Email: rebornempowered@yahoo.com
Historical Foundation
IMPORTANT FOUNDATIONAL NOTE:
When using the term "Christianity" in this document, it will be used in a broad, secular sense. Not every religion that uses the name of Christ will be with Christ, and not everyone that uses the name of Christ is born-again and has a true experience with God.Some of the Biblical teachings concerning Mary:
Historical teachings concerning Mary:
There was no real mention of Mary in the first centuries after Jesus' death. Catholic writers have said the following:
So, the Bible gives us eyewitness accounts of her. In the fourth and fifth centuries, some "traditional teachings of Mary" came about. Most are in the Apocrypha, a group of writings from the 3rd through 6th centuries that are not the inspired word of God. The Holy Scriptures were compiled in the fourth century, at the same time of these writings, but there was a council that determined why the books in our Bible are included in the Holy Bible. The Apocrypha was rejected by the Rabbi's and the earliest members of the Church because it didn't meet their standards...we don't consider the Apocrypha as the inspired word of God.
The four requirements of canonized Old Testament scripture include:
The four requirements of canonized New Testament scripture include:
The books of the Apocrypha, from which much of the controversial teachings of the Catholic church originate, did not meet these requirements, and therefore they were excluded.
The following bullet points are some of the traditional, non-scriptural teachings of the Roman Catholic Church about Mary:
The Bible says: Mary rejoiced in the joy of her salvation: how could she be born sinless if she were saved? Also, Romans 3:23 states that ALL have sinned.
The Bible says: Joseph knew her after Jesus was born, and Jesus had a brother named James and Joses, and other brothers and sisters.
The Bible says: nothing about her doing this, but that it is appointed for all men to die according to Hebrews 9:27.
How did all the emphasis on Mary begin? Although goddess worship dates back to the tower of Babel with Semiramus and Thamuz and has progressed through history, the exulation and adoration of Mary probably began at Ephesus, involving the goddess Diana:
There was a letter sent to the general church council at Ephesus stating that Mary died there in 63AD, and she was buried in Jerusalem in the garden of Gethsemane. Then it stated that Mary's tomb was found empty.
There was a large Christian church in Ephesus that Paul started, with over 100,000 members. In Paul's day, there was the goddess Diana that was worshipped. After the death of Mary, the emphasis was placed on Mary. But we must realize that the time frame with which we are dealing was replete with goddess worship. The Romans and Greeks had many goddesses. There were so many heathens brought into Christianity that it is thought many of them began to replace Diana with Mary as a goddess. This emphasis really began to build in the fifth century, where incense was being burned, and idols were being built to worship Mary. History seems to point to this as being the genesis of the worship of Mary by "Christians".
Jesus had a grand opportunity to adore and lift her up as diety, recorded in Luke 11:27-28: A woman said to Jesus, Blessed is the womb that bare thee and the paps which gave thee such. But he replied, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it!" (NET) If you believe the words of Jesus, you must reject the teaching of Catholicism about Mary.
[
Home]The Apparitions
There have been around 20,000 recorded appearances in the last 1,000 years, but they have been building up in the last days. In fact, the following dates show that since the 10th century, the worship of Mary has intensified:
1. In 1037, King St. Stephen declared Hungary to Mary
2. In 1381, Richard II consecrated England to Mary
3. In 1638, France was consecrated by order of Louis XIII
4. In 1656, Poland was given to Mary by King Casmimir
5. In 1664, King John IV consecrated all of Portugal to Mary
6. In 1665, Austrian leaders gave their country to Mary
7. In 1846, The Bishops of America "place themselves under the patronage of the Holy Mother of God".
Europe becomes consumed with Mary, not Christ. In France alone, there are 930 shrines built to Mary, but only one built to Christ. There are 16-20 million people per year that visit these shrines, where many of the apparitions have appeared.
Here are the methods of delivery of the apparitions:
We have to take their word for most of them, but there are some that have occurred to multitudes that have become the focal point of all apparitions. Most of them have occurred where Christianity and Islam have had to live together in the same area, perhaps after wars or invasions. The predominant territory seems to be in the area of France, Spain and Portugal.
The main messages of the apparitions:
MANY of the apparitions state "if the world will convert to my immaculate heart, I will bring peace and give the world salvation". The emphasis is RARELY on Christ, almost all of them are exalting Mary as the way to salvation.
The fall of Communism was due to Pope John Paul II more than any other man in history. Almost every thing that is happening right now in the Catholic church is being based on the apparition of Fatima, including the future. When the Pope was elected, he was the first non Italian Pope, a Communist Polish man, in 400 years. On May 13, 1981, the anniversary of the Lady of Fatima apparition, the Pope was in St. Peter's square in the vatican. A little girl was holding a picture of the Lady of Fatima, and the Pope leaned over to kiss the picture. Just as he did so, he was shot by a Polish man. If he wouldn't have leaned over, he would have been shot in the heart. So the Pope surmised it was the lady of Fatima that saved his life. He then went back to the vatican and pulled together all the information he could about the Fatima apparition, and he studied it intensely. Shortly thereafter, the Pope said "The only way to save the world from war is to save it from atheism...it is the conversion of Russia to Fatima."
In the apparition of Fatima, it was told the children that if they would give Russia over to my heart, I would convert Russia. When the Pope read this, he made it his mission to get that message to Russia. His motto was "Completely yours", meaning the Lady of Fatima. On May 13, 1982, again on the anniversary of the Fatima apparition, the Pope publicly gave the world to the immaculate heart, which was required in the original apparition in 1917.
So, the Pope made it his mission to crush Communism and atheism, obeying the words of "Mary" in the apparition of Fatima, and that is what he did in 1981 and 1982. Shortly thereafter, we saw Communist regimes fall in Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary, Germany, etc. The Pope got the "Christians" in these countries stirred up by his connection to Fatima, and the result was the fall of Communism. The apparition of Fatima was so strong that the Pope dedicated his life to fulfilling its teachings. That is the power of the Fatima apparation.
The Pope believed that there will be an apparition in the future, possibly in 1999 or 2000, that the whole world will be able to see. Many people will be converted to Catholicism, and it will declare HIM to be the world leader of all religions.
[
Home]Links Between "Christianity" and Islam
Religious unity is being stressed, and it always points to Mary as the source of salvation and hope. Islam is becoming stronger in France and Spain. There's coming a 7th world empire that comes out of the sixth made up of east and west branches of Nebuchadnezzar's legs in his dream. The west branch will be Rome and east branch Istanbul, Turkey. But Islam and Muslims are gaining popularity. So if you are going to have a united one religion, the Muslims and Catholicism will have to come together. The iron and clay in Nebuchadnezzar's dream did not mix. The iron could be the military side of Islam, and the clay could be apostate Christianity, and they don't mix. Their differences of opinions will be difficult to unite. In Europe and in the middle East, you have Christianity and Islam.
The antichrist will be a Muslim, probably from the middle east. The false prophet will be an apostate Pope or bishop from Rome AFTER Rome is destroyed Revelation chapter 17. Since 1973 and the rise of the Ayatollah in Iran, there has been an increase of anti-west feeling, as the former British and western influences are being abolished. Radical Islam is sweeping the middle eastern belt and the fertile crescent.
So, we have Christianity predominant in Europe, and we have Islam predominant in the Middle East. The false prophet in Revelation chapter 13 will come to power in the middle of the tribulation period, and will rule with the antichrist the final 42 months. He is going to be the head of a global religion out of Jerusalem. He could pull the iron and clay together, the feet and toes of Nebuchadnezzar's dream.
Some LINKS between Christianity and Muslims:
The following possible links:
Muslims believe Jesus will return at the end of days. "Jesus the son of Mary will descend at the end of time and judge among the people with justice, following the law of our prophet Muhammad. He will break the crosses and kill the swine...he will only accept Islam from the people". THIS IS NOT THE SAME JESUS AS CHRISTIANS BELIEVE.
Therefore, no, these are not links between the two religions. How could they be merged?
Five strange common links between Islam and Christianity:
How Different Beliefs Came Into Existence
Prayer Beads:
Muslims have prayer beads that have 33, 66 or 99 names of God. They pray to Allah with these in their hands. For Catholics, they use a rosary, which has a crucifix and a picture of Mary and Jesus. You pray 50+ hail Mary's, then several glory to God's. The Rosary has become a MAJOR focal point of many of the more recent apparitions of Mary.
Here is a quote from "The Rosary, Your Key to Heaven":
"The Rosary is a means of salvation, because a true child of Mary is never lost and one who says the Rosary daily is truly Mary's child...Mary is our all powerful advocate and she can obtain from the heart of her Divine Son whatever is good for her children...No one is beyond redemption if he but turns to Mary Immaculate."
This is ALL based on the apparitions. During the apparitions in Egypt Coptic church, both groups had their prayer beads and were praying to MARY, not Christ.
[
Home]The Fatima Connection
According to the Islam religion, Abrahams' son Ishmael went to Egypt and married a woman named Fatima..that is where the name originated. Muhammed has several children, and one of the daughters he named Fatima after the wife of Ishmael, his favorite daughter. Fatima married a man named Ali, and he carried on Muhammed's teachings. When Muhammed died, the religion split up into two branches: The Suni and the Shi-ites. They both believe in the Koran and Muhammed as a prophet. Both believe a final Islamic leader, called the Al Mahdi, will be the 12th prophet that disappeared, but will reappear in the last days...IMPORTANT: the Shi'ites believe he will have to be through the lineage of Fatima. They teach that the 12th holy man disappeared, and will appear at the end of days after being protected in the desert by God for all these years.
Then, we have Fatima, Portugal. It was so named by a Muslim sect after the daughter of Muhammed. Everything being said about the last days within the Catholic church is being based on what happened at Our Lady of Fatima in 1917. One of the reasons the Fatima apparition is so important is because of the "secret". The children were given three visions of the future in the apparition: one was a vision of hell, one was devotion to Mary's heart, namely the consecration of Russia, then the third secret, which was never publicly revealed but is known to the Pope, the Bishop of Fatima, and perhaps several other bishops and cardinals.
The third part of this secret has not been revealed, but the Bishop of Fatima said the following about it: "We must return to the Rosary and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, for Mary is the last anchor of salvation for a world gone wrong" [emphasis mine]. Mary the last anchor of salvation? Mary needed salvation herself…she was a sinner, contrary to the "immaculate heart" theory of the Catholic church. JESUS is the last anchor, the ONLY anchor, of salvation for a world gone wrong.
The Muslims also have a secret that is to be revealed in the last days. A former Muslim from Persia wrote a book and said that as Muhammed was dying, he whispered a secret to Fatima, and that secret is to be revealed at the end of days. So we have a very possible connection with the two religions have a secret to be revealed at the end of days.
When a priest of the Catholic church comes by to bless a Muslim, the Muslim will kiss the rosary if the priest will pull the cross off. To Islam, the cross is the hindrance, but they will kiss the virgin Mary if the cross is taken off the prayer beads. The middle east is a whole other world of religion, and many American Catholics or Christians have never put this connection together.
The apparition in Egypt occurred from 1967 to 1973, 6 years. Here is a quote about this apparition: "For the first time in Egyptian history, Catholics, Orthodox and Muslims prayed together in public. The Muslims chanted from the Koran, 'Mary, God has chosen thee. And purified thee; he has chosen thee above women.'" - The Final Hour, Michael Browmn p 166. Another quote from February 1992: "A Marian revival is spreading throughout Africa, with alleged apparitions of the Virgin Mary, finding a following among Muslims..." - The Tablet. Another quote: "African Muslims themselves are seeing apparitions of the Virgin Mary and are not required to become Christians to follow Mary." - Christian World Report, 1992. The apparitions are not requiring anyone to becoming a Christian. Does anyone honestly believe that these apparitions could be Mary, when she knew the gospel story and was an eyewitness to it? That she should be exalted instead of Christ? NO WAY!!
If you eliminate the diety of Christ and make Mary the way to salvation, you can bring in Islam with Christianity. There are Catholic cardinals which have actually stated they believe that Mary will bring the Muslims to Christianity because of the apparitions of Mary. On the other hand, the Muslims believe that Christians will forsake the cross and turn to Islam. But as long as Jesus is the Son of God, Islam and Christianity will never get together because the Muslims cannot accept that. But if you take the diety of Christ out and make another to God outside of Jesus, the religions can be put together.
[
Home]The False Prophet
Revelation 13:11-15: And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
12. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
13. And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
14. And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
15. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and live, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
This occurs mid-tribulation. The antichrist will come as a peacemaker, and will arise out of the Great Sea. After signing a peace treaty, he will make war and take over Egypt, Libya and Ethiopia, and has a war with Turkey. He will move his headquarters to Jerusalem, and will destroy Rome, Italy. The rapture will take true Christians, so the false prophet will pull the two religions together. He is portrayed as a lamb because Jesus was a lamb, but he is a false lamb. The lamb has two horns, and horns in the Bible are a symbol of rulership or authority. The size of the horns have bearing on the authority of the person. The Bible says the antichrist will be a little horn, and rule the smaller people. Remember, the Shi'ite branch are the smaller of the two Muslim sects.
Many Catholic writers even admit the false prophet will be a defective Pope. Saint Malachi prophesied that after the current Pope, there will be one of olive complexion that will rule for a short time, then the final Pope will be destroyed along with Rome.
Here are some quotes from Catholic leaders:
The false prophet will do this by performing miracles with icons that all religions can relate with. On the temple mount, they will make an image of the beast, the abomination of desolation that makes Jerusalem desolate. This will be a counterfeit miracle that will deceive the whole world. The word "image" in the Bible actually comes from the word "icon", so it will be an icon or a statue. These are widespread in the Roman Catholic church. Among the Suni muslims, statues and images are not allowed, but the Shi'ite muslims allow them. Both religions have had their pictures and icons weep and bleed supernaturally!
The word of God is STRICTLY and VEHEMENTLY against the building of idols and images, which is what the Catholic church has done. But false miracles can happen and are happening all over the world. Some are legit, but some are false. But just b/c they are happening all over the world, does it legitamize their gods? If a statue of Buddah begins to weep, does it mean he is real or alive? Then why should be mean that the virgin Mary is alive? All that is happening with these weeping and bleeding icons is going to be used in the end of days by the false prophet to deceive the world and cause all religions to come together as one.
There is a reclusive sect of Muslims in Iran and Turkey that can eat glass, thrust themselves with swords and skewers, and they are not harmed...no blood comes out. These are demonic manifestations, just like with the bleeding icons. Interestingly, king Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel was told to eat grass when he was possessed by a demonic spirit, and in one of the apparitions of Mary, the person was told by the apparition to eat grass!
These are occultic phenomenon: Daniel 8:25 says the antichrist, through his policy, will cause craft to prosper in his hand. The word craft means the occult sciences will prosper...muslims are not to do occultic things, but they are and they have been growing rapidly.
The Bible says the following about false miracles:
Miracles of the False Prophet:
All of the apparitions, the weeping and bleeding icons and manifestations will lead up to the false prophets' deception and allow him to deceive the whole world and bring the religions of the world together. In fact, the false prophet will deny the diety of Jesus Christ. Already, today in England there are churches that do not believe that Jesus is the Son of God...just as the muslims believe.
[
Home]Denying the Son of God
I John 2:22, I John 4:3, and II John 1:7 all talk about the antichrist spirit denying Jesus is the son of God...in the Bible, Jesus is called the Son of God by the following:
The prophet Muhammed claims that the angel Gabriel gave him his revelation, and therefore taught him that Jesus is the NOT the Son of God. However, the angel Gabriel in Luke 1:35 said Jesus is the Son of God. Therefore, Fatima, Muhammed's daughter did not believe that Jesus is the Son of God. Then Our Lady of Fatima comes as an apparition with messages and teachings and Mary, alledgedly, allows herself to be called our lady of Fatima. Would the true spirit of Mary in heaven allow herself to be called our lady of Fatima when Fatima, the daughter of Muhammed, said Jesus is not the Son of God!?!?!
What, then, does Islam teach about Jesus being the Son of God?
In order to have the religions come together, there has to be a denial that Jesus is the Son of God. Islam is already there, and the defective Pope will preach this and perform false miracles.
The "Our Lady of Fatima" Connection
In the New Testament, the two major translation texts used are the Byzantine text and the Egyptian text. The original manuscripts translate Revelation 13:15 "And it was given TO HER to give breath or life to the image of the beast". The reason it was translated in our Bibles today "given to him" or "given to it" is because there was no "her" in the chapter that it could be referring to. So, who is the "her" here? The other possibilities are the woman in chapter 12, which is the nation of Israel...no doubt, and the harlot in Revelation chapter 17, which is the more probable scenario. This is the Roman system, which will give power to the image of the beast.
[
Home]Possible Scenario
"What if there is a creation of the image of the beast, and you have the antichrist and the false prophet there, and the image of the beast is speaking and living. What if an apparition appears in the heavens above Jerusalem called Fatima...just simply called Fatima? And ...after the apparition appears...the apparition says something that gives life to the image of the beast? You know what would happen?
That would automatically pull apostate Christianity and Islam together as one because it's all connected to Fatima. Remember, there was this bright light that looked like a woman and appeared over the Coptic church in Egypt and the Muslims and Coptic Christians and all the groups were out there praying together. It never said a word, it never spoke a word..they said it was Mary, it didn't say it was Mary, they said it was Mary. And it appeared for months and months on end, this bright light in the heavens."Please realize that, according to the Bible, a major end-time deception WILL HAPPEN, and even Catholic bishops and cardinals admit a falling away will happen in the last days. There will be some sort of religious delusion that deceives the whole world according to scripture in II Thessalonians 2. So, if you believe prophetic scripture, then THERE IS NO DOUBT ABOUT IT. The antichrist will take over the Jerusalem temple and sit there as though he is God, II Thess 2:4. WHY WILL PEOPLE THINK, OR BE SO DECEIVED, THAT HE IS GOD? Because he perform miracles and make an image of the beast and the image speaks and lives.
The Pope is expecting a second Fatima that will illuminate everything and draw all religions to theirs. There could be a worldwide apparition that will pull these worldwide religions together...there will be others before it, but the one coming in the tribulation will not be real, it will not be Mary, it could come as our lady of Fatima, it could come as a false vision and apparition, and it will propbably use information given in all other apparitions and traditions, and it will be able to sum it and bring things together through Mary and Fatima. That will make it even more believable if it mentions things in past apparitions.
Islam teaching says the following:
What could happen is the false apparition of Fatima that appears in the tribulation in Jerusalem will give power to the image of the beast and give authenticity to the false prophet and antichrist, and after the apparition appears is when the image comes to life. This would be the greatest religious deception in the history of the world.
Interestingly, some of the apparitions of the 20th century provide an amazing parallel to scripture. The witnesses of the apparition describe Mary with a white robe surrounding her, 12 stars encircled about her head, and with her feet standing on the moon. Open your Bibles to Revelation chapter 12, and you will see this EXACT description by John in describing something he saw in his vision. The Catholic believers of the apparitions are equating what they see of "Mary" in the apparition to Revelation chapter 12, as if it is a sign from God or the heavens of Christ's soon return, and they are quoting verses like Acts 2:16-18 about seeing visions, etc. However, chapter 12 is symbolism, not literal. The woman in Revelation chapter 12 is Israel, and she is giving birth to child, Jesus. She has the 12 stars and the moon under her feet, but these are also symbols. So, Satan is using this scripture to substantiate the apparitions….amazing! This may be part of the whole scenario the false prophet uses to religiously deceive the world.
[
Home]Conclusion
The six points about Beast Religious System:
What does the Bible say?
It is clear that Jesus is the only redeemer and saviour. If/when the church passes this as dogma, this may be the symbol of the woman with the gold cup riding the beast in Revelation chapter 17. The Mary of the Bible is blessed and greatest among all women, but that woman would NEVER allow herself to be a co-redeemer with Christ after hearing him and being an eyewitness to him.
The Muslim belief in their traditions about the final leader and Jesus (the antichrist and false prophet to us and in reality) is the key to understanding this. The antichrist will fulfill their expectations from Muslim and Koranic teaching about the final Islamic leader that will rise. The false prophet (an apostate Pope or bishop) will draw both Islam and Apostate Christianity (true Christianity has been raptured already) through the apparitions of Mary.
[
Home]Current Events Update
[This is a kind gesture, yet it is also another linking between the Roman Catholic Church and Islam. More of these will be seen in the future, no doubt, and it will make the transition to a global government and religion all that much simpler.]
They joined representatives of 11 other religions: Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Shintoism, Jianism, Confucianism, Sikhism, Zoroastrianism and followers of Tenrikyo and African tribal religions. The Christians prayed together in the frescoed Lower Basilica of St. Francis, restored after a 1997 earthquake. Others were accommodated in the brick cells of nearby convent near the tomb of St. Francis, with crosses and other religious objects removed for the occasion. Muslims knelt on rugs and prayed in Arabic in a room facing Mecca.
One of the Muslim representatives, Ali el Samman, representing the grand sheik of Cairo's Al-Azhar mosque and Islamic university, concluded his remarks by thanking the Vatican for its ``honorable support of the Palestinian people.''
``He was positively glowing,'' said Rabbi Ron Kronish, director of the Interreligious Coordinating Council in Israel, of Pope John Paul II. ``He had so much spiritual energy. He sort of radiated it to everyone.'' [sounds to me as if the creation, rather than the Creator, is being worshipped and adored in this case.]
[Less than two months later, we have a "historic" gathering of religions, something never before accomplished. This is a significant event that will help pave the way for a worldwide religious system, led by the Pope. Interestingly, there was no mention of any Pentecostal or Protestant believers attending the gathering.]