Scripture: Revelation 17 v 6: "And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration."
Revelation 18 v 20 - 21; 24: "Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.
21 And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all
24 And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth."
One of the profound acts that we know and see is the willingness of Christians to die for their faith in Jesus Christ. In recent years the atrocities heaped on Christians by ISIS militants has shocked the whole world.
The rulers of the Vatican are trying to airbrush out of existence and memory their part in the martyrdom of over 50 million Christians in Spain and other parts of Europe. The Spanish Inquisition was set in place by the Black Pope, head of the Jesuit Priesthood, the secret service of the Roman Catholic Church.
The torture and death of these martyrs cries out for judgment. They were killed over a lie that the Mass, or Communion, presented the wafer as the actual Body of Jesus and not symbolic of it. All those who protested against this lie died a horrible death, which enabled Ignatius Loyola, the Black Pope, to weed out all who were not Roman Catholics, but were real believers in Jesus.
As we have seen the Roman Catholic Church is a confusion of Christianity and the old Babylonian religion, the complete opposite of true faith. The Babylonian witch, Semiramis, formed this religion on astrology, the tower of Babel was an observatory. It contained many occult elements, as well as a celibate priesthood, and vestal virgins, known as nuns or brides of Christ in the Roman Catholic Church.
The High Priest was known as Pope or Pontiff and wore the high hat of Dagon the fish god. Ever since the they amalgamated with the church of Rome in the 4th century AD, the man in charge is Pope or Pontiff. Wearing that same Dagon hat.
The woman facing condemnation in Revelation 17 is Semiramis, who had a son named Nimrod. She elevated him to the god Baal, then married him to become a goddess. He conquered and plundered many countries until he was eventually slain by Shem, son of Noah, in Egypt. (Ref The Two Babylons by A. Hislop). Shem was one of the last of those who lived for hundreds of years.
Semiramis and other Babylonian gods have been absorbed into Christianity and have been given new names. She became Mary, Mother of God, and Nimrod became Jesus. Nimrod was born on 25th December. Not Jesus. By our traditions we are deceived!
Acts 7 v 58 - 60: "And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul.
59 And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.
60 And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep."
This first Christian martyr, Stephen, was stoned by the Jewish Pharisees religious sect who controlled Judaism in Israel. Paul who encountered the presence of Jesus on the road to Damascus and became the most faithful apostle, was consenting to his death. He hated himself for this after he knew Jesus.
What prompted this blog today was that on 30th May, 1431, Joan of Arc was burnt at the stake as a martyr for Jesus. She was a simple peasant girl who had a deep love for Jesus.
In her early teens she began hearing voices and seeing people called St, Michael and St. Catherine. They urged her to go to the Dauphin Charles, to give him a message from God. King Henry V of England had attacked France and the English army blocked the way to Rouen, where the Dauphin should be crowned King of France.
Joan, her French name is Jeanne d'Arc, made her way through war torn countryside to the Dauphin at 17 years of age. The following excerpt is her first meeting with him.
"The first meeting between Joan of Arc and Charles VII is one of the legendary events in the life of Joan. According to the history Joan was able to recognize Charles and located him in a crowd even though she had never before met him or had any idea what he looked like. This first meeting took place at the castle in Chinon on or around March 7th of 1429 and an eyewitness, Simon Charles an emissary of the court, described it as follows:
"Informed that she was coming, the King retired behind some others. Nevertheless, Joan recognized him very well and made him reverence. She conversed long with him. And after hearing her, the King appeared joyful."
That Joan was not dazzled at all by the pompous surroundings of the royal court is also remarkable and must have greatly impressed all who witnessed the first meeting. Raoul de Gaucourt, master of the king's household, later recalled the event: "I was present in Chinon when Joan came there. I saw her present herself before the majesty of the King with great humility and simplicity, poor little shepherdess that she was and I heard her say to the King: 'Very illustrious Lord Dauphin, I am come, being sent on the part of God, to give succour to the kingdom and to you."
From that meeting she was given armour, a horse and a banner with a lily, she was soon being called 'Maid of the Lilies'. She cut off her hair and dressed in men's clothing. She had a vision of how to win the battle of Orleans, and argued furiously with the battle commanders until they gave in to her. The English spectacularly lost that battle and the way to Rouen was open. Within 4 months Charles VII was king of France.
When she tried take Paris two years later she was captured and on trial for sorcery and heresy. Trumped up charges by the English through the Roman Catholic bishop of Rheims. She was found guilty by the Catholic tribunal and burnt at the stake aged 19.
She was a young woman of great courage and faith, who served the Lord with every ounce of her strength and remains a popular heroine to this day. It drove the Roman Catholic Church in 1920 to reverse its excommunication of Joan and have her canonized a saint. She would never have allowed it.
Roman Catholic canonization of saints is totally unscriptural and undermines the born again believers and followers of Jesus who are changed from sinners to saints instantly.
I love many fine Catholic people, but I cry out to God to set them free of bondage to a false religion. Some have responded and I am so thankful for this blessing. Pray for them too, Jesus loves them as He loves us. One concerning factor is Pope Francis who has replaced a living Pope, and is the only Pope ever to also be a Jesuit.
That statute is still open on the Vatican books that started the Inquisition. It will be used against Christians who missed the Rapture and refuse the mark of the Beast in the last part of the Great Tribulation. They will all be martyrs for their faith in Jesus Christ, and He will honour them all on the Day of Judgment.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, we love the Trinity, we live to share our Faith with those who don't know You. We want to see many millions come back to You and have their names written in the Lamb's Book of Life, the only passport to Heaven. Through the death of faithful martyrs the love of God is seen. Today we honour them as those who flew high the banner of salvation. In Jesus' name. Amen.