Pope Francis is a busy man. First, on December 7, came the announcement of his upcoming March 2021 visit to Iraq, “the first ever
by a pontiff.” Originally supposed to have taken place this year, the “historic” trip comes as no surprise for a pope who “has made boosting ties between Christianity and Islam a cornerstone of his papacy.”
Next was the first meeting of the Council for Inclusive Capitalism with the Vatican on Dec. 8, “a new partnership”
between Pope Francis and Fortune 500 companies. According to its website, “the movement” is described as “an historic collaboration of CEOs and global leaders working with the
moral guidance of Pope Francis to harness the power of business for good.” Familiar names such as Bank of America and Mastercard are on board “to create a more inclusive, fair and sustainable economic landscape by taking pledges toward sustainable
development goals focused on areas such as climate action, peace and justice, quality education and gender equality.”
And not to be left out, released on Dec. 1 was the pope’s newest book, Let Us Dream: The Path to a Better Future,
Francis’ solutions to the current state of the world in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
These headlines all broke within a week of one another.
A Giant Stumbles
So, as 2020 comes to an end, perhaps now would be an appropriate time to take a look at the world stage.
Francis’ recent maneuvers took him further into the realms of foreign policy, finance, and “controversial topics such as military spending,
abortion, police violence, the treatment of migrants and refugees, protest movements and the role of women.”
Sometimes you actually have to remind yourself that this is a religious leader, albeit the leader of 1.2 billion Catholics, a number surpassed only by the 1.7 billion Muslims (an interesting fact given the pope’s upcoming trip). Indeed, it is no secret
that Francis’ interests range far and wide. And yet it is made very plain that the pope injects his faith into each of these projects.
“[Facing] the future through the peaceful and shared pursuit of the common good on the part of all elements of society, including the religious,” is Francis’ plan for Iraq.
“The fact that different religions need to come together on all matters is just the crying need of the times in our world,” commented Ajay Banga, Mastercard’s CEO, in the Council of Inclusive Capitalism’s opening remarks.
The pope is not just a man who waxes grandiose from an upper window in St. Peter’s Square; he is a man who is making quantifiable strides toward bringing the world together under his particular brand of socialist ideology—uniting the economy with the
environment, the environment with social justice, social justice with gender equality, and gender equality with Jesus, and Jesus with Muhammed. It is “Time to Act,” urges the final section of his book.
And in his immediate crosshairs is that staggering behemoth, the United States of America.
Do you know what media headline has haunted the superpower this year? “The world watches in horror as …”
“Europe Watches with Horror as the U.S. Rushes to Reopen,” declared The Daily Beast in April concerning America’s
reaction to the pandemic.
“World watches America protests in horror,” decried Gulf News, the United Arab Emirates’ most popular
newspaper, in May.
“Hundreds of millions of people are watching what’s going on in the U.S. with alarm and disgust,” HuffPost stated back in
June.
“The world watches with dread and disbelief,” lamented The Washington Post in November over the U.S.’s Thanksgiving travel surge.
How timely for the pope, often an outspoken critic of American fundamentals. He took the opportunity in his book to criticize the nation, from its “abuse of power … in the … killing of George Floyd” to its “arms trade,” which makes “[his] blood [run]
cold.”
America, you are on the brink of collapse. America, you are on the edge of a cliff. America, you need a savior! But do not fear. Pope Francis has the solution to all your ills.
A Deadly Dance
There’s a common phrase in business slang: “getting into bed with.” When a company “gets into bed with” another company, it means that they work very closely together—even merging into one.
Did you know the Bible uses this same descriptive language
to illustrate the ultimate merger at the end of time? In the book of Revelation, the apostle John is given a very detailed vision of a “great harlot …, with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made
drunk with the wine of her fornication” (17:1, 2).
In other words, this harlot will get into bed with a lot of “kings,” or earthly powers—indeed, with the entire world. She is described as a “woman” (v. 4) named “BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS” (v. 5).
As the mother of all harlots, she is undoubtedly an expert in these mergers. She’d be able to reach across the aisle to anybody, any entity, any kind of group—Muslims, Fortune 500s, even the most powerful country in the world.
In the Bible, a woman symbolizes a church (1 Corinthians 11:3; Ephesians 5:23; Colossians 1:18).
But did you know that Scripture has a lot more to say about this woman? For a deeper understanding, go through our free, online Bible study “The Daughter’s Dance”
and a corresponding message by Pastor Doug Batchelor called “The Daughter’s Deadly Dance.”
The Bible’s predictions are unfolding as we speak. Know the Word; determine your future.