THE PAPACY by L. A. S.

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Nov 5, 1901

THE PAPACY.

By L. A. S.

It is a mistake to suppose that the papacy is confined to the Vatican at Rome, or to the Roman Catholic Church. It is a mistake to suppose that the papacy is confined to any organization, or to any territory. It is a mistake to suppose that it is confined to that which is papal in name. The papacy is represented in everything, of whatever name, that exalts itself against God. And as all sin is rebellion against God, it is plain that the spirit of sin and the spirit of the papacy are one and the same.

The papacy is co-extensive with the system of opposition to God, and is not confined to any church, but is represented in every church where man is exalted in the place of God. And sad to say, there is no church on the earth where this self-exaltation is not to be found.

Rebellion against God began in heaven, under a leader, who was Lucifer, the “covering cherub.” This rebellion was transferred to the earth, but remained under its original leader, by whom it has been and is to-day carried forward. He is the invisible leader, and behind him is a world-wide “confederacy” of evil. This confederacy of evil is visibly led, in the final crisis and conflict, by the papacy—the “Beast” in the Old World and the “Image to the Beast” in the New. And as there is one great leader of this confederacy, so also there is one spirit pervading it throughout, and this spirit is the spirit of its leader. And therefore it is written of that power—the papacy—that “all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” Rev. 13:8.

Whether we shall worship the “Beast” or not, is a question to be determined not by the church book, of whatever church, in which our names are inscribed here on the earth, but by their inscription in or absence from the life book in the courts of heaven.

There are true worshipers of God in the Roman Catholic Church; and there are followers of the papacy in the true Church of Christ.

We need particularly to understand and be on our guard against the exceeding subtlety of the papal spirit; and that not so much outside of ourselves as within our own hearts.

It is written of the papal power that “through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand.” Dan. 8:25. Deceptive craftiness has ever been a leading characteristic of the policy of Rome. Pretending to be disinterested and benevolent, Rome has always in her dealings with the nations aimed steadily at her own advancement. What seemed to be the touch of velvet, was later revealed to be the grasp of a hand of iron. The papacy has made all nations drunken with “the wine of the wrath of her fornication,” and like drunken men, they have been led by her whither she desired.

This deceptive spirit deceived him with whom it originated; hence it is no wonder that it has been able to deceive others. Lucifer, the exalted angel who stood by the throne of God, and who was “full of wisdom,” did not understand the nature of the spirit which led him to exalt himself against God. He did not clearly perceive whither this spirit was taking him. It is not surprising therefore that under his influence and aided by his arts, it has prevailed over a multitude less wise than he, and is to-day leading fallen, finite men in its devious path.

This spirit of the papacy shows itself in a struggle for the supremacy. This is the characteristic way in which it is manifested. Wherever there is strife in the church, wherever there is a contest among brethren, there is the spirit of the papacy. Some one is being moved by the spirit of self-exaltation.

It was thus that this spirit showed itself among the apostles. And it is no slight evidence of its deceptive character that as they came up to the crisis in the earthly ministry of their divine Master, after they had so long been associated with Him and listened to His instruction, they were engrossed with schemes for their own selfish advancement. “There was also a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest.” Luke 22:24. James and John, having enlisted their mother in their selfish cause, came to Jesus and desired that He would promise them the two places of greatest honor in His kingdom. And the remaining disciples, when they heard of it, “began to be much displeased with James and John.” That was the spirit of the papacy, and that this is so was later conclusively shown by the fact that this same contest for supremacy broke out again not many years later in the Christian Church, and continued with growing fierceness until out of it came the fully developed papacy itself, through a decree issued by the Roman emperor making the bishop of Rome head over all the churches.

Jesus called the disciples unto Him and said to them: “Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; and whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant.” Matt. 20:25–27. This was to say that the spirit which was moving them each to seek the position of supremacy and rulership over others was the spirit of the world, which was manifested among the Gentiles; but the spirit of Christianity was an opposite spirit; and wherever this spirit was shown, there would be seen a desire not to bring others into the service of self, but to bring self into the service of others.

The world is full of the contest for supremacy. The spirit of self-exaltation and lordship over others is the characteristic spirit of the world; but that spirit has no place in the Church of Christ. It has no proper place among Seventh-day Adventists. May the time soon come when it will have not only no place of right, but no place in fact, among those who profess to be doing the closing work of God in the earth.

L. A. S.