Hello again everybody! 00:00:30.12\00:00:32.05 I am very glad that you're here this evening 00:00:32.08\00:00:34.71 to study God's Word. 00:00:34.74\00:00:35.91 This is number six in the series on, The Bible or Tradition? 00:00:35.95\00:00:40.79 And this evening we are going to study Part 2 of the topic titled 00:00:40.83\00:00:46.47 The Roman Catholic View of Tradition. 00:00:46.51\00:00:49.77 However, before we do we want to have a word of prayer 00:00:49.80\00:00:52.93 to ask for the Lord's presence. 00:00:52.96\00:00:54.42 And so I invite you to bow your heads with me as we implore 00:00:54.45\00:00:58.35 the Lord's presence with us. 00:00:58.39\00:00:59.88 Let us pray. Father in heaven, thank You so much for this 00:00:59.91\00:01:03.55 wonderful day that you have given us. 00:01:03.59\00:01:05.41 We thank You Father, for the privilege of opening Your word 00:01:05.44\00:01:08.65 now, and we ask that as we open Your Word You will open the 00:01:08.68\00:01:13.11 hearts of those who are present, as well as those who are 00:01:13.14\00:01:16.89 watching this program on television, 00:01:16.93\00:01:18.61 and through the Internet. 00:01:18.64\00:01:19.67 Give us willing and open hearts and minds to receive the word, 00:01:19.70\00:01:24.64 and to live in harmony with every word that proceeds 00:01:24.67\00:01:27.33 out of the mouth of God. 00:01:27.36\00:01:28.53 We thank You Father, for hearing our prayer for we ask it 00:01:28.57\00:01:32.13 in Jesus' name, Amen. 00:01:32.16\00:01:34.52 In our last study together we considered three Roman Catholic 00:01:34.56\00:01:42.71 sources that helped us understand the Roman Catholic 00:01:42.75\00:01:47.48 view of tradition. 00:01:47.51\00:01:49.25 Those three sources were, first of all, the Roman Catholic 00:01:49.28\00:01:53.60 Catechism, secondly the Conciliar Declaration 00:01:53.64\00:01:58.21 Dei Verbum, that is on the word of God, 00:01:58.25\00:02:00.77 and then we examined several statements from Roman Catholic 00:02:00.80\00:02:04.98 theologians about the Roman Catholic view of tradition. 00:02:05.02\00:02:08.98 And we noticed in our study that the Roman Catholic view 00:02:09.01\00:02:13.41 of tradition is virtually identical to the view that the 00:02:13.45\00:02:17.82 Jews had in the days of Christ. 00:02:17.85\00:02:20.68 In both systems you have three elements, 00:02:20.71\00:02:24.41 the same three elements: 1. You have what is called a 00:02:24.44\00:02:28.72 sacred deposit of tradition, which is composed of the 00:02:28.75\00:02:33.03 written scriptures, and the unwritten oral traditions. 00:02:33.07\00:02:37.31 In both Judaism and Roman Catholicism 00:02:37.35\00:02:40.25 you have that first point. 00:02:40.29\00:02:41.83 You also have, in both concepts, a transmitting mechanism, 00:02:41.87\00:02:47.12 a way in which the oral traditions can supposedly, 00:02:47.16\00:02:50.52 be transmitted in a trustworthy way. 00:02:50.55\00:02:53.90 And in Judaism you have this system of transmission which, 00:02:53.94\00:02:58.72 supposedly preserves the oral traditions intact, as they were 00:02:58.76\00:03:03.51 originally given to Moses. 00:03:03.54\00:03:05.13 In the case of the Roman Catholic Church, supposedly 00:03:05.17\00:03:09.13 those oral traditions are kept intact from the time that they 00:03:09.17\00:03:12.61 were given to Simon Peter. 00:03:12.65\00:03:14.73 And then we noticed that in both Judaism, 00:03:14.77\00:03:17.96 and in Roman Catholicism, there is also the idea of a living 00:03:18.00\00:03:23.04 interpreter of the traditions at every stage of the history 00:03:23.08\00:03:28.09 in the process of transmission. 00:03:28.13\00:03:29.79 And so you have these identical three elements in Judaism, 00:03:29.83\00:03:33.74 as well as in Roman Catholicism: a sacred deposit, 00:03:33.77\00:03:38.14 2. A transmitting mechanism. 00:03:38.18\00:03:41.21 3. A living interpreter at every stage in the 00:03:41.24\00:03:45.55 process of transmission. 00:03:45.59\00:03:47.04 We also noticed that the terminology that is used, 00:03:47.08\00:03:51.01 for example in Mark 7, and the terminology that is used 00:03:51.04\00:03:54.67 in those Roman Catholic sources is virtually identical. 00:03:54.70\00:03:59.57 Words and expressions such as: tradition, handed down, 00:03:59.61\00:04:04.48 passed on, received, hold, unbroken succession, 00:04:04.52\00:04:11.12 all are terms that are used in Mark 7, 00:04:11.15\00:04:14.61 and elsewhere in the gospels. 00:04:14.65\00:04:16.31 And those same terms are used in Roman Catholic sources 00:04:16.34\00:04:20.56 about the Roman Catholic view of tradition. 00:04:20.59\00:04:23.29 We also noticed that in both systems they claimed that 00:04:23.32\00:04:27.61 there was someone to whom God gave the 00:04:27.65\00:04:29.64 original oral traditions. 00:04:29.67\00:04:32.07 In the case of Judaism, God supposedly gave the oral 00:04:32.10\00:04:35.52 traditions to Moses, and then Moses handed them on. 00:04:35.56\00:04:39.05 In Roman Catholicism the idea is that these traditions 00:04:39.09\00:04:42.51 were given to Simon Peter, and Simon Peter passed them along. 00:04:42.55\00:04:46.48 We also noticed that in Judaism the scribes and Pharisees 00:04:46.51\00:04:50.41 claimed to sit on Moses' seat. 00:04:50.44\00:04:53.13 That word seat, by the way, in Greek is cathedra. 00:04:53.17\00:04:56.48 In other words, they spoke from the cathedra. 00:04:56.51\00:04:59.65 And it's interesting that in Roman Catholicism, 00:04:59.68\00:05:02.74 when the Pope speaks infallibly, and with authority, 00:05:02.78\00:05:07.09 in the matter of doctrines, and observances, he speaks 00:05:07.13\00:05:11.37 ex cathedra, the very same word that is used in Matthew 23:2 00:05:11.41\00:05:16.23 to refer to the scribes and the Pharisees. 00:05:16.26\00:05:19.27 We also noticed that in both systems they claimed that the 00:05:19.30\00:05:23.20 written Scriptures, and oral tradition are on the same level. 00:05:23.23\00:05:26.37 But in actual practice oral tradition is above the written 00:05:26.40\00:05:33.43 Scriptures of the word of God. 00:05:33.47\00:05:35.08 We also noticed that in both systems the people were expected 00:05:35.11\00:05:39.77 to render strict, and unquestioning obedience 00:05:39.80\00:05:44.28 to the words of their leaders, or to the concepts that were 00:05:44.31\00:05:47.88 taught by the church. 00:05:47.91\00:05:49.42 And in both systems it was believed that the lay people 00:05:49.45\00:05:53.18 could not really determine the meaning of the Scriptures; 00:05:53.21\00:05:56.87 that only the theological experts could give the 00:05:56.90\00:06:01.61 Scriptures their true sense, and their true meaning, 00:06:01.64\00:06:03.91 and people simply had to accept what they taught. 00:06:03.94\00:06:08.37 And in the case of the times of Christ, those who did not comply 00:06:08.41\00:06:12.94 were expelled from the synagogue. 00:06:12.98\00:06:15.32 The Roman Catholic Church calls it Excommunication, by the way. 00:06:15.36\00:06:19.22 Now this was an interesting way of controlling the masses. 00:06:19.26\00:06:23.60 You know, Jesus Christ, and His teachings were captivating 00:06:23.63\00:06:27.93 to the multitudes. 00:06:27.97\00:06:29.00 You read the gospels, the multitudes followed 00:06:29.03\00:06:31.78 Jesus Christ, thousands of people followed Jesus Christ. 00:06:31.82\00:06:35.27 But at the end of the life of Jesus, the same people that had 00:06:35.31\00:06:39.48 followed Him along clamored, Crucify Him, Crucify Him! 00:06:39.52\00:06:43.67 And the main reason was that people could not understand 00:06:43.71\00:06:47.83 how the religious leaders could be wrong. 00:06:47.87\00:06:50.42 They could not understand how Jesus spoke against 00:06:50.46\00:06:54.35 the religious leaders of that time, when they had such 00:06:54.39\00:06:57.89 a huge, and intensive respect for the religious leaders. 00:06:57.92\00:07:01.85 In other words, by controlling the religious leaders, 00:07:01.89\00:07:05.79 the devil was able to control the people, 00:07:05.82\00:07:08.87 both in the days of Christ, and also throughout the Dark Ages, 00:07:08.90\00:07:12.86 and it will happen once again at the end of time. 00:07:12.90\00:07:15.68 Now I'd like to read a statement that we find in 00:07:15.71\00:07:18.42 The Great Controversy, page 595, where Ellen White describes 00:07:18.46\00:07:23.86 how through the concepts of the leaders, the theological 00:07:23.89\00:07:29.26 concepts of the leaders, the devil is able to 00:07:29.29\00:07:31.78 control the multitudes. 00:07:31.82\00:07:32.98 This is how it reads: 00:07:33.02\00:07:34.15 And now notice: 00:07:54.66\00:07:56.21 Do you see the principle here? 00:08:04.58\00:08:06.50 In other words, control the leaders, and through the leaders 00:08:06.54\00:08:10.30 you can control the populous; you can control the people. 00:08:10.33\00:08:15.04 Interestingly, Ellen White compares the plight of the 00:08:15.07\00:08:19.74 populous in Christ's day, with the condition of the people 00:08:19.78\00:08:23.61 in the Roman Catholic Church today. 00:08:23.65\00:08:25.66 Regarding the control of the Jewish leaders over the people, 00:08:25.70\00:08:29.59 Ellen White had this to say: 00:08:29.63\00:08:31.95 Who was the chief of the priesthood? 00:08:48.18\00:08:51.45 It was the High Priest, Ananias and Caiaphas. 00:08:51.49\00:08:55.65 Now notice this: 00:09:36.18\00:09:37.21 Is it just possible that the Roman Catholic view of tradition 00:09:43.40\00:09:47.36 at the end of time, will also lead people to 00:09:47.39\00:09:50.33 reject Jesus Christ as their Redeemer? Absolutely! 00:09:50.36\00:09:54.90 Because it's an identical view, as we've been studying. 00:09:54.93\00:09:58.10 Now, regarding the control of the Roman Catholic, 00:09:58.13\00:10:01.87 and Protestant clergy over their masses, Ellen White had this 00:10:01.90\00:10:06.19 to say. And this is a rather lengthy statement, 00:10:06.22\00:10:08.17 but it is charged with very, very important details, 00:10:08.20\00:10:13.77 so I'm going to take a view minutes to read this passage 00:10:13.80\00:10:17.03 from the book, The Great Controversy, pages 595-597. 00:10:17.06\00:10:21.80 Notice how she compares what happened in the days of Christ, 00:10:21.83\00:10:25.70 with what happens in Roman Catholicism. She says: 00:10:25.73\00:10:29.34 See, that the control wasn't going to cease when the Jews 00:10:40.92\00:10:44.16 were dispersed after Jerusalem was destroyed. 00:10:44.19\00:10:46.44 She continues saying: 00:10:46.47\00:10:47.86 Now you need to understand what Ellen White means when she says, 00:11:03.91\00:11:06.41 It is withheld from the common people. 00:11:06.44\00:11:08.37 During the Dark Ages it was literally withheld. 00:11:08.40\00:11:11.43 In other words, people, I'm going to read in a few moments 00:11:11.46\00:11:13.88 a few statements where in church councils, they actually forbade 00:11:13.91\00:11:18.02 people to have copies of the Scriptures and to read them. 00:11:18.05\00:11:20.58 But Ellen White knew at her time, that in some cases 00:11:20.61\00:11:24.96 the Roman Catholic Church was encouraging people 00:11:24.99\00:11:27.19 to read the Scriptures. 00:11:27.22\00:11:28.25 What she means is explained in the next few sentences, 00:11:28.28\00:11:32.07 so lets continue reading. She says: 00:11:32.10\00:11:34.28 Now here comes the explanation. 00:11:40.45\00:11:41.60 And then she says: 00:11:56.01\00:11:57.30 So, in other words, what she's saying by the word withhold 00:12:14.01\00:12:17.66 the Scriptures, is that the Roman Catholic Church allows 00:12:17.69\00:12:21.28 people to read the Scriptures, and in some cases encourages 00:12:21.31\00:12:24.26 people these days to read the Scriptures, 00:12:24.29\00:12:26.12 but they are to accept the interpretation 00:12:26.15\00:12:29.06 given by the church. 00:12:29.09\00:12:30.12 And so it's as if they are not really reading the Scriptures. 00:12:30.15\00:12:33.77 They are withheld from them in the sense that they are not 00:12:33.80\00:12:37.35 allowed to interpret the Scriptures for themselves. 00:12:37.38\00:12:40.08 Ellen White continues saying: 00:12:40.11\00:12:41.94 It's talking about pastors here. 00:12:54.52\00:12:56.00 She continues saying: 00:12:56.03\00:12:57.56 So when you don't study the Scriptures for yourself 00:13:38.23\00:13:41.04 you are chained in error, is what Ellen White is saying here. 00:13:41.07\00:13:45.71 She continues saying: 00:13:45.74\00:13:46.93 What a powerful statement about what is really happening 00:14:22.29\00:14:26.89 in the Christian world today. 00:14:26.92\00:14:28.32 There are so few Christians today that even read 00:14:28.35\00:14:31.58 the Scriptures for themselves. 00:14:31.61\00:14:32.96 You know, it kind of reminds me of a story of an evangelist 00:14:32.99\00:14:36.00 who once went to visit a farmer, and he wanted to persuade him 00:14:36.03\00:14:41.34 that his view of Scripture was correct. 00:14:41.37\00:14:44.09 And, of course, he needed to find out, first of all, 00:14:44.12\00:14:47.05 what the farmer believed, so he says, Sir, could you tell me 00:14:47.08\00:14:50.33 what you believe? And the farmer says, Well, I believe 00:14:50.36\00:14:52.76 what my church believes. 00:14:52.79\00:14:53.87 And he wasn't about to give up so he says, Well, what 00:14:53.90\00:14:56.58 does your church believe? 00:14:56.61\00:14:57.64 And the farmer says, Well, my church believes what I believe. 00:14:57.67\00:15:00.70 And he still wasn't going to give up, so he says, 00:15:00.73\00:15:03.89 What do you and your church believe? 00:15:03.92\00:15:05.78 We both believe the same thing. 00:15:05.81\00:15:07.62 There are many Christians that are that way. 00:15:07.65\00:15:11.17 They can't think for themselves. 00:15:11.20\00:15:12.97 They can't speak for themselves. 00:15:13.00\00:15:14.84 They simply accept the authority of their church 00:15:14.87\00:15:19.01 without reflection, and without investigation. 00:15:19.04\00:15:21.78 And thus they are caught in the chains of error, 00:15:21.81\00:15:25.16 as it is described by Ellen White. 00:15:25.19\00:15:27.51 Now let me give you some examples from Roman Catholic 00:15:27.54\00:15:31.17 theology about how the Roman Catholic Church 00:15:31.20\00:15:34.87 majors in minors. Do you remember that in the times of 00:15:34.90\00:15:37.81 Christ you had an absurd casuistry where they tried 00:15:37.84\00:15:41.68 to dictate every little detail about how life should go on, 00:15:41.71\00:15:45.92 and what you should do, and what you shouldn't do? 00:15:45.95\00:15:48.31 Well, in the Roman Catholic Church you don't have the Talmud 00:15:48.34\00:15:51.96 where you have this collection of oral sayings that were 00:15:51.99\00:15:54.94 finally codified, you have what is called Cannon Law. 00:15:54.97\00:15:58.45 Now we have some former Roman Catholics here who know 00:15:58.48\00:16:02.00 very well what I mean by Cannon Law. 00:16:02.03\00:16:03.88 Now the Cannon Law was codified in 1752, and I want to share 00:16:03.91\00:16:11.57 with you an interesting question here that comes from Cannon Law. 00:16:11.60\00:16:15.54 Now listen to it. 00:16:15.57\00:16:16.60 You know what Extreme Unction is, right? 00:16:21.33\00:16:23.16 It's called today the anointing of the sick. 00:16:23.19\00:16:25.72 It's our equivalent of anointing, only they believe 00:16:25.75\00:16:28.91 that the oil has virtue, and the oil has power. But anyway: 00:16:28.94\00:16:32.63 Or in the final rites. 00:16:35.36\00:16:36.74 Of course, because the lipstick is between the oil 00:16:43.36\00:16:46.98 and the mouth, right? 00:16:47.01\00:16:48.11 Now notice the answer. 00:16:48.14\00:16:49.61 Does that sound similar to the traditions that existed 00:17:05.69\00:17:09.90 in the days of Christ? Absolutely! 00:17:09.93\00:17:12.33 It's nitpicking! Of course they believe that there's virtue 00:17:12.36\00:17:15.77 in the oil. The oil itself has power. 00:17:15.80\00:17:18.14 And if there's this barrier between the oil and your mouth, 00:17:18.17\00:17:20.78 it's not going to have a powerful effect. 00:17:20.81\00:17:23.54 Now commenting on this prescription of Cannon Law, 00:17:23.57\00:17:28.63 Jaroslav Pelikan, who is a theologian who wrote about 00:17:28.66\00:17:32.65 Roman Catholicism. 00:17:32.68\00:17:33.71 He actually wrote a book called, The Riddle of Roman Catholicism, 00:17:33.74\00:17:36.59 had this to say: 00:17:36.62\00:17:37.87 Does that sound very similar to what happened in the days of 00:17:50.81\00:17:54.99 Christ, where people never actually knew if they were 00:17:55.02\00:17:58.01 obeying because there were so many prescriptions 00:17:58.04\00:18:00.47 and proscriptions that they could not keep up? Absolutely! 00:18:00.50\00:18:04.66 This is the same problem that existed in the days of Christ. 00:18:04.69\00:18:08.30 Thus the Jewish laws contained in the Talmud are paralleled 00:18:08.33\00:18:13.48 by the laws that are contained in Roman Catholic Cannon Law. 00:18:13.51\00:18:17.12 And, believe me, there are thousands of casuistic 00:18:17.15\00:18:20.88 regulations in Roman Catholic Cannon Law. 00:18:20.91\00:18:23.68 In 1983 the Code of Cannon Law contained 7 books, 00:18:23.71\00:18:28.74 and I'm not talking about booklets, I'm talking about 00:18:28.77\00:18:31.29 7 books, with 1,752 Cannons, and many of those Cannons 00:18:31.32\00:18:40.30 are subdivided in multiple paragraphs. 00:18:40.33\00:18:42.71 You're talking about huge volumes, 00:18:42.74\00:18:44.48 applying oral tradition to every little circumstance, 00:18:44.51\00:18:49.33 and every little act, and every little thought that people have, 00:18:49.36\00:18:52.77 just like in the days of Christ. 00:18:52.80\00:18:55.02 Now lets talk a little bit about the Roman Catholic 00:18:55.05\00:18:58.65 view of marriage. I want to read once again from the book, 00:18:58.68\00:19:02.56 The Riddle of Roman Catholicism, by Jaroslav Pelikan. 00:19:02.59\00:19:05.71 He's a very respected scholar that knows Roman Catholicism 00:19:05.74\00:19:10.69 forwards and backwards. 00:19:10.72\00:19:12.78 I want you to notice what he says about the Roman Catholic 00:19:12.81\00:19:16.80 view of marriage. 00:19:16.83\00:19:18.20 Of course who determines whether it was valid? 00:19:40.61\00:19:42.54 Ha ha, the Bishop and the Pope. 00:19:42.57\00:19:44.69 A convert, listen to this! 00:19:44.72\00:19:47.09 Now where in the Bible do you find all of these details 00:19:59.46\00:20:03.34 about what you can do, and what you can't do regarding marriage? 00:20:03.37\00:20:06.27 Does this sound like a problem that existed in Mark 7? 00:20:06.30\00:20:10.61 Actually, folks, a mockery is made of marriage when you 00:20:10.64\00:20:14.19 qualify it, and we create all kinds of exceptions, 00:20:14.22\00:20:17.85 and you're adding to the commandment of God. 00:20:17.88\00:20:20.41 Many times the traditions of the Roman Catholic Church actually 00:20:20.44\00:20:24.96 contradict the clear word of God. 00:20:24.99\00:20:26.79 Lets read a statement from the Council of Trent about marriage, 00:20:26.82\00:20:33.32 and you tell me if this sounds like the Bible. 00:20:33.35\00:20:35.10 Now does that sound like Scripture? Of course not! 00:20:55.39\00:20:59.93 In the Bible the ideal is marriage; 00:20:59.96\00:21:03.35 from the very beginning. 00:21:03.38\00:21:04.94 In fact, in Genesis 1:28 God created marriage. 00:21:04.97\00:21:09.99 Jesus honored marriage by going to a wedding feast 00:21:10.02\00:21:13.87 at the beginning of His ministry. 00:21:13.90\00:21:15.45 In fact all of the original bishops, elders, deacons, 00:21:15.48\00:21:19.48 pastors, were all married, including he who the 00:21:19.51\00:21:23.49 Roman Catholic Church believes was the first Pope, 00:21:23.52\00:21:25.69 because Peter had a mother-in-law. 00:21:25.72\00:21:28.72 And if he had a mother-in-law, he must have been married. 00:21:28.75\00:21:32.52 And so a mockery is made of what the Bible says, 00:21:32.55\00:21:37.02 because of these oral traditions that have been handed down 00:21:37.05\00:21:40.34 from generation to generation. 00:21:40.37\00:21:42.87 Now lets talk a little bit about the Roman Catholic view 00:21:42.90\00:21:46.13 of reading Scripture. 00:21:46.16\00:21:47.55 Now in this age of enlightenment the Roman Catholic Church 00:21:47.58\00:21:53.05 does not forbid the reading of Scripture, because that wouldn't 00:21:53.08\00:21:56.16 go over very well with the media. 00:21:56.19\00:21:58.14 You know, forbidding people to read certain things, 00:21:58.17\00:22:00.32 or to look at certain things. 00:22:00.35\00:22:01.73 But in the past the Roman Catholic Church has had clear 00:22:01.76\00:22:04.92 laws in church councils, where they have forbade lay people 00:22:04.95\00:22:09.01 from reading Scripture. 00:22:09.04\00:22:10.09 For example, Cannon 14 of the Council of Toulouse, France, 00:22:10.12\00:22:16.07 in 1229 said this:... By the way, this is a council 00:22:16.10\00:22:20.72 of the Roman Catholic Church. 00:22:20.75\00:22:21.95 That is the Psalms. 00:22:31.65\00:22:32.68 Now when it means the vulgar tongue, it means the tongue 00:22:44.24\00:22:46.98 that people spoke at that time. 00:22:47.01\00:22:48.60 In other words, not in Latin, because the Roman Catholic 00:22:48.63\00:22:52.19 Church kept everything in Latin during the Dark Ages. 00:22:52.23\00:22:55.57 So basically it's forbidding the Bible to the laity 00:22:55.60\00:22:58.91 in this church council. 00:22:58.94\00:23:00.03 By the way, this is the reason why William Tyndale was burned 00:23:00.06\00:23:03.88 at the stake; for translating the New Testament into English. 00:23:03.91\00:23:06.97 Now notice this statement that we find from John Gilmary Schae. 00:23:07.00\00:23:13.16 He's a Roman Catholic, and he had this to say about the reason 00:23:13.19\00:23:16.86 why the Bible was forbidden to people during the Dark Ages. 00:23:16.89\00:23:20.15 He says: 00:23:20.18\00:23:21.21 Now I don't find anywhere where the apostles say 00:23:33.07\00:23:36.83 that the text is obscure. 00:23:36.86\00:23:38.44 The text is clear. 00:23:38.47\00:23:42.13 The text is simple. 00:23:42.16\00:23:44.36 It's easy to understand. 00:23:44.39\00:23:45.47 But what he's saying is that: 00:23:45.50\00:23:47.73 And, of course, the idea is because it's obscure, 00:23:57.60\00:23:59.99 only the experts, who are able to read the original 00:24:00.02\00:24:02.53 language, are able to tell the people what it means. 00:24:02.56\00:24:04.67 It continues saying: 00:24:04.70\00:24:06.38 That is the translations in the language of the people. 00:24:38.30\00:24:40.56 That is their priests. 00:24:52.04\00:24:53.07 So here's a Roman Catholic scholar admitting that the 00:24:59.39\00:25:01.49 Roman Catholic Church forbade lay people from reading 00:25:01.52\00:25:04.41 the Scriptures, even the Roman Catholic version 00:25:04.44\00:25:07.09 of the Scriptures. 00:25:07.12\00:25:08.29 Now notice what the Council of Trent had to say 00:25:08.32\00:25:12.13 in Rules On Prohibited Books, which was, by the way, 00:25:12.16\00:25:17.45 approved by Pope Pius IV in 1564, just one year after 00:25:17.48\00:25:21.36 the Council of Trent came to an end. 00:25:21.39\00:25:23.30 This declaration by the Council of Trent was 00:25:23.33\00:25:25.97 approved by Pope Pius IV. 00:25:26.00\00:25:28.37 And remember that the Pope speaks from the throne. 00:25:28.40\00:25:31.45 He speaks from the cathedra. 00:25:31.48\00:25:33.22 So notice what it says. 00:25:33.25\00:25:34.58 That is in the language of the people. 00:25:44.05\00:25:46.01 Are you understanding what this statement is saying? 00:26:18.88\00:26:21.46 Notice what it continues saying. 00:26:21.49\00:26:25.11 In other words they have to hand over their copies 00:26:37.47\00:26:39.39 of the Bible to the church. 00:26:39.42\00:26:40.92 Isn't that interesting? 00:27:10.49\00:27:12.32 Church councils saying that lay people could not have 00:27:12.35\00:27:17.59 copies of the Bible in their own language! 00:27:17.62\00:27:20.23 How is it that in the Roman Catholic system, in its church 00:27:20.26\00:27:24.58 councils, they can condemn the reading of the Bible 00:27:24.61\00:27:27.83 by the common lay person when Jesus stated, 00:27:27.86\00:27:31.12 Search the Scriptures, and when the Apostle Paul clearly said 00:27:31.15\00:27:35.51 that the Scriptures are able to make one wise unto salvation. 00:27:35.54\00:27:39.87 Clearly Roman Catholic tradition has made the word of 00:27:39.91\00:27:44.09 God of none effect. 00:27:44.12\00:27:46.41 They have made of none effect the words of Paul, 00:27:46.44\00:27:48.95 and they've made of none effect the words of Jesus. 00:27:48.98\00:27:52.18 Now I'm going to include something that's not 00:27:52.21\00:27:55.33 specifically in your handout. 00:27:55.36\00:27:57.54 You know that Constantine proclaimed a civil Sunday law 00:27:57.57\00:28:02.36 on March 7, 321. By the way, this was not a religious 00:28:02.39\00:28:08.83 Sunday law, this was a civil Sunday law in 321. 00:28:08.86\00:28:13.31 And this is how it read: Let all the judges and town people, 00:28:13.34\00:28:17.44 and the occupation of all trades rest on the 00:28:17.47\00:28:22.16 venerable day of the Sun. 00:28:22.19\00:28:24.48 Now soon this law, which was a civil law, 00:28:24.51\00:28:29.46 morphed into a religious law. 00:28:29.50\00:28:31.45 It didn't take very long because today you have this idea 00:28:31.48\00:28:34.96 that in Europe they are pushing the European Parliament to 00:28:35.00\00:28:39.81 enact a Sunday law all over Europe. 00:28:39.84\00:28:44.93 And it's for social reasons, for family reasons, 00:28:44.96\00:28:48.64 so that people can rest because they work too hard. 00:28:48.67\00:28:52.02 But whenever you have a Sunday law for social reasons, 00:28:52.05\00:28:55.84 it always morphs into a religious law. 00:28:55.87\00:28:58.33 It didn't take very long. 00:28:58.36\00:28:59.56 Cannon 29 of the Synod of Laodicea in 336, 00:28:59.59\00:29:06.59 just a few years later, had this to say about 00:29:06.62\00:29:12.23 the Sabbath and about Sunday. 00:29:12.26\00:29:15.05 Christians must not Judiaze by resting on the Sabbath. 00:29:15.08\00:29:21.82 In other words, Christians should not act like the Jews 00:29:21.85\00:29:24.61 by resting on the Sabbath. 00:29:24.64\00:29:26.15 But must work on that day, rather honoring the Lord's day. 00:29:26.18\00:29:31.19 Are you understanding what this church council is saying? 00:29:31.22\00:29:36.20 It's saying that Christians shall not keep the Sabbath 00:29:36.23\00:29:40.16 like the Jews, but they must work on the Sabbath. 00:29:40.19\00:29:43.23 And rather than the Sabbath, they should 00:29:43.26\00:29:45.91 honor the Lord's day. 00:29:45.94\00:29:46.97 And, if they can, resting then as Christians. 00:29:47.00\00:29:51.95 But if any shall be found to be Judiazers, that is keeping the 00:29:51.98\00:29:56.68 Sabbath along with the Jews, let them be anathema from Christ. 00:29:56.71\00:30:01.30 The word anathema means to be Excommunicated. 00:30:01.33\00:30:03.87 Anathema means, let him be accursed. 00:30:03.90\00:30:06.56 In other words, the church is pronouncing a curse upon those 00:30:06.59\00:30:10.14 who keep the Sabbath that the Jews kept. 00:30:10.17\00:30:12.33 Now is this making the word of God of none effect? Of course! 00:30:12.36\00:30:17.15 The word of God clearly says that the seventh day Sabbath 00:30:17.18\00:30:19.93 is the day of the Lord. 00:30:19.96\00:30:21.54 It's the Lord's day. 00:30:21.57\00:30:22.61 And when the Roman Catholic Church, 00:30:22.64\00:30:24.82 in this Synod of Laodicea, and this was confirmed also 00:30:24.85\00:30:29.29 in the Council of Chalcedon in 451. 00:30:29.32\00:30:31.39 When the Roman Catholic Church says, No, you will be accursed 00:30:31.42\00:30:34.97 if you keep the Sabbath. 00:30:35.00\00:30:36.03 You need to keep Sunday because it's the Lord's day. 00:30:36.06\00:30:39.02 Clearly Roman Catholic tradition is contradicting 00:30:39.05\00:30:42.12 openly the word of God. 00:30:42.15\00:30:44.17 Now lets talk a little bit about the role of Mary 00:30:44.20\00:30:48.42 in the Roman Catholic Church. 00:30:48.45\00:30:49.75 This is the biggest example that I'm going to share with you 00:30:49.78\00:30:52.32 in our study today. 00:30:52.35\00:30:53.60 And many of you who did not grow up in the Roman Catholic 00:30:53.63\00:30:56.33 Church are going to be surprised by some of the things 00:30:56.36\00:30:58.79 that I'm going to say. 00:30:58.82\00:31:00.09 I grew up a Protestant. 00:31:00.12\00:31:02.95 I grew up a Seventh-day Adventist from the time 00:31:02.98\00:31:04.63 that I was born into a Seventh-day Adventist family. 00:31:04.66\00:31:06.77 The only reason I know all of these things is because 00:31:06.80\00:31:09.70 I've had to study it, because I taught a class in 00:31:09.73\00:31:12.72 Roman Catholic theology when I taught in our 00:31:12.75\00:31:15.08 University in Columbia. 00:31:15.11\00:31:16.25 And, of course, I grew up in Columbia, Venezuela, 00:31:16.28\00:31:18.85 where the religion at that time was almost 100% Catholic. 00:31:18.88\00:31:22.12 So I came much into contact with Roman Catholics, 00:31:22.15\00:31:25.67 and the Roman Catholic Church. 00:31:25.70\00:31:26.88 Now there was a Roman Catholic scholar priest by the name of 00:31:26.91\00:31:30.74 Saint Alphonsus Liluori, and he was one of the most prolific 00:31:30.77\00:31:35.80 writers of the Roman Catholic Church. 00:31:35.83\00:31:37.55 Actually, he wrote 22 volumes. 00:31:37.58\00:31:40.51 22 volumes have been published from Saint Alphonusus Liguori. 00:31:40.55\00:31:44.75 He was canonized as a Saint of the Roman Catholic Church 00:31:44.79\00:31:48.74 by Pope Gregory XIV in the year 1839, and he was declared 00:31:48.77\00:31:54.96 a Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius IX. 00:31:54.99\00:31:58.54 And, by the way, there are only 32 Doctors of the Church 00:31:58.57\00:32:02.06 in the Roman Catholic Church. 00:32:02.09\00:32:03.39 They are the cream of the crop when it comes to 00:32:03.42\00:32:06.46 scholarship in the Roman Catholic Church. 00:32:06.49\00:32:08.76 Now one of the books that were written by 00:32:08.79\00:32:14.35 Saint Alphonsus Liguori is called, The Glories of Mary. 00:32:14.38\00:32:18.94 And in Roman Catholic theology, it's considered to be 00:32:18.97\00:32:22.04 one of his masterpieces. 00:32:22.07\00:32:23.33 Basically, this book provides all of the wisdom, 00:32:23.36\00:32:29.42 in quotation marks, of all of the great thinkers in the 00:32:29.45\00:32:33.48 history of the Roman Catholic Church, up till the 17th century 00:32:33.51\00:32:37.17 on the importance of marriage in relationship to the individual, 00:32:37.20\00:32:42.09 and in relationship to the church. 00:32:42.12\00:32:44.07 Now I want to emphasize that this book is not 00:32:44.10\00:32:47.57 simply Liguori's opinion. 00:32:47.60\00:32:49.62 It is actually a collection of all of the oral traditions 00:32:49.65\00:32:54.43 that have supposedly been passed down all the way from 00:32:54.46\00:32:57.68 the times of the apostles. 00:32:57.71\00:32:58.96 It includes all of the Roman Catholic wisdom 00:32:58.99\00:33:01.74 on the role of Mary. 00:33:01.77\00:33:03.56 Now I want to read from Liguori himself the reason why 00:33:03.59\00:33:08.52 he wrote this book. 00:33:08.55\00:33:09.58 He says this in The Glories of Mary, page 30. 00:33:09.61\00:33:12.97 Since when was Mary divine? 00:33:55.82\00:33:57.61 In other words, he wrote that the purpose of this book was 00:33:57.64\00:34:01.94 to lead people to have a strong devotion towards Mary. 00:34:01.97\00:34:07.02 Now basically the book contains several chapters. 00:34:07.05\00:34:10.51 And in each one of the chapters he seeks to prove 00:34:10.54\00:34:14.30 a certain point about Mary. 00:34:14.33\00:34:16.38 After he proves his point he provides an illustration, 00:34:16.41\00:34:20.28 and after he provides an illustration of that point, 00:34:20.31\00:34:23.36 then he ends the chapter with a prayer offered to Mary. 00:34:23.39\00:34:28.14 Now the edition that I used when I studied this was from the 00:34:28.17\00:34:32.03 Redemptorist Fathers. 00:34:32.06\00:34:33.17 It was published in 1931, and it has the imprimatur, 00:34:33.20\00:34:38.03 that is the official acceptance and condoning of the 00:34:38.06\00:34:42.86 Roman Catholic Church. 00:34:42.89\00:34:44.04 It has the imprimatur by Cardinal Patrick Hayes, 00:34:44.07\00:34:49.26 and it was given on April 16, 1931. 00:34:49.29\00:34:52.27 Now most of the statements or quotations in this book 00:34:52.30\00:34:57.02 that Liguori uses, come from the church fathers, many of them 00:34:57.05\00:35:01.32 from the church fathers from way back in post-apostolic times, 00:35:01.35\00:35:05.51 all the way till the 17th Century when he actually lived. 00:35:05.54\00:35:08.66 There are also quotations from the Apocrypha, 00:35:08.69\00:35:11.71 the Apocrypha books, you know the Roman Catholic Church uses 00:35:11.74\00:35:13.81 You know the Roman Catholic uses 14 books, or portions of 00:35:13.84\00:35:15.88 books that are not found in Protestant Bibles. 00:35:15.91\00:35:17.85 It uses, for example, Ecclesiastics and 00:35:17.89\00:35:22.33 The Wisdom of Solomon, which are included in 00:35:22.36\00:35:24.68 Roman Catholic Bibles. 00:35:24.71\00:35:25.93 And also it includes many quotations from the book of 00:35:25.96\00:35:29.76 Proverbs, and from Song of Solomon, where the relationship, 00:35:29.79\00:35:34.38 for example Song of Solomon speaks about the relationship 00:35:34.41\00:35:37.85 between Solomon and his bride, as an illustration of the 00:35:37.88\00:35:41.59 relationship between Christ and His church. 00:35:41.62\00:35:43.92 Now the texts in this book constantly are torn 00:35:43.95\00:35:48.65 out of their context. 00:35:48.68\00:35:49.81 Let me give you a few examples. 00:35:49.84\00:35:52.27 In this book on page 101, Liguori says, If Mary is for us, 00:35:52.30\00:35:59.52 who can be against us? 00:35:59.55\00:36:01.20 Do you know where that text comes from? 00:36:01.23\00:36:03.92 Romans 8:31, but in the original it says, If Christ is for us, 00:36:03.95\00:36:07.52 who can be against us? 00:36:07.55\00:36:08.81 He also says on page 202 of his book, Mary was prefigured 00:36:08.84\00:36:13.49 by the dove which returned to Noah in the ark, with an olive 00:36:13.52\00:36:17.27 branch in its beak as a pledge of the peace 00:36:17.30\00:36:19.85 which God granted to men. 00:36:19.88\00:36:21.67 In other words the dove represented Mary. 00:36:21.70\00:36:23.56 Now where do you find that in scripture? 00:36:23.59\00:36:25.15 On page 244 He says, Saint Gregory said this: 00:36:25.18\00:36:29.40 So in other words, the city of God is described gloriously 00:36:36.34\00:36:39.32 in Scripture, but Mary is the city of God. 00:36:39.35\00:36:41.60 On pages 244 and 245 we find this statement: 00:36:41.63\00:36:46.34 That's 1 Timothy 2:19, by the way. So once again: 00:36:55.93\00:37:00.69 Now comes the explanation. 00:37:08.03\00:37:09.31 So the seal you have that shows that you are of God 00:37:16.74\00:37:21.39 is your devotion to Mary. 00:37:21.42\00:37:22.92 And it's interesting to notice that after Liguori was buried... 00:37:22.95\00:37:29.61 He was buried in Nosari, by the way. 00:37:29.64\00:37:31.62 ...His grave was opened, and three fingers from his right 00:37:31.66\00:37:36.99 hand were cut off, and they were sent to Rome by the 00:37:37.03\00:37:41.69 wish of Pope Pius VII. 00:37:41.73\00:37:43.31 And the Pope explained the reason why 00:37:43.34\00:37:45.27 his fingers were cut off. 00:37:45.30\00:37:46.33 And, by the way, they're still there in Rome. 00:37:46.36\00:37:48.78 And so because those were his writing fingers, 00:38:02.45\00:38:05.81 you know they have to venerate the fingers, 00:38:05.84\00:38:08.00 and so the fingers are sent to Rome because of all these 00:38:08.03\00:38:11.73 beautiful things that he wrote about Mary. 00:38:11.76\00:38:13.30 In a few moments I'm going to share some things that he wrote 00:38:13.33\00:38:15.36 about Mary, which will be an eye opener. 00:38:15.39\00:38:17.82 Now one thing which is very interesting is that everything 00:38:17.85\00:38:21.92 that the Bible attributes to Christ, the Roman Catholic 00:38:21.95\00:38:24.64 Church attributes to Mary. 00:38:24.68\00:38:25.97 You have this statement in Liguori, page 470, the edition 00:38:26.00\00:38:30.02 that I mentioned, where Liguori says this: 00:38:30.05\00:38:33.78 And you'll find in this book time and again expressions 00:38:45.74\00:38:48.40 such as, it was fitting, it was necessary, it was befitting 00:38:48.43\00:38:53.08 that Mary go through the same identical experiences as Jesus. 00:38:53.11\00:38:58.12 And as you read this book, you discover that Mary is 00:38:58.15\00:39:01.60 actually a rival of Jesus. 00:39:01.63\00:39:03.92 Mary rivals Jesus! In other words, everything that the 00:39:03.95\00:39:08.13 Bible applies exclusively to Jesus, Liguori, and the church 00:39:08.16\00:39:13.22 fathers apply to Mary. 00:39:13.25\00:39:15.82 Now lets take one example. 00:39:15.85\00:39:18.30 The Roman Catholic Church believes that Mary 00:39:18.33\00:39:21.47 was perpetually a virgin. 00:39:21.50\00:39:23.72 In other words, she not only remained a virgin after 00:39:23.75\00:39:27.99 she had Jesus, which is out of the ordinary, but she never 00:39:28.02\00:39:33.18 had sexual relations with Joseph after that. 00:39:33.21\00:39:36.26 That's what the Roman Catholic Church believes. 00:39:36.29\00:39:38.24 And she never, never had other children. 00:39:38.27\00:39:40.96 Now can that be sustained from Sscripture? It can't. 00:39:40.99\00:39:44.99 Let me explain why the Roman Catholic Church believes that. 00:39:45.02\00:39:47.81 The reason the Roman Catholic Church believes that is because 00:39:47.84\00:39:50.67 Saint Augustine, one of the two great pillars of the 00:39:50.70\00:39:53.89 Roman Catholic Church, in terms of theology: 00:39:53.92\00:39:56.12 one is Saint Augustine, and the other is Saint Thomas Aquinas. 00:39:56.15\00:39:59.07 Those are the two tremendous pillars of theology in the 00:39:59.10\00:40:02.78 Roman Catholic Church. 00:40:02.81\00:40:03.84 Saint Augustine believed that original sin in the 00:40:03.87\00:40:07.83 Garden of Eden was sexual sin. 00:40:07.86\00:40:09.79 In other words, the tree was not a literal tree, and the fruit 00:40:09.82\00:40:13.07 was not a literal fruit. 00:40:13.10\00:40:14.16 The tree was Eve, and Adam partook of sex with Eve 00:40:14.19\00:40:18.27 before it was allowed. 00:40:18.30\00:40:20.08 And so original sin was sexual sin. 00:40:20.11\00:40:22.92 And so in Roman Catholic theology sex is mainly for 00:40:22.95\00:40:28.14 what? mainly for procreation, not for pleasure. 00:40:28.17\00:40:31.20 Because sex in itself is evil. 00:40:31.23\00:40:34.28 And this is the real reason why priests, and why nuns 00:40:34.31\00:40:38.19 don't get married. 00:40:38.22\00:40:39.25 It's not so that they can devote more of their time 00:40:39.28\00:40:41.89 to the church. It's simply because sex is seen as something 00:40:41.92\00:40:47.29 negative, something that is primarily for procreation. 00:40:47.32\00:40:51.05 Now is there evidence in Scripture that Mary did have 00:40:51.08\00:40:55.95 other children? Absolutely! 00:40:55.98\00:40:57.67 Lets notice the evidence. 00:40:57.70\00:40:59.53 In Luke 2:7, speaking about Mary it says: 00:40:59.56\00:41:03.39 Now what does firstborn mean? 00:41:06.30\00:41:08.54 He's not the only begotten son. 00:41:08.57\00:41:11.36 He's the what? the firstborn son. 00:41:11.39\00:41:14.35 So if she had a firstborn son, that would hint that she 00:41:21.13\00:41:24.03 had other children. 00:41:24.06\00:41:25.09 Notice also Matthew 1:18. 00:41:25.12\00:41:28.12 This idea that she was perpetually a virgin, 00:41:28.15\00:41:30.43 and Joseph never had sexual relationships with her, 00:41:30.46\00:41:33.82 even after Jesus was born. 00:41:33.85\00:41:35.73 Notice Matthew 1:18. 00:41:35.76\00:41:38.63 So did they come together after they got married? 00:41:49.51\00:41:52.30 Of course! Notice also Matthew 1:24, 25. Very clear! It says: 00:41:52.33\00:41:58.76 And now notice, and Joseph... 00:42:05.33\00:42:08.34 What does it mean that he did not know her 00:42:16.10\00:42:18.47 until she had Jesus? 00:42:18.50\00:42:20.72 What does the word know mean? 00:42:20.75\00:42:23.22 It means to have sexual relations. 00:42:23.25\00:42:25.87 Adam knew his wife, and she conceived a son. 00:42:25.90\00:42:28.90 So there's clear evidence from Scripture that Mary did have 00:42:28.93\00:42:34.11 a normal marriage with Joseph, and most likely 00:42:34.14\00:42:37.58 she had other children. 00:42:37.61\00:42:38.82 Notice also Psalm 69:8. 00:42:38.85\00:42:41.76 You notice that this is the Messianic Psalm, 00:42:41.79\00:42:46.43 because verse 9 says, zeal for Your house has eaten Me up. 00:42:46.46\00:42:50.40 Do you remember Jesus quoted that when He 00:42:50.43\00:42:51.99 cleansed the temple? zeal for Your house has eaten Me up? 00:42:52.02\00:42:54.62 And also in that chapter, in verse 21 you have, gall for food 00:42:54.65\00:42:59.82 and vinegar to drink, that they gave to Jesus. 00:42:59.85\00:43:02.12 And that also is fulfilled with Jesus in the New Testament. 00:43:02.15\00:43:05.35 But also in that chapter the psalmist says: 00:43:05.38\00:43:09.42 And this is the Messiah speaking. 00:43:12.79\00:43:14.75 To my... You know Jesus had brothers, but they were the sons 00:43:19.60\00:43:23.50 of Joseph. But here it says the mother's children, 00:43:23.53\00:43:27.59 which would clearly indicate that Mary had children. 00:43:27.62\00:43:31.27 There's nothing evil about sex within the 00:43:31.30\00:43:35.38 marriage relationship. 00:43:35.41\00:43:36.53 But in Roman Catholicism it is looked upon as evil. 00:43:36.56\00:43:40.87 They might not openly admit it, but you read their works, 00:43:40.90\00:43:44.31 you see Saint Augustine, before he became a Christian, 00:43:44.34\00:43:48.48 and before he devoted his life to the Lord, 00:43:48.51\00:43:51.01 he lived a very promiscuous life. 00:43:51.04\00:43:53.46 And he described how he struggled with the idea of sex, 00:43:53.49\00:43:57.63 until finally he wrote about this idea that sex was the 00:43:57.66\00:44:02.32 original sin in the Garden of Eden. 00:44:02.36\00:44:04.07 Now lets examine what Liguori says that the fathers 00:44:04.10\00:44:08.66 stated about Mary. 00:44:08.69\00:44:10.91 Here's where it's going to become very surprising. 00:44:10.94\00:44:13.40 Liguori says that the fathers taught that Mary was conceived 00:44:13.43\00:44:18.73 without original sin. 00:44:18.76\00:44:20.04 This is known as the dogma of the Immaculate Conception. 00:44:20.07\00:44:24.76 It doesn't mean that Jesus was conceived without sin, 00:44:24.79\00:44:27.59 it means that Mary was born without a sinful nature. 00:44:27.62\00:44:30.93 Where in the Bible do you find any verse about 00:44:30.96\00:44:33.05 the birth of Mary? 00:44:33.08\00:44:34.11 Is there anything in the Bible that talks about 00:44:34.14\00:44:36.61 the birth of Mary? No. 00:44:36.64\00:44:38.38 Is there anything that says that Mary was born without a 00:44:38.41\00:44:41.89 sinful nature like Jesus? 00:44:41.92\00:44:43.23 They say, Well, if Jesus was born without a sinful nature, 00:44:43.26\00:44:45.41 then His mother, you know, she had to be born 00:44:45.44\00:44:47.72 without a sinful nature also. 00:44:47.75\00:44:49.18 In Roman Catholic theology Mary is called the mother of God. 00:44:49.21\00:44:53.38 Is there any place in the Bible that said she's 00:44:53.41\00:44:55.61 the mother of God? No! 00:44:55.64\00:44:57.36 She's the mother of Christ, of the human Christ. 00:44:57.39\00:44:59.60 Roman Catholic theology in this book, and other sources says 00:44:59.63\00:45:03.55 that Mary was taken bodily to heaven. 00:45:03.58\00:45:05.40 It's known as the Assumption of Mary. 00:45:05.43\00:45:07.30 You know some sources say that she died, and three days later 00:45:07.33\00:45:11.35 she resurrected and went to heaven. 00:45:11.38\00:45:12.95 It's kind of copying what happened with Jesus. 00:45:12.98\00:45:15.08 Others say that she didn't die, she was translated 00:45:15.11\00:45:17.71 without dying. But the point is the Roman Catholic Church 00:45:17.74\00:45:20.82 believes that she's in heaven now. 00:45:20.85\00:45:22.35 Now notice the reason that is given by Karl Keating. 00:45:22.38\00:45:27.08 He's a Roman Catholic theologian. 00:45:27.11\00:45:29.65 Notice the reason that he gives why the Roman Catholic Church 00:45:29.68\00:45:33.82 believes in the Assumption of Mary. Listen to this: 00:45:33.85\00:45:36.03 So he's admitting there is no Biblical evidence 00:45:48.57\00:45:51.32 for the Assumption of Mary. 00:45:51.35\00:45:52.39 Now this doesn't make any sense! 00:46:02.52\00:46:04.35 Now that's real scholarly, and real in touch. 00:46:11.67\00:46:16.30 Because the church says so, you have to accept it. 00:46:16.33\00:46:18.57 Because it's one of the traditions that has 00:46:18.60\00:46:20.69 been handed down. 00:46:20.72\00:46:21.86 Now listen to what the Roman Catholic Church 00:46:21.89\00:46:24.34 believes about Mary. 00:46:24.37\00:46:25.42 This is from Liguori's book. 00:46:25.45\00:46:27.65 By the way, I have a few extra copies if somebody would like 00:46:27.68\00:46:30.89 a copy of the book to read. 00:46:30.92\00:46:32.36 It's fascinating reading, and it's frustrating reading. 00:46:32.39\00:46:35.41 It's blasphemous reading. 00:46:35.44\00:46:36.93 Because what I'm going to share now about what the church says 00:46:36.96\00:46:40.78 about Mary is nothing short of blasphemy. 00:46:40.81\00:46:43.27 You know, if Mary resurrected now, she would die of a 00:46:43.30\00:46:46.07 heart attack if she saw what the Roman Catholic Church 00:46:46.10\00:46:49.47 has done with her. 00:46:49.50\00:46:50.89 This is what is taught in that book. 00:46:50.92\00:46:53.05 The world was created by God and Mary. 00:46:53.08\00:46:56.97 She was born immaculate and holy, without a sinful nature. 00:46:57.00\00:47:01.54 She never sinned during her lifetime. 00:47:01.57\00:47:04.73 She is the incarnation of the Holy Spirit. 00:47:04.76\00:47:08.35 See, because Jesus was God, and He became incarnate, 00:47:08.38\00:47:13.18 so the Holy Spirit had to be incarnate in Mary. 00:47:13.21\00:47:16.73 That's the idea. Where does the Bible say that? 00:47:16.76\00:47:19.04 Where does the Bible say any of these things? 00:47:19.07\00:47:21.02 Nowhere! It's tradition. 00:47:21.06\00:47:23.30 The book says, She is full of grace and can dispense it 00:47:23.36\00:47:29.21 to human beings at will. 00:47:29.24\00:47:30.40 The book says she is a priest. 00:47:30.43\00:47:33.08 She is our advocate, our mediator. 00:47:33.11\00:47:36.63 The last time I read my Bible, it says we have one mediator 00:47:36.66\00:47:40.84 between God and man, Jesus Christ the man. 00:47:40.87\00:47:43.67 And I want you to notice what this declaration, Lumen Gentium, 00:47:43.70\00:47:49.15 which was one of the proclamations at 00:47:49.18\00:47:51.69 Vatican Council II, has to say about this. 00:47:51.72\00:47:54.68 Mary, supposedly. 00:47:56.27\00:47:58.17 Those are titles that they give her. 00:48:18.33\00:48:22.62 You know they use John 3:16. 00:48:22.65\00:48:24.67 Mary loved the world that she gave her only begotten Son. 00:48:24.70\00:48:28.44 They say Mary is our ladder. 00:48:28.47\00:48:31.23 Well, who is the ladder? 00:48:31.26\00:48:32.34 The Son of man is the ladder, Jesus says. 00:48:32.37\00:48:35.06 They say we are supposed to pray to Mary to ask for favors, 00:48:35.09\00:48:39.02 and Mary will answer us. 00:48:39.05\00:48:40.74 In fact, there's one father that said we could only know 00:48:40.77\00:48:43.63 God through Mary. 00:48:43.66\00:48:44.69 Mary helps us when we're tempted. 00:48:44.72\00:48:48.17 Mary is the way to the Father. 00:48:48.20\00:48:50.12 Mary is the door. Mary is the rod out of the root of Jesse. 00:48:50.15\00:48:54.86 Wow! She is co-redemptrix. 00:48:54.89\00:49:00.02 Now the Roman Catholic Church does not teach this as dogma 00:49:00.05\00:49:03.35 yet, but there's a strong drive and pressure to recognize 00:49:03.38\00:49:07.22 Mary as co-redemptrix with Jesus. 00:49:07.25\00:49:10.99 In fact, Roman Catholic theology teaches that if Mary had not 00:49:11.02\00:49:14.79 consented to bring Jesus into the world, there would have 00:49:14.82\00:49:17.53 been no redemption. 00:49:17.56\00:49:18.59 Now I want to read from Kenneth Woodward. 00:49:18.62\00:49:22.38 Do you know who Kenneth Woodward is? 00:49:22.41\00:49:23.85 The guy who with Bernstein unveiled the Watergate thing? 00:49:23.88\00:49:29.77 He's a staunch Roman Catholic. 00:49:29.80\00:49:31.73 Notice what he has to say. 00:49:31.76\00:49:32.82 This is in an article in Newsweek magazine titled, 00:49:32.85\00:49:35.63 Hail Mary, August 25, 1997. 00:49:35.66\00:49:39.05 This is on the drive to make Mary a co-redemptrix. He says: 00:49:39.08\00:49:45.16 And then he says this: 00:50:23.72\00:50:26.00 That's blasphemy, folks. 00:50:41.47\00:50:43.44 There's nothing in the Bible on that. 00:50:43.47\00:50:45.89 Not even the faintest hint! 00:50:45.92\00:50:47.67 Implicit, it's not there! 00:50:47.70\00:50:50.51 It comes purely through tradition. 00:50:50.54\00:50:53.72 And those who are looking to Mary for salvation, 00:50:53.75\00:50:55.59 they can't be saved. 00:50:55.62\00:50:56.72 Because there is no name given under heaven whereby we 00:50:56.75\00:51:00.97 might be saved, except the name of Jesus. 00:51:01.00\00:51:03.36 It is a salvation issue. 00:51:03.39\00:51:04.87 It's not like Protestants are saying today, 00:51:04.90\00:51:09.49 Tony Palmer, for example. 00:51:09.52\00:51:10.76 He says, Oh it doesn't really make any 00:51:10.79\00:51:12.30 difference what we believe. 00:51:12.33\00:51:13.36 If we have contrary beliefs we'll settle that 00:51:13.39\00:51:15.76 when we get to heaven. 00:51:15.79\00:51:16.82 The fact is, if you think that Mary is the one that you have 00:51:16.85\00:51:20.64 to look to for salvation, you're not going to make it there 00:51:20.67\00:51:23.15 to unravel things. 00:51:23.18\00:51:24.65 Now notice what else we find. 00:51:24.68\00:51:28.66 This is Mark Miravalle who is one of the ones who is strongly 00:51:28.69\00:51:32.29 fighting to make Mary co-redemptrix. He says: 00:51:32.32\00:51:35.78 That is Mary. 00:51:38.18\00:51:39.21 I have a list of things that she's called in this book. 00:51:53.49\00:51:57.90 She is called our refuge, our throne of grace. 00:51:57.93\00:52:01.91 She's the light of the sun. 00:52:01.94\00:52:03.96 She is our life. She changes and transforms lives. 00:52:03.99\00:52:08.06 She protects us from the power of Satan. 00:52:08.09\00:52:10.53 She is our propitiation. 00:52:10.56\00:52:12.47 She has a name that is above all names. 00:52:12.50\00:52:15.04 If we die we have assurance of life in her. 00:52:15.07\00:52:18.82 All power is given to her in heaven and on Earth. 00:52:18.85\00:52:22.41 She is all powerful. 00:52:22.44\00:52:23.58 These are terms that are used in the book. 00:52:23.61\00:52:25.37 These are not my terms. 00:52:25.40\00:52:26.92 These are terms that are used that are taught by 00:52:26.95\00:52:29.05 Roman Catholic theologians throughout the course of 00:52:29.08\00:52:31.31 Roman Catholic history. 00:52:31.34\00:52:32.37 She is all powerful. 00:52:32.40\00:52:33.79 She's the morning star. 00:52:33.82\00:52:35.26 She's the mercy seat. 00:52:35.29\00:52:36.80 She crushes the serpent's head. 00:52:36.83\00:52:38.64 In fact, if you look at the Vulgate, the Roman Catholic 00:52:38.67\00:52:41.51 translation, it says, She shall crush your head. 00:52:41.54\00:52:47.89 It doesn't say He, it says she shall crush your head. 00:52:47.92\00:52:51.45 Because they totally mistranslate the text and apply 00:52:51.48\00:52:54.10 it to Mary, saying that Mary was going to crush the 00:52:54.13\00:52:56.87 head of the serpent. 00:52:56.96\00:52:58.07 This book calls her the pillar of cloud and fire. 00:52:58.10\00:53:02.80 We can cast out devils in her name. 00:53:02.83\00:53:05.72 She is the water of life. 00:53:05.75\00:53:07.12 She's the peacemaker. 00:53:07.15\00:53:08.18 She's the tower of refuge. 00:53:08.21\00:53:09.78 She draws all men to herself. 00:53:09.81\00:53:11.74 She gives eternal life. 00:53:11.77\00:53:12.82 She is worthy of being praised. 00:53:12.85\00:53:14.66 She is our hope. We can be saved by Mary's merits. 00:53:14.69\00:53:17.72 She is the rainbow of promise. 00:53:17.75\00:53:19.51 She died, her body saw no corruption, she resurrected, 00:53:19.54\00:53:23.60 and ascended on the third day. 00:53:23.63\00:53:26.12 What do you think? 00:53:26.15\00:53:27.18 And yet Protestants today are saying, Let's all just 00:53:32.21\00:53:35.27 join together and forget about our doctrinal differences. 00:53:35.30\00:53:39.72 Are Protestants willing to come to the point where they say 00:53:39.75\00:53:44.01 that we should confess our sins to a priest? 00:53:44.04\00:53:46.11 Are Protestants at the point where they say that a human 00:53:46.14\00:53:50.65 being can give you an indulgence for sin? 00:53:50.68\00:53:53.17 Our Protestants ready to say that without Mary there would 00:53:53.20\00:53:57.05 have been no plan of salvation? 00:53:57.08\00:53:58.67 That she's co-redeemer, and she's our mediator? 00:53:58.70\00:54:01.42 And that she has to mediate between us, and Jesus, 00:54:01.45\00:54:04.41 and then Jesus goes to the Father. 00:54:04.44\00:54:05.92 But she has to mediate with Jesus first. 00:54:05.95\00:54:07.64 Are they willing to accept that the apocrypha 00:54:07.67\00:54:12.32 belonged to scripture? 00:54:12.35\00:54:13.38 I mean are Protestants willing to cast aside all of these 00:54:13.41\00:54:17.71 differences, theological differences, which many have 00:54:17.74\00:54:20.74 to do with salvation, and simply sweep them under 00:54:20.77\00:54:24.08 the rug and say, Oh let's just all unite, and let's get along. 00:54:24.11\00:54:27.39 That's what Protestantism is doing today, 00:54:27.42\00:54:31.26 because we live in a post-modern world where truth 00:54:31.29\00:54:33.85 no longer matters. 00:54:33.88\00:54:34.91 Doctrine no longer matters. 00:54:34.94\00:54:37.68 Belief no longer matters. 00:54:37.71\00:54:39.12 But let me tell you, your beliefs soon 00:54:39.15\00:54:41.32 become your practice. 00:54:41.35\00:54:42.38 Your belief system becomes your practice. 00:54:42.41\00:54:45.54 And so what we believe is very important in our lives. 00:54:45.57\00:54:50.23 So the final issue is going to be, what is your authority? 00:54:50.26\00:54:54.20 Is your authority the word, the written word of God, 00:54:54.23\00:54:58.38 as it's found in Scripture, or is your authority tradition? 00:54:58.41\00:55:02.97 Are Protestants, like Tony Palmer and others, 00:55:03.00\00:55:08.60 willing to reach the point where they say, Oh it doesn't really 00:55:08.63\00:55:12.18 matter whether the Roman Catholic Church teaches that 00:55:12.21\00:55:15.74 there's a purgatory, and that there's a limbo, 00:55:15.77\00:55:17.81 and there's an eternally burning hell. 00:55:17.84\00:55:20.56 It doesn't matter if the Roman Catholic Church says that 00:55:20.59\00:55:23.75 Sunday is the day of rest. 00:55:23.78\00:55:24.93 None of that really matters. 00:55:24.96\00:55:26.45 Lets just do what Jesus said, That they may all be one, 00:55:26.48\00:55:30.27 even as You and I are one. 00:55:30.30\00:55:31.69 Well, it's interesting. 00:55:31.72\00:55:32.75 Do you think that God the Father, and God the Son 00:55:32.78\00:55:35.21 have conflicting theologies? 00:55:35.24\00:55:38.95 Do you think the Father and Son have a different belief system, 00:55:38.98\00:55:42.92 and different practices? 00:55:42.95\00:55:44.59 No! They're one because they're on the same page. 00:55:44.62\00:55:47.66 So Jesus prayed, I want all of My people to be one, 00:55:47.69\00:55:52.22 as I and My Father are one. 00:55:52.25\00:55:54.38 Now if there wasn't any discrepancy between the Father 00:55:54.41\00:55:57.19 and the Son, in their practice and belief system, why should we 00:55:57.22\00:56:00.65 say, Oh, let's unite even if we have conflicting points of view? 00:56:00.68\00:56:05.19 That's not unity at all. 00:56:05.22\00:56:06.53 In fact, unity that is not based on the word of God is meant 00:56:06.56\00:56:12.25 ultimately to crumble to pieces. 00:56:12.28\00:56:15.55 And that will be the last topic that we're going to study, 00:56:15.58\00:56:18.11 the man who built his house upon the rock. 00:56:18.14\00:56:20.58 When the flood came, and when the winds came, 00:56:20.61\00:56:24.19 the house remained firm because it was built on the rock. 00:56:24.22\00:56:27.32 And the Rock is Christ and His Word. 00:56:27.35\00:56:29.92 But the individual who built on the sand? 00:56:29.95\00:56:32.11 That's human traditions and human speculations, 00:56:32.14\00:56:34.80 like the scribes and the Pharisees. 00:56:34.83\00:56:36.44 When the winds of strife came, and when the floods of 00:56:36.47\00:56:39.60 persecution came, the house fell because it was not 00:56:39.63\00:56:43.94 built upon the rock of God's word. 00:56:43.97\00:56:46.37 Ellen White wrote a chapter in The Great Controversy titled, 00:56:46.40\00:56:51.79 Our Only Safeguard. 00:56:51.82\00:56:53.80 Everybody should read that chapter in 00:56:53.83\00:56:55.73 The Great Controversy. 00:56:55.76\00:56:56.79 The only safeguard of God's people in the end time is found 00:56:56.82\00:57:00.46 in taking God strictly at His word as it is written 00:57:00.49\00:57:05.32 in His holy book. Not adding or taking away, or twisting, 00:57:05.35\00:57:09.97 or giving our own interpretation, but by living 00:57:10.00\00:57:13.14 by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. 00:57:13.17\00:57:16.70 God's people have to live simply by a thus saith the Lord. 00:57:16.73\00:57:23.92