Understanding the ‘little horns’ actions will be beneficial as we continue to study. In Daniel 7, we learned that this power ‘thinks to change times and laws”. We will find in Daniel 8, the ‘little horn’ attacks the mediation of Christ.
There are two specific actions the ‘little horn’ power does:
1) thinks to change time and laws of God (chapter 7), and as we will see;
2) attacks the mediation of Christ (chapter 8).
A host of teachings fall within these two actions. In Revelation this is expanded upon and is called ‘the wine of Babylon’ (Jeremiah 51:6-7 [literal]; Rev. 17:1-6, 18:1-6 [spiritual]). In future posts, as we get into Revelation, there will be a much deeper study. Click here for the post titled: Symbols and their Meaning, look at Babylon, fornication, wine, and woman.
Before we study the verses in chapter eight, we are going to do a preparatory overview of God’s law – the Ten Commandments, and the mediation of Christ.
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, GOD’S LAW
If you were asked to describe the characteristics of God’s law, how would you describe it?
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Order
God’s law is orderly. God is not the author of confusion or disorder (1 Cor. 14:33). We see God acts in an organized way. Creation is a fantastic example of law and order. God established the laws of nature and spoke the world into existence for the purpose of habitation. Then, God filled it in an orderly way in preparation for the human race on the sixth day. Finally, after six days of bringing our universe and all that is therein into existence, God set aside a special day for mankind – the seventh-day – which is His memorial of creation, the Sabbath. The Godhead saw that it was ‘very good’.
Spoken by God and Written by His Finger
Exodus 20 tells us that God spoke the Ten Commandments to all of Israel. Other than the Ten Commandments is the only time where God spoke to the whole nation. There was thunder and lightning – a cloud covered the mountain, and a very loud horn sounded. The mountain was engulfed in smoke because the Lord came down upon it in fire. Its smoke went up like the smoke of a stove, and the hole mountain shook. The sound of the horn became louder and louder. The people were struck with fear and stood far away.
In Exodus 31:18, we read that God wrote with His own finger on the tablets that He gave Moses. When Moses broke them God wrote them again. The record of what God’s finger wrote was kept in the Ark of the Covenant for many centuries.
There is a huge difference between all that Moses later relayed to Israel from God and the Ten Commandments that were spoken and written by the finger of God. The Ten Commandments define sin and give guidelines for humans to live by. Obedience to His commandments is a heart-felt response to His love and mercy towards us. Man, nor institution can change the law of God for it is set in stone. Man, nor institution can re-interpret the law of God for it is straight forward as to what it means. Though man and institution proclaim they can, it is in vain.
The tablets bearing the Ten Commandments, along with manna and Aaron’s rod that budded, were placed in the ark of the covenant that was located in the Most Holy Place of the sanctuary. The ark was covered with the mercy seat. In heaven, under the throne of God, there is an ark. The earthly ark was made as a replica of the heavenly ark. Hebrews 8:5.
Written on our Hearts
There is a most important spiritual event with regard to God’s law. God says He will write that law on our hearts. His finger is at work again.
Since it is God who calls, Christ who redeems and God’s Holy Spirit that guides and leads us, we know that conversion is from God. In Hebrews 8:10, God inspired the repeat of the promise given in Jeremiah 31:33. God says “I will put my laws in their mind and write them on their hearts.” God again does the writing with His fingers that wrote the Ten Commandments!
Will mankind be given the right to alter those laws? I think not! Can we add to the laws or take away portions? I think not! Can we say the laws are cancelled and now we cannot sin? That is absurd! God forbid!
The heart provides a writing space that is personal, can be frequently reviewed and can be carried with a person. The law that is written on our hearts is the same as that which God wrote on the tablets. We understand the magnification of the principles as Christ taught them. God always intended humans to live by the intent of the law and not only the letter. Jesus came to magnify the commandments and teach humans the fullness of God’s intent.
You and I can allow God to write His law on our hearts. He is looking for people who want to obey and who recognize the importance of His Ten Commandments. Look at the strong words in the book of I John. We read in I John 2:4 “He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him;” In I John 3:4 it states, “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.” Finally, in I John 5:1-3 John writes “Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous”.
The frightening thing is that these words are so obvious and so clear that we humans are left without any excuses. We cannot say God did not make things clear. We are left with the only hope for mankind — repent of our sins and accept the justification offered through Christ. That includes recognizing how we have sinned and determining to “go and sin no more” (John 8:11). If we love God, we will be keeping His commandments and we will recognize their beauty and majesty. And we will feel as King David did: “O how love I thy law!…” (Psalm 119:97).
The ’Little Horn’
Many doctrines and practices of the ‘little horn’ are not supported by the plain word of scripture. Many of the ‘little horn’s’ doctrines attack the mediation of Christ; and we know by their own admission this politico-religio power changed (thinks) the solemnity of God’s sabbath to Sunday.
How Does this System Clash with the Mediation of Christ?
The Mass. At the altar, normal bread and wine – through an incantation the host is turned into the very body of Jesus Christ (transubstantiation). It is held up and worshiped. By eating the actual body and blood of Christ, they become one with God. Scripture tells us that JESUS died once and that was sufficient (1 Peter 3:18; Romans 6:8-11; Hebrews 9:12,22-27). There is no more sacrifices for sin, Jesus paid it all!
Note: Similar rituals were practiced in the underground “mystery religions” of the Greco-Roman world. In a few of those occult religions, celebrants shared a communal meal in which they symbolically feasted on the flesh and got drunk on the blood of their god. For example, the Mithraic Mysteries, or Mithraism, was a mystery cult practiced in the Roman Empire in 300 BC in which followers worshipped the Indo-Iranian deity Mithram, the god of friendship, contract, and order. The idea of transubstantiation was a characteristic of Mithraic sacraments that included cake and Haoma drink. But the ritual probably wasn’t original to Mithraism either. In Egypt around 3100 BC, priests would consecrate cakes which were to become the flesh of the god Osiris and eaten.
Inordinate place that Mary had been given. “You, oh, Mary, together with Jesus Christ, have redeemed us.” God was in Christ redeeming the world. God was looking out through the eyes of Christ at the world and as Christ hung in his own body, bearing our sins on the cross, God was satisfied with the debt that we owed Him (2 Corinthians 5). Only Jesus Christ can make intercession for mankind (Heb. 7:25). Jesus is the only Mediator (1 Tim. 2:5).
Priesthood. ‘The Little Horn’ system has an earthly priesthood, who confers grace through the offering of the sacraments. The priesthood that God established was abolished and was succeeded by the perfect High Priest, Jesus Christ (Heb. 2:17, 4:14-16, 5:6, 6:20, 7:11,15,23,26-27; Ps. 110:4). We are all priests (1 Peter 2:5,9; Rev 5:10, 20:6).
The exercise of sacraments. This doctrine teaches that grace is dispensed through exopere operato (Latin), meaning by the operation of the sacraments. Grace is “undeserved favor.” It is a gift you do not deserve. God has poured out His grace on this planet and, if we would simply not reject it, His grace will reach down and transform our lives, now and for eternity (Eph. 2:8; 2 Cor. 8:9; 1 Peter 1:12; Gal. 3:21, 1 Peter 4:10).
Note: The words grace and mercy are used interchangeably, but they have some differences. While grace is giving someone what he doesn’t deserve, mercy is not giving someone what he deserves. By divine grace we receive eternal salvation we do not deserve. By divine mercy, we do not receive the eternal death we deserve. The prophet Jeremiah says that “it is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not” (Lamentations 3:22). Here the prophet connects mercy with compassion. Being sinners what we do deserve is “eternal death”. “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). On the other hand, grace is an undeserved gift. The whole work of saving men is a gift package of God’s love. Grace and mercy are interdependent in the plan of salvation. God doesn’t punish the sinner without giving him another chance, and at the same time offers him eternal salvation purely by His sovereign grace. Thus, we can say that we are saved purely by God’s grace and mercy.
Purgatory. This is a purification process in order to achieve the holiness necessary t enter the joy of heave. This is experienced by those “who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified. It notes that “this final purification of the elect…is entirely different from the punishment of the damned”. See (CCC 1030-1031). This fights against the gospel of Jesus Christ and his work of sanctification DURING OUR LIFE ON EARTH. Jesus’ one time sacrifice on the cross is sufficient – we cannot add anything to what He accomplished upon the cross. Justification and sanctification happens before Christ returns, and glorification occurs when Jesus returns to redeem his people.
Veneration or worship of Mary or saints, and use of images. The ‘little horn’ will claim that they worship God through Mary, by praising the wonderful creation that God has made. Mary, in their minds, is the most beautiful and wonderful creation of God, and by praising her, they are praising her Creator. It is said, this is analogous to directing praise to an artist by praising his sculpture or painting. The problem with this is that God explicitly commands against worshiping Him through created things. We are not to bow down and worship the form of anything in heaven above or earth below (Ex. 20:4-5). Romans 1:25 could not be more clear, “They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator – who is forever praised. Amen.” Yes, God has created wonderful and amazing things. Yes, Mary was a godly woman who is worthy of our respect. No, we absolutely are not to worship God “vicariously” by praising things or people He has created. Doing so is blatant idolatry.
The major way Mary and the saints are ‘venerated” is by praying to them. But prayer to anyone other than God alone is anti-biblical. Whether Mary and/or the saints are prayed to, or whether they are petitioned for their prayers—neither practice is biblical. Prayer is an act of worship. When we pray to God, we are admitting that we need His help. Directing our prayers to anyone other than God is robbing God of the glory that is His alone.
Another Mary and the saints are “venerated” is by creating statues and images of them. Images of Mary and/or the saints are used as “good luck charms.” Any cursory reading of the Bible will reveal this practice as blatant idolatry (Exodus 20:4–6; 1 Corinthians 12:1–2; 1 John 5:21). Rubbing rosary beads is idolatry. Lighting candles before a statue or portrayal of a saint is idolatry. Burying a Joseph statue in hopes of selling your home (and countless other such practices) is idolatry.
The terminology is not the issue. Whether the practice is described as “worship” or “veneration” or any other term, the problem is the same. Any time we ascribe something that belongs to God to someone else, it is idolatry. The Bible nowhere instructs us to revere, pray to, rely on, or “idolize” anyone other than God. We are to worship God alone. Glory, praise, and honor belong to God alone. Only God is worthy to “receive glory and honor and power” (Revelation 4:11). God alone is worthy to receive our worship, adoration, and praise (Nehemiah 9:6; Revelation 15:4).
God is not to be reduced into a physical form. He is not to be worshipped by anything we can make with our hands. We do not need to aid our worship of God with objects. The Bible is absolutely clear that we are to worship God alone. All followers of the Lord God refuse worship, as well as angels (Acts 10:25–26; 14:13–14; Revelation 19:10; 22:9). The response is always the same, “Worship God!” A definition of “venerate” is “to regard with respect or reverence.” Nowhere in the Bible are we told to revere anyone but God alone. There is nothing wrong with respecting those faithful Christians who have gone before us (see Hebrews 11). God does not need worship through any ‘thing’ or ‘anyone’.
There are other practices that minimize Jesus such as: a diluted gospel message, penance, flagellation, pilgrimages, climbing Pilate’s 33 steps on ones’ knees, etc. The elevation of tradition above scripture is another attack upon God’s and his truth…just to name a few.
For an interesting study, click here for The Blue Stone Series (10 Commandments).
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2 Timothy 2:15, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” AND 1 Thessalonians 5:21, “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.”