"Arinze (African Cardinal Francis Arinze) announced that the Catholic Church would host a four-day meeting in Rome in October 1999 dealing with world religions." (The San Diego Union-Tribune, Thursday, June 25, 1998, page A-14, by Sandi Dolbee.)

Cardinal Arinze went on to express his hope that representatives from faiths ranging from Hinduism to Native American traditions would discuss "how we behaved in this century," the idea being "to make the world a better place for all."

Here we see the foundation being laid for "Babylon the Great." Although its headquarters are in Rome now we think it will be moved to the site of ancient Babylon.

Sensing the historic significance of the attempts at a worldwide union of religions, one editor (same citation as above) coined the phrase "the greatest story seldom told."

Three descriptions of the religious movement of the future are as follows:

Laodicea—descriptive of the proud, apathetic, apostate condition of the self-seeking believers.

The False Prophet—descriptive of the miracle-working power of self-willed religionists as they cooperate with the self-willed government in governing the world.

Babylon the Great—descriptive of the religious organization, wealthy beyond belief, perhaps a union of all religions with Christianity at the head, that will be the "representative of God on the earth."

The greatest religious organization of all time will be made up of self-sufficient believers who seek to use the power of Christ to bring mankind into a state of security and happiness. God will be in no part of it just as He is in no part of the convention reported above.

Can you see the wave of the future in this? Can you see the emphasis on benefiting man rather than benefiting God? Can you understand also the tremendous impetus that would be given such an enterprise by the worldwide latter-rain revival?

I make myself part of the remnant, a remnant that in the future will be driven from the centers of civilization by the democratic government and the majority of the churches as well, by stating it is not God's will for us to pray and then take our gifts and go forth to save and heal the world. This is not God's plan for the present hour.

The gifts and ministries given to the Body of Christ are for the purpose of building each member of the Body to maturity as measured by the stature of the fullness of Christ.

"But aren't we built to maturity so we can save and heal the world?"

No. We are built to maturity so we can have fellowship with God and perform the roles and tasks of the Kingdom of God, but only as the Lord Jesus Christ, God's Administrator, directs.

"But how does this work out in practice."

It works out in practice as you and I turn from our self-will and seek the Lord until we know what it is He is saying and doing. Jesus thought and acted only as the Father showed Him. We are to think and act only as Christ shows us. We are not to take it for granted that we are to go forth and try to save and heal the world.

To be continued.