Participants: Dr. Allan Lindsay (Host)
Series Code: KOTF
Program Code: KOTF000002
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00:28 Lux Lucet in Tenebris.
00:31 Light shines in darkness. 00:35 The Waldensian Motto can be found inscribed 00:37 in all the valley churches today. 00:39 It serves as a silent reminder of their faithful and often 00:43 blood-stained witness down through the centuries. 00:45 However, the prophetic symbol of the woman in the wilderness 00:49 applied not only to the Waldenses, 00:51 it included all those whose faith in God and in His Word 00:55 set them against the corruptions and false teachings 00:58 of the professing church. 01:13 A year before Luther nailed his thesis 01:15 to the castle church door, the Reformation 01:18 began in Switzerland with the preaching 01:20 of Ulric Zwingli. 01:22 He spoke out against the sale of indulgences 01:25 and other papal abuses, and taught that salvation 01:27 comes through faith in Christ alone. 01:31 But it wasn't from Luther that he learned these things. 01:34 It was through his study of Scripture. 01:38 In the German states, Luther towered 01:40 above all his fellow Reformers. 01:42 But in the Swiss cantons, many Godly men 01:45 became champions of the faith. 01:47 Several of the outstanding leaders are remembered here 01:50 at the Reformation monument in Geneva. 01:53 William Farel, called by some 01:56 the Luther of French Switzerland, 01:58 John Calvin and Theodore Beza, 02:01 Calvin's successor and biographer. 02:04 Calvin was born in France and was led to the Reform faith 02:09 by his cousin, Peter Olivetan, 02:11 who was later to translate the Bible into French 02:14 for the Waldenses. 02:16 At the age of 25, Calvin went to Basel 02:19 in Switzerland. 02:21 There he completed and published 02:22 what was probably the most influential 02:24 single volume of the Protestant Reformation, 02:28 "The Institution of the Christian Religion. " 02:31 His aim was to set out the great teachings 02:34 of the Christian faith 02:35 as he believed they were before they had been corrupted 02:39 by the Church of Rome. 02:42 In 1536, Calvin was appointed Pastor and Professor in Geneva. 02:46 St. Peter's Cathedral became his pulpit. 02:49 But his words were not limited 02:52 to the confines of this building. 02:57 During the last 25 years of his life, 02:59 Calvin attempted to make Geneva 03:02 a model city of Christianity and practice. 03:04 Under his influence, Geneva became a center 03:08 for the reformed faith in Europe. 03:17 He also established a college in Geneva 03:19 which attracted students from all over Europe. 03:22 On completion of their studies, 03:24 they returned to their homelands to scatter 03:27 the principles of the Reformation. 03:32 One such student, who came as a refugee from Scotland, 03:35 was John Knox. 03:37 He became a close friend and ardent disciple of Calvin. 03:55 Like Paul of old at the stoning of Stephen, 03:57 John Knox was directed to his lifework 04:00 by the martyrdom of the Scottish gospel preacher, 04:02 George Wishart. 04:04 Here in the front of the Castle of St. Andrews, 04:07 the letters, "GW" mark the spot where Wishart 04:11 was burned at the stake in 1546. 04:17 Later, Knox returned to Scotland and came here 04:20 to St. Andrews, which in the 16th century 04:22 was the ecclesiastical center of Scotland. 04:25 Its cathedral was one of the largest 04:27 in all Christendom. 04:33 Within a year, the castle's inhabitants had invited Knox 04:36 to become their preacher. 04:37 Early in 1547, he preached his first sermon here 04:41 in the Parish Church of St. Andrews. 04:44 It was to mark the beginning of the Reformation in Scotland. 04:51 It is no coincidence that Knox took as his text 04:54 the 7th chapter of the book of Daniel. 04:56 At the beginning of his sermon, he showed the great love 04:59 of God for His people. 05:00 In warning them in advance of dangers 05:03 that would threaten the church. 05:04 He identified the four beasts as the four great empires 05:08 of Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome. 05:11 And then spoke of the little horn power 05:14 to follow, which He identified as the Papal antichrist. 05:18 In so doing, Knox firmly placed himself in the line 05:23 of great reformers like Wycliffe, Hus, Luther, 05:27 Calvin and many others, who had declared the same. 05:33 Some 13 years later, the Scottish parliament 05:35 met at the Tollbooth. 05:37 Its site was over there, adjacent to the Church 05:40 of St. Giles in Edinburgh, where John Knox 05:43 was the preacher. 05:44 - church bells ringing - 05:46 Six Scottish reformers, who 05:48 by remarkable coincidence, 05:49 each bore the Christian name of John, 05:52 had drawn up a confession of faith 05:54 which was formerly adopted by the parliament 05:57 in August, 1516. 05:59 The Mass was forbidden 06:00 and the Protestant faith was established in Scotland. 06:04 However, the new monarch, Mary, Queen of Scots, 06:08 with her strong Roman Catholic background, 06:11 had other plans. 06:14 When she ordered the celebration of Mass, 06:16 Knox thundered his objections from the pulpit, 06:19 here at St. Giles Cathedral. 06:23 Queen Mary summoned Knox to appear before her 06:25 at Holyrood Palace, not far from St. Giles. 06:29 Mary, like other monarchs of her day, believed she ruled 06:34 by divine right and that the consciences of her people 06:38 were subject to her control. 06:41 The confrontation between Mary and Knox was therefore 06:45 crucial to the survival of the Reformation in Scotland. 06:48 Mary: You have taught the people to receive 06:51 another religion than that which their princes allow. 06:53 But God commands subjects to obey their prince. 06:57 Madam, right religion received neither its origin 07:00 nor its authority from princes or from the Eternal God alone. 07:05 So subjects are not bound to frame their religion 07:07 according to the tastes of princes, for after all, 07:11 it is the princes of all others are the most ignorant 07:14 of God's true religion. 07:16 Aye, but yours is not the kirk 07:17 I'll acknowledge. 07:20 I will defend the Kirk of Rome, for it is, I think, 07:24 the true kirk of God. 07:26 Your will, Madam, is no reason; neither dotheth it make that 07:30 Roman harlot the true and immaculate spouse 07:33 of Jesus Christ. 07:34 The Kirk of Rome is declined from that religion 07:37 that the Apostles taught and planted. 07:39 My conscience is not so. 07:42 Conscience, Madam, requires knowledge; 07:45 and that right knowledge I fear ye have none. 07:48 You interpret the Scriptures in one way, 07:50 and they interpret it in another. 07:53 Whom shall I believe? 07:55 And who shall be judge? 07:57 Ye shall believe God 07:59 who plainly speaketh in His Word. 08:01 If in any one place there be obscurity, 08:03 the Holy Ghost explains the same more clearly in other places; 08:07 so that there can remain no doubt, 08:09 but unto such as are obstinately ignorant. 08:18 Luther before Charles V at Worms, 08:20 and Knox before Queen Mary of Holyrood 08:23 were among the most dramatic moments in the Reformation. 08:27 In both instances, victory went to individuals 08:31 who had an overwhelming faith in God 08:34 and in the truth of His cause. 08:42 The spiritual conflict continued 08:44 in all the lands of Europe in the 16th century. 08:46 In England, the former Reformation which came 08:50 with Henry VIII's break with Rome in 1534 08:53 was largely political. 08:55 But in the years that followed, men arose who were determined 08:59 to bring the church in England back to the principles 09:02 of the Bible. 09:03 It was not to be without fierce opposition. 09:08 Henry's daughter, Mary Tudor, came to the throne in 1553 09:13 and immediately set about returning England 09:15 to the Roman church. 09:17 During her five year reign, some 300 Protestants 09:21 were burnt at the stake. 09:25 John's description of the church 09:27 from the time of the Cross onwards 09:28 portrays God's people being accused by Satan 09:32 and enduring great suffering, even unto death. 09:39 Here, in the church yard, is the Martyrs Memorial. 09:41 It records the death of some 18,000 martyrs for Jesus Christ. 09:46 About a hundred of them were executed in Edinburgh, 09:49 and most of them are buried here. 09:54 But then, John goes on to add these triumphant words 09:56 in Revelation 12:11... 09:59 "They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb 10:00 and by the word of their testimony; 10:03 they did not love their lives 10:05 so much as to shrink from death. " 10:07 There were three men in England whose martyrdom may represent 10:11 all those who did not shrink from death 10:13 during the long years of persecution. 10:24 In Oxford, stands the Martyr's Memorial to Nicholas Ridley, 10:28 Bishop of London. 10:29 Hugh Latimer, a chaplain to Henry VIII, 10:31 and Thomas Cranmer, the first 10:34 Protestant archbishop of Canterbury. 10:37 All three died at the stake, erected in Broad Street, 10:41 at the spot marked by this cross 10:44 just opposite Balliol College, where John Wycliffe 10:48 had taught nearly 200 years earlier. 10:50 - Cars honking - 10:52 In Oxford town, the faggots they piled 10:55 With furious haste and with curses wild 10:58 Around two brave souls who could keep their tryst 11:01 Through a pathway of fire to follow Christ. 11:05 And the flames lept up but the blinding smoke 11:09 Could not the soul of Hugh Latimer choke. 11:11 But that he, Brother Ridley, be of good cheer. 11:14 A candle in England is lighted here 11:17 Which, by grace of God, shall never go out. 11:20 And that speech in whispers was echoed about. 11:23 Latimer's light shall never go out 11:26 However the winds may blow it about. 11:28 Latimer's light has come to stay 11:30 Till the clump of a coming Judgment Day. 11:44 And so it was to be. 11:45 Within three years, Mary Tudor was dead 11:48 and Queen Elizabeth I had ascended the throne 11:52 ushering in the dawn of England's Golden Age. 11:55 She determined to return England to her father's ways 11:59 and with such diligence, 12:01 that the Catholic powers of Europe 12:03 began to plot her downfall. 12:09 Philip II, son of Charles V, prepared 12:12 the greatest invasion force the world had ever seen - 12:15 The Spanish Armada. 12:19 Late in July 1588, the watchers 12:22 along the high ground above Plymouth Harbor 12:24 caught their first glimpse of the 130 vessels 12:28 sailing up the channel. 12:30 Under the leadership of Sir Francis Drake, 12:32 the English fleet put to sea and engaged the enemy 12:35 though vastly outnumbered and outgunned. 12:41 In a series of battles over the next 10 days, 12:43 the smaller English ships caused great havoc 12:46 amongst Spain's cumbersome galleons. 12:48 - Cannons firing - 12:49 Desperately seeking to get clear of the English attacks, 12:52 the disorganized armada headed for the open sea 12:55 only to be struck by one of the fiercest storms 12:58 in maritime history. 13:04 - Winds howling and the sounds of waves crashing - 13:08 Whirled along the coast of Norway, 13:10 dashed against the rocks of the Shetlands, 13:12 the Orkneys, and the Hebrides 13:14 and swept back south toward Ireland; 13:16 it was an armada that was fleeing 13:18 though no man was pursuing. 13:22 Of the 30,000 men aboard, scarcely 10,000 13:26 returned to Spain. 13:27 Philip II and the Catholic kingdoms were stunned. 13:31 - Band music playing - 13:38 But the Protestant states joined 13:40 in a chorus of Thanksgiving. 13:42 At Queen Elizabeth's command, the 29th of November 13:45 was set aside as a day to render thanks unto God. 13:49 The Queen, herself rode through the streets 13:52 of London to St. Paul's Cathedral, 13:53 and hence to Paul's cross. 13:56 After the sermon, she addressed her subjects 13:59 exhorting to them to join her in praising God 14:02 who had scattered her enemies and protected her realm. 14:14 Here in Plymouth, on the monument 14:16 commemorating a sighting of the armada, 14:18 these cryptic words have been inscribed, 14:22 He blew with his winds and they were scattered. 14:28 The departure of the Mayflower, in 1620, from Plymouth, England 14:33 with all these people on board, was a far cry from the events 14:37 of 1588 when the Spanish Armada sailed by. 14:41 Yet it too is related to the saga 14:44 of the woman clothed with the Sun. 14:52 During the latter part of Queen Elizabeth's reign, 14:54 the population was divided between those 14:57 who remained loyal 14:58 to the official Church of England, 14:59 and those who desired the Reformation of the Church 15:02 to continue based upon the authority of Scripture. 15:05 Known as Puritans and Separatists, 15:09 these non-conformists were eventually persecuted 15:12 for their beliefs and many immigrated to Holland. 15:16 Among these were the Pilgrim fathers 15:18 who sailed aboard the Mayflower from Holland 15:21 via Plymouth Harbor, bound for the New World. 15:25 When the Puritans 15:26 first separated from the English Church, 15:28 they had solemnly covenanted to walk together 15:31 in all God's Ways made known to them 15:34 or to be made known. 15:36 Here was the vital principle of Protestantism. 15:39 - "The Star Spangled Banner" playing - 15:45 Before they sailed from Holland in 1620, 15:48 their pastor, John Robinson, delivered his farewell sermon. 15:51 He pointed out that the followers of Luther, 15:54 Knox and Calvin had settled on the teachings of these men 15:58 as if they were the sum of all truth. 16:00 Speaking of the reformers, Robinson said, 16:03 They penetrated not into the whole counsel of God, 16:06 but, were they now living, 16:08 would be as willing to embrace further light as that 16:11 which they first received. 16:13 If God should reveal anything to you by any other 16:17 instrument of His, be ready to receive it. 16:20 But I am very confident 16:21 the Lord hath more truth and light, 16:24 yet to break forth from His Holy Word. 16:30 Little could he have understood 16:32 the real significance of his words. 16:34 - Seagulls calling - 16:37 More truths were indeed to break forth from God's Word 16:40 and the Puritans had a vital part to play. 16:44 The Pilgrim fathers stepped ashore at Plymouth Rock 16:46 on December the 21st, 1620. 16:50 They were the first of many thousands 16:52 of 17th century Puritans who immigrated to the New World, 16:55 and brought with them beliefs, which in due time, 16:59 would contribute to the rise of a religious movement 17:02 that would encircle the world. 17:05 According to the prophecy in Daniel 7, 17:07 the little horn power would be supreme in Europe 17:10 for 1,260 years. 17:12 At the end of that period, extending from 538 to 1798, 17:18 events would temporarily end this supremacy. 17:23 Right on time, in February 1798, 17:25 General Berthier's French army entered Rome, 17:28 took the Pope prisoner 17:30 and greatly reduced 17:31 the authority and power of the Papacy. 17:35 Likewise in John's prophecy in Revelation 12, 17:37 the Woman clothed with Sun, would be in the wilderness 17:41 for 1,260 years. 17:43 After 1798, a movement teaching the same great truths 17:48 taught by the apostles, prophets and early Christians 17:51 was to emerge. 17:55 The great truths, such as salvation by God's grace 17:59 through faith in Christ alone, 18:00 the high priestly ministry of Christ, 18:03 the royal priesthood of all believers, 18:06 obedience to all the commandments of God, 18:09 believer's baptism, and the 18:12 sufficiency and authority of Scripture above tradition 18:15 were among those taught in the early church. 18:18 Such teachings, lost by many through the great apostasy, 18:23 were to be restored and proclaimed to the world 18:25 in its final judgment hour. 18:28 Jesus said that the Gospel must be preached 18:32 in all the world and then shall the end come. 18:36 The climax of the long-standing conflict between Christ 18:39 and Satan is described in Revelation 12:17... 18:43 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, 18:46 and went to make war with the remnant of her seed 18:49 which keep the commandments of God, 18:51 and have the testimony of Jesus. 18:59 The Biblical concept of remnant is a group of people in any age, 19:02 who have survived calamity and are loyal to God 19:06 and the principles of His Word, 19:07 in a time of apostasy. 19:09 However, the setting of Revelation 12:17 19:13 makes it clear that the remnant of this verse 19:15 refers to the spiritual descendants 19:18 of the Woman in the time of the end - 19:20 that is, after 1798. 19:22 They are the spiritual heirs of the long and worthy line 19:26 of God's chosen people, who had survived 19:28 the fierce onslaughts of the dragon 19:30 down through history. 19:41 The work of the Reformation then did not end with Luther, 19:44 Knox, the Puritans, or 19:47 with the Pilgrim Fathers setting sail for the New World. 19:49 It is an ongoing process. 19:51 And its next phase points us 19:54 to early 19th century America, and to the rise 19:57 of a prophetic movement that rapidly captured 20:00 the attention of many around the world. |
Revised 2014-12-17