Chapter 49 — FAILURE TO GO FORWARD

Some people think the Reformation ended with Luther. The Reformation did not end. The Reformation is to continue to the close of this world's history. Luther had a great work to do in sharing with others the message God gave him. But Luther did not receive all the truths that were to be given to the world. From the time of Luther until this time, new knowledge has been learned from the Bible. New truths have been revealed.SRme 1.1565

Luther and other reformers did a great work for God. Many of these reformers once belonged to the Roman church. They believed and taught Catholic doctrines. These reformers could not be expected to discover all the errors of the church. The reformers' work was to destroy the power of Rome and give the Bible to the world. But the reformers failed to discover some important truths and they did not give up some serious error.SRme 1.1566

Most reformers continued to keep Sunday with other church holidays. They did not think that Sunday had been made holy by divine authority, but they believed Sunday should be accepted because most of the people kept it as a day of worship. Some reformers reverenced the Sabbath of the fourth commandment. These men should be honored. They defended a truth that others ignored. These faithful people believed they should keep holy the Bible Sabbath because God was the Author of the fourth commandment. After the Reformation, Sabbath keepers were found in many lands.SRme 1.1567

People who received the great blessings of the Reformation did not continue the work Luther started. A few faithful men from time to time taught new Bible truths and showed errors that had been taught for a long time. But most of the people were the same as the Jews in Christ's day, or like the Catholics in Luther's day. Most people were satisfied to believe and live as their fathers had believed and lived. Therefore religion lost its power, and ceremonies again seemed most important. If the church had continued to accept and obey the new information of God's Word, errors and ignorant fears would have been overcome.SRme 1.1568

The spirit of reformation gradually died. Finally the need to reform in the Protestant churches was almost as great as it had been in the Roman church in Luther's time. In the Protestant churches there was the same spiritual carelessness and worldliness. People believed what man said instead of what God commanded. Man's ideas replaced the teachings of God's Word. Under the name of religion, pride and great wealth were encouraged. Protestant churches became corrupt by joining with the world. The great principles the reformers had suffered for, were no longer followed.SRme 1.1569

Satan had failed to destroy the truth by persecution. Now Satan tried the same plan that had led to the great apostasy and the beginning of the church of Rome. At that time Satan had led Christians to join with pagans. This time Satan encouraged Christians to join with people who loved worldly things. Christians who worshiped the god of this world became idolaters.SRme 1.1570

Satan could not keep the Bible from the people. The Bible was available to everyone. But Satan led thousands of people who did not study the Bible for themselves to accept false teachings and wrong ideas. Satan mixed false teachings with the doctrines of the Bible. Millions of people believed teachings and customs that would lead them to destruction. The church was upholding and defending these wrongs instead of defending the faith the saints had kept. The churches did not realize their condition. The churches did not realize that they and the world were quickly nearing the most serious and greatest time of earth's history--the time when the Son of Man would return to this earth.SRme 1.1571