God Warns US About Satan's Counterfeits
Satan works to use every avenue to lure us away from GOD, and to destroy our discernment of right and wrong. Every good thing that our Lord has given, the enemy of our souls has worked to make counterfeits, to confuse those that are not yet fully in the hands of the One True GOD. Pray that the Holy Spirit will give you that discerment as you worship and study His Word.
"For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if [it were] possible, they shall deceive the very elect." Matthew 24:24
Satan is in Opposition of the Gospel of Christ.
"And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him." Revelation 12: 9. Satan is the arch-deceiver.
"And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
Therefore [it is] no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works." 2 Corinthians 11:14, 15. He disguises himself as an angel of light, as do also his followers.
We may be sure that the great enemy of truth would do his utmost to obscure the glorious truths of the gospel so as to keep men from acceptance of Jesus Christ. Especially would he endeavor to keep man in ignorance of the judgment-hour message of warning concerning the second coming of Christ.
“Satan invents unnumbered schemes to occupy our minds, that they may not dwell upon the very work with which we ought to be best acquainted. The arch-deceiver hates the great truths that bring to view an atoning sacrifice and all all-powerful Mediator. He knows that with him everything depends on his diverting minds from Jesus and His truth.” – “Great Controversy,” page 488.
"And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,
Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.
And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.
And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive [his] mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. "Revelation 14: 6-11.
The message that should engage the special attention of God's people in the last days is that of “the everlasting gospel,” which declares that “the hour of His [God's] judgment is come.” One method of obscuring the gospel, and keeping men in ignorance of the judgment, would be by giving a false application of the typical earthly sanctuary and its services.
Satan's Master System of Deception.
"For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth [will let], until he be taken out of the way. "2 Thessalonians 2: 7. Commencing in the first century, Satan began the erection of a counterfeit
system of religion called in Scripture “the mystery of iniquity.
"And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:
With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.
So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
And upon her forehead [was] a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration." Revelation 17: 1-6.
The mystery of iniquity is symbolized in the Book of Revelation as an impure woman. As a pure woman is used in the same book to symbolize the Christian church ("And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:
And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.
And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.
And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.
And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and [to] his throne." Revelation 12: 1-5), the corrupt woman of Revelation 17 doubtless represents an apostate church. Revelation 17: 18. Satan's counterfeit church is said to be “that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth. The symbolic name of the great city referred to is “Babylon” (See 14:8; 16:19; 18:10), which name John saw inscribed on the woman's forehead.
Just as Jerusalem, the holy city, was used as a symbol of the true Christian church ("But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty [and] two months." Revelation 11:2), so Babylon, the ancient enemy and oppressor of ancient Jerusalem, is used to symbolize the false church which opposed and oppressed the people of God during the Christian era.
In Old Testament times Satan's counterfeit system of religion centered in ancient Babylon In the Christian era it centers in the Roman Catholic Church, or the Papacy, which has its headquarters in the city of Rome.
It is an interesting fact that in their essential features the religion of ancient Babylon, and the religion of the papal system, are similar. They both claim universal jurisdiction, a priesthood with special powers, and the right to persecute those who will not yield obedience to them.
A Counterfeit of the True Gospel.
The Papacy is a deceptive counterfeit of the true gospel. It has obscured the fundamental truths of the one and only salvation which centers in Jesus Christ the High Priest of the heavenly sanctuary.
In the place of the true mediation system of the gospel it has erected a mediation system of its own.
(a) The Papacy has a counterfeit sacrifice for sins.
“We, therefore, confess that the sacrifice of the mass is and ought to be considered one and the same as that of the cross, as the victim is one and the same, namely, Christ our Lord.” - Catechism of the Council of Trent, translated by Revelation J. Donovan, DD (R.C.), page 226. Dublin: James Duff Y, Soils & Co.
“The Mass is a true proper sacrifice, namely, 'the external offering up of a sensible gift, which is destroyed or transformed by an authorized dominion.' The Mass is identical with the Sacrifice of the cross in the victim arid the Priest, which is Christ. On the cross He offered Himself in person in a bloody manner; in the Mass, through His ministers in an unbloody manner.” – “The New Catholic Dictionary,” compiled and edited by Conde B. Pallen and John J. Wynne. New York: The Universal Knowledge Foundation, 1929, page 607.
“The Catholic Church teaches that in the Eucharist, the Body and Blood of the God-man are really, truly, substantially, and abidingly present together with His Soul and Divinity for the nourishment of souls, by reason of the Transubstantiation of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ, which takes place in the unbloody sacrifice of the New Testament, i.e., the Mass.” -Id., page 345. (15)
(b) The Papacy has a counterfeit high priest.
Concerning the pope it is written, “He is entitled Vicar of Christ, Head of the Church, Father of all the Faithful, Supreme or Sovereign Pontiff.” - Id., page 774.
Under the head of “Pontiff” the same volume gives the following explanation: “The term was used in Roman antiquity to designate the head of the principal college of priests, and was also the translation of the Hebrew term signifying 'high priest.' Roman emperors added it to their titles until the reign of Theodosius. At present the title is applied to the pope as head of the hierarchy.” - Id., page 771.
(c) The Papacy has a counterfeit priesthood.
The New Catholic Dictionary, page 786, says of the priest: “A sacred minister who, by the sacrament of orders, receives power to offer the Eucharistic sacrifice, to administer the sacraments, to preach, and to bless. In the exercise of Ins office he is dependent on his ecclesiastical superior, from whom he receives jurisdiction to forgive sins and to take care of souls. It is of faith that the priesthood was instituted by Christ; also that it is a sacrament impressing an indelible character on the soul.”
(d) The Papacy, has a counterfeit mediator.
“The Priest stands as a mediator between God and man.”- The Pilot, (R.C.), Boston, May 29, 1915. “When He ascended to heaven, Jesus Christ left His priests after Him to hold on earth His place of mediator between God and man, particularly at the altar. 'Let the priest' says St. Lawrence Justinian, 'approach the altar as another Christ.' “Liguori, “Dignities and Duties of the Priesthood,” page 34.
(e) The Papacy has a counterfeit intercessor.
“The kingdom of God consisting of justice and mercy, the Lord has divided it. He has reserved the kingdom of justice for Himself, and He has granted the kingdom of mercy to Mary, ordaining that all the mercies which are dispensed to melt pass through the hands of Mary, and should be bestowed according to her good pleasure.” – “The Glories of Mary,” page 27.
(f). Papacy has a counterfeit sanctuary.
“The real presence of our divine Lord in the blessed Eucharist makes every Catholic church a tabernacle of the Most High.” – “The True Voice,” (R.C.), Omaha, Nebraska, April 18, 1913.
(g) The Papacy, has a counterfeit antitype.
"It is only necessary to run over the books of the Old Testament, especially, Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy, to establish the fact that the Jewish Church, called by the evangelists and the apostles the shadow and the figure of the Christian. society, can in fact be the shadow and figure of the Catholic Church alone.” – “Catholic Doctrine as Defined by the Council of Trent,” Revelation A. Nampion, S.J. (R.C.), page 62.
(h) The Papacy has a counterfeit Sabbath.
“We observe Sunday instead of Saturday because the Catholic Church, in the Council of Laodicea (AD 336), transferred the solemnity from Saturday to Sunday.” – “The Convert's Catechism of Catholic Doctrine,” Revelation Peter Geiermatin (R.C.), 1913, page 50.
The Counterfeit Unmasked.
The judgment-hour message of Revelation 14 calls special attention to the counterfeit system of Babylon, and calls upon men to heed “the everlasting gospel” and keep “the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.”
"And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,
Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.
And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.
And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive [his] mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
Here is the patience of the saints: here [are] they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." Revelation 14: 6-12.
This is a solemn warning against false religion.
"And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.
And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.
For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.
And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. "Revelation 18: 1-4. God's people called out of Babylon.
"For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.
How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.
Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong [is] the Lord God who judgeth her.Revelation 18: 5-8. Babylon's destruction.
The roots of the rapture theory
The roots of this theory may be traced back to the time of the Counter-Reformation. The Protestant reformers in the sixteenth century identified the papacy as the antichrist of prophecy. Several Jesuit scholars undertook the task of defending the papacy against these attacks. Cardinal Robert Bellarmine (1542-1621), head of the Jesuit College in Rome, sought to nullify the prophetic year-day principle as proof for the 1,260 years of papal rule.
The Spanish Jesuit, Francisco Ribera (1537-1591) projected the antichrist prophecies into the future (futurism), and another Spaniard, Luis de Alcazar (1554-1613), contended that these prophecies were already fulfilled in the time of the Roman Empire (preterism).
Alcazar’s preterism was soon adopted by the Calvinist Hugo Grotius (1583-1645) in Holland, and in time became the favorite method for the interpretation of biblical prophecy among liberal theologians. Ribera applied the antichrist prophecies to a future personal antichrist who would appear in the time of the end and continue in power for three and a half years.
For nearly three centuries futurism was largely confined to the Roman Catholic Church, until in 1826 Samuel R. Maitland (1792-1866), librarian to the Archbishop of Canterbury, published a 72-page pamphlet in which he promoted Ribera’s idea of a future antichrist. Soon other Protestant clergymen turned to futurism and began propagating it far and wide. Among them were John Henry Newman, leader of the Oxford movement, who later became a Roman Catholic cardinal, and Edward Irving, the famous Scottish Presbyterian minister.
Dispensationalism
Ribera’s futurism laid the foundation for dispensationalism, which teaches that God has dealt differently with humanity during different eras of biblical history. John Nelson Darby (1800-1882) is usually regarded as the father of dispensationalism. He was a lawyer and Anglican clergyman who in 1828, disillusioned with the spiritual laxness of the church, joined the Brethren Movement. He had a brilliant mind; not only did he preach fluently in German and French, he also translated the New Testament into German, French, and English. He was the author of more than 50 books, and in 1848 became the leader of the Exclusive Brethren.
Darby developed an elaborate philosophy of history in which he divided history into eight eras or dispensations, "each of which contained a different order by which God worked out his redemptive plan." Furthermore, Darby asserted that Christ’s coming would occur in two stages. The first, an invisible "secret rapture" of true believers. would end the great "parenthesis" or church age which began when the Jews rejected Christ. Following the rapture, the Old Testament prophecies concerning Israel would be literally fulfilled, leading to the great tribulation which would end with the second coming of Christ in glory. At that time Christ would establish a literal one thousand-year kingdom on earth with Israel at its center.
Darby’s eschatological views figured prominently in American fundamentalism in the 1920s when conservative Christians defended orthodox Protestant Christianity against the challenges of Darwinism and liberal theology. Today, most evangelical Christians have accepted the main pillars of Darby’s eschatology.
The concept of a rapture prior to the final tribulation period was not new with Darby. "Peter Jurieu in his book Approaching Deliverance of the Church (1687) taught that Christ would come in the air to rapture the saints and return to heaven before the battle of Armageddon. He spoke of a secret rapture prior to His coming in glory and the judgment at Armageddon. Philip Doderidge’s commentary on the New Testament (1738) and John Gill’s commentary on the New Testament (1748) both used the term rapture and spoke of it as imminent. It is clear that these men believed that this coming will precede Christ’s descent to the earth and the time of judgment. The purpose was to preserve believers from the time of judgment.
The doctrine of the rapture was disseminated around the world, primarily through the Brethren Movement and the Scofield Reference Bible. In the twentieth century it was taught in schools like Moody Bible Institute and Dallas Theological Seminary. Hal Lindsey’s Late Great Planet Earth and many books of a similar nature further propagated the secret rapture theory. Most recently the Book and Video / Film series Left Behind teaches these errors.
Think about it. How easy it would be to fool masses of Christians using this counterfeit.
"For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if [it were] possible, they shall deceive the very elect." Matthew 24:24
Satan is in Opposition of the Gospel of Christ.
"And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him." Revelation 12: 9. Satan is the arch-deceiver.
"And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
Therefore [it is] no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works." 2 Corinthians 11:14, 15. He disguises himself as an angel of light, as do also his followers.
We may be sure that the great enemy of truth would do his utmost to obscure the glorious truths of the gospel so as to keep men from acceptance of Jesus Christ. Especially would he endeavor to keep man in ignorance of the judgment-hour message of warning concerning the second coming of Christ.
“Satan invents unnumbered schemes to occupy our minds, that they may not dwell upon the very work with which we ought to be best acquainted. The arch-deceiver hates the great truths that bring to view an atoning sacrifice and all all-powerful Mediator. He knows that with him everything depends on his diverting minds from Jesus and His truth.” – “Great Controversy,” page 488.
"And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,
Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.
And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.
And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive [his] mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. "Revelation 14: 6-11.
The message that should engage the special attention of God's people in the last days is that of “the everlasting gospel,” which declares that “the hour of His [God's] judgment is come.” One method of obscuring the gospel, and keeping men in ignorance of the judgment, would be by giving a false application of the typical earthly sanctuary and its services.
Satan's Master System of Deception.
"For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth [will let], until he be taken out of the way. "2 Thessalonians 2: 7. Commencing in the first century, Satan began the erection of a counterfeit
system of religion called in Scripture “the mystery of iniquity.
"And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:
With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.
So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
And upon her forehead [was] a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration." Revelation 17: 1-6.
The mystery of iniquity is symbolized in the Book of Revelation as an impure woman. As a pure woman is used in the same book to symbolize the Christian church ("And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:
And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.
And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.
And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.
And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and [to] his throne." Revelation 12: 1-5), the corrupt woman of Revelation 17 doubtless represents an apostate church. Revelation 17: 18. Satan's counterfeit church is said to be “that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth. The symbolic name of the great city referred to is “Babylon” (See 14:8; 16:19; 18:10), which name John saw inscribed on the woman's forehead.
Just as Jerusalem, the holy city, was used as a symbol of the true Christian church ("But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty [and] two months." Revelation 11:2), so Babylon, the ancient enemy and oppressor of ancient Jerusalem, is used to symbolize the false church which opposed and oppressed the people of God during the Christian era.
In Old Testament times Satan's counterfeit system of religion centered in ancient Babylon In the Christian era it centers in the Roman Catholic Church, or the Papacy, which has its headquarters in the city of Rome.
It is an interesting fact that in their essential features the religion of ancient Babylon, and the religion of the papal system, are similar. They both claim universal jurisdiction, a priesthood with special powers, and the right to persecute those who will not yield obedience to them.
A Counterfeit of the True Gospel.
The Papacy is a deceptive counterfeit of the true gospel. It has obscured the fundamental truths of the one and only salvation which centers in Jesus Christ the High Priest of the heavenly sanctuary.
In the place of the true mediation system of the gospel it has erected a mediation system of its own.
(a) The Papacy has a counterfeit sacrifice for sins.
“We, therefore, confess that the sacrifice of the mass is and ought to be considered one and the same as that of the cross, as the victim is one and the same, namely, Christ our Lord.” - Catechism of the Council of Trent, translated by Revelation J. Donovan, DD (R.C.), page 226. Dublin: James Duff Y, Soils & Co.
“The Mass is a true proper sacrifice, namely, 'the external offering up of a sensible gift, which is destroyed or transformed by an authorized dominion.' The Mass is identical with the Sacrifice of the cross in the victim arid the Priest, which is Christ. On the cross He offered Himself in person in a bloody manner; in the Mass, through His ministers in an unbloody manner.” – “The New Catholic Dictionary,” compiled and edited by Conde B. Pallen and John J. Wynne. New York: The Universal Knowledge Foundation, 1929, page 607.
“The Catholic Church teaches that in the Eucharist, the Body and Blood of the God-man are really, truly, substantially, and abidingly present together with His Soul and Divinity for the nourishment of souls, by reason of the Transubstantiation of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ, which takes place in the unbloody sacrifice of the New Testament, i.e., the Mass.” -Id., page 345. (15)
(b) The Papacy has a counterfeit high priest.
Concerning the pope it is written, “He is entitled Vicar of Christ, Head of the Church, Father of all the Faithful, Supreme or Sovereign Pontiff.” - Id., page 774.
Under the head of “Pontiff” the same volume gives the following explanation: “The term was used in Roman antiquity to designate the head of the principal college of priests, and was also the translation of the Hebrew term signifying 'high priest.' Roman emperors added it to their titles until the reign of Theodosius. At present the title is applied to the pope as head of the hierarchy.” - Id., page 771.
(c) The Papacy has a counterfeit priesthood.
The New Catholic Dictionary, page 786, says of the priest: “A sacred minister who, by the sacrament of orders, receives power to offer the Eucharistic sacrifice, to administer the sacraments, to preach, and to bless. In the exercise of Ins office he is dependent on his ecclesiastical superior, from whom he receives jurisdiction to forgive sins and to take care of souls. It is of faith that the priesthood was instituted by Christ; also that it is a sacrament impressing an indelible character on the soul.”
(d) The Papacy, has a counterfeit mediator.
“The Priest stands as a mediator between God and man.”- The Pilot, (R.C.), Boston, May 29, 1915. “When He ascended to heaven, Jesus Christ left His priests after Him to hold on earth His place of mediator between God and man, particularly at the altar. 'Let the priest' says St. Lawrence Justinian, 'approach the altar as another Christ.' “Liguori, “Dignities and Duties of the Priesthood,” page 34.
(e) The Papacy has a counterfeit intercessor.
“The kingdom of God consisting of justice and mercy, the Lord has divided it. He has reserved the kingdom of justice for Himself, and He has granted the kingdom of mercy to Mary, ordaining that all the mercies which are dispensed to melt pass through the hands of Mary, and should be bestowed according to her good pleasure.” – “The Glories of Mary,” page 27.
(f). Papacy has a counterfeit sanctuary.
“The real presence of our divine Lord in the blessed Eucharist makes every Catholic church a tabernacle of the Most High.” – “The True Voice,” (R.C.), Omaha, Nebraska, April 18, 1913.
(g) The Papacy, has a counterfeit antitype.
"It is only necessary to run over the books of the Old Testament, especially, Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy, to establish the fact that the Jewish Church, called by the evangelists and the apostles the shadow and the figure of the Christian. society, can in fact be the shadow and figure of the Catholic Church alone.” – “Catholic Doctrine as Defined by the Council of Trent,” Revelation A. Nampion, S.J. (R.C.), page 62.
(h) The Papacy has a counterfeit Sabbath.
“We observe Sunday instead of Saturday because the Catholic Church, in the Council of Laodicea (AD 336), transferred the solemnity from Saturday to Sunday.” – “The Convert's Catechism of Catholic Doctrine,” Revelation Peter Geiermatin (R.C.), 1913, page 50.
The Counterfeit Unmasked.
The judgment-hour message of Revelation 14 calls special attention to the counterfeit system of Babylon, and calls upon men to heed “the everlasting gospel” and keep “the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.”
"And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,
Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.
And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.
And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive [his] mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
Here is the patience of the saints: here [are] they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." Revelation 14: 6-12.
This is a solemn warning against false religion.
"And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.
And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.
For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.
And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. "Revelation 18: 1-4. God's people called out of Babylon.
"For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.
How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.
Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong [is] the Lord God who judgeth her.Revelation 18: 5-8. Babylon's destruction.
The roots of the rapture theory
The roots of this theory may be traced back to the time of the Counter-Reformation. The Protestant reformers in the sixteenth century identified the papacy as the antichrist of prophecy. Several Jesuit scholars undertook the task of defending the papacy against these attacks. Cardinal Robert Bellarmine (1542-1621), head of the Jesuit College in Rome, sought to nullify the prophetic year-day principle as proof for the 1,260 years of papal rule.
The Spanish Jesuit, Francisco Ribera (1537-1591) projected the antichrist prophecies into the future (futurism), and another Spaniard, Luis de Alcazar (1554-1613), contended that these prophecies were already fulfilled in the time of the Roman Empire (preterism).
Alcazar’s preterism was soon adopted by the Calvinist Hugo Grotius (1583-1645) in Holland, and in time became the favorite method for the interpretation of biblical prophecy among liberal theologians. Ribera applied the antichrist prophecies to a future personal antichrist who would appear in the time of the end and continue in power for three and a half years.
For nearly three centuries futurism was largely confined to the Roman Catholic Church, until in 1826 Samuel R. Maitland (1792-1866), librarian to the Archbishop of Canterbury, published a 72-page pamphlet in which he promoted Ribera’s idea of a future antichrist. Soon other Protestant clergymen turned to futurism and began propagating it far and wide. Among them were John Henry Newman, leader of the Oxford movement, who later became a Roman Catholic cardinal, and Edward Irving, the famous Scottish Presbyterian minister.
Dispensationalism
Ribera’s futurism laid the foundation for dispensationalism, which teaches that God has dealt differently with humanity during different eras of biblical history. John Nelson Darby (1800-1882) is usually regarded as the father of dispensationalism. He was a lawyer and Anglican clergyman who in 1828, disillusioned with the spiritual laxness of the church, joined the Brethren Movement. He had a brilliant mind; not only did he preach fluently in German and French, he also translated the New Testament into German, French, and English. He was the author of more than 50 books, and in 1848 became the leader of the Exclusive Brethren.
Darby developed an elaborate philosophy of history in which he divided history into eight eras or dispensations, "each of which contained a different order by which God worked out his redemptive plan." Furthermore, Darby asserted that Christ’s coming would occur in two stages. The first, an invisible "secret rapture" of true believers. would end the great "parenthesis" or church age which began when the Jews rejected Christ. Following the rapture, the Old Testament prophecies concerning Israel would be literally fulfilled, leading to the great tribulation which would end with the second coming of Christ in glory. At that time Christ would establish a literal one thousand-year kingdom on earth with Israel at its center.
Darby’s eschatological views figured prominently in American fundamentalism in the 1920s when conservative Christians defended orthodox Protestant Christianity against the challenges of Darwinism and liberal theology. Today, most evangelical Christians have accepted the main pillars of Darby’s eschatology.
The concept of a rapture prior to the final tribulation period was not new with Darby. "Peter Jurieu in his book Approaching Deliverance of the Church (1687) taught that Christ would come in the air to rapture the saints and return to heaven before the battle of Armageddon. He spoke of a secret rapture prior to His coming in glory and the judgment at Armageddon. Philip Doderidge’s commentary on the New Testament (1738) and John Gill’s commentary on the New Testament (1748) both used the term rapture and spoke of it as imminent. It is clear that these men believed that this coming will precede Christ’s descent to the earth and the time of judgment. The purpose was to preserve believers from the time of judgment.
The doctrine of the rapture was disseminated around the world, primarily through the Brethren Movement and the Scofield Reference Bible. In the twentieth century it was taught in schools like Moody Bible Institute and Dallas Theological Seminary. Hal Lindsey’s Late Great Planet Earth and many books of a similar nature further propagated the secret rapture theory. Most recently the Book and Video / Film series Left Behind teaches these errors.
Think about it. How easy it would be to fool masses of Christians using this counterfeit.
posted by Michael A. Redwine at Sunday, July 10, 2005
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