40
2017 - 500 r etter Luther 2017 - 500 r etter Luther! ...Hva har sviktet siden Martin Luthers tid?

2017 - 500 år etter Luther 500 år etter Luther!Martin Luther, with his 95 theses and preaching, revealed that priesthood s traditions and teachings were not in harmony with the Bible

  • Upload
    others

  • View
    3

  • Download
    0

Embed Size (px)

Citation preview

Page 1: 2017 - 500 år etter Luther 500 år etter Luther!Martin Luther, with his 95 theses and preaching, revealed that priesthood s traditions and teachings were not in harmony with the Bible

2017- 500 år etter Luther2017 -

500 år etter Luther!

...Hva har sviktet siden Martin Luthers tid?

Page 2: 2017 - 500 år etter Luther 500 år etter Luther!Martin Luther, with his 95 theses and preaching, revealed that priesthood s traditions and teachings were not in harmony with the Bible

On October 31, 2017, it will be 500 yearsago since Martin Luther nailed the 95theses on the church door in Wittenberg.These 95 theses revealed some of theCatholic Church�s unbiblical traditionsand teachings. People are amazed that asingle man would dare to do such a thing.Imagine speaking against Rome - one managainst an entire system.

The 95 theses were spread throughout allGermany and the rest of the world in avery short period of time. People quicklyunderstood that the Catholic Churchpromoted many unbiblical teachings andtraditions, and therefore joined Luther�scamp. Many lively debates resulted andthe 95 theses caused people to thinkdifferently on their own.

Only the priesthood had the Bible; theywere looked up to by the people. They

2017 - 500 years after Luther...What has gone wrong since the time of Martin Luther?

were trusted to convey the word of Godcorrectly. Martin Luther, with his 95theses and preaching, revealed thatpriesthood�s traditions and teachings werenot in harmony with the Bible�s teachings.There quickly arose two distinct camps -the Catholic Church vs. the teachings ofLuther.

Because Luther held fast to his findingsand to his teachings, he was ultimatelysummoned to appear before the Diet ofWorms. The Diet wanted him to conformto the norms of the day and to renounceall that he had said and done. Nonetheless,Luther said: �Prove from the writings ofthe prophets and apostles that I haveerred. As soon as I am convinced of this,I will retract every error, and be the firstto lay hold of my books and throw theminto the fire.� He continued: �I cannotsubmit my faith either to the pope or to

Page 3: 2017 - 500 år etter Luther 500 år etter Luther!Martin Luther, with his 95 theses and preaching, revealed that priesthood s traditions and teachings were not in harmony with the Bible

3

the councils, because it is clearas the day that they havefrequently erred andcontradicted each other. Unlesstherefore I am convinced by thetestimony of Scripture or by theclearest reasoning, unless I ampersuaded by means of thepassages I have quoted, andunless they thus render my con-science bound by the word ofGod, I cannot and I will notretract, for it is unsafe for aChristian to speak against hisconscience. Here I stand, I can do noother; may God help me. Amen.�(D�Aubigné, book 7, chap. 8).

Protest by the Christian princes

Emperor Charles V wanted to stop Lut-her and the Reformation. He called forthe Diet of Spires in 1529, much to thepleasure of the pope�s men. Here it wasdecided to prevent the Reformers fromspreading their teachings. It wasfurthermore decided that the Reformersshould not come into conflict with, norgo against, the mass, and that not a singleCatholic be allowed to adopt Luther�steaching.

Those Christian princes, who were posi-tive about the Reformation, decided toreveal their protest before the nationalcouncil. They wrote, among other things:�We neither consent nor adhere in anymanner whatsoever to the proposeddecree, in anything that is contrary toGod, to His holy word, to our right con-science, to the salvation of our souls...We are resolved, with the grace of God,to maintain the pure and exclusivepreaching of His only word, such as itis contained in the biblical books of the

Old and New Testaments, withoutadding anything thereto that may becontrary to it.� (D�Aubigne, book 13,chap. 6).

Their Protest gave to the reformed churchthe name of Protestant; its principles arethe very essence of Protestantism.

With what authority?

Martin Luther and the Reformers were ofthe opinion that the Christian shouldfollow the Bible and the Bible alone,when discussing faith and teaching. TheCatholic Church on the other hand saidthat one should follow the Bible and tra-dition. On this point, the breach was veryclear.

The Catholic Church said that Luther andthe Reformers should conform to thechurch�s and the state�s conclusions. TheReformers said they would only do so iftheir conclusions were not in oppositionto the word of God. The Reformersbelieved that they had the right to followtheir own conscience when dealing withfaith and teaching. Rome, on the otherhand, believed that when the majority ina church council had decided what was

Page 4: 2017 - 500 år etter Luther 500 år etter Luther!Martin Luther, with his 95 theses and preaching, revealed that priesthood s traditions and teachings were not in harmony with the Bible

4

right, all should abide by their decision.As a result, each individual was to take astand: either God�s word alone, or thechurch�s teachings (tradition) alongsidethe Bible.

Persecution

Because the Reformers would not bowdown to Rome, the Catholic Churchbegan persecuting them. The Reformershad gone against Rome�s authority andthey were now to be done away with. Oldhistory books, which are very rare today,tell of a gruesome persecution. Many ofthe Reformers were cast into prison un-der inhumane circumstances, others werepersecuted in lonely places in the Alps,others were given to wild animals, manyothers were tortured under the Inquisition,while others died by the sword. Thestories about the Catholic Church�sgruesome persecutions and punishmentsshook the world before and after Luther�stime. Many of the Reformers receivedthreats and were banned by the pope.When banned by the pope, anyone couldkill them. Many of the Reformers wereburned at the stake � as was Hieronymus,Jan Hus, Louis de Berquin, WilliamTyndale and many others. The body ofJohn Wycliffe was exhumed and thebones were burned and the ashes throwninto a nearby river. In England alone,there were 289 protestants burned at thestake during the reign of Catholic QueenMary 1 from 1555-1558. In connectionto this, it is noteworthy to see what Jesussaid: �Inasmuch as ye have done it untoone of the least of these My brethren, yehave done it unto Me.� (Matthew 25:40).The Catholic Church and its leaders havemuch for which they will be heldaccountable! Fortunately, it is God who

will take care this. He sees all things andHe will judge righteously. It is worthwhileto think about this in connection with thisverse: �For God shall bring every workinto judgment, with every secret thing,whether it be good, or whether it be evil.�(Ecclesiastes 12:14).

It is clear that there is forgiveness for allsins, if one repents, confesses his sin andasks for forgiveness, but we have neverread or heard about the Catholic Churchgoing before the cross, repenting andconfessing all the gruesome persecution,torture and killing of people who had adifferent faith before, during and after Lu-ther�s time.

Think about it. The Catholic Church orde-red the burning of people just becausethey had a different faith? Think abouthow the gruesome torture people enduredunder the Inquisition � just because theyhad a different faith? Consider those whodied by the sword � just because they hada different faith? Think about those whowere exiled, banned from society � justbecause they had a different faith; and thelist could go on and on. At the same time,this church organisation is to be conside-red to be Christian. Does such behaviourhave anything to do with Christ? No, it isnone other than the Devil and Satan whois behind such gruesome doings. It wasnot just for one day, or one month or oneyear that these gruesome events tookplace, but over several hundreds of years.It is also noteworthy that the former popeBenedict XVI was the leader of theInquisition up until 2005. Today, theInquisition has a new name �Congregation for the Doctrine of theFaith. The current leader of theCongregation is Archbishop GerhardLudwig Müller.

Page 5: 2017 - 500 år etter Luther 500 år etter Luther!Martin Luther, with his 95 theses and preaching, revealed that priesthood s traditions and teachings were not in harmony with the Bible

5

The Reformers offered everything forGod�s cause. Even at the stake theywitnessed for Jesus. What aboutourselves: Do we realize what Jesus hasdone for us? Do we realize His great loveand grace toward us? Do we offer all forGod�s sake?

Love your enemies

If we compare Jesus with the papacy,which has hunted down people who wereof another faith, He says: �But I say untoyou, Love your enemies, bless them thatcurse you, do good to them that hate you,and pray for them which despitefully useyou, and persecute you.� (Matthew5:44).

What a completely differentspirit from that of thepapacy! God has created uswith a free will so thateveryone can make perso-nal choices regardingreligious issues. We shouldnot force people to believeas I do or as you do. Allshould have the right toworship God according totheir own conscience. It iswrong when imprisonment,torture and the sword areused to compel obedience.There is a big differencebetween killing onesenemies and loving them!God�s children will lovetheir enemies. Jesus, ourCreator and Sustainer, lo-ves all (John 1:3;Colossians 1:17). Jesussays: �Come unto Me, allye that labour and areheavy laden, and I will give

you rest.� (Matthew 11:28). He also says:�All that the Father giveth Me shallcome to Me; and him that cometh to MeI will in no wise cast out.� (John 6:37).Jesus desires that we all shall come tounderstand the truth and be saved.

Is the pope Jesus� representative?

The pope sees himself as the Vicar ofChrist on earth, but all should see that thepopes do not represent Christ. The popessurround themselves with pompous dis-play but Jesus said: �The foxes have ho-les, and the birds of the air have nests;but the Son of man hath not where tolay His head.� (Matthew 8:20). Jesuswore a simple garment while the popeshave huge, expensive wardrobes. The

popes live in extravagantbuildings, use millions ontrips and have bodyguardson every side. We clearlysee that the pope has othervalues than Jesus does.Thus the title that theCatholic Church hasplaced upon the pope doesnot fit at all! It is amockery against Christand the righteous, humblelife He lived.

The Catholic Church isextremely wealthy. Jesussaid to the rich man: �Onething thou lackest: go thyway, sell whatsoever thouhast, and give to the poor,and thou shalt havetreasure in heaven: andcome, take up the cross,and follow Me.� (Mark10:21).

Page 6: 2017 - 500 år etter Luther 500 år etter Luther!Martin Luther, with his 95 theses and preaching, revealed that priesthood s traditions and teachings were not in harmony with the Bible

6

Since the Vatican has such enormouswealth, the pope himself should alsofollow this appeal, if he claims to be thehumble Saviour�s representative.

Martin Luther knew the Catholic Churchfrom the inside and said: �It is a horriblething to behold the man who styleshimself Christ�s vicegerent, displaying

a magnificence that no emperor canequal. Is this being like the poor Jesus,or the humble Peter? He is, say they, thelord of the world! But Christ, whosevicar he boasts of being, has said, �Mykingdom is not of this world.� Can thedominions of a vicar extend beyondthose of his superior?� D�Aubigne, book6, chap. 3).

Global power

Many believe that the Catholic Churchhas changed since committing itshorrendous acts during the time of the Re-formation � but she has not changed. Shehas the same dogmas and teachings shehas always had. She has merelyclothedherself in Christian garments to beaccepted. Now that she has been acceptedand received power again, not just in the

EU, but also globally, we will soon seewhat the papacy stands for. Just as sheused the power of the state during the timeof the Reformers, she will use the stateand the international laws to aid inregaining power in our time.

Pope Paul VI wrote in a section entitled:Toward an Effective World Authority:

�This internationalcollaboration on aworldwide scale requiresinstitutions that willprepare, co-ordinate, anddirect it until finally thereis established an order ofjustice which is universallyrecognised. Who does notsee the necessity of thusestablishing progressivelya world authority capableof acting effectively in thejudicial and politicalsectors.� � Pope Paul VI

Popolorum Progressio 1967,78.

Then the question arises: Which institu-tions is the Catholic Church workingtogether with, in order to establish a newglobal order? I think we can all see them,through UN, EU, NATO, The AfricanUnion, IMF and so on.

The former pope Benedict XVI issued adecisive appeal to world leaders in hisrecent encyclical, stating: �There is anurgent need of a true world politicalauthority, to manage the globaleconomy with God-centred ethics�toend the current worldwide financialcrisis.� - by Cathy Lynn Grossman, USAToday, 7/7/2009.

We must not forget that the CatholicChurch desires to be a universal power.

Page 7: 2017 - 500 år etter Luther 500 år etter Luther!Martin Luther, with his 95 theses and preaching, revealed that priesthood s traditions and teachings were not in harmony with the Bible

7

She wishes to have global control. It isCatholics who started the EU and it is theVatican who is behind the idea of a NewWorld Order. It is the international lawsthat are to govern in the New World Orderand thereby gain power � global power.

In his bestselling book The Keys of ThisBlood, the Jesuit Professor and Vaticaninsider, Malachi Martin, revealed it all:

�Willing or not, ready or not, we areall involved in an all-out, no-holds-bar-red, three-way global competition. Mostof us are not competitors�. We are thestakes�. the competition is about whowill establish the first one-world systemof government that has ever existed inthe society of nations. It is about whowill hold and yield the dual power ofAUTHORITY AND CON-TROL OVER EACH OF USAS INDIVIDUALS ANDOVER ALL OF US TOGET-HER AS A COMMUNITY�in the third millennium�.now that it has been started,there is no way it can becalled off.... our way of lifeas individuals and ascitizens... even the badges ofour national identity... willhave been powerfully andradically altered forever. Noone can be exempted from itseffects. No sector of our liveswill remain untouched.�[Emphasis supplied] - Malachi Martin,Keys of This Blood: Pope John Paul IIVersus Russia and the West for Controlof the New World Order (1991), pp. 12-16).

Martin says the Pope will be �the victorin that competition.� On page 341 of his

book, Malachi Martin makes it clear thatthis one-world government will be�dominated by an internationalbureaucracy which controls and directsevery citizen and every nation�

Let us take a look at a few quotationsthat describe how the Catholic Churchidentifies herself:

�The Church of Rome is one monarchyover all the kingdoms, as the mind andof the body, or as God in the world.Therefore, the Church of Rome must notonly have the spiritual power, but alsothe supreme temporal power.� (Pope LeoXIII, Apostolic Letter, 1879). PopeGregory reiterated this view, when hesaid, �The power of the Church issuperior to the power of the state.� Dr.

G. F. van Schulte, professor of canonicallaw, states: �All human power is fromevil and must therefore be standing un-der the Pope.� (T. W. Callaway:Romanism vs. Americanism, p. 120).

These references make it very clear thatthis political church is working toward

Page 8: 2017 - 500 år etter Luther 500 år etter Luther!Martin Luther, with his 95 theses and preaching, revealed that priesthood s traditions and teachings were not in harmony with the Bible

gaining power by controllinggovernments and state powers. The Ro-man Catholic Church is working basedupon the idea �de jure divino�, a Latinphrase which means that the church hasthe holy right to rule over the entire world,powers, and people. It claims to havereceived this right from God Himself andwill use all means to reach this goal � glo-bal domination.

Dr. Brorson, a renowned Catholicauthority, once wrote: �The pope has theright to pronounce sentence ofdeposition against any sovereign, whenrequired by the good of the spiritualorder� the power of the churchexercised over sovereigns in the MiddleAges was not usurpation, was not deri-ved from the concessions of princes orthe consent of the people, but was and isheld by divine right, and he who resistsit, rebels against the king of king andlord of lords.� (Catholic Review, June1851).

Although this was written long ago, theChurch of Rome says that it neverchanges. Dr. Brorson confirmed this po-sition: �What the Church has done, whatshe has expressedor tacitlyapproved in the

past, that is exactly what she will do,express or tacitly approve in the future,if the same circumstances occur.�(Catholic Review, January 1854).

We will see that all types of rebellionagainst this power in these end times, aswell as lack of recognition of the church�sauthority, will be punished, also by theEU.

Before the Second Vatican Council(1962-1965), the Catholic Church calledthose of other faiths heretics. Since thisCouncil, the heretics are now seen asseparated brethren. The Catholic Churchsays she alone has the truth and that thereis no salvation outside of their church.

The ecumenical movement

The Catholic Church today is trying tounite all church denominations throughthe ecumenical movement. They haveasked the Jesuits in Rome to create adialogue between the churchdenominations in trying to gather themunder the Catholic Church. We can seethat there has been a change. The CatholicChurch has not changed its doctrines, but

it is Protestantism that hascome closer to Rome.

Page 9: 2017 - 500 år etter Luther 500 år etter Luther!Martin Luther, with his 95 theses and preaching, revealed that priesthood s traditions and teachings were not in harmony with the Bible

9

Charta Oecumenica is the title of thepreferred document they use in theecumenical movement and it is clear fromthis document that they desire to work anddo missionary work together. They seekunity upon those things they can agree andthose things they disagree on are putaside. Jesus Christ desires that we shallcome to unity in Him on all levels. Not aunity based upon democracy and majorityvote, but on unity in Christ. Unity in thefaith of Jesus � on all levels. If we cannotbe one with the church councils, we mustthen follow Christ.

Those who do mission work, independentof a church denomination, are lookedupon as offshoots or a type of traitor �and traitors are to be dealt with. Luther,Melanchton, Tyndale, Calvin, Wycliffe,Hieronymus, Wesley, Hus, Zwingli,Berquin, the Waldensians and other wereconsidered to be traitors. The �traitors�desired to have the Bible and the Biblealone as the basis of their faith. As wehave seen, the Catholic Church wasdetermined to stop and do away with thetraitors (Reformers) during the MiddleAges. Traitors today, the Reformers oftoday, are against the ecumenicalmovement. The ecumenical movement oftoday wants the Bible and tradition as thenorm, while Reformers of today continuein the path of Luther and the Reformersof his time, having the Bible and Biblealone as the foundation of faith andteaching.

The Bible declares quite clearly that thispersecuting power would receive a deadlywound and that the wound be healed. Thepapacy received a deadly wound in 1798,when Pope Pius VI was taken prisonerby Napoleon�s General Berthier and laterdied as a prisoner in France. The papacy

received the Vatican state back again in1929 through Mussolini and since thattime has gained greater power andinfluence in the world. Pope John Paul IItravelled around the world andestablished diplomatic ties with one coun-try after another. Pope Benedict XVIcontinued his work, and now the new Je-suit pope, Pope Francis, continues to gat-her all regions of the world under thepapacy�s banner through the ecumenical

movement, in trying to gain unity withthose who have deviated. In order toaccomplish this, they legislate internatio-nal laws � political, religious andeconomic/financial laws. The internatio-nal laws are to be above national/locallaw and it is because of this that they caninfluence nations and people. Law governnations and when a nation is subject tointernational laws that are made by theglobalists, who work for the New WorldOrder, then that nation surrenders itsindependence and sovereignty. Thisdevelopment takes place on the political,religious and economic/financial level. Itis a gradual occupation that takes placeover many years � it is a development thattakes place gradually and unnoticed. Soonthose who are not loyal towards the in-

Page 10: 2017 - 500 år etter Luther 500 år etter Luther!Martin Luther, with his 95 theses and preaching, revealed that priesthood s traditions and teachings were not in harmony with the Bible

10

ternational laws, whether the state�s orchurch�s laws, will be looked upon asinsubordinate citizens. They will besubject to punishment and other forms ofdiscipline. The papacy�s abuse of power

will be seen again, but the big surprisewill be that those who once protestedagainst their abuse of power will now betheir allies (Revelation 13:11-17). It is theBible that reveals this and we believe inthe word of God.

Rome never changesIs it surprising to you that Protestants arenow extending their hand toward Romeand are working together with Rome? Itis clear that Protestants have forgottenhow Rome persecuted those of otherfaiths as in the time of Luther. As we haveseen, there were many who wereimprisoned, persecuted and torturedbecause of their faith. So if we don�t knowour history or our Bible, we will not knowwhat will happen in the future. Romenever changes and history repeats itself.The Catholic Church has just clotheditself in the garments of Christianity. Thissystem today is a wolf in sheep�s clothing.

They operate with a white and black pope.The white pope charms the masses withall his pomp and wealth, while the otherpope, the leader of the Jesuits, works insecret, in darkness. It is the Jesuits who

are the Vatican�s secretly trainedsoldiers. In accordance with theJesuit oath, they shall create warin order to destroy governmentsand thereby have that regime alignitself with theirs. They areencouraged to infiltrate otherdenominations and be a Lutheranamongst the Lutherans, a Baptistamongst the Baptists, aPentecostal amongst Pentecostals,an Adventist amongst Adventists,etc. Through education they cangain position and through thesepositions influence thatdenomination to take part in the

ecumenical movement. They arecompletely loyal toward the pope and ifthey wish and if it is necessary, use thesword�s edge or any other form of weaponto accomplish their goal. Those who readthe Jesuit oath, which they swear to thepope before they begin their duty, willcome to understand this. (Seewww.endtime.net - The Elite Tightens theGrip). Most Protestants close their eyesto Rome�s ingenuous strategy in order tocome into unity within the religiousworld.

Day of celebration

Now that they will celebrate the Refor-mation and Martin Luther�s 500th

anniversary, one could imagine a revivalof the Reformation spirit and people bereminded about Martin Luther�s battleagainst the Catholic Church. But the factis that Protestantism is nearly completelydead today. In this celebration it may be

Page 11: 2017 - 500 år etter Luther 500 år etter Luther!Martin Luther, with his 95 theses and preaching, revealed that priesthood s traditions and teachings were not in harmony with the Bible

11

possible to hear that, during Luther�s time,there were some people who weredissatisfied with the system during thattime and that the Reformation was a resultof misunderstanding, bitterness andinsignificant conflicts. We are now in anew era. Everything has changed. Nowwe would like to have unity and notdisunity. We will see that both Catholicand �Protestant� church leaders will eng-age in efforts to achieve unity instead ofconflict, and in many places �Protestant�Church leaders, together with CatholicChurch leaders, will arrange ecumenicalgatherings in many different places andcelebrate Luther - also with the JesuitPope Francis. The Bible says that theywill be so united that they have one mind,but the Bible reveals that these powerswar against Christ and those whofaithfully stand on the side of Christ.(Revelation 17:12-14).

The ecumenical movement gathers bothCatholics and Protestants around the sametable. We repeat: Unity is a good thing,but it should be unity in Christ and notbased upon majority decisions and

religious lobbying. Jesus said: �That theyall may be one; as thou, Father, art inme, and I in thee, that they also may beone in us: that the world may believe thatthou hast sent me.� (John 17:21).

It should not be unity for unity�s sake, butunity in Christ.

If Luther were alive and could see howthey would celebrate his reformationtogether, he would reprimand bothCatholics and apostate Protestants. It isapostate protestants who are flirting withRome.

We see that the Holy Scripture is fulfil-led, for example, �and all the worldwondered after the beast [papacy], and�for thy merchants were the great menof the earth; for by thy [papal] sorcerieswere all nations deceived.� (Revelation13:3 and 18:23). The papacy uses sorcery,which is so clever that the majority haveno clue about what is taking place. Butwhen they have succeeded in gaining allto go along with their internationalstrategy and lawmaking, they will thenpersecute those who are opposed andreveal their false teaching and strategy �just as they persecuted Luther,Hieronymus, Wycliffe, Hus, Berquin,Zwingli and many others.

Has the Catholic Church changed?

Now after 500 years after Luther we ask:Has the Catholic Church changed? No!The Catholic Church continues to pro-mote unbiblical teachings and traditions.Let us take a look at a few of these:

1. The Catholic Church believes that thepope is Jesus� vicar on earth. [A vicar is astand-in, a deputy.] The Bible on the other

Page 12: 2017 - 500 år etter Luther 500 år etter Luther!Martin Luther, with his 95 theses and preaching, revealed that priesthood s traditions and teachings were not in harmony with the Bible

12

hand says that Jesus sent the Holy Spiritto take His place. (John 14:16-17). Theybelieve that Peter was the first pope, butimperfect Peter could not be the Vicar ofChrist. Jesus said: �Upon this rock I willbuild my church� (Matthew 16:15-18).The Greek word for �this rock� = Petra.The word Petra means rock. The origi-nal Greek for the word Peter = Petros,which means stone or rolling stone. It isupon Christ we shall build our churchupon and not upon an imperfect person,just as all the popes throughout the ageshave been imperfect. Paul writesconcerning the children of Israel whenthey were in the wilderness: �And did alldrink the same spiritual drink: for theydrank of that spiritual Rock thatfollowed them: and that Rock wasChrist.� (1 Corinthians 10:4). Jesus is theRock and not Peter.

2. The Catholic Church believes thatwhen the priest shares the bread duringthe Lord�s Supper and says somemysterious words, the bread then literally

turns into Jesus� flesh. In this way theyoffer Jesus� body as a new sacrifice everytime they partake of the bread (inconnection with the Lord�s Supper). Theybelieve that the priest can create theCreator and then can eat Him. When Jesusinstituted the Lord�s Supper, He blessedthe bread and broke it and said: �Take,eat: this is my body, which is broken foryou: this do in remembrance of me.� (1Corinthians 11:24). When we eat thebread, it is to remind us of Jesus� sacrificefor us on Golgotha�s cross and that Hisbody was broken for us and His bloodspilled on our behalf. In addition, theBible says that Jesus was offered once andfor all (Hebrews 7:28; 9:28). It is amockery of Jesus and His sacrifice to of-fer Him afresh every time the bread iseaten and the wine drunk, as takes placein the Catholic Holy Communion. Thisjust shows that they don�t accept Jesus�sacrifice as sufficient and good enoughto save us.

Page 13: 2017 - 500 år etter Luther 500 år etter Luther!Martin Luther, with his 95 theses and preaching, revealed that priesthood s traditions and teachings were not in harmony with the Bible

FOTO: Fondazione Cariplo

13

3. The Catholic Church has removed thesecond commandment from its catechism.The second commandment states that weshall not worship graven images. (Exodus20:4-6). Images of the Virgin Mary areworshipped in the Catholic Church andthe worshippers believe that it is Marywho appears in Fatima as well as otherplaces around the world. Mary, however,died around 2000 years ago, so it mustbe another spirit that reveals itself as theVirgin Mary.

4. The Catholic Church believes that theVirgin Mary was taken up to heaven andthat our prayers are to come to her first,in order to reach Jesus and the Father. Thisis something Catholics have fabricatedthemselves, since Mary has been dead foraround 2000 years. She lies in the grave,just like all others who are have died andawait the resurrection morning. (1Thessalonians 4:15-17).

The Bible clearly states that �there arethree that bear record in heaven, theFather, the Word, and the Holy Ghost:and these three are one.� (1 John 5:7).The Catholic Church has taken this textout of the original text in TextusVaticanus, because they propose that thereare four special, holy people in heaven,where Mary is the fourth and the one whothey pray to. Jesus says: �I am the way,the truth, and the life: no man comethunto the Father, but by Me.� (John 14:6).Jesus is the only mediator between theFather and us. Our prayers come to theFather through Him. �For there is oneGod, and one mediator between God andmen, the man Christ Jesus.� (1 Timothy2:5).

5. The Catholic Church says that the popeand the priesthood can forgive sin. The

question is then asked: Shall we go to thepriest, to Mary or to Jesus in order toreceive forgiveness for our sins? TheBible makes it clear �sin is transgressionof the law� (1 John 3:4). �For all havesinned, and come short of the glory ofGod.� (Romans 3:23). �For the wagesof sin is death...� (Romans 6:23). As aresult, we are all originally condemnedto die. Jesus is the only one who can saveus from sin. He has created us, He gaveHis life for us and He can free us fromthe condemnation of sin. It is only He whohas lived a perfect life without sin hereon earth. We read: �For we have not anhigh priest which cannot be touchedwith the feeling of our infirmities; butwas in all points tempted like as we are,yet without sin.� (Hebrews 4:15).Therefore: �If the Son therefore shallmake you free, ye shall be free indeed.�(John 8:36).

Only Jesus can make us free if we confessand repent of our sins and ask forforgiveness.

Page 14: 2017 - 500 år etter Luther 500 år etter Luther!Martin Luther, with his 95 theses and preaching, revealed that priesthood s traditions and teachings were not in harmony with the Bible

14

Shall we go to the priest, the pope, or toJesus? We have already seen that there isonly one saviour and one mediatorbetween God the Father and us humanbeings � Jesus Christ. We must not forgetthat we must confess our fault to the per-son whom we have sinned against. Weread: �Take heed to yourselves: If thybrother trespass against thee, rebuke

him; and if he repent, forgive him.�(Luke 17:3).

We shall go the person whom we havewronged, confess our sin and then allowthat person to forgive us. A priest or popehas nothing to do with this issue.Ultimately it is Jesus who forgives us. Weread in the Lord�s Prayer: �And forgiveus our debts, as we forgive our debtors.�(Matthew 6:12).

John describes it this way: �These thingswrite I unto you, that ye sin not. And ifany man sin, we have an advocate withthe Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.�(1 John 2:1-2).

It is only through Jesus Christ that thesinner can be forgiven and thereby

granted access to God�s kingdom. Jesusalone is our Saviour, our Mediator andour Advocate with the Father. We are togo to Him with our sin. When we realisewe have sinned, have repented and soughtHim for forgiveness, we then have thispromise: �If we confess our sins, He isfaithful and just to forgive us our sins,and to cleanse us from all

unrighteousness.� (1 John1:9).

The Catholic priests and thepope position themselves inChrist�s place and take on Hisrole when they assume theability to forgive sin. TheBible has predicted that thisapostasy would come. Weread: � Let no man deceiveyou by any means: for thatday shall not come, exceptthere come a falling awayfirst, and that man of sin berevealed, the son of perdition;

who opposeth and exalteth himselfabove all that is called God, or that isworshipped; so that he as God sitteth inthe temple of God, shewing himself thathe is God.� (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4).

He who is called the man of sin, the sonof perdition and the lawless one, placeshimself in the place of Christ. He sits inGod�s temple as if he were God. It is noneother than the pope we are talking about.He is the lawless one who has changedGod�s Ten Commandments. He takes theplace of Christ as mediator and says hecan forgive sin. Why should the Prote-stant world work together with the manof sin, the son of perdition, the lawlessone?

6. The Catholic Church believes in the

Page 15: 2017 - 500 år etter Luther 500 år etter Luther!Martin Luther, with his 95 theses and preaching, revealed that priesthood s traditions and teachings were not in harmony with the Bible

15

immortality of the soul. They believe thatwhen a person dies, they go on to live inthe form of a soul or spirit. What doesthe Bible say about this? We read: �Andthe LORD God formed man of the dustof the ground, and breathed into hisnostrils the breath of life; and manbecame a living soul.� (Genesis 2:7). Itsays that humans become living souls anddo not receive a soul. We read furtherabout who is it that dies: �The soul thatsinneth, it shall die.� (Ezekiel 18:20).

The teaching of the immortality of thesoul has its beginning from Satan�s firstlie in the Garden of Eden. God said toAdam and Eve that they should not eatfrom a specific tree in the garden. If theyate of the fruit from this specific tree, theywould die. But Satan said to Eve: No, �Yeshall not surely die!� (Genesis 3:4).

This lie from Satan is the basis for theimmortality of the soul teaching and hasbecome widespread among many religi-ons today. But what does the Bible say?The wise man Solomon says: �For theliving know that they shall die: but thedead know not any thing, neither have

they any more a reward; for the memoryof them is forgotten. Also their love, andtheir hatred, and their envy, is now

perished; neither have they any more aportion for ever in any thing that is doneunder the sun� Whatsoever thy handfindeth to do, do it with thy might; forthere is no work, nor device, norknowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave,whither thou goest.� (Ecclesiastes 9:5-6, 10).

Let us take a couple more scriptures:�Marvel not at this: for the hour iscoming, in the which all that are in the

graves shall hear His voice,and shall come forth; theythat have done good, untothe resurrection of life; andthey that have done evil, untothe resurrection of dam-nation.� (John 5:28, 29).

Paul reaches the sameconclusion when he talksabout the Second Coming ofJesus: �For this we say untoyou by the word of the Lord,that we which are alive andremain unto the coming of

Page 16: 2017 - 500 år etter Luther 500 år etter Luther!Martin Luther, with his 95 theses and preaching, revealed that priesthood s traditions and teachings were not in harmony with the Bible

16

the Lord shall not prevent [precede]them which are asleep. For the LordHimself shall descend from heaven witha shout, with the voice of the archangel,

and with the trump of God: and the deadin Christ shall rise first: Then we whichare alive and remain shall be caught uptogether with them in the clouds, to meetthe Lord in the air: and so shall we everbe with the Lord.� (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17).

So we see that the dead are in the gravesand will be awakened by Jesus. Is thissurprising to you? We have seen that thedead know nothing. They lie in the graveuntil the resurrection morning. Therighteous will be awakened to theresurrection of life and the ungodly to theresurrection of death.

When Jesus� friend, Lazarus, had died,Jesus came to him. Lazarus had been deadfor four days and had begun to stink. Jesussaid that Lazarus was dead and compareddeath to sleep. Jesus said to him: �Laza-rus, come forth.� (John 11:43). Lazarusdid indeed come out of the grave.

Many ministers preach that, when a per-son dies, they go to heaven or to hell. Ifthe righteous dead went straight to heavenwhen they died, then we would have to

believe that Lazarus,Jesus� friend, had gone toheaven. But he did notcome down from heaven,or the clouds or fromspace since Jesusresurrected Lazarus fromthe grave. Furthermore,the Bible says: �It isappointed unto men onceto die, but after this thejudgment.� (Hebrews9:27). A judgment willtake place between thetime of death and the timeof Jesus� second coming

and it is not the priest, but Jesus Christ,who will determine those who will receiveeternal life and those who will receiveeternal condemnation. (2 Corinthians5:10; John 5:26-29). The Bible doesindeed say �for the wages of sin is death;but the gift of God is eternal life throughJesus Christ our Lord.� (Romans 6:23).

In this story we also learn that Jesus is toresurrect Lazarus on the last day. Mariasaid: �I know that he shall rise again inthe resurrection at the last day.� (John11:24). The last day is when Jesus comesagain.

The Bible says that it is only Jesus thathas immortality. It is written: �who is theblessed and only Potentate, the Kingof kings, and Lord of lords; who onlyhath immortality.� (1 Timothy 6:15-16).Only God is immortal. Humans are mor-tal, but when Jesus comes again, they willat that time be clothed with immortality.

Page 17: 2017 - 500 år etter Luther 500 år etter Luther!Martin Luther, with his 95 theses and preaching, revealed that priesthood s traditions and teachings were not in harmony with the Bible

17

Paul describes it thus: �Behold, I showyou a mystery; we shall not all sleep, butwe shall all be changed, in a moment,in the twinkling of an eye, at the lasttrump: for the trumpet shall sound, andthe dead shall be raised incorruptible,and we shall be changed. For thiscorruptible must put on incorruption,and this mortal must put on immortality.So when this corruptible shall have puton incorruption, and this mortal shallhave put on immortality, then shall bebrought to pass the saying that is written,Death is swallowed up in victory.� (1Corinthians 15:51-54).

There are many who believe that there isa soul or spirit that is released when a per-son dies and floats around influencingpeople and is able to communicate

messages. Here is an excerpt from a spi-ritist magazine: �What is Spiritism?Spiritism is the belief that the spiritoutlives the body and can have contactwith living people through people we callmediums.� (Paraphrased from Spiriti-sten, a Danish spiritist magazine, 1900,p. 84).

Almost half of the people on earth believein reincarnation � a teaching that says thesoul never dies, but is reincarnated in

different bodies from generation to ge-neration. Such a teaching is not inharmony with what the Bible teaches. TheBible says that after death, humansbecome dust again (Psalm 104:29), thedead know not anything (Ecclesiastes9:5), have no mental powers (Psalm146:4), have no part in anything doneunder the sun (Ecclesiastes 9:6), the deadwait in the grave (Job 17:13), and the deadare not living (Job 14:1, 2; 2 Kings 20:1).

We have already seen through manyscriptures that the Bible distance itselffrom the theory of the immortality of thesoul, reincarnation, spiritism and similarpractices. The Bible calls such things anabomination. We read: �There shall notbe found among you any one thatmaketh his son or his daughter to pass

through the fire, orthat useth divination,or an observer of ti-mes, or an enchanter,or a witch, or acharmer, or a con-sulter with familiarspirits, or a wizard, ora necromancer. Forall that do these thingsare an abominationunto the LORD: and

because of these abominations theLORD thy God doth drive them out frombefore thee.� (Deuteronomy 18:10-12).

The Bible completely rejects theteachings of the immortality of the soul,spiritism, reincarnation and many of themystical eastern philosophies/religions.

7. The Catholic Church frightens peoplewith the teaching of eternal torment. Theyhave tried to convince people that those

Page 18: 2017 - 500 år etter Luther 500 år etter Luther!Martin Luther, with his 95 theses and preaching, revealed that priesthood s traditions and teachings were not in harmony with the Bible

18

who have been disloyal to Catholicteaching end up in hell. They say thatthere is eternal hell fire and that theungodly go there and are tortured withfire and brimstone continually.

The church sold indulgences. They saidthat a person could pay money to thechurch as a guarantee that they would besubject to a lesser punishment upon deathand come to purgatory.

During the Reformation period, purgatorywas understood to be the place wherepeople were punished for their wrongdoings before they were admitted intoparadise. Luther was of the opinion thatsuch a teaching was totally unbiblical andwas only used to bring money into theCatholic Church�s coffers.

The Catholic Church teaches thatpurgatory is a middle ground withtemporary punishment when a persondies. Those who end up in purgatorycannot come out by themselves but canhave help from others. It is therefore some

people pray for the dead and even paymoney to the Catholic Church in hopesof a lesser punishment for those inpurgatory.

The pope also offered forgiveness inexchange for money. This was known asindulgences. Let us explain a little: If aperson committed a sin, for example,adultery, or broke any other of the TenCommandments, that person could thenpay their way out of being punished forhaving committed that sin. THAT wasforgiveness of sin. Those who werewealthy could afford to commit manysins.

Tetzel, who was a seller of indulgencesand the Catholic Church�s spokespersonduring Luther�s time, declared that basedon the authority of the letter ofindulgence, all sin committed by thebuyer, as well as any sin committed in thefuture, would be forgiven. It was notnecessary to repent of one�s sin.(D�Aubigne, vol. 3, ch.1). In this waypeople received assurance that the

Page 19: 2017 - 500 år etter Luther 500 år etter Luther!Martin Luther, with his 95 theses and preaching, revealed that priesthood s traditions and teachings were not in harmony with the Bible

19

indulgence could bring salvation to notonly the living, but also to the dead. They

claimed that as soon as the money waspaid, then would the soul be paid for andreleased out of purgatory and fly intoparadise.

People have throughout the ages givenmuch money to churches. Many have paidlarge sums to the Catholic Church becausethey believed that would help their lovedones who were in purgatory�s torment.The Catholic Church has become richbased upon false premises. They havethereby gathered in huge amounts ofmoney throughout time as a result of thispropaganda based on fear. They havebeen able to build many beautifulchurches/cathedrals because of thisdeception and money-making endeavour.They should be ashamed of the way theyhave deceived people.

But what does the Bible say about whathappens to people when they die? The

Bible says that �the wages of sin isdeath.� (Romans 6:23). When it says thatthe wages of sin is death, there is then notorment. The Bible says that the godlesswill receive their punishment accordingto their works. (Revelation 20:13). Ifsomeone has done many bad things, theywill then be punished longer/harder. Theprophet Malachi confirms this: �For, be-hold, the day cometh, that shall burn asan oven; and all the proud, yea, and allthat do wickedly, shall be stubble: andthe day that cometh shall burn them up,saith the LORD of hosts, that it shallleave them neither root nor branch.�(Malachi 4:1). The root of all evil is theDevil and Satan and the branches are theungodly. They will all be burned as stub-ble. A long and wet piece of straw burnsa long time, but a dry and short strawburns a short while. This illustrates howthe ungodly will be punished. They willbe punished according to their works andwill end in death. But it is not at this pointthat there will punishment in the lake offire. We read that �For, behold, the daycometh, that shall burn as an oven.� Sothis will take place in the future, in theend of time.

John verifies this when he writes abouthow the ungodly will be punished in thelake of fire: �And whosoever was notfound written in the book of life was castinto the lake of fire.� (Revelation 20:15).The same author describes the lake of firethis way: �And death and hell were castinto the lake of fire. This is the seconddeath.� (Revelation 20:14).

John continues to write: �But the fearful,and unbelieving, and the abominable,and murderers, and whoremongers, andsorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars,

Page 20: 2017 - 500 år etter Luther 500 år etter Luther!Martin Luther, with his 95 theses and preaching, revealed that priesthood s traditions and teachings were not in harmony with the Bible

20

shall have their part in the lake whichburneth with fire and brimstone: whichis the second death.� (Revelation 21:8).

What happened to the wicked cities ofSodom and Gomorrha? They burned withunquenchable fire, but the fire stopped assoon as everything was burned up. TheBible describes it this way: �Even asSodom and Gomorrha, and the citiesabout them in like manner, givingthemselves over to fornication, andgoing after strange flesh, are set forthfor an example, suffering the vengeanceof eternal fire.� (Jude 7). It says that thecities and its inhabitants were to be bur-ned with eternal fire. It was the

punishment for their immorality. Weknow that those cities are not burningtoday. The fire stopped once allthings were burned up and turned toashes. The apostle Peter explains thatthe fate of Sodom and Gomorrha isan example of what will take placein the end time. He writes: �Andturning the cities of Sodom andGomorrha into ashes condemnedthem with an overthrow, makingthem an ensample unto those thatafter should live ungodly.� (2 Peter2:6).

The punishment will take place inthe future!

Jesus has also given us His wordconcerning this issue by saying: �Astherefore the tares are gathered andburned in the fire; so shall it be inthe end of this world. The Son ofman shall send forth His angels,and they shall gather out of Hiskingdom all things that offend, andthem which do iniquity; and shallcast them into a furnace of fire:

there shall be wailing and gnashing ofteeth.� (Matthew 13:40-42).

We again see here how the punishmentwill take place in the future � at the endof time. The ungodly do not burn ineternal hell fire now, as taught by theCatholic Church. This Catholic teachingabout eternal hell fire has unfortunatelyspread itself over to Protestantdenominations!

Satan�s final punishment is describedthus: �Thou hast defiled thy sanctuariesby the multitude of thine iniquities, bythe iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will

Page 21: 2017 - 500 år etter Luther 500 år etter Luther!Martin Luther, with his 95 theses and preaching, revealed that priesthood s traditions and teachings were not in harmony with the Bible

21

I bring forth a fire from the midst ofthee, it shall devour thee, and I will bringthee to ashes upon the earth in the sightof all them that behold thee. All they thatknow thee among the people shall beastonished at thee: thou shalt be a ter-ror, and never shalt thou be any more.�(Ezekiel 28:18-19).

There will be no eternal torment as theCatholic Church teaches. The ungodly�spunishment will end with death and ashes.The fire is unquenchable until thepunishment is over. It is eternal in thesense that the fire is unquenchable untilthe punishment is over and itsconsequences are eternal. The word�eternal� comes from the Greek word�aion�, which means long time, lifetime,eternal. So when the ungodly arepunished in the lake of fire �a long time�or �a lifetime� according to their works,it ends in death. God has promised tomake an end of the Devil�s work andwhen all the ungodly have received theirpunishment, God will then create a newheaven and a new earth.

The apostle Peter writes about this:�Nevertheless we, according to Hispromise, look for new heavens and anew earth, wherein dwellethrighteousness. Wherefore, beloved,seeing that ye look for such things, bediligent that ye may be found of Him inpeace, without spot, and blameless.� (2Peter 3:13-14). John comes to the sameconclusion: �And I saw a new heavenand a new earth: for the first heaven andthe first earth were passed away; andthere was no more sea.� (Revelation21:1). We would like to ask the followingquestion to those who insist on believingthe teaching of eternal torment: �Where

is hell when planet earth is burned upand the sea is no more?� It is not onearth because the elements on earth areburned up. Every trace of evil is gone.Not one trace of sin is left. It would onlydestroy the righteous� experience and thishas God foreseen. Therefore all evil willbe burned up and destroyed eternally.When all evil is done away with, God willthen create a new heaven and earth.Everything there will be will be peacefuland good. God will re-establisheverything just as it was in the Garden ofEden before the fall, whencommunication with God took place faceto face. There will be no thieves, nobackbiters, no murderers, no soldiers, nopain or tears in the new earth. The Bibledescribes the new earth as follows: �AndGod shall wipe away all tears from their

eyes; and there shall be no more death,neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall

Page 22: 2017 - 500 år etter Luther 500 år etter Luther!Martin Luther, with his 95 theses and preaching, revealed that priesthood s traditions and teachings were not in harmony with the Bible

22

there be any more pain: for the formerthings are passed away.� (Revelation21:4).

If it were the case that the ungodly live ineternal torment, they would have no placeon earth because it is no longer and theywould not have a place in the new earthbecause there is no pain, tears, or tormentthere. The righteous will live in the newearth. May all who read this documentaccept Jesus Christ and pray for the HolySpirit�s power to be Jesus� true witnessesand be a part of His people when He callHis own and as a result be a part of therighteous, who by God�s grace, willinherit the new earth!

The theory of eternal torment is a terribleteaching based on fear. So throw it intothe fire and burn it up! This theory hasnothing do with the love of Jesus. Jesusonly desires the best for us and He hasallowed Satan to do his dirty work so thatall can see that he is a devil. God doesnot force anyone. But this is not the casewith the Devil. When all evidence isbrought forth, God will, in love, thendestroy Satan and all those who have si-ded with him in rebellion toward God. Wetherefore look forward to judgment dayand to when God will create a new heavenand a new earth where righteousnessdwells and where Jesus� love dwells alongwith eternal peace and joy.

8. The Catholic Church practises andteaches infant baptism and confirmation.Infant baptism has its root in Augustine�soriginal sin teaching. He believed that achild was born with sin. Therefore, if achild was sick and might die, it was thennecessary to have a priest quickly comeand sprinkle the child�s head with water.It was then believed that the child had

become a Christian and obtained salvat-ion. This practice continues today. But asmall child has not done anything wrong.It does not understand what is right orwrong. This ability is developed later onin life. The Bible says that �sin istransgression of the law� (1 John 3:4)and �the soul that sinneth, it shall die.The son shall not bear the iniquity ofthe father.� (Ezekiel 18:20).

This text clearly states that a child doesnot inherit sin from its parents. It is onlywhen a person is old enough to underst-and the difference between right andwrong that he is accountable for sin. So achild does not have an old life of sin thatneeds to be buried, since it is innocentuntil later. Infant baptism is thereforeunnecessary and unbiblical. The fact isthat an innocent child has come into anevil world and has inherited its parents�sinful nature and shares the samejudgment Adam received after the fall:�dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thoureturn.� (Genesis 3:19). Nevertheless thechild has not rejected the work ofredemption Christ has wrought for all.They have access to His merits. When themothers brought their children to Jesus,He said to them: �Suffer the littlechildren to come unto Me, and forbidthem not: for of such is the kingdom ofGod�and blessed them.� (Mark 10:13-16). Jesus did not baptise them, but Hedid bless them. We should also do thiswhen the child is young.

Behind the teaching of infant baptism, itis the godparents who are to believe onbehalf of the infant since the child cannotexercise faith for itself. But the Bible says:�So then faith cometh by hearing, andhearing by the word of God.� (Romans

Page 23: 2017 - 500 år etter Luther 500 år etter Luther!Martin Luther, with his 95 theses and preaching, revealed that priesthood s traditions and teachings were not in harmony with the Bible

23

10:17). A child does not understandpreaching/teaching and therefore cannothave its own faith. We also read: �He thatbelieveth and is baptised shall be saved.�(Mark 16:16). As a result, those who wantto be baptised must have a personal faith.So it is wrong when the godparents acton behalf of the child. The priests and thegodparents say that the child will developits own faith later on during confirmation,but there is no guarantee for this.

Let us take a look of some examples ofbaptism in the Bible. Notice that faith isessential.

When Philip preached the gospel of Jesusto the Ethiopian eunuch, he then said toPhilip: �See, here is water; what dothhinder me to be baptised? And Philipsaid, If thou believest with all thineheart, thou mayest. And he answered

and said, I believe that Jesus Christ isthe Son of God. And he commanded thechariot to stand still: and they went downboth into the water, both Philip and theeunuch; and he baptised him.� (Acts8:26-38).

When Philip preached the gospel inSamaria, there were many who accepted

the message. The Bible tells about theresults of Philip�s preaching: �But whenthey believed Philip preaching the thingsconcerning the kingdom of God, and thename of Jesus Christ, they werebaptised, both men and women.� (Acts8:12).

It was men and women that were baptised,not children.

We find in the Bible a story about a prisonguard who was baptised together alongwith all his house. Some may say thatthere must have been children who werealso baptised. There is no indication thatthere were any small children. It does saythat these people heard what was beingpreached and those who were baptisedreceived Jesus Christ as their personalSaviour. Here we read about this story:�And brought them out, and said, Sirs,

what must I do to be saved?And they said, Believe on theLord Jesus Christ, and thoushalt be saved, and thy house.And they spake unto him theword of the Lord, and to all thatwere in his house. And he tookthem the same hour of thenight, and washed their stripes;and was baptised, he and allhis, straightway. And when hehad brought them into hishouse, he set meat before them,and rejoiced, believing in God

with all his house.� (Acts 16:30-34).

Here we have Paul speaking with theprison guard in Philippi and to all hishouse. They accepted Jesus Christ by faithand were baptised. If there were childrenpresent, they would have to have beenolder in that Paul was able to share theword of God with them.

Page 24: 2017 - 500 år etter Luther 500 år etter Luther!Martin Luther, with his 95 theses and preaching, revealed that priesthood s traditions and teachings were not in harmony with the Bible

24

The word �baptism� comes from the word�baptismo� which was used in theironsmith trade. It describes how anobject is completely submerged under

water. If the ironsmith moulded a pieceof iron a certain way and wanted it toremain that way, he would thencompletely submerge the piece of ironinto the water. Through baptism, a per-son symbolically demonstrates that he hasaccepted Jesus� sacrifice, burial andresurrection. Baptism also symboliseswhat has taken place inwardly havingburied all sin, placing it upon Jesus, sothat He can atone for sin � then rising upto a new life in Christ.

Here is a Bible verse that describes this:�Know ye not, that so many of us as werebaptised into Jesus Christ were baptizedinto His death? Therefore we are buriedwith Him by baptism into death: that likeas Christ was raised up from the deadby the glory of the Father, even so wealso should walk in newness of life.�(Romans 6:3-4).

This text clearly says that the person thatis baptised is buried in the water and risesup to a new life in Christ. This is not whattakes place in infant baptism/sprinkling.

The Bible calls baptism �the answer of agood conscience toward God� and readslike this: �The like figure whereuntoeven baptism doth also now save us (not

the putting away of the filth of theflesh, but the answer of a good con-science toward God,) by theresurrection of Jesus Christ.� (1Peter 3:21).

If we were to make an agreementor sign a contract with someone, itis very important to know what it iswe are agreeing to before we signor accept the terms. It is the samewith baptism. Before baptism, it isimportant to spend much time inBible study and prayer in order tobecome familiar with the terms of

the agreement/covenant. This is one of thereasons it is called the �baptism of faith�or �adult baptism�. Before baptism, wemust make a well-informed decision � adecision to let God change us and prayfor power to follow Jesus all the way. (1Peter 2:21). Baptism is be an outward signof the transformation that has alreadytaken place within.

Confirmation was introduced by theCatholic Church during the 13th century.The reality is that only a few thatparticipate in confirmation believe inJesus Christ as their personal Saviour.This shows that this practice does notmeet its purpose. Martin Luther did awaywith confirmation during his time andcalled it what today some refer to as, the�hundreth monkey effect�. He also saw itas a form of deception. He meant that theyall acted just as all the others did and gaveeach other promises, which in the longrun, they could not keep whatsoever. Lut-her eliminated confirmation, which wasnot introduced in Norway until 1736.

Page 25: 2017 - 500 år etter Luther 500 år etter Luther!Martin Luther, with his 95 theses and preaching, revealed that priesthood s traditions and teachings were not in harmony with the Bible

25

Infant �baptism� and confirmation aretraditions enacted by people. They are aform of substitution for Biblical baptism.This is just how the Devil works. Hesubstitutes Biblical truth with acounterfeit, something that is similar but

nonethelessdifferent.

The Biblesays thatthere is �oneLord, onefaith, onebap t i sm.�(Ephesians4:5). Wehave already seen that truebaptism is not infantbaptism/sprinkling, but isthe baptism of faith, wherea person hears the gospeland make a personal deci-sion to accept salvation inJesus Christ. The person,who is to be baptized, is tofollow Jesus� example.Jesus was baptism as anadult (30 yrs. old) in the

Jordan River. Jesus had no need to bebaptized since He had no sin and thereforeno need for salvation. Nonetheless, Hewas baptized to give us an example(Matthew 3:13-17) so that we couldfollow in His footsteps (1 Peter 2:21).

We have read about how in baptism, oneis buried in the water and rises up to anew live in Jesus. Let us go back to andfollow the Biblical baptism and not thebaptism according to Catholicism orapostate Protestantism. Infant baptismand confirmation are Catholic traditionsand those who believe they will besaved because their parents haveparticipated in these acts with them,have been deceived. They have not

e x p e r i e n c e dBiblical baptismand there is noother form ofbaptism that isvalid accordingto God�s Word.All who willfollow Jesus anddo as He did willundergo Biblicalbaptism. Infantbaptism/sprink-

Page 26: 2017 - 500 år etter Luther 500 år etter Luther!Martin Luther, with his 95 theses and preaching, revealed that priesthood s traditions and teachings were not in harmony with the Bible

26

ling is not Biblical baptism. It is theparents and godparent who believe onbehalf of the child, but it is the one whois to be baptised that is to have their ownfaith. Jesus said to Nicodemus: �Excepta man be born of water and of the Spirit,he cannot enter into the kingdom ofGod.� (John 3:5).

Jesus says that we cannot come into theKingdom of God unless we are born ofwater and of Spirit. This should be an eyeopener for all of us!

Let us therefore take part in Jesus�baptism, the baptism of faith! Infantbaptism/sprinkling is not baptism. It is adeceptive man-made tradition!

9. The Catholic Church says there is sal-vation in the sacraments � such as beingbaptised, taking part in the Eucharist,doing penance, etc. Luther was also taughtthese things as he grew Catholic. One dayas he crawled up Pilot�s staircase, he wasreminded of the scripture that reads: �Thejust shall live by faith.� (Romans 1:17).Luther stood on his feet and realised that

he was crawling on hisknees in order to obtain sal-vation; he thought workscould save him. There nowshone new light into hismind. He came to underst-and that it is only throughfaith in Jesus Christ, theSaviour of the world thatcan save. Works cannotsave us, but works arerevealed as the fruit of thefaith (Matthew 5:8). As Lut-her continued to study thissubject, he found severalmore important texts in

God�s Word that deal with being righteousby faith in Jesus Christ. When we cometo Jesus just as we are with all our sin, wemust confess our sin, repent and ask forforgiveness. Jesus will then forgive us oursin and His righteousness, imputed on our

Page 27: 2017 - 500 år etter Luther 500 år etter Luther!Martin Luther, with his 95 theses and preaching, revealed that priesthood s traditions and teachings were not in harmony with the Bible

27

behalf, unmerited by grace will becomeours through faith. Think about what arelief it must have been in Luther�s life.You and I can also experience the samefreedom, when we follow God�s plan.

Let us take a look at some scripturesdealing with the meaning of faith:

�Now faith is the substance of thingshoped for, the evidence of things notseen.� (Hebrews 11:1).

�So then faith cometh by hearing, andhearing by the word of God.� (Romans10:17).

�For God so loved the world, that Hegave His only begotten Son, thatwhosoever believeth in Him should notperish, but have everlasting life. For Godsent not His Son into the world tocondemn the world; but that the worldthrough Him might be saved.� (John3:16-17).

�But God, who is rich in mercy, for Hisgreat love wherewith He loved us, evenwhen we were dead in sins, hathquickened us together with Christ, (bygrace ye are saved;) and hath raised usup together, and made us sit together inheavenly places in Christ Jesus: that inthe ages to come He might shew theexceeding riches of His grace in Hiskindness toward us through ChristJesus. For by grace are ye saved throughfaith; and that not of yourselves: it isthe gift of God: Not of works, lest anyman should boast. For we are Hisworkmanship, created in Christ Jesusunto good works, which God hath beforeordained that we should walk in them.�(Ephesians 2:4-10).

�He that believeth and is baptised shallbe saved.� (Mark 16:16).

So what role do works play then?

We have read that: �We are Hisworkmanship, created in Christ Jesusunto good works, which God hath beforeordained that we should walk in them.�(Ephesians 2:10).

When John the Baptist came forth andpreached the message of conversion, hesaid: �Bring forth therefore fruits meetfor repentance.� (Matthew 3:8).

James writes: �Even so faith, if it hath notworks, is dead, being alone.� (James 2:17).

So faith without works is dead and goodworks are the fruit of faith.

By faith, Abel offered a better sacrificethan Cain,

By faith Noah built an ark,

By faith they travelled across the Red Sea,

Page 28: 2017 - 500 år etter Luther 500 år etter Luther!Martin Luther, with his 95 theses and preaching, revealed that priesthood s traditions and teachings were not in harmony with the Bible

28

By faith they all did something. This isrighteousness by faith.

When we accept the righteousness ofChrist, we must also pray for power tolive a righteous life for Him. We will thenbe His true witnesses.

�If ye know that He is righteous, yeknow that every one that doethrighteousness is born of Him.� (1 John2:29).

�Little children, let no man deceive you:he that doeth righteousness is righteous,even as He is righteous.� (1 John 3:7).

So the power to live righteously and beargood fruit does not lie in us, but in Christ�spower within the believer. Paul declares:�For it is God which worketh in you bothto will and to do of His good pleasure.�(Philippians 2:13).

There has been a conflict between theCatholic Church and the Lutheran Churchever since Luther came forth andpreached righteousness by faith. In 1999,these two churches have jointly created adocument concerning righteousness byfaith after many discussions, muchdiplomacy and ecumenism. Thedocument is called Joint Declaration.This declaration/agreement was signed onOctober 31, 1999; exactly 482 years afterLuther nailed his thesis on the church doorin Wittenberg, where he also pointed outthe importance of righteousness by faithand by faith alone. This document, JointDeclaration, brought the LutheranChurch back to Rome, in that it states thatthere is salvation in the sacraments.

Protestants have given in, not Rome

We now, 500 years after Wittenberg, seethat Catholics and Protestants celebrateLuther together. They minimise Luther�shuge break from Rome and say that we

are now in a new era and will stand toget-her in order to promote peace on earth.But this peace is obtained throughecumenism, diplomacy and majority vote.Jesus said: �Peace I leave with you, Mypeace I give unto you: not as the worldgiveth, give I unto you.� (John 14:27).

True peace comes only when we receiveJesus Christ as our Lord into our lives,when we have confessed our sin andreceived forgiveness from Jesus, Hisrighteousness, by grace through faith.When this decision is made, then the

Page 29: 2017 - 500 år etter Luther 500 år etter Luther!Martin Luther, with his 95 theses and preaching, revealed that priesthood s traditions and teachings were not in harmony with the Bible

29

believer will receive the Holy Spirit as asource of power in the life and therebyable to walk in Jesus� steps � power to dogood works.

The world cannot give this genuine peace.Those who choose to follow the methodsof Rome, that go against God�s will, willnot receive this inner peace that only Jesuscan give us. We must choose to acceptJesus Christ as our personal Saviour. Wemust choose to be obedient to Christ �His power will then be in us to followHis steps through the narrow way.

The Reformers understood what it meantto accept salvation in Jesus Christ. Theydid not have an understanding of all thingsbut:

- The Anabaptists understood the meaningof baptism

- Luther understood grace

- Huss saw the meaning of obedience

- Wesley saw the importance ofsanctification

- The Waldenses understood the impor-tance of the Bible

- Miller understood the meaning of thesecond coming of Jesus

What about us? Well, we havelearned a little about each of theseand so we are moreknowledgeable than those whohave gone before us. We must nowsee the big picture. We must nowpreach these truths, includingfaith, grace, salvation, life inChrist, the working of the HolySpirit, growth in grace, character

development, the fruit of the Spirit, Jesus�Second Coming and, last but not least,the following topic.

10. The Catholic Church has changedGod�s Ten Commandments.Unfortunately, Luther included theCatholic version of the TenCommandments in his catechism. Hegrew up as a Catholic and didn�t realisethe error the Catholic Church made withregard to God�s Ten Commandments.

They have removed the secondcommandment from the catechism andsplit the tenth commandment in two. Theyhave furthermore taken away a part of thefourth commandment. This is probablythe greatest deception in the history of theworld. Nonetheless, there are many whobelieve that the Catholic Church is aChristian church. But a Christian mustfollow Christ and not change anything Hehas said or written; unlike what theCatholic Church has done, and not onlywith God�s law. Therefore we agree withLuther and the Reformers, who clearlysaw that the pope bears the characteristicsof the antichrist.

Page 30: 2017 - 500 år etter Luther 500 år etter Luther!Martin Luther, with his 95 theses and preaching, revealed that priesthood s traditions and teachings were not in harmony with the Bible

30

Martin Luther put it this way:

�I said formerly that the pope wasChrist�s vicar; now I assert that he is ourLord�s adversary, and the devil�sapostle.� (D�Aubigne, b. 7, ch. 6).

When the papal bull reached Luther, hesaid: �I despise and attack it, as impious,false. . . . It is Christ Himself who is con-demned therein. . . . I rejoice in havingto bear such ills for the best of causes.Already I feel greater liberty in my heart;for at last I know that THE POPE ISANTICHRIST, AND THAT HISTHRONE IS THAT OF SATANHIMSELF.� (D�Aubigne, b. 6, ch. 9).

How many Lutherans say the same today?Asked another way: Is the LutheranChurch itself somewhat antichrist in thatit has accepted Sunday as the day of rest?

As noted earlier, the papacy has remo-ved much of the text in the fourthcommandment in its catechism.

The fourth commandment says thefollowing:

�Remember the sabbath day, to keep itholy. Six days shalt thou labour, and doall thy work: But the seventh day is thesabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thoushalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son,nor thy daughter, thy manservant, northy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thystranger that is within thy gates: For insix days the LORD made heaven andearth, the sea, and all that in them is,and rested the seventh day: whereforethe LORD blessed the sabbath day, andhallowed it.� (Exodus 20:8-11).

In the fourth commandment of thecatechism, there is nothing that indicatesthat the seventh-day Sabbath is the trueday of rest. Most people are well awarethat Jesus died on Friday. The Bible callsthis day the preparation day, the daybefore the Sabbath (Mark 15:42-43). Theday after is called the Sabbath. It is theBible�s seventh and last day in the week.

Page 31: 2017 - 500 år etter Luther 500 år etter Luther!Martin Luther, with his 95 theses and preaching, revealed that priesthood s traditions and teachings were not in harmony with the Bible

31

As Jesus rested in the grave, the discipleswere gathered and rested according to thecommandment (Luke 23:53-56). The nextday was Sunday. Sunday is the Bible�sfirst day of the week. On this day Jesusarose from the dead. (Mark 15:42-47;16:1-6).

All who read these texts can clearly seethat Sunday is the Bible�s first day of theweek and the Sabbath is the seventh dayof the week. The Sabbath is the Bible�sday of rest. All Christians should observeJesus� day of rest since it is Jesus whohas instituted the seventh-day Sabbath asthe day of rest. The Bible says that: �allthings were made by Him.� (John 1:1-14). The Bible also says that �Jesus isthe Lord of the Sabbath.� (Mark 2:27-28). This text also reveals that the Sabbathwas made for man. Many believe that theSabbath was made for the Jews, as statedin the footnotes of the new ecumenicalBible � Bible 2011. But this is not truesince the Sabbath was already establishedsince the creation. We read that Godcreated in six days and rested on theseventh day. So we see that the Sabbathhas its origin in the creation and not fromthe resurrection of Jesus. Christ�sresurrection day is the first workday ofthe week after Jesus rested on the seventhday. It is not the case that Jesus had tworest days one after the other � the 7th and1st day of the week. No, Jesus rested inthe grave on the Sabbath and arose to anew work day on Sunday, the first day ofthe week, just as He, at creation, beganto create (work) on the first day of theweek.

There is nothing in Scripture that says thatJesus commanded us to stop keeping theseventh-day Sabbath and instead keepSunday, the first day of the week. If He

had changed this, He would have made itvery clear. He would have also had tochange the Ten Commandments, whichclearly state that we are to keep theseventh-day Sabbath as our rest day.Furthermore, God does not change, as theBible clearly sets forth:

�Jesus Christ the same yesterday, andto day, and for ever.� (Hebrews 13:8).

�For I am the LORD, I change not.�(Malachi 3:6).

�The grass withereth, the flower fadeth:but the word of our God shall stand forever.� (Isaiah 40:8).

The Catholic Church unequivocally statesthat they have changed the day of rest.We read the following in the RomanCatholic catechism:

Question: Which day is the Sabbath day?

Answer: Saturday is the Sabbath day.

Question: Why do we observe Sundayinstead of Saturday?

Answer: We observe Sunday instead ofSaturday because the Catholic Churchin the council of Laodicea (A.D.336)transferred the solemnity from Saturdayto Sunday.

Question: Have you any other way ofproving that the church (RomanCatholic) has power to institute festivalsof precept?

Answer: Had she not such power, shecould not have done that in which allmodern religionists agree with,she couldnot have substituted the observance ofSunday, the first day of the week, for the

Page 32: 2017 - 500 år etter Luther 500 år etter Luther!Martin Luther, with his 95 theses and preaching, revealed that priesthood s traditions and teachings were not in harmony with the Bible

32

observance of Saturday, the seventh day,a change for which there is notscriptural authority.

Source: �Doctrinal Catechism�, p. 174and �The Convert�s Catechism ofCatholic Doctrine� (1977 edition), p. 50.

It is interesting to note that Sunday means�the day of the sun� and not �the Son�sday�. Emperor Constantine was the firstto institute Sunday as the day of rest bylaw in 321 A.D.: �let all the judges andtown people, and the occupation of alltrades rest on the venerable day of thesun; but let those who are situated inthe country, freely and at full libertyattend to the business of agriculture.� -History of the Christian Church, 5 edi-tion. volume 3, p. 380.

We repeat, Sunday means the day of thesun and not the Son�s day

Testament falsification

It is quite evident that the Catholic Churchhas undertaken will and testamentfalsification. A will or testament is writtenwhile the person is living. When the per-son dies, the testament is then valid andnobody can change the testament�scontent. If somebody changes the will/testament, it is then falsified. This isexactly what the Catholic Church hasdone. They have falsified such adocument in that they have changedGod�s Ten Commandments and theSabbath � after the death of Jesus. We seethat they have made this change around300 years after Jesus� death. This is per-haps the greatest document falsificationin history and this crime is registered inthe books of heaven.

The consequences have had big influence.Millions of people have been deceivedbecause of this falsification. Wesympathise with these people as they havetrusted the priest/pastor and believed thathe preached the truth from God�s Word.But now the time has come to unmask theCatholic Church�s deceptions andpersecutions so that men and women canturn away from the Catholic Church�sunbiblical teachings.

Pope John Paul II acknowledged in hisapostolic letter Dies Domini: �This iswhy Christians, called as they are toproclaim the liberation won by the bloodof Christ, felt that they had the authorityto transfer the meaning of the Sabbathto the day of the Resurrection.� (DiesDomini, point 63, published May 1998).

He also wrote: �the spiritual and pasto-ral riches of Sunday, as it has beenhanded on to us by tradition.�

Do you see the weaknesses in the pope�sdeclaration? The pope openly recognisesthat Sabbath keeping has been changedto Sunday keeping. The Catholic Church felt that they had the authority to makethis change. Here they set their ownauthority above the Bible�s authority.They felt they had authority to make thischange with regard to the day of rest.

Many strange decisions can be the resultof making our decisions based on feelings.

The pope also recognises that Sunday, asthe day of rest, is a tradition. Why cannotthe other church denominations be justas honest as the Catholic Church andrecognise Sunday as a tradition? It iscompletely wrong for the Catholic Churchto transfer the Sabbath�s meaning over to

Page 33: 2017 - 500 år etter Luther 500 år etter Luther!Martin Luther, with his 95 theses and preaching, revealed that priesthood s traditions and teachings were not in harmony with the Bible

33

the resurrection day � which they do nothave the right to � but they do nonethelessadmit that they have made this change.In the judgment, it will not only be knownwhether we have confessed our sins, butalso whether we have been willing torepent and follow God�s way.

The wise man Solomon wrote: �Let ushear the conclusion of the whole mat-ter: Fear God, and keep Hiscommandments: for this is the wholeduty of man. For God shall bring everywork into judgment, with every secretthing, whether it be good, or whether itbe evil.� (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).

Let us look at a pair of quotations fromCatholic sources:

�The Catholic Church for over athousand years before the existence of

a Protestant, by virtue of her divine mis-sion changed the day from Saturday toSunday.� (Catholic Mirror, Sept. 1893).

�Sunday is our mark of authority. Thechurch is above the Bible, and thistransference of Sabbath observance (to

Sunday) is proof of that fact.�(Catholic Record, London/Ontario,Sept. 1, 1923).

Here we have it again. The CatholicChurch admits that they stand abovethe Bible. They say that they havedivine authority to change times andlaws (Daniel 7:25). They assume anauthority that is not in harmony withGod�s Word.

When Jesus was tempted by theDevil, He referred him to God�sWord. He said: �It is written�(Matthew 4:10). He let the Scripturesbe His authority. Those who do notallow the Scriptures to be theirauthority, have no authority becauseauthority lies only in God�s Word.

�but did the disciples change theday of rest?

Some say that the disciples began to keepSunday instead of Saturday as the day ofrest in memory of Jesus� resurrection. TheBible is completely silent with regard tosuch a change. Upon reading all eight re-ference in the Bible with regard to the firstday of the week, there is not one commandor hint concerning Christians keepingSunday, the first day of the week, insteadof Saturday, the seventh day of the week.(Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:2, 9; Luke 24:1;John 20:1, 19; Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:2).

On the contrary, we find in Acts that the

Page 34: 2017 - 500 år etter Luther 500 år etter Luther!Martin Luther, with his 95 theses and preaching, revealed that priesthood s traditions and teachings were not in harmony with the Bible

34

disciples continued to keep the Sabbathjust as Jesus had taught them. (Acts 13:14-15; 13:42-44; 16:12-13; 17:1-2; 18:3-4).

The Council of Trent

The most authoritative church council ofthe Catholic Church was the Council ofTrent (1545-63). Its main objective wasthe �definitive determination of thedoctrines of the Church in answer to theheresies of the Protestants.� � CatholicEncyclopedia, vol. XV, �The Council ofTrent�.

Authority based on church tradition ver-sus biblical authority was heavily debatedduring this church council. The final de-cision was finally reached during the lastmeeting, where it is interesting to note thatthe argument that prevailed in traditionwinning over the Bible was the changingof the Sabbath (the day of rest). Theyconcluded that this change was evidencefor the church�s authority over the Bible.The conclusion is described as follows:�Finally�all hesitation was set aside.The Archbishop of Reggio made aspeech in which he openly declared thattradition stood above Scripture. Theauthority of the church could thereforenot be bound to the authority of theScriptures, because the church hadchanged circumcision into baptism,Sabbath into Sunday, not by thecommand of Christ, but by its ownauthority.� (J. H. Holtzman, Canon andTradition, published in Ludwigsburg,Germany, in 1859, p. 263).

Now have we come to the core of thematter. The Protestants and Reformerssaid, and say today, that they will havethe Scriptures and the Scriptures aloneas the basis and authority for faith and

teaching. But the Catholic Church�sprotest against Protestants is: No,Protestants do not have the Scripturesalone as their authority because theykeep the Bible�s first day of the week,Sunday, as their day of rest, while theBible says we should keep the seventhday, Saturday, as the day of rest. Wewould have to agree with the Catholicson this point. They honestly admit thatthey have changed the day of rest fromSaturday to Sunday, the seventh dayof the week to the first day of the week.At the same time, they reprove theProtestants and the Reformers becausethey claim to follow the Bible, but inreality do not, as they follow theCatholic tradition of keeping theBible�s first day as the day of rest.�There is just one refuge left forProtestants. That is to take their standsquarely and fully upon �the writtenword only� the Bible and the Bible alone.It is not too late for Protestants to redeemthemselves. Will they do it? Will theystand consistently upon the Protestantprofession? Or will they still continueto occupy the indefensible, self

Page 35: 2017 - 500 år etter Luther 500 år etter Luther!Martin Luther, with his 95 theses and preaching, revealed that priesthood s traditions and teachings were not in harmony with the Bible

35

contradictory, and suicidal position ofprofessing to be Protestants, yet standingon Catholic ground and following theauthority of the Catholic Church? Willthey keep the Sabbath of the Lord, theseventh day, according to Scripture? Orwill they keep Sunday according to tra-dition of the Catholic Church?�(Catholic Mirror, Sept. 2,9,16 & 23, 1893tracts entitled Rome�s Challenge).

Dear friend! Which stand will you takein this case?

Martin Luther dared to stand up againstand reprove the Catholic Church, whichhe later abandoned. He did not have aclear understanding of God�s law beingchanged, including the change of the dayof the rest. Those who were to follow uphis work of reformation should have gonefurther than Luther did, but instead theyhave come back to Rome.

Protestants have gone wrong regardingthe issue of the day of rest. They haveaccepted a Catholic tradition and havetherefore not succeeded in reaching theirgoal/aim of following the Bible and theBible alone as their sole authority of faithand teaching. Protestants have graduallycome back to Rome as a result of thisapostasy. This compromise and comingtogether will be commemorated whenthey will celebrate Luther�s 500 yearsjubilee and his break with the CatholicChurch. There is unity in the sense thatthere are (with few exceptions) no longerany true Protestants, and the Protestantsof today follow the Bible and traditionjust as the Catholic Church does.

We can now look at some of the mostunbiblical traditions from Rome that have

been accepted by the Lutheran Church aswell as many other Protestant churches:

1. The Lutheran Church follows the tra-dition of keeping Sunday, which has nobiblical roots. They keep the Bible�s firstday of the week instead of the Bible�sseventh day, the Sabbath.

2. The Lutheran Church follows the tra-dition of infant baptism, which has nobiblical roots, instead of the baptism offaith.

3. The Lutheran Church follows the tra-dition of confirmation, where 13-14 yearold young people confirm the faith, whichthey have not personally chosen whenthey were �baptised� as infants.

What is the strong and serious warningJesus gives to those who deceive others?Jesus said: �But whoso shall offend oneof these little ones which believe in Me,it were better for him that a millstonewere hanged about his neck, and thathe were drowned in the depth of the sea.Woe unto the world because of offences!for it must needs be that offences come;but woe to that man by whom the offencecometh!� (Matthew 18:6-7).

Conclusion:

The Reformation has not succeeded in thelong run, because the Bible and the Biblealone has not been followed. The fact thatthose who are to be representatives of theReformation and of Protestantism keepSunday as the day of rest is clear evidenceof this!

Many say that the Reformation endedwith Luther, but it must continue until theend of time. Luther had a huge task to

Page 36: 2017 - 500 år etter Luther 500 år etter Luther!Martin Luther, with his 95 theses and preaching, revealed that priesthood s traditions and teachings were not in harmony with the Bible

500 år etter Luther -

Hvorfor har reformasjonen

ikke fått større gjennomslagskraft?

36

accomplish in spreading the light givento him of God. But he did not receive allthe light the world was to receive. Fromhis time until now, there has come newlight on the Scriptures and new truths havebeen unfolded.

What has happened to the biblical faithof the Reformers? Today we are in needof a new reformer, indeed, manyReformers. People need to see thedeceptive teaching that exists in manychurches. At the same time, people needto hear a clear and true biblical messagefor our time, just as we find in Revelationchapter 14, verses 6-12 and chapter 18,verse four. Who will stand up for the causeof God, just like the courageous Luther?

Today it may seem as thoughall of the world�s corruptedpowers will win the battle.But the Bible revealsthat these powers waragainst Christ andthose on who are onHis side. (Revelation17:12-14). Thisshows us that it is Godwho has control and Hesets the boundary. It isthose who are on His sidethat will be victorious in thegreat reformatory battle, whichlasts until the very end!

The last big test

The Bible reveals that the last test onearth, just before Jesus Christ, the Saviourof the world, comes again, will be a testover worship. The Bible describes this testas follows: �And he had power to givelife unto the image of the beast, that theimage of the beast should both speak,

and cause that as many as would notworship the image of the beast shouldbe killed. And he causeth all, both smalland great, rich and poor, free and bond,to receive a mark in their right hand, orin their foreheads: and that no manmight buy or sell, save he that had themark, or the name of the beast, or thenumber of his name. Here is wisdom.Let him that hath understanding countthe number of the beast: for it is thenumber of a man; and his number isSix hundred threescore and six.�(Revelation 13:15-17).

So the test will be whether we worshipGod as Creator or worship the �beast� andreceive its mark. We repeat: This is an

issue of worship and notabout microchips. Many

believe that themark of the beast

is a microchip.M i c r o c h i p salong with anelectronic sy-stem can beused as ac o n t r o lmechanism incon t ro l l i ng

those who donot receive the

mark of the beastand will not be able to

buy and sell.

All currency/money will be eliminatedand cards will be used. Microchips willbe in the card or which also can beimplanted into the body, under the skinfor example. It is not a problem to blocka card. Those who do not receive the markof the beast will be punished because theyare not obedient/loyal to the earthly

Page 37: 2017 - 500 år etter Luther 500 år etter Luther!Martin Luther, with his 95 theses and preaching, revealed that priesthood s traditions and teachings were not in harmony with the Bible

37

powers. Their punishment will be notbeing able to buy and sell. It is symbolicwhen it says that the mark of the beastcan be received upon the forehand or onthe hand. The forehead symbolises theunderstanding and the hand symbolisesactions or works. (Deuteronomy 11:18).We makedecisions andchoices in thefrontal lobe of thebrain. We caneither choose toaccept the mark ofthe beast or we can choose it through ouractions.

The Bible says that we should worshipHim who created the heavens and theearth. The fourth commandment specifieswho it is we are to worship � Hewho created in six days andrested on the seventh. Itis because the day ofrest has to do withworship that thiswill be the focalpoint right beforeJesus comesagain. We live inthe time whenthe world�sleaders are pushingfor Sunday, theBible�s first day of theweek, as the day of rest,the day of the family and theday of worship. In Europe, TheEuropean Sunday Alliance is very activein trying to establish Sunday as the weeklyday of rest and day of the family. In USA,there are many widespread, religiousmovements that are also working towardthe same goal, like The Christian

Coalition and The Lord�s Day Alliance,among others.

Sunday, as the day of rest, goes againstGod�s Word and the Ten Commandments,which say we shall worship God on theday God has set aside as the day of rest,

t h eS a b b a t h ,the Bible�sseventh dayof the week.The worldwill soon be

tested as to whether they will worshipHim who created the heavens and earthand keep His day of rest, or whether theywill worship and be loyal toward �thebeast� (papacy) and receive its mark.

We have already read somequotations from the Catholic

Church where they saythat they have a mark.

They say that thismark is a sign oftheir authority tochange times andlaws andestablish newt r a d i t i o n sbecause they

changed the day ofrest. The Bible

reveals that this isexactly what would take

place. In Daniel 7:25, itsays that this church would

change time and laws.

We have seen that they have changed theday of rest from Sabbath (Saturday) toSunday. Now that you have become awareof this, which authority will you beobedient/loyal to?

Page 38: 2017 - 500 år etter Luther 500 år etter Luther!Martin Luther, with his 95 theses and preaching, revealed that priesthood s traditions and teachings were not in harmony with the Bible

38

The choice you make will have life ordeath consequences because you havenow become informed about what theapostate church has done with the day ofrest. The Bible says: �Therefore to himthat knoweth to do good, and doeth itnot, to him it is sin.� (James 4:17).

This decision whether to worship Himwho created or to worship �the beast andreceive its mark� is something that takesplace in the future. It will come aboutwhen �the mark of the beast = papacy�sSunday observance is enforced by law.(Revelation 13:15-16). We should alsomake a decision today because we do notknow how much longer we will live.Today is the day of salvation. �Today ifye will hear His voice, harden not yourhearts.� (Hebrews 3:7-8).

When we make the choice to follow Jesustoday, it will be easier to follow Himtomorrow!

Carefully consider the following script-ures:

�If ye love me, keep Mycommandments.� (John 14:15).

�By this we know that we love the childrenof God, when we love God, and keep Hiscommandments.� (1 John 5:2-3).

�He that saith, I know Him, and keepethnot His commandments, is a liar, andthe truth is not in him. But whosokeepeth His word, in him verily is thelove of God perfected: hereby know wethat we are in Him.� (1 John 2:4-5).

�My sheep hear My voice, and I knowthem, and they follow Me.� (John 10:27).

Final appeal:

In writing about these deceptions, wewarn against the Catholic Church as asystem, which is behind the manydeceptions and errors concerning toGod�s Word and therefore do not judgeCatholics as individuals. It is the Catholicsystem we have in focus and compare inrelation to God�s Word.

We therefore hope that these writings willhelp both Catholics and all others cometo the right conclusion.

We believe that there are honest, well-meaning people in the differentdenominations, including the CatholicChurch. Many will take a stand againstthe falsehoods, including the changing ofthe Ten Commandments, and separatethemselves from the bonds that hold themin error, when they discover the man-made traditions that have crept into thedifferent churches. We also believe thatthose who come out of these churches willbe powerful witnesses in the finishing ofGod�s work. The Bible�s appeal goes outto God�s people who are in Babylon(Catholicism and apostate Protestantism):�Come out of her, My people, that yebe not partakers of her sins, and that yereceive not of her plagues.� (Revelation18:4).

According to this text, it is clear that manyof God�s people are in Babylon. Can itbe that the majority of God�s people todayfind themselves in Babylon? When theysee the light from God�s Word and realisethey have been deceived, just like MartinLuther, they will follow the Bible�s appealto come out of Babylon and have the clearword of God as their authority.

If you are in a church that promotes/

Page 39: 2017 - 500 år etter Luther 500 år etter Luther!Martin Luther, with his 95 theses and preaching, revealed that priesthood s traditions and teachings were not in harmony with the Bible

You can not have one foot in the catholictraditions and one foot in the Bible. Youhave to take a choice? Both feet in thecatholic traditions or both feet in the Bible!

39

preaches any of these unbiblicalteachings, which we have covered in tenpoints, may you come out of that churchso that you will not receive the judgmentto fall upon the ungodly. (Revelation21:8). It does no good to have one foot inBabylon and the other foot on God�s side.We must stand with both feet fully onGod�s side. Do not think that you will besaved because you are part of themajority? The Bible says that there willbe a remnant at the end - of those whoprofess to be God�s people. The Bibledescribes the remnant with a few words:�Here is the patience of the saints: hereare they that keep the commandmentsof God, and the faith of Jesus.�(Revelation 14:12)� not in our own

power but with God�s power in our lives.(Philippians 2:13). This is God�s faithfulremnant at the end of time. They are ofone mind, just as Jesus� followers wereduring the day of Pentecost. They havethe mind of Christ. (Galatians 5:22). Maywe all be a part of this remnant!

For more information on this topic andother relevant topics, go to

www.amazingfacts.org

www.amazingdiscoveries.org

www.greatcontroversy.net

www.endtime.net

Friendly greetings

Abel and Bente Struksnes

Vestrumsbygda 26, 2879 Odnes,Norway

www.endtime.net

The first 100 persons whocontact the address below willreceive the book The Great

Controversy - FREE!

Character Building BooksPO Box 35946

London N17 7WGor

[email protected]

Page 40: 2017 - 500 år etter Luther 500 år etter Luther!Martin Luther, with his 95 theses and preaching, revealed that priesthood s traditions and teachings were not in harmony with the Bible

500 yearsafter Luther:

- 10 new theseson the church door!

500 yearsafter Luther:

- 10 new theseson the church door!