An Overwhelming Surprise Part 3 – The Surprise Builds
The Overwhelming Surprise is gaining momentum, many in the world are advocating a Sabbath for the earth but what, if any, is the involvement of the Papacy?
First look at this quote from the Catholic News Service referring to statements from Pope Benedict:
Sept. 9, 2007: Vienna Austria CNS) —“Celebrating Mass in Vienna’s St. Stephen’s Cathedral, Pope Benedict XVI urged Austrian Catholics to protect Sunday as a day of spiritual focus in an increasingly busy world. Modern Christians need an appointment with the Lord to give them a sense of direction and help them move beyond “the bustle of everyday life,” the Pope said Sept. 9. And in an innovative touch that seemed to reflect the Popes recent attention to “green” issues, he suggested that Sunday be celebrated not only as a day of rest but as “the church’s weekly feast of creation. Referring to the Biblical account of creation, the pope said that Sunday, as the first day of the week, saw the dawning of the created world, the day on which God said: ‘let there be light.’ For the early church, he said, Sunday gradually assimilated the traditional meaning of the seventh day, the Sabbath, the day God rested. But Sunday is also “the feast of thanksgiving and joy over God’s creation,” he said. At a time when creation seems to be endangered in so many ways through human activity, we should consciously accept this dimension of Sunday, too,” he said.”
Until June 2015 this was the end of my program as I have presented it for over a decade. Then along came Pope Frances.
Until he entered the picture things were just slogging along with few new developments. Since then many major events have taken place in rapid order, and others are coming later this year. Here are some statements that show how things have been progressing:
“Pope Frances has declaired it his mission to take on climate change in 2015, through a serried of speeches, summit appearances and a rare call to arms for the worlds Catholics. According to Bishop Marcelo Sorondo, the chancellor of the Vatican’s Pontifical Academy of Sciences, the Pope wants to have a direct influence on the vital 2015 UN climate conference in Paris, the culmination of decades of negotiations that will help determine the planet’s future. The idea is to convene a meeting with leaders of the main religions to make all people aware of the state of our climate and the tragedy of social exclusion…”
The Independent Sunday 26, April 2015
“Even though previous popes have spoken strongly against harming the earth and its inhabitants, one world renowned atmospheric scientist said it is going to be Pope Francis ‘to save the day”
Catholic News Service 5/30/2015
Following are UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s remarks at the workshop on the moral dimensions of climate change and sustainable development, “Protect the Earth, Dignify Humanity”, in the Vatican City today:
“If ever there were an issue that requires unity of purpose, it is climate change… I very much look forward to the upcoming encyclical by Pope Francis. I was told by His Holiness that it could be ready, maybe, in June… It will convey to the world that protecting our environment is an urgent moral imperative and a sacred duty for all people of faith and people of conscience. It is critically important that people and their leaders hear your strong moral voice in the coming months. It is a moral issue. It is an issue of social justice, human rights and fundamental ethics. We have a profound responsibility to protect the fragile web of life on this Earth, and to this generation and those that will follow. That is why it is so important that the world’s faith groups are clear on this issue — and in harmony with science. Science and religion are not at odds on climate change. Indeed, they are fully aligned. Together, we must clearly communicate that the science of climate change is deep, sound and not in doubt.”
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Press release, April 28, 2015
The Popes Encyclical was released on June 18, 2015 to the approval of scientists, religious and political leaders around the world. In it he echoed the concerns and explanations for the environmental crisis as previously voiced by experts in the field. He addressed the letter not only to Catholics but to all the people of the world, and added a spiritual and moral dimension not as yet applied thus far. In addition to the effects on nature he focused attention on the effects to the poor and disadvantaged of the world. He also chided the wealthier nations for the greed and love of comfort that he said was responsible for much of the pollution and wasting of the earth’s resources. He then offered solutions which included a change in “lifestyles”, and a renewal of our spiritual connection with the Creator. In the document he referenced the Sabbath five times.
The following are quotations from the Popes environmental encyclical, addressed to the whole world:
“ Although ‘the wickedness of man was great in the earth’ (Gen 6:5) and the Lord ‘was sorry that he had made man on the earth’ (Gen 6:6), nonetheless, through Noah, who remained innocent and just, God decided to open a path of salvation. In this way he gave humanity the chance of a new beginning. All it takes is one good person to restore hope! The biblical tradition clearly shows that this renewal entails recovering and respecting the rhythms inscribed in nature by the hand of the Creator. We see this, for example, in the law of the Sabbath. On the seventh day, God rested from all his work. He commanded Israel to set aside each seventh day as a day of rest, a Sabbath, (cf. Gen 2:2-3; Ex 16:23; 20:10). Similarly, every seven years, a sabbatical year was set aside for Israel, a complete rest for the land (cf. Lev 25:1-4), when sowing was forbidden and one reaped only what was necessary to live on and to feed one’s household (cf. Lev 25:4-6)…
The laws found in the Bible dwell on relationships, not only among individuals but also with other living beings. “You shall not see your brother’s donkey or his ox fallen down by the way and withhold your help… If you chance to come upon a bird’s nest in any tree or on the ground, with young ones or eggs and the mother sitting upon the young or upon the eggs; you shall not take the mother with the young” (Dt 22:4, 6). Along these same lines, rest on the seventh day is meant not only for human beings, but also so “that your ox and your donkey may have rest” (Ex 23:12)…
The law of weekly rest forbade work on the seventh day, ‘so that your ox and your donkey may have rest, and the son of your maidservant, and the stranger, may be refreshed’ (Ex 23:12). Rest opens our eyes to the larger picture and gives us renewed sensitivity to the rights of others. And so the day of rest, centered on the Eucharist, sheds it’s light on the whole week, and motivates us to greater concern for nature and the poor.”
2015 Encyclical of Pope Francis
The Popes “mission” continues. The day following the release of his encyclical his representatives were out in force, knocking on the doors of government officials to explain what its contents were saying. The Vatican released an article briefly outlining the contents of the encyclical and in the section on solutions to the problem was listed,”rest on Sunday”.
It seems clear that this pope intends to use every means at his disposal to lead the world in the effort to save the planet. Put all this information together and remembering that it was the Catholic Church that originally changed the Sabbath from Saturday, the seventh day, to Sunday the first day, (as we read earlier in the quote from pope Benedict) and also was instrumental in establishing the first Sunday laws in the days of Constantine, we should consider this all a very serious situation that bears close watching.
But this isn’t the end of the story, there is more to follow.
Listen to this article from the Associated Press, March 18th, 2015:
“Pope Francis to Address UN Assembly of World Leaders
UNITED NATIONS — “The United Nations is announcing that Pope Francis will address the annual U.N. General Assembly of world leaders on Sept. 25 during his first papal visit to the United States.
The pope earlier agreed to address a joint meeting of Congress on his visit. That Sept. 24 speech will mark the first time the head of the world’s Roman Catholics will address Congress.
Francis is also expected to have a White House meeting with President Barack Obama.
The U.N. says the pope also will meet with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on his one-day visit to the world body.”
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS MARCH 18, 2015
This visit is unprecedented. It will be very interesting to hear what he has to say to our “law makers”.
These meetings remind me of a Scripture account in Revelation:
“And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs [come] out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
“For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, [which] go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.” –
Revelation 16; 13,14
Is this just a coincidence or do they seem to be talking about the same thing? Consider this, frogs have been chosen by environmentalists to be the early warning system for the earth, much like the canaries were in the coal mines. They reveal the presence of damaging substances and conditions in our environment. Could the three powers meeting together in the U.S., in September, be represented by the three frogs of Revelation, preparing to go to the “kings of the earth” to enlist their help in an effort to save the world?
This whole movement is like a giant snowball tumbling down a mountain side; gaining size and momentum every minute and it’s not going to stop before it reaches the bottom. Only time will tell how it will end, but it is my strong feeling that we need to be preparing for a crisis that appears to be looming, like dark storm clouds on the horizon.
Please share this important message with your family, friends and church. I am not bringing this to you to cause fear or inspire anyone to resist efforts to improve the environment, but to encourage those that have been looking for the soon return of our savior Jesus Christ. It may be closer than we thought.
In the light of current events we need to make sure we are in a right relationship with our Lord, separate and purified from the world. We must be ready to spread the truth about the Sabbath of creation, the real Lords day. If a Sabbath for the earth is enacted, that will be a golden opportunity to spread the word about the Sabbath of the commandments, and the consequences of rejecting it.
If the law is passed we should not wait to get out and spread the word. Waiting for it to become a religious law would be a tragic mistake. That is one of the main points of this message. We should now be fortifying our minds with Scriptures to be used in support of the true Sabbath, (our faith will be severely tried), and take a renewed look at the three angels messages and be prepared to give that message with power. We need to be praying for an out pouring of the Holy Spirit, to strengthen us and prepare us for the coming crisis. If a universal earth Sabbath becomes law, then the three angels’ messages will have a greater impact as the world is called to worship the Creator instead of the creation.
“And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.”
Revelation 14:6,7
The “heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters”, are nothing more than our environment.
In closing, I want to repeat a warning. We must keep our eyes wide open, and stay abreast of current events. We contend with a cruel and cunning enemy and he will do all he can to catch us off guard. It is my prayer that no one who hears this message will be deceived by the “overwhelming surprise” when it comes.
Thank you, and may God be with us all.
Author’s Note:
This article represents only a small portion of the information I have accumulated in my research on this subject. A more in depth coverage of the movement to establish a Sabbath for the earth can be found in my book titled Dawning of the Day, The coming crisis over a global Sabbath. See our Resources page for more information.
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