3. The Rise of the Papacy - Blessing (20 October 2026) ICM

Welcome back everyone. We are ready to begin. Let's start with a prayer.

Dear God in heaven, we thank you for this opportunity where we can meet online and in person from all over the world. Our prayer is that we have a better understanding of your truth and that it might have a sanctifying effect on us. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Um so at this camp meeting

I intend to speak about politics. Uh so what I'm going to share with you is a bit complicated. It's not intentionally complicated. I think the history is complicated. But I will try and simplify it best I can because it's also complicated for me. But hopefully we can learn something from this exercise. >> Most of what I'm going to share with

you, you already know. It's just about uh I guess putting the different pieces together. So, I want to speak about Christianity's introduction into politics.

So, Christianity's rise in politics. Um this is what most people today would say. What would Adventists call this? Someone to shout out the answer. What's the Adventist equivalent for Christianity's rise in politics?

Church and state. Who do Adventists point to? The papacy. So, for Seventh-day Adventists, what I'll be talking about is the rise of the papacy. So, that we're all on the same page. So, I think we all know that Christianity's rise was progressive. It did not happen instantly. Um eventually In fact, first firstly