WHO CHANGED THE LAWS OF THE MOST HIGH?
By Roswell F. Cottrell
IN Dan. vii. 20-25, is a prophecy of a blasphemous power that should arise upon earth, a most distinguished enemy of the Most High. That God's people might not be seduced by him, the works which he was to perform are pointed out; viz., He shall speak great words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and think to change times and laws. It is evident that the laws spoken of are the laws of the Most High; for his whole work is to oppose God. The changing of human laws would not be noted as a distinguishing characteristic of the man of sin. No; his distinguishing acts are against God and his saints, his times and his laws. By thus forewarning us that the man of sin would think to change the laws of God, to my mind, the Lord pledges himself that he will never change them; for, supposing that He knew that he would change his own laws at the beginning of the gospel dispensation, some 500 years before the rise of the little horn, the declaration that this horn should think to change them, would leave honest souls to be deceived, and to attribute God's own work to the enemy. He does not deceive his children; but he gave this as a sign by which we might distinguish that wicked power. Therefore we are safe in saying that the Most High stands pledged that he will not change the laws in question; so that when the prophecy is fulfilled, all can say, without fear, and with the utmost assurance, "An enemy hath done this." If none have taught a change in the laws of God, from the days of Daniel to the present time, we must conclude that this prophecy is not yet fulfilled; but a power did arise more than 1200 years ago that fulfilled the main points in the prophecy. The great words against God have been spoken, the saints have been worn out for many centuries, and there can be no reasonable doubt that the Papacy is the little horn. That the Papacy fulfilled this prediction is admitted. That the law of God has been changed, in some way, is also admitted; whether it is done by abolishing the whole, and re-enacting a part, or by changing a few words of one commandment, the change is admitted. But as absurd and astonishing as it may appear, it is claimed that Jesus Christ made the change 500 years before the Papacy was developed; thus making Christ fulfill the work of Antichrist! And while the Papal church claims that she made the change by her own authority, Protestants deny this claim, and stamp this distinguishing mark of the blasphemous little horn, upon our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Which is the most blasphemous assertion? It would seem that the days of Papal blasphemy are past, and that Protestants can now speak words which are too great for Papists to utter. Do we know that the little horn power has arisen? Yes. How? Because, among other things, it should think to change times and laws; and it is commonly reported that the law of God has been changed. But how do you know that Christ did not make the change? Because that work was assigned to the little horn, and was a foretold sign by which to distinguish that power when it should arise. Now suppose that Daniel had lived till the first advent, and had seen Jesus attempting to change the existing moral code of the Most High; who could condemn him, had he said, This is indeed the little horn! But our blessed Lord did no such work. He came not to subvert his Father's law but to ratify it.