COG has long warned about ecumenical movement and that movement is growing in force
Ecumenical Service (Eduardo Frei Ruiz Tagle)
Last month, an Anglican Episcopal Bishop named Tony Palmer claimed:
The spirit of Elijah is the spirit of reconciliation…Redeem what belongs to you…We are Catholic…Division destroys our unity…Fear keeps us divided…most of that fear is based upon propaganda…Brothers and sisters, Luther’s protests are over…The protests have been over for 15 years…If there is no more protests, how can there be a Protestant church…We now teach the same gospel, we now teach the same faith…The protest is over, the protest is over.
The gospel that these groups teach is one that the Apostle Paul warned against. Tony Palmer mentioned that there was an agreement between the Church of Rome and Lutherans in 1999 that ended the primary disagreements between those groups. That is why he declared that the protests were over and told people that they were once again Catholic. But as those of us in the Continuing Church of Godd are not Protestant, nor do we trace our history through that movement, he was referring to Protestants such as himself.
After Tony Palmer spoke, a mainly translated message from Pope Francis was shown in which Francis said the following:
God is working all over the world…We are separated…We all share the blame…And let us pray to the Lord that He unites us all… He will complete this miracle of unity.
It should be noted that the ‘miracles’ associated with ecumenical unity are all warned against in the Bible (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12; Revelation 13:11-18).
Tony Palmer believes that since the Catholics and Lutherans agreed to something called the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification (JDDJ) on October 31, 1999, that the protests are over and all should be Catholic.
Charismatic Kenneth Copeland agreed (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!).
Notice that the Bible tells of a time of unity that comes after fleeing a Babylonian system:
6 “Up, up! Flee from the land of the north,” says the Lord; “for I have spread you abroad like the four winds of heaven,” says the Lord. 7 “Up, Zion! Escape, you who dwell with the daughter of Babylon.”
8 For thus says the Lord of hosts: “He sent Me after glory, to the nations which plunder you; for he who touches you touches the apple of His eye. 9 For surely I will shake My hand against them, and they shall become spoil for their servants. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent Me.
10 “Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion! For behold, I am coming and I will dwell in your midst,” says the Lord. 11 “Many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day, and they shall become My people. And I will dwell in your midst. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent Me to you. (Zechariah 2:6-11)
Notice that this unity happens after Jesus returns and warns against being involved with the end-time “daughter of Babylon.”
The Bible does not state that compromise to join with the Church of Rome which is what Tony Palmer, Kenneth Copeland, and various others have seemed to advocate..
Do you understand the dangers of the ecumenical movement?
Concerns about this are not new. Notice the following decades old comments from other COG writers:
An editorial in the August 10, 1973 Christianity Today clearly shows that the World Council of Churches, originally founded in 1948 as an organization to encourage biblical evangelism, has failed in its mission. The editorial points out that the Council has traded its biblical evangelism for social and political pronouncements. The trend toward the liberal wing is blamed. The editorial concludes: “Sadly, the WCC not only has strayed from its mission, but also is losing out on unity. Its official programs and policies are representing fewer and fewer Christians in its own constituency, let alone outsiders. The ecumenism sought in the euphoria of the 1948 Amsterdam meeting is seldom mentioned any more. The WCC has sacrificed unity for an aberrant mission.” (Johnson George L. World Council of Churches on the Way Out? Good News, November 1973)
Why are the different branches of ‘Christianity’ talking about UNION? WHY is it possible for them to make overtures toward compromise? And anyway, is it not right that they should all GET TOGETHER? WHY should Christianity be divided? The Vatican Second Ecumenical Council is making many overtures toward both Protestants and the Eastern Orthodox church. They are even taking a conciliatory attitude toward Jews. Recently Pope Paul VI assured the non – Catholic Christian world of his purpose to clear away every obstacle blocking ‘Christian unity.
The BIG question is WHY is such compromise possible?
Can you imagine Jesus Christ beginning to compromise and get together with the Pharisees?
Did all the hundreds of differing and disagreeing sects and denominations calling themselves ‘Christian’ receive their varying faiths from the SAME SOURCE? Quite obviously not!
Now we ought to begin to see the answer to the question, HOW can these differing religious groups compromise and get together?…Since [the one and only true Church] is ruled and guided by the living God, whose written Word means what it says, it cannot and will not compromise or unite with the churches of this world. (Armstrong HW Personal from the Editor. Tomorrow’s World, September 1969).
I have written about the ecumenical movement to unite the churches — by compromise of doctrines and practices. Armstrong HW. Ecumenical movement to unite the churches – by compromise of doctrines and practices. (Armstrong HW. Ecumenical movement to unite the churches – by compromise of doctrines and practices. Good News, August 1983)
Compromise is not really what Jesus taught His Church to do. Jude wrote:
3 I felt that I must write to you encouraging you to fight hard for the faith which has been once and for all entrusted to God’s holy people. (Jude 3, NJB)
That scripture would also not suggest that doctrinal compromise is appropriate for the faithful.
The Bible does tell of a time of ecumenical compromise and it does not do so in a positive manner.
Now that the Bible clearly warns against the Babylonian system:
2 And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, “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)
That is the system that the ecumenical movement trying to prop up.
Rome Considers Itself to Be the Mother Church
Nearly all familiar with the Book of Revelation realize that it contains the following statements:
3 And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. 4 The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication. 5 And on her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. 6 I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement.
9 Here is the mind which has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits.
18 And the woman whom you saw is that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth.” (Revelation 17:3-6, 9, 18).
Even Catholic scholars admit that Rome has seven mountains/hills (Tertullian even called it that in the early part of the third century when he wrote “I appeal to the inhabitants of Rome themselves, to the native population of the seven hills“) and that it seems to fit the description in the Book of Revelation (which they normally call the Apocalpyse):
…the Apocalypse was an inexhaustible quarry where to dig for invectives that they might hurl then against the Roman hierarchy. The seven hills of Rome, the scarlet robes of the cardinals, and the unfortunate abuses of the papal court made the application easy and tempting (Van den Biesen, Christian. “Apocalypse.” The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 1. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907. 27 Feb. 20145 Oct. 2008 <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01594b.htm>).
Note: some Protestant scholars falsely teach that this is referring to Babylon in Iraq–this is wrong because the Iraqi Babylon is located on a flat plain and not seven hills or mountains like Rome is).
Are you aware that the Church of Rome has made statements indicating that it is the Mother of the World’s Churches and that those groups that came out of her (like the Protestants and somewhat according to the Romans, the Orthodox ) are her daughters?
Inscription in the Basilica of St. John Lateran
Notice the above inscription, which I have personally seen on at least two trips to Rome on the outside of what, in certain respects, is the most important Cathedral for Rome. Below it is translated from the Latin:
Sacred Lateran Church Mother and Head of All Churches of the City and the World
That inscription is in Latin in the Basilica of St. John Lateran is the cathedral of the Bishop of Rome, that contains its papal throne (Cathedra Romana) and is the official ecclesiastical seat of the Pope (it ranks above all other churches in the Roman Catholic Church, even above St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican).
So it is clear that the Vatican claims to be the Mother of the World’s Churches. And Babylon certainly is the Mother of the WORLD’s churches. However, it is NOT the mother of the Church of God which preceded the formation of the Church of Rome (see The Churches of Revelation 2 & 3 and Location of the Early Church: Another Look at Ephesus, Smyrna, and Rome) and did not come from the Church of Rome.
Notice what the Church of Rome considers those in other churches to be:
The Dominus Iesus declaration, which has been written by a close aide of Pope John Paul II, says that the Roman Catholic church is the “mother” of all Christian denominations and that it is incorrect to refer to the Church of England and other Protestant churches as “sister” organisations on a par with Rome.(Vatican declaration provokes churches. BBC, September 5, 2000. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/910612.stm)
Perhaps I should add here that since the Church of Rome so highly condemns the beliefs of the Continuing Church of God as essentially apostate, it does not really consider itself to be its mother–which of course it is not.
Hence while the Bible is clear that there will be a false church, based out of the city of seven hills (Rome), who will somehow be a mother of abominations, the Church of Rome itself acknowledges that Rome is the city of seven hills, is the mother of worldly churches, and considers other churches to be its daughters.
Since most Protestant scholars admit that their religion sprang out of Rome, this should give them pause.
And for those Protestants who do not believe that their religion came out of the Greco-Romans, they should look into the beliefs and practices of the early faithful church and compare what they believe now to what the early true church believed (see The History of Early Christianity). For if they do that, they will find that they have a lot more in common with the Greco-Roman religion than the true religion of Jesus Christ and His immediate followers.
The time to stand up for the truth is now and not to wait until the signs and lying wonders appear which will deceive all who do not truly have the love of the truth (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12). Those who wait too late to truly live like a real Christian will be deceived by what is going to come (Matthew 24:24).
Some items of related interest may include:
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?
Orthodox Must Reject Unity with the Roman Catholics Unity between these groups will put them in position to be part of the final end time Babylon that the Bible warns against as well as require improper compromise.
Hope of Salvation: How the Continuing Church of God differ from most Protestants How the real Church of God differs from mainstream/traditional Protestants, is perhaps the question I am asked most by those without a Church of God background. As far as some changes affecting Protestantism, watch the video Charismatic Kenneth Copeland and Anglican Tony Palmer: Protestants Beware!
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. [Português: Qual é fiel: A igreja católica romana ou a igreja do deus?]
Why Should American Catholics Fear Unity with the Orthodox? Are the current ecumenical meetings a good thing or will they result in disaster? Is doctrinal compromise good? Here is a link to a related video Should you be concerned about the ecumenical movement?
Some Similarities and Differences Between the Eastern 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?
Who is the Man of Sin of 2 Thessalonians 2? Is this the King of the North, the ten-horned beast of Revelation 13:1-11, or the two-horned Beast of Revelation 13:12-16? Some rely on traditions, but what does the Bible teach? Here is a related link in Spanish/español: ¿Quién es el Hombre de Pecado de 2 Tesalonicenses 2? Here is a version in Mandarin: 主编： 谁是’大罪人’？Here is a link to a related YouTube video, in English, titled Who is the Man of Sin?
Some Doctrines of Antichrist Are there any doctrines taught outside the Churches of God which can be considered as doctrines of antichrist? This article suggests at least three. It also provides information on 666 and the identity of “the false prophet.” Plus it shows that several Catholic writers seem to warn about an ecumenical antipope that will support heresy. You can also watch a video titled What Does the Bible teach about the Antichrist?
Could Pope Francis be the Last Pope and Antichrist? According to some interpretations of the prophecies of the popes by the Catholic saint and Bishop Malachy, Pope Francis I is in the position of “Peter the Roman,” the pontiff who reigns during tribulations until around the time of the destruction of Rome. Do biblical prophecies warn of someone that sounds like Peter the Roman? Could Francis I be the heretical antipope of Catholic private prophecies and the final Antichrist of Bible prophecy? This is a YouTube video.
The Malachy Prophecies and “Peter the Roman” An Irish bishop allegedly predicted something about 112 popes in the 12th century. Pope Benedict XVI was number 111. Francis would seem to be number 112–if he is that one–and if so, he is to reign until Rome is destroyed. May he be an antipope/final Antichrist?
The Last Pope: Do Biblical and Catholic Prophecies Point to Pope Francis? Amazon Book What does the Bible say about a pope near this time? Is the final pope to be an antipope and antichrist? Does Catholic prophecy point to Pope Francis as being the dreaded “Peter the Roman”? This 186 page book provides information and answers.
The Last Pope: Do Biblical and Catholic Prophecies Point to Pope Francis? Kindle This electronic version of the printed book which is available for only US$2.99. And you do not need an actual Kindle device to read it. Why? Amazon will allow you to download it to almost any device: Please click HERE to download one of Amazon s Free Reader Apps. After you go to for your free Kindle reader and then go to The Last Pope: Do Biblical and Catholic Prophecies Point to Pope Francis? Kindle.
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