Will the Interfaith Movement Lead to Peace or Sudden Destruction?

By COGwriter

The United Nations has called for interfaith understanding and cooperation. Pope Francis has called for interfaith understanding. As US President, Barack Obama also endorsed this. Few people realize how fast the interfaith movement is moving and how much support it has.  

Will this lead to lasting peace or a time of sudden destruction?

While some Catholics (Roman and Eastern Orthodox) and Protestants (including Anglicans) are divided about this, the Continuing Church of God is not. This article will explain some of what has been happening with the interfaith movement as well as what the Bible and other prophecies say about it. (An online sermon video is available: Will the Interfaith Movement lead to World War III? as is a sermonette video of related interest: Do You Know That Babylon is Forming?)

Interfaith vs. Ecumenical Movements

The interfaith movement is one in which seems to have as its goal, the idea that all religions are basically equal.

This is something that Christianity has not historically endorsed as it is in opposition with the New Testament:

8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, "Rulers of the people and elders of Israel: 9 If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, 10 let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. 11 This is the 'stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.' 12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." ( Acts 4:8-12).

The interfaith movement DOES NOT TEACH that it is only the name of Jesus whereby humans can be saved. Yet, many who consider themselves believers of Christianity have been publicly supportive of it.

The ecumenical movement is one in which various ones who profess to believe in Christianity wish to recognize those outside of their own group (Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Lutheran, Baptist, etc.) as not only Christian, but that their relevant ceremonies, liturgies, ordinations, baptisms, etc. are also essentially co-equal. Certain Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Lutheran, and Evangelical leaders have endorsed this, yet others have raised strong objections to it (see Why Should American Catholics Fear Unity with the Orthodox? and Beware: Protestants Going Towards Ecumenical Destruction!).

This article will mainly focus on the interfaith movement, though various ecumenical movement quotes will also be included as relevant as many consider ecumenism part of the interfaith movement.

Notice something related to a bimonthly interfaith assembly:

When FaithHouse Manhattan has its twice-monthly interfaith gatherings, the guest list is a carnival of religious belief and creed.

An Islamic Sufi dervish greets you at the door, but the program director, an Episcopalian, makes the announcements. A rabbi, a female Muslim and a Seventh-day Adventist share leadership of the meeting.

The night’s program at FaithHouse, in a posh office just off Fifth Avenue, was the Jewish holiday of Purim. Oranges, nuts, apricots and hamentaschen, a Jewish holiday pastry, were offered as snacks. Participants put on costumes to act out the biblical story of Esther.

“People who have a hunger for religious experience can have a taste of it here,” said Samir Selmanovic, the Adventist co-leader. Born in Croatia to a Muslim father and a Catholic mother, he helped found FaithHouse 18 months ago. Then he wrote a book, “It’s All About God: Reflections of a Muslim Atheist Jewish Christian,” on the plethora of religions that Americans are increasingly sampling.

FaithHouse is probably the only multireligious church in the country, but its jumble of faiths and practices is becoming less unusual in today’s religious marketplace.

In a world in which sectarian divisions fuel some of the most violent and dangerous confrontations, the interfaith movement — once thought as irrelevant — has emerged as a force in American religion like never before.

The movement has made for some unlikely bedfellows, such as an emerging think tank for Jews and Mormons in Salt Lake City.

It involves unlikely alliances, such as when one of the most conservative Christian pro-life groups staged a news conference on Capitol Hill in September applauding a Muslim prayer service on the Mall.

It involves unlikely allies, such as leading Christian “emergent” leader Brian McLaren, who was roundly criticized during Ramadan last year when he fasted the entire month out of solidarity with Muslims.

It involves unlikely support, such as that offered by the Obama White House, which has identified interfaith work as a public policy goal. ...

Some of the biggest movers and shakers in the interfaith movement are governments in Muslim states: Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Kazakhstan.

Heads — or former heads — of state are likewise involved. Soon after British Prime Minister Tony Blair retired, he founded an interfaith foundation in London to “promote respect and understanding about the world’s major religions and show how faith is a powerful force for good in the modern world.” http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/apr/05/interfaith-movement-gains-new-strength/#ixzz39wuzyqHA

This mixture is certainly not Christian, but is interfaith. Notice something specifically from Barack Obama:

February 6, 2014

Obama said Thursday at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C. “In contrast to those who wield religion to divide us, lets do more to nurture the dialogue between faiths.”  http://www.cbsnews.com/news/obama-lets-nurture-the-dialogue-between-faiths/

Although communications without war can be helpful, Barack Obama and others want to nurture more than just dialogue--they want to promote an interfaith agenda.

United Nations Endorsement

Some in the United Nations believe that a successful interfaith dialog will lead to peace. Because of this, some of its top leaders have endorsed the ecumenical interfaith agenda:

Secretary-General, at New York Ecumenical Service, Stresses Special Role of Religious Leaders as Standard-bearers of Reason, Respect

Following are UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s remarks at the Church of the Holy Family in New York…:…

Whether priest or lama, rabbi or imam, you are all standard-bearers of reason and respect within and among religious traditions.

People everywhere look to religious leaders for guidance, support and direction.  We need religious leaders in all parts of the world to help lead the way in promoting tolerance, seeking forgiveness, healing divisions and building mutual understanding and mutual respect.  This pursuit is rooted in all faith traditions and it is needed now more than ever.  We need voices of moderation and calm everywhere to make themselves heard…

Almost 50 years ago, Pope Paul VI delivered a sermon here at this very ecumenical service.  He said, “The work of peace is not restricted to one religious belief, it is the work and duty of every human person, regardless of…religious conviction.”

That remains our mission — our obligation — and our calling.  Lastly, I sincerely hope that under the leadership of the President of the General Assembly, Vuk Jeremić, we will be united and able to address all the challenges we are facing.  Let us strive together to advance our common humanity and shared future.  http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2012/sgsm14516.doc.htm

Faith-based Organizations Can Help Deliver United Nations Message for Renewed Cooperation to Tackle Climate Change, Other Crises, Secretary-General Says

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message, delivered by Under-Secretary-General Vijay Nambiar, Chef de Cabinet, to the Ninth Annual Orthodox Prayer Service for the United Nations Community, presided over by His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, in New York, today, 26 October:

I send greetings to His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, and to all the participants in this annual prayer service.

As a secular organization, the United Nations has no common religion.  But as humanitarians we, too, like all major faiths, work on behalf of the weak, the disadvantaged, and those who are vulnerable to violence, disease and disaster.  And we share the same ethical foundation:  a belief in the inherent dignity of all individuals.

If ever there were a time for unity among religions and peoples, it is now.  We must be united in purpose, united in action…

Let us work together for a safer, healthier more equitable future for all.  http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2009/sgsm12567.doc.htm

The fact that some in the United Nations also seems to share Pope Francis’ views on wealth distribution (e.g. Pope Francis speaks against current economic order and proposes changes) suggests that there may be some cooperation on that topic, as well as Pope Francis' interfaith agenda.

Notice something related to the then head of the United Nations:

July 17, 2017

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, a practicing Roman Catholic with a deep Christian faith, has addressed the faith community in New York on how it can help in combatting the violent extremism of groups claiming religion is their motivation.

"I firmly believe in the power of faith leaders to shape our world for good," he said.

Guterres spoke at the launch of the Plan of Action for Religious Leaders and Actors to Prevent Incitement to Violence that Could Lead to Atrocity Crimes throught the initiative known as the Fez Plan on July 14.

"The Fez Plan of Action is the product of two years of consultations, led by my Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide. It involved religious leaders representing different faiths around the world, as well as faith based organizations and many others," said Guterres.

"I would like to pay tribute to the critical role of many partners, and in particular KAICIID, the Network for Religious and Traditional Peacemakers and the World Council of Churches." http://www.ecumenicalnews.com/article/voice-and-authority-of-religion-is-key-in-fight-against-extremism-says-un-chief/60381.htm

So, the head of the UN was endorsing interfaith matters and the World Council of Churches.

Therefore we see that it is not just ecumenical dialogue between professors of Christianity that some in the Vatican and UN want, they also want an inter-faith acceptance and cooperation. While cooperation can be good, my concerns is that this may lead to a final Babylonian type cooperation (cf. Genesis 11:1-9)–like the type Bible warns will happen in the end times (Revelation 17, 18).

While the United Nations is considered to be a worldly secular organization, its endorsing of the interfaith movement also indicates that there is a political agenda to it.

For more information on the UN, see United Nations: Humankind's Last Hope or New World Order?; and/or watch a related video titled United Nations and Vatican Are Planning the New World Order.

The Vatican Endorses It

Zenit, a pro-Vatican news agency, reported the following:

May 07, 2014

In an interview published Wednesday, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon has said the United Nations and the Holy See have the “same goals and ideas”.

The UN chief, who is to meet Pope Francis on Friday, said he was grateful to be able to meet the Holy Father for a second time (the two first met in April last year). This year, he noted they will meet “in the context” of a summit of heads of UN agencies taking place this week in Rome.

“I thank him for the time that he will dedicate to us,” he said, according to the Italian newspaper Il Velino. “The United Nations and the Holy See have the same goals and the same ideas,” he added.  http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/ban-ki-moon-says-un-and-holy-see-have-same-goals-and-ideas

So, the United Nation's top leader has publicly stated that he endorses the same goals and ideas as the Vatican.

What are those goals and ideas?

Well, to change the world's economic system and have a one-world religion dominated by Rome!

This has long been the goal of many Catholic (Roman and even Eastern Orthodox) leaders. Notice a few predictions of this:

St. Bridget (14th century): Before Antichrist comes, the portals of Faith will be opened to great numbers of pagans (Birch, DA. Trial, Tribulation & Triumph: Before During and After Antichrist. Queenship Publishing Company, Goleta (CA), 1996, p. 449)

Venerable Magdalene Porzat (died 1850) (Great Monarch)...shall...restore to their dominions the legitimate kings. A just and pious man born in Galacia shall be the Supreme Pontiff: then the whole world will be united and prosperous. One faith only and one emperor shall reign over the whole earth (Connor, Edward. Prophecy for Today. Imprimatur + A.J. Willinger, Bishop of Monterey-Fresno; Reprint: Tan Books and Publishers, Rockford (IL), 1984, p. 38).

Elizabeth Canori-Mora (died 1825):...Such is the glorious triumph reserved for the Catholic Church; she shall be praised, honored and esteemed by all men. All men shall become Catholics, and shall acknowledge the Pope as Vicar of Jesus Christ." (Connor,  p.24).

Alphonse Eppinger (1867): "After God has purified the world faith and peace will return. Whole nations will adhere to the teachings of the Catholic Church." (Connor, p.25)

According to an Eastern Orthodox, Byzantine, prophet the final (the Orthodox recognize seven previous ones) ecumenical synod council satisfies what “heretics” want:

Saint Neilos the Myrrh-Gusher (died 1592): During that time the Eighth and last Ecumenical Synod will take place, which will satisfy the contentions of the heretics…(Tzima Otto, p. 111).

By satisfying “heretics”, clearly this council compromises and changes the religion, which will be called “Catholic.” 

It was announced that the Eastern Orthodox called for such an Ecumenical Council in 2016 (Afanasieva D, Heneghan T. Orthodox Patriarchs urge peace in Ukraine, agree on council! (Ecumenical News, March 10, 2014. http://www.ecumenicalnews.com/article/orthodox-patriarchs-urge-peace-in-ukraine-agree-on-council-22801; see Orthodox agree to eighth ecumenical council: If Orthodox prophecy is correct on it, this council marks a major step towards the end!). But then that was changed.

Now there are other possible meetings/synods that could accomplish this goal of unity. Pope Francis and Patriarch Bartholomew, for example, have called for a meeting in Nicea in 2025 to commemorate the 1700 year anniversary of Emperor Constantine's first Council of Nicea in 325 which helped change/define some of the doctrines and practices of the Roman and Orthodox Catholics in the fourth century (other councils did as well). Some details about the 325 and 2025 meetings are in the news post titled Ecumenical meeting in Nicea planned for 2025: What happened in 325 and what could happen in/by 2025?

As far as Emperor Constantine goes, here is something about him from The Catholic Encyclopedia:

Constantine the Great… Constantine can rightfully claim the title of Great, for he turned the history of the world into a new course and made Christianity...the religion of the State… it is easy to understand that many of the emperors yielded to the delusion that they could unite all their subjects in the adoration of the one sun-god who combined in himself the Father-God of the Christians and the much-worshipped Mithras; thus the empire could be founded anew on unity of religion. Even Constantine…cherished this mistaken belief… Could not Sol Deus Invictus, to whom even Constantine dedicated his coins for a long time, or Sol Mithras Deus Invictus, venerated by Diocletian and Galerius, become the supreme god of the empire?  Constantine may have pondered over this. Nor had he absolutely rejected the thought even after a miraculous event had strongly influenced him in favour of the God of the Christians... It is true that the believers in Mithras also observed Sunday as well as Christmas. Consequently Constantine speaks not of the day of the Lord, but of the everlasting day of the sun.  (Herbermann C., Georg Gp. Constantine the Great. The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 4. Nihil Obstat. Remy Lafort, Censor. Imprimatur. +John M. Farley, Archbishop of New York.  New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1908).

Constantine had an interfaith agenda and ending up coming Mithraism with a profession of Christianity (see also Do You Practice Mithraism?)--he used a council to get some of that accomplished and state pressure for other aspects of his interfaith/political unity project. He started off by encouraging soldiers to put crosses (see also What is the Origin of the Cross as a 'Christian' Symbol?) on their shields and fight--these soldiers were NOT Christian (see also Military Service and the Churches of God: Do Real Christians Participate in Carnal Warfare or Encourage Violence?).  After winning the battle of Milvian Bridge and improperly claiming he saw Jesus, he then (combined with political and economic pressure) was able to get the Greco-Roman faiths to accept his views of participation in carnal warfare.

Now also notice the following Roman Catholic prophecy:

Venerable Bartholomew Holzhauser (17th century): …there will be an ecumenical council which will be the greatest of all councils by the power of the Great Monarch, and by the authority of the Holy Pontiff, and by the union of the most devout princes, atheism and every heresy will be banished from the earth.  The Council will…be believed and accepted by everyone (Dupont, Yves. Catholic Prophecy: The Coming Chastisement. TAN Books, Rockford (IL), 1973, p. 40).

So, two groups, that claim, in total, to represent about 1.8 billion people have prophesies that a council will resolve ecumenical differences and apparently a one-world religion will be accepted by virtually everyone. The Bible warns about something like this (Revelation 13:4,8). As far as the Great Monarch goes, he will outwardly support a modified Roman Catholic religion (cf. Daniel 11:37; Revelation 13:1-10), but will not really believe it and will work to change it as his pushes a different faith.

In the 21st century, Pope Francis has taken this interfaith movement further than other pontiffs by endorsing the idea that atheists can be saved without accepting Christ and by having an interfaith prayer service in the Vatican:

May 24, 2013

Pope Francis has sparked a religious debate with comments made earlier this week confirming atheists can indeed go to heaven.

Christian teaching generally holds that belief in Jesus, and not good deeds, grants eternal life.

But the pope, in a morning Mass on Wednesday, suggested that belief and faith weren’t the biggest factors. He said, CNN reported: “The Lord has redeemed all of us, all of us, with the Blood of Christ — all of us, not just Catholics. Everyone. ‘Father, the atheists?’ Even the atheists. Everyone. We must meet one another doing good. ‘But I don’t believe, Father, I am an atheist.’ But do good: We will meet one another there.” http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/may/24/pope-francis-suggests-atheists-good-deeds-gets-the/#ixzz2UFEV7VRj

Some Protestants Are Endorsing This

In 1999, the Lutherans reached an agreement with the Catholics of Rome on one of their most contentious differences. Ecumenical dialogue between these groups have continued, and both have participated in a variety of interfaith discussions.

Other Protestants have started to accept more of the ecumenical concept, at least.

The Pentecostals have been working with the Vatican for years. Pope Francis actually spoke before them in 2014 and invited them to hold a major conference that they plan to hold in 2017 to celebrate their Jubilee at the Vatican itself (see Pope Francis speaks of ecumenism to 52,000 Pentecostals and others).

In 2014, Charismatic Kenneth Copeland agreed to to the Pope's agenda and apparently considers that he and his followers are now in some type of unity with the Church of Rome (see Protestant endorsement of the ecumenical agenda: Kenneth Copeland do you not understand? and/or watch Charismatic Kenneth Copeland and Anglican Tony Palmer: Protestants Beware!).

Also in 2014, televangelist Joel Osteen seemed to endorse the ecumenical and possibly parts of the interfaith agenda as well when he visited Vatican City (see Beware: Protestants Going Towards Ecumenical Destruction!).

There are about 1/2 billion Protestants.

False Ten Commandments and False Repentance

Notice the following from the Spring of 2022 from Ecumenical News and the World Council of Churches News related to the Evangelical Church of Germany:

German church publishes 10 commandments for the digital age

The guidance put out by the EKD as the main Protestant denomination in Germany is known is based on the insights of the Ten Commandments in the Bible, one of the world’s best known set of guiding principles.

The publication – Digital Freedom: The Ten Commandments in Times of Digital Change – is structured around 10 sections.

Each takes one of the Ten Commandments, exploring its insights for understanding the opportunities and dangers of digital technologies. …

The Ten Commandments in Times of Digital Change:

1. Protect and live out freedom as God’s creatures in the digital realm.

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. (Ex. 20: 2-3)

2. Understand how the worlds of digital images shape identity and solidarity.

Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing . . . (Ex. 20: 4)

3. Be aware of the options for religious communication in the digital world.

Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain . . . (Ex. 20: 7)

4. Give (digital) life a wholesome rhythm.

Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. (Ex. 20:8)

5. Make inter-generational relations more equitable digitally.

Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. (Ex. 20: 12)

6. Stop digitalized violence.

Thou shalt not kill. (Ex. 20: 13)

7. Give space for freedom and respect in intimate relationships in the digital sphere.

Thou shalt not commit adultery. (Ex. 20: 14)

8. Encourage just participation in the digital economy.

Thou shalt not steal. (Ex. 20: 15)

9. Promote truthfulness in the digital world.

Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. (Ex. 20: 16)

10. Beware of covetousness in digital space.

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbor’s. (Ex. 20: 17). 05/02/21 https://www.ecumenicalnews.com/article/german-church-publishes-10-commandments-for-the-digital-age/60865.htm

German Protestant Church Publishes 10 Commandments for the Digital Age

by WCC News

As digital technologies permeate almost all areas of life, changing the way people live, work and relate to one another, a new publication by the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) offers guidance on dealing with the digital world based on the insights of the biblical Ten Commandments. …

The EKD brings together Germany’s main regional Protestant churches. It is one of the co-organizers of an international symposium on “Communication for Social Justice in the Digital Age” in September, being jointly hosted by the World Council of Churches and the World Association for Christian Communication (WACC). 04/22/21 https://um-insight.net/in-the-world/advocating-justice/german-protestant-church-publishes-10-commandments-for-the-d/

Israel365 News reported the following:

Religious leaders gather in Sinai to receive “Climate Justice Ten Commandments”

November 7, 2022

Religious leaders gather in Sinai to receive “Climate Justice Ten Commandments” …

Some 40,000 attendees have flocked to the Sinai Desert including over 100 world leaders as well as leaders in business and other sectors. Christian, Muslim, Jewish, and other religious figures will participate in the conference since for a UN conference on climate change that is taking place this week. In conjunction with the UN event, a group of faith leaders are taking an alternative approach, seeking a faith-based solution to the ecological crisis by receiving the “Climate Justice Ten Commandments” in a global initiative.

The multifaith event – led by the Interfaith Center for Sustainable Development – is part of the 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27), which is taking place in the Sinai Peninsula, in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt from November 6-18.

According to the Interfaith Center, the location of COP27 is especially meaningful because the Sinai Desert is “a place of revelation in the collective consciousness of Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and others. It is a site for turning to God and receiving God’s message,” as they explained in a press release.

On Sunday, the organization will hold a “Climate Repentance Ceremony” and “put forth a prophetic interreligious call to action.” This call will take the form of a “Climate Justice: Ten Universal Commandments.”  …

A small group of faith leaders will be allowed to hold a Universal Ten Commandments and repentance ceremony at Jabal Musa as originally planned.

Concurrent faith-based events will be held at Mt. Abu India, Rishikesh in the Himalayas, New York City, Ecuador, Germany, Vienna, Salt Lake City, Mount St. Francis in Indiana, and Australia, joining faith leaders from many denominations including Judaism, various sects of Christianity, Catholicism, Brahmin, Church of the Latter Day Saints, and others. https://israel365news.com/358681/religious-leaders-gather-in-sinai-to-receive-climate-justice-ten-commandments/

Related to COP 27, the solution to climate change, and this upcoming interreligious ‘Repentance Ceremony,’ we uploaded our latest video on our Bible News Prophecy YouTube channel, the audio portion of which was sent for broadcast on the European Gospel Radio station AM 1323 kHz tonight  21:30-21:45 CET (European Central Time) (as well as WRMI shortwave late last night):

14:42

COP 27 and Solving Climate Change

The dates for the United Nations Climate Change meeting called COP 27 are November 6th through 18th, 2022. During that time, on November 13, 2022, a ‘Chrislam’ type group composed of leaders from the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Protestant, Islamic, Buddhist, Hindu, and other faiths associated with the Interfaith Center for Sustainable Development and the Elijah Interfaith Institute are making what they titled ‘A Prophetic Call for Climate Justice’ and are having a ‘Ceremony of Repentance’ on what is referred to as Mount Sinai, in Egypt. Do this sound Gaia, mother goddess worship? Are Christians supposed to have religious ceremonies with pagans? What did the Apostle Paul write? What did Jesus say would happen to the earth? Are humans, apart from God, going to solve climate problems before Jesus returns? Is there any type of false gospel associated with aspects of the climate change movement? Would obeying God solve the issues of pollution and climate change? What about the good news, the gospel of the Kingdom of God? Does the Bible have the solution to pollution? Does the Bible have the answer to solving climate change? Dr Thiel and Steve Dupuie discuss these issues.

Here is a link to our video: COP 27 and Solving Climate Change.

Newsweek put out the following list Yosef I. Abramowitz who is part of the group sponsoring the climate repentance ceremony:

August 25, 2022

A group of us, under the auspices of the Interfaith Center for Sustainable Development and the Elijah Interfaith Institute, recently came together at Mount Sinai to envision what message of hope and transformation religions can offer to humanity as we grapple with the challenges of climate justice. One of the ideas was returning to the 10 commandments, given at Sinai. While not set in stone, here’s my version (with a little bit of help from my friends):

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Acknowledge a Higher Power

Like in Alcoholics Anonymous, the first commandment is to acknowledge, with humility, that we are partners with and subservient to the Creator.

Vote Climate …

Do Not Murder

Since we know that millions of people—usually the poorest and indigenous—will die and suffer from the effects of extreme heat and cold, wild-fires, rising sea levels, and super-charged storms, why doesn’t the business-as-usual approach of most leaders make them accessories to murder?

Do Not Steal

“Climate change is robbing our future,” says Gili Berkovitz, …

Do Not Bear False Witness

There are sins of omission—politicians not telling the truth about the real and immediate dangers of climate change; and there are sins of commission—the same leaders at the annual world climate conference, COP 27, who are approving new drilling and pipeline licenses. …

Keep the Sabbath

Emissions are down 30 percent over the sabbath every week in Israel and are almost zeroed out on Yom Kippur (the Jewish Day of Atonement, the holiest of the year). A global weekly non-carbon day of rest could reduce emissions of the world by a seventh, and can be observed by different faith communities on different days.

You Shall Innovate …

Technology can accelerate decarbonization; collaboration can accelerate implementation.

Honor Mother Earth

Kristina Greer, 15, from California says that climate change is a form of arson against the very home that nurtures our lives and that of all living creatures.

You Need Not Covet …

Do Not Continue to be Hoodwinked

Oil and gas companies and disingenuous leaders want you to believe that reducing your carbon footprint through individual action is the key. Yet Alan Divack teaches we must not place the burden of solving climate change on individual action. https://www.newsweek.com/our-sin-emissions-101-climate-commandments-opinion-1736640

The above list is a mixture of evil and some good. It is, thus, a false and blasphemous list.

But many in the ecumenical and interfaith movements keep want to push a non-biblical list of the Ten Commandments.

Supports the LGBTQ Agenda

One of the other effects of the interfaith movement is its blatant acceptance of the anti-biblical LGBTQ+ agenda.

Notice the following:

LGBT conversion therapy: Religious leaders call for ban to 'abhorrent' practice

18 December 2020

Over 300 religious leaders have called for a worldwide clampdown on conversion therapy for LGBT+ people.

"We recognize with sadness that certain religious teachings have often, throughout the ages, caused and continue to cause deep pain and offense to those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex."

This was a rare admission from members of the clergy, but that is one of the key statements in a declaration signed by 370 interfaith religious leaders from around the world.

They came together this week for a conference calling for a global ban on the practice of "conversion therapy" — the practice by which LGBT+ people are subjected to psychological or physical efforts to "cure" them of their sexual or gender identity. It is based on the belief that cisgender heterosexuality is the norm and anything else is an illness or abnormality — a belief that the World Health Organization (WHO) has rejected.

Among the signatories to the declaration organized by the UK's Ozanne Foundation were high-ranking representatives of Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist and Sikh faiths, including South African former archbishop and Nobel Peace Prize winner Desmond Tutu, and England's Bishop of Liverpool. ...

UK ... Prime Minister Boris Johnson described the practice as "abhorrent." https://www.dw.com/en/lgbt-conversion-therapy-religious-leaders-call-for-ban-to-abhorrent-practice/a-55976691

At risk of repeat, notice the following:

4 Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. (James 4:4)

No, the World Health Organization is NOT the standard.

For Christians it should be the Bible.

Homosexual acts are clearly prohibited in the Bible:

22 You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination.  (Leviticus 18:22)

13 If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. (Leviticus 20:13)

9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-10)

22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man — and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.

24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, 25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. 27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.

28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, 30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; 32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them. (Romans 1:22-32)

The Bible teaches that homosexuality is wrong and is dangerous.  Early Christian leaders, like Polycarp of Smyrna and Melito of Sardis, also condemned illicit sexual behaviors including homosexuality:

Knowing, then, that "God is not mocked," we ought to walk worthy of His commandment and glory ...For it is well that they should be cut off from the lusts that are in the world, since "every lust warreth against the spirit; " and "neither fornicators, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, shall inherit the kingdom of God," nor those who do things inconsistent and unbecoming (Polycarp. Letter to the Philippians, Chapter V. From Ante-Nicene Fathers, Volume 1as edited by Alexander Roberts & James Donaldson. American Edition, 1885).

53. But in addition to this there were to be found among men many things still more monstrous and terrifying and brutal: father cohabits with his child, and son and with his mother, and brother with sister, and male with male, and each man lusting after the wife of his neighbor. (Melito's Homily on the Passover)

Real Christianity does not condone homosexuality.

Many, if not most, transgender people ‘cross-dress’ and that is condemned as an abomination in the Bible:

5 A woman shall not wear anything that pertains to a man, nor shall a man put on a woman’s garment, for all who do so are an abomination to the Lord your God. (Deuteronomy 22:5)

The Bible clearly condemns cross-dressing. The Bible also condemns males acting effeminate:

9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-10, KJV)

Males are not to act like they are female, nor females like males.

What about conversion therapy?

Well, banning it limits freedom of choice.

Furthermore, the Bible teaches that homosexuals can change:

18 Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's. (1 Corinthians 6:18-20)

9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-11)

5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. 7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8 But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. (Colossians 3:5-10, NIV)

But in this age, many who claim to be biblically minded, do not believe that.

But they should.

Notice the following:

14 'But if you do not obey Me, and do not observe all these commandments,
15 and if you despise My statutes, or if your soul abhors My judgments, so that you do not perform all My commandments, but break My covenant,
16 I also will do this to you:
I will even appoint terror over you, wasting disease and fever which shall consume the eyes and cause sorrow of heart. (Leviticus 26:14-16)

We have seen terror and a waste causing disease (COVID)--but a more totalitarian form of terror is coming (Revelation 13)--and the interfaith movement is inadvertantly pushing towards it.

The interfaith movement clearly abhors God's judgments, despises the word of God, and His standards of morality.

Many Falsely Believe the Movement Will Bring Peace

The interfaith movement postures itself as a group that wants peace. Notice, for example, the following:

20 September 2016

ROME (JTA) – Pope Francis participated in the concluding events of a three-day interreligious conference in Italy that drew more than 450 Jewish, Muslim, Christian, and other religious leaders from around the world.

The pope flew by helicopter to Assisi, in central Italy, on Tuesday for the final day of “Thirst for Peace: Religions and Cultures in Dialogue,” a conference organized by the St. Egidio community, a Catholic charitable organization dealing with social and interfaith issues.

The conference marked the 30th anniversary of the first such interfaith “World Day of Prayer for Peace” held in Assisi under the auspices of Pope John Paul II. Assisi was the home of St. Francis, in whose honor the current pope chose his official name. http://forward.com/news/breaking-news/350331/pope-francis-joins-450-rabbis-priests-and-imams-at-interfaith-conference/

The interfaith leaders do not know the way of peace. Their ignorance is consistent with the following written by the prophet Isaiah:

8 The way of peace they have not known,
And there is no justice in their ways;
They have made themselves crooked paths;
Whoever takes that way shall not know peace. (Isaiah 59:8)

The interfaith movement is based upon a crooked path as it does NOT hold to the necessity of Jesus to salvation (Acts 4:10-12) nor does it advocate living according to the way that He and early Christians taught.

The World Council of Churches also falsely believes its ecumenical attempts will bring peace (watch the video: World Council of Churches Peace Plan).

DO NOT FOLLOW THEIR WAYS IF YOU WANT TO KNOW PEACE!

The interfaith movement has many endorsing it:

October 12, 2018

ASTANA – Religious leaders from all the major faiths have signed a declaration in the Kazakhstan capital that to resolve conflicts and ensure stability, they agree to establish dialogue with politicians, international organizations and civil society.

The declaration was made on Oct. 11, the final of the two-day long Sixth Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions that gathered more than 80 delegations in Astana where officials increasingly look to the city as a place for peace negotiations.

There were representatives of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Taoism and Zoroastrianism along with representatives of religious and public organizations and high-level officials. ...

"Religion will play the peacebuilding role," said Dmitry Safonov, the executive secretary of the Interfaith Council of Russia. https://www.ecumenicalnews.com/article/in-kazakhstan-global-religious-leaders-agree-faiths-should-be-used-for-peace-and-resolving-conflicts/60613.htm

While peace is a laudable goal, the interfaith movement will essentially end after the battle that takes place after the gathering of Armageddon.

China Seems to be Moving Towards It

It is not just Westerners that are moving this way, even the officially atheistic Chinese have announced some changes that would be consistent with the interfaith movement:

China will create own Christian belief system amid tensions with church, says official

New Chinese theology must suit Chinese culture and values, State Religious Affairs director says

August 7, 2014

China will construct a "Chinese Christian theology" suitable for the country, state media reported on Thursday, as both the number of believers and tensions with the authorities are on the rise...

"Over the past decades, the Protestant churches in China have developed very quickly with the implementation of the country's religious policy," the paper quoted Wang Zuoan, director of the State Administration for Religious Affairs, as saying.

"The construction of Chinese Christian theology should adapt to China's national condition and integrate with Chinese culture."

China's ruling Communist Party is officially atheistic and keeps a tight grip on religion for fear it could challenge its grip on power. It requires believers to worship in places approved by the state and under government supervision. http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1568209/china-will-create-own-christian-belief-system-amid-tensions-church-says?_ga=1.240607747.1644229056.1405888383

There has been some limited cooperation between China and the Vatican. Notice:

August 14, 2014

Soon after crossing into Chinese airspace, Pope Francis dispatched a telegram to President Xi. “I extend the best wishes to your excellency and your fellow citizens, and I invoke the divine blessings of peace and well-being upon the nation.”On the face of it, the telegram amounted to little more than diplomatic niceties. The pope traditionally sends a telegram to the governments of the countries he flies over. On the Rome-Seoul flight, he sent no fewer than nine of them, one for each country he traversed.

But the case of China is a special one. The last time a pope traveled to East Asia, when St. John Paul II flew to the Philippines in 1995, Chinese authorities denied permission to fly over their territory, forcing the papal plane into a long detour.

This time, Beijing allowed Pope Francis to fly over China. The gesture is significant, particularly in light of the especially poor state of relations, which have hit a low in recent years after Chinese authorities placed a Catholic bishop under house arrest.

The Vatican has long been anxious to repair relations with Beijing. In its quest to spread the faith in Asia, where Catholicism today represents a tiny slice of the population, China is the big kahuna. Its huge population and the spiritual vacuum left by eroding Communist ideology are a dream for Vatican evangelists.  http://online.wsj.com/articles/pope-francis-sends-message-to-china-in-telegram-from-papal-plane-1407981654

Pope Francis is interested in Korea, China, and all of Asia.  Because of prophecies in the Book of Revelation, I have long suspected that the time for some reconciliations between North and South Korea would take place.  Perhaps Pope Francis, despite North Korea’s actions, will be a factor.

As shown above. a Chinese official stated that China intends to make some provision for the Catholic/Protestant faiths as long as such  a theology integrates the religion with Chinese culture in a manner that is compatible with the country’s socialist beliefs. The timing, coming so close to Pope Francis’ trip, may not be coincidental.

Pope Francis has made many statements that can be considered compatible with socialist beliefs.  That is something the Chinese leadership would tend to like. Notice one made in South Korea:

August 15, 2014

Pope Francis urged greater charity for the poor and lamented growing economic disparities as he beatified 124 Korean martyrs on the third day of his first visit to Asia.

“Their example has much to say to us who live in societies where, alongside immense wealth, dire poverty is silently growing; where the cry of the poor is seldom heeded,” he said today at a mass in downtown Seoul. http://www.businessweek.com/news/2014-08-15/pope-in-seoul-urges-charity-laments-growing-economic-inequality

Because Pope Francis has made a variety of interfaith statements, this may have somewhat soothed China’s concerns about him and his agenda.

While in Asia, Pope Francis told his bishops to be more sensitive to local cultures and urged places like China to be on better terms with the Vatican:

August 17, 2014

Pope Francis has urged bishops from around Asia to listen to people of different cultures but still remain true to their own Catholic identity.

In a meeting with 60 bishops Sunday at South Korea's Haemi Martyrdom Holy Ground in North Chungcheong Province, Francis urged countries like China and North Korea to foster a proper dialogue with the Vatican. ...

The pope said that the Roman Catholic Church is committed to dialogue with everyone in the spirit of openness to others. ...

In his homily Saturday before a crowd of hundreds of thousands at Seoul's Gwanghwamun Gate, Francis again denounced the growing gap between the rich and poor. It was a theme the pope has been repeating since his arrival in South Korea on Thursday.

On Friday, Pope Francis urged nearly 50,000 South Korean youths, to renounce the materialism that afflicts much of Asia and reject what he called "inhuman" economic systems that disenfranchise the poor. ...

As his plane flew over Chinese airspace, Pope Francis sent a message to President Xi Jinping offering "divine blessings of peace and well-being upon the nation." http://www.voanews.com/content/pope-beatifies-korean-martyrs/2415493.html

Notice that Pope Francis made another economic appeal that the leaders in China would like. Is this a coincidence or part of a strategy?

As far as strategy goes, some may think by proclaiming that they need to be true to their Catholic roots that Pope Francis is really saying not to compromise. That is not the case. Catholic holidays such as Christmas (originally for the pagan god Saturn), Easter (named after the goddess Ishtar), Halloween, (originally honoring the Celt Samain and/or the Aryan God of Death called the Samana), Day of the Dead (originally for the goddess Mictecacihuatl), Valentine's Day (originally a sexual lottery holiday to honor the god Faunus), and the Assumption of Mary (originally part of a ceremony honoring the goddess Diana) ALL WERE PAGAN HOLIDAYS. The Church of Rome decided to compromise and adopt them to assist the assimilation of local cultures. What Pope Francis is really saying is that the bishops need to better figure out any way to get less governmental and societal objections while still maintaining certain outward appearances of Roman Catholicism. This has been the case throughout the history of the Church of Rome.

The Pope made another appeal to the Chinese in an interview on August 18, 2014:

We respect the Chinese people.  The Church only asks for liberty  for its task, for its work.  There’s no other condition.

Then we should not forget that fundamental letter for the Chinese problems which was the one sent to the Chinese by Pope Benedict XVI. This letter is actual (relevant) today. It is actual. It’s good to re-read it.

The Holy See is always open to contacts Always. Because it has a true esteem for the Chinese people.  http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/vatican-approved-transcript-of-pope-francis-airborne-press-conference-from-korea

Pope Francis also that day lifted a ban on the beatification of Archbishop Oscar Romero who for years, the Roman Catholic Church had blocked the process because of concerns that he had Marxist ideas. The Pope said he was hoping for a swift beatification process. A coincidence or strategy?

Some comments later came from inside China:

August 24, 2014

VATICAN CITY (RNS) China has reacted cautiously to a bid by Pope Francis to open new dialogue with Beijing...

The Catholic Church in China is divided between an “official” church known as the Catholic Patriotic Association, answerable to the Communist Party, and an underground church that swears allegiance to Rome.

The state-run Catholic Patriotic Association was quick to respond to the pope’s overtures for greater dialogue, albeit with a warning.

“China will always safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity and it never allows foreign forces to interfere with religion. The Vatican should respect China in terms of the personnel of a diocese,” Liu Yuanlong, vice president of the association, told the state-run Global Times in a report also published in English. ...

Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told another state-run outlet, China Daily, that he welcomed the pope’s move, saying Francis had been active in improving Vatican ties with Beijing since he was elected in March 2013.

Zhuo described the 77-year-old Argentine pontiff as “a friend of developing economies” with “special feelings” for people in those countries due to his Latin American origins. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/24/china-pope-francis_n_5696148.html

China wants control, but with some cooperation.

And this was confirmed by a deal made between China and the Vatican in 2018 essentially giving China control over bishop appointments (see Vatican announces deal with China on bishop appointments).

The reasons that China tends to want to cooperate with the Vatican include increased international political influence as well as having other ways to influence its own people.

In Russia, there is a close alliance between the Russian Orthodox and the government that government officials have found helpful at times when they want people to go in certain directions. The Chinese political leaders tend to believe that if they allow controlled religion, that they can better eliminate minority faiths that are most likely to be critical of the government.

The Pope wants China as part of his interfaith agenda, so both sides expect to benefit.

China itself has writings that indicate that it will follow a Western faith for a time.  The following come from the Tang Dynasty (June 18, 618 – June 4, 907) that seems to support the concept of pan-Asian religious cooperation (although it only mentions three nations) after someone (who is apparently not really trustworthy) rises up in the West:

Beautiful people come from the West. Korea, China and Japan are gradually at peace (Pui-Hua R.  Ancient Chinese Prophecies Till the End of the World.  AuthorHouse, Bloomington (IN), 2008, p. 85).

All negative forces are subservient…China now has a saint.  Even if he is not that great a hero (ibid, p. 89).

The beautiful people may be the Beast and his false prophet which apparently will impress peoples in places including Asia. The “saint,” who is not that great, will likely be “the false prophet,” the final Antichrist (see also Some Doctrines of Antichrist).  I believe that Vatican efforts, combined with ancient Chinese writings and modern politics, along with signs and lying wonders (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12, will be factors in getting the Chinese and others to cooperate, for a time, with the rising Beast power.

The very fact that China may be open to some Catholic/Protestant ideas in with its government indicates that China is heading towards the temporary acceptance of the coming one-world religion of the Beast.

Catholic prophecies tell of a time many will come into their final faith. The following one mentions China:

Bl. Anna-Maria Taigi (19th century). Whole nations will come back to the Church and the face of the earth will be renewed. Russia, England, and China will come into the Church. (Dupont, p.45)

There are about 1 1/2 billion Chinese.

What About India and Other Parts of Asia?

Pope Francis went to Asia to try to reach the Asians:

August 11, 2014

VATICAN CITY (AP) — When Pope Francis was a young Jesuit, he wanted to follow in the great Jesuit tradition and become a missionary in Asia. Health problems kept him home, but he is finally getting his chance, travelling to Asia as the world's most visible and popular Catholic missionary. ...

Why Asia? Francis himself has said he must go because Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI never managed to get there during his eight-year pontificate. But more to the point, Asia is the future of the Catholic Church.

Despite being a minority religion in every Asian nation except the Philippines, the Catholic Church baptizes more Catholics in Asia every year than in traditionally Christian Europe, according to Vatican statistics. ...

"The pope wants to refresh the evangelization of Asia, which was a major theme that John Paul II had very much in his heart," said the Rev. Bernardo Cervellera, head of the Vatican-affiliated missionary news agency AsiaNews. "Going to meet the young people of Asia means to go find the future of Asia." http://news.yahoo.com/pope-kicks-off-asia-missionary-boost-skorea-115003461.html

Though he is mainly going to South Korea, people from many Asian countries are expected to come to see him. Perhaps he will make an interfaith statement while there.

It should also be noted that the Hindus and the Buddhists have long been considered believers in interfaith dialog as well as the acceptance of pretty much all religions.

While I was in Bali, Indonesia, which is Hindu dominated, I asked about interfaith dialog with the Vatican. I asked him if he felt it was possible that Hindus would accept some form of Catholicism as certain Catholic prophesied predicted. He essentially told me that if they could move past historical mistrust, he believed such unity of faith was possible.

The following was asked to a Roman Catholic bishop in India:

If Christianity continues to grow and the Christians are teaching that everybody is equal, it is a threat to the caste system. Is it not a reality at some point that the Dalits will say: Why should we be treated differently? We are the same and Christianity teaches us as such. So, in fact the Hindus do have a point that it is a threat to the caste system.

Bishop Nayak: Yes, it is really a threat to the caste system. Why should there be a caste system there, making people less than a cow, less than an animal?

...building up solidarity locally among different groups of different religions will be the first, and to build up the lost trust, to bring back, again that we can live together as we have been living from time immemorial. That will be the first priority. (http://www.zenit.org/article-30328?l=english)

So, the Roman Catholic plan is to work on the trust factor--the very objection a Hindu told me about.

Interestingly, the Hindus have prophecies that suggest that they may take direction from the final warring Beast power of Revelation 13.

A Hindu from India named Vijay Kumar (he refers to himself as "The Man who Realized God In 1993") makes the following claims...:

For the society to climb back to its pristine glory of the golden era... even the meek would handle metal (pick arms). Whatever the poor and the downtrodden lay their hands upon would become their weapon. In the last phase of the Kali Yuga we are passing through... the complete society has been taken to ransom by about 6% corrupt population comprising of politicians, bureaucrats, judiciary and police force…people await with abated breath the coming of Bhagwan Kalki...one who delivers the mankind from the existing ills of today. Bhagwan Kalki would be a spiritual master of the highest order with the deadly combination of a wise dictator (Chanakya of the modern era)...(Kumar, Vijay. End of the World 2012. http://www.godrealized.com/2012.html)

Notice that Vijay Kumar's writings support a warring power—something the Bible warns against in Revelation 13:3–10. This type of warring power will not bring in a true age of peace, even though many may proclaim that it will (cf. Ezekiel 13:10-16; 1 Thessalonians 5:3).

Also notice the following about the Avatar/Bhagwan Kalki:

Whenever there is a withering of the law
and an uprising of lawlessness on all sides,
then I manifest Myself. For the salvation of the righteous
and the destruction of such as do evil,
for the firm establishing of the Law,
I come to birth, age after age.

—Bhagavad Gita, Book IV, Sutra 5, 7, 8…

In all, the Hindu text of Kalki Purana is comprised of 6100 verses describing … Kalki, who is considered the last Avtar or incarnation of Vishnu or the Supreme Being, who will establish the Age of Truth or Age of Purity on Earth.… As agreed by all the religious prophecies, the Awaited One will not be a man of peace like Jesus Christ or Buddha, but a man of war who will destroy evil and establish righteousness on the earth. (Hindu Prophecies: The Kalki Purana. http://ww-iii.tripod.com/hindu.htm)

If views like these become predominant in the future, it may be that they will help lead to Hindus at least temporarily accepting a new religion of the coming False Prophet and the authority of the coming militaristic dictator known as Beast that the Bible warns will rise up at the end. (Thiel B. 2012 and the Rise of the Secret Sect. Nazarene Books, 2009)

Notice that this leader is supposed to be coming and is supposed to be consistent with Hindu, Buddhist, and Christian prophecies. Thus, Hindus are likely to accept one as a major leader who is not truly a Hindu. This appears to be a type of supposed ecumenical leader--the Beast of Revelation 13, who while he will initially probably feign Catholicism, ultimately will betray that faith as well (Daniel 11:36-38; Revelation 17:15-19).

Some of the prophecies involving the Kalki also discuss a "White horse." The Bible warns of a rider of the white horse (the first of the four horsemen of the apocalypse) who is a deceptive religious leader, and at the end representing the False Prophet, the final Antichrist:

1 Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, "Come and see." 2 And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer. (Revelation 6:1-2)

The above rider is generally considered to be the first of the four horseman of the Apocalypse. He will be a false religious leader and the final Antichrist.

Someone (perhaps the False Prophet) Bowing Before the Kalki

Around 1765, the illustration shown above was put together. Notice that it has a person with a white horse who is bowing down before the Kalki. This is consistent with biblical prophecy that the false prophet will try to cause all to worship the Beast of Revelation 13. Other Hindu prophecies have the Kalki himself riding the white horse. The Bible itself shows that the Beast and the False Prophet work together and more so after the final ride of the White Horseman of Revelation 6:2 who goes forth to conquer.

The Catholics have plan for the Hindus which also seems to involve their version of "Mary":

Jaffa, Israel, Aug 2, 2013 / 04:10 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Preparations for the Feast of the Nativity of Mary this September are already underway in the Holy Land, particularly among Indian migrant workers.

“Mother Mary is revered with great devotion by the Indian community as a mother and a spiritual figure of maternal protection,” said Friar Jayaseellan Pitchaimuthu OFM, head of the Indian Chaplaincy in Holy Land.

She is acknowledged as the “protector and patroness” of the Indian Chaplaincy in Holy Land because she is a “model” for the migrants, he told CNA. He noted that the Holy Family took refuge in Egypt for safety and settled for livelihood in Nazareth, and that Jesus carried out his apostolic mission in Judea, Galilee and Jerusalem.

Many Indian Catholic migrant workers “seek grace and invoke (Mary's) motherly protection,” he said...

The friar explained that the Marian feast day is particularly important in the Indian context because of its relation to other faiths.

Members of other religions, including Hindus and Muslims, “regard Marian devotions in esteem,” he said.

Thousands of devotees – both Catholics and non-Catholics – flock every week to the Marian apparition site at Velankanni, near Chennai in South India, and other shines that have recorded various miracles, he said.

In this way, the friar explained, “Marian devotion also leads to a platform for inter-religious dialogue.” (Gonzales AA. Indian migrants in Holy Land prepare for Marian feast. CNA, August 2, 2013. http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/indian-migrants-in-holy-land-prepare-for-marian-feast)

There basically is an ecumenical Catholic plan that expects to use 'Mary' to reach those of Indian heritage. But this is a false gospel (cf. Galatians 1:6-7)

Additionally, perhaps it should be pointed out that Catholic prophecies tell of a time when the Hindus and others of Asia will accept their faith:

Cardinal La Roque (c. 18th century): A regeneration of Faith will appear in Asia (R. Gerald Culleton. The Prophets and Our Times. Nihil Obstat: L. Arvin. Imprimatur: Philip G. Scher, Bishop of Monterey-Fresno, November 15, 1941. Reprint 1974, TAN Books, Rockford (IL), p. 193).

Pope Leo XIII (1893): The Orient, courageously and successfully explored by the Portuguese, is coveted by many today for its lucrative trade. We, however, have a more noble purpose in mind...To take care, therefore, of the preservation and propagation of the Catholic religion among the Hindus, a Hindu clergy has to be formed that could administer the sacraments and govern the Christian people properly, no matter how menacing the times...Be sure that the role of Christianity in such remote regions becomes well known. Make your people understand that something must be done for the Hindus (Leo XIII. AD EXTREMAS ON SEMINARIES FOR NATIVE CLERGY. Encyclical of Pope Leo XIII promulgated on June 24, 1893. http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/leo_xiii/encyclicals/documents/hf_l-xiii_enc_24061893_ad-extremas_en.html viewed 07/19/09).

Yet, this would seem to be the interfaith religion, a changed religion that will call itself Catholic, which means universal.

There are just over 1 billion Hindus. More on how India will be affected by the interfaith movement is in the article India and the Beast of Revelation 13.

Now, despite interfaith talks and the view that all religions and gods are as good as others, the God of the Bible does not agree:

9 Remember the former things of old,
For I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like Me,
10 Declaring the end from the beginning,
And from ancient times things that are not yet done,
Saying, 'My counsel shall stand,
And I will do all My pleasure,' (Isaiah 46:9-10)

There is the true God of the Bible. All other 'gods' are false!

Do NOT believe that all religions are the same. There is one true faith and Christians are to contend for the true apostolic one (Jude 3).

Freemasonry Has Long Seemed to Promote It

From time to time, some have asked about Freemasonry. The following gives some information about that movement:

A man for 1st degree Mason must swear to have his tongue torn out and be cut from ear to ear if he reveals secrets. For 2nd, “ ‘your breast torn open and your heart plucked out.’ . . . Masons talk about friendship, morality and brotherly love and then swear that sort of grisly oath!” More degrees are more gruesome and more secrets given. Most of US founding fathers were Masons. Henry Coil wrote Coil’s Masonic Encyclopedia, accepted as their authoritative source. “Coil says that ‘if Freemasonry is not a religion, nothing would have to be added to make it such, and that the religious service at the funeral of a Mason is evidence enough that Freemasonry is a religion.’ Manly Hall says ‘When the Mason . . . has learned the mystery of his Craft, the seething energies of Lucifer are in his hands.’ (The Lost Keys of Freemasonry p. 48).”

Freemasonry is a worldwide fraternal organization. Its members are joined together by shared ideals of both a moral and metaphysical nature, and, in most of its branches, by a common belief in a Supreme Being. Freemasonry is an esoteric art, in that certain aspects of its internal work are not generally revealed to the public. Masons give numerous reasons for this, one of which is that Freemasonry uses an initiatory system of degrees to explore ethical and philosophical issues, and this system is less effective if the observer knows beforehand what will happen. It often calls itself "a peculiar system of morality veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols." ...

Religious Tolerance

Opinions about Freemasonry around the world may differ from place to place, but Freemasons always stress non-dogmatism and tolerance (albeit often within certain defined limits). This openness has led to friction between Freemasonry and organizations which hold a negative view of ecumenism, or are themselves intolerant towards other forms of belief and worship. Masons have been opposed throughout history by various religious groups, such as some Protestants and certain Muslims.

In general, there are two doctrinal objections to Freemasonry made by established Christian denominations, Catholic and non-Catholic alike:

• The ecumenical nature of Masonic membership, which is at odds with the claims of exclusivity of belief that distinguish the various religious denominations.

• The "esoteric" aspect of Masonic ritual, which is seen as synonymous with Gnosticism, declared heretical and suppressed by the early Christian church. (Manifestations of Gnosticism also appeared in the Jewish and Muslim communities, as Kabbalah and Sufism respectively; however, these movements have survived within Judaism and Islam.) Gnosticism is identified with the early Christian churches west of the Red Sea, such as the Egyptian and Ethiopean Coptic churches. The Nag Hammadi scrolls, discovered in Egypt, in 1945, which contain such apocrypha as the Gospel of Thomas, are considered to be Gnostic inspired or influenced. Thus, the possible connection between Gnosticism and the mythical Egyptian roots of Freemasonry is a subject of interest. The Rosicrucians, a modern Gnostic movement, claim such a connection.

The most vigorous opposition to the fraternity has come from the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church is openly hostile to Freemasonry, deeming it at least partly responsible for the French Revolution and the resulting decline of the church in Europe. The Knights of Columbus and other Catholic fraternal organizations were established to provide alternatives to Freemasonry for observant Catholics. (Ironically, one of these organizations, Opus Dei, has been the target of accusations similar to those leveled against the Freemasons.) Although most Freemasons in the English-speaking world are Protestant, some Protestant churches hold that Freemasonry is incompatible with being a member of a community of Christian faith, based on the scriptural holding that "no man can serve two masters".

(Crystal E. Freemasons. http://www.crystalinks.com/freemasons.html accessed 09/18/16)

Notice that in the past, Roman Catholicism has been a major opponent of Freemasonry. However, as Pope Francis has a similar view towards other faiths, we may well see an alliance coming between a changed group called 'Catholic' and the Freemasons.

Notice that two Greek Orthodox bishops have condemned Pope Francis for his similarities to Freemasonry:

To His Excellency, Francis,
Head of State of the Vatican City
Vatican City, Rome

Your Excellency,

With due respect and sincere love, we send you this Episcopal letter, the purpose of which doesn’t come from any selfish motive, but from pure, sincere and selfless Christian love, from Christian duty, from an essential commandment of our Savior Christ, Who “desires all men to be saved and to come to a full knowledge of the truth,” and finally from a warm and ardent desire for your salvation. ...

Along with the Jews, Your Excellency is a favorite of the Freemasons, who, according to their own publications, were anxiously awaiting your election and rejoiced when you were chosen! In a statement by the “Grand Master,” G. Raffi, he stresses that, “With Pope Francis, nothing will be as it was before. It is a clear choice of fraternity for a Church of dialogue, which is not contaminated by the logic and temptations of temporal power. He is a man of the poor, far away from the Curia. Fraternity and the desire to dialogue were his first concrete words. Perhaps nothing in the Church will be as it was before. The simple cross he wore on his white cassock lets us hope that a Church of the people will re-discover its capacity to dialogue with all men of good will and with Freemasonry, which, as the experience of Latin America teaches us, works for the good and progress of humanity!” So here is the heart of the matter: “dialogue with all men of good will,” which means an intensifying of ecumenism! Are you not aware, Your Excellency, that Freemasonry promotes, through Ecumenism, the universal religion of Lucifer, as well as the fact that the source and womb of Freemasonry is the hideous International Zionism?…

Freemasonry is “pagan cult worship, an adversary of the pure Orthodox Catholic Church.” That is to say, it is clearly an antichristian and pagan religion. The Masons are “Satan worshipers and luciferists, followers of the religion of Antichrist.”…

You, Your Excellency, have not ceased from the moment of your election to speak in glowing terms about all the religions of the world, and to call them to collaborate for “the good of mankind”…

It is obvious why you decided to lead the effort in uniting the religions of the world, believing that you can become their leader! The “Holy See” is leading the way in the creation of a one-world religion, supposedly for the good of the world. In essence, however, it will be for its devastation…

Ecumenism adopts and legitimizes all heresies as “churches,” and it insults the dogma of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church…

The Ecumenical Council is the highest criteria of ecclesiality. For us Orthodox the highest form of ecclesiastical government is the Ecumenical Council, not a man, a “Pope”. Here is our essential difference with Papism…

We, the Orthodox, desire union and pray unceasingly “for the unity of all (people)” – a unity in our Holy Church in truth. We do not pray for the unity of false churches who will not forsake their various heresies, of some “God-sent” unity in the diversity of false doctrines. You, the Papists, in essence, hinder this unity. We Orthodox are unifiers par excellence, whereas you, the Papists, are separators. If you do not repent here in this present life, you will repent in Hades, where, however, there “is no repentance”!…

There can exist no form of compromise between Orthodoxy and Papism, neither with its older nor its modern spirit, nor with its idolatry…

With respect,

+ Andrew of Dryinoupolis, Pogoniani and Konitsa

+ Seraphim of Piraeus and Faliro

(Letter to Francis. HOLY AUTOCEPHALOUS ORTHODOX CATHOLIC CHURCH OF GREECE. April 10, 2014. http://cdn.romfea.gr/images/stories/photos/2014/4/romfea1/spiti/Epistle%20to%20Pope%20Francis%20I.pdf viewed 04/20/2014)

For more on Freemasonry (and the Illuminati) check out the article Freemasonry and the Destruction of Rome?

Perhaps I should add something from Catholic priest and scholar C.F. Aiken:

Mithraism did not begin to attract attention till towards the close of the first century, and did not assume importance till the middle of the second. Hence it could not have come in contact with Christianity early enough to have exercised any marked influence on its chief rites or doctrines. Again one has never explained how the Christian religion could have borrowed from a cult like Mithraism, whose rites and teachings were guarded from public knowledge by a veil of secrecy as strict as that which hides the inner ceremonies of a lodge of freemasons. (Aiken C.F., Mithraism and Christianity, p. 382)

Mithraism was a pagan faith that the Emperor Constantine followed in the fourth century. Many groups, and not just Freemasons, seem to have adopted parts of the practices of that pagan faith (see also Do You Practice Mithraism?).

Emperor Constantine believed that merging paganism with his version of 'Christianity' was a good thing--despite it being in scriptural error. Most in the ecumenical and interfaith movements hold to similar errors--including Freemasons.

Idolatry, which the Greek bishops alluded to, is endorsed by many involved in the interfaith movement. This is not something that God wants His people to be involved in (cf. 1 John 5:21; Revelation 18; see also The Mark of Antichrist).

Some Catholics, Protestants, and Orthodox Have Warned Against Aspects of the Interfaith and Ecumenical Movements

Notice carefully the following Catholic prophecy:

Frederick William Faber (died 1863):...Antichrist...Many believe in a demonical incarnation—this will not be so—but he will be utterly possessed...His doctrine as apparent contradiction of no religion, yet a new religion...He has an attending pontiff, so separating regal and prophetic office (Edward. Prophecy for Today. Imprimatur + A.J. Willinger, Bishop of Monterey-Fresno; Reprint: Tan Books and Publishers, Rockford (IL), 1984, p. 87).

That prophecy, which is in a book with an official imprimatur from a Catholic bishop (as well as others), suggests that there soon may be a change to the “Catholic” religion that will make it the religion of the final Antichrist. This is a warning against a coming one-world, interfaith, religion. 

This change will not seem to be a contradiction to some, but it will be a new religion—like a new order within the Catholic religion.  Notice also the following warning from a Catholic nun:

Anna-Katarina Emmerick (October 1, 1820): The Church is in great danger…The Protestant doctrine and that of the schismatic Greeks are to spread everywhere.  I now see that in this place (Rome) the (Catholic) Church is being so cleverly undermined, that there hardly remain a hundred or so priests who have not been deceived.  They all work for the destruction, even the clergy.  A great destruction is now at hand...

(April 22, 1823): I saw that many pastors allowed themselves to be taken up with ideas that were dangerous to the Church.  They were building a great, strange, and extravagant Church.  Everyone was admitted in it in order to be united and to have equal rights: Evangelicals, Catholics, sects of every description.  Such was to be the new Church (Dupont, pp. 66, 71).

Another Catholic nun foretold of a time when some agreement would deceive many:

Jeanne le Royer (died 1798):  One day I heard a voice which said, ‘The new Constitution will appear to many other than what it really is.  They will bless it as a gift from heaven; whereas it is really a gift from {haydes} and permitted by God in His just wrath.  It will only be by its effects that people will be led to recognize the Dragon who wanted to destroy all and devour all (Dupont, p. 53).  

Whether this is a reference to some type of power agreement with the Beast (Revelation 17:12-13) or the ecumenical council (cf. Revelation 13:1-8), notice that it is expected to be satanic (Satan is the Dragon, per Revelation 12:9).

Notice additional Roman Catholic warnings:

Oba Prophecy: It will come when the Church authorities issue directives to support a new cult, when priests are forbidden to celebrate in any other, when the highest positions in the Church are given to perjurers and hypocrites, when only the renegades are admitted to occupy those positions.

Nun Anna-Katarina Emmerick (19th century): I saw again a new and odd-looking Church which they were trying to build. There was nothing holy about it...

Yves Dupont (writer interpreting A. Emmerick above), They wanted to make a new Church, a Church of human manufacture, but God had other designs...(Dupont, pp. 115,116)

C. Van Den Biesen (20th century): The beast from the land has two horns like a ram. Its power lies in its art of deceiving by means of tokens and miracles. Throughout the remainder of the book it is called the false prophet.  Its office is to assist the beast from the sea, and to induce men to adore its image. (Van Den Biesen C. Transcribed by Michael C. Tinkler. Apocalypse. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume I. Published 1907. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Nihil Obstat, March 1, 1907. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York)

St. Hildegard (died 1179): But now you see her from the waist down; for you see her in her full dignity as the Church...And from her waist to the place that denotes the female, she has various scaly blemishes... … And thus in the place where the female is recognized is a black and monstrous head. For the son of perdition will come raging with the arts he first used to seduce...causing people to deny God and tainting their minds and tearing the Church with the greed of rapine. (Hildegard of Bingen. Scivias. Paulist Press, Mahwah (NJ), pp. 497,498)

Comment by Barbara Newman (1998): But as early as Scivias, Hildegard shockingly portrayed Ecclesia {the Catholic Church} as giving birth to Antichrist himself...Some other early works of Hildegard's, written before 1159, show a similar sourness of tone with respect to the institutional church. (Newman, Barbara. Voice of the Living Light: Hildegard of Bingen and Her World. Published by University of California Press, 1998, p. 83)

Pope Gregory the Great (died 604): In those days, near the end, hardly a Bishop, but an army of priests and two-thirds of the Christians will join the Schism. (Culleton, R. Gerald. The Reign of Antichrist, Reprint TAN Books, Rockford, IL, 1974, p. 122)

St. Francis of Assisi (died 1226): There will be an uncanonically elected pope who will cause a great Schism, there will be divers thoughts preached which will cause many, even those in the different orders to doubt, yea even agree with the heretics, which will cause my Order to divide. (Culleton, R. Gerald. The Reign of Antichrist, p. 130)

Priest H. Kramer (20th century): In the vision of the Seer now appears a second beast rising out of the earth, having two horns like a lamb but speaking like a dragon...In other places he is called the false prophet...This prophet may re-establish the pagan Roman Empire and build the "Great Harlot", Babylon… The False Prophet...will persuade all infidels, apostates and apostate nations to worship and adore him...Antichrist "sitteth in the temple of God" (I Thes. II. 4). This is not the ancient Temple in Jerusalem...this temple is shown to be a Catholic Church…The False Prophet will proclaim the resurrection of the Roman Empire. (Kramer H., p. 318,320-323)

Priest O’Connor (20th century?): This final false prophet will be a bishop of the church and will lead all religions into becoming one. (The False Prophet.  Living in the Final Generation. http://www.geocities.com/rebornempowered/ApparitionsofMary.htm 10/12/07)

Some of those seem to be consistent with an Orthodox understanding of the last false religious power coming from Rome:

Bishop Gerasimos of Abydos (20th century): The army of Antichrist is made up of the worldly powers, mainly the Roman Empire, symbolized by the two beasts and the harlot woman (Rev. 11:7; 13:1-17; cf. Dan. 7:11-12)… The final confrontation with evil is presented in chapters 19 and 20…The war is waged by the beast and the false prophet. Both of these are organs of Satan, representing the political and religious authority of Rome (Rev. 13:1-18). (Gerasimos, Bishop.  At the End of Time: The Eschatological Expectations of the Church.  Holy Cross Orthodox Press. October 5, 2004, pp. 28-29)

Here are more from Roman Catholic priests:

Priest Paul Kramer (21st century): The errors of Orthodoxy and of Protestantism will be embraced by that false church, it will be an ecumenical church because the Anti-Pope will be recognized by the world—not by the faithful, but by the world—by the secular world and the secular governments. (Kramer P. The Imminent Chastisement for Not Fulfilling Our Lady’s Request. An edited transcript of a speech given at the Ambassadors of Jesus and Mary Seminar in Glendale, California, September 24, 2004.THE FATIMA CRUSADER Issue 80, Summer 2005, pp. 32-45 http://www.fatimacrusader.com/cr80/cr80pg32.asp viewed 4/15/08)

Priest Paul Kramer (21st century):The Anti-Pope will be recognized as the legitimate Pope of the “church,” and the legitimate head of the Vatican State. That “church” will be united with all the false religions. They will be united together under the universality of the Masonic umbrella. In that motley ecumenical union will be the established religion of the so-called civilized world. This is how we will get into the time of great persecution such as the world has never seen. (Priest Kramer. As cited by Mario Derksen's article The Blind Leading the Blind Memo to Chris Ferrara, Father Nicholas Gruner and Father Paul Kramer: Please, please take off the blindfolds! in TRADITIONAL INSIGHTS October 7, 2005 Volume 16, no. 250; http://www.dailycatholic.org/issue/05Oct/oct7mdi.htm 10/10/07)

Priest E. Sylvester Berry (20th century) As indicated by the resemblance to a lamb, the prophet will probably set himself up in Rome as a sort of antipope during the vacancy of the papal throne . . .(Berry E.S. The Apocalypse of St. John. First published 1921. http://journals.aol.com/langosh5/Father_E_Sylvester_Berry/ 10/12/07)

Some Catholic writings suggest that this “new order” will result in the world becoming nominally Catholic (see also Why Should American Catholics Fear Unity with the Orthodox?).  That is consistent with prophecies that indicate the entire world will tend to agree on worship (cf. Revelation 13:8).  And it seems to have a European base.

What About Muslims?

There are Catholic plans and intentions to reach out to Muslims. And steps have been taking place:

During our sacred liturgy on Pentecost Sunday, in place of the homily, two leaders from the local mosque were invited to "join us in prayer in light of the example given by our Holy Father." The first gentleman shared his views on God and how we are all searching for peace and how it can be found only in God. He explained that Muslims believe in the same God as Christians and that they too believe that "Jesus was a prophet, like the great Mohammed." The second gentleman proceeded to read various selections from the Quran in English and then sung those same verses in Arabic. He read several passages about Mary as well. (Muslims' Views in Lieu of a Homily. Zenit, June 24, 2014. http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/muslims-views-in-lieu-of-a-homily)

Notice the position about Islam from the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

841   The Church’s relationship with the Muslims. “The plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator, in the first place amongst whom are the Muslims; these profess to hold the faith of Abraham, and together with us they adore the one, merciful God, mankind’s judge on the last day.”

And apparitions of 'Mary' may be involved. And with the current Pope Francis' Marian focus (see Pope Francis: Could this Marian Focused Pontiff be Fulfilling Prophecy?), I believe that 'Mary' will be considered as a tool for interfaith unity (see also Pope Francis Could this Marian Focused Pontiff be Fulfilling Prophecy?).

Some Muslims are talking with some of the interfaith movement, but despite backing from some Muslim governments, the vast majority of Muslims basically do not wish to be part of it. But it is possible that Marianism may be a factor in getting them to do it.

Notice something from Vatican II:

Moslems…They also honor Mary, His virgin Mother; at times they even call on her with devotion. (Nostra Aetate as cited in Bertone, p. 120)

Chapter 19 of the Qur’an/Koran/Quran is, from an Islamic perspective, devoted to Mary and Jesus (“Mary” is also spelled Maryam, Marium, or Miriam in Arabic translations into English). Here are a few passages from it:

019.020  Y: She said: “How shall I have a son, seeing that no man has touched me, and I am not unchaste?”…

019.027…S: And she came to her people with him, carrying him (with her). They said: O Marium! Surely you have done a strange thing.

019.028 Y: “O sister of Aaron! Thy father was not a man of evil, nor thy mother a woman unchaste!”

066.012 Y: And Mary the daughter of ‘Imran, who guarded her chastity; and We breathed into (her body) of Our spirit; and she testified to the truth of the words of her Lord and of His Revelations, and was one of the devout (servants).

While the above supports the virgin birth of Jesus, some also seem to believe that the Qur’an is supportive of teaching the “immaculate” conception of Mary in Islam (Pennington R.  Islam’s view of Mary. Muslim Voices, December
22, 2008 http://muslimvoices.org/islam-view-of-mary/ viewed 04/05/2011).

So, there are Islamic ties to Mary that resemble those in post-sixth century Catholicism.

Here are  details from my book Fatima Shock!:

Islam, the Lady of Fatima, and Mary in the Qur’an

Interestingly, Archbishop Fulton Sheen wrote:

It is our firm belief that…Islam…will be converted to Christianity…It is our belief that this will not happen through direct teaching of Christianity, but through a summoning of the Muslims to a veneration of the Mother of God.582

He also wrote he believed that the apparition:

…chose to be known as “Our Lady of Fatima” as a pledge and sign of hope for the Muslim people… so that they one day would accept…583

Thus, Archbishop Sheen essentially thought that the appearance in Fatima was to also ultimately result in Muslims (and possibly Hindus) accepting his faith. Notice that he also wrote:

Our missionaries report the most extraordinary reaction of these peoples as the Pilgrim statue of Our Lady of Fatima was carried through the East. At the edge of Nepal, three hundred Catholics were joined by three thousand Hindus and Moslems, as four elephants carried the statue to the little church for Rosary and Benediction…The final evidence of the relationship of the village of Fatima to the Moslems is the enthusiastic reception that the Moslems in Africa and India and elsewhere gave to the pilgrim statue of Our Lady of Fatima… in Mozambique the Moslems, who were unconverted, became Christians as soon as the statue of Our Lady of Fatima was erected…

Missionaries in the future will, more and more, see that their apostolate among the Moslems will be successful in the measure they preach Our Lady of Fatima.584

On December 27, 1983, Ali Ağca referred to Muhammad's daughter as the goddess of the Fatima apparitions. 585

It seems that apparitions could be a factor in temporarily getting Muslims to consider that there is more to Catholicism than most of them have thought.  Archbishop Sheen felt that a Marian “miracle” would be a factor in Muslims and others together and become end time Catholics in the Day of Wrath (Dies Irae):

And as Mary revealed herself in that first Miracle of the Sun, so may we look forward to another revelation of her power when the world has its next rehearsal for the Dies Irae.586

Also notice something from Vatican II:

Moslems…They also honor Mary, His virgin Mother; at times they even call on her with devotion.587

Chapter 19 of the Qur’an/Koran/Quran is, from an Islamic perspective, devoted to Mary and Jesus (“Mary” is also spelled Maryam, Marium, or Miriam in Arabic translations into English). Here are a few passages from it:

019.020  Y: She said: “How shall I have a son, seeing that no man has touched me, and I am not unchaste?”…

019.027…S: And she came to her people with him, carrying him (with her). They said: O Marium! Surely you have done a strange thing.

019.028 Y: “O sister of Aaron! Thy father was not a man of evil, nor thy mother a woman unchaste!”588

066.012 Y: And Mary the daughter of ‘Imran, who guarded her chastity; and We breathed into (her body) of Our spirit; and she testified to the truth of the words of her Lord and of His Revelations, and was one of the devout (servants).589

While the above supports the virgin birth of Jesus, some also seem to believe that the Qur’an is supportive of teaching the “immaculate” conception of Mary in Islam.590

So, there are Islamic ties to Mary that resemble those in post-sixth century Catholicism.

Marian Interest and Her Claimed Final House in Turkey

A house where Mary may have lived out her last days is in Turkey.  My wife Joyce and I have visited it.  It is on the outskirts of ancient Ephesus.

“Mary’s House” near Ephesus—Lighter, Upper, Portion Added

There is an annual celebration for Mary, in the area near Ephesus, which Islamic Turks put on and participate in.  Because of Islamic fascination with Mary, it is possible that an apparition claiming to be Mary might appear in Turkey and/or elsewhere. This may partially persuade some Muslims to temporarily consider that somehow God might be working through a Western religious leader. This will not last for all (Daniel 11:27; 40), but it seems to have been part of Catholic prophecy:

Blessed Maria of Agreda (died 1665): The power of Mary in the latter days will be very conspicuous. Mary will extend the reign of Christ over the heathens and the Mohammedans…591

Perhaps it should be mentioned that there are certain Catholic prophecies that suggest many Muslims in Turkey will somewhat accept the Catholic faith. Here is one:

Brother Louis Rocco (19th century): Terrible wars will rage all over Europe...Great cities and small towns alike will be destroyed in a bloody revolution...In Istanbul (Constantinople) the Cross will replace the half-moon of Islamism, and Jerusalem will be the seat of a King. The southern Slavs will form a great Catholic Empire and drive out of Europe the Turks (Mohammedans), who will withdraw to North Africa and subsequently embrace the Catholic faith.592

Many people of all persuasions, including apparently atheists, are going to fall away from their current beliefs in vast numbers (even according to many Catholic leaders) to embrace one who will promote a powerful ecumenical religion that is to be accompanied by what will appear to be real miracles.

Perhaps more shocking is that there is a 17th century Islamic prophecy from a Dervish (Dervishes are mainly based in Turkey) that suggests that because many are not good Muslims, they will accept a faith that claims Christ after seeing something that resembles a female apparition, that  some  suspect  will  be  considered  to  be  “Mary.”593

Hence, at least one Islamic prophecy seems to support the view that many Muslims (especially in Turkey) may accept the coming ecumenical religion promoted by a “Marian” apparition. ...

In the 21st century, Giuseppe De Carli wrote the following related to Islam and Fatima:

The Shiites believe that the Fatima shrine belongs, by right, to Muslims, and that Catholics have stolen it from their rightful owners. They argue that if a Lady dressed in shining white appeared there, then it’s because she had a message for the Muslims, not for Christians. Ali Ağca, in his megalomania thought he had a mission from God. Apparently, when John Paul II visited him at the Rebibbia prison in 1983, he asked the pontiff, “So who is Fatima for you?” Twice now I have done on-the-scene reporting from Fatima and I have spotted Arabs who seemed to want to remain incognito…Fatima has a religious and political significance.594

So, some Muslims, at least, believe that the messages for Fatima were apparently different than those publicly revealed, that Fatima is for them, and any message for Fatima has to do with Islam.

Notice also from Priest L.J. Cizik:

It is a fact that Moslems from various nations, especially from the Middle East, make so many pilgrimages to Our Lady of Fatima’s Shrine in Portugal that Portuguese officials have expressed concern. The combination of an Islamic name and Islamic devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary is a great attraction to Moslems.595

It would not surprise me if one or more future Lady apparitions shows herself to Muslims and encourages them to support the ecumenical religion that the Europeans will themselves embrace in much greater numbers in very few years.

Notice the following from the Encyclopedia of Islam:

Fatima is greatly revered by Muslims…Moreover, she will be the first to enter PARADISE…and like MARY in Catholic Christianity, she will intercede for those who honor her…Indeed, in Shii literature, Fatima is compared to Mary the mother of JESUS because of the violent deaths suffered by each of their sons.596

So, there are similarities (as well as differences) between Catholic and Islamic beliefs related to Mary and Fatima.

A series of apparitions occurred at a Coptic Orthodox church in Zeitoun, Egypt, from 1968 to 1973 and:

Moslems, Copts, Roman Catholics, Protestants, and others were overwhelmed by the Lady who seemed to be composed of light. Moslems chanted from the Koran: “Mary, God has chosen thee. And purified thee; He has chosen thee above all women.”597

So, some Muslims have already been impressed by apparitions of the Lady, and may once again. ...

Based upon sacred scripture (Daniel 11:40), the religious fervor that is often present in the Islamic world, and the pagan  connection  to  female  apparitions,  I  suspect  that any close “semi-ecumenical” alliance with the majority of the Muslims will be very short-lived.  The Bible tells of a time when the final “King of the South” (a Caliphate-type leader of a likely Islamic confederation, who some may consider to be the Imam Mahdi) will make a deal with the final European “King of the North” (Daniel 11:27), but later attack the King of the North (Daniel 11:40).   Some countries, like Turkey (ancient Edom) will apparently end up supporting the Europeans (Daniel 11:25-26, 41).

Regarding Fatima, I am more of the opinion that since some Muslims somewhat venerate Muhammed’s daughter Fatima, the Hindus have various female deities, the Chinese have had female apparitions, Japan and other lands have had apparitions, many Protestants are getting closer to Rome, many people believe in goddesses, most Buddhist’s tend to support a more ecumenical view of religion, etc. that Marian apparitions may be used to help many groups get together (at least temporarily).

582         Sheen, Fulton Archbishop. The World’s First Love. Reprint, Ignatius Press, 1996,  p. 201
583         Sheen, p. 203
584         Sheen, pp. 190, 202-203
585         Apostoli, p. 188
586         Sheen, p. 274
587         Nostra Aetate as cited in Bertone, p. 120
588         Online version of Koran at http://www.asksam.com/ebooks/releases.asp?file=Koran.ask&dn=19%3a%20MARYAM%20%28MARY%29  viewed 04/05/2011
589         Online version of Koran at http://www.asksam.com/ebooks/releases.asp?file=Koran.ask&dn=66%3a%20AT-TAHRIM%20%28BANNING%2c%20PROHIBITION%29 viewed 04/07/2011
590         Pennington R.  Islam’s view of Mary. Muslim Voices, December 22, 2008 http://muslimvoices.org/islam-view-of-mary/ viewed 04/05/2011
591         Dupont, p. 33
592         Dupont, p.76
593         Tzima Otto, Helen.  They’ll have no King but Caesar. Verenikia Press, 2005, pp. 417-422; the Dervish was killed for making it, p. 522
594         Bertone, p. 77
595         Cizik LJ Priest.  OUR LADY AND ISLAM: HEAVEN’S PEACE PLAN.  Soul Magazine.  September - October 2001, © 2001 The Blue Army of Our Lady of Fatima, U.S.A., Inc.,  page 6 http://www.ewtn. com/library/mary/olislam.htm viewed 11/02/10
596         Campos JE. Encyclopedia of Islam: Encyclopedia of world religions: Facts on File library of religion and mythology. Infobase Publishing, 2009, pp. 230-231
597         Tetlow J. Will Mary Unite All Religions? ENDTIME ISSUES NEWSLETTER No. 116, Biblical Perspectives, 2004, p. 16

Perhaps it should be mentioned, that just one 'Marian apparition' (The 'Lady' of Guadalupe ) has been claimed to have been effective in turning Latin America predominantly Roman Catholic--this profoundly affected those cultures and the world.

What will happen if some type of 'Marian apparition' is seen and even shown on media like television and/or the internet? Might Islam temporarily respond?

Islam will temporarily support the coming Beast and Marianism will likely be a factor for this temporary support.

Notice also the following:

May 20, 2016

Pope Francis, in an interview with the French newspaper La Croix, suggested a likeness between ISIS and Jesus by explaining that while “the idea of conquest is inherent in the soul of Islam,” it was quite possible to interpret certain passages of the Gospels, particularly in Matthews, as a call for Christians to go forth with this “same idea of conquest” in their discipleship. ...

He also said “co-existence between Christians and Muslims is still possible,” citing his own growing years in a country “where they co-habit on good terms.” And he pointed to the many instances he’s personally experienced when Muslims have formed long lines just to attend Christian events.

“[I’ve seen] Muslims come to venerate the Virgin Mary and St. George,” he said. “Similarly, they tell me that for the Jubilee Year, Muslims in one African country formed a long queue at the cathedral to enter through the holy door and pray to the Virgin Mary. In Central Africa, before the war, Christians and Muslims used to live together and must learn to do so again. Lebanon also shows that this is possible.” http://www.wnd.com/2016/05/pope-shocker-promotes-socialism-likens-jesus-to-isis/

Pope Francis is working to get the Muslims in and believes 'Mary' is part of the way to do it.

Of course, not all Muslims want this. Notice something from the Islamic State publication Dabiq in its article titled In the Words of Our Enemy:

Francis continues to hide behind a deceptive veil of “good will,” covering his actual intentions of pacifying the Muslim nation. This is exemplified in Francis’ statement that “our respect for true follow - ers of Islam should lead us to avoid hateful generalizations, for authentic Islam and the proper reading of the Quran are opposed to every form of violence” (The Joy of the Gospel). Part of this approach to subdue Muslims through appeasement involves coordinating with the infamous Ash’ari Sufi institute, al-Azhar University, false - ly attributed to being representative of Sunni Muslims worldwide. This method is an attempt to justify deviating claims that the Muslim nation has no central authority – as in a caliphate – but is rather “managed” in some way by scholars at universities. ...

While previous popes spoke against Islam due to the actual reality they faced, based on mutual enmity between the pagan Christians and monotheistic Muslims, recent popes – and especially Pope Francis – have attempted to paint a picture of heartwarming friend - ship, seeking to steer Muslim masses away from the obligation of waging jihad against disbelief. (In the Words of Our Enemy. Dabiq, issue 15, Shawal 1437, 31 July 2016, pp. 75-76)

Despite the current objections of the so-called Islamic State, Based upon prophecies such as 1 Thessalonians 2:9-12 and Revelation 13:4,8, I believe that the Muslims will, for a short time only, enter into an agreement with the Europeans (Daniel 9:27; 11:17; Psalm 83:4-8), temporarily worship the Beast (Revelation 13:8), then rebel against the Beast power (Daniel 11:40) and be eliminated as a force (Daniel 11:40-43; Ezekiel 30:2-8).

This could be consistent with at least parts of the following Catholic prophecy:

St. Hildegard (died 1179): When the great ruler exterminates the Turks almost entirely, one of the remaining Mohammedans will be converted…will kill the pope before he is crowned, through jealousy, he wishing to be pope himself; then when the other cardinals elect the next pope this cardinal will proclaim himself Anti-Pope, and two thirds of the Christians will go with him. He, also well as Antichrist, are descendants of Dan. (Culleton, The Reign of Antichrist, p. 128)

There are currently nearly 2 billion Muslims.

Marian Apparitions May Be Involved

Apparitions and/or the Roman Catholic version of Mary, could be part of the interfaith false religion that many will adopt. Some Catholics seem to hope so:

Thus, Archbishop Sheen essentially thought that the appearance in Fatima was to also ultimately result in Muslims (and possibly Hindus) accepting his faith. Notice that he also wrote:

Our missionaries report the most extraordinary reaction of these peoples as the Pilgrim statue of Our Lady of Fatima was carried through the East. At the edge of Nepal, three hundred Catholics were joined by three thousand Hindus and Moslems, as four elephants carried the statue to the little church for Rosary and Benediction…The final evidence of the relationship of the village of Fatima to the Moslems is the enthusiastic reception that the Moslems in Africa and India and elsewhere gave to the pilgrim statue of Our Lady of Fatima… in Mozambique the Moslems, who were unconverted, became Christians as soon as the statue of Our Lady of Fatima was erected…

Missionaries in the future will, more and more, see that their apostolate among the Moslems will be successful in the measure they preach Our Lady of Fatima. (Sheen, Fulton Archbishop. The World’s First Love. Reprint, Ignatius Press, 1996, , pp. 190, 202-203)

Notice also the following:

Apparitions of Mary have been appearing across the Muslim world in recent years. Mary has been one of the strongest symbols across the Middle East for unity among religions, tribes and nations. in December 2009, a light appeared over a Coptic Church in Giza, Egypt's third largest city. Over the following days, 200,000 people, Christian and Muslim, shared the observation and took it as a sign of difficult times to come...

Mike's comment: We know from God's prophetic word that Satan will use lying signs and wonders to deceive the world (2 Thes. 2:9). This universal deception will be used by the false prophet to unite the world in its worship of Antichrist (Rev. 13:11-15). It is fascinating to see the world's two largest religions, Roman Catholicism and Islam, esteem Mary as the most revered woman who has ever lived. Could an apparition one day call for unity between Catholics and Muslims? (Muslims Seeking Apparitions of Mary. Proclaiming the Gospel, e-zine, August 2013)

This is a concern and seems consistent with end time prophecies and other writings.

Here is something about Marian/goddess ties to Catholicism:

The Taoists revere the goddess, Tian Hou, who is called the “Queen of Heaven”(she is also known as the “Mother goddess”).

Here are a few comments on Mary and certain Buddhist faiths from Ella Rozett, who wrote that she “attends Catholic church almost every day:

Mother Mary is largely unknown in the Buddhist world, the only exception perhaps being Maria Kannon. The latter is a hybrid of Mother Mary and the Bodhisattva of love and compassion whom the Japanese call Kannon, the Chinese Kuan Yin, the Tibetans Chenresig and the Indians Avalokiteshvara…

Much like the Virgin Mary, the Chinese Kuan Yin is said to have lived a human life of extreme self-sacrifice and holiness before she ascended into heaven and became a celestial Goddess of Mercy and Compassion. Since her ascension she has been appearing as “a woman in white” to those in need of help…

Some trace the striking similarities between Mary and especially the White Clad Kuan Yin back to the historical influence of Christians coming to China in the early 600’s… At the time the Chinese were longing for the divine feminine, and Chinese Buddhism needed someone who could compete with the powerful Taoist goddesses.

So, the idea of female apparitions appearing exists in at least one Eastern faith. Some believe that Kuan Yin was a male now with the outward appearance of a female (perhaps Satan may appear like “her,” in Revelation 13:4) and that her visits may be related to visitors in China in the 600s.

Kuan Yin is also known as the “Goddess of Mercy” and is sometimes called Guan Yin.   

A few of the pictures I have seen of her show her riding a serpentine beast in the water, which brings up a tie to Revelation 17:1-3.  Various paintings and statues I have seen of Kuan Yin remind me of Marion ones, including the frequent use of a type of halo and a crown, the style of dress, as well as sometimes being shown as a Madonna with child.   Hence, this may be a reason that the Chinese might be inclined to pay attention to a future “Marian” apparition.   Centuries-old Chinese prophecies suggest that the Chinese may end up paying attention to Western religious leaders in the end time.

Furthermore in Asia, “Many see no contradiction in praying to Guan Yin…one day… and on another, praying to the Virgin Mary at the Novena Roman Catholic Church.”

Thus it appears that despite not quite having the Catholic devotion to Mary or Islamic veneration to Fatima, those in various Eastern faiths can be intrigued by the feminine, and may be highly impacted by public alleged Marian apparition(s) in the future.   But, no Buddhist, Taoist, Muslim, Hindu, Protestant, Mormon, Catholic, or anyone else should. (Thiel B. Fatima Shock! What the Vatican Does Not Want You to Know About Fatima, Dogmas of Mary, and Future Apparitions. Nazarene Boos, 2009, pp.189-190)

While in Asia, Pope told people to turn to 'Mary.'

Archbishop Sheen wrote:

At Patna, the Brahman Hindu governor of the province visited the church and prayed before the statue of Our Lady. In one tiny village of Kesra Mec, more than twenty-four thousand people came to see the statue.

But, that is not an isolated incident. Notice the following account of a group of Hindus who visited Cova da Iria in 2004:

Hindus…were allowed to conduct a pagan prayer chant at the altar in the sanctuary of the Little Chapel of the Apparitions…on May 5, 2004…a national television station in Portugal broadcast that a group of Hindus from Lisbon was allowed to commandeer the Shrine for a pagan prayer chant, with the Hindu “priest” standing at the Catholic altar invoking false gods in the causes of peace, while the Hindu congregation in the Little Chapel responded with a chant. This is a desecration…since Sacred Scripture teaches “the gods of the Gentiles are devils” (Psalm 95:5) (Vennan J. Portuguese Press Reports: “Fatima Rejects Control by
Pope”. The Fatima Crusader, 82, Spring 2006, pp. 20-21,25)

(Note that Psalm 95:5 in the DRB is Psalm 96:5 in the NJB/NKJV which use the word “idols” instead of “devils.”) This Hindu ceremony, as expected, upset some Catholics (Vennan, pp. 21,25).

While “Mary” is known throughout the Middle East and West, she is less known, though revered by some like a goddess, in Eastern religions:

Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims and other pilgrims regularly worship at famous Roman Catholic shrines to the Virgin Mary such as Lourdes in France and Fatima in Portugal...Many venerate her like one of their own goddesses...(Reuters. Twist of globalisation: All faiths come together. August 20, 2004. http://www.expressindia.com/news/fullstory. php?newsid=35246 viewed 08/20/11)

Additionally, apparitions such as in Akita Japan, may be helping set the stage for greater acceptance of “Marian Apparitions” in Asia. On January 4, 1975, a Marian statue reportedly began to weep there told Nun Agnes Katsuko:

The Blessed Virgin rejoices in the consecration of Japan to her Immaculate Heart because she loves Japan. But she is sad that this devotion is not taken seriously…Grant to Japan the grace of conversion through the intercession of the Virgin Mary…(Flynn, 2010, p. 127)

There have been reports of one or more stigmatic and weeping “Marian” statues in Akita, Japan with at least 100 weepings.(Flynn, 2010, pp. 126-127)

Then Pope Benedict XVI seemingly endorsed much of Akita and tied its message in with that of Fatima.(Pearson, p. 30)

Although Mary is not part of Buddhism, it was interesting to note that the leader of the Tibetan Buddhists, the Dalai Lama, prayed at the little Fatima chapel in 2001. (Vennan, p. 20)

The Taoists revere the goddess, Tian Hou, who is called the “Queen of Heaven” (Tong CK. Rationalizing religion: religious conversion, revivalism and competition in Singapore society. BRILL, 2007, p. 290; she is also known as the “Mother goddess”).

Here are a few comments on Mary and certain Buddhist faiths from Ella Rozett, who wrote that she “attends Catholic church almost every day” (Rozett E. The Author of this Site and Tour Guide on Pilgrimages. http://www.interfaithmary.com/pages/tour_guide.html viewed 04/05/2011):

Mother Mary is largely unknown in the Buddhist world, the only exception perhaps being Maria Kannon. The latter is a hybrid of Mother Mary and the Bodhisattva of love and compassion whom the Japanese call Kannon, the Chinese Kuan Yin, the Tibetans Chenresig and the Indians Avalokiteshvara… Much like the Virgin Mary, the Chinese Kuan Yin is said to have lived a human life of extreme self- sacrifice and holiness before she ascended into heaven and became a celestial Goddess of Mercy and Compassion. Since her ascension she has been appearing as “a woman in white” to those in need of help… Some trace the striking similarities between Mary and especially the White Clad Kuan Yin back to the historical influence of Christians coming to China in the early 600’s… At the time the Chinese were longing for the divine feminine, and Chinese Buddhism needed someone who could compete with the powerful Taoist goddesses. (Rozett E. Mother Mary and Buddhism. http://www.interfaithmary. com/index.html  viewed 04/05/2011)

So, the idea of female apparitions appearing exists in at least one Eastern faith. Some believe that Kuan Yin was a male now with the outward appearance of a female (Klass M, Weisgrau M.  Across the boundaries of belief: contemporary issues in the anthropology  of religion.  Westview Press, 1999, p. 75; perhaps Satan may appear like “her,” in Revelation 13:4) and that her visits may be related to visitors in China in the 600s. Kuan Yin is also known as the “Goddess of Mercy” and is sometimes called Guan Yin (Kong, p. 149; Ch‘en KKS.  Buddhism: the light of Asia, volume 272. Barron's Educational Series, 1968, p. 248).

A few of the pictures I have seen of Guan Yin show her riding a serpentine beast in the water, which brings up a tie to Revelation 17:1-3. Various paintings and statues I have seen of Kuan Yin remind me of Marian ones, including the frequent use of a type of halo and a crown, the style of dress, as well as sometimes being shown as a Madonna with child. Hence, this may be a reason that the Chinese might be inclined to pay attention to a future “Marian” apparition.

Although many Catholics like this, even among the Orthodox there is a concern that apparitions falsely claiming to be Mary, the Mother of Jesus will deceive Catholics, Orthodox, and even Muslims to accept a false unity that the powers of Antichrist will support. Notice:

Peter Jackson (20th century): To which Mary are Muslims and Protestants being drawn?... Rome began to see her more and more as a "goddess," a fourth Hypostasis of the Trinity…Today, as heterodox Christians become more and more ecumenist and work toward creating a "One World Church," the search has begun for a Mary of universal recognition, one who will appeal not only to those who bear the name Christian, but apparently to Muslims and others as well, just as attempts are likewise being made to identify the "new Christ" with the Muslim concept of their coming Mahdi and with the Messiah still awaited by the Jews. This, of course, will be no Christ at all but the antichrist (Jackson P. ORTHODOX LIFE., No. I, 1997., Brotherhood of Saint Job of Pochaev at Holy Trinity Monastery, Jordanville, N.Y. pp. 18-22.  http://fr-d-serfes.org/orthodox/theotokos.htm viewed 05/04/09).

Just because some apparition claims to be Mary, the Mother of Jesus this does not mean it is so. There have been so many false claims rising up in the 21st century that then Pope Benedict XVI decided he needed to put together guidelines to root out those he suspects are demonic (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/vaticancityandholysee/4223793/Pope-orders-bishops-to-root-out-false-claims-of-visions.html).

Yet, Pope Francis seems to have taken a turn to more push 'Mary' (Pope Francis Could this Marian Focused Pontiff be Fulfilling Prophecy?).

Notice also what the Pope said in South Korea:

August 17, 2014

Dear young people of Asia, it is my hope that, in union with Christ and the Church, you will take up this path, which will surely bring you much joy. Now, as we approach the table of the Eucharist, let us turn to our Mother Mary, who brought Jesus to the world. http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/pope-s-homily-at-concluding-mass-for-6th-asian-youth-day

Pope Francis looks like a lamb to some, but no one is to turn to 'Mary.' His were the words of a dragon (Revelation 13:11).

The Bible is clear that nearly all will fall for this false prophet and believe signs and wonders above the truth of God:

22 For there will rise up false Christs and false prophets, and they shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce (if it were possible) even the elect. 23 Take you heed therefore; behold I have foretold you all things. (Mark 13:22-23, Douay-Rheims)

24 For there shall arise false Christs and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders, insomuch as to deceive (if possible) even the elect. 25 Behold I have told it to you, beforehand. (Matthew 24:24-25, Douay-Rheims)

7 For the mystery of iniquity already worketh; only that he who now holdeth, do hold, until he be taken out of the way. 8 And then that wicked one shall be revealed whom the Lord Jesus shall kill with the spirit of his mouth; and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming, him, 9 Whose coming is according to the working of Satan, in all power, and signs, and lying wonders, 10 And in all seduction of iniquity to them that perish; because they receive not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. Therefore God shall send them the operation of error, to believe lying: 11 That all may be judged who have not believed the truth, but have consented to iniquity. (2 Thessalonians 2:7-11, Douay-Rheims)

Do you really have the "love of the truth"? Marian apparitions may well be an interfaith tool that Satan will use (cf. Isaiah 47).

If you want a deeper understanding of these apparition/Marian matters than can be covered in short articles, you should read the book Fatima Shock! Fatima Shock! provides concerned Christians enough Catholic-documented facts needed to effectively counter every false Marian argument.

Do Not Be Deceived By Wealth

The Bible warns that there will be great wealth associated with the end time Babylon:

2...Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird! 3 For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury." 4 And I heard another voice from heaven saying, "Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. 5 For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. (Revelation 18:2-5)

So, the Bible warns that "Babylon the great" is bad, but will bring great wealth. The Beast of Revelation 13 is a leader of Babylon and is also called the King of the North in Bible prophecy.

Notice three Catholic (the first being Eastern Orthodox) prophecies about Antichrist:

Saint Ephrem (died 375): Antichrist will use worldly goods as bait. He will entice many Christians with money and goods to apostatize...The devil will help him find all the hidden treasures of the world, even those at the bottom of the ocean. With those treasures he will attain greater success for the reign of Satan than at any other time in past centuries (Connor, pp.73.74).

Saint Mechtilda (died 1299): Antichrist will, through base and false strategem, and with presents of gold and gems, attain influence over the worldly princes. They will look up to him as their Lord and God (Culleton, The Reign of Antichrist, pp. 133-134).

Saint Jerome (died 420): Antichrist...will gain support with many gifts and money. He will sell himself to the devil...(Connor, p. 74).

The final Antichrist, or his predecessor, may well distribute vast amounts of wealth, which will increase followers to his professed faith. The final Beast will also divide lands (Daniel 11:39). According to the Bible, one accumulating all that wealth is not good (Daniel 11:36-45), Satan the dragon is with the Beast and the False Prophet (Revelation 16:13), and that sorceries were involved with the end time Babylonian power (Revelation 18:23; Isaiah 47:9; Nahum 3:4).

The answer should be obvious to all who wish to believe the God of the Bible. Furthermore, statements by Pope Francis that the Church of Rome should be poor and for the poor, suggest that he may very well use wealth to attract followers. And both biblical and private prophecy warn against this.

Various ones around the world may 'convert' because of the draw of wealth. Since Un Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, Pope Francis, Barack Obama, and others have called for wealth redistribution, it may well be that this will be an important part of the interfaith movement. With some of it happening perhaps prior to the start of the Great Tribulation and more happening after the USA is taken out of the way per Daniel 11:39.

The Bible Prophesies a False Peace Movement

While peace is a fine objective, the Bible warns that a warrior will profess peace in the end times (Daniel 11:24), and bring war (Daniel 11:39-44).

The Bible teaches that many do not know the way of peace:

8 The way of peace they have not known,
And there is no justice in their ways;
They have made themselves crooked paths;
Whoever takes that way shall not know peace. (Isaiah 59:8)

Despite what many claim, all religions are NOT equal before God and there is a true Christian church (see also Where is the True Christian Church Today?). The interfaith movement does not clearly realize this and is promoting crooked paths.

Jesus did NOT come to bring interfaith unity. Notice what He said:

34 "Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. 35 For I have come to 'set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law'; 36 and 'a man's enemies will be those of his own household.' 37 He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38 And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39 He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it. (Matthew 10:34-39)

Religious leaders who profess Christ and the interfaith and ecumenical agendas clearly are overlooking what Jesus taught. He taught His people should be willing to stand alone, even among family members. Consider also what the Apostle Paul was inspired to write:

14 Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? 15 And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? 16 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said:

"I will dwell in them
And walk among them.
I will be their God,
And they shall be My people."

17 Therefore

"Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you. 18 'I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the Lord Almighty." (2 Corinthians 6:14-18)

Christians are to be separate from paganism. Those who accept the true God as their Father must realize that. Isaiah wrote:

11 Depart! Depart! Go out from there,
Touch no unclean thing;
Go out from the midst of her,
Be clean,
You who bear the vessels of the Lord. (Isaiah 52:11)

To depart means to separate. Notice that Isaiah's sentiments here are captured in the New Testament in Paul's writing (2 Corinthians 6:17) and the Book of Revelation (18:2-4).

The interfaith movement is promoting a way that will not lead to peace. False hopes of peace, like the one that the interfaith movement tells of will not work according to Bible prophecy:

1 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 "Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who prophesy, and say to those who prophesy out of their own heart, 'Hear the word of the Lord!'"

3 Thus says the Lord God: "Woe to the foolish prophets, who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing! 4 O Israel, your prophets are like foxes in the deserts. 5 You have not gone up into the gaps to build a wall for the house of Israel to stand in battle on the day of the Lord. 6 They have envisioned futility and false divination, saying, 'Thus says the Lord!' But the Lord has not sent them; yet they hope that the word may be confirmed. 7 Have you not seen a futile vision, and have you not spoken false divination? You say, 'The Lord says,' but I have not spoken."

8 Therefore thus says the Lord God: "Because you have spoken nonsense and envisioned lies, therefore I am indeed against you," says the Lord God. 9 "My hand will be against the prophets who envision futility and who divine lies; they shall not be in the assembly of My people, nor be written in the record of the house of Israel, nor shall they enter into the land of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the Lord God.

10 "Because, indeed, because they have seduced My people, saying, 'Peace!' when there is no peace — and one builds a wall, and they plaster it with untempered mortar — 11 say to those who plaster it with untempered mortar, that it will fall. There will be flooding rain, and you, O great hailstones, shall fall; and a stormy wind shall tear it down. 12 Surely, when the wall has fallen, will it not be said to you, 'Where is the mortar with which you plastered it?'"

13 Therefore thus says the Lord God: "I will cause a stormy wind to break forth in My fury; and there shall be a flooding rain in My anger, and great hailstones in fury to consume it. 14 So I will break down the wall you have plastered with untempered mortar, and bring it down to the ground, so that its foundation will be uncovered; it will fall, and you shall be consumed in the midst of it. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.

15 "Thus will I accomplish My wrath on the wall and on those who have plastered it with untempered mortar; and I will say to you, 'The wall is no more, nor those who plastered it, 16 that is, the prophets of Israel who prophesy concerning Jerusalem, and who see visions of peace for her when there is no peace,'" says the Lord God. (Ezekiel 13:1-16)

The interfaith movement does not know the way of peace. The false proclamation of peace is warned about in the Bible and is part of Satan's Plan. 'World War III' (see World War III: Steps in Progress) will ensue, despite what false prophets will declare.

But a temporary peace will come once it is confirmed by a 'prince' of European heritage (Daniel 9:26):

27 Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; (Daniel 9:27a)

When it does, the movement will believe it is successful (for why this is considered to be a type of peace deal, check out The 'Peace Deal' of Daniel 9:27). Many, including some Christians, will let down their guard, but destruction will come as the deal will be broken:'

27... But in the middle of the week
He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering.
And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate,
Even until the consummation, which is determined,
Is poured out on the desolate. (Daniel 9:27bc)

The breaking of the deal will affect Jerusalem, then the USA and its Anglo-Saxon descended allies (see Anglo - America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel), and then a confederation of Middle East and North African nations. The 'prince' will have arisen to become the European King of the North Beast power by then and take many steps. Notice first, the one that is tied in with the latter portion of Daniel 9:27:

31 And forces shall be mustered by him, and they shall defile the sanctuary fortress; then they shall take away the daily sacrifices, and place there the abomination of desolation. (Daniel 11:31)

Then this King of the North will take additional religious and militartistic actions, and launch what could be considered to be World War III (see also World War III: Steps in Progress):

36 "Then the king shall do according to his own will: he shall exalt and magnify himself above every god, shall speak blasphemies against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the wrath has been accomplished; for what has been determined shall be done. 37 He shall regard neither the God of his fathers nor the desire of women, nor regard any god; for he shall exalt himself above them all. 38 But in their place he shall honor a god of fortresses; and a god which his fathers did not know he shall honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and pleasant things. 39 Thus he shall act against the strongest fortresses with a foreign god, which he shall acknowledge, and advance its glory; and he shall cause them to rule over many, and divide the land for gain. (Daniel 11:36-39)

The 'strongest fortresses' are currently held by the USA. Notice that it will be taken over and divided (see also Will the Anglo-Saxon Nations be Divided and Have People Taken as Slaves?). Although a confederation of Middle Eastern and North African nations will have been involved with the King of the North on this (cf. Daniel 11:27; Psalm 83:3-8), despite temporarily worshiping the Beast (Revelation 13:8), this confederation will then turn against the King of the North, but will be defeated (Daniel 11:40-43; Ezekiel 30:2-8).

But the temporary peace, a peace considered to be interfaith, will have deceived people before this happens.

Babylonian Unity is Denounced--True Unity Does Not Happen Until After Jesus Returns

In January 2016, Pope Francis called for more interfaith dialog. A reader sent me a link to the following and I watched the related video:

January 8, 2016

We thought maybe this was a spoof. It turns out it’s for real. A website has been set up, entitled ThePopeVideo.org and it’s a call for prayer to combine all religions.

The Pope Video, according to the website, is a part of the Pope’s global initiative developed by The Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, aka The Apostleship of Prayer.

In the video, you see Buddhists, Muslims, Jews and Catholics discussing their confidence in Buddha, belief in Allah, belief in God, and belief in Jesus (respectively). Then, the Pope says…

Many think differently, feel differently, seeking God or meeting God in different ways. In this crowd, in this range of religions, there is only one certainty we have for all: we are all children of God. 

The scripture, of course, tells us differently. The Holy Bible says that those who are unsaved are of their father the devil (John 8:44 ) and that we only receive the adoption as sons to belong to God as hischildren through Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:5). http://pulpitandpen.org/2016/01/08/pope-calls-for-prayer-to-join-all-religions/

The interfaith movement is going forward.

It is possible that religious icons, such as crosses may be involved and used in the interfaith movement. Many religions use crosses, and although they were not an original symbol of Christianity (see What is the Origin of the Cross as a 'Christian' Symbol? ), many of the world's churches have adopted them. The use of a symbol like a cross may make those of the Greco-Roman and other religions comfortable enough so that they will not think that the final Babylonian Antichrist power has risen up (see also What is the Origin of the Cross as a 'Christian' Symbol?).

While many think that interfaith unity is a good thing, the Bible warns about an end time unity involving Babylon.

On May 27, 2012, then Pope Benedict XVI specifically warned that the world was becoming Babel (Babylon) and mentioned the Tower of Babel (http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1202209.htm). Yet, it should be realized that there are Roman and Byzantine Catholic prophecies that look forward to Babylon being re-established.

Notice:

Monk Leontios (died 543): Rejoice, oh most unhappy one, oh New Babylon!...You, who are the New Babylon rejoice now on behalf of Zion! New Babylon, dance, bounce and leap greatly, make known even those in Haydes what a Grace you have received. Because that peace which was yours to enjoy in times past, and which God has deprived you of in course of battles, receive it once more from the hand of an Angel...oh, the City of Seven Hills the dominion will be yours. (Tzima Otto, pp. 82-83)

Abbott Joachim (died 1202)...A remarkable Pope will be seated on the pontifical throne, under special protection of the angels. Holy and full of gentleness, he shall undo all wrong, he shall recover the states of the Church, and reunite the exiled temporal powers. As the only Pastor, he shall reunite the Eastern to the Western Church...This holy Pope shall be both pastor and reformer. Through him the East and West shall be in ever lasting concord. The city of Babylon shall then be the head and guide of the world. Rome, weakened in temporal power, shall forever preserve her spiritual dominion, and shall enjoy great peace…At the beginning, in order to bring these happy results, having need of a powerful assistance, this holy Pontiff will ask the cooperation of the generous monarch of France (Great Monarch). (Connor, pp. 31-32)

Despite the fact that the last Pope seemed to warn against certain aspects of Babylon, Europe is trying to become the end time Babylon and the current Pope Francis seems to truly support the construction of a final Babylon.

Jesus DID NOT come so that the world would be united in this age. Notice what Jesus said:

51 'Do you suppose that I am here to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. (Luke 12:51, NJB).

In 2015, Pope Francis made an appeal for ‘Mary’ to unite and said that the devil causes division:

January 25, 2015

This evening, with the faithful of the diocese of Rome and with the representatives of the various Churches and ecclesial communities, we will meet in the Basilica of St. Paul Outside-the-Walls to pray fervently to the Lord, so that he strengthens our commitment to the unity of all believers in Christ. It is an ugly thing that Christians are divided. But Jesus wants us to be united. One body! Our sins, our history have divided us. For this we must pray that the Spirit unites us again. …

God, who made Himself man, had our thirst, not only of water, but above all the thirst of a full life, free from the slavery of evil and death. At the same time, with His incarnation God has placed His thirst, because God also thirsts, in the heart of mankind: Jesus of Nazareth. Therefore, in the heart of Christ, human and divine thirst meets. And the desire for the unity of his disciples belongs to this thirst. We find it expressed in the prayers raised to the Father before the Passion: “So that they all may be one” (Jn. 17,21). That is what Jesus wanted, the unity of all. The devil, as we know, is the father of division. He is one that always divides, always makes war and does so much evil.

May Jesus’ thirst increasingly become our thirst! We continue, therefore, to pray and strive for the full unity of the Disciples of Christ, in the certainty that He Himself is at our side and sustains us with the strength of His Spirit so that this goal can be reached. And we entrust this, our prayer, to the maternal intercession of the Virgin Mary, Mother of Christ and Mother of the Church so that She, like a good Mother, may unite us.  (Francis, Pope. Angelus Address: On the Thirst for Unity. Translation by Junno Arocho Esteves, January 25, 2015 http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/angelus-address-on-the-thirst-for-unity)

After saying the above, the pontiff did the ‘Hail Mary’ prayer, known in Catholic circles as the Angelus.

Now many will find comfort in Pope Francis’ words.  The problem is that the words are a mixture of good and evil.  They contain truth and poison–as does the Angelus.

It is true that Jesus prayed for unity–but He also prayed about the truth.  Notice some of what Jesus actually stated:

17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.  18 As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.  19 And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.

20 “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word;  21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.  22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:  23 I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.  (John 17:17-23)

Notice that Jesus wanted His followers to be sanctified, set apart for God, by the truth, and that the word of God is truth.  Also, notice that the prayer from Jesus did not specify when this unity would be achieved, and that it had a prophetic element to it. Without going into all the details, Revelation 2 and 3 shows that real Christians would be divided in the end times (see also The Churches of Revelation 2 & 3).

God’s unity is based on the truth–the devil’s unity is based on falsehoods and compromise with truth.

While the devil can cause division, the type of unity Pope Francis advocates is the very ‘unity’ that the Bible warns against. Pope Francis is NOT advocating a unity for all to believe “the faith once for all delivered to the saints’ (Jude 3) that is based upon the Bible.

Pope Francis is not the only one who has spoken out against those opposed to his ecumenical agenda.  Notice the following related to Eastern Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew:

Istanbul, Turkey, Feb 20, 2010 / Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople’s newest encyclical encourages dialogue between the Orthodox Church and other Christian churches and laments those who are “unacceptably fanatical” in challenging such dialogue.  http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/patriarch_of_constantinoples_new_encyclical_defends_catholic-orthodox_dialogue/

Bartholomew calls opponents to ecumenical agenda fanatics and Francis implies opponents are doing the devil’s work.

Pointing out how churches differ from the Bible, selectively quoting what early writers believed, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom is NOT the devil’s work. Religious leaders of Jesus’ day felt that He (John 8:48-49) as well as John the Baptist (Matthew 11:18) had a demon/devil, because they did not agree with their teachings and practices.

Scripture warns against a coming ecumenical unity--Satan the devil's unity--which it teaches will be successful:

4 They prostrated themselves in front of the dragon because he had given the beast his authority; and they prostrated themselves in front of the beast, saying, 'Who can compare with the beast? Who can fight against it?' 5 The beast was allowed to mouth its boasts and blasphemies and to be active for forty-two months; 6 and it mouthed its blasphemies against God, against his name, his heavenly Tent and all those who are sheltered there. 7 It was allowed to make war against the saints and conquer them, and given power over every race, people, language and nation; 8 and all people of the world will worship it, that is, everybody whose name has not been written down since the foundation of the world in the sacrificial Lamb's book of life. 9 Let anyone who can hear, listen: 10 Those for captivity to captivity; those for death by the sword to death by the sword. This is why the saints must have perseverance and faith. (Revelation 13:4-10, NJB)

The 'dragon' listed above is Satan, the devil (cf. Revelation 12:9, 20:2).

The Bible further warns against an end time Babylon unity (note: the New Jerusalem Bible, a Catholic-approved translation, is shown):

1 One of the seven angels that had the seven bowls came to speak to me, and said, 'Come here and I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute who is enthroned beside abundant waters, 2 with whom all the kings of the earth have prostituted themselves, and who has made all the population of the world drunk with the wine of her adultery.' 3 He took me in spirit to a desert, and there I saw a woman riding a scarlet beast which had seven heads and ten horns and had blasphemous titles written all over it. 4 The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet and glittered with gold and jewels and pearls, and she was holding a gold winecup filled with the disgusting filth of her prostitution; 5 on her forehead was written a name, a cryptic name: 'Babylon the Great, the mother of all the prostitutes and all the filthy practices on the earth.' 6 I saw that she was drunk, drunk with the blood of the saints, and the blood of the martyrs of Jesus; and when I saw her, I was completely mystified. (Revelation 17:1-6, NJB)

9 'This calls for shrewdness. The seven heads are the seven hills, on which the woman is sitting...18 The woman you saw is the great city which has authority over all the rulers on earth.' (Revelation 17:9,18, NJB)

1 After this, I saw another angel come down from heaven, with great authority given to him; the earth shone with his glory. 2 At the top of his voice he shouted, 'Babylon has fallen, Babylon the Great has fallen, and has become the haunt of devils and a lodging for every foul spirit and dirty, loathsome bird. 3 All the nations have drunk deep of the wine of her prostitution; every king on the earth has prostituted himself with her, and every merchant grown rich through her debauchery.' 4 Another voice spoke from heaven; I heard it say, 'Come out, my people, away from her, so that you do not share in her crimes and have the same plagues to bear. 5 Her sins have reached up to the sky, and God has her crimes in mind: treat her as she has treated others. 6 She must be paid double the amount she exacted. She is to have a doubly strong cup of her own mixture. 7 Every one of her pomps and orgies is to be matched by a torture or an agony. I am enthroned as queen, she thinks; I am no widow and will never know bereavement. 8 For that, in one day, the plagues will fall on her: disease and mourning and famine. She will be burned to the ground. The Lord God who has condemned her is mighty.' 9 'There will be mourning and weeping for her by the kings of the earth who have prostituted themselves with her and held orgies with her. They see the smoke as she burns, (Revelation 18:1-9, NJB)

In Zechariah, the Bible warns against a coming Babylon and shows that proper unity will not happen until after Jesus returns:

10 Look out! Look out! Flee from the land of the north -- Yahweh declares- for I have scattered you to the four winds of heaven -- Yahweh declares. 11 Look out! Make your escape, Zion, now living with the daughter of Babylon!

12 For Yahweh Sabaoth says this, since the Glory commissioned me, about the nations who plundered you, 'Whoever touches you touches the apple of my eye. 13 Now look, I shall wave my hand over them and they will be plundered by those whom they have enslaved.' Then you will know that Yahweh Sabaoth has sent me! 14 Sing, rejoice, daughter of Zion, for now I am coming to live among you -Yahweh declares! 15 And on that day many nations will be converted to Yahweh. Yes, they will become his people, and they will live among you. Then you will know that Yahweh Sabaoth has sent me to you! 16 Yahweh will take possession of Judah, his portion in the Holy Land, and again make Jerusalem his choice. (Zechariah 2:10-16, NJB; note that this is Zechariah 2:6-12 in Protestant translations of the Bible)

The ecumenical and interfaith movements that the Vatican and other leaders are promoting are clearly condemned by the Bible and should not be encouraged.

The Apostle Paul also taught that true unity of faith would not happen until after Jesus returns:

13 until we all reach unity in faith and knowledge of the Son of God and form the perfect Man, fully mature with the fullness of Christ himself. (Ephesians 4:13, NJB)

Those who believe this unity comes prior to Jesus' return are in error. Actually, when Jesus returns, He will destroy the unity of nations that are against Him:

11:15 Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and voices could be heard shouting in heaven, calling, 'The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever.' 16 The twenty-four elders, enthroned in the presence of God, prostrated themselves and touched the ground with their foreheads worshipping God 17 with these words, 'We give thanks to you, Almighty Lord God, He who is, He who was, for assuming your great power and beginning your reign. 18 The nations were in uproar and now the time has come for your retribution, and for the dead to be judged, and for your servants the prophets, for the saints and for those who fear your name, small and great alike, to be rewarded. The time has come to destroy those who are destroying the earth.' (Revelation 11:15-18, NJB)

19:6 And I heard what seemed to be the voices of a huge crowd, like the sound of the ocean or the great roar of thunder, answering, 'Alleluia! The reign of the Lord our God Almighty has begun;... 19 Then I saw the beast, with all the kings of the earth and their armies, gathered together to fight the Rider and his army. 20 But the beast was taken prisoner, together with the false prophet who had worked miracles on the beast's behalf and by them had deceived those who had accepted branding with the mark of the beast and those who had worshipped his statue. These two were hurled alive into the fiery lake of burning sulphur. 21 All the rest were killed by the sword of the Rider, which came out of his mouth, and all the birds glutted themselves with their flesh... 20:4 Then I saw thrones, where they took their seats, and on them was conferred the power to give judgement. I saw the souls of all who had been beheaded for having witnessed for Jesus and for having preached God's word, and those who refused to worship the beast or his statue and would not accept the brandmark on their foreheads or hands; they came to life, and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. (Revelation 19:6,19-21; 20:4, NJB)

Notice that Jesus will have to destroy world of armies unified against Him. Then He and the saints will reign. That is when there will be proper unity of the faith.

Conclusion

The interfaith movement abhors God's judgments and despises His word. It blasphemes His loving Ten Commandments.

The Bible clearly warns against being part of the new Babylon (Revelation 18:4-5), so, the development of an interfaith, one-world religion should set off alarms for those who believe the Bible.

Christians are not to fall for this. The interfaith Babylonian system that many are promoting as a way to lasting peace will bring destruction:

3 For when they say, "Peace and safety!" then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. 4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. 5 You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. 6 Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. (1 Thessalonians 5:3-6)

Both the Bible and Greco-Roman prophecies warn of a time when a militaristic leader and a religious leader (called the false prophet, who is the final Antichrist, in the Bible) will rise up. This is a militaristic leader who is expected to conquer the American and British-descended peoples and make others rich (Daniel 11:39), before he and many of his followers are destroyed.

Not all Christians will be prepared:

34 "But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. 35 For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36 Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man." (Luke 21:34-36)

The more faithful Christians will pray and watch and not be fooled like others will be.

All people, whether they profess Christ or not, need to take heed and NOT support the coming interfaith unity even if it is supported by signs and apparent miracles (2 Thessalonians 2:7-12). Only the elect, those who "walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7) and who received "the love of the truth" (cf. 2 Thessalonians 2:10) will not fall for this. Will you? Do you really have "the love of the truth"?

Various events around the globe suggest that people of many faiths are getting to the point where they are likely to accept some type of "one-world religion."

The Bible teaches:

4..."Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. 5 For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. (Revelation 18:4-5)

This is not something true Christians should become part of.

An online sermon video is available: Will the Interfaith Movement lead to World War III? as is a sermonette video of related interest: Do You Know That Babylon is Forming?

Other items of possibly related interest may include:

Anglo - America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, British, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo-Southern Africans, and New Zealanders descendants of Joseph? Where are the lost ten-tribes of Israel? Who are the lost tribes of Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first?
Who is the King of the North? Is there one? Do biblical and Roman Catholic prophecies point to the same leader? Should he be followed? Who will be the King of the North discussed in Daniel 11? Is a nuclear attack prophesied to happen to the English-speaking peoples of the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand? When do the 1335 days, 1290 days, and 1260 days (the time, times, and half a time) of Daniel 12 begin? When does the Bible show that economic collapse will affect the United States?
Catholic Prophecies: Do They Mirror, Highlight, or Contradict Biblical Prophecies? People of all faiths may be surprised to see what various Roman and Orthodox Catholic prophets have been predicting as many of their predictions will be looked to in the 21st century.
Which Is Faithful: The Roman Catholic Church or the Continuing Church of God? Do you know that both groups shared a lot of the earliest teachings? Do you know which church changed? Do you know which group is most faithful to the teachings of the apostolic church? Which group best represents true Christianity? This documented article answers those questions.
Beware: Protestants Going Towards Ecumenical Destruction! What is going on in the Protestant world? Are Protestants turning back to their 'mother church' in Rome? Does the Bible warn about this? What are Catholic plans and prophecies related to this? Is Protestantism doomed? As far as some changes affecting Protestantism, watch the video Charismatic Kenneth Copeland and Anglican Tony Palmer: Protestants Beware!
Orthodox Must Reject Unity with the Roman Catholics Are the current ecumenical meetings a good thing or will they result in disaster?
Some Similarities and Differences Between the Orthodox Church and the Continuing Church of God Both groups claim to be the original church, but both groups have differing ways to claim it. Both groups have some amazing similarities and some major differences. Do you know what they are?

Thiel B. Will the Interfaith Movement Lead to Peace or Sudden Destruction? www.cogwriter.com/inter-faith.htm (c) 2014/2015/2016/2017/2018/2019/ 2020 /2021 / 2022 1107 COGwriter

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