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| Pope Francis with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople |
How could a reunion of the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox churches possibly be relevant to end-time prophecy, Israel and the coming third Temple?
How? This is how: If the dreaded Antichrist is going to be both a religious and political figure who will come from Russia, then he will have to be a Roman Catholic.
That seems impossible considering that Russia's official church is the Orthodox Church. The Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church have been separated since 1054 A.D. Why did they separate? Because the eastern church wanted to be under the authority of the Bishop of Constantinople rather than the Pope. And so, they separated. Since then, the Catholic Church has been virtually invisible in Russia.
But what does that have to do with Israel and the prophetic third Temple that must be built before the return of Jesus Christ? It has to do with this: The Roman Catholic Church considers herself to be God's chosen people, having replaced the Jewish people 2,000 years ago when the Jews corporately rejected Christ as their Messiah and had Him crucified. Since the Eastern Orthodox Church came from the Catholic Church, it has many things in common with Rome, including the belief that God replaced Israel with the church when the Jews rejected Christ.
Therefore, both the Catholic and Orthodox churches believe that Jerusalem belongs to them rather than to the Jews or Muslims. And both churches believe that Jesus Christ cannot return and establish His kingdom on earth until the "church" claims Jerusalem for itself and builds a new temple for Christ to dwell in.
Since Russian President Vladimir Putin is an Orthodox Christian, he understands just how important Jerusalem is to his church. Therefore, he will not allow Israel to be destroyed and Jerusalem to be taken over by the Muslims.
That's one of the reasons why he wants to rebuild the Russian Empire into a global empire. He wants to drive Islam out of the eastern world and eventually out of the world completely. And he wants Russia to be the head of a new global Christian empire, not unlike the Holy Roman Empire of the Middle Ages. Will this happen? Yes, it will. But it could take many years.
In the mean time, the Catholic and Orthodox churches must reunite. Is that going to happen? Yes, and both churches have been working on that reunification for several years.
Last year, Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew met in Istanbul to discuss the reunification. Here's what Francis said: I want to assure each one of you here that, to reach the desired goal of full unity, the Catholic church does not intend to impose any conditions except that of the shared profession of faith. The one thing that the Catholic church desires, and that I seek as Bishop of Rome, 'the church which presides in charity,' is communion with the Orthodox churches.
Bartholomew called the process "irreversible." Here's what he said: We no longer have the luxury of isolated action. The modern persecutors of Christians do not ask which church their victims belong to. The unity that concerns us is regrettably already occurring in certain regions of the world through the blood of martyrdom.
When this reunion takes place, the Catholic Church will regain her standing in Russia. The Antichrist will be a Roman Catholic who'll attract the world's attention when he begins performing incredible miracles in Russia. He will be looked upon as a savior who will rescue the planet from the forces of darkness and evil.
The apostle Paul explained: "The coming of the lawless one (Antichrist) will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing." (2 Thessalonians 2:9-10)
For centuries, many biblical scholars were convinced that the dreaded Antichrist will come from the Catholic Church. Martin Luther, a former Catholic Monk who became the father of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century, knew just how vile and corrupt his former church was. Concerning the papacy, he said this: We here are of the conviction that the papacy is the seat of the true and real Antichrist. Personally I declare that I owe the Pope no other obedience than that to Antichrist.
And Cotton Mather (1663-1728), a Puritan minister and Congregational Theologian said this: The oracles of God foretold the rising of an Antichrist in the Christian Church: and in the Pope of Rome, all the characteristics of that Antichrist are so marvelously answered that if any who read the Scriptures do not see it, there is a marvelous blindness upon them.
But how will this man convince Israel to cede her sovereignty to him? And how will he manage to remove the Dome of the Rock and Al Aqsa Mosque from the Temple Mount in Jerusalem so the new Jewish Temple can be built? In Part IV, the new temple and Armageddon.
That's one of the reasons why he wants to rebuild the Russian Empire into a global empire. He wants to drive Islam out of the eastern world and eventually out of the world completely. And he wants Russia to be the head of a new global Christian empire, not unlike the Holy Roman Empire of the Middle Ages. Will this happen? Yes, it will. But it could take many years.
In the mean time, the Catholic and Orthodox churches must reunite. Is that going to happen? Yes, and both churches have been working on that reunification for several years.
Last year, Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew met in Istanbul to discuss the reunification. Here's what Francis said: I want to assure each one of you here that, to reach the desired goal of full unity, the Catholic church does not intend to impose any conditions except that of the shared profession of faith. The one thing that the Catholic church desires, and that I seek as Bishop of Rome, 'the church which presides in charity,' is communion with the Orthodox churches.
Bartholomew called the process "irreversible." Here's what he said: We no longer have the luxury of isolated action. The modern persecutors of Christians do not ask which church their victims belong to. The unity that concerns us is regrettably already occurring in certain regions of the world through the blood of martyrdom.
When this reunion takes place, the Catholic Church will regain her standing in Russia. The Antichrist will be a Roman Catholic who'll attract the world's attention when he begins performing incredible miracles in Russia. He will be looked upon as a savior who will rescue the planet from the forces of darkness and evil.
The apostle Paul explained: "The coming of the lawless one (Antichrist) will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing." (2 Thessalonians 2:9-10)
For centuries, many biblical scholars were convinced that the dreaded Antichrist will come from the Catholic Church. Martin Luther, a former Catholic Monk who became the father of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century, knew just how vile and corrupt his former church was. Concerning the papacy, he said this: We here are of the conviction that the papacy is the seat of the true and real Antichrist. Personally I declare that I owe the Pope no other obedience than that to Antichrist.
And Cotton Mather (1663-1728), a Puritan minister and Congregational Theologian said this: The oracles of God foretold the rising of an Antichrist in the Christian Church: and in the Pope of Rome, all the characteristics of that Antichrist are so marvelously answered that if any who read the Scriptures do not see it, there is a marvelous blindness upon them.
But how will this man convince Israel to cede her sovereignty to him? And how will he manage to remove the Dome of the Rock and Al Aqsa Mosque from the Temple Mount in Jerusalem so the new Jewish Temple can be built? In Part IV, the new temple and Armageddon.
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