[ItsOurTimeNow]

I got this as my daily grace gem after John Paul II died:

The Death of John Paul II

I grieve for John Paul II who gained the whole world
but forfeited his soul. Year after year he was the most
loved and admired man in the world, but because he
was blinded by the prince of this world, he never saw
the light of the gospel or the glory of Christ. Had he
been a devoted follower of Jesus Christ he would have
been hated and persecuted by the world. I also grieve
for the many who have been deceived by this pope and
his religion. It breaks my heart to see so many professing
Christians who cannot discern truth from error and genuine
Christianity from its counterfeit.

If ever there was a more important time for faithful servants
of our Lord Jesus Christ to take a stand for the truth, it is now.
The religious corruption of Rome has been on constant display
for the whole world to see. The splendor and pageantry has
been extraordinary. Thousands of deceived people have stood
in long lines to venerate a dead man with a rosary in his hands
and a twisted crucifix by his side. Bishops and Cardinals are
now encouraging Catholics to pray to and for this dead pope
whose body is constantly being "blessed" with incense and holy
water. Praying prayers with meaningless repetition to anyone
other than God is an abomination to God (Matthew 6:5-7;
Deut. 18:11). The bizarre veneration and adoration of this man
has been unprecedented. It appears no one is concerned with
the words of Jesus who said, "Woe to you when all men speak
well of you" (Luke 6:26)

Tragically the pope has had greater success in deceiving the
world since he died than during his 26 year pontificate. The
global media has become his mouthpiece and willing partner
in spreading his perverted theology. Through non-stop television
coverage, the pope's church has become the world's stage. Its
princes have been masquerading in their purple and scarlet robes
as "ministers of righteousness." They have cast a spell over the
TV audience with the splendor or their rituals and the pomp and
pageantry of their pagan traditions. The magnificence and
grandeur of this corrupt religion has bewitched much of the
gullible world into believing this is what Christianity is all about.

Few evangelical leaders will speak about the pope's false gospel
that shut the kingdom of heaven to those who wanted to enter.
They refuse to acknowledge that he was condemned by God's
word for preaching another gospel (Gal. 1:6-9). Instead they
are saying that since he "believed in Jesus," he went directly
to heaven. His salvation has been guaranteed by some
evangelicals because of his suffering, goodness, and holiness.
There are times in the lives of evangelicals when our faith is
tested. This is indeed one of those tests and sadly we see
many failing the tests by capitulating with enemies of the
Gospel. Could it be that they are seeking the favor and
approval of men rather than the approval of God?

Many are praising John Paul II for being a great spiritual leader.
But why give such honor to the head of an apostate church which
keeps over a billion people in spiritual darkness. While he never
claimed to be God, he took pleasure in being addressed with
titles reserved for the triune God alone. He usurped the title
"Holy Father" from God the Father, "The Head of the Church"
from the Lord Jesus Christ and "The Vicar of Christ" from the
Holy Spirit, who Jesus promised to send in His place.

The pope said he represented Jesus Christ, yet he lived in stark
contrast to the Savior who had no place to lay His head. He
denied Jesus was man's Creator by teaching evolution is true.
On several occasions he denied that Jesus was the only way to
the Father. When he addressed Muslim leaders, he said there is
"a common spiritual bond that unites us." In 1999 he denied the
blood of Jesus was the only purification for sin by awarding a
plenary indulgence for anyone who quit smoking or drinking
alcohol. John Paul is acclaimed as a great moral leader, yet
he failed to discipline American Bishops for tolerating the
wicked sexual abuse of deviant priests.

One thing is certain--the pope knows the truth now. I believe
he is experiencing what the rich man in Luke 16 endured. Both
of them dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in splendor
every day. When the rich man died and found himself tormented
in the flames of Hades, he begged the Father to send someone
to tell his family the truth so they would repent and not end up
in the same place. The pope may now be making the same request.

The passing of John Paul II opens up a tremendous opportunity
for Christians to talk about spiritual issues. We must speak the
truth in love and proclaim the Gospel with clarity and completeness!
We must also earnestly contend for the faith against everything
that stands opposed to God's word. May God help us to be faithful
in these times of great deception and compromise!

Mike Gendron
www.pro-gospel.org

[Claud]

Year after year he was the most loved and admired man in the world, but because he was blinded by the prince of this world, he never saw the light of the gospel or the glory of Christ.

Hey wow...Mike Gendron has been given the power to infallibly determine the state of someone's soul. Way cool.

Had he been a devoted follower of Jesus Christ he would have been hated and persecuted by the world

I think he was, Mike my friend. You just weren't paying attention. He was loved by the Godly and despised by the reprobate.

ItsOurTimeNow, nothing personal but this was really a titanically stupid post. The piece that heads off this thread was at least respectful in its disagreement. That anyone would have the temerity to question JPII's devotion to Christ is...well...insanity of the highest order.

[jboot]

I am not Catholic, or even a fan of JPII, but I still think that article is remarkably vile. The lead sentence alone-"I grieve for John Paul II who gained the whole world but forfeited his soul."-assumes knowledge of the eternal state of another and is the height of presumption. The life and testimony of JPII give us no evidence that he is not at home with our Lord.

If you must contend with Catholics over doctrine, do it respectfully, with scripture. These sort of hateful follies change no minds and only serve to injure the Body of Christ.

[jo kus]

May God help us to be faithful in these times of great deception and compromise!

Well, at least there was something of use in that long "gem".

Regards

[Mershon]

Gee, that is hardly judgmental at all. Judging the state of a man's soul. Now that is Biblical.

Especially given the fact he IS objectively the Vicar of Christ--Peter on earth. No, don't worry. Spreading stuff like this won't come back to haunt you. Keep on doing it. See where it will get you.

The one thing we CANNOT judge, according to Sacred Scripture, is the final judgment of a man's soul. But go ahead. Keep it comin'if you feel so inclined. What a great example to the world of Christian unity.

Now I am becoming more certain where the anti-Christ exists, and it is NOT in Rome.

[Jaded]

At the time, I too, belonged to another "Christian" mailing list. After the second e-mail of this type, I unsubscribed.

[Lilllabettt]

I've never read such bitterness and anger in all of my admittedly brief life.

Woe to us when we call what is good, evil. Mr. Gendron would condemn a man who was celibate for the sake of the Kingdom, who chose to die without a penny to his name, who himself condemned no man, not even his own assassin ...

Mr. Gendron needs to receive Jesus into his life. Let's pray that the Lord will come and soften his hardened heart.

[AlaninSA]

Are you trying to be obnoxious, or are you just ignorant?

Calling yourself a Christian is a bit of a stretch, lady.

[bornacatholic]

I grieve for John Paul II who gained the whole world but forfeited his soul. Year after year he was the most loved and admired man in the world, but because he was blinded by the prince of this world, he never saw the light of the gospel or the glory of Christ. Had he been a devoted follower of Jesus Christ he would have been hated and persecuted by the world. I also grieve for the many who have been deceived by this pope and his religion. It breaks my heart to see so many professing Christians who cannot discern truth from error and genuine Christianity from its counterfeit.

*That author is too dim-witted to realize he drafted a self-refuting paragraph

[Petronski]

Wow. Based on that, I'd say Mike Gendron is a no-good SOB. That's some hard-core hate he's spewing there.