Our Only
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ said, Mt 16:18 "And I say to thee: That thou art
Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall
not prevail against it." If you enter
into the gates of hell, you are no part of Christ's. Look at what Jesus said
closely "And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will
build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." What
exactly does it mean? Look at it in Latin and Greek.
Latin: Mt.16:18 And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I
will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Mt.16:18 ego dico tibi quia tu es Petrus et super hanc petram aedificabo ecclesiam meam et portae inferi non praevalebunt
adversum eam
Highlighted words are Greek scripture original text that the Gospels were
written in and the Church Fathers quoted and the Latin text was made from by St. Jerome. See below for
link to highlighted Greek text.
Petrus is the same as petros - and petram is the same as petra, ecclesiam is the same as ekklEsian, the
"outcalled" - those called out. St. Peter confesses Jesus as the
Christ and upon that confession of faith -not on the person of Peter - Jesus
Christ builds His church. The ecclesiam, those called out, are those who are
part of the Katholike (Kata holikos ekklesia). In English the Catholic Church,
literally, in the Church Fathers who coined the phrase Catholic Church (it is
not in scripture but is from scripture), it is "those called out from the
[corrupt] world system."
All of the Church Fathers agreed that only Christ is head of His church,
including Pope St. Gregory the Great of Rome (died 604 A.D.) who said that any
earthly Bishop who tried to make himself ruler over the entire Christian church
would be only a precursor of the Antichrist and not a true bishop at all - and
applied that to himself and all Bishops of Rome - the Popes as well.
St. Irenaeus below describes what St. Peter's confession of faith means.
Greek:
Go here for highlighted Greek
text for Matthew 16:18
Irenaeus.
Book
III.
Irenaeus
Against Heresies
Chapter XVIII.-Continuation of the
Foregoing Argument. Proofs from the Writings of St. Paul, and from the Words of
Our Lord, that Christ and Jesus Cannot Be Considered as Distinct Beings;
Neither Can It Be Alleged that the Son of God Became Man Merely in Appearance,
But that He Did So Truly and Actually.
Chapter XVIII.-Continuation of the Foregoing Argument. Proofs from the Writings
of St. Paul, and from the Words of Our Lord, that Christ and Jesus Cannot Be
Considered as Distinct Beings; Neither Can It Be Alleged that the Son of God
Became Man Merely in Appearance, But that He Did So Truly and Actually.
1.324 As it has been clearly demonstrated
that the Word, who existed in
the beginning with God, by
whom all things were made, who was also always present with mankind, was in
these last days, according to the time appointed by the Father, united to His
own workmanship, inasmuch as He became a man liable to suffering, [it follows]
that every objection is set aside of those who say, "If our Lord was born
at that time, Christ had therefore no previous existence." For I have
shown that the Son of God did not then begin to exist, being with the Father
from the beginning; but when He became incarnate, and was made man, He
commenced afresh325 the long line of human beings, and
furnished us, in a brief, comprehensive manner, with salvation; so that what we had lost in Adam-namely, to
be according to the image and likeness of God-that we might recover in Christ
Jesus.
2. For as
it was not possible that the man who had once for all been conquered, and who
had been destroyed through disobedience, could reform himself, and obtain the
prize of victory; and as it was also impossible that he could attain to
salvation who had fallen under the power of sin,-the Son effected both these
things, being the Word of God, descending from the Father, becoming incarnate,
stooping low, even to death, and consummating the arranged plan of our
salvation, upon whom [Paul],
exhorting us unhesitatingly to believe, again says, "Who shall ascend into
heaven? that is, to bring down Christ; or who shall descend into the deep? that
is, to liberate Christ again from the dead."326 Then he continues, "If thou shall
confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that
God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shall be saved."327 And he renders the reason why the Son
of God did these things, saying, "For to this end Christ both lived, and
died, and revived, that He might rule over the living and the dead."328 And again, writing to the Corinthians,
he declares, "But we preach Christ Jesus crucified; "329 and adds, "The cup of blessing
which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? "330
3. But
who is it that has had fellowship with us in the matter of food? Whether is it
he who is conceived of by them as the Christ above, who extended himself
through Horos, and imparted a form to their mother; or is it He who is from the
Virgin, Emmanuel, who did eat butter and honey,331 of whom the prophet declared, "He
is also a man, and who shall know him? "332 He was likewise preached by Paul:
"For I delivered," he says, "unto you first of all, that Christ
died for our sins, according to the Scriptures; and that He was buried, and
rose again the third day, according to the Scriptures."333 It is plain, then, that Paul knew no
other Christ besides Him alone, who both suffered, and was buried, and rose
gain, who was also born, and whom he speaks of as man. For after remarking,
"But if Christ be preached, that He rose from the dead,"334 he continues, rendering the reason of
His incarnation, "For since by man came death, by man [came] also the
resurrection of the dead." And everywhere, when [referring to] the passion
of our Lord, and to His human nature, and His subjection to death, he employs
the name of Christ, as in that passage: "Destroy not him with thy meat for
whom Christ died."335 And again: "But now, in Christ,
ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ."336 And again: "Christ has redeemed
us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written,
Cursed is every one that hangeth upon a tree."337 And again: "And through thy
knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died; "338 indicating that the impassible Christ
did not descend upon Jesus, but that He Himself, because He was Jesus Christ,
suffered for us; He, who lay in the tomb, and rose again, who descended and
ascended,-the Son of God having been made the Son of man, as the very name
itself doth declare. For in the name of Christ is implied, He that anoints, He
that is anointed, and the unction itself with which He is anointed. And it is
the Father who anoints, but the Son who is anointed by the Spirit, who is the
unction, as the Word declares by Isaiah, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon
me, because He hath anointed me,"339 -pointing out both the anointing
Father, the anointed Son, and the unction, which is the Spirit.
4.
The Lord Himself, too, makes it evident who it was that suffered; for when He asked
the disciples, "Who do men say that I, the Son of man, am? "340 and when Peter had replied, "Thou
art the Christ, the Son of the living God; "and when he had been commended
by Him [in these words], "That flesh and blood had not revealed it to him,
but the Father who is in heaven," He made it clear that He, the Son of
man, is Christ the Son of the living God. "For from that time forth,"
it is said, "He began to show to His disciples, how that He must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer
many things of the priests, and be rejected, and crucified, and rise again the
third day."341He who was acknowledged by Peter as Christ, who pronounced
him blessed because the Father had revealed the Son of the living God to him,
said that He must Himself suffer many things, and be crucified; and then He
rebuked Peter, who imagined that He was the Christ as the generality of men
supposed342 [that the Christ should be], and was
averse to the idea of His suffering, [and] said to the disciples, "If any man will come after
Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whosoever
will save his life, shall lose it; and whosoever will lose it for My sake shall
save it."343 For these things Christ spoke openly,
He being Himself the Saviour of those who should be delivered over to death for
their confession of Him, and lose their lives.
5. If,
however, He was Himself not to suffer, but should fly away from Jesus, why did
He exhort His disciples to take up the cross and follow Him,-that cross which
these men represent Him as not having taken
up, but [speak of Him] as having relinquished the dispensation of suffering?
For that He did not say this with reference to the acknowledging of the Stauros (cross) above, as some among them
venture to expound, but with respect to the suffering which He should Himself
undergo, and that His disciples should endure, He implies when He says,
"For whosoever will save his life, shall lose it; and whosoever will lose,
shall find it. And that His disciples must suffer for His sake, He [implied
when He] said to the Jews, "Behold, I send you prophets, and wise men, and
scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify."344 And to the disciples He was wont to
say, "And ye shall stand before governors and kings for My sake; and they
shall scourge some of you, and slay you, and persecute you from city to
city."345 He knew, therefore, both those who
should suffer persecution, and He knew those who should have to be scourged and
slain because of Him; and He did not speak of any other cross, but of the
suffering which He should Himself undergo first, and His disciples afterwards.
For this purpose did He give them this exhortation: "Fear not them which
kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is
able to send both soul and body into hell; "346[thus
exhorting them] to hold fast those professions of faith which they had made in
reference to Him. For He promised to confess before His Father those who should
confess His name before men; but declared that He would deny those who should
deny Him, and would be ashamed of those who should be ashamed to confess Him.
And although these things are so, some of these men have proceeded to such a
degree of temerity, that they even pour contempt upon the martyrs, and
vituperate those who are slain on account of the confession of the Lord, and
who suffer all things predicted by the Lord, and who in this respect strive to
follow the footprints of the Lord's passion, having become martyrs of the
suffering One; these we do also enrol with the martyrs themselves. For, when
inquisition shall be made for their blood,347 and they shall attain to glory, then
all shall be confounded by Christ, who have cast a slur upon their martyrdom.
And from this fact, that He exclaimed upon the cross, "Father, forgive
them, for they know not what they do,"348 the long-suffering, patience,
compassion, and goodness of Christ are exhibited, since He both suffered, and did
Himself exculpate those who had maltreated Him. For the Word of God, who said
to us, "Love your enemies, and pray for those that hate you,"349 Himself did this very thing upon the
cross; loving the human race to such a degree, that He even prayed for those
putting Him to death. If, however, any one, going upon the supposition that
there are two [Christs], forms a judgment in regard to them, that [Christ] shall
be found much the better one, and more patient, and the truly good one, who, in
the midst of His own wounds and stripes, and the other [cruelties] inflicted
upon Him, was beneficent, and unmindful of the wrongs perpetrated upon Him,
than he who flew away, and sustained neither injury nor insult.
6. This
also does likewise meet [the case] of those who maintain that He suffered only
in appearance. For if He did not truly suffer, no thanks to Him, since there
was no suffering at all; and when we shall actually begin to suffer, He will seem as leading us
astray, exhorting us to endure buffering, and to turn the other350 cheek, if He did not Himself before us
in reality suffer the same; and as He misled them by seeming to them what He
was not, so does He also mislead us, by exhorting us to endure what He did not
endure Himself. [In that case] we shall be even above the Master, because we
suffer and sustain what our Master never bore or endured. But as our Lord is
alone truly Master, so the Son of God is truly good and patient, the Word of
God the Father having been made the Son of man. For He fought and conquered;
for He was man contending for the fathers,351 and through obedience doing away with
disobedience completely: for He bound the strong man,352 and set free the weak, and endowed His
own handiwork with salvation, by destroying sin. For He is a most holy and
merciful Lord, and loves the human race.
7.
Therefore, as I have already said, He caused man (human nature) to cleave to
and to become, one with God. For unless man had overcome the enemy of man, the
enemy would not have been legitimately vanquished. And again: unless it had
been God who had freely given salvation, we could never have possessed it
securely. And unless man had been joined to God, he could never have become a
partaker of incorruptibility. For
it was incumbent upon the Mediator between God and men, by His relationship to
both, to bring both to friendship and concord, and present man to God, while He
revealed God to man.353 For, in what way could we be partaken
of the adoption of sons, unless we had received from Him through the Son that
fellowship which refers to Himself, unless His Word, having been made flesh,
had entered into communion with us? Wherefore
also He passed through every stage of life,
restoring to all communion with
God. Those, therefore, who assert that He appeared putatively, and was neither
born in the flesh nor truly made man, are as yet under the old condemnation,
holding out patronage to sin;
for, by their showing, death has not been vanquished, which "reigned from
Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's
transgression."354 But the law coming, which was given by
Moses, and testifying of sin that it is a sinner, did truly take away his
(death's) kingdom, showing that he was no king, but a robber; and it revealed
him as a murderer. It laid, however, a weighty burden upon man, who had sin in
himself, showing that he was liable to death. For as the law was spiritual, it
merely made sin to stand out in relief, but did not destroy it. For sin had no
dominion over the spirit, but over man. For it behoved Him who was to destroy
sin, and redeem man under the power of death, that He should Himself be made
that very same thing which he was, that is, man; who had been drawn by sin into
bondage, but was held by death, so that sin should be destroyed by man, and man
should go forth from death. For as by the disobedience of the one man who was
originally moulded from virgin soil, the many were made sinners,355 and forfeited life; so was it
necessary that, by the obedience of one man, who was originally born from a
virgin, many should be justified and receive salvation. Thus, then, was the
Word of God made man, as also Moses says: "God, true are His works."356 But if, not having been made flesh, He
did appear as if flesh, His work was not a true one. But what He did appear,
that He also was: God recapitulated in Himself the ancient formation of man,
that He might kill sin, deprive death of its power, and vivify man; and
therefore His works are true.
In furthering our understanding of the Keys and Hell and Death (terms in St. Irenaeus' passages below highlighted and underlined - keys - death - hell) in relation to the above from St. Irenaeus and in relation to Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ's retention to Himself of the Keys to death and hell, St. Irenaeus exegetes further here below.
Peter and all who confess Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ receive His gift of the Keys to death and hell (the reason it is plural keys is that it is to death and hell which is plural). That gift is salvation from the grave: our future resurrection which we share with all men, and our deliverance from the second death which is eternal damnation - which only the saints, the faithful of Christ, receive that deliverance.
Points to remember.
Our Lord Jesus Christ was Crucified for us, without which there is NO appeasement for the wrath of God upon the sins of men from the first Adam on.
Our Lord Jesus Christ was resurrected from the dead in the same flesh in which He was Crucified.
Our Lord Jesus Christ did not see corruption, His was a living death.
We will all be resurrected from the dead in the flesh by Our Lord Jesus Christ at His Second Coming, and all men will be judged for their actions in this life by Him.
Our Lord Jesus Christ is the only one who forgives our sins, at Baptism and when we confess to Him our sins. We forgive each other in the body of Christ because He commanded that, but our forgiveness for our sins is from Our Lord Jesus Christ alone directly and no other - not Popes, priests, elders, ministers etc.
Irenaeus
Against Heresies, Book 3
CHAPTER 12 -- DOCTRINE OF THE REST OF THE
APOSTLES.
2. For Peter said, "Ye men of Israel, hear my words; Jesus of
Nazareth, a man approved by God among you by powers, and wonders, and signs,
which God did by Him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: Him,
being delivered by the determined counsel and foreknowledge of God, by the
hands of wicked men ye have slain, affixing [to the cross]: whom God hath
raised up, having loosed the pains of death;
because it was not possible that he should be holden of them. For David
speaketh concerning Him,(4) I foresaw the Lord always before my face; for He is
on my right hand, lest I should be moved: therefore did my heart rejoice, and
my tongue was glad; moreover also, my flesh shall rest in hope: because Thou
wilt not leave my soul in hell,
neither wilt Thou give Thy Holy One to see corruption."(5) Then he
proceeds to speak confidently to them concerning the patriarch David, that he
was dead and buried, and that his sepulchre is with them to this day. He said,
"But since he was a prophet, and knew that God had sworn with an oath to
him, that of the fruit of his body one should sit in his throne; foreseeing
this, he spake of the resurrection of Christ, that He was not left in hell,
neither did His flesh see corruption. This Jesus," he said, "hath God
raised up, of which we all are witnesses: who, being exalted by the right hand
of God, receiving from the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, hath shed
forth this gift(6) which ye now see and hear. For David has not ascended into
the heavens; but he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit Thou on My
fight hand, until I make Thy foes Thy footstool. Therefore let all the house of
Israel
know assuredly, that God hath made [that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified,
both Lord and Christ."(7) And when the multitudes exclaimed, "What
shall we do then?" Peter says to them, "Repent, and be baptized every
one of you in the name of Jesus for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive
the gift of the Holy Ghost."(8) Thus the apostles did not preach another
God, or another Fulness; nor, that the Christ who suffered and rose again was
one, while he who flew off on high was another, and remained impassible; but
that there was one and the same God the Father, and Christ Jesus who rose from
the dead; and they preached faith in Him, to those who did not believe on the
Son of God, and exhorted them out of the prophets, that the Christ whom God
promised to send, He sent in Jesus, whom they crucified and God raised
up.
CHAPTER 18 -- CONTINUATION OF THE FOREGOING
ARGUMENT. PROOFS FROM THE WRITINGS OF ST. PAUL, AND FROM THE WORDS OF OUR LORD,
THAT CHRIST AND JESUS CANNOT BE CONSIDERED AS DISTINCT BEINGS; NEITHER CAN IT
BE ALLEGED THAT THE SON OF GOD BECAME MAN MERELY IN APPEARANCE, BUT THAT HE DID
SO TRULY AND ACTUALLY.
5. If,
however, He was Himself not to suffer, but should fly away from Jesus, why did
He exhort His disciples to take up the cross and follow Him, -- that cross
which these men represent Him as not having taken up, but [speak of Him] as
having relinquished the dispensation of suffering? For that He did not say this
with reference to the acknowledging of the Stauros (cross) above, as some among
them venture to expound, but with respect to the suffering which He should
Himself undergo, and that His disciples should endure, He implies when He says,
"For whosoever will save his life, shall lose it; and whosoever will lose,
shall find it. And that His disciples must suffer for His sake, He [implied when
He] said to the Jews, "Behold, I send you prophets, and wise men, and
scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify."(4) And to the
disciples He was wont to say, "And ye shall stand before governors and
kings for My sake; and they shall scourge some of you, and slay you, and
persecute you from city to city."(5) He knew, therefore, both those who
should suffer persecution, and He knew those who should have to be scourged and
slain because of Him; and He did not speak of any other cross, but of the suffering
which He should Himself undergo first, and His disciples afterwards. For this
purpose did He give them this exhortation: "Fear not them which kill the
body, but are not able to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to
send both soul and body into hell;"(6)
[thus exhorting them] to hold fast those professions of faith which they had
made in reference to Him. For He promised to confess before His Father those
who should confess His name before men; but declared that He would deny those
who should deny Him, and would be ashamed of those who should be ashamed to
confess Him. And although these things are so, some of these men have proceeded
to such a degree of temerity, that they even pour contempt upon the martyrs,
and vituperate those who are slain on account of the confession of the Lord,
and who suffer all things predicted by the Lord, and who in this respect strive
to follow the footprints of the Lord's passion, having become martyrs of the
suffering One; these we do also enroll with the martyrs themselves. For, when
inquisition shall be made for their blood,(7) and they shall attain to glory,
then all shall be confounded by Christ, who have cast a slur upon their
martyrdom. And from this fact, that He exclaimed upon the cross, "Father,
forgive them, for they know not what they do," (8) the long-suffering,
patience, compassion, and goodness of Christ are exhibited, since He both
suffered, and did Himself exculpate those who had maltreated Him. For the Word
of God, who said to us, "Love your enemies, and pray for those that hate
you,"(9) Himself did this very thing upon the cross; loving the human race
to such a degree, that He even prayed for those putting Him to death. If,
however, any one, going upon the supposition that there are two [Christs],
forms a judgment in regard to them, that [Christ] shall be found much the
better one, and more patient, and the truly good one, who, in the midst of His
own wounds and stripes, and the other [cruelties] inflicted upon Him, was
beneficent, and unmindful of the wrongs perpetrated upon Him, than he who flew
away, and sustained neither injury nor insult.
CHAPTER 20 -- GOD SHOWED HIMSELF, BY THE FALL
OF MAN, AS PATIENT, BENIGN, MERCIFUL, MIGHTY TO SAVE. MAN IS THEREFORE MOST
UNGRATEFUL, IF, UNMINDFUL OF HIS OWN LOT, AND
OF THE BENEFITS HELD OUT TO HIM, HE DO NOT ACKNOWLEDGE DIVINE GRACE.
1. Long-suffering therefore was God, when man
became a defaulter, as foreseeing that victory which should be granted to him
through the Word. For, when strength was made perfect in weakness,(15) it
showed the kindness and transcendent power of God. For as He patiently suffered
Jonah to be swallowed by the whale, not that he should be swallowed up and
perish altogether, but that, having been cast out again, he might be the more
subject to God, and might glorify Him the more who had conferred upon him such
an unhoped-for deliverance, and might bring the Ninevites to a lasting
repentance, so that they should be convened to the Lord, who would deliver them
from death,
having been struck with awe by that portent which had been wrought in Jonah's
case, as the Scripture says of them, "And they returned each from his evil
way, and the unrighteousness which was in their hands, saying, Who knoweth if
God will repent, and turn away His anger from us, and we shall not
perish?"(16) -- so also, from the beginning, did God permit man to be
swallowed up by the great whale, who was the author of transgression, not that
he should perish altogether when so engulfed; but, arranging and preparing the
plan of salvation, which was accomplished by the Word, through the sign of
Jonah, for those who held the same opinion as Jonah regarding the Lord, and who
confessed, and said, "I am a servant of the Lord, and I worship the Lord
God of heaven, who hath made the sea and the dry land."(1) [This was done]
that man, receiving an unhoped-for salvation from God, might rise from the
dead, and glorify God, and repeat that word which was uttered in prophecy by
Jonah: "I cried by reason of mine affliction to the Lord my God, and He
heard me out of the belly of hell;"(2)
and that he might always continue glorifying God, and giving thanks without
ceasing, for that salvation which he has derived from Him, "that no flesh
should glory in the Lord's presence;"(3) and that man should never adopt
an opposite opinion with regard to God, supposing that the incorruptibility
which belongs to him is his own naturally, and by thus not holding the truth,
should boast with empty superciliousness, as if he were naturally like to God.
For he (Satan) thus rendered him (man) more ungrateful towards his Creator,
obscured the love which God had towards man, and blinded his mind not to
perceive what is worthy of God, comparing himself with, and judging himself
equal to, God.
Irenaeus
Against Heresies, Book 4
CHAPTER 20 -- THAT ONE GOD FORMED ALL THINGS IN
THE WORLD, BY MEANS OF THE WORD AND THE HOLY SPIRIT: AND THAT ALTHOUGH HE IS TO
US IN THIS LIFE INVISIBLE AND INCOMPREHENSIBLE, NEVERTHELESS HE IS NOT UNKNOWN;
INASMUCH AS HIS WORKS DO DECLARE HIM, AND HIS WORD HAS SHOWN THAT IN MANY MODES
HE MAY BE SEEN AND KNOWN.
11. If, then, neither Moses,
nor Elias, nor Ezekiel, who had all many celestial visions, did see God; but if
what they did see were similitudes of the splendour of the Lord, And prophecies
of things to come; it is manifest that the Father is indeed invisible, of whom
also the Lord said, "No man hath seen God at any time."(3) But His
Word, as He Himself willed it, and for the benefit of those who beheld, did
show the Father's brightness, and explained His purposes (as also the Lord
said: "The only-begotten God,(4) which is in the bosom of the Father, He
hath declared [Him];" and He does Himself also interpret the Word of the
Father as being rich and great); not in one figure, nor in one character, did
He appear to those seeing Him, but according to the reasons and effects aimed
at in His dispensations, as it is written in Daniel. For at one time He was
seen with those who were around Ananias, Azarias, Misael, as present with them
in the furnace of fire, in the burning, and preserving them from [the effects
of] fire: "And the appearance of the fourth," it is said, "was
like to the Son of God."(5) At another time [He is represented as] "a
stone cut out of the mountain without hands,"(6) and as smiting all
temporal kingdoms, and as blowing them away (ventilans ea), and as Himself
filling all the earth. Then, too, is this same individual beheld as the Son of
man coming in the clouds of heaven, and drawing near to the Ancient of Days,
and receiving from Him all power and glory, and a kingdom. "His
dominion," it is said, "is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom
shall not perish."(7) John also, the Lord's disciple, when beholding the
sacerdotal and glorious advent of His kingdom, says in the Apocalypse: "I
turned to see the voice that spake with me. And, being turned, I saw seven
golden candlesticks; and in the midst of the candlesticks One like unto the Son
of man, clothed with a garment reaching to the feet, and girt about the paps with
a golden girdle; and His head and His hairs were white, as white as wool, and
as snow; and His eyes were as a flame of fire; and His feet like unto fine
brass, as if He burned in a furnace. And His voice [was] as the voice of
waters; and He had in His right hand seven stars; and out of His mouth went a
sharp two-edged sword; and His countenance was as the sun shining in his
strength."(8) For in these words He sets forth something of the glory
[which He has received] from His Father, as [where He makes mention of] the
head; something in reference to the priestly office also, as in the case of the
long garment reaching to the feet. And this was the reason why Moses vested the
high priest after this fashion. Something also alludes to the end [of all things],
as [where He speaks of] the fine brass burning in the fire, which denotes the
power of faith, and the continuing instant in prayer, because of the consuming
fire which is to come at the end of time. But when John could not endure the
sight (for he says, "I fell at his feet as dead;"(9) that what was
written might come to pass: "No man sees God, and shall live"(10)),
and the Word reviving him, and reminding him that it was He upon whose bosom he
had leaned at supper, when he put the question as to who should betray Him,
declared: "I am the first and the last, and He who liveth, and was dead,
and behold I am alive for evermore, and have the keys of death
and of hell." And after these things, seeing the same Lord
in a second vision, he says: "For I saw in the midst of the throne, and of
the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, a Lamb standing as
it had been slain, having seven horns, and seven eyes, which are the seven
spirits of God, sent forth into all the earth."(11) And again, he says, speaking
of this very same Lamb: "And behold a white horse; and He that sat upon
him was called Faithful and True; and in righteousness doth He judge and make
war. And His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns;
having a name written, that no man knoweth but Himself: and He was girded
around with a vesture sprinkled with blood: and His name is called The Word of
God. And the armies of heaven followed Him upon white horses, clothed in pure
white linen. And out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it He may
smite the nations; and He shall rule (pascet) them with a rod of iron: and He
treadeth the wine-press of the fierceness of the wrath of God Almighty. And He
hath upon His vesture and upon His thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS AND LORD
OF LORDS."(1) Thus does the Word of God always preserve the outlines, as
it were, of things to come, and points out to men the various forms (species),
as it were, of the dispensations of the Father, teaching us the things
pertaining to God.
CHAPTER 26 -- THE TREASURE HID IN THE
SCRIPTURES IS CHRIST; THE TRUE EXPOSITION OF THE SCRIPTURES IS TO BE FOUND IN
THE CHURCH ALONE.
2. Wherefore it is incumbent
to obey the presbyters who are in the Church, -- those who, as I have shown,
possess the succession from the apostles; those who, together with the
succession of the episcopate, have received the certain gift of truth,
according to the good pleasure of the Father. But [it is also incumbent] to
hold in suspicion others who depart from the primitive succession, and assemble
themselves together in any place whatsoever, [looking upon them] either as
heretics of perverse minds, or as schismaries puffed up and self-pleasing, or
again as hypocrites, acting thus for the sake of lucre and vainglory. For all
these have fallen from the truth. And the heretics, indeed, who bring strange
fire to the altar of God -- namely, strange doctrines -- shall be burned up by
the fire from heaven, as were Nadab and Abiud.(6) But such as rise up in
opposition to the truth, and exhort others against the Church of God, [shall]
remain among those in hell (apud inferos), being swallowed up by
an earthquake, even as those who were with Chore, Dathan, and Abiron.(7) But
those who cleave asunder, and separate the unity of the Church, [shall] receive
from God the same punishment as Jeroboam did.(8)
CHAPTER 36 -- THE PROPHETS WERE SENT FROM ONE
AND THE SAME FATHER FROM WHOM THE SON WAS SENT.
3.
And therefore did the Lord say to His disciples, to make us become good
workmen: "Take heed to yourselves, and watch continually upon every
occasion, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting and
drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that day shall come upon you unawares;
for as a snare shall it come upon all dwelling upon the face of the
earth."(6) "Let your loins, therefore, be girded about, and your
lights burning, and ye like to men who wait for their lord, when he shall
return from the wedding."(7) "For as it was in the days of Noe, they
did eat and drink, they bought and sold, they married and were given in
marriage, and they knew not, until Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came
and destroyed them all; as also it was in the days of Lot, they did eat and
drink, they bought and sold, they planted and builded, until the time that Lot
went out of Sodom; it rained fire from heaven, and destroyed them all: so shall
it also be at the coming of the Son of man."(8) "Watch ye therefore,
for ye know not in what day your Lord shall come."(9) [In these passages]
He declares one and the same Lord, who in the times of Noah brought the deluge
because of mews disobedience, and who also in the days of Lot rained fire from
heaven because of the multitude of sinners among the Sodomites, and who, on
account of this same disobedience and similar sins, will bring on the day of
judgment at the end of time (in novissimo); on which day He declares that it
shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah than for that city and house
which shall not receive the word of His apostles. "And thou, Capernaum," He said,
"is it that thou shalt be exalted to heaven?(1) Thou shalt go down to hell. For if the mighty works
which have been done in thee had been done in Sodome, it would have remained
unto this day. Verily I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable for Sodom in the day of
judgment than for you."(2)
Irenaeus Against Heresies, Book 5
CHAPTER 31 -- THE
PRESERVATION OF OUR BODIES IS CONFIRMED BY THE RESURRECTION AND ASCENSION OF
CHRIST: THE SOULS OF THE SAINTS DURING THE INTERMEDIATE PERIOD ARE IN A STATE
OF EXPECTATION
OF THAT TIME WHEN THEY SHALL RECEIVE THEIR PERFECT AND CONSUMMATED GLORY.
1. Since, again, some who are reckoned among the
orthodox go beyond the pre-arranged plan for the exaltation of the just, and
are ignorant of the methods by which they are disciplined beforehand for
incorruption, they thus entertain heretical opinions. For the heretics,
despising the handiwork of God, and not admitting the salvation of their flesh,
while they also treat the promise of God contemptuously, and pass beyond God
altogether in the sentiments they form, affirm that immediately upon their death they shall pass above the
heavens and the Demiurge, and go to the Mother (Achamoth) or to that Father
whom they have feigned. Those persons, therefore, who disallow a resurrection
affecting the whole man (universam reprobant resurrectionem), and as far as in
them lies remove it from the midst [of the Christian scheme], how can they be
wondered at, if again they know nothing as to the plan of the resurrection? For
they do not choose to understand, that if these things are as they say, the
Lord Himself, in whom they profess to believe, did not rise again upon the
third day; but immediately upon His expiring on the cross, undoubtedly departed
on high, leaving His body to the earth. But the case was, that for three days
He dwelt in the place where the dead were, as the prophet says concerning Him:
"And the Lord remembered His dead saints who slept formerly in the land of
sepulture; and He descended to them, to rescue and save them."(3) And the
Lord Himself says, "As Jonas remained three days and three nights in the
whale's belly, so shall the Son of man be in the heart of the earth."(4)
Then also the apostle says, "But when He ascended, what is it but that He
also descended into the lower parts of the earth?"(5) This, too, David
says when prophesying of Him, "And thou hast delivered my soul from the
nethermost hell;"(6) and
on His rising again the third day, He said to Mary, who was the first to see
and to worship Him, "Touch Me not, for I have not yet ascended to the
Father; but go to the disciples, and say unto them, I ascend unto My Father,
and unto your Father."(7)
CHAPTER 35 -- HE CONTENDS THAT THESE
TESTIMONIES ALREADY ALLEGED CANNOT BE UNDERSTOOD ALLEGORICALLY OF CELESTIAL
BLESSINGS, BUT THAT THEY SHALL HAVE THEIR FULFILMENT AFTER THE COMING OF
ANTICHRIST, AND THE RESURRECTION, IN THE TERRESTRIAL JERUSALEM. TO THE FORMER PROPHECIES HE
SUBJOINS OTHERS DRAWN FROM ISAIAH, JEREMIAH, AND THE APOCALYPSE OF JOHN.
2.
Now all these things being such as they are, cannot be understood in reference
to super-celestial matters; "for God," it is said, "will show to
the whole earth that is under heaven thy glory." But in the times of the
kingdom, the earth has been called again by Christ [to its pristine condition],
and Jerusalem rebuilt after the pattern of the Jerusalem above, of which the
prophet Isaiah says, "Behold, I have depicted thy walls upon my hands, and
thou art always in my sight,"(1) And the apostle, too, writing to the
Galatians, says in like manner, "But the Jerusalem which is above is free,
which is the mother of us all."(2) He does not say this with any thought
of an erratic AEon, or of any other power which departed from the Pleroma, or of
Prunicus, but of the Jerusalem
which has been delineated on [God's] hands. And in the Apocalypse John saw this
new [Jerusalem] descending upon the new earth.(3) For after the times of the
kingdom, he says, "I saw a great white throne, and Him who sat upon it,
from whose face the earth fled away, and the heavens; and there was no more
place for them."(4) And he sets forth, too, the things connected with the
general resurrection and the judgment, mentioning "the dead, great and
small." "The sea," he says, "gave up the dead which it had
in it, and death and hell delivered up the dead that
they contained; and the books were opened. Moreover," he says, "the
book of life was opened, and the dead were judged out of those things that were
written in the books, according to their works; and death and hell
were sent into the lake of fire, the second death."(5) Now this is what is called Gehenna, which
the Lord styled eternal fire.(6) "And if any one," it is said,
"was not found written in the book of life, he was sent into the lake of
fire."(7) And after this, he says, "I saw a new heaven and a new
earth, for the first heaven and earth have passed away; also there was no more
sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from heaven, as a
bride adorned for her husband." "And I heard," it is said,
"a great voice from the throne, saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is
with men, and He will dwell with them; and they shall be His people, and God
Himself shall be with them as their God. And He will wipe away every tear from
their eyes; and death shall
be no more, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain,
because the former things have passed away."(8) Isaiah also declares the
very same: "For there shall be a new heaven and a new earth; and there shall
be no remembrance of the former, neither shall the heart think about them, but
they shall find in it joy and exultation."(9) Now this is what has been
said by the apostle: "For the fashion of this world passeth
away."(10) To the same purpose did the Lord also declare, "Heaven and
earth shall pass away."(11) When these things, therefore, pass away above
the earth, John, the Lord's disciple, says that the new Jerusalem above shall
[then] descend, as a bride adorned for her husband; and that this is the tabernacle
of God, in which God will dwell with men. Of this Jerusalem
the former one is an image -- that Jerusalem
of the former earth in which the righteous are disciplined beforehand for
incorruption and prepared for salvation. And of this tabernacle Moses received
the pattern in the mount;(12) and nothing is capable of being allegorized, but
all things are stedfast, and true, land substantial, having been made by God
for righteous men's enjoyment. For as it is God truly who raises up man, so
also does man truly rise from the dead, and not allegorically, as I have shown
repeatedly. And as he rises actually, so also shall he be actually disciplined
beforehand for incorruption, and shall go forwards and flourish in the times of
the kingdom, in order that he may be capable of receiving the glory of the
Father. Then, when all things are made new, he shall truly dwell in the city of
God. For it is
said, "He that sitteth on the throne said, Behold, I make all things new.
And the Lord says, Write all this; for these words are faithful and true. And
He said to me, They are done."(13) And this is the truth of the matter.
Traditional Catholic Prayers: Apostasy: The Apostasy of the Vatican
Apostasy: The Apostasy of the Vatican
The agreed upon ancient canons of the Church
click on picture
As long as the agreed upon ancient canons of the Church were upheld there was a Catholicity to the Vatican. The process to end that began at the 1958 conclave and the final blow to any Catholicity of the Vatican occurred at the Assisi pagan gatherings where a new = a counterfeit 'gospel,' a false gospel of bringing exactly what is the base for the Antichrist to appear was revealed to a corrupt and vile world, instead of salvation. We are to come out from among them OR BE DAMNED WITH THEM.
THE APOCALYPSE OF ST. JOHN THE APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST
Revelation, Chapter 18
1 … Scripture reference – Rev.: 10:1; Ezek.: 43:2
2 … Scripture reference – Rev.: 14:8!; Isaiah: 13:21, 22!
3 … Scripture reference – Rev.: 14:8; 17:2; Jer.: 51:7!; Rev.: 18:9, 15
4 … Scripture reference – Jer.: 51:45!; 2 Cor.: 6:17!; Eph.: 5:7!; 1 Tim.: 5:22
5 … Scripture reference – Jer.: 51:9
6 … Scripture reference – Jer.: 50:29!; 2 Thess.: 1:6
7 … Scripture reference – Isaiah: 47:8
8 … Scripture reference –
9 … Scripture reference – Rev.: 18:3; 17:2; 18:18
10 … Scripture reference – Rev.: 18:15, 16, 17
11 … Scripture reference – Ezek.: 27;32!
12 … Scripture reference –
13 … Scripture reference –
14 … Scripture reference –
15 … Scripture reference – Rev.: 18:3, 10
16 … Scripture reference – Rev.: 17:4
17 … Scripture reference – Ezek.: 27:29, 30!; Rev.: 18:10
18 … Scripture reference – Ezek.: 27:29, 30!; Rev.: 18:9
19 … Scripture reference – Ezek.: 27:29, 30!, 32, 33!
20 … Scripture reference – Rev.: 12:12
21 … Scripture reference – Jer.: 51:63, 64
22 … Scripture reference – Ezek.:26:13!; Jer.: 25:10!
23 … Scripture reference – Jer.: 25:10!
24 … Scripture reference – Rev.: 16:6!
The Fall of Babylon
Rv:18:
1 ¶ And after these things, I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power: and the earth was enlightened with his glory. … Scripture reference – Rev.: 10:1; Ezek.: 43:2
2 And he cried out with a strong voice, saying: Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen: and is become the habitation of devils and the hold of every unclean spirit and the hold of every unclean and hateful bird: … Scripture reference – Rev.: 14:8!; Isaiah: 13:21, 22!
3 Because all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication: and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her; And the merchants of the earth have been made rich by the power of her delicacies. … Scripture reference – Rev.: 14:8; 17:2; Jer.: 51:7!; Rev.: 18:9, 15
Her Sins and Punishment
4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying: Go out from her, my people; that you be not partakers of her sins and that you receive not of her plagues. … Scripture reference – Jer.: 51:45!; 2 Cor.: 6:17!; Eph.: 5:7!; 1 Tim.: 5:22
5 For her sins have reached unto heaven: and the Lord hath remembered her iniquities. … Scripture reference – Jer.: 51:9
6 Render to her as she also hath rendered to you: and double unto her double, according to her works. In the cup wherein she hath mingled, mingle ye double unto her. … Scripture reference – Jer.: 50:29!; 2 Thess.: 1:6
7 As much as she hath glorified herself and lived in delicacies, so much torment and sorrow give ye to her. Because she saith in her heart: I sit a queen and am no widow: and sorrow I shall not see. … Scripture reference – Isaiah: 47:8
8 Therefore, shall her plagues come in one day, death and mourning and famine. And she shall be burnt with the fire: because God is strong, who shall judge her.
Dirge of the Kings
9 ¶ [1] And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived in delicacies with her, shall weep and bewail themselves over her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning: … Scripture reference – Rev.: 18:3; 17:2; 18:18
10 Standing afar off for fear of her torments, saying: Alas! alas! that great city, Babylon, that mighty city: for in one hour is thy judgment come. … Scripture reference – Rev.: 18:15, 16, 17
Dirge of the Merchants
11 And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her: for no man shall buy their merchandise any more. … Scripture reference – Ezek.: 27;32!
12 Merchandise of gold and silver and precious stones: and of pearls and fine linen and purple and silk and scarlet: and all thyine wood: and all manner of vessels of ivory: and all manner of vessels of precious stone and of brass and of iron and of marble:
13 And cinnamon and odours and ointment and frankincense and wine and oil and fine flour and wheat and beasts [2] and sheep and horses and chariots: and slaves and souls of men.
14 And the fruits of the desire of thy soul are departed from thee: and all fat and goodly things are perished from thee. And they shall find them no more at all.
15 The merchants of these things, who were made rich, shall stand afar off from her, for fear of her torments, weeping and mourning, … Scripture reference – Rev.: 18:3, 10
16 And saying: Alas! alas! that great city, which was clothed with fine linen and purple and scarlet and was gilt with gold and precious stones and pearls. … Scripture reference – Rev.: 17:4
17 For in one hour are so great riches come to nought.
Dirge of the Mariners
And every shipmaster and all that sail into the lake, and mariners, and as many as work in the sea, stood afar off, … Scripture reference – Ezek.: 27:29, 30!; Rev.: 18:10
18 And cried, seeing the place of her burning, saying: What city is like to this great city? … Scripture reference – Ezek.: 27:29, 30!; Rev.: 18:9
19 And they cast dust upon their heads and cried, weeping and mourning, saying: Alas! alas! that great city, wherein all were made rich, that had ships at sea, by reason of her prices. For, in one hour she is made desolate. … Scripture reference – Ezek.: 27:29, 30!, 32, 33!
20 Rejoice over her, thou heaven and ye holy apostles and prophets. For God hath judged your judgment on her. … Scripture reference – Rev.: 12:12
The Angel’s Promise
21 And a mighty angel took up a stone, as it were a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying: With such violence as this, shall Babylon, that great city, be thrown down and shall be found no more at all. … Scripture reference – Jer.: 51:63, 64
22 And the voice of harpers and of musicians and of them that play on the pipe and on the trumpet shall no more be heard at all in thee: and no craftsman [3] of any art whatsoever shall be found any more at all in thee: and the sound of the mill shall be heard no more at all in thee: … Scripture reference – Ezek.:26:13!; Jer.: 25:10!
23 And the light of the lamp shall shine no more at all in thee: and the voice of the bridegroom and the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee. For thy merchants were the great men of the earth: for all nations have been deceived by thy enchantments. … Scripture reference – Jer.: 25:10!
24 And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints and of all that were slain upon the earth. … Scripture reference – Rev.: 16:6!
(DRV)
[1] -Ver. 9-19. This passage is not an account of a vision but rather a direct prophecy, after. the manner of the prophecies of Isaias and Ezechiel concerning Tyre. Tyre furnishes a type of the vengeance of God upon satanic pride and luxury.
[2] -Ver.13. Beasts [of burden]: the Greek has “cattle.”
[3] –Ver. 22 The city had boasted previously of her craftsmen, skilled in every craft.
Second Epistle Of Saint Paul To The Thessalonians, Chapter 2
verse 10 And in all seduction of iniquity to them that perish; because they receive not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. Therefore
God shall send them the operation of error, to believe lying:
note on verse 10 - God shall send them the operation of error,".... "God shall send" - in this case God allows the Diabolic to claim those who have willfully rejected God and committed the unforgivable sin of knowingly blaspheming the Holy Spirit - "operation of error: in the Greek is "energian planes," which is literally the energy of delusion - a Septuagint Greek reference to energy, in this one place only, being from Satan - instead of God as it always is everywhere else in the Bible. This is precisely what was spewed forth upon the world at Assisi to claim those who have willfully blasphemed the Holy Spirit and those who will willfully blaspheme the Holy Spirit as minions of Satan and Satan's coming Antichrist - the Devil's false messiah, the ad-Dajjal.
verse 11 That all may be judged who have not believed the truth, but have consented to iniquity.
- that is what occurred here:
Diabolic Apostasy of the Assisi Pan Religion Interreligious Non-Catholic Non-Christian Pagan Revelry
We are to remain with the ancient truths - NOTHING ELSE.As in the below -
The Unity of God is maintained against heresy saying otherwise or preaching modalism
BEWARE The Synagogue of Satan and The Name and Number of the beast.
The heresy of the "priesthood" over the "laity"
There are three most heinous heresies. They are anathema.
The Justice of God: "Bishop" Williamson, Rosicrucian Freemason decoy and Buddhists, Muslims, Yoruba join antipope for peace
See labels: apostasy, Antichrist, Vatican, Against Heresies
