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UPDATE: Pope Benedict resigned today, the first pope to do so in 600 years. Please read this to learn more: "Pope Benedict resigned- will the next pope validate Malachy's prophecy?"
An interesting article, please click on the headline for more
Pope heads into busy Christmas season tired, weak
"Pope Benedict XVI seems worn out. People who have spent time with him recently say they found him weaker than they'd ever seen him, seemingly too tired to engage with what they were saying. He no longer meets individually with visiting bishops. A few weeks ago he started using a moving platform to spare him the long walk down St. Peter's Basilica. Benedict turns 85 in the new year, so a slowdown is only natural. Expected. And given his age and continued rigorous work schedule, it's remarkable he does as much as he does and is in such good health overall: Just this past week he confirmed he would travel to Mexico and Cuba next spring. But a decline has been noted as Benedict prepares for next weekend's grueling Christmas celebrations, which kick off two weeks of intense public appearances. And that raises questions about the future of the papacy given that Benedict himself has said popes should resign if they can't do the job."
Now, this brings up an interesting issue. I am NOT a fan of extra-biblical prophecies. I mean, just look at the hysteria of the Mayan 2012 world-ending prophecy. The bible is the only true standard for testing truth. But there is an interesting prophecy about the Pope that is explained in Jack Kelley's Q&A section of Grace Thru Faith website. Both Q&A's are highlighted with a clickable link.
"Only One More Pope?"
Q. The Bible doesn’t say anything about popes so where do we get the idea that this pope is the 2nd to the last one of the End Times?
A. It’s true that the Bible makes no mention of Popes. The view that the current pope is the next to last one comes from a remarkable extra-Biblical prophecy given by an Irish Catholic Bishop named St. Malachy in 1139 AD. He predicted that a total of 112 men would hold the office of Pope from then till the End of the Age and gave cryptic descriptions of each one that have all been reasonably accurate, lending credibility to the prophecy. The last pope, called Peter the Roman, “will feed his flock amid many tribulations; after which the seven-hilled city (Rome) will be destroyed and the dreadful Judge will judge the people.” Pope Benedict is number 111, next to last on St. Malachy’s list, something that caught the public’s attention around the time the Pope was being selected."
"Verifying Prophecy"
Q. I believe in all the prophesies in the Bible. But what about those extra-biblical predictions like St. Malachy and such? I know in Joel 2:28, God said that there will be people who prophesize. So how do we (Christians) discern which revelation is from God and which isn’t? If I received a vision, how can I be sure that it is from God?
A. Deut. 18:21-22 answers your question. You may say to yourselves, “How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the LORD ?” If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him. Prophecies from the Lord always come true. Modern day prophecies also have to conform to God’s already revealed word, because He can’t change His mind or contradict Himself. The prophecies of St. Malachy concerning Papal succession are interesting and have historical support for their accuracy. For this reason they bear watching."
Watch, test all things, dispense with the false and hold fast to the good. And with high levels of skepticism and even with one eye shut, holding your nose, read the "The Prophecy of the Popes" by Saint Malachy, of which "The longest and final motto reads in the original Latin:
"In eſecutione extrema S.R.E. ſedebit. Petrus Romanus, qui paſcet oues in multis tribulationibus: quibus tranſactis ciuitas ſepticollis diruetur, & Iudex tremẽdus iudicabit populum ſuum. Finis."
This is usually translated into English as:
"In the extreme persecution of the Holy Roman Church, there will sit [i.e., as bishop]. Peter the Roman, who will pasture his sheep in many tribulations: and when these things are finished, the city of seven hills will be destroyed, and the terrible judge will judge his people. The End."
It IS pretty interesting that a guy in some tiny Irish town a thousand years ago made a list of popes that ends at exactly a time when true believers see the biblical prophecies already coming together. Malachy could have listed 100 popes, or 150 popes, but he didn't. The list ends...now. That merits a 'hmmmm' from me.
Compelling, but don't build a doctrine out of it. The currently reported weakness of the Pope and the prospect of installing another one is always interesting because by far the Roman Catholic Church is one of the largest false religion in the world, with roots that can be directly traced back to the first false religion, Babylon. For that reason alone, the Pope is worth watching, because it is highly likely the Catholic religion will have some role to play when true believers are raptured away. As head of that religion, the Pope will need to send assurances to the billion Catholics left behind. The Pope, whoever he is, will be prominent in the news and on the world stage. There are approximately 1.1 billion Catholics, and 1.5 billion Muslims so the number of false religion adherents left behind will undoubtedly inculcate and perpetuate the Lie. (2 Thess 2:11).
The news article continues about Pope Benedict:
"Fessio recalled a day in the 2010 edition that remains with him: "In the Saturday morning session, the pope looked older and weaker than I had ever seen him before. In fact I remarked to someone that it's the first time I've seen him look like the old man that he is. He was speaking in softer tones than even his normally soft speaking voice. His head was bowed. He was pale. He just looked frail." But then, after lunch and an apparent rest, Benedict returned for the afternoon session. "It was a complete transformation. He was lively, vigorous, attentive, and with his usual good humor," Fessio said. Clearly, at his age Benedict has good days and bad, even good half-days and bad."
As we all know, all people's days are numbered, and God knows the number of them. Psalm 39:4- "Show me, O LORD, my life's end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life."
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Edward, the prophecy of Malachy is a stumbling block because it is not found in the bible. The bible is the only authoritative truth.
ReplyDeleteAre you saying Jesus resurrected you from the dead to be the prophesied Pope Peter??
It does not mean that since God gave prophesies years ago which are in the Bible, He does not give more prophecies today. Many Christians like you are have not opened to the fact that God spoke and He is speaking and revealing more than He did in yester years today. Reason many so calling themselves Christians cannot hear the clear voice of God as he speaks to them because they have sunk in the past and dictates what God can do and how.
DeleteJoshua, I understand what you are saying and I appreciate the succinctness with which you said it. I have something to share with you. It is very exciting, and I am quaking with joy that I have finally heard God's voice. Are you ready? He SPOKE to me today! I heard a NEW prophecy very clearly. Here it is--
Delete[sarcasm]God said, I am not going to give prophecy anymore to anyone except to Elizabeth Prata.
He said that. I really felt him saying it. he lifted me into another dimension and I saw the world through his eyes and he leaned close and hugged me in His arms, and he said I am to be the only recipient of prophecy. I got chills throughout my body, it felt like electricity. I was returned home very tired, but so excited I wanted to tell you first.
So, pretty cool, huh?!
If you do not listen, I will be sad you are not opened to the fact that he spoke and he revealed more, to me, and therefore that it is really important that you believe it and you obey. Otherwise I will know you have sunk into the past and dictates what God can do and how.[/sarcasm]
Now, the above was not true, God did not tell me that. However, others have said such things. So how would you verify these new revelations? Would you obey me, who claims to have heard the voice of God and have been personally delivered a new revelation? Or not? And if not, why not?
See, that is the thing with extra biblical revelation. You can't reproduce it and you can't verify it.
On another point, there is a classic mistake people make when discussing current day personal revelation. They say, as you did, that not believing that God talks to people personally in new revelations limits God and what He "can" do.
If we go by your assertion that God can give revelation to individuals so therefore He does, then what about the 400 years after Malachi, when no prophet spoke and God didn't either? Was God asleep? Did satan come and tie God up and gag him? Was God powerless because He did not give revelation, therefore He *couldn't?* What about the 400 years before Malachi and extending past Malachi through John the Baptist- when no prophet did a miracle? Was God powerless? He must have been, since He didn't prove His power by performing a miracle for us.
No, God CAN do anything. His powers are limitless. He could rewind the clock and put everyone in the Garden of Eden if He wanted to. But the point is, He doesn't. God does not do certain things because to do otherwise it would contradict His intended plan.
God speaks prophecy today- they are all in the bible. We're given instructions as to how to verify it. And there is a prohibition in both the OT and the New testament not to add one more word to the holy writ than is already written. So...don't. Do not believe new revelations. And any prophecy outside of he bible is to be looked upon with suspicion and skepticism ad a matter of course.
I was surprised when Hal Lindsey talked about this prophecy on one of his previous shows. I know he gave a disclaimer before talking about it but then what was the point of even mentioning it? It could easily confuse some people about the validity of God's word and could add validity to the RCC for others.
ReplyDeleteIf it was not a revelation from God, it was demonically inspired...I'm not saying that they can tell the future and that the RCC and the kingdom of satan used whatever useless power and influence to make reality line up with these "prophecies." I've read most of them and those that aren't about the Pope's family's coat of arms seem to be reaching. The last prophecy is eerie though. The last line is interesting but I won't look into it beyond that.
It is pretty compelling but big pieces just don't add up to being in line with The Word of God and that spells dastardly deception from the cunning serpent. I bet these prophecies will be another way to validate the RCC post rapture. They can bring it to light whenever it's convenient for them!
Thanks for really shedding light on how deeply deceptive the RCC really is and also it's role in the end times. I was always confused about it and why it was seen as Christianity but never said anything because it's so loved and accepted by everyone...also sorry for this long comment LOL...
Debbie, I loved your comment. I think that was insightful to say it may be a way to validate the Catholic Church post-rapture. I had not thought of that.
ReplyDeleteI know that God used the Witch of Endor to speak to Saul when King Saul sought information. He used un-believer Cyrus King of Persia in a mighty way. In Acts 16:16-19 a slave girl was making lots of money telling the future, and if she had been wrong so many times I suppose she would not have been so valuable to her master. And she was following Paul saying that Paul was proclaiming the people that Paul was from the Most High God and showing the way to be saved, so who knows why the demon spirit in her was saying the truth at that moment...he had his reasons I am sure.
I'm sure there are other nonbelievers He has used that I can't think of right now that are unconventional or that He allowed the demons to use. He *could* give a prophecy to an unbeliever. He usually doesn't. I tend to believe Malachy was demonically inspired as so many of the visions and dreams and visitations to other medieval Catholics were. And the bible was codified by then so Malachy would know the phrases 'city of 7 hills' and the 'terrible judge' and the end time destruction. So would satan. But the timing...the demons don't know *that*.
As for saying out loud that the Catholic church isn't Christian, yeah, I always get hate mail or spit on when I say that. And the angry spittle I mention? It happened at church two weeks ago from a fellow 'believer'. Notwithstanding the reaction we know we will get when we say Beth Moore is a counterfeit or Billy Graham is apostate or the Catholic Church isn't Christian, we must speak when we can point to the bible to show validity for these opinions. Proverbs 28:23, "He who rebukes a man will in the end gain more favor than he who has a flattering tongue." and from Whom do we gain favor by speaking up? Our Savior.
I'm not an expert on the Catholic church or on the history of Ireland, but I can't help but wonder: Not all Catholics are unbelievers headed for hell. There are true Christians within the Catholic church, both today and in the past, in the small minority certainly, but never-the-less there. Wherever the Word of God is read it will do it's work in drawing souls to God. This Catholic priest lived in Ireland in 1139 AD according to your post above. Was there a protestant church in Ireland at that time? No! But the Word of God was there, read by a few priests who could actually read. I don't have much use for the prophecy he gave, but to automatically say it was Satanic because it was from a Catholic priest is wrong. Martin Luther was a Catholic priest, he read the Word of God and became a true believer in Jesus Christ. When he left the RCC, many priests and nuns also left, and many of them were true believers in Jesus Christ as well. But all of that happened centuries AFTER St. Malachy gave his prophecies. Again, I am NOT saying the prophecy is true or valid, I'm just saying we do not know the true state of St. Malachy's soul or his relationship to God.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, you're quite right that we don't know the ultimate disposition of St. Malachy. There will likely be people from any or all religions in heaven. Some we will be surprised are there and others we will be surprised that are not there.
ReplyDeleteHowever we *do* know Saint Malachy engaged in a long course of Catholic studies before being ordained priest, and he had perfected his studies in sacred Catholic liturgy and theology. He was an archbishop, which means a keeper and promoter of Catholic doctrine. The odds don't look good for him being in heaven. Catholic doctrine precludes heaven for its stricter adherents, because the true grace through faith relationship with Jesus adds works. The Catholic religion is a false religion and is not Christian.
HI Elizabeth,
DeleteI am Irish, A Catholic and very much believe in Jesus Christ. I Have to say i know many religions and would not assume to think that i am in a position to say who Jesus Christ will take up to Heaven and who he will not. Nowhere is there anything to suggest that St Malachy is in Hell, but if you have been given some devine message from God on this subject then of course i apologise. You don't mention what religion you follow as i would like to know what the name of the "true" religion is. The Catholic Church has been handed down from St Peter the first Desciple of Christ, but if your religion is the true religion again we have all been wrong. We also have a great love for Our Lady, the Mother of Jesus Christ who has been a source of great strength to her children here on Earth as we go through these trying times. She is a great advocate of the Rosary which she urges be said for salvation against the Devil. As for the prophecies: You just have to look to your American President Obama to know that the tribulations are well in progress. The new medical bill has in its pages plans to insert chips into the hand of every American citizen over the next few years for "medical purposes". He also signed into law on December 31st 2011 permission for the military to arrest and detain indefinitely, American Citizens on American Soil and worldwide if under suspiscion of being a terrorist. They have not described in the law what will constitute being a terrorist could be. I am sure they will decide that as they go along. Obama made sure before he would sign this bill that he would as President be able to decide himself who would/could be detained. Read your prophecies: it is all in there. Most definitely coming to the end. May i also say that all of the prophecies were given to Caholics. But if they were given to other religions please correct me. Whether or not you want to believe that Catholics are making up these things even you would have to say they were absolutely brilliant to have been 100% accurrate with what they had to say. Yes when Jesuse Christ finally comes back to bring those who kept his commandments and charity on this Earth,as he said: "No one shall come to the Father except through me: i can definitely say that there will be many Catholics there by his side and there will be many Catholics who will be left behind. Not all have been true and others have been lead astray by rogue bishops and priests, but amongst the rubble of the Church that will be left after Our Lord Jesus Christ comes back to Smyt those who have dessicrated his Church, he will rebuild and everyone on Earth will follow without question a renewal of the one true Religion, not many.
Catherine. Ireland
Maybe i am wrong, but is that a picture of an angel that you have as your profile. Hmmm! You were saying about Idolotry. Then you have a cross as your profile. Idolotry cannot be when it suits. First you are worshipping an angel (the very fact that you put it as your profile tells me you pray to your angel)
DeleteThen you have the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ as your profile, but our Lord Jesus is not on The Cross in your Photo. So you are worshipping a piece of wood that is in the shape of the Cross that Our Lord Jesus Christ was Crucified on.
Is that not Idolotry.
No. It is not idolatry to have a photo of an angel or a cross.
DeleteIdolatry consists of:
Bowing before an image or object
Prayer
Sacrificed to
Serving
Slaughtering children
Worship
Worship of true God by an image
I do not pray to nor bow to, serve or do any of the aforementioned things to an angel or a cross nor their images.
By the above definition, the Catholic crucifix is an idol.
To Catherine of Ireland: who said,
Delete"I Have to say i know many religions and would not assume to think that i am in a position to say who Jesus Christ will take up to Heaven and who he will not."
That is so sad. It means you do not understand the faith.
While we don't know who is converted in their heart, we do know that those who adhere to a different Gospel are not in the faith. (2 Cor 11:4-5, Mark 7:9, Gal 1:6...) We are instructed many, MANY times in the bible as to what the true faith is, and is not. We are then told to contend for it, live by it, and proclaim it.
If you don't know the faith, then how do you live by it?
Here is the faith: to be born again. Read 2 Corinthians 5:17; Titus 3:5; 1 Peter 1:3; 1 John 2:29; 3:9; 4:7; 5:1-4, 18. John 1:12,13 indicates that "born again" also carries the idea "to become children of God" through trust in the name of Jesus Christ. As a matter of fact, just read the Gospel of John.
If Malachy adhered to the doctrines of the Catholic Faith, he was not saved, because the precepts of the Catholic faith are not saving doctrines. Anyone who isn't saved by grace alone and faith in Jesus, adding nothing to nor taking anything from the word, (Deut 12:32, Deut 4:2, Rev 22:18).then he is goes to hell when he dies.
Here is information on our eternal destiny, and who goes where.
http://www.gotquestions.org/afterlife.html
Yes, you "have all been wrong". You have. The Catholic religion was not handed down from the first pope Peter. It was handed down from JESUS and is contained in the holy bible, not the Catholic bible. The Popes added conditions to the faith, they worship Mary who they claim is sinless!!, deny the sufficiency of Jesus' death on the cross, curse anyone who does not accept works as part of faith, ("let him be anathema") added purgatory to the faith, created indulgences, made priests intercessors for forgiveness of sin (Jesus is the only intercessor)...I could go on but the Catholic faith is a corrupt evil faith created by satan. Yes. You have been wrong.
The Good News is that there is still time to repent and cleanse yourself of the pollution foisted upon you.
Read this to find out how to be saved.
http://www.irr.org/mit/Biblical-teaching-of-salvation.html
Events in the past 100 cyears or so have been manipulated by the Vatican to make the St. Malachy prophecies more accurate.
ReplyDeleteOne such case is the burial of Pope John Paul II, whose burial was delayed for at least days so that he could be buried during a solar eclipse ("Labor of the Sun" prophesy.)
Yes, he was also born under an eclipse.
For whatever reason, the Roman Catholics (or perhaps God Himself) wants these prophecies to be accurate enough so we will watch what happens.
I'm watching!
Elizabeth, quote: "Catholic doctrine precludes heaven for its stricter adherents, because the true grace through faith relationship with Jesus adds works. The Catholic religion is a false religion and is not Christian."
ReplyDeleteJudge not lest you be judged. I am caretaker for a relative, who I take to her church (St Joseph the worker). I have seen no Maryan worship or other doctrinal difficulties in their masses. They continually preach Christ Crucified, Sanctification through the Holy Spirit, and leading a holy life. They are active in anti abortion/pro life works of the spirit (bearing fruit). If this is not a Christian Church what is?
If you read the Letters to the seven churches, you should be able to discern that Philadelphia stands for the "Body of Christ" which will include believers in the Catholic Church. If you read about the Church of Thyatira, you shold be able to discern it is doctrinally like the Catholic Church after the believers have been taken away.
Dear Rollin, the Bible says "judge not" but later on, on the same chapter it says "you would know them by their fruits"
Deletethe catholic church wasn't born with Jesus, nor with Peter, it was started by the Romans, please read some history.
Jesus clearly said "I am the way, the truth and the live, no one comes to the Father, if it's not through me"
so, no priest, no mother Marry, will save you...
Titus 3:5
(he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit)
I think that they should not call themselves Catholics, how can you serve two masters? the Catholic church in its creed have blasphemies that are the total opposite to what Jesus Christ preached!
Robin,
ReplyDeleteyou are using the verse from Matthew 'judge not' incorrectly. Itr actually means that before we judge we are to make sure we have 'taken the log' out of our own eye by repenting so we do not judge in hypocrisy. If we were never to judge any doctrine or person bringing a docrine we'd have to rip out half the New Testament that tells us to judge these things. Test them. Rebuke them. And so on.
The Mayan worship was explained that by way of example of the Catholic Church melding to local customs in order to ingratiate within a new culture, the Catholic Church accepts pagan worship, whatever it may be, locally. In Guatemala where two missionaries had just returned, they showed us photos of how the Catholic Church THERE accepted Mayan sacrifices as part of Catholic worship.
The Catholic Church is a false church. They do not hold to the basic tenets of the true faith. They add works. They deify Mary. They say Mary is sinless. They say she was ever a virgin. They invented extra-biblical doctrines such as limbo and purgatory. They bow down to idols (2nd commandment). The install priest mediators to God where Jesus is our mediator. And so on. I JUDGE the Catholic Church false and its promoters wolves.
By this point you should be able ti discern that the Catholic Church is the worst false church ever to exist.
Re: Your treating this as a common devil
ReplyDeletehttp://risen-from-the-dead.forumotion.com/t3-testimony-against-apostates#3
Read "A Coming Of Truth: 666 The Antichrist Revealed."
ReplyDeleteThis is a book where the author, who had a 'vision' reveals the antichrist.
ReplyDeleteSorry, not buying it.
The scriptures are sufficient. The scriptures say that the antichrist will be revealed at the abomination of desolation. (Dan 9:27, 2 Thess 2:3). No one knows until then.
The next Bishop of Rome will take the title Sixtus.
ReplyDeleteWell if you are saying that RCC is a fake religion, can you tell me what's the genuine one?
ReplyDeletePhilippines, Yes, Roman Catholicism is a false religion. They teach that salvation can be obtained by a melding of tradition, works, and some truths contained in altered version of the bible.
DeleteWhat you're asking is "What is true religion?" Below is an excerpt of a short essay answering your question. I have a link for you to read further:
http://www.gotquestions.org/true-religion.html
Here is the excerpt--
Religion can be defined as “belief in God or gods to be worshipped, usually expressed in conduct and ritual” or “any specific system of belief, worship, etc., often involving a code of ethics.” Well over 90% of the world’s population adheres to some form of religion. The problem is that there are so many different religions. What is the right religion? What is true religion?
The two most common ingredients in religions are rules and rituals. True religion is neither rules-based nor ritual-based. True religion is a relationship with God. Two things that all religions hold are that humanity is somehow separated from God and needs to be reconciled to Him. False religion seeks to solve this problem by observing rules and rituals. True religion solves the problem by recognizing that only God could rectify the separation, and that He has done so. True religion recognizes the following:
1. We have all sinned and are therefore separated from God (Romans 3:23).
2. If not rectified, the just penalty for sin is death and eternal separation from God after death (Romans 6:23).
3. God came to us in the Person of Jesus Christ and died in our place, taking the punishment that we deserve, and rose from the dead to demonstrate that His death was a sufficient sacrifice (Romans 5:8; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; 2 Corinthians 5:21).
4. If we receive Jesus as the Savior, trusting His death as the full payment for our sins, we are forgiven, saved, redeemed, reconciled, and justified with God (John 3:16; Romans 10:9-10; Ephesians 2:8-9).
True religion does have rules and rituals, but there is a crucial difference. In true religion, the rules and rituals are observed out of gratitude for the salvation God has provided – NOT in an effort to obtain that salvation. True religion, which is Biblical Christianity, has rules to obey (do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not lie, etc.) and rituals to observe (water baptism by immersion and the Lord’s Supper / Communion). Observance of these rules and rituals is not what makes a person right with God. Rather, these rules and rituals are the RESULT of the relationship with God, by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone as the Savior. False religion is doing things (rules and rituals) in order to try to earn God’s favor. True religion is receiving Jesus Christ as Savior and thereby having a right relationship with God – and then doing things (rules and rituals) out of love for God and desire to grow closer to Him.
The works RC do come from a sense of gratitude to God for the atoning death of Jesus, His Son, and from an abding sense of mission to discipleship in imitation of Jesus. They don't come from RCs to buy salvation. They are given as gifts of gratitude because of salvation!
DeleteAnonymous, I'm sorry but that is untrue. The RC stance is that we are NOT justified by faith alone. In the RC own words:
Delete"If any one saith, that by faith alone the impious is justified; in such wise as to mean, that nothing else is required to co-operate in order to the obtaining the grace of Justification, and that it is not in any way necessary, that he be prepared and disposed by the movement of his own will; let him be anathema"
(Council of Trent, Canons on Justification, Canon 9).
"If any one saith, that man is truly absolved from his sins and justified, because he assuredly believed himself absolved and justified; or, that no one is truly justified but he who believes himself justified; and that, by this faith alone, absolution and justification are effected; let him be anathema." (Canon 14).
Anathema means cursed. So the RC canon states that if you say you are justified by faith alone, let you be CURSED. (excommunicated). Roman Catholicism negates justification by faith alone. Therefore is is a false religion.
Knowing Jesus is the only way to the Father, Religion is rules and regulations alot like Government and who can trust that !
DeleteJohn 3:16 Go so loved the world, he gave his only begotten son, and whosoever believeth on him shall have Life Eternal !!!! Not Rules and Regulations....
FOllowers of Jesus know that the truth is in our relationship with Him. However, true religion does have rules and rituals, but there is a crucial difference. In true religion, the rules and rituals are observed out of gratitude for the salvation God has provided – NOT in an effort to obtain that salvation. True religion, which is Biblical Christianity, has rules to obey (do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not lie, etc.) and rituals to observe (water baptism by immersion and the Lord’s Supper / Communion). Observance of these rules and rituals is not what makes a person right with God. Rather, these rules and rituals are the RESULT of the relationship with God, by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone as the Savior. More here
Deletehttp://www.gotquestions.org/true-religion.html
You CAN trust Jesus. But never think that because you have trusted Him you are released from following rules and rituals.
how do all these christians who think they know what the catholic church teaches get information? Do they actually go to a catholic church on a regular basis or do they just believe everything they hear. I was raised in a catholic church where the pastor taught that the only way to heaven is through Jesus Chrsit. Alot of religions in the world are false why just pick on the catholics
DeleteAnonymous, If you see above, I quoted CATHOLIC writings, doctrine, and Popes. Sure, the Catholics preach Jesus, they also preach Mary, tradition, extra-biblical methods of attaining heaven, practice idolatry and violate several Commandments.
DeleteYes there are many false religions. Why pick on the Catholics? They're the most dangerous, being the closest counterfeit. And, I got to start somewhere.
There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends (John15:13)
ReplyDeleteWe can not save ourselves,Jesus Christ died for his friends, for us. The ten commandments are printed on our hearts.
We can never say: "We do not know how to love God and each other".
This is the only religion and we are all Catholics through LOVE
Um, no. We are not all Catholics. What's that mean, exactly, "the ten commandments are printed on our heart"? The commandments were given to CONDEMN us. (Romans 7)
DeleteLove is not the only ingredient. Holiness, repentance, mercy and forgiveness is. 90% of the world believes in religion, and at the root of all of them is love. Which religion is correct? None of them. The true religion is the *relationship* with Jesus Christ, gained thru repentance for our sins and submission to Him as Lord. The love comes after that.
James 2: (14) My brothers, what [is] the gain if anyone says he has faith, but he does not have works? Is the faith able to save him? (15) But if a brother or a sister is naked and may be lacking in daily food, (16) and any one of you say to them, Go in peace, be warmed and filled, but does not give them the things the body needs, what gain [is it]? (17) So also faith, if it does not have works, is dead being by itself. (18) But someone will say, You have faith, and I have works. Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith out of my works. (19) You believe that God is One. You do well; even the demons believe and shudder. (20) But are you willing to know, O vain man, that faith apart from works is dead? (21) Was not our father Abraham justified by works offering up his son Isaac on the altar? (22) You see that faith worked with his works; and out of the works the faith was perfected. (23) And the Scripture was fulfilled, saying, "And Abraham believed God, and it was counted for righteousness to him;" and he was called, Friend of God. (24) You see, then, that a man is justified out of works, and not out of faith only. (25) But in the same way Rahab the harlot was also justified out of works, having received the messengers, and sending them out by another way. (26) For as the body is dead apart from the spirit, so also faith is dead apart from works.
DeleteAnonymous,
DeleteCatholics believe works saves. Born Again Christians believe works serve. Catholics add works to the cross. Born Agains add nothing, but work to serve him who granted us that grace. The distinction has eternal consequences.
GotQuestions answers this for you, please heed
Question: "Is salvation by faith alone, or by faith plus works?"
Answer: This is perhaps the most important question in all of Christian theology. This question is the cause of the Reformation, the split between the Protestant churches and Catholic Church. This question is a key difference between biblical Christianity and most of the “Christian” cults. Is salvation by faith alone, or by faith plus works? Am I saved just by believing in Jesus, or do I have to believe in Jesus and do certain things?
The question of faith alone or faith plus works is made difficult by some hard-to-reconcile Bible passages. Compare Romans 3:28 5:1and Galatians 3:24 with James 2:24. Some see a difference between Paul (salvation is by faith alone) and James (salvation is by faith plus works). Paul dogmatically says that justification is by faith alone (Ephesians 2:8-9), while James appears to be saying that justification is by faith plus works. This apparent problem is answered by examining what exactly James is talking about. James is refuting the belief that a person can have faith without producing any good works (James 2:17-18). James is emphasizing the point that genuine faith in Christ will produce a changed life and good works (James 2:20-26). James is not saying that justification is by faith plus works, but rather that a person who is truly justified by faith will have good works in his/her life. If a person claims to be a believer, but has no good works in his/her life, then he/she likely does not have genuine faith in Christ (James 2:14, 17, 20, 26).
Paul says the same thing in his writings. The good fruit believers should have in their lives is listed in Galatians 5:22-23. Immediately after telling us that we are saved by faith, not works (Ephesians 2:8-9), Paul informs us that we were created to do good works (Ephesians 2:10). Paul expects just as much of a changed life as James does: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). James and Paul do not disagree in their teaching regarding salvation. They approach the same subject from different perspectives. Paul simply emphasized that justification is by faith alone while James put emphasis on the fact that genuine faith in Christ produces good works.
So you believe in Faith in Jesus Christ alone will bring you salvation!!.
DeleteWell you said it yourself that James and Paul differ in what they believe Jesus meant by what he said. What harm is it that someone would believe in Faith and works/sacrifices for their salvation!!!. it appears to me that you have set yourself up as Judge and Jury on other peoples Faith. I am a Catholic and very proud of my faith through Jesus Christ. If i want to show my faith in Christ through my works then i do not think you are in such a high seated position to condemn me for that. As for Idolotry. I worship and pray to God Jesus Christ and Our Lady. The statues that are placed in Churches are images of God Jesus Christ and Our Lady so it is not idolotry.Idolotry is worhipping false Gods. Unless you are saying that God Jesus Christ and Our lady are false in the Catholic Church and do not exist within. That being the case, then you need to check yourself and your faith because you are trying very very hard to knock mine. The real test will come in the near future when a lot of Christians will have to sacrifice themselves for God. Will you be one of them???. Or will your faith alone carry you to Heaven. I hope so cause for someone who does not believe that you have to work for your faith, you are certainly working very hard to discount others.
I wish you well. God Bless
Worshiping and praying to "Our Lady" means you are an idolater. "I am the LORD and there is no other!" Isaiah 43:11. So you are worshiping a false goddess in praying to Mary.
DeleteShe was just a regular sinner, saved by faith in a coming Jesus, and obedient in her service to the Lord. When she died, she went to the grave like all of us, and did not arise bodily to heaven. That won't happen until the rapture resurrection.
I did not say that we don't work within the faith, the bible says faith without works is dead. James 2:17. What I AM saying is that the Catholics teach that unless you put in effort, and do works, you will not be saved. This is false it is by no merit of our own that we attain salvation. However the RCC teaches that it IS our own merit that saves us. ("CCC 2010, "...Moved by the Holy Spirit and by charity, we can then merit for ourselves and for others the graces needed for our sanctification, for the increase of grace and charity, and for the attainment of eternal life.")
I do knock your faith. It is evil and false. I hope this knocking knocks you off your pins and the scales fall off your eyes, and you repent to Jesus and be saved!
God bless you Elizabeth for being so filled of the Holy Spirit in using the word of God the way it should be used, as for my catholic friend up there I have Titus 3:5 for you dear, so you can understand better what is being saved by faith.
DeleteTitus 3:5
"5 He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit"
And something else first commandment, it is pretty clear in the Bible, so instead of listening to what your catholic priest is saying, take time and read the Bible by yourself and you'll see that you'll find how wrong Catholic church is.
Luke 4:8
8 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.
you do realize that malachy s prophecy was a FORGERY right, and that most Popes are shoe horned and pigeon holed in to the prophecy...... and as well NO the RC does not come from Babylon,to say that is showing how uneducated one is in both history and archeology, Alexander Hislop the guy who invented this idea had been discredited a long time ago
ReplyDeleteHello wiggly,
DeleteI have not read that Malachy's writings were forgery. I did say that because the 'prophecy' is not from the bible we cannot make a doctrine out of it. The bible is the only source of truth. I did say the notion was compelling, if for no other reason that the Roman Catholic Church is a false church and it will be interesting to see what happens to it in the Tribulation. I don't know what has been debunked or not debunked about Hislop, but the RCC is a false church that has married elements from Babylonian mystery cults into its doctrines. That is a fact.
You did not say which of the 30,000 plus Christian religions is the true one,
DeleteSo which one?
Hi Anonymous,
DeleteSatan is certainly clever and subtle to be able to successfully counterfeit Christianity for so long and so well. Here is an answer to your question, using scriptures-
Which church is the true church?
http://www.gotquestions.org/true-church.html
Anonymous, you're missing the point, she is not saying that Catholic church is false, then my religion is right, she is saying Catholic church is a blasphemous religion, that it's not true, and run away from it, and try to find the true of Jesus Christ in His word, the Bible! not in an institution! and later on, you'll find people like Elizabeth and like me, that have the same love for Jesus Christ, and you will have partners with who to share the love, mercy and grace of Christ, and you'll get deeper and deeper in His love and you'll know what true Christianity is!
DeleteGod bless you!
do you people know the bible was compiled and approved by the catholic church?
ReplyDeleteYes, "us people" know the bible was compiled by the catholic church- small 'c'. When used this way catholic means global church.
DeleteThe Catholic church write their own bible and it is false (they deleted Commandment #2 and added many other things they falsely state is scripture). Mormons made their own bible, gays made their own bible, feminists made their own bible- there are lots of false bibles, you're right as far as that goes.
But backing up a bit, the Holy bible was inspired by the Holy Spirit, written by true believers, and assembled exactly as God intended. It is our only authority and we should read it to see the only Savior there is revealing Himself through it.
If you have faith why do you not trust that the church jesus made is the one and only true church. every other church after that took out parts of the true teachings and thus a division began , creating confusion .confusion comes from the devil not God .read the bible and get your facts straight .how ignorant are you who condemn the catholic church as demonic . you are the fools that stand by while thousands die in syria because they are catholic ,yet you call yourselves holy. I have absolute faith in jesus and his church on earth.
ReplyDeletekaren, the Catholic church is a false church. I encourage you to read more here, this blog entry contains many other references to both the false doctrines of the RCC and bible verses to show you where it is wrong.
Deletehttp://the-end-time.blogspot.com/2013/02/catholicism-is-not-christian-religion.html
God created the universe all that is seen and all that is unseen, heaven and earth, more than we will ever comprehend.but you doubt the authority of the church given to us by God himself...but hey if you say it aint so maybe you would like to chat with the jehovas witnesses , or bahi
DeleteHi Anonymous,
DeleteYes God created the earth and all that is in it. and the universe too. He is more than we can comprehend, that is so very true! But He gave us revelation of Himself in His word and the Holy Spirit to help us understand it. Therefore the portion He gave us of Himself is NOT incomprehensible. So saying that 'he is more than we comprehend' is a cop-out for failing to study His word and come to an understanding of what His expectations are of us. Yes any JW or B'hai are welcome to discus what the faith Jesus came to bring us is and how to be saved from His wrath to come.
as a catholic for 6 decades and now a believer of Jesus Christ alone, i can assure you, Jesus cannot be quoted anywhere except in the Bible. our catholic teachings used the bible for epistles and gospels during the mass and nowhere else. i know how much it hurt the first time someone told me the catholic church was false. i fought for so many years, denying and saying all the things you have said. please pray that the Lord show you if there is anything He wants to you to know. go directly to Him...not through another man or woman. i pray that you let His Word,the Bible and not prayers written by any others to show you His way.
ReplyDeleteLooks like the prophecy is coming to pass because the Pope has announced his retirement by the end of the month. let us waot and see what happens from now.
ReplyDeleteHere are some of the false things about the RCC
ReplyDeleteCatholics worship Mary as a Queen of Heaven. They believe she intercedes for us in heaven. She does not. Jesus Christ is our intercessor. (Romans 8:34)
Rosary, a meaningless repetition of prayers which are worthless to God. (Matthew 6:7).
Selling forgiveness for money (indulgences)
Additions to and subtractions from the bible
Purgatory, a completely made-up notion. in accordance with Catholic teaching is a place or condition of temporal punishment for those who, departing this life in God's grace, are, not entirely free from venial faults, or have not fully paid the satisfaction due to their transgressions.
Pope’s “infallibility”, earthly substitution for Jesus (‘vicar' of Christ)
Priests forgiving men of sins. Shortly before His ascension, Jesus said to his apostles: “whose soever sins ye forgive, they are forgiven unto them; whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained” (John 20:23). The Roman Catholic Church teaches that Christ was actually granting to the apostles the authority to forgive sins, and that the apostles passed on to their successors (supposedly the Roman priesthood) the same license to pardon sin. This position is false.
Different classification of sins (mortal, venial). FMI on the falsity of mortal and venial sins, read here
Deletion of second commandment. It says "You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I The Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate Me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love Me and keep My Commandments." (Exodus 20:4-6 RSV)' Obviously this presents a problem for the RCC, which indeed makes graven images and bows down to them. So they deleted that commandment.
Transubstantiation, the is the doctrine that, in the Eucharist, the substance of the bread and the wine used in the sacrament is changed into the substance of the Body and the Blood of Jesus. Not true.
Works & tradition related salvation, not faith alone
Here are some links to read more. You are in extreme danger by adhering tot he RCC doctrines, which are not saving doctrines!
http://carm.org/cut-catholic
http://www.gotquestions.org/catholicism.html
ye of little faith,we are talking about GOD.the church is mentioned over and over in the gospels,the church not churches!also in mathew 28:18 jesus speaks to the apostles "All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. go, therefore,and make disciples of all nations,baptizing them in the name of the father , the son, and the holy spirit,teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.And behold, I am with you always,until the end of the age." Clearly instructing the fathers of the church!On this rock I build my church? How can so many churches oppose catholic teaching when it comes staight from jesus?you mock the church because it is now fashionable to be anti catholic ,yet all the graetest saints of our time are catholic.there is no other pope or world leaders that can stand up to the evils of this world. the rosary contains the our father prayer said by jesus himself, we honor and venerate the blessed virgin mother mary .there is so much more that I could say ,but you seem to hate the church, like so many people in the media,hollywood,islam,satanists,those who think abortion is a human rite, stalin ,hitler and so on .regardless the church shall persevere till the end ,and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the mention in scripture of the rock...You are referring to Matthew 16:18. "And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."
DeleteJesus did not come to serve, suffer, and die so He could build His church on Peter. If that was so, Christianity is a #fail. Why? If the church was built on Peter and Jesus said the gates of hell shall not prevail against it, that was a lie, because the gates of hell prevailed against Peter and they crucified him and Peter died. Peter died an ignoble death and it seemed that through Peter's death that hell won. But not so!
Jesus is the rock upon which the church is built. He is building His church on Peter's confession of who Jesus is. In that verse, Peter is replying to the question Jesus posed in v. 13, "Who do you say the Son of Man is?" Peter confessed that Jesus is the Christ, son of God and it is upon that FACT that Jesus built His church. Our church is not built on a mere man, but upon the grace and perfection of the Sinless God-Man who came to take our wrath for our sins. Peter passed away but Jesus will never pass away.
Here is a scriptural handling of the unbliblical concept of Apostolic Succession
http://www.gotquestions.org/apostolic-succession.html
Catholic teachings do not come straight from Jesus. The notion of papal infallibility and the immaculate status of Mary were two dogmas officially absorbed into Catholic teachings by Pope Pius IX in 1869. The Catholic teachings could NOT have come from Jesus at that late date.
As far as the saints go, any person who is born again and in the faith of Jesus are saints. I am a saint. No one saint is higher or any "better" or has any more elevated status than any other. Galatians 3:28 says,
"There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."
No, I am afraid you are sorely taken in. The teachings of the Roman Catholic Church have overlaid upon the faith works and other traditions and doctrines that are man-made. The teachings of the RCC cannot save.
Elizabeth i have encountered you type before , but let me just say this and go because i don't have the time to argue anything with you.the catholic church is over two thousand years old,she has suffer in the hands countless of blind fanatics like you and survived them all, we do not worship mary we honor her above every created being and next to God because she is the mother of God.you should not have problems with that except you dont not believe in the God-ship of christ. if you have problem with that that's your problem. and the bible as we have today was complied and approved by the catholic church, and if every thing you know and believe about God AND CHRISTIANITY is found in the bible then you are a baby christian, because the gospel of saint john stated it clearly that the written records does not contain the totality of what Christ said or did read your bible.john 21-25 those things that were unwritten who do you suppose it will be known. i can feel the fire of your zeal with the amount of energy you are investing in pulling down a legacy of over two thousand years, handed down by Christ himself.
Deletei see you have a problem with our relationship with mary and since you like referring links to let me refer you to one. after all it only a man of weak faith that is afraid to learn about another faith.
click this link and see how blind you are www.ourladyweb.com/mary-bible.html
Hello chinoso,
ReplyDeleteThere is not "another faith." There is only one faith. Your 'faith' as per Pope Benedict just this week, affirmed that I, as a Protestant outside the Catholic Church, am headed to hell. So your own pope affirms that there is one faith and there is not another. OK?
So that settled, the question is, which faith is wrong? I contend that it is the Catholic church which preaches a different Gospel. And yes, I have a problem with your relationship with Mary because it is unbiblical.
Your link led me to this: "Mary is the supreme example, or prototype, of what happens to a person who fully places trust and faith in God. Everything we hope to become in Christ, She already is. Out of the millions of "decisions" made for Christ, Mary's was the first."
Aha! That is a different Gospel. She is not the first Christian, she is not fully embodied all that Christ is. She was a sinner, like all humans, chosen by no merit of her own to be the container vessel to birth the Christ. She was not a perpetual virgin and was not lifted bodily into heaven where she now makes intercession for the Christians. No sir. She is not another royalty in heaven (Queen). God is a jealous God and there is only one who is royal, Jesus the King!
The Gospel of John did state that not all of Christ's deeds are found in the bible. So what? If they are not in there they are not profitable for us to know. (2 Tim 3:16). If it is not in there, it is not profitable! But the Catholic Church made up stuff to fill in the gaps. How presumptuous!!
Once finding Him, I will never 'quickly desert the one who called you by the grace of the Messiah and, instead, are following a different gospel', like you. (Gal 1:6) Paul charged the wayward ones in his day and I charge to you now, come back to the Gospel of Jesus! Come back to simple faith in the Holy One of Israel who is the only deliverer and intercessor there is.
My gosh. Do most of you know how you sound? Aside from satanism and such, what does it matter what branch of religion someone is? I'm Catholic but I don't go to Mass because the Pope tells me to. I go to be with God in His house. My relationship with God is very personal and I let Him lead me not anyone else. And why are some citing the Bible when there are lots of different versions? Ever wonder why? Shouldn't there only be one Holy Bible? Yes! Corruption and greed has altered, taken out, added in words that shouldn't be there. Keep your man made verses to yourself.
ReplyDeleteIt matters very much what branch of religion someone is because there is only one that leads to eternal life. All others lead to eternal death and punishment.
DeleteBut it's not religion that determines that. It's worshiping God. Obeying His 10 Commandments. Accepting Jesus. Staying away from all sin. Religion is man made. Jesus was a jew so my thoughts are, if there was a true religion, Judiaism would be the one to be.
ReplyDeleteTo enter heaven you need to be born again (literally, born from above) (John 3:5-7).
DeleteHow can you "worship God" when you refuse to accept the mechanism through which He has revealed Himself, the bible? Not possible. You can be trendy and say that you don't like "religion" but either way, your won words betray your disdain for the Lord by disdaining His word and His Spirit who helps you understand His word. In that case, you're just worshiping a made-up god who pleases your sinful mind and heart.
So, forget the word 'religion,' faith is a relationship with Jesus which the RCC diminishes by adding layers and traditions and extra-biblical things. Jesus has revealed Himself in His word, that is where we get to know Him in this 'relationship' of ours, if you prefer not to say 'religion.'
However you do not even have a relationship with Jesus because by your own admission, "Corruption and greed has altered, taken out, added in words that shouldn't be there. Keep your man made verses to yourself."
So what you are saying when you say keep His word to yourself, is "Keep your Jesus to yourself" because if you don't think the bible is holy Spirit inspired and perfect for all education (2 Tim 3:16) then you don't even have a relationship with Jesus- because HE IS THE WORD. (John 1:1-2). How will you be saved when you ignore the bible as a corrupt thing, yet Jesus said "If ye love me, keep my commandments." John 14:15.
You can't stay away from all sin, that's ridiculous. Your very nature is permeated with it from the womb. It is only by being born again, with the Holy Spirit in you, Whose ministry helps you resist sin, and opens your mind to who the Savior is as revealed in the bible that you can be pleasing to God. Otherwise, you're hell-bound.