A Nugget of Truth
WHEN THE PAPAL DRAGON BREATHED AGAINST GOD’S WORD.
The Dark Ages, The Forbidden Book That Cannot Be Silenced
Many are unaware that for centuries, the dominant religious system of Christendom forbade the common believer from reading or possessing the Holy Scriptures. This period, rightly called the “Dark Ages,” was not a failure of the Bible, but a time when it was restricted, which was a fulfillment of biblical prophecy.
Scripture foretold a great apostasy, a falling away from the simple truth of God’s Word (2 Thessalonians 2:3). It warned of a power that would “think to change times and laws” (Daniel 7:25), seeking to substitute human tradition for divine command. The banning of the Bible was the outcome of this rebellion. Since God’s Word is the foundation of truth (John 17:17), then the only way to establish human erroneous authority is to suppress that Word.
At the height of her power, the Apostate Church feared that if her subjects owned and read the Scriptures, they would compare her teachings and actions to the light of God’s law and find them wanting. Thus, literacy itself was discouraged, and possessing a Bible became a crime.
“During the Dark Ages (A.D. 500-1500), Rome burned Bibles along with their owners.” The Baptist Pillar
As the prophet Amos declared, a famine of hearing the words of the Lord was coming (Amos 8:11-12). This famine was no accident; it was enforced by ecclesiastical decrees that kept the masses in spiritual darkness.
“Only ten percent of people in the Roman Empire could read… and those were generally in the wealthy upper classes.”
—River of God, Gregory J. Riley, pp. 66
Yet God had promised to preserve His Word. Even as the church councils legislated against it, the Spirit moved in the hearts of the Waldenses, Albigenses, and other faithful witnesses to memorize, copy, and hide the Scriptures in the very mountains of Europe. They understood that “man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).
The Catholic church’s own laws reveal the suppression:
Council of Toulouse (1229 AD), Canon 14:
“We prohibit also that the laity should be permitted to have the books of the Old or New Testament; we most strictly forbid their having any translation of these books.” Heresy and Authority in Medieval Europe
Council of Tarragona (1234 AD), Second Canon: “No one may possess the books of the Old and New Testaments… and if anyone possesses them he must turn them over to the local bishop within eight days, so that they may be burned…” Historie de la Bible en France
These decrees, enforced by the Inquisition (established by Pope Gregory IX in 1233), created a system where conscience was enslaved and the soul was fed tradition instead of truth. This was a direct assault on the Second Commandment, which forbids the worship of God through the doctrines of men, and a denial of the Reformation’s great truth: Sola Scriptura, the Bible alone as the rule of faith.
Even as late as the Council of Trent and the Index of Forbidden Books (1559), the Vatican formally declared that anyone possessing a Bible in the common tongue could not be absolved unless they surrendered it to be burned. This Index was only officially abolished in 1966.
Yet, the Bible is history’s most indestructible book. Dictators and ecclesiastical councils alike have attempted to burn it, ban it, and bury it. But God’s Word is “settled in heaven” (Psalm 119:89). More copies are sold each year than any other book, for it is “living and powerful” (Hebrews 4:12).
Why was the Bible so dangerous to the apostate system? Because it reveals the truth about sin, the Sabbath, the state of the dead and the sanctuary, truths that expose human traditions. The same conflict that burned Bibles in the Dark Ages will soon reach its climax. As in the days of Christ, when the religious leaders suppressed truth to protect their authority, so again a final test will come over allegiance to God’s Word versus the Commandments of men.
Today, the call is the same as through all ages: “Come out of her, My people” (Revelation 18:4). We are urged not to trust in any human creed or council, but to search the Scriptures daily (Acts 17:11). For the hour is coming when every decision will hinge upon this question: Will we stand with the Word of God, even if it must be held in secret or at the cost of all earthly comfort, or will we bow to tradition?
The Bible has survived the flames of every tyrant. It will also survive the final judgments. Those who build their lives upon its rock-solid truth will never be shaken.
Gospel Angels Broadcasting
WHEN THE PAPAL DRAGON BREATHED AGAINST GOD’S WORD.
The Dark Ages, The Forbidden Book That Cannot Be Silenced
Many are unaware that for centuries, the dominant religious system of Christendom forbade the common believer from reading or possessing the Holy Scriptures. This period, rightly called the “Dark Ages,” was not a failure of the Bible, but a time when it was restricted, which was a fulfillment of biblical prophecy.
Scripture foretold a great apostasy, a falling away from the simple truth of God’s Word (2 Thessalonians 2:3). It warned of a power that would “think to change times and laws” (Daniel 7:25), seeking to substitute human tradition for divine command. The banning of the Bible was the outcome of this rebellion. Since God’s Word is the foundation of truth (John 17:17), then the only way to establish human erroneous authority is to suppress that Word.
At the height of her power, the Apostate Church feared that if her subjects owned and read the Scriptures, they would compare her teachings and actions to the light of God’s law and find them wanting. Thus, literacy itself was discouraged, and possessing a Bible became a crime.
“During the Dark Ages (A.D. 500-1500), Rome burned Bibles along with their owners.” The Baptist Pillar
As the prophet Amos declared, a famine of hearing the words of the Lord was coming (Amos 8:11-12). This famine was no accident; it was enforced by ecclesiastical decrees that kept the masses in spiritual darkness.
“Only ten percent of people in the Roman Empire could read… and those were generally in the wealthy upper classes.”
—River of God, Gregory J. Riley, pp. 66
Yet God had promised to preserve His Word. Even as the church councils legislated against it, the Spirit moved in the hearts of the Waldenses, Albigenses, and other faithful witnesses to memorize, copy, and hide the Scriptures in the very mountains of Europe. They understood that “man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).
The Catholic church’s own laws reveal the suppression:
Council of Toulouse (1229 AD), Canon 14:
“We prohibit also that the laity should be permitted to have the books of the Old or New Testament; we most strictly forbid their having any translation of these books.” Heresy and Authority in Medieval Europe
Council of Tarragona (1234 AD), Second Canon: “No one may possess the books of the Old and New Testaments… and if anyone possesses them he must turn them over to the local bishop within eight days, so that they may be burned…” Historie de la Bible en France
These decrees, enforced by the Inquisition (established by Pope Gregory IX in 1233), created a system where conscience was enslaved and the soul was fed tradition instead of truth. This was a direct assault on the Second Commandment, which forbids the worship of God through the doctrines of men, and a denial of the Reformation’s great truth: Sola Scriptura, the Bible alone as the rule of faith.
Even as late as the Council of Trent and the Index of Forbidden Books (1559), the Vatican formally declared that anyone possessing a Bible in the common tongue could not be absolved unless they surrendered it to be burned. This Index was only officially abolished in 1966.
Yet, the Bible is history’s most indestructible book. Dictators and ecclesiastical councils alike have attempted to burn it, ban it, and bury it. But God’s Word is “settled in heaven” (Psalm 119:89). More copies are sold each year than any other book, for it is “living and powerful” (Hebrews 4:12).
Why was the Bible so dangerous to the apostate system? Because it reveals the truth about sin, the Sabbath, the state of the dead and the sanctuary, truths that expose human traditions. The same conflict that burned Bibles in the Dark Ages will soon reach its climax. As in the days of Christ, when the religious leaders suppressed truth to protect their authority, so again a final test will come over allegiance to God’s Word versus the Commandments of men.
Today, the call is the same as through all ages: “Come out of her, My people” (Revelation 18:4). We are urged not to trust in any human creed or council, but to search the Scriptures daily (Acts 17:11). For the hour is coming when every decision will hinge upon this question: Will we stand with the Word of God, even if it must be held in secret or at the cost of all earthly comfort, or will we bow to tradition?
The Bible has survived the flames of every tyrant. It will also survive the final judgments. Those who build their lives upon its rock-solid truth will never be shaken.
Gospel Angels Broadcasting
A Nugget of Truth
WHEN THE PAPAL DRAGON BREATHED AGAINST GOD’S WORD.
The Dark Ages, The Forbidden Book That Cannot Be Silenced
Many are unaware that for centuries, the dominant religious system of Christendom forbade the common believer from reading or possessing the Holy Scriptures. This period, rightly called the “Dark Ages,” was not a failure of the Bible, but a time when it was restricted, which was a fulfillment of biblical prophecy.
Scripture foretold a great apostasy, a falling away from the simple truth of God’s Word (2 Thessalonians 2:3). It warned of a power that would “think to change times and laws” (Daniel 7:25), seeking to substitute human tradition for divine command. The banning of the Bible was the outcome of this rebellion. Since God’s Word is the foundation of truth (John 17:17), then the only way to establish human erroneous authority is to suppress that Word.
At the height of her power, the Apostate Church feared that if her subjects owned and read the Scriptures, they would compare her teachings and actions to the light of God’s law and find them wanting. Thus, literacy itself was discouraged, and possessing a Bible became a crime.
“During the Dark Ages (A.D. 500-1500), Rome burned Bibles along with their owners.” The Baptist Pillar
As the prophet Amos declared, a famine of hearing the words of the Lord was coming (Amos 8:11-12). This famine was no accident; it was enforced by ecclesiastical decrees that kept the masses in spiritual darkness.
“Only ten percent of people in the Roman Empire could read… and those were generally in the wealthy upper classes.”
—River of God, Gregory J. Riley, pp. 66
Yet God had promised to preserve His Word. Even as the church councils legislated against it, the Spirit moved in the hearts of the Waldenses, Albigenses, and other faithful witnesses to memorize, copy, and hide the Scriptures in the very mountains of Europe. They understood that “man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).
The Catholic church’s own laws reveal the suppression:
Council of Toulouse (1229 AD), Canon 14:
“We prohibit also that the laity should be permitted to have the books of the Old or New Testament; we most strictly forbid their having any translation of these books.” Heresy and Authority in Medieval Europe
Council of Tarragona (1234 AD), Second Canon: “No one may possess the books of the Old and New Testaments… and if anyone possesses them he must turn them over to the local bishop within eight days, so that they may be burned…” Historie de la Bible en France
These decrees, enforced by the Inquisition (established by Pope Gregory IX in 1233), created a system where conscience was enslaved and the soul was fed tradition instead of truth. This was a direct assault on the Second Commandment, which forbids the worship of God through the doctrines of men, and a denial of the Reformation’s great truth: Sola Scriptura, the Bible alone as the rule of faith.
Even as late as the Council of Trent and the Index of Forbidden Books (1559), the Vatican formally declared that anyone possessing a Bible in the common tongue could not be absolved unless they surrendered it to be burned. This Index was only officially abolished in 1966.
Yet, the Bible is history’s most indestructible book. Dictators and ecclesiastical councils alike have attempted to burn it, ban it, and bury it. But God’s Word is “settled in heaven” (Psalm 119:89). More copies are sold each year than any other book, for it is “living and powerful” (Hebrews 4:12).
Why was the Bible so dangerous to the apostate system? Because it reveals the truth about sin, the Sabbath, the state of the dead and the sanctuary, truths that expose human traditions. The same conflict that burned Bibles in the Dark Ages will soon reach its climax. As in the days of Christ, when the religious leaders suppressed truth to protect their authority, so again a final test will come over allegiance to God’s Word versus the Commandments of men.
Today, the call is the same as through all ages: “Come out of her, My people” (Revelation 18:4). We are urged not to trust in any human creed or council, but to search the Scriptures daily (Acts 17:11). For the hour is coming when every decision will hinge upon this question: Will we stand with the Word of God, even if it must be held in secret or at the cost of all earthly comfort, or will we bow to tradition?
The Bible has survived the flames of every tyrant. It will also survive the final judgments. Those who build their lives upon its rock-solid truth will never be shaken.
Gospel Angels Broadcasting
English
Arabic
French
Spanish
Portuguese
Turkish
Dutch
Italiano
Russian
Romaian
Portuguese (Brazil)
Greek
हिन्दी