The Book of God #7

Satan is rebelling against God.

God wants you with Him in Heaven. I Timothy 2: 3-4 This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

I Peter 5: 8 Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Genesis 6: 5 Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

The Flood was a setback, but Satan did not surrender. Genesis 15: 16 they will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete

Deuteronomy 7:4-5 For they will turn your sons away from following Me to serve other gods; then the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you and He will quickly destroy you. 5 But thus you shall do to them: you shall tear down their altars, and smash their sacred pillars, and hew down their Asherim, and burn their graven images with fire.

Deuteronomy 20:16 – Only in the cities of these peoples that the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, you shall not leave alive anything that breathes. 18 so that they may not teach you to do according to all their detestable things which they have done for their gods, so that … II King 21: 9 – Manasseh seduced them to do evil more than the nations whom the Lord destroyed before the sons of Israel. ( Government endorsed sin )

wickedness the word of God was suppressed. I. All through those times of wickedness the word of God was suppressed.

Deut. 31: 24-26 – Moses finished writing the words of this law in a book … and place it beside the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may remain there as a witness against you. Deut. 27: 26 – 'Cursed is he who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen.' Deut. 28: 2 – All these blessings will come upon you and overtake you if you obey the Lord your God:

Whether presented orally or in writing, all great reforms have been in response to the word of God.

II Kings 22:2 He ( Kg. Josiah ) did right in the sight of the Lord and walked in all the way of his father David, nor did he turn aside to the right or to the left. Nehemiah 8: 8 ( Ezra ) They read from the book, from the law of God, translating to give the sense so that they understood the reading. ( Aramaic influence )

From Nehemiah until Christ There was 400 years when God was silent … From Nehemiah until Christ

( Satan consistently attacks. ) II. The text of the N.T. was not even complete when the persecutions started. ( Satan consistently attacks. )

Acts 4: 16-18 – … they began to confer with one another, 16 saying, "What shall we do with these men? For the fact that a noteworthy miracle has taken place through them is apparent to all who live in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. 17 But so that it will not spread any further among the people, let us warn them to speak no longer to any man in this name." 18 And when they had summoned them, they commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.

Acts 8: 1,4 And on that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. … 4 Therefore, those who had been scattered went about preaching the word.

10 Roman Emperors persecuted Nero – 67 Maximinus - 235 Domitian – 81 Decius - 249 Trajan - 108 Valerian - 257 Aurelius - 162 Aurelian - 274 Severus - 192 Diocletian - 303

The persecution under Diocletian was the worst one .. Started 303 Lasted 10 years City burned w/ residents Continually instigated Very cruel tortures Burned books and buildings Son burned the palace Burned houses w/ families in Order to burn all books

the apostate church helped to bring about the “dark ages.” III. After the Roman persecutions the apostate church helped to bring about the “dark ages.” ( They kept people in the dark. )

In 313 Diocletian was brought down by Constantine who later became “Christian.”

Do Constantine saw a vision of a cross and the words “Conquer by this symbol”

Though Constantine legalized and accepted Christianity, he used it for his own political purposes.

Christianity’s greatest threat : The fall of Rome hastened the advent of the dark ages.

Ignorance was a tool used for control. As the church became increasingly corrupt it increasingly sought the power to control people. Ignorance was a tool used for control.

Throughout the dark ages and beyond the apostate church outlawed the bible. Bibles were burned by the church and those who read it were also burned.

If you follow God Satan hates you. Satan wages an unending war against God and God’s word. If you follow God Satan hates you.

Our next lesson will be on how we got the English bible and Satan’s attempts to prevent it.

We had to fight to keep the scriptures. Are you using them as the guide for your life.