The Holy Scripture - english version B.indd - Sabbat

232 Official Statements of the Clergy.“The Christian Sabbath (2nd. Ed.; Baltimore; The Catholic Mirror, 1893) pp. 29, 30”:‘But the Protestant says: How can I receive the teachings of an apostateChurch? How, we ask, have you managed to receive her teachings all yourlife, in direct opposition to your recognized teacher, the Bible, on the Sabbathquestion.’“Letter, October 28, 1895, from C. F. Thomas, Chancellor of Cardinal Gibbons”:“Of course the Catholic Church claims that the change was her act. ... And theact is a MARK of her ecclesiastical power and authority in religious matters.”“Catholic Record. in Ontario, September 1, 1923”:“Sunday ist our mark auf authority ... The Church is above the Bible; and histransference of Sabbath observance is proof of that fact.”“Roy Livesey, 1998, Understanding the New Age: World Government and WorldReligion (Chichester, England: New Wine Press), p. 104.”:‘Catechism of the Jesuit:Q. What if the Holy Scriptures command one thing, and the Pope anothercontrary to it?A. The Holy Scriptures must be thrown aside.Q. What is the Pope?A. He is the Vicar of Christ, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, and there is butone Judgment-Seat belonging to God and the Pope.’~About Revelation 2:12-17Against the church of Smyrna, which has just been considered, there was no wordof condemnation uttered. Persecution is ever calculated to keep the church pure,and incite its members to piety and godliness. But we now reach a period wheninfluences began to work through which errors and evils were likely to creep intothe church.The word Pergamos signifies height, elevation. The period covered by this churchmay be located from the days of Constantine, or perhaps, rather, from his professedconversion to Christianity, A.D.323, to the establishment of the papacy, A.D.538. Itwas a period in which the true servants of God had to struggle against a spirit ofworldly policy, pride, and popularity among the professed followers of Christ, andagainst the virulent workings of the mystery of iniquity, which finally resultedin the full development of the papal man of sin.Where Satan’s Seat Is. - Christ takes cognizance of the unfavorable situation ofhis people during this period. The language is not probably designed to denotelocality. As to place, Satan works wherever Christians dwell. But surely there aretimes and seasons when he works with special power; and the period coveredby the church of Pergamos was one of these. During this period, the doctrineof Christ was being corrupted, the mystery of iniquity was working, and Satan