Surprised! Yes, Luther is not the first Protestant "reformer" against the Catholic Church long before him, they were many and they all have one characteristic. They all came from the Catholic Church but they have come out to join the band of rebels against the true faith. They are in a continuing rebellion using their false doctrine and heretical teachings. They have wickedly done the deceptions of the many Christians of the Catholic Church by making their own interpretations of the scriptures without regard to the spirit of the words of God but only to the letters of the words used. Corrupting the words of God by changing the words or adding words to the verse thereby changing the spirit or the context of the scripture. A good example of this is the most famous line of the rebels, the Faith Alone. The word alone was added maliciously by Luther in his translation of the bible to German of St. Paul "Man is justified by faith apart from the works". He added the word alone in faith, thus it becomes "man is justified by faith alone apart from the works" changing the entire context of the verse. Meaning that by a stroke of a pen, Luther changes the meaning and spirit of the words of God with his own spirit. That act has deceived millions of souls.
The Protestants don't know that they were all the while following the false doctrine of Faith Alone. Such a bold move did not go unnoticed by the Protestant leaders who wanted their own sets of beliefs imposed upon their followers, they wanted their own church, their OWN, not the church of Jesus Christ. They followed those who were firsts among them in leaving the Catholic church of Christians with their supporters and followers, these are the antichrists according to St. John, who lived long enough to see the rise of the rebels in the church. They managed to come into the church although he said they really don't belong to the church. They came as the destroyer of the church. But they did not succeed and so one after another the rebels will rise and leave bringing their own followers with them and founding their own sects and churches to spread their errors. In that regard heresies abound and reproduced with them as the promoters.
Even Jesus knew that his church will be raided by wolves, the agents of the antichrist the precursor of the seed of Satan that will be revealed in the fullness of time. He warned the Apostles to teach and also warn the church that such people will be able to enter the church bringing in heresies to deceive the elect, the chosen one, the true members of the church of Jesus Christ, that is the Catholic Church of Christians as it is known 2000 years ago.
For those who are asking, are the Apostles Catholics? Of course, they are Catholics because the church of Jesus Christ is Catholic, Acts 9:31 the church that is "throughout all" (Ekklesia Kathy'los).
The church from the beginning has been Catholic or universal, Universal Church or the Catholic Church. In fact, it has been known as such by all the Church Fathers (Bishops, Priests, and Theologians) that immediately came after the Apostles and continued the works they left behind for the continuing build-up of the Catholic Church of Christians according to the holy traditions which they left to be preserved, guarded, protected, and practiced for all time under the leadership of See of Peter as Bishop of Rome, the Roman church which was among the very first churches established by Peter and Paul who both died in Rome.
The establishment of churches in the Roman Empire territories even at the heights of the persecution of Christians, the building of many places of worship, the "house churches" that have been rebuilt into chapels, churches, cathedral, basilica in the first 300 years are monuments testifying to the true church founded by Jesus Christ. The recognition of the Catholic true church is The Catholic Church of Christians. c Church of Christian in the very document that freed the Christians to exercise their faith without fear of being persecuted, tortured, and killed in the same way that other religions of that time were given the same Freedom of Religion is a testament to the truth of who the true church is.
Why is being in the true church Important?
The church is the body of Christ. The body though many is just one. One body of Jesus Christ. So the body is composed of many, it is not alone but many comprising one body. Therefore the one person alone is not the body of Christ. Why? because the church as we have learned in one of my posts is an assembly or gathering of those who are "called out" by the Lord and chosen. The church is not an individual but a body of believers called out by the Lord to assemble or gather together. Such is the church. But those who are called out are required to follow the Commandments of Christ to be accepted as a member of his church and must submit to the authorities of the Church because the commandments are entrusted by the Lord to the church, not to individual converts. For that reason St. Paul referred to the church as the Pillar and Foundation of the Truth. And yet this is not just any church but the church of Jesus Christ, the one he founded and built up through the continuing works of the Apostles from the beginning to the end of time. Such works are passed on through the generations of church Fathers, successors to the Apostles.
Therefore it is important to be in the true, the right, and the only church of Jesus Christ which is the Catholic Church of Christians. There is no other church under heaven and on earth that Jesus Christ founded and built on the rock, that is the Apostles represented by St. Peter.
How do we know it is the Catholic Church?
1. By the Acts of the Apostles
The supposed names of the church in the bible such as Church of God being claimed by different protestant denominations as the true church of Jesus Christ but in reality, they just registered it in the country where they originated. Meaning the church they founded not by Jesus Christ is named that supposed name they got from the Bible. So we have so many Church of God of different founders.
Same as the Church of Christ, we even have and Iglesia Ni Cristo which was founded in 1917 by a man who lived as Catholic, became Protestant going through different denominations until he founded his own church and even call it My Church. It is his church, not Jesus Christ. In fact, it has seen the changing of leadership from the father to the eldest son and now to the youngest son. It is not seen to change that leadership outside the family of the founder. Why? because of the control of the wealth of the church. I believe Jesus did not found his church under the control of one family alone. That is a lie.
The Acts of the Apostle shows the church has leadership but not owned by any of the Apostles bu by Jesus who owned up the church, calling it My Church. The Apostles spread out individually throughout all cities and town, nations controlled by the Roman Empire, preaching, teaching, and converting believers and calling them out into the church.
In Acts 9:31 the church, "Ekklesia" is "throughout all", "Katho'los" or Catholic in cities such as -.
The church is Catholic and this has been known to differentiate it with false churches claiming to be the church. It is clear in the Letter of St. Ignatius to the Smyrneans when he called on the members of the church to follow the bishops in the Catholic Church. He uses the same word "katho'los" to describe the church. Where Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church. Since the letter was dated sometime in 107 AD and the Acts was written by Luke in about 80 AD, then I can deduce that the church has already been known as Catholic.
2. By Succession of Bishops and Jurisdiction. We know the true church to be the Catholic Church particularly the Roman Catholic Church first by a succession of Bishops in the different churches which are united with the Roman Church which exercised jurisdiction on all churches.
The clearest record is the successor of St. Peter as Bishop of Rome who is non-other than St. Linus. The same Linus of Rome that was of the companions of St. Paul. Such presence of St. Linus and after him St. Clement to ascend to the Bishop of Rome and the Papacy shows that the claim of the Protestants that the Roman Church was an apostate church and founded by Constantine or in another outrageous claim was the church of Peter Magus the magician during the life of St. Peter and St. Paul. If that would be the case, St. Paul which made a long epistle to the Romans would have rebuked that church of Peter Magus, the magician. But because it is a myth, it is false and a creation of those who want the Catholic Church destroyed.
The succession of Bishops put in place in the church by the Apostles ensured the continued operation of the established churches in every nation. This succession of the holy Fathers has been the fulfillment of prophecies about the church and institution of the Sacrament of Holy Orders.
3. By historical context and witnesses
The witnessing of Luke in the Acts, the witnessing of James, Peter, Paul, and other Apostles; the witnessing of historians of the church like Eusebius and Josephus chronicling the journey of the Catholic church from a persecuted church to the church that brought down kings and kingdom including the powerful Roman Empire.
The death of Peter and Paul in Rome. The persecution of the Christians and the church. The witnessing of Pliny the younger on the "rites and worship" of the Christian meeting together every Sunday to worship Jesus as God and to celebrate the thanksgiving or the Eucharist. The apologies of Catholic saints, Cyprian, Justin Martyr, and many others who live in the 1st to the 2nd century. The conversion of pagan Rome to Christianity. Then after years of persecution Roman Emperor of the West Constantine and Roman Emperor of the East Licinius jointly by their agreement declare Freedom of Religion throughout all of the Roman Empire and giving back to the Catholic Church of Christians all their confiscated properties and churches under the Edict of Milan of 313 AD is a very strong evidence of the existence of the Catholic Church of Christians throughout all of the territories of the Roman Empire and we know that there was only one church in the Acts who did such thing and accepted throughout all the places - and that is the Catholic Church.
4. By historical documentary and physical evidence
The original bible in Greek and translation to Latin Vulgate, the Letters, and epistles of the Apostles, the apocryphal books, the epistles and letters and epistles of the Bishops after the Apostles, the ruins of the first church buildings and underground churches in caves, the documents on the councils throughout all the history of the church. There are so many books, documents, written for the Catholic Church documenting its existence from the very beginning of its founding on a Sunday of Pentecost. No other church today can match the library in Vatican kept for the Catholic Church in a safe vault underground.
All pieces of evidence that anyone can gather points to only one church, the Catholic Church which has been identified as the Roman Catholic Church owing to the survival of the Roman Church as the one exercising authority over all the churches. So that the prophecy of Jesus, St. Paul, and others will come true.
Who are the anti-Christs according to John?
In the article "Rebellious House" I have identified the rebel houses to be that of the Protestant churches. St. John warned us of this rebellious house, those "who have gone out from us" in 1 John 2:18-19
"Children, it is the last hour; and just as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have appeared. This is how we know it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they did not belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. But their departure made it clear that none of them
belonged to us."
It's very clear from the context by which the verses are written that John is referring to the antichrist who is coming and then refer to the many antichrists that appeared. Who are these antichrists that appeared according to John? They are those who "WENT OUT FROM US" who is the us that John refers to.which includes himself?
John wrote to 3 Letters to the church although he prefers oral teachings and face to face encounters than writing letters that is why his letters to the church were always short, the longest is the 1st Letter with 5 short chapters while both 2nd and 3rd Letters were really like a one-page letter. The "us" therefore that John is referring to is the church. He made this clear in his 3rd Letter
"I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will not welcome us. So when I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, spreading malicious nonsense about us. Not satisfied with that, he even refuses to welcome other believers. He also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church." - 3 John 1:9-10. John was concerned about those who are spreading heresies in the church and who are pulling out of the church those that believe them. So the context of "They went out from us" is about those who were once members of the church but went out of the church believing in their heretical doctrines." In the time of the Apostles, there were already Protestants, the rebels who brought troubles in the church. Apparently, Diotrephes is one of the rebels who like Protestants today have "spread malicious nonsense about us", John said, meaning about the church.
In the 2nd Letter John again made an identifying mark of the antichrist. Those that don't continue in the teaching of Christ. Since the bible has no print available the first Christians relied heavily on oral teachings of the Apostles.
"I say this because many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out of the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist. Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully. Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God. Whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. Anyone who comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take them into your house or welcome them. Anyone who welcomes them shares in their wicked work." - 2 John 1:7-11
Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist. Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully. Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take them into your house or welcome them. Anyone who welcomes them shares in their wicked work. - 2 John 1:7-11
Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist. Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully. Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take them into your house or welcome them. Anyone who welcomes them shares in their wicked work. - 2 John 1:7-11
John clearly points to the antichrists meaning there are many of them. Although we know there is one antichrist that leads them all who will challenge and oppose Christ but will not yet be revealed until the fullness of time has not arrived yet. That is according to St. Paul when the restrainer is removed which is another long topic to discuss. But here they are proving that the types of the Protestants, the rebels who have "gone out" of the Catholic Church are referred to as the antichrists by St. John.
OUR ADVICE TO OUR BROTHERS PROTESTANTS
Stop being obstinate to the truth. We challenge you to remove the callouses from your eyes that blind you. These are the cause by the false doctrines given to you, the Bible Alone and the Justification by Faith Alone. Study closely and open up your minds. Are you really on the right path or you are perishing like the rest of Protestants?
You think that Catholics blindly follow the Catholic Church. You are wrong, modern Catholics today read the bible and they found that everything in the Catholic Church is exactly what the Bible teaches. And why not, the bible came out of the church works not the church from the bible. The church revelation and founding are not even very visible in the Old Testament yet it is biblical and was in the lips of the prophets hidden in the mysteries until Jesus revealed its founding and building up in the Gospel of Matthew.
By Bro. Manny OTFS Chief Apologist
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