Shall we bow our
heads for prayer?
00:00:37.76\00:00:39.45
Our Father and our God, we thank
You so much for the awesome
00:00:39.48\00:00:45.63
privilege of being here
to study Your word this day.
00:00:45.66\00:00:48.53
And we ask, Father, that
as we open the holy pages
00:00:48.56\00:00:53.61
of Your book, that Your Spirit
will be with us to teach us,
00:00:53.64\00:00:57.66
to guide us, and to
lead us into all truth.
00:00:57.69\00:01:01.50
And we thank You for hearing
our prayer, for we ask it in the
00:01:01.53\00:01:04.70
precious name of
Your Son Jesus, Amen.
00:01:04.73\00:01:08.09
Perhaps some of you
are wondering how the
00:01:08.12\00:01:13.67
Roman Catholic Church can teach
certain doctrines, or dogmas,
00:01:13.70\00:01:18.87
which are not clearly
contained in Scripture;
00:01:18.90\00:01:22.06
dogmas such as
Mary the mother of God,
00:01:22.09\00:01:27.48
such as the
immaculate conception,
00:01:27.51\00:01:31.06
the perpetual virginity of
Mary, and the assumption of Mary
00:01:31.09\00:01:37.08
to heaven after her death.
00:01:37.11\00:01:38.98
Perhaps some of you are
wondering, How can these
00:01:39.01\00:01:42.35
doctrines be taught if
there is nothing in Scripture
00:01:42.38\00:01:46.95
to corroborate these teachings?
00:01:46.98\00:01:49.44
We're going to study in our
lecture today the reason why
00:01:49.47\00:01:54.70
Roman Catholicism teaches these
doctrines, even though they are
00:01:54.73\00:02:00.07
not contained in
Scripture, not even implicitly.
00:02:00.10\00:02:05.17
We have to go back to the
times of the Old Testament.
00:02:05.20\00:02:09.61
We have to go, in fact,
back to the times of Moses.
00:02:09.64\00:02:14.19
When Moses went up to mount
Sinai he received revelations
00:02:14.22\00:02:20.75
from God which he
committed to writing.
00:02:20.78\00:02:24.52
And those writings are
known as the Pentateuch,
00:02:24.55\00:02:28.13
the first five
books of the Bible.
00:02:28.16\00:02:30.39
But according to the concept
of the Jews of Christ's day,
00:02:30.42\00:02:35.03
we find that they taught that
also God gave to Moses certain
00:02:35.06\00:02:41.63
instructions and teachings which
were not committed to writing.
00:02:41.66\00:02:46.12
In other words, there was a
deposit of teaching from God
00:02:46.15\00:02:51.67
to Moses which was
composed of written material,
00:02:51.70\00:02:56.61
as well as on written
traditions, and we could call
00:02:56.64\00:03:01.28
this the deposit of the faith.
00:03:01.31\00:03:04.25
In the second place, the Jews
of Christ's day, as well as some
00:03:04.28\00:03:09.89
earlier than this, believed that
there had to be a transmitting
00:03:09.92\00:03:15.42
agent to transmit reliably
what God had given Moses
00:03:15.45\00:03:20.85
in writing and orally.
00:03:20.88\00:03:23.16
And so they developed the idea
that there was a transmitting
00:03:23.19\00:03:27.88
mechanism to transmit the truth
from generation to generation
00:03:27.91\00:03:34.15
in unbroken succession.
00:03:34.18\00:03:37.10
I would like to read
some statements from scholars
00:03:37.13\00:03:41.83
of the day, as well as scholars
of our day, on this idea
00:03:41.86\00:03:47.50
of transmitting the
deposit of faith from generation
00:03:47.53\00:03:51.84
to generation in
unbroken succession.
00:03:51.87\00:03:54.78
I'd like to begin by
reading from Flavius Josephus.
00:03:54.81\00:03:59.00
Josephus was a Jew, of course.
00:03:59.03\00:04:01.98
He was a Pharisee, and he
was born in the year 37 A.D.,
00:04:02.01\00:04:06.72
which means he was born
only six years after the
00:04:06.75\00:04:10.12
crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
00:04:10.15\00:04:12.11
So I suppose he knew quite
well the Hebrew, or the Jewish
00:04:12.14\00:04:16.48
concept of
tradition in his day and age.
00:04:16.51\00:04:20.11
This is what
Josephus had to say:
00:04:20.14\00:04:22.66
I want you to notice
the technical terminology:
00:04:40.84\00:04:43.77
passed on, handed down, sayings
that Moses had spoken orally,
00:04:43.80\00:04:51.97
which were not recorded
in the written law of Moses.
00:04:52.00\00:04:56.30
It's interesting, in the Jewish
Talmud, which is a collection
00:04:56.33\00:05:01.81
of the traditions of the Jews,
we find these significant words:
00:05:01.84\00:05:08.18
This is found in Aboth 1:1, 2.
00:05:08.21\00:05:13.33
The men of the Great
Synagogue are those of the days
00:05:29.65\00:05:33.14
of Ezra and Nehemiah.
00:05:33.17\00:05:35.62
So you'll notice that
there was an unbroken succession
00:05:35.65\00:05:39.33
of transmission of what God
had given Moses in this concept
00:05:39.36\00:05:43.41
of the days of Christ.
00:05:43.44\00:05:44.62
Moses had given it to
Joshua, Joshua to the elders,
00:05:44.65\00:05:48.27
the elders to the
prophets, the prophets to the
00:05:48.30\00:05:50.99
men of the Great Synagogue.
00:05:51.02\00:05:52.19
And then the final piece
was added, which the men of the
00:05:52.22\00:05:55.66
Great Synagogue gave these
messages, these traditions,
00:05:55.69\00:06:00.05
to the Rabbinical
schools of the days of Christ.
00:06:00.08\00:06:03.77
Now, significantly, Marcel
Simon in the book, Jewish Sects,
00:06:03.80\00:06:09.79
has this to say about the
statement that I just read
00:06:09.82\00:06:13.35
from the Jewish Talmud:
00:06:13.38\00:06:14.46
It is remarkable that after
these words from the Talmud
00:06:14.49\00:06:20.77
of transmission,
unbroken transmission,
00:06:20.80\00:06:23.19
comes the enumeration of
several pairs of teachers.
00:06:23.22\00:06:28.84
Antiginus of Soco, received
the law from Simeon the Just,
00:06:28.87\00:06:34.89
etcetera, whose
historical existence is
00:06:34.92\00:06:40.12
more or less certain.
00:06:40.15\00:06:42.16
This list finally ends
with Hillel and Shammai,
00:06:42.39\00:06:48.35
famous leaders of schools,
that is in the days of Christ.
00:06:48.38\00:06:53.08
So, basically, after the Talmud
says that the message of Moses
00:06:53.11\00:06:59.64
was transmitted
from Moses to Joshua,
00:06:59.67\00:07:03.40
from Joshua to the elders,
from the elders to the prophets,
00:07:03.43\00:07:06.63
from the prophets to the
men of the Great Synagogue,
00:07:06.66\00:07:08.90
you have a list of twosomes;
in other words one leader,
00:07:08.93\00:07:14.32
transmitted to the next,
and transmitted to the next.
00:07:14.35\00:07:16.86
You have a long list of
individuals who lived in
00:07:16.89\00:07:20.60
succession, and passed on the
information which God had given
00:07:20.63\00:07:25.09
Moses; not only the
written, but supposedly also
00:07:25.12\00:07:28.75
the oral revelation
which God had given to Moses.
00:07:28.78\00:07:32.29
In other words, there
was a type of succession.
00:07:32.32\00:07:35.92
We wouldn't call it apostolic
succession, but we would call
00:07:35.95\00:07:39.20
it a succession from one
generation to another by passing
00:07:39.23\00:07:42.66
it on from one rabbi,
or one scribe to another.
00:07:42.69\00:07:46.96
Now I'd like to read another
statement by Marcel Simon.
00:07:46.99\00:07:51.46
He says this:
00:07:51.49\00:07:53.18
That is in the
eyes of the Pharisees.
00:07:55.11\00:07:56.80
In other words, the
traditions which were shared,
00:08:10.49\00:08:13.62
which supposedly Moses had
received orally on Mt. Sinai,
00:08:13.65\00:08:17.82
they were not actually
additions to the written Torah.
00:08:17.85\00:08:22.01
They were not
actually information that had
00:08:22.04\00:08:24.35
not existed before.
00:08:24.38\00:08:25.61
Which is the written revelation.
00:08:36.47\00:08:38.28
And so you have these scholars,
among them Flavius Josephus,
00:08:51.02\00:08:55.71
who say that this deposit
of truth, which God had given
00:08:55.74\00:09:00.16
to Moses, both the written books
of Moses, and supposedly the
00:09:00.19\00:09:04.72
oral traditions, which God had
given to Moses, which had not
00:09:04.75\00:09:07.71
been committed to writing,
were transmitted from generation
00:09:07.74\00:09:11.45
to generation, from one
scribe, from one religious
00:09:11.48\00:09:14.88
leader to another.
00:09:14.91\00:09:16.42
Perhaps I can read
one more statement.
00:09:16.45\00:09:19.26
This one is by George
Foot Moore, who wrote two
00:09:19.29\00:09:22.10
volumes called, Judaism.
00:09:22.13\00:09:23.61
This is the standard in
the field. He says this:
00:09:23.64\00:09:28.02
So we've noticed
two things so far.
00:09:38.71\00:09:41.89
First of all we found that,
according to the Jewish concept
00:09:41.92\00:09:46.58
of tradition, there
were the writings of Moses,
00:09:46.61\00:09:49.56
and the unwritten revelation,
which God had also given Moses
00:09:49.59\00:09:53.99
on Mt. Sinai, which
formed a deposit of truth.
00:09:54.02\00:09:58.02
We also noticed secondly,
that there was a process of
00:09:58.05\00:10:02.14
transmission from generation
to generation, supposedly in
00:10:02.17\00:10:05.97
unbroken succession from
one scholar, from one Rabbi,
00:10:06.00\00:10:10.37
or one teacher to another.
00:10:10.40\00:10:11.90
But there's a third
element in this concept,
00:10:11.93\00:10:15.35
and that is that in every
age there needed to be a living
00:10:15.38\00:10:20.00
interpreter of the tradition
which had been passed on.
00:10:20.03\00:10:24.32
In other words, there had to
be, we might call a magisterium,
00:10:24.35\00:10:29.16
which would bring
forth only that which Moses
00:10:29.19\00:10:34.06
had supposedly spoken,
and only what was contained
00:10:34.09\00:10:39.17
in the tradition itself,
according to this concept.
00:10:39.20\00:10:42.18
Now this is what is meant in
Matthew 23:1, 2 where Jesus is
00:10:42.21\00:10:49.05
indicting the
scribes and the Pharisees.
00:10:49.08\00:10:51.08
He says this in Matthew
23:1, 2: Then Jesus spoke to the
00:10:51.11\00:10:56.88
multitudes, and to
His disciples saying,...
00:10:56.91\00:11:00.73
Now notice this: The
scribes and the Pharisees sit
00:11:00.76\00:11:04.70
sit in Moses' seat.
00:11:04.73\00:11:08.25
The word seat there
is the word cathedra.
00:11:08.28\00:11:11.59
It could be translated throne,
because it's translated that way
00:11:11.62\00:11:16.10
in other places
in the New Testament.
00:11:16.13\00:11:17.84
In other words the scribes
and Pharisees sit on Moses'
00:11:17.87\00:11:21.62
throne, or on Moses' seat.
00:11:21.65\00:11:23.59
Now what does this mean
that they sat on Moses seat?
00:11:23.62\00:11:26.73
The Roman Catholic Commentary,
the Jerome Bible Commentary,
00:11:26.76\00:11:31.25
explains what Moses' seat means.
00:11:31.28\00:11:35.53
Notice the statement:
00:11:35.56\00:11:37.29
And, of course, the author
of this article is saying:
00:12:03.23\00:12:07.69
In other words, sitting
on Moses' seat meant that the
00:12:12.78\00:12:16.32
Pharisees were the living
interpreters of what Moses
00:12:16.35\00:12:20.73
had passed on from
generation to generation.
00:12:20.76\00:12:23.40
They were the ones who said if
a tradition was genuine or not.
00:12:23.43\00:12:27.87
They could bring forth teachings
which, supposedly, Moses had
00:12:27.90\00:12:32.06
spoken of, but had not
been brought forth yet from the
00:12:32.09\00:12:36.36
deposit of unwritten traditions.
00:12:36.39\00:12:38.77
In other words, they had
the authority to say what was a
00:12:38.80\00:12:41.95
genuine tradition, and
was not a genuine tradition.
00:12:41.98\00:12:45.97
According to Simon, and I read
once again: The transmission of
00:12:46.00\00:12:52.50
oral tradition, that's
the things that were not
00:12:52.53\00:12:55.60
written by Moses, made
Phariseeism the living element
00:12:55.63\00:13:01.57
of official Judaism.
00:13:01.60\00:13:03.99
It was the tradition that
allowed the Pharisees to justify
00:13:04.02\00:13:09.12
all the elaborations that
they introduced regarding the
00:13:09.15\00:13:13.88
Scriptural precepts on the
level of observances as well as
00:13:13.91\00:13:18.81
on the level of doctrine.
00:13:18.84\00:13:20.79
So whenever they brought
forth a teaching that was not
00:13:20.82\00:13:23.89
contained in the writings
of Moses, they would say,
00:13:23.92\00:13:26.41
We have the authority to
say that this belongs to the
00:13:26.44\00:13:29.10
written tradition that
was handed down by Moses.
00:13:29.13\00:13:31.66
And thus they could
bring out new practices,
00:13:31.69\00:13:33.98
they could bring out things that
supposedly were in the deposit,
00:13:34.01\00:13:37.47
which actually
had not been there.
00:13:37.50\00:13:40.42
But they had the authority
because, supposedly, they were
00:13:40.45\00:13:43.81
sitting on Moses' seat.
00:13:43.84\00:13:45.30
In other words, they had
the authority and the clout
00:13:45.33\00:13:48.41
of Moses behind them.
00:13:48.44\00:13:50.47
So lets summarize the Hebrew,
or the Jewish view of tradition
00:13:50.50\00:13:55.72
as it existed in
the days of Christ.
00:13:55.75\00:13:57.89
First of all there was a
deposit of truth composed of the
00:13:57.92\00:14:02.35
writings of Moses, and
the unwritten traditions
00:14:02.38\00:14:05.82
which God had
spoken orally to Moses.
00:14:05.85\00:14:08.27
Secondly there was a
transmitting element.
00:14:08.30\00:14:10.78
From generation to generation
these truths, both the written
00:14:10.81\00:14:15.35
and the unwritten, supposedly,
were passed on in unbroken
00:14:15.38\00:14:19.26
succession all the way
till the days of Christ.
00:14:19.29\00:14:23.02
And in the third place,
you have the living interpreter
00:14:23.05\00:14:26.56
in the days of Christ, which are
the scribes and the Pharisees
00:14:26.59\00:14:29.81
who sit on the throne of
Moses, and speak ex cathedra.
00:14:29.84\00:14:34.73
In other words they speak from
the throne, or they speak from
00:14:34.76\00:14:37.96
the seat of Moses.
00:14:37.99\00:14:39.09
They are the ones who can say,
This is a genuine tradition,
00:14:39.12\00:14:42.59
and this is not a
genuine tradition.
00:14:42.62\00:14:44.84
This is what is to be
obeyed, and this is what is not
00:14:44.87\00:14:49.94
necessarily to be obeyed.
00:14:49.97\00:14:51.80
Interestingly enough, the people
had to render blind obedience
00:14:51.83\00:14:58.65
to what was taught by
the scribes and the Pharisees
00:14:58.68\00:15:02.07
who sat on Moses' seat.
00:15:02.10\00:15:03.70
I want to read this
statement that's found in
00:15:03.73\00:15:06.67
Antiquities of the Jews.
00:15:06.70\00:15:07.98
It's written by Flavius Josephus
once again, the Jewish Pharisee.
00:15:08.01\00:15:12.57
Notice what he says:
00:15:12.60\00:15:13.77
So notice there was a
discrepancy between the
00:15:45.24\00:15:47.99
Sadducees and the Pharisees.
00:15:48.02\00:15:49.05
The Pharisees believed
that, according to this,
00:15:49.08\00:15:52.31
the common people had to accept
the tradition which was passed
00:15:52.34\00:15:55.49
on in continuous
succession from the fathers.
00:15:55.52\00:15:59.43
Josephus continues saying:
00:15:59.46\00:16:01.13
In other words,
their word was final.
00:16:18.68\00:16:22.26
If they said that this was found
in the deposit of oral tradition
00:16:22.29\00:16:28.16
that God gave Moses, even if it
wasn't in the writings of Moses,
00:16:28.19\00:16:31.88
people had to accept it on their
say so, because they spoke from
00:16:31.91\00:16:36.89
Moses' seat; they
spoke from the cathedra.
00:16:36.92\00:16:40.85
Now is this concept of
tradition clear in your mind?
00:16:40.88\00:16:45.10
It's very important
that we understand it because
00:16:45.13\00:16:47.74
we're going to come back
to this when we deal with the
00:16:47.77\00:16:51.15
Roman Catholic
view of tradition.
00:16:51.18\00:16:53.43
However, allow me to ask
the question, What distinguished
00:16:53.46\00:16:58.30
the authority of Jesus from
the authority of the scribes
00:16:58.33\00:17:03.29
and the Pharisees?
00:17:03.32\00:17:04.62
It's interesting to notice that
time and again in the gospels
00:17:04.65\00:17:08.86
the Pharisees and the scribes
are questioning the right
00:17:08.89\00:17:12.55
of Jesus to teach.
00:17:12.58\00:17:13.71
They're asking Him, On what
authority are you doing this?
00:17:13.74\00:17:17.11
Because they were
sitting on Moses' seat.
00:17:17.14\00:17:19.46
They said, we can teach the
writings of Moses, and we can
00:17:19.49\00:17:22.58
say what is a genuine
oral tradition and what isn't,
00:17:22.61\00:17:26.18
but this guy didn't
even go to our schools.
00:17:26.21\00:17:28.38
By what authority are
you teaching these things?
00:17:28.41\00:17:32.90
Allow me to give
you some examples.
00:17:32.93\00:17:34.79
Matthew 7:28, 29, immediately
after the parable of the man
00:17:34.82\00:17:41.23
who built his house on the rock,
and the man who built his house
00:17:41.26\00:17:44.10
upon the sand,
we find these words:
00:17:44.13\00:17:46.73
Jesus had never gone
to the rabbinical schools,
00:18:01.18\00:18:04.65
and yet we're told that
Jesus spoke with authority,
00:18:04.68\00:18:08.52
and not as the scribes.
00:18:08.55\00:18:10.71
Once again in Matthew
13:54 we find these words:
00:18:10.74\00:18:16.73
This is Jesus.
00:18:23.01\00:18:24.50
In other words, where does
this man get His wisdom from?
00:18:35.11\00:18:38.24
He hasn't come to learn from us,
the theological cadre of Israel;
00:18:38.27\00:18:43.71
the ones who are able
to say what is a genuine
00:18:43.74\00:18:45.80
tradition and what isn't.
00:18:45.83\00:18:47.30
Also in John 7:15 we find the
same issue coming forth again.
00:18:47.33\00:18:53.96
We're told there:
00:18:53.99\00:18:55.60
And if you read the gospels,
you'll find that the multitudes
00:19:05.26\00:19:09.66
followed Jesus. They
admired His teaching.
00:19:09.69\00:19:13.13
They were attracted to His
teaching, whereas the teaching
00:19:13.16\00:19:17.67
rooms of the Pharisees
and the scribes were empty.
00:19:17.70\00:19:21.07
And the gospels tell us
that because of this reason,
00:19:21.10\00:19:23.60
the scribes and
Pharisees were jealous of Jesus.
00:19:23.63\00:19:26.53
You see, Jesus had authority,
even though He had not studied
00:19:26.56\00:19:30.46
in the theological schools.
00:19:30.49\00:19:32.09
In John 7:46 we find the
officers of the temple returning
00:19:32.12\00:19:37.97
to bring back a report to
the Pharisees, because they had
00:19:38.00\00:19:41.63
been sent to listen to Jesus.
00:19:41.66\00:19:43.68
And notice what
these officers said:
00:19:43.71\00:19:47.06
In other words there
is something powerful
00:19:52.47\00:19:54.65
in His manner of speaking.
00:19:54.68\00:19:56.07
Once again, in Mark 11:27,
28, we find the same phenomenon.
00:19:56.10\00:20:03.05
We're told there:
00:20:03.08\00:20:04.18
In other words, where do
you get Your authority from?
00:20:28.74\00:20:31.71
You should have gotten it
from us, because we sit on the
00:20:31.74\00:20:33.42
because we sit on the cathedra.
00:20:33.45\00:20:35.44
We say what can be
taught and what can't be taught,
00:20:35.47\00:20:39.01
what is a genuine tradition, and
what is not a genuine tradition.
00:20:39.14\00:20:42.86
Well, as we read the gospels,
we discover the reason why
00:20:42.89\00:20:47.36
the teachings of Jesus
had power and authority.
00:20:47.39\00:20:50.87
It's because Jesus
Christ, whenever He spoke,
00:20:50.90\00:20:54.82
He corroborated what He
said with Holy Scripture.
00:20:54.85\00:20:59.78
You will never find Jesus
saying, Rabbi Shammai said
00:20:59.81\00:21:04.36
such and such a
thing, or Rabbi Hillel said
00:21:04.39\00:21:07.76
such and such a thing.
00:21:07.93\00:21:08.96
You'll never find Jesus
quoting the theological experts
00:21:08.99\00:21:13.52
of His day and age.
00:21:13.55\00:21:14.65
You'll never notice that
Jesus quotes oral tradition
00:21:14.68\00:21:18.53
that supposedly
went back to Moses.
00:21:18.56\00:21:21.23
Jesus always confronted
His enemies, and always taught
00:21:21.26\00:21:26.29
from the word of God.
00:21:26.32\00:21:28.82
Allow me to give
you some examples.
00:21:28.85\00:21:31.13
On the Mount of Temptation,
according to Matthew 4,
00:21:31.16\00:21:34.64
three times Jesus said
to the devil, It is written.
00:21:34.67\00:21:41.15
And, by the way, He
quoted three times from the
00:21:41.18\00:21:44.13
book of Deuteronomy.
00:21:44.16\00:21:45.54
Deuteronomy 8:3, 6:16, and 6:13.
00:21:45.57\00:21:51.31
Jesus corroborated His mission,
and defended Himself against
00:21:51.34\00:21:55.50
temptation
through quoting the word.
00:21:55.53\00:21:58.80
When Jesus began His ministry
we find in Luke 4:21 that He
00:21:58.83\00:22:05.01
quoted Isaiah 61:1, 2.
00:22:05.04\00:22:08.96
The Spirit of
the Lord is upon Me.
00:22:08.99\00:22:11.84
He authenticated His
mission through Scripture.
00:22:11.87\00:22:15.43
When the young lawyer came
to Jesus and asked Him what the
00:22:15.46\00:22:18.74
great commandment
was, Jesus says, Well,
00:22:18.77\00:22:20.86
you're an expert in the law.
00:22:20.89\00:22:22.24
You're a
lawyer. You're a scribe.
00:22:22.27\00:22:24.34
You tell me! And then this
young man, of course, quotes
00:22:24.37\00:22:28.44
Scripture, because Jesus said,
What is it that the law contains
00:22:28.47\00:22:32.71
about this? We find also in
Matthew 21:42, in the parable
00:22:32.74\00:22:38.71
of the vineyard workers,
that Jesus quotes Scripture
00:22:38.74\00:22:41.87
by saying, the stone that
the builders rejected has become
00:22:41.90\00:22:47.00
the chief cornerstone.
00:22:47.03\00:22:48.53
Also, Matthew
22:29, the seven brothers?
00:22:48.56\00:22:54.66
You remember the experience
of the seven brothers?
00:22:54.69\00:22:56.93
They died one by one,
and this woman was left
00:22:56.96\00:23:00.08
a widow each time, and so they
asked Jesus, Whose wife is this
00:23:00.11\00:23:07.14
woman going to be
in the resurrection?
00:23:07.17\00:23:09.00
And Jesus says, You ere,
not knowing the Scriptures
00:23:09.03\00:23:13.13
or the power of God.
00:23:13.16\00:23:14.25
And then Jesus quotes the fact
that God is the God of Abraham,
00:23:14.28\00:23:19.17
Isaac, and Jacob, and
God is not a God of the dead,
00:23:19.20\00:23:22.59
but He is a God of the living.
00:23:22.62\00:23:24.21
He quotes Scripture once again.
00:23:24.24\00:23:26.74
When Jesus cleansed the temple
He quoted Jeremiah saying,
00:23:26.77\00:23:31.83
You have made My
house a den of thieves.
00:23:31.86\00:23:35.28
Once again He's
authenticating what He's doing
00:23:35.31\00:23:38.16
from Holy Scripture.
00:23:38.19\00:23:39.83
When the Pharisees came to
Jesus and said, Well, Moses said
00:23:39.86\00:23:43.43
that we could get divorced
for any cause, Jesus says,
00:23:43.46\00:23:45.85
Yeah, you might say
that, and you might interpret
00:23:45.88\00:23:47.97
Moses that way,
but let Me tell you,
00:23:48.00\00:23:49.53
at the beginning it was not so.
00:23:49.56\00:23:51.30
He who made them
at the beginning made
00:23:51.33\00:23:53.42
them male and female.
00:23:53.45\00:23:54.54
God established marriage.
00:23:54.57\00:23:55.87
Once again Jesus resolves
the issue by going to Scripture.
00:23:55.90\00:24:00.40
In fact when they questioned
Jesus how He can witnessing
00:24:00.43\00:24:05.95
in the things that he's
talking about, Jesus says, Well,
00:24:05.98\00:24:10.66
your Scriptures say that in the
mouth of two or three witnesses
00:24:10.69\00:24:13.61
every word is confirmed.
00:24:13.64\00:24:14.83
He says, Well, I have
the witness of my Father,
00:24:14.86\00:24:16.75
and I have My
witness, so that's two.
00:24:16.78\00:24:19.48
He's actually quoting
Scripture in John 8:17, 18.
00:24:19.51\00:24:23.89
When they asked Jesus
how He thought He had a right
00:24:23.92\00:24:27.15
to call Himself the Messiah,
Jesus quoted Psalm 110:1, 2.
00:24:27.18\00:24:32.15
Sit at My right
hand until I make Your
00:24:32.18\00:24:35.11
enemies Your footstool.
00:24:35.14\00:24:36.42
John 5, Jesus said, If you
believe Moses, you would believe
00:24:36.45\00:24:41.76
Me, for he wrote about Me.
00:24:41.79\00:24:43.79
Even after the resurrection
on the road to Emmaus,
00:24:43.82\00:24:46.73
we're told, And beginning
with Moses, and from all of the
00:24:46.76\00:24:50.21
prophets, He told them in
all of the Scriptures the things
00:24:50.24\00:24:53.82
concerning Himself.
00:24:53.85\00:24:55.13
What gave Jesus power
and authority was the fact
00:24:55.16\00:24:59.08
that Jesus got His
message from Scripture,
00:24:59.11\00:25:03.57
not from unwritten tradition.
00:25:03.60\00:25:06.19
Now I would like to go to
an example of this concept
00:25:06.22\00:25:12.16
in the days of Jesus.
00:25:12.19\00:25:13.37
This is the passage
that we find in Mark 7:1-13.
00:25:13.40\00:25:20.05
And I'm going to read
this passage, and I'm going to
00:25:20.08\00:25:22.96
stop as we go along to underline
certain very important points.
00:25:22.99\00:25:27.46
I want you to notice
that it's the same group,
00:25:33.54\00:25:35.61
it's the same group
that sit on Moses cathedral.
00:25:35.64\00:25:39.58
They are the ones who think
they have authority to define
00:25:39.61\00:25:42.48
what is a true tradition handed
down from Moses. So it says:
00:25:42.51\00:25:47.77
Now this is not
talking about hygiene.
00:26:04.27\00:26:06.92
This is not talking
about washing your dirty
00:26:06.95\00:26:09.50
hands before you eat.
00:26:09.53\00:26:10.62
This is a practice which
had been established by oral
00:26:10.65\00:26:15.40
tradition that they needed
to ceremonially wash their hands
00:26:15.43\00:26:19.60
several times as they were
about to partake of their meal.
00:26:19.63\00:26:23.92
Notice verse 3:
00:26:23.95\00:26:25.61
And now I want you to notice:
00:26:33.91\00:26:35.25
Remember that word.
00:26:36.73\00:26:37.91
That's a technical term.
00:26:37.94\00:26:39.15
That also is a technical term.
00:26:43.23\00:26:45.28
Why did they practice
the ceremonial washing?
00:26:49.59\00:26:51.98
Because Moses said so?
00:26:52.01\00:26:53.16
No, because they hold
the tradition of the elders.
00:26:53.19\00:26:59.32
Now what does
this expression mean;
00:26:59.35\00:27:01.54
the tradition of the elders?
00:27:01.57\00:27:03.12
Notice what the Jerome
Bible Commentary has to say.
00:27:03.15\00:27:06.60
This is a Roman
Catholic Bible Commentary.
00:27:06.63\00:27:08.80
The expression,...
00:27:08.83\00:27:11.67
That is a term of the rabbi's.
00:27:15.68\00:27:17.52
Did you catch that?
00:27:29.54\00:27:31.20
I'll read it again.
00:27:31.23\00:27:32.37
This expression, the tradition
of the elders, is a rabbinical
00:27:32.40\00:27:35.84
term for the body of unwritten
laws that the Pharisees
00:27:35.87\00:27:39.50
considered as equally
binding as the written Torah.
00:27:39.53\00:27:44.28
Now notice verse 4.
00:27:44.31\00:27:46.24
And notice that this is
only the tip of the iceberg.
00:27:51.58\00:27:54.79
There are many other things in
which they go by tradition also.
00:27:54.82\00:27:57.30
Remember that word:
00:28:02.86\00:28:03.89
These are technical
terms: received and hold.
00:28:06.76\00:28:09.60
Now what terms have we noticed
so far: holding, tradition,
00:28:15.72\00:28:21.53
received, hold, passed on.
00:28:21.56\00:28:27.27
I want you to remember
those terms, because we're going
00:28:27.30\00:28:29.26
to come back to them.
00:28:29.29\00:28:30.32
Notice verse 5:
00:28:30.35\00:28:31.38
In other words, why don't they
go by the tradition that we say
00:28:44.00\00:28:46.37
goes all the way
back to the days of Moses,
00:28:46.40\00:28:48.13
even though it's not written
in the writings of Moses?
00:28:48.16\00:28:51.38
Notice verse 6:
00:28:51.41\00:28:52.74
How is Jesus going
to face this issue?
00:28:58.40\00:29:00.40
He's going to quote Scripture.
00:29:00.43\00:29:02.06
And now notice this:
00:29:12.37\00:29:13.69
What happens when you
follow the commandments of men,
00:29:21.72\00:29:24.08
and you follow tradition
instead of the word of God?
00:29:24.11\00:29:26.53
You are practicing
what kind of worship?
00:29:26.56\00:29:28.95
You are practicing vain worship,
which means useless worship.
00:29:28.98\00:29:33.94
So when you follow the
traditions of men instead of
00:29:33.97\00:29:36.84
the word of God, you are
following, actually you are
00:29:36.87\00:29:40.24
practicing vain or
meaningless worship.
00:29:40.27\00:29:44.30
We'll come back to that later.
00:29:44.33\00:29:45.66
Now lets go on to verse 8.
00:29:45.69\00:29:47.59
Let me ask you, what is
the issue in this passage?
00:29:53.18\00:29:55.48
It's between tradition
and the commandment of God.
00:29:55.51\00:29:59.88
It's between
tradition and the word of God.
00:29:59.91\00:30:03.11
Notice once again:
00:30:03.14\00:30:04.49
And notice the tip
of the iceberg again.
00:30:11.99\00:30:13.87
The issue, once
again, is tradition
00:30:17.71\00:30:20.35
versus the word of God.
00:30:20.38\00:30:21.81
And those who follow the
traditions of men are practicing
00:30:21.84\00:30:25.03
what kind of worship?
are practicing vain worship.
00:30:25.06\00:30:28.10
Now notice verse 9:
00:30:28.13\00:30:29.66
And now He's going to
quote Scripture again.
00:30:38.99\00:30:41.19
He's going to show how
their tradition contradicts
00:30:41.22\00:30:44.65
the written word of God.
00:30:44.68\00:30:45.82
How their tradition contradicts
a commandment of God.
00:30:45.85\00:30:49.86
Notice verse 10:
00:30:49.89\00:30:51.80
This is Exodus 20:17.
00:30:53.79\00:30:55.37
Is that the
commandment of God? Yes.
00:31:04.19\00:31:07.14
Was it written in the writings
of Moses? Yes, it is. Verse 11.
00:31:07.17\00:31:13.67
Now what Jesus is referring
to, the tradition that He's
00:31:42.53\00:31:47.27
referring to here is
the tradition of Corban.
00:31:47.30\00:31:51.32
Now, basically
what Corban meant;
00:31:51.35\00:31:54.18
the word Corban means dedicated.
00:31:54.21\00:31:56.21
Children could actually dedicate
all of their possessions to the
00:31:56.24\00:32:00.72
temple, but they could use
all of their possessions freely
00:32:00.75\00:32:04.59
until they died, and then
it passed over to the temple,
00:32:04.62\00:32:07.78
which means that their parents
could be deprived while they
00:32:07.81\00:32:11.35
lived, because they could use
everything, and they could say
00:32:11.38\00:32:14.49
to their parents, Sorry, I
can't help you, because this has
00:32:14.52\00:32:17.62
been dedicated to the temple.
00:32:17.65\00:32:19.09
Interesting that this
tradition of man contradicted
00:32:19.12\00:32:23.48
the commandment
that said, Honor your
00:32:23.51\00:32:25.67
father and your mother.
00:32:25.70\00:32:26.91
In other words, they were
annulling the written word of
00:32:26.94\00:32:30.02
God through this tradition.
00:32:30.05\00:32:32.72
By the way, the Pharisees
and scribes were expert
00:32:32.75\00:32:36.93
at categorizing sin.
00:32:36.96\00:32:39.73
You know, some of the violations
of traditions they considered
00:32:39.76\00:32:43.73
grave offenses while violations
of clearly revealed duties
00:32:43.76\00:32:48.48
by God were considered trivial.
00:32:48.51\00:32:50.79
Allow me to read
you this statement from
00:32:50.82\00:32:52.17
The Desire of Ages, page 616.
00:32:52.20\00:32:55.14
Dare we call them
maybe venial sins?
00:33:08.67\00:33:11.07
Could we call that
maybe mortal? Now notice:
00:33:20.54\00:33:23.67
And do you know what this
concept of tradition led to?
00:33:45.16\00:33:48.89
It led to the rejection of Jesus
Christ, and to the rejection
00:33:48.92\00:33:54.00
of the Jewish nation.
00:33:54.03\00:33:55.55
Now we need to move
on to the Roman Catholic
00:33:55.58\00:33:59.49
view of tradition.
00:33:59.52\00:34:00.64
And you're going to
find a striking similarity.
00:34:00.67\00:34:05.70
First of all you're going to
find that instead of speaking
00:34:05.73\00:34:08.57
about Moses, they speak
about Peter and the apostles.
00:34:08.60\00:34:12.91
You see those are the ones who
have the deposit of the faith.
00:34:12.94\00:34:16.84
In fact the Roman Catholic
Church teaches that many of
00:34:16.87\00:34:19.47
the things that the apostles
spoke are not found written.
00:34:19.50\00:34:23.47
They are actually
unwritten traditions.
00:34:23.50\00:34:26.18
They are oral traditions.
00:34:26.21\00:34:27.47
And so we can't go only
by what the apostles wrote,
00:34:27.50\00:34:30.69
we need to go also by
what the apostles spoke,
00:34:30.72\00:34:33.50
which is preserved in
the deposit of tradition.
00:34:33.53\00:34:36.93
Interestingly enough, in the
Roman Catholic Church there is
00:34:36.96\00:34:40.90
also a mechanism for
transmitting truth in these
00:34:40.93\00:34:45.94
unwritten traditions,
and the writings of Moses.
00:34:45.97\00:34:48.50
It's known as
apostolic succession.
00:34:48.53\00:34:51.75
One bishop passing on the
authority to the next bishop
00:34:51.78\00:34:55.85
by ordination, and successively
all the way till the bishops
00:34:55.88\00:35:00.28
of our day and age; very similar
to the situation of the Jews
00:35:00.31\00:35:04.94
in the days of Christ.
00:35:04.97\00:35:06.21
Also the Roman Catholic Church
believes that there needs to be
00:35:06.24\00:35:10.29
a living interpreter at every
age to show which traditions
00:35:10.32\00:35:15.44
are genuine and reliable,
and which traditions are not.
00:35:15.47\00:35:19.45
And they call this, by the way,
the magisterium of the church.
00:35:19.48\00:35:24.59
It's also called the
teaching office of the church.
00:35:24.62\00:35:28.40
I don't know whether you're
aware of this, but when the Pope
00:35:28.43\00:35:34.28
speaks for the bishops of
the Roman Catholic Church,
00:35:34.31\00:35:38.24
he actually speaks ex-cathedra.
00:35:38.27\00:35:43.22
That is the identical word
that we found in Matthew 23:2.
00:35:43.25\00:35:48.16
The scribes and Pharisees
sit on Moses' cathedra.
00:35:48.19\00:35:52.04
When the Pope speaks as
a spokesman for all of the
00:35:52.07\00:35:55.24
college of bishops, the
living voice of the church,
00:35:55.27\00:35:58.47
the magisterium of the church,
he speaks from the throne;
00:35:58.50\00:36:03.86
he speaks ex-cathedra.
00:36:03.89\00:36:06.22
Now allow me to read you
some remarkable statements from
00:36:06.25\00:36:10.77
Roman Catholicism, and I want
you to remember the terminology
00:36:10.80\00:36:14.77
that we read from Mark 7.
00:36:14.80\00:36:16.40
It's very, very
similar, strikingly similar.
00:36:16.43\00:36:19.56
I'm going to read now
from Vatican II, documents of
00:36:19.59\00:36:23.34
Vatican II, the specific decree
which is called Di Verbum,
00:36:23.37\00:36:28.99
which is on
Revelation, on the word of God.
00:36:29.02\00:36:32.09
By the way, this is infallible
because it was proclaimed
00:36:32.12\00:36:35.77
in a Church Council by
the consensus of the bishops
00:36:35.80\00:36:39.73
who were
present. Listen to this:
00:36:39.76\00:36:41.40
Are you noticing the
terminology? Identical!
00:37:24.07\00:37:27.17
Now notice that this document
is going to speak about the
00:38:04.53\00:38:08.44
authority of the magisterium.
00:38:08.47\00:38:10.07
You know, there's a whole
section in the Roman Catholic
00:39:29.16\00:39:32.31
Catechism of
the Catholic Church.
00:39:32.34\00:39:35.17
I'd just like to mention it,
because we don't have time to
00:39:35.20\00:39:38.16
read all of the statements, but
it is article 2, paragraph 76,
00:39:38.19\00:39:41.88
to 86, and you will be amazed
at the number of times that the
00:39:41.91\00:39:46.14
words received, handed on,
tradition, hold; the very words
00:39:46.17\00:39:51.36
that we found in Mark 7 are
used in this particular section
00:39:51.39\00:39:55.99
of the Catholic Catechism
of the Roman Catholic Church.
00:39:56.02\00:39:59.74
Interestingly
enough, Pope Pius XII
00:39:59.77\00:40:04.17
had these words to say:
00:40:04.20\00:40:05.74
In other words, if the deposit
has something that's implicit or
00:40:28.36\00:40:31.59
obscure, the magisterium
can bring it forth and say,
00:40:31.63\00:40:35.54
This was in the
deposit of faith all the time.
00:40:35.57\00:40:38.62
Now allow me to read you another
statement from Francis Butler.
00:40:38.65\00:40:43.37
These are all Roman
Catholic theologians.
00:40:43.40\00:40:45.67
These are striking admissions.
00:40:47.63\00:40:49.42
What an admission!
00:40:58.22\00:41:00.02
We believe that there are 66.
00:41:59.18\00:42:00.82
He continues saying:
00:42:00.85\00:42:03.15
And now here comes the most
critical part of this statement.
00:42:26.92\00:42:30.48
Butler says this:
00:42:30.51\00:42:32.99
The teaching office of
the Catholic Church has the
00:42:55.84\00:42:58.21
same authority as the
scribes and Pharisees.
00:42:58.24\00:43:00.33
Only the theological experts can
tell you what tradition means,
00:43:00.36\00:43:05.38
and how it applies to life.
00:43:05.41\00:43:07.81
And people must
implicitly obey it.
00:43:07.84\00:43:09.97
They cannot understand
the tradition on their own,
00:43:10.00\00:43:13.08
they have to
depend on the scholars.
00:43:13.11\00:43:16.51
Notice this statement from John
O'Brien, who for quite a period
00:43:16.54\00:43:21.03
of time taught at Notre
Dame University in Indiana.
00:43:21.06\00:43:24.70
He actually wrote a
very well known book,
00:43:24.73\00:43:27.46
The Faith of Millions.
00:43:27.49\00:43:28.72
Notice what he has to say:
00:43:28.75\00:43:29.85
That's amazing!
He continues saying:
00:43:54.25\00:43:57.56
Of course the Bible says
that that living interpreter
00:44:05.36\00:44:08.52
is the Holy Spirit.
00:44:08.55\00:44:09.58
But notice what he says:
00:44:09.61\00:44:12.45
One more interesting statement.
00:44:39.04\00:44:41.19
This comes from the book, A
Course in Religion for Catholic
00:44:41.22\00:44:45.20
High Schools and Academy's.
00:44:45.23\00:44:46.52
This is actually a Bible
book for the schools of the
00:44:46.55\00:44:49.26
Roman Catholic Church.
00:44:49.29\00:44:50.42
The author is John
Laux, and notice what he says:
00:44:50.45\00:44:53.79
In other words, the
written Scriptures, and the oral
00:44:58.95\00:45:01.43
traditions that have
been passed on are called
00:45:01.46\00:45:03.94
the remote rule of faith.
00:45:03.97\00:45:05.39
And then he explains why.
00:45:05.42\00:45:07.09
That's closer.
00:45:15.88\00:45:16.91
So just as in the days of
Christ, the scribes and the
00:45:38.40\00:45:42.09
Pharisees sat on Moses' seat
and said, You must obey this,
00:45:42.12\00:45:45.66
because this is part of
either the written word of God,
00:45:45.69\00:45:49.59
or part of the
passed on traditions.
00:45:49.62\00:45:51.80
In the same way the Roman
Catholic Church says the living
00:45:51.83\00:45:54.62
interpreter of the Bible
and oral tradition is the
00:45:54.65\00:45:58.01
magisterium of the church.
00:45:58.04\00:46:00.68
And therefore everyone
should listen and obey what the
00:46:00.71\00:46:04.58
magisterium
defines as the truth.
00:46:04.61\00:46:07.79
Now there are many traditions
that are not found in Scripture
00:46:07.82\00:46:13.27
that are taught by
the Roman Catholic Church.
00:46:13.30\00:46:15.26
For example, the idea
that Mary is the mother of God.
00:46:15.29\00:46:18.03
You'll never find that
expression in Scripture.
00:46:18.06\00:46:19.99
For example, the
immaculate conception of Mary;
00:46:20.02\00:46:23.82
the Bible doesn't even
address the birth of Mary.
00:46:23.85\00:46:26.26
The idea of the
perpetual virginity of Mary.
00:46:26.29\00:46:29.52
We have a clear impression in
Scripture by what we've studied,
00:46:29.55\00:46:32.39
that Mary most
likely had other children.
00:46:32.42\00:46:35.44
The idea that Mary ascended
to heaven after she died
00:46:35.47\00:46:40.28
on the third day:
totally absent from Scripture.
00:46:40.31\00:46:43.68
The question is, How
can these teachings be
00:46:43.71\00:46:46.95
accepted as genuine?
00:46:46.98\00:46:48.53
Simply because the magisterium
says that this is part of the
00:46:48.56\00:46:52.68
deposit of the faith
which has been transmitted
00:46:52.71\00:46:55.75
by oral tradition.
00:46:55.78\00:46:57.59
Now allow me to provide
you one great example as we
00:46:57.62\00:47:03.52
draw this study to a close.
00:47:03.55\00:47:05.36
Jesus, when He was on this
earth, had great controversies
00:47:05.39\00:47:11.02
with the religious leaders,
with the scribes and Pharisees.
00:47:11.05\00:47:14.52
The greatest source
of conflict between Jesus
00:47:14.55\00:47:17.97
and the scribes and
the Pharisees was over
00:47:18.00\00:47:21.08
the observance of the Sabbath.
00:47:21.11\00:47:22.77
Jesus, in fact, most of His
healings were done in chronic
00:47:22.80\00:47:28.32
cases, people who it
was not an emergency.
00:47:28.35\00:47:30.93
You know, they
weren't gravely ill.
00:47:30.96\00:47:32.53
They weren't at
the point of death.
00:47:32.56\00:47:33.82
Jesus made it a point to heal
these people on the Sabbath.
00:47:33.85\00:47:38.73
And the Pharisees and
the scribes would say,
00:47:38.76\00:47:40.82
It is not lawful for you
to heal people on the Sabbath.
00:47:40.85\00:47:45.17
And Jesus said, for example,
in Matthew 12:12, It is lawful
00:47:45.20\00:47:50.21
for Me to heal
people on the Sabbath.
00:47:50.24\00:47:52.37
Now on what authority did
the Pharisees say that it wasn't
00:47:52.40\00:47:55.77
lawful, and on what
authority did Jesus say
00:47:55.80\00:47:58.51
that it was lawful?
00:47:58.54\00:47:59.57
The fact is that after
the Babylonian captivity,
00:47:59.60\00:48:03.01
where God's people had gone
because they had fallen into
00:48:03.04\00:48:06.71
idolatry among the
nations before this.
00:48:06.74\00:48:09.07
After the captivity the leaders
of the Jewish nation said,
00:48:09.10\00:48:13.60
we're never going to
fall into idolatry again.
00:48:13.63\00:48:16.31
And they decided that
they would protect the Sabbath
00:48:16.34\00:48:20.24
from being broken.
00:48:20.27\00:48:21.47
And so they wrote 613 rules,
or laws, which they called the
00:48:21.50\00:48:27.78
fence around the law.
00:48:27.81\00:48:29.54
None of these
traditions and ideas were
00:48:29.57\00:48:33.00
contained in Scripture.
00:48:33.03\00:48:34.39
They were simply additions to
Scripture, supposedly from oral
00:48:34.42\00:48:40.01
tradition which
had been passed on.
00:48:40.04\00:48:43.90
And so when Jesus
said, It is lawful to do good
00:48:43.93\00:48:47.35
on the Sabbath, He was
going back to the Sabbath
00:48:47.38\00:48:49.66
in the Old Testament.
00:48:49.69\00:48:50.72
When the Pharisees and the
scribes said, It is not lawful
00:48:50.75\00:48:53.93
to do good on the Sabbath, they
were going back to this mass
00:48:53.96\00:48:56.89
of traditions which
had been written after
00:48:56.92\00:48:59.69
the Babylonian captivity.
00:48:59.72\00:49:01.23
Interestingly enough,
the Sabbath of the Pharisees
00:49:01.26\00:49:06.49
was actually a false
Sabbath, because it was a
00:49:06.52\00:49:10.81
Sabbath created by them.
00:49:10.84\00:49:12.41
The observance of the Sabbath,
as taught by the Pharisees,
00:49:12.44\00:49:16.34
was not the observance of
the Sabbath that God had taught
00:49:16.37\00:49:19.21
in Holy Scripture, and therefore
they had established a Sabbath
00:49:19.24\00:49:23.66
not created by God, but
a Sabbath created by man
00:49:23.69\00:49:27.76
based on human tradition.
00:49:27.79\00:49:29.72
And, by the way,
this was false worship,
00:49:29.75\00:49:34.04
because they were worshipping
on a Sabbath which had been
00:49:34.07\00:49:37.31
created by man, and had
not been created by God.
00:49:37.34\00:49:40.94
And I'm not talking about the
specific day, I'm talking about
00:49:40.97\00:49:43.88
the manner in which
they kept the Sabbath.
00:49:43.91\00:49:46.35
In Scripture God said
how to keep the Sabbath.
00:49:46.38\00:49:48.72
They added all these traditions,
and they said you're supposed
00:49:48.75\00:49:51.76
to keep it this way.
00:49:51.79\00:49:52.84
But their traditions
contradicted the proper way
00:49:52.87\00:49:56.34
of observing the
Sabbath as Jesus had taught.
00:49:56.37\00:49:59.92
In other words, the controversy
in the days of Christ was over
00:49:59.95\00:50:04.01
the wrong way of
keeping the Sabbath.
00:50:04.04\00:50:06.50
The issue was not the wrong
day, the issue was the wrong way
00:50:06.53\00:50:11.04
of keeping the Sabbath.
00:50:11.07\00:50:12.10
You see, this was the
Sabbath of the Pharisees,
00:50:12.13\00:50:14.58
because they had created it.
00:50:14.61\00:50:16.38
This was false worship, because
when people kept that Sabbath
00:50:16.41\00:50:19.31
they were keeping the
Sabbath of the Pharisees.
00:50:19.34\00:50:21.53
They were not keeping
the Sabbath of the Lord.
00:50:21.56\00:50:23.61
Now let me ask you this, Is
the Sabbath issue going to be
00:50:23.64\00:50:29.70
the main point of
controversy in the final
00:50:29.73\00:50:33.46
conflict on
Planet Earth? Yes, it is.
00:50:33.49\00:50:36.98
Is it going to be a
similar issue to the issue
00:50:37.01\00:50:41.50
in the days of Christ?
00:50:41.53\00:50:43.06
Very similar;
only one difference.
00:50:43.09\00:50:46.44
The conflict in the days
of Christ was the right way
00:50:46.47\00:50:50.69
versus the wrong way
of keeping the Sabbath.
00:50:50.72\00:50:54.32
At the end of time the
controversy is going to be
00:50:54.35\00:50:58.09
the right day
versus the wrong day.
00:50:58.12\00:51:00.86
And so the issue in the
days of Christ is the right
00:51:00.89\00:51:04.92
way or the wrong way.
00:51:05.25\00:51:06.28
At the end of time
it's going to be the right
00:51:06.31\00:51:08.27
day or the wrong day.
00:51:08.30\00:51:10.56
Now the Roman Catholic Church
teaches that we're supposed
00:51:10.59\00:51:14.37
to keep Sunday in
honor of the resurrection.
00:51:14.40\00:51:16.61
Where do they
get that idea from?
00:51:16.64\00:51:18.67
You certainly don't
find it in Scripture.
00:51:18.70\00:51:21.46
Nowhere in Scripture
does it say we're supposed to
00:51:21.49\00:51:23.63
go to church on Sunday.
00:51:23.66\00:51:24.77
Nowhere does it say that
we're supposed to keep Sunday
00:51:24.80\00:51:27.74
in honor of the
resurrection of Jesus.
00:51:27.77\00:51:29.88
Nowhere does it say that Sunday
is a holy day dedicated to God.
00:51:29.91\00:51:34.35
Scripture does not say
this; Scripture uniformly says,
00:51:34.38\00:51:38.24
the seventh day is the
Sabbath of the Lord your God.
00:51:38.27\00:51:41.33
Jesus went into the
synagogue on Sabbath.
00:51:41.36\00:51:43.74
Paul, and Peter, and the
apostles in the book of Acts,
00:51:43.77\00:51:47.08
went to the synagogue observing
the Sabbath of the Lord.
00:51:47.11\00:51:50.89
Now let me ask you, when
the Roman Catholic Church says
00:51:50.92\00:51:54.33
that it is Sunday and not
the Sabbath, are they making of
00:51:54.36\00:51:57.84
none effect the
commandment of God?
00:51:57.87\00:52:00.84
They most certainly are!
00:52:00.87\00:52:02.54
In other words, by their
tradition, which they admit.
00:52:02.57\00:52:05.77
They say this
came in by tradition.
00:52:05.80\00:52:07.94
It didn't come in
by the word of God.
00:52:07.97\00:52:09.65
By their tradition are they
actually contradicting a clearly
00:52:09.68\00:52:14.80
revealed commandment of God?
00:52:14.83\00:52:16.58
If Jesus were alive today
would He say, You have made of
00:52:16.61\00:52:20.41
none effect the word of
God, you have made of non effect
00:52:20.44\00:52:23.74
the commandment of God by
your tradition? Absolutely!
00:52:23.77\00:52:26.98
And the controversy at the end,
folks, is not going to be over
00:52:27.01\00:52:30.93
the way in which the Sabbath
is kept, but it is over the day
00:52:30.96\00:52:35.26
in which the Sabbath is kept.
00:52:35.29\00:52:36.85
Are you
understanding what I am saying?
00:52:36.88\00:52:38.39
But it's the same issue.
00:52:38.42\00:52:39.92
You see, Sunday is a day
of worship created by man,
00:52:39.95\00:52:43.88
by the tradition of man.
00:52:43.91\00:52:45.29
And, therefore,
those who observe Sunday,
00:52:45.32\00:52:47.93
knowing that the Bible teaches
that we're supposed to observe
00:52:47.96\00:52:50.84
the Sabbath, they
are serving God in vain.
00:52:50.87\00:52:53.53
They are worshipping in vain.
00:52:53.56\00:52:55.14
Do remember Jesus said
that by keeping the tradition
00:52:55.17\00:53:00.15
of the elders, the Jews
were actually serving God,
00:53:00.18\00:53:04.05
and worshipping God in vain?
00:53:04.08\00:53:05.92
You see, the reason why
is because they were keeping
00:53:05.95\00:53:09.30
a Sabbath of their creation.
00:53:09.33\00:53:10.93
And at the end of
time the Christian world,
00:53:10.96\00:53:13.88
will keep a
Sabbath of their creation.
00:53:13.91\00:53:15.78
It wasn't a
Sabbath created by God.
00:53:15.81\00:53:18.26
It was a Sabbath created by man.
00:53:18.29\00:53:20.22
And when we keep
that day of worship,
00:53:20.25\00:53:22.76
we're actually practicing
vain worship, because that's not
00:53:22.79\00:53:26.19
the day on which God said
that we are supposed to worship.
00:53:26.22\00:53:29.59
Are you
understanding what I'm saying?
00:53:29.62\00:53:31.19
That's what it means to make
of none effect the word of God
00:53:31.22\00:53:34.94
by our tradition,
or the commandment of
00:53:34.97\00:53:37.33
God by our tradition.
00:53:37.36\00:53:38.96
And, by the way, I find it very
ironic that the same individuals
00:53:38.99\00:53:44.09
who were aggravated at
Jesus because Jesus healed
00:53:44.12\00:53:50.21
people on the Sabbath, several
times in the gospels we're told
00:53:50.24\00:53:53.68
that they plotted to
kill Jesus on the Sabbath.
00:53:53.71\00:53:56.63
In other words, because
Jesus didn't keep the Sabbath
00:53:56.66\00:53:59.67
the way they said, according to
their traditions, on the Sabbath
00:53:59.70\00:54:03.45
they actually plotted to kill.
00:54:03.48\00:54:05.05
So they were not only
making of no effect the Sabbath
00:54:05.08\00:54:08.55
commandment, but they
were also making of none effect
00:54:08.58\00:54:11.26
the commandment that
says, Thou shalt not kill.
00:54:11.29\00:54:14.06
Now let me ask you, Does
Scripture say that in the last
00:54:14.09\00:54:18.67
days the Christian world
is going to rise against those
00:54:18.70\00:54:23.26
who keep a
different day than they keep?
00:54:23.29\00:54:25.83
Bible prophecy
teaches that, folks.
00:54:25.86\00:54:28.78
In other words, there
will be a double violation
00:54:28.81\00:54:32.84
of the commandment of God.
00:54:32.87\00:54:33.91
1. Because they will
seek to impose the wrong day,
00:54:33.94\00:54:37.96
by tradition, and will be
aggravated against those who
00:54:37.99\00:54:41.33
keep the right day.
00:54:41.36\00:54:42.39
And it will reach even
to the point of giving a law
00:54:42.42\00:54:45.84
not to be able to buy or sell,
or a law that those who do not
00:54:45.87\00:54:50.01
live by this law are to
be what? are to be killed.
00:54:50.04\00:54:54.30
You say, This
could never happen.
00:54:54.33\00:54:56.45
The fact is that it
happened in the days of Christ.
00:54:56.48\00:54:59.14
What makes you think
that it's not going to happen
00:54:59.17\00:55:01.51
at the end of time?
00:55:01.54\00:55:02.62
Incidentally, the Jewish view of
tradition in the days of Christ
00:55:02.65\00:55:08.60
led the supposed people of
God to reject Jesus Christ.
00:55:08.63\00:55:15.89
Is it just possible that at the
end of time the Christian world
00:55:15.92\00:55:20.15
will also claim to serve God,
but will actually reject God
00:55:20.18\00:55:24.64
by following tradition,
and having the same view
00:55:24.67\00:55:28.01
of tradition as was held by
the Jews in the days of Christ?
00:55:28.04\00:55:31.49
I believe the
evidence shows that this is so.
00:55:31.52\00:55:34.77
Allow me to say
something about John Paul II.
00:55:34.80\00:55:38.36
I'm not being critical of
him individually, but he wrote a
00:55:38.39\00:55:43.98
document which we can analyze,
and we can be critical of
00:55:44.01\00:55:47.83
if it's not in
harmony with Scripture.
00:55:47.86\00:55:49.77
The name of the
Pastoral Letter was dies Domini,
00:55:49.80\00:55:52.49
the Day of the Lord.
00:55:52.52\00:55:53.77
And in that document he quoted
212 references to scholars,
00:55:53.80\00:56:00.21
church councils,
creeds, and church fathers
00:56:00.24\00:56:02.38
of the Roman Catholic Church.
00:56:02.41\00:56:03.44
And he kind of splattered
the document with a text
00:56:03.47\00:56:08.66
here and there, the same texts
which have traditionally been
00:56:08.69\00:56:11.29
used by Protestants to try
and prove that the Sabbath has
00:56:11.32\00:56:14.67
been changed to Sunday.
00:56:14.70\00:56:15.88
But no matter how
much philosophy he uses,
00:56:15.91\00:56:19.32
and how much reasoning,
and how many arguments he uses,
00:56:19.35\00:56:22.30
the Bible is very clear.
00:56:22.33\00:56:24.03
It says the seventh day is the
Sabbath of the Lord your God.
00:56:24.06\00:56:29.21
Do you know that in the end
time the controversy is going to
00:56:29.24\00:56:32.77
be over the same issue
as in the days of Jesus?
00:56:32.80\00:56:35.27
Allow me to read you this
statement from that classic
00:56:35.30\00:56:38.93
prophetic book that
everyone should read,
00:56:38.96\00:56:41.33
The Great Controversy, page 582.
00:56:41.36\00:56:44.84
Will we, as God's
people, not live by tradition,
00:57:10.83\00:57:16.52
but live as Jesus did,
by every word which proceeds
00:57:16.55\00:57:22.31
out of the mouth of God,
as found in written Scripture?
00:57:22.34\00:57:26.42