The End Time Church: From the Cathedrals to the Catacombs

By Dan L. White

Copyright ©2019 by Dan L. White, all rights reserved.

Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible (WEB) which is in the public domain.

Chapter 68

The Reach of Roman Authority

How does a religious authority get it?

Their authority, that is.

Where does their authority come from?

A previous chapter titled “Who Has Authority Straight from God?” discussed the only religious authority that comes straight from God.

“Christ was sent from God, by God, and is God. There is no other religious authority like that.

Is a religious authority right when it’s wrong, because it’s the religious authority? Or is a religious authority right only because it teaches what is right? Should a religious authority add to and change what God said? Or should a religious authority just teach and practice what God said?

Over and over, religious authorities go from teaching what is right to teaching who is right. And, of course, that’s them.

Christ has authority directly from God the Father. No one else does. No others should act as if they do. Religious leaders can obey God’s laws. Religious leaders can teach God’s laws. But no religious authority can change God’s laws.”

Why is a religious authority accepted as an authority?

Maybe they teach right things, to some degree. When someone teaches things that you can see are right, then you begin to accept other things they say. Some of those things may not be so right. They say, ‘We taught this truth,” so that makes us givers of truth. And then they often go on to say they’re the only givers of truth.

Religious authorities may simply proclaim themselves to be religious authorities. That seems to be the major claim to fame of Diotrophes in 3 John. If someone keeps yelling, “I am the end time Elijah,” and a lot do yell that, then some people are bound to believe him.

Religious authorities may claim a supernatural event sets them apart. Constantine’s various visions were used to say that either Christ or Apollo were working through him. At the time of the end, religious authority will be gained by having real supernatural events, using “the power of Satan” with “miraculous signs” and “lying wonders,” 2 Thessalonians 2:9.

Once accepted as a religious authority, as with rabbis or popes, that authority then moves from teaching what is right to teaching who is right. And that’s them. You have to be under them to get to God, because they’re the religious authority. Constantine and Roman Christianity said you had to accept their creed to be a Christian and you had to agree to break God’s Commandments. If you didn’t accept that, or them, they would anathematize you. Later, If you didn’t accept them, they would traumatize you.

Rome claims that the Roman Church had authority to make the Nicean decisions, which changed God’s laws about the Sabbath and Feasts, among other things. Their changes, under the Roman emperor Constantine, copied what Roman emperor Hadrian had done two centuries earlier. They outlawed those things which were “Jewish.” However, to disallow those things that are “Jewish” ultimately leads to abandoning the “Jewish” Hebrew scriptures themselves — the “Old” Testament;, and forsaking the Jewish Ten Commandments; and rejecting the Jewish Messiah for a sanitized, non-Jewish version.

An end time figure will also presume to change laws and times. Those “times” are seasons or appointed occasions.

Dan 7:25
25) He shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High; and he shall think to change the times and the law; and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and half a time.

Likewise, Rome changed the times and the law. Those changes were based on the authority of Rome, they were not based on the word of God or Christ’s teachings, but based only on the authority of Rome. So just where did Rome get their authority to make those changes?

The Roman Church says that authority came from Peter, the first pope in Rome.

There are a few problems with that.

First, there were no popes for centuries after Christ. The position of pope, or worldwide ecclesiastical emperor, developed after the Roman Church merged with the Roman Empire. So Peter could not have been the first pope when there was no such position.

As discussed earlier, Paul corrected Peter, and Peter feared James, so Peter was no pope. Nor was anyone else considered pope for several centuries, even in the Roman Church.

Second, the New Testament gives no indication that Peter was ever in Rome. Rome was a Gentile city and Gentiles were Paul’s responsibility. Paul, not Peter, wrote a letter to the Romans that’s included in the New Testament. Jews and Jewish Christians were in Rome but were expelled by Rome, as Aquila and Priscilla were, Acts 18:2. Peter was the apostle to the Jews and since the Jews were kicked out of Rome, he had no business there.

It is said when Peter wrote “She who is in Babylon…greets you,” 1 Peter 5:13, that he figuratively referred to Rome. But Peter wrote a personal letter to brethren, not like John’s mystical book of Revelation which also mentions Babylon. So when Peter said Babylon, he was talking about Babylon – not Rome. If saying Babylon didn’t mean Babylon, then how could he say Babylon? Babylon means Babylon.

Peter wrote his letter to the chosen ones living as foreigners in the Dispersion — the Jews — in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 1 Peter 1:1. When Peter named all those places, he meant all those places, just as he meant Babylon when he named it. And notice that Peter didn’t mention Rome at all.

Third, Peter was supposedly given authority by Christ to change God’s laws in Matthew 16. That authority was then transferred from Peter to all other succeeding popes.

No person or institution has authority to change God’s law, as stated in Deuteronomy.

Deut 4:2
2) You shall not add to the word which I command you, neither shall you diminish from it, that you may keep the commandments of Yahweh your God which I command you.

Deut 12:32
32) Whatever thing I command you, that you shall observe to do: you shall not add thereto, nor diminish from it.

Prov 30:5-6
5) “Every word of God is flawless. He is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
6) Don’t you add to his words, lest he reprove you, and you be found a liar.

Whoever can add to or take away from what God says is then equal to God. That would be like editing a book; God writes, then you edit and correct His mistakes.

Can anyone correct God?

Moses couldn’t.

Exod 32:31-33
31) Moses returned to Yahweh, and said, “Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made themselves gods of gold.
32) Yet now, if you will, forgive their sin—and if not, please blot me out of your book which you have written.”

Moses kinda gave God some instruction there: blot me out of your book.

What Yahweh did was just blot out Moses’ suggestion.

33) Yahweh said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book,” thank you very much, Moshe.

God didn’t really say that last part, but He could have, because it seems to fit.

You can’t correct God. You can obey Him or disobey Him but you can’t correct what He does.

But the Roman Church maintains from Matthew 16 that —

1) Christ gave such authority to Peter.
2) Christ subsequently gave that authority to Rome.

Matt 16 World English Bible
18) I also tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my assembly, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.
19) I will give to you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven; and whatever you release on earth will have been released in heaven.”

In verse 18, in the Greek there are two rocks, a little rock – petros — and a big rock – petra. Peter is the petros and Christ is the petra.

The Bible makes clear that Christ alone is the foundation stone – the big rock.

Ps 118:22
22) The stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner.

Peter himself quoted that verse.

1Pet 2
6) Because it is contained in Scripture, “Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, chosen, and precious: He who believes in him will not be disappointed.”
7) For you who believe therefore is the honor, but for those who are disobedient, “The stone which the builders rejected, has become the chief cornerstone,”
8) and, “a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.” For they stumble at the word, being disobedient, to which also they were appointed.

The Greek word for ‘rock’ there in verse 8 is again petra.

So in Matthew 16:18 Yeshua said to Peter, ‘You’re the little rock, but on this big rock I will build my crowd.’ If He had meant Peter as the foundation rock, He would not have used two distinct words.

Verse 19 of Matthew 16 is translated two different ways. First, as quoted above in the World English Bible.

19) I will give to you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven; and whatever you release on earth will have been released in heaven.”

The ISV renders it basically the same way.

Matt 16:19 International Standard Version
19) I will give you the keys to the kingdom from heaven. Whatever you prohibit on earth will have been prohibited in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will have been permitted in heaven.”

Those translations have Peter only affirming what has already been done. Bullinger’s Companion Bible explains, “Binding and loosing is a Hebrew idiom for exercising authority. To bind = to declare what shall be binding (e.g. laws and precepts) and what shall be not binding.”

However, Jerome’s Latin Vulgate translation from the late 300’s renders the verse differently, and many English translations follow that approach, seeming to grant greater authority to Peter.

English translation of Jerome’s Latin Vulgate,

And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven.
http://vulgate.org/nt/gospel/matthew_16.htm

That makes it sound as if Peter has authority to do things not yet done in heaven. However, Christ gave that same instruction not just to Peter, but also to the other disciples.

Matt 18 World English Bible, to the disciples:

18) Most certainly I tell you, whatever things you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever things you release on earth will have been released in heaven.
19) Again, assuredly I tell you, that if two of you will agree on earth concerning anything that they will ask, it will be done for them by my Father who is in heaven.
20) For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in their midst.”

So Yeshua did not give some papal authority solely to Peter. If He did give such authority, then He gave it to all the disciples. But that’s not papal then, is it? You can’t have twelve popes at once.

Ironically, shortly after instructing Peter in Matthew 16, Christ sharply corrected him.

Matt 16
21) From that time on, Yeshua began to show his disciples that he would have to go to Jerusalem and suffer a great deal because of the elders, the high priests, and the scribes. Then he would be killed, but on the third day he would be raised.
22) Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “God be merciful to you, Lord! This must never happen to you!”
23) But Yeshua turned and told Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are an offense to me, because you are not thinking God’s thoughts but human thoughts!”

Now that did not sound like a would-be pope.

And in Peter’s own writings, he does not sound like a pope.

1Pet 5
1) I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and who will also share in the glory that will be revealed.
2) Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, exercising the oversight, not under compulsion, but voluntarily, not for dishonest gain, but willingly;
3) neither as lording it over those entrusted to you, but making yourselves examples to the flock.

Peter was a fellow elder, not lording it over anyone. He was not popey. Nobody kissed his ring.

Peter did the speaking in Acts 2 on Pentecost, and Peter was used in Acts 10 to introduce Cornelius, the first Gentile, into the Faith. But Christ did not give Peter a unique papal authority, as Rome maintains. Peter was not the first pope.

Further, Rome presumes that Peter’s (nonexistent) papal authority then transfers to them.

Why Rome?

Rome’s authority makes sense only if God uses the Roman Empire as the model for His government. Rome had an emperor, with all authority. At his passing, another emperor took his place, who received all the authority of his predecessors. So saying Peter was the first pope, and then other popes followed him one by one, makes sense only if Christ’s flock looks like the Roman Empire.

The Roman Church does look like the Roman Empire, with an emperor – the pope — who is pontifex maximus, and whose authority passes down from pope to pope. But Christ began his flock not with a pope but with twelve disciples who became the twelve apostles. When Judas fell away, Matthias was chosen by God to take his place, to keep the number at twelve. In addition, Paul was chosen personally by Christ and James was an apostle at Jerusalem, and others are said to have been apostles. Nobody is ever called chief apostle or anything like a pope, and there are no instructions for succession.

So when Rome claims Peter’s (nonexistent) papal authority, the Bible does not give them authority to claim that authority.

Again, why would God use the capital of Satan’s world, the seat of Satan’s kingdom, as headquarters for His assembly, the founding location of Christ’s flock? Wouldn’t Rome be the last such location?

Yes.

But human authority is often granted by other humans to those who most loudly claim it.

This cannot be overstated.

People who arrogantly assume they are great and repeatedly proclaim themselves to be great sometimes get other people to believe they are great. However, those who most loudly proclaim their own authority are their own authority. And that’s the only authority they have.

The Roman Church proclaims its own authority. No place does the Bible say that God wants His people ruled from Rome. And nobody paid much attention to Rome’s claims until Constantine merged the Roman Church with the Roman Empire. Then the seat of the Empire and the seat of the Church were in the same place, working together —

Now that’s authority!

But that authority is still just human authority. And that human authority is what changed the Sabbath and Feasts.

Remember that the first flock — the first Christians, including all the apostles, kept the Sabbath and Feasts. Yet notice the enormous effect of Rome’s human authority.

https://www.learnreligions.com/christianity-statistics-700533

“In 2015, Christians still comprised the largest religious group in the world (with 2.3 billion adherents), representing nearly a third (31%) of the total global population.

Roman Catholic – The Roman Catholic Church denomination is the largest Christian group in the world today with more than a billion followers constituting about half of the world’s Christian population. Brazil has the largest number of Catholics (134 million), more than in Italy, France, and Spain combined.

Protestant – There are approximately 800 million Protestants in the world, comprising 37% of the global Christian population. The United States has more Protestants than any other country (160 million), which is about 20% of the worldwide total number of Christians.

Orthodox – Approximately 260 million people worldwide are Orthodox Christians, comprising 12% of the global Christian population. Nearly 40% of Orthodox Christians worldwide live in Russia.

About 28 million Christians worldwide (1%) do not belong to one of these three largest Christian traditions.”

Of those billions of Christians alive now, almost all defer to Constantine as their spiritual authority, even if they don’t realize it. The number of Christians who visit with God on both the Sabbath and Feasts, as the apostles and Paul and the first flock did, is incredibly tiny. The number of those who follow the authority of Rome and keep the very same days as pagan Rome is –

Billions.

Many of those Christians do not realize their practices are based on the authority of Rome and not the authority of Christ. Yet they don’t carefully search the Bible to see how to live, but live only as they are told to by religious authorities.

So how about those few — that tiny number — who do try to keep the Bible holy days, the Sabbath and Feasts?

Do they follow a human authority, too?