Is the Reformation Over? Season 1 | Episode 48
Our spiritual lineage is a rich one,
with many illustrious names stretching back to the earliest centuries.
We started this journey
tracing our spiritual lineage with the Celtic Church in Britain.
We saw that as early as the 5th and 6th centuries,
and lasting to the 12th century,
there were Christians who were trying to maintain a faith
based on their understanding of God's Word.
The Waldensians of northern Italy were another such group
who could trace their origins centuries back.
The faith and belief of groups such as these
stood in conflict with the claims from Rome,
that they were the mother church,
and so they sought to either convert or destroy them.
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In an era of immense darkness, John Wycliffe arose--the 'Morning Star'.
Whilst he did not start a new church,
by translating the Bible and through his teachings
he was able to peel back the layers of night
that had descended during the dark ages.
John Wycliffe was followed by Hus and Jerome,
two brave men in Prague.
A century later, Martin Luther arose in Germany;
Zwingli in Switzerland;
Farel and Calvin in France and then Switzerland.
All great men who went against the grain and remained true to their convictions.
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In Britain, William Tyndale would produce a beautiful translation of the Bible,
something that would cost him his life.
It was not an easy time to be a believer,
but slowly and surely the light was beginning to shine.
Proverbs 4:18 says that 'the path of the just
is as a shining light that shines ever brighter unto the perfect day',
meaning that when God reveals truth to us,
whether individually or collectively, He does it bit by bit.
The sun does not just appear in the morning,
but it comes over the horizon gradually,
and so God gives us truth in bite-sized pieces.
And so with the church,
each reformer built on the steps of those who had come before them.
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The truth of justification, sanctification,
baptism, Christian charity, freedom, and the second coming
all came back gradually.
Each of the reformers did not always agree with each other,
but God used each one.
As the dark ages ended in 1798 with the close of the 1260 year prophecy,
and as the world entered a time period known as the Time of the End,
the prophecy said that 'knowledge would increase'.
This is not to be interpreted as knowledge of science or technology,
but knowledge of the books of the Bible,
in particular Daniel and Revelation, would be unveiled as we neared the end.
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Despite the huge gains that had taken place during the Reformation,
Revelation 12 points out that after the woman, or the church,
would come out of persecution at the end of the 1260-year prophecy,
that God would have a remnant at the end of time.
A remnant who, as Revelation 12:17 points out,
would 'keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus'.
But who would this be?
And how would God lead his people in the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries?
Join us next season as we continue this journey
and explore our spiritual lineage through time.
We would like to thank you for your support,
and hope that you have enjoyed the journey this far.
Please help the journey to continue by donating at www.lineagejourney.com/donate