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The Great Controversy
It was designed to keep the living God ever before the minds of men
as the source of being and the object of reverence and worship. Satan
strives to turn men from their allegiance to God, and from rendering
obedience to His law; therefore he directs his efforts especially against
that commandment which points to God as the Creator.
Protestants now urge that the resurrection of Christ on Sunday
made it the Christian Sabbath. But Scripture evidence is lacking.
No such honor was given to the day by Christ or His apostles. The
observance of Sunday as a Christian institution had its origin in that
“mystery of lawlessness” (
2 Thessalonians 2:7
, R.V.) which, even in
Paul’s day, had begun its work. Where and when did the Lord adopt
this child of the papacy? What valid reason can be given for a change
which the Scriptures do not sanction?
In the sixth century the papacy had become firmly established. Its
seat of power was fixed in the imperial city, and the bishop of Rome
was declared to be the head over the entire church. Paganism had given
place to the papacy. The dragon had given to the beast “his power, and
his seat, and great authority.”
Revelation 13:2
. And now began the
1260 years of papal oppression foretold in the prophecies of Daniel
and the Revelation.
Daniel 7:25
;
Revelation 13:5-7
. (See Appendix.)
Christians were forced to choose either to yield their integrity and
accept the papal ceremonies and worship, or to wear away their lives
in dungeons or suffer death by the rack, the fagot, or the headsman’s
ax. Now were fulfilled the words of Jesus: “Ye shall be betrayed both
by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you
shall they cause to be put to death. And ye shall be hated of all men
for My name’s sake.”
Luke 21:16, 17
. Persecution opened upon the
faithful with greater fury than ever before, and the world became a vast
[55]
battlefield. For hundreds of years the church of Christ found refuge
in seclusion and obscurity. Thus says the prophet: “The woman fled
into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they
should feed her there a thousand two hundred and three-score days.”
Revelation 12:6
.
The accession of the Roman Church to power marked the beginning
of the Dark Ages. As her power increased, the darkness deepened.
Faith was transferred from Christ, the true foundation, to the pope
of Rome. Instead of trusting in the Son of God for forgiveness of
sins and for eternal salvation, the people looked to the pope, and to