Did the papacy exalt itself above God? Yes, it undoubtedly did, but what of France? Remember, France was the nation that most supported and upheld the papacy throughout the dark ages. By compelling men to worship at the dictates of the church, France exalted itself above God and put itself in the place of God, for only God can dictate who and what man should worship. “But blackest in the black catalogue of crime, most horrible among the fiendish deeds of all the dreadful centuries, was the St. Bartholomew Massacre. The world still recalls with shuddering horror the scenes of that most cowardly and cruel onslaught. The king of France, urged on by Romish priests and prelates, lent his sanction to the dreadful work.” The Great Controversy, page 272. Yes, the French king was just as guilty of fulfilling this verse as the papacy was. The king exalted himself above God and usurped the power that only God can have.