Is the Catholic Church the Successor?
By T. E. Bowen
"The True Church in Both Testaments"—The Catholic and the Protestant Bible Teach the Same Thing
By T. E. BOWEN In Our Sunday Visitor (Roman Catholic), published at Huntington, Indiana, in its issue of July 26, 1914, under the title "The True Church in Both Testaments," the Rev. Joseph A. Berne makes an effort to show that the Catholic Church is the rightful offspring of the true church of the Old Testament, and he purports to do so "according to the Protestant Bible." The attempt is to show how the priestly service of the Catholic Church is the rightful successor on earth of priestly services of old, and hence is of divine origin. THE SCRIPTURES QUOTED BY THE PRIEST
The reader may be interested to know what scriptures are set forth from the Protestant Bible to prove this claim. So we quote:
"'The first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary.' Heb. 9:1.
"'Then: The new covenant has also ordinances of divine service and a worldly sanctuary.'" "WORLDLY SANCTUARY COPIED AFTER THE HEAVENLY PATTERN"
"'See . . . that thou make all things according to the pattern showed to thee in the mount.' Heb. 8:5.
"'All this, said David, the Lord made me understand in writing by His hand upon me, even all the works of this pattern.' 1 Chron. 28:19.
"'Behold with thine eyes, and hear with thine ears, and set thine heart upon all that I shall show thee; for to the intent that I might show them unto thee art thou brought hither; declare all that thou seest to the house of Israel.' Eze. 40:4. "'We serve [in the Protestant Bible, also in the Catholic Bible, it reads "Who serve" instead of "We serve"] unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God.' Heb. 8:5.
"'Holy places made with hands are the figures of the true.' Heb. 9:24.
"'Ye are come unto Mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the first-born.'" Heb. 12:22, 23. Following these scriptures, other scriptures are quoted from the Old Testament, showing heavenly manifestations of the acceptance of the tabernacle set up by Moses. But when it comes to the New Testament, only the scriptures can be cited which show the divine manifestations at Jesus' birth, the angels appearing to the shepherds, the star in the east, the transfiguration on the mount, and the descent of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost; all of which, as any one can see at a glance, wholly comes short of proving the assertions made in the opening premise regarding a worldly sanctuary on earth after Christ's death and resurrection. THE CENTER AND PITH OF THE GOSPEL
This question raised by the Catholic priest is the very center and pith of the gospel; and instead of these scriptures proving what this man is attempting to prove by them, they prove the exact opposite, and forever sound the death knell of this whole system of a worldly sanctuary, its priesthood, etc., with all its rituals of service, this side the cross. The apostle Paul, in his masterly argument to his Hebrew brethren, proves that God established their sanctuary service when He commanded Moses to build the tabernacle in the wilderness. He goes over it minutely, knowing that in doing so he raises no prejudice in their minds; for every true Israelite believed all this within his soul. But what was all this argument leading up to? What is the scheme of the whole book or letter? Was it that this tabernacle back there, with its offerings, its priesthood, its daily and yearly round of service, was typical of another such order to be established by Christ on earth?—Ah, no! The grand climax of it all is to prove that this earthly service simply served to the example and shadow of the heavenly service, which Jesus, our High Priest, entered upon when He ascended up on high. The statement that "the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary," is a correct quotation from the Protestant Bible; while the assertion and deduction of this priest, that "the new covenant has also ordinances of divine service and a worldly sanctuary," is not found in the Protestant Bible at all, nor in any other version. We do not suppose for a moment that he thought so, as no quotation marks are given, and no reference; but his readers, not having such a book as the Protestant Bible, and not being always keen on quotation marks, might innocently infer it to be a text.
Christ is the center of the Bible. Salvation came to sinners in olden time, as now, through faith in the Son of God. Christ is in the Old Testament as truly as in the New. Luke 24:17-26. The Old Testament exalts the Christ to come, while the New Testament exalts the Christ that has come, and who is coming again the second time. The salvation of men depends upon knowing and following Him, in His work, His ministry, whether that be on earth or in heaven. As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, and persons were healed of the serpents' poison by looking to that, so Christ is now lifted up, that sin's sting may be healed by looking to Him. WHERE DOES CHRIST MINISTER?
Now the vital question is, since Christ is through with the earthly sanctuary, where does He now minister,—on earth, or in heaven? If on earth, the papal arrangement might be right. If in heaven, it is all wrong, and consequently not of divine origin. To prove this, let us go to this same chapter in Hebrews from which this quotation is taken from the Protestant Bible, and read from the Catholic version itself, upon this very important subject. Verses 2-7 go on outlining the regular service of the priests in the earthly sanctuary, concerning which every Hebrew was conversant. There we read:
"'The Holy Ghost signifying this, that the way into the holies was not yet made manifest, whilst the former tabernacle was yet standing. Which is a parable of the time present: according to which gifts and sacrifices are offered, which can not, as to the conscience, make him perfect that serveth, only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and justices of the flesh laid on them until the time of correction.' Heb. 9:8-10.
All this service was typical simply of the true that was to come. All this was leading up to the coming of the Messiah, getting the church ready for the true divine service Christ was to enter upon Himself in heaven, after His passion, to be based upon the merits of His own precious blood.
But to go on, still reading from the Douay (Catholic) version:
"'But Christ, being come an High Priest of the good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hand, that is, not of this creation: neither by the blood of goats, or of calves, but by His own blood, entered once into the holies, having obtained eternal redemption.' Verses 11, 12.
And where is this holy place not made with human hands, of which the apostle is speaking? This quotation says it is not here, where hands of this earth, this creation, can build tabernacles. It is a greater than any of these, even than that made by Solomon, into which Christ Jesus, glorified, now enters.566 But to settle this still more surely, let us turn back to chapter 8, still reading from the Catholic Bible: "'Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an High Priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of majesty IN THE HEAVENS [capitals ours], a minister of the holies, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord hath pitched, and not man [italics ours].'" Forever, then, this settles it, as to where the services are carried on under the new covenant. The Catholic Bible, as well as the other translations, says they are carried on in heaven, by Christ Himself, and not on earth by man. Roman Catholic priests are men. They are also on earth. Hence, according to this word of God, it is impossible for them to act as the priests for Christ, in any sense whatever, as did the priests in Aaron's time and on down to the cross. Jesus' work was then connected with this earthly tabernacle. He Himself dwelt in the holy of holies in the visible Shekinah of glory. But not so now. He ministers in heaven. It is very evident, therefore, that this priest who opens the Protestant Bible to Hebrews 9 to try to prove that the Catholic Church is a divine successor of the Israelitish church established by God in the wilderness at Sinai, with its divine services, has opened at the wrong place, neither has he read very carefully his own Bible. The writer of Hebrews proves conclusively that the divine services of the earthly tabernacle closed forever on earth the very day Jesus, the true Sacrifice, expired on the cross; and that thereafter, so long as the gospel continues, and men receive the forgiveness of sins, services are transferred to heaven, where Jesus ministers in the tabernacle not pitched by man, of which the former, earthly tabernacle was an exact pattern. It is very interesting to note that this very thing, this putting the earthly in place of the heavenly, has been foretold by the prophet. Suppose we read this also out of the Catholic Bible. It is found in Dan. 8:9-12: "'Out of one of them came forth a little horn: and it became great against the south, and against the east, and against the strength. And it was magnified even unto the strength of heaven: and it threw down of the strength, and of the stars, and trod upon them. And it was magnified even to the Prince of the strength: and it took away from Him [the Prince, Jesus] the continual sacrifice [which He was carrying on in heaven], and cast down the place of His sanctuary. And strength was given Him against the continual sacrifice because of sins: and truth shall be cast down on the ground, and he shall do and shall prosper.'" Here is foretold exactly all this,—the turning aside of the attention of the people from Christ—the "strength of heaven," or the "Prince of the host," as rendered in the King James Version—who is ministering as man's High Priest in heaven, to an earthly service, to earthly priests, and to an earthly sacrifice in the hands of these priests—the mass. That which interested Daniel was to know how long this perversion of the truth would be permitted to go on. In his hearing, two angels talked it over. Here is what they said. We still read from the Catholic Bible:
"'And I heard one of the saints speaking, and one saint said to another, I know not to whom that was speaking: How long shall be the vision, concerning the continual sacrifice, and the sin of the desolation that is made: and the sanctuary [the true tabernacle, not pitched by man, in heaven], and the strength [Christ Jesus, its Priest] be trodden under foot? And he said to him: Unto evening and morning two thousand three hundred days: and the sanctuary shall be cleansed.' Dan. 8:9-14. This longest prophetic period mentioned in the Bible ended in 1844. It is a very remarkable truth that at just this time exactly, light upon this whole perversion of the sanctuary service burst in upon the minds of many devout Christians. A door, so to speak, was opened, and some by faith entered with Jesus into it. This beautiful truth that is given us in Hebrews they saw,—that Jesus was their High Priest, ministering for them in heaven. This light has been flooding the world ever since, in increasingly steady rays. Men have tried to shut this door which Jesus Himself opened, but have been unable to do so. And to-day it is salvation to look to Him there, rather than to look for cleansing from sin to any man here on earth. As Jesus left the temple the last time, He said, "Behold, your house is left unto you desolate." Matt. 23:38. The hour He perished upon the cross, the veil of this same earthly temple, separating the holy from the most holy, was by unseen hands rent asunder. "Jesus, when He had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom." Matt. 27:50, 51. Forty days after His resurrection, Jesus ascended to heaven, and the disciples saw Him go. Acts 1:1-8. Ten days after this, He began His ministry in the true tabernacle in heaven, of which the earthly was an exact pattern; and on that very day He sent down the Holy Ghost upon the disciples, "this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all" was now made manifest, superseding all Jewish earthly sacrifices, as well as all priestly services on earth by any one else. The invitation to all sinners now is, to come to Him. "Seeing then that we have a great High Priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an High Priest which can not be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace [by faith], that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." Heb. 4:14-16. Let us do it. Jesus ever lives, and so needs no successor as priest. According to His own word, we down here are brethren of His, servants, meekly to follow in His footsteps and do His will.