Truth Denied

FACTS OF FAITH By Christian Edwardson

JESUITS UNDERMINE THE TRUTH

     (201) The Rev. Joseph Tanner, B. A., says:

     "So great hold did the conviction that the Papacy was the Antichrist gain upon the minds of men, that Rome at last saw she must bestir herself, and try, by putting forth other systems of interpretation, to counteract the identification of the Papacy with the Antichrist.

     "Accordingly, towards the close of the century of the Reformation, two of her most learned doctors set themselves to the task, each endeavoring by different means to accomplish the same end; namely, that of diverting men's minds from perceiving the fulfillment of the prophecies of the Antichrist in the papal system. The Jesuit Alcasar devoted himself to bring into prominence the Preterist method of interpretation,...that the prophecies of Antichrist were fulfilled before the Popes ever ruled at Rome, and therefore could not apply to the Papacy. On the other hand the Jesuit Ribera tried to set aside the application of these prophecies to the papal power by bringing out the Futurist system, which asserts that these prophecies refer properly not to the career of the Papacy, but to that of some future supernatural individual, who is yet to appear, and to continue in power for three and a half years. Thus, as Alford says, the Jesuit Ribera, about A.D. 1580, may be regarded as the Founder of the Futurist system in modern times.

     "It is a matter for deep regret that those who hold and advocate the Futurist system at the present day, Protestants as they are for the most part, are thus really playing into the hands of Rome, and helping to screen the papacy from detection as the Antichrist. It has been well said that 'Futurism tends to obliterate the brand put by the Holy Spirit upon popery.' More especially is this to be deplored at a time when the papal Antichrist seems to make an expiring effort to regain his former hold on men's minds. Now once again, as at the Reformation, it is especially necessary that his true character should be recognized, by all who would be faithful to 'the testimony of Jesus.'" - "Daniel and the Revelation," pp. 16, 17. London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1898.

     (202) To undermine the work of the Reformers, these Jesuits, Alcasar and Ribera, gathered a mass of material from the writings of the Church Fathers concerning Antichrist. This gave their works the appearance of scientific research, which appealed to many Protestant leaders. (An example of this can be seen in Encyclopaedia Biblica, art. "Antichrist.") but statements from the Church Fathers which speak of the coming of Antichrist as an event then in the future, could be no proof for Ribera's "futurist" theory, for the reign of the papal Antichrist was then still in the future. The 1260 years of the papal persecution, called the Dark Ages, had not yet begun when these Fathers wrote. The theories of Ribera and Alcasar were diametrically opposed to each other, and yet both were taught as Catholic truths, taken from the Church Fathers. From this we see how untrustworthy are these sources. Dr. Adam Clarke is evidently right when he says of the Fathers:

     "We may safely state, that there is not a truth in the most orthodox creed, that cannot be proven by their authority; nor a heresy that has disgraced the Romish Church that may not challenge them as its abetters. In points of doctrine, their authority is, with me, nothing. The Word of God alone contains my creed." - Commentary on Proverbs 8.

BIBLE PROPHECY OF ANTICHRIST IS PLAIN

     The prophecies of the Bible regarding Antichrist are so plain that even Roman Catholics cannot evade them all. The seventh chapter of Daniel foretells the rise of four world empires, which the Douay Bible explains to be "the Chaldean, Persian, Grecian, and Roman empires." The Roman Empire was broken up into ten smaller kingdoms between the years 351 and 476 A.D. And among them there should grow up another power, symbolized by a "little horn." Of this the Douay Bible says: "Another little horn. This is commonly understood of Antichrist." Daniel 7:7, 8. The Papacy is the only power that came up just at that time, and which fits all the specifications of the symbol.

     (203) We have seen on page 195 how clearly the Papacy is pointed out in 2 Thess. 2:3-7. This prophecy states that the apostolic church would be gradually "falling away" until a "man" would exalt himself to take the place of God in the church. This "mystery of iniquity" was already at work in Paul's day, but something was holding it back. (Vs. 6, 7.) As long as the Roman Empire was heathen, and persecuted the Christians, there was no incentive to join the church for worldly gain; but during the time of Constantine the church became popular, and the worldly ambitious struggled for the highest ecclesiastical offices, because of the great honor and emolument connected with them; and when finally the Roman State was abolished, the bishop of Rome seated himself upon the throne of the Caesars. It was therefore heathen Rome that had to "be taken out of the way," before the papal Antichrist could come into power. Speaking of this point the Catholic Encyclopedia says: "The impediment is the Roman Empire; the main event impeded is the 'man of sin.'" - Vol. I, p. 560, art. "Antichrist."

     The Douay Bible says: "The Roman Empire,...was first to be destroyed, before the coming of Antichrist." - Note on 2 Thess. 2:3.

TWO POINTS MADE CLEAR

     There were two arguments used against the position taken by the Reformers which have puzzled many:

     (1) It was claimed that the Apostle John used two distinctions: and Antichrist" to designate the false teachers of his day, and "the Antichrist," referring to some superhuman monster of Jewish extraction that would appear just before Christ's second coming. But on this point Dr. C. H. H. Wright truthfully remarks: "St. John, the only New Testament writer who employs the term, makes no distinction whatever between 'an Antichrist' and 'the Antichrist.' That distinction was in the main an invention of the learned Jesuit interpreters." - "Daniel and His Prophecies," p. 165. London. 1906.

     (204) (2) The second objection was that while "the Antichrist" would deny the incarnation, for he would deny that "Christ is come in the flesh" (2 John 7), the pope does not deny this, therefore he cannot be the Antichrist. This argument has seemed so logical and conclusive that Protestants, to a large extent, have given up the Protestant doctrine that the Papacy is Antichrist, and have ceased to protest.

     This argument, however, is based on a misunderstanding, caused by overlooking one word in the text. Antichrist was not to deny that Christ had come in flesh, but was to deny that He had "come in the flesh," in "the same" kind of flesh, as the human race He came to save. (See 1 John 4:3; 2 John 7, and Hebrews 2:14, 17.) On this vital difference hinges the real "truth of the gospel." Did Christ come all the way down to make contact with the fallen race, or only part way, so that we must have saints, popes, and priests intercede for us with a Christ who is removed too far from fallen humanity and its needs to make direct contact with the individual sinner? Right here lies the great divide that parts Protestantism from Roman Catholicism. In order to understand this point clearly, let us briefly consider the gospel of Christ.

History - Not Hearsay.

FACTS OF FAITH By Christian Edwardson

Chapter  21

The Antichrist

DEFINING THE NAME ANTICHRIST

     (196) The name "antichrist" is found in only three chapters of the Bible, and in every instance it was emphatically stated that he was already in the world. We read:

    

 "Ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists....Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son." 1 John 2:18, 22.

"This is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world." 1 John 4:3.

"For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist." 2 John 7.

How can anyone, in the light of these plain texts, say that the antichrist here spoken of is not yet come, when the very texts declare that he is here already?

     These texts also reveal the fact that the apostle did not believe antichrist to be only one individual, but rather an antichristian tendency in the church: an organization dominated by "the spirit of antichrist," having a man at its head, so that when he died another would take his place, and the antichristian system would continue. Thus there would be "many antichrists," as the apostle says, but only one system; and this system had already made such progress before the apostle died, that it was about to capture the church. Its leader would not accept the Apostle John, one leader "forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the church." 3 John 9, 10. This accounts for the warnings in John's epistles against these "many antichrists." 1 John 2:18.

     The Apostle Paul, during his last journey among the churches, gathered "the elders," or bishops, and warned them against the coming apostasy of the church, which was to be brought about by its leaders. He says: "For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them." Acts 20:29, 30. Later the apostle reminded the believers, that the day of Christ's return was not then at hand: "For that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God [the church, 1 Cor. 3:10, 16], showing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?...For the mystery of iniquity doth already work." 2 Thess. 2:3-7.

     (197) These prophecies point out clearly that the "elders" (later called bishops) would "draw away" the people from the truth of the Bible, to follow men, and that this "falling away," which had "already" begun in Paul's day, would develop, until a "man" would exalt himself to take the place of Christ in the church. Every thoughtful student of prophecy can see that this points unmistakably to the Papacy, and it accords exactly with the significance of the name "antichrist."

     Dr. James Strong says that "antichrist" comes from two Greek words, antee and khristos, and gives the following definition of antte: "Opposite, i.e. instead or because of,...for, in the room of. Often used in composition to denote...substitution." - Exhaustive Concordance, Greek Dictionary, entries Nos. 500, 473. Thomas Sheldon Green says: Anti, prep, over against; hence, in correspondence to; in place of..." - Greek-English Lexicon, p. 14. Boston: 1896. The meaning, therefore, of "antichrist," as it is used in the New Testament, is a rival to Christ, or one who attempts to take the place of Christ as his "vicar." This significance of the prefix "anti" is also seen in the word "anti-pope." (For further information on this point see "The Papacy Is Antichrist," by J. A. Wylie, pp. 2-18. Edinburgh: George M'Gibbon.) We shall now see that this is exactly the position which Catholics claim for the pope, that he holds the place of Christ on earth. Rev. T. L. Kinkead says:

     (198) "Our Holy Father the Pope, the Bishop of Rome, is the vicar of Christ on earth and the visible head of the Church."

     "'Vicar' - that is, one who holds another's place and acts in his name." - 'Explanation of the Baltimore Catechism," p. 130. Benziger Brothers (Sanctioned by Cardinal Gibbons, five archbishops, nineteen bishops, and other dignitaries.)

     Rev. William Humphrey, S. J., says:

     "A vicar is put in the place of him whom he represents. He is invested with his power, he is furnished with his authority....He personates his principal....The master, by his appointment of a vicar, binds himself to ratify his vicar's acts, an to recognize them as his own." - "The Vicar of Christ," p. 4. New York: Benziger Brothers, 1892.

     Thomas Morell, D. D., and Prof. John Carey LL.D., says:

     "Vicarius, a, um. adj. That is in stead, or place of another; that supplies another's room; a deputy....One who performs the office, or duty, of another; a deputy, a substitute." - "An Abridgement of Ainsworth's Latin Dictionary", Designed for the Use of Schools, p. 604. London. 1826.

     When the force of this similarity between the antichirst of prophecy and the pope of Rome dawned upon the mind of Cardinal Newman, he declared:

     "The gibe, 'If the Pope is not Antichrist, he has had bad luck to be so like him,' is really another argument in favour of the claims of the Pope; since Antichrist simulates Christ, and the Pope is an image of Christ, Antichrist must have some similarity to the Pope, if the latter be the true Vicar of Christ." - Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol. I, p. 561, art. "Antichrist."

     Thus it is claimed that the pope is the vicar of Christ on earth. But Christ left an altogether different Vicar, or Representative, in His place; namely, the Holy Spirit. (John 14:15-18; 16:7.) Of this Representative Christ says: "He shall teach you all things." "He will guide you into all truth." John 14:26; 16:13. (Compare 1 John 2:29, 27.( The Holy Spirit being the author of the Bible (2 Peter 1:21), certainly should be the proper interpreter of it. To this the Roman church answers:

     (199) "Nor can it be said that being a divinely inspired book, its prime Author, the Holy Spirit, will guide the reader to the right meaning.

     "The Church which made the Bible, likewise interprets the Bible." - "Things Catholics Are Asked About," Martin J. Scott, S. J., Litt. d., pp. 119, 120. N. Y.: Kenedy, 1927.

     Pope Leo XIII says:

     "But the supreme teacher in the Church is the Roman Pontiff. Union of minds, therefore, requires, together with a perfect accord in the one faith, complete submission and obedience of will to the Church and to the Roman Pontiff, as to God Himself." - "The Great Encyclical Letters of Pope Leo XIII," p. 193. New York: Benziger Bros., 1903. He further says:

     "We hold upon this earth the place of God Almighty." - Id., p. 304.

     We have now seen from authentic Catholic sources, that the pope arrogates to himself the "place of God Almighty," the office of Christ on earth, and the prerogative of the Holy spirit, as sole teacher of the faithful, and the interpreter of the Holy Scriptures. What more is needed to fulfill the prediction of 2 Thess. 2:3, 4, and the prophecies of the Antichrist?

ALL AGREED ON ANTICHRIST

     Up to the close of the Reformation God's people were generally agreed that the Papacy was the Antichrist foretold in prophecy. The Waldenses taught it. (See page 122.) About 1384 A.D. John Wycliffe wrote a book against the papal system entitled: "Of Antichrist and His Meynee." In fact, the English Reformers, - Tyndale, Cranmer, Latimer, and Ridley, - all agreed in pointing to the Papacy as the Antichrist. John Huss of Bohemia, in his "De Anatomia Antichristi," did the same. Turning to Germany we find Dr. Martin Luther strong in his convictions on this subject. He says:

     "The Pope is...the true Antichrist, of whom it is written, that he sitteth in the temple of God, among the people where Christ is worshiped....

     (200) "But Papists want to divert this passage from themselves, and they say that Christ and Paul speak about the temple at Jerusalem, and that Antichrist shall sit there and rule; that will not do....It cannot be understood otherwise than of the new spiritual temple, which he says we are.

     "There shall the Pope sit and be honored, not above God, but above all that is called God....So also we see it before our eyes, that many princes and the world regard his law higher and more than the commandments of God....Cannot this rightly be termed exalting and honoring Antichrist above God?" - "Luther's Church Postil,": "Gospels," 25th Sunday after Trinity, par. 24, 25, Part 2, pp. 734, 735. Stavanger, Norway: 1862.

     Luther further declares:

     "Therefore, let whosoever will doubt, God's word and the proper divine worship convinces me sufficiently that the Pope is the Antichrist, and the ecclesiastical orders are his disciples, which deceive the whole world." - Id., Part 1, p. 379.

     "I hope that the last day is at the door. Things could not become worse than the Roman see makes it. It suppresses the commandments of God, it exalts its own commandments above God's. If this is not Antichrist, then some one else must tell what it is." - "Luther's Reformatory Works," p. 280. Copenhagen: 1883.

     "The Pope is the real Antichrist." - Id., p. 278.

     Dr. Charles H. H. Wright, in speaking of the Bible prophecy of "antichrist," says:

     "In all ages of the Church, from the days of Gregory the Great down to the present, men have pointed to the Papacy as the fulfillment of the prophecy. That interpretation is set forth in the Homilies of the Church of England and by all the Reformed Churches. The interpretation, however, has been ignored or rejected by critics, for reasons which need not be specified. It can, however, stand all the tests of criticism." - "Daniel and His Prophecies," p. 168. London: 1906. (See also Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol. I, p. 561, art. "Antichrist.")

To be continued….

Spiritual Soldier.

Soldier!

Me?

Yes, you, soldier, front and center!

Really, you mean me?

Yes! I mean you!

I'm not a soldier, you must have mistaken me for someone else.

Are you a Christ follower?

Yes.

Then you are a soldier.

Yeah, well…sure, maybe, I mean not a real soldier.

Not a real soldier?! Then maybe I was mistaken, because all true Christ followers are soldiers.

Wait, a second. I am a true Christ follower, I'm just not a…you know, a military soldier. You know what I mean.

No, I don't know what you mean. Every true Christ follow is a soldier, a real soldier. That's the trouble with people today they are pretending to be true Christ followers not giving a single thought to the Spiritual warfare taking place all around them. They are unconcerned with their spiritual armor, not giving it a second thought when it should be something they put on before they even get out of bed.

Wait, you expect people to lay in bed and pretend to put on…

Did I say anything about pretending!? Did I!? There is no pretending involved unless your entire relationship with Jesus Christ is make believe!

What? No! My relationship with Jesus isn't make believe!

So why would your spiritual armor be make believe?

It wouldn't, I just meant that pretending to…

There you go again.

I…

You?

I just…

What? You never put on your spiritual armor?

It's not real how can I put it on!?

You're unbelievable! If Jesus is real then your spiritual armor is real too. Just because you can't see it doesn't mean it's not there! You put it on spiritually!

Let me get this straight, I have to put on spiritual armor that I can't see?

Yes, because if you don't you'll never get through this spiritual warfare, never.

Okay, so this armor - where do I get it from- spiritually of course.

Of course.  You get it from God, through Jesus Christ, by the Holy Spirit. Go ahead, open your Bible app.

Uh… what am I looking for?

Ephesians 6 verse 11.

Got it… Eph 6:11  Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

What did I tell you, you need to put on the armor of God because soldier, we are in a battle with the devil!

I am? I mean, yeah I am, I just…well, I never know when I'm battling him.
Hah! You are battling him all the time! He never stops, never.

Uh, but I don't feel like I'm battling him all the time. I have good times, I laugh, and have fun, and…

Let me ask you something. Is Christ with you in those good times and laughter, when you are having fun? If He is that's great, but even then the devil isn't stopping his assault he's preparing you for that inevitable turn for the worse, the downer from your high, he's strategizing. 

And this armor helps?

God just told you in His word to put on the armor, what do you think? Of course it helps. Go on read more.

Eph 6:12  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 

That's what I'm talking about! You are a spiritual soldier in a spiritual battle! It's real, don't for one moment doubt it.

But my life is ordinary, I don't know of anyone really fighting spiritual wickedness and…

Ordinary? No one really fighting?! Are you serious? You are, aren't you? Every single day you have ups and downs, right? Little things, annoyances. Or maybe big things, that you want to call ordinary, but in truth they’ve been orchestrated to gauge your spiritual connection to Christ. Every single upset, every little nagging thing is an attempt to get through your spiritual armor and get your mind off Christ and your need of Him in all things, yes, all things.  Don’t you see it? People call it ordinary and natural, and just the way of things, they call it 'life'. Then they say we're crazy when we blame the devil for his instigating tactics.  People have to realize that the devil is behind all evil!

Okay, okay, calm down!

Calm down?! Sure, I'll calm down.
Good, because you know God allows the evil.

Hah! Now you're talking! Yes! God allows it because we chose it, and we are being refined, soldier! We are being honed! We are being thrown in fires to test our metal! And we only survive all of it by having our armor on!

Wait.. Wait..

No, I don't want to wait, read more of it, go on.

Eph 6:13  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 

Praise God! That's what I'm talking about!

Seriously, you need to calm dow…

I don't think so, this is truth, soldier, truth! Read more!

Eph 6:14  Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 

Eph 6:15  And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 

Eph 6:16  Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 

Eph 6:17  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 

Eph 6:18  Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints

Yes! That's it! That's the armor!
Wow, I mean, just wow, all that ….

Yes, all that. The girt loins, a breastplate, boots, a shield, a helmet and a sword! Now tell me that's not real!
Well, it's really spiritual.

Yes, soldier, it's a spiritual battle and spiritual armor, spiritual weapons… all REAL. Do you know these verses….

Joh_4:23  But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

Joh_4:24  God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

I think I heard before, maybe…

Well, now you've heard it again! God is a Spirit and we have to worship Him in spirit and truth! Our entire relationship with Christ is spiritual, and there is a lot of spiritually stuff going on all around us, all the time. Anyway, I just wanted to say, God be with you, soldier, wear that armor always.
 

Mat 26:53  Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? 

'Could our eyes be opened, we should see forms of evil angels around us, trying to invent some new way to annoy and destroy us. And we should also see angels of God guarding us from their power; for God’s watchful eye is ever over Israel for good, and He will protect and save His people, if they put their trust in Him. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him.'    Early Writings EGW page 33

2Ki 6:15  And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do? 

2Ki 6:16  And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. 

2Ki 6:17  And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, OPEN HIS EYES, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha. 

2Ch 32:7  Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that is with him: for there be more with us than with him: 

2Ch 32:8  With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the LORD our God to help us, and to fight our battles. And the people rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.

Mat 26:53  Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? 

1Jn 4:4  Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. 

1Jn 4:5  They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. 

1Jn 4:6  We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error. 

When You're Spiritually Awake.

FACTS OF FAITH By Christian Edwardson

Chapter  20

The Two Mysteries

     (193) The Bible speaks of two mysteries: "the mystery of godliness," and "the mystery of iniquity." 1 Timothy 3:16; 2 Thessalonians 2:7.

[1Ti 3:16  And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. 

2Th 2:7  For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.]

Seeing that these two mysteries are fundamental principles of two opposing powers, each claiming the sole sovereignty over the souls of men, and requiring man's unconditional surrender and obedience, the study of these two mysteries becomes both important and interesting.

THE MYSTERY OF GODLINESS

     Ever since the fall, man's nature has been inclined toward evil; and while he still has the power of choice, he cannot in his own strength break with sin, change his nature, or live a godly life. The Bible declares: "Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? Then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil." Jeremiah 13:23. Yea, "he shall be holden with the cords of his sins." Proverbs 5:22. The Apostle Paul realized this when in his struggle against the evil of his nature he cried out: "The good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do....O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" Romans 7:19, 24.

     There is only one who can deliver man from sin, and He is abundantly able and always willing to do it. "Thou shalt call His name JESUS: for He shall save His people from their sins," and His gospel is "the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth." Matthew 1:21; Romans 1:16. Here is abundant power available to all who will believe and accept it, so that there is no excuse for continuing in known sin. And sin brings us no happiness, for it always carries with it a trail of woe. God's Father-heart of infinite love has been wrung with anguish for the sufferings of man, and He has settled it that sin with its terrible consequences shall never be permitted to enter His eternal kingdom; therefore our only hope of entering heaven is to part company with evil.

     (194) But as man cannot in his own strength rid himself of sin, his only hope is to let Christ take charge of his life. When Christ dwells in our hearts by His Holy Spirit, He changes our aspirations, our likes, and our dislikes. Sinful habits, which we in vain have tried to break, fall off as the leaves of autumn, and we receive the power of His love to conquer sin and live a happy Christian life. (John 15:5; Romans 8:10-13.) And while Christ would gladly do this work for everyone, for He wants "all men to be saved," yet He will not use force to accomplish it, but is patiently standing at the door of every heart asking permission to come in and supply the needed power to conquer sin. (1 Timothy 2:3, 4; Revelation 3:20.) Sad to say, most people refuse Him admittance. "But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name." John 1:12.

     Here, then, is the secret of victory in Christian life: "the mystery of godliness," "which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." 1 Timothy 3:16; Colossians 1:27. Then we are not left alone in our struggles, for He works in us "mightily" (v. 29), but He always wants our co-operation: "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure." Philippians 2;12, 13. By this co-operation of the human and the divine such marvelous changes are wrought in human lives and such Christlike character is developed that angels marvel at it, and even worldlings are forced to recognize in the change from sin to godliness a mysterious power with which they are unacquainted.

     The life of Jesus on earth was a living demonstration of this mystery. He combined in His own person both the human and the divine natures. "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh." 1 Timothy 3:16.

THE MYSTERY OF INIQUITY

     (195) It is evident that the "mystery of iniquity" is a counterfeit of the "mystery of godliness," or in other words, some human substitution for the divine plan of salvation, in which man would take the place of Christ, and human efforts would be substituted for the divine presence in the soul. And this is exactly what the Apostle Paul declared it to be, when he foretold that there would "come a falling away" of the apostolic church, and that in this fallen church there would arise "that man of sin,...who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God....For the mystery of iniquity doth already work." 2 Thess. 2:3-7. Speaking to the church he further says: "Ye are the temple of God." 1 Cor. 3:16, 17. This prophecy plainly shows that after the "falling away" of the early church some "man" would attempt to take Christ's place in the church, which is God's temple, or dwelling place.

     The fulfillment of this prophecy is so clearly seen in the history of the Papacy that God's people have always recognized it whenever they have been spiritually awake. Every well-read person knows that the early Christian church fell away from its apostolic purity and corrupted its doctrines by adopting heathen customs, baptizing them with Christian names, so that the church entirely changed its face within four hundred years after the apostles' death. The "mysteries of Mithras" were substituted for the "mystery of godliness"; "the sacrifice of the mass" took the place of the sacrifice made on the cross; righteousness gained by self-torture and human efforts took the place of Christ's righteousness received by simple faith in Jesus as a personal Saviour; receiving a sacramental Christ by eating the wafer took the place of an indwelling Christ received by faith in God's promises; a multitude of human mediators were substituted for Christ, the "one mediator between God and man." 1 Timothy 2:5. We shall enter more fully into the details of this in the following chapters.

Some Truth Suppressed.

FACTS OF FAITH By Christian Edwardson

Chapter  19

The Taiping Revolution

     (190) While the advent message was just beginning in America, there was a most remarkable movement going on in the heart of China. A heathen Chinese, without any acquaintance with Christianity, had, in 1837, a series of remarkable visions, in which he was shown the principal points in the Christian religion. In his visions Hung-sui-tshuen was first taken to a river, where the celestial visitors said to him: "Why hast thou kept company with yonder people and defiled thyself?" He was then washed clean, his heart was taken out, and a new heart was given him. (How could a heathen be given a better idea of conversion and baptism?) He was then brought in before "a man, venerable in years," "sitting in an imposing attitude upon the highest place," whom he called "Our Heavenly Father." He also "met with a man of middle age," whom he called "our Celestial Elder Brother."

     "Sui-tshuen's whole person became gradually changed, both in character and appearance. He was careful in his conduct, friendly and open in his demeanor."

     When Sui-tshuen, in his visions, was brought in before "Our Heavenly Father: he was shown the sinfulness of idolatry. God "began to shed tears, and said, 'All human beings in the whole world are produced and sustained by Me; they eat My food and wear My clothing,'" but they have no "'heart to remember and venerate Me'" "'they take of my gifts and therewith worship demons.'" "And thereupon he led Sui-tshuen out, told him to look down from above, and said, 'Behold the people upon the earth! Hundredfold is the perverseness of their souls.' Sui-tshuen looked, and saw such a degree of depravity and vice that his eyes could not endure the sight, nor his mouth express their deeds." He was then told to go and rescue his brethren and sisters from the demons, and was given "a seal, by which he would overcome the evil spirits," and our "Elder Brother" "instructed him how to act," and "accompanied him upon his wanderings." When "he woke from his trance" he started on his God-given work.

     (191) Before this Hung had received from a stranger on the street nine small books, which he had not read. Now he started to read them, and was joined by his cousin Le. The books contained some chapters from the Bible which presented the same picture of God and Christianity that he had seen in his visions. "Sui-tshuen felt as if awakening from a long dream. He rejoiced in reality to have found a way to heaven, and a sure hope of everlasting life." He and Le then baptized each other. They prayed to God, and decided to obey His commands, and then felt their hearts overflowing with joy. "They thereupon cast away their idols and removed the table of Confucius." through their earnestness and joy in the new-found salvation, many were soon won, and in answer to prayer the power of God was manifested among them in healing the sick. They had also the "gift of prophecy" among them.

     "At this time, Hung prohibited the use of opium, and even tobacco, and all intoxicating drinks, and the Sabbath was religiously observed." - "The Ti-Ping Revolution," by Lin-Le, an officer among them, Vol. I, pp. 36-48, 84. London: 1866.

     "The seventh day is most religiously and strictly observed. The Taiping Sabbath is kept upon our Saturday." The Sabbath is ushered in with prayer, and "two other services are held....Each service opens with the Doxology:

     "We praise thee, O God, our Heavenly Father; We praise thee, Jesus, the Saviour of the world; We praise the Holy Spirit." - Id., p. 319.

     When the Manchu government made war on the followers of Hung, they organized their own government, and millions of Chinese gladly flocked to their standard, because of the kindness and strict justice of their government. During the wars, their soldiers were not allowed to drink the water nor eat the food of the conquered without paying for them, and no crime was committed by them, under death penalty. The Taipings printed the Bible and spread it among their people, and the Ten Commandments were strictly followed.

     (192) In 1862 there were 85,000 converted Sabbath-keeping Christians among them, besides more than 45,000,000 others who gladly yielded themselves under their government, but were not accepted as church members. Their territory covered 90,000 square miles in the heart of China, and liquor, tobacco, opium, and idols were totally banished from its whole extent. Had the Christian nations kept out of the struggle, China today might have been a Sabbath-keeping Christian country. But two influences conspired against the Taipings, or God-worshipers, as they were called: 1. English opium-traders became alarmed about the probable destruction of opium and the loss of the millions they earned annually in the opium trade in China. 2. The Taipings did not understand the difference between the images of saints, used by the French Jesuits in their worship and the idols used by the heathen Manchus, so the Taipings opposed them indiscriminately, which aroused the ire of the Jesuits, and finally Christian countries assisted in completely destroying the Taipings. Lin-Le, heart-sickened at the thought of this "cruel sacrifice of the greatest Christian movement this world had ever witnessed," exclaims:

     "What excuse can missionaries give for their surprising negligence of...the 70,000,000, and upwards, of those who might have become Christians under the Taiping authority during 1861-1862." - Id., pp. 310, 312.

     The terrible massacre of the Taipings was so heart-rending that we must not describe it here, but will refer the reader to the description of it given by H. L. Hastings, in his book: "Signs of the Times," pages 149-151. We can see in this another evidence of the vigilant spirit that eagerly watches and determinedly opposes every effort to wrest souls out of his grasp, or to bring the true knowledge of God to mankind. (Revelation 12:17.)

Ten - Not Nine Commandments.

FACTS OF FAITH By Christian Edwardson

Chapter  18 Part Two

THE LUTHERAN CHURCH IN AMERICA

     Pastor A. C. Preus, in an article in Kirkelig Maanedstidende [Monthly Church Tidings], of August, 1855, endeavored to quiet an agitation on the Sabbath question that had arisen in Wisconsin, by claiming that the Sabbath commandment simply required the keeping of one day in seven. He wrote:

     "It is a moral law, founded on a moral necessity, that a rest day must be appointed;...but it is ceremony, resting on outward occasion of circumstances, whether one day or another is established.

     "We know that 'the law is a lamp and the commandment a light,' and woe be to us if we would 'abolish' even one of the least commandments and 'teach men so.' But the law, the unchangeable moral law, which proceeds from the nature of God, says nothing about which day. The third [fourth] commandment simply reads thus: 'Remember that thou keep holy the rest day,' it does not say the seventh day!" (The Catholic Church dropped the second commandment out of their catechism, and the Lutherans followed the same numbering, making the Sabbath command the third. In the Lutheran catechism it reads as pastor Preus here quotes it, and not as given in Exodus 20:1-17.) - Kirkelig Maanedstidende, August, 1855, pp. 94-97. Inmansville, Wis.

     (183) A few Lutheran ministers saw in this article a direct blow against the sanctity of Sunday, others took exception to the claim that the Sabbath commandment is binding on us. The struggle that ensued is spoken of in their book on "The Jubilee of the Norwegian Synod, 1853-1903," in the following statement:

     "The struggle which began against the sects outside of the Lutheran Church thus soon became a controversy with those who had false ideas within the Lutheran Church itself, a controversy which was kept up till well towards the eighties, when it gradually died away, because other points of dispute arrested the attention." - "Festskrift," p. 239. Decorah, Iowa: 1903.

     During this long controversy much was written in their official organ, Kirkelig Maanedstidende [Monthly Church Tidings], in Emigranten, and in their Synodical Reports, especially from 1863 to 1866, and discussions continued in their "Synods." The one side held to the "Explanation of Luther's Catechism" (Oslo, 1905), which says that the ceremonial law was abolished at the cross, but that "the moral law, which is contained in the Ten Commandments,...is still in force,...because, it is founded on God's holy and righteous nature, and hence is immutable as God Himself." - pp. 5, 6.

     The other party said:

     "Either the words in the 3rd [4th] commandment regarding the seventh day on which God rested are binding on us, and then we must and shall keep Saturday, or, if these words are not in force for us, then we have nothing to do with any definite day, or any day whatever....We notice that the 3rd [4th] commandment does not speak of one day in seven, or a seventh day, but only and solely of the seventh day, that is Saturday. As long as they will acknowledge this, which every honest Christian with common sound judgment certainly must, and they also acknowledge that the New Testament nowhere institutes or commands any other day, or says that one day in seven shall be taken in its place, then it also must be acknowledged that there is no word in Scripture to sustain the assertion that one day in seven is a moral command." - "Record of the First Extraordinary Synod of the Norwegian-Evangelical-Lutheran Church in America," held at Holden, Minnesota, reported in Kirkelig Mannedstidende [Monthly Church Tidings], Aug. 1, 1862, p. 232.

     (184) "To say, that the commandment regarding outward rest (Exodus 20:10, 11) [refers to one day in seven] is only arbitrary misrepresentation and falsification of God's word, for it does not say 'every seventh,' but 'the seventh day, on which God rested,' and that, every one knows, was Saturday. If therefore this commandment concerning outward rest for man and beast is in force as a moral command for us Christians, then we must rest on Saturday, as that is the only day on which such rest was commanded." - Id., April 1, 1862, p. 99.

     Having called attention to the fact that the fourth commandment enjoins observance of the definite seventh day (Saturday) they then referred to Romans 14 and Colossians 2 as proof that the Sabbath was abolished. But those who held that the moral law is still in force, answered:

     "In regard to the places, Romans 14 and Colossians 2, these refer...to the appointed days of the Old Testament, which the contents in the whole chapter show....By 'Sabbaths' is not to be understood the weekly Sabbath, which, before Moses, yea already at Creation, was instituted [Genesis 2], but [they refer] to other feasts, which have been types of Christ, and ceased at Christ's coming." - Id., September, 1863, pp. 271, 272.

     The other side answered:

     "Sunday, no doubt, had sacred memories, but so had the day of Christ's death and the day of His ascension, without Friday and Thursday thereby becoming appointed days for weekly meetings, and even if Sunday had the most glorious memories, there would not be in that the least obligation to keep it....After all, examples prove nothing, they only illustrate what has already been proved. And here it actually is incumbent on those who would make Sunday-keeping a divine ordinance to show us a definite command of God for it." - Id., September, 1863, pp. 261, 262.

     The former, in their review, quoted Matthew 5:17-19 and James 2:10,11, and declared:

     (185) "If it is so dangerous to offend on one commandment, what must it be then to wholly throw away one commandment:...God has distinctly commanded that every tittle in His law is to be kept. and how it will fare with those who take away from, or add anything to, God's word we can read in Revelation. [The writer then referred to the fate of the priests of Baal in 1 Kings 18.]" - Id., April, 1866, p. 103.

     We recognize that this was an argument in which two groups of Sunday-keepers were engaged, and in which each in his own way was trying to present reasons for the observance of the first day of the week. But in fact, the truths brought to light by this close study of the question prove that the fourth commandment enjoins the careful observance, not of one day in seven, but of the seventh day of the week in particular, that the Sabbath was instituted at creation, that while the ceremonial feasts, which were types of Christ, ceased at the cross, the seventh-day Sabbath did not pass away at that time, that there is no definite command in Scripture for Sunday observance, and that those who attempt to remove a jot or a tittle from the holy law of God by substituting the first day of the week for the seventh day fall under the curse of Revelation 22:19.

IN NORWAY

     The controversy in America had its counterpart in Norway and Denmark. At the "Ecclesiastical Association in Christiania [Oslo]," February 8-10, 1854, and at the "Theological Association of the Deans of Drammen," held August 15, 1854, the Sabbath question was the great subject for discussion. At first some seemed to think only of the proper observance of Sunday, but the question soon arose, how the sacredness of the Sabbath could be transferred from the seventh to the first day of the week. Pastor Kaurin thought it could, but Pastor W. A. Wexels declared that this could not be done, for "God Himself cannot transfer the reason for sanctifying the seventh day (God's rest at creation) to another day. Besides this we have no certainty of any transference of the day." - "Theologish Tidsskrift for den Norske Kirke," Vol. VI, pp. 269, 630. Oslo: P. T. Mallings, 1855.

     (186) Some of the speakers felt that the only way to get around this troublesome question was to teach that the Sabbath commandment was abolished, but "Dean Lange found it incomprehensible that any one who knew the sermon on the mount [Matthew 5] could urge the abolition of the Sabbath commandment." - Id., p. 533. And Wexels pointed out that the Sabbath commandment forms such an integral part of the moral law that what was said against one command affected the whole law. But he felt that as Christ had "finished" His work on the cross Friday evening, and rested on the Sabbath, "the Christians have [thus an appeal] on Saturday to live in...the memory of the Lord's own rest after His work on earth was finished, and of the Sabbath rest....If these sacred Sabbath-memories, considered as the common property of the church, should seek an expression in a united outward service on Saturday, it would be entirely becoming." - Id., pp. 608, 609.

     During these long debates one cannot but see a carefully worded attempt to return to the only Bible Sabbath, but who had the courage of a staunch reformer, daring to stand out alone on Bible truths?

     Dean Fr. Schiorn, of Oslo, says:

     "It has been claimed, that the relation of Jesus to the Sabbath commandment was one of protest against continued validity of this command in the New Testament. On the whole it may be safely considered that the effort to remove the Decalogue as the unchangeable rule of divine authority can be traced principally to the fact that they want to blot out the Sabbath commandment. They can, of course, see, that it is impossible to take this one commandment out of the series of commandments as long as they acknowledge the other nine binding and obligatory. The Ten Commandments form such a definite circumscribed unity that they must stand or fall together. So they would sooner let all fall than to let the third [fourth] commandment remain standing." - "Relation of the New Testament to the Old Testament Legislation," p. 11. Oslo: 1894.

     (187) "It is clear also that this commandment belongs to the divine law for the church. It has always been a mystery to me, why many have such a living interest in getting this commandment blotted from the Decalogue. That the enemies of Christianity want the Sabbath day, or its divine validity, removed, that I can naturally understand. But why living Christians, zealous workers in the church, want it removed, that I cannot understand." - Id., p. 12.

     "Has Jesus anywhere expressed Himself against the Sabbath commandment or the continuance of its validity? Has He ever violated it, or advised His disciples to violate it?

     "Never! He has combated the misuse of the Sabbath commandment by the Pharisees in the same way that He combated their misuse of prayer, fasting, tithing, almsgiving, etc., that is, all self-righteous piety by works, all spiritless use of the Sabbath, but never the Sabbath commandment itself....He says (Mark 2:27): 'The Sabbath was made for man.'...God gave man - not only the Jews - the Sabbath...and He has protected this His gift by a definite command, which has its continued validity for the new covenant people as well as for the people of the old covenant, because their need and circumstances are essentially the same.

     "When it is said that the third [fourth] commandment does not obligate the church, because Jesus has not imposed on us any Sabbath commandment, then this is to me very strange and incomprehensible talk. The commandment was already given in the law, which Jesus would not abolish, but fulfill. It was therefore a piece of superfluity for Jesus to give a Sabbath command. He, as Lord of the Sabbath, has caused His church to retain it, for which His church owes Him the very greatest thanks." - Id., pp. 14, 15.

     On the other hand Pastor L. Dahle declared:

     "The third [fourth] commandment is abolished for us Christians, and has no more as a command any binding claim.

     "It is a false imagination, if any one thinks he obeys the third [fourth] commandment in the law of Moses by keeping holy the first day (Sunday) instead of the seventh; for the commandment does not at all speak of one day in seven, but of the seventh day of the week. If therefore the commandment continued to be in force, then without doubt, were the Jews and the Adventists right, when they say that if we will obey God's command, we must keep Saturday holy. There cannot be the least doubt about this. Every attempt to explain away this fact will and must fail.

     (188) "It is therefore only an imagination that we keep holy our Sunday according to the requirements of the third [fourth] commandment.

     "Consequently it is an established fact, that if the third [fourth] commandment is still in force, then we must acknowledge the Adventists to be right, and begin to keep Saturday holy. If we are unwilling to do this, we must prove from the word of God that the Sabbath commandment is abolished in the New Testament and is no more binding on us Christians." - "The Adventists, Sabbath, and Sunday," pp. 23, 24. Stavanger; 1903.

     Pastor K. A. Dachsel says, significantly:

     "For this reason many godly Christians have solemnly upbraided the Christian church for keeping Sunday instead of Saturday: it [the church] can have no right to change God's commandment, and if in the catechism the whole commandment had been embodied verbatim from Exodus 20:8-11, as has been done in the Heidelberg Catechism, then we should still keep Saturday holy, and not Sunday." - "Edifying Instruction in the Catechism," p. 24. Bergen: 1887.

     Thus we see how the truth was forced upon the minds of leading churchmen by this prolonged discussion, and all were given the opportunity to make their choice. But, as is always the case, no one wishes to step out alone, they wait for all to step out in a body, a thing which has never occurred during the whole history of the world. God's work in an individual matter, not a mass movement.

     In the discussion carried on in Denmark, Bishop Skat Rordam and Dr. Fr. Nielson took the same stand as Pastor L. Dahle in Norway, and "The Norwegian Synod" in America, that the Sabbath commandment was abolished, but that the church keeps Sunday as a proper church regulation. (See Bishop Rordam's remarks on p. 108.)

     (189) On the other side stood Dean C. O. C. E. Krogh; Pastors John Clausen, Wilh. Beck, I. Vahl, P. Krag, A. G. Fich, and I. S. D. Branth, who declared that we have not nine, but ten commandments. "And the Ten Commandments are God's commandments for all men in all ages. It is that law which Christ would not destroy, but fulfill, and the Sabbath commandment is a part of it," declared Dean I. Vahl. Pastor P. Krag said:

     "When Paul in the letter to the Colossians speaks about the law being abolished by Christ, he refers to the middle wall that separated Jews and Gentiles, the law of Moses. The Ten Commandments, in which Moses had no part, were given by God's own voice, and this God wrote with His own hand as an evidence that they should be in force for all times.' - "Report of the Second Church Meeting in Copenhagen," Sept. 13-15, 1887, P. Taaning, pp. 68, 69. Copenhagen: 1887.

     The reports of these discussions are very interesting and illuminating, but our limited space does not permit us to quote further. This, however, is sufficient to show how God led one by one of the leading denominations to investigate the Sabbath truth, and offered them the grand privilege of carrying the Reformation to completion. If they had accepted the Sabbath truth, He would have led them on step by step till they had reached the divine standard of the apostolic faith. Many of the truths of God's word, which the Roman church, during the Dark Ages, had buried beneath the rubbish of human tradition, still lay untouched, as costly jewels beneath the sand of centuries. These must be dug up, so that the "remnant" church could stand forth in its apostolic purity, possessing the complete "faith which was once delivered to the saints"; for those who shall meet the Lord in peace, when He comes in glory, must "keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." Jude 3; Revelation 12:17; 14:12.

More Sabbath Keeping History.

FACTS OF FAITH By Christian Edwardson

Chapter  18 Part One

Sabbath Reform in Scandinavia

     (178) There were many Sabbath-keepers in Norway even in the days of Catholicism. The Sabbath seems to have been brought to the Scandinavian countries partly by the Waldenses, and partly as a direct work of the Spirit of God. But Rome was no more favorable towards the Sabbath there than in other parts of the world. When the Inquisition of the twelfth century scattered the Waldenses, they were forced to flee to more obscure places and to countries lying on the outskirts of civilization, and as the persecution continued, they gradually drifted into Scandinavia. Then, too, in the "Catechism" that was used during the fourteenth century, the Sabbath commandment read thus: "Thou shalt not forget to keep the seventh day." We are told by Swedish historians that the Sabbath-keeping public claimed that angels had appeared to them, instructing them to keep the Sabbath on Saturday. Of the church council held at Bergen, Norway, August 22, 1435, we read:

     "The first matter concerned a superstitious keeping holy of Saturday. It had come to the ear of the archbishop that people in different places of the kingdom, 'partly from the weakness of nature, partly by the deceptions and promptings of the devil,' had ventured to adopt and keep holydays, which neither God nor the holy Church had ordained or sanctioned, but on the contrary is against the commands of both, 'namely the keeping holy of Saturday, which Jews and heathen used to keep, but not Christians.' It is strictly forbidden - it is stated - in the Church-Law, for any one to keep or to adopt holydays, outside of those which the pope, archbishop, or bishops appoint." - "The History of the Norwegian Church under Catholicism," R. Keyser, Vol. II, p. 488. Oslo: 1858.

     (179) At another church conference, held at Oslo, the next year, the same archbishop commanded:

     "It is forbidden under the same penalty to keep Saturday holy by refraining from labor." - Id., p. 491.

     In another old publication from nearly the same period we find this accusation against the priests:

     "Also the priests have caused the people to keep Saturdays as Sundays." - "Theological Periodicals for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Norway," Vol. I, p. 184. Oslo: P. T. Mallings, 1871.

     Sabbath-keepers continued to keep the Bible Sabbath in Norway, in spite of persecution, for we read of new laws made against them in 1544:

     "I, Christoffer Whitefeldt, [governor] over Bergenhus, Stavanger, and Vaardoem, greet all you peasants kindly and with good wishes, who live in the district of Bergen. Dear friends: Mr. Gieble Pederson, superintendent of the district of Bergen, related to me that some of you have kept Saturday holy, especially at Arendal in Sogen, contrary to the ordinance given you last year by Peter Ottesen, my brother, and Niels Bernsen, who had charge of the palace by my authority, in my absence, in which you have done very wrong, and would receive great damage if I would punish you. But, however, because of the solicitation of Mr. Gieble, the superintendent, I will still forbear with you. But now it has been determined at the public Parliament for these two districts, Bergen and Stravanger, that whoever is found keeping Saturday holy shall be fined ten mark in money. So now ye know what ye have to go by.

     "In the next place you are rebellious and disobedient in the Holydays you keep, and are not willing to be satisfied with those which the priest announces which are contained in the ordinance. We now command you in the name of His Majesty, the King, that you solemnly obey the ordinance of His Grace. And whoever disobeys, he shall by my sheriff be punished for his rebellion as a rebellious and disobedient citizen, and be fined ten mark." - "History of King Christian the Third," Niels Krag and S. Stephanius, Vol. II, 'Statutes and Ordinances," p. 379. Copenhagen: 1778.

IN SWEDEN AND FINLAND

     (180) Sabbath-keepers were also scattered over Sweden and Finland. Bishop L. A. Anjou says that there was a peaceful but continued movement on foot in these two countries for the keeping of the seventh-day Sabbath, "one that required the sanctification of Saturday as Sabbath day. The first known origin of this goes back to the middle of the preceding century, when King Gustav I, in the year 1554, wrote a letter of warning to Finland against those who alleged that they through visions and dreams had come to the conviction that famine, etc., were God's punishments because people did not keep Saturday holy. In the beginning of the seventeenth century the same faith was found in Sweden, and even there it was founded on alleged revelations. It was zealously opposed in 1602 by Charles IX." - "Swedish Church History from the Meeting at Upsala, Year 1593," p. 353. Stockholm: 1866.

     "Segregated from any movements opposed to the church, we must consider those who kept Saturday holy, and on this day abstained from labor, but otherwise did not separate themselves from the church. We do not find that those who held this view...observed any other Jewish habits or customs....Had this movement been connected with anything that could be considered apostasy from Christianity, then without doubt the accusations against it would have been stronger and the laws more stringent.

     "Independent of older influences, the inculcation of Sabbath-keeping could easily bring up the question of keeping Saturday holy, by questioning whether the Sabbath law had any validity if it was not applied to the Sabbath day previously appointed in the Old Testament....The customary reading of the Bible, and the appeal to the law of God...could attract the attention to the commandment which required Saturday to be kept holy." - Id., p. 355.

     (181) "This keeping of Saturday holy did not stand alone, at least in most cases, but was part of the Pietism [pious worship] of that age, and was connected with sermons on repentance and warnings against prevailing sins and vices." - Id., p. 355.

     Theodore Norlin, another important Swedish Church historian, says of these Sabbath-keepers:

     "We can trace these opinions over almost the whole extent of Sweden of that day - from Finland and northern Sweden, Dalarne, Westmanland, Nerike, down to West-Gotland and Smaland.

     "In the district of Upsala the farmers kept Saturday in place of Sunday....At several places they pressed their requests so vehemently upon the priests, that they yielded to their wishes to the extent of beginning to hold services on Saturday. At the time of Gustaf Adolphus we see this peculiar faith arising at different places in the country.

     "About the year 1625...in West-Gotland, Smaland, and Nerike, revelations and visions of angels were related in which the necessity of keeping Saturday holy was strictly commanded, and in which warnings were given against the sins that were secretly practiced. This religious tendency became so pronounced in these countries, that not only large numbers of the common people began to keep Saturday as the rest day, but even many priests did the same, which gave occasion for no small schism." - "History of the Swedish Church," Vol. I, part 2, chap. 3, p. 256.

     But the enemy of souls could not endure this revival of primitive Christianity, and Sabbath-keeping in Sweden and Finland was finally suppressed. But when the work of the Holy Spirit was suppressed in these Scandinavian churches, the same dire fruit of spiritual declension was seen, as formerly in the apostolic church. Whenever the warning voices are hushed up, spiritual darkness sets in. Dr. Scharling, Lutheran Professor of Theology, says:

     "Luther's great work of Reformation was still far from having been accomplished, it was followed by a continual retrogression, a deeper sinking of the religious consciousness, until it at last reached its zero point in Ritualism....Little by little the Evangelical church becomes chilled,...and it takes on an unpleasant similarity to the Romish church." - "Menneskehad og Kristendom," Vol. 2, p. 248.

     (182) A church in a lukewarm condition does not usually concern itself with spiritual reforms. But in the early part of the nineteenth century, when the great spiritual revival passed over almost every country, and affected nearly all denominations, Sabbath reform came to the front again, and deeply impressed the honest in heart. We find leading men in different denominations reaching out to find Bible proof for the change of the Sabbath, and when this could not be found, they either accepted the Bible Sabbath, or gave up their former faith in the immutability of the Ten Commandments.