I recently got literature in the mail, that I hadn’t
requested, that states that the beast of the sea and of the land, the little
horn, the dragon, and the antichrist are related to the pope and the papacy. Is
that accurate? Maybe yes and maybe no.
I will share how I handle matters like this at the end of this research, but I felt led to research this topic further to see if there is any credence to their claims. I will use the New King James Version of the Bible also known as NKJV. Also, I will utilize internet resources, as needed. Since the Bible often uses the word ‘him’ and the word ‘he’ within the same verse, I will put within brackets who is speaking and the person being spoken to if I feel it’s beneficial. Additionally, my comments are in purple and I will tip you off to when I’m sharing them.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1F4oDpChn1UEnAYTnmJj_fBJoFMc_03pRgY9nQhxBBgI/edit [excerpts of this site below, not including the video]
The New Testament plainly
shows we are to continue keeping the commandments (Mathew 5:17–18; 19:17;
28:20)—all ten of them. Where, then, do men get the “authority” to change
the Fourth Commandment by substituting Sunday for the original Sabbath Christ
and the apostles kept?
The
Bible prophesied many centuries earlier that the time would come when men
would think to change times and laws (Daniel 7:25).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSnX0zTJMc8 (4 minute video about proof of the Catholic Church changing the day of worship to Sunday. )
When Emperor Constantine I—a pagan sun-worshipper—came to power in A.D. 313, he legalized Christianity and made the first Sunday-keeping law. His infamous Sunday enforcement law of March 7, A.D. 321, reads as follows: “On the venerable Day of the Sun let the magistrates and people residing in cities rest, and let all workshops be closed.” (Codex Justinianus 3.12.3, trans. Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church, 5th ed. (New York, 1902), 3:380, note 1.)
The Sunday law was officially confirmed by the Roman Papacy. The Council of Laodicea in A.D. 364 decreed, “Christians shall not Judaize and be idle on Saturday but shall work on that day; but the Lord’s day they shall especially honour, and, as being Christians, shall, if possible, do no work on that day. If, however, they are found Judaizing, they shall be shut out from Christ” (Strand, op. cit., citing Charles J. Hefele, A History of the Councils of the Church, 2 [Edinburgh, 1876] 316).
Again, “The Catholic
Church, … by virtue of her divine mission, changed the day from Saturday to
Sunday” (The Catholic Mirror, official publication of James Cardinal
Gibbons, Sept. 23, 1893).
“Protestants do not realize
that by observing Sunday, they accept the authority of the spokesperson of
the Church, the Pope” (Our Sunday Visitor, February 5, 1950).
“Of course the Catholic
Church claims that the change [Saturday Sabbath to Sunday] was her act... And
the act is a mark of her ecclesiastical authority in religious things”
(H.F. Thomas, Chancellor of Cardinal Gibbons).
The Catholic Church claims
that “the church is above the Bible, and this transference of Sabbath
observance is proof of that fact” (Catholic Record of London, Ontario Sept 1,
1923).
A Prophecy Come to Pass!
At this point we need to
note an amazing prophecy. Daniel
7:25 foretold, “And he shall speak great words against the most High,
and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times
and laws.” Quoting Daniel 7:25, Adam Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible says:
“He shall speak great
words against the Most High] Literally, Sermones quasi Deus loquetur; “He
shall speak as if he were God.” So Jerome quotes from Symmachus. To none
can this apply so well or so fully as to the popes of Rome. They have assumed infallibility,
which belongs only to God. They profess to
forgive sins, which belongs only to God.
They profess to open and shut heaven, which belongs only to God. They profess to be higher than all the kings of the earth,
which belongs only to God. And they go beyond
God in pretending to loose whole nations from their oath of allegiance to their
kings, when such kings do not please them! And they
go against God when they give
indulgences for sin. This is the worst of all blasphemies!
“The Pope has power to change times, to abrogate laws, and to dispense
with all things, even the precepts of Christ. The Pope has authority and has often exercised it, to dispense with
the command of Christ” (Decretal, de Tranlatic Episcop).
https://www.sabbathtruth.com/free-resources/article-library/story/id/916/catholic-church-admits-they-made-the-change [excerpts below]
“The Son of Man is Lord also of the Sabbath” (Luke 6:5). Here Jesus staked His claim and forbade anyone to meddle with the Sabbath. Yet He knew there would be those who would claim the power to change God’s Law. Through Daniel he warned of just such a man. Describing a “little horn power” (Daniel 7:8), Daniel says, “He will speak against the Most High and oppress his saints and try to change the set times and the laws” (Daniel 7:25).
Paul
made a similar prediction: “Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for
that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is
revealed, the man doomed to destruction.
(2 Thessalonians 2:3, 4, 7)
In the
Catechism of the Council of Trent,
The
Church of God has thought it well to transfer the celebration and observance of
the Sabbath to Sunday!
–p 402, second revised edition (English), 1937. (First published in 1566)
………………………………………….
Jesus-resurrection.info by
Tom Stapleton
https://www.jesus-resurrection.info/the-daily-sacrifice.html
One hundred years ago, this
interpretation of the "daily" would have seemed preposterous, but
recent studies have shown that, in the past, our interpretation of certain
portions of scripture has not been correct. One example of this is Colossians
2:16. Of late there has been a keen interest in the study of the sacred times
of the Lord. This study has crossed denominational boundaries worldwide, and it
has brought many things to light. Current studies in scripture and history seem
to indicate that God's holy days were not "nailed to the cross" as
has been assumed by most of Christendom for several centuries. The Biblical
holy days continued to be celebrated by the disciples after the cross, and the
early Christian Church observed these holy days for several centuries. The
change came largely from a desire by the Christian Church in Rome to dissociate
itself from the Jews. The Jews were under tremendous persecution which is why
the Roman Christian church changed these times. To distance themselves from the
Jews, the Christian Church adopted a calendar of holy days that resembled
paganism rather than Judaism. Could this discovery of truth be a part of what
the Angel spoke to Daniel:
"But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase." (Dan 12:4)
……………………………………..
Notes from my research on this topic:] Daniel 8:9-14 says: And out of one of them came a little horn which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the Glorious Land. And it grew up to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and some of the stars to the ground, and trampled them. He even exalted himself as high as the Prince of host; and by him the daily sacrifices were taken away, and the place of His sanctuary was cast down. Because of transgression, an army was given over to the horn to oppose the daily sacrifices; and he cast truth down to the ground. He did all this and prospered. Then I heard a holy one speaking; and another holy one said to that certain one who was speaking, “How long will the vision be, concerning the daily sacrifices and the transgression of desolation, the giving of both the sanctuary and the host to be trampled underfoot?” And he said to me, “For two thousand three hundred days; then the sanctuary shall be cleansed.”
Daniel 8:23-26 says: And in the latter time of their kingdom, When the transgressors have reached their fullness, A king shall arise, Having fierce features, Who understands sinister schemes. His power shall be mighty, but not by his own power; He shall destroy fearfully, And shall prosper and thrive; He shall destroy the mighty, and also the holy people. Through his cunning He shall cause deceit to prosper under his rule; And he shall exalt himself in his heart. He shall destroy many in their prosperity. He shall even rise against the Prince of princes; But he shall be broken without human means. And the vision of the evenings and mornings Which was told is true; Therefore seal up the vision, For it refers to many days in the future.”
Daniel 11:31-39 says: And forces shall be mustered by
him, and they shall defile the sanctuary
fortress; then they shall take away the daily sacrifices, and place there the
abomination of desolation. Those who do wickedly against the
covenant he shall corrupt with flattery; but the people who know their God
shall be strong, and carry out great exploits. And those of the people who
understand shall instruct many; yet for many days they shall fall by sword and
flame, by captivity and plundering. Now when they fall, they shall be aided
with a little help; but many shall join with them by intrigue. And some of
those of understanding shall fall [die for their faith], to refine them, purify
them, and make them white, until the time of the end; because it is still for the
appointed time. Then the king shall do
according to his own will: he shall exalt and magnify himself above every god,
shall speak blasphemies against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the
wrath has been accomplished; for what has been determined shall be done. He shall regard neither the God of his fathers nor
the desire of women, nor regard any god; for he shall exalt himself above them
all. But in their place he shall
honor a god of fortresses, and a god which his fathers did not know he shall
honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and pleasant things. Thus he
shall act against the strongest fortresses with a foregin god, which he shall
acknowledge, and advance its glory; and he shall cause them to rule over many,
and divide the land for gain.``
[Again, this research is related to the literature
that I got in the mail, that I hadn’t requested, that states that the beast of
the sea and of the land, the little horn, the dragon, and the antichrist are
related to the pope and the papacy. I did further research on this topic to see
if there is any credence to their claim.]
[Is their claim accurate? Maybe yes and maybe no. I
don’t know the answer to these things, but there are many things within this
research project that tend to support their claims, but I am sharing this so
you can be mindful and prayerful to listen to the instincts that Christ alone
can give you.]
[In my opinion, as a Christian, I found what works best for me is not to
get too caught up in trying to find literal interpretations or definitive
interpretations for things of this nature. I just focus on Jesus Christ as my
Lord and Savior and I don’t get overwhelmed by the details that are beyond my
comprehension.]
[I will use this as an example: Revelation 21:21 says: The twelve gates
were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of
the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.]
[Well, I used to hear people argue about what heaven is going to be
like. Does it matter if the streets of heaven are going to be made of pure
gold, are gold plated, or just look like gold? No, none of that is really
significant, in my opinion! What is significant is that I want to end up in
heaven when Jesus calls me no matter what the streets are paved with!
The way that is possible is not to get caught up in arguments with others that
Satan may use to lead us astray.]
[If I focus on Jesus Christ as my Savior, His commandments, and what He
wants for me, I am most apt to end up in heaven on the Last Day. Of course, I’m
not perfect, but all my many sins are forgiven as long as I stay focused on
Christ who made the ultimate sacrifice for me and He did it for you, too!]
Remember John 3:16-21 when Jesus says: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten
Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the
world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but
he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in
the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation that the
light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light,
because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and
does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does
the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they
have been done in God.”
Follow Jesus Christ, who is the Light of the World and will lead you to Salvation!
