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| Francis' 1st address as pope, St. Peter's Basilica, 13 March 2013. |
The Advocate reported on October 10, 2013 that Italian Catholic Lesbian-Gay-Bisexual-Transvestite (LGBT) lobby group Kairos of Florence wrote a letter to the pope in June, and the pope issued his blessing to Kairos and its members.
"The group declined to reveal the contents of its original letter or of Pope Francis's response, but confirmed that the pope issued his blessing to Kairos and its members. Kairos also received a letter from the Vatican's secretariat of state, which reportedly said Pope Francis ‘really enjoyed’ the letter and the way it was written, according to The Tablet."
"Pope Francis continues to make headlines for statements that seem more tolerant and accepting of LGBT people than those of his predecessors, though there has been no change in official Catholic doctrine condemning homosexual acts and opposing marriage equality. In September, Francis said the church shouldn't ‘interfere spiritually’ with the lives of LGBT people in a wide-ranging interview in which he also said the church cannot focus solely on opposing abortion, contraception, and marriage equality. A month earlier, the pope told a group of reporters that he wouldn't judge gay priests, asking, ‘If someone is gay and seeks the Lord with good will, who am I to judge?’”
Read more at Pope Francis Writes Private Letter to Gay Catholics.
Time magazine reported Pope Francis also challenged Catholic attitudes about homosexuality:
“In Buenos Aires I used to receive letters from homosexual persons who are ‘socially wounded’ because they tell me that they feel like the church has always condemned them. But the church does not want to do this,” the Pope said before restating his unprecedented July comments about not judging gay people. “Religion has the right to express its opinion in the service of the people, but God in creation has set us free: it is not possible to interfere spiritually in the life of a person.”
“A person once asked me, in a provocative manner, if I approved of homosexuality,” he continued. “I replied with another question: ‘Tell me: when God looks at a gay person, does he endorse the existence of this person with love, or reject and condemn this person?’ We must always consider the person.”
Read more: Pope Francis Expresses Tolerance of Gays, Support for Women
Codewit reported on October 8, 2013, “Pope Francis said today that he favors the right of gays to marry.”
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| Pope Francis on 20 March 2013 |
"We have learned much about homosexuality in recent years," he told a reporter aboard the papal jet. "We now know that being gay isn't a choice, but something one is born with. If our Lord decides that someone should come into this world a certain way, who are we to judge His choice?"
"And for those who do judge, where exactly in the Bible does it say marriage is reserved for heterosexual relationships? Is it in the Ten Commandments? I don't see it there. You'd think if stopping gay marriage were so important Jesus would have mentioned it - I don't know - maybe once in the Bible.
"The Bible mentions not eating shellfish more than it mentions homosexuality. And yet many anti-gay activists - including some Catholics - are running around eating shrimp and telling others what to do with their lives. I view these people as bigoted and ungodly and I will confront them during my time as pontiff. Who are we to tell anyone who to love? "
Read more at Pope Francis Says He Supports Gay Marriage.
It's evident that Pope Francis has done a complete turn around from the position he previously once held as a Cardinal. When he, then Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, was an archbishop in Argentina, he called that country's legalization of same-sex marriage "a 'move' of the father of lies who wishes to confuse and deceive the children of God." He used to refer to same-sex marriage as a tactic of satan, the father of lies, to confuse and deceive the children of God. As an Archbishop, the future Pope also once said, “The identity of the family, and its survival, are in jeopardy here: father, mother, and children … At stake is the total rejection of God’s law engraved in our hearts.” Look how much he has changed since becoming Pope only a few short months ago.
Pope Gave Blessing to Lobby Group
On his flight from Rio to Rome on the papal jet, the Pope answered questions from reporters about a wide range of topics including his view on homosexuality and lobby groups. I read the entire transcript of that interview. In it he expressed his sound disapproval of lobby groups of any kind, saying:
“There is so much being written about the gay lobby. I haven’t met anyone in the Vatican yet who has “gay” written on their identity cards. There is a distinction between being gay, being this way inclined and lobbying. Lobbies are not good. If a gay person is in eager search of God, who am I to judge them? The Catholic Church teaches that gay people should not be discriminated against; they should be made to feel welcome. Being gay is not the problem, lobbying is the problem and this goes for any type of lobby, business lobbies, political lobbies and Masonic lobbies.”
So there are two important points to learn from this statement. First, he said "being gay is not the problem" Secondly, in spite of the Pope's statement that lobby groups of any kind are "not good" and are a problem, he assured the Italian LGBT group Kairos of his blessing. This seems rather hypocritical, or at least inconsistent. Aren’t they a gay lobby group like all the rest of those listed online?
Imagine if a parent said to their teenager, "Being a sexually immoral person is not the problem. The problem would be if you organize into a group that advocates for the rights of sexually immoral people in the political arena or in Vatican City. A group of people seeking to influence politicians or public officials on that particular issue would not be good. I won't try to interfere if you want to be a sexually immoral person, but just don't seek to influence a politician or public official like the pope on the issue." Would it make any sense for a parent to say such a thing? I respectfully submit that I see a definite parallel between that and how the Pope is handling the gay issue.
It's no wonder that The Advocate -- the country's oldest gay rights magazine --named Pope Francis as the "2013 Person of the Year." He is well-liked by that community, and they are pleased with his stance.
Pope Advocates Same Sex Unions
According to Edward Beck, a Roman Catholic priest who hosts "The Sunday Mass" on the ABC Family Channel, the pope's support for homosexuality is nothing secret. Beck said that at a 2010 Bishop's Conference led by Pope Francis when he was Archbishop, in which he convened all the bishops in Argentina, he (the pope) suggested that the conference vote to support civil unions for homosexuals. You can see the video where Beck speaks about this in a live CNN interview.
Biblical Truth
We have now heard from the man whom the Catholic Church considers the vicar of Christ. When this man speaks, his words are considered the Words of God. This is the Catholic dogma of papal infallibility, which says that the pontiff may speak "ex cathedra" on matters of faith and morals without the possibility of error, and his teaching must be upheld by the whole Church. Therefore he has essentially spoken on behalf of God about his views on homosexuality. So are his views consistent with Scripture?
The Law of Moses
The Scripture states that God created Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve.
Moses, who received the Ten Commandments from God wrote the book of Genesis, including the account of creation.
"God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them." (Gen 1:27)
"For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh." (Gen 2:24)
The word that Moses used for "wife" is "'ishshâh," meaning woman or wife. So Moses taught that marriage is between a man and a woman.
In fact, Moses explicitly wrote: "'If there is a man who lies with a male as those who lie with a woman, both of them have committed a detestable act; they shall surely be put to death. Their bloodguiltiness is upon them." (Lev 20:13)
The Gospel of Jesus Christ
Jesus affirmed what Moses wrote.
And He answered and said, "Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? "So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate." (Mat 19:4-6; cf., Mk 10:6)
Jesus did teach on marriage, contrary to the pope's remark. Jesus explicitly said that marriage must be between one male and one female. He said a man is to be joined to his wife, not his husband, and the two will become one flesh.
The Apostolic Teachings
The apostle Paul clearly affirmed the teaching of Moses and Jesus, when he wrote:
"Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless. So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, because we are members of His body. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church. Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband." (Eph 5:22-33)
In this passage, the apostle Paul used the Greek word "gune" for wives, which means "a woman; specifically a wife" (Strongs). This is the same Greek word used for "wife" by the gospel writers when quoting Jesus, too. Paul taught marriage between a man and his woman or wife is a sacred and mysterious type of the relationship with Christ and the Church. It must not be tampered with, perverted, or deviated from. Paul also wrote:
"For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error. And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them." (Rom 1:21-32)
Paul taught what God did to those who did not honor Him as God, or give Him thanks. This was not something they were born with. Their foolish hearts had become darkened. So God gave them over to a depraved mind. He gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie. God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts. Just note all the negative expressions Paul uses regarding homosexuality, in order to see how God views it: "sinful desires," "sexual impurity," "shameful lusts (degrading passions)," "unnatural functions," "indecent acts," and "depraved mind."
If you want to know what their depraved minds were filled with, Paul tells us they were "filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful."
Paul also wrote: "Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God." (1Co 6:9-10)
He was explicit that effeminate people will not inherit the kingdom of God. In referring to the effeminate, Paul used the Greek word "malakos," meaning "figuratively a catamite: - effeminate, soft." A catamite is an adolescent boy used by a young man for the purpose of sodomy.
Paul was also explicit that homosexuals will not inherit the kingdom of God. This doesn't mean that God doesn't love them or that we shouldn't love them as people. But Scripture is clear that for a person to burn in his or her desire toward another person of the same gender is impure, it's a lie, it's unnatural, indecent, and it dishonors their body. Such persons receive in their own persons the due penalty of their error, which means that they bring on themselves the appropriate penalty in their bodies.
Paul also said that homosexuality does not conform to the gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God. He wrote: "We also know that the law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, for the sexually immoral, for those practicing homosexuality, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine that conforms to the gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me." (1 Tim 1:9-11)
And Moses recorded the rampant homosexuality in the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, which brought down the wrath of God from heaven (Gen 18:20-33; 19:1-29). Those cities were destroyed because of this very sin, which is now named after Sodom. The apostle Peter affirmed this account in the New Testament, when he wrote:
"For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; and if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example to those who would live ungodly lives thereafter; and if He rescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men (for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds), then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment," (2Pe 2:4-9)
Peter taught that Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed and reduced to ashes, because the men of those cities were unprincipled, living ungodly lives of sensual conduct.
Jude taught the same thing, when he wrote: "In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire." (Jude 1:7)
Pope's Bold-faced Lie
I hereby challenge the pope's statement in which he said, "The Bible mentions not eating shellfish more than it mentions homosexuality." That is a bold-faced lie that he has told despite the Scriptural evidence right in front of us. There is only one passage in the Bible about not eating shellfish, found in Leviticus 11:9-12. However, I have just cited at least eight passages of Scripture that explicitly condemn homosexual behavior, and four passages that speak about heterosexual monogamy as God's holy design.
The pope is trying to compare homosexuality to eating shellfish, since he knows that Jesus declared all foods clean (Mk 7:19), and most Christians probably eat shellfish. Therefore, he wants to make it seem like anyone who condemns the sin of homosexuality is legalistically citing verses from the Law, raising an issue that (he apparently wants us to believe) is not found in the New Testament. He wants to make anyone who opposes homosexual behavior to look like they are making a big deal about something that he claims is rarely mentioned in the Bible. However, Moses, Jesus, Jude, the apostle Peter, and the apostle Paul (who wrote half the books of the New Testament) all taught that marriage is reserved for heterosexual relationships.
The Evidence of Ex-Homosexuals
In the sixth chapter of the apostle Paul's letter to the Corinthians cited above, in which he states that neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God, he states: "Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God." (1Co 6:11)
Some of the members of the Corinthian church had been homosexuals, before they were washed in the blood of Jesus, made holy and righteous by Him. And still today there are many Christians around the world, who can testify that they have been delivered from the bondage of homosexuality. I encourage you to read the testimony of my brother in Christ, Stephen (see here). For the pope to say that people are born this way is contrary to Scripture. The fact that men and women have been and continue to be delivered from this sin proves that it is not something they were born with. It is not something a person is born with any more than being a drunkard is. Millions of people like myself who were once drunkards and much more, have been completely set free by the blood of Christ.
Judging Those In the Church
The Pope does not wish to judge those inside the church, who are leading a homosexual lifestyle. His exact comment was, "Who are we to judge?" Yet that is his responsibility to do so.
The apostle Paul said to the Corinthians: “I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world. But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler--not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church? But those who are outside, God judges. Remove the wicked man from among yourselves.” (1Co 5:9-13)
This is an explicit teaching to expel the wicked man from the church. If anyone claims to be a brother in Christ, and yet lives a wicked life as defined by God's Word, and is unrepentant, it is the responsibility of the Church, particularly the appointed rulers, to remove that person. Any pastor or ruler in the church who refuses to do so is neglecting their duty.
Mind Control and Tradition vs Truth
This man is not a novice, but an elder, who has spent over half his life in ministry as a Christian spiritual leader. He has been trained in theology and Catholic doctrine, and he has taught others. For him to come out vocally tolerating homosexuality in the Church, it seems as if he has been the object of mind control. And for those of you who are not aware, the science of mind control is already far advanced into the future.
Worse yet, it seems almost as if the pope is performing a subtle form of mind control on the masses by making such permissive statements. He contradicts the written position on homosexuality of his own Church, and that of the Bible. He is essentially creating a new, oral tradition regarding homosexuality by verbally setting direction, casting vision, and sharing his personal opinions. As with past traditions set this way by the Catholic Church fathers, these teachings are viewed as having the same authority as the Word of God, even though theoretically they would admit that the Scripture is supreme. As I have written about in Tradition vs. Truth, such man-made traditions nullify the Word of God and cause people to disobey the clear teachings of Scripture.
The Beast on the Throne
On January 21, 1995, the Lord revealed to Dumitru Duduman, a Romanian prophet of God, that the Pope will sit on a throne, fighting against the Protestants. (Brother Dumitru Duduman was in Romania at this time). He stated:
I fell asleep sometime around midnight. About 2:00 a.m. I heard a loud voice saying to me "Dumitru! Wake up! I must show you something!" Even though I was ill, I jumped to my feet, without realizing that I was awake. Then I realized I wasn't even in Romania. I saw myself in America.
A powerful voice spoke sternly to me, "Why have you become discouraged? Why did you try to question God, thinking in your heart that I have left you? Why do you keep so much sadness in your heart, and such a great mourning because I took your wife? Why have you allowed yourself to become discouraged so that you will no longer be able to work for me as you have until now? This is why I have come to you, to show you a revelation, which you must tell the American people."
The voice boomed at me, telling me to look to my right. I was awake - not sleeping. I was standing, and I turned my head as ordered. When I looked, I saw that there was a great flock of black birds, with very sharp, large beaks. Out of the beaks came a blinding light, which you could barely look at. From their tails I saw flames of fire shooting out. I became very frightened. I rubbed my eyes, thinking I was asleep and dreaming. But I was neither sleeping nor dreaming.
This flock of birds suddenly turned into airplanes that did not make any noise. American airplanes would go up, trying to attack. But as they would draw close, they would fall to the earth in a blaze of fire.
Once again, I heard the voice, but I could not see who was speaking to me. The voice said, "Look higher than the black planes." When I looked, above the planes, I saw a helicopter which hovered above them. On the side of the helicopter there was a plank, like on a ship, where soldiers were lined up, dressed in black, all armed the same, and of about the same size. From the center of the helicopter, a platform began to raise up. It rose higher than the helicopter itself.
On the platform was a throne. The Pope was on the throne, yelling with a loud voice, "I have been given the power to rule the earth and to fight against the Protestants, that I may overtake them."
As I watched him with terror and fear - because he was surrounded by a powerful force which was formed by planes and personnel - suddenly a white cloud appeared and covered them, so I could no longer see anything. Out of the midst of the white cloud came a man dressed in shining clothes, wearing a shiny crown on his head. He spoke to me. His voice sounded like thunder. When I heard his voice, I fell to the ground.
He said, "Remember everything you've heard, everything you've seen, and everything you will hear. Tell my people, because once again I want to work with you more than I have until now. The armies, and the planes that you saw, and the Beast that sat upon the helicopter - these are the catholic powers which will overtake the holy, that the words prophesied in Revelation may come to pass. A majority of my people will be overtaken and trampled because their lives are not clean before their Lord. Tell this message to them! Do not be quiet! For if you are quiet, I will punish you! The churches are fraudulent (counterfeit, fake). They live a life as their hearts desire, with their hands stained in blood - in adultery, in sodomy, and worshiping strange and foreign gods. Because they have forsaken the true God, He has allowed them to go as their hearts desired. Now, tell them! Cry out loud! Tell them to stop treading the path their hearts desire - to repent with all their hearts, that in the day of the Beast's anger I may be able to save them, so they would not deny me. The time is very short, and the army of their salvation is already prepared."
Again, He spoke to me, "Look to your right." When I looked, I saw such a vast army that my eyes could not encompass it. "This is the army I have prepared to save my people from the Beast's grasp. Do not forget to tell them the words that I have told you. I will give you a spirit of remembrance." The voice continued speaking to me, "I will come and bring you more revelations about the times of the end."
Then again, I heard a thunder. Then the white cloud and the being disappeared. I was so terrified that I was unable to sleep the rest of the night.
Calculate The Number of His Name
A website called Biblelight.net shows how the names or titles of the Pope have been calculated and found to be equal to 666:
VICARIUS FILII DEI is a title for the Pope that literally means “substituting for, or in place of the Son of God.” The value of the letters in each of these three Latin words is 112 + 53 + 501 = 666. DUX CLERI is another title for the Pope. Translated means Captain of the Clergy. The value of the letters in each of these two Latin words is 515 + 151 = 666. LUDOVICUS translated means Vicar of the Court, and the value of the letters in this Latin word is 666.
"Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six." (Rev 13:18)
Testing the Fruit of False Prophets
In a separate post, I have previously written about the biblical way to determine if someone is a false prophet. We don't just go around calling everybody we disagree with and everybody we don't like a false prophet. This is a very serious thing to say about someone, no matter how great or small they are, whether they are with or without renown. Jesus taught us to test their fruit. So if we test the fruit of Pope Francis, we will determine what kind of roots and tree he has. If his fruit is good, then the tree is good. If the fruit is bad, the tree is bad. You be the one to test his fruit, and decide whether he is a good tree or a bad one. For more on that, please read Testing the Spirits of False Prophets. Now here comes the fruit test below.
Putting it All Together
I am grateful that Pope Francis welcomes people to tell him if they disagree with him, as I have just done. He says, "I like people telling me when they disagree with something." Maybe my little blog will make a difference.
So let's summarize what we've learned today. A prophet of God said the Lord showed him that Pope Francis is the second beast of Revelation 13, known as the false prophet. He predicted the pope would be pro-homosexual. It has since been publicized that the pope has issued his blessing to a Catholic Lesbian-Gay-Bisexual-Transvestite (LGBT) lobby group and its members, even though he has stated that lobby groups are not good and are a definite problem. This is inconsistent. Francis said the church shouldn't interfere spiritually with the lives of LGBT people, in fact he said it is not possible to do so, and that he wouldn't judge gay priests. In doing so, he directly violates Scripture, and neglects his duty to judge those inside the Church.
He said "being gay is not the problem," which is inconsistent with Scripture. He said, "God in creation has set us free" (implying we are free in the area of sexuality). He said, "We have learned much about homosexuality in recent years." This is a reference to the beliefs of modern psychology, which contradict the Bible. He is essentially saying he has learned from those who profess to be wise. And as the apostle Paul said, those who did so became fools.
The pope said that being gay isn't a choice, but something one is born with. Yet the fact that men and women have been and continue to be delivered from this sin proves that it is not something they were born with. And he has explicitly said it is the Lord Who decides that certain people will come into the world as homosexual. He also states that the Bible does not say even once that marriage is reserved for heterosexual relationships. He considers anyone who speaks out against homosexuality as "bigoted and ungodly," and he vowed to confront such people, rather than the homosexuals. He also referred to the unnatural affection that men have for men and women for women as "love," and said we cannot tell anyone "who to love." His words on these matters of faith and morals must now be upheld by the whole Catholic Church.
Yet we have seen from Scripture that the Bible does teach that marriage is reserved for heterosexual relationships. Moses, Jesus, and the apostles Peter and Paul were all in agreement that marriage is between a man and a woman, not between two people of the same sex. Therefore, when the pope says, "If stopping gay marriage were so important, Jesus would have mentioned it - I don't know - maybe once in the Bible," he demonstrates either his gross ignorance of Scripture, or his enormous disregard for the authority of God's Word.
Someone might protest that this article is incorrectly titled, "Pope Frances Supports Homosexuality," but I stand by my title. If a pastor does not preach against sin, and does not preach repentance and holiness, then he is essentially permitting sin. Yet the pope has gone beyond that by giving Catholic homosexuals a pass, making excuses for them, giving them his blessing, and tolerating sin in the Church.
There is no other Christian leader in the world with as much influence as this one man. Over a billion people look to him with great respect for spiritual guidance. Yet rather than giving them godly counsel and preaching the Word of God, he is deceiving the people and leading them into sin. That is not good fruit. He is a false prophet, and I believe he is the very same false prophet depicted as the second beast in Revelation 13. This is what the Lord showed Dumitru Duduman and Elvi Zapata. His number is six hundred and sixty-six. A great evil has come into the world, as this man has ascended the papal throne.
Now that he has vocalized his personal opinions, there is no longer anything restraining the homosexual spirit in the Catholic Church. It has been unleashed to demonize millions. All of these priests, who have taken vows not to marry, and who are closet homosexuals, now have permission from their top leader to practice this sin. He has promised not to judge them, but only to confront those who dare to judge them. They must be celebrating. Some of these priests may already be in homosexual relationships with other priests, or at least desire to be. Meanwhile others may be in such relationships with boys or men in their parishes. They are all "free" now to do as they please. Then there are the homosexual parishioners themselves, who have been given a license to sin. This will bring about the destruction of the family, society, and ultimately contribute to the destruction of the world in a short period of time.
Although Pope Francis seems like a very nice man, and may seem like a lamb outwardly, or claim to represent the Lamb, he speaks like a dragon. And now some Scriptures to consider, right before I share my closing comments:
“Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb and he spoke as a dragon.” (Rev 13:11).
"For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect." (Matt 24:24, NKJV)
"...they have misled My people by saying, 'Peace!' when there is no peace..." (Eze 13:10b)
"Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD, 'Because you have spoken falsehood and seen a lie, therefore behold, I am against you,' declares the Lord GOD." (Eze 13:8)
"Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who prophesy, and say to those who prophesy from their own inspiration, 'Listen to the word of the LORD! 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Woe to the foolish prophets who are following their own spirit and have seen nothing.”’” (Eze 13:2-3)
Then the word of the LORD came to me saying, "Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say to those shepherds, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Woe, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flock? You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat sheep without feeding the flock. Those who are sickly you have not strengthened, the diseased you have not healed, the broken you have not bound up, the scattered you have not brought back, nor have you sought for the lost; but with force and with severity you have dominated them. They were scattered for lack of a shepherd, and they became food for every beast of the field and were scattered." (Eze 34:1-5)
"For behold, I am going to raise up a shepherd in the land who will not care for the perishing, seek the scattered, heal the broken, or sustain the one standing, but will devour the flesh of the fat sheep and tear off their hoofs. Woe to the worthless shepherd Who leaves the flock! A sword will be on his arm And on his right eye! His arm will be totally withered And his right eye will be blind." (Zec 11:16-17)
But He answered and said, "Every plant which My heavenly Father did not plant shall be uprooted. "Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit." (Mat 15:13-14)
A message to homosexuals
If you are a homosexual reading this today, I want you to know that Jesus loves you, and died for you on the cross. He suffered a lot, so that you would not have to go to hell. But the only way you (as with every other human being) can avoid your just punishment is to repent and believe on Him as your Lord and Savior, for the forgiveness of your sins. When you repent, you turn from your sin. His blood not only cleanses you from sin, but gives you power over sin. When you make Him Lord, you promise to do whatever He says, obeying Him in everything.
He still loves you, but His standard for heaven is high. He requires truth, righteousness, and holiness, without which no man will see God.
Disclaimer: I do not agree with the LBGTQ lifestyle, but that doesn't mean I hate anyone. As Christians we are called to love everyone -- even our enemies. But we have reached a dangerous point in society that if we disagree with something, because of our religious beliefs, it is wrongly viewed as hate speech. I believe marriage is between a man and a woman, and that homosexual behaviors are sinful. I love members of the LBGTQ community, and so does Jesus. I am not gay bashing at all. I am just writing about my sincerely-held religious beliefs based on Scripture. The message of every Christian to every LGBTQ person is that God loves you so much that He would sacrifice His own Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for your sake. If any one of you would be willing to change through repentance and believing in Jesus Christ, the Christian community would be more than willing to help you.
Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. The photo of Francis giving his first address as pope at St. Peter's Basilica, 13 March 2013, is used courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. The photo of Pope Francis on 20 March 2013, one week after his inauguration, is also courtesy Wikimedia Commons.
Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus. Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?
“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15). He preached that we must repent and believe.
Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"
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Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International. He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.
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