What God Said Will Happen

Several people have asked for my opinion on Israel’s recent peace treaties with the UAE and Bahrain, so this is my effort to put it into writing.

At the Sept. 15, 2020, signing ceremony, Israel’s Prime Min. Netanyahu said, “This peace will eventually expand to include other Arab states, and ultimately, it can end the Arab-Israel conflict once and for all.”

These treaties have been called historic, a profound geopolitical shift, stunning, a fundamental reordering of the Middle East, etc.

These treaties are not the 7-year covenant with many that will be confirmed by the Antichrist (Dan. 9:27) and triggers the Tribulation Period, but they are a very significant step in that direction and will eventually lead to people declaring “peace and safety” in the world (I Thess. 5:3).

A Foreign Policy statement released by the White House on Sept. 15, 2020, even says, “The Parties shall be guided in their relations by the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations and the principles of international law governing relations among States. In particular, they shall recognize and respect each other’s sovereignty and right to live in peace and security (the same thing as “peace and safety”), develop friendly relations of cooperation between them and their peoples, and settle all disputes between them by peaceful means.”

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/abraham-accords-peace-agreement-treaty-of-peace-diplomatic-relations-and-full-normalization-between-the-united-arab-emirates-and-the-state-of-israel/

A second Foreign Policy statement released by the White House on the same date reads, (The UAE and Israel are) “Determined to ensure lasting peace, stability, security and prosperity (the same thing as “peace and safety”) for both their States and to develop and enhance their dynamic and innovative economies.”

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/abraham-accords-peace-agreement-treaty-of-peace-diplomatic-relations-and-full-normalization-between-the-united-arab-emirates-and-the-state-of-israel/

A third Foreign Policy statement released by the White House on the same date reads, “The parties discussed their shared commitment to advancing peace and security (the same thing as “peace and safety”) in the Middle East stressing the importance of embracing the vision of the Abraham Accords, widening the circle of peace; recognizing each State’s right to sovereignty and to live in peace and security, and continuing the efforts to achieve a just, comprehensive, and enduring resolution of the Israeli- Palestinian conflict.”

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/abraham-accords-declaration-peace-cooperation-constructive-diplomatic-friendly-relations/

Two more nations have now acknowledged Israel’s right to exist, and more nations will follow suit, but the fact that some nations are willing to make peace with Israel doesn’t mean that there are not other nations and groups that want to destroy Israel (peace and safety with many doesn’t mean peace and safety with everybody). Many nations have noticed Israel’s wealth (silver and gold; cattle and goods, etc.). The Arabs want to increase their wealth by negotiating and trading with Israel. Russia, Iran, Turkey, and others want to increase their wealth by plundering Israel (Ezek. 38:11-12). Netanyahu said the peace deals will bring billions of dollars into Israel’s economy, making the plunder more enticing. The peace treaties (called the “Abraham Accords because Arabs and Jews are both descendants of Abraham) suggest that Israel is now safer (as in dwelling safely; Ezek. 38:11). They make an attack by Saudi Arabia less likely; and they make an attack by Russia, Turkey, and Iran more likely, etc. (Ezek. 38:13). The U.S. will sell the UAE and Bahrain more powerful weapons (F-35 jets, high-tech equipment, etc.) that will strengthen the Arab alliance against Iran; be used against Iran’s allies in Libya, Yemen and other places; and put a greater strain on Iran’s economy (increasing Iran’s need for plunder). The peace treaties have caused the PA to feel abandoned and increased the pressure on Israel’s terrorist enemies (Hezbollah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, etc.). The PA can now be expected to do one of two things: 1) Step up their war against Israel (which will fulfill Bible prophecy), or 2) Sit down at the negotiating table (which will result in the 7-year covenant). They will likely go to war first and sit down at the negotiating table later (after their defeat). On Sept. 16, 2020, the U.S. Ambassador to Israel, David Friedman said, “The peace treaties between Israel, Bahrain and the UAE mark the beginning of the end of the Israeli-Arab conflict.” On Sept. 16, 2020, Jared Kushner, Trump’s Advisor and Son-in-Law, said he is very confident that the peace treaties will make an ultimate resolution with the Palestinians more likely. According to the Bible, a worthless treaty with many will be signed by the Antichrist after the Rapture. According to Pres. Trump, the peace treaties allow Muslims to visit the holy sites in Israel (the Temple Mount and more), including the Al Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Israel and the U.S. believe this opens the door for the Temple to be rebuilt. Many prophecy teachers believe the 7-year covenant with many will give Israel permission to rebuild the Temple, and they will quickly do it after the Tribulation Period begins. So, 72 years (about one generation; Matt. 24:32-35) after Israel has become a nation in one day (Isa. 66:7-9) before the Tribulation Period, the nation is rich, possibly on the verge of many peace treaties that are expected to lead to peace and safety in the Middle East, the door to rebuilding the Temple could be starting to open, and Israel’s enemies (Russia, Turkey, Iran, etc.) are amassing north of Israel just like the Bible says (Ezek. 38:15). We cannot know the day or the hour (Matt. 24:36), but we can see the day approaching (Heb. 10:25) and know when our redemption is near (Luke 21:28). Here are some other things that recently caught my attention:

One, a friend sent this link to me of prophecy teacher Don Stewart’s fascinating interview of Dennis Swick, the owner and founder of His Channel TV:

On Sept. 17, 2020, Swick was interviewed on Stewart’s “World News Briefing” TV program.

About 30 min. into the program, Stewart and Swick started talking about the fact that Elon Musk has been authorized to put up 12,000 satellites into orbit (he wants to increase it to 40,000) to make high-speed Internet and TV service available everywhere on earth.

Many Bible prophecy teachers know that this will literally make it possible for the gospel to go all over the world, for the Antichrist and False Prophet to track all buying and selling, for everyone on earth to see the Antichrist kill the Two Witnesses, to see the bodies of the Two Witnesses laying in the street in Jerusalem, and for everyone on earth to see the Two Witnesses raised from the dead and Raptured into heaven at the middle of the Tribulation Period (Rev. 11).

Stewart wanted to know when this system (called Starlink) will be complete, “in five years”?

Swick, who receives technical notes from Musk, replied “less than that. Some people will go online this year, and the system will be operational in a few years” (it just needs to be operational 3 ½ years after the Tribulation Period begins).

Two, a second thing that caught my attention in the Stewart-Swick interview concerns social distancing.

Bill Gates wants to force everyone on earth to be numbered, tattooed with a quantum dot tattoo, and vaccinated for the Coronavirus.

The enzyme that activates the quantum dots in Gates’ vaccine is called Luciferase (Lucifer was Satan’s name when he fell; Isa. 14:12).

Swick talked about why officials want 7 feet of social distancing (He probably misspoke because it is 6 feet), and he said scanners may misread people’s numbers if the people and their numbers are too close together, but if the people are at least 7 feet (he means 6 feet) apart, the scanners will accurately read the numbers.

I don’t know if this is right, but Swick has excellent knowledge of technology, and the media is now reporting that 6 feet of social distancing may not be enough.

Three, on Sept. 17, 2020, Rev. Franklin Graham was talking about what God said will happen, and I think it is important to hear Dr. Graham’s opinion.

He was talking about his upcoming Prayer March in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 26, 2020, and he told the Christian Post, “I just sense there is something moving in our country. I don’t believe that our country is going to be spared from God’s judgment. We are not a Christian nation. We are a secular nation, and the secularists are wanting to strip God out of everything.

“Maybe this election could possibly slow that down, but we know there’s going to be a one-world system one day. We know that people aren’t going to be able to buy, sell, or trade unless they have the mark of the Antichrist. We know that there will be a great war.

“We see God’s judgment coming against this earth for the rejection of His Son, and we see the Lord Jesus Christ coming back triumphant to establish a new Heaven and a new Earth. We know how the last chapters of history are written.

“I think we’re kind of in that period of time on God’s clock where some of these things might just be beginning to unfold. To say that we’re not going to be able to reset God’s clock, in the sense where He’s going to change His mind, no, it’s written. But He might delay just a little bit.”

https://www.christianpost.com/news/franklin-graham-ahead-of-national-prayer-march-us-is-crumbling-god-is-only-hope.html

I agree with everything Dr. Graham said: God is still on the throne, and prayer changes things.

By the time this article is posted, the Prayer March will be history, but Christians need to keep praying.

Four, concerning Syria, Russia’s economy is hurting, Putin is moving more equipment and weapons to Syria, and Russia is becoming more aggressive. This has prompted the U.S. to send 100 troops with vehicles, helicopters and jets back to Syria to protect the oil fields that are under Kurdish control. A U.S. company has just inked a deal with the Kurds to develop the oilfields and sell the crude, and the Russians are very unhappy. Five, concerning natural disasters, several wildfires have now merged, creating the largest California wildfire on record since record-keeping started in 1932, and 83% of the state of Utah is now experiencing an “extreme” drought emergency.

Six, concerning wickedness, in Chicago, IL, homicides are up 52% over 2019, and the vast majority of those killed are people of color.

Black Lives Matter and defunding the police are about overthrowing the U.S. government, not about protecting or bettering the lives of people of color.

In New York City, homicides are up 27% over 2019; murder, robbery, domestic violence, and other crimes are also up, and the story is similar in other cities.

Now, even before we know who the nominee will be, left-wing activists are threatening violent riots if Pres. Trump and Mitch McConnell try to fill the Supreme Court seat left vacant by the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Trump and McConnell have not caved, and they have said there will be a nomination and vote.

God loves you, and if you have not done so, sincerely admit that you are a sinner; believe that Jesus is the virgin born, sinless Son of God, who died for the sins of the world, was buried and raised from the dead; ask Him to forgive your sins, cleanse you, come into your heart and be your Saviour; then tell someone that you have done this.

The book of Revelation has a lot of contrasts - between the lamb that seemed as if slain and then the Satanic parody of the beast "like a lamb" AND then we see about the mark of God (the Tau, the baptismal cross) and later the satanic parody of the sign (the coinage of Nero)

Now, let's first look at Rev 14:4 4 These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. -- the saints are chaste and have not defiled themselves with women.

Then,

let's look at Revelation 17

In Revelation 17 the wicked city is described as a harlot - a whore. This is not a new city or a different city than the one judged throughout the book of revelation. This is the same "Great city where the Lord was crucified"

Rev 11:8 8 And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.

Rev 16:19

19 And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.

rev 17:18

18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

zek157 -- This wicked city destined for destruction is Jerusalem before 70 AD

Yes, Jerusalem before 70 AD -- why?

Let's take them one by one - Rev:11:7-10 has the two witnesses killed and dead bodies not buried like in Psalm 79 O god, the heathen are come into thine inheritance; thy holy temple have they defiled; they have laid Jerusalem on heaps.

2 The dead bodies of thy servants have they given to be meat unto the fowls of the heaven, the flesh of thy saints unto the beasts of the earth.

Jerusalem is pictured as that city which killed the prophets, rejecting their message. That Jerusalem is called Sodom is a reflection of Isaiah 1:10 10 Hear the word of the Lord, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah. -- who are these rulers? They are the rulers of JERUSALEM

and note - "the city where their Lord was crucified" and where WAS Christ crucified? In Jerusalem

Rev 16:19 "The great city was split into three parts" -- recall 16:16 "And they assembled them at a place which is called in Hebrew Armageddon" -- this defines that Jerusalem pre-70 AD is the new Babylon, receiving its final catastrophic judgement for crucifying the Lord

What is the split of Jerusalem of 70 AD? Josephus describes what happened

The Romans slew some of them, some they carried captive.. there were also found slain there about two thousand persons, partly by their own hands, partly by one another, but chiefly destroyed by the famine

see - split in three parts and NOTE -- Jerusalem while under siege by the legions underwent a civil war!?! That's crazy - the Jews were being besieged by a superlative army decides to undergo a civil war -- and how many factions?

3

the city of Jerusalem in 67 AD was split into

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Now let's look at Chapter 17

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The Jerusalem of 70 AD = Babylon - which is destroyed by the 7th chalice and is called a harlot

Contrast that to the new Jerusalem, the church - which is the Bride, the wife of the lamb

You may ask why is John's vision of the city "sitting upon the seven hills" - isn't that Rome or Constantinople or Albany, NY or Cincinnati?

Yet we read that the harlot is 18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth. - and note 16 16 And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. -- the beast, the Roman empire, DEVOURS the harlot - so the beast is separate from the harlot.

Furthermore, the harlot "sits" upon the beast 17:3 I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast,

Now let's look at the 7 hills - the 7 hills are the 7 heads of the beast 17:9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.

So we see here Jerusalem - the Sanhedrin SITTING on Roman Imperial Authority (the beaast with seven heads)

In other words, Jerusalem, the Sanhedrin was riding the beast

17:1 "Come, I will show you the judgement of the great harlot who is seated upon many waters, with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and with the wine of whose fornication the dwellers on earth have become drunk"

this reflects Jeremiah 51:13 13 O thou that dwellest upon many waters, abundant in treasures, thine end is come, and the measure of thy covetousness. which is about Babylon. Note also that "sea" and "waters" represents Gentiles, while "land" and "earth" are for the Jewish authorities

The "many waters" that the woman (Jerusalem) sits on is yet another way of showing how the Sanhedrin of Jerusalem had set itself up on Roman Imperial authority

And Zek - you'll see it over and over again, in Hosea, in Jeremiah etc. where Israel is compared to a whore - because she is the unfaithful wife.

in the first chapter of Isaiah we read concerning Jerusalem 1:21 "21 How is the faithful city become an harlot! it was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers." - and yuo see the same in Ezekiel 16:15 15 But thou didst trust in thine own beauty, and playedst the harlot because of thy renown, and pouredst out thy fornications on every one that passed by; his it was. and especially in Hosea 4:11-12 11 Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the heart.

12 My people ask counsel at their stocks, and their staff declareth unto them: for the spirit of whoredoms hath caused them to err, and they have gone a whoring from under their God.

The beast that the harlot (Jerusalem) rides is the Roman Empire - as seen in Revelation 13, which is the fourth beast of Daniel (the empire of Iron and then iron mixed with clay)

Now read 17:4-5 "4 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:

5 And upon her forehead was a name written, Mystery, Babylon The Great, The Mother Of Harlots And Abominations Of The Earth."

- this reflects Jeremiah 4:30 30 And when thou art spoiled, what wilt thou do? Though thou clothest thyself with crimson, though thou deckest thee with ornaments of gold, though thou rentest thy face with painting, in vain shalt thou make thyself fair; thy lovers will despise thee, they will seek thy life.

John's description mirrors Jeremiah's words Babylon was a golden cup in the Lord's hand, making all the earth drunken; the nations drank of her wine, therefore the nations went mad" Jer 51:17

The precious jewels and gold as in Ex 28.5 5 And they shall take gold, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen. and Ex 28:15-23

These items were part of the temple's furnishings -- read Ex 25:3-7' 26:1; 26:31

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Once the earthly city of pre-70 AD Jerusalem is destroyed, God's faithful bride, the New Jerusalem - the Church, will be freed - read 21:11 11 Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;

Similarly -- God's temple in Heaven is opened once the earthly city if judged - Rev 11:19

rev: 17:6 6 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. -- the Greek word for martyrs here is translated as "witness" everywhere else in John's vision. This is linked to the 2 witnesses who lie dead in the wicked city of jerusalem in revelation 11 --and the wicked city of jersulaem is responsible for hte deaths of the saints as seen in Re 18:24 "And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints" - clearly this describes the prophets and saints killed in Jerusalem

Rev 17:16 And the beast will hate the harlot... it will make her desolate and naked, and devour her flesh and burn her up with fire -- zek157 - the harlot rides the beast (the Roman empire) and the harlot (Jerusalem) is then devoured by the Roman Empire - beast. This is a graphic description of the destruction of Jerusalem for in 70 AD the empire truly DID burn the cityof Jerusalem up with fire

The great city of Jerusalem, that God wanted for Himself, that Jerusalem had turned sinful itself and become a whore -- the whore city, Jerusalem

Admit it - you Adventists revere your founding prophetess, Ellen G. White, and made this statement in their "Ministry" Magazine of Oct. 1981 and have never retracted it:

"We believe the revelation and inspiration of both the Bible and Ellen White's writings to be of equal quality. The superintendence of the Holy Spirit was just as careful and thorough in one case as in the other".

They won't tell you too much about Ellen G. White at their public seminars, but their goal is to bring the person attending to the point of conversion and baptism.

p>Their 2000 baptismal certificate poses questions to which the candidate must answer "yes". Question 8 says,

"Do you accept the biblical teaching of spiritual gifts and believe that the gift of prophecy is one of the identifying marks of the remnant church".

If the candidate says "yes" and is baptised, they soon learn that the "gift of prophecy" is Ellen G. White's writings. Point 13 has them accepting that the SDA Church is the remnant church of Bible Prophecy. They have been baptized into an exclusive group, but they don't know how exclusive it is, yet!

No doubt they will be urged to avail themselves of a "Clear Word Bible". This publication of theirs has inserted the words and doctrines of Ellen G. White right into the Bible text, insuring that the person studying it will have the mind of Ellen G. White.

Ellen G. White wrote in Patriarchs and Prophets, page 761, "...He (Jesus) was revealed to them as the Angel of Jehovah, the Captain of the Lord's Host, Michael the Archangel".

Adventists, you can't have it both ways! Either Jesus Christ is God, or He is some kind of an Angel. You can't talk out of both sides of your mouth to try to cover up embarrassing statements by Ellen G. White. They won't tell you she was wrong - when its "her or the Bible", she always wins!

The Anti-Christ was Nero and fulfills Biblical prophecy.

Daniel 7 talks of 4 beasts and those are the 4 kingdoms in Daniel 2

Kingdom	Dan 2	Dan 7
Babylon	32 This image's head was of fine gold,	4 The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it.
Achaemenid / Persian empire	his breast and his arms of silver,	And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh. --- note 3 ribs: Medes, Persians and Babylonia
Macedonian/Greek empire	is belly and his thighs of brass,	6 After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it.
Rome	33 His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. ...40 And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.	7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.
The Church of Christ, founded in 33 AD	34 Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. 35 Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.	13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. 14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

Daniel is VERY clear that while the fourth kingdom is STILL in existence, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed" - the Church - It shall stand forever 2:44

During the Roman empire, the Messianic kingdom was established in 33AD and it destroyed the pagan Rome in 378 AD and God's Kingdom, the mountain spreads over the entire earth

The eternal Kingdom of Christ was set up at the first advent - the Church of the Apostles that is still in existence

What nine characteristics help us to identify the little horn power?

Location: out of 4th beast and among the ten horns (v.8) - The Papacy arose out of Rome among the ten tribal divisions of Rome

Timing: after the ten were established (v.8) - the Papacy became a political power by decree of the Roman emperor Justinian in AD 538 which was after the emergence of the ten tribal divisions that emerged as the Roman Empire fell apart in AD 476.

Uprooted three of the ten horns (v.8) - As the Papacy came to prominence, it influenced Pagan Roman armies to destroy three of the tribes which opposed its Christian doctrines. These three were the Vandals, Ostrogoths, and Heruli. The last of these was destroyed in AD 538 when Justinian’s decree went into effect.

Eyes and mouth of a man (v.8) - the Papacy has a man as its visible head.

Persecutes the saints (v.21, 25) - Ever hear of the Papal persecution during the dark ages - Inquisition, etc. More than 50 million Protestant Christians tortured and killed by the Catholic Church.

Different from the other ten horns (v.24) - the Papacy was a religio-political entity different from the kingdoms before it.

Speak out against God (v.8, 11, 20, 25) - Verse 8 says it will utter boastful or blasphemous things. One quote of many like it from Prompta Bibliothea Canonica Juridicia Moralis Theologica appearing in the Catholic Encyclopedia Volume VI, pp. 25-29, “The Pope is of so great dignity, and so exalted, that he is not a mere man, but as it were, God and the Vicar of God. The Pope is, as it were, God on earth, chief king of kings, having plentitude of power.”

Little Horn attempts to change God’s times and laws (v.25) - The Papacy deleted the second commandment of the Decalogue on idolatry, changed the Sabbath to Sunday in favour of sun worship and divided the tenth commandment on coveting into two parts to get back to Ten Commandments.

Have power for a time, times, and half a time (or three and a half years, forty two months, or 1260 days - see Revelation 12:6, 14) (v.25) - Applying the prophetic day for year principle established in Numbers 14:34 and Ezekiel 4:6 that equals 1260 years. The Papacy lasted in primary power from AD 538 to 1798 in which year Napoleon’s general Berthier marched into Rome, deposed the Pope, and carried him into exile where he died.

The little horn "had a mouth that spoke great things" and "shall speak words against the Most high" (7:20, 25).

NERO blasphemed against God by aggressively enforcing emperor worship - down to getting the Sanhedrin to authorise Emperor worship in the temple grounds itself.

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NOT CORRECT ACCORDING TO THE DEFINITION OF BLASPHEMY IN THE BIBLE!

Blasphemy

The scriptures give us several examples of blasphemy:

Mark 2:5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee. Mark 2:6 But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts, Mark 2:7 Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only? John 10:32 Jesus answered them, Many good works have I showed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me? John 10:33 The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.

Rev 2:9 I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.

So, a man falsely claiming the power to forgive the sins of men, a man falsely claiming to be God on earth, and men falsely claiming to be the true church of God are all clearly defined as blasphemy. Note the following:

Priests and bishops are, as it were, the interpreters and heralds of God, commissioned in his name to teach mankind the" law of God, and the precepts of a Christian life—they are the representatives of God upon earth. Impossible, therefore, to conceive a more exalted dignity, or functions more sacred. Justly, therefore, are they called not only angels,' but gods.3 holding, as they do, the place and power and authority of God on earth. But the priesthood, at all times an elevated office, transcends in the New Law all others in dignity. The power of consecrating and offering the body and blood of our Lord and of remitting sin, with which the priesthood of the New Law is invested, is such as cannot be comprehended by the human mind, still less is it equalled by, or assimilated to, any thing on earth. Source: The Catechism of the Council of Trent (The Roman Catechism), Sacrament of Holy Orders, Dignity of this Sacrament.

Power of Consecrating

The third great power of the priestly office is the climax of all. It is the power of consecrating. "No act is greater," says saint Thomas, "than the consecration of the body of Christ." In this essential phase of the sacred ministry, the power of the priest is not surpassed by that of the bishop, the archbishop, the cardinal or the pope. Indeed it is equal to that of Jesus Christ. For in this role the priest speaks with the voice and the authority of God Himself.

When the priest pronounces the tremendous words of consecration, he reaches up into the heaven, brings Christ down from His throne, and places Him upon our altar to be offered up again as the victim for the sins of man. It is a power greater than that of monarchs and emperors. It is greater than that of saints and angels, greater than that of Seraphim and Cherubim. Indeed, it is greater than the power of the Virgin Mary. While the blessed virgin was the human agency by which Christ became incarnate a single time, the priest brings Christ down from heaven, and renders Him present on our altar as the eternal victim for the sins of man-not once, but, a thousand times! The priest speaks and lo! Christ the eternal and omnipotent God, bows His head in humble obedience to the priest's command.

[pg.271] Of what sublime dignity is the office of the Christian priest who is thus privileged to act as the ambassador and the vicegerent of Christ on earth. He continues the essential ministry of Christ - he teaches the faithful with the authority of Christ, he offers up again the same sacrifice of adoration and atonement which Christ offered on Calvary. No wonder that the name which spiritual writers are especially fond of applying to the priest is that of "alter Christus." For the priest is and should be another Christ.

Thus the priest may, in a certain manner, be called the creator of his Creator, ...

"The power of the priest," says St. Bernadine of Sienna, "is the power of the divine person; for the transubstantiation of the bread requires as much power as the creation of the world."

As the Word of God created heaven and earth, so, says St. Jerome, the words of the priest create Jesus Christ.

"In this moment, the priest quite literally becomes Christ Himself: his own personality is blotted out; it is absorbed in that of the everlasting priest who is, at one time, the offered victim and the supreme officiant." Source: This is The Mass, Henri Daniel-Rops, Fulton J. Sheen, Yousuf Karsh, trans. with annotations by Alastair Guinan, New York: Hawthorn Books, Inc., 1965. First ed. 1958, p. 118. Nihil Obstat: Robert E. Hunt, S.T. D., Censor Librorum. Imprimatur: Thomas A. Boland, S.T.D. Archbishop of Newark.

CRONOS, THE BIBLE SAYS IT AND SO DOES YOUR CHURCH.

The “Mother” Church

The woman of Revelation 17 is the mother church, with apostate daughters:

Rev 17:5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

Only the Roman Catholic Church claims to be the “mother” Christian church:

The term Mother Church, however, as applied to Rome, has a special significance as indicating its headship of all churches.

And in this way the Church is increasingly a Mother, a Mother of many, many children: she becomes a Mother, ever more fully a Mother, a Mother who gives us faith, a Mother who gives us our identity. But Christian identity is not an identity card. Christian identity means being a member of the Church, since all these people belonged to the Church, to Mother Church, for apart from the Church it is not possible to find Jesus. The great Paul VI said: it is an absurd dichotomy to wish to live with Jesus but without the Church, to follow Jesus but without the Church, to love Jesus but without the Church (cf. Evangelii Nuntiandi, 16). And that Mother Church who gives us Jesus also gives us an identity which is not simply a rubber stamp: it is membership. Identity means membership, belonging. Belonging to the Church: this is beautiful! — Pope Francis’ homily during Mass with the Cardinals present in Rome at the Pauline Chapel for the Feast of Saint George, April 23, 2013.

10. ... “It must always be clear, when the expression sister churches is used in this proper sense that the one, holy, catholic and apostolic universal church is not sister but mother of all the particular churches.”

Source: Note on the Expression Sister Churches by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger and Archbishop Tarcisio Bertone, SDB, June 30, 2000.

In the recent document Memory and Reconciliation, where the Roman Catholic Church discusses its asking forgiveness for its past sins of persecution, section 3.4 specifically addresses “The Motherhood of the Church”:

The conviction that the Church can make herself responsible for the sin of her children by virtue of the solidarity that exists among them through time and space because of their incorporation into Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit, is expressed in a particularly effective way in the idea of “Mother Church” (“Mater Ecclesia”), ...

Source: The Document: MEMORY AND RECONCILIATION.

2. ... in every land where the Catholic religion flourishes the Roman Church, mother and mistress of all Churches, is duly reverenced, as it should be, with one mind and heart.

Source: EXEUNTE IAM ANNO, ENCYCLICAL OF POPE LEO XIII ON THE RIGHT ORDERING OF CHRISTIAN LIFE, Dec. 25th, 1888.

Furthermore, to check unbridled spirits, it [The Council of Trent] decrees that no one relying on his own judgment shall, in matters of faith and morals pertaining to the edification of Christian doctrine, distorting the Holy Scriptures in accordance with his own conceptions, presume to interpret them contrary to that sense which holy mother Church, to whom it belongs to judge of their true sense and interpretation, has held and holds, or even contrary to the unanimous teaching of the Fathers, even though such interpretations should never at any time be published. Those who act contrary to this shall be made known by the ordinaries and punished in accordance with the penalties prescribed by law.

Source: The Canons and Decrees of the Council of Trent, English Translation, by Rev. H. J. Schroeder, O.P., Copyright 1941 by B. Herder Book Co., Copyright 1978 by TAN Books and Publishers, Inc., Library of Congress Catalogue Number: 78-66132, ISBN 0-89555-074-1, pages 18-19.

Extract from Pope Gregory VII’s Letter to the Bishop of Metz, 1081 Doeberl, op. cit. iii. 40 sqq. Mirbt, No. 297

The holy fathers, as well in general councils as in their writings and doings, have called the Holy Roman Church the universal mother, accepting and serving with great veneration this institution founded by the divine will, this pledge of a dispensation to the church, this privilege entrusted in the beginning and confirmed to St. Peter the chief of the apostles.

Source: Documents of the Christian Church, Second Edition, selected and Edited by Henry Bettenson, Copyright by Oxford University Press 1963, ISBN 0-19-501293-3, pages 105-106.

I acknowledge the holy Catholic and apostolic Roman Church as the mother and teacher of all churches; and to the Roman Pontiff, the successor of the blessed Peter, chief of the Apostles and vicar of Jesus Christ, I promise and swear true obedience.

Source: The Profession of Faith of the Council of Trent, from the Bull of Pius IV, “Iniunctum nobis,” Nov. 13, 1565, Denzinger, Enchiridion Symbolorum, Thirtieth Edition, translated by Roy J. Deferrari in The Sources of Catholic Dogma, Copyright 1957 by B. Herder Book Co., pg. 303.

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