Let's pray.
00:00:20.28\00:00:21.82
Father in heaven, we come
before Your awesome throne
00:00:22.82\00:00:26.92
with open hearts, open minds.
00:00:27.62\00:00:30.99
We want to hear Your voice.
00:00:31.43\00:00:33.33
This is a very
solemn presentation.
00:00:34.00\00:00:36.33
Names will be mentioned.
00:00:36.77\00:00:38.53
Not to question the
motives that the people have
00:00:39.40\00:00:43.10
that I'm going to quote, but
to show that it's very possible
00:00:43.14\00:00:47.74
and probable that at some
point religious legislation
00:00:48.24\00:00:52.31
will be brought
into the Constitution.
00:00:52.35\00:00:54.55
So be with us, open
our minds and hearts.
00:00:54.78\00:00:57.05
We pray in Jesus' name, amen.
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In our last session we
studied Ellen White's blueprint
00:01:00.76\00:01:05.53
of end time events.
00:01:05.83\00:01:07.60
The big question is, was
her view of end time events
00:01:08.06\00:01:12.00
realistic and accurate?
00:01:12.23\00:01:14.80
The United States has
a history of respecting
00:01:15.97\00:01:18.61
civil and religious liberty.
00:01:18.64\00:01:20.51
"This is the land of
the free and the home
00:01:21.18\00:01:23.45
of the brave," people say.
00:01:23.48\00:01:24.91
"There never could
be persecution in these
00:01:25.48\00:01:28.08
United States of America."
00:01:28.12\00:01:29.85
However, as we noticed, at
the end of the 19th century,
00:01:30.45\00:01:35.36
actually from a little
beyond the middle to the end
00:01:35.39\00:01:37.93
of the 19th century, there
was a national reform movement
00:01:37.96\00:01:42.73
to establish a
national Sunday law.
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And many people were
persecuted in certain states
00:01:45.60\00:01:50.14
because they did not respect
Sunday as the day of worship.
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Also, we're going to
notice, in the latter half
00:01:55.88\00:01:58.71
of the 20th century
and the early 21st century
00:01:58.75\00:02:02.68
there was a
movement in the United States
00:02:03.12\00:02:06.29
driven by religious leaders
and certain political leaders
00:02:06.79\00:02:10.23
to also use the state to
favor the agenda of the church.
00:02:10.46\00:02:18.57
And so in our study today
we are going to take a look
00:02:18.87\00:02:21.90
at the movement
that took place in the
00:02:22.20\00:02:25.64
1980's, 1990's,
and the early 2000's.
00:02:25.67\00:02:30.35
Now I need to
make something clear.
00:02:30.55\00:02:32.61
I'm going to mention
proper names of individuals.
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However, I want everyone
to understand that it is not
00:02:37.02\00:02:41.19
my intention to impugn the
motives of those individuals
00:02:41.22\00:02:45.79
whom I will mention
in this presentation.
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I will not question their
sincerity in what they believed
00:02:49.16\00:02:53.40
and in what they were doing.
00:02:53.44\00:02:55.74
I can only bring to view
what they said on the record.
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God will be the one that will
have to judge their motivations
00:03:01.38\00:03:06.55
and whether what they were
doing is actually right or not.
00:03:06.58\00:03:11.35
Saul of Tarsus
provides us a vivid illustration
00:03:12.12\00:03:15.32
of one who was absolutely
sincere in persecuting
00:03:15.79\00:03:19.76
what the book of
Acts calls, the Way.
00:03:19.79\00:03:22.56
That is, Christians.
00:03:22.60\00:03:24.40
Saul was certain that
he was doing God's will
00:03:25.07\00:03:27.70
in persecuting the church.
00:03:27.74\00:03:29.50
He sought out Christians
to take them to trial.
00:03:29.64\00:03:32.84
And some of them
were condemned to death,
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according to Acts chapter 26.
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His intention was to
preserve the orthodoxy
00:03:38.18\00:03:40.98
of the Jewish religion.
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And he did it
in the name of God.
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He was zealous,
he was relentless,
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but his work was misguided.
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As I mentioned before, in the
latter part of the 20th century
00:03:56.10\00:03:59.17
and the early part of
the 21st century, our own,
00:03:59.37\00:04:02.37
the great religious
leaders of the United States
00:04:02.47\00:04:05.37
were advocating causes
similar to those that the
00:04:05.57\00:04:09.54
National Reform movement
had from the middle to the end
00:04:09.58\00:04:14.58
of the 19th century.
00:04:14.62\00:04:16.72
The humanist
philosopher, Fredrick Nietzsche,
00:04:17.29\00:04:20.02
once wrote some very wise words.
00:04:20.76\00:04:23.76
I quote.
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Is it possible that in
fighting against the dragon
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of secular humanism,
or the political left
00:04:37.64\00:04:42.24
as it's called today, that
the Christian right will become
00:04:42.28\00:04:45.88
the dragon that they actually
are attempting to overcome?
00:04:45.91\00:04:51.22
Now I'm going to
mention the chief protagonists
00:04:52.25\00:04:54.52
of this movement in the 1980's,
1990's, and early 2000's.
00:04:54.56\00:05:01.60
Some of these
individuals have passed away,
00:05:01.70\00:05:04.10
others are still living today.
00:05:04.53\00:05:07.80
What were the
chief protagonists?
00:05:08.10\00:05:10.34
The late Chuck Colson,
president of International
00:05:10.44\00:05:14.34
Prison Ministries who did
wonderful work with prisoners
00:05:14.38\00:05:18.08
in the United
States and abroad as well.
00:05:18.48\00:05:21.48
The late D. James Kennedy,
pastor of the Coral Ridge Church
00:05:21.88\00:05:26.72
in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
00:05:26.76\00:05:28.89
Very good preacher.
00:05:29.22\00:05:30.56
I would tune him in
on Sundays and listen.
00:05:30.79\00:05:32.99
He had very good material.
00:05:33.03\00:05:34.53
Pat Robertson, president of the
Christian Broadcasting Network,
00:05:35.06\00:05:40.24
the 700 Club, CEO
of Regent University,
00:05:40.27\00:05:45.04
founder of the American
Center for Law and Justice.
00:05:45.37\00:05:50.51
Keith Fournier, who was
the first executive director
00:05:50.81\00:05:54.88
of Pat Robertson's American
Center for Law and Justice.
00:05:54.92\00:05:59.39
A Roman Catholic.
00:05:59.42\00:06:00.76
The late Jerry
Falwell, long time pastor of the
00:06:00.79\00:06:04.36
Thomas Road Baptist Church,
chancellor of Liberty University
00:06:04.39\00:06:08.96
in Lynchburg, Virginia, and
founder of The Moral Majority.
00:06:09.00\00:06:14.27
James Dobson, president
and CEO of Focus On The Family.
00:06:14.87\00:06:20.58
And Focus On The Family
has many, many wonderful,
00:06:20.68\00:06:23.35
marvelous programs.
00:06:23.38\00:06:24.81
Rod Parsley, who
operates Harvest Ministries
00:06:25.08\00:06:28.92
in Columbus, Ohio, and
has a large church there.
00:06:28.95\00:06:31.82
Gary Bauer, president of
the Family Research Council.
00:06:32.15\00:06:36.39
The late Bill Bright, president
of Campus Crusade for Christ.
00:06:36.73\00:06:40.80
Did many, many good things
with students on our campuses.
00:06:40.83\00:06:44.67
William Bennett, author
of, The Book of Virtues,
00:06:45.03\00:06:49.34
an Education Secretary during
the presidency of Ronald Reagan,
00:06:49.70\00:06:53.34
and drug czar during the
presidency of George H. W. Bush.
00:06:53.71\00:06:58.78
The late Tim LaHaye, president
of the American Coalition
00:06:59.15\00:07:03.39
for Traditional Values, and
author of the wildly popular
00:07:03.42\00:07:08.02
Left Behind series which
provides the eschatological
00:07:08.06\00:07:12.29
foundation for the
Christian right movement
00:07:12.33\00:07:15.13
and for a futuristic
approach to Bible prophecy.
00:07:15.16\00:07:18.70
John Hagee, pastor of
the Cornerstone Church
00:07:19.10\00:07:22.37
in San Antonio; packs
his church every Sunday,
00:07:22.40\00:07:27.14
and prolific
author on Bible prophecy
00:07:27.41\00:07:30.38
from a futurist perspective.
00:07:30.58\00:07:32.98
Ralph Reed, first
president of Pat Robertson's
00:07:33.42\00:07:36.89
Christian Coalition.
00:07:36.92\00:07:38.25
And now I believe he's a
lobbyist in Washington, DC.
00:07:38.45\00:07:41.92
The late John Whitehead, founder
of the Rutherford Institute,
00:07:42.42\00:07:47.33
a conservative think tank.
00:07:47.36\00:07:49.20
Jimmy Swaggert, who at the
time was a megachurch founder
00:07:49.66\00:07:53.34
and television evangelist.
00:07:53.37\00:07:55.24
And William Rehnquist, chief
justice of the Supreme Court
00:07:55.54\00:07:59.57
of the United
States for 19 years.
00:07:59.61\00:08:02.51
Now the first thing
which I find distressing
00:08:03.55\00:08:06.88
during this period is tampering
with the First Amendment
00:08:06.92\00:08:11.62
to the Constitution of
the United States of America.
00:08:11.65\00:08:14.79
What was being said
in the 80's and 90's,
00:08:15.19\00:08:19.53
and even to the early 2000's
is that the First Amendment
00:08:19.56\00:08:23.16
forbids simply the establishment
of a national church or favoring
00:08:23.50\00:08:28.30
one church above another, but it
does not forbid the government
00:08:28.34\00:08:32.21
from favoring
all churches equally.
00:08:32.24\00:08:35.04
In 1994 the Republican party
in Congress unveiled its agenda
00:08:35.68\00:08:41.62
in the book, Contract
With the American Family.
00:08:41.88\00:08:44.72
On pages 4 and 5 we find
the following interpretation
00:08:45.19\00:08:48.29
of the establishment clause.
00:08:48.49\00:08:50.36
It's interesting that at this
time the Speaker of the House
00:09:05.37\00:09:09.31
was Newt Gingrich who
was a Baptist and converted
00:09:09.34\00:09:12.38
to the Roman Catholic Church.
00:09:12.41\00:09:14.22
Also we find in this
document, Contract With
00:09:14.88\00:09:18.32
the American
Family, the following words,
00:09:18.35\00:09:20.72
"The Europeans believed..."
00:09:20.76\00:09:22.66
In other words, what the,
Contract With American Family,
00:09:45.28\00:09:48.35
is saying is that the
First Amendment simply forbids
00:09:48.38\00:09:51.99
the establishment
of a national church.
00:09:52.02\00:09:55.52
And that's what is meant by
separation of church and state.
00:09:55.56\00:09:58.89
William Rehnquist,
as I mentioned before,
00:09:59.19\00:10:01.30
served 19 years as the Chief
Justice of the Supreme Court.
00:10:01.33\00:10:05.87
In 1985 he dissented with the
majority in a school prayer case
00:10:06.50\00:10:14.01
stating that the
framers of the Constitution
00:10:14.04\00:10:16.85
intended only, and now I quote,
"to prohibit the designation..."
00:10:17.15\00:10:23.18
This was a
revisionist's interpretation
00:10:36.63\00:10:39.73
of the Establishment Clause.
00:10:39.77\00:10:42.54
Nowhere does the Establishment
Clause of the Constitution
00:10:42.74\00:10:46.41
refer to the non-establishment
of a church or a religion,
00:10:46.61\00:10:51.88
but rather of religion, period.
00:10:52.18\00:10:55.48
The founding fathers certainly
knew the history of the papacy
00:10:56.08\00:10:59.75
where the papacy, a church,
used the civil powers of Europe
00:11:00.09\00:11:04.99
to enforce its agenda and
to persecute anyone who was not
00:11:05.29\00:11:09.86
in harmony with the church.
00:11:09.90\00:11:11.87
The founding fathers
also knew the history of the
00:11:12.10\00:11:14.30
colonial period where
individuals were punished
00:11:14.34\00:11:17.84
with civil penalties for
not going along with the desires
00:11:17.87\00:11:21.98
of the established church, which
was the church of the Puritans
00:11:22.01\00:11:26.38
or the Anglican church.
00:11:26.41\00:11:28.65
Rehnquist affirmed that
the Establishment Clause
00:11:29.15\00:11:33.56
merely, and now I quote...
00:11:33.59\00:11:35.49
However, the First
Amendment does not say
00:11:46.10\00:11:49.07
Congress shall make no law
respecting the establishment
00:11:49.10\00:11:52.94
of a church or a religion.
00:11:52.97\00:11:55.31
The First Amendment says
Congress shall make no law
00:11:55.51\00:11:58.61
establishing religion, period.
00:11:58.65\00:12:01.98
Not a church or a religion.
00:12:02.02\00:12:05.19
According to Rehnquist
the Establishment Clause
00:12:05.52\00:12:09.26
does not forbid,
and now I quote...
00:12:09.89\00:12:12.76
What does he mean by that?
00:12:20.74\00:12:22.20
What it means is that the
government can provide aid
00:12:22.57\00:12:28.04
to churches as long as it does
not discriminate among churches,
00:12:28.08\00:12:31.61
as long as it helps
all religions equally.
00:12:31.65\00:12:35.85
Of course, the question is,
would this also include Islam?
00:12:36.18\00:12:40.89
Would it include Buddhism?
Would it include Hinduism?
00:12:40.92\00:12:45.96
Or any non-Christian religion?
00:12:45.99\00:12:49.03
If the answer is that
it can distribute among
00:12:49.36\00:12:51.90
all denominations
that are Christian equally,
00:12:51.93\00:12:54.87
then that would be
establishment of Christianity
00:12:55.10\00:12:57.77
above other religions.
00:12:57.81\00:12:59.91
Pat Robertson
agreed with Rehnquist
00:13:00.71\00:13:03.11
and added his own testimony
or touch regarding the states.
00:13:03.61\00:13:09.48
This is what
Pat Robertson wrote.
00:13:09.58\00:13:12.82
"The First Amendment says..."
00:13:13.15\00:13:15.02
Now what is Pat
Robertson saying here?
00:13:29.40\00:13:32.14
You see, in those times there
was a strong movement in favor
00:13:32.64\00:13:36.85
of state's rights.
00:13:36.88\00:13:38.88
Those who advocated for
state's rights argued that
00:13:39.11\00:13:42.95
the Establishment
and Free Exercise clauses
00:13:42.98\00:13:45.59
of the Constitution
apply on a federal level.
00:13:45.62\00:13:49.89
Because the
First Amendment says,
00:13:50.29\00:13:52.03
"Congress shall
not make any law..."
00:13:52.06\00:13:54.73
In other words,
this law does not apply
00:13:55.23\00:13:57.77
to the individual states.
00:13:57.80\00:14:00.40
It might sounds nice to
keep the federal government
00:14:01.20\00:14:04.47
out of the
business of the states,
00:14:04.51\00:14:06.27
but there was a hidden agenda
in this state's rights movement.
00:14:06.68\00:14:11.25
If enough states could
agree on a certain agenda
00:14:11.61\00:14:15.42
then they could exert influence
to force the federal government
00:14:15.88\00:14:20.72
to follow their lead by
amending the Constitution.
00:14:20.76\00:14:25.53
Now let's talk about the
strategy of the religious right
00:14:26.23\00:14:30.33
during this period of the
80's, 90's, and early 2000's.
00:14:30.37\00:14:34.64
At the beginning of the
religious right movement,
00:14:35.00\00:14:38.34
they held massive
marches to Washington D.C.
00:14:38.54\00:14:41.91
For example, the "Washington
for Jesus" rally took place
00:14:42.41\00:14:47.42
on April 29-30, 1980.
00:14:47.45\00:14:50.72
Pat Robertson marched to
Washington D.C. with a large
00:14:51.15\00:14:56.09
cross on his shoulder and
hundreds of church members,
00:14:56.12\00:15:01.23
not his own
church, but Christians
00:15:01.26\00:15:03.37
marching along with him.
00:15:03.40\00:15:05.30
However, in the course
of time the movement became
00:15:06.13\00:15:09.54
much more sophisticated
than marches on Washington.
00:15:09.57\00:15:12.77
They soon discovered that
marches accomplish very little.
00:15:13.31\00:15:18.01
They discovered that
the best way to gain power
00:15:18.71\00:15:22.52
was by lobbying
individual members of Congress
00:15:22.85\00:15:26.99
as well as
networking on a local level.
00:15:27.02\00:15:31.39
They realized that they would
meet with much greater success
00:15:31.99\00:15:35.33
if they organized on a
local level by taking over
00:15:35.80\00:15:39.80
local high school boards and
influencing local governments.
00:15:40.34\00:15:45.41
They came to realize
that all politics is local.
00:15:45.94\00:15:49.94
They realized that if they
could take over local precincts,
00:15:50.58\00:15:54.38
then the states
would be there's as well.
00:15:54.48\00:15:57.49
And if the states were
theirs, then the government,
00:15:57.69\00:16:01.22
the federal government,
would be theirs as well.
00:16:01.26\00:16:03.93
You know, it's notable that
in 1888 those who pressed for a
00:16:04.53\00:16:08.70
national Sunday law also worked
on establishing local chapters
00:16:08.73\00:16:14.84
and influencing state
conventions before attempting
00:16:15.10\00:16:19.37
a national Sunday law.
00:16:19.57\00:16:21.34
Ralph Reed, one of the leaders
of the religious right movement
00:16:21.94\00:16:25.78
during the period
that we're discussing,
00:16:25.81\00:16:27.88
said the following words.
00:16:28.58\00:16:30.49
"We tried to
charge Washington..."
00:16:30.92\00:16:33.42
These are the mass
demonstrations where they had
00:16:33.56\00:16:36.93
Christians march
to Washington D.C.
00:16:36.96\00:16:39.16
So they started
working on a local level
00:16:56.61\00:16:59.25
because they realized that they
could cause a greater impact
00:16:59.28\00:17:02.55
by working there.
00:17:02.58\00:17:04.22
Now during this period
Christians felt that they
00:17:05.12\00:17:08.69
were being
persecuted, particularly those
00:17:08.72\00:17:11.59
who sympathized with the
views of the religious right.
00:17:11.63\00:17:14.96
In the 80's there was talk
of amending the Constitution
00:17:15.36\00:17:20.17
to protect Christians from
discrimination in the exercise
00:17:20.20\00:17:25.04
of their religion.
00:17:25.07\00:17:26.41
The leaders of the
religious right movement
00:17:26.71\00:17:29.34
argued that a
secular humanistic government
00:17:29.58\00:17:34.12
was persecuting them because it
did not allow them, for example,
00:17:34.22\00:17:39.19
to put nativity
scenes on federal property,
00:17:39.22\00:17:44.66
or government property,
00:17:44.69\00:17:46.09
and because the
Alabama judiciary did not allow
00:17:46.43\00:17:51.63
Judge Roy Moore, for example,
to put a 5300 pound monument
00:17:51.67\00:17:57.14
of the Ten Commandments
in the rotunda of the
00:17:57.17\00:18:00.34
State Capital building.
00:18:00.38\00:18:02.34
The leaders attempted to
convince their church members
00:18:03.18\00:18:06.65
that government
was persecuting them
00:18:06.68\00:18:09.65
because it did not
support their religious views.
00:18:09.92\00:18:14.46
However, this was not the case.
00:18:14.79\00:18:17.73
The government must
keep aloof from religion.
00:18:18.09\00:18:21.83
It must neither
support nor oppose religion.
00:18:22.23\00:18:26.70
The role of government
is to preserve the freedoms
00:18:27.07\00:18:29.94
that we have: freedom of speech
00:18:29.97\00:18:31.97
and freedom of
assembly among them,
00:18:32.17\00:18:34.54
so that religion
can flourish freely.
00:18:34.68\00:18:38.08
The purpose of the
government is not to enforce
00:18:38.45\00:18:40.82
the Ten Commandments,
particularly the first four.
00:18:40.85\00:18:44.19
The first four commandments
describe our duty towards God.
00:18:44.62\00:18:47.96
The state can have nothing
to do with these commandments.
00:18:48.16\00:18:52.46
The, Contract With the
American Family, page 1
00:18:52.96\00:18:55.86
complained about the
rights of religious Americans
00:18:56.43\00:18:59.53
and suggested a
religious amendment as the
00:18:59.73\00:19:02.60
solution to the problem.
00:19:02.64\00:19:04.07
So in other words, the, Contract
With the American Family,
00:19:04.27\00:19:06.34
said we can
amend the Constitution.
00:19:06.37\00:19:08.14
And that way, Christians will
not be discriminated against
00:19:08.24\00:19:11.01
because, for example,
they can't put nativity scenes
00:19:11.21\00:19:14.68
on federal government property.
00:19:14.72\00:19:17.12
This is what the, Contract
With the American Family,
00:19:17.29\00:19:20.02
page 1, stated, "We have
witnessed the steady erosion..."
00:19:20.06\00:19:25.63
Their view of freedom of speech
was putting nativity scenes
00:19:39.24\00:19:44.11
on public property,
putting the Ten Commandments
00:19:44.15\00:19:47.65
on government
property, et cetera.
00:19:47.68\00:19:49.58
In no way was
religious freedom curtailed.
00:19:49.98\00:19:52.89
People could go to
church, people could go from
00:19:53.12\00:19:55.76
home to home proselytizing,
people could speak in the
00:19:55.79\00:19:59.83
public square as individuals in
favor of their religious belief.
00:19:59.86\00:20:04.27
There was really no persecution.
00:20:04.30\00:20:06.13
But because the church could
not do things with the state,
00:20:06.17\00:20:11.11
they were suffering persecution
according to this group.
00:20:11.57\00:20:15.01
Now there's no country
in the world that guarantees
00:20:16.01\00:20:19.58
the freedom of
speech in its constitution
00:20:19.61\00:20:23.25
such as the
United States of America.
00:20:23.28\00:20:25.55
The freedoms we enjoy
have made it a pleasure to live
00:20:25.89\00:20:30.53
in the United States of America.
00:20:30.56\00:20:32.99
Sadly, some that
belonged to the religious right
00:20:33.40\00:20:37.73
at the end of the 20th century
were saying that if secular
00:20:37.77\00:20:41.50
humanists do not like it
here in the United States,
00:20:41.54\00:20:45.74
they should move
to another country.
00:20:45.97\00:20:48.51
Several years ago Greg J.
Dickson who was the co-founder
00:20:49.31\00:20:54.25
of, The Moral Majority, and
the organizations leader in the
00:20:54.28\00:20:58.79
state of Indiana,
actually had a prayer hit list
00:20:58.82\00:21:03.26
where his supporters prayed
that the Lord would remove
00:21:03.56\00:21:06.96
from office anyone who did not
confess the Christian religion.
00:21:07.00\00:21:11.97
Alaska senator, Edna DeVries,
once stated that non-Christians
00:21:12.67\00:21:19.61
should, and I
quote, "leave the country."
00:21:19.94\00:21:23.55
The religious right complained
that kids could no longer
00:21:24.38\00:21:28.55
pray in public schools,
that prayer was kicked out of
00:21:28.58\00:21:32.12
public school, and the Bible
was kicked out of public school.
00:21:32.15\00:21:34.82
That liberals had kicked
God out of the public square.
00:21:35.26\00:21:39.06
It is true that
school mandated prayer
00:21:39.69\00:21:43.73
would be
unconstitutional, however...
00:21:43.83\00:21:47.34
And of course, the
reason why is because
00:21:48.14\00:21:50.67
prayer is a duty
that we belong to God.
00:21:50.71\00:21:53.04
The government does not
need to get involved in prayer.
00:21:53.07\00:21:56.68
However, the Constitution does
not forbid individual students
00:21:57.05\00:22:02.88
from praying in public school.
00:22:03.28\00:22:05.22
In fact,
students constitutionally
00:22:05.45\00:22:07.72
can actually take the initiative
to organize prayer groups
00:22:07.89\00:22:11.46
in school, as long as it's their
initiative and not mandated by
00:22:11.49\00:22:15.50
the school itself.
00:22:15.53\00:22:16.87
They can organize for prayer,
00:22:16.90\00:22:18.77
they can organize
for Bible study groups.
00:22:18.80\00:22:21.74
The Constitution guarantees
the right of free exercise of
00:22:22.00\00:22:26.07
individuals even on
government property.
00:22:26.11\00:22:30.08
The Constitution also guarantees
that students can take their
00:22:30.88\00:22:33.98
Bibles to the school and
they can freely read them
00:22:34.02\00:22:37.45
in the school.
00:22:37.49\00:22:38.82
So there is no persecution
against those who pray
00:22:38.85\00:22:42.72
individually or pray
with groups of students
00:22:42.82\00:22:45.39
as long as it's not mandated
by the federal government.
00:22:45.43\00:22:48.66
It is true that a
handful of teachers at that time
00:22:49.26\00:22:52.67
attempted to keep
students from exercising
00:22:53.07\00:22:56.64
their individual rights, but
they lost their cases in court.
00:22:56.67\00:23:01.38
The government must remain
neutral in matters of religion.
00:23:01.74\00:23:06.18
Another thing that
occurred during this period
00:23:07.18\00:23:09.45
was having voter guides.
00:23:09.55\00:23:13.25
Politicians who wanted to
win elections catered to the
00:23:14.12\00:23:17.76
preachers and the churches.
00:23:17.79\00:23:19.86
Even Democrats who used to
shy away from speaking about
00:23:20.26\00:23:24.30
religion in the public
arena began to address publicly
00:23:24.33\00:23:29.60
moral and religious
issues during the height of the
00:23:29.64\00:23:33.31
Christian right movement.
00:23:33.34\00:23:34.94
Politicians love to show up
at religious right activities
00:23:35.14\00:23:39.41
because they knew that
they could deliver votes.
00:23:39.68\00:23:43.72
Rallying the base to
go out and vote for them.
00:23:44.19\00:23:47.66
That's why they
went to churches.
00:23:47.69\00:23:49.46
During the
presidency of George W. Bush
00:23:49.79\00:23:52.66
a leak revealed that
Karl Rove and Dick Cheney
00:23:53.13\00:23:56.97
really had little love for the
agenda of the religious right.
00:23:57.00\00:24:01.57
In private they referred
to them as nuts and weird.
00:24:02.17\00:24:06.51
However, they
publicly supported their causes
00:24:07.04\00:24:09.78
because they knew
that the religious right
00:24:09.98\00:24:12.81
brings out the vote.
00:24:12.85\00:24:15.48
If you'll remember, in
1888 there was also a move
00:24:15.92\00:24:19.49
for voter guides.
00:24:19.52\00:24:21.12
During the height of the
power of The Moral Majority
00:24:21.62\00:24:25.39
and the Christian Coalition
voter guides even provided
00:24:25.43\00:24:29.43
the names of
candidates and the causes they
00:24:29.46\00:24:32.63
supported and opposed.
00:24:32.67\00:24:34.17
The religious right
sought to pursue Christians
00:24:34.74\00:24:37.24
to vote for candidates
that supported their causes
00:24:37.27\00:24:41.21
and to vote against
those who opposed them.
00:24:41.41\00:24:44.31
For example, Tim
LaHaye affirmed that 25%
00:24:44.81\00:24:49.52
of federal jobs should go
to Christian conservatives.
00:24:49.55\00:24:54.62
That's interesting.
00:24:55.42\00:24:56.76
He also stated, and
I quote, "No humanist
00:24:57.16\00:25:01.70
is qualified to hold
any governmental office."
00:25:01.73\00:25:05.13
That's Time
magazine, September 2, 1985.
00:25:05.23\00:25:08.24
This flies in the
face of the 14th Amendment
00:25:08.67\00:25:11.44
to the Constitution
of the United States
00:25:11.47\00:25:14.08
where it clearly states that
there can be no religious test
00:25:14.28\00:25:18.31
to occupy any office of
trust in these United States.
00:25:18.35\00:25:23.82
Another interesting
feature of the Christian right
00:25:24.72\00:25:28.49
during this
period was the desire
00:25:28.52\00:25:31.23
to come together with Catholics.
00:25:31.26\00:25:34.36
Protestants and Catholics.
00:25:34.63\00:25:35.96
You remember that leading up
to 1888 the same thing happened.
00:25:36.00\00:25:40.04
During the heyday
of the religious right
00:25:40.47\00:25:42.94
Protestants and
Catholics worked together
00:25:43.24\00:25:45.81
for common social causes.
00:25:45.84\00:25:48.78
Now I'm going to share
with you some very interesting
00:25:49.58\00:25:52.08
information that you
might not know about.
00:25:52.11\00:25:54.58
On August 12, 1993 Billy
Graham appeared on the program,
00:25:55.02\00:26:02.29
Good Morning, America.
00:26:02.39\00:26:04.43
At the time, Pope
John Paul II was visiting
00:26:05.09\00:26:08.16
the United States of America.
00:26:08.36\00:26:10.27
And I heard with my
own ears Billy Graham say,
00:26:10.93\00:26:14.80
"I admire the Pope..."
00:26:15.00\00:26:17.04
Furthermore, on January 21, 1997
00:26:22.38\00:26:26.48
when the Pope
visited Salt Lake City,
00:26:26.98\00:26:29.65
Larry King interviewed
Billy Graham on his program,
00:26:29.85\00:26:34.22
Larry King Live.
00:26:34.26\00:26:36.16
Here is a
portion of the interview
00:26:36.52\00:26:38.79
that I'm going
to share with you.
00:26:38.89\00:26:40.80
Larry King asked, "Do you feel
comfortable with Salt Lake City?
00:26:41.70\00:26:46.67
Do you feel
comfortable with the Vatican?"
00:26:47.27\00:26:50.41
Here's Graham's answer.
00:26:51.21\00:26:52.67
"Oh, I'm very
comfortable with the Vatican.
00:26:53.01\00:26:56.41
I've been to see
the pope several times.
00:26:56.98\00:27:00.62
And in fact, the day that
he was inaugurated, made pope,
00:27:00.98\00:27:06.12
I was preaching in
his cathedral in Kraków.
00:27:06.39\00:27:10.59
I was his guest."
00:27:10.79\00:27:12.53
King said to Billy
Graham, "You were preaching in
00:27:13.60\00:27:18.17
his church the
day he was made pope?"
00:27:18.20\00:27:20.50
Graham answered,
"That is correct.
00:27:21.24\00:27:24.11
In Kraków."
00:27:24.31\00:27:25.74
And Graham
chuckled when he said that.
00:27:26.04\00:27:28.34
Larry King then said,
"You must have been shocked."
00:27:28.78\00:27:31.75
Billy Graham
answered, "Of course I was.
00:27:32.48\00:27:34.62
There was shouting in
the streets, you know,
00:27:34.82\00:27:37.12
the next day,
'Polish pope! Polish pope!'"
00:27:37.39\00:27:40.92
And then King
asked Billy Graham,
00:27:41.39\00:27:43.22
"Do you like this pope?"
00:27:43.26\00:27:44.89
Billy Graham
answered, "I like him very much.
00:27:45.36\00:27:48.66
He's very conservative.
00:27:48.96\00:27:50.67
He and I agree on
almost everything."
00:27:50.77\00:27:55.04
Very interesting.
00:27:55.80\00:27:57.34
The dean of all evangelists,
the most well-known Protestant
00:27:58.24\00:28:02.48
evangelist, I think, ever in
the United States of America.
00:28:02.51\00:28:06.75
Most people do not know
that Billy Graham received an
00:28:07.52\00:28:10.32
honorary doctorate
degree in 1967 from a
00:28:10.35\00:28:14.62
Roman Catholic Jesuit university
called Belmont Abbey College.
00:28:14.66\00:28:19.86
Someone wrote the
college and asked if it was true
00:28:20.30\00:28:24.07
that Billy Graham
had received a doctorate
00:28:24.30\00:28:26.40
from this Jesuit university.
00:28:26.43\00:28:28.14
And Cuthbert E. Allen,
Executive Vice-President
00:28:28.50\00:28:32.31
of the university
responded in these words...
00:28:32.34\00:28:35.04
Let me read that again.
00:29:14.65\00:29:15.98
This is Cuthbert
Allen, who is a Jesuit.
00:29:16.38\00:29:19.65
And he was
actually the president
00:29:20.12\00:29:23.26
of this Jesuit university.
00:29:23.29\00:29:25.39
Here it is...
00:29:26.76\00:29:28.10
Hmm.
00:30:02.36\00:30:03.70
Very interesting, isn't it.
00:30:04.07\00:30:05.77
Ralph Reed, who was the first
president of Pat Robertson's
00:30:06.23\00:30:10.51
Christian
Coalition, wrote in his book,
00:30:10.54\00:30:13.94
Politically Incorrect,
page 16, the following words...
00:30:14.28\00:30:18.88
So notice, he's seen the
future of American politics,
00:30:30.03\00:30:32.99
and he says that the secret
of success "lies in the growing
00:30:33.53\00:30:38.73
strength of Evangelicals and
their Roman Catholic allies."
00:30:38.77\00:30:43.07
Then he continues.
00:30:43.57\00:30:44.91
Are you seeing
what's happening here?
00:31:09.10\00:31:10.90
In other words, it's
Catholics and Protestants
00:31:11.33\00:31:14.37
trying to influence the election
in the United States of America.
00:31:14.64\00:31:20.18
He continues, "Nasty
nativism and dark distrust..."
00:31:21.01\00:31:26.45
"John F. Kennedy's
election," which we'll refer to
00:31:35.49\00:31:37.93
in our next presentation...
00:31:37.96\00:31:40.26
He who forgets the past, folks,
is bound to repeat the past.
00:31:52.51\00:31:58.25
Especially the
negative mistakes of the past.
00:31:58.28\00:32:01.42
So you see, the idea is
joining all religions together
00:32:27.41\00:32:33.15
to fight a common enemy by
using the power of the state.
00:32:33.72\00:32:38.82
Ralph Reed also
gave a speech to the
00:32:39.39\00:32:41.72
Catholic Campaign for America,
00:32:41.76\00:32:43.86
and he spoke the
following words...
00:32:44.03\00:32:46.03
What is the agenda again?
00:33:31.21\00:33:32.54
Is the agenda, "Well,
let's preach the gospel
00:33:32.67\00:33:35.24
from our pulpits so
that the Holy Spirit will
00:33:35.28\00:33:37.71
change the lives of people.
00:33:37.75\00:33:39.31
And then you have a
more just and moral society."
00:33:39.35\00:33:42.05
No, no, that's not the
secret, according to him.
00:33:42.08\00:33:44.32
The secret is for Protestants
and Catholics to come together
00:33:44.65\00:33:48.42
and use the political
system to implement the agenda
00:33:48.62\00:33:53.29
of the church.
00:33:53.33\00:33:54.66
He continued writing,
"It is the emerging force
00:33:55.10\00:34:00.14
in the electorate today..."
00:34:00.17\00:34:01.50
That is, of the union of
Catholics and Protestants.
00:34:01.54\00:34:03.91
I'm going to read a
statement that I read before
00:34:27.86\00:34:29.90
from the
writings of Ellen White.
00:34:29.93\00:34:31.43
But before I do, I'm
going to read the last part
00:34:31.47\00:34:33.74
of the statement
that I just presented.
00:34:33.84\00:34:36.14
"Father Robertson said,
'Obviously some teachings
00:34:36.64\00:34:40.58
are more important than others,
and there has to be an agreement
00:34:40.61\00:34:44.38
on those essential points while
leaving considerable latitude
00:34:44.41\00:34:50.39
on other points that are
less essential to the faith.'"
00:34:50.42\00:34:53.99
Is there such a thing as
essential points in your faith
00:34:54.09\00:34:57.26
and non-essential or
less essential points?
00:34:57.29\00:35:00.06
Compare this
that Ralph Reed said
00:35:00.40\00:35:03.30
with what Ellen White wrote.
00:35:03.33\00:35:05.57
Great Controversy, page 445.
00:35:06.07\00:35:09.60
"When the leading
churches of the United States,
00:35:09.80\00:35:12.91
uniting upon such
points of doctrine..."
00:35:13.41\00:35:17.28
So the idea is unite on
points of doctrine that are
00:35:40.00\00:35:44.14
held in common, and
then get the state to do
00:35:44.17\00:35:48.31
what the church wants.
00:35:48.34\00:35:49.78
And Ellen White states
that then Protestant America
00:35:49.98\00:35:53.11
will have formed an
image of the Roman hierarchy,
00:35:53.15\00:35:56.52
and the result
will be persecution.
00:35:56.55\00:35:59.15
Once again, I will repeat what
I said in a previous lecture.
00:35:59.19\00:36:02.46
And that is that the
word, "papacy," is not the same
00:36:03.22\00:36:07.73
as the Roman Catholic Church.
00:36:07.76\00:36:09.53
The Roman Catholic
Church is a church.
00:36:10.13\00:36:11.87
The papacy is the union
of the church with the state.
00:36:11.90\00:36:15.94
Because, you know, the
Catholic church, the papacy
00:36:15.97\00:36:18.94
is actually is a
church and it is also a state.
00:36:18.97\00:36:21.81
So what happened in 1798?
00:36:22.34\00:36:25.51
In 1798, Pope Pious VI
was taken prison to France
00:36:25.81\00:36:30.79
where he died in exile.
00:36:30.82\00:36:32.15
In other words, the
political arm of the
00:36:32.45\00:36:35.69
Roman Catholic
Church was removed.
00:36:35.72\00:36:37.33
Now let me ask you this,
did the Roman Catholic Church
00:36:37.36\00:36:42.36
as a church still
continue to function?
00:36:42.40\00:36:44.73
Of course.
00:36:44.77\00:36:46.10
People still took their
little babies to get baptized,
00:36:46.50\00:36:49.50
people still went
to the confessional,
00:36:49.90\00:36:52.37
people still went to
participate of the Eucharist.
00:36:52.41\00:36:55.98
In other words, the
Catholic church as church
00:36:56.18\00:36:59.08
did not cease to function
when the papacy received the
00:36:59.11\00:37:02.42
deadly when the pope
was taken prisoner to France
00:37:02.45\00:37:05.72
and died in exile.
00:37:05.75\00:37:07.09
The church continued to
function, but the papacy did not
00:37:07.19\00:37:10.33
because the papacy had
lost the support of France,
00:37:10.36\00:37:14.26
and then later on the
other nations of Europe.
00:37:14.30\00:37:16.90
So the point is that
when the United States
00:37:17.37\00:37:21.07
imposes a Sunday law on
pain of civil penalties,
00:37:21.10\00:37:24.81
the bottom line is that
that's going to be an image
00:37:25.27\00:37:27.84
of the Roman Catholic papacy
because that is the foundational
00:37:27.88\00:37:30.85
characteristic of the papacy.
00:37:30.88\00:37:33.18
So once again, Ellen
White wrote, "When the leading
00:37:33.45\00:37:35.92
churches of the United
States, uniting upon such points
00:37:35.95\00:37:39.29
of doctrine as are
held by them in common,
00:37:39.32\00:37:41.96
shall influence the
state to enforce their decrees
00:37:42.26\00:37:45.26
and sustain
their institutions...
00:37:45.29\00:37:47.06
There is the image of the beast.
00:37:52.23\00:37:54.00
So when the church
joins with the state,
00:38:01.14\00:38:03.81
when the church, you know,
no longer are denominations
00:38:04.21\00:38:07.45
fighting among one another,
then they're able to influence
00:38:07.48\00:38:10.72
the state; the result, the
automatic result is persecution.
00:38:10.75\00:38:15.46
History has clearly shown that.
00:38:15.49\00:38:18.13
Then we have the document,
00:38:19.16\00:38:20.76
Evangelicals and
Catholics Together.
00:38:20.86\00:38:23.03
We're talking now about
how Protestants and Catholics
00:38:23.06\00:38:26.03
are coming together
during this period of the
00:38:26.07\00:38:28.70
80's, 90's, and
the early 2000's.
00:38:28.74\00:38:31.31
What was this document,
00:38:31.74\00:38:33.11
Evangelicals and
Catholics Together?
00:38:33.14\00:38:35.78
The document was an
ecumenical agreement
00:38:36.24\00:38:39.31
by 40 of the most influential
evangelical and Roman Catholic
00:38:39.68\00:38:45.59
representatives in the
United States of America.
00:38:46.02\00:38:49.72
Protestant Chuck Colson
and Lutheran turned Catholic
00:38:50.39\00:38:55.10
John Richard Neuhaus
developed the 25-page document.
00:38:55.40\00:39:01.24
When the 40 influential
leaders signed the document
00:39:01.80\00:39:05.94
on March 29, 1994, Chuck
Colson and Richard Neuhaus
00:39:05.97\00:39:12.31
remarked the following...
00:39:12.35\00:39:14.48
What is it that Neuhaus
and Colson are saying here?
00:39:48.12\00:39:51.75
Well, one of the
notable elements of the document
00:39:52.55\00:39:56.49
is that it recommends
and actually discourages
00:39:56.93\00:40:01.26
proselytizing between
Catholics and Protestants,
00:40:01.50\00:40:05.43
especially in Latin America
where there were at the time
00:40:05.67\00:40:11.37
and still are
thousands upon thousands
00:40:11.41\00:40:14.34
abandoning the Roman
Catholic Church and joining
00:40:15.01\00:40:18.41
Protestant churches
such as Jehovah's Witnesses,
00:40:18.45\00:40:22.18
Seventh-day Adventists,
Pentecostals, Mormons,
00:40:22.22\00:40:25.35
and Baptists.
00:40:25.39\00:40:26.72
This mass exodus from
the Roman Catholic Church
00:40:26.99\00:40:30.39
to various Protestant
denominations has been
00:40:30.59\00:40:34.10
a matter of great concern
for the Roman Catholic Church.
00:40:34.13\00:40:37.53
And so, in the
document that was signed by
00:40:37.87\00:40:41.47
Catholics and
Protestants, the great leaders,
00:40:41.50\00:40:43.87
they agreed officially to stop
stealing one another's sheep.
00:40:44.24\00:40:48.84
They agreed that instead
of arguing over insignificant
00:40:49.31\00:40:53.55
points of doctrine, they
should rather unite forces
00:40:53.58\00:40:57.59
to fight against the
common enemy, secular humanism.
00:40:57.69\00:41:01.86
They decided to join forces
to fight in causes such as
00:41:02.12\00:41:07.16
against abortion, homosexual
marriage or gay marriage,
00:41:07.20\00:41:11.20
euthanasia,
pornography, et cetera.
00:41:11.30\00:41:14.70
An article appeared in USA Today
commenting about the ecumenical
00:41:15.30\00:41:20.08
nature of this
particular document.
00:41:20.11\00:41:22.74
This was March 30, 1994.
00:41:23.88\00:41:26.82
Interesting.
00:41:56.98\00:41:58.31
Keith Fournier, who was one
of the signers of the document,
00:41:58.61\00:42:02.75
wrote a book titled,
House United, where he described
00:42:03.18\00:42:08.56
the incredible
ecumenical implications
00:42:08.66\00:42:11.66
of this particular document.
00:42:11.69\00:42:13.63
Now I quote...
00:42:14.03\00:42:15.36
That is, between
Catholics and Protestants.
00:42:30.78\00:42:33.38
Now the question is,
how could Protestants
00:42:45.43\00:42:49.20
reach this point
where they're willing to
00:42:49.23\00:42:52.90
stretch forth the hand and take
the hand of Roman Catholics,
00:42:52.93\00:42:57.07
setting aside the
differences and doctrine
00:42:57.24\00:42:59.71
and fighting for
common social causes?
00:42:59.74\00:43:03.31
Obviously, there has been
a radical change of attitude
00:43:03.55\00:43:08.62
of Protestants towards
the Roman Catholic Church.
00:43:08.65\00:43:11.39
The question is, why?
00:43:11.92\00:43:14.16
Well, I want to share with
you a historical experience that
00:43:15.32\00:43:18.66
took place in the times
when John F. Kennedy was running
00:43:18.69\00:43:23.00
for president of the
United States of America.
00:43:23.20\00:43:25.50
This was in the year 1960.
00:43:25.53\00:43:29.00
And it was during a
very heated campaign.
00:43:29.60\00:43:32.71
And the Protestant
ministers in Houston, Texas
00:43:33.24\00:43:37.58
were very concerned
that perhaps John F. Kennedy,
00:43:37.78\00:43:43.08
if he became president, he
would implement Roman Catholic
00:43:43.12\00:43:46.55
principles into
the United States.
00:43:46.59\00:43:49.06
In other words, religious
freedom would come to an end.
00:43:49.09\00:43:51.16
Persecution would arise.
00:43:51.19\00:43:52.86
So in 1960 Protestants
were still very suspicious
00:43:53.26\00:43:57.20
of the aspirations of
the Roman Catholic papacy.
00:43:57.23\00:44:00.00
I want to read to you
what John F. Kennedy said
00:44:00.34\00:44:04.51
to those religious
leaders, those pastors of the
00:44:04.54\00:44:09.51
ministerial
association of the Houston area.
00:44:09.54\00:44:12.81
You know, John F. Kennedy almost
sounded like a Protestant here.
00:44:13.28\00:44:16.89
I read, this is
September 12, 1960.
00:44:17.99\00:44:21.79
So what did John Kennedy,
the Roman Catholic, believe?
00:44:30.90\00:44:34.34
First Roman Catholic
president in the history
00:44:34.37\00:44:36.54
of the United States.
00:44:36.57\00:44:37.91
Wow!
00:45:53.21\00:45:54.55
But the fact is that
John F. Kennedy had to
00:45:54.58\00:45:56.62
go to this meeting
and he had to explain
00:45:56.65\00:45:59.69
that he was not going to follow
the instructions of the pope,
00:46:00.16\00:46:03.06
that he was going to
follow the Constitution
00:46:03.09\00:46:04.86
of the United States, because
these ministers in Houston
00:46:04.89\00:46:07.66
feared to have a
Roman Catholic president
00:46:07.70\00:46:10.37
because they knew the history
of the Roman Catholic papacy.
00:46:10.40\00:46:13.54
They wanted to make
sure that John F. Kennedy
00:46:13.80\00:46:16.00
would abide by the Constitution
and not simply inject into the
00:46:16.04\00:46:19.97
United States the principles
of the Roman Catholic Church.
00:46:20.01\00:46:23.68
How interesting.
00:46:23.98\00:46:25.31
Now in our next segment
we're going to take a look
00:46:26.21\00:46:28.92
at some additional evidence
on the desire of Protestants
00:46:28.95\00:46:33.69
to join with Roman
Catholics in these common causes
00:46:33.72\00:46:37.69
and setting aside their
differences and doctrine.
00:46:37.73\00:46:40.40
But now let me share with
you another couple of points
00:46:40.43\00:46:43.33
as to why Protestants and
Catholics feel more and more
00:46:43.67\00:46:48.44
comfortable with one
another even though their
00:46:48.47\00:46:51.24
doctrinal systems are
just radically different.
00:46:51.27\00:46:54.34
If they went by what the
Bible says and what their
00:46:54.44\00:46:57.55
doctrine are,
they could never unite
00:46:57.58\00:47:00.02
because the doctrines and
the practices are so different
00:47:00.55\00:47:03.99
between Roman
Catholicism and Protestantism.
00:47:04.02\00:47:07.42
What is it that led
to the melting of the ice
00:47:07.72\00:47:11.79
between Protestants
and Roman Catholics?
00:47:11.83\00:47:15.50
Two issues that I want
to address as we move along.
00:47:15.73\00:47:19.83
First of all,
Vatican Council II.
00:47:20.30\00:47:24.41
Vatican Council II under
the leadership of John XXIII
00:47:25.07\00:47:28.98
and then Pope Paul VI,
because John XXIII died
00:47:29.01\00:47:32.15
before the council was
over, took place between
00:47:32.18\00:47:35.18
the years 1962 and 1965.
00:47:35.22\00:47:38.62
The purpose of the
council was to renew
00:47:38.95\00:47:41.86
the Roman Catholic Church.
00:47:41.89\00:47:43.22
In fact, the Italian word that
was used was, aggiornamento.
00:47:43.26\00:47:48.06
In other words, a renewal
of the Roman Catholic Church.
00:47:48.10\00:47:51.10
And the Roman Catholic Church
actually invited Protestants
00:47:51.60\00:47:54.84
observers to come.
00:47:54.87\00:47:56.40
And if you read the conciliar
documents, you're going to find
00:47:56.84\00:48:00.51
that they're very conciliatory
towards Protestants.
00:48:00.61\00:48:04.51
And so as a result, in
the course of time Protestants
00:48:04.88\00:48:09.48
started thinking, "Well, you
know, the Roman Catholic Church
00:48:09.52\00:48:11.69
actually recognizes us
as ecclesiastical societies,
00:48:11.72\00:48:15.32
so you know, maybe the Catholic
church isn't what it used to be.
00:48:15.52\00:48:18.73
Maybe the papacy
isn't what it used to be."
00:48:18.76\00:48:20.80
The fact is, folks, that
the papacy cannot change.
00:48:21.23\00:48:24.77
You say, "Why not?"
00:48:24.80\00:48:26.13
Because if the papacy decides
that it's not going to be a
00:48:26.17\00:48:29.20
state, it's only
going to be a church,
00:48:29.24\00:48:31.14
it's not the papacy anymore.
00:48:31.17\00:48:32.77
Because as I mentioned,
the papacy is a system
00:48:32.81\00:48:37.31
where you have a
church and a state in one.
00:48:37.35\00:48:40.42
You know, take for example the
Seventh-day Adventist Church.
00:48:40.92\00:48:43.69
The Seventh-day Adventist
Church has a president.
00:48:43.89\00:48:46.76
But we are not a
political entity.
00:48:47.19\00:48:49.59
We are a church.
00:48:49.92\00:48:51.43
We are not a state.
00:48:51.63\00:48:52.96
But when it comes to
the Roman Catholic Church,
00:48:53.33\00:48:55.20
the Roman Catholic Church is
a church and it is also a state.
00:48:55.23\00:48:59.33
And as a state,
it has nuncios...
00:48:59.73\00:49:02.64
You know, other
countries call them ambassadors.
00:49:02.74\00:49:05.81
...that represent the
Vatican before practically every
00:49:05.84\00:49:09.44
country in the world.
00:49:09.48\00:49:10.81
And so, this church through
its nuncios can influence
00:49:10.95\00:49:15.42
the political systems of
the many nations because the
00:49:15.45\00:49:18.49
papacy is not only a
church, it is also a state.
00:49:18.52\00:49:22.79
So it can use the power
of the states of the world
00:49:22.99\00:49:26.29
to implement its agenda.
00:49:26.33\00:49:28.56
And so, one of the ways
in which the ice was melted
00:49:29.10\00:49:32.33
was first of all because of
the election of John F. Kennedy.
00:49:32.53\00:49:36.81
And by the way,
while he was president,
00:49:36.91\00:49:39.27
of course he was assassinated,
but you know, during his
00:49:39.37\00:49:42.31
presidency he did not introduce
Roman Catholic principles
00:49:42.34\00:49:46.98
into the United
States government.
00:49:47.02\00:49:49.32
So people said, "Oh, we
feared that a Roman Catholic
00:49:49.35\00:49:52.12
was going to be
president of the United States.
00:49:52.15\00:49:53.99
We had absolutely
no reason to fear."
00:49:54.02\00:49:55.96
And then you have Vatican II
where even Protestant observers
00:49:56.32\00:50:01.06
are invited to come.
00:50:01.10\00:50:02.43
And Protestants are no
longer called heretics.
00:50:02.56\00:50:05.40
They're called
separated brethren.
00:50:05.57\00:50:07.77
And they're called the
daughters of the church,
00:50:08.00\00:50:10.64
and the mother
is calling them back
00:50:10.67\00:50:12.74
into union with the church.
00:50:12.77\00:50:14.21
In other words, the
language is very conciliatory.
00:50:14.24\00:50:17.25
And so Protestants say,
"You know, the Catholic church,
00:50:17.55\00:50:21.18
the papacy is no longer
any danger to Protestantism
00:50:21.22\00:50:24.05
because the papacy has changed."
00:50:24.25\00:50:26.45
It can't change.
00:50:26.49\00:50:27.82
It can't change for the simple
reason that it would not longer
00:50:28.02\00:50:31.26
be the papacy if it
decided to be a church
00:50:31.29\00:50:34.30
and not a state.
00:50:34.33\00:50:36.00
You know, it reminds
me of what Jesus said.
00:50:36.53\00:50:38.70
You know, when Pilate asked
Jesus whether He was a king.
00:50:39.50\00:50:42.50
What did Jesus say?
00:50:43.41\00:50:44.81
He said, "My kingdom
is not of this world.
00:50:44.84\00:50:48.81
If My kingdom were of this
world, My servants would fight
00:50:49.11\00:50:52.81
so that I would
not be arrested."
00:50:53.01\00:50:54.72
Jesus was offered all
the kingdoms of the world
00:50:55.42\00:50:57.95
on the mount of temptation.
00:50:57.99\00:50:59.52
And we find that when Satan
offered Him all of the kingdoms
00:50:59.99\00:51:03.69
of the world,
Jesus refused to look.
00:51:03.73\00:51:06.70
He said, "No, I will not receive
the kingdoms of the world.
00:51:06.73\00:51:10.17
I did not come to take
over the throne of the world."
00:51:10.20\00:51:14.14
And when Jesus was in
the garden of Gethsemane,
00:51:15.27\00:51:17.67
He was agonizing,
sweating drops of blood,
00:51:18.37\00:51:21.28
we find the guard, a religious
guard of the Jewish temple,
00:51:21.78\00:51:26.01
comes to arrest Jesus Christ.
00:51:26.05\00:51:28.32
And of course, Peter,
who the Roman Catholic Church
00:51:28.35\00:51:31.25
believes was the first
pope, he takes out his sword
00:51:31.29\00:51:34.76
and he swings his
sword and he cuts off the ear
00:51:35.22\00:51:38.63
of the high priest's servant.
00:51:38.66\00:51:40.03
You know, my own
personal opinion is that
00:51:40.36\00:51:41.93
he was not
intending to cut off his ear,
00:51:41.96\00:51:44.37
he was intending
to cut off his head.
00:51:44.40\00:51:46.50
But Peter was a fisherman, he
was not a soldier, so he missed.
00:51:46.53\00:51:50.21
You know, that's
just speculation.
00:51:50.24\00:51:51.87
I don't think he had
such good aim that he just
00:51:51.97\00:51:54.01
wanted to cut off his ear.
00:51:54.04\00:51:55.38
He wanted to kill him because
they came to arrest his Master.
00:51:55.41\00:51:58.58
What did Jesus say to Peter?
00:51:59.28\00:52:00.82
"Well done, Peter.
00:52:00.85\00:52:02.18
Thanks for using the
sword to try and defend Me."
00:52:02.22\00:52:04.82
That's not what Jesus said.
00:52:04.85\00:52:06.22
Jesus said, "Peter,
put away that sword.
00:52:06.76\00:52:10.29
For whoever kills with the
sword will die by the sword."
00:52:10.33\00:52:15.50
And it's no coincidence
that in Revelation chapter 13
00:52:15.70\00:52:19.10
when it speaks about the
healing of the deadly wound
00:52:19.50\00:52:22.64
we are told that the
papacy was wounded by the sword.
00:52:22.84\00:52:26.17
That is, by the
sword of the civil power.
00:52:26.21\00:52:28.94
And the way in which the
papacy will recover its power,
00:52:29.24\00:52:32.25
when the pause will end between
the first period of tribulation
00:52:32.91\00:52:36.92
and the second
period of tribulation
00:52:37.12\00:52:38.92
of the single tribulation,
is when the civil power of the
00:52:38.95\00:52:43.66
United States, and
then of the entire world,
00:52:43.69\00:52:46.36
lends their power to
the Roman Catholic papacy
00:52:46.59\00:52:51.17
to implement
Sunday as the day of rest.
00:52:51.20\00:52:54.74
It's going to happen, folks.
00:52:54.84\00:52:56.30
And you might think,
"No, it's not going to happen.
00:52:56.77\00:52:58.44
That would never happen in
the United States of America.
00:52:58.47\00:53:00.81
You know, mandating
Sunday by law and forbidding
00:53:00.91\00:53:03.41
Sabbath observance?
00:53:03.45\00:53:04.78
That's never going to happen?"
00:53:04.81\00:53:06.15
But it happened
during the 1880's.
00:53:06.61\00:53:10.02
You know, the law was
not finally implemented.
00:53:10.45\00:53:12.75
It was stopped.
00:53:13.02\00:53:14.36
But the movement was there.
00:53:14.39\00:53:15.96
The movement, as we're
noticing, was also there
00:53:16.32\00:53:18.89
in the 80's,
90's, and early 2000's.
00:53:18.93\00:53:21.50
And we're seeing a lot
of things happening today,
00:53:22.06\00:53:24.27
which we'll see
in a future lecture,
00:53:24.30\00:53:26.53
that show that it could very
well happen in our time as well.
00:53:26.74\00:53:32.54
A third factor that
makes Protestants feel
00:53:33.38\00:53:36.61
perfectly at ease with
the Roman Catholic papacy
00:53:37.01\00:53:41.08
is their view of
end time prophecy.
00:53:41.18\00:53:43.92
You see, Protestants
today, conservative Protestants,
00:53:44.45\00:53:47.52
evangelicals, believe that
the antichrist is going to arise
00:53:47.56\00:53:51.29
and sit in the
temple in the Middle East.
00:53:51.39\00:53:54.16
And the church, of course,
by this time will be gone
00:53:55.03\00:53:57.60
in the rapture.
00:53:57.63\00:53:58.97
And then that antichrist sitting
in a rebuilt Jewish temple
00:53:59.03\00:54:02.87
is going to create a great big
statue and is going to command
00:54:03.07\00:54:06.54
everyone to worship
that great big image
00:54:06.57\00:54:08.74
or that great big statue.
00:54:08.78\00:54:10.45
And he's going to place
a tattoo on the foreheads
00:54:10.91\00:54:13.85
and the right hand
of those individuals
00:54:13.88\00:54:16.28
who are left
behind after the rapture.
00:54:16.32\00:54:18.45
And so, all Christian eyes
these days are looking to the
00:54:19.09\00:54:23.06
Middle East for the
fulfillment of Bible prophecy.
00:54:23.09\00:54:26.09
They're looking to the Muslims,
and they're looking to all of
00:54:26.13\00:54:29.13
the events that are
happening over in Israel.
00:54:29.16\00:54:30.93
And they're saying,
"Look, prophecy is being
00:54:31.03\00:54:33.13
fulfilled over there."
00:54:33.17\00:54:34.50
And meanwhile, the prophecies
that have to do with the papacy,
00:54:34.54\00:54:37.77
which is the
beast, the little horn,
00:54:37.81\00:54:39.84
the abomination of
desolation, the harlot,
00:54:39.87\00:54:42.48
whatever name the Bible
uses to describe this system,
00:54:42.94\00:54:46.51
they cannot see the
role of the papacy in the
00:54:46.72\00:54:49.38
fulfillment of
prophecy because they're looking
00:54:49.42\00:54:51.55
in the wrong place.
00:54:51.59\00:54:52.92
So the enemy is the Muslims.
00:54:53.22\00:54:54.69
The enemy is not the
Roman Catholic Church,
00:54:54.72\00:54:56.73
so they feel
comfortable with the papacy.
00:54:56.76\00:54:59.43
And so, you know, the same with
the United States in prophecy.
00:55:00.93\00:55:04.73
Revelation
13:11-18 clearly points out
00:55:04.77\00:55:08.74
that the United States is going
to make an image of the papacy
00:55:08.77\00:55:11.84
by uniting church and state.
00:55:11.87\00:55:13.61
But Protestantism says,
"Oh no, the image is going to
00:55:14.28\00:55:17.61
be this great big
status that's going to be built
00:55:17.65\00:55:19.81
over in the Middle East."
00:55:19.85\00:55:21.18
And they don't see that
they're living in the country
00:55:21.55\00:55:24.39
that is going to
fulfill Bible prophecy
00:55:24.42\00:55:26.96
where a Sunday law
is going to be enacted,
00:55:26.99\00:55:29.42
and whoever does not go
along will be persecuted,
00:55:29.46\00:55:32.89
even a decree not to
be able to buy or sell.
00:55:33.09\00:55:36.16
A decree eventually that
enforces the death penalty
00:55:36.26\00:55:40.24
upon those who
keep God's holy Sabbath.
00:55:40.27\00:55:44.31
So these are the reasons
why Protestantism these days
00:55:45.17\00:55:49.81
is feeling
comfortable with the papacy.
00:55:49.84\00:55:52.45
Another factor which
we're going to discuss
00:55:52.48\00:55:54.55
a little bit later on in
our talks is that Protestantism
00:55:54.58\00:56:00.36
has become politically correct.
00:56:00.39\00:56:02.69
You know, Ellen White
calls it false charity.
00:56:03.66\00:56:06.16
You know, it's being
nice. Let's just be nice.
00:56:06.19\00:56:08.73
Even when we see something
that's done that is wrong,
00:56:08.76\00:56:11.90
you know, don't rebuke
it, don't say that it's wrong.
00:56:11.93\00:56:14.80
Everybody is okay.
00:56:14.90\00:56:16.24
Post-modern thinking
has basically blurred
00:56:16.44\00:56:19.64
the distinction
between right and wrong,
00:56:19.67\00:56:21.84
between good and evil.
00:56:21.88\00:56:23.21
And for that reason people
feel comfortable with that
00:56:23.24\00:56:27.08
which the Bible openly opposes.
00:56:27.12\00:56:30.32
So we still have to study
part two of this presentation.
00:56:31.02\00:56:34.82
Right now we are talking about,
you know, what is happening
00:56:34.86\00:56:39.49
in the 80's, in the
90's, and the early 2000's.
00:56:39.53\00:56:43.33
And the point that we're
dealing with is how Protestants
00:56:43.37\00:56:47.60
and Catholics
are coming together.
00:56:47.64\00:56:50.27
Now in our next presentation
we are going to finish this
00:56:50.47\00:56:53.27
particular point and
we're going to talk about
00:56:53.31\00:56:55.24
other parallels between
what happened in the 1880's
00:56:55.28\00:57:00.02
and what is
happening in the world today.
00:57:00.05\00:57:03.55
And we will see
that what is taking place
00:57:03.59\00:57:06.99
is actually a
fulfillment of Bible prophecy.
00:57:07.09\00:57:10.53
So, folks, the Bible
is very clear on what the
00:57:10.89\00:57:14.70
end time conflict
is going to be about.
00:57:14.73\00:57:17.03
In Revelation 12:17 we are told
00:57:17.30\00:57:20.27
what the
conflict is going to be.
00:57:20.47\00:57:22.34
It's going to be over
the commandments of God,
00:57:22.37\00:57:25.24
particularly the
fourth commandment.
00:57:25.27\00:57:27.18
It says in Revelation 12:17,
"Then the dragon was enraged
00:57:27.28\00:57:32.41
with the woman
and went to make war
00:57:32.45\00:57:35.15
with the remnant of her seed."
00:57:35.18\00:57:37.25
That is the final remnant.
00:57:37.52\00:57:38.95
What are their characteristics?
00:57:38.99\00:57:40.49
They keep the
commandments of God.
00:57:40.59\00:57:43.46
That's all of them, folks.
00:57:43.83\00:57:45.23
Just like they're
written in Exodus chapter 20.
00:57:45.43\00:57:47.90
They keep the
commandments of God
00:57:47.93\00:57:49.83
and they have the
testimony of Jesus Christ.
00:57:49.86\00:57:54.14
My desire of heart is that
all those who are listening
00:57:54.57\00:57:59.94
will choose to be
on the Lord's side
00:57:59.97\00:58:02.68
in this great final conflict.
00:58:02.71\00:58:05.75