The Signs of the Times (40): World Religion

‘…And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority…He was given power to wage war against the saints and to conquer them. And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation…’

Revelation 13:1-2, 7 (NIV)

The ultimate leader as prince of peace. The Greek word ‘anti’ has two meanings: ‘instead of’ and ‘against’. Anti-Christ means: a christ instead of true Christ, and ultimately against the true Christ. A saviour instead of the true Saviour. A false messiah instead of and against the true Messiah. In the end he will emerge as a most cruel dictator who does not hesitate to use every means of power to enforce his ‘Pax Romana’ = ‘World Peace’ globally by removing some small groups that will not follow suit. Some spiritual resistance movements and groups. Like Jews and Bible-believing Christians.

Such groups, whether they are Jews or Christians, in the end will not be tolerated. By then the power of militant Islam will already have been broken, or will be broken. There will be great political slogans in this final Empire of man. One for all and all for one! Unity in diversity! Liberty, equality and fraternity. Bread and Circuses! Prosperity for all! A classless society! Free health care and basic income for all. Power to the people! Democracy led by a genius acting as the President of the world. All problems solved! No more worldwide pollution! Endless sources of energy! Powerful United Nations armies and police who will quench all that threatens this worldwide peace. All religions equal. Peace on earth for all people of good will!

Christianity in Europe and in other parts of the world, organized in the structure of the World Council of Churchesis slowly but surely evolving into a multiform unity. And the relationship with the Roman Catholic Church will ultimately be just fine. The Eastern Orthodoxy and the Anglicans are already participating, while the Evangelicals and the Pentecostal churches greatly appreciate good relationships with this worldwide religious structure. The relationship with Judaism and Islam – and also with other world religions – is being improved by interreligious conferences. A united world needs a united world religion, right? Unity in diversity. But no one may claim to have the truth.

The woman – who is called ‘prostitute’ in Revelation – sits on a beast, says John in Revelation 17:3. That’s how it has always been with the great dictatorships. Political power and spiritual power go hand-in-hand. The prostitute, the religious system of the end-times, conspires with the new rulers. The political rulers very well realize that only when the hearts of the people can be reached with their new political ideas, only then they can exercise absolute power unlimited and unhindered. Hitler needed the ‘Concordat’ with the Roman Catholic Church and the Lutheran Protestants in Germany to be able to develop his rule to a complete and absolute dictatorship.

The German ‘Reichskonkordat’, also called the Concordat of Rome, is a Concordat between the Holy See and the German Reich. It was signed on 20 July 1933 by Cardinal Secretary of State Eugenio Pacellion behalf of Pope Pius XI and Franz von Papen on behalf of President Paul von Hindenburg.

For fear of communism, Cardinal Pacelli and nuncio Cesare Orsenigo exerted pressure on politicians not to enter into coalitions with liberals and social democrats. Instead cooperation had to be entered into with the Protestant German nationals and…the National Socialists. This view was at odds with the opinion of the other German bishops who considered the Nazi doctrine incompatible with Catholic doctrine. This was recorded in a statement on 30 September 1930.

After the takeover of power this statement had become untenable. In order to prevent problems with the Nazi government, this statement was therefore waived. Another important argument of the proponents was that with the concordat the church would retain part of its autonomy and would (in a closed circle) be able to remain critical about the Nazi government. With the concordat the Nazi government promised to leave the Catholic Church in Germany untouched.

It’s just an example from past history. And many other examples of the same principle from the times of the French Revolution or the Communist Revolution could be given. Religious power and political power going hand-in-hand. Finally on a world-scale.