A Christian Response to the article,
“Pope Signs Rome 2020 Appeal for Peace”,
Vatican News, October 20, 2020.
The dictionary defines peace as: freedom from disturbance; tranquility, or: a state or period in which there is no war or a war has ended; law and order. And here lies the clandestine, ungodly truth. In one word, peace.
Peace.
Presented by the Pope as a solution to the chaos present in the world today, Francis outlines that a long overdue unity is needed by all of mankind. And if it were not for my knowledge of the history of the Catholic Church or biblical prophesy, Pope Francis’ unequivocal ability to speak without ever having to state his true intentions would deceive me as well.
There was never a greater time in history than now to look to the Bible and study scripture. It is my prayer that the Holy Spirit will give us discernment.
The first statement Pope Francis makes is that “no one is saved alone - Peace and Fraternity”. This is a direct quote from his 2020 encyclical entitled ‘Fratelli Tutti’, which translates to ‘Brothers All’. I am not going to go into all of the evil manipulations contained within this document at this time, however, I am going to begin my response to the article by looking at this one particular statement that is taken from his encyclical. “No one is saved alone”….really? I can say with 100% certainty that God says something to the contrary in His Word. Let’s take a look:
Romans 14:12
12 So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.
Matthew 12:36-37
36 “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, 37 for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
Jeremiah 17:10
10“I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit ofhis deeds.”
2 Corinthians 5:10
10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil
Revelation 20:11-15
11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. 13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. 14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
Phillipians 2:12
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling
These are but a few texts in the Bible that state quite clearly how God judges each person, not collectively but individually. And although one can dig deeper and find many more examples, I simply wanted to validate the truth as it is in God’s Word.
The article does not give specifics as to who was present at the signing, however, it does state that they were “religious leaders of the major world religions and political leaders”. And this is very important information since they will be among the prominent players in the catalyst for change.
The article then states that they were “gathered in the spirit of Assisi”. Once again, one needs to take a closer look at what is being presented. The “Spirit of Assisi” is, in part, a “spirit of renunciation” that allows our fellow citizens who suffer in poverty and despair to have ‘more’ by our living with ‘less’. This spirit is the basis of an alternative economy and politics necessary for building a more humane future in an age of technology-driven disruption, loneliness and despair, and inequality. Again, this heralds the Pope’s encyclical. And while it all sounds wonderful, my question would be, ‘who' will be the one who decides who needs to live with less and ‘how much’ is considered to be ‘less’? Is it equal across the board? From Vatican City to Calcutta? Will distribution to every human on earth be an equal share? I believe we all know the answer to these questions. Making things ‘equitable’ for ALL of humanity is not the objective. The objective, which he clearly outlines in his encyclical, albeit under a flowery disguise of eloquent language, is not about equality, and it is not about peace. It is about power.
Further on in the article, he states that “we have called to mind the wounds of humanity…” Really? I mean, REALLY!?! If one ‘calls to mind the wounds of humanity’ in our historical record, one would find that the Catholic Church is perhaps the one organization responsible for the greatest number of atrocities committed against humanity!! The Catholic Crusades, the massacre of the Albigensians, the Spanish inquisition, and the Waldensian massacre are but a few of the many atrocities committed by this organization!
Interestingly enough, if one were to Google the ‘Dark Ages’, one would find that since about 2016 to the present, there have been several websites proclaiming “why the dark ages weren’t really that dark”! In fact, to find an actual account, one would need to get a hard copy historical book that has not been changed or altered in any way. I wonder if the individuals who ‘rewrite’ or alter our historical record would continue to do so if they were to experience the atrocities committed against humanity first hand?
“Today in these uncertain times, as we feel the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic that threatens peace by aggravating inequalities and fear, we firmly state that no one can be saved alone: no people, no single individual”!! Why don’t we start with the blatantly obvious here, fear. Yes, fear is a very real part of our world right now, precisely propagated to control humanity. History demonstrates that there is no greater tool to gain control than fear. And again, if one reads the emphatic proclamation that “no one is saved alone”, and yet Christ says that we are, we are then faced with a decision and a choice that must be made. Does one believe the Word of God, or does one believe the self exalted, ‘god on earth’.
As one continues to read through the article, a wonderful world picture of a unifying world of love is presented. A world without war. Pope Francis states “Let us pray to the Most High that, after this time of trial……The time has come to boldly dream anew that peace is possible”. After this time of trial? Once again if we turn to our Bible, we see that it clearly states that as the end draws near, the trial intensifies:
1 Thessalonians 3:1
Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written for you. For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
A woman in labour is the analogy used. For anyone who has gone through labour or even been a witness to it, they can attest to the fact that the pain starts small, it is manageable. There are breaks between contractions. But as the time of birth approaches, the pain intensifies, and the contractions are on top of each other. It is a blur of agony right before the child is born. I do not think these words were used ‘loosely’, this is an admonition that we are to understand and take seriously.
In the next paragraph of the article, Pope Francis again implores the leaders of nations to join forces. He gives several reasons why this joint coalition would be beneficial, ending with “a vaccine that is suitable and available to all”. Although the issues surrounding the Covid vaccine will not be covered in this response, I believe that the majority of people are well aware of the potential risks involved in taking a new vaccine.
Pope Francis then continues to address “all believers”, and he asks us to “become creative artisans of peace, let us build a social friendship, let us make our own culture of dialogue”. What is he trying to say? A ‘creative artisan of peace? Social friendships? Clearly, the ‘unification of the world’ agenda is at play here, as well as humanity coming together to solve the problems we face. And as wonderful as these words may appear to be, one must not lose sight of who is speaking them.
“No one can feel exempted from this. All of us have a shared responsibility. All of us need to forgive and be forgiven. The injustices of the world and of history are not healed by hatred and revenge, but by dialogue and forgiveness”. Let me pause for a moment here. I do not disagree with this statement. God tells us in scripture many times over, about the importance of forgiveness:
Ephesians 4:32
“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
Matthew 6:14
“For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.”
Matthew 18:21-22
"Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, 'Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?' Jesus answered, 'I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.' “
These are but a few verses. God is also clear on what He thinks about ‘revenge’:
Deuteronomy 32:35
‘Vengeance is Mine, and recompense;
Their foot shall slip in due time;
For the day of their calamity is at hand,
And the things to come hasten upon them.’
Romans 12:17-19
17 Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. 18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. 19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.
However, my problem with this statement is two fold. Firstly, forgiving the atrocities of the past is healthy, but forgetting is not. Let’s look at it this way, if your child was molested by a care giver and you forgave them, would you then send another child of yours to be put in their care? Certainly not! Secondly, it is the church itself who committed more crimes against humanity over the course of history than any one nation. Yet, instead of an apology and taking full responsibility for the choices that were made, it is glossed over as a ‘we are all guilty of something’. True, we are, but the only true way to mitigate change is to accept responsibility.
If it were not for this article ‘piggybacking’ so closely with Fratelli Tutti, my comments could be seen to be an ‘over reaction’, but they are not. Every statement made within this article is made with intention. There was a time when the whole Protestant Community agreed, based on scripture alone, who the beast in Daniel and Revelation was… yet somehow, many have forgotten. I implore you to go back to ‘sola scriptura’ and study. The danger is too great to feign ignorance. What is taking place right before our eyes is prophecy being fulfilled. Do not take my word for it, take the Word of God and seek it out for yourself. In the words of Daniel 7 and 8 and in Revelation 13, there are at least 10 identifying features that clearly identify the Antichrist. There is only one entity who encompasses all these points. Make no mistake, this will be a religious deception. In Revelation 13:3, the bible tells us that in the end time, the world will “wonder after the Beast” and be deceived. The counterfeit will be so convincing in the last days that even the very elect may be deceived (Matthew 24:24). On the other hand, God’s people will be secure, because they will have tested every spiritual teaching and leader by the light of scripture (Isaiah 8:20).
Satan’s original plan was to assume God’s position and authority. His aim was to remove God and rule in His place. When Satan was thrown out of heaven, his aim did not change, rather it intensified. Throughout the centuries, he has endeavoured, using various human agencies, to discredit God, to plant doubt, and to place blame on God. His opus magnum has been his deception of truth. We do not need to follow blindly the crowd before us, open your Bible…open your eyes…before it is too late.
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