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manifests himself as if he were God. He claims such honors and such reverence as the true God
would if he should appear in human form" (Barnes, op. cit., p.1114).

Let me ask you this: Have the popes claimed to be above all that is called god, have they
claimed to be as Yehovah in the temple of Yehovah, and have they attempted to show that they are
Divine? You bet they have! They have claimed to be above all kings and emperors. They have
claimed not only the rule of earth, but heaven and hell, also! They have claimed attributes and titles
which can rightly pertain to Yehovah only. At the coronation of Pope Innocent X, the following
words were addressed to him by a cardinal who knelt before him: "Most holy and blessed father!
head of the Church, ruler of the world, to whom the keys of the kingdom of heaven are committed,
whom the angels in heaven revere, and the gates of hell fear, and all the world adores, we spe-
cially venerate, worship, and adore thee!"

Moreri, a noted Catholic historian, wrote: "To make war against the Pope is to make war
against God, seeing the Pope is God and God is the Pope." Decius said: "The Pope can do all
things God can do." Pope Leo XIII said of himself in 1890: "The supreme teacher in the Church is
the Roman Pontiff. Union of minds, therefore, requires, together with a perfect accord in the one
faith, complete submission and obedience of will to the Church and to the Roman Pontiff, as to
God himself." In 1894, he said: "We hold the place of Almighty God on earth." What blasphemous
arrogance!

On April 30, 1922, in the Vatican throne room before a gathering of cardinals, bishops,
priests, and nuns, who fell on their knees before him, Pope Pius XI in haughty tones said: "You
know that I am the Holy Father, the representative of God on earth, the vicar of Christ, which
means that I am God on the earth." Incredible!

The pagan Roman Caesar was called "our Lord and God." For centuries the popes ac-
cepted the same title. On the arch raised in honor of Pope Borgia were the words: "Rome was
great under Caesar; now she is greater: Alexander VI reigns. The former was a man: this is a god"!
Pope Pius X, when Archbishop of Venice, said: "The Pope is not only the representative of Jesus
Christ, he is Jesus Christ himself, hidden under the veil of the flesh. Does the Pope speak? It is Je-
sus Christ who speaks."

A False Apostle

The man of sin is referred to in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 as "the son of perdition." This same ti-
tle was applied to Judas Iscariot in John 17:12. By this repetition of the term, the Bible is showing
that the man of sin would resemble Judas. To all outward appearances, Judas was a bishop and
apostle -- see Acts 1:20, 25). Nevertheless, he "was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was
put therein" (John 12:6). Such graphic words could well describe papal practices -- especially
during the Dark Ages. Though Judas had received thirty pieces of silver to betray Yeshua, he ap-
proached him in the garden with a kiss and the words, "Hail Master"! So also has the Papacy
claimed to be Yeshua's apostle and friend, but has betrayed him by promoting doctrines and prac-
tices that are contrary to what he taught -- indulgence selling, prayers for the dead in purgatory,
payment for masses, relic sales, offerings before idols, etc., etc., etc.

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