The Great Controversy The Great Controversy | Page 52
But those who fear and reverence God meet this heaven-daring
assumption as Christ met the solicitations of the wily foe: “Thou shalt
worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.” Luke 4:8.
God has never given a hint in His word that He has appointed any man
to be the head of the church. The doctrine of papal supremacy is directly
opposed to the teachings of the Scriptures. The pope can have no power
over Christ’s church except by usurpation.
Romanists have persisted in bringing against Protestants the charge
of heresy and willful separation from the true church. But these
accusations apply rather to themselves. They are the ones who laid
down the banner of Christ and departed from “the faith which was once
delivered unto the saints.” Jude 3.
Satan well knew that the Holy Scriptures would enable men to
discern his deceptions and withstand his power. It was by the word that
even the Saviour of the world had resisted his attacks. At every assault,
Christ presented the shield of eternal truth, saying, “It is written.” To
every suggestion of the adversary, He opposed the wisdom and power of
the word. In order for Satan to maintain his sway over men, and establish
the authority of the papal usurper, he must keep them in ignorance of the
Scriptures. The Bible would exalt God and place finite men in their true
position; therefore its sacred truths must be concealed and suppressed.
This logic was adopted by the Roman Church. For hundreds of years the
circulation of the Bible was prohibited. The people were forbidden to
read it or to have it in their houses, and unprincipled priests and prelates
interpreted its teachings to sustain their pretensions. Thus the pope came
to be almost universally acknowledged as the vicegerent of God on earth,
endowed with authority over church and state.
The detector of error having been removed, Satan worked according
to his will. Prophecy had declared that the papacy was to “think to
change times and laws.” Daniel 7:25. This
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