Posts tagged ‘Satan’

End Times Alert: Pope Benedict XVI Calls For ‘World Political Authority’

By LaVrai, 9 July, 2009, 5 Comments

Pope Benedict XVI listens during the holy mass of Pentecost Sunday in Saint Peter's Basilica at the Vatican May 31, 2009. (Giampiero Sposito/Reuters)

It has so many names nowadays — one world government, new global economic order and now “world political authority.” This last phrasing is from Pope Benedict XVI who just recently issued his encyclical, which if you have the patience, can be read here. He, too, says the world “urgently” needs a singular global authority, with a moral code… which I suppose he supposes the Holy See should provide.

In chapter five (#67) of his “Charity in Truth” statement, Pope Benedict writes:

In the face of the unrelenting growth of global interdependence, there is a strongly felt need, even in the midst of a global recession, for a reform of the United Nations Organization, and likewise of economic institutions and international finance, so that the concept of the family of nations can acquire real teeth.

One also senses the urgent need to find innovative ways of implementing the principle of the responsibility to protect[146] and of giving poorer nations an effective voice in shared decision-making. This seems necessary in order to arrive at a political, juridical and economic order which can increase and give direction to international cooperation for the development of all peoples in solidarity. To manage the global economy; to revive economies hit by the crisis; to avoid any deterioration of the present crisis and the greater imbalances that would result; to bring about integral and timely disarmament, food security and peace; to guarantee the protection of the environment and to regulate migration: for all this, there is urgent need of a true world political authority, as my predecessor Blessed John XXIII indicated some years ago.

Such an authority would need to be regulated by law, to observe consistently the principles of subsidiarity and solidarity, to seek to establish the common good[147], and to make a commitment to securing authentic integral human development inspired by the values of charity in truth. Furthermore, such an authority would need to be universally recognized and to be vested with the effective power to ensure security for all, regard for justice, and respect for rights[148]. Obviously it would have to have the authority to ensure compliance with its decisions from all parties, and also with the coordinated measures adopted in various international forums. Without this, despite the great progress accomplished in various sectors, international law would risk being conditioned by the balance of power among the strongest nations. The integral development of peoples and international cooperation require the establishment of a greater degree of international ordering, marked by subsidiarity, for the management of globalization[149]. They also require the construction of a social order that at last conforms to the moral order, to the interconnection between moral and social spheres, and to the link between politics and the economic and civil spheres, as envisaged by the Charter of the United Nations.

I fully recommend reading Pope Endorses “World Political Authority” at Accuracy in Media to understand this “radical document” the pope has penned.

It is rather interesting that not only do we have politicians harping openly for a united world government, we know have the man who thinks he’s some kind of prince or king, the pope, also singing the same tune — openly. It wasn’t long ago that this kind of talk was considered the stuff of conspiracy theorists, now we have governments actively working to facilitate this movement — openly, all thanks to this totally unexpected global economic meltdown. If this is what’s spoken openly, what do they say in secret? Does the pope think the one world government will keep the Roman Catholic Church around for long? Yes, the RCC will be quite helpful in keeping the world deceived by idolatry and false religion, but from what I read in the Book of Revelation, the Holy Roman See, or the harlot that sits upon many waters, will be done away with when the Beast government has tired of her. When the Anti-Christ elevates himself to god-status, the other prince (the pope who sits on the throne who is worshiped adored by a billion people from every nation and tongue) won’t be needed any more .

Holy See:

The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome, commonly known as the Pope, and is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and speaks for the whole Catholic Church. It is also recognized by other subjects of international law as a sovereign entity, headed by the Pope, with which diplomatic relations can be maintained. – Wikipedia

Present concerns of the Holy See include religious freedom, international development, the environment, the Middle East, China, the decline of religion in Europe, terrorism, interreligious dialogue and reconciliation, and the application of church doctrine in an era of rapid change and globalization. About one billion people worldwide profess the Catholic faith.

Landlocked; enclave in Rome, Italy; world’s smallest state; beyond the territorial boundary of Vatican City, the Lateran Treaty of 1929 grants the Holy See extraterritorial authority over 23 sites in Rome and five outside of Rome, including the Pontifical Palace at Castel Gandolfo (the Pope’s summer residence) – CIA Factbook

It amazes me that the Holy See positions itself as the only independent state founded on and ruled by ecclesiastical standards. The thing is, though, it is governed by man-made rules cloaked in religion and positions the pope as king, or god. This seems almost a mockery of the Kingdom Jesus the Christ will establish on the new earth.

Revelation 17:

1And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: 2With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication. 3So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.

4And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: 5And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

6And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration. 7And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.

… 15And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. 16And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. 17For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled. 18And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

Revelation 18 and Jeremiah 51 should also be considered.

Why Is The Mainstream Media Covering The Bilderberg Meeting In Athens?

By LaVrai, 15 May, 2009, 1 Comment

Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

I find it rather strange that mainstream publications are running stories on the long-demonized Bilderberg Group, which Wikipedia explains: The Bilderberg Group, Bilderberg conference, or Bilderberg Club is an unofficial, annual, invitation-only conference of around 130 guests, most of whom are persons of influence in the fields of politics, business, and banking (also touches on the conspiracy theories). I am quite skeptical after finding reports on the group’s latest meeting, in Athens, Greece on several “respectable” Web sites (mostly European). Since when does the mainstream care about the Bilderbergs and conspiracy theories? I thought conspiracy theorists were wack jobs seeing a there where there is no there, like Alex Jones for example.

Videos: Nightline Face Off – Does Satan Exist?

By LaVrai, 27 March, 2009, No Comment

ABC finally aired the (non-theological?) debate over whether Satan exists or not. Someone was kind enough to post the segment on YouTube and I’ve put together a playlist of the program for those interested in watching it. I have yet to watch it myself (waiting for a day off from work) so I can offer no comments at this point. I can say, however, that I did not notice any Bibles on the podium.

Please feel free to share your thoughts on the so-called debate here involving Mark Driscoll and Annie Lobert and Deepak Chopra and Bishop Carlton Pearson (whom you can watch here saying ‘GOD is not a Christian’)

The playlist consists of 10 videos totaling about an hour. The videos play back-t0-back and you can also skip around if needed.

Excerpt:

Tempers Flare at Debate on the Devil
Does Satan Exist? Sides Square Off During ‘Nightline Face-Off’

By DAN HARRIS and ELY BROWN

March 26, 2009h 26, 2009
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
Izbrano poglavje ne obstaja!

WP-Bible plugin-

The concept of Satan provokes strong emotions, and sparks a series of fundamental questions about good and evil, about human nature, and about the nature of God.

The question of whether Satan exists is one of the most contentious theological debates possible, and last week four fascinating, polarizing people from around the country convened in Seattle to tackle that topic in the third “Nightline” Face-Off.

According to one poll, 70 percent of Americans believe Satan is real. Some believe he — and almost all believers say Satan is a “he” — is a fallen angel. Others believe Satan is a shapeless, malevolent force; the enemy of God. But there are also many people who believe that Satan is a myth, and a dangerous one, because his name is often invoked to justify unspeakable acts of violence.

The Face-Off was hosted at Mars Hill Church, and the church’s pastor, Mark Driscoll, argued that Satan does exist. Driscoll is a hip yet hard-line preacher with a young, often tattooed following to whom he preaches a strict doctrine, in which the devil figures prominently.

“It could get intense,” Driscoll said of the debate. “It could get passionate. But as long as it doesn’t become personal then I think it’s OK.”

Driscoll’s teammate for the evening was Annie Lobert, who arrived in Seattle from her home in Las Vegas — otherwise known as Sin City.

“I don’t have a theologian background, but I have 16 years of experience of walking with the Devil so I know he’s real for sure,” she said.

Lobert is a former prostitute who says she used to see the Devil in the eyes of her johns. Her organization, Hookers for Jesus, ministers to sex workers.

“When people don’t believe the devil is real, I feel, my opinion is, they are deceived,” she said.

Lobert felt she could “definitely” change minds by “talking from the heart, from experience.”

On the other side of the debate was Bishop Carlton Pearson, a former fundamentalist preacher who says he used to cast demons out of his followers.

“What’s interesting about this thing tonight is that I’ve been on both sides,” he said. “I was a staunch ‘believe it my way or go to hell’ kind of preacher for the first half of my life. And I never liked it.”

After watching a video of the Rwandan genocide, Pearson said he realized all those people would not be going to hell just because they weren’t saved. He declared he no longer believed in the devil or hell, and was called a heretic and lost his church.

He said his views are seen in the evangelical community as “treasonous is some ways. It breaks people’s hearts.”

Arguing alongside bishop was Dr. Deepak Chopra, a physician and best-selling author of dozens of books and videos on health and spirituality.

“My position is that we have a huge problem with what people call evil in the world and they need a good rational explanation and not an irrational mythical explanation,” he said.

“I am not going to do anything to offend [the other side],” he said. But I still have to speak my own truth.”

Read the full article here…

End Times Alert: New TV Commercial For Anti-Christ Maitreya Airs On Major Networks

By LaVrai, 25 February, 2009, 1 Comment

Have you seen the star that’s supposed to be shining day and night, heralding the coming of another anti-Christ? But this Maitreya demon isn’t just another false messiah, for this unclean spirit is outing itself at a time when the world seems ripe for such delusion. The president the world adores gives the impression that there is more than one way to be saved, while Christians will tell you that Salvation is in Jesus the Christ of Nazareth alone (as the infallible Word of GOD explains). “America’s pastor” Rick Warren of Saddleback Church gives the impression that Christians can cast aside their faith and the teachings of our ETERNAL LORD and KING Jesus the Christ for the sake of working together to end poverty (although the LORD our GOD says in the Old and New Testaments that the poor will be with us always).

Medieval Rome Brings Back Indulgences… To Help Sinners Spend Less Time In Purgatory

By LaVrai, 10 February, 2009, 2 Comments

How ironic. I just purchased a book on Martin Luther and today I read the section on his 95 Theses, rejecting the Roman Catholic church’s heretical teaching on indulgences. Indulgences used to involve literally buying your way out of Purgatory (or someone else out). In 1517, Martin Luther respectfully railed against this non-Biblical practice in a letter to the Archbishop of Mainz. Now, the RCC is actively trying to bring it all back… not that this man-made practice was ever corrected.

According to Wikipedia:

An indulgence, in Roman Catholic theology, is the full or partial remission of temporal punishment due for sins which have already been forgiven. The indulgence is granted by the church after the sinner has confessed and received absolution. The belief is that indulgences draw on the storehouse of merit acquired by Jesus’ sacrifice and the virtues and penances of the saints. They are granted for specific good works and prayers.

From the NY Times:

The announcement in church bulletins and on Web sites has been greeted with enthusiasm by some and wariness by others. But mainly, it has gone over the heads of a vast generation of Roman Catholics who have no idea what it means: “Bishop Announces Plenary Indulgences.”

In recent months, dioceses around the world have been offering Catholics a spiritual benefit that fell out of favor decades ago – the indulgence, a sort of amnesty from punishment in the afterlife – and reminding them of the church’s clout in mitigating the wages of sin.

The fact that many Catholics under 50 have never sought one, and never heard of indulgences except in high school European history (Martin Luther denounced the selling of them in 1517 while igniting the Protestant Reformation), simply makes their reintroduction more urgent among church leaders bent on restoring fading traditions of penance in what they see as a self-satisfied world.

“Why are we bringing it back?” asked Bishop Nicholas A. DiMarzio of Brooklyn, who has embraced the move. “Because there is sin in the world.”

Like the Latin Mass and meatless Fridays, the indulgence was one of the traditions decoupled from mainstream Catholic practice in the 1960s by the Second Vatican Council, the gathering of bishops that set a new tone of simplicity and informality for the church. Its revival has been viewed as part of a conservative resurgence that has brought some quiet changes and some highly controversial ones, like Pope Benedict XVI’s recent decision to lift the excommunications of four schismatic bishops who reject the council’s reforms.

The indulgence is among the less noticed and less disputed traditions to be restored. But with a thousand-year history and volumes of church law devoted to its intricacies, it is one of the most complicated to explain.

According to church teaching, even after sinners are absolved in the confessional and say their Our Fathers or Hail Marys as penance, they still face punishment after death, in Purgatory, before they can enter heaven. In exchange for certain prayers, devotions or pilgrimages in special years, a Catholic can receive an indulgence, which reduces or erases that punishment instantly, with no formal ceremony or sacrament.

There are partial indulgences, which reduce purgatorial time by a certain number of days or years, and plenary indulgences, which eliminate all of it, until another sin is committed. You can get one for yourself, or for someone who is dead. You cannot buy one – the church outlawed the sale of indulgences in 1567 – but charitable contributions, combined with other acts, can help you earn one. There is a limit of one plenary indulgence per sinner per day.

Read the full article here…

Colossians 2:6 As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. 8 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; 10 and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.