In english:<\/p>\n
John 16:1-4 King James Version (KJV)
\n16 These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended.
\n2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.
\n3 And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me.
\n4 But these things have I told you, that when the time shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them. And these things I said not unto you at the beginning, because I was with you.<\/p>\n
2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 King James Version (KJV)
\n2 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
\n2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
\n3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
\n4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.<\/p>\n
But blackest in the black catalogue of crime, most horrible among the fiendish deeds of all the dreadful centuries, was the St. Bartholomew Massacre. The world still recalls with shuddering horror the scenes of that most cowardly and cruel onslaught. The king of France, urged on by Romish priests and prelates, lent his sanction to the dreadful work. A bell, tolling at dead of night, was a signal for the slaughter. Protestants by thousands, sleeping quietly in their homes, trusting to the plighted honor of their king, were dragged forth without a warning and murdered in cold blood. GC 272.1<\/p>\n
“At this time great perils surrounded the Protestant cause. The anathemas of the pope thundered against Geneva, and mighty nations threatened it with destruction. How was this little city to resist the powerful hierarchy that had so often forced kings and emperors to submission? How could it stand against the armies of the world’s great conquerors? GC 234.1
\nThroughout Christendom, Protestantism was menaced by formidable foes. The first triumphs of the Reformation past, Rome summoned new forces, hoping to accomplish its destruction. At this time the order of the Jesuits was created, the most cruel, unscrupulous, and powerful of all the champions of popery. Cut off from earthly ties and human interests, dead to the claims of natural affection, reason and conscience wholly silenced, they knew no rule, no tie, but that of their order, and no duty but to extend its power. (See Appendix.) The gospel of Christ had enabled its adherents to meet danger and endure suffering, undismayed by cold, hunger, toil, and poverty, to uphold the banner of truth in face of the rack, the dungeon, and the stake. To combat these forces, Jesuitism inspired its followers with a fanaticism that enabled them to endure like dangers, and to oppose to the power of truth all the weapons of deception. There was no crime too great for them to commit, no deception too base for them to practice, no disguise too difficult for them to assume. Vowed to perpetual poverty and humility, it was their studied aim to secure wealth and power, to be devoted to the overthrow of Protestantism, and the re-establishment of the papal supremacy.” GC 234.2<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Romish Church now presents a fair front to the world, covering with apologies her record of horrible cruelties. She has clothed herself in Christ-like garments; but she is unchanged. Every principle of popery that existed in past ages exists to-day. The doctrines devised in the darkest ages are still held. Let none deceive themselves. The popery that Protestants are now so ready to honor is the same that ruled the world in the days of the Reformation, when men of God stood up, at the peril of their lives, to expose her iniquity. She possesses the same pride and arrogant assumption that lorded it over kings and princes, and claimed the prerogatives of God. Her spirit is no less cruel and despotic now than when she crushed out human liberty, and slew the saints of the Most High.<\/p>\n
Popery is just what prophecy declared that she would be, the apostasy of the latter times. 2 Thessalonians 2:3, 4. It is a part of her policy to assume the character which will best accomplish her purpose; but beneath the variable appearance of the chameleon, she conceals the invariable venom of the serpent. \u201cWe are not bound to keep faith and promises to heretics,\u201d She declares. Shall this power, whose record for a thousand years is written in the blood of the saints, be now acknowledged as a part of the church of Christ?<\/p>\n
It is not without reason that the claim has been put forth in Protestant countries, that Catholicism differs less widely from Protestantism than in former times. There has been a change; but the change is not in the papacy. Catholicism indeed resembles much of the Protestantism that now exists, because Protestantism has so greatly degenerated since the days of the reformers.<\/p>\n
As the Protestant churches have been seeking the favor of the world, false charity has blinded their eyes. They do not see but that it is right to believe good of all evil; and as the inevitable result, they will finally believe evil of all good. Instead of standing in defense of the faith once delivered to the saints, they are now, as it were, apologizing to Rome for their uncharitable opinion of her, begging pardon for their bigotry.<\/p>\n
A large class, even of those who look upon Romanism with no favor, apprehend little danger from her power and influence. 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. The very thought that such a state of things will exist in this enlightened age is ridiculed. It is true that great light, intellectual, moral, and religious, is shining upon this generation. In the open pages of God\u2019s holy Word, light from Heaven has been shed upon the world. But it should be remembered that the greater the light bestowed, the greater the darkness of those who pervert or reject it.<\/p>\n
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; but many are so wise in their own conceit that they feel no need of humbly seeking God that they may be led into the truth. Although priding themselves on their enlightenment, they are ignorant both of the Scriptures and of the power of God. They must have some means of quieting their consciences; and they seek that which is least spiritual and humiliating. What they desire is a method of forgetting God which shall pass as a method of remembering Him. 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,\u2014those who would be saved by their merits, and those who would be saved in their sins. Here is the secret of its power.<\/p>\n
A day of great intellectual darkness has been shown to be favorable to the success of popery. It will yet be demonstrated that a day of great intellectual light is equally favorable for its success. In past ages, when men were without God\u2019s Word, and without the knowledge of the truth, their eyes were blindfolded, and thousands were ensnared, not seeing the net spread for their feet. In this generation there are many whose eyes become dazzled by the glare of human speculations, \u201cscience falsely so-called;\u201d they discern not the net, and walk into it as readily as if blindfolded. God designed that man\u2019s intellectual powers should be held as a gift from His Maker, and should be employed in the service of truth and righteousness; but when pride and ambition are cherished, and men exalt their own theories above the Word of God, then intelligence can accomplish greater harm than ignorance. Thus the false science of the nineteenth century, which undermines faith in the Bible, will prove as successful in preparing the way for the acceptance of the papacy, with its pleasing forms, as did the withholding of knowledge in opening the way for its aggrandizement in the Dark Ages.\u201d GC 1888 p. 571-573<\/p>\n
\u201cProtestants little know what they are doing when they propose to accept the aid of Rome in the work of Sunday exaltation. While they are bent upon the accomplishment of their purpose, Rome is aiming to re-establish her power, to recover her lost supremacy. Let history testify of her artful and persistent efforts to insinuate herself into the affairs of nations; and having gained a foothold, to further her own aims, even at the ruin of princes and people. Romanism openly puts forth the claim that the pope \u201ccan pronounce sentences and judgments in contradiction to the right of nations, to the law of God and man\u201d [The \u201cDecretalia\u201d].<\/p>\n
And let it be remembered, it is the boast of Rome that she never changes. The principles of Gregory VII and Innocent III are still the principles of the Romish Church. And had she but the power, she would put them in practice with as much vigor now as in past centuries. Let the principle once be established in the United States, that the church may employ or control the power of the State; that religious observances may be enforced by secular laws; in short, that the authority of church and State is to dominate the conscience, and the triumph of Rome in this country is assured.<\/p>\n
God\u2019s Word has given warning of the impending danger; let this be unheeded, and the Protestant world will learn what the purposes of Rome really are, only when it is too late to escape the snare. She is silently growing into power. Her doctrines are exerting their influence in legislative halls, in the churches, and in the hearts of men. She is piling up her lofty and massive structures, in the secret recesses of which her former persecutions will be repeated. Stealthily and unsuspectedly she is strengthening her forces to further her own ends when the time shall come for her to strike. All that she desires is vantage-ground, and this is already being given her. We shall soon see and shall feel what the purpose of the Roman element is. Whoever shall believe and obey the Word of God will thereby incur reproach and persecution.\u201d GC 1888 p. 580-581<\/p>\n
————————————————————
\nIn Spanish (En Espa\u00f1ol):<\/p>\n
Juan 16:1-4 Reina-Valera Antigua (RVA)
\n16 ESTAS cosas os he hablado, para que no os escandalic\u00e9is.
\n2 Os echar\u00e1n de los sinagogas; y aun viene la hora, cuando cualquiera que os matare, pensar\u00e1 que hace servici\u00f3 \u00e1 Dios.
\n3 Y estas cosas os har\u00e1n, porque no conocen al Padre ni \u00e1 m\u00ed.
\n4 Mas os he dicho esto, para que cuando aquella hora viniere, os acordeis que yo os lo hab\u00eda dicho. Esto empero no os lo dije al principio, porque yo estaba con vosotros.<\/p>\n
2 Tesalonicenses 2:1-4 Reina-Valera Antigua (RVA)
\n2 EMPERO os rogamos, hermanos, cuanto \u00e1 la venida de nuestro Se\u00f1or Jesucristo, y nuestro recogimiento \u00e1 \u00e9l,
\n2 Que no os mov\u00e1is f\u00e1cilmente de vuestro sentimiento, ni os conturb\u00e9is ni por esp\u00edritu, ni por palabra, ni por carta como nuestra, como que el d\u00eda del Se\u00f1or est\u00e9 cerca.
\n3 No os enga\u00f1e nadie en ninguna manera; porque no vendr\u00e1 sin que venga antes la apostas\u00eda, y se manifieste el hombre de pecado, el hijo de perdici\u00f3n,
\n4 Oponi\u00e9ndose, y levant\u00e1ndose contra todo lo que se llama Dios, \u00f3 que se adora; tanto que se asiente en el templo de Dios como Dios, haci\u00e9ndose parecer Dios.<\/p>\n
(Hay variaciones en la traducci\u00f3n al espa\u00f1ol en algunas partes, como oraciones y\/o su ubicaci\u00f3n)<\/p>\n
“La causa protestante se ve\u00eda entonces rodeada de grandes peligros. Los anatemas del papa tronaban contra Ginebra, y poderosas naciones amenazaban destruirla. \u00bfC\u00f3mo iba tan peque\u00f1a ciudad a resistir a la poderosa jerarqu\u00eda que tan a menudo hab\u00eda sometido a reyes y emperadores? \u00bfC\u00f3mo podr\u00eda vencer los ej\u00e9rcitos de los grandes capitanes del siglo? En toda la cristiandad se ve\u00eda amenazado el protestantismo por formidables enemigos. Pasados los primeros triunfos de la Reforma, Roma reuni\u00f3 nuevas fuerzas con la esperanza de acabar con ella. Entonces fue cuando naci\u00f3 la orden de los jesuitas, que iba a ser el m\u00e1s cruel, el menos escrupuloso y el m\u00e1s formidable de todos los campeones del papado. Libres de todo lazo terrenal y de todo inter\u00e9s humano, insensibles a la voz del afecto natural, sordos a los argumentos de la raz\u00f3n y a la voz de la conciencia, no reconoc\u00edan los miembros m\u00e1s ley, ni m\u00e1s sujeci\u00f3n que las de su orden, y no ten\u00edan m\u00e1s preocupaci\u00f3n que la de extender su poder\u00edo (v\u00e9ase el Ap\u00e9ndice). El evangelio de Cristo hab\u00eda capacitado a sus adherentes para arrostrar los peligros y soportar los padecimientos, sin desmayar por el fr\u00edo, el hambre, el trabajo o la miseria, y para sostener con denuedo el estandarte de la verdad frente al potro, al calabozo y a la hoguera. Para combatir contra estas fuerzas, el jesuitismo inspiraba a sus adeptos un fanatismo tal, que los habilitaba para soportar peligros similares y oponer al poder de la verdad todas las armas del enga\u00f1o. Para ellos ning\u00fan crimen era demasiado grande, ninguna mentira demasiado vil, ning\u00fan disfraz demasiado dif\u00edcil de llevar. Ligados por votos de pobreza y de humildad perpetuas, estudiaban el arte de adue\u00f1arse de la riqueza y del poder para consagrarlos a la destrucci\u00f3n del protestantismo y al restablecimiento de la supremac\u00eda papal.” CS 215.3<\/p>\n
“Pero lo m\u00e1s inicuo que se registra en el l\u00f3brego cat\u00e1logo de los cr\u00edmenes, el m\u00e1s horrible de los actos diab\u00f3licos de aquella sucesi\u00f3n de siglos espantosos, fu\u00e9 la \u201cmatanza de San Bartolom\u00e9.\u201d Todav\u00eda se estremece horrorizado el mundo al recordar las escenas de aquella carnicer\u00eda, la m\u00e1s vil y alevosa que se registra. El rey de Francia instado por los sacerdotes y prelados de Roma sancion\u00f3 tan espantoso crimen. El ta\u00f1ido de una campana, resonando a medianoche, di\u00f3 la se\u00f1al del deg\u00fcello. Millares de protestantes que dorm\u00edan tranquilamente en sus casas, confiando en la palabra que les hab\u00eda dado el rey, asegur\u00e1ndoles protecci\u00f3n, fueron arrastrados a la calle sin previo aviso y asesinados a sangre fr\u00eda.” {CS54 315.1}<\/p>\n
“La iglesia cat\u00f3lica le pone actualmente al mundo una cara apacible, y presenta disculpas por sus horribles crueldades. Se ha puesto vestiduras como las de Cristo, pero en realidad no ha cambiado. Todos los principios formulados por el papismo en edades pasadas subsisten en nuestros d\u00edas. Las doctrinas inventadas en los siglos m\u00e1s tenebrosos siguen profes\u00e1ndose a\u00fan. Nadie se enga\u00f1e. El papado que los protestantes est\u00e1n ahora tan dispuestos a honrar, es el mismo que gobernaba al mundo en tiempos de la Reforma, cuando se levantaron hombres de Dios con peligro de sus vidas para denunciar la iniquidad de \u00e9l. El romanismo sostiene las mismas orgullosas pretensiones con que supo dominar sobre reyes y pr\u00edncipes y arrogarse las prerrogativas de Dios. Su esp\u00edritu no es hoy menos cruel ni desp\u00f3tico que cuando destru\u00eda la libertad humana y mataba a los santos del Alt\u00edsimo.<\/p>\n
El papado es precisamente lo que la profec\u00eda declar\u00f3 que ser\u00eda: la apostas\u00eda de los postreros d\u00edas. 2 Tesalonicenses 2:3, 4. Forma parte de su pol\u00edtica asumir el car\u00e1cter que le permita realizar mejor sus fines; pero bajo la apariencia variable del camale\u00f3n oculta el mismo veneno de la serpiente. Declara: \u201cNo hay que guardar la palabra empe\u00f1ada con herejes, ni con personas sospechosas de herej\u00eda.\u201d\u2014Lenfant, Histoire du Concile de Constance, tomo 1, p\u00e1g. 493. \u00bfSer\u00e1 posible que este poder cuya historia se escribi\u00f3 durante mil a\u00f1os con la sangre de los santos, sea ahora reconocido como parte de la iglesia de Cristo?<\/p>\n
No sin raz\u00f3n se ha asegurado que en los pa\u00edses protestantes el catolicismo no difiere ya tanto del protestantismo como antes. Se ha verificado un cambio; pero no es el papado el que ha cambiado. El catolicismo se parece mucho en verdad al protestantismo de hoy d\u00eda debido a lo mucho que \u00e9ste ha degenerado desde los d\u00edas de los reformadores.<\/p>\n
Mientras las iglesias protestantes han estado buscando el favor del mundo, una falsa caridad las ha cegado. Se figuran que es justo pensar bien de todo mal; y el resultado inevitable ser\u00e1 que al fin pensar\u00e1n mal de todo bien. En lugar de salir en defensa de la fe que fue dada antiguamente a los santos, no parecen sino disculparse ante Roma por haberla juzgado con tan poca caridad y pedirle perd\u00f3n por la estrechez de miras que manifestaron.<\/p>\n
Muchos, aun entre los que no favorecen al romanismo, se dan poca cuenta del peligro con que les amenaza el poder y la influencia de Roma. Insisten en que las tinieblas intelectuales y morales que prevalec\u00edan en la Edad Media favorec\u00edan la propagaci\u00f3n de sus dogmas y supersticiones junto con la opresi\u00f3n, y que el mayor caudal de inteligencia de los tiempos modernos, la difusi\u00f3n general de conocimientos y la libertad siempre mayor en materia de religi\u00f3n, impiden el reavivamiento de la intolerancia y de la tiran\u00eda. Se ridiculiza la misma idea de que pudiera volver un estado de cosas semejante en nuestros tiempos de luces. Es verdad que sobre esta generaci\u00f3n brilla mucha luz intelectual, moral y religiosa. De las p\u00e1ginas abiertas de la Santa Palabra de Dios, ha brotado luz del cielo sobre la tierra. Pero no hay que olvidar que cuanto mayor sea la luz concedida, tanto m\u00e1s densas tambi\u00e9n son las tinieblas de aquellos que la pervierten o la rechazan.<\/p>\n
Un estudio de la Biblia hecho con oraci\u00f3n mostrar\u00eda a los protestantes el verdadero car\u00e1cter del papado y se lo har\u00eda aborrecer y rehuir; pero muchos son tan sabios en su propia opini\u00f3n que no sienten ninguna necesidad de buscar humildemente a Dios para ser conducidos a la verdad. Aunque se enorgullecen de su ilustraci\u00f3n, desconocen tanto las Sagradas Escrituras como el poder de Dios. Necesitan algo para calmar sus conciencias, y buscan lo que es menos espiritual y humillante. Lo que desean es un modo de olvidar a Dios, pero que parezca recordarlo. El papado responde perfectamente a las necesidades de todas esas personas. Es adecuado a dos clases de seres humanos que abarcan casi a todo el mundo: los que quisieran salvarse por sus m\u00e9ritos, y los que quisieran salvarse en sus pecados. Tal es el secreto de su poder.<\/p>\n
Ha quedado probado cu\u00e1nto favorecieron el \u00e9xito del papado los per\u00edodos de tinieblas intelectuales. Tambi\u00e9n quedar\u00e1 demostrado que una \u00e9poca de grandes luces intelectuales es igualmente favorable a su triunfo. En otro tiempo, cuando los hombres no pose\u00edan la Palabra de Dios ni conoc\u00edan la verdad, sus ojos estaban vendados y miles cayeron en la red que no ve\u00edan tendida ante sus pies. En esta generaci\u00f3n, son muchos aquellos cuyos ojos est\u00e1n ofuscados por el brillo de las especulaciones humanas, o sea por la \u201cfalsamente llamada ciencia;\u201d no alcanzan a ver la red y caen en ella tan f\u00e1cilmente como si tuviesen los ojos vendados. Dios dispuso que las facultades intelectuales del hombre fuesen consideradas como don de su Creador y que fuesen empleadas en provecho de la verdad y de la justicia; pero cuando se fomenta el orgullo y la ambici\u00f3n y los hombres exaltan sus propias teor\u00edas por encima de la Palabra de Dios, entonces la inteligencia puede causar mayor perjuicio que la ignorancia. Por esto, la falsa ciencia de nuestros d\u00edas, que mina la fe en la Biblia, preparar\u00e1 tan seguramente el camino para el triunfo del papado con su formalismo agradable, como el obscurantismo lo prepar\u00f3 para su engrandecimiento en la Edad Media.” Spanish Great Controversy p. 627-629<\/p>\n
“Y t\u00e9ngase presente que Roma se jacta de no variar jam\u00e1s. Los principios de Gregorio VII y de Inocencio III son a\u00fan los principios de la iglesia cat\u00f3lica romana; y si s\u00f3lo tuviese el poder, los pondr\u00eda en vigor con tanta fuerza hoy como en siglos pasados. Poco saben los protestantes lo que est\u00e1n haciendo al proponerse aceptar la ayuda de Roma en la tarea de exaltar el domingo. Mientras ellos tratan de realizar su prop\u00f3sito, Roma tiene su mira puesta en el restablecimiento de su poder, y tiende a recuperar su supremac\u00eda perdida. Establ\u00e9zcase en los Estados Unidos el principio de que la iglesia puede emplear o dirigir el poder del estado; que las leyes civiles pueden hacer obligatorias las observancias religiosas; en una palabra, que la autoridad de la iglesia con la del estado debe dominar las conciencias, y el triunfo de Roma quedar\u00e1 asegurado en la gran Rep\u00fablica de la Am\u00e9rica del Norte.<\/p>\n
La Palabra de Dios ha dado advertencias respecto a tan inminente peligro; descuide estos avisos y el mundo protestante sabr\u00e1 cu\u00e1les son los verdaderos prop\u00f3sitos de Roma, pero ya ser\u00e1 tarde para salir de la trampa. Roma est\u00e1 aumentando sigilosamente su poder. Sus doctrinas est\u00e1n ejerciendo su influencia en las c\u00e1maras legislativas, en las iglesias y en los corazones de los hombres. Ya est\u00e1 levantando sus soberbios e imponentes edificios en cuyos secretos recintos reanudar\u00e1 sus antiguas persecuciones. Est\u00e1 acumulando ocultamente sus fuerzas y sin despertar sospechas para alcanzar sus propios fines y para dar el golpe en su debido tiempo. Todo lo que Roma desea es asegurarse alguna ventaja, y \u00e9sta ya le ha sido concedida. Pronto veremos y palparemos los prop\u00f3sitos del romanismo. Cualquiera que crea u obedezca a la Palabra de Dios incurrir\u00e1 en oprobio y persecuci\u00f3n.” Spanish Great Controversy p. 637-638<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In english: John 16:1-4 King James Version (KJV) 16 These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended. 2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. 3 And these things will they do unto you, … Continue reading “Dangerous times \/ Tiempos peligrosos”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/loud-cry.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/234"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/loud-cry.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/loud-cry.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loud-cry.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loud-cry.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=234"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/loud-cry.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/234\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/loud-cry.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=234"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loud-cry.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=234"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loud-cry.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=234"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}