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The world's different religions: current number of adherents for all major religions
Map of the lands of early Christianity and major event locations
"Abolute power corrupts absolutely:" Corruption of the Papacy and the Preisthood
A complete list of the Ecumenical Councils with dates & themes
Bible Study Tip For Deeper, More Accurate Bible Interpretation
The History of Zionism; Modern Israel, at War and at Peace 1897 - 2000
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The History of Zionism; Modern Israel, at War and at Peace
1897 - 2000
August 29, 1897: The first Zionist
conference is held in Basel, Switzerland. Attended by
nearly 200 delegates, the Congress formulates the Basel Program,
which remains the basic platform of the Zionist movement. The
program defines Zionism's goal as the creation "for the
Jewish people of a home in Palestine secured by public law."
Nov. 2, 1917: Britain passes the Balfour Declaration, expressing support for the establishment of a national home for the Jewish people in Palestine. In the previous 40 years, Eastern Europeans immigrated to the region in large numbers. By 1914, Jews living in Palestine grew to 85,000, about 12 percent of the population.
May 6-11, 1942: During World War II the U.S becomes the center of Zionist activity. A conference in New York results in the Biltmore Program, which rejects British restrictions on immigration into Palestine and calls for the fulfillment of the Balfour Declaration urging the establishment of Palestine as a Jewish commonwealth.
Nov. 29, 1947: The United Nations proposes to partition Palestine into Jewish and Arab states with Jerusalem under international control. The U.S. and Russia approve of the plan, but Britain abstains. The Zionist movement - pushing for an independent state - reluctantly accepts the proposal that is denounced by Arab states. Arabs feel that the U.N. has no right to make such a deal.
May 14, 1948: As the British mandate over Palestine expires, Jewish authorities declare a new State of Israel. Many nations recognize the new country under first prime minister David Ben-Gurion. The Arab League declares war and Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Iraq engage in fighting with Israel until early 1949, when all parties sign truce agreements that established the borders of the new Jewish state.
1951: Egypt denies Israel access to the Suez Canal and blocks the use of the Strait of Tiran, Israel's only direct access to the Red Sea. Palestinians launch raids on Israeli soil from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
Oct. 29, 1956: Israel invades Egypt's Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula. The U.N. brokers a cease-fire agreement and sends in peace-keeping troops.
Jan. 1, 1965: Yasser Arafat's Fatah Movement (founded in 1956)begins armed guerrilla attacks against Israel, which responds with raids against Syria and Jordan. Israeli security zone and border incidents escalate in intensity throughout the year.
June 5, 1967: Egypt had signed an alliance with Syria, Jordan and Iraq, and moved troops into the Sinai in May. In response, Israel launches an immense military strike at Egypt, Jordan and Syria in the Six-Day War, capturing the Gaza Strip, the Sinai, East Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Golan Heights.
Feb. 26, 1969: Israeli secretary general Golda Meir is elected prime minister.
April 10, 1969: Egypt launches the War of Attrition against Israel along the Suez Canal. The U.S. brokers a cease-fire the next year.
September 1970: Jordan repels an attempt by the Palestine Liberation Organization to grab control of the country.
Sept. 28, 1970: Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser, who always strongly opposed the state of Israel, dies and Anwar al-Sadat is later elected the new president.
Oct. 6, 1973: Sadat fails to negotiate the return of the Sinai to Egypt, and therefore, along with Syria, launches a surprise attack against Israeli positions in the area. Called the Yom Kippur War by Israel and the Ramadan War by Arabs, the fighting ends in late October.
April 11, 1974: Meir resigns following the release of a government report criticizing Israel's lack of preparedness for the Arab strikes the year before. Yitzhak Rabin (pictured) assumes the prime minister position. He is replaced three years later by Menachem Begin.
Nov. 22, 1974: The U.N. recognizes the right for Palestinians to have "statehood and sovereignty."
Sept. 18, 1978: U.S. President
Jimmy Carter hosts Sadat and Begin at Camp David, where the
leaders approve the agreements for a peace treaty between Israel
and Egypt and for a comprehensive Middle East peace. They sign
the accord at the White House March 26, 1979.
Oct. 6, 1981: Muslim extremists, upset with the Egypt-Israel treaty, assassinate Sadat in Cairo.
June 6, 1982: Israeli troops launch Operation Peace for Galilee into southern Lebanon, with the sole purpose of ensuring security for northern Israel and destroying the infrastructure in Lebanon of the PLO, which had staged raids into Israel.
Sept. 14, 1982: Bashir Gemayel, president of Lebanon, is assassinated less than a month after the PLO withdraws its forces form Lebanon.
March 1984: Under pressure from Syria, which held considerable political and military influence in Lebanon, Lebanese president Amin Gemayel nullifies a 1983 peace agreement with Israel. Most of the Israeli forces evacuate Lebanon in 1985, leaving a small force in the south to maintain security along the border.
December 1987: The 7-year-long Palestinian uprising, or intefadeh, begins as an expression of frustration at 20 years of Israeli rule and Jewish settlement in the Occupied Territories. The movement becomes more violent over time as cease-fire attempts continue to fail.
Nov. 15, 1988: Arafat declares Palestine an independent state, acknowledges Israel's right to exist as a nation by accepting U.N. Security Council Resolution 242 - originally adopted in 1967 - and renounces terrorism. The PLO and The U.S. begin formal dialogue and Israel proposes a comprehensive peace initiative in spring 1989.
August 2, 1990: Saddam Hussein's order for an Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and the ensuing Gulf War in 1991 suspend efforts to seek an Arab-Israeli peace.
Sept. 13, 1993: The Oslo
negotiations paved the way for the signing of a peace accord
between Israel and the PLO. It proposes a Palestinian self-rule
to be phased in over several years in the West Bank and Gaza
Strip. Peres, Rabin and Arafat win the Nobel Peace Prize.
May 4, 1994: Israel and the PLO sign an agreement in Cairo on the final status of Jericho and the Gaza Strip. Israel completes withdrawal of troops from the two regions. The Palestinian Authority led by Arafat assumes civil matters and sets up a Palestinian police force to maintain internal security.
Oct. 26, 1994: Israeli Prime
Minister Rabin and Jordanian King Hussein sign a peace treaty.
Nov. 4, 1995: Israeli ultranationalist student Yigal Amir, who opposes the peace process, assassinates Rabin at a peace rally in Tel Aviv. Shimon Peres, also a major player in the peace process, takes over as Israeli prime minister.
Nov. 13, 1995: Israeli troops pull
out of towns and give the Palestinians autonomy in six cities on
the West Bank as part of the Oslo Accords.
Jan. 20, 1996: In their first elections since the formation of Israel almost 50 years earlier, Palestinians elect Arafat as president of the Palestinian Authority. He wins more than 80 percent of the vote.
August 27, 1996: Under Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli government lifts the four-year freeze on Jewish settlement construction in Palestinian territories by giving the go head for the expansion of the Kiryat Sefer Settlement. The building angers Arabs and puts the peace process into a dire situation.
Jan. 16, 1997: After more than 30 years of occupation, Israeli troops withdraw from the West Bank town of Hebron the day after an agreement is signed with the Palestinian Authority.
Oct. 23, 1998: Arafat and Netanyahu
sign the Wye River Accord - a land-for-peace deal involving the
West Bank. President Clinton hosts the Middle East Summit at the
Wye River Conference Center retreat in Maryland.
Nov. 16, 1999: Citing Palestinian violations, Netanyahu freezes Israel's implementation of the peace accord and places new conditions on further withdrawals.
May 16, 1999: Ehud Barak defeats sitting prime minister Netanyahu for the top government seat and vows to continue Israel's withdrawal of troops from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
May 1-2, 1999: Mr. Clinton, Barak and Arafat meet in Oslo, Norway and agree to continue with the peace process.
May 25, 2000: Israeli troops conclude their three-day withdrawal from the security occupied zone of southern Lebanon, 18 years after Israel invaded its northern neighbor. Hezbollah guerrillas quickly overrun the Israeli-allied militia.
June 10, 2000: Syrian President Hafez al-Assad dies after three decades of autocratic rule. A renewal of Syria-Israel peace talks hangs in uncertainty as Bashar Assad, the president's oldest surviving son and heir apparent, is handed over the reins of leadership.
July 25, 2000: After 13 days at Camp David Maryland, peace negotiations between Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and P.L.O. Chairman Yasser Arafat bartered by U.S. President Bill Clinton breakdown.
September 13, 2000: Deadline for a peaceful solution to the Israeli/Palestinian question. Arafat statedly intends to forcefully and without agreement establish a permanent Palestinian State within the borders of Israel with Jerusalem as it's Capitol, specifically East Jerusalem including the Temple Mount. War immanent.
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Bible Study Tip For Deeper, More Accurate Bible Interpretation
While language Lexicons and Greek & Hebrew Dictionaries are indeed invaluable to the student in understanding the English Bible and the translated Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic words that appear within it, one must always be conscientious that there is inherently a certain degree of 'interpretation' and/or 'opinion' on the part of the Translator/Lexicon Writer employed as he goes about his task. This is unavoidable due to the different nature of the syntax and word values within and between the various languages.
We, as all serious Bible students, are exhorted to do as the Bereans did: "...and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so." [Acts 17:11], and, "...comparing spiritual things with spiritual." [1 Cor 2:13]. To be assured of a more perfect comprehension of a Scripture, or verse even, in God's Word; We must study the words written in context with the other verses before and after the target verse; We must observe who and/or what is being spoken to and/or about; Also we must know what the time frame is - past, present, or future; And then we need to determine if it is prophecy, Is the speech figurative, an idiom, or is it to be taken literally; Also, are there parallel Scriptures elsewhere in the Bible that collaborate our interpretation of this one....
Another invaluable help to understanding a verse in question is to take the main word, the word wherein the verse seems to hinge upon, and look up that Greek, Hebrew, or Aramaic word up in your Strong's Exhaustive Concordance. Along with giving the translation definition of the original word in it's original language, the Strong's also has a Concordance that shows you every single verse in the King James Bible (numbered to the King James Bible version only) which that word appears in. And by reading several (or all) of the verses that employ that same Greek, Hebrew, or Aramaic word (often translated into several different English words in your Bible) you will be able to get 'a feel' for the weight and meaning of the word. Then apply that to the verse in question and you should be rewarded with greater clarity.
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The rise and fall of the Roman Empire
The Church was founded in the Roman Empire. Rome was founded 753 B.C.; Subdued Italy, 343-272 B.C.; Subdued Carthage, 264-146 B.C.; Subdued Greece and Asia Minor, 215-146 B.C.; Subdued Spain, Gaul, Briton, Teutons, 133-131 B.C.
ZENITH OF ROMAN POWER, 46 B.C-AD. 180:
DECLINE AND FALL OF ROMAN EMPIRE, A.D. 180-476:
THE EMPIRE DIVIDED, A.D. 395:
West:
- Honorius, AD. 395--423
- Valentinian III, A.D. 423--455
- Western Empire Fell, AD. 476 at the hands of Barbarians,ushering in the Dark Ages.
East:
- Arcadius, A.D. 395--408
- Theodosius II, A.D. 408--450
- Anastasius, A.D. 491--518
- Justinian, AD. 527--565
- Eastern Empire Fell, A.D. 1453
Out of the ruins of the Western Empire arose the Papal Empire, and Rome still Ruled the World for 1000 years.
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The Crusades: A list with dates and outcomes
The effort of Christendom to regain the Holy Land from the Mohammedans. There were seven:
The Crusades were of influence in saving Europe from the Turks, and in opening up intercourse between Europe and the East, paving the way for the Revival of Learning.
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A complete list of the Ecumenical Councils with dates & themes
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Timeline from 4004 B.C. through the development of 'Roman' Christianity and up to the repatriation of the Temple Mount to Israel (1967)
Pre-Christ
History and related info:
*All
dates approximate.
4004 BC Adam formed in the Garden of Eden.
2550 BC Sphinx of Giza.
2348 BC Great flood of Noah (Noah's 600th year. [Gen 7:6,11]
2000 BC Stonehenge built (exact date disputed).
1490 BC Pentateuch written by Moses (first five books of the Bible Old Testament: Gen - Deut).
563 BC Buddha, Prince Siddhartha Gautama.
551 BC Confucius, K'ung Fu-tzu.
150 BC Essene community founded (inhabitants of the Qumran community 14 miles east of Jerusalem where the Dead Sea Scrolls were recovered in 1947 through 1956).
55 BC Invasion of Britain by Rome under Julius Caesar.
4 BC Birth of Jesus.
Christianity comes into being:
AD 29 Crucifixion Of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the Son of God.
- The 69 sevens of the book of Daniel (written in approx. 495 B.C.) end with the "cutting off of the Messiah" [Dan 9:26] at A.D. 29.
- A.D. 29 was 483 (69x7) years from the "going forth of the commandment to build Jerusalem" [Dan 9:25] in 454 BC. (that decree given in [Neh 2:4-8]).
Dan 9:25-26
25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.
26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. (KJV)AD 29 - 590 The beginning Christian churches are scattered without a central head, but through the influence of the Holy Spirit of God, Christianity continues to grow and spread at a geometric rate.
AD 37 Joseph of Arimathaea establishes first above ground church in the world at Glastonbury, in Britain.
AD 41 Term "Christian" first used in Antioch.
AD 43 Edict of Emperor Claudius to exterminate Christian Britain.
AD 49 First Christian Council, in Jerusalem.
AD 52 Caractacus taken prisoner to Rome along with Bran, his three sons, and daughters -- including Linus and Claudia of { 2 Tim. 4:21}.
AD 53 Pudens and Claudia (Gladys) of { 2 Tim. 4:21} marry.
AD 60 The Boadicean War.
AD 65 Paul and Peter executed. Tradition has it that Paul was beheaded - not recorded in the Bible; and that Peter was crucified upside down - not recorded in the Bible, but perhaps prophesied in [John 21:17-19].
Tradition has it that Peter, upon learning that he would be crucified, felt himself unworthy to die in the same manner as the Lord Jesus Christ; and thus as a dying request, he asked to be crucified with his head down and his feet up (upside-down).
AD 69 Titus of Rome sacks and destroys Jerusalem. This same Jerusalem would once again become a part of the new Jewish state in 1967. This Jewish State Israel would become a Nation once again in 1948 in fulfillment of Biblical prophecy. (see further on below).
AD 156 Good King Lucius, by edict, proclaims Britain the first Christian nation.
AD 290 The Diocletian persecution (290-300).
AD 306 At Britain, at his father's death, Constantine declares himself Emperor of Rome.
AD 407 Jerome translates the Latin Vulgate, the early Catholic Bible.
AD 411 Rome withdraws troops from Britain.
AD 449 Angles, Saxons and Jutes invade Britain for the next two centuries driving the British Culdee Celts to the extreme west.
AD 570 Mohammed born (founder of Islam, the Muslim religion). The Muslim religion began about AD 611.
AD 590-604 The first real Pope*, Gregory I (who in fact turned down the title!). The Catholic Church formed. (the term 'Catholic' simply means 'universal').
* Some claim that the first Pope was (Leo I in 440-461). But either way it lays bare the current fable that the Papacy traces all the way back to Peter, one of the Twelve Apostles.
AD 1054 The Eastern Orthodox church is formed. They split from the Roman Catholic Church over the dispute of the power and authority of the Pope.
Roman Catholic Church:
AD 1215 The 4th Lateran Council of the Roman Catholic church, held in the Lateran Palace, Rome, endorses Doctrine of Transubstantiation.
This is the blasphemy that states that the Catholic Priest transforms the Sacraments of the bread and wine into the ACTUAL LITERAL body and blood of Jesus Christ. Thus along with symbolic cannibalism, they crucify our Lord anew every Sunday.
AD 1378 Catholic Church at odds over who should be their Pope, there were two Popes at this time both claiming to be THE Pope. For a time there were actually three rival Popes in the Roman Catholic Church at the same time.
AD 1417 The Council of Constance elected a Pope who was accepted by all rival Catholic Churches. The Roman Catholic Church now considered itself universal with sole authority on God's Word and salvation, with one Pope recognized as the 'Vicar of Christ'. (Christ' representative on earth).
The Reformation:
AD 1517 The Protestant Reformation began and split the western (Catholic) church into the Roman Catholic and the Protestant Churches.
AD 1517 Martin Luther posts his '95 Theses' on the door of the Catholic Church and sparks the Reformation. The '95 Theses', among other things objected to the selling of Indulgences by the Pope. The Catholic dogma was, and still is today for that matter, that the Pope, as 'the Vivar of Christ' had the power to get anyone into Heaven he desired to. The Catholic dogma also proclaimed that the Pope also had the power to get someone out of the mythical place called Purgatory. In Luther's time, these 'Papal Indulgences' were being sold to the highest bidder in the raising of funds to build St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome. Talk about a house built on the sand that falls because of a bad foundation! [Matt 7:24-27].
AD 1521 Diet of Worms: Martin Luther, the leader of the Protestant separation from the Roman Catholic Church, condemned for heresy. Is it any wonder that the Catholic Church wanted to silence him?!?
AD 1534 Church of England formed: King Henry VIII influenced Parliament to split from the Roman Catholic Pope and formed the Church of England.
AD 1600's Church of England splits and the Presbyterian and Congregational Churches emerge.
The modern churches:
AD 1534 Formation of the Society of Jesus (known as the Jesuit Priesthood). Founded by Roman Catholic Saint Ignatius Loyola to combat the weakening by the Reformation of the Holy Roman Empire (Catholic Church Universal). This was called the Counter-reformation. These Jesuit priests would go on to murder untold numbers of Christians who refused to bow their knee to the authority of the Roman Catholic Pope. (more on Jesuit Preisthood later, including their 'secret' Oath).
AD 1536 On Friday, October 6th 1536, William Tyndale was led out of prison, tied to a stake, strangled, and his body burned to ashes. Tyndale's crime was that he printed the Holy Scriptures into English that every man might have the Word of God at his fingertips. It is called the Tyndale Bible and only scant copies remain.
At that time, the only copies of the 'Bible' were chained in the Church Rectory and not for public viewing. The people had to rely on the priesthood for the Word of God, the same priesthood that had the blood of the Christian Martyrs dripping from their hands. William Tyndale's last words before being Martyred were: "Lord, open the eyes of the King of England." Almighty God answered that prayer in A.D. 1611 (see below).
AD 1582 Gregorian Calendar created by St. Gregory. This our common current BC/AD (Before Christ/Anno Domini) calendar. The calendar that we must set Christ's birth at 4 B.C to be accurate. It also requires leap lears to remain correct.
AD 1611 Original King James translation released. Now the common man would have the Written Word of God at his disposal for personal study. God answered Tyndale's dying prayer with The Holy Bible!
No longer could the church hold men in fear for their salvation. Such great personal sacrifices went into making the Word of God accessible to every man, but the majority of today's Christians still allow their clergy to tell them what God said to us, most do not even open the Bible, much less read it - this is a shame as well as dangerous! History is set to repeat itself.
AD 1648 Wars between Catholics and Protestants ended, closing a dark period of Christianity wherein millions of Christians were murdered by the Roman Catholic Church under the banner of Papal authority. Protestants were now free to worship as they please free from persecution.
AD 1700's Late in the 1700's, Wesley's followers, called Methodists, separated from the Church of England, forming their own denomination.
AD 1869-1870 First Vatican Council declares Pope infallible
Catholic
Pope declares 'Papal Infallibility' and the 'Immaculate
Conception' doctrine:
AD 1854 Pope Pius IX publishes Immaculate Conception doctrine. I myself (this author) was ignorant for a long time about the meaning of the Dogma of "Immaculate Conception," I had always thought that it meant that Jesus was born of a virgin, which He was, but that is not what the Catholic dogma of the "Immaculate Conception" is about. It is the blasphemy that states that Mother Mary was also as perfect and without any sin as her Son Jesus Christ was.
The Roman Catholic Church states:
CC (Catechism) 491. "Through the centuries the Church has become ever more aware that Mary, 'full of grace' through God, [Lk 1:28] was redeemed from the moment of her conception. That is what the dogma of the Immaculate Conception confesses, as Pope Pius IX proclaimed in 1854: The most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Saviour of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of original sin. [Pius IX, Ineffabilis Deus (1854): DS 2803.]" (Emphesis added)
But the Bible tells us:
Rom 3:22-24
22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: (KJV)
The Rapture Doctrine:
AD 1830 In the Spring of the year 1830, in Port Glasgow, Scotland, a sick woman named Margaret MacDonald had a 'vision' of end-time prophecy spring into her deluded mind. Privately she sent hand written copies of her Scripture-riddled revelation to some leading clergymen. They repackaged it and sold it to the world. (See: The Rapture). We also review two very good books on the subject of the origins of the Rapture Theories, they can be seen and ordered from our studyaids section: The Rapture Plot & Incredible Cover Up.
Briefly, the Rapture 'Doctrine' states that Jesus Christ will appear in the sky before the Great Tribulation, and all the "good Christians" will be floated up into the clouds to meet Jesus. The rest of the people on earth will be relegated to a literal hell-on-earth with the antichrist. Of course there is no Biblical support for such an absurdity, although the Rapturist's have perverted several Scriptures to align with their beliefs. In the The Rapture Bible study we take apart those Scriptures verse by verse and observe what they truly say.
AD 1869 At Vatican Council I, the then reining Pope, Pope Pius IX, declared himself and all Popes "infallible"; meaning that when any Pope, past, present, or future speaks 'ex-cathedra' (from the seat), he is speaking as the word of God and cannot be incorrect. He is a perfect man on earth. He alone has sole authority to interpret and change Scriptural and doctrinal issues. This is truly an amazing blasphemy!
The Catechism of the Catholic Church says:
CC 891. "The Roman Pontiff, head of the college of bishops, enjoys this Infallibility in virtue of his office, when, as supreme pastor and teacher of all the faithful - who confirms his brethren in the faith he proclaims by a definitive act a doctrine pertaining to faith or morals.... The Infallibility promised to the Church is also present in the body of bishops when, together with Peter's successor, they exercise the supreme Magisterium,' above all in an Ecumenical Council. [LG 25; cf. Vatican Council I: DS 3074.] When the Church through its supreme Magisterium proposes a doctrine 'for belief as being divinely revealed,' [DV 10 # 2.] and as the teaching of Christ, the definitions 'must be adhered to with the obedience of faith.' [LG 25 # 2.] This Infallibility extends as far as the deposit of divine Revelation itself.[Cf. LG 25.]" (Emphesis added)
CC 100. "The task of interpreting the Word of God authentically has been entrusted solely to the Magisterium of the Church, that is, to the Pope and to the bishops in communion with him." (Emphesis added)
Whom did Jesus say was worthy to be considered good council in matters of questions of life eternal?:
Mark 10:17-18
17 And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?
18 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God. (KJV)
Recent-time Church and Biblical Lands History:
AD 1948 Israel once again becomes a Nation in fulfillment of Biblical prophecy (May 14, 1948).
AD 1948 World Council of Churches formed. Protestant denominations seeking unification amongst themselves. In our present day, The Eastern Orthodox churches who split from the Roman Catholic church in 1054 are involved in unification discussions and are a part of the World Council of Churches. During Vatican Council II (1962), the Roman Catholic Church announced it's support of the World Council of Churches and has a representative within the organization.
AD 1967 On May 5th 1967, The Six Day War broke out, and among other land gained by Israel, the east section of Jerusalem was captured. In this section of the Holy City Jerusalem exists the Temple Mount, the Holiest place on earth for Christians and Jews and the third Holiest site for Islam. All end-time Biblical prophecy revolves around this Temple Mount.
On this Temple Mount lays the third holiest Muslim site (the Dome on the Rock). But the Jews believe they must rebuild the Temple (the third Temple) on this location to usher in the Messiah. Christians believe that it is at this location that Jesus Christ shall make His grand appearance at His Second Advent. This area is truly a hotbed of religious conflict.
More precisely stated, on the third day (Jun 8th 1967) of the Six Day War, The Holy Temple Mount (site of the first and second Old Testament Temples of God) and all of the then-separated eastern part of the City of Jerusalem was repatriated with Israel. This has strong prophetical implications.
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"Absolute power corrupts absolutely:" Corruption of the Papacy and the Priesthood
Summit of Papal Power:
Pope Innocent III (1198-1216). Most Powerful of all the Popes. Claimed to be "Vicar of Christ," "Vicar of God," "Supreme Sovereign over the Church and the World." Claimed the right to Depose Kings and Princes, and that "All things on earth and in heaven and in hell are subject to the Vicar of Christ."
He brought the Church into Supreme Control of the State. The Kings of Germany, France, England, and practically all the Monarchs of Europe obeyed his will. He even brought the Byzantine Empire under his control. Never in history has any one man exerted more power.
He ordered Two Crusades. Decreed Transubstantiation. Confirmed Auricular Confession. Declared that Peters successor "can never in any way depart from the Catholic faith," Papal Infallibility. Condemned the Magna Charta. Forbade the Reading of the Bible in vernacular (common language). Ordered the Extermination of Heretics. Instituted the Inquisition. Ordered the Massacre of the Albigenses. More Blood was Shed under his direction, and that of his immediate successors, than in any other period of Church History, except in the Papacy's effort to Crush the Reformation in the 16th and 17th centuries. One would think Nero, the Beast, had come to life in Name of the Lamb.
Papal Power Maintained by the Inquisition:
The Inquisition, called the "Holy Office," was instituted by Pope Innocent III, and perfected under the second following Pope, Gregory IX. It was the Church Court for Detection and Punishment of Heretics. Under it everyone was required to inform against Heretics. Anyone suspected was liable to Torture, without knowing the name of his accuser. The proceedings were secret. The Inquisitor pronounced sentence, and the victim was turned over to Civil Authorities to be Imprisoned for Life, or to be Burned. The victims property was confiscated, and divided between the Church and the State.
In the period immediately following Pope Innocent III the Inquisition did its most deadly work against the Albigenses, but also claimed vast multitudes of victims in Spain, Italy, Germany and the Netherlands.
Later on the Inquisition was the main agency in the Papacy's effort to Crush the Reformation. It is stated that in the 30 years between 1540 and 1570 no fewer than 900,000 Protestants were put to death in the Popes war for the extermination of the Waldenses.
Think of Monks and Priests, in holy garments, directing, with Heartless Cruelty and Inhuman Brutality, the work of Torturing and Burning alive Innocent Men and Women, and doing it in the Name of Christ, by the direct order of the "Vicar of Christ."
The Inquisition was the Most Infamous and Devilish Thing in Human History. It was devised by Popes, and used by them for 500 years, to Maintain their Power. For its record none of the subsequent line of "Holy" and "Infallible" Popes apologized until March 2000.
In March of the year 2000, in a special ceremony at the Vatican, John Paul II asked for forgiveness for the failings of 'his' church over the centuries, including its mistreatment of Jews and its violation of the rights of ethnic groups. And even today, many Catholic clergy are making independent apologies for things that have been brought to light by the secular press.
The irony in this is that when one supposedly "Infallible" Pope apologizes for the error of another supposedly "Infallible" Pope," he shows the folly of the Catholic false teaching that the Pope, a mere man, is perfect and "Infallible."
Let's examine the Catholic "secret":
Source: Chicago Tribune newspaper; Mar 31, 2000:
Diocese apologizes for earlier abusesOAKLAND -- In an emotional ritual, the regions Roman Catholic diocese made a public apology to victims of abuse by priests.
Bishop John S. Cummins joined fellow clergy, victims and their families for the service. during which the diocese expressed deep regret for the "grave evil" of sexual abuse.
"The failure of many of the leaders of the Catholic Church to confront this abuse head-on, ...remove priest abusers and other employees from active ministry, or to take the side of the victims, has been one of the more distressing aspects of the church's recent history," Cummins stated.
Some 130 people attended the service, held in a lodge hall because some victims did not want to enter a church. (End of Excerpt)
These apologies are hollow, self serving, insincere, and empty. The Catholic Priest of our generation has at least a four times higher chance of contracting Aids than the general population (one estimate places it at 11 times higher). Now just what do you think is going on here?!?
Excerpted from: The Kansas City Star Date: 01/29/00:
CATHOLIC PRIESTS WITH AIDSBy JUDY L. THOMAS - The Kansas City Star
Hundreds of Roman Catholic priests across the United States have died of AIDS-related illnesses, and hundreds more are living with HIV, the virus that causes the disease.The actual number of AIDS deaths is difficult to determine. But it appears priests are dying of AIDS at a rate at least four times that of the general U.S. population, according to estimates from medical experts and priests and an analysis of health statistics by The Kansas City Star.
In Missouri and Kansas alone, at least 16 priests and two religious-order brothers have died of AIDS since early 1987.
The deaths are of such concern to the church that most dioceses and religious orders now require applicants for the priesthood to take an HIV-antibody test before their ordination....But within the church, many have been touched by the disease. To the surprise of researchers and some church officials, 801 priests responded to The Star's survey on AIDS and the priesthood - a response rate of 27 percent. Nearly 60 percent said they personally knew at least one priest who had died of AIDS. And one in three said they knew priests who were living with HIV or AIDS....Another researcher who has extensively studied the issue of AIDS within the church is the Rev. Thomas Crangle, a Franciscan priest in the Capuchin order in Passaic, N.J. In 1990, Crangle conducted a mail survey of hundreds of priests selected at random.
Crangle said that of the 500 surveys he sent, 398 were returned. About 45 percent of those responding volunteered that they were gay, and 92 - nearly one-fourth - said they had AIDS.
"I was surprised," Crangle said. "I felt there was a problem, but I didn't think it was of that magnitude."....Cleghorn said he has treated about 20 priests and religious-order brothers with AIDS, all of whom had kept it a secret.
"The church and religious orders need to acknowledge that there is a problem -- that priests have sex and they are susceptible to all sexually transmitted diseases, including AIDS," Cleghorn said....
"I think the most important message is that, just like every other part of the population, priests need sex education and sexual disease prevention." Keenan now runs weekly support sessions for infected priests. He believes most priests with AIDS contracted the disease through same-sex relations. He said he treated one priest who had infected eight other priests....Joseph Barone, a New Jersey psychiatrist and AIDS expert, puts the number of U.S. priests who have died at 1,000 - nearly 11 times the rate of the general population.
Barone directed an AIDS ministry from 1983 to 1993 for students at North American College in Rome. While there, he set up an underground AIDS testing program. Over seven years, he tested dozens of seminarians. Barone gave them false names, drove them to their tests in an unmarked car and paid for the tests himself.
"I didn't know who they were; they didn't know who I was," Barone said.
Of those he worked with, he said, 1 in 12 tested HIV-positive.
By the time Barone left Rome, he had treated about 80 priests with AIDS. Most of them were gay, he said, and contracted the disease through sexual activity.
"The tragedy is many of them have been so duplicitous and so closeted," said Barone, a member of the National Catholic AIDS Network.
"They didn't realize what they were doing, not only to themselves, but to other individuals, because of the exponential transmission rate."
Another researcher who has extensively studied the issue of AIDS within the church is the Rev. Thomas Crangle, a Franciscan priest in the Capuchin order in Passaic, N.J. In 1990, Crangle conducted a mail survey of hundreds of priests selected at random.
Crangle said that of the 500 surveys he sent, 398 were returned. About 45 percent of those responding volunteered that they were gay, and 92 - nearly one-fourth - said they had AIDS.
"I was surprised," Crangle said. "I felt there was a problem, but I didn't think it was of that magnitude." .... (End of Excerpt)
The truth of the matter is that the entire Roman Catholic Church system is built upon corruption and most certainly not on Peter's first Church! Probably the only thing they've going for themselves is that they believe upon Jesus Christ - God bless them for that anyway. The Catholic Church is in fact modeled after the Pagan Roman Empire. An excellent book from the 1800's that reveals this sad fact, with documentation, is in our library: The Two Babylons
Original Form of Church Government:
At the close of the Apostolic age Churches were independent one of another, each being shepherded by a board of Pastors. The main leader came to be called Bishop. The others, later, were called Presbyters. Gradually the jurisdiction of Bishop came to include neighboring towns.
The first Pope:
The word "Pope" means "Papa," "Father." At first it was applied to all Western Bishops. About AD. 500 it began to be restricted to the Bishop of Rome, and soon, in common use, came to mean Universal Bishop. The Roman Catholic list of Popes includes the Bishops of Rome from the 1st century onward. But for 500 years Bishops of Rome were NOT Popes. The idea that the Bishop of Rome should have Authority over the Whole Church was a slow growth, bitterly contested at every step, and Never Has, at any time, Been Universally Recognized.
WBSG Note: Jesus tells us in the Bible to "call no man your father on earth." We know that He wasn't speaking about your flesh parent because the fifth commandment says: "Honor thy father and thy mother..." [Ex 20:12]. So what other father could He mean except Pope (The word "Pope" means "Papa," "Father."). Also notice the capitalization below in the word Father (this indicates the presence of the definite article in the Greek language):
Matt 23:9 (Jesus speaking)
9 And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. (KJV)
Peter:
The Roman Catholic tradition that Peter was the First Pope is Fiction pure and simple. There is no New Testament hint, and no historical evidence whatever, that Peter was at any time Bishop of Rome. Nor did he ever claim for himself such Authority as the Popes have claimed for themselves. It seems that Peter had a divine foreboding that his "Successors" would be mainly concerned with "Lording it over Gods flock, rather than showing themselves Examples to the flock" (I Peter 5:3).
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Map of the lands of early Christianity and major event locations
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The world's different religions: current number of adherents for all major religions
Well, in the 40 years since 1960 we still see one-third
of the world's population professing Christianity. An interesting
point on the pie-chart to the left is that Judaism (Jews) are so
small in number that they are contained within the 3% 'other'
category. There are as of Sep 18, 2000, there are
only 13 million Jews on the planet (as per www.adherents.com), that is less than
1% of the total global population which is 6,099,686,302 (6 billion plus) as of
4:04 EDT Oct 1, 2000 per Popclock. But to listen to them, you would thing the
world was half Jewish!
And just as in 1961, much of Christianity today is grossly corrupted. However, back in 1961 only one third of Christianity was considered corrupted, today sadly, MOST of Christianity is grossly corrupted with false doctrines and traditions of men that have made void the true Word of God.
Col 2:8
8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and
vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of
the world, and not after Christ. (KJV)
Mark 7:13
13 Making the word of God of none effect through your
tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do
ye. (KJV)
WORLD STATISTICS Total world population |
AS OF A.D. 1961 2,500,000,000 |
AS OF A.D. 2000 6,066,569,719 |
INCREASE 3,566,569,719 |
| Christianity (all) | 790,000,000 | 2,000,000,000 | 1,210,000,000 |
| Roman Catholic Christianity | 400,000,000 | 1,030,000,000 | 630,000,000 |
| Protestant Christianity (et all) | 240,000,000 | 679,000,000 | 439,000,000 |
| Eastern Orthodox Christianity | 150,000,000 | 240,000,000 | 90,000,000 |
| Mohammedan (Muslim - Islam) | 300,000,000 | 1,200,000,000 | 900,000,000 |
| Jews (Judaism) | 11,000,000 | 13,000,000 | 4,000,000 |
| Buddhist | 150,000,000 | 350,000,000 | 200,000,000 |
| Hindu | 250,000,000 | 900,000,000 | 650,000,000 |
Religions of the World, Roughly, as of A.D. 2000
Total World Population: 6,066,569,719 (6 billion plus)
Sizes shown are approximate estimates, and are here mainly for the purpose of ordering the groups, not providing a definitive number. This list is sociological/statistical in perspective. List last modified 10 April 2000.
Ranked in order by number of adherents:
- Christianity: 2 billion
- Islam: 1.2 billion
- Hinduism: 900 million
- Secular/Nonreligious/Agnostic/Atheist: 900 million
- Buddhism: 350 million
- Chinese traditional religion: 225 million
- primal-indigenous: 190 million
- Yoruba religion: 20 million
- Juche: 19 million
- Sikhism: 18 million
- Judaism: 13 million
- Spiritism: 14 million
- Babi & Baha'i faiths: 6 million
- Jainism: 4 million
- Shinto: 4 million
- Cao Dai: 3 million
- Tenrikyo: 2.4 million
- Neo-Paganism: 1 million
- Unitarian-Universalism: 800 thousand
- Scientology: 750 thousand
- Rastafarianism: 700 thousand
- Zoroastrianism: 150 thousand
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