- Jan 14, 2015
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It is incomprehensible how non-Catholics who reject the teachings of Roman Catholicism for its innumerable errors have willfully deluded themselves into believing that an institution that has failed to gain even a correct position on the most fundamental teaching in all of Christendom – salvation by grace through faith alone - is somehow to be trusted as having achieved spiritual enlightenment with regard to eschatological interpretation, namely the ever popular doctrine of Jesuit Futurism aka "Left Behind theology". In those well known words of Mr. Potato head in Toy Story, "Did we all take stupid pills this morning?"
Let's examine church history to see if in fact we have done just that:
The Protestant Reformation movement turned the theological world upside down and shook Christianity to its foundation. It began for all intents and purposes with Catholic monk Martin Luther nailing his famous "95 Theses" on the castle church door at Wittenberg, Germany on October 31, 1517 - 95 arguments against the legitimacy of the church's practice of selling “indulgences” (forgiveness). This came about as a result of Luther's humble, prayerful, diligent search of the Scriptures for truth to which God provided him an earth-shattering revelation of a truth kept hidden away by centuries old Papal dogma and superstition - salvation by grace through faith alone. Though Luther wanted to Reform his beloved church, after several years of contention the church ultimately excommunicated him and he went on to establish the first Protestant church: the Lutherans.
Luther again returned to searching prayerfully and diligently the Scriptures and soon met with another earth-shattering divine revelation: the Papacy was the Antichrist of Bible prophecy. Known as Historicism, this doctrine was unanimously held by every Protestant denomination established since Luther for over 300 years and these two doctrinal discoveries became the two pillars upon which the entire Protestant Reformation rested.
Quite naturally, the Catholic church's power and influence suffered immensely as Catholics abandoned their former faith and joined up with the Protestant Reformation. The “Council of Trent”, lasting a record 18 years, was convened in Italy for the sole purpose of finding a way to overthrow Protestantism. The Society of Jesus (Jesuits) was formed and two Jesuit priests were commissioned with the task of coming up with alternative interpretations of prophecy in order to exonerate the church. Jesuit Luis Alcazar came up with an idea is known today as Preterism which teaches that the Antichrist arose in the first century.
However, Jesuit Francisco Ribera came up with the now widely accepted idea that the Antichrist is one evil man that will arise during the last seven years of tribulation and sit in a rebuilt temple in Jerusalem where he will make a peace treaty between the Arabs and Jews, after which the breaking of it will usher in Armageddon.
No matter how unwelcome this historical fact may be, it remains historical fact and cannot be discounted. Consequently, the most popular eschatalogical interpretation held by Protestantism today actually came out of the very institution that has long since set itself up to destroy Protestantism, and sadly it seems that this very thing has been accomplished, what with Protestants rushing headlong to join up in ecumenical confederation with the same institution that put to death between 75-150 million saints who chose to bow to Christ rather than Antichrist. Like it or not, those who embrace Jesuit Futurism have in effect cast aside Luther's approach as having resulted in only compounded delusion while grasping tightly with both hands the approach of these two Jesuits who took up the Bible to confirm what they already decided was true! Is this the method by which sincere Christians, whether Protestant or Roman Catholic, believe spiritual enlightenment is to be achieved from Scripture?
It's time to decide whether we will take the time to revisit (or visit for the first time) the Biblical scholarship of Protestant Historicism or whether we'll continue to swallow Jesuit ideas about prophecy and chase them down with the Koolaid of confusion.
Let's examine church history to see if in fact we have done just that:
The Protestant Reformation movement turned the theological world upside down and shook Christianity to its foundation. It began for all intents and purposes with Catholic monk Martin Luther nailing his famous "95 Theses" on the castle church door at Wittenberg, Germany on October 31, 1517 - 95 arguments against the legitimacy of the church's practice of selling “indulgences” (forgiveness). This came about as a result of Luther's humble, prayerful, diligent search of the Scriptures for truth to which God provided him an earth-shattering revelation of a truth kept hidden away by centuries old Papal dogma and superstition - salvation by grace through faith alone. Though Luther wanted to Reform his beloved church, after several years of contention the church ultimately excommunicated him and he went on to establish the first Protestant church: the Lutherans.
Luther again returned to searching prayerfully and diligently the Scriptures and soon met with another earth-shattering divine revelation: the Papacy was the Antichrist of Bible prophecy. Known as Historicism, this doctrine was unanimously held by every Protestant denomination established since Luther for over 300 years and these two doctrinal discoveries became the two pillars upon which the entire Protestant Reformation rested.
Quite naturally, the Catholic church's power and influence suffered immensely as Catholics abandoned their former faith and joined up with the Protestant Reformation. The “Council of Trent”, lasting a record 18 years, was convened in Italy for the sole purpose of finding a way to overthrow Protestantism. The Society of Jesus (Jesuits) was formed and two Jesuit priests were commissioned with the task of coming up with alternative interpretations of prophecy in order to exonerate the church. Jesuit Luis Alcazar came up with an idea is known today as Preterism which teaches that the Antichrist arose in the first century.
However, Jesuit Francisco Ribera came up with the now widely accepted idea that the Antichrist is one evil man that will arise during the last seven years of tribulation and sit in a rebuilt temple in Jerusalem where he will make a peace treaty between the Arabs and Jews, after which the breaking of it will usher in Armageddon.
No matter how unwelcome this historical fact may be, it remains historical fact and cannot be discounted. Consequently, the most popular eschatalogical interpretation held by Protestantism today actually came out of the very institution that has long since set itself up to destroy Protestantism, and sadly it seems that this very thing has been accomplished, what with Protestants rushing headlong to join up in ecumenical confederation with the same institution that put to death between 75-150 million saints who chose to bow to Christ rather than Antichrist. Like it or not, those who embrace Jesuit Futurism have in effect cast aside Luther's approach as having resulted in only compounded delusion while grasping tightly with both hands the approach of these two Jesuits who took up the Bible to confirm what they already decided was true! Is this the method by which sincere Christians, whether Protestant or Roman Catholic, believe spiritual enlightenment is to be achieved from Scripture?
It's time to decide whether we will take the time to revisit (or visit for the first time) the Biblical scholarship of Protestant Historicism or whether we'll continue to swallow Jesuit ideas about prophecy and chase them down with the Koolaid of confusion.
