right of all men to worship God
00:46:50.34\00:46:55.58
according to the dictates
of their own conscience.
00:46:55.61\00:46:59.35
Now, that is very
important, because that is,
00:46:59.38\00:47:03.18
it shows here
what took place there
00:47:03.22\00:47:04.95
is a lesson for all generations.
00:47:04.99\00:47:07.72
In our time, you still have
a wide departure of the truth.
00:47:07.76\00:47:14.46
That Luther was
fighting against.
00:47:14.46\00:47:16.83
And so here now there is a need
00:47:16.87\00:47:19.43
to return to the
Protestant principle:
00:47:19.47\00:47:23.07
the Bible and the Bible only
as the rule of faith and duty.
00:47:23.10\00:47:28.11
And that is important here today
00:47:28.14\00:47:30.65
because the
anti-christian powers today
00:47:30.68\00:47:32.68
are still working
with power around it.
00:47:32.71\00:47:36.38
And the same unswerving
adherence to the Word of God
00:47:36.42\00:47:40.79
manifested in the cries
of reformation is the only
00:47:40.82\00:47:45.29
hope of reform for us today.
00:47:45.33\00:47:48.53
>>John: Very significant.
00:47:48.56\00:47:49.60
>>Dr. Damsteegt: And so
therefore what Luther did,
00:47:49.63\00:47:51.90
what the
prince's protested against
00:47:51.93\00:47:54.77
is still very, very important.
00:47:54.80\00:47:56.87
>>John: If there
had been no Reformation,
00:47:56.91\00:47:59.64
what would the
world look like today?
00:47:59.67\00:48:01.81
>>Dr. Damsteegt: We would
all be in the grasp of a church
00:48:01.84\00:48:06.28
that is built on
righteousness by works.
00:48:06.31\00:48:10.55
Because that was
the whole system.
00:48:10.59\00:48:12.32
The church collected
its money, its income,
00:48:12.35\00:48:15.66
because people wanted to get
peace of mind, peace of heart.
00:48:15.69\00:48:19.93
And how to do this?
00:48:19.96\00:48:21.23
By buying their
way to salvation.
00:48:21.26\00:48:24.97
That's very, very crucial.
00:48:25.00\00:48:26.67
I mean, why, I mean,
it took a man like Luther,
00:48:26.70\00:48:30.77
who couldn't have the peace.
00:48:30.81\00:48:33.48
He went everywhere,
00:48:33.51\00:48:35.11
from his law study, he
went to his priestly study.
00:48:35.14\00:48:39.71
And why?
00:48:39.75\00:48:40.95
Because he did
not have the peace,
00:48:40.98\00:48:44.45
the peace that
comes through forgiveness
00:48:44.49\00:48:46.65
through Jesus Christ.
00:48:46.69\00:48:48.76
And so therefore, he did
everything possible, vigils,
00:48:48.79\00:48:53.29
you know, he beat
himself nearly to death,
00:48:53.33\00:48:56.50
all of those things he did.
00:48:56.53\00:48:58.93
And he still didn't get it,
00:48:58.97\00:49:00.97
until he discovered
the gospel of Jesus Christ
00:49:01.00\00:49:04.27
and the forgiveness
through the blood of Christ,
00:49:04.31\00:49:06.17
through the Word of God.
00:49:06.21\00:49:08.54
And it was the Word of God
00:49:08.58\00:49:10.38
that the papacy
had tried to eliminate.
00:49:10.41\00:49:13.75
And during the Middle Ages,
00:49:13.78\00:49:15.22
everyone who
wanted to have this peace,
00:49:15.25\00:49:17.39
they couldn't get it
because they didn't have
00:49:17.42\00:49:18.99
any access to the Scriptures.
00:49:19.02\00:49:22.16
>>John: Now,
explain that for me,
00:49:22.19\00:49:23.06
because I think
in, in our modern age,
00:49:23.09\00:49:25.06
where you can buy a
Bible at the Dollar Store,
00:49:25.09\00:49:28.06
it's difficult for people
to understand that in that day
00:49:28.10\00:49:32.03
people didn't have the Bible.
00:49:32.07\00:49:33.67
In fact, people could be
put to death for reading or,
00:49:33.70\00:49:37.87
or on suspicion of possessing
even a scrap of the Bible.
00:49:37.91\00:49:40.91
Explain what it was like there,
00:49:40.94\00:49:42.64
where people were, were
walled off from the Bible.
00:49:42.68\00:49:46.92
>>Dr. Damsteegt:
Where do you get the peace?
00:49:46.95\00:49:48.45
Go to the church,
buy your indulgences,
00:49:48.48\00:49:51.65
confess everything what
you have ever done, you know?
00:49:51.69\00:49:54.79
And so, you have
to depend completely
00:49:54.82\00:49:57.39
on the church's system.
00:49:57.43\00:49:58.99
And their, gracious
work, what they did for you.
00:49:59.03\00:50:03.37
And there was not any
personal relationship with God.
00:50:03.40\00:50:07.60
Now, finally, Luther and
some of the other ones like,
00:50:07.64\00:50:11.84
like Wycliffe, Huss and
Jerome, and the Waldensians,
00:50:11.87\00:50:16.58
they had the peace because
00:50:16.61\00:50:17.65
they had a personal
access to salvation.
00:50:17.68\00:50:20.42
You know, in the Bible
you realize that salvation
00:50:20.45\00:50:22.75
is a personal
relationship with Jesus Christ,
00:50:22.78\00:50:27.69
the personal access.
00:50:27.72\00:50:29.19
And if you don't have
this personal relationship,
00:50:29.22\00:50:32.09
you don't have the,
the peace that comes.
00:50:32.13\00:50:35.86
And so you had, and this was
the 98 percent of the people,
00:50:35.90\00:50:42.24
had not access to salvation
as it is in personal experience.
00:50:42.27\00:50:48.14
>>John: Explain
sola scriptura to me.
00:50:48.18\00:50:50.25
This was a key of, of
really, not just Luther,
00:50:50.28\00:50:54.12
but of all of the Reformers.
00:50:54.15\00:50:55.92
These were people who, at
the beginning of their ministry,
00:50:55.95\00:50:58.92
Luther especially,
00:50:58.95\00:51:00.22
didn't really have
access to the Bible at all.
00:51:00.26\00:51:02.89
But he came to a position
where he said, “Sola scriptura.”
00:51:02.92\00:51:07.36
Explain what that is,
00:51:07.40\00:51:08.96
because it, it's
interesting to me that today
00:51:09.00\00:51:11.77
there's still a
lot of resistance
00:51:11.80\00:51:13.50
to the idea of sola scriptura.
00:51:13.54\00:51:15.87
>>Dr. Damsteegt: Sola
scriptura is the death nail
00:51:15.90\00:51:19.14
of any system that is contrary
to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
00:51:19.17\00:51:24.05
And so Luther
was very interested
00:51:24.08\00:51:26.75
in getting the Bible
among all the people,
00:51:26.78\00:51:29.02
because, you know,
illiteracy was great.
00:51:29.05\00:51:31.52
>>John: Sure.
00:51:31.55\00:51:32.19
>>Dr. Damsteegt: Everywhere.
00:51:32.22\00:51:33.05
And so Luther,
and also, uh, Zwingli,
00:51:33.09\00:51:36.66
started to translate the Bible
00:51:36.69\00:51:39.06
in the common
language of the people.
00:51:39.09\00:51:41.76
And so their teaching
was the Bible central.
00:51:41.80\00:51:44.93
That is where you need to go.
00:51:44.97\00:51:46.57
So if you want to know how to be
saved, it is through the Bible.
00:51:46.60\00:51:52.01
Sola scriptura. Sola fide.
00:51:52.04\00:51:55.51
It's only through faith, only.
00:51:55.54\00:51:58.68
And not only
that, but sola gratia.
00:51:58.71\00:52:02.38
Through grace only.
00:52:02.42\00:52:04.95
And so it was
not only the Bible,
00:52:04.99\00:52:06.49
but in the Bible you find grace.
00:52:06.52\00:52:08.59
Grace comes
through Jesus Christ,
00:52:08.62\00:52:10.46
but you have to have faith
in Jesus Christ to obtain this.
00:52:10.49\00:52:14.60
So everything is now
delegated to the person.
00:52:14.63\00:52:19.67
And so it shows
you the personal,
00:52:19.70\00:52:24.74
personal pietistic dimension
of the person's religion.
00:52:24.77\00:52:29.44
It needs to be a
personal relationship.
00:52:29.48\00:52:31.65
And if you don't have
a personal relationship,
00:52:31.68\00:52:34.08
you don't have the
faith that is necessary.
00:52:34.12\00:52:37.15
You don't have
grace that is necessary.
00:52:37.19\00:52:40.49
So keep in mind that this,
00:52:40.52\00:52:44.76
you know, if people
depend only on the church,
00:52:44.79\00:52:47.86
and only on the priest,
00:52:47.93\00:52:49.46
and you go say hey,
salvation is personal,
00:52:49.50\00:52:52.83
teach me say how?
00:52:52.87\00:52:54.64
How?
00:52:54.67\00:52:56.30
I don't know how to do it.
00:52:56.34\00:52:58.41
And so here now, this
is a total new dimension.
00:52:58.44\00:53:02.34
And if you don't have
the spiritual experience,
00:53:02.38\00:53:04.31
you don't have the peace.
00:53:04.35\00:53:06.15
>>John: The
Reformation really was a threat
00:53:06.18\00:53:09.72
to the viability of the church.
00:53:09.75\00:53:12.19
Without the Reformation
you confessed to a priest.
00:53:12.22\00:53:14.52
But if you knew
Jesus personally,
00:53:14.56\00:53:15.99
the bottom falls out of that.
00:53:16.02\00:53:17.19
There's no more
confession to the priest.
00:53:17.23\00:53:19.03
There's no more praying to Mary.
00:53:19.06\00:53:20.70
The saints
become an irrelevance.
00:53:20.73\00:53:24.13
Uh, the church is no longer the
repository of the grace of God.
00:53:24.17\00:53:29.94
This was a major threat to the
church's existence, wasn't it?
00:53:29.97\00:53:33.74
>>Dr. Damsteegt: Absolutely.
00:53:33.78\00:53:35.21
Now all the finances
dried up, and not only that,
00:53:35.24\00:53:38.35
but, I mean, it's,
the impact of society,
00:53:38.38\00:53:42.15
all the
monasteries became useless.
00:53:42.18\00:53:45.65
And so if the
monastery became useless,
00:53:45.69\00:53:48.59
you know, what do you do then?
00:53:48.62\00:53:51.19
They provided, uh, hospitals.
00:53:51.23\00:53:55.10
They provided schooling.
00:53:55.13\00:53:56.63
They provided welfare.
00:53:56.67\00:53:58.63
And now everything
had to come from society.
00:53:58.67\00:54:01.97
So the government
had to go in force.
00:54:02.00\00:54:04.17
But in order to keep that going,
00:54:04.21\00:54:06.41
people needed to read.
00:54:06.44\00:54:08.91
And so public
education became now paramount.
00:54:08.94\00:54:13.65
Protestantism would have failed
00:54:13.68\00:54:15.95
if the people
couldn't read and write.
00:54:15.98\00:54:19.59
>>John: You've
raised an interesting point
00:54:19.62\00:54:21.06
with the decline
of the monasteries.
00:54:21.09\00:54:22.56
It wasn't just the
monasteries themselves,
00:54:22.59\00:54:24.16
but other services
that were connected to them.
00:54:24.19\00:54:26.70
So take us forward in time.
00:54:26.73\00:54:28.83
Luther nails the 95 thesis
to the door, October 31, 1517.
00:54:28.86\00:54:33.37
The fire is lit, or
perhaps it had been lit,
00:54:33.40\00:54:36.87
but the flames are fanned now.
00:54:36.91\00:54:39.57
How was the world
materially different
00:54:39.61\00:54:41.74
a hundred or 200
years after that time?
00:54:41.78\00:54:44.68
>>Dr. Damsteegt:
You know, I mean, even,
00:54:44.71\00:54:46.61
the lives of the
people became different.
00:54:46.65\00:54:48.98
Uh, the classes of society,
00:54:49.02\00:54:51.99
the priest class, the
nobility, and the peasantry.
00:54:52.02\00:54:57.46
Because of the gospel,
00:54:57.49\00:54:59.63
and the
preachers of all believers,
00:54:59.66\00:55:01.46
it eliminated the
class distinctions.
00:55:01.50\00:55:04.20
And so what is the difference
between a priest and a farmer?
00:55:04.23\00:55:08.47
The difference is the function.
00:55:08.50\00:55:10.84
The function
becomes our difference.
00:55:10.87\00:55:13.68
And so therefore it
is very, very important
00:55:13.71\00:55:16.54
for the society to continue
00:55:16.58\00:55:20.52
based on the
protestant principles.
00:55:20.55\00:55:23.92
And also what you get here
is the, of course, you get now,
00:55:23.95\00:55:28.89
Protestantism is split into
many, many different groups,
00:55:28.92\00:55:32.49
because the
Bible is the authority.
00:55:32.53\00:55:35.43
If the Bible is your
authority, the question is,
00:55:35.46\00:55:38.27
what part of the Bible?
00:55:38.30\00:55:40.64
Is it the whole Bible,
00:55:40.67\00:55:42.57
or is it the Old Testament
and the New Testament together?
00:55:42.60\00:55:45.77
Is the Old
Testament for the Jews?
00:55:45.81\00:55:49.14
And so here you get in a
total different interpretation
00:55:49.18\00:55:52.55
of what part.
00:55:52.58\00:55:54.32
Luther was very much
moved by the book of Romans;
00:55:54.35\00:55:58.19
that was the key
in his, his mind.
00:55:58.22\00:56:02.22
Now, is the book of
Romans, is that the key?
00:56:02.26\00:56:06.16
Or is all the other ones?
00:56:06.19\00:56:07.76
Calvin says no,
everything is to God's glory.
00:56:07.76\00:56:10.83
The experience.
00:56:10.87\00:56:12.97
And so that was taken care of.
00:56:13.00\00:56:16.81
Then, uh, the whole discussion
about salvation, what is it?
00:56:16.84\00:56:21.78
The whole
discussion about justification,
00:56:21.81\00:56:24.31
about sanctification,
00:56:24.35\00:56:26.25
about the free will,
00:56:26.28\00:56:30.92
predestination
becomes a part of it.
00:56:30.95\00:56:33.72
And not only this, but,
uh righteousness by works.
00:56:33.76\00:56:37.43
What is the function of works?
00:56:37.46\00:56:39.13
And so you get
all kinds of groups,
00:56:39.16\00:56:41.30
different groups of people
00:56:41.33\00:56:42.76
that are focusing on
various aspects of salvation.
00:56:42.80\00:56:47.44
And so you get the
proliferation of groups.
00:56:47.47\00:56:50.97
>>John: Well, you know, one
argument in favor of the church,
00:56:51.01\00:56:53.91
the Roman Catholic Church,
00:56:53.94\00:56:55.41
and this comes from,
from Catholics themselves,
00:56:55.44\00:56:58.15
is the church tells us what
we believe, and we believe that.
00:56:58.18\00:57:02.98
Who is a person to
believe that he or she
00:57:03.02\00:57:05.55
could really
understand the Bible
00:57:05.59\00:57:07.99
without the
special priest's training?
00:57:08.02\00:57:10.33
And then the proliferation
of Protestant groups
00:57:10.36\00:57:13.93
or non-Catholic groups,
00:57:13.96\00:57:15.23
groups that can't
agree among themselves,
00:57:15.26\00:57:17.83
would tend to
prove to some people that
00:57:17.87\00:57:21.30
it's just better to
line up behind the church
00:57:21.34\00:57:22.80
and do what the church does.
00:57:22.84\00:57:24.41
Why are we in,
Protestantism or non-Catholicism
00:57:24.44\00:57:27.21
is in a bit of a mess today.
00:57:27.24\00:57:28.94
Why do you think that is?
00:57:28.98\00:57:31.65
>>Dr. Damsteegt: Well,
there are a number of factors,
00:57:31.68\00:57:33.25
but key is that it
is easy to say, okay,
00:57:33.28\00:57:37.55
I give it to somebody else.
00:57:37.59\00:57:39.75
Let the church, let the
pope, let a priest decide it.
00:57:39.79\00:57:43.36
And they have
studied it, and we follow it.
00:57:43.39\00:57:46.39
Protestantism leads to
a personal relationship
00:57:46.43\00:57:49.80
with Jesus Christ.
00:57:49.83\00:57:51.20
And if you don't have this
personal relationship to Christ,
00:57:51.23\00:57:54.17
salvation is beyond your grasp.
00:57:54.20\00:57:57.84
This is extremely important,
00:57:57.87\00:57:59.77
that if you want to have a
personal relationship with,
00:57:59.81\00:58:02.94
with God, it is
through the Bible,
00:58:02.98\00:58:07.28
it's through the faith
that Jesus Christ gives you.
00:58:07.32\00:58:10.82
And if you don't accept this
and don't put it into practice,
00:58:10.85\00:58:16.02
you'll never get a salvation
assurance that is important.
00:58:16.06\00:58:20.50
>>John: Dr. Damsteegt,
thanks so much for joining us.
00:58:20.53\00:58:23.26
And thank you for joining us.
00:58:23.30\00:58:24.63
Now, don't miss
our next program,
00:58:24.67\00:58:26.40
the Celtic Connection.
00:58:26.43\00:58:28.14
The next program in our
nine-part series of 500,
00:58:28.17\00:58:30.44
where we take you
to the Emerald Isle
00:58:30.47\00:58:32.14
and introduce you
to one of history's
00:58:32.17\00:58:33.58
real colorful
Christian characters.
00:58:33.61\00:58:36.88
Before we go,
let's pray together now.
00:58:36.91\00:58:39.55
Our Father in Heaven,
00:58:39.58\00:58:40.58
we thank you that
you've given us your Word.
00:58:40.62\00:58:42.95
I pray you would
light a fire in us,
00:58:42.98\00:58:45.25
give us a desire to know
your word, and know Jesus,
00:58:45.29\00:58:48.76
the Word made flesh.
00:58:48.79\00:58:50.83
I pray that we
would take seriously
00:58:50.86\00:58:53.80
not only the responsibility
to be people of your word,
00:58:53.83\00:58:58.00
but to recognize the
privilege that is ours
00:58:58.03\00:59:01.34
to be out of the dark
and into the marvelous light
00:59:01.37\00:59:04.91
of your revelation.
00:59:04.94\00:59:06.74
Bless us, Lord.
00:59:06.78\00:59:07.68
Let there be a
reformation in each life.
00:59:07.71\00:59:11.61
Keep us connected to yourself,
00:59:11.65\00:59:13.35
we pray in Jesus' name,
00:59:13.38\00:59:15.88
Amen.
00:59:15.92\00:59:17.45
Thanks so much for joining me.
00:59:17.49\00:59:18.55
I look forward to seeing
you again next time on 500.
00:59:18.59\00:59:21.36
Until then, remember:
00:59:21.39\00:59:23.06
It Is Written.
00:59:23.09\00:59:24.39
Man shall not
live by bread alone,
00:59:24.43\00:59:26.39
but by every word that
proceeds from the mouth of God.
00:59:26.43\00:59:31.10
¤[Theme music]¤
00:59:31.13\00:59:46.15