Co-Author: King Osiemo
God never forces the will or the conscience; but Satan’s constant resort—to gain control of those whom he cannot otherwise seduce—is compulsion by cruelty. Through fear or force he endeavors to rule the conscience and to secure homage to himself. To accomplish this, he works through both religious and secular authorities, moving them to the enforcement of human laws in defiance of the law of God. GC 591.1 – GC 591.2
Satan’s policy in this final conflict with God’s people is the same that he employed in the opening of the great controversy in heaven. He professed to be seeking to promote the stability of the divine government, while secretly bending every effort to secure its overthrow. And the very work which he was thus endeavoring to accomplish he charged upon the loyal angels. The same policy of deception has marked the history of the Roman Church. It has professed to act as the vicegerent of Heaven, while seeking to exalt itself above God and to change His law. Under the rule of Rome, those who suffered death for their fidelity to the gospel were denounced as evildoers; they were declared to be in league with Satan; and every possible means was employed to cover them with reproach, to cause them to appear in the eyes of the people and even to themselves as the vilest of criminals. So it will be now. While Satan seeks to destroy those who honor God’s law, he will cause them to be accused as lawbreakers, as men who are dishonoring God and bringing judgments upon the world. GC 591.1
The Great Controversy Between Christ and Satan by Ellen G White
Charity Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 1 Corinthians:13:6
Pope Francis encourages members of the Muslim Council of Elders in Bahrain to embrace fraternity, prayer and common efforts to help humanity rediscover the hidden sources of life, foster peace and promote care of the disadvantaged in society.
By Benedict Mayaki, SJ
Pope Francis met with the members of the Muslim Council of Elders, in the presence of the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Sheikh Ahmad Al-Tayyeb in the mosque of the Sakhir Royal Palace on Friday afternoon.
Addressing the members, the Holy Father wished the peace of God upon them, who desire to foster reconciliation in order to avoid divisions and conflicts in Muslim communities, who see in extremism, a danger that corrodes genuine religion and who are committed to dispelling erroneous interpretations that do a disservice to religious belief.
“May peace come down and remain upon you: upon you, who wish to spread peace by instilling within people’s hearts the values of respect, tolerance and moderation; upon you, who seek to encourage friendly relations, mutual respect and trust with those who, like myself, are followers of a different religious tradition; upon you, who strive to provide young people with a moral and intellectual education that opposes all forms of hatred and intolerance.”
Charity Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 1 Corinthians:13:6, But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked. Isaiah:57:20-21
God of peace
The Pope said that “God is the source of peace” and as such he “never brings about war, never incites hatred, never supports violence.” In fact, we, who believe in him are also called to “promote peace with tools of peace, such as encounter, patient negotiations and dialogue, which is the oxygen of peaceful coexistence.”
For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely. They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace. Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore they shall fall among them that fall: at the time that I visit them they shall be cast down, saith the LORD. Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein. Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken.
Jeremiah:6:13-17
He upheld the spread of a culture of peace based on justice as one of the objectives of the Council and stressed that it is the only path, inasmuch as “peace is the effect of righteousness.”
“Peace is born of fraternity; it grows through the struggle against injustice and inequality; it is built by holding out a hand to others.””
And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? 2 Corinthians:6:15
He insisted that peace cannot simply be proclaimed, but it must be helped to take root, and this is only possible by eliminating the forms of inequality and discrimination that give rise to instability and hostility.
They were taught not only to look to the pope as their mediator, but to trust to works of their own to atone for sin. Long pilgrimages, acts of penance, the worship of relics, the erection of churches, shrines, and altars, the payment of large sums to the church—these and many similar acts were enjoined to appease the wrath of God or to secure His favor; as if God were like men, to be angered at trifles, or pacified by gifts or acts of penance!
The Great Controversy Between Christ and Satan by Ellen G White
Notwithstanding that vice prevailed, even among the leaders of the Roman Church, her influence seemed steadily to increase. About the close of the eighth century, papists put forth the claim that in the first ages of the church the bishops of Rome had possessed the same spiritual power which they now assumed. To establish this claim, some means must be employed to give it a show of authority; and this was readily suggested by the father of lies. Ancient writings were forged by monks. Decrees of councils before unheard of were discovered, establishing the universal supremacy of the pope from the earliest times. And a church that had rejected the truth greedily accepted these deceptions. (See Appendix.)
The few faithful builders upon the true foundation (1 Corinthians 3:10, 11) were perplexed and hindered as the rubbish of false doctrine obstructed the work. Like the builders upon the wall of Jerusalem in Nehemiah’s day, some were ready to say: “The strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed, and there is much rubbish; so that we are not able to build.” Nehemiah 4:10. Wearied with the constant struggle against persecution, fraud, iniquity, and every other obstacle that Satan could devise to hinder their progress, some who had been faithful builders became disheartened; and for the sake of peace and security for their property and their lives, they turned away from the true foundation. Others, undaunted by the opposition of their enemies, fearlessly declared: “Be not ye afraid of them: remember the Lord, which is great and terrible” (verse 14); and they proceeded with the work, everyone with his sword girded by his side. Ephesians 6:17.
The same spirit of hatred and opposition to the truth has inspired the enemies of God in every age, and the same vigilance and fidelity have been required in His servants. The words of Christ to the first disciples are applicable to His followers to the close of time: “What I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.” Mark 13:37.
The darkness seemed to grow more dense. Image worship became more general. Candles were burned before images, and prayers were offered to them. The most absurd and superstitious customs prevailed. The minds of men were so completely controlled by superstition that reason itself seemed to have lost its sway. While priests and bishops were themselves pleasure-loving, sensual, and corrupt, it could only be expected that the people who looked to them for guidance would be sunken in ignorance and vice.
Another step in papal assumption was taken, when, in the eleventh century, Pope Gregory VII proclaimed the perfection of the Roman Church. Among the propositions which he put forth was one declaring that the church had never erred, nor would it ever err, according to the Scriptures. But the Scripture proofs did not accompany the assertion. The proud pontiff also claimed the power to depose emperors, and declared that no sentence which he pronounced could be reversed by anyone, but that it was his prerogative to reverse the decisions of all others. (See Appendix.) GC 55.3 – GC 57.2
Brother and pilgrim of peace
I am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive. John:5:43
“I have come among you as a believer in God, as a brother and as a pilgrim of peace,” the Pope said. “I have come among you so that we can journey together, in the spirit of Francis of Assisi, who liked to say: “As you announce peace with your mouth, make sure that greater peace is in your hearts.”
The Pope noted that in these lands, it is customary to shake hands of guest and place one’s own hand on one’s chest as a sign of affection, as if to say, “you do not remain distant from me, but you enter into my heart, into my life”.
“I also place my hand on my heart with respect and affection, as I look out at each of you and bless the Most High for making it possible for us to encounter one another,” he said.
Encounter, fraternity
Pope Francis stressed that we need to encounter one another “to get to know and to esteem one another, to put reality ahead of ideas and people ahead of opinions, openness to heaven ahead of differences on earth.” He added that we “need to put a future of fraternity ahead of a past of antagonism, overcoming historical prejudices and misunderstandings in the name of the One who is the source of peace.”
If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained.
1 Timothy:4:6
And he answered and said unto them, My mother and my brethren are these which hear the word of God, and do it.Luke:8:21
He further urged everyone to be guided by the saying of Imam Ali: “People are of two types: they are either brothers and sisters in religion or fellow men and women in humanity,” and thus “forget the past and sincerely achieve mutual understanding, and, for the benefit of all, to preserve and promote peace, liberty, social justice and moral values.”
“These are duties incumbent upon us as religious leaders: in a world that is increasingly wounded and divided, that beneath the surface of globalization senses anxiety and fear, the great religious traditions must be the heart that unites the members of the body, the soul that gives hope and life to its highest aspirations.”
The power of life In The Papacy “The Word” In The Beginning Garden
Pope Francis upheld the power of life, which survives the driest deserts by “drawing upon the waters of encounter and peaceful coexistence.”
He recalled the “Tree of Life” found in Bahrain, noting that in the Bible, the tree of life is place in the original garden, at the heart of God’s plan for humanity. He added that human beings turned their backs on their creator and the order he established and that was the beginning of the problems and imbalanced that followed, including quarrels and murders between brothers (Gen 14), pride and social conflict (Gen 11), among others. All of this evil, the Pope said, is “rooted in the rejection of God and of our brothers and sisters, in our losing sight of the Author of life and no longer seeing ourselves as our brothers’ keepers.”
As a result, two questions remain valid whatever religious tradition a person may profess, and they two remain a challenge for every life and for every age: “Where are you?” (Gen 3:9); “Where is your brother?” (Gen 4:9).
To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One.
Isaiah:40:25
The Pope further stressed that social, international, economic and individual evils, as well as the dramatic environmental crisis of our time, ultimately derive from estrangement from God and our neighbour.
. But the Christian world have shown contempt for the law of Jehovah; and the Lord will do just what He has declared that He would—He will withdraw His blessings from the earth and remove His protecting care from those who are rebelling against His law and teaching and forcing others to do the same. Satan has control of all whom God does not especially guard. He will favor and prosper some in order to further his own designs, and he will bring trouble upon others and lead men to believe that it is God who is afflicting them. GC 589.2
The Great Controversy Between Christ and Satan by Ellen G White
“Ours, then, is a unique and inescapable duty: to help humanity to rediscover the forgotten sources of life, to lead men and women to drink from the wellsprings of ancient wisdom, and to bring the faithful closer to worship of the God of heaven and closer to our brothers and sisters for whom he created the earth.”
Prayer and fraternity
Pope Francis went on to recommend prayer and fraternity as our weapons, modest but effective, to achieve this duty of helping humanity rediscover the forgotten sources of life. He warned against other means and shortcuts unworthy of the Most high “whose name of Peace is dishonoured by those who put their trust in power and nurture violence, war and the arms trade, the “commerce of death” that, through ever increasing outlays, is turning our common home into one great arsenal.”
In this regard, the Pope thought of the people who are forced to migrate from their lands due to conflicts “subsidized by the purchase of outdated weapons at affordable prices, only to be then identified and turned away at other borders through increasingly sophisticated military equipment.”
Amid these tragic scenarios, he added, we are called to “proclaim, with the wisdom of our elders and fathers, that God and neighbour come before all else, that transcendence and fraternity alone will save us.”
Deeds, not merely words
“It is up to us to uncover these wellsprings of life; otherwise, the desert of humanity will be increasingly arid and deadly,” the Pope stressed, adding that are to “bear witness, more by our deeds than merely by our words.”
The prince that wanteth understanding is also a great oppressor: but he that hateth covetousness shall prolong his days.
Proverbs:28:16And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand. Daniel:8:25
Our responsibility before God and humanity is great, he added, urging everyone to be exemplary models of what we preach, not only in our communities and homes, but in the world.
“We who are descended from Abraham, the father of peoples in faith, cannot be concerned merely with those who are “our own” but, as we grow more and more united, we must speak to the entire human community, to all who dwell on this earth.”
They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. John:16:2 Did not Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keepeth the law? Why go ye about to kill me?John:7:19 Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse: My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path: For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood. Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird. Proverbs:1:14-17
FIGHTING THE ALIEN INTRUDERS CALLING SELF PILGRIMS ON EARTH
And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world. John:8:23
Pope Francis encouraged all men and women to ask “Who does it mean to be human? Why is there suffering, evil, death and injustice? What awaits us after this life? He noted that for some, immersed in a world of materialism and consumerism, these questions lie dormant, while for others, they are suppressed by the dehumanizing scourges of hunger and poverty.
“Let us support one another in this regard; let us follow up on our meeting today; let us journey together!” Pope Francis urged. “We will be blessed by the Most High and by the smallest and vulnerable creatures for whom he has a preferential love: the poor, children and the young, who after so many dark nights await the rising of a dawn of light and peace.”
Throughout Christendom, Protestantism was menaced by formidable foes. The first triumphs of the Reformation past, Rome summoned new forces, hoping to accomplish its destruction. At this time the order of the Jesuits was created, the most cruel, unscrupulous, and powerful of all the champions of popery. Cut off from earthly ties and human interests, dead to the claims of natural affection, reason and conscience wholly silenced, they knew no rule, no tie, but that of their order, and no duty but to extend its power. (See Appendix.) The gospel of Christ had enabled its adherents to meet danger and endure suffering, undismayed by cold, hunger, toil, and poverty, to uphold the banner of truth in face of the rack, the dungeon, and the stake. To combat these forces, Jesuitism inspired its followers with a fanaticism that enabled them to endure like dangers, and to oppose to the power of truth all the weapons of deception. There was no crime too great for them to commit, no deception too base for them to practice, no disguise too difficult for them to assume. Vowed to perpetual poverty and humility, it was their studied aim to secure wealth and power, to be devoted to the overthrow of Protestantism, and the re-establishment of the papal supremacy.
The Great Controversy Between Christ and Satan by Ellen G White
When appearing as members of their order, they wore a garb of sanctity, visiting prisons and hospitals, ministering to the sick and the poor, professing to have renounced the world, and bearing the sacred name of Jesus, who went about doing good. But under this blameless exterior the most criminal and deadly purposes were often concealed. It was a fundamental principle of the order that the end justifies the means. By this code, lying, theft, perjury, assassination, were not only pardonable but commendable, when they served the interests of the church. Under various disguises the Jesuits worked their way into offices of state, climbing up to be the counselors of kings, and shaping the policy of nations. They became servants to act as spies upon their masters. They established colleges for the sons of princes and nobles, and schools for the common people; and the children of Protestant parents were drawn into an observance of popish rites. All the outward pomp and display of the Romish worship was brought to bear to confuse the mind and dazzle and captivate the imagination, and thus the liberty for which the fathers had toiled and bled was betrayed by the sons. The Jesuits rapidly spread themselves over Europe, and wherever they went, there followed a revival of popery. GC 234.2 – GC 235.1
Pope meets with the Muslim Council of Elders, Awali, Bahrain, 4 Nov 2022
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