Rising Global Superchurch

The Rising Global SuperchurchMarch 13, 2007Jack Kinsella, Editor Omega Letter According to the Book of the Revelation, during the Tribulation Period, the government of antichrist rests on three main pillars of power.sIn Revelation 13:1, we are introduced to the political beast:"And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy"That this is a political entity is established by cross-referencing John's description with that of the Prophet Daniel.Daniel was given a vision of four successive world empires, each symbolized by different 'beasts'.Daniel saw four 'beasts' which Daniel saw rising up from 'the sea'. Daniel was written in Aramaic.According to Strong's reference (3220) the Aramaic word "yawm" translated as "sea" in general means, "to roar" in the sense of noisy surf, but in context, it means the western side of the Mediterranean, or simply, "the West."(And before I go on, let me first say this. I am neither a Hebrew nor Greek scholar. I am relying on Strong's references entirely for my understanding of these verses. "Sea" in Greek is "thelasses". But Strong's says the word translated "sea" is from the Greek root "ophelos". The same explanation applies to the Daniel references.Some scholars may disagree -- but if so, their beef is with Strong's -- not me. I make no claim as a Greek/Hebrow scholar. Just as a researcher.)When we refer to "the West" in our own English lexicon, what are we referring to? Exactly the same thing that Daniel was, almost 2600 years ago.We divide the northern hemisphere by West and East, separated by the "Middle East" - or the Mediterranean and its vicinity. The word translated "sea" in Revelation 13:1 is from the Greek "ophelos" which literally means, "to heap up, or accumulate profit."Strong's identification of the sea as referring to the wealthy west is at the very least, interesting. The antichrist's government is, in context, pictured by both Daniel and John as the wealthy accumulation of Gentile nations located west of the Mediterranean Sea."And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority."Daniel says the first was "like a lion, and had eagle's wings;" the second was, "like to a bear;" the third, "like a leopard" and finally, the fourth, "dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns."(Daniel 7:2-7)Daniel said that out of the beast with ten horns would come arise "another little horn" which would take take authority over all.Daniel's "beasts" historically, corresponded with the empires of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Alexander the Great's Greek Empire, and finally, the Roman Empire.John describes this 'little horn' as "like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority."His power comes from the "dragon" who gives him "his seat" and "great authority." The "dragon" is a symbol of Satan.The second pillar of the antichrist's government is his control of a global religious system."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." (Revelation 13:11)Strong's reference 3786 for the word translated 'the earth' ("ophelimos") is another form of the word 'ophelos' which means "serviceable" or "profitable".In Revelation 2, Jesus composes Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia Minor. He assigns characteristics to each that, with historical hindsight as a guide, corresponds with seven unique periods, or 'epochs' within the Church Age."And to the angel of the church in Pergamos. . . I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is." Jesus then ticks off this epoch's primary characteristics;1) The doctrine of Balaam. In the Old Testament, Balaam advised King Balak to seduce the men of Israel by using beautiful women to draw the men of Israel into unclean and idolatrous practices..2) The doctrine of the Nicolaitanes. This is a reference to centralizing the Church according to a hierarchy of bishops, priests, cardinals, etc., under a supreme pontiff, or Pope.3) Where Satan's seat is. Revelation 17 identifies the Great ***** of Babylon -- the "beast" that "was, and is not, and yet is" (17:8)"And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth." (17:9)No less an authority than the Catholic Encyclopedia confirms the identification of this city: "It is within the city of Rome, called the city of seven hills, that the entire area of Vatican State proper is now confined."Don't take my word for it. Google "city on seven hills" and see what YOU come up with.Pulling it altogether, we find that the 'Beast' of Revelation 13:1 symbolizes both the leader of a prosperous Western alliance of nations and a religious leader who preaches a Dragon-inspired form of Christianity (two horns like a Lamb) from his headquarters in Rome, and specifically, the Vatican.The third and final pillar of power is a global economy so tightly centralized that it would be possible to restrict economic activity to the degree only those who have government approval could buy or sell.There exists today a revived form of the old Roman Empire, born out of the ten signatory nations of the Treaty of Rome, under whose authority is developing an entity known as the "Euro-Med region" and a global economy so centralized that it can be used as a weapon of war to cut off funding to organized terror groups.The only thing not already fully developed is a centralized, apostate form of Christianity under the authority of the Vatican.According to the London Sunday Times, a 42-page statement prepared by the leaders of the Church of England and the Roman Catholic Church is proposing a reunification of the Anglican Church with Rome under the authority of the Pope.The following is a direct quote from the Times story, headlined, "Churches Back Plan to Unite Under Pope." (I kid you not.)"The statement, leaked to The Times, is being considered by the Vatican, where Catholic bishops are preparing a formal response. It comes as the archbishops who lead the 38 provinces of the Anglican Communion meet in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, in an attempt to avoid schism over gay ordination and other liberal doctrines that have taken hold in parts of the Western Church.""The 36 primates at the gathering will be aware that the Pope, while still a cardinal, sent a message of support to the orthodox wing of the Episcopal Church of the US as it struggled to cope with the fallout after the ordination of the gay bishop Gene Robinson.""Rome has already shown itself willing to be flexible on the subject of celibacywhen it received dozens of married priests from the Church of England into the Catholic priesthood after they left over the issue of women’s ordination.""There are about 78 million Anglicans, compared with a billion Roman Catholics, worldwide.""In one significant passage the report notes: “The Roman Catholic Church teaches that the ministry of the Bishop of Rome [the Pope] as universal primate is in accordance with Christ’s will for the Church and an essential element of maintaining it in unity and truth.” Anglicans rejected the Bishop of Rome as universal primate in the 16th century. Today, however, some Anglicans are beginning to see the potential value of a ministry of universal primacy, which would be exercised by the Bishop of Rome, as a sign and focus of unity within a reunited Church."Now the kicker: "Other recommendations include inviting LAY AND ORDAINED members (Nicolaitanes, remember) of both denominations to attend each other’s synodical and collegial gatherings and conferences. . . The report adds that special “protocols” should also be drawn up to handle the movement of clergy (Nicolaitanes again) from one Church to the other." [comments in parentheses are mine]Now, let's return to the basic reason such a reunification is being considered. The Anglican Church is falling apart over one major issue -- the ordination of gays.Noted the Times; "Dr Rowan Williams, who as Primate of the Church of England is its “focus for unity”, has in the past supported a liberal interpretation of Scripture on the gay issue."The Times' goes on to say, "A logical extension of that, once this crisis is overcome either by agreement or schism, would be to seek reunion with the Church of England's own mother Church."According to the website, "About Christianity" the largest Christian denomination in the world is the Roman Catholic Church. The second largest Christian denomination in the world is the 78 million-strong Church of England.A union of the RCC and the Anglican/Episcopalians would leave the rest of Protestant Christianity on the outside looking in.The Apostle Paul, describing the last days of the Church Age, outlined the characteristics of the Church under the heading, "This know also, in the last days, perilous times shall come. . . men shall be lovers of their own selves . . . having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof." (2nd Timothy 3)And, if the Times' story got it right, its about 1 billion, 78 million members strong.Additional Resources:The Bishop of New Hampshirehttp://www.omegaletter.com/articles/articl...?ArticleID=6078