Speaker 1: Friends, I wanted to take a moment to talk to you about some very interesting events that have recently transpired that have profound prophetic implications. We're going to take a few moments and look at a unique video that was just posted on the internet. It's a special message from Pope Francis to a convocation filled with Charismatic and Pentecostal ministers. It's an appeal for unity for them to unite or to join again, with the Catholic Church. It's an invitation for them to be one, and I think this is very significant. We won't be able to show the whole video, we will post it at the Amazing Facts website if you'd like to view it in its entirety, but I'd like to go through and look at it and highlight some points that I want to bring to your attention. Why don't we go ahead and we'll roll that now.
Bishop Tony Palmer: I believe that God has brought me here to this year's ministers conference in spirit of Elijah. Let me explain. If you look carefully, the spirit of Elijah was on John the Baptist to turn the hearts of the sons to the father's.
Speaker 1: Let's pause the tape right there. Now, in a moment, we're going to be hearing a personal message from Pope Francis, but to me even more interesting is the question about who is this Bishop Tony Palmer. A very dashing individual that seems to have a personal relationship with the Pope and is being sent as an envoy of the Pope. He is a mediator in that-- he's not technically a Catholic, he's an Anglican. He has his own ministry that is specifically focused on bringing unity to the churches, and he's not just going to this conference of the Charismatics, but he's making the rounds in every way he can to bring the different churches together. He does a masterful job as framing himself as the prophet Elijah with the message to bring the children back to the fathers and the father's to the children. A message of unity playing down doctrinal differences. You can listen, see what you think.
Bishop Tony: To turn the hearts of the father's to the sons, to prepare the way for the Lord. We know that prophecy always has a double fulfillment and we know that Elijah will come before the Second Coming as well. I've understood that the spirit of Elijah is the spirit of reconciliation to return hearts to each other. This is very important. We know that the first thousand years there was one church it was called the Catholic Church and the word Catholic means universal, it doesn't mean Roman. If you're born again, raise your hand if you're born again, you're a Catholic.
[laughter]
Speaker 1: Don't want to make too much out of it because he's right, the word Catholic does technically mean universal, but what you're seeing here is in very careful, deliberate increments the distinctions between Catholics and Protestants are being broken down. Let's go ahead, keep playing.
Bishop Tony: Take back, redeem what belongs to you. We are Catholics and then there was the split at the end of the first millennium. We had the Orthodox east and west, two churches, then 500 years later we have Luther and his protest, three churches in 1,500 years, three denominations, not three churches and then from Luther's protest onwards, 33,000 new denominations.
Speaker 1: You see what's happening here friends, he's calling it Luther's protest. Instead of it being the Protestant movement or the Protestant Reformation, it's being stated as it's really the rebellion of the protest of one disgruntled priest, but this was really a movement based upon a lot of theological differences. Let's go ahead and play.
Bishop Tony: I've come to understand that diversity is divine, its division that's diabolic.
Speaker 1: I don't know if you caught that friends, but that's a very significant and troubling. Diversity is wonderful, it's divine, but division is diabolical. You see, that's just patently not true. Not all division is diabolical. The Bible tells us that the Word of God divides. It's sharper than any two edged sword. Jesus said, "I have not come to send peace, but to send the sword." Paul tells us that we must come out and be separate. When the apostles in their day took a stand for the truth, there was a division that took place between themselves and the big church. In the last days when we take a stand for the truth we're going to be called not only divisive, we're going to be called diabolical.
Bishop Tony: It's true what you were saying about the glory. I agree with you, of course, it's true. The glory that the father had he gave to Jesus. The glory was the presence of God. What is the Charismatic Renewal? Is when we experience the presence of God. He said, "And I give them the glory, pragmatic reason, so that they may be one." It's the glory that glues us together, not the doctrines.
Speaker 1: He said, it's the glory that glues us together, not the doctrines. Well, I don't know if I mentioned earlier that Bishop Tony Palmer is also a Charismatic, he speaks in tongues, he supports that. The Charismatic Movement is a very interesting movement in that it really is a form of spiritualism that is coming to the Christian church. Matter of fact, more emphasis is put on the spirit than on doctrine.
One more thing I thought I should insert at this point, as we're talking about who is this Tony Palmer. He told the crowd, "When my wife saw that she could be a Catholic and a Charismatic and Evangelical and Pentecostal and it was absolutely accepted in the Catholic Church, she said she wanted to reconnect her roots with the Catholic culture so she did." There's no mistaking what his goal is. He said his wife believed she could be all of these things and reconnect to the Catholic culture. This is going to be the goal, that everybody comes together in the Christian world within or recognizing the Catholic culture.
Bishop Tony: It's the glory, if you accept that Christ is living in me and the presence of God is in me, and the presence of God is in you, that's all we need, because God will sort out all our doctrines when we get upstairs.
Speaker 1: Don't worry about doctrine here. We'll sort out all the doctrines when we get to heaven. Let's just love each other here, but doctrine is very important. Jesus said, "You'll know the truth and the truth will set you free." When Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount, the people were amazed at His doctrine, what are we going to do? Eliminate the Sermon on the Mount because we're just supposed to love each other. We'll sort out the doctrines later. This is going to be the mantra that you're going to hear over and over again. Let's play.
Bishop Tony: Therefore, Christian unity is the basis of our credibility, because Jesus said until they are one they will not believe. The world will not believe as they should, until we are one. Division destroys our credibility. It is fear that keeps us separated because fear is false evidence appearing real. It's an acronym, F-E-A-R, False Evidence Appearing Real because most of your fear is based on propaganda.
Speaker 1: What we're really hearing here is that the Protestant Reformation teachings are propaganda that insights fear, and so it's bad. Don't worry about this propaganda. Keep going.
Bishop Tony: Now, why is it historic? Because in 1999, the Roman Catholic Church and the Protestant Lutheran Church signed an agreement that brought an end to the protest. Luther believed that we were saved by grace through faith alone. Amen.
Speaker 1: Little correction. It wasn't just Luther that believed this, it was tens of thousands of dedicated Christians that wanted to get back to the Bible. Hus believed it, Wycliffe believed it, Tyndale believed it, all the great reformers believed it, it wasn't just Luther.
Bishop Tony: But that's not it. The Catholic Church believed that we were saved by works, and that was the protest. In 1999, they wrote this together, because in the Protestant church, a lot of cheap salvation people were getting born again, but no fruit whatsoever, and because we didn't even look for fruit, it wasn't the issue because it wasn't necessary for salvation, and now it's not, but it's a good judge if you are saved. What these two churches did they put the two definitions together, listen to it.
I'm reading verbatim from the Catholic Vatican website. "Justification means that Christ Himself is our righteousness, in which we share through the Holy Spirit in accord with the will of the Father. Together we Catholics and Protestants, Lutherans, believe and confess that by grace alone, in faith, in Christ saving works and not because of any merit on our part, we are accepted by God and receive the Holy Spirit who renews our hearts while equipping and calling us to good works.
Speaker 1: Well, this may sound like it was just the protest of Luther, Luther didn't protest against one thing. He nailed 95 different points of protest on the doors of the Wittenberg Church. This is addressing one of the issues, it's not the only issue. You'll notice that in the wording, in the language that's used in this agreement, it's very convoluted and cagey, because the Catholics were looking for a wording where they would not need to renounce what they formerly believed, or say there was anything wrong with their doctrines. Don't have time to go into that, but it's not exactly what it appears on the surface.
Bishop Tony: This brought an end to the protest of Luther. Brothers and sisters, Luther's protest is over, is yours. In 1999, this was signed by the Lutheran Church, the Federation Worldwide later, but five years later, the Worldwide Methodist signed the same agreement, but as of today we still have had no Protestant Evangelical that will stand up and sign this agreement to agree with our brothers and sisters that we are saved by grace through faith to good works. I believe that's something that needs to be fixed.
Speaker 1: He's really throwing down the gauntlet. He's saying, "Lutheran's have signed an agreement that the protest is over and the Methodists signed this agreement. Now, we're looking for the Evangelicals and the Pentecostals to sign this agreement so we can all be one again. The Protestant Reformation not necessary, we're all in harmony now."
Bishop Tony: There's a challenge for you. The protest has been over for 15 years, and I get a bit cheeky here because I challenge my Protestant pastor friends, if there is no more protest how can they be a Protestant Church?
Speaker 1: I think it's easy for us to see where this is going. The distinction between Protestants and Catholics is being chipped away at. This is a movement towards a one-world religion, this is exactly what prophecy says has to happen before Jesus comes back. The world's being shaken right now. They'll only be two groups when Christ comes back. One group will have the seal of God, the other group will have the mark of the beast. Obviously, if there are 33,000 different Christian denominations, something has to happen to polarize these two groups into one of those two camps.
This is where you've seen prophecy being fulfilled right now friends. These are the kind of statements, these are the kinds of appeals that will be made to bring everybody together into one unified body where we downplay doctrine, downplay the Bible.
Bishop Tony: Maybe we now we're all Catholics again, but we are reformed. We're Catholic in the universal sense. We are not protesting the doctrine of salvation by the Catholic Church anymore. We now preach the same gospel.
Speaker 1: Do we preach the same gospel? Unless there's been some radical changes since 1999 that I don't know about. Just to give you a few examples of some of the distinctive differences that brought about the Protestant Reformation. The Bible teaches, we're not supposed to bow down to statutes, that's like one of the Ten Commandments, and the law of God is part of the gospel. Roman Catholic Church says, we should bow down to statues. The Bible teaches that all have sinned except Jesus, the Roman Catholic Church teaches that Mary was sinless.
The Bible says that Jesus is the only mediator between God and man, the Roman Catholic Church says that Mary is a co-mediator. The Bible teaches that Christ offered His sacrifice once on the cross for all, Hebrew 7:27, the Roman Catholic Church teaches that the priest sacrifices Christ on the altar whenever he conducts mass. The Bible teaches that all Christians are saints and priests, Ephesians 1:1, the Roman Catholic Church says that saints and priests are a special caste within the Christian community. The Bible teaches that all Christians should know that they have eternal life, 1st John 5:13, the Roman Catholic Church teaches that all Christians cannot and should not know that they have eternal life.
The Bible teaches that we should call no religious leader father, the Roman Catholic Church teaches that we may call priests and the Pope father. Bishop Tony Palmer is also called Father Tony. The Bible teaches not to pray in vain repetition, yet the Roman Catholic Church says you can say Hail Mary and our Father in vain repetition. The Bible teaches to confess your sins to God only, that only God can forgive sins, Roman Catholic Church says you must confess your sins to the priest.
The Bible teaches, before baptism a person should be taught the gospel and the commandments of Christ, believe and repent, the Roman Catholic Church teaches little infants can be baptized, or if they die before they'll be consigned to hell. The teachings regard purgatory limbo prayers to the dead are nowhere in scripture but they are relics of paganism. Now, there's great differences theologically between what the Protestants died for, they shed their blood for these principles of truth, and what the Catholic and some of the Orthodox churches believe. And are we supposed to just say that truth doesn't matter anymore, let's just love each other and that's how we're going to do evangelism? Evangelism must be based on truth. I could start preaching now, but we'll go back to the video.
Bishop Tony: We now preach you're saved by grace through faith alone. The word alone was the argument for 500 years. The word alone is there, you can read it yourself. The protest is over. Let me pray and then we'll start the video. I believe we will begin to see more and more people called out to go into the world and work among the churches in the spirit of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the father's to the children, and the hearts of the children to the father's, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord, ministries of reconciliation.
We need to throw as much resources and energy into the ministry of reconciliation as we do to the ministry of evangelization, or are we building walls without foundations? I challenge you to find a bridge builder and back him or her. I'd like to pray this prayer, and if you agree you can say, Amen. This was a dying man's prayer, and when you know you're about to die you certainly pray the most important prayers. He said, "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they all may be one as you Father are in me and I in you, that they may also be one in us so that the world may believe that you sent me. The glory which you have given me, I have given them, that they may be one as we are one." Glory to the Father. Amen.
Speaker 1: Okay. Part of that prayer of Jesus is of course that there would be oneness, that we could be united. It also says in John 17:17, sanctify them through thy truth, thy Word is truth. What it's going to be that will unite us is the Spirit of God and the Spirit is the truth of God. The teachings, yes. Those are the words. Again, John 16, same book, verse 13, however, when he the Spirit of Truth has come, He will guide you into all truth. It's through the truth that we will have unity, it is through the doctrines. That's what brings people together.
As we come closer together in the theology of the Bible, the doctrines of truth, we come closer together in Christ because Jesus is the Word made flesh. It's not as we come closer together in a feeling of charisma, or a feeling of glory when we're baptized with the gift of tongues. That's not what brings the church together, that's not what real unity is. Very little reference to the Word of God and truth that sets us free in this. Now, I think he's going to be playing his segment from the Pope.
Pope: Dear brothers and sisters, excuse me because I speak in Italian, but I know to speak in English, but I will speak no Italian, no English, but hopefully.
Speaker 1: Now, first, I think the audience was thunderstruck when they saw the Pope come on the screen, that it actually is the Pope. This isn't a letter that's being read from the Pope. The Pope himself was specifically addressing this conference. Matter of fact in the video message he says, “I’ve sent my friend Tony Palmer, long time friend with this message.” Makes you wonder about the gravitas that this person has in the Vatican and if we're going to be seeing more of them in the future. Again I want to reiterate that the greatest part of Christ’s true followers are not members of my church, I believe that there are genuine sincere Christians in many different denominations.
The Pope himself seems like a wonderful man. He reminds me of my grandfather, he looks just like my grandfather really, but I just want to make sure that everybody is not tricked into thinking that this is all as homey and heartfelt as it's being made to appear. It is very possible that this message was somewhat scripted, that there were some notes that were reviewed and then it was delivered extemporaneously, but there was an outline, so this message I think is strategic. It might have been put on a smart phone so that it appears to be just on the cuff, but let's keep watching.
Pope: [Italian language]
Speaker 1: That is the statement that I hear as I do evangelism around the country in the world. From other Christians they say, we don't need the 10 commandments, we don't need the Sabbath. It is true, the 10 Commandments are summarized in love for God, love your neighbor, it's in the heart, but sometimes those statements are used to diminish the importance of specifically obeying God's commandments, and so while this is beautiful and I do agree we need to love the Lord, love our neighbor. That is not to dismiss the importance of specifically obeying the 10 Commandments. Let's go ahead.
Pope: [Italian language]
Speaker 1: He’s basically saying that I greet you with joy that you’re gathered together to worship Jesus but I’m also doing it with nostalgia or yearning as it would be translated in Italian, meaning I’m looking back to when we were one family and we need to be one family again is the emphasis of the message.
Pope: [Italian language]
Speaker 1: Now, to me this could be the biggest understatement of the millennium that all those 30 to 50 million people that were executed by the Catholic Church this was a big misunderstanding and we don't know who's to blame. Well, I think it's because there was such a great divergence of theology that people would not recognize the superiority and the authority of the church and I don't believe that they've changed their view on that point.
Pope: [Italian language]
Speaker 1: Here the Pope transitions into a discourse. It's really brilliant. Talking about an embrace, and then he references the story of Joseph and as he talks about the story of Joseph make sure that you understand the pictures that are coming up in the minds of the listeners. He is couching himself and the Catholic Church as Joseph. Joseph that was misunderstood and betrayed by his brothers, but his brothers began to starve for what only Joseph could give them, and that they came and ultimately bowed down to Joseph and Joseph ended up being the ruler over them. They had been separated from their brother but they came and embraced him in the end. Joseph embraced his brothers and he forgave his brothers for what they had done, so you decide as you're watching this little analogy who's Joseph in the story.
Pope: [Italian language]
Speaker 1: well friends I tried to just let the Pope speak uninterrupted because I thought that it was important for you to get this and I just really can't improve on it. There's an appeal, we embrace each other, a miracle of unity that we blend our tears together, that we are all brothers. This is really an appeal for wayward Protestants to come home. By the way, when Joseph’s brothers found Joseph they ended up moving down to Egypt where Joseph was. Let him finish this off.
Pope: [Italian language]
Pastor Kenneth Copeland: Glory Glory Glory. Tony thank you sir. Come on, the man asked us to pray for him. Father-
Speaker 1: Pastor Kenneth Copeland comes up who was really a disciple of Oral Roberts himself. He's probably one of the most premier Charismatic leaders in North America, also is a pretty well known prosperity preacher, but interesting that Pastor Ken Copeland and Pope Francis are both 77 years old, so they're coming from the same era.
After this room full of these aren't just lay men, these are leaders, these are ministers in the Charismatic Movement, they hear this message from the Pope, they rise to their feet, they applaud, they raise their hands in the air and they think this is wonderful. Seem to be embracing what the message is saying. Let's keep going.
Pastor Copeland: Father we answer his request, and since we know not how to pray for him as we ought other than do agree with him in his quest and his heart for the unity of the body of Christ. We come together in the unity of our faith, hallelujah.
Speaker 1: Seems to me like he is agreeing with what the Pope said, that we're going to come together in the unity of our faith, just wanted to make that point. Let’s keep going.
Pastor Copeland: Father we just all of us now according to scripture when we know not how to pray as we ought. We pray for him in the spirit, we receive utterance in the holy ghost, we receive prayers of faith, we receive sir, we receive words that are not our own.
[Italian language]
Speaker 1: I don't see any example in the Bible of Jesus praying like this. Jesus said, “You will speak with other tongues.” He meant that the disciples would supernaturally be given the ability to speak languages they did not formally know or study for the purpose of preaching gospel to people that speak those languages.
[Italian language]
Pastor Copeland: Hallelujah, glory. Thank you Father, thank you Lord Jesus. Tony, bring your phone and come here. I want you to video a message back. Come up here and let's do it this way so he can see this whole congregation.
Speaker 1: Now, it's actually a brilliant idea for marketing purposes, that Kenneth Copeland says now we'd like to send a personal message back to the Vatican, back to the Pope.
Bishop Tony: I got to go the Vatican again.
Pastor Copeland: Yes. My dear Sir, thank you so from the bottom of our hearts. All of these leaders represent literally tens of thousands of people that love you, that believe God with you, and an answer to your request we have just prayed for you and with you and we did so in the spirit, and we believe we receive according to the words of Jesus in Mark 11:24, that whatsoever thing you desire when you pray believe you receive them and you shall have them.
Our desire sir along with you is in the fourth chapter of the Book of Ephesians. Till we all come, and the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the son of God unto a mature man under the measure of the stature of the of the fullness of Christ. Thank you sir, we do bless you. We receive your blessing. It's very important to us, and we bless you with all of our hearts, we bless you with all of our souls, we bless you with all of our might and we thank you sir, we thank God for you. And so all of us declare together be-
Audience: Blessed.
Pastor Copeland: Blessed. Once again all together.
Audience: Be blessed.
Pastor Copeland: Amen.
[applause]
Pastor Copeland: Hallelujah.
Bishop Tony: You’re going to have to come to the Vatican.
Pastor Copeland: I will. I’m available. Praise God.
Speaker 1: Bishop Tony was now inviting Kenneth Copeland to come to the Vatican. It will be interesting to see if that happens and how that plays out. Also I don't think anyone could miss that they seem to embrace the message of the Pope for unity say we want your blessing and we want to bless you.
Pastor Copeland: God’s will be done. Amen. Tony, thank you sir. You have blessed this place tonight.
[applause]
I love you.
Tony: Thank you.
Pastor Copeland: Amen. I told you you’ll never forget it. [laughs] Yes. I tell you I’m telling you right now. Heaven is thrilled over this. [laughs] Thank you Lord. Hallelujah. You know what is so thrilling to me? When we went into the ministry 47 years ago this was impossible.
Speaker 1: That's right, he recognized how much things have changed since he first went into ministry because the Charismatics and the Pentecostals were very much Protestant and they taught that the beast of Revelation back then was the Catholic Church. Things have radically changed and you can see that in black and white in their teaching. Well friends, I'd like to just close by reading something to you and then I would like to suggest that you do a little further study.
This is from Chapter 35 in the book Great Controversy, and you tell me if you think the prophecy being fulfilled. "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 papal are taking a conciliatory course in order to gain influence. There’s an increasing indifference concerning the doctrines that separate the reformed churches from the papal hierarchy. The opinion is gaining ground that after all, we don’t differ so widely on vital points as it’s been supposed and so 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 has been so dearly purchased. They taught their children to arbor Popery and they held to seek harmony with Rome would be disloyalty to God but how widely different are the sentiments now expressed."
Again Great Controversy, page 563. Friends today this prophecy is fulfilled in your hearing. In light of all these things that are happening, I know now why the Lord helped us get through three and a half years in producing the one very important 90 minute DVD. This is a docu-drama that Amazing facts has just released. It’s called the Revelation, the Bride, and the Beast in Babylon, and if you watch this, you will understand why these issues are so significant and how close we are to the end of time. But I want to emphasize in closing that this is just one more important landmark in prophecy. There’s still a lot left to happen that we need to understand but even knowing the details of prophecy is not going to be the thing that will save us. We need to have a daily personal relationship with Jesus that’s based on His truth and His word.
Are you studying the word? Do you walk with the Lord? It’s the truth that will set you free friends. We need to pray that if there’s anything that we’re holding back that’s keeping us from really surrendering ourselves fully to Jesus, taking up our cross and following Him, that you’ll choose to do that today. Have you ever wondered what it would look like when prophecies are fulfilled? What more can you expect than personal messages from the Pope to Protestants? I think we are seeing these things happen right now.