WEBVTT

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Pope Francis elected.

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The mystery of iniquity continues.

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By Richard Bennett.

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As Pope Francis moves onto the world
stage, many people are wondering how he

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will be generally accepted.

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The pleasant aura of John Paul II still
lingers for many, while the shortcomings

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of Benedict XVI still collar the current
scene.

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More importantly, given the pope's exalted
position in the world, many will be asking

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how Pope Francis will change the papacy.

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The fact remains, however, that since the
early 19th century, the office of the

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papacy has been set on a course of action
that no individual pope will reverse.

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How can this be so?

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Setting the stage for the mystery of
iniquity.

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In 330 AD, Emperor Constantine moved the
seat of the Imperial Roman Empire from

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Rome to Constantinople.

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By that time, he had decreed Christianity
the religion of the empire in hopes that,

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by means of its acceptance, a new unifying
strength could be infused into his

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crumbling empire.

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The new state religion was organised much
like the Roman Empire's military.

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It was divided into four major districts,
having a head over each.

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Without persecution, the simple faith of
the early church had declined so that,

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by the 5th century, the church at Rome was
no longer a fellowship of strong believers

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under Christ Jesus.

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Rather, it had become part of an
institution dominated by a hierarchy in

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which the Bishop of Rome eventually
commanded the most power.

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The mystery of iniquity becomes manifest.

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Scripture speaks of the mystery of
iniquity in 2 Thessalonians 2.7.

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This particular lawlessness arose
gradually within the church as the

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Imperial Roman Empire gave way to what
became the Holy Roman Empire.

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The mystery of iniquity had been visible
in the form of the man of sin for well

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over 8 centuries, from Vitalian's rule
until the 16th century.

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The reformers and the general population
of the Holy Roman Empire did not recognise

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it, however, until the recovery of the
Gospel and the Bible.

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The outcome of apostasy is the
deceivableness of unrighteousness.

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Such apostasy is marked by hypocrisy and
deceit, while appearing righteous and

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holy, and is aimed at deceiving even the
very elect, were that possible.

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For centuries, the reigning Pope has
assumed to himself the titles of Holy

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Father and Vicar of Christ.

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Note.

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From the Latin, Vicarius Christi,
meaning acting or taking the place of

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Christ, a substitute.

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It is the title of the Pope, implying his
supreme and universal primacy,

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both of honour and jurisdiction,
over the Church of Christ.

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Which title, honour and jurisdiction,
belong to Christ only?

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End of note.

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For centuries, the reigning Pope has
assumed to himself the titles of Holy

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Father and Vicar of Christ, which fulfils,
in the unqualified sense, the definition

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of Antichrist given by the Apostle John.

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Who is a liar but he that denieth that
Jesus is the Christ?

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He is Antichrist that denieth the Father
and the Son.

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1 John 2.22 The pontiff, in taking these
designations to himself, denies the

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supremacy and honour due both to the
Father and to the Son alone.

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A further qualification of the man of sin
is that he sits in the temple of God,

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showing himself to be God.

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Since the resurrection of Jesus Christ and
the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem

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in 70 AD, it is clear from Scripture that
it is true Christians who are the temple

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of God.

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See 2 Corinthians 6.16 and Hebrews 3.6.

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They are scattered throughout the world.

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While the Pope calls true Christians
schismatics because they are not in his

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church, he nevertheless purports to be the
head of the Church of Jesus Christ on

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earth and parades himself about under the
titles of Holy Father and Vicar of Christ.

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Emperor Justinian I, more than anyone
else, was the one to establish the

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supremacy of the Bishop of Rome in the 6th
century.

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He did it in a formal and legal manner,
bringing even things religious under the

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control of civil law.

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Leroy Edwin Froome summarised...

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...as the head of all the holy churches,
thus laying the legal foundation for papal

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ecclesiastical supremacy.

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Leroy Edwin Froome, The Prophetic Faith of
Our Fathers, The Historical Development of

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Prophetic Interpretation, Washington DC,
Review and Herald Publishing Association,

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1950, Volume 1, pages 507-508.

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Justinian's decree did not create the
office of the papacy, but rather set a

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legal foundation for the acquisition of
civil ruling power by the bishops of Rome.

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Soon, the bishops of Rome desired to reign
like kings.

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The very thing that the Lord had warned
against was now transpiring.

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And he said unto them, The kings of the
Gentiles exercise lordship over them,

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but ye shall not be so.

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Gospel of Luke, chapter 22, verses 25 and
26.

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Vitalian, the bishop of Rome from 657-672
AD, was the first to actually be addressed

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with the title Pope when he was called in
Latin, Papa Vitalianus, i.e.

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Pope Vitalian.

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It took time for the Pope of Rome to
spread the exercise of his state-given

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title over the bishops of Europe and the
British Isles.

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For example, even in Northern Italy in 800
AD, Claude, the bishop of Turin,

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did not recognise the bishop of Rome's
authority.

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It was only after Bishop Claude's death,
as the Gospel and the Bible were removed,

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that this area fell to the Roman bishop's
authority.

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Similarly, in our own day, it is only by
the watering down of the Gospel and the

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removal of preaching the whole counsel of
God from the Bible, that the Roman

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Catholic ecumenical movement has been able
to infiltrate hitherto sound churches.

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From there, it is not a big step into the
new emergent church movement.

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And the emergent church is simply a route
back to the folds of the Roman Catholic

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Church.

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The papacy grows strong via civil power.

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From the 4th century through the 8th
century, much of the growth of papal power

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was acquired in trade-offs with kings
throughout what had been the old imperial

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Roman Empire.

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To be sure, in those centuries,
there was evangelism with the true Gospel

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throughout the area.

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However, the pagan religion of those still
heathen was not so different from the

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religion of the Pope, which was more
easily accepted than the Gospel.

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Then too, in the 8th century, when the
Pope needed defending against the Saracens

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and the Lombards, the French kings
provided it and presented the Pope with

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ruling title to the cities they had won.

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As a reward, in 800 AD, Pope Leo III
famously crowned Charlemagne, Emperor and

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Augustus.

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Thus began the Holy Roman Empire,
ever in turmoil over issues of the legal

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limits of jurisdiction of each sovereign,
the Pope on one hand and the Emperor on

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the other.

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These issues could not be solved except
throughout the actual course of history.

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Note, see Philip Scharf's History of the
Christian Church, Hendrickson's

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Publishers, 1885, Volume 4, pages 250-253.

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End of note.

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In 1203, as head of the state religion,
Pope Innocent III began to demand

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subjection to his church's unbiblical
doctrines through his courts of

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inquisition and had them enforced by the
civil state.

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This papal killing machine worked
tirelessly for 600 years, standing at

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least on par with the largest bloodbaths
that Stalin, Mao Zedong, Pol Pot and other

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20th century dictators managed to inflict
on humanity.

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Thus the form of the mystery of iniquity,
the state-ordained Roman Catholic Church,

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with its office of the papacy,
grew in strength and civil power

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throughout the Dark and Middle Ages.

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It had amassed to itself wealth,
property and influence through the

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inquisition and other cruel, unethical,
totally unbiblical means, including murder

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and hotel theft.

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The Reformation brings the rise of the
modern era.

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In 1547, the Church of Rome went fully
apostate at the Council of Trent when it

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formally declared If anyone shall say that
justifying faith is nothing else than

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confidence in the divine mercy which
remits sins for Christ's sake,

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or that it is this confidence alone by
which we are justified, let him be

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anathema, that is, cursed.

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Council of Trent, Session 6 on
Justification, Canon 12 From the 6th

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century until the Reformation of the 16th
century, the mystery of iniquity had

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acquired great political power and earthly
wealth.

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Nevertheless, the murderous inquisition of
the papacy was unable to stop the spread

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of the Reformation throughout Northern
Europe, England, Scotland and the

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Scandinavian countries.

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In the 17th and 18th centuries,
thousands of Bible believers were

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unmercifully persecuted.

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Providentially, many were able to flee to
the new land of America, a country born

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out of the Reformation.

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In 1648, the Treaty of Westphalia ended
the Thirty Years' War between the Catholic

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Church and the Lutheran and Calvinistic
princes.

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Note, Leroy Edwin Froome in The Prophetic
Faith of Our Fathers says, In it,

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the Peace of Westphalia, Catholic,
Calvinistic and Lutheran princes agreed to

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tolerate each other within carefully
defined limits.

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Suppressed evangelical truth had at last
emerged from papal dominance.

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Volume 2, page 599.

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End of note.

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The Reformation, first of all,
had restored the absolute authority of

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God's written word, the Bible.

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Note, Christ Jesus also said that
scripture could not be broken.

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See the Gospel of John, chapter 10,
verse 35.

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The Bible testifies to its own essential
truth.

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For example,

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The written word of God is the word of
truth.

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Psalm 119, verse 43 and 2 Corinthians,
chapter 6, verse 7.

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God says of his written word,

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The written word of God is infallible and
inerrant in all areas, earthly as well as

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spiritual.

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John, chapter 3, verse 12.

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End of note.

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Then, with the widespread recovery of the
Gospel of Grace and the Bible being made

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available in the ordinary languages of the
people, the forms of civil government were

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bound to change because the religion of
many people had changed.

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Thus, it was agreed that each nation was
to be sovereign.

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There was to be no Holy Roman Empire to
which sovereign nations bowed.

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With that idea manifested in force by
treaty, the modern era began.

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Clearly, such a monumental change as the
destruction of the Holy Roman Empire might

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have signaled the end of the Roman
Catholic Church.

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However, the mystery of iniquity,
the heart and soul of the papacy,

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was not so easily finished.

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The mystery of iniquity's transition into
a modern nation state.

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In 1798, after the removal of Pope Pius VI
from his throne by a Staff General of

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Napoleon's army, Note.

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General Louis-Alexandre Berthier,
a Chief of Staff under Napoleon,

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entered Rome unopposed on February 10,
1798, and proclaimed a Roman Republic.

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He demanded of the Pope a renunciation of
his temporal power.

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The Pope refused, and he was taken captive
to France, where he died not long after an

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arduous trip.

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End of note.

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In 1798, after the removal of Pope Pius VI
from his throne by a Staff General of

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Napoleon's army, it appeared that the
papacy as an institution of the collapsed

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Holy Roman Empire might also be at an end.

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That was not the case.

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Rather, throughout the 19th century,
the papacy was reorganizing.

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True, it had lost its power in the civil
arena, having now no official civil status

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over the modern nation states.

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However, it still had its visible
institutional structure, infrastructure,

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and Jesuits.

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It had its religious rituals, its false
gospel and traditions, its clergy and

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laity.

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All these remained in place, oiled and
functioning.

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Externally, the papacy lost no time in
attacking England, which had produced so

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many strong and staunch Puritans in the
17th and 18th centuries.

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In the 19th century, England was still in
the forefront of sending forth many

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evangelical missionaries to far corners of
the earth.

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Thus, in 1844, the papacy launched the
Oxford Movement through John Henry Newman

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to bring the Church of England back under
its thumb.

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The strategy was to gradually remove by
stealth the teaching of the gospel and the

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great doctrines of faith from the Bible.

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These were to be replaced with rituals and
personal testimonials.

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If the papacy could accomplish this,
England could again be a Catholic country.

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Internally, to strengthen the hold on
ordinary Catholics, the papacy in 1854

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declared Mary to have been immaculately
conceived.

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Note, most of the other traditional dogmas
on Mary were founded on the teaching of

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the immaculate conception.

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Superlative worship of Mary is now
standard practice.

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For example, the Catechism of the Catholic
Church, paragraph 2677, officially states,

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By asking Mary to pray for us,
we acknowledge ourselves to be poor

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sinners, and we address ourselves to the
Mother of Mercy, the All-Holy One.

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With their elevated Mary, the papacy had
manufactured an alternate but visible

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figurehead to which the Catholic faithful
could be united in prayer.

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The attention of the faithful was thus
deflected away from the invisible Lord

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Jesus Christ and his written word.

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Without these, their attention naturally
focused on the visible image in front of

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them as the centre of their prayers.

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Further, Pope Pius IX was highly
instrumental in bringing about the

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Declaration of Papal Infallibility.

20:33.110 --> 20:40.030
Note, attributing papal tradition to the
leading of the Holy Spirit and

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presumptuously assuming such preposterous
claims as papal infallibility is,

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in the strict sense of the term,
a blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.

20:52.190 --> 20:53.150
End of note.

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With remarkable ingenuity against not only
the scriptural absurdity of the concept,

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but also in spite of the historical fact
of popes declared heretical by the same

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Roman Catholic Church, this was made
doctrine at Vatican Council I in 1870.

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Note, Pope Honorius, 625-638 A.D.,
was condemned as a heretic by the Sixth

21:24.690 --> 21:30.130
Ecumenical Council, 680-681 A.D.

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He was also condemned as a heretic by Pope
Leo II, as well as by every other pope

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until the 11th century.

21:39.250 --> 21:47.430
Thus, there were infallible popes
condemning another infallible pope as a

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heretic.

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End of note.

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This doctrine, consolidated in the hands
of the reigning pope, dictatorial powers

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heretofore unknown within the Catholic
Church.

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Succeeding popes re-established the papacy
internally by reorganising Roman Catholic

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law into the 1917 Code of Canon Law.

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The Vatican achieved civil status in the
modern era.

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The apparent mortal wound of 1798 was
healed in 1929 when, under Mussolini,

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the Vatican was again recognised as a
sovereign civil power known as the Holy

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See, where Vatican City is seated
geographically within the city of Rome

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that encompasses all seven hills.

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The concordat with Mussolini was only the
beginning of many civil concordats,

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one of the most infamous being that
between Pope Pius XII and Adolf Hitler.

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Note.

22:57.230 --> 23:03.190
John Cornwell, in his book Hitler's Pope,
The Secret History of Pius XII,

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page 7, writes...

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...lies unopposed by the most powerful
Catholic community in the world.

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End of note.

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Thus, the papacy had consolidated its
power from within by the 1917 Code of

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Canon Law, and from without by legal
concordats with various nations.

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Consequently, the Vatican has a growing
civil power with which to be reckoned,

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for it has its own faithful living within
most sovereign nations around the world,

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while its civil agreements with the same
nations allow the Catholic Church to teach

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the faith to its people.

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This is a double cord of power.

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The individual Catholic, fearing for his
salvation, and laden with his first

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allegiance being to Holy Mother Church,
becomes a pliable pawn in the hand of the

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papacy.

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The mystery of iniquity makes a strategic
change.

24:28.150 --> 24:36.410
Vatican Council 2, from 1962 to 1965,
formally declared the papacy's strategic

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change of tactics regarding the
reunification of Protestants under

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Catholicism, along with incorporating
other faiths under its rule.

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Therefore, the Council moved from a
position of separation from other

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religions to one of an all-encompassing
ecumenism, not only with the religions of

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the world, but also with Bible believers
in particular.

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Separated brethren was a new term for
these Bible believers who previously were

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called heretics.

25:12.850 --> 25:18.690
Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism,
previously called pagan religions,

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were now accepted as religions that
contain, quote, what is true and holy,

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unquote.

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The Conciliar and Postconciliar Documents,
No.

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56, Nostra Aetate, 1965, Vatican Council
2.

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This new approach was established by the
Roman Catholic Church to win the world to

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herself, primarily by means of dialogue.

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The Council formulated its rules and goals
of dialogue, which are carefully spelled

25:52.570 --> 25:55.190
out in her Postconciliar Document No.

25:55.330 --> 25:57.530
42 on ecumenism.

25:57.530 --> 26:03.850
It states that, quote, dialogue is not an
end in itself.

26:04.930 --> 26:07.370
It is not just an academic discussion.

26:08.570 --> 26:15.630
Rather, ecumenical dialogue serves to
transform modes of thought and behavior

26:15.630 --> 26:20.790
and the daily life of those non-Catholic
communities.

26:20.790 --> 26:27.810
In this way, it aims at preparing the way
for their unity of faith in the bosom of a

26:27.810 --> 26:31.430
church one and visible, unquote.

26:32.430 --> 26:39.570
Unlike the body of Christ, whose unity is
in Jesus Christ, the unity for which the

26:39.570 --> 26:45.390
Roman Church strives is an outward,
visible unity, and one that will be

26:45.390 --> 26:49.830
enforceable through civil law,
as her Compendium of the Social Doctrine

26:49.830 --> 26:54.350
of the Church spells out by means of many
deceptive words.

26:55.230 --> 27:01.850
The Pope's official position in the same
document is that, quote, ecumenical

27:01.850 --> 27:08.430
encounter is not merely an individual
work, but also a task of the Roman Church,

27:08.790 --> 27:13.630
which takes precedence over all individual
opinions, unquote.

27:14.630 --> 27:18.630
The papacy expects this process of
dialogue to take time.

27:19.370 --> 27:24.530
The Roman Catholic Church's aim of
bringing all Christian churches under her

27:24.530 --> 27:27.750
authority is her clearly stated goal.

27:28.630 --> 27:35.730
She says, quote, little by little,
as the obstacles to perfect ecclesial

27:35.730 --> 27:42.410
communion are overcome, all Christians
will be gathered in a common celebration

27:42.410 --> 27:49.090
of the Eucharist, that is the Mass,
into that unity of the one and holy

27:49.090 --> 27:49.690
church.

27:49.690 --> 27:56.250
This unity, we believe, dwells in the
Catholic Church as something we can never

27:56.250 --> 27:58.170
lose, unquote.

28:21.250 --> 28:28.950
This he did by revising the 1917 Code,
making it even more conservative than it

28:28.950 --> 28:34.930
had been, and he was careful to appoint
new bishops in line with his centralised

28:34.930 --> 28:35.790
way of thinking.

28:35.790 --> 28:43.770
Like another Hildebrand, John Paul II was
determined to build, both by church and

28:43.770 --> 28:49.670
civil law, the structure by which the
papacy can again wield might and authority

28:49.670 --> 28:52.490
among the nations at the appropriate time.

28:53.190 --> 29:01.030
This same Pope, John Paul II, was adamant
in his efforts to update the laws of the

29:01.030 --> 29:02.510
Roman Catholic Church.

29:02.510 --> 29:09.010
Since the days of Hildebrand, Popes have
seen the necessity of making iron-like,

29:09.510 --> 29:15.190
inflexible church laws before attempting
to control their subjects and those not

29:15.190 --> 29:18.290
Catholic by compulsion if necessary.

29:19.290 --> 29:28.690
In 1983, John Paul II's revision of the
1917 Code of Canon Law added to the Roman

29:28.690 --> 29:29.930
Catholic laws.

29:29.930 --> 29:38.650
For example, quote, The Church has an
innate and proper right to coerce

29:38.650 --> 29:44.130
offending members of the Christian
faithful by means of penal sanctions.

29:44.130 --> 29:52.590
Code of Canon Law, Latin English Edition,
Canon Law Society of America, 1983,

29:53.050 --> 29:54.550
Canon 1311.

29:56.090 --> 30:03.150
Examination of these laws shows them to be
even more absolute and totalitarian than

30:03.150 --> 30:04.270
those of the past.

30:04.270 --> 30:11.390
If one rejects submission of his intellect
and will to the Pope, or rejects some

30:11.390 --> 30:17.310
doctrines of the papacy, by church law he
can be severely punished.

30:18.090 --> 30:27.450
For example, Canon 1312, paragraph 2,
states, quote, The law can establish other

30:27.450 --> 30:32.730
expiatory penalties which deprive a
believer of some spiritual or temporal

30:32.730 --> 30:37.310
good and are consistent with the
supernatural end of the Church.

30:38.050 --> 30:38.610
Unquote.

30:38.610 --> 30:47.270
Canon 1336 reads, quote, In addition to
other penalties which the law may have

30:47.270 --> 30:53.090
established, the following are expiatory
penalties which can affect an offender

30:53.090 --> 30:59.790
either perpetually, for a prescribed time,
or for an indeterminate time.

31:00.670 --> 31:09.870
One, a prohibition or an order concerning
residence in a certain place or territory.

31:10.550 --> 31:11.090
Unquote.

31:12.690 --> 31:19.090
The mystery of iniquity, power player in
the postmodern era.

31:19.810 --> 31:27.090
The Roman Catholic Church is not content
to rule only over her own faithful.

31:27.090 --> 31:34.290
Rather, now with the dawn of the
postmodern era, globalism is the

31:34.290 --> 31:36.270
manifesting idea of the day.

31:37.090 --> 31:42.830
A day for which the papacy throughout the
19th and 20th centuries has been

31:42.830 --> 31:43.370
preparing.

31:44.370 --> 31:51.870
Note, globalism is the policy of placing
the interests of the entire world above

31:51.870 --> 31:54.690
those of individual sovereign nations.

31:55.390 --> 31:56.490
End of note.

31:57.390 --> 32:03.110
The Compendium of the Social Doctrine of
the Church, which began to be collected by

32:03.110 --> 32:09.850
the end of the 19th century under Pope
Leo, is a catalogue of Catholic law.

32:09.850 --> 32:17.390
It lays out the papal ideas and strategies
for restructuring the current civil

32:17.390 --> 32:24.110
political world and extends the
application of its laws and dictates to

32:24.110 --> 32:26.830
all individuals worldwide.

32:28.050 --> 32:34.790
For instance, it states that all human
individuals worldwide are part of the

32:34.790 --> 32:35.670
common good.

32:36.630 --> 32:42.450
Everybody has a share in the common good
and everybody has something to contribute

32:42.450 --> 32:43.890
to the common good.

32:44.590 --> 32:50.730
The rallying cry of the compendium is for
fairness, equality, social justice,

32:51.250 --> 32:53.310
economic justice, etc.

32:53.310 --> 32:59.910
Which, defined by them, means that
everyone must participate in sharing what

32:59.910 --> 33:06.370
he has with whomever the state says he
must, regardless of whether or not one

33:06.370 --> 33:07.510
agrees with his view.

33:08.650 --> 33:14.810
For a while, those who maintain such
backward and recalcitrant attitudes will

33:14.810 --> 33:15.690
be tolerated.

33:17.070 --> 33:21.370
Then, individuals will be coerced into
taking part.

33:22.370 --> 33:28.630
See the Compendium of the Social Doctrine
of the Catholic Church, sections 167,

33:29.030 --> 33:36.850
173, 177-179, and 191.

33:37.610 --> 33:45.470
Both John Paul II and Benedict XVI called
for a new governmental structure to rule

33:45.470 --> 33:49.370
over the General Assembly of the United
Nations, the UN.

33:49.370 --> 33:56.730
This new governmental body, conferring
among themselves, is to hand down laws and

33:56.730 --> 34:01.350
dictates which the nation-states of the UN
would then enforce.

34:02.210 --> 34:08.250
In other words, a new sovereign world
empire in which the nation-states are

34:08.250 --> 34:14.110
simply to enforce the laws and dictates of
a higher, unelected body.

34:14.110 --> 34:22.670
All goods, resources and property of any
kind would be subject to management by the

34:22.670 --> 34:24.410
UN and the nations.

34:25.350 --> 34:31.930
In a word, the papacy wants a totally
centralised world government, one in which

34:31.930 --> 34:37.030
the Roman Catholic Church will be the
moral and juridical authority.

34:38.030 --> 34:45.050
To that end, the Roman Catholic Church has
been increasingly bold in infusing

34:45.050 --> 34:50.910
international and international public
forums her agenda for restructuring the

34:50.910 --> 34:52.430
civil-secular world.

34:53.590 --> 34:59.610
Regardless of the type of persona Pope
Francis displays, he will not change this

34:59.610 --> 35:01.390
central objective of the papacy.

35:02.430 --> 35:09.750
The compendium is constantly being updated
as information is gathered, collated and

35:09.750 --> 35:12.190
taught to individual lay Catholics.

35:13.050 --> 35:18.830
Most Catholics have not recognised the
agenda that is behind the change in what

35:18.830 --> 35:19.890
they are being taught.

35:20.890 --> 35:27.590
Yet, it is the specific duty of all lay
Catholics to change the thinking within

35:27.590 --> 35:34.090
their societies and to align it with a
papal understanding of church and civil

35:34.090 --> 35:34.770
government.

35:35.570 --> 35:41.670
See the compendium sections 80 and 83 and
the Catechism of the Catholic Church of

35:41.670 --> 35:49.030
1994, paragraph 168, 169 and 181.

35:49.950 --> 35:57.110
In the 50 years since Vatican Council II,
dutiful lay Catholics in every walk of

35:57.110 --> 36:03.870
life have been quite successful at rolling
Catholic social doctrine like a new Trojan

36:03.870 --> 36:09.670
horse into all sorts of religious,
political and social groups.

36:10.530 --> 36:16.950
The Evangelical Church, for the most part,
has felt honoured to receive such a prize.

36:16.950 --> 36:24.470
For at least 70 years, Catholic social
doctrine has been mainstreamed into the

36:24.470 --> 36:25.610
political arena.

36:26.770 --> 36:32.090
Witness the buzzwords of today,
coined not by Muslims, Hindus or

36:32.090 --> 36:35.270
Buddhists, but by the Roman Catholic
Church.

36:36.210 --> 36:43.450
Phrases such as redistribution of wealth,
social justice, economic justice,

36:43.970 --> 36:51.450
dignity of the human person, the common
good, fairness and the right to life,

36:51.770 --> 36:57.070
food, clothing, shelter, rest,
medical care, education and employment.

36:57.850 --> 37:03.930
Catholic social doctrine is pushed
worldwide by individual Catholics and

37:03.930 --> 37:09.610
Catholic groups as the latest addendum to
the things that the papacy says are

37:09.610 --> 37:12.070
included in evangelisation.

37:13.090 --> 37:17.670
The papacy says this is the particular
duty of the Catholic laity.

37:18.610 --> 37:23.530
Thus, the mystery of iniquity,
made manifest in the institution of the

37:23.530 --> 37:29.330
Roman Catholic Church and its office of
the papacy, has, for the last century,

37:29.610 --> 37:34.890
been moving effectively into the civil
governmental sphere, everywhere pressing

37:34.890 --> 37:38.230
its own unbiblical ideas into the public
forum.

37:38.970 --> 37:46.450
These ideas are to be formulated into
ruinous and unjust laws to the enslavement

37:46.450 --> 37:48.370
of those living under them.

37:49.130 --> 37:56.030
Utopianism, socialism, communism and
totalitarianism are all children of the

37:56.030 --> 37:57.930
papacy's doctrine and practice.

37:59.010 --> 38:04.830
These ungodly ideas are found in the
compendium as integral parts of Roman

38:04.830 --> 38:06.370
Catholic social doctrine.

38:07.570 --> 38:13.770
Under the civil title of Holy See,
the Catholic Church has ambassadors in

38:13.770 --> 38:14.790
many nations.

38:15.730 --> 38:21.470
Declining to come under the dominion of
the United Nations, she preferred to take

38:21.470 --> 38:25.090
an official place as observer rather than
member.

38:26.230 --> 38:31.370
The Holy See has observer status in many
other international bodies as well.

38:31.370 --> 38:38.310
Moreover, the Roman Church has a viable
infrastructure in most countries of the

38:38.310 --> 38:38.770
world.

38:39.690 --> 38:45.450
Therefore, she is in an excellent position
to take advantage of the burgeoning idea

38:45.450 --> 38:53.070
of globalism in any sector of life that
the statists, utopians and totalitarians

38:53.070 --> 38:55.970
intend to harness to their own ends.

38:56.970 --> 39:02.990
She, with her fifth column in every
nation, is able to pervert the gospel,

39:03.690 --> 39:08.350
sideline the truths taught in the
scripture as irrelevant or false,

39:08.730 --> 39:14.030
and deceptively divert Bible believers
away from the love of the truth.

39:14.030 --> 39:20.510
What, then, is to stop her from once again
making wholesale merchandise of men's

39:20.510 --> 39:26.170
souls in deals with modern leaders of the
nations to the glory of her own power?

39:28.830 --> 39:36.530
Conclusion The mystery of iniquity arose
under the imperial Roman Empire and

39:36.530 --> 39:38.870
survived the Empire's demise.

39:40.590 --> 39:47.550
In 537 AD, Justinian gave the legal bays
for it to acquire civil power,

39:48.030 --> 39:51.350
which it did throughout the course of the
next ten centuries.

39:52.550 --> 39:58.010
Its temporal power was arrested by the
recovery of the Bible and the gospel

39:58.010 --> 40:00.970
during the Reformation of the 16th
century.

40:01.810 --> 40:07.370
It was held at bay by the Puritans of the
17th and 18th centuries.

40:07.370 --> 40:13.970
Nevertheless, it survived the demise of
the Holy Roman Empire to become a

40:13.970 --> 40:20.110
sovereign nation in the 20th century,
and is now set to be a major power player

40:20.110 --> 40:21.950
in the postmodern era.

40:23.370 --> 40:28.910
Currently, Pope Francis is the visible
head of the Roman Church, but the mystery

40:28.910 --> 40:32.590
of iniquity is still the power behind the
throne.

40:33.570 --> 40:38.550
The mystery of iniquity is nothing less
than the satanic counterfeit of the

40:38.550 --> 40:39.570
mystery of godliness.

40:40.470 --> 40:46.270
The scripture states, Without controversy,
great is the mystery of godliness.

40:46.950 --> 40:52.130
God was manifest in the flesh,
justified in the spirit, seen of angels,

40:52.650 --> 40:58.110
preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in
the world, received up into glory.

40:58.550 --> 41:05.990
1 Timothy 3.16 The mystery of godliness is
the great revelation of God, which had its

41:05.990 --> 41:09.450
full manifestation in the person of the
Christ of God.

41:10.130 --> 41:16.870
Thus, scripture proclaims, God,
who at sundry times and in diverse manners

41:16.870 --> 41:23.330
spake in time past unto the fathers by the
prophets, hath in these last days spoken

41:23.330 --> 41:30.650
unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed
heir of all things, by whom also he made

41:30.650 --> 41:36.990
the worlds, who, being the brightness of
his glory and the express image of his

41:36.990 --> 41:44.150
person, and upholding all things by the
word of his power, when he had by himself

41:44.150 --> 41:49.950
purged our sins, sat down on the right
hand of the Majesty on high.

41:50.550 --> 41:53.110
Hebrews chapter 1 verses 1 and 2.

41:53.110 --> 41:59.910
As we behold the power, wisdom,
and goodness of the Father, we also behold

41:59.910 --> 42:03.830
the power, wisdom, and goodness of the
Lord Jesus Christ.

42:04.650 --> 42:10.970
For, as mediator, he has the nature and
perfections of God in himself.

42:10.970 --> 42:16.070
The Lord Jesus Christ alone can satisfy
our hearts.

42:16.730 --> 42:19.750
There is absolutely no church system that
satisfies.

42:20.370 --> 42:25.290
It is only our personal relationship with
our Lord that truly satisfies.

42:26.410 --> 42:28.630
Thus, his word expresses it.

42:29.250 --> 42:31.210
Whom have I in heaven but thee?

42:31.890 --> 42:35.330
And there is none upon earth that I desire
beside thee.

42:35.970 --> 42:38.810
Psalm 73 verse 25.

42:39.930 --> 42:46.350
How trivial and vain are the promises of
the papal system compared to the person of

42:46.350 --> 42:52.290
the Lord Jesus Christ, who is revealed to
us as chiefest among ten thousand.

42:53.230 --> 42:56.290
Song of Songs chapter 5 verse 10.

42:57.150 --> 43:02.990
Were it not for the recovery of the
absolute authority of the Bible alone and

43:02.990 --> 43:08.650
the gospel of grace and salvation during
the reformation of the 16th century,

43:09.250 --> 43:12.910
the mystery of iniquity might still be
undetected.

43:14.550 --> 43:20.030
Contrary to this, and in spite of the
mystery of iniquity being so rampantly

43:20.030 --> 43:26.030
displayed in the world today, the Holy
Spirit still convicts individual men of

43:26.030 --> 43:32.210
their sin before holy God and sends them
repentance unto life in Christ Jesus.

43:33.330 --> 43:39.330
For by grace are ye saved through faith,
and that not of yourselves.

43:39.870 --> 43:44.570
It is the gift of God, not of works,
lest any man should boast.

43:45.110 --> 43:48.850
Ephesians chapter 2 verses 8 and 9.

43:49.830 --> 43:57.130
The true believer is thus accepted in the
Beloved, in whom we have redemption

43:57.130 --> 44:02.370
through his blood, the forgiveness of
sins, according to the riches of his

44:02.370 --> 44:02.950
grace.

44:03.830 --> 44:07.690
Ephesians chapter 1 verses 6 and 7.

44:08.590 --> 44:14.810
The frightening words of the Lord in
Matthew 7 verse 21 ought to ring in the

44:14.810 --> 44:20.090
ears of those who have spent their whole
lives believing in a religious system.

44:37.690 --> 44:43.050
Believing in Christ's authority,
believing in his divinity, professing

44:43.050 --> 44:48.290
faith in his perfection and in the
infinite merit of his atonement,

44:48.810 --> 44:54.770
shall have any part with God in his glory,
but only he who does the will of his

44:54.770 --> 44:55.210
Father.

44:56.250 --> 45:03.110
The Lord put the command to believe in a
nutshell when he said, This is the work of

45:03.110 --> 45:07.230
God, that ye believe on him whom he hath
sent.

45:07.790 --> 45:10.130
John chapter 6 verse 29.

45:10.130 --> 45:16.930
Likewise, the apostle Paul in Silas
declared, Believe on the Lord Jesus

45:16.930 --> 45:21.310
Christ, and thou shalt be saved,
and thy house.

45:22.010 --> 45:24.230
Acts 16 verse 31.

45:25.030 --> 45:28.290
The godliness of Jesus Christ stands.

45:28.990 --> 45:31.750
So also does his call on your life.

45:32.850 --> 45:34.910
Before you, the question stands.

45:35.670 --> 45:38.250
Have you tasted the mystery of godliness?

45:39.670 --> 45:46.570
To personally know Christ Jesus is to know
the everlasting arms of the all-holy God.

45:47.470 --> 45:51.710
Does your very heart and soul cry out to
him, Abba, Father?

45:52.890 --> 45:59.890
Romans 8 verse 15 says, For ye have not
received the spirit of bondage again to

45:59.890 --> 46:05.390
fear, but ye have received the spirit of
adoption, whereby we cry, Abba,

46:05.530 --> 46:05.970
Father.

46:05.970 --> 46:12.810
The water of life is offered to you in the
abundance of grace, which far surpasses

46:12.810 --> 46:14.190
the evils of sin.

46:15.090 --> 46:21.550
Thus the Lord's call in scripture says,
The Spirit and the Bride say, Come,

46:22.330 --> 46:28.990
and let him that heareth say, Come,
and let him that is athirst come,

46:29.590 --> 46:34.230
and whosoever will, let him take the water
of life freely.

46:34.230 --> 46:38.070
Revelation chapter 22 verse 17.

46:39.350 --> 46:47.070
Once a convicted sinner believes on Christ
Jesus alone, by grace alone, through faith

46:47.070 --> 46:55.410
alone, as his only surety and refuge
before the all-holy God, he finds himself

46:55.410 --> 47:02.370
not only freed from his sins, but made to,
quote, reign in life.

47:02.990 --> 47:09.350
For if by one man's offence death reigned
by one, much more they who receive

47:09.350 --> 47:15.190
abundance of grace and of the gift of
righteousness shall reign in life by one,

47:15.670 --> 47:16.730
Jesus Christ.

47:16.730 --> 47:20.930
Romans chapter 5 verse 17.

47:22.590 --> 47:28.750
Those who receive the abundant grace given
by Christ are not only redeemed from the

47:28.750 --> 47:34.890
dominion of death, they live and reign
with Christ as they are sanctified daily

47:34.890 --> 47:40.170
through his word by the Holy Spirit and by
constant fellowship with him.

47:41.310 --> 47:47.170
With him they shall reign forever and
glorify him for all eternity.

47:48.350 --> 47:52.650
Believe on him alone, and you will be
secure in him.

47:53.470 --> 47:58.710
To the praise of the glory of his grace,
his free gift to us and the beloved.

47:59.510 --> 48:01.210
Ephesians 1.6.

48:02.190 --> 48:05.990
Then you will behold the mystery of
godliness.

48:07.030 --> 48:11.030
Therefore, if any man be in Christ,
he is a new creature.

48:11.830 --> 48:13.930
Old things are passed away.

48:14.750 --> 48:17.450
Behold, all things are become new.

48:18.750 --> 48:21.770
2 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 17.

48:22.770 --> 48:30.810
End of article This article was recorded
by Rodrigo Vasquez on behalf of the author

48:30.810 --> 48:31.970
Richard Bennett.

48:32.870 --> 48:34.110
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48:35.350 --> 48:39.630
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48:40.370 --> 48:40.910
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48:40.910 --> 48:52.030
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