“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”

Psalm 119:105 KJV

FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT

History remembers a long period of Europe’s past by a striking name:

The Dark Ages.

The term “Dark Ages” has been used in different ways through the centuries and is used less often by historians today. But another kind of darkness marked much of medieval Europe: ordinary people often did not have ready access to the Scriptures in a language they could read for themselves.

The Bible existed, but for many its words remained beyond their reach.

Religious teaching and authority rested largely in the hands of the Church. For generations, ordinary men and women depended upon others to tell them what the Bible taught.

But the light of God’s Word had not been extinguished.

Across the centuries, men began to search the Scriptures for themselves. And as they did, they came to convictions that challenged long-established teachings and traditions.

THE LIGHT BEGINS TO BREAK THROUGH

Men such as John Wycliffe, Jan Hus, Martin Luther, William Tyndale, and others began challenging teachings they believed could not be supported by Scripture.

Their conviction was revolutionary: the Word of God must stand above human tradition and human authority.

Some were condemned. Some were imprisoned. Some were driven from their homes. And some paid for that conviction with their lives.

Yet the light continued to spread.

JOHN WYCLIFFE — THE MORNING STAR

In the fourteenth century, English theologian John Wycliffe came to believe that Scripture must stand above human authority in matters of Christian faith.

Wycliffe wanted ordinary people to hear and understand the Word of God. Under his influence, the Bible was translated into English from the Latin Vulgate and copied by hand, placing the Scriptures within reach of people who could not read Latin.

His teachings brought fierce opposition. Yet his influence could not easily be stopped. His writings traveled beyond England and helped inspire another reformer—Jan Hus.

Wycliffe died in 1384, but opposition to his teachings did not end with his death. In 1415, the Council of Constance condemned him as a heretic and ordered his remains removed from consecrated ground. In 1428—more than forty years after his death—his remains were exhumed and burned, and his ashes were cast into the River Swift.

They could burn his bones, but they could not stop the spread of his influence.

THE LIGHT MOVES FORWARD

Jan Hus followed the light of Scripture—and was burned at the stake.

Martin Luther challenged the authority of tradition with the authority of God’s Word.

William Tyndale gave English readers the Scriptures. Condemned for heresy, he paid with his life.

SOLA SCRIPTURA

SCRIPTURE ALONE

This principle became one of the great convictions of the Reformation.

THE LIGHT THAT CHANGED THE WORLD

The story of the Reformation is the story of men and women who chose the Word of God above tradition—even when the cost was their lives.

BUT THERE IS MORE TO THIS STORY THAN HISTORY ALONE.

THERE IS ANOTHER LAYER—AND IT INVOLVES ANGELS.

WHAT DO ANGELS HAVE TO DO WITH ALL OF THIS?

WATCH THE VIDEOS BELOW AND FIND OUT.