Pope Calls On Europe To:
“Revive Its Roots”
Back in July 2005 catholicnewsagency.com reported the following:
“Speaking before yesterday’s Angelus prayer to a group of some 8,000 pilgrims in Les Combes, in Italy’s Valle d’Aosta, where he is vacationing, the Pope recalled Europe’s deeply Christian roots and challenged the continent to return to them.
Benedict then turned to the pilgrimage made by ‘Servant of God’ John Paul II in 1982 to Santiago de Compostela, where he performed a solemn ‘European act’ during which he pronounced these memorable words:
‘I, bishop of Rome and pastor of the Universal Church, from Santiago, address to you, old Europe, a cry full of love:
Return to yourself!
Be yourself!
Discover your origins.
Revive your roots.
Experience again those authentic values that made your history glorious and your presence in other continents beneficial.’”
(catholicnewsagency.com)
The Unchanged Catholic View On Europe
Back in 1982, Pope John Paul ll had told Europe to “revive its roots”. “Experience again those authentic values that made your history glorious and your presence in other continents beneficial.”
Over 30 years later, the message from Pope Francis was very similar:
2014: “Pope Francis has criticized Europe… ‘Europe is tired. We have to help rejuvenate it, to find its roots. It’s true: IT HAS DISOWNED ITS ROOTS. But we need to help it find them.’” (rt.com)
The message that he is sending out is that unity can be achieved - only through the Catholic Church.
The roots to which he refers are the roots of the Holy Roman Empire (554-1814 AD).
The ‘Roots’ And ‘Authentic Values’ Of The Roman Catholic Church
The Pope is referring back to the time of the Holy Roman Empire - a time when Catholicism ruled much of the world. Doctrine was imposed. Those who did not obey were branded as heretics - and handed over to the civil authorities for punishment - which was usually severe!
The Period Of The Inquisitions
Between the years 325-1800 AD there were various ‘Inquisitions’ in several countries. It is difficult to obtain an accurate figure of those who were exterminated – the low end of the scale is around 50 million – with other estimates of over 100 million. While the Jews seem to have been a special target – the Roman Catholic Church HAD THE CIVIL AUTHORITIES murder anyone who went against the teaching of the Church.
We understand from Prophecy that there will shortly be another great Inquisition – the Bible refers to it as the Great Tribulation (Matthew 24:21) – when once again many will be killed for going against the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church (Revelation 6:9-11).
The Roman Catholic Church is headed back to its “authentic values”!
We have been warned…
Roman Catholic ‘Roots’
Mr Armstrong explains:
“So here we have pictured a government – a RELIGIOUS government – appearing as CHRIST’S government, masquerading as the KINGDOM OF GOD, actually ruling the civil Roman Empire, after AD 554. Was there such a government? Indeed there was! And only one!
Prior to 554, Justinian had written a letter to the pope, acknowledging his supremacy in the West. And when he restored the empire in the West in 554, the popes dominated the Western Empire from Rome. The Roman Empire, thus restored to continue until 1814 (1260 years), became known later as ‘The HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE.’
We read in history that the popes were accepted as the ‘Vicars of Christ,’ which means ‘IN PLACE OF Christ.’ The teaching was that the Second Coming of Christ had occurred – Christ had returned to earth, as king of kings and as lord of lords, in the person of the popes. The millennium had begun.
For the entire 1260 years, the emperors accepted the popes as such, ruling the nations with a ‘rod of iron’ as Christ is to do WHEN He really comes. CONSEQUENTLY THEY ACKNOWLEDGED THE SUPREME RELIGIOUS POWER OF THE POPES.
The Church was organized as a GOVERNMENT – as a dual, two-fold government (symbolized by its two horns or kingdoms – for ‘horns’ symbolize kingdoms also – see Daniel 7:24). It embodied CHURCH government, and it also was a STATE, or civil government, always occupying a certain amount of territory over which it, alone, ruled as an independent sovereign state – in addition to actually ruling over the vast civil kingdom called the Holy Roman Empire.
Even today, it is a separate, independent, sovereign state. Most nations send ambassadors to the Vatican, just as they do to the United States, or to Italy, Britain or the USSR [now Russia].” (Who Is The Beast)
2025: The Catholic Way To Peace
Pope Leo: “Shared Christian values can be a light that helps to seek peace, defend life, and pursue genuine religious freedom.” (thegatewaypundit.com)
Pope Leo: “Religious freedom is not merely a legal right or a privilege granted to us by governments; it is a foundational condition that makes authentic reconciliation possible. Indeed, as my venerable predecessor observed, ‘there can be no peace without freedom of religion, freedom of thought, freedom of expression and respect for the views of others’ (Francis, Urbi Et Orbi, 20 April 2025). For this reason, the Catholic Church has always defended religious freedom for all people.” (catholicnewsworld.com)
Pope Leo’s Whopping Lie On Religious Freedom
“We all know how Pope Francis lied about the safety and efficacy of the vaccine, masks, and lockdowns during the COVID-19 scamdemic. Francis and Leo both peddle scary fairy tales about climate change and soothing bedtime stories about the benefits of mass migration. Popes and bishops lie like a broken record with a crack like the Grand Canyon when protecting predator priests. And they lie about Islam being a ‘religion of peace’… Leo isn’t lying about the Catholic Church always defending religious freedom for all people. He is guilty of merely parroting a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious terminological inexactitude… Winston Churchill is credited with coining the exquisite euphemism for a ‘lie,’ ie, a ‘terminological inexactitude’.
On October 10, Pope Leo XIV spouted a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious fib while addressing a delegation of Aid to the Church in Need International on the topic of religious freedom.
The pontiff argued that ‘the right to religious freedom is not optional but essential’ because it ‘allows individuals and communities to seek the truth, to live it freely, and to bear witness to it openly.’
The Grand Panjandrum of Catholicism then gloriously gaslighted his audience, bombastically bragging: ‘For this reason, the Catholic Church has always defended religious freedom for all people.’ WHAT A LEVIATHAN OF A LIE!
Leo wasn’t making this grandiloquent claim as Bob, the village oaf. Leo is the global CEO of 1.8 billion Catholics. He’s got a doctorate. He was a diocesan bishop, superior general of the Augustinian Order, and prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops. And yet he asserts that the Roman Church has always defended religious freedom?
Leo’s crock is particularly egregious given the long and brutal history of Rome’s persecution against religious dissidents — Jews, Lollards, Hussites, Waldensians, Albigensians (Cathars), Protestants, Huguenots, Anabaptists, etc. Sure, there were times when Protestants returned the favour and persecuted Catholics — a good example is Queen Elizabeth I. But it would be fair to say that until the promulgation of Dignitatis Humanae, the Second Vatican Council’s decree on religious freedom, Rome was almost always an enemy of religious freedom rather than its friend.” (stream.org)
Pope Says Trump Is Trying To ‘Break Apart’ Europe-US Alliance
“Pope Leo criticised President Trump’s Ukraine peace plan, saying parts of it create a ‘huge change’ for the US-Europe alliance. When asked by a reporter, ‘Will you please let us know what you think of the Trump peace plan for Ukraine, do you think it’s fair?’
(Transcript of video speech) Pope: ‘I would rather not comment on it, I haven’t read the whole thing. I think that unfortunately some parts of it that I have seen make a huge change in what was for many many years a true alliance between Europe and the United States, that the remarks made about Europe recently are trying to break apart but it needs to be a very important alliance in the future.” (news.sky.com)
Pope Leo Chastises Trump
“Pope Leo XIV has insisted that Europe must play a central role in any Ukraine peace agreement, whilst launching a sharp rebuke at the Trump administration for what he described as attempts to ‘break apart’ the historic transatlantic alliance. ‘Seeking a peace agreement without including Europe in the talks is unrealistic, given the war is in Europe,’ he stated. But I think there is a great opportunity for European leaders to unite and seek a solution together.” (express.co.uk)
Pope Leo Calls For Dialogue
“Leo, who was elected in May, has followed in the footsteps of his late predecessor, Francis, in repeatedly calling for an end to the war in Ukraine and at one point suggested he could host peace talks. The offer was never taken up.” (jpost.com)
Note The Direction Of The Catholic Church
The goal of the Roman Catholic Church has always involved world government!
“Pope Calls On Europe To ‘Revive Its Roots’”
“Discover your origins”.
“Experience again those authentic values that made your history glorious”
“…The Roman Church has always defended religious freedom”
“Pope Leo Chastises Trump…”
“Seeking a peace agreement without including Europe in the talks is unrealistic…”
“…A great opportunity FOR EUROPEAN LEADERS TO UNITE and seek a solution together”
“…Suggested HE COULD HOST PEACE TALKS.”
A New Kind Of Politics
In God’s Name: The Rise Of Weaponised Christianity
“Across the West, political leaders are enlisting the cross as a tribal marker. The Feast of the Immaculate Conception is something even Catholics get confused about. But what’s even more confusing is to have a lengthy greeting to mark this obscure festival from the not remotely Catholic Donald J Trump, ending in a heartfelt Hail Mary. The first ever presidential greeting of its kind.
You might think, after such an overture, the new Pope would have some warm words in return. Instead Leo XIV has been expressing dismay at Trump’s recent national security strategy. This came a few weeks after the US Conference of Catholic Bishops — hardly a radical body — issued their first ‘special message’ in 12 years saying they were ‘saddened by the state of contemporary debate and the vilification of immigrants’. No prizes for guessing their target.
So here we have an odd spectacle. A president who is not Catholic issuing the most Catholic-friendly statement in White House history. A pope who is American — the first ever — being almost hostile towards him. And a faultline running through the church itself: between those who see Trump’s cultural overtures as a welcome gesture and those who see a faith being conscripted into a political project it should resist. Not just here, but world over.
It was Hungary’s Viktor Orban who first got this going, saying globalists would corrupt the ‘cultural subsoil’ of Christian Europe by importing ‘people from new ethnic groups not rooted in Christian culture’.
Here was a new kind of politics: a worldview, a cause.
‘You are under attack,’ it says. ‘Fight back!’
‘Protect your Christian identity!’
It was a potent brew that soon had Czech, Polish and Estonian imitators. Nationalism has been giving way to what you might call ‘civilisationalism’: A NEW IDEA FOR OUR TIMES.” (thetimes.com)
The End Time Crisis
“Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.” (Amos 3:7)
The Formation Of The Medieval Holy Roman Empire
“…I can see now the event that is going to trigger THE FORMATION OF THE MEDIEVAL HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE… I believe that some event is going to happen suddenly just like out of a blue sky…
WHEN THE FINANCIAL STRUCTURE BREAKS DOWN, ALL CIVILIZATION IS GOING TO BREAK DOWN.” (Sermon - 7 July 1984)
Revise The Lessons Of History
Back in 2013, Europe was struggling with financial problems. When there’s a crisis, all roads lead to Rome.
May 16th, 2013: “Pope Francis has called on world leaders to end the ‘cult of money’ and to do more for the poor, in his first major speech on the financial crisis.” (telegraph.co.uk)
Just 2 days later…
On May 18th 2013: “German Chancellor Angela Merkel flew to Rome to meet Pope Francis just days after he made a speech calling for financial reform.” (euronews.net)
A few years later in 2017, in another crisis:
“Friday 24th March, 2017: 27 leaders of the EU go to Rome for guidance because the EU is in danger of falling apart!
They are looking to the Pope to ‘provide leadership that politicians miss’ as he is the only leader that ’has the skills and the vision to say things that transcend the obvious…’
It looks like the ‘woman’ - the great false church - is beginning to ‘ride’ - to control – the ‘Beast’!” (euroactiv.com)
End Time Chaos
With the financial system broken, banks close, trade stops …the whole world will be in upheaval, civilisation will start to break down…
The last major financial crisis (2017) saw European leaders go to the Vatican for help - will history repeat?
The Arab/Muslim confederation will attack Europe (Daniel 11:40)…
Somewhere in amongst all this, the Jews start the morning and evening sacrifices.
The Beast’s army roars down into the Middle East, all but Turkey and Jordan taken over (Daniel 11:40)…
The sacrifices are stopped and the Holy Roman Empire sets up its headquarters in Jerusalem (Daniel 11:31 , 45)…
Then the great tribulation begins (Daniel 12:1)…
With Britain and the US conquered (The United States And Britain In Prophecy)…
It seems that all these events and more all occur in a very short space of time - we need to be watching!
Unam Sanctam
“November 18th, 1302: Unam Sanctam is one of the most frightening documents of history and the one most quoted as THE PRIMARY DOCUMENT OF THE POPES CLAIMING THEIR GLOBAL POWER. It is an express trust deed.
The last line reads: ‘Furthermore, we declare, we proclaim, we define that it is absolutely necessary for salvation that every human creature be subject to the Roman Pontiff.’
It is not only the first trust deed in history but also the largest trust ever conceived, as it claims the whole planet and everything on it, conveyed in trust.” (linkedin.com)
We need to understand how the Roman Catholic Church thinks. What many will not realise is that it teaches that to gain salvation a person MUST be subject to the Roman Pontiff, as the previous article points out, but where did the quote originate?
Pope Boniface VIII: 1294-1303
“Pope Boniface is probably the only Pope in history to admit that HE DIDN’T EVEN BELIEVE IN GOD, and declared himself an atheist. He was described in the catholic encyclopaedia as ‘scarcely any possible crime omitted – heresy, gross and unnatural immorality, idolatry, magic, simony…
HIS WHOLE PONTIFICATE WAS ONE RECORD OF EVIL.’
Boniface tried to make himself the most powerful man in the world and released a Papal Bull which declared that everyone was subordinate to him even kings, it said ‘Now, therefore, we declare, say, determine and pronounce that for every human creature it is necessary for salvation to be subject to the authority of the Roman pontiff.’” (eskify.com)
“The genuineness of the Bull is absolutely established by the entry of it in the official registers of the papal Briefs, and ITS INCORPORATION IN THE CANON LAW.” (catholic.com)
April 29th 1945 - Unam Sanctam in Action
Excerpts from The Plain Truth Magazine, December 1948:
“NOW it Can Be Told! …Behind the scenes at the San Francisco Conference!
[Here is part of a report by Mr Armstrong as he attended the San Francisco conference at the founding of the United Nations.]
“The Catholic hierarchy was well aware that the United Nations conference was producing nothing but strife and bickering, and was destined from its inception to end in total failure. Yet world leaders were pronouncing it THE WORLD’S LAST HOPE – with the only alternative ANNIHILATION OF HUMANITY!
And in this solemn hour, amid the psychological build-up of this impressive service, this dynamic Catholic speaker with ringing voice offered these world politicians the LAST STRAW for their drowning nations to grab, when they should later see their world Organization sinking into oblivion.
Without divine help, he assured them, the United Nations structure is doomed to collapse. That divine aid was offered through the Roman Catholic Church. Without the guidance, supervision, authority of the Catholic Church, he told these men, they were laboring in vain. There could be only one appraisal of his sermon – IT WAS A MASTERPIECE!
…Only the Church Can Deliver Nations from Chaos
…He thundered to them the text, ‘EXCEPT THE LORD BUILD THE HOUSE, THEY LABOR IN VAIN THAT BUILD IT.’ Here were these nations at San Francisco trying to build a great world structure WITHOUT GOD – WITHOUT THE CATHOLIC CHURCH! It was doomed to failure, he warned them, as long as they left GOD out of it!
…And what this powerful speaker dangled before these world leaders was the straw a drowning Europe is expected to grab when they see, as they will, that the United Nations has failed them!
This was the Roman Catholic bid to resurrect the so-called
‘Holy Roman Empire’!
And PROPHECY says they will succeed!”
(The Plain Truth, December 1948)
Their Message Is Unchanged:
Europe must “Revive Its Roots” and “experience again those “authentic values” that made their history glorious”
“It is absolutely necessary for salvation that every human creature be subject to the Roman Pontiff.”
As the situation becomes more desperate … “Only the Catholic Church Can Deliver Nations from Chaos”
…But So Is God's!
“And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.
And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful." (Revelation 17:1-2, 12-14)
The Spirit of World War III
"And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword." ( Revelation 6:4)
A Yearning Wish
As we find ourselves in a world on the brink of World War III – surely a war to end ALL wars! – we are also witnessing mankind's abject failure to bring peace to war-torn regions. Just four days after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 the first of many peace talks were initiated, but those two nations are no closer to resolving their differences than they were at the beginning – and possibly further away still. These abortive "peace deal" attempts reminded me of an interview I heard on Sky News back in April 2018. It was an observation made by Russia's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Vladimirovna Zakharova, discussing the Russian view of the then impending airstrikes. The full interview can be seen here, and these are her comments that struck me so forcibly:
(at 5:20 – 6:01) To the question, "If Russian blood is spilt, will American blood be spilt?", she replied: "I really don't want to even think about this because you know, I just want to remind you and myself and everybody who will watch this interview that we are living in 2018 we have all sorts of communications including Twitter and we can resolve all the questions like that (clicks her fingers) just by picking up the phone or just sending messages and I think that this is the case which should be resolved through the communication but not through force"
(at 15:40 - 16:20) In response to the statement, "some believe if certain circumstances occur that we are not far from a nuclear war", she replied: "I really, I just even don't want to talk about this thing. Just don't let me think about this. You know I just want to remind you one more time it's 2018 – it's not you know, the middle of the 20th century. We are at the beginning of the first quarter of the 21st-century. You know we are human beings, we can talk. If you and me can talk why people in charge of our security and international peace cannot talk, this is my question."
Seven years on from the above interview, our globe-girdling communication systems are even more sophisticated but that physical ability has NOT resolved all the warmongering. We are now closer to the "unless those days were shortened" scenario than ever before. But why?
The Missing Dimension in International Relations
- For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. (Ephesians 6:12)
At the close of World War II, just following the surrender of the Japanese on board the battleship Missouri in Tokyo Bay, the late General Douglas MacArthur put his finger on the only possible solution. He spoke these fateful words:
“Men since the beginning of time have sought peace. Various methods through the ages have been attempted to devise an international process to prevent or settle disputes between nations… Military alliances, balances of power, leagues of nations, all in turn failed, leaving the only path to be by way of the crucible of war. The utter destructiveness of war now blots out this alternative ... It must be of the spirit if we are to save the flesh” (Reminiscences, p. 459).
General MacArthur was exceptional in realising that the very core of the problem is spiritual, as Mr Armstrong explained in a Plain Truth article 45 years ago:
I have already mentioned how the intellectuals and scholarly of this world feel that, given sufficient KNOWLEDGE, human carnal MAN could solve all problems.
God let many generations of ancient Israel and Judah PROVE by hundreds of years of human experience, that the best of humanity, without God’s Holy Spirit CANNOT SOLVE HUMAN PROBLEMS AND EVILS!
I have spoken, during the past 10 years, to many heads of governments over Europe, Asia, Africa, South America. China, I believe the Communist heads of government believe that communism, once it gains control of the earth, will solve all problems and evils. But many kings, emperors, presidents and prime ministers I have conferred privately with now realize the problems are beyond human ability to solve. And this I said plainly to many leaders of the People’s Republic of China.
The problems and evils are of a spiritual nature. And a carnal mind without God’s Spirit cannot come to grips with spiritual problems. (PT - 1980-09 A Voice Cries Out Amid Religious Confusion)
Satan's Divisive Spirit
- Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. (Revelation 12:12)
There is also a vital feature of this spiritual dimension that the majority in the world tend to dismissively ridicule. That is the fact that we currently live in a world that is under the invisible sway of Satan the devil. Yes, there are a few that claim to be devil worshippers, but for the vast majority – particularly those that have taken the theory of evolution on board – the devil, the slanderer, has been thrown out along with the Creator God.
But scripture is very clear on this point – that his is the controlling spirit of the age – the "zeitgeist" – and that, as the god of this world, he aggressively broadcasts his INcoming and SELFish frame of mind to all mankind in the attitudes, moods and impulses of jealousy, envy, competition and strife, accusations, resentment and bitterness. As Mr. Armstrong explained in chapter 2 of Mystery of the Ages:
All the evils and troubles in the world are caused by minds clashing with minds. But what is the real cause of clashing of minds? Is there any connection between contentious attitudes and the unseen spirit world? It is a mystery to almost everybody, but the Bible reveals a very real but invisible world, another dimension, as some choose to call it existing along with our own, absolutely indiscernible to our five senses. It is the spirit world ...
... In Ephesians 6 it is stated that our contentions and strivings are in fact not with other human people, but against “principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness [evil spirits] in high places.”
How can this be? Why is the world filled with such clashings and contentions between human minds?
In Ephesians 2:2, humans have been walking “according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air [Satan], the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.” People simply do not realize that there is an invisible spirit power injecting into their minds these hostile attitudes. (Mystery of Angels and Evil Spirits )
This is the fundamental reason why there is such strife, resentment and aggression between so many nations in the world today – and why the world seems to stumble from one crisis to the next with so little true resolution to the problems faced. The same spiritual mindset that enticed our first parents to reject God's clear direction and instead take the determination of good and evil to themselves is alive and well today – thriving, in fact, and enticing the entire world to do the same. For each person's determination of what is right and wrong, good and evil, is different – leading to confrontation, and also inevitably to the third world war ... yes, and even beyond that ...
World War IV
- Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought:
- And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,
- To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land. (Ezeikiel 38:10-12)
That "the problems and evils are of a spiritual nature" is graphically illustrated by the time foretold in Revelation and the subsequent events: "And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison." (Revelation 20:7). Even after century upon century of peace and prosperity, it appears that outlying segments of the earth's population have not fully received God's spirit so that when Satan is loosed from his prison, once again the aggressive, competitive, militant and hostile spirit that brought mankind to the edge of total destruction is again ignited. Initially no doubt amongst each other, and then the hordes – it seems on horseback (v15) – turn on the land of unwalled villages.
There is a quote attributed to Professor Albert Einstein;"I do not know with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones". Yes, even though the most sophisticated weaponry would have been destroyed by this time following such a disastrous war, unless human nature changes, we'll still fight one another, with whatever materials we can get our aggrieved hands on, as per Cain killing Abel.
A Way of Life
- I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: (Deuteronomy 30:19)
We live in a world of incredible technological advancements, but the deadly conflict between Russia and Ukraine – and the aggravation between all human beings – has nothing to do with some technical fault in our comminication systems, but rather the decision made 6,000 years ago in the Garden of Eden. Having chosen to reject God's guidance and thus being cut off from His Holy Spirit, this world today simply does not have the spiritual resources to live a Way of life that will bring abiding peace. (Isaiah 59:8) But the question is, as God's begotten sons, are WE using that rare and priceless resource – the Tree of Life – available to so few? Are we utilising God's Spirit of peace – and rejecting the hostile, confrontational and argumentative spirit that is so prevalent in every level of today's society?
And more to the point, are we yet ready to TEACH that way of life to others? The Way which is destined to produce a full 1,000 years of utopian peace after Christ's return? For that is the monumental task that we have been placed within God's church to ultimately perform. This subject is that profound. As Mr. Armstrong wrote in one of his very last Good News articles ... "This is the Life, Real Abundant Living"... discussing the attitude WE should be exhibiting on a daily basis:
Here is the kind of attitude you will have. You will wish others to live their lives, too, up to their highest, their fullest, their best. You will be concerned for their welfare. You’ll try to help others every way you can, never to hurt or to injure.
You will never meddle. You will never dictate, interfere or give unwanted advice, or speak ill of, nor give gossip about others. Never will you go around griping, complaining and murmuring things that make you and others unhappy.
You will always be willing to help others by giving them a chance, and mainly you can help others by helping them to help themselves, by encouragement, by setting a good example, by thus inspiring and uplifting others, giving advice only when it’s welcomed, and when they want it and are willing to open their minds to receive it. (This is the Life, Real Abundant Living)
The thing we should all keep in mind, be it the current war of words between Russia, Ukraine, China, Japan etc etc – or simmering unspoken contention within a family or church setting, the incoming spirit is largely the same. As the book of James warns us about the use of our tongue:
- People can tame and already have tamed every kind of animal, bird, reptile, and fish.
- No one can tame the tongue, though. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
- With it we both bless the Lord and Father and curse human beings made in God's likeness.
- Blessing and cursing come from the same mouth. My brothers and sisters, it just shouldn't be this way!
- Both fresh water and salt water don't come from the same spring, do they?
- My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree produce olives? Can a grapevine produce figs? Of course not, and fresh water doesn't flow from a saltwater spring either. (James 3:7-12 CEB)
Christ our Role Model
- And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:
- And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
- And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. (Mark 12:29-31)
The One who gave us the Golden Rule clearly applied the principal Himself – providing us with an example of its implementation:
- And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem,
- And sent messengers before his face: and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him.
- And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem.
- And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?
- But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of.
- For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them. And they went to another village. (Luke 9:51-56)
So it is clear that in the two instances when He cleared the temple area, and His castigation of the Pharisees in Matthew 23 – each time His action still proceeded from the Spirit of God which He had without measure (John 3:34). In spite of being corrective, they were all done with the clear intent, attitude and direction of producing repentence and change. Never attempting to get revenge or hurt the other individual. (I Peter 2:21-23)
Millennial Utopia
- A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
- And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. (Ezekiel 36:26,27)
As mentioned on the United Nations website – referring to the sculpture gifted in 1959 (ironically) by the USSR:
The sculpture depicts the figure of a man, holding a hammer aloft in one hand and a sword in the other hand, hammering the sword into a ploughshare, a tool to till land for crops. This action symbolizes man’s desire to put an end to war and transform tools of destruction into tools to benefit mankind . The Book of Isaiah contains the following passage: "They shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more." (un.org)
There is more to bringing peace to a war-torn world than just figuratively beating swords into ploughshares. Just achieving a level of nuclear disarmament will not bring the peace mankind longs for. Not learning war any more involves much more than removing hydrogen bombs and the rockets to deliver them, for how could we rid the earth of Einstein's sticks and stones? As we have seen above, the reason we do not have peace is not a lack of at-our-fingertip technical resources to communicate one with another. But it's very much replacing the heart of stone with a heart of flesh, and making available to all God's Spirit of peace. The incoming, satanic attitude is what must be rooted out in order to build a peaceful millennial utopia – where none will be afraid. Such things must be dealt with first – so that the times of plenty and abundance can be enjoyed.
- Be not afraid, ye beasts of the field: for the pastures of the wilderness do spring, for the tree beareth her fruit, the fig tree and the vine do yield their strength.
- Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month.
- And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the fats shall overflow with wine and oil.
- And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you.
- And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed. (Joel 2:22-26)
Teacher Training Today
- Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. (Matthew 5:9)
And the time to learn about the spiritual dimension of any level of warfare is NOW – particularly in the fractured church environment in which we currently find ourselves. Christ tells us very plainly to "hold that fast which we have" (Revelation 3:11) at the same time as warning against, "smiting our fellow servants" (Matthew 24:49). We may not be lobbing missiles at one another, but the underlying spirit is the same – that of Satan's, who "was a murderer from the beginning", and gets others to do his dirty work! The key therefore appears to be to continue to hold fast to the truth, and possibly at times point out where others are off-track – but to do so very much in the spirit of genuine humility and love – "restoring such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted." (Galatians 6:1) As Christ Himself warns us against an unforgiving and accusatory approach to one another:
- Then said he unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come!
- It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.
- Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.
- And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him. (Luke 17:1-4)
At times, the disagreements can be quite severe – as they were between Paul and Barnabas regarding John Mark:
- And Barnabas determined to take with them John, whose surname was Mark.
- But Paul thought not good to take him with them, who departed from them from Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work.
- And the contention was so sharp between them, that they departed asunder one from the other: and so Barnabas took Mark, and sailed unto Cyprus; (Acts 15:37-39)
But this contention was not allowed to fester – instead it was rectified – something we can see later on when toward the end of his life, the apostle Paul instructed Timothy to, "Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry." (II Timothy 4:11) Clearly God's spirit was in evidence throughout, bringing about a peaceful solution to the former friction. And if in holding onto the truth we are indeed to be classed as, "Philadelphian" – a word that literally means brotherly love – it's vitally important that we learn to do the same.
- Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.
- Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.
- Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.
- Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.
- If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.
- Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
- Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.
- Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:14-21)
Latest Audio - 2025-12-13
“Just what is an APOSTLE?”
Today we find the Church of God in a “wilderness of religious confusion!”
The confusion is not merely around the Church – within the religions of the world outside – but WITHIN the very heart of The True Church itself!
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