By Pastor Hal Mayer
(the above message can be downloaded by clicking the down arrow in the top right corner)
Dear Friends,
Welcome to Keep the Faith Ministry. I am so glad you are joining me today as we study yet another important message for our times. It is hard to imagine that the fulfillments of prophecy are actually maturing quite rapidly on all sides. We are almost to the eternal kingdom of Jesus Christ. A new and better world will finally come. But it is patience that we must exercise now. “Here is the patience of the saints,” says the scripture in Revelation 14:12, “here are they that keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.” That patience is really a mature confidence in Christ that will remain intact, even in the severest trial and persecution.
My heart wants Jesus to come this year. I am thrilled to hear the marching footsteps of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords through the signs of the times. Though we would love to see Him come today, we also know that there are many souls that would be lost. So we must wait in patience, and endure in patience, until He determines that the time has come for His return.
It is also hard for many to imagine that Jesus is coming really soon because they are so engrossed in their own things and not the things of God. Friends, it is like it was at the time of Noah. Everything seemed “normal” though there were a few (Noah’s family) that saw that things were not normal and that the world had gotten so wicked that something had to be done. In Lot’s day there were only three people who finally escaped with their lives. They alone realized that they had better do as God said and get out of the city. And it was none too soon and almost too late. The angels actually had to drag these souls to the gate of the city and demand that they escape for their lives. Do you think the angels will have to do that today with some who linger to prepare for the coming crisis?
Those who are paying attention to the signs of the times see the wickedness that is unfolding in the world and they cry and sigh for God to do something about it. Yet it just gets worse and worse. We read about the violence and wickedness every day in the news or we see it on the television.
In Noah’s day, the wicked mocked the idea that God would do anything it. They even mocked the idea that there was a God at all. And today, they do the same, don’t they?
Today, we are going to study yet another development that is one of the signs of the times. But before we do, let me remind you that if you are not yet a subscriber to our free monthly KTF Insider newsletter, please send us your email address and we will add you to the mailing list. The KTF Insider provides heart-warming stories of what God is doing behind the scenes at Keep the Faith Ministry and also at Highwood Health Retreat, our ministry base in Australia. Stay up to date so that you can see how your support has results. Your support for Keep the Faith has been so meaningful to us. It helps us get the message out to more people. Please accept our heartfelt thanks.
As we begin, let us pray. Our Father in heaven, I pray that You will show us today how we have reached a point from which there is no turning back in our society. Today, give us special insight from Your word and let us hear more clearly the voice of God as He speaks to us concerning the preparation that we need to make in the power of Christ for the second coming of Jesus in the clouds of glory… Send Your Holy Spirit to us today as we open Your word. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Friends, turn with me in your Bible to 2 Thessalonians 2:3. Notice what the apostle Paul says to believers in Jesus in the last days. Here it is, listen carefully. “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.”
Paul is saying that the coming of Christ could not yet happen in his day because there must come a great apostasy first. What greater apostasy could there be than for a church that claims to follow Christ or act in the name of Christ to actually be worshipping Satan and try to force people to worship Satan? But that is exactly what Paul is speaking about. The man of sin is an apostate ruler who presides over religious people, but who is really a representative of Satan. You see, Satan has to manifest himself on a grand scale in order for the issues in the Great Controversy between Christ and Satan to be resolved. He has to be permitted to demonstrate his principles of sin. And one way in which he does this is through pretending to be Christ and by getting deceived people to follow him as if he was Christ.
This is referring to the apostate church. And it includes many things. It involves moral apostasy. It involves doctrinal apostasy. It involves seeking the aid of the civil government to force its dogmas on the people. This is the work of the man of sin. The man of sin turns true worship on its head, so that instead of worshipping Christ, the people actually worship Satan. It involves a spiritual control system known as Spiritual Formation. It involves the destruction of the home and family. It involves disgusting moral crimes. It involves spiritualism, in which the dead are considered to be alive and in heaven, and that they communicate with us, or intercede for us with Christ. These things are condemned by scripture as of Satan. This apostasy represents a system of teaching and worship, which involves deceptive satanic influences like fear to keep the people from having a true understanding of God and of salvation.
But this is not just a bit of backsliding on an individual scale. It is not only a personal sin, but a corporate sin that involves many nations or churches among the nations. It is a massive system of deception that necessarily involves the geopolitical world too. It involves money, finance, global politics as well as lifeless rituals and ceremonies. It involves beautiful churches and massive cathedrals, candles, penance, pilgrimages, indulgences for sin and loads of other worthless rubbish that is designed to keep the people under spiritual control.
When a church cannot rely on the power of God, it must resort to earthly power. So, this apostate church appeals to the state or nations of the world to help her resurrect her power and might. She appeals to kings and rulers to assist her in restoring her ancient control over society. And this is happening very effectively, right before our eyes.
Now listen to what the apostle Paul said to the young man, Timothy. Turn over to 2 Timothy 3:1-5. This is Paul’s description of the last days. “In the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.”
So the Bible is saying that in the last days the moral state of the world will be like it was in the early days of Christianity in the first centuries. But the Bible also tells us that the world will be as morally bankrupt as the days of Noah and the days of Lot. God destroyed the world and the city of Sodom for their determined moral debasement. Jerusalem was destroyed because of its defiance of the God of heaven and its moral decay. France descended into economic and political chaos and bloodshed because of her moral chaos.
In the last several months we have studied a number of key developments in prophecy that have reached a tipping point. A tipping point is the point at which an issue crosses a certain threshold and gains significant momentum. It is often triggered by some minor event or development that pushes it forward rapidly. And once the tipping point is reached, there is no turning back. There may still be delays and complications in reaching the issue’s ultimate goals, which slow the progress down, but the progress continues. Keep in mind that before a tipping point on a given issue is reached, those that are working for certain goals, are silent. They work quietly and stealthily until they see that the tipping point has been reached and then they are right out in the open with it because they know that nothing can stop them achieving their goals sooner or later.
In 2 Timothy 4:3 and 4, these verses describe our times in sweeping detail too. See if you think we have come to this very time.
“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”
Do you think we have come to a time when most people will not endure sound doctrine? How many people want to hear about the seventh day Sabbath? How many people want to hear about the coming judgment? How many people want to hear about the unfolding prophecies that are taking this world to the moral bottom and preparing the cities and nations for the judgments of God?
I have watched the signs of the times for many years. I sense that we have reached several tipping points all at once, right now in our lifetime. I have always looked to the future for these things to be fulfilled. And I wondered how the predictions of the Bible would unfold in practical ways. But now I see that quietly, stealthily, surreptitiously, the political and economic things of this earth are being aligned with the power of Satan and that he is constructing the very elements needed for the end-time prophecies to be fulfilled.
I see now that it is not the future. The foundation has been laid. The walls have been built, and now the roof is being put over the top of the building, the superstructure that will one day be used to oppress God’s people. I didn’t realize it was as far along as it is. But now I see that we are nearing the completion of the full complement of devices that are required in order for Satan to rule the world through his church on earth.
It must be that those angels holding back the four winds on the earth are permitting rather rapid progress at the moment. They must understand that time, probationary time on this earth is limited, and that matters must develop so that all can see the purposes of Satan and his cohorts and make an informed choice. They see that there are a few precious souls that are being sealed by overcoming all their sins in Christ.
I think it is worthy for us to note the tipping points that have reached the point of no return before we move into our primary study today.
First, there is the tipping point of globalization. Once upon a time, 25-30 years ago, globalization was very real, but it was not out in the open. Those who tried to expose it, were treated as conspiracy theorists, and left on the margins of society. Today, however, globalization has gone so far that it is now right out there in the open so that everyone can see it. It is continually in the news. And those who are promoting it are not hiding it. That is why, over the last several years, I have spent a good deal of time teaching the prophetic connections to globalization from the Bible. Without globalization, there is no chance for there to ever be a universal Sunday law. When I was younger, I wondered greatly how there would ever be a universal Sunday law. I didn’t understand the forces of the new world order from the Bible, so there was no way I could have put the pieces together. And for those of you who have been our listeners for a few years, you will recognize that globalization is leading us to the political and economic centralization of power that will be needed in order to enforce global religion on the whole planet. Globalization is no longer being hidden. It is right out there in the open and that tells me that it has passed the tipping point. It has gained a lot of traction and is gaining momentum every day.
Just think about what has happened in the last few years in western countries to change them and get them away from their constitutions. Through trade agreements, multinational banking agreements, political regionalization and a host of other sovereignty destroying efforts, western countries are gradually being brought under the control of the globalists.
Rome, or the Vatican, has been fully supportive of this development and has encouraged it in many ways. For instance, the last three popes, including the present Pope Frances, have emphasized wealth redistribution, which is a means of saying that power over wealth should be centralized globally and wealth will be distributed according to the principles of globalization, or in other words, taken from rich nations and given to poor nations. By the way, wealth redistribution is not going to affect the ultra-wealthy. Wealth redistribution affects the middle class and the poor. We have even seen some experiments in wealth confiscation, as countries and their banks go bankrupt. We saw this in Greece, Cyprus, Portugal and other nations. And we will see it again in the future. I can promise you that. The elites want to take your money from you and give it to themselves in the name of giving it to the poor. They are actually doing a dirty business of misrepresenting the truth. And by quantitative easing, the central banks in Europe and America are stealing the wealth through inflation right out of the pockets of middle class and poor people by the devaluation of their currency. They make you poor in the name of stabilizing the economy. But they were the ones who made the economy unstable in the first place.
Second, we have studied another very interesting tipping point in which the political leadership of the world is being taken over by the Jesuits, or by Jesuit trained political leaders. We have documented this in Europe and in Australia as well as some level of it in the United States. If we had the language resources, my guess is that we could also document it in Latin America, at least in some countries in Africa, and perhaps in Asia as well. This tipping point is interesting. In Australia for instance, it has been brewing for some time, many years in fact, and more and more Jesuit trained men gain political office. But now, the Sydney Morning Herald speaks of Australian leadership, including the coalition government and the opposition leaders as a “Jesuit Jamboree.”
Listen to a few snippets from the Sydney Morning Herald article. “Coinciding with the first Jesuit pontiff in papal history, Australians are poised for their own Jesuit experience… It turns out that the Jesuits have been educating the ruling elite in Australia for many decades… The Jesuits retained a stranglehold on shaping the intellectual development of the sons of well-to-do Australian Catholics. The grip may be strongest in Melbourne, where old-school ties remain a useful social lever… The ranks of law, medicine and the higher echelons of commerce are filled with Jesuit products… [Tony] Abbott’s Coalition ministry is shaping as a kind of Jesuit jamboree.”
Listen to this statement from Great Controversy, page 566. “Protestants have tampered with and patronized popery; they have made compromises and concessions which papists themselves are surprised to see and fail to understand. Men are closing their eyes to the real character of Romanism and the dangers to be apprehended from her supremacy.”
I believe we have reached a tipping point concerning the Jesuit ascent to political prominence. And with a very popular Jesuit in the papal office, it is inevitable that Jesuit training will bring more such individuals into political prominence. The Jesuits are no longer hiding their activity. They are no longer afraid to be seen out in the open politically, economically, and in every other way.
In Canberra, as it is in Rome: here come the Jesuits [1]
A third tipping point is the dramatic momentum that the homosexual rights movement has achieved. Same-sex marriage has gripped the center stage of social change. And it is happening everywhere in western societies as well as some other large nations. Homosexual rights have marched right into prominence after years of investment and strategic planning on the part of activists. All their planning, scheming and organizing has finally come to fruition. One law after another that defended traditional marriage has collapsed in nations around the globe. The courts accepted reformulated definitions of lifestyle and marriage and have struck down laws that stand in the way of the gay agenda.
Though the Catholic Church attempts a defense of traditional marriage, most people view papal pleas for conventional marriage as hypocritical in light of the scandals involving homosexual and pedophile priests. Their defense is hollow.
But the days of Lot have come upon us. The men of the city are surrounding the house of western law. They would tear it down if permitted to do so. And they may be permitted, because Jesus himself said that “likewise also as it was in the days of Lot… even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.” Luke 17: 28, 30
Friends, the homosexual movement has even changed the churches. Churches that don’t understand God’s law are especially vulnerable because they don’t have an anchor in Bible truth to keep them from the onslaught of a corrupted society. They are eventually molded by the new morality of “anything goes.” They are pressured and badgered by a long string of social activists who demand acceptance.
Recently, we looked carefully at the history of how the homosexual movement changed the attitudes of western societies and what they did to undermine morals and principles so that they can have their way and live with their reprobate minds, as the Bible says, and turn their backs on God and His law.
We have also recently studied global spying and surveillance, particularly in light of the NSA revelations. In the digital world, this has also reached a tipping point. The ability to collect and store your every communication whether by phone, email or text… every browser you open and every webpage you view is essential to control. This one element gives the rulers the ability to control your every move if they want to.
Another tipping point that we have studied in recent times is the destruction of western constitutions, especially that of the United States. Prior to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 the U.S. Constitution had some substance. Now it is but a shell. It is being overthrown daily in many ways by the rulers of the United States, whether it is the president, the courts, or Congress. And I am not just referring to the present rulers. I am referring to the previous president as well and other government officials. It is as if the U.S. Constitution and the corresponding constitutions of other nations that follow her lead, are getting stabbed again and again and again by an attacker that will not quit until the thing is dead.
Today, I am going to show you yet another movement that has reached its tipping point. As we near the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther’s 95 Theses, the ecumenical movement has destroyed almost all of what is left of Protestantism. Protestantism was first neutered and now is being completely overthrown. And again, the churches are vulnerable to it because they have not followed the Bible even though they think they are Bible churches. By the fact that most churches keep Sunday, which is a Roman Catholic institution, they show that they are vulnerable to Rome’s deceptive arguments. And are they ever vulnerable!
Recently, there was a YouTube video that went viral at least among many of God’s people in which the pope spoke to a Pentecostal minister’s conference in Fort Worth, TX via video. The minister’s conference was conducted by Kenneth Copeland Ministries (KCM). The pope spoke to them on video inviting them to be brothers with him… You can watch that video on YouTube. Search Tony Palmer and you will find it.
While the message was not at all surprising to those who understand the ecumenical movement and have watched it for a long time; and though it presented nothing really new in terms of the principles of unity with Rome, the surprise was in the response of these traditionally Protestant charismatic or Pentecostal pastors. It was powerful, spiritualistic, and hypnotic. Today, I am going to analyze it with you so that you can understand the subtle deceptions of the ecumenical movement. I could give you a description of them, but by analyzing this video, which many of you have seen, I hope you will be able to see in a practical way, how alluring the movement is.
Kenneth Copeland had invited Tony Palmer, an Anglican minister who was trained by him in the charismatic way, and who was their KCM director in Africa for a while to speak that night. Some years before, Palmer had been invited by Rome to work for the Catholic Charismatic Renewal movement in Italy. He now runs an organization known as “The Ark,” which suggests that the call for unity and to join the Catholic Church is like Noah appealing for the people to come into the ark. Though he is Anglican, Palmer is a member of the Roman Catholic Ecumenical Delegation for Christian Unity and Reconciliation.
Palmer’s message was subtle deception. He knows enough of the Bible to sprinkle his message with pertinent texts and comments, taking them out of their original setting and twisting them to suit his purposes. Listen to what he says.
“I want you to understand the connection between KCM (Kenneth Copeland Ministries) and the Catholic Charismatic Renewal.” Then referencing Pope Benedict XVI, he said, “The Catholic Charismatic Renewal is the hope of the church.” Of course he is referring to charismatic movement as the means of bringing Catholics and Protestants together. Evangelicals and Pentecostals will never join Rome unless there is something emotional and charismatic for them.
Palmer said that when his wife, who had left the Catholic Church, learned that she could be Catholic and charismatic and evangelical and Pentecostal all at once, she decided to return to her Catholic roots.
Perhaps we can see how the Catholic Charismatic Renewal (as it is called) is the bridge back to Rome for Evangelicals and Pentecostals. And if you think about it, Latin America is hugely Pentecostal. And Rome has been losing membership in Latin America hand over fist. The Charismatic Renewal inside the Catholic Church is their attempt to recover something of what they have lost.
“Jesus is sacramental,” Palmer continued, referring to the Catholic Church. “He instituted the sacraments. He did the things that [were] required of him in the synagogue. He believed in sign and symbol. He used it all the time in His parables…”
Now, let me show you how subtle this is: Palmer said Jesus “did what was required of him in the synagogue.” But that is not true. Jesus only did that which was required of him in scripture. And that bothered the leaders because Christ didn’t do what they instructed Him to do. In saying that Jesus did what was required of him in the synagogue, Palmer is attempting to establish the authority of the Catholic Church, by making them think that they have to do what the church requires.
Jesus “was also evangelical,” Palmer said, “because He said, ‘you have to be born again, [and] ‘It is written.’” Then Palmer promoted contemplative spirituality and the Spiritual Formation of Ignatius Loyola and other Catholic mystics, by saying that Jesus was a “contemplative.” Then he added, Jesus “was also a charismatic.”
“How much of Jesus do you want,” he challenged. “Do you only want one denomination of Jesus? Jump in, get it all.”
Don’t think, my friends that Spiritual Formation is only coming into your church (and if it isn’t, praise God). It is infiltrating all Protestant churches. It is a masterpiece of Jesuit planning, crafted and toned down for Protestants, to get them used to Jesuit mind control. You can learn more about this from two of our previous well-documented sermons on our website.
Palmer told the audience of charismatic pastors that he became friends with Jorge Mario Bergoglio while serving the Catholic Church in Argentina for a few years. They studied together, he said, and Bergoglio became one of his mentors, which you would expect if you study under a Jesuit.
“[Bergoglio] became one of my spiritual fathers,” he said. The archbishop of Buenos Aires eventually became the pope. Palmer told the audience “My friend, my spiritual father, had become the pope,” to a round of applause. Obviously, Bergoglio could see that Palmer would be very useful to the Catholic Church because of his Evangelical connections. Imagine being mentored by a Jesuit to be able to lead others into the bosom of Rome.
Pope Francis invited Palmer to visit him at the Vatican. When he did, Palmer said they made a covenant to work for the “unity of the church.” Then he and the pope made a video of the pope speaking to these Evangelical charismatic pastors who were already blinded to the real purpose of the ecumenical movement that is drawing them kindly, enthusiastically and gently back to Rome.
“This is a historic moment” Palmer added. Then he tried to connect the pope to charismatics by saying that Pope Francis took the name Francis because St. Francis of Assisi was openly charismatic, and he [Pope Francis] is openly charismatic. “For the first time in history,” Palmer said, “we’ve got a pope that recognizes us [charismatics] as brothers and sisters, speaks to us as brothers and sisters, and has sent a message to us…”
By the way, when Pope Francis was in Rio de Janeiro, he had some bishops, of all things, not just regular priests and nuns, but bishops dancing on the stage at one meeting to upbeat music. According to the New York Times, “the spectacle was clearly aimed at competing with Evangelical churches that have a more ‘pop’ style.” Rome is aiming to recover Latin American Evangelicals if it can, or at least stem the massive outflow (check out our sermon called Latino Reformation for more information).
Remember, my friends, these charismatics don’t have a deep loyalty to scripture. They use scripture for their own ends, but they are vulnerable because they have not followed advancing light, and have turned their backs on the teaching of scripture concerning Rome. They don’t have any distinctive doctrines that provide a rudder to keep them from being drawn in.
The New York Times – On Gay Priests, Pope Francis Asks, ‘Who Am I to Judge? [2]
Friendship is very important to the ecumenical movement. Rome understands that if she is ever going to get non-Catholics to return to her bosom, she must be friendly with them.
Then Palmer continued using theological ideas to connect these charismatics to the ecumenical movement of Rome. “I believe God has brought me here to this year’s ministers’ conference in the spirit of Elijah…,” he said, “to turn the hearts of the sons to the fathers, and to turn the hearts of the fathers to the sons to prepare the way of the Lord. And we know that prophecy always has a double fulfillment. And we know that Elijah will come before the second coming as well. And I have understood that the spirit of Elijah is the spirit of reconciliation, to return hearts to each other.”
Notice that he mentioned the second coming. He is making a broad sweeping appeal that anyone who doesn’t know their Bibles and understand that true unity can only come when it is rooted in truth, Bible truth, will be led blindly into the ecumenical alliance with the man of sin. Returning to Rome is certainly not the meaning of the prophet Malachi.
Then Palmer made another false statement. He said, “We know that for the first 1000 years there was only one church, it was called the Catholic Church.”
However, there were other smaller churches that refused to participate in the false teachings and practices of Rome during the dark ages. They were viciously persecuted by the Roman Catholic Church. They were another church, completely different church, built on completely different principles. They were a Bible church. They were known as the Waldenses and the Albigenses. They were known as the Huguenots and many others were scattered all over Europe. They were in league with heaven, not with the pope.
“The word Catholic means universal,” Palmer said, “it doesn’t mean Roman. If you are born again… you are Catholic,” he added.
“I’ve come to understand that diversity is divine. It’s division that’s diabolical,” Palmer says. While that is true on its face, there can be no unity outside of Bible truth. Palmer is inviting them to unity without truth. The ecumenical movement wants to bring unity on the basis of tradition, Catholic tradition, under the authority of the pope, not the authority of the Bible.
“The glory that the father had, He gave to Jesus,” Palmer intoned. “The glory was the presence of God. What is the charismatic renewal? It’s when we experience the presence of God. And He said, and I give them the glory; [for a] pragmatic reason, so that they may be one. It’s the glory that glues us together, not the doctrines,” he declared.
Notice two things. First, Palmer misrepresents the glory of God. The glory of God is not His presence it is His character. And when His character of truth is present, then you have the glory of God. Secondly, he says that unity is not in the doctrines. Yet the very prayer of Christ for unity which he quotes says, “Sanctify them in thy truth: thy word is truth.” Yet, Palmer leaves out that verse.
Notice what God said to Moses when he plead with God to show Him his glory. It’s in Exodus 33:18. Listen carefully to what God defines as His glory. “And [Moses] said, I beseech thee, show me thy glory.
And [God] said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee…” Then in chapter 34:6, 7, when it actually happens, the Bible says “and the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.”
God’s glory is His goodness, His character and His truth. You cannot have His glory without these. Of course, if you have His character and His truth, you will have His presence. But Tony Palmer turns these truths on their heads and makes it seem as if God’s glory isn’t related to character and truth at all. Evangelical charismatics who have only a superficial knowledge of scripture are very vulnerable to this. They think that when they have some emotion, they have the glory of God. I can assure you, that if you do not have a deep understanding of scripture, you will find this appeal to false unity so attractive and irresistible that you will find your way into the Roman Church.
“If you accept that Christ is living in me, and the presence of God is in me, and if the presence of God is in you, that’s all we need,” claimed Palmer. “Because God will sort out all our doctrines when we get upstairs.”
Palmer is saying that doctrine is not important. Not even the popes view it that way. The popes have reaffirmed Catholic doctrine over and over again as essential to salvation. Pope Benedict XVI was foremost in this. But scripture tells us that it is truth that unites believers.
Palmer then says, “In 1999 the Roman Catholic Church and the Protestant Lutheran Church signed an agreement that brought an end to the protest… “Brothers and sisters, Luther’s protest is over… The protest has been over for 15 years… If there is no protest, how can there be a Protestant church? Maybe now we’re all Catholics again. But we are reformed. We are Catholic in the universal sense. We are not protesting the doctrine of salvation by the Catholic Church anymore. We now preach the same gospel. We now preach you are saved by grace through faith alone…”
Imagine saying that Evangelicals and Catholics are preaching the same gospel. That too, is absolutely false. Rome still believes all that it ever believed. For most Evangelicals and Pentecostals, all that matters to them is justification. Justification alone is their mantra. And it was Luther’s mantra too, but it wasn’t the only doctrine Luther contested with Rome.
The Catholic Church has artfully and skillfully restructured its own wording on the doctrine of justification so that former Protestants will be willing to sign an agreement about it, and think that they are all now preaching the same gospel.
While he is quoting the agreement signed by the Protestant Lutheran Church, and later by the World-wide Methodists with Rome, he is actually misrepresenting Roman Catholics to these Pentecostal pastors. Rome has not changed its doctrine of salvation. Rome signed the agreement with the Protestants because it could adjust certain wordings to match Protestant ideas, but there is much more to Roman Catholic theology. Rome has perjured itself before the Protestants.
Palmer is ignoring the many relatively recent documents of the three popes he says he has served, particularly John Paul and Benedict, that affirmed Roman Catholic doctrine, including indulgences, which was the trigger for Luther’s protest, heresy and persecution of heretics, Sunday observance, that the Roman Catholic Church is the only true church, which offended many of the Protestant churches including those that signed the agreement. He is also ignoring the declaration that Mary, the mother of Jesus, is co-redemptrix with Christ. To say that Evangelicals and Pentecostals are preaching the same doctrine as Rome concerning salvation is sheer misrepresentation of the facts. They don’t even really teach the same on justification. They are just deceiving themselves so that they can somehow heal the wound with Rome.
On the video, Pope Francis warmly greets these Pentecostal pastors and leaders. In so many words he says, “We are a family, and sometimes families are separated because of sin and misunderstandings. We all share the blame for this. I yearn for this separation to end,” he tells them. “We have different cultures. We have different religious traditions, but we must encounter each other as brothers. We must cry together like Joseph and his brothers. These tears will unite us, these tears of love.”
That should warm the hearts of vulnerable Evangelical Pentecostals, don’t you think? The pope’s message is short on theology and long on feeling, perfectly suited to Evangelical Pentecostals.
Then he ended by asking for their prayers for him, and to pray that the Lord will unite them all as brothers… The miracle of unity has begun…” he said. “I ask you to bless me, and I will bless you.”
Then Kenneth Copeland led the large gathering in speaking in tongues and a blessing on the pope. They were led like lambs to the slaughter, shouting back to him in a spontaneous response video, “Be blessed, be blessed,” amid a roaring and applauding crowd.
Then Tony Palmer leans over and says to Kenneth Copeland, “you’re going to have to come to the Vatican.”
“I will,” said Copeland. “I’m available…” Perhaps that statement has more than casual significance.
You Tube – Pope Francis Sends Video Message to Kenneth Copeland [3]
In another video where Palmer basically repeats the same things, he says that we are living in a post Protestant era.
He also says, “if we allow anything to cause division among the body or to stop us from having unity as a body, whatever that thing is, whether it be a doctrine, an expression, or some form of service, then we elevate that thing… above the cross of Christ. There is nothing higher than the torn body, the cross of Christ, and that’s what makes us one, not our doctrines, not our traditions… When we prohibit the unity of Christians we are rejecting the work of the cross.”
Calling the separation “spiritual racism,” and saying we are out of sync with reality by being separated, he urges that all churches sign the agreement on justification with the Catholic Church.
You Tube – Bishop Tony Palmer and Pope Francis – The Miracle of Unity Has Begun [4]
Did you hear that? What is “spiritual racism?” in other words, he is saying that separation from Rome is as bad as racism. It is amazing to me that so many people like to bludgeon their opponents with the racism label even if the issue has nothing to do with race.
Tony Palmer claims that Pope Francis’ appeal to join together in brotherhood is novel and that it is a new way forward. But that isn’t true at all. This has been the appeal of the ecumenical movement since its inception. By joining together at the communion table, without any foundation in doctrine or objective truth, is really the ecumenical way of bringing people to the Mass, all in the name of brotherhood. Obviously, the idea is that by coming together in brotherhood, the churches will be led to join Rome’s communion. And Palmer appeals for full visible unity with Rome. That would mean letting go of any doctrine that is not Roman Catholic and accepting the pope as head of the church.
The principle of putting doctrine aside and emphasizing only that which is common between churches is a core agenda of the Roman Catholic ecumentical movement.
Here is an important statement from the book Great Controversy, page 444 that clarifies this point. “The wide diversity of belief in the Protestant churches is regarded by many as decisive proof that no effort to secure a forced uniformity can ever be made. But there has been for years, in churches of the Protestant faith, a strong and growing sentiment in favor of a union based upon common points of doctrine. To secure such a union, the discussion of subjects upon which all were not agreed—however important they might be from a Bible standpoint—must necessarily be waived.”
The Roman Catholic appeal to those who put a higher priority on emotion than doctrine is almost irresistible. These days the Catholic Church is very accommodating to anyone and anything. Catholicism hasn’t changed much other than her surface veneer. The Vatican knows that she can attract anyone who doesn’t know the Bible. Most people have no clue that Rome misuses scripture to deceive.
Here is another statement from Great Controversy, page 566 “Protestants have tampered with and patronized popery; they have made compromises and concessions which papists themselves are surprised to see and fail to understand. Men are closing their eyes to the real character of Romanism and the dangers to be apprehended from her supremacy.”
Friends, if you are only hearing sermons about the cross, love, and unity, you are being groomed for the ecumenical delusion. If your pastor is only preaching the same thing that you can hear in an Evangelical or Baptist church, he is preparing you to be vulnerable to the ecumenical pressure. He is preparing himself for it too.
Think about this. Tony Palmer suggests that the only issue between Rome and the Lutherans was over the doctrine of justification. This is false. For instance, Martin Luther was very strong in teaching on the priesthood of all believers, which is a doctrine that teaches we can come to Christ directly. We do not need an earthly priest to mediate for us. Luther also taught that Holy Scripture was the only source of inspired knowledge of God and of His revealed will. This is completely opposite of the Catholic Church which teaches that tradition is equal with scripture. Thirdly, Luther taught that the pope has no more authority over the church than any other human being. In fact, Luther taught that the pope was anti-Christ and had usurped the authority of Christ in the church. Luther also taught that priests should marry and should not be celibate. He believed that celibacy leads to many moral crimes, abuses and sinful offenses in the sight of God. Rome continues to teach priestly celibacy. Tony Palmer knows all this. The list goes on and on of the differences between the teachings of Martin Luther and the Catholic Church. In saying that the only difference is the doctrine of justification, he is either lying or he doesn’t know the facts.
The Lutheran Reformation did more than revolutionize the old Roman Catholic Germany and Europe. The Lutheran Reformation gave the people the Bible in their own language. This was Luther’s most important task and it had a ripple effect that changed everything about society.
Let me explain. Because of the spiritual darkness, the people hungered for the truth. Because of the Waldensian missionaries that had for millennia traversed all over Europe providing a few Bibles or portions of Bibles to the people and showing them the false teachings of Rome, Europe hungered for a change, a big change. And one thing led to another.
The Bible in their own language made them eager to go back to school and learn to read so that they could read the Bible. This had a direct effect on the intellect of Europe in general and greatly improved the ability of the people to think. Now they could question and even argue with the priests from scripture, which was terrifying to the ignorant priests and monks.
With increased intelligence and mental ability, the people could then improve efficiency by inventing things that made life easier and more productive. They could make more products and sell more goods, which improved their personal wealth as well as their national economy. A middle class arose, which had more money than they needed to buy food, clothing and shelter. Instead of being stagnant, the economy began to move forward. And it is all because of the Bible.
The Bible also brings freedom. To know Jesus personally brings freedom. This led to the desire for freedom in society too.
That broad desire led to the establishment of the American colonies, which eventually broke from the old world, and established a new world, one in which individual freedom was of great priority. This in turn laid the foundation for the most advanced understanding of God’s word and will and for the unique end-time understanding that God’s people enjoy today. Because of faithful souls who built on Luther’s foundation and advanced it further and further by continuing to study the Bible for truths that had been obscured by a millennia of tradition, there is now an understanding among some, at least, of the most advanced and highest level of Bible truth ever. These truths include the seventh-day Sabbath, the principles of Christ’s ministry in the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary, the truth on the state of the dead, a correct understanding of end-time prophecy, and other key principles of the Bible, which had been buried for centuries.
Without the Lutheran Reformation, we would not understand Religious Liberty and we would not have enjoyed the constitutional liberties and freedoms we have today in western countries.
To put this into perspective, let us understand that the other issues that have reached their tipping points and are now gaining momentum, all undermine liberty and are taking us back to the same principles that existed in the dark ages.
Let me explain. Globalization, which has passed its tipping point, is all about centralization of political and economic power in the hands of fewer and fewer leaders on a global scale. This in turn plays right into the hands of the Papacy which stands in the wings, as I have explained many times in the past, waiting for the right moment when she will assert herself and get globalization under her control. After all, the Bible says that there is coming a global religion. The Roman Catholic Church is the only global church in a position to fulfill the prophecy of Revelation 13:8.
Along with political globalization there is economic globalization. The economic crisis precipitated unprecedented devaluation of currency especially in western countries with a couple of notable exceptions. This is also restoring the medieval order by stripping the middle class out of society. The result will be that a few will have great riches and the bulk of the populations of formerly wealthy nations will be poor and dependent on the government for subsistence, just as it was in medieval times and during the lead up to the French Revolution.
With the rise of the Jesuits to political prominence has come another tipping point, which promises to bring the western world back under the influence and control of Rome and re-establish the principles of medieval times. They have the ability to guide the trajectory of nations against the interests of its citizens and in the interests of Rome.
The homosexual rights issue has also reached a tipping point particularly in western countries. This is changing the moral landscape and will assist the new world order in establishing the conditions that led to the French Revolution and subsequently to Marxism.
The matter of NSA surveillance has also reached its tipping point. This is key to centralization of control over citizens. Its corresponding organizations in collaborative countries have made this a global issue. It includes non-collaborative countries as well, such as China and Russia, Japan, Israel, etc., which have also established their own electronic surveillance systems. The bottom line is control. And it will be no less controlling than it was in medieval times.
And lastly, with the gradual redefinition of the constitutions of western nations, all the medieval Roman Catholic principles have been, or are being constructed, including torture in secret prisons, indefinite detention, trial by tribunal rather than by a jury of peers, lack of legal counsel for those accused of certain crimes, extra judicial drone killings to avoid due process, and to avoid the possibility of a defeat in court and a host of other similar changes.
Rome approaches the churches with kindness and brotherly love, using biblical language to impress them with sanctity. Those churches that are insecure about their doctrines are ready to yield the field and join Rome in efforts to battle an increasingly wicked secular culture, which has given them common cause.
Rome knew that the pressure of secular culture would give her a way to work with Protestants. She also knew that a secular culture would give her a platform of opposition by which to draw media attention. The media always like controversy and the Catholic Church provides plenty of grist for their mill. Even though they may ridicule her at times, they still respect the Catholic Church itself as an influential global political and spiritual force to be reckoned with.
And the new Jesuit pope has given them a feeding frenzy. They have completely overlooked what the Bible says about the beast power, and though there are some that are angry about priestly sex scandals, the vast majority of the media are ready to promote the popularity of a man who is now perceived as nearly as popular as John Paul II. Francis’ popularity has greatly helped the ecumenical movement already.
“He’s completely changed the narrative about the church,” said John Allen, editor of the National Catholic Reporter, a U.S. Catholic newspaper. “In five months, now the dominant Catholic story is ‘Charismatic Pope Takes World by Storm.’ ”
If you wonder where all this is headed, listen carefully to this statement. “When the leading churches of the United States, uniting upon such points of doctrine as are held by them in common, shall influence the State to enforce their decrees and to sustain their institutions, then Protestant America will have formed an image of the Roman hierarchy, and the infliction of civil penalties upon dissenters will inevitably result.” Again, that’s Great Controversy, page 445.
Did you hear that? When the churches unite, then they will pressure the state to enact laws to enforce their decrees. That’s talking about Sunday laws. And Rev 17 says that the harlot (or the apostate church) is drunk with the blood of the saints. Don’t think that Rome isn’t blood thirsty still. She still wants to destroy all opposition to her dogmas and doctrines, yes doctrines too. First, she will get everyone to ecumenically cooperate with her and then villianize anyone who opposes her. Revelation 13:15 says that those who will “not worship the image of the beast [should] be killed.” Eventually, people will be so angry at God’s Sabbath-keeping people that they will be willing to kill them if they can be relieved of the wrath of God which they blame on His followers.
Friends, we are living in an unprecedented time in history. All the elements of society are coalescing to bring the world to its final prophetic fulfillment, its final conflict between the followers of Christ and the followers of Satan. They have all reached their tipping points. May God help us understand the signs of the times and give us wisdom to prepare for the powerful deceptions that are already coming upon the world.
The ecumenical movement is dangerous and it is leading to the centralization of religion. It is globalization of faith. Revelation 13:8 says “and all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in book of life of the lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” This pivotal prophecy is talking about the ecumenical movement. Amazingly, all the core issues required to make this prophecy come to pass are reaching their tipping points more or less at the same time. They are converging on the most important moment in history.
My friends, doesn’t that inspire you? Doesn’t that give you courage that these long looked for prophecies are being fulfilled and that Jesus is coming soon? Oh, I am. The ecumenical movement has removed all protest to Rome’s abusive doctrines and practices. The ecumenical movement has muted the voice of once clear and established Protestant churches and co-opted them and made them partners with Rome. It is only a matter of time, until God releases the winds of strife.
Friends, please unite with Christ. And find a church where you will hear the distinctive end-time principles of truth. Put all you are and all you have on the alter; so that Christ can teach you how to live in order to navigate the times ahead.
Let us pray. Our righteous Father, thank you for showing us how all these things are coming to pass. Thank you for showing us the tipping points that are converging in our day. Please help us prepare for the coming crisis that is on the horizon. Father, please, in Jesus name, awaken us and help us sense that we are near the end. Please open our eyes that we may see. In Jesus’ precious and holy name I pray, amen.