a. Who Is the Rock?
b. How to Build on the Rock
c. "gates of hell"
d. What are the Keys?
e. Binding & Loosing
f. What about Peter?
g. Keys of Janus & Cybele
h. Papal Infallibility
II. CULT of Mary
4 Parts of the Marian Heresy
Mary & Spirit of the antichrist
I. Keys of St. Peter
"TWO expressions in this passage, namely,
--“on this rock I will build My church,”
--and, “I will give unto you the keys of the kingdom of heaven,” have been the object of a great deal of controversy, and they often seriously trouble those who take no stock in the arguments for papal authority, which the Catholics try to draw from them.
It is the object of this little study
--to focus the light of inspiration upon them,
--that they may be explained,
...not in the words which man’s wisdom, teaches, but which the Holy Ghost teaches. 1 Corinthians 2:13"
He said unto them, but whom say you that I am?
And Simon Peter answered and said,
You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.
And Jesus answered and said unto him,
Blessed are you, Simon Barjona;
for flesh and blood has not revealed it unto you,
but My Father which is in heaven.
And I say also unto you,
That you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church;
and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
And I will give unto you the keys of the kingdom of heaven;
and whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Matthew 16:15-19
--“on this rock I will build My church,”
--and, “I will give unto you the keys of the kingdom of heaven,” have been the object of a great deal of controversy, and they often seriously trouble those who take no stock in the arguments for papal authority, which the Catholics try to draw from them.
It is the object of this little study
--to focus the light of inspiration upon them,
--that they may be explained,
...not in the words which man’s wisdom, teaches, but which the Holy Ghost teaches. 1 Corinthians 2:13"
by E.J. Waggoner
a. Who Is the Rock?
"First, as to the rock upon which the church of Christ is built.Q: Is that rock the apostle Peter?
Q: Or is it something else?
---That it is not Peter, may be proved both by the text itself, and by the concurrent testimony of Scripture.
* It is doubtless well known that the proper name Peter signifies a stone.
* When Jesus first saw Simon, He said to him:
You are Simon the son of Jona; you shall be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone, [or Peter]. John 1:42
But perhaps it is not so generally known that the Greek word for Peter is entirely different from that which in Matthew 16:18 is translated rock.
Of the former, petra, Liddell and Scott’s Greek English Lexicon says: A piece of rock, a stone, and thus distinguished from petra.
This latter word, petra, is the word rendered “rock,” and of this Liddell and Scott say, A rock generally, whether peaked or ridged, Latin, petra, which is defined as a crag. A passage in Pindar is there referred to, where the word occurs in the plural, petrai, where loose stones (petros) are not meant, but “masses of living rock torn up.”
Q: Now with these facts before us, who can say that Peter is the rock on which the church is built?
A: He is a stone; but the church is not built on so unstable a foundation. Peter was a man of power and was a mighty instrument in the hands of God to help build up the church; but it would never do to build that church upon a foundation which could waver in the least; and Peter at one time, long after this, wavered so greatly that Paul was obliged to rebuke him to the face.
A fearless man of God was Peter, yet only a fallible mortal.
The church is built on a rock, a crag, on something that is fixed.
* The difference in the terms is alone sufficient to show that the apostle Peter is not the foundation of the church.
Let us now see upon what, according to the inspired word, the church of Christ is actually built.
In 1 Corinthians 10:4, we are told that the Israelites in the wilderness all drank the same spiritual drink ...for they drank of
that spiritual Rock that followed went with them; and that Rock [petra] was Christ.
In Ephesians 2:20 we are taken a step farther. There the converted Gentiles are told that being now fellow-citizens with the saints, they are......built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone.
* This shows that Christ is the Rock upon which the church is built,.jpg)
as if it be imagined from the wording of Ephesians 2:20, that the apostles are a part of the foundation, even then Peter is deprived of the position which the Catholic Church would give him as the sole foundation, the apostles and prophets being all included.
You are Simon the son of Jona; you shall be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone, [or Peter]. John 1:42
But perhaps it is not so generally known that the Greek word for Peter is entirely different from that which in Matthew 16:18 is translated rock.
Of the former, petra, Liddell and Scott’s Greek English Lexicon says: A piece of rock, a stone, and thus distinguished from petra.
This latter word, petra, is the word rendered “rock,” and of this Liddell and Scott say, A rock generally, whether peaked or ridged, Latin, petra, which is defined as a crag. A passage in Pindar is there referred to, where the word occurs in the plural, petrai, where loose stones (petros) are not meant, but “masses of living rock torn up.”
Q: Now with these facts before us, who can say that Peter is the rock on which the church is built?
A: He is a stone; but the church is not built on so unstable a foundation. Peter was a man of power and was a mighty instrument in the hands of God to help build up the church; but it would never do to build that church upon a foundation which could waver in the least; and Peter at one time, long after this, wavered so greatly that Paul was obliged to rebuke him to the face.
The church is built on a rock, a crag, on something that is fixed.
* The difference in the terms is alone sufficient to show that the apostle Peter is not the foundation of the church.
Let us now see upon what, according to the inspired word, the church of Christ is actually built.
In 1 Corinthians 10:4, we are told that the Israelites in the wilderness all drank the same spiritual drink ...for they drank of
that spiritual Rock that followed went with them; and that Rock [petra] was Christ.
In Ephesians 2:20 we are taken a step farther. There the converted Gentiles are told that being now fellow-citizens with the saints, they are......built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone.
* This shows that Christ is the Rock upon which the church is built,
.jpg)
But we shall see that the apostle does not mean that the apostles and prophets are a part of the foundation, but that the church is built upon the foundations upon which the apostles and prophets built, and which they, in a sense, laid.
* Thus, we read: 1 Corinthians 3:10-13 According to the grace of
God which is given unto me, as a wise master-builder, I have laid the foundation, and another builds thereon.
But let every man take heed how he builds thereupon.
For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay stubble; every man’s work shall be made manifest.
.jpg)
Christ then, and not Peter,
When Moses identified himself with this church, he incurred the reproach of Christ.
"Here we learn how it is that we may build upon Christ,* Thus, we read: 1 Corinthians 3:10-13 According to the grace of
God which is given unto me, as a wise master-builder, I have laid the foundation, and another builds thereon.
But let every man take heed how he builds thereupon.
For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay stubble; every man’s work shall be made manifest.
.jpg)
is the foundation upon which the church is built.
This will be seen more plainly still when it is remembered that the church existed in the wilderness of Sinai hundreds of years before the day of Peter.When Moses identified himself with this church, he incurred the reproach of Christ.
The Rock from which they drank
was the Rock upon which they were built.
by E.J. Waggoner
b. How to Build on the Rock
the Rock.
* It is by obeying His words.
The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. John 6:63
His words are divine, like Himself, whether uttered with His own voice, or by the mouth of a prophet.
.webp)
---By receiving the words of Christ, therefore, we receive Christ Himself; and so, by building upon those words, we build upon Christ.
Matthew 16:16 You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.
Christ in saying, 18 You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church, –puts Himself, as the Rock of Ages, in direct contrast with Peter."
by E.J. Waggoner
Matthew 16:18 ...and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Peter?
There is no question but that Peter occupied a prominent place among the apostles. He was a natural leader, and often spoke for the others. Moreover, he was a pioneer in gospel work.
In the council at Jerusalem he said: Men and brethren, you know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe. Acts 15:7
But although he was the first one to preach to the Gentiles, his special work was among the Jews, as we read from Paul, concerning this same council.
When they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter; (For He that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles:) ...they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision. Galatians 2:7-9
* Here we find that a special dispensation of the gospel was
committed to Peter, even as unto Paul..jpg)
* But this did not constitute him the sole guardian of the doors of heaven.
As one to whom the gospel was specially entrusted, he did most certainly have the keys of the kingdom of heaven in his possession;
* but this special commission he shared with Paul, and to Paul was given the greater work.
So they keys of the kingdom of heaven were committed to Paul as well as to Peter.
And not only were the keys given to Peter and Paul, as pioneers in the great work of the gospel, but to all their associates, who received the same divine commission; and not only to the apostles, but to the prophets, who declared the word of the Lord.
Maximus," or "Sovereign Pontiff," which had existed in Rome from the earliest times, and which is known to have been framed on the model of the grand original Council of Pontiffs at Babylon.
c. "gates of hell"
"We must notice the statement: Matthew 16:18 ...and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
The word “hell,” hades, means the grave, as it is correctly rendered in the Revised Version.
Q: How is it that the gates of hell shall not prevail against the
church?
A: The idea is not that of warfare, for gates do not fight and overcome; but gates can shut people in, and close so tightly as to prevent any that are inside from escaping, and thus prevail against them.
Gates are a symbol of power, as possessing the gate of one’s enemies signifies victory over them.
* The meaning of the text is that the gates of the grave shall not prevail against the church of Christ.
Q: Why not?
A: Because it is built upon Him. It is firmly fastened to Him.
Now Christ announces Himself as the one…
Revelation 1:18 ...that lives and was dead; [but is] alive forevermore, and has the keys of hell [the grave] and of death..webp)
church?
A: The idea is not that of warfare, for gates do not fight and overcome; but gates can shut people in, and close so tightly as to prevent any that are inside from escaping, and thus prevail against them.
Gates are a symbol of power, as possessing the gate of one’s enemies signifies victory over them.
* The meaning of the text is that the gates of the grave shall not prevail against the church of Christ.
Q: Why not?
A: Because it is built upon Him. It is firmly fastened to Him.
Now Christ announces Himself as the one…
Revelation 1:18 ...that lives and was dead; [but is] alive forevermore, and has the keys of hell [the grave] and of death.
.webp)
* Death and the grave were not able to hold Christ.
Acts 2:24 Whom God has raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that He should be held of it.
* Therefore they cannot hold those who are built upon and united to Him.
But this confident language could not be used if Peter were the foundation of the church. He could not save even himself, but, like all other mortals, is dependent upon Christ for life."
by E.J. Waggoner
d. What are the Keys?
"And I will give unto you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatsoever you shall bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Matthew 16:19
bound or loosed in heaven?
A: A text in Jeremiah will help us to understand this.
In the record of the calling of the prophet, we read:
Then the Lord put forth His hand and touched my mouth. And the Lord said unto me, Behold, I have put My words in your mouth.
See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant. Jeremiah 1:9,10
Jeremiah was only a man, yet he was clothed with wonderful power. As strong language was used concerning him as was spoken to Peter. Q: Now how was he to root out kingdoms, and to pull down and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant them?.jpg)
The first thing to consider is
Q: what constitutes the keys of the kingdom of heaven?
A: A key is that which unlocks or locks; it is anything by which we
gain access to any place, or which enables us to understand any given thing.
Q: Now what is it that opens heaven to mankind, and enables us to understand God?
A: Evidently the gospel, and nothing else.
Paul says that Christ has......brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. 2 Timothy 1:10
He that has the key of David, He that opens, and no man shuts; and shuts, and no man opens. Revelation 3:7
--It seems plain, therefore, that when Christ said, Matthew 16:19 And I will give unto you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, –He referred to the gospel, which He was about to commit to Peter and his associates."
Q: what constitutes the keys of the kingdom of heaven?
A: A key is that which unlocks or locks; it is anything by which we
Q: Now what is it that opens heaven to mankind, and enables us to understand God?
A: Evidently the gospel, and nothing else.
Paul says that Christ has......brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. 2 Timothy 1:10
He that has the key of David, He that opens, and no man shuts; and shuts, and no man opens. Revelation 3:7
The sure mercies of David are the blessings which are assured to us through Christ, the Son of David.
While the gospel opens the
kingdom of heaven to men,
it also shuts out those who reject it.
Thus the gospel opens and shuts. --It seems plain, therefore, that when Christ said, Matthew 16:19 And I will give unto you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, –He referred to the gospel, which He was about to commit to Peter and his associates."
by E.J. Waggoner
e. Binding & Loosing
"Q: But how about their binding and loosing on earth, and it beingbound or loosed in heaven?
A: A text in Jeremiah will help us to understand this.
In the record of the calling of the prophet, we read:
Then the Lord put forth His hand and touched my mouth. And the Lord said unto me, Behold, I have put My words in your mouth.
See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant. Jeremiah 1:9,10
Jeremiah was only a man, yet he was clothed with wonderful power. As strong language was used concerning him as was spoken to Peter. Q: Now how was he to root out kingdoms, and to pull down and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant them?
.jpg)
A: Simply by the word of the Lord which he should speak. A prophet is simply the mouth-piece of God.
On the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came on them, they began to speak, with tongues, ...as the Spirit gave them utterance. Acts 2:4
We have before quoted the statement of Paul, that in making known the gospel, he spoke.
...not in the words which man’s wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Ghost teaches. 1 Corinthians 2:13
The same word of God, which was given to Jeremiah was committed to the apostles.
Therefore just as Jeremiah, as the spokesman for God, could tear
down and build up nations, so the apostles, with the words of Christ in their mouths, could bind and loose, according to the will of heaven.
* The acts of men in such cases were not the acts of men, but of God. Men were simply the mouth-pieces of His righteous decrees."
down and build up nations, so the apostles, with the words of Christ in their mouths, could bind and loose, according to the will of heaven.
* The acts of men in such cases were not the acts of men, but of God. Men were simply the mouth-pieces of His righteous decrees."
by E.J. Waggoner
f. What about Peter?
"Q: But how about the words of Christ being addressed directly toPeter?
There is no question but that Peter occupied a prominent place among the apostles. He was a natural leader, and often spoke for the others. Moreover, he was a pioneer in gospel work.
In the council at Jerusalem he said: Men and brethren, you know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe. Acts 15:7
But although he was the first one to preach to the Gentiles, his special work was among the Jews, as we read from Paul, concerning this same council.
When they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter; (For He that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles:) ...they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision. Galatians 2:7-9
* Here we find that a special dispensation of the gospel was
committed to Peter, even as unto Paul.
.jpg)
As one to whom the gospel was specially entrusted, he did most certainly have the keys of the kingdom of heaven in his possession;
* but this special commission he shared with Paul, and to Paul was given the greater work.
So they keys of the kingdom of heaven were committed to Paul as well as to Peter.
And not only were the keys given to Peter and Paul, as pioneers in the great work of the gospel, but to all their associates, who received the same divine commission; and not only to the apostles, but to the prophets, who declared the word of the Lord.
--And so the church, which is the house of the living God, stands not upon any one man, nor upon any company of men,
but ...upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone. Ephesians 2:20."
but ...upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone. Ephesians 2:20."
by E.J. Waggoner
g. Keys of Janus & Cybele
"The College of Cardinals, with the Pope at its head, is just the counterpart of the Pagan College of Pontiffs, with its "Pontifex
--The Pope now pretends to supremacy in the Church as the successor of Peter, to whom it is alleged that our Lord exclusively committed the keys of the kingdom of heaven.
--But here is the important fact that, till the Pope was invested with the title, which for a thousand years had had attached to it the power of the keys of Janus and Cybele, no such claim to pre-eminence, or.webp)
anything approaching to it, was ever publicly made on his part, on the ground of his being the possessor of the keys bestowed on Peter.
.webp)
*....about 378, the Pope fell heir to the keys that were the symbols of two well-known Pagan divinities at Rome.
--Janus bore a key, and Cybele bore a key; and these are the two keys that the Pope emblazons on his arms as the ensigns of his spiritual authority... Because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved...For this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie.
2 Thessalonians 2:10,11
Few lies could be more gross; but, in course of time, it came to be.webp)
widely believed; and now, as the statue of Jupiter is worshipped at Rome as the veritable image of Peter, so the keys of Janus and Cybele have for ages been devoutly believed to represent the keys of the same apostle.
That Peter the apostle was ever Bishop of Rome has been proved again and again to be an arrant fable.
*Thus we may see how the keys of Janus and Cybele would come to be known as the keys of Peter, the "interpreter" of the Mysteries.
.webp)
That Peter the apostle was ever Bishop of Rome has been proved again and again to be an arrant fable.
*Thus we may see how the keys of Janus and Cybele would come to be known as the keys of Peter, the "interpreter" of the Mysteries.
The Pope, therefore, when he set up as the High-priest of Janus, assumed also the "the power of turning the hinge,"--of opening and shutting in the blasphemous Pagan sense. Slowly and cautiously at first was this power asserted; but the foundation being laid, steadily, century after century, was the grand superstructure of priestly power erected upon it."
by Alexander Hislop
h. Papal Infallibility
"The papal church will never relinquish her claim to infallibility. Romanism as a system is no more in harmony with the gospel of Christ now than at any former period in her history.
The doctrines devised in the darkest ages are still held.
Popery is just what prophecy declared that she would be,—the
apostasy of the latter times....beneath the variable appearance of the chameleon, she conceals the invariable venom of the serpent.
--Many urge that the intellectual and moral darkness prevailing during the Middle Ages favored the spread of her dogmas, superstitions, and oppression, and that the greater intelligence of modern times, the general diffusion of knowledge, and the increasing liberality in matters of religion, forbid a revival of intolerance and tyranny.
--But it should be remembered that the greater the light bestowed, the
greater the darkness of those who pervert or reject it.
A prayerful study of the Bible would show Protestants the real character of the papacy, and would cause them to abhor and to shun it; The papacy is well adapted to meet the wants of all these.
It is prepared for two classes of mankind, embracing nearly the whole world,—those who would be saved by their merits, and those who would be saved in their sins. Here is the secret of its power.
And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. Revelation 13:12."
by Ellen White
II. CULT of Mary
4 Parts of the Marian Heresy
"There are four dogmas stating Mary's personal relationship with God and her role in human salvation .
1) Divine Motherhood
Mary's divine motherhood was proclaimed at the Council of Ephesus.webp)
in 431.
Various names are used to describe Mary's role as mother of Jesus. She is called "Mother of God" which translates the more accurately stated greek term "Theotokos" or "Birthgiver of God."
2) Perpetual Virginity
The expression perpetual virginity, ever-virgin, or simply "Mary the Virgin" refers primarily to the conception and birth of Jesus.
Although never explicated in detail, the Catholic Church holds as dogma that Mary was and is Virgin before, in and after Christ's birth.
3) Immaculate Conception
The solemn definition of Mary's Immaculate Conception is like Divine Motherhood and Perpetual Virginity part of the christological doctrine, but it was proclaimed as an independent dogma by Pope.webp)
Pius IX in his Apostolic Constitution "Ineffabilis Deus" (December 8, 1854). Though highlighting a privilege of Mary it in fact stresses the dignity and holiness required to become "Mother of God." The privilege of the Immaculate Conception is the source and basis for Mary's all-holiness as Mother of God.
More specifically, the dogma of the Immaculate Conception states "that the most Blessed Virgin Mary, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege from Almighty God and in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, was kept free of every stain of original sin."
Thus, the dogma declares that from her beginning Mary was exceptionally holy...
4) The Assumption
This Marian dogma was proclaimed by Pope Pius XII on November 1, 1950 on his Encyclical Munificentissimus Deus.
A distinction needs to be made between Ascension and Assumption. Jesus Christ, Son of God and Risen Lord, ascended into heaven, a sign of divine power.
1) Divine Motherhood
Mary's divine motherhood was proclaimed at the Council of Ephesus
.webp)
Various names are used to describe Mary's role as mother of Jesus. She is called "Mother of God" which translates the more accurately stated greek term "Theotokos" or "Birthgiver of God."
2) Perpetual Virginity
The expression perpetual virginity, ever-virgin, or simply "Mary the Virgin" refers primarily to the conception and birth of Jesus.
Although never explicated in detail, the Catholic Church holds as dogma that Mary was and is Virgin before, in and after Christ's birth.
3) Immaculate Conception
The solemn definition of Mary's Immaculate Conception is like Divine Motherhood and Perpetual Virginity part of the christological doctrine, but it was proclaimed as an independent dogma by Pope
.webp)
More specifically, the dogma of the Immaculate Conception states "that the most Blessed Virgin Mary, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege from Almighty God and in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, was kept free of every stain of original sin."
Thus, the dogma declares that from her beginning Mary was exceptionally holy...
4) The Assumption
This Marian dogma was proclaimed by Pope Pius XII on November 1, 1950 on his Encyclical Munificentissimus Deus.
A distinction needs to be made between Ascension and Assumption. Jesus Christ, Son of God and Risen Lord, ascended into heaven, a sign of divine power.
Mary, on the contrary, was elevated or assumed into heaven by the power and grace of God.
The dogma states that "Mary, Immaculate Mother of God ever Virgin, after finishing the course of her life on earth, was taken up in body and soul to heavenly glory."
The dogma states that "Mary, Immaculate Mother of God ever Virgin, after finishing the course of her life on earth, was taken up in body and soul to heavenly glory."
But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies... 2 Peter 2:1
by CARM
Mary & Spirit of the antichrist
"The homage, which the Catholic Church pays to the Virgin Mary, is one of the most pernicious phases of the spirit of antichrist..... but those who are familiar with the facts know that the honor and worship, which should be given to Christ alone, are by them given the Virgin Mary, and Christ is virtually ignored.
But this worship of the Virgin Mary, and of the saints and martyrs, which detracts from the honor due to Christ, springs solely from the doctrine of the natural immortality of man;
--for if they did not hold that human beings are by nature possessed of the immortality which actually belongs to God alone,
--they could not give to those human beings, after death, the worship which is due to God.
The reader will know, therefore, that every quotation made from “The Glories of Mary,” is the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church. On page 19 we find the following: —“If the assertion is true and incontrovertible, as I believe it to be, and
Q: If this is not antichrist, can anyone tell what would be?
Q: When the Catholic Church teaches that “all those who are saved, are saved solely by the hand of this divine mother,” what room is left for Christ?"
But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them....
2 Peter 2:1
by E.J. Waggoner