Revelation: The Bride, the Beast & Babylon (2013) Movie Script

HE ONLY TAUGHT

FOR 3 1 /2 YEARS,

YET IN ONE GENERATION

WHAT HE SAID

TRANSFORMED THE WORLD.

ALL THE ARMIES

THAT EVER MARCHED,

ALL THE NAVIES

THAT EVER SAILED;

AND ALL THE KINGS

THAT EVER REIGNED, COMBINED,

HAVE NOT AFFECTED HISTORY

AS MUCH

AS THIS ONE SOLITARY LIFE.

NOW,

TWO THOUSAND YEARS LATER

HIS FOLLOWERS NUMBER

IN THE BILLIONS

AND COVER THE EARTH,

YET THE PRACTICE

OF MODERN CHRISTIANITY TODAY

SCARCELY RESEMBLES

THE EARLY TEACHINGS OF JESUS

PROPHECY FORETOLD

THIS WOULD HAPPEN...

CIRCA -AD- 91

PRISON ISLAND - PATMOS

A WOMAN,

A CHILD AND A DRAGON.

AT FIRST GLANCE

THIS MIGHT SOUND

LIKE THE INGREDIENTS

FOR A FRIGHTENING FAIRY TALE.

IN FACT, THE TROUBLING SCENES

THAT YOU JUST WITNESSED

ARE PART OF A TRUE

AND POWERFUL PROPHECY

GIVEN TO THE APOSTLE JOHN

NEARLY 2,000 YEARS AGO.

WHAT DOES THIS PROPHECY,

FOUND IN REVELATION 1 2,

TELL US?

DOES IT POINT TO SOME EVENT

THAT HAPPENED

THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO

OR DOES IT DESCRIBE THINGS

THAT ARE GOING TO TAKE PLACE

IN THE NEAR FUTURE?

AND WHO DO THE WOMAN,

THE DRAGON

AND THE CHILD REPRESENT?

JOIN US NOW AS WE JOURNEY

DEEP INTO A WORLD

THAT FEW HAVE EVER SEEN

BUT ALL ARE A PART OF.

REVELATION: THE BRIDE,

THE BEAST AND BABYLON.

REVELATION: THE BRIDE,

THE BEAST AND BABYLON

IN THE LAST BOOK

OF THE BIBLE, REVELATION,

THE APOSTLE JOHN

WAS SHOWN A VISION

OF A GREAT STRUGGLE

BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL,

A PROPHECY OF A BATTLE

THAT HAS BEEN RAGING

BEHIND THE SCENES

SINCE THE DAWN OF TIME.

THE SECRETS

BEHIND THIS PROPHECY

HAVE BEEN SHROUDED

IN MYSTERY FOR CENTURIES...

UNTIL NOW.

FROM THE KINGDOMS

AND THE RULERS

THAT HAVE FALLEN

AROUND THE WORLD

TO THE MEN AND WOMEN

THAT STOOD UP TO FIGHT

FOR WHAT THEY BELIEVED IN,

THIS IS THE STORY

OF CHRISTIANITY,

THE SEARCH FOR TRUTH

AND THE FOUNDATION

FOR THE FAITH OF BILLIONS.

''NOW A GREAT SIGN

APPEARED IN HEAVEN:

''A WOMAN

CLOTHED WITH THE SUN,

''WITH THE MOON

UNDER HER FEET,

''AND ON HER HEAD

A GARLAND OF TWELVE STARS...

''...THEN BEING WITH CHILD,

''SHE CRIED OUT IN LABOR

AND IN PAIN TO GIVE BIRTH...

''AND THE DRAGON

STOOD BEFORE THE WOMAN

''WHO WAS READY TO GIVE BIRTH,

TO DEVOUR HER CHILD

AS SOON AS IT WAS BORN.''

MANY BIBLE SCHOLARS

AND HISTORIANS

HAVE STUDIED THIS PROPHECY

OVER THE YEARS

AND AGREED THAT THE PROPHECY

OF REVELATION 1 2

POINTS TO AN EVENT

KNOWN AS ''THE MASSACRE

OF THE INNOCENTS''

WHICH OCCURRED

IN FIRST CENTURY JUDEA.

IN THE DECADES LEADING UP

TO THE BIRTH OF CHRIST,

THE ROMAN EMPIRE

HAD CONQUERED THE WHOLE

MEDITERRANEAN WORLD,

INCLUDING JUDEA.

AND AT VARIOUS POINTS

IN THAT HISTORY

THEY HAD DIFFERENT PEOPLE

RULING OVER IT.

TWENTY YEARS BEFORE JESUS

WAS BORN YOU HAVE KING HEROD,

A CLIENT KING FOR ROME.

WE HAVE DOCUMENTS

ABOUT HIM OUTSIDE THE BIBLE

THAT TELL US

THAT HE WAS VERY CRUEL.

HE WAS CAPABLE

OF KILLING HIS OWN SONS.

HE WAS RUTHLESS

AND YOU WOULDN'T WANT

TO GET ON HIS BAD SIDE.

HEROD WAS VERY ANXIOUS

WHEN A SMALL DELEGATION

OF WISE MEN FROM THE EAST

CAME TO JERUSALEM

ANNOUNCING THEIR SEARCH

FOR THE NEWBORN KING OF THE JEWS.

WHY WOULD HEROD

BE UPSET ABOUT THAT?

BECAUSE THAT WAS HEROD'S TITLE

AS BESTOWED UPON HIM

BY THE ROMAN EMPIRE:

KING OF THE JEWS.

AND HE ASKS

HIS ASTROLOGERS,

''HOW LONG IS IT POSSIBLE

THIS CHILD

COULD HAVE BEEN BORN AGO?''

AND THEY DETERMINE

IT'S PROBABLY BEEN

MAYBE 2 YEARS AT MOST

SINCE THIS CHILD WAS BORN,

MAYBE LESS.

HE FINDS OUT FROM

THE PHARISEES AND THE SADDUCEES

EXACTLY WHERE THIS CHILD

WAS TO BE BORN

AND HE FINDS OUT

IT'S BETHLEHEM

AND HE WORRIED

ABOUT LOSING HIS THRONE.

AND SO HE HAS SUCH ANGER

AGAINST THIS CHILD

HE SENDS IN THE SOLDIERS

TO TRY AND KILL JESUS.

THE BIBLE TELLS US

THIS BARBARIC ACT

WAS INSPIRED BY MORE THAN JUST

THE TYRANNICAL JEALOUSY

OF AN OLD KING.

MANY BIBLE SCHOLARS BELIEVE

THAT IT'S PART

OF A MUCH BIGGER STRUGGLE

THAT HAS SPANNED THE AGES

AND IS STILL HAPPENING TODAY.

TO UNCOVER THE SECRETS

OF THIS PROPHECY

WE'RE GOING TO FIRST NEED

TO IDENTIFY THE MAIN CHARACTERS:

THE WOMAN, THE CHILD

AND THE DRAGON.

HE SAYS, ''THEN I SAW

ANOTHER SIGN, A WOMAN,

''CLOTHED WITH THE SUN,

WITH THE MOON UNDER HER FEET,

AND ON HER HEAD A CROWN

OF TWELVE STARS.''

LET'S TAKE A CLOSER LOOK

AT THE WOMAN.

WE KNOW THAT SHE'S A SYMBOL

OF SOMEONE OR SOMETHING.

DOES THE BIBLE TELL US

WHAT THIS WOMAN REPRESENTS?

''HUSBANDS LOVE YOUR WIVES,

''JUST AS CHRIST

LOVED THE CHURCH

AND GAVE HIMSELF FOR HER.''

WE GATHER FROM THIS

THAT THE CHURCH

IS THE BRIDE OF CHRIST.

NOT ONLY

IS SHE THE BRIDE OF CHRIST

BUT IN A CERTAIN SENSE,

SINCE NO MAN HATES HIS OWN FLESH,

THE CHURCH IS JESUS' BODY.

VERY CLEARLY A WOMAN,

IN SCRIPTURE,

REPRESENTS THE CHURCH.

YOU HAVE A WOMAN

AS REPRESENTATIVE OF GOD'S PEOPLE.

WE SEE THIS

IN THE OLD TESTAMENT.

WE SEE IT IN THE NEW TESTAMENT.

JESUS COMES

FROM THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL

AND THEN THE CHURCH GROWS UP

AS SOMETHING

THAT JESUS DEVELOPS.

MOST IMPORTANTLY, THIS WOMAN

IS ABOUT TO GIVE BIRTH

TO A SPECIAL MALE CHILD.

WHO IS THE CHILD?

WE HAVE

A COUPLE OF INDICATIONS:

ONE: HE RULES WITH A ROD OF IRON

OVER THE NATIONS.

THAT'S A REFERENCE

TO THE OLD TESTAMENT

WHERE CLEARLY

GOD IS THE ONE

RULING OVER THE NATIONS

WITH A ROD OF IRON.

AND THEN HE SAYS

HE'S CAUGHT UP INTO HEAVEN

AND WHO IS CAUGHT UP

INTO HEAVEN?

JESUS CHRIST, RIGHT?

HE'S THE KING OF KINGS

AND LORD OF LORDS.

SO THESE TWO INDICATIONS

PRETTY DEFINITIVELY TELL US

THAT THIS IS JESUS.

NOW LET'S CONSIDER

THE ARCH VILLAIN

IN THIS IMPORTANT PROPHECY:

THE DRAGON.

''AND ANOTHER SIGN

APPEARED IN HEAVEN:

BEHOLD, A GREAT,

FIERY RED DRAGON...''

I WISH I COULD JUST GIVE YOU

A FANCIFUL THEORY HERE,

BUT THE BIBLE TELLS US

WHO THE DRAGON IS.

THE DRAGON IS THE DEVIL.

BOTH IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

AND THE NEW TESTAMENT

WHO TRIES TO DESTROY?

THAT IS SATAN,

THE ANGEL, THE DEVIL.

AND SO HE ATTACKS

AS SOON AS CHRIST COMES

UPON THE FACE OF THE EARTH;

THE ATTACK IS THERE.

''SO THE GREAT DRAGON

WAS CAST OUT,

''THAT SERPENT OF OLD,

CALLED THE DEVIL AND SATAN.

''WHO DECEIVES

THE WHOLE WORLD;

''HE WAS CAST TO THE EARTH,

AND HIS ANGELS

WERE CAST OUT WITH HIM.''

WHAT WE SEE HERE

IN THE FIRST PART OF REVELATION 1 2

IS A SYMBOLIC PORTRAYAL

OF THE AGE-OLD CONFLICT

BETWEEN CHRIST AND SATAN.

AND WE FIND THIS DESCRIPTION

GOING ALL THE WAY BACK

TO THE GARDEN OF EDEN

WHERE YOU HAVE

A SNAKE WITH WINGS.

WHAT'S A SNAKE WITH WINGS?

IT'S A FORM OF A DRAGON.

AND WE HAVE THIS SERPENT,

THIS DRAGON,

COMING ALL THE WAY DOWN

THROUGH SCRIPTURES.

ALL THROUGH THE LIFE

AND MINISTRY OF CHRIST

SATAN TRIED TO DISRUPT

JESUS' PLANS

TO PROVIDE SALVATION

FOR HUMANITY.

''BUT HE WAS WOUNDED

FOR OUR TRANSGRESSIONS,

''HE WAS BRUISED

FOR OUR INIQUITIES;

''THE CHASTISEMENT

FOR OUR PEACE WAS UPON HIM,

AND BY HIS STRIPES

WE ARE HEALED.''

AT VARIOUS POINTS

THEY KICKED HIM OUT OF SYNAGOGUES

AND WANTED

TO PUSH HIM OFF A CLIFF.

THEY TRIED TO SILENCE HIM.

THEY TORTURED HIM

TO DEATH PUBLICLY.

BUT SATAN'S SCHEME

TO DERAIL THE PLAN OF SALVATION

WAS UTTERLY SHATTERED

WHEN JESUS ROSE FROM THE DEAD.

''AND HER CHILD WAS CAUGHT UP

TO GOD AND HIS THRONE.''

WITH THE SON OF GOD

NOW PHYSICALLY BEYOND HIS REACH,

THE DEVIL DIRECTED ALL OF HIS FURY

AT THE FOLLOWERS OF JESUS,

THE NEW CHRISTIANS.

HE DID MUCH OF THIS

THROUGH THE CRUEL POWER

OF IMPERIAL ROME.

''NOW WHEN THE DRAGON SAW

''THAT HE HAD BEEN CAST

TO THE EARTH,

''HE PERSECUTED THE WOMAN

WHO GAVE BIRTH

TO THE MALE CHILD.''

CHRISTIANITY WAS A STRUGGLING,

SMALL PERSECUTED MINORITY

THAT DIDN'T HAVE OFFICIAL STATUS

IN THE ROMAN EMPIRE

AND THERE WERE

A SERIES OF PERSECUTIONS,

SOME OF WHICH

WERE QUITE SEVERE.

ONE OF THE ROLES OF RELIGION

IN THE ROMAN EMPIRE

WAS TO ENSURE

THE WELL-BEING OF THE STATE.

THE IDEA WAS IF THE GODS

WERE WORSHIPED PROPERLY

THEN THEY

WOULD FAVOR THE EMPIRE

AND IF THEY

WERE WORSHIPED IMPROPERLY

THEN BAD THINGS

WOULD HAPPEN TO THE EMPIRE

AS A RESULT OF DIVINE WRATH.

THEY DO NOT WANT

TO SACRIFICE TO THE GODS

AND THE GODS AT THAT POINT

INCLUDE THE EMPEROR.

SO IT'S EASY

TO CONSIDER THESE PEOPLE

RELIGIOUS SCAPEGOATS.

BASICALLY,

IF SOMETHING'S GOING WRONG

PROBABLY IT'S BECAUSE

THERE ARE CHRISTIANS AROUND

WHO ARE REFUSING TO GIVE THE GODS

THEIR PROPER DUE.

OF COURSE

YOU HAVE TO PUNISH THEM

AND PUNISHMENT MEANT,

MOST OF THE TIME, DEATH.

WHAT PEOPLE THOUGHT

WAS THAT CHRISTIANS

GATHERED TOGETHER

ALSO SEEMED TO MAKE LOVE

WITH THEIR BROTHERS AND SISTERS.

BECAUSE THERE

WERE RUMORS ABOUT THEM

THAT THEY COMMIT INCEST.

THE CHRISTIANS USED TO CALL

THEMSELVES ''BROTHER'' AND ''SISTER''

AND THEY USED TO EAT

THE FLESH OF CHRIST.

PEOPLE HEARD, APPARENTLY,

THAT CHRISTIANS

WERE EATING CHILDREN.

SO WHEN PAGANS

HEARD ABOUT THIS

THEY THOUGHT THE WORSE;

THEY ASSUMED THE WORST.

CHRISTIANS ARE PROGRESSIVELY

STRIPPED OF THEIR CIVIL OFFICES,

THEIR MILITARY OFFICES.

THEIR BOOKS ARE CONFISCATED.

THEIR CHURCHES ARE DESTROYED.

THEY'RE FORBIDDEN

TO MEET AND SO ON,

ALL BECAUSE THERE'S AN ANXIETY

THAT THIS IS REALLY UNDERMINING

THE WELFARE OF THE EMPIRE.

AS THE EARLY CHURCH SUFFERED

UNDER THIS WITHERING

PERSECUTION OF ROME,

THEIR LIVES BECAME A POWERFUL

TESTIMONY FOR TRUTH.

WHILE THE PAGANS LIVED

IN CONSTANT SUPERSTITIOUS FEAR,

THESE CHRISTIANS

FACED TORTURE AND DEATH

WITH A SUPERNATURAL PEACE.

BASICALLY, WHAT NERO DID

WAS HE FED THEM TO THE LIONS.

HE HAD THEM TIED TO PILLARS,

PUT PITCH ON THEM,

AND THEN HE SET THEM ON FIRE

AS HUMAN TORCHES

SO THEY COULD HAVE THE FESTIVITIES

CONTINUE ON INTO THE NIGHT.

HE HAD THEM STRETCHED,

PULLED INTO TWO,

BEING KILLED BY GLADIATORS.

JUST ABOUT EVERY CREATIVE WAY

THAT YOU CAN DISPOSE

OF CHRISTIANS.

WHEN FACING

THE PAINFUL END OF THEIR LIVES

THEY OFTEN SANG AND REJOICED.

AS THOUSANDS OF CHRISTIANS

PAID THE ULTIMATE PRICE

FOR THEIR FAITH,

THEIR DYING PRAYERS AND BLOOD

ESSENTIALLY BECAME SEED

FOR THE NEW CHURCH.

PEOPLE ARE SO ENTHRALLED

BY HOW THESE CHRISTIANS ARE DYING

THAT IMMEDIATELY

THE REACTION IS, ''SIGN ME UP.''

AND SO THE CHRISTIANS

SPREAD LIKE WILDFIRE.

THE MORE YOU KILLED THEM

THE MORE THEY STOOD

FOR THEIR FAITH.

IT IS TRUE AND I THINK

IT HAS TO BE EMPHASIZED,

THAT THE EARLY CHURCH SPREADS

DESPITE THE VERY CONCERTED

ATTEMPTS AT REPRESSION

OF EXTREMELY AUTOCRATIC

AND POWERFUL EMPERORS

WHO SET THEMSELVES VERY FIRMLY

AGAINST THE CHRISTIANS

AND YET THE EARLY CHURCH SURVIVES.

TERTULLIAN ARGUES,

WHENEVER SOMETHING GOES WRONG,

WHENEVER THERE'S A FAMINE,

OR WHENEVER THERE AN ILLNESS,

A PESTILENCE

THAT SWEEPS THROUGH,

EVERYBODY SAYS,

''THE CHRISTIANS TO THE LION,''

AND THEN HE SAYS SNIDELY,

''AS IF SO MANY

COULD BE FED TO SO FEW.''

AND HIS POINT

IS THAT YOU CAN'T DESTROY US ALL.

DURING THIS TIME

OF EXPONENTIAL GROWTH,

CHRISTIANS ALL ACROSS

THE ROMAN EMPIRE

QUITE LITERALLY

WENT UNDERGROUND.

THIS LABYRINTH

OF TUNNELS AND CHAMBERS

BENEATH THE ROMAN CITIES

BECAME KNOWN

AS ''THE CATACOMBS.''

NOW, THE CATACOMBS

ARE IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND.

FIRST, MANY PEOPLE IMAGINE

THAT THERE ARE CAVES

NATURALLY UNDER ROME

AND THE CHRISTIANS

SIMPLY WENT INTO THEM.

THE CATACOMBS,

ALMOST WITHOUT EXCEPTION,

ARE NOT NATURAL CAVES.

THEY WERE EXCAVATED

BY THE CHRISTIANS.

AND SO THE CHRISTIANS MADE

A WHOLE LABYRINTH UNDERGROUND.

SOMETIMES SERVICES

WOULD BE HELD THERE

IN THE VERY TOMBS

OF THE MARTYRS.

THE SECOND POINT IS THE VERY ACT

OF BURYING YOUR DEAD

IS HUGELY SIGNIFICANT.

CHRISTIANS BELIEVE

IN A RESURRECTION OF THE BODY.

OF COURSE, THAT BELIEF

HAS SHIFTED AND CHANGED

OVER THE CENTURIES,

BUT FROM ALL WE UNDERSTAND,

EARLY CHRISTIANS BELIEVED

THAT THEY WOULD BE RESURRECTED

IN THAT ACTUAL

BODILY FORM, AND THEREFORE,

THEY CHOSE TO BURY THEIR DEAD,

NOT TO CREMATE THEM.

THEREFORE, IF YOU ARE SEEN

TO BE BURYING YOUR DEAD,

ESPECIALLY AT TIMES

WHEN THERE ARE INTENSE

WAVES OF PERSECUTION,

YOU'RE MORE OR LESS

SAYING TO THE POLICE,

''COME AND INVESTIGATE ME.

I MAY WELL BE A CHRISTIAN.''

IN AD 306, A NEW ROMAN EMPEROR

CAME INTO POWER

AND THINGS

BEGAN TO RAPIDLY CHANGE.

CONSTANTINE THE GREAT

WAS A CAPABLE MILITARY LEADER

AND A SHREWD POLITICIAN.

SO CONSTANTINE HAD TO FIGHT

A SERIES OF CIVIL WARS

IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE

HIS POLITICAL AIM

OF BECOMING EMPEROR

AND THAT'S HIS OWN

PERSONAL AND POLITICAL AIM

THAT'S GOT NOTHING

TO DO WITH CHRISTIANITY.

HE GOES DOWN FROM GAUL-

MODERN DAY FRANCE-

WHERE HIS POWER BASE WAS,

TO CONFRONT

HIS RIVAL MAXENTIUS, IN ITALY.

CONSTANTINE MOVES DOWN

FROM THE NORTH -

AND YOU THINK OF ITALY,

THERE'S THIS LONG STRETCH -

AND HE WINS ONE BATTLE

AFTER ANOTHER.

AS HE WAS MARCHING

WITH HIS ARMY

HE HAD A DREAM ONE NIGHT

WHERE GOD CAME TO HIM

AND TOLD HIM

''YOU WILL BECOME A CHRISTIAN

AND PUT THIS SIGN ON YOUR SHIELD

AND YOU WILL CONQUER.''

SHORTLY AFTER THAT

HE ACTUALLY HAD A VISION,

WHICH HISTORY TELLS US

WAS SEEN BY HIS ARMY

AS WELL AS

BY CONSTANTINE, HIMSELF.

HE LOOKED UP TO THE SUN

AND HE SAW A CROSS OF LIGHT ABOVE IT

AND THE GREEK WORKS

''EN TOUTU NIKA'': BY THIS, CONQUER.

THE STORY

THAT HE HAD HAD THIS DREAM

DOES APPEAR

AT A RELATIVELY EARLY STAGE.

IT'S DESCRIBED BY EUSEBIUS.

THERE ARE DIFFERENT SOURCES.

THERE ARE DIFFERENT VERSIONS,

BUT IT DOES SEEM

THAT CONSTANTINE DOES SAY,

''I'VE HAD

THIS DIVINE ENCOUNTER

''AND AN ANGEL HAS TOLD ME

THAT IN THE SIGN OF THE CROSS

I WILL CONQUER.''

CONSTANTINE

COMMANDED HIS TROOPS

TO ADORN THEIR SHIELDS

WITH THE CHRISTIAN SYMBOL.

HIS OPPONENT THEN

MOVES OUT OF THE CITY

TO FACE THE ONCOMING

CONSTANTINE WITH HIS ARMY,

WHICH HAS NOW

BEEN TRAINED QUITE A BIT

BECAUSE THEY'VE ALREADY WON

SEVERAL VICTORIES

ON THE WAY DOWN

FROM THE NORTH,

FROM MILAN DOWN.

HIS OPPONENT MOVES ACROSS

THE RIVER AT THE MILVIAN BRIDGE,

HAS CONSTANTINE

AND HIS ARMY IN FRONT OF HIM,

THE RIVER

AND THE CITY BEHIND HIM;

NOT A GREAT SITUATION TO BE IN.

IF YOU DO NOT BEAT

THE ONCOMING ARMY,

YOU HAVE NOWHERE TO RETREAT.

SO HE LOSES.

SO FOR CONSTANTINE, WHO IS

CERTAINLY NOT YET A CHRISTIAN,

THIS IS A POWERFUL THING

BECAUSE HE HIMSELF BELIEVES

''THE CHRISTIAN GOD

HAS GIVEN ME VICTORY.''

THE CHRISTIAN GOD

IS MORE POWERFUL

THAN THESE OTHER DEITIES.

IT IS CLEAR THAT CONSTANTINE

MADE THE SYMBOL OF CHRISTIANITY

PART OF THE IMPERIAL STANDARDS

AND THAT HE FOUGHT

UNDER THAT SYMBOL AND HE WON.

BEING A GOOD ROMAN EMPEROR,

HE WOULD THEN THINK,

''YEAH, I GOT THE SIGN.

I'M ON THE RIGHT PATH.''

SO IF YOU'RE A PAGAN

OR JUST SOMEBODY

WHO'S CONFUSED ABOUT RELIGION,

YOU'VE HAD HERE

THIS CLASH OF DEITIES

AND WHO'S EMERGED ON TOP?

THE CHRISTIAN GOD.

YOU CAN DRAW

YOUR OWN CONCLUSIONS.

GRADUALLY,

THE NATIONAL SENTIMENT

AGAINST CHRISTIANITY

BEGAN REVERSING.

DURING CONSTANTINE'S REIGN,

CHRISTIANS WENT

FROM BEING A PERSECUTED SECT

TO OPENLY HOLDING

POSITIONS OF INFLUENCE

IN THE COURTS AND PALACES

OF KINGS AND GOVERNORS.

SO A LARGE PART OF THE ELITES,

USED TO RUNNING THE SHOW,

AUTOMATICALLY THEN BECOME

ALSO THE LOCAL BISHOPS, ETC.

YOU KNOW, BECOME CHRISTIAN.

IT WASN'T SUCH A BIG LEAP

BECAUSE MOST OF THEM,

ANYWAY, BELIEVED

IN ONE SUPREME DIVINE BEING

WHICH HAD

DIFFERENT REPRESENTATIONS.

IF YOU WANT

TO ADVANCE IN THE ARMY

OR IN THE IMPERIAL CIVIL SERVICE,

THERE'S EVERY INCENTIVE

TO BECOME A CHRISTIAN

BECAUSE ALL THE PEOPLE

AT THE TOP ARE CHRISTIANS.

SO, IF YOU WANT

TO ADVANCE IN THE HIERARCHY,

WHETHER IT'S MILITARY,

CIVIL SERVICE, OR JUST AT COURT,

PEOPLE BECOME CHRISTIANS.

IT BECOMES VERY ATTRACTIVE

BECAUSE CONSTANTINE'S EDICT

OF TOLERATION MAKES IT SO.

''CONSTANTINE CAN RIGHTFULLY

CLAIM THE TITLE OF GREAT,

''FOR HE TURNED

THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD

''INTO A NEW COURSE

AND MADE CHRISTIANITY,

''WHICH UNTIL THEN HAD SUFFERED

BLOODY PERSECUTION,

THE RELIGION OF THE STATE.''

AND SO AS PEOPLE

FROM AROUND THE ROMAN EMPIRE

AND SO AS PEOPLE

FROM AROUND THE ROMAN EMPIRE

ENTERED THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH,

THEY BROUGHT WITH THEM

MANY OF THEIR FORMER

PAGAN BELIEFS AND PRACTICES.

NOW THAT CHRISTIANITY

HAS BEEN GIVEN THE STATUS

AS A FULL LEGAL RELIGION,

THEN IT BECOMES ATTRACTIVE

SUBSEQUENTLY

IN THE NEXT GENERATIONS,

FOR A BROAD NUMBER

OF MEMBERS OF THIS UPPER ELITE.

NOW THE PERCENTAGE OF CHRISTIANS

IN THIS TOP 1 0% , 15% , 25%

INCREASES AND IT INCREASES

DRAMATICALLY IN THE TOP 1 % -2% .

THAT'S THE REAL CHANGE.

THAT IS WHEN CHRISTIANITY

REALLY BECOMES

THE CHRISTIANITY THAT IT IS TODAY,

BECAUSE NOW THE PEOPLE

WHO HAVE BEEN RUNNING THE SHOW,

THEY ARE NOW CHRISTIAN.

OVER TIME, CHURCH LEADERS

BEGAN TO EMBRACE

THE REGAL ROBES

AND FLAMBOYANT CEREMONY

THAT WAS PART

OF THE PAGAN RELIGIONS

AND IN PLACE

OF THE SIMPLE COMMANDS OF GOD,

THEY BEGAN TO TEACH SUPERSTITIONS

AND MAN-MADE TRADITIONS.

NOW, INSTEAD

OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH

CONVERTING THE HEATHEN WORLD,

THE PAGANS

WERE CONVERTING THE CHURCH.

THERE IS A TRAIN COMING OUT

OF THE FIRST CENTURY,

REPRESENTED BY THE DOCUMENTS

WE HAVE IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

THAT DEMONSTRATE,

THE SHAPE OF THE CHURCH THERE,

GOING INTO THIS

LONG DARK TUNNEL

OF THIS 2ND

THROUGH 4TH CENTURIES

AND THEN COMING OUT

IN THE 4TH CENTURY,

OF THIS LONG, DARK TUNNEL,

AND THE TRAIN

OF THE CHURCH THAT COMES OUT

IS SO DIFFERENT THAN THE TRAIN

OF THE CHURCH THAT GOES IN

THAT YOU SAY,

''WHAT HAPPENED?''

IN -AD- 391 , BY THE ORDER

OF EMPEROR THEODOSIUS THE FIRST,

CHRISTIANITY BECAME

THE OFFICIAL STATE RELIGION OF ROME.

WORSHIP AT PAGAN TEMPLES

WAS OUTLAWED

AND ALL OTHER

RELIGIOUS PRACTICES CEASED.

YOU'RE TRYING TO

CHRISTIANIZE AN EMPIRE.

YOU'RE TRYING

TO CHRISTIANIZE A PAGAN CULTURE.

THE OLD BASILICAS

WERE BASICALLY PAGAN TEMPLES.

PUT A CROSS OVER IT.

PUT IN PAINTINGS

OF BIBLICAL SCENES,

BIBLICAL HEROES

AND SAINTS AND MARTYRS.

CHRISTIANS ARE VERY

PURPOSEFUL AND INTENTIONAL

ABOUT TAKING OVER

PAGAN TEMPLES

AND THERE'S

A NOTABLE CHURCH LEADER

WHO ACTUALLY WRITES THIS

IN A TREATISE THAT SURVIVES.

HE WRITES A REBUTTAL

OF PAGAN ATTACKS ON CHRISTIANITY

AND PART

OF HIS EVIDENCE IS HE SAYS,

''YOUR VERY OWN

PLACES OF WORSHIP

''ARE NOW CHRISTIAN

PLACES OF WORSHIP.

''WE HAVE TAKEN THEM OVER.

''WE HAVE CLEANSED OUT

THE IDOLATRY.

''WE HAVE SANCTIFIED THEM

AND WE HAVE MADE THEM PLACES

''WHERE THE ONE

TRUE GOD IS WORSHIPED.

''WHAT CLEARER EVIDENCE

COULD YOU WISH

''THAT YOUR WHOLE SYSTEM

OF BELIEF IS FALSE?

''WHERE ARE YOUR GODS

IF THEY'RE ALLOWING THIS TO HAPPEN?''

SO CHRISTIANS, ACTUALLY,

DELIBERATELY AT TIMES

AND PURPOSEFULLY, AS A STRATEGY,

TAKE PAGAN, NOT ONLY PLACES

BUT RITUALS OR IDEAS

AND, AS THEY THINK,

SUBVERT THEM

TO ADVANCE THE CAUSE

OF SPREADING CHRISTIANITY.

WHAT WE DON'T KNOW

IS THE EXTENT TO WHICH

THEY THINK THIS THROUGH

AND SAY, ''AT WHAT POINT

IS IT LEGITIMATE TO DO THIS

AND AT WHAT POINT

DO WE PERHAPS BEGIN

TO BE TAKING ON OTHER IDEAS?''

THE SPEED

WITH WHICH THE EARLY CHURCH

TOBOGGANED INTO APOSTASY

WILL TAKE YOUR BREATH AWAY.

AS MILLIONS OF PAGANS

HASTILY JOINED THE CHURCH,

THEY WERE NATURALLY RELUCTANT

TO DISPOSE

OF THEIR IDOL TREASURES.

THE ROMANS AND THE GREEKS

WERE SO USED TO BEING SURROUNDED

BY SYMBOLS OF THEIR DEITIES,

THEY BEGAN DOING

THE SAME THING WITH CHRISTIANITY.

SO MANY

OF THESE NEW CONVERTS

JUST RELABELED THEIR IDOLS

WITH CHRISTIAN NAMES

LIKE PAUL, MARY AND PETER.

A STATUE OF JUPITER

BECAME A STATUE OF PETER.

AND WE KNOW THAT

BECAUSE IT HAS A SUN DISC

RIGHT OVER ITS HEAD

THAT INDICATES

THAT THIS IS NOT PETER

BUT IT'S A PAGAN STATUE

THAT'S BEEN RENAMED.

INSTEAD OF ROMULUS AND REMUS,

''HEY, WHY NOT THE MARTYRS,

THE GREAT MARTYRS

COSMOS AND DAMIAN, RIGHT?''

THE REPRESENTATIONS OF ISIS,

WHICH IS ORIGINALLY

AN EGYPTIAN GODDESS

BUT HAS BECOME VERY GREEK

ALREADY BECOMES, ESSENTIALLY,

THE REPRESENTATION

OF MARY CARRYING HER CHILD.

YOU HAVE

A MOTHER AND CHILD TRADITION

ALL THE WAY DOWN

THROUGH HISTORY.

YOU HAVE IT IN MITHRAISM,

YOU HAVE IT IN BABYLON,

YOU HAVE IT

ALL THE WAY BACK IN PERSIA.

IT APPEARS THAT MARY ACQUIRED

SOME OF THE CHARACTERISTICS

THAT WERE ASSOCIATED WITH

SOME OF THESE OTHER GODDESSES.

SHE WEARS A DARK BLUE COAT

AND SHE STANDS ON THE HALF MOON.

SHE IS THE MOTHER OF ALL GODS,

ISIS CARRYING HER SON HORUS,

THAT IS THE IMAGE

THAT GETS A NEW NAME

AND NOW THE NAME

IS MARY CARRYING THE CHILD JESUS.

OR A DEPICTION

OF THE GOD HERMES,

HE IS SHOWN AS CHRIST

THE GOOD SHEPHERD.

ASCLEPIOS

IS THE ICONOGRAPHIC MODEL

FOR A LOT

OF THE DEPICTIONS OF JESUS, YES.

A YOUNG VIBRANT GOD

WITH CURLY HAIR

DOWN TO ABOUT HERE

AND A LITTLE BEARD.

SOON THE STATUES

OF THE SAINTS AND EVEN JESUS

BEGAN ADORNING THE CHURCHES.

EVEN THOUGH GOD

CLEARLY FORBIDS THIS PRACTICE

IN THE TEN COMMANDMENTS,

PEOPLE CONTINUE TO REVERE

AND TO PRAY

TO THESE RELABELED IDOLS.

''THOU SHALT NOT MAKE

UNTO THEE ANY GRAVEN IMAGE

''OR ANY LIKENESS OF ANYTHING

THAT IS IN HEAVEN ABOVE

''OR THAT IS

IN THE EARTH BENEATH

''OR THAT IS IN THE WATER

UNDER THE EARTH.

THOU SHALT NOT BOW DOWN THYSELF

TO THEM, NOR SERVE THEM.''

RELATED TO THE LAST POINT

IS THE VENERATION OF MARY

THE MOTHER OF JESUS.

WHILE IT IS TRUE MARY

WAS A FAITHFUL WOMAN

AND GREATLY HONORED

TO BE HIS MOTHER,

THE SCRIPTURES TEACH NOWHERE

THAT SHE IS TO BE DEIFIED

OR WORSHIPED.

MARY HAD ALWAYS BEEN IMPORTANT

IN ANCIENT CHRISTIAN HISTORY,

BUT OVER THE MIDDLE AGES

SHE BECOMES ELEVATED ALMOST

TO A- LOOKING AT IT DETACHEDLY-

ALMOST TO THE RANK

OF A SEMI-DEITY.

THE VIRGIN MARY

WAS BELIEVED TO BE THE ONE

WHO WOULD SPEAK UP

FOR GUILTY HUMAN BEINGS

TO HER SUPREMELY

VIRTUOUS AND JUDGMENTAL

AND RATHER CENSORIUS SON.

VERY STRANGE IMAGE,

BUT THAT'S HOW THE RELIGIOUS ART

OF THE PERIOD SHOWS IT.

THE BIBLE DOES NOT VENERATE MARY

AS A SPECIAL SAINT.

IT LIFTS HER UP AS A PURE,

WONDERFUL WOMAN

USED BY GOD

TO GIVE BIRTH TO THE MESSIAH.

YET,

AT THE COUNCIL OF NICEA IN 325,

THE CHURCH ELEVATED MARY

TO THE STATURE OF A GODDESS

AND CO-MEDIATOR WITH CHRIST.

EVEN AS EARLY

AS THE LATE 4TH CENTURY,

CHURCHES WERE BEING DEDICATED

TO THE VIRGIN MARY.

BUT SADLY, THESE WERE NOT

THE ONLY ERRORS

THAT SLIPPED IN

DURING THIS TIME.

DURING THE APOSTOLIC AGE,

BAPTISM WAS A SACRED CEREMONY

RESERVED ONLY

FOR THOSE OLD ENOUGH

TO MAKE

A RATIONAL DECISION FOR CHRIST.

IT WAS A PUBLIC TESTIMONY

OF ACCEPTING CHRIST

AND HIS FORGIVENESS.

BAPTISM LITERALLY

REPRESENTS BEING DEAD

AND BURIED TO OUR OLD LIFE

AND BEING RESURRECTED,

OR BORN AGAIN,

TO A NEW LIFE IN CHRIST.

IT COMES TO BE,

IN THE COURSE OF THE CENTURIES,

SEEN MORE AS A RIGHT

OF INITIATION INTO CHRISTIANITY

AND SO IT BEGINS HAPPENING

AT EARLIER STAGES OF LIFE,

WHEN YOU'RE SORT OF

IN LATE CHILDHOOD

OR EARLY ADOLESCENCE

AND DEEMED READY,

TO MAKE THAT COMMITMENT

TO YOUR FAITH.

THE BAPTISM CEREMONY WAS ALSO

PERFORMED IN A LAKE OR A RIVER

WHERE A PERSON

COULD BE FULLY SUBMERGED,

SIGNIFYING THEY WERE

FULLY WASHED FROM THEIR SINS.

THE PRACTICE OF BAPTISM

WAS GRADUALLY ALTERED

BY THE CHURCH.

HUNDREDS

OF YEARS AFTER CHRIST,

SPRINKLING AND POURING

WERE INTRODUCED

AS A MORE CONVENIENT

MODE OF BAPTISM.

THIS ACTUALLY UNDERMINED

THE POWERFUL SYMBOLISM

OF THE SERVICE

AND IT CONTRADICTS

THE EXAMPLE OF JESUS,

WHO WAS BAPTIZED BY IMMERSION.

THAT CONTINUES

TO BE THE CASE

UP UNTIL ABOUT

THE 1 2TH CENTURY, ACTUALLY,

BECAUSE

THE 1 2TH CENTURY IS A TIME

WHEN THEOLOGIANS ARE REALLY

RE-EXAMINING CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE

AND THEY COME TO CONCLUDE

THAT ORIGINAL SIN,

THE SIN THAT ALL OF HUMANITY

HAS AS A RESULT OF THE FALL

IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN,

EXISTS IN THE SOUL

FROM THE MOMENT OF BIRTH.

THERE WAS

THIS UNBIBLICAL CONCEPT

THAT A CHILD

COULD SIN RIGHT AWAY

AND SO,

THEREFORE, IF HE SINNED,

HE WAS IN DANGER

OF GOING TO HELL

AND BURNING

FOREVER IN HELL.

THE ONLY WAY

TO TAKE CARE OF HIM

WAS TO BAPTIZE HIM

AND HE HAD TO BE BAPTIZED

INTO THE CHURCH.

IF YOU WEREN'T

A MEMBER OF THE CHURCH,

IT WAS TICKETS FOR YOU.

SO THEOLOGIANS SAY,

''YOU KNOW WHAT?

''WE NEED TO START BAPTIZING

BABIES IMMEDIATELY.

''AS SOON AS POSSIBLE

AFTER THEY'RE BORN

SO THAT IN CASE THEY DIE- ''

OF COURSE, THIS IS A PERIOD

WHEN INFANT MORTALITY IS HIGH

AND A LOT OF BABIES DO DIE-

''THEY CAN GET INTO HEAVEN.''

ANOTHER CHRISTIAN TRUTH

THAT WAS ALTERED

BY PAGAN INFLUENCE

WAS THE LORD'S SUPPER.

JESUS INSTITUTED

THE COMMUNION SERVICE,

ALSO KNOW BY SOME

AS THE EUCHARIST,

TO BE A BEAUTIFUL,

YET SIMPLE CEREMONY

WHERE HIS FOLLOWERS

WOULD DRINK UNFERMENTED WINE

AND EAT UNLEAVENED BREAD.

THESE SYMBOLS

OF JESUS' SINLESS BODY AND BLOOD

ARE DESIGNED

TO HELP BELIEVERS

REMEMBER THE SACRIFICE

AND THE TEACHINGS OF CHRIST.

BY FAR, THE MOST IMPORTANT RITE

FOR LATE MEDIEVAL CHRISTIANS

WAS THE EUCHARIST

OR COMMUNION,

OR AS THEY MOST COMMONLY

CALLED IT, THE MASS.

MEN AND WOMEN

ALL COME TOGETHER

AND TAKE THE SACRAMENT.

THEY CELEBRATE WHAT WE

WOULD CALL COMMUNION,

TAKING THE BODY AND BLOOD

OF JESUS CHRIST.

BUT AGAIN, UNDER THE INFLUENCE

OF HEATHEN RITUALS,

THE HOLY COMMUNION SERVICE

WAS GRADUALLY CHANGED

BY CHURCH LEADERS

INTO A MYSTICAL CEREMONY.

IN THIS NEW RITUAL, FERMENTED

WINE WAS USED AND THE PRIEST,

ALLEGEDLY

HAD THE POWER TO TRANSFORM

THE BREAD AND THE WINE

INTO THE ACTUAL BODY

AND BLOOD OF CHRIST.

THIS IS TRANSUBSTANTIATION,

THE NOTION THAT A PRIEST

TRANSFORMS THE EUCHARIST

INTO THE BODY

AND BLOOD OF CHRIST

THROUGH THE PRONUNCIATION

OF THE FORMULA

''HOC EST ENIM CORPUS MEUM'':

''THIS IS MY BODY.''

THEY WERE POWERFUL WORDS

BELIEVED TO HAVE THE PROPERTY

THAT WHEN THEY WERE UTTERED

GOD TRANSFORMED THE NATURE

OF THE BREAD AND THE WINE

INTO THE BODY AND BLOOD

OF A RISEN JESUS CHRIST.

EVEN TO THE POINT

WHERE LATER ON THEY SAY,

''WE ARE CREATING GOD''

BY SPEAKING THE WORDS

OF MYSTAGOGIA.

ESSENTIALLY,

WHAT HAPPENED ON THE ALTAR

WAS THAT BREAD BECAME BODY,

WINE BECAME BLOOD,

BUT THEY JUST STILL

LOOKED LIKE BREAD AND WINE.

THIS OFFERING

OF THE SACRIFICE IN THE EUCHARIST,

THIS SACRIFICE OF PRAISE,

THIS COMMUNAL MEAL

NOW BECOMES NOT

A REMEMBRANCE OF THE SACRIFICE

BUT A SACRIFICE IN AND OF ITSELF

AND IS GIVING SALVATION.

THEY BELIEVED

AND THEY TAUGHT THAT IN THE MASS

JESUS CHRIST,

IN THE PERSON OF THE PRIEST,

SACRIFICES CHRIST

TO GOD THE FATHER

AND, THEREBY WINS GOOD,

WINS QUANTUM OF HOLINESS,

WHICH THE CHURCH

CAN THEN ASSIGN

TO THE BENEFICIARIES

OF THAT MASS.

BECAUSE PEOPLE BELIEVE

THAT BY CELEBRATING A MASS

YOU WERE DOING SOMETHING GOOD

WHICH WAS OFFERED UP TO GOD,

THERE WAS

A THEOLOGICAL RATIONALE

FOR DOING IT LOTS

AND LOTS OF TIMES.

BY 1 415 -AD-,

AT THE COUNCIL OF CONSTANCE,

CHURCH LEADERS

FURTHER DECREED

THAT ONLY THE PRIESTS

COULD DRINK THE WINE

AND THE LAITY

WOULD ONLY RECEIVE THE BREAD;

YET THE BIBLE

CLEARLY SAYS

THAT WHEN JESUS ESTABLISHED

THE COMMUNION SERVICE

THEY ALL DRANK FROM IT.

ABOUT 300 YEARS AFTER CHRIST

THE CHURCH BEGAN TO DEVIATE

ABOUT 300 YEARS AFTER CHRIST

THE CHURCH BEGAN TO DEVIATE

FROM ANOTHER

OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS;

SPECIFICALLY

THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT

THAT REQUIRES BELIEVERS

TO REMEMBER THE 7TH DAY

AS THE SABBATH.

''REMEMBER THE SABBATH DAY,

TO KEEP IT HOLY.

''SIX DAYS YOU SHALL LABOR

AND DO ALL YOUR WORK

''BUT THE SEVENTH DAY

IS THE SABBATH

OF THE LORD YOUR GOD.''

IN THE ROMAN EMPIRE

JEWS ARE AN OLD RELIGION

AND OLD RELIGIONS

ARE RESPECTED.

WHEN THE JEWS

KEPT FIGHTING AGAINST ROME

WHAT HAD BEEN AN UMBRELLA

OF SAFETY UNDER JUDAISM

BECOMES A LIGHTNING ROD

TO CHRISTIANITY

THE CHRISTIANS

BECOME ALIENATED FROM THE JEWS

JEWS PERSECUTED THEM

AND SO THEY TRIED TO DISTANCE

THEMSELVES FROM THE JEWS.

CHURCH LEADERS

BEGAN TO DEVALUE

THE SEVENTH-DAY SABBATH

OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS

IN PREFERENCE FOR THE MORE

POPULAR ROMAN SUNDAY.

SOME CHRISTIANS

MISTAKENLY THOUGHT

THAT YOU SHOULD FAST

ON THE SABBATH

BUT YOU COULD FEAST ON SUNDAY.

THAT'S WHAT THE PAGANS DID,

THEY FEASTED ON SUNDAY,

FASTED ON SATURDAY.

NOT A JEWISH CONCEPT,

THE JEWS FASTED FRIDAY

AND FEASTED SABBATH,

BUT THAT'S HOW

SOME CHRISTIANS THOUGHT OF IT.

SO IF YOU'RE FASTING ON ONE DAY

AND YOU'RE FEASTING ON THE NEXT,

YOU CAN GUESS WHICH DAY

BECOMES THE MORE POPULAR DAY.

AND CHRIST

IS RESURRECTED ON A SUNDAY

THERE'S A VERY NATURAL

TENDENC Y, THEREFORE,

TO MARK THAT

AND CELEBRATE THAT.

THERE'S A THIRD REASON

AND THAT IS

THE INFLUENCE OF SUN WORSHIP

THAT CREEPS INTO THE CHURCH

AND WHEN SUN WORSHIP BEGINS

TO CREEP INTO THE CHURCH,

CONSTANTINE

CAN MAKE USE OF THAT

TO LEAD

TO THE EXALTATION OF SUNDAY,

THE DAY OF THE SUN,

AS BEING THE DAY

THAT PEOPLE SHOULD WORSHIP ON.

THIS GRADUAL DEPARTURE

FROM GOD'S LAW

OVER THE CENTURIES

HAS BECOME SO WIDELY ACCEPTED

THAT MOST ARE SHOCKED

TO LEARN THAT SUNDAY KEEPING

HAS NO FOUNDATION

IN THE BIBLE.

IN -AD- 313 CONSTANTINE

PUBLISHED THE EDICT OF MILAN,

ESTABLISHING SUNDAY

AS A DAY OF REST.

THE EMPEROR'S SUNDAY LAW

HAD NOTHING TO DO

WITH CHRISTIANITY,

IT WAS ACTUALLY TO HONOR

THE MAIN GRECO-ROMAN SUN GOD

CALLED HELIOS, OR APOLLO.

THE EMPEROR CONSTANTINE

BECAME A CONVERT TO CHRISTIANITY

AND ALSO, BECAUSE HE REMAINED

PARTIAL TO THE SUN GOD,

THE EMPEROR CONSTANTINE

MOVED THE DAY OF WORSHIP

FROM SATURDAY THE SABBATH,

AS HAD BEEN TRADITIONAL

IN JUDAISM, OBVIOUSLY,

TO SUNDAY,

THE DAY OF THE SUN GOD.

AND EVER SINCE CHRISTIAN FOLKS,

AT LEAST FOR THE MOST PART,

OVERWHELMINGLY HAVE HELD

THEIR DAY OF WORSHIP ON SUNDAY

RATHER THAN SATURDAY.

THIS IS CLEAR FROM ANOTHER

EDICT OF CONSTANTINE,

GIVEN IN -AD- 321 ,

WHEN THE EMPEROR ORDERED:

''ON THE VENERABLE

DAY OF THE SUN

''LET THE MAGISTRATES AND PEOPLE

RESIDING IN CITIES REST,

AND LET ALL WORKSHOPS

BE CLOSED.''

NOTICE, THE EDICT

USES THE WORD ''SUN,'' S-U-N.

IT'S ALSO RECORDED

THAT CONSTANTINE THE GREAT

MADE A LAW

FOR THE WHOLE EMPIRE

THAT SUNDAY SHOULD BE KEPT

AS A DAY OF REST.

OBVIOUSLY, THIS CHANGE DID NOT

INFILTRATE THE CHURCH OVERNIGHT.

HISTORY TELLS US THAT FOR DECADES

THE SEVENTH-DAY SABBATH,

TOGETHER WITH SUNDAY,

WERE BOTH OBSERVED AS HOLY DAYS.

THE VERY, VERY EARLY CHURCH

CLEARLY IS STILL WORSHIPING

ON THE JEWISH SATURDAY

IN THE TIMES

OF THE APOSTLES,

BUT BY THE MID

TO LATE 3RD CENTURY,

THAT HAS LARGELY

BEEN ABANDONED

OR IS IN THE PROCESS

OF BEING ABANDONED.

BY THE EARLY FOURTH CENTURY,

IN MANY PARTS OF THE ROMAN WORLD,

CHRISTIANS ARE GENERALLY

WORSHIPING ON SUNDAY.

A LOT OF CHRISTIANS,

DURING THIS PERIOD OF TIME,

WOULD OBSERVE THE SABBATH

AND THEN ON SUNDAY

THEY WOULD HAVE A SERVICE

REMEMBERING THE RESURRECTION

AND THEN THEY'D GO

ABOUT THEIR REGULAR WORK.

IT'S DURING

THE TIME OF CONSTANTINE

IN WHICH THE IDEA OF TRANSFERRING

THE SOLEMNITY OF THE SABBATH

TO SUNDAY IS FIRST EXPRESSED.

CENTURIES EARLIER

THE PROPHET DANIEL

HAD FORETOLD

A RELIGIOUS POWER WOULD ARISE

THAT WOULD THINK

TO CHANGE TIMES AND LAWS.

WITHIN THE TEN COMMANDMENTS

THERE'S ONLY ONE LAW

THAT IS ALSO A TIME: THE SABBATH.

THE DOCTRINE OF HELLFIRE

WAS ALSO DISTORTED

BY PAGAN MYTHOLOGY.

IN THE BOOK OF REVELATION

THE BIBLE TEACHES THAT FOLLOWING

THE GREAT JUDGMENT DAY

THE LOST WILL BE CAST

INTO A LAKE OF FIRE.

AT THAT TIME,

EACH PERSON IS PUNISHED

ACCORDING TO WHAT THEY DESERVE

AND THEN THEY'RE TOTALLY CONSUMED

AND ETERNALLY PERISH.

''AND DO NOT FEAR THOSE

WHO KILL THE BODY

''BUT CANNOT KILL THE SOUL,

''BUT RATHER FEAR HIM

WHO IS ABLE TO DESTROY

BOTH SOUL AND BODY IN HELL.''

''FOR THE LIVING KNOW

THAT THEY WILL DIE,

BUT THE DEAD KNOW NOTHING.''

THE PRIESTS

BEGAN TO TEACH THAT HELL

WAS A PLACE OF ETERNAL TORMENT

RULED BY THE DEVIL

AND IT BEGAN

AT THE MOMENT OF DEATH.

THE FALLEN CHURCH

WAS ABLE TO USE

THIS FRIGHTFUL CONCEPT

OF NEVER-ENDING TORTURE

TO TERRORIZE AND MANIPULATE

BOTH THE KING AND THE COMMONER.

MOST TRAGIC OF ALL,

THIS FALSE TEACHING

PORTRAYS JESUS AS SOME SORT

OF SADISTIC FIEND.

IT'S ENCOURAGED

SOME ATHEISTS AND AGNOSTICS

TO CHALLENGE CHRISTIANITY

AND CHRISTIANITY'S IDEA

OF A LOVING GOD

IF HE DOES SOMETHING

THAT IS WORSE

THAN EVEN WHAT HITLER DID.

NO MATTER

WHAT SOMEBODY HAS DONE,

IS BILLIONS

OF YEARS OF TORTURE,

FITTING THE CRIME?

SO THERE HAVE BEEN PEOPLE

WHO HAVE HATED GOD

AND HAVE LEARNED TO HATE GOD

BECAUSE OF THIS.

ANOTHER PAGAN CONCEPT

THAT INFILTRATED CHRISTIAN THINKING

WAS REGARDING THE AFTERLIFE.

PURGATORY IS THE IDEA

THAT TEACHES THAT AT DEATH

SOME PEOPLE WILL ENTER

A TEMPORARY HELLFIRE

WHERE THEY'RE PURIFIED

FOR HEAVEN.

PURGATORY'S A HALFWAY HOUSE,

HALFWAY, KIND OF,

BETWEEN HEAVEN AND HELL.

AND THE THING WITH PURGATORY

IS YOU CAN ESCAPE FROM IT.

AS THE MASS SAYS,

''CONSIGNED TO FLAMES OF WOE,''

IT'S FILLED WITH VERMIN,

IT'S FILLED WITH SULPHURIC SMELLS,

IT MAY BE QUITE A BIT

BETTER THAN HELL,

BUT IT'S NO PICNIC EITHER.

THE CHURCH DEVELOPS GRADUALLY

AND, AGAIN, IT GROWS

ON THE CHURCH BY SLOW DEGREES,

THE IDEA

THAT ANYONE WHO DIES

WITH THEIR WORKS

OF SATISFACTION INCOMPLETE

WILL PROBABLY

HAVE TO PAY THEM OFF

IN SOME PLACE

OF POST-MORTEM SUFFERING.

THEY ARE SUFFERING

IN ORDER TO BE PURIFIED,

PURGED FROM THEIR SINS

AND OFFENSES

WHICH THEY'VE COMMITTED IN LIFE.

MEDIEVAL PEOPLE BELIEVED

ALMOST EVERYONE

WILL BE SAVED AND REDEEMED,

WHO IS A BAPTIZED

MEMBER OF THE CHURCH.

BUT ALMOST EVERYONE WILL ALSO

HAVE TO MAKE SATISFACTION

FOR THE SINS

THAT THEY'VE COMMITTED

AND THAT THEY

HAVEN'T CONFESSED

BY SPENDING SOME

TIME IN PURGATORY.

SO THE REAL TASK THEN

IS TO REDUCE

THE TIME IN PURGATORY.

MANY PEOPLE MISUNDERSTAND

PURGATORY AND HELL.

THERE'S AN IDEA YOU CAN

GET OUT OF HELL; YOU CAN'T.

IF YOU GO TO HELL THAT'S IT.

THERE'S NO RELEASE.

YOU'RE VERY, VERY WICKED

AND YOU'RE JUST DOOMED.

BUT MOST PEOPLE,

WE HAVE A LOT

OF BAD THINGS IN US

SO HOW CAN WE

BE MADE GOOD FOR HEAVEN?

WE HAVE TO HAVE IT

PURGED OUT OF US

AND THUS

YOU GET THE WORD 'PURGATORY'.

THEREFORE,

MOST CHRISTIANS BELIEVE

THAT THEIR RELATIVES

ARE SUFFERING IN PURGATORY

AND PURGATORY

IS NOT A NICE PLACE.

YOU'RE THERE

FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS.

THE IDEA OF PURGATORY

DATES BACK

CENTURIES BEFORE JESUS' TIME.

WRITINGS FROM PLATO,

AS EARLY AS 400 BC,

HELP SHED LIGHT

ON WHERE THIS CONCEPT

OF PURIFICATION

AND PUNISHMENT CAME FROM.

HOWEVER, PURGATORY

DIDN'T BECOME REGARDED

AS AN ACTUAL PLACE

UNTIL CENTURIES LATER.

BETWEEN 1 1 60 AND 1 180 -AD-,

THEOLOGIANS DEVELOPED

THE DOCTRINE OF PURGATORY

LE-AD-ING TO THE FORMAL

ACCEPTANCE OF IT

AT THE SECOND COUNCIL

OF LYONS IN 1 27 4.

THE CHURCH THEN OFFERS

TO SUPPORT THE DEAD IN PURGATORY

BY ITS PRAYERS

AND BY ATTRIBUTING TO PEOPLE

THE BENEFITS OF THE SACRAMENTS,

ESPECIALLY THE COMMUNION.

THIS IS ALL PERFECTLY ORTHODOX.

THE CHURCH BELIEVED

THAT THIS IS DOING GOOD

AND LAYPEOPLE

SEEMED TO BE WILLING

TO PUT LARGE AMOUNTS

OF MONEY INTO IT

AND YOU HAVE

AN EXTRAORDINARY

PROLIFERATION OF INSTITUTIONS

FOUNDED PRINCIPALLY FOR PRIESTS

TO SAY MASSES FOR THE SOULS

OF THE DEPARTED,

PARTICULARLY

IN THE 1 4TH AND 15TH CENTURIES.

THIS DOCTRINE WAS FABRICATED

TO MANIPULATE THE MASSES

FOR FINANCIAL GAIN.

PEOPLE WERE WILLING TO PAY

HUGE AMOUNTS OF MONEY

TO RELEASE A LOVED ONE

FROM THE TORTURES

OF PURGATORY.

OF COURSE, BELIEVERS

COULD NEVER REALLY BE SURE

WHEN SOMEONE LEFT PURGATORY,

SO THE MONEY KEPT FLOWING

INTO THE POCKETS

OF CORRUPT PRIESTS.

THE HEAD OF THE CHURCH

WOULD HAVE PEOPLE

GOING OUT TO RAISE MONEY

AND ENCOURAGE PEOPLE

TO GIVE THEIR MONEY TO THE CHURCH,

BUY PEOPLE OUT OF PURGATORY,

SO THEY COULD FUND

THESE ELABORATE BUILDINGS.

THIS BELIEF IN PURGATORY

IS ALSO BUILT

ON THE DANGEROUS CONCEPT

THAT THE WORKS

AND THE PRAYERS OF THE LIVING

CAN SOMEHOW ALTER

THE DESTINY OF THE DEAD,

YET JESUS MADE IT VERY CLEAR

THERE IS NO LIMBO OR PURGATORY.

AFTER DEATH, A PERSON'S

NEXT CONSCIOUS THOUGHT

WAS THE RESURRECTION

AND THEIR ETERNAL REWARD.

''DO NOT MARVEL AT THIS;

FOR THE HOUR IS COMING

''IN WHICH ALL

WHO ARE IN THE GRAVES

''WILL HEAR HIS VOICE

AND COME FORTH;

''THOSE WHO HAVE DONE GOOD,

TO THE RESURRECTION OF LIFE,

''AND THOSE WHO HAVE DONE EVIL

TO THE RESURRECTION

OF CONDEMNATION.''

CENTRAL IN THE GOSPEL MESSAGE

IS THE TEACHING

OF HOW WE OBTAIN FORGIVENESS.

THIS WAS ANOTHER

MAJOR BIBLE TRUTH

THAT SUFFERED

DURING THIS AGE OF COMPROMISE.

IT WAS TAUGHT THAT IF A PERSON

WISHED TO BE FORGIVEN,

HE OR SHE MUST FIRST CONFESS

THEIR SINS THROUGH A PRIEST,

THROUGH A RITE CALLED

THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE,

MORE COMMONLY KNOWN

AS ''CONFESSION.''

SO IN ORDER TO MAKE UP

FOR OUR INSUFFICIENT GOODNESS

AND OUR ACTUAL WRONG ACTIONS,

WE MUST ALL-

LAYPEOPLE AS WELL AS CLERGY-

WE MUST ALL CONFESS OUR SINS

AT LEAST ONCE A YEAR,

AND PREFERABLY MORE OFTEN

THAN THAT, TO A PRIEST.

THIS WAS A NEGATIVE DEVELOPMENT

ON SEVERAL COUNTS.

FIRST OF ALL, IT'S TAUGHT

NOWHERE IN THE BIBLE.

SECONDLY, IT PUTS A MORTAL MAN

IN THE PLACE OF CHRIST

AND IT MADE GOD SEEM DETACHED

FROM THE AVERAGE PERSON.

OF COURSE, AT THE TIME,

IT ALSO PLACED THE PRIEST

IN AN AWKWARD POSITION

TO HEAR ABOUT

ALL THE WICKED DEEDS

OF HIS PARISHIONERS.

WHEN ONE GOES TO A PRIEST

IN THE MIDDLE AGES,

THERE ARE REALLY THREE THINGS

THAT ARE ACCOMPLISHED

THROUGH CONFESSING ONE'S SIN.

FIRST OF ALL,

YOU MAKE THE CONFESSION,

THE PRIEST GRANTS

THE WORDS OF ASSURANCE

THAT THE SIN

IS ABSOLVED- IT'S GONE-

BUT A PERSON,

BECAUSE THEY HAVE VIOLATED

THE LAWS OF THE CHURCH

AND THE TEACHINGS OF CHRIST,

HAS TO PERFORM

A WORK OF SATISFACTION

IN ORDER TO MAKE UP

FOR THE FACT

THAT THEY HAVE SINNED.

THE BIBLE TEACHES THAT MANKIND

IS HELPLESS TO SAVE HIMSELF.

THIS IS WHY JESUS

CAME TO THIS WORLD.

THE SCRIPTURES TEACH

THAT SALVATION DEPENDS ENTIRELY

UPON OUR TRUST IN GOD

FOR MERC Y AND GRACE,

THAT WE DON'T DESERVE IT;

IT'S A MAGNIFICENT GIFT

THAT CAN NEVER BE EARNED

BY OUR EFFORTS OR GOOD WORKS.

EVEN OBEDIENCE

COMES THROUGH A GIFT OF GRACE.

THE NEW TESTAMENT DOCTRINE

OF SALVATION BY FAITH

IS WIDELY TAUGHT

AND UNDERSTOOD TODAY,

BUT DURING THE DARKNESS

OF THE MIDDLE AGES

IT WAS EASIER TO CONVINCE

THE ILLITERATE MASSES

THAT THEY NEEDED

TO PERFORM GOOD DEEDS

IN ORDER TO EARN GOD'S FAVOR.

THE PEOPLE WERE TAUGHT

THAT IF A SINNER

WAS TO HAVE ANY HOPE

OF APPEASING GOD,

HE OR SHE WOULD NEED TO PAY

HUGE SUMS OF MONEY,

PERFORM PAINFUL

ACTS OF PENANCE,

OR MAKE

SOME WEARY PILGRIMAGE.

THIS WOULD OFTEN INCLUDE

AN ASSIGNMENT TO RECITE

CERTAIN PRAYERS OVER AND OVER

AS A REQUIREMENT

TO OBTAIN FORGIVENESS.

FORTY ''HAIL MARYS''

AND TEN ''OUR FATHERS''

AND PUTTING A COIN

IN THE COLLECTION BOX.

IN THE HEATHEN RELIGIONS

OF THE WORLD

THE IDEA

OF REPETITIVE PRAYERS OR CHANTS

WAS NOTHING NEW.

IT WAS BELIEVED THAT YOU COULD

APPEASE OR INFLUENCE THE GODS

BY CONSTANT ECHOING OF PRAYERS

OR BY USING

SPECIAL MAGICAL WORDS.

JESUS CLEARLY WARNED

AGAINST THIS FORM OF PRAYER.

''AND WHEN YOU PRAY,

''DO NOT USE VAIN REPETITIONS

AS THE HEATHEN DO.

''FOR THEY THINK

THAT THEY WILL BE HEARD

FOR THEIR MANY WORDS.''

CORRUPT CHURCH LEADERS KNEW,

IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN ANY

LASTING POWER OVER GOD'S PEOPLE,

THEY WOULD NEED

TO SEPARATE THEM

FROM THE ONE THING

THAT THEY KNEW

COULD EXPOSE THESE DECEPTIONS:

THE HOLY SCRIPTURES.

THE BIBLE WAS NOT INITIALLY

WITHHELD FROM THE PEOPLE,

IT WAS ACCESSIBLE.

BUT, IN TIME,

WHEN PEOPLE SAW DIFFERENCES,

THEY CHALLENGED THE CLERGY.

AND SO IT WAS

IN THEIR INTEREST, OVER TIME,

NOT TO MAKE AVAILABLE

THE BIBLE TO THE PEOPLE.

ONLY THE PRIESTS

CAN INTERPRET SCRIPTURE

BECAUSE THEY COMBINED

SCRIPTURE WITH TRADITION

AND SO TRADITION

INTERPRETED SCRIPTURE

AND THE ONLY ONES

WHO UNDERSTOOD THIS LONG

TRADITION WERE THE PRIESTS

AND THEY COULD READ

THE SCRIPTURES

MANY OF THE COMMON PEOPLE

COULDN'T EVEN READ THE SCRIPTURES

AND THEY WANTED TO MAKE SURE

THAT THEY INTERPRETED SCRIPTURE

IN A WAY THAT WOULD

HARMONIZE WITH TRADITION.

SO FROM THE 5TH CENTURY

TO THE 15TH CENTURY,

1 ,000 YEARS OF HISTORY,

IT WAS TAUGHT AND ACCEPTED

THAT ONLY RELIGIOUS LEADERS

WERE QUALIFIED ENOUGH

TO EXPLAIN THE SACRED TEXTS.

THE COMMON MAN WAS TOLD

HE COULD NEVER HOPE

TO UNDERSTAND THE SCRIPTURES

WITHOUT

THE ASSISTANCE OF A PRIEST.

WITH THIS LETHAL DECEPTION,

THE CHURCH LAITY

WAS KEPT IN DARKNESS.

MEANWHILE,

THE VISIBLE CHURCH,

ONCE A BIBLICAL

BASTION OF TRUTH,

HAD DEGRADED INTO A CORRUPT

POLITICAL ORGANIZATION

TRIMMED

WITH SPIRITUALISTIC CEREMONIES.

IT'S NO WONDER

THAT THIS TIME PERIOD

OF CULTURAL, ECONOMIC

AND SPIRITUAL DETERIORATION

IS KNOWN AS ''THE DARK AGES.''

IT'S TRAGIC HOW,

IN JUST A FEW SHORT CENTURIES,

THE WONDERFUL LIGHT

THAT HAD BEEN BLAZING

FROM THE LUMINOUS

BRIDE OF CHRIST

HAD BEEN ECLIPSED

BY PAGAN TRADITIONS.

NOW A VERY DIFFERENT

KIND OF WOMAN

EMERGED TO TAKE HER PLACE.

''AND I SAW A WOMAN

SITTING ON A SCARLET BEAST,

''WHICH WAS FULL

OF NAMES OF BLASPHEMY,

''HAVING SEVEN HEADS

AND TEN HORNS.

''THE WOMAN WAS ARRAYED

IN PURPLE AND SCARLET

''AND ADORNED WITH GOLD

AND PRECIOUS STONES AND PEARLS,

''HAVING IN HER HAND A GOLDEN CUP

FULL OF ABOMINATIONS

''AND THE FILTHINESS

OF HER FORNICATION.

''AND ON HER FOREHEAD

A NAME WAS WRITTEN,

'''MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT,

THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS

''AND THE ABOMINATIONS

OF THE EARTH.'

''I SAW THE WOMAN DRUNK

WITH THE BLOOD OF THE SAINTS

''AND WITH THE BLOOD

OF THE MARTYRS OF JESUS.

AND WHEN I SAW HER I MARVELED

WITH GREAT AMAZEMENT.''

IN REVELATION CHAPTER 1 7,

JOHN SEES A WOMAN

WHO HE DESCRIBES

AS STRIKINGLY DIFFERENT

FROM THE PURE WOMAN

OF REVELATION 1 2.

WHO IS THIS NEW

BLOODTHIRSTY HARLOT

AND WHAT ABOUT

THE BIZARRE BEAST THAT SHE'S RIDING?

IF YOU'RE NOT SITTING DOWN,

THIS MIGHT BE THE TIME TO DO SO.

YOU MAY FIND WHAT YOU'RE ABOUT

TO HEAR A BIT SHOCKING.

THERE'S ONLY ONE EMPIRE,

ONE CHURCH,

ONE INSTITUTION THAT MATCHES

THE CRITERIA IN THIS PROPHECY:

THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH.

THIS DOES NOT MEAN THAT

ALL THE PEOPLE WITHIN THIS FAITH

ARE BAD, INSINCERE, OR LOST.

THE CATHOLIC PEOPLE

ARE AMONG THE MOST KIND

AND HAVE ACCOMPLISHED

A PHENOMENAL AMOUNT OF GOOD

THROUGHOUT HISTORY.

THIS IS REALLY

ABOUT A BIGGER STRUGGLE

BETWEEN SPIRITUAL POWERS

AND INSTITUTIONS

BATTLING OVER THE TRUTH

OF SCRIPTURE.

BUT NOW WE NEED

TO PULL BACK THE VEIL

AND REALLY

TAKE A HARD LOOK AT THE FACTS.

IN REVELATION 1 7:1 ,

WE OBSERVE THIS HARLOT WOMAN

SITS ON ''MANY WATERS.''

FORTUNATELY THE ANGEL EXPLAINS

THE MEANING OF THIS SYMBOL

FOR US IN VERSE 15.

''THEN HE SAID TO ME,

'''THE WATERS WHICH YOU SAW,

WHERE THE HARLOT SITS,

ARE PEOPLES, MULTITUDES,

NATIONS, AND TONGUES.'''

SO THE WOMAN REIGNS

OVER A DENSELY

POPULATED CIVILIZATION.

YOU'VE PROBABLY

HEARD THE EXPRESSION

''ALL ROADS LEAD TO ROME.''

DURING THE ZENITH OF THEIR RULE,

THE ROMANS HAD BUILT A NETWORK

WITH 50,000 MILES OF ROADS

CIRCULATING THROUGHOUT

THE ENTIRE EMPIRE.

JUST AS IMPERIAL ROME

BEGAN TO UNRAVEL,

THE CHURCH IN ROME

WAS GAINING IN STRENGTH.

IN EFFECT THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

KIND OF RUSHES IN

TO FILL THE POWER VACUUM

THAT IS LEFT

BY THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

AND YOU GET INTO SITUATIONS

WHERE, FOR EXAMPLE,

IN THE MIDDLE OF THE 5TH CENTURY,

WHEN ATTILA THE HUN

IS ADVANCING

ON THE CITY OF ROME WITH HIS ARMY,

THE EMPEROR IS NOT THE ONE

WHO GOES OUT TO STOP HIM,

THE POPE IS,

THE BISHOP OF ROME.

THIS KIND OF PROMINENCE,

POLITICAL PROMINENCE

AS WELL AS RELIGIOUS PROMINENCE,

COMES TO REALLY DEFINE

THE POPE'S ROLE.

THE PROPHECY ALSO INDICATES

THAT THE WOMAN IS RIDING A BEAST

WITH SEVEN HEADS AND TEN HORNS.

OBVIOUSLY

THESE THINGS ARE SYMBOLS.

THIS CREATURE HERE CLEARLY

REPRESENTS THE SAME MONSTER

WITH SEVEN HEADS

AND TEN HORNS THAT WE JUST SAW

WARRING WITH THE BRIDE

OF CHRIST IN CHAPTER 1 2

AND IT'S THE SAME BEAST

THAT THE WORLD IS COMPELLED

TO WORSHIP IN CHAPTER 13.

SO WHAT DO THESE SEVEN HEADS

AND TEN HORNS REPRESENT?

''THE SEVEN HEADS

ARE SEVEN MOUNTAINS

ON WHICH THE WOMAN SITS.''

''THE TEN HORNS

WHICH YOU SAW ARE TEN KINGS...''

THERE IS ONLY

ONE CITY IN THE WORLD

THAT SITS

ON SEVEN HILLS LIKE THIS,

ONE MAJOR CITY,

AND THAT'S THE CITY OF ROME.

SO THERE IS NO DOUBT

IN MOST EXPOSITOR'S MINDS

THAT WHEN JOHN

IS TALKING ABOUT THIS WOMAN,

HE IS TALKING ABOUT ROME.

SO YOU SEE THE CONNECTION HERE,

SEVEN HEADS, SEVEN MOUNTAINS.

YOU GO IN REVELATION 1 2:

SEVEN HEADS.

REVELATION 13

DEALS WITH SEVEN HEADS.

THERE IS A CONTINUITY HERE.

''IT IS WITHIN THE CITY OF ROME,

CALLED THE CITY OF SEVEN HILLS,

''THAT THE ENTIRE AREA

OF VATICAN STATE PROPER

IS NOW CONFINED.''

THERE IS ONLY ONE CHURCH

THAT IS ALSO

AN INDEPENDENT COUNTRY

AND HAS POLITICAL

WORLD POWER: THE VATICAN.

THIS COUNTRY, WITH THE WORLD'S

SMALLEST POPULATION,

WAS ESTABLISHED

AS AN INDEPENDENT STATE

WITH 1 09 ACRES WITHIN ROME.

BEHIND THE WALLS OF VATICAN CITY

THERE ARE LESS

THAN 1 ,000 PEOPLE

LIVING WITHIN THIS SMALL COUNTRY

THAT IS GOVERNED BY THE POPE

WHO HAS ABSOLUTE EXECUTIVE,

LEGISLATIVE, AND JUDICIAL POWERS.

AMBASSADORS

FROM AROUND THE WORLD

MEET WITH THE POPE

AND HIS REPRESENTATIVES

SEEKING THE INFLUENCE

AND GUIDANCE

OF THIS INTERNATIONAL

RELIGIOUS POWER.

EVEN THE UNITED NATIONS

WILL ASSEMBLE

TO BE ADDRESSED BY THE POPE.

WHEN THE WESTERN

ROMAN EMPIRE FELL,

THEIR TERRITORY FRAGMENTED

INTO TEN PRIMARY DIVISIONS.

THE TEN HORNS REPRESENT

THE TEN KINGS OR KINGDOMS

INTO WHICH IMPERIAL ROME

WAS EVENTUALLY SPLIT.

THE TEN HORNS

ARE A DESCRIPTION OF ROME

WHICH BREAKS UP

INTO TEN SMALLER KINGDOMS.

THROUGHOUT HISTORY

CATHOLICISM HAS BEEN

DOMINATING MANY KINGDOMS.

SO YOU HAVE THE CHURCH

RIDING ON A POLITICAL POWER.

YOU SEE, BECAUSE THE WOMAN

RIDES THE BEAST

AND SO FOR MANY CENTURIES

SHE WAS IN CONTROL.

YOU HAVE A UNION

OF CHURCH AND STATE.

THE NAMES OF BLASPHEMY

IS ANOTHER KEY ELEMENT

TO THIS PROPHECY

THAT POINTS DIRECTLY

AT THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH.

''WE HOLD UPON THIS EARTH

THE PLACE OF GOD ALMIGHTY.''

THIS PUTS A MORTAL MAN

IN THE POSITION OF GOD

AND IS ULTIMATELY

THE VERY DEFINITION OF BLASPHEMY.

THIS IS NOT MEANT

TO QUESTION THE SINCERITY

OF ANY SPECIFIC POPE,

BUT THE PROPHECY IS ADDRESSING

THE OFFICE THAT HE HOLDS

AND THE INSTITUTION

HE REPRESENTS.

THE WOMAN IS ALSO CLOTHED

IN UNIQUE COLORS.

SHE HAS SPECIFIC COLORS

THAT ARE MENTIONED HERE,

NOT THE COLOR

OF WHITE ANYMORE,

BUT NOW WE HAVE COLORS

THAT REPRESENT,

STRANGELY ENOUGH,

TWO THINGS:

ROYALTY AND PROSTITUTION.

AND SPECIFIC COLORS

THAT WE HAPPEN TO SEE

COMING OUT IN THE HISTORIC

CHRISTIAN CHURCH LATER ON

IN THE COLORS OF THE PRIESTS

OF THE HISTORIC

CHRISTIAN CHURCH.

NOT ONLY

WERE THESE THE PRINCIPLE COLORS

OF THE ROMAN CAESARS,

BUT ACCORDING

TO THE CATHOLIC ENC YCLOPEDIA,

PURPLE IS THE OFFICIAL

COLOR OF BISHOPS

AND SCARLET FOR CARDINALS.

IN ADDITION TO THE SCARLET

AND THE PURPLE,

WE SEE THAT THIS HARLOT,

OR CORRUPT CHURCH,

POSSESSES VAST MINERAL RICHES.

WHEN ONE CONSIDERS ITS COUNTLESS

ARTISTIC TREASURES OF GOLD,

SILVER AND PEARLS,

THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH

IS BY FAR THE WEALTHIEST

RELIGIOUS INSTITUTION ON EARTH.

EVERY YEAR TOURISTS

COME FROM AROUND THE WORLD

TO VIEW THE GLITTERING OPULENCE

OF THE ROMAN CHURCH.

ANOTHER DISTURBING MARK

OF THIS WOMAN

IS FOUND IN VERSE 6.

''I SAW THE WOMAN DRUNK

WITH THE BLOOD OF THE SAINTS

AND WITH THE BLOOD

OF THE MARTYRS OF JESUS.''

HISTORY REVEALS

THAT THE ROMAN CHURCH

WAS THE WORST OPPRESSOR

OF CHRISTIANS AND JEWS

OVER THE CENTURIES.

IN FACT, HISTORIANS TELL US

OVER 50 MILLION MARTYRS

FELL VICTIM TO THE TERRIBLE

INQUISITIONS AND PERSECUTIONS

OF THE CHURCH OF ROME.

SO WHAT WE HAVE HERE

IS A PROPHECY

SAYING THAT THE CHURCH

WOULD ENGAGE

IN INCREDIBLE PERSECUTION

AND THAT'S EXACTLY

WHAT TOOK PLACE.

AND THE CHURCH STARTED

A LEGAL PROCESS, A LEGAL SYSTEM,

KNOWN AS 'INQUISITION'

TO INTERROGATE THESE PEOPLE,

TO FORCE AS MANY

AS POSSIBLE TO RECANT

AND TO RETRACT THEIR IDEAS

AND TO GRAB HOLD

OF THE LEADERS OF THE MOVEMENT

AND TO STOP THEM

SPREADING ANY FURTHER.

THE HIGHEST NUMBER

OF DEATHS EVER RECORDED

OCCURRED WHEN THE CHURCH

PERSECUTED THOSE

WHO DISAGREED WITH THEM

AND THAT LEVEL OF REPRESSION

CONTINUES

THROUGH THE MIDDLE AGES.

SO THIS WOMAN, OR CHURCH,

IS A PERSECUTING POWER

THAT OPPRESSES

CHRIST'S TRUE FOLLOWERS.

THAT OPPRESSES

CHRIST'S TRUE FOLLOWERS.

WE'LL BE LOOKING

AT SEVERAL BRAVE SOULS

THAT RISKED THEIR LIVES

TO SPEAK UP AGAINST

THE CORROSIVE PAGAN INFLUENCES

AND TO SHARE GOD'S WORD

DURING THIS TIME

OF SPIRITUAL DARKNESS.

''THE PEOPLE

WHO WALKED IN DARKNESS

''HAVE SEEN A GREAT LIGHT:

''THOSE WHO DWELT IN THE LAND

OF THE SHADOW OF DEATH,

UPON THEM

A LIGHT HAS SHINED.''

LIVING IN LYONS, FRANCE,

THERE WAS ONE YOUNG MAN

WHO WOULD ALTER

THE COURSE OF CHRISTIAN HISTORY.

PETER WALDO,

ALSO KNOWN AS VALDES,

A VERY WEALTHY

AND EDUCATED YOUNG MERCHANT

HAD A LIFE-CHANGING EXPERIENCE.

A YOUNG FRIEND

OF WALDO'S DIED SUDDENLY.

REALIZING THE BREVITY OF LIFE

AND THE VANITY

OF WORLDLY TREASURE,

WALDO MADE A FIRM DECISION

TO FORSAKE ALL FOR CHRIST.

HE GAVE HIS WEALTH TO THE POOR

AND BECAME

AN ITINERANT PREACHER.

WALDO TAUGHT THAT THE BIBLE

SHOULD BE UNDERSTOOD LITERALLY

AND FREELY

PROCLAIMED TO THE PEOPLE

IN THEIR OWN LANGUAGE.

HE ENCOURAGED BELIEVERS

TO LIVE LIVES

OF SIMPLICITY AND POVERTY

AND AT THE SAME TIME,

HE BOLDLY DENOUNCED

THE EXCESSES OF THE PRIESTS.

BY -AD- 1 1 70 PETER WALDO

HAD GATHERED

A LARGE NUMBER OF FOLLOWERS

WHO WERE REFERRED TO

AS 'THE POOR OF LYONS'

OR WALDENSIANS.

PETER WALDO,

BY CONVENTIONAL SCHOLARSHIP,

IS THE FOUNDER OF THE WALDENSES,

A GROUP

OF BIBLE-BELIEVING INDIVIDUALS

LIVING IN FRANCE AND ITALY.

HE WAS A CATHOLIC LAYMAN

WHO BECAME INSPIRED

BY THE PREACHING

REGARDING THE EARLY CHURCH

AND HE STARTED A GROUP

OF TRAVELING PREACHERS

WHO WOULD TEACH THE GOSPEL.

HE SPOKE AGAINST

TRANSUBSTANTIATION AND THE MASS,

ALTHOUGH THERE ARE SOME

WALDENSES WHO SEEM TO GO TO MASS

AND THEN

DO THEIR OWN WORSHIPS AS WELL.

ONCE OFFICIALLY-TRAINED

INQUISITORS ARE OUT IN EUROPE,

THEY START FINDING PEOPLE WHOM

THEY START CALLING 'WALDENSES'

OR FOLLOWERS OF VALDES

ALL OVER THE PLACE.

SO SPRINKLED ACROSS EUROPE

YOU GET THESE LITTLE CELLS

OF COMMUNITIES OF PEOPLE

WHERE LAYPEOPLE ARE MOSTLY,

LET'S BE HONEST, THEY'RE MOSTLY

GOING TO CATHOLIC CHURCHES

MOST OF THE YEAR.

BUT ONCE OR TWICE A YEAR,

MAYBE EVERY YEAR OR 2,

THEY WILL HAVE A TRAVELING TEAM

OF WALDENSIAN PASTORS

WHO WILL ARRIVE

AND TALK TO THEM.

EVERYWHERE HE WENT

PETER WALDO SAW PEOPLE

HUNGERING FOR TRUTH.

HE BELIEVED THAT THERE WAS

A FAMINE IN THE LAND

FOR THE WORD OF GOD,

SO WALDO PAID A CLERIC

TO ASSIST HIM

IN TRANSLATING THE NEW TESTAMENT

INTO THE FRANCO VERNACULAR.

THE STORY IS THAT VALDES

COMMISSIONED TWO LEARNED,

RELIGIOUS PEOPLE IN LYONS

TO PREPARE A TRANSLATION

OF PART OF THE BIBLE

AND SOME SAYINGS

OF THE FATHERS

INTO THE VERNACULAR LANGUAGE.

SOMETHING BETWEEN

FRENCH AND PROVENCAL-

IT'S REALLY

KIND OF HARD TO DESCRIBE-

BUT IT SEEMS

TO HAVE ESTABLISHED A TRADITION

THAT THE WALDENSIAN COMMUNITIES

WOULD TRY TO ACQUIRE

COPIES OF SCRIPTURE

IN THE COMMON LANGUAGE

OF THE PEOPLE.

AND THEY WOULD CARRY

SCRIPTURES AROUND WITH THEM.

THEY WOULD ACT

AS MERCHANTS AND TRADERS,

SHARE THE SCRIPTURES

WITH THE PEOPLE WHERE THEY WENT.

THERE'S EVEN REFERENCES TO THEM

SENDING THEIR YOUNG PEOPLE

TO THE GREAT UNIVERSITIES

AND COLLEGES OF THE LAND

SO THEY COULD SHARE

THEIR FAITH THERE

AND ALSO GAIN AN UNDERSTANDING

OF CONTEMPORARY THEOLOGY

AND USE IT TO REACH OUT

TO THE LARGER COMMUNITY.

BUT THE ROMAN CHURCH

COULD NOT LONG TOLERATE

THIS FREE PREACHING

OF THE GOSPEL BY PEASANTS.

DURING THE THIRD

LATERAN COUNCIL IN 1 1 79,

WALDO'S IDEAS WERE OFFICIALLY

CONDEMNED AS HERESY

AND SOON AFTER,

HE AND HIS FOLLOWERS

WERE EXCOMMUNICATED.

DRIVEN AWAY FROM LYONS,

THE WALDENSIANS SETTLED

IN THE HIGH VALLEYS OF PIEDMONT

AND THE FRENCH ALPS.

HERE, AMONG THEIR FAMILIES,

THE BIBLE WAS MADE THE CHIEF STUDY.

THE GOSPELS OF MATTHEW AND JOHN

WERE COMMITTED TO MEMORY,

ALONG WITH MANY

OF THE EPISTLES.

WITH NO PRINTING PRESS,

THE WALDENSIANS

WERE FREQUENTLY EMPLOYED

IN HAND-COPYING THE SCRIPTURES.

KNOWN FOR THEIR STRICT

ADHERENCE TO THE BIBLE,

THESE LAY PREACHERS

SPREAD THEIR TEACHINGS ABROAD

WHILE TRAVELING

AS PEDDLERS.

TO AVOID ARREST,

THEY'D SOMETIMES SEW

HAND-COPIED PASSAGES OF THE BIBLE

INTO THE LINING

OF THEIR GARMENTS

AND THEN THEY'D

CAREFULLY SHARE THEM

WHEN THEY DETECTED

AN OPEN HEART.

EVEN FOLLOWING THE DEATH

OF PETER WALDO IN 1 218,

THE ROMAN CHURCH

CONTINUED TO FIERCELY

PERSECUTE THE WALDENSIANS.

FOR CENTURIES, MANY WERE TRIED

AND SENTENCED TO DEATH

IN VARIOUS EUROPEAN COUNTRIES.

THE HOLY SPIRIT STIRRED

UPON MANY WITHIN THE CHURCH

WHO COURAGEOUSLY STOOD UP

AND CALLED FOR REFORM.

ONE SUCH MAN

WAS JOHN WYCLIFF,

AN ENGLISH THEOLOGIAN

AND LAY PREACHER,

TRANSLATOR,

AND TEACHER AT OXFORD.

HIS EDUCATION PROVED

TO BE A GREAT ASSET TO HIM

AS HE BEGAN TO ADDRESS

THE CANCEROUS ERRORS

THAT WERE SPREADING

AMONG GOD'S PEOPLE.

WYCLIFF NEVER WANTED

TO SET HIMSELF UP

AGAINST THE CHURCH'S LEADERS,

BUT AS HE SAW

THE GLARING CONTRADICTIONS

BETWEEN WHAT THE BIBLE SAID

AND WHAT THE CHURCH WAS DOING,

HE COULD NOT KEEP SILENT.

WELL, WYCLIFF IS REALLY

A RATHER UNUSUAL PERSON

TO HAVE BECOME A HERETIC

BECAUSE HE WAS AN OXFORD DON,

HE WAS VERY MUCH

BROUGHT UP WITHIN THE POWER

STRUCTURE OF THE CHURCH

AND, YET, HE WAS DISTRESSED

BY WHAT HE SAW AROUND HIM.

AS HE SAW ROME

SUBSTITUTING TRADITION

FOR THE HOLY SCRIPTURE,

HE ACCUSED THE PRIESTHOOD

OF WITHHOLDING

THE BREAD OF LIFE

FROM THE SPIRITUALLY

STARVING PEOPLE.

HE BELIEVED THAT THE BIBLE

WAS A SUPREME AUTHORITY

AND HE COMMISSIONED

THE TRANSLATION OF THE BIBLE.

HE HAD SOME FOLLOWERS

CALLED LOLLARDS

THAT WENT AROUND DISTRIBUTING

SCRIPTURE AND PREACHING.

THEY DID BELIEVE

IN BIBLE READING.

THEY DID READ WYCLIFF'S BIBLE

AND THEY DID BELIEVE

IN THE SAME KIND OF SIMPLER PIETY

THAT THE WALDENSIANS

AND OTHERS HAD ADVOCATED

AS EARLY AS THE 1 2TH CENTURY.

THIS WAS THE GREATEST GIFT

HE COULD GIVE

THE COMMON PEOPLE.

NO DOCUMENT HAS ALTERED

THE COURSE OF HISTORY

MORE THAN THE ENGLISH

TRANSLATION OF THE BIBLE.

HE BROUGHT FORWARD

SOME OF THE TRUTHS

THAT PROTESTANTISM

WOULD LATER BRING FORWARD

AND AS I JUST SUGGESTED,

HIS TEACHINGS, EVEN THOUGH

IT'S CENTURIES BEFORE,

IS PREPARING THE WAY

FOR MANY PEOPLE IN ENGLAND

TO ACCEPT THE REFORMATION

WHEN IT COMES.

WYCLIFF HAD THE AUDACITY

TO DECLARE THAT THE UNIVERSAL

AUTHORITY OF THE POPE

WAS UNBIBLICAL.

IT WAS UNDER THESE CONDITIONS

THAT ON MAY 22, 1377

POPE GREGORY THE 1 1 TH

CONDEMNED THE WRITINGS

OF JOHN WYCLIFF

STATING THAT HIS TEACHINGS

WERE DANGEROUS

TO THE CHURCH AND THE STATE.

WYCLIFF CONTINUED TO TEACH

SALVATION THROUGH CHRIST ALONE

AND THAT THE SCRIPTURES

WERE INFALLIBLE

RATHER THAN THE ROMAN CHURCH.

OVER TIME, HIS WRITINGS

AND WORK OF REFORM

SPREAD OUT LIKE SEISMIC WAVES

INFLUENCING MILLIONS

OF GOD'S PEOPLE.

THEY CAN BE READ ANYWHERE

WHERE THERE ARE SCHOOLMEN,

WHERE THERE ARE SCHOLASTIC

THEOLOGIANS WHO CAN PICK THEM UP.

THEY DO TRAVEL

AND THEY TRAVEL TO BOHEMIA

THEY DO TRAVEL

AND THEY TRAVEL TO BOHEMIA

AND THEY INSPIRE

JOHN HUSS AS WELL.

AND HUSS SHARES THE ATTACK

ON TRANSUBSTANTIATION,

ON CLERICAL POWER

AND ON, AS WITH WYCLIFF,

ON THE WEALTH OF THE CHURCH.

HUSS WAS ONLY A YOUNG BOY

WHEN WYCLIFF PASSED AWAY,

BUT WYCLIFF'S WORKS

HAD A POWERFUL INFLUENCE

ON HIS LIFE

AND HIS FUTURE MISSION.

JOHN HUSS

WAS A BOHEMIAN PREACHER,

ALSO A UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR

AND ALSO

KING'S CHAPLAIN FOR AWHILE.

HE'S ENTRUSTED, EVENTUALLY

WITH THE OFFICE OF PREACHING

AT A LITTLE CHAPEL

THAT HAS JUST BEEN FOUNDED,

THE BETHLEHEM CHAPEL.

LIKE WYCLIFF, JOHN HUSS

PREACHED THE SCRIPTURES

IN THE LANGUAGE OF THE PEOPLE

A PRACTICE THAT THE CHURCH

HAD NOW FORBIDDEN

IN FAVOR

OF THE LOST LANGUAGE OF LATIN.

HE DID PREACH

IN THE VERNACULAR LANGUAGE

AND THE BOHEMIANS HAD HAD

SCRIPTURE IN THEIR LANGUAGE

DESPITE CHURCH COUNCILS.

AND IT'S FROM THAT

THAT HE COMES INTO CONTACT

WITH THE TEACHINGS OF WYCLIFF

AND HE ESPECIALLY IS DRAWN TO

THE ATTACK ON TRANSUBSTANTIATION,

ON THE ATTACK ON THE WEALTH

AND INFLUENCE OF THE CHURCH.

WALKING THROUGH TOWN ONE DAY,

HUSS NOTICED A COUPLE OF PAINTINGS

THAT TWO MEN HAD DISPLAYED

AS A SILENT PROTEST.

EACH OF THE CANVASES

PORTRAYED A DIFFERENT SCENE.

ON ONE WAS THE IMAGE

OF THE LOWLY JESUS

HUMBLY ENTERING JERUSALEM

WITH HIS TRAVEL-WORN DISCIPLES.

ON THE OTHER CANVAS

WAS AN IMAGE OF THE POPE

DRESSED IN RICH

AND LUXURIOUS CLOTHING,

CARRIED ON A LITTER

AND FOLLOWED

BY A REGAL PROCESSION.

THE PAINTINGS CERTAINLY

PRESENTED A CONTRAST

BETWEEN JESUS,

WHO SAID

THAT FOXES HAVE HOLES

AND THE BIRDS

OF THE AIR HAVE NESTS

AND THE SON OF MAN

HAS NOWHERE TO LAY HIS HEAD,

WITH THE MAGNIFICENT SPLENDOR

OF THE PAPAL PALACE

AND THE PAPAL ENTOURAGE.

MOVED BY THIS KNOWLEDGE,

HE BEGAN TO PUBLICLY DENOUNCE

THE PRIDE, AMBITION,

AND CORRUPTION OF THE CLERGY

AND HE FEARLESSLY CALLED

FOR THE CHURCH TO REFORM.

IF YOU MUST INTERPRET SCRIPTURE

ACCORDING TO TRUTH,

TRUTH IS DEFINED

BY WHAT THE CHURCH BELIEVES.

HOW DO YOU CORRECT

AN ERROR IN THE CHURCH?

YOU DON'T HAVE

A CHECK ON MISTAKES.

THERE IS NO CORRECTING

THE CHURCH.

AND THAT, I THINK,

IS THE FUNDAMENTAL FLAW

OF WHAT ALLOWED THE CHURCH

TO START GOING WRONG

AND KEEP GOING WRONG.

JOHN HUSS WAS INVITED

TO COME TO CONSTANCE, GERMANY

TO DEFEND HIS CRITICISM

OF THE CHURCH OF ROME.

SIGISMUND, KING OF HUNGARY,

AND LATER, THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE

GUARANTEED HIM A SAFE PASSAGE,

BUT IMMEDIATELY

UPON HUSS' ARRIVAL IN THE CITY,

HE WAS ARRESTED

AND PLACED IN THE DUNGEON

AT GOTTLIEBEN CASTLE.

KING SIGISMUND

WAS GREATLY ANGERED

AT THE IMPRISONMENT OF HUSS

AND HE THREATENED

THE CHURCH COUNCIL

BUT THE COUNCIL

CONVINCED SIGISMUND

THAT PROMISES MADE

TO A HERETIC WERE NOT BINDING.

ON JULY 6, 1 415,

THE COUNCIL GATHERED

INTO THE CATHEDRAL

AFTER MASS AND LITURGY

AND JOHN HUSS

WAS THEN LED IN FOR HIS TRIAL.

HE WAS ASKED

TO DEFEND HIS POSITIONS.

IN THE ACT OF DEFENDING THEM

HE WAS FOUND

TO HAVE VOICED A HERESY

AND SO HE WAS SEIZED

AND TRIED FOR HERESY.

GUARDS THEN LED HUSS

AWAY TO BE EXECUTED.

AT THE PLACE OF HIS EXECUTION,

HUSS STOOD FIRM.

AS THE FLAMES ROSE ABOUT HIM,

HE WAS ACTUALLY

ABLE TO LIFT HIS VOICE IN SONG.

AMONG HIS DYING WORDS,

HUSS PREDICTED,

''IN A HUNDRED YEARS

GOD WILL RAISE UP A MAN

WHOSE CALLS FOR REFORM

CANNOT BE SUPPRESSED.''

RAISED IN A HUMBLE HOME

IN MANSFIELD, GERMANY,

MARTIN LUTHER, THEOLOGIAN,

AUTHOR, COMPOSER,

AND PRIEST WAS ARGUABLY

THE BEST KNOWN

RELIGIOUS REFORMER

OF THE 1 6TH CENTURY.

LUTHER WAS BORN

ON NOVEMBER 1 0, 1 483,

NEARLY 70 YEARS

AFTER THE MARTYRDOM OF JOHN HUSS.

BORN INTO A HARDWORKING

MIDDLE-CLASS FAMILY,

WITH SEVERAL

BROTHERS AND SISTERS,

LUTHER DEVELOPED A FIRM

CHARACTER AND PERSONALITY.

THE LUTHER FAMILY

SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN,

TO SOME EXTENT,

A FAMILY OF OVER-ACHIEVERS.

THEY WERE VERY STRICT,

ACCORDING

TO LUTHER'S LATER STORIES.

THEY WERE VERY STRICT

ON THE YOUNG MARTIN

AND THEY CERTAINLY SAW

THAT THE WAY FORWARD FOR THEIR SON

WAS THROUGH EDUCATION.

BUT WHEN HE WAS YOUNG,

HE WAS INTENDED

TO BECOME A LAWYER.

HOWEVER,

A DRAMATIC EXPERIENCE

FOREVER ALTERED

THE COURSE OF HIS LIFE.

LUTHER IS CAUGHT IN A THUNDERSTORM

AND FEARS FOR HIS LIFE.

HE'S OUTSIDE AND HE FEARS

HE'LL BE STRUCK BY LIGHTNING.

LIGHTNING WAS STRIKING

IN FRONT OF HIM AND BEHIND HIM

AND ON BOTH SIDES OF HIM

AND SO IN TERROR HE CRIES OUT

AND PROMISES

THAT IF A SAINT WILL SAVE HIM,

HE WILL BECOME A MONK.

HE CALLED OUT TO SAINT ANNE,

THE SAINT OF HOPELESS CAUSES.

''SAINT ANNE, DELIVER ME

AND I'LL BECOME A MONK!''

AND HE KEPT HIS WORD.

IN SPITE

OF HIS FATHER'S ANGRY PROTESTS,

LUTHER DROPPED

HIS LAW STUDIES, SOLD HIS BOOKS,

AND ENTERED A CLOSED

AUGUSTINIAN MONASTERY AT ERFURT

AND FULLY DEDICATED HIS TIME

TO THE MONASTIC LIFE.

FOLLOWING HIS DESPERATE

LONGING FOR SALVATION,

HE PRACTICED FREQUENT FASTINGS,

LONG HOURS OF PRAYER,

AUSTERE LIVING

AND ENDLESS CONFESSION.

''IF ANYONE COULD HAVE GAINED

HEAVEN AS A MONK

THEN I WOULD, INDEED,

HAVE BEEN AMONG THEM.''

HE FOUND

AN ELDER CONFESSOR THERE

WHO REALIZED THAT LUTHER

HAD A PARTICULARLY SENSITIVE SOUL

AND THIS CONFESSOR REALIZED

THAT LUTHER

NEEDED TO TEACH THE BIBLE.

SO HE BECOMES SIMULTANEOUSLY

PROFESSOR OF THEOLOGY,

PREACHER IN THE TOWN CHURCH,

AND A MEMBER

OF THE RELIGIOUS COMMUNITY

IN THE AUGUSTINIAN HOUSE.

HE'S BASICALLY DOING THREE JOBS.

AT WITTENBERG HE LEARNED

TO STUDY THE BIBLE

IN ITS ORIGINAL TONGUES.

SOON, HE BEGAN

TO FREELY SHARE THE TRUTHS

THAT HE WAS LEARNING

IN HIS LECTURES

AND HIS LISTENERS

WERE DELIGHTED.

IN 151 0,

LUTHER MADE A PILGRIMAGE

TO VISIT THE HEADQUARTERS

OF THE CHURCH

IN THE HOLY CITY OF ROME.

HE WAS SICKENED TO WITNESS

THE TERRIBLE GREED AND WICKEDNESS

THAT HE SAW

AMONG ALL CLASSES OF THE CLERGY.

HIS GREAT EXPECTATION

OF THE HOLY CITY

WAS CRUSHED AS HE BEHELD

THE DECADENT LIFESTYLES

OF THE MONKS AND THE PRIESTS.

THIS WAS IN STARK CONTRAST

TO HIS VERY

FRUGAL LIFE IN GERMANY.

BUT LUTHER'S

MOST UNSETTLING REVELATION

WAS YET TO COME.

HE WENT TO ROME AND HE WAS

CLIMBING UP THE STAIRS THERE

AND HEARS A VOICE-

NOT NECESSARILY A VERBAL ONE,

BUT ONE IN HIS HEAD-

''THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.''

AND SO CLIMBING UP THESE,

PILATE'S STAIRS, ON HIS KNEES,

WHICH WAS SUPPOSED TO EARN YOU

SOME KIND OF ASSURANCE

OF NOT BURNING

IN PURGATORY FOR TOO LONG.

AND IT JUST DAWNED ON HIM

AS HE LOOKED AROUND,

''WHAT ARE WE DOING?

THE BIBLE SAYS

THIS COMES BY FAITH.''

AND HE GOT UP OFF HIS KNEES

AND THIS SEEMED TO BE

A TURNING POINT.

LUTHER FINALLY UNDERSTOOD

THE IMPORTANCE OF TRUSTING

IN THE MERITS OF CHRIST

FOR FORGIVENESS.

AFTER RETURNING FROM ROME IN 151 2,

LUTHER WAS AWARDED

THE DOCTORATE OF DIVINITY

AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WITTENBERG

AND HE BEGAN

TO BOLDLY PREACH TO THE PEOPLE

THAT CHRISTIANS SHOULD NOT

ACCEPT ANY DOCTRINE

UNLESS IT CAME FROM THE BIBLE

AND IT WAS THIS PRINCIPLE

OF ''SOLA SCRIPTURA''

THAT WOULD BECOME THE BATTLE CRY

OF THE REFORMATION.

IT'S IN A SERIES

OF THREE TREATISES IN 1520

THAT HE PRESENTS

THE NOTION THAT NOW,

SINCE THE TRADITION

OF THE CHURCH

HAS BECOME SO CORRUPTED

BY HUMAN INNOVATION,

THAT THE CHURCH

SHOULD ONLY FOLLOW

THE TESTIMONY OF THE SCRIPTURES.

THIS IS THE COMMON THREAD

IN THE STORY THAT DESCRIBES

THE DECLINE OF THE CHURCH.

IT'S WHEN PEOPLE LOST SCRIPTURE

AND THE ABILITY TO READ

SCRIPTURE FOR THEMSELVES

AND THERE WAS A BARRIER

BETWEEN THEM AND SCRIPTURE

AND THEM AND CHRIST.

AND THEN IT BEGAN TO RECOVER

WHEN MARTIN LUTHER

AND HIS COLLEAGUES

DECIDED THAT SCRIPTURE

REALLY WAS THE AUTHORITY,

''SOLA SCRIPTURA,

TOTA SCRIPTURA, PRIMA SCRIPTURA''

AND THEY BEGAN

TO CLIMB BACK OUT.

ABOUT THIS SAME TIME,

ROME WAS BREAKING GROUND

FOR THE CONSTRUCTION

OF THE MAGNIFICENT

NEW SAINT PETER'S BASILICA.

THE CHURCH SENT JOHN TETZEL,

A DOMINICAN FRIAR,

TO GERMANY

TO SELL INDULGENCES

IN ORDER TO RAISE THE FUNDS

NECESSARY FOR THE CATHEDRAL.

THE CHURCH BELIEVES,

NOT ONLY

THAT ITS SERVICES AND OFFERINGS

CAN HELP THE DEAD,

BUT ALSO THAT THE HEAD

OF THE CHURCH IN THE WEST, THE POPE,

CAN, OUT OF THE SUPER

ABUNDANCE OF SAVED UP GRACE,

WHICH IS IN THE POSSESSION

OF THE CHURCH,

THE CHURCH

CAN SIMPLY DECLARE

THAT SOMEONE'S PENALTIES

OWED AFTER THEY DIED

ARE JUST WIPED OUT.

THAT'S WHAT'S CALLED

AN INDULGENCE.

THE FULL PLENARY INDULGENCE

ABSOLVED A PERSON

OF ALL THE SINS

THAT THEY HAD COMMITTED

UP TO THAT TIME

AND THUS SPEEDED YOU,

ACCORDING TO CHURCH TEACHING,

THROUGH PURGATORY

DIRECTLY INTO HEAVEN.

BY VERY LATE

IN THE MIDDLE AGES,

THE CHURCH

HAS GOT INTO ITS HEAD

THAT IT CAN SAY TO PEOPLE,

''IF YOU ARE WILLING

''TO MAKE AN OFFERING

TO THE CHURCH,

''THE CHURCH

WILL GIVE AN INDULGENCE

''IN THE MANNER OF AN OFFERING,

''FOR YOUR DEPARTED FAMILY,

FRIEND, RELATIVE, LOVED ONE

AND THAT LOVED ONE WILL ESCAPE

THE PAINS OF PURGATORY,''

SUPPOSEDLY IMMEDIATELY.

THIS BECAME,

BY THE 1 4TH AND 15TH CENTURY,

A VERY POPULAR BELIEF

AND PEOPLE

CLAMORED FOR INDULGENCES.

WHEN LUTHER LEARNED

THAT HIS MEMBERS

WERE PURCHASING INDULGENCES,

HE WAS OUTRAGED.

AS THE PEOPLE CAME TO HIM

TO CASH IN THEIR INDULGENCES,

HE FLATLY REFUSED

TO HONOR THEM.

LUTHER DECLARED

THAT WHAT THEY REALLY NEEDED TO DO

WAS TO SINCERELY REPENT

AND TURN FROM THEIR SINS.

THIS WAS THE FIRST ISSUE

THAT FORCED LUTHER INTO BATTLE

WITH HIS OWN BELOVED CHURCH.

ON OCTOBER 31 , 151 7,

LUTHER NAILED

HIS FAMOUS PROTEST

TO THE DOORS OF ALL THE SAINTS

CHURCH IN WITTENBERG.

WHAT ARE THE 95 THESES

THAT HE FAMOUSLY NAILS

TO THE DOOR

OF WITTENBERG CASTLE CHURCH?

IT'S AN ACADEMIC INVITATION

TO A DEBATE.

YOU WRITE DOWN

95 THESIS STATEMENTS

AND YOU'RE BASICALLY SAYING,

''HERE ARE MY PROPOSALS''

AND THEY'RE ALWAYS

MORE STRONGLY WORDED

THAN YOU MAY THINK

BECAUSE IT'S A DEBATING POINT;

IT'S WHAT'S CALLED A DISPUTATION.

THE 95 THESES IS JUST

A SERIES OF 95 PROPOSITIONS

THAT HE INTENDS TO SPARK

A UNIVERSITY DEBATE ON.

AND THIS IS STANDARD ISSUE

LATE MEDIEVAL ACADEMIC PRACTICE.

SO LUTHER IS ENGAGING

IN A VERY NARROWLY

ACADEMIC EXERCISE.

IT'S LIKE PUBLISHING A PAPER

IN A SCHOLARLY JOURNAL TODAY.

AS A HISTORIAN MYSELF AT TIMES,

YOU'RE NOT ACTUALLY EXPECTING

VERY MANY PEOPLE TO READ THIS,

YOU'RE JUST GOING

INTO A VERY NARROW CIRCLE.

SO HE TAKES IT

AND HE NAILS IT TO THE DOOR

OF WITTENBERG CASTLE CHURCH

BECAUSE THAT'S

THE TRADITIONAL PLACE

YOU POST INVITATIONS

FOR A DISPUTATION.

SO HE'S NOT EXPECTING ANYTHING,

NECESSARILY, TO COME OF THIS.

AND THIS GOT

A LOT OF PEOPLE'S ATTENTION,

INCLUDING THE POPE'S.

AS FAR AS LUTHER'S CONCERNED,

HE'S NOT PROMOTING SOMETHING

THAT THE CHURCH

WOULD BE HOSTILE TO,

HE BELIEVES HE'S PROMOTING THINGS

THAT THE CHURCH WILL WELCOME.

AND, INDEED, IF YOU GO BACK

TO THE EARLY CHURCH FATHERS,

INCLUDING AUGUSTINE,

YOU CAN FIND

MANY THINGS IN THEIR WRITINGS

IN ACCORD WITH LUTHER'S IDEAS.

SO LUTHER ACTUALLY EXPECTS

PEOPLE TO SORT OF SAY,

''OH, GREAT.

THANKS FOR POINTING THAT OUT.''

WHICH WAS PERHAPS A TRIFLE NAÏVE

AND PERHAPS THAT'S WHAT COMES

FROM HIM BEING AN ACADEMIC.

BUT LUTHER IS NOT TRYING

TO SET UP ANOTHER MOVEMENT-

JUST THE OPPOSITE.

BUT THE REALITY, OF COURSE,

IS THAT THE CHURCH

DOES NOT WELCOME

MUCH OF WHAT LUTHER

HAS TO SAY.

AND A BULL WENT OUT-

A PAPAL BULL

MEANING A KIND OF DECLARATION -

CONDEMNING LUTHER

AND HIS WRITINGS

AND SAYING THEY SHOULD BE

CONSIGNED TO THE FLAMES.

THE BULL WAS DELIVERED AT WITTENBERG

AND INSTEAD OF CONSIGNING

THE WRITINGS TO THE FLAMES,

LUTHER HAD A BIG GATHERING

IN WITTENBERG

AND CONSIGNED

THE BULL TO THE FLAMES

AND THERE WAS A BURNING

OF THIS PAPAL BULL

AND THIS, OF COURSE,

WAS A ''THROW DOWN'' NOW, RIGHT?

THE CHALLENGE

HAD BEEN SENT OUT

AND THE CHALLENGE

HAD BEEN RESPONDED TO.

AND THAT'S WHEN LUTHER SAYS,

''RIGHT, IF YOU CONDEMN ME

I WILL CONDEMN YOU,''

BECAUSE HE BELIEVES

THIS IS A MATTER OF TRUTH.

AND SO, IF THE CHURCH

IS CONDEMNING BIBLICAL TRUTH

THEN THE CHURCH

MUST ACTUALLY BE ANTICHRIST

AND HE CALLS IT THAT

AND, OF COURSE,

ONCE YOU CALL

SOMEBODY ANTICHRIST,

IT'S RATHER HARD TO REACH

CONSENSUS AND COMPROMISE.

SO THE GERMAN EMPEROR

ORGANIZED A HEARING

AND ALL THE IMPORTANT

PRINCES AND PRIESTS

WERE ASSEMBLED

FOR AN HISTORIC MEETING

AT A PLACE CALLED WORMS.

SO THERE WERE

REPRESENTATIVES HERE

OF ALL THE DIFFERENT

PRINCES, NOBLES,

AND FREE CITIES OF THE EMPIRE

AND LUTHER GOES, BELIEVING

HE'LL HAVE A CHANCE TO DEBATE.

THE CHURCH KNOWS

THAT LUTHER'S A BRILLIANT DEBATER

AND THEY'RE NOT

GOING TO GIVE HIM ANY CHANCE.

HE WAS PULLED UP

BEFORE THE GROUP.

HE WAS SHOWN

A PILE OF HIS BOOKS.

HE WAS ASKED TWO QUESTIONS:

''ARE THESE BOOKS YOURS?''

AND ''WILL YOU RECANT?''

WILL YOU WITHDRAW

THE TEACHINGS YOU'VE MADE IN THEM?

AND HE DIDN'T IMMEDIATELY REPLY.

HE SAID,

''WELL, YES THEY ARE MY BOOKS

BUT THERE'S MANY THINGS

WRITTEN THERE

AND I NEED SOME TIME

TO THINK ABOUT IT.''

HE ALMOST LOSES HIS NERVE ,

BUT ULTIMATELY HE DOESN'T,

THE NEXT DAY HE COMES IN

AND HE STARTS TO PLAY

WITH WORDS AND THEY SAY,

''ARE ALL THESE YOUR WORKS

AND DO YOU RECANT THEM?''

HE SAYS, ''DO YOU ASK ME

TO RECANT ALL MY WORKS

''BECAUSE SOME OF MY WORKS

''EVERYONE IN THE CHURCH

WOULD AGREE WITH?

''I'VE WRITTEN AGAINST CERTAIN EVILS

THAT THE CHURCH

GENERALLY AGREES ARE WRONG.''

HE'S TRYING

TO GET INTO A DEBATE

AND THE AUTHORITIES

AREN'T HAVING ANY OF THIS.

THEY SAY, ''NO, NO, NO.

YOU JUST HAVE TO SAY-

ARE YOU GOING TO RETRACT THESE?

ARE YOU GOING TO RECANT?''

IT'S AN HEROIC MOMENT

ESPECIALLY BECAUSE,

AS FAR AS LUTHER IS CONCERNED,

HE BELIEVES

IT'S GOING TO LEAD TO HIS DEATH.

''UNLESS I AM CONVINCED

BY THE TESTIMONY OF THE SCRIPTURES

''OR BY CLEAR REASON,

''FOR I DO NOT TRUST

EITHER IN THE POPE

''OR IN COUNCILS ALONE,

''SINCE IT IS WELL KNOWN

THAT THEY HAVE OFTEN ERRED

''AND CONTRADICTED THEMSELVES,

''I AM BOUND

BY THE SCRIPTURES I HAVE QUOTED

''AND MY CONSCIENCE

IS CAPTIVE TO THE WORD OF GOD.

''I CANNOT AND WILL NOT

RECANT ANYTHING

''SINCE IT IS NEITHER SAFE NOR RIGHT

TO GO AGAINST CONSCIENCE.

''HERE I STAND.

I CAN DO NO OTHER.

MAY GOD HELP ME.

AMEN.''

THE COUNCIL DID NOT HAVE MUCH

IT COULD SAY IN REPLY.

LUTHER WAS DECLARED AN OUTLAW.

HIS LITERATURE WAS BANNED

AND HIS ARREST ORDERED.

THE DOCUMENT SAID,

''WE WANT HIM TO BE APPREHENDED

AND TO BE PUNISHED

AS A NOTORIOUS HERETIC.''

NOW LUTHER

HAD BEEN GIVEN A SAFE CONDUCT

TO THE DIET OF WORMS,

JUST AS HUSS HAD BEEN GIVEN

TO THE COUNCIL OF CONSTANCE

JUST OVER 1 00 YEARS EARLIER.

AND THERE WERE THOSE AUTHORITIES

WHO URGED THE HOLY

ROMAN EMPEROR, CHARLES THE V,

TO IGNORE THE SAFE CONDUCT,

JUST AS THE EMPEROR SIGISMUND

HAD WITH HUSS' SAFE CONDUCT.

CHARLES THE V

DIDN'T WANT TO BE KNOWN

AS THE SECOND EMPEROR

THAT HAD RENEGED

IN A GOOD-FAITH

CONDUCT PASSAGE AND SO,

FOR WHATEVER REASON,

THIS REASON

AND MAYBE SOME OTHERS,

HE ALLOWED LUTHER

TO LEAVE TOWN AND START HOME.

THE THOUGHT

WAS HE WOULD PROBABLY BE KILLED

BY SOMEONE ON THE WAY

BECAUSE THERE WAS

AN OPEN PRICE ON HIS HEAD.

INSTEAD, OF COURSE,

LUTHER IS KIDNAPPED

BY AN ARMED GROUP OF MEN

WHO WERE ACTUALLY

WORKING FOR FREDERICK THE WISE

WHO DECIDES HE NEEDS

TO TAKE LUTHER OUT OF CIRCULATION

FOR A LITTLE WHILE.

TO WARTBURG CASTLE,

WHICH THE ELECTOR

FREDERICK KNEW ABOUT

BUT NOBODY KNEW

WHAT HAD HAPPENED TO LUTHER.

MANY PEOPLE THOUGHT

THAT HE WAS DEAD.

FOR THE NEXT YEAR,

FROM THIS LONELY EXILE,

WHICH LUTHER REFERRED

TO AS 'MY PATMOS',

THE FORMER PRIEST CONTINUED

HIS WORK OF PROLIFIC WRITING.

HE EVEN MANAGED

TO TRANSLATE THE NEW TESTAMENT

FROM GREEK

INTO THE GERMAN LANGUAGE.

NOW, ABOUT 72 YEARS

BEFORE LUTHER COMPLETED

HIS NEW TESTAMENT TRANSLATION,

GUTENBERG CHANGED HISTORY

WITH THE INVENTION

OF THE PRINTING PRESS.

WITH THIS WONDERFUL

NEW TECHNOLOGY,

THE TRUTH OF GOD'S WORD

BEGAN TO SPREAD

LIKE THE LEAVES

OF AUTUMN ALL THROUGH EUROPE.

AND SO, IN THE MIDST

OF THIS GREAT REFORMATION,

THE LORD ARMED HIS PEOPLE

WITH THE SWORD OF HIS WORD.

AROUND THIS SAME TIME,

SEVERAL OTHER POWERFUL

CHAMPIONS OF TRUTH ROSE UP

FROM WITHIN THE CHURCH OF ROME.

AMONG THESE BRAVE MEN CALLING

FOR A RETURN TO THE SCRIPTURES

WERE PHILIPP MELANCTHON,

WILLIAM TYNDALE, JOHN CALVIN,

AND JOHN KNOX,

JUST TO NAME A FEW.

AS THE REFORMERS PREACHED

AND THE PRINTING PRESS CLATTERED,

THE TEEMING MASSES

STUDIED THE WORD OF GOD.

GRADUALLY THE LIGHT OF TRUTH

BEGAN TO DISSOLVE THE SHACKLES

OF ERROR AND SUPERSTITION

THAT HAD BOUND

THE PEOPLE FOR AGES.

LIKE A BREATH

OF FRESH SPRING AIR,

EUROPE EXPERIENCED

A RELIGIOUS RENAISSANCE.

''AND YOU SHALL KNOW THE TRUTH

AND THE TRUTH

SHALL MAKE YOU FREE.''

THE BOOK OF REVELATION ALSO

FORETELLS THAT IN THE FINAL DAYS

THE DRAGON, SATAN,

WILL ONCE AGAIN

INTENSIFY HIS EFFORTS

TO PERSECUTE

THE CHURCH OF GOD.

THEY ARE IDENTIFIED

AS THE ONES WHO KEEP

THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD

AND HAVE THE TESTIMONY OF JESUS.

REVELATION WARNS

THAT IN THE LAST DAYS

THERE WILL BE A VERY CONVINCING

COUNTERFEIT OF GOD'S REAL CHURCH

THAT COMPROMISES

THE TRUTH OF SCRIPTURE.

JESUS WARNS IT WILL NEARLY

DECEIVE THE WHOLE WORLD.

''FOR FALSE CHRISTS

AND FALSE PROPHETS WILL RISE

''AND SHOW SIGNS

AND WONDERS TO DECEIVE,

IF POSSIBLE, EVEN THE ELECT.''

SHORTLY AFTER THIS FINAL DECEPTION

CHRIST WILL RETURN.

AND HE WILL COME FOR A CHURCH

THAT HAS BEEN PURIFIED

FROM ALL THE FALSE

TRADITIONS AND PAGANISM.

IT WILL BE A CHURCH

THAT REQUIRES

A ''THUS SAYETH THE LORD''

FOR EVERY DOCTRINE

THAT IT HOLDS.

JESUS ALSO SAID

THAT WHEN HE RETURNS,

THE WORLD WILL BE ABSORBED

IN SELFISHNESS,

VIOLENCE AND MUTINY.

''AND YOU WILL HEAR

OF WARS AND RUMORS OF WARS.

''FOR NATION

WILL RISE AGAINST NATION

''AND THERE WILL BE FAMINES,

PESTILENCES AND EARTHQUAKES.

''THE LOVE OF MANY

WILL GROW COLD

AND THEN THE END WILL COME.''

THIS SPIRITUAL WAR HAS BEEN RAGING

DOWN THROUGH THE AGES

AND IT'S CLEAR THAT THIS PROPHECY

IS FAST FULFILLING.

AS THE BATTLE INTENSIFIES,

WE'RE ALL FACED WITH A CHOICE.

''CHOOSE FOR YOURSELVES

THIS DAY WHOM YOU WILL SERVE.''

FRIENDS, WE'VE JUST SEEN

HOW THE GLORIOUS LIGHT

OF GOD'S CHURCH

WAS OVERSHADOWED AND DISTORTED

THROUGH THE INFLUENCE

OF MYTHOLOGY.

WE'VE ALSO SEEN

HOW EARLY CHRISTIANS

WERE GRADUALLY ENTICED

TO ADOPT PAGAN RITUALS

AND TRADITIONS

IN PLACE OF BIBLICAL TRUTH.

BUT THEN GOD ROSE UP

FAITHFUL MEN AND WOMEN

TO RESIST THE ERRORS

OF AN ENTIRE EMPIRE.

HISTORY IS NOW REPEATING ITSELF.

SOON ALL WILL EITHER

JOIN THE BRIDE OF CHRIST

OR FOLLOW THE BEAST OF BABYLON.

WHERE WILL YOU STAND?

THE BIBLE IS CLEAR.

THE EVIDENCE IS IRREFUTABLE.

THE DECISION

IS ULTIMATELY YOURS.

''SURELY I AM COMING QUICKLY.''

REVELATION 22:20 NKJV

Revelation: The Bride, the Beast & Babylon (2013) - full transcript