pope – Page 2

The Guardian Liberty Voice asks the prophetic question: "Could Pope Francis Be a Modern-Day Jesus?"

Posted on December 29, 2013May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

There is no doubt that Pope Francis is the rock star religious celebrity of the day. His humble attitude, message of tolerance and unity, and his rapport among people have endeared him to millions, despite his tenure has so far lasted less than one year. He was chosen man of the year by Time Magazine. He has an 88% approval rating among US Catholics. Why is he so popular? And why is he being likened to a modern day Jesus?

Catholic Online wondered the same thing about his popularity, and wrote yesterday, “The secret to Pope Francis’ fame REVEALED“

They like that he doesn’t act like a televangelist, megachurch pastor, or a king (though Pope Francis is a king) by succumbing to the lavish lifestyle so many in his position or level of wealth take as their due.

“He deliberately lives as impoverished a lifestyle as possible, lives in a Vatican guest house, eats with the staff, and mingles with the public far beyond what his security detail thinks prudent. He has expressed, on several occasions, his desire for the Church to be “a poor church, for the poor.”

This is a strange statement coming from a man who accepted the globe’s only absolute monarchy worth an estimated 110 billion dollars today (source Time Magazine estimation of the Vatican’s worth in 1965, adjusted for 2013 dollars). I wonder if the Pope would give away 100 billion of the money, keeping “only” 10 bn for expenses? Or alternately, how can a poor church help the poor, if it’s poor? So it seems that the people like that Pope Francis pretends to be poor.

“There seems to be no end to the public fascination with Pope Francis. While the Pope is the Vicar of Christ and is expected to serve as God’s representative on Earth, complete with splendid regalia, Pope Francis actually walks and talks like a living saint. … Why does he capture our attention? The ordinary man, the person who has no hope of incredible wealth or power, sees Pope Francis who has all the access, money and power that a man can have, and he watches Francis turn away from it. Pope Francis chooses humble garments, lunch with homeless men and their dog, to ride in the back seat of a compact car, and to make sandwiches for the people who are meant to wait on him. Has the modern world seen a better example of a holy man?

Pope Francis has not turned away from incredible wealth. He is the the only absolute monarch on the planet and sole manager of the largest amassed wealth and treasure on the planet. Turning away from it would mean he declined to be Pope. “I do not seek, nor will I accept…” But no, Pope Francis accepted the papal office and all the wealth, luxury, and power that comes with it.

Anyway, that is a slight bit of background as to this new religious rock star we have on our hands. On to the article that asked if he is a modern-day Jesus, though the previous article asked pretty much the same question already. The people love Pope Francis because he brings a message the lost and carnal world wants to hear. Jesus came to bring a sword, to show the way was narrow and exclusive. To show we are condemned in our sins but He is the Good News. Pope Frances says he brings a white flag of peace, a message of love and unity for all who are all on one broad path, holding hands and singing kumbayah. To the lost, this is a better Jesus.

Pope Francis gave a speech in St. Peter’s Basilica balcony the other day. It was his first Christmas message. The article below pounced on the Pope’s message of love, tolerance, and unity, digging in like a lion on a wildebeest.

“In a world where many of today’s clergy seek to tear down anyone or religion that doesn’t line up completely with what they believe, the Pope is sweeping through the world like a breath of fresh air. Francis has chosen not to waste time with different persuasions of belief or religions; instead he focuses on what’s most important in the world: a message of love, hope and peace. … While the fallen nature of mankind loves religion, since it bolsters the ego and boots one’s self esteem, Jesus came to bring the gift of relationship which includes a message of love, hope and peace; much like Pope Francis.” (source)

Oh my.

The false, satirical message “Pope declares all religions are true” that Snopes recently debunked, and the real message Pope Francis has consistently brought so far this year, are hard to tell apart because essentially, the pope does say all religions are true. He even says atheists and unbelievers can get in. “He realizes that atheists and agnostics are people of good intentions and good morals with whom we want to work closely,” said Martin,” explained the culture editor of ‘America Magazine.’

BTW, Billy Graham said the same thing. If you have good intentions and good morals and lived a sincere life, you’re in. I am not making this up.

Here is the snopes-debunked satirical Pope message:

“…because Muslims, Hindus and African Animists are also made in the very likeness and image of God, to hate them is to hate God! To reject them to is to reject God and the Gospel of Christ. Whether we worship at a church, a synagogue, a mosque or a mandir, it does not matter. Whether we call God, Jesus, Adonai, Allah or Krishna, we all worship the same God of love. This truth is self-evident to all who have love and humility in their hearts!“

It doesn’t sound so different from the real pope’s message, does it?

Shortly after he took papal office, Pope Francis said that peoples from different faiths are united under God, it sent shock waves throughout the Catholic Church. This is because for two thousand years, the Catholic Church said said anyone who is not a Catholic is anathema (cursed) and is going to hell. Now the RC message -via Pope Francis- has changed. Don’t overlook the significance of that.

The bible says that the entire church age will be filled with false teachers and the spirit of antichrists (1 John 2:18) but it will get a lot worse by the end of the end. This following verse could be speaking to all popes from then until now!

“And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, “‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.” And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition!” (Mark 7:6-9)

The Pope is a false prophet, having the spirit of antichrist, and with his popularity and his espousing of the prophesied message of peace and ecumenism we know will come to fruition in the Tribulation, he is certainly a good candidate for the Antichrist. He is laying the groundwork anyway.

As the antichrist will be, Pope Francis is also concerned with the economy, with the poor and disenfranchised, and wants to stop their exclusion from the economy and include them. Just a few weeks ago. Daily Kos said “Pope Francis has attacked unfettered capitalism as “a new tyranny”, urging global leaders to fight poverty and growing inequality in the first major work he has authored alone as pontiff,” calling it “a scathing critique of modern capitalism in an 84-page document, known as an apostolic exhortation, and which amounts to an official platform for his papacy and the Roman Catholic Church.”

Pope Francis is setting the platform for all the precepts the antichrist is prophesied to espouse.

We know that in the Tribulation one man will hold sway. It will be his dictates on economy, finance, and religion that will cause the entire world to worship Him and swear allegiance (except for the people who come to faith after the rapture and become martyrs, the Tribulation Saints).

It is a hard thing to see the sweep of popery come across the world with such renewed vigor. It is a worse thing to see popery, Catholicism, and its Roman mysticism intertwine within the precious walls of the Christian evangelical faith, heresies brought in by many, including Beth Moore!

We mourn for Pope Francis in his lost state, and all the Catholics who are also lost. See how Spurgeon puts it. Charles Spurgeon said of popery:

It is the bounden duty of every Christian to pray against Anti-Christ, and as to what Anti-Christ is no sane man ought to raise a question. If it be not Popery in the Church of Rome there is nothing in the world that can be called by that name…because it wounds Christ, because it robs Christ of His Glory, because it puts sacramental efficacy in the place of His atonement, and lifts a piece of bread in the place of the Saviour, and a few drops of water in place of the Holy Ghost, and puts a fallible man like ourselves up as the Vicar of Christ on earth; if we pray against it, because it is against Him, we shall love the persons though we hate their errors; we shall love their souls though we loath and detest their dogmas, and so the breath of our prayers will be sweetened, because we turn our faces towards Christ when we pray.”

We turn our faces toward the true Christ, His message, and His statutes. He is the One whom all knees will bow, including all kings, sultans…and popes. (Revelation 6:15-17).

desmond tutu, gay, homosexual, pope, rapture, sin, wrath

(Updated) How close are we to rapture? "Pope Francis On Gays: Who Am I To Judge Them?"

Posted on July 30, 2013May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

Update at bottom.

I’ve written about the progressive standard that God showed us in the bible about why and when He gives a person or a nation over. That progressive standard in in Romans 1, particularly verses 18-32 in the section titled “God’s Wrath on Unrighteousness”.

I’ve noted on this blog about the progression of the acceptance and normalization of homosexuality and gay marriage, accomplished state-by-state through referenda or judicial fiat. I’ve noted that the last Presidential election’s Democratic party platform contained many unGodly elements in it, including promotion of the gay agenda – and that is the platform (philosophy) a majority of the American people chose. Many millions of American evangelicals were more than a little dismayed by that, but not surprised. We are not surprised when the world acts like the world. Very recently, we noted that America’s Supreme Court accepted the gay agenda through some important judicial decisions. All this has convinced many of us that America is under judgment.

photo credit: San Diego Shooter via photopin cc

I’ve also noted on the blog that the state-by-state acceptance of the homosexual agenda in the US is mirrored on a larger scale with a nation-by-nation secular acceptance of it. Last week, Britain legalized homosexual marriage. Also, Costa Rica has opened the door to it. Australia has opened the door to it. Uruguay and New Zealand have both enacted laws to legalize same-sex marriage which will come into force in August 2013. There are many other examples of nations giving over to the gay agenda.

It is clear that in secular society that great swathes of jurisdictions and sub-jurisdictions have legalized and thus normalized what God abhors.

photo credit: Dennis Wong via photopin cc

Yes, God abhors all sins, but homosexuality is the only one He uses AS a judgment and as a benchmark of progress away from Him into darkness. It is clear that in the secular world, satan has greatly advanced in his cause for sin in claiming the worldly mind. That claim is growing exponentially every day. Just as a car is difficult to get out of a snowbank, with enough push, rocking back and forth, and persistence, traction is gained. That time is now. Traction is fully gained and the floodgates are opened. But again, the world is the world. That’s how it is. We are not surprised- but we do mark the progress of the world’s sin saturation.

In faith communities too, the homosexual agenda has gained remarkable traction. Now, when I say ‘faith community”, I don’t mean legitimate faith. There is no faith except the true faith delivered to the saints once for all (Jude 1:3), but look at this list from Wikipedia:

“Various faith communities around the world support allowing same-sex couples to marry or conduct same-sex marriage ceremonies; for example: Church of Sweden, Quakers, U.S. Episcopalians, the Metropolitan Community Church, the United Church of Christ, the United Church of Canada, Buddhism in Australia, Reform and Conservative Jews, Wiccans, Druids, Unitarian Universalists, and Native American religions with a two-spirit tradition, as well as various progressive and modern Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, and Jewish groups and various minor religions and other denominations.”

This week both Desmond Tutu has stated that he welcomes the homosexual agenda and openly rejected God.

Wikipedia

Desmond Tutu Says He Would Prefer Hell Over A Homophobic Heaven And God

Mr Tutu has won the Nobel Peace Prize, Presidential Medal of Freedom among other awards, and was Archbishop of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa. He speaks for a considerable segment of the population on a considerably populated continent. The horrific thing is that he speaks these heresies in the name of Jesus.

Today we read- “Pope Francis On Gays: Who Am I To Judge Them?“
The pontiff broached the delicate question of how he would respond to learning that a cleric in his ranks was gay, though not sexually active. For decades, the Vatican has regarded homosexuality as a “disorder,” and Pope Francis’ predecessor Pope Benedict XVI formally barred men with what the Vatican deemed “deep-seated” homosexuality from entering the priesthood. “Who am I to judge a gay person of goodwill who seeks the Lord?” the pontiff said, speaking in Italian. “You can’t marginalize these people.”

The Pope is the voice of all Catholics, and the horrific thing is that he speaks these heresies in the name of Jesus. There are 1.2 billion Catholics in the world.

As God gives over the individual to his entrenched sin and rejection of Christ, and as He gives nations over to entrenched sin and rejection of Christ, God also will give over the world to sin and rejection of Christ. The moment He will give over the world to its sin will be the second after the rapture takes place. The world will be then unrestrained in its sin. (2 Thessalonians 2:7).

Daniel 9:24-17 describes the reasons God will begin the Tribulation and the verses record the length of it. God will allow sin to have its day. He will allow it to capture everyone who rejected His Son and thus, believe the lie (2 Thessalonians 2:7).

We look at the progression in Romans and use that as a benchmark for the wrath of abandonment. We know and see individuals who are enduring the wrath of God’s abandonment as they die with atheism or other religions or false Jesus on their lips. We know and see nations enduring the wrath of God’s abandonment as they had wholesale turned away from God’s laws, and I believe America is one of those nations enduring His wrath now, in current times.

But think on this: how long until God unleashes His wrath by abandoning the world to its sin and takes His bride home?? We are watching an amazing thing happen day by day. The peoples, nations, and faiths- all dismiss God by accepting homosexuality. Really, the world is crumbling.

Photo: Venice Beach, Elizabeth Prata

It is like a sand castle. At first the tide nips at the edges of it. The castle loses a few grains of sand, but the larger structure is unaffected. Then a larger wave comes and swipes away a chunk. The waves return to docility and creep up to the castle in tiny nips, for a while. But then another big wave comes, and piled after that, another. The tide is crunching away as it comes in faster and faster, undercutting the entire structure and it starts to tilt. Soon the castle is a mound and soon after that, wiped from existence.

I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes,

will he find faith on earth?”

Luke 18:8

Not that He won’t leave the Spirit to draw men to His bosom in the Tribulation, He will. Many come to faith then. But He will unleash His wrath upon an unbelieving world…

When I see whole nations and whole segments of a false faith community embracing homosexuality as they do, the rapture cannot be far behind, according to my understanding of the progression in Romans, at least. The wrath of abandonment is what Desmond Tutu claims to want, but what he doesn’t know is that God has already abandoned Tutu to the wrath of God. He has done the same for those who believe the Pope’s lie, also.

The Gospel has the power to cut through the darkness and save. There is no question about that. But God’s plan is to retrieve the bride for His Son to love and leave the world to His anger. I believe that the advance of the homosexual agenda is a heavy-duty benchmark for that tipping point. I believe that tipping point is soon to appear.

I leave you with a prayer from John MacArthur:

Father, we are so grateful that You have not left us in doubt about these things which are part of life for us. I pray that You’ll use us to bring the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ to people in these horrible chains of homosexual behavior, who have no future, no family, no hope, who live with massive guilt, pain, agony, driving unleashed passions. That You would come powerfully through the instrumentation of Your people to bring the gospel–it alone can save them. Be glorified, Lord. Turn the tide with Your truth and with Your gospel. Save people caught in not only this sin, but in all kinds of sins that are so popular in this culture. Give the gospel a fresh hearing, we ask for Your glory, in Christ’s name. Amen.

photo credit: Fr. Stephen, MSC via photopin cc

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Vatican offers ‘time off purgatory’ to followers of Pope Francis tweets

Posted on July 17, 2013May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

Indulgence in the Catholic context means selling forgiveness for money or via other means of gain or trade or action. (CCC 1471, 1498)

The Guardian UK reports today,

Vatican offers ‘time off purgatory’ to followers of Pope Francis tweets
“In its latest attempt to keep up with the times the Vatican has married one of its oldest traditions to the world of social media by offering “indulgences” to followers of Pope Francis’ tweets. The church’s granted indulgences reduce the time Catholics believe they will have to spend in purgatory after they have confessed and been absolved of their sins. The remissions got a bad name in the Middle Ages because unscrupulous churchmen sold them for large sums of money. But now indulgences are being applied to the 21st century.”

“But a senior Vatican official warned web-surfing Catholics that indulgences still required a dose of old-fashioned faith, and that paradise was not just a few mouse clicks away. “You can’t obtain indulgences like getting a coffee from a vending machine,” Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli, head of the pontifical council for social communication, told the Italian daily Corriere della Sera. Indulgences these days are granted to those who carry out certain tasks – such as climbing the Sacred Steps, in Rome (reportedly brought from Pontius Pilate’s house after Jesus scaled them before his crucifixion), a feat that earns believers seven years off purgatory.”

“But attendance at events such as the Catholic World Youth Day, in Rio de Janeiro, a week-long event starting on 22 July, can also win an indulgence. Mindful of the faithful who cannot afford to fly to Brazil, the Vatican’s sacred apostolic penitentiary, a court which handles the forgiveness of sins, has also extended the privilege to those following the “rites and pious exercises” of the event on television, radio and through social media. “That includes following Twitter,” said a source at the penitentiary, referring to Pope Francis’ Twitter account, which has gathered seven million followers.”

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The Catholics believe in a mid-hell or waystation hell called purgatory. They think that you can buy your way out (indulgences) or be prayed out after your final purification in purgatory is accomplished, because Jesus’ sacrifice was not enough, obviously. Annihilationists believe that your body is just destroyed after death or after spending some time period in hell, because your sin was not eternal, obviously.

If the Catholic church is not the Great W-hore referred to in Revelation, or is not the foundation of it, I don’t know what is. Here is Revelation 17:1-6,

“Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great w-hore who is seated on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality, and with the wine of whose sexual immorality the dwellers on earth have become drunk.” And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns. The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality. And on her forehead was written a name of mystery: “Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth’s abominations.” And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.”
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Did Gabriele Amorth really exorcise 160,000 demons?

Posted on June 1, 2013May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

The Catholic Church has a premier exorcist. And he is swamped. Eighty-eight year old Gabriele Amorth has been busy, busy, busy casting out demons from people, and wants pope Francis to start training up the younger priests because he doesn’t see any let-up any time soon. There are so many demons, and they are so persistent.

Top exorcist claims to have ridden the world of 160,000 demons

“The Catholic Church’s top exorcist, who claims to have sent 160,000 demons back to h-ell says he wants Pope Francis to allow all priests to start performing the ritual to deal with a rising demand for exorcisms from the faithful.”

“An 84-page update of exorcism rites compiled in 1614 and drawn up in 1998 stipulates how Catholic priests trained as exorcists should operate. According to the guidelines established by the church, they have to follow a ritual known as “De exorcismis et supplicationibus quibusdam,” or “Of exorcisms and certain supplications.””

What is wrong with this picture? Is Jesus still on the cross? No. He is risen. (Matthew 28:6).

Let’s look at his assertion that he has exorcised all those demons. First, understand that the Catholic Church is a false religion and its adherents have no access to heaven and are not friends of Jesus. They are actually friends of satan, being unregenerated and without the Holy Spirit.

Secondly, we understand that there is demonic activity in the world today. We know the devil prowls about the earth, seeking someone he may devour. (2 Peter 2:4, Job 1:7, Job 2:2). Are his demons with him also? Yes. Demons exist, and they are active on earth, in the air, and in heaven. (2 Corinthians 11:14-15, Ephesians 2:2, Ephesians 6:12).

Third, let’s take a look at where the demons are. Mr Amorth says that he is sending them “back to hell.”

Are they in hell? Well, some are.

“For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment; ” (2 Peter 2:4)

“And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day” (Jude 1:6)

“And they begged him not to command them to depart into the abyss.” (Luke 8:31)

“And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” (Mark 1:27)

So some fallen angels (demons) are roaming around with satan, possessing people and influencing kings and ministers of the Gospel and doing what they do. Other demons are not on earth. They are held in chains in the abyss, a place typically interpreted to be a pit under hell. The bible says they are to be held there until a time when they shall be released on His Day, and in future event Revelation 9:2-3 we see this happen.

Now if Mr Amorth says that he is sending these “back to hell” that means two things. It means that the word of God is weak and God is not sovereign, because we have some escapees that God Himself put there. It also means Mr Amorth has an equal power to Jesus because he is claiming authority over demons and can send them to hell just as Jesus did.

A final point is that if Mr Amorth is casting out demons from “the faithful” as he states, that it means a Christian can be demon-possessed. It means that demons have somehow broken the seal of the indwelling Holy Spirit God gave us (2 Corinthians 1:22) and overcame the blood of Jesus to be able to get inside us. (Left, Sons of Sceva, by Johann Christoph Weigel, 1695)

Of course, these things can’t be true. First, the demons who Jesus sent to the abyss are still there. They won’t be escaping until God tells the angel to open the shaft and they fly out in Revelation 9. Second, the Holy Spirit dwells inside us (Romans 8:9-11; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19) and it is not possible that the demons would dwell in there too. The other demons that are roaming around aren’t possessing “the faithful” Christians, they are possessing non-Christians.

I mentioned first that the Catholic religion is false and its members who adhere to its doctrines do not have the Holy Spirit. So if a Catholic “faithful” is possessed it means they are not saved.

Yesterday another demons and Catholics story was published. It involves the Pope.

Man Pope Prayed Over Still ‘Possessed’
Edward Pentin’s Perspective: A 43-year-old Mexican father of two, who claims to be possessed by demons — and whom Pope Francis prayed over earlier this month in what some witnesses likened to a public exorcism — insists that he still has demons inside him. Identified only as Angel V., the man told Spanish-language newspaper El Mundo that he had undergone some 30 exorcisms by 10 exorcists, including the renowned Roman exorcist Rev. Gabriel Amorth, who all tried unsuccessfully to free him from his affliction. The interview was reported in the Italian daily La Stampa. “I still have the demons inside me, they have not gone away,” the man said, noting that he felt much better after the Pope prayed over him. El Mundo reported that the man is able to walk. He was in a wheelchair when he met Pope Francis on May 19 at the conclusion of Mass on Pentecost Sunday.

Pastor and Author Dan Phillips wittily commented, “So much for the doctrine of once poped always poped.”

Another story about this possessed man is here.

If an unsaved pope or priest tries to cast out satan, it is like the time when the Pharisees said that Jesus cast out demons by the power of satan. Satan cannot cast out satan. The Sons of Sceva tried.

“Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took on them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the LORD Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches. And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so. And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you? …” (Acts 19:13-15; also Matthew 12:25-27a).

The possessed man rose up and beat the Sons of Sceva out of their clothes! (Acts 19:16).

To paraphrase using today’s example, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you, Pope Francis and Gabriele Amorth?”

What of today’s Christian casting out demons? Can a Christian cast out a demon? GotQuestions says,

“Interestingly, there seems to be a shift in the latter part of the New Testament regarding demonic warfare. The teaching portions of the New Testament (Romans through Jude) refer to demonic activity, yet do not discuss the actions of casting them out, nor are believers exhorted to do so. We are told to put on the armor to stand against them (Ephesians 6:10-18). We are told to resist the devil (James 4:7), be careful of him (1 Peter 5:8), and not give him room in our lives (Ephesians 4:27). However, we are not told how to cast him or his demons out of others, or that we should even consider doing so.”

What of binding and loosing satan? Does a Christian have the power to do that today? No.

“Jesus had power over demons. The Apostles had power over demons, but that’s where it ended. And that’s why the Sons of Sceva said in the book of Acts, ‘Jesus we know and Paul we know, but who are you?’ when some erstwhile Jews tried to exercise power over demons. We don’t tell satan what to do. We resist him by resisting his field of temptation. By resisting his influence. By resisting the power that he has unleashed in the world around us, which finds its way into our flesh and solicits sin. You resist the devil by being strong in the Lord and strong in His word, that’s how you overcome him.” (source)

If Mr Amorth has had any ‘success’ in casting out a demon it is because the demon wanted to go. And if it wants to come back, it will.

Return of an Unclean Spirit
“When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none. Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this evil generation.” (Matthew 12:43-45)

Additionally, an unsaved person may have decided to reform, morally. Maybe they were in prison and decided not to do any more crimes when they were released. Maybe an adulterer decided to stop fooling around. Maybe a person joined a church and is pressured to ‘do good’. A person can clean up their act, to a degree. Then a demon will leave.

But nature abhors a vacuum, and if they do not allow Jesus in to their empty heart, their moral transformation will end. It may be after a short amount of time or a long time, but their final state will be worse than the first. The demon will come back, likely bringing a lot of his friends with him.

But what of Mr Amorth’s ‘success’ all these long years in casting out demons? I am sure he would say to you that he has seen and heard many things in his work that convinces him he is a true exorcist. Satan can appear by deception to have been exorcised, because it is obvious from the bible that false apostles appear to exorcise. The Pharisees made reference to that when the charged Jesus of casting out demons by the power of Beelzebub. (Matthew 12:25-27a). Jesus will shockingly tell the false ones on His day that though they performed exorcisms, they never knew Jesus.

“Not every one who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father Who is in heaven. On that day many will say to Me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and cast out demons in Your name, and do many mighty works in Your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you evildoers.'” (Matthew 7:21-23, emphasis mine)

Christians can be oppressed. That is, satan has power that he has unleashed in the world around us, which finds its way into our flesh and solicits sin. But possessed? No.

A believer was in the kingdom of satan but when Jesus saves them, they now dwell in the kingdom of God. They are a possession of Jesus, not of satan any longer. We are His purchased possession! (Ephesians 1:14).

“who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” (Titus 2:14)

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2:9)

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Pope Francis denies Jesus

Posted on May 23, 2013 by elizabethprata

I’ve stated several times on this blog that any person who adheres to the Catholic faith, its creeds, or submits to the Pope as spiritual authority, isn’t saved. The Catholic religion is a false religion. Espousing, believing, or failure to renounce Catholic dogma means you will go to hell when you die. Mother Teresa is in hell. Every pope that ever lived in in hell. Catholicism denies the saving work of Jesus as the SOLE means of redemption. The Pope is a heretic. I hope I have been clear.

Today Pope Francis followed in his papist forbears’ footsteps by explicitly denying Jesus. I am going to post what he is quoted as saying, and then lead you through how it denies Jesus. Pope Francis exhibits the exact nature of the characteristic 2 Timothy 3:5 states we will see in the last days, an appearance of Godliness, but denying its power. Watch and read:

Pope says everyone can do good, regardless of belief

Every human person despite his or her beliefs can do good, and a sharing in good works is the prime place for encounter among those who disagree, Pope Francis said at his Mass today. “The Lord created us in his image and likeness, and we are the image of the Lord, and he does good and all of us have this commandment at heart: do good and avoid evil. All of us,” the Pope taught in his homily May 22 at St. Martha’s residence in the Vatican.

He went on to explain that all human persons are created in the image of God, who is goodness himself and the source of goodness. He emphasized the universality of Christ’s saving act on the cross as a compliment [sic] to the universal call to holiness, regardless of religious belief.

“The Lord has redeemed all of us, all of us, with the Blood of Christ: all of us, not just Catholics. Everyone.” “Even the atheists. Everyone,” Pope Francis stressed. He said that the saving blood of Christ “makes us children of God of the first class. We are created children in the likeness of God and the blood of Christ has redeemed us all. And we all have a duty to do good.”

In reading this, it becomes obvious that the Pope denied Jesus in three ways.

1. Doing good. Psalm 14:1 says there is none who does good. The Pope is talking about a human moral standard of doing good, relativistic and with no absolute benchmark. To men, doing good may mean giving back a lost wallet, or helping an old lady across the street. In God’s view, there is not one person who does good. We cannot achieve any standard of holiness on our own. Yet as the Pope is speaking in his religious capacity at Mass, he is saying we possess within us the standard of goodness that God accepts simply for having been born, because our “likeness” is like God’s.

The bible says none do good. Romans 3:10-12, “as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”

2. Universal salvation. The Pope said that even atheists are saved because Jesus died on the cross and shed His blood. ““The Lord has redeemed all of us, all of us, with the Blood of Christ: all of us, not just Catholics. Everyone. “Even the atheists. Everyone,” Pope Francis stressed.”” However, only those who repent and believe are saved. Romans 10:9 says “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Also see Acts 126:31, 1 John 4:15, Mark 1:15).

What the Pope is really promoting is universal salvation. Rev. Matt Slick explains what universal salvation is. “Universalism is the teaching that all people will be saved. Some say that it is through the atonement of Jesus that all will ultimately be reconciled to God. Others just say that all will go to heaven sooner or later, whether or not they have trusted in or rejected Jesus as savior during their lifetime.” The Pope’s statement is shocking to Catholics because previously, Catholic dogma stated that only Catholics are saved. They believe that the blood of Jesus atoned for only those who are in the Catholic denomination, excluding Baptists, Lutherans, etc. So the Pope claiming that the blood of Jesus saves all, and that all are saved, is astounding to Catholics. Catholics have pronounced anathema (curse) on all non-Catholics since 1545, but true believers know that the Pope’s words about salvation and redemption are false.

3. Jesus plus works. (Quote from the article: “He emphasized the universality of Christ’s saving act on the cross as a complement to the universal call to holiness, regardless of religious belief.”) According to the Pope, Jesus’s blood PLUS good works, AKA holiness, is the combination one needs for salvation. Worse, believing that the work of Jesus is a complement to anything else is heresy. This is in effect saying that our works is primary and Jesus’s work is a complement as complement is defined here: “Add to (something) in a way that enhances or improves it; make perfect.” His work on the cross is not a complement to anything. He IS the perfect! It is Jesus plus nothing which saves.

The bible says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9.

I hope this explanation has helped you see how influential and pervasive the false doctrines of the Catholic faith are and how much more dangerous they have become with this Mass today by the Pope. I had a terrible feeling when Pope Francis was elected, being a Jesuit. The march toward a prophesied universal faith, AKA one world religion seen in Revelation 13:15-17, just got a lot more real.

false, pope

Reprise: The ‘Gospel’ According to Rome

Posted on March 15, 2013 by elizabethprata

Nathan Busenitz serves on the pastoral staff of Grace Church and teaches theology at The Master’s Seminary in Los Angeles. He is part of the team of writers at The Cripplegate. Today he wrote,

“With a new pope elected, the eyes of the world are on the Roman Catholic Church. No doubt many evangelicals find themselves confused as to the critical differences between the biblical gospel and the gospel according to Rome. Hence today’s post-“

And he goes on to outline in five bullet points the major doctrinal differences, using Roman Catholic primary sources as quotes. He also presents the biblical case. The essay is short, clear and undeniably convicting.

He concludes:

“Before evangelicals rush headlong to enthusiastically embrace the new pope (pretending as if the Reformation never happened), they should stop and remember the fact that the Roman Catholic Church teaches a gospel that is utterly incompatible with the biblical gospel of grace. In the same way that Paul denounced the false teachings of the Judaizers (Gal. 1:6-9), the gospel according to Rome deserves unhesitating words of condemnation. That means that those who promote Rome’s false gospel, including the new pope, ought to be confronted for their part in the propagation of damning error.”

I encourage you to read more at their blog.

cross, jesus, pope

(UPDATED) Pope declares he "is not coming down from the cross", said in 1969 that the Pope takes the place of the Lord

Posted on February 27, 2013 by elizabethprata

In his farewell speech today, Sky News reported that outgoing Pope Benedict said,

“Pope Benedict told the 50,000-strong crowd he was not “coming down from the Cross”, but would remain in the service of the Church through prayer.”

It is not a misprint.

The Papacy is an office whereupon the occupier of it sees himself as a substitute for Christ. That is what the name of the papal office “Vicar of Christ” means, substitute.

Lest one believe that it is a mis-translation, or that the Pope did not really mean it, let’s look at some of the Catholic Position Papers.

In the Catholic position paper titled the “Nature of the Papal Primacy” we read that

“In his chief ministry the Pope is obliged by the objective rules of faithfulness which derive from the revealed word of God, from the fundamental constitution of the Church and by Tradition.'[40] He has the necessary divine assistance to carry out his office. But this does not relieve him of a very grave responsibility before Christ whom God has appointed to judge everyone, alive or dead (Acts 10:42). It demands of the holder of the office of bishop of the Catholic Church humility, prudence and holiness and of the faithful continual prayer to God for the head of the Church on earth.”

“However, and this is important, on earth there is no external tribunal, neither in the Church nor in civil society to which one can appeal against his decisions. The Pope must look for advice, take the steps which prudence demands in the delicate function of governing the Church, listen to the opinion of his brother bishops, etc., but ‘the judgement of the apostolic See, whose authority is unsurpassed, is not subject to review by anyone, nor is anyone allowed to pass judgement on his decisions.”

“We reach here, perhaps, the nerve center of all teaching about the primacy. … ‘The relation of the primacy to Christ is not only historical-causal, but also actual-causal, for in the activity of the Pope Christ himself is audible and visible. Of the Pope it can truly be said: he acts in the person of Christ.’[42] With theological wisdom St. Catherine of Siena called the Pope the ‘gentle Christ on earth’ but at the same time, conscious of the moral responsibility of the Pope, she urged him to exercise with fortitude his ‘service of unity’ in the Church, that is to say, to be faithful to his most important mission.”

“The Pope,’ writes Cardinal Ratzinger, ‘is not just someone who speaks in the name of the bishops, a kind of mouthpiece they give themselves and which is there to do their bidding. The Pope is where he is, with a direct responsibility before God, to take the place of the Lord,”

You note the last paragraph, there is a quote by a young Cardinal Ratzinger, who we now know as Pope Benedict XVI, confirming what he said today in 2013 as he did in 1969 and as Catholic dogma states- the pope is in the place of Christ on earth. They really believe the pope is Christ audible and visible.

Over a billion Catholics are in spiritual bondage to this heinous religious system. There are many things they lack spiritually but I can think of three to address that we can point them to. First, we can point to Christ and the bible to help them overcome what it is they lack: knowledge of grace, assurance in their salvation, and trust in Jesus to fulfill all He has said.

~~~~~~GRACE~~~~~~

The simple truth at the center of a born again believer’s faith is surrounded by Grace- that Jesus descended from heaven, lived as fully man and fully God for 33 years, died on the cross as the lamb sacrifice for our sins (taking upon His shoulders the wrath of God), was buried and three days later rose again. This is the Gospel.

Any person who believes these facts, and confesses them, is saved. (Romans 10:9, Ephesians 2:8). It is a free gift of Christ due to His work on the cross.

The RCC has overlaid so much on top of these simple facts, and corrupted the Gospel so thoroughly, it is hard to untangle unless a person does one thing- looks at Christ. He is the giver of grace and it is grace through faith that you are saved. A struggling Catholic can be led to these verses and sermon on these verses. More on Grace, defined and explained, here. Bible verses on Grace, here, and still others, here.

Romans 5:15 But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.

Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

One way to help a Catholic is to point them to grace. They need to be drenched in the facts of grace to cut through the demonic noise in their spirit. Share with them essays and sermons that speak of the Grace of God.

~~~~~~ASSURANCE~~~~~~

A Catholic has no assurance of their salvation. First, they are taught they need to work to maintain it. Salvation in the Catholic system is something you earn “by those very works which have been done in God, fully satisfied the divine law according to the state of this life and to have truly merited eternal life.” (source)

It must be spiritually disquieting, to say the least, to know that they must rely on our own selves to attain or to maintain salvation- and to never know where you stand for sure. Committing a “mortal sin” constitutes a rupture in a person’s link to God and they become unsaved. It is the worst thing to happen, but there is a chance they can go to Purgatory after death for a period of time to have the mortal sin cleansed out of them. Purgatory is another made-up doctrine that provides a safety net as a last chance effort. Either way, a Catholic is never completely assured of entering heaven. “The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines purgatory as a “purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven,” which is experienced by those “who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified”. The grace of God and the work of Jesus on the cross was not enough you see. The gap is supposed to be filled by the Catholic.

We not only have assurance, Jesus IS the assurance. Hebrews 11 is a record of that very thing, the assurance we have that is in us and that IS Christ.

Faith, hope, grace… Gills Exposition says- “And were persuaded of them, and embraced them; they had a full assurance of faith, that what was promised would be fulfilled; and they took a kind of possession of them before hand, as Abraham did of the land of Canaan, by sojourning in it; as did also Isaac and Jacob; and all of them by faith embraced the Messiah, and dealt with, and laid hold upon his blood, righteousness, sacrifice, and grace, by which they were saved, as New Testament saints are.”

Here is a video on the Divine guarantee of eternal salvation

Send them to verses which speak of assurance. Here is a page listing them.

~~~~~~TRUST~~~~~~

If you put faith in a man, no matter how many assurances he gives you, man will let you down. Popes die. Popes resign. Priests sin. Bishops fall. Trusting in a religious system will become a stumbling block. The born again believer’s faith is a relationship with the One who is perfect, loving, and steadfast in His promises. He cannot fail. However, since a Catholic is taught that the atonement of Jesus was not enough, it makes it hard to fully trust a savior who did not complete the work and left it to fallible man. It is one reason that Catholic dogma states that popes are infallible. But as we can see, they are.As a matter of fact, the Catholics install Mary as co-redemptrix, needing two saviors to get the job done. No, wait, three; Mary, Christ, and pope. No wait, four, Christ, Mary, Pope, and Catholic person working toward eternal reward.

And since unregenerated man populates the halls of the Vatican and on down through Cardinals, Bishops, and priests, they sin because they are under bondage to satan. We have seen, oh, how they sin. Scratch the veneer of holiness and the corruption will come out.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness.” (Matthew 23:27).

How earth-shaking it must be for a Catholic to put trust in a system that depends on man, and then those very men are seen to be homosexuals, pedophiles, money-launderers, and much more. If they cannot trust an altar boy with a priest, how will they trust their everlasting soul to the Pope?

Jesus said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.” (John 14:1 NIV)

Solomon wrote words to the wise, saying “That your trust may be in the Lord,” (Proverbs 22:19). It is wise to trust the Lord!

Isaiah 12:2 says, “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.”

Help a Catholic whose world is rocked by misplaced trust in unregenerate men to once again turn to the Lord and trust Him. Once they see that the Lord never lets them down they can begin to renew their trust in their regenerated brethren.

Pastor-Teacher John MacArthur is writing a blog series of the facts of the heresies of the Roman Catholic Church. This is so that as the Pope and the RCC is in the news, we can witness clearly and with understanding of why and how the RCC is a false church. Here are the blog entries so far, in order–

A Timely Critique of the Catholic Church

Exposing the Heresies of the Catholic Church: Grace vs. Works

The Pope and the Spirit of Antichrist

Exposing the Heresies of the Catholic Church: The Pope

Exposing the Heresies of the Catholic Church: Mary Worship

Each entry is concise and biblical. Please take a moment to review them, and see for yourself what the egregious errors are from this longest-running false church on earth are about.

You cal also read more here at Christian Research and Apologetics Ministry’s main page on Roman Catholicism.

This moment in time is an opportunity. Never before has the Catholic Church been so prevalent in discussion and in the news. People are listening, wondering. Our opportunity is that as ambassadors of Christ, we can be His light and share the truth. We share the truth in love, that the RCC is false, and we share the Good news, that there is a way out- the simple Gospel of Grace.

pope, resign, scandal, vatican

Pope Benedict’s resignation: the fallout continues & Vatican is furious

Posted on February 23, 2013May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

It has been interesting to see the number of potential reasons surface for Pope Benedict ‘s resignation.

Did the pope resign due to a Vatican gay sex scandal? USA Today reports, “The Italian media is reporting that Pope Benedict XVI resigned after receiving the results of an internal investigation, delivered in a 300-page, two-volume dossier, that laid bare a sordid tale of blackmail, corruption and gay sex at the Vatican. The respected Italian newspaper La Repubblica reported Friday that the report stamped “Pontifical Secret,” contained “an exact map of the mischief and the bad fish” inside the Holy See. The newspaper said the findings of the nine-month investigation, headed by Spanish cardinal, Julian Herranz, with the assistance of Cardinal Salvatore De Giorgi, former archbishop of Palermo, and Slovak cardinal Jozef Tomko, was delivered to the pope on Dec. 17, 2012. “It was on that day, with those papers on his desk, that Benedict XVI took the decision he had mulled over for so long,” the newspaper said.”

No, no, of course there is not a gay lobby inside the Vatican, the Vatican asserts, denies, and in all ways refuses to discuss, said The Guardian

Was it because of illness? The Pope may be much sicker than we thought. Pope Benedict had a pacemaker. The news of its existence shocked the world. In another shocker, the Pope apparently hit his head hard enough to break the skin, and has had a few resulting issues since then. But the Vatican predictably denies that it led to his retirement.

Or how about a good old money laundering scandal? The Times Union reports, “the Vatican has been accused for decades of secrecy in its financial dealings. The most famous was the Banco Ambrosiano scandal in the 1980s, in which the Vatican’s private bank — formally known as the “Institute for Works of Religion” — was implicated in money-laundering for the Sicilian Mafia. Since 2010, the Vatican bank has once again been caught up in a series of financial scandals, including $29 million being seized by Italian authorities and being placed on the U.S. State Department’s list of countries that are home to money laundering. Even J.P. Morgan closed one of the bank’s accounts this past year when the Vatican could not provide information about the large sums of money moving in and out of its account. In an attempt to clean up its finances in order to bring them in line with European standards and to get ahead of any future scandals, the Vatican has hired outside advisers to address their adherence to financial regulations. However, in a series of released documents now known as “VatiLeaks,” it was exposed that elements within the Vatican have continued to try to sidestep financial money laundering regulations that might threaten its banking operations.”

The Vatican is situated in Vatican City, a sovereign nation located in Rome, Italy. It is “a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome. It has an area of approximately 110 acres, and a population of just over 800. This makes Vatican City the smallest independent state in the world by both area and population.”

You must understand that the pope is an absolute monarch. He is elected by the Cardinals, but once elected, he assumes absolute power for life. The only other absolute monarchies in the world today are Swaziland, Brunei, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates which is a federation of absolute monarchies.

The Pope is the only absolute monarch in Europe.

The Vatican is increasingly furious that the world’s attention is turning from the papal resignation to what caused the resignation- in other words, digging up the scandal.

Vatican denies swirling rumors as pope prepares to step down
“The Vatican sought Saturday to tamp down rumors involving sex, money and gay priests that have been swirling in the Italian media and have been linked by some to Pope Benedict XVI’s decision to resign. The strongly-worded denial came on the eve of the pope’s last Angelus blessing, expected to draw huge crowds of the faithful, before he stands down on Thursday. Vatican Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone said it was “deplorable” that as the time for the Roman Catholic cardinals to elect a new pope approaches, a rash of “often unverified, unverifiable or completely false news stories” has appeared.”

“Last May Pope Benedict’s butler, Paolo Gabriele, was arrested and charged with stealing leaked papal correspondence that depicted the Vatican as a seething hotbed of intrigue and infighting.”

St. Peter’s Basilica

I want us all to understand something. The rumors of infighting, backbiting, betrayals and political jockeying are not unexpected. The cardinals who live in the micro-nation of Vatican city are living in a heated pot of intrigue, personal selfishness and depraved sin all within 110 little acres. How do I know this? They are not saved.

Picture “Survivor” on steroids, because the prize is an absolute monarchy in the wealthiest place on the planet. It is the world’s top prize. And competing for it are men who are whitewashed tombs, having an appearance of godliness but denying its power. (Matthew 23:28). If one is not under the grace of Jesus, one is under the control of satan, and these men are under satan’s influence. Of course there is a scandal, and of course men are willing to go to any length to obtain the prize. To think otherwise is to fail to understand sin.

The only higher prize than to be pope (in terms of unaccountability in power and living in immeasurable wealth) is the coming antichrist. The antichrist will have control of the entire planet, not just 1/7th of it.

One extreme of current speculation is that the pope would be a likely candidate for false prophet to the antichrist. (The Pope already IS a false prophet, but may morph into THE false prophet). The other extreme is that perhaps Catholicism all but disappears as the elements of Islam and Gnosticism and paganism dilute it so much into the one world religion (Revelation 17) that it is essentially gone. Who knows?

Pope Pius XII, in the papal mantum and wearing
the 1877 Papal Tiara, is carried through St. Peter’s Basilica
on a sedia gestatoria.

Whatever happens in the next three weeks will be interesting. Will the new pope be installed by Easter? He would have to be elected by March 17 and installed that day at latest, because installations only can occur on Sundays, and Holy week begins March 24 and concludes on Easter, March 31. On the other hand, the Lord may have in mind that there be no new pope, or something equally amazing. His works are mysterious and wondrous. I do not know what He will do in this situation but I know that it will be amazing, and perfect.

Keep watching this most interesting development.

grace, pope, rcc, works religion

Why works-based faiths like the Catholic religion will not save you

Posted on February 12, 2013May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

My posts on the resignation of the Pope and the resulting discussion that the Roman Catholic Church is a false church has received more views than any post I’ve ever done, by at least double. Not only is it huge news that the Pope resigned, but it is news to many when someone declares flatly that the RCC is a false church and it promotes doctrines of demons.

(Left, Pope Pius IX, was the longest-reigning elected Pope in the history of the Catholic Church, serving from 16 June 1846 until his death, nearly 32 years. During his pontificate, he convened the First Vatican Council in 1869, which decreed papal infallibility. He also defined the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, meaning that Mary was conceived without original sin. Previously, those doctrines were not an official part of Catholic dogma.)

Here are the three posts I’ve written about the RCC Pope, and the Prophecy of the Popes:

1. December 2011, Pope Benedict’s health failing, St. Malachy’s prophecy comes up again
2. February 2013, Pope Benedict resigned- will the next pope validate Malachy’s prophecy?
3. February 2013, Catholicism is not a Christian religion

The comments have been respectful for the most part. I have only had to delete a few out of hand for profanity or for not adding anything to the discussion (i.e. ‘You’re all nuts!” kinds of comments get deleted. At least tell us WHY you think we’re nuts…lol). Thank you all for reading and commenting.

In the comment section yesterday, someone had asked about how to witness to Catholics. It was a good question, and I responded. I thought I’d make my response be a post by itself. This is that post.

Any religion besides Christianity, which is to say, every other religion, promotes some form of works toward a person’s salvation. I say again, all other religions in some form or fashion are a works-based religion. How do I know this? Because there is grace, and works. Christianity is a grace based religion. Salvation comes because of the grace bestowed on penitents who believe in the atoning sacrifice of Jesus and His resurrection. He is the only God who can and who does bestow grace, absolve sins, and resurrect the dead. No other religious figure can do that because no other figure has risen from the dead. Therefore in the false religions, lacking the one thing that can actually save a person, the proponents of these false religions add works to their schema to cover the deficit.

In attempting to attain heaven by his own efforts, man forgets how holy God is and how lowly and polluted with sin we are. Attempting offer works to Jesus as an entry validation is like offering Jesus a filthy rag as your best effort. Isaiah 64:6a says-

We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.

Not to get too graphic, but the word for polluted garment is actually Hebrew for used menstrual rag. Believing we can get to heaven on our own works means when you stand before Holy God, and we all will, you will in effect hold out a used and crusty Tampax, and say “Here is a gift for you, Jesus, these are my works. Now I can go into heaven, right?”

Unappealing, right? God hates sin and cannot even look at sin or the sinner. He is angry over sin. He is personally angry with you by name, over your sin. (Exodus 4:14; 15:7; Leviticus 26:27-33; Numbers 11:1; 12:9; 22:22; 25:3; Deuteronomy 3:17; 29:24-29; Joshua 7:1; Judges 2:14; 2 Samuel 24:1; 1 Kings 14:15; 15:30; 16:2; 25:53; 2 Kings 13:3; 17:11; 23:19; 1 Chronicles 13:10; 2 Chronicles 28:25; Psalm 7:11; 11:4-7; Hebrews 10:27). (Right, Monstrance, a vessel used to show the consecrated Eucharistic host; Utrecht Museum, by Johan)

Get the idea? There is only His grace, and our works. His grace is pure and holy, and our works are a used tampon.

Buddhism, though seemingly altruistic in their promotion of good deeds toward others, is really at root a works based religion because one must work on one’s self before one can attain a state of nirvana. A Buddhist must work on their attitude toward worldly attachments, and once releasing all attachment to any self-desires, can then turn around and help others. Buddhism is an inward works based religion. I know I’m generalizing here, but you get the idea in broad strokes. A Buddhist must work on himself before attaining happiness and being able to help others.

Islam is the same but different. Allah’s grace descends upon the believer but the person must perform good works toward others. The entry into paradise for the Muslim is dependent upon a combination of grace and works. If the Muslim has performed more good works than bad, he’s in. However, the believer never quite knows where he stands…so the tension inside their heart is very heavy. To make matters worse, the Koran states that both good and evil come from Allah, and he is capricious. When you get to Allah’s Paradise gate good deeds may indeed outweigh the bad, but Allah may say “begone with you” anyway. The only sure way to please Allah for sure and make it into an Islamic paradise is to be a suicide martyr. And now you know why they line up for the job…

In Catholicism, works also figures in. God’s grace is upon the believer, but that grace is only an enabling function. It enables one to do good works and it is that which they will be judged as worthy or not for heaven.

In Christianity, we receive a free gift when God says, ‘you believe on the Son, therefore I declare you innocent of your sins, justified in My eyes.” (Titus 3:7). In the RCC, justification is denied.

If any one saith, that by faith alone the impious is justified; in such wise as to mean, that nothing else is required to co-operate in order to the obtaining the grace of Justification, and that it is not in any way necessary, that he be prepared and disposed by the movement of his own will; let him be anathema” (Council of Trent, Canons on Justification, Canon 9)

“If any one saith, that man is truly absolved from his sins and justified, because he assuredly believed himself absolved and justified; or, that no one is truly justified but he who believes himself justified; and that, by this faith alone, absolution and justification are effected; let him be anathema.” (Canon 14).

Anathema means excommunicated from the body of believers or it means cursed, usually both. The RCC does not come right out and say ‘you must work for salvation’ but that is what they teach. You can read here an essay outlining the key differences between Catholic and Christian doctrines.

One of the biggest burdens in all works-related salvation schemes, Catholicism included, is a secret, nagging fear and burden in the person that they may not be ‘doing enough.’ Mormons are particularly burdened with these secret thoughts, which they rarely verbalize, but are there. Catholics have these interior fears as well, because they are taught that they must maintain their salvation. As any sinner knows, even those who are thoroughly saved and rest on Jesus’s grace alone, we stagger with our conscience in knowing how desperately wicked we are. So any person depending on works in any way for their salvation will always fear they are missing the mark. Catholics are always worried. They have to be, they have no assurance of their salvation!

“If you could lose your salvation, you would.”
As John MacArthur replied once when asked about salvation, “if you could lose your salvation, you would.” That simple truth cuts right to the heart of works-based religions. Imagine the fear and burden of a Catholic wondering if they have recovered from their last sin enough. If they said enough hail Marys. If they will go to purgatory or heaven…

In witnessing to a Catholic, I think that focusing on the simplicity and perfection of grace alone will go a long way toward penetrating a Catholic’s mind and heart, because that is where the anxiety is, in my opinion. Humans simply do not have the perseverance to live a sinless life. Humans are not capable of accumulating enough resources to reach heaven. Only Jesus did that. People in works-based religions are always wondering, “Have I done enough?”

photo credit: John Steven Fernandez via photopin cc

In the faith that Jesus delivered to the saints once for all, HE is the one who did enough! We can have assurance of the perfection and completion of His work because God accepted Jesus as the sacrifice, raising Him from the dead. His grace is sufficient for all believers, no more works are needed, because as Jesus said,

“It is finished.”

John 19:30 records the last words of Jesus in His earthly ministry. It is finished means “As if he had said: “I have executed the great designs of the Almighty – I have satisfied the demands of his justice – I have accomplished all that was written in the prophets, and suffered the utmost malice of my enemies; and now the way to the holy of holies is made manifest through my blood.” An awful, yet a glorious finish. Through this tragical death God is reconciled to man, and the kingdom of heaven opened to every believing soul.” (Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible)

It is awful, as Clarke said, but it is simple. We only need to believe on the work of Jesus through the cross to be saved. It sounds so uncomplicated, doesn’t it? It is. The layers of works and tradition that the RCC has overlaid on this simple and awful-beautiful truth is the monstrous thing. Laying our works on His work is grotesque. Believe on the Son and be saved, beloved. How can one be saved? I will say again, using the words of the Holy Spirit,

“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31).

cross photo credit: Christopher JL via photopin cc
rosary photo credit: Lawrence OP via photopin cc

false religion, jesus, pericle fazzini, pope, sculpture, the resurrection

Now this is just plain evil. Not to mention ugly

Posted on November 21, 2012May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

Catholic News Service reported last year,

Giving new life to a Vatican sculpture
“Rome’s unseasonably warm weather is giving the Vatican time to erect scaffolding and start a serious cleaning of Pericle Fazzini’s sculpture, “The Resurrection.” Work began today on the piece, which towers over the stage in the Vatican’s Paul VI audience hall. Since it’s plenty warm enough to hold the pope’s weekly general audience outdoors, visitors won’t even notice. The sculpture, dedicated in 1977, is almost 66 feet wide and more than 23 feet tall. According to L’Osservatore Romano, the Vatican newspaper, the bronze piece weighs about 15 tons. It depicts Christ “rising from a tomb in the Garden of Olives, while the earth is shaken by an enormous storm.” During the work — in case the weather does turn cold — a tarp with a reproduction of the sculpture will hang over the scaffolding, so the audience hall still can be used. The work is expected to be completed in early December.”

The depiction is of Jesus emerging out of an atomic bomb crater with resurrected souls. You can read more about the sculptor and the sculpture here in the NY Times Obituary of him. His name was Pericle Fazzini. He died in 1987.

“Pericle Fazzini, the sculptor whose monumental statue ”The Resurrection” is the backdrop for Pope John Paul II’s weekly general audiences, died today. He was 74 years old. The sculptor, a native of Grottammare on the eastern Italian coast, began his career as an exponent of the Roman school of the 1930’s. His early wooden pieces, characterized by their simple style, led to the starker later figures, which he fashioned almost exclusively in metal, particularly bronze.”

“The Vatican commissioned Mr. Fazzini to provide a work for its modern auditorium. The result was ”The Resurrection,” a statue depicting Jesus rising from a nuclear bomb crater.”

”Suddenly there came to me the idea of Christ preaching peace for 2,000 years, and the place where He prayed for the last time: the olive grove of Gethsemane,” said Mr. Fazzini in a book about the work. ”I had the idea of depicting Christ as if He were rising again from the explosion of this large olive grove, peaceful site of His last prayers. Christ rises from this crater torn open by a nuclear bomb; an atrocious explosion, a vortex of violence and energy.”’
”The Resurrection” is molded in red bronze and yellow brass and measures 66 feet by 23 feet by 10 feet.

“It was unveiled by Pope Paul VI in 1977 and dominates the stage of the Vatican hall where the pope’s general audiences are held. Among Mr. Fazzini’s works is the bronze ”Sybil” at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and a giant sculpture of a sea shell commissioned by the City of Dallas. Mr. Fazzini is survived by his wife, Anita, and a daughter.”

You wonder what goes through a man’s mind to come up with a horrifyingly evil looking depiction such as that. Remember, Catholics adhere to doctrines and traditions that are not biblical so the likelihood exists that Fazzini was not saved and therefore had a blinded, depraved mind. (2 Corinthians 4:4; John 12:40). It seems evident that he could not rightly see Christ, (Mark 4:12) nor could the Pope that commissioned it nor the Popes that sit before it. Here is a very short news piece about the sculpture.

Imagine sitting in front of that evilly horrific sculpture week after week conducting ‘religious’ services, with a serpent-looking Christ coming out of a man-made bomb crater carrying sooty souls. Images are important. The scene speaks volumes.