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Bible Study Guides – The Mystery of Iniquity

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October 23, 2016 – October 29, 2016

Key Text

“For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way” (2 Thessalonians 2:7).

Study Help: The Great Controversy, 49–60.

Introduction

“The apostle Paul, in his second letter to the Thessalonians, foretold the great apostasy which would result in the establishment of the papal power. … Even at that early date he saw, creeping into the church, errors that would prepare the way for the development of the papacy.” The Great Controversy, 49.

1 DANGER TO THE FLOCK

  • What danger did Jesus warn that the church would face? Matthew 24:4, 5, 11. What would eventually develop? Acts 20:28–30; 2 Thessalonians 2:1–12.

Note: “Within a few brief years many of those who had stood as teachers and leaders in the church were to lay down their lives for the gospel. Soon grievous wolves were to enter in, not sparing the flock. But none of these things were to bring discouragement to those whose hopes were centered in Christ.” The Acts of the Apostles, 528.

  • What could the church do about this danger? 2 Timothy 3:13–15; Romans 16:17, 18.

Note: “Paul trembled for the church as, looking into the future, he saw the attacks which she must suffer from both external and internal foes. With solemn earnestness he bade his brethren guard vigilantly their sacred trust.” The Acts of the Apostles, 395.

2 THE THREAT OF PERSECUTION

  • What did the unbelieving Jews do to their Christian countrymen? I Thessalonians 2:14–16; Acts 14:2. What happened as a result of persecution? Acts 8:1, 4.

Note: “The work of proclaiming the gospel message among the Gentiles was now to be prosecuted with vigor; and as a result the church was to be strengthened by a great ingathering of souls. The apostles who had been appointed to lead out in this work would be exposed to suspicion, prejudice, and jealousy. Their teachings concerning the breaking down of ‘the middle wall of partition’ (Ephesians 2:14) that had so long separated the Jewish and the Gentile world, would naturally subject them to the charge of heresy.” The Acts of the Apostles, 161.

“If those who know the truth would practice it, methods would be devised for meeting the people where they are. It was the providence of God which in the beginning of the Christian church scattered the saints abroad, sending them out of Jerusalem into many parts of the world. The disciples of Christ did not stay in Jerusalem or in the cities near by, but they went beyond the limits of their own country into the great thoroughfares of travel, seeking for the lost that they might bring them to God. Today the Lord desires to see His work carried forward in many places. We must not confine our labors to a few localities.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 330.

  • Was this persecution something they should expect? John 15:20; 2 Timothy 3:12. What happens to cause a person to lose his or her faith in the face of persecution? Mark 4:16, 17.
  • How should we respond to persecution? Matthew 5:10–12; Romans 8:37–39.

Note: “[Matthew 5:10–12 quoted]. Jesus here shows them [His disciples] that at the very time when they are experiencing great suffering in His cause, they have reason to be glad and recognize that their afflictions are profitable to them, having an influence to wean their affections from the world and concentrate them upon Heaven.” The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 2, 211, 212.

3 JUDAIZING TEACHERS

  • How did the fear of persecution continue to affect some church members? Acts 15:1, 2.

Note: “While the apostles united with the ministers and lay members at Antioch in an earnest effort to win many souls to Christ, certain Jewish believers from Judea ‘of the sect of the Pharisees’ succeeded in introducing a question that soon led to widespread controversy in the church and brought consternation to the believing Gentiles. With great assurance these Judaizing teachers asserted that in order to be saved, one must be circumcised and must keep the entire ceremonial law. …

“The Jewish converts generally were not inclined to move as rapidly as the providence of God opened the way. From the result of the apostles’ labors among the Gentiles it was evident that the converts among the latter people would far exceed the Jewish converts in number. The Jews feared that if the restrictions and ceremonies of their law were not made obligatory upon the Gentiles as a condition of church fellowship, the national peculiarities of the Jews, which had hitherto kept them distinct from all other people, would finally disappear from among those who received the gospel message.” The Acts of the Apostles, 188, 189.

  • What was the spirit behind these movements? Galatians 6:12–16. What qualities will a true Christian reveal in situations like this? 2 Timothy 1:7.
  • How did the apostle Paul meet the heresy in his letters? Romans 2:25–29; I Corinthians 7:18, 19; Galatians 5:6.

Note: “Paul had dedicated himself and all his powers to the service of God. He had received the truths of the gospel direct from heaven, and throughout his ministry he maintained a vital connection with heavenly agencies. He had been taught by God regarding the binding of unnecessary burdens upon the Gentile Christians; thus when the Judaizing believers introduced into the Antioch church the question of circumcision, Paul knew the mind of the Spirit of God concerning such teaching and took a firm and unyielding position which brought to the churches freedom from Jewish rites and ceremonies.” The Acts of the Apostles, 200.

4 COURAGE AND COMPROMISE

  • Like the apostle Paul, what spirit should we have? Galatians 6:14; Romans 1:14–17.
  • What compromise was the great apostle persuaded by his brethren to make, and how did it lead to his arrest? Acts 21:17–24, 26–30.

Note: “The brethren hoped that Paul, by following the course suggested, might give a decisive contradiction to the false reports concerning him. They assured him that the decision of the former council concerning the Gentile converts and the ceremonial law, still held good. But the advice now given was not consistent with that decision. The Spirit of God did not prompt this instruction; it was the fruit of cowardice. The leaders of the church in Jerusalem knew that by non-conformity to the ceremonial law, Christians would bring upon themselves the hatred of the Jews and expose themselves to persecution. … Should the believers in Christ be condemned before the Sanhedrin as breakers of the law, they would suffer swift and severe punishment as apostates from the Jewish faith.

“Many of the Jews who had accepted the gospel still cherished a regard for the ceremonial law and were only too willing to make unwise concessions, hoping thus to gain the confidence of their countrymen, to remove their prejudice, and to win them to faith in Christ as the world’s Redeemer. Paul realized that so long as many of the leading members of the church at Jerusalem should continue to cherish prejudice against him, they would work constantly to counteract his influence. … But he was not authorized of God to concede as much as they asked.

“When we think of Paul’s great desire to be in harmony with his brethren, his tenderness toward the weak in the faith, his reverence for the apostles who had been with Christ, and for James, the brother of the Lord, and his purpose to become all things to all men so far as he could without sacrificing principle—when we think of all this, it is less surprising that he was constrained to deviate from the firm, decided course that he had hitherto followed. But instead of accomplishing the desired object, his efforts for conciliation only precipitated the crisis, hastened his predicted sufferings, and resulted in separating him from his brethren, depriving the church of one of its strongest pillars, and bringing sorrow to Christian hearts in every land.” The Acts of the Apostles, 404–406.

5 THE MYSTERY DEVELOPED

  • After the revolt of the Jews from the rule of Rome and the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, how did the focus change among compromising Christians? Revelation 2:2–4.

Note: “Early in the history of the church the mystery of iniquity foretold by the apostle Paul began its baleful work; and as the false teachers concerning whom Peter had warned the believers, urged their heresies, many were ensnared by false doctrines.” The Acts of the Apostles, 587.

“What was the origin of the great apostasy? How did the church first depart from the simplicity of the gospel? By conforming to the practices of paganism, to facilitate the acceptance of Christianity by the heathen.” The Great Controversy, 384.

  • Discuss how the popular contempt of the Jews throughout the Roman empire contributed to the decline in the observance of the Sabbath.

Note: “In the first centuries the true Sabbath had been kept by all Christians. … But with great subtlety Satan worked through his agents to bring about his object. That the attention of the people might be called to the Sunday, it was made a festival in honor of the resurrection of Christ. …

“Now, taking advantage of the false light in which he had thus caused it [the Sabbath] to be regarded, he [Satan] cast contempt upon it as a Jewish institution. While Christians generally continued to observe the Sunday as a joyous festival, he led them, in order to show their hatred of Judaism, to make the Sabbath a fast, a day of sadness and gloom.” The Great Controversy, 52, 53.

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

1 What spirit was the root of the development of the mystery of iniquity?

2 How will a truly converted person respond to the threat of persecution?

3 Explain the issues surrounding the first doctrinal controversy in the early Christian church.

4 What prompted the advice given to Paul when he was in Jerusalem? Why?

5 How does the mystery of iniquity still insinuate itself into the church today?

Copyright © 2015 Reformation Herald Publishing Association, 5240 Hollins Road, Roanoke, Virginia. Reprinted by permission.

Current events – Pope Gives Marching Orders

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Pope Gives Marching Orders to Jesuits and New Superior

Pope Francis is giving marching orders to members of his Jesuit order and their new superior. He wants them to go to the “peripheries” to serve freely and obediently.

Francis slipped out of the Vatican Monday to address the assembly of Jesuits who on Oct. 14 elected their first-ever Latin American superior, the Rev. Arturo Sosa of Venezuela.

The Society of Jesus, as the Jesuits are formally known, is the largest religious order of priests and brothers in the Catholic Church.

In his remarks, Francis urged the priests to “walk together, freely and obediently, going to the peripheries where the others don’t arrive.”

In addition to the usual vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, Jesuits take a fourth vow of obedience to the pope regarding their mission.

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/pope-marching-orders-jesuits-superior-43012626

“Throughout Christendom, Protestantism was menaced by formidable foes. The first triumphs of the Reformation past, Rome summoned new forces, hoping to accomplish its destruction. At this time the order of the Jesuits was created, the most cruel, unscrupulous, and powerful of all the champions of popery. Cut off from earthly ties and human interests, dead to the claims of natural affection, reason and conscience wholly silenced, they knew no rule, no tie, but that of their order, and no duty but to extend its power. The gospel of Christ had enabled its adherents to meet danger and endure suffering, undismayed by cold, hunger, toil, and poverty, to uphold the banner of truth in face of the rack, the dungeon, and the stake. To combat these forces, Jesuitism inspired its followers with a fanaticism that enabled them to endure like dangers, and to oppose to the power of truth all the weapons of deception. There was no crime too great for them to commit, no deception too base for them to practice, no disguise too difficult for them to assume. Vowed to perpetual poverty and humility, it was their studied aim to secure wealth and power, to be devoted to the overthrow of Protestantism, and the re-establishment of the papal supremacy.

“When appearing as members of their order, they wore a garb of sanctity, visiting prisons and hospitals, ministering to the sick and the poor, professing to have renounced the world, and bearing the sacred name of Jesus, who went about doing good. But under this blameless exterior the most criminal and deadly purposes were often concealed. It was a fundamental principle of the order that the end justifies the means. By this code, lying, theft, perjury, assassination, were not only pardonable but commendable, when they served the interests of the church. Under various disguises the Jesuits worked their way into offices of state, climbing up to be the counselors of kings, and shaping the policy of nations. They became servants to act as spies upon their masters. They established colleges for the sons of princes and nobles, and schools for the common people; and the children of Protestant parents were drawn into an observance of popish rites. All the outward pomp and display of the Romish worship was brought to bear to confuse the mind and dazzle and captivate the imagination, and thus the liberty for which the fathers had toiled and bled was betrayed by the sons. The Jesuits rapidly spread themselves over Europe, and wherever they went, there followed a revival of popery.” The Great Controversy, 234, 235. [Emphasis added.]

“With the flight of the Huguenots a general decline settled upon France. Flourishing manufacturing cities fell into decay; fertile districts returned to their native wildness; intellectual dullness and moral declension succeeded a period of unwonted progress. Paris became one vast almshouse, and it is estimated that, at the breaking out of the Revolution, two hundred thousand paupers claimed charity from the hands of the king. The Jesuits alone flourished in the decaying nation, and ruled with dreadful tyranny over churches and schools, the prisons and the galleys.” Ibid., 279.

Q & A – Who is represented by the Mother of Harlots in Revelation 17:5?

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Babylon is said to be ‘the mother of harlots’ (Revelation 17:5). By her daughters must be symbolized churches that cling to her doctrines and traditions, and follow her example of sacrificing the truth and the approval of God, in order to form an unlawful alliance with the world. The message of Revelation 14, announcing the fall of Babylon must apply to religious bodies that were once pure and have become corrupt. Since this message follows the warning of the judgment, it must be given in the last days; therefore it cannot refer to the Roman Church alone, for that church has been in a fallen condition for many centuries. Furthermore, in the eighteenth chapter of the Revelation the people of God are called upon to come out of Babylon. According to this scripture, many of God’s people must still be in Babylon. And in what religious bodies are the greater part of the followers of Christ now to be found? Without doubt, in the various churches professing the Protestant faith. At the time of their rise these churches took a noble stand for God and the truth, and His blessing was with them. Even the unbelieving world was constrained to acknowledge the beneficent results that followed an acceptance of the principles of the gospel. … But they fell by the same desire which was the curse and ruin of Israel—the desire of imitating the practices and courting the friendship of the ungodly. ‘Thou didst trust in thine own beauty, and playedst the harlot because of thy renown.’ Ezekiel 16:14, 15.” The Great Controversy, 382, 383. [Emphasis author’s.]

“The fallen denominational churches are Babylon. Babylon has been fostering poisonous doctrines, the wine of error. This wine of error is made up of false doctrines, such as the natural immortality of the soul, the eternal torment of the wicked, the denial of the pre-existence of Christ prior to His birth in Bethlehem, and advocating and exalting the first day of the week above God’s holy and sanctified day. These and kindred errors are presented to the world by the various churches, and thus the Scriptures are fulfilled that say, ‘For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication’ (Revelation 18:3). It is a wrath which is created by false doctrines, and when kings and presidents drink this wine of the wrath of her fornication, they are stirred with anger against those who will not come into harmony with the false and satanic heresies which exalt the false sabbath, and lead men to trample underfoot God’s memorial.” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 61, 62.

Current events – Pope Francis Calls Rigid People Sick

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A person who is rigid in many cases conceals a “double life”, lacks the freedom of God’s children and needs the Lord’s help, Pope Francis said recently, during a morning homily at Casa Santa Marta in the Vatican.

Pope Francis again returned to the theme of rigidity, saying those who unbendingly follow the law of God are “sick” and in need of the Lord’s help. He drew on the Gospel reading from Matthew in which Jesus’ healing of a crippled woman angered the Pharisees, leading him to denounce the leaders of the synagogue as “hypocrites.”

“He once called those who try to unbendingly follow the Law of God people as having “weak hearts” whom he confessed he would like to trip up with banana skins so they would know they are sinners.”

“It is not easy to walk within the Law of the Lord without falling into rigidity” the pope added. While that is true, keeping God’s law in Christ is vital to the witness of God’s true people. The standard is clear.

The Pope views the church as composed of pilgrims, or seekers, who who are above any institutional classification, regardless of the church’s requirements.

“A supposed soundness of doctrine or discipline leads instead to a narcissistic and authoritarian elitism,” he believes, “whereby instead of evangelizing, one analyzes and classifies others, and instead of opening the door to grace, one exhausts his or her energies in inspecting and verifying.”

He further believes that “in neither case is one really concerned about Jesus Christ or others” and argues it is “impossible to think that a genuine evangelizing thrust could emerge from these adulterated forms of Christianity.”

www.ncregister.com/blog/edward-pentin/pope-francis-rigidity-is-something-pathological

Pope Francis does not want a definite teaching on every social or theological question but to be able to interpret God’s law in light of the social circumstances of our time. This is classic Jesuit approach that leads to the end justifying the means.

“When we reach the standard that the Lord would have us reach, worldlings will regard Seventh-day Adventists as odd, singular, strait-laced extremists.” Fundamentals of Education, page 289.

“Those who are conscientiously observing the original Sabbath are styled heretics, deluded fanatics. But who are thus regarded in God’s sight? Whom will he rebuke and punish–those who have kept the day that he blessed and sanctified; or those who, trampling upon the holy commandment, have accepted the institution of the papacy?” The Review and Herald, March 18, 1884.

Is Religious Liberty Really Under Attack?

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The Spirit of Prophecy provides significant warning against the gradual erosion of religious liberty.

“The people of the United States have been a favored people; but when they restrict religious liberty, surrender Protestantism, and give countenance to popery, the measure of their guilt will be full, and ‘national apostasy’ will be registered in the books of heaven.” The Review and Herald, May 2, 1893

The following is quoted directly from www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/religious-liberty/current-threats-to-religious-liberty.cfm, the website maintained by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

During his September 2015 visit to the United States, Pope Francis emphasized the importance of religious freedom, saying in front of the White House that religious “freedom remains one of America’s most precious possessions. And, as my brothers, the United States Bishops, have reminded us, all are called to be vigilant, precisely as good citizens, to preserve and defend that freedom from everything that would threaten or compromise it.”

Although Americans generally do not face the kind of violent persecution endured by many people of faith around the world, Pope Francis has recently spoken of a “polite persecution” that many people face, as “when someone is persecuted not for confessing Christ’s name, but for wanting to demonstrate the values of the Son of God.” Religious freedom continues to be threatened in the U.S.:

  • HHS mandate for sterilization, contraception, and abortion-inducing drugs. The mandate of the Department of Health and Human Services forces religious institutions to facilitate or fund a product contrary to their own moral teaching. Further, the federal government tries to define which religious institutions are “religious enough” to merit protection of their religious liberty.
  • Catholic foster care and adoption services. Boston, San Francisco, the District of Columbia, and the State of Illinois forced local Catholic Charities out of adoption or foster care services—by revoking their licenses, ending government contracts, or both—because they refused to place children with same-sex couples or unmarried opposite-sex couples who cohabit.
  • State immigration laws. Several states have passed laws that forbid what they call “harboring” undocumented immigrants—and what the Church deems Christian charity and pastoral care to immigrants.
  • Discrimination against small church congregations. New York City adopted a policy that barred the Bronx Household of Faith and other churches from renting public schools on weekends for worship services, even though non-religious groups could rent the same schools for other uses.
  • Discrimination against Catholic humanitarian services. After years of excellent performance by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Migration and Refugee Services (MRS) in administering contract services for victims of human trafficking, the federal government changed its contract specifications to require MRS to provide or refer for contraceptive and abortion services in violation of Catholic teaching.
  • Christian students on campus. In its over-100-year history, the University of California Hastings College of Law has denied student organization status to only one group, the Christian Legal Society, because it required its leaders to be Christian and to abstain from sexual activity outside of marriage.

Pope Francis has asked American Catholics to preserve and defend religious freedom, both in the United States and throughout the world.

After reading the above document, one could assume that Rome has changed. One might be inclined to believe that the warnings given in the Spirit of Prophecy are no longer valid, a thing of the past. Indeed, many professed Seventh-day Adventists assert that Rome is no longer the threat to religious liberty that she was during the persecutions of the Dark Ages. However, it is imperative to remember that the great controversy is a battle between Christ and Satan for the souls of men, a battle between principalities and powers.

A review of the admonitions, warnings, counsels, and testimonies given by God to His faithful commandment keepers through His prophet to the remnant should reawaken in us a fearful apprehension of the underlying intent of Romanism.

“And let it be remembered, it is the boast of Rome that she never changes. The principles of Gregory VII and Innocent III are still the principles of the Roman Catholic Church. And had she but the power, she would put them in practice with as much vigor now as in past centuries. Protestants little know what they are doing when they propose to accept the aid of Rome in the work of Sunday exaltation. While they are bent upon the accomplishment of their purpose, Rome is aiming to re-establish her power, to recover her lost supremacy. Let the principle once be established in the United States that the church may employ or control the power of the state; that religious observances may be enforced by secular laws; in short, that the authority of church and state is to dominate the conscience, and the triumph of Rome in this country is assured.” The Great Controversy, 581.

“Had the Reformation, after attaining a degree of success, consented to temporize to secure favor with the world, it would have been untrue to God and to itself, and would thus have ensured its own destruction. The experience of these noble Reformers contains a lesson for all succeeding ages. Satan’s manner of working against God and His word has not changed; he is still as much opposed to the Scriptures being made the guide of life as in the sixteenth century. In our time there is a wide departure from their doctrines and precepts, and there is need of a return to the great Protestant principle—the Bible, and the Bible only, as the rule of faith and duty. Satan is still working through every means which he can control to destroy religious liberty. The antichristian power which the protesters of Spires rejected is now with renewed vigor seeking to re-establish its lost supremacy. The same unswerving adherence to the word of God manifested at that crisis of the Reformation is the only hope of reform today.” Ibid., 204, 205.

“Roger Williams was respected and beloved as a faithful minister, a man of rare gifts, of unbending integrity and true benevolence; yet his steadfast denial of the right of civil magistrates to authority over the church, and his demand for religious liberty, could not be tolerated. The application of this new doctrine, it was urged, would ‘subvert the fundamental state and government of the country.’ He was sentenced to banishment from the colonies, and, finally, to avoid arrest, he was forced to flee, amid the cold and storms of winter, into the unbroken forest.

“ ‘For fourteen weeks,’ he says, ‘I was sorely tossed in a bitter season, not knowing what bread or bed did mean.’ But ‘the ravens fed me in the wilderness,’ and a hollow tree often served him for a shelter. Thus he continued his painful flight through the snow and the trackless forest, until he found refuge with an Indian tribe whose confidence and affection he had won while endeavoring to teach them the truths of the gospel.

“Making his way at last, after months of change and wandering, to the shores of Narragansett Bay, he there laid the foundation of the first state of modern times that in the fullest sense recognized the right of religious freedom. The fundamental principle of Roger Williams’s colony was ‘that every man should have liberty to worship God according to the light of his own conscience.’ His little state, Rhode Island, became the asylum of the oppressed, and it increased and prospered until its foundation principles—civil and religious liberty—became the cornerstones of the American Republic.” Ibid., 294, 295.

“Among the Christian exiles who first fled to America and sought an asylum from royal oppression and priestly intolerance were many who determined to establish a government upon the broad foundation of civil and religious liberty. Their views found place in the Declaration of Independence, which sets forth the great truth that ‘all men are created equal’ and endowed with the inalienable right to ‘life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.’ And the Constitution guarantees to the people the right of self-government, providing that representatives elected by the popular vote shall enact and administer the laws. Freedom of religious faith was also granted, every man being permitted to worship God according to the dictates of his conscience. Republicanism and Protestantism became the fundamental principles of the nation. These principles are the secret of its power and prosperity. The oppressed and downtrodden throughout Christendom have turned to this land with interest and hope. Millions have sought its shores, and the United States has risen to a place among the most powerful nations of the earth.” Ibid., 441.

“The papal church will never relinquish her claim to infallibility. All that she has done in her persecution of those who reject her dogmas she holds to be right; and would she not repeat the same acts, should the opportunity be presented? Let the restraints now imposed by secular governments be removed and Rome be reinstated in her former power, and there would speedily be a revival of her tyranny and persecution.

“A well-known writer speaks thus of the attitude of the papal hierarchy as regards freedom of conscience, and of the perils which especially threaten the United States from the success of her policy:

“ ‘There are many who are disposed to attribute any fear of Roman Catholicism in the United States to bigotry or childishness. Such see nothing in the character and attitude of Romanism that is hostile to our free institutions, or find nothing portentous in its growth. Let us, then, first compare some of the fundamental principles of our government with those of the Catholic Church.

“ ‘The Constitution of the United States guarantees liberty of conscience. Nothing is dearer or more fundamental. Pope Pius IX, in his Encyclical Letter of August 15, 1854, said: “The absurd and erroneous doctrines or ravings in defense of liberty of conscience are a most pestilential error—a pest, of all others, most to be dreaded in a state.” The same pope, in his Encyclical Letter of December 8, 1864, anathematized “those who assert the liberty of conscience and of religious worship,” also “all such as maintain that the church may not employ force.”

“ ‘The pacific tone of Rome in the United States does not imply a change of heart. She is tolerant where she is helpless. Says Bishop O’Connor: “Religious liberty is merely endured until the opposite can be carried into effect without peril to the Catholic world.” … The archbishop of St. Louis once said: “Heresy and unbelief are crimes; and in Christian countries, as in Italy and Spain, for instance, where all the people are Catholics, and where the Catholic religion is an essential part of the law of the land, they are punished as other crimes.” …

“ ‘Every cardinal, archbishop, and bishop in the Catholic Church takes an oath of allegiance to the pope, in which occur the following words: “Heretics, schismatics, and rebels to our said lord (the pope), or his aforesaid successors, I will to my utmost persecute and oppose.” ’—Josiah Strong, Our Country, ch. 5, pars. 2–4.

“It is true that there are real Christians in the Roman Catholic communion. Thousands in that church are serving God according to the best light they have. They are not allowed access to His word, and therefore they do not discern the truth. They have never seen the contrast between a living heart service and a round of mere forms and ceremonies. God looks with pitying tenderness upon these souls, educated as they are in a faith that is delusive and unsatisfying. He will cause rays of light to penetrate the dense darkness that surrounds them. He will reveal to them the truth as it is in Jesus, and many will yet take their position with His people.

“But Romanism as a system is no more in harmony with the gospel of Christ now than at any former period in her history. The Protestant churches are in great darkness, or they would discern the signs of the times. The Roman Church is far-reaching in her plans and modes of operation. She is employing every device to extend her influence and increase her power in preparation for a fierce and determined conflict to regain control of the world, to re-establish persecution, and to undo all that Protestantism has done. Catholicism is gaining ground upon every side. See the increasing number of her churches and chapels in Protestant countries. Look at the popularity of her colleges and seminaries in America, so widely patronized by Protestants. Look at the growth of ritualism in England and the frequent defections to the ranks of the Catholics. These things should awaken the anxiety of all who prize the pure principles of the gospel.

“Protestants have tampered with and patronized popery; they have made compromises and concessions which papists themselves are surprised to see and fail to understand. Men are closing their eyes to the real character of Romanism and the dangers to be apprehended from her supremacy. The people need to be aroused to resist the advances of this most dangerous foe to civil and religious liberty.” Ibid., 564–566. [Emphasis author’s.]

“Through His servants, God gave the Jewish people a last opportunity to repent. He manifested Himself through His witnesses in their arrest, in their trial, and in their imprisonment. Yet their judges pronounced on them the death sentence. They were men of whom the world was not worthy, and by killing them the Jews crucified afresh the Son of God. So it will be again. The authorities will make laws to restrict religious liberty. They will assume the right that is God’s alone. They will think they can force the conscience, which God alone should control. Even now they are making a beginning; this work they will continue to carry forward till they reach a boundary over which they cannot step. God will interpose in behalf of His loyal, commandment-keeping people.” The Desire of Ages, 630.

The men whom God chose to establish the laws that serve as the very foundation of the government of this country recognized that steps needed to be taken to avoid the sins of the past to the fullest extent possible. That same spirit of caution was instilled in those who fought valiantly for the freedoms from tyranny our forefathers held in such esteem. So adamant were they in their defense of those freedoms that they refused to ratify the Constitution in its original form. They insisted that before they could support a government on which it was based, it must contain assurances of protection of those freedoms.

As a result, what is known as the Bill of Rights was added. They constitute the first ten amendments and begin with these stirring words:

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

“… make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof …”

“… it is the boast of Rome that she never changes …” The Great Controversy, 581.

“By the decree of enforcing the institution of the papacy in violation of the law of God, our nation will disconnect herself fully from righteousness. When Protestantism shall stretch her hand across the gulf to grasp the hand of the Roman power, when she shall reach over the abyss to clasp hands with spiritualism, when, under the influence of this threefold union, our country shall repudiate every principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and republican government, and shall make provision for the propagation of papal falsehoods and delusions, then we may know that the time has come for the marvelous working of Satan and that the end is near.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 451.

John Pearson is the office manager and a board member of Steps to Life. After retiring as chief financial officer for the Grand Canyon Association, Grand Canyon, Arizona, he moved to Wichita, Kansas, to join the Steps to Life team. He may be contacted by email at: johnpearson@stepstolife.org.

Current events – The Healing of the Deadly Wound!

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We are living in the time of history where prophecy is being fulfilled before our eyes. 2017 will mark the 500th anniversary of the Reformation when Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-five Theses to the door of All Saints’ Church in Wittenberg on 31 October 1517.

JOINT STATEMENT

on the occasion of the Joint Catholic-Lutheran Commemoration of the Reformation

Lund, 31 October 2016

“Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in Me” (John 15:4).

With thankful hearts

With this Joint Statement, we express joyful gratitude to God for this moment of common prayer in the Cathedral of Lund, as we begin the year commemorating the five hundredth anniversary of the Reformation. Fifty years of sustained and fruitful ecumenical dialogue between Catholics and Lutherans have helped us to overcome many differences, and have deepened our mutual understanding and trust. At the same time, we have drawn closer to one another through joint service to our neighbours – often in circumstances of suffering and persecution. Through dialogue and shared witness we are no longer strangers. Rather, we have learned that what unites us is greater than what divides us.

Moving from conflict to communion

While we are profoundly thankful for the spiritual and theological gifts received through the Reformation, we also confess and lament before Christ that Lutherans and Catholics have wounded the visible unity of the Church. Theological differences were accompanied by prejudice and conflicts, and religion was instrumentalized for political ends. Our common faith in Jesus Christ and our baptism demand of us a daily conversion, by which we cast off the historical disagreements and conflicts that impede the ministry of reconciliation. While the past cannot be changed, what is remembered and how it is remembered can be transformed. We pray for the healing of our wounds and of the memories that cloud our view of one another. We emphatically reject all hatred and violence, past and present, especially that expressed in the name of religion. Today, we hear God’s command to set aside all conflict. We recognize that we are freed by grace to move towards the communion to which God continually calls us. …

We long for this wound in the Body of Christ to be healed. This is the goal of our ecumenical endeavours, which we wish to advance, also by renewing our commitment to theological dialogue. …

http://download.elca.org/ELCA%20Resource%20Repository/joint_commemoration_joint_statement_en.pdf?_ga=1.266067663.1739485236.1472747116

“The time has come when things must be called by their right names. The truth is to triumph gloriously, and those who have long been halting between two opinions must take their stand decidedly for or against the law of God. Some will take up with theories that misinterpret the word of God, and undermine the foundation of the truth that has been firmly established, point by point, and sealed by the power of the Holy Spirit. The old truths are to be revived, in order that the false theories that have been brought in by the enemy may be intelligently met. There can be no unity between truth and error. We can unite with those who have been led into deception only when they are converted.” The Upward Look, 88.

Editorial – Description of the Beast

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The third angels’ message determines the destiny of every person in the world who is alive when Jesus returns. If rejected, it will result in a person’s receiving the seven last plagues (see Revelation 16:2) and finally being destroyed (see Revelation 19:20, 21). The third angels’ message is a warning against worshipping the beast (Revelation 13:1–10) or his image or receiving his mark. Before a person can understand the third angel’s message, he must understand who and what the beast is. Following is a description from Scripture of the beast power.

  1. A beast in Bible prophecy represents a kingdom or nation or power (Daniel 7:17, 23).
  2. This beast received his power, throne, and great authority from the dragon (Revelation 13:2). The dragon primarily represents the devil (Revelation 12:9). Secondarily, the dragon represents the pagan Roman empire because it was the pagan Roman empire that attempted to kill Jesus at his birth (see Revelation 12:3–5 and Matthew 2).
  3. The beast received a deadly wound, at which time it looked as if it would cease to exist.
  4. The deadly wound was healed. It recovered from this deadly wound and became worldwide in its authority again.
  5. This beast is a worldwide power—“all the world marveled and followed the beast” (Revelation 13:3).
  6. This beast is also a religion, because the whole world will worship this power (verses 4 and 8).
  7. This beast would blaspheme God, His name, His sanctuary and those who dwell in heaven (verse 6).
  8. This religion would be a persecuting religion, as it would make war with the saints and overcome them (verse 7).
  9. This beast would gain authority over every tribe, language and nation. In other words, this is a religion that would apparently conquer and control all other religions, all languages and peoples (ibid).
  10. his beast would eventually go into captivity—that happened at the time that this beast received the deadly wound (verse 10).
  11. The beast would eventually be killed by the sword (ibid.) This will happen in the future.
  12. This beast had a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies. According to the Bible, blasphemy is described as a man assuming power to forgive sins (Mark 2:7) and as a man making himself God (John 10:33).
  13. This beast arose from the sea. Compare Revelation 13:1 with Revelation 17:15.
  14. This beast had certain characteristics in common with all the beasts in the vision of Daniel 7. Compare the vision of Daniel 7 with Revelation 13:2.
  15. The number of this beast is the number of a man and his number is 666.

Is the Virgin Mary Dead or Alive? Chapter 17

by Danny Vierra

Is the Virgin Mary Dead or Alive booklChapter 17 – The Mark of the Beast and the United States’ Role in Bible Prophecy

Revelation 13 begins with a description of a beast rising out of the sea. The first thing we notice about this beast is that it is a composite beast: it “was like unto a leopard , and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion : and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.” It is referred to as the leopard- bodied beast, which we have already seen to be the Roman Papacy. The four beasts used to make up the composite beast are the same four beasts, —which symbolized Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome —that Daniel saw in vision in Daniel 7 . As a matter of record, papal Rome inherited from each of these pagan empires some of their basic identifying characteristics that we still see being practiced in this contemporary false system of religion— the Roman Catholic Church. From Babylon, the papacy inherited a pagan priesthood; from Medo-Persia, sun worship; from Greece, human philosophies; and from the dragon, Pagan Rome, its power, seat and great authority [Pagan Rome even gave the high priest’s title—“ Pontifex Maximus,” usurped by the Caesars— to the papacy, as well as Latin, formerly the language of pagan Rome and even till this day the official language of the papal seat of power]. It is, then, accurately and appropriately, depicted as “a beast rising out of the sea [or populated areas (See Rev. 17: 15)]” that has borrowed parts, or characteristics, of other beasts or kingdoms. (See Daniel 7: 23). Since it is the first of two beasts to appear in this chapter, the Roman papacy is referred to as the first beast of Revelation, chapter 13.

But, “says the prophet: ‘I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb. ’ Verse 11. Both the appearance of this beast and the manner of its rise indicate that the nation which it represents is unlike those presented under the preceding symbols. The great kingdoms that have ruled the world were presented to the prophet Daniel as beasts of prey, rising when ‘the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea. ’ Daniel 7: 2. In Revelation 17 an angel explained that waters represent ‘peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. ’ Revelation 17: 15. Winds are a symbol of strife. The four winds of heaven striving upon the great sea represent the terrible scenes of conquest and revolution by which kingdoms have attained to power.

“But the beast with lamblike horns was seen ‘coming up out of the earth. ’ Instead of overthrowing other powers to establish itself, the nation thus represented must arise in territory previously unoccupied and grow up gradually and peacefully. It could not, then, arise among the crowded and struggling nationalities of the Old World— that turbulent sea of ‘peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. ’ It must be sought in the Western Continent.

“What nation of the New World was in 1798 [the end of the 1260- year prophecy] rising into power, giving promise of strength and greatness, and attracting the attention of the world? The application of the symbol admits of no question. One nation, and only one, meets the specifications of this prophecy; it points unmistakably to the United States of America . Again and again the thought, almost the exact words, of the sacred writer has been unconsciously employed by the orator and the historian in describing the rise and growth of this nation. The beast was seen ‘coming up out of the earth; ’ and, according to the translators, the word here rendered ‘coming up’ literally signifies ‘to grow or spring up as a plant. ’ And, as we have seen, the nation must arise in territory previously unoccupied. A prominent writer, describing the rise of the United States, speaks of ‘the mystery of her coming forth from vacancy, ’ and says: ‘Like a silent seed we grew into empire. ’— G. A. Townsend, The New World Compared With the Old, page 462. A European journal in 1850 spoke of the United States as a wonderful empire, which was ‘emerging, ’ and ‘amid the silence of the earth daily adding to its power and pride. ’— The Dublin Nation….

“‘And he had two horns like a lamb. ’ The lamblike horns indicate youth, innocence, and gentleness, fitly representing the character of the United States when presented to the prophets as ‘coming up’ in 1798. Among the Christian exiles who first fled to America and sought an asylum from royal oppression and priestly intolerance were many who determined to establish a government upon the broad foundation of civil and religious liberty. Their views found place in the Declaration of Independence, which sets forth the great truth that ‘all men are created equal’ and endowed with the inalienable right to ‘life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. ’ And the Constitution guarantees to the people the right of self- government, providing that representatives elected by the popular vote shall enact and administer the laws. Freedom of religious faith was also granted, every man being permitted to worship God according to the dictates of his conscience. Republicanism and Protestantism [the two horns of the lamb] became the fundamental principles of the nation . These principles are the secret of its power and prosperity. The oppressed and downtrodden throughout Christendom have turned to this land with interest and hope. Millions have sought its shores, and the United States has risen to a place among the most powerful nations of the earth.

“But the beast with lamblike horns ‘spake as a dragon. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed;… saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. ’ Revelation 13: 11- 14.

“The lamblike horns and dragon voice of the symbol point to a striking contradiction between the professions and the practice of the nation thus represented. The ‘speaking’ of the nation is the action of its legislative and judicial authorities. By such action it will give the lie to those liberal and peaceful principles which it has put forth as the foundation of its policy. The prediction that it will speak ‘as a dragon’ and exercise ‘all the power of the first beast’ plainly foretells a development of the spirit of intolerance and persecution that was manifested by the nations represented by the dragon and the leopardlike beast. And the statement that the beast with two horns ‘causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast’ indicates that the authority of this nation is to be exercised in enforcing some observance which shall be an act of homage to the papacy.

“Such action would be directly contrary to the principles of this government, to the genius of its free institutions, to the direct and solemn avowals of the Declaration of Independence, and to the Constitution. The founders of the nation wisely sought to guard against the employment of secular power on the part of the church, with its inevitable result— intolerance and persecution. The Constitution provides that ‘Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, ’ and that ‘no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office of public trust under the United States. ’ Only in flagrant violation of these safeguards to the nation’s liberty, can any religious observance be enforced by civil authority. But the inconsistency of such action is no greater than is represented in the symbol. It is the beast with lamblike horns— in profession pure, gentle, and harmless— that speaks as a dragon.

“‘Saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast. ’ Here is clearly presented a form of government in which the legislative power rests with the people, a most striking evidence that the United States is the nation denoted in the prophecy.

“But what is the ‘image to the beast’? and how is it to be formed? The image is made by the two- horned beast, and is an image to the beast. It is also called an image of the beast. Then to learn what the image is like and how it is to be formed we must study the characteristics of the beast itself— the papacy.

“When the early church became corrupted by departing from the simplicity of the gospel and accepting heathen rites and customs, she lost the Spirit and power of God; and in order to control the consciences of the people, she sought the support of the secular power. The result was the papacy , a church that controlled the power of the state and employed it to further her own ends, especially for the punishment of ‘heresy. ’ In order for the United States to form an image of the beast, the religious power must so control the civil government that the authority of the state will also be employed by the church to accomplish her own ends.

“Whenever the church has obtained secular power, she has employed it to punish dissent from her doctrines. Protestant churches that have followed in the steps of Rome by forming alliance with worldly powers have manifested a similar desire to restrict liberty of conscience. An example of this is given in the long- continued persecution of dissenters by the Church of England. During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, thousands of nonconformist ministers were forced to flee from their churches, and many, both of pastors and people, were subjected to fine, imprisonment, torture, and martyrdom.

“It was apostasy that led the early church to seek the aid of the civil government, and this prepared the way for the development of the papacy— the beast. Said Paul: ‘There’ shall ‘come a falling away,… and that man of sin be revealed. ’ 2 Thessalonians 2: 3. So apostasy in the church will prepare the way for the image to the beast.

“The Bible declares that before the coming of the Lord there will exist a state of religious declension similar to that in the first centuries. ‘In the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high- minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness , but denying the power thereof. ’ 2 Timothy 3: 1- 5. ‘Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils .’ 1 Timothy 4: 1. Satan will work ‘with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness. ’ And all that ‘received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved, ’ will be left to accept ‘strong delusion, that they should believe a lie. ’ 2 Thessalonians 2: 9- 11. When this state of ungodliness shall be reached, the same results will follow as in the first centuries.

“The wide diversity of belief in the Protestant churches is regarded by many as decisive proof that no effort to secure a forced uniformity can ever be made. But there has been for years, in churches of the Protestant faith, a strong and growing sentiment in favor of a union based upon common points of doctrine . To secure such a union, the discussion of subjects upon which all were not agreed— however important they might be from a Bible standpoint— must necessarily be waived .

“Charles Beecher, in a sermon in the year 1846, declared that the min- istry of ‘the evangelical Protestant denominations’ is ‘not only formed all the way up under a tremendous pressure of merely human fear, but they live, and move, and breathe in a state of things radically corrupt, and ap- pealing every hour to every baser element of their nature to hush up the truth, and bow the knee to the power of apostasy. Was not this the way things went with Rome? Are we not living her life over again? And what do we see just ahead? Another general council! A world’s convention [New World Order]! Evangelical alliance, and universal creed [One World Religion]! ’— Sermon on ‘The Bible a Sufficient Creed, ’ delivered at Fort Wayne, Indiana, Feb. 22, 1846. When this shall be gained, then, in the effort to secure complete uniformity, it will be only a step to the resort to force.

“When the leading churches of the United States, uniting upon such points of doctrine as are held by them in common [remember Life maga- zine stated that Mary could be the one to unify the churches of America, and her crowning appearance may pull it off], shall influence the state to enforce their decrees and to sustain their institutions, then Protestant America will have formed an image of the Roman hierarchy, and the infliction of civil penalties upon dissenters will inevitably result.

“The beast with two horns ‘causeth [commands] all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: and that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. ’ Revelation 13: 16, 17. The third angel’s warning is: ‘If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God. ’ ‘The beast’ mentioned in this message, whose worship is enforced by the twohorned beast, is the first, or leopardlike beast of Revelation 13— the papacy. The ‘image to the beast’ represents that form of apostate Protestantism which will be developed when the Protestant churches shall seek the aid of the civil power for the enforcement of their dogmas. The ‘mark of the beast’ still remains to be defined.

“After the warning against the worship of the beast and his image the prophecy declares: ‘Here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. ’ Since those who keep God’s commandments are thus placed in contrast with those that worship the beast and his image and receive his mark, it follows that the keeping of God’s law, on the one hand, and its violation, on the other, will make the distinction between the worshipers of God and the worshipers of the beast.

“The special characteristic of the beast, and therefore of his image, is the breaking of God’s commandments. Says Daniel, of the little horn, the papacy: ‘He shall think to change times and the law. ’ Daniel 7: 25, R. V. And Paul styled the same power the ‘man of sin, ’ who was to exalt himself above God. One prophecy is a complement of the other. Only by changing God’s law could the papacy exalt itself above God; whoever should understandingly keep the law as thus changed would be giving supreme honor to that power by which the change was made. Such an act of obedience to papal laws would be a mark of allegiance to the pope in the place of God.

“The papacy has attempted to change the law of God. The second commandment, forbidding image worship , has been dropped from the law, and the fourth commandment has been so changed as to authorize the observance of the first instead of the seventh day as the Sabbath. But papists urge, as a reason for omitting the second commandment, that it is unnecessary, being included in the first, and that they are giving the law exactly as God designed it to be understood. This cannot be the change foretold by the prophet. An intentional, deliberate change is presented: ‘He shall think to change the times and the law. ’ The change in the fourth commandment exactly fulfills the prophecy. For this the only authority claimed is that of the church. Here the papal power openly sets itself above God. [Remember, according to ‘Papa II, ’ ‘The Pope can modify divine law, since his power is not of man but of God. ’ Pure Blasphemy!]

“While the worshipers of God will be especially distinguished by their regard for the fourth commandment,— since this is the sign of His creative power and the witness to His claim upon man’s reverence and homage,— the worshipers of the beast will be distinguished by their efforts to tear down the Creator’s memorial, to exalt the institution of Rome . It was in behalf of the Sunday that popery first asserted its arrogant claims; and its first resort to the power of the state was to compel the observance of Sunday as ‘the Lord’s day. ’ But the Bible points to the seventh day, and not to the first, as the Lord’s day. Said Christ: ‘The Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath. ’ The fourth commandment declares: ‘The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord .’ And by the prophet Isaiah the Lord designates it: ‘My holy day. ’ Mark 2: 28; Isaiah 58.13.

“The claim so often put forth that Christ changed the Sabbath is disproved by His own words. In His Sermon on the Mount He said: ‘Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. ’ Matthew 5: 17- 19.

“…. Roman Catholics acknowledge that the change of the Sabbath was made by their church, and declare that Protestants by observing the Sunday are recognizing her power. In the Catholic Catechism of Christian Religion, in answer to a question as to the day to be observed in obedience to the fourth commandment, this statement is made: ‘During the old law, Saturday was the day sanctified; but the church, instructed by Jesus Christ, and directed by the Spirit of God, has substituted Sunday for Saturday; so now we sanctify the first, not the seventh day. Sunday means, and now is, the day of the Lord. ’

“As the sign of the authority of the Catholic Church, papist writers cite ‘the very act of changing the Sabbath into Sunday, which Protestants allow of;… because by keeping Sunday, they acknowledge the church’s power to ordain feasts, and to command them under sin. ’— Henry Tuberville, An Abridgment of the Christian Doctrine, page 58. What then is the change of the Sabbath, but the sign, or mark, of the authority of the Roman Church—‘ the mark of the beast’ ? [One Catholic authority put it this way: ‘Of course the Catholic Church claims that the change was her act…. And the act is a mark of her ecclesiastical power and authority in religious things. ’ (Letter, written on November 11, 1895, by chancellor to Cardinal Gibbons in reply to the inquiry on whether or not the Catholic Church claims to have changed the Sabbath)].

“The Roman Church has not relinquished her claim to supremacy; and when the world and the Protestant churches accept a sabbath of her creating, while they reject the Bible Sabbath, they virtually admit this assumption. They may claim the authority of tradition and of the Fathers for the change; but in so doing they ignore the very principle which separates them from Rome— that ‘the Bible, and the Bible only, is the religion of Protestants. ’ The papist can see that they are deceiving themselves, willingly closing their eyes to the facts in the case. As the movement for Sunday enforcement [a National Sunday Law to be set up first in the U. S. A.] gains favor, he rejoices, feeling assured that it will eventually bring the whole Protestant world under the banner of Rome.

“Romanists declare that ‘the observance of Sunday by the Protestants is an homage they pay, in spite of themselves, to the authority of the [Catholic] Church. ’— Mgr. Segur, Plain Talk About the Protestantism of Today, page 213. The enforcement of Sundaykeeping on the part of Protestant churches is an enforcement of the worship of the papacy— of the beast. Those who, understanding the claims of the fourth commandment, choose to observe the false instead of the true Sabbath are thereby paying homage to that power by which alone it is commanded. But in the very act of enforcing a religious duty by secular power, the churches would themselves form an image to the beast; hence the enforcement of Sundaykeeping in the United States would be an enforcement of the worship of the beast and his image.

“But Christians of past generations observed the Sunday, supposing that in so doing they were keeping the Bible Sabbath; and there are now true Christians in every church, not excepting the Roman Catholic communion, who honestly believe that Sunday is the Sabbath of divine appointment. God accepts their sincerity of purpose and their integrity before Him. But when Sunday observance shall be enforced by law , and the world shall be enlightened concerning the obligation of the true Sabbath, then whoever shall transgress the command of God, to obey a precept which has no higher authority than that of Rome, will thereby honor popery above God. He is paying homage to Rome and to the power which enforces the institution ordained by Rome. He is worshiping the beast and his image . As men then reject the institution which God has declared to be the sign of His authority, and honor in its stead that which Rome has chosen as the token of her supremacy, they will thereby accept the sign of allegiance to Rome—‘ the mark of the beast.’ And it is not until the issue is thus plainly set before the people, and they are brought to choose between the commandments of God and the commandments of men, that those who continue in transgression will receive ‘the mark of the beast. ’

“The most fearful threatening ever addressed to mortals is contained in the third angel’s message. That must be a terrible sin which calls down the wrath of God unmingled with mercy. Men are not to be left in darkness concerning this important matter; the warning against this sin is to be given to the world before the visitation of God’s judgments, that all may know why they are to be inflicted, and have opportunity to escape them. Prophecy declares that the first angel would make his announcement to ‘every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people. ’ The warning of the third angel, which forms a part of the same threefold message, is to be no less widespread. It is represented in the prophecy as being proclaimed with a loud voice, by an angel flying in the midst of heaven; and it will command the attention of the world.

“In the issue of the contest all Christendom will be divided into two great classes— those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, and those who worship the beast and his image and receive his mark. Although church and state will unite their power to compel ‘all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond’ (Revelation 13: 16), to receive ‘the mark of the beast, ’ yet the people of God will not receive it. The prophet of Patmos beholds ‘them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God’ and singing the song of Moses and the Lamb. Revelation 15: 2, 3.” (The Great Controversy, pp. 439- 450).

Beware, dear friends, the prophecies you have just read will shortly come to pass, for the beast is making her move. On July 7, 1998, the Vatican released Pope John Paul II’s 104- page Apostolic Letter entitled Dies Domini— On Keeping the Lord’s Day Holy. The letter is a blatant attack on the Fourth Commandment, the Seventh- day Sabbath, and the Creator Himself! Point 67 of Dies Domini actually states: “Christians will naturally strive to ensure that civil legislation respects their duty to keep Sunday holy… Sunday must be sanctified.” On the same day, The Denver Post quoted Rome as saying: “A violator should be punished as a heretic.” Indeed, the end times are upon us!

Go to Chapter 18 ⇒

All emphases in this article are mine.
Published by Modern Manna Ministries

Is the Virgin Mary Dead or Alive? Chapter 7

by Danny Vierra

Is the Virgin Mary Dead or Alive booklChapter 7 – The Deadly Wound Was Healed

Even though the Roman Church flourished during the 1260- year period, Revelation 13: 3 tells us that the beast would indeed suffer a deadly wound, and this prophecy was exactly fulfilled in the year of 1798. “In 1798, 1260 years later [from 538], the pope was taken into captivity and the Catholic Church was dealt a mortal blow. It happened just as Revelation had foretold, with remarkable accuracy…. During the French Revolution and under orders from the revolutionary French government, General Alexander Berthier [one of Napoleon’s generals] issued a proclamation in Rome on February 15, 1798, informing Pope Pius VI and the people of Rome that the pope should no longer ‘exercise any function. ’ ” (God Cares, p. 328). “Napoleon had dethroned the Pope, because the Pontiffs found themselves alone, the sole fountains of order, peace, law, and safety” in Western Europe. (The Temporal Power of the Vicar of Christ, p. 27). In 1798, Napoleon intended that there would never be another pope. “The Papacy was extinct: not a vestige of its existence remained; and among all the Roman Catholic powers not a finger was stirred in its defense. The Eternal City had no longer prince or Pontiff, its bishop was a dying captive in foreign lands; and the decree was already announced that no successor would be allowed in his place.” (Rome: From the Fall of the Western Empire, p. 440). In other words, a deadly wound was inflicted upon the beast power, just as the Bible prophesied: “And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death.” (Rev. 13: 3a). But, that was not the end of the story, for the second part of the Scripture prophesied: “and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast .” (Rev. 13: 3b).

But even during the 1260- year papal oppression, when the “woman,” God’s true church, suffered tremendous persecution, God “nourished,” or cared for His children. “And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.” (Rev. 12: 14- 16).

In Revelation 12: 14, God preserves the woman from being swept away by providing her with “two wings of a great eagle”— an appropriate symbol of God’s paternal care for His children. When the Israelites escaped from Egyptian slavery, Moses said that God had carried them on “eagles’ wings.” (Exodus 19: 4). In Psalm 91: 4, we read: “He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings shalt thou trust.” And in Deuteronomy 32: 9- 12: “The Lord’s portion is His people; Jacob is the lot of His inheritance. He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; He led him about, He instructed him, He kept him as the apple of His eye. As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings: so the Lord alone did lead him, and there was no strange god with him.” Many Christians suffered under the “flood” of persecution that was cast out of the serpent’s mouth, but the “earth helped the woman,” by providing naturally protected and uninhabited areas for her safety. Many Christians fled to such places as the mountain valleys of the Alps, to the mountains themselves, and to the sparsely populated British colonies in North America. And, besides, this raises an important question: Why would Mary, during the 1260 years, flee into the wilderness from the papacy, when the Roman Catholic Church is the one who had set her up as one to be worshipped? Why would they want to destroy her— a pillar in their system of worship? How, then, could the Virgin Mary be the “woman,” who had fled for 1260 years into the wilderness for her safety? Furthermore, when did the literal Mary have any experience of being persecuted and driven into the wilderness by the dragon in the period of her life after the ascension of her Son Jesus? The Virgin Mary simply does not fit!

On the other hand, Satan is relentless in his fury to destroy God’s true church, and will not cease his attempt to annihilate every true Christian. Frantic with frustration for failing to destroy the true church during the 1260 years, Satan, in these end times, directs his bitter attacks against the “remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus.” (Revelation 12: 17). Friends, Satan will use any means he can to accomplish his goal to deceive the very elect— be it the Roman Empire, the Roman Catholic Church, or even the spiritualistic appearances of the “Virgin Mary .”

“The Catholic Church is avowedly Roman. Its official name today, as it has been throughout most of its long history, is The Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church of Rome.” (God Cares, Vol. 2, p. 327). Again, Revelation 13: 2 says that “the dragon [in this case, the Roman Empire through whom Satan was working] gave him [the Roman Catholic Church with the pope at the head] his power, and his seat [or throne], and great authority.”

“A throne is a symbol of authority. But because this passage already contains the words ‘power’ and ‘authority, ’ we expect ‘throne’ here to convey a more literal meaning. Basically, a throne is a place where an important person sits. Other words for throne are the Greek cathedra , and the Latin sedes, which shows up in the English as see. In the Catholic Church, the building in which a bishop’s throne (or cathedra) is located is called his ‘cathedral .’ The city in which his throne is located is called his ‘see. ’ The ultimate see in Catholicism is the Holy See, the city where the Pope’s throne is located. This city is Rome.” (Ibid.). “Specifically, since the Treaty of the Lateran with Italy, the Holy See has been Vatican City, a 108.7- acre tract on Vatican Hill, lying wholly within the city of Rome.” (Ibid., footnote). Furthermore, Revelation 17: 9 reveals another identifying feature of the great “whore” of Bible prophecy: “And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains , on which the woman sitteth.” One Catholic resource acknowledges the following: “It is within the city of Rome, called The City on Seven Hills , that the entire area of Vatican State Proper is now confined.” (The Catholic Encyclopedia, p. 529). It should also be noted that the name Vatican comes from the Latin words Vatis, which means diviner, and can, which means serpent . The name Vatican, therefore, is literally interpreted— The Divining Serpent . In fact, there are serpent door handles on the doors of the new St. Mary’s Cathedral in San Francisco, and a large papal crest in the Vatican museum features a dragon! Serpent crosiers were commonly carried by bishops and high Catholic Church officials during the Middle Ages.

The Book of Isaiah tells us that Satan’s ultimate desire and purpose in life is to usurp God’s throne: “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High .” (Isaiah 14: 12- 14). I am so grateful for the next verse that reveals the fate of the devil: “Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell [the grave], to the sides of the pit.” (Isaiah 14: 15). Do you not think that Satan could be working through the Pope of Rome, who claims to have the power of God on earth? Paul knew that this power would arise, and wrote about it in his Second Epistle to the Thessalonians: “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come [the second coming of Christ], except there come a falling away first [an apostasy from within God’s church— from the Greek word, apostasia, in this case an outgrowth known as the church of Rome], and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition ; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?” (II Thessalonians 2: 3- 5). If people would only study their Bibles the way it instructs them to, by taking “precept upon precept; line upon line… here a little and there a little” (Isa. 28: 10), in other words, by comparing Scripture with Scripture, they would find the truth through the Holy Spirit’s guidance.

According to the prophecy of Revelation 13: 3, the deadly blow would not kill, but only wound, the Catholic Church, and surely one has to acknowledge that his “deadly wound” is healing. History tells us that in 1801, Napoleon signed a “concordat,” or church- state treaty, with a new Pope. “On the other hand, in 1870 the newly emerging nation of Italy deepened the church’s woes for a while by taking away the Papal States, a considerable portion of the Italian peninsula, which the church had owned for centuries…. But in 1929 Mussolini signed a concordat granting the pope full authority over the State of Vatican City, 108.7 acres in Rome which includes St. Peter’s Cathedral.” (God Cares, p. 346). The Vatican had put Mussolini into power, and now Mussolini reciprocated by making the Roman Catholic Church the sole religion in all Italy and giving her 750 million lire in cash and one billion in state bonds.

Ever since 1929 the wound has been healing rapidly. Protestant America, which was built upon the separation of church and state and which had once loudly protested [the word Protestant originated from the people’s “protest” against Catholicism] the establishment of the papal power in this country, now welcomes her with open arms. Times have certainly changed, and even America is “wondering” after the beast! In 1951 President Harry Truman asked the Senate to approve his nomination of an ambassador to the State of Vatican City, and America was plunged into a vortex of agony and protest. Truman finally withdrew his request after “hardly a Protestant church in the country failed to express its opposition formally and often acrimoniously.” (Church State and Freedom, p. 302). More recently, in 1984, President Ronald Reagan’s nomination of William A. Wilson as ambassador to Vatican City was quickly approved by the Senate, 81- 13. At this critical time, only a few voices were heard worrying about church and state. The next event was unbelievable because of the swiftness with which it happened and the players involved. This event was the demise of Communism in Poland through the conspiring efforts of President Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II, as featured on the front cover of Time on Feb. 24, 1992. [Friends, is this a fulfillment of the prophecy that the “whore” would commit “fornication” with the “the kings of the earth”? (See Rev. 17: 1, 2) The Vatican is a religio- political system whose aim is to control the world!] Then, in a Special Double Issue of Time for December 26, 1994/ January 2, 1995, John Paul II was featured once again on its cover as “The Man of the Year.” Unbelievable! How I wondered what the world’s reaction would have been had the number one news weekly printed instead the pope’s true alias as given by the Apostle Paul in his second letter to the Thessalonians—“ The Man of Sin.” (II Thess. 2: 3). This issue of Time was released only two and a half months after the October 9, 1995, issue of U. S. News which also featured Pope John Paul II on its cover. The caption on their cover read: “Honor thy father. ” Here was another blasphemous statement published by another major U. S. periodical in the United States. Has Protestant America forgotten that the Bible clearly says: “Call no man your [spiritual] father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven .” (Matt. 23: 9). Did you know that according to the doctrines of the Catholic Church your spiritual “Father” is the pope of Rome and your spiritual “Mother” is the Virgin Mary? A Catholic Catechism declares: “The Pope is the spiritual Father of all Christians ” and “The Blessed Virgin Mary is our Mother also because, being the brethren of Jesus, we are the children of Mary.” (A Catechism of Catholic Doctrine, pp. 15, 27). I find it quite interesting that the American edition of this book was originally published in 1973 by Marian Publications !

Faithful Protestants, where are the Reformers today? Not only does the Protestant Reformation seem to be a thing of the past, but the churches of the world are uniting on common points of faith , and Mary could be the one to further “heal” the wound of many years . After all, “Pope John Paul II prays every day to the virgin, whom he credits with saving his life.” (Life, Dec., 1996, p. 48). “At a certain moment on May 13, 1981, during an open- air papal audience in St. Peter’s Square, in the presence of some 75,000 people and before the eyes of an estimated 11 million television viewers, Pope John Paul spied a little girl wearing a small picture of Christ’s Mother of Our Lady of Fatima . Just as he bent from his slow moving “popemobile” in a spontaneous gesture to the child, hired assassin Mehmet Ali Agca squeezed off two bullets, aimed precisely where his head had been. As two pilgrims fell wounded to the ground, two more shots rang out, and this time John Paul’s blood stained his white papal cassock.” (The Keys of This Blood, p. 46). “On May 13, 1992 [and again in 1994], John Paul II went to Fatima where he thanked Our Lady of Fatima for sparing his life in the 1981 assassination attempt.” (The Thunder of Justice, p. 151). “Nor is anyone more devoted to Mary. John Paul II, who has ‘dedicated himself and his Pontificate to Our Lady’ bears the M for Mary in his coat of arms; his personal motto, embroidered on the inside of his robes in Latin, is totus tuus sum Maria (Mary, I’m all yours) .” (A Woman Rides the Beast, p. 459).

“Moreover, John Paul is firmly convinced, as are many others, that Mary brought an end to communism throughout Europe. His faith is rooted in the famed prophecies of Mary at Fatima in 1917. According to Sister Lucia, one of the children who claimed to see her, the Virgin predicted the rise of Soviet totalitarianism before it happened. In a subsequent vision, she directed the Pope and his bishops to consecrate Russia to her Immaculate Heart in order to bring communism to an end.

“According to Lucia, papal attempts to carry out that consecration failed in 1942, ’52, and ’82. John Paul finally carried out Mary’s directive in 1984— and the very next year Mikhail Gorbechev’s rise to power inaugurated the Soviet collapse. Says Father Robert Fox of the Fatima Family Shrine in Alexandria, S. Dak.: ‘The world will recognize in due time that the defeat of communism came at the intercession of the mother of Jesus .’ ” (Time, Dec., 30, 1991, pp. 64, 65). In fact, the former Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbechev, called Pope John Paul II “the highest authority on earth.” Amazing words, coming from the ex- leader of communist Russia!

John Paul II is currently leading the greatest ecumenical movement in history in order to unite all religions under Rome’s leadership. On October 27, 1986, the pope gathered in Assisi, Italy, the leaders of the world’s major religions to pray for peace. Included in the group were snake worshippers, Buddhists, Moslems, Hindus, Spiritists, and North American witch doctors. The pope said they were all praying to the same god, and their prayers were “creating a spiritual energy that was bringing about a new climate for peace.” A prophesied World Religion (see Rev 13: 3, 4, 12; 17: 12- 14) is being formed before our eyes, and the Vatican is the headquarters of the new movement. Is this not “spiritual fornication”?

As stated earlier, the Apostle Paul saw “creeping into the church, errors that would prepare the way for the development of the papacy. Little by little, at first in stealth and silence, and then more openly as it increased in strength and gained control of the minds of men, ‘the mystery of iniquity’ carried forward its deceptive and blasphemous work. Almost imperceptibly the customs of heathenism found their way into the Christian church. The spirit of compromise and conformity was restrained for a time by the fierce persecutions which the church endured under paganism. But as persecution ceased, and Christianity entered the courts and palaces of kings, she laid aside the humble simplicity of Christ and His apostles for the pomp and pride of pagan priests and rulers; and in place of the requirements of God, she substituted human theories and traditions. The nominal conversion of Constantine, in the early part of the fourth century, caused great rejoicing; and the world, cloaked with a form of righteousness, walked into the church. Now the work of corruption rapidly progressed. Paganism, while appearing to be vanquished, became the conqueror. Her spirit controlled the church. Her doctrines, ceremonies, and superstitions were incorporated into the faith and worship of the professed followers of Christ.

“This compromise between paganism and Christianity resulted in the development of ‘the man of sin’ foretold in prophecy as opposing and exalting himself above God. That gigantic system of false religion is a masterpiece of Satan’s power— a monument of his efforts to seat himself upon the throne to rule the earth according to his will.

“… Satan well knew that the Holy Scriptures would enable men to discern his deceptions and withstand his power. It was by the Word that even the Saviour of the world had resisted his attacks. At every assault, Christ presented the shield of eternal truth, saying, ‘It is written. ’ To every suggestion of the adversary, He opposed the wisdom and power of the Word. In order for Satan to maintain his sway over men, and establish the authority of the papal usurper, he must keep them in ignorance of the Scriptures. The Bible would exalt God and place finite men in their true position; therefore its sacred truths must be concealed and suppressed. This logic was adopted by the Roman Church. For hundreds of years the circulation of the Bible was prohibited. The people were forbidden to read it or to have it in their houses, and unprincipled priests and prelates interpreted its teachings to sustain their pretensions. Thus the pope came to be almost universally acknowledged as the vicegerent of God on earth, endowed with authority over church and state…. To afford converts from heathenism a substitute for the worship of idols, and thus to promote their nominal acceptance of Christianity, the adoration of images [statues of the Virgin Mary] and relics was gradually introduced into the Christian worship .” (The Great Controversy, pp. 49- 52).

Go to Chapter 8 ⇒

All emphases in this article are mine.
Published by Modern Manna Ministries

Is the Virgin Mary Dead or Alive? Chapter 6

by Danny Vierra

Is the Virgin Mary Dead or Alive booklChapter 6 – The 1260- day Prophecy and the Papacy

As a matter of fact, the 1260- day prophecy is mentioned seven times in Daniel and Revelation. There are not, as some have supposed, several 1260- day periods; there is only one. It is mentioned seven times, because it is so very important: in Daniel 7: 25 and 12: 7 and also in Revelation 12: 14, as a time, times (i. e., two times— the lowest plural), and a half time; in Revelation 11: 2 and 13: 5, as forty- two months; and in Revelation 11: 3 and Revelation 12: 6, as one thousand two hundred and threescore (sixty) days. In Bible prophecy, there are 360 days to a year, and if you multiply 360 times three and one- half, you will come up with the number— 1260. Also, when time is used in Bible prophecy, a day stands for a year. (See Ezekiel 4: 6; Num. 14: 34). Therefore, the Bible has given us the important key to figuring out the 1260- day prophecy, and that is this— that the 1260 days are actually 1260 literal years.

As Satan used the Roman Empire— particularly King Herod, Pontius Pilate and Nero, as well as many others— to put Christ to death and kill many of God’s people, he, like a chameleon, changed his disguise once again after Western Rome’s fall, but this time, he kept the same Roman roots. The “wilderness” (Rev. 12: 6), symbolizing this 1260- year period, is also referred to as the “great tribulation” (Matt 24: 21)— a time when millions of God’s true people were martyred for refusing to follow the dictates of the Roman Church . The Bible accurately prophesied that the papal power, as symbolized by the “little horn” in Daniel 7: 8, 20, 21 and the “leopard- bodied beast” in Revelation 13: 2, would “make war with the saints.” Only one “religious” organization has been responsible for more persecutions and deaths of faithful Bible believing Christians than any other sect in history— The Holy Roman Catholic Church!

“Step by step, the Roman Empire (the dragon) did indeed give its power, throne, and great authority [Revelation 13: 2] to the Catholic Church… A climax came in 538, when the armies of the Empire [the unfallen Eastern division] drove the Arian Ostrogoths out of Rome. By 538, therefore, the 1260 years could begin .” (God Cares, p. 328). “In the sixth century the papacy had become firmly established. Its seat of power was fixed in the imperial city, and the bishop of Rome was declared to be the head over the entire church. Paganism had given place to the papacy. The dragon had given to the beast ‘his power, and his seat, and great authority. ’ Revelation 13: 2. And now began the 1260 years of papal oppression foretold in the prophecies of Daniel and the Revelation. Daniel 7: 25; Revelation 13: 5- 7. Christians were forced to choose either to yield their integrity and accept the papal ceremonies and worship, or to wear away their lives in dungeons or to suffer death by the rack, the fagot, or the headsman’s ax. Now were fulfilled the words of Jesus: ‘Ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death. And ye shall be hated of all men for My name’s sake. ’ Luke 21: 16, 17. Persecution opened upon the faithful with greater fury than ever before, and the world became a vast battlefield. For hundreds of years the church of Christ found refuge in seclusion and obscurity. Thus says the prophet: ‘The woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and three- score days. ’ Revelation 12: 6.

“The accession of the Roman Church to power marked the beginning of the Dark Ages. As her power increased, the darkness deepened. Faith was transferred from Christ, the true foundation, to the pope of Rome. Instead of trusting in the Son of God for forgiveness of sins and for eternal salvation, the people looked to the pope, and to the priests and prelates to whom he delegated authority. They were taught that the pope was their earthly mediator and that none could approach God except through him; and, further, that he stood in the place of God to them and was therefore to be implicitly obeyed. A deviation from his requirements was sufficient cause for the severest punishment to be visited upon the bodies and souls of the offenders. Thus the minds of the people were turned away from God to fallible, erring, and cruel men, nay, more, to the prince of darkness himself, who exercised his power through them. Sin was disguised in a garb of sanctity. When the Scriptures are suppressed, and man comes to regard himself as supreme, we need look only for fraud, deception, and debasing iniquity. With the elevation of human laws and traditions was manifest the corruption that ever results from setting aside the law of God.

“Those were days of peril for the church of Christ. The faithful standard- bearers were few indeed. Though the truth was not left without witnesses, yet at times it seemed that error and superstition would wholly prevail, and true religion would be banished from the earth. The gospel was lost sight of, but the forms of religion were multiplied, and the people were burdened with rigorous exactions.

“They were taught not only to look to the pope as their mediator, but to trust to works of their own to atone for sin. Long pilgrimages, acts of penance, the worship of relics, the erection of churches, shrines , and altars, the payment of large sums to the church— these and many similar acts were enjoined to appease the wrath of God or to secure His favor; as if God were like men, to be angered at trifles, or pacified by gifts or acts of penance!

“Notwithstanding that vice prevailed, even among the leaders of the Roman Church, her influence seemed steadily to increase. About the close of the eighth century, papists put forth the claim that in the first ages of the church the bishops of Rome had possessed the same spiritual power which they now assumed. To establish this claim, some means must be employed to give it a show of authority; and this was readily suggested by the father of lies. Ancient writings were forged by monks. Decrees of councils before unheard of were discovered, establishing the universal supremacy of the pope from the earliest times. And a church that had rejected the truth greedily accepted these deceptions.

“The few faithful builders upon the true foundation (I Corinthians 3: 10, 11) were perplexed and hindered as the rubbish of false doctrine obstructed the work. Like the builders upon the wall of Jerusalem in Nehemiah’s day, some were ready to say: ‘The strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed, and there is much rubbish; so that we are not able to build. ’ Nehemiah 4: 10. Wearied with the constant struggle against persecution, fraud, iniquity, and every other obstacle that Satan could devise to hinder their progress, some who had been faithful builders became disheartened; and for the sake of peace and security for their property and their lives, they turned away from the true foundation. Others, undaunted by the opposition of their enemies, fearlessly declared: ‘Be not ye afraid of them: remember the Lord, which is great and terrible’ (verse 14); and they proceeded with the work, everyone with his sword girded by his side. Ephesians 6: 17.

“… .The darkness seemed to grow more dense. Image worship became more general. Candles were burned before images, and prayers were offered to them. The most absurd and superstitious customs prevailed. The minds of men were so completely controlled by superstition that reason itself seemed to have lost its sway. While priests and bishops were themselves pleasure- loving, sensual, and corrupt , it could only be expected that the people who looked to them for guidance would be sunken in ignorance and vice.” (The Great Controversy, pp. 54- 57).

Friends, I take no pleasure in what I am about to tell you, but I believe you must know the truth. When I was a young Catholic boy attending Annunciation School, not only had I lit candles and said prayers for my dead, departed friends and relatives, while kneeling in front of images of dead “Saints” and the “Virgin Mary” at the Cathedral, but later, as a teenager attending Saint Mary’s High School, I had worked at my father’s liquor store, which was located way across town. I used to see the priests from these schools, dressed in civilian clothes, come into our store and look at the pornographic magazines and novels that were sold there. I used to hide in the back room because I was afraid they would see me. Now I wish I had confronted them for what they were doing!

Then there was the time I was serving Mass as an altar boy with my brother. It was six o’clock Mass, or morning Mass, and the monsignor himself was officiating that morning. When the time came for me to put wine into the chalice for the monsignor, I remember his nudging the small carafe that I was holding each time I poured the wine into his chalice. After his doing this twice, my older and more experienced brother whispered in my ear, “Pour it all in his cup.” Now looking back, I realize the “holy” man was an alcoholic . But there was yet another episode that offended me more than the rest. It was the time I had attended a large Catholic wedding where my Italian cousin was getting married. I remember watching the officiating priest, while at the reception, standing at the bar drinking glass after glass of wine. The guests were patiently waiting for the priest to join the dinner party and bless the food. Finally, someone had the courage to whisper in the priest’s ear that we were waiting for his company and the blessing, and the now drunk, stumbling “Father” yelled out, while staggering in the middle of the hall and impatiently waving the sign of the cross, “What are you waiting for? It’s blessed! Eat !”

Go to Chapter 7 ⇒

All emphases in this article are mine.
Published by Modern Manna Ministries