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We are a Christian Fellowship meeting in North London with a strong interest in teaching the Bible and understanding our time in
the light of Bible prophecy
Wanted - a one world religion
As the world comes to terms with the events of September 11th, religious fundamentalism is emerging as the main reason being given for the problems of strife and conflict. If we connect some major statements being made by the movers and shakers on the present world scene we find a remarkable coming together of both political and religious leaders. To overcome this problem of fundamentalism the idea is being promoted through government, media and education that there is no absolute truth, no one answer to the problems of humanity. What is needed is for all religions to come together and accept that each has part of the truth and none has all of it.
In his acceptance speech for the Nobel Peace Prize for the UN, Secretary General Kofi Annan (pictured right) said: The idea that there is one people in possession of the truth, one answer to the worlds ills, or one solution to humanity’s needs, has done untold harm throughout history - especially in the last century. He went on to quote from the worlds major religions seeking to show that, as the Hindus are taught: Truth is one, the sages give it various names. He concluded by thanking the Nobel Committee for proclaiming that the only negotiable route to global peace and cooperation goes by way of the United Nations.
Despite being ousted from power in his home country, Mikhail Gorbachev has become a major player on the world political scene, promoting the need for global government to deal with the problem of the environment. He contends that a global institution is needed to deal with this global problem, and if we don’t act soon, it will be too late - the world will self-destruct. As part of his push for world government, Gorbachev proposes his Earth Charter, a document for which he has become the chief spokesperson and which he believes will save the planet.
A newsletter produced by Gary Kah, Shaping the World Civilisation, shows the spiritual forces operating behind the Earth Charter. Steve Frazer, a researcher who attended the conference of the Earth Charter, was amazed to discover the blatant New Age overtones of the movement. Yoga sessions, Tai Chi, prayers requesting blessings from sister moon and stars, brothers wind and air, sister water, brother fire, sister earth, our mother who feeds us, and sister death were all part of the agenda. David Korten, President of Positive Futures Network, seemed to lay the groundwork for a new religion by calling for the world to become a new culture as we awaken to the sacred cosmos. He said, We must choose the new story to guide our future. This is a time of passage to a new human era, an evolutionary moment, taking a step toward species maturity.
The Pope has called a meeting of leaders of all the worlds religions in January to pray for peace and to work to overcome armed conflict at what he said was an historic moment for humanity. The Pope said he hoped the January 24 meeting Assisi, Italy, the birthplace of St. Francis, would be particularly helpful to improve relations between Christians and Muslims following the September 11 attacks on the United States. The Pope said he wanted the new Assisi summit in the birthplace of the saint most associated with peace to help overcome contrasts and promote authentic peace. He said it was particularly important for Muslims and Christians to show the world that religions must never be allowed to become a cause of conflict, hate and violence.
The Church of England put a prayer on its official website for All Saints Day, stating that: The saints were not those who were perfect. They were parts of Gods creation who struggled and often failed and yet managed to raise up our faith in God and in one another. Abraham, Isaac, Joseph, Sarah, Hannah, Joshua, David, Moses, Mary the Mother of Jesus, Buddha and Mohammed and all the prophets of old. They led Gods people to Gods light.
Conclusion
The present state of our world should show us that as a result of rejecting and trampling under foot Gods laws revealed in the Bible and the one way of salvation offered through the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, the world has come under Gods judgment and is heading towards catastrophe. The call from the church to the world should be: The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe the Gospel (Mark 1.15).
Instead we find that the world is seeking for answers in New Age mysticism and most of the professing church is seeking alliances with false religions in a vain attempt to create peace, where there is no peace.
As the line taken by Kofi Annan in his speech referred to above becomes the dominant belief of the mainstream culture, it is not just Islamic terrorists who are seen as a threat to world peace. If we believe that the Gospel is the one solution to humanity’s needs, we are seen as doing harm to the world community. Even though we renounce violence and preach a message, which speaks of Gods love revealed in Jesus, this does not stop us from being considered to be trouble makers. In many ways we are moving into a situation similar to the one in which the early Christians found themselves in the Roman Empire. At that time those who believed in Jesus as Lord and unique Saviour of the human race ran into conflict with the Roman system and were considered to be hostile to the Pax Romana (Roman peace).
The idea that a political movement like the UN can be the only route to global peace and cooperation makes humanity the source of our own salvation. If you analyse most of the New Age alternative beliefs outlined above, you will find that they teach that we can achieve our own salvation by discovering the god within ourselves. As the church makes covenants with other faiths in the quest for peace, it is submitting itself to the gods of these faiths and their belief systems, including the Hindu idea that god is within us. In so doing the God of the Bible takes His leave and abandons what has become a useless religious structure, which no longer has any connection to Him and is in direct conflict with His truth revealed in Messiah Jesus. Inevitably a false religious spirit comes into the vacuum left behind and leads to deception and demonic control.
As in the days of the Roman Empire the true church becomes a rejected, persecuted body, which overcomes by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony and they did not love their lives unto the death (Revelation 12.11). A one world political system emerges, backed by a one world religion which is described as Mystery Babylon the Great … drunk with the blood of the saints and the with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus (Revelation 17.5-6). And if we have read the rest of the book of Revelation and other prophetic passages in the Bible, should we really be surprised at this?
Kofi Annan