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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