"The Future History of the Church, Part 1"
A typological and midrashic examination of what will happen in the future of the church by seeing how the past history of the church is recapitulated eschatologically; how past events happen again in the Last Days. What to expect, and what to prepare for.
Download or email Part 1 Download or email Part 2 Download or email Part 3 The Resurgence of Rome
Daniel 7:19,20, Revelation 17:9 – Rome ruled the world in the time of the Early Church. I have no doubt in my mind that the fourth beast of Daniel has to be some kind of a re-confederation of the Roman Empire; we have not heard the last of Rome. The council of Europe was founded by the Treaty of Rome. We must remember this: the emperor was head of the Pantheon of Rome; you could have any god you wanted, as long as you also bowed the knee to the Emperor of Rome. The Hebrew word for “to worship” and “to bow down” is the same word – “hasta kovot”. When you see Roman Catholics genuflecting before a statue of Mary, that is an act of idolatry.
All gods came into the Pantheon which was headed by the Emperor, who allowed the people to worship any god they wanted as long as they acknowledged him as the spiritual guide of all religions and the political head. He was called Pontificus Maximus, the Pontiff. After Constantine removed his capitol to Constantinople, the Pope became the Pontiff. It amounted to the same thing – someone had a pagan god of gift-giving, so the Pontiff decided he would be called Saint Nicholas; someone else had a pagan god of love, and he was dubbed Saint Valentine. Artemis, Minerva, and all these other goddesses became Mary. Essentially, it remained the same false religion. This is what will happen again in the Last Days.
The Romans had religio licita and religio illicita; a licensed religion was fine so long as it acknowledged the Pontiff as the guide. Unlicensed religions were those that refused to bow the knee to the emperor and there was only one religion which ultimately fits into this category: ours. The Pontiff condemned it. Pope John Paul II has met with the Dalai Lama, a man worshiped as God by Tibetan Buddhists; he has met with Zoroastrian priests, witch doctors, Moslem imams, orthodox rabbis, and the Archbishop of Canterbury. He says that he respects all religions, and receives the Dalai Lama as a “great spiritual leader” – a man worshiped as God! That is antichrist. He only asked that all these people acknowledge him as the Pontiff.
However, there was one religion that the Pontiff, John Paul II, did not approve of. In Bolivia about six years ago and again in Santo Domingo less than one year ago, the Pope called born-again Christians “rapacious wolves”. Religio licita and religio illicita; every religion is all right except ours. That is what the Pontiff did two thousand years ago, and that is what he still does today.
Looking at the Greek word for Antichrist, we find that it does not simply mean “against Christ”, but “in place of Christ”. The Pope's title is Vicarius Christus, the Vicar of Christ; translated into Greek, the “Vicar of Christ” is “Antichrist”.
That is what was happening in the Early Church, and that is what is happening today. Pope John Paul II has said openly that he wants to see one Europe with one church. He knows very well that with a confederated Europe they have only one thing in common: Roman Catholicism. The Church of England is dropping dead, going back under Rome. George Carey, Archbishop of Canterbury, wrote a book called The Meeting of Waters, urging the Anglican church to go back under the papacy. Across Europe, the only thing those people of different languages, different cultures, and different anthropological heritages have to unite them is Roman Catholicism, and the Pope knows that. He wants one Europe with one church; in other words, to go back to what existed before the 16th Century and the Reformation. The Pontiff came after the early Christians, and if the Pontiff gets his way – which he is – he will come after us again. Saved Catholics need to get out of Babylon.
In the time of the Early Church, pagan Rome was the capitol of the world's false religious system. I have no doubt in my mind when I see interfaith meetings that Rome will in some way be representative of the center of the world's false religious system in confederation with its political system in the end. False religion persecuted believers; Acts 19:23-29 shows an example of this, based on the worship of Artemis. Today we have the same thing throughout the world with Mary-worship. Though Mary herself proclaimed her need of a Savior, (Lk. 1:47) Roman Catholicism denies this and worships her.
Mary was the greatest woman who ever lived. The angel Gabriel, whose name means “mighty man of God” in Hebrew, told her,
"Blessed are you among women" (Luke 1:28).
What did the greatest woman who ever lived say about herself?
"My soul magnifies the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior"(Luke 1:46, 47)
She said, "I need a Savior." Rome, however, denies this, saying that she was conceived without sin. This is very typical behavior that we will see frequently.
This is Page 15 of 15 of PART 1
Scripture taken from the New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.