Study – Grow – Know

Leading the Sheep Toward Romanism

November 8, 2017 at 12:57 PM Leave a comment

For several years we’ve seen a growing embrace of aspects of Roman Catholicism from well-known and influential speakers and authors within Protestantism including Beth Moore, Rick Warren, Kenneth Copeland, Randy Clark, Bill Johnson, the late Tony Parker, and too many others to list here. It almost seems as though these folks believe their mandate is not so much the Great Commission of Jesus (Matthew 28), as it is to help unify all people under the umbrella of the Roman Catholic Church. They do so under the guise of simply desiring to include those within Catholicism regardless of theological differences, even though those differences are the very things that keep us apart and unable to worship together.

Why do we never hear of any sort of embrace by Roman Catholic priests, speakers, and teachers toward aspects of Protestantism? Ask the average Catholic that question and they will tell you without equivocation that the Roman Catholic Church is the Church Jesus said He would build therefore salvation equals being a Roman Catholic. Of course, Jesus was talking about a spiritual building based on a new birth or birth from above (Matthew 16:18; John 3). Catholics will tell you that joining the Catholic church brings salvation to the penitent. The Bible says no such thing. Yes, “catholic” means “universal,” but it does not mean “Roman” Catholic Church. Christ’s Bride (the Church) is a spiritual entity. Not everyone who simply attends any church is part of His Bride. An active decision for Jesus must occur for salvation to be imparted.

But Pastor, author, and speaker Rick Joyner has gone well beyond simply embracing aspects of Catholicism and encouraging others to do so. Joyner actually joined the Knights of the Order of Malta (KOM), some time ago, its origins connected to Romanism. Much of what people state about KOM is relegated to the area of “conspiracy” theories.

We do know a few things for certain, partly from the United States Congressional Record of 1913 and from Rick Joyner’s own website in which he answers questions about his joining the Knights. We’d like to be clear here that we are not “conspiracy theorists,” but we acknowledge that our biblical views of the end times puts us there by some, who do not agree with our understanding of Scripture.

The Knights are said to be a charitable organization. They do what they can to help people all over the world who are in need, regardless of race, creed, or religion. This certainly is a good thing because there is much suffering in the world today.

When the Knights first began, only those who could trace their lineage back to nobility were allowed in and there was a direct connection to Romanism. Each person so “knighted” took an oath and the oath itself promised to defend the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church from “heretics.” Is that same oath administered today with new individuals asked to join? We don’t know. We know originally, a severe oath was taken. Here it is in part.

“I, …………, now in the presence of Almighty God, the blessed Virgin Mary, the blessed St. John the Baptist, the Holy Apostles, St. Peter and St. Paul, and all the saints, sacred host of heaven, and to you, my Ghostly Father, the superior general of the Society of Jesus rounded by St. Ignatius Loyola, in the pontification of Paul the III and continued to the present, do by the womb at the Virgin, the matrix of God, and the rod of Jesus Christ, declare and swear that His Holiness the Pope, is Christ’s vice regent and is the true and only head of the Catholic or Universal Church throughout the earth; and that by virtue of the keys of binding and loosing given His Holiness by my Savior, Jesus Christ, he hath power to depose heretical kings, princes, States, Commonwealths, and Governments and they may be safely destroyed. Therefore to the utmost of ray power I will defend this doctrine and His Holiness’s right and custom against all usurpers of the heretical or Protestant authority whatever, especially the Lutheran Church of Germany, Holland, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway and the now pretended authority and Churches of England and Scotland, and the branches of same now established in Ireland and on the Continent of America and elsewhere, and all adherents in regard that they may be usurped and heretical, opposing the sacred Mother Church of Rome.”

Each new member swore to support and even die in that support if necessary for the Pope/RCC as God’s “vice-regent” on earth. Notice also that those who took the oath understood that anyone who was not Catholic was a “usurper” and “heretical.” The entire oath can be read at the link above and it is very clear in its denunciation of anyone who is not Roman Catholic.

Several times, the person taking the oath says he will do all in his power to overthrow any force or person not supporting Roman Catholicism/the Pope. Readers are encouraged to read through the entirety of the oath and let it sink in.

If we consider Rick Joyner’s own words, we learn his views of KOM. Is he telling the truth? On certain things, it’s impossible to know. On other things, it appears he may not be telling the truth. Reading the oath reminds me of the concept of “taqiyya” within Islam; it’s fine to lie if done for Allah.

On Joyner’s page, he addresses several issues. First, he explains why he decided to join KOM (refers to it as “OSJ” – Order of St. John). Second, he discounts the alleged secrecy of the order and connection to the Masons.

Joyner’s own reasons for joining the order are long and convoluted. He attempts to show that it was God who ultimately brought him into KOM over time. This occurred through “prophetic voices” of leaders known to him. He also claims that he “was shown” several things regarding what was going to happen in the world (prophetically), and how God was directing Joyner’s involvement. He often mentions “feeling” the Lord directing him or “showing” him something of great importance. Joyner is big in NAR with all its signs and wonders.

Originally Joyner said he did not want to join because it of its potential controversial nature (paragraph 12 under first question). He says he went the Lord in prayer for clarity and ultimately learned days later that he was going to be “knighted,” which opened the door for him to join the order. He took that as a clear sign from God to go ahead.

It is very clear from Joyner’s detailed responses that he views KOM as a solid Christian group. “The OSJ is a true Christian order, and the vows for knighthood are commitments to be servants of Christ and no other god, as well as to Christian truth and principles.”

His statement may well be an outright lie unless of course KOM has changed drastically since its inception. KOM was (and likely remains), a thoroughly Roman Catholic organization. Unless the oath has changed and its somehow separated itself from Romanism, each new member must commit to serving the Pontiff/the Pope without hesitation. It is difficult to believe that this organization which started off as thoroughly Roman Catholic is now simply a “Christian order,” with no real ties to Romanism, as Joyner would like us to believe.

Joyner clarifies things regarding the Masons stating KOM is not, “connected to the Masons.” On that he is likely being truthful because the original oath of the Knights says at one point the following with respect to Masons.

I do further promise and declare that I will, when opportunity presents, make and wage relentless war, secretly and openly against all heretics, Protestants and Masons, as I am directed to do to extirpate them from the face of the whole earth; and that I will spare neither age, sex, or condition, and that will hang, bum, waste, boil, flay, strangle, and bury alive these infamous heretics; rip up the stomachs and wombs of their women, and crush their infants’ heads against the wails in order to annihilate their execrable race. (Emphasis added)

But let’s say that this order is now truly a Christian organization and not connected to Roman Catholicism at all. Should Joyner have been even more concerned about joining it to avoid the appearance of evil as the apostle Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:22? How is being involved in an organization that has a very questionable origin and history and includes some level of secrecy (in spite of Joyner saying otherwise), something that Christians should participate in? But Joyner has his signs, wonders, and prophetic voices, which supersede Scripture apparently.

If at one point, the KOM oath bound a man to “extirpate” (kill, destroy), all those outside the Roman Catholic Church (remember Constantine and his “vision,” where he said he saw “By this sign conquer” and put it into action?), how can being part of that same organization now be fine even if they have changed their oath or the character of their organization? The oath swore complete allegiance to the Pope and to defend not Christianity, but Roman Catholicism. Has that changed?

In essence, like the first three centuries, today’s Pope appears to want Catholicism to be the only game in town. This is not generally realized or understood (or likely even thought about), by the average Catholic, who works hard at their job, loves their family, tries to live a life that they believe is in conformity to God’s Word, and follows the traditions of the Roman Catholic Church, which are seen as equal to Scripture.

Remember, according to Romanism, the Pope is God’s man on earth and all those outside Roman Catholicism are lost and on their way to hell. The only solution, according to Romanism, is to gather the world under the umbrella of Romanism. From the Roman Catholic perspective, it makes perfect sense and it is not considered being judgmental or divisive for Catholics to think so. It’s only so when Protestants negatively critique Romanism for its perceived errors when compared with Scripture alone.

The fact that individuals like Rick Joyner can tell us with a straight face that KOM is a truly Christian organization is disingenuous. It was never a Christian organization. It was a Roman Catholic organization created to serve the pope and spread Romanism throughout the world, destroying everyone who was not Catholic if they refused to convert. When did it allegedly change?

Can you think of another religion that does this same thing to people who refuse to convert?

In this day and age of muddy waters, where people rely on feelings to determine truth, it is not surprising that Rick Joyner joined the Knights of Malta/Order of St. John. People like Joyner do what many of those folks do to justify their actions. They go by how they feel, with the images or impressions they see, hear, or sense used like road maps to follow what is credited as God’s leading. It’s a very dangerous path they tread because of the massive potential to fall under Satan’s deception.

In Matthew 4, Jesus rebuked Satan with Scripture not with how He felt about something. In fact, Satan’s twisting of Scripture would’ve made perfect sense to someone not as steeped in the Word as Christ had been. When we start following inner impressions (voices, signs, or even traditions), we disengage ourselves from the concrete foundation of God’s Word and literally become our own highest authority. We are actually catering to SELF at that point.

It is tragic to see people calling themselves Christian who have come to rely on their inner subjective to determine God’s will. They are tossed to and fro on the waves of instability because of it. Paul says we must grow beyond that state.

so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. (Ephesians 4:14 ESV)

The more you know God’s Word, the more difficult it will be for Satan to throw you off the path via deception.

Entry filed under: Atheism and religion, christianity, Cultural Marxism, Demonic, devil worship, Eastern Mysticism, emergent church, Emotional virtue, eternity, Global Elite, Life in America, Maitreya, Political Correctness, Politically Correct, Politics, Religious - Christian - End Times, Religious - Christian - Prophecy, Religious - Christian - Theology, salvation, Satanism. Tags: beth moore, bill johnson, knights of the order of malta, NAR, order of st john, randy clark, rick joyner, roman catholic church, romanism, The New Apostolic Reformation (NAR), the pontiff, the pope.