Invading the Kingdom of Satan

This morning I'd like to talk to you about the people who were the forerunners of the Protestant Reformation, because the work they did and the things they suffered are pretty much what God's people in these last days will do and suffer just before Jesus makes his way back to this sin-cursed earth. And I know there are a lot of Christians today who believe that they're going to be whisked away in a secret rapture before the time of trouble comes. But that's not the testimony of Scripture. We will be saved out of the time of trouble, but not from it. So preparation for that great day is of utmost importance as we look forward to that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior, Jesus Christ. Let's pray. Loving Father in heaven, we pause for a moment to thank you for your Word, and we thank you for the Holy Spirit, and we invite his presence with us right now as we worship together. In Jesus' name, amen. Now, I hope you don't mind, but we're going to go through a little history this morning in order to understand the difference between God's church and Satan's counterfeit. And the two streams that are very much traceable from the beginning of creation right up to our day today. But we're not going to go back as far as Cain and Abel, but begin with the New Testament church and follow these two streams right on down to our own day. I don't know about you, but when I was in school, I didn't care much for history. In fact, I didn't care much for school. But when I became a Christian 53 years ago, I wish that I had paid more attention in class so I didn't have to learn some of these things later on in life. Funny how that works, isn't it? So pay attention if you are a young person, and learn as much as you can now. And if you do, you'll be ahead of the game when you get older. That is, if you are able to steer clear of all the falsehoods being taught today. Just make sure you make the Bible a big part of your curriculum. That way, you'll be able to detect any falsehood that comes your way. During the dark ages of papal supremacy that began in the early part of the 4th century, the light of truth was not totally extinguished. The papacy did a good job of trying to keep it from the people. But there were faithful souls, as there always has been, that were witnesses for God during this time of darkness, who clung to Christ and Him alone as the only mediator between God and man. They held the Bible as the only rule of faith and practice, and honored the true seventh-day Sabbath when the papal Sunday counterfeit was being promoted as the so-called Christian Sabbath. But there's only one problem with Sunday as a sacred day, and it's a big one. It simply cannot be sustained by the Word of God. It couldn't during the dark ages, and neither can it be to this day. No matter how some people are trying to bend over backwards to try to prove the unprovable. By the way, this study today is not focusing on the seventh-day Sabbath for the most part. But in my mind, the best argument in favor of keeping it today is the fact that God wrote the Ten Commandments with His own finger on tables of durable stone. And if He wrote it with His own finger, He would have to do it in just as miraculous of a way as when He first wrote it, in order to make it clear that it was He who changed it. Does that make sense? God did not authorize even the prophets to write the Ten Commandments down on papyrus at the beginning like they did the rest of the Bible. He did it Himself. And in Malachi 3.6, He said, I change not. And in Titus 1.2, God says, He cannot lie. It doesn't say He doesn't lie, but He cannot. It's impossible, because He's a God of truth. But we know someone who does lie, and someone who cannot tell the truth, don't we? In John 8.44, Jesus said, It's the devil who is the father of lies. So, we know from Jesus' own lips that the devil has to be the one who is behind any attempt to change His law, because God's law is not susceptible to alteration of any kind. And to believe that it is, is to admit that God made a mistake. And if we're foolish enough to believe that, then we have no foundation on which to stand, and salvation itself would be questionable. The papacy is responsible for attempting to change God's law. And when I say the papacy, I want you to know that I believe there are many Catholics who are true Christians and are living up to all the light they have. But they should understand that Catholicism is a false system of religion with a sinful man at the head of it that they are following and supporting. And I hope and pray that they will see the importance of following the only one infallible man that has ever lived on this planet. And that's the man, Christ Jesus. But it's an undeniable fact, as we shall see, that it was the papacy that accused these faithful men and women we're going to study about today of being heretics, of criticizing their motives, of vilifying their characters, of misrepresenting their words, and killing some of them. Yet these faithful souls stood firm and maintained their faith in the Word of God. And that sacred heritage has been handed down to us today, and the world owes a great deal to these godly men and women for their willingness to lose everything in order to remain true to the God of heaven and to the Bible and to their Bible-educated conscience. So who are these people I'm referring to this morning? If you haven't already figured it out, it's the Waldensees. Only a few traces of their existence through the historical records can be found today, and it's mostly because of the accusations of the papacy who persecuted them. That's where we get the best glimpse of their faithfulness. But just because their history may be limited, doesn't mean that their contribution to the Christian faith is small. And certainly their names are registered in the Lamb's Book of Life, and we'll be able to find out all about them when we get to heaven, if we remain faithful to the end. And don't forget, it's not enough to have our names registered in the Lamb's Book of Life, because it can be blotted out, says Moses in Exodus 32-32. We get our names registered there when we are justified by faith by accepting the sacrifice of Jesus on our behalf. And just as importantly, it's retained there as we are sanctified by faith, as it says in the book of Acts chapter 26 and verse 18. And so faith cannot be taken out of the equation. The good news of salvation is a beautiful thing, but we have to realize that God will not save us apart from our own choice. And it's a choice that must be made daily. Just as we must choose to accept Christ and be forgiven, so we must choose to be made holy, because that's what sanctification is. And as we do this by faith, day by day, God has pledged himself to mold our characters more and more after the likeness of Christ. And when he has a people that he can trust to maintain that kind of relationship with him, then he will come to claim them as his own. So what is Jesus waiting for? And why has he not yet come? It's because his character has not yet been perfectly reproduced in the final generation that will live upon this earth. The question is, are we that final generation? I hope so, and I pray so. But if a people like this is not found soon, guess what? It will have to be another generation. And I know that sounds discouraging to think about, but it wouldn't be the first time there has been a delay. So again, is Jesus going to find a people that will perfectly reflect his character before this generation passes off the scene? Only if we allow God to work in us, both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Friends, it's plain to see that this world is ripe for destruction. And the signs of the times are screaming at us today to get ready, get ready, get ready. And will we be that final generation is the question. We can actually move the hand of God if we so choose, or we can continue to make him wait. Which is it going to be? As we study history, especially through the Dark Ages, from 538 AD to 1798, it's always been the policy of the papacy to do everything in its power to totally obliterate every trace of dissent from her teachings. When she was in control, everything the Church of Rome considered heresy or any expression of doubt or discouragement one might have regarding Rome's authority was enough to forfeit their lives. The papacy did its best during her 1260 year reign of terror to destroy every record of her persecutions toward those that disagreed with her, torturing them until death was preferred to living, burning them at the stake, and burning up their writings if they dared hold differing views about what the Bible teaches. And it's estimated that there were somewhere between 50 and 68 million people that were snuffed out as a result, and the Walden Seas being included in that number. We take it for granted today, at least in America, that we have a constitution that guarantees freedom of religion and freedom of conscience, but that has not always been the case. In fact, that was a rare thing as you study the various world powers down through the centuries. So we ought to be thankful and take advantage of it while it lasts, because Bible prophecy is clear that one day soon that freedom is going to go away as the papal beast and apostate Protestantism seeks to remove these sacred rights that were given to us by our Creator. As soon as the papacy obtained power during those dark ages, it did everything it could to crush out anyone that refused to acknowledge its supremacy. And one after another, both of individuals and of churches, eventually submitted to papal authority, except for this people that became known as the Walden Seas. And eventually, even they succumbed to a large extent, except for a very small remnant. England was a place where true Christianity had taken root early on, and during the first few centuries after Christ, they were relatively free from Roman apostasy. But finally, the Saxons, or what we today call the Germans, invaded England, and that's where the term Anglo-Saxon comes from. And eventually, many of the pagan beliefs of the Saxons began to gain control in England, along with the papacy, keeping in mind that this was long before Martin Luther and the other reformers that came along. And what did the papacy do about the pagan beliefs of the Saxons? Well, they added many of them to their own pagan beliefs. They made converts of the Saxons by incorporating some of their beliefs and practices into their own. And as a result, the Walden Seas, that determined to remain faithful to the word of God, were forced to flee to the mountains. Yet God was with them, and the truth they possessed was shared with all who would listen. But finally, Rome found these Christians in their mountain hideouts, and those that were able to escape had to flee persecution once again, finding refuge in places like Scotland and Ireland. And as a result, these countries and the surrounding areas received the gospel from them as well. You know, sometimes we tend to think that God has lost control when certain things like this happen to his people. But in reality, it turns out to be the way of spreading the gospel and for the salvation of souls. And again, those of us who will live to see the Lord come are going to go through a similar experience. And if we happen to be among that number, we shouldn't panic or lose faith because he is faithful who has promised to keep us in the hour of temptation. So as we try to look at this church history from the 30,000 foot level, we can see that God was indeed in control and nothing happens that he is not aware of. And he will work things out to his honor and glory if we will but cooperate with him. And so as we look at this history, there were places beyond the reach of Rome where these Christians, for hundreds of years, remained almost totally free from papal corruption. And chief among them were the Walden Seeds. However, even though for centuries the churches of the Walden Seeds did maintain their faith and their independence, the time finally came when their freedom came to an end as Rome insisted upon their submission. And after a time, most of the leaders of these churches reluctantly acknowledged the supremacy of Rome. But again, there were a few who refused to yield to the authority of the pope and were determined to maintain their allegiance to the God of heaven regardless of the cost. And they preserved the purity and simplicity of their faith and were forced once again to leave their homes and raise the banner of truth in foreign lands. And just as God was testing and preparing the Walden Seeds to accomplish his purpose in the earth centuries ago, he's doing the same thing today for those who are willing to surrender all to Jesus. So let's not complain when things go hard but cooperate with God because he's preparing us to give the last message of mercy this world will ever hear. In the third angel's message of Revelation chapter 14 verses 9 through 12, as you can imagine, the faith which for centuries was held and taught by the Walden Seeds was in marked contrast to the false doctrines taught by the Church of Rome because their beliefs were founded upon the word of God but not so with Rome. As I already mentioned, the Church of Rome was basically baptized paganism and it only got worse as it accepted the pagan beliefs of the Saxons in order to gain converts. And so the Walden Seed church that had to flee into the wilderness as described in Revelation chapter 12 was God's true church and the Church of Rome being Satan's counterfeit. There was one issue, however, that I already touched upon between the Church of Rome and the church in the wilderness as to why they had to be constantly on the move in order to be able to worship the God of heaven according to the dictates of conscience. And what do you suppose that one issue was? It was the seventh day Sabbath. It's not going to be good enough to satisfy the papacy and apostate Protestantism for seventh-day Sabbath keepers to simply refrain from work on Sunday. But we will be forced to denounce and desecrate the Sabbath or else. And we know what or else means, don't we? Revelation 13 15 speaks of a death decree for those who refuse the demands of the beast and his image. And the other thing that created problems between the Walden Seeds and the papacy was the fact that the Walden Seeds were among the first of those in Europe to obtain a correct translation of the scriptures from the manuscripts that God protected as opposed to those manuscripts used by the papacy that forms the basis of their translation of the Bible and many others that came afterward and are still coming out today. Long before the Protestant Reformation, the Walden Seeds were in possession of the Bible in their own language, which as you search it out, was a form of Latin called Old Occitan. And so some of these Walden Seed Christians must have had the ability to translate from the Hebrew and Greek manuscripts into their native tongue. And it's the Hebrew and Greek that forms the pure stream I mentioned earlier, which are also the same manuscripts that the King James Bible is translated from. Now, why do I say that the Hebrew and Greek is the pure stream of manuscripts? I say that for two reasons. Number one, the Walden Seeds had the truth unadulterated, which rendered them the special objects of hatred and persecution. And number two, God had faithful witnesses to whom he committed the truth and who preserve the Word of God. The manuscripts of the Hebrew and Greek scriptures have been preserved through the ages by a miracle of God. And so the Walden Seeds were some of the people who early on, who were the faithful witnesses to whom God had committed the truth and preserved his Word. And the Hebrews did the same with the Old Testament, because in Romans 3 and verse 2, the Apostle Paul says, unto them, the Jews were committed the oracles of God and God's oracles or his utterances are what the Hebrew prophets wrote. And so what we want in a Bible today is the one that has been translated from the Hebrew and Greek and not from the Latin, because the Latin manuscripts have not been preserved through the ages by a miracle of God, which means that they have been adulterated or have a mixture of truth and error. And when it comes to our eternal salvation, my dear friends, we don't want to be fooled by a mixture of truth and error, because that's what defines what Babylon is. And here's another important point to keep in mind. While it's true that the written Word that was preserved by a miracle of God is to be reverenced and cherished for its vital importance to the welfare of Christ's church, that Word in and of itself is not the means of our salvation. Why do I say that? I say that because in John 5, 39 and 40, Jesus said to the unbelieving Jews, you search the scriptures for in them, you think you have eternal life. And they are they which do what testify of me. And you will not come to me that you might have life. And they didn't come to him, did they? Jesus said, you Jews search the scriptures, the true Hebrew manuscripts, but you reject me, the one those true Hebrew manuscripts point to. You see, Jesus is the living Word and our salvation is complete in him. You can have a perfect translation of the scriptures and read it and study it and know it backward and forward. And you can still miss out on eternal life if you don't accept and abide in the one those scriptures point to. Isn't that true? And because that's true, we need more than a perfect Bible. What we need along with that is the abiding presence of Jesus and the same Holy Spirit that inspired holy men of old to write it. Friends, I became a Christian by experiencing justification by faith long before I knew anything about the Bible and those manuscripts that were preserved by a miracle of God. They became important to me later on as I began to study, and they have kept me from accepting error. But it was Jesus himself, the living Word that saved me, and the written Word has kept me on the straight and narrow that will lead to the kingdom of God as long as I remain faithful to what it says. Because the Waldensees had a faithful version of the Bible and studied it and through the power of the Holy Spirit obeyed it, they knew that the Church of Rome was the apostate Babylon of Revelation and declared it to be so at the peril of their lives. And so the idea that the papacy is the Babylon mentioned in Revelation 14, 17, and 18 and the beast power of Revelation 13 is nothing new. And yet today, this seems like a foreign thought or a conspiracy theory to most Christians. And I have to wonder if this is due, at least in part, to the biblical manuscripts endorsed by the papacy. Does that make sense? Seems logical to me that they would do everything they could to steer people away from that obvious conclusion. But be that as it may, here's the big problem the Waldensees ran into. While under the constant pressure of the long continued persecution they faced, some began to compromise their faith and little by little they began to yield some of the clear teachings in the Word of God. But praise God, a few of the Waldensees held fast the truth at all cost. And we must as well and not compromise in the least degree what we know to be the truth. Because if you give the devil an inch, he will do what? He will take a mile or two if he can. And so all through the dark ages of apostasy, there were Waldensean Christians, even when their numbers were few, who denied Rome's ill-gotten supremacy by rejecting image worship as idolatry, by looking to Jesus and him alone rather than to man, and by keeping the true Sabbath. And despite opposition and persecution, they maintained their faith even though many of them paid the ultimate price for doing so. And again, I say praise God, because without their faithfulness down through the centuries, this world would be an even darker place than it is today. So now that we have a bit of a background about the Waldensees, let's see how it applies to us as we watch the last movements being rapidly fulfilled right before our eyes today. And by the way, you've probably heard by now about President Trump's proclamation to make the month of May 2026 Jewish American Heritage Month, where on the 15th and 16th of this past month, he encouraged Jewish Americans and communities of all backgrounds to honor the seventh-day Sabbath from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday. But there are a couple problems with that. Number one, he refers to the Sabbath as a tradition of the Jews, which it isn't, because it was instituted at the end of creation week, long before there was a Jewish nation. According to Mark 2.27, Jesus said the Sabbath was made for man or all mankind and not just for a certain segment of the population. And number two, it sets a precedent that will make it much easier for the government to make another proclamation for people to keep Sunday as the so-called Christian Sabbath in the near future. You see, government has no business messing or telling or suggesting to people how they should observe anything listed on the first tables of the Decalogue, because that's between God and the conscience of the individual. But just know this, when the government begins to encourage people to worship on a certain day, even on the seventh day, it can be a slippery slope from that point forward. And don't let anyone convince you that there is no separation of church and state in the United States Constitution, because the First Amendment is clear as day that there is. And by the way, do I believe that President Trump understands where this is all going? No, I don't. He may have the best of intentions, but government leaders who unite in the Sunday movement do not themselves see whether the undercurrent is tending. But there is a movement that understands perfectly, and that's the papacy. Just ask the Waldensians. The Waldensian churches, in their purity and simplicity, resemble the church of apostolic times. And isn't that what the remnant church is supposed to be in these last days? Before the final visitation of God's judgments upon the earth, there will be, among the people of the Lord, such a revival of primitive godliness as has not been witnessed since apostolic times. And that's the group I want to be in. How about you? Just before human probation closes, the same beliefs, the same fervor, the same dedication to the truth, and even the same kind of refuge will be experienced by the remnant church. Doesn't the word remnant mean that the church in the last days will be cut from the same cloth as at the beginning? We're not talking about any denomination here, but the church that's described where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. Where Christ is, even among the humble few, this is Christ's church. Where two or three are present, who love and obey the commandments of God, Jesus there presides. And I say praise the Lord. The Waldensees lived during the time when copies of the Bible were handwritten, and as they went about here and there, they hid them in their clothes and discreetly handed them out to those they believed had a genuine interest, and to people that they believed wouldn't turn them in to church authorities, although I'm sure that happened every now and then, and they paid a heavy price for doing so. But I think we have it a bit easier than they did today, don't you? It will be much more difficult in the near future than it is right now to distribute truth-filled literature. So we better work while it is day, for the night is coming in which no man can work. And yet, knowing this, many of us do next to nothing in the way of scattering truth-filled literature like the leaves of autumn. What would the Waldensees think of us when we have all the inspired information we could possibly want, while we sit on our hands and do nothing, or very little? But friends, all of us need to be doing something. And really, there's no excuse for doing nothing. We should never forget that the Spirit of Christ is a missionary spirit. If our hearts have truly been renewed by the Holy Spirit, our very first impulse will be to bring to others a knowledge of the truth, unless we've lost our first love. The Waldensees believe that God required more of them than to just preserve the truth in its purity in their own churches and families, but that a solemn responsibility rested upon them to let their light shine to those who were in darkness. If for whatever reason we are unable to do something for the Lord because of health issues or whatever, we should at least help support those who are doing something, and in that way we will also be doing something, and will surely be rewarded for doing so. The Waldensean ministers were trained as missionaries, everyone who expected to enter the ministry being required, first, to gain an experience as an evangelist. Each was to serve three years in some mission field before taking charge of a church at home. The youth who received ordination to the sacred office saw before them not the prospect of earthly wealth and glory, but a life of toil and danger, and possibly a martyr's fate. Now, what if these kind of requirements were laid upon those graduating from the seminary today? I'm pretty sure there would be far less men taking courses to become pastors, don't you? I've often thought that every would-be minister ought to be evangelist for a short time and then see if they want to be ordained to the ministry. That would separate the men from the boys, don't you think? The Waldensean ministers were not guaranteed a big fat paycheck every month and medical benefits and retirement income, but had to work as some kind of trade or profession to support themselves and their families while they may or may not receive financial support from those they helped to understand the truth. We have it so easy today, and yet we accomplish so little. We need to look at the sacrifice of these faithful Christians of old and get a little inspiration to do something to hasten the Lord's return, because if we are not hastening that day, we are surely delaying it. And God help us if that's the case. And I'm preaching to myself here. No matter how much I do, I never feel like it's enough, right? It's nothing compared to what the Waldensees did and what the Lord has done for us. Just like us today, I'm sure that the Waldensees believed that the end of all things was at hand and that Jesus was coming soon. That's the way it's always been among God's people, even though we are separated from them by nearly 2000 years. They were deeply impressed by the Holy Spirit that they had a duty to make known to others the saving truths that had been revealed to them. They saw the plan of salvation clearly revealed in the Bible, and they found comfort and hope and peace in believing in Jesus and desire to shed this light upon those who were in darkness because of the errors of the papacy. And today, with close to one and a half billion Catholics in the world, we have a duty as well. And that task seems daunting, I know. But when the time is right and God has a people prepared, the truth will go like fire in the stubble, and the internet, I believe, will be one of the main tools the Lord will use to cause the truth to go viral in just a very short time. During the dark ages, the papacy taught the people back then, and they still teach the same today, that good works and giving money to the church and staying in the church will save them. But all this does is cause the people to look to themselves and yet find no relief from a guilty conscience because of their sins. Martin Luther experienced this same thing before he understood justification by faith when he tortured his own body and made long pilgrimages to Rome trying to obtain peace of conscience. And unfortunately, many like him have gone to their graves without ever finding the peace Jesus offers. And because of this, the papacy has much to answer for. You know, I used to wonder if God was fair in giving all people everywhere a chance to know the truth. But you know, I discovered something. In Titus chapter 2 and verse 11, there's a wonderful promise about this that says, for the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to how many men? To all men. In other words, every person born into this world that has reasoning ability has had at least one opportunity somewhere along the way to know and accept the truth, whether that's through hearing the truth from another person or reading in the Bible or seeing God in the things of nature. Everyone has had a chance. Most people have had many chances, including me, but everyone at least once. Otherwise, God would not be a God of justice. The Waldensees longed to tell people about the truth and to point them to Jesus as their only hope of salvation. Not to Mary, not to the Pope or to the priest, not by paying indulgences, not by good works outweighing the bad, but by faith in Christ alone. The Waldensees understood that the idea of good works atoning for the violation of God's law is based in falsehood. It was false then and it's false now. They also understood that it was Jesus who died as a sacrifice for their sins because as fallen human beings, we can do nothing to recommend ourselves to God. And that the only foundation of the Christian's faith is in a crucified and risen Savior, period. In contrast, the teaching of the papacy has always been to make people think that the Pope and his priests have to be invoked because God was too stern and mean and that they couldn't go directly to him for forgiveness. And that even Jesus lacked sympathy with us in our fallen condition and that he had to appeal to his own mother, who lies in the grave until the resurrection, by the way, to beg her to then beg Jesus to be merciful to us. But the Waldensees and their converts, whose minds had been enlightened by the word of God, did what they could to point these souls to Jesus as their loving Savior, standing with outstretched arms and inviting all to come to him with their burden of sin. That was their mission. And that's our mission today, that we can be pardoned for our sins through faith alone in Jesus Christ. Being pardoned through faith in Jesus is to be our focus. Once a person understands that and experiences that, the rest will come if they follow on to know the truth. One of the main teachings of the Protestant Reformation, if you recall, is the priesthood of all believers and that we don't need the Pope or a priest or Mary or anyone else to plead our case for us. We take it for granted today that we can go directly to God through Jesus Christ as our mediator. But because the people didn't have access to the word of God back then to learn these things, and the papacy did everything they could to make sure they didn't, in their ignorance they were forced to go to the priest. You've heard the old saying, I'm sure, that knowledge is power. And that's especially true when it comes to our salvation. Through the missionary efforts of the Waldensees, thousands of people were informed about the false claims of the papacy. As the truth of the scriptures dawned upon their minds, they realized that Christ was their priest, not some sinful man sitting behind a curtain. That Christ's shed blood was their sacrifice and their private prayer time, their confessional. And once they realized these things, they cast themselves wholly upon the merits of Christ, repeating the same words uttered by Martin Luther many years later when he was climbing Pilate's staircase and heard the words he had read many times, but until then didn't understand. The just shall live by faith. Or the words of Acts 4.12, where it says, there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. Have you come to that same conclusion, friend? I hope so, because this is the way of salvation. To these individuals who began to understand these things, they could hardly believe it, because it was so different than what they had always been taught. And can you imagine the relief that it brought to their hearts when they understood these things? They must have thought that they had been transported to heaven. Why? Because their feet were now planted solidly upon the rock of ages, and all fear of death was gone, which enabled them to go to prison for their fate if need be, or to the stake and suffer a martyr's death, if by doing so they could honor the name of Jesus. And I want that kind of faith and assurance, don't you? Because we are going to need it if we are so fortunate as to live to see the Lord come in the clouds of heaven without dying. The Waldensian missionaries for thousands of years were invading the kingdom of Satan. And as you can imagine, it didn't go unnoticed by the papacy. And the powers of darkness knew that if the light of truth were allowed to shine without doing something to stop it, it would sweep away the falsehoods that held the people captive and direct their minds instead to God alone. And that's what would eventually destroy the supremacy of Rome. And dear friends, it will do the same today if we do what we can to replicate the work of the Waldensians as we do what we can to invade the kingdom of Satan. The very existence of the Waldensees was a constant testimony to Rome's apostasy and invited the most bitter hatred and persecution. And because they refused to surrender those scriptures that had been preserved by a miracle of God, this was also an offense that Rome could not tolerate. And they determined to block these witnesses for the truth from the face of the earth. And as a result, the most terrible crusades against these people began in earnest. Again and again, the Waldensees' fertile lands laid waste. Their dwellings and chapels swept away so that where once were flourishing fields and the homes of an innocent and industrious people, there remained only a desert. As the ravenous beast is rendered more furious by the taste of blood, so the rage of the papists was kindled to greater intensity by the sufferings of their victims. Many of these witnesses for a pure faith were pursued across the mountains and hunted down in the valleys where they were hidden, shut in by mighty forests and pinnacles of rocks. Even though no charge could be brought against the moral character of the Waldensees, and even though their enemies said they were a peace-loving and a quiet and virtuous people, their only offense was that they would not worship God according to the will of the Pope. And for this so-called crime, they were tortured and killed. The time had now come for the papacy to try to finish the job of extermination, and they were determined that this hated sect had to be totally eliminated for the good of the Church. The Pope declared that they were like wolves in sheep's clothing and were responsible for seducing Catholics into believing a lie, and issued a public decree that something drastic had to be done. There was a Scottish historian and Presbyterian minister by the name of James Atkin Wiley back in the 1800s that wrote about this decree, and he said the Pope called the Waldensees a malicious and abominable sect of malignants, and if they refused to abjure or recant, they were to be crushed like venomous snakes. This papal decree called upon all the Catholic Church to join the crusade against these heretics, and as an incentive to engage in their eradication, they would be absolved from all their sins when they killed these heretics. And this tells us a lot about the satanic power behind it, doesn't it? Because it was the same spirit that crucified Christ and killed the apostles, the same that moved the bloodthirsty Nero to destroy the lives of Christians in his day and to rid the earth of those who were beloved of God, but notwithstanding the Catholic crusades against them and the inhumane torture they were subjected to, do you know what the faithful Waldensees that were left did? That's right, they continued to send out their missionaries to scatter the truth that the Holy Spirit had given them to bear to the world. They were haunted to death, yet their blood watered the seeds sown, and in this way they witnessed for God centuries before the Protestant Reformation ever got off the ground. Scattered over many lands, the Waldensees planted the seeds of the Reformation that began in the time of John Wycliffe in the 1300s, became even more widespread 200 years later in the days of Martin Luther, and will be carried forward to the close of time by those who are also willing to suffer all things for the Word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. The question is, will you be one of them? Will I? Friends, it's our job now to take up the torch that has been handed down to us by the faithful of all ages and carry it forward to the end of all things. Let's do everything in our power to uplift Jesus every chance we get, and let's be faithful to our calling. Loving Father in heaven, we thank you for the Waldensees, for their faithfulness, for their willingness to suffer all things for Christ. And Lord, we know that if we are among the final generation that will see Jesus come in the clouds of heaven without seeing death, we're going to go through a similar experience and even worse, because we know that the time of trouble that is coming will be worse than anything that's ever happened upon this earth. And because that's true, we need the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We need to be justified and sanctified by faith that is in Christ. And we dedicate ourselves once again asking for forgiveness for the things that we have not done that has delayed your coming. Help us to make up for lost time if that's possible so that Jesus will be delayed no longer. Thank you for your word that has been handed down to us, that has been preserved by a miracle of God. We're thankful that we can hold it in our hands today and read it and study it and live by it, realizing that there have been many, many people in the past who have died that we might hold that word in our hands today. So thank you for the time we've had together today. May the word spoken find a permanent lodging place in our minds and in our hearts, we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.