Lesson 12a
The universal church is composed of all who truly believe in Christ, but in the last days, a time of widespread apostasy, a remnant has been called out to keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. This remnant announces the arrival of the judgement hour, proclaims salvation through Christ, and heralds the approach of His second advent. This proclamation is symbolized by the three angels of Revelation 14; it coincides with the work of judgment in heaven and results in a work of repentance and personal part in this worldwide witness – “Fundamental Beliefs,” 12.
v Pure Woman = God’s Church(Rev.12); Harlot = Apostate Church (Rev.17); Dragon = Satan
v At the cross Christ defeated Satan. (Joh.12:31)
v Satan now angry and is persecuting God’s Church – Rev.12:12
v God shelters His Church for 1260years –Rev.12:14-16 (Ref: lesson 4 > day-year principle)
v Characteristics of God’s Church – They that keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Christ –Rev.12:17
v The Great Apostasy
Ø The persecution of the Christian church was brought about at first by pagan Rome, then by apostasy within its own (God’s people) ranks. – Matt.24:4, 24
Ø His followers would experience a period of “great tribulation,” but they would survive – Matt.24:21, 22
Ø Paul too warned that savage wolves will come into the church to cause a great “apostasy,” or “falling away.” – Acts.20:29
Ø False spiritual leaders: 2Thess.2:1-10, 1Joh.4:1-3
Ø The Ascendancy of the “Man of Sin.”
§ “As the church left its “first love,” it forfeited it purity of doctrine, its high standards of personal conduct, and the invisible bond of unity provided by the Holy Spirit. –Rev.2:4
§ “Administration of the local church under the guidance of the Holy Spirit eventually gave way to ecclesiastical authoritarianism at the hand of a single official, the bishop. Thus the development of a priestly hierarchy.
§ Multitudes knowing very little of genuine Christianity joined the church with their pagan doctrines and images.
§ Therefor a compromise between paganism and Christianity – “man of sin,” a gigantic system of false religion (mixed false/truth).
§ Many believers within this system, however, belong to God’s universal church because they are still ignorant.
Ø The Suffering Church
§ Church and state were united in an unholy alliance.
§ In A.D. 533, in a letter incorporated in the Code of Justinian, the emperor Justinian declared the bishop of Rome head over all the churches.
§ Now the bishop could exercise the prerogatives to increase the authority of the “Holy See” (Seat of the pope).
§ Thus began the 1260 years of persecution in A.D. 538 with the freedom of Rome from the Ostrogoths.
§ Through the Counter Reformation the papacy carried on a bloody struggle to try and destroy the Reformation.
§ Finally, in 1798, 1260 years after A.D. 538, the Roman Catholic Church received a deadly blow. (Rev. 13:3)
§ The French government directed Napoleon to take the pope prisoner.
v The Reformation
Ø Die Doctrinal Issues
§ The head of the church on earth is the Vicar of Christ.
· This doctrine claims that only the bishop of Rome is the vicar.
· This doctrine is based on the assumptions that Christ made Peter the visible head of the Church.
§ The infallibility of the church and its head.
· The church claimed it had never erred, and never would.
§ The eclipse of Christ’s high-priestly mediatorial ministry.
· The attention of believers was shifted away from Christ’s continual mediatorial work as High Priest in heaven.
· The earthly priesthood continues through the Church of Rome – Jesus sacrifice on the cross not complete.
· The church substituted the mass for the Lord’s Supper.
§ The meritorious nature of good works.
· The Catholic Church taught that the good works that were the result of grace infused into sinner’s heart were meritorious (works bring salvation).
· Meritorious works also played an important role in the doctrine of purgatory.
§ The doctrine of penance and indulgences.
· Penance is the sacrament by which Christians may obtain forgiveness for sins committed after baptism.
· Penance, however, did not completely release sinners. They still had to bear the temporal punishment either in this life or in purgatory, therefor the church instituted indulgences.
§ Ultimate authority resides in the church.
· The church argued that two sources of divine truth exited: 1) The Holy Scriptures, and 2) the Catholic tradition.
· The church and not the Bible became the final authority.
· Common believers had no authority to interpret the doctrines God had revealed in Scripture.
Ø The Dawn of a New Day.
§ In the fourteenth century John Wycliffe called for a reformation of the church
§ His teachings of salvation through faith in Christ alone had that only Scriptures were infallible laid the foundation of the Protestant Reformation.
§ Wycliffe’s writings touched the souls of Huss, Jerome, Luther, and many others.
§ Martin Luther – fiery, impulsive and uncompromising – was perhaps the most powerful personality that led people back to the Scriptures.
§ Martin Luther taught: He declared that believers should receive no authority other than the Scriptures; Luther turned people’s eyes upward, from human works, priests, and penance, to Christ as their only Mediator and Saviour. It was impossible, he said, by human works to lessen the guilt of sinning or to avoid its punishment. Only repentance toward God and faith in Christ can save sinners. Because it is a gift, freely given, His grace cannot be purchased. Humans can have hope, therefore, not because of indulgences, but because of the shed blood of a crucified Redeemer.
§ Like an archeological expedition finding treasures buried beneath the accumulated discards of the centuries, the Reformation uncovered long-forgotten truths.
v The Stagnated Reformation
Ø The Reformers had accomplished much, but had not rediscovered all the light lost during the apostasy.
Ø They had taken Christianity out of utter darkness, but it still stood in the shadows.
Ø But instead of advancing the Reformation, their successors consolidated its achievements.
Ø They focused their attention on the Reformers’ words and opinions instead of on Scripture.
Ø The post-Reformation era buzzed with theological activity, but little spiritual progress was made.
Ø Frederic W. Farrar wrote that in this period “liberty was exchanged for bondage; universal principle for beggarly elements; truth for dogmatism; independence for tradition; religion for system. A living reverence for Scripture was superseded by a dead theory of inspiration.”
Ø Controversial dialectics came about.
Ø There never was an epoch in which men were so much occupied in discovering each other’s errors, or in which they called each other by so many opprobrious names.
Ø Dogmas were orthodox, but spirituality was extinguished.
Ø Theology was triumphant, but love was quenched.