THE POPE'S "HOLY CITY"

Imagine a train – a very long train - one that can carry many, many people and travel at a very high speed.  Imagine its conductor encouraging everyone to join the people on the train because its destination is a beautiful, wonderful place – a type of “holy city,” where problems and worries are few, and everything is fully provided for the people.  There, all will be treated with respect, consideration and equality.  It appears to be the nearest thing to perfection here on earth.  

 
Now imagine, after a while, the train beginning to go faster and faster on its way.  Uncomfortably fast.  It is soon apparent to those on the outside that this train is out of control and is headed for danger.  Disaster awaits as the train screams down the rails and will soon slip off the tracks and violently crash into something, bringing certain death and destruction to many.  But the passengers seem to be blissfully unaware of the danger, since they believe that they would soon arrive at their promised “holy city.”

 
The Pope’s Train 

This “train ride” and its destination is a metaphor for the type of government that Pope Francis is offering to the world.  But why is the pope’s train such a dangerous one?  It is because the “wonderful” place to which it is going – the place where he envisions an environment of peace, equality, social justice and fairness for all – is a Marxist/socialist/communist world... and he is not shy about it.  This is the train wreck, and it is moving quickly toward its goal, and it is unfortunate that so many are getting on board. 

  
In his first apostolic exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium [or EG] (translated “The Joy of the Gospel”), Pope Francis speaks of the New Jerusalem, the holy city of Revelation 21:2-4 and compares it with his concept of a “holy city” on earth (EG, paragraph 71). 

In this same document, Francis – a left-leaning pope – thought it necessary to insult capitalism (i.e., private ownership of goods; a “market economy”; limited government; free enterprise) and to extol the “virtues” of socialism.  The pontiff expresses his disdain for America’s capitalism and calls it “an economy of exclusion and inequality.”  He also says that “such an economy kills” (EG, paragraph 53), and he sees capitalism as a “new tyranny” (EG, paragraph 56).   To Pope Francis, capitalism is the enemy.  See here:

 
http://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20131124_evangelii-gaudium.html 

But according to one source, since the time of the Second Vatican Council, the enemy has been communism, not capitalism.  But “Francis says, the global economy needs more government control – an argument that would have been unthinkable for the pope just 50 years ago.”  See here:

 
https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/11/the-vaticans-journey-from-anti-communism-to-anti-capitalism/281874/ 

So why the drastic change?  Is there something special about the wisdom of this pope?  Or is he on some kind of revolutionary mission?  Someone once said that Pope Francis has a “divine mandate” to radically change our American politics.  It seems he would think so.

 
The pope apparently strongly favors the principles of Marxism/socialism, but the end result is communism, and communism will eventually enslave its followers!

 
There is Hope 

But according to at least one source: 

“The rise and development of capitalism has resulted in a massive decrease in global poverty.” 

And: 

“Wealth must first be created before it can be given to others.  Capitalism is the greatest wealth creator the world has ever seen, lifting billions of people out of abject poverty.” 

See this article: 

https://mises.org/wire/many-ways-pope-wrong-about-capitalism 

Capitalism, used correctly, and the biblical principles that go along with it, have made America the greatest nation on the face of the earth.  Why else would people from all over the world risk their lives to come here?  If it’s so bad here in America, why aren’t Americans fleeing from here by the thousands to go live in communistic countries like North Korea?  By the way, anyone (i.e., any non-criminal) is free to leave the United States of America at any time.  Can communist or socialist countries say the same to their citizens?

 

Just ask those who have lived in these “wonderful” socialist economies and see how much “fairness” and “justice” they enjoyed.  The respect, consideration, and “equality for everyone” that they were promised were never realized.  In fact, the only "equality" they received was equality as slaves. 

In fact, I would invite the whiners, the liberals and leftists, the freedom haters and the Constitution haters in America to follow through with their disapproval and leave.  Surely, you would be happier in a Marxist or socialist country, right?  Ok, so either feel free to leave, or quit bad-mouthing this country whose blessings and freedoms you are enjoying.  Quit being a hypocrite! 

And speaking of Marxist ideas, it is a little-known fact that the official “Black Lives Matter” website is Marxist at its roots.  Look it up for yourself.  You can see my thoughts on the Black Lives Matter movement here: 

http://theresurrectionstillspeaks.blogspot.com/2020/08/some-thoughts-on-black-lives-matter.html

 
By the way, the pope supports this Marxist BLM movement.  See here: 

http://adventmessenger.org/pope-francis-supports-the-black-lives-matter-revolution/ 

Concern For the Poor? 

A Newsweek article has the pope saying: 

“The poor must always come first.” 

See here: 

https://www.newsweek.com/pope-thinks-capitalism-sin-michael-moore-poor-come-first-1198274 

But if Pope Francis feels that strongly about the plight of the poor, he should openly condemn his own church for using indulgences (giving money to reduce punishment for sin) to build St. Peter’s basilica.  This magnificent building was financed off the backs of the poor, by the way, by using indulgences as a guilt trip to help friends and relatives in Purgatory.  This is an unbiblical practice that the Catholic Church still officially uses today (though they try hard to downplay what happened in the past concerning indulgences). 

Furthermore, if it’s true that the poor must always come first, then why doesn’t the Vatican – with all its gold, silver, art, land, architecture, and investments – give a major portion of its own significant wealth to the poor?  I’m sure it’s tough living in the “squalor” of the Vatican’s possessions.  The pope likes to complain about “inequality” in others, but there seems to be some inequality here.  Maybe he could give St. Peter’s basilica to house the less fortunate?  So, Pope Francis, how about practicing what you preach? 

  

Popes are nothing like their supposed predecessor, the apostle Peter.  Peter didn't inherit great wealth from his position as an apostle.  In fact, he told the cripple man, “Silver and gold have I none...” (Acts 3:6).  But popes have lived in luxury. 

No Perfect System on Earth 

Now, any system (including capitalism) can be abused and corrupted, and Francis is emphasizing the fact that there are greedy people within capitalist governments.  That’s true, but greedy people exist in all forms of government.  No system of laws on this earth is perfect, but I believe that capitalism is the most consistent with biblical principles and is the best economic system there can be for a fallen creation.  Capitalism cannot promise equal outcomes, but it does offer equal opportunity for everyone. 

Communism is anti-Christian and it is a worldview that is rooted in materialistic atheism.  In fact, someone once said that atheism is the “taproot of communism.”  My Catholic friends, ask yourself: What is the pope doing, promoting an atheist-related system?

  
Conclusion 

This article is not intended to be a lesson in economics, but it is intended to encourage deep concern for both the teachings and the political leanings of a man so prominent and influential worldwide known as Pope Francis. 

Our concern about this pope should be three-fold: First, he is leading his followers into a bad economic system, which leads into the slavery of all its people. 

Second, he is the spiritual leader of a church that has numerous unbiblical or anti-biblical teachings, leading many astray. 

Third, he is probably the main leader spearheading the ecumenical movement which will climax in a one-world church with mandatory worship of the son of perdition, the antichrist (2 Thessalonians 2:3; Revelation 13:8,12,15). 

I have written other articles in more detail on this blog about the dangers of the Ecumenical Movement.  They can be found by using the search bar on the top left of this blog page.

 
The pope’s “holy city” is absolutely nothing like the one in Revelation 21:2-4.  The pope not only offers a false “holy city,” he offers a false religion, a false hope, a false unity, a false peace, and a false equality.  Should you trust him?  Open the Scriptures and see for yourself. 
 

STATUES, IMAGES AND IDOLS

Recently, I began to think more about the role and use of statues, icons and images in the religious arena.  Should statues ever be used in churches or is that a violation of the Second Commandment?  Are the Catholic, Orthodox, and a few other churches guilty of idolatry when they use these statues and icons?  Did the ancient iconoclasts (people who destroyed religious statues) go too far when they demolished many of these icons? 

On one end of the spectrum, some Protestants try to totally avoid any and all religious statues and images, while some (Catholics and others) will cling tightly to them at all costs.  In this article, I hope to bring about some balance to this sensitive subject.

The Law of God

Let’s take a look at what God said in the Scriptures about using statues and images when He gave Moses the Ten Commandments. All of the Ten Commandments can be found in Deuteronomy 5:6-21 and also in Exodus 20:1-17.  But let’s look at the relevant part of this passage for our article today in Exodus 20:1-6:

1 And God spake all these words, saying,

2 I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

3 Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.

4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:

5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate Me;

6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love Me, and keep My commandments.

So what exactly is God saying about these likenesses / images?  Is He saying that it is always a sin to make any kind of image?  Is this prohibition only about worshiping them, or is it about making and using them, also?

The images mentioned in this passage have to do with idols, and idols are an absolute and blasphemous insult to God.  The Lord forcefully emphasizes here that He is the one true God (Exodus 20:2).  In this context He is saying that He doesn’t want anyone creating an image and saying, “This is the god that brought us out of Egypt,” as the Israelites did in the golden calf incident (Exodus 32:4). 

Not an Absolute Ban

So how do we know that God is not saying that simply making images is a sin?  He cannot be literally speaking about all images here, can He?  Consider the implications of Exodus 20:4:

1) (Thou shalt not make… any likeness of anything that is in Heaven above…) It is not wrong to have a photograph (which is an image or likeness) of friends or family members in your wallet, on your desk, or on your wall.  Some of these photos are of deceased Christian people (a likeness of someone now in Heaven).  Likewise, we can safely make images of things in the heavens (like the solar system, stars, planets, etc.)  There is nothing wrong with this.

2) (… or that is in the earth beneath…) We also know that it is not a sin to have statues (images) of famous people whose lives on earth are commemorated in non-religious settings (parks, courthouses, tourist attractions, etc.).  Again, there should be no problem with these images.

3) (… or that is in the water under the earth…) We draw pictures and make models of fish, reptiles and many other sea creatures (images of things under the sea).  Still no problem.

4) What about images in our minds?  We make mental images all the time.  Does Exodus 20:1-6 mean that we are not allowed to even think about things in Heaven, on earth, or in the ocean?  That would be silly.

5)  In this commandment, He is saying that He doesn’t want anyone creating an image IN ORDER TO WORSHIP IT (v. 5).  I believe that Leviticus 26:1 brings this out more clearly:

Ye shall make you no idols nor graven image, neither rear you up a standing image, neither shall you set up any image of stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for I am the Lord your God. (Emphasis added)

The underlined part makes clear the purpose of the image.

6) Furthermore, just five chapters later, in Exodus 25:18-20, God commanded Moses to make statues of two cherubim (a type of angel) to put on the Ark of the Covenant.  This is a copy, an image, of something in Heaven that God told Moses to make.  Is God contradicting Himself?  Is He now allowing what He commanded Israel not to do five chapters earlier?  The point is that these angel images were not made to be worshiped, but rather to point to the holiness of God. 

7) There was yet another interesting event where God told Moses to erect a statue of a brazen (bronze) serpent and put it up on a pole for all to see.  And whoever was bitten by the poisonous snakes in that land, when he would look at the statue, he would be healed (Numbers 21:6-9).  This is another statue allowed by God.  But when this image later became an object of worship, it was rightly destroyed by King Hezekiah (2 Kings 18:4). 

When God speaks of “graven images” in the Second Commandment and throughout the Old Testament, He is speaking of an idol, one in which the maker is intending to worship.  God does not want us to make or use those kinds of images.  Yet, because of the seven reasons above (and if Scripture is consistent with itself and with the world around us), the Second Commandment cannot be an absolute ban on the making of images.

Caution!

Ok, having said all the above, please understand that religious image users cannot have free reign with their statues, icons and images.  Technically speaking, God may temporarily tolerate someone owning a statue (if worship is not involved), but it doesn’t mean that making them or using them in a religious setting today is a good idea.  While the Second Commandment doesn’t seem to be an absolute ban on every possible kind of image, it is definitely a warning concerning some of them.

Again, I want to bring balance to this topic, so the question is, “Is it helpful to make or to use these images in a religious setting?”  All things may be allowed, but “all things are not expedient [i.e., beneficial or helpful]” (1 Corinthians 6:12; 10:23).

Unlikely Scenario

Ok, let’s imagine this scenario:

Moses is walking in the wilderness and he happens upon an Israelite.  This man is doing what many Catholics do.  He is bowing before a statue, praying and kissing the statue.  Moses then questions him about this and the man says, “Oh no, Moses!  You don’t understand.  I am not worshiping, I am “venerating.”  So Moses says, “Ok, that’s fine.  Please continue!” 

Well, I don’t think that anyone who knows anything about Moses would believe that the outcome would be this way.  The above result is about as likely to happen as this scenario:

A suspicious wife catches her husband in the very act of adultery.  When she confronts him then and there, he says, “Oh no, honey!  You misunderstand.  We are not committing adultery, we are just “cuddling!”  And the wife says, “Well ok, that’s fine, darling.  Please continue!”

Now, I think that we all know that this is not how either one of these scenarios would pan out.  You can call what you’re doing by another name (“venerating” or “cuddling”), but swift action would have been taken in both of these scenarios, and the extreme consequences that would have followed would have exposed the wrongness of their actions, and brought to light the sin they tried to downplay and re-name.

Unlike today, in the Old Testament, the Jews were all too familiar with the sin of idolatry and what it looked like.  Moses knew idolatry when he saw it.  And so did the Jews.  The bottom line is that Moses would have rightly condemned the actions of the Catholic in the above scenario.

Don’t Kid Yourself

No doubt, Moses understood that the heart of man tends toward idolatry, not atheism.  I am not aware of any atheists in ancient Israel, but the continual sin that plagued Israel over and over in the Old Testament is idolatry. 

Given the continual falling into temptation by the Old Testament Jews by idolizing statues and other objects (and remember, they were God’s chosen people), what makes us today think that we would be immune to this same weakness?  What makes us think that we can flirt with this potential danger?  Will we add arrogance to our idolatry?  Are we so much better than the Jews that we can live in such a minefield of religious images and statues (as the Catholic Church does) with hardly a thought that it could cause problems?  It is a spiritually unhealthy environment.  It is an occasion to sin.  The Bible tells us to “flee idolatry” (1 Corinthians 10:14), not flirt with it!

Remember, image lovers, it’s not just about you.  You may think that a statue or icon is “helpful” in “reminding” you of God’s love or His presence, or something along those lines.  You may feel that it brings you great peace, but you must consider how it will affect others, as well.  We should be very careful about being a stumbling block to those around us (Romans 14:21; 1 Corinthians 8:9-12).  Again, graven images were a constant stumbling block for ancient Israel.  Even if they really felt that they were only “venerating,” they were still tempting their Jewish brothers and sisters to sin.

Catholics will tell us, “But God commanded the use of statues in the Old Testament.”  That’s true, but this was a specific command for Moses and the people of Israel at that particular time.  But God never commanded the church to make or use statues!  Neither can you find in the New Testament someone praying to God through an image.  If there was a spiritual “need” for them in the church, the New Testament writers would have said so. 

Conclusion

I wish that Catholics would be more willing to listen to what the Scriptures say as a whole.  I wish they could put aside their blind confidence in the Catholic Church for a minute and recognize the danger of their cherished tradition of using images.

An even greater danger exists when we hear reports of statues that “cry tears of blood,” or statues that nod their heads periodically, etc.  These are thought to be miracles happening, drawing many devoted followers further into deception.

It is true that we don’t know individual hearts, but we know the heart of mankind, in general, and that it tends toward idolatry (Romans 1:21-23).

For the record, the Catechism of the Catholic Church officially condemns the sin of idolatry (CCC #2113).  I’m thankful for that.  But some things can so easily be turned into an idol, even if it wasn’t the intent of its maker. 

Again, this is what happened in the case of the brazen serpent.  It started off very positively, very helpful.  But someone just couldn’t help himself and began to worship it, drawing others with him. 

Although popes might agree with what King Hezekiah did when he destroyed the brazen serpent, I am not aware of any statues or images that any pope has ever destroyed for fear that faithful Catholics may fall into idolatry.  Not even in areas of the world where there is, by their own admission, “excessive devotion.”

You must ask yourself, are these religious statues an aid to worship, or are they actually a hindrance?  God told His people so many times to tear down their images.  There was a reason for that.  

 

THE SKEPTIC’S ATTACK AND THE BELIEVER’S REST

In a world of growing skepticism and atheism, there are many who mistrust Scripture and find fault with the God of the Bible.  As an example, in his book, The God Delusion, popular atheist Richard Dawkins, using some of the most unflattering and blasphemous terms, says this of God:

“The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.”

We should pray for Dawkins, and people like him, that they would come to know the true God and not an extremely warped version of Him. 

One Example

Skeptics will pick passages out of the Bible that they don’t like in order to try and “prove” that God is somehow flawed.  One such passage is Numbers 15:32-36:

32 – “Now while the sons of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man gathering wood [sticks] on the Sabbath day.

33 – Those who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation;

34 – and they put him in custody because it had not been declared what should be done to him.

35 – Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘The man shall surely be put to death; all the congregation shall stone him with stones outside the camp.’

36 – So all the congregation brought him outside the camp and stoned him to death with stones, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.” (NASV)

Many skeptics and atheists will jump on this passage and say, “See!  Your God is evil!  You Christians worship an unfair God.  There is no reason for Him to kill this poor man simply for gathering sticks!” 

Is God Loving?

The argument above is a very common one.  But how should a Christian answer such an objection?  It may sound like the objector has a valid point:  Wouldn’t a warning have been enough?  Why would God take such drastic measures against a seemingly innocent act when, according to the Bible, He is supposed to be loving and forgiving?

First of all, God is indeed both loving and forgiving.  But you can’t put God in a box and confine Him to only those two characteristics.  The nature of God is a “total package” and there is more to Him than just love and forgiveness.  You can’t just expect to see those characteristics and never the others.  He is also sovereign, holy and just (Colossians 1:16-17; Isaiah 6:3; Romans 3:26).  He is a loving and forgiving Father, but He is also to be honored and obeyed, even feared (Joshua 24:14), since He must punish evil.

The truth is, God gave the command to keep the Sabbath day long before this event in Numbers 15.  All Israel knew about this commandment.  That’s why those who witnessed the man gathering sticks brought him before Moses in the first place (Numbers 15:33).  So, it is not like he was innocent because of ignorance (Exodus 20:8-11; 31:13-16; 35:1-3).  He was certainly aware of the commandment.

The second point is that if God tells us to do (or not do) something, we must obey.  Mature Christians are fully aware, from experience, that they can trust Him in every circumstance.  We may not always know why He wants us to do something, but God, being sovereign, is not obligated to tell us why He gives every command.  But sometimes He does tell us, like in this very case.  It is because the Sabbath is a special day of rest (Deuteronomy 5:14).  It is holy and it stood for something.  The Israelites would learn an important lesson that day: Don’t trifle with God and His commandments!

What It Points To

So, the question remains, why did God act so harshly toward this man?  I firmly believe that it was because of what the Sabbath stood for, what it symbolized, what it pointed to.    There are many symbols that point to things we respect.  For example, if someone spit on the American flag (a symbol), many veterans who gave their blood, sweat and tears, experienced loss of limbs, and have friends who even gave their lives for this country - this act of spitting on the flag would be a serious insult to them.

If someone in the Old Testament would have defiled the temple and its ceremonies, or profaned the covenant of circumcision (both are symbols), this too, would have been an incredible insult to the Jews.  The man gathering sticks violated the Sabbath, which is a symbol of the believer’s rest.  We must remember that this rest has been purchased with the blood of Jesus Christ. 

Ok, this blog is about Catholicism, so where do Catholics fit into this article?  What does this topic have to do with what the Catholic Church teaches?  Well, the Sabbath rest could be looked at in different ways, but I believe that the main thing it stood for was a salvation / justification based on Jesus’ work on the cross, and not on our own work mixed with it.  This is a stinging reminder that trusting in your works of righteousness (Titus 3:5) to contribute in any way toward your justification, as the Catholic Church teaches, will find you in the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:15).

The man gathering sticks on the Sabbath snubbed his nose at what would become the greatest and most important event in the history of mankind… Calvary.  The Sabbath pointed to the cross, therefore, in essence, he was saying, “No thank you, Jesus.  My work is sufficient to save me, and I don’t need your rest!”

Rest from the Merit of Our Works

Jesus promised rest to His followers:

Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30 - NASV)

But what kind of rest does Jesus give?

Is the “rest” that He gives us ONLY the rest we will have in Heaven, or does it include a rest from one’s works today?  Must we try to live up to the Law so that we can merit our way to Heaven?

The continual answer from Scripture is no, we cannot live up to the Law.  No one can.  To make it to Heaven, we must put our absolute trust in Jesus’ work alone.  Our works will never earn eternal life, nor do they contribute to our justification.  As we have said many times on this blog, the right intent in doing good works is not TO BE saved by them, but we do them because WE ARE saved (Ephesians 2:10).

Conclusion

I believe that two basic lessons can be learned here.  First, there is a great need for Christians to learn to respectfully, but adequately, address questions that atheists and skeptics will ask us, like the ones at the beginning of this article.  To be fair, I have in the past seen some Catholics successfully answer some of the deep questions from skeptics.  Kudos to them.

The second lesson is that Catholics, because of their training and their devotion to “Mother Church,” are unable to render a consistent biblical answer on the role of works in salvation.  They are guilty of basically the same thing as the man in Numbers 15 who despised the true meaning of the Sabbath and violated the intent of this holy rest. The thing that this man had done was a special insult to Jesus, perhaps the ultimate insult.  He failed to honor that to which it pointed.  We can be assured that his punishment was just. 

THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AND THE UFO CONNECTION

UFO’s – Unidentified Flying Objects – it seems that almost everyone is intrigued by them, and people want to know what UFO’s are and where they come from.  Hundreds, even thousands, of sightings of unknown objects in the sky have fascinated people all around the world since ancient times, even until now.  Interestingly, there seems to be quite an increase in UFO experiences today, but there are still many people who are skeptical of these sightings. 

Undoubtedly, some of these sightings are hoaxes, pranks, illusions, or imaginations running wild and I’m sure that at least some of the stories out there are wildly exaggerated.  However, because of the sheer multitude of documented cases, not only in the U.S., but worldwide, and because of the consistency of many of these events and their descriptions, it is hard to dismiss them all as mere illusions.  Something is indeed out there.

So what exactly are these Unidentified Flying Objects?  Could they simply be comets or meteorites falling from the sky?  Could they just be hallucinations or the product of someone’s vivid imagination?

Some have suggested that they may be weather balloons or drones, while some will say that these are some type of unusual military aircraft.  This is not always the case, since many of these objects have been caught on multiple sources of radar at the same time by airports and planes (both civilian and military), by sober, experienced aviation personnel, Navy and Air Force pilots and even astronauts.  Many sane and respected people have seen these unearthly objects in the sky with no reason to lie about it. 

Also interesting is the government cover-up in some of these events, for example, the strange “flying saucer” crash that happened at Roswell, New Mexico back in 1947 and the recovery of “bodies.”  Some of that is still classified today.

Identified

So, if these entities flying these UFO’s are real, should we reach out to them or should we shun them?  Should we embrace them or avoid them like the plague?

My personal opinion is that these beings are demonic in nature.  Let me explain why.  They defy our natural laws.  They can move faster than the speed of sound, yet, make no sonic “boom” when the sound barrier is broken.  These aircraft often appear to make no noise at all, and there are often no detectable exhaust fumes.  They turn at right angles effortlessly at extremely high speeds.  They are able to evade our fastest military jets.  Some have even been observed travelling from the air, then into the ocean without any change in speed.  There is literally nothing on earth like them.  They break our natural, physical laws, therefore they are obviously supernatural.   Something is certainly going on and I am convinced that only supernatural beings (beings from another dimension) can do these things.

The Bible tells us of only two categories of supernatural beings – those that are godly and those that are evil.  Jesus said, “He who is not with Me is against me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters” (Matthew 12:30). There are good ones (those that obey God – Hebrews 1:14) and there are evil ones (those who have been cast out of Heaven – Isaiah 14:12-15; 2 Peter 2:4; Jude 1:6; Revelation 12:4, 7-9).     

Intelligent creatures (including humans) are either “on God’s side” or not.  There is no third option.  Those on God’s side will obey Him and do His will, spread the gospel, help God’s people, etc.  But these strange, intelligent beings flying superior aircraft are not pointing to Scripture or spreading good will, they are not pointing us to God or sharing the gospel.  In fact, they seem to be eerily watching us and will generally evade people, but when they do “make contact,” there is usually a fearful or threatening situation, with some people even claiming abductions.  I have never heard of a story where aliens meet humans and say, “Fear not,” as good angels do in Scripture (e.g., Daniel 10:12; Matthew 28:5; Luke 2:9-10).  If they were from God, they would no doubt say this and encourage people to embrace Jesus Christ and His gospel.

But it seems that these sightings and occurrences never point to Jesus Christ, but rather, these beings seem to have a different agenda.  So, since they are not bringing the gospel, nor any godly message, but rather fear, confusion, paranoia, and general creepiness (and in some cases, harm), I think that we can safely conclude that the motives of these other-worldly beings are not pure. 

Watching Outer Space

Many people don’t know that the Catholic Church has an observatory with giant telescopes in Rome and another one in Arizona with a team of astronomers.

An interesting question would be: “Why would the Catholic Church spend millions of dollars on a giant telescope to stare into outer space when their primary mission is supposed to be spreading the gospel and keeping the Catholic faith alive?”

Perhaps this is a bit of over-compensation for what happened to Galileo (the guy who the Catholic Church imprisoned because he “foolishly” thought that the earth revolved around the sun [heliocentrism])? At that time, the Church believed that the earth was the center of the universe, and therefore accused Galileo of heresy, holding him under house arrest until the time he died.  

We know that the Catholic Church is trying really hard to forget that incident and is trying to prove to everyone that they are now more interested in science.  But isn’t spending millions of dollars for a telescope a bit of overkill?  How will this telescope help the average Catholic grow closer to God?  This money could have been better spent spreading the truth of the gospel (Matthew 28:18-20).

The Catholic View

But what does the Catholic Church say about these creatures from “outer space”?  There don’t appear to be any official statements from the Vatican about UFO’s or aliens, but some in high places within the Catholic Church would welcome the idea of extraterrestrials here on earth. 

Father Chris Corbally, S.J., a high-ranking Catholic astronomer and scientist at the Vatican Observatory said of the search for extraterrestrial life, “We would be open to that sort of thing.  Certainly, some of our efforts should be directed toward that.”

 https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1992-12-22-9204260465-story.html

According to Monsignor Corrado Balducci, a retired Catholic priest and former member of the Roman Curia (a high-level body of offices that govern the Catholic Church), “It is reasonable to believe and to affirm that extra-terrestrials exist.  Their existence can no longer be denied for there is too much evidence for the existence of extra-terrestrials and flying saucers as documented by UFO research.  To assert categorically that they are illusions and hallucination, or that eyewitness testimony accounts are not credible, is wrong…” See here:

http://www.angelfire.com/tx/epmufon/index.newspage5b.html

An article in The Telegraph states, “Highly evolved extra terrestrial lifeforms may be living in space and would be welcomed into the church – ‘no matter how many tentacles [they have],’ one of the Pope’s astronomers has said.”

And that astronomer is Brother Guy Consolmagno, curator of the pope’s meteorite collection, and senior Vatican scientist, who said he “would be happy to baptize them [speaking of aliens].”  See here:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/the-pope/8009299/Pope-Benedict-XVIs-astronomer-the-Catholic-Church-welcomes-aliens.html

Jesuit priest Jose Gabriel Funes, head of the Vatican Observatory and scientific adviser to Pope Benedict, told the Vatican newspaper (L’Osservatore Romano) in 2008 in an interview headlined, The Extraterrestrial is my brother, that he saw no conflict between belief in such beings and faith in God.  He stated, “Just as there is a multiplicity of creatures on earth, there can be other beings, even intelligent, created by God.  This is not in contrast with our faith because we can’t put limits on God’s creative freedom… Why can’t we speak of a ‘brother extraterrestrial’?  It would still be part of creation.”

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-pope-extraterrestrials/vatican-scientist-says-belief-in-god-and-aliens-is-ok-idUSL146364620080514

Although Funes’ statements in his interview with L’Osservatore Romano (above), were not official Vatican statements, a National Catholic Register article states:

“However, the fact that they were published in the Vatican newspaper signifies support of the wider Church for the acceptability of his position regarding the possible existence of intelligent aliens…”  And Brother Guy Consolmagno added, “Essentially, it [the fact that the article was printed] is evidence that the Vatican hierarchy agrees that there’s no problem [with these aliens].”  See here:

https://www.ncregister.com/site/article/alien_life_out_there

Pope Francis, himself, stated:

“If – for example – tomorrow an expedition of Martians came, and some of them came to us, here… Martians, right?  Green, with that long nose and big ears, just like children paint them… And one says, ‘But I want to be baptized!’ What would happen?… Who are we to close the doors to the Holy Spirit?... baptism is open to everyone…” See here:

https://www.christianpost.com/news/pope-francis-talks-about-aliens-says-he-would-welcome-martians-to-receive-baptism.html

A different source states that, “Monsignor Corrado Balducci made similar news when he said ETs [Extra-Terrestrials] were actually already interacting with earth and that some of the Vatican’s leaders were aware of it.”

This source also said that maverick Catholic theologian, Father Malachi Martin, when asked why the Vatican was heavily invested in the study of deep space at Mt. Graham Observatory in southeastern Arizona, replied, “Because the mentality… amongst those who [are] at the… highest levels of Vatican administration and geopolitics, know that, now, knowledge of what’s going on in space, and what’s approaching us, could be of great import in the next five years, ten years.” (Emphasis added)

 

One has to wonder, what did he mean by “and what’s approaching us.”  The article continues, “People familiar with Malachi believe he may have been referring to a near-future arrival of alien intelligence.”

 

The article also states that after Funes’ interview with L’Osservatore Romano, Muslim and Jewish leaders joined to say their religion could accommodate an ET reality…”  See here:

https://newswithviews.com/Horn/thomas12.htm

Is this a hint of the move toward a one-world religion (Revelation 13:8)?  In the quest for this one-world religion, some people believe that an alien “mediator” would be the ideal “person” to bring together all the world’s religions.

An Alien Savior?

Ok, so the Catholic Church seems to be willing to embrace these aliens / extraterrestrials.  Wouldn’t that be a good thing, you know, unity, world peace and all that?  No, I certainly don’t believe that.  This would no doubt be a very, very bad move. 

The movie, Independence Day comes to mind, with the large spaceship hovering over the city… and the people on rooftops are in awe and want to welcome these beings.  It is a moment of beauty, excitement and anticipation… until they are suddenly thrust into reality when the ship starts to fire on them and to brutally destroy their city.  Now, I’m not saying that this type of thing is going to actually happen, my point is simply, don’t trust these “alien” supernatural beings.

Many seem to have this view that, with all our problems, maybe these advanced beings could teach us a few things… find cures for diseases, solve political problems, or maybe they could even be our saviors! 

The pope’s astronomer, Guy Consolmagno, echoes this same sentiment of some people in another article:

“…Brother Consolmagno suggested the idea of discovering extraterrestrial life may be so appealing to humanity, with all its pain, injustice and disease, that there is hope that ‘any race advanced enough to cross the stars to visit us must also be advanced enough to show us how to overcome all those human ills.  They look to the aliens to be saviors of mankind.’”

https://www.catholicnews.com/services/englishnews/2014/vatican-astronomer-just-a-matter-of-time-until-life-found-in-universe.cfm

Thanks, but no thanks, ET.  We already have a source of hope, a Savior, to help us with all our ills.  And His name is Jesus Christ:

“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” (Ephesians 3:20-21)

“As in the Days of Noah”

It is interesting that Jesus warns us that the end times before His return will be like “the days of Noah” (Matthew 24:37).  Here, Jesus is alluding to people in those days as having a “business as usual” mindset, i.e., people were eating, drinking, marrying, etc. (v. 38-39).  All the normal everyday stuff we do. 

But many believe that there is more to this passage than just that.  The passage could very well also be pointing to the days of Noah in the book of Genesis, where the “sons of God” took “daughters of men” as wives, and produced giants as offspring, called “Nephilim” (Genesis 6:1-4).   Verse 4 says that the Nephilim were on the earth in those days, “... and also afterward.”  This means after the flood, as well, that they ("the sons of God") would somehow return to earth to populate it with these strange (and wicked) hybrids.  After all, this was the reason that the flood came in the first place – to cleanse the land of these hybrids and their wickedness in the land.

 

This passage of Scripture could very well tie into our present-day “alien” activity.  By the way, many, if not most, of the alien abduction stories have something to do with aliens experimenting with human sex organs and reproductive systems.  Could this tie in with Noah’s time and this interest in producing this unusual offspring in humans?

Could the Catholic Church (with its alien agenda) play right into the coming strong delusion of 2 Thessalonians 2:11?

“And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie.”

I think that this will be the case for many Catholics (and others).

Conclusion

So when the pope says that “baptism is open to everyone,” does he really think that we should baptize these demonic beings?  Why would he think that they would ever even want to be baptized?  The answer to the question as to why couldn’t we speak of a “brother extraterrestrial” is obvious.  Yes, they are indeed part of creation, but so is the devil.  Would the pope baptize Satan, as well? 

This is a warning to Catholics, Protestants, and anyone else.  We should use biblical discernment and we should not trust these particular supernatural entities.  It is my sincere conviction that this “UFO connection” is a part of the great deception of the end times. (2 Thessalonians 2:1-11; 1 Timothy 4:1; 2 Timothy 3:13)

See this link for a very interesting and informative video on aliens and the last days:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACfP5nOH9uo

Here also is an excellent article on alien deception in the end times:

https://www.gotquestions.org/alien-deception.html