5: The Mystery of Iniquity
The apostle Paul, in his second letter to the Thessalonians, foretold the
great apostasy which would result in the establishment of the papal power.
He declared that the day of Christ should not come, “except there come
a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is
worshiped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself
that he is God.” And furthermore, the apostle warns his brethren that “the
mystery of iniquity doth already work.” 2 Thessalonians 2:3, 4, 7. Even at
that early date he saw, creeping into the church, errors that would prepare
the way for the development of the Papacy.
Little by little, at first in stealth and silence and then more openly
as it increased in strength and gained control of the minds of men, the
mystery of iniquity carried forward its deceptive and blasphemous work.
Almost imperceptibly the customs of heathenism found their way into the
Christian church. The spirit of compromise and conformity was restrained
for a time by the fierce persecutions which the church endured under
paganism. But as persecution ceased, and Christianity entered the courts
and palaces of kings, she laid aside the humble simplicity of Christ and
His apostles for the pomp and pride of pagan
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priests and rulers; and in place of the requirements of God, she substituted
human theories and traditions. The nominal conversion of Constantine
in the early part of the fourth century caused great rejoicing; and the
world, arrayed in robes of righteousness, walked into the church. Now
the work of corruption rapidly progressed. Paganism, while appearing to
be vanquished, became the conqueror. Her spirit controlled the church.
Her doctrines, ceremonies, and superstitions were incorporated into the
faith and worship of the professed followers of Christ.
This compromise between paganism and Christianity resulted in the
development of the man of sin foretold in prophecy as opposing and
exalting himself above God. That gigantic system of false religion is a
masterpiece of Satan’s power—a monument of his efforts to seat himself
upon the throne to rule the earth according to his will.
To secure worldly gains and honors, the church was led to seek the
favor and support of the great men of earth, and having thus rejected
Christ, she was induced to yield allegiance to the representative of
Satan—the Bishop of Rome.
It is one of the leading doctrines of Romanism that the pope is the
visible head of the universal church of Christ, invested with supreme
authority over bishops and pastors in all parts of the world. More than
this, the pope has arrogated the very titles of Deity.
Satan well knew that the Holy Scriptures would enable men to discern
his deceptions and withstand his power. It was by the Word that even
the Saviour of the world had resisted his attacks. At every assault Christ
presented the shield of eternal truth, saying, “It is written.” To every
suggestion of the adversary he opposed the wisdom and power of the
Word. In
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order for Satan to maintain his sway over men and establish the authority
of the papal usurper, he must keep them in ignorance of the Scriptures.
The Bible would exalt God and place finite men in their true position;
therefore its sacred truths must be concealed and suppressed. This logic
was adopted by the Roman church. For hundreds of years the circulation
of the Bible was prohibited. The people were forbidden to read it, or to
have it in their houses, and unprincipled priests and prelates interpreted
its teachings to sustain their pretensions. Thus the pope came to be almost
universally acknowledged as the vicegerent of God on earth, endowed
with supreme authority over church and state.
Times and Laws Changed
The detector of error having been removed, Satan worked according
to his will. Prophecy had declared that the Papacy was to “think to
change times and laws.” Daniel 7:25. This work it was not slow to
attempt. To afford converts from heathenism a substitute for the worship
of idols, and thus to promote their nominal acceptance of Christianity, the
adoration of images and relics was gradually introduced into the Christian
worship. The decree of a general council finally established this system
of popish idolatry. To complete the sacrilegious work, Rome presumed to
expunge from the law of God the second commandment, forbidding image
worship, and to divide the tenth commandment, in order to preserve the
number.
The spirit of concession to paganism opened the way for a still
further disregard of Heaven’s authority. Satan tampered with the fourth
commandment also, and essayed to set aside the ancient Sabbath, the day
which God had blessed and sanctified, and in its stead to exalt the festival
observed by the heathen as “the
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venerable day of the sun.” This change was not at first attempted openly.
In the first centuries the true Sabbath had been kept by all Christians.
They were jealous for the honor of God, and, believing that His law is
immutable, they zealously guarded the sacredness of its precepts. But
with great subtlety Satan worked through his agents to bring about his
object. That the attention of the people might be