ALLEVIATING THE PROTESTANT INFERIORITY COMPLEX

by Steve Meister

Yesterday, I argued that humble popes don’t exist. They’re mythical because it’s categorically impossible to receive the unbiblical role of supreme pontiff, make people kiss your hand and call you “holy father,” and then be able to travel under the descriptor “humble.” The papacy is an act of self-excommunication from the Church, albeit with no small amount of flair. And therein lay the rub and temptation for many Christians.

I heartily agree with Clint’s previous post, and am not suggesting you begin a conversation with Joe Catholics with the foregoing. Yet, I believe it’s pastorally important to remind Christians that the Pope has no clothes. As Rome’s pomp and circumstance gets paraded on CNN, Christians too often begin to view their own churches and traditions with more of a jaundiced eye. In an age of plastic, self-designed spirituality, who can deny the appeal of firm traditions made of stone and mortar? And the traditions of Roman Catholicism would indeed hold beauty, if they weren’t false.

The Ruinous Appeal of Roman Catholicism

In one of his chapel sermons, Charles Hodge described the danger that lurks within the papacy:

It would to human view be a blessed thing to have a succession of apostles, i.e., of holy men, infallible in their judgments, to settle all points of doctrine, to remove all doubts, to solve all questions of conscience, and to rule with undeviating righteousness over the whole Church.

And when to this is added, on the assumed primacy of Peter, and of his successor, the Bishop of Rome, as the representative of Christ, we have the beau ideal of a theocracy for the Church and ultimately for the world.

But in proportion as this theory is good if true, it is destructive if false. If the prelates are not apostles, have not their gifts, their infallibility or authority, then for sinful, erring, wicked men to claim their prerogatives is ruinous. To be under the guidance of a good angel is a blessing; but to be under the guidance of Satan, in the guise of an angel of light, is destructive (Princeton Sermons, pp. 51-52).

It would be foolish to deny the manifest beauty of Rome’s clout and tradition, especially when compared to our own. Most of our congregations inhabit buildings with far less swank than St. Peter’s, they’re led by pastors who have a whole lot less geopolitical and even ecclesiastical clout, and, as if that weren’t enough, our pastors likely have hat collections quite inferior to those of the Roman Curia.

So, should Christians feel inferior or be drawn by Rome’s external “beauties”? No, because we’re apart of the Church… while the Pope and his consistent adherents, sadly, are not. Roman Catholicism is, in fact, an “-ism,” not a “Church.” And so Roman Catholicism systematically cuts people off from our Lord Jesus, His Gospel, the hope of salvation in Him, and therefore, from the Church itself.

The papacy represents a destructive ruin that certainly deserves our pity and prayers, but not our admiration. This is what the Protestant Reformation was all about.

Reminding Ourselves of the Reformation

It seems apparent that we still need to reiterate this point. According to a recent CT article,Pope Francis Excites (Most) Evangelical Leaders. Since the Pope misrepresents theevangel, the gospel, I fail to grasp how he could ever excite evangelicals. In the article, Leith Anderson suggests “Pope Francis can bring us back to the biblical and Christian care for the poor and vulnerable.” And Russell Moore hopes that Francis “spurs evangelicals like me to remember our mandate to love the least of these.”

Now, for the record, I am verysympathetic to Christians lovingly serving the poor in Christ. Before I entered the pastorate, I used to help churches do just that for a Christian relief organization. But my sympathies on that issue only heighten my concern about this evangelical “excitement.” If Roman Catholicism gets the Gospel wrong and is destructively “under the guidance of Satan, in the guise of an angel of light” why would we ever want it inflicted upon “the poor and vulnerable”? And since the pope’s very position contradicts biblical Christianity, how could we ever look to him to bring us back to anything “biblical and Christian”?

I do agree with one of Anderson’s statements, that “there are millions of people who don’t grasp the differences between Protestants and Catholics,” and that is exactly why I’m concerned to publicly teach that that the pope is (probably) the anti-Christ, Roman Catholicism is a ruin… but the Gospel of the Bible remains rich in hope.

Rejoicing in Our High Priest

Francis entered an office this week that has existed for centuries and is laden with ancient tradition – all the smells, bells, striking hats, and foreboding buildings that you could ever ask for in a religion. But dear Christian brethren, we are missing nothing. These are not the artifacts of a great unifying tradition. They are extravagant superstitions and evidences of schism, which exceed God’s Word (1 Cor 4:6) and tear apart the truth of Christ and His true Church. The succession of yet another pope is another chapter in Rome’s sad folly of nullifying the Gospel with silly hats and empty titles.

Wonderfully, the office of Priest over God’s House is not an open position, it’s been filled once for all! We have a merciful and faithful high priest (Heb 2:17). One who has passed through the heavens, bringing us to the throne of grace with confidence (Heb 4:15-16). One without a successor, without beginning or end (Heb 7:3) and who

holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them (Heb 7:24-25)

We have a tradition that’s even older than Roman Catholicism, the priesthood of Jesus Christ, our great and eternal High Priest. We do not need a Pope to lead us back to anything, for we are not helped by impressive leaders who boast in outward things (2 Cor 5:12). Nor should we be excited about man-made precepts like “do not handle,” “do not taste,” and “do not touch” – all of which merely appear wise, but are actually self-made religion without value in stopping sin (Col 2:20-23).

Christians, we have a Priest and what we need (and need our leaders to be excited about) is to believe His Gospel and to meet as local congregations to hear that Gospel preached, sung, and shown in the ordinances, on the basis of Scripture. And we need to encourage others, especially Roman Catholics, not to neglect this great salvation (Heb 2:3).

If you have these beautiful necessities, be grateful, exceedingly grateful. You’re a member of the Church.

Related Posts

• A friendly reminder: the Pope is (probably) the antichrist
• Reprise: The 'Gospel' According to Rome
• Is the Pope Catholic? (And other things not to say to Joe Catholic)
• Humble Popes Don't Exist
• A Tale of Two Gospels

WHO OR WHAT IS THE GREAT PROSTITUTE OF REVELATION 17?

By Nathan Jones
Evangelist & Web Minister

Revelation 17 lays out a wildly disturbing scene. A Bowl Judgment Angel approaches the Apostle John and says, "Come, I will show you... the Great Prostitute."

For her physical appearance, the Great Prostitute is described as having emblazoned across her forehead a tattoo that says: "Mystery, Babylon the Great, the Mother of Prostitutes and of the Abominations of the Earth." The woman is dressed in purple and scarlet and glitters with gold, precious stones and pearls. She holds a golden cup in her hand filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries.

As for her actions, she commits adultery with the kings of the earth. She intoxicates the inhabitants of the earth with the wine of her adulteries. She rides upon a seven-headed, ten-horned, scarlet beast which is covered with blasphemous names and sits on many waters. She is found drunk on the blood of the saints who proclaim Jesus Christ.

A Blog Poll

Every month on The Christ in Prophecy Journal Blog atwww.lamblion.us, we poll our readership on a topic related to Bible prophecy. In November 2008's blog poll we asked, "Who or what is the Great Prostitute of Revelation 17?" The purpose of the question was to determine the views of people on who or what they thought the woman is who verse 5 calls a "Mystery." The results are in the graph depicted below.

Fortunately for the readers of Revelation, the Bowl Angel goes on to explain to John what he is seeing. Unfortunately, though, the angel's description of the Prostitute is almost as mysterious as the scene itself, giving credence to her name "Mystery." And yet, the reader can look upon the larger structure of Bible prophecy within the Scriptures to discern who or what she is and is not.

Who She Is Not

A Woman — The Great Prostitute is not a yet unrevealed woman. For one, no individual can sit upon many waters (verse 1). Secondly, she is called a "great city that rules over the kings of the earth." Cities in the Bible are often used to represent people groups, empires, or systems. As much as some would like to point to the pop singer Lady Gaga or a particular female politician, neither they nor any other single woman fits the bill.

UN or EU — The Great Prostitute is not the United Nations or European Union. The Beast, we are told, is the future one-world leader who is handed over power to rule what ten future leaders of the earth will control (verses 12-13). While the Antichrist and ten kings will make war against Jesus and certainly kill many of Jesus' followers (verse 14), they hate the Great Prostitute and by God's prompting participate in her destruction (verse 16-17). Since these political systems will give rise to the ten kings,neither can they also be the Great Prostitute because they hate and kill her.

Hollywood — The Great Prostitute is not Hollywood. While Hollywood certainly spews its licentious garbage upon mankind who thirstily drink it down, it cannot be accused of the mass murder of believers in Christ (well, at least not physically).

Babylon — The Great Prostitute will not be a newly constructed city called Babylon. Babylon was certainly a great city like verse 18 states, but it is a city cursed, never to be rebuilt. Isaiah 13:20 makes it very clear that Babylon would cease to be inhabited forever. In accordance with this prophecy, Babylon was conquered by the Medes and then it began a long decline that ultimately resulted in its abandonment to the forces of nature. By the time of Christ, one eyewitness reported that the city was nothing but "mounds and stones and ruins." Even Saddam Hussein was unable to rebuild it into more than a paltry tourist spot. Why then is she also called "Babylon the Great?" Because Babylon has always been credited as the source of world cultic spiritual evil which will hold a dominant presence during the Tribulation.

Islam — The Great Prostitute is not Islam. Women are often used in the Scriptures to symbolize religious systems, and Islam is certainly a religious system. It has caused the bloody martyrdom of countless Christians in its 1,400 years. But, by the time of the Tribulation, Islam will be just another false religious system that will be wiped out. Islamic battles against Israel in Psalm 83 and Ezekiel 38-39 will bring about the demise of Islam as a power.

What She Could Be

Because women are used in the Scriptures to symbolize religious systems, the Great Prostitute is indeed a religious system. The three remaining religious systems on the survey are the Apostate Church, a One-World Religion, and Humanism (which at its core is the worship of self).

Which religious system the Great Prostitute is can be interpreted by where she sits. The text says she sits in four places — on the beast (Antichrist), on seven hills, on seven kings, and across the nations and peoples of the world.

Apostate Church — The majority of voters (47%) voted for the Apostate Church. These voters could be correct based on the sitting reference in verse 9 to seven hills. Two major cities that rest upon seven hills are Rome and Istanbul (formerly Constantinople named after the Roman Emperor Constantine), and both were centers of government in the Roman Empire at different points in time. Istanbul can be discounted, though, for at the time of John's writing Rome was the commanding city of the known world, and John would have recognized it as such. Also, Istanbul loses any future prominence due to the elimination of Islam as a world religious system, as mentioned earlier. John was clearly looking towards Rome as the city on seven hills. Rome is the heart of the revived Roman Empire, which the world today is seeing grow out of the European Union.

Rome also houses the Vatican, which is the seat of Roman Catholic papal authority. This authority reaches across the"peoples, multitudes, nations and languages" of the world as verse 15 states. In its history, the Roman Catholic Church has the blood of countless Protestant believers and the victims of crusaders and inquisitors on its hands.

Also, after the Rapture, the only "Church" left will be the apostate followers of Christ who, as 2 Timothy 3:5 states,"have a form of godliness but denying its power." While many true believers will come out of the Catholic Church and be raptured as part of the Bride of Christ, the overall heretical structure will continue to exist during the first half of the Tribulation to give credence and support to the other apostate Christian denominations left in the world. The Vatican after the Rapture will be the universalistic banner to which all the Christians in name only will rally to.

One-World Religion — The second largest voting bloc in the poll (28%) believe the Great Prostitute will be a one-world religion. These voters could be correct based on her sitting on the seven kings of verse 10. Five of the kings fell before John's time, so they must have been pivotal to world rulership in relation to Israel. The sixth "one is" to John would have been Caesar. The seventh king who "has not yet come; but when he does come, he must remain for a little while" is the Antichrist, called so in 1 John 2:18. "The beast who once was, and now is not, is an eighth king" and "belongs to the seven and is going to his destruction" could only be Satan himself ruling through these seven human rulers throughout history, as there are no other kings after Jesus Christ once Jesus sets up His Millennial Kingdom. These kings extend over a time period much longer than the 2,000 years the Church has been around and cover all the world's peoples.

Humanism — A small minority (only 2%) voted that Humanism in all its flavors such as Cultural, Modern, Religious, but particularly Secular, will be the religion of the first half of the Tribulation. I myself voted in this group for this reason — all false religion stems from man's belief in Satan's lie from the Garden of Eden where Satan said "you will be like God" (Genesis 3:5). All expressions of worship not towards God are flat out rebellion against the Creator. Even if we personally are not the object of our own worship, by setting ourselves up in our own religion we are worshiping self, so therefore it is Humanism.

The Old Testament is overwhelmingly filled with God's stated hatred of spiritual harlotry. He chastised Israel again and again for running after foreign gods in rebellion. Be it an apostate form of what God truly wants, or a deviation from all norms that God has established for worship — man's rebellion is about the worship of self.

By the midpoint of the Tribulation when Satan indwells the Antichrist, whatever flavor of humanistic self-worship the people adhere to, all will be made to cease to exist. The Antichrist, False Prophet, and the Ten Rulers will be sure to take the Great Prostitute of human-willed spiritual harlotry and the institution in which she is enshrouded and "bring her to ruin and leave her naked; they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire" (verse 16). Only one religion will be allowed to exist 3 1/2 years into the Tribulation by the Antichrist's demonic master, and that will be the worship of Satan through his Antichrist "messiah."

Praise be to Jesus Christ who returns 3 1/2 years later to doom that "beast" to eternal destruction and set up His kingdom of peace and righteousness!

PETRUS ROMANUS ARRIVES ON 3/13/2013 AT 20:13 HOURS!!!!

 - Christ Putnam - http://www.logosapologia.org/?p=4794

According to the prophecy of St. Malachy, Petrus Romanus has arrived. Pope Francis I, formerly known as Jorge Mario Bergoglio, was the son of an Italian railroad worker from Turin, Italy. While those of shallow vision will be quick to point out "his name is not Peter," prophecy is often fulfilled enigmatically in a manner not entirely clear until it is resolved. For example, who could have known that "labor of the sun" John Paul II would be buried during eclipse until his papacy had ended? We have stated from the beginning that the title "Peter the Roman" was likely symbolic. All popes claim apostolic succession from Peter and for this reason it is called the Petrine office. For instance, Tom Horn stated in a recent interview for World Net Daily:

Regardless, Horn said he's always maintained that it doesn't take someone whose Christian name is Peter to fulfill the prophecy. "In fact, if any Italian is elected, that would be a fairly transparent fulfillment," he said. Moreover, he argued, "in a very general sense, every pope could be regarded as 'Peter the Roman,' and in that sense, this could be the last one."[1]

Rome was an empire and a city so his Italian ancestry arguably meets the Roman aspect albeit in an oblique way. Interestingly, Rene Thibaut, the Jesuit who wrote in 1950 that the papacy would be abdicated in 2012, rejected the possibility of a pope named Peter and wrote that the name symbolized the totality of the papacy:

There is only one Peter, the first of the Roman pontiffs, and he was seen in his many successors. He still to serve in the final as in the first persecution. We believe Petrus Romanus represents all the Roman Pontiffs from St. Peter to the recipient Gloria Olivae.[2]

In Thibaut's reckoning all the ambitions and pretensions of the papal dynasty are now encompassed in one man. Paramount is the fact that he is the first ever Jesuit pope. This has great prophetic significance as the Jesuit order was formed to specifically to combat the protestant reformation and assert papal supremacy over the entire world. According to a historian, "The Jesuits were the soldiers of the pope: they knew no law but the will of their general, no mode of worship but the pope's dictate no church but themselves." [3] Because of this, the Jesuit order was suppressed and disbanded for its pernicious skullduggery by Pope Clement XIV in 1773 and by the mid-eighteenth century, the Jesuits had earned a bad reputation in Europe for political maneuvering and economic exploitation bar none. Interestingly, Pope Benedict XVI addressed the Jesuit order in 2008 encouraging them reinvigorate the fourth vow. He said,

For this very reason I have invited you and also invite you today to reflect in order to rediscover the fullest meaning of your characteristic "fourth vow" of obedience to the Successor of Peter, ...[4]

The fourth vow of obedience to the pope is one of "absolute subservience to the pope; to do whatever he enjoined, and go on any service he wished, and into any quarter of the globe."[5] A few ex-Jesuits have called this a blood oath involving pagan rites which were laid bare in the suppressed document "Jesuit Extreme Oath of Induction" which was recorded in records of the U.S. Congress. According to this document, they are indoctrinated into the principle of IUSTUM, NECAR, REGES, IMPIOUS:

When a Jesuit of the minor rank is to be elevated to command, he is conducted into the Chapel of the Convent of the Order, where there are only three others present, the principal or Superior standing in front of the altar. On either side stands a monk, one of whom holds a banner of yellow and white, which are the Papal colours, and the other a black banner with a dagger and red cross above a skull and crossbones, with the word INRI, and below them the words IUSTUM NECAR REGES IMPIUS. The meaning of which is: It is just to exterminate or annihilate impious or heretical Kings, Governments, or Rulers.[6]

While modernists surely prefer more subtle methods, we address the Jesuit's who make up the Vatican Observatory Research Group in some detail in our new book Exo-Vaticana and offer some surprising revelations as to what might entice the entire world to unite under the new pontiff. Even so, other researchers document an ongoing militaristic campaign:

Today the Jesuit Order has about 19.000 members. Of the about 13.500 priest members, some have taken the 4th vow secret oath in which killing a heretic is not considered a crime. The ranks of Jesuits are thinning; From 36,000 members at the order's zenith in the mid-1960s, to 26,000 in 1983, to 23,000 in 1995 [10]. The Jesuits are geographically organized by 91 provinces (61?), which each belong to one of 10 assistances around the world.

The Military Order of Malta has about 12.500 members (excluding volunteers), and Opus Dei has about 26,000 celibate members (excluding volunteers).

The Vatican-Jesuit-Masonic crusades, up to our present time, show their criminal "full-spectrum dominance" doctrine is effectuated all over the world by:

War, genocide and depopulation (recent examples: Canadian natives genocide between 1880-1984, the "Vatican managed Serbian genocide during WWII" with an ongoing US court case, and the ongoing Shia Muslim genocide in Iraq with over 1.217.892 deaths)

Political subversions

Economic slavery

Poor quality nutrition, healthcare and housing

Government propaganda (via education, media, science, and religion)

Suppression of sovereignty, consciousness and spirituality. [7]

In Petrus Romanus we stated our belief that the name "Peter the Roman" implies this pope "will reaffirm the authority of the Roman Pontiff over the Church" and "will emphasize the supremacy of the Roman Catholic Faith and the Roman Catholic Church above all other religions and denominations, and its authority over all Christians and all peoples of the world."[8] This seems in line with the Jesuit agenda. Still more, Catholic mystic Ronald L. Conte Jr., who predicted in 2002 that the successor to John Paul II would choose the name Benedict XVI, commented on 3-13-13:

I never expected Peter the Roman to be Italian or Roman or to have the first name Peter, or to take the papal name "Peter". So these points do not imply that Pope Francis is not Peter the Roman. The prophetic phrases of St. Malachy describe the Pontificate of each Pope, not his name.[9]

According to Conte, "During the reign of Pope Peter the Roman, the great apostasy begins" and this pope will mark "the first part of the tribulation, during our generation."[10]

The media and Catholic faithful have been celebrating his choice of the papal name Francis, which is a first, and most folks assume it is inspired by St. Francis of Assisi. Interestingly, in Petrus Romanus we wrote of an apocalyptic prophecy given by the alleged namesake:

Even Saint Francis of Assisi-one of the most venerated religious figures in history-gathered his devotees shortly before his death and prophesied that: "At the time of this tribulation a man, not canonically elected, will be raised to the Pontificate, who, by his cunning, will endeavor to draw many into error and death... Some preachers will keep silence about the truth, and others will trample it under foot and deny it...for in those days Jesus Christ will send them not a true Pastor, but a destroyer."[11]

Was there something uncannonical about the election of Pope Francis I? It seems arguable. For starters, Pope Benedict XVI simply retiring makes for an unprecedented situation. Next, the fifteen day rule between the vacancy of the office and the start of the conclave was circumvented in order to speed up the process. The two living popes situation alone supports a charge of one "not canonically elected" but more mysteriously, there seems to be something fishy going on with his heraldry. According to one expert, "As can be seen on the coat of arms, he was not a bishop, despite being cardinal."[12] This was Cardinal Bergoglio's coat of arms as of 2010:

See: http://heraldicaargentina.blogspot.com/2010/06/heraldica-eclesiastica-en-la-argentina.html

It uses the Jesuit Solar deity symbol, The Jesuits maintain that IHS stands for first three letters of the Greek name of Jesus, iota-eta-sigma but if so the name is Ἰησοuς so why not use the Greek letters Ι Η Σ ? Alternately, while it seems fanciful, some occult researchers claim it really means: Isis, Horace, Set:

Yet by Roman Catholic heraldic standards all bishops are required to include the archiepiscopal cross as well.

However, even though his coat of arms (dated 2001) lacked the required cross, we know that he was in fact a bishop prior to 2001. Bergoglio was named Auxiliary Bishop of Buenos Aires in 1992 and was ordained on 27 June 1992 as Titular Bishop of Auca.[13] This is extremely odd and has prompted heraldic specialists to assert ineptitude on the part of its designer.[14] It suggests something is amiss. Could the strange rule bending circumstances surrounding Pope Benedict XVI's retirement suggest he is the uncannonical pope that St. Francis prophesied? (it looks the this malformed coat of arms has been quickly revised, so copy those images for safekeeping).

Wikipedia now has a corrected version:

Apocalyptic Franciscan prophecies and heraldic guffaws aside, many have overlooked another Catholic Saint he could have drawn the papal name from: St. Francis Xavier, a fellow Jesuit infamous for inspiring the Goa inquisition. This extended the European inquisition to the Indian state of Goa and the Portuguese empire in Asia, a repugnant affair in which some 16,202 persons were brought to trial resulting in untold numbers of executions by burning at the stake amongst lesser tortures.[15]

While we don't normally put a lot of stock in numerology, the great biblical scholar and Anglican theologian E.W. Bullinger wrote an exhaustive treatise in the 19th century which has yielded some interesting connections to the new Pontiff. The numbers surrounding Pope Francis' election keep coming up thirteen. White smoke at 7:06 PM which in numerology 7 + 6 = 13 and he is 76 years old 7 + 6 = 13 and then he was elected on the calendar date 3/13/13 which sports two 13s of its own but in numerology 3/13/2013 also yields 3+1+3+2+0+1+3=13 and he was announced at precisely 8:13 PM Vatican time or in military and European time 20:13 making for 3/13/2013 at 20:13. According to Bullinger:

As to the significance of thirteen, all are aware that it has come down to us as a number of ill-omen. Many superstitions cluster around it, and various explanations are current concerning them.

Unfortunately, those who go backwards to find a reason seldom go back far enough. The popular explanations do not, so far as we are aware, go further back than the Apostles. But we must go back to the first occurrence of the number thirteen in order to discover the key to its significance. It occurs first in Genesis 14:4, where we read "Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and the thirteenth year they REBELLED."

Hence every occurrence of the number thirteen, and likewise of every multiple of it, stamps that with which it stands in connection with rebellion, apostasy, defection, corruption, disintegration, revolution, or some kindred idea.[16]

This ill omen suggests the "many tribulations" of the Malachy prophecy could coincide with the apostasy of 2 Thes. 2:3 ensue but Bullinger goes on to cite an exhaustive list of thirteen's and factors of thirteen including examples like:

Satan, in Hebrew = 364 (13 x 28)   שָׂטָן

Satan, in Greek = 2197 (133) "That old serpent, even Satan" (ὁ ὄφις ὁ ἀρχαiος... καὶ ὁ Σατανaς) 2756 (13 x 212)

"According to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air" = 9178181 (13 x 706)

"The power of the air" = 2600 (13 x 200) [17]

While we could go on and on (Bullinger does) with a long list of similar demonic thirteens, one verse in particular is pertinent:

Revelation 13:11, The whole verse = 6318 (13x486)

θηρίον (theerion), beast = 247 (13x19)

ἅλλο θηρίον (hallo theerion), another beast = 378 (9×42)

"He had two horns" = 1521 (132x9)

"And he had two horns like a lamb" = 2704 (132x16) [18]

"And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon." (Revelation 13:11, AV)

Do all of these thirteen's add up to a coincidence? That's up to you decide. But the biblical prophecy alone points toward the papacy. Indeed this second beast is predicted to be viewed "like a lamb" and the accolades expressed on 3/13/2013 at 20:13 support that perception. This probably seems mean spirited to some but as protestants we feel well within our rights to assert that all claimants to Vicar "instead "of Christ as false prophets.[19] However, if the predictions of St. Francis of Assisi and St. Malachy are truly at their culmination, then the second beast, the one from the earth, who is called the "false prophet" (Rev. 16:13; 19:20; 20:10) or Petrus Romanus who will lead the world to worship the dragon, has arrived in Pope Francis but I am not a prophet... only time will tell.

[1] http://www.wnd.com/2013/03/holy-smoke-is-this-final-pope-before-jesus/#oImqawiZUvBPwORI.99

[2] [2] René Thibaut, La Mystérieuse Prophétie des Papes (Paris: J. Vrin, 1951),25.

[3] W.C. Brownlee, Secret instructions of the Jesuits (1857) 7. http://archive.org/stream/instructiosecret00browrich#page/7/

[4] http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/papal-address-to-members-of-jesuit-general-congregation

[5]W.C. Brownlee, Secret instructions of the Jesuits (1857), 6 http://archive.org/stream/instructiosecret00browrich#page/6/

[6] Journals of the 62nd Congress, 3rd Session, of the United States Congressional Record (House Calendar No. 397, Report No. 1523, 15 February, 1913, pp. 3215-3216) text availablehttp://www.ianpaisley.org/article.asp?ArtKey=jesuit

[7] http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/vatican/esp_vatican37.htm

[8] Petrus Romanus, 437-438.

[9] http://ronconte.wordpress.com/2013/03/13/is-pope-francis-i-the-pope-called-peter-the-roman/

[10] Ibid.

[11] Petrus Romanus, 389. Also see http://www.realclearreligion.com/index_files/ac206ecae86856da08a615cb61987e74-643.php

[12] http://blogdeheraldica.blogspot.com/2007/10/solo-la-cruz.html

[13] See: http://www.gcatholic.org/dioceses/former/t0229.htm

[14] http://heraldicaargentina.blogspot.com/2010/06/heraldica-eclesiastica-en-la-argentina.html

[15] Salomon, H. P. and Sassoon, I. S. D., in Saraiva, Antonio Jose. The Marrano Factory. The Portuguese Inquisition and Its New Christians, 1536-1765 (Brill, 2001), pp. 345-7. Also see:http://www.rediff.com/news/2005/sep/14inter1.htm

[16]Ethelbert W. Bullinger, Number in Scripture (Pleasant Places Press, 2004; 2004), 208.

[17] Bullinger, Number in Scripture, 219.

[18] Bullinger, Number in Scripture, 225.

[19] This authoritatively explains why all Popes are false prophets: John MacArthur, "The Pope and the Papacy," http://www.gty.org/resources/sermons/90-291/the-pope-and-the-papacy

EXPOSING THE HERESIES OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH: THE MASS

by John MacArthur

The writer of Hebrews is inescapably clear about the singular nature of Christ’s sacrifice.

For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; nor was it that He would offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the holy place year by year with blood that is not his own. Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him. (Hebrews 9:24-28, emphasis added)

Scripture does not waver on the finality of Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf. He came to make a one-time offering for sin, never to be repeated. It was a contrast to the Mosaic covenant, which necessitated a system of near-constant sacrifices. But none of the Old Testament sacrifices could actually atone for sin. They could only serve as a reminder of God’s deliverance and foreshadow Christ’s final sacrifice which would conquer sin.

In the practice of the mass, the Roman Catholic Church has reinstituted an unbiblical system of repeated sacrifices, blaspheming Christ and perverting His work on the cross.

How important is the mass to Catholicism? The Catechism of the Catholic Church refers to it as “the source and summit of the Christian life.” That is to say, it is the origin and the high point of the Catholic faith. It’s not peripheral—it’s the heart and soul of the entire system.

In his book The Faith of Millions, John O’Brien, a Catholic priest, explains the procedure of the mass.

When the priest pronounces the tremendous words of consecration, he reaches up into the heavens, brings Christ down from His throne, and places Him upon our altar to be offered up again as the Victim for the sins of man. It is a power greater than that of monarchs and emperors: it is greater than that of saints and angels, greater than that of Seraphim and Cherubim. Indeed it is greater even than the power of the Virgin Mary. While the Blessed Virgin was the human agency by which Christ became incarnate a single time, the priest brings Christ down from heaven, and renders Him present on our altar as the eternal Victim for the sins of man—not once but a thousand times! The priest speaks and lo! Christ, the eternal and omnipotent God, bows His head in humble obedience to the priest’s command.

Put simply, the Catholic Church won’t let Christ off the cross. In the mass, the substance of the bread and the wine are supposedly transformed into the actual body and blood of Jesus, rendering Him as a repeated, incomplete sacrifice for sins. He’s not Lord and Savior—He’s the eternal Victim, perpetually bound to the altar by the power of the priest, visibly and ubiquitously symbolized in the Roman Catholic crucifix.

That’s a direct denial of Paul’s teaching in Romans 6:8-10.

Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God (emphasis added).

By denying the singular sacrifice of Christ, Catholicism imbues its illegitimate priesthood with artificial power and authority, enslaving its followers to a repetitious system of ineffective, ungodly offerings for sin. It’s essentially paganism sprinkled with enough Christian terminology to deceive and delude souls, convincing them Christ’s death on the cross was not enough to accomplish their salvation. In effect, the mass cancels out the real meaning of the cross.

In Light from Old Times, J.C. Ryle explained the theological and spiritual implications—and imperfections—of the Catholic mass.

Whatever men please to think or say, the Romish doctrine of the real presence, if pursued to its legitimate consequences, obscures every leading doctrine of the gospel, and damages and interferes with the whole system of Christ’s truth. Grant for a moment that the Lord’s Supper is a sacrifice, and not a sacrament—grant that every time the words of the consecration are used the natural body and blood of Christ are present on the communion table under the forms of bread and wine—grant that every one who eats that consecrated bread and drinks that consecrated wine does really eat and drink the natural body and blood of Christ—grant for a moment these things, and then see what momentous consequences result from these premises. You spoil the blessed doctrine of Christ’s finished work when He died on the cross. A sacrifice that needs to be repeated is not a perfect and complete thing. You spoil the priestly office of Christ. If there are priests that can offer an acceptable sacrifice to God besides Him, the great High Priest is robbed of His glory. You spoil the scriptural doctrine of the Christian ministry. You exalt sinful men into the position of mediators between God and man. You give to the sacramental elements of bread and wine an honour and veneration they were never meant to receive, and produce an idolatry to be abhorred of faithful Christians. Last, but not least, you overthrow the true doctrine of Christ’s human nature. If the body born of the Virgin Mary can be in more places than one at the same time, it is not a body like our own, and Jesus was not “the last Adam” in the truth of our nature.

In simple terms, the mass has nothing to do with the Christian gospel, nothing to do with the Christian life, and nothing to do with the Christian church. It rejects the true, biblical nature of God, Christ, sin, salvation, atonement, and forgiveness. It robs the cross of its meaning and replaces it with superficial, man-centered idolatry. It’s a lie, a fraud, and a damning fabrication that enslaves hearts and ushers people to hell.

Related Resources:

• Explaining the Heresy of Catholicism (sermon-series)

For more, click here

EXPOSING THE HERESIES OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH: MARY WORSHIP

by John MacArthur

After his prophetic vision of the eternal glories of heaven at the end of the book of Revelation, the apostle John described how he was overwhelmed by what he’d seen.

And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed me these things. But he said to me, “Do not do that. I am a fellow servant of yours and of your brethren the prophets and of those who heed the words of this book. Worship God.” (Revelation22:8-9)

The Roman Catholic Church has committed the same error as John, promoting a mere citizen of heaven to an improper place of authority and honor. Despite the overwhelming testimony of Scripture, the Catholic Church has elevated Mary—a self-described servant of the Lord (Luke 1:38)—to the same level as God, if not higher.

In his Ineffabilis Deus in 1854, Pope Pius IX established as dogma the immaculate conception of Mary, which preserved her from inheriting original sin. His concluding statements provide a good summary of the Catholic view of Mary.

Let all the children of the Catholic Church, who are so very dear to us, hear these words of ours. With a still more ardent zeal for piety, religion and love, let them continue to venerate, invoke and pray to the most Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, conceived without original sin. Let them fly with utter confidence to this most sweet Mother of mercy and grace in all dangers, difficulties, needs, doubts and fears. Under her guidance, under her patronage, under her kindness and protection, nothing is to be feared; nothing is hopeless. Because, while bearing toward us a truly motherly affection and having in her care the work of our salvation, she is solicitous about the whole human race. And since she has been appointed by God to be the Queen of heaven and earth, and is exalted above all the choirs of angels and saints, and even stands at the right hand of her only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, she presents our petitions in a most efficacious manner. What she asks, she obtains. Her pleas can never be unheard.

Those words are echoed and expanded on throughout Roman Catholic history. Tradition dictates that Mary is part of the monarchy of heaven, soliciting grace and mercy from the Lord on behalf of sinners, and covering sin by distributing from her Treasury of Merit. She became a co-redeemer with Christ in His suffering on the cross, and is now a co-mediator alongside Him in heaven—essentially an alternative avenue of access to God. She replaces the Holy Spirit in bestowing aid and comfort to believers. In effect, she becomes an additional member of the Trinity.

That blasphemy stands in sharp contrast to what Scripture actually says about Mary, and even what she says about herself. Luke 1:46-55 records her humble reaction to the news that she would give birth to the Son of God.

And Mary said: “My soul exalts the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. For He has had regard for the humble state of His bondslave; for behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed. For the Mighty One has done great things for me; and holy is His name. And His mercy is upon generation after generation toward those who fear Him. He has done mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their heart. He has brought down rulers from their thrones, and has exalted those who were humble. He has filled the hungry with good things; and sent away the rich empty-handed. He has given help to Israel His servant, in remembrance of His mercy, as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and his descendants forever.”

The God she praised—the God of the Bible—does not need to be coaxed or wooed to distribute His blessings. He’s not harsh, distant, or indifferent—He’s gracious, righteous, and merciful. Rather than glorifying herself, she humbly worshiped the Lord.

Scripture actually has very little to say about Mary. There’s no description of her physical appearance, nothing about her life, her later years after Christ’s death, or her own death and burial. And when she does briefly appear with the disciples and the other believers on the day of Pentecost, she’s not an object of worship or even a leader in the early church—she’s just one among many. There simply are no biblical examples of anyone ever praying to her, honoring her, or venerating her.

Nor does she play a role in any biblical explanation of the gospel. Paul wrote a magnificent treatise on the doctrine of salvation that we know as the book of Romans, and all he said about the mother of Jesus is that she was “a descendent of David” (Romans 1:3). He’s even less specific in Galatians, another lengthy exposition of the pure, true gospel in which he simply said that Christ was “born of a woman” (Galatians 4:4).

Contrast that with the unending Catholic volumes on the life of Mary, the miracles of Mary, the death of Mary, the apparitions of Mary, and on and on it goes. That’s why it’s often a shock for Catholics to read the Bible and see how little is actually said about Mary.

But that’s what happens when you elevate tradition to the level of Scripture and ascribe to men the infallible characteristics that only belong to God. It warps the truth of Scripture and distorts the Person and work of Jesus Christ.

God alone is our Redeemer, our Deliverer, our Benefactor, and our Comforter. He alone is to be worshiped, venerated, adored, and petitioned. The testimony of Scripture is clear.

Gather yourselves and come; draw near together, you fugitives of the nations; they have no knowledge, who carry about their wooden idol and pray to a god who cannot save. Declare and set forth your case; indeed, let them consult together. Who has announced this from of old? Who has long since declared it? Is it not I, the Lord? And there is no other God besides Me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none except Me. Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other. (Isaiah45:20-22)

Related Resources:

• Explaining the Heresy of Catholicism (sermon-series)

For more, click here

EXPOSING THE HERESIES OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH: THE POPE

by John MacArthur

One of the major, early catalysts in the Protestant Reformation was a book by Jan Hus, a Bohemian Christian who preceded Martin Luther by a full century. The book was De Ecclesia (The Church), and one of Hus’s most profound points was proclaimed in the title of his fourth chapter: “Christ the Only Head of the Church.”

Hus wrote, “Neither is the pope the head nor are the cardinals the whole body of the holy, universal, catholic [i.e., true] church. For Christ alone is the head of that church.” Pointing out that most church leaders in his era actually despised the lordship of Christ, Hus said, “To such a low pitch is the clergy come that they hate those who preach often and call Jesus Christ Lord.”

Hus’s candor cost him his life. He was declared a heretic and burned at the stake in 1415.

More than a hundred years later, and already at odds with the papal establishment, Martin Luther read De Ecclesia. After finishing the book, he wrote to a friend, “I have hitherto taught and held all the opinions of Jan Hus unawares; so did John Staupitz. In short, we are all Hussites without knowing it.”

As the head of the Roman Catholic Church, the pope is often called the “Holy Father” and the “Vicar of Christ”—names and roles that only apply to God. He claims the ability to speak ex cathedra, exercising Godlike infallibility to add to and augment Scripture (Revelation 22:18). He wields unbiblical, unholy authority over his followers, usurping the headship of Christ and perverting the work of the Holy Spirit.

The Reformers understood that and declared it with unashamed boldness. As Martin Luther wrote to a friend, “We here are of the conviction that the papacy is the seat of the true and real Antichrist. . . . Personally I declare that I owe the Pope no other obedience than that to Antichrist.”

In his Institutes of the Christian Religion, John Calvin said:

Some persons think us too severe and censorious, when we call the Roman pontiff Antichrist. But those who are of this opinion do not consider that they bring the same charge of presumption against Paul himself, after whom we speak, and whose language we adopt. And lest anyone should object, that we improperly pervert to the Roman pontiff those words of Paul, which belong to a different subject, I shall briefly show that they are not capable of any other interpretation than that which implies them to the papacy (John Allen’s translation, book four, chapter seven).

The words of Paul that Calvin referred to were from 2 Thessalonians, where the apostle described the coming Antichrist “who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God” (2 Thessalonians 2:4).

That same understanding was later reflected in the Westminster Confession of Faith, which says, “There is no other head of the church but the Lord Jesus Christ. Nor can the Pope of Rome, in any sense, be head thereof; but is that Antichrist, that man of sin and son of perdition, that exalts himself in the church against Christ and all that is called God” (25.6).

That doesn’t mean that the pope is the final Antichrist. There have been and will continue to be, as 1 John 2:18says, many false teachers who embody the spirit of Antichrist. As the American Puritan Cotton Mather wrote inThe Fall of Babylon, “The oracles of God foretold the rising of an Antichrist [i.e., one or more antichrists who embody the spirit of the final Antichrist] in the Christian church. And in the Pope of Rome, all the characteristics of that Antichrist are so marvelously answered that if any who read the Scriptures do not see it, there is a marvelous blindness on them.”

In a sermon titled “Pray for Jesus,” Charles Haddon Spurgeon exhorted his congregation that “it is the duty of every Christian to pray against Antichrist, and as to what Antichrist is. No sane man ought to raise a question. If it be not the popery in the church of Rome and in the church of England, there is nothing in the world that can be called by that name.”

He went on to say:

Popery anywhere, whether it be Anglican or Romish, is contrary to Christ’s gospel! And it is the Antichrist, and we ought to pray against it! It should be the daily prayer of every believer that Antichrist might be hurled like a millstone into the flood and sink to rise no more. If we can pray against error for Christ because it wounds Christ, because it robs Christ of His glory, because it puts sacramental efficacy in the place of His atonement and lifts a piece of bread into the place of the Savior, and a few drops of water into the place of the Holy Spirit, and puts a mere fallible man like ourselves up as the Vicar of Christ on earth—if we pray against it because it is against Him—we shall love the persons though we hate their errors! We shall love their souls though we loathe and detest their dogmas, and so the breath of our prayers will be sweetened because we turn our faces toward Christ when we pray.

In another sermon, titled “Christ Glorified,” Spurgeon said:

Christ did not redeem His church with His blood so the pope could come in and steal away the glory. He never came from heaven to earth and poured out His very heart that He might purchase His people so that a poor sinner, a mere man, should be set upon high to be admired by all the nations and to call himself God’s representative on earth! Christ has always been the head of His church.

In 1 Timothy 2:5, Paul said, “For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” The pope has assumed for himself a position of authority that does not need to be filled.

Related Resources:

• Explaining the Heresy of Catholicism (sermon-series)

For more, click here

THE POPE AND THE SPIRIT OF ANTICHRIST

We know the comparison of the pope to the Antichrist might shock some readers, but it’s not a statement we make lightly. In fact, the spirit of Antichrist isn’t limited just to the Antichrist predicted in Revelation but applies to anyone who positions himself against or in place of Christ.

To help give you more insight into what God’s Word says about the spirit of Antichrist, we’d like to recommend the following teaching from John MacArthur.

Marks of a True Believer

“Christians and Antichrists, Part 1”

“Christians and Antichrists, Part 2”

“Christians and Antichrists, Part 3”

GTY Staff

Related Resources:

• Explaining the Heresy of Catholicism (sermon-series)

For more, click here

HOW MUCH LONGER OH LORD!

 - Grant Phillips - http://grant-phillips.blogspot.ca/2013/03/how-much-longer-o-lord.html#.UT3wzq2TugQ.gmail

As the world we live in today keeps unraveling, we who know that Jesus has promised to return for His own keep wondering, "How much longer?"

I do hope that while we contemplate this question, we don't fail to be busy for Him in getting the Gospel out to those who do not know Him. Surely when He does return, He will find us at work and not loafing. Unfortunately, the work crew seems to be diminishing in droves, while the crowd continues to grow around the water cooler.

As I and others have stated on numerous occasions, the signs of His return are so plentiful, it is difficult to zero in on just a few. In answering the disciple's questions upon the Mount of Olives, Jesus briefed them as follows:

"And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows." (Matthew 24:4-8)

I believe this twenty-fourth chapter of Matthew is directed toward Daniel's seventieth week that we commonly call the Tribulation, but I also believe we can see many of these signs forming now. Jesus stated clearly, "All these are the beginning of sorrows," which leads me to believe they are being introduced now, in the present. If this be true, then the Rapture "may" not be far off. We'll just have to wait and see. The important thing is that we are ready when it does occur.

Anyway, Jesus says that these signs are the "beginning" of sorrows. The "beginning" to me would be at the very front end of the seven-year Tribulation. "Sorrows" would indicate to me the dark times ahead during the Tribulation. These signs are definitely all around us, and increasing as time goes by. It's something to think about.

If the Rapture occurs prior to the seven-year Tribulation, and I believe it will, then how close could it be? I don't know, but it makes one want to look up.

"The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth." (1Timothy 4:1-3 NIV)

Apostasy abounds. The church rolls are rapidly dwindling in some areas, and in others they are ballooning with followers of a false gospel. For any remaining who actually believe and practice the true doctrines of Scripture, the pressure of persecution is increasing. "These are old fogies," says society, "out of touch with reality, dinosaurs," and are condemned more and more by the apostate world.

Hatred for true Christian beliefs is growing at an alarming pace. True Christianity is no longer the norm in this country I once knew. It is no longer kind or acceptable to those of Christ, but mocks all and hates all we uphold for our Savior and Lord. If the Rapture were to occur today, many would be glad to see or hear of us no more. We are like a splinter in their finger that would be better removed.

"But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God-- having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them. They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over weak-willed women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth." (2 Timothy 3:1-7 NIV)

Wow! Since these earmarks that Paul mentions are ALL prevalent today, I can't imagine their intensity during the Tribulation. Any true Christian with but a mere ounce of Biblical sense can surely see all of these types in our society today. If you can't spot every single one of these in abundance, God help you.

Having so many years to look back on (born in 1947) I can very easily see a sharp decline in human behavior and acceptance toward anything of God. The rise of evil over these years is astounding. Has evil existed before? Of course it has, but not with the degree of today. It isn't just a blemish here and there. This world is literally saturated with these that Paul speaks.

Could this be an indication that the time is near for the Bridegroom to come? It could be. We'll have to wait and see, but let us be ready.

Since the reality of Psalms 83 may be prior to Ezekiel 38-39, it is obvious that the nations are formed and ready to go. One would think that in regards to Psalms 83 the soldiers are mounting their horses. In regards to Ezekiel 38-39, could it be the national leaders are sniffing the wind? Could these two prophecies be one and the same? Some would argue they are, while others would say they are not. One thing is sure. Only a fool would say we are living in peaceful times and ignore the clear warning of Scripture.

In our own country we have been provided a preview of one who has given us an indication of the Antichrist personality. When the Antichrist does come upon the world scene, after the Church is gone, he will be a megalomaniacal narcissistic egotist. I used to have a problem thinking that people would actually be stupid enough to follow the Antichrist. Now I don't. I've seen with my own eyes, how people can be duped by Satan to follow just about anyone.

The sad part is that with every generation, each generation is more acceptable of the sinfulness that abounds on this earth than the generation just prior to it. As an example, with each passing generation homosexuality is accepted more and more. The world is becoming more and more corrupt.

We, society, are as they were in the days of Noah and in the days of Lot. We live our lives as unto our own greed and entertain no thought of God, unless it is negative. We hate all that is good, and dive head first into every distraction that will damn our souls to hell.

We, the Church, ask, "How much longer O Lord?" Could He be saying, "It won't be long now, the cup of their iniquities is almost full."

"... Even so, come Lord Jesus." (Revelation 22:20 NIV)

Grant Phillips

Email grantphillips@windstream.net

Pre-Rapture Commentary http://grant-phillips.blogspot.com  

Rapture Ready http://www.raptureready.com/featured/phillips/phillips.html