Global Ecumenical Apostasy
| Table of Contents: | |
| Two of the Most Telling Signs | |
| Who are the Organizations and Movements behind the Global Ecumenical Thrust and their Mission | |
| Summary | |
|
The Biblical Position on Believers Unions with the Religions of the World |
See Related articles |
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In watching the religious prophetic stage being set in the forming of a one World religion, there is an increasing aggressive effort by those within Protestant, Evangelical, Roman Catholic, Islam, Hinduism, Baha'i Faith and other World Religions to unify in pursuing the stated goals of “peace" and solving the worlds problems. In this pursuit of unity, theological and doctrinal differences are overlooked.
For those who are classifying themselves as Christians within the movement, there is either a denial or a downplaying of the significance of the doctrinal and theology positions that make up the uniqueness of the historical Christian faith. From a historical Judeo Christian perspective, the uniqueness of the person of Christ, his redemptive work and the inerrancy of scripture are seen as being equal to or less desirable to the world's religious writings, founders, and practices. The witness of the gospel has been sidelined and replaced with "dialogue" around peace and solving the world's problems. There is no recognition given to the biblical mandate to witness to those who do not know Jesus Christ.
Peace is seen as something that man can achieve universally without recognizing the need of a relationship with the Prince of Peace - Jesus Christ - in order for God's peace to truly exist in the heart of men.
When one looks at the stated goals, activities, beliefs and what the participants are representing, the prophetic significance is plainly clear, and that is the pre-formation of the Babylonian religious system that will be fully matured during the time of the "Great Tribulation." (Rev 17:1-5), representing the mystery of lawlessness.
For
those who may say that I'm being speculative, sensational, or untruthful
or just down right critical in light of the goal of those seeking "World
peace" through religious ecumenicalism. I would encourage you to consider the
following information in light of BIBLICAL, truth.
Top
Major
Ecumenical Organizations / Movements starting from 20th Century forward
(O=Organization, C=Conference, M=Movement)
Not meant to be an exhaustive list,
the purpose is just to reflect the trend.
| Movement |
Year Org. Founded or
Conference Movement Held |
Who was / is involved | Stated Mission | |
| National Council of Churches formally know as Federal Council of Churches until 1950 | 1908/1950 |
see NCC website
http://www.ncccusa.org/members/ index.html for members list |
To be a leading force for ecumenical cooperation among Christians in the United States | |
| World Council of Churches | Aug 23, 1948 | see WCC offical site http://www.oikoumene.org/?id=3587 for members list | ||
| C | World Conference of Religions for Peace (WCRP) | 1970 |
see
WCRP website http://www.wcrp.org/affiliates/ worldwide for members list |
Respecting religious differences while celebrating our common humanity, Religions for Peace is active on every continent and in some of the most troubled areas of the world, creating multi-religious partnerships to confront our most dire issues: stopping war, ending poverty, and protecting the earth. |
| World Day of Prayer | Oct 27 1986 |
see in this article section called "World Day of Prayer 1986" |
Prayer for World Peace | |
| Millennium World Peace Summit |
August
28-31, 2000 |
The more than 1,000 participants include representatives from Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism, Shintoism, Judaism, Spiritism, Taoism, , Islam, Jainism, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, and Confucianism." | The objectives of the Millennium World Peace Summit® were to encourage religious leaders to exert greater influence on reconciliation, healing, and forgiveness in areas of armed conflict and tension, to foster an attitude of respect for the diversity of the human family and to pledge a commitment to take concrete actions for the achievement of world peace. This commitment has been embodied in a Declaration for World Peace that participants of the Millennium World Peace Summit® signed specifying actions to be taken. | |
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The World Council of Religious Leaders
|
June 12 2002 |
List of its Leadership:
|
The
formation of the World Council of Religious Leaders was one of
the stated goals of the Millennium World Peace Summit. The
objective of this Council is to serve as a resource to the
United Nations and its agencies around the world, nation states
and other international organizations, offering the collective
wisdom and resources of the faith traditions toward the
resolution of critical global problems. |
|
|
World
Day of Prayer
|
Jan 24, 2002 |
see introduction by Pope John Paul ll on the Vatican official
website for participants list:
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/ |
Prayer for World Peace | |
| World Day of Prayer | May 7, 2006 | Prayer for World Peace | ||
| Vatican's Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity |
At present, the PONTIFICAL
COUNCIL FOR PROMOTING CHRISTIAN UNITY (PCPCU) is engaged in an international theological dialogue with each of the following Churches and World Communions:
|
Pontifical Council aims to develop dialogue and collaboration with the other Churches and World Communions. [7] | ||
|
|
Oct 2007 |
Over 100
theologians, ministry leaders, and prominent pastors have thus
far signed the response letter issued by the Yale Center for
Faith and Culture. Some of the signers include Jim Wallis, president of Sojourners; Rick Warren, founder and senior pastor of Saddleback Church; Bill Hybels, founder and senior pastor of Willow Creek Community Church; Robert E. Cooley, president emeritus of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary; Harvey Cox, Hollis professor of Divinity at Harvard Divinity School; For complete list of representative for the Christian Faith. See article: Loving God and Neighbor Together Christians Muslim |
Peace between Islam, Christianity | |
|
Davos World Economic Forum |
2008 |
http://www.weforum.org/en/ Communities/c100/Executive%20Committee/index.htm Among the participants, Rick Warren |
The World Economic
Forum is an independent international organization committed to
improving the state of the world by engaging leaders in
partnerships to shape global, regional and industry agendas.
[8] |
The Dominating
Theme
Top
The dominating theme of the
ecumenical movement is clearly stated by it proponents, and that is
global peace. Not the peace that one gains through a personal
relationship with Christ that brings peace between God and man and
between man and his fellow man but an attempt at peace through and by the
efforts of man, across religious and ideological lines.
Notice the following quote from Pope John Paul ll
|
A shared commitment of religions before the world Faced with this world scene, the representatives of the various religions have almost spontaneously in recent months come to a common mind on three great commitments, to which they have often given expression. - First, a heightened sense of the value of peace as a gift from God, to be prayed for with ever greater trust, according to the practice and tradition of each religion. - Second, the desire to demonstrate solidarity joining together in shared supplication for peace. - Third, the urgent need to witness together to a commitment to peace and justice, both in daily life and in the great decisions of political and social life - a witness which the secularized world, though far removed from religion, often demands and of which it feels itself in need." [6] |
According to the World Conference of Religions for Peace (WCRP), " the origins of Religions for Peace date to 1961, when a handful of senior leaders from the world's major faith traditions began exploring the possibilities for organizing a "religious summit" to address the need for believers around the world to take action toward achieving peace.[1]
The defining moment that jump started the ecumenical efforts for the 21st century occurred in 20th century 1970. It was called the World Conference of Religions for Peace (WCRP) was held in Kyoto in 1970. Religious leaders representing different faiths overcame the differences of their beliefs, gathering together in one place to pray together and converse about peace and human rights. [1]
In another event called the "World Day of Prayer 1986", the following is a list of prayers of the participates that where prayed called the Peace Seeds which represent the twelve prayers for peace prayed.[3] Among the participants where those from the Christian faith.
 1.
THE HINDU PRAYER FOR PEACE:Oh God, lead us from the unreal to the Real. Oh God, lead us from darkness to light. Oh God, lead us from death to immortality. Shanti, Shanti, Shanti unto all. Oh Lord God almighty, may there be peace in celestial regions. May there be peace on earth. May the waters be appeasing. May herbs be wholesome, and may trees and plants bring peace to all. May all beneficent beings bring peace to us. May thy Vedic Law propagate peace all through the world. May all things be a source of peace to us. And may thy peace itself, bestow peace on all, and may that peace come to me also. |
 2.
THE BUDDHIST PRAYER FOR PEACE: May all beings everywhere plagued with sufferings of body and mind quickly be freed from their illnesses. May those frightened cease to be afraid, and may those bound be free. May the powerless find power, and may people think of befriending one another. May those who find themselves in trackless, fearful wildernesses - the children, the aged, the unprotected - be guarded by beneficent celestials, and may they swiftly attain Buddhahood. |
 3.
THE JAIN PRAYER FOR PEACE: Peace and Universal Love is the essence of the Gospel preached by all the Enlightened Ones. The Lord has preached that equanimity is the Dharma. Forgive do I creatures all, and let all creatures forgive me. Unto all have I amity, and unto none enmity. Know that violence is the root cause of all miseries in the world. Violence, in fact, is the knot of bondage. "Do not injure any living being." This is the eternal, perennial, and unalterable way of spiritual life. A weapon howsoever powerful it may be, can always be superseded by a superior one; but no weapon can, however, be superior to nonviolence and love. |
4. THE MUSLIM PRAYER FOR PEACE:
|
 5.
THE SIKH PRAYER FOR PEACE: "God adjudges us according to our deeds, not the coat that we wear: that Truth is above everything, but higher still is truthful living. "Know that we attaineth God when we loveth, and only that victory endures in consequence of which no one is defeated." |
6. THE BAHA'I PRAYER FOR PEACE: |
 7.
THE SHINTO PRAYER FOR PEACE: "Although the people living across the ocean surrounding us, I believe, are all our brothers and sisters, why are there constant troubles in this world? Why do winds and waves rise in the ocean surrounding us? I only earnestly wish that the wind will soon puff away all the clouds which are hanging over the tops of the mountains." |
8. THE NATIVE AFRICAN PRAYER FOR PEACE: |
 9.
THE NATIVE AMERICAN PRAYER FOR PEACE: O Great Spirit of our Ancestors, I raise my pipe to you. To your messengers the four winds, and to Mother Earth who provides for your children. Give us the wisdom to teach our children to love, to respect, and to be kind to each other so that they may grow with peace in mind. Let us learn to share all the good things that you provide for us on this Earth. |
10. THE ZOROASTRIAN PRAYER FOR PEACE: |
11. THE JEWISH PRAYER FOR PEACE: |
12. THE CHRISTIAN PRAYER FOR PEACE: |
"Altogether there were 160 participants at the prayer meeting for peace in Assisi (Rocky Mountain News, Denver, Colorado, October 28, 1986). Let us note some of those who attended this affair:
The “Christian” leaders represented 32 denominations, whose adherents allegedly number 3.5 billion people, or 70 percent of the world’s population! ...
The “Christian” leaders came from many ecumenical organizations--The World Council of Churches, represented by its executive secretary and three of its seven presidents, the World YWCA, the World Alliance of YMCAs, Friends World Committee for Consultation, Mennonite World Conference, Reformed Ecumenical Synod, Baptist World Alliance, Disciples of Christ, World Alliance of Reformed Churches, Lutheran World Federation, Anglican Communion, Old Catholic Union of Utrecht, the Assyrian Church of the East, the Orthodox churches. Also invited were 15 Roman Catholic bishops, and leaders of six Roman Catholic Franciscan organizations. (EPS, 26-31 October 1986, 86.10.121)
More of what transpired ?
The events of the Day of Prayer for
World Peace were divided into four main parts: First was the
greeting by Pope John Paul II, who was the organizer and main leader
of the program. The participants then moved to various venues in the
city for two hours of private prayers, after which they came back
together and held prayers in the presence of one another. Finally,
following a few other rituals for peace, there was a meal and
the farewell address by the pope.
An interesting description of some of the strange events at Assisi was given as follows in an Associated Press report:
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“ASSISI, Italy--Chants, temple
bells and pagan spells echoed around the Roman Catholic shrines of
Assisi yesterday as Pope John Paul II and his 200 guests from the
world’s 12 main religions prayed for world peace... “The medicine man of the Crow Indians [spirit worshippers], Chief John Pretty-on-Top, offered to cast out evil spirits. Many came forward, among them a young Franciscan monk. “In a chapel down the road, the head of the Zorastrian church in Bombay prayed before a fire that symbolized his God. “Next door, six turbanned Sikhs--all Italian
converts--sat chanting their prayers in the lotus
position to gramophone music. “In the gardens outside, a Shinto sect called Tenrikyo, in black kimonos, swayed to temple music. “African animists, their togas the envy of any designer, invoked the spirits of trees and plants to come to the aid of peace... “The Pope made three speeches” (Gazette News Services, taken from the AP, Chicago Tribune and reproduced in Christian Beacon, December 25, 1986, p. 7). According to the VATICAN LETTER Jun-22-2007 in an article titled "In Assisi, Pope Benedict follows in John Paul's footsteps" written by John Thavis published by the Catholic News Service
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The desire and drive to bring about world peace through religious unity is stronger than ever as can be seen in the following video from "The VIII World Assembly of Religions for Peace which was held in Kyoto, Japan from August 25-29, 2006."
The content within this video is quite amazing in light of bible prophecy. It is truly time for God's people to be "Alert and Sober" as to where we are on God's prophetic time table.
The Biblical
Position on
Believers Unions with the Religions of the World
Top
First lets look at passages Exodus 20:3 The first of the ten commandments
Exodus 20:3
“You shall have no other gods before Me.
"before Me"
may mean “in
opposition to Me” as well as “in My presence”,
[9]
either way it strongly implies that God's people are to have "no"
association with any type of foreign god, materialistically,
spiritually or other wise.
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Paul exhorts biblical separation. 2 Cor 6:14-17
14 Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?
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This is not and injunction against all associations with unbelievers. (1Cor 5:9-11; 10:27) Paul encourage the Christian believer who is married to a non Christian to remain in the marriage as long as possible. (1 Cor 7:12-16) This is a forbidding of not forming “close” attachment to the unbeliever, thus Paul uses the Greek word for bound, (translated "unequal yoking in the KJV) .”heterozugeo” which means to come under an unequal or different yoke; a mismatched. It is often necessary to indicate somewhat more precisely the manner in which one may be wrongly matched with others. Accordingly, one can translate 2 Cor 6.14 as ‘do not attempt to work together with those who are unbelievers’ or ‘do not become partners with those who do not believe.’ [10] The figure of speech of "unequal yoking "(KJV) is based on the command found in Deut 22:10. that prohibited the yoking of an ox and an ass for ploughing, and also on Leviticus 19:19 where the cross breeding of animals of a different species is forbidden.. To be "unequally yoked" or "bound" with those involved in idolatry and heathenism would have resulted in compromise of beliefs, standards, goals and a single minded devotion to God. Paul further drives his point home when he says, "...what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness" The Greek word for "partnership is metoche which is a relationship involving shared purposes and activity.[10] This partnership is seen in the relationship context of those who are unequally yoked, which is described as "righteousness, Greek dikaiosynē" (those who do right according to God's word and "lawlessness, Greek anomia" (those who are against the law; wrong doing, committers of sinful acts) being bound together. The same unholy union is explicitly implied in Paul's metaphoric question ,..." what fellowship has light with darkness" |
15 Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever?
16 Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, “I will dwell in them and walk among them; And I will be their God, and they shall be My people.|
Paul
hammers harder, making his point with 4 rhetorical questions
in V15 and 16 each demanding a negative answer. The
questions also serves to
make clear
the incompatibility of Christianity and
the religions of the world and the fact that believers and
non believers have no basis for an intimate relationship nor
common ground in the pursuit of the things of God. This is
because unbelievers do not govern their life according
to the things of God but according the principles of the
world system (Eph 2:2),
in this case idolatrous religion.
The other reason believers are to avoid and not enter such unions is because they belong exclusively to God "“I will dwell in them and walk among them; And I will be their God, and they shall be My people. " This should takes us back to (Lev 26:11-12), God's promise to Israel is also a promise to the church with the difference being he will not only be among us but also in us. |
17 “Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate,” says the Lord. “And do not touch what is unclean ; And I will welcome you.
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The demand for holiness: In keeping with is promise of his presence, God demands separation form evil as Paul indicates by quoting from Is 52:11. This allows us to enjoy our fellowship with God and to remain in his protection. To do otherwise is to blatantly disobey God and to expose ourselves to judgment from God and Satanic deception.. |
The Prophetic Connections of the Ecumenical Movement
Any student of scripture will immediately recognize the prophetic significance of the "pursuit of peace" on a global scale as it relates to the "Day of the Lord". Notice what the apostle Paul says in the following:
1 Thessalonians 5:2-3
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The
"day of the Lord" will come upon the unsuspecting world
without warning and suddenly. It will also come at a time when world conditions
appear as peaceful. It is no doubt
that prior to this time many will be working toward this end.
This time of pseudo peace will be mark by a significant change in one particular world event and that's a signing of a middle east peace treaty with the nation Israel at it's core. Judging from the scriptures, this false peace will have 2 primary influences:
The religious and political institutions along with its leaders will be declaring "peace and safety". The peace will be temporary and an instrument of deception (Dan 9:27 cf. Rev 6:1-2) by the world ruler (Anti Christ) at that time and will ultimately lead to destruction (, i.e. ruin as opposed to annihilation) as brought on by God's wrath and Satan's anger during the Great Tribulation. In summation it will be a false peace, because it will be based upon man rather than upon the person of Jesus Christ. |
Global Ecumenism, the One World Church and its relationship to the Governments
It is clear from the activities of the world religions, that their goal is to unite as one under the headship of the great harlot who sits on many waters as found in Rev 17. This false religious institution will be supported by the world governments l
Revelation 17:1-2
1 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me, saying, “Come here, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters,
2 with whom the kings of the earth committed acts of immorality, and those who dwell on the earth were made drunk with the wine of her immorality.”
|
17:1-2.
One of the seven angels
who
had
one of
the seven
bowls
invited John to witness
the punishment of the great
prostitute, who sits on many waters.
This evil
woman symbolizes the religious system of Babylon, and the waters
symbolize “peoples, multitudes, nations, and languages”.
This religious system spans ethnicity, multitudes, nations, languages and religious systems, including apostate Christianity. The angel informed John that the kings of the earth had committed adultery with the woman; in other words, the political system and its rulers will become a part of the religious system which she symbolized. Religion and government have now merge into a Satanic/ demonic duo. This is now what we are seeing materialize right before our eyes. When one looks at those who are in preparation of a one world religion, it consists of the cooperation of both government and religion. |
Revelation 17:1-2
3 And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness; and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast, full of blasphemous names, having seven heads and ten horns.
4 The woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a gold cup full of abominations and of the unclean things of her immorality,
5 and on her forehead a name was written, a mystery, “BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.”
|
She was
sitting
on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous
names.
The beast
had 7
heads and 10 horns.
The beast
is an obvious reference to the world government (13:1).
The 10 horns are later defined (17:12) as 10 kings who
had “not yet received a kingdom.” The 7 heads seem to
refer to prominent rulers of the yet-future Roman
Empire. The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones, and pearls. Her adornment is similar to that of religious trappings of ritualistic churches today. While purple, scarlet, gold, precious stones, and pearls can all represent beauty and glory in relation to the true faith, here they reveal a false religion that prostitutes the truth. In her hand the woman held a golden cup filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries the. This confirms previous indications that her character and life are symbolic of false religion, confirmed by the words written on her forehead: mystery babylon the great the mother of prostitutes and of the abominations of the earth. [11] |
It is a abundantly clear that we are living in the last days of the church age. Prophecy concerning the role of the apostate Christianity joining up with the religions of the world in pursuit of "peace" is undeniable.
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See Related articles:
http://www.inplainsite.org/html/world_council_of_churches.html#Sophia |
20051996_chrstuni_pro_en.html
[8]
http://www.weforum.org/en/terms/index.htm
[9]
Walvoord,
John F. ; Zuck, Roy B. ; Dallas Theological Seminary: The Bible Knowledge
Commentary : An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL : Victor
Books, 1983-c1985, S. 1:139
[10]Louw,
Johannes P. ; Nida, Eugene Albert: Greek-English Lexicon of the New
Testament : Based on Semantic Domains. electronic ed. of the 2nd
edition. New York : United Bible societies, 1996, c1989, S. 1:446
[11]
Walvoord, John F. ; Zuck, Roy B. ; Dallas
Theological Seminary: The Bible Knowledge Commentary : An Exposition of
the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL : Victor Books, 1983-c1985, S. 2:970
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