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…..the Lord Jesus Christ is the only way to the Father (Jn. 14:6), the only Mediator (1 Tim. 2:5), and the One who intercedes for His people (Heb. 7:25), no dead Christian in heaven answers our prayers, or intercedes for us, and it is great sin to pray to them! Prayer to the dead is nothing less than necromancy, which is strongly condemned in the Bible for the heathenish and occult practice it is (Deut. 18:10-12). No dead person, even if he had been a true Christian on earth, is able to even hear, much less answer, the prayers of those on earth. If he could do this he would have power equal to that of God Himself, and would be a god! This is all blasphemy.
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Two notorious popes of Rome,
John XXIII and John Paul II, were recently “canonised” by the current pope of Rome, Francis I.
This article delves into what “canonisation” means to Roman Catholics, and into
the lives of these two men, now officially declared to be “saints” in
heaven and thus objects of adoration for the millions of Roman Catholic
faithful! The religion of Roman Catholicism is a religion of superstition,
necromancy, gruesome relics, and all kinds of other wickedness. Be not
deceived!
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Roman Catholic Necromancy – Praying to Dead Popes
http://www.biblebasedministries.co.uk/2014/05/20/roman-catholic-necromancy-praying-to-dead-popes/
At an historic and unprecedented canonisation ceremony in April 2014 the reigning pope of Rome, Francis I, watched by his predecessor, the retired Benedict XVI, canonised two dead popes, John XXIII and John Paul II. Over half a million Roman Catholics attended the huge event, along with large numbers of cardinals and many political heads of state.
Of course, many were there because of the promise having been made of a “plenary indulgence” being granted to all who attended. Nothing like the assurance of all sins being wiped off the record to draw in the crowds! But even so, it was a massive event that brought Rome to a standstill and brought money flowing in to Vatican coffers. And at the same time it did wonders for the Roman Catholic institution, so badly in need of some positive PR these days.
What Is “Canonisation”?
It’s a complicated business, so please, dear reader, pay attention. According to Roman Catholic theology, living Roman Catholics are not really saints. And they are told that when they die they have to spend an unknown amount of time in an imaginary place called purgatory, where they are supposedly purged to prepare them to enter heaven eventually…it could be thousands of years after they die. They just don’t know, and nor does anyone else. It is possible, however, for a Roman Catholic to become a saint, if he or she lives a life of extraordinary holiness. The Second Vatican Council stated that saints are “those who… imitated Christ’s virginity and poverty more exactly, and… others whom the outstanding practice of the Christian virtues and the divine charisms recommended to the pious devotion and imitation of the faithful.”[1]
For a “saint”, there is no going to purgatory, but an immediate entrance into heaven. And once in heaven, the “saint” is able to answer prayers directed to them in heaven, by those still alive on earth; to intercede with God on behalf of those who pray to them. The Council of Trent declared: “The saints who reign with Christ, offer up their own prayers to God for men [this is their “intercession’]. It is good and useful suppliantly to invoke them [this is prayer to the dead], and to have recourse to their prayers, aid and help for obtaining benefits from God”.
The only problem is, those on earth cannot be sure that a particular person is a saint in heaven, unless…
Unless the pope of Rome declares that it is so, by an official pronouncement.
But how does even the pope of Rome know that some deceased person is a “saint”, and thus (being, as they believe, in heaven) supposedly able to intercede for the living here below? Well, at least two miracles have to be attributed to the dead one. Once this has been established to Rome’s satisfaction, the pope can then canonise the dead miracle-worker. To “canonise” dead people means, in the words of the official Roman Catholic Catechism, “solemnly proclaiming that they practised heroic virtue and lived in fidelity to God’s grace”.[2] Their canonisation is the official Papal pronouncement that the dead person is recognised as being a “saint” in heaven, thereby enabling the Roman Catholic faithful to add him to their list of people supposedly in heaven to whom they can address prayers and worship.
We warned you, dear reader, that it’s complicated.
But what does the Bible say?
How beautiful the plain teaching of Scripture on this point! All true Christians are saints – it doesn’t matter who they are – from the least to the greatest. Every single person, saved from his or her sins by God’s grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, is a saint already! They do not become saints only when they go to heaven – they are saints on earth, each and every one of them! And they are saints, not by their own supposed goodness or holiness, but by the grace of God alone. Paul wrote to the church at Rome and addressed them thus: “To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints” (Rom. 1:7). In like manner he wrote to the Christians at Corinth: “Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints” (1 Cor. 1:2); and, “unto the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints which are in all Achaia” (2 Cor. 1:1). He was not writing letters to people in heaven, but on earth! And there are many, many more verses in Scripture which teach the same thing, but not one in support of the Popish teaching.
Furthermore, there is no such place as purgatory. It is not mentioned in the Bible, it does not exist. There is heaven, and there is hell. No middle ground.
And also: as the Lord Jesus Christ is the only way to the Father (Jn. 14:6), the only Mediator (1 Tim. 2:5), and the One who intercedes for His people (Heb. 7:25), no dead Christian in heaven answers our prayers, or intercedes for us, and it is great sin to pray to them! Prayer to the dead is nothing less than necromancy, which is strongly condemned in the Bible for the heathenish and occult practice it is (Deut. 18:10-12). No dead person, even if he had been a true Christian on earth, is able to even hear, much less answer, the prayers of those on earth. If he could do this he would have power equal to that of God Himself, and would be a god! This is all blasphemy.
The Truth About “Saints” John XXIII and John Paul II
Let us consider the two Roman popes who were declared to be “saints” by the current Roman pope. What kind of men were they?
It is certainly true to say that they were two of the most influential figures of the 20th century. There can be no doubt of this. In fact, it can truthfully be said of John Paul II, in particular, that he can be ranked as one of the three most influential figures of the second half of the 20th century, along with Mikhail Gorbachev and Nelson Mandela – and not one of them for any good reason. Quite the opposite.
John XXIII was pope from 1958 to 1963. He it was who called for the Second Vatican Council, or Vatican II as it is known, to supposedly “modernise” the Roman Catholic institution. But what was its real purpose, and who really was John XXIII? We will make just two points here:
First: John XXIII was a pro-Communist pope. The following is taken from my book, Satan’s Seat:[3] “In 1958 a new pope came to power. He was Pope John XXIII. Unlike his predecessor, John was pro-Communist. For many years under Pius’ anti-Communist rule, an increasing number of Roman Catholic ‘clergy’ had been drawn towards Communism, and many had in fact become Communists.[4] Condemning its atheism, they nevertheless saw it as identical with ‘Christianity’ (i.e. Roman Catholicism), sociologically and economically. They believed that Christ and Lenin were both ‘social revolutionaries’ preaching the same Gospel![5] And John XXIII, the new pope, was one of them. He, like all the pro-Communist ‘clergy’, believed in a form of ‘Communist Catholicism’: Communism without atheism; Communism married to Roman Catholicism. As soon as he became pope, John broke the Vatican’s ties with the US, and began to have contact with the Kremlin in Moscow.[6] Moscow began to ‘commit fornication’ with the Whore of Revelation (Rev. 18:3). High-ranking Communists visited the Vatican.[7] Large numbers of Roman Catholics began to join the various Communist parties of Europe.”
Second: John XXIII was a religiously deceptive pope. Again from Satan’s Seat:[8] “Then in 1959, Pope John declared that he wanted ‘an Ecumenical Council for the whole Church’; that he wanted to invite the ‘separated Communities’ (that is, Protestant and Orthodox bodies) to seek for unity. With these words, he opened the door for the Second Vatican Council, or ‘Vatican II’ – and thus for the Papacy’s most subtle assault yet on Protestantism!
“The purpose of Vatican II, Rome declared, was to revitalise the ‘Church’. In addition, it was to promote the restoration of ‘unity’. In reality, it was simply to achieve, by another, more subtle means, what the Papacy had always desired and worked for: the complete destruction of Protestantism! Instead of murdering the ‘heretics’, as it had done for centuries, it would seek to absorb them. John XXIII invited Protestants to ‘return’ to the ‘one true Church’. Craftily, certain words were used. By inviting them to ‘return’, it was implied that they had once been part of her, but had wandered away (of course, since the true Church is made up ONLY of truly saved people, it has NEVER been part of Rome). By referring to Protestants as ‘separated brethren’ (instead of ‘heretics’ as in the past), it was not only implied that Roman Catholics and Protestants were all ‘Christians’, but that the Protestants had separated themselves from the only true Church. Rome’s position, in fact, had not changed; she had simply changed tactics…. Yet the Council declared emphatically that Christ built His Church on Peter, that all Christ’s sheep were entrusted to Peter, and that it was through the preaching of the apostles ‘and their successors’ (the Roman Catholic bishops) that Christ wished His people to increase.[9] Thus, as far as Rome was concerned, she was still the only true Church, and all must belong to her.”
Was, then, this man, John XXIII, often called “the good pope” by Roman Catholics, really good? No; he was anything but a good man. He was, during his term of office, the biblical Antichrist for that time, just as every pope is (2 Thess. 2:1-12); and he was a deceptive, cunning, evil man, who, far from going straight to heaven when he died, did not go to any imaginary purgatory either, but went straight to hell, just like every pope of Rome before him and since.
John Paul II was pope from 1978 to 2005. He is credited with playing perhaps the greatest role of anyone in “bringing down Communism.” But did he really, and who was he really? We will make just three points:
First: just like John XXIII, John Paul II was a pro-Communist pope, but with a difference. Again, the following is taken from Satan’s Seat:[10] “John Paul II, while pro-Marxist, was not pro-Moscow. He believed in a version of Communism controlled from the Vatican, not Moscow…. on the one hand, he brought the US and the Vatican together again for the first time since Pius XII; on the other hand, he continued to promote Marxism – the Vatican’s own brand.
“He began to travel all over the world, more so than any pope before him. And wherever he went, he promoted Liberation Theology.
“In 1986, John Paul II said that Liberation Theology… was a necessary part of the ‘Church’s’ political thought….[11] he justified ‘Catholic-Communism’, but opposed Moscow-controlled, atheistic Communism.”
Second, John Paul II was a religiously deceptive pope. Not only did he tirelessly push the Vatican’s ecumenical agenda, constantly seeking to do all in his power to bring the Protestants under Rome’s control, but he went even further and worked for the “unity” of all kinds of religions under Rome as well! As documented in Satan’s Seat,[12] he met with Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, and Jewish religious leaders, and participated in various interfaith services with them. In 1986 he even presided over an interfaith day of prayer, a veritable religious Babel. He was utterly committed to the idea that the Roman Papacy should rule over the whole world, and that all religions and religious institutions should submit to it.
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| John Paul II Kisses Koran |
And then thirdly: when the worldwide priestly sex scandals broke in the latter years of his pontificate, John Paul II did nothing to halt them, did much to cover them up, and did very little for the victims – and these facts were vociferously raised by groups representing the victims of the abuse at the hands of priests, who attended the canonisation to protest the entire charade. One such group, the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (known as SNAP), with 18000 members in 79 countries, declared that canonising John Paul II was like “pouring salt into an open wound.” Nicky Davis, one of the tens of thousands who had been abused, said at a briefing: “We were abused because John Paul II didn’t act. We don’t believe it is saintly behavior to allow child abuse to continue for 27 years.”[13] And SNAP president, Barbara Blaine, said: “There is irrefutable documentary evidence to show that John Paul II refused to take action that would have protected children during his 27-year papacy. Thousands of victims were abused because John Paul refused to read the reports he was receiving.”[14]
He staunchly protected predator-priests. “One of John Paul’s great shames was giving Vatican sanctuary to Cardinal Bernard Law, a horrendous enabler of child abuse who resigned in disgrace in 2002 as archbishop of Boston. Another unforgivable breach was the pope’s stubborn defense of the dastardly Mexican priest Marcial Maciel Degollado, a pedophile, womanizer, embezzler and drug addict…. [who] serially abused adolescent seminarians, some as young as 12, and had several children with at least two women. His sons also claimed he abused them.”[15]
It has been well said by one writer, a Roman Catholic herself: “John Paul may be a revolutionary figure in the history of the church, but a man who looked away in a moral crisis cannot be described as a saint. When the church elevates him, it is winking at the hell it caused for so many children and young people in its care. A big holy wink.”[16]
A massive cover-up of priestly sexual abuse by John Paul II. And now another pope (Francis I) has made this man a “saint”. Which amounts to a second massive cover-up. And now, sexual-predator priests can, if they are so inclined, pray to the pope who did nothing to stop the abuse and much to allow it to continue!
Again we ask: was, then, this man, John Paul II, really good? No; he was anything but a good man. He was, during his term of office, the biblical Antichrist for that time, just as every pope is (2 Thess. 2:1-12); and he was a deceptive, cunning, evil man, who, far from going straight to heaven when he died, did not go to any imaginary purgatory either, but went straight to hell, just like every pope of Rome before him and since.
The “Miracles” Attributed to the Two Popes
In order for any Roman Catholic, even a pope, to be canonised, two miracles have to be attributed to him after his death. However, in John XXIII’s case Francis decided to waive the second miracle required and settle for just one. This indicates a decidedly unseemly haste to push this pope to “sainthood”. Clearly it was felt that as half a century had gone by since his death and no second miracle had been forthcoming, it might be necessary to wait another half a century without any guarantee that there would be another even then, and it was felt more important to proceed with his canonisation than to wait for some claim of a miracle that may or may not occur. And so, as it has so often done in a thousand and one different situations, Rome waived the rule.
One might also ask: if in truth, as Papists believe, a pope is the Vicar of Christ on earth, “God on earth”, “Jesus Christ Himself hidden under the veil of flesh” (to give just a few of the many blasphemous titles that have been bestowed on popes), surely just one miracle would be enough?
So what was the single “miracle” attributed to John XXIII? Caterina Capitani, a Neapolitan nun who, it has been reported, had endured 14 surgeries for a gastric haemorrhage, was “inexplicably healed” after relics from John XXIII were placed on the fistula on her abdomen. Thereafter she claimed she saw a vision of John XXIII in her sickroom as she lay dying, and he told her to get up, for she was healed. “I’m hungry, I want to eat,” she kept saying, even though all she ate would just come out of the fistula in her abdomen. She kept repeating, “Pope John told me the wound is healed.”[17] Many doctors – at least so we are told – apparently agreed that there was no medical explanation for her healing.
Many people, especially Roman Catholics but also many “Protestant” Pentecostals and Charismatics, are quick to believe such claims as genuine, regardless of what the Bible says. This is absolutely tragic. Firstly, it is nothing but forbidden occultism to lay “relics” on someone so that they may be healed. This is the use of what are called charms, supposed “magic objects” possessing supposed healing powers, and charming of any kind is forbidden in God’s Word (Deut. 18:11). Secondly, in biblical times men occasionally had visions of the Lord Himself, who spoke to them; but the Lord never sent dead people to anyone in a vision, and nor does He do so now. Contact with the dead is strictly forbidden in His Word. Some point to the dead Samuel who supposedly appeared to King Saul when a witch, a spiritualist medium, called him up; but this was not Samuel, it was a demon impersonating him, as the entire account in Scripture makes clear (1 Sam. 28). If this poor benighted nun really did experience a visitation from the spiritual realm, it was not the dead John XXIII who came to her, but a demon masquerading as John!
Thirdly, just as in Pentecostal/Charismatic circles there are any number of claims about spurious miraculous “healings” supposedly verified by doctors, so it is in Roman Catholic circles as well. In this particular case, either there is a perfectly natural explanation, or it was all an elaborate hoax – which is far more common than many realise. Only one thing is certain, and we say it with absolute conviction based on what the Word of God teaches: the dead John XXIII is in hell, and cannot – cannot – cannot return to this world and heal the sick! The very idea is outright necromancy dressed up as “Christianity.” It is not Christian, it is utter heathenism. We may not always know what actually happened, but we can with certainty know what did not happen.
In John Paul II’s case, there were two supposed “healings”. The first was the apparent healing, after prayer, of a French nun, Marie Simon-Pierre, who had Parkinson’s disease. As for the second “miracle”, this was the supposed healing of a woman with a cerebral aneurism. Floribet Mora Diaz, from Costa Rica, was told by doctors that she had a month to live. She said that when she heard this, “I held God’s hand tightly, praying for the intercession of John Paul II.”[18] Note how she prayed for the intercession of the dead pope! This is Roman Catholic prayer, and it is an abomination before God. It is not a looking by true faith to the true God, through the mediation of His Son Jesus Christ, and a trust in Christ’s intercession for His people; it is rather a looking, by spurious faith, to the Roman Catholic god, and to dead Roman Catholics to intercede with the Roman Catholic god. She continued: “He had not been beatified yet, although I always thought John Paul II was a Saint – not just now that he is going to be canonized. While he was alive I considered him a Saint, always, he was such a special person.”
When she watched the beatification ceremony of John Paul II on TV in her home (beatification is a step on the road to canonisation), she fell asleep on the sofa holding a magazine with his photo on the cover. She continued: “I heard a voice in my room that said to me: ‘get up,’ and a second time, ‘get up and don’t be afraid.’ There was a magazine there which had a photo of John Paul II on the cover and I saw the Pope’s hands jut out. Then I got out of bed, without fear, without agony, with an incredible peace, knowing that I was cured.” The tragedy in all of this is that this poor deluded Roman Catholic woman experienced a demonic deception. It was not the dead John Paul II who spoke to her in her room that night. The dead do not, and indeed cannot, contact the living (Lk. 16:27-31). The Lord’s elect are in heaven, the rest are in hell. The Roman Antichrist, John Paul II, being, as all popes are, “the son of perdition” (2 Thess. 2:3), is in hell. No, if Floribet Mora Diaz heard a voice that night, it was a demonic delusion. It was the same kind of demonic delusion that occurs in spiritualist séances. It was a devil impersonating a dead man.
She continued: “For my part, I was sure of my immediate cure…. It was only seen six months later when I had the magnetic resonance done. I remember… the astonishment on the doctor’s face, running from one side to another to ensure that they were the correct emanations…. he said that a woman who had the cerebral impact that I had suffered couldn’t be well. I said to him: ‘I know I am cured. I am cured through the intercession of John Paul II.’” She was later seen by several neurologists in Costa Rica, and said she laughed when they said to her, “Woman, who told you that you had an aneurism?” When news of her “healing” reached the Vatican, she was rushed to Rome and hospitalised – significantly, at a “Church”-affiliated hospital there – and examined by various neurologists, doubtless most, if not all of them, being Roman Catholics. They declared, unsurprisingly, that they could not explain what had happened medically.
But the full truth has not been told – not by the Vatican, at any rate. The fact is, “surviving brain aneurisms is not exactly miraculous. According to the Brain Aneurism Foundation the mortality rate is around 40 percent.”[19] This means 60 percent recover. This woman was one of them. It’s as simple as that.
The Canonisation Ceremony: Relics and Reasons
And so, on the day of the canonisation, in front of over half a million pilgrims, the present Roman Antichrist, Francis I, at a mass also attended by the previous and retired Roman Antichrist, Benedict XVI, proclaimed that two previous – and dead – Roman Antichrists, John Paul II and John XXIII, were now “saints”. “We declare and define Blessed John XXIII and John Paul II to be saints and we enrol them among the saints,” said Francis in his formal Latin proclamation, “decreeing that they are to be venerated as such by the whole Church.” What utter arrogance. Based on nothing but spurious “miracles”, this wicked man “declares and defines” who is in heaven – and then tells his duped followers to “venerate” them. And by “venerate” he means treat them as gods; as divine beings who are able to answer prayers. This is calling for an act of worship to be given to men in hell. And they call this “Christian”. It is the devil’s masterpiece, the most abominable and vile religion ever invented, for it is heathenism masquerading as Christianity. And over a billion people alive today have been deceived by it, not to mention the billions now in hell who were deceived by it through the centuries, as they skipped down that broad way that leads to destruction (Matt. 7:13), all the while convinced they were Christians.
Relics of each man were placed near the altar for the canonisation. Relics? Yes, another of Popery’s gruesome teachings, taken straight out of ancient heathenism, for relic-worship was practiced in Egypt, Greece, etc. Popery, aping the heathens of old, teaches that not just the souls, but also the bodies of dead “saints” should be worshipped as well! This is how the Council of Trent put it: “The sacred bodies of the holy martyrs and of other saints living with Christ… should also be venerated by the faithful. Through them many benefits are granted to men by God.”[20] The worship of such relics has been a grisly and revolting aspect of the Papal religion for centuries, involving such things as (supposedly) toenail parings from “Saint” Edmund, some fat from the body of “Saint” Lawrence when he was burned alive, a sweat-soaked vest of Pius IX, the diapers of the baby Jesus (this is revolting enough, but the next one exceeds them all), and butter and cheese supposedly made from Mary’s milk (yes, you read correctly!), to name just a few.
Many might naively assume that such things are “relics” (excuse the pun) of the dark ages; but no – they are still very much a part of Rome’s religious worship. And for the canonisation of the two popes, Rome trotted out a couple of real beauties, giving the entire canonisation process the appearance of some barbaric heathen ritual (as indeed it was): a container of blood from John Paul II, extracted when he died, and a sliver of skin from John XXIII, which was cut off his body when he was exhumed in 2000! Truly, this is a religion of the dead, of tombs and bones and bits of cadavers. Its fascination with such things is emblematic of the spiritually dead state of its members. What superstitious heathenism!
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| Pope Benedict XVI kisses the glass reliquary containing the blood of late Pope John Paul II. |
At the canonisation Francis said that the two popes “co-operated with the Holy Spirit in renewing and updating the Church in keeping with her pristine features”.[21] The blessed Holy Spirit does not work with Antichrist, and He does not renew the Papal religion which is not a true Christian church in any sense; as for her “pristine features”, this would just be laughable if it was not so tragic, with such dire eternal consequences for so many multiplied millions of souls.
Francis said: “In convening the Council [Vatican II], John XXIII showed an exquisite openness to the Holy Spirit. He let himself be led and was for the Church a pastor, a servant-leader. This was his great service to the Church.” We have seen the truth about John XXIII. It was not the Holy Spirit who led him, but the spirit of Antichrist (1 Jn. 4:3).
Francis then said: “John Paul II was the pope of the family. From his place in heaven he guides and sustains”. Interesting that Francis should call this man “the pope of the family,” considering how he did nothing to protect innocent children from predator-priests. But in this way the real truth about the man disappears behind the nice-sounding phrase applied to him by Francis the wily Jesuit. Yet another Papal cover-up! How adept Roman popes have been at covering up unpalatable facts! How subtle (with the subtlety of the serpent).
And again, note the trust in the guidance of a dead human being supposedly sitting in heaven.
The question is: why this historic double canonisation, and why now?
Francis I, the Jesuit pope, is no fool. He knows that he came to power at a time of unprecedented global outrage and disgust against the Roman Catholic institution because of its vast priestly sex abuse scandals. He knew, therefore, that he needed to do something to re-ignite an aura of sanctity and “holiness” around the Papacy. And what better way to do it than to create two new “saints”? He knew that as accusations and revelations build up against John Paul II for his failure to act on the sexual abuse of children by his priests, by making the man a “saint” it immediately swings hundreds of millions of devout Roman Catholics in a completely new direction. “If,” they will reason, “our beloved pope, Francis I, has accepted that John Paul II has performed miracles of healing from beyond the grave, how can he possibly be guilty of the cover-up he is being accused of? Francis has solemnly proclaimed that John Paul II is in heaven, having been of such a saintly character that he avoided purgatory and entered immediately into the presence of Christ, where he has already answered the prayers of very sick people and healed them. These people, then, who are accusing him of being complicit in the cover-ups of thousands of cases of sexual abuse of children by priests must be evil people to even try to tarnish the name of such a holy man! It just can’t be true.”
Furthermore, the fact that Francis I has canonised two popes who were fervently pro-Marxist, fervently in favour of the wedding of Roman Catholicism to radical Communist politics and “social justice” causes, – just as Francis himself is – is because he knows that this canonisation will give a massive boost to his own agenda for the religio-political institution he now heads up.
Yes, any way one looks at it, this double canonisation is good for the Papacy. And that is the bottom line. Always.
And finally…
Many will see this as just a bizarre coincidence. But to those given eyes to see and ears to hear, it surely speaks of something more. God is not mocked. Just days before the two popes of Rome were canonised, an Italian man was crushed to death when a giant crucifix fell on him. It was 100 feet high, with a 20 foot-high image of Christ attached to it. The massive structure bowed and bent downwards, and was held in place by steel cables. Yet those cables were not enough to prevent the tragedy. The man was posing for a photograph with a group of friends in front of the crucifix when it suddenly collapsed.
It is astounding enough that such a structure should collapse at all, and just at that moment. But there’s more: the crucifix was dedicated to John Paul II, and also – the street where the man lived was named Via Papa Giovanni XXIII, which means: Pope John XXIII Street!
This fact caused even secular journalists and others to feel uneasy… and to wonder. As one writer put it: “With all the talk of miracles, relics and saints, one might also look at omens, too, ahead of [the] grand event.”[22] The true Christian, of course, would see in this the hand of God. That crucifix could have fallen on any one of the thousands of people who must have stood under it. But it didn’t. That crucifix, dedicated to John Paul II, fell on that man. A man who lived in Pope John XXIII Street. There are no coincidences with God. What a clear sign of divine displeasure!
An image, an idol, of the Philistine god Dagon fell on its face before the ark of the Lord (1 Sam. 5:2-4), for “the hand of the Lord was heavy upon them” (v.6). And this image, this idol, of Roman Catholic worship, dedicated to one of the god-men of Romanism, a man of whom it could truthfully be said, when he was alive (as it can of every pope of Rome), that he “opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God” (2 Thess. 2:4), fell over just days before this same man, deified in life, was about to be further deified in death. This image of the Roman Catholic “christ”, dedicated to a man who claimed to be Christ on earth, fell down because the true Christ of God, the antitypical Ark, is infinitely above all such idolatry, and He it is who governs the world and displays His power before men! And the day is not too far off when all the idols of Romanism will fall before the almighty Christ of God! Truly, truly, the hand of the Lord is heavy upon the entire Papal system!
But another portion of God’s Word is very relevant here also: Jesus said, “those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish” (Lk. 13:4,5). That young man on whom the giant crucifix fell, killing him: was he a sinner above other men? No; in the providence of God his death occurred beneath that giant symbol of idolatry, and truly the sovereign Lord displayed His displeasure at the idolatry of the Papal system thereby; but this does not mean that young man was a greater sinner than anyone else; for all men must die, and there are many ways in which death occurs. But unless men and women repent, they shall perish as well. They shall die in their sins and sink into hell for eternity.
God has sent strong delusion to the followers of Antichrist, and they have believed a lie instead of the truth of God; and those who believe not His truth will be damned (2 Thess. 2:11,12). Truly, of the Roman Antichrist it is written that his “coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders [yes, even the lying wonder of creating prayer-answering god-men in heaven!], and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved” (2 Thess. 2:9,10). O then, make sure that you have received the love of the truth! Make sure that you have believed the truth, the truth of Christ as revealed in His Gospel, and not the lie of Antichrist!
May 2014
Shaun Willcock is a minister of the Gospel. He runs Bible
Based Ministries. For other articles (which may be downloaded and
printed), as well as details about his books, audio messages, pamphlets, etc.,
please visit the Bible Based Ministries website; or write to the address
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[2]. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, para. 828. Paulines Publications Africa, Kenya, and Mambo Press, Zimbabwe, 1994.
[3]. Satan’s Seat, by Shaun Willcock, pgs. 47-8. Bible Based Ministries, Fifth Edition 2013. www.biblebasedministries.co.uk.
[4]. The Vatican Moscow Washington Alliance, by Avro Manhattan, pgs. 77-79. Chick Publications, 1983.
[5]. The Vatican Moscow Washington Alliance, pg. 83.
[6]. The Vatican Moscow Washington Alliance, pgs. 136-152.
[7]. The Vatican Moscow Washington Alliance, pg. 156.
[8]. Satan’s Seat, pgs.48-9.
[9]. The Documents of Vatican II, pg. 344.
[10]. Satan’s Seat, pg. 52.
[11]. The Southern Cross, April 6, 1986.
[12]. Satan’s Seat, pgs. 52-58.
[13]. Popes, Saints, Miracles, Weird Relics and Odd Omens Converge on Rome, April 26, 2014. The Daily Beast, www.thedailybeast.com.
[14]. Pope John Paul II Was No Saint But Man Who Covered Up Sin, 25 April 2014. The Telegraph, www.telegraph.co.uk.
[15]. A Saint, He Ain’t.
[16]. A Saint, He Ain’t.
[17]. Popes, Saints, Miracles, Weird Relics and Odd Omens Converge on Rome.
[18]. I Heard John Paul II Say to Me, “Get Up and Don’t Be Afraid,” April 25, 2014. Zenit.org.
[19]. Popes, Saints, Miracles, Weird Relics and Odd Omens Converge on Rome.
[20]. The Christian Faith in the Doctrinal Documents of the Catholic Church, pg. 362, para. 1256. Collins Liturgical Publications, London, 1986.
[21]. John Paul II, John XXIII Canonized, April 27, 2014. Zenit.org.
[22]. Popes, Saints, Miracles, Weird Relics and Odd Omens Converge on Rome.
