garibaldi
2007-05-25 03:22:20 UTC
The Apostasy.
The apostle Paul, in his second letter to the Thessalonians, foretold
the great apostasy which would result in the establishment of the papal
power. He declared that the day of Christ should 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,
showing himself that he is God." [2 THESS. 2:3, 4, 7.] And furthermore, the
apostle warns his brethren that "the mystery of iniquity doth already work."
[2 THESS. 2:3, 4, 7.] Even at that early date he saw, creeping into the
church, errors that would prepare the way for the development of the papacy.
{GC88 49.1}
Little by little, at first in stealth and silence, and then more openly
as it increased in strength and gained control of the minds of men, the
mystery of iniquity carried forward its deceptive and blasphemous work.
Almost imperceptibly the customs of heathenism found their way into the
Christian church. The spirit of compromise and conformity was restrained for
a time by the fierce persecutions which the church endured under paganism.
But as persecution ceased, and Christianity entered the courts and palaces
of kings, she laid aside the humble simplicity of Christ and his apostles
for the pomp and pride of pagan priests and rulers; and in place of the
requirements of God, she substituted human theories and traditions. The
nominal
50
conversion of Constantine, in the early part of the fourth century, caused
great rejoicing; and the world, cloaked with a form of righteousness, walked
into the church. Now the work of corruption rapidly progressed. Paganism,
while appearing to be vanquished, became the conqueror. Her spirit
controlled the church. Her doctrines, ceremonies, and superstitions were
incorporated into the faith and worship of the professed followers of
Christ. {GC88 49.2}
This compromise between paganism and Christianity resulted in the
development of the "man of sin" foretold in prophecy as opposing and
exalting himself above God. That gigantic system of false religion is a
masterpiece of Satan's power,--a monument of his efforts to seat himself
upon the throne to rule the earth according to his will. {GC88 50.1}
Satan once endeavored to form a compromise with Christ. He came to the
Son of God in the wilderness of temptation, and, showing him all the
kingdoms of the world and the glory of them, offered to give all into his
hands if he would but acknowledge the supremacy of the prince of darkness.
Christ rebuked the presumptuous tempter, and forced him to depart. But Satan
meets with greater success in presenting the same temptations to man. To
secure worldly gains and honors, the church was led to seek the favor and
support of the great men of earth, and having thus rejected Christ, she was
induced to yield allegiance to the representative of Satan,--the bishop of
Rome. {GC88 50.2}
It is one of the leading doctrines of Romanism that the pope is the
visible head of the universal church of Christ, invested with supreme
authority over bishops and pastors in all parts of the world. More than
this, the pope has arrogated the very titles of Deity. He styles himself
"Lord God the Pope," assumes infallibility, and demands that all men pay him
homage. Thus the same claim urged by Satan in the wilderness of temptation
is still urged by him through the Church of Rome, and vast numbers are ready
to yield him homage.
51
{GC88 50.3}
But those who fear and reverence God meet this Heaven-daring assumption
as Christ met the solicitations of the wily foe: "Thou shalt worship the
Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve." [LUKE 4:8.] God has never
given a hint in his Word that he has appointed any man to be the head of the
church. The doctrine of papal supremacy is directly opposed to the teachings
of the Scriptures. The pope can have no power over Christ's church except by
usurpation. {GC88 51.1}
Romanists have persisted in bringing against Protestants the charge of
heresy, and willful separation from the true church. But these accusations
apply rather to themselves. They are the ones who laid down the banner of
Christ, and departed from "the faith which was once delivered unto the
saints." [JUDE 3.] {GC88 51.2}
Satan well knew that the Holy Scriptures would enable men to discern
his deceptions and withstand his power. It was by the Word that even the
Saviour of the world had resisted his attacks. At every assault, Christ
presented the shield of eternal truth, saying, "It is written." To every
suggestion of the adversary, he opposed the wisdom and power of the Word. In
order for Satan to maintain his sway over men, and establish the authority
of the papal usurper, he must keep them in ignorance of the Scriptures. The
Bible would exalt God, and place finite men in their true position;
therefore its sacred truths must be concealed and suppressed. This logic was
adopted by the Roman Church. For hundreds of years the circulation of the
Bible was prohibited. The people were forbidden to read it or to have it in
their houses, and unprincipled priests and prelates interpreted its
teachings to sustain their pretensions. Thus the pope came to be almost
universally acknowledged as the vicegerent of God on earth, endowed with
authority over Church and State. {GC88 51.3}
The detector of error having been removed, Satan worked according to
his will. Prophecy had declared that the
52
papacy was to "think to change times and laws." [DAN. 7:25.] This work it
was not slow to attempt. To afford converts from heathenism a substitute for
the worship of idols, and thus to promote their nominal acceptance of
Christianity, the adoration of images and relics was gradually introduced
into the Christian worship. The decree of a general council [SECOND COUNCIL
OF NICE, A.D. 787.] finally established this system of idolatry. To complete
the sacrilegious work, Rome presumed to expunge from the law of God the
second commandment, forbidding image worship, and to divide the tenth
commandment, in order to preserve the number. {GC88 51.4}
The spirit of concession to paganism opened the way for a still further
disregard of Heaven's authority. Satan tampered with the fourth commandment
also, and essayed to set aside the ancient Sabbath, the day which God had
blessed and sanctified, [GEN. 2:2, 3.] and in its stead to exalt the
festival observed by the heathen as "the venerable day of the sun." This
change was not at first attempted openly. In the first centuries the true
Sabbath had been kept by all Christians. They were jealous for the honor of
God, and, believing that his law is immutable, they zealously guarded the
sacredness of its precepts. But with great subtlety, Satan worked through
his agents to bring about his object. That the attention of the people might
be called to the Sunday, it was made a festival in honor of the resurrection
of Christ. Religious services were held upon it; yet it was regarded as a
day of recreation, the Sabbath being still sacredly observed. {GC88 52.1}
To prepare the way for the work which he designed to accomplish, Satan
had led the Jews, before the advent of Christ, to load down the Sabbath with
the most rigorous exactions, making its observance a burden. Now, taking
advantage of the false light in which he had thus caused it to be regarded,
he cast contempt upon it as a Jewish institution. While Christians continued
to observe the Sunday
53
as a joyous festival, he led them, in order to show their hatred of Judaism,
to make the Sabbath a fast, a day of sadness and gloom. {GC88 52.2}
In the early part of the fourth century, the emperor Constantine issued
a decree making Sunday a public festival throughout the Roman Empire. [SEE
APPENDIX, NOTE 1.] The day of the sun was reverenced by his pagan subjects,
and was honored by Christians; it was the emperor's policy to unite the
conflicting interests of heathenism and Christianity. He was urged to do
this by the bishops of the church, who, inspired by ambition, and thirst for
power, perceived that if the same day was observed by both Christians and
the heathen, it would promote the nominal acceptance of Christianity by
pagans, and thus advance the power and glory of the church. But while
Christians were gradually led to regard Sunday as possessing a degree of
sacredness, they still held the true Sabbath as the holy of the Lord, and
observed it in obedience to the fourth commandment. {GC88 53.1}
The arch-deceiver had not completed his work. He was resolved to gather
the Christian world under his banner, and to exercise his power through his
vicegerent, the proud pontiff who claimed to be the representative of
Christ. Through half-converted pagans, ambitious prelates, and world-loving
churchmen, he accomplished his purpose. Vast councils were held, from time
to time, in which the dignitaries of the church were convened from all the
world. In nearly every council the Sabbath which God had instituted was
pressed down a little lower, while the Sunday was correspondingly exalted.
Thus the pagan festival came finally to be honored as a divine institution,
while the Bible Sabbath was pronounced a relic of Judaism, and its observers
were declared to be accursed. {GC88 53.2}
The great apostate had succeeded in exalting himself "above all that is
called God, or that is worshiped." [2 THESS. 2:4.] He had dared to change
the only precept of the divine law that unmistakably points all mankind to
the true and living
54
God. In the fourth commandment, God is revealed as the Creator of the
heavens and the earth, and is thereby distinguished from all false gods. It
was as a memorial of the work of creation that the seventh day was
sanctified as a rest-day for man. It was designed to keep the living God
ever before the minds of men as the source of being and the object of
reverence and worship. Satan strives to turn men from their allegiance to
God, and from rendering obedience to his law; therefore he directs his
efforts especially against that commandment which points to God as the
Creator. {GC88 53.3}
Protestants now urge that the resurrection of Christ on Sunday made it
the Christian Sabbath. But Scripture evidence is lacking. No such honor was
given to the day by Christ or his apostles. The observance of Sunday as a
Christian institution had its origin in that "mystery of lawlessness" [2
THESS. 2:7, REVISED VERSION.] which, even in Paul's day, had begun its work.
Where and when did the Lord adopt this child of the papacy? What valid
reason can be given for a change which the Scriptures do not sanction? {GC88
54.1}
In the sixth century the papacy had become firmly established. Its seat
of power was fixed in the imperial city, and the bishop of Rome was declared
to be the head over the entire church. Paganism had given place to the
papacy. The dragon had given to the beast "his power, and his seat, and
great authority." [REV. 13:2; SEE APPENDIX, NOTE 2.] And now began the 1260
years of papal oppression foretold in the prophecies of Daniel and the
Revelation. [DAN. 7:25; REV. 13:5-7.] Christians were forced to choose,
either to yield their integrity and accept the papal ceremonies and worship,
or to wear away their lives in dungeons or suffer death by the rack, the
fagot, or the headsman's ax. Now were fulfilled the words of Jesus, "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. And ye shall be hated
of all men for my name's sake." [LUKE 21:16, 17.]
55
Persecution opened upon the faithful with greater fury than ever before, and
the world became a vast battle-field. For hundreds of years the church of
Christ found refuge in seclusion and obscurity. Thus says the prophet: "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."
[REV. 12:6.] {GC88 54.2}
The accession of the Roman Church to power marked the beginning of the
Dark Ages. As her power increased, the darkness deepened. Faith was
transferred from Christ, the true foundation, to the pope of Rome. Instead
of trusting in the Son of God for forgiveness of sins and for eternal
salvation, the people looked to the pope, and to the priests and prelates to
whom he delegated authority. They were taught that the pope was their
earthly mediator, and that none could approach God except through him, and,
further, that he stood in the place of God to them, and was therefore to be
implicitly obeyed. A deviation from his requirements was sufficient cause
for the severest punishment to be visited upon the bodies and souls of the
offenders. Thus the minds of the people were turned away from God to
fallible, erring, and cruel men, nay more, to the prince of darkness
himself, who exercised his power through them. Sin was disguised in a garb
of sanctity. When the Scriptures are suppressed, and man comes to regard
himself as supreme, we need look only for fraud, deception, and debasing
iniquity. With the elevation of human laws and traditions, was manifest the
corruption that ever results from setting aside the law of God. {GC88 55.1}
Those were days of peril for the church of Christ. The faithful
standard-bearers were few indeed. Though the truth was not left without
witnesses, yet at times it seemed that error and superstition would wholly
prevail, and true religion would be banished from the earth. The gospel was
lost sight of, but the forms of religion were multiplied, and the people
were burdened with rigorous exactions.
56
{GC88 55.2}
They were taught not only to look to the pope as their mediator, but to
trust to works of their own to atone for sin. Long pilgrimages, acts of
penance, the worship of relics, the erection of churches, shrines, and
altars, the payment of large sums to the church,--these and many similar
acts were enjoined to appease the wrath of God or to secure his favor; as if
God were like men, to be angered at trifles, or pacified by gifts or acts of
penance! {GC88 56.1}
Notwithstanding that vice prevailed, even among the leaders of the
Romish Church, her influence seemed steadily to increase. About the close of
the eighth century, papists put forth the claim that in the first ages of
the church the bishops of Rome had possessed the same spiritual power which
they now assumed. To establish this claim, some means must be employed to
give it a show of authority; and this was readily suggested by the father of
lies. Ancient writings were forged by monks. Decrees of councils before
unheard of were discovered, establishing the universal supremacy of the pope
from the earliest times. And a church that had rejected the truth, greedily
accepted these deceptions. {GC88 56.2}
The few faithful builders upon the true foundation [1 COR. 3:10, 11.]
were perplexed and hindered, as the rubbish of false doctrine obstructed the
work. Like the builders upon the wall of Jerusalem in Nehemiah's day, some
were ready to say, "The strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed, and
there is much rubbish, so that we are not able to build." [NEH. 4:10.]
Wearied with the constant struggle against persecution, fraud, iniquity, and
every other obstacle that Satan could devise to hinder their progress, some
who had been faithful builders became disheartened; and for the sake of
peace and security for their property and their lives they turned away from
the true foundation. Others, undaunted by the opposition of their enemies,
fearlessly declared, "Be not ye afraid of them; remember the Lord, which is
great and terrible; [NEH. 4:14.] and they
57
proceeded with the work, every one with his sword girded by his side. [EPH.
6:17.] {GC88 56.3}
The same spirit of hatred and opposition to the truth has inspired the
enemies of God in every age, and the same vigilance and fidelity have been
required in his servants. The words of Christ to the first disciples are
applicable to his followers to the close of time: "What I say unto you I say
unto all, Watch." [MARK 13:37.] {GC88 57.1}
The darkness seemed to grow more dense. Image worship became more
general. Candles were burned before images, and prayers were offered to
them. The most absurd and superstitious customs prevailed. The minds of men
were so completely controlled by superstition that reason itself seemed to
have lost her sway. While priests and bishops were themselves
pleasure-loving, sensual, and corrupt, it could only be expected that the
people who looked to them for guidance would be sunken in ignorance and
vice. {GC88 57.2}
Another step in papal assumption was taken, when, in the eleventh
century, Pope Gregory VII. proclaimed the perfection of the Romish Church.
Among the propositions which he put forth, was one declaring that the church
had never erred, nor would it ever err, according to the Scriptures. But the
Scripture proofs did not accompany the assertion. The proud pontiff next
claimed the power to depose emperors, and declared that no sentence which he
pronounced could be reversed by any one, but that it was his prerogative to
reverse the decisions of all others. {GC88 57.3}
A striking illustration of the tyrannical character of this advocate of
infallibility was given in his treatment of the German emperor, Henry IV.
For presuming to disregard the pope's authority, this monarch was declared
to be excommunicated and dethroned. Terrified by the desertion and threats
of his own princes, who were encouraged in rebellion against him by the
papal mandate, Henry felt the necessity of making his peace with Rome. In
company
58
with his wife and a faithful servant, he crossed the Alps in midwinter, that
he might humble himself before the pope. Upon reaching the castle whither
Gregory had withdrawn, he was conducted, without his guards, into an outer
court, and there, in the severe cold of winter, with uncovered head and
naked feet, and in a miserable dress, he awaited the pope's permission to
come into his presence. Not until he had continued three days fasting and
making confession, did the pontiff condescend to grant him pardon. Even then
it was only upon condition that the emperor should await the sanction of the
pope before resuming the insignia or exercising the power of royalty. And
Gregory, elated with his triumph, boasted that it was his duty "to pull down
the pride of kings." {GC88 57.4}
How striking the contrast between the overbearing pride of this haughty
pontiff and the meekness and gentleness of Christ, who represents himself as
pleading at the door of the heart for admittance, that he may come in to
bring pardon and peace, and who taught his disciples, "Whosoever will be
chief among you, let him be your servant." {GC88 58.1}
The advancing centuries witnessed a constant increase of error in the
doctrines put forth from Rome. Even before the establishment of the papacy,
the teachings of heathen philosophers had received attention and exerted an
influence in the church. Many who professed conversion still clung to the
tenets of their pagan philosophy, and not only continued its study
themselves, but urged it upon others as a means of extending their influence
among the heathen. Serious errors were thus introduced into the Christian
faith. Prominent among these was the belief in man's natural immortality and
his consciousness in death. This doctrine laid the foundation upon which
Rome established the invocation of saints and the adoration of the virgin
Mary. From this sprung also the heresy of eternal torment for the finally
impenitent, which was early incorporated into the papal faith. {GC88 58.2}
Then the way was prepared for the introduction of still
59
another invention of paganism, which Rome named purgatory, and employed to
terrify the credulous and superstitious multitudes. By this heresy is
affirmed the existence of a place of torment, in which the souls of such as
have not merited eternal damnation are to suffer punishment for their sins,
and from which, when freed from impurity, they are admitted to Heaven. {GC88
58.3}
Still another fabrication was needed to enable Rome to profit by the
fears and the vices of her adherents. This was supplied by the doctrine of
indulgences. Full remission of sins, past, present, and future, and release
from all the pains and penalties incurred, were promised to all who would
enlist in the pontiff's wars to extend his temporal dominion, to punish his
enemies, or to exterminate those who dared deny his spiritual supremacy. The
people were also taught that by the payment of money to the church they
might free themselves from sin, and also release the souls of their deceased
friends who were confined in the tormenting flames. By such means did Rome
fill her coffers, and sustain the magnificence, luxury, and vice of the
pretended representatives of Him who had not where to lay his head. {GC88
59.1}
The scriptural ordinance of the Lord's supper had been supplanted by
the idolatrous sacrifice of the mass. Papist priests pretended, by their
senseless mummery, to convert the simple bread and wine into the actual body
and blood of Christ. With blasphemous presumption, they openly claimed the
power of "creating God, the Creator of all things." All Christians were
required, on pain of death, to avow their faith in this horrible,
Heaven-insulting heresy. Multitudes who refused were given to the flames.
{GC88 59.2}
In the thirteenth century was established that most terrible of all the
engines of the papacy,--the Inquisition. The prince of darkness wrought with
the leaders of the papal hierarchy. In their secret councils, Satan and his
angels controlled the minds of evil men, while unseen in the midst stood an
angel of God, taking the fearful record of their iniquitous decrees, and
writing the history of deeds too
60
horrible to appear to human eyes. "Babylon the great" was "drunken with the
blood of the saints." The mangled forms of millions of martyrs cried to God
for vengeance upon that apostate power. {GC88 59.3}
Popery had become the world's despot. Kings and emperors bowed to the
decrees of the Roman pontiff. The destinies of men, both for time and for
eternity, seemed under his control. For hundreds of years the doctrines of
Rome had been extensively and implicitly received, its rites reverently
performed, its festivals generally observed. Its clergy were honored and
liberally sustained. Never since has the Roman Church attained to greater
dignity, magnificence, or power. {GC88 60.1}
The noontide of the papacy was the world's moral midnight. The Holy
Scriptures were almost unknown, not only to the people, but to the priests.
Like the Pharisees of old, the papist leaders hated the light which would
reveal their sins. God's law, the standard of righteousness, having been
removed, they exercised power without limit, and practiced vice without
restraint. Fraud, avarice, and profligacy prevailed. Men shrank from no
crime by which they could gain wealth or position. The palaces of popes and
prelates were scenes of the vilest debauchery. Some of the reigning pontiffs
were guilty of crimes so revolting that secular rulers endeavored to depose
these dignitaries of the church as monsters too vile to be tolerated. For
centuries Europe had made no progress in learning, arts, or civilization. A
moral and intellectual paralysis had fallen upon Christendom. {GC88 60.2}
The condition of the world under the Romish power presented a fearful
and striking fulfillment of the words of the prophet Hosea: "My people are
destroyed for lack of knowledge; because thou hast rejected knowledge, I
will also reject thee; . . . seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God,
I will also forget thy children." "There is no truth, nor mercy, nor
knowledge of God in the land. By swearing, and lying, and killing, and
stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth
blood." [HOSEA 4:6, 1, 2.] Such were the results of banishing the Word of
God. {GC88 60.3}
The apostle Paul, in his second letter to the Thessalonians, foretold
the great apostasy which would result in the establishment of the papal
power. He declared that the day of Christ should 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,
showing himself that he is God." [2 THESS. 2:3, 4, 7.] And furthermore, the
apostle warns his brethren that "the mystery of iniquity doth already work."
[2 THESS. 2:3, 4, 7.] Even at that early date he saw, creeping into the
church, errors that would prepare the way for the development of the papacy.
{GC88 49.1}
Little by little, at first in stealth and silence, and then more openly
as it increased in strength and gained control of the minds of men, the
mystery of iniquity carried forward its deceptive and blasphemous work.
Almost imperceptibly the customs of heathenism found their way into the
Christian church. The spirit of compromise and conformity was restrained for
a time by the fierce persecutions which the church endured under paganism.
But as persecution ceased, and Christianity entered the courts and palaces
of kings, she laid aside the humble simplicity of Christ and his apostles
for the pomp and pride of pagan priests and rulers; and in place of the
requirements of God, she substituted human theories and traditions. The
nominal
50
conversion of Constantine, in the early part of the fourth century, caused
great rejoicing; and the world, cloaked with a form of righteousness, walked
into the church. Now the work of corruption rapidly progressed. Paganism,
while appearing to be vanquished, became the conqueror. Her spirit
controlled the church. Her doctrines, ceremonies, and superstitions were
incorporated into the faith and worship of the professed followers of
Christ. {GC88 49.2}
This compromise between paganism and Christianity resulted in the
development of the "man of sin" foretold in prophecy as opposing and
exalting himself above God. That gigantic system of false religion is a
masterpiece of Satan's power,--a monument of his efforts to seat himself
upon the throne to rule the earth according to his will. {GC88 50.1}
Satan once endeavored to form a compromise with Christ. He came to the
Son of God in the wilderness of temptation, and, showing him all the
kingdoms of the world and the glory of them, offered to give all into his
hands if he would but acknowledge the supremacy of the prince of darkness.
Christ rebuked the presumptuous tempter, and forced him to depart. But Satan
meets with greater success in presenting the same temptations to man. To
secure worldly gains and honors, the church was led to seek the favor and
support of the great men of earth, and having thus rejected Christ, she was
induced to yield allegiance to the representative of Satan,--the bishop of
Rome. {GC88 50.2}
It is one of the leading doctrines of Romanism that the pope is the
visible head of the universal church of Christ, invested with supreme
authority over bishops and pastors in all parts of the world. More than
this, the pope has arrogated the very titles of Deity. He styles himself
"Lord God the Pope," assumes infallibility, and demands that all men pay him
homage. Thus the same claim urged by Satan in the wilderness of temptation
is still urged by him through the Church of Rome, and vast numbers are ready
to yield him homage.
51
{GC88 50.3}
But those who fear and reverence God meet this Heaven-daring assumption
as Christ met the solicitations of the wily foe: "Thou shalt worship the
Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve." [LUKE 4:8.] God has never
given a hint in his Word that he has appointed any man to be the head of the
church. The doctrine of papal supremacy is directly opposed to the teachings
of the Scriptures. The pope can have no power over Christ's church except by
usurpation. {GC88 51.1}
Romanists have persisted in bringing against Protestants the charge of
heresy, and willful separation from the true church. But these accusations
apply rather to themselves. They are the ones who laid down the banner of
Christ, and departed from "the faith which was once delivered unto the
saints." [JUDE 3.] {GC88 51.2}
Satan well knew that the Holy Scriptures would enable men to discern
his deceptions and withstand his power. It was by the Word that even the
Saviour of the world had resisted his attacks. At every assault, Christ
presented the shield of eternal truth, saying, "It is written." To every
suggestion of the adversary, he opposed the wisdom and power of the Word. In
order for Satan to maintain his sway over men, and establish the authority
of the papal usurper, he must keep them in ignorance of the Scriptures. The
Bible would exalt God, and place finite men in their true position;
therefore its sacred truths must be concealed and suppressed. This logic was
adopted by the Roman Church. For hundreds of years the circulation of the
Bible was prohibited. The people were forbidden to read it or to have it in
their houses, and unprincipled priests and prelates interpreted its
teachings to sustain their pretensions. Thus the pope came to be almost
universally acknowledged as the vicegerent of God on earth, endowed with
authority over Church and State. {GC88 51.3}
The detector of error having been removed, Satan worked according to
his will. Prophecy had declared that the
52
papacy was to "think to change times and laws." [DAN. 7:25.] This work it
was not slow to attempt. To afford converts from heathenism a substitute for
the worship of idols, and thus to promote their nominal acceptance of
Christianity, the adoration of images and relics was gradually introduced
into the Christian worship. The decree of a general council [SECOND COUNCIL
OF NICE, A.D. 787.] finally established this system of idolatry. To complete
the sacrilegious work, Rome presumed to expunge from the law of God the
second commandment, forbidding image worship, and to divide the tenth
commandment, in order to preserve the number. {GC88 51.4}
The spirit of concession to paganism opened the way for a still further
disregard of Heaven's authority. Satan tampered with the fourth commandment
also, and essayed to set aside the ancient Sabbath, the day which God had
blessed and sanctified, [GEN. 2:2, 3.] and in its stead to exalt the
festival observed by the heathen as "the venerable day of the sun." This
change was not at first attempted openly. In the first centuries the true
Sabbath had been kept by all Christians. They were jealous for the honor of
God, and, believing that his law is immutable, they zealously guarded the
sacredness of its precepts. But with great subtlety, Satan worked through
his agents to bring about his object. That the attention of the people might
be called to the Sunday, it was made a festival in honor of the resurrection
of Christ. Religious services were held upon it; yet it was regarded as a
day of recreation, the Sabbath being still sacredly observed. {GC88 52.1}
To prepare the way for the work which he designed to accomplish, Satan
had led the Jews, before the advent of Christ, to load down the Sabbath with
the most rigorous exactions, making its observance a burden. Now, taking
advantage of the false light in which he had thus caused it to be regarded,
he cast contempt upon it as a Jewish institution. While Christians continued
to observe the Sunday
53
as a joyous festival, he led them, in order to show their hatred of Judaism,
to make the Sabbath a fast, a day of sadness and gloom. {GC88 52.2}
In the early part of the fourth century, the emperor Constantine issued
a decree making Sunday a public festival throughout the Roman Empire. [SEE
APPENDIX, NOTE 1.] The day of the sun was reverenced by his pagan subjects,
and was honored by Christians; it was the emperor's policy to unite the
conflicting interests of heathenism and Christianity. He was urged to do
this by the bishops of the church, who, inspired by ambition, and thirst for
power, perceived that if the same day was observed by both Christians and
the heathen, it would promote the nominal acceptance of Christianity by
pagans, and thus advance the power and glory of the church. But while
Christians were gradually led to regard Sunday as possessing a degree of
sacredness, they still held the true Sabbath as the holy of the Lord, and
observed it in obedience to the fourth commandment. {GC88 53.1}
The arch-deceiver had not completed his work. He was resolved to gather
the Christian world under his banner, and to exercise his power through his
vicegerent, the proud pontiff who claimed to be the representative of
Christ. Through half-converted pagans, ambitious prelates, and world-loving
churchmen, he accomplished his purpose. Vast councils were held, from time
to time, in which the dignitaries of the church were convened from all the
world. In nearly every council the Sabbath which God had instituted was
pressed down a little lower, while the Sunday was correspondingly exalted.
Thus the pagan festival came finally to be honored as a divine institution,
while the Bible Sabbath was pronounced a relic of Judaism, and its observers
were declared to be accursed. {GC88 53.2}
The great apostate had succeeded in exalting himself "above all that is
called God, or that is worshiped." [2 THESS. 2:4.] He had dared to change
the only precept of the divine law that unmistakably points all mankind to
the true and living
54
God. In the fourth commandment, God is revealed as the Creator of the
heavens and the earth, and is thereby distinguished from all false gods. It
was as a memorial of the work of creation that the seventh day was
sanctified as a rest-day for man. It was designed to keep the living God
ever before the minds of men as the source of being and the object of
reverence and worship. Satan strives to turn men from their allegiance to
God, and from rendering obedience to his law; therefore he directs his
efforts especially against that commandment which points to God as the
Creator. {GC88 53.3}
Protestants now urge that the resurrection of Christ on Sunday made it
the Christian Sabbath. But Scripture evidence is lacking. No such honor was
given to the day by Christ or his apostles. The observance of Sunday as a
Christian institution had its origin in that "mystery of lawlessness" [2
THESS. 2:7, REVISED VERSION.] which, even in Paul's day, had begun its work.
Where and when did the Lord adopt this child of the papacy? What valid
reason can be given for a change which the Scriptures do not sanction? {GC88
54.1}
In the sixth century the papacy had become firmly established. Its seat
of power was fixed in the imperial city, and the bishop of Rome was declared
to be the head over the entire church. Paganism had given place to the
papacy. The dragon had given to the beast "his power, and his seat, and
great authority." [REV. 13:2; SEE APPENDIX, NOTE 2.] And now began the 1260
years of papal oppression foretold in the prophecies of Daniel and the
Revelation. [DAN. 7:25; REV. 13:5-7.] Christians were forced to choose,
either to yield their integrity and accept the papal ceremonies and worship,
or to wear away their lives in dungeons or suffer death by the rack, the
fagot, or the headsman's ax. Now were fulfilled the words of Jesus, "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. And ye shall be hated
of all men for my name's sake." [LUKE 21:16, 17.]
55
Persecution opened upon the faithful with greater fury than ever before, and
the world became a vast battle-field. For hundreds of years the church of
Christ found refuge in seclusion and obscurity. Thus says the prophet: "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."
[REV. 12:6.] {GC88 54.2}
The accession of the Roman Church to power marked the beginning of the
Dark Ages. As her power increased, the darkness deepened. Faith was
transferred from Christ, the true foundation, to the pope of Rome. Instead
of trusting in the Son of God for forgiveness of sins and for eternal
salvation, the people looked to the pope, and to the priests and prelates to
whom he delegated authority. They were taught that the pope was their
earthly mediator, and that none could approach God except through him, and,
further, that he stood in the place of God to them, and was therefore to be
implicitly obeyed. A deviation from his requirements was sufficient cause
for the severest punishment to be visited upon the bodies and souls of the
offenders. Thus the minds of the people were turned away from God to
fallible, erring, and cruel men, nay more, to the prince of darkness
himself, who exercised his power through them. Sin was disguised in a garb
of sanctity. When the Scriptures are suppressed, and man comes to regard
himself as supreme, we need look only for fraud, deception, and debasing
iniquity. With the elevation of human laws and traditions, was manifest the
corruption that ever results from setting aside the law of God. {GC88 55.1}
Those were days of peril for the church of Christ. The faithful
standard-bearers were few indeed. Though the truth was not left without
witnesses, yet at times it seemed that error and superstition would wholly
prevail, and true religion would be banished from the earth. The gospel was
lost sight of, but the forms of religion were multiplied, and the people
were burdened with rigorous exactions.
56
{GC88 55.2}
They were taught not only to look to the pope as their mediator, but to
trust to works of their own to atone for sin. Long pilgrimages, acts of
penance, the worship of relics, the erection of churches, shrines, and
altars, the payment of large sums to the church,--these and many similar
acts were enjoined to appease the wrath of God or to secure his favor; as if
God were like men, to be angered at trifles, or pacified by gifts or acts of
penance! {GC88 56.1}
Notwithstanding that vice prevailed, even among the leaders of the
Romish Church, her influence seemed steadily to increase. About the close of
the eighth century, papists put forth the claim that in the first ages of
the church the bishops of Rome had possessed the same spiritual power which
they now assumed. To establish this claim, some means must be employed to
give it a show of authority; and this was readily suggested by the father of
lies. Ancient writings were forged by monks. Decrees of councils before
unheard of were discovered, establishing the universal supremacy of the pope
from the earliest times. And a church that had rejected the truth, greedily
accepted these deceptions. {GC88 56.2}
The few faithful builders upon the true foundation [1 COR. 3:10, 11.]
were perplexed and hindered, as the rubbish of false doctrine obstructed the
work. Like the builders upon the wall of Jerusalem in Nehemiah's day, some
were ready to say, "The strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed, and
there is much rubbish, so that we are not able to build." [NEH. 4:10.]
Wearied with the constant struggle against persecution, fraud, iniquity, and
every other obstacle that Satan could devise to hinder their progress, some
who had been faithful builders became disheartened; and for the sake of
peace and security for their property and their lives they turned away from
the true foundation. Others, undaunted by the opposition of their enemies,
fearlessly declared, "Be not ye afraid of them; remember the Lord, which is
great and terrible; [NEH. 4:14.] and they
57
proceeded with the work, every one with his sword girded by his side. [EPH.
6:17.] {GC88 56.3}
The same spirit of hatred and opposition to the truth has inspired the
enemies of God in every age, and the same vigilance and fidelity have been
required in his servants. The words of Christ to the first disciples are
applicable to his followers to the close of time: "What I say unto you I say
unto all, Watch." [MARK 13:37.] {GC88 57.1}
The darkness seemed to grow more dense. Image worship became more
general. Candles were burned before images, and prayers were offered to
them. The most absurd and superstitious customs prevailed. The minds of men
were so completely controlled by superstition that reason itself seemed to
have lost her sway. While priests and bishops were themselves
pleasure-loving, sensual, and corrupt, it could only be expected that the
people who looked to them for guidance would be sunken in ignorance and
vice. {GC88 57.2}
Another step in papal assumption was taken, when, in the eleventh
century, Pope Gregory VII. proclaimed the perfection of the Romish Church.
Among the propositions which he put forth, was one declaring that the church
had never erred, nor would it ever err, according to the Scriptures. But the
Scripture proofs did not accompany the assertion. The proud pontiff next
claimed the power to depose emperors, and declared that no sentence which he
pronounced could be reversed by any one, but that it was his prerogative to
reverse the decisions of all others. {GC88 57.3}
A striking illustration of the tyrannical character of this advocate of
infallibility was given in his treatment of the German emperor, Henry IV.
For presuming to disregard the pope's authority, this monarch was declared
to be excommunicated and dethroned. Terrified by the desertion and threats
of his own princes, who were encouraged in rebellion against him by the
papal mandate, Henry felt the necessity of making his peace with Rome. In
company
58
with his wife and a faithful servant, he crossed the Alps in midwinter, that
he might humble himself before the pope. Upon reaching the castle whither
Gregory had withdrawn, he was conducted, without his guards, into an outer
court, and there, in the severe cold of winter, with uncovered head and
naked feet, and in a miserable dress, he awaited the pope's permission to
come into his presence. Not until he had continued three days fasting and
making confession, did the pontiff condescend to grant him pardon. Even then
it was only upon condition that the emperor should await the sanction of the
pope before resuming the insignia or exercising the power of royalty. And
Gregory, elated with his triumph, boasted that it was his duty "to pull down
the pride of kings." {GC88 57.4}
How striking the contrast between the overbearing pride of this haughty
pontiff and the meekness and gentleness of Christ, who represents himself as
pleading at the door of the heart for admittance, that he may come in to
bring pardon and peace, and who taught his disciples, "Whosoever will be
chief among you, let him be your servant." {GC88 58.1}
The advancing centuries witnessed a constant increase of error in the
doctrines put forth from Rome. Even before the establishment of the papacy,
the teachings of heathen philosophers had received attention and exerted an
influence in the church. Many who professed conversion still clung to the
tenets of their pagan philosophy, and not only continued its study
themselves, but urged it upon others as a means of extending their influence
among the heathen. Serious errors were thus introduced into the Christian
faith. Prominent among these was the belief in man's natural immortality and
his consciousness in death. This doctrine laid the foundation upon which
Rome established the invocation of saints and the adoration of the virgin
Mary. From this sprung also the heresy of eternal torment for the finally
impenitent, which was early incorporated into the papal faith. {GC88 58.2}
Then the way was prepared for the introduction of still
59
another invention of paganism, which Rome named purgatory, and employed to
terrify the credulous and superstitious multitudes. By this heresy is
affirmed the existence of a place of torment, in which the souls of such as
have not merited eternal damnation are to suffer punishment for their sins,
and from which, when freed from impurity, they are admitted to Heaven. {GC88
58.3}
Still another fabrication was needed to enable Rome to profit by the
fears and the vices of her adherents. This was supplied by the doctrine of
indulgences. Full remission of sins, past, present, and future, and release
from all the pains and penalties incurred, were promised to all who would
enlist in the pontiff's wars to extend his temporal dominion, to punish his
enemies, or to exterminate those who dared deny his spiritual supremacy. The
people were also taught that by the payment of money to the church they
might free themselves from sin, and also release the souls of their deceased
friends who were confined in the tormenting flames. By such means did Rome
fill her coffers, and sustain the magnificence, luxury, and vice of the
pretended representatives of Him who had not where to lay his head. {GC88
59.1}
The scriptural ordinance of the Lord's supper had been supplanted by
the idolatrous sacrifice of the mass. Papist priests pretended, by their
senseless mummery, to convert the simple bread and wine into the actual body
and blood of Christ. With blasphemous presumption, they openly claimed the
power of "creating God, the Creator of all things." All Christians were
required, on pain of death, to avow their faith in this horrible,
Heaven-insulting heresy. Multitudes who refused were given to the flames.
{GC88 59.2}
In the thirteenth century was established that most terrible of all the
engines of the papacy,--the Inquisition. The prince of darkness wrought with
the leaders of the papal hierarchy. In their secret councils, Satan and his
angels controlled the minds of evil men, while unseen in the midst stood an
angel of God, taking the fearful record of their iniquitous decrees, and
writing the history of deeds too
60
horrible to appear to human eyes. "Babylon the great" was "drunken with the
blood of the saints." The mangled forms of millions of martyrs cried to God
for vengeance upon that apostate power. {GC88 59.3}
Popery had become the world's despot. Kings and emperors bowed to the
decrees of the Roman pontiff. The destinies of men, both for time and for
eternity, seemed under his control. For hundreds of years the doctrines of
Rome had been extensively and implicitly received, its rites reverently
performed, its festivals generally observed. Its clergy were honored and
liberally sustained. Never since has the Roman Church attained to greater
dignity, magnificence, or power. {GC88 60.1}
The noontide of the papacy was the world's moral midnight. The Holy
Scriptures were almost unknown, not only to the people, but to the priests.
Like the Pharisees of old, the papist leaders hated the light which would
reveal their sins. God's law, the standard of righteousness, having been
removed, they exercised power without limit, and practiced vice without
restraint. Fraud, avarice, and profligacy prevailed. Men shrank from no
crime by which they could gain wealth or position. The palaces of popes and
prelates were scenes of the vilest debauchery. Some of the reigning pontiffs
were guilty of crimes so revolting that secular rulers endeavored to depose
these dignitaries of the church as monsters too vile to be tolerated. For
centuries Europe had made no progress in learning, arts, or civilization. A
moral and intellectual paralysis had fallen upon Christendom. {GC88 60.2}
The condition of the world under the Romish power presented a fearful
and striking fulfillment of the words of the prophet Hosea: "My people are
destroyed for lack of knowledge; because thou hast rejected knowledge, I
will also reject thee; . . . seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God,
I will also forget thy children." "There is no truth, nor mercy, nor
knowledge of God in the land. By swearing, and lying, and killing, and
stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth
blood." [HOSEA 4:6, 1, 2.] Such were the results of banishing the Word of
God. {GC88 60.3}