Seducing Spirits
Now
the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some
shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits,
and doctrines of devils; speaking lies in hypocrisy; having
their conscience seared with a hot iron....
I Timothy 4:1-2
Preach the word;
be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort
with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come
when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own
lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching
ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and
shall be turned unto fables.
II Timothy 4:2-4
These words of Scripture
clearly define the day and age we live in. May God grant us
all discerning hearts as we seek to serve the true and living
God in these last days. I am passing this little article on
to all of you as an example of how quickly things are progressing
to the end. For those of you who do not know about Fátima,
it is a place in Portugal, where an apparition of Mary supposedly
appeared about ninety years ago. Many “miracles” have taken
place there, and many strange things have happened. It is clear
to me that a powerful demon has presented himself as an angel
of light, and deceived many. The one-world religious whore of
Revelations is emerging quickly. The message of toleration has
become the gospel of the day. The Roman Catholic Church seems
to be one of those on the forefront who are pushing a dangerous
one-world church. Let us beware.
Concerning
the Jewish people the official Roman Catholic Catechism states:
“Those who have not
yet received the Gospel are related to the People of God in
various ways. The relationship of the Church with the Jewish
People. When she delves into her own mystery, the Church, the
People of God in the New Covenant, discovers her link with the
Jewish people, the first to hear the Word of God.” The Jewish
faith, unlike other non-Christian religions, is already a response
to God’s revelation in the Old Covenant. To the Jews “belong
the sonship, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law,
the worship, and the promises; to them belong the patriarchs,
and of their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ”, “for
the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable.”
And when one considers
the future, God’s People of the Old Covenant and the new People
of God tend towards similar goals: expectation of the coming
(or the return) of the Messiah. But one awaits the return of
the Messiah who died and rose from the dead and is recognized
as Lord and Son of God; the other awaits the coming of a Messiah,
whose features remain hidden till the end of time; and the latter
waiting is accompanied by the drama of not knowing or of misunderstanding
Christ Jesus.
Concerning
the Muslims the Catechism states:
The Church’s relationship
with the Muslims. “The plan of salvation also includes those
who acknowledge the Creator, in the first place amongst whom
are the Muslims; these profess to hold the faith of Abraham,
and together with us they adore the one, merciful God, mankind’s
judge on the last day.”
Fátima
is proposed to become an interfaith shrine:
Delegates attending
the Vatican and United Nations (UN) inspired annual interfaith
congress “The Future of God”, held during October in Fátima,
heard how the Shrine is to be developed into a centre where
all the religions of the world will gather to pay homage to
their various gods. The Congress was held in the Paul VI Pastoral
Centre and presided over by the Cardinal Patriarch of Lisbon
José de Cruz Policarpo.
The Shrine’s rector,
Monsignor Luciano Guerra, told the Congress that Fátima
“will change for the better.” Addressing Hindu, Muslim, Jewish,
Orthodox, Buddhist and African Pagan representatives he stated:
“The future of Fátima, or the adoration of God and His
mother at this holy Shrine, must pass through the creation of
a shrine where different religions can mingle. The inter-religious
dialogue in Portugal, and in the Catholic Church, is still in
an embryonic phase, but the Shrine of Fátima is not indifferent
to this fact and is already open to being a universalistic place
of vocation.”
The Hindu representative
Ansshok Ansraj described how already in the Far East millions
of Hindus are getting “positive vibrations” from visiting Marian
shrines without endangering their faith.
Monsignor Guerra pointed
out that the very fact that Fátima is the name of a Muslim
and Mohammed’s daughter is indicative that the Shrine must be
open to the co-existence of various faiths and beliefs. According
to the Monsignor: “Therefore we must assume that it was the
will of the Blessed Virgin Mary that this comes about this way.”
Traditional Catholics opposed to the Congress were described
by the Monsignor as “old fashioned, narrow minded, fanatic extremists
and provocateurs.”
For the first time
in the 86-year history of Fátima, all of the Pagan and
”Christian” delegates were invited to participate in the ecumenical
celebrations. One of the principle speakers, the Jesuit theologian
Father Jacques Dupuis, was insistent that the religions of the
world must unite. “The religion of the future will be a general
converging of religions in a universal Christ that will satisfy
all,” he said.
The Belgium-born theologian
argued: “The other religious traditions in the world are part
of God’s plan for humanity, and the Holy Spirit is operating
and present in Buddhist, Hindu and other sacred writings of
Christian and non-Christian faiths as well.” In an impassioned
plea, he said, “The universality of God’s kingdom permits this,
and this is nothing more than a diversified form of sharing
in the same mystery of salvation. In the end it is hoped that
the Christian will become a better Christian and each Hindu
a better Hindu.”
An official statement
put out by the Congress called for a non-proselytizing approach
by all religions. “No one religion can irradiate another,” it
said, “or strengthen itself by downplaying others, and an open
dialogue is the way to building bridges and tearing down walls
of centuries of hate. What is needed is that each religion be
true to its faith integrally and treat each religion on the
same footing of equality with no inferior or superiority complexes.”
It emphasized that the secret to peace amongst all religions
is admitting that contradictions exist between creeds but to
concentrate on what unites them as opposed to what separates
them.
Delegates agreed that
religious shrines, including Fátima, should be revamped
every 25 years to reflect modern day trends and beliefs. The
Shrine of Fátima is about to undergo a complete reconstruction
with a new stadium-like basilica being erected close by the
existing one built in 1921.
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