The Pope’s Latest Incredible Words
Pope Benedict XVI said some incredible things while he was visiting Germany. It seems his position towards Protestants and evangelicals is changing, which is a definite break from his predecessor’s position:
When I accepted the invitation to make this trip, it was evident to me that the ecumenism with our Evangelical friends should be a strong and central point of this trip. We live in a time of secularism, as I already said, where Christians have the mission to make the message of God present together, the message of Christ, to make belief possible, to go forward with these great ideas, the truth. In this way, being together, Catholics and evangelicals, become a fundamental element for our time, although institutionally we are not perfectly united and, even though big problems remain, problems on the foundation of the faith in Christ, on the Trinitarian God and on man as image of God. We are united and we must show to the world and deepen this unity, which is essential in this historic moment.
For this reason, I am very grateful to our friends, brothers and sisters, Protestants, who have made possible a very significant sign: the meeting in the monastery where Luther began his theological journey, prayer in the church where he was ordained priest and talking together about our responsibility as Christians in this time. I am very happy to be able to manifest this fundamental unity, that we are brothers and sisters, and that we work together for the good of humanity, proclaiming the joyful message of Christ, of the God who has a human face and who speaks with us ( https://www.zenit.org/article-33503?l=english ).
The majority of prophecy teaching rests on the concept that the Catholic Church is the one world religion headed by the False Prophet of the last days. We don’t have any problem with the idea that the structure of the Catholic Church will facilitate such a movement, but we have always taught that the False Prophet’s religion would be composed of several groups gravitating towards a more larger and all-encompassing group with complete compromise binding them together serving the purpose of something much more secular than religious and far from the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ for sure.
Many might take these words of Pope Benedict as a line cast into the waters of a one-world religious movement as an initial effort to pull together a last-days’ church to be eventually governed by the False Prophet. But I’m not so sure that this is what is happening.
Going back to the AD 1139 ancient prophecy of St. Malachy (read it here), where Pope Benedict XVI definitely fits the description of the 111th Pope and where the next Pope in this vision is predicted:
In the final persecution of the Holy Roman Church there will reign ‘Petrus Romanus’ (Peter the Roman), who will feed his flock amid many tribulations; after which the seven-hilled city will be destroyed and the dreadful Judge will judge the people.”
That sure sounds like the tribulation of the last days.
Pope Benedict’s purposeful reaching out to evangelicals is a major break from the traditional Catholic leadership stance. What if this is part of the final great awakening that will sweep the world just before Christ comes to call His church home?
Historically, revivals have never met the expectation of the leading movement of the time. God surprises everyone by using the least likely in the most unthinkable and unimaginable place. He does what He wants to do, whether anyone likes it or not. Historically, when an awakening broke out, the leading religious groups of the time would say, “That can’t be God, it doesn’t fit our structure.” The religious leaders in Jesus’ time certainly questioned His approach because it didn’t fit their prescription. They couldn’t see past the fact that in their minds, this Jesus character was conceived without the benefit of marriage by some “man” other than the one to whom His mother was betrothed. Additionally, He hung around sinners and helped people break out of their religiously bound roles which totally upset the order of things. That’s what revival does.
Here’s how I see it, for now: Pope Benedict XVI, as the oracle of God for the Catholic Church, is opening the door for reconciliation, restoration, and forgiveness, and anytime that happens then a fire of revival is fanned. He’s prophetically speaking the direction for the Catholic Church. Not all will agree, not all will follow, but those who do will be part of this last great awakening.
That’s an end time sign for which I’m definitely looking.
PD