He merged them into an empire
that lasted for centuries.
00:00:47.04\00:00:50.88
[Battle Sounds]
00:00:55.88\00:00:57.22
This is his story, a story
of romance, intrigue, power,
00:01:02.96\00:01:09.36
and conquest.
00:01:09.40\00:01:10.87
Constantine the Great,
Caesar, Emperor of Rome.
00:01:22.61\00:01:26.92
The illegitimate peasant
boy who rises to become the most
00:01:26.95\00:01:31.15
powerful man on earth,
he rules the greatest empire
00:01:31.19\00:01:34.82
the world has ever seen.
00:01:34.86\00:01:37.43
An empire that stretches
from the Atlantic Ocean
00:01:37.46\00:01:40.70
to the Euphrates
River, from Britain to Africa.
00:01:40.73\00:01:43.93
But how can he hold this
great far-flung empire together?
00:01:44.00\00:01:49.30
Well, he comes up
with an engineers plan
00:01:49.34\00:01:51.87
he unites his empire
under one great system
00:01:51.91\00:01:55.54
one that
combines church and state,
00:01:55.58\00:01:57.85
that combines all
religions including Christianity
00:01:57.88\00:02:01.92
and paganism, he creates a
substitute a counterfeit empire.
00:02:01.95\00:02:06.89
And so now in a
sense, there are two empires
00:02:06.92\00:02:11.53
Caesars and Christ's,
Rome and Christianity.
00:02:11.56\00:02:15.96
A counterfeit
empire and the true empire,
00:02:16.00\00:02:19.27
there's a clash of empires
and it seems as if the imposter
00:02:19.30\00:02:24.17
a counterfeit empire with
all its power wealth and control
00:02:24.21\00:02:28.24
will triumph.
00:02:28.28\00:02:29.94
But now the empire, the
true empire strikes back.
00:02:29.98\00:02:34.65
Not with swords, spears,
and shields, but with the Word,
00:02:34.68\00:02:39.35
the way, the
truth, and the life.
00:02:39.39\00:02:41.59
Let's follow and
watch as the battle unfolds
00:02:41.62\00:02:45.89
as the empire strikes back.
00:02:45.93\00:02:48.80
Incredible as it may seem
much of the history of the world
00:03:00.51\00:03:04.21
has been shaped inside the
borders of the tiny country
00:03:04.25\00:03:07.85
of Israel. This land
has great significance
00:03:07.88\00:03:11.99
to Jews, Christians, and Muslims
and is referred to by many
00:03:12.02\00:03:16.56
as the Holy Land.
00:03:16.59\00:03:18.29
It was here that
Solomon built his temple,
00:03:18.33\00:03:21.00
Jesus Christ was born,
lived and died and Mahammad
00:03:21.03\00:03:25.70
descended to heaven.
00:03:25.73\00:03:27.07
Judaism, Christianity,
and Islam, the three great
00:03:27.10\00:03:31.47
Monotheistic Religions
share Jerusalem as a Holy City
00:03:31.51\00:03:36.51
it's the most sacred
city in the whole world
00:03:36.54\00:03:39.65
and the most
important one in Bible History.
00:03:39.68\00:03:42.38
It has a special
significance to Christians
00:03:42.42\00:03:45.25
because it was here
that Jesus was tried
00:03:45.29\00:03:48.46
crucified,
buried, and He rose again.
00:03:48.49\00:03:51.56
With such
importance it's not surprising
00:03:51.59\00:03:54.70
that Jerusalem played a
major role in the establishment
00:03:54.73\00:03:58.50
of the counterfeit
empire, here's what happened.
00:03:58.53\00:04:02.84
Constantine was born
around 272 A.D. in Nisus
00:04:04.81\00:04:10.31
now the city of
Nis in Southern Serbia.
00:04:10.35\00:04:12.88
Through a series of amazing
coincidences and astonishing
00:04:12.91\00:04:17.95
achievements,
Constantine is crowned Augustus
00:04:17.99\00:04:21.96
Ruler of the Western
Empire in York Britain
00:04:21.99\00:04:25.76
on the death of his
father, but he wants more
00:04:25.79\00:04:29.50
he has ambitions to
rule the entire empire
00:04:29.53\00:04:33.50
and so marches on Rome itself.
00:04:33.54\00:04:37.01
On the way, he sees a fiery
cross of light superimposed
00:04:37.04\00:04:42.44
on the sun and attached to
it in Greek were the words:
00:04:42.48\00:04:46.51
Now, Constantine
himself a pagan sun worshiper
00:04:50.92\00:04:54.89
converts and
embraces Christianity
00:04:54.92\00:04:58.09
and with his army and
the new symbol the Chiaro
00:04:58.13\00:05:02.53
emblazoned on their shields
is victorious that the famous
00:05:02.56\00:05:06.43
Battle of the Milvian Bridge and
now the entire empire is his.
00:05:06.47\00:05:13.31
Constantine, the illegitimate
child of a peasant girl
00:05:13.34\00:05:17.88
is now the most powerful man
on earth, the Emperor of Rome.
00:05:17.91\00:05:23.18
He credited the Christian
God with being responsible
00:05:23.22\00:05:26.89
for his victory and
rise to power, in return
00:05:26.92\00:05:31.09
Constantine pulled
Christianity out of the shadows
00:05:31.13\00:05:34.80
and made it the premier
religion of the Roman Empire.
00:05:34.83\00:05:38.37
But there's a lot
of controversy over the
00:05:38.40\00:05:41.90
relationship between
Constantine and Christianity
00:05:41.94\00:05:45.37
because you see,
there's no historical evidence
00:05:45.41\00:05:48.91
that Constantine was
truly converted to Christianity.
00:05:48.94\00:05:53.05
he never completely
left his pagan roots
00:05:53.08\00:05:56.52
and continued many
pagan practices including
00:05:56.55\00:06:00.12
the veneration of the sun.
00:06:00.16\00:06:02.16
So the evidence suggests rather
that he was an opportunist
00:06:02.19\00:06:06.96
who used
Christianity for political gain.
00:06:07.00\00:06:10.73
Constantine knew that he
was going to have to find
00:06:10.77\00:06:14.60
some way to keep the
vast empire together,
00:06:14.64\00:06:17.71
some way to achieve harmony
and that's where he needed
00:06:17.74\00:06:22.44
Christianity. His
strategy was clear and simple
00:06:22.48\00:06:26.38
Constantine would try
to hold the empire together
00:06:26.41\00:06:30.15
by uniting pagan and
Christians in one great system
00:06:30.19\00:06:34.19
of religion. He would
create a substitute a divergent
00:06:34.22\00:06:38.39
empire, a counterfeit empire.
00:06:38.43\00:06:41.40
Constantine believed
that if he could merge
00:06:41.43\00:06:45.23
the Christian church with Rome,
00:06:45.27\00:06:47.14
then this would be the recipe
to long-term political stability
00:06:47.17\00:06:50.91
so he became actively
involved in church affairs
00:06:50.94\00:06:55.58
and administration.
00:06:55.61\00:06:57.25
The end result was
unification of church and state
00:06:57.28\00:07:01.18
Constantine organized
and attended the great church
00:07:01.22\00:07:05.52
councils and played a
major role in the decisions of
00:07:05.55\00:07:09.52
doctrine and teaching.
00:07:09.56\00:07:10.99
Early Christians had
always determined their beliefs
00:07:11.03\00:07:15.23
based on what the
Bible taught but now a change
00:07:15.26\00:07:18.67
began to take place.
00:07:18.70\00:07:20.04
The state and outside
influences rather than the Bible
00:07:20.07\00:07:24.44
began to interfere and
determine what the church
00:07:24.47\00:07:28.01
believed. The Bible was
no longer the final authority
00:07:28.04\00:07:32.25
in religious matters,
the emperor himself had a say
00:07:32.28\00:07:36.42
and played a major role.
00:07:36.45\00:07:38.35
That's clearly seen at the
Council of Nicea in 325 A.D.
00:07:38.39\00:07:45.73
one of the most important church
councils in church history.
00:07:45.76\00:07:49.00
It established a unified
definition of what Christians
00:07:49.03\00:07:53.34
believe. Constantine played
a leading role emphasizing
00:07:53.37\00:07:58.27
his new position as the
defacto head of the church.
00:07:58.31\00:08:02.74
As well as presiding
over the Council of Nicaea
00:08:02.78\00:08:06.21
Constantine embarked on
a church building program
00:08:06.25\00:08:10.89
that included building
the first basilica dedicated
00:08:10.92\00:08:14.69
to Peter in Rome.
00:08:14.72\00:08:16.59
Then a year after the council
he commissioned his mother
00:08:16.62\00:08:20.93
Helena to travel to Jerusalem
to re-discover the sites
00:08:20.96\00:08:25.43
associated with
notable events in Jesus' life.
00:08:25.47\00:08:28.77
with the intention to build
great churches at these sites
00:08:28.80\00:08:33.78
as well. She would also search
for relics, items belonging
00:08:33.81\00:08:39.01
to Jesus or people
associated with Him.
00:08:39.05\00:08:42.22
Constantine's imitative paved
the way for the transformation
00:08:42.25\00:08:46.96
of Jerusalem into the
Holy City of Christianity
00:08:46.99\00:08:50.49
and changed the fate
of Jerusalem forever.
00:08:50.53\00:08:55.26
Although his mother Helena
arrived in Jerusalem about
00:08:55.30\00:08:59.73
300 years after the time
of Jesus during which time
00:08:59.77\00:09:04.01
the city was totally destroyed
on at least two occasions
00:09:04.04\00:09:07.58
she claimed to locate
the exact places associated
00:09:07.61\00:09:11.85
with important
events in Jesus live.
00:09:11.88\00:09:14.98
She allegedly found the
very spot where Jesus was born,
00:09:15.02\00:09:19.79
the field where the
shepherd saw the angel,
00:09:19.82\00:09:22.62
the place where
Joseph's carpentry shop stood,
00:09:22.66\00:09:25.59
the location where Jesus was
baptized, the spot near Galilee,
00:09:25.63\00:09:30.73
where the miracle of
fish and loaves occurred
00:09:30.77\00:09:33.40
the place where Jesus
stood when He gave the
00:09:33.44\00:09:36.34
Sermon on the
Mount. She spotted the room
00:09:36.37\00:09:39.77
where Jesus turned water
into wine, the spot where Judas
00:09:39.81\00:09:43.78
betrayed Jesus with a
kiss, the actual path Jesus took
00:09:43.81\00:09:48.62
on His way to the
cross, the Via Dela Rosa,
00:09:48.65\00:09:51.62
she found where He
was crucified, buried, and
00:09:51.65\00:09:55.52
resurrected and where
he ascended to heaven,
00:09:55.56\00:09:58.03
she claimed to find them all.
00:09:58.06\00:10:01.63
But that's not all, she
found more, she allegedly found
00:10:01.66\00:10:08.07
the very items used
by Jesus and associated
00:10:08.10\00:10:12.04
with His crucifixion.
00:10:12.07\00:10:13.51
She claimed to find the true
cross, the title of the cross,
00:10:13.54\00:10:17.71
the nails of the crucifixion,
the crown of thorns,
00:10:17.75\00:10:21.42
Jesus tunic, the sponge, the
spear, and the burial clothes.
00:10:21.45\00:10:26.92
Other relics included the bones
and positions of the apostles
00:10:26.96\00:10:32.46
and people
associated with Jesus.
00:10:32.49\00:10:35.80
These so-called
discoveries here in Jerusalem
00:10:35.83\00:10:39.33
and the Holy Land brought
about a radical change in
00:10:39.37\00:10:43.17
Christianity and the church.
00:10:43.20\00:10:45.27
Until this time, no
one had really concentrated
00:10:45.31\00:10:49.74
on the sites of Jesus homeland
and where He had presumably
00:10:49.78\00:10:54.08
walked and worked.
00:10:54.12\00:10:55.45
But now everything
changed, some of Christianity's
00:10:55.48\00:11:00.66
greatest and most sacred
churches were built on these
00:11:00.69\00:11:04.26
sites and they
developed a pilgrimage trail
00:11:04.29\00:11:07.40
for those who wished to
visit all the gospel sites.
00:11:07.43\00:11:10.83
Christian visitors started
arriving in vast numbers.
00:11:10.87\00:11:15.64
Jerusalem was no longer
an outpost on the edge of
00:11:15.67\00:11:19.91
Rome's territory, now it
was a vital even central part
00:11:19.94\00:11:24.45
of the new empire and the
relics, these objects supposedly
00:11:24.48\00:11:30.65
associated with Jesus or
those close to Him including the
00:11:30.69\00:11:34.89
bones, teeth, hair, and
possessions of the apostles
00:11:34.92\00:11:38.06
and saints were taken
back to Rome by Helena
00:11:38.09\00:11:41.50
and there they started a craze,
a veneration of sacred objects
00:11:41.53\00:11:46.84
the people of Western Europe
became obsessed with relics.
00:11:46.87\00:11:51.67
And before long it seemed
that every church in Europe
00:11:51.71\00:11:56.48
either had or wanted some sort
of relic to attract visitors
00:11:56.51\00:12:01.78
and grow their congregation.
00:12:01.82\00:12:03.62
Relics were put on display
or placed on the altar or
00:12:03.65\00:12:08.22
housed in special tombs
people believed that relics
00:12:08.26\00:12:12.79
could heal the sick, extinguish
fires, protect villages
00:12:12.83\00:12:17.07
and defeat armies. All
of this fueled the demand
00:12:17.10\00:12:21.94
for relics and a very lucrative
market developed around relics.
00:12:21.97\00:12:26.27
So for religious economic
and even political reasons
00:12:26.31\00:12:31.11
the number of relics gradually
grew until there were literally
00:12:31.15\00:12:35.65
thousands in existence.
00:12:35.68\00:12:37.65
Relics became a
massive profiteering scam
00:12:37.69\00:12:42.02
and there was a lot of
fraud involved, for example
00:12:42.06\00:12:45.63
it's been said that you
can build a large ship from
00:12:45.66\00:12:49.23
from all the pieces of wood
claimed to be from Jesus cross
00:12:49.26\00:12:52.83
and there are more than a
thousand nails said to have been
00:12:52.87\00:12:56.74
used at His crucifixion.
00:12:56.77\00:12:58.84
There are several heads said
to belong to John the Baptist
00:12:58.87\00:13:02.48
and there are at least
28 tools of the apostles
00:13:02.51\00:13:06.55
when Jesus only had 12 of them.
00:13:06.58\00:13:08.98
So, it's obvious that religious
relics are often fraudulent
00:13:09.02\00:13:14.46
but the real problem
went much deeper than that.
00:13:14.49\00:13:18.56
You see, the first
followers of Jesus and the early
00:13:18.59\00:13:22.46
Christians based all their
beliefs on the pure teachings
00:13:22.50\00:13:26.33
of Jesus and
His Word, the Bible.
00:13:26.37\00:13:29.04
Salvation and holiness
came through belief and faith
00:13:29.07\00:13:33.64
in Jesus alone, but
now all that changed,
00:13:33.68\00:13:38.91
instead of putting their
faith in Jesus, people started
00:13:38.95\00:13:42.92
venerating relics, these
relics objects of devotion.
00:13:42.95\00:13:47.69
People believed by getting
close to objects associated
00:13:47.72\00:13:52.43
with some holy person or
saint that person's holiness was
00:13:52.46\00:13:57.20
in some way shared with
them or transferred to them.
00:13:57.23\00:14:01.04
They believe that's how you
got holy, that's how you obtain
00:14:01.07\00:14:06.81
salvation. Relics, pilgrimages
and images became central
00:14:06.84\00:14:12.28
to Christianity.
Access to Jesus and salvation
00:14:12.31\00:14:16.42
was no longer through
faith and belief but through
00:14:16.45\00:14:19.82
images and objects of devotion.
00:14:19.85\00:14:22.79
And so, the concept of
relics of holy stuff subtly
00:14:22.82\00:14:27.86
undermined the central
message of Christianity
00:14:27.90\00:14:31.23
the message of
Jesus and the Bible
00:14:31.27\00:14:33.84
sadly the church had adopted
the beliefs and practices
00:14:33.87\00:14:38.67
of paganism.
00:14:38.71\00:14:40.48
Christianity became
popular so much so that pagans
00:14:40.51\00:14:46.92
were baptized into the
church, now these pagans
00:14:46.95\00:14:50.65
joined the church but
they also brought many of their
00:14:50.69\00:14:53.62
pagan images, objects,
beliefs and practices with them.
00:14:53.66\00:14:57.89
The reverence of
relics, veneration of saints,
00:14:57.93\00:15:01.30
the use of temples and candles,
Holy Water, Holy Days and
00:15:01.33\00:15:06.33
seasons all had their origins
in paganism and many were
00:15:06.37\00:15:10.94
approved and accepted
into the church during the
00:15:10.97\00:15:14.21
fourth century, the
time of Constantine.
00:15:14.24\00:15:17.11
He radically changed
the church and its beliefs
00:15:17.15\00:15:20.98
aside from Christ
and the Bible writers,
00:15:21.02\00:15:24.12
no one has exerted
more influence on the
00:15:24.15\00:15:27.16
Christian church
than Constantine.
00:15:27.19\00:15:29.42
He was a game-changer, in
fact his mark remains with us
00:15:29.46\00:15:35.70
to this day and it's
deeply imbedded in the structure
00:15:35.73\00:15:39.83
and function in
much of Christianity.
00:15:39.87\00:15:42.10
Here's what one
historian writes:
00:15:42.14\00:15:45.01
The church, the fortress
of truth that Jesus and the
00:16:02.22\00:16:05.89
apostles built was
weakened and changed
00:16:05.93\00:16:08.90
by the insidious introduction
and spread of relics,
00:16:08.93\00:16:13.20
pagan objects, beliefs,
and practices, Christianity
00:16:13.23\00:16:18.11
was corrupted.
00:16:18.14\00:16:19.67
And by accommodating paganism
and compromising with the state
00:16:19.71\00:16:23.95
what our Christian ancestors did
was to launch what we might call
00:16:23.98\00:16:28.88
a substitute, a
counterfeit empire.
00:16:28.92\00:16:32.22
It looked like Christianity,
it sounded like Christianity,
00:16:32.25\00:16:36.66
but it had some real
problems, it was an imposter
00:16:36.69\00:16:41.56
a counterfeit empire.
00:16:41.60\00:16:43.90
But now the empire, the
true empire strikes back.
00:16:43.93\00:16:50.11
not with swords, spears
and shields, but with The Word,
00:16:50.14\00:16:54.81
The Way, the
Truth, and the Life.
00:16:54.84\00:16:57.91
You see, God was not
caught unawares or unprepared
00:16:57.95\00:17:02.32
God launches the ultimate
counter- attack based on Jesus
00:17:02.35\00:17:08.12
Christ and His Word. Yes,
God had a plan, a strategy,
00:17:08.16\00:17:13.36
He would keep the
flame of truth alive through
00:17:13.40\00:17:17.00
faithful followers, His
witnesses who refused to accept
00:17:17.03\00:17:21.07
the false teaching and
pagan practices that had
00:17:21.10\00:17:24.17
infiltrated the church,
they remain faithful to the pure
00:17:24.21\00:17:28.44
teachings of Jesus
and His Word, the Bible.
00:17:28.48\00:17:32.55
Groups such as the Waldenses
who lived high up in the
00:17:32.58\00:17:36.85
Piedmont Valleys of Northern
Italy, nestled below the
00:17:36.89\00:17:39.99
spectacular Alps, they obtained
a translation of the Bible
00:17:40.02\00:17:43.59
and so possessed Bible
truth in its pure form.
00:17:43.63\00:17:46.86
They rejected the
imposter, the counterfeit empire
00:17:46.90\00:17:50.77
and its corrupted
form of Christianity,
00:17:50.80\00:17:53.57
they remained faithful to
the Bible and kept alive the
00:17:53.60\00:17:57.44
pure teachings of
Jesus and the apostles.
00:17:57.47\00:18:00.74
They taught the young people
the great truths of the Bible
00:18:00.78\00:18:05.05
and trained them for the service
of God, these young people
00:18:05.08\00:18:09.12
then went down into the villages
and cities of Italy and beyond.
00:18:09.15\00:18:13.05
They explained that God
is a God of love and mercy
00:18:13.09\00:18:17.49
who accepts people on
the basis of their faith,
00:18:17.53\00:18:20.63
their belief in Him and they
shared this powerful message
00:18:20.66\00:18:24.93
from the Word of God.
00:18:24.97\00:18:26.50
That's how we are saved,
only by believing in Jesus.
00:18:36.08\00:18:42.18
So the empire, the
true empire strikes back.
00:18:42.22\00:18:46.92
Through His followers who
are faithful to God and His Word
00:18:46.96\00:18:50.76
the empire,
Christ's Empire responds.
00:18:50.79\00:18:54.10
God in His mercy sends
messengers to reform the church
00:18:54.13\00:19:02.57
virtually all of these great
reformers came from within the
00:19:02.60\00:19:07.11
established church itself.
00:19:07.14\00:19:08.81
Most of them are priests,
they passionately desire
00:19:08.84\00:19:13.11
that the church reform and
correct the abuses and paganism
00:19:13.15\00:19:17.52
that had crept in.
00:19:17.55\00:19:19.45
One of the first and
most influential of these men
00:19:19.49\00:19:23.83
was John Wycliffe
often called the Morning Star
00:19:23.86\00:19:28.00
of the Reformation. He
was an English priest and
00:19:28.03\00:19:31.67
the leading philosopher
of the 14th century who spent
00:19:31.70\00:19:35.00
most of his career as a
scholar and professor at
00:19:35.04\00:19:37.87
Oxford University.
00:19:37.91\00:19:39.37
He began to study the
Bible in-depth as he prepared
00:19:39.41\00:19:45.58
for his classes and discovered
00:19:45.61\00:19:46.95
that the church was
teaching doctrines and practices
00:19:46.98\00:19:49.45
that he just couldn't
find anywhere in the Bible.
00:19:49.48\00:19:52.75
This greatly troubled him,
Wycliffe began to preach against
00:19:52.79\00:19:58.29
the false teachings of
the church and also against
00:19:58.33\00:20:01.10
its corruption and abuses.
00:20:01.13\00:20:03.13
This resulted in
a clash of empires,
00:20:03.16\00:20:06.57
it brought the wroth
of the church against him.
00:20:06.60\00:20:09.84
He was banished from his post
at Oxford and sent his pastor
00:20:09.87\00:20:14.81
to the church at Lutterworth,
here he undertook the
00:20:14.84\00:20:18.98
monumental task of translating
all of the Bible into English
00:20:19.01\00:20:23.08
for the common people so
that they could have access to
00:20:23.12\00:20:26.89
God's Word.
00:20:26.92\00:20:28.26
But the clash of empires raged,
Wycliffe was condemned by the
00:20:28.29\00:20:33.13
established church and
died of a stroke in 1384.
00:20:33.16\00:20:38.03
But that wasn't the end
of his message and influence,
00:20:38.07\00:20:42.07
Bohemian students who
studied under Wycliffe at Oxford
00:20:42.10\00:20:46.74
carried his writings
and teachings back to Prague
00:20:46.78\00:20:49.88
where they influenced Jan
Huss a bright young priest
00:20:49.91\00:20:54.12
and influencer and lecturer
at the University of Prague.
00:20:54.15\00:20:57.15
As Huss studied the
Bible He became convinced
00:20:57.19\00:21:01.92
that John Wycliffe was correct
and the church had indeed
00:21:01.96\00:21:06.39
wandered from the pure
teaching of Jesus and the Bible
00:21:06.43\00:21:09.80
and desperately
needed reforming.
00:21:09.83\00:21:13.27
Jan Huss began
speaking out boldly against the
00:21:13.30\00:21:16.87
false teachings and the
corruption of the church.
00:21:16.91\00:21:19.87
The teachings of Huss
challenged the great medieval
00:21:19.91\00:21:23.68
church and the counterfeit
empire, he could only meet
00:21:23.71\00:21:27.88
trouble for his beliefs.
00:21:27.92\00:21:30.12
In 1415, he was summoned
to the city of Constance
00:21:30.15\00:21:34.42
on the Swiss, German
border to defend his teachings.
00:21:34.46\00:21:38.03
Thereafter a mockery of
trial, he was condemned to death
00:21:38.06\00:21:43.30
and burned at the stake
and his ashes thrown into the
00:21:43.33\00:21:47.44
Rhine River. He was
a courageous reformer
00:21:47.47\00:21:50.57
but he wasn't alone, in his
design to see the church reform
00:21:50.61\00:21:55.48
and return to the pure teachings
of Jesus as found in the Bible.
00:21:55.51\00:22:00.18
Other's began echoing Huss's
call for the church to reform
00:22:00.22\00:22:04.95
and return to the Bible.
00:22:04.99\00:22:06.86
They understood the clash of
empires that was taking place,
00:22:06.89\00:22:10.83
they realized what
was at stake and for them
00:22:10.86\00:22:14.66
the principles of God's
Word were not only something
00:22:14.70\00:22:18.17
to live for, but
something to die for.
00:22:18.20\00:22:21.14
Sadly, the church
rejected their call for reform
00:22:21.17\00:22:25.74
and either
attacked or executed them.
00:22:25.77\00:22:28.31
However, their efforts were
not in vain because their work
00:22:28.34\00:22:33.11
vision and sacrifice laid
the groundwork for the next
00:22:33.15\00:22:37.39
great battle as the
empire strikes back.
00:22:37.42\00:22:41.39
Other reformers were beginning
to question if it would ever
00:22:41.42\00:22:46.03
be possible to reform
the established church.
00:22:46.06\00:22:50.13
And it was this realization
that led the Augustinian monk
00:22:50.17\00:22:55.07
Martin Luther to nail his
95 theses to the Wittenberg
00:22:55.10\00:22:59.61
Cathedral door and
launch the reformation
00:22:59.64\00:23:02.34
a significant even in
this clash of empires.
00:23:02.38\00:23:07.02
It began with Luther's desperate
desire to find peace of mind
00:23:07.05\00:23:11.45
and the assurance of salvation.
He believed that the only way
00:23:11.49\00:23:16.26
to do this was to become
holy, to rid himself from sin
00:23:16.29\00:23:20.20
and save his soul
by his own good works.
00:23:20.23\00:23:23.26
When the Augustinian
Monastery selected him to head
00:23:23.30\00:23:27.47
a delegation to Rome in
1510, Luther was overjoyed
00:23:27.50\00:23:33.04
here was his opportunity to
use the traditional remedies
00:23:33.07\00:23:37.31
provided by the church to
find forgiveness and peace
00:23:37.35\00:23:40.92
and become holy.
00:23:40.95\00:23:42.65
But the trip was a
disaster, even though he visited
00:23:42.68\00:23:47.56
as many holy relics as he
could, he felt no closer to God
00:23:47.59\00:23:51.99
and returned to the monastery
more troubled and disillusioned
00:23:52.03\00:23:56.10
than ever. In
desperation, he began his Bible
00:23:56.13\00:24:01.47
as never before, to his surprise
as he studied God's Word
00:24:01.50\00:24:06.54
he found no teaching about
venerating relics or making
00:24:06.57\00:24:11.05
yourself holy, of earning
God's acceptance or buying
00:24:11.11\00:24:15.68
forgiveness. As he studied the
Bible book of Romans, he made a
00:24:15.72\00:24:20.46
discovery that would forever
bring peace to his troubled
00:24:20.49\00:24:23.53
heart. Luther finally grasped
the truth that salvation comes
00:24:26.83\00:24:32.23
by faith, by
believing in Jesus Christ.
00:24:32.27\00:24:35.87
He understood that relics,
sacred places and objects
00:24:35.90\00:24:40.41
did nothing for his salvation,
the Christian God is a God of
00:24:40.44\00:24:45.35
love and mercy who
accepts people just as they are
00:24:45.38\00:24:49.05
on the basis of
their faith in Him.
00:24:49.08\00:24:51.85
Luther vigorously and loudly
proclaimed the Bible truth,
00:24:51.89\00:24:56.76
salvation is free, there's
nothing you can do to earn it,
00:24:56.79\00:25:01.33
salvation is a gift.
Luther could hardly believe this
00:25:01.36\00:25:05.30
good news despite the
mistakes he had made in his life
00:25:05.33\00:25:09.47
despite his guiltiness, he
could be credited with holiness
00:25:09.50\00:25:13.71
because Jesus who really
is holy suffered his penalty
00:25:13.74\00:25:18.61
on the cross. So now
people can be forgiven freely
00:25:18.65\00:25:23.39
forgiven in the
Lord Jesus Christ.
00:25:23.42\00:25:26.39
This Bible message the
gospel struck a major blow for
00:25:26.42\00:25:32.03
God's Empire, it soon
spread all over Europe
00:25:32.06\00:25:35.46
across to America, down
to Australia, and New Zealand
00:25:35.50\00:25:39.47
and on around the world.
00:25:39.50\00:25:41.44
This Good News, the
gospel changes people's lives
00:25:41.47\00:25:46.17
and brings them inner peace
and happiness and eternal life.
00:25:46.21\00:25:50.15
It really makes a difference
and it's the major difference
00:25:50.18\00:25:54.42
between the two empires, in
fact, it's still the primary
00:25:54.45\00:25:59.39
battle ground between the
two empires. You see, the battle
00:25:59.42\00:26:04.13
is not over, the
clash of empires continues.
00:26:04.16\00:26:08.16
There are two competing empires
in our world, God's empire
00:26:08.20\00:26:13.10
based on Jesus and His Word
and the counterfeit based on
00:26:13.13\00:26:18.07
tradition. Both are
vying for our allegiance,
00:26:18.11\00:26:21.88
the choice is yours.
00:26:21.91\00:26:24.48
If you'd like to be a part of
God's Empire and honor His Word
00:26:24.51\00:26:29.82
in your life by accepting
Jesus and following Him
00:26:29.85\00:26:33.56
and if you would like to
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Until then, May God
Bless you and keep you faithful
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to Him. Let's pray.
00:27:55.34\00:27:57.11
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for your word
00:27:57.14\00:28:01.61
the Bible, our
ultimate authority in life
00:28:01.64\00:28:04.58
and a powerful weapon
in the clash of empires.
00:28:04.61\00:28:07.62
And thank you for
Jesus our Lord and Saviour,
00:28:07.65\00:28:10.32
He's coming back soon to
establish your everlasting
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kingdom. We all want to
be citizens in your kingdom
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help us to be faithful to you...
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In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
00:28:19.13\00:28:22.56