Hello Tom,
This subject has a very strong Biblical warning for the latter days, through Paul in 2 Thessalonians 2 where he said two things must occur first before our Lord's second coming. One is that there must be a great falling away (apostasy) from Christ, and the second is the "son of perdition" must be revealed. The Message of "another Jesus" of 2 Corinthians 11 is also linked with that, even as our Lord Jesus' warning about the "abomination of desolation" in Matthew 24 where He was teaching about a pseudo Christ coming first and that event might deceive the very elect, if it were possible.
Matt 24:21-26
21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.
23 Then if any man shall say unto you, "Lo, here is Christ, or there;" believe it not.
24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
25 Behold, I have told you before.
26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, "Behold, He is in the desert"; go not forth: "behold, He is in the secret chambers"; believe it not.
(KJV)
The direct translation of the phrase "false Christs" in verse 24 is 'a pseudo Christ'. It is the Greek word pseudochristos, made up of two Greek words, pseudo and Christ. It is singular in the Greek, not plural. That only occurs in two places in God's Word, here and in Mark 13:22 with this same warning by our Lord Jesus. When our Lord Jesus said if they shall say, "Behold, He is in the desert", He was speaking of a specific false one that many will accept as The Christ, but that one will be false, a pseuodchristos. Jesus said for us to not fall to that false one, wrongly thinking it will be Him. The KJV translators even capitalized the "He" there because of the singular tense of that false one, and not in the sense of 'many Christ' wannabes. Jesus gave that in connection with the "abomination of desolation" standing where it ought not, in the Temple. Antiochus Epiphanes around 120 B.C. was the first blueprint of that as a type. And the Romans caused many of the Jews to fall to Baccus worship before general Titus destroyed the Temple in Jerusalem and Jerusalem itself, except for the wall that still stands today.
A group of orthodox Jews in Jerusalem are preparing to build a third Temple in our times today, and already have the materials ready to do it. Some Christian organizations have even sent funds to help them build it, and one company run by a Christian leader, named 'Jesus, Inc.' in Tennessee back in 1997 was sending red heifer cows to Jerusalem for their Levitical type sacrifices. Some Christian Churches see no problem in helping with that, because their false leadership is telling them it's alright. But to aid in that is to deny The One Perfect Sacrifice for one and all time, Jesus Christ. Those orthodox Jews intend to bring back the Old Covenant ways and Levitical priesthood; they still do not recognize the New Covenant through our Lord Jesus. They still await Messiah, because they refuse the True Messiah Jesus Christ, so God is going to give them one, a false messiah (pseudochristos). The Roman general Titus who destroyed Jerusalem in 69 A.D. did not fit that role of a pseudochristos. None have done what Antiochus did in the Temple since then, and our Lord gave that prophecy after Antiochus had been long gone, thus meaning that prophecy of the "abomination of desolation" is still yet to be fulfilled. And that will be 'the Antichrist' fulfilling that. There is a group of orthodox Jews called the Land of Israel and Temple Mount Faithful who are the strongest movers in that direction to build another Temple in Jerusalem. They have a website up at...
http://www.templemountfaithful.org/What does all that have to do with occult leadership in today's world? Well, who do they worship instead The Father through Christ Jesus? This is what the inter-faith religious movement is really about today, and it is slowly taking over some of our Christian Churches, because the plan is a one-world religion to include all faiths. That's what the World Council of Churches is all about. The world is being prepared to accept that false one in place of Jesus. Many will believe it is Jesus, when our Lord Jesus specifically said to believe it not there in Matthew 24 and in Mark 13, even giving the warning twice. The warning He gave in verse 24 above is very specific also, because that pseudochristos will work great signs and wonders so powerful that it might even deceive His "very elect", if it were possible. That tells us that false one is not going to be some ordinary limited mortal that can only claim to be Christ and do nothing else but talk sweet and look holy. Those great signs and wonders are a link to the one in Revelation 13:11 forward He also warned us about. As a matter of fact, Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21 is covering the 7 seals of Revelation 6.
So how is it that many believers on The Savior will be dupped into that? It's because many do not understand how Christ's enemies work. In my previous post about false things going on in the lodges of secret fraternities, it's the high leadership in those orders that are connected in that. Most of the lower members don't really have a clue what they're into. How's that? Because they are sold the idea that those orders are benefactors to mankind, the concept of world brotherhood, peace, liberty, equality, etc. The symbols, rituals, etc., most of the lower members don't know their true history. The major concept behind all the secret fraternities is that of world peace, one world government, and peace and prosperity for all. The kind of thing you speak of about 'cults', are mostly independent groups that are way out on a limb, like the group in California that committed suicide back around the year 2000 because they thought the end had come, or like the Jim Jones cults and such. The real dangerous working are those higher ups in the secret societies who don't outwardly exhibit those 'cult' qualities you speak of, but most defnitely work for the devil. And that's part of our Lord's Message in the vision He gave in Ezekiel 8, for those leaders of Israel were doing their own thing behind closed doors, not in full view of the people.
You've got excellent examples in your Bible in Old Testament history of what authentic false occult worship is that is the seat of the beast. All the old systems of Baal worship are interconnected back to Babylon in some way, and before Christ came those systems of idol worship were also established in Europe. The majority in Europe converted to Christ Jesus, but some of the pagan converts were allowed to mix in some of their idol worship into Christianity (research Constantine and the early Church fathers). Even the apostle Paul fought that working early on among Gentile converts to Christ. And then some groups in Europe never did convert to Christ. Those families who didn't convert have been with us in the West all along. And as Christian families have been handing down Christian principles from generation to generation, the same thing has been going on with those families still in the Baal traditions of their forefathers.
So the reality of today is, many Christians are being taught it's OK to join in worship with other religions, and to even accept other faiths as other paths to God. Clearly someone strong in Christ is not going to fall for that. But all Christians, myself included, want peace on earth and for all of God's children to be cared for as fellow human beings. We want all wars to end, and each to have the right to prosperity and happiness. But the question I ask, is on who's terms do we want that? I only want it on Jesus' terms, and we are told in God's Word that is not going to happen without our Lord reiging in Person on earth as KING. That is the main ploy the secret societies are using with their lower membership, because they think they themselves are empowered to create that kind of condition here on earth in the now, without Christ being here in Person. And that's why there are even Christians involved in those secret societies, and why some Church traditions falsely teach that Jesus is already reiging on earth, or that He will never physically reign here on earth in Person! I was told by a Mason that at one time a petitioning member of a lodge in the West used to have be a Christian to join. What better way to single out those one intends to corrupt?
On the idea of the Global Church working, here's an interesting link, and it's by one of our fellow-believers on Christ Jesus:
http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/globalchurch.htmFurthermore, if you or Roger want me to leave this Forum because I warn about these things, I have no problem with leaving. But I will not bow down to only talking sweetness preaching, soothing words that are only designed to make one feel good but at same time hide much God's Truth for our times.
dp
