Hope of Israel Ministries (Ecclesia of YEHOVAH):

Has the Pope Abandoned Europe to Islam?

by Giulio Meotti

May 26, 2016 at 5:00 am

* In 2006, Pope Benedict XVI said what no Pope had ever dared to say -- that there is a link between violence and Islam. Ten years later, Pope Francis never calls those responsible for anti-Christian violence by name and never mentions the word "Islam."

* Pope Francis does not even try to re-evangelize or re-conquer Europe. He seems deeply to believe that the future of Christianity is in the Philippines, in Brazil and in Africa. Probably for the same reason, the Pope is spending less time and effort in denouncing the terrible fate of Christians in the Middle East.

* "Multiculturalism" in Europe is the mosque standing on the ruins of the church. It is not the synthesis requested by Pope Francis. It is the road to becoming extinct.

* Asking Europe to be "multicultural" while it experiences a dramatic de-Christianization is extremely risky. In Germany, a new report found that "Germany has become demographically a multi-religious country." In the UK, a major inquiry recently declared that "Britain is no longer a Christian country." In France, Islam is also overtaking Christianity as the dominant religion.

To scroll the list of Pope Francis's apostolic trips -- Brazil, South Korea, Albania, Turkey, Sri Lanka, Ecuador, Cuba, United States, Mexico, Kenya, Uganda, Philippines -- one could say that Europe is not exactly at the top of his agenda.

The two previous pontiffs both fought for the "cradle of Christendom." Pope John Paul II took on Communism by toppling the Berlin Wall and the Iron Curtain. Benedict XVI took on "the dictatorship of relativism" (the belief that truth is in the eye of the beholder) and bet everything on re-evangelizing the continent by traveling through it (he visited Spain three times) and in speeches such as the ones at Regensburg, where he spoke bluntly about the threat of Islam, and the German Bundestag, where he warned the gathered politicians against declining religiosity and "sacrificing their own ideals for the sake of power."

Pope Francis, on the contrary, simply ignores Europe, as if he already considers it lost. This former Argentinian Cardinal, a representative of the "global South" Christianity, made spectacular trips to the migrants' islands of Lampedusa (Italy) and Lesbos (Greece), but never to the heart of the old continent. Pope Francis has also made it difficult for Anglicans to enter into the Catholic Church, by downplaying the dialogue with them.

The Error of Multiculturalism Raises its Head

Most importantly, however, in his important May 6 speech for the Charlemagne Prize, the Pope, in front of European leaders, castigated Europe on migrants and asked its leaders to be more generous with them. He next introduced something revolutionary into the debate: "The identity of Europe is, and always has been, a multicultural identity," he said. This idea is more than questionable!

Multiculturalism is a specific policy formulated in the 1970s. and it was absent from the political vocabulary of Schuman and Adenauer, two of Europe's founding fathers. Now it has been invoked by the Pope, who spoke of the need for a new synthesis. What is this all about?

Today, Christianity appears marginal and irrelevant in Europe. The religion faces an Islamic demographic and ideological challenge, while the post-Auschwitz remnants of Jewish communities are fleeing from the new anti-Semitism. Under these conditions, a synthesis between the old continent and Islam would be a surrender of Europe's claim to the future.

"Multiculturalism" is the mosque standing on the ruins of the church. It is not the synthesis requested by the Pope. It is the road to becoming extinct.

Asking Europe to be "multicultural" while it is experiencing a dramatic de-Christianization is also extremely risky. In Germany, a new report just found that "Germany has become demographically a multi-religious country." In the UK, a major inquiry recently declared that "Britain is no longer a Christian country." In France, Islam is also overtaking Christianity as the dominant religion. You find the same trend everywhere, from Protestant Scandinavia to Catholic Belgium. That is why Pope Benedict was convinced that Europe needed to "re-evangelized." Pope Francis does not even try to re-evangelize or re-conquer Europe. Instead, he seems deeply to believe that the future of Christianity is in the Philippines, Brazil and Africa.

The Silence of the Pope

Probably for the same reason, the Pope is spending less time denouncing the terrible fate of Christians in the Middle East. Sandro Magister, Italy's most important Vatican observer, sheds light on the Pope's silences:

"He remained silent on the hundreds of Nigerian schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram. He remained silent on the young Sudanese mother Meriam, sentenced to death solely for being Christian and finally liberated by the intervention of others. He remains silent on the Pakistani mother Asia Bibi, who has been on death row for five years, because she too is an 'infidel', and [He] does not even reply to the two heartrending letters she has written to him this year, before and after the reconfirmation of the sentence."

In 2006, Pope Benedict XVI (left) said what no Pope had ever dared to say -- that there is a link between violence and Islam. Ten years later, Pope Francis (right) never calls those responsible for anti-Christian violence by name and never mentions the word "Islam." (Image source: Benedict: Flickr/Catholic Church of England | Francis: Wikimedia Commons/korea.net)

In 2006, Pope Benedict XVI, in his Regensburg lecture, said what no Pope had ever dared to say -- that there is a link between violence and Islam. Ten years later, Pope Francis never calls those responsible for anti-Christian violence by name, and never mentions the word "Islam." Pope Francis also recently recognized the "State of Palestine," before it even exists -- a symbolic and unprecedented first. The Pope also might abandon the Church's long tradition of a "just war," one regarded as morally or theologically justifiable. Pope Francis always speaks of the "Europe of peoples," but never of the "Europe of Nations." He advocates welcoming migrants and washes their feet, while he ignores that these uncontrolled demographic waves are transforming Europe, bit by bit, into an Islamic state.

That is the meaning of Pope Francis' trips to the islands of Lampedusa, Italy, and Lesbos, Greece -- both symbols of a dramatic geographical and civilizational boundary. That is also the meaning of the Pope's speech for the Charlemagne Prize.

Has the head of Roman Catholicism given up on Europe as a Catholic place?

Note from the Editor:

A year ago Pope Francis announced to his followers that the “Koran and the Bible are the same”

The Bishop of Rome addressed Catholic followers regarding what he believed to be the dire importance of exhibiting religious tolerance. During his hour-long speech, a smiling Pope Francis was quoted telling the Vatican’s guests that the Qur'an, and the spiritual teachings contained therein, are just as valid as the Holy Bible.

“Jesus Christ, Jehovah, Allah. These are all names employed to describe an entity that is distinctly the same across the world. For centuries, blood has been needlessly shed because of the desire to segregate our faiths. This, however, should be the very concept which unites us as people, as nations, and as a world bound by faith. Together, we can bring about an unprecedented age of peace, all we need to achieve such a state is respect each others beliefs, for we are all children of God regardless of the name we choose to address him by. We can accomplish miraculous things in the world by merging our faiths, and the time for such a movement is now. No longer shall we slaughter our neighbors over differences in reference to their God.”

Anyone with a modicum of Biblical knowledge will realize this to be nothing but clap-trap; and this shows that the present pope is sorely lacking in Biblical understanding.  

The pontiff drew harsh criticisms in December after photos of the 78-year-old Catholic leader was released depicting Pope Francis kissing a Qur'an. The Muslim Holy Book was given to Francis during a meeting with Muslim leaders after a lengthy Muslim prayer held at the Vatican.

Pope Francis has courted several controversies since being elected as Pope Benedicto XVI’s replacement in 2013. Francis has gone on record to say that homosexuals are not to be judged, Proselytism is nonsense and has endorsed the usage of contraceptive by Catholics.

The Perversion of Homosexuality and the Decadence of a Nation

To remove any doubt from our minds, notice what YEHOVAH's Word has to say about homosexuality:

Leviticus 18:22: "You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination."

Leviticus 20:13: "If there is a man who lies with a male as those who lie with a woman, both of them have committed a detestable act; they shall surely be put to death. Their bloodguiltness is upon them."

1 Corinthians 6:9-10: "Or do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, 10 nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, shall inherit the kingdom of God."

Romans 1:26-28: "For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, 27 and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error. 28 And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper."

Homosexuality is clearly condemned in the Bible. It undermines YEHOVAH God's created order when He made Adam and Eve, a man and a woman, to carry out His command to fill and subdue the earth (Genesis 1:28). Homosexuality cannot carry out that mandate. In addition, homosexuality undermines the basic family unit of husband and wife which is the God-ordained means of procreation. Again, homosexuality cannot do that. And, believe it or not, it is also dangerous to society.

Homosexuality has a heavy judgment administered by YEHOVAH God Himself upon those who commit it and support it.

"For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, 27 and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error" (Romans 1:26-27).

As a result of being "given over," they can no longer see the error of what they are doing, will not seek forgiveness, and will not repent. They will then die in their sins and face YEHOVAH's righteous condemnation. We, as Christians, do not want this judgment to fall upon anyone.

But, their rebellion against YEHOVAH God does not stop there. Those who are judged by YEHOVAH this way also promote it and condemn others who don't approve of their behavior.

"...and, although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them," (Romans 1:32).

So, in their "hearty approval" of homosexuality, they encourage others to accept their practice, and so their sin and rebellion against YEHOVAH God spreads. This means they will reject the Messiah's redemptive work on the tree. Without the Messiah, they will have no forgiveness. Without forgiveness, they will have no salvation. Without salvation, there is only eternal death.

The La Croix Interview

The Vatican will meet again with Muslim leaders in late February where they plan to talk about further steps that can be taken to spread understanding and awareness of the Islamic religion

Then, in an interview with a French Catholic newspaper published this week (May 16, 2016) Pope Francis sent yet another shot across the bow of Europeans concerned over the threat of Muslim immigration.

When asked by a journalist from La Croix about fears of Islam and terrorism, the pontiff suggested it was not productive to think of Islam as a threat and pointed to its shared roots with Christianity.

“It is true that the idea of conquest is inherent in the soul of Islam," he said. "However, it is also possible to interpret the objective in Matthew’s Gospel, where Jesus sends his disciples to all nations, in terms of the same idea of conquest."

It can be inferred that the pope is likening the Islamic principle of "jihad" -- which the Qur'an clearly shows to mean holy war against non-Muslims -- with the Messiah's proselytizing mission. How accurate is this statement when applied to Catholicism -- even if the pope does not realize it!

Many people with an understanding of the histories of both Islam and Catholicism can point to the horrendous number of people slaughtered over the ages for not adhering to these two Satanic religions. It has been conservatively estimated that the Roman Catholic Church alone has murdered as many as 50,000,000 people for refusing to follow the pagan dictates of this religion, while probably as many (if not more) people have been murdered by Islam for not submitting to the demands of Muhammad and the false god allah.

Only someone who is ignorant of or hostile to true Christianity can make such a claim. To state the obvious: yes, both Christianity and Islam seek to win converts. However, the Messiah's call to his disciples to "go forth and make disciples of all nations" in Matthew's Gospel was understood and practiced peacefully. Disciples preached; people converted. No violence, no coercion. In fact, it was true Christians (NOT Catholics) -- chief among them disciples and evangelists -- who were persecuted and killed simply for preaching about the Messiah, first by the pagan Roman empire and later by Roman Catholicism (and still) by Islam.

Conversely, Muhammad said, "I have been sent with the sword between my hands to ensure that no one but Allah is worshipped -- Allah who put my livelihood under the shadow of my spear and who inflicts humiliation and scorn on those who disobey my commandments (The Al Qaeda Reader, p.12)."  The Qur'an is replete with commands to do violence on those who refuse to submit to Islam -- and yes, in ways that far transcend comparison with Old Testament violence.

Over the past year, Pope Francis has placed himself at the center of political conversations roiling the West, championing the plight of refugees while calling for more tolerance within European societies. In April, he journeyed to the Greek isle of Lesbos and visited a migrant detention center. On his return, he brought home with him a dozen Syrian refugees.

"May all of our brothers and sisters on this continent, like the good Samaritan, come to your aid in the spirit of fraternity, solidarity and respect for human dignity," he said in an address to migrants on Lesbos.

In the interview with La Croix, the pope also appeared to decry the rhetoric of a clash of civilizations, which has proliferated among an ascendant far-right on the continent and animated the politics of the U.S. presidential election.

"Yes, Europe has Christian roots and it is Christianity’s responsibility to water those roots," Pope Francis said. But, he insisted, "this must be done in a spirit of service" rather than the ultra-nationalism on view in countries from Hungary to Germany to Britain.

"When I hear talk of the Christian roots of Europe, I sometimes dread the tone, which can seem triumphalist or even vengeful. It then takes on colonialist overtones," Pope Francis said.

Once again, the pope is totally out of touch with reality!

The Clash of Civilizations

In 1993 the late Harvard professor of political science -- Dr. Samuel P. Huntington -- published an article entitled The Clash of Civilizations? (with a question mark) that has provoked controversy in both the academic world and in the halls of Congress. Dr. Huntington's contentious thesis, in light of the end of the Cold War with the collapse of the Soviet Union, was --

"It is my hypothesis that the fundamental source of conflict in this new world will not be primarily ideological or primarily economic. The great divisions among humankind and the dominating source of conflict will be cultural. Nation states will remain the most powerful actors in world affairs, but the principal conflicts of global politics will occur between nations and groups of different civilizations. The clash of civilizations will dominate global politics. The fault lines between civilizations will be the battle lines of the future."

However, the most controversy was generated by the further elaboration of that cultural conflict thesis that predicted the principal strife will be between Western and Islamic cultures. It has not only ignited furor in the academic world, but also upset the U.S. and other governments' foreign policy establishments because of the open-ended conflict implications of the West versus Islam. Notice what Dr. Huntington said:

"As the ideological division of Europe has disappeared, the cultural division of Europe between Western Christianity, on the one hand, and Orthodox Christianity and Islam, on the other, has reemerged. The most significant dividing line in Europe, as William Wallace has suggested, may well be the eastern boundary of Western Christianity in the year 1500.

"Conflict along the fault line between Western and Islamic civilizations has been going on for 1,300 years. After the founding of Islam, the Arab and Moorish surge west and north only ended at Tours [in France] in 732. From the eleventh to the thirteenth century the Crusaders attempted with temporary success to bring Christianity and Christian rule back to the Holy Land. From the fourteenth to the seventeenth century, the Ottoman Turks reversed the balance, extending their sway over the Middle East and the Balkans, captured Constantinople, and twice laid siege to Vienna. In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries as Ottoman power declined Britain, France, and Italy established Western control over most of North Africa and the Middle East."

It was, however, Huntington's following observations of fact that have created the greatest amount of angst among the dithering idiots in academia and governmental bureaucracies:

"In Eurasia the great historic fault lines between civilizations are once more aflame. This is particularly true along the boundaries of the crescent-shaped Islamic bloc of nations from the bulge of Africa to central Asia. Violence also occurs between Muslims, on the one hand, and Orthodox Serbs in the Balkans, Jews in Israel, Hindus in India, Buddhists in Burma and Catholics in the Philippines. Islam has bloody borders."

In 1996 Dr. Huntington expanded his initial article into a book entitled, The Clash of Civilizations: Remaking of World Order -- at which time he dropped the question mark in the original title. By that time, the outline of the coming clash with Islam was obvious to anyone who was not totally blind and didn't have their head stuck in the sand.

Writes Colonel Tom Snodgrass (Ret.) --

"While Huntington's above statements of fact are irrefutable, the clear worldwide cultural conflict implications are almost universally rejected by Western societies, from government leaders to the man-in-the-street. In fact, President George W. Bush displayed his total cluelessness about world history, Islam, and the motivation of the Islamic Jihadists who attacked on 9/11 when he made the following foolish statement at the 2004 U.S. Air Force Academy graduation:

"'This is not a clash of civilizations,' Bush said. "The civilization of Islam, with its humane traditions of learning and tolerance, has no place for this violent sect of killers and aspiring tyrants. This is not a clash of religions. The faith of Islam teaches moral responsibility that ennobles men and women and forbids the shedding of innocent blood, this is a clash of political visions"

What absolute gibberish! Bush was not the only clueless leader with an abysmal lack of understanding of Islam and history -- both President Clinton and President Obama (who many believe to be a closet Muslim) also have made similarly ridiculous and plain stupid statements! Sir Winston Churchill, as we will see, TOTALLY disagreed with this ignorant view.

"What makes such widespread rejection so incredible," continues Snodgrass, "is that, in addition to the daily barbaric bloodshed perpetrated to the bloodcurdling scream of 'Allahu Akbar!,' the foundational scriptures of Islam and Islamic Sharia law are replete with injunctions compelling Muslims to wage never-ending, religious-jihadist war against non-Muslims (and non-Sharia-practicing Muslims considered to be heretics), that is, Islam obligates the unceasing kinetic and stealth warfare of Islamic jihad to subdue all cultures and wayward individuals that are characterized by unbelief in Allah."

When the Quranic (Koranic) suras (chapters of the Qur'an divided into verses) and Sharia religious-legal mandates are considered in the light of the gory slaughters Muslims routinely commit in the name of Allah, it is inescapably apparent that Islamic initiated civilizational clash is the CORE of Islam -- as Dr. Huntington so correctly foretold.

Muhammad's Mandate

There is one quotation from the Sharia that clearly summarizes the total essence of Islam and confirms Dr. Huntington's basic Clash of Civilizations thesis beyond any measure of doubt:

"Mohammad the Prophet of Islam: I have been commanded to fight people until they testify that there is no god but Allah and that Mohammad is the Messenger of Allah, and perform the prayer [that is, the 'shahada' -- the Islamic allegiance oath that proclaims the supremacy of Allah as god over YEHOVAH and Mohammad as prophet over the Messiah and Moses], and pay zakat [which is charity only for fellow Muslims, and/or funding for jihad]."

A well-known Islamic scholar (Seyed Abul A'ala Maududi, who authored Towards Understanding the Qur'an, has expanded on Muhammad's mandate to his Muslim followers giving Dr. Huntington's Clash of Civilizations thesis complete and total credibility -- notice!

"Islam wishes to destroy all states and governments anywhere on the face of the earth which are opposed to the ideology and program of Islam regardless of the country or the nation which rules it. The purpose of Islam is to set up a State on the basis of its own ideology and program."

The Decline of the West

Colonel Snodgrass explains that the decline of our Western civilization is inviting Islamic Jihad:

"Since conquest of other civilizations is the organizing principle of Islam from its founding, it has always had its greatest successes conquering crumbling civilizations in decline such as the Roman Byzantines, the Persian Sasanians, the Arab Christians, the North African Berbers, the East European Bulgarians, and the Germanic Franks, among many others. Consequently, the undeniable decline of Western Civilization has invited Islamic jihad. The current decayed state of Western Civilization has been accurately summarized by a very perceptive commentator on the on-going war with Islam, Lee Harris, who authored The Suicide of Reason: Radical Islam's Threat to the West:

"The evidence, unfortunately, is that the West is not even remotely interested in mounting a defense of its values in the face of Muslim fanaticism. Worse, there are signs that the West is even prepared to sacrifice some of its core values in order to appease those who have always despised these values."

The election and reelection of Barack Hussein Obama is testimony to the unquestionable deteriorated state of U.S. society. Obama has systematically undermined America's defenses and will to resist. The handwriting is on the wall.

It is passed time that the American people approach the Islamic threat with open minds and with the determined will to confront our current unpleasant reality. If the Islamic threat and the Clash of Civilizations are not accurately defined and understood, U.S. society and Western Civilization will be lost as were so many decadent societies and civilizations that have fallen from within due to intellectual corruption and moral cowardice. In short, the U.S. needs a president that understands Islam and totally opposes its jihadist imperialism. The reason why an anti-Islam president is vitally important is that he must change Americans' view of Islam as "just another benign religion." Naturally, to do that he must begin with such an understanding himself.

The pope also congratulated London for electing a Muslim mayor, Sadiq Khan, and hailed Khan's success as an example of Europe's capacity for integration. However, Khan may not have been the best example, as he also has a past of affiliation with terrorists, most notably Zacharias Moussaoui, an al-Qaeda member who was one of the perpetrators of 9/11. Khan, a lawyer, defended Moussaoui after the massive New York terror attack. Khan also is known to have ties to a number of Muslim extremists.

Khan is in the midst of a war of words with Donald Trump: The newly elected mayor this week offered to "educate" the Republican presidential front-runner about the ability of Muslims to embrace liberal values!

What Does Ghettoization Have to Do With It?

When asked if Europe has the capacity to continue accepting so many migrants, the pope said: "[T]he deeper question is why there are so many migrants now." Like a true apologist for Islam, he went on to cite anything and everything -- arms manufacturers; hunger; and, parroting the Obama administration, unemployment -- as causes for upheavals in the Middle East, while ignoring the elephant in the room: ISLAMIC CULTURE, which engenders dysfunctional, intolerant, violent, authoritarian, and tribal societies. Simply look to the birthplace of Islam, where Islamic law is strictly upheld: Saudi Arabia is wealthier than most Western nations and has none of the problems cited by the pope, yet it too is barbaric, corrupt, backwards, and hostile to all who do not profess Islam.  Why?

The pope lamented the ghettoization that he says spawned the jihadists who unleashed death and mayhem in Paris and Brussels:

"In Brussels, the terrorists were Belgians, children of migrants, but they grew up in a ghetto," Pope Francis said. "In London, the new mayor took his oath of office in a cathedral and will undoubtedly meet the Queen. This illustrates the need for Europe to rediscover its capacity to integrate."

The fact that some of these particular terrorists grew up in the ghetto has absolutely nothing to do with the inculcating of the rabid ideology they are ingrained with from childhood. The pope seems to forget that Osama bin Laden came from a wealthy Saudi family, and that the terrorists who flew the planes into the Twin Towers in New York City also came from well-to-do backgrounds. The fact that some grew up in the ghetto is the result of their own debilitating religion! As Sir Winston Churchill stated in his book The River War (1899):

"Besides the fanatical frenzy, which is as dangerous in a man as hydrophobia in a dog, there is this fearful fatalistic apathy. The effects are apparent in many [Muslim] countries, improvident habits, slovenly systems of agriculture, sluggish methods of commerce, and insecurity of property exist wherever the followers of the Prophet rule or live...the influence of the religion paralyses the social development of those who follow it. No stronger retrograde force exists in the world."

The need to integrate is desperately needed, the pontiff suggested, because Europe faces a declining birthrate and "a demographic emptiness."

While the declining birthrate of non-Muslims is true, and certainly leads to "a demographic emptiness," trying to integrate the Muslim immigrants into the population is NOT the answer! All this leads to is a predominately Muslim population because they simply DO NOT and WILL NOT integrate by choice -- and will eventually declare Sharia law and persecute all non-Muslims when they gain the ascendancy. The REAL answer is to not allow Muslim immigration in the first place -- but that, unfortunately, is too late for Europe.

Though sometimes labeled as a "progressive" leader of the church, Pope Francis sounded very much the member of an ancient institution when hailing European integration. After celebrating Khan, and perhaps aware of the contradiction of idealizing such a man, Pope Francis added that Khan’s election reminded him of his predecessor Pope Gregory the Great. Gregory, who reigned from 590-604 C.E, “negotiated with the people known as barbarians”, said Francis. Those “barbarians” were later integrated into Christendom.

What the Bible Reveals

What we see here is the coming to fruition of prophecies found in YEHOVAH's Word the Bible. Revelation 13 indicates that there will be two beasts at the time of the end -- one from the sea and one from the land. While the beast from the land is indeed Islam, the beast from the sea represents the nations under the influence of the Vatican.

Beast From the Sea:

The apostle John wrote, in chapter 13, about a frightening beast that came up out of the sea, which had "ten horns and seven heads. On its horns were TEN royal crowns....To it the dragon [Satan] gave its power, its throne and great authority" (Revelation 13:1-2). In the vision John was instructed as to the MEANING of the great beast that came up out of the sea --

"I will tell you the hidden meaning...of the beast with seven heads and TEN horns...the seven heads are SEVEN HILLS on which the WOMAN is sitting; also they are SEVEN KINGS -- five have fallen, one is living now and the other is yet to come....The TEN horns you saw are TEN KINGS who have not yet begun to rule, but they receive power as kings for one hour, along with the beast. They have ONE MIND, and they hand over their power and authority to the beast. They will go to war AGAINST THE LAMB [the Messiah] but the Lamb will defeat them...and those who are called, chosen and faithful will overcome along with him" (Revelation 17:7, 9-10, 12-14).