Recently Pope Francis delivered an unprecedented appeal for unity to a prominent group of charismatic evangelical Christians via a personal video. Amongst observant Seventh-day Adventists this would naturally give rise to the question “Does the Pope’s Message Fulfill Prophecy?”. At least those SDA’s who believe in the Spirit of Prophecy it certainly does based on the following statements penned from inspiration.
“When Protestantism shall stretch her hand across the gulf to grasp the hand of the Roman power, when she shall reach over the abyss to clasp hands with Spiritualism… then we may know that the time has come for the marvelous working of Satan and that the end is near” — Christian Service, pp. 160, 161
“Romanism is now regarded by Protestants with far greater favor than in former years. In those countries where Catholicism is not in the ascendancy, and the papists are taking a conciliatory course in order to gain influence, there is an increasing indifference concerning the doctrines that separate the reformed churches from the papal hierarchy; the opinion is gaining ground that, after all, we do not differ so widely upon vital points as has been supposed, and that a little concession on our part will bring us into a better understanding with Rome. The time was when Protestants placed a high value upon the liberty of conscience which had been so dearly purchased. They taught their children to abhor popery and held that to seek harmony with Rome would be disloyalty to God. But how widely different are the sentiments now expressed!” — Great Controversy, p. 563.
In fact, Pastor Doug Batchelor director of the Amazing Facts ministry went so far as to provide us with a detailed “blow-by-blow” analysis of the entire event including the pope’s video appeal for unity amidst the body of Christ. We are thankful for the time that went into Pastor Doug presentation and the clear insight it provides to indeed show how this latest appeal from the pope is a fulfillment of prophecy as predicted many decades ago in the writings of Ellen White. In this historical context we can agree completely with the Pastor’s analysis however our point of concern is not with his presentation but with the followup content that he recommended for further study, specifically the study on the woman of Revelation chapter 17. Although Seventh-day Adventists have been blessed with abundant light on latter day prophecies what they have a difficult time acknowledging is that they do not have all of the light that God intends for us to have in order to be wide awake and avoid the devil’s final traps of deception as we move into the last day events. Two specific concerns along these lines involve the inroads of false doctrines that have been woven into the fabric of fundamental Adventist eschatology such as the identity of the man 666 as the papacy and that the women in Revelation 17 represents the papacy alone. Although these ideas seems reasonable and have been taught among us a people for decades does not make them infallible truth. In fact inspiration warns us that many doctrines we have believed to be fundamental pillars of the faith are in reality false.
But we see that the God of heaven sometimes commissions men to teach that which is regarded as contrary to the established doctrines. Because those who were once the depositaries of truth became unfaithful to their sacred trust, the Lord chose others who would receive the bright beams of the Sun of Righteousness, and would advocate truths that were not in accordance with the ideas of the religious leaders. And then these leaders, in the blindness of their minds, give full sway to what is supposed to be righteous indignation against the ones who have set aside cherished fables. They act like men who have lost their reason. They do not consider the possibility that they themselves have not rightly understood the word. They will not open their eyes to discern the fact that they have misinterpreted and misapplied the Scriptures, and have built up false theories, calling them fundamental doctrines of the faith.” — Testimonies to Ministers, pp. 69, 70
To this end we invite all earnest seekers for Truth the prayerfully and carefully examine not only the role of the papacy in last day events, but to discover the true identity of the man 666 and gain a much deeper and fuller understanding of the prophecies found in Revelation chapter 17 including the scope and nature of the apostate woman who rides the scarlet colored beast. Please click the links below to some prior content that has been posted on this website that will take you to a combination of video presentations, detailed Bible study outlines, and printed content that will cover these very important topics in greater detail. May God richly bless your search for Truth as for hidden treasure. — The Publishers
A Trio of Studies on the Beasts of Revelation 13 and 17 and the Man 666
How Does the Next Pope Fit into Bible Prophecy?
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