So, What is the Papacy? (final)

Nature reveals something quite interesting. Be it man or beast, no child is born with experience. It is however in the act of maturing that we gain experience and knowledge. We grow not only physically but intellectually and experientially. We discover our niche, and we become pretty good at what we do.

The Combine

For a couple of decades now an interesting debate has taken place in the halls of jurisprudence. Are corporations people? I mean, corporations are made of people, but should they be legally treated as people? What is a person according to the law? Well believe it or not, Adventist historian Alonzo T Jones was well ahead of these men when he published his booklet 'One Man Power' in which he discusses the dynamics of individualism verses what he calls the combine, as they are revealed in Bible history and prophecy. That often these combines are in their operation just like individuals and express the greed, lust, jealousy and wickedness in human hearts just as humans would because they are in fact populated by individuals. He moves over a vast array of argumentation worth your reading but for the purposes of this article I will pick only one:

Another effect, and the direct logic of the combine, is a one-man power [A.T.Jones OMP, pg 4]

Jones argues eloquently of how in this fallen state when men combine for a certain purpose, be it a business or to form government or some kind of combine, the usual final end product is despotism. Think of the mega corporations today destroying the earth through pollution, many were begun as simple business ventures with the innocent intent of making an income or breathing life to a virgin idea. No one would think that a hundred years later that corporation would be paying assassins to murder whistleblowers and polluting poor people's land. This is "the direct logic of the combine" as Jones puts it. But why?

The Papacy: The Ultimate Combine

Of all human organizations alive in the world today, the Roman Catholic Papacy is the oldest and most experienced. Not only is it the oldest monarchy today but also no other human organization has the breath of institutional memory that it has. The Papacy was there at Rome's demise, let that sink in first.

A statue of Constantine the Great, claimed as the first Christian Emperor of Rome

Think of it like a human being who's been alive all that while, what a great amount of knowledge and experience he would possess. And yet remember, the combine is an expression of human nature beyond the bounds of humanity. Thus the Papacy being the oldest human organization on earth they must be really good at what they do, but, what is it that they do?

The Papacy: Rome Never Ends

(Revelation 13:18) Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.

In the previous article we flagged the Papacy as the pagan counterrevolution to the revolution that was primitive/original Christianity. Why pagan? well we have to understand that paganism has one major distinguishing trait: union of Church and State. Such a union without the divine initiation of almighty God tends to persecution of free consciences (individualism) and the dissemination of the spirit of the combine. This is what God had attempted to inform us all along in the prophecies. In Daniel chapter 2 we see four pagan kingdoms; Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome...all displaying one man power and the spirit of the combine. Babylon gave idolatry, which is human self worship, Persia gave the despotism that comes from making human law immutable, Greece gave human philosophy and Rome, well Rome is the pinnacle of all this. All these principles that have been developing since Babylon find expression in Rome. This prophecy is so important that God repeats it three separate times, adding details every time, Daniel 7, Daniel 8 and Daniel 11.

Wherewithal was it heading? The Popes believe they are the continuation of the Caesars, and the college of cardinals is simply the old Senate of Rome. Rome's policy was world conquest, so much so that the Bible took notice of it:

(Daniel 8:25) And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.

Enemies to the liberty of all nations, having the utmost contempt for kings and monarchies, looking upon the whole universe as their prey, they grasped with insatiable ambition, the conquest of the whole world; they seized indiscriminately all provinces and kingdoms, and extended their empire over all nations; in a word, they prescribed no other limits to their vast projects than those which deserts and seas made it impossible to pass [Rolin, Book xviii, Reflections on the conduct of the Romans]

The Popes are the continuation of the policy of Rome. It is the Rome of old, intolerant, persecuting, crafty old Rome purporting to be a Church now, yes, the Papacy is the old Roman State under the guise of a humble Church yet craftily carrying out its policy, world dominion. In this way, the true length of Papal institutional memory goes even further back to the founding of Rome in 723bc.

When Imperial Rome was falling to ruins under the violent inroads of the barbarians of the North, the spirit and policy of Rome not only survived but was deepened and perfected in papal Rome. And this spirit and policy were consciously and intentionally continued by the popes of the time and was conscientiously received and diligently cultivated by each succeeding pope. [A.T.Jones The American Sentinel, April 5th 1894]

The Pope's crown is known as the Tiara, or triple crown. It symbolizes the three kingdoms destroyed in order for Papal supremacy to be attained by 536ad. [Ostrogoths, Heruli & Vandals, destroyed in what was known as the Trinity wars, destroyed because of their opposition to the Trinity doctrine] Daniel tells us three of the original 10 horns were plucked up by the roots.

So, what is the Papacy? it is the ultimate development of human ideas in this fallen state. Were sin to reoccur after God cleanses the universe of it, we would not wait long till an organization similar to the Papacy emerges. The papacy is the direct logical result of the mystery of iniquity.