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The Council of Trent

 The Council of Trent The Council of Trent brought about a permanent division between the Roman Church and Protestantism. It established a definitive dogma concerning salvation. In Daniel 8 it is said that the sanctuary would be cast down by the antichrist. The truth itself would be attacked, and the Jezebel of Revelation 2 would not repent. Here we wish to give a brief overview of Catholicism as it stands in opposition to Protestantism. Justification The chief foundation of Protestantism is justification by faith . It is precisely at this point that the dividing line lies between the Reformation and Catholicism. The question is what justification and faith exactly mean. Let us first give an overview of how the Roman Church sees this. We quote the Council of Trent: “This disposition, or preparation, is followed by Justification itself, which is not remission of sins merely, but also the sanctification and renewal of the inward man, through the voluntary reception of the grace, and ...
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Revelation: History of the Sabbath and Sunday

 History of the Sabbath and Sunday We will give here a brief history of the relationship between the Sabbath and Sunday . From very early on we already see in some circles a decline of the value of the Sabbath and an elevation of Sunday . But how these two days related to one another, and how and whether they were observed, is a story in itself. As an example: “Furthermore, concerning the sabbath it is also written, in the Ten Words6 that he spoke to Moses face to face on Mount Sinai: ‘And sanctify the Lord's sabbath, with clean hands and a clean heart.’ And in another place he says: ‘If my children guard the sabbath, then I will bestow my mercy upon them.’ He speaks of the sabbath at the beginning of the creation: ‘And God made the works of his hands in six days, and finished on the seventh day, and rested on it, and sanctified it.’ Observe, children, what ‘he finished in six days’ means. It means this: that in six thousand years the Lord will bring everything to an end,...
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Revelation: The High Priest and the Lampstands

  Revelation; Justification by Faith The High Priest and the Lampstands Revelation 1:13 (ESV): And in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest; Revelation 1:20 (ESV): As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches. Today we will focus more on the work of Jesus among those seven lampstands. Jesus is described here as wearing a robe reaching to His feet and a golden sash around His chest. This is the attire of someone of high rank. One such rank is that of the high priest in the Old Testament. In the Old Testament temple, there was also a lampstand that the high priest had to maintain. This golden lampstand gave light in the covered temple, reflecting off the golden walls and creating a beautiful effect. The high priest (Aaron in the time of Moses) had to ...
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Revelation: The Seven Lampstands and Stars of Jesus

   Revelation; Justification by Faith The Seven Lampstands and Stars of Jesus Revelation 1:12-16 (ESV): 12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, 15 his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength. Revelation 1:20 (ESV): As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches. In Revelation, seven churches are named, which we will go through one by ...
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Revelation: The Sun and the Seven Stars

  Revelation; Justification by Faith The Sun and the Seven Stars Revelation 1:13-16 (ESV): 13 and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, 15 his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength. This is how Jesus is depicted. Today we will look at the seven stars in His right hand in relation to His face shining like the sun in its full strength. The meaning of the stars is revealed to us in the same chapter: Revelation 1:20 (ESV): As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands ar...
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Revelation: Eyes Like a Flame of Fire

 Eyes like a flame of fire Revelation 1:13-16 (ESV): 13 and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, 15 his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength. We have already looked at the white hair and the double-edged sword. We have seen the meaning behind the imagery, but we have also seen that this imagery gives us deeper insight into its significance. Jesus' righteousness is like white hair. His word is like a sword. Today we will look at the eyes that are like a flame of fire. First, let this sink in. Suppose you encounter Jesus in this way and these fiery eyes look at you; what would you feel? It might fee...
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Revelation: The two-edged sword

   The two-edged sword Revelation 1:13-16 (ESV) 13 and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, 15 his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength. Last time, we focused on the white hair like wool and snow that we see here. This was more focused on justification and how Jesus stands in our place as a representative. Today, we will focus more on faith itself. What does faith look like? Here we see a two-edged sword coming out of Jesus' mouth. If we were to encounter someone with this, we would not only be startled but also cautious to avoid being struck by such a sword. Paul tells us what this sword ent...
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