Over a year ago, I wrote a piece called “When Unity Is Evil.” Today I felt the Lord lay this on my heart once again; but this time as a stern warning.
Yesterday we watched our 45th President, Donald J. Trump, as he was sworn into office. It was thrilling for Conservatives, and such a relief to so many who love America. We clearly saw impending doom if Hillary Clinton had prevailed in the election. But as Christians we know that the election of Donald Trump has not in any way caused Bible prophecy to change. God never changes and neither does His Word.
The Ecumenical Service
I turned on the TV this morning, only to see the traditional “Prayer Service” taking place in the Episcopal Cathedral in D.C. It is a stark reminder that the world is still deceived into believing that all faiths lead to God.
“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6).
I don’t see how God could have been any clearer than in this Scripture. Jesus is the only way to be reconciled to our Father in heaven. One must be “born again” and that means to be born from above. Our first birth is from our mother’s wombs. The second birth is when we are born again. Repentance and belief in the finished work of Christ on the Cross; and that He rose from the dead – believing this personally is how one is made right with God.
“Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again” (John 3: 3-7).
Those Who Do Not Believe This Are Not Part of Us
The evil one has always loved and pushed for “unity” of beliefs. Certainly not Christian unity – but unity of all religions. He whispers into unsuspecting ears “There are many ways to heaven. Be a good person and believe what you will – God will honor it.”
This is the spirit which slithers about the National Cathedral on a gray day in January of 2017. He is telling the people that certainly there is no reason to disparage one another’s religions. He says to them “Let all men and women have their beliefs and live in peace.” A variation on “Did God say?”
The Only Truth and Peace is From Our God
Jesus said that He is the WAY, the TRUTH and the LIFE. Since the Garden of Eden, Satan has been perpetrating the lie to every generation, that there are many paths to the Kingdom of God. But we know there is but One.
When Unity is Evil – Part 1 (excerpts from prior article)
One of my favorite passages of Scripture is from the book of Acts:
“And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so” (Acts 17:10-11).
I think about the brethren from Berea, and how they received the preaching; the NASB says “With much eagerness.” I can just picture them leaning forward so as not to miss a word of what was being preached, but what made them noble in the eyes of the writer of Acts, was their complete reliance on, and devotion to God’s Word. They searched the Scriptures daily to make sure that what they had been told, matched up with God’s Holy Word. Oh, that we would all be like the Bereans!
Unfortunately, many in the church are led by their emotions. This is why people like Joel Osteen and Kenneth Copeland, and many other so-called preachers can pack in thousands of people on a Sunday morning. These congregations hold onto every word spoken by these types of preachers; never thinking to open up their Bibles to see if the sermons line up with God’s Word. If they did, they would immediately see that “Your Best Life Now” is not found anywhere in the Word of God. They would find that speaking in tongues in church, without an interpreter, is forbidden in God’s Word.
But the charismatic preachers tell their people what they want to hear, and the people trust them. Most probably never pick up a Bible to read what God says about these matters. The “Itchy ear crowd” are easily deceived.
“That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive” (Ephesians 4:14).
Unity
Jesus spoke of unity in the spirit and unity of the brethren. He was not speaking of uniting with others who held beliefs which were opposed to His teachings. When He said that He was the only way to the Father, He meant it! Teachings which oppose the Word of God are heretical, and should be avoided by the child of God.
Pope Francis has aligned himself with Universalist Unitarian churches and other religions which deny the inerrancy of Scripture. I have never heard this pope speak of sin and repentance. Actually, I’ve not heard any pope speak of these essentials of our faith! But Pope Francis takes this to a whole new level. See what this universalist website writes about this pope whom they love:
“If the Pope embraces reconciliation with Candomblé, with real, human, interface between leaders, why shouldn’t Catholics also embrace practitioners of Vodou? Or indigenous African religions? Or modern Paganism, for that matter? Indeed, the Pope’s new attitude is needed more now than ever before. We live in a world where human beings, fueled by religious beliefs, are persecuting and killing one another in increasingly disturbing incidents. What better time for a Pope to emphatically embrace an interfaith mission? A mission that had been blunted during the Papacy of Benedict, but now, hopefully, will bear new fruit.”
From God’s Word
“I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:6-9).
It is so apparent from the Scriptures above, that we must adhere to God’s Word. Unity with another gospel is forbidden, and it is for our safety and our well being that God tells us these things!
From reachingcatholics.org
Pope Francis is Calling Protestants Back to the Fold
The Vatican’s ecumenical movement goes beyond the unity of all professing Christians. Their strategy is to bring all religions under the power and influence of the papacy. Pope John Paul II has been traveling the world to build bridges to all non-Christian religions. In a recent speech he said, “Christians and Muslims, we meet one another in faith in the one God…and strive to put into practice…the teaching of our respective holy books. Today, dialogue between our two religions [Roman Catholicism and Islam] is more necessary than ever. There remains a spiritual bond which unites us and which we must strive to recognize and develop.” Even Mother Theresa had the ecumenical spirit as noted from her book Servants of Love. She stated, “we went every day to pray in some temple or church. The Archbishop gave us permission to do so. We prayed with the Jews, the Armenians, the Anglicans, the Jains, the Sikhs, the Buddhists, and the Hindus. It was extraordinary. All hearts united in prayer to the one true God.
As we watch the Vatican we can see a seductive strategy for uniting all Christians. They masterfully and deliberately redefine biblical terms to make them more vague, ambiguous and acceptable to both Catholics and Protestants. An example of this is the 1999 Lutheran-Roman Catholic “Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification.” In the declaration, Rome uses equivocal and indefinite words to affirm the doctrine of “justification by faith alone” but, at the same time, continues to affirm the anathema’s that condemn all who believe this doctrine. We must not be misled. Rome has not changed its position on things that really matter! Instead they take advantage of professing Christians who lack discernment or who are unwilling to contend for “the faith.” –source
Evangelical Community is Moving Away From Sound Doctrine
As the Vatican continues its quest to bring back the Protestants to the Catholic Church, it seems that many Evangelicals are falling away from the Truth of the Word. This renders them vulnerable to being deceived. Many leaders in these churches would trade sound doctrine for “unity” but not the kind of unity of which Christ spoke. What has light to do with darkness? Can you see the perfect storm developing for the body of Christ at this time?
From End of the American Dream:
Is Pope Francis Laying The Groundwork For A One World Religion?
“As the ecumenical movement gathers momentum, we must be strong and continue to contend for the faith, no matter what others might do or say. Let us pray for our evangelical leaders to return to the authority of Scripture for every issue of faith. Let us use God’s Word to lovingly admonish any church leader who encourages unity with apostates or unbelievers.
And finally, let us resist the pressure to participate in any activity or event that will deliberately suppress or compromise biblical truth for the sake of unity. We must return to the infallible, inerrant and inspired Word of God to heed its warnings and obey its commands. The Bible exhorts us to test all teachers and spirits (1 John 4:1,6). We are to expose false teachings and the evil deeds of darkness (Eph. 5:11). Christians are to lovingly confront and rebuke false teachers (Titus 1:9, 13). We are to separate from those who persist in teaching error (Romans 16:17; Titus 3:10). If we ignore these exhortations we may be disqualified for service (2 Timothy 2:20), or worse yet, be identified with the false teachers themselves (2 John 10-11).” source
What Are We To Do?
First, we must understand that all of God’s prophetic Word will be fulfilled. Nothing we can do will stop that. What we can and must do is to continue to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with as many people as we can. Show them love and pray for openings to share truth with the lost.
Pray for our new president. Some say that he has been born again. But pray for him as if he has not met the Savior. Pray for Salvation and pray for Discernment for President Donald Trump.
Stay strong in the Lord!
MARANATHA!