Biblical End Time Discussions

Roman Catholic Doctrine vs The Bible Part 1

Before we begin a study of Revelation 17 and 18, I feel that it’s necessary to spend some time discussing specific reasons why I, Steve Wohlberg and others believe that the Roman Catholic Church is the antichrist and the ‘beast out of the sea’ of Revelation 13. We’ve talked about the atrocities committed by the papal system throughout the middle ages, but what is the Roman Catholic Church teaching today that would lead us to believe that they will continue to oppose God? As I’ve stated before, I have no personal agenda against individual Catholics. God loves each one of us and each of us will be individually judged by Him. I have been led to write about the doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church for one reason – after much prayer and research, it is clear to me that the papal system is deceiving us. Many of their doctrines are not biblical. If they’re not biblical, where do they come from? These doctrines were created by men, not God. If they were created by God, then you and I would find them in God’s Word, the Holy Bible. What has also been astonishing to me is how deceptively these Catholic doctrines lead people away from a direct relationship with Jesus Christ. How is this possible you ask? How can a church that claims to guide people to Christ actually be leading them away from Him? These are the questions we’re about to answer. As I’ve mentioned before, whether you are a Catholic or not, whether you are now a born again Christian or not, you must put away pre-conceived notions of what you may have been told in the past and open your mind to the truth. You must pray to our Father in heaven about these things and ask him for true wisdom. It took me some time to understand what is happening in the world and the world’s deception. At first, I didn’t want to believe any of it. I didn’t want to believe how deceived the world truly is….but I kept praying for wisdom and understanding and faith. As a result, I now know what is happening in the world and why and most importantly, I now know who our true enemy is. Our enemy is not walking around on this planet scheming against us, he is a spiritual being who is using non-believers of Jesus Christ against us. You and I cannot take on Satan by ourselves. We must follow God’s plan for us to fight the enemy. We fight with spiritual weapons, not the weapons of this world. One of these weapons is Truth. God is going to give you a little more truth today. This is part of God’s plan for me – to show others the truth of what our enemy is doing.

Let’s start with a major change that the Roman Catholic Church has made to God’s Word. We have discussed this previously, but it is of the utmost importance, so we’re going to spend some more time discussing it. Remember what the Lord tells us in Daniel 7:25, ‘And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws…’ Daniel tells us that this ‘little horn’ will change times and laws. Let’s first look at what laws have been changed.

The following are the original Ten Commandments taken from Exodus Chapter 20 (KJV):

1. I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
2. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
3. Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
4. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work. But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
5. Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
6. Thou shalt not kill.
7. Thou shalt not commit adultery.
8. Thou shalt not steal.
9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.

Now, let’s take a look at the Ten Commandments according to the Roman Catholic Church:

1. I, the LORD, am your God...You shall not have other gods besides me.
2. You shall not take the name of the LORD, your God, in vain.
3. Remember to keep holy the sabbath day.
4. Honor your father and your mother.
5. You shall not kill.
6. You shall not commit adultery.
7. You shall not steal.
8. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
9. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife.
10. You shall not covet your neighbor's house.

Do you see what has been changed? The Lord’s second commandment has been removed and the tenth commandment has been split into two commandments. What is the second commandment? ‘Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image…’ (Exodus 20:4). Why would the Roman Church remove the second commandment? If you walk into any Catholic church, I believe you’ll see why. I recently participated in a blood drive that was setup in a Catholic Church. I saw tall, prominent statues of the virgin Mary and dead saints. I’ve seen pictures of Popes bowing and praying in front of statues of Mary. Is this biblical? Should we pray to anyone besides God? Absolutely not. I believe that the second commandment was removed because the Roman Catholic Church is violating it. What better way to hide the truth than to simply remove it from your teachings. The Catholic Bible has even removed this commandment. I would not want to try and explain to God on the day of judgment why I changed His laws.

Something else that bothered me when I was inside the Catholic Church is the Crucifix that is used by the Roman Church. It is a cross with Christ being crucified on it. Is this actually Christ on the cross? Of course not. What is it then? It is an image of Christ on the cross. This is also forbidden by the second commandment. It was also hard to ignore that the statues of Mary and the Saints were tall and imposing figures. Christ is depicted on the cross in a humiliating posture. Yes, Christ was humiliated and yes, He was crucified. But when he spoke, ‘It is finished!’….His ultimate sacrifice was over. ‘When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit’ (John 19:30). Is Jesus still hanging on the cross in a humiliating manner? No! He sits at the right hand of God Almighty with all Power and Authority. ‘”But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God”’ (Luke 22:69). So, why would Jesus be depicted in this manner? Why would Mary and the Saints be depicted in such powerful images while Jesus is shown in a humiliating manner? The Bible is clear on this topic – no images.

Let’s continue by taking a closer look at other Roman Catholic Doctrines. The source for these doctrines is the Roman Church itself – the Catechism of the Catholic Church. This was written to summarize the basic teachings of the Roman Church and was approved by Pope John Paul II in 1992.

First, let’s look at the Roman Church’s teachings on the virgin Mary. The Roman church teaches the doctrine of Immaculate Conception. This doctrine states that the virgin Mary was preserved of all stain of original sin from her conception (Catechism, 490-492). What did Mary say in the Bible? ‘My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour’ (Luke 1:46-47). So, Mary was fully aware that she needed a savior. The church also states that Mary, the “All-Holy”, lived a perfectly, sinless life (Catechism 411, 493). What does the Bible say? ‘for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God’ (Romans 3:23).‘As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one”’ (Romans 3:10). The Bible is clear – Jesus is the only person referred to in the Scriptures as sinless. ‘For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin’ (Hebrews 4:15).

The Roman Church also teaches that Mary was a virgin before, during and after the birth of Christ (Catechism 496-511). The Bible tells us something different. ‘Coming to his hometown, he began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. "Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?" they asked. "Isn't this the carpenter's son? Isn't his mother's name Mary, and aren't his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? Aren't all his sisters with us?’ (Mathew 13:54-56). The Bible even tell us the names of Jesus’ brothers. Other Scriptures that refer to Jesus’ brothers are Mathew 12:46, John 2:12; John 7:3; Acts 1:14; and Galatians 1:19.

This church teaches that because she is the mother of Jesus, and Jesus is God, therefore Mary is the Mother of God. (Catechism 963, 971, 2677). The Bible tells us that Mary was the mother of Jesus the man, not the mother of Jesus as God. According to the Bible, the world was created by Jesus, long before Mary was born. ‘For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers; all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist’ (Colossians 1:16-17). Jesus existed before ALL things on earth, including Mary.

According to Roman Catholics, Mary is the mother of the church (Catechism 963, 975). In Acts 1:13-14, we are told that a group of people (including some disciples and Mary) are praying together. Mary is not given any special importance. ‘When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers’ (Acts 1:13-14). It is notable that even though John took Mary into his home after Jesus was crucified, he mentioned Mary Magdalene more often in his writings than Jesus’ mother.

According to the Roman Church, Mary is the co-mediator to whom we can entrust all of our cares and petitions (Catechism 968-970, 2677). According to the Bible, there is only one mediator and He is Jesus Christ. "For 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" (1 Timothy 2:5-6). Simply stated, Jesus does not need Mary’s help to mediate for us. There are other unbiblical Catholic doctrines related to Mary, I will stop here and leave it up to you to research the rest. I have used the website http://www.answeringcatholicism.com/ in researching some of this material and encourage you to continue to research on your own.

I’ll end this posting with words written by Mary Ann Collins. Mary Ann is a former Catholic Nun who now has her own website (http://catholicconcerns.com/).

‘Catholic theologians speak of three degrees of homage, which have Latin words. "Latria" is the kind of worship which is due to God alone. "Dulia" is appropriate for honoring the saints. "Hyperdulia" is appropriate for honoring Mary. It is higher than "dulia" but not "latria". Therefore, Catholic theologians say that Catholics do not worship Mary.However, in the practical, down-to-earth, real world, these theological distinctions don't work. Most Catholics have never heard of these words. Of those who have, how many know how to apply them in practical ways? Catholics are not told how to engage in "hyperdulia" without crossing a line that results in actually practicing "latria" towards Mary without realizing it.When asked about praying to Mary and the saints, I always used to say that actually I was just asking them to pray for me, like I would ask a friend. Well, that is not really accurate, because when I talk to my friends I am not talking to people who have died. Also, I just ask them directly for what I want. I would never begin talking to my friends by saying something like: "Hail holy Queen, mother of mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve."I personally participated in many kinds of Marian devotions. ("Marian" means something relating to the Virgin Mary.) I prayed the Rosary, which uses beads to keep track of the prayers. There are ten "Hail Mary's" for every "Our Father" (the Lord's Prayer). The words of the Hail Mary are: "Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death." I wore the Brown Scapular (two pieces of cloth attached with strings, worn in honor of Mary). I also wore the Miraculous Medal. Both the Brown Scapular and the Miraculous Medal resulted from apparitions of Mary. There are special prayers associated with them. The apparitions of Mary promised to help people who were faithful to these devotions. I went to special services where we recited litanies (a series of titles honoring Mary), prayed to her, and sang songs in her honor, or else recited the words of the songs. I participated in a procession where people carried a statue of Mary, and we all followed it, singing songs in her honor. I visited several Marian shrines. I read books about apparitions of Mary, and dreamed of some day going to Lourdes.I did not realize that what I was doing was actually a form of worship. I thought that it was pleasing to God. I thought that Jesus wanted us to honor His mother in this way. Copyright 2001 by Mary Ann Collins. All rights reserved.’

Roman Catholic Doctrine vs The Bible Part 2

In the previous posting we looked at how the Roman Catholic Church has made changes to the Lord’s Commandments and how Mary is viewed in an unbiblical manner. In this posting we’re going to look at other Catholic doctrines that have no basis in the Bible. As I’ve mentioned before, this is not a personal attack on Catholics – it is simply a comparison of Catholic doctrine to the Bible. This applies to all forms of religion – if you believe something about God and His ways that are not mentioned in His Word, then you are following man-made religious traditions – plain and simple. Keep in mind Isaiah 29:13-14: "The Lord says: These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men. Therefore once more I will astound these people with wonder upon wonder; the wisdom of the wise will perish, the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish." Since we are living in the last days, it is of the utmost importance that we all take a step back and truly look at what we believe and why we believe it. Do we believe because we are following God’s Word and coming closer to Him or are we simply following religious doctrine that people have told us is correct without checking it against the Lord’s Word ourselves? Our spiritual enemy is deceiving billions of people around the world – don’t be one of them. If you know about Jesus Christ and our Father in heaven, but don’t know them – now is the time to come home. Are you following God’s plan for your life or are you going your own way? Do you seek God’s guidance on the decisions in your life or do you make decisions and then pray about the results later on? If you know God, then you are communicating with Him everyday. You ask Him for guidance, wisdom and knowledge and He answers. Most of all, you know that the Lord is watching over you and you know that He loves you – more than you’ll ever be able to comprehend. You are truly set free from this world – regardless of what happens in it.

The following Catholic doctrines have no basis or mention in the Bible. As such, they are nothing more than religious traditions created by men. God has had no part in these things nor does He approve of such things. If He did, then we would read about them in His Word. If you want to read about what God thinks about man-made religious traditions and rituals, spend some time reading what Jesus had to say to the Pharisees of His day. Throughout His gospels, He consistently rebuked them. They were masters at memorizing and adhering to religious rituals and customs, but they did not know God. Some of them were so far from God that they did not even live according to the words they preached. ‘Meanwhile, when a crowd of many thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling on one another, Jesus began to speak first to his disciples, saying: "Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy’ (Luke 12:1). Jesus made it very clear that true believers are concerned with relationship, not rituals. Time and again Jesus made it clear that it is a man’s heart that the Lord desires, not his traditions or rituals. I have heard from many people (friends included) who told me that if Jesus were alive today and asked them to give up everything to follow Him, they would do so. The truth is that Jesus is alive today and His words to Peter and Andrew call out to us from two thousand years ago. ‘As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." At once they left their nets and followed him’ (Mathew 4:18-20). Will we drop our nets and follow Jesus? Are we willing to give up everything to follow Him? Ultimately, this is the question we all must ask ourselves. If you begin to wonder what others will say if you do, keep this verse in mind: ‘Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ’ (Galatians 1:10). Paul makes it clear – if you are trying to please men, you are not serving Jesus Christ. We must overcome this world and its pressures. Pressure that draws us away from Jesus Christ and His plan for us. Do you think Peter and Andrew had friends and relatives working alongside them? Do you think that a few words were probably said to them that ridiculed their decision? In an instant, they heard the call of God and immediately left their nice, safe profession to follow Christ. Jesus saw their hearts and called to them. They responded. We must do the same today.

Let’s take a brief look at some of the current Catholic doctrines that have no basis in the Bible. I encourage each of you, Catholic or not, to research these things on your own. Most importantly, you must pray to God for wisdom and the truth. Remember, each of us will be judged individually by God. We cannot say at that time that we were misled by our church. We have the Lord’s Word to guide us and correct us.

Here are four of the more prominent doctrines that contradict the Bible:

1. The Rosary – The Rosary, in its current form, was created in 1214 A.D. It was supposedly given to St. Dominic by Mary in a vision. It is a Catholic ritual with no Biblical basis. In addition to the fact that Mary cannot hear our prayers (being a human being as we are), this ritual directly contradicts what Jesus tells us in Mathew 6:6-7 ‘But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.’ In order to pray the Rosary, Catholics are taught to first make the sign of the cross (you will not find this ritual in the Bible) and then recite the Apostles’ Creed. The Apostles’ Creed was not written by the Apostles. It was created sometime around the 5th century A.D. While I believe it is fine to use this creed to tell others about your faith, I don’t believe it should be used in prayers. Why? It’s repetitious as described in Mathew 6:7. Merely saying repetitive words is not how the Bible teaches us to pray. The next prayer of the Rosary is the ‘Our Father’ or Lord’s Prayer. This is the prayer Jesus taught us in Mathew 6:9-13. Jesus taught us this prayer, so it is certainly fine to pray this to our Father in heaven. The question is - should we pray this while clutching rosary beads which are not biblical? By doing so, the Lord ’s Prayer (biblical) is being incorporated into something decidedly unbiblical. Does the Bible say it’s fine to incorporate into our worship something that is biblical with something unbiblical? No. We are warned time and again to stay true to God’s word….completely true. 'Her priests have violated My law and profaned My holy things; they have not distinguished between the holy and unholy, nor have they made known the difference between the unclean and the clean; and they have hidden their eyes from My Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them.' (Ezekiel 22:26) The next prayer of the Rosary is the ‘Hail Mary’. Here are the words: ‘Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.’ Based on Scripture, should we pray to Mary? No. Is Mary the mother of God? No. Can Mary pray for us now or at the time of our death? No. If you believe that you’re not actually praying to Mary, but simply asking Mary to pray with you – are we supposed to try and communicate with the dead according to Scripture? No. According to Scripture, Mary was honored by God to be the human mother of Jesus the man, but nothing more. The next prayer of the Rosary is the ‘Glory Be’. Like the Lord ’s Prayer, there is nothing wrong with the words to this prayer – as long as you pray them from your heart to our Father and are not simply saying these words simply because you’ve been told to do so. After the prayers of the Rosary are finished, the following is recited: ‘Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope! To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve; to thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us, and after this our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary! Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.’ Is Mary a queen? No. Is Mary our hope? No. We place our hope in Jesus Christ and our Father in heaven: ‘May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope….’ (2 Thessalonians 2:16). Mary cannot pray for us or mediate for us. We pray to God and Jesus Christ is our only mediator. ‘For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus’ (1 Timothy 2:5). We violate the first Commandment if we pray to anyone or anything other than God. ‘You shall have no other gods before me’ (Exodus 20:3). We don’t talk through prayer. If you pray to someone or something, you are saying this person or thing is a god worthy of prayer. Only God is worthy of our prayers. The final piece of this is the beads used in praying the Rosary. Are beads mentioned anywhere in Scripture? No. Where did this practice of using beads in prayer originate? It was, and still is, a tallying device known in Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam. The transfer of the name rosary from prayer form to the physical object took place sometime around the 16th century. Regardless of the history, these beads are simply a tallying device used to count the number of prayers recited – prayers that are continually repeated which contradict Mathew 6:7. If the Bible never mentions the counting of our prayers with beads (or anything else), why should we believe that this is acceptable to God?

2. Confession – Catholic doctrine tells us that Roman Catholic priests have the power to pardon sins based on what Jesus told His disciples before His ascension in John 20:23 ‘If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” They believe that Jesus granted his apostles the power to pardon sin and this power was then passed down to their successors – the Catholic Church. This interpretation of John 20:23 cannot be true since God alone can pardon our sins through the blood of Jesus Christ. It is a difficult verse to interpret, nonetheless, the Catholic interpretation of it directly contradicts other verses within the Bible. We should only ask God, through prayer, to forgive our sins as stated in Psalm 103:2-3; Psalm 130:3-4; Isaiah 43:25; Micah 7:18; Acts 8:22; Mathew 9:2; Mathew 9:6. This verse (John 20:23) most likely relates to Ephesians 4:32 ‘And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you’ and Mathew 6:14-15 ‘For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins’. We should forgive those that commit sins against us. We do not have the power or authority to pardon another’s sins against God – God alone has this authority. You will not find one example in the New Testament of Christ’s apostles themselves forgiving anyone’s sins. They simply spoke of the need to repent of sins through the blood of Jesus Christ. ‘Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit’ (Acts 2:37-38).

3. Purgatory – According to page 291 of the catechism of the Roman Catholic Church: ‘All who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation, but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven. The Church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned.’ Is there a Purgatory or a place where we will go to ‘undergo purification’? According to Scripture, the answer is no. There is no mention of a Purgatory in either the Old or New Testament. After we die in this world, the Bible speaks of only two places – those who know Jesus Christ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, those who do not know Jesus Christ will enter Hell for eternity. A few of the verses that speak of our entry into Heaven: Mathew 5:20; Mathew 7:21; Mathew 18:3; Mathew 19:23; Mathew 23:13; Hebrews 9:24-25. A few verses that speak of Hell: Mathew 5:22; Mathew 5:29; Mathew 10:28; Mathew 23:15; Mathew 23:33; 2 Peter 2:4.

4. Transubstantiation – Pope Innocent III declared the doctrine of transubstantiation in 1215 A.D. This doctrine states that Roman Catholic Priests have the power to change the wafer into the body of Jesus Christ for all Catholics to receive as communion. In 1220 A.D. Pope Honorius sanctioned the adoration of the wafer as doctrine. Essentially, the Roman Catholic Church is saying that it has the power to change bread and wine into the actual body and blood of Jesus Christ. They believe that the host (Eucharist) is the true body and blood of Jesus Christ and worthy of worship and adoration. Does the Bible say that we are given this power? No. If you are a Catholic, you may say that you don’t really believe this, that you are taking Communion as any Protestant would do. This is not the official doctrine of the Catholic church: "If anyone denies that in the sacrament of the most Holy Eucharist (communion wafer) are contained truly, really and substantially the body and blood together with the soul and divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ, and consequently the whole Christ, but says that He is in it only as a sign, or figure or force, let him be anathema." (An exhausted definition of "Anathema" = to be damned and put to death) p.79, Canon 1. You are probably thinking that this is very strong language from the Catholic Church and would never be put into practice….but you’d be wrong. This church put to death millions during the Dark Ages of Europe and has never asked for forgiveness (This has been documented by both Catholic and non-Catholic historians – I urge you to spend some time researching this topic. If you doubt this, why would various written decrees of the Catholic Church punish heresy with death?). Would Jesus Christ ever force someone to take Communion? Never. God does not force us to do anything. We must willingly accept His offer of Salvation. Remember, all of the Roman Catholic doctrine that allowed the church to persecute people in the Middle Ages still exists today: "The church may by Divine right confiscate the property of heretics, imprison their persons, and condemn them to the flames." (Vatican II). ‘Divine right’? Does this sound at all Biblical? Can you imagine Jesus Christ saying something like this? Absolutely not. The reason is that this doctrine is not coming from Jesus Christ.

Obviously, I’ve only touched on this subject. The purpose of this posting is not to attack anyone, but to show how Catholic doctrine contradicts God’s Word. If a doctrine doesn’t exist in God’s Holy Word, it doesn’t matter who says it’s from God – a pope, a priest, a pastor – it’s not from God. The Lord gave us His Word so that we would know the truth. Always remember that our spiritual enemy is highly intelligent and very deceiving. God gave us His Word so that we would be able to detect deceptions and correct those that have gone astray. Paul even corrected Peter at one point. ‘When Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong’ (Galatians 2:11).

Why have I been led to write about the doctrines of the Catholic Church? It’s a good question. I believe that the Lord is revealing the truth to us. The world is presently full of deception and it’s getting worse. We’re nearing the end of this age when things are rapidly going to deteriorate. We’re going to face the ‘beasts’ of Revelation 13 and the Mark. We’re going to face our spiritual enemy at every turn. His tentacles are spreading into a worldwide political and religious system that will oppose God and His saints. It is imperative that we are all prepared. As for the papal system, it goes even deeper. Why? Because I firmly believe that the Roman Catholic Church faces the Lord’s judgment for its unbiblical doctrines. I believe that this is revealed to us in Revelation 17 and 18. In the next few postings we’re going to study Revelation 17 & 18 and how they relate to Revelation 13 and the Roman Catholic Church. Always remember, the Lord wants you to know Him. He desires your heart, not your religion. If you want to learn more about the history of the Catholic Church and its beliefs, I highly recommend you visit Mary Ann Collins' website http://www.catholicismunveiled.com/ . Mary Ann is a former Catholic Nun who is now a Protestant. She does a great job of clearly explaining Catholic doctrine and why she left the church.

A Woman Rides the Beast – Revelation 17

As we continue to piece together the prophetic puzzle of Revelation, we’re going to take a look at chapter 17 in this posting. I believe that chapters 13, 17 and 18 are related to the same entities, so before we begin a study of chapter 17, let’s do a quick review of chapter 13. I believe that these three chapters all describe events related to the ‘beast…out of the sea’ and the ‘beast….out of the earth’ of chapter 13. When viewed together, I believe these three chapters give us a picture of what the world will look like in the near future. Reviewing chapter 13:

1. John sees a ‘beast coming out of the sea’ (Revelation 13:1). As we’ve previously discussed, this is the rise of the Roman Catholic Church in 538 A.D. This beast is given power to make war against God’s saints and conquer them for 1260 years.
2. This beast seemed to suffer a fatal wound, but the wound was healed (Revelation 13:3). This refers to the French invasion of Rome in 1798 A.D. (1260 years after the rise of the Roman Catholic Church) when Pope Pius VI was removed from the Vatican and thrown into prison, where he died.
3. After the wound was healed, the whole world then follows the beast (Revelation 13:3). Vatican City was re-established as a religious-governmental entity after the signing of the Lateran Treaty of 1929. This establishes Vatican City as the governmental capital of the Catholic Church. As of 2006, there are approximately 1 billion Catholics in the world.
4. In the near future, all of the inhabitants of the earth – those whose names have not been written in the book of life - will worship this beast (Revelation 13:8).
5. After mentioning those that will go into ‘captivity’ and those that will be ‘killed by the sword’ (Revelation 13:10), verse 11 mentions the appearance of a ‘beast coming out of the earth’. As we’ve discussed, I believe this beast to be the Illuminati/Freemasonry world government or New World Order. This beast begins to rise in 1776 when Adam Weishaupt founds the Order of Perfectibilists or more commonly referred to as the Bavarian Illuminati.
6. This world government beast will eventually exercise authority over the inhabitants of the earth and force the world to worship the first beast which is the Roman Catholic Church. (Revelation 13:12).
7. The world government beast will use fire to cause mass destruction and use this destruction to deceive the inhabitants of the earth (Revelation 13:13-14).
8. After this destruction and deception, the world government beast orders the world to setup an ‘image’ (we’ll discuss this image in more detail later) of the Roman Catholic Church (Revelation 13:14). The world government then forces all to worship this ‘image’. Those who refuse will be killed (Revelation 13:15).
9. The world government beast then forces everyone to receive the ‘mark of the beast’ (Revelation 13:16). Without the mark, no one can buy or sell.

So, after reviewing chapter 13, I believe we are currently (December 2006) around the time that this world government beast will use some type of massive destruction to deceive the world. I believe this destruction and deception (fear) will be used in the final push to gain complete control of the world’s government. We are given a lot of information in this chapter, but something is missing. As I mentioned in an earlier post, after the ‘miraculous signs’ and subsequent deception mentioned in verse 13, the world government beast creates an ‘image’ in ‘honor’ of the beast. Why does the world government setup an image? Why is this image setup in ‘honor’ of the Roman Church? It is also interesting to note that the ‘mark’ is enforced by the world government after the ‘image’ is created – we’ll need to stay spiritually sharp and discern this mark. The first beast (Roman Church) is not mentioned again in chapter 13. I believe this is because the Roman church has been replaced by this image. Why do I believe this? Chapter 17 gives us the answers.

Chapter 17 begins with a description of a woman who is sitting on a scarlet beast. In Bible prophecy, a woman represents a church. Revelation 19:7 describes Christ’s true church as a bride - ‘Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.’ The woman of Revelation 17 is not viewed as a bride, but as a prostitute. An angel shows John ‘the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits on many waters. With her the kings of the earth committed adultery and the inhabitants of the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her adulteries.’ (Revelation 17:1-2).The angel is telling us that this church has committed spiritual adultery, in other words, this church is selling herself to the kings of the earth (for power, wealth – things of the world) and is no longer keeping herself pure (relying only on God’s Word). She is not proclaiming the pure gospel of Jesus Christ, but loves the world and has become part of the world. As Christians, should we love the world and the things in it? No. The Bible is crystal clear – we have been called out of the world and the world hates us for this. ‘If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you’ (John 15:19). ‘Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him’ (1 John 2:15). Keep this in mind as we determine the identity of the prostitute.

Let’s make a list of the clues we’re given to identify the woman on the beast:

1. Verse 1 tells us that the ‘great prostitute….sits on many waters’. In verse 15, the angel tells us that ‘the waters you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations and languages’. It becomes clear that this church exists throughout the world.
2. Verse 2 tells us that she commits spiritual adultery with the kings of the earth – ‘With her the kings of the earth committed adultery and the inhabitants of the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her adulteries’. This church has not remained out of the world, but clearly is involved in world politics with the ‘kings of the earth’. This verse also tells us that many people in the world believe her false teachings - ‘inhabitants of the earth were intoxicated with ….her adulteries’.
3. The woman sitting on the beast was ‘dressed in purple and scarlet’ (verse 4). Looking at the world today, which prominent church dresses itself in purple and scarlet?
4. Verse 4 continues by telling us that the woman ‘was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls’. Even though Jesus warned us time and again about the love of money and the accumulation of wealth, John sees that this church loves wealth and is very wealthy. ‘No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus’ (Luke 16:13-14).
5. Verse 4 continues: ‘She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries’. God is making it very clear – this church’s teachings are abominations. He considers them ‘filth’. They do not adhere to His Holy Word, but must be full of man-made religious traditions. Also, don’t miss that a ‘golden cup’ is mentioned. Which church today uses a golden cup in her teachings or traditions? The Lord is painting a picture for us and it is becoming very clear.
6. In verse 5, the woman has writing on her forehead, ‘MYSTERY – BABYLON THE GREAT. THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.’ The Lord refers to this church as Babylon and tells us that it is the ‘mother of prostitutes and of abominations of the earth’. Babylon was the center of pagan worship and idolatry in its day (we’ll talk more about this later), so we’re told here that the Lord equates this church’s teachings with pagan worship and idolatry. This verse also tells us that this church is the ‘mother’ of other prostitutes. Therefore, the abominable teachings of this church have spread to other churches and their teachings.
7. Verse 6 then tells us that this church ‘was drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus’. Which church has killed the Lord’s saints? Which church’s doctrine calls for the death of those that do not accept it’s false teachings?
8. There is a very powerful message at the end of verse 6 that most prophecy scholars miss. John is ‘astonished’ at the sight of this woman. ‘When I saw her, I was greatly astonished’ (verse 6). Why was John astonished? In today’s language, I think it would be safe to say that John was shocked at what he saw. Why? Because from Jesus Christ and His disciples, from this group of men that were poor in wealth, but rich in Spirit – John saw that from this group of men who preached true faith and love in Jesus Christ – he saw that the original church had been transformed into an abomination. Christ’s church had become all of the things that He preached against. Where Jesus preached against the love of money, this church was rich and pursued wealth. Where Jesus preached to love your enemy, this church killed those who opposed it. Where Jesus preached true faith in Him and His offer of salvation, this church preached salvation through works and through the church itself. Where Jesus preached relationship with Him and His Father, this church preached man-made religious traditions. John saw this prostitute doing exactly those things that caused Jesus to rebuke the Pharisees – love of wealth, lots of religious talk and rituals – but no relationship with God. This prostitute became so corrupt that it killed God’s saints and thought that it was doing the Lord’s work just as Jesus foretold – ‘….a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God. They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. I have told you this, so that when the time comes you will remember that I warned you’ (John 16:2-4). When Jesus spoke to the Pharisees, it was as if He was speaking to this Church’s leaders - ‘Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on my own; but He sent me. Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies’ (John 8:42-44). Strong words from our Lord, but as true today as they were in His day.
9. We’re told in verse 9 that the woman sits on ‘seven hills’. Which city is known throughout the world as the ‘City on seven hills’? Only one city - Rome.
10. We’re told that the ‘woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth’ (verse 18). So, this church is located in a city. I have read many scholars who believe the woman to be the United States or some other nation or entity – but the Bible is clear, this woman is a church headquartered in a great city, it is not a nation.

When examining all of these clues, which church today is located in nations the world over, has ruled over the kings of the earth and involves itself in world politics, dresses its leaders in purple and scarlet, has strayed from the true Word of God, is extremely wealthy, uses a golden cup in her traditions, has killed the Lord’s saints and is located in Rome? It’s not hard to discern this once you’ve pieced the puzzle together. The woman riding the beast is the Roman Catholic Church.

There are some scholars who believe that ‘Mystery Babylon’ represents a revived city of Babylon. The problem with this is that Babylon was not built, nor can be rebuilt on seven hills. Dave Hunt writes in his book A Woman Rides the Beast – ‘Only one city has for more than 2000 years been known as the city on seven hills. That city is Rome. The Catholic Encyclopedia states: “It is within the city of Rome, called the city of seven hills, that the entire area of Vatican State proper is now confined.”’ People have said that this ‘Mystery Babylon’ is the coming world government. This cannot be true since it ignores many of the clues we’re given in chapter 17.

Dave Hunt continues: ‘Even Catholic apologist Karl Keating admits that Rome has long been known as Babylon. Keating claims that Peter’s statement “The church here in Babylon….sends you her greeting” (1 Peter 5:13) proves that Peter was writing from Rome. He explains further:

Babylon is a code word for Rome. It is used that way six times in the last book of the Bible [four of the six are in Chapters 17 and 18] and in extra biblical works such as Sibylling Oracles, the Apocalypse of Baruch and 4 Esdras.
Eusebius Pamphilius, writing about 303 A.D., noted that “it is said that Peter’s first epistle …was composed at Rome itself; and that he himself indicates this, referring to the city figuratively as Babylon.”

As for ‘Mystery’, that name imprinted on the woman’s forehead is the perfect designation for Vatican City. Mystery is at the very heart of Roman Catholicism, from the words ‘Mysterium fide’ pronounced at the alleged transformation of the bread and wine into the literal body and blood of Christ to the enigmatic apparitions of Mary around the world. Every sacrament, from baptism to extreme unction, manifests the mysterious power which the faithful must believe the priests wield, but for which there is no visible evidence. Rome’s new Catechism explains that liturgy “aims to initiate souls into the mystery of Christ (It is mystagogy) and that all of the Church’s liturgy is ‘mystery’.’

As for John’s mention of ‘gold, precious stones and pearls’ and a ‘golden cup’, the wealth of the Roman Church is beyond calculation. Dave Hunt writes: ‘That the golden cup is “full of abominations and filth” indicates that her wealth has been acquired through abominable means. Cardinal Baronius, though a defender of the papacy, confessed that in St. Peter’s Chair have sat monsters “filled with fleshly lusts and cunning in all forms of wickedness [having] prostituted the Chair of St. Peter for their minions and paramours.” In his sixteenth century Ecclesiastical Annals, he wrote: “The Roman Church was….covered with silks and precious stones, which publicly prostituted itself for gold….Never did priests, and especially popes, commit so many adulteries, rapes, incests, robberies, and murders…as in the Middle Ages.” Of Rome’s wealth in the Middle Ages de Rosa says: “The cardinals had huge palaces with countless servants. The Curia was made up of men who had bought office and were desperate to recoup their enormous outlay…for every benefice of see, abbey and parish, for every indulgence there was a set fee.”’ (Dave Hunt, A Woman Rides the Beast). I recommend Dave Hunt’s book to anyone who wants to read an in depth study of the Roman Church and how its history relates to Revelation 17 & 18.

Let’s discuss the 'beast' mentioned in Revelation 17 and its relationship to the ‘woman’. I believe that the ‘beast’ that the woman is riding is referencing both the return of the Roman church 'beast' and the coming New World Order. Revelation chapter 13 and 17 both show the Roman Church and this coming world beast working together. Whereas Revelation 13:12 states ‘He [world government beast] exercised all the authority of the first beast [Roman church] on his behalf….’, Revelation 17:3 states ‘I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast’ and Revelation 17:9-12 describes the seven heads of the beast as seven hills (referencing the Roman church) and the ten horns of the beast as ten kings. There is a definite parallel – but chapter 17 gives us more insight into this. Because the woman is sitting (or riding) the beast, this gives the appearance that the coming world government will help restore the Roman church to its former power. The Roman church is going to ride on the coattails of the New World Order as it tightens its grip on the world. What is also very interesting is that the beast described in Revelation 17:3 has ‘seven heads and ten horns’. In Revelation 13:1, the ‘beast coming out of the sea [Roman church]’ had ‘ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on his horns’. Why is the Roman Church and the coming world government both described in this manner? I believe the answer lies in Revelation 12:3 ‘Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads’. Who is this red dragon? ‘The great dragon was hurled down – that ancient serpent called the devil, or satan…’ (Revelation 12:9). So, it becomes clear that satan, the Roman church and the coming world government are all described by beasts having ‘seven heads and ten horns’. Why? I believe the Lord is telling us who is controlling these ‘beasts’ – satan himself. There are some differences in these descriptions. Satan is described as having ‘seven crowns on his heads’ in Revelation 12:3, the Roman Church is described as having ‘ten crowns on his horns’ in Revelation 13:1 and the world government is described in Revelation 17:3 as having no crowns. What does this mean? I believe that this symbolism tells us that satan has dominion over the world and rules over the world (just as we're told in other Bible verses). I believe this symbolism also tells us that the Roman church exerts control over the kings of the earth (similar to other verses). We're told in Revelation 17:12 "The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but who for one hour will receive authority as kings along with the beast." So, it becomes clear that we will face a Church-State beast that exerts immense power over the world. The important thing to remember is that these beasts are controlled by our spiritual enemy and will remain in control of our enemy until Jesus returns. We'll discuss this in more detail when we study Revelation 19.

We are told the beast of Revelation 17 ‘once was, now is not, and yet will come’ (Revelation 17:8). I believe this is most likely a reference to the return of the Catholic Church to power. This is similar to the description of the Roman Church in Revelation 13:3 ‘One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed.’

The angel gives John additional information in Revelation 17:9-11 – ‘This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits. They are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; but when he does come, he must remain for a little while. The beast who once was, and now is not, is an eighth king. He belongs to the seven and is going to his destruction.’ We’ve already discussed how the seven hills refer to the city of Rome. What about these seven kings? Since the French invasion of the Vatican in 1798 A.D. and the removal of Papal power, there have been a total of seven Papal names: 1. Pius 2. Leo 3. Gregory 4. Benedict 5. John 6. Paul 7. John Paul. Remember, John is seeing this ‘in the spirit’, which means that he is not necessarily seeing this vision during his time on earth (around 95 A.D.). I believe that John is seeing this vision during the time of Pope Paul VI. The only remaining Papal name would then be John Paul before the eighth 'king' appears. Verse 11 tells us that this eighth king belongs to the original seven kings. After John Paul II's death, Pope Benedict XVI has been elected Pope. So, we remain with only 7 papal names since the initial removal of papal power. Pope Benedict XVI is not a young man, so at some point in the near future, we will see another new Pope elected. Will this new Pope have a new papal name, different from these seven? Time will tell. Regardless of when this happens, I believe that the Pope with the eighth papal name will be the one in charge when the Roman church returns as a 'beast'. ‘The beast who once was, and now is not, is an eighth king.’ I also believe we’ll begin to see the bowl (or vial) judgments of Revelation 16 poured out onto the earth once the eighth 'king' comes to power (we'll discuss the judgments of Revelation later). It is also possible that this eighth king is in power during the destruction described in Revelation 18.

In Revelation 17:12-13 we are told ‘The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but who for one hour will receive authority as kings along with the beast. They have one purpose and will give their power and authority to the beast.’ I believe these verses make it clear that the world will have ten kings who give ultimate authority to this worldwide government and to the Roman church. I don’t believe that these ‘kings’ represent nations (I’ve read many scholars who believe this) because we’re told they are ‘ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom.’ So, these ‘kings’ are not kingdoms, but people. I have seen studies on the Illuminati that show the world divided into 10 areas. It’s possible each of these areas will have a president or ‘king’. This is something we will need to watch carefully as world events unfold. All Christians should pay close attention to the next verse (14): ‘They [the kings of verse 12] will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings – and with Him will be His called, chosen and faithful followers.’ As Christians, we can expect persecution from these kings and the New World Order. We should not fear this however, because ultimate victory is ours through Jesus Christ – our Lord and Savior.

I believe that Revelation 17:16-17 gives us the clue as to why an ‘image’ is mentioned in Revelation 13:14. ‘The beast [New World Order] and the ten horns you saw will hate the prostitute. They will bring her to ruin and leave her naked; they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire. For God has put it into their hearts to accomplish his purpose by agreeing to give the beast their power to rule, until God’s words are fulfilled.’ It becomes clear that this new world government will eventually come to hate the Roman Church. We’re not told why, simply that this will happen. Maybe the government begins to believe that the Church wields too much power and influence. It’s also possible that this government decides that the Roman church has served its purpose. Regardless, each of these ten ‘kings’ give their power to this world government beast according to God’s plan. It is highly probable that the world will be divided into 10 kingdoms and at some point, the leaders of these 10 kingdoms will give their power to this coming world government (NWO). In these particular verses I believe that we are told God’s plan for the Roman church – judgment. I also believe that out of this destruction by fire, the world government will then create an ‘image’ of the Roman Church in order to maintain order. Does this mean all of Rome? Revelation chapter 18 gives us the answer.

A Woman Rides the Beast – Revelation 18

We established in the last post that the woman sitting on the beast in Revelation 17 is the Roman Catholic Church located in Rome. Revelation 18 begins with another Angel coming down from heaven to give John more information. ‘With a mighty voice he [the angel] shouted: “Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great! She has become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit, a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird. For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries. The kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries.”’ (Revelation 18:2-3). I believe that God is making it clear – the Roman Church will fall. Why? It cannot get clearer than this - she has become a home for demons. The Lord is telling us that her teaching is not from Him, but from demonic activity. She has committed adultery against God by preaching false doctrine and leading many to idolatry. We are told that the ‘kings of the earth committed adultery with her’. I believe this references the governments of the world throughout history welcoming her false doctrines and gaining worldly power from her. This angel ends his dialog with yet another reference to the excessive wealth of this church.

The next verses are powerful. Another voice from heaven says: ‘Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues; for her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes…’ (Revelation 18:4-5). The Lord is calling to His people from heaven. He is saying that there are true believers within this church, yet they are deceived. He is telling them to come out of this church and its unbiblical doctrine so that they ‘will not receive any of her plagues.’ We are also told in verse 5 that God ‘has remembered her crimes’. This is chilling. The Lord is going to repay this Church for what it has done to His people. For all of the Lord’s saints that have been killed, for all of the people who have been deceived by false teachings – the Lord is going to avenge.

The Lord continues in verse 6: ‘Give back to her as she has given; pay her back double for what she has done. Mix her a double portion from her own cup. Give her as much torture and grief as the glory and luxury she gave herself. In her heart she boasts, “I sit as queen; I am not a widow, and I will never mourn.” Therefore in one day her plagues will overtake her: death, mourning and famine. She will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her’ (Revelation 18:6-8). We are given more reasons for this judgment. The Lord mentions ‘torture and grief’ and ‘luxury and glory’. Throughout the middle ages this Church tortured the Lord’s saints and became rich and powerful. I believe that it will once again persecute the Lord’s saints before its judgment. The Lord has heard the cry of his Saints and He is going to avenge them. The Lord is also telling us that He sees the heart of this church and it is boastful and arrogant. Finally, we are once again told that this Church will be judged by fire…..resulting in death, mourning and famine. This parallels Revelation 17:16 ‘…they [the beast and the ten kings] will eat her flesh and burn her with fire’ and Revelation 13:13 ‘he [the beast] performed great and miraculous signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth in full view of men’.

The last verse of Revelation 17 states: ‘The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth.’ (Revelation 17:18). Revelation 18:9-10 states: ‘When the kings of the earth who committed adultery with her and shared her luxury see the smoke of her burning, they will weep and mourn over her. Terrified at her torment, they will stand far off and cry: “Woe! Woe, O’ great city, O Babylon, city of power! In one hour your doom has come!’ Since Babylon is a reference to the city of Rome, it becomes clear that the entire city of Rome will be affected by this judgment – not just Vatican City. This also gives us another clue. Revelation 17:16 tells us who the Lord uses to judge the Roman Church – ‘The beast and the ten horns you saw will hate the prostitute. They will bring her to ruin and leave her naked; they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire.’ It’s clear that the highest leadership of the world government is responsible for the destruction of this city. However, Revelation 18:10 tells us that there are kings of the earth who are ‘terrified at her torment’. This leads me to believe that the world’s most powerful leaders are deceiving the rest of the world. If all of the kings of the earth knew what was happening they would not be ‘terrified’ since they would be expecting it. I believe that this world government beast once again uses massive destruction to its advantage. It will use the destruction of Rome to setup its own ‘image’ of the Roman Church. (What will this image look like? We’ll spend some time on this topic in a later post, because I believe we are seeing a glimpse of this image today.)

I also believe that this type of deception will ultimately lead the world to the final worldwide battle of Armageddon. If I didn’t know how things ended according to Bible prophecy, I would probably believe that a worldwide government (evil or not) would have a much tighter grip on the nations of the world. How could wars break out if national boundaries disappear and we’re all one, big, happy family? This sounds logical – and you hear this at times even today. It would be much easier if we only had one currency that was handled without cash or coins (no need to haul money around, no more armed robbery, etc.). Without national boundaries, no need to attack your neighbor to gain more space since we’re all together. It really sounds logical….except for one thing – Satan. This world government isn’t one, big, happy family. This world government will rule with an iron fist. All wealth and power will be at the top….forcing the world to adhere to demonic doctrines. No private ownership of land…no buying or selling unless you receive their ‘mark’…which will force many to deny Jesus Christ. Ultimately, I believe that much of the world begins to rebel against this ‘beast’…..leading to a final worldwide war – Armageddon. Many prophecy scholars today believe that Armageddon will be fought only in the Middle East against Israel. Logically, this doesn’t make much sense. Why send 200 million soldiers to attack tiny Israel? Why not just drop a few nuclear weapons? Why march millions of men, hundreds of miles when we have ships and planes that could do the job much more easily. This simply doesn’t make sense to me. These scholars are once again fitting Scripture to their prophecy beliefs. It is made clear that everyone in the world will be affected by this final battle: ‘For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again. If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.’ (Mathew 24:21-22). Jesus makes it clear – no one would survive if not for the grace of God. This is a worldwide event.

Let’s finish our study of Revelation 18. Will Rome ever be rebuilt? Will the Roman Church ever return before the Lord’s return? I believe the answer is no. ‘”They will say, ‘the fruit you longed for is gone from you. All your riches and splendor have vanished, never to be recovered.’ (Revelation 18:14). Revelation 18:16-17 tells us: ‘Woe! Woe, O great city, dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet, and glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls! In one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin!’ Once again, the colors and wealth of this church are mentioned. These verses parallel Revelation 17:4 and confirm for us that this ‘Babylon the Great’ is the same entity as the woman whose title is ‘Mystery – Babylon the Great’ of chapter 17: ‘The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls’ (Revelation 17:4).

It is clear that destruction is brought on suddenly and without warning. ‘In one hour’ is used more than once to describe this judgment. In verse 20 we’re once again told that the Lord has not forgotten His saints that were tortured and killed by this Church: ‘Rejoice over her, O heaven! Rejoice, saints and apostles and prophets! God has judged her for the way she treated you.’ Regardless of what we face in the near future, we should always take comfort in the Lord and know that it is not up to us to repay those that persecute us – the Lord will repay just as we’re told in Deuteronomy 32:35: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; their day of disaster is near and their doom rushes upon them.’

Chapter 18 finishes with the words of a mighty angel: ‘With such violence the great city of Babylon will be thrown down, never to be found again. The music of harpists and musicians, flute players and trumpeters, will never be heard in you again. No workman of any trade will be found in you again. The light of a lamp will never shine in you again. The voice of bridegroom and bride will never be heard in you again. Your merchants were the world’s great men. By your magic spell all the nations were led astray. In her was found the blood of prophets and of the saints, and of all who have been killed on earth.’ (Revelation 18:21-24). This chapter ends with finality. With violence, this city will be destroyed and never be rebuilt. Never again will people inhabit this city. Never again will a church be built in this city (bridegroom and bride). The chapter ends with the reasons for judgment – false teachings that led people away from Jesus and the killing of God’s saints. Very clear and very chilling.

I realize that it’s hard to believe these things. Much of what I have written about is not easy to believe because it’s not what we want to hear. We would much rather hear that things are going to get better and that the world will be peaceful. The truth of God’s Word tells us differently. The Lord’s truth tells us that things are going to get worse – so prepare yourself. Don’t buy into the lies of the world. Our focus should always be on His kingdom, not this world.

The ‘image’ of the Beast – Revelation 13

As we’ve already discussed, many of today’s prophecy teachers have bought into the theory of a secret rapture, 7 year period of tribulation and a future evil world leader known as the Antichrist. Because of this, much of the Christian world is looking into the future for the start of the Revelation of Jesus Christ. There is no sense of urgency today because this secret rapture will take all true believers out of here before things get too bad. So, many of us continue to focus on our daily lives – making money, following sports, new houses, new cars, politics, terrorism, etc – and we are not at all prepared for what we will face. I have to say that I never thought our spiritual enemy could be this deceptive. I’m not sure why, the Bible tells us to always be on our guard against him. ‘Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes’ (Ephesians 6:11). ‘….in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes’ (2 Corinthians 2:11). ‘When he [satan] lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies’ (John 8:44).The truth is that as long as I relied on John Gilmore and his ability to see and discern, the world looked A-OK to me. Yes, there seemed to be many problems in the world, but they weren’t close to me, so I believed the lie that the world was fine. It wasn’t until I humbly came to the Lord and asked for wisdom that I began to see the world as it truly is. Honestly, I was fearful and depressed….at first. Over time, by remaining close to the Lord and learning from Him, I now know what is happening in the world and why….and equally important, I’m not afraid of it.

We have discussed previously how this secret rapture, future tribulation and future antichrist will be used against us by the enemy. Not only do these doctrines remove a sense of urgency, but they shift our focus from the truth in today’s world to some fantasy in the future. Very few people are looking at what is happening in the world today and how it relates to Revelation. Because of this, our spiritual radar is non-existent and we are allowing ourselves to be deceived on many fronts. We’re going to talk about a possible future deception in this post. This is an issue that I believe the Lord presented to me day’s ago, and at first, I didn’t want to believe it. I’ve found that if I ignore something that the Lord is bringing to my attention, He will continue to bring it back around to my attention until I know that it’s something He wants me to do….this was no exception. We’re going to discuss the ‘image’ of the beast mentioned in chapter 13 of Revelation. The verses that mention this image are Revelation 13:14-15: ‘Because of the signs he [beast ….out of the earth] was given power to do on behalf of the first beast [beast …out of the sea], he deceived the inhabitants of the earth. He [beast …out of the earth] ordered them [inhabitants of the earth] to setup an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. He was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that it could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed’. In the Left Behind books, this image is portrayed as a huge statue of the Antichrist (Nicolae Carpathia) that seems to come alive. Everyone is forced to worship this ‘image’ or be killed. Is this what the Lord is saying? I believe that the answer is no. If you’ve read all of these posts, then you know that the beast is not a man, but the Roman Church. So, the image can’t be a statue of a man, but an image of the Roman Catholic Church. Before we go further, let’s get a definition of image.

From Webster’s dictionary:
im·age: 1: a reproduction or imitation of the form of a person or thing;

So, the image in the case of Revelation 13:14 is likely a church that imitates the Catholic Church in some way. If you’ve read my other posts to this point, you know some of the differences between official Catholic doctrine and God’s Word. There are significant differences that I won’t go into here, but it is clear that this image will incorporate many of the unbiblical doctrine of the Catholic Church. Why? Because a true church of God would not force anyone to obey its doctrine. Jesus never forced anyone to believe Him. If someone did not or would not agree, He let them go. ‘”Teacher," he declared, "all these [Commandments] I have kept since I was a boy." Jesus looked at him and loved him. "One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." At this the man's face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth’ (Mark 10:20-22). Jesus didn’t force the man to sell everything, He let him go. This ‘image’ in Revelation 13:15 forces everyone to worship it or be killed ‘…so that it [the image] could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed.’ (Revelation 13:15). It’s clear, this future ‘image’ of the Catholic Church is evil. The question is – in today’s world do we see any kind of an ‘image’ of the Catholic Church? Anything that somehow resembles the Catholic Church? The answer is yes…..and you’ll probably be shocked at what it is. As I’ve mentioned many times, you’ll need prayer to truly understand and believe these things. Why? Because the world and people focused on this world do not see with spiritual eyes. They cannot see into the spiritual and therefore, cannot see God in this world and our enemy working in the world. Through humble prayer, God will reveal the truth to you. Only God can show you the truth, regardless of what you’re told in this world.

I spent most of my life in the Methodist Church. I belonged to a Methodist Church during my High School years and my wife and I joined a large Methodist Church when we moved to Atlanta in the early 90’s. When we moved to Knoxville in 2001, we found another Methodist Church and joined. I met many wonderful, spirit filled people in these churches and I witnessed all of these churches reach out into their communities to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. In all the time that I spent in these Methodist churches, I never realized that I was, at times, reciting Catholic prayers. The reason is that I never knew anything about the Catholic Church. I never thought about it. The church recited these statements or prayers, so I did the same. What prayers you ask? It wasn’t until earlier this year when I started studying Catholic doctrine that I noticed something that bothered me. If you belong to the Methodist Church as I did, then you’re very familiar with the Apostle’s Creed:

‘I believe in God, the Father Almighty, the Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord:
Who was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into hell.
The third day He arose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, whence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.
Amen.’

If you belong to a Methodist Church, then you’re also familiar with ‘Glory be to the Father’:

‘Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.’

Did you know that these prayers are recited as part of the Catholic Rosary? I didn’t. Is there anything wrong with saying these prayers? As I mentioned in an earlier post regarding Catholic doctrine, there’s obviously nothing wrong with stating your beliefs to someone, but the Bible tells us to refrain from repetitious prayers that are said as part of tradition. We’re told in Mathew 6:6-7 ‘But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.’ In the Methodist Churches I have attended, these statements are recited every Sunday. Do we need to repeat statements like this in our worship? The Bible says no. If we desire a relationship with our Father in heaven, we’re told to pray in secret – only to Him. He will hear us and reveal Himself to us if we pray and seek him with all of our heart. Praying in church is obviously something that we all should do, but to have a personal relationship with our Father, it is necessary to pray to Him by ourselves. It is up to each of us to establish this relationship – ‘You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart’ (Jeremiah 29:13).

The last stanza of the Apostles’ Creed also bothers me. Every Sunday in Church I was stating that I believed in the Holy Spirit (which I do) and the Holy Catholic Church (which I don’t). I used to think about this from time to time, but not knowing anything about Catholicism, it didn’t seem a big deal to me. It does now. Some will say that they replace ‘holy catholic church’ with ‘Christ’s church’ or something similar, but I have never heard this in all of my years of attending the Methodist Church. Why did the Methodist Church adopt something from the Catholic Church? I honestly don’t know the answer. I do wonder what those who were persecuted by the Catholic Church during the Middle Ages would think. I have an idea – I believe they’d sound an alarm. I believe this is why I was led to this topic. It’s a warning. Is the Methodist (or any other denomination) now the image of Revelation 13? No. No one is forcing anyone to do anything within Protestant churches today. However, we must be aware that the Bible tells us this will change. In the near future, Catholics and Protestants will unite again within a church that is opposed to God. There is going to be a worldwide ‘image’ of the Catholic Church and this ‘image’ is going to force people to worship its false doctrine. Refuse and you will face a death penalty – ‘He [worldwide government – new world order] was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast , so that it could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed’ (Revelation 13:15). From my own experiences and the knowledge I have received, our enemy never starts by taking down your whole house, he starts with a small brick and works his way up. If we know that the Catholic Church is preaching false doctrine and will someday face the Lord’s judgment, we had better be alert for anything from that church that leaches into our own teaching, however insignificant it may be. Never forget, the devil is constantly scheming to infiltrate and destroy the Lord’s church and he will do it very deceptively. We should not assume that any of us (or any church) is somehow immune to this: ‘Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour’ (1 Peter 5:80) The key here is to actually be alert. It appears to me that most are spiritually asleep or not mature enough yet to discern what is happening. I believe that we’re seeing the beginning of the unification of Catholics and Protestants. Many church leaders are becoming more concerned with the world and finding their place in it than with what the Bible tells us. As a result, we’re going to see the formation of the church-state beast once again – just as the Bible tells us.

Did you know that the ritual of infant baptism began in the Catholic Church? Some protestant churches now baptize infants. Obviously, we should all bring our children into church and our church family, but the Bible never mentions a requirement to baptize a child in order to receive salvation. There is certainly no problem with having a dedication ceremony for infants in our churches, but God does not require us to baptize our children. Jesus was never baptized as an infant. We should be baptized, as an adult, as an open acceptance of God's offer of salvation and the dedication of our lives to Him. We should always follow the example of Christ and He was baptized when He was an adult. The Catholic Church has twisted some verses in the Bible to fit their doctrine of infant baptism, but I see no specific command from our Lord to do this. Think about the logic of this from the Lord's perspective. At some point in your adult life you come close to the Lord. You overcome the world and believe that Jesus died for you so that you can live in eternity. You seek Him and find Him and follow His plan for your life. You are filled with the Holy Spirit and become Holy as He is Holy. You then die. Do you think that God will not allow you to enter heaven because a religious ritual was not performed on you as an infant? Something that you had no control over? The answer is no. Each of us will be judged individually for our lives, our works and the choices we made. The #1 most important choice is whether we believed and accepted that Jesus Christ died and was resurrected for us. Once we become adults and understand that we must ask God for forgiveness for our sins, it is up to us individually to choose to accept God's offer of salvation. You do not have to depend on anyone else in this world for salvation.

The final Catholic similarity I’ve seen in Protestant churches is that most Methodist preachers I’ve listened to are wearing formal robes. What makes me uncomfortable with this is that the Lord has made it clear to me that many Catholic traditions have nothing to do with Him. So it may seem insignificant that a Protestant preacher is wearing flowing robes that are similar to what a Catholic priest wears, but it doesn’t seem at all Christ-like to me. When I see the Pope wearing all of his formal attire and jewelry and sitting on some fancy chair, for me it paints a picture about as far from Jesus as you can get. It says that I’m concerned how the world views me, not how the Lord views me. There's certainly nothing wrong with dressing nicely for Church, but as a teacher of God's Word, it doesn't seem biblical to me to wear anything 'formal' such as robes. Jesus and His disciples were not concerned with their dress. John the Baptist, a mighty man of God, wore nothing but clothes made of camel’s hair and a leather belt. Simply put, John the Baptist and the Apostles were focused on the Lord and His message, not any type of tradition or ritual.

You may be thinking that this is a stretch – there’s no way that Catholics and Protestants will ever join together again. Really? Have you watched the news recently (December 2006)? Pope Benedict XVI recently traveled to Turkey to meet with both Muslim and Orthodox Christian leaders. He prayed toward Mecca with a Muslim cleric and met with an orthodox Christian leader. Statements were made that alluded to reconciliation with Protestants. Dave Hunt writes in his book, A Woman Rides the Beast – ‘The most significant event in nearly 500 years of church history was revealed as a fait accompli on March 29, 1994. On that day leading American evangelicals and Catholics signed a joint declaration titled “Evangelicals and Catholics Together: The Christian mission in the 3rd Millennium”. The document, in effect, overturned the Reformation and will unquestionably have far-reaching repercussions throughout the Christian world for years to come. The 25 page document acknowledges, without compromise, some key differences between Catholics and evangelicals (such as the significance of baptism and the authority of Scripture). Unfortunately, the most important difference – what it means to be a Christian – is not mentioned. In fact, that such a difference even exists is denied. This compromise of the gospel lies at the heart of the agreement……The key element behind this historic joint declaration is the previously unthinkable admission on the part of leading evangelicals that active participation in the Catholic Church makes one a Christian. If that is indeed the case, then the Reformation was a tragic mistake. The millions who were martyred (during the thousand years before the Reformation and since then to the present time) for rejecting Catholicism as a false gospel have all died in vain. If, however, the Reformers were right, then this new agreement between Catholics and evangelicals could well be the cleverest and deadliest blow struck against the gospel in the entire history of the church.’ Regardless of what you may currently believe, Bible prophecy tells us that world religion is going to consolidate at some point…..and this religion won’t be based on God’s Holy Word. If you are close to God and are spiritually mature, you can see it happening on the news everyday. It’s very important that each of us is alert to what the enemy is doing.

How would you describe the congregation of your church? I believe our answer should be - Full of the Holy Spirit. We should worship and praise God and be led, in all that we do, by Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. If I were to describe myself prior to last year in church (and many of the people I’ve seen throughout my years of attending church), I believe the word I would use is….bored. The Methodist Churches I attended always preached from the Bible and were active in spreading the message of Christ, but something was always missing. I remember on many occasions reading about the miracles performed by Jesus – the healings, the prophecy, the service, the knowledge of God and wondering – why aren’t we doing these things? Jesus told us that we would do - even greater works - if we have faith: 'Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father' (John 14:12). If someone ever mentioned that Jesus told us that we would do all of the things He did, I would usually hear something like, ‘Well, that was in biblical times.’ The truth is that many of us don’t know Jesus or our Father in heaven personally and have not asked for power from God – ‘So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you’ (Luke 11:9). Does your church teach how to identify your spiritual gifts and how to strengthen them? Does your church teach prophecy and God’s healing power? The Bible tells us that we all have spiritual gifts and we all have access to God’s power. As you think about your spirtual life and your relationship with God, keep in mind the words of Ezekiel 33:30-33: "As for you son of man, your countrymen are talking together about you by the walls and at the doors of the houses, saying to each other, 'Come and hear the message that has come from the Lord.' My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to listen to your words, but they do not put them into practice. With their mouths they express devotion, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain. Indeed, to them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well, for they hear your words but do not put them into practice. When all this comes true - and it surely will - then they will know that a prophet has been among them." It's as if Ezekiel was speaking the Lord's message to the United States today. You must ask yourself - "Am I putting the Lord's Word into practice? Do I listen to a preacher on Sunday and then disregard his words and the Bible and live my life my way?" I believe that most of us are doing this - we hear, but are not listening and putting the Lord's Word into practice in our lives. This same theme is expressed in Isaiah 29:13-14: "The Lord says: These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men. Therefore once more I will astound these people with wonder upon wonder; the wisdom of the wise will perish, the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish"

The apostles lived lives of adventure. Yes, very dangerous adventures, but adventures nonetheless. They traveled throughout the known world spreading the gospel of Jesus. They did this regardless of fierce opposition, prison and even death. They never allowed the gospel to be corrupted in any way. Why? Because they picked up their cross and began carrying it. They did not attend church services for one hour every week while living secular lives – they carried out God’s plan for them everyday. They asked God for His will and then carried it out, regardless of the consequences. It is time for us to do the same. In today’s world, we may be told from time to time that the miracles performed by Jesus and the Apostles are not available to us….that those types of adventures will never happen to us. Why? The Bible doesn’t say this. The truth is that we have believed the enemy’s lies. The truth is that God’s power is available to us and it’s time we stood up and received it. You cannot stand against the enemy without it.

I wrote this post not to scare anyone, but simply to get us to think about what is happening and why. It bothers me that I’ve recited the Apostles’ Creed in church many, many times and stated that I supported the Catholic Church when I knew nothing of this church at the time. It’s almost as if we’re being conditioned for something. I mention these things because the Lord has shown me how deceiving our enemy truly is. Don’t assume that because your church has adopted some Catholic doctrine, that it’s ok, we’re all the same. We’re not. I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to prepare yourself spiritually for what we face. If you don’t know our Father in heaven and Jesus Christ, if you’re not full of the Holy Spirit to guide and instruct you, you will fail to resist the enemy. You will not see the mark coming and you will not be able to resist it. Don’t listen to the lies of the world that tell you not to worry, you’ll be raptured before things get bad. Don’t be deceived. Now is the time to pray to God to make you into a warrior. It’s time to come home. You’ll become someone who is feared by the enemy, because the enemy fears God’s power. You’ll be able to stand against the devil’s schemes. You’ll live a life of adventure and always know that the Lord is with you wherever you go. And when you finally leave this world, you’ll be welcomed into the Kingdom of Heaven where you’ll receive your reward. No more sickness, no more war, no more sin – just peace, love and joy in the presence of the Lord.

....and never forget that many large Protestant denominations today believe and teach the most deceiving of Catholic doctrines - that there will be a secret rapture before the prophecies in the Book of Revelation will take place at some point in the future....that there will be one evil, future world leader who controls the world during a 7 year period of tribulation and that all of the judgments of Revelation will be poured out onto the earth during these 7 years. I don't believe that any of this is biblical. I do believe that at some point, all religion in the world will be consolidated under the Roman Church. It would make sense that this would happen gradually over time. The truth is that our spiritual enemy has been planning this for centuries.....and he's making progress. We must check everything in the world today against God's Word in order to know the truth.

The Pope ’s July Encyclical

In July (2009), I posted an article on Pope Benedict’s Encyclical ‘Charity in Truth’.

Pope Calls for 'World Authority'

Today I received an email from Steve Wohlberg that provides additional details behind this document. Since you now understand who the ‘beasts’ of Revelation 13 really are – the message contained in ‘Charity in Truth’ shouldn’t surprise you.

The Catholic Church and the Global Elite are working together to bring about world government and world religion – just as the Lord tells us they will do. I expect that we’ll see more and more global government rhetoric as the world’s economy continues to decline. As I’ve stated before – the collapse of the world’s economy is not a surprise to the world’s true leaders – nor is it a surprise to the leaders of the Catholic Church.

The world is being deceived on a massive scale.

jg – September 10, 2009
____________________________________
White Horse E-News - 09-09-2009

The Pope's July Encyclical

Dear friend of White Horse Media,

Today (Sept. 9, 2009) I hope to send you two e-newsletters. This first one contains information you may have already heard. If not, you need to know it, for it is of monumental prophetic significance.

Two months ago, in early July, President Barack Obama went to Italy for the G-8 economic summit. While in Italy, he also had a personal interview with Pope Benedict XVI during which the pope presented Obama with a copy of his latest papal encyclical entitled, Charity in Truth. For those who don't realize it, a papal encyclical is one of the most authoritative documents a pope can produce.

Charity in Truth is a 44-page letter in which Pope Benedict XVI comments on the world's current economic crisis and, from his perspective, what he sees as the solution. From a prophetic standpoint, here are 9 significant highlights found within this encyclical:

1. A Global Government. Pope Benedict is calling for a "true world political authority" to fix the problems that plague planet Earth. (Page 67)

2. Church and State. The pope says this new political authority must make its decisions based on spiritual values. (Chapter 5)

3. The Papacy at the Head. These spiritual values cannot be derived from just any religion, since not "all religions are equal." (Page 55)

4. Religion, Politics and the Economy. The "church" must influence all areas of society because God must have "a place in the public realm, specifically in regard to its cultural, social, economic, and particularly its political dimensions." (Page 56)

5. Power to Enforce Law. This "political authority" must have "real teeth" and "be vested with the effective power" to enforce laws around the world. (Page 67)

6. Control Buying and Selling. Once in place, the new world governing power will institute socialistic policies for government to redistribute wealth. (Chapter 3)

7. Resurgence of Labor Unions. Labor Unions are to be empowered to "play a decisive role" in the new world order. (Page 25) For those who know European history, this is exactly what happened in Poland, leading to the collapse of Soviet Communism.

8. The Church's Goal. Pope Benedict says that his encyclical will help achieve "The goal of the history of the human family," which is to build "the universal city of God." (Page 7)

9. Redefining Religious Liberty. While claiming not "to interfere in any way in the politics of States," the pope redefines "liberty" as happening when the world obeys laws shaped by the Roman Catholic Church's spiritual values. According to the pope, as the church influences states to enforce "truth" upon others, such people are then set "free." "This mission of truth is something that the Church can never renounce." (Page 9)

When Charity in Truth was first released in July 2009, newspapers ran stories on it around the world. Here are just three headlines from Time, USA Today, and New American:

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1909020,00.html

http://www.thenewamerican.com/index.php/culture/education/1375

http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2009-07-07-pope-encyclical_N.htm

For those who have read my book, End Time Delusions, which clearly documents not only what the Bible teaches, but also what Reformation Protestants understood "about the beast," then you know what's coming. The proverbial handwriting is on the wall. God's Word predicts,

And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death,
and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world wondered
after the beast… and power was given to him over all
peoples, and tongues, and nations (Revelation 13:3, 7).

This prophecy is on the verge of fulfillment right now.

The book End Time Delusions fully documents the decisive role of the papal power in last day events. For those who haven't read it, and who would like to receive a copy, White Horse Media is again make the newly printed hardcover version available for only $15 plus shipping.

You can order by calling 1-800-782-4253

Concerning the "signs" of the approaching end of the age, Jesus Christ plainly said, "Now when these things begin to happen, look up, and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near" (Luke 21:28).

Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus!

Steve Wohlberg
________________________________________________

Pope Calls for “World Political Authority”

New American

http://www.thenewamerican.com/index.php/culture/education/1375

Written by: Thomas R. Eddlem

Wednesday, 08 July 2009

Pope Benedict XVI called for a “true world political authority” to manage the economy in his new encyclical on social justice. The encyclical, entitled “Charity in Truth,” was released by the Vatican on Tuesday and signed by the pope a day earlier.

Benedict’s encyclical specifically called for “regulation of the financial sector,” and a “worldwide redistribution of energy resources.” Benedict added that “the State’s role seems destined to grow” if his political prescription is followed.

“There is urgent need of a true world political authority,” Benedict wrote in the 30,000-word encyclical, calling for “reform of the United Nations Organization, and likewise of economic institutions and international finance, so that the concept of the family of nations can acquire real teeth.”

Benedict described what a powerful world government with teeth would look like: “Such an authority would need to be universally recognized and to be vested with the effective power to ensure security for all.” He added: “Obviously it would have to have the authority to ensure compliance with its decisions from all parties” — that is, nations.

At best, Benedict is proposing a global federation that would improve upon the U.S. Constitution’s checks and balances. “Such an authority would need to be regulated by law, to observe consistently the principles of subsidiarity,” Benedict says.

What’s “subsidiarity”?

It’s a Catholic social principle that says that all events should be handled by the least centralized competent authority. One example of subsidiarity in the U.S. Constitution is the 10th Amendment, which says “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”

Benedict is calling for a global federalized state using the principle of subsidiarity: “Hence the principle of subsidiarity is particularly well-suited to managing globalization and directing it towards authentic human development. In order not to produce a dangerous universal power of a tyrannical nature, the governance of globalization must be marked by subsidiarity, articulated into several layers and involving different levels that can work together.”

Although he’s correct when he writes “subsidiarity is the most effective antidote against any form of all-encompassing welfare state,” much of the underlying assumptions of the social policies he proposes in the encyclical would mandate a globally-managed welfare state and dump the principle of subsidiarity.

Although he says “the Church does not have technical solutions to offer” in the way of political plans, it’s clear he is calling for the mandatory transfer of wealth from the haves to the have-nots through the brute force of the state. He even offers one suggestion as to how this might be made less objectionable to those whose wealth would be taken:

One possible approach to development aid would be to apply effectively what is known as fiscal subsidiarity, allowing citizens to decide how to allocate a portion of the taxes they pay to the State. Provided it does not degenerate into the promotion of special interests, this can help to stimulate forms of welfare solidarity from below, with obvious benefits in the area of solidarity for development as well.

Of course, letting citizens choose their taxation in the form of government “charity” would necessarily lead to special interests, as aid groups and governments compete for aid. It’s part of the fallen nature of man for such competitions. Benedict states in the encyclical that “attitudes of gratuitousness cannot be established by law,” but then proposes that governments attempt to do just that. The Christian principle of charity is that it is voluntary, or it isn’t charity. Governments, Benedict should know, are more often representative of the fallen side of human nature than are the persons who make up the governed.

And that’s the basic problem with Benedict’s encyclical. It’s based primarily upon the assumption that governments are essentially institutions of good, while free markets are not self-regulating (or even self-sustaining) institutions that produce vice and license. “Profit is useful if it serves as a means towards an end that provides a sense both of how to produce it and how to make good use of it. Once profit becomes the exclusive goal, if it is produced by improper means and without the common good as its ultimate end, it risks destroying wealth and creating poverty.” Published in the wake of the current financial scandals, Benedict’s meaning becomes all the more clear. He blames the current global economic crisis on “badly managed and largely speculative financial dealing” among the private sector and says that “the regulation of the financial sector, so as to safeguard weaker parties and discourage scandalous speculation … should be further explored and encouraged.”

But in fact the current economic crisis was government-made, not private speculator-made. The speculators in the markets only reacted to extremely loose credit policies employed by the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank, a creature of the state.

Benedict argues that there’s an “urgent need of a true world political authority.” But if the world government is a tyranny, we don’t need it; and if men were good enough to be trusted to run that world government, a world government wouldn’t be necessary. As James Madison noted in The Federalist #51: “If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself. A dependence on the people is, no doubt, the primary control on the government; but experience has taught mankind the necessity of auxiliary precautions.”

Benedict says he wants a world government. He shouldn’t. World government should be approached with the same circumspection that one approaches nuclear warfare. Indeed, mere national governments have killed many times more people in peacetime than nuclear weapons have in warfare. A world government powerful enough to “to ensure compliance with its decisions from all parties” is also a world government powerful enough to impose a global tyranny that could result in the murder of countless millions. The history of the world has taught that most people were not allowed to be free by their governments in the past, or even in the present. Most people who have walked this world have done so as slaves to the state. Incautious language about the supposed “urgent need” for a global political authority may convince many Catholics and other Christians to accept whatever world government they can get, and what they’ll likely end up with — if history is any guide — is a brutal tyranny.

Abandonment of Traditional Catholic Social Teaching

Pope Leo XIII’s classic 1891 social encyclical Rerum Novarum cited the scriptures almost exclusively as its authority for Catholic social teaching, along with a few of the patristic writings of church doctors such as Thomas Aquinas and Augustine. Rerum Novarum defended property rights and the commandments not to steal and covet as key to the social order under man’s fallen and sinful state. Benedict’s encyclical ignores those two commandments entirely, and makes no mention of property rights whatsoever. It mentions Rerum Novarum in passing, but ignores both the scriptures as well as Augustine and Aquinas.

Though nearly all the footnotes in Benedict’s encyclical refer to post-Vatican II documents, Benedict points in his encyclical to a coherence of past and recent Catholic teachings: “It is not a case of two typologies of social doctrine, one pre-conciliar and one post-conciliar, differing from one another: on the contrary, there is a single teaching, consistent and at the same time ever new. It is one thing to draw attention to the particular characteristics of one Encyclical or another, of the teaching of one Pope or another, but quite another to lose sight of the coherence of the overall doctrinal corpus.” If nearly all the documents cited by Benedict were post-conciliar (after Vatican II, which took place in the 1960s), how does that reflect coherence with 2000 years of history? If Benedict’s new encyclical represented old teachings of the Catholic Church, the least he could have done was to cite a few examples.

Instead of using time-tested Catholic social justice principles, Benedict employed trendy slogans such as “food security”/“food insecurity” and how the world is “increasingly interconnected” and “interdependent.” So it’s not surprising that the leftist New York Times trumpeted that “Pope Benedict XVI on July 7 called for a 'world political authority' to manage the global economy and for more government regulation of national economies to pull the world out of the current crisis and avoid a repeat.”

Conservative and libertarian Catholics who understand economics can expect to be pilloried as being anti-Catholic if they hold to the economic and political realities of the modern world in the wake of Benedict’s encyclical. But Catholics who disagree with the pope's understanding of social justice do have a defense: the encyclical was not issued “ex cathedra,” and is therefore not binding on Catholics. The Catholic Church teaches that the pope has the power to bind the faithful only when speaking “ex cathedra.” The “ex cathedra” pronouncements are so infrequent that most popes do not make any. An “ex cathedra” pronouncement can happen only when a certain set of formalized criteria are met: 1. the pope claims to be speaking on behalf of the worldwide church from the seat of the Apostle Peter; 2. he specifically states that he is binding the faithful for all time on the doctrine; 3. the doctrine is about faith and morals; and 4. he can’t contradict past church doctrines.

In the case of “Charity in Truth,” Benedict XVI has issued an ordinary encyclical letter, and none of the criteria for “ex cathedra” were satisfied. But the question for the rank-and-file Catholics around the world is this: will this distinction matter, or will they unthinkingly follow the extremely dangerous new social doctrine of the Vatican?