Two cheers for the Papists [Rev 5]

I sent a note to Mundabor that I’m raising my cup of morning coffee (needed it is) to the Papists. For they turned back the tide that would dilute the teaching on divorce. Now, this teaching is one the Reformed do not agree with. But want to. Calvin feared divorce, and carefully studied the texts, and considered adultery and abandonment by a unbeleiver as reasons. But he feared a slippery slope, where the threshold for divorce would be made lower and lower by legal weaseling.

And this has happened. Before the one Papist reader says “Not in my church” let me add… I wish. For the American Catholics seem to have made it easy to get an annulment, and then appear before the table with a clean conscience.

Sorry, folks. That does not do it. Those of us who are divorced know that you never are fully healed. In this life. I will leave the theology of the Eucharist to them…. but would co sign this.

If you get a kick out of defeatism, get your kicks somewhere else.
If you think that 75% of the bishops endorse Kasperism, or are even ready to tolerate it, this is not the blog for you.
If you are one of those who want to give the heretics a victory after they have been defeated – in this battle, of course; they are not extinct – I suggest not only you refrain from commenting, but you avoid this blog altogether.
Go help Satan somewhere else. Not here.

I disagree with my Papist brother about a lot of things. Our theologies are not incompatiable on the essentials of the faith, but on many other things they are. But, I accept that the historical Catholic Church preached the Gospel… probably more than liberal Presbyterians ever did.

And the Papists still (God be praised) take Heresy seriously. The apostate, post-reformed churches celebrate it. They are akin to irradiated earth: the poison of the liberals has dug too deep.

The pope can do whatever he wants, but what he can not do is proclaim formal heresy. And if you have watched and judged the actions of the present bishop of Rome, you will see that he is terrified of just this situation. He already has a “ticking bomb” problem with the Team Bergoglio affair (see here).

Actually, he is so terrified of being accused of formal heresy, that he even allowed the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Card. Muller to create a novel function at the CDF known as “theological structuring”.

Now, on the final day, all this will fall apart. We have a little information, and a lot of symbols. I will leave the micro-interpretations of this to others: there is a swamp of errors there.

For it is Christ alone who is worthy to reveal the final times, and he will redeem his church.

Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”

And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying,

“Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, nd they shall reign on the earth.”

(Revelation 5:1-10 ESV)

So, two cheers for the Papists. Why not three?

Because I live on the other side of the Tiber, and though we have managed (God be praised) to turn away from the brink ourselves, we have a problem with those who think they can counsel us, and in doing so they import ideologies that destroy us.

We have to be prepared to confront heresy when it is called therapy or spiritual development. Or we are directed by the police to attend such teaching, or by the social workers to remove ourselves from our spouse so we can keep our children.

The enemies of the church will not rest. But that is not our issue. Our issue is rebuild the Church, and to walk humbly with our God. Let the nations rage: we will serve God.