"You have until the year 2000!" That’s what a friend of ours was told by her father several years ago. Our friend, knowing that her father had been a high level Freemason for many years, was probing him about his involvement in "the Lodge." She was asking him penetrating questions about his personal knowledge of Freemasonry, its purpose and goals. He remained tight-lipped throughout his daughter’s questioning, refusing to reveal any special knowledge he might possess. Frustrated with her relentless pursuit, he finally blurted out, "All I’ll say is you have until the Year 2000." A few weeks later he died–seemingly of grief. His wife said she heard him crying in bed at night on repeated occasions in the days prior to his death.

What did this Freemason from Alabama know about the new millennium? Could he have been referring to a looming crisis that will change the world as we know it? Or could he have known about some elaborate plan that would culminate in, or around, the year 2000?

Whatever the case may be, we are living in sobering times. Many historic, earth-changing events are set to take place in the months ahead–if God permits. The recent visible involvement of the Vatican in Middle East affairs has set the stage for additional one-world developments for the remainder of this Jubilee year and beyond.

"The Great Peacemaker"

Although the Vatican has privately been engaged in Mideast diplomacy for many years, its role became more public on February 15th, when Pope John Paul II met with Yassir Arafat, Palestinian Authority Chairman, in Rome. During their meeting, which took place at the Vatican, the two men signed a special accord. Palestinian Legislative Council Speaker Ahmed Qurei told The Jerusalem Post that the agreement indicated a recognition by the Catholic Church of Palestinian claims to "the city." He said the Palestinian Authority was lobbying international support for its claim to east Jerusalem.

The Vatican has called Israel’s annexation of east Jerusalem illegal and does not recognize Israeli sovereignty there. Meanwhile, the Israeli government accused the Vatican of interfering in the peace talks with the Palestinians by signing the accord. "The agreement…is an interference in the negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians and we regret this," the Foreign Ministry said.

Shortly after his meetings with Arafat, the pope left for the Middle East. He arrived in Egypt on February 24th, receiving a warm welcome from the Muslim community. During his stay John Paul met with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, a top Islamic cleric, and the patriarch of Egypt’s Coptic Christians, along with other spiritual leaders. The Chicago Tribune reported, "The pontiff’s call for interfaith dialogue and understanding were echoed by Mubarak and the Egyptian religious leaders, who praised the Catholic leader for his efforts to reach out to other faiths…." "Arab leaders say they hope the pope’s visits will help push along the Mideast peace process, which has faltered."

Just three weeks after his visit to Egypt and the Sinai, John Paul returned to the Mideast–this time for meetings in Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian Territories. Life Magazine interviewed several leaders about the significance of the pope’s historic pilgrimage.

"It’s extremely important to him," says Father Richard P. McBrien, head of the theology department at the University of Notre Dame. "This aged and sick pope has put mind over matter and managed to stay alive to make this journey."

Papal biographer and confidant Tad Szulc observes, "…the concept of being the great peacemaker is of the utmost significance to him."

"It will be an extraordinary trip because of who he is," says Rabbi James Rudin, an American Jewish Committee official. "He is a man who has made more contributions to Catholic-Jewish relations than any other pope in history, straightening out 2,000 years of twisted history, and he has been able to do this simply and only because of who he is.

Rudin goes on to reflect, "We will never see John Paul’s like again, not because the next pope can’t or won’t think about the Shoah, the Holocaust, but because this pope was there."

Father Gerald O’Collins of the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome hinted as to what the pope might accomplish through his peace mission: "Even more than in Jerusalem, the scenes we’re going to see from the Mount of the Beatitudes will show him as the pope of all people." (italics mine)

Amazingly, this pope is being embraced by many Islamic, as well as Jewish and Christian leaders (not to speak of Hindus, Buddhists, Zoroastrians, and others). He comes as a man of peace, in the name of Christ, and with a plan to solve the world’s political and spiritual problems. Yet, his plan involves an unscriptural interfaithism–the unification of all the world’s religions around the Church of Rome. Not surprisingly, he is receiving no opposition from the secular media. A typically anti-Christian press is heralding Pope John Paul II as a unique visionary, a great peacemaker on a special mission.

Calendar of Events

In addition to the pope’s Mideast pursuits, other one-world "peace promoting" events have been scheduled throughout this year. They are intended to ultimately lead to the creation of a global government and religion. Many of these functions are being directly supported or initiated by the Vatican. Here are just a few of the upcoming planned activities.

June 26: "United Religions Initiative Global Assembly"

Where: Pittsburgh, Penn.

This Global Assembly will witness the signing of the official URI Charter, which will give birth to the United Religions Organization. It is anticipated that millions of signatures will be obtained from people around the world, via the internet and many regional URI events. The Vatican has already placed a representative within the URI.

United Religions is intended to serve as the spiritual partner of the United Nations. Its purpose: To bring all of the world’s religions together.

August 28-29: "Millennium Summit of Religious Leaders"

Where: New York, NY

At this first of its kind summit hosted by the UN, world religious leaders will discuss and celebrate global interfaithism in light of the new millennium. Mikhail Gorbachev’s organization, the State of the World Forum, is also collaborating to ensure this event’s success. Pope John Paul II will be among the participants.

September 5-9: "State of the World Forum"

Where: New York, NY

Gorbachev’s State of the World Forum, in conjunction with a host of UN agencies, will convene its annual gathering of world leaders to correspond with the UN’s special Millennium Assembly. Discussions will focus on the future of the United Nations and increasing its authority through world law. At that time it is expected that Gorbachev will introduce a final version of the Earth Charter, which has been referred to by some as the "Magna Carta for Planet Earth." Concerning the Earth Charter, Gorbachev once said that it would be "a kind of Ten Commandments, a ‘Sermon on the Mount,’ that provides a guide for human behavior."

September 6: "United Nations Millennium Assembly and Summit"

Where: New York, NY

One of the most important events of the year. Thousands of leaders from around the world will gather in New York City to take part in the UN Millennium Assembly and Summit. It is at this point that solid new directions on the implementation of global government are expected, including possible UN Charter revisions. World government advocates hope that a parallel People’s Assembly (a People’s World Parliament) will become a permanent feature at the United Nations.

September 13: "Mideast Peace Accord Signing"

Pope John Paul’s peace initiative is intended to culminate on, or by, September 13th. Unbeknownst to the public, the current "peace process" has been engineered by the Vatican (as we have already documented). The proposed agreement, if signed, would be comprehensive and unprecedented. It would be Rome’s crowning achievement.

But much can happen between now and September. There could be delays due to disagreements, regional conflicts, acts of terrorism or political unrest. Opposition could arise over issues of wording or disputed territory claims.

Nevertheless, a couple of questions are being voiced in Christian circles.

Question #1: If this treaty is signed, would it be the covenant referred to in Daniel 9:27?

Answer: We do not yet know. We will have to wait and see what the final treaty entails. But, it could be a fulfillment of this passage.

Question #2: If the September treaty is ratified, could it be that the pope is the Antichrist, or perhaps, the false prophet?

Answer: Possibly. Again, it depends what is in the treaty and what role the pope plays overtly or covertly, in the process. Something could happen to John Paul, and a future pope could complete the process. We don’t know. But a real possibility exists. Therefore, we need to be aware and discerning of these historic developments in light of scripture.

A Time to Stand Strong

If only half of the activities planned for this year come to pass we could soon be living in a drastically different world–a world that is not only hostile toward Bible-believing Christians, but that openly pursues and persecutes them, seeing them as their unwanted conscience.

Yet, in spite of these disturbing possibilities, in recent months I have noticed an attitude of lukewarmness spreading across our land. It seems as if people have been lulled to sleep by their incredible luxuries and the lures of a prosperous society. Very few are earnest about doing God’s will and even fewer understand the prophetic times in which we are living. Rather than treating each day as if it could be our last and making the most of the precious time God has given us, we are behaving as if we have forever to get our lives in order.

I believe God has given us His trustworthy prophecies, in part so that we might recognize the times and have a strengthened resolve to do His will. Yet some ignore the warnings of God’s Word as if they don’t exist. Many disregard the signs all around us that suggest we are living in the last days. There is a lack of godly balance in most of our lives. Some individuals have a working knowledge of Scripture but have no clue of what is going on around them; while others can tell you everything about current events but spend little, if any, time reading and studying the Bible. One without the other leads to a lack of discernment and inadequate service to God.

We must never become imbalanced or complacent in our lives, rather we must remain vigilant in defending our faith against Satan’s schemes. This involves exercising great discernment in distinguishing between true unity and false unity. The global unity currently being shaped consists of a false, manmade peace; not a true spiritual peace that comes from knowing God. It will inevitably lead to the enslavement of mankind.

The Bible makes clear that God’s kingdom is not of this world. His is an eternal kingdom. And His peace is an eternal peace. Indeed, it is an inner peace that comes from knowing Jesus Christ and knowing that our eternal future is secure through Him.

God calls us to vigorously oppose and expose false teachings (Eph. 5:11 and 2 Tim. 4:1-5), defending the faith with the same commitment and determination as the first disciples and the early reformation leaders. We must take a stand! However, we need to do so in a spirit of Christian love, always remembering that our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities and powers of this dark world (Eph. 6:12).

In order to stand firm for the Lord we must heed Paul’s exhortation to be fully prepared. Ephesians 6:10-11 tells us, "Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil."

In spite of troubling developments, this is an exciting time to be alive. We are witnessing events foretold in Scripture unfold before our very eyes. While there may be some difficult days ahead for Christians, any potential suffering will be outweighed by the fact that we look forward to the return of Jesus Christ, who will come in full majesty and victory, to rescue His saints and to put an end to this sinful world system (2 Thess. 2). Full of the hope we have in Christ (whether we live to see His return or die first), let us give Him our very best–pressing on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called us heavenward in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:14). Let’s keep fighting the good fight of the faith!!

Personal Note: Due to physical circumstances, I am taking a necessary break from writing for this website. I trust that your life has been enriched and blessed by the information presented and insights gained during these last 12 months. My prayer is that the Lord will continue to multiply His wisdom and discernment through the Ankerbergs’ vital ministry. It has been an honor for me to cover the interfaith/New Age movement for Harbor Lighthouse during the past year.