FEDERATION OF CHURCHES by Alonzo T. Jones

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Mountain View, California · Feb 21, 1906

FEDERATION OF CHURCHES

By Alonzo T. Jones

"THE FALSE PROPHET."

A Convention of "Protestants."

It was a convention of Protestants that was called to accomplish federation. In the letter that was sent to the churches suggesting a conference, it was said: In order to secure an effective organization of the various Protestant communions of this country for the practical ends indicated, we would suggest that a conference of representatives accredited by the national bodies of said Protestant denominations meet in New York City, November, 1905, to form such an organization as may seem proper to them. And— Let the church of Christ, in all its varied administrations, so affiliate as to form a bond of union that will enable Protestantism to present a solid front to the forces of evil, and in every possible way unite its activities for the spiritual conquest of the world, and the final triumph of the kingdom of God. It was, therefore, a federation of Protestantism, and a Protestant federation, that was accomplished. And while it is true that two or three individual speakers in the conference wished that their "Catholic brethren" were met with them in the conference, it is perfectly safe to say that the little flurry over the attempt to include the Unitarians was fairly a dead calm in comparison with the storm that would have been raised over a proposition formally to include the Catholic Church in the Federation. So, whatever may come later in the way of this Federation joining hands and co-operating with Catholicism, it is certain that now, and in its intent, this Federation is distinctly Protestant—in name and profession.

What It Is in Character.

And it is Protestant only in name and profession. For it is perfectly plain that in its practical workings it is distinctly papal and not Protestant at all. By the plain statements of representative men in the conference, by the plain statement of the practical workings of federation so far, by the positive action of the conference itself, it is certain that one great purpose of the Federation is to secure laws, and the enforcement of laws expressing the will of the Federation, by bringing "pressure" to bear upon public, civil officials. The Federation does intend that by it the church-will, by the exertion of the "combined influence" of the churches, shall control the civil power. They have publicly said that on a number of public questions that are civil only, as well as on questions that are religious only, and on both these classes of questions indiscriminately mixed, "the voice of the churches should be heard," and that the "united and concerted action" of the church "is to lead effectively;" and this for "the conquest of the world for Christ." That is what this professed Protestant Federation proposes to do. That is one of the chief things that it was created to do; and this under the profession of Protestantism. But such purpose and procedure is distinctly the repudiation of Protestantism. On this subject Protestantism stands committed; and stands committed in the very charter of original Protestantism itself.

True Protestant Principles.

The Augsburg Confession is the charter of Protestantism as such. Article XXVIII. of that confession, in repudiating the Papacy and its ways, declares as follows: There have been great controversies touching the power of the bishops, in which some have, in an unseemly manner, mingled together the ecclesiastical power and the power of the sword. And out of this confusion there have sprung very great wars and tumults, while the pontiffs, trusting in the power of the keys, have not only instituted new kinds of service, and burdened men's consciences by reserving of cases, and by violent excommunications, but have also endeavored to transfer worldly kingdoms from one to another, and to despoil emperors of their power and authority. These faults, godly and learned men in the church have long reprehended; and for this cause ours were compelled, for the comforting men's consciences, to show the difference between the ecclesiastical power and the power of the sword. . . . Now their judgment is this: that the power of the keys, or the power of the bishops, is a power or command from God, of preaching the Gospel, of remitting or retaining sins, and of administering the sacraments. . . . This power is exercised only by teaching or preaching the Gospel, and administering the sacraments, either to many, or to single individuals, in accordance with their call. For THEREBY not corporeal, but eternal, things are granted; as, an

eternal righteousness, the Holy Ghost, life everlasting.

Seeing then, that the ecclesiastical power bestows things eternal, and is exercised ONLY by the ministry of the Word, it does not hinder the civil government any more than the art of singing hinders civil government. For the civil administration is occupied about other matters than is the Gospel. The magistracy does not defend the souls, but the bodies and bodily things, against manifest injuries, and coerces men by the sword and corporal punishments, that it may uphold civil justice and peace. Wherefore the ecclesiastical and civil power are not to be confounded. The ecclesiastical power has its own command to preach the Gospel and to administer the sacraments. Let it not by force enter into the office of another; let it not transfer worldly kingdoms; let it not abrogate the magistrates' laws; let it not hinder judgments touching any civil ordinances or contracts; let it not prescribe laws to the magistrate touching the form of the state; as Christ says, "My kingdom is not of this world." John 18:36. Again, "Who made Me a judge or a divider over you?" Luke 12:14. When the churches federate in order effectually to "bring pressure to bear" upon public civil officials, for the execution of the will of the church, this is nothing else than to "enter by force into the office of another." When this Federation by the "combined influence" of the churches which it wields, transfers the government—whether city, county, state, or national—from one party to another, or from one person to another, it does in principle "transfer worldly kingdoms." When the Federation frames bills, presents them to the Legislature, and swings the "combined influence" of the churches in lobbying and "pressure" to have this the church-will enacted into laws, it does in principle, in effect, and in fact, "prescribe laws to the magistrate." All these things this Federation has done, is doing, and intends to do. These things compose one of the great objects of the Federation itself. But all of it is specifically repudiated by the original Protestantism. It is all distinctly anti-Protestant, as tested by the very charter of Protestantism itself.

What Must We Conclude?

When, therefore, this Federation, organized to do these things, does these distinctly anti-Protestant things, puts itself thus on papal ground, and still professes to be Protestant, and poses as Protestantism, it falsifies its name and profession, and moves and works under a false pretense. And when this professed Protestantism can thus occupy papal ground, and can do all these papal things and still think that it is Protestant, it simply reveals sheer apostasy. And when this apostasy—this Federation that occupies papal ground and does papal things—still professes to be Protestant; and while on papal ground professes to be on Protestant ground; and while doing papal things professes that these are Protestant things, it completely falsifies Protestantism. It deceives the people who expect Protestant things from Protestantism, and thus stands plainly as a false prophet. Yet it is not enough to say that it thus makes of itself a false prophet; the system of things of which this Federation is the beginning will, in itself and in its operations, be nothing else than distinctly "the false prophet" of Rev. 16:13; 19:20. This "false prophet" is in the same book—The Revelation—designated as the image of the beast. This can be seen by comparing Rev. 19:20 with 13:13-16. The beast is the Papacy. The image of the beast is but the image of the Papacy. These studies of the actual proceedings and open statements of the conference, plainly show that this Federation in its every feature reveals only the veriest likeness to the Papacy; and facts of future development will demonstrate that it is indeed the living image of the Papacy, and the third element in the great threefold development and final combination of apostasy—the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet. The dragon symbolizes Paganism, which is the form taken by the original apostasy from God on earth. The beast symbolizes the Papacy, which is the form taken by the second great apostasy from God. The false prophet, or the image of the beast, symbolizes apostate Protestantism as now developing, and is the form taken by the third and final great apostasy from God.

What Apostasy Must Do?

Apostasy must ever retain in its worship the name and profession from which it has apostatized, else its whole standing would be gone. Accordingly Paganism, being apostasy from God, everywhere insists that of the things which it worships, each is a god. This form of apostasy prevailed everywhere until Christianity was planted in the world. Then from Christianity there was apostasy. The only thing to which there could be apostasy from Christianity, was Paganism; but still as apostasy must retain the name and profession from which it has apostatized, this Paganism held the name and profession of Christianity, and so became the Papacy. But in Protestantism original Christianity was revived to deliver the world from the incubus of the Papacy. And this it did gloriously while it remained truly Protestant. But in every land there has been apostasy of Protestantism; and in every case it has been apostasy to papal principles and papal ground in the union of church and state, in the control of the civil power to enforce the will of the church, in religious despotism, cruelty, and persecution. And in every case, while occupying papal ground, espousing papal principles, and doing papal things, this apostasy has claimed to be Protestantism. And now, in this Federation of all the forms of "Protestantism," exactly after the manner and in the course of the original federation that was the Papacy, on the very principles of the Papacy, and in direct contradiction to the very charter of original Protestantism, the apostasy of Protestantism will be complete. It is also final. There will never be another; there can never be another. There will be further and mighty developments of this, but there will never be another. This completes the course of apostasy in the world; and all that now remains is for these three to find a means and a basis of co-operation by which there will be formed the great threefold coalition of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet.

Another Federation.

How remarkable it is that just when on this side of the earth there is being accomplished this Federation of Protestantism that develops the false prophet in its full power and working, there is on the opposite side of the earth a blending of the only remaining, seperate elements of Paganism, in that which becomes the dragon in this threefold coalition of the world's apostasy! Japan, Korea, and China, are the only pagan nations on earth that remain separate from the domination of the so-called Christian powers. By her amazing progress as a nation, and by her splendid victories over Russia, Japan has gained the recognized ascendancy among these. This well-earned ascendancy she is fast reducing to the positive leadership. Indeed, already Korea has by Japan been practically absorbed. And now by the latest treaty arrangements, China works fairly hand in hand with Japan in carrying out the plans which Japan had already conceived. There is no room for doubt that under this leadership Japan will bind China as well as Korea to herself in the formation of a mighty power. And that power will be distinctly pagan—the dragon-element of the world's apostasy as finally shaped in the threefold division of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet. Then, when distinct Paganism on the other side of the earth, and apostate Protestantism on this side of the earth, and the Papacy everywhere between, shall have attained each its full latter-day development, there can very easily be formed a combination of the three in the things in which they are at one. And this will be all the more easy by means of the immense bids that are being made for Japan now to become a "Christian nation," as illustrated in President Roosevelt's letter to this very conference on federation, in which he said that "It is perfectly possible that the movement [for federation] may have a considerable effect in the Christianizing of Japan," and that "the Christian church in Japan must, of course, assume essentially a Japanese national form." But under such a "form," Japan will be essentially pagan, as before. And yet her system will be exactly that of the other two parts of the threefold combination. There are two things in which these three are even now largely, and more and more will be, at one, in which they can solidly unite; and these two things are essentially and pre-eminently pagan. These two things are the immortality of the soul, or natural immortality of man, and Sunday as the rest day. In the immortality of the soul, the arch-deceiver makes man independent of God, and in the Sunday-sabbath he puts himself above God, in the place of worship. Upon these two transcendent errors, Paganism, the Papacy, and backslidden Protestantism—the false prophet—can thoroughly unite. Upon these two things, and by means of these two things, they will finally unite; and by this world-despotism in religion will swing the world away to the colossal confusion of final Great Babylon, and to utter destruction, when "with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all."

But Christianity Separates from It All.

In the truth that men have life only by and in Christ, through His sacrifice of Himself, Christianity separates completely from the error of the immortality of the soul, and from all its many deceptive connections. In the truth of the Sabbath of the Lord as the memorial of the Creator, Christianity separates completely from all idolatry of every sort, and gives the knowledge of God as He is revealed in Jesus Christ. And by these two transcendent truths man is saved from all apostasy, is delivered from the confusion of Great Babylon, and is restored to the true worship of Him who "made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters," in the true keeping of "the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." And because of these things that are so manifestly tending to the making of the living

image of the beast and the enforced worship of the beast and his image, and to the grand world combination of Paganism, Papacy, and federated "Protestantism" in the likeness of the Papacy—because of these things, there is just now due to the world as never before, and with such a voice and power as never before, the mighty threefold message of God in "the everlasting Gospel to them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come; and worship Him that made heaven and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters." "Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication." "If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of His indignation." "Here is the patience of the saints; here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." "Babylon, the great, is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird." "Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues." ALONZO T. JONES.