On His way to Calvary,  Jesus declared to His disciples, and to you and I today, “And now I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe (John 14:29).  He was foretelling of His soon apparent demise at the hands of the Roman state power inspired by the religious leaders of His day.

Shortly thereafter,  He also foretold of the destruction of His beloved city, Jerusalem, with its magnificent temple which was the pride and joy of His countrymen. As He and His closest disciples  sat upon the mount of Olives, they came unto Him privately, asking, “Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? (Matthew 24:4).  Jesus promptly responded, “Take heed that no man deceive you.  For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many” (Matthew 24:5).

The issue of deception had been so heavy on the heart of our Savior that after outlining the  the cultural, political and environmental conditions of the world immediately preceding His coming, He reiterated, “And many false prophets shall rise and shall deceive many” (Matthew 24:11). As if that was not enough to warn them of the grossly profound nature of end-time deceptions, He emphasized, “For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect” (Matthew 24:24).

In spite of the  deceptions, He assured them of the phenomenal success they would have in the proclamation of the good news that  the promised Messiah has come and paid the ultimate price for the sins of the world. That is the Gospel which declares that Jesus Christ, the Creator of Universe, the Governor of the galaxies, the Lord of the Sabbath is the ONLY Savior of the world. He prophesied, “And this Gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come” (Matthew 24:14).

Oh, but He was careful to warn them and us about that other gospel. He called it the abomination of desolation. Such is a system of salvation with its human instrumentalities offering a way of salvation outside the grace of God and without faith in Jesus Christ. Messiah declared, “When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand” (Matthew 24:15.). God has not left us in darkness with regard who/what constitute that system.

The Bible has been remarkably accurate in prophesying the ruling powers of the earth. From the time of the Babylonian Empire to our present day, it boasts of 100% accuracy rate in foretelling the nations that would rule supreme over the human family and have an impact on God’s. But many are wondering, yea speculating, who will be the next world Superpower. Will it be China? Will Russia be next? Will Islam hold universal sway? How long will that next Superpower reign and will it be the ultimate and final world kingdom?

Let’s look at the history of the world  as it relates to God’s people. In the book of Daniel, the seventh chapter, Creator God gives His servant an unambiguous outline of the nations that would rule the world from Daniel’s time in Babylonian captivity unto the return of Jesus Christ to planet earth. These nations were pictured as beasts. God makes it abundantly clear that the ‘beasts’ portrayed in his vision are representative of nations/ kingdoms: “These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth” (Daniel 7:17).

Here’s the record:
Daniel 7:3-4…Lion=Babylon: 606 BC-536 BC
Daniel 7:5…Bear=Media Persia: 536 BC-331 BC
Daniel 7:6…Leopard=Greece:  331BC-168 BC
Daniel 7:7…Non-descript=Imperial Rome: 168 BC- 538 AD
Daniel 7:8…Little Horn=Papal Rome: 538 AD-1798.

God’s servant gives some additional detail  about the papal entity. He writes, “And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time” (Daniel7:25). Then he continues, “And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand”
(Daniel 8:25).

John the Revelator picks up the story. He describes the rise, fall and resurgence of the papal power. He says, “And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. 3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast”(Revelation 13:1-3).

John goes on to describe another nation that would arise on the world stage just about the time that the papal power loses her grip on the nations of the world. “And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon” (Revelation 13:11). This nation would be markedly different from those that came before her. But who is this nation and what role is she playing on the world stage?

The Pilgrims had landed at Plymouth Rock. They were fleeing the persecution of the church/state union that reigned throughout Europe. Sadly, they implemented the same policies on the shores of their new-found country. Those that did not go along with the religious tenets of these new settlers were persecuted, harassed, and killed by the state, which they controlled, for not following the doctrines of the church. Incidentally, one of those doctrines was going to church on Sunday…Sunday sacredness.

But there rose one among them who vehemently disagreed with that concept. His name was Roger Williams and this is what he said, “An enforced uniformity of religion throughout a nation or civil state, confounds the civil and religious, denies the principles of Christianity and civility, and that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh.” (1644, Roger Williams (founder of Rhode Island), The Bloody Tenet of Persecution for Cause of Conscience). God always has His sentinels that would stand up for righteousness and justice in the face of despotism, cruelty and injustice.

He also declared, “Religious matters are to be separated from the jurisdiction of the state, not because they are beneath the interests of the state but, quite to the contrary, because they are too high and holy and thus are beyond the competence of the state.” “God has appointed two kinds of government in the world, which are distinct in their nature, and ought never to be confounded together; one of which is called civil, the other ecclesiastical government.”

Moving a little closer, we see a band of revolutionaries, no doubt influenced, if not inspired by the pronouncements of Roger Williams, rose up to cast off the yoke of the European church/state enterprise that controlled the lives of the people for more than 150 years.

They would eventually, not only succeed in their rebellion to separate from that system of tyranny; but would establish a country that would be founded on a principle of a completely different sort. So, we find in in their founding documents, the foundational principles that would be its strength and power for as long as they exist…the separation of church and state…a country without a king and a church without a pope. The very strength of this new nation is enshrined and grounded in this seemingly simply, but profoundly powerful statement: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances” (1st Amendment of the US Constitution).

As we look a little closer into our not too distant history, we see a man by the name of John F. Kennedy. He was the descendant of one of those families that fled the Continent of Europe to establish a better life for themselves in the land born out of the idea of Roger Williams and solidified by James Madison and the Revolutionary Founding Fathers of this great nation we call the United States of America.

He was a gentleman, a war hero who was reared in a culture of public service. He wanted to become president of the nation which came to be known as the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave. But, he had a problem. He was a Roman Catholic. Americans, ever since the days of its founding had educated their children to abhor popery. Catholicism, not individual Roman Catholics, they were taught was a usurpation of civil and religious liberties for which the nation  stands. It [Catholicism] was a system from which millions fled to the New World so that they worship God according to the dictates of their own consciences.

So, in his quest for the presidency, JFK had to convince the leading protestant ministers of his day that if elected president,  he would adhere to the precepts of the US Constitution and not the dictates of his church.  And so, he did.

In his most memorable speech given to those ministers gathered in Houston, Texas on September 12th,  1960, the aspiring president, who happened to be Roman Catholic declared, “I believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute, where no Catholic prelate would tell the president (should he be Catholic) how to act, and no Protestant minister would tell his parishioners for whom to vote; where no church or church school is granted any public funds or political preference; and where no man is denied public office merely because his religion differs from the president who might appoint him or the people who might elect him.

I believe in an America that is officially neither Catholic, Protestant nor Jewish; where no public official either requests or accepts instructions on public policy from the Pope, the National Council of Churches or any other ecclesiastical source; where no religious body seeks to impose its will directly or indirectly upon the general populace or the public acts of its officials; and where religious liberty is so indivisible that an act against one church is treated as an act against all”.

But what a contrast we see today. How far have we come. Leading ministers, both Protestant and Catholic, are joining forces with the state fervently seeking to impose their will upon the people.  Historical and spiritual amnesia have steeped in. As a result, the church and state are having a love affair such as has not been seen since the Dark Ages when untold millions lost their lives for not abiding by the dogmas of the European Church/State Establishment.

The current, newly elected president, devout Roman Catholic, passionately emphasized on the campaign trail his intention to engage his faith and his church in the carrying out his duties and policies as president of the Land of the Free and Home of the Brave. And, indeed, he has boldly embarked on that path since becoming president.

This was evident at his inauguration ceremony. Before he took his oath, prayer was offered by his longtime friend and spiritual advisor, former president of Jesuit American University, Leo J. O’Donovan. The Oath of Office was administered by Roman Catholic Chief Justice, John Roberts, one of seven Roman Catholics on the 9-member highest court of the land.

Before proceeding to the nation’s capital where he was sworn in, Biden and his wife Jill were accompanied by Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, her husband Doug Emhoff, and the leadership of both houses of congress to attend mass at St Matthew’s Cathedral, in Washington DC, the nation’s capital.

Ironically, the cathedral became famous for hosting the funeral service for the same  John F. Kennedy on Nov. 25, 1963 after he was mercilessly slaughtered before the onlooking world. Today it is known as the center of Roman Catholicism in America and the crossroads of Catholic faith and American politics. Each year, St. Matthew’s is the site of the Red Mass that marks the opening of a Supreme Court term. St. Matthew’s today also is notable as the seat of the first African American cardinal, Wilton Gregory.

In his inauguration prayer for President Biden, Jesuit priest Leo Donovan invoked the name of Pope Francis, his Jesuit pontiff, and not Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world.

Presidents and Prime Ministers are seeking out Francis for advice. Politicians and pundits are intrigued by him. Nobles and statesmen are gravitating towards him. Diplomats and despots are mesmerized by him. The press can’t seem to have enough of him. The common folk are flocking to him. Much of the religious world perceives him as something of a savior who can rescue the planet from man-inflicted desecration and save the human family from its steady decline into a destiny of fatal destruction.

It seems like the whole world is wondering after this man who six years ago was virtually unknown outside his native Argentina. He has become a superstar. Even his detractors admit to the potency of his persona. As supreme head of one of the world’s largest and longest surviving religious organization and monarchy, His Holiness, as so many call him, has amassed a treasure trove of good-will capital. He is now spending it lavishly.

Meeting with World’s Financial Titans
Pope Francis recently assembled 27 elite CEOs, with a combined value of $10 trillion, from America’s largest corporations to form a group dubbed the “Guardians of Inclusive Capitalism.”  A prominent member of that group, investment banker, Lynn Forester de Rothschild declared, “This council will follow the warning from Pope Francis to listen to ‘the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor’ and answer society’s demands for a more equitable and sustainable model of growth”

Environmental TED Talk
On October 10, the pope was the guest of honor at a series of emergency TED talks called “Countdown,” globally streamed presentations on building a better future by cutting greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030. Francis referenced his encyclical Laudato si’, which says, “Sunday … is meant to be a day which heals our relationships with God, with ourselves, with others, and with the world.”

Global Compact on Education
During a special October 15 event, Francis called on “people of good will” to join his Global Compact on Education, a seven-point pact encouraging change on a global scale, with a particular focus on the youth.

Seeking Unity with Protestants
Celebrating her ecumenical success under the pretense of celebrating the famed protestant, Martin Luther. On December 4, the Vatican released an “ecumenical vademecum,” a 50-page guide for how Catholic leaders can promote unity with the broad spectrum of Protestant communities. In recent years, influential evangelicals like Rick Warren, Kenneth Copeland, and Joel Osteen have united with the papacy and calling their followers to recognize the pope as the head of the church.

Two thousand years ago, the apostle John wrote, “His deadly wound was healed and all the world marveled and followed the beast” (Revelation 13:3). Question is, are you one of them?

On the heels of the recent election chaos, we now have a Catholic president, disproportionate number of cabinet heads and a Catholic-dominated Supreme Court. While these individuals may be well-intentioned American citizens, based on Bible prophecy, it seems like  something dangerous is afoot.

More than hundred years ago a  famous Bible commentator  predicted, “The Protestant churches are in great darkness, or they would discern the signs of the times. The Roman Church is …. employing every device to extend her influence and increase her power in preparation for a fierce and determined conflict to regain control of the world, to re-establish persecution, and to undo all that Protestantism has done” ( E.G. White, The Great Controversy, pg. 565).

Former Roman Catholic priest Charles Chiniquy had long ago predicated this moment in our nation’s history and clearly foretold how Francis will spend his abundance of political capital. In his book, Fifty Years in the church of Rome, Chiniquy relates the subject of discussion at a meeting of Roman Catholic priests and bishops held in Ontario Canada, in the year 1852. The attendees were told of a rather focused and comprehensive plan to take over the United States. He then related the object of their plan, “Then, yes! then, we will rule the United States, and lay them at the feet of the Vicar of Jesus Christ, that he may put an end to their godless system of education, and impious laws of liberty of conscience which are an insult to God and man!”

Chiniquy continued, “The American people must be very blind indeed, if they do not see that if they do nothing to prevent it, the day is very near when the Jesuits will rule their country, from the magnificent White House at Washington to the humblest civil and military department of this vast Republic. (Charles, Chiniquy, Fifty Years in the Church of Rome, Ch 59, pg. 476).

Today, Rome’s plan is almost accomplished. But what happens next? We don’t have look very far. Pope Francis lays it all out in the open in his latest Encyclical, Fratelli Tutti (All Brothers). In it, his prescription for world peace and unity is rather succinctly presented. His blueprint is not based on God’s word nor inspired by the Creator. He not in the least shy in letting the world know that his inspiration came from his dead namesake, Francis of Assisi.

Here’s just a few highlights.

  • Full unification of church and state. The church becoming the conscience of the state. Desecration of the 1st Amendment and by extension, the destruction of the American Experiment. Elimination of the wall of Separation of Church and State.
  • Denial of individual property rights, since all property is for the common good as determined by his church.
  • His church becoming the only means of salvation, accepting Mary as the mother of the church and his church the mother of all churches with its foundation doctrine of Sunday sacredness.
  • Sugar coated with a little Jesus here and there’

James Madison,  the one credited for being the main architect of America’s founding documents, wrote to a friend,  “In the Papal System, Government and Religion are in a manner consolidated, & that is found to be the worst of Govts. In most of the Govts. of the old world, the legal establishment of a particular religion and without or with very little toleration of others makes a part of the Political and Civil organization and there are few of the most enlightened judges who will maintain that the system has been favorable either to Religion or to Govt.”
(James Madison, Letter to Jasper Adams).

Fratelli Tutti, while promising to bring peace and unity, is the prescription, yeh, the blueprint for the final destruction of the American way of life, the greatest experiment in the history of human civilization. But the Bible says, “When they shall say peace and safety then sudden destruction will come” (1 Thessalonians 5:8).

Creator God has long ago set forth what is common good for all humanity. It is His Ten Commandments. The prophet says, “this do and thou shalt live”. But Francis thinks he has a better idea than Creator God.

Two great movements as we come to these closing scenes of earth’s history. They are:
The Gospel of Jesus Christ vs the Abomination of Desolation. The Seal of God  vs the Mark of the Beast. The Bible vs Fratelli Tutti. If you are alive today on planet earth, you are, like ancient Israel of old  on Mt. Carmel (1 Kings 18:21). You have a decision to make.  The issue is the same as it was on Mt Carmel, the worship of Creator God or the worship of Ba’al.

No human instrument on planet earth can bring about world peace and unity. No man, no woman, no organization can alleviate the pain and suffering of the human race. They may try; but men’s efforts always have and will continue to fail.

God appeals to you and me to come to Him through the only means He has provided, His Son and our Savior, Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace. He gives no instruction to cast aside His word and His Son and come together in some political scheme, under the guise of Christian brotherhood, with a call for the common God. Creator God is not in that program. He calls it Mystery Babylon the great, mother of harlots and abomination of the earth. He is pleading with you today, “Come out of her my people lest ye partake of her sins…My sheep hear my voice and follow Me. He is about to act and when He does it won’ be pretty (Revelation 18:1-4; John 10:16,27; Revelation  16:1-21).

What we are witnessing is exactly as Jesus prophesied it would be just before He comes again. He is the Only Shelter from what is about befall this earth. What will your decision be?