Identifying fulfilled prophecy demands much study and obviously isn't something that is done quickly. We learn so much but we need to be careful that we aren't going too fast and overlooking things.
We've already learned some amazing facts about prophecy and our history and there are many more to learn.
Let's jump back to Daniel 8, something we touched on briefly.
Dan 8:1 In the third year of the reign of king Belshazzar a vision appeared unto me, even unto me Daniel, after that which appeared unto me at the first.
Dan 8:2 And I saw in a vision; and it came to pass, when I saw, that I was at Shushan in the palace, which is in the province of Elam; and I saw in a vision, and I was by the river of Ulai.
Dan 8:3 Then I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, there stood before the river a ram which had two horns: and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher came up last.
Dan 8:4 I saw the ram pushing westward, and northward, and southward; so that no beasts might stand before him, neither was there any that could deliver out of his hand; but he did according to his will, and became great.
Dan 8:5 And as I was considering, behold, an he goat came from the west on the face of the whole earth, and touched not the ground: and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes.
Dan 8:6 And he came to the ram that had two horns, which I had seen standing before the river, and ran unto him in the fury of his power.
Dan 8:7 And I saw him come close unto the ram, and he was moved with choler against him, and smote the ram, and brake his two horns: and there was no power in the ram to stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground, and stamped upon him: and there was none that could deliver the ram out of his hand.
Dan 8:8 Therefore the he goat waxed very great: and when he was strong, the great horn was broken; and for it came up four notable ones toward the four winds of heaven.
Dan 8:9 And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land.
Dan 8:10 And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them.
Dan 8:11 Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down.
Dan 8:12 And an host was given him against the daily sacrifice by reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practised, and prospered.
Dan 8:13 Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spake, How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot?
Dan 8:14 And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.
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Dan 8:15 And it came to pass, when I, even I Daniel, had seen the vision, and sought for the meaning, then, behold, there stood before me as the appearance of a man.
Dan 8:16 And I heard a man's voice between the banks of Ulai, which called, and said, Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision.
Dan 8:17 So he came near where I stood: and when he came, I was afraid, and fell upon my face: but he said unto me, Understand, O son of man: for at the time of the end shall be the vision.
Dan 8:18 Now as he was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleep on my face toward the ground: but he touched me, and set me upright.
Dan 8:19 And he said, Behold, I will make thee know what shall be in the last end of the indignation: for at the time appointed the end shall be.
Dan 8:20 The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia.
Dan 8:21 And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king.
Dan 8:22 Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power.
Dan 8:23 And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up.
Dan 8:24 And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.
Dan 8:25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.
Dan 8:26 And the vision of the evening and the morning which was told is true: wherefore shut thou up the vision; for it shall be for many days.
Dan 8:27 And I Daniel fainted, and was sick certain days; afterward I rose up, and did the king's business; and I was astonished at the vision, but none understood it.
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This was a vision that Daniel was given an interpretation to and he only comprehended in part. Yet, the interpretation was given for a reason that we dare not ignore!
Daniel was told about the time he was currently living in- the Medes and Persians. Just as he'd been shown with the vision he'd been given when he was under the reign of Babylon's king, he was allowed to understand that the vision was a continuous identifying picture of what would come to pass, what would one day be history just as Babylon had succumbed to the Medes and Persians which was now part of Daniel's history.
Daniel was told outright that the next power would be Grecia. He wasn't living under the rule of Greece, but he knew that the angel revealing the vision to him was speaking truth. The Medes and Persians would NOT remain a ruling kingdom forever.
While Daniel didn't live to see the Medes and Persian's conquered by Greece he knew they would be, and they were.
Dan 8:21 And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king.
Dan 8:22 Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power.
Greece under Alexander the Great conquered the Medes and Persians.
When Alexander died, four of his generals took over the land he'd conquered- none with power as he had.
Facts…undisputed!
Now it gets a bit less clear doesn't it? While the words- Medes/Persia, Grecia were actually clarified the next power wasn't so much. Also, we know for a fact that Rome - the next power never fully disappeared but rather the Roman Empire was split up and out of the pieces of Rome came up that little horn power- the Papacy. So it's no wonder that the next power would be soooooo diverse from all the others. Rome as an empire dominating disappeared but that little horn power that took out three of the ten powers splitting up the Roman Empire sits where today? Where? Rome. This isn't coincidence, this is prophecy fulfilled.
Let's delve into this more deeply and solely by the grace of God we will gain understanding through the Holy Spirit.
Dan 8:9 And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land.
Who did this? We know Rome did, we know the Roman empire conquered like NO other had. It conquered the south, the east, and the pleasant land- the middle east and Jerusalem. (((Do you remember the Roman Centurion coming to Jesus, that soldier had a sick servant and His GREAT FAITH in the word of Jesus was what Jesus saw and Jesus healed that servant. A ROMAN soldier.))) Rome ruled in great, great power.
Dan 8:10 And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them.
Dan 8:11 Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down.
Did the power that would come out of Rome, the Papacy as we've noted --
Dan 7:20 ... even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows.
Dan 7:21 I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them
Dan 7:25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.
THIS is the Papacy beyond any doubt.
Now… what's with this…'it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them.'
Where else in our Bible are stars cast to the ground?
Rev 12:3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.
Rev 12:4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.
When our Savior was born who ruled? We just talked about this… ROME. The child is our Savior being born! Satan didn't want Jesus to live! Didn't he have Herod try to kill him as soon as He was born?
Mat 2:1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
Mat 2:2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
Mat 2:3 When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
Mat 2:4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.
Mat 2:5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet,
Mat 2:6 And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.
Mat 2:7 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.
Mat 2:8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.
Mat 2:9 When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.
Mat 2:10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
Mat 2:11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.
Mat 2:12 And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.
Yes. Satan wanted the Savior to be devoured as soon as He was born. One third of the angels were cast out from heaven when Satan sealed His fate.
Rev 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
And way back in Daniel we were told this…
Dan 8:10 And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them.
Even to the host of heaven.
Cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them.
In the time of Rome this happened, it came to pass, it is history, our history.
Dan 8:12 And an host was given him against the daily sacrifice by reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practised, and prospered.
Against the daily sacrifice…by reason of transgression… and it cast down the truth to the ground…and it practiced and prospered.
Was sacrifice was made daily?
We know the Jewish religion, the religion of the people of Israel given them by God was that of a sacrificial system. There was a daily sacrifice because of sin, our sins. That sacrificial service pointed where? To our SAVIOR who sacrificed Himself for us, to our Savior who died so we could be forgiven! Who cast the truth to the ground? Who?! ROME was the force behind the crucifixion. ROME carried out the crucifixion. ROME was used by the Pharisees who wanted Jesus dead. ROME fulfilled this. Rome practiced and prospered.
We can't deny this! We can't! It fits without being forced in any way whatsoever. It fits because God intended that it fit.
Dan 8:13 Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spake, How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot?
Dan 8:14 And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.
How long would be the vision concerning-
-the daily sacrifice
-the transgression of desolation
-to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden underfoot?
2300 days - THEN - the shall the sanctuary be cleansed.
Prophetically 2300 years? We'll have to see if it fits won't we.
The sanctuary services upon earth ended when our Savior died on the cross, yes? The veil was torn in two.
Mat 27:51 And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent
We know that there is a heavenly sanctuary.
Psa 102:19 For he hath looked down from the height of his sanctuary; from heaven did the LORD behold the earth
Heb 9:24 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us
Knowing these fact- Biblical facts we have much to discern and by the grace of God we will as we continue to study His most holy word!
Enough for tonight, more tomorrow.
May we continue to understand His truth for us, we need it sooo desperately.
In his love!
Amen.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Prophecy - 15
We're going to jump back a bit to study something a bit more in detail in our prophecy study. We don't always get clear cut meanings explained to us. Some things are crouched deeply in mysteries so they aren't unveiled until the time they are needed.
We can't ignore the birth of Jesus, as being a prophecy fulfilled. Nor can we ignore the fact that those who were given that sacred trust completely overlooked it when it happened, why? Because they'd tried to interpret the prophecies to fit the meaning they desired. The rulership of Israel was looking for a conquering Messiah. The priesthood was waiting for their great expectation of a liberating man of God. The people had been convinced that a hero, a king was going to come to free them and they had their prime example in Moses. They wanted another Moses only this time they were expecting a liberator that would free them once and for all, and put all others, all the gentiles under subjection to them. Do you know, this is what Israel still expects today. They've refused to look at the prophecies in the light of history and watch how miraculously, and meticulously the key points have been met. They refuse to believe prophecy has been fulfilled and where does that leave them? Lost.
We dare not do the same.
What do I mean? We believe in Jesus so there is no chance of us not believing in His birth, death, and resurrection, right? Right. There's no chance we'll ever dismiss Jesus as the Son of God, our Messiah, our King, our Lord, and Savior. However it is very possible that we will do the same with this Little Horn power. People do NOT want to believe things are other than they've been taught to imagine.
People have grown up on the belief that the Antichrist is just a single person.
Do you know where this belief comes from?
Read this first--
'Many Protestant reformers, including Martin Luther, John Calvin, Thomas Cranmer, John Knox, and Cotton Mather, identified the Roman Papacy as the Antichrist.[31] The Centuriators of Magdeburg, a group of Lutheran scholars in Magdeburg headed by Matthias Flacius, wrote the 12-volume "Magdeburg Centuries" to discredit the papacy and identify the pope as the Antichrist.'
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'The view of Futurism, a product of the Counter-Reformation, was advanced beginning in the 16th century in response to the identification of the Papacy as Antichrist. Francisco Ribera, a Jesuit priest, developed this theory in In Sacrum Beati Ioannis Apostoli, & Evangelistiae Apocalypsin Commentarij, his 1585 treatise on the Apocalypse of John. St. Bellarmine codified this view, giving in full the Catholic theory set forth by the Greek and Latin Fathers, of a personal Antichrist to come just before the end of the world and to be accepted by the Jews and enthroned in the temple at Jerusalem — thus endeavoring to dispose of the exposition which saw Antichrist in the pope.'
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We need to discuss Futurism, we need to discuss this personal Antichrist because SO many are caught up in this they've failed to realize this was something the PAPACY instigated to counter Biblical proofs from - Martin Luther, John Calvin, Thomas Cranmer, John Knox, and Cotton Mather.
We've already studied to reveal the Papacy as the Little Horn power which would exist until our Savior returns. We've studied at great lengths and it adds up as NO other adds up.
History has proven this even beyond what those men of the reformation identified the Papacy as being the Antichrist. The Papacy labeled those who believed this as heretics and they had to come up with something to counter this and that something was…futurism.
* (Please take the time to really read the following information, even go as far to look things up for yourself because the internet is at your fingertips and studying all this is a necessity.)
'Futurism' is the idea of a future figure anti-Christ such as a Damien Thorn of the Omen movies' , developed by Jesuits as a distraction from 'Historicism' of the anti-Christ as the historical Roman Catholic Church
From http://www.lmn.org/magazine/170/Jesuits.html
'At the Council of Trent, the Jesuits were commissioned by the Pope to develop a new interpretation of Scripture that would counteract the Protestant application of the Bible’s Antichrist prophecies to the Roman Catholic Church. Francisco Ribera (1537-1591), a brilliant Jesuit priest and doctor of theology from Spain, basically said, “Here am I, send me.” Like Martin Luther, Francisco Ribera also read by candlelight the prophecies about the Antichrist, the little horn, that man of sin, and the Beast. But because of his dedication and allegiance to the Pope, he came to conclusions vastly different from those of the Protestants. “Why, these prophecies don’t apply to the Catholic Church at all!” Ribera said. Then to whom do they apply? Ribera proclaimed, “To only one sinister man who will rise up at the end of time!” “Fantastic!” was the reply from Rome, and this viewpoint was quickly adopted as the official Roman Catholic position on the Antichrist.
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“In 1590, Ribera published a commentary on the Revelation as a counter-interpretation to the prevailing view among Protestants which identified the Papacy with the Antichrist. Ribera applied all of Revelation but the earliest chapters to the end time rather than to the history of the Church. Antichrist would be a single evil person who would be received by the Jews and would rebuild Jerusalem.”5 “Ribera denied the Protestant Scriptural Antichrist (2 Thessalonians 2) as seated in the church of God—asserted by Augustine, Jerome, Luther and many reformers. He set on an infidel Antichrist, outside the church of God.”6 “The result of his work [Ribera’s] was a twisting and maligning of prophetic truth.”7
Cardinal Robert Bellarmine, who helped popularize and propagate the futuristic interpretation of biblical prophecy.
Following close behind Francisco Ribera was another brilliant Jesuit scholar, Cardinal Robert Bellarmine (1542-1621) of Rome. Between 1581 and 1593, Cardinal Bellarmine published his “Polemic Lectures Concerning the Disputed Points of the Christian Belief Against the Heretics of This Time.” In these lectures, he agreed with Ribera. “The futurist teachings of Ribera were further popularized by an Italian cardinal and the most renowned of all Jesuit controversialists. His writings claimed that Paul, Daniel, and John had nothing whatsoever to say about the Papal power. The futurists’ school won general acceptance among Catholics. They were taught that Antichrist was a single individual who would not rule until the very end of time.”8 Through the work of these two tricky Jesuit scholars, we might say that a brand new baby was born into the world. Protestant historians have given this baby a name—Jesuit Futurism. In fact, Francisco Ribera has been called the Father of Futurism.
Futurism in America
One of the most important figures in this whole drama is Cyrus Ingerson Scofield (1843-1921), a Kansas lawyer who was greatly influenced by the writings of Darby. In 1909, Scofield published the first edition of his famous Scofield Reference Bible. In the early 1900s, this Bible became so popular in American Protestant Bible schools that it was necessary to print literally millions of copies. Yet, in the much-respected footnotes of this very Bible, Scofield injected large doses of the fluid of Futurism also found in the writings of Darby, Todd, Maitland, Bellarmine, and Ribera. Through the Scofield Bible, the Jesuit child reached young adulthood. The doctrine of an Antichrist still to come was becoming firmly established inside 20th-century American Protestantism.
Cyrus Scofield, the famed publisher of the Scofield Reference Bible, liberally interspersed the footnotes of his Bible with large doses of Futurism. These footnotes are still widely accepted by many theologians today.
The Moody Bible Institute and the Dallas Theological Seminary have strongly supported the teachings of John Nelson Darby, and this has continued to fuel Futurism’s growth. Then in the 1970s, Pastor Hal Lindsey, a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary, released his blockbuster book The Late Great Planet Earth. This 177-page, easy-to-read volume brought Futurism to the masses of American Christianity, and beyond. The New York Times labeled it “The number one best-seller of the decade.” Over 30 million copies have been sold, and it has been translated into over 30 languages. Through The Late Great Planet Earth, Jesuit Futurism took a strong hold over the Protestant Christian world.
Left Behind
Now we have Left Behind. In the 1990s, Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins took the future one-man Antichrist idea of Hal Lindsey, Scofield, Darby, Irving, Newman, Todd, Maitland, Bellarmine, and Ribera, and turned it into “The most successful Christian-fiction series ever” (Publishers Weekly). Hal Lindsey’s book, The Late Great Planet Earth, was largely theological, which limited its appeal, while Left Behind is a sequence of highly imaginative novels, “overflowing with suspense, action, and adventure,” a “Christian thriller,” with a “label its creators could never have predicted: blockbuster success” (Entertainment Weekly). The much-respected television ministries of Jack Van Impe, Peter and Paul Lalonde, and Pastor John Hagee, have all worked together to produce LEFT BEHIND: The Movie. The entire project has even caught the attention of the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, resulting in an interview of LaHaye and Jenkins on Larry King Live. The Left Behind books have been made available on displays at WalMart, Fry’s Electronics, and inside countless other stores.
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Francisco Ribera
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Francisco Ribera (1537–1591) was a Jesuit doctor of theology, born in Spain. He began writing a lengthy (500 page) commentary in 1585 on the book of Revelation (Apocalypse) titled In Sacrum Beati Ioannis Apostoli, & Evangelistiae Apocalypsin Commentarij, and published it about the year 1590. He died in 1591 at the age of fifty-four, so he was not able to expand on his work or write any other commentaries on Revelation. In order to remove the Catholic Church from consideration as the antichrist, Ribera proposed that the first few chapters of the Apocalypse applied to ancient pagan Rome, and the rest he limited to a yet future period of 3½ literal years, immediately prior to the second coming. During that time, the Roman Catholic Church would have fallen away from the pope into apostasy. Then, he proposed, the antichrist, a single individual, would:
Persecute and blaspheme the saints of God.
Rebuild the temple in Jerusalem.
Abolish the Christian religion.
Deny Jesus Christ.
Be received by the Jews.
Pretend to be God.
Kill the two witnesses of God.
Conquer the world.
So, according to Ribera, the 1260 days and 42 months and 3½ times of prophecy were not 1260 years as based on the year-day principle (Numbers 14:34 and Ezekiel 4:6), but a literal 3½ years. Therefore, none of the book of Revelation had any application to the Middle Ages or the papacy, but to the future; to a period immediately prior to the second coming, hence the name Futurism. If this interpretation is correct, the reading and exposition of Revelation is unnecessary; a position that is in direct opposition to the reason it was written (Rev. 1:1-3).
The Futuristic system of interpretation was instigated by the Council of Trent (1545–1563) as a response to the Protestant reformation. Jesuit priests, Francisco Ribera and Robert Bellarmine, over several decades, developed the proposition that everything in Revelation from chapters 4-22 was to come to pass sometime in the future, thereby removing all incriminating interpretations against the Papacy. The Historicist method of interpretation had been building for 1500 years with input, argument, and discussion from hundreds of scholars, scientists, and theologians (most of which were Catholic). However, the Counter-Reformation solution proposed by Ribera and Bellarmine was in direct conflict with Peter's clear statement, "Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation." 2 Peter 1:20, according to Froom (1948, Vols. 2, 3)
The first Protestant to accept and espouse Futurism was Samuel Roffey Maitland (1792–1866) curate of Christ Church, Gloucester, who wrote a 72 page pamphlet in 1826 denouncing the year-day principle. Even though many defended the traditional historical positions, Futurism became more and more popular with Protestants, especially after the printing of the Scofield Reference Bible about 1900. (Froom, 1948, Vols. 3, 4)
[edit] References
Ralph Thompson, Champions of Christianity in Search of Truth, p. 91.
H. Grattan Guinness, History Unveiling Prophecy or Time as an Interpreter, New York: Fleming H. Revell Co., 1905, p. 289.
The Incredible Cover-Up: Exposing the Origins of Rapture Theories, by Dave MacPherson. Omega Publications, Medford Oregon. 1980.
Leroy Edwin Froom, The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers: The Historical Development of Prophetic Interpretation, Washington, DC: Review and Herald, 1948, Vol. 2, pp. 486–493, Vol. 3, pp. 533, 655, 731, Vol. 4, 1195, 1196, 1204.
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The opposite of Futurism is Preterism- Not future but past, all the prophecy has been fulfilled in the past- something that absolutely IS NOT supported by prophecy!
'Preterism is a Christian eschatological view that interprets prophecies of the Bible, especially Daniel and Revelation, as events which have already happened in the first century A.D. Preterism holds that Ancient Israel finds its continuation or fulfillment in the Christian church at the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. The term preterism comes from the Latin praeter, which is listed in Webster's 1913 dictionary as a prefix denoting that something is "past" or "beyond," signifying that either all or a majority of Bible prophecy was fulfilled by AD 70. Adherents of Preterism are commonly known as Preterists.'
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preterism
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If you've read all this then you've had a lot to take in, a lot! But mostly history and not Bible studying. The two go hand in hand with prophecy as we've stated and will continue to state.
The history proves that this isn't some NEW fad thought up by someone but rather these beliefs began a long, long time ago and as time continued on the puzzle pieces continued to be put into the puzzle and the picture has grown clearer and clearer.
Our Savior would have us WATCHING and PRAYING!
We are watching!
Luk 12:37 Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.
Found watching. Don't you want to be found watching? I want to be found watching!
Please Lord find us watching for you! Find us watching as the prophecies You have given us are fulfilled. Find us watching as you instruct us to watch. Lord we need You, we need Your guidance. We need Your enlightenment. We need the Holy Spirit to touch our hearts and minds, opening our understanding. Please Lord as we continue to study Your prophecies help us, bless us!
By Your amazing love! By Your grace! Only through YOU!
Amen.
We can't ignore the birth of Jesus, as being a prophecy fulfilled. Nor can we ignore the fact that those who were given that sacred trust completely overlooked it when it happened, why? Because they'd tried to interpret the prophecies to fit the meaning they desired. The rulership of Israel was looking for a conquering Messiah. The priesthood was waiting for their great expectation of a liberating man of God. The people had been convinced that a hero, a king was going to come to free them and they had their prime example in Moses. They wanted another Moses only this time they were expecting a liberator that would free them once and for all, and put all others, all the gentiles under subjection to them. Do you know, this is what Israel still expects today. They've refused to look at the prophecies in the light of history and watch how miraculously, and meticulously the key points have been met. They refuse to believe prophecy has been fulfilled and where does that leave them? Lost.
We dare not do the same.
What do I mean? We believe in Jesus so there is no chance of us not believing in His birth, death, and resurrection, right? Right. There's no chance we'll ever dismiss Jesus as the Son of God, our Messiah, our King, our Lord, and Savior. However it is very possible that we will do the same with this Little Horn power. People do NOT want to believe things are other than they've been taught to imagine.
People have grown up on the belief that the Antichrist is just a single person.
Do you know where this belief comes from?
Read this first--
'Many Protestant reformers, including Martin Luther, John Calvin, Thomas Cranmer, John Knox, and Cotton Mather, identified the Roman Papacy as the Antichrist.[31] The Centuriators of Magdeburg, a group of Lutheran scholars in Magdeburg headed by Matthias Flacius, wrote the 12-volume "Magdeburg Centuries" to discredit the papacy and identify the pope as the Antichrist.'
Pasted from
'The view of Futurism, a product of the Counter-Reformation, was advanced beginning in the 16th century in response to the identification of the Papacy as Antichrist. Francisco Ribera, a Jesuit priest, developed this theory in In Sacrum Beati Ioannis Apostoli, & Evangelistiae Apocalypsin Commentarij, his 1585 treatise on the Apocalypse of John. St. Bellarmine codified this view, giving in full the Catholic theory set forth by the Greek and Latin Fathers, of a personal Antichrist to come just before the end of the world and to be accepted by the Jews and enthroned in the temple at Jerusalem — thus endeavoring to dispose of the exposition which saw Antichrist in the pope.'
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We need to discuss Futurism, we need to discuss this personal Antichrist because SO many are caught up in this they've failed to realize this was something the PAPACY instigated to counter Biblical proofs from - Martin Luther, John Calvin, Thomas Cranmer, John Knox, and Cotton Mather.
We've already studied to reveal the Papacy as the Little Horn power which would exist until our Savior returns. We've studied at great lengths and it adds up as NO other adds up.
History has proven this even beyond what those men of the reformation identified the Papacy as being the Antichrist. The Papacy labeled those who believed this as heretics and they had to come up with something to counter this and that something was…futurism.
* (Please take the time to really read the following information, even go as far to look things up for yourself because the internet is at your fingertips and studying all this is a necessity.)
'Futurism' is the idea of a future figure anti-Christ such as a Damien Thorn of the Omen movies' , developed by Jesuits as a distraction from 'Historicism' of the anti-Christ as the historical Roman Catholic Church
From http://www.lmn.org/magazine/170/Jesuits.html
'At the Council of Trent, the Jesuits were commissioned by the Pope to develop a new interpretation of Scripture that would counteract the Protestant application of the Bible’s Antichrist prophecies to the Roman Catholic Church. Francisco Ribera (1537-1591), a brilliant Jesuit priest and doctor of theology from Spain, basically said, “Here am I, send me.” Like Martin Luther, Francisco Ribera also read by candlelight the prophecies about the Antichrist, the little horn, that man of sin, and the Beast. But because of his dedication and allegiance to the Pope, he came to conclusions vastly different from those of the Protestants. “Why, these prophecies don’t apply to the Catholic Church at all!” Ribera said. Then to whom do they apply? Ribera proclaimed, “To only one sinister man who will rise up at the end of time!” “Fantastic!” was the reply from Rome, and this viewpoint was quickly adopted as the official Roman Catholic position on the Antichrist.
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“In 1590, Ribera published a commentary on the Revelation as a counter-interpretation to the prevailing view among Protestants which identified the Papacy with the Antichrist. Ribera applied all of Revelation but the earliest chapters to the end time rather than to the history of the Church. Antichrist would be a single evil person who would be received by the Jews and would rebuild Jerusalem.”5 “Ribera denied the Protestant Scriptural Antichrist (2 Thessalonians 2) as seated in the church of God—asserted by Augustine, Jerome, Luther and many reformers. He set on an infidel Antichrist, outside the church of God.”6 “The result of his work [Ribera’s] was a twisting and maligning of prophetic truth.”7
Cardinal Robert Bellarmine, who helped popularize and propagate the futuristic interpretation of biblical prophecy.
Following close behind Francisco Ribera was another brilliant Jesuit scholar, Cardinal Robert Bellarmine (1542-1621) of Rome. Between 1581 and 1593, Cardinal Bellarmine published his “Polemic Lectures Concerning the Disputed Points of the Christian Belief Against the Heretics of This Time.” In these lectures, he agreed with Ribera. “The futurist teachings of Ribera were further popularized by an Italian cardinal and the most renowned of all Jesuit controversialists. His writings claimed that Paul, Daniel, and John had nothing whatsoever to say about the Papal power. The futurists’ school won general acceptance among Catholics. They were taught that Antichrist was a single individual who would not rule until the very end of time.”8 Through the work of these two tricky Jesuit scholars, we might say that a brand new baby was born into the world. Protestant historians have given this baby a name—Jesuit Futurism. In fact, Francisco Ribera has been called the Father of Futurism.
Futurism in America
One of the most important figures in this whole drama is Cyrus Ingerson Scofield (1843-1921), a Kansas lawyer who was greatly influenced by the writings of Darby. In 1909, Scofield published the first edition of his famous Scofield Reference Bible. In the early 1900s, this Bible became so popular in American Protestant Bible schools that it was necessary to print literally millions of copies. Yet, in the much-respected footnotes of this very Bible, Scofield injected large doses of the fluid of Futurism also found in the writings of Darby, Todd, Maitland, Bellarmine, and Ribera. Through the Scofield Bible, the Jesuit child reached young adulthood. The doctrine of an Antichrist still to come was becoming firmly established inside 20th-century American Protestantism.
Cyrus Scofield, the famed publisher of the Scofield Reference Bible, liberally interspersed the footnotes of his Bible with large doses of Futurism. These footnotes are still widely accepted by many theologians today.
The Moody Bible Institute and the Dallas Theological Seminary have strongly supported the teachings of John Nelson Darby, and this has continued to fuel Futurism’s growth. Then in the 1970s, Pastor Hal Lindsey, a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary, released his blockbuster book The Late Great Planet Earth. This 177-page, easy-to-read volume brought Futurism to the masses of American Christianity, and beyond. The New York Times labeled it “The number one best-seller of the decade.” Over 30 million copies have been sold, and it has been translated into over 30 languages. Through The Late Great Planet Earth, Jesuit Futurism took a strong hold over the Protestant Christian world.
Left Behind
Now we have Left Behind. In the 1990s, Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins took the future one-man Antichrist idea of Hal Lindsey, Scofield, Darby, Irving, Newman, Todd, Maitland, Bellarmine, and Ribera, and turned it into “The most successful Christian-fiction series ever” (Publishers Weekly). Hal Lindsey’s book, The Late Great Planet Earth, was largely theological, which limited its appeal, while Left Behind is a sequence of highly imaginative novels, “overflowing with suspense, action, and adventure,” a “Christian thriller,” with a “label its creators could never have predicted: blockbuster success” (Entertainment Weekly). The much-respected television ministries of Jack Van Impe, Peter and Paul Lalonde, and Pastor John Hagee, have all worked together to produce LEFT BEHIND: The Movie. The entire project has even caught the attention of the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, resulting in an interview of LaHaye and Jenkins on Larry King Live. The Left Behind books have been made available on displays at WalMart, Fry’s Electronics, and inside countless other stores.
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Francisco Ribera
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Francisco Ribera (1537–1591) was a Jesuit doctor of theology, born in Spain. He began writing a lengthy (500 page) commentary in 1585 on the book of Revelation (Apocalypse) titled In Sacrum Beati Ioannis Apostoli, & Evangelistiae Apocalypsin Commentarij, and published it about the year 1590. He died in 1591 at the age of fifty-four, so he was not able to expand on his work or write any other commentaries on Revelation. In order to remove the Catholic Church from consideration as the antichrist, Ribera proposed that the first few chapters of the Apocalypse applied to ancient pagan Rome, and the rest he limited to a yet future period of 3½ literal years, immediately prior to the second coming. During that time, the Roman Catholic Church would have fallen away from the pope into apostasy. Then, he proposed, the antichrist, a single individual, would:
Persecute and blaspheme the saints of God.
Rebuild the temple in Jerusalem.
Abolish the Christian religion.
Deny Jesus Christ.
Be received by the Jews.
Pretend to be God.
Kill the two witnesses of God.
Conquer the world.
So, according to Ribera, the 1260 days and 42 months and 3½ times of prophecy were not 1260 years as based on the year-day principle (Numbers 14:34 and Ezekiel 4:6), but a literal 3½ years. Therefore, none of the book of Revelation had any application to the Middle Ages or the papacy, but to the future; to a period immediately prior to the second coming, hence the name Futurism. If this interpretation is correct, the reading and exposition of Revelation is unnecessary; a position that is in direct opposition to the reason it was written (Rev. 1:1-3).
The Futuristic system of interpretation was instigated by the Council of Trent (1545–1563) as a response to the Protestant reformation. Jesuit priests, Francisco Ribera and Robert Bellarmine, over several decades, developed the proposition that everything in Revelation from chapters 4-22 was to come to pass sometime in the future, thereby removing all incriminating interpretations against the Papacy. The Historicist method of interpretation had been building for 1500 years with input, argument, and discussion from hundreds of scholars, scientists, and theologians (most of which were Catholic). However, the Counter-Reformation solution proposed by Ribera and Bellarmine was in direct conflict with Peter's clear statement, "Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation." 2 Peter 1:20, according to Froom (1948, Vols. 2, 3)
The first Protestant to accept and espouse Futurism was Samuel Roffey Maitland (1792–1866) curate of Christ Church, Gloucester, who wrote a 72 page pamphlet in 1826 denouncing the year-day principle. Even though many defended the traditional historical positions, Futurism became more and more popular with Protestants, especially after the printing of the Scofield Reference Bible about 1900. (Froom, 1948, Vols. 3, 4)
[edit] References
Ralph Thompson, Champions of Christianity in Search of Truth, p. 91.
H. Grattan Guinness, History Unveiling Prophecy or Time as an Interpreter, New York: Fleming H. Revell Co., 1905, p. 289.
The Incredible Cover-Up: Exposing the Origins of Rapture Theories, by Dave MacPherson. Omega Publications, Medford Oregon. 1980.
Leroy Edwin Froom, The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers: The Historical Development of Prophetic Interpretation, Washington, DC: Review and Herald, 1948, Vol. 2, pp. 486–493, Vol. 3, pp. 533, 655, 731, Vol. 4, 1195, 1196, 1204.
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The opposite of Futurism is Preterism- Not future but past, all the prophecy has been fulfilled in the past- something that absolutely IS NOT supported by prophecy!
'Preterism is a Christian eschatological view that interprets prophecies of the Bible, especially Daniel and Revelation, as events which have already happened in the first century A.D. Preterism holds that Ancient Israel finds its continuation or fulfillment in the Christian church at the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. The term preterism comes from the Latin praeter, which is listed in Webster's 1913 dictionary as a prefix denoting that something is "past" or "beyond," signifying that either all or a majority of Bible prophecy was fulfilled by AD 70. Adherents of Preterism are commonly known as Preterists.'
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preterism
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If you've read all this then you've had a lot to take in, a lot! But mostly history and not Bible studying. The two go hand in hand with prophecy as we've stated and will continue to state.
The history proves that this isn't some NEW fad thought up by someone but rather these beliefs began a long, long time ago and as time continued on the puzzle pieces continued to be put into the puzzle and the picture has grown clearer and clearer.
Our Savior would have us WATCHING and PRAYING!
We are watching!
Luk 12:37 Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.
Found watching. Don't you want to be found watching? I want to be found watching!
Please Lord find us watching for you! Find us watching as the prophecies You have given us are fulfilled. Find us watching as you instruct us to watch. Lord we need You, we need Your guidance. We need Your enlightenment. We need the Holy Spirit to touch our hearts and minds, opening our understanding. Please Lord as we continue to study Your prophecies help us, bless us!
By Your amazing love! By Your grace! Only through YOU!
Amen.
Monday, June 27, 2011
Viewed in the Light of Eternity
Luk 21:34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.
Luk 21:35 For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.
Luk 21:36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
We just studied this yesterday so why are we back here? I'll tell you why we are back here. We're back here because yesterday we talked about taking heed of three snares in our lives, but I just don't think we talked enough. I haven't forgotten the prophecy study we are on, but that prophecy study needs to be interspersed with the life lessons that we need to understand because what good does it do for us to understand the end is coming and the Bible prophecy is real if we aren't prepared for that end?
Life is one long learning process for us. Even those caught up in a mundane routine that never seems to vary- they too are constantly learning on some level. Every moment of our existence is a chance to live for Christ or not to live for Christ. Really, this is ALL that matters in our life- God. Before you start freaking out and naming all the things that are important, ask yourself this, do any of those things matter without God? Seriously, does good health matter unless you are God's? Does the health of your children matter if they can't see God in your life and have God themselves? Does having money, a job, a home matter if you do not know Jesus in your life as your Savior? All those things exist without God in your life- they don't disappear the moment you turn on God or if you've never accepted God. The same problems, the same pleasures, the same you exists but when you have God your spiritual dimension changes and as your spiritual dimension alters then it can affect other parts of your life- not necessarily changing the existence of things so much as changing how you might view them. Viewing things in the light of eternity, viewing things in light of forever living with God, viewing things with the understanding that NOW is only temporary changes perspectives. Does accepting our Savior mean you will suddenly love mushrooms if you despised them before? No. Does accepting our Savior mean you will suddenly no longer be annoyed at head-banging music as you were before? No. Accepting our Savior begins a new life- a spiritual life and just like our physical lives our spiritual lives will go through transformations, our spiritual lives will suffer from that refining process we are all called to go through. We will have spiritual growing pains and NO two people will have the same experience.
Yesterday we talked about being overcharged with:
Surfeiting
Drunkenness
Cares of this life
And one of the things we mentioned was how EVERYONE is vulnerable to these three snares of Satan. The whole world has the potential of being ensnared by a trap laid by the Devil himself and brought up into wonderful fullness. The Devil has made these snaring points what we generally just call 'life' today. His snare is our life. You can't get much more deceptive than that, can you? Oh well, that's life. That's just how it is. Can't change things. Things just keep getting worse. How to handle this, how to handle that, how to deal with life. Life for Dummies. The 911 on Life. Accept it, you can't alter it. Go with the flow. Modern thought. Current times. Keep up with evolution. Advance in acceptance. Don't be old school. New times. This day and age. Be informed. The newest trend. And the list goes on and on and forever on doesn't it?
Do we REALLY believe that our modern world with all it's advancements haven't come at a price?
Do we teach eternal life? Do we prepare our children for the real life possible for them to possess in Christ? Forget all about everything else and think about the reality of Christ's return to take us with Him. Do we LIVE with this as a REALITY?
Take heed.
Watch and Pray.
IF… and I really shouldn't even use that word…but I will because I'm not going to presume you aren't in a place of watching and praying as you take heed. If you find yourself caught up being overcharged with any one of those three things mentioned, or with two of them, or all three- what are you going to do? Will the third thing- cares of this life swell to gigantic proportions to envelope the other two? Or maybe drunkenness, drugs, intoxicating influences will be what inflates to deal with the other two. Perhaps you'll just indulge like never before in eating or other self-pleasures of your choosing to the point you think you care less about anything else so you're not caught up in those old life cares, right?
Vile and vicious, insidious, and spiritually-flesh eating, these three things have an incalculable number of tendrils snaking out every which way weaving in and out of our lives at any given moment trying to keep us from ever being free in Christ.
So…
Examine your life. Do it. Go on. Examine your life. Take an introspective walk through your last day. Do you notice points where any of those three snares might have you? You do? Good, good. Now do you feel a slight sense of despair at ever being snare free feeling you?
Think about this- overcharged heart.
This didn't say you can NEVER do anything for yourself in any way.
This didn't say you can NEVER drink.
This didn't say you can NEVER care about anything at all in life.
This said OVERCHARGED with these things. Letting our LIVES revolve around these things. Letting these things consume our lives! Letting these things become our lives!
We can't despair, Satan wants that more than anything. Satan wants us to despair to the point of losing all hope.
If you are trapped in any of these things or all of them, there is HOPE. CHRIST is our HOPE! We find our freedom from the snares only in CHRIST and no other place.
1Ti 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope
Rom 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
Rom 5:2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Rom 5:3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
Rom 5:4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
Rom 5:5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
Rom 5:6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
Rom 5:7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.
Rom 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Rom 5:9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
Rom 5:10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
Mat 26:41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
Mar 13:33 Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.
Luk 12:37 Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching
Mat 25:13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.
1Co 16:13 Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.
2Ti 4:5 But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions
1Pe 4:7 But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.
1Pe 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour
Eph 6:18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints
This is the counsel we have been given. We can choose to ignore it. We can choose to make a half-hearted attempt at a life in Christ. We can choose to keep the snare about us and deceive ourselves if we want that and many will want that. The life Christ calls us to isn't one of worldliness in any way. If we want the world and Christ it's just not going to work at all, not really, no matter how much we want it to. Satan has packaged this world in a pretty, very enticing wrapping completely with ribbons and bows the only thing he hasn't done is sign the gift card because he wants us to be deceived.
Our life cannot be mostly worldly with a pinch of Jesus. Our lives have to be mostly Jesus with a pinch of the world and only that pinch because we have to live in this world- even Jesus understood that we had to live here and He prayed to His Father to have us kept from evil while we were living in this world.
This must be our prayer, keep us from evil Lord, keep us from anything that would keep us from You! Let us NOT be deceived. Help us to watch, to take heed to all that we need to so that we may be with you, that we may rise to meet You in the air when You come for us. Please Lord, all by Your grace! All by your mercy! All through Your righteousness in Your amazing LOVE, by Your Son, through forgiveness He gives to us.
Please Lord.
Please.
Amen.
Luk 21:35 For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.
Luk 21:36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
We just studied this yesterday so why are we back here? I'll tell you why we are back here. We're back here because yesterday we talked about taking heed of three snares in our lives, but I just don't think we talked enough. I haven't forgotten the prophecy study we are on, but that prophecy study needs to be interspersed with the life lessons that we need to understand because what good does it do for us to understand the end is coming and the Bible prophecy is real if we aren't prepared for that end?
Life is one long learning process for us. Even those caught up in a mundane routine that never seems to vary- they too are constantly learning on some level. Every moment of our existence is a chance to live for Christ or not to live for Christ. Really, this is ALL that matters in our life- God. Before you start freaking out and naming all the things that are important, ask yourself this, do any of those things matter without God? Seriously, does good health matter unless you are God's? Does the health of your children matter if they can't see God in your life and have God themselves? Does having money, a job, a home matter if you do not know Jesus in your life as your Savior? All those things exist without God in your life- they don't disappear the moment you turn on God or if you've never accepted God. The same problems, the same pleasures, the same you exists but when you have God your spiritual dimension changes and as your spiritual dimension alters then it can affect other parts of your life- not necessarily changing the existence of things so much as changing how you might view them. Viewing things in the light of eternity, viewing things in light of forever living with God, viewing things with the understanding that NOW is only temporary changes perspectives. Does accepting our Savior mean you will suddenly love mushrooms if you despised them before? No. Does accepting our Savior mean you will suddenly no longer be annoyed at head-banging music as you were before? No. Accepting our Savior begins a new life- a spiritual life and just like our physical lives our spiritual lives will go through transformations, our spiritual lives will suffer from that refining process we are all called to go through. We will have spiritual growing pains and NO two people will have the same experience.
Yesterday we talked about being overcharged with:
Surfeiting
Drunkenness
Cares of this life
And one of the things we mentioned was how EVERYONE is vulnerable to these three snares of Satan. The whole world has the potential of being ensnared by a trap laid by the Devil himself and brought up into wonderful fullness. The Devil has made these snaring points what we generally just call 'life' today. His snare is our life. You can't get much more deceptive than that, can you? Oh well, that's life. That's just how it is. Can't change things. Things just keep getting worse. How to handle this, how to handle that, how to deal with life. Life for Dummies. The 911 on Life. Accept it, you can't alter it. Go with the flow. Modern thought. Current times. Keep up with evolution. Advance in acceptance. Don't be old school. New times. This day and age. Be informed. The newest trend. And the list goes on and on and forever on doesn't it?
Do we REALLY believe that our modern world with all it's advancements haven't come at a price?
Do we teach eternal life? Do we prepare our children for the real life possible for them to possess in Christ? Forget all about everything else and think about the reality of Christ's return to take us with Him. Do we LIVE with this as a REALITY?
Take heed.
Watch and Pray.
IF… and I really shouldn't even use that word…but I will because I'm not going to presume you aren't in a place of watching and praying as you take heed. If you find yourself caught up being overcharged with any one of those three things mentioned, or with two of them, or all three- what are you going to do? Will the third thing- cares of this life swell to gigantic proportions to envelope the other two? Or maybe drunkenness, drugs, intoxicating influences will be what inflates to deal with the other two. Perhaps you'll just indulge like never before in eating or other self-pleasures of your choosing to the point you think you care less about anything else so you're not caught up in those old life cares, right?
Vile and vicious, insidious, and spiritually-flesh eating, these three things have an incalculable number of tendrils snaking out every which way weaving in and out of our lives at any given moment trying to keep us from ever being free in Christ.
So…
Examine your life. Do it. Go on. Examine your life. Take an introspective walk through your last day. Do you notice points where any of those three snares might have you? You do? Good, good. Now do you feel a slight sense of despair at ever being snare free feeling you?
Think about this- overcharged heart.
This didn't say you can NEVER do anything for yourself in any way.
This didn't say you can NEVER drink.
This didn't say you can NEVER care about anything at all in life.
This said OVERCHARGED with these things. Letting our LIVES revolve around these things. Letting these things consume our lives! Letting these things become our lives!
We can't despair, Satan wants that more than anything. Satan wants us to despair to the point of losing all hope.
If you are trapped in any of these things or all of them, there is HOPE. CHRIST is our HOPE! We find our freedom from the snares only in CHRIST and no other place.
1Ti 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope
Rom 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
Rom 5:2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Rom 5:3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
Rom 5:4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
Rom 5:5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
Rom 5:6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
Rom 5:7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.
Rom 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Rom 5:9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
Rom 5:10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
Mat 26:41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
Mar 13:33 Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.
Luk 12:37 Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching
Mat 25:13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.
1Co 16:13 Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.
2Ti 4:5 But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions
1Pe 4:7 But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.
1Pe 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour
Eph 6:18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints
This is the counsel we have been given. We can choose to ignore it. We can choose to make a half-hearted attempt at a life in Christ. We can choose to keep the snare about us and deceive ourselves if we want that and many will want that. The life Christ calls us to isn't one of worldliness in any way. If we want the world and Christ it's just not going to work at all, not really, no matter how much we want it to. Satan has packaged this world in a pretty, very enticing wrapping completely with ribbons and bows the only thing he hasn't done is sign the gift card because he wants us to be deceived.
Our life cannot be mostly worldly with a pinch of Jesus. Our lives have to be mostly Jesus with a pinch of the world and only that pinch because we have to live in this world- even Jesus understood that we had to live here and He prayed to His Father to have us kept from evil while we were living in this world.
This must be our prayer, keep us from evil Lord, keep us from anything that would keep us from You! Let us NOT be deceived. Help us to watch, to take heed to all that we need to so that we may be with you, that we may rise to meet You in the air when You come for us. Please Lord, all by Your grace! All by your mercy! All through Your righteousness in Your amazing LOVE, by Your Son, through forgiveness He gives to us.
Please Lord.
Please.
Amen.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Do You Dwell On The Earth? Then take heed.
Stupid question? Well, maybe but guess what there is SNARE that is coming to all that dwell on earth, every last single human being. What sort of snare? The sort that will keep you from eternal life in Christ. Sounds fictional and fanatical? I didn't write it, Jesus did.
Luk 21:34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.
Luk 21:35 For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.
Luk 21:36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
For context maybe we need to read a bit more.
Luk 21:8 And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.
Luk 21:9 But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by.
Luk 21:10 Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:
Luk 21:11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
Luk 21:12 But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake.
Luk 21:13 And it shall turn to you for a testimony.
Luk 21:14 Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer:
Luk 21:15 For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.
Luk 21:16 And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death.
Luk 21:17 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake.
Luk 21:18 But there shall not an hair of your head perish.
Luk 21:19 In your patience possess ye your souls.
Luk 21:20 And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.
Luk 21:21 Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto.
Luk 21:22 For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.
Luk 21:23 But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people.
Luk 21:24 And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.
Luk 21:25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;
Luk 21:26 Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
Luk 21:27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.
Luk 21:29 And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees;
Luk 21:30 When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.
Luk 21:31 So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.
Luk 21:32 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled.
Luk 21:33 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.
Luk 21:34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.
Luk 21:35 For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.
Luk 21:36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
How is that for context?
Wait, how can this be? Jesus said it all way back then to His disciples. Jesus said all He said then to ALL of us right up until the end of time and if we don't believe this then we've got a huge problem starting with salvation.
We are to TAKE heed to ourselves. We aren't to look at others and take heed to them, but take heed to ourselves. We can control what we do, but not what another does, right? Right.
We are taking heed to ourselves - watching ourselves- lest at ANY TIME our HEARTS are overcharged with surfeiting- excess, fullness, bloating, over indulgence, lest at ANY TIME our HEARTS be overcharged with drunkenness, lest at ANY TIME our hearts be overcharged with cares of this life.
These THREE things can entrap us, can be a snare for us. These THREE things can cause the day of Salvation to come upon us unaware. These THREE things are so insidious they trap us for who? Whose snare is being set? Someone has to lay the trap for there to even be one, right? A trap, a snare, isn't put in place unless someone is hunting for something, right? Seriously. Would I lay a snare down to trap something if I didn't want to trap *that* particular something? Would the snare suddenly be there without anyone at all putting it there? No. Snares are put in place by a person wanting to entrap something. So this ALL encompassing snare that has the potential to ensnare ALL that dwell on the face of the whole earth, who put it there?
A snare is… anything that traps or entangles someone or something unaware. It's to capture by trickery.
Someone wants to trick all the inhabitants of the whole earth. Someone wants to trap every human being in existence. Who?
Who is invested in people NOT obtaining salvation in Christ? Who has a stake in people NOT spending eternity with Jesus Christ their Lord and Savior? Someone does. Someone wants this and someone has worked exceedingly long and hard setting up His snare.
2Ti 2:24 And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient,
2Ti 2:25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;
2Ti 2:26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.
Recover out of the SNARE of the DEVIL- WHO are taken CAPTIVE by HIM at HIS will.
The devil wants us! The Devil has laid a snare for us!
The Devil lays the snare that will come upon all who are on earth. All of us. Every single one of us will has the potential to be ensnared and the ONLY thing that will stop this from happening is if we TAKE HEED TO OURSELVES.
People don't like to take heed to themselves. People LOVE living in excess, living beyond their means, living extravagantly, even poor people love living this way and don't think they don't. They'll take their money and believe they have to spend it selfishly because hey, you only live once. I'm not saying all people do this, not by a long shot. But over all we are raised to be self-centered by our society. Our society tells us we aren't happy unless we have *things* lots of things, various things, things everyone has. What household doesn't have a television? Very, very few. What household doesn't have a computer? Again, very, very few. What household doesn't have some sort of entertainment be it radio, mp3 player, Ipod, books- yes, books. Not all books are of God- not by a LONG shot! We like to be able to take our minds off things, to unwind, to de-stress, to just do what we please at least for a portion of our day. Is this wrong? We've convinced ourselves it isn't wrong so it would do no good whatsoever for me to say otherwise. People live for their weekends, their vacations, their retirements, believing that is what all their hard work is for- the time off to enjoy all that they've earned. Enjoyment has become the thing we seek above all else, feeling that sensation of pleasure in food, drink, play. Self-gratification.
Taking heed that we are NOT overcharged with self indulgence. But not only that… taking heed that we are NOT overcharged with the cares of this life.
We are a world of neurotics, aren't we? We are a world of worriers, yes? We are a world of obsessing people. We are a world of medicating people who love to drug ourselves senseless so we don't feel, so we don't overly care, so we don't have to worry -- why, because the CARES OF THIS LIFE have taken over us. We are overcharged with the cares of this life. So maybe you don't drink, and maybe you're not obsessed with self-indulgence, but perhaps you are caught up with the cares of this life. What do you think? Do you think, as I do, that the majority of people can fit into one or more of these categories? Let's be honest with ourselves, really, really honest, no matter how much the East rants and raves about the West being capitalistic and self-absorbed- the East is just the same. The names might be changed but the people are the same everywhere. While there is ranting and raving on both sides the unfortunate truth is self-centeredness is something we all need to take heed to.
Luk 21:34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.
Luk 21:35 For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.
Luk 21:36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
We have to watch and pray always!
We can only escape all the things that will come to pass and stand before our Savior - if we take HEED to ourselves.
I don't think we take enough heed to ourselves, we need to take a lot more heed, a lot more!!! And most of all we need to WATCH and PRAY always!
Watch ourselves- be honest with ourselves- and pray, pray, pray to be accounted worthy- in Christ! Worthy through Him to escape!
By His grace! By His mercy may we be His completely and totally. May we take heed to ourselves without any pretenses whatsoever. In His LOVE!
Amen.
Luk 21:34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.
Luk 21:35 For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.
Luk 21:36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
For context maybe we need to read a bit more.
Luk 21:8 And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.
Luk 21:9 But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by.
Luk 21:10 Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:
Luk 21:11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
Luk 21:12 But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake.
Luk 21:13 And it shall turn to you for a testimony.
Luk 21:14 Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer:
Luk 21:15 For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.
Luk 21:16 And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death.
Luk 21:17 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake.
Luk 21:18 But there shall not an hair of your head perish.
Luk 21:19 In your patience possess ye your souls.
Luk 21:20 And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.
Luk 21:21 Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto.
Luk 21:22 For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.
Luk 21:23 But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people.
Luk 21:24 And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.
Luk 21:25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;
Luk 21:26 Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
Luk 21:27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.
Luk 21:29 And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees;
Luk 21:30 When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.
Luk 21:31 So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.
Luk 21:32 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled.
Luk 21:33 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.
Luk 21:34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.
Luk 21:35 For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.
Luk 21:36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
How is that for context?
Wait, how can this be? Jesus said it all way back then to His disciples. Jesus said all He said then to ALL of us right up until the end of time and if we don't believe this then we've got a huge problem starting with salvation.
We are to TAKE heed to ourselves. We aren't to look at others and take heed to them, but take heed to ourselves. We can control what we do, but not what another does, right? Right.
We are taking heed to ourselves - watching ourselves- lest at ANY TIME our HEARTS are overcharged with surfeiting- excess, fullness, bloating, over indulgence, lest at ANY TIME our HEARTS be overcharged with drunkenness, lest at ANY TIME our hearts be overcharged with cares of this life.
These THREE things can entrap us, can be a snare for us. These THREE things can cause the day of Salvation to come upon us unaware. These THREE things are so insidious they trap us for who? Whose snare is being set? Someone has to lay the trap for there to even be one, right? A trap, a snare, isn't put in place unless someone is hunting for something, right? Seriously. Would I lay a snare down to trap something if I didn't want to trap *that* particular something? Would the snare suddenly be there without anyone at all putting it there? No. Snares are put in place by a person wanting to entrap something. So this ALL encompassing snare that has the potential to ensnare ALL that dwell on the face of the whole earth, who put it there?
A snare is… anything that traps or entangles someone or something unaware. It's to capture by trickery.
Someone wants to trick all the inhabitants of the whole earth. Someone wants to trap every human being in existence. Who?
Who is invested in people NOT obtaining salvation in Christ? Who has a stake in people NOT spending eternity with Jesus Christ their Lord and Savior? Someone does. Someone wants this and someone has worked exceedingly long and hard setting up His snare.
2Ti 2:24 And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient,
2Ti 2:25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;
2Ti 2:26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.
Recover out of the SNARE of the DEVIL- WHO are taken CAPTIVE by HIM at HIS will.
The devil wants us! The Devil has laid a snare for us!
The Devil lays the snare that will come upon all who are on earth. All of us. Every single one of us will has the potential to be ensnared and the ONLY thing that will stop this from happening is if we TAKE HEED TO OURSELVES.
People don't like to take heed to themselves. People LOVE living in excess, living beyond their means, living extravagantly, even poor people love living this way and don't think they don't. They'll take their money and believe they have to spend it selfishly because hey, you only live once. I'm not saying all people do this, not by a long shot. But over all we are raised to be self-centered by our society. Our society tells us we aren't happy unless we have *things* lots of things, various things, things everyone has. What household doesn't have a television? Very, very few. What household doesn't have a computer? Again, very, very few. What household doesn't have some sort of entertainment be it radio, mp3 player, Ipod, books- yes, books. Not all books are of God- not by a LONG shot! We like to be able to take our minds off things, to unwind, to de-stress, to just do what we please at least for a portion of our day. Is this wrong? We've convinced ourselves it isn't wrong so it would do no good whatsoever for me to say otherwise. People live for their weekends, their vacations, their retirements, believing that is what all their hard work is for- the time off to enjoy all that they've earned. Enjoyment has become the thing we seek above all else, feeling that sensation of pleasure in food, drink, play. Self-gratification.
Taking heed that we are NOT overcharged with self indulgence. But not only that… taking heed that we are NOT overcharged with the cares of this life.
We are a world of neurotics, aren't we? We are a world of worriers, yes? We are a world of obsessing people. We are a world of medicating people who love to drug ourselves senseless so we don't feel, so we don't overly care, so we don't have to worry -- why, because the CARES OF THIS LIFE have taken over us. We are overcharged with the cares of this life. So maybe you don't drink, and maybe you're not obsessed with self-indulgence, but perhaps you are caught up with the cares of this life. What do you think? Do you think, as I do, that the majority of people can fit into one or more of these categories? Let's be honest with ourselves, really, really honest, no matter how much the East rants and raves about the West being capitalistic and self-absorbed- the East is just the same. The names might be changed but the people are the same everywhere. While there is ranting and raving on both sides the unfortunate truth is self-centeredness is something we all need to take heed to.
Luk 21:34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.
Luk 21:35 For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.
Luk 21:36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
We have to watch and pray always!
We can only escape all the things that will come to pass and stand before our Savior - if we take HEED to ourselves.
I don't think we take enough heed to ourselves, we need to take a lot more heed, a lot more!!! And most of all we need to WATCH and PRAY always!
Watch ourselves- be honest with ourselves- and pray, pray, pray to be accounted worthy- in Christ! Worthy through Him to escape!
By His grace! By His mercy may we be His completely and totally. May we take heed to ourselves without any pretenses whatsoever. In His LOVE!
Amen.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Prophecy - 14 - A Remnant
Yesterday we continued our prophecy study and today there will be more studying of the same by the grace of our wonderful, loving, God. May He bless us with understanding, being the eye salve we need to have our understanding open so we can see His will, His work, His love.
We began yesterday with some verses on the little horn and today we'll do the same but just a touch differently. We have to ask ourselves some questions here to make sure we are understanding things correctly.
Dan 7:8
I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.
If you've been following the study you have a positive ID on this little horn by now, right? If you haven't been following the studies please go back and do so because what we might talk about from here on in might not make a whole lot of sense to you.
We know that history is prophecy fulfilled and history has revealed that this little horn is the Papal power that arose as the Roman Empire broke apart.
Dan 7:21 I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them
History has many proofs that the Papacy has warred with God's people and prevailed against them in many cases- murdering them. Remember this isn't me spouting off at the mouth willy nilly without any proof. I'm not making this stuff up. The modern Papacy today has even issued apologies for their behavior in the past- admitting to their role in the war against those who dared defy their mandates to search for the truth. Just imagine being a Christian back in the day, and you live under the Papal thumb dictating all you can believe in, telling you that you cannot own a Bible, cannot read a Bible but must have it read to you because you can't possibly understand what it is saying- that's for greater minds than yours. The Papacy alone had the right to explain, to interpret any scriptures because they believed they alone had the power of God to do so and none other did. And what would happen should you be caught with a Bible, or part of a Bible written in a common language for common understanding? You could be arrested, tortured, and yes…killed. Killed all because you dared to read God's word without the Papacy reading it to you and telling you what it means. I don't know about you but this is bizarre to me, the idea of it totally bizarre. Of course I live in a democracy and I'm allowed a lot of freedoms- practically the freedom to do anything inside the established laws and there is no law forbidding our reading our Bibles.
Taking our supposing a little further, suppose you were alive back then and felt the need to understand God's will and the Papal instruction just wasn't enough, you wanted … no, you needed more than their bits of instruction. So you manage to get a Bible, manage to read it and your eyes are opened to the truths of God's word- that the ruling religious institution the Papacy is NOT following the Bible they themselves read, and claim authority over. The very truth of the Savior they claim to have been commissioned by through the apostle Peter, is being distorted. The Savior NEVER instituted any sort of church that would bring power to itself and claim the right to abduct, torture, and even kill people that chose to believe differently than they do. How can the Papacy read the words of Jesus about turning the other cheek, about giving your cloke as well when your coat is taken, about doing good even when you are abused and reviled.
Mat 5:39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
Mat 5:40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also.
Mat 5:11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
How could they read those words and then turn around and be the men persecuting others because they don't hold to your same beliefs. Jesus NEVER advocated using violence against people. Jesus admonished His disciples to walk away when people weren't receptive to the gospel of the Kingdom they wanted to spread.
Mat 10:14 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.
Jesus did not say- before departing torture and kill those who won't listen to you and, murder those who won't believe the truth- and YET the Papacy claiming to have the authority of God on earth did just that more than once, more than ten times, more than a hundred, more than a thousand… and so on. Is there any definite number given to the amount of people tortured, and those murdered by this religious force claiming to be the true church of God? No. People give numbers and depending upon who you listen to the number is extremely high or extremely low. The exact number doesn't matter for our understanding because the guilt was warranted upon the very first person tortured, upon the very first person murdered. So whether you're among those who believe the Catholic Church-the Papacy, was guilty of taking a few or many lives, their lengthy history is filled with abuses and corruption and this is FACT not fiction!
Dan 7:22 Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.
Dan 7:23 Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.
Dan 7:24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and...
...another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.
We know this to be true, there had never been a rising power like that of the Papacy, never.
Dan 7:25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.
What great words has the Papacy spoken against the Most High?
First let's ask ourselves a question- what did God think of those who claim to be like the Most High?
Isa 14:12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
Isa 14:13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
Isa 14:14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
Satan! Satan made this claim that He would be like the most High. And then we have this…
From the Catholic online encylopedia-
Vicar of Christ
(Latin Vicarius Christi).
A title of the pope implying his supreme and universal primacy, both of honour and of jurisdiction, over the Church of Christ.
Pasted from
****They claim this is a scriptural title- but when Christ told Peter to feed His sheep He did NOT tell Peter he was going to be HIM on earth. Peter would NEVER had presumed to be Christ on earth. Peter knew He was a servant of Christ's. Peter knew that as an apostle He was doing the work of Christ, but not taking the place of Christ. NO ONE could take the place of Christ, NO ONE. I no more have the power to tell you that God has forgiven your sin, than any man or woman alive. I can tell you God will forgive you if you ask for forgiveness and repent, but that forgiveness is between YOU and GOD. I can forgive you if you hurt me, but I can't give you the forgiveness of God. I can tell you that God will forgive you, but I can't presume that God has forgiven anyone, I do NOT know the heart of anyone. I do NOT know the sincerity of anyone. I am NOT God, I am NOT Christ, as a follower of Christ I can point the way to Christ, but never can I be presumptuous enough to believe that Christ wants me to act in His place, act as if I am Him with authority of the Most High. Jesus is the WAY, the TRUTH, the LIFE, not any man, not any Pope. Yes, we are to be Christ's and by His grace, through His forgiveness we can point the way to Him, but never are we to presume to be HIM.
Vicar of Christ
–noun Roman Catholic Church .
the pope, with reference to his claim to stand in the place of Jesus Christ and possess His authority in the church.
Pasted from
The Papacy HAD to issue a statement, a doctrine of their authority claiming infallibility for the Pope. They MADE themselves infallible! No where in our Bible, NO where does God make any man infallible, none! The only infallible one was our Savior who was God-Man, God's Son, and our Savior made NO man infallible, NONE!
'Papal infallibility is a dogma of the Catholic Church which states that, by action of the Holy Spirit, the Pope is preserved from even the possibility of error[1] when he solemnly declares or promulgates to the universal Church a dogmatic teaching on faith as being contained in divine revelation, or at least being intimately connected to divine revelation. It is also taught that the Holy Spirit works in the body of the Church, as sensus fidelium, to ensure that dogmatic teachings proclaimed to be infallible will be received by all Catholics. This dogma, however, does not state either that the Pope cannot sin in his own personal life or that he is necessarily free of error, even when speaking in his official capacity, outside the specific contexts in which the dogma applies.
This doctrine was defined dogmatically in the First Vatican Council of 1870.'
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papal_infallibility
It doesn't matter that they clarify it by saying the Pope can sin in a personal matter, they ARE saying he CANNOT sin when he makes solemn declarations, teaches dogma, had divine revelations.
They are saying the POPE cannot sin, that he is past being able to sin when he speaks for the church!
The are claiming that He is LIKE THE MOST HIGH!
So has this little horn spoken great words against the most High? Yes, yes, and YES! Lucifer a covering angel sinned becoming the father of sin when he claimed that he would be like the most High, and yet we want to overlook the Papal claim of infallibility as being of none effect?
What did Jesus say when the apostles talked about which one of them was greater????
Mar 9:33 And he came to Capernaum: and being in the house he asked them, What was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way?
Mar 9:34 But they held their peace: for by the way they had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest.
Mar 9:35 And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.
This does not sound at all like the Papacy does it, they don't lay claim to being servants? They claim to be the greatest proudly, and throughout their history they've promoted this aspect of themselves in direct opposition to our Savior's teachings. They are so great in fact they claim to have an infallible leader on matters of dogma.
I don't know about you but I just can't seem to wrap my brain around how they believe the way they do, it's not of God!!!!
We have to pay attention here, we really, really do because this prophecy will come to pass concerning that little horn power--
Dan 7:26 But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end.
Dan 7:27 And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.
The dominion that little horn power claims to have will be taken completely away, this is fact, this will come to past just as all the other prophecy came to pass. Nothing will stop the rest from coming true no matter what a single person claims. Claim this to be a bunch of lies it doesn't matter, scoff all you want it doesn't matter, what you and I think doesn't change a thing. We cannot change the past that has been fulfilled and we cannot change the future we are told will come to pass- it will be. God's will is done, past, present, and future. We can only fall to our knees and pray that we are worthy to escape, worthy in HIS righteousness!
*
Now we know that this power would have it's greatest control over things for a time, times, and dividing of times- 1260 days= prophetic day for a year principle - 1260 years. We know that if we look at history this can apply in this way-- 1798AD the Papacy suffered a blow unlike any other in time past -- counting backwards 1260 years we are left with 538AD and we've seen that history records the insidious power of the Papacy and in 538AD there is a parallel with 1798AD both times reveal a pope being exiled and dying. The first in 538AD ushered in a very deceptive Pope- the corruption set and well under way in Papal dealings, and the last in 1798AC ushering out that crushing corruption so that God's true word could be spread. An interesting note-- a VERY interesting note--
'The modern Bible Society movement dates back to the foundation of the British and Foreign Bible Society in 1804 when a group of Christians sought to address the problem of a lack of affordable Bibles in Welsh for Welsh-speaking Christians. This was highlighted by a young girl called Mary Jones who walked over 20 miles to get a Bible in Bala.'
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bible_society
When did this begin?! 1804! When was the papacy struck a blow 1798, six short years prior to this! You can bet your bottom dollar that in 1798 there was already much talk under way about getting the Bible out to the masses in their own language, Bibles they could afford.
This isn't a coincidence?! This is fact and prophecy, this is God's hand working and allowing us to understand.
For 1260 years the Papacy held sway.
Let's read more about these 1260 years.
Rev 12:1 And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:
Rev 12:2 And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.
Rev 12:3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.
Rev 12:4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.
Rev 12:5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.
Rev 12:7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
Rev 12:8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
Rev 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
Rev 12:10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
Rev 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
Rev 12:12 Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.
Rev 12:13 And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.
Rev 12:14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.
Rev 12:15 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.
Rev 12:16 And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.
Rev 12:17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Our Savior was born. Our Savior was caught up to God and to his thrown. No one disputes this, right? No Christian disputes this.
Rev 12:6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.
God's people - God's true people fled. God's true people were kept alive. Throughout all the deception, all the corruption, all the murdering, all the crusading, all the power of Satan wanting to destroy God's true people they were kept alive. Year after year they were kept alive passing down the truth in Christ, protected. God's people, God's true church, was never wiped out of existence. Remember this…
Mat 7:13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
Mat 7:14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
Narrow is the way… few there be that find it.
Few found it, few kept it, and these true adherents to our Savior endured throughout time nourished by God in their wilderness. The fact of the matter is, God would have a people, adherents to His truths throughout time. There wouldn't be many- ever. Even today. There may be millions of Christians-sorry, billions--
'As of the early 21st century, Christianity has approximately 2.2 billion adherents'
Pasted from
There may be billions of Christians but the words of our Savior tells us that the way is narrow and FEW will find it. This doesn't look good for Christianity, does it? With its billions of followers. The majority of those adherents are walking the broad path that leads to destruction along with the many.
It's no shock to true Christians to realize that their spiritual descendants through time would be suppressed. That while the dragon power reigned growing more and more powerful they would be in the minority kept safe by God through their true love of God. Then when that power would lose it's hold to the point of being able to murder dissenters, God's true people would be allowed to come out of the wilderness. The truths would be unfolded so that all would have an opportunity to be among God's true people when our Savior returns.
Rev 12:17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Keepers of the commandments of God.
Those who have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
The dragon is warring with these people- the remnant- the last of the true people of God.
To ALL of us, to EVERY single one of us this is a message of great magnitude!
If you do NOT keep the commandments of God, if you do NOT have the testimony of Jesus Christ… you are NOT among the remnant of God.
I did not make that up!? I did not say that?! The BIBLE says it! God says it to us!
So go your way ignoring the commandments of God and being flippant at best about the testimony of Jesus Christ and if you choose to believe you are among God's remnant than that is your prerogative but God says otherwise. You are on the broad path! A battle has been fought for you by Satan and he's won your life- your eternal life. He wants you to perish eternally with Him.
We can't ignore this! Please don't ignore this!
Christ our righteousness, Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior must be in our lives- the testimony of Him readily on our lips, apparent in our lives. The commandments of God have never been burdensome except to those who side with Satan. The commandments of God were formed out of love for us, not as punishment. God's remnant will KEEP His commandments, not believing their works are saving them at all whatsoever but they will keep His commandments out of their love for Him!
By His grace may we be among the remnant!
Please Lord,
Save us!
In His love!
Amen.
We began yesterday with some verses on the little horn and today we'll do the same but just a touch differently. We have to ask ourselves some questions here to make sure we are understanding things correctly.
Dan 7:8
I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.
If you've been following the study you have a positive ID on this little horn by now, right? If you haven't been following the studies please go back and do so because what we might talk about from here on in might not make a whole lot of sense to you.
We know that history is prophecy fulfilled and history has revealed that this little horn is the Papal power that arose as the Roman Empire broke apart.
Dan 7:21 I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them
History has many proofs that the Papacy has warred with God's people and prevailed against them in many cases- murdering them. Remember this isn't me spouting off at the mouth willy nilly without any proof. I'm not making this stuff up. The modern Papacy today has even issued apologies for their behavior in the past- admitting to their role in the war against those who dared defy their mandates to search for the truth. Just imagine being a Christian back in the day, and you live under the Papal thumb dictating all you can believe in, telling you that you cannot own a Bible, cannot read a Bible but must have it read to you because you can't possibly understand what it is saying- that's for greater minds than yours. The Papacy alone had the right to explain, to interpret any scriptures because they believed they alone had the power of God to do so and none other did. And what would happen should you be caught with a Bible, or part of a Bible written in a common language for common understanding? You could be arrested, tortured, and yes…killed. Killed all because you dared to read God's word without the Papacy reading it to you and telling you what it means. I don't know about you but this is bizarre to me, the idea of it totally bizarre. Of course I live in a democracy and I'm allowed a lot of freedoms- practically the freedom to do anything inside the established laws and there is no law forbidding our reading our Bibles.
Taking our supposing a little further, suppose you were alive back then and felt the need to understand God's will and the Papal instruction just wasn't enough, you wanted … no, you needed more than their bits of instruction. So you manage to get a Bible, manage to read it and your eyes are opened to the truths of God's word- that the ruling religious institution the Papacy is NOT following the Bible they themselves read, and claim authority over. The very truth of the Savior they claim to have been commissioned by through the apostle Peter, is being distorted. The Savior NEVER instituted any sort of church that would bring power to itself and claim the right to abduct, torture, and even kill people that chose to believe differently than they do. How can the Papacy read the words of Jesus about turning the other cheek, about giving your cloke as well when your coat is taken, about doing good even when you are abused and reviled.
Mat 5:39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
Mat 5:40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also.
Mat 5:11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
How could they read those words and then turn around and be the men persecuting others because they don't hold to your same beliefs. Jesus NEVER advocated using violence against people. Jesus admonished His disciples to walk away when people weren't receptive to the gospel of the Kingdom they wanted to spread.
Mat 10:14 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.
Jesus did not say- before departing torture and kill those who won't listen to you and, murder those who won't believe the truth- and YET the Papacy claiming to have the authority of God on earth did just that more than once, more than ten times, more than a hundred, more than a thousand… and so on. Is there any definite number given to the amount of people tortured, and those murdered by this religious force claiming to be the true church of God? No. People give numbers and depending upon who you listen to the number is extremely high or extremely low. The exact number doesn't matter for our understanding because the guilt was warranted upon the very first person tortured, upon the very first person murdered. So whether you're among those who believe the Catholic Church-the Papacy, was guilty of taking a few or many lives, their lengthy history is filled with abuses and corruption and this is FACT not fiction!
Dan 7:22 Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.
Dan 7:23 Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.
Dan 7:24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and...
...another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.
We know this to be true, there had never been a rising power like that of the Papacy, never.
Dan 7:25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.
What great words has the Papacy spoken against the Most High?
First let's ask ourselves a question- what did God think of those who claim to be like the Most High?
Isa 14:12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
Isa 14:13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
Isa 14:14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
Satan! Satan made this claim that He would be like the most High. And then we have this…
From the Catholic online encylopedia-
Vicar of Christ
(Latin Vicarius Christi).
A title of the pope implying his supreme and universal primacy, both of honour and of jurisdiction, over the Church of Christ.
Pasted from
****They claim this is a scriptural title- but when Christ told Peter to feed His sheep He did NOT tell Peter he was going to be HIM on earth. Peter would NEVER had presumed to be Christ on earth. Peter knew He was a servant of Christ's. Peter knew that as an apostle He was doing the work of Christ, but not taking the place of Christ. NO ONE could take the place of Christ, NO ONE. I no more have the power to tell you that God has forgiven your sin, than any man or woman alive. I can tell you God will forgive you if you ask for forgiveness and repent, but that forgiveness is between YOU and GOD. I can forgive you if you hurt me, but I can't give you the forgiveness of God. I can tell you that God will forgive you, but I can't presume that God has forgiven anyone, I do NOT know the heart of anyone. I do NOT know the sincerity of anyone. I am NOT God, I am NOT Christ, as a follower of Christ I can point the way to Christ, but never can I be presumptuous enough to believe that Christ wants me to act in His place, act as if I am Him with authority of the Most High. Jesus is the WAY, the TRUTH, the LIFE, not any man, not any Pope. Yes, we are to be Christ's and by His grace, through His forgiveness we can point the way to Him, but never are we to presume to be HIM.
Vicar of Christ
–noun Roman Catholic Church .
the pope, with reference to his claim to stand in the place of Jesus Christ and possess His authority in the church.
Pasted from
The Papacy HAD to issue a statement, a doctrine of their authority claiming infallibility for the Pope. They MADE themselves infallible! No where in our Bible, NO where does God make any man infallible, none! The only infallible one was our Savior who was God-Man, God's Son, and our Savior made NO man infallible, NONE!
'Papal infallibility is a dogma of the Catholic Church which states that, by action of the Holy Spirit, the Pope is preserved from even the possibility of error[1] when he solemnly declares or promulgates to the universal Church a dogmatic teaching on faith as being contained in divine revelation, or at least being intimately connected to divine revelation. It is also taught that the Holy Spirit works in the body of the Church, as sensus fidelium, to ensure that dogmatic teachings proclaimed to be infallible will be received by all Catholics. This dogma, however, does not state either that the Pope cannot sin in his own personal life or that he is necessarily free of error, even when speaking in his official capacity, outside the specific contexts in which the dogma applies.
This doctrine was defined dogmatically in the First Vatican Council of 1870.'
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papal_infallibility
It doesn't matter that they clarify it by saying the Pope can sin in a personal matter, they ARE saying he CANNOT sin when he makes solemn declarations, teaches dogma, had divine revelations.
They are saying the POPE cannot sin, that he is past being able to sin when he speaks for the church!
The are claiming that He is LIKE THE MOST HIGH!
So has this little horn spoken great words against the most High? Yes, yes, and YES! Lucifer a covering angel sinned becoming the father of sin when he claimed that he would be like the most High, and yet we want to overlook the Papal claim of infallibility as being of none effect?
What did Jesus say when the apostles talked about which one of them was greater????
Mar 9:33 And he came to Capernaum: and being in the house he asked them, What was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way?
Mar 9:34 But they held their peace: for by the way they had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest.
Mar 9:35 And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.
This does not sound at all like the Papacy does it, they don't lay claim to being servants? They claim to be the greatest proudly, and throughout their history they've promoted this aspect of themselves in direct opposition to our Savior's teachings. They are so great in fact they claim to have an infallible leader on matters of dogma.
I don't know about you but I just can't seem to wrap my brain around how they believe the way they do, it's not of God!!!!
We have to pay attention here, we really, really do because this prophecy will come to pass concerning that little horn power--
Dan 7:26 But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end.
Dan 7:27 And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.
The dominion that little horn power claims to have will be taken completely away, this is fact, this will come to past just as all the other prophecy came to pass. Nothing will stop the rest from coming true no matter what a single person claims. Claim this to be a bunch of lies it doesn't matter, scoff all you want it doesn't matter, what you and I think doesn't change a thing. We cannot change the past that has been fulfilled and we cannot change the future we are told will come to pass- it will be. God's will is done, past, present, and future. We can only fall to our knees and pray that we are worthy to escape, worthy in HIS righteousness!
*
Now we know that this power would have it's greatest control over things for a time, times, and dividing of times- 1260 days= prophetic day for a year principle - 1260 years. We know that if we look at history this can apply in this way-- 1798AD the Papacy suffered a blow unlike any other in time past -- counting backwards 1260 years we are left with 538AD and we've seen that history records the insidious power of the Papacy and in 538AD there is a parallel with 1798AD both times reveal a pope being exiled and dying. The first in 538AD ushered in a very deceptive Pope- the corruption set and well under way in Papal dealings, and the last in 1798AC ushering out that crushing corruption so that God's true word could be spread. An interesting note-- a VERY interesting note--
'The modern Bible Society movement dates back to the foundation of the British and Foreign Bible Society in 1804 when a group of Christians sought to address the problem of a lack of affordable Bibles in Welsh for Welsh-speaking Christians. This was highlighted by a young girl called Mary Jones who walked over 20 miles to get a Bible in Bala.'
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bible_society
When did this begin?! 1804! When was the papacy struck a blow 1798, six short years prior to this! You can bet your bottom dollar that in 1798 there was already much talk under way about getting the Bible out to the masses in their own language, Bibles they could afford.
This isn't a coincidence?! This is fact and prophecy, this is God's hand working and allowing us to understand.
For 1260 years the Papacy held sway.
Let's read more about these 1260 years.
Rev 12:1 And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:
Rev 12:2 And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.
Rev 12:3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.
Rev 12:4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.
Rev 12:5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.
Rev 12:7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
Rev 12:8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
Rev 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
Rev 12:10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
Rev 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
Rev 12:12 Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.
Rev 12:13 And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.
Rev 12:14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.
Rev 12:15 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.
Rev 12:16 And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.
Rev 12:17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Our Savior was born. Our Savior was caught up to God and to his thrown. No one disputes this, right? No Christian disputes this.
Rev 12:6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.
God's people - God's true people fled. God's true people were kept alive. Throughout all the deception, all the corruption, all the murdering, all the crusading, all the power of Satan wanting to destroy God's true people they were kept alive. Year after year they were kept alive passing down the truth in Christ, protected. God's people, God's true church, was never wiped out of existence. Remember this…
Mat 7:13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
Mat 7:14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
Narrow is the way… few there be that find it.
Few found it, few kept it, and these true adherents to our Savior endured throughout time nourished by God in their wilderness. The fact of the matter is, God would have a people, adherents to His truths throughout time. There wouldn't be many- ever. Even today. There may be millions of Christians-sorry, billions--
'As of the early 21st century, Christianity has approximately 2.2 billion adherents'
Pasted from
There may be billions of Christians but the words of our Savior tells us that the way is narrow and FEW will find it. This doesn't look good for Christianity, does it? With its billions of followers. The majority of those adherents are walking the broad path that leads to destruction along with the many.
It's no shock to true Christians to realize that their spiritual descendants through time would be suppressed. That while the dragon power reigned growing more and more powerful they would be in the minority kept safe by God through their true love of God. Then when that power would lose it's hold to the point of being able to murder dissenters, God's true people would be allowed to come out of the wilderness. The truths would be unfolded so that all would have an opportunity to be among God's true people when our Savior returns.
Rev 12:17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Keepers of the commandments of God.
Those who have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
The dragon is warring with these people- the remnant- the last of the true people of God.
To ALL of us, to EVERY single one of us this is a message of great magnitude!
If you do NOT keep the commandments of God, if you do NOT have the testimony of Jesus Christ… you are NOT among the remnant of God.
I did not make that up!? I did not say that?! The BIBLE says it! God says it to us!
So go your way ignoring the commandments of God and being flippant at best about the testimony of Jesus Christ and if you choose to believe you are among God's remnant than that is your prerogative but God says otherwise. You are on the broad path! A battle has been fought for you by Satan and he's won your life- your eternal life. He wants you to perish eternally with Him.
We can't ignore this! Please don't ignore this!
Christ our righteousness, Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior must be in our lives- the testimony of Him readily on our lips, apparent in our lives. The commandments of God have never been burdensome except to those who side with Satan. The commandments of God were formed out of love for us, not as punishment. God's remnant will KEEP His commandments, not believing their works are saving them at all whatsoever but they will keep His commandments out of their love for Him!
By His grace may we be among the remnant!
Please Lord,
Save us!
In His love!
Amen.
Prophecy - 13
The Little Horn.
Why is this little horn so big? A contradiction, no, not at all, not really. Many little things have huge impacts upon our lives.
Dan 7:8
I considered the horns,
and, behold, there came up among them another little horn,
before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots
and, behold,
in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man,
and a mouth speaking great things.
Dan 7:21 I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them;
Dan 7:22 Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.
Dan 7:23 Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.
Dan 7:24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and...
...another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.
Dan 7:25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.
Dan 7:26 But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end.
Dan 7:27 And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.
*
Dan 8:9 And out of one of them came forth a little horn
which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land.
Dan 8:10 And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven
and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground
and stamped upon them.
Dan 8:11 Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host
and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away
and the place of his sanctuary was cast down.
Dan 8:12 And an host was given him against the daily sacrifice by reason of transgression, and it
cast down the truth to the ground
and it practised,
and prospered.
Dan 8:13 Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spake, How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot?
Dan 8:14 And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.
Dan 8:20 The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia.
Dan 8:21 And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king.
Dan 8:22 Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power.
Dan 8:23 And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up.
Dan 8:24 And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power
and he shall destroy wonderfully,
and shall prosper,
and practise,
and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.
Dan 8:25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand
and he shall magnify himself in his heart,
and by peace shall destroy many
he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes
but he shall be broken without hand.
Do you see? There is so much to study! So much to contemplate and understand by the grace and mercy of God.
We've talked of the possibility of the 1260 days rather than being a mere 3 and 1/2 years that the little horn would wear out the saints of the most high, rather than this amazing power thinking to change times and laws in such a short period of time, that Biblically this could possibly mean 1260 years. We know from studying history and applying it to the prophecy that the little horn is the Papacy (Papal Rome) and we know that the Papacy has had great influence in our history not for a mere 3 1/2 years but for many, many, many more. The times and laws this little power would think to change didn't occur instantaneously but rather during the course of its history and NO ONE can dispute that the Papacy has literally changed times and laws, even the Papacy itself knows it has done this as no other has. The Papacy knows that it has taken upon itself to be a power of influence, an authoritative power claiming to have authority over all others, claiming to be the only ones who can truly interpret even the Bible correctly. I don't lie! This is fact!
Read this excerpt--
From Cardinal Merry de Val, "Forward," in the Index of Prohibited Books, revised and published by order of His Holiness Pope Pius XI (new ed.; [Vatican City]: Vatican Polyglot Press, 1930), pp. ix-xi:
[p. ix] What many, indeed fail to appreciate, and what, moreover non-Catholics consider a grave abuse — as they put it of the Roman Curia, is the action of the Church in hindering the printing and circulation of Holy Writ in the vernacular. Fundamentally however, this ac- [p. x] cusation is based on calumny. During the first twelve centuries Christians were highly familiar with the text of Holy Scripture, as is evident from the homilies of the Fathers and the sermons of the mediaeval preachers; nor did the ecclesiastical authorities ever intervene to prevent this. It was only in consequence of heretical abuses, introduced particularly by the Waldenses, the Albigenses, the followers of Wyclif, and by Protestants broadly speaking (who with sacrilegious mutilations of Scripture and arbitrary interpretations vainly sought to justify themselves in the eyes of the people; twisting the text of the Bible to support erroneous doctrines condemned by the whole history of the Church) that the Pontiffs and the Councils were obliged on more than one occasion to control and sometimes even forbid the use of the Bible in the vernacular...
[p. xi] Those who would put the Scriptures indiscriminately into the hands of the people are the believers always in private interpretation — a fallacy both absurd in itself and pregnant with disastrous consequences. These counterfeit champions of the inspired book hold the Bible to be the sole source of Divine Revelation and cover with abuse and trite sarcasm the Catholic and Roman Church.
Far from championing the spread of the Bible, and the translation into the vernacular, the Catholic Church has a history of repression and censorship in this regard. It was really the combination of the reformation and the advent of the printing press that "let the cat out of the bag." It seems that Bibles could be printed faster than they (and their authors or owners) could be burned. Since Catholicism could no longer contain the Bible and keep it out of the hands of the laity, the issue has become one of authority to interpret.
For those Catholics who continue to maintain that the Roman Catholic Church was justified in seizing and burning "faulty" vernacular Bibles, and that grave errors in translation were the primary reason for destroying them, I offer the following challenge:
Tyndale's Bible has recently been republished by David Daniell and Yale University Press and can still be found at some bookstores. Tyndale's New Testament is 0-300-04419-4 for the hardback and 0-300-06580-9 for the paperback. Tyndale's Old Testament in hardback is ISBN 0-300-05211-1. Mr. Daniell has updated the spelling but remained faithful to the original text.
http://wesley.nnu.edu/biblical_studies/tyndale/
The Geneva Bible's 1602 New Testament has also been reprinted in facsimile by Pilgrim Classic Commentaries in 1989 from an original in the Cambridge University Library. The ISBN is 0-8298-0789-6 for the hardback and ISBN 0-8298-0785-3 for the paperback.
The 1611 Authorized Version (King James) Bible has also been reprinted word-for-word with original spelling by Thomas Nelson Publishers in 1993.
In addition, to my knowledge, the Roman Catholic Church was unsuccessful in completely destroying all copies of any "heretical" reformation era vernacular translations of the Bible. Despite their diligence, there are surviving copies existing today that can be studied. I therefore challenge Catholics to produce Catholic documents from the reformation period that cite and explain in detail the grave "errors" in vernacular Protestant Bibles, that warranted not only their destruction, but also frequently the death of the author, as well as those found in possession of said Bibles. It would seem that any charge of grave translation "errors" can still be verified by almost anyone today from either original editions or facsimile reprints. So mere claims of faulty vernacular Bibles proves absolutely nothing without providing citations of the exact verse and Bible edition where the alleged error occurs.
I maintain that the objections of the Catholic church to the various attempts to produce a Bible in the vernacular, were not that of faulty translations (although that claim was made), but rather that of "unauthorized heretical" interpretations that resulted from widespread publication and the laity finally being able to read the entire Bible for themselves in their own tongue, as noted in the various items above. The laity was then able to discern the truth for themselves, and the biblical truth was often at odds with Catholic teaching. Dissent flourished with the availability of the Bible, and so persecution of these heretics increased as well, in an attempt by the church to maintain control and assert her presumed authority. It is a sad chapter in history that is quite well documented.
Pasted from
*
This is our history! This isn't some made up story, but truth as it happened. The Papacy today can apologize all it desires but it cannot wipe out the facts of its behavior over the many, many year it has been in existence. Was it a one year mistake on their part? No, more years than we can truly fully fathom as reality the Papacy used the authoritative power it was given not by God but by worldly men in worldly power, to bring abuse after abuse, corruption after corruption of God's truth to people trying to force it upon them. But there was a people- the few among the many- who stayed to the narrow path Jesus implemented and these people were abused but kept alive, not totally wiped out which would have suited the Papacy just fine. In fact today the Papacy claims to be the head of the ONE TRUE CHURCH and all other are called to join her. Yes, the Papacy would love unity but in truth, only fully by all others converting to her religion.
So seriously, we can honestly say there would be a 1260 year period in which the Papacy would hold sway, even against those of the wilderness faith- God's true people as they- in the minority by far, would hold fast to truth over error. But there would come a time when the full force of military power would be stripped away and the influence of the Papacy would begin to wane until we come to our current place in time where the Papacy while having great power and influence does not have what it once had that power to condemn men to death on their word. That power was cut down, a death blow was struck that would reverberate onwards to affect the course of the Papacy's history, shaping it into what it is now. That wound is healed now, but the change was made and God's wilderness people, His true people were allowed to flourish and after this death blow- knowledge began to increase and the little book of Daniel was eventually to be opened for comprehension.
During the various Papal reigns there were many events to take place, the head of the Papacy would be relocated, he would excommunicate people who would go on to form religions without him being in authority. People would be unhappy with Him and yet to actually take a Pope captive and strip him forcibly of his power, making him powerless to lead as if he were truly dead - unable to communicate with any of his priests, his bishops, his cardinals, all those who looked to him… well this only happened one time that I can ascertain.
In 1798 this happened--
• 1798: Pope Pius VI taken prisoner by the armies of Napoleon I, dies in captivity in France.
Pasted from
General Berthier marched to Rome, entered it unopposed on 10 February 1798, and, proclaiming a Roman Republic, demanded of the Pope the renunciation of his temporal authority.
Upon his refusal he was taken prisoner, and on 20 February was escorted from the Vatican to Siena, and thence to the Certosa near Florence. The French declaration of war against Tuscany led to his removal (he was escorted by the Spaniard Pedro Gómez Labrador, Marquis of Labrador) by way of Parma, Piacenza, Turin and Grenoble to the citadel of Valence, the chief town of Drôme where he died six weeks after his arrival, on 29 August 1799, having then reigned longer than any Pope
Pasted from
So a blow is struck here against the papal idea of supremacy, something it had for so long it was all but incomprehensible to people that it could ever be touched. Touched it was. Some might argue the papacy wasn't down for the count long, and they'd be right. The deadly wound would begin to heal and as mentioned before the power it would have would be ultimately much different than what it once held.
If we are to take the 1260 days and make them prophetic years and then take the date history provides as the date the Papacy was dealt a severe, deadly blow (the Pope did die in captivity after being pulled from power), then we are left with the date 538 AD as the date the Papacy began to wield its strange power over the governmental forces. Can we find any historical significance to this date, to this year?
The man in civil power was Justinian this is said about him-
Justinian was one of the first Roman Emperors to be depicted wielding the cross on the obverse of a coin.
Pasted from
And of the pope -
On 29 June, 538, a decretal was sent to Bishop Profuturus of Braga containing decisions on various questions of church discipline. Bishop Auxanius and his successor, Aurelian of Arles, entered into communication with the pope respecting the granting of the pallium as a mark of the dignity and powers of a papal legate for Gaul; the pope sent suitable letters to the two bishops.
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15427b.htm
Pallium-
As early as the 6th century the pallium was considered a liturgical vestment to be used only in the church, and indeed only during Mass, unless a special privilege determined otherwise. This is proved conclusively by the correspondence between Pope Gregory I and John of Ravenna concerning the use of the pallium
Pasted from
History --
Siege of Rome (537–538)
The First Siege of Rome during the Gothic War lasted for a year and nine days, from 2 March 537 to 12 March 538.[1] It was fought between the defending East Romans, under general Belisarius, and the Ostrogothic army under king Vitiges. The siege was the first major encounter between the forces of the two opponents, and played a decisive role in the subsequent development of the war.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Rome_(537%E2%80%93538)
*
In 538 AD there are a few notable events. Just as in 1798 the Pope was pulled from power and exiled until he died in 1799, events can begin that continue on, or events and culminate. The importance of something begun can't be overlooked. We are looking at the little horn power and at this time in history papal and military we can see the influence of the two combined and separately. The intertwining of the Papal influence with things secular, things military can't be denied.
*
'After Agapetus's death on April 22, 536, Vigilius returned to Rome equipped with letters from the imperial Court and with money. Meanwhile Pope Silverius had been made pope through the influence of the King of the Goths. Soon after this the Byzantine commander Belisarius garrisoned the city of Rome, which was, however, besieged again by the Goths. Vigilius gave Belisarius the letters from the Court of Constantinople, which recommended Vigilius himself for the Papal See. False accusations now led Belisarius to depose Silverius. Owing to the pressure exerted by the Byzantine commander, Vigilius was elected pope in place of Silverius and was consecrated and enthroned on March 29, 537.
Vigilius brought it about that the deposed Silverius was put into his keeping where the late pope soon died from the harsh treatment he received. After the death of this predecessor Vigilius was recognized as pope by all the Roman clergy. Much in these accusations against Vigilius appears to be exaggerated, but the manner of his elevation to the See of Rome was not regular.'
Pasted from
*
One Pope- Silverius was established but another man desiring to be pope used false means (secular means-governmental not religious means) to dispose of Silverius. He didn't kill him outright, in fact the exact date of his death is unknown. Vigilius the man who was instrumental in this deception had the disposed pope treated very harshly until he did die and then Vigilius became the Pope- all because of the mingling of the religion with the politics of the time. This is important to note, because in 1798 when the Pope was torn from power by the military authority it is very, very similar to Pope Silverius' disposal. Torn from power by deception, in exile they both died. This is a connection we cannot fail to make. While it began in 537, again, the exact date of the pope's death isn't know and it's definite that in 538 the successor pope was in charge having begun fully and completely leaving NO doubt that the papacy had been gained through deception, it was thoroughly corrupt … this man's 'elevation to the See of Rome was not regular'. No, it was far from regular but it was right on time to usher in the evil mingling fully that had been slowly creeping into play. I read somewhere, but it's too late for me to look for it now and I'm tired (maybe tomorrow hehe) that Pope Silverius was one of the last genuinely good Pope's that would exist for a long, long time. Of course we know the whole of it, the man of sin was at work right away guiding things to suit himself and in 538 AD we are left with NO doubt that the corruption was sealed and would only continue on and on growing over time- history proves this without a doubt.
Only those with willing eyes will see, only those with willing ears will hear… only a very small group will accept truth where it is exposed. I pray to God we are among those elect. Please God help us to hear and see all that we need to, all according to Your righteousness not because any of us have any righteousness in and of ourselves. We are only deserving through Christ, because He is deserving and it's through Him we pray, live, and love.
All glory to God!
Thank you Jesus!
Amen.
Why is this little horn so big? A contradiction, no, not at all, not really. Many little things have huge impacts upon our lives.
Dan 7:8
I considered the horns,
and, behold, there came up among them another little horn,
before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots
and, behold,
in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man,
and a mouth speaking great things.
Dan 7:21 I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them;
Dan 7:22 Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.
Dan 7:23 Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.
Dan 7:24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and...
...another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.
Dan 7:25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.
Dan 7:26 But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end.
Dan 7:27 And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.
*
Dan 8:9 And out of one of them came forth a little horn
which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land.
Dan 8:10 And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven
and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground
and stamped upon them.
Dan 8:11 Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host
and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away
and the place of his sanctuary was cast down.
Dan 8:12 And an host was given him against the daily sacrifice by reason of transgression, and it
cast down the truth to the ground
and it practised,
and prospered.
Dan 8:13 Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spake, How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot?
Dan 8:14 And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.
Dan 8:20 The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia.
Dan 8:21 And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king.
Dan 8:22 Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power.
Dan 8:23 And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up.
Dan 8:24 And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power
and he shall destroy wonderfully,
and shall prosper,
and practise,
and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.
Dan 8:25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand
and he shall magnify himself in his heart,
and by peace shall destroy many
he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes
but he shall be broken without hand.
Do you see? There is so much to study! So much to contemplate and understand by the grace and mercy of God.
We've talked of the possibility of the 1260 days rather than being a mere 3 and 1/2 years that the little horn would wear out the saints of the most high, rather than this amazing power thinking to change times and laws in such a short period of time, that Biblically this could possibly mean 1260 years. We know from studying history and applying it to the prophecy that the little horn is the Papacy (Papal Rome) and we know that the Papacy has had great influence in our history not for a mere 3 1/2 years but for many, many, many more. The times and laws this little power would think to change didn't occur instantaneously but rather during the course of its history and NO ONE can dispute that the Papacy has literally changed times and laws, even the Papacy itself knows it has done this as no other has. The Papacy knows that it has taken upon itself to be a power of influence, an authoritative power claiming to have authority over all others, claiming to be the only ones who can truly interpret even the Bible correctly. I don't lie! This is fact!
Read this excerpt--
From Cardinal Merry de Val, "Forward," in the Index of Prohibited Books, revised and published by order of His Holiness Pope Pius XI (new ed.; [Vatican City]: Vatican Polyglot Press, 1930), pp. ix-xi:
[p. ix] What many, indeed fail to appreciate, and what, moreover non-Catholics consider a grave abuse — as they put it of the Roman Curia, is the action of the Church in hindering the printing and circulation of Holy Writ in the vernacular. Fundamentally however, this ac- [p. x] cusation is based on calumny. During the first twelve centuries Christians were highly familiar with the text of Holy Scripture, as is evident from the homilies of the Fathers and the sermons of the mediaeval preachers; nor did the ecclesiastical authorities ever intervene to prevent this. It was only in consequence of heretical abuses, introduced particularly by the Waldenses, the Albigenses, the followers of Wyclif, and by Protestants broadly speaking (who with sacrilegious mutilations of Scripture and arbitrary interpretations vainly sought to justify themselves in the eyes of the people; twisting the text of the Bible to support erroneous doctrines condemned by the whole history of the Church) that the Pontiffs and the Councils were obliged on more than one occasion to control and sometimes even forbid the use of the Bible in the vernacular...
[p. xi] Those who would put the Scriptures indiscriminately into the hands of the people are the believers always in private interpretation — a fallacy both absurd in itself and pregnant with disastrous consequences. These counterfeit champions of the inspired book hold the Bible to be the sole source of Divine Revelation and cover with abuse and trite sarcasm the Catholic and Roman Church.
Far from championing the spread of the Bible, and the translation into the vernacular, the Catholic Church has a history of repression and censorship in this regard. It was really the combination of the reformation and the advent of the printing press that "let the cat out of the bag." It seems that Bibles could be printed faster than they (and their authors or owners) could be burned. Since Catholicism could no longer contain the Bible and keep it out of the hands of the laity, the issue has become one of authority to interpret.
For those Catholics who continue to maintain that the Roman Catholic Church was justified in seizing and burning "faulty" vernacular Bibles, and that grave errors in translation were the primary reason for destroying them, I offer the following challenge:
Tyndale's Bible has recently been republished by David Daniell and Yale University Press and can still be found at some bookstores. Tyndale's New Testament is 0-300-04419-4 for the hardback and 0-300-06580-9 for the paperback. Tyndale's Old Testament in hardback is ISBN 0-300-05211-1. Mr. Daniell has updated the spelling but remained faithful to the original text.
http://wesley.nnu.edu/biblical_studies/tyndale/
The Geneva Bible's 1602 New Testament has also been reprinted in facsimile by Pilgrim Classic Commentaries in 1989 from an original in the Cambridge University Library. The ISBN is 0-8298-0789-6 for the hardback and ISBN 0-8298-0785-3 for the paperback.
The 1611 Authorized Version (King James) Bible has also been reprinted word-for-word with original spelling by Thomas Nelson Publishers in 1993.
In addition, to my knowledge, the Roman Catholic Church was unsuccessful in completely destroying all copies of any "heretical" reformation era vernacular translations of the Bible. Despite their diligence, there are surviving copies existing today that can be studied. I therefore challenge Catholics to produce Catholic documents from the reformation period that cite and explain in detail the grave "errors" in vernacular Protestant Bibles, that warranted not only their destruction, but also frequently the death of the author, as well as those found in possession of said Bibles. It would seem that any charge of grave translation "errors" can still be verified by almost anyone today from either original editions or facsimile reprints. So mere claims of faulty vernacular Bibles proves absolutely nothing without providing citations of the exact verse and Bible edition where the alleged error occurs.
I maintain that the objections of the Catholic church to the various attempts to produce a Bible in the vernacular, were not that of faulty translations (although that claim was made), but rather that of "unauthorized heretical" interpretations that resulted from widespread publication and the laity finally being able to read the entire Bible for themselves in their own tongue, as noted in the various items above. The laity was then able to discern the truth for themselves, and the biblical truth was often at odds with Catholic teaching. Dissent flourished with the availability of the Bible, and so persecution of these heretics increased as well, in an attempt by the church to maintain control and assert her presumed authority. It is a sad chapter in history that is quite well documented.
Pasted from
*
This is our history! This isn't some made up story, but truth as it happened. The Papacy today can apologize all it desires but it cannot wipe out the facts of its behavior over the many, many year it has been in existence. Was it a one year mistake on their part? No, more years than we can truly fully fathom as reality the Papacy used the authoritative power it was given not by God but by worldly men in worldly power, to bring abuse after abuse, corruption after corruption of God's truth to people trying to force it upon them. But there was a people- the few among the many- who stayed to the narrow path Jesus implemented and these people were abused but kept alive, not totally wiped out which would have suited the Papacy just fine. In fact today the Papacy claims to be the head of the ONE TRUE CHURCH and all other are called to join her. Yes, the Papacy would love unity but in truth, only fully by all others converting to her religion.
So seriously, we can honestly say there would be a 1260 year period in which the Papacy would hold sway, even against those of the wilderness faith- God's true people as they- in the minority by far, would hold fast to truth over error. But there would come a time when the full force of military power would be stripped away and the influence of the Papacy would begin to wane until we come to our current place in time where the Papacy while having great power and influence does not have what it once had that power to condemn men to death on their word. That power was cut down, a death blow was struck that would reverberate onwards to affect the course of the Papacy's history, shaping it into what it is now. That wound is healed now, but the change was made and God's wilderness people, His true people were allowed to flourish and after this death blow- knowledge began to increase and the little book of Daniel was eventually to be opened for comprehension.
During the various Papal reigns there were many events to take place, the head of the Papacy would be relocated, he would excommunicate people who would go on to form religions without him being in authority. People would be unhappy with Him and yet to actually take a Pope captive and strip him forcibly of his power, making him powerless to lead as if he were truly dead - unable to communicate with any of his priests, his bishops, his cardinals, all those who looked to him… well this only happened one time that I can ascertain.
In 1798 this happened--
• 1798: Pope Pius VI taken prisoner by the armies of Napoleon I, dies in captivity in France.
Pasted from
General Berthier marched to Rome, entered it unopposed on 10 February 1798, and, proclaiming a Roman Republic, demanded of the Pope the renunciation of his temporal authority.
Upon his refusal he was taken prisoner, and on 20 February was escorted from the Vatican to Siena, and thence to the Certosa near Florence. The French declaration of war against Tuscany led to his removal (he was escorted by the Spaniard Pedro Gómez Labrador, Marquis of Labrador) by way of Parma, Piacenza, Turin and Grenoble to the citadel of Valence, the chief town of Drôme where he died six weeks after his arrival, on 29 August 1799, having then reigned longer than any Pope
Pasted from
So a blow is struck here against the papal idea of supremacy, something it had for so long it was all but incomprehensible to people that it could ever be touched. Touched it was. Some might argue the papacy wasn't down for the count long, and they'd be right. The deadly wound would begin to heal and as mentioned before the power it would have would be ultimately much different than what it once held.
If we are to take the 1260 days and make them prophetic years and then take the date history provides as the date the Papacy was dealt a severe, deadly blow (the Pope did die in captivity after being pulled from power), then we are left with the date 538 AD as the date the Papacy began to wield its strange power over the governmental forces. Can we find any historical significance to this date, to this year?
The man in civil power was Justinian this is said about him-
Justinian was one of the first Roman Emperors to be depicted wielding the cross on the obverse of a coin.
Pasted from
And of the pope -
On 29 June, 538, a decretal was sent to Bishop Profuturus of Braga containing decisions on various questions of church discipline. Bishop Auxanius and his successor, Aurelian of Arles, entered into communication with the pope respecting the granting of the pallium as a mark of the dignity and powers of a papal legate for Gaul; the pope sent suitable letters to the two bishops.
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15427b.htm
Pallium-
As early as the 6th century the pallium was considered a liturgical vestment to be used only in the church, and indeed only during Mass, unless a special privilege determined otherwise. This is proved conclusively by the correspondence between Pope Gregory I and John of Ravenna concerning the use of the pallium
Pasted from
History --
Siege of Rome (537–538)
The First Siege of Rome during the Gothic War lasted for a year and nine days, from 2 March 537 to 12 March 538.[1] It was fought between the defending East Romans, under general Belisarius, and the Ostrogothic army under king Vitiges. The siege was the first major encounter between the forces of the two opponents, and played a decisive role in the subsequent development of the war.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Rome_(537%E2%80%93538)
*
In 538 AD there are a few notable events. Just as in 1798 the Pope was pulled from power and exiled until he died in 1799, events can begin that continue on, or events and culminate. The importance of something begun can't be overlooked. We are looking at the little horn power and at this time in history papal and military we can see the influence of the two combined and separately. The intertwining of the Papal influence with things secular, things military can't be denied.
*
'After Agapetus's death on April 22, 536, Vigilius returned to Rome equipped with letters from the imperial Court and with money. Meanwhile Pope Silverius had been made pope through the influence of the King of the Goths. Soon after this the Byzantine commander Belisarius garrisoned the city of Rome, which was, however, besieged again by the Goths. Vigilius gave Belisarius the letters from the Court of Constantinople, which recommended Vigilius himself for the Papal See. False accusations now led Belisarius to depose Silverius. Owing to the pressure exerted by the Byzantine commander, Vigilius was elected pope in place of Silverius and was consecrated and enthroned on March 29, 537.
Vigilius brought it about that the deposed Silverius was put into his keeping where the late pope soon died from the harsh treatment he received. After the death of this predecessor Vigilius was recognized as pope by all the Roman clergy. Much in these accusations against Vigilius appears to be exaggerated, but the manner of his elevation to the See of Rome was not regular.'
Pasted from
*
One Pope- Silverius was established but another man desiring to be pope used false means (secular means-governmental not religious means) to dispose of Silverius. He didn't kill him outright, in fact the exact date of his death is unknown. Vigilius the man who was instrumental in this deception had the disposed pope treated very harshly until he did die and then Vigilius became the Pope- all because of the mingling of the religion with the politics of the time. This is important to note, because in 1798 when the Pope was torn from power by the military authority it is very, very similar to Pope Silverius' disposal. Torn from power by deception, in exile they both died. This is a connection we cannot fail to make. While it began in 537, again, the exact date of the pope's death isn't know and it's definite that in 538 the successor pope was in charge having begun fully and completely leaving NO doubt that the papacy had been gained through deception, it was thoroughly corrupt … this man's 'elevation to the See of Rome was not regular'. No, it was far from regular but it was right on time to usher in the evil mingling fully that had been slowly creeping into play. I read somewhere, but it's too late for me to look for it now and I'm tired (maybe tomorrow hehe) that Pope Silverius was one of the last genuinely good Pope's that would exist for a long, long time. Of course we know the whole of it, the man of sin was at work right away guiding things to suit himself and in 538 AD we are left with NO doubt that the corruption was sealed and would only continue on and on growing over time- history proves this without a doubt.
Only those with willing eyes will see, only those with willing ears will hear… only a very small group will accept truth where it is exposed. I pray to God we are among those elect. Please God help us to hear and see all that we need to, all according to Your righteousness not because any of us have any righteousness in and of ourselves. We are only deserving through Christ, because He is deserving and it's through Him we pray, live, and love.
All glory to God!
Thank you Jesus!
Amen.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Prophecy - 12
Picking up from yesterday… (This study is very lengthy but soooo worth taking the time to read)
Dan 7:25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.
Rev 12:14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.
Rev. 12:6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days
This power would prevail over God's TRUE people 1260 days. That's only 3 1/2 years and if you read back through all this history you know for a fact this power has endure MUCH longer and… persecuted God's people, God's truth for many, many more years than 3 1/2. So…seriously we have to think about this carefully.
Let's look at prophecy, let's look at the Bible--
Is it possible that days could equal years in prophecy… is this a principle in the Bible- not a man made principle, but a Biblical one?
Ezekiel is a Biblical prophet without a doubt, and this is found there in the book of Ezekiel-
Eze 4:6 And when thou hast accomplished them, lie again on thy right side, and thou shalt bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days: I have appointed thee each day for a year.
Forty days- each day for a year.
Now I'm not telling anyone that every time a day is mentioned in the Bible it means it's really a year, that would be just crazy. However, we read something like this- 'thou shalt bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days' and we think…day… a 24 hour period of time, not a year. Yet it spells it right out there in Ezekiel- I have appointed thee each day for a year- and suddenly a day might not always mean just a day, right? Seriously. Forty days-I have appointed thee each a day for a year. Forty years. So why even say forty days if forty years is meant in the first place? I'll tell you what I think, that there would be prophecies that included this way of interpretation and to outright say that there would be a power that dominated over God's people for one thousand two hundred and sixty years would be a bit more than could be comprehended because seriously who really contemplates things in that vein? In thousands of years. What would it mean to those living in the time of the thighs or legs, or even to those living in the toes?
Daniel was told this very important fact and we CANNOT neglect to comprehend it--
Dan 12:4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.
Shut up the words.
Seal the book
Even to the TIME of the END.
Many shall run to and for and
KNOWLEDGE shall be increased.
The book would be unsealed, the words would no longer be shut up at the time of the end when knowledge would increase. Understanding of these prophecies would only happen when it became necessary. Understanding would unfold when history had fulfilled so much of the prophecy there could be left NO DOUBT as to its validity. Once there is no doubt to the validity of these prophecies then the logical conclusion is this… the prophecy yet unfulfilled WILL BE FULFILLED! Nothing would stop the rest of the prophecy from coming to pass, not one single thing and there is no doubt in the slightest. God would have a people, a true people that would exist as His saints when Christ returns and these people will inherit the kingdom He has prepared for them- history proves this!
So we can see how important it is for us to look at this in light of history. Three and a half years after that little horn power ascended the saints were not suddenly through being persecuted and oppressed by any power. Three and a half years after that power ascended NOTHING occurred to indicate that the saints were no longer going to be caught under this new, different power. As a matter of fact the worst was yet to come. That little horn power of the Papacy fulfills the prophecy picture logically as NO other does.
Let's ask ourselves a questions about things people learn in school during history lessons.
Has the Papacy ever persecuted God's people?
According to them- not really. They made a few mistakes and such but they've never been in a position which warranted their being completely wrong . They've apologized but even today they believe they are God's only true people. But history tells us at great lengths about just how severe the papal punishments were for those who didn't believe as they did, for those who didn't accept their religion. You couldn't be a non-Catholic and NOT be persecuted at one point in history, to be anything but Catholic meant you were a pagan, a heretic, a heathen.
Tell me this- please- where did Jesus ever institute such a thing?! Where?! Where in our Bible did Jesus tell us to force people to believe in Him? Where in our Bibles did Jesus say to torture and kill those who dared to speak out against Him? I can't find it anywhere! Yet the Papacy killed many all in the name of Jesus!
Let's read a few facts…
'The first Inquisition was established in Languedoc (south of France) in 1184.
In the 13th century, Pope Gregory IX (reigned 1227–1241) assigned the duty of carrying out inquisitions to the Dominican Order. They used inquisitorial procedures, a legal practice common at that time. They judged heresy alone, using the local authorities to establish a tribunal and to prosecute heretics. After the end of the twelfth century, a Grand Inquisitor headed each Inquisition. Grand Inquisitions persisted until the 19th century.[8]
By the start of the 16th century the Catholic Church had reached an apparently dominant position as the established religious authority in western and central Europe dominating a faith-landscape in which Judaism, Waldensianism, Hussitism, Lollardry and the finally conquered Muslims al-Andalus (the Muslim-dominated Spain) hardly figured in terms of numbers or of influence.
When the institutions of the church felt themselves threatened by what they perceived as the heresy, and then schism of the Protestant Reformation, they reacted. Paul III (Pope from 1534 to 1549) established a system of tribunals, administered by the "Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Universal Inquisition", and staffed by cardinals and other Church officials. This system would later become known as the Roman Inquisition. In 1908 Pope Saint Pius X renamed the organisation: it became the "Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Holy Office". This in its turn became the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith[9] in 1965, which name continues to this day[update].'
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inquisition
Now read this very MODERN news article and NOTE the date it was written (2004)-
'Vatican downgrades Inquisition toll
Report: Torture, burning at stake less common than thought
The Associated Press
updated 6/15/2004 6:35:20 PM ET
VATICAN CITY — Torture, burning at the stake and other punishment for the faithful condemned as witches or heretics by church tribunals during the Inquisition was not as widespread as commonly believed, the Vatican said Tuesday.
Pope John Paul II praised the research, recalling that in 2000, the church asked pardon for “errors committed in the service of the truth through recourse to non-evangelical methods.”
“In the opinion of the public, the image of the Inquisition represents almost the symbol ... of scandal,” the pontiff wrote in a letter about the research. “To what degree is this image faithful to reality?”
In 2000, John Paul apologized for the sins of Roman Catholics made in the name of their faith, including abuses during the Inquisition, a systematic crackdown by church officials to defend doctrinal orthodoxy.
Catholics suspected of being heretics, witches or others considered of dubious faith, including Muslims and Jews who had converted to Catholicism, were among the targets.
At a news conference to present a 783-page book on the findings, church officials and others involved in the project said statistics and other data demolished long-held clichés about the Inquisition.
“The recourse to torture and the death sentence weren’t so frequent as it long has been believed,” said Agostino Borromeo, a professor at Rome’s Sapienza University.
For some, the scholars’ conclusions had limited value.
‘Cannot excuse the work of the Inquisition’
“Vatican research findings are interesting, but they cannot excuse the work of the Inquisition that terrorized and led to the expulsion of thousands from their homes,” said David Rosen of the American Jewish Committee.
Borromeo, who oversaw the volume, said that while there were some 125,000 trials of suspected heretics in Spain, researchers found that about 1 percent of the defendants were executed.
In Portugal, 5.7 percent of the more than 13,000 people tried before church tribunals in the 16th and early 17th century were condemned to death, he said. In many cases, courts ordered mannequins to be burned when the condemned escaped capture.
Many of the executions during the centuries spanned by the Inquisition were carried out by non-church tribunals — including witch hunts in Protestant countries, Borromeo said.
The study grew out of a 1998 conference at the Vatican of 50 historians and other experts from Europe and North America.
Pope: ‘Before seeking pardon ... the facts’
“Before seeking pardon, it is necessary to have a precise knowledge of the facts,” John Paul wrote in his letter, expressing “strong appreciation” for the research. He said his 2000 prayer for pardon “was valid both for the dramas tied to the Inquisition as well as for the wounds of memory that are the consequence of it.”
The pontiff, who lived through the horrors of Nazism in his native Poland, has dedicated a good deal of his papacy to the theological question of asking forgiveness.
He has prayed for forgiveness for the wrongdoing of the faithful in slavery and the Holocaust, among other events. The Inquisition’s horrors are delicate for the church, since it was an ecclesiastical institution, ordered by popes.
Michael Marrus, a Holocaust historian at the University of Toronto, ventured that the Vatican’s promotion of the findings could reflect the opinions of those in the church hierarchy who don’t share the pope’s passion for apologies.
Leaving aside what he called the “numbers game” of Inquisition statistics, Marrus said: “While the pope is a great promoter of the apologies, not everyone in the curia, and certainly not everyone in church leadership, shares this disposition.”
Galileo ‘rehabilitated’
Among those the Inquisition went after was the scientist Galileo Galilei, who was “rehabilitated” by the Vatican during John Paul’s papacy. Theresa of Avila and Ignatius of Loyola, destined to become saints, were probed for heresy.
Among the targets were Waldensians, members of a pre-reformation religious sect that was later declared heretical. The group later joined the Protestant fold.
“If there are many or few cases, it doesn’t matter. What’s important is you don’t say, ‘I am right and you are wrong and I burn you,” said Thomas Noffke, a Waldensian pastor in Rome, where a Waldensian preacher was hanged and then burned in 1560.
John Paul said theologians should keep in mind “the dominant mentality in a determined era.”
Borromeo denied the Vatican was playing down the wrongs of the Inquisition. “I don’t want to say that the Inquisition was an ethical institution,” he told Associated Press Television News. “It doesn’t change the nature of the problem — people were tried for their religious beliefs. But for historians, numbers have a significance.”
Cardinal Georges Cottier, a Vatican theologian, stressed the need to have the facts before making judgments about history. “You can’t ask pardon for deeds which aren’t there,” he said.
But one of those at the 1998 conference, Italian Renaissance history professor and Inquisition expert Carlo Ginzburg had his doubts about using statistics to reach a judgment about the period.
“In many cases, we don’t have the evidence, the evidence has been lost,” said Ginzburg.'
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If you took the time to read that entire article you just found out that the Vatican was looking for PROPER statistics before asking pardon for the things they did. They KILLED! They TORTURED! They did this wielding the power of the papacy, thinking that gave them the authority to do this! They were supposed to be doing this with God's blessing. And you know what??? It didn't happen just once. It didn't happen just a few times. It didn't happen over the course of a couple years. It wasn't some mistake quickly repented of. That they are willing to apologize today for it- on their terms- means what? This power, this strange power different from others came up as a force mingling with governmental powers yet not being a government body but rather a religious power and it began to oppress those who did not follow it's rules and regulations, it's laws. Forget the laws that our Savior told us to follow, the papacy instituted its own laws, it's own very strange beliefs that are no where to be found in Scripture. The papacy mingled many of its beliefs with the pagan institutions creating something new out of that which our Savior abhorred, our God condemned.
This is history. This is fact.
So when we read that this little horn would oppress the saints for 1260 days, and using an established possibility of a day equating to a year and read it as the papacy oppressing the saints for 1260 years, what exactly are we understanding here? That there would be over a thousand years of oppression? Was there over a thousand years of oppression by the papacy? Beyond any historical doubt there has been.
Remember yesterday's study? Do you remember reading of any time when the Pope was overthrown, the Papacy taking a very serious blow, the government unseating the Papal authority? Go back and look at it if you want to. Here it is --
'1798: Pope Pius VI taken prisoner by the armies of Napoleon I, dies in captivity in France.'
'In 1796 French Republican troops under the command of Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Italy, defeated the papal troops and occupied Ancona and Loreto. Pius VI sued for peace. The price of persuading the French intruder to head north again, agreed in the Treaty of Tolentino, was a massive indemnity, the removal of many works of art from the Vatican collections and the surrender to France of Bologna, Ferrara and the Romagna.
However, on December 28 of that year, a popular French general was killed in a riot outside the French embassy in Rome, thus providing a new pretext furnished for invasion by the French. French army units marched to Rome, entered it unopposed on and, proclaiming a Roman Republic, demanded of the Pope the renunciation of his temporal authority. Upon his refusal to do so, Pius VI was taken prisoner, and on February 20 was ultimately brought to the citadel of Valence in France where he died.'
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'It would be several months before a new pope was elected and there was great political say so in that.
The Pope- the head of the Papacy was torn from power in 1798 and put in exile- where he died.
Pope Pius VII
Following the death of Pius VI, virtually France's prisoner, at Valence in August 1799, the conclave met on 30 November 1799 in the Benedictine monastery of San Giorgio, Venice. There were three main candidates, two of whom proved to be unacceptable to the Habsburgs, whose candidate, Alessandro Mattei, could not secure sufficient votes. After several months of stalemate, Chiaramonti was elected as a compromise candidate, certainly not the choice of the die-hard opponents of the French Revolution.[2] He was crowned Pope Pius VII at Venice on 21 March 1800 in a rather unusual ceremony, wearing a papier-mâché papal tiara, since the French had seized the original along with Pius VI, after which a barely seaworthy Austrian ship, the "Bellona", with no cooking facilities, took 12 days to carry him to Pesaro, from where he proceeded to Rome'
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'French Revolution
At the outbreak of the French Revolution, Pius VI witnessed the suppression of the old Gallican Church, the confiscation of pontifical and ecclesiastical possessions in France, and an effigy of himself burnt by the Parisians at the Palais Royal.
Deposition and death under NapoleonMain article: Napoleon and the Catholic Church
In 1796 French Republican troops under the command of Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Italy, defeated the papal troops and occupied Ancona and Loreto. Pius VI sued for peace, which was granted at Tolentino on 19 February 1797; but on 28 December of that year, in a riot blamed by papal forces on some Italian and French revolutionists, the popular brigadier-general Mathurin-Léonard Duphot, who had gone to Rome with Joseph Bonaparte as part of the French embassy, was killed and a new pretext was furnished for invasion. General Berthier marched to Rome, entered it unopposed on 10 February 1798, and, proclaiming a Roman Republic, demanded of the Pope the renunciation of his temporal authority.
Upon his refusal he was taken prisoner, and on 20 February was escorted from the Vatican to Siena, and thence to the Certosa near Florence. The French declaration of war against Tuscany led to his removal (he was escorted by the Spaniard Pedro Gómez Labrador, Marquis of Labrador) by way of Parma, Piacenza, Turin and Grenoble to the citadel of Valence, the chief town of Drôme where he died six weeks after his arrival, on 29 August 1799, having then reigned longer than any Pope (except possibly St Peter).
Pius VI elevated Romualdo Braschi-Onesti, the penultimate cardinal-nephew.Pius VI's body was embalmed, but was not buried until 30 January 1800 after Napoleon saw political advantage to burying the deceased Pope in efforts to bring the Catholic Church back into France. His entourage insisted for some time that his last wishes were to be buried in Rome, then behind the Austrian lines. They also prevented a Constitutional bishop from presiding at the burial, as the laws of France then required, so no burial service was held. This recrudescence of the investiture conflict was settled by the Concordat of 1801. Pius VI's body was removed from Valence on 24 December 1801 and buried at Rome 19 February 1802.
Pius VI has been accused of having led a futile and immoral life, of having neglected his duties and of having been bad-tempered and even brutal with his attendants. Allowance of course must be made for enmity and exaggeration, but there can be no doubt that the Pope resorted to low and crooked means of obtaining money, both to meet the demands of his insatiable family and the cost of his own extravagance. As a monarch he was isolated and ignored. When the French Revolution broke out, the population of Avignon and of the Comtat Venaissin turned out the papal officials and declared themselves French citizens. News of this event was received in Paris with a great show of rejoicing and the Pope's effigy was publicly burned in the gardens of the Palais Royal to the accompaniment of ribald jokes and songs." [3].
A long audience with Pius VI is one of the most extensive scenes in the Marquis de Sade's narrative Juliette, published in 1798. Juliette shows off her learning to the Pope (whom she most often addresses as "Braschi") with a verbal catalogue of alleged immoralities committed by his predecessors.
As a means of humiliation, Sylvain Maréchal's play Le Judgment dernier des rois forces the character of the pope to marry after a global revolution has dethroned him and other monarchs.'
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Pius_VI
THIS next piece is a very LONG article but worth reading it for the information it contains--
'Spain, Portugal, and France had at first combined to prevent his election, because he was believed to be a friend of the Jesuits; he was well disposed towards the order, but he dared not revoke the Bull of their suppression.
Still he ordered the liberation of their general, Ricci, a prisoner in the Castle of Sant’ Angelo in Rome, but the general died before the decree of liberation arrived.
Upon the request of Frederick II of Prussia he permitted the Jesuits to retain their schools in Prussia; while in Russia, he permitted an uninterrupted continuation of the order.
Soon after his accession he took steps to root out the Gallican idea of papal supremacy which had been spread in Germany by Hontheim (see FEBRONIANISM. )
***Interjecting a definition of Febronianism-
The main propositions defended by Febronius were as follows. The constitution of the Church is not, by Christ's institution, monarchical, and the pope, though entitled to a certain primacy, is subordinate to the universal Church. Though as the centre of unity he may be regarded as the guardian and champion of the ecclesiastical law, and though he may propose laws, and send legates on the affairs of his primacy, his sovereignty (principatus) over the Church is not one of jurisdiction, but of order and collaboration (ordinis et consociationis). The Roman (ultramontane) doctrine of papal infallibility is not accepted by the other Catholic Churches and, moreover, has no practical utility. The Church is based on the one episcopacy common to all bishops, the pope being only first among equals.
It follows that the pope is subject to general councils, in which the bishops are his colleagues (conjudices), not merely his consultors; nor has he the exclusive right to summon such councils. The decrees of general councils need not be confirmed by the pope nor can they be altered by him; on the other hand, appeal may be made from papal decisions to a general council. As for the rights of the popes in such matters as appeals, reservations, the confirmation, translation and deposition of bishops, these belong properly to the bishops in provincial synods, and were usurped by the papacy gradually as the result of a variety of causes, notably of the False Decretals.
For the health of the Church it is therefore necessary to restore matters to their condition before the False Decretals, and to give to the episcopate its due authority. The main obstacle to this is not the pope himself, but the Curia, and this must be fought by all possible means, especially by thorough popular education (primum adversus abususn ecclesiasticae potestatis remedium), and by the assembling of national and provincial synods, the neglect of which is the main cause of the Church's woes. If the pope will not move in the matter, the princes, and notably the emperor, must act in co-operation with the bishops, summon national councils even against the popes will, defy his excommunication, and in the last resort refuse obedience in those matters over which the papacy has usurped jurisdiction.
***End interjection
Joseph II forbade the Austrian bishops to apply to Rome for faculties of any kind, and suppressed innumerable monasteries. Pius VI resolved to go to Vienna; he left Rome on 27 Feb., 1782, and arrived in Vienna on 22 March. The emperor received him respectfully, though the minister, Kaunitz, neglected even the ordinary rules of etiquette.
The pope remained at Vienna until 22 April, 1782. All that he obtained from the emperor was the promise that his ecclesiastical reforms would not contain any violation of Catholic dogmas, or compromise the dignity of the pope.
The emperor accompanied the pope on his return as far as the Monastery of Mariabrunn, and suppressed this monastery a few hours after the pope had left it.
Scarcely had the pope reached Rome when he again saw himself compelled to protest against the emperor's unjustifiable confiscation of ecclesiastical property.
But when Joseph II filled the vacant See of Milan of his own authority, Pius solemnly protested, and it was probably at this occasion that he threatened the emperor with excommunication.
On 23 Dec., 1783, the emperor unexpectedly came to Rome to return the papal visit. He was determined to continue his ecclesiastical reforms, and made known to the Spanish diplomat, Azara, his project of separating the German Church entirely from Rome.
The latter, however, dissuaded him from taking this fatal step. To avoid worse things, the pope granted him the right of nominating the bishops in the Duchies of Milan and Mantua, in a concordat dated 20 Jan., 1784 (see Nussi, "Conventiones de rebus ecclesiasticis et civilibus inter S. Sedem et civilem potestatem", Mainz, 1870, 138-9).
Joseph's example was followed in Tuscany by his brother, the Grand Duke Leopold II and Bishop Scipio Ricci of Pistoia.
Here the antipapal reforms culminated in the Synod of Pistoia in 1786, where the doctrines of Jansenius and Quesnel were sanctioned, and the papal supremacy was eliminated.
In his Bull "Auctorem fidei" of 28 Aug., 1794, the pope condemned the acts, and in particular eighty-five propositions of this synod.
In Germany the three ecclesiastical Electors of Mainz, Trier, and Cologne, and the Archbishop of Salzburg attempted to curtail the papal authority by convening a congress at Ems (q.v.).
With Portugal the papal relations became very friendly after the accession of Maria I in 1777, and a satisfactory concordat was concluded in 1778 (Nussi, loc. cit., 138-39). In Spain, Sardinia, and Venice the Governments to a great extent followed in the footsteps of Joseph II.
But the most sweeping anti-ecclesiastical reforms were carried out in the Two Sicilies. Ferdinand IV refused the exequatur to all papal briefs that were obtained without the royal permission, and claimed the right to nominate all ecclesiastical beneficiaries.
Pius VI refused to accept the bishops that were nominated by the king and, as a result, there were in 1784 thirty vacant sees in the Kingdom of Naples alone, which number had increased to sixty in 1798.
The king, moreover, refused to acknowledge the papal suzerainty which had existed for eight hundred years.
The pope repeatedly made overtures, but the king persisted in nominating to all the vacant sees. In April, 1791, when more than half the sees in the Kingdom of Naples were vacant, a temporary compromise was reached and in that year sixty-two vacant sees were filled (Rinieri, loc. cit., infra).
In response to the application of the clergy of the United States, the Bull of April, 1788, erected the See of Baltimore.
After the French Revolution, Pius rejected the "Constitution civile du clergé" on 13 March, 1791, suspended the priests that accepted it, provided as well as he could for the banished clergy and protested against the execution of Louis XVI.
France retaliated by annexing the small papal territories of Avignon and Venaissin.
The pope's co-operation with the Allies against the French Republic, and the murder of the French attaché, Basseville, at Rome, brought on by his own fault, led to Napoleon's attack on the Papal States.
At the Truce of Bologna (25 June, 1796) Napoleon dictated the terms: twenty-one million francs, the release of all political criminals, free access of French ships into the papal harbours, the occupation of the Romagna by French troops etc.
At the Peace of Tolentino (19 Feb., 1797) Pius VI was compelled to surrender Avignon, Venaissin, Ferrara, Bologna, and the Romagna; and to pay fifteen million francs and give up numerous costly works of art and manuscripts.
In an attempt to revolutionize Rome the French General Duphot was shot and killed, whereupon the French took Rome on 10 Feb., 1798, and proclaimed the Roman Republic on 15 Feb.
The pope refused to submit, he was forcibly taken from Rome on the night of 20 Feb., and brought first to Siena and then to Florence.
At the end of March, 1799, though seriously ill, he was hurried to Parma, Piacenza, Turin, then over the Alps to Briançon and Grenoble, and finally to Valence, where he succumbed to his sufferings before he could be brought further. He was first buried at Valence, but the remains were transferred to St. Peter's in Rome on 17 Feb., 1802 (see NAPOLEON I). His statue in a kneeling position by Canova was placed in the Basilica of St. Peter before the crypt of the Prince of the Apostles.'
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12131a.htm
If you've read all that then you know that this portion of history unlike any other- even the Protestant Revolution- was taking the Pope off his throne, was stripping the Pope of all the power he'd accumulated- even if it was being stripped temporarily. The fact that the Pope, the Papacy could be touched in this way opened up a world without that power. The Papacy has never again attained the full power it had. Yes, there were still inquisitions, there were many remnants of the authority, but ask yourself this… does the Papacy have that all controlling sense of power it had back then? No, not at all. The Papacy today can excommunicate anyone it wants to but to put the fear into people that they will be tortured and murdered is gone. The strike by the French against the Papacy was momentous. There had been 247 Pope's, 248 including Pius VI. 248! Today there have been 263 Popes. 248 Popes existed in some form for a long, long, long time and their history is full of corruption, full of horrors, and then one of them was taken from power by a government.
More on this tomorrow, by the grace of God. This is so much to take in, but we are discussing our future- because we are discussing our past in light of Biblical prophecy. We've discussed a lot today pointing to papal history and we're going to discuss more because it is necessary.
May God help us so much because to try and understand this without His guidance is pointless. We can create our own fables out of things and Satan will be right there encouraging us to do so. Please God help us not be deceived.
By His love! By His mercy and grace! Please, Lord, please help us with this. By your righteousness! Amen!!!
Dan 7:25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.
Rev 12:14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.
Rev. 12:6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days
This power would prevail over God's TRUE people 1260 days. That's only 3 1/2 years and if you read back through all this history you know for a fact this power has endure MUCH longer and… persecuted God's people, God's truth for many, many more years than 3 1/2. So…seriously we have to think about this carefully.
Let's look at prophecy, let's look at the Bible--
Is it possible that days could equal years in prophecy… is this a principle in the Bible- not a man made principle, but a Biblical one?
Ezekiel is a Biblical prophet without a doubt, and this is found there in the book of Ezekiel-
Eze 4:6 And when thou hast accomplished them, lie again on thy right side, and thou shalt bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days: I have appointed thee each day for a year.
Forty days- each day for a year.
Now I'm not telling anyone that every time a day is mentioned in the Bible it means it's really a year, that would be just crazy. However, we read something like this- 'thou shalt bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days' and we think…day… a 24 hour period of time, not a year. Yet it spells it right out there in Ezekiel- I have appointed thee each day for a year- and suddenly a day might not always mean just a day, right? Seriously. Forty days-I have appointed thee each a day for a year. Forty years. So why even say forty days if forty years is meant in the first place? I'll tell you what I think, that there would be prophecies that included this way of interpretation and to outright say that there would be a power that dominated over God's people for one thousand two hundred and sixty years would be a bit more than could be comprehended because seriously who really contemplates things in that vein? In thousands of years. What would it mean to those living in the time of the thighs or legs, or even to those living in the toes?
Daniel was told this very important fact and we CANNOT neglect to comprehend it--
Dan 12:4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.
Shut up the words.
Seal the book
Even to the TIME of the END.
Many shall run to and for and
KNOWLEDGE shall be increased.
The book would be unsealed, the words would no longer be shut up at the time of the end when knowledge would increase. Understanding of these prophecies would only happen when it became necessary. Understanding would unfold when history had fulfilled so much of the prophecy there could be left NO DOUBT as to its validity. Once there is no doubt to the validity of these prophecies then the logical conclusion is this… the prophecy yet unfulfilled WILL BE FULFILLED! Nothing would stop the rest of the prophecy from coming to pass, not one single thing and there is no doubt in the slightest. God would have a people, a true people that would exist as His saints when Christ returns and these people will inherit the kingdom He has prepared for them- history proves this!
So we can see how important it is for us to look at this in light of history. Three and a half years after that little horn power ascended the saints were not suddenly through being persecuted and oppressed by any power. Three and a half years after that power ascended NOTHING occurred to indicate that the saints were no longer going to be caught under this new, different power. As a matter of fact the worst was yet to come. That little horn power of the Papacy fulfills the prophecy picture logically as NO other does.
Let's ask ourselves a questions about things people learn in school during history lessons.
Has the Papacy ever persecuted God's people?
According to them- not really. They made a few mistakes and such but they've never been in a position which warranted their being completely wrong . They've apologized but even today they believe they are God's only true people. But history tells us at great lengths about just how severe the papal punishments were for those who didn't believe as they did, for those who didn't accept their religion. You couldn't be a non-Catholic and NOT be persecuted at one point in history, to be anything but Catholic meant you were a pagan, a heretic, a heathen.
Tell me this- please- where did Jesus ever institute such a thing?! Where?! Where in our Bible did Jesus tell us to force people to believe in Him? Where in our Bibles did Jesus say to torture and kill those who dared to speak out against Him? I can't find it anywhere! Yet the Papacy killed many all in the name of Jesus!
Let's read a few facts…
'The first Inquisition was established in Languedoc (south of France) in 1184.
In the 13th century, Pope Gregory IX (reigned 1227–1241) assigned the duty of carrying out inquisitions to the Dominican Order. They used inquisitorial procedures, a legal practice common at that time. They judged heresy alone, using the local authorities to establish a tribunal and to prosecute heretics. After the end of the twelfth century, a Grand Inquisitor headed each Inquisition. Grand Inquisitions persisted until the 19th century.[8]
By the start of the 16th century the Catholic Church had reached an apparently dominant position as the established religious authority in western and central Europe dominating a faith-landscape in which Judaism, Waldensianism, Hussitism, Lollardry and the finally conquered Muslims al-Andalus (the Muslim-dominated Spain) hardly figured in terms of numbers or of influence.
When the institutions of the church felt themselves threatened by what they perceived as the heresy, and then schism of the Protestant Reformation, they reacted. Paul III (Pope from 1534 to 1549) established a system of tribunals, administered by the "Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Universal Inquisition", and staffed by cardinals and other Church officials. This system would later become known as the Roman Inquisition. In 1908 Pope Saint Pius X renamed the organisation: it became the "Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Holy Office". This in its turn became the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith[9] in 1965, which name continues to this day[update].'
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inquisition
Now read this very MODERN news article and NOTE the date it was written (2004)-
'Vatican downgrades Inquisition toll
Report: Torture, burning at stake less common than thought
The Associated Press
updated 6/15/2004 6:35:20 PM ET
VATICAN CITY — Torture, burning at the stake and other punishment for the faithful condemned as witches or heretics by church tribunals during the Inquisition was not as widespread as commonly believed, the Vatican said Tuesday.
Pope John Paul II praised the research, recalling that in 2000, the church asked pardon for “errors committed in the service of the truth through recourse to non-evangelical methods.”
“In the opinion of the public, the image of the Inquisition represents almost the symbol ... of scandal,” the pontiff wrote in a letter about the research. “To what degree is this image faithful to reality?”
In 2000, John Paul apologized for the sins of Roman Catholics made in the name of their faith, including abuses during the Inquisition, a systematic crackdown by church officials to defend doctrinal orthodoxy.
Catholics suspected of being heretics, witches or others considered of dubious faith, including Muslims and Jews who had converted to Catholicism, were among the targets.
At a news conference to present a 783-page book on the findings, church officials and others involved in the project said statistics and other data demolished long-held clichés about the Inquisition.
“The recourse to torture and the death sentence weren’t so frequent as it long has been believed,” said Agostino Borromeo, a professor at Rome’s Sapienza University.
For some, the scholars’ conclusions had limited value.
‘Cannot excuse the work of the Inquisition’
“Vatican research findings are interesting, but they cannot excuse the work of the Inquisition that terrorized and led to the expulsion of thousands from their homes,” said David Rosen of the American Jewish Committee.
Borromeo, who oversaw the volume, said that while there were some 125,000 trials of suspected heretics in Spain, researchers found that about 1 percent of the defendants were executed.
In Portugal, 5.7 percent of the more than 13,000 people tried before church tribunals in the 16th and early 17th century were condemned to death, he said. In many cases, courts ordered mannequins to be burned when the condemned escaped capture.
Many of the executions during the centuries spanned by the Inquisition were carried out by non-church tribunals — including witch hunts in Protestant countries, Borromeo said.
The study grew out of a 1998 conference at the Vatican of 50 historians and other experts from Europe and North America.
Pope: ‘Before seeking pardon ... the facts’
“Before seeking pardon, it is necessary to have a precise knowledge of the facts,” John Paul wrote in his letter, expressing “strong appreciation” for the research. He said his 2000 prayer for pardon “was valid both for the dramas tied to the Inquisition as well as for the wounds of memory that are the consequence of it.”
The pontiff, who lived through the horrors of Nazism in his native Poland, has dedicated a good deal of his papacy to the theological question of asking forgiveness.
He has prayed for forgiveness for the wrongdoing of the faithful in slavery and the Holocaust, among other events. The Inquisition’s horrors are delicate for the church, since it was an ecclesiastical institution, ordered by popes.
Michael Marrus, a Holocaust historian at the University of Toronto, ventured that the Vatican’s promotion of the findings could reflect the opinions of those in the church hierarchy who don’t share the pope’s passion for apologies.
Leaving aside what he called the “numbers game” of Inquisition statistics, Marrus said: “While the pope is a great promoter of the apologies, not everyone in the curia, and certainly not everyone in church leadership, shares this disposition.”
Galileo ‘rehabilitated’
Among those the Inquisition went after was the scientist Galileo Galilei, who was “rehabilitated” by the Vatican during John Paul’s papacy. Theresa of Avila and Ignatius of Loyola, destined to become saints, were probed for heresy.
Among the targets were Waldensians, members of a pre-reformation religious sect that was later declared heretical. The group later joined the Protestant fold.
“If there are many or few cases, it doesn’t matter. What’s important is you don’t say, ‘I am right and you are wrong and I burn you,” said Thomas Noffke, a Waldensian pastor in Rome, where a Waldensian preacher was hanged and then burned in 1560.
John Paul said theologians should keep in mind “the dominant mentality in a determined era.”
Borromeo denied the Vatican was playing down the wrongs of the Inquisition. “I don’t want to say that the Inquisition was an ethical institution,” he told Associated Press Television News. “It doesn’t change the nature of the problem — people were tried for their religious beliefs. But for historians, numbers have a significance.”
Cardinal Georges Cottier, a Vatican theologian, stressed the need to have the facts before making judgments about history. “You can’t ask pardon for deeds which aren’t there,” he said.
But one of those at the 1998 conference, Italian Renaissance history professor and Inquisition expert Carlo Ginzburg had his doubts about using statistics to reach a judgment about the period.
“In many cases, we don’t have the evidence, the evidence has been lost,” said Ginzburg.'
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If you took the time to read that entire article you just found out that the Vatican was looking for PROPER statistics before asking pardon for the things they did. They KILLED! They TORTURED! They did this wielding the power of the papacy, thinking that gave them the authority to do this! They were supposed to be doing this with God's blessing. And you know what??? It didn't happen just once. It didn't happen just a few times. It didn't happen over the course of a couple years. It wasn't some mistake quickly repented of. That they are willing to apologize today for it- on their terms- means what? This power, this strange power different from others came up as a force mingling with governmental powers yet not being a government body but rather a religious power and it began to oppress those who did not follow it's rules and regulations, it's laws. Forget the laws that our Savior told us to follow, the papacy instituted its own laws, it's own very strange beliefs that are no where to be found in Scripture. The papacy mingled many of its beliefs with the pagan institutions creating something new out of that which our Savior abhorred, our God condemned.
This is history. This is fact.
So when we read that this little horn would oppress the saints for 1260 days, and using an established possibility of a day equating to a year and read it as the papacy oppressing the saints for 1260 years, what exactly are we understanding here? That there would be over a thousand years of oppression? Was there over a thousand years of oppression by the papacy? Beyond any historical doubt there has been.
Remember yesterday's study? Do you remember reading of any time when the Pope was overthrown, the Papacy taking a very serious blow, the government unseating the Papal authority? Go back and look at it if you want to. Here it is --
'1798: Pope Pius VI taken prisoner by the armies of Napoleon I, dies in captivity in France.'
'In 1796 French Republican troops under the command of Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Italy, defeated the papal troops and occupied Ancona and Loreto. Pius VI sued for peace. The price of persuading the French intruder to head north again, agreed in the Treaty of Tolentino, was a massive indemnity, the removal of many works of art from the Vatican collections and the surrender to France of Bologna, Ferrara and the Romagna.
However, on December 28 of that year, a popular French general was killed in a riot outside the French embassy in Rome, thus providing a new pretext furnished for invasion by the French. French army units marched to Rome, entered it unopposed on and, proclaiming a Roman Republic, demanded of the Pope the renunciation of his temporal authority. Upon his refusal to do so, Pius VI was taken prisoner, and on February 20 was ultimately brought to the citadel of Valence in France where he died.'
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'It would be several months before a new pope was elected and there was great political say so in that.
The Pope- the head of the Papacy was torn from power in 1798 and put in exile- where he died.
Pope Pius VII
Following the death of Pius VI, virtually France's prisoner, at Valence in August 1799, the conclave met on 30 November 1799 in the Benedictine monastery of San Giorgio, Venice. There were three main candidates, two of whom proved to be unacceptable to the Habsburgs, whose candidate, Alessandro Mattei, could not secure sufficient votes. After several months of stalemate, Chiaramonti was elected as a compromise candidate, certainly not the choice of the die-hard opponents of the French Revolution.[2] He was crowned Pope Pius VII at Venice on 21 March 1800 in a rather unusual ceremony, wearing a papier-mâché papal tiara, since the French had seized the original along with Pius VI, after which a barely seaworthy Austrian ship, the "Bellona", with no cooking facilities, took 12 days to carry him to Pesaro, from where he proceeded to Rome'
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'French Revolution
At the outbreak of the French Revolution, Pius VI witnessed the suppression of the old Gallican Church, the confiscation of pontifical and ecclesiastical possessions in France, and an effigy of himself burnt by the Parisians at the Palais Royal.
Deposition and death under NapoleonMain article: Napoleon and the Catholic Church
In 1796 French Republican troops under the command of Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Italy, defeated the papal troops and occupied Ancona and Loreto. Pius VI sued for peace, which was granted at Tolentino on 19 February 1797; but on 28 December of that year, in a riot blamed by papal forces on some Italian and French revolutionists, the popular brigadier-general Mathurin-Léonard Duphot, who had gone to Rome with Joseph Bonaparte as part of the French embassy, was killed and a new pretext was furnished for invasion. General Berthier marched to Rome, entered it unopposed on 10 February 1798, and, proclaiming a Roman Republic, demanded of the Pope the renunciation of his temporal authority.
Upon his refusal he was taken prisoner, and on 20 February was escorted from the Vatican to Siena, and thence to the Certosa near Florence. The French declaration of war against Tuscany led to his removal (he was escorted by the Spaniard Pedro Gómez Labrador, Marquis of Labrador) by way of Parma, Piacenza, Turin and Grenoble to the citadel of Valence, the chief town of Drôme where he died six weeks after his arrival, on 29 August 1799, having then reigned longer than any Pope (except possibly St Peter).
Pius VI elevated Romualdo Braschi-Onesti, the penultimate cardinal-nephew.Pius VI's body was embalmed, but was not buried until 30 January 1800 after Napoleon saw political advantage to burying the deceased Pope in efforts to bring the Catholic Church back into France. His entourage insisted for some time that his last wishes were to be buried in Rome, then behind the Austrian lines. They also prevented a Constitutional bishop from presiding at the burial, as the laws of France then required, so no burial service was held. This recrudescence of the investiture conflict was settled by the Concordat of 1801. Pius VI's body was removed from Valence on 24 December 1801 and buried at Rome 19 February 1802.
Pius VI has been accused of having led a futile and immoral life, of having neglected his duties and of having been bad-tempered and even brutal with his attendants. Allowance of course must be made for enmity and exaggeration, but there can be no doubt that the Pope resorted to low and crooked means of obtaining money, both to meet the demands of his insatiable family and the cost of his own extravagance. As a monarch he was isolated and ignored. When the French Revolution broke out, the population of Avignon and of the Comtat Venaissin turned out the papal officials and declared themselves French citizens. News of this event was received in Paris with a great show of rejoicing and the Pope's effigy was publicly burned in the gardens of the Palais Royal to the accompaniment of ribald jokes and songs." [3].
A long audience with Pius VI is one of the most extensive scenes in the Marquis de Sade's narrative Juliette, published in 1798. Juliette shows off her learning to the Pope (whom she most often addresses as "Braschi") with a verbal catalogue of alleged immoralities committed by his predecessors.
As a means of humiliation, Sylvain Maréchal's play Le Judgment dernier des rois forces the character of the pope to marry after a global revolution has dethroned him and other monarchs.'
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Pius_VI
THIS next piece is a very LONG article but worth reading it for the information it contains--
'Spain, Portugal, and France had at first combined to prevent his election, because he was believed to be a friend of the Jesuits; he was well disposed towards the order, but he dared not revoke the Bull of their suppression.
Still he ordered the liberation of their general, Ricci, a prisoner in the Castle of Sant’ Angelo in Rome, but the general died before the decree of liberation arrived.
Upon the request of Frederick II of Prussia he permitted the Jesuits to retain their schools in Prussia; while in Russia, he permitted an uninterrupted continuation of the order.
Soon after his accession he took steps to root out the Gallican idea of papal supremacy which had been spread in Germany by Hontheim (see FEBRONIANISM. )
***Interjecting a definition of Febronianism-
The main propositions defended by Febronius were as follows. The constitution of the Church is not, by Christ's institution, monarchical, and the pope, though entitled to a certain primacy, is subordinate to the universal Church. Though as the centre of unity he may be regarded as the guardian and champion of the ecclesiastical law, and though he may propose laws, and send legates on the affairs of his primacy, his sovereignty (principatus) over the Church is not one of jurisdiction, but of order and collaboration (ordinis et consociationis). The Roman (ultramontane) doctrine of papal infallibility is not accepted by the other Catholic Churches and, moreover, has no practical utility. The Church is based on the one episcopacy common to all bishops, the pope being only first among equals.
It follows that the pope is subject to general councils, in which the bishops are his colleagues (conjudices), not merely his consultors; nor has he the exclusive right to summon such councils. The decrees of general councils need not be confirmed by the pope nor can they be altered by him; on the other hand, appeal may be made from papal decisions to a general council. As for the rights of the popes in such matters as appeals, reservations, the confirmation, translation and deposition of bishops, these belong properly to the bishops in provincial synods, and were usurped by the papacy gradually as the result of a variety of causes, notably of the False Decretals.
For the health of the Church it is therefore necessary to restore matters to their condition before the False Decretals, and to give to the episcopate its due authority. The main obstacle to this is not the pope himself, but the Curia, and this must be fought by all possible means, especially by thorough popular education (primum adversus abususn ecclesiasticae potestatis remedium), and by the assembling of national and provincial synods, the neglect of which is the main cause of the Church's woes. If the pope will not move in the matter, the princes, and notably the emperor, must act in co-operation with the bishops, summon national councils even against the popes will, defy his excommunication, and in the last resort refuse obedience in those matters over which the papacy has usurped jurisdiction.
***End interjection
Joseph II forbade the Austrian bishops to apply to Rome for faculties of any kind, and suppressed innumerable monasteries. Pius VI resolved to go to Vienna; he left Rome on 27 Feb., 1782, and arrived in Vienna on 22 March. The emperor received him respectfully, though the minister, Kaunitz, neglected even the ordinary rules of etiquette.
The pope remained at Vienna until 22 April, 1782. All that he obtained from the emperor was the promise that his ecclesiastical reforms would not contain any violation of Catholic dogmas, or compromise the dignity of the pope.
The emperor accompanied the pope on his return as far as the Monastery of Mariabrunn, and suppressed this monastery a few hours after the pope had left it.
Scarcely had the pope reached Rome when he again saw himself compelled to protest against the emperor's unjustifiable confiscation of ecclesiastical property.
But when Joseph II filled the vacant See of Milan of his own authority, Pius solemnly protested, and it was probably at this occasion that he threatened the emperor with excommunication.
On 23 Dec., 1783, the emperor unexpectedly came to Rome to return the papal visit. He was determined to continue his ecclesiastical reforms, and made known to the Spanish diplomat, Azara, his project of separating the German Church entirely from Rome.
The latter, however, dissuaded him from taking this fatal step. To avoid worse things, the pope granted him the right of nominating the bishops in the Duchies of Milan and Mantua, in a concordat dated 20 Jan., 1784 (see Nussi, "Conventiones de rebus ecclesiasticis et civilibus inter S. Sedem et civilem potestatem", Mainz, 1870, 138-9).
Joseph's example was followed in Tuscany by his brother, the Grand Duke Leopold II and Bishop Scipio Ricci of Pistoia.
Here the antipapal reforms culminated in the Synod of Pistoia in 1786, where the doctrines of Jansenius and Quesnel were sanctioned, and the papal supremacy was eliminated.
In his Bull "Auctorem fidei" of 28 Aug., 1794, the pope condemned the acts, and in particular eighty-five propositions of this synod.
In Germany the three ecclesiastical Electors of Mainz, Trier, and Cologne, and the Archbishop of Salzburg attempted to curtail the papal authority by convening a congress at Ems (q.v.).
With Portugal the papal relations became very friendly after the accession of Maria I in 1777, and a satisfactory concordat was concluded in 1778 (Nussi, loc. cit., 138-39). In Spain, Sardinia, and Venice the Governments to a great extent followed in the footsteps of Joseph II.
But the most sweeping anti-ecclesiastical reforms were carried out in the Two Sicilies. Ferdinand IV refused the exequatur to all papal briefs that were obtained without the royal permission, and claimed the right to nominate all ecclesiastical beneficiaries.
Pius VI refused to accept the bishops that were nominated by the king and, as a result, there were in 1784 thirty vacant sees in the Kingdom of Naples alone, which number had increased to sixty in 1798.
The king, moreover, refused to acknowledge the papal suzerainty which had existed for eight hundred years.
The pope repeatedly made overtures, but the king persisted in nominating to all the vacant sees. In April, 1791, when more than half the sees in the Kingdom of Naples were vacant, a temporary compromise was reached and in that year sixty-two vacant sees were filled (Rinieri, loc. cit., infra).
In response to the application of the clergy of the United States, the Bull of April, 1788, erected the See of Baltimore.
After the French Revolution, Pius rejected the "Constitution civile du clergé" on 13 March, 1791, suspended the priests that accepted it, provided as well as he could for the banished clergy and protested against the execution of Louis XVI.
France retaliated by annexing the small papal territories of Avignon and Venaissin.
The pope's co-operation with the Allies against the French Republic, and the murder of the French attaché, Basseville, at Rome, brought on by his own fault, led to Napoleon's attack on the Papal States.
At the Truce of Bologna (25 June, 1796) Napoleon dictated the terms: twenty-one million francs, the release of all political criminals, free access of French ships into the papal harbours, the occupation of the Romagna by French troops etc.
At the Peace of Tolentino (19 Feb., 1797) Pius VI was compelled to surrender Avignon, Venaissin, Ferrara, Bologna, and the Romagna; and to pay fifteen million francs and give up numerous costly works of art and manuscripts.
In an attempt to revolutionize Rome the French General Duphot was shot and killed, whereupon the French took Rome on 10 Feb., 1798, and proclaimed the Roman Republic on 15 Feb.
The pope refused to submit, he was forcibly taken from Rome on the night of 20 Feb., and brought first to Siena and then to Florence.
At the end of March, 1799, though seriously ill, he was hurried to Parma, Piacenza, Turin, then over the Alps to Briançon and Grenoble, and finally to Valence, where he succumbed to his sufferings before he could be brought further. He was first buried at Valence, but the remains were transferred to St. Peter's in Rome on 17 Feb., 1802 (see NAPOLEON I). His statue in a kneeling position by Canova was placed in the Basilica of St. Peter before the crypt of the Prince of the Apostles.'
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12131a.htm
If you've read all that then you know that this portion of history unlike any other- even the Protestant Revolution- was taking the Pope off his throne, was stripping the Pope of all the power he'd accumulated- even if it was being stripped temporarily. The fact that the Pope, the Papacy could be touched in this way opened up a world without that power. The Papacy has never again attained the full power it had. Yes, there were still inquisitions, there were many remnants of the authority, but ask yourself this… does the Papacy have that all controlling sense of power it had back then? No, not at all. The Papacy today can excommunicate anyone it wants to but to put the fear into people that they will be tortured and murdered is gone. The strike by the French against the Papacy was momentous. There had been 247 Pope's, 248 including Pius VI. 248! Today there have been 263 Popes. 248 Popes existed in some form for a long, long, long time and their history is full of corruption, full of horrors, and then one of them was taken from power by a government.
More on this tomorrow, by the grace of God. This is so much to take in, but we are discussing our future- because we are discussing our past in light of Biblical prophecy. We've discussed a lot today pointing to papal history and we're going to discuss more because it is necessary.
May God help us so much because to try and understand this without His guidance is pointless. We can create our own fables out of things and Satan will be right there encouraging us to do so. Please God help us not be deceived.
By His love! By His mercy and grace! Please, Lord, please help us with this. By your righteousness! Amen!!!
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