Participants:
Series Code: TPP
Program Code: TPP000006A
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00:10 Well, welcome back.
00:13 The title of our study for this session is 00:16 "Are Protestants an Endangered Species." 00:21 But before we study, 00:22 we want to ask for the Lord's blessing. 00:24 So let's bow our heads for prayer. 00:27 Father in heaven, we're going to study 00:28 a very important subject. 00:31 And we need the help of your Holy Spirit. 00:33 So we ask that You will be present here 00:35 with us through Your Holy Spirit. 00:38 You will give us understanding and You will help us, Lord, 00:42 to see the urgency of the times that we're living in, 00:44 certainly prophecies being fulfilled 00:47 before our very eyes, right and left. 00:50 Help us, Lord, to stand for You in these times. 00:54 We thank You, Father, for hearing our prayer, 00:57 what we ask it in Jesus' name. 00:59 Amen. 01:03 There are two things that will eventually bring 01:08 Protestants back to the Mother Church, 01:11 as the Roman Catholic Church is known. 01:14 Number one is that the Protestant denominations 01:20 never have been able 01:22 to sever their doctrinal relationship 01:26 with the Roman Catholic Church 01:28 in several doctrines. 01:30 I'm speaking particularly of two doctrines 01:34 that Protestants were never able to get rid of. 01:38 Number one, the observance of Sunday as the day of rest, 01:44 and number two, the idea of immortality of the soul. 01:49 Protestants, beginning with a Protestant reformers 01:52 were never able to deliver or free themselves 01:57 from these two great errors of the papacy. 02:01 That's the reason why Ellen White explains 02:04 that these two doctrines are going to join Protestants, 02:09 Catholics and worldings. 02:11 I read from Great Controversy, page 588. 02:15 "Through the two great errors, the immortality of the soul 02:19 and Sunday sacredness, 02:22 Satan will bring the people under his deceptions. 02:26 While the former 02:27 lays the foundation of spiritualism," 02:29 that is that state of dead, 02:31 "the latter creates a bond of sympathy with Rome..." 02:34 That Sunday. 02:36 "The Protestants of the United States 02:39 will be foremost 02:41 in stretching their hands across the gulf 02:43 to grasp the hand of spiritualism, 02:46 they will reach over the abyss 02:48 to clasp the hands with the Roman power, 02:52 and under the influence of this threefold union, 02:55 this country, the United States, 02:58 will follow in the steps of Rome in trampling 03:01 on the rights of conscience." 03:04 So, you notice that she mentions two doctrines 03:07 that will eventually join Protestantism, 03:10 Catholicism and spiritualism, the state of the dead, 03:15 the idea that the Roman Catholic Church has 03:18 along with Protestants that the dead aren't dead, 03:20 the immortality of the soul. 03:22 And secondly, the idea that Sunday 03:25 is God's sacred day of worship. 03:29 So doctrinally because 03:30 Protestants were not able to get rid of everything, 03:34 all of the false teachings of Roman Catholic Church, 03:36 they will come back to mother. 03:38 I want to read you a statement by John O'Bryan. 03:43 For many years he was a theology professor 03:46 at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana. 03:50 And in this statement, 03:52 he makes a very interesting remark 03:56 about Protestants and the Mother Church. 04:00 This is how it reads. 04:02 "But since Saturday, not Sunday, 04:06 is specified in the Bible, 04:09 isn't it curious that non-Catholics 04:12 who profess to take 04:13 their religion directly from the Bible, 04:16 and not from the church, 04:18 observe Sunday instead of Saturday? 04:21 Yes, of course, it is inconsistent, 04:23 but this change was made about 15 centuries 04:27 before Protestantism was born, and by that time, 04:30 the custom was universally observed. 04:33 They, that is Protestants, 04:35 have continued the custom of gaping Sunday, 04:38 even though it rests upon the authority 04:42 of the Catholic Church, 04:43 and not upon an explicit text in the Bible. 04:47 And now, here comes the key portion. 04:50 That observance of Sunday by Protestants, 04:54 remains as a reminder of the Mother Church 04:58 from which the non-Catholic sects broke away, 05:03 like a boy running away from home, 05:06 but still carrying in his pocket 05:08 a picture of his mother or a lock of her hair. 05:14 Are you understanding the point? 05:16 When you don't run away from home for good, 05:21 you're bound to return because you have the tokens 05:24 of remembrance of a mother. 05:26 The second reason 05:28 why Protestants will return to mother 05:31 is because they have not stood for that 05:33 which their ancestors were willing to die. 05:37 They have shifted their interpretation 05:39 of Bible prophecy. 05:41 Not only do they reflect the papacy 05:43 in certain key doctrines, 05:44 the state of the dead and the Sabbath, 05:47 but they also have adopted a counterfeit system 05:50 of interpreting Bible prophecy. 05:52 They no longer believe that the Man of Sin, 05:54 The Abomination of Desolation, the Harlot, the Little Horn, 05:59 the King of the North, the Beast, 06:01 the Antichrist represents the Roman Catholic Church. 06:05 And because they don't believe that 06:07 all of these prophecies were fulfilled in 06:09 with the Roman Catholic papacy, 06:12 they no longer fear the papacy, 06:15 because they have forgotten their roots. 06:17 You see, they believe that the papacy has changed, 06:21 but let me say that a system and a person 06:25 never changes its DNA. 06:28 Where it has its DNA, 06:30 it has that DNA once and for all. 06:33 Ellen White explained, the genius if you please, 06:38 used in a qualified sense of the papacy. 06:42 In Great Controversy, page 571, she wrote, 06:45 "It is part of Rome's policy to assume the character 06:50 which will best accomplish her purpose, 06:53 but beneath the variable appearance 06:56 of the chameleon, 06:57 she hides the invariable venom of the serpent." 07:02 So you notice that the Roman Catholic papacy 07:05 uses camouflage. 07:07 And Protestants have bought into the doctrines, 07:11 some of the doctrines of Roman Catholicism, 07:13 and they have adopted her prophetic method 07:17 of interpreting the prophecies of the Bible. 07:20 Now the relationships between Roman Catholics and Protestants 07:24 began to seriously thaw at Vatican Council II, 07:29 the various Protestant denominations 07:31 were invited to be there as observers. 07:34 Vatican Council II took place between 1962 and 1965. 07:40 And I want to read a couple of statements. 07:43 One is by John XXIII, who was the one 07:46 who started the council, then he died. 07:49 And Pope Paul VI finished this Ecumenical Council 07:52 from 1962 to 1965. 07:55 I want to read the words of Pope John XXIII 07:59 to the Protestants that came to Vatican II. 08:02 This is what he said. 08:04 "The Roman Catholic Church 08:07 desires to be an affectionate, 08:11 kind and patient mother, 08:15 she is moved by compassion and goodness 08:18 towards her alienated children." 08:23 Referring to the Protestants. 08:25 And, of course, the Protestants were carrying 08:27 a lock of her hair, 08:29 a memento to remind them of their mother. 08:35 Pope Paul VI, 08:38 who took the place of Pope John XXIII, 08:41 also referred to Protestants and the Mother Church. 08:47 This is how his words were given to the Protestants. 08:53 "Because of their position, separated brethren 08:58 are the object of deep and tender affection 09:01 on the part of the Mother Church. 09:04 It is a love that feels grief and sadness, 09:08 the love of a heart wounded by estrangement, 09:11 because the estrangement prevents our brethren, 09:14 that is Protestants, 09:15 from enjoying so many privileges and rights, 09:18 and makes them lose so much grace. 09:21 But perhaps for this very reason its love, 09:24 the Roman Catholic Church's love, 09:26 is all the deeper 09:28 and more burning towards Protestants." 09:32 So notice that this is a case of two popes 09:36 speaking about the mother and the alienated children 09:41 of the mother and the separated brethren. 09:44 As a result of Vatican Council II, 09:47 Protestants began to change their view 09:51 of the Roman Catholic papacy. 09:53 Before that, they held the papacy 09:56 under great suspicion, but after that, 09:59 they began having dialogues and studies 10:02 this on a scholarly level between Protestants 10:05 and Roman Catholics. 10:07 Now what I want to do in the next several minutes 10:10 is read you statements 10:12 from several prominent Protestants, 10:16 after Vatican Council II about the Mother, 10:20 about the Roman Catholic Church. 10:22 This never would have happened in the times of Ellen White. 10:25 This never would have happened in the days of Martin Luther 10:28 and Calvin and Zwingli. 10:31 But Protestantism had changed after Vatican II. 10:36 Let me read you from Chuck Colson. 10:39 Maybe you've never heard of Chuck Colson. 10:41 He was one of the individuals 10:42 involved in the Watergate affair, 10:46 and he actually spent several years in prison 10:49 and he's head 10:51 of Prison Ministries International, 10:53 which is a good work that he has done. 10:56 But he wrote in Keith Fournier's book, 10:59 Evangelical Catholics, 11:01 Keith Fournier was actually Roman Catholic, 11:03 and he wrote a book Evangelical Catholics. 11:06 I want to read your three statements 11:08 that Chuck Colson 11:09 wrote in the introduction to this book 11:11 written by a Roman Catholic. 11:13 "It's high time that all of us 11:16 who are Christians come together 11:19 regardless of the differences of our confessions 11:23 and our traditions and make common cause 11:27 to bring Christian values to bear in our society. 11:31 When the barbarians are scaling the walls, 11:33 there is no time for petty quarreling in the camp." 11:38 So he's saying, we need to come together 11:41 regardless of our differences, 11:44 to embrace a common cause. 11:47 He also wrote, "But at root, those who are called of God, 11:52 whether Catholic or Protestant, 11:55 are part of the same body." 11:57 Interesting that he would say 11:59 we're all part of the same body. 12:01 "What they share is a belief in the basics." 12:04 Now that Protestants and Catholics 12:06 share a belief in the basics, what are those basics? 12:09 He says, "The virgin birth, the deity of Christ, 12:12 His bodily resurrection, His imminent return, 12:15 and the authority of His infallible word. 12:19 They also share the same mission, 12:21 presenting Christ as Savior and Lord to a needy world." 12:24 I beg to differ that 12:26 Protestants have the same mission 12:27 as the Roman Catholic Church. 12:29 And I seriously beg to differ 12:32 that Catholics and Protestants share the same view 12:35 on these doctrines that he mentions. 12:37 The Roman Catholic Church does not believe that 12:40 the Bible is God's authoritative word. 12:42 They believe that tradition has to be added 12:44 to have the complete picture. 12:46 In another statement, Chuck Colson, 12:49 this very influential person wrote, 12:52 "I pray that this book," the book written by 12:55 this Roman Catholic Keith Fournier, 12:57 the name of the book is Evangelical Catholics. 12:59 He says, "I pray that this book will be read 13:03 by Catholics and Protestants alike, 13:06 that it will be a bridge 13:08 across many of the historic divisions in the church 13:12 that have weakened our stand in today's culture. 13:16 Interesting, build a bridge. 13:19 Ellen White talks about 13:21 reaching the hand across the gulf 13:24 to clasp the hands of Protestants, 13:27 Catholics and spiritualists. 13:30 Let me say a few things about Ralph Reed. 13:33 He was actually the first president 13:35 of the Christian Coalition, which was established 13:38 by Pat Robertson's organization. 13:42 He gave a speech 13:43 to the Catholic campaign for America, 13:46 which is a Catholic organization. 13:47 He was invited to give a speech there. 13:50 I want to read you some of the statements 13:52 by this evangelical Ralph Reed. 13:55 By the way, he's very influential. 13:56 Now, he is a lobbyist in Washington D.C. 14:00 for Christian causes. 14:01 I'm gonna read 14:03 several statements that he made. 14:04 Here is one, "The truth is, 14:09 you and I are uniting." 14:11 He's saying to these Protestants, 14:13 "We are coming together 14:15 because whatever theological differences there are, 14:19 there is far more that unites us 14:22 and brings us together 14:24 than divides us and separates us. 14:27 The good news is that the chasm is being bridged 14:31 and that those walls are crumbling." 14:34 The walls between Protestants and Catholics he's saying. 14:37 And then he states, "The truth my friends is this. 14:42 Catholicism never has been, is not today, 14:47 never will be a threat to American democracy. 14:52 It was and remains the most colorful 14:55 and most vibrant thread running through the tapestry 14:59 of American democracy." 15:03 In another statement, he refers to Cardinal Gibbons, 15:05 a great Cardinal renowned in the United States. 15:09 And he wrote this. 15:11 "Cardinal Gibbons said this: he said, 15:15 No constitution is more in harmony 15:20 with Catholic principles than the American Constitution, 15:24 and no religion is more in accord 15:27 with that constitution than the Catholic religion." 15:31 That's amazing. 15:32 He's quoting Gibbons and he's approving 15:35 of what Cardinal Gibbons had to say. 15:37 Either Ralph Reed is suffering of historical amnesia 15:43 or else he's openly prevaricating and lying. 15:47 In the Amarillo Sunday News Globe 15:51 for December 10, 1995. 15:54 Ralph Reed wrote the following, 15:56 "We can no longer afford to be divided. 16:00 It is a luxury that is no longer ours." 16:04 So division is a luxury, he says, 16:06 then it continues his statement, 16:09 "The left, the political left, wants you and I to be divided. 16:13 Nothing frightens the left more than Christians 16:18 shattering the barriers of denomination." 16:22 One last statement by Ralph Reed, he stated, 16:26 "Obviously, some teachings are 16:29 more important than others, 16:31 and there has to be an agreement 16:33 on those essential points." 16:35 I want you to remember these statements, 16:37 because at the end, I'm gonna read you 16:38 some statements from Ellen White 16:39 that were written 130 years ago. 16:42 So once again, "Obviously, some teachings 16:45 are more important than others 16:46 and there has to be an agreement 16:48 on those essential points, 16:51 while leaving considerable latitude 16:53 on other points that are less essential 16:56 to the faith." 16:58 Let me read you what W.A. Criswell had to say. 17:03 W.A. Criswell pastored one of the largest churches 17:07 in the United States, 17:09 the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas. 17:13 And he wrote the following. 17:15 This is quoted in Dave Hunt's book, 17:17 A Woman Rides the Beast, page 388. 17:20 This Protestant pastor, Baptist mind you, wrote, 17:25 "I don't know of anyone more dedicated 17:28 to the great fundamental doctrines of Christianity 17:32 than the Catholics." 17:35 Let me tell you a few things 17:36 about the late Billy Graham, you know, 17:38 he's gonna be buried very soon. 17:42 I don't know if you're aware, 17:43 but the assistant evangelist to Billy Graham, 17:46 when Billy Graham couldn't go to a place 17:48 was Emilio Knechtle. 17:50 And he converted 17:51 to the Seventh-day Adventist Church. 17:54 And so he knew Billy Graham very well 17:57 and several times he said that Billy Graham knew very well, 18:01 the Adventist view of the Sabbath 18:03 as well as other doctrines. 18:05 Let me and, of course, he knew about 18:07 the Seventh-day Adventist view of the papacy and so on. 18:10 Billy Graham, of course, 18:13 was the most admired Protestant minister 18:15 in the United States until the moment of his death, 18:17 he counseled presidents, all of the presidents. 18:21 I don't know which president it begins with, 18:23 but he was always in the White House, 18:25 praying for presidents and giving spiritual advice. 18:30 Let me read you what Billy Graham had to say. 18:33 "I've found that my beliefs are essentially the same 18:39 as those of Orthodox Roman Catholics." 18:42 That is quoted in A Women Rides the Beast, 18:45 page 388. 18:47 In 1981, Billy Graham held the pope, 18:52 who was John Paul II at that time, 18:54 "As the greatest moral leader of the world 18:58 and the world's greatest evangelist." 19:01 In US News and World Report, 19:04 we find these words spoken by Billy Graham. 19:08 And this is for December 19, 1988. 19:12 He said, "World travel and getting to know 19:16 the clergy of all denominations has helped mold me 19:21 into an ecumenical being. 19:25 We're separated by theology and, 19:28 in some instances by culture and race, 19:31 but all that means nothing to me anymore." 19:36 On the program Good Morning America 19:38 for August 12, 1993, 19:41 Billy Graham stated, "I admire the pope. 19:44 We address the same moral issues." 19:48 And the program Larry King Live on CNN, 19:53 in Salt Lake City, January 21, 1998. 19:57 Larry King interviewed Billy Graham. 20:02 The pope had just been named... 20:06 John Paul II have just been named the pope. 20:09 And Billy Graham was in Salt Lake City. 20:10 So Larry King interviewed him. 20:12 And here's the question and answers. 20:16 And Larry King asked, "Do you feel comfortable 20:18 with Salt Lake City? 20:20 Do you feel comfortable with the Vatican?" 20:23 Graham answered, "Oh, I'm very comfortable 20:25 with the Vatican. 20:26 I've been to see the pope several times, 20:29 and, in fact, the day he was inaugurated, 20:32 then is made pope, 20:34 I was preaching in his Cathedral in Krakow. 20:37 I was his guest." 20:40 Larry King then asked, 20:42 "You were preaching in his church, 20:44 the day he was made pope?" 20:47 Billy Graham answered, "That is correct, in Krakow." 20:50 And Billy Graham chuckled when he said that. 20:55 King then asked him, "You must have been shocked?" 20:58 Billy Graham answered, "Of course, I was. 21:01 They were shouting on the streets, you know, 21:03 the next day, 'Polish pope, Polish pope.'" 21:07 And then Larry King asked Billy Graham, 21:09 "Do you like the pope?" 21:11 Billy Graham answered, "I like him very much. 21:14 He's very conservative. 21:16 He and I agree on almost everything." 21:22 The dean of evangelists for the last 80 years, 21:27 or the last 70 years at least. 21:30 Let me mention an ecumenical meeting 21:33 that took place when Pope Benedict 21:34 visited the United States. 21:37 This event took place on Friday, April 18, 2008, 21:41 at St. Joseph's Church in Manhattan, New York. 21:46 The Vatican had invited to come there 21:49 250 Protestant leaders from all denominations, 21:54 represented there were United Methodist, 21:57 Evangelical Lutherans, 21:59 the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, 22:01 the National Association of Evangelicals, 22:04 Presbyterians, the Reformed Church, 22:07 the National Baptist Convention, 22:09 various Pentecostal groups, the Greek Orthodox, 22:12 Armenian and Episcopalian, 22:14 even the Mormons were represented there. 22:17 The Seventh-day Adventist Church 22:19 was not represented at the ecumenical meeting. 22:22 Fifteen of the prominent leaders 22:24 were invited to go and greet the pope, 22:27 as he stood there on the platform, 22:30 these 15 leaders filed one by one to go by the pope. 22:34 I saw this with my own eyes, it was unbelievable. 22:38 These leaders would come and they would shake his hand, 22:42 some of them would bow and then they would whisper 22:45 kind words to Benedict XVI. 22:49 In spite of the fact that Benedict XVI 22:52 wrote very clearly that Protestant churches 22:55 are not real Christian churches, 22:58 and yet you have these 250 prominent religious leaders 23:02 in the United States going to that meeting. 23:07 And by the way, Pope Francis... 23:12 If you go to the internet, you'll be able to find this. 23:15 In Rome, in two different events, 23:19 he sat on a throne, a white throne, 23:23 and on each side of the throne, 23:26 there was a cherub. 23:29 Now, isn't that interesting? 23:31 Because Psalm 80:1 says, 23:34 that God sits between the cherubim, 23:38 and here these Protestants are going there, 23:42 and not fearing the papacy at all, 23:45 because they are returning to the papacy 23:49 on common points of doctrine, 23:51 Sunday as well as the state of the dead, 23:53 the two great doctrines, 23:55 and because they no longer fear the papacy, 23:57 because they have adopted 23:59 the Roman Catholic view of Bible prophecy. 24:03 Let me mention a meeting that took place 24:09 at a convention that was organized by a man 24:12 by the name of Kenneth Copeland. 24:15 Have you ever heard of Kenneth Copeland? 24:17 I'm sure that you've heard about the Tony Palmer affair. 24:20 I'm gonna share those details with you 24:22 because there might be some people here 24:24 who don't know all of the details about this. 24:28 Tony Palmer, 24:29 he died in a motorcycle accident 24:31 shortly after this was an Anglican clergyman 24:34 of the Celtic tradition. 24:37 And he lamented the fact that his own church, 24:39 the Anglican Church, had splintered into many, 24:43 many different groups. 24:44 The Anglican Church was divided into 24:46 all kinds of factions, offshoots everywhere. 24:49 And so he longed for not only the Anglican Church, 24:53 but also for the Protestant churches 24:55 to come together. 24:57 And so he was invited in February of 2014, 25:03 to a conference that was organized 25:05 by Kenneth Copeland. 25:06 Now you need to understand 25:07 that Kenneth Copeland has a lot of clout 25:09 in the United States. 25:11 He has millions of followers. 25:13 He's one of these television evangelists. 25:17 And so Palmer was invited to give a speech there 25:21 at Kenneth Copeland's convention. 25:23 And this took place, February 25, 2014. 25:28 Tony Palmer began by saying that 25:30 he had come in the spirit and power of Elijah, 25:33 to bring the hearts of the sons to the fathers, 25:36 and the fathers to their sons, in other words, 25:39 with the intention of uniting Protestants and Catholics. 25:44 In his address, he lamented that 500 years 25:49 after the reformation, 25:51 Protestantism had split into 33,000 25:55 different denominations and religious entities. 25:58 And then he said, diversity is divine, 26:02 division is diabolic. 26:06 And then he went on to affirm 26:08 that God had given charismatics, the glory, 26:12 so that they might be one. 26:14 And by the way, when I say charismatics, 26:16 a Kenneth Copeland is a charismatic on television. 26:20 Sometimes he actually speaks 26:22 in a language that no one understands. 26:25 And I believe that God Himself 26:26 doesn't understand the language he's speaking in. 26:29 But anyway, 26:30 Tony Palmer continues saying this, 26:33 "It is the glory that glues us together, 26:36 not the doctrine." 26:39 Interesting. 26:40 In other words, we all have a common experience, 26:43 doctrine doesn't matter. 26:45 So he says, 26:46 "It is the glory that glues us together, 26:47 not the doctrine. 26:49 It's the glory. 26:50 If you accept that the glory of God is living in me 26:54 and the presence of God is in you, 26:56 that's all we need, 26:58 because God will sort out 27:00 all our doctrine later upstairs. 27:04 Christian unity is the basis of our credibility 27:07 because Jesus said 27:09 that until we are one the world will not believe." 27:14 Now 1999, Roman Catholics and Protestants, 27:20 specifically the Lutherans had signed, 27:23 what is known as the Joint Declaration 27:25 on righteousness by faith. 27:27 And basically, the Lutheran said, you know, 27:30 the debate between Lutheran, 27:32 the Roman Catholic Church was mostly 27:34 on a debate over semantics. 27:37 But really, there wasn't that much difference between 27:39 Luther and the Roman Catholic Church. 27:41 Interesting that it would, 27:42 they would wait till 1999 to say such a thing. 27:46 And so he lamented in his speech, 27:49 Palmer did that only the Lutherans 27:54 and at that point, 27:55 the Methodist had signed the Joint Declaration 27:57 on righteousness by faith. 27:59 He says, "Where are all of the other Protestant groups 28:02 in signing this declaration, this joint declaration?" 28:06 And then he stated, 28:08 speaking about Luther's Protestant movement. 28:11 He said, "Brothers and sisters, 28:13 Luther's protest is over. 28:16 Is yours?" 28:19 And then after lamenting as I mentioned that 28:21 no evangelical church 28:23 had signed this joint declaration 28:25 between Catholics and Lutherans. 28:28 He said, "This must be fixed. 28:31 The protest has been over for 15 years. 28:36 If there is no longer any protest, 28:39 how can there be a Protestant Church? 28:42 Maybe now we are all Catholics again." 28:47 Isn't this amazing? 28:51 Then, of course, we know that Tony Palmer 28:53 was a good friend of Pope Francis I. 28:56 He visited him many times. 28:59 And so before this convention, 29:00 he had gone to visit Pope Francis I, 29:04 and he told him, you're not gonna have this, 29:05 they're gonna be at this big convention, 29:07 this best big charismatic convention, 29:09 I would like you to send a message 29:11 to the people that are coming, hundreds of them, 29:12 leaders of the charismatic movement. 29:15 And so Tony Palmer took out his cell phone, 29:18 and he recorded on the cell phone 29:20 a message from Francis I, 29:22 to those who are attending this convention. 29:26 And I want to read here what the pope had to say 29:31 to those who came to the convention. 29:33 He said, "I am yearning 29:36 that this separation comes to an end 29:39 and gives us communion. 29:42 I am yearning for that embrace." 29:45 At the end of his message, the pope spoke to those 29:48 who had come to 29:50 Kenneth Copeland's convention saying this, 29:52 "Please pray for me, I need your prayers. 29:56 And I will pray for you, but I need your prayers. 30:00 And let's pray that the Lord that He unites us all. 30:03 Come on, we are brothers. 30:06 Let's give each other a spiritual hug, 30:09 and let God complete the work that He has begun. 30:12 And this is a miracle, the miracle of unity has begun. 30:17 I ask you to bless me, I bless you. 30:20 From brother to brother I embrace you." 30:25 After the pope delivered his message, 30:29 the delegates stood and clapped and cheered. 30:33 And Kenneth Copeland went to the stage, 30:37 repeating the same phrase over and over again, 30:41 glory, glory, glory, glory. 30:44 And he stated, we do not know how to pray for him, 30:50 as we ought referring to the pope. 30:52 He says, we don't really know how to pray for the pope. 30:56 And so now, Kenneth Copeland 30:59 begins praying in an unknown tongue 31:04 for the pope. 31:08 At the end of his prayer, he said to Tony Palmer, Tony, 31:12 bring your cell-phone 31:14 because I wanna record a message 31:15 for you to take to the pope. 31:18 And let me read the message that was recorded 31:22 by Kenneth Copeland to send back to the pope 31:25 with Tony Palmer. 31:26 I quote, "These leaders, 31:30 the ones that were at the convention, 31:31 represent literally tens of thousands 31:34 that love you, 31:37 that believe that God is with you, 31:40 and in answer to your request we have just prayed for you 31:44 and with you, and we did so in the spirit. 31:48 We do bless you, we receive your blessing. 31:52 It is very, very important to us. 31:55 And we bless you with all our hearts, 31:58 we bless you with all our souls, 32:00 we bless you with all our might..." 32:03 By the way, who does that apply to? 32:05 God. God. 32:08 And he ended by saying, "And we thank you sir, 32:11 we thank God for you, and so all of us declare: 32:16 'Be blessed.'" 32:19 Would something like this have happened 32:20 in the period of the Reformation? 32:23 Absolutely not. 32:25 But because Protestants share many of the common views 32:29 with the papacy, Sunday, the immortality of the soul, 32:33 among other things, and because 32:35 they have totally forgotten that 32:37 the Antichrist would appear 32:39 when the Roman Empire was divided, 32:41 and that points to the papacy, 32:42 they have a different system of interpreting prophecy. 32:45 They no longer have any fear of the Roman Catholic papacy, 32:49 and therefore, they see no reason 32:51 not to unite with the papacy. 32:54 You know, after this specific episode 32:57 between Tony Palmer and Kenneth Copeland 33:00 and the pope, 33:02 the pope started inviting prominent Protestant leaders 33:06 to come and visit him at the Vatican. 33:08 One of those was James Robison. 33:11 He is a very influential television personality. 33:15 He has a program called Life Today. 33:17 He has thousands and thousands 33:19 of followers across the United States. 33:22 He was invited to go visit the pope, Pope Francis I. 33:26 I want to read you 33:28 what James Robison said to the pope. 33:32 "Pope Francis, let me say to you 33:37 that I see Jesus in you, and in Christ, 33:41 we are brothers, we are family. 33:45 Thank you for speaking the language of love 33:48 that all may come to know him and love him 33:51 and love one another." 33:54 And then he asked for permission 33:57 whether the pope will be willing to give him 33:59 a high-five. 34:01 And for the first time in history, 34:04 Pope Francis I and James Robison 34:09 hit each other's hands in a high-five. 34:13 On May 5, 2014, Tony Palmer was invited to be 34:18 at the program Life Today with James Robison. 34:23 And this is what Tony Palmer 34:25 had to say at James Robison's program. 34:28 "Diversity is divine, 34:30 it is division that is diabolic. 34:34 Jesus' theology..." 34:36 Notice how superficial he sees Jesus' theology. 34:39 "Jesus' theology is that if God is in you 34:43 and you are in God and God is in me 34:47 and I am in God, 34:49 we are one together in God." 34:52 Well, that's profound, isn't it? 34:55 I'm being sarcastic in case you didn't catch it. 34:58 And then he said, "Our sin is that we don't make 35:01 our unity visible 35:03 because we allow our diversities to divide us 35:07 and if we elevate anything to divide us 35:10 we are elevating it above the cross. 35:13 So, whether it is a doctrine or a dogma or an expression, 35:18 if you use that to divide our unity 35:21 you have elevated that doctrine or whatever it may be 35:24 above the cross. 35:26 Now, we are not saying 'put doctrine aside, 35:29 certainly not!' 35:31 Pope Francis recognizes only two fundamental doctrines, 35:35 love for God and love for your neighbor, 35:37 end of doctrine!'" 35:40 So, what he's saying is that the only doctrines 35:42 that are important our love for God 35:43 and love for your fellowman, 35:45 and Protestants and Catholics need to join together 35:48 and just set aside all of the other differences. 35:52 Another individual that was invited to go 35:55 visit the Pope was Joel Osteen. 35:58 Ever heard of him? 36:00 He fills a former basketball Coliseum 36:05 of the Houston Rockets three times on Sundays 36:08 to maximum capacity. 36:10 He has three services at least there. 36:13 And he was invited to go to the Vatican as well, 36:16 after Kenneth Copeland's convention. 36:19 He was a pope's guest. 36:21 And in an interview, 36:22 Joel Osteen said about his visit, 36:25 "I just felt very honored and very humbled." 36:30 He continued, "It was amazing. 36:33 And even to go back into that part of the Vatican, 36:37 there's so much history there," 36:38 you better believe there is, "there's so much history there, 36:43 the place that they took us through, 36:45 you feel that deep respect and reverence for God." 36:50 And then Joel Osteen attended a mass 36:53 that was celebrated in St. Peter's Square. 36:57 There were about 100,000 people gathered there 37:00 when Pope Francis celebrated the mass. 37:02 And this is what Joel Osteen said about that experience. 37:06 "Afterward, the pope spent an hour 37:09 and a half going through the crowd 37:12 with the pope mobile, 37:14 greeting the people. 37:16 It was very heartwarming to see him caring for people. 37:20 I love the fact that he's made the Church 37:23 more inclusive. 37:25 Not trying to make it smaller, 37:27 but to try to make it larger to take everybody in. 37:33 So that just resonates with me." 37:37 Do you think, folks, that if Protestantism 37:40 had stuck to its prophetic principles, 37:43 that any of these individuals 37:44 would be saying things such as this? 37:48 They would never say this, if they believe that 37:50 the papacy was the Antichrist. 37:52 They don't believe that anymore. 37:54 They forsaken their roots of the Protestant Reformation, 37:58 Lutherans, all of the churches have forsaken their roots. 38:03 And that's why I said that 38:04 if Martin Luther resurrected today, 38:07 he would die of a heart attack, 38:09 when he saw what has happened to the church that he founded. 38:13 Let me mention a few things about Rick Warren, 38:15 ever heard about him? 38:17 He wrote two bestsellers, 38:21 The Purpose Driven Church 38:23 and The Purpose Driven Life, 38:26 which by the way are used very prominently 38:28 in many Seventh-day Adventist churches, 38:30 I might say. 38:32 He's the pastor of a large mega church 38:35 in Southern California. 38:37 Time magazine several years ago 38:40 said that Rick Warren was the ideal individual 38:43 to take the place of Billy Graham, 38:46 when Billy Graham passed away. 38:49 Rick Warren was also invited to go 38:51 to the Vatican to visit the pope. 38:53 In November of 2014, Rick Warren said this 38:59 about the relationship between Catholics and Protestants, 39:03 he said, "We have far more in common 39:07 than what divides us." 39:09 And then he stated this, "Catholics and Protestants 39:13 would all say, we believe in the Trinity. 39:16 We believe in the Bible. 39:18 We believe in the resurrection. 39:20 We believe in salvation through Jesus Christ. 39:22 These are the big issues." 39:25 He went on. 39:26 "Sometimes Protestants 39:28 think that Catholics worship Mary 39:30 like she's another god, 39:32 but that's not exactly Catholic doctrine. 39:35 Believe me, it might not be the doctrines of the scholars, 39:41 but the common folk do believe 39:43 that they're worshipping Mary. 39:45 I have gone to many Roman Catholic cathedrals, 39:47 as I see faithful Roman Catholics bowing 39:50 before images of Mary and praying to her. 39:54 He continues saying, "People say: 39:57 'What are the saints all about? 39:59 Why are you praying to the saints?' 40:02 And when you understand what they mean 40:04 by what they're saying, 40:06 there's a whole lot of commonality 40:08 that we have with Catholics." 40:10 There still are real differences, 40:12 no doubt about that, 40:14 but the most important thing is, 40:16 if you love Jesus, we are on the same team. 40:20 When it comes to the family, 40:22 we are coworkers in this field 40:27 for the protection of the sanctity of life, 40:30 the sanctity of sex and the sanctity of marriage. 40:34 So there's a great commonality and there's no division 40:39 on any of those three." 40:43 There have also been ecumenical documents 40:45 that have been signed. 40:47 The pope went to Malmo, 40:52 Sweden, 40:54 a year before the anniversary of the Protestant Reformation 40:58 and there, the Lutheran 41:00 and the pope signed an agreement. 41:04 Furthermore, the Joint Declaration 41:07 and Righteousness by faith was signed between 41:09 Lutherans and Roman Catholics in 1999. 41:14 A little bit earlier, a document was signed 41:16 Evangelicals and Catholics together, 41:19 saying that they should all cooperate 41:21 in sharing the gospel. 41:23 And as we know, Pope Francis gave a speech 41:27 before a Joint Sense Session of the Congress 41:30 of the United States without a single ounce of fear 41:34 on the part of any of the politicians 41:36 who were present there. 41:38 As it's known, Pope Francis has made it 41:40 the top of his agenda to try and unite the Christian world, 41:45 to try and unite Protestants. 41:47 He has had meeting after meeting, 41:49 he has visited country after country 41:51 with the intention 41:53 of joining Protestants together. 41:57 Now, let me read you before we come to 41:59 the conclusion of our study 42:01 some statements that were written by 42:03 Ellen G. White. 42:06 They were written in 1888, 42:11 when Protestants and Catholics 42:13 did not get along at all. 42:16 Protestants looked at Roman Catholics 42:18 with tremendous suspicion. 42:21 Ellen White prophetically said, 42:23 this is going to change. 42:28 It's like she's writing now, 42:31 what she wrote back then. 42:33 I'm gonna take the time 42:36 to read several statements of Ellen White 42:39 from the Book Great Controversy. 42:42 And one of them will be from the Book Maranatha. 42:49 "Protestants have tampered with 42:52 and patronized popery. 42:55 They have made compromises and concessions 42:59 which papists themselves are surprised to see 43:03 and fail to understand." 43:06 The papacy says, this is too good to be true. 43:09 Here they're making these compromises and concessions, 43:12 we can't understand it, 43:13 the very Catholics can't understand this. 43:16 She continued, "Men are closing their eyes 43:20 to the real character of Romanism 43:23 and the dangers to be apprehended from her supremacy. 43:27 The people need to be aroused," notice, 43:30 people need to know about this, 43:32 "the people need to be aroused to resist the advances 43:36 of this most dangerous foe to civil 43:39 and religious liberty." 43:43 She wrote in Great Controversy, page 445, 43:48 "When the leading churches of the United States, 43:51 uniting upon such points of doctrine 43:55 as are held by them in common..." 43:58 Did we notice some of the Protestant leaders 44:01 in recent time saying that? 44:03 Yes. 44:04 "When the leading churches of the United States, 44:06 uniting upon such points of doctrines 44:09 as are held by them in common, 44:11 shall influence the state to enforce their decrees 44:14 and to sustain their institutions, 44:17 then Protestant America will have formed an image 44:21 of the Roman hierarchy, and the infliction 44:23 of civil penalties 44:25 upon dissenters will inevitably result." 44:30 In Great Controversy, page 444, 44:33 the page right before the one that I just read. 44:36 She states, "The wide diversity of belief 44:39 in the Protestant churches 44:41 is regarded by many as decisive proof 44:44 that no effort to secure a forced uniformity 44:48 can ever be made. 44:50 But there has been for years, 44:52 in churches of a Protestant faith, 44:55 a strong and growing sentiment 44:58 in favor of a union based upon common points 45:02 of doctrine. 45:04 To secure such a union," listen carefully, 45:07 "to secure such a union, the discussion of subjects 45:11 upon which all were not agreed, 45:14 however important they might be, 45:17 from a Bible standpoint, 45:19 must necessarily be waived." 45:23 In other words, set aside. 45:25 It's amazing that she would write this in 1888, 45:30 and what we read 45:32 from the great Protestant leaders, 45:34 is very similar in recent times. 45:37 The reason why is because the Great Controversy 45:40 is an inspired book, it's a prophetic book. 45:44 God revealed this to Ellen White 45:46 in vision and in dreams, 45:49 and what she said is transpiring. 45:51 If you read the book Great Controversy, 45:53 which by the way, Ellen White said that 45:54 she would want that book more than any other book 45:57 that she wrote to go to the general public. 45:59 If you read that book, it's like reading in many ways 46:03 the newspaper today, 46:07 because what she predicted 46:09 is being fulfilled to the very letter. 46:12 In Great Controversy, pages 565 and 566, 46:16 she wrote, 46:18 "Protestant churches are in great darkness, 46:22 or they would discern the signs of the times." 46:26 Why are they in darkness? 46:28 For two reasons. 46:30 Number one, they were never 46:32 able to get rid of every vestige 46:36 of union with the Catholic Church, 46:37 doctrinal union. 46:39 And secondly, because they have forsaken 46:42 the historicist method of interpreting prophecy, 46:45 which identifies the papacy as the Antichrist of Scripture. 46:49 So she writes, "The Protestant churches 46:51 are in great darkness, or they would discern 46:53 the signs of the times. 46:55 The Roman Church is far-reaching inner plans 46:58 and modes of operation. 47:00 She is employing every device to extend her influence 47:05 and increase her power in preparation for a fierce 47:10 and determined conflict to regain control of the world, 47:16 to re-establish persecution, 47:19 and to undo all that Protestantism has done." 47:24 Did you notice two words that she uses in this statement? 47:28 To regain control of the world? 47:30 What would that mean? What does the word regain mean? 47:34 It means to get back. 47:37 Did the papacy had that power once before? 47:40 When? During the 1260 years. 47:44 She says, now, the papacy is what? 47:47 The papacy is struggling to regain 47:50 control of the world to reestablish. 47:54 What does reestablish mean? 47:57 Same thing, to recover, to reestablish persecution 48:02 and undo all that Protestantism has done. 48:06 Is the papacy being quite successful? 48:08 Would you say? 48:10 Very, very successful. 48:12 Here's another statement by Ellen White. 48:15 This is in Great Controversy, page 581. 48:19 "Rome is aiming to reestablish her power, 48:24 to recover her lost supremacy. 48:28 Let the principle once be established 48:30 in the United States that the church may employ 48:34 or control the power of the state, 48:37 that religious observances 48:38 may be enforced by secular laws, 48:42 in short, that the authority of church 48:45 and state is to dominate the conscience 48:48 and the triumph of Rome 48:50 in this country is assured." 48:54 I don't know if you're aware of this. 48:57 But if it had not been for the evangelicals, 49:00 Donald Trump would not be President of the United States. 49:04 He catered to the conservative Protestants, 49:08 83% of them voted for Donald Trump. 49:11 And he made them many interesting promises. 49:14 I don't know if he gonna keep all those promises. 49:16 But one of those promises 49:18 was to get rid of the Johnson Amendment, 49:22 which was approved by Congress in the year 1954, 49:25 which forbids nonprofit organizations 49:29 from taking sides for one political party 49:33 or the other or one political candidate, 49:35 and the other. 49:37 Secrets unsealed, is an officially incorporated 49:40 nonprofit organization. 49:41 We have a 501C3 status. 49:45 We cannot take sides on, you know, 49:48 for one political party or the other political party, 49:51 one candidate or the other candidate, 49:54 because we would lose our tax exempt status, 49:58 according to the Johnson Amendment. 50:01 One of the promises that Donald Trump made was 50:04 to get rid of the Johnson Amendment. 50:07 So that nonprofit organizations, 50:09 by the way, all churches 50:10 that are incorporated are nonprofit organizations. 50:14 So, that they can take the sides of political parties. 50:18 You know, what that would do? 50:19 That would entangle the church 50:21 with the state and the state with the church. 50:23 Political candidates would cater to the churches 50:25 to get votes. 50:27 And churches would cater to the candidates 50:29 so the candidates would give them money. 50:32 And what entangled both of them? 50:34 Now, Donald Trump has not yet taken the step 50:37 of abolishing the Johnson Amendment. 50:39 However, he has told the IRS 50:42 go soft on those 50:44 who support political candidates 50:46 don't prosecute, 50:47 which is basically in practical terms, 50:49 the same thing as abolishing this particular amendment. 50:54 I wanna read another statement that we find 50:57 in the Book Maranatha, page 216. 51:01 "The people of the United States 51:04 have been a favored people." 51:07 Would you agree with that? 51:09 You know, when I see the abundance 51:13 that the United States has, it is simply amazing. 51:17 Abundance of everything, and then you look like 51:21 in a country like Venezuela, where my friend Vandre is from. 51:26 There are people eating out of the garbage. 51:29 They can't find medicines, people are dying of illnesses 51:32 because there's no medicines. 51:35 People have to stand in line for all day, 51:39 just to get a bag of rice. 51:42 This country has been so blessed by the Lord. 51:45 And Ellen White says, 51:47 "The people of the United States 51:48 have been a favored people, 51:50 but when they restrict religious liberty, 51:54 surrender Protestantism, 51:57 and give countenance to popery, 52:00 the measure of their guilt will be full, 52:03 and 'national apostasy' will be registered 52:06 in the books of heaven. 52:08 The result of this apostasy 52:10 will be national ruin." 52:14 In fact, Ellen White wrote in Great Controversy, 52:17 what the secret of the power 52:19 and prosperity of the United States is. 52:23 She said, "The secret of the power 52:25 and prosperity of the United States 52:26 is not that it has more money, 52:28 that it has more territory, 52:29 that has a more powerful military, 52:32 that people are more intelligent." 52:34 she says, "The secret of its power 52:35 and prosperity are the two principles 52:38 upon which the United States was built, 52:41 republicanism and Protestantism, 52:43 separation of church and state, 52:45 which has been the Protestant view 52:47 since the Reformation. 52:48 The Roman Catholic papacy says, "No, 52:51 not a separation of church and state, 52:53 the union of church and state." 52:56 And eventually the United States 52:58 will buy into this and national apostasy 53:01 will be written in the books of heaven, 53:03 and it will be followed by national ruin. 53:06 I wanna read one closing statement 53:08 before we end. 53:10 This is in the Book Maranatha, page 179, 53:14 it's a sad statement. 53:17 "When the land which the Lord provided 53:19 as an asylum for His people, that they might worship Him 53:23 according to the dictates of their own consciences, 53:26 the land over which for long years 53:28 the shield of Omnipotence has been spread, 53:32 the land which God has favored by making it 53:34 the depository of the pure religion of Christ, 53:37 when that land, through its legislators, 53:42 abjure, that means abandon 53:44 the principles of Protestantism, 53:46 and give countenance to Romish apostasy 53:50 in tampering with God's law. 53:52 It is then that the final work of the man of sin 53:56 will be revealed. 53:58 Protestants will throw 54:00 their whole influence and strength 54:03 on the side of the papacy, by a national act..." 54:07 What is a national act? 54:09 It's an act of Congress, folks. 54:11 "By a national act, enforcing the false Sabbath," 54:15 because Protestants would never able to get 54:17 rid of the false Sabbath. 54:20 She says, "By a national act enforcing the false Sabbath," 54:24 notice the terminology now, 54:26 "they will give life and vigor." 54:30 Why would the papacy need life and vigor? 54:33 What does it have? 54:35 A deadly wound, that's right. 54:38 "They will give life and vigor to the corrupt 54:40 faith of Rome, reviving..." 54:43 What does it mean to revive? 54:47 Can you revive that 54:49 and would receive a deadly wound? 54:50 No. 54:51 "Reviving her tyranny and oppression of conscience. 54:55 Then it will be time for God to work in mighty power 55:00 for the vindication of His truth." 55:03 What do you think? 55:07 Are we living in prophetic times? 55:10 How do we know that? 55:12 Because we have a certain method 55:13 of interpreting prophecy. 55:16 We know what's happening, because prophecy tells us 55:20 that the papacy is gonna receive power again. 55:23 And it's the beast that rises from the earth 55:25 with the two horns like a lamb 55:27 that is gonna give the power back. 55:29 And then the United States will make an image 55:31 of the first beast, it's gonna join church 55:33 and state like the first beast, that's the image of the beast. 55:35 It will reflect what the papacy was. 55:38 And then the papacy will be able to persecute again, 55:40 because we can see 55:42 the trajectory of prophecy, folks, 55:45 and because the Adventist Church 55:47 has totally separated its doctrines from the papacy, 55:51 including the state of the dead and the day of worship. 55:55 Protestantism on the other hand 55:57 has kept a lock of the hair of her mother, so to speak. 56:03 And has accepted the shift in prophetic interpretation, 56:07 and therefore Protestantism is totally powerless today 56:11 when it speaks about Bible prophecy. 56:15 In our next study together, 56:18 the title will be 56:20 Historicism's Last Stand. 56:24 We are going to take a look at the fact that 56:28 there is only one church in the world 56:32 that has the correct method of interpreting prophecy. 56:36 And that is the Seventh-day Adventist Church. 56:39 It is the method of historicism or what I like to call 56:44 the historical flow method 56:46 that follows the sequence of Bible prophecy, 56:49 the chain of prophecy that has certain links. 56:53 Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, the pagan Roman Empire, 56:58 Rome divided into 10, 57:00 than the papacy ruling 1260 years, 57:02 receiving a deadly wound. 57:04 At that same time, the second beast rises, 57:07 it guarantees civil and religious liberty, 57:09 the two horns, but then it helps 57:12 the first beast recover its power, 57:14 and the result is the restriction of civil 57:17 and religious liberty, and the time of trouble 57:19 such as never has been seen. 57:22 Is that a correct way of interpreting prophecy? 57:26 It's the method, folks. 57:28 The Adventist Church is historicism's last stand, 57:32 and the devil knows it. 57:34 And that's the reason why Satan to a great degree 57:37 has distracted our church from the message 57:41 that we should be proclaiming, 57:42 we're all caught up inside issues. 57:45 We're preaching the sermons of evangelicals. 57:48 We're preaching sermons on the parables, 57:50 nothing wrong with the parables, 57:51 they're okay. 57:53 But we're preaching sermons that could be preached 57:54 in any evangelical church, 57:56 when we should be proclaiming 57:58 the Three Angels' Messages 57:59 and the Prophetic Message 58:00 that God has given to our church. 58:02 May that be our experiences is my prayer. |
Revised 2019-11-14