"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. 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. And on her forehead a name
was written: Mystery, Babylon the Great, the mother of harlots and of
the
abominations of the earth" -Revelation 17:3-5 NKJV
These
verses in john's Revelation warn about the pagan apostate church that will rise
after the true followers of Christ are taken to heaven by Jesus Christ.
During
the rapture, hundreds of millions of true Christians from Protestant, Catholic,
and Orthodox churches will be instantaneously translated to heaven.
However,
among these churches are hundreds of millions of people who will remain on
earth during the tribulation period because they had never truly repented
of
their sins and trusted completely in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
Jesus warned, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the
kingdom
of heaven but he who does the will of My Father in heaven" (Matthew 7:2
1).
In
the book of Revelation, one of the angels spoke to the prophet John as follows:
"Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many
waters,
wit h whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of
the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication" (Revelation
17:1,2).
This key verse indicates the universal, worldwide nature of the pagan apostate
church that will be allied to the rising power of the Antichrist
during
the first 3 1/2 years of the tribulation period. The ecumenical church will
provide propaganda support for the consolidation of the Antichrist's
New
World Order. During her period of great power this church will ruthlessly
persecute anyone who refuses to join in her pagan worship rituals.
John
described his vision of this coming inquisition by Mystery Babylon against
those new Jewish and Gentile tribulation believers who will become martyrs
for
their faith in Christ during this terrible tribulation period: "I saw the
woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs
of
Jesus" (Revelation 17:6). Obviously, Mystery Babylon, the apostate pagan
church of the last days, will not develop overnight. Such an ecumenical
organization,
involving
many diverse religious groups, will be created by negotiation and conferences
over a number of years leading up to the beginning of the seven-year
tribulation
period. It is therefore quite probable that we will witness the initial steps
toward this one-world church of the last days before the rapture
takes
the Christians home to heaven.
I
realize that there are many born-again Catholics who are grieved in their
spirit when a Bible teacher comments on the prophecies that reveal Rome as the
headquarters
of the Mystery Babylon religion of the last days. The only thing I can say is
that I do not feel any animosity toward Catholics as individuals.
However,
I do feel strongly about the unbiblical heresies that have led hundreds of
millions of people over the last 1500 years to endanger their eternal
souls.
While it is true that there are many born-again Catholics, we cannot ignore the
profound gulf that exists between the teaching of the Roman Catholic
Church
and the teaching of Jesus Christ as found in the Bible. The most fundamental
difference is the ultimate source of spiritual truth. As the Roman
Catholic
Council of Trent declared in 1564 (it has never been rescinded), Rome believes
that the truth concerning salvation, etc., is determined solely
by
the popes and church councils, not by the Bible as the Word of God.
In
contrast, as a Protestant Christian, I recognize that the only authoritative
source of divine knowledge about salvation, etc., is the inspired Word of
God.
In addition, while Rome declares that people cannot be saved apart from
membership in the Roman Catholic Church, the sacraments, the confessional,
and
the last rites, the Bible assures us that we are saved solely based on our
faith and trust in Jesus Christ's completed atonement for our sins that
He
paid for us on the cross 2000 years ago. The Roman Catholic Cardinal D'Allen
stated that the Protestant focus on the Bible's authority was an obstacle
to
the ecumenical union together of all churches of the world. Cardinal D'Allen
declared, "The Reformation was a Protestant revolt disrupting the unity
of
the church. Union will take place when the rebels accept the authority of the
Pope and abandon the authority of Scripture. Rome can accept nothing short
of
this."
What
is the proper identification of this mysterious symbol of religious
persecution, Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots? In Revelation 17:7,9 the
angel
tells the prophet John, "I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of
the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns....
Here
is the mind which has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains on which the
woman sits." This inspired statement that the woman sits on seven
mountains
or
hills is the clearest possible declaration that the final apostate church will
be based in Rome. While the apostate Babylonian church of the tribulation
period
will involve all religions joined together, the Revelation prophecy indicates
clearly that this worldwide church organization will have its headquarters
in
Rome.
Coins
issued by the Roman government during the first century of the Christian era
carried the motto "the city on seven hills" as the well-known
designation
of
the capital of the Roman Empire. Virtually every one of the classical Roman
writers and poets, including Virgil, Horace, and Ovid, referred to Rome
as
the "city of seven hills." Interestingly, some of these classical
writers referred to Rome as Septiceps, the seven-headed city, which is
virtually identical
with
the phrase used by the prophet John. It is also fascinating to note that the
angel described the apostate harlot church as wearing her name on her
forehead: "On her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT" (Revelation 17:5). According to the Roman writer Marcus Seneca in
Controversia (chapter
vd), the harlots of that ancient city used to identify themselves to their
customers by wearing their names on a label on their foreheads.
A
Roman Catholic commentary on the prophecies of Revelation published in 1956 by
Bernard F. Leonard called The Book of Destiny also identified this city
as
Rome. Although there are few Catholic commentaries on Revelation, it is
fascinating to note that The Book of Destiny was approved by the Roman Catholic
censor
with the words Nihil Obstat and contained the imprimatur of the bishop of Sioux
City, Iowa. Leonard writes: "This great harlot is a city whose apostasy
from
the true faith is a monstrous thing. This may point to Rome. Rome is the Holy
City of Christ, the center of His eternal kingdom.... And the apostasy
of
this city, and her becoming the head of an empire that would lead all possible
nations and peoples into Antichrist- worship, would indeed merit for
her
the title of THE GREAT HARLOT. The apostles called ancient Rome 'Babylon' (I
Peter 5:13). So the conclusion is near that the great harlot of the future
shall
be Rome." It is interesting that this book is still sold in many Roman
Catholic bookstores.
Karol
Wojtyla of Poland was elected pope in October 1978. While he is a strong
supporter of world government, he is not the first pope to promote this idea.
His
predecessor pope, Paul VI, wrote a Papal Encyclical that called on the nations
to abandon sovereignty to form a world government. Pope John Paul 11
is
constantly calling for the nations to abandon their opposition to world
government. Malachi Martin, a Jesuit writer who is very close to the pope and
has
excellent sources in the Vatican, wrote in his book The Keys of This Blood
about the pope's plans for a one-world government. Martin says that the
pope
"has plans and is working for a genuinely geopolitical structure: a One
World Government that is both viable and humanly acceptable. "John Paul II
believes
that "the establishment of an order based on justice and peace is vitally
needed today as a moral imperative valid for all peoples and regimes
...
this is the only path possible."
A
curious bit of information was recently revealed about the thinking and
motivation of Pope John Paul II. Several books, including Malachi Martin's The
Keys
of This Blood, revealed that the political and religious agenda of the pope is
strongly influenced by various predictions regarding the future of
the
papacy. One of these is the so-called "vision of Fatima." When he
became pope, in 1978, John Paul II was given access to the secret message of
Fatima,
which
Catholics believe was entrusted to the Church through a series of visions
granted to several children in Fatima, Portugal, beginning on May 13, 1917.
Supposedly,
a vision of Mary appeared to three peasant children in six different visions
over a five-month period in 1917, and they claimed she gave them
three
secret messages.
Let
me explain that I do not believe that the Fatima vision is a genuine prophecy
from God. Regardless of the apparent sincerity of the witnesses, the vision's
message
is absolutely in opposition to the Bible. Fundamentally, this vision elevates
Mary and demands that the world, and Russia especially, "must be
consecrated
to Mary." There is not a single passage in the Bible that supports such a
demand. On the contrary, we are commanded to worship God alone. Isaiah
warned,
"I am the Lord, that is MY name; and My glory I will not give to
another" (Isaiah 42:8). The significance of the Fatima vision (and the
Malachi
vision,
discussed later) is that they give us an insight into the thinking and
motivation of John Paul 11 as one of the key individuals moving our world
toward
the one-world government prophesied in the Scriptures.
The
first two of these secret messages of Fatima were revealed during the decades
following 1917. The first vision supposedly warned that mankind as a whole
was
proceeding down a path of sinful rebellion that would lead millions to an
eternity in hell.
Then,
during the 1930s, the second message was gradually released to the public,
warning about the beginning of World War 11 and the growing physical and
spiritual
danger to the West from the godless Communist state of Russia. The third vision
was held in total secrecy until 1944.
At
that time the sole survivor of the children who witnessed the apparition was
still living. She was commanded by her bishop to write the secret message
on
a piece of paper, seal it in an envelope, and deliver it to the Vatican. The
child witness, now an adult named Lucia, claimed that Mary demanded that
the
third message remain secret until 1960, when the pope at that time should open
it and act on its instructions. This third vision, known as the Third
Secret
of Fatima, is believed to concern the military and political dangers that would
afflict the West in the closing years of this millennium. While
the
actual wording of the Third Secret remains known to a very few people, the
general outline of its message emerged during the papacy of John Paul 11.
This
last vision of Fatima is apparently in three parts. First, if the Vatican
neglects to take the actions demanded, physical catastrophes-wars, earthquakes,
floods,
etcetera will supposedly destroy the nations and peoples as a punishment for
rejecting God's laws. Second, a refusal to comply with the message's
demands
would trigger a growth of atheism and massive worldwide apostasy from the
Catholic Church. In addition, Russia's godless ideology would sweep throughout
the
world, causing millions to lose their faith. This will conclude with a
devastating world war that will bring mankind to the very edge of extinction.
However,
a remnant will survive the holocaust and gradually revive in the next
millennium. The third part of the Fatima message supposedly promises that
this
devastating war, followed by spiritual catastrophe, could be averted if, first,
the pope and his bishops will publish the warnings of Fatima in 1960,
and
second, the pope and cardinals will "consecrate" Russia to the Virgin
Mary. This continuing focus on Mary rather than the Bible's command to focus
on
Jesus Christ convinces me that the Fatima vision is not sent by God but is
simply one more deception launched by Satan.
The
pope in 1960, John XXIII, allegedly read the Fatima message but rejected its
authority and refused to carry out its instructions. According to Malachi
Martin,
Pope John XXIII explained his refusal to his papal successors in these words:
"These [predictions] do not concern our times." The next pope, Paul
VI,
also refused to comply with the demands of the vision. In a fascinating comment
on their actions, Pope John Paul 11 told one interviewer, "Given the
seriousness
of its contents, my predecessors in the Petrine Office diplomatically preferred
to postpone publication [of the vision] so as not to encourage
the
world power of Communism to make certain moves."
It
is fascinating to note that these popes believed the West was so vulnerable at
the time that Russia's dictators would have accelerated their plans to
launch
their attack on Western nations if they had known the precise words of the
Fatima warning. In 1957, Cardinal Ottaviani, a very politically astute
churchman,
told Malachi Martin that the dangerous "Secret" must be buried
"in the most hidden, the deepest, the most obscure and inaccessible place
on
earth."
During
his painful convalescence following the assassination attempt, John Paul 11
spent hours studying the secret Fatima message. He tried to obey the
command
of the Fatima vision by holding a special service in Fatima, Portugal, on May
13, 1982, one year to the day after the assassination attempt. In
the
ceremony he "consecrated" the world to Mary with "a special
mention of Russia" in his attempt to fulfill the dictates of this strange
vision. Pope
John
Paul 11 is unusual among the popes of this century in his earnest devotion to
Mary. His personal motto is "Totus Tuus" (Entirely Yours). He
consciously
and
publicly attributes his motivation and the direction of his life to Mary. John
Paul 11 has stated that he consecrated and dedicated himself as "priest,
as
bishop, and as cardinal to Mary."
The
Bible tells us that Mary was truly blessed by God as she was granted the
privilege of becoming the birth mother of Jesus Christ. All Christians of all
denominations
rightly consider Mary as one of the most blessed persons in the Bible and in
history. Her admirable character and spiritual life stimulate
sincere
admiration among all those who love Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and
Lord.
However,
the Bible, which is the only infallible source of God's commands to Christians,
has never commanded or permitted the worship of anyone other than
God
Himself. The Bible tells us, through the words of the apostle Paul, that
"there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ
Jesus,
who
gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time" (I Timothy
2:5,6). None of the apostles mentioned Mary during the decades following
Christ's
ministry.
Through God's grace, every Christian can approach God's throne directly because
Christ shed His blood for us on Calvary. We do not need anyone
to
intercede on our behalf. Jesus Christ, as Almighty God, loves each of us so
much that He came to this earth to die on the cross, bearing the punishment
for
the sins and guilt of each of us so that, once we repent and turn from our
sinful path to follow Him as our Lord, we might enter into a complete and
joyful
relationship with Him forever.
During
a papal audience in Saint Peter's Square on May 13, 1981, the pope noticed a
little girl wearing a picture of Mary at Fatima. At that exact moment
the
Turkish assassin Mehmet Ali Agca fired two bullets at John Paul's head. He
missed his target by several inches because the pope bent his head to greet
the
child. The next two bullets hit John Paul's body, disabling him for many
months. Apparently, while he recovered, the pope began to seriously consider
the
Fatima vision and its meaning for his mission and the Roman Catholic Church.
John Paul 11 believes his personal destiny is to rule over the Catholic
Church
during the crisis described in the Third Secret of Fatima.
According
to Malachi Martin John Paul 11 is waiting for a miraculous intervention from
heaven that will stun the world with its display of supernatural
power.
In the book The Keys of This Blood, Martin wrote about the pope's belief, based
on the Fatima visions, in a miraculous appearance of Mary in the
future
in connection with a spectacular astronomical event involving the sun.
He
is waiting, rather, for an event that will fission human history, splitting the
immediate past from the oncoming future. It will be an event on public
view
in the skies, in the oceans, and on the continental land masses of this planet.
It will particularly involve our human sun, which every day lights
up
and shines upon the valleys, the mountains and the plains of this earth for our
eyes. But on the day of this event, it will not appear merely as the
master
star of our so-called solar system. Rather, it will be seen as the circumambient
glory of the Woman whom the apostle describes as "clothed with
the
sun" and giving birth to "a child who will rule the nations with a
scepter of iron." Fissioning it will be as an event, in John Paul's
conviction of
faith,
for it will immediately nullify all the grand designs the nations are now
forming and will introduce the Grand Design of man's Maker. John Paul's
waiting
and watching time will then be over. His ministry as the Servant of the Grand
Design will then begin. His strength of will to hold on and continue,
and
then, when the fissioning event occurs, to assume that ministry, derives
directly from the Petrine authority entrusted solely to him the day he became
Pope,
in October of 1978. That authority, that strength, is symbolized in the Keys of
Peter, washed in the human blood of the God-Man, Jesus Christ, John
Paul
is and will be the sole possessor of the Keys of this Blood on that day.
Apparently
John Paul believes this global apparition will astonish the population of
earth. It is alleged by Malachi Martin that the pope thinks this phenomenon
will
give him the religious authority to create a new religious renaissance and rule
over a new church/state world government. Various catholic organizations
such
as Opus Dei, the Catholic Campaign, and others are now working behind the
scenes to abolish the separation of church and state. Time magazine in December
9,
1991, carried an article questioning the historic separation of church and
state.
Apparently
another series of curious predictions from A.D. 1148, the prophecies of an
archbishop of Armaugh, Ireland (known as Saint Malachi), also convinced
Pope
John Paul 11 that he is presiding over the last days of his church. On several
occasions the present pope has indicated that he believes he is the
last
pope who will follow the teachings of Christ and truly believe in Jesus Christ
as the Lord God Almighty. It is an open secret in Italy and Europe
that
many of the present priests, cardinals, and bishops are no longer true
believers in the inspiration of the Scriptures and the historical credibility
of
the gospel of Christ. Just as in the growing apostasy in the Protestant
denominations, many of these modern Catholic leaders have rejected the
fundamentals
of
New Testament faith, such as the virgin birth and the resurrection of Jesus
Christ. Pope John Paul II fears that, following his death, the conclave
of
cardinals who will choose the next pope will elect someone who will not uphold
historic Christianity. Apparently one of the reasons for this is his
belief
in an 800-year-old prediction from Saint Malachi.
Maol-Maodhog
O'Morgair, later known as Saint Malachi, was born in Armaugh, Ireland, in A.D.
1094. After a life of faithful service he was appointed Metropolitan
Bishop
of Ireland in 1133. Following a lifetime of devotion to Jesus Christ as his
Lord, he died in A.D. 1148. Many people in the Irish Church and some
in
the Vatican today believe he authored an unusual prophecy that foretold the
future of the Roman Catholic Church for the next 850 years. The prophecy
supposedly
described all of the popes from Pope Celestine 11 (who ruled in A.D. 1143)
until the last pope who would rule during the final destruction of
the
Catholic Church, almost a thousand years later, during the Battle of
Armageddon.
This
curious prophecy of Saint Malachi consists of a series of prophetic poetic
stanzas in Latin that purports to describe 111 future Roman popes who would
rule
the Vatican.
According
to Saint Malachi's prediction, there would be only 111 popes in the Catholic
Church following Pope Celestine, who died in A.D. 1146. Some researchers
have
suggested that these descriptions of the future popes were quite accurate, but
it is very hard to verify this. Let me reaffirm that I do not place
any
faith or confidence in any prophecy or prediction except those found in the
inspired pages of Holy Scripture. All other predictions are simply human
speculations.
However, since Pope John Paul II apparently believes in the Fatima vision and
the poetic vision of Saint Malachi and looks to them for guidance,
it
is vital that we explore these visions to understand the motivations and
thinking of those who will play major roles in the events of the last days.
Saint
Malachi's list of the last few popes to rule the Roman Catholic Church:
Number
106
107
108
109
110
Poetic
Description:
Pastor
Angelus Pastor et nauta Flos Florum De Medietate Lunoe De labore soils
Name Years of Rule
Pope
Pius XII
1939-1958
Pope
John XXIII
1958-1963
Pope
Paul VI
1963-1978
Pope
John Paul 1
1978-1978
Pope
John Paul II
1978-present
The
ancient Irish prophecy of Saint Malachi concluded with a prediction that the
last pope of the Roman Catholic Church will rule following the death of
the
present pontiff, Pope John Paul II, pope number 110. Furthermore, this curious
ancient prediction suggests that the last pope will be the first pontiff
in 2000
years who will dare to assume the name of Peter, choosing the name of Peter 11
of Rome. Following the poetic style, the ancient prophecy purports
to
describe the details of the destiny of the final pope of the Roman Catholic
Church.
After
detailing his visions to be fulfilled, Saint Malachi wrote the following words
to describe his vision of the last pope. Malachi's prophecy, written
in
Latin, reads as follows: "In persecutione Extrema Sanctae Romanae
Ecclesiae sedebit Petrus Romanus qui pascet oves in multis tribulationibus,
quibus
transactis,
certus septi collis dirurtur et pie ex tremendis predicabit populum suum."
Translated into English, this curious ancient prediction reads as
follows:
"In the last persecution of the Roman Church, Peter the Roman will rule.
He will have great tribulation which will end with the destruction of
the
city on seven hills." According to Malachi's vision the final pope of the
Roman Catholic Church will be from Italy. The prediction suggests he will
take
the name Peter 11 and will come to power in the Vatican in the final days of
this century, during the tribulation when the world is overcome by military
and
political catastrophes as described in the book of Revelation. The important
point is that Malachi believed his prophecy would conclude the final days
of
this millennium. Apparently Pope John Paul II believes that he is following an
agenda based on these extra-biblical predictions, and that he will lead
the
world during the political, religious, and military crisis that will lead to
the appearance of the Antichrist.
Pope
John Paul II has an agenda to create a universal church involving all of the
world's religions. Following ecumenical discussions between the Archbishop
of
Canterbury (representing the Church of England), and John Paul 11 (as reported
in Time magazine in October 1989), the archbishop commented on a beautiful
ring
the pope had given him. The archbishop stated that it was not a wedding ring,
but it could be considered an engagement ring symbolizing the coming
reunion
between their two churches.
The
pope also met with the Dalai Lama, the head of Tibetan Buddhism, and other
false religionists at Assisi, Italy, in 1986. Incredibly, in this historic
meeting
the pope joined in a circle to pray and meditate with snake handlers from Togo,
shamans and witch doctors from Africa, Hindu gurus from India,
Buddhist
monks from Thailand, and liberal protestant clergymen from Great Britain! Many
Catholics were stunned to hear the pope declare, at this inter-religious
meeting
in Assisi, that there are many paths to God. Incredibly, during his February
1993 visit to Africa, the pope preached his message of unification
with
false satanic religion. He held meetings with a number of voodoo practitioners
and sorcerers.
The
Associated Press gave an account of the pope's visit to the African country of
Benin with the following headline: "Pope Meets With Voodoo
Believers."
The
newspaper reported, "Pope John Paul 11 on Thursday sought common ground
with the believers in voodoo, suggesting they would not betray their
traditional
faith
by converting to Christianity."
In
other words, they could retain their voodoo while joining the Catholic church!
Voodoo worshipers believe in many deities and use snake rituals. Incredibly,
Pope
John Paul explained to the voodoo witch doctors that as they worship their
ancestors, Christians also revere their "ancestors in the faith, from the
Apostles
to the missionaries." According to the Associated Press account, voodoo
priests warmly welcomed the pope. "'I have never seen God, but today when
I
have seen the pope, I recognize that I have seen the good God, who prays for
all the voduns,' said Sossa Guedehoungue, head of Benin's vodun
community."
Pope
John Paul 11 has noted with alarm that during the last few decades the Roman
Catholic Church has experienced massive defections from the faith by bishops,
priests,
nuns, and laymen. Many churches in Western Europe and North America have
abandoned traditional Catholic doctrines and now minister to only a few
attendees.
Many parishes have no priest because so few young men join the priesthood. Some
parishes are forced to hire priests from South America because
none
are available from North America. John Paul Il confided to associates that his
attempts to reform the moral atmosphere in the Vatican were thwarted
by
a large network of actively homosexual priests and higher church leaders who
resist every attempt at moral reform. Malachi Martin reported that a number
of wicked
and immoral priests and bishops had infiltrated the highest levels of the
Vatican during the reign of Pope Paul VI in 1963.
Ominously,
Pope Paul VI warned about "the smoke of Satan which has entered the
Sanctuary," referring to incidents of satanic ceremonies and pagan
initiation
rituals
in the Vatican that defiled the holy name of Jesus Christ. European newspapers
have reported numerous cases of satanic pedophilia involving priests,
nuns,
and bishops in Turin, Italy, and various cities in America. These diabolically
evil rituals involve the sexual defilement of innocent children by
satanic
priests as part of a Lucifarian initiation ceremony that involves open worship
of Satan.
Researchers
who explored the sudden mysterious death of Pope John Paul I in 1978 revealed
that this genuine and humble Christian leader, who preceded the
present
Pope John Paul 11, was appalled at his discovery of the lack of spirituality
and true faith among those who rule the Vatican. During the 30 days
in
which he ruled the papacy, John Paul I discovered that more than a hundred
members of the secret occult group the Freemasons had infiltrated high
positions
within
the Vatican, including its powerful financial institutions. According to Roman
Catholic law it is illegal for a
priest
or bishop to belong to the Freemasons or any other secret occult group. It is
significant to note that the list of secret Masons within the Vatican,
selected
by John Paul I for immediate dismissal, was found in his papal apartment when
his body was discovered by his servants. Although the evidence strongly
indicated
that he had been poisoned, there was no serious investigation and his body was
immediately cremated to prevent an autopsy being performed, though
required
by Italian law.
Subsequently,
Italian government investigations revealed that a large and powerful Fascist
and Freemason intelligence organization called Propaganda Due
(P2)
existed within the highest levels of Italian society and the government.
Propaganda Due is an anticommunist, Fascist organization founded in the early
1960s
with Licio Gelli as its Grand Master. P2 has its headquarters in Rome and
branches in France, Switzerland, U.S.A., and South America. It is a private
intelligence
organization created by the Masonic
Lodge
that receives funds from the CIA and the Vatican. P2 was used to secretly
transfer over 100 million dollars to the Solidarity labor organization in
Poland.
The Italian Parliamentary Commission that investigated P2 concluded that it was
controlled by secret sources "beyond the frontiers of Italy." Two
months
before he was murdered, Mino Percorelli defected from P2 in 1979 and claimed
that the CIA was behind it.
Members
of P2 included Michelle Sindona and Bishop Paul Marcinkus, high officials of
the Vatican Bank, who were later charged with massive bank fraud. Other
key
P2 members included the former prime minister of Italy, Biulio Andreotti, the
Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Villot, and Agostino Casoroli, the
Vatican
foreign minister. Investigators found thousands of secret members of P2 in the
judiciary, the police, and the military. The judicial investigation
determined
that the Fascist P2 group had plans to overthrow the existing democratic
government of Italy. Unfortunately, after the election of John Paul
11,
the individuals implicated in Freemasonry and illegal financial dealings of the
Vatican Bank still remain in their powerful positions.
Opus
Dei, which means "God's Work," was created as a secret organization
under the direct control of the pope by a Catholic priest named Jose Maria
Escriva
de
Balaguery in Spain in 1928. Escriva was succeeded in 1975 by Alvaro del
Portillio. Pope John Paul 11 made Alvaro del Portillio a bishop. The membership
of
Opus Dei includes 1500 priests and 75,000 lay members. This organization has a
goal to achieve "a practical union of church and state." Another
secret
Vatican
organization, Pro Deo, meaning "For God," is in reality the Vatican's
secret intelligence agency. It was created during World War 11 in Lisbon,
Portugal,
but was moved to the Vatican after the war. Opus Dei was funded by William
Donovan, the World War II director of the Office of Strategic Services,
which
later became the Central Intelligence Agency.
"The
Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith,
giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons" (I Timothy
4:1,2).
The
Bible warns that growing worldwide apostasy will characterize the church during
the last generation leading to the return of Christ. "For the time
will
come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own
desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves
teachers;
and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to
fables" (2 Timothy 4:3,4). While we should not be surprised at the
progressive
abandonment of the authority of Scripture among the churches because the
prophets warned that this would happen, it is tragic to realize that
many
new believers are in great spiritual danger due to the lack of teaching of
doctrine in our churches today.
A
1982 confidential survey by sociologist Jeffrey Hadden on the private religious
convictions of 10,000 Protestant pastors found that a majority of these
mainline
ministers have lost their faith. Anyone considering these horrifying results
will realize why the mainline churches have lost their moral and
spiritual
influence in society. When asked if they still believed that Jesus Christ was
God, over 45 percent of the ministers said no. An astonishing 80
percent
of the ministers rejected both the claim that the Bible is the inspired Word of
God and the claim that Jesus is the Son of God. Thirty-six per
cent
of these pastors do not believe that Jesus Christ actually rose from the dead.
Ministers
who have abandoned the fundamentals of the Christian faith should be honest
enough to leave the church and admit they no longer hold the historic
faith
of the fathers. This rejection of the fundamental doctrines of the Christian
faith by a majority of these Protestant ministers explains why these
religious
leaders are willing to abandon the theological differences that have separated
the Protestant and Catholic churches over the years and instead
join
in the powerful ecumenical one-world church of the last days. The apostate
church of the end times will be a church with a lowest-common-denominator
faith,
one that holds almost no fundamental doctrines other than secular humanism and
a pagan, idolatrous worship of "the god within."
God's
command to those who will repent of their sin and follow Him is that we must
base our life, our teaching, and our eternal hope solely on the truth
revealed
by the unchanging Word of God. "But as for you, continue in the things
which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have
learned
them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are
able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ
Jesus.
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine,
for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that
the
man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2
Timothy 3:14-17).
Throughout
South America and many other countries, Catholics are abandoning the Mass in
record numbers to accept Jesus Christ as their only Savior and to
worship
with fellow Christians in both Pentecostal and evangelical churches. Those who
are working behind the scenes to produce an ecumenical world church
recognize
that these evangelistic efforts are proving very effective in leading Catholics
and mainline Protestants to a personal faith in Jesus Christ
as
their Savior and Lord.
In
response to this problem for the Catholic Church, a group of 40 prominent
Protestant and Catholic scholars met on March 29, 1994, to sign a historic
and
astonishing compromise to ban evangelism efforts directed at each other's
members. Entitled Evangelicals and Catholics Together: The Christian Mission
in
the Third Millennium, this unprecedented agreement commits these leaders to
reject the command of Christ to "go into all the world and preach the
gospel
to
every creature." Incredibly, according to this covenant, these Protestant
leaders agreed that "Christians must stop aggressive proselytizing of one
another's
flocks and work together more closely." A Catholic priest, Richard
Neuhaus, stated that this was the first time since the Protestant Reformation
that
Protestants and Catholics "joined in a declaration so clear in respect to
their common faith and common responsibility."
Significantly,
although the document is not an official agreement between the denominations,
Neuhaus told the National and International Religion Report
on
April 4, 1994, that he had received strong encouragement from "appropriate
parties at the Holy See" in the Vatican at Rome. These Catholic
theologians
would
love to put an end to Protestant evangelical missions in Catholic countries and
the presentation of the Protestant teaching of the authority of Scripture
and
the necessity of personal faith in Jesus as essential to our salvation because
it has been so successful. The evangelistic efforts are entirely one
way
in that the Protestants are winning great numbers of Catholics to faith in Christ.
Therefore this agreement to cease proselytizing will only serve
the
Catholic desire to prevent their Catholic members from learning about faith in
Jesus Christ alone to assure their salvation.
In
this same ecumenical theme, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Carey, who
presides over the Church of England, has severely criticized Anglican pastors
who
have persevered in evangelical efforts to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to
Hindus, Jews, Buddhists, and other non-Christian groups. Incredibly,
in
a demonstration of the spiritual bankruptcy of the Church of England,
Archbishop Carey has instructed his ministers that nonbelievers in Jesus Christ
are
just "fellow travelers" on the road to spiritual enlightenment, and
therefore they must not be evangelized! In addition, the archbishop declared
that
he
plans a trip to Rome in the near future to discuss how to remove obstacles to
ecumenical interfaith unification.
During
the unprecedented Presbyterian Church's Re-imagining 1993 Conference, the
leaders led participants in an astonishing neo-pagan New Age religious service
that
evoked the ancient pagan religions. The speaker is reported to have said,
"Sophia, Creator God, let your milk and honey flow. Sophia, Creator God,
shower
us with your love." A celebration of the "Lady's Supper" was
reported on by a traditional conservative church magazine, the Presbyterian
Layman,
in
its January/ February 1994 issue. The magazine article stated, "The
conference glorified lesbianism and ... some conference speakers advocated
adding
books
to the Bible to justify feminist and homosexual activism."
In
an astonishing statement given at the Presbyterian conference, another feminist
speaker declared, "I don't think we need a theory of atonement at all....
Atonement
has to do so much with death.... I don't think we need folks hanging on crosses
and blood dripping and weird stuff... We just need to listen
to
the god within." This infiltration of New Age philosophy continues to grow
among a number of older mainline denominations, and it was apostasy was
prophesied
by
our Lord to occur in the last days.
For
those who still doubt that the religious elite in the largest denominations are
planning to create an ecumenical one-world church, they should carefully
consider
the information in this chapter. Several years ago Archbishop Ramsey, President
of the World Council of Churches, addressed a public meeting at
the
Roman Catholic Saint Patrick's Cathedral in New York which was attended by
Archbishop Lakovas of the Greek Orthodox Church and Cardinal Cook of the
Catholic
Church. Incredibly, the President of the WCC declared, "I can foresee the
day when all Christians might accept the Pope as Bishop of a World
Church."
The
World Council of Churches (WCC) was founded in 1948 as a Christian organization
dedicated to bringing about a universal cooperation among Christian
churches
worldwide. However, over the last 47 years liberal and socialist theologians
have taken control of the WCC, until today the organization is barely
Christian
in any sense that would be recognized by Christians in the early church.
Universalism and secular humanism have replaced biblical Christianity
and
its emphasis on teaching a lost humanity about the need for personal
repentance. We are witnessing instead the creation of embryonic organizations
that
will ultimately produce the Mystery Babylon church of the last days.
An
article in the April 5, 1993, edition of Christianity Today by Tokunboh Adeyemo
indicated the direction that the World Council of Churches is now pursuing.
Significantly,
the WCC Life and Work Slogan is "Doctrine Divides-Service Unites,"
thereby indicating its rejection of biblical doctrine as divisive in
the
interests of achieving a common consensus on the basis of the lowest common denominator
theology. The WCC Secretary for Evangelism, Raymond Fung, indicated
that
evangelism encompasses every effort to improve the human condition whether it
is made by Christians or non-Christians. He declared that Christians
have
no monopoly on evangelism. Yet the Bible teaches that evangelism is the
proclamation of the good news of salvation in Christ for the express purpose
of
spiritual conversion. The WCC teaches an implicit universalism and believes
that the best of the non-Christian pagan religions are equal in value to
(if
not better than) the best of Christianity. As a result, the WCC believes that
dialogue and cross-fertilization are their highest goals. In contrast,
the
historic teaching of Christianity is that all non-Christian religions are products
of fallen human cultures.
David
Gill, a WCC representative based in Geneva, Switzerland, announced to a radio
audience during a 1974 British Broadcasting Corporation interview that
the
most important goal of the WCC is to "De-Protestantize the Churches"
to prepare them to join the coming world church. The true biblical priority of
the
church is to evangelize the world and create churches everywhere for teaching,
fellowship, and worship of Jesus Christ. But now the WCC has declared
that
cross-cultural evangelism is wrong and presumptuous! The WCC now demands that
Western Christian churches declare a moratorium on evangelism so that
non-Christian
cultures will not be offended by the claims of the gospel of Christ. Obviously,
the leaders of the WCC assume a universalism where everyone
will
be saved in the end whether or not they respond to the gospel of Christ.
The
1973 Conference on World Mission in Bangkok articulated a new Christian world
mission. This new WCC view taught that salvation should be replaced by
a
dedication to social/political/ economic well-being. The historic Christian
focus on the need of sinners for reconciliation to God, sanctification, and
the
hope of heaven were replaced by a radical secular humanism that focused solely
on improving the social, political, and practical conditions of life.
Incredibly,
the leadership of the WCC declared at the Bangkok conference that this was
"the close of the era of missions and the beginning of the era of
mission."
"This
gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the
nations, and then the end will come" (Matthew 24:14). One of the final
prophetic
signs that Jesus Christ is about to return is His prophecy that "this
gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world." Despite all the
bad
news, the gospel is truly being preached in all the world in the last days. The
true growth of the church in the last days is astonishing! From only
one
million Christians in China in 1949 when the Communists took over, researchers
estimate that over 80 million Chinese have accepted Jesus Christ as
their
Lord and Savior despite the terrible persecution. One estimate suggests that
over 25,000 Chinese are dedicating their lives to Jesus Christ every
day
despite tremendous religious persecution.
In
the Muslim nation of Indonesia more than 20 percent of the population has
accepted Christ. Despite decades of dedicated missionary efforts, by 1900 only
3
percent of Africans had accepted Christ. However, in the last 90 years over 45
percent of the 500 million citizens in Africa have accepted Christ! In
Russia,
the introduction of the gospel and the availability of Russian-language Bibles
has led 100 million Russians to follow Christ. In South Korea the
gospel
was rejected for many years despite the valiant efforts of missionaries.
However, as the winds of the Holy Spirit began to move throughout Asia
following
World War 11, 30 percent of the population of Korea found faith in Christ.
Around the world more than 85,000 people accept Christ as their Savior
every
single day. In the 2000-year history of the church we have never seen such an
astonishing move of God as we are witnessing today.
A
recent study by the Lausanne Statistics Task Force on the progress of
evangelism concluded that the growth of the church is far greater than
previously
reported.
In only 15 years, from 1980 until now, the number of born-again Christians is
growing at a rate three times faster than the growth of the world's
population.
These historically verifiable records reveal this incredible growth in the
number of Christians worldwide:
In
1430 Christians amounted to one in 99 of the world's population.
In
1790 Christians amounted to one in 49 of the world's population.
In
1940 Christians amounted to one in 32 of the world's population.
In
1970 Christians amounted to one in 19 of the world's population.
In
1980 Christians amounted to one in 16 of the world's population.
In
1983 Christians amounted to one in 13 of the world's population.
In
1986 Christians amounted to one in 11 of the world's population.
In
1994 Christians amounted to one in 10 of the world's population.
Consider
these figures carefully. We are winning a significant remnant of the world's population
during these last days! In only 60 years the number of
Christians
worldwide has grown by an astonishing 1300 percent, from only 40 million in
1934 to 540 million Christians today, while the world's population
has
grown by only 400 percent. Christian radio broadcasts are now reaching almost
half of the world's 360 "mega-languages," covering 78 percent of the
earth's
population, according to the broadcasting group World By 2000. Evangelical
broadcasters are now providing (lie gospel to every language group in
the
world. The combination of tremendous evangelism efforts by mission
organizations, hundreds of thousands of dedicated national pastors, and the
work
of
Christian broadcasters is rapidly fulfilling the Great Commission.
The
accomplishments by the Wycliffe Translators and many others translating the
Bible into the languages of millions who have not yet heard the gospel is
one
of the little-known miracles of the last days. Despite the pessimistic analysis
of many that the population of the earth is growing faster than the
growth
of the church, the truth is that the gospel is being preached in all the world
with astonishing success during these last days. A 1991 study by
the
National Council of Churches concluded that church membership is growing at
twice the rate of the overall population throughout the world. Their study
also
noted that the greatest growth is in evangelical churches.