Participants:
Series Code: GPC
Program Code: GPC000007A
|
00:30 Before we get into our study,
00:31 we want to ask for God's presence, 00:34 and so I invite you to bow your heads 00:35 reverently with me as we pray. 00:38 Our Father and our God, what a wonderful God You are, 00:43 the creator of the heavens and the earth, 00:45 our personal creator. 00:48 We thank You for the privilege of existing 00:51 and enjoying all of the blessings 00:53 that You pour out upon us. 00:55 We especially thank You for Your word, 00:58 a very necessary help 01:01 in these trying times that we are living in. 01:04 Father, we ask that Zas we open that word 01:06 that Your Spirit will be with us 01:08 to guide our thoughts and to open our hearts. 01:10 And we thank You 01:12 for hearing and answering our prayer, 01:13 for we ask it in the precious name of Jesus, 01:16 amen. 01:18 The first thing we want to do 01:19 is review what we studied in our last presentation. 01:24 And I'm going to do that in four specific points. 01:28 Point number one, there is only one true God, 01:34 and He has distinguished from all false pretenders 01:37 by the fact that He is the creator. 01:40 That distinguishes a true God from all false pretenders. 01:45 Secondly, 01:47 God created this world in six literal 24 hour days 01:54 just as we know them today. 01:57 And then He rested the literal seventh day 02:00 of 24 hours. 02:02 Point number three, 02:04 because the God is the creator, 02:07 God is entitled to the worship of His creatures. 02:11 In other words, we must worship God 02:14 because He is the creator. 02:17 And finally, we studied in our last lecture 02:20 that God has a sign, a seal or a memorial 02:26 that He is the creator 02:28 and He expects us to keep that memorial 02:31 and that memorial is the seventh day Sabbath. 02:36 So, in capsule form that is what we studied 02:41 in our last lecture here together. 02:44 Now, the Bible mentions several titles and functions 02:49 that belong to the Creator God alone 02:53 and no one else. 02:55 I'm gonna mention 02:56 several of those prerogatives and powers 02:58 that belong only to God 03:00 and you'll see in a few moments where we are going with this. 03:04 First of all, the Bible tells us very clearly 03:07 that the representative of God on earth 03:11 is the Holy Spirit. 03:13 When Jesus left, He said, 03:15 "I will send you another counselor 03:16 to be with you." 03:18 And he was talking about the Holy Spirit. 03:20 The Holy Spirit is 03:22 Christ's representative on earth. 03:25 Secondly, 03:27 the Bible tells us that God alone has the right 03:30 to be addressed as our spiritual Father. 03:34 Only He can be called Father in a spiritual sense. 03:38 You can see that in Matthew 23:9. 03:42 Also the Bible tells us 03:44 that we can only bow in reverence to God. 03:50 And we're gonna see a little bit later 03:51 a couple of examples in the Bible 03:54 where a human being 03:56 and actually a human being in both occasions 03:59 bowed before an angel and before another human being 04:04 and they were rebuked for doing that, 04:07 so only can we bow before the true God. 04:12 The Bible also tells us that God alone can forgive sins. 04:18 God alone can forgive sins. 04:20 Mark 2:7 is one of the texts 04:24 that we could mention as an example. 04:26 Another fact about God, 04:28 the power and prerogatives of God 04:30 is that only God is infallible in His proclamations. 04:34 There is no shadow of variation or turning in God 04:39 according to James 1:17. 04:44 The Bible also tells us that God alone has the right 04:47 to set up kings and remove kings. 04:51 You can find that in Daniel 2:21. 04:55 The Bible also teaches us that God alone can judge 05:00 and all and God can be judged by none. 05:04 So God is the judge and He can be judged by no one. 05:08 And finally, the Bible teaches 05:11 that it was the prerogative of God 05:13 to establish the seventh day Sabbath 05:16 as the memorial and sign that He is the creator. 05:21 Those are some of the powers and the prerogatives 05:25 that belong only to God. 05:28 Now in our study last time 05:31 we read the first angle's message 05:34 of Revelation 14. 05:37 God delivers 05:38 three successive messages to the world 05:42 right before the Second Coming of Christ. 05:44 The first angel's message, I want to read that now, 05:47 it's found in Revelation 14:6, 7. 05:50 "It calls us to worship the creator. 05:54 It calls every nation, kindred, tongue and people 05:57 to worship the creator." 05:58 Notice what we find in Revelation 14:6, 7. 06:02 "Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, 06:05 having the everlasting gospel 06:06 to preach to those who dwell on the earth 06:08 to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people 06:12 saying with a loud voice, 06:14 "Fear God and give glory to Him, 06:16 for the hour of His judgment has come..." 06:19 And now notice. 06:21 "And worship Him who made heaven and earth, 06:25 the sea and the springs of water." 06:28 So God's last message 06:30 to all of the nations of the world 06:32 is to worship the creator. 06:34 And yesterday, we noticed 06:35 that the creator has a memorial or a sign. 06:37 What is that sign? 06:39 It is the seventh day Sabbath, 06:41 the observance of the seventh day Sabbath. 06:44 Now, there's a third message also 06:47 that God delivers to the world at the end of time 06:50 right before the second coming. 06:52 And that third message is like 06:55 the other side of the coin to the first. 06:57 Let's read the third angel's message, 06:59 it's found in Revelation 14:9-11. 07:04 "Then the third angel followed them, 07:05 that is followed the first two angels 07:08 saying with a loud voice, 07:10 "If anyone worships the beast and his image, 07:14 and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, 07:19 he himself shall also drink of the wine 07:22 of the wrath of God, 07:23 which is poured out full strength 07:25 into the cup of His indignation. 07:27 He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone 07:30 in the presence of the holy angels 07:31 and in the presence of the Lamb. 07:33 And the smoke of their torment ascends for ever and ever..." 07:37 And now, the same thing that is mentioned 07:39 at the beginning of this passage 07:41 is repeated at the end, 07:42 it says, 07:43 "And they have no rest day or night, 07:46 who worship the beast and whoever receives," 07:49 what, "the mark of his name." 07:52 Now let's summarize 07:54 what we find in the third angel's message. 07:56 First of all, it must be that the beast 07:59 which is the same as a little horn, 08:01 right, we've studied this. 08:02 The little horn or the beast 08:04 must claim to occupy God's place on earth. 08:07 You say, well, 08:09 why would that be that you say 08:11 that the beast or the little horn claims 08:13 to occupy God's place on earth, 08:15 because he commands the world to what, 08:20 to worship him. 08:22 So if he commands the world to worship him, 08:24 it must be that he claims to be what? 08:27 He claims to be God 08:28 or he claims to occupy the position of God. 08:34 The third angel's message thus tells us, 08:37 "Don't worship the beast." 08:38 The first angel says, "Worship the creator." 08:40 The third angel's message says, "Don't worship the beast." 08:45 It also tells us, 08:46 "Don't receive the sign of the beast." 08:49 Are you following me or not? 08:51 And the third angel's message tells us 08:53 that this is a matter of life and death, 08:55 because if you worship the beast 08:58 who must claim to be God because he's receiving worship. 09:02 And you receive his sign or his mark, 09:05 the Bible says that you will be eternally lost. 09:09 This is a matter of life and death. 09:12 It is a matter of salvation 09:14 according to the Book of Revelation. 09:17 Now, we need to ask the question. 09:18 Who is the beast and what is his mark? 09:22 You know, if you don't want to worship the beast 09:24 then receive his mark. 09:25 Well, you better know what the beast is 09:26 and you better know what the mark is 09:28 or else you're gonna end up worshipping the beast 09:30 and receiving the mark. 09:32 Now, we don't have to talk 09:33 a lot about the beast or the little horn 09:35 because we've already identified this power. 09:38 We've looked at history, we've looked at the Bible, 09:41 and we've seen that the beast represents what? 09:44 The Roman Catholic papacy, 09:46 not individuals in the Roman Catholic Church 09:48 but the system, the organization, 09:50 the papacy is what is represented 09:52 by the little horn or by the beast. 09:55 We have not discovered this by guesswork 09:59 or by conjectures. 10:01 We have looked at history. 10:03 We have looked at God's great prophetic chain, 10:05 and we have seen the sequence of events, 10:07 and the papacy fits right there in the chain of events 10:11 in the place in which prophecy tells us that this place is. 10:17 Now, somebody might object and say, 10:19 "Well, Pastor Bohr, 10:21 the papacy does not claim to occupy God's place on earth, 10:25 does it? 10:27 And if it doesn't claim to occupy God's place on earth, 10:30 the papacy doesn't demand 10:32 or require people to worship it. 10:35 Therefore the third angel's message 10:37 cannot apply to the papacy, 10:39 because the papacy today 10:40 doesn't claim to be God on earth, 10:42 neither does it require people to worship it." 10:45 That's the way the argument goes. 10:48 However, is this argument true to fact? 10:53 There is unmistakable evidence, folks, 10:57 and we're gonna notice that evidence 11:00 that the papacy claims 11:01 to occupy the place of God on earth. 11:05 The papacy claims the titles that belong only to God. 11:09 The papacy claims to possess the rights 11:13 that belong only to God. 11:15 And the papacy claims 11:16 to exercise the power and the functions 11:19 that the Bible ascribes to God alone. 11:22 So if the papacy claims to occupy the place of God, 11:26 claims to have the right to the titles of God, 11:29 claims to possess the rights of God, 11:32 and the powers and the prerogatives of God, 11:34 then it must also demand worship 11:38 because it's claiming to occupy God's place on earth. 11:43 So the question is, what does the papacy claim? 11:48 If the papacy claims to be God on earth, 11:51 then it is asking people to worship, 11:54 and we're gonna notice that 11:55 it has a sign of its authority or its power. 12:00 Let's examine the biblical evidence 12:02 concerning the papacy at this time. 12:07 You'll notice that I have several subtitles 12:09 in the material that you received in our lecture today. 12:13 The subtitle in The Temple of God 12:16 is very important. 12:17 In 2 Thessalonians 2:3, 4 12:21 the Apostle Paul describes the man of sin 12:25 that was going to arise in the temple of God 12:30 claiming to be God. 12:32 Let's read those verses, 2 Thessalonians 2:3, 4. 12:37 "Let no one deceive you by any means, for that Day..." 12:41 Talking about the day of the second coming. 12:43 "That Day will not come unless 12:45 the falling away comes first..." 12:48 The falling away in Greek is the apostasy. 12:51 Jesus is not going to come until the apostasy takes place. 12:55 There's going to be an apostasy in the church in other words. 12:58 And now notice, 13:00 "And the man of sin is revealed, 13:03 the son of perdition, 13:05 "who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called what, 13:10 God or that is worshipped, 13:12 so that he sits as God in the temple of God, 13:17 showing himself that he is God." 13:24 Does the man of sin claim to be God 13:27 as he sits in the temple of God? 13:29 Absolutely. 13:31 Now, evangelical Christians today say, 13:34 "Well, when it speaks about the temple of God here, 13:37 it's speaking about 13:39 the rebuilding of a third Jewish temple 13:42 in the Middle East." 13:44 There are several problems with this perspective 13:47 that is presented by the evangelical world 13:49 and by the protestant world in general. 13:51 And that is that whenever the Apostle Paul 13:53 uses the word temple, "Naos" in Greek. 13:57 It always refers to the Christian church 14:01 or to the temple of our body. 14:03 For example 1 Corinthians 3:16, 17, 14:06 I'll just give you the references, 14:08 1 Corinthians 6:19, 20. 14:10 2 Corinthians 6:16 and Ephesians 2:21 14:14 which we gonna notice in a moment. 14:15 Every time that Paul uses the word temple, Naos, 14:20 it refers to the Christian church, 14:22 never to a literal rebuilt Jewish temple. 14:27 Furthermore, the Bible tells us very clearly 14:29 that the Jewish temple after the death of Christ, 14:34 after the stoning of Stephen 14:36 no longer was the temple of God. 14:40 In fact, when Jesus entered in his triumphal entry 14:43 which is described in Matthew 21 into Jerusalem. 14:46 We're told there that he entered the temple of God, 14:51 notice that when he entered it's called the Temple of God. 14:53 Then Jesus threw out the money changers and he said, 14:56 "This is my house," 14:59 so he entered what is called the Temple of God. 15:01 He said, ''It is my house." 15:03 But then after giving his woes 15:06 upon the scribes and the Pharisees, 15:08 the religious leaders, in Matthew 23:38, 15:12 Jesus left the temple and He said, 15:14 "Your house is left on to you desolate." 15:18 So in other words, 15:19 when Jesus left the temple the last time, 15:22 it was no longer God's house, it was what? 15:25 It was their house. 15:27 Now, I want to show you one example 15:29 in the writings of Paul of what the temple of God is. 15:33 It is not a rebuilt Jewish temple 15:35 where a literal nasty person 15:36 is going to sit for three and a half literal years 15:39 and persecute the Jews. 15:41 That is alien to the teachings of the Apostle Paul. 15:44 Notice Ephesians 2:19-22, so you can see that 15:49 the temple that Paul speaks about is a spiritual temple. 15:52 It is the church, the spiritual worldwide church. 15:56 Notice what it says there in Ephesians 2:19, 16:00 "Now, therefore, he says to the Ephesians, 16:02 you are no longer strangers and foreigners, 16:05 but fellow citizens with the saints 16:07 and members of the household of God." 16:10 And now notice, 16:12 "Having been built upon the foundation 16:15 of the apostles and the prophets..." 16:17 What are the foundations of this building? 16:20 People. 16:21 "The apostles and the prophets, 16:23 Jesus Christ Himself being the chief," what? 16:27 Are we talking about a literal cornerstone? 16:30 No, the cornerstone is a person. 16:32 Jesus is the chief cornerstone. 16:35 Now, the believers are the stones 16:36 that are built up on the foundation 16:37 because it says, "In whom the whole building, 16:41 being fitted together, grows into a what? 16:44 A holy temple in the Lord." 16:46 So let me ask you, is the church the temple? 16:49 Yes, what are the foundations of this temple? 16:52 The apostles and prophets. 16:53 Who is the chief cornerstone of this temple? 16:56 Jesus Christ. 16:57 Who is the Shekinah 16:59 that enters the temple in the Old Testament? 17:01 It was the visible glory of God, 17:03 but notice who is the presence in this temple. 17:07 He says, in whom verse 22. 17:10 "You are also built together for a dwelling place of God 17:14 in the..." what? 17:16 "In the Spirit." 17:17 So where is the Shekinah today? 17:19 It is not a visible glorious light, 17:21 it is the Holy Spirit. 17:24 So for the Apostle Paul that temple of God is what? 17:28 The church spiritually speaking. 17:31 So where would we expect this man of sin to sit, 17:35 if he sits in the temple of God? 17:38 He must rise within the Christian church. 17:42 Are you with me or not? 17:43 We're not to seek for him over in the Middle East, 17:46 some leader of ISIS over there, 17:49 some Syrian Jew as some people believe. 17:52 No, no, no, 17:54 we are to look for the antagonist, 17:55 the man of sin within the bosom of the Christian church 17:59 because the Apostle Paul defines that 18:01 as the temple of God. 18:04 Now, we have another subtitle in place of Christ. 18:09 You know the succession of Roman Catholic popes 18:12 has claimed two titles. 18:15 One is Vicarius Filii dei. 18:17 It means Vicar of the Son of God. 18:20 Another title that they have claimed 18:22 is Vicarius Christi. 18:24 That means Vicar of Christ. 18:26 Now what does the word vicar mean? 18:28 The word vicar means one who occupies the place of. 18:34 A vicar takes the place of someone else. 18:37 Now let me ask you when Jesus went to heaven, 18:40 who did He leave on earth as His vicar. 18:43 Who did He leave on earth to take His place? 18:46 It was the Holy Spirit, but the papacy believes 18:50 that Jesus Christ on earth is found in whom? 18:54 In the Roman bishop or in the pope. 18:57 Incidentally the word antichrist is very interesting. 19:02 We usually think of that word antichrist 19:04 as meaning against Christ. 19:07 But the Greek word Anti christos actually can mean 19:12 not only someone who is against Christ, 19:15 it can mean someone who claims to occupy the place of Christ. 19:21 You see the proposition anti can mean also in place of. 19:27 So the antichrist is not someone who is an atheist 19:30 and defies the God of heaven. 19:32 The antichrist is someone 19:35 who claims to occupy the place of Christ. 19:38 That's what antichrist means. 19:42 Now, for example in classical Greek 19:45 you have the word Anti-Basileus. 19:48 Basileus is king. 19:50 So the word Anti-Basileus means, 19:53 one who occupies the place of the king. 19:55 It's not someone who's against the king. 19:57 It's someone who takes the place of the king, 20:00 the vicar of the king if you please. 20:03 You find in the New Testament the word Antipas 20:06 the word Pas is father. 20:08 Antipas means he who rules in place of his father. 20:13 So once again, anti means in place of. 20:17 You have the word antitype. 20:19 Have you ever heard the word antitype? 20:20 The lamb is the type and Jesus is the antitype. 20:25 What does that mean? 20:26 It means that when Jesus dies, he takes the place of the type. 20:30 You don't have to sacrifice lambs anymore 20:33 because Jesus takes the place of the sacrifices. 20:35 He is not against the sacrifices. 20:37 He takes the place of the sacrifices, 20:39 he fulfils them. 20:41 So we find that the word antichrist 20:44 does not necessarily mean someone who is against Christ 20:48 but it means someone who claims to occupy 20:52 the place of Christ or the place of God. 20:57 Let me read you some statements from Roman Catholic sources. 21:01 Pope Leo the XIII 21:04 in an encyclical letter dated June 20,1894 21:08 spoke, wrote these words. 21:10 "We hold upon this earth the place of God Almighty." 21:17 Once again, Leo the XIII 21:18 stated on January 10, 1890 the following. 21:23 "But the supreme teacher in the Church 21:25 is the Roman Pontiff. 21:26 Union of minds, therefore, requires, 21:29 together with a perfect accord in the one faith, 21:32 complete submission and obedience of the will 21:35 to the Church and to the Roman Pontiff, 21:38 as to God Himself." 21:41 Absolute obedience to the Roman Pontiff 21:44 as to whom? 21:45 As to God Himself. 21:48 The famous Roman Catholic encyclopedia 21:50 Prompta Bibliotheca 21:51 edited by Lucius Ferraris has these words, 21:55 "The Pope is of so great authority and power 22:00 that he can matter of modify, explain, 22:02 or interpret even divine laws. 22:05 The Pope can modify divine law, 22:07 since his power is not of man but of God, 22:11 and he acts as vice-regent, 22:13 vice-regent means vice ruler of God upon earth 22:18 with most ample power of binding 22:20 and loosing his sheep. 22:21 Whatever the Lord God himself, and the Redeemer, 22:24 is said to do, his vicar does, 22:27 provide of that he does nothing contrary to the faith." 22:30 And by the way this encyclopedia is not 22:32 some offshoot encyclopedia. 22:35 This encyclopedia 22:36 according to the Roman Catholic encyclopedia volume 6, 22:39 page 48 is referred 22:41 to as a veritable encyclopedia of religious knowledge 22:46 and a precious mind of information. 22:49 And it bears the imprimatur 22:51 or the authorization of the Roman Catholic Church. 22:56 Not only does the pope claim to be 22:59 to occupy the place of Christ 23:01 which is the meaning of antichrist, 23:03 but the papacy also allows people 23:07 to refer to its leader as Holy Father. 23:12 In Matthew 23:9, Jesus said, 23:14 "We are to call no man on earth our" what? 23:18 "Our Father," spiritually speaking, 23:19 doesn't mean that I can't call my dad father. 23:22 It's speaking in spiritual terms, 23:24 you can look at the context. 23:25 Jesus says, "Don't call any man your spiritual father." 23:28 The pope not only allows people to call him father, 23:30 he allows people to call him Holy Father, 23:34 a title that belongs only to God. 23:38 The Bible tells us that we are to only bow before God. 23:41 We are to bow before no man. 23:43 When you remember when Cornelius 23:48 came to where Peter was. 23:49 The Bible says that Cornelius bowed before Peter 23:52 and what did Peter say, 23:53 "Yes, kiss my ring, kiss my toe." 23:55 No, that's not what he said, 23:58 Peter said, "You stand up 24:01 for I am a man like you are man." 24:04 In Revelation 19:10 and 22: 8, 9, 24:08 John bowed before an angel and the angel said, 24:11 "Stand up, you can only bow before" whom? 24:15 "Before God." Let me ask you. 24:17 Does the pope allow and encourage 24:20 people to bow before him? 24:22 He most certainly does. 24:24 In fact, in a document called Dictatus Papae 24:29 which is 27 statements 24:31 that were written by Pope Gregory VII 24:34 in the year 1075. 24:37 In Article 9 the pope says this, 24:41 "That of the pope alone 24:44 all princess shall kiss his feet." 24:47 Interesting, 24:49 furthermore the papacy claims to have the power to what? 24:53 To forgive sins. 24:55 While the Bible teaches that only God can forgive sin, 24:58 the papacy says, "We can forgive sin." 25:01 Our Roman Catholic Church is filled with confessionals 25:04 where people confess their sins 25:06 and receive supposedly absolution from the priest, 25:10 absolutely. 25:12 Now, St. Alphonsus Liguori, one of the 33 doctors 25:16 in the history of the Roman Catholic Church 25:18 who was canonized as a saint by Pope Gregory the XIV in 1839 25:24 and was proclaimed a doctor of the church 25:27 by Pope Pius the IX. 25:29 One of the great theologians 25:31 in the history of the Roman Catholic Church 25:33 wrote a very interesting book 25:35 where he described 25:37 what he believed was the power of the priest. 25:41 And I want you to notice what he states in his book 25:44 Dignity and Duties of the Priest or Selve, page 34, 25:48 "When he ascended into heaven, 25:51 Jesus Christ left his priests 25:52 after him to hold on earth his place." 25:58 What does he saying? 26:00 Once again, "When he ascended into heaven, 26:02 Jesus Christ left his priests 26:04 after him to hold on earth his place 26:07 of mediator between God and men." 26:09 The Bible says, "We have one mediator 26:11 between God and men, 26:12 Jesus Christ." 26:13 Continues saying, "Particularly on the altar... 26:16 The Priest holds what? 26:18 The place of the Savior himself, 26:22 when by saying, 'Ego te absolvo,' 26:24 this means I forgive you. 26:26 He absolves or he forgives from sin." 26:30 My Bible tells me that only God can forgive sin. 26:33 So the papacy claims to forgive sin. 26:35 Are they claiming to occupy God's place on earth? 26:37 Absolutely. 26:40 Probably most of you know that 26:41 from December 8, 2015 through November 20, 2016, 26:46 Pope Francis has proclaimed what is called 26:48 The Year of Mercy. 26:50 He's even gone so far as to say that 26:52 if a woman who has aborted the baby 26:54 truly repents of the sin of abortion 26:57 that she can go to her priest 26:58 and the priest can give her absolution, 27:01 the priest can forgive her sin. 27:03 And interestingly enough 27:05 the whole matter of indulgences for sin 27:07 is what led to the Protestant Reformation. 27:10 And there are some Protestant churches 27:12 that are planning with the Roman Catholic Church 27:15 to celebrate the 500th year 27:18 of the posting of the 95 thesis in October of next year, 27:21 Protestants and Catholics together. 27:23 Amazing. 27:25 The papacy also claims 27:28 when it speaks on faith and morals to be infallible. 27:32 In fact, at Vatican Council I in the year 1870, 27:36 the dogma of papal infallibility was proclaimed. 27:39 I want to read a description of this, 27:43 of this very blasphemous dogma of the Roman Catholic Church. 27:48 Here's the description. 27:50 This is from the Dogmatic Constitution 27:52 on the Catholic Faith. 27:53 "We teach and define 27:54 that it is a dogma divinely revealed: 27:57 that the Roman Pontiff, when he speaks ex cathedra, 28:00 that is from the throne, from the people throne, 28:02 that is, when in discharge of the office 28:05 of pastor and doctor of all Christians, 28:07 by virtue of his supreme Apostolic authority, 28:10 he defines a doctrine regarding faith or morals 28:13 to be held by the universal Church, 28:16 by the divine assistance 28:17 promised to him in blessed Peter, 28:20 is possessed of that infallibility 28:23 with which the divine Redeemer willed that his Church 28:27 should be endowed for defining doctrine 28:30 regarding faith or morals, and that therefore 28:33 such definitions of the Roman Pontiff 28:35 are irreformable of themselves, 28:39 and not from the consent of the Church. 28:41 But if any one which may God overt 28:44 presume to contradict this our definition: 28:47 let him be anathema." 28:49 Anathema mean let him be cursed. 28:53 So does the papacy claim infallibility 28:56 when it speaks on faith and morals? 28:58 But my Bible tells me that only one is infallible. 29:03 Notice what Pope Nicholas the I had to say. 29:06 He ruled from 858 A.D. to 867 A.D. 29:13 He stated this, "It is evident 29:15 that the popes can neither be bound nor unbound 29:18 by any earthly power, 29:20 nor even by that of the apostle Peter, 29:22 if he should return upon the earth, 29:25 since Constantine the Great 29:27 has recognized that the pontiffs..." 29:29 Listen now carefully. 29:31 "Held the place of God upon earth, 29:34 divinity not being able to be judged by any living man." 29:39 They're claiming divinity. 29:41 Then he stated, "We are, then, infallible 29:45 and whatever may be our acts, 29:47 we are not accountable for them but to ourselves." 29:53 Isn't that interesting? That's blasphemous, folks. 29:57 Does the papacy claim 29:59 the rights and prerogatives of God, 30:02 must that then claim worship? 30:03 Absolutely. 30:05 Now notice this statement about what happens 30:07 when the pope speaks on faith and morals. 30:12 This is the Roman Catholic theologian Fritz Leist, 30:16 he said, "The infallibility of the pope 30:18 is the infallibility of Jesus Christ Himself... 30:22 whenever the pope thinks, it is God Himself, 30:26 who is thinking in him." 30:31 See they're incriminating themselves 30:34 by what they're writing. 30:36 Now the Bible tells us that 30:38 only God can set up kings and remove kings. 30:42 But the papacy claims to have that divine right 30:45 of setting up kings and removing kings. 30:48 At the Council of Trent, 30:50 notice the decision that was made. 30:52 "All temporal power is his..." That is the Popes. 30:55 "The dominion, jurisdiction, 30:57 and government of the whole Earth 30:59 is his by divine right. 31:02 All rulers of the Earth are his subjects 31:04 and must submit to him." 31:08 Gregory the VII in Dictatus Papae, Article 12, 31:12 which we already mentioned what this document is stated, 31:16 "That it may be permitted to him, 31:18 that is the pope, to depose emperors." 31:21 Now you can read this rather long statement 31:24 because we don't have the time to read this long statement 31:26 from Pope Boniface the VIII in 1302. 31:31 It's a papal bull called Unam sanctam 31:35 where he says, "That the civil power 31:37 has to be subject to the religious power. 31:41 And that the religious power because it's higher 31:44 in the sight of God has a right 31:46 to set up kings and to remove kings." 31:50 But my Bible tells me that only God has the right 31:53 to set up kings and to remove kings. 31:57 The papacy also claims that the pope 32:00 is the supreme judge of the earth. 32:03 Notice once again, Dictatus Papae, 32:05 Gregory the VII 1075 in Article 18, 32:09 he says, "That his, that is the pope's sentence 32:13 is not to be reviewed by anyone, 32:16 while he alone can review the decisions of all others." 32:21 In Article 19 of this same document, 32:24 Pope Gregory the VII said, 32:26 "That he, that is the pope, can be judged by no one." 32:32 And St. Alphonsus Liguori, 32:34 this renowned theologian of the Roman Catholic Church 32:37 expressed it this way. 32:40 "So that if it were possible that the angels might err 32:45 in the faith, or might think contrary to the faith, 32:49 they could be judged and excommunicated by the Pope. 32:53 For he is of so great dignity and power 32:56 that he forms the one and the same tribunal 33:00 with Christ." 33:02 Can you imagine the pope doing that 33:05 judging and excommunicating the angels? 33:08 Come on, be real but that's what the papacy claims. 33:12 Most of the world is oblivious to this. 33:15 Most Roman Catholics don't have the foggiest idea 33:18 that this is Roman Catholic theology 33:20 and many, when, when I share this, 33:22 they're surprised, does the church 33:24 really believe that? 33:25 Is that what they've said? 33:27 That's exactly what they say, and there's much more 33:29 that I have not included in this lecture 33:31 because we don't have the time to cover it. 33:34 But there's another 33:35 blasphemous claim of the papacy. 33:38 And that is that the priest 33:42 when he performs the right of the mass 33:44 or the sacrifice of the mass, 33:46 he becomes the creator of his creator. 33:50 Notice the way that Liguori expressed it in his book, 33:53 pages 33, 34. 33:55 This is the epitome of blasphemy. 33:58 "Thus the priest may, in a certain manner, 34:01 be called the creator of his Creator, 34:04 since by saying the words of consecration, 34:06 he creates, as it were, Jesus in the sacrament, 34:10 by giving him a sacramental existence, 34:13 and produces him as a victim 34:15 to be offered to the eternal Father. 34:17 As in creating the world 34:20 it was sufficient for God to have said: 34:22 'Let it be made, and it was created. 34:25 He spoke, and they were made' 34:27 so it is sufficient for the priest to say, 34:30 'Hoc est corpusmeum,' that is this is my body, 34:33 and behold the bread is no longer bread, 34:35 but the body of Christ. 34:37 'The power of the priest,' says St. Bernardino of Sienna, 34:41 'is the power of the divine person, 34:44 for the transubstantiation of the bread 34:47 requires as much power as the creation of the world." 34:54 What do you think? 34:56 That's blasphemy. 34:59 That man can create the Creator. 35:01 Be real. 35:03 That's the epitome of blasphemy. 35:05 So let me ask you so far what we've looked at. 35:07 Could we say that the papacy, 35:09 the beast claims worship because he claims to be God? 35:13 Absolutely. 35:15 Now some people say, well, but Pastor Bohr, 35:17 the papacy has changed. 35:19 It's toned it down. 35:21 Of course, if the pope today said, 35:24 I'm God on earth and he said all these things openly, 35:28 nobody on earth would pay any attention to him. 35:31 The papacy has toned it down, but listen carefully. 35:33 The papacy has changed externally. 35:36 But at her core, 35:38 the papacy is the same system that it was in the past 35:41 because she cannot change her DNA. 35:45 If she changed her DNA, 35:47 she would cease to be the Roman Catholic Church. 35:50 Ellen White wrote a very interesting statement 35:53 that I want to read. 35:55 It's found in Great Controversy, page 571 35:57 on how the papacy adapts 36:00 to the circumstances in which it finds itself. 36:04 This is how it states, 36:06 "The Roman Church now presents a fair front..." 36:11 And the motto of the Roman Catholic Church is 36:13 Semper Idem. 36:15 That means always the same. 36:17 "So the Roman Church 36:19 now presents a fair front to the world, 36:21 covering with apologies 36:22 her record of horrible cruelties. 36:24 She has clothed herself in Christlike garments, 36:28 but she is but she is unchanged. 36:30 Every principle of the papacy that existed in past ages 36:34 exists today. 36:36 The doctrines devised 36:37 in the darkest ages are still held. 36:40 Let none deceive themselves. 36:42 The papacy that Protestants 36:44 are now so ready to honor is the same 36:47 that ruled the world in the days of the Reformation, 36:50 when men of God stood up, at the peril of their lives, 36:53 to expose her iniquity. 36:56 She possesses the same pride and arrogant assumption 36:59 that lorded it over kings and princes, 37:02 and claimed the prerogatives of God. 37:05 Her spirit is no less cruel and despotic 37:08 now than when she crushed out human liberty 37:11 and slew the saints of the Most High." 37:14 The papacy is just what prophecy declare 37:16 that she would be, 37:18 the apostasy of the latter times. 37:20 It is part of her policy to assume the character 37:24 which will best accomplish her purpose." 37:27 Do we see that happening with Pope Francis the I? 37:31 If you haven't noticed that 37:33 you, you've been at some other planet 37:35 or you've been sleeping. 37:37 Then she gives the best definition of the papacy 37:39 that I've ever found. 37:41 She says, "But beneath the variable appearance 37:44 of the chameleon she conceals 37:47 the invariable venom of the serpent." 37:52 Now, the most arrogant claim of the Roman Catholic papacy 37:58 which proves that the papacy claims to be God 38:01 and demands to be worshipped or obeyed 38:04 is the change of the day of worship 38:07 from Sabbath to Sunday the change in God's holy law. 38:12 You remember that the Bible tells us 38:13 that the little horn thought that it could change the law. 38:18 And the little horn is the same as the what? 38:20 The same as the beast. 38:21 So the little horn or the beast thought that it could change 38:25 God's holy law. 38:28 They say that this power was conferred upon her 38:31 by God himself 38:32 that if the church wanted to change the day, 38:34 the church could change the day. 38:37 Let me give you just a few remarks about 38:41 one example of this in Roman Catholic theology. 38:45 On May 31, 1998, 38:48 Pope John Paul the II published a document titled 38:51 Apostolic Letter Dies Domini of John Paul the II 38:55 to the Clergy the episcopate 38:57 and the faithful on keeping Sunday holy. 39:01 There's a document 39:02 that he wrote to the laity and to the clergy 39:05 and he begins by quoting the Book of Genesis. 39:09 This is what he states, speaking about the Sabbath, 39:13 "In the first place, therefore, the day of rest is so 39:16 because it is the day 'blessed' by God 39:19 and 'made holy' by him, 39:21 set apart from the other days to be, 39:24 among all of them, 'the Lord's Day'." 39:27 Who could argue with that? 39:28 He is talking about the Sabbath in Genesis. 39:30 Did God bless the Sabbath in Genesis? 39:33 Yes. Did He make it holy? 39:34 Yes. Was it the Lord's Day? 39:36 Absolutely. 39:37 But that's where things change in this apostolic letter 39:42 because then what the pope does in the rest of his letter 39:45 is he takes everything 39:46 that the Bible applies to the Sabbath, 39:48 he applies it to Sunday. 39:51 There are many places where he openly contradicts the Bible, 39:55 and I'm going to share several of those with you. 39:57 How is it that the papacy can claim 39:59 to have the authority of God 40:01 when the papacy openly contradicts 40:03 what the Bible teaches? 40:05 I want you to notice first of all 40:07 that the pope calls the Sabbath the Jewish Sabbath 40:12 several times in his apostolic letter. 40:15 There is not one reference in the Bible 40:17 it calls a Sabbath a Jewish Sabbath. 40:19 It is always called the Sabbath of the Lord your God 40:24 or it is called the holy day of the Lord 40:28 and God calls it, "My holy day." 40:31 It is always God's holy day, 40:34 it is not the holy day of the Jews. 40:37 The pope also places a conflict 40:39 between the old covenant and the new covenant. 40:42 I read one statement that he gives in this letter, 40:45 "In the light of this mystery, 40:47 he's speaking about the resurrection of Christ, 40:49 the meaning of the Old Testament precept 40:51 concerning the Lord's Day is recovered, 40:54 perfected and fully revealed 40:56 in the glory which shines on the face of the Risen Christ." 41:01 and then he says, "We move from the 'Sabbath' 41:04 that is from the seventh day to the first day 41:07 after the Sabbath', 41:08 from the seventh day to the first day: 41:11 the dies Domini becomes the dies Christi!" 41:16 Do you know what he's saying in this statement? 41:18 Basically what he's saying is that in the old covenant 41:21 the day of rest was the Sabbath, 41:22 but in the new covenant because Christ resurrected 41:25 the day of rest should be Sunday. 41:29 Let me ask you, has he borrowed this argument from Protestants? 41:33 Isn't it Protestants that create a dichotomy 41:36 between the old covenant and the new covenant? 41:38 The problem with this argument is 41:41 that the Sabbath was not part of the old covenant 41:43 because the Sabbath was made in Garden of Eden 41:48 before there was any sin, 41:50 before there was any old covenant. 41:51 It's part of God's original plan. 41:53 So to say that the Sabbath was, you know, for the Jews, 41:56 it's for the old covenant, 41:57 but now in the new covenant we have a new day of worship 42:00 simply isn't biblical 42:02 because God created the Sabbath 42:04 before there was an old covenant. 42:05 Furthermore the Bible tells us that 42:07 when everything is restored, 42:09 God's people will go and worship 42:11 before the Lord from Sabbath to Sabbath. 42:15 Incidentally, I find it quite interesting 42:17 that the papacy would say that 42:19 the Sabbath belongs to the old covenant. 42:21 And yet the Roman Catholic papacy 42:23 continues so many of the Old Testament customs. 42:26 They light candles, they sprinkle holy water, 42:29 they sacrifice at altars, 42:30 they rope themselves with priestly garments, 42:33 they burn incense, they put miters on their heads. 42:37 In other words they continue 42:39 basically the Old Testament cultist. 42:41 But they say, "Well, the day of worship 42:43 is not the same day of worship 42:45 that existed in the Old Testament, 42:46 the day of worship now is a different day of worship." 42:51 John Paul in this letter also states that 42:55 Sunday is supposed to be kept every week 42:58 as a memorial of the resurrection. 43:00 Now, there's a real problem here. 43:03 Let me ask you, how many times a year 43:05 does the papacy celebrate Palm Sunday? 43:09 Once. 43:10 How many days of the year 43:12 does the papacy celebrate Holy Wednesday? 43:18 How many days out of the year 43:20 do they celebrate Holy Thursday, 43:22 Jueves Santo? 43:24 Once a year. 43:26 How many days a year do they celebrate Holy Friday? 43:31 Once a year. 43:32 So if all of the days of the Passion 43:34 are celebrated once a year, 43:36 why is the resurrection of Jesus celebrated every week? 43:41 It makes no sense. 43:43 There is no place in the Bible that says, 43:45 you're supposed to celebrate the resurrection every week, 43:48 but there is a commandment that says, 43:50 you should celebrate God as creator 43:52 one day a week and that week and that day is what? 43:56 That day is the Holy Sabbath. 43:59 One of the real serious things that the pope says 44:01 in this apostolic letter is that he says that 44:05 God has placed his seal on Sunday. 44:08 He quotes Saint Augustine, 44:10 one of the great doctors of the Roman Catholic Church 44:13 and I read now. 44:14 "Saint Augustine notes in turn: 44:17 'Therefore the Lord has placed his seal on this day, 44:22 which is the third day after the Passion." 44:24 So he's saying, God's seal is found where? 44:28 On Sunday. 44:31 Which day contains the seal of God? 44:34 The day which is the seal 44:36 or sign of God we've studied is what? 44:38 The Holy Sabbath. 44:40 The only commandment in the Ten Commandments 44:42 that has the three elements necessary for a seal 44:45 is the fourth commandment. 44:47 You have the name of the giver of the law. 44:50 His name is the Lord thy God. 44:52 We have his office or his function, what is He? 44:56 He is the creator. 44:58 And number three, 44:59 the territory over which He rules. 45:01 Heaven, earth, the sea, and everything that is in them. 45:07 Ellen White has well explained 45:09 that when the papacy changed the day of worship, 45:12 they removed the seal from the law of God 45:16 and the pope placed his own seal in there. 45:19 Let me read this statement, 45:20 it's found in Great Controversy, page 452. 45:24 "The seal of God's law is found in the fourth commandment. 45:29 This only, of all the ten, 45:31 brings to view both the name and the title of the Lawgiver. 45:35 It declares Him to be 45:37 the Creator of the heavens and the earth, 45:39 and thus shows His claim to reverence and worship 45:42 above all others. 45:43 Aside from this precept, 45:45 there is nothing in the Decalogue 45:47 to show by whose authority the law is given. 45:51 When the Sabbath was changed by the papal power, 45:54 the seal was taken from the law." 45:57 The seal that identifies who was the lawgiver 46:00 and it also identifies who is a creator 46:02 because God made the Sabbath as his signature on creation. 46:06 This is very serious, folks. 46:08 It's you're swapping the position of God. 46:13 In paragraph 55 of this apostolic letter, 46:17 Pope John Paul the II makes this blasphemous claim. 46:22 "Blessed be he who has raised the great day of Sunday 46:27 above all other days. 46:29 The heavens and the earth, angels and of men 46:33 give themselves over to joy." 46:35 Now who is that, that elevated Sunday 46:37 above every other day? 46:39 The Papacy. 46:41 So what is he saying? 46:42 What is he saying, "Blessed be the papacy 46:46 who raised Sunday above all other days." 46:49 Because the papacy claims to have changed the day. 46:53 The pope also says that when everything is finished 46:56 and we're in a new heavens and a new earth, 46:59 we will live on an eternal Sunday. 47:03 Notice this statement that we find in paragraph 84, 47:07 "From Sunday to Sunday, 47:10 enlightened by Christ, she goes forward towards 47:13 the unending Sunday of the heavenly Jerusalem, 47:17 which "has no need of sun or moon to shine upon it, 47:20 for the glory of God 47:21 is its light and its lamp is the Lamb." 47:24 So what he is saying is when we get to the kingdom, 47:26 there will be an unending what? 47:29 Unending Sunday. 47:31 But what does the Bible teach? 47:33 The Bible teaches very clearly 47:35 that there will be months in the new earth 47:37 because we will go from month to month 47:40 to worship before the Lord 47:42 and to eat from the tree of life. 47:44 There will also be days, weeks in the earth to come, 47:48 and it's not an endless Sunday that will exist 47:51 but God's people will go 47:53 every Sabbath to worship before the Lord. 47:56 So he openly contradicts the Bible 47:59 by speaking of an endless Sunday 48:01 when the Bible says that there will be a weekly cycle 48:04 and God's people will worship the creator 48:06 on the holy Sabbath. 48:09 But you know what he does in this letter 48:11 from a very long time until recent times, 48:15 Roman Catholic writers would actually make fun 48:20 of Protestant writers by saying, 48:21 "You know, you Pope folks say that you go by the Bible, 48:25 you say that you get everything from the Bible 48:28 but the Bible says and doesn't say anywhere 48:31 you're supposed to keep Sunday. 48:32 It was a Roman Catholic Church that changed the day 48:34 from Sabbath to Sunday. 48:36 So when you keep Sunday, 48:37 you're accepting the authority of the Roman Catholic Church." 48:39 That's the way they argued 48:41 that the Sunday was not in the Bible. 48:43 But in this apostolic letter, 48:45 Pope John Paul the II 48:47 knows that he wants to win over Protestants 48:49 and he will not be able to win them over 48:51 by saying that by keeping Sunday 48:53 they're following the tradition of the Roman Catholic Church. 48:56 So he quotes the very same arguments 48:59 that Protestants have always used 49:01 in favor of Sunday 49:02 to give it a semblance of being in scripture. 49:06 Let me just mention the several things 49:07 that he says in paragraph 20 and 21. 49:10 Six times he says 49:12 Jesus resurrected on the first day of the week. 49:15 Then he says on the first day of the week, 49:17 He walked and talked with two of His followers 49:19 on the road to Emmaus. 49:21 On the first day of the week, 49:22 He appeared to the 11 apostles in the evening. 49:25 A week later on a Sunday, 49:27 Jesus appeared to the apostles once again. 49:30 On the day of Pentecost which was the last Sunday, 49:32 the Holy Spirit was poured out. 49:34 The first proclamation of the gospel 49:35 took place on Sunday. 49:37 The first baptisms on the day 49:38 of Pentecost took place on Sunday. 49:40 Christians were taking their offerings to church 49:42 on the firs day of the week. 49:44 You know that argument 1 Corinthians 16. 49:46 The Apostle Paul met with the Church of Troas 49:49 on the first day of the week. 49:50 And Revelation calls the first day of the week 49:52 the Lord's day. 49:54 He is using the very arguments that Protestant used 49:56 in favor of Sunday because he knows that 49:59 he will not be able to win over Protestants 50:01 by saying that the day was changed 50:03 by the tradition of the Roman Catholic Church 50:05 because he knows that Protestants 50:06 do not go by tradition. 50:08 Are you understanding what he's doing? 50:11 Now this gets even more serious 50:14 because neither Benedict, Pope Benedict 50:19 nor John Paul nor Francis the I 50:23 even believe that the days of creation were literal. 50:27 In fact Pope Francis and John Paul both believe 50:31 that this world came into existence 50:35 by a long and cruel process of evolution. 50:38 And Francis the I refers to creation 50:41 as a symbolic story. 50:45 Let me read you what John Paul had to say 50:47 about the creation story. 50:50 This is in a speech that he gave 50:52 to the Papal Academy of the Sciences. 50:55 "Today almost half a century 50:56 after the publication of the in cyclical, 50:58 this is an cyclical book called by Pope Pius XII, 51:01 Humane Generis, 1950. 51:04 He says since the publication of that encyclical, 51:07 new knowledge has led to the recognition 51:10 of the theory of evolution as more than a hypothesis. 51:14 It is indeed remarkable that this theory 51:16 has been progressively accepted by researchers, 51:20 following a series of discoveries 51:21 in various fields of knowledge. 51:24 The convergence, neither sought nor fabricated, 51:26 of the results of work there was conducted independently 51:30 is in itself a significant argument 51:34 in favor of the theory. 51:35 He says scientists have... 51:37 in different fields have done a study of this 51:41 and they've independently come to the conclusion 51:43 that evolution is not a hypothesis, 51:46 evolution actually took place. 51:48 So he's saying that this world did not come into existence 51:51 in seven literal days. 51:53 Notice what Pope Francis the I had to say. 51:56 He in typical Jesuit fashion, he's trying to reconcile 52:00 the creation story with science. 52:03 He said this, "The Big Bang, 52:05 which today we hold to be the origin of the world, 52:07 does not contradict the intervention 52:09 of the divine creator but, rather, requires it. 52:13 Evolution in nature is not inconsistent 52:15 with the notion of creation 52:16 because evolution requires 52:18 the creation of beings that evolve. 52:20 When we read about Creation in Genesis, 52:23 we run the risk of imagining God as a magician 52:27 with a magic wand able to do everything. 52:30 But that is not so. 52:33 He created human beings 52:35 and let them develop according to the internal laws 52:38 that he gave to each one of them 52:39 so they would reach their fulfillment. 52:41 In others words, He placed within man 52:43 the capacity to evolve. 52:46 So neither one of these popes believe 52:49 in the story of creation. 52:52 Now what does the Catholic Church say 52:55 about its authority? 52:58 Notice several statements that I'm gonna read now 53:01 about how the Roman Catholic Church 53:03 sees its authority. 53:05 "It was the Catholic Church 53:08 which by the authority of Jesus Christ 53:10 has transferred this rest to Sunday 53:15 in remembrance of the resurrection 53:17 of our Lord. 53:18 Thus the observance of Sunday," listen to this, 53:21 by Protestants is an homage they pay 53:26 in spite of themselves," to what? 53:29 "To the authority of the Church." 53:32 So when Protestants keep Sunday, 53:33 whose authority are they accepting? 53:35 The authority of the papacy 53:37 because the papacy changed the day. 53:39 Now notice this statement. 53:41 "A word about Sunday. 53:44 God said: 'Remember the Sabbath day!' 53:46 Remember to thou keep holy the Sabbath day. 53:49 The Sabbath was Saturday not Sunday, 53:52 why then do we keep Sunday holy instead of Saturday? 53:55 The Church altered the observance of the Sabbath 53:58 to the observance of Sunday." 54:00 Now he indicts Protestants. 54:02 "Protestants who say that 54:03 they go by the Bible and the Bible only 54:05 and that they do not believe anything 54:08 that is not in the Bible, 54:09 must be rather puzzled by the keeping of Sunday 54:12 when God distinctly said, 'Keep holy the Sabbath day.' 54:17 The word Sunday does not come anywhere in the Bible so, 54:20 without knowing it, 54:22 they are obeying the authority of the Catholic Church." 54:25 So by keeping Sunday, 54:27 Protestants are obeying the authority of whom? 54:29 Of the Catholic Church. 54:31 Notice this statement. 54:33 "But since Saturday, not Sunday, 54:35 is specified in the Bible, 54:37 isn't it curious that non-Catholics 54:39 who profess to take their religion 54:40 directly from the Bible 54:41 and not from the church 54:43 observe Sunday instead of Saturday? 54:45 Yes, of course, it is inconsistent, 54:48 but this change was made about fifteen centuries 54:51 before Protestantism was born, 54:53 and by that time the custom was universally observed. 54:57 They, Protestants, have continued the custom, 54:59 even though it rests upon the what? 55:02 The authority of the Catholic Church 55:04 and not upon an explicit text in the Bible. 55:08 That observance by Protestants of Sunday 55:12 remains as a reminder of the Mother Church." 55:16 The Sabbath is a reminder of what? 55:18 Of creator God, 55:20 "but Sunday is a reminder of what? 55:22 Of the Mother Church 55:24 from which the non-Catholic sect broke away, 55:27 like a boy running away from home 55:29 but still carrying in his pocket 55:31 a picture of his mother or a lack of her hair." 55:37 One final statement. 55:39 "It was the Holy Catholic Church 55:41 that changed the day 55:43 of rest from Saturday to Sunday, 55:45 the first day of the week. 55:46 And it not only compelled all to keep Sunday, 55:48 but urged all persons to labor on the seventh day 55:50 under pain of anathema. 55:53 Protestants who profess great reverence for the Bible, 55:56 and yet by their solemn act of keeping Sunday, 55:59 they acknowledge the power of the Catholic Church. 56:02 The Bible says, 'Remember the Sabbath day 56:04 to keep it holy.' 56:05 But the Catholic Church says, 56:07 "No: Keep the first day of the week..." 56:09 ' And now, notice this. 56:10 "And lo, the entire civilized world 56:13 bows down in reverent obedience 56:16 to the command of the holy Catholic Church." 56:20 Are you catching the picture? 56:22 Listen, folks, 56:25 the trial at the end of time 56:26 is not so much a trial over days. 56:30 The day is simply the way in which God reveals 56:35 which authority you accept. 56:38 If you keep the Sabbath you are saying, 56:41 I follow and obey the authority of God, 56:44 because God established the Sabbath. 56:48 But when you keep Sunday as the day of rest, 56:51 you're saying, I accept the authority of the power 56:54 that changed the day of worship. 56:56 I accept the power of the papacy 56:58 because they were the ones that changed the day. 57:01 So the matter at the end of time 57:03 is not only a matter of days, 57:05 it's a matter of which authority you accept. 57:09 And the Bible tells us 57:12 that the whole world 57:14 with the exception of a small remnant 57:16 who keep the commandments of God 57:18 will wander after the beast 57:21 and obey the sign of its authority. 57:25 Did you understand what we studied this evening? 57:28 This was a difficult lecture 57:29 because there's so many quotations, 57:31 and there's so much material, 57:33 but I believe you've seen the picture, 57:34 the papacy does claim to occupy God's place on earth. 57:38 It does claim the need to receive worship 57:41 and it does have a sign of its authority 57:45 and God also claims authority 57:48 because He is the Creator and God has a sign. 57:51 So at the end of time, two days, 57:54 two signs of authority. |
Revised 2016-11-07