¤ ¤
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Five hundred years ago an event
took place here that shook the
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world and changed the course
of human history. A young German
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monk strode to this door
and challenged the power and
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authority of the most powerful
empire on earth, an empire that
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had ruled for a thousand
years. His actions put him on a
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collision course with the most
powerful people of his time,
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the Emperor and the Pope,
and set in motion a train of
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revolution, war and conflict
that would reshape western
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civilization and lift it out of
the dark ages. The historical,
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theological significance of
Martin Luther is encapsulated in
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a memorial in the center of
Worms. Luther is surrounded by
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some of the most important
people who paved the way for the
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reformation. They include John
Wycliffe, Jan Huss and Girolamo
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Savonarola. They laid the
foundation for Martin Luther.
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And what's more, it's the story
of the birth of the modern age.
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But perhaps even more
importantly it's a story that
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could bring you peace and
freedom and change your life
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forever. You
won't want to miss it.
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¤ ¤
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The Rhine River is one
of Europes grand waterways.
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It passes through six different
countries as it flows 1320 km
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from Switzerland all the way to
Holland and the North Sea. One
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of the most appealing and
spectacular sections of this
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mighty river flows through
Germany's Rhine Valley. This is
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an area of outstanding beauty.
It's just as if it's straight
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out of a picture book. Idylic
villages appear around each
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bend. The half timbered houses
and Gothic church steeples
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seemingly plucked from the
world of fairy tales. Forested
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hillsides alternate with
craggy cliffs and steep terraced
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vineyards. Romantic castles
are perched on virtually every
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hilltop. Someone called this
section of the Rhine flowing
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history. On its banks charming
towns like Rudesheim and
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Bacharach were thriving centers
of the Rhine wine trade in the
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middle ages. The terraced
vineyards that stripe its steep
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banks descend from vines planted
by Ceasar's legions. The hilltop
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castles standing high above its
waters or sometimes even in the
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river itself were erected by
medieval kings and princes who
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built more castles here in the
Rhine Valley than in any other
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valley in the world. This
section of the river is only
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50 km in length yet is has more
than 30 castles and abbies. It's
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genuine castle country. Yes
the Rhine Valley is a place of
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romance and beauty, but
its peaceful setting belies the
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unrest that rippled through
this region 500 years ago in the
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early 16th century. Picture
the scene that fateful afternoon
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of October 31, 1517. Here the
university town of Wittenberg
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not all that far from the
Rhine River a young German monk
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strides down the busy street to
Wittenberg's castle church, the
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most prominent and important
building in the town. On the
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church door he nails a sheet of
paper with a list of 95 theses
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that challenges the power and
authority of the most powerful
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empire on earth, an empire that
had ruled for a thousand years.
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Now he's on a collision course
with the most powerful people of
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the time, the Pope and the
Emperor. With the posting of his
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95 theses Martin Luther launched
what became known as the
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reformation. The blows of his
hammer were soon heard in every
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country in Europe and marked a
turning point in history and the
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beginning of a new epoch in our
civilization. Back in the first
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century Christianity was a crime
Christians worshiped God and not
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the emperor. They were seen
as a threat to the empire and so
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firestorms of persecution swept
through the church as Nero and
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other Roman emperors massacred
thousands of believers in Jesus.
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Those early Christians suffered
horrifying deaths because of
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their belief in Jesus.
The enemies of Christ tried to
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destroy the church with
persecution. Christians were
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tortured and thrown in dungeons,
or burned alive or torn apart by
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wild animals in the great Roman
colesiums. They were hunted like
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wild beasts. But despite this
terrible persecution as long as
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the apostles were alive the
church stood firm and true to
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the Bible and the pure teachings
of Jesus. In fact the fires of
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persecution served the purify
the church and start the spread
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of Bible truth. The blood of the
martyrs was a seed that sprang
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up everywhere. But sadly, with
the second and third generation
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of Christians came compromise
with paganism and apostasy.
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Here's the record of history:
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Quietly and gradually the cancer
of apostasy spread. The church
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in general suffered a serious
loss of faith. In the fourth
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century Emperor Constantine
tried to hold the Roman empire
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together by uniting pagans and
Christians in one great system
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of religion. As a direct result
Christianity was corrupted.
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One historian writes:
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Another historian says:
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Yes, false teachings crept into
the church and many of the great
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truths Jesus gave were lost.
The church, the fortress of
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truth that Jesus and the
apostles built was weakened and
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reduced to ruins by the
insidious introduction and
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spread of pagan beliefs
and practices. Now should this
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surprise us. Didn't the Bible
predict that this very thing
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would happen to the church? That
apostasy would prevail in the
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church. Notice the warning
of Peter the apostle in II Peter
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chapter 2 verses 1 and 2:
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And this is exactly what
took place, just as the Bible
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predicted. It didn't happen
overnight. The decay of truth
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took centuries. At first, the
enemy of God tried to destroy
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the church with persecution. It
didn't work. So he resorted to
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deception. He determined
to undermine Christianity from
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within. Using clever compromise
and false teachings he succeeded
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in crippling the faith once
delivered to the saints. It's
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important to keep in mind that
the Bible wasn't available to
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everyone back there as it is
now. Doctrines were passed along
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by word of mouth until
the people could scarcely
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distinguish between scripture
and tradition. Few really knew
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the truth as was taught by
Christ and his disciples. And so
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for centuries the truth
lay buried beneath tradition.
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Rites and ceremonies that Jesus,
Paul and Peter never heard of
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crept into the church.
The church had been corrupted.
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Instead of freely offering
the gospel of Jesus, the church
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turned religion into a business
and began to sell forgiveness
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and salvation. A process
was developed whereby the church
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sold forgiveness for every
imaginable sin and crime. Even
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murder had its price. The more
the people sinned the richer the
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church became. By selling
entrance to heaven the church
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became the wealthiest most
powerful organization in the
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world. The people were banned
from reading the Bible. In fact,
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the death penalty was enforced
on anyone caught reading the
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Bible. In this way, the
corrupted church kept its
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adherents blindly following its
false teachings and as the light
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of God's truth was hidden from
the people an age of darkness
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descended upon the world. No
wonder this period of history is
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known as the dark ages and
it was dark. But the night is
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always darkest just before the
dawn of a new day. Just when it
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seems that the darkness
will never end the morning star
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appears. It's a messenger of
hope that promises light as a
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new day approaches. And just
so a new day began to dawn. God
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wasn't caught unprepared. God
in his mercy sent messengers to
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reform the church. Virtually all
of these great reformers came
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from within the established
church heritage itself. Most of
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them were priests. They
didn't set out to form new
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denominations nor did they seek
to break from the established
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church. Rather they passionately
desired that the church reform
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from within and correct the
abuses that had crept in over
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many generations. One of the
first and most influential of
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these men was John Wycliffe,
often called the morning star of
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the reformation. He was an
English priest and the leading
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philosopher of the 14th century
who spent most of his career as
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a scholar and professor at
Oxford University, the most
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outstanding university in
the world at the time. He became
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master of Balliol College, one
of Oxford's five halls where he
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lectured on the Bible. He began
to study the Bible in depth as
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he prepared for his classes and
discovered that the church was
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teaching doctrines and practices
that he justs couldn't find
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anywhere in the Bible. This
greatly troubled him. The more
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he studied, the more he became
convinced that the Bible is
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God's word and that the church
therefore should use the Bible
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and the Bible only as the
source for all its beliefs and
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practices. While studying
and lecturing here at Oxford
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Wycliffe also discovered that
the Bible was given by God to
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everyone and so nothing was
more important to Wycliffe than
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getting the Bible and its
message of salvation through
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Jesus Christ to the common
people in their own language. At
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that time the only Bibles
were written in Latin and were
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chained into monastery walls. So
very few people could read them.
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Wycliffe began to preach against
the false teachings of the
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church and also against
its corruption and abuses. This
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brought the wrath of the church
against him. He was banished
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from his post at Oxford and
sent as pastor to the church at
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Lutterworth. Here he
undertook the monumental task of
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translating all of the Bible
into English for the common
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people. Some of Wycliffe's
students followed him here from
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Oxford. He trained them to
become traveling preachers and
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sent them out to preach a simple
message, the simple good news
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about Jesus in the language of
the people based on the Bible.
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Wycliffe was condemned by the
established church and died of a
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stroke in 1384 but his writings
and influence continued so
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strongly that he was formally
condemned by the church again
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30 years later. Orders
were give for his writings to be
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destroyed. His grave was
desecrated, his bones exhumed
00:14:26.39\00:14:31.33
and burned and his ashes thrown
into the nearby River Swift. The
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church authorities thought
that by burning his remains they
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would get rid of his memory, his
life and his teachings. But a
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new day had dawned. The promise
and hope that the morning star
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brings could not be extinguished
The light of truth began to
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shine and spread. A royal
marriage between the houses of
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England and Bohemia saw a
Bohemian princess involved in
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taking the writings of Wycliffe
to Prague, one of the most
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beautiful cities of Europe.
Princess Anne of Bohemia grew up
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Prague castle, the largest
ancient castle in the world.
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The complex comprises a number
of palaces and church buildings
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including St. Peter's Cathedral.
Its spires, towers and turrets
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dominate the city skyline.
Princess Anne was the eldest
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daughter of Emperor Charles IV
of the Holy Roman Empire and was
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engaged to be married to
Richard II of England. Leaving
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the castle for the last time she
walked along the Royal Mile, the
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pathway taken by the kings and
queens of Bohemia for centuries.
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She crossed the 500 meter
long Charles bridge with its 30
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statues and on through the
magnificent old town square that
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is counted today as one of
Prague's national treasures with
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its churches palaces and clocks.
She was an intelligent young
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woman with an inquiring mind and
she carried her most treasured
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possession with her, a copy of
the Bible that she loved to read
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and study. Anne and King Richard
were married in Westminster
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Abbey on the 22nd of January
1382 and two days later Anne was
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crowned queen of England. Anne's
love for the Bible brought her
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into contact with John Wycliffe.
She read and respected his
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writings and was
deeply influenced by his Bible
00:16:41.80\00:16:44.33
teachings. Anne protected
Wycliffe from his enemies and
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intervened on many occasions to
protect him from persecution and
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to save his life. With Queen
Anne's encouragement Bohemian
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students came to Oxford to study
under Wycliffe. Many of them
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carried his writings and
teachings back to Prague where
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they influenced a young Huss,
the bright young priest and
00:17:09.29\00:17:12.76
lecturer at the University
of Prague. As Huss studied the
00:17:12.79\00:17:16.93
Bible he became convinced that
John Wycliffe was correct and
00:17:16.97\00:17:21.97
the church needed reformation.
Some of its beliefs and
00:17:22.00\00:17:25.84
practices simply couldn't
be reconciled with the Bible.
00:17:25.87\00:17:35.92
And so here in the Bethlehem
chapel while still in his mid
00:17:35.95\00:17:39.89
20s young Huss began speaking
out boldly against the false
00:17:39.92\00:17:45.33
teachings and corruption of
the church. It was here that he
00:17:45.36\00:17:49.86
preached the good news of Jesus
to the people of Prague in their
00:17:49.90\00:17:53.13
own Bohemian language. He
denounced the often immoral
00:17:53.17\00:17:56.84
and extravagant lifestyles of
the clergy. He said that Christ
00:17:56.87\00:18:00.91
is the true head of the
church, not some human being.
00:18:00.94\00:18:04.91
He claimed that God alone can
forgive sins and he said that
00:18:04.95\00:18:09.38
the Bible alone is the authority
in all religious matters. Huss
00:18:09.42\00:18:21.50
dreamed of seeing the church
that he loved remove the false
00:18:21.53\00:18:25.27
teaching and corruption. He
dreamed of seeing the church
00:18:25.30\00:18:28.40
restored to the pure teachings
of Jesus as found in the Bible.
00:18:28.44\00:18:33.88
Well the teaching and activity
of Huss challenged the great
00:18:33.91\00:18:37.68
medieval church of the day. It
could mean only trouble for his
00:18:37.71\00:18:42.35
beliefs. In 1415 he was summoned
to the city of Constance on the
00:18:42.38\00:18:52.33
Swiss/German border to defend
his teachings. The emperor
00:18:52.36\00:18:56.60
guaranteed his safe conduct
and passage regardless of the
00:18:56.63\00:19:01.34
outcome of the trial. However,
when he arrived Huss was
00:19:01.37\00:19:05.44
imprisoned and then taken
through a mockery of a trial in
00:19:05.47\00:19:09.11
the Constance Cathedral where
he wasn't allowed any defense.
00:19:09.14\00:19:13.28
He protested his innocence and
refused to renounce his beliefs
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unless he could be shown
otherwise from scripture.
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The plaque marks the place where
he stood as he was condemned to
00:19:23.56\00:19:27.06
be burned at the stake for his
beliefs. On the 6th of July 1415
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Huss was taken to a location
on the outskirts of Constance.
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A large stone marks the placer
where the fire was prepared.
00:19:41.14\00:19:42.64
Before being chained to
the stake Huss knelt down and
00:19:42.68\00:19:48.48
prayed Oh Jesus Christ gladly
and in humility will I bear this
00:19:48.52\00:19:53.76
shameful death for the sake
of your holy gospel. Forgive my
00:19:53.79\00:19:58.46
enemies. He was then chained
to the stake and a fire was lit.
00:19:58.49\00:20:03.53
Once the flames had done their
task the ashes of John Huss were
00:20:03.57\00:20:09.54
taken and thrown into the Rhine
River. Today the Huss monument
00:20:09.57\00:20:16.34
_ in Prague's busy old
town square commemorates a man
00:20:16.38\00:20:22.15
willing to die for the truth of
the Bible. He was a courageous
00:20:22.18\00:20:24.79
reformer, but he wasn't alone
in his desire to see his church
00:20:24.82\00:20:29.82
reform and return to the pure
teachings of Jesus as found in
00:20:29.86\00:20:34.56
the Bible. Others began echoing
Huss' call for the church to
00:20:34.60\00:20:42.94
reform and return to the Bible
including Girolamo Savonarola,
00:20:42.97\00:20:47.78
the Dominican priest in the
Italian city of Florence. The
00:20:47.81\00:20:51.91
Bible became his most treasured
possession. It's the only book
00:20:51.95\00:20:56.02
he read for the last eight years
of his life. He based all his
00:20:56.05\00:21:00.96
beliefs and preaching directly
on the Bible. As he studied the
00:21:00.99\00:21:05.69
Bible at St. Mark's Dominican
Convent Savonarola, like other
00:21:05.73\00:21:10.97
Bible students before him, soon
realized that the church had
00:21:11.00\00:21:14.57
wondered from the pure teachings
of Jesus and the apostles.
00:21:14.60\00:21:18.64
Thousands came to hear him
preach in the Duomo the main
00:21:18.67\00:21:23.24
cathedral. He was a fearless
preacher. He tried to reform the
00:21:23.28\00:21:27.28
church he loved by preaching
the great truths of the Bible.
00:21:27.32\00:21:32.09
Amongst other things he preached
that only God can forgive sins
00:21:32.12\00:21:36.62
and that the Bible alone must be
the source of Christian belief
00:21:36.66\00:21:41.90
and teaching. He denounced
church corruption, despotic rule
00:21:41.93\00:21:45.67
and the exploitation of the
poor. Savonarola's preaching
00:21:45.70\00:21:50.47
attracted the ire of the church
and the local authorities. He
00:21:50.51\00:21:54.58
was sighted before the city
council, found guilty of heresy
00:21:54.61\00:21:58.38
and sentenced to death. On the
23rd of May 1498 the sentence
00:21:58.41\00:22:05.65
was carried out in the great
square outside the old palace
00:22:05.69\00:22:09.59
in the heart of Florence. A
plaque marks the place where
00:22:09.62\00:22:14.26
Savonarola was hanged on the
gallows and then publicly burned
00:22:14.30\00:22:18.20
As the fire burned his
body was stoned. Wycliffe, Huss,
00:22:18.23\00:22:24.57
Savonarola and others were
priests and monks who came from
00:22:24.61\00:22:29.11
within the heritage of the
established church. As the Bible
00:22:29.14\00:22:33.05
became available to them and
they began to read and study the
00:22:33.08\00:22:37.19
sacred scriptures for themselves
they became aware that the
00:22:37.22\00:22:41.96
church had drifted from its pure
faith and fallen away from Bible
00:22:41.99\00:22:46.06
truth. They realized that
the church had become corrupted.
00:22:46.09\00:22:51.97
They loved the church and
passionately desired that it
00:22:52.00\00:22:55.44
reform from within and correct
abuses and false teachings that
00:22:55.47\00:23:00.38
had crept in over many
generations. The Bible and its
00:23:00.41\00:23:04.78
message made a difference in
their lives. The principles of
00:23:04.81\00:23:09.25
God's word were not only
something to live for but
00:23:09.28\00:23:12.82
something to die for. To these
men faith, loyalty, obedience
00:23:12.85\00:23:19.06
and truth mattered. Sadly the
church rejected their calls for
00:23:19.09\00:23:24.43
reform and either attacked
or executed these men. However,
00:23:24.47\00:23:29.40
their efforts were not in vain
because their work, vision and
00:23:29.44\00:23:33.78
sacrifice laid the groundwork
for the dramatic events that
00:23:33.81\00:23:39.01
were soon to follow. You
see the martyrdom of Huss and
00:23:39.05\00:23:43.22
Savonarola was to have far
reaching implications. As the
00:23:43.25\00:23:48.32
church continued to burn those
who endeavored to bring about
00:23:48.36\00:23:51.49
reform from within the church
other reformers were beginning
00:23:51.53\00:23:56.50
to question if it would
ever be possible to reform the
00:23:56.53\00:24:00.24
established church. And it was
this realization that led the
00:24:00.27\00:24:12.98
Augustinian monk Martin Luther
to nail his 95 theses to the
00:24:13.01\00:24:18.02
Wittenberg Cathedral door
and the launch of the protestant
00:24:18.05\00:24:21.89
reformation which brought a new
freedom of thought that led to
00:24:21.92\00:24:26.96
our modern world. But more
importantly it brought about a
00:24:27.00\00:24:31.67
change in the way the common
people viewed God and their
00:24:31.70\00:24:35.47
relationship with him. As people
began to read the Bible for
00:24:35.50\00:24:39.81
themselves they realized that
God is a God of love and that as
00:24:39.84\00:24:45.01
Wycliffe, Huss and Martin Luther
discovered, salvation is the
00:24:45.05\00:24:50.49
gift for the guilty not a reward
for the righteous. We are not
00:24:50.52\00:24:55.06
saved by good works, but by
trusting in the work of Christ.
00:24:55.09\00:25:00.76
That's how we find peace with
God and now God is our friend
00:25:00.80\00:25:05.73
and we can come close to him.
If you'd like to make that same
00:25:05.77\00:25:11.81
discovery and experience
inner peace and the assurance of
00:25:11.84\00:25:15.21
of salvation in your life, why
not ask for it right now as we
00:25:15.24\00:25:20.72
pray. Dear
Heavenly Father, we thank
00:25:20.75\00:25:25.49
you that we have a God in
heaven who loves us and who
00:25:25.52\00:25:29.36
cares for us. We've all made
mistakes in our lives and done
00:25:29.39\00:25:33.70
things that we know are wrong
and that we regret. We thank
00:25:33.73\00:25:37.67
thank you that through Jesus all
of our sins and mistakes can be
00:25:37.70\00:25:41.34
forgiven and we can experience
inner peace and the assurance
00:25:41.37\00:25:45.44
of salvation. Grant us
that privilege in the name of
00:25:45.47\00:25:49.94
Jesus we pray, Amen.
00:25:49.98\00:25:53.58
In the 14th century Oxford was
the most outstanding university
00:25:53.62\00:26:01.72
in the world and John Wycliffe
was its leading theologian and
00:26:01.76\00:26:05.09
and scholar. As he studied
and prepared for his classes he
00:26:05.13\00:26:08.86
discovered that the Bible was
God's way of communicating with
00:26:08.90\00:26:12.40
people and that it contained the
secret of how to find peace and
00:26:12.43\00:26:15.74
and true happiness. He realized
that the Bible really made a
00:26:15.77\00:26:20.54
difference to people's lives and
was the answer to the challenges
00:26:20.58\00:26:24.15
that people face in
everyday life. If you're facing
00:26:24.18\00:26:27.88
challenges in your life and are
looking for peace and happiness
00:26:27.92\00:26:31.45
then I'd like to recommend a
free offer we have for all our
00:26:31.49\00:26:35.12
viewers today. It's a booklet
entitled The Morning Stars. This
00:26:35.16\00:26:40.70
booklet shares the secret of
how we can find hope and true
00:26:40.73\00:26:43.67
happiness in our lives. This
booklet is our gift to you today
00:26:43.70\00:26:48.37
and is absolutely free. There
are no costs or obligations
00:26:48.40\00:26:52.44
whatsoever. Don't miss this
wonderful opportunity to receive
00:26:52.47\00:26:57.55
the free gift we have for you
today. It could change your life
00:26:57.58\00:27:01.02
forever. Here's the
information you need:
00:27:01.05\00:27:04.19
Phone us now on 0481315101
or text us on 0491222999 or
00:27:04.22\00:27:18.47
visit our website
theincrediblejourney.tv to
00:27:18.50\00:27:23.00
request today's free offer.
So don't delay. Contact us
00:27:23.04\00:27:27.58
right now. If you've enjoyed
today's journey, be sure to join
00:27:27.61\00:27:34.88
us again next week when we will
share another of life's journeys
00:27:34.92\00:27:39.49
together and experience another
new and thought provoking
00:27:39.52\00:27:43.06
perspective on the peace,
insight, understanding and hope
00:27:43.09\00:27:47.20
that only the Bible can give us.
The Incredible Journey truly is
00:27:47.23\00:27:52.87
television that changes lives.
Until next week remember the
00:27:52.90\00:27:58.01
ultimate destination of life's
journey. Now I saw a new heaven
00:27:58.04\00:28:02.58
and a new earth. And God will
wipe away every tear from their
00:28:02.61\00:28:06.41
eyes. There shall be no more
death nor sorrow nor crying.
00:28:06.45\00:28:10.29
There shall be no more pain for
the former things have passed
00:28:10.32\00:28:14.82
away.
00:28:14.86\00:28:16.19
¤ ¤
00:28:16.22\00:28:24.23