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“Satan’s Throne” (June 2009, by Joyce Thiel)<\/p>\n
COGwriter<\/a><\/p>\n Believe it or not, in 1987 on a tour of Saint Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, those of on that tour (all WCG members) were told by a Worldwide Church of God minister who was conducting the tour that Joseph Tkach, Sr. (who was then the Pastor General of WCG–he died in 1995) stated that he felt that this was “Satan’s throne.”\u00a0 The WCG tour guide minister also said that that there was a tradition\/legend (which possibly can be tied to one interpretation of the 12th century Malachy prophecy) that the final pope would sit on this throne.<\/p>\n This particular throne is black and the bottom of its legs are about 5 feet off of the ground.\u00a0 Despite odd claims, no one allegedly has ever sat on this final version of it.\u00a0 Here is a little bit of history about it:<\/p>\n As a young boy Gianlorenzo Bernini (1598\u20131680) visited St. Peter’s with the painter Annibale Carracci and stated his wish to build “a mighty throne for the apostle”. His wish came true. As a young man, in 1626, he received the patronage of Pope Urban VIII and worked on the embellishment of the Basilica for 50 years…Bernini then turned his attention to another precious relic, the so-called Cathedra Petri<\/em> or “throne of St. Peter” a chair which was often claimed to have been used by the apostle, but appears to date from the 12th century. As the chair itself was fast deteriorating and was no longer serviceable, Pope Alexander VII determined to enshrine it in suitable splendour as the object upon which the line of successors to Peter was based. Bernini created a large bronze throne in which it was housed, raised high on four looping supports held effortlessly by massive bronze statues of four Doctors of the Church, Saints Ambrose and Augustine representing the Latin Church and Athanasius and John Chrysostom, the Greek Church. The four figures are dynamic with sweeping robes and expressions of adoration and ecstasy.\u00a0 (St. Peter’s Basilica.\u00a0 Wikipedia<\/em>, viewed 07\/21\/12)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n While there is no actual evidence that Peter has his<\/em> chair turned into this (or presumably part of it), the reality is that some chair\/throne\/seat has existed for some time, and now is overlaid as the large black one is shown.\u00a0 The Catholic Encyclopedia<\/em> teaches about at least two:<\/p>\n From the earliest times the Church at Rome celebrated on 18 January the memory of the day when the Apostle held his first service with the faithful of the Eternal City…<\/p>\n This double celebration was also held in two places, in the Vatican Basilica and in a cemetery (coemeterium<\/em>) on the Via Salaria. At both places a chair (cathedra<\/em>) was venerated…In its present (ninth-century) form the “Martyrologium Hieronymianum” gives a second feast of the Chair of St. Peter for 22 February, but all the manuscripts assign it to Antioch, not to Rome… by the ninth century one of the two feasts of the Roman cathedra had drifted away to Antioch, shows that the cathedra of the Via Salaria must have perished as early as the sixth or seventh century. We come now to the question, where stood originally the chair shown and venerated in the Vatican Basilica during the fourth century? On the strength of ancient tradition it has been customary to designate the church of Santa Pudenziana as the spot where, in the house of the supposed Senator Pudens, the two great Apostles not only received hospitable entertainment, but also held Christian services. But the legends connected with Santa Pudenziana do not offer sufficient guarantee for the theory that this church was the cathedral and residence of the popes before Constantine…<\/p>\n In 1776 there was excavated on the Aventine, near the present church of Santa Prisca, a chapel with frescoes of the fourth century; in these frescoes pictures of the two Apostles were still recognizable. Among the rubbish was also found a gilded glass with the figures of Peter and Paul. The feast of the dedication of this church (an important point) still falls on the same day as the above-described cathedra feast of 22 February; this church, therefore, continued to celebrate the traditional feast even after the destruction of the object from which it sprang.<\/p>\n In the crypt of Santa Prisca is shown a hollowed capital, bearing in thirteenth-century letters the inscription: BAPTISMUS SANCTI PETRI (Baptism of Saint Peter), undoubtedly the echo of an ancient tradition of the administration of baptism here by Peter. In this way we have linked together a series of considerations which make it probable that the spot “ubi secundo sedebat sanctus Petrus” (where Saint Peter sat for the second time), must be sought in the present church of Santa Prisca; in other words, that the chair referred to by St. Damasus was kept there in the period before Constantine. It was there, consequently, that was celebrated the “natale Petri de cathedr\u00e2”, set for 22 February in the calendars beginning with the year 354…<\/p>\n How Pope Damasus might be led to transfer the cathedra Petri<\/em> from Santa Prisca to the Vatican, can be readily understood from the circumstances of that time. From the reign of the first Constantine the Lateran had been the residence of the popes, and its magnificent basilica their cathedral, while the neighbouring baptistery of Constantine served for the solemn administration of baptism on the eve of Easter. In the half-century from 312 to 366 (date of the accession of Damasus), the importance of Santa Prisca, its baptistery, and its cathedra must naturally have declined. Damasus could therefore be certain of the approval of all Rome when he transferred the venerable Apostolic relic from the small chapel in Santa Prisca to his own new baptistery in the Vatican, where it certainly remained to the first quarter of the sixth century, after which it was kept in different chapels of the Vatican Basilica…We conclude, therefore, that there is no reason for doubting the genuineness of the relic preserved at the Vatican, and known as the Cathedra Petri<\/em>.<\/p>\n (Waal, Anton de. “Chair of Peter.” The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 3. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1908. 21 Jul. 2012 <http:\/\/www.newadvent.org\/cathen\/03551e.htm>)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n It should be stated that it is by tradition<\/em>, as opposed to historical fact, that Peter was actually ever in Rome and there is no evidence that he conducted any church service in Rome on a chair.\u00a0\u00a0 The admission that at least one of the Roman chairs must have been destroyed and others may have come from elsewhere should help persuade those interested in the truth that the Cathedra Petri<\/em> is not really Peter’s “throne,” or a place from whence he “ruled” all Christendom. \u00a0 While a Pope (Damascus) apparently believed he was transferring a seat\/chair of Peter to the Vatican, that does not make it so (and even if there actually was a seat the Peter once sat on that is now in St. Peter’s Basilica, proves nothing other than a seat Peter sat on still exists).\u00a0 The throne that is now built over\u00a0Cathedra Petri<\/em> provides no actual proof that it was some place that Peter actually sat upon.\u00a0 The “no reason to doubt” conclusion in\u00a0The Catholic Encyclopedia<\/em> should be understood to mean “no real proof,” despite claims otherwise. Other sources claim that part of the reason for the legend of\u00a0 Cathedra Petri,\u00a0<\/em>as well as why there were multiple “seats\/chairs\/thrones,” was essentially that in the late second and third centuries that competing power blocks made the stories up to attempt to gain dominance (e.g. Sabatier A. Religions of authority and the religion of the spirit. Volume 16 of Theological translation library, 2nd edition.\u00a0 Translated by Louise Seymour Houghton.\u00a0 McClure, Phillips & Co., 1904. \u00a0Original from the New York Public Library, Digitized Feb 9, 2011, p. 112).\u00a0 It has also been asserted that the seat underneath could never have been Peter’s as it came from the 8th century or simply the 17th century (Greatest Forgery in History: Chair of Saint Peter.\u00a0 Copyright \u00a9 One-Evil.org 2011. http:\/\/one-evil.org\/acts_forgery\/forgery_chair_of_st_peter.htm viewed 07\/22\/12).<\/p>\n Furthermore, one would think that if the very chair or “cathedra” of Peter was in St. Peter’s Basilica that it would be the primary basilica for the Church of Rome, but it is not.\u00a0 The Catholic Encyclopedia<\/em> notes:<\/p>\n This is the oldest, and ranks first among the four great “patriarchal” basilicas of Rome…313. From that time onwards it was always the centre of Christian life within the city; the residence of the popes and the cathedral of Rome. The latter distinction it still holds, though it has long lost the former…The ancient apse, with mosaics of the fourth century, survived all the many changes and dangers of the Middle Ages, and was still to be seen very much in its original condition as late as 1878, when it was destroyed in order to provide a larger space for the ordinations and other pontifical functions which take place in this cathedral church of Rome.\u00a0 (Barnes, Arthur. “Saint John Lateran.” The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 9. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 21 Jul. 2012 <http:\/\/www.newadvent.org\/cathen\/09014b.htm>)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Notice the inscription, that is shown in numerous places, on the outside of it:<\/p>\n The inscription from Latin above translated into English means, \u201cSacred Lateran Church Mother and Head of All Churches of the City and the World\u201d (cf. Revelation 17:5).<\/p>\n Anyway, some believe that the final pope on the Catholic Bishop Malachy’s list, Peter the Roman, will sit on the Cathedra Petri<\/em> (some consider that he will be an antipope, and thus a henchman for Satan) in St. Peter’s Basilica.<\/p>\n And for those unfamiliar with Malachy’s list, he in\u00a0 the 12th<\/sup> century, predicted, with what some believe is complete accuracy, every pope since 1143.\u00a0 When Malachy\u2019s list became public in the 16th century, it was considered to have been so accurate in predicting the 12th<\/sup> \u2013 16th<\/sup> century pontiffs, that some thought it that it had not been written until the 16th<\/sup> century.<\/p>\n Here is what The Catholic Encyclopedia<\/em> reported about it:<\/p>\n In 1139\u2026St. Malachy gave his manuscript to Innocent II to console him in the midst of his tribulations, and that the document remained unknown in the Roman Archives until its discovery in 1590…These short prophetical announcements, in number 112, indicate some noticeable trait of all future popes from Celestine II, who was elected in the year 1143, until the end of the world<\/strong>. They are enunciated under mystical titles. Those who have undertaken to interpret and explain these symbolical prophecies have succeeded in discovering some trait, allusion, point, or similitude in their application to the individual popes, either as to their country, their name, their coat of arms or insignia, their birth-place, their talent or learning, the title of their cardinalate, the dignities which they held etc.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n It does need to be pointed out, especially for Catholic readers, that Malachy’s list is only “accurate” if several admitted “antipopes” are counted, and the final one on the list, is believed by some to be the final Antichrist:<\/p>\n Catholic Priest Connor<\/em>: [W]hen Malachy visited Pope Innocent II in Rome in 1139, he was given a vision of all the Holy Fathers of the future\u2026A study of the entire prophecy shows that fulfillment is made possible only by including anti-popes..<\/strong>.(Connor, Edward. Prophecy for Today. Imprimatur + A.J. Willinger, Bishop of Monterey-Fresno; Reprint: Tan Books and Publishers, Rockford (IL), 1984, pp. 7-9)<\/p>\n D. Lindsey<\/em>: After the 266th pope<\/em>, according to St. Malachy, there will be no more popes. In addition to being the last pontiff, some visionaries hint that the 266th pontiff will be the Antichrist. (Lindsey DM. \u00a0The woman and the dragon: apparitions of Mary. Pelican Publishing, 2000, p. 65)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Here is what Malachy wrote in Latin about the last pope on his list:<\/p>\n In persecutione extrema SRE sedebit. Petrus Romanus, quipascet oves in multis tribulationibus: quibus transactis civitas septicollis diruetur, et Iudex tremendus iudicabit populum suum. Finis. <\/em>(Gurug\u00e9 A. The Next Pope. Anura Guruge, 2010, p. 221)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Here is some of what a Catholic writer commented about the last one on the Malachy list:<\/p>\n There are many, around the world, who, thanks to this prophecy, are totally convinced that the next pope will indeed call himself ‘Peter’–most not considering or caring what the implications of this could be.<\/p>\n In the considered opinion of the author, it is highly improbable that the next pope will be ‘Petrus Romanus<\/em>‘ or even ‘Petrus II<\/em>.’<\/p>\n For a start, given the Last Judgment implications, many respected Catholic sources have tried to point out, for quite a long time, that the pope talked about in motto 112 does not have to necessarily be the pope who follows the one described by motto 111; this 111th pope now being the current pope, Benedict XVI (#266). The justification for this “hedging’ is that the mottos were not numbered in de Wyon’s 1595 Lignum Vitae<\/em>. The numbering, to facilitate manageability, came later. Consequently, it can be contented that the author of this prophecy, whoever it was, did not necessarily mean that the pope described in the last motto would come immediately after the one identified in the previous motto. Basically, the last, very long, atypical motto describes the last pope. This last pope may come to be at a much later time–with an indeterminate number of intervening popes between him and the one described by motto 111. Therefore, this last motto may not actually apply to the next pope, in which case, the expectation of ‘Petrus Romanus<\/em>‘ becomes mute.<\/p>\n But what the proponents of the ‘Petrus Romanus<\/em>‘ belief do not appear to appreciate is that the next pope, by the sheer necessity of the duties confronting him, is not going to be naive. Naivet\u00e9…is not a characteristic that one readily associates with today’s cardinals. They know the ways of the world and are world politic. There will be none amongst them who is not familiar with the Malachy prophecy. They all understand what the ramifications would be if the next pope surprised them all by stating that he will be called ‘Petrus Secundus<\/em>.’<\/p>\n The protodeacon announcing ‘Petrus Secundus<\/em>‘ from the balcony of St. Peter’s would be worse than shouting ‘fire’ in a crowded theater. There would be mayhem in what is likely to be another jam-packed St. Peter’s Square. People would panic. There could be a stampede, people could get hurt. The authorities in Rome and the Italian government would be forced to take immediate action to quell the understandable alarm. It would be considered, quite rightly, a security threat! For the first time in over a century there could be troops, Italian, NATO or both, surrounding the Vatican. There would be no celebrations, The Urbi et Orbi<\/em> blessing, if it was to take place, would be viewed with understandable askance.<\/p>\n It is difficult to imagine the next pope doing anything this reckless. It is difficult to envision the cardinal electors permitting him to do anything this reckless. Hence, it is extremely unlikely that the next pope will be ‘Petrus Secundus<\/em>,’ let alone ‘Petrus Romanus<\/em>.’ If he is, head for the hills, and hope for the best. (Gurug\u00e9, pp. 221-223)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Now, I agree that the next pope (who could be the last pope) may or may not chose the name Peter II or anything similar–but that does not mean that he could not fulfill that prophecy. It needs to be clear, whether the pope does or not pick that name, the final major pope will be a destructive antipope.\u00a0 Malachy’s list did not actually name pontiffs, but basically gave short descriptions. And while some have concluded that Petrus Romanus is a name, it could be a description. The description could signify that he is a pebble (or “rocky” which is what the term petrus<\/em> signifies) supporting the final Roman empire.<\/p>\n Notice also the following translation of Malachy’s predicted final pope:<\/p>\n Malachy<\/em> (12th<\/sup> century): During the persecution of the Holy Roman Church, there will sit upon the throne, Peter the Roman who will feed his flock through many tribulations.\u00a0 After which the City of Seven Hills (Rome) will be utterly destroyed and the awful Judge will then judge the people. (Culleton, R. Gerald.\u00a0The Prophets and Our Times. Nihil Obstat: L. Arvin.\u00a0Imprimatur: Philip G. Scher, Bishop of Monterey-Fresno, November 15, 1941.\u00a0Reprint 1974, TAN Books, Rockford (IL), p. 138)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Notice that the Bible warns against the religious city that will rules from the seven hills:<\/p>\n 9 This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits…18\u00a0The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth. (Revelation 17:9, 18, NIV)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n So, perhaps the above photos do show at least one of Satan’s physical thrones on earth.<\/p>\n Why do I say at least one?\u00a0 The Bible does specifically use the expression Satan’s throne once:<\/p>\n 12 “And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write,<\/p>\n ‘These things says He who has the sharp two-edged sword:\u00a0 13 “I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is.\u00a0 And you hold fast to My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days in which Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.\u00a0 (Revelation 2:12-13, NKJV)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Smith’s Bible Dictionary<\/em> notes, “It is called “Satan’s seat” by John, which some suppose to refer to the worship of \u00c6sculpius, from the serpent being his characteristic emblem. Others refer it to the persecution of Christians which was the work of Satan” (p.500).<\/p>\n And that particular throne\/seat, presuming it involved a physical one, probably was not the same physical one as the one shown above.\u00a0 The main period of the Pergamos Church era was from 450-1050.\u00a0 Just as the initial local Church at Pergamos (time of the Apostle John) was situated in a city where Satan swayed human politics, much of this work of God’s church during 450-1010 A.D. occurred within the bounds of the government of Satan’s Eastern Roman Empire. Yet, whether it physically is or not, in a spiritual sense it seems to be the same throne.<\/p>\n Why?<\/p>\n Three basic reasons.<\/p>\n The first is that the old Roman Empire had two divisions, the West (based out of Rome) and the East (based out of Constantinople\/Byzantium).\u00a0 While in the West, the “fall of Rome” is taught in history, the fact that the eastern leg of the empire lasted nearly a thousand years longer is relatively unknown–and it existed before and after the entire time that the Pergamos era predominated.\u00a0 Furthermore, prophetic writers, including Catholic ones, have tended to consider that the two legs of the image of the Beast in Daniel 2 have to do with the division of the old Roman Empire.\u00a0 And while the old Roman Empire is no more, there still is a difference between the West (which tends to be Roman Catholic, with Protestant daughters) and the East (which tends to be more Eastern Orthodox).\u00a0 But historically (the “great schism of 1054 not-with-standing) they have supported the same goals, the same body, the same throne.<\/p>\n And the second is because the Bible also teaches that the harlot woman, who would presumably have two legs or two lungs (Catholic and Eastern Orthodox<\/a> leaders have stated that they are two “lungs” in the same body) and who sits on the seven hills (both Rome and Constantinople are cities of seven hills\/mountains), has a history of persecuting the real saints, those in the genuine Church of God:<\/p>\n 1 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and talked with me, saying to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters, 2 with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication.”<\/p>\n 3 So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. 4 The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication.\u00a0 5 And on her forehead a name was written:<\/p>\n MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.<\/p>\n 6 I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement.\u00a0 (Revelation 17:1-6)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n So, from the above we see that the harlot woman reigns and has a history of persecuting the saints.\u00a0 This is the same woman\/city that sits on the seven hills and reigns (both Rome and Constantinople are known for having seven hills\/mountains).\u00a0 And the throne known as the\u00a0Cathedra Petri<\/em> is considered to be a throne of importance to at least Rome.<\/p>\n The third is simply that the foundation of the\u00a0so-called Cathedra Petri<\/em> is supposed to be four “Doctors of the Church.”\u00a0 Two are Latin (Roman Catholic) and two are Greek (Eastern Orthodox).\u00a0 So, it apparently has long been the intent that the the\u00a0so-called Cathedra Petri<\/em> is to portray Greco-Roman unity–they all are shown supporting the same throne.\u00a0 From a Church of God perspective the four individuals are interesting (they are somewhat listed based upon chronological impact of their teachings):<\/p>\n So the foundation, holding up the so-called Cathedra Petri<\/em> is based upon Greco-Roman leaders who often took strong intellectual positions against the Church of God.\u00a0 This is another reason that, spiritually at least, it seems to represent Satan’s throne.<\/p>\n Biblical, Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox prophecy suggests that the Roman and Eastern Orthodox Catholics will unify.\u00a0 They will strongly support (for a time) leaders that Satan inspires (cf. Revelation 16:13-14).\u00a0 False leaders<\/strong><\/em> likely to have complete access to Saint Peter’s Basilica and the\u00a0so-called Cathedra Petri, <\/em>and <\/strong>who for a while, will advocate the positions of the foundational doctors of the throne.<\/strong> In the end times, it is possible that Satan or one of his demonically-inspired representatives (cf. Revelation 16:12-13) may literally sit upon the black throne shown above.\u00a0 And while it may or may not literally be the throne of Satan, the basis the so-called Cathedra Petri<\/em>\u00a0and its anti-Church of God foundation suggests why it spiritually seems to at least partially represent Satan’s throne.<\/p>\n Articles of possibly related interest may include:<\/em><\/p>\n Europa, the Beast, and Revelation<\/a> Where did Europe get its name? What might Europe have to do with the Book of Revelation? What about “the Beast”? Who is the king of the North? “Satan’s Throne” (June 2009, by Joyce Thiel) COGwriter Believe it or not, in 1987 on a tour of Saint Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, those of on that tour (all WCG members) were told by a Worldwide Church of God minister who was conducting the tour that Joseph Tkach, Sr. (who was then the Pastor […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,4,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12332","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-church-history","category-prophecy","category-wcg-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n
Saint John Lateran<\/h2>\n
The basilica<\/h3>\n
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\n(June 2009 by Joyce Thiel)<\/p>\n\n
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\nWhat Do Roman Catholic Scholars Actually Teach About Early Church History?<\/a> Although most believe that the Roman Catholic Church history teaches an unbroken line of succession of bishops beginning with Peter, with stories about most of them, Roman Catholic scholars know the truth of this matter. This eye-opening article is a must-read for any who really wants to know what Roman Catholic history actually admits about the early church.
\nLocation of the Early Church: Another Look at Ephesus, Smyrna, and Rome<\/a> What actually happened to the primitive Church? And did the Bible tell about this in advance?
\nApostolic Succession<\/a> What really happened? Did structure and beliefs change? Are many of the widely-held current understandings of this even possible?
\nWhich Is Faithful: The Roman Catholic Church or the Church of God?<\/a> Do you know that both groups shared a lot of the earliest teachings? Do you know which church changed? Do you know which group is most faithful to the teachings of the apostolic church? Which group best represents true Christianity? This documented article answers those questions.
\nJoyce’s Photos of Pergamos<\/a> Pergamos (also known as Pergamum, but currently known as Bergama, Bergamo, or Bergamum) was one of the seven churches of Revelation.
\nJoyce’s Photos of Rome, St. John’s Basilica, and the Vatican<\/a> Rome has been a major world city for centuries. Since the late second century, it has made claims of prominence over Christianity.\u00a0 There are also two views of the Cathedra Petri<\/em> shown.
\nPersecutions by Church and State<\/a> This article documents some that have occurred against those associated with the COGs and some prophesied to occur. Will those with the cross be the persecutors or the persecuted–this article has the shocking answer.
\nThe Pergamos Church Era<\/a> was predominant circa 450 A.D. to circa 1050 A.D. An especially persecuted Church.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"