Will the Real Mother Please Stand Up? Growing up, I enjoyed the TV show "To Tell the Truth." A contestant with an interesting job or experience, along with two imposters, were interviewed by four celebrity panelists. After testing the contestants, each panelists voted as to which of the three was genuine. [Here is an excerpt from one of the more memorable episodes]. In this newsletter, we will play a biblical game of "To Tell The Truth." The Bible speaks of two women, each claiming to be the Church of Jesus Christ. Both evangelicals and Roman Catholics stress the salvific import of the woman:
John Calvin: "The name of Mother given to the Church shows how necessary it is to know her. No salvation out of the Church" [1]
Pope Leo XII: "For the Church is the pillar and ground of the truth. With reference to those words Augustine says: 'If any man be outside the Church he will be excluded from the number of sons, and will not have God for Father since he has not the Church for mother." [2]
One of these women is authentic; the other is an imposter. Rome has persuasive arguments for her claim - antiquity, numerical advantage, early church teachings, and authority. She claims catholicity of time, place and teaching. She says that the Reformers were "Johnny-come-latelies" who were teaching new doctrines unknown to the early church. She argues, "How could Rome not be the true church, since Jesus promised that 'the gates of hell would not prevail' against the church built on the Rock of Peter?" Four Tests to Determine Who's Our "Gal" (4:22-31) In Galatians, Paul interprets an allegory of two contrary religions. They are two women, each having a distinct set of offspring: "For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the bondwoman and one by the free woman. But the son of the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and the son by the free woman through the promise. This is allegorically speaking, for these women are two covenants: one proceeding from Mount Sanai bearing children who are to be slaves; she is Hagar. Now this Hagar is Mount Sanai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. But the Jerusalem above is free; she is our mother. For it is written, 'Rejoice, barren woman who does not bear; break forth and shout, you who are not in labor; for more numerous are the children of the desolate than of the one who has a husband.' And you brethren, like Isaac, are children of the promise. But at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so it is now also. But what does the Scripture say? 'Cast out the bondwoman and her son, for the son of the bondwoman shall not be an heir with the son of the free woman.' So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free woman." Gal. 4:22-31. Based on the above passage, we will use four biblical tests (Maternity tests?) to determine who is the true mother church: - The Fig Leaf Test (bondwoman or free woman?)
- The Blood Test (persecutor or persecuted?)
- The Remnant Test (majority or minority?)
- The High-Low Test (from above or from below?)
We will use the prophecies of Jesus and the history of redemption to support our test results. #1 - The Fig Leaf Test - The Gospel The first test is the "fig leaf" test. After our first parents sinfully disobeyed God, they tried to cover their nakedness with fig leafs. This was mankind's first effort to cover up sin with human efforts at righteousness. But God replaced these fig leaves, covering Adam and Eve with animal skins. This was the so-called "proto-evangel" that pointed toward the sacrifice of God's Son, the promised seed of Eve. The children of Hagar make there own clothes - they depend on their own righteousness. The children of Sarah receive their clothing from God - the imputed righteousness of Christ. From this initial point, we see two separate "churches" develop - the church of works and the church of grace. The first offspring of each church were Cain and Abel. Cain offers a sacrifice of his labor - his "fig leaves"- while Abel offered a blood sacrifice from his flock. Cain follows the old covenant, Abel the new covenant. And so the two churches exist side by side throughout time. The one church is in slavery to her works, the other is blessed with the freedom of grace. The Roman Church is represented by Hagar, binding her children with old covenant rules to merit salvation. She requires ongoing sacrifices on her altars, and demands obedience to her man-made traditions and sacraments. The evangelical woman is represented by Sarah. Her children have been set free by believing the promise, just as all Sarah's children before them: Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, David, Mary, Anna and Simeon. Each were looking toward the fulfillment of the promise by the blood sacrifice of the redeeming seed of Eve. The very name of Jesus is a prophetic announcement of the gospel: His name means "God saves." He preached, "Repent and believe the good news." Mark 1:15. He taught in the beatitudes: "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied." Matt. 5:6. It is those who seek acceptance through their own efforts who go hungry. We are only satisfied when we receive the righteousness of Jesus by faith. "I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen Me, and yet do not believe." John 6:35-36. Rome fails the fig test; she denies the saving gospel of Jesus Christ, and places her children in bondage to the old covenant. #2 - The Blood Test - Persecution Using modern DNA testing, it is easy to determine parentage. And so, the second test we will use is the "blood test." The children of Hagar, from time immemorial, have persecuted the children of Sarah. Cain and Abel; Jezebel and Elijah; Saul and David; Jerusalem and Jeremiah; the Sanhedrin and Stephen; the Jews and Paul. But no group has come close to matching the papacy in persecution and the shedding of blood. Papal edicts: In 1184, Pope Lucius III in his papal bull Ad Abolendam provided for the imprisonment of heretics and the confiscation of their goods. The supporters of heretics receive like treatment. In 1234 the medieval inquisition was established, under the auspices of the Dominicans, to stamp out heresy. In 1252, the papal bull Ad Extirpanda authorized the torture and burning of heretics. In 1291, Prae Cunctis authorized the Bosnian inquisition. In 1415, the Council of Constance condemned the teachings of Wycliffe and ordered the exhumation and burning of his bones. The Council also condemned Hus and Jerome to be burned at the stake. In 1478 the Spanish Inquisition was established. In 1521, the Edict of Worms condemned Luther and the Reformation, calling for extirpation of the "Lutheran heresy." In 1529, Pope Clement VII authorized the use of violence for evangelizing. In 1570, Pope Pius V declared Queen Elizabeth a heretic and released her subjects from any allegiance to her. In 1864 Pope Pius IX condemned freedom of religion and confirmed the propriety of the use of force by Rome. Here are some of the persecutions of Rome, linked to articles from Foxe's Book of Martyrs (free on Kindle!): Persecution of the Waldenses in France Slaughter of the Albigenses Persecution of the Wycliffites Hus, Jerome, and the Bohemian Persecutions Slaughter of Waldenses in Calabria Persecutions in Italy Persecutions in the Netherlands Spanish Inquisition Martyrdom of William Tyndale St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre Persecution in Germany and the Thirty Years War Huguenot Persecution after revoking the Edict of Nantes Persecutions Under Bloody Mary Ireland: Massacre of 1641 Waldensian Slaughter (1655) Persecutions after the French Revolution Jesus prophesied that "they will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me." John 16:2-3. And He says in Revelation that the woman would be "drunk with the blood of the saints." Rev. 17:6. Wylie writes: "Rome had founded her dominion upon the dogma of persecution. She sustained herself 'Lord of the conscience.' Out of this prolific but pestiferous root came a whole century of fulminating edicts, to be followed by centuries of blazing piles." [3] No one familiar with the history of the antichristian papacy should remain in the Catholic Church. Our gal Rome's test results are in: she has all the "genetic markers" of the false church. Her children have shed the precious blood of the spiritual offspring of Sarah. #3 - The Remnant Test (History of Redemption) In reviewing the history of God's redeeming work, we notice that time after time God saves a remnant. The children of Seth were a weak minority compared with the totality of Adam's descendents. God destroyed the multitude by the flood, sparing only eight people. These eight people multiplied to fill the earth, yet God's redemption proceeded through Abraham and Sarah. When Israel grew numerous, God rejected the multitude who escaped Egypt, with only Joshua, Caleb and the under-20 generation crossing into the promised land. There were multitudes of Jews that were taken captive to Babylon, but only a few returned to Jerusalem. When Christ was born, there was only a tiny remnant of believers - the institutional religion of the Jews had apostatized. When the gospel was preached after Pentecost, the majority of the Jews rejected the gospel and persecuted the church. Only a small minority of Jews believed. So, it appears that every time there is a large influx of believers into the sheepfold, there ultimately arrives a period of apostasy where only the minority is kept and the majority is rejected. Jesus prophesied that "the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few." In the Revelation of Jesus Christ, we are told that Satan would attempt to exterminate the church, but God would protect her by sending her into the wilderness. And this is what happened during the beginning of the Papal apostasy. For years, the remnant was hidden in the north of Italy, and in the Cottian Alps. The Ambrosians and the Waldensians never submitted to the yoke of Rome. "These were the virgins who were not defiled, when other churches prostituted themselves; but they kept themselves pure for Christ alone." [4] When Satan discovered the hidden church, the persecutions of the remnant began in earnest. But God's purpose in election could not be thwarted by the devil. During the Reformation, God used a handful of people to once again "turn the world upside down." After protecting his remnant church for centuries, the Holy Spirit once again descended with mighty power to bring a great multitude of believers into the church. Satan was enraged, and went off to make war with these, the rest of her children. The children of the bondwoman once again persecuted the children of the free woman. But the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church. #4 - High-Low Test (Location, Location, Location) One woman is of the earth; the other is of heaven. Hagar and her children are in bondage to the temporal things of the Jerusalem below. Sarah and her children are freed by focusing on the promised heavenly Jerusalem. The High-low test is paradoxical. Jesus tells us that the first shall be last, and the last first. God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. By exalting herself, Rome receives the condemnation of God. By ascending higher and higher, she descends lower and lower. How does she exalt herself? - Claims of infallibility
- The "Triple Crown"
- Her marvelous wealth
- Outside of her there is no salvation
- Sacramentalism
Rome is like the emperess with new clothes that are invisible. She believes herself clothed in the immaculate garb of infallibility. But truly she is pitifully naked. From 1198 to 1978 her popes wore the papal tiara, the "Triple Crown." She believes that she reigns as queen over her three realms (her spiritual kingdom, her temporal lands, and her seat above the nations). But truly she is a usurper, for Jesus is the true ruler. She glories in her exceeding wealth, not knowing that she is "wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked." She boasts of her heavenly pre-eminence (believing herself to be the savior of mankind), when in reality she and her unfortunate children are destined to join Satan in the pits of Hell. And she claims the mighty power to bring Christ down on her altar as an ongoing sacrifice, and to bring down the Holy Spirit in her Baptisms, Confirmations, Ordinations, and Last Rites; in reality she is hopelessly impotent. What about our mother? She claims no infallibility, and hopes only in the promises of Scripture. She has no earthly crown; she awaits her coronation at the wedding supper of the King. She is poor, lowly, and persecuted here on earth - she has not many wise. But she will be gloriously raised up to receive her priceless inheritance on the last day. She preaches a message of foolishness for salvation, but only those who believe her glorious message can be saved. Finally, she places no hope in sacraments for salvation, but recognizes that the greatest person on earth is the Holy Spirit. Like the wind, He blows whither He chooses and no one but He knows the where and when. Rome's real estate is worthless, because it is located in the really bad neighborhood of earthly Jerusalem. Who wants to buy property that will soon be destroyed by fire? But our real estate is priceless. It is located in an indestructible, eternal neighborhood. Not only that, but it's spruced up by the greatest Home Stager, Jesus Christ! Conclusion Will the real Church of Jesus Christ please stand! To tell the truth, this episode was no challenge. The ugliness of the imposter woman compared to the beautiful woman? Our celebrity panel could not possibly be fooled! But the reality is that the vast majority of people in the world have selected the wrong woman. May we be diligent to warn the children of the Empress that she has no clothes! Field Trip! In God's providence, I live within an hour and a half of the small town of Valdese, NC. It was founded in 1893 by Waldenses from the Cottian Alps - physical descendants of the hidden church. The town has a Waldensian Heritage Museum, an outdoor "trail of faith" that explores the struggles and persecutions of the Waldenses, and an outdoor drama that portrays the miraculous work of protecting His remnant. "Valdese" is the Italian word for "people of the valley." How ironic of God to place Rome on her "seven hills" and His people in her "valleys." The valleys of the Vaudoix ascend to heaven, while the hills of Rome descend to eternal destruction. Every year they have a festival on the second weekend of August. I plan to attend the festival, visit the museum and trail, and attend the outdoor drama on Saturday, August 8th. I would love to see you there. Call or shoot me an email if you have any interest in attending; there is a group discount for the drama. I will send an email out once plans are finalized! Blessed to be a child of free woman,
Dale
[1] Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book 4, Chapter 1, IV
[2] Papal Encyclical Ubi Primum, May 5, 1824
[3] History of Protestantism, Book One, Chapter 9
[4] A History of the Work of Redemption, The Works of Jonathan Edwards, Vol. 1
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