The Coming One-World Church
 When
a prophecy teacher writes on current events it is almost
impossible to not offend someone. This is not intentional,
but because of the nature of the subject someone somewhere
will probably take strong issue with what is being written.
Such will probably be the case with this article. Though
not easy, yet it is necessary for us to step back from
time to time to see if we are involved with a group
or ideology whose agenda can be dangerous. Though some
of those people and some of those pseudo-Christian efforts
have a measure of benevolence and even the appearance
of godliness, the tricky part is to understand and admit
that it does not take a lot of error to corrupt an entire
philosophy or belief system (Galatians 5:9).
Bible prophecy clearly indicates that in the future
a one-world church will form under the banner of unity.
This church will garner great power after the rapture.
Its foundation, however, is among us even today. Its
statement of faith will have nothing to do with the
deity of Jesus Christ, His incarnation and vicarious
atonement, but will have everything to do with bringing
religious people together under the ecumenical banner
of unity. Unity will be, and already is, the operative
word.
People are presently being programmed to accept this
world religious system as seen by their quick-to-join
involvement in groups whose focus is unity of some kind
or another at the expense of truth. It is very important
to understand that these groups have inherent and internal
structures that discourage distinctions of any kind
in order to come together under the unity banner. Understanding
this is very critical because people will often rush
headlong into something without a thorough investigation
simply because it looks good from the outside. We don't
use this kind of decision-making when we buy cars or
houses, so why should we be less cautious when it comes
to things that will have an eternal impact?
There is a very strong effort on the part of some churches
(like the Unitarians and Universalists) to get everyone
to come together for the sake of unity and peace. What
a person might believe about Jesus is not important;
the only important thing is to get together and promote
peace and love. Of course "peace" and "love"
to these groups have purely secular meanings devoid
of anything God has said about the terms.
Even the Roman Catholic Pope is involved in this ecumenical
movement. 1 Pope John 23rd allowed Catholic observers
to attend the World Council Assembly in 1961. In 1965
the split between the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox
Church was healed after 911 years. October of 1986 saw
the interfaith service for peace led by Pope John Paul
2nd in Assisi. In 1998 Dr. Konrad Raiser of the World
Council of Churches proposed a forum which would include
the Catholic church in an effort that would "involve
the broader body of Christ in the search for unity
(emphasis mine)."
 And
the effort of the Vatican to become more ecumenical
is not limited to those groups in Christendom alone.
They are now making gestures to the Muslims. Cardinal
William Keeler, at a joint meeting with Catholic and
Muslim leaders, reminded the group that he and Cardinal
Lucas Neves of Sao Paolo had recently prayed the Hail
Mary with Sheikh Ahmed Kaftaro, the grand mufti of Syria.
The gist of the meeting is described by Cardinal Keeler
himself in that Mary holds Catholics and Muslims together
to work for justice, peace, sharing and love. 2 Fifty
years ago no one would have believed that the Pope and
Islam would have ever been making ecumenical overtures
toward each other. The question many are asking is how
can Catholic Cardinals pray with someone who prays to
the pagan god Allah. Then answer, quite plainly, is
that distinctions are being cast aside in the international
quest for unity. Such a quest is a major requisite for
the establishment of a one-world church.
Moreover the evangelicals, who have been at odds with
the Catholic church since the beginning, are also getting
caught up in the ecumenical parade. On March 29, 1994
several prominent evangelical leaders got together with
some prominent Catholic leaders and signed a joint declaration
entitled, "Evangelicals and Catholics Together:
The Christian Mission in the 3rd Millennium". Sounds
good on the outside, but what is not commonly known
about this meeting is that a lot of signers had to do
a lot of compromising about doctrines and the freedom
to evangelize. The Catholics were represented by Catholic
social critic Richard John Neuhaus and Chuck Colson
led the evangelicals, among whom were Pat Robertson,
Bill Bright, J.I. Packer and others 3. The question
that many in both groups have since asked is how can
you believe two contradictory doctrines at the same
time. Either people are saved by the blood of Jesus
Christ alone or by the Catholic church and her liturgy;
it can't be both ways. But, again, unity was the key
- everything else was secondary. Confusion has now set
in and we might guess that confusion will likely play
a large part in preparing the world's population to
accept a one-world religious system in the very near
future.
The largest international secret fraternity in the
world is Freemasonry. Its membership is about 6 million
worldwide with a number of Christians holding membership.
The Masonic lodge does many benevolent things such as
charity work for the poor and disadvantaged and operating
hospitals for crippled children. The problem is not
with their benevolence; the problem is the theological
side of Masonry, especially in the higher degrees. A
man must believe in God, but any old god will do. Albert
Pike, former Supreme Pontiff of Universal Freemasonry
said, "Masonry [is that religion] around whose
altars the Christian, the Hebrew, the Moslem, the Brahman
[Hindu], the followers of Confucius and Zoroaster, can
assemble as brethren and unite in prayer…"
4 Note that the key words are "brethren" and
"unite". The Masonic Bible is the King James
Version with a special cover and a number of articles
in the front about Masonry and the Bible. Joseph Fort
Newton wrote one of those entitled, "The Great
Light in Masonry" and stated, "...Masonry
invites to its altar men of all faiths, knowing that,
if they use different names for 'the nameless one of
a hundred names', they are yet praying to the one God
and Father of all'. 5 How can a Christian pray to God
with a Hindu who prays to Vishnu or Shiva, or a Muslim
who prays to Allah? How can a Christian say "in
Jesus' name amen" to a prayer prayed by a pagan
or to a prayer offered to any pagan deity?
Promise Keepers is another avenue for ecumenicalism.
PK rallies have been attended by hundreds of thousands
of men, and some very good things have come from this
effort. Some attendees and counselors, however, are
now seeing the PK movement from a different angle, and
what they are seeing is causing great concern. For one
thing, if a man goes to a PK rally and does not scream,
jump, sway with the music and pray in huddles he is
considered less spiritual and void of some terribly
important spiritual asset. But, even that is not the
real problem. The real problem is the omission of truth
for the sake of unity. One former PKer who attended
the PK leadership seminars and worked as a counselor
said that men who went to the front for help often got
different advice and council. He also said that preachers
who spoke have different doctrines at PK rallies than
what they have in their own pulpits. 6 A little compromise,
maybe, for the sake of unity you suppose?
Folks, this is not about Catholics, evangelicals, Freemasonry,
PK or any other such group. This is about the fact that
many groups and ideologies are being used as stepping
stones in the establishment of a unity mindset that
is based upon an insatiable quest for a certain kind
of conformity that will be very prevalent in those days
just prior to the return of Jesus for His church. It
is all about tolerance. Even today just about anything
is OK except Christianity. Doctrinal truth is no longer
of concern. People are even now selecting the least
common denominator and are using it as the foundation
for uniting under the same banner. Unity for the sake
of unity is not only foolish but dangerous. God has
given us truth, and to know what He has said and yet
to have the, "I don't care; I'm gonna do it my
way anyway" attitude is very reckless.
Does this mean we should we practice sectarianism?
No. It is true that often times our circle of fellowship
should be much larger than it is. Sometimes people believe
they are the only ones right about everything and the
reason they will go to heaven is because they are right
about everything. That kind of thinking is both unbiblical
and reeks of vanity. However, it is also true that cardinal
truths are not up for debate and amendment. Jesus and
His inspired writers never ended their words with, "But,
that is only what I think. You decide for yourself what
you want to believe." We would do well to remember
that Jesus was killed because He did not volunteer to
come together under some banner of unity with the religious
leaders of His day. You see, unity is not the main goal
because it is impossible in any number of circumstances.
For example, the Bible is clear about it being the sole
source of truth, and that biblical truth is sufficient
for salvation and godly living. Now if a person believes
that, then how can that person work in an evangelistic
effort with someone who believes a particular church
or a particular person's extra-biblical notions are
equal to, or even supersede, the Bible?
After the church is removed at the rapture Satan will
introduce through his anti-Christ a world system that
will function, for a time, in basically three parts:
economic, political and religious. The economic and
political aspects will be his real concern, but the
religious system he will impose (a one-world church)
will be a tool he will use until it has outlived its
usefulness. Then it will be destroyed. The clarion-call
that will persuade billions to seek acceptance under
the umbrella of that very tolerant but very anti-Christian
one-world church will be unity. And it seems very clear
that the ground-work for that church is already laid
in the hearts of millions today, and the sad thing is
they mostly do not understand what is happening. Many
people may know a little about Jesus Christ, but they
do not really know Him. They have been deceived by the
"it-does-not-really-matter-what-you-believe-because-all-roads-lead-to-heaven-anyway"
lie. And many think because they are doing something
religious they are spiritually secure. Matthew 7:21-23
seems to escape their notice.
Nearly all we hear from some modern pulpits is the
need for love and unity. Seldom is anything ever said
about the need for fidelity and obedience. Those same
preachers rave about the evils of intolerance, but never
is anything said about being so tolerate of the world's
false religions that a person no longer stands out as
a Christian. From those pulpits we hear what is commonly
called a "social gospel", but never is there
a word mentioned about sin. Such a word is simply too
base in its nature and too offensive to the sensibilities
of people today. Such preachers are all about unity
and tolerance, but are absolutely void of any depth
of spiritual character and any inclination to be faithful
to what God has said. Believe it - the world is ready
for the one-world church of unity. Anti-Christ and his
false apostle will have little to do in the area of
convincing people of their need to be a part of it.
All they will have to do is provide the music, liturgy,
programs, colors and focus. And people will follow the
false messiah and his prophet like sheep to the slaughter.
DLM End notes
- B.A. Robinson, "Recent Developments
in Christian Ecumenicalism", Cited 23 September
2004. Online: http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_ecnews.htm
- Cardinal William Keeler, "How
Mary Holds Muslims and Christians in Conversation",
Cited 23 September 2004. Online: http://www.al-bushra.org/mos-chr/keeler.htm
- "Modern Ecumenical Movement",
Cited 23 September 2004. Online: http://jeremiahproject.com/prophecy/ecumen01.html
- Albert Pike, "Morals and Dogma
of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry"
(Charleston, SC: Supreme Council of the 33rd Degree
for the Southern Jurisdiction of the United States,
1927), 226
- Joseph Fort Newton, "The Great
Light in Masonry" (title of the section containing:
"The Words of a Great Masonic Devine: The Bible
and Freemasonry", in The Holy Bible: The Great
Light in Masonry (Nashville: A.J. Holman, 1940)
3-4
- Mitchell V. Casler, "Are You
Really a Promise Keeper?", Cited 23 September
2004. Online: http://www.bibletruths.org/living/promise.html
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