Final warning a history of the new world order-Chapter Ten

Final warning

a history of the new world order

chapter Ten

setting the stage for destruction

 

 

when the conspiracy actually began

By now, there should be no doubt in your mind that there is an orchestrated effort by a small group of men to establish a one-world government. Even though we have gone back to look at the roots, and evolution of this movement, the actual motive goes back much farther than that. Just think, what motivation could there be to fuel that kind of desire. The answer is that you have to look at things with a spiritual eye, in order to comprehend the complexities that the New World Order actually represents. And when you do that, then you can understand how it has been able to progress through all these years, and why it will continue.

This Part will deal with the application of the First Part to Biblical research and end-time prophecy. Although space constraints will only allow a general treatise of the major elements, I will be dealing with these matters in a much more detailed fashion on my website (www.viewfromthewall.com) in the near future.

 

When you read Genesis 1:1-2, it says: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” The Rotherham translation of the Bible, which was taken from the original Hebrew, says: “Now the earth had become waste and empty.” You have to understand that there was an undetermined amount of time which passed between these two verses. However, we do have some clues about certain events which occurred before Adam, and the refurbishing of this world for his habitation.

 

Just as God told Noah and his sons in Genesis 9:1 to “replenish” the earth after the flood, God had told Adam and Eve the same thing in Genesis 1:28. This seems to indicate that there were men on the earth before Adam. Proof of this can be found in Jeremiah 4:23-26. Now you can understand the time frame, and the circumstances regarding Lucifer (the ‘lightbringer’). He was a “cherub” (the highest classification of angels), and is described in the Bible as being wise and perfect. It was his job to bring light. Eventually he became proud of himself, and sought to take the place of God (Isaiah 14:12-17, Ezekiel 28:2, I Timothy 3:6). He led a third of the angels (Revelation 12:4) in a revolt against Michael, the archangel, and the remaining angels (Jude 1:6, II Peter 2:4-5) for the control of Heaven.

 

This battle for the control of Heaven nearly destroyed the earth. After his defeat, Lucifer was cast down to earth, where he became known as “Satan” (which means ‘adversary’), the leader of the fallen angels (or demons), and the “god of this world.” (2 Corinthians 4:4)

 

When God renewed the earth, and created man in His image, He gave Adam dominion over the earth, which infuriated Satan, who had the impression that he was to rule over the earth. Again, Satan plotted against God, and caused Adam and Eve to sin by eating the fruit of the tree which was forbidden by God. For their sin, they were banished from the Garden of Eden. Ever since then, Satan has been carrying out his plan to corrupt and control the earth. For six thousand years, a small group of satanically empowered men have been feverishly working to eliminate God and to enslave mankind. The New World Order is nothing more than the culmination of these efforts; the final step of a plan that will enable Satan to again challenge God, and the angelic forces of Heaven.

Helping Things Along

 

In the story about Cain and Abel, when Cain killed his brother, he was cursed by God (Gen. 4:11) and exiled. Genesis 4:12 says: “When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength...” Yet, we find that Cain established the city of Enoch; and his descendants Jubal, was the father of those who became proficient in the harp and organ, and Tubalcain, was a teacher of brass and iron works. We also find, that it wasn’t until Enos, the son of Seth, that men began “to call upon the name of the Lord.” (Gen. 4:26) Though it doesn’t say, the implication is that the line of Cain was ungodly.

 

The apocryphal Second Book of Adam and Eve, bluntly gives details about this. In chapter 20:2-4, it says: “But as to this Genun (a son of Lamech), Satan came into him in his childhood; and he made sundry trumpets and horns, and string instruments, cymbals and psalteries, and lyres and harps, and flutes; and he played on them at all times and at every hour. And when he played on them, Satan came into them, so that from among them were heard beautiful and sweet sounds, that ravished the heart. Then he gathered companies upon companies to play on them; and when they played, it pleased well the children of Cain, who inflamed themselves with sin among themselves, and burnt as with fire; while Satan inflamed their hearts, one with another, and increased lust among them.”

 

Although the origin and truth of this apocryphal book can never be ascertained, and it never became part of the holy canon, it is believed that the writings were part of an older, more ancient document that accurately reflected upon the events of this historical period. For a family line that has been perceived as being ungodly, they developed musical instruments, and the expertise and ability of producing weapons of war from metal mined out of the earth. Was the knowledge of these things God-given? I have concluded that they were not, and even though the evidence is circumstantial, I believe that Satan, through demons, divulged this information.

 

Ezekiel 28:13 relates that there were musical instruments created within the body of Lucifer, and it has been said that every time he moved, he played music. He led the angelic praise and worship of God. So when he fell, he knew the importance of music, and how to use it to his advantage. It seems likely that he would have bestowed the knowledge of music. Primitive cultures, American Indian ceremonies, and occult rituals are well known to have used the hypnotic and influential properties of music to enhance their activities.

 

And through weapons, and the means to wage war, people are controlled.

 

So, yes, I believe that there was some Satanic influence on the technology of the people at the time, because he was laying the groundwork for his plans to regain control of the world that he once ruled.

 

According to Tom Van Asperen there is a language of Twice Speak in the Bible, which is a separate code language, much like Equidistant Letter Sequencing, and Mathematical Signature. Basically, it is a revealing of the “secret” talked about in Amos 3:7 that has unlocked the typical and anti-typical method of recording Biblical history, and at the same time, end-time prophetic events. Asperen believes there is so much of this type of prophecy in the Old Testament, that, in a sense, it becomes another New Testament.

 

I have found some of the Twice Speak revelations to be fascinating in as far as it acts as an underlying witness to the Scriptures. However, when the interpretations provide new information that can not be found in the Biblical text then I have to question it. But, although this concept may be new to you, and may seem kind of off the wall, let’s just assume for argument’s sake that it is a divine Biblical code that proves the word of God, gives us a better understanding of it, and further reveals end-time prophetic events; and let’s assume that the events concerning the line of Cain is also a prophecy concerning the last days.

 

In 1997, Simon and Schuster published a book called The Day After Roswell, by Col. Philip J. Corso (Ret.). The cover proclaimed: “The truth exposed after fifty years- A former Pentagon official reveals the U.S. Government’s shocking UFO cover-up.” The subject of the book was the alleged crash of a flying saucer in Roswell, New Mexico, where alien bodies and pieces of the aircraft were recovered back in 1947. The government has long denied this happened, and indeed continues to deny the existence of flying saucers and extraterrestrial life. You might not believe in flying saucers. But bear with me, I don’t want you to question my credibility now.

 

Let’s look at the time period this occurred. It was 1947, which was around the time that flying saucers were first sighted. Now what else happened about that time? The United Nations was established in 1945, and Israel became an independent nation in 1948. These two events occurring around the same time was not a coincidence, because it set the stage for Armageddon, and the fulfillment of all things. The United Nations, or the foundation for a world government, was the prophetic trigger, and with the time-sensitive prophecies contained in the Bible, Satan knew that he was running out of time.

 

It was initially reported that a flying saucer crashed at Roswell, and also at that time, there were enough sightings and pictures in other parts of the country to give the report credibility. Since then, there has been so much evidence for the existence of flying saucers and aliens, that it’s become pretty much an accepted fact, even though the government continues to deny their existence. In fact, there is so much information and evidence, that now, the Christian church has said that, yes, there is something to it all.. The Christian perspective, and growing consensus, is that aliens are actually demonic manifestations. There have been four or five Christian books on the subject.  So, again, let’s assume that there was a flying saucer that crashed at Roswell.

 

Philip Corso, is his book The Day After Roswell, relates, that as a member of President Eisenhower’s National Security Council, his Research and Development team at the Pentagon analyzed and integrated the alien artifacts found at Roswell into the private business sector. According to him, major companies such as IBM, Hughes Aircraft, Bell Labs, and Dow Corning, were unknowingly given the alien technology, which became the integrated circuit chips, fiber optics, lasers, and the super-tenacity fibers of today.

 

What I want to hone in on, is the information in Chapter 12, which discusses the “Integrated Circuit Chip: From the Roswell Crash Site to Silicon Valley.” Among the wreckage, Corso said that charred quarter-size, cracker-shaped, silicon wafers were found, which had grid lines etched on them, which was actually microscopic circuitry. An analysis of the craft’s remains failed to turn up any wiring, so it was determined that these chips actually represented the nerve center of the vehicle, carrying signals through the ship, just like impulses are carried throughout the nervous system of our body.

 

Corso wrote (page 167):

“Although IBM and Bell Labs were investing huge sums of development money into designing a computer that had a lower operational and maintenance overhead, it seemed, given the technology of the digital computer circa 1947, that there was no place it could go. It was simply an expensive-to-build, expensive-to-run, lumbering elephant at the end of the line. And then an alien spacecraft fell out of the skies over Roswell, scattered across the desert floor, and in one evening everything changed.”

In 1948, it was revealed that the first junction silicon transistor had been developed by Bell Telephone Laboratories, and the technological capabilities of the computer industry took a huge leap in a short period of time. Even Corso wondered about where it would all lead (page 172): “..what if an enemy wanted to implant the perfect spying or sabotage mechanism into a culture? Then the implantation of the microchip-based circuit into our technology by the EBEs (aliens) would be the perfect method. Was it planted as sabotage or as something akin to the gift of fire? Maybe the Roswell crash in 1947 was an event waiting to happen, like poisoned fruit dropping from the tree into a playground.”

 

Now, instead of aliens, think demons, and I believe we have an anti-typical fulfillment of the prophetic event that took place when the line of Cain was given hidden knowledge. I believe that our computer technology, which developed into the Internet, is part of Satan’s plan for the last days, and will be used to carry out his devious end-time plot. Only God is omnipotent and omnipresent, however, through a world-wide computer network, Satan will be able to falsely misrepresent his power. For years, it was believed that the huge computer in Brussels, Belgium would be the one that would be used to record the files of everyone on Earth. Now it has come to light that our National Security Agency has a huge classified underground database at Fort Meade, Maryland, that covers an area of ten acres.

 

 

THE BEGINNING OF THE END

The Prophetic Trigger of God’s Timeline

 

For hundreds of years, it has been common knowledge within the Church, that mankind’s life span upon this earth would be 6,000 years. This was gleaned from Exodus 20:9-10, which says: “Six days shalt thou labor ... But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God.” Like many things in the Scriptures, it had a deeper meaning beyond what was being conveyed about their calendar, which was later revealed in 2 Peter 3:8 – “But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”

 

In 1650, using these Scriptures, Archbishop Jacob Ussher of Armagh in Ireland, attempted to calculate when the Creation took place by using chronological information from the Bible and counting backward from the date of the birth of Christ. At that time, it was believed that Christ was born in 4 BC (some calculations had indicated that it may have been as late as 1 BC or as early as 6 BC; however, recent evidence have determined it to be 3 BC), so Ussher theorized that the Creation took place in 4004 BC, and the passing of four “days” (two thousand years before the law, and two thousand years after the law) took us to Christ’s birth in 4 BC, so two more ‘days’ would end the six ‘days’ at 1996. The Sabbath, or the seventh ‘day,’ is the Millennium, or the thousand-year reign of Jesus Christ upon the Earth, which is referred to in the 20th chapter of Revelation.

 

An apocryphal book known as the Epistle of Barnabas, which early church leaders such as Origen and Jerome believed had been written by the first recruit of the Apostle Paul, Barnabas, said:

 

“And God made in six days the works of His hands; and He finished them on the seventh day, and rested on the seventh day and sanctified it. Consider, my children, what that signifies, He finished them in six days. The meaning of it is this: that in six thousand years the Lord God will bring all things to an end. For with him, one day is a thousand years; as Himself testifieth, saying, behold this day shall be as a thousand years. Therefore children, in six days, that is, in six thousand years, shall all things be accomplished. And what is it that He saith, and He rested the seventh day; He meaneth this; that when his Son shall come, and abolish the season of the wicked one, and judge the ungodly; and shall change the sun and the moon, and the stars, then He shall gloriously rest in that seventh day.”

 

Irenaeus, an early church leader, while writing in 150 AD about the book of Genesis in his book Against Heresies said: “This is an account of the things formerly created, as also it is a prophecy of what is to come. For the day of the Lord is as a thousand years; and in six days created things were completed; it is evident, therefore, that they will come to an end at the sixth thousand years.” Around 300 AD, in the writings of Christian scholar Lactantius, he said:

“Because all the works of God were finished in six days, it is necessary that the world should remain in this state six ages, that is six thousand years. Because having finished the works He rested on the seventh day and blessed it; it is necessary that at the end of the sixth thousandth year all the wickedness should be abolished out of the earth and justice should reign a thousand years.”

Other writers during the early Christian era also reflected this premise.

 

Some researchers have sought to adjust the calculations of this theory. The Jewish calendar conformed to the solar year, which contained 360 days, or 12 months of 30 days. In 1583, the Gregorian calendar was adopted, which added an extra 5.25 days to that year. If you add 2,160,000 days (6,000 years X 360 days) to 2,173.50 days (414 years of 5.25 days), you get 2,162,173.50 days, which divided by the Jewish year of 360 days, would make the end of the sixth day, the year 2002. When you deduct from that figure, the seven year period which is commonly referred to as the Tribulation period, that leaves us with the year of 1995 as the culmination of the efforts to establish a New World Order.

 

There is another theory, which has to do with the amount of time that the Jewish race would be dispersed across the Earth. The Jews were in bondage in Egypt for 430 years and later for 70 years in Babylon. These dates were foretold. The purpose of the prophecy which is given in Ezekiel 4:1-8 was to show how long the Jews would be scattered as a people. Other Scriptures deal with the extent of the dispersal: Deut. 28:25, Deut. 28:64, Jer. 24:9, and Amos 9:9. Adding the 390 and 40 years, gives you 430 years. Leviticus 26:18 says: “And if ye will not yet for all this hearken unto me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins.” From 430, subtract the 70 years they were punished in Babylon, and what God was telling Moses, was that the Jewish people would be dispersed for 2,520 years (360 years X 7).

 

Now here is where it gets a little tricky. Nebuchadnezaar’s first return of his Jewish captives was in 536 BC, and the final return was in 516 BC. Again, using the adjustment for the two calendars, and using the earliest date of 536 BC, we get these calculations: 907,200 days (2520 years X 360 days) plus 2,110.50 days (402 years X 5.25 days) is 909,310.50 days divided by 360 days of the Jewish calendar is 2525.86 years, or the year 1990. But then, the latter date of 516 BC, would give us the year 2010.

 

The Bible also says that the events of the end times would not take place until all of the Jews returned to their homeland, and this return is referred to in: Isa. 5:26, Isa. 11:11-12, Isa. 43:5-6, Jer. 16:15, Jer. 30:3, Eze. 34:11-13, Eze. 36:24, and Zech. 10:8. This return of God’s chosen people, only refers to pure, full-blooded Jews (Gen. 6:1-4, Ezra 10:2-18, Neh. 13:27, Jude 1:7). In 1800, Palestine had a population of 150 Jews; 1827- 1,500 Jews; 1850- 8,000; 1910- 41,000; 1914- 100,000; 1930- 170,000; 1935- 300,000; 1939- 450,000; 1948- 650,000; 1953- 1,300,000; 1962- 2,000,000; and 1970- 2,500,000. Now there are nearly  five million Jews in Israel which have been gathered up from over 102 different nations.

 

A gentleman by the name of Joe Marler had proposed a theory based on Daniel 9:25-26 which says: “Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and three score and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off...” The Hebrew word for “week” is ‘shabula’ which means ‘seven,’ indicating that a ‘week’ is actually 7 ‘weeks’ of years, or 49 years, which is known as the Jubilee cycle (Lev. 25:8).

 

The 62 weeks began when the city of Jerusalem, and its Temple, which was destroyed in 586 BC, was rebuilt. Three such decrees were given. The first came during the first year of the reign of Cyrus (King of Persia, 536-527 BC), who ruled for nine years; after which his son Cambyses (527-520 BC) took over, and all the work on the Temple was stopped for seven years. The second decree was made by Darius I, in the second year of his 35-year reign (520-485 BC). Construction resumed on the Temple in 520 under Zerubbabel, the Persian governor, and was completed between 516-514 BC. Then Xerxes reigned 21 years (485-464 BC). Artaxerxes ruled 40 years (464-424 BC), and during his seventh year, in 457 BC, he decreed that Jerusalem be restored. Nehemiah, the cupbearer to Artaxerxes, was sent to Jerusalem in 444 BC to complete the work on the walls of the city to fortify it. Thus the period of 62 weeks represents 434 years, which added to 444 BC, indicates the date of 10 BC, which is close to the time of the birth of Christ.

 

Marler’s research somehow led him to the period of 440-438 BC, and adding 434 years to 438 BC led to 4 BC, which is closer to the actual date of the birth of Jesus. Marler believes that the other seven ‘weeks’ or 49 years apply to the second coming of Jesus. Rather than using the date of May 14, 1948, when Israel officially became an independent country, he used the date of November 29, 1947, when the United Nations voted 33-13 to approve a Jewish homeland. Adding 49 years indicated a date of November 29, 1996, as the end of man’s rule on this Earth.

 

By counting back 3-1/2 years, he theorized that the period known as the Tribulation would begin May 29, 1993. The irony here is a story that was reported on the news on May 19, 1993. Big Ben, the renowned tower clock famous for its accuracy, which was installed in 1859 at the eastern end of the Houses of Parliament in London, had mysteriously stopped running. Was the most recognized time piece in the world stopped through divine means to signal the beginning of the end? No. And another ‘date’ has come and gone.

 

There are also those researchers who have chosen to totally base all of their calculations on the premise of 360 days indicating a Biblical year. For instance, in Hosea 6:1-2 it says: “Come, and let us return unto the Lord: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.” From the initiation of Christ’s ministry, in the fall of 28 AD, and adding two “days” (2 years X 360 days) would give us 720,000 days, which adjusted to our calendar by dividing into that 365.25 results in 1971.25 years, which added to 28.75, takes us to the year 2000.

 

Another one has to do with the cleansing of the Temple. In 168 BC, the Syrian King Antiochus IV Epiphanes attacked Israel, and sacrificed a pig to Zeus on the Temple altar, an event that is referred to as the Abomination of Desolation. The period till cleansing, according to Daniel 8:14, was 2,300 days, which some scholars feel refers to 2,300 morning and evening rituals, or 1,150 days (3 years, 2 months and 10 days), which seemingly points to the ritual cleansing performed by Judas Maccabaeus three years later, after the success of the Hasmonean revolt. However, according to the apocryphal book of the Maccabees, the Temple was cleansed in 1,080 days.

 

To make matters worse, while the King James version states 2,300 days for this period, the Greek Septuagint, which was used during the time of Christ, says 2,400 days. In his 1754 book Dissertations on the Prophecies, Bishop Thomas Newton wrote about the existence of a third manuscript of the book of Daniel, which was mentioned in a Commentary of Jerome, the early church leader. This manuscript gives the figure of 2,200 days. Since this figure can not be applied literally to the events of that time, it is believed that the figure should be considered as years. This assumption is based upon Ezekiel 4:6, which says: “I have appointed thee each day for a year”; and Numbers 14:31, which talks of “each day for a year.” If the figure of 2,200 ‘days’ is used, the following calculation is then applied: 2,200 years X 360 days = 792,000 days, which adjusted for our calendar year of 365.25, results in 2,168 years. When this figure is added to 168 BC, it leads us to the year 2000.

 

Another theory deals with the Times of the Gentiles. This phrase stems from a statement by Jesus in Luke 21:24: “...and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.” This refers to a period which began in 606 BC when the Babylonians conquered Jerusalem. In Daniel 4:23, according to Nebuchadnezzar’s vision (who is represented by a tree, as men sometimes were: Psalms 1:3, Psalms 37:35, Ez. 31:3), “seven times” were to pass over him. Revelation 11:2-3 (“42 months” X 30= 1,260 days), Rev. 12:6 (“a thousand two hundred and threescore days” or 1,260 days), Rev. 12:14 (“a time, and times, and half a time” or 360 + 720 + 180= 1,260 days) indicates that a “time” is 360 days, which means that seven “times” would be 2,520 ‘days’ or years (on top of referring to the seven years God struck him down with a period of insanity to show his power).

 

The calculation would go like this: 2,520 years X 360 days = 907,200 days, which adjusted to our calendar year of 365.25 days, results in 2,483.78 years. When this figure is added to 606 BC, it leads us to the year 1878, which is believed to be the end of “the times of the Gentiles.” Now comes an interesting proposal. When Jesus spoke of the way things were in the “days of Noah,” when God gave mankind an additional 120 years (Gen. 6:3) to repent, before he sent the flood; this period has been added to the year 1878 (of course in the adjusted form of 118.28 of our calendar years), which indicates the year of 1997 as the end of “the times of the Gentiles” and the beginning of the judgment period known as the Tribulation, which when you add this 3-1/2 years, and leads us to the year 2000.

 

Let me throw one more at you, which came to me from an e-mail, and the website of Torstein Langesaeter from Norway, who made a very detailed mathematical calculation to determine the number of years between Adam, and Jesus; and believes that the period of 6,000 years will conclude in 2028.

 

All of these calculations can be somewhat correlated to the six ‘day’ theory, in that it indicates a time frame for events within this 6,000 year period. Jesus was very specific when He spoke about the signs of His return, and He exhorted His disciples to watch, and pray. Because of the symbolism, type and anti-types, and dual prophecies used in the Bible, was there something that would signal the end of time as we got closer to the end of the six ‘days’ or 6,000 years? In Luke 21:25, Jesus talked about the “signs ... upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity...”

 

There was a period in our history when a sequence of events occurred which seemed to set the stage for the fulfillment of Bible prophecy. Let’s look at the events which happened during the three year period of 1945 – 1948:

 

1) On June 26, 1945, at a San Francisco conference, 50 nations met to adopt the United Nations charter. The UN General Assembly held their first meeting in London on January 10, 1946.

 

2) A UFO was reported to have crashed in Roswell, New Mexico on July 4, 1947.

 

3) On November 29, 1947, the UN voted to approve a Jewish homeland, and on May 14, 1948, Israel became a nation.

 

4) It has been long accepted that the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in 1947, but according to Randall Price in his book Secrets of the Dead Sea Scrolls he found out that they may have actually been discovered as early as 1936. However, 1947 was time when their existence was revealed.

 

5) The World Council of Churches was established on August 23, 1948.

 

Just as we are able to interpret prophecy, and determine the signs of the times– so has Satan. He knew the time that Israel would prophetically be resurrected as a nation, and he had to make sure his plans would be in place, so, when the time came, he would be able to deceive the world into accepting the Antichrist as the messiah.

 

Let’s look at the events surrounding Israel becoming a nation. The establishment of the United Nations would herald the move toward one-world government. As discussed earlier, recent exposé has shown that there was a UFO crash at Roswell, and among the technology gleaned from it was integrated circuit chips, fiber optics, and lasers. The treasure of ancient documents found at Qumran has yielded copies of nearly every Old Testament book, however, it has also turned up documents from a Jewish sect known as the Essenes. As these Dead Sea Scrolls were translated in secret, the scholars behind them began to use them to undermine the divinity Jesus, by saying that the Essenes were the true originators of what became known as Christianity. And the World Council of Churches would begin the move toward ecumenicalism that is seeking to bring all the world’s religions together into one unified body.

 

Now let’s put these events in perspective with Bible prophecy.

 

Jesus said in Matthew 24:34 – “Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.” Jesus was speaking to his disciples concerning the last days, and had just told them about the parable of the fig tree. Some Bible scholars have interpreted Ezekiel 36:8 to mean that the fig tree represented the nation of Israel. So it is believed that Jesus was referring to the generation that would be alive when Israel became a nation on May 14, 1948. Job 42:16 refers to a generation as being 35 years, while Webster’s Dictionary indicates that it is forty years. The figure of 40 years is echoed in Hebrews 3:9-10 which says: “When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. Wherefore I was grieved with that generation...” Adding 40 years to 1948 would give us the year 1988.

 

But let me add another wrinkle to this theory. It is no secret that Bible prophecy, and the understanding of it, revolves around Israel. Israel is the only nation that is referred to in the masculine gender. According to Jewish custom, a male is labeled under the following age categories: child (1-12), young man (13-19), warrior (20-29), and mature man (30-50, who is able to officiate in the Temple). The age of 50 is the age of retirement (and Jubilee). So if you interpret this as being symbolic and add 50 years to 1948, you get the year 1998, which is more closely aligned with the other calculations.

 

I think you’ll agree that this sequence of events was unprecedented, and that it was no coincidence that these major events happened in such a short period of time. This is why I believe, that collectively, they represent the prophetic trigger that has set into motion the time which has come to be known as the “last days.” These events began the toppling of the prophetic dominoes that will eventually lead to the fulfillment of all things, and the culmination of the events foretold in the books of Daniel, Ezekiel, and Revelation.

 

Though Jesus said in Matthew 24:36 “... of that day and hour knoweth no man,” the prophetic outline He gave indicated the warning signs we are to look for. When it is cloudy, it is a sign that it is going to rain. Much the same, Jesus told his disciples what to look for, and in Matt. 24:33 explained that “when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near...” I for one will not try to calculate a date. I believe that it’s okay to come up with a time frame, but in the context that we also consider the signs that Jesus told us to look for. We have been seeing the signs. Without a doubt the end is near. Make sure that your heart is right with God. Watch, and pray.

 

 

THE RAPTURE

 

When this manuscript was initially printed in 1984, I had included a brief section on the Rapture, just to basically cover all the different Rapture theories. Since I grew up being taught in church that there was going to be a Pre-Tribulation Rapture, I sort of leaned that way. But because of all my research, and actually getting into the Scriptures myself, I began to rethink Pre-Trib. When the book was published in 1994, I did not include anything about the Rapture, either way, for fear that it would alienate people and detract from the message I was presenting.

 

However, things are quite different now. With the juggernaut of the “Left Behind” series consuming this country with best-selling books, audio books, movies, videos and DVD’s with their Pre-Tribulation Rapture theory, I felt it was necessary to weigh in with the results of my research. Believe it or not, it’s pretty straight forward, and the Scripture doesn’t require a theological scholar to interpret its meaning.

 

The word ‘rapture’ is not in the Bible. It actually comes from the Latin word ‘rapturo,’ which means ‘to seize or be carried away in one’s spirit,’ or the transporting from one place to another, and comes from the 1 Thessalonians 4:17 term “caught up.” The original Greek word was ‘harpazo,’ and refers to the same thing. The notion of the Rapture, with its Pre-Tribulation, Mid-Tribulation, Partial Tribulation, and Post-Tribulation theories have been one of the most divisive issues in the Church, with the Pre-Trib view being the prevailing one. If this is your view, please do not be offended that I would kick this sacred cow until you have read the evidence.

 

The Rapture is a supernatural event that the Church has said will occur in the end-times to remove them from this world when ‘trouble’ starts.

 

“But there shall not an hair of your head perish.” (Luke 21:28)

 

“Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” (1 Corinthians 15:51-52)

 

The following Scriptures are key–

 

“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)

 

“So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep.” (Job 14:12)

 

There is no reason that we can’t take these verses literally. We can see that when Jesus returns, there will be a resurrection of the dead, and then a ‘catching away’ of the living. This will occur when the “heavens be no more.” In John 6:44, Jesus says: “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.” If He would return before the Tribulation, that wouldn’t be the “last day.”

 

So, when is He going to return?

 

 “And the gospel must first be published among all nations.” (Mark 13:10)

 

“But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place … For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be …  Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect … Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. 

 

For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:  And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”  (Matthew 24:13-30)

 

“And they shall say to you, See here; or, see there: go not after them, nor follow them.   For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day.” (Luke 17:23-24)

 

“Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him … Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God … And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.” (2 Thessalonians 2:1-6)

 

These four Scriptures give you an absolute time frame for the coming of Jesus. There’s only one resurrection– not two; He’s only coming one time– not twice. There is nowhere in the Scripture that indicates the He is coming twice. It really irritates me when I hear well-meaning ministers on the radio or television who say that ‘Jesus could come back tonight– are you ready?’ No, Jesus is not coming back tonight! How do I know that? Because God’s Word says so. Christ will not return to this earth until–

 

The Gospel is preached and distributed to the entire world.

 

A “falling away” will occur.

 

The “abomination of desolation” and the revealing of the “man of sin” takes place.

 

The three things that have to happen before Christ’s return is that the Gospel has to be presented to the entire world (which quite possibly has been fulfilled), there must be a “falling away,” (which has not occurred yet), and the “abomination of desolation,” which is when the Antichrist will reveal himself as the Messiah in the Temple. Then the Tribulation will come.

 

“Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.”  (Acts 14:22)

 

 Jesus tells his disciple that He will return “immediately after the tribulation.” Of the period after the Tribulation, Jesus says:

 

“Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.” (Luke 21:36)

 

Though Christians can’t even consider being on the earth during the Tribulation, there are examples, and Scripture to support the case for this. Jesus Himself (Luke 17:26-30, see also Isaiah 43:2) in His discussion about the end-times, used the days of Noah and Lot as examples. Noah, and his family endured the Flood in an ark of protection. Lot and his family escaped the destruction of Sodom only by being obedient and turning their backs on the city. If you remember, Lot’s wife didn’t listen. Jesus even pointed that out in Luke 17:32 when He said: “Remember Lot’s wife.” In addition, the Hebrews were protected from the plagues that were brought against Pharaoh and Egypt. We can also take note of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego surviving the fiery furnace, as well as Daniel going through the ordeal in the Lion’s Den. These examples also lead us into another aspect of end-time theology which further explains the flow of events.

 

It is important to delineate between the Tribulation period, and the time of Armageddon. The Tribulation, or the time when the Antichrist influences the world, is man’s wrath on man. The time of the end, when Jesus returns, will be God’s wrath on man. The examples of Noah, Lot, and the Hebrews were examples of God’s wrath, and a separation from it. The examples of Shadrach and the boys, and Daniel, were examples of going through tribulation, man’s wrath, and being protected. And you’ll notice that these incidents are in the book of Daniel, the prophetic book that gives information about the time of the Antichrist.

 

The time when Jesus is to return has been referred to as the ‘day of the Lord.’ So let’s look at what that is.

 

“Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.” (Isaiah 13:9)

 

“For the indignation of the LORD is upon all nations, and his fury upon all their armies: he hath utterly destroyed them, he hath delivered them to the slaughter … For it is the day of the LORD’s vengeance, and the year of recompences for the controversy of Zion.” (Isaiah 34:2, :8)

 

“Alas for the day! for the day of the LORD is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come.” (Joel 1:15)

 

“Woe unto you that desire the day of the LORD! to what end is it for you? the day of the LORD is darkness, and not light.” (Amos 5:18)

 

“The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come:” (Acts 2:20)

 

“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” (2 Peter 3:10)

 

“And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.” (Revelation 14:9)

 

The ‘day of the Lord’ is associated with His vengeance and wrath, and is most detailed in the book of Revelation. This is the “last day” that Jesus talked about. God’s wrath is not meant for His people– His Church. You can see this in 1 Thessalonians 5:9: “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ.” Rev. 3:10 says: “Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.” This is the time that Jesus will return, before God’s wrath is brought upon the earth.

 

Even though we are given the seasons in time when the Rapture will occur, Jesus said in Matthew 24:36:  “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.” However, the following portions of Scripture definitively illustrates the time frame that  the Rapture will take place, and to me, it can’t be any plainer.

 

“And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.”  (Revelation 16:13-16)

 

“For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape …  Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.”  (1 Thessalonians 5:2-6)

 

These passages indicate that the Antichrist and False Prophet are preparing for Armageddon, which will be the “great day of God Almighty.”  Jesus will come as a “thief,” a term used to indicate the Rapture, and the admonition of ‘watching’ and ‘keeping your garments,’ is a warning to keep your heart right, and not be a part of the “falling away.”

 

There has been some much-criticized research by Dave MacPherson to indicate that the Pre-Tribulation Rapture may be a fairly recent creation. Great men of God like John Wesley, Charles Wesley, Charles Spurgeon, Matthew Henry, John Knox, John Calvin, Isaac Newton, George Whitfield, John Newton, Jonathan Edwards and John Wycliffe never talked about a Pre-Trib Rapture, because the concept literally did not exist. In 1993, after years of investigation, in a well-researched, well-articulated manner, MacPherson was able to put the whole story together about the actual origin of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture teaching.

 

A gentleman by the name of John Nelson Darby (1800-82), a founding father of the Plymouth Brethren Church in England, is the guy who has received the most attention for teaching the Pre-Trib theory. Some researchers maintain that he was expressing this view as early as 1827, yet it was an article he wrote in 1850 which squarely places him in the Pre-Trib corner:

 

“It is this passage (2 Thessalonians 2:1-2) which, twenty years ago, made me understand the rapture of the saints before– perhaps a considerable time before– the day of the Lord (that is, before the judgment of the living.)”

 

By his own admission, he claims 1830 as the year he gained this revelation. It is therefore believed that Darby heard it from Edward Irving (1792-1834), of the Apostolic Catholic Church; and Irving actually found out about it from Margaret Macdonald (c. 1815-40), a 15-year old, chronically sick girl from Port Glasgow, Scotland, a member of his church (along with her sister and brothers) who apparently manifested the charismatic gifts of prophecy, speaking in tongues, and visions. After being sick for a year and a half, and a Christian for only a year, in the spring of 1830 she had a vision, which she gave copies of to various clerical leaders, including Irving.

 

The most unique part of her long, scripture-laden message, was the earliest known documentation of the Pre-Tribulation theory: “Only those who have the light of God within them will see the sign of his appearance. No need to follow them who say, see here, or see there, for his day shall be as the lightning to those in whom the living Christ is. ‘Tis Christ in us that will lift us up– he is the light– ‘tis only those that are alive in him that will be caught up to meet him in the air.”

 

Macdonald’s vision was first published in 1840 by Dr. Robert Norton (who heard and recorded the words in person), a long-time friend of the family, in the book Memoirs of James & George Macdonald, of Port-Glasgow, a biography of her older brothers.  Norton quoted a May 18, 1830 letter written by Margaret’s older sister Mary that indicated that “the house has been filled with people every day from all parts of England, Scotland, and Ireland,” listening to her expound on the Rapture and end-time events. He did not attribute the vision to Margaret until his 1861 book The Restoration of Apostles and Prophets; In the Catholic Apostolic Church.

 

He said that during her long convalescence she had access to her family’s “extensive library” which could have included Bibles like the Self Interpreting Bible (1778), and the Columbian Family Bible (1822) which contained cross references and marginal notes similar to that in study Bibles; as well as a host of other sources which MacPherson believes could have been used as a basis to develop her idea.

 

In the March, 1830 edition of The Morning Watch, a quarterly prophecy magazine that Irving edited, he wrote an article that stated that the “translation of the saints taketh place … before the judgments which fall upon the earth at the coming of the Son of Man … just before the great consummation of wrath.” However, in a letter dated June 2, 1830, Irving wrote that the “substance of … Mcdonald’s visions … carry to me a spiritual conviction and a spiritual reproof which I cannot express.”

 

In Part 1 of an article called “Commentary on the Epistles to the Seven Churches in the Apocalypse,” in the June issue of The Morning Watch, by an author who identified himself only as “Fidus,” wrote from a Post-Trib view. Yet, when Part 2 appeared three months later in the  September, 1830 edition, he clearly elaborated a Pre-trib view when he wrote that the Philadelphia church “which receives the answer of its faith in being caught up to meet him; which is thus kept from the hour of temptation…” while the Laodicea Church is described as “the last and dying stage of the Gentile church, before the gathering of the Jews…”

 

Subsequently, Dr. Cyrus I. Scofield discovered the new teaching on a trip to England, and he took it back with him to his church in Dallas, Texas; where it became part of the Scofield Study Bible as theological concept, and then became the official position of the Dallas Theological Seminary, as well as the Moody Bible Institute.

 

I believe that the Word of God clearly bares me out that there will not be a Pre-Tribulation Rapture, and I shudder to think what will happen when those expecting one don’t get it. Will this be the source of the “falling away,” as those whose faith is not strong enough to endure acquiesce to the strong-arm tactics of a political leadership bent on establishing world government. Without a doubt, this period of time will be a tremendously trying period, and I can only say that God’s word is true, and there is a place of protection.

 

Psalm 91

 

He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet. Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.

 

 

THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS

 

The ruins of the settlement of Khirbet Qumran stand on a cliff, a mile away from the northwest shore of the Dead Sea, in the Jordan Valley. It is there, just south of Jericho, and twenty miles east of Jerusalem, that one of the most important archaeological discoveries in religious history was made.

 

Early in 1947, three Bedouin shepherds from the Ta’amireh tribe had their flock in the area, and while Jum’a Muhammad was looking for a stray goat, he discovered a cave in the cliffs. He threw a rock into the hole, and heard the sound of breaking pottery. Two days later, his cousin, Muhammed Ahmed el-Hamed, returned and crawled into the small cave, which measured 6 feet by 20 feet. The cave contained many earthenware jars, about 2 feet high and 10 inches wide. Though many were broken, 9 were believed to be intact. Inside one of the jars, he discovered three leather rolls wrapped in linen. In a subsequent visit, four more leather rolls were discovered. These rolls turned out to be ancient scrolls, which have been referred to as the ‘Dead Sea Scrolls.’

 

A Christian shopkeeper, Khalil Iskander Shahin (known as “Kando”), and George Ishaya (Isaiah) Shamoun, members of the Syrian Jacobite Church in Jerusalem, heard about the discovery and went to Qumran to verify the Bedouin’s claims, finding some scroll fragments. They later met with the three shepherds to examine their findings.

 

One of the Bedouins sold 3 of the scrolls to the Muslim sheik of Bethlehem, and Kando purchased the other 4, which consisted of a 22-foot long scroll containing the entire text of the Book of Isaiah, the Genesis Apocryphon, the Habakkuk Commentary, and the Manual of Discipline (also known as the Community Rule), which had split into two. These 4 were in turn sold to the Syrian Metropolitan (Archbishop) Athanasius Yeshua Samuel, head of the Syrian Jacobite Church. Samuel later sent George Isaiah back to Qumran to carry out secret extensive excavations. It is believed that other scrolls were discovered, the contents of which have not been revealed.

 

In September, 1947, Samuel took the four scrolls to Homs (north of Damascus), Syria, where he met with the Patriarch of the Church. During his return trip, he again sent a team to Qumran.

 

Samuel got in touch with Professor Eleazar Sukenik of the Hebrew University’s Department of Archaeology in order to have the age of the scrolls determined. Meanwhile, in November, 1947, Sukenik was contacted by someone identifying himself only as an Armenian antique dealer, and he was able to purchase the other three scrolls, which turned out to be The War of the Sons of Light With the Sons of Darkness (also called The War Scroll), the Book of Hymns (also known as the Psalm of Thanksgiving Scroll), and another copy of Isaiah.

 

In January, 1948, Sukenik received one of Samuel’s scrolls, a copy of the Isaiah scroll, which he was able to inspect. Although he was interested in purchasing the four scrolls, he couldn’t raise the money necessary to make the transaction.

 

Samuel then contacted the William F. Albright Institute of Archaeological Research in Jerusalem, where the scrolls were inspected by John C. Trever and William H. Brownlee, who felt they were as old, if not older, than the 2nd century Nash Papyrus fragment, which up to then, was the oldest known example of Biblical Hebrew. A set of prints were forwarded to Professor William Foxwell Albright at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, who was the leading Hebrew epigraphist in the world. He dated the material back to 100 BC. Upon examination of all these Hebrew and Aramaic scrolls and fragments which have been discovered at Qumran, it is generally accepted that they were written between 250 BC and 68 AD, when the Romans destroyed the Qumran settlement.

 

The scrolls were taken to a bank in Beirut, and then in January, 1949, to a New York City bank vault. Up to 1954, only three of the scrolls had been published. Samuel, labeled a ‘smuggler,’ was anxious to sell the scrolls, and would not allow the fourth to be published until all of them had been purchased.

 

In February, 1949, Gerald Lankester Harding, director of the Department of Antiquities for Transjordan and Arab Palestine; and Father Roland de Vaux, director of the Dominican-controlled Ecole Biblique in the Jordanian sector of East Jerusalem, went to the cave at Qumran, where they found the remains of 30 identifiable texts, and a number of unidentifiable fragments. Harding made it known that he was interested in all subsequent finds made by the Ta’amireh tribe. They would sell the results of their excavation to Kando, who would then sell the items to Harding. Meanwhile, de Vaux, Harding, and a group of fifteen workers continued to excavate around Qumran until 1956, where they uncovered the buildings of what they felt were an Essene community.

 

For nearly two weeks in mid-March, 1952, de Vaux, three members of the Ecole Biblique, William Reed (director of the Albright Institute), and 24 Bedouins under the supervision of three Jordanian and Palestinian archaeologists, embarked on an effort to conduct a survey of all the caves in the area. This survey indicated the existence of 40 caves, and the umbrella term of the Dead Sea Scrolls refers to the scrolls and fragments that were found in eleven of the caves.

 

In September, 1952, in Cave 4, located about 50 feet away from some of the Qumran ruins, the largest number of scroll fragments were discovered– the remains of over 500 different scrolls.

 

By 1959, all the scroll fragments were kept in a room known as the ‘Scrollery’ in the Rockefeller Museum (formerly known as the Palestine Archaeological Museum), which had been built with funds provided by John D. Rockefeller. The Museum was run by an international Board of Trustees, and later fell under the control of the Jordanian government. After the Six Day War in June, 1967, when Israel took over control of the entire city of Jerusalem, the contents of the Museum were considered spoils of war, so the Israeli government became the guardian of the fragments.

 

The Museum contained laboratories, photographic facilities, and the Department of Antiquities, however, the headquarters of the entire operation was actually located at the Ecole Biblique which contained a research library totally dedicated to Qumran research, which was not open to the public. They also published two journals, the Revue Biblique, printed since 1892, and the Revue de Qumran, started in 1958 to publish information on the scrolls.

 

This may be one of the keys to understanding what may be going on here behind the scenes. In 1882, on the site where, according to tradition, St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr was stoned to death, a French Dominican monk established a Dominican church and monastery in Jerusalem. At the urging of Pope Leo XIII, a Biblical school was begun there in 1890 by Father Albert Lagrange to train scholars with the knowledge necessary to protect the Church against the potential of damaging archaeological discoveries. Originally known as the Ecole Practique d´Etudes Bibliques, it was later renamed the Ecole Biblique et Archeologique Francaise de Jerusalem.

 

Lagrange became a member of the Pontifical Biblical Commission, which had been started by Pope Leo to ‘monitor’ the work of Catholic scriptural scholarship. In 1956, de Vaux became a consultant to this Commission until his death in 1971, as did his successors Father Pierre Benoit, and Jean-Luc Vesco in 1987. The head of the Pontifical Biblical Commission is Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger who is also the executive head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which prior to 1965 had been known as the Holy Office; and prior to 1542, as the Holy Inquisition. After 1971, with many common members, the two groups were virtually combined, sharing the same offices at the Palace of the Congregation at the Holy Office Square in Rome. Because of this connection, the implication had been made that the Vatican was exerting influence over the Scrolls, in order to control what information is released.

 

The team that de Vaux chose in 1953, to assemble and translate the Scrolls were primarily Catholic:

 

1) Frank Cross: Harvard Professor, of the McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago and the Albright Institute in Jerusalem. The only Protestant on the team.

2) Monsignor Patrick Skehan: From the United States, who was director of the Albright Institute. He was quoted as saying that the Biblical scholar should adhere to Church doctrine and “be subject always to the sovereign right of the Holy Mother Church to witness definitively what is in fact concordant with the teaching she has received from Christ.” When he died in 1980, he was replaced by Professor Eugene Ulrich of Notre Dame University.

3) Father Jean Starcky: From France, who, after his death, was replaced by Father Emile Puech of the Ecole Biblique.

4) Dr. Claus-Hunno Hunzinger: From Germany, who was later replaced by a French priest, Father Maurice Baillet.

5) Father Josef Milik: A priest from Poland.

6) John M. Allegro: An ex-Methodist turned agnostic from Oxford, who revealed that certain material was being kept secret because of the controversial nature, and de Vaux did not want the Church to be embarrassed. He was replaced by Oxford Professor John Strugnell, who in 1960 became Assistant Professor of Old Testament Studies at Duke University; and in 1968 became the Professor of Christian Origins at the Harvard Divinity School.

 

After de Vaux’s death in 1971, his handpicked successor was another Dominican, Father Pierre Benoit, who became the head of the Ecole Biblique and the overseer of the international team, until his death in 1987. Strugnell, who converted to Catholicism, then became the leader of the team.

 

As you can see, this small group of Catholic scholars had complete control of all of the Dead Sea Scroll fragments that were found.

 

In 1954, Yigael Yadin, the former Chief of Staff for the Israeli Defense Forces, who taught Archaeology at Hebrew University, purchased Samuel’s four scrolls for $250,000. Ironically, he was the son of Professor Sukenik. These four scrolls, and the three purchased by his father were then housed in a building known as the Shrine of the Book. While the Israelis worked on these scrolls, across town at the Rockefeller Museum, de Vaux and his group of international scholars were working on the fragments they discovered.

 

In 1967, Yadin interrogated Kando, who subsequently relinquished possession of a scroll he had for six years, which had been found in Cave 11. Known as the Temple Scroll, at 27 feet, it is the longest scroll, and has been dated between 150-125 BC. It has references to the building of the Temple in Jerusalem, and the rituals to be performed there, however, because of the laws found in it in regard to general matters, and quotes from the Pentateuch (the first 5 books of the Bible, known as the Torah of Moses), it has been referred to as the Sixth Book of the Law, and may contain the information referred to in 1 Chronicles 28:11-19 and 1 Samuel 8:11.

 

The Pentateuch was compiled by Ezra (Ezra 7:14) about 458 BC, and it is believed that what was edited out, became part of the Temple Scroll. Five separate sources were compiled to form the Temple Scroll, and it is now considered a supplement to the Torah. In addition to the content, another reason that it is considered a Biblical text, is that in all established Biblical books, the name of God, YHWH (Yahweh), is written in the square Aramaic script like the rest of the text; while in non-Biblical writings, the name is written in Paleo-Hebrew, while the rest of the text is in Aramaic.

 

The goal of de Vaux’s international team was for the Oxford University Press to publish all Qumran scrolls by 1962 in a series called the Discoveries in the Judaean Desert of Jordan. That didn’t happen. The first, in 1955, contained the fragments found in the original cave, known as Cave 1. In 1961, the second volume appeared, however, it contained material discovered in the four caves of Wadi Murabba’at, eleven miles south of Qumran, and was dated from 70-135 AD. This find included the Hebrew versions of all the minor prophets, including Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. In 1963, the third volume was published, containing fragments from Cave 2, Cave 3, and Caves 5 - 10; including the Copper Scroll found in Cave 3, and fragments from two copies of The Book of Jubilees, a copy of which was later found at Masada.

 

Some researchers believe that the Copper scroll should be put in a different category, and separated from the other texts that have been found, because it is the only document that was recorded on metal, it was written in a different variation of Hebrew, and was discovered in an isolated section of the cave; which could indicate a different origin. The fourth volume, in 1965, was a collection of Psalms found in Cave 11. The fifth volume, in 1968, under the direction of Allegro, contained some material from Cave 4, however, most of the scrolls from this cave continued to be withheld from the public, even though Allegro had said in 1964 that the compilation and translation had been nearly completed by 1961. The sixth installment of the series appeared in 1977, the seventh in 1982, and the eighth, which didn’t even deal with the texts of Qumran, was released in 1990.

 

These eight volumes are said to represent only 25% of the information contained in the Scrolls, even though Father Benoit had said in December, 1985, that everything would be published by 1993. Strugnell would later set a deadline of 1996. Then it was announced that it would be done by 2000.

 

Edmund Wilson, author of The Scrolls of the Dead Sea, said in 1955 that de Vaux’s team wanted to isolate the sectarian non-Biblical scrolls from being connected with Christianity and Judaism, and concentrated only on the Biblical literature. In 1956, tired of de Vaux’s attempts to prevent the Scrolls from being linked to Christianity, John Allegro was a guest on a series of three radio shows in northern England. The third interview resulted in a New York Times article which said:

“The origins of some Christian ritual and doctrines can be seen in the documents of an extremist Jewish sect that existed for more than 100 years before the birth of Jesus Christ. This is the interpretation placed on the ‘fabulous’ collection of Dead Sea Scrolls by one of an international team of seven scholars ... John Allegro ... (who) said last night in a broadcast that the historical basis of the Lord’s Supper and part at least of the Lord’s prayer and the New Testament teaching of Jesus were attributable to the Qumranians.”

In 1987, he quit, calling the team’s delays “inexcusable,” saying that for years they had been “sitting on material which is not only of outstanding importance, but also quite the most religiously sensitive.” He died in 1988.

 

Robert Eisenman, a former Research Fellow at the Albright Institute, who was a Professor of Middle East Religions and Chairman of Religious Studies at California State University at Long Beach, was denied access to photographs of the Scroll fragments by Strugnell. In 1989, he said publicly, that during the last 40 years, all of the research on the Dead Sea Scrolls was controlled by a handful of scholars who had revealed only a small portion. He called for access to the Scrolls by qualified scholars, and for AMS (Accelerator Mass Spectroscopy) Carbon-14 dating to be performed on the documents to verify the dating, which up to that point had been relying on the original, obsolete form of dating, which had been done shortly after their discovery.

 

In April, 1989, the Israeli Archaeological Council created a Scroll Oversight Committee to oversee the publication of all Qumran texts, and to make sure the international team completed their assignments, and in July, 1989, Amir Drori, Director of the Israeli Department of Antiquities, a member of that Committee, told the Los Angeles Times, that “if someone does not complete his work on time we have the right to deliver the scrolls to someone else.”

 

After the Israeli government took full possession of Jerusalem in June of 1967, many were surprised that de Vaux was allowed to continue in his capacity as the leader of the team of scholars, even though it was a known fact that he was anti-Semitic, which was why he would not allow any Jewish scholars into the project. In the mid-1980’s, Strugnell brought in Israeli scholar Elisha Qimron; Talmud scholar Jacob Sussman; Devorah Dimant of Haifa University; and Emmanuel Tov, Shemaryahu Talmon, Joseph Baumgarten, and Jonas Greenfield, of Baltimore’s Hebrew University, to work on some unpublished text.

 

In November, 1990, without informing Strugnell, the Israeli government assigned Emmanuel Tov to become the ‘joint editor-in-chief’ of the project to finish the translation and publication of the Scrolls. Then, in December, 1990, the New York Times quoted from an October 28, 1990 interview Strugnell had with the Israeli paper Ha-Aretz, where he said that Judaism was a “horrible religion,” a “racist” religion, and that Israel was “founded on a lie.” Magen Broshi, curator of Jerusalem’s Shrine of the Book, said: “We’ve known for twenty years that he was an anti-Semite.” On another occasion, he referred to Strugnell’s “rabid anti-Semitism.” These anti-Semitic comments resulted in him being dismissed from the project as editor-in-chief, even though he still controlled his portion of the texts. Tov became chief editor, along with Professor Eugene Ulrich and Emile Puech.

 

In September, 1991, Professor Ben-Zion Wacholder, and one of his doctoral students, Martin G. Abegg, from Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati, Ohio, released their compilation of the Qumran texts, which was published by the Biblical Archaeological Society. In 1988, Strugnell had printed 30 copies of a 52,000 word concordance of words found in the scroll, which had been created by de Vaux’s team in the 1950’s, so it could be used by the team. Wacholder and Abegg used a computer to reconstruct these words, and it was purported to be 80% accurate. Later that month, the Huntington Library in San Marine, California revealed that it had a complete set of negatives, from photographs, of photographs of the original scrolls, which had been given to them in 1987 by Elizabeth Hay Bechtel of the Bechtel Corporation, who had founded the Ancient Biblical Manuscript Center in Claremont, California (who also had a copy).

 

They made microfilm copies available to any scholar who requested it. The Hebrew Union College also have a partial set; and the Oxford Centre for Postgraduate Hebrew Studies in England has a full set, which had been given to them in May, 1991, by the Israeli Oversight Committee.

 

The Qumran texts, written in Hebrew and Aramaic, are believed to have been written between 250 BC and 68 AD. They have been divided into two groups – Biblical and non-Biblical. About 20% are Biblical. Copies of every book in the Hebrew Bible have been found, except for Esther (which, coincidentally, was the only book that didn’t mention the name of God). In Cave 4, one of the most complete manuscripts which they have been able to reconstruct, is the First Book of Samuel, which was found to contain passages not contained in our Bible, and is being used to fill in some of the narrative gaps.

 

The non-Biblical fragments consist of hymns and psalms, biblical commentaries, legal documents, a letter, apocryphal writings, and an inventory of the Temple treasure. Of the non-Biblical, there are texts referred to as sectarian writings, which were produced by a unique sect of Jews who have been identified as the Essenes.

 

The seven intact scrolls that were found in Cave 1, were quickly published by Israeli and American scholars, but the fragments collected by de Vaux were a different story. Just in Cave 4, there was believed to be well over 15,000 fragments (and perhaps as many as 100,000) from 500 different manuscripts. In all, the find was said to represent about 800 manuscripts. Of the Biblical writings, 25 copies of Deuteronomy were found, 18 copies of Isaiah, and 27 copies of the Psalter. Among the non-Biblical, 11 copies of the Community Rule, 9 Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice, 8 of the Thanksgiving Hymn, and 7 of the Sons of Light Against the Sons of Darkness.

 

Prior to the discovery of the Scrolls, the oldest known Old Testament texts were copies which dated back to 1100 AD, yet they were nearly identical. Originally, only the linen surrounding the scrolls were tested with the Carbon-14 dating process, which indicated a date around the 2nd century BC and the beginning of the 1st century AD. In 1991, new tests by a Swiss laboratory confirmed these results. A palaeographical analysis was done on the script used in writing the texts which revealed a similarity to styles that were used from 250 - 150 BC, 150 - 30 BC, and 30 BC - 70 AD.

 

Archaeological dating was also done with the help of several hundred coins which were found in the Qumran complex. The earliest structures were built between 130 - 110 BC, then rebuilt and enlarged from 110- 40 BC. They discovered evidence of an earthquake which had been recorded as occurring in 31 BC, after which they rebuilt the settlement and occupied it until 68 AD when it was destroyed by Vespasian’s Roman legions.

 

During the Maccabean period, in the 2nd century BC, there were three main Jewish groups, the Pharisees, the Sadduccees, and the Essenes. The Essenes were known to be the ‘strict’ Order. Early historians, such as Pliny the Elder (the 1st century Roman writer), Josephus, and Philo, indicated that the Essenes lived in the area between Jericho and Ein Gedi, on the shores of the Dead Sea, which is where the Qumran ruins are located.

 

The Sadducees, whose religious principles differed from the Pharisees, separated from them after the Maccabean revolt (168-164 BC). A document identified as Miqsat Ma’aseh he-Torah, or Some Rulings Pertaining to the Torah (also known as the Halakhic Letter), which was found in Cave 4, contains about 22 religious laws, and appears to be the basis of the Qumran philosophy. Discovered in 1952, its contents weren’t revealed until 1984, and it has led some researchers to believe that the Qumran group seceded from the established religious center in Jerusalem, and became the group known as the Essenes. Yet the Essene name is never used.

 

How this break occurred is not really known. According to one theory, when Judea, under Judas Maccabeus, revolted in 165 BC against the Syrian tyrant King Antiochus IV, thus beginning the Hasmonean line of Kings with Judas (165-160 BC), his brother Jonathan (160-143 BC), then his brother Simon (143-134 BC), maintained a friendly relationship with Rome; and in 152 BC when Jonathan made himself the High Priest, this upset the hardline Jews who chose to follow a man they referred to as the “Teacher of Righteousness,” who was of the Zadokite (who were descendants of the priestly line of Aaron) line. They went to the desert where they could observe the laws of God.

 

A document found at Qumran was an earlier version of the Damascus Document, which was discovered (2 copies) in a Cairo synagogue in 1896. Dated between 80 - 75 BC, a copy was found in Cave 6, and 7 copies in Cave 4. The fragments recovered at Qumran have proven the Cairo text to be incomplete. The text refers to a contingent of Jews that remained faithful to the Law. A ‘Teacher of Righteousness’ came to them, and led them into Damascus so they could renew their ‘Covenant’ with God. This Covenant is referred to in the Community Rule. It is believed that there was an Essene community in Damascus. In the book of the Acts of the Apostles, Saul was going to Damascus to persecute these early Christians.

 

Another theory says that after the destruction of the First Temple in 586 BC, when the Jews were exiled to Babylon, the Essenes were formed as a strict Order because they believed they were being punished by God for their disobedience. When the Jews returned to Jerusalem after the Maccabean victories, they became disenchanted and went to Qumran.

 

It was believed that the Essenes were a pacifist, monastic Order who wanted to separate themselves from the revolutionary-minded Zealots, yet some of the evidence seems to indicate otherwise. Originally thought to have been celibate, the graves of two women and a child were discovered; plus the Community Rule contained marriage laws. The Essenes did not engage in animal sacrifice, yet the Temple Scroll contains instructions for such rituals, and animal bones have been found. Thought to have been peaceful, their scrolls seem to indicate the knowledge of military strategy; and the ruins of a military defense tower and a forge have been excavated. Several manuscripts from Qumran, were also found at the Zealot stronghold on Masada, and there has been some researchers who believe that there was a connection between the two groups.

 

While de Vaux and his team were trying to distance the Scrolls from Judaism and Christianity, saying there were no connections, the texts which were already published seem to indicate otherwise. Either the early Christians were just living at the Qumran community, or the early Christians and the Qumran community were one and the same. Though Essene in nature, the group in Qumran has been compared to the early Church which was based in Jerusalem. The Habakkuk Commentary said that Qumran’s governing body, the Council of the Community, was in Jerusalem. In fact, it is believed that the scrolls were taken to Qumran from Jerusalem for protection.

 

Professor Norman Golb of the University of Chicago has theorized that the Scrolls were from the library of the Jewish Temple, and taken to Qumran, a military installation, during the first Jewish revolt to keep them safe. The vital link for this belief comes from the Copper scroll, which lists 64 locations of hidden Temple treasure. This seems to indicate that perhaps the Qumran settlement was a retreat for the early Christians. But wait, ‘Christians’ before Christ? This is one of the controversial developments that have emerged from the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

 

The New Testament was written in Greek, and Jesus spoke in Aramaic. The Qumran texts are written in Hebrew and sometimes Aramaic, and has been shown to contain information that is echoed in the New Testament. Prior to the discovery of the Scrolls, the teachings of Jesus had been considered as original, though influenced by Old Testament teaching. However, the Qumran documents now indicate the existence of a basis for His message. The Community Rule, which was discovered in Cave 1, has proven to be one of the most important discoveries in Qumran. It is a record of the rules and regulations of the Qumran community, where all must make a “Covenant before God to obey all his commandments.”

 

One of the basic tenets of Christianity, the baptism of purification, is discussed. It says that the convert “shall be cleansed from all his sins by the spirit of holiness uniting him to its truth ... And when his flesh is sprinkled with purifying water and sanctified by cleansing water, it shall be made clean by the humble submission of his soul to all the precepts of God.” This has led to the theory that John the Baptist had lived at Qumran until he was called by God to be the forerunner of Jesus. Author Charles Francis Potter, in his book The Lost Years of Jesus, attempted to explain the “eighteen silent years” of Jesus, between the ages of 12 and 30, as being spent at Qumran.

 

In the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 2:44-46), it says: “And all that believed were together, and had all things in common; And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple...” This shows that common ownership was part of the early Christian philosophy. The Community Rule stated: “All ... shall bring all their knowledge, powers and possessions into the Community...”; “They shall eat in common and pray in common...” and “...his property shall be merged and he shall offer his counsel and judgment to the Community.”

 

Also in Acts, the Church leadership is shown to be made up of twelve Apostles, which according to Galatians, were led by James (the brother of Jesus), John and Peter. In the Community Rule, the Qumran group were governed by a ‘Council’ of twelve people, with three priests that were in leadership roles, though it is not known if they were part of the twelve.

 

It also talks about a ‘Meal of the Congregation’ which is a ritual very much like the ‘Last Supper’ and the subsequent communion ceremony; while other documents contain parallels with the Sermon on the Mount, and the concept of the battle between the darkness and the light.

 

The Qumran texts contain references to what’s been identified as a messianic figure known as the “Teacher of Righteousness,” which some have tried to identify as being Jesus, however, there are no references as to the divinity of this person, so it couldn’t be Jesus. In addition, because of the age of the document, this person would have been living well before the time of Christ. However, recently released fragments do allude to Jesus. An unpublished Aramaic scroll fragment out of Cave 4, mention the “Son of God” and the “Son of the Most High,” in a similar manner as Luke 1:32, 35. It is the first time these references have appeared in any outside text. Newly released fragments out of Cave 4 even prophecy the coming the coming of Jesus, as the Messiah.

 

Fragment 4Q285 said that a “staff shall rise from the root of Jesse ... the Branch of David ... and they will put to death the Leader of the Community.” Fragment 4Q521 said: “The Heavens and the earth will obey his Messiah ... He will not turn aside from the Commandments of the Holy Ones ... For the Lord will visit the Pious Ones and the Righteous will call by name ... He shall release the captives, make the blind to see, raise up the downtrodden ... He will heal the sick, resurrect the dead, and to the Meek announce glad tidings.”

 

Much has been made about this small group of men, who for forty years had been silent about the contents of the Dead Sea Scrolls which were in their possession. With some being considered as emissaries of the Catholic Church, was it because the Scrolls are contrary to the Bible in respect to the origin of Christianity, or was it, as some maintain, because of the power it gave them; or, as Randall Price maintains (in his book Secrets of the Dead Sea Scrolls), is all of this talk just an effort to prevent serious consideration of the Scrolls as verification and corroboration of the Bible.

 

Price quotes Professor Tov who said: “I would completely brush aside any accusations of suppressed material. There is no evidence whatsoever for this having been done by any Catholic source.” He also quotes Joseph A. Fitzmyer, a Catholic scholar, and member of the Scroll team who said: “The whole idea of a Vatican conspiracy to suppress the Scrolls that it (the book The Dead Sea Scrolls Deception by Baigent and Leigh) portrays is ludicrous nonsense.” Randall Price then proceeds to completely unravel the whole conspiratorial argument behind the delays as being because of the “condition of the texts … accessibility of the materials … the political situation … the nature of the text assignments … scholastic responsibilities … financial problems … (and) human problems.” His argument is just as convincing. 

 

My concern is that, where there is smoke, there may also be fire. Any kind of association with the Rockefeller name brings with it the influence of the ecumenical movement; and any kind of connection to Catholicism brings with it the baggage of their pagan origins (see my on-line book Controlled by the Calendar). Many eminent scholars have tried to make a connection between the Scrolls and the Essenes, even when the evidence for this is circumstantial at best. As I will discuss in the next chapter, those who have tried to prove that Jesus faked his crucifixion have also tried to link him with the Essenes.

 

Even though the Scrolls themselves indicate that the inhabitants of Qumran engaged in the study of astrology and mysticism, this group has been identified as the starting point for the philosophy which became Christianity. So, if we are to believe some of the interpretations of the Scrolls, that the teachings of Jesus were based on the philosophy of the Essenes; this seriously damages His image as being the father of a Religion that bears His name. Not only that, but it further diminishes His divinity, which has increasingly come under attack.

 

When the last remnants of the Scrolls are published, those discovered so far, and those yet to be discovered, some scholars have expressed a wish for new versions of the Bible to reflect the ‘new’ information gleaned from the Scrolls. If this happens, will the new material be used to buttress the scriptures as being Holy Spirit inspired- or will they take on the spin of a pre-Christ Christianity, and further contribute to the taking of Christ out of the Christianity of main-line churches, so that the role of Jesus is reduced to that of just a teacher or a political visionary.

 

Since I believe that Jesus taught only what was given unto Him through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, what legitimacy should be given to the Dead Sea Scrolls, if any.

 

Beyond a shadow of a doubt, they are legitimate documents, and not the result of an incredible forgery, as far as being done shortly before their discovery. Therefore, we have to look in another direction. Now that other scholars have access to them, I would think that any incorrect translations would be revised; which brings us to the reconstruction of the actual fragments themselves.

 

We have been forced to rely on the accuracy of de Vaux’s team, and their ability to fit the quagmire of pieces together into some sort of coherency. It would seem that gaps in the assembled fragments of text (especially in the case of the Essene documents) would make it difficult to actually grasp its full meaning, especially since missing words may have a bearing on how other words are translated. The complex techniques utilized in this process have brought very little criticism in regard to its accuracy.

 

Another point of contention is the procedure used to date the Scrolls. Carbon-14 dating has long been criticized as being inaccurate. Originally only the wrapping around them were tested, because they didn’t want to destroy any text in order to date them. However, new techniques need less material to achieve the same results. But remember, what is being dated is the material that was written on. If a fragment was dated back to 200 BC, there is no way of knowing whether it was actually written on at that time, or maybe 300 years later. This knowledge makes it difficult to assume the accuracy of any dating.

 

We must also take into account, whether or not a document is describing actual events, or if it is just plain fiction. For example, it is commonly accepted that some apocryphal books such as Tobit, and Bel and the Dragon were works of fiction, and for that reason were not included in the Bible. Many apocryphal writings were found at Qumran. When it comes to analyzing the contents of a text, how do you decide that it is a historically accurate document, if you don’t know the intention of the writer, or even who the writer was. Just as the writers of the Gospels have been accused of embellishment, do some of the Qumran texts contain embellishments.

 

Because of the initial secrecy surrounding the Scrolls, how will we really know that all of the fragments found, will be released. It was said that some fragments had been taken to the Ecole Biblique. Were they ever returned to the Rockefeller Museum? I guess, what I am thinking here, is that if they had discovered something that would have shaken the very foundation of the Christian Church, would the Scroll team have allowed it to remain, or would it have found its way into the dark recesses of the Vatican, never again to see the light of day, or perhaps only locked away for a short time, to be released when the time is right.

 

As Price maintains, there may very well be nothing to the negative slant that has been applied to the Scrolls; and yet, it is very hard not to think conspiratorially because of all the circumstances surrounding them. I believe that the Scrolls are part of the ‘last days’ trigger, and as such, I believe that they are going to be used in some way to perpetuate an end-time deception.

 

In addition, how about the existence of other scrolls which haven’t made their way into official hands so they can scrutinized by scholars. Strugnell revealed the existence of four other scrolls from Cave 11. Of the two he saw, one was a complete copy of the Book of Enoch. On his deathbed, Lankester Harding, the director of Jordan’s Department of Antiquities, claimed to have seen two more scrolls that Strugnell had not seen. All four are located in Jordan. Stories have also circulated about Bedouin discoveries which were not given to de Vaux, and have yet to surface.

 

Plus there have been other optimistic forays into the area which could eventually turn up more scrolls or fragments. In one case, archaeologists Dr. Gary Collett and Dr. Aubry L. Richardson, using sophisticated equipment developed by NASA (which can sense non-visible elements of the electromagnetic spectrum and interpret the type of molecules found in its makeup), claimed that there were still unexplored caves, including one which may contain up to 40 intact jars, of the kind used to store manuscripts, and evidence of another copper scroll. A dig was initiated, sanctioned by the Israeli government, to reach this cave, which had not turned up anything.

 

My feeling is that there hasn’t been enough substantiation from the Scrolls to make the kind of claims that have been made. For example, various books in the Bible contain the same information, and are used to cross reference each other; and that wasn’t possible with the Scrolls, so, because of that, should their scholarship be accepted, especially when some of the rituals that are similar to the early Christian Church may be nothing more than natural progression– or theological evolution.

 

Because of further archaeological excavation, we may continue to get a steady flow of information from Qumran for years to come, and how it will affect the perception of Christianity is yet to be seen. All we can do is to evaluate what is available now, and how some of the questionable texts may be use to manipulate religion in this country.

 

It would be nice to know how much influence the Rockefeller family has on the Rockefeller Museum, where all the fragments were housed. Believe the fact that they have not lent their name, or given money to anything they haven’t been able to influence. Their name also figures prominently in the talk concerning the rebuilding of the Jewish Temple. Knowing that they have a huge role in establishing the New World Order, their involvement in the various affairs of Israel has ominous overtones.

 

 

SATANISM

 

The underlying power to all occult practices, is Satanism– the worship of Satan (or Lucifer) in opposition to the worship of God. It is the worship of Satan which has been the driving force behind the handful of men who have perpetuated the Illuminati conspiracy. It has been reported that the spread of the occult has been the job of an inner circle of the Illuminati, which is known as the Council of 13, or the Grand Druid Council.

 

Through its various incarnations, the spread of the occult has enabled the Illuminati to create a social climate that has welcomed the advent of the New World Order, one-world government, and the one-world church that will accompany it.

 

The Druids

The occult movement basically began with the Druids, who were found among the ancient Celts (the people of Gaul in France, Switzerland, Belgium, Bohemia, Galicia in Spain, as well as Galatia in what is now known as Turkey), and the forerunners of those living today in the British Isles, Scotland, and Ireland. Their culture flourished for hundreds of years before the Christian era, peaking around 1200 BC, when they became caught up between the encroachment of the Roman Empire and the invasions from barbaric Germanic tribes.

 

The Druids were members of a priesthood who came from the upper class of Celtic society, and were exempt from taxes and manual labor. Their name comes from the Celtic word ‘daur’ which means ‘oak tree,’ which was sacred to them; and in the Gaelic, it means “knowing the oak tree.” They performed their rituals and ceremonies in sacred oak groves, as well as river sources and lakes, because they also considered water to be sacred.

 

Around 98-180 AD, the Druid religion was outlawed, and they were forced to go underground, where it has been secretly active, in various forms, ever since.

 

The earliest mention of these “men of the oak,” was in the 3rd century BC, from Julius Caesar, and what little information that is available, comes from 30 references in Greek and Roman writings from the second century BC to the fourth century AD, and ancient records found in Ireland. For the most part, their legacy has been passed down orally from generation to generation, because they considered it “profane” to write down their teachings.

 

In the writings of an ancient Greek, he compared the Druids to the Magi of Persia, who were the group from which the Wise Men came. They could also be compared to the Medicine Man of the American Indians. In fact, I kind of thought they might have been a Satanic perversion of the Levite tribe of Israel, from which came the priests.

 

An aura of mystery surrounded the Druids, and they were considered evil. It was alleged that they possessed strange powers, such as being able to produce mists, storms, floods, and cast spells. As it turned out, there was reason to fear these men, because some of their rituals included both animal and human sacrifice.

 

The Druids worshipped the Sun God, Hu; the moon, and the stars. Many of their rites centered around such astronomical occurrences as equinoxes and solstices. It is believed that Stonehenge, built in 2750 BC on the Salisbury Plain in southwest England, and transformed into a solar observatory by 1900 BC, was later used by the Druids as a temple for sacrifices. A similar structure in Avebury, 20 miles north, was also used.

 

Their biggest night of the year, was the ceremony known as the ‘Vigil of Samhein,’ on October 31st, in honor of Samhein, the Horned Hunter of the Night (Satan, as seen in the Pentagram), the Oak God of the Underworld, and the God of the Dead. It is this ritual that evolved into the annual tradition of Halloween.

 

Witchcraft

The lineal successor to the religion of the Druids was British witchcraft, which became strong in the 1200’s, and considers itself to be the world’s oldest religion.  The word Witchcraft is derived from the Anglo-Saxon word ‘wiccecraeft’ (‘wicca-craft’) or “craft of the wise.”

 

Witches say that their religion is not anti-Christian, because they worship deities that were in existence before the advent of the Christian era. They worship nature and earth, and as polytheists, they believe this power to be manifested in the form of various gods and goddesses. In this pluralistic system, there is a Mother (Moon) goddess, who controls fertility rites, and the process of birth and life; and also a horned god, who represents the masculine side of nature. Known as Cernunnos, the god of hunting, fertility, and wild animals, he is the god of the underworld who controls the gates of life and death.

 

Even though witches say that they don’t believe in Satan, unknown to them, this ‘horned hunter of the night’ is a descendant of Nimrod, who became the sun god, and was the symbolic representation of Satan. You must remember, that Nimrod, and his wife, Semiramis, were the prototypes for all gods and goddesses that permeated all subsequent cultures and societies.

 

According to former witches and Satanists, the deities that witches worship are actually demons.

 

One thing that a lot of people try to do, is to pigeonhole witchcraft into one single category, and you can’t do it. Within the realm of Christianity, you have many religions, such as Catholics, Lutherans, Methodists, Baptists, Presbyterians, etc. And within each of these, you have a further breakdown, which divides the various churches according to their own variations in philosophies. Well, since Witchcraft is a religion, the same divisions also exist. There are different denominations, so-to-speak. The terms most used are White and Black Witchcraft, Traditional (who believe power must be inherited through family lineage), Modernist, Gardnerian (revival of the ‘old religion’ established by anthropologist Gerald Gardner), and Alexandrian (offshoot of the Gardnerian tradition by Alexander Sanders). But there are many others.

 

White Sorcery is practiced out of the La Clavicule de Solomon (The Key of Solomon), which was said to be written by King Solomon, but was actually written in the 14th or 15th century. The Lemegeton (Lesser Key) is known as the Book of Shadows. Black Magic comes from the 6th and 7th Book of Moses, mistakenly alleged to have been written by Moses.

 

There has been a connotation of evil given to witchcraft as a whole, but it can’t be as easily defined as that, because there are some gray areas that require an understanding. I am not condoning any aspect of witchcraft, but I do have to be fair.

 

The most well-known of the witchcraft sects are the Wiccans, who represent what could be considered White Witchcraft. I have talked to some Wiccans, and they do not fit the stereotype that one expects to find when they meet a witch. They do not dress in all black, and in fact, do not dress any differently than anyone else. You have probably talked to a witch, and never even knew it.

 

As serious as you may be about your religion, and faith; they are just as serious about their religion. Besides their holy days, some covens even have weekly meetings, just like a traditional church.

 

Wiccans have become more open in their religion in the past few years, as they try to dispel the myth, fear, and discrimination that surround them.

 

In August, 1995, our local paper had a front page article about a couple local witches, and how their religious activities were just like anyone else’s. They have distanced themselves from Satanism, by emphasizing that they don’t believe in Satan or demons. They have tried to separate themselves from the dark side of the occult, by saying that it is against their religion to harm anyone, that they’re not out there trying to get people, by putting curses on them. In fact, their primary directive (known as the Witch’s Rede) is: “An it harm none– do what thou wilt.” This gives them the freedom to do what they want, just as long as it doesn’t affect the rights of others, or cause physical harm.

 

And indeed, Wiccans have gone out of their way to help people. Out of their yearning to help, many enter helping professions, such as social workers, nurses, and counselors. They also do tarot card readings, and are the driving force behind the onslaught of the psychic phone hot lines.

 

Thousands have been drawn to the spiritualistic aspects of witchcraft, and it is estimated that there could be as many as 800,000 Wiccans in this country, and since 1987, they have “grown tremendously.” They are out there spreading their word through books in secular bookstores, occult bookstores, classes, and pagan festivals. They are filling what they see as a void, and are presenting a religion that is more accepting of women in leadership positions, gays, interracial couples and unmarried couples. It is marked by solemn ritualistic ceremonies that makes one feel like they’re part of a family; and a religion that offers real power.

 

We live in a time where the constitutional right of religious freedom has forced us to tolerate and accept any religion, no matter how foreign it is to our belief system, and how contrary it is to the Bible. But on the other hand, in a growing anti-Christian climate in this country, we are also being allowed to exercise our faith because of those same rights. So, we have a responsibility to treat someone else’s beliefs with respect, because they have the same rights we do. However, I don’t have to agree with them, or like it, and I don’t have to allow this false doctrine to permeate our society unanswered.

 

No matter how honorable Wiccans intentions are, as a Christian, I must abide by the tenets of the Holy Scriptures in my assessment of their religion and practices. Do I hate them. No. In fact, the witches that I talked to were very pleasant, very nice, and very respectful of my religious beliefs. Which is more than I can say about some Jehovah Witnesses and Mormons that have come knocking on my door. It is very easy to forget a very fundamental Biblical teaching, that we must hate the sin, but love the sinner. God loves everyone, even a witch. So as a Christian, we need to let witches know, if ever given the opportunity, that they are living a lie. That the gods and goddesses they are worshipping do not exist, and that they have been deceived by a very real Satan, who is the father of lies.

 

As I said earlier, witches have a golden rule that prohibits them from hurting anyone. But, not all witches are ‘good’ witches. And not all witches share that philosophy. Irene Park, a former witch, and author of the book The Witch Who Switched, said the worst thing she had ever done to someone was to “demolish them. To see them removed off the face of the earth.” She further elaborated: “You can kill them, or else they will commit suicide ... you drive them to do that ... you can do it by thought ... or something like making a potion ... and chanting and doing an incantation, and it works, the spirits work.”

 

Chapter Six of the book Mastering Witchcraft: A Practical Guide for Witches, Warlocks and Covens is called “Vengeance and Attack.” On page 196 it says: “With all the power of your imagination, and all the faith and intent you can muster, you must actually try to see your spell working its mischief, visualizing your victim suffering all the pangs you wish on him. This type of spell is perhaps best employed for encouraging general misfortune rather than any specific disaster...” It goes on to provide actual instructions and incantations for various curses.

 

Now, this book was written by a well-known witch named Paul Huson, a Traditionalist from San Francisco, who studied under Dr. Raymond Buckland, who, as I said, is probably the leading Wiccan authority in this country.  Compare that with this, from The Satanic Bible: “Be certain you do not care if the intended victim lives or dies, before you throw your curse, and having caused their destruction, revel, rather than feel remorse.” So you can see, with their own writings, regardless of any moral code they claim to have, the seduction of power and the ability of being able to use it, may be a more overriding determinant in regard to the actions of a witch.

 

Observing the sacred Celtic calendar of the Druids, witches have eight special holy days through the year, which are known as ‘Sabbats.’ The April 25, 1989 edition of USA Today reported that Patricia Hutchins, a self-proclaimed Wiccan serving in the U.S. Air Force, was granted religious leave by the military to observe the eight Sabbats of her ‘religion.’

 

Some researchers have purported that the Sabbat is the witches sabbath, a corruption of the Jewish day of rest, Others have said that the word ‘sabbath’ is taken from Shabbathai, or Saturn, the planet which governs the seventh day; while ‘sabbat’ comes from Sabadius (or Sabazius), which was the title of Dionysus, the god of ecstasy, who was worshipped with partying and orgies. However, just like the Jewish calendar, the Sabbat mirrors the Celtic day, which began at sunset, and ended the next sunset.

 

There are two great fire festivals, known as Grand Sabbats, which divide the Celtic year in half. October 31st, Halloween (also known as the October Festival), which celebrates the beginning of winter, and is also the beginning of the witches New Year; and April 30th, Beltane (also known as Bealtaine), which celebrates the beginning of summer. Known as the day of Bel’s fire because of the bonfires that accompanied their fertility rituals, the Druids held this feast in honor of Bel, a derivative of Baal (mentioned in the Old Testament) and can be associated with Apollo. This day has become connected to Walpurgis Night, a festival to honor Walburga (Walpurga), the daughter of King Richard the Lion-Hearted, a nun who moved to Germany and became abbess of the monastery of Eichstatt. After she died in 779, she was canonized by the Church, and is recognized as the protector against magic. However, witches are actually honoring Waldborg, a fertility goddess. The spirits of the dead are said to be very active on this day.

 

According to Anton LaVey, the self-proclaimed high priest of the Church of Satan in San Francisco, the two major Satanic observances are also Halloween and Walpurgisnacht.

 

There are two other minor feasts, which divide the half-year into quarters.  February 2nd, Imbolg, the Winter festival (also known as Imbolc or Oimelc), which was a pagan celebration marked with a torchlight procession to honor the various deities associated with agriculture, which was to purify and fertilize the fields prior to the planting season. As the Catholic Church Christianized pagan celebrations, it became known as the Feast of Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary which is celebrated by the Roman, Creek, and Anglican churches, It is supposedly held to observe the event described in the 2nd chapter of Luke, when Mary went to the Temple for purification, which according to tradition iy happened forty days after the birth of Jesus.

 

It was originally observed on February 14th, when Jesus was thought to have been born on the day of Epiphany. But when the date of his birth was changed to December 25th, the day was moved. It became known as Candlemas, because church candles are blessed that day, due to Simeon’s reference to the “light to lighten the Gentiles.” It was believed that these blessed candles, when put in a home, would protect it from evil. Pope Innocent XII (1691-1700) said: “Why do we in this feast carry candles? Because the Gentiles dedicated the month of February to the infernal gods, and at the beginning of it Pluto stole Proserpine, and her mother Ceres sought her in the night with lighted candles, so they, at the beginning of the month, walked about the city with lighted candles. Because the holy fathers could not extirpate the custom, they ordained that Christians should carry about candles in honor of the Blessed Virgin; and thus what was done before in honor of Ceres is now done in honor of the Blessed Virgin.”

 

The other day is August 1st (July 31st according to A Witches’ Bible) the Summer festival, when the first corn was harvested. This was the Druid festival of Lughnasadh, which was dedicated to Lugh, the Celtic sun god. It has become known as Lammas (‘loaf-mass’). Witches celebrate this day to honor the sacred union of the goddess and the horned god.

 

Also celebrated, to a lesser extent, are the four solar fire festivals: The vernal equinox of March 21st (Alban Eilir, or the spring festival), and the autumnal equinox of September 23rd (September 21st according to A Witches’ Bible, Alban Elfrad, or the autumn festival); and the two solstices (a Latin word which means “the sun stops”).

 

June 22nd (Alban Hefin, or the mid-summer night festival) has become associated with the eve of St. John’s Day (June 24), which is when the Feast of Saint John the Baptist is held. This is the oldest Church observance, and is celebrated on the day of his birth. The exact day is unknown, but the Bible indicates that he was born six months before Jesus. It became part of the mid-summer celebrations because of the summer solstice, which is the beginning of summer (June 20), and the longest day of the year.

 

December 22nd, known as Yule (Alban Arthan or the mid-winter festival), has become associated with the eve of St. Thomas Day (December 21), which is when the Feast of Saint Thomas is held. The observance was initiated in the 12th century to honor the apostle Jesus appeared to and showed his wounds after the Resurrection, because of his doubts. He is known as the patron saint of masons and architects. It became part of the winter celebrations because of the winter solstice, which is the beginning of winter (December 21), and the longest night of the year.

 

Whether you know it or not, the Church of Wicca, the largest church in the country devoted to the practice of Witchcraft, is a federally recognized, tax exempt, non-profit, religious organization in the United States. The Church of Satan, which was founded in San Francisco in 1966, is also considered a tax exempt religious organization.

 

Some other well-known churches are the Wicca Church of America, Church of All Worlds, Universal Church of Wicca, Aquarian Tabernacle Church, The Church of the Iron Oak, and the Church of Universal Brotherhood. Witches are so organized that they hold seminars and conventions that are publicized by the media. In 1970, the New York City Parks Department issued a permit for the Witches International Craft Associates (WICA) to have a “Witch-In” in Sheep Meadow on Halloween. Over 1,000 people attended.

 

In 1980, Joyce Clemow, a director of the New York Center for the Strange (a non-profit research group that investigates “the myriad aspects of prognostication, prophecy, and divination”) said that among America’s practicing witches, were three Congressmen, a syndicated financial columnist, the President of one of the nation’s banks, a well-known television newscaster, and a man who held a top foreign affairs position in the Nixon Administration. Margot Adler, a reporter for National Public Radio, was a well-known witch, and author of a book on neo-Paganism called Drawing Down the Moon.

 

The Bible is very clear concerning the occult. Exodus 22:18 says: “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.” Witchcraft practitioners claim that this verse doesn’t refer to witchcraft, because the word “witch” is translated from the Hebrew word “chasaph” which actually means “a poisoner.”

 

However, Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible identifies the original word out of the Massoretic text to be “kashaph” (#3784), a root word which means to “whisper a spell, i.e. to inchant (sic) or practise (sic) magic.” The word “kesheph” (#3785) is magic or witchcraft, as used in 2 Kings 9:22, Micah 5:12, and Nahum 3:4; and “kashshaph” (#3786) is a magician or sorcerer. The Hebrew word “chemah” (#2534) means “poison.” Another verse that corresponds to this sentiment can be found in Leviticus 20:27, which says: “A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their blood shall be upon them.”

 

Jeremiah 10:2 says: “...Learn not the way of the heathen...” Deuteronomy 18:10-12 says: “There shall not be found among you anyone that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a neocromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord...” 1 Peter 5:8 charges us to “be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” Ephesians 5:11 says that we are to “have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.” And 2 Corinthians 6:11, says: “Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship has righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion has light with darkness?”

 

In 1980, Skip Tarrant, a head witch in the Church of Wicca, said: “Being a witch makes one feel more alive.” According to the testimony of former witches and Satanists, the ancient religion of Witchcraft and its ‘white magic’ is nothing more than a “little white lie.” The deities they worship are actually demons, and the ‘horned hunter of the night’ is actually Satan. Many witches have come to realize, that in order to get more ‘power,’ they have to surrender more of themselves, moving into the darker side of Witchcraft, and sometimes into Satanism. Satan does not care what he does, or who he destroys, in order to achieve his goals.

 

 

THE NEW AGE MOVEMENT

 

In 1908, Annie Besant (1847-1933, sister of Sir Walter Besant, a Mason), an outspoken atheist who was converted to Satanism by Pike, a member of the Fabian Society, who became president of the Theosophical Society (whose goal was to “gain access to the universal spiritual reality beyond material existence”) after the death of Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (1831-1891, who became a Satanist in 1856 and founded the Society in New York in 1875); and Charles W. Leadbeater, former Anglican priest, a Theosophist, and 33rd degree Mason; discovered Jiddu Krishnamurti, who they believed to be the reincarnation of the being that inhabited Jesus, Krishna and Buddha.

 

They founded the Order of the Star to spread his word. Those who listened to him speak at a Star of the East convocation in 1911 said he “spoke in the first person as a god.” Others witnessed “a great coronet of brilliant, shimmering blue” appearing above his head. Many knelt to worship him as the “world teacher” and the “guiding spirit of the universe.”

 

A biographer later wrote: “Although he was only a little boy when she brought him from India to London, and although he hardly moved and did not speak when introduced at a party at Charing Cross, those who were present professed to feel a strange ‘vibration’ coming from him. Years later this same vibration caused thousands to fall at his feet in homage, accepting him as their Messiah, when he addressed a huge International Conference of Theosophists in Holland. A visitor to the conference afterwards testified, ‘When he spoke, it was awe inspiring. I am not easily moved, but there was something there– impalpable, but resistless’.”

 

However, when he came to America in 1926, his occult powers failed him, and his spirit guides left him. The New York Times reported him to be “a shy, badly frightened, nice-looking Hindu.” His speaking engagements were canceled, and he later denied that he was the ‘Christ,’ and renounced the Theosophical Society. Because America, at that time, was still, for the most part, a Christian, Bible-believing nation, the spirit that inhabited Jiddu had to leave him.

 

He retired in 1929, broke all connections with organized philosophy, and became a popular mystic writer and speaker. In 1969, he established the Krishnamurti Foundation of America to publish and distribute his teachings. He said that his only concern was “to set men absolutely, unconditionally free.” He died in 1986. However, his library and archives are continuing to feed a new generation his brand of New Age teaching. He was listed as a contributing editor of the Bruce Lee magazine, the official publication and voice of the Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do nucleus.

 

Besant was later replaced with Alice Bailey, a witch, and an occult writer who, back in the 1940’s, was the first to use the term ‘New Age.’ Collaborating with other occultists, she claimed to be working out mankind’s spiritual destiny from a remote Himalayan retreat, and that her writings were telepathically sent to her by the Tibetan Djuhal Khul, who said that there was going to be a new world government and a new world religion.

In 1922, Bailey, established the Lucifer Publishing Co. of New York to print and distribute their Satanic doctrine. The name was later changed to the Lucis Publishing Co. Years later, their president, Perry Coles, tried to downplay the sinister overtones, by saying that ‘lucis’ comes from the Latin word ‘lux’ which means ‘of light,’ and the word is used in the context of being “bringers of light,” and doesn’t have anything to do with Satanism. Yet they are one of the biggest publishers of occult material in the country.

 

Lucis Publishing, the Arcane School, and World Goodwill (founded in 1933 to promote Luciferian views, is composed of individuals who are referred to as the “New Group of World Servers”), are run under the auspices of the Lucis Trust Co., which had been located at 866 United Nations Plaza in New York City (suite 566 & 567), but later relocated to 120 Wall Street, 24th floor, in New York. They seem to be the coordinating force behind the New Age movement. Some of the people who have served on their Board: Robert McNamara, Donald Regan, Henry Kissinger, David Rockefeller, Paul Volcker, and George Shultz.

 

Bailey wrote a few books detailing the New Age plan and said that the new world order will be the “reappearance of the Christ.” In her Externalization of the Hierarchy she said that the New Age will be in full bloom after the global crisis occurs and the world turns to ‘Christ’ for leadership. She felt that the term ‘Christ’ could be applied to any person who reached an elevated state of consciousness, thereby achieving a divine status. Only a few souls found enough favor with the spiritual hierarchy of the reincarnated ancient Masters to be chosen to return to earth as an avatar. New Agers claim that Mohammed, Buddha, and Jesus were avatars, and therefore each was a ‘Christ.’

 

Alice Bailey has said:

 

“The Christ who will return will not be like the Christ who (apparently) departed. He will not be a ‘man of sorrows’; He will not be a silent, pensive figure; He will be the enunciator of spiritual statements which will not necessitate interpretation (and give rise to misinterpretation) because He will be present to indicate the true meaning … He recognizes and loves those who are not Christian but who retain allegiance to their Founders– the Buddha, Mohammed, and others. He cares not what the faith is, if the objective is love of God and of humanity. If men look for the Christ who left his disciples centuries ago they will fail to recognize the Christ who is in the process of returning.”

 

Bailey said that her “hidden Masters” told her that 1975 was the time to begin open propagation of their plans. Although Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (who brought Transcendental Meditation to America) taught that the New Age began in 1975 when he inaugurated the “Age of Enlightenment,” the 1980 book The Aquarian Conspiracy: Personal and Social Transformation in the 1980’s by Marilyn Ferguson (published by J. P. Tarcher, Inc. in Los Angeles, CA) ignited the New Age movement into one of the fastest growing ‘religions’ today.

 

Ferguson said that the New Age movement had “triggered the most rapid cultural realignment in history,” and that the movement had grown to such an extent, that thousand of groups were now a part of the network, including: Human Potential Movement, New Thought, Consciousness Movement, Holistic Movement, Whole Earth, and Unity. Some of their front-groups include: Association for Humanistic Psychology, the Holistic Health Organizing Committee, Association for World Organization, Political Science Committee of the Institute for the New Age, Institute for the Study of Conscious Evolution, Naropa Institute, Hunger Project, Planetary Citizens, Planetary Initiative for the World We Choose, and the Movement for a New Society.

 

This handbook for action by the New Age movement was introduced at the World Congress on Futurology in Toronto, Canada to be used as a blueprint to begin a new campaign for recruitment into the occult.

 

The December, 1986 issue of the Omega-Letter reported that the New Age movement was the fastest growing religion in America. People are being drawn into the New Age movement because of its propaganda regarding social injustices, environmental concerns, and ending world hunger. Some of the well-known people who were involved: singer John Denver, former astronaut Edgar Mitchell, former University of Notre Dame president Theodore Hesburgh, former German Chancellor Willy Brandt, science fiction writer Isaac Asimov, physicist Fritjof Capra, and Megatrends author John Naisbitt.

 

California New Age minister and writer Terry Cole-Whittaker told Magical Blend magazine: “I feel that we are right on the edge and we are going to ‘pop’ into a new dimension. Everybody senses it.”

 

The central theme of the New Age movement is “the emergence of a new planetary consciousness.” They hope to usher in the “Age of Aquarius” and their goal is a one-world religion. It is nothing more than a revival of the ancient Babylonian religion, a dressed-up version of witchcraft, a politically-correct form of witchcraft, which they hope to introduce to every aspect of society.

 

The spirit guides they refer to are demons. They are working to integrate New Age teaching into religion, and in the process, they are trying to discredit Christianity. For instance, New Agers have latched onto the ‘lost years’ of Jesus, the period between his boyhood and the beginning of his ministry, which are omitted from the Bible. Kevin Ryerson, the demon channeler for actress Shirley Maclaine, says that his spirit guides told him that “the man Jesus studied for 18 years in India before he returned to Jerusalem. He was studying the teachings of Buddha and became an adept Yogi himself.” Elizabeth Clare Prophet in her book The Lost Years of Jesus, said that she discovered, through documents she found in the Himalayas, that when Jesus was a youth, he joined a caravan to the East, and studied under “wise men” who taught him mysticism.

 

Edgar Cayce’s demon guides also gave him similar revelations. He claimed that Jesus traveled through Egypt, India and Persia; and it was in Persia that he learned from the Mystery Religion teachers. New Age leaders claim this information was censored in the 6th century by the Church. A book called Jesus Lived in India by Holger Kerston, has gone as far as to say that after the “resurrection” of Jesus, he returned to India, and that his tomb in Kashmir can still be seen today.

 

Ruth Montgomery was told by her spirit guides: “...We are as much God as God is part of us ... each of us is God ... together we are God.” Corinne and Theodore Heline, authors of many New Age books, including New Age Bible Interpretation, said that with the dawning of a New Age, an evil Satan who doesn’t exist and will vanish from man’s memory. Christians unfit for the New Age will also cease to exist, being wiped off the earth by the New Age ‘Christ.’ New Ager Ken Eyers was quoted in Parade magazine (August 9, 1987) as saying: “Those who can not be enlightened will not be permitted to dwell in this world. They will be sent to some equally appropriate place to work their way to understanding.”

 

In the New Age book Reflections on the Christ by David Spangler (Director of the UN Planetary Initiative, and a leader in the Planetary Citizens), he wrote that Lucifer is “an agent of God’s love.” and that “Christ is the same force as Lucifer.”

 

He also wrote:

“Lucifer prepares man for the experience of Christhood ... (he is) the great Initiator ... Lucifer works within each of us to bring us to wholeness, as we move into a new age ... each of us in some way is brought to that point which I term the Luciferic Initiation, the particular doorway through which the individual must pass if he is to come ‘fully’ into the presence of his light and his wholeness ... It is one that many people now, and in the days ahead, will be facing, for it is an initiation into the new age.”

He also made a connection to one world government when he wrote: “No one will enter the New World Order unless he or she will make a pledge to worship Lucifer. No one will enter the New Age unless he will take a Luciferian initiation.” New Agers refer to the writings of a 14th century gnostic group, called Luciferians, who worshiped him, believing him to be the brother of God, and taught that he was wrongly cast out of Heaven, and would someday be vindicated. He was praised as the “bright and morning star.”

 

Lola Davis, author of Toward a World Religion for the New Age, identified the New Age ‘Christ’ as Lord Maitreya, who has been labeled as an avatar and a world teacher. She said “he will bring new revelations and further guidance for establishing the World Religion.” She also said that the “World Council of Churches ... has the potential to serve as a source of unity among the diversity of religions.” On April 25, 1982, the Tara Center (headquartered in London and N. Hollywood, CA), a New Age group led by Benjamin Crème, ran a full page ad in twenty major papers around the world proclaiming that the New Age Messiah, Lord Maitreya, was alive and ready to institute their plan, which included “the installation of a new world government and a new world religion under Maitreya.”

 

The ad said:

“Since July, 1977, the Christ has been emerging as a spokesman for a group or community in a well-known modern country.” It promised that the ‘Christ’ would appear “within the next two months” and that “his message will be heard inwardly, telepathically, by all people in their own language. From that time, with his help, we will build a new world.”

A similar ad ran five years later, on January 12, 1987, in USA Today, under the headline “The Christ is in the World,” describing Lord Maitreya as “a great world teacher for people of every religion and no religion.” He never did appear, and according to Creme, Maitreya, was living in a Hindu-Pakistani community in southeast London, and attending Oxford University, where he is studying the sacred writings of the world’s major religions.

 

When Creme spoke in Detroit on November 4, 1981, he was asked if he had met Maitreya, and he said: “No, I’ve never met the Christ, but I’ve met the human body he is inhabiting several times– but never as the Christ.” According to the Huntington House book New Age Messiah Identified by Troy Lawrence, this man was identified as Rahmat Ahmad, and is the great-great grandson of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, who was born in the 1800’s in India, and claimed that he was the Messiah, sent to unite the entire world in a New World Religion. It was revealed that he was born in February, 1962 in Rabwah, Pakistan, then went to England in July, 1977, in preparation for his role. Lord Maitreya never did appear, and as it turns out, in 1991, Lawrence (real name, Darrick Evenson) was exposed as a fraud, and now his exposé has been pretty much ignored.

 

Just as the birth of Jesus was prophesied by many Old Testament prophets, New Agers believed that the birth of the new ‘Christ,’ was prophesied by Jeanne Dixon. Shortly before sunrise on February 5, 1962, Dixon had an unusual experience. For several months, astrologers had predicted that an earth-shaking event on that day, because of a rare conjunction of Jupiter, Saturn and Venus in the constellation of Pisces. A similar conjunction which occurred nearly 2,000 years ago is believed by some to explain the “bright star in the east” at the time of the birth of Jesus.

 

As she looked outside, she didn’t see any trees, or the street, just a blue sky, above a barren desert. In the sky, the sun was shining brighter than she had ever seen. Coming from the sun in every direction were brilliant rays which seemed to be drawing the earth toward it like a magnet. Stepping out of the brightness of the sun’s rays, hand-in-hand was a Pharaoh (later identified as Pharaoh Amenhotep) and Queen Nefertiti. In her arms was a baby in ragged soiled clothing. The eyes of the child were “all-knowing” (the all-seeing eye on the Illuminati seal?), full of wisdom and knowledge. To one side of the Queen, Dixon could see a pyramid (the Illuminati?).

 

The couple came before her, as if to offer the baby to the world. Within the sun, Joseph was guiding the tableau like a puppeteer pulling strings (Bible teacher David Ebaugh has linked Genesis 41:14-36, dealing with Joseph’s interpretations of the Pharaoh’s dreams, with the Book of Revelation; in addition, Joseph was known as the “dreamer”). Rays of light burst forth from the baby, blending with those of the sun, obliterating the Pharaoh from her sight. Off to the left, Dixon saw Queen Nefertiti walking away, thousands of miles into the past. She paused beside a large brown water jug, and as she stooped to cup her hands and drink, she was stabbed in the back by a dagger. She died and vanished. The baby, meanwhile, had grown to manhood, and a small cross formed above him, expanding until it dripped over the earth in every direction. At the same time, people of every race, religion, and color, all knelt and lifted their arms in worship; and were all as one.

 

Dixon interpreted this to mean that there was a child born somewhere in the Middle East, shortly after February 5, 1962, of humble peasant origin, possibly a direct descendent of Queen Nefertiti. Her husband, Pharaoh Amenhotep IV (known as the great “Heretic King”) had changed his name to Ikhnaton (which means, “He in whom Aton is satisfied”), and built a city, Tell-el-Amarna, protected by impregnable cliffs, to worship the sun god Aton (in 1375 BC). They had seven daughters, but no sons. After his death, the priests of Amon took over.

 

Tutankhaton, who married the third daughter, became Pharaoh at the age of twelve, and changed his name to Tutankhamon (the “image of Amon”), destroying all traces of Atonism, and returning to the worship of earlier gods. If the child isn’t a direct descendent, the sun could be a symbol of the one world religion that is to come. When the Illuminati was established, their secret code utilized the planetary symbol for the sun to signify the Order. Dixon said: “There is no doubt in my mind that the ‘child’ is the actual person of the Antichrist, the one who will deceive the world in Satan’s name.”

 

Robert Mueller, a New Ager, is a former Assistant Secretary-General of the UN, and a member of the board of Planetary Citizens. He suggested that religions should “create common world religious institutions,” and “display the UN flag in all houses of worship.” He has even called for a universal Bible to be written. He said: “We must move as quickly as possible to a one-world government; a one-world religion; under a one-world leader.” He also said: “My great personal dream is to get a tremendous alliance between all major religions and the UN.” He said in 1982: “The human person and planetary citizenship must be given absolute priority over national citizenship.”

 

Some of Mueller’s views were molded by the third UN Secretary-General U Thant, a Buddhist and a one-worlder. In Thant’s book The New Genesis, he calls for the New Age to be ushered in by the year 2000. Mueller dedicated one of his books to Dag Hammarskjold, the second UN Secretary-General, who he referred to as his “spiritual master.”

 

Dag was behind the renovating of the UN Meditation Room, and even helped raise funds for it. John D. Rockefeller, Jr. gave $5,000 for it. In the book Spiritual Politics: Changing the World From the Inside, New Agers Corinne McLaughlin and Gordon Davidson referred to it as a “place of quiet stillness and has been referred to as one of the holiest of holies on the planet…”

 

The Meditation Room is shaped like a pyramid without a capstone, sometimes described as a trapezoid, which Satanists believe is the shape that is the most conducive for the manifestation of demonic manifestation. The room is illuminated only from a single beam of light from the ceiling upon a black stone altar. Hammarskjold said that the altar was “dedicated to the God whom man worships under many names and in many forms.” On one of the walls is a mural which contains occult symbolism, and at it center is the ‘all-seeing eye’ of the Illuminati. David Meyer, a former witch, said about the room:

 

“I stood in the meditation room, which contains Satan’s altar … The black stone block has a certain kind of magnetism about it, and when I walked into the room with my praying wife, I could sense the intense presence of an evil force beyond description. This is where the world leaders and Illuminati masterminds go to meditate, which is why it is open to the public only in the mornings. Once the sun moves from ante meridian to post meridian only the adept in witchcraft are allowed into that room, for that is witchcraft doctrine regarding meditation. As the sun gives way to waning light and the female power of the moon goddess, the meditation room at the UN becomes off-limits to what they call the ‘profane’.”

 

New Ager William Irwin Thompson said in 1991: “We have a new spirituality, what has been called the New Age movement. The planetization of the esoteric has been going on for some time … The independent sovereign state, with the sovereign individual in his private property are over just as the Christian fundamentalist days are about to be over. We are fast becoming a planetary culture.” He also said: “The new spirituality does not reject the earlier patterns of the great universal religions. Priest and church will not disappear; they will not be forced out of existence in the New Age, they will be absorbed into the existence of the New Age.”

 

We can see New Age philosophy being advocated on television, and in the movies. Even though there are New Age bookstores, New Age material has become so popular that it is showing up in regular stores. New Age meditation techniques have been secretly introduced into our public schools as a means of handling problem kid. Subtly the New Age message is entering the mainstream church. The 1970 song by former Beatle member, George Harrison, “My Sweet Lord” (from the album All Things Must Pass, which was, in fact, a rip-off of the Chiffon’s song “He’s So Fine”) was accepted by many churches as a Christian song, when in fact it was a song of dedication to Krishna, and contained a chant to summon spirits (demons). He had been involved with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, and later converted to Hinduism. I believe that the legal and societal headway gained in recognizing same-sex relationships has to do with the fact that New Age philosophy has weakened, watered-down, and worn-out the message of the Church.

 

Robert Mueller said, while speaking at the Parliament of World Religions: “Do not worry if not all the religions will join the United Religions organization. Many nations did not join the UN at its beginning, but later regretted it and made every effort to join. It was the same with the European Community and it will be the case with the world’s religions because whoever stays out or aloof will sooner or later regret it.”

 

Dick Sutphen, a New Age advocate said that fundamentalism “is extremely dangerous to the future of this planet and potential for a New Age.” Barbara Marx Hubbard, Executive Director of the World Future Society, has said in regard to Christians:

 

“No worldly peace can prevail until the self-centered members of the planetary body either change or die … This act is as horrible as killing a cancer cell. It must be done for the sake of the future of the whole … There have always been defective seeds. In the past they were permitted to die a ‘natural death’ … We, the elders have been patiently waiting until the very last moment before the quantum transformation, to take action to cut out this corrupted and corrupting element in the body of humanity. It is like watching a cancer grow; something must be done before the whole body is destroyed…”

 

The facts speak for themselves here. The New Age movement is a facade whose purpose is to deceive. John Randolph Price, a New Age leader, said that “there are more than half a billion New Age advocates on the planet at this time, working among various religious groups.” It is likely that the New Age movement will be the vehicle that will dilute the major religions enough, so that they will be able to find enough common ground to join together in a new World Religion.

 

 

THE WORLD CHURCH

 

Just as there have been signs that the political powers of this world are coming together in a New World Order, so it has been with the Church. The establishment of a World Church would seem to go hand-in-hand with a World Government. We will go back to the early history of man, and follow the history of the church, and what its relationship may be to the World Church.

 

In the Bible, according to the book of Genesis, Noah had three sons, Ham, Shem, and Japheth. Ham had a son by the name of Cush, and Cush’s son was called Nimrod, and was known as the “mighty hunter.” It was Nimrod who attempted to build a tower that would reach to Heaven. God confused their language, so they couldn’t understand each other, and they were scattered over the face of the Earth. Nimrod (purported to be the founder of Masonry) established a religious system, with the help of his mother and father, to control the people through political methods. This was the beginning of the occult, which became known as Baal (Satan) worship. A common practice was to sacrifice babies.

 

Nimrod’s great-uncle Shem became so enraged over Nimrod’s activities, and with the help of a group of Egyptians, killed him, chopped his body up into little pieces, and sent the pieces to different cities as a warning to those who dabbled in the occult.

 

Nimrod’s mother, Semiramis (who had married her son Nimrod), took over the religion, and proclaimed Nimrod a god. She gathered all of Nimrod’s pieces, except for his penis, which she couldn’t find. She created the symbol of the obelisk and established phallus worship. She claimed that an Evergreen tree sprouted from a tree stump, which she said indicated the entry of new life into the deceased Nimrod. Every year on the anniversary of Nimrod’s birth, said to be on December 25th, she would leave gifts at this Evergreen tree, which was the origin of the Christmas tree.

 

The religion was pushed underground. Those joining had to take oaths of secrecy, and had to tell their priests everything they did wrong. In this way, via the ‘confessional,’ they could blackmail anyone who didn’t yield to their will. Semiramis became known as the ‘Queen of Heaven’ and was symbolized by the figure of the Moon. Nimrod, her son/husband, was now called Baal, the Sun God, or the ‘Divine Son of Heaven.’ Statues were produced showing Semiramis holding the baby Nimrod.

 

When Babylon fell, the religion grew in Egypt and Pergamos (in Asia Minor), where Semiramis became known as Isis, and Nimrod became known as Horus (or Osiris) the Sun God. In Deuteronomy 4:19, Moses warned against Sun worship. In other lands, forms of Baal worship became dominant among various religious practices. In China, Semiramis was called ‘Sing Moo’ (‘Holy Mother’); in ancient Phoenecia, she was called ‘Ashtoreth,’ and in Asia Minor, ‘Diana.’

 

So, God established a nation of Jews, called Israel, and gave them laws to live by. They were to be the light to a world ravaged with sin, but they too became caught up in idol worship. Even though prophets, anointed by God, warned them, they did not heed the warning. As a punishment, God allowed them to become enslaved by other nations.

 

When Attalus, King of Pergamos, died in 133 B.C., he bequeathed the Babylonian priesthood to Rome. Thus, Julius Caesar became the Supreme Pontiff of the Babylonian Order. All Roman emperors served in this capacity until 376 A.D., when Emperor Gratian refused it, and Damascus, a Church Bishop, was appointed the Supreme Pontiff.

 

Jesus Christ, whose birth was prophesied by Isaiah (Isa. 7:14), was sent by God to be the Saviour of the Jews. However, He wasn’t recognized as the awaited Messiah, and was despised by religious leaders who plotted against Him. These Jewish leaders became His judges, presenting phony witnesses, and breaking eighteen Jewish laws in order to have Him sentenced to death.

 

Satan, who three years before, had tempted Jesus in the wilderness, believed that through His crucifixion, he had defeated Christ. But, as you know, He rose from the dead three days later; and forty days later was transfigured into heaven. With the Great Commission, Jesus had instructed His disciples to go to all the world to spread the gospel, and Satan tried his best to defeat the Christian movement.

 

Two years after the establishment of the true Christian Church, Satan raised up a man known as Simon Magus, a Babylonian priest, to do his bidding. According to Acts 8:9-11, Simon “used sorcery, and bewitched the people ... giving out that himself was some great one.” Many people, “from the least to the greatest” were impressed with him, thinking him to be “the great power of God.” When the apostle Philip began to preach the gospel, and perform miracles in Samaria, Satan saw the potential of being able to use Christianity for his own purpose, and Simon tried to buy his way into an apostleship, without the repenting his sins, in order to gain this mysterious new power. Simon adopted some of the Christian teachings interweaving it with his own pagan religion, and called it Christianity.

 

The Dictionary of Christian Biography (Vol. 4, page 682) says:

“...when Justin Martyr wrote his ‘Apology’ (152 A.D.), the sect of the Simonians appears to have been formidable, for he speaks four times of their founder, Simon ... and tells that he came to Rome in the days of Claudius Caesar (45 A.D.), and made such an impression by his magical powers, that he was honored as a god, a statue being erected to him on the Tiber, between the two bridges, bearing the inscription ‘Simoni deo Sancto’ (‘the holy god Simon’).”

Besides his attempt to dilute Christian teaching, Satan zeroed in on its leaders.

• Stephen, who was a deacon in the first Christian church in Jerusalem, was stoned to death in 29 A.D.
• James, the son of Zebedee, was beheaded in Jerusalem in 45 A.D.
• Philip was tied to a pillar at Phrygia in 54 A.D. and stoned
• James, the son of Alpheus, was dragged from the Temple, stoned, and beaten to death with a club in 63 A.D.
• in 64 A.D., Mark (author of one of the Gospels) was seized by a mob of pagan priests and idol worshipers, who tied a rope around his neck, and dragged him through the streets of Alexandria till he died
• Paul (Saul of Tarsus) was persecuted, then beheaded in Rome, in 69 A.D.
• Simon Peter was crucified upside-down in Rome in 69 A.D.
• Andrew was tied to a cross, and left there three days before he died
• Bartholomew was severely beaten in Armenia in 70 A.D., then beheaded
• at Calaminia in 70 A.D., Thomas was thrown into a furnace, then speared to death with javelins
• at Nad-davar in 70 A.D., Matthew was nailed to the ground, then beheaded
• Simon, the Canaanite, was crucified in Syria in 70 A.D.
• Judas Thaddeus was beaten to death with sticks in 70 A.D.
• Matthias (who replaced Judas Iscariot as a disciple/apostle after Judas committed suicide) was tied to a cross, stoned, and then beheaded in 70 A.D.
• Luke (another writer of the Gospels) was hung from an olive tree in Greece in 93 A.D.
• Timothy was stoned to death by idol worshipers in 98 A.D.

Being that Rome, who ruled the known world, was under the influence of a form of Baal worship, Christians who refused to worship the Emperor were persecuted, beginning with Nero, in the middle of the first century. They were arrested and put to death in various ways, such as crucifixion, being tied inside animal skins and attacked by wild dogs, fed to lions, and tied to stakes to be burned as human torches to light Nero’s gardens at night. These persecutions, which lasted until early in the fourth century, caused the Christians to literally go underground, to worship secretly. They took refuge in the subterranean catacombs of Rome, which extended for miles underneath the city. There are said to be over two million Christian graves in these caverns. This persecution of the Christians was Satan’s attempt to get rid of the Biblical teaching. Various religions, cults, and sects, were established to alter the Holy Scriptures in order to change them, and confuse the world.

 

Although the Christians were persecuted, their faith in God stood fast. John, the brother of James, the last of the disciples, was exiled to a penal colony on the island of Patmos in 97 A.D. He was instrumental in preserving our Holy Bible, by informing Christians which of the manuscripts were genuine. These manuscripts were then hidden by Christians in the cellars of the great monasteries.

 

 

The Roman Catholic Church

 

In 305, the two Roman emperors, Diocletian and Maximian, stepped down, and were succeeded by their deputies, Galerius and Constantius. Constantius was then replaced by Maximinus Daia in the east, and Severus in the west, and he sent for his son Constantine to help him reclaim the throne. After Constantius died, Constantine was proclaimed emperor by his father’s army, and he led them in a march against Rome.

 

On the evening of October 27, 312, he came face to face with the legions of Maxentius at the Milvian Bridge on the Tiber River. As he prepared to pit his small army against the military might of Rome, so the legend goes, he vowed that if God would help him conquer Rome, he would institute Christian rule. Eusebius wrote in The Life of Constantine, that above the setting sun, Constantine and his troops saw a cross in the sky, and above it were the words: “Hoc signo victor eris,” which means: “In this sign you shall be victorious.” That night, Christ appeared to him with the cross, and told him to use it as a guardian. The next morning, he had this ‘sign of God’ placed on his helmet, and the shields of his men.

 

Eusebius was given this account by the emperor himself, years afterward, but he didn’t write about it till after Constantine’s death. Most historians never acknowledged this glorified account, and not one man in his army of 40,000 ever mentioned it. Lactantius, a Christian, a few years later, wrote that Constantine had a vision of Apollo at the temple in Gaul, who instructed him to place the “celestial sign of God” on their shields prior to going into battle.

 

Constantine felt that Christ was a manifestation of the Sun God, Sol, or Apollo, even though Christians didn’t know it. The emblem he used, was not the cross he allegedly seen, but the symbol, known as the labarum, which was the first two Greek letters of the word ‘Christos,’ Chi and Rho which had been discovered as part of an inscription found on a Pompeii tomb 250 years earlier.

 

Regardless of what did happen, he won the battle, and took over the government of Rome. The next year, in 313, he issued the Edict of Milan (also known as the Edict of Toleration), which bestowed religious freedom, in order to show tolerance towards Christianity, and all other forms of monotheism were forbidden. He had his troops sprinkled in baptism, proclaiming them to be Christians, although spiritually they weren’t. Constantine made Christianity the official religion of Rome. A document discovered in the eighth century, called the ‘Donation of Constantine’ was said to have conferred some of his secular power upon the Pope, and it was used by the Church to gain some authority in the government, but it was later proved to be a forgery.

 

In 325, he set up the Council of Nicaea, and ruled it as the ‘Summus Pontifex’ (which is the official title of the Pope). He considered himself to be the head of the Church, although the Bishop of Rome was the recognized head, later to be known as the Pope (Italian for ‘father’). Constantine ordered all writings that challenged Church teaching to be gathered up and destroyed, and in 331 he commissioned a new Bible. In 303, pagan emperor Diocletian had already destroyed most of the Christian writings around Rome, so of all the manuscripts of the New Testament available, not one had been produced before the fourth century, which made it easy for the Church to alter the Scriptures to fit the point of view they wanted to convey.

 

Although all Romans were baptized into the Christian faith, there were those who wanted to remain loyal to the Babylonian mysteries, and sought to retain some aspects of their religion in the new Christian religion. Thus, paganism was allowed to infiltrate the Church. Although Constantine claimed to have converted to Christianity, he secretly worshipped the Sun God. He made Sunday a day of rest, not because it was supposed to be the Lord’s day, but being that it was the first day of the week, it was to be a tribute to the Sun God.

 

St. Peter was said to be the first Bishop (or Pope) of the Church, and each Pope is said to be his successor. The rationale being that Jesus said to Peter (originally known as Simeon, or Simon, Jesus called him Cephas, or ‘rock,’ and the name Peter comes from the Latin ‘petrus,’ which means ‘rock’): “That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church...” This is a tradition that is historically inaccurate, because Peter never professed that distinction. There is no evidence that the Apostle Peter had ever been in Rome, at any time. In that verse, in the original Greek, ‘Peter’ is translated from ‘petros’ (Strong’s #4074, a small rock) and ‘rock’ is translated from ‘petra’ (Strong’s # 4073, a mass of rock). What this means is that Jesus is the rock, the foundation of the Church, while Peter was just going to help build it.

 

However, secular history explains that there was a “Simon Peter” in Rome during the first century. The pagan gods of the Babylonians and Greeks were identified by the name Peter (or Patres). The Romans referred to Neptune, Saturn, Mars, and Liber, as ‘gods’ of the Peter-rank. Going back as far as Nimrod, Deuteronomy 23:4 says that Balaam of Pethor was a sacred high place where there was an oracle temple. ‘Pethor’ meant “place of interpretation,” and ‘Balaam’ was the chief Pantora (Peter) and successor to Nimrod. The Hebrew Lexicon indicates that the consonantal word P-T-R or Peter means “to interpret.” Thus, Simon Magus, who had become the interpreter of the Babylonian Mysteries, became known as Simon Peter. The Vaticano Illustrato II says that the Babylonian statue of Jupiter was renamed ‘Peter.’

 

Eusebius (264-340), the Bishop of Caesarea, a Church historian (who was imprisoned by the Romans as they searched for Bibles to destroy them), was Constantine’s chief religious advisor. He studied at Origen’s (184-254) school of Religion and Philosophy in Alexandria, where many gnostic scholars lived and studied. The school became a center for ‘Christian’ learning and culture. Eusebius and his scribes were instructed by Constantine to prepare fifty Bibles for the churches in Constantinople  (Byzantium, or the ‘new Rome’).

 

Eusebius wasn’t a true Christian, because he believed Jesus to be a lesser god, and was guided by that fact when he produced his version of the Scriptures. For instance, he eliminated the verse in 1 John 5:7, which says: “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.” These altered manuscripts were prepared into Bibles for the newly formed Roman Catholic Church, and it was out of Eusebius’ translation, that the Latin Vulgate Bible emerged (a revision of the old Latin version translated from the Greek Septuagint), written by Jerome (382-404), which became the official Bible for all Roman Catholics. All other versions were banned, discarded, and destroyed.

 

Emperor Theodosius (378-398) made Christianity the official State religion, and church membership was mandatory. This forced conversion brought many heathens, idol worshipers, and pagans into the Church. Soon these pagans succeeded in getting statues of Semiramis and Nimrod into the Church, as the Babylonian system of ‘mother and child’ worship eventually evolved into the Madonna and child symbol (prominent at Christmas), and referred to them as the Virgin Mary and the baby Jesus. The halos around their heads were symbolic of the sun. Confessionals were established, just as they were in Babylon, and soon the Church began to grow in power.

 

Several Christian sects and semi-Christian orders criticized the Catholic Church, and taught from the original manuscripts, which they guarded with their lives, in order to insure the survival of God’s word.

 

The Waldenses were founded in 1170 by a rich merchant from Lyons, in southern France, called Peter Waldo. He separated from the Catholic Church, and sold all of his possessions. He taught from the non-Latin version of the Bible, and said that the Catholic Church wasn’t the Church of Christ, and referred to them as the World Church mention in the Book of Revelation. The Christian movement spread to Spain, northern France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Hungary, and Switzerland. The Anabaptists and Lollards were two groups which sprang from the Waldenses.

 

The Anabaptists was the name for various groups from the radical branch of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century. They were active in Germany, Holland, and Switzerland, and were nicknamed the ‘rebaptizers’ because they rejected the idea of infant baptism, which was practiced by the Roman Catholic Church, as a means of saving souls, and demanded rebaptism. Severely persecuted, they eventually rallied behind Menno Simons (1496-1561) who started the group which eventually became known as the Mennonites.

 

John Wycliffe, a professor of Divinity at Oxford University, linked the Pope with the Antichrist. He translated the Bible from Latin to English, and produced the first English Bible in 1382, paving the way for the Reformation. He organized a group called the Order of Poor Preachers, and began distributing his new Bible. They were called ‘Lollards’ (or ‘idle babblers’). Eventually Wycliffe’s writings were banned, and the Pope ordered him to Rome to undergo trial. He died of a stroke in 1384 before he was able to go. By 1425, the Catholic Church was so upset with the increase in the number of Lollards, that they ordered Wycliffe’s bones to be exhumed, and they were burned together with the 200 books he had written.

 

In May, 1163, at a Council in Toulouse, France, which was attended by 17 Cardinals, 124 Bishops, and hundreds of Priests from the Roman Catholic Church, the Inquisition (from the Latin verb ‘inquire,’ or ‘to inquire into’) was forged. As one speaker said: “An accursed heresy has recently arisen in the neighborhood of Toulouse, and it is the duty of the bishops to put it down with all the rigor of the ecclesiastical law.” Anyone who didn’t profess Catholicism was sought out, and again, Satan attempted to destroy Christianity.

 

In 1198, Pope Innocent III sent two Inquisitors to France with the following order: “The foxes called Waldenses, Cathari, and Patari, who, though they have different faces, yet all hang together by their tails, are sent by Satan to devastate the vineyard of the Lord,” and they were “to be judged and killed.” In 1200, the Pope instructed a Spanish priest named Dominique de Guzman (1170-1221) to form an Order to vanquish all opposing religious groups. In 1215, these Dominican monks (Order of the Friar Preachers, or Black Friars), known as the ‘Militia of Christ,’ were dispatched to speak out against the Albigensians (a semi-Christian group prominent in France, which had Manichaean influence, as did the Cathari), who condemned the Catholic Church for worshipping images. A missionary, Peter of Castelnau, was sent to preach against the Albigensians, who killed him, and in 1208, in response to the murder, the Pope instigated a holy war against the Albigensians, and the Cathari of Toulouse, killing many.

 

At the Fourth Council of the Lateran in 1227, Pope Honorius III sanctioned the Inquisition, and said that all heretics should be turned over to the government, and their property confiscated. Catholics sympathetic to the views of these groups were excommunicated. The Inquisition sought to eliminate anyone who wasn’t Catholic and refused to submit to the Pope. Christians were labeled as enemies of the State. Torture was used to obtain confessions and information, which was authorized by Pope Innocent IV in 1252. Christians were tortured by hoisting them in the air to dislocate their shoulders, tearing their arms out of the sockets. Other methods of torture included lacerating their backs with spikes, suffocation, pouring oil on them and setting them on fire. Female prisoners were often raped and beaten. Most, however, were killed by being burned at the stake.

 

The Roman Catholic Church had become so powerful, that through their control of the royalty in Europe, the Church and State had combined in an effort to make Catholicism the universal religion.

 

In Spain, within an eighteen year period, the Chief Inquisitor, Torquemada (1420-1498), imprisoned 97,000, and burned 10,200 to death. From Spain, the Inquisition spread to northern Italy, southern France, Germany, the Netherlands, Mexico, Latin America, Austria, and Poland. In all, the massive campaign, which ran into the early 1800’s, was believed to have claimed about 68 million victims.

 

In the 1500’s, in order to get financing to build St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, ‘indulgences’ were sold. They were certificates, signed by the Pope, which pardoned sins without confession and repentance.

 

Martin Luther (1483-1546), who turned away from Catholicism after reading the Syrian text of the Bible from Antioch, witnessed John Tetzel (Archbishop of Mainz and Magdeburg) selling these indulgences, and compiled a list of 95 ‘points’ against indulgences, and nailed them on a church door on October 31, 1517, in Wittenberg, Germany. Those siding with Luther were called ‘Protestants’ because they protested the power of the Catholic Church. This initiated an era that became known as the Reformation Period. In 1520, a Papal Bull was issued, that officially excommunicated Luther. It called for his death because of his heresy, unless his document was retracted within 60 days. He publicly burned the Order. He went on to translate the New Testament into German, and soon the Lutheran religion (derived from his last name) became the dominant religion in northern Germany.

 

William Tyndale (1494-1536) translated the Greek version of the New Testament into English, but Church authorities prevented him from publishing it in England, so he published it in Germany in 1525. By 1536 he finished translating the Old Testament, but before it could be printed and distributed, he was burned at the stake in Belgium as a religious heretic, by the order of King Henry VIII of England. A year later, King Henry broke away from the Catholic Church, forming the Church of England, and in 1537, authorized the Tyndale Bible to be distributed as the official Bible of the Church. His translation became the basis of the King James Version.

 

Soon the Catholic Church was in trouble, and in 1534, Pope Paul III instructed a Spanish priest, Ignatius de Loyola, to organize the ‘Order of the Jesuits’ (also known as the ‘Society of Jesus’) in order to oppose the Protestant movement. Loyola, as a soldier, had been maimed in battle, and while recuperating, claimed a conversion to Catholicism. He wrote a guidebook called Spiritual Exercises to help people get spiritually closer to Christ. On August 15, 1534, in Paris, Loyola and six other men, joined together in taking vows of poverty and chastity, and to accept any assignment requested by the Pope. The group was officially sanctioned by the Pope in 1540. The head of the Jesuits became known as the ‘Black Pope.’

 

Those taking the Jesuit Oath swore allegiance to “his holiness, the Pope, (who) is Christ’s Vice-Regent, and is the true and only head of the Catholic or Universal Church throughout the Earth.” The oath contained a pledge to “make and wage relentless war, secretly or openly, against all heretics, Protestants and Liberals, as I am directed to do to extirpate and exterminate them from the face of the whole earth, and that I will spare neither sex, age, nor condition, and that I will hang, waste, boil, flay, strangle, and bury alive these infamous heretics; rip up the stomachs and wombs of their women and crush their infants’ heads against the wall, in order to annihilate forever their excrable.”

 

While the Dominicans worked publicly, the Jesuits worked secretly. They had planned the massacre of St. Bartholomew in 1572 that killed 70,000 Huguenots (French Protestants, who later established the Reformed Church of France). Carried out by Dominican monks and Roman Catholic troops, most of the French Christian leaders were killed, which practically stopped the Christian movement in France. To celebrate, the Pope ordered the Rosary said in every church to thank the Virgin Mary for victory, and had a medal struck to commemorate the occasion.

 

In England, Jesuit priests translated Origen’s Alexandrian manuscripts into English in 1582, but the new Bible was rejected. Some researchers feel that this was the real reason behind the attack of the Spanish Armada in 1588. Spain’s mighty fleet was defeated. The Jesuit movement grew, and by 1626, there were 15,000 members; and by 1749, over 22,000. It became the largest single Roman Catholic Order.

 

On June, 1773, Pope Clement XIV (1769-75), pressured by France, Spain, and Portugal, said that the group was “immoral and a menace to the Church and the Faith,” and abolished the Order. In Germany, the government established a Commission to liquidate and inventory Jesuit assets. Councilor Zuytgens was appointed to inventory all articles at their college in Ruremonde, and to forward all documents to the government. He discovered the Secreta Monita, which was recorded in the “Protocol of the Transactions of the Committee Appointed in Consequence of the Suppression of the Society of Jesus in the Low Countries” which is on file in the archives in Brussels. The book contained secret instructions for the Jesuits, and its leaders, and warned against its discovery, because of people getting the wrong idea about the Order.

 

The Jesuits continued to operate secretly, establishing their headquarters in Russia. It is believed that they survived by joining Masonic lodges. Napoleon had Pope Plus VII (1800-23) jailed at Avignon until he agreed to reinstate the Jesuits, and at the Congress of Vienna (1814-15) the demand for their services, allegedly to “make America Catholic,” led Pope Plus VII to reestablish the Order.

 

In 1302, Pope Boniface VIII (1294-1303) said: “We declare, affirm, and define as a truth necessary for salvation that every human being is subject to the Roman Pontiff.”

 

Pope Leo X (1513-21) proclaimed that all human beings must be subject to the Roman Pontiff for salvation. He said: “It has served us well, this myth of Christ.” He sold indulgences and ordered that heretics be burned.

 

In 1542, Pope Paul III (1534-50) established the Roman Inquisition to battle Protestantism in Italy. The operation was carried out by a Commission governed by six Cardinals, called the Congregation of the Inquisition. As Catholicism expanded, they concerned themselves only with maintaining religious order, and in 1908, Pope Plus X renamed them the Holy Office, and they were charged with maintaining the purity of the faith. In 1965, Pope Paul VI (1963-78) reorganized the group, and renamed it the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

 

Pope Pius (1846-78) said that Protestantism is “no form of Christian religion” and Pope Leo XIII (1878-1903) condemned religious freedom and Bible translations, and said that “everyone separated from the Roman Catholic Church, however unblamable in other respects, has no part in Eternal Life.” He also said that he was the head of all rulers, that he was God’s earthly ruler, and that the Protestants were the “enemies of the Christian name.”

 

Pope Plus X (1903-14), when he was Archbishop of Venice, said: “The Pope is not only the representative of Jesus Christ, but he is Jesus Christ himself, hidden under the veil of flesh. Does the Pope speak? It is Jesus Christ who speaks (as reported in the Catholic Nationale, July 13, 1895).” As Pope, he said that the Reformation leaders were “enemies of the Cross of Christ.” Pope Plus XI (1922-39) said in 1928, that the Roman Catholic Church was the only Church of Christ.

 

In the 1800’s, the Vatican wasn’t doing very well financially. Their credit was so bad that no Christian banker would help them. In 1835, James Mayer Rothschild (1792-1868) stepped in and lent them $200,000. Pope Gregory XVI (1831-46) was so grateful that he awarded the Rothschild family with a Papal decoration. Ever since then, the Rothschilds have been one of the financial agents of the Vatican. But that still wasn’t enough. Properties were sold, relics of the saints were sold, a percentage of the money received at the Shrine of Lourdes was taken, annulments were sold; and they also raised money by selling straw from the Pope’s bed, candles, rosaries, and images of the Madonna. They also tried to raise money in 1868 by establishing the Peter’s Pence in the United States, a year after the U.S. broke off diplomatic relations with the Vatican (which were later reestablished in 1984).

 

For years, the Popes ruled a 16,000 square mile area in central Italy, which was referred to as the Papal States. That was reduced to about 4,891 square miles in 1860 when the Kingdom of Italy was formed. In September, 1870, Italian troops marched on Rome and ended the temporal power of the Pope, and limited his sovereignty to the palaces of the Vatican, the Lateran in Rome, and the villa of Castel Gandolfo. On February 11, 1929, Cardinal Gasparri and Italian Premier Benito Mussolini signed the Treaty of Conciliation (known as the Lateran Agreement), which established the independent state of Vatican City, and also made Catholicism the official religion of Italy. The agreement compensated the Vatican for their lost land ($40,000,000), and transferred about 5% of the government’s bonds (about $50,000,000) to them. The Lateran Treaty was made part of the Italian Constitution (Article 7) in 1947.

 

Vatican City in Rome is the world’s smallest independent country, taking in an area of nearly 109 acres. It includes St. Peters’s Basilica, which covers an area of 163,200 square feet, making it the world’s largest church; the Vatican Palace, which has 1,400 rooms, 200 staircases, and is the largest residence in the world; the Vatican Museum, which sits on thirteen acres, and contains the Sistine Chapel, where Michelangelo painted his “Last Judgment” on the ceiling; various buildings between Viale Vaticano and the Church; and the Vatican Gardens. Thirteen buildings outside the boundaries possess extraterritorial rights, and house people necessary for the administration of the Church. The name ‘Vatican,’ means ‘center of divination.’

 

With a population of 800, about 3,000 employees, and an operating budget of over $100 million annually, the Vatican is the central administrative office of the Roman Catholic Church. Here the Pope wields executive and judicial powers over a religious empire of over 63,000,000 members in thousands of churches. They have extensive real estate holdings (they own one-third of Rome), own major companies and utilities and have controlling interests in others, possess priceless works of art, religious artifacts, and massive deposits in Italian and foreign banks (including America and Switzerland). It is rumored, that the Vatican owns 40-50% of the shares quoted on the Italian Stock Exchanges, which is worth about $5 billion.

 

Vatican City has their own flag, their own bank, their own license plates (numbered from 1-142), their own radio station (Radio Vatican, which reaches every country on earth with broadcasts in thirty languages), their own newspaper (l´Osservatore Romano), their own post office (issuing their own stamps), their own telephone system, the Institute for Religious Works (established in 1942, which provides about $10 million a year towards their budget), a pharmacy, a bar, a gas station, a train depot, and a printing plant. There are no taxes; and they issue their own passports and citizenship papers. The neutral country is protected by 100 Swiss guards, and 150 Italian police.

 

Despite the efforts of the Catholic Church to destroy the Holy Bible, the Scriptures survived, and in 1603, King James of England gathered 54 English scholars to assemble manuscripts to prepare a Bible. They used the Antioch manuscripts, and the Jewish Massoretic text, completing their work in 1611. The result was the King James Version of the Bible that was used by the Episcopalians in England, and the Scottish Presbyterians. Today, it is the most widely accepted version of the Scriptures in the world.

 

In England, two groups opposed the Church of England, because of the centralized control of the Anglican Church and their elaborate rituals: the Puritans, who wanted to try and purify it from within; and the Separatists, who felt that the Church was so corrupt, that it was beyond the possibility of reform. To escape the persecution of King James, William Bradford led many to Holland, in 1608; and in 1619, they joined a larger group in England and sailed to America on the Mayflower, where the Separatists became known as Pilgrims. They had intended to land at Virginia, but was blown off course, hundreds of miles north, where the 103 settlers floated into the peninsula of Cape Cod in Massachusetts, in November of 1620.

 

Some of the Pilgrim leaders became worried about the group who had come from London and Southampton, and to control their actions, 41 of them drew up plans for a civil government, based on Christian principles, which became known as the Mayflower Compact. Bradford was elected as their first Governor, and he established a system that was unlike the Jamestown colony in Virginia (who were Anglicans), which was based on the communal theories of Plato and Francis Bacon. Although half of the settlers died during the harsh winter, the success of the Plymouth colony brought an influx of others seeking religious freedom from the dominance of the Anglican Church of England. To protect their newly found freedom, their government took on the form of a theocracy, which only allowed propertied church members to vote; and there was no tolerance towards other religions.

 

As the population grew, the Puritans were unable to maintain their strict control, and other colonies in New England were established as a haven from those frustrated with their rigidity. Even though Puritan control was broken in the late 1600’s, the New England colonies which welcomed Quakers and Jews, continued to ban Roman Catholic worship until 1783.

 

In 1624 the Dutch established a colony known as New Netherland, which was seized by the British in 1664, and renamed New York. Various religious groups flourished there, such as the Dutch Reformed, Swedish Lutherans, French Protestant (Huguenots), Quakers, and Jews. In 1682, responding to William Penn’s (a Quaker) ‘Holy Experiment,’ Quakers, Scotch-Irish Presbyterians, Mennonites, and other pietists from Germany settled in Pennsylvania. Although Maryland was founded in 1634 as a Catholic colony, it was soon overwhelmed with Protestants, who dominated religion in America until the Civil War.

 

 

The World Council of Churches

 

In 1910, J. R. Mott, a 45-year old American Methodist minister, chaired the World Congress in Edinburgh to foster inter-church relations and to eliminate overlapping by spreading out their manpower in the missionary field. Out of that, came the Universal Christian Council of Life and Work, at Stockholm, Sweden in 1925; and the World Conference of Faith and Order, at Lausanne in 1927. Eventually, it developed into the World Council of Churches (WCC) at Amsterdam (the Netherlands) on August 23, 1948, when representatives from 147 churches in 44 countries met. The banner over the stage said: “One World-One Church.”

 

Six co-Presidents were appointed to run the organization, including an American, G. Bromley Oxham, who was a 33rd degree Mason, and Vice-President of a communist-front organization known as the Methodist Federation for Social Action. In the 1945 book Labor and Tomorrow’s World, he wrote: “The workers of Russia speak. They say that the American demand for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness can never be realized until it is complemented by the universal obligation to work in a society in which the means of production are owned by the people, and the fruits of the production go to the people...”

 

Another co-President, T. C. Chao, was the Dean of Yenching University’s School of Religion in Peiping (known as the ‘Harvard of China,’ which was partially funded by the Rockefellers). When the Communists were taking over China, Chao and his students welcomed their actions, and he was later given an official position in the Red Chinese government. Josef L. Hromadka, from Prague (Czechoslovakia), a founding member of the WCC’s Central Committee, was a Communist Party member, and said in a January, 1959 speech: “Communism is no embodiment of evil, no ‘murder of souls’ as some people in the West believe. It is our task to demonstrate that this view is mistaken. Communism has grown out of the humanitarian efforts of many philosophers and poets who desired to create a more just and happy human society.”

 

According to its members, the WCC is a “fellowship of churches which confess the Lord Jesus Christ as God and Savior according to the Scriptures and therefore seek to fulfill together their common calling to the glory of the One God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.” However, the facts seem to point to a much different agenda. The Founding Assembly of the WCC, at their first meeting in 1948, approved and sent to its member churches, a report called, The Church and the Disorder of Society, which said:

 

“The Christian Church should reject the ideologies of both communism and capitalism ... Communism ideology ... promise that freedom will come automatically after the completion of the revolution. Capitalism puts the emphasis on freedom and promises that justice will follow as a by-product of free enterprise. That, too, is an ideology which has been proven false ... It is the responsibility of Christians to seek new creative solutions which never allow either justice or freedom to destroy the other.”

 

In 1952, Dr. O. Frederick Nolde, Director of the Commission of the Churches on International Affairs, said: “Our real enemy is not the Soviet Government...” In 1966, the Central Committee of the WCC (their chief policy-making body), said than an “American victory in Vietnam would cause long-range difficulties.” They “called upon the United States to halt its bombing of North Vietnam and ‘review and modify’ its policy of trying to contain communism.” They also called for the United Nations to accept Red China as a member. In May, 1967, Dr. Martin Niemoeller, President of the WCC, was awarded the Lenin Peace Prize by Russia.

 

The Central Committee of the WCC, made up of 120 members, meets annually to carry out policies and decisions. The Executive Committee meets twice a year, in order to keep things going between Central Committee meetings. The entire organization meets in seven year intervals. Their avowed objective is to uphold the ecumenical movement, and to establish an all-inclusive church. The WCC is made up of liberals, evangelicals, neo-Orthodox, Armenians, Calvinists, Protestants, Lutherans, Anglicans, and Russian Orthodox. Most of the non-Roman Catholic Churches belong, and they have been extending invitations to groups such as Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, and Jews. They have 342 member churches in 120 countries, which represent a membership of nearly 400 million Christians, and most of the world’s Orthodox churches.

 

In October, 1979, Dr. Lukas Vischu, a Swiss Reform Minister, and Eastern Orthodox leader Dimitrios I, urged the Roman Catholic Church to merge with the WCC. An affiliated arm of the WCC, called the American Friends of the World Council of Churches was headquartered at the liberal Riverside Church in New York City, which had been pastored by Skull and Bones member Rev. William Sloane Coffin, a leader in the National Council of Churches.

 

In May, 1969, the WCC recommended that its churches support violence to overthrow political tyranny and “combat racism.” Since then, they have been giving financial aid to nearly 46 revolutionary groups in 17 countries. Some of the groups are communist, while others had been getting arms from Russia. They gave $125,000 to the South West Africa People’s Organization in Angola, $65,000 to the African National Congress in Mozambique (whose leader, Joe Slovo, was a member of the Communist Party, and a colonel in the Russian KGB), and $85,000 to Robert Mugabe’s Patriotic Front. After the takeover of Zimbabwe (formerly known as Rhodesia (named after Cecil Rhodes, who took over the area in 1897), Mugabe, a well known communist terrorist, told a delegation from the WCC: “This is the moment for the forthright acknowledgment of the support from the World Council of Churches for our struggle.” During the Melbourne Conference in May, 1980, three Zimbabwe delegates told the assembly: “Our hard-won victory did not come only through our own determination. We were sustained and reinforced by the support– material, oral, and spiritual– accorded to us by the World Council of Churches, and its member churches.”

 

In 1972, they voted to increase this funding to $1,000,000. Between 1969 and 1979, this Committee, known as the Program to Combat Racism, had provided an average of $2,600,000 a year. Within a ten-year period, ending with the Vietnam War in 1975, the WCC gave millions of dollars to the Vietcong in North Vietnam. One $500,000 grant went towards their “new economic zones.” A $200,000 grant was provided to four anti-government groups in Africa. Between 1980 and 1985 the WCC gave $362,000 to African National Congress, whose leader, Nelson Mandela, who had been called a “cold-blooded communist killer,” a “hard-line communist,” a “Marxist,” and an “unrepentant terrorist.” By 1992, they had given them over $1.3 million in grants.

 

Dr. John C. Bennett, a member of the WCC Executive Committee (as well as a member of the National Council of Churches) said the following: “Communism is to be seen as an instrument of modernization of national unification and increasing social welfare.”

 

The largest U.S. Church donors to the WCC had been the Presbyterian Church (USA), United Methodist, Disciples of Christ, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, United Church of Christ, Episcopal, and the American Baptist Churches.

 

Other ecumenical organizations are: National Association of Evangelicals (1950), and its parent organization, the World Evangelical Fellowship (1951); the American Council of Churches (1941), and its parent organization, the International Council of Christian Churches (1948).

 

 

The National Council of Churches

 

The National Council of Churches of Christ in America (NCC), the American subsidiary of the WCC, is an interdenominational group founded on November 29, 1950, after fourteen interdenominational organizations merged. Actually, it was just a reorganization of the pro-communist Federal Council of Churches (FCC), that was founded in 1908 (consisting of 31 major American denominations) by Dr. Walter Rauschenbusch (a Baptist, and the leading spokesman of socialist Christianity, who called for “a new order that would rest on Christian principles of equal rights and democratic distribution of economic power.”) and Dr. Harry F. Ward, a top communist. The founding document of the National Council of Churches was adopted from Ward’s “The Social Creed of Churches,” which said that the Church must stand for “the most equitable division of the product of industry that can ultimately be devised.” This was a subtle way of advocating the communistic principle of the confiscation of private property.

 

In 1927, Rep. Arthur M. Free introduced a resolution in the House that identified the FCC as a “Communist organization aimed at the establishment of a state-church…” In 1936, they were identified by the Office of Naval Intelligence, as being one of the several organizations which “give aid and comfort to the Communist movement and Party,” and said they were “one of the most dangerous, subversive organizations in the country.” Later that year, Admiral William H. Standley, Chief of Naval Operations, publicly accused the Federal Council of Churches of collaborating with the Communists. The Congressional Record (December 9, 1987) quoted from an FBI report on Soviet Active Measures in the United States, under the section called “The Soviet Campaign to Influence Religious Organizations,” which said:

“It is clear … that the Soviet Union is increasingly interested in influencing and/or manipulating American churches, religious organizations, and their leaders within the United States…”

It revealed that “the campaign ‘has targeted the members and leaders of a broad range of religious organizations within the United States’ and uses several channels for its campaign of disinformation.”

 

In 1933, Rev. Albert W. Beaven, a past president of the FCC (along with 44 others), wrote a letter to President Franklin Roosevelt to try to convince him to socialize America because they believed “there can be no recovery so long as the nation depends on palliative legislation inside the capitalistic system.” In 1942, their platform called for “a world government, international control of all armies and navies, a universal system of money, and a democratically-controlled international bank.”

 

Andrew Carnegie gave money to the FCC to promote his goal of “world peace through world government.” From 1926 to 1929 John D. Rockefeller donated over $137,000 to the group. In 1948, the FCC received $2,959 from the Russell Sage Foundation (well known supporter of Communist causes, and Planned Parenthood), $1 million from the Henry Luce Foundation (publisher of Time and Life magazines), and $1 million from the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, as well as others.

 

When the Rothschilds charged Schiff with the task of undermining religion in America, Schiff delegated certain responsibilities to John D. Rockefeller, Jr. who later recruited Ward, who had taught religion at the Union Theological Seminary (which Rockefeller helped establish) in New York for 25 years. The Seminary was so liberal that it was known as the “Red Seminary,” because of how many students graduates and faculty members had ties to communist groups. Manning Johnson, a Communist Party member, referred to Ward as “the chief architect for Communist infiltration and subversion in the religious field.”

 

In 1907, Rockefeller financed Ward’s establishment of the Methodist Foundation of Social Service, which was America’s first Communist-front organization. This religious institution cast serious doubts as to the virgin birth and divinity of Jesus. In 1953, Ward was identified as a Communist by the House Committee on Un-American Activities. In 1908, they reorganized and changed their name to the Federal Council of Churches.

 

Raised as a Baptist, Rockefeller began noticing all of the competition between Protestant groups, and after World War II, got involved with the Interchurch World Movement, contributing over $1 million to its initial budget of $40 million, and traveling the country on a national speaking tour. It soon went under. Rockefeller was a well-known supporter of evangelist Billy Sunday, and forty years later, donated $75,000 to Billy Graham’s New York crusade. He also donated $26 million to build the Riverside Church, which opened in 1930, which was pastored by Rev. Harry Emerson Fosdick (NCC leader, former President of the Rockefeller Foundation, who didn’t believe in the deity of Christ or the virgin birth; and was the brother of Raymond Fosdick, a member of the CFR), who had formerly been the pastor at the old First Presbyterian Church at 11th Street and 5th Avenue in New York.

 

The interdenominational church was located on Riverside Drive in Morningside Heights, a block from Columbia University, and across from the Union Theological Seminary (to whom Rockefeller contributed $1,083,333 in 1922). He was also a large contributor to the World Council of Churches.

 

Rockefeller provided the land (across the street from the Riverside Church, which it is connected to via an underground tunnel) for the 19-story triangular-shaped Interchurch Center (475 Riverside Drive, suite 880) that serves as the headquarters for the National Council of Churches in New York City.

 

The membership of the National Council of Churches of Christ in America consists of 36 Protestant, Anglican, and Orthodox denominations. They are the biggest advocate of the ecumenical movement in the country, having well over 140,000 churches, and nearly 50,000,000 members:

 

African Methodist Episcopal Church (2,500,000 members), 12th largest U.S. Church

African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church (1,296,662), 20th largest U.S. Church

Alliance of Baptists

American Baptist Churches in the USA (1,436,909), 18th largest U.S. Church

Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America (250,000)

Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (414,000)

Christian Church/Disciples of Christ (1,011,502)

Christian Methodist Episcopal Church (718,922)

Church of the Brethren (13,132)

Coptic Orthodox Church in North America (180,000)

Episcopal Church in the USA (2,311,398), 14th largest U.S. Church

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (5,125,919), 6th largest U.S. Church

Friends United Meeting (50,803)

Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America (1,500,000), 15th largest U.S. Church

Hungarian Reformed Church in America (9,780)

International Council of Community Churches (500,000)

Korean Presbyterian Church in America

Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church

Mar Thoma Church

Moravian Church in America-North and South Province (50,982)

National Baptist Convention of America (3,500,000), 7th largest U.S. Church

National Baptist Convention, USA (8,200,000)

National Missionary Baptist Convention of America (2,500,000), 13th largest U.S. Church

Orthodox Church in America (1,000,000), 23rd largest U.S. Church

Patriarchal Parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church in the USA (9,780)

Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends

Polish National Catholic Church of America (282,411)

Presbyterian Church, USA (3,485,332), 8th largest U.S. Church

Progressive National Baptist Convention (2,500,000), 11th largest U.S. Church

Reformed Church in America (274,521)

Serbian Orthodox Church of USA and Canada (67,000)

Swedenborgian Church (2,475)

Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch (33,000)

Ukranian Orthodox Church of America (5,000)

United Church of Christ (1,377,320), 19th largest U.S. Church

United Methodist Church (8,340,954), 3rd largest U.S. Church           

 

In the January 1926 issue of the Masonic New Age magazine, members were urged to “cast his lot with the Church– to help vitalize it, liberalize it, modernize it, and render it aggressive and efficient– to do less is treason to your country, to your Creator, and to the obligation you have promised to obey.” Many NCC pastors are Masons, and in the May 22, 1989 edition of Time magazine, Dr. Richard Mouw of the Fuller Theological Seminary in California, said that NCC member churches are teaching “magic and the occult and the New Age.”

 

The National Council of Churches is responsible for the Revised Standard Version of the Bible. They have concerned themselves with civil liberties, social justice, and the theological critique of U.S. foreign policy, particularly in respect to China and Indo-China. The have said that the United States should become a subordinate of the United Nations. They supported the Supreme Court decision that removed prayer and Bible reading from the nation’s public school system. In 1960, a Congressional Committee investigation revealed: “Thus far of the leadership of the National Council of Churches of Christ in America, we have found over 100 persons in leadership capacity with either Communist-front records or records of service to communist causes.”

 

The Foundation for Community Organization, which has its offices in the New York headquarters of the National Council of Churches, had made grants to the Mozambique Liberation Front, and the Zimbabwe African National Union. The Church World Service (CWS), a relief and development arm of the NCC, have sent money to “groups supporting the Palestine Liberation Organization, the governments of Cuba and Vietnam, the pro-Soviet movement in Latin America, Asia, Africa, and several political fringe groups in the U.S.” The Domestic Hunger Network, which is also coordinated through the NCC, gave a hefty sum to political groups throughout the world.

 

Hundreds of thousands of NCC dollars have been given to groups who supported the Palestine Liberation Organization; the communist and pro-Soviet governments of Cuba and Vietnam, and countries in Latin America, Asia and Africa. In 1982, $5.5 million in NCC money made its way to Communist guerillas in Zimbabwe, Naminia, Mozambique, and Angola; and in 1983, Communists in El Salvador and Nicaragua were receiving NCC funds.

 

In 1980, the Methodist Church donated $8 million to the NCC; the United Presbyterian Church (who merged with the Presbyterian Church USA in 1983, after being separated since 1861) gave $3 million; United Churches of Christ, $2 million; the Episcopal Church, $1 million; and the Disciples of Christ, $1 million.

 

In the July 15, 1968 issue of Approach, Gus Hall, the General Secretary of the U.S. Communist Party said that the Communist goals for America were “almost identical to those espoused by the Liberal Church. We can and we should work together for the same things.” The socialist message of the NCC was emphasized even more in May, 1972, when a religious ecumenical assembly of 400 Americans met as the “Christians for Socialism.” The May 4th edition of the New York Times, said that the newly organized group called for the purpose of achieving socialism throughout Latin America (since) socialism appears to be the only acceptable alternative for bringing an end to the exploitation of the class society.”

 

 

The Support Behind Billy Graham

 

At a Los Angeles tent meeting in 1949, on a night when Billy Graham was deciding whether to extend or end his revival, the place was suddenly crawling with reporters and photographers. Afterwards, he was told: “You have been kissed by William Randolph Hearst.” Hearst was a major newspaper publisher in the country, and also owned many magazines, including Cosmopolitan, Town and Country, Harper’s Bazaar, and Good Housekeeping. From that day on, the Illuminati-controlled media supported him. Not only did Hearst write favorably about him, but he also helped finance his Crusades for the first three years.

 

I approached this section of the book with great trepidation, because I know how well respected Rev. Billy Graham is by many people. You may wonder how Graham, one of the country’s greatest Christian leaders, could be linked to the Illuminati. Well, by now, you should understand how they work, so what better person to use, then somebody who is admired and respected by millions, even though his impact for their cause is subtle and rather indirect. Throughout his life, Graham has established relationships with people and made alliances with organizations that seem to counteract the message of salvation that he has brought to the world. For instance, he considered his relationship with Henry Luce as an “enduring friendship.” Luce, the publisher of magazines like People, Life, Time, Fortune, and Money, was a Yale graduate, a member of the Skull and Bones and the Council on Foreign Relations.

 

In 1954, Secretary of State (for Pres. Eisenhower) John Foster Dulles (founding member of the Council on Foreign Relations, Chairman of Rockefeller Foundation, and very active in the Federal Council of Churches) used his influence to help Graham’s 1954 Crusade in London, England. Through the Federal Council of Churches, Dulles was chairman for their Commission on a Just and Durable Peace who issued a report calling for a “world government.”

 

In 1957, the Protestant Council of New York, affiliated with the NCC, invited Graham to speak at Madison Square Garden in New York. John D. Rockefeller donated $75,000 to the Crusade, and then afterwards, Graham donated $67,618 to the Protestant Council.

 

In 1959 at the San Francisco Crusade, and in 1960 at the Detroit Crusade, Graham invited Bishop James A. Pike to the platform to pray. Pike, a member of the Episcopal Church, was very vocal on his denial of the virgin birth, the Trinity, and salvation solely through Christ. In the November, 1960 issue of Pacific Churchman, Pike said that anyone who opposed Communism was doing the bidding of hell. After his oldest son committed suicide in 1966, Pike began to consult with various mediums to try to contact him. In 1969 when he died, Newsweek even declared that he had “rejected orthodox Christianity.”

 

In 1959, Martin Luther King delivered the opening prayer at one of Graham’s Crusades, and in a 1963 interview with the New York Times said that King was his “good personal friend.” As discussed in Chapter Four, King was a known communist. In addition to his adulterous behavior, he denied the virgin birth and resurrection of Christ. In a 1961 interview for Ebony magazine he said: “I do not believe in hell as a place of a literal burning fire.”

 

In fact, Graham’s views in that regard also underwent a metamorphosis. In the July, 1978, issue of McCall’s magazine he said: “I used to think that pagans in far-off countries were lost– were going to hell– if they did not have the Gospel of Jesus Christ preached to them. I no longer believe that … I believe there are other ways of recognizing the existence of God– through nature, for instance– and plenty of other opportunities, therefore, of saying yes to God.” He elaborated in the book A Prophet With Honor by saying that he “did not automatically consign to hell all who never heard the Christian gospel preached.”

 

In an interview in the April 10, 1983 Orlando Sentinel, Graham said in response to why many Americans didn’t accept the concept of hell: “I think that hell essentially is separation from God forever. And that is the worst hell that I can think of. But I think people have a hard time believing God is going to allow people to burn in a literal fire forever.” In a July, 1983 book written by Graham for distribution at his International Conference for Itinerant Evangelists in Amsterdam, he said:

 

“Hell is not the most popular of preaching topics. I don’t like to preach on it. But I must if I am to proclaim the whole counsel of God. We must not avoid warning of it. The most outspoken messages on hell, and the most graphic references to it, came from Jesus Himself … Jesus used three words to describe hell … The third word that He used is ‘fire.’ Jesus used this symbol over and over. This could be a literal fire, as many believe. Or it could be symbolic … I’ve often thought that this could possibly be a burning thirst for God that is never quenched. What a terrible fire that would be– never to find satisfaction, joy or fulfillment.”

 

 In the November 15, 1993 edition of Time magazine, he is quoted as saying: “When it comes to a literal fire, I don’t preach it because I’m not sure about it.” And finally, in a television interview in England he said: “I do not believe in a literal hell now.”

 

Tom Allen, a socialist from Scotland, who is a friend of Graham, said that “Billy Graham has one of the most acute and social consciences of any man I ever met.”

 

Billy Graham has been the personal friend and confidant of every President since Eisenhower. Apparently Billy’s ‘bar’ was not raised too high, because he saw our country’s leaders (as well as other political leaders) as Christians, yet their fruit did not bear that out. Even though he was a Democrat, in 1960, he wrote an article for Life magazine to endorse Richard Nixon’s presidential candidacy, who was his “closest friend in the political world.” Henry Luce refused to publish it because of pressure from the Kennedy camp.

 

He described President Johnson as a man whose “spiritual roots are deep in Texas,” and “a man reared in deep religious faith that has prevailed in this Southwest country since the beginning.”

 

Graham said that “Nixon held such noble standards of ethics and morality for the nation,” and also said that he had “given moral and spiritual leadership to the nation at a time when we desperately need it…” He claimed that Nixon had a “deep personal faith in God … Although he doesn’t flaunt his faith publicly, I know him to be a deeply religious man.”

 

When Nixon was the recipient of quite a backlash from the American people for planning a trip to Red China, Billy Graham flew to Washington, DC, and called a meeting at the White House of leading ministers from across the country. Both he and Henry Kissinger were able to convince them that the trip to Communist China was necessary. At his May, 1968 Crusade, he said that there was “no American I admire more than Richard Nixon.”

 

He wrote about President Ford (a Mason, and member of the CFR): “I knew him to be a professing Christian, and we had several times of prayer together. He was always warm, friendly, and outgoing to me … A lot of us Christians saw him as a spiritual leader as well as a political one.”

 

In an interview with the U.S. News and World Report on May 3, 1993 he said about President Bill Clinton (pro-gay, pro-abortion, and adulterer): “I am quite impressed with his charisma and with some of the things he believes. If he chose to preach the gospel instead of politics, he would make a great evangelist.” His autobiography Just As I Am talks about being with Clinton on May 1, 1996, and said: “It was a time of warm fellowship with a man who has not always won the approval of his fellow Christians but who has in his heart a desire to serve God and do His will.”

 

At a luncheon for 500 newspaper editors during their annual convention in Washington, D.C., Graham said that Clinton’s personal life and character were “irrelevant” and referred to him as a “man of God.” He said: “I believe Bill has gone to his knees many times and asked God to help him.”

 

There was a time (as reported by Parade magazine on February 1, 1981), when Graham said: “Communism is inspired, directed, and motivated by the devil himself. America is at a crossroad. Will we turn to the left-wingers and atheists, or will we turn to the right and embrace the Cross?” There was a time when he called the communists, “satan worshipers,” and said in 1954: “Either Communism must die, or Christianity must die, because it is actually a battle between Christ and the Antichrist.”

 

In May 28, 1973, the Mainichi Daily News, in Tokyo, Japan, quoted Graham as saying:

 

“I think communisms’ appeal to youth is its structure and promise of a future utopia. Mao Tse-tung’s (China’s communist leader) eight precepts are basically the same as the Ten Commandments. In fact, if we can’t have the Ten Commandments read in our schools, I’ll settle for Mao’s precepts.”

 

In 1977, on a trip to Hungary, a Communist country, a deceived Graham talked about the “religious freedom” there. In May, 1982, Graham was invited to speak at the World Conference of Religious Workers for Saving the Sacred Gift of Life from Nuclear Catastrophe (which was attended by 600 clergymen from around the world), which was sponsored by the Russian Orthodox Church. The Reagan Administration tried to convince him not to go fearing that he would become a victim of communist propaganda.

 

While he was there, he said that he didn’t see any evidence of religious repression, and said: “There are differences, of course, in religion as it is practiced here and, let’s say, in the U.S. But that doesn’t mean there is no religious freedom.” That was hardly an accurate statement concerning the religious status of the Soviet Union, an atheistic country, who at the time was still dominated by Communism, and persecuted those who worshipped God.

 

When he returned to America, Graham was asked if his views towards communism had changed, and he said: “I’ve changed a little at this point, but I am not a pro-Communist.” In Franklin Graham’s book Rebel With a Cause, he said that on one particular trip to Russia, Soviet government officials completely controlled his schedule, “but never hindered his preaching … (because) Daddy never spoke against Communism in his sermons.”

 

 In 1957, Graham was quoted as saying that Catholicism was “a stench in the nostrils of God,” yet leaders in his own organization, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, have tried to assure supporters that Billy is not catering to the Catholic Church.

 

In the early 1950’s, Cardinal Richard Cushing, the Archbishop of Boston, said that “if he had half a dozen Billy Grahams, he would not worry about the future of his Church.” After meeting with him in 1964, Cushing said: “I am 100% for the evangelist. I have never known a religious crusade that was more effective than Dr. Graham’s. I have never heard the slightest criticism of anything he has ever said from a Catholic source.” In response, Graham said: “I feel much closer to Roman Catholic tradition than to some of the more liberal Protestants…” In 1966, he said: “I find myself closer to Catholics than the radical Protestants.” In 1978, Billy said: “I found that my beliefs are essentially the same as those of orthodox Catholics.”

 

When Billy was in Poland in 1978, he praised the “greatness” of Pope Paul VI, even though leaders of his own church criticized him for catering to Communists. Pope Paul was the first Pope to visit the West, and the first place he went was the United Nations, where he gave a speech on October 4, 1965, and then was taken to the Meditation Room.

 

Graham admitted to being an admirer of Pope John II, and said on the Phil Donahue Show in 1979:

 

“I think the American people are looking for a leader, a moral spiritual leader that believes something. And he does. He didn’t mince words on a single subject. As a matter of fact, his subject in Boston was really an evangelical address in which he asked the people to come to Christ, to give their lives to Christ. I said, ‘Thank God I’ve got somebody to quote now with some real authority’.”

 

Graham has called Pope John a “great evangelist,” the “greatest religious leader of the modern world and one of the greatest moral and spiritual leaders of this century.” Another time, he said that the Pope was “God’s instrument for revival in our generation.” In 1994 when Time magazine declared Pope John as its “Man of the Year,” Graham said: “He’ll go down in history as the greatest of our modern popes … He’s been the strong conscience of the whole Christian world.” In an interview with Associated Press reporter Richard Ostling, he said he would choose Pope John as the ‘Man of the Century,’ because he admired “his courage, determination, intellectual abilities and his understanding of Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox differences, and the attempt at some form of reconciliation.” He even wrote the Foreward to the book Pope John Paul II: A Tribute.

 

The Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph quoted an insider as saying: “Many of the people who reached a decision for Christ at our meetings (1952 Pittsburgh Crusade) have joined the Catholic Church … This happened both in Boston and Washington. After all, one of our prime purposes is to help the churches in the community…” As early as 1956, Graham said that he was going to “send them to their own churches– Roman Catholic, Protestant or Jewish … The rest will be up to God.”  He has said: “My goal, I always made clear, was not to preach against Catholic beliefs or to proselytize people who were already committed to Christ within the Catholic Church.”

 

When a Crusade is planned, a Committee is brought together, made up of leaders from local churches. Within that group is an Executive Committee. Whenever someone walks down the aisle to receive Salvation, the decision card is given to these leaders, and their respective churches. For instance, the Committee for the 1957 New York Crusade consisted of around 120 modernists (those denying the virgin birth, Christ’s resurrection, the divine inspiration of Scripture, and the existence of a literal heaven and hell), and  20 fundamentalists.  The June 19, 1969 issue of the New York Times outlined his follow-up procedure:

 

“After inquirers are dealt with by ‘counselors’ and cards on each are filled out, a ‘Co-Labor Corps’ sits at long tables until midnight each night counting and sorting the cards and licking envelopes that will go out in the morning mail to ministers of about 1,000 churches … The ‘Corps’ sifts through maps and phone books, finding the church nearest the addresses on the cards, regardless of whether or not they are liberal, conservative, Protestant, Catholic or Jewish…”

 

When he spoke at Notre Dame University (a Catholic institution) in 1977, and gave the ‘invitation,’ he said: “Many of you want to come tonight and reconfirm your confirmation. You want to reconfirm the decision that you made when you joined the church.” Nothing was ever said about the sacrificial death of Jesus on the Cross, or about the repenting of their sins. He even reassured them that his purpose was not to get them to leave the Church to join another denomination.

 

In 1979, nearly 3,500 decision cards were given to the Catholic Church. The Florida Catholic indicated that in 1983, the decision cards for 600 people from the Orlando crusade were given to the Catholic Church. About 500 names from his 1987 Denver Crusade were given to the St. Thomas Moore Roman Catholic Church. Graeme Keith, who was the chairman of the Charlotte (North Carolina) Billy Graham Crusade Committee, told the Charlotte Observer (March 1, 1996): “We have Jewish, Catholic, Protestant and other denominations represented on the committee…” At this Crusade, the decision cards of nearly 1700 people answering the altar call were given to the Catholic Diocese in the area.

 

In one of his ‘My Answer’ columns, in response to a Roman Catholic who was writing in regard to some of the changes going on in the Catholic Church, Graham responded by telling him not to “pull out of the church! Stay in it, stay close to the Lord, and use these experiences as an opportunity to help your church be what God intends…” Likewise, the counselors at his Crusades are warned not to criticize the church or religious affiliation of any of the people who come forward for Salvation.

 

Despite all of the evidence to the contrary, Graham’s people have denied any sort of theological wrongdoing. In 1964, an assistant to Graham, George Edstrom, wrote: “Mr. Graham has never preached in a Catholic Church, and he does not agree with them in the joining of one church. If you heard this, it is nothing but false rumors.” However, in 1963, he did speak at the Roman Catholic Belmont Abbey in North Carolina. Robert Ferm, a member of his team, on many occasions, has informed the faithful that Graham would “never compromise the gospel by consorting with Catholics,” yet Ferm was the one who spoke to the students and faculty before the Crusade at Notre Dame (1977).

 

In the early 1990’s, a retired missionary wrote the BGEA to find out why he was sending new converts to the Catholic Church. The response from T.W. Wilson was: “I do not know where you got your information– but I’m sure you have been misinformed.” As you have seen, he not only has sent converts to Catholic Churches, but also to other churches who do not believe in a literal interpretation of the Bible.

 

Billy Graham attended the initial assembly of the World Council of Churches as an observer, as well as later meetings, eventually becoming a speaker. In 1960 he attended the National Council of Churches’ 50th anniversary celebration in San Francisco, where he was a guest speaker.

 

Graham had said that one of his best friends is Jessie Bader, who was the Secretary of Evangelism for the National Council of Churches. In a speech to the NCC he said: “My wife is a Presbyterian. Her denomination is in the National Council so perhaps I am here by marriage.”  In another speech on August 27, 1991 he said:

 

“There’s no group of people in the world that I would rather be with right now than you all. Because I think of you, I pray for you, and we follow with great interest the things you do … I don’t speak to too many church assemblies any more because I consider myself as belonging to all the churches. And I love everybody equally and I have no problem in fellowship with anybody who says that Jesus Christ is Lord. This has been a great relief to me to come to that conclusion about 20 some years ago.”

 

On April 21, 1972, Billy Graham was given the International Franciscan Award by the Franciscan friars for his “contribution to true ecumenism,” and “his sincere and authentic evangelism…”  He told the U.S. News & World Report: “World travel and getting to know clergy of all denominations has helped mold me into an ecumenical being. We’re separated by theology and, in some instances, culture and race, but all of that means nothing to me any more.”  Even though he is a Baptist, President Bush invited him to lead various prayers at the 1989 inauguration.

 

Graham wrote:

“I protested at first, pointing out that it was customary to have clergy from other traditions participate also (often a Jewish rabbi, a Catholic priest, and perhaps an Orthodox leader). He remained adamant, however, saying he felt more comfortable with me; besides, he added, he didn’t want people to think he was just trying to play politics by having representatives of different faiths.”

In 1992 The Oregonian quoted Graham in a Portland, Oregon press conference as calling for “one merged church.” As you can see, the Rev. Billy Graham is recognized as an ecumenical leader in the Christian community.

 

Graham has long been a supporter of the United Nations. In his biography Just As I Am he talks about his relationship with Dag Hammarskjold, the second UN Secretary-General:

 

“In the 1950’s, when I was in New York City, I would occasionally slip by to visit Dag Hammarskjold, secretary-general of the United Nations, and have prayer with him. He was a very thoughtful, if lonely, man who was trying to make a difference for world peace, in large part because of his Christian convictions.”

 

 If you remember, it was Dag, the Swedish Socialist (who openly advocated communist policies), who designed the Satanic Meditation Room in the UN building. Dag was also a speaker at the 1954 World Council of Churches meeting.

 

In 1990, Graham received the World Citizen Award from the World Affairs Council (which is associated with the Council on Foreign Relations) for “promoting and fostering international understanding and world peace.” When President George H. W. Bush made the decision to engage our country in the Persian Gulf War, he requested that Graham come to Washington. In the ensuing sermon, he said: “Perhaps, out of this war will come a new peace and– as been stated by the President– a New World Order.”

 

Rev. Graham has allowed his message to be watered-down, and in order to maintain his stature as a national leader, has turned a blind eye to sin. He has shown support for churches that are clearly in conflict with Biblical teaching; and he has ignored Scripture like 2 Corinthians 6:17, which says, “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate,” in order to promote a unified Christian Church, and even one-world government.

 

Could the guilt of all of this have contributed to the statement he made on January 2, 2000, in an interview with Fox News’ Tony Snow, when he said: “I’m not a righteous man. People put me up on a pedestal that I don’t belong in my personal life. And they think that I’m better than I am. I’m not the good man that people think I am. Newspapers and magazines and television have made me out to be a saint, I’m not. I’m not a Mother Teresa. And I feel that very much.”

Ecumenical Movement of the Catholic Church

 

The Pope, leader of the Catholic Church, has been referred to as His Holiness, Holy Father, Vicar of Christ, Head of the Church, Father of Princes and Kings, Father of All Christians, Supreme Teacher of the Universal Church, Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church, Viceroy of Jesus Christ, Bishop of Rome, and Rector of the World upon Earth. When he is elected, he is crowned with a triple tiara, which, according to the Catholic Dictionary signifies the following:

 

“…first circlet symbolizes the Pope’s universal episcopate, the second his supremacy of jurisdiction, and third his temporal supremacy. It is placed on his head at his coronation by the second cardinal deacon, with the words, ‘Receive the tiara adorned with three crowns and know that thou art Father of princes and kings, Ruler of the World, Vicar of our Saviour Jesus Christ’ … The triple crown the Pope wears symbolizes his authority in heaven, on earth, and in the underworld– as king of heaven, king of earth, and king of hell– in that through his absolutions [pardons] souls are admitted to heaven, on the earth he attempts to exercise political as well as spiritual power, and through his special jurisdiction over the soul’s in purgatory and his exercise of ‘the power of the keys’ he can release whatever souls he pleases from further suffering and those whom he refuses to release are continued in their suffering, the decisions he makes on earth being ratified in heaven…”

 

On the fish-shaped hat worn by the Pope are the words “Vicarirs Feleii Dei” which indicates that he is a “substitute for the Son of God.”

 

In 1864, the position of the Catholic Church in regard to unity with other groups was: “Of course, nothing is more important for a Catholic than that schisms and dissensions among Christians be radically abolished and that all Christians be united … But under no circumstances can it be tolerated that faithful Christians and ecclesiastics be under the leadership of heretics (non-Catholic)…”

 

Pope Pius XI (1922-39) said: “The Apostolic See has never allowed Catholics to attend meetings of non-Catholics; the union of Christians can only go forward by encouraging the dissidents to return to the one true church.”

 

Pope John XX III (1958-63) wrote: “When we have realized this enormous task (ecumenism), eliminating what, from a human point of view, would be an obstacle, on a path we seek to make more easy, we shall present the church in all her splendor, without spot or wrinkle, and we shall say to all the others who are separated from us, Orthodox, Protestants, etc.: ‘See brothers, here is the Church of Christ! We have done our best to be true to her’.”

 

His Papal Encyclical Pacem in Terris, was a bit more radical as it “called for world government, disarmament and socialism,” and was compared to the program advocated by Communism.

 

On October 11, 1962, Pope John held the first Ecumenical Council at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome to modernize the Church. Over 2,700 gathered, including the entire Roman Catholic hierarchy, 28 non-Catholic prelates, representatives from most major Protestant denominations, and dignitaries from Eastern Orthodox Churches in the Middle East. A few months after the initial meeting, the Council reconvened with 2,500 ecclesiastical dignitaries, and 50 observers from non-Catholic denominations.

 

After Pope John died, Billy Graham said at a press conference in Bonn, Germany: “Pope John brought an entirely new era to the world. It would be a great tragedy if the cardinals elect a Pope who would react against the policies of Pope John and bring back the walls between Christian faiths.”

 

A year later, on September 29, 1963, Pope Paul VI (1963-78) made an appeal for Christian unity, and said that the Ecumenical Council’s ultimate goal was the universal union of all Christians. He wrote:

 

“The restoration of unity among all Christians is one of the principal concerns of the Second Vatican Council. Christ the Lord founded one Church and one Church only … For it is only through Christ’s Catholic Church, which is ‘the all-embracing means of salvation,’ that they can benefit fully from the means of salvation…”

 

On March 26, 1967, Pope Paul wrote:

 

“Who can fail to see the need and importance of thus gradually coming to the establishment of a world authority capable of taking effective action on the juridical and political planes? … Delegates to international organizations, public officials, gentlemen of the press, teachers and educators– all of you must realize that you have your part to play in the construction of a new world order.”

 

One observation that was made about him was that he was elected in the 6th year of the previous Pope’s reign, in the sixth month (June), he was 66 years old, and he had completed four sets of 66 Popes. There had been talk of a merger with the World Council of Churches, to form the Christian Catholic Church of the United Church of Christ, and  Pope Paul even contributed $10,000 to the WCC’s Faith and Order Commission. He wrote a Papal Encyclical that “called on the nations to abandon sovereignty to form a world government.”

 

From October 24 to 28, 1999, Pope John Paul II (1978-  ) held an interfaith meeting at the Vatican that included Jews, Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, Shintoists, as well as representatives from Orthodox, Anglican, Lutheran, and evangelical churches. The Dalai Lama, a Buddhist, Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader, who Pope John called “a great spiritual leader,” was invited on stage as the Pope spoke to the gathering.

 

On September 5, 2000, the Catholic Church issued a document called Dominus Iesus which declared “the Roman Catholic Church to be the only ‘instrument for the salvation of all humanity’.” Pope John Paul II said that “Rome must always be the center of all Christianity and the pope must be the head.”

 

For two years, a group of eight Protestants, led by Charles Colson, the former Nixon aide (echoing sentiments expressed in his book The Body), and seven Roman Catholics, led by Father Richard John Neuhaus (former Lutheran, who denies the virgin birth of Christ, his miracles, and his resurrection), worked on an 25-page, 8000-word document known as “Evangelicals and Catholics Together: The Christian Mission in the Third Millennium.” (or ECT) It calls for Protestants and Catholics to discontinue their opposition in order to unite against enemies which are common to both of their religious philosophies.

 

In the November, 1994, issue of Christianity Today (the magazine started by Billy Graham), an editorial by Colson was titled “Why Catholics Are Our Allies.” This seems to be part of a campaign to bring the two religions closer together in ideology. Since accepting the “Prize for Progress in Religion” (which included a $1 million gift), from New Age leader John Templeton, at the 1993 Parliament of World’s Religions in Chicago; and revelations of a United Nations connection to his Prison Fellowship ministry, Colson’s motivations are highly suspect.

 

In addition to many Roman Catholic leaders, some major Protestant leaders have signed this agreement, including Pat Robertson (700 Club), Bill Seiple (World Vision), Bill Bright (Campus Crusade for Christ), J. I. Packer (a Senior Editor at Christianity Today magazine), Larry Lewis (Home Missions Board of the Southern Baptist Convention), and Richard Land (Christian Life Commission of the Southern Baptist Church).

 

Needless to say, the agreement came under heavy fire from many Evangelicals, and on January 19, 1995, Colson, Bright, and Packer met with some of the ECT critics at the Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in a conciliatory meeting which including its pastor D. James Kennedy, John MacArthur (pastor of the Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, CA), R. C. Sproul (Lignonier Ministries), and John Ankerberg (evangelist). Though the two groups were able to hammer out a five-point statement to clarify the support of those Evangelical leaders that signed the agreement, it still retained the aura of religious unity. A Catholic signer, Keith Fournier (author of Evangelical Catholics and A House United: Evangelicals and Catholics Together), praised the results of the meeting, and said that it represented the “true spirit of ecumenism.”

 

Besides signing the agreement, Pat Robertson had Colson on his show, and brought in Neuhaus to be a keynote speaker at the Christian Coalition’s (700 Club’s political action group) “1994– Road to Victory Conference” held in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Also in 1994, Pat Robertson presented the Christian Coalition’s “Catholic Layman of the Year” Award to Pennsylvania Governor Robert P. Casey, a Democrat who was very vocal in his stand against abortion. Pat Robertson, in the eyes of some Christians, lost credibility, when he entered the 1992 Presidential campaign, saying God told him to run. Though he didn’t win, it gave him more political clout and visibility in the Christian community, garnering some of the attention that had previously been bestowed on Billy Graham.

 

Even though he had written a book about the New World Order; as a guest on Larry King’s national radio show, he refused to comment on a caller’s question about an element of the New World Order. In December, 2003, while I was in the process of reediting this book, on the “Bring It On” segment of his broadcast, he answered a viewers question about the NWO by saying that it wasn’t possible for one group to be able to have enough influence to control the affairs of the world. I can’t say ‘amen’ to that, just ‘oh my.’

 

In Pat Robertson’s book, The New Millennium, published in 1990 by Word Publishing, at the top of every page, to the right of the page number, is the symbol of a circle with a dot in the middle. An unusual symbol, it is used as an astronomical symbol for the sun; and for proofreaders, it is used to indicate a place where a comma should be inserted; and it is sometimes used as a mathematical sign for a circle. However, none of these applications seemed appropriate in this instance. There is one more use for this symbol. According to documents discovered by the German government in 1785, it was the secret symbol which represented the Illuminati’s name.

 

I contacted Word Publishing to ask them about the use of the symbol, since I didn’t want to be accused of making an irresponsible accusation. They told me that various symbols, called “dingbats,” are sometimes incorporated into the header design of a page. In this case, the symbol was randomly chosen, and nobody at Word was even aware of the symbol’s connotations. I had even considered that perhaps the symbol was used to sabotage the book, but Word maintains that everyone there is a committed Christian. If it was randomly chosen, it would really be a coincidence, because there are no other symbols that I know of, that would lend itself to having any connections with the New World Order. Without a doubt, this book is a companion volume to Robertson’s The New World Order published by Word in 1991.

 

Because I personally like Pat, and have nothing but respect for him, I guess we have to chalk it up as being an amazing coincidence. However, what I can not ignore is the disturbing trend towards tolerance and coexistence that is succeeding to bring us closer to a united Church, which he, and others, seems to advocate.

 

One night, I caught Jack van Impe on his show, saying that he agreed with the Pope on almost every issue. Now here is a man who has done a tremendous amount of prophetic research, and yet by condoning the Catholic Church, he is contributing to the ecumenical movement. Paul Crouch of the Trinity Broadcasting Network has said: “I’m eradicating the word Protestant even out of my vocabulary ... I (am) not protesting anything ... (it’s) time for Catholics and non-Catholics to come together as one in the Spirit and one in the Lord.” Robert Schuller (called the Norman Vincent Peale of the West Coast), who is known to be accepting of Islam, New Age and other cult groups, and has met with the Pope four times, has said: “It’s time for Protestants to go to the shepherd (or the Pope) and say, What do we have to do to come home?”

 

It seems inevitable that sometime in the near future, the last remaining obstacles to a merger between the Roman Catholic Church and the World Council of Churches, into a World Church, will take place, and will contribute to the influence exercised by the New World Order.

 

 

The Development of the One-World Church

“For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.” (Mark 13:22)

“For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 11:13)

The Bible talks about a religious leader who will come to power, and join forces with the political leader who will rise out of western Europe.

 

“And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth, by the means of those miracles he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.” (Revelation 13:11-15)

 

The identity of this individual, who has been labeled– the False Prophet, has been the subject of much speculation. However, I think there are some clues as to who this person may be. Matthew 24:26 says: “Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert (Mohammedanism); go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers (the Vatican); believe it not.” The Catholic Ecclesiastical Dictionary states: “The Pope is not simply a man, but, as it were, God.” In light of what has been discussed earlier about the development of a World Church, there seems to be quite a few things which point to the Pope being the leader of this World Church, and perhaps the one who will be known as the False Prophet.

 

A resolution passed at a Vatican Council, called for the placing of the Pope “on the throne of the world.” The Pope is known as the ‘Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church,’ as well as a host of other titles mentioned earlier; and in Revelation 17:9, it mentions that the seat of the Antichrist will be in the ‘seven mountains’; and Rome, which was built on seven mountains, is known as the ‘seven-hilled city.’ Rome, the seat of world power in the ancient world,  is also the home of the Vatican, which is recognized as an independent government apart from the Italian government.

 

The Pope is literally a god to the Catholic Church, having the authority to forgive sins. Dave Hunt, in his exposé, A Woman Rides the Beast, analyzed the title, ‘Vicar of Christ,’ and he found that the word ‘Vicar’ comes from the Latin ‘vicarius’ which means ‘anti’ (or to be more precise, ‘alternate’ or ‘substitute,’ which is in line with what was discussed earlier), which leads to the literal translation of ‘Vicar of Christ, as ‘Antichrist.’

 

According to Revelation 17:3-4, the color of the False Prophet will be “scarlet” (red). The primary color of the papacy which is red is said to signify the blood of Jesus. The color has also been associated with Communism and Satanism. It was alleged that Pope Benedict IX (1032-45, 1047-48) practiced sorcery and magic; Pope Boniface VIII (1294-1303) was said to communicate with demons; and it was believed that Pope Sylvester II (999-1003) and Pope Sixtus V (1585-90) were also involved with sorcery. All of these clues could indicate that the False Prophet could be a Pope.

 

Some researchers indicate that the False Prophet may be Jewish, but that still doesn’t rule out the Vatican connection. In 1130, Anacletus II was elected as the Pope. His great-grandfather was Baruch, a successful Jewish businessman who served as an advisor to Pope Benedict IX. Benedict requested that he convert to Catholicism, which Baruch did, changing his name to that of the Pope. The name ‘Benedict’ is Latin for ‘blessed,’ while the name ‘Baruch’ is Hebrew for the same thing. The conversion was in name only, because Baruch still financed a synagogue in the Jewish quarter of Rome.

 

Baruch’s son, an aide to Pope Leo IX (1049-55), also converted, changing his name to Lee. Lee’s son, Petrus Leonis, was the first to use the name Pierleone. His family became an established financial power in the late 11th century, and became active in the affairs of the Catholic Church. His son, Pietro, was sent to a monastery where he worked his way up, attaining the position of cardinal.

 

When Pope Honorius II (1124-30) was on his deathbed, preparations were made to elect a new Pope. The Pierleone family offered their son, the cardinal; while the Frangipani family, a traditional Catholic family, offered its own candidate. The Frangipani hid the Pope, and after he died in 1130, convened a portion of the cardinals to elect their choice, who adopted the name Innocent II (1130-43). The Pierleone family held an election the same day, with a greater number of cardinals present, and elected Pietro, who took the name Anacletus II (1130-38). Rome sided with Anacletus, and Innocent II fled to France, then later traveled around Europe, accusing Anacletus of being an ‘anti-pope.’

 

Despite efforts to remove him, Anacletus remained Pope till he died in 1138. A year later, Innocent II returned, and after Victor IV resigned (also considered to be an anti-pope), was elected, and served till his death in 1143. The Vatican now refers to Anacletus II as an ‘anti-pope’ (“one who uncanonically claims or exercises the office of the Roman Pontiff”), and has eliminated him from papal history.

 

Two other Popes were also members of the Jewish Pierleone family: Gregory VI (1045-46) and Gregory VII (1073-86, known as ‘Hildebrand,’ who was a descendant of a daughter of Lee, and was later made a saint).

 

On May 13, 1917, Lucia dos Santos and her cousins Jacinta and Francisco Marta, who were tending their sheep near Cova da Iria, saw their first of 6 visions of the Virgin Mary in the hilly terrain of Fatima, Portugal. A series of others followed on the same day every month till October. Mary gave three prophecies concerning the end of World War I, World War II, and Russia.

 

One prophecy said that when an unknown light was seen in the sky, it would be a sign from God that he would punish the world through war, persecution, and famine. On the day of Mary’s sixth appearance, October 13, she had promised a miracle. Over 70,000 people showed up in the pouring rain to observe the event. In a ten-minute display, the sun came up, spun in the sky, plunged downward, then rose again. The crowd, as well as the ground, were dried.

 

Lucia later became a Carmelite nun in Coimbra, Portugal, and in 1927 reported that Jesus had appeared to her and made several prophecies.

 

This is the text of the first two prophecies in 1917–

 

“The first part is the vision of hell. Our Lady showed us a great sea of fire which seemed to be under the earth. Plunged in this fire were demons and souls in human form, like transparent burning embers, all blackened or burnished bronze, floating about in the conflagration, now raised into the air by the flames that issued from within themselves together with great clouds of smoke, now falling back on every side like sparks in a huge fire, without weight or equilibrium, and amid shrieks and groans of pain and despair, which horrified us and made us tremble with fear.

 

The demons could be distinguished by their terrifying and repulsive likeness to frightful and unknown animals, all black and transparent. This vision lasted but an instant. How can we ever be grateful enough to our kind heavenly Mother, who had already prepared us by promising, in the first Apparition, to take us to heaven. Otherwise, I think we would have died of fear and terror.”

 

“We then looked up at Our Lady, who said to us so kindly and so sadly: ‘You have seen hell where the souls of poor sinners go. To save them, God wishes to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart. If what I say to you is done, many souls will be saved and there will be peace. The war is going to end: but if people do not cease offending God, a worse one will break out during the Pontificate of Pius XI. When you see a night illumined by an unknown light, know that this is the great sign given you by God that he is about to punish the world for its crimes, by means of war, famine, and persecutions of the Church and of the Holy Father.

 

To prevent this, I shall come to ask for the consecration of Russia to my Immaculate Heart, and the Communion of reparation on the First Saturdays. If my requests are heeded, Russia will be converted, and there will be peace; if not, she will spread her errors throughout the world, causing wars and persecutions of the Church. The good will be martyred; the Holy Father will have much to suffer; various nations will be annihilated. In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph. The Holy Father will consecrate Russia to me, and she shall be converted, and a period of peace will be granted to the world’.”     

 

Mary had asked that her last prophecy be kept secret until 1960 (when, incidentally, John F. Kennedy, the first Roman Catholic President took office). In 1944, after recuperating from a grave illness, she was instructed to write the prophecy down. It was, and it was then sealed and given to the Bishop of Portugal, and it became known as the “Third Secret.” It was hand-delivered to the Vatican on April 4, 1957, and kept in the Secret Archive.

 

When Pope John XXIII read the prophecy, on August 17, 1959, it was said that he was visibly shaken, and he wouldn’t reveal its contents, because he said that it didn’t “concern our time.” Likewise on March 27, 1965, Pope Paul VI read it, and decided not to publish it. Many believed it had to do with Armageddon, and in recent years, various people have become privy to the words written in Lucia’s letter, which contained the third prophecy. After the assassination attempt against him, Pope John Paul decided to read it on July 18, 1981. Yet, it still was not released until May 13, 2000.

 

It was reported that the prophecy indicated that the world was to be punished for disobeying the laws of God and turning away from Him. When the prophecy was unsealed by the Pope in 1960, it was to be published so that the whole world would know about it; and then the country of Russia was to be consecrated to Mary by the Pope and all the bishops. If these two things were done, the wrath of God would not fall upon the Earth. It wasn’t done, therefore the country of Russia was to become the instrument of God’s punishment upon the nations.

 

In 1957, Cardinal Ottaviani, in referring to the prophecy, said it had to be buried “in the most hidden, the deepest, the most obscure and inaccessible place on earth.” In 1978, John Paul II said that his predecessors “preferred to postpone publication so as not to encourage the world power of Communism to make certain moves.” In 1980, while speaking to a group of German Catholics, John Paul II admitted that the “Third Secret” did indeed refer to impending punishment from God and that because Pope John XXIII, for diplomatic reasons, failed to honor the stipulations, the prophecy had been set into motion, and couldn’t be stopped.

 

The following is the “Third Secret” (as given on July 13, 1917)–

 

“After the two parts which I have already explained, at the left of Our Lady and a little above, we saw an Angel with a flaming sword in his left hand; flashing, it gave out flames that looked as though they would set the world on fire; but they died out in contact with the splendour that Our Lady radiated towards him from her right hand: pointing to the earth with his right hand, the Angel cried out in a loud voice: ‘Penance, Penance, Penance!’ And we saw in an immense light that is God: ‘something similar to how people appear in a mirror when they pass in front of it’ a Bishop dressed in White ‘we had the impression that it was the Holy Father.’

 

Other Bishops, Priests, men and women Religious going up a steep mountain, at the top of which there was a big Cross of rough-hewn trunks as of a cork-tree with the bark; before reaching there the Holy Father passed through a big city half in ruins and half trembling with halting step, afflicted with pain and sorrow, he prayed for the souls of the corpses he met on his way; having reached the top of the mountain, on his knees at the foot of the big Cross he was killed by a group of soldiers who fired bullets and arrows at him, and in the same way there died one after another the other Bishops, Priests, men and women Religious, and various lay people of different ranks and positions.

 

Beneath the two arms of the Cross there were two Angels each with a crystal aspersorium in his hand, in which they gathered up the blood of the Martyrs and with it sprinkled the souls that were making their way to God.” 

 

It was very interesting that many years ago, Jeane Dixon had a vision with the word “Fatima” in it. She saw the throne of the Pope, but it was empty. Off to one side, she saw a Pope, with blood running down his face, dripping over his left shoulder. She interpreted this vision to mean, that within this century, a Pope will be bodily harmed. She saw hands reaching out for the throne. She said that the new head of the Church would have a different insignia than that of the Pope. Because of the unearthly light, she knew that the power would still be there, but not in the person of the Pope.

 

St. Malachy, Archbishop of Armagh (an Irish monk who died in 1148), had made prophecies concerning future Popes. His predictions ended with a Pope called “Peter the Roman” who was the seventh Pope after a Pope whose description resembled Pope Plus X. During his reign, “the City of the Seven Hills will be destroyed, and the Awful Judge will judge his people.” The seventh Pope is John Paul II (Karol Wojtyla), from Krakow, Poland, who began his reign in 1978.

 

On April 7, 1970, it was reported that Mary appeared to Veronica Lueken, and had made subsequent appearances to her at the St. Robert Bellarmine Church in Bayside, New York, on the eve of the great feast days of the Church. The messages received during these visitations were recorded on tape, portions of which were revealed in a newsletter known as Directives. The message given on October 6, 1976 said: “The plan of … communism is to overthrow the rule in the Eternal City, gain control in politics in a manner to control the world.

 

They seek to overthrow Rome, these agents of hell and atheism, My child; they seek to overthrow Rome and gain control of the power of the House of My Son throughout the world. They will subvert it from within.” On May 13, 1978 came this message: “How I warned and warned that Satan would enter into the highest realm of the hierarchy in Rome. The Third Secret, My child, is that Satan would enter into My Son’s Church.” Another message given on September 7, 1978 gave more details:  “Satan, Lucifer in human form, entered into Rome in the year 1972. He cut off the rule, the role of the Holy Father, Pope Paul VI. Lucifer controlled Rome and continues this control now.”

 

This seemed to echo what Pope Paul VI said on June 29, 1972, on the anniversary of his coronation: “From some fissure the smoke of Satan entered into the Temple of God.”

 

The “Third Secret” has become highly suspect, in that Speckin Forensic Laboratories, a respected international firm, has analyzed the document and compared it with past writings of Lucia, and concluded that, “…based on the documents examined, that the questioned document ‘Third Secret’ can not be identified with the purported known writings of Sister Lucy.” In addition, she claimed to have written it on one sheet of paper, which was confirmed by Cardinal Ottaviani, who read it, and Bishop Venancio who was able to see it through the envelope.

 

Yet, what the Vatican released was four pages. On top of that, while the language in the first two secrets was fairly straight forward; whereas, in the third, Mary does not speak, it is symbolic, and also contains grammatical differences. While the Vatican sought to consider it a fulfillment of the May 13, 1981 assassination attempt on Pope John, the Third Secret actually ends with the death of the Pope. It was also revealed that Sister Lucia wrote to Pope John in May, 1982, to say that the complete fulfillment of the prophecy had not occurred.

 

What this all seems to add up to is a fraudulently produced ‘Secret’ intended to divert attention away from what could actually be going on. Though, as a fundamental Christian I have to question ‘appearances’ of Mary, visions from false prophets, and prophecies from an unreliable source; I do have to consider  what Pope Paul VI may be referring to.

 

In the 1990 book The Keys of This Blood by Malachi Martin, a scholar and Vatican insider (as a Jesuit priest, from 1958-64, he served as a close aide to Cardinal Augustin Bea and the Pope),  he wrote the following (pg. 632):

 

“Most frighteningly for [Pope] John Paul [II], he had come up against the irremovable presence of a malign strength in his own Vatican and in certain bishops’ chanceries. It was what knowledgeable Churchmen called the ‘superforce.’ Rumors, always difficult to verify, tied its installation to the beginning of Pope Paul VI’s reign in 1963. Indeed Paul had alluded somberly to ‘the smoke of Satan which has entered the Sanctuary’ … an oblique reference to an enthronement ceremony by Satanists in the Vatican. Besides, the incidence of Satanic pedophilia– rites and practices– was already documented among certain bishops and priests as widely dispersed as Turin, in Italy, and South Carolina, in the United States. The cultic acts of Satanic pedophilia are considered by professionals to be the culmination of the Fallen Archangel’s rites.”

 

In his 1996 book Windswept House: A Vatican Novel, which addresses the Vatican’s relationship to the New World Order and the next level civilization is to take, Martin begins the story with a description of a ritual known as the “Enthronement of the Fallen Archangel Lucifer” which took place on June 29, 1963, in St. Paul’s Chapel at the Vatican, less than a week after Pope Paul’s election. It was linked, on the telephone, to a parallel ceremony which took place in South Carolina. The book ends up with the Pope, before dying, leaving a written account about it on his desk for the next Pope (a thinly-veiled description of John Paul II) to find.

 

According to The New American, Martin reiterated that the Satanic rite took place: “Oh yes, it is true; very much so, but the only way I could put that down into print is in novelistic form.” He also confirmed it to John Loeffler, host of the Steel on Steel radio show, where he was a frequent guest, and said that the Pope did not even know about it.

 

On January 24, 1979, at the Vatican, the Pope met for two hours with the Soviet foreign minister, Andrei Gromyko. Afterward, Gromyko referred to him as “a man with a worldview.” John Paul said that the meeting was to talk about “the prospects for world peace.”

 

On Sunday, April 3, 1994, the Parade magazine featured a front page picture of Pope John, with the quote: “We trust that, with the approach of the year 2000, Jerusalem will become the city of peace for the entire world and that all the people will be able to meet there, in particular the believers in the religions that find their birthright in the faith of Abraham.” Note the global implication. The interview inside by Tad Szulc focused on the Vatican’s establishment of diplomatic relations with Israel on December 30, 1993, which came during a time when Israel was also trying to work out their own peace accord in the Middle East.

 

This agreement will allow the Vatican to have a seat at the negotiations on the final determination of Jerusalem. The Vatican embassy will be in Tel Aviv, where most other embassies are located, because Jerusalem is not recognized as Israel’s capital. In March, 1994, the Vatican also established relations with the Moslem country of Jordan, on Israel’s eastern border, and it indicated the beginnings of a move by the Vatican to become more involved in the Middle East situation. Pope John said: “It must be understood that Jews, who for 2000 years were dispersed among the nations of the world, had decided to return to the land of their ancestors. That is their right.” Vatican hardliners have criticized the Pope’s growing role as the “protector of Jews,” but maybe this is just a fulfillment of prophecy.

 

There does not appear to be any other figure on the world scene that could be considered as a candidate for the False Prophet other than the Pope, with the Roman Catholic Church being the World Church. However, do not misconstrue this as anti-Catholic rhetoric. The real history of the Catholic Church is not known to a large majority of its membership, and therefore, even though they have been deceived, it is wrong to indict those who have sincerely tried to live their lives according to the basic Christian tenets as they know them. It is probable that the Catholic Church, as well as the Protestant churches which make up the World Council of Churches, in the coming years, will be radically different, as liberalism and New Age become more pervasive in Religion– transforming these churches into shadows of their former selves.