Vol.8 No.3

Restoring the Catholic Church

The Catholic Church is seeking to strengthen its holds in former Communist countries. This  year a group of American Byzantine Rite Catholic pilgrims and twelve members of the Queen of the Apostles Mission Association (QAMA) traveled to Uzhorod, Ukraine, to celebrate 350 years since the signing of a pact which brought back to Rome a few dozen White Croat Orthodox priests in 1646. More than 100 bishops and priests, including papal nuncios, officiated in the Liturgy in the open air, before a crowd of 8-10,000 people. Substantial donations were offered for the building of a seminary and the rebuilding of other churches destroyed by communists in the past.

Mary’s People, July 28, 1996.

LG comments: As we see, plans are laid out so that the healing of the deadly wound of the beast in Revelation 13 may be complete. What happens after this amazing healing? “... and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast” (Revelation 13:3). See “Religious Liberty Under the New World Order” in this issue of Last Generation for a clearer understanding of how this prophecy will be fulfilled.

Vol.10 No.4

Congress: Catholic Majority

In the 106th Congress, Catholics are continuing their unprecedented lead as the religious denomination with the biggest representation. There are 153 Catholics among the members, 2 down from the last Congress, but still  vastly higher than the next closest denomination. Baptists have 69 representatives and Methodists 59. Other Protestant denominations are represented but  to no significant degree. The Catholic majority is spread between both the Republicans and the Democrats—58 and 95 respectively. Thus, any  vote is likely to be influenced or dominated by them.

National Catholic Register, January 17–23, 1999.

LG comments: Forty years ago such a situation was unthinkable, but the U.S.-Vatican gulf has narrowed in recent years. Revelation 13 teaches that America will cause all to worship the Papacy “whose deadly wound was healed.”  (See Last Generation, Volume 9, Number 1, “Cracking the Prophet’s Code.”) The healing of the deadly wound—the return of full political power to the Papacy—is not yet accomplished; but the above situation shows a climate ripe for change.

Vol.11 No.1

What Would Luther Say?

On October 31, 1999, leaders of the Lutheran and Roman Catholic Churches signed a document officially settling the dispute on justification by faith. The ceremony took place in Augsburg, Germany on the date Luther nailed his Ninety-five Theses to the Wittenburg Cathedral 482 years ago. Thus began the Protestant Reformation that swept northern Europe and toppled the theological foundations of Roman Catholicism.

“The agreement is significant beyond the dispute over doctrine that it resolves. It has deep implications for future relations among Catholics and Protestants, said theologians and church leaders. Many said this accord gives added promise to the ideal their denominations champion—of full communion, or merger, between the churches,” wrote Post reporter Charles Trueheart.

“This is a critical breakthrough: It’s the first major step toward reconciliation between the two churches since the Reformation,” said H. George Anderson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and one of the negotiators and signers of the agreement.

Joseph Komonchak, professor at Catholic University in Washington, D.C. stated: “This document appears to be saying that the doctrine that Luther thought was central to the Reformation, and which led him to undertake it, is not one on which there are serious enough differences between Catholics and Lutherans to justify the division of the church.” 

The Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification gives weight to both sides.

The Declaration mends one of the largest rifts in church history. The agreement was signed by Cardinal Edward Idris Cassidy, the Pope’s Emissary, and Christian Krause and Ishmael Noko, who represent the majority of the world’s 61.5 million Lutherans. The Missouri Synod, which represents nearly 3 million conservative Lutherans, was not in agreement with the doctrine and did not sign it. A.L. Barry, president, stated that the Roman Catholic Church has “not budged” from its position on justification by works since the Council of Trent.

John Wilson, editor of an evangelical magazine observed, “Many people see this as a desperate gesture that confirms that all established historic church bodies have lost their distinctive faith commitments … others have a more hopeful perspective … that Protestants and Catholics are having serious talks about doctrine and healing their divisions."

The Washington Post Foreign Service, Nov. 1, 1999, p. A1.

LG Comment: Historically, the Roman Catholic Church has taught the need for both faith and good works to earn salvation. Luther, however, found the truth, “The just shall live by faith” (Romans 1:17). Thus all the works required by the church could never secure salvation for himself or the people. Only by exercising faith in the merits of Christ’s righteousness could justification be obtained.

The Bible predicted the papacy’s demise and return to world influence. Speaking of the beast, which the Protestant reformers identified as the papacy, it states: “And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast” (Revelation 13:3). In order for all the world to follow the beast and its doctrines, barriers of doctrinal differences must be broken down. Signing this document is another step in that direction and a fulfillment of Bible prophecy.

Vol.11 No.3

Catholic Confessions—Hallowed or Hollow?

“Memory and Reconciliation” is an official apology issued by the Roman Catholic Church, asking forgiveness for past atrocities against humanity. Although considered an improvement over previous apologies, these confessions, some say, lack substance and candor. “The Catholic Church has been confessing its faults and sins for many years now … Many Catholics are now weary and wary of the apology process, and non-Catholics who comment on all the apologizing are tired of saying, in effect, ‘That’s nice, but can you please be a bit more specific?’” The Roman Catholic bureaucracy is not renown for internal faultfinding or major changes in traditional policy.

www.usnews.com/issue/000327/27 john.htm; www.time.come/daily/0,2960, 41537,00.html

LG Comment: The Bible clearly shows that once again the Catholic Church will become a persecuting power. Revelation, chapter 13, describes two beasts or world powers, one of which is the papacy. (See Last Generation, “Cracking the Prophets’ Codes” for detailed explanations.) These powers unite the world in religious worship and use force against those who do not worship as they dictate: “… 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” (verse 15).

Vol.11 No.5

Forgiveness for Sale

Last year, Catholics were offered the Year 2000 Jubilee indulgence (remission or forgiveness of sins). But the offer ended January 6, 2001.

What made the Jubilee indulgence special? “The Great Jubilee indulgence is a plenary indulgence. Normally, sinners require punishment in purgatory to become more fit for heaven, even after receiving absolution for their sins. Through this indulgence, the Church remits that punishment. A Catholic can gain such an indulgence daily during the Jubilee Year for any soul in purgatory.”

National Catholic Register, October 8-14, 2000, pp. 17, 18.

LG Comment: According to the Bible, forgiveness of sins cannot be bought or sold and there is no such place as purgatory. God alone can forgive sins, through sincere repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. Moreover, God’s requirements are reasonable and do not require long journeys or painful penalties as penance. “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.” Proverbs 28:13. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9. See also John 14:6; Acts 5:31; Isaiah 1:16-18; Ezekiel 33:15.

Vol.11 No.6

President BUSH Praises Pope

On March 22, 2001, the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center in Washington, D.C. was dedicated. President George W. Bush praised the Pope, referring to him as “the highest moral authority on earth.” Bush felt honored to have Washington, D.C. as the site for this Center. According to Cardinal Adam

J. Maida, the Pope “sees Washington, D.C., as the crossroads of the world.” He said, “The center’s location here will allow it to impact and shape the many events that transpire here.”

Catholic News Service, www.catholicnews.com, “President Bush, cardinals officially open pope’s cultural center.”

LG Comment: Today, the efforts of America’s founding fathers to maintain a separation between church and state is being reversed. For detailed explanations of America and the papacy in prophecy see Last Generation, “Cracking the Prophets’ Codes.”

Vol.12 No.4

WEBSITE FOR THE DEADIN PURGATORY

Communication with the dead believed to be in purgatory is now available on the net. The website was initiated by a Catholic mother in Missouri because members of her Church have increasingly “lost many traditions including praying for the holy souls.” She places a high priority on this ministry because “the Church teaches that we can pray for them, and they can pray for us, but they cannot pray for themselves.” Those who contact her with questions about theology are referred to the Catechism of the Catholic Church or web sites of designated priests. Catholics are being encouraged to pray for their dead and those in purgatory by Pope John Paul II. National Catholic Register, “Reaching Out to Purgatory, And Avoiding It,” pp. 1, 7. 

LG Comment: Instead of consulting websites, priests, or traditional church teachings about life after death, Christians should consult their Bibles. The Bible is clear that after death people do not go immediately to heaven, hell, or purgatory, but sleep until the resurrection: “For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 9:5, 6. See also Psalms 6:5; 146:3, 4; Job 14:10-15; Acts 2:29, 34; 13:36; Daniel 12:2; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17; 1 Corinthians 15:51, 52. For detailed study, read Last Generation, “Voices from the Unseen World,” Vol. 7 No. 6.

Vol.12 No.6

Roman Catholics: A Crisis of Confidence

With the revelation that high church officials of the Roman Catholic Church, U.S.A., not only allowed pedophiles to remain in the ministry, but moved them from parish to parish when things got too hot, Catholics are angry, shaken, and calling for change.

Rome, however, in its attempts to reassure the faithful, seems to have offered too little, too late. A medieval hierarchy that has a poor record of admitting wrongdoing can’t be expected to fit neatly into 21st century civil accountability. For many centuries priests and prelates of the Roman Catholic Church were not subject to the civil courts of their countries of residence. Under such arrangements, no crime committed by the clergy, however heinous, could receive civil punishment. Not surprisingly, priests were the least moral members of society. In the 15th and 16th centuries, the shameful morals of the clergy drove many to call for reform and to question Rome’s claim to infallibility.

In the wake of this 21st century crisis, Catholics are once again calling for reforms, including re-examining the non-biblical doctrine of celibacy within the priesthood. In the process, perhaps many sincere Catholics will re-examine their church’s teachings against the true teachings of Christ found in the Bible, the only inspired source of truth for the Christian Church.

Vol.13 No.5

U.S. Catholic Bishops Choose not to Evangelize Jews

After having spent hundreds of years trying to forcibly convert Jews to Christianity, the Catholic Church has decided that it is not theologically acceptable to target Jews for evangelization. In a document called, “Reflections on Covenant and Missions” the Church lays out its stance:“...the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops declared unequivocally that the biblical covenant between Jews and God is valid and therefore Jews do not need to be saved through faith in Jesus.”

Many Protestant evangelicals in particular find it hard to accept this stance, “particularly the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest Protestant denomination in the country. In a 1996 resolution, the Southern Baptists declared, ‘whereas Jesus commanded that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. . . we direct our energies and resources toward the proclamation of he gospel to the Jewish people.’”

www.boston.com  August 13, 2003

LG Comment: One of the last things that Jesus told his disciples as he was departing from earth was, “. . .ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” Acts 1:8. Christ’s followers are called to minister to all nations and all people, which includes the Jews.