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Segment V
The United States
Provided Sanctuary
To ensure the growth of
Protestantism and the fulfillment of His purposes
after 1798, God had prepared a new nation to
provide sanctuary for Protestantism. The Pilgrims
came to America for several reasons, one of which
was religious freedom. Many Lutherans also came
to America and they established their first
church on Manhattan Island in 1648. Twenty-two
years before the papacy fell, the Declaration of
Independence was signed in 1776. No one in
Philadelphia could have anticipated the
development and the accomplishments for Christ
that the United States of America would fulfill.
The book of revelation predicted this phenomenon
and it will be discussed when we examine
Revelation 12:16. The Holy Spirit raised the
United States by giving it a marvelous
constitution and an amazing Bill of rights
ensuring religious freedom for everyone.
Protestant immigrants were drawn to this nation
by the millions. Because the population of the
United States was predominately Protestant in
those early days, Catholics who settled here were
often scorned and mistreated. In fact, Catholics
were not elected to public office for many years.
(The first Catholic president in the U.S. was
John F. Kennedy, 1960-1963.)
Since 1798, the United
States has produced more Christian missionaries,
gospel workers, and literature proclaiming “salvation
through faith in Jesus Christ” than any
other nation in Earth’s history. Of course,
the Holy Spirit is still pushing “the good
news” of salvation through faith in Jesus,
even though Protestantism has mutated into a deep
and horrible apostasy. Protestantism has lost its
love and fidelity to the Word of God. It became
weak and confused after WWII because it did not
press deeper into the Bible for truth.
Protestants became materialistic following the
apostasy of Rome. It displaced the teachings of
Jesus with the teachings of fallen man.
Unfortunately, America has forgotten its Creator
and Benefactor. This nation has focused on the
gifts rather than The Giver. Most citizens are
consumed with the acquisition of wealth and the
pursuit of happiness and pleasure; sexual
immorality is rampant. Perplexities and social
problems are on every horizon. The spirit of
America has dimmed because the Spirit of God has
been grieved. In spite of our nation’s
corporate apostasy, the gospel of Jesus is still
alive. Although weak, the cry of the reformation
still rings out: Salvation comes through faith in
Jesus Christ alone.” There is “a crown
of victory and the winner’s ribbon” for
everyone who submits to the authority of Jesus
and overcomes this world through faith in Him. (2
Timothy 4:8) Soon, during the campaign of the
fourth and fifth seals, this cry will again swell
and fill the whole Earth!
Summary
The breaking of the first
seal in 1798 resulted in the emancipation and
empowerment of the Protestant movement. After the
fall of the papacy, Protestants were able to
proclaim salvation through faith in Jesus without
intimidation or persecution from the Church of
Rome. The first seal was a great start, but six
more campaigns would be necessary! The revelation
of Jesus will get brighter and clearer as these
campaigns unfold and dovetail together.
Additional notes on Papal
Doctrine
The Catholic Church
teaches that the pope is the infallible successor
of Peter and that it has the keys of the kingdom
of God. Let us briefly examine the following
passage and see if Christ’s church was built
on successors of Peter: “When Jesus came to
the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked his
disciples, ‘Who do people say the Son of Man
is?’ They replied, ‘Some say John the
Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others,
Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ But what
about you?’ he asked. ‘Who do you say
that I am?’ Simon Peter answered, ‘You
are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’
Jesus replied, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son
of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by
man, but my Father in Heaven.’ “I tell
you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will
build my church, and the gates of Hades will not
overcome it. I will give you the keys of the
kingdom of Heaven; whatever you bind on Earth
will be bound in Heaven, and whatever you loose
on earth will be loosed in Heaven.” (Matthew
16: 13-19)
Jesus queried the
disciples about His identity in order to teach
the disciples two impressive lessons. When Peter
responded, “You are the Christ [Messiah],
the Son of the living God,’ Jesus blessed
Peter saying, “Blessed are you, Simon, son
of Jonah.” Notice that Jesus used Peter’s
formal name because He was about to use Simon’s
surname to make a profound point. While Peter’s
words were still reverberating in their ears,
Jesus contrasted Peter’s humanity with His
divinity. Jesus said, “I tell you that you
are petros.” (The Greek work petros is
transliterated “Peter,” but it means
rock or pebble.) Then Jesus said, “and on
this Petra [Greek: petra, a huge rock] I will
build my church. The contrast in language
indicates that Jesus pointed to Himself when He
spoke these words. Jesus was the vine and they
are the branches. (John 15:5) The Son of God who
stood before them in dusty sandals was the
eternal and awesome “Petra” of the Old
Testament. (Genesis 49:24; Deuteronomy 32:4,15; 1
Samuel 2:2; Psalm 18:31; 1 Corinthians 10:4) The
disciples must have shuddered with this reality.
Can you imagine hearing about “The Rock of
Ages” from the Scriptures all of your life
only to discover one day, that “Petra”
Himself, garbed in the robe of humanity, is
standing in your presence? The faith of the
disciples was greatly increased. The Church of
Christ would succeed because it was founded on
“The Rock” and sustained by His eternal
power. The distinction between the pebble (petros)
and The Rock of Ages (petra) was unmistakable.
Furthermore, there is no evidence in the Bible
that the disciples regarded Peter as the head or
founder of the Christian Church. In fact, Paul
reprimanded Peter for foolish behavior in
Galatians 2:11.
Then Jesus taught His
disciples a second lesson. He promised them the
keys to the kingdom. Jesus said, “Whatever
you ‘loose’ or bind’ on Earth will
be loosed or bound in Heaven.” The terms,
“to bind” or “to loose” means
having the authority “to approve or
disapprove.” (Isaiah 22:20-23; Revelation 3:7)
The “keys of the kingdom” is a phrase
that means, “having responsible authority.”
If you give the keys of your car to a person, he
receives the benefit of using your car, but also
receives a serious responsibility to operate your
car. The parallel is simple. Jesus promised the
disciples they would have the authority to make
the day-to-day decisions necessary to advance the
work of the church, and He assured them that He
would honor their decisions in Heaven.
Of course, Jesus would
honor their decisions if they followed the
leading of the Holy Spirit and built the body of
Christ according to the teachings of “The
Rock.” (Matthew 28:19,20) It is important to
notice that Jesus did not give His disciples
authority to determine the eternal destiny of
anyone. That responsibility is not transferable.
Jesus is our Judge. He redeemed us with His own
blood and His sacrifice for us gives Him the
right to pass judgment on us. (John 5:22,23; 2
Corinthians 5:10; Revelation 5:9; Acts 17:31)
Seal
#2 – Red Horse – 1800 – The
Teachings of Jesus Rediscovered
“When the Lamb
opened the second seal, I heard the second living
creature say, ‘Come!’ Then another
horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was
given power to take peace from the Earth and to
make men slay each other. To him was given a
large sword.” (Revelation 6:3,4) For reasons
that follow, it appears that Jesus broke the
second seal around the year 1800. At that time,
Jesus gave the Holy Spirit the sword of Truth and
sent Him to Earth on a campaign to enlighten the
world with two essential doctrines that will be
presented later in this study. This endeavor
would take a lot of strength. Perhaps this is why
the face of the second living creature looks like
an ox. (Revelation 4:7) As the truth about Jesus
becomes more clear and powerful, humanity’s
resistance to it will become more determined and
rebellious. Eventually, a time will come when
wicked people will kill those who love Jesus and
obey His commandments. Jesus warned His disciples
about the response of the carnal heart to His
teachings by saying, “Do not suppose that I
have come to bring peace to the Earth. I did not
come to bring peace, but a sword.” (Matthew
10:34)
According to Rule Three,
we should use parallel language from other Bible
texts to clarify passages that are cryptic if
parallel exists. Since the second seal is
somewhat cryptic, consider the following words of
Jesus, “All this I have told you so that you
will not go astray. They will put you out of the
synagogue; in fact, a time is coming when anyone
who kills you will think he is offering a service
to God. They will do such things because they
have not known the Father or me. I have told you
this, so that when the time comes you will
remember that I warned you….” (John 16:1-4)
Why did Jesus warn that religious people would
persecute and kill His disciples? Jesus made
these comments because He wanted His disciples to
understand the nature of religion. When religious
people are confronted with truth, they react in
one of two ways. They either rejoice or submit or
they become angry and hostile. This is why the
truth is like a double-edged sword. During the
Great Tribulation, the saints will be persecuted
and put to death because of their loyalty to the
Word of God. (Revelation 6:9-11; 13: 5-7)
Therefore, the campaign of the second seal has
something to do with the death of many saints
after 1798. Speaking of the final days, John
wrote, “I saw that the woman [the great
whore] was drunk with the blood of the saints,
the blood of those who had been slain because of
the word of God and the testimony they had
maintained.” (Revelation 6:9) What issue
puts the Word of God in conflict with the
antichrist? “…And [the dragon] caused
all who refused to worship the image to be killed.”
(Revelation 13:15)
These texts indicate that
a time will come when worship will be a serious
matter. The Antichrist and his wicked followers
will kill those who obey God’s law, and the
wicked will think they are doing God’s will
by killing the saints! Keep this thought in mind
as we continue to examine the second seal.
Our
Position and Condition before God
The assurance of
salvation is the best news a person can hear
after he understands his position and condition
before God. Our true position and condition
before God is revealed only through the teachings
of Jesus. Jesus said, “… I am the way
and the truth and the life. No one comes to the
Father except through me.” Our
position before God is that of a sinner. (Romans
3:23) Our condition before God is one of natural
hostility. (Romans 8:7,8) The verdict of God’s
Word is clear. We are under the curse of sin and
we cannot save ourselves from it. The good news
is that through the atonement of Jesus, we can
escape from the penalty of sin. Furthermore, we
can be born again and through the indwelling
power of the Holy Spirit, we can be victorious
over our hostility toward God!
Thoughtfully consider the
following sentence because it may be a hard one
to accept. When salvation through faith in
Jesus is separated from the teachings of Jesus,
the assurance of salvation becomes “an
opiate,” “a sweet nothing,” “a
theological fantasy,” which may be wonderful
to believe, but practically worthless for
overcoming the temptations and trials of the
human experience. On the other hand, when the
doctrine of salvation through faith in Jesus is
aligned with the other four essential doctrines
taught by Jesus, the assurance of salvation will
transform it. When we surrender our will to God’s
will, we submit to the armor of God. Paul wrote,
“For our struggle is not against flesh and
blood, but against the rulers, against the
authorities, against the powers of the dark world
and against the spiritual forces of evil in the
heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor
of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you
may be able to stand your ground, and after you
have done everything to stand.” (Ephesians 6:12,13)
John wrote, “For everyone born of God
overcomes the world. This is the victory that has
overcome the world, even our faith.” (1 John
5:4)
Additionally, when the
doctrine of salvation through faith in Christ is
separated from the other four essential teachings
of Jesus, discipleship suffers and Christianity
disintegrates. Many Christians have been led into
idolatry without realizing it. Consider the
process: When the assurance of salvation is
separated from, or exalted above, the importance
of being a submissive disciple to the teachings
of Christ, human nature will diminish the serious
consequences of sin. Soon afterwards, Christians
begin doing things that offend God. Sexual
immorality and idolatry are twin sisters. When
Christians separate the salvation of Jesus from
the teachings of Jesus, He becomes a religious
icon instead of the Lord and Master of our lives.
Jesus said that we cannot receive
salvation without giving ourselves over to His
dominion as an obedient disciple. “If anyone
would come after me [for salvation], he must deny
himself and take up the cross [of
responsibilities which I will assign] and follow
me [my teachings]. For whoever wants to save, his
life [for eternity] will lose it [that is, will
lose control of his life], but whoever loses [gives
up control of] his life for me and the gospel
will save it [for all eternity].” (Mark 8:34,35,
insertions mine) Notice how Paul summarized the
relationship between faith and works, “During
the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered
up prayers and petitions with loud cries and
tears to the one who could save him from death,
and he was heard because of his reverent
submission. Although he was a son, he learned
obedience from what he suffered and, once made
perfect, he became the source of eternal
salvation for all who obey him.” (Hebrews 5:7-9)
When salvation through
faith in Christ costs nothing, it produces
nothing. The problem is that salvation and
discipleship are inseparable. Here is a true
paradox: The problem is that salvation is
totally free through faith in Christ, but
discipleship will cost everything you
possess. Jesus told the rich young ruler,
“’…Go, sell everything you have
and give it to the poor, and you will have
treasure in Heaven. Then come, follow me.’
At this the man’s face fell. He went away
sad, because he had great wealth. Jesus looked
around and said to his disciples, ‘How hard
it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!
‘” (Mark 10:21-23)
Jesus did pay the penalty
for our sins by dying on the cross and whosoever
is willing to submit to the teachings of Jesus (this
is the true meaning of putting faith in Jesus)
shall not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
Surrendering to the teachings of Jesus produces
“justification.” When we are
willing to go, to be and to do all that Jesus
requires, we receive the assurance of salvation.
Jesus covers our sinful life with His perfect
righteousness and we stand before God “justified”
– just as though we never sinned. Jesus
lived on Earth as one of us to show us how God
wants His children to live. Every true disciple
of Jesus obediently submits to the discipline and
His teachings. (John 15:10; 1 John 2:3; Hebrews
12: 5-14) Discipleship is also called “sanctification”
which means becoming like Jesus. Judas was not a
true disciple of Jesus. Oh yes, he was excited
about being a founding member of Christ’s
new kingdom. He faithfully followed Jesus around
and was numbered among the twelve, but he did not
submit to the sanctification that the Master
offered and required. Eventually, his love for
money and disgust with Jesus led him to betray
his Master.
Just before He departed
for Heaven, Jesus told His disciples, “Therefore
go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father and of the Son and
of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey
everything I have commanded you.” And surely
I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
(Matthew 28:19,20, italics mine) Jesus summarizes
the relationship between obedience and faith. The
apostles understood the balance between faith and
works. James wrote, “In the same way, faith
by itself, if it is not accomplished by action,
is dead.” (James 2:17) Understandably,
Martin Luther did not like the book of James (or
the book of Revelation). The pendulum of
salvation through works needed a serious push
toward salvation through faith, and James sounded
too “works oriented” for “faith
oriented” Luther. Therefore, Luther wanted
to leave the books of James and Revelation out of
the German translation of the New Testament, but
close friends prevailed and Luther included them
both. Nevertheless, when you read the book of
James, there is a very clear balance between
faith and works. James does not teach that works
are a prerequisite for salvation. James says,
godly works produce evidence there is faith in
Christ! (James 2: 14-24)
Salvation
through Christ, Not the Church
Remember that the Church
of Rome eventually led Christians to believe that
salvation came through faith in the Church of
Christ rather than faith in Christ. This
transition was not premeditated. Rather, it just
happened because of the nature of fallen humanity.
The Jews did the same thing during their period
of trusteeship and Protestants have done the same
since 1798. Over time, religious institutions always
drift away from the teachings of Jesus.
Because God created us,
every person is accountable to God for his or her
actions, just as a child is accountable to his
parents. Regardless of what clergy may say or
laymen may believe, God sends the Holy Spirit to
every person to lead them toward a more complete
understanding of truth. (John 16:13) Here is
something hard to swallow: No church speaks for
the Holy Spirit and no church has “a corner”
on the teachings of Jesus. Are churches free to
study God’s Word? Are they free to embrace
the teachings of Jesus? Actually, no! Churches
are depositories of ideas which denominational
pioneers held about God. After the church becomes
established, a new generation grows up and
attends the church of their childhood without
seriously questioning the original ideas or
beliefs. Tradition explains why Judaism, and
Catholicism, could not embrace the teachings of
Jesus. Tradition also explains why Protestantism
cannot embrace the teachings of Jesus. Religion
is stickier than molasses
I have spent a
considerable amount of time emphasizing the
importance of salvation through faith in Christ,
because the biblical definition of faith is not
widely understood or practiced. Faith in Jesus
centers around a steadfast commitment to obey the
teachings of Jesus at all costs. The matter of
discipleship is important in our study on the
second seal, because the second seal concerns the
advancement of discipleship and regrettably,
Christian resistance to it. Jesus said, “If
you love me, you will obey what I command.”
(John 14:15) John put discipleship in perfect
balance when he wrote, “We know that we have
come to know Him if we obey his commands. The man
who says, ‘I know Him,’ but does not do
what He commands is a liar, and the truth is not
in him. But if anyone obeys His word, god’s
love is truly made complete in him. This is how
we know we are in Him: Whoever claims to live in
Him must walk as Jesus did.”
The Large Sword of the
Second Seal
The apostle Paul said
that Scripture is sharper than “a double-edged
sword,” for good reason. (Hebrews 4:12;
Ephesians 6:17) When the teachings of Jesus are
presented with power and authority, when sinful
behavior is openly rebuked and sin is called by
its right name, when evil motives and deeds are
exposed by the light of the truth shining from
God’s Word, it makes rebellious people
furious because the Bible offends them. Do not
forget that John the Baptist, the greatest of the
prophets (Matthew 11:11) lost his life for
telling King Herod that he had sinned by taking
his brother’s wife. (Mark 6:18)
The parallel is that each
of us has a bit of King Herod in our hearts. If
we had the authority and power, would we kill
those who openly rebuke us and expose our sins?
Look at the judicial system in many countries
today. Consider the ends to which evildoers will
go to avoid the embarrassment and humiliation
that comes from having their deeds exposed to the
light of the truth. Revelation predicts
that many, if not all of the 144,000, will be
killed during the Great Tribulation because of
their testimony they deliver. (Revelation 16:4-7)
In this sense, the sword of truth cuts both ways.
The Bible rebukes sinners and the wicked punish
the people who proclaim Bible truth.
An
enormous amount of inertia, resistance and hatred
in this world is focused on the teachings of
Jesus. Eastern Mystics, Hindus, Moslems,
Catholics, Jews, Pagans, Atheists and Protestants
are no different when it comes to the authority
of Jesus! This should not be surprising. The
carnal heart of humanity does not want to
surrender its rebellion and submit to His
authority. This is especially true when no one
else around us is obeying Jesus in the same way
the Holy Spirit is leading us. It was distressing
for Jesus to confront the rebellion of the Jews,
and it will be just as hard for His followers to
confront the rebellion that surrounds them. Paul
wrote, “The sinful mind is hostile to God.
It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it
do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature
cannot please God.” (Romans 8:7,8) Jesus
said, “This is the verdict: Light has
come into the world, but men loved darkness
instead of light because their deeds were evil.
Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will
not come into the light for fear that his deeds
will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth
comes into the light, so that it may be seen
plainly that what he has done has been done
through God.” (John 3:19-21)
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