Seduced By The Catholic Side

Despite the scandals that have rocked the Roman Catholic Church, there are many who abandon Protestantism to become Catholic. I know two individuals who were highly intellectual, one a english teacher and the other a lawyer who left non-denominational churches to join Rome. What is sad is they abandoned a “pure and simple devotion to Christ,” (2 Corinthians 11:2), and have become slaves the Babylon and her doctrines of demons (1 Timothy 4:1). I must confess during my two and half years studying Catholic Catechism, Thomas A Kempis, Augustine of Hippo, Benedict of Nursia,  Antony of Egypt, Francis of Assisi, attending masses, and more I was “almost” seduced by the power of the Catholic side. They entice you with their focus on suffering for righteousness sake, pragmatic answers to life, and community, but theirs is as Jesus said, “You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.” (Matthew 23:26-28).  The Catholic Church can look beautiful with all its art and clever answers, but it is a tomb with tentacles that try to ensnare those who were free in the Gospel of Grace; indeed even now I hear Protestant pastors praising Romanite saints like Augustine, they acting like infiltrators to entice Christians with Roman cancer, “This matter arose because some false believers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves.” (Galatians 2:4). 

The Roman Catholic Church’s legacy is one of bloodshed against Protestants: The Roman Inquisition, The Spanish Inquisition, The Thirty Year’s War, William Tyndale’s Burning, St. Bartholomew Day Massacre, Bloody Mary, and more. The Roman Church couldn’t tolerate Protestant faith, it slaughtered any who held contrary views, and yet left the Eastern Orthodox Churches who differed on many dogmas alone. Rome hates Protestants because they are free, and they hate our freedom, they don’t bother their Byzantine cousins (Eastern Churches) because they too are enslaves to false gospels and false christs (2 Corinthians 11:2-4). Rome tried to silence the authentic gospel and the Scriptures in Latin. Rome isn’t using burning stakes or swords anymore, but instead is putting tent stakes in Protestant yards (hearts) via Ecumenicalism and the Pope’s sudden praise of The Reformation; this is all a new game for Rome, to build relationships with Protestants and seduce them with their serpentine doctrines. The direct approach of persecution of us Bible Believing Christians didn’t work, so now its persuasion through influence and a soft dripping of their ideas into Protestant minds. I have said before Catholics in their Ecumenicalism will share their dogmas all day, but never consider a Protestant view on concepts like Prayers for the Dead. Ecumenism is Rome’s new Counter-Reformation tactic, to seduce Protestants from the Biblical faith into Roman Superstition. Mind you they have had help, the Prosperity Gospel and doctrine that promises paradise this side of life has left Protestants disillusioned and having suffered as Jesus and His Apostles actually said they would, the Roman teachings on the meaning of their sufferings seduces; it in fact was when I felt tempted by Catholicism as I studied Kempis’s Imitation of Christ, but I soon saw via the Holy Spirit that Catholics have become schooled in the art of deception, in using phrases like “I am saved by Jesus Christ and what he did at the cross,” but omitting their doctrines of having to partake in the Sacraments like the Eucharist to remain under grace and other antichristic dogmas like prayers to Mary and the Saints. 

The Catholics have studied our jargon, they have figured out how to use words like “grace” and “saved” to convince and beguile Protestants into thinking they are a different denomination with the same beliefs. This tactic is called soft-recruiting, and its aim is to lead Protestants down the “Road Back to Rome”, and decieving them as Eve was deceived by the serpent,  “But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ,” (2 Corinthians 11:3), and trampling on his blood, “How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace” (Hebrews 10:29). 

The Counter-Reformation never ended. It has been going since 1517 A.D. with the sole aim of stealing our freedom in Christ and planting superstitions in the hearts of us Protestants. The war has shifted from steel to the art of seduction. The Romanite legions are hard at work trying to make converts of us Protestants, not unbelievers, on the contrary the Catholics have aligned with Islam, Hinduism, and other religions, refusing to convert them.  Make no mistake, the Roman Catholic Church is Satan’s church, working hard to rob people of the true faith that we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, “And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephensians 2:6-9), “Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ, and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith” (Philippians 3:8-9), “All who declare that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God,” (1 John 4:15), “For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:40), and “then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead,that this man stands before you healed. 11 Jesus is “‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ 12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”(Acts 4:10-12). We are in a spiritual war, and the Roman Church is the vanguard of Satan trying to take our freedom. They can’t shut the Scriptures up in Latin, but they can seduce you with the Latin Fathers, and their clever language on suffering. They sound like they are saying all the right words, but the one who has discernment can see the spirit they carry is not Christ, but antichrist, they are like their ancestors, the Judaizers who tried to corrupt the Gospel and were confronted at the Council of Jerusalem: 

“But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2 And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about this question. 3 So, being sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and brought great joy to all the brothers. 4 When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they declared all that God had done with them. 5 But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said,“It is necessary to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses.”

6 The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter. 7 And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. 8 And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, 9 and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith. 10 Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? 11 But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.” (Acts 15:1-11). The Roman Church declares its the See of St Peter and its popes his successor, well heed Peter’s words here! It is by the Grace of Jesus, unmerited favor, that we are saved! 

We must beware of Babylon’s bewitchment. There is a concerted effort to seduce us Protestants from a “pure and simple devotion to Christ.” We must be on our guard and tear down these crafty arguments of Rome, “We tear down arguments and every presumption set up against the knowledge of God; and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:5). More than ever we must set ourselves like steel against the serpent of Rome, and preserve the faith of Christ and the apostles as written in Holy Scripture. Be wary, your Catholic friends are wolves in sheep’s clothing (Matthew 7:15) who seek to erode your reformed resolve. They may smile and laugh and pat you on the back, but they are soldiers of Rome who will not be content until you are slaves like them to superstitions and satanic doctrines. They are recruits, they’re every kind act, word of encouragement, and helping hand a point of their serpentine spear. Do not trust them, their aim is your slavery. 

Resist Rome, and hold fast to what you first believed, “But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place—unless you repent.” (Revelation 2:4-5, NASB). Amen.