The Coming One-World Church
When a prophecy teacher writes on current events it is almost impossible to not offend someone. This is not intentional, but because of the nature of the subject someone somewhere will probably take strong issue with what is being written. Such will probably be the case with this article. Though not easy, yet it is necessary for us to step back from time to time to see if we are involved with a group or ideology whose agenda can be dangerous. Though some of those people and some of those pseudo-Christian efforts have a measure of benevolence and even the appearance of godliness, the tricky part is to understand and admit that it does not take a lot of error to corrupt an entire philosophy or belief system (Galatians 5:9).
Bible prophecy clearly indicates that in the future a one-world church will form under the banner of unity. This church will garner great power after the rapture. Its foundation, however, is among us even today. Its statement of faith will have nothing to do with the deity of Jesus Christ, His incarnation and vicarious atonement, but will have everything to do with bringing religious people together under the ecumenical banner of unity. Unity will be, and already is, the operative word.
People are presently being programmed to accept this world religious system as seen by their quick-to-join involvement in groups whose focus is unity of some kind or another at the expense of truth. It is very important to understand that these groups have inherent and internal structures that discourage distinctions of any kind in order to come together under the unity banner. Understanding this is very critical because people will often rush headlong into something without a thorough investigation simply because it looks good from the outside. We don't use this kind of decision-making when we buy cars or houses, so why should we be less cautious when it comes to things that will have an eternal impact?
There is a very strong effort on the part of some churches (like the Unitarians and Universalists) to get everyone to come together for the sake of unity and peace. What a person might believe about Jesus is not important; the only important thing is to get together and promote peace and love. Of course "peace" and "love" to these groups have purely secular meanings devoid of anything God has said about the terms.
Even the Roman Catholic Pope is involved in this ecumenical movement. 1 Pope John 23rd allowed Catholic observers to attend the World Council Assembly in 1961. In 1965 the split between the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Church was healed after 911 years. October of 1986 saw the interfaith service for peace led by Pope John Paul 2nd in Assisi. In 1998 Dr. Konrad Raiser of the World Council of Churches proposed a forum which would include the Catholic church in an effort that would "involve the broader body of Christ in the search for unity (emphasis mine)."
And the effort of the Vatican to become more ecumenical is not limited to those groups in Christendom alone. They are now making gestures to the Muslims. Cardinal William Keeler, at a joint meeting with Catholic and Muslim leaders, reminded the group that he and Cardinal Lucas Neves of Sao Paolo had recently prayed the Hail Mary with Sheikh Ahmed Kaftaro, the grand mufti of Syria. The gist of the meeting is described by Cardinal Keeler himself in that Mary holds Catholics and Muslims together to work for justice, peace, sharing and love. 2 Fifty years ago no one would have believed that the Pope and Islam would have ever been making ecumenical overtures toward each other. The question many are asking is how can Catholic Cardinals pray with someone who prays to the pagan god Allah. Then answer, quite plainly, is that distinctions are being cast aside in the international quest for unity. Such a quest is a major requisite for the establishment of a one-world church.
Moreover the evangelicals, who have been at odds with the Catholic church since the beginning, are also getting caught up in the ecumenical parade. On March 29, 1994 several prominent evangelical leaders got together with some prominent Catholic leaders and signed a joint declaration entitled, "Evangelicals and Catholics Together: The Christian Mission in the 3rd Millennium". Sounds good on the outside, but what is not commonly known about this meeting is that a lot of signers had to do a lot of compromising about doctrines and the freedom to evangelize. The Catholics were represented by Catholic social critic Richard John Neuhaus and Chuck Colson led the evangelicals, among whom were Pat Robertson, Bill Bright, J.I. Packer and others 3. The question that many in both groups have since asked is how can you believe two contradictory doctrines at the same time. Either people are saved by the blood of Jesus Christ alone or by the Catholic church and her liturgy; it can't be both ways. But, again, unity was the key - everything else was secondary. Confusion has now set in and we might guess that confusion will likely play a large part in preparing the world's population to accept a one-world religious system in the very near future.
The largest international secret fraternity in the world is Freemasonry. Its membership is about 6 million worldwide with a number of Christians holding membership. The Masonic lodge does many benevolent things such as charity work for the poor and disadvantaged and operating hospitals for crippled children. The problem is not with their benevolence; the problem is the theological side of Masonry, especially in the higher degrees. A man must believe in God, but any old god will do. Albert Pike, former Supreme Pontiff of Universal Freemasonry said, "Masonry [is that religion] around whose altars the Christian, the Hebrew, the Moslem, the Brahman [Hindu], the followers of Confucius and Zoroaster, can assemble as brethren and unite in prayer…" 4 Note that the key words are "brethren" and "unite". The Masonic Bible is the King James Version with a special cover and a number of articles in the front about Masonry and the Bible. Joseph Fort Newton wrote one of those entitled, "The Great Light in Masonry" and stated, "...Masonry invites to its altar men of all faiths, knowing that, if they use different names for 'the nameless one of a hundred names', they are yet praying to the one God and Father of all'. 5 How can a Christian pray to God with a Hindu who prays to Vishnu or Shiva, or a Muslim who prays to Allah? How can a Christian say "in Jesus' name amen" to a prayer prayed by a pagan or to a prayer offered to any pagan deity?
Promise Keepers is another avenue for ecumenicalism. PK rallies have been attended by hundreds of thousands of men, and some very good things have come from this effort. Some attendees and counselors, however, are now seeing the PK movement from a different angle, and what they are seeing is causing great concern. For one thing, if a man goes to a PK rally and does not scream, jump, sway with the music and pray in huddles he is considered less spiritual and void of some terribly important spiritual asset. But, even that is not the real problem. The real problem is the omission of truth for the sake of unity. One former PKer who attended the PK leadership seminars and worked as a counselor said that men who went to the front for help often got different advice and council. He also said that preachers who spoke have different doctrines at PK rallies than what they have in their own pulpits. 6 A little compromise, maybe, for the sake of unity you suppose?
Folks, this is not about Catholics, evangelicals, Freemasonry, PK or any other such group. This is about the fact that many groups and ideologies are being used as stepping stones in the establishment of a unity mindset that is based upon an insatiable quest for a certain kind of conformity that will be very prevalent in those days just prior to the return of Jesus for His church. It is all about tolerance. Even today just about anything is OK except Christianity. Doctrinal truth is no longer of concern. People are even now selecting the least common denominator and are using it as the foundation for uniting under the same banner. Unity for the sake of unity is not only foolish but dangerous. God has given us truth, and to know what He has said and yet to have the, "I don't care; I'm gonna do it my way anyway" attitude is very reckless.
Does this mean we should we practice sectarianism? No. It is true that often times our circle of fellowship should be much larger than it is. Sometimes people believe they are the only ones right about everything and the reason they will go to heaven is because they are right about everything. That kind of thinking is both unbiblical and reeks of vanity. However, it is also true that cardinal truths are not up for debate and amendment. Jesus and His inspired writers never ended their words with, "But, that is only what I think. You decide for yourself what you want to believe." We would do well to remember that Jesus was killed because He did not volunteer to come together under some banner of unity with the religious leaders of His day. You see, unity is not the main goal because it is impossible in any number of circumstances. For example, the Bible is clear about it being the sole source of truth, and that biblical truth is sufficient for salvation and godly living. Now if a person believes that, then how can that person work in an evangelistic effort with someone who believes a particular church or a particular person's extra-biblical notions are equal to, or even supersede, the Bible?
After the church is removed at the rapture Satan will introduce through his anti-Christ a world system that will function, for a time, in basically three parts: economic, political and religious. The economic and political aspects will be his real concern, but the religious system he will impose (a one-world church) will be a tool he will use until it has outlived its usefulness. Then it will be destroyed. The clarion-call that will persuade billions to seek acceptance under the umbrella of that very tolerant but very anti-Christian one-world church will be unity. And it seems very clear that the ground-work for that church is already laid in the hearts of millions today, and the sad thing is they mostly do not understand what is happening. Many people may know a little about Jesus Christ, but they do not really know Him. They have been deceived by the "it-does-not-really-matter-what-you-believe-because-all-roads-lead-to-heaven-anyway" lie. And many think because they are doing something religious they are spiritually secure. Matthew 7:21-23 seems to escape their notice.
Nearly all we hear from some modern pulpits is the need for love and unity. Seldom is anything ever said about the need for fidelity and obedience. Those same preachers rave about the evils of intolerance, but never is anything said about being so tolerate of the world's false religions that a person no longer stands out as a Christian. From those pulpits we hear what is commonly called a "social gospel", but never is there a word mentioned about sin. Such a word is simply too base in its nature and too offensive to the sensibilities of people today. Such preachers are all about unity and tolerance, but are absolutely void of any depth of spiritual character and any inclination to be faithful to what God has said. Believe it - the world is ready for the one-world church of unity. Anti-Christ and his false apostle will have little to do in the area of convincing people of their need to be a part of it. All they will have to do is provide the music, liturgy, programs, colors and focus. And people will follow the false messiah and his prophet like sheep to the slaughter. DLM
End notes
- B.A. Robinson, "Recent Developments in Christian Ecumenicalism", Cited 23 September 2004. Online: http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_ecnews.htm
- Cardinal William Keeler, "How Mary Holds Muslims and Christians in Conversation", Cited 23 September 2004. Online: http://www.al-bushra.org/mos-chr/keeler.htm
- "Modern Ecumenical Movement", Cited 23 September 2004. Online: http://jeremiahproject.com/prophecy/ecumen01.html
- Albert Pike, "Morals and Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry" (Charleston, SC: Supreme Council of the 33rd Degree for the Southern Jurisdiction of the United States, 1927), 226
- Joseph Fort Newton, "The Great Light in Masonry" (title of the section containing: "The Words of a Great Masonic Devine: The Bible and Freemasonry", in The Holy Bible: The Great Light in Masonry (Nashville: A.J. Holman, 1940) 3-4
- Mitchell V. Casler, "Are You Really a Promise Keeper?", Cited 23 September 2004. Online: http://www.bibletruths.org/living/promise.html
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