After thus establishing the doctrine of Rome on these gross perversions of the word of God, the council proceeds to add, in its usual style of bitter malediction against all who shall dare to think for themselves: "Whosoever shall teach or think in opposition to these decrees! LET HIM BE ACCURSED." 39 In reference to the last article it is worthy of remark, that the worshipers of Brahma, Lishnu, Gaudama, and other heathen idolators, make precisely the same defense as the Romanists, when accused of worshiping images; viz., that they do not worship the images when they kiss them and prostrate themselves before them, but the divinities whose likenesses the images bear." The divine command is, "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image; thou shalt not bow down thyself to them. nor serve them; and the Romanist who, in the words of the above decree, "prostrates " himself before an image (let him say what he will) is just as much an idolator as the Brahman worshiper of Gaudama, or the Hindoo worshiper of the Juggernaut. "1 1940 41 Destruction of the Papal Power. The facts above presented show plainly that the papacy is the "Mystery of Iniquity" spoken of by the apostle in 2 Thess. 2. It is also evident that this power has fulfilled most of the work assigned to it in the Holy Scriptures. The last part of the prophecy of the apostle concerning the mystery of iniquity still remains to be fulfilled. He says: "And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming." 42 S9 Dowling's "History of Romanism," book vii, chap. vii, par.47. 40 Ex. 20: 4, 5. 41 Ibid. No greater deceptions can be found than those which the papal power has performed in the name of antichrist. But so much as the great Babylon has glorified herself, so much she will receive of torment and sorrow when the last plagues shall fall, and the Lord himself be revealed in glory. So much as she has tormented others, so much shall her leaders and adherents themselves be tormented. 43 Blessed is he who has The judgment of God upon the fallen Babylon is not far distant. The signs of the times show plainly that the glorious revelation of Christ is near. Then shall the man of sin be consumed and destroyed. turned away from the poisonous wine of this Babel, and has obeyed or is now obeying the voice of God from heaven, "Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues."" It is of the greatest importance to us not only to get our eyes opened so that we can see the corruption of others, but above everything to get them opened so that we can see our own poverty and misery, as well as the merits and excellence of Christ. It does us no good to know that others will be lost, if we ourselves are not saved. Let us therefore flee to Him who said, “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. Jesus receives every one who will come unto him. He does not tell us to do something first, but he tells us to come just as He will give us grace unto faith and repentance; he will also give us grace to conquer all the enemies of our faith, and at last to inherit the crown of life. we are. 1945 43 Rev. 18: 7. 44 Rev. 18: 4. 45 John 12: 32. CHAPTER V. SEDUCING SPIRITS IN THE LATTER TIMES. HE word of God speaks of a great apostasy in the last THE days. The errors which are now believed and disseminated by the Catholic Church caused a great falling away a few hundred years after the days of the apostle. In the last days there will be a departure from the faith no less. remarkable. The apostle says: "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils." 1 The wonderful departure from the faith, which is here predicted by the apostle is caused by people who refuse to be guided by the word and Spirit of God. They give heed to seducing spirits. They are guided by demons who speak lies and proclaim them as truth. This prophecy shows that the ancient communion with demons, which was practiced by the heathen, will come to life again among the Christians. Worship of Demons. According to heathen notions, the demons were beings. who interceded between the gods and mortal men. Thus says Plato, who is the best authority in this matter: "Every demon is a being who mediates between God and mortal men." And again he says: "All communion between the gods and men is done by the mediation of demons." The Greeks used the word daimon of their gods and goddesses. According to Liddell and Scott it signifies, (1) 1 1 Tim. 4: 1. a god, goddess; (2) the deity, divine essence; (3) the souls of men of the golden age, hovering between heaven and earth, acting as tutelary deities; (4) an evil spirit, devil. The heathen divide these demons into two kinds. One kind was the souls of men who after death were made gods and canonized. Hesiod writes of these demons, and Plato agrees with him, and says that good men in death obtain great honor, and become demons. In another place he says that all who die in war as heroes are of the golden generation of Hesiod, and become demons, and after that we ought continually to worship their tombs. He entertained the same ideas of all who have lived an exemplary and virtuous life and have died either from age or other causes. The other kind of demons were souls which had not dwelt in mortal bodies. Just as the Christians believe in good and evil angels, so the pagans believed in good and evil demons. The apostle writes to the Corinthians: "The things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils [Greek, daimoniois] and not to God." This heathen demon-worship is very prominent among the Catholics under the name. of saint-worship. Under the sounding of the sixth trumpet we read that notwithstanding all the plagues, the rest of the men which were not killed repented not that they should not worship devils (daimonia). This prophecy relates to the Catholic Church. They have not worshiped devils directly, but they have worshiped demons or the souls of departed men and women. The pope has canonized them or made them. saints, and they are worshiped as saints. Of the last mentioned text Dr. Adam Clarke says in his commentary: - 21 Cor. 10: 20. 3 Rev. 9: 20 "These things are supposed to refer to the desolation brought upon the Greek Church by the Ottomans, who entirely ruined that church, and the Greek empire. The church which was then remaining was the Latin, or Western Church, which was not at all corrected by the judgments which fell upon the Eastern Church, but continued its senseless adoration of angels, saints, relics, etc.; and does so to the present day. If, therefore, God's wrath be kindled against such, this church has much to fear." In This demon worship is reviving in our time under the name of Spiritualism. This is very evident, since Spiritualists make themselves and others believe that they hold communion with the souls of departed men, while the fact is that they are communing with demons, seducing spirits, or devils, as they are called in the Bible. These seducing spirits have corrupted the Gentiles for many centuries. the next place they have had their full play all through the Catholic Church, and now at last they also enter into the great mass of Protestant churches. The Spiritualists gather adherents by the thousand among Protestants, Catholics, and infidels indiscriminately. When this work shall be finished, the great Babylon will be the habitation of devils or demons and of every foul spirit.* Ancient and Modern Spiritualism. Spiritualism claims to be a revelation from the spirit world to mortal men through different mediums. These mediums claim that the spirits operating through men are departed souls, while the Bible shows that they are evil spirits, or fallen angels. The first Spiritualist medium mentioned in the Bible is the serpent. The spirit operating through this serpent could not be the spirit of a dead person, since no person as yet had died; neither could it be a true or good spirit, because he did not tell the truth. But the influence of this spirit was very great. One half of mankind was immedi 4 Rev. 18: 2. |