@Chrysostomos
The Vatican's goal to unite all the world's religions into one body is one of the greatest deceptions in human history. All of the major world religious leaders, without exception, recognise the Vatican, the Pope, as the default over all ruler of spiritual humanity.
When they agree to principles and agendas that unite governments with the church, you have Babylon. It wasn't so long ago that the Pope denounced any attempt to convert a member of one religion to another. This was a blatant attempt to stop protestant evangelism. I'm not talking about ancient history here, these things are taking place now, "all the world is wondering after the beast"... today as we speak.
The Pope went on to say, "God is a God for all. And if God is a God for all, we are all sons and daughters of God. Our religions are like different languages. Muslim, Sikh, Hindu, Christian, but all lead to the one God".
In other words, he is placing Christianity, the Way, the Truth, and the Life, on the same level as all other religions which he claims are equally valid pathways to God, including Gaia, pagan worship of nature.
It would speak that rather than actually discuss these matters. You would prefer it that we simply shut up.
In talking about the last days, Jesus said
“9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. 10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. ”
Matthew 24:9-10 KJV
Do you understand why the nations will hate you? Why they will persecute you and be offended? Because you speak the truth.
If you speak the truth. Otherwise you'll be saying the same things as all those nations, and siding with them against the only true followers of Christ speaking truth. Because we name the name of Jesus as being the only way to salvation. We talk about the true gospel and expose the false. We rebuke the false prophets among us, and expose their lies and their deceptions.
Jesus is coming soon. We are living in the very last momentous days of earth's history. Shall we pander to political correctness and the fear of offending people with the truth, and agree to the antichrist agenda to not preach the true gospel, not declare Babylon as fallen, not identify the true Antichrist that is demeaning and diminishing the true Christ?
The Protestant reformers were unanimous in their speaking of truth regarding the office of the papacy. They didn't condemn individual leaders except as they may have behaved themselves abominably, nor the church members, but the seat of power and authority upon which the Pope sat. The system. When they called the system antichrist, they were exposing the papal
system as replacing Christ, exposing the system as being set up to exalt tradition and church dogma over and above the truths of Scripture.
In order to establish herself as principle spokesperson in religious matters, she had to resort to using the armies of governments that she convinced were going to hell without the Pope's recommendation.
Prophecy informs us of a time in the near future when an image to the medieval papal union of church and state would be erected in our time. This isn't a statue. It's another church state union that imposes religious law, and exacts harsh penalties against those who refuse. In other words, it persecutes just as the papacy did, and not that long ago, and enforces a mark or sign of loyalty to that papal system on her behalf. That's basically Revelation 13 in a nutshell.
Now. Of course some will, maybe many, will likely disagree with that prophetic picture. As you can see, if true, many millions of spiritual lives would be endangered. Ought we not talk about these things? This is prophecy. One cannot talk about a metaphorical beast with a dozen or so unique identifying markers without actually naming the institution that shares those criteria. That's the papacy. And that's just the first beast.
While it is true that Seventh Day Adventist are at the forefront of warning against this scenario while others are refusing to join them, we do have a long line of highly respected and learned men who went before us who agree on every whit our view.
In fact it was their view, and we are merely continuing the conversation. Those reformers, many of them anyway, died because of that very testimony. They weren't doing so because of a fit of resentment or bad temper. They recognised that the papal system is not biblical, that tradition has overwhelmed biblical truth, and has swept Jesus aside by a morass of superstition and false doctrine. Jesus, Paul, John, warned this would happen. It has. If we don't speak out, we will be found guilty in the judgement of siding with the enemy. And others who were deceived, even some on this forum, will be asking of us,"You knew!! Why did you not warn us!!???"
Open and frank discussion of all these matters is essential for the true everlasting gospel to be preached in all the world.