The Catholic Religion

          Please do not think that I am singling out the Catholic church in this article. I am rather using it as an example, of Jesus warning, about what would happen to the "Church" in the end times, That "even the elect" might be deceived. I have known many good Christian Catholics in my lifetime, and I have also known many who depended on their membership in the Catholic Church for their salvation. I am not even singling out all of the hierarchy in the Catholic Church, as you will read. Today, many churches, especially the denominational ones are falling into the same schism of walking away from the Bible.

          The early church was to the Jew first and then to the gentile. As is discussed, in the book of Acts, the vast majority of the first Christians were Jewish converts, who became Messianic Jews (by being Born Again). gentiles who become "Born Again" are adopted in to the family of God (Jews).[1] No one is entitled to call themselves a Christian, unless they have been born again. However, in the second century anti-Semitism began creeping into the Church. Paul, and others, wrote about the judaizers and the Gnostics who were apostate very early on.

          Saint Peter was not the first  pope of the Catholic church. The Catholic church didn't exist until almost a thousand years after Peter died.

In the year 1045 the "Catholic Church" broke off from the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. At that time the Pope decreed that Mary was divine and could be worshiped. Mary was given the title of "Mother Of God", which I thought she already was. He also pronounced that the Pope was infallible. Never before, in history, had anyone associated with Judaism and Christianity placed themselves on the same authoritative level as God.

"The Great Schism, also known as the East-West Schism, was the event that divided "Chalcedonian" Christianity into Western (Roman) Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy.^[1]^ Though normally dated to 1054, when Pope Leo IX and Patriarch Michael I excommunicated each other, the East-West Schism was actually the result of an extended period of estrangement between the two bodies of churches. The primary causes of the Schism were disputes over papal authority -- the Roman Pope claimed he held authority over the four Eastern patriarchs, while the four eastern patriarchs claimed that the primacy of the Patriarch of Rome was only honorary, and thus he had authority only over Western Christians -- and over the insertion of the filioque clause into the Nicene Creed. There were other, less significant catalysts for the Schism, including variance over liturgical practices and conflicting claims of jurisdiction."[2]

          "The Chalcedonian Definition (also Confession or Creed of Chalcedon) was adopted in A.D. 451 at the Council of Chalcedon in Asia Minor. That council was the fourth of the first seven Ecumenical Councils, which are accepted by Chalcedonian churches (Eastern Orthodox, Catholic, and most Protestant churches)."[3]

          "Jesus said He hated the Nicolaitanes, who in their pride, put on airs and ruled the people by assuming authority not given to church workers.  Their priests lorded over the people they were supposed to be serving and were apparently using the clothing styles of the Hebrew high priests; to set them above the people. Jesus said "He who would be first, should be a servant"."[4] It is my opinion that the "chain of command" used in the Catholic Church, and some other denominations, was the major problem Jesus had with the Nicolaitanes.

          "The Greek roots of the term "Catholic" mean "according to (kata-) the whole (holos)," or more colloquially, "universal." At the beginning of the second century, we find in the letters of Ignatius the first surviving use of the term "Catholic" in reference to the Church. At that time, or shortly thereafter, it was used to refer to a single, visible communion, separate from others. 

The term "Catholic" is in the Apostles’, Nicene, and Athanasian creeds, and many Protestants, claiming the term for themselves, give it a meaning that is unsupported historically, ignoring the term’s use at the time the creeds were written. 

Early Church historian J. N. D. Kelly, a Protestant, writes: "As regards ‘Catholic,’ its original meaning was 'universal' or 'general.' . . . in the latter half of the second century at latest, we find it conveying the suggestion that the Catholic is the true Church as distinct from heretical congregations (cf., e.g., Muratorian Canon). . . . What these early Fathers were envisaging was almost always the empirical, visible society; they had little or no inkling of the distinction which was later to become important between a visible and an invisible Church".[5]

          "The exact origin of the Nicolaitans is unclear. Some Bible commentators believe they were a heretical sect who followed the teachings of Nicolas—whose name means “one who conquers the people”—who was possibly one of the deacons of the early church mentioned in Acts 6:5. It is possible that Nicolas became an apostate, denying the true faith and became part of a group holding "the doctrine of Balaam," who taught Israel "to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality." Clement of Alexandria says, “They abandoned themselves to pleasure like goats, leading a life of self-indulgence.” Their teaching perverted grace and replaced liberty with license.
Other commentators believe that these Nicolaitans were not so called from any man, but from the Greek word Nicolah, meaning "let us eat," as they often encouraged each other to eat things offered to idols. Whichever theory is true, it is certain that the deeds of the Nicolaitans were an abomination to Christ. They, like the Gnostics and other false teachers, abused the doctrine of grace and tried to introduce licentiousness in its place (2 Peter 2:15, 19; Jude 1:4)."[6]

          "Throughout history, the Christians have been blamed for the majority of anti-Semitism.  What people fail to realize is that it was not Christianity that was anti-Semitic, but rather some misguided denominations who called themselves Christians.  The crusades and the inquisition were conducted by the Roman Catholic Church. Martin Luther, founder of the Lutheran church was an anti-Semite. The Nazi's claimed to be Christian, but in reality were Occultists.  In 100AD, Justin Martyr claimed the covenant between God and Israel was no longer valid.  The Bible says that Gods covenants are irrevocable.  In 130 AD, Irenaeus said the Jews were disinherited from the grace of God.  Irenaeus, was a disciple of Polycarp, who was a disciple of John.  Only Satan could mess up the truth that quickly.  We can't know where these people got their ideas (except through satanic influence), but we do know they were not expounding what is in the Word of God."[7]

          Today's Pope, "Francis"  seems to be falling into the same abyss that other popes have in the past.  He has said -

1. The Koran is a book of peace and Islam is not a violent religion. This shows very little knowledge of Both Islam and the Koran.[8]

2. God has "instructed him" to revise the Ten Commandments.[9]

3. The Christian who does not feel that the Virgin Mary is his or her mother is an orphan,[10]

4. On homosexuality - “Often they wish to encounter a Church that offers them a welcoming home. Are our communities capable of providing that, accepting and valuing their sexual orientation, without compromising Catholic doctrine on the family and matrimony?”[11]

5. Pope Contradicts Genesis Account of Creation, Argues ‘God and Evolution’ Are Compatible[12]  

6. Demoted American Cardinal Raymond Burke "The move was not a surprise, as Burke, the Vatican’s highest ranking American, had said last month that he was going to have a new post. The outspoken, conservative bishop — who pushed for the Vatican to revise and water-down its recent, tentative step toward greater acceptance of LGBT people — has butted heads with the pope since the Argentine was elected last year. Last month, he compared Pope Francis’ leadership to “a ship without a rudder” during an interview with a Spanish magazine."[13]

7. Bows head in prayer with Islamic Grand Mufti.[14]

          The above seven items simply demonstrate that although God is infallible, man is not. I would suggest That when hearing from the Pope, you do as I suggest with all of my writings, Compare everything to the Bible for verification.

          Jesus said to beware of those who distort His message. Jesus is the Light of the world, the alpha and Omega, the Savior of the world, the Good Shepherd, the Son of God, The Great Physician, Emmanuel, the I Am, the Messiah, the High Priest, the Bread of Life, the fountain of Living Water, the Deliverer, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, the Lamb of God, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Way, the Truth and the Light, the Resurrection, AND THE ONLY PATH TO HEAVEN.

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[1] http://www.thespiritsnestministries.com/search?q=Mashugana+For+Yehoshua

[2] http://www.theopedia.com/great-schism

[3] Wikipedia

[4] Mark 9:35, Matthew 20:26-27

[5] http://www.catholic.com/tracts/what-catholic-means

[6] http://www.gotquestions.org/Nicolaitans.html

[7] http://www.thespiritsnestministries.com/2014/10/christian-history-from-early-church.html

[8] http://pamelageller.com/2015/09/pope-says-quran-is-a-book-of-peace-and-islam-is-not-a-violent-religion.html/

[9] http://realnewsrightnow.com/2015/07/pope-francis-god-has-instructed-me-to-revise-the-ten-commandments/

[10] http://www.charismanews.com/opinion/watchman-on-the-wall/45287-pope-francis-mary-is-not-my-mother-and-i-am-not-an-orphan

[11] http://christiannews.net/2014/10/16/vatican-document-stirring-controversy-over-welcoming-and-accepting-practicing-homosexuals‏/

[12] http://christiannews.net/2014/10/27/pope-refutes-genesis-account-of-creation-argues-god-and-evolution-are-compatible/

[13] http://time.com/3574166/pope-francis-demotes-cardinal-raymond-burke/

[14] http://christiannews.net/2014/11/29/pope-francis-bows-head-in-silent-adoration-beside-islamic-grand-mufti-in-turkeys-blue-mosque

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