The Last Three Popes Signal Christ's Return

 

Is Francis the Last Pope?

I read a short primer this weekend called TheLast Three Popes Signal Christ’s Return.

It’s by Jack Van Impe who I remember from a 90’s TV show that followed Leno (maybe Letterman) on local stations. It might have been during the week but my memory is a little fuzzy. He always found the anti-Christ lurking in every newspaper story on the Middle East. I found him a tad alarmist. 

But I enjoyed the book more than I expected. I have a new found appreciation for the man with the tacky headlines and and-day-now excitement in his voice.

Here are a few things I learned.

Marxism At the Heart

The ‘last three popes’ is more a summary and not a deep dive into the papacy or the catechisms. At just over 100 pages it’s a warning that the Catholic Church is about to split, forever. The underlying problem is the Jesuits and their embrace of Marxism which is an anti-Christian bulwark within the very institution that represents “Christ on the earth”. But the fundamentals of the centuries old institution is being remade. Since the nomination of Pope Francis in 2013 the Vatican is being remade in the image of the Jesuits.

A lot of this ‘last pope’ stuff comes from a prophecy by St. Malachi in the 12^th century. He accurately predicted Pope John Paul II and Benedict XVI as the precursors to the last one, Francis. But because Francis is a Jesuit and compromiser, he will be at the helm when the schism happens. But you also have to believe in St. Malachi’s prophecy. I’m not familiar with it but apparently a lot of the Catholic teachings and writings seem to agree with this set up.

Liberation Theology

Van Impe examines Liberation Theology and its pernicious influence on the Jesuit order, not to mention its loose tie with Catholic teaching. In a nutshell, Liberation Theology sees people through the same bifurcated lens as communism—haves and have nots. They see class struggle in scripture and in modern day. A priest who rages against the capitalist system and works to overthrow it is doing the work of the people. The church basically lost Latin America and other 3^rd world countries to this ideal.

From the book. “…Once the Jesuits admitted the attitude that all prior theology was only speculation, and useless speculation at that, as far as Latin America was concerned, all need to study Thomism and traditional Scholastic Theology and philosophy in Jesuit seminaries ceased.” (page 27)

Francis' Pragmatism

Into this environment come both Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI, trying to keep the church together while holding to traditional teachings. By the time Pope Francis comes around the ground is fertile for rebellion. Francis isn’t a total rebel as much of an appeaser, someone who has softened stances on gay marriage and communism. Two years ago he cut a deal with the Chinese leadership to allow them to nominate bishops, an unheard of acquiescence.

I’m always surprised at how the Catholic Church has been able to keep such a sprawling centuries old organization together. Even with the disparate parts and shifting loyalties the Vatican is still the official center of the organization. I know that not everything is a clean as it seems. Within the church the schism is a forgone conclusion.

Inerrancy of Scripture

 A secondary aspect of the book is to show how two halves of the same tradition see Jesus and scriptures as fundamentally different things. The Church remains but only in name.

John Paul II was a stalwart defender of Christ and tradition. He saw communism as a great evil and became the antidote to the strain of unbelieve spreading across the world. Benedict XVI reinforced the vision of the church as it’s been interpreted for centuries. Francis has turned tradition on its head and allowed secular forces to infiltrate what’s left of it.

Will he be the last pope? I’m not sure. What’s interesting to me is that the global Catholic Church reflects exactly what’s happening in the Protestant world as well. We see a similar version play out in Protestant denominations, both Presbyterians and Methodists have split nationally. It’s not just over homosexual laity either. It’s over what that means for the fundamentals of belief. If gay marriage is acceptable to God, the ultimate source of our believe, then the Bible isn’t reliable.  

It's the inerrancy of scripture that’s under assault. Only a bold defense of the Bible, as written will turn back the tide. If there is no turning back and the tide overwhelms us we really are in the last days. Jack Van Impe would certainly be right.