In this continuing series we have focused on the religious developments of the one-world/New Age movement. Much of our attention thus far has been devoted to exploring the Vatican’s role in this growing movement and it’s upcoming "Great Jubilee of the Year 2000" celebration.

Since our last article the Vatican’s interfaith initiatives have accelerated. From October 24 to 29, Pope John Paul II hosted an interfaith summit in Rome. This "Interreligious Assembly" was attended by approximately 200 religious leaders representing the world’s "great faith traditions," and included a spiritual pilgrimage to Assisi—the site of the Pope’s first interfaith summit in 1986.

The Pope summarized his global vision in his closing address:

The Pope continued, explaining that the Holy Spirit calls us "to the unity of the whole human family." (Source: Discorso del Santo Padre all’Assemblea Interreligiosa, Piazza San Pietro, 28 October 1999.) True Christ-centered unity is of God and is described in John 17; but nowhere in Scripture does God call for "the unity of the whole human family." To the contrary—when mankind was unified through the building of the Tower of Babel, God scattered the people. Why? They were unified against His truth and His established order. In the process they had come under the control of Satan.

Pope John Paul and his hierarchy of Cardinals understand that to create a new civilization (a new political/religious order), there must be cooperation among the world’s religions—a type of global spiritual unity centered in Rome. It is no coincidence that many of the world’s major religious events of the last decade have served to augment the Vatican’s interfaith efforts. Of these events, none attracted more attention than the 1993 Parliament of the World’s Religions.

This parliament represented the largest gathering of religious leaders in history and would serve not only to commemorate the one hundredth anniversary of the original meeting (Chicago, 1893), but also to plan for the world’s "spiritual future." Approximately 5,500 religious leaders from a multitude of denominations and religions attended this convention. Another 857 individuals were registered as press.

Besides the major religions and well-known spiritual "traditions," some of those present described themselves as "Catholic Quaker," "Celtic," "blends of many," "inter-religious," or "Hindu Theosophy." Also in attendance were voodoo and druid priests, Freemasons, wiccans (witches), snake charmers, Zoroastrian sun worshipers, representatives of Lucis Trust, and an assortment of other occultists and Luciferians. This spiritual diversity was evident throughout the Parliament and was reflected in its board of trustees and in those who co-sponsored the event (See Exhibit O and Appendix J in The New World Religion).

The 1993 Parliament programs, like their counterpart meetings of the last century, were held in Chicago. Some of the themes were Interfaith Understanding, The Inner Life, Visions of Paradise and Possibility, and the Voices of Spirit and Tradition. During the nine-day gathering, over five hundred seminars, lectures, and workshops were held. Robert Muller, former U.N. Assistant Secretary-General and a devout Catholic, delivered the Parliament’s first keynote address, forcefully calling for the creation of a "permanent institution" dedicated to pursuing religious unity.

Perhaps the most significant event of the 1993 Parliament was the convening of an inner circle of interfaith religious "authorities." This powerful group, consisting of Robert Muller and his closest allies, dubbed itself the Assembly of Religious and Spiritual Leaders. Developing a consensus "for how people should behave," the Assembly endorsed an interfaith document titled Towards a Global Ethic, An Initial Declaration. This document, drafted by Catholic theologian Hans Küng, a friend of Muller’s, condemns the "abuses of Earth’s ecosystems," poverty, and social injustice. It affirms interdependence, calling for "a common set of core values…found in the teachings of the religions." "The Ethic," if accepted, would represent "an irrevocable, unconditional norm for all areas of life, for families and communities, for races, nations, and religions."

In his book, Global Responsibility: In Search of a New World Ethic (1991), Mr. Küng makes clear that participation in this new "ethic" (religion) will not be optional. He states,

The Global Ethic, which was signed by Muller and the other interfaith dignitaries present, is emerging as a companion to Mikhail Gorbachev’s Earth Charter and is expected to be to religion what The Charter is to international politics. Together, these documents are destined to impact and shape the future religious and political course of mankind. The World Core Curriculum, drafted by Robert Muller, is intended to accommodate both decrees by promoting their ideas through public education.

God, of course, has already given us His "global ethics." These commandments for living are clearly laid out in the Bible (Exodus 20:1-17 and Mark 12:28-31). Unfortunately, as evidenced by the Parliament of World Religions, man would rather create his own set of rules catering to his personal wants and desires than submit to God’s authority.

The Book of Revelation warns us of a seductive one-world religious/political system that would emerge in the last days. According to Revelation 17:13 the leaders of this Satanic system will give "their power and authority" to the beast, who will do everything within his power to oppose the living God and His true followers. Based on Jesus’ words in Matthew 24, it appears that this deception will have an outer appearance of Christianity—acting in the name of Christ, but not being of Christ.

In the days ahead, as a growing number of recognized "Christian" leaders throw their support behind the global unity movement, the true followers of Jesus Christ—those seeking to remain faithful to Him—will need to be discerning as never before. Such discernment will come only from spending quality time with the Lord in prayer and through reading His Word. If we draw near to Jesus Christ, He will give us His wisdom and strength to remain faithful to the end.

For continued coverage of important New Age/one-world developments, visit this site monthly. Also, see www.garykah.org. For complete documentation and more information on this vital subject, you are encouraged to obtain Gary Kah’s provocative new book The New World Religion (330 pages, including over 50 exhibits and 350 footnotes.) Order through this website and receive a free cassette that will greatly impact your life.