I couldn't agree more with Roger Oakland's views in this article. CMR
By Roger Oakland
While I am sometimes accused of being a “Catholic-basher,”
this is not my desire, nor my intention. I have a number of Roman Catholic
acquaintances, and I care for them very much. I also have a number of
Evangelical and Protestant acquaintances, and I care about them equally as
well. However, in both cases, if a true understanding of the Gospel according
to the Scriptures is not present in their lives, then their views will not be
biblical—it won’t matter what they call themselves. For the record, my desire
is to follow Jesus Christ and His Word and no man, no matter who he is.
Likewise, I desire my acquaintances to do the same. It is love, not hate, that
motivates me to share the Gospel with them, for there is only one Gospel that
truly saves.
Here is the view I promote. Saving faith hinges entirely on
a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, not on an affiliation with a church
body. To be born again is to die to the old life of living for self and sin and
to be reborn of the Spirit of God when one acknowledges his inability to save
himself but rather trusts in Christ alone and His death on the Cross to
purchase our salvation.
Many Catholics do not realize that official Catholic
teaching does not recognize the biblical Gospel of salvation by grace alone but
adds to it the appendage of our merit and participation in the sacraments. By
the same token, many Protestants do not realize the biblical faith that martyrs
(the disciples, the reformers, etc.) lived and died for. Our hope of an eternal
home in Heaven rests in Christ and Christ alone and is offered to all, who in
child-like faith, receive Him.
I am not certain when I first realized that the Roman
Catholic Church, particularly the Jesuits, were the root force behind the
coming one-world religion. If I were pressed to come up with an original time,
it would be difficult. Coming to this realization was more of a process for me.
The Bible foretells the coming of the Harlot. G.S. McLean always instilled in
me that the harlot was apostate Christianity. This I still believe is the
proper definition.
Through writing New
Wine and the Babylonian Vine, I could see that the final one-world religion
will be a mix of all religions for the cause of peace. This will include a
revival of ancient Babylonianism that will be rooted in the worship of
creation, based on Darwinian evolution that is rooted in Hinduism and Buddhism.
[T]he Roman Catholic “Mary” and the Roman Catholic “Jesus”
will play [a major role] in the final delusion to prepare the world for the
Antichrist. …
It was about 2000, the year before Bryce, my son, died,
that I came across Pope John Paul’s agenda to promote the “New Evangelization.”
This is an organized agenda to point the “faithful” and the “separated
brethren” to realize that Jesus Christ is truly present in the Eucharist. This
program, coupled with so-called apparitions from a woman claiming to be “Mary”
the mother of Jesus, seems to be the impetus behind the coming one-world
religion for peace that would be headquartered in Rome.
As you will recall, I had already come to the conclusion
that there is a Jesuit plan to bring the separated brethren back to the “Mother
of all Churches” in other ways, particularly their “dove” (signs and wonders)
plan.
Following my miraculous come-back to ministry after Bryce
died, I not only finished New Wine and
the Babylonian Vine but started writing the outline and then the book Another Jesus: The Eucharistic Christ and
the New Evangelization to continue the warning during 2004. While I was
writing this book, Mel Gibson suddenly became a Calvary Chapel-proclaimed saint
with his Passion of the Christ. Chuck
Smith viewed a portion of the film before it was released and endorsed the
film. The Calvary Chapel movement jumped on the bandwagon. As would be
expected, they followed “Pastor Chuck’s” leading. There were few voices against
the movie. Understand The Times was
one of those voices who dared speak up.
While I don’t intend to name the pastors who called me to
task over my position on The Passion,
let me say there were many who wanted me to keep silent. Support for the
ministry of UTT dwindled. There are pastors who even part ways to this day over
my stand. Mel Gibson’s Hollywood film with the Eucharistic Jesus and the
evangelism that it contained became a sacred cow for Calvary Chapel. If someone
spoke against it, he came under zealous attack, as if speaking against Mel
Gibson’s movie was speaking against Jesus Christ Himself.
Nevertheless, the book was completed. Jim Tetlow helped me
by writing an appendix, which explains that a wafer is a wafer and not
literally Jesus’ flesh under the “appearance of bread” and that the Roman
Catholic view of transubstantiation is not scriptural.
The book also warns about the coming lying signs and
wonders that will occur associated with false appearances of the Eucharistic
Jesus that are already underway. Coupled together with further lying signs and
wonders, there will be appearances of an apparitional woman claiming to be
“Mary” the mother of Jesus. We predicted that lying signs and wonders would
impress Muslims because they have a special love for Mary—there is an entire
chapter on Mary in the Koran. Most people don’t realize that.
In June of 2005, Paul Smith recommended that Another Jesus: The Eucharistic Christ and
the New Evangelization be given out to the Calvary pastors at the annual
senior pastors conference at Murrieta. As UTT did with New Wine and the Babylonian Vine, the books were donated through
Calvary Distribution and handed out. In the back of the book is a commentary
called “Passion Evangelism” that exposes Mel Gibson’s plan to win the world to
the Eucharistic Christ.
By many accounts, the conference was deemed to be a
watershed. A panel discussion one afternoon about Calvary basics ended up in a
free-for-all. Greg Laurie led the way with Bob Coy in stand-up comedy. Things
got serious when Greg Laurie chastised pastors for not participating in Harvest
Crusades just because of his desire to be linked with Purpose Driven globalist
pastor, Rick Warren. The only pastor who seemed to be in favor of studying the
Bible instead of someone’s book was Mike Macintosh.
Many pastors left the meeting with a heavy heart. Mine was
so heavy I decided to pack up my book table one afternoon and stay at my hotel.
Later that evening while at the hotel, my cell phone started to ring. The
messages were all the same sentiment: “You cannot believe what just happened!”
one pastor from South Carolina cried out.
“This is heresy!” said another in an excited voice.
“What has happened to Calvary? Have we been seduced by the
Jesuits?” asked another who called me. All this commotion was because [a]
Calvary Chapel pastor, who was to perform the communion service at the end of
the meeting, turned it into a Eucharistic-style service. …
After the conference, I wrote a letter from my heart to
Chuck Smith. I expressed my deep love for him and for Calvary Chapel but also
told him of my strong concerns. Here is some of what I said in that letter:
It is with a heavy heart that I must communicate to you
that over the past several years, because of many firsthand encounters and
experiences in various places with numerous Calvary Chapel pastors, that I have
observed a change in the Calvary Chapel movement that deeply concerns me.
Perhaps some of my concerns have filtered back to you through others. Until
writing this letter, I have not formally contacted you with these concerns. I
regret now that I have waited so long. After leaving the Pastors Conference in
Murrieta this past week, I laid awake several nights contemplating what I
should do or say. This letter is the result.
I explained to Chuck that while I knew there were Calvary
Chapel churches that were staying true to God’s Word, there were many that were
being influenced by another gospel. I gave him six points where serious error
could be found. I want to list them here because every Christian denomination
is being affected in these areas to one degree or another:
*Ecumenical and unbiblical teachings are being endorsed for
the cause of unity and church growth. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is being
disguised to make it less offensive and more acceptable.
*Churches that once taught the Bible faithfully verse by
verse preparing the flock for the imminent return of Jesus Christ, now are
looking for ways to make their services more seeker-friendly and are less
concerned about the prophetic signs we are living in the last days. Pastors and
churches that once believed church growth was dependent on feeding the sheep
and equipping the saved to share the Gospel, now promote humanistic means to
draw in the masses based on a consumer style of evangelism focused on “finding
out what people want” to “get them in the door.”
*Churches once led by pastors committed to biblical truth,
now are employing experts who use worldly principles borrowed from secular
corporations with material goals for success. Rather than following Jesus and
His Word, pastors and church leaders are looking to successful men and their
methods so they can become part of a movement that is based on principles
foreign to the Scriptures.
*When church leaders promoting strategies to establish the
Kingdom of God here on earth by humanistic methods are challenged by concerned
believers warning about the dangers, the leaders label these believers as
divisive. Contending for the faith is no longer considered biblical. A person
taking a position for biblical truth is now accused of being critical of what others
believe.
*Bible-believing pastors who once taught the Bible are now
looking for ways to attract people to their congregations by providing
extra-biblical experiences [e.g. contemplative] and an atmosphere that includes
candles, icons, incense, and the introduction of Roman Catholic sacraments.
When concerned observers suggest this appears to be leading to a partnership
with Roman Catholicism, they are considered to be negative opponents of the
“new thing” God is doing to reach our generation.
I told Chuck that it was apparent to some that we are at
another crossroads in church history, a fork in the road. I asked him if
pastors were going to stand up and make their voices known if they have
concerns about the direction current trends are leading. I reminded him, “While
some say, don’t be negative—just be known for what you believe, not what you
are against—the Old Testament prophets were outspoken when followers of God
strayed away from the truths of God and never allowed the sheep to feel
comfortable in their sin.” (This is an excerpt from Let There Be Light by Roger Oakland.)
From Lighthouse Trails
4/29/13 Newsletter
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