SATAN WAGING WAR WITH LIES AND DECEPTIONS, BLASPHEMY AND SACRILEGE, CAUSING STRONG DELUSION

• INTRODUCTION

• LIES AND DECEPTIONS

• BLASPHEMY AND SACRILEGE

• STRONG DELUSION

INTRODUCTION

Revelation 13 opens to view two powers of earth which are the end-time agents of the devil to wreak the diabolical cruelties of his wrath. They mark the culmination of the exaltation of man in Satan's rebellion against the true God of the Universe. Of these powers the Church of Rome is pre-eminent. From the description of the first beast of Revelation 13:1-2, it is established that it represents Rome, of which verse 2 (last part) states that "the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.":-

THE BEAST AND THE FALSE PROPHET

In the Twelfth Chapter of Revelation, John heard a "Woe" pronounced on "the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea." In the Thirteenth Chapter, two "beasts" are seen, one rising "up out of the sea," and the other "coming up out of the earth." (vs. 1, 11) These two beasts are related in the text to the dragon. One receives "his power, and his seat, and great authority" directly from the dragon (v. 2). The other, "spake as a dragon" and exercised "all the authority of the first beast," which authority had been given it by the dragon. (vs. 11-12).

The commonality between the first beast and the dragon is further heightened in the imagery. Both have seven heads and ten horns (12:3; 13:1) However, there is a movement of one item in the symbols; the crowns are placed on the "horns" of the first beast, rather than remaining on the "heads." It must also be kept in mind that the book of Revelation presents a third beast with seven heads and ten horns. (17:3) No crowns are seen on this symbolism either on the "heads" or the "horns."

What is this telling us? If a "crown" is symbolic of reigning, then the "dragon" is portrayed as functioning through its seven heads from the time of the first gospel promise to the time of, and including the war with the "remnant of her seed." The first beast of Revelation 13 would then be operating at the time of the reigning of "the ten horns."

To further identify this beast, the description is closely associated with the vision given to Daniel (Chap. 7). The lion, the bear, and the leopard are followed by a nondescript beast. In Revelation 13, the nondescript beast is a composite, "like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion" (v. 2). This is the exact order as found in Daniel 7, only reversed. In the vision to Daniel, he saw that the dominion of the three beasts was "taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time." (7:12). The symbolic representation in Revelation 13, tells us that the lives of the three beasts of Daniel 7 lived on in the first beast. . .

The book of Daniel in the visions as recorded in Chapters 7 & 8, present both pagan and papal Rome as one continuous power. The "little horn" of Daniel 7, ever remains in and is nourished by the nondescript beast (7:8). Further this beast is pictured as continuing "till ... slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame." (7:11) The problem then is to interrelate all of this data to the first beast of Revelation 13, for it is this beast along with the second which are consigned to "the burning flame" (Rev. 19:20). . .

The identity of the second beast is analyzed here.

LIES AND DECEPTIONS

For 2,000 years Satan has waged war against the Word of God, and His people, by infiltrating the early Christian Church with men who would "distort the Truth to draw disciples after them" (Acts 20:29-30, Berean Standard Bible.)

Having distorted the Truth to draw disciples after them, these men had already revealed the spirit of Satan in them, of whom Jesus said, "when he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it (John 8:44, last part.)

By lies and deceptions the Church of Rome has become corrupted as a Christian Church up to the third century, to a false religion identified in the Books of Daniel and Revelation as representing Satan in his opposition to Almighty God. The Roman Church is more pagan than Christian. How did this come about?:-

What is the origin of the Roman Catholic Church?

The Roman Catholic Church contends that its origin is the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ in approximately AD 30. The Catholic Church proclaims itself to be the church that Jesus Christ died for, the church that was established and built by the apostles. Is that the true origin of the Catholic Church?

On the contrary. Even a cursory reading of the New Testament will reveal that the Catholic Church does not have its origin in the teachings of Jesus or His apostles. In the New Testament, there is no mention of the papacy, worship/adoration of Mary (or the immaculate conception of Mary, the perpetual virginity of Mary, the assumption of Mary, or Mary as co-redemptrix and mediatrix), petitioning saints in heaven for their prayers, apostolic succession, the ordinances of the church functioning as sacraments, infant baptism, confession of sin to a priest, purgatory, indulgences, or the equal authority of church tradition and Scripture. So, if the origin of the Catholic Church is not in the teachings of Jesus and His apostles, as recorded in the New Testament, what is the true origin of the Catholic Church?

For the first 280 years of Christian history, Christianity was banned by the Roman Empire, and Christians were terribly persecuted. This changed after the “conversion” of the Roman Emperor Constantine. Constantine provided religious toleration with the Edict of Milan in AD 313, effectively lifting the ban on Christianity. Later, in AD 325, Constantine called the Council of Nicea in an attempt to unify Christianity. Constantine envisioned Christianity as a religion that could unite the Roman Empire, which at that time was beginning to fragment and divide. While this may have seemed to be a positive development for the Christian church, the results were anything but positive. Just as Constantine refused to fully embrace the Christian faith but continued many of his pagan beliefs and practices, so the Christian church that Constantine and his successors promoted progressively became a mixture of true Christianity and Roman paganism.

Following are a few examples:

Most Roman Catholic beliefs and practices regarding Mary are completely absent from the Bible. Where did those beliefs come from? The Roman Catholic view of Mary has far more in common with the Isis mother-goddess religion of Egypt than it does with anything taught in the New Testament. Interestingly, the first hints of Catholic Mariology occur in the writings of Origen, who lived in Alexandria, Egypt, which happened to be the focal point of Isis worship.

The Lord’s Supper being a consumption of the literal body and blood of Jesus is not taught in the Bible. The idea that bread and wine are miraculously transformed into the literal body and blood of Jesus (transubstantiation) is not biblical. However, several ancient pagan religions, including Mithraism, which was very popular in the Roman Empire, had some form of “theophagy” (the eating of one’s god) as a ritualistic practice.

Roman Catholicism has “saints” one can pray to in order to gain a particular blessing. For example, Saint Gianna Beretta Molla is the patron saint of fertility. Francis of Assisi is the patron saint of animals. There are multiple patron saints of healing and comfort. Nowhere is even a hint of this taught in Scripture. Just as the Roman pantheon of gods had a god of love, a god of peace, a god of war, a god of strength, a god of wisdom, etc., so the Catholic Church has a saint who is “in charge” over each of these and many other categories. Many Roman cities had a god specific to the city, and the Catholic Church provided “patron saints” for cities as well.

The idea that the Roman bishop is the vicar of Christ, the supreme leader of the Christian Church, is utterly foreign to the Word of God. The supremacy of the Roman bishop (the papacy) was created with the support of the Roman emperors. While most other bishops (and Christians) resisted the idea of the Roman bishop being supreme, the Roman bishop eventually rose to supremacy, again, due to the power and influence of the Roman emperors. After the western half of the Roman Empire collapsed, the popes took on the title that had previously belonged to the Roman emperors—Pontifex Maximus.

Many more examples could be given. These four should suffice in demonstrating the origin of the Catholic Church. Of course, the Roman Catholic Church denies the pagan origin of its beliefs and practices. The Catholic Church disguises its pagan beliefs under layers of complicated theology and church tradition. Recognizing that many of its beliefs and practices are utterly foreign to Scripture, the Catholic Church is forced to deny the authority and sufficiency of Scripture.

The origin of the Catholic Church is the tragic compromise of Christianity with the pagan religions that surrounded it. Instead of proclaiming the gospel and converting the pagans, the Catholic Church “Christianized” the pagan religions and “paganized” Christianity. By blurring the differences and erasing the distinctions, the Catholic Church made itself attractive to the idolatrous people of the Roman Empire. One result was the Catholic Church becoming the supreme religion in the Roman world for centuries. However, another result was the most dominant form of Christianity apostatizing from the true gospel of Jesus Christ and the true proclamation of God’s Word.

Second Timothy 4:3–4 declares, “For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.”

The pagan identity of the Catholic Church is a clearly established fact. This is now strangely ignored by the majority of Protestant churches.

History reveals that after Satan won his victory over Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, paganism became his primary vehicle to confuse humanity about the true God and His redemptive work of restoration for those whom He had made in His image:-

Pagan Influence upon Christianity

Ancient Babylon was infamous for its pagan mystery religions, or cults, and the Bible makes various references to some of them. For example, in Jeremiah 51:7 we see a mysterious "Golden Cup"; in 2 Thessalonians 2:7 we read of a "Mystery of Iniquity"; and in Revelation 17:5, John refers to the "Mystery of Babylon the Great" in his prophecies of the end times. We will use enlightenment from the book, "The Two Babylons" by Alexander Hislop, to explore the origins of the ancient Babylonian cults, and then examine some of the apparent influences of those cults which have been carried over into Christianity.

Ancient Mystery Religions

In Christianity, we read about a man named Nimrod in the book of Genesis, and history tells us that he was the first King of Babylon, and that this is where the mystery religions originated. Genesis 10:9 tells us that Nimrod was a mighty hunter and a great archer. History has attached many different names to him, and the reading of the historical accounts of Nimrod is often complicated because of all of these different names, including: Sogittarius; Bal; Bel; Belus; Kronos; the horned one; and, the scatterer abroad. Nimrod was deified and was said to have taken the form of a gigantic horned man-bull, where his horns were a symbol of power, and a leopard was used to symbolize his deity. Sometimes he was known as Baal-aberin, the winged one, who was celebrated as the elevator of the heavens, and the emancipator and deliverer of mankind.

In classical literature, Nimrod is sometimes called Ninus, but Ninus was probably, in fact, Nimrod's son, the builder of the city of Ninevah. Nimrod's wife was Semiramis, the Queen of Heaven, and sometimes her husband is called Ninus, while other times, Ninus is said to be her son. The confusion is related to the story of Nimrod's deification. The legend said that Nimrod was killed, but that he was resurrected as his wife's son, a feat which could have been orchestrated only by a god. Thus, began the mother/child cult religions. Semiramis, sometimes called Rhea, came to be known as the Great Mother of the gods, while her son, Ninus, or Bacchus, or Tammuz (Ezekiel 8:14) was known as The Lamented One. Tammuz is sometimes called Adonis or Dionysus. Other variations of the Babylonian gods of Rhea and Tammuz included Ceres (or Irene) and Plutus in Greece, Isis and Osiris in Egypt, Fortuna and Jupiter in pagan Rome, Isi and Iswara in India, Cybele and Deoius in Asia, Shing Moo in China, and the Goddess mother and son in Tibet. All of these boast similar stories of their gods, and it is easy to believe that all of the legends were derived from Rhea and Tammuz. In some literature, it is believed that Tammuz was known as Hercules the Lamenter, and he is sometimes confused with the Shem of the Bible, or at least with being his descendent. Some believe that the Crishna of the Hindus and the Budda of Japan are also derivations of these same Babylonian gods.

It is not difficult to see how some of the traditions of these ancient pagan gods carried over into Christian Rome. Even in the first century, poems confused the pagan story of the divine father, mother, and son with the Christian story of Joseph, Mary, and Jesus. In Japan, Spain, and India, there were pagan legends of three-headed gods which some confused with the trinity of the Godhead of Christianity. In many pagan lands, mother-worship prevailed and was supported by citing Genesis 3:15 as proof that the mother would bruise the heel of Satan, and that she indeed had power over him. In paganism, the Messiah is sometimes seen as only a mediator between the goddess and mankind, instead of as a savior, as in Christianity. . .

Deception

It is interesting to note at this point that many of the stories of the pagans with the true story of Christ. They often refer to the birth of a divine son coincide , a mediatorial messiah, and his death and supernatural resurrection. Satan has managed to confuse the truth with enough lies so that the unsuspecting worshippers can easily be deceived. For example, Hercules was known as the deliverer of the human race.

Infiltration into Christianity

How could Christians have been so deceived? Hislop says, "To conciliate the pagans to nominal Christianity, Rome, pursuing its usual policy, took measures to get the Christian and pagan festival amalgamated, and by a complicated but skillful adjustment of the calendar, it was found no difficult matter, in general, to get paganism and Christianity--now far sunk in idolatry--in this as in so many other things, to shake hands."

At the Council at Aurelia in about 519 AD, under the authority of Hormisdas, Bishop of Rome, a decree was granted that called for Lent to be solemnly observed before Easter. There had traditionally been fasting before the Nicene Council, but it had never lasted for more than three weeks. Then Abbot Dionysius the Little set the Christian era as beginning four years from Christ's birth. This is why many scholars today believe that Christ was born in 4 BC according to today's calendar.

In speaking of the Bible, Linacer, a physician during the reign of Henry VIII said, "Either this book is not true, or we are not Christians."

Pagan Influence upon Roman Catholicism

As shown in the article mentioned above, many facets of the pagan religions of ancient Babylon found their way into Christian traditions, and some even persist in Protestant churches today. However, according to Alexander Hislop, in "The Two Babylons," these pagan practices have been more deeply engrained in Roman Catholicism throughout the centuries, with far more persistence. Revelation 17:5 refers to the "Mystery of Babylon the Great," and some Bible scholars even interpret this to be a reference to the Catholic Church in the last days. We will use Hislop's writings to examine Roman Catholicism in light of its origins.

The Church of Rome

Hislop considers the Church of Rome during the start of Catholicism and into the Dark Ages. The symbol of the Church of Rome became the woman with a cross in her left hand, and a cup in her right. It was said that "the whole world is her seat." During the Dark Ages, the Bible was sealed and unknown to the common man. People were forced to believe like the church believed. The priests reserved the right of teaching the faith, and the clergy sold dispositions of the true faith of Christianity. They practiced celibacy and priest craft, and held a mysterious power of dominion over the faith. Some did not even realize that they had simply adopted the pagan customs of the ancient mystery religions.

It is not difficult to see how some of the traditions of these ancient gods carried over into Christian Rome. Even in the first century, poems confused the story of the divine father, mother, and son with the story of Joseph, Mary, and Jesus. In Japan, Spain, and India, there were legends of three-headed gods which some confused with the trinity of the Godhead. In many lands, mother-worship prevailed and was supported by citing Genesis 3:15 as proof that the mother would bruise the heel of Satan, and that she indeed had power over him. The Messiah is sometimes seen as only a mediator between the goddess and mankind, instead of as a savior.

Mystery

A primary example of the analogies drawn between the Babylonian mystery religions and Roman Catholicism is the practice of incorporating certain well-kept secrets that are available to only a select few. Rome insured that the common man was studiously kept in the dark, as did Babylon. Throughout the years, Catholicism has become known for a priesthood which seems to include only members of the clergy. By discouraging the reading of the Bible in the common language of the people, the church has also discouraged personal Bible study among its non-clergy members. This in turn has tended to teach the laypersons to become very dependent upon the clergy for Bible truths, and even for access to God. This hardly seems in step with the priesthood of the believer (1 Peter 2:5, 9), where we are all encouraged to enter into the mind of God through His revealed Word.

How did Paganism get into the church?

God set the early church in the true direction it should go and how it was seduced and usurped by the Roman Emperor, paganism and false leaders......

The apostle Paul, in his second letter to the Thessalonians, foretold the great He declared that before the return of Christ would, "come a falling away first, an apostasy which would result in the establishment of the Roman papal power, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who exalteth himself above all that is called God;" Even at that early date he saw, creeping into the church, errors in belief that would prepare the way for the false teachings to come in.

Little by little, and then more openly as it increased in strength and gained control of believers, paganism and idol worship came into the church. Almost imperceptibly the customs of heathenism found their way into the Christian church. Compromise and conformity to paganism was held back for a time by the fierce persecutions by the Roman Emperors. But as persecution ceased, and Christianity was accepted and entered the courts and palaces of the Emperors and Kings, the true church laid aside the humble simplicity of Christ for the pomp and pride of pagan priests and rulers; and in place of the truth from God, she substituted human theories and traditions.

It started with Emperor Constantine, who tried politically not leave out or alienate those who practiced paganism after he claimed to convert to Christianity. He declared the Bishop of Rome as the enforcer of truth and forced the merger of paganism into the church, and the heathen religion now cloaked with a form of righteousness, walked into the church. Paganism, while appearing to be vanquished by the church, became the conqueror. Pagan doctrines, ceremonies, and superstitions were incorporated into the faith and worship of the professed followers of Christ.

This compromise between paganism and Christianity resulted in the development of "the man of sin" foretold in prophecy as opposing and exalting himself above God.

In the early church, the bishop of Rome (along with Alexandria and Antioch) was regarded as a Patriarchate, i.e. an autonomous diocese. To this group was added the patriachates of Constantinople and Jerusalem in the fifth century. This group of five was regarded as leading the church as a whole. However, gaining political influence and claiming "historical events" (e.g. the tradition that Peter and Paul had been martyred in Rome) the Bishop of Rome made himself first among equals. To secure worldly gains and honors, the church was led to seek the favor and support of the great men of earth; the church was forced to yield allegiance to the bishop of Rome.

It being an established fact that Roman Catholicism is paganism wrapped in a cloak of Christianity, who then are Roman Catholics and their fellow travellers in a now established alliance really worshipping in reality?

Who Is The Roman Catholic Church Really Worshiping?

This study will reveal the meaning of the symbols, statues and attire used by the Pope and priests, as they reveal what the Papal Church is really worshiping.

For thousands of years Pagan religions have used symbols to show which gods they worshiped. These symbols were declared openly in Egypt, Babylon, Rome and other cultures.

These symbols are still used today, but their true meanings are hidden. Most people typically don’t notice the symbol or they have a positive impression of it.

The enlightened understand the meaning behind the symbols, and they use them to communicate with others.

Leaders of a Christian Church should not have anything to do with the symbols of pagan gods.

“For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God.” 2 Corinthians 6:14,16

If you’re Catholic, ask yourself why the leaders of the Roman Catholic Church are using all of these symbols of pagan gods.

In this article there follow pictures/photographs of the symbols, statues and attire used by the Pope and priests, some of which are used in Satan worship. It is noteworthy that dragons are displayed at the Vatican, some in the crests of Popes. These are staggeringly brazen admissions of worshipping the god of this world.

The dragon has set a deadly trap for the Christian world! It is in plain view, yet strangely not perceived. The reason why must be as set forth by the Apostle Paul in 2 Thessalonians:2, which is the subject of the last section of this paper.

No Christian church firmly grounded in the Truth of God as revealed in the doctrines and prophecies of the Bible could ever be seduced into fraternizing with the Church of Rome:

ROMAN CATHOLICISM: THE PAGAN CONNECTION

The world is convinced that Roman Catholicism is Christianity. Yet when one examines the Bible—even the Roman Catholic Bible—one soon discovers the obvious difference, and the many distinct contradictions that exist between Roman Catholicism and true Biblical Christianity. This difference reveals Roman Catholicism as nothing but old paganism clothed in Christian veneer.

FOREWORD [The web page is obviously the content of an eighth booklet following  seven booklets also referenced. Note the sections on the  ecumenical movement and syncretism.]

This illustrated booklet will show further pagan connections to Roman Catholicism apart from those already disclosed in the seven booklets preceding it.

These seven booklets show conclusively the pagan origin of many Roman Catholic teachings and practices, such as the Rosary, Purgatory, Baptism, Confession, Mary, the Mass and the Roman Catholic ‘way to Salvation.’

If you have read the other booklets in this series, you have already been made aware of the fact that there are many and varied ties between Roman Catholicism and paganism. We have established that the mixing of Christianity and paganism is strictly forbidden by God and is an abomination to Him, and therefore should be so to everyone who professes to be Christian.

We have shown that the official footnotes in the Roman Catholic Bible—from which we have quoted throughout this series—to 2 Corinthians 6:14-16a, also condemns this vile mixture, with the words: "...Christianity is NOT compatible with paganism."

Yet in saying this, the Roman Catholic Church condemns herself, as we have proven repeatedly in this series of booklets and will demonstrate in this final booklet, for Roman Catholicism has sustained the traditions, teachings, rites and practices of some of the darkest elements of satanically inspired paganism!

THE ECUMENICAL AGENDA

"One finds every shade of New Age, Occult, and mystical belief inside the Roman Catholic Church...‘Catholic World’ had an entire issue affirming the New Age movement, without a word of condemnation or correction (May/June 1989). Thousands of priests and nuns practice Yoga and other forms of Hindu or Buddhist mysticism. (Roman) Catholic schools across the country, once looked upon as bastions of sound education, are as permeated with occult and New Age methods as are the public schools....(Roman) Catholic retreat centers around the world mix ‘Christianity’ with Hinduism, Buddhism, and all manner of New Age beliefs and practices....The entire May/June issue of ‘Catholic World’ was devoted to Buddhism. The articles were all sympathetic, including favorable quotes from the Pope" (‘A Woman Rides The Beast’, pp.420-421).

A close friend of Pope John Paul II is the Dalai Lama, who is the leader of the world’s Buddhists. Buddhism is an avowed enemy of Christianity and has sworn to see her destruction and banishment from this earth. (See Pope John Paul II pictured with the Dalai Lama on the video ‘Roman Catholicism’.) . . .

[Photograph of John Paul II with the Dalai Lama]

The Dalai Lama does not believe that Jesus Christ is God and that He died to atone for the sins of His people. Also denied are many other fundamental Christian doctrines. So what is the Pope, the alleged leader of the Christian Church, doing mixing with people such as the Dalai Lama and calling him a close friend?

Included on the video, ‘Roman Catholicism’, is footage of a prayer gathering in Assisi, Italy 1986, where leaders from 160 religions met to pray to God for world peace. Among them are serpent worshippers, fire worshippers, Buddhists, Muslims, Spiritists, Hindus and Animists. Pope John Paul II announced: "We are all praying to the one God", yet they all believe in a different god, and certainly not in the Lord Jesus Christ as the One, true and only God. . .

[Photograph of the Assisi prayer gathering]

Ecumenism, in essence, has no place for the one true and only God, for it caters to every false god and lends credibility to every false belief imaginable. It is the resurrection of Babylonianism.

Catholicism’s involvement in this anti-christian movement is firmly entrenched. Whilst addressing the World Council of Churches in Geneva, Switzerland, Pope John Paul II declared: "From the beginning of my ministry as bishop of Rome, I have insisted that the engagement of the Catholic Church in the Ecumenical movement is irreversible" (‘The Fresno Bee’, June 13, 1984, p.C12).

[From the web page.] Below, we see a photograph of the Pope shaking hands with a voodoo chief. Voodoo is the religion of many African countries. It includes religious rites and ceremonies, which contain much dancing. These dances, which can go on for days on end, are performed in order to invoke demon spirits and to invite possession to take place by those spirits. It is a vile and anti-christian religion. The Voodoo religion in Haiti sees every ceremony commence with Roman Catholic prayers. There is a saying: Haiti is 85% Roman Catholic and 110% Voodoo! . . .

[Photograph of John Paul II shaking hands with a voodoo chief.]

But for the Pope of Rome, all this means little. During this visit to Africa, where wild and frenetic dancing was performed in his presence by young girls in an effort to induce a trance state, the Pope told the followers of Voodoo that they would not be betraying their ancestors if they became Roman Catholic! And he was right— Christianity is not compatible with paganism, but Roman Catholicism certainly is.

What has a heathen religion like voodoo got to do with the purity and simplicity of the true Christian faith? And why would the Pope say such a thing to the followers of Voodoo; that they would not be betraying their Voodoo practicing ancestors if they became Roman Catholics, when the Roman Catholic Bible footnotes clearly state that Christianity is not compatible with paganism? The Roman Catholic Bible asks: "...what fellowship does light have with darkness?" (2 Corinthians 6:14).

The Roman Catholic Bible states: "You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and also the cup of demons" (1 Corinthians 10:21). Could you honestly imagine Jesus Christ saying to a follower of Voodoo that they would not be betraying their demon-worshipping ancestors if they became Christians?

[The foregoing is devastating for the Roman Catholic pretense of Christianity, and is followed by a pictorial commentary of pagan symbols in the Church of Rome.]

The following essay caps the whole:

Declaration on the Relationship of the Church to Non-Christian Religions (1965)

Given the Roman Church’s false ecumenism with the Eastern Orthodox, Anglicans, and Protestants, it is no surprise that it is engaged in syncretism with pagan religions.1 After all, Jehoshaphat’s false ecumenism with the apostate Northern Kingdom (II Chron. 18; 20:31-37) led him into syncretism with pagan Edom (II Kings 3). Rome has always been syncretistic to some degree. Witness its compromises in the conversion of the barbarians in Northern and Eastern Europe or the acceptance of pagan elements in its missionary work in Asia (where a Jesuit, Francis Xavier, even went too far for the pope), Central and South America, and Africa. In God’s just judgment, those who are willing to sell the truth of His Word in exchange for worldly, economic, or political gain find it hard to stop.2 With apostate churches, like Rome, things are far worse than we imagine; just read Ezekiel 8.

Vatican II (1962-1965) gives modern Rome’s creedal position on both its false ecumenism (the Decree of Ecumenism[1964]) and its syncretism (the Declaration on the Relationship of the Church to Non-Christian Religions [1965]).3 The latter is the shortest of Vatican II’s sixteen documents and is named Nostra Aetate in Latin (In Our Age).

The Declaration on the Relationship of the Church to Non-Christian Religions deliberately and explicitly emphasizes, and “gives primary consideration” to (p. 660), “common” ground (pp. 660, 663, 665) between Roman Catholicism and pagan religions. After a somewhat philosophical introduction, which seeks to find some lowest common denominator in man’s humanity and religiosity, and a paragraph outlining the evolutionary idea of the development of religion (pp. 660-661),Nostra Aetate turns to various religions, starting with those “farthest” from Christianity before coming to those “nearest” to it (pp. 661-667). . .

“Outside the [Roman] Church There Is No Salvation”?

What then of the famous formula, taken by Rome historically in a self-serving sense: “outside the [Roman] Church there is no salvation”? Robert Zins lists various proclamations by popes and Roman councils from A.D. 585 to 1950, stating Rome’s traditional position.10 For instance, the Council of Florence (1438) declared,

It firmly believes, professes, and proclaims that those not living within the [Roman] Catholic Church, not only pagans, but also Jews and heretics and schismatics cannot become participants in eternal life, but will depart ‘into everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels’ (Matt. 25:41).11

In Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (1964), “outside the [Roman] Church there is no salvation” is taken to mean “Whosoever…knowing that the Catholic Church was made necessary by God through Jesus Christ, would refuse to enter her or to remain in her could not be saved” (pp. 32-33).

This does not seem to exclude Jews or Muslims (pp. 34-35), for they are also included in “the plan of salvation” (p. 35). Moreover, “good” people can be saved in any religion or none:

Those also can attain to everlasting salvation who through no fault of their own do not know the gospel of Christ or His Church, yet sincerely seek God and, moved by grace, strive by their deeds to do His will as it is known to them through the dictates of their conscience (p. 35).

The Holy See has clearly given up its historic view of all other religions (and churches!) as false and idolatrous, another U-turn euphemistically called aggiornamento (Italian for “updating”). Rome still sees itself as the church ordained by Christ upon Peter, possessing “the very fullness of grace and truth,” as the Decree of Ecumenism puts it (p. 346), but—and this is the key point—whatever measure of grace and truth is in the other religions (or churches) leads back to Rome as the apex and fulfillment of all religion, for it is Christ’s one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church.

In its evaluation of pagan religions, as throughout its theology, Rome is opposed to God’s Word. All religions are false and idolatrous that do not worship the triune God of the Bible revealed in the cross of the Son of God (first commandment) [Not clear if this is an endorsement of this false doctrine, which is fundamental to Roman catholicism.] He has laid down in the Holy Scriptures (second commandment). Those who follow pagan religions are idolaters. In fact, they are serving demons, as both the Old Testament (Lev. 17:7; Deut. 32:17; II Chron. 11:15; Ps. 106:37) and the New (I Cor. 10:20-21; Rev. 9:20) declare.12 The Holy See rejects the scriptural position against paganism because it is thoroughly riddled with higher criticism of the Bible, evolutionism, and humanism; and it is itself pagan and idolatrous. Furthermore, the spirit of the ungodly world wants and promotes syncretism (and ecumenism). Syncretism is seen as the way of promoting world peace. This is evident from the policies and work of many national governments, the United Nations, and various non-governmental bodies, such as the Tony Blair Faith Foundation (TBFF).13 This is the purpose too with modern compendia of the texts of various religions.14

Goal and Methods of Rome’s Syncretism

The goal of Rome’s syncretism (like the goal of its false ecumenism) is the absorption and assimilation of all religions (and churches) into one worldwide religion (and church)—itself! The methods of its syncretism mirror those of its false ecumenism: honeyed words and common social activities: “…prudently and lovingly, through dialogue and collaboration…acknowledge, preserve and promote the spiritual and moral goods found among these men, as well as the values in their society and culture” (pp. 662-663) and “make common cause of safeguarding and fostering social justice, moral values, peace, and freedom” (p. 663). Rome’s number 1 means of syncretism is, of course, dialogue (pp. 662, 665)! If evolutionism reckons that everything has come (eventually) through time and chance, Rome reckons everything will come its way (eventually) through time and dialogue.

With all the Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and Protestant churches and others under Rome’s wing through false ecumenism and all the pagans under its umbrella through syncretism, the pope would have the whole world in his hands.

Concerning what might be an approving reference to the "triune God" in the above quoted passage, this website rejects such  a false concept of the Godhead. Nevertheless, this website heartily endorses the conclusion of the final sentence quoted.

BLASPHEMY AND SACRILEGE

The Roman Catholic Church was already steeped in paganism when Pope Leo the Great [reigned A.D. 440 to A.D. 461,] made a proud boast identifying the papacy with the pagan Roman Empire. Furthermore, Pope Boniface VIII [reigned 1298-1302, 800 years after Leo the Great] staged a demonstration also linking the Roman Church with the pagan empire. (as described in A. T Jones' The Consecrated Way to Christian Perfection.)

Such words of blasphemy as that of Boniface were succeeded by the satanic claim that the Pope is God on this earth (quotation possibly from an SDA website,) and numerous other staggering blasphemies such as that of THE ROMAN EUCHARIST:

As in the statements the following document overflows with blasphemous statements that have emanated from Roman Catholic sources. Only a few are quoted. It is enlightening to read the entire list to be  thoroughly dissuaded from the idea that this could be a Christian Church: 

Blasphemous Roman Catholic Church Statements The Christian Life

The Roman Catholic Church or Catholic sources have throughout the years made a whole list of interesting statements. This list of quotes reveals the true colors of this church system as predicted in Bible prophecy. See for yourself how many of these statements are unbiblical or even outright blasphemous.

“The Pope and God are the same, so he has all power in Heaven and earth.” Pope Pius V, quoted in Barclay, Chapter XXVII, p. 218, ” Cities Petrus Bertanous

“The foundation of all our confidence is found in the Blessed Virgin Mary. God has committed to her the treasury of all good things, in order that everyone may know that through her are obtained every hope, every grace, and all salvation. For this is His will: That we obtain everything through Mary.” Pope Pius IX

“But the supreme teacher in the Church is the Roman Pontiff. Union of minds, therefore, requires, together with a perfect accord in the one faith, complete submission and obedience of will to the Church and to the Roman Pontiff, as to God Himself.” (Pope Leo XIII, Encyclical Letter, “On the Chief Duties of Christians as Citizens”, dated January 10, 1890, trans. in The Great Encyclical Letters of Pope Leo XIII, p. 193

“The Pope is of so great dignity, and so exalted that he is not a mere man, but as it were God and the vicar of God.” Ferraris Ecclesiastical dictionary

“All names which in the Scriptures are applied to Christ, by virtue of which it is established that He is over the church, all the same names are applied to the Pope.” On the Authority of the Councils, book 2, chapter 17

“That the Roman Church never erred, nor will it, according to the Scriptures, ever err.” (Gregory VII, Cesare Baronius, Annales, year 1076, secs. 31-33, vol 17 (1869 ed.), pp. 405, 406, translated)

“The Saviour Himself is the door of the sheepfold: ‘I am the door of the sheep.’ Into this fold of Jesus Christ, no man may enter unless he be led by the Sovereign Pontiff; and only if they be united to him can men be saved, for the Roman Pontiff is the Vicar of Christ and His personal representative on earth.” Pope John XXIII in his homily to the Bishops and faithful assisting at his coronation on November 4, 1958

“It was not necessary for the Redeemer to die in order to save the world; a drop of his blood, a single tear, or prayer, was sufficient to procure salvation for all; for such a prayer, being of infinite value, should be sufficient to save not one but a thousand worlds. … And God Himself is obliged to abide by the judgment of His priests, and either not to pardon or to pardon. Were the Redeemer to descend into a church, and sit in a confessional to administer the sacrament of penance, and a priest to sit in another confessional, Jesus would say over each penitent, “Ego te absolve,” the priest would likewise say over each of his penitents, “Ego te absolve,” and the penitents of each would be equally absolved… Thus the priest may, in a certain manner, be called the creator of his Creator, since by saying the words of consecration, he creates, as it were, Jesus in the sacrament, by giving him a sacramental existence, and produces him as a victim to be offered to the eternal Father… let the priest,” says St. Laurence Justinian, “approach the altar as another Christ.” St. Alphonsus Liguori, The Dignities and Duties of the Priest (1927)

“All names which in the Scriptures are applied to Christ, by virtue of which it is established that he is over the church, all the same names are applied to the Pope.” (Robert Bellarmine, Disputationes de Controversiis, Tom. 2, AControversia Prima, Book 2 (ADe Conciliorum Auctoritate [On the Authority of Councils]), chap. 17 (1628 ed., Vol. 1, p. 266), translated. . .

It is astounding that all of this appears to have been forgotten, or is being downplayed under the delusion that the Roman Church has changed since Vatican II! This applies to the Seventh-day Adventist Church as well as the Protestant world in general. Note in this hyperlinked passage that an SDA leader has published such a statement as this:

"To call this Christian church the "Roman Catholic" Church can be misleading if Protestants assume that the Roman Catholic Church of, say the sixth century was one big denomination among others, as it is today. Actually the Roman Catholic Church was virtually the Christian church in Western Europe for about a thousand years. Because of this early universality, both Protestants and Catholics may regard it as the embodiment of "our" Christian heritage, for better or for worse. And very often it was for the better. Of course!" (Ibid.)

What an incredible statement for a Seventh-day Adventist scholar to make. It is a flat denial of Bible prophecy (Rev. 12:6,) and of the historical record. What of the Church in the wilderness!?:

THE GREAT CONTROVERSY (Ellen G. White)

Chap. 3 - An Era of Spiritual Darkness

The apostle Paul, in his second letter to the Thessalonians, foretold the great apostasy which would result in the establishment of the papal power. He declared that the day of Christ should not come, “except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.” And furthermore, the apostle warns his brethren that “the mystery of iniquity doth already work.” 2 Thessalonians 2:3, 4, 7. Even at that early date he saw, creeping into the church, errors that would prepare the way for the development of the papacy.

Little by little, at first in stealth and silence, and then more openly as it increased in strength and gained control of the minds of men, “the mystery of iniquity” carried forward its deceptive and blasphemous work. Almost imperceptibly the customs of heathenism found their way into the Christian church. The spirit of compromise and conformity was restrained for a time by the fierce persecutions which the church endured under paganism. But as persecution ceased, and Christianity entered the courts and palaces of kings, she laid aside the humble simplicity of Christ and His apostles for the pomp and pride of pagan priests and rulers; and in place of the requirements of God, she substituted human theories and traditions. The nominal conversion of Constantine, in the early part of the fourth century, caused great rejoicing; and the world, cloaked with a form of righteousness, walked into the church. Now the work of corruption rapidly progressed. Paganism, while appearing to be vanquished, became the conqueror. Her spirit controlled the church. Her doctrines, ceremonies, and superstitions were incorporated into the faith and worship of the professed followers of Christ.

This compromise between paganism and Christianity resulted in the development of “the man of sin” foretold in prophecy as opposing and exalting himself above God. That gigantic system of false religion is a masterpiece of Satan’s power—a monument of his efforts to seat himself upon the throne to rule the earth according to his will. . .

In the sixth century the papacy had become firmly established. Its seat of power was fixed in the imperial city, and the bishop of Rome was declared to be the head over the entire church. Paganism had given place to the papacy. The dragon had given to the beast “his power, and his seat, and great authority.” Revelation 13:2. And now began the 1260 years of papal oppression foretold in the prophecies of Daniel and the Revelation. Daniel 7:25; Revelation 13:5-7. . . Christians were forced to choose either to yield their integrity and accept the papal ceremonies and worship, or to wear away their lives in dungeons or suffer death by the rack, the fagot, or the headsman’s ax. Now were fulfilled the words of Jesus: “Ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death. And ye shall be hated of all men for My name’s sake.” Luke 21:16, 17. Persecution opened upon the faithful with greater fury than ever before, and the world became a vast battlefield. For hundreds of years the church of Christ found refuge in seclusion and obscurity. Thus says the prophet: “The woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and three-score days.” Revelation 12:6. . .

The Waldenses

Amid the gloom that settled upon the earth during the long period of papal supremacy, the light of truth could not be wholly extinguished. In every age there were witnesses for God—men who cherished faith in Christ as the only mediator between God and man, who held the Bible as the only rule of life, and who hallowed the true Sabbath. How much the world owes to these men, posterity will never know. They were branded as heretics, their motives impugned, their characters maligned, their writings suppressed, misrepresented, or mutilated. Yet they stood firm, and from age to age maintained their faith in its purity, as a sacred heritage for the generations to come.

The history of God’s people during the ages of darkness that followed upon Rome’s supremacy is written in heaven, but they have little place in human records. Few traces of their existence can be found, except in the accusations of their persecutors. It was the policy of Rome to obliterate every trace of dissent from her doctrines or decrees. Everything heretical, whether persons or writings, she sought to destroy. Expressions of doubt, or questions as to the authority of papal dogmas, were enough to forfeit the life of rich or poor, high or low. Rome endeavored also to destroy every record of her cruelty toward dissenters. Papal councils decreed that books and writings containing such records should be committed to the flames. Before the invention of printing, books were few in number, and in a form not favorable for preservation; therefore there was little to prevent the Romanists from carrying out their purpose.

No church within the limits of Romish jurisdiction was long left undisturbed in the enjoyment of freedom of conscience. No sooner had the papacy obtained power than she stretched out her arms to crush all that refused to acknowledge her sway, and one after another the churches submitted to her dominion.

In Great Britain primitive Christianity had very early taken root. The gospel received by the Britons in the first centuries was then uncorrupted by Romish apostasy. Persecution from pagan emperors, which extended even to these far-off shores, was the only gift that the first churches of Britain received from Rome. Many of the Christians, fleeing from persecution in England, found refuge in Scotland; thence the truth was carried to Ireland, and in all these countries it was received with gladness.

When the Saxons invaded Britain, heathenism gained control. The conquerors disdained to be instructed by their slaves, and the Christians were forced to retreat to the mountains and the wild moors. Yet the light, hidden for a time, continued to burn. In Scotland, a century later, it shone out with a brightness that extended to far-distant lands. From Ireland came the pious Columba and his colaborers, who, gathering about them the scattered believers on the lonely island of Iona, made this the center of their missionary labors. Among these evangelists was an observer of the Bible Sabbath, and thus this truth was introduced among the people. A school was established at Iona, from which missionaries went out, not only to Scotland and England, but to Germany, Switzerland, and even Italy.

But Rome had fixed her eyes on Britain, and resolved to bring it under her supremacy. In the sixth century her missionaries undertook the conversion of the heathen Saxons.

They were received with favor by the proud barbarians, and they induced many thousands to profess the Romish faith. As the work progressed, the papal leaders and their converts encountered the primitive Christians. A striking contrast was presented. The latter were simple, humble, and Scriptural in character, doctrine, and manners, while the former manifested the superstition, pomp, and arrogance of popery. The emissary of Rome demanded that these Christian churches acknowledge the supremacy of the sovereign pontiff. The Britons meekly replied that they desired to love all men, but that the pope was not entitled to supremacy in the church, and they could render to him only that submission which was due to every follower of Christ. Repeated attempts were made to secure their allegiance to Rome; but these humble Christians, amazed at the pride displayed by her emissaries, steadfastly replied that they knew no other master than Christ. Now the true spirit of the papacy was revealed. Said the Romish leader: “If you will not receive brethren who bring you peace, you shall receive enemies who will bring you war. If you will not unite with us in showing the Saxons the way of life, you shall receive from them the stroke of death.”—J. H. Merle D’Aubigne, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, b. 17, ch. 2. These were no idle threats. War, intrigue, and deception were employed against these witnesses for a Bible faith, until the churches of Britain were destroyed, or forced to submit to the authority of the pope.

In lands beyond the jurisdiction of Rome there existed for many centuries bodies of Christians who remained almost wholly free from papal corruption. They were surrounded by heathenism and in the lapse of ages were affected by its errors; but they continued to regard the Bible as the only rule of faith and adhered to many of its truths. These Christians believed in the perpetuity of the law of God and observed the Sabbath of the fourth commandment. Churches that held to this faith and practice existed in Central Africa and among the Armenians of Asia.

But of those who resisted the encroachments of the papal power, the Waldenses stood foremost. In the very land where popery had fixed its seat, there its falsehood and corruption were most steadfastly resisted. For centuries the churches of Piedmont maintained their independence; but the time came at last when Rome insisted upon their submission. After ineffectual struggles against her tyranny, the leaders of these churches reluctantly acknowledged the supremacy of the power to which the whole world seemed to pay homage. There were some, however, who refused to yield to the authority of pope or prelate. They were determined to maintain their allegiance to God and to preserve the purity and simplicity of their faith. A separation took place. Those who adhered to the ancient faith now withdrew; some, forsaking their native Alps, raised the banner of truth in foreign lands; others retreated to the secluded glens and rocky fastnesses of the mountains, and there preserved their freedom to worship God.

The faith which for centuries was held and taught by the Waldensian Christians was in marked contrast to the false doctrines put forth from Rome. Their religious belief was founded upon the written word of God, the true system of Christianity. But those humble peasants, in their obscure retreats, shut away from the world, and bound to daily toil among their flocks and their vineyards, had not by themselves arrived at the truth in opposition to the dogmas and heresies of the apostate church. Theirs was not a faith newly received. Their religious belief was their inheritance from their fathers. They contended for the faith of the apostolic church,—“the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” Jude 3. “The church in the wilderness,” and not the proud hierarchy enthroned in the world’s great capital, was the true church of Christ, the guardian of the treasures of truth which God has committed to His people to be given to the world.

Among the leading causes that had led to the separation of the true church from Rome was the hatred of the latter toward the Bible Sabbath. As foretold by prophecy, the papal power cast down the truth to the ground. The law of God was trampled in the dust, while the traditions and customs of men were exalted. The churches that were under the rule of the papacy were early compelled to honor the Sunday as a holy day. Amid the prevailing error and superstition, many, even of the true people of God, became so bewildered that while they observed the Sabbath, they refrained from labor also on the Sunday. But this did not satisfy the papal leaders. They demanded not only that Sunday be hallowed, but that the Sabbath be profaned; and they denounced in the strongest language those who dared to show it honor. It was only by fleeing from the power of Rome that any could obey God’s law in peace. . .

The Waldenses were among the first of the peoples of Europe to obtain a translation of the Holy Scriptures. . . Hundreds of years before the Reformation they possessed the Bible in manuscript in their native tongue. They had the truth unadulterated, and this rendered them the special objects of hatred and persecution. They declared the Church of Rome to be the apostate Babylon of the Apocalypse, and at the peril of their lives they stood up to resist her corruptions. While, under the pressure of long-continued persecution, some compromised their faith, little by little yielding its distinctive principles, others held fast the truth. Through ages of darkness and apostasy there were Waldenses who denied the supremacy of Rome, who rejected image worship as idolatry, and who kept the true Sabbath. Under the fiercest tempests of opposition they maintained their faith. Though gashed by the Savoyard spear, and scorched by the Romish fagot, they stood unflinchingly for God’s word and His honor.

Behind the lofty bulwarks of the mountains—in all ages the refuge of the persecuted and oppressed—the Waldenses found a hiding place. Here the light of truth was kept burning amid the darkness of the Middle Ages. Here, for a thousand years, witnesses for the truth maintained the ancient faith. . .

The Vaudois churches, in their purity and simplicity, resembled the church of apostolic times. Rejecting the supremacy of the pope and prelate, they held the Bible as the only supreme, infallible authority. Their pastors, unlike the lordly priests of Rome, followed the example of their Master, who “came not to be ministered unto, but to minister.” They fed the flock of God, leading them to the green pastures and living fountains of His holy word. Far from the monuments of human pomp and pride the people assembled, not in magnificent churches or grand cathedrals, but beneath the shadow of the mountains, in the Alpine valleys, or, in time of danger, in some rocky stronghold, to listen to the words of truth from the servants of Christ. The pastors not only preached the gospel, but they visited the sick, catechized the children, admonished the erring, and labored to settle disputes and promote harmony and brotherly love. In times of peace they were sustained by the freewill offerings of the people; but, like Paul the tentmaker, each learned some trade or profession by which, if necessary, to provide for his own support.

From their pastors the youth received instruction. While attention was given to branches of general learning, the Bible was made the chief study. The Gospels of Matthew and John were committed to memory, with many of the Epistles. They were employed also in copying the Scriptures. Some manuscripts contained the whole Bible, others only brief selections, to which some simple explanations of the text were added by those who were able to expound the Scriptures. Thus were brought forth the treasures of truth so long concealed by those who sought to exalt themselves above God. . .

The Waldensian missionaries were invading the kingdom of Satan, and the powers of darkness aroused to greater vigilance. Every effort to advance the truth was watched by the prince of evil, and he excited the fears of his agents. The papal leaders saw a portent of danger to their cause from the labors of these humble itinerants. If the light of truth were allowed to shine unobstructed, it would sweep away the heavy clouds of error that enveloped the people. It would direct the minds of men to God alone and would eventually destroy the supremacy of Rome.

The very existence of this people, holding the faith of the ancient church, was a constant testimony to Rome’s apostasy, and therefore excited the most bitter hatred and persecution. Their refusal to surrender the Scriptures was also an offense that Rome could not tolerate. She determined to blot them from the earth. Now began the most terrible crusades against God’s people in their mountain homes. Inquisitors were put upon their track, and the scene of innocent Abel falling before the murderous Cain was often repeated.

Again and again were their fertile lands laid waste, their dwellings and chapels swept away, so that where once were flourishing fields and the homes of an innocent, industrious people, there remained only a desert. As the ravenous beast is rendered more furious by the taste of blood, so the rage of the papists was kindled to greater intensity by the sufferings of their victims. Many of these witnesses for a pure faith were pursued across the mountains and hunted down in the valleys where they were hidden, shut in by mighty forests and pinnacles of rock.

No charge could be brought against the moral character of this proscribed class. Even their enemies declared them to be a peaceable, quiet, pious people. Their grand offense was that they would not worship God according to the will of the pope. For this crime every humiliation, insult, and torture that men or devils could invent was heaped upon them.

When Rome at one time determined to exterminate the hated sect, a bull was issued by the pope, condemning them as heretics, and delivering them to slaughter. . . They were not accused as idlers, or dishonest, or disorderly; but it was declared that they had an appearance of piety and sanctity that seduced “the sheep of the true fold.” Therefore the pope ordered “that malicious and abominable sect of malignants,” if they “refuse to abjure, to be crushed like venomous snakes.”—Wylie, b. 16, ch. 1. Did this haughty potentate expect to meet those words again? Did he know that they were registered in the books of heaven, to confront him at the judgment? “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren,” said Jesus, “ye have done it unto Me.” Matthew 25:40.

This bull called upon all members of the church to join the crusade against the heretics. As an incentive to engage in this cruel work, it “absolved from all ecclesiastical pains and penalties, general and particular; it released all who joined the crusade from any oaths they might have taken; it legitimatized their title to any property they might have illegally acquired; and promised remission of all their sins to such as should kill any heretic. It annulled all contracts made in favor of Vaudois, ordered their domestics to abandon them, forbade all persons to give them any aid whatever, and empowered all persons to take possession of their property.”—Wylie, b. 16, ch. 1. This document clearly reveals the master spirit behind the scenes. It is the roar of the dragon, and not the voice of Christ, that is heard therein. . .

The Church's backsliding has worsened since the offending statement above, which precedes these excerpts from The Great Controversy.

In these contemporary times, there are still some voices which have not walked the traitorous path back to Rome. These faithfully identify the true Church in the wilderness:

THE WALDENSES OF THE VALLEYS

The mingling of Paganism with Christianity in the form of the Roman Catholic Church sparked a revolution in Christendom. It led those who desired to preserve the purity of true Bible religion to coalesce into a single organized system, geographically spanning northern Italy and south-western France. This group was known as the Waldenses.

The Waldenses were a group of people that formed a resistance against the moral corruption and physically damaging practices advocated by the system of monasticism that blossomed under the papacy. Vigilantius, who is credited with being the leader of this movement, encountered monasticism through his interactions with many of the scholars of his day. He was a peasant from southwestern Gaul which encompassed the areas we now know as France, Northern Italy, Luxembourg, Belgium and most of Switzerland.

Vigilantius was first brought into contact with monasticism through his employer Sulpicius Severus and through his interactions with the famous Roman Catholic monk Jerome, who translated the Latin Vulgate. What he saw was a system of spiritual pride and hypocrisy that rested on outward rites and rituals while the heart was still full of the corruption of sin. In addition to this, he was exposed to the subtleties of how paganism was thinly veiled under the guise of all that was Roman Catholic by witnessing the celebration of pagan holidays under Christian names and the worship of pagan gods under the guise of Christian saints.

He was appalled by what he saw and soon began to preach against this system to those in Gaul who occupied what is now known as Southwestern France and Northern Italy. Vigilantius denounced the hypocrisy and pride of the Roman Catholic Church and called for those who were longing for something more spiritually substantial to join him in making the Bible their only rule of faith and practice.

Many flocked to his standard, choosing to walk away from a religious system that relied on the traditions and dictates of men to stand under the banner of God’s word. One of the earliest known names of these believers was insabbati, demonstrating that they were Sabbath-keepers, being named after the day on which they worshiped.

PERSECUTION UNDER THE PAPACY

The Waldenses became the vanguard of a powerful resistance movement that quietly and unobtrusively began to work to educate people about Bible truth and expose the errors and fallacies propagated by Rome. They were known for taking great pains to preserve the Bible, transcribing copies by hand for distribution throughout Europe. They didn’t see themselves as reformers because many of them had rejected the advances of the Roman Catholic Church from the outset. Instead, they saw themselves as champions and curators of biblical truth in the midst of a reign of spiritual darkness and apostasy.

For this they paid dearly, being slaughtered by the thousands and relegated to living in the caves of the alpine wilderness. Their story has been told and retold by countless writers and poets of the Renaissance who witnessed the terrible persecutions they faced. Yet in the face of such ruthlessness, they still clung unwaveringly to their faith in God and His Word, as firm and unyielding as the mighty mountains that had become their home.

One thing that the Waldenses did have in common with the Roman Catholic church was that they both saw the barbarian tribes that occupied Europe as a mission field. The fundamental difference, however, was that while the Roman Catholic Church used the power of the state, the terror of the sword and the inducement of political gain to advance their cause, the Waldenses put their faith in the strength of God’s Word.

A MISSION MOVEMENT

They kept a low profile, making the rugged regions of the alpine valleys their homes and moving quietly among those who lived in the great cities of Europe. Eventually, facing relentless persecution in the lower valleys, the Waldenses moved into the higher alpine regions. Here they settled themselves and focused on evangelizing papal Europe, and to this end, they built training schools that covered the rugged mountainous region of the Piedmont Valley. . .

LUX LUCET IN TENEBRIS

In times of intense persecution, these people of the valleys would gather together in their mountain hideouts, huddling for shelter in the dim and dank caves that crisscrossed the mountains. These caves were not only a place of refuge but a place of worship as well and here shut in by the cold stone walls, in a place of perfect peace and silence they sang their hymns and praises to God and spent time in simple but earnest congregational worship and prayer.

The Waldensian motto was Lux Lucet in Tenebris, light shining in the darkness and theirs was a light that burned steadily without waxing or waning for centuries, even in the face of terrible persecution. They chose to fiercely guard their commitment to the word of God and were willing to bear the cost that came with that commitment. Often that cost was to leave behind their homes and livelihoods to flee into the wild and rugged regions of the Alpine valleys.

Here they braved the most grueling conditions and their children had to learn the hard lessons of self-sacrifice, frugality, and resilience. To Waldensian parents, these lessons became the keystone of the training they offered their children and it was these lessons that forged them into hardy soldiers for the cause of Jesus. From a young age, they were trained in the scriptures, trained to endure privation and hardship to the end that they might be able missionaries for God amidst people held fast in the fetters of falsehood.

CONTINUED PERSECUTION

Yet even in their high mountain strongholds, the Waldenses were not immune to the fires of persecution breathed against them by the Roman Catholic Church. One of the most chilling and yet poignant examples of this is the story of the Waldensian massacre that took place atop the mighty Mt. Casteluzzo, one of the bloodiest and most horrific acts of genocide ever committed against a group of people.

And yet even in the face of such strong persecution the Waldensian people refused to bow their knees to the darkness and error of the Roman Catholic Church, they refused to be bullied into submission. In his poem “Invictus”, William Ernest Henley wrote:

In the fell clutch of circumstance

I have not winced nor cried aloud.

Under the bludgeonings of chance

My head is bloody but unbowed.

The poem is a testament to the man who instead of allowing his circumstances to mold him, takes hold of his circumstances, and by his grit and fortitude, molds them. To a great extent, this was the spirit of the Waldenses, the spirit that made them a light shining in the darkness.

Why were they so vehemently hated? Because they chose to stand for what was right, to stand against a religiopolitical machine that was oppressing the lives of so many innocent people. They were hated because they were unafraid and unashamed of holding up the torch of truth to expose the terrible secrets of darkness. They stood like Daniel in Babylon and weathered the worst storms of persecution and their example is a challenge to us today, presented most poignantly in the words of that old children’s classic that says:

“Dare to be a Daniel

Dare to stand alone

Dare to have a purpose firm

Dare to make it known”

Along with her brazen blasphemy, the Church of Rome has worked assiduously to destroy faith in the Bible as the Word of God inspired the Holy Spirit, by means of a methodology of interpretation known as Higher Criticism. This above all has brought the Protestant world to a condition described prophetically by the Apostle Paul as "strong delusion."

STRONG DELUSION

Concerning these last days, Ellen G. White wrote in The Great Controversy, at Page 431:

Looking down to the last days, the same Infinite Power declares, concerning those who “received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved“: “For this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12. As they reject the teachings of His word, God withdraws His Spirit and leaves them to the deceptions which they love.

But Christ still intercedes in man’s behalf, and light will be given to those who seek it.

The KJV leaves open whether a specific lie is involved. The NKJV changes "a lie" to "the lie," and this is supported by the literal translations. The consequences of believing the lie are defined in 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12:-

Young's Literal Translation: "and in all deceitfulness of the unrighteousness in those perishing, because the love of the truth they did not receive for their being saved, and because of this shall God send to them a working of delusion, for their believing the lie, that they may be judged -- all who did not believe the truth, but were well pleased in the unrighteousness."

Interlinear Bible: "and in all deceit of unrighteousness in those being lost, because they did not receive the love of the truth in order for them to be saved. And because of this, God will send to them a working of error, for them to believe the lie, that all may be judged, those not believing the truth, but who have delighted in unrighteousness."

Ellen G. White makes the course of events very clear, whether the reading is "strong delusion," "delusion," or "working of error." As she points out this indicates that we are in the "last days." Where is salvation when "the Holy Spirit is withdrawn?" It is He alone Who "leads" or "guides" us into all Truth (John 16:13.)

It is abundantly clear that delusions are rampant as false teachings are prospering in the apostate Christian world, not least of all in the era of the "Religious Right" and the Christian Nationalists of America. It should be constant in our minds, as we ponder the spiritual fantasies sweeping over America, that "As they reject the teachings of His word, God withdraws His Spirit and leaves them to the deceptions which they love." The surge in lies and deceptions tend to be associated with the arrival of Donald Trump on the scene; but the delusions were manifest long before he gained prominence. Most can be traced directly to Rome and, most devastating for faith in the divine inspiration of the Bible, "Higher Criticism."

By the time that Donald Trump barged onto the national scene, apostate Protestantism in America was already thoroughly beguiled and seduced by Rome. Trump was simply an end product, perhaps the end product as we are  soon to find out. There are signs of an intensification of delusions, much of them screaming "blasphemy":-

Evangelicals told Trump he was "chosen" by God. Now he says it himself

Religious right leaders say God anointed Trump as a "king." This week he actually declared himself the "chosen one"

Even for a bottomless pit of narcissism like Donald Trump, Wednesday was an exceptional day for self-aggrandizement. Early in the day, Trump tweeted quotes from one of his more sycophantic — and unhinged — followers, Wayne Allyn Root, calling Trump the "King of Israel" and "the second coming of God." Later that day, when speaking to reporters, Trump embraced the prophet identity again, calling himself "the Chosen One," in response to a question about trade dealings with China.

To be certain, Trump laced in just enough plausible deniability — that he might be joking, that these are just metaphors — to give his supporters grist when accusing liberals of being hysterical for being alarmed about all this. But the grim reality is that Trump is channeling — and in the first instance, directly quoting — the beliefs of evangelical conservatives, a powerful constituency that still holds enormous sway within the Republican Party. And those folks are telling Trump, regularly and in grandiose terms, that he is in fact the Chosen One and has been anointed by God to be the president at this point in time.

While Trump, who worships himself and only himself, probably hasn't given much thought to the deity now or at any other time, one thing is for sure: He loves this idea that he's been chosen by the almighty to be a great leader.

To be clear, white evangelical leaders don't actually compare Trump to Jesus or say he's the son of God or anything like that. But they do use language that compares him to Biblical figures they regard as anointed by God, and speak of him as a prophesied savior come to save America and turn it into the theocratic white-dominated nation-state of their dreams.

As journalist Katherine Stewart, who covers the religious right, explained in a New York Times article last December, the gist of the white evangelical view of Trump is "that he is a miracle sent straight from heaven to bring the nation back to the Lord" and "that resistance to Mr. Trump is tantamount to resistance to God."

Liberty University, run by Jerry Falwell Jr., even helped produce a documentary called "The Trump Prophecy," which was screened in roughly 1,000 theaters before the midterm election last year. In it, a firefighter named Mark Taylor claims he had a religious epiphany in 2011 — when Trump was pushing the racist conspiracy theory that Barack Obama had been born in Kenya — in which God told him that Trump would be elected president.

The word that tends to be commonly associated with Trump in evangelical circles is not "president," however. It is "king." Using numerology arguments, evangelical leaders like Lance Wallnau argue that the 45th president is a modern-day version of the King Cyrus described in Isaiah 45, a Persian emperor the Bible says was anointed by God to free the Jews.

Evangelicals also compare Trump to the biblical figure of King David, particularly when the uncomfortable issue of his frequent adulteries comes up.

"God called King David a man after God’s own heart even though he was an adulterer and a murderer," Falwell said in 2016, defending his choice to endorse Trump. "You have to choose the leader that would make the best king or president and not necessarily someone who would be a good pastor."

In the new Netflix documentary "The Family," which is based on a decade-plus of investigative work by journalist Jeff Sharlet, it's explained that a secretive group of conservative Christian power brokers — including Vice President Mike Pence and former Attorney General Jeff Sessions — preach this idea of the "wolf-king," a leader anointed by God to enact the Christian right agenda. The ruthlessness or immoral conduct of such a leader isn't seen to be at odds with the forgiving spirit of Jesus Christ. On the contrary, these evangelical leaders believe God wants their leaders to be ruthless, because that's what is effective.

As Peter Montgomery of Right Wing Watch has monitored, Christian right leaders speak endlessly of Trump as a chosen vessel for God's will, saying things like "God has picked him up" and that Trump is "literally splitting the kingdom of darkness right open" and that "the Lord has put His favor upon him."

Some Christian conservative leaders do try to spin a fable in which Trump is a sinner redeemed by Jesus who now walks the path of righteousness in his personal life. But smarter evangelical pastors understand that while their followers will swallow all sorts of nonsense, that's going too far. Instead, these "king" metaphors allow them to make a different argument: God chooses "imperfect" men to be "vessels" for his will because they have talents — in Trump's case, belligerence and bullying, interpreted as "strength" — that matter more than their sinful behavior.

This reading, perversely, allows evangelicals to interpret Trump's lechery and tendency to curse (they don't really see his racism or encouragement of violence as sinful) as more evidence that he has been chosen by God.

"Cyrus is the model for a nonbeliever appointed by God as a vessel for the purposes of the faithful," Stewart wrote.

Tara Isabella Burton, writing for Vox, explained it this way:

Instead of having to justify their views of Trump’s controversial past, including reports of sexual misconduct and adultery, the evangelical establishment can say Trump’s presidency was arranged by God, and thus legitimize their support for him.

Megachurch minister Jeremiah Johnson gave a sermon in 2015 laying out this argument. Trump "is like a bull in a china closet," Johnson said, but his chaotic nature gives him the power to "expose darkness and perversion in America like never before."

There's no way that Trump — who is always ready to hear that he's the greatest and most important and best and most beautiful person who ever lived — is unaware that Christian right leaders literally speak about him this way, as a vessel anointed by God to do his bidding on Earth. On the contrary, Trump allows these fools into the Oval Office so they can lay hands on him and pray as if they were meeting a great prophet. . .

The demonic brazenness of the Trumpists' blasphemy has been exhibited by their comparison of Trump's just indictments and prosecution for his crimes to the torture  of Jesus Christ during His trial and crucifixion:-

Trump arrest prompts Jesus comparisons: ‘Spiritual warfare’

For the most devoted Trump conspiracy theorists, there are no coincidences and timing is everything.

So when ex-President Donald Trump was arraigned Tuesday on charges that he falsified business records to obscure hush money payments in an effort to influence the 2016 election, some of his most ardent followers quickly noted the court appearance came during Christianity’s most sacred week, Holy Week, when many Christians commemorate Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection.

“Seems there was someone else who was tortured and crucified this week,” read one post on Gab, a platform popular with Trump supporters. A similar post on Telegram put Trump’s case in apocalyptic terms: “Good vs Evil. Biblical times. Divine timing.”

Comparisons likening Trump to Christ were among the top online narratives about the Republican former president and his criminal charges circulating in the last several days, according to an analysis of online and social media content conducted by Zignal Labs, a media intelligence firm, on behalf of The Associated Press.

Zignal’s analysis found tens of thousands of mentions calling Trump a martyr. The number more than doubled immediately after Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., linked the prosecution of Trump to the persecution of Christ during an interview.

The Trumpists' strong delusion embraces the belief that they  are establishing God's kingdom on earth. They are in for a rude awakening. Those who are alive at the Second Coming of Jesus are destined to suffer the same fate as "the lawless one" ( 2 Thess. 2:8-10.)

The delusions of Trumpism are wildly insane. The prophecy makes it clear that they must be the result of believing the lie. The ultimate manifestation of the lie, and its deadly consequences, is manifest in the ecumenical movement, which has squarely allied the Protestant churches, including the SDA Church, with the Church of Rome. It is the ultimate betrayal of Jesus Christ, and the Father Who gave his uniquely Begotten Son for the redemption of man, and in Jesus has received the redeemed into the Godhead. Most deadly is the delusive "recognition" of an institution that is pagan to its core as a Christian church, and by some the Christian Church. Note that the warnings against ecumenism are coming from representatives of denominations which, unlike the SDA Church, did not receive a special commission to preserve the Truth, pure and unadulterated:-

The Ecumenical Delusion

Throughout a history of nearly 2,000 years, Christendom has experienced various major schisms and spawned thousands of schismatic sects. Yet serious efforts are now underway to heal the divisions and bring the fragmented pieces back together. While this appears to be a noble, and even godly goal, few today realize that we are watching ancient Bible prophecies come alive—which will shock and surprise a misguided world!

Agenda for Unity

The modern drive to heal the divisions among the fragmented denominations of professing Christianity has been actively promoted by the Roman Catholic Church. In 1964, the Second Vatican Council (Vatican II) made the “restoration of unity among all Christians” and bringing Protestant denominations back to the Catholic fold a long-term goal for the Roman church. The Council changed a centuries-old practice by referring to baptized members of other churches as “separated brothers” instead of “heretics.” Also in 1964, the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church “canceled their mutual excommunications of one another” that began in 1054ad (Foreign Affairs, May-June 2013). Since then, several popes and patriarchs have met and prayed together in their efforts to promote unity. The Orthodox patriarch represents 250 million believers.

In the 1990s, leaders of the Lutheran Church signed a joint statement with the Roman Catholic Church on the topic of “justification”—a contentious topic that had been one of the key reasons behind the Protestant Reformation. Methodist leaders have since signed the joint statement. Around the same time, a number of prominent evangelical and Catholic leaders signed an agreement called “Evangelicals and Catholics Together” (ECT) to promote collaboration between the two groups. The World Council of Churches and prominent leaders like Dr. Billy Graham have promoted the move toward unity among the many denominations that call themselves Christian. In January of 2013, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and four Reformed Christian congregations signed an agreement recognizing each other’s baptisms. Roman Catholic pontiffs John Paul II and Benedict XVI have prayed together with several Archbishops of Canterbury for the unity of their churches.

During his 25-year pontificate, Pope John Paul II traveled to more than 100 countries to promote church unity. He also allowed former Episcopal priests and parishes to return to the Catholic fold while retaining their traditional forms of worship. Pope Benedict worked tirelessly “towards the reconstitution of the full and visible unity of all Christ’s followers” with his message of “Unity in multiplicity, and multiplicity in unity” (Foreign Affairs, May-June 2013). Pope Francis softened Protestant reactions to the papacy during his first address to the world from Rome by referring to himself only as the “Bishop of Rome.” Reaching out to charismatics (estimated to be some 500,000), Francis said “we are all brothers” and that old divisions that caused separation need to be put aside. His message was delivered to a charismatic gathering in the United States by Anglican Bishop Tony Palmer, who told the assembled group, “the protest is over” and “there is no more need for a Protestant Church… we are all Catholic.”

The great ecumenical deception

Let it be stated for the record— not a single doctrine within the Roman Catholic Church that brought about the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century has been rescinded. Indeed, many new doctrines and teachings have been promulgated by popes and councils throughout the years since the Reformation.

I believe the above statement completely as a Protestant in the 21st century.

THE GREAT ECUMENICAL DECEPTION

Like Luther, we too must stand on Scripture alone, not on the traditions of man or the traditions of churches. As the great Protestant Confessions affirm, the Bible is the only source by which all doctrines and teachers are to be judged. Christians must return to the Word of God if they desire to be a part of “the one holy Christian and apostolic church.”

Many church leaders today would have us believe that doctrinal differences between Protestants, Roman Catholics and even non-Christian religions no longer exist. Surely this deception is helping to usher in the great harlot church prophesied in the Scriptures.

The ecumenical movement today calls upon everyone to lay aside doctrines and come together in Jesus. But under which Jesus are we to unite? Is it the Jesus Christ of the New Testament whose atonement covers all our sins, without any merit on our part? Or is it the Jesus whose atonement still requires our personal works and sufferings to achieve our salvation? Shall we all come together under the banner of the apostate church’s Jesus who denies sin, judgment and hell?

Those who espouse false doctrines and countenance the acceptance of sin within the church are instruments of Satan. We are instructed by God’s Word to turn away from them. Their dangerous and unbiblical teachings lead only to death. When is the last time you heard of people being born again after hearing perverted teachings? When is the last time you witnessed a genuine revival breaking out in a Bible-denying church? You never have, and you never will!

IS A NEW REFORMATION POSSIBLE?

What will it take for a new reformation to begin in the 21st century? That is a question worth pondering. Even if everything required to bring about such a reformation were fully understood across the church, how many Christians have the courage and the will necessary to bring it about? Christians who think they can experience reformation and revival while supporting denominations that have embraced immorality and abandoned biblical doctrines are sadly mistaken.

The Scriptures are clear: “Come out from their midst and be separate, says the Lord…” (2 Cor. 6:17). “Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teachings which you have learned, and turn away from them. For such men are slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of their own appetites; and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting” (Romans 16:17-18).

Cf. DELUSIONS ROOTED IN FALSE THEOLOGY

Finally, the study paper A TIME OF BOUNDLESS DELUSIONS, first published a few years ago, elaborates on the modern forces and ancient Babylonian paganism which have brought us to the "strong delusion" of our times. Cf. Franklin Graham is the poster child for Christian nationalism — and he’s a liar, in the context of his father's role in the Delusions now sweeping over America.