History's Hoax Intro “Beware of Greeks bearing gifts” was the unheeded cry to the fated city of Troy as they joyfully threw open the gates to the Trojan Horse. That tragic mistake successfully ended the legendary Trojan War. But the more important question is, has Christianity accepted a Trojan Horse today? I’ll be back in a moment with the prophetic perspective on History’s Hoax. Message Hello, this is Cody Francis with Prophetic Perspectives. The famous legend of the Trojan Wars began with the capture the Greek Princess Helen and the siege of Troy by her Greek compatriots. For years they battled unsuccessfully. After ten years, they determined to gain by stratagem what they had failed by military might. They built the famous Trojan horse and presented it as an offering to the gods and left. The citizens of Troy elated that the war was finally over joyfully accepted this gift into their city with feasting and merrymaking. Then in the middle of the night as the city was either asleep or in a stupor the trap door was opened and out came the Greek soldiers who opened the gates for their returned comrades and sacked the city of Troy. With the glamorization of this legend among the famous Greek and Roman poets, it has become preserved among society today through phrases, movies and even malicious computer programs. As we consider the events of this legend, we are led to ask are there any symbolic Trojan horses in the world today? Could Christianity have inadvertently accepted a Trojan horse which is eating it from the inside out? These are questions well worth pondering in the light of Biblical evidence as we look at our subject for today, “History’s Hoax.” Outline I. The majority will accept the devil’s Trojan horse. A. Devil’s work to deceive entire world – Rev. 12:9 1. Entire world deceived for millennia a. Noah’s day – world drowned b. Jesus’ day – crucified Creator c. Last days – worship beast – Rev. 13:3 2. Accomplishes through artifice a. Quotes Scripture – Matt. 4:6 b. Uses ministers & pastors – 2 Cor. 11:13-15 c. Devil uses Trojan horses to deceive the world B. Warned to stand for the Lord not majority 1. Don’t follow majority – Ex. 23:2 2. Few who find narrow way – Matt. 7:13, 14 3. Strive to enter the narrow gate – Luke 13:24 II. The Antichrist is the promoter of the Trojan horse in the last days. A. Seen Bible clearly teaches obedience to all commandments 1. Lovingly obey because we love Jesus supremely 2. Say know Jesus, don’t obey = liar – 1 John 2:4 3. Seen Bible clearly teaches need to keep 4th commandment 4. Almost the entire world is rejecting, with no Biblical support 5. Who made this change & how has this Trojan horse been accepted? B. Antichrist has introduced this Trojan horse 1. Seen several identifying marks – all points to medieval church 2. Blasphemous & daring of all—Dan. 7:25 3. Intentionally change God’s law! 4. Specifically command dealing w/time! C. How change in God’s Law occur? 1. Sunday universal pagan day of worship a. Pyramids, Mayan, Aztec, Rome b. Devil always seeking forge compromise 2. Shortly apostles death, compromise crept in a. Avoid stigma Jewish revolts b. All pagans worship Sunday, easier accept! c. Began yearly Easter, Sab & Sun, NO Sab! 3. Constantine made first Sunday law – AD 321 a. Still sun worshipping quasi-convert – SOL INVICTUS b. Church united state, accept – Laodicea 4. Antichrist intending change times & law! a. Span of centuries true Sabbath forgotten b. Small groups around world stayed faithful D. Still acknowledged today 1. Catholic church acknowledges, her authority 2. Protestantism acknowledges, Catholic E. God says – what guide? Who Master? 1. Sabbath is my sign, accept Jesus Creator? 2. If you love me – John 14:15 3. Jesus says, small group keep law, part of? 4. Worship antichrist or Jesus, Creator? 5. Choose this day – Jos. 24:15 The First Day of the Week in History The earliest historical records bear sway that Sunday was a universal day for worship, but not for the worship of the God of heaven, but for the worship of the Sun. This is why it still bears the name of “Sunday” today. For this there are numerous historical records. “Sabbath… A Hebrew word signifying rest … Sunday was a name given by the heathens to the first day of the week, because it was the day on which they worshipped the sun.” Bible Encyclopedia, John Eadie, D.D., LL.D., pg. 561. “The retention of the old pagan name of Dies Solis, for Sunday, is in a great measure owing to the union of Pagan and Christian sentiment with which the first day of the week was recommended by Constantine to his subjects Pagan and Christian alike, as the ‘venerable day of the sun.’” History of the Eastern Church, 184. This sun worship had become almost universal. It is very clear that the sun was worshipped in ancient Egypt. You can see the sun being worshipped in Babylon. In Persia it gained even greater prominence with Mithraism. Although many historians think that worship of the moon came first, there is no doubt that sun worship became the predominant worship around the world. “In ancient Babylonia the sun was worshipped from immemorial antiquity.” The Worship of Nature, vol. 1, James G. Brazer, pg. 529 “Then the earth became a goddess fertilized by the hot rays, and men worshiped the great orb as the father of all things living. From this simple beginning sun-worship passed down into the pagan faiths of antiquity, and many a later god was only a personification of the sun. Anaxagoras was exiled by the learned Greeks because he ventured the guess that the sun was not a god, but merely a ball of fire, about the size of the Peloponnesus.” Our Oriental Heritage, Will Durant, pg. 59, 1954, Simon & Schuster. The entire world had become infected with the worship of the created (the sun) instead of the Creator (the God of heaven). Their universal day of worship was on the day of the sun, the first day of the week, which we commonly call Sunday today. Thus the entire world was deceived and transgressing the Law of God; the entire world, except a small nation—the nation of Israel. God had called this nation to stand apart from the pagan practices of the world as an example. Yet, they did not withstand the influences of Sun worship. The enticing attractions of sun worship allured them, too. Ezekiel 8:16 So He brought me into the inner court of the LORD’S house; and there, at the door of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men with their backs toward the temple of the LORD and their faces toward the east, and they were worshiping the sun toward the east. Ezekiel 20:21 Notwithstanding, the children rebelled against Me; they did not walk in My statutes, and were not careful to observe My judgments, ‘which, if a man does, he shall live by them’; but they profaned My Sabbaths. Then I said I would pour out My fury on them and fulfill My anger against them in the wilderness. They turned to the east, worshiping the sun, and forgot the Sabbath of the Lord. It was the worst of all the abominations revealed to Ezekiel. It was because they had forgotten the Sabbaths of the Lord that they were exiled to Babylon (Jeremiah 17:27). It was hard to stand alone against the rest of the world, but this is exactly what the God of heaven called His people to do. He called upon them to worship the Creator on His Sabbath day, not to compromise with the pagan world around them and mix sun worship with the worship of the God of heaven. Early Christians and the Sabbath In the early Christian church, the Sabbath was sacredly kept. In the entire New Testament, there is not one allusion to Sunday being kept as a religious day. There is no record of a change ever taking place and history still reveals that it was the seventh-day Sabbath that was observed in the early church. “Rev. Joseph Bingham, M.A. says: ‘The ancient Christians were very careful in the observation of Saturday, or the seventh day, which was the ancient Jewish Sabbath. Some observed it as a fast, others as a festival; but all unanimously agreed in keeping it as a more solemn day of religious worship and adoration….’ Antiquities of the Christian Church, vol. II, Book XX, chap. 3, sec. 1, pp. 1137, 1138, London: 1852 Bishop Jeremy Taylor says: ‘The primitive Christians did keep the Sabbath of the Jews; … therefore Christians, for a long time together did keep their conventions upon the Sabbath, in which some portions of the law were read: and this continued till the time of the Laodicean council; which also took care that the reading of the Gospels should be mingled with their reading of the law.’ ‘The Whole Works’ of Jeremy Taylor, vol. IX, p. 416 London: 1822…. Dr. T. H. Morer (a Church of England divine) says: ‘The primitive Christians had a great veneration for the Sabbath, and spent the day in devotion and sermons. And it is not to be doubted but they derived this practice from the apostles themselves, as appears by several scriptures to that purpose.’ ‘Dialogues on the Lord’s Day’ p. 189. London: 1701.” Quoted in Facts of Faith, Christian Edwardson, pp. 69, 70, Southern Publishing Association, 1943. The Subtle Change Acts 20:29, 30 For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. Paul warned that from the New Testament church itself errors and heresies would spring up. He likened the false apostles to savage wolves. Wecan see in the records of history this very event transpiring. “John Dowling, D. D., says: ‘There is scarcely anything which strikes the mind of the careful student of ancient ecclesiastical history with greater surprise, than the comparatively early period at which many of the corruptions of Christianity, which are embodied in the Romish system, took their rise’–‘History of Romanism,’ Book II, chap. 1, par. 1, p. 65…. “Mr. Cumont says further: ‘The ecclesiastical authorities purified in some degree the customs which they could not abolish.’ ‘The pre-eminence assigned to the dies Solis [Sunday] by Mithraism also certainly contributed to the general recognition of Sunday as a holiday [among Christians].’–‘Astrology and Religion Among the Greeks and Romans,’ pp. 171, 162, 163. New York:1912.” Quoted in Facts of Faith, Christian Edwardson, pg. 82, 83, Southern Publishing Association, 1943. As there was strong persecution taking place against the Jews, some compromising church leaders thought it would be advantageous to distance themselves from the Jews by observing a different day. It would only be natural to keep the day that all the pagans did, thus making it easier for them to “embrace” Christianity. Thus man attempted to change the plainest precept in the Ten Commandment Law. The Constitution of heaven was attacked. “Rev. William Frederick likewise states the same historic fact: ‘The Gentiles were an idolatrous people who worshiped the sun, and Sunday was their most sacred day. Now, in order to reach the people in this new field, it seems but natural, as well as necessary, to make Sunday the rest day of the church. At this time it was necessary for the church to either adopt the Gentiles’ day or else have the Gentiles change their day. To change the Gentiles’ day would have been an offence and stumbling block to them. The church could naturally reach them better by keeping their day. There was no need in causing an unnecessary offence by dishonoring their day’–‘Sunday and the Christian Sabbath,’ pp. 169, 170; quoted in Signs of the Times, Sept. 6, 1927. “Thomas H. Morer makes a similar acknowledgement. He says: ‘Sunday being the day on which the Gentiles solemnly adored that planet, and called it Sunday, . . · the Christians thought fit to keep the same day and the same name of it, that they might not appear causelessly peevish, and by that means hinder the conversion of the Gentiles, and bring a greater prejudice than might be otherwise taken against the gospel.’ –‘Dialogues on the Lord’s Day,’ p. 23. London:1701. “The North British Review gives the following reasons for the Christians’ adopting the heathen Sun-day: ‘That very day was the Sunday of their heathen neighbors and respective countrymen, and patriotism gladly united with expediency in making it at once their Lord’s day and their Sabbath .... Paul warned that from the New Testament church itself errors and herThat primitive church, in fact, was shut up to the adoption of the Sunday, until it became established and supreme, when it was too late to make another alteration.’–Vol. XVIII, p. 409. Edinburgh:Feb., 1853.” Quoted in Facts of Faith, Christian Edwardson, pg. 83, 84, Southern Publishing Association, 1943. In the Council of Laodicea, this change became a part of the official church record: “Christians shall not Judaize and be idle on Saturday [Greek sabbaton, the Sabbath] but shall work on that day; but the Lord’s day they shall be especially honour, and, as being Christians, shall, if possible, do no work on that day. If, however, they are found Judaizing, they shall be shut out from Christ.” Thus it began that as apostasy grew in the medieval church, the Sabbath was gradually dropped for the day which all the pagans around them were keeping. The church compromised and thus departed from God as Israel of old did. This change is still acknowledged today. “The church took the pagan philosophy and made it the buckler of faith against the heathen. She took the pagan Roman Pantheon, temple of all the gods, and made it sacred to all the martyrs; so it stands to this day. She took the pagan Sunday and made it the Christian Sunday. She took the pagan Easter and made it the feast we celebrate during this season… The sun was a foremost God with heathendom. Hence, the Church, would seem to have said, ‘Keep that old pagan name. It shall remain consecrated, sanctified.’ And thus, the pagan Sunday, dedicated to Balder, became the Christian Sunday, sacred to Jesus.” Catholic World (March 1894), pages 58, 809. “Have you any other way of proving that the church has power to institute festivals of precept? Had she not such power, she could not have done that in which all modern religionists agree with her;—she could not have substituted the observance of Sunday, the first day of the week, for the observance of Saturday the seventh day, a change for which there is no Scriptural authority.” A Doctrinal Catechism, Stephen Keenan, pg. 174. “The church, after changing the day of rest from the Jewish Sabbath of the seventh day of the week to the first made the Third Commandment refer to Sunday as the day to be kept holy as the Lord’s Day.” The Catholic Encyclopedia, vol. 4, pg. 153. “You may read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation and you will not find a single line authorizing the sanctification of Sunday. The Scriptures enforce the religious observance of Saturday.” Faith of our Fathers, Cardinal James Gibbons, pg. 561. This change is still acknowledge by Protestants today. “There is no scriptural evidence of the change of the Sabbath institution from the seventh to the first day of the week… Of course, I quite well know that Sunday did come into use in early Christian history as a religious day, as we learn from the Christian Fathers and other sources. But what a pity that it comes branded with the mark of paganism, and christened with the name of the sun god, when adopted and sanctified by the papal apostasy, and bequeathed as a sacred legacy to Protestantism!” Dr. Edward T. Hiscox, author of The Baptist Manual, in a paper read before a New York minister’s conference held November 13, 1893. The fact comes down to us today. What will we do about it? The seventh-day Sabbath has never been changed in the Bible. God does not change. (Malachi 3:6) Jesus does not change. (Hebrews 13:8) The apostles did not change it. (Acts 5:29) It was the medieval church of the dark ages that attempted to attack the constitution of heaven. This attack is still with us today. The change has become so hoary with age that few of us think anything about it, but here it stands in prophecy, revealing to us our need to follow Jesus all the way. If we truly accept Jesus as our Lord, then we are going to follow and obey Him. If we accept the antichrist power as lord, then we will follow and obey it. Who is your Lord? Who are you going to obey? Joshua 24:15 And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
|