From Christ to Pope

Since the Christian movement began it has always maintained the hope for the return of Christ. The advent message is one that has been proclaimed by many Christian groups throughout the Christian era. But while the advent of Christ has been eagerly anticipated it has not gone without controversy and misunderstanding. The early church awaited a personal return of Christ contingent on Christ’s work of redemption and remission of sins. The Scriptures are clear that just as Old Testament priests would minister on the behalf of the people for the remission of sins, Christ our perfect high priest is ministering on our behalf before God the Father for the perfect remission of sins (Hebrews 8:1). It was understood that when Christ’s redemptive work was complete he would return in glory for those who have been judged righteous.
But this knowledge and hope was severely tested and challenged when Christians suffered brutal persecution at the hands of pagan Rome. Cruel emperors under dark influences declared Christianity to be a threat to national security and Roman culture and ordered the execution of countless Christians. It has been estimated that three million Christians perished under pagan Rome during the first three centuries of the Christian era.
Just when it seemed as though Christianity might become extinct, a man by the name of Ignatius of Antioch, an Apostolic Father of the early church, wrote a series of works on Christian theology that gave the church a modified identity and creed. Ignatius proposed that the small community of believers be gathered under one centralized authority-the bishop. This structure was based on Roman city government. The Christian congregation became the city of Rome and the bishop became the Roman Administrator. The church then came to resemble a Roman municipality. Of the bishop and the new church Ignatius wrote, “Follow the bishop as Christ did the Father, follow the elders as apostles, and respect the deacons as you would God’s law…He who pays the bishop honor has been honored by God. He who acts without the bishop’s knowledge is in the devil’s service.”
Though pagan Rome eventually fell politically, its religion and theology was championed by its invaders and in time Christianity emerged in the form of the Papacy. Heavenly things were substituted for earthly and the work of the papacy overshadowed the work of Christ.
Under the papacy, Christians have suffered much tribulation and oppression. Far from doing the work of a perfect priest, the papacy has acted as a tyrant and a deceiver in order to aggrandize its own power. Yet many Christians believe that its religious belief system is representative of Christ. Christians have been erroneously led to look at a human institution for divine guidance and have been distracted from looking upward to a “more excellent ministry, by how much also he [Christ] is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises” (Hebrews 8:6). Christ’s ministry in heaven is without fault and blameless. When Christ is finished interceding on our behalf then He will come in all glory and power to save those who have believed on Him.