A few weeks ago I held a weekend crusade in Rome and met several leaders of the revival churches there. Many of them were of the opinion that Rome had replaced Jerusalem and that every time we see the word Israel in the Old Testament, we should read the word church! “We are very strong on these issues,” they said.
A few days later I visited the Vatican, a museum of the Catholic Church. The Vatican contains one of the world’s largest collections of ancient idols! In the Sistine Chapel, Luther is portrayed in hell, while outside former popes who have become saints now have their own icons. Jesus is there somewhere, but he is overshadowed by Mary and the holy child, etc.
It was after these events that I, during my morning prayer time, realized that there isn’t just one Bible Code but many! The Bible is such an extensive book that you can combine many statements, depending on which code you use. If you use replacement theology and read Rome where it says Jerusalem and church where it says Israel, then of course the consequence will be that your theology changes according to the code! That is why doctrines of purgatory, transubstantiation, papal succession and the worship of Mary have been able to emerge.
One major example of this is the Catholic requirement of celibacy among their leaders. The foundational command from God is for us to “fill the earth.” Peter, who is considered by Catholics to be the first pope, did not live in celibacy, because Jesus healed his mother-in-law. But the Catholic Church has changed the code, with dire results: Instead of happy families they now have pedophiles and victims. The latest scandal erupted in Belgium, where not only did a bishop assault his nephew, but his crime was kept secret by the cardinal. This is just the tip of the iceberg and indicates the severe consequences of changing the original code.
The problem with replacement theology is that it falsely interprets the Old Testament, leading to a change in how we read the New Testament. When we change the code, another gospel emerges, and it is one that has affected and continues to affect the worldwide church.
Is there a code? Yes, absolutely. Jesus has “encoded” the Old Testament for us. That is what happened with the men who were walking along the road to Emmaus. They couldn’t understand anything that had happened in Jerusalem, but their eyes were finally opened when Jesus revealed the code to them. The Gospel of Matthew and the Letter to the Hebrews, etc, are a compilation and encoding of the building blocks from the Old Testament and through the Holy Spirit they are connected to form the New Testament, the foundation for our faith.
The Catholic Church does not accept the sovereign authority of the New Testament. Instead, the pope and tradition (what previous popes have canonized) are weaved together to form the Catholic doctrine about the Bible. This allows for changes and additions to what has been written, for example the Cult of Mary, who has been canonized.
This is where the problems begin, when we go beyond what was written, or when we change the contents of what is written. That is when we change the code, and instead of Jesus’ church we end up with something entirely different.
