there was a time when the earth was dark it was an age of grinding poverty disease and death the common people were illiterate they lived in fear of the judgment and health the state Church controlled all aspects of life from birth that and for a price the priest assured a better after but this all changed with a new dawn in England minds were awakened and once the flame of the Reformation was lit it was never to be put out again this is a story of courage and fortitude against all odds the burning of heretics and those who risk their lives to follow the light it is a struggle of ideas about men's souls their dreams and the purpose in life the state Church responded by hunting down anyone who supported these radical new beliefs to put them to death join us as we uncover their work lives of those who let out in this movement and change the world forever this is the story unshackled in the first century AD a new religion swept across the Roman Empire one man with a simple life and profound teachings transformed the world of his day his name was Jesus Christ he claimed to be the son of God and shared a message that changed lives and gave hope to many paul who at first bitterly persecuted this new religion has brought face to face with christ during a miraculous encounter shocked to think that he might be fighting on the wrong side he restated the Scriptures as the word illuminated his mind he became convinced that this was true he dedicated the rest of his life to spreading this message he traveled 10,000 miles on foot and thousands more by ship as he carried the message of Christ across the Roman Empire in Rome these new teachings were not popular Christianity by its very nature demanded exclusive worship of the God of heaven pagan deities from the surrounding tribes and Asia Minor fit well alongside the Roman gods of Juno Neptune and Mars even some of the Emperor's were considered gods the Christians called these pagan deities false gods it's not hard to imagine why Christianity became very unpopular within pagan Rome thus began generations of persecution a battle raged between culture and scripture paganism and truth such philosophies cannot coexist anymore the can dark mists and white so Paul was arrested carried down this road to wait trial in Rome Paul was kept under house arrest for two years to his trial once condemned he was transferred to the mammer teen prison to await his execution we're standing in the memory teen prison it's incredible to think that right here was where Paul sat awaiting his execution it's dark it's damp this was not a place where you wanted to be for any period of time Paul being taken from this prison was beheaded outside the city wall of Rome two years after Paul's execution on a hot summer night a fire broke out in Rome it started among the shops near the Circus Maximus and burn uncontrollably for six days when the smoke had cleared a large part of Rome lay in the ashes rumors swirled that Nero had caused the fire for some time Nero had wanted to tear down a third of the city of Rome to build a series of palaces called the neuropathy but the Senate had opposed him now with the city in ashes he could pursue his ambitions as a rumor spread that he had caused the fire he began looking for a scapegoat and his gaze fixed on the Christians persecution spread across the empire pleasure-seeking crowds craving excitement and entertainment flocked to amphitheaters and Colosseum's where gladiators fought to the death and starving wild beasts attack dark men it's hard to imagine that this weed and festive field used to be the Circus Maximus growth around the outside of this field over 250,000 people would gather but it's what happened in between the chariot races that I find most fascinating an altar would be set up and Christians would be dragged before this altar and forced to make the ultimate choice who were they going to follow God or the Emperor with just a pinch of incense they could save their lives but these Christians would not compromise instead they chose to die one of the most horrible deaths that can be imagined one elderly man Polycarp a leader in the early Christian Church was dragged into an amphitheater filled with thousands of bloodthirsty people the atmosphere changed as they watched this aged man brought before the pagan altar innocent the proconsul wishing to save his life offered him his freedom if you just put a pinch of incense on the altar the Polycarp refused a tea in six years I have served him and he has done me no wrong how can I deny my Lord now he chose to die the fire was lit but the wind blew the flames away from him as the crowd begin to express their sympathy a soldier stepped forward and thrust a spear into his side the impact on the onlookers as they watched these early Christians die was evident it is said that the blood of martyrs is seen and when one died many more would spring up to take their place over the next 200 years persecution of Christians continued in various parts of the Roman Empire but in 284 AD as Diocletian came to power Christians were to face the worst persecution they didn't do it yet the Roman Empire was on the verge of collapse Diocletian tried to strengthen the empire by reviving practices of the ancient Roman religion paganism Christianity was outlawed intense persecution across the Empire took place from 303 to 313 ad as the terrible persecution raged on a new emperor came to power who had changed the Roman Empire forever Christianity was about to face its greatest change and its most dangerous enemy light is about to become shackled the turning point came as constantine prepared to battle with Maxentius a rival for the throne the day before the battle he claimed to have had a vision of the Christ and have heard the words in this sign thou shall conquer being a man of action he went back to his troops and had them put the sign of the Cross on their shields and also make it one of their standards to be carried into battle the next day as Constantine's armies marched towards next sentient the enemy broke ranks and fled and Maxentius himself drowned in the river here below this convinced Constantine that Christianity was the true religion the Eddas soldiers marched through the river and told all that they were now baptized Christians and he himself claimed to become a follower of Jesus Christ [Music] as the Sun set on that momentous day you realize what had just happened Constantine and Rome were embracing Christianity the world would never be the same again in 330 ad Constantine moved the capital of the Roman Empire to a strategic location in the east he named the city after himself calling it Constantinople today it is known as Istanbul Turkey for nearly eight centuries Constantinople was the wealthiest and largest city in Europe it was credited with having the most advanced defences of any city in the Empire Constantine also issued the Edict of Milan which legalized Christianity and supported those who practiced it he also mandated that Sunday should become a universal day for rest and worship across the Empire rather than Saturday kept by the Jews and the Apostles as Conover sees developed in Christianity his shift begin to take place rather than searching the Scriptures for the truth the church councils or the Emperor himself decided the beliefs and doctrines for the church these teachings often conflicted with the Bible over the following centuries a major rift began to form those refused to allow others to determine their biblical beliefs continued to be persecuted and the church split into the state endorsed church and an underground movement of believers scattered across Europe the Roman Empire had stood for centuries but was deteriorating from within and being attacked by barbarian invaders from without Rome could no longer withstand the pressure and it finally collapsed as the Empire decline the church in Rome rose to prominence and power in his place as the fifth century came to a close a fundamental shift was taking place within Rome once the pagan political superpower it was now becoming the center of Christianity within Europe [Music] we call the period of time following this collapse the dark ages roaming tribes of bandits and barbarians pillage the countryside roads became overgrown with weeds without proper maintenance the aqueducts ceased to carry water into the cities and the streets overflowed the sewer as raw material became scarce people pillaged the Colosseum's temples and theaters for stones to build their houses smallpox dysentery and the plague and ravaged the land and waves sometimes wiping out up to half of the population as barbarian tribes were settling in Western Europe Clovis a powerful king of the franks adopted the christian faith this was significant as barbarians were pagan not Christian thousands of his subjects followed his example and were baptized as Christians he even allowed his army to fight for the Bishop of Rome Christianity appeared to be gaining ground rapidly Christianity was rising in the West dramatic changes were taking place in the eastern city of Constantinople the night of July 31st 528 Justinian the Great was on the verge of taking the throne after the death of his father Justin that night he had a dream of a universal Empire with one state one law and one church which ruled them all Justinian's deterministic Evo's Emperor five years later Justinian's passed the corpus juris civilus overhauling the Roman legal code for the first time in history Christianity was the mandated law of the land and all dissenting views were to be persecuted the codis justine iana's mandated the following that reading the bible for anyone but the clergy was forbidden the only the state church could conduct baptisms that heretics were forbidden to gather for worship and that the property of heretics could be confiscated by the church and finally that all magistrates and soldiers must swear that they're members of the church it's hard to imagine but those who rendered such horrific persecution for hundreds of years were now the persecutors the light who is being shackled away from the people by the edicts meanwhile back in the Western Empire the city of Rome had fallen to the barbarian tribe of the Ostrogoths they did not recognize Justinian's laws and also refused many of the tenants of the Roman State Church in the winter of 537 Justinian's general Bullis arias arrived to liberate role by the end of 538 Rome was freed from the Ostrogoths and the codis justine iana's became the law of the entire Roman Empire the religious freedoms once enjoyed under the Ostrogoths were now lost the persecution began to rise for the first time from inside the Christian Church for the next 1260 years from the years 538 to 1798 the state church became both the political and religious authority within Christendom ornate cathedrals were built convents and monasteries multiplied and became the center of education within Europe while the Bible was copied and transcribed by monks religious scholars who was locked away from the common person scriptures were translated into Latin the language of the highly educated only the priests monks and scholars were believed to be holy enough to read and interpret the Scriptures tradition and edicts of councils became the basis of authority in the eighth century charlemagne became king of the franks through military conquest and an alliance with the state church he consolidated his power in 782 ad he issued an edict condemning to death any pagan who did not convert to Christianity on December 25 in the year 800 Pope Leo the third crown Charlemagne Emperor of the Western Roman Empire in doing this the Pope demonstrated the church had superior authority the church was not only cooperating with the state it was superseding state power another example of the church's power over the state is seen in the story of Henry the fourth in the 11th century a church council further limited imperial authority and when Henry objected the Pope threatened him with excommunication under this threat his nobles were unwilling to support his rule in the middle of the winter of 1077 Henry travelled over the Alps toward the castle of canosa where Pope Gregory the 7th was staying standing outside the castle gate barefoot in the snow King Henry waited for three days as penance before being admitted to de pardon from the Pope the church was the most powerful institution in Europe and it was willing to demonstrate this authority to advance its purposes but the light was not wholly extinguished small groups of believers hidden in the Italian Alps kept the Bible alive in their language they carried the Bible through centuries of bitter persecution and spread its light across Europe these were the people who kept the flickering flame of truth shining and the darkness of their age these where the Waldenses the walled Indians were a small band of believers living here in the shadow of the Italian Alps having been evangelized in the time of the Apostles they carefully preserved precious truths that had been taught to them from the Bible as much of Europe fell under the shadow of the state church the Waldensians became a focus of intense indoctrination the state church assumed the authority to mandate the beliefs and practices of all believers she was to be the conscience of society as a result most of Europe without the ability to compare church teachings with Scripture succumbed to superstition they lived in fear of a stern god supernatural activity and also fear of the judgment but the Waldensian had none of these fears as they had discovered the loving God of the Bible industrious and generous the Waldensian --zz were farmers shepherds and craftsmen they spent many hours transforming these rocky mountains into fertile lands bursting with flowers and vegetation often after hard day's work they would gather together to read the Bible sing songs or memorize large passages of the scriptures [Music] the Waldensians were strong believers in biblical education they built this school the College of the barbs to train their young men in the scriptures here they would memorize and transcribe large portions of the Bible not content to keep their knowledge of the Bible to themselves they felt compelled to lead others out of darkness into the light of God's Word each school would be composed of ten to twelve young people who were carefully educated to prepare them for missionary service here in this school elders instructed them and the teachings of Scripture and the art of sharing it with others upon completion they would travel across Europe as craftsmen and merchants carrying the precious truth of the Bible with them [Music] some went as students to prestigious university towns such as Oxford Prague or Paris as secret missionaries to share the Bible with those interested because Bibles were outlawed they carefully sewed pages of Scripture in their clothes and between layers of their coats and looked for individuals that might be receptive to the gospel but this was dangerous work it was hard to know who you could trust who is the person you were talking to genuinely interested there was it a priest trying to catch you one mistake or miss spoken word in the presence of the wrong person lead to your imprisonment torture were death being a member of the underground church was risky the relations between the state Church and the Waldenses were tense the Wold entities rejected the mysticism of the communion service refused to confess sins to a priest as a Bible taught that only God could forgive sins they practice baptism of adults instead of infants and perhaps most surprisingly worshipped on the seventh-day Sabbath of the Bible just as the apostles who evangelize your valleys in the first centuries had done by the year eleven sixty the state church condemned the Waldenses as heretics and demanded that they either recant their beliefs and come in line with the teachings of the church or face its wrath the Waldenses refused to compromise the response was a call for the extermination of these peaceful mounts [Music] instead of pointing people back to the Bible as a source of truth the church pointed the sword 12:09 Pope Innocent the third called for crusade against the wall densities and a related group of believers in the South of France the elbe Gen sees what followed was a horrific slaughter when asked by the soldiers what should be done with the refugees streaming from the besieged city of buzzing the papal legate responded kill them all God will sort his own the entire population up to 30,000 people were massacred centuries of relentless persecution nearly wiped them out armies spurred on by priests marched through these valleys raiding and plundering homes Bibles were burned farmland destroyed and bodies leased strewn across the ground at a moment's notice the walled in seas had to be ready to flee up these mountain paths deep into the Alps as the enemy approached they hid their families and caves are behind massive mountain bulwarks the landscape was a natural defense against the soldiers but the Walden C's were not always able to escape their enemies in one raid over 8,000 Waldensians were marched to the top of this mountain men women and children were then thrown over the caste elusive to their deaths below [Music] often small bands of believers would gather in secluded forests or hidden caves for worship many times they would be discovered and brutally murdered in the year 1655 the duke of savoy determined to put an end to these heretics in the dead of winter he ordered the Waldensians to attend a mass or move to the upper valleys of their homeland he expected that they would give in to the order rather than face the freezing snow and cold but with 12,000 people abandoned their homes and fled to the upper valleys men women children and even the sick waited across the icy streams ascended the frozen peaks before arriving in the upper valleys where they were warmly received warded in his purpose the Duke then chose to use trickery on April 24 16:55 he asked the world NC ins to temporarily house his soldiers being loyal citizens they consented and garrisoned thousands of soldiers in their homes all through the valley after a few days at 4 a.m. on Easter morning the soldiers turned against their hosts slaughtering imprisoning and torturing them mercilessly over 1700 Waldensian were killed thousands more were imprisoned and many starved to death the survivors were given two options either convert or leave the country immediately unwilling to compromise it climbed over the frozen elves to find refuge in Switzerland as news of the massacre spread people responded with poor and indignation Protestant countries opened their borders and offered asylum to the remaining Waldensian oliver cromwell who is Lord Protector in London began petitioning on their behalf began writing letters raising funds calling a day of fasting and prayer and even threatening military force to come and rescue them [Music] I have to wonder which of their beliefs brought so much persecution was it because they believed in a personal God or perhaps because they refused to confess their sins to man or maybe it was because they had the Bible in their own language whatever it was the Waldensian were mercilessly slaughter [Music] there was a widening gap between the wealthy and the poor the rich made their fortunes off the sweat of the working-class offering minimal protection in return for their Labor's for the poor struggle to survive was nearly all-consuming books were rare as they had to be copied by hand and most of the common people were illiterate stained-glass windows and our innate statues in the churches were the only instructions many had in the stories of the Bible services in Latin of little practical meaning for the worshipers who could not even read in their own language the state church rose to the zenith of power no other authority held her accountable she claimed power over kings and rulers and even above the requirements and laws of Scripture money became the lifeblood of the church multicentric construction projects valued at millions were undertaken to build great cathedrals positions of spiritual leadership and influence we're at times given to the highest bidder Europe was in desperate need of change people wondered if anything could stop the tide of corruption the darkness was so deep you thought there is a way out it was time for change it was time for the Morningstar of the Reformation it was during this dark hour that a man stepped onto the stage who had Herald the coming morning he arose from the edges of the Holy Roman Empire in the country of England his name was John Wickliffe as a young man Wickliffe arrived at Oxford University to study theology he quickly was recognized as a diligent scholar and deep thinker well he was at Oxford in the summer of 1348 the Black Death arrived in England hundreds of thousands of people died from this ravishing disease carts would Rumble down the streets in the morning to pick up those who had died during the night as church cemeteries filled up many were thrown into mass graves and hastily buried there is hardly a family to be found who had not lost a loved one to the plague Wickliffe was deeply impacted by what he saw as he contemplated the dead and the dying he along with much of Europe began to question the traditions of the church as a professor at Oxford he had access to the scriptures he began spending more and more time reading them and within its pages he found answers and hope to the deep and painful questions surging through his mind as England's social conditions were deteriorating friars and monks swarmed through the English countryside begging for money and food though the monks had vows of poverty the monasteries did not and they became very very wealthy the gulf between the church and the people was growing this infuriated Wickliffe having deeply studied the Bible and the teachings of the church he found major discrepancies he boldly began to preach and write against any unscriptural practice he saw penance and indulgences as ways to manipulate people to donate money he rejected the idea of confessing one's sins to a priest and that a man could forgive sins based on the Bible he denounced many of the religious practices of the state church including celibacy the authority of the priests over God and the mass idol worship pilgrimages the veneration of the saints and prayers to and for the dead when the church told the English monarch that he must pay a church tax Wickliffe spoke to Parliament arguing eloquently that such demand was not in harmony with the Bible wickless influence convinced the king to refuse the financial demand of the Pope and this he had touched the church's source of money enraged that his influence is greater than their own the church stirred up controversy against him and forced him out of Oxford he withdrew two letter worth and passed her this rural congregation behind me the church thought that this would decrease his influence but he was about to release the greatest ally to the Reformation Wickliffe translated the Bible from Latin into English this was in direct opposition to Rome the state church had a long history of suppressed in the Bible in 1199 Pope Innocent the third stated that the Bible should not be in the language of the common person where the unlearned would be unable to interpret it properly the counsel to loose and 1229 condemned anyone who translated or owned a Bible in just a few years later in 1234 the Council of Tarragona decreed the following no one may possess the books of the Old and New Testament in the common language and if anyone possesses them he must turn them over to the local bishop within eight days of this decree so that they may be burned [Music] not only did Wickliffe translate the Bible into English but he trained a group of lay pastors called Lollards fanning out across Europe these men distributed thousands of handwritten copies of the Bible as well as wickless writings the church opposed his teachings and writings over his lifetime Wickliffe was put on trial three separate times but each time he was able to escape during one trial he gave a thundering response for his belief in God and the Bible is God's Word and then simply walked out his accusers sat stunned It was as if God's hand was over this brilliant scholar protecting him from a mark it was during this time that the Roman Church was rocked by a major scandal that distracted its attention and protected Wickliffe three separate men claimed to be the sole Pope of the church and proceeded to excommunicate the others in what is now called the Western schism they strongly denounced their poets as being the Antichrist speaking of the Pope of Rome and the Pope of Avignon France Wickliffe said that they were two halves of Antichrist making up the perfect man of sin between them he encouraged people to look away from the men to the Word of God he said even though there were a hundred Pope's and though every mendicant monk was a cardinal they would be entitled to confidence only insofar as they agree with the Bible the Western schism lasted almost 40 years and was finally resolved at the Council of Constance the three popes removed and another pope was elected to take their place while the church was fighting the truth of God was able to spread as the dust settled the state church began to focus on reading out the Reformation movement they found many in England had accepted witless teachings in fact one people delegate complained you could not meet two persons on the street but one of them was alone the Queen of England was herself they convert to wickless teachings and worked to protect him during one of his trials she set word to the council forbidding them to pass sentence against him she was a princess from Bohemia and through her influence the Reformers writings were widely circulated in her native country Wickliffe has been called the Morningstar of the Reformation just before the Sun rose he was like a bright light in the darkened sky mourning was done beginning to spread as a lollards carried the scriptures far and wide across Europe concepts from the Bible were being embraced by the people the Bible had been translated into the Bohemian language but over time it was outlawed in its place ignorance and superstition took hold but the rumblings of change could be heard in the distance Jerome a fiery preacher and professor from Bohemia came to Oxford University in England to continue his studying well there he came across some pamphlets by Wickliffe while he read them he became convinced that these were truth copying them down he took them back with him to Bohemia and shared them with professor by the name of Yann Huss Huss was named after the town he was from a cynic her goose town his gentle and winning deportment earned him admiration from classmates and professors alike he graduated in 1396 and was asked to become a faculty member of the university in prague over the following years HUS and Jerome became close friends their personalities complemented each other HUS was thoughtful wise and discerning Rome was passionate charismatic and a powerful speaker the Jerome encouraged us to study the writings of Wickliffe that he had brought back from England HUS was intrigued and agreed with what he was reading he found Wickliffe teachings to be supported in Scripture and believed the church would benefit from these rediscovered beliefs found in the Bible in 1402 HUS was appointed director of the Bethlehem chapel in Prague it was in this church that week after week HUS preached not in Latin but in the language of his members thousands came out to hear about a savior that loved them and cared about them personally from his pulpit and from his classroom light was shining and reaching much of Prague and Bohemia and converting them to the gospel of Jesus Christ the trouble was brewing at the university of prague johann hübner a fellow professor strongly challenged forty-five points of wickless teachings including that the bible was the only basis of authority for christian doctrine he was determined to have wickless writings declared heretical by the state church three years later Pope Innocent the seventh ordered the Archbishop of Prague to suppress the reading teaching and studying a wickless writings but HUS had seen the light of the Bible shining through the writings of Wickliffe and felt compelled to continue sharing them by the time HUS was preaching the reformed doctrines just under twenty years had passed since wickless death the church authorities in Bohemia appealed to the new pope alexander v they were upset at HUS for criticizing the selling of indulgences to raise funds he accused the Church of acting out of selfish interest it wasn't long before Rome responded in 1412 HUS received a letter demanding that he traveled to Rome to stand trial for his faith he knew that if he went to Rome it was certain torture and death not surprisingly he refused to go enraged in its disobedience the Pope issued the ultimate punishment HUS it was excommunicated in the eyes of the church he was now condemned to burn in hell for all eternity to the medieval mind this was to be dreaded more than anything else but hussies mind had been lit by the Word of God how could a human authority condemn someone to burn in hell for obeying divine commands the Bible was his only authority to it he would bow unafraid of a piece of paper he continued to preach every single week thousands in the city of Prague follow his example and packed the chapel to hear the word of God for themselves as the Bohemian people accepted and spread the newfound light there was an awakening to the principles of grace and hope the Waldenses continued pouring young missionaries from their valleys into Central Europe the Lollards from England and joined them in spreading the light Rome was rapidly losing ground to the Reformation in a desperate attempt to stop its advancement it put the city of Prague on our Internet no one could marry receive Communion or even be buried in the church cemetery until yon husk is removed as pastor in to protect the people HUS left the city to continue preaching and writing from the countryside as he was leaving he clearly stated that he no longer trusted indecisive Kings hostile Pope's for ineffective counsels he appealed directly to Jesus Christ as his judge and the Scriptures as the foundation of his faith by passing the structure and traditions of the medieval church he argued that Christ alone is the head of the church and that a Pope the ignorant and love of money can make many mistakes that to follow the Bible even if a Pope demands otherwise is to obey Christ for the Bohemian reformation this step was monumental amia as a nation was accepting a new authority the Bible the state church realized that any attempt to force us to come to Rome would be futile so they pressured the Emperor of Bohemia to deal with the heresy HUS was summoned to Constance Germany to answer the charges that have been leveled against him [Music] Oh Emperor Sigismund promised him the protection of a safe conduct and his appearance was presented as an opportunity to dialogue and to share new light with the emperor in his courts but the dialogue was not to be for the first few weeks and constants HUS was allowed his freedom but on November 28th 1414 he was arrested and eventually thrown into the dungeon beneath the tower behind me he was left to rot for months in this awful place Emperor Sigismund thought to release him but the pope's representatives argued that the agreements with heretics were not binding and that HUS should be punished immediately for his apostasy Sigismund wavered and HUS stated prison when Jerome heard that HUS had been captured he rushed to Constance without any guarantee of a safe conduct he arrived in April of 1415 to the surprise of many but he quickly realized there was nothing he could do to help his friend he tried to escape back to Bohemia but was captured along the route brought back to Constance and thrown into jail [Music] the enemies of HUS wanted to have him executed without a trial but powerful bohemian princes pled for HUS to be given a hearing and to this Sigismund finally relented on June 8th 1415 HUS was summoned to appear before the court as he stepped before the court here in the church he was barely recognizable after months and a dark filthy dungeon he was sick gaunt and physically and emotionally exhausted one man standing against the most powerful authorities in the kingdom but this man stood on the authority of the Bible the trial was a sham 30 articles were read against him when he attempted to respond or correct different areas he was told to be quiet in the end his options were to renounce his teachings and beliefs or die by mistake [Music] Huss protested his innocence and to refuse to renounce anything until he was clearly shown from Scripture where he was wrong as he attempted to speak loud shouts echoed through the hall and attempt to silence him at this haas turned and looked directly at Sigismund it was on his promise of a safe conduct that HUS had come sigismund's face turned a crimson red and he turned away in shame and so HUS was condemned by the church authorities on July 6 1415 and handed over to secular authorities to be burned realizing that he was about to die HUS fell to his knees and prayed aloud Lord Jesus Christ I implore thee forgive all mine enemies for thy great mercy sink this used to be an open field where this rock is is where the stake was set up the Emperor's marshal asked us one last time to recant HUS refused God is my witness he responded that the evidence against me is false I have never thought nor preached except with the intention of winning men if possible from their sins today I will gladly this fate was sealed straw wood and kindling were piled up the round spot pages from Wickliffe spanha and violins were torn out used to start the flavors as the blistering fire licked at his body he's saying Lord be merciful to me a sinner he could be heard reciting the songs until the flames silence his voice finally a godly man whose only desire was to save souls was gone but hustles enemies were not satisfied they wanted his doctrines his teachings and his memory destroyed the executioner's scooped up his ashes and threw them into the Rhine River to prevent a burial site that could promote the fame of the reformer but his ashes were carried to Switzerland France Germany the Netherlands and into the expanse of the North Sea little did hustles enemies know that just as his ashes were carried to distant shores so the truth he uncovered would spread throughout the world [Music] the death of HUS deeply impacted Jerome who is still rotting in prison he had already suffered immensely and the thought of burning alive terrified him in fear he renounced his beliefs and pledged to follow the doctrines of the state Church but his sufferings were far from over and he was thrown back into prison as he lay in his cell his guilty conscience tortured him how could he have denied his Lord how could he have gone against the teachings he believed in he was again brought before the council and urged even more clearly renounce his beliefs but Jerome had changed gone was his former cowardice he said you condemned Wickliffe and yon HUS not for having shaken the doctor to the church but simply because they exposed the scandals proceeding from the clergy their company their pride and all the vices of the prelates and the priests the things which they have affirmed and which are irrefutable I also affirmed the council was furious and condemned him to die a year after the execution of Yann Haas on May 30 1416 Jerome was burned as he stood there with his hands tied to the stake and kindling piled up around his legs he was unflinching gone was his former cowardice as the executioner came up behind him to light the fund Jerome said come and kendal it before my eyes if I was afraid of it I would not have come to this place as the flames whipped up around his last words were this soul in flames I often [Music] the enemies of the Reformation were gearing up to wipe the Bible and its followers off the map those in Bohemia received the news of HUS and Jerome's death with fear and consternation [Music] rumors swirled that Emperor Sigismund was amassing a vast army to once and for all deal with those in the state church called heretics in 1420 Pope Martin v issued a papal bull calling for a crusade against the Wickliffe fights the Hussites and all other heretics in Bohemia the church promised wealth adventure and a guaranteed entrance to heaven for all those who fought alongside her fear gripped the heart of the people and they looked to God to raise up and deliver it could not have long to wait God was already moving on a man his name John jischke as a military leader there are few equals to jischke brilliant courageous and humble he is in a rare group of generals who never lost a battle as he heard of a personal God who would forgive sins through faith in Jesus Christ he was determined to give his life to Him when the forces gathered to eradicate the Reformation from crok jischke stood ready to lead the small armies of bohemia against the invaders On June 30 1420 Emperor Sigismund with over 80,000 Crusaders arrived outside the walls of Prague the sea of soldiers like the fog of impending doom spread out around the city the citizens of Prague were terrified they were greatly outnumbered were not trained in war and had few weapons it appeared that the Reformation was about to be snuffed out with intense earnestness the town turned to the Lord for help what happened next is incredible Sigismund ordered his elite cavalry taken outpost not far from the city of Prague 3,000 of his cavalry marched across the river and made their way towards the outpost which was guarded by 26 men two women and one small child they were reduced to throwing stones and using sticks to keep the enemy at bay it appeared that they were about to lose with one of the women whose name has been lost to history charged towards the enemy shouting no true Christian were retrieved from Antichrist this inspired the others and this handful of people were able to hold the thousands at bay until ishka to mobilize his reinforcements come to bury but his reinforcements were badly outnumbered and ill-prepared to fight the elite cavalry but they came singing hymns praying and trusting in the power of God to deliver them as they approached the elite cavalry felt a supernatural terror come over them and they fled for Maguire throwing themselves off the cliff and drowning in the river before they were completely routed by a choir singing hymns and praising God over the next 15 years of the hussite wars general jischke led his army from victory to victory even after he lost sight in both of his eyes he was able to envision the battlefield and guide his soldiers accordingly his leadership protected the Reformation in its infancy jischke and his generation eventually died and the old guard is replaced with moderate leadership who are willing to compromise for the sake of peace and safety the call for unity within the church is promoted as more important than following the teachings of Scripture eventually the state Church regained control light were shackled away Wickliffe HUS and Jerome past but their work of sharing the Bible with the common person had planted seeds of light they had not formulated the principles of the Reformation rather they discovered these principles by simply as people followed the light God blessed with even warmer contained within the Scriptures is the path to forgiveness and peace with God it teaches that salvation is through Jesus Christ not a church and that it's free and personal without the need of a priest this cut at the very foundation of the religious hierarchy the church time for a short life of sin God would condemn a person and burn in hell for all eternity this put an emphasis on the need to purchase forgiveness the created a vast chasm between God [Music] as huh stood before the council but condemned him to die he said today you were going to burn a goose but in a century you'll have a swan which you can either roast nor boil this he said referring to himself as the goose from goose town but he also referred to the coming of a reformer who the church would be unable to silence whose hammer thundering against the door of a church would advance the Reformation with explosive power [Music] on November 10 1483 Martin Luther was born here in Islip in Germany his parents were poor German peasants who desired a better life for their son through great sacrifice they sent him to the University to become a lawyer [Music] Luther was a natural student and excelled in his studies he would have walked through this arch to enter the University Library one day while Luther was examining the books he came across an entire Latin Bible up to this point he didn't even know that a whole Bible existed he had only heard portions of the gospels and psalms recited by the priests he stood in awe holding not just a few passages but the entire bible his soul stirred within him and he thought oh that God would give me such a book for myself this was quite possibly the beginning of his desire to make the Bible available to the common person in their own language in 1505 Luther was traveling back to Africa where he was attending school when a massive thunderstorm blew in he fought to press on and fear gripped Tennessee remember that a friend until my late and terror he cried out save me Saint Anne I'll become a monk storm abated and Luther did indeed survive he kept his promise and much to his father's dismay left law school to join a monastery Luther's entire life had been filled with fear like many living in the dark ages he was terrified of demons and a supernatural activity in a desperate attempt to find peace he entered a monastery perhaps there he could find genuine rest for his soul in the monastery Luther's spent hours and confession and when he was finished he would start all over again finally his confessor father stout pants have had enough look he said if you want Christ to forgive you come with something to forgive he assured Luther that his sins had been forgiven that he had peace in Jesus Christ but Luther's mind still troubled him one day will walk into the library Luther came across a book containing yong-ha sermons intrigued he said I could not understand for what cause they had burnt so great a man who explained the Bible with so much gravity and skill several years after joining the monastery Luther was sent to Rome on official business he and another monk made the 800-mile journey on foot staying at monasteries along the way Rome was a culture shock [Music] here was immeasurable wealth luxury and levity everywhere he turned he found profanity in the place of sanctity well in Rome Luther visited many of the holy sites including pilots turkeys the church taught that anyone who ascended these stairs on their knees would receive a full pardon for any sins that had been committed as Luther ascended each stair about halfway up the verse came vividly to his mind from Romans chapter 1 and verse 17 the just shall live by faith as the light illuminated his mind Luther understood for the first time that it was his works that would save him but Jesus Christ alone around this time st. Peter's Basilica who is under construction in Rome the Pope's extravagant lifestyle had emptied the Treasury and church leaders decided to use a creative and effective fundraising tool they would print paper indulgences for sale half of the income would go to the local bishop in Germany and the other half of the proceeds would go to Rome to sell these indulgences the church would send emissaries of the Pope to encourage people to buy Johann Tetzel was sent to Saxony Germany near Wittenberg Johann Tetzel was a master salesman he traveled to various parts of Germany and preached on the horrors of purgatory and also on the graciousness of the church to offer pardon and forgiveness for so little money why he would say as soon as the coin in the coffer rings the soul from purgatory Springs and then he would ask how could anyone be so selfish that they would not relieve their deceased relatives from the terrible suffering in purgatory the ignorant superstitious plagued by fears of death and torment eagerly accepted this offer money poured into the Treasury as people paid to have their sins forgiven and their relatives freed from purgatory to Luther this was simply religious manipulation and here was a problem with indulgences it didn't bring about any heart change well in theory a person was supposed to demonstrate signs of repentance the system was poised for corruption Tetzel was to discover this firsthand in Leipzig Germany a man asked if it was possible to buy an indulgence for future sin Tetzel assured him this was not a problem with the payment of a large sum of money the man paid and left with the indulgence and the official seal of the Pope as Tetzel left the town he was attacked and beaten and the large chest of money was stolen Tetzel was enraged and demanded the thief be brought to justice however when brought before the magistrate the man proved to be the same one who had purchased an indulgence earlier for a future sin he assured the magistrate that this was the sin he had intended when he purchased it much to the chagrin of Tetzel the man was allowed to go free [Music] the idea of purchasing the forgiveness of sins past or future was in Luther's mind something of pagan origin and not to be found anywhere in the Bible he preached to his congregations with increasing conviction that all their beliefs must be based upon the Bible large crowds came to hear him preach the preaching was not enough Christianity and the church were about to be shaken to their core [Music] in 1517 duke frederick elector of saxony had an incredible dream he saw a monk nailing something to a church door with letters so large you could read it from a great distance the monk used a goose quill to write and the quill became a beam that grew large and reached to Rome knocking the triple crown off the Pope's head in the dream men tried to break the pen but it was like steel and could not be broken then he saw other pens riding all around the Duke had this continuing dream three times that fretful night and finally awoke to the morning of October 31st 1517 [Music] Luther made his way to the castle church door here in Wittenberg Germany a piece of paper in his hand on it he out laid in 95 points where theses arguing that indulgences were not to be found in the teachings of Jesus or even within the Bible his intent was to generate discussion within Wittenberg little did he realize what an impact this paper would have not just on Wittenberg but all of Christian in a few days it had spread throughout Germany and in a few weeks it had spread across all of Europe one new machine made it all possible the printing press thousands of copies of the 95 theses were quickly printed and distributed among the people the points became the talk of all Germany what was so startling about this document why was it so revolutionary over the last 1500 years the church had become the final authority on religion and doctrine Luther was striking at the very foundation of state church structure [Music] in July of 1519 Johann Eck debated Luther in order to challenge his teachings Eck was considered to be the master debater in Germany in the debate Luther stated that the scripture alone was the basis of Christian belief he condemned the sale of indulgences as a means of reducing time in purgatory as there was no mention of purgatory in the Bible when the theologians saw that they could make no progress with Luther the Pope sent out an order excommunicating him and commanding that his books and pamphlets be burned upon receiving the condemning document Luther along with fellow professors and students gathered underneath this tree and burned the papal excommunication letter the battle was on the emperor a supporter of the Pope summoned Luther to appear before his court in a bronze Germany the building has since been destroyed but this is the place where Martin Luther would have stood for the court a table in front of him contained all his writings the court demanded that he recant he trembled and in a subdued voice asked for more time to be able to give a response he was given till the next day he spent hours at night in prayer it felt like the world was standing against finally the morning came he was ushered into the chamber in a response was the man all was hushed as Luther spoke unless I'm convinced by the testimony of Holy Scripture or by evident reason for I can believe neither Pope nor counts is alone as it is clear that they have erred repeatedly in Connor dicta themselves I consider myself convicted by the testimony of Holy Scripture which is my basis my conscience is captive to the Word of God thus I cannot and I will not reject is acting against one's conscience is neither safe nor sound god help me I can imagine the silence in the room one man bravely standing on the authority of the Bible against the most powerful men on earth his courageous manner impressed many that were present but his reasoning fell on the deaf ears of church leadership [Music] Luther was declared to be an outlaw his accusers urged the Emperor to arrest Luther on the spot after all they said faith need not be kept with heretics but Emperor Charles remembered when Emperor Sigismund had violated the safe conduct for HUS and replied I should not like to have to blush like Sigismund as Luther traveled home he was secretly kidnapped and secluded in a mountain fortress the warper castle Frederick the elector of Saxony who had had the miraculous dream of a monk nailing something to the door of a church had determined to save his friend [Music] it was here in this room that Luther translated the entire New Testament into German in just 11 weeks he accomplished one of his greatest life goals to give his people the scriptures in their language Luther's disappearance caused quite a stir rumors wildly circulated some thought he was dead his enemies rejoice but as his new Publishing's came off the press it became clear that he was not dead but alive however with Luther physically hidden away a dark and sinister shadow began to fall across the Reformation movement a peasant revolt swept through the countryside and the enemies of the Reformation were quick to blame it on the teachings of Martin Luther the Reformation was on the verge of falling apart torn from within and opposed from without Luther can no longer stick in it he left the castle without protection and entered the pulpit preaching rebuking and encouraging his followers the Reformation was safe but opposition from the state church was far from over the next movements would determine the future of Europe and the world in 1526 the Imperial debt met for the first time in spire Germany the leaders from across the country met here in the speyer cathedral to discuss important decisions one of which was the spread of the Reformation in bir charles v knew that he would have to walk a very delicate line he along with the state church was desirous to snuff out the reformed heresy but he also knew that some of the princes were pushing for freedom to practice religion as their conscience dictated the fledgling reformation hung in the balance to protect the Reformation God raised up an unlikely ally from the east the Ottoman Turks were advancing towards Europe every Kingdom had fallen before them 75 years before the Imperial diat Constantinople had fallen to the Turks this was significant in the European mind as Constantinople was considered the queen of cities because of its advanced fortifications for over a thousand years these walls had stood unbreached a massive chain would be hauled across the harbor to prevent any ships from being able to attack from the sea no matter how the city was approached it was considered to be impregnable that is until the Ottoman Turks attacked one of the original candidates used to destroy Constantinople still exists today I traveled to Fort Nelson in England to see it [Music] the Turks advanced on Constantinople they came with the largest cannon that had ever existed up to that point 17 feet long it could shoot projectiles have weighed up to 670 pounds over a mile and distance as they arrived I can imagine the terror that the inhabitants must've felt as they looked over the wall and saw the massive army of the Turk we gathered around with these huge cannons beginning to shake and destroy their wall even now as the dia was taking place the Ottoman Turks were sweeping north and nearing the borders of Charles the fifth Empire at the Battle of Mohawks the Hungarian army had been destroyed there was no longer a buffer between the fierce Ottoman Empire and the rest of Europe the Emperor had made up his mind Luther had already been outlawed the Reformation must be stopped but as long as the Turks were advancing Charles v needed the cooperation and military support of the Protestant Prince's and he was forced to tolerate their reforms to save his kingdom in 1529 another serious threat was to be encountered Vidya met again and a law was proposed that would allow the reformed areas to remain reformed however the spread of biblical doctrines to other areas would be prohibited well on the surface this appeared to be a concession the reformed leaders realized that a truth could not spread it would die many Germans even under Catholic princes had accepted the reformed doctrine if these restrictions are implemented civil war was imminent the reformed German princes put their life and lands on the line as they respectfully but forcefully lodged a formal protest against the edict they said let us reject this decree in matters of conscience the majority has no power the proposed laws failed [Music] Charles saw that his plans have been thwarted again he needed these princes and their men that the fight against the Turks the term Protestant was coined in honor of these princes who protested against the unfair laws through an unexpected source the Reformation had been protected once again if the Ottoman Turks had not been pressing from the east the Reformation could have been crushed while the advancement of the Turks was checked during the siege of Vienna in 1529 the continued presence distracted the armies and allowed the flickering flame of the Reformation to become a steady blaze in England another giant of faith was rising here in the early 1500s this man would significantly shape the English language and religion perhaps more than any other his name was william tyndale in 1494 tendo was born here in Gloucestershire England an area dominated by the wool industry he grew up among farmers and textile workers it was this humble beginning that laid the foundation for his future success he attended Oxford University where he received one of the finest education available in his day Tyndale moved back to Gloucestershire England and became a tutor for the Walsh family his hosts would often have the leading men of the city over and Tyndall loved to sit down with them and discuss the new ideas which are sweeping through Europe one evening he was discussing with a group of monks when one of them said that he'd rather have the laws of the Pope than the Bible Tyndall was appalled and heatedly responded I defy the Pope and all his laws if God spares my life arrey these many years I will translate a Bible into English so that the plowboy may know more Scripture than you little did they realize how tender the lowly son of a farmer was destined to shape the English language perhaps more than any other after the fall of Constantinople documents begin to flow west as people fled from the advancing Turks as these manuscripts arrived in Western Europe there is a renewed interest in Greek and Hebrew scholars wanted to study the Bible in its original language one of them Erasmus compiled the many Greek New Testament versions into one compilation he published this as a single New Testament with Greek and Latin side-by-side this was invaluable to Tyndale as he translated the Bible and English as Tindall continued his study in translation of the Bible tension with local religious authorities roads and in order to avoid the charge of heresy Tyndall fled to London where he hoped to keep permission to publish a Bible in English in London the ass Tunsil who is Bishop of Durham for permission to publish his Bible but Tunstall was a strong believer that the Bible should not be in the language of the people he let Tindall know in no uncertain terms that his Bible was not welcome in London and made sure to shut every other door for publishing as well with legal permission denied Tyndall decided to go underground within a short time he had boarded a ferry and left England never to return he must have known this would make him a hunted man for the rest of his life once in Europe Tyndall was constantly moving translating long hours each day and in continual danger of capture 1525 he completed the New Testament and started printing 3,000 copies in Cologne unfortunately the printer shop was raided and kendal barely escaped with his life managing to save some of the pages of the translated work he travelled to the city of forums to finish finally he was able to print it his Bible though it was expensive was an instant bestseller because of the invention of the printing press and no longer took 11 months to copy the Bible by hand now a Bible could be produced in a matter of days soon much to the distress of the authorities Tyndall's New Testaments started showing up in England merchants were smuggling them in containers filled with food and wool even though they were expensive people bought them as soon as they became available they were small and easily fit inside your pocket this was important as owning one always came at the risk of losing your life the state church in a desperate attempt to keep Tyndall's Bible away from the people bought up hundreds of copies and brought them here to st. Paul's Cathedral in London to be burned but the proceeds from these sales were sent back to Tyndall who used them to print even more Bibles in 1535 Tyndall was betrayed by a man he trusted he was captured near his residence by officers of Charles the fifth in vil ward Tyndall was imprisoned under deplorable conditions we still have a letter that he wrote to the prison warden asking for warmer clothes oil for his lamp and his books so that he continued translating the Old Testament finally after 15 months of imprisonment he was led from his cell to be burned [Music] he was led to the stake the wood was piled around him and the fire was lit his final words were Lord opened the king of England's eyes when he'd finished burning they scooped up his ashes and threw them into the river behind me and why did they burn him translating the Bible into English [Music] within four years Kendall's dying prayer was answered in England miles Coverdale was able to publish the Coverdale Bible based almost entirely on Tyndall's work in 1539 King Henry the eighth authorized the publishing of the great Bible the first authorized Bible in English history in 1611 King James Version the most famous Bible of all times was published over 84% of the King James New Testament is Tyndall's work 75% of the Old Testament books that tende was able to translate found its way directly into the King James Version and it was life and the life was the light of men and the light shine it than darkness and the darkness comprehended it not the reformers such as Martin Luther and William Tyndale shared one great desire that the Bible be made available not just to the priests and the Monarchs but also to the common plowboy the shadows of the dark ages were lifting as people were able to read the Bible for themselves [Music] around the time the Martin Luther was preparing his 95 theses Nintendo was translating the Bible into English the light of truth lit in the country of Switzerland through a man by the name of Ulrich Zwingli on a cold January morning 1484 the swingley was born in a farmhouse out in the country his parents must have early recognized it swingley had a sharp an inquisitive life as they sent him to Basel to pursue his secondary education at the tender age of 10 years old he became a highly educated scholar and priest at a time when the majority of the priests could not even read many monasteries had become more like party houses than places of reverence and worship physicians in the church were bought and sold for large sums of money a year after Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the castle church door swingley was transferred to the large Church here in Zurich Switzerland it was here that he began to uncover the light of truth and boldly proclaimed it from the pulpit Zurich was a destination town for many pilgrims who hoped to decrease their time in purgatory by visiting the different relics swingley noticed that many of these pilgrims thought that their salvation was dependent upon this journey but this contradicted what he was uncovering in the Bible as he read verses like Galatians 2 and verse 16 that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified he became convinced that faith in Christ alone could save people from the pulpit he thundered against the abuses that he believed were in the church he led his congregation chapter-by-chapter through the Bible as they opened the Word of God the superstitions that had held their minds in darkness begin to break shortly after he arrived in Zurich the dreaded Black Plague broke out highly contagious it rapidly spread across the city thousands began to die the disease was spread by rats and mice with infected fleas that were being transported in shipping containers or import to port from the coast it quickly swept inland devastated the population in places over half of the people died from the Black Plague swing Lee's friends urged him to flee but he believed that Christ had called him to tend for his flock and that included when they were sick and dying faithfully he attended to those afflicted even at the extreme risk to himself ultimately swingley caught the disease and nearly died his selfless acts moved the town of Zurich deeply they saw that his was a faith deeper than talk he was a pastor in the truest sense of ward as the devastation of the epidemic began to subside a Dominican friar came to Zurich to sell indulgences the timing could not have been worse over one third of the town had died families were fragmented the grief and pain of loss was deep and now the survivors who were barely scraping by were asked to pay money to release their loved ones from purgatory the grieving people were deeply offended by the perceived callousness of the church swingley strongly denounced this with clear biblical reasoning and the city supported their beloved pastor and refused to allow the friar to stay but the sale of indulgences is not the only thing that swingley felt needed to be reformed within the church there were other practices and teachings there were also false the state Church taught that in the mass the priest had the power to miraculously transformed the bread and wine into the actual body and blood of Jesus placing the priest above God as winged Lee compared Scripture with Scripture he saw that the bread and wine could not be the physical body and blood of Jesus when Christ said this is my body which was broken for you he was still physically there in the room it wasn't till the next day that he would die on the cross after the cross Hebrews 12 in verse 2 tells us that Christ ascended into the heavenly sanctuary to stand at the right hand of the Father looking more closely swingley discovered a deeper spiritual just as when Christ said I am the door I am the vine he wasn't saying he was a physical door in literal wine so the bread and wine Illustrated important spiritual essence as the believer partakes of the Word of God he of sustained spiritual however these teachings did not settle well with the state church the bishop overseeing Zwingli's district demanded that the city of Zurich deal with the reformer in response the city demanded that there be a debate between both sides so that they could choose which one was truth at the appointed time the bishop sent a representative to debate swingley and show him the errors of his teachings swingley wrote up a treatise with all of his arguments and scriptural support neatly outlined representative was not prepared for such a logical explanation he said we don't have to answer I'm not allowed to talk higher theology in front of common people the state Church desired to put an end to Zwingli and his followers the Zurich had firmly grasped Protestantism and faithfully protected their leader on October 11 15:31 Zurich was attacked by neighboring cities upset with reforms that swingley had an issue swingley joined his forces as a chaplain during the battle he was injured and the Papists discovered him underneath this tree they ordered him to recant swingley refused so they killed him thus ended the life of a man who had uncovered great light [Music] among the reformed movement in Zurich a group of believers called the anabaptists believed the Bible should be taken just as it reads as they studied they realized that no were does a Bible talk about baptizing babies for rather adults who can make a conscious decision they were a peace-loving people and believed that individuals should have the freedom to follow their own consciences as they shared these truths with others the concept of adult baptism was still new and not readily welcomed by either party and religious persecution broke out against them many Anabaptists were imprisoned tortured or drowned [Music] Derk Willems a native of the netherlands accepted the Anabaptist message and was baptized as an adult he began to share this message with others and started a small church as people learned of his new doctrines there was strong opposition the winter of 1569 Dirk Willems was captured by local authorities and thrown into the castle tower that used to stand here behind him sitting in his self he devised a means of escape and tied the bedsheets together threw them out the window climb down to the frozen ice the ice was thick Dirk was life it had no trouble making his way across the ice or its woods beyond [Music] as he cross he was spotted by a guard who quickly gave chase but the guard was heavier than dirt and fell through the ice and terror is screamed for help other guards came around but none of them dared step on the ice Dirk slow he knew he was the only one who could help the guard but he also knew that to go back meant to face capture and certain death as he hesitated the words of Christ flashed into his life loved your enemies do good for those who spitefully use you and persecute you his decision carefully traverse the X grab the guards hand pulled him out of the icy waters slowly they made their way back to the other side grateful for Dirk saving his life the guard pled for him to be released but to no avail [Music] dirt Willems was seized again and hauled to the top of the church tower with his feet were put in the stocks and he was held for over a month in the freezing cold finally it was taken outside earn state [Music] Dirk had paid the ultimate price for his faith he didn't have to turn back to help the guard he could have gone free but he decided to put more value in the life of his enemy had been in his own Dirk made the decision to be faithful to what he knew was right and it was this decision the sealed his fate as thousands joined in the Reformation the state church struggled to regain control it became more and more extreme in its opposition to the Reformation the order of the Jesuits was created to counteract the reform movement the church was unrelenting in its persecution of the Inquisition an institution of secretive trials that ended in torture and death spread its pallor over the land anyone who did not accept the church's Authority was suspect by the inquisitors in 1509 the little town of Bacardi France a child by the name of John Calvin was born Calvin early showed signs of brilliance his parents enrolled him in the best school theta4 by the age of 12 he was appointed chaplain of a small Church in their town [Music] when Calvin was 14 years old the black death swept through his hometown in terror many of the citizens fled the city hoping to save their lives Calvin's parents were also concerned so in 1523 they sent him to the safety of Paris to pursue his education the rector's of his new school realized that Calvin was a sharp and inquisitive student he often studied the late into the night poring over his books and eagerly soaking up knowledge as a dedicated follower of the state church Calvin reverently obeyed all the required rites and ceremonies he not only read but mastered the writings of the church fathers as his professors saw his genius they cherished the idea that he would be a future leader and defender of the faith however his cousin Olivet Tong also moved to Paris living in the same city Calvin and Olivet Tong spent many hours together in heated discussion their debates often centered on the new Reformation ideas sweeping through France Calvin was torn between believing in the traditions he had always known and the new ideas all of it taun was sharing one day well these thoughts were troubling his mind Calvin walked through the Place de Grove in Paris France he saw a crowd gathering to watch a Protestant be burned Calvin watched as the dreadful flames did their work and the man peaceably gave his life for his faith deeply impacted he left this man he thought as a piece which I do not possess maybe my cousin's right finally Calvin picked up the Bible and begun to read at first the Bible caused his guilt to increase but has he continued reading he began to see the think outline of the cross light was breaking through the dark superstitions which had caused such torment Calvin came to understand that it was not Saints confession to priests pilgrimages or penance that could save him salvation was only found in Christ and in him he finally found peace with his new understanding of the gospel Calvin could no longer in good conscience lead people to worship before the deceased Saints and meaningless relics he left the study of the priesthood and studied law for a short time before feeling the call back into ministry he began sharing his newfound faith in the quietness of people's homes across Paris in 1536 while travelling in southern Europe Calvin's route was blocked by the armies of Charles the fifth he was forced to take a detour that brought him to the gates of Geneva [Music] tell van intended to stay briefly but his plans were interrupted William Farrell an ardent believer in the Reformation and a leader in Geneva heard that Calvin had arrived Geneva was at a critical point the Reformation had swept through the city and many of its citizens had wholeheartedly embraced these new teachings but as the light of God's Word caused them to question their spiritual authorities there was a danger that they would throw off all authority lawlessness and revolt could follow and destroy the Reformation a brilliant godly man was needed to help establish the people in the Protestant faith and protect the city from extremism but Calvin would not be persuaded shy by nature he was determined to go on to Basel where he could study and write in peace finally an exasperation william farrell pounded the table and called down the curse of god on him if you would put his desire for study ahead of god's calling in his life calvin realized the voice of god was speaking through this man and he chose to stay and help establish the Reformation in Geneva Calvin threw himself into the work together with Farrell labored to establish Protestantism here he started a school were young people from all over Europe studied and learned the doctrines he taught they took these back to their homes and so his teachings became widely known Kelvin saw the Bible as the basis for all doctrine and practice as a leader in the Reformation he helped establish the Protestant faith in Switzerland and across all of Europe from the time of Calvin onward Geneva was a city of refuge for all Christians persecuted across Europe in a letter to a friend John Knox wrote Geneva is the most perfect school of Christ that ever was in the earth since the days of the Apostles the walled entities fled here after intense persecution and expulsion from Italy in 1687 they were forced to cross the Alps in January some not surviving the journey they stumbled half-frozen into Geneva and it was in this city of Christian grace and mercy that they found refuge through Calvin's influence many in northern France accepted the Protestant message and became known as human ohms persecution increased following the st. Bartholomew's massacre of 1570 to where many of the Hyuga knows were killed over two million Protestants fled France instead of strengthening France as the Church promised the persecution drove out the brightest and the most talented while the Reformation championed the freedom to follow the Bible as one's conscience dictated there rose in France a different revolution one which threw off all religious restraint as they rejected the church they also rejected the God whom the church had misrepresented atheism and the goddess of Reason became their religion the godless reason has no moral compass it survival of the fittest when empowered by the state and lead the carnage of an imaginable magnitude but followed was a horrific reign of terror in which tens of thousands of people were murdered what became known as a French Revolution with the new state church religion being atheism Frances relationship with the state church West tense in 1798 bullying's general Bertier overthrew the Pope took him captive and exiled him this ended the power of the state church to use universal secular authority to persecute those that disagreed with her teachings 1260 years after begin the absolute authority of the state church over Western Europe was finally broken in spite of persecution the Reformation was advancing in England in the early 1600s a group of Christians called the Puritans separatists studied the Bible and applied the light they uncovered to their lives they were willing to follow its principles even if it led them to separate from the Church of England not surprisingly they were persecuted for their beliefs they fled to Holland to escape the strong opposition and they found more religious freedom but as they learned about the new country of America they decided to seek out of place where they could truly worship God according to their conscience just before loading the Mayflower the pilgrims gathered for one final worship service their pastor John Robinson who is staying behind addressed them with one final moving appeal I charge you before God and his Blessed angels to follow me no further than I have followed Christ if God should reveal anything to you by any other instrument of his be is ready to receive it as ever you were to receive any truth of my ministry for I am very confident the Lord had more truth and light yet to break forth out of his holy word though the reformers were burning and shining light to their time yet they penetrated not into the whole Council of God where they now living would be as willing to embrace further light it's that which they first received it was with mixed feelings that the pilgrims loaded the Mayflower from these steps behind them were family and friends they would never see again ahead of them were unknown challenges and difficulties on September 6 1620 they sailed toward America the harrowing trip lasted 66 days they endured cramped wet and cold conditions many of them got sick the Mayflower was nearly torn apart by the rough seas [Music] as a pilgrim set foot on the soil of the new land they knelt and prayed thanking God for his protection over the perilous ocean journey he had brought them to a new land where they could worship Him according to the dictates of their conscience at that first year was to be extremely hard an adequate shelter ravishing disease and extreme hunger exact today heavy toll 45 of the hundred and two immigrants died that first winter and are buried here in this cemetary but the survivors carried on they were establishing a new country without a king and a new church without a pope wiping their eyes they bravely carried the light of truth forward that spring is the Mayflower left for England and not one pilgrim was on board the freedom to worship God was more valuable to them than life itself these early pilgrims were the first of millions who had find safety and protection on these shores back in England a child by the name of Roger Williams was born growing up near the Smithfield Plaza he witnessed the death of faithful martyrs as he watched these men and women die he longed for a country where people could worship however they chose so in 1631 he boarded a ship and set sail for the new world as he settled in the city of Boston he was disappointed at the narrow view of the colonists they were just as intolerant of differing religious views as the leaders back in England he began to express the need for a clear separation between church and state but this was considered heretical on a cold January night in 1636 Williams was warned that he was about to be arrested and shipped back to England hastily he packed his bags and said goodbye to his wife and small children and fled to the safety of the wilderness there he hidden logs until finally being taken in by friendly Indians eventually Roger Williams bought this plot of land from his Indian friends he called it Providence and wrote the King of England asking for permission to start a colony in Rhode Island Providence Rhode Island became the only colony in the Americas to mandate the separation of church and state the ideas of religious liberty began to spread until they were incorporated into the Bill of Rights of the United States of America over the years the issues of the Reformation have been nearly forgotten some a vast is the Reformation / was a simply a misunderstanding or even worse a dreadful mistake so what was the impact of the Reformation but simply it transform society more than any other force it unlocked the Word of God no longer was it hidden in another language or chained to a monastery wall but it was available to all it released language and literacy science and medicine improved people learn to think for themselves and the freedoms we enjoy today found their foundation in the Protestant Reformation but the Reformers were not perfect as they came out of centuries of intense darkness they were not ready to comprehend all of the light that the Bible contained gradually as they were ready God revealed more truth new denominations were formed as old denominations stopped searching the Bible for more truth anticipating this continual unshackling of light pastor John Robinson told the departing pilgrims expect more light to be uncovered continue to search the Bible for more he was just repeating the words of Scripture proverbs chapter 4 and verse 18 says the path of the just is s a shining light and shine it more and more it was not for abstract facts of dusty doctrines but these reformers will learn today the Bible illuminates impact with personal relationship with Christ talks are the coming climax to history in the Word of God they found Jesus aluminum follow him they're willing to give possessions lose their reputation even today we stand on the shoulders of giants of faith men and women were willing to give everything to preserve the Bible the torch has been passed it now rests on us to continue studying the Bible when we discover new truth there to follow it hold on to it and proclaim it if we do this light will remain unshaken [Music] you
