PER:Christian Information Bureau November 1988  by Dave Hunt

   Vol. 4, No. 11

   Dear Praying Friends;

   Last month, in relation to the shocking rise of anti-semitism among
Christians, we referred to the incredible claim by the
Reconstructionists that Christ's promise to "come again" was fulfilled
when "He came" in A.D.70 in the person of the Roman armies to destroy
Jerusalem and slaughter the Jewish inhabitants of Palestine. In fact
they claim that the entire Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24-25) and all of
the prophecies in Revelation (except for Rev. 20:4-22:21) were
fulfilled at A.D. 70.

   This particular theory was invented in the early 1600s by a Jesuit
named Alcasar to counter the Reformer's claim that the Roman Catholic
Church was the "great whore...MYSTERY BABYLON" sitting on the beast in
Revelation 17. In a stroke of genius, Alcasar realized that if he could
establish the theory that Revelation had all been fulfilled by A.D. 70,
then its prophecies could not possibly apply to the Catholic Church.
That scenario was eagerly adopted by the Reconstructionists, in spite
of the fact that the Book of Revelation was written at least 20 years
after A.D. 70, which destroys this fantasy. For those interested in a
scholarly discussion of the date of John's writing, Dominion Theology,
Blessing or Curse? by H. Wayne House and Thomas D. Ice (just off the
press) is recommended.

   In addition to data from the first century, the history of the Roman
Catholic Church itself provides overwhelming evidence that the
Reformers were correct: John's vision went far beyond A.D. 70 and was
astonishingly accurate. In fact, the undeniable development of the
Catholic Church during the Middle Ages into all that John attributes to
the "woman sit[ting] upon a scarlet coloured beast" (Rev. 17:3) is
almost as powerful a proof for the validity of the Bible as the
preservation and return of Israel to her land.

   The Christianization of the world being pursued today with high
hopes by The Coalition on Revival (COR) and other Reconstructionists
was accomplished 1600 years ago under the Roman Emperor Constantine and
his successors. Far from producing the benefits COR promises, however,
it was the undoing of the early church. "Christianity" became so
dominant that its profession was essential for those who wanted to gain
social, political or even military recognition. As a result, Romans
"converted" by the thousands, polluting the church. Augustine himself
lamented:

   The man who enters [a 4th-century church] is bound to see drunkards,
misers, tricksters, gamblers, adulterers, fornicators, people wearing
amulets, assiduous clients of sorcerers, astrologers.... He must be
warned that the same crowds that press into the churches on Christian
festivals, also fill the theatres on pagan holidays.

   Roman paganism had simply taken on a thin "Christian" veneer to
survive to this day under the cloak of Catholicism in an even more
dangerous form. As head of the pagan priesthood (a position Constantine
never renounced), it seemed only natural that the Emperor should also
functin as de facto head of the the Church. As such Constantine
convened, gave the opening address and played a dominant part in the
first ecumenical council, the Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D. Thereafter,
the Emperors, in partnership with the Popes, maintained "the unity of
the faith," by persecuting and killingin the name of Christ those who
dared to disagree with their dogmas and decrees. Pope Leo I --
ascribing to the secular authority an "infallibility" that would later
be claimed by the popes -- flatteringly declared that the emperor was
"incapable of doctrinal error."

   It was the Emperor who was first called the "Vicar of Christ" -- a
title inherited by the the Popes when the Roman Empire disintegrated.
Constantine's title of Pontifex Maximus as leader of the pagan
priesthood was also taken by the Popes. Thus the head of the Catholic
Church is called the "Roman Pontiff" to this day. It was Constantine
who installed the Bishop of Rome as the first Pope over the church. In
fact, during the Middle Ages, the Popes circulated what is generally
believed to be a forged document called The Donation of Constantine in
order to give legitimacy to papal powers they were exerting over kings
and kingdoms.

   The Donation declared that Constantine had moved the capital of the
Roman Empire to Constantinople in the East and deeded the Western
Empire, with all the attendant imperial authority, to Pope Sylvester in
order to "exalt the most holy See of blessed Peter in glory above our
own Empire and earthly throne, ascribing to it power and glorious
majesty and strength and Imperial honor." It further declared:

   And we command and decree that...the Pontiff who occupies at any
given moment the See of that same most holy Roman Church shall rank as
the highest and chief among all the priests of the whole world and by
his decision all things are to be arranged concerning the worship of
God or the security of the faith of Christians. In recompense for this
we concede to...the Pontiffs who will preside over the See of blessed
Peter until the end of the world...our Imperial palace of the
Lateran...the crown of our head...[and] the tiara; also the shoulder
covering...the purple cloak and the crimson tunic and all our Imperial
garments...

   We confer on them also the Imperial sceptres...the spears and
standards...the banners and various Imperial decorations and all the
prerogatives of our supreme Imperial position and the glory of our
authority...[and]...the city of Rome and all the provinces, districts
and cities of Italy and the Western regions, relinquishing them to the
authority of himself and his successors as Pontiffs by a definite
Imperial grant...

   Whether the Donation is a forgery or not, the fact remains that the
Popes used it to justify not only their power but their regal
vestments, religious paraphernalia and the pomp that surrounds their
office to this day. Moreover, historians proclaim with one voice that
the papacy stepped into the gap left in the West by the collapsing
Empire, and the sceptre of the Roman Emperors unquestionably passed to
the Popes. Historian R. W. Southern points out:

   During the whole medieval period there was in Rome a single
spiritual and temporal authority exercising powers which in the end
exceeded those that had ever lain within the grasp of a Roman Emperor.

   Even military leaders and kings were forced, no matter how
unwillingly, to bow the knee to the Pope in recognition of the
all-pervasive power which the Church wielded over the masses of people.
Add to the fact its great wealth, and the Church was a formidable force
that even the most powerful rulers found easier to join in partnership
than to fight. Historian Walter James reminds us that there was another
even more compelling reason why every knee bowed to the Popes -- which
today's Catholic catechisms still insist is valid:

   The Papacy controlled the gateway to heaven which all the faithful,
including their rulers, hoped earnestly to enter. Few in those days
doubted the truth of this and it gave the Popes a moral authority which
has never been wielded since. A Pope like Innocent III held all Europe
in his net.

   During the Middle Ages the power the Popes wielded reached awesome
heights in remarkable fulfillment of the vision given to John in
Revelation 17 of that magnificent "whore" headquartered in a city
located upon seven hills (verse 9) and which "reigneth over the kings
of the earth" (verse 18). The identification is unmistakable. As
Southern points out, the medieval church held the "power of life and
death over the citizens of Christendom and their enemies within and
without...Popes claimed the sole right of initiating and directing wars
against the unbelievers...[and to protect] their territorial interests.

   This astonishing power over kings and kingdoms had already been
demonstrated even before the empire's collapse. Take for example the
humiliation of Emperor Theodosius in 390 A.D., who was required to make
public penance upon threat of excommunication. As a later example,
consider Charlemagne being crowned Emperor by Pope Leo III during Mass
in Rome's St. Peter's on Christmas Day A.D. 800 -- or the humbled
Emperor Henry IV, waiting barefoot in the snows at Canossa to make his
peace at last with Pope Gregory VII in 1077. Apparently unaware that he
was admitting the fulfillment of John's Apocalyptic vision, Pope
Innocent III (1198-1216) asserted in no uncertain terms the authority
of the Church over all secular powers. Pope Boniface VIII reiterated
Innocent III's assertion of absolute dominion over kings in his Bull
Unam Sanctam (1302 A.D.).

   The Roman Catholic Pope, successor to the ancient Roman Emperors,
continues to wield similiar power today. Most nations -- including the
United States -- maintain an ambassador and diplomatic relations with
the Vatican. Even the Soviet Union has maintained high-level contacts
witht the Vatican over the last two decades, and aides to the Pope and
Gorbachev have been negotiating to set up a meeting between these two
powerful heads of state. Like other secular rulers, Gorbachev is driven
by necessity -- he knows and respects the power of the Vatican, which
rules over more than 800 million Catholics worldwide. In contrast,
there are less than 60 million Lutherans -- and today the Lutheran
World Federation has its offices at the headquaters of the infamous
World Council of Churches, which works for ecumenical union with Rome.

   The Charismatic movement has been particularly vulnerable to union
with Roman Catholicism ever since Catholics began to "speak in
tongues." One wonders, however, why most Catholics who have allegedly
been "baptised in the Spirit" become even more enamored with prayers to
Mary and various "saints," the re-offering of Christ in "the sacrifice
of the Mass," and other serious heresies so contrary to what the Holy
Spirit has declared in scripture.

   The predominant cry today is for "unity." It was the principle
weapon with which the Roman Catholic Church attempted to stop the
Reformation. Luther was urged to "keep in mind the unity of the holy,
catholic, and apostolic church..." As though faith is believing
anything, rather than commitment to truth for which we must contend,
Earl Paulk suggests that Paul's "unity of the faith" (Ephesians 4:13)
has nothing to do with doctrine. Paulk advocates unity not only with
Catholics but even with Mormons. A unity in which sound doctrine plays
no part is very appealing to those who wish to be "positive" at all
cost. It is today's major weapon in reversing the Reformation.

   Among so-called Protestants today, the great issues of the
Reformation for which thousands were martyred have been forgotten or
are no longer considered to matter. Describing his feelings as he
watched Pope John Paul II perform the unbiblical "sacrifice of the
mass" during his visit to Los Angeles in September, 1987, Robert
Schuller reportedly said, "I cried through most of the Mass, because
there was nothing that he said in words or in theological content that
didn't harmonize with my own belief system." Schuller recently confided
to Los Angeles's Cardinal Timothy Manning:

   It's time for Protestants to go to the shepherd [the pope] and say,
"What do we have to do to come home?"

   In contrast to Schuller's attitude, we do well to remember the words
of Bishop Ryle. Referring to Bloody Queen Mary's brief reintroduction
of Catholicism into England and the resulting 288 Christian leaders
burned at the stake in 4 years because they refused to accept
Transubstantiation, Ryle wrote with great passion:

   I wish my readers to remember that the burning of the Marian
martyers is an act that the Church of Rome has never repudiated,
apologized for, or repented of, down to the present day...

   Never has she repented of her treatment of the Vaudois and the
Albigenses; never has she repented of the wholesale murders of the
Spanish Inquisition....never has she repented of the burning of the
English Reformers.

   We should make a note of that fact and let it sink down into our
minds.

   Doctrine is important. Truth is vital. We are urged to contend
earnestly for the faith. One day we must all stand before our Lord to
give an account. In subsequent newsletters, if the Lord tarries and
spares us, we want to suggest some ways in which we can contend
constructively and effectively for biblical truth. We must not only
believe the truth, but we must act upon it and contend for it.

   In Christ's love, Dave Hunt

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