And yet... more and more people who claim to be Christians are wanting to be lock step with catholiks and other false religions!
That's the thing. The scriptures say there will be a mix of wheat and tares, so true believers as well as those who profess to be, but are not truly saved
(Matthew 13:24-30, Matthew 7:21-23). But they can be known by their fruits
(Matthew 7:15-20). Blind followers of the blind, where both will fall in a ditch
(Matthew 15:14). No lie is of the truth (
1 John 2:19-20)
All these false religions began all the way back in Genesis. As I understand it, Nimrod was the first earthly king we had. He started his kingdom in Babylon and in his rebellion he created paganism, which was then embraced by many and spread throughout the world, including Rome who embraced it.
(My personal thoughts)
I see the tower of Babel as the first attempt to unite all in rebellion (and it's very much the nature of satan to want to "ascend above the heights of the clouds" and "be like the Most High"
(Isaiah 14:12-14). Today we have the ecumenical movement, which I truly believe is the second (and final) attempt, because just like Babel it seeks to unite all under the leadership of another Babylonian King aka the pope.
Rome's goal is to bring all under their roof and destroy the churches that oppose catholic doctrine (as they see it, the protestant churches). The way they do this is by infiltrating the churches, bringing in false doctrines, particularly those with elements of catholicism/paganism. I've already come across at least 2 catholic teachings in the churches. It's like "spiritual wickedness in the
heavenly places"
(Ephesians 6:12) where emphasis is also on church settings, so within the churches themselves. Jude even mentions these men creeping into the churches. This is why the protestant world is in such a mess.
Ephesians 5:11-13: "And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light"
I believe the pope is Babylonian... the catholic church is the mother whore of Babylon that's mentioned, and many of the protestant churches are her daughters, since she has produced harlots
(Revelations 17)