Doctrines Of Demons: Pope Francis Dies as the Most Influential and Dangerous False Teacher

Jorge Mario Bergoglio was born to Italian parents in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1936. He was elevated to the papacy in March of 2013 at the age of 76.

He was a first in several respects. He was the first Jesuit to become pope. He was also the first from Latin America. Further, he was the first to be born and raised outside of Europe, since the Syrian Pope Gregory III in the 8th Century.

Pope Francis

Bergoglio was also the first pope to select the name of Francis. He did so because he so highly respected Saint Francis of Assisi, who devoted his life to the poor. As Bergoglio put it, “Saint Francis brought to Christianity an idea of poverty apart from luxury, pride and vanity…”

The name fit the new pope well because he had developed a reputation for being a humble man who had a heart for social justice and who devoted himself to caring for the poor. Accordingly, after he was elected pope, he refused to live in the luxurious Apostolic Palace. He resided instead in the Vatican guest house. He came to be known as the “No Frills Pope” due to his common touch and his accessibility.

Pope Francis’ focus on the poor and social justice grew out of his involvement in Liberation Theology, which swept the Catholic Church in Latin America during the 1960s. It proved to be a more radical form of what was called “The Social Gospel,” which captivated many of the mainline Protestant denominations in the United States during the 1920s. In both cases, concern for social justice ended up triumphing over evangelism.

Vocal Blunders

It did not take long for Pope Francis to develop a reputation for “shooting from the hip.” This tendency on his part kept the Vatican busy because every time he would make an off-the-wall statement, the Vatican would have to call a press conference to explain that he did not mean what he said!

Many of his bizarre statements were just downright silly, as when, in May 2014, he proclaimed that he would be willing to baptize aliens from Mars. Or, when in July 2016, he said, “I do not believe it is right to identify Islam with violence.”

It was his theological declarations that caused the most concern — among both Catholics and Protestants. Many of these were so weird that Mike Gendron, a former Catholic and now a missionary to Catholics, was prompted to write a scathing essay titled, “Is the Pope Still Catholic?” Mike concluded that essay with this observation: “Pope Francis has become the most influential and dangerous false teacher in the world.” Was that overkill? I don’t think so.

Let’s consider some of the pope’s statements over the past 12 years:

>In May of 2013, Pope Francis said that atheists could go to Heaven “if they lead good and honorable lives.”

>In July of 2013, when asked if homosexuals could serve as priests, he replied: “If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?”

>In October of 2013, he declared that proselytism is “solemn nonsense.”

>In June 2015, he proclaimed pollution to be a sin and called for an international agreement to combat global warming.

>In September 2015, he slammed Capitalism, calling it an “economy of exclusion and inequality.” He also said that Capitalism is the “dung of the devil.”

>In November of 2015, he proclaimed that “Christians and Muslims are brothers and sisters.”

>In June 2016, Pope Francis issued his first video. In it, he expressed his belief that all the major religions are different paths to the same God. Following this shocking revelation, the video featured persons from different world religions expressing confidence in their various gods. The video then closed with the pope expressing his belief that regardless of religious profession, “we are all children of God.”

>In October 2020, the pope issued an encyclical in which he called on people to ditch Capitalism, support open borders, and reject the traditional Christian doctrine of “Just War.”

>In May of 2023, he emphasized “doing good” as the principle that unites all humanity. He added, “The Lord has redeemed all of us, all of us, with the blood of Christ — not just Catholics. Everyone! Even the atheists. Everyone! … We must meet one another doing good.”

>In December 2023, he authorized priests to bless same-sex couples.

>In September 2024, he declared that those who “kick out migrants” are against life as much as “the ones that kill babies.”

Still Relying on Good Works

These many statements indicate clearly that Pope Francis is still captivated by the traditional Catholic doctrine of salvation by good works. But he goes even further by applying the principle to all religions! This gross violation of biblical teaching reminds me of a statement I once heard Skip Heitzig make. He is the pastor of Calvary Chapel in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Pastor Heitzig said, “Heaven is not for good people. Heaven is for saved people.”

The apostasy of Pope Francis was reinforced recently when he boldly proclaimed that there are many different roads to God. He made this declaration while speaking in Singapore in September of 2024. Specifically, he said, “There’s only one God, and each of us has a language to arrive at God. Some are Sikh, Muslim, Hindu, Christian, and they are different paths [to God].” Actually, this was nothing new for him. It was simply a more precise definition of what he had proclaimed in his infamous video of June 2016.

A Long Apostate Trend

When you combine his belief in people earning salvation through good works with his conviction that all religions lead to the same God (including Atheism), it appears that he is actually a Universalist — that is, a person who believes in the ultimate salvation of all people.

Actually, the pope’s endorsement of “many roads to God” is not all that much a radical departure from actions by the popes who preceded him. Francis simply made clear what his predecessors had implied for the previous 50 years.

The apostate shift began in October of 1958 when Pope John XXIII took over the papacy. Shortly after his election, he called for the convening of a Vatican Council. His purpose was to revitalize the Catholic Church by adapting its doctrines and liturgical practices to modern times. After three years of preparations, the Council convened in October of 1962. The first session continued until the death of Pope John in June of 1963. The second session resumed immediately after the election of Pope Paul VI in the same month and continued until December of 1965.

In one of the Council’s most important declarations, Lumen Gentium, the following proclamation was made: “…the plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator. In the first place amongst these there are the Muslims, who, professing to hold the faith of Abraham, along with us adore the one and merciful God, who on the last day will judge mankind.”

This statement represented a profound departure from the Scriptures. It granted salvation to members of a religion that denies the divinity of Jesus and also denies that He died on the Cross for the salvation of Mankind. Further, it equates the false god of Allah with the true biblical God of the Bible named Yahweh.

This blasphemous document continued to extend the possibility of salvation to other non-Christians as well: “Those also can attain to salvation who through no fault of their own do not know the Gospel of Christ or His Church, yet sincerely seek God and, moved by grace, strive by their deeds to do His will as it is known to them through the dictates of conscience.”

Again, these statements seemed to offer salvation to anyone living a life of good works. Both concepts were actually added to the revised Catholic Catechism of 1992.

Section 847 extended salvation to those who were unaffiliated with any religion, based upon “their actions.”

Pope Paul VI died in August of 1978 and was succeeded by Pope John Paul, who died 33 days later of a heart attack. He, in turn, was succeeded by John Paul II, who shifted the Catholic Church into high gear regarding ecumenism with other religions.

Pope John Paul II

John Paul II, who was only 58 years old when he became pope, was to have a profound influence on the Catholic Church, not only because he was a progressive but also because he reigned longer than any pope in modern history — a total of 27 years (1978-2005). During that time, he took his message personally to 129 countries!

In his early years, Pope John Paul II expressed his admiration of Islam on several occasions, stressing that “both of us [Muslims and Christians] believe in one God, the only God.”

He muddied the waters further when he addressed 30,000 pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square in December 2000. He told the multitude that “all who live a just life will be saved, even if they do not believe in Jesus Christ and the Roman Catholic Church.” The pope added, “The gospel teaches that those who live in accordance with the Beatitudes … will enter God’s kingdom.” He concluded by observing that all that is needed for salvation is “a sincere heart.”

Of course, no Scripture references were given to substantiate these completely unscriptural opinions.

The Assisi Conferences

John Paul’s radical commitment to ecumenism shifted into high gear in 1986 when he suddenly issued a call for all the religious leaders of the world to join him in Assisi, Italy, in October to pray for world peace. He emphasized that the participants would be free to pray to their own gods — as if other gods exist besides Yahweh!

A total of 160 religious leaders from all over the world accepted the pope’s invitation. There were Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox Christians, as well as representatives of Hinduism, Judaism, Islam and Buddhism. The Dalai Lama, whose followers considered him to be a god, showed up, as did an African animist witch doctor. The person who stole the show was a Crow Indian from Montana named Pretty-on-Top. He was dressed in his full native attire and chanted prayers to his sky god as he danced.

John Paul repeated the bizarre event in January of 2002 — again, in Assisi. That time, over 200 religious leaders were present.

In June of 2011, Pope Benedict XVI decided to renew the “spirit of Assisi” by calling for a celebration of the 25th anniversary of the first gathering. It was held in Assisi in October, and for the first time, agnostics were invited to attend. Explaining this unusual invitation, Pope Benedict said, “Even though they have not received the gift of faith, they are nevertheless on the lookout for truth, searching for God.”

Pope Francis gave the “spirit of Assisi” his endorsement in September of 2016 when he convened a 30th anniversary celebration.

The Climax of Catholic Apostasy

These outreaches to world religions, regardless of the gods they worship, have now come to a climax with Pope Francis’ proclamation that all religions are roads to the same God.

This proclamation makes a mockery of the sacrifice of Jesus. It also makes Jesus a liar when He proclaimed, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but though Me” (John 14:6). Further, it is directly contrary to the Apostle Peter’s declaration that “There is salvation in no one else [except Jesus]; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). It also renders all mission work irrelevant since it maintains that a person can be saved through any religion, whether it be by Buddha or the sky god of the Crow Indians.

In short, Pope Francis is guilty of blaspheming the blood of Jesus!

The movement of the Catholic Church in the direction it is now going is a fulfillment of Bible prophecy. The Bible teaches that the Church of the end times will be wallowing in apostasy, proclaiming “doctrines of demons” (1 Timothy 4:11). And the book of Revelation teaches that the Antichrist’s rise to power will be aided by the leader of a false world religion, pictured in Revelation as a harlot (Revelation 17:1).

I have always believed the leader of the one world church will be the pope, and I am now more convinced than ever before. Revelation reveals that this religious leader will grow in power and influence until the Antichrist decides to rid himself of him. In Revelation 18:16, we are told the Antichrist will destroy this church and replace it with a new one-world religion headed up by his False Prophet.

As is the case with the end-time signs of society, weather, technology, world politics, and Israel, the spiritual signs are coalescing before our very eyes, indicating that we are the terminal generation who will experience the Lord’s return. Maranatha!

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Dr. David Reagan founded Lamb And Lion Ministries in 1980, which he led for 41 years; he is a well-known author, writer, and speaker, with his latest work featured on DocReagan.com. He is also a contributor to Harbinger’s Daily.

 

The Most Important Prophetic Sign of All Has Bloomed Right Before Our Eyes

When Jesus walked throughout the Promised Land 2,000 years ago, Israel was already past its prime. The golden era under David and Solomon had come and gone. Divided into Israel and Judah, the Jews had been conquered by the Assyrians and Babylonians and carted off into exile. Fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah, Cyrus had encouraged Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple. Waves of exiles returned from the east, repopulating the Land—even as Samaritans and others now shared the territory once known as Israel.

Then came Alexander and his generals, followed by Rome and its legions. To the Caesars, the Jews of Judea were a bothersome population in a backwater territory who were frustratingly insistent on maintaining their own religion. Convictional Jews longed for the Messiah. Zealous Jews sought a military leader to throw off Rome’s yoke. None of them were expecting the Anointed One to lay down His life on a cross.

While He ministered, Jesus consistently challenged the expectations of His disciples and His followers. He showed them that God is not pleased by sanctimonious religiosity but with repentance and obedience. Through His death, He offered the innocent blood needed to ensure that God’s wrath would pass over anyone who put their faith in Him.

Jesus’ message was clearly for the Jews first, even as He demonstrated a willingness to bless Gentiles as well. However, His love for individual Jews was matched by impatience with the Jews as a collective whole. That is why He offered His disciples a dramatic object lesson by cursing a hapless fig tree on His way to cleanse the temple of money-changers.

Matthew 21:19 KJV – “And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away.”

That fig tree, found barren of figs even though it was not the season for figs, withered dramatically at Jesus’ command.

Cast Aside, But Not Forsaken

We are sometimes convinced that Jesus was meek and mild to the point of being a wimp. Nothing could be further from the truth. Jesus balanced unfathomable power with absolute control. He did not lash out in rash anger or wring His hands in the face of evil. With a word, He stilled a storm, healed broken bodies, and restored life. He described the judgment that would fall upon Jerusalem and the Jews in general because most of them refused to accept Him in their time of visitation. Symbolized by a fig tree, the nation that bore little fruit would itself be cursed to wither for a season.

Approximately 40 years after Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven, Rome’s 10th Legion put down a Jewish insurrection with an iron boot, destroying the temple in the process. Those Jews who were not slaughtered in Judea were driven out of the Land.

For the next 1,800 years, Jews became known as outcasts and vagabonds. They were persecuted and ostracized. They were forcibly converted and then accused of heresy. Inquisitions, pogroms, and edicts kept them down and out in most of the places they dared to try to live. Lacking much fruit in the season of His first Advent, the Jewish nation was cut off and cast aside for almost 2 millennia. The lesson of Luke 13:6-9 was applied to God’s own chosen people.

But that is not the end of the story.

During the long centuries of the Diaspora—the Jewish dispersal among the nations—as the Jews were afflicted and oppressed, the Land became barren. Although in the fullness of time, God prepared both the people and the Land to realize the prophetic promises.

In the late 1800s, a few impassioned Zionists were advocating for a Jewish state. However, most Jews believed they were accepted by the societies in which they lived. The Jewish emphasis on academic study and financial prowess made them excellent students, musicians, businessmen, artists, doctors, scientists, and citizens. In spite of lurking antisemitism and episodic persecution, most Jews were content to pursue quiet lives in places like Germany, Poland, France, and Russia. All that would change in the 20th Century.

Preparing the Land for the People

Lest we get ahead of our story, it is important to realize that just as fertile soil is required for a healthy fig tree, the Land had to be prepared for the people before the Diaspora could return.

Over the centuries following Rome’s expulsion of the Jews in 70 AD, the Promised Land fell under a curse. Known as Palestine (the Latinized version of the name given to the Holy Land by the Romans), it was controlled by a succession of foreign powers—including Christian crusaders and Islamic caliphates. By the 15th Century, the Ottoman Empire obliterated the 1,000-year Christian Byzantine Empire and began to rule Palestine with a heavy hand.

God’s curse lingered on the Land throughout the millennia of the Jewish exile—as foretold in Ezekiel 33:28-29. And make no mistake, the Land was forsaken—denuded of vegetation, deprived of people, and largely devoid of life. In 1869, Mark Twain documented the cursed status of the Holy Land in his book, The Innocents Abroad. He rightfully understood that God’s hand of judgment had fallen on His own Promised Land.

But when Europe was consumed by war early in the 20th Century, the “sick man” Ottoman Empire sided with Germany. It chose poorly. In the aftermath of the war, the victorious allies divided the Ottoman territory among themselves. Thus, France came to oversee Lebanon and Syria, and the British acquired a mandate to govern Palestine and Trans-Jordan. For the first time in almost 2 millennia, the Jewish Seder prayer, “Next year in Jerusalem,” seemed like more than a throw-away sentiment.

Once the land was wrested from its Ottoman occupiers and a commitment had been given to support Jewish aspirations, reestablishment of Israel would have seemed to be a fait accompli. But Jewish motivation was not yet sufficient to emigrate to a Middle East wasteland.

The horror of the Nazi Holocaust changed Jewish hearts and minds. Jews realized that away from their Promised Land, they would always be homeless. So, by the thousands (and eventually millions), they streamed back to Eretz Israel—the Land of Israel.

The fig tree branch was becoming tender and beginning to put out leaves.

Now Learn This Lesson from the Fig Tree

In the week between the triumphal entry of Palm Sunday and His crucifixion, Jesus spoke much about Israel’s rejection (Matthew 21:28-44), the shift of the Gospel to the Gentiles (Matthew 22:1-14), and the judgment about to fall on Israel (Matthew 23:13-39). He also responded when the disciples asked Him, “Tell us, when will these things [the destruction of the temple] happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” (Matthew 24:3).

We have extensively addressed the discourse that follows in Matthew 24. But the lesson of the fig tree offers a key to understanding the timing of the end. Jesus said, “Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; so, you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door” (Matthew 24:32-33).

There are many signs contained in the proceeding 27 verses. But Jesus specifically pointed His disciples back to the dramatic lesson of the fig tree from earlier in the same week. The fig tree that was cursed for failing to bear fruit for the Messiah would be restored. And, along with all the other signs of the times, that crucial sign tells those with eyes to see that He is near.

Evidence Right Before Your Eyes

Ask the average Christian to describe a present-day fulfillment of Bible prophecy, and they’ll probably look at you funny. The idea that God is actively bringing His ancient promises to pass before our very eyes is something they probably haven’t considered.

But over the past 100 years, the amazement of Habakkuk 1:5 is once again appropriate: “Look among the nations! Observe! Be astonished! Wonder! Because I am doing something in your days—you would not believe if you were told.”

That was the way the Lord described His plan to raise up the Chaldeans to sweep across the Jewish nation. Habakkuk was appalled at the horror of such a judgment and registered his complaint before the Lord. God reiterated the finality of His declaration, saying, “For the vision is yet for the appointed time; it hastens toward the goal, and it will not fail. Though it tarries, wait for it; for it will certainly come, it will not delay” (Habakkuk 2:3).

In the case of the most important prophetic sign of all, the evidence is right before our eyes. The withered tree that did not bear fruit when Jesus was here 2,000 years ago has become tender and put forth new branches. We know that He is coming soon.

I Know the Plans I Have for You

Throughout the Old Testament, God offered glimpses of His plans—His Gospel plan, His plan to discipline yet protect and preserve Israel, and His plan to bring all of human history to a close. Scoffers have dismissed the relevance of His plans for ages because God has tarried. But those of us who put our faith in Christ are given understanding when we “read and heed” (in the language of Revelation 1:3 and 22:7) His prophetic Word.

In his beautiful song, “It is Well With My Soul,” Horatio Spafford wrote, “And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight…” Some of the glorious promises of Bible prophecy still await fulfillment. Others are being fulfilled before our very eyes. We can bear witness to God’s faithfulness by pointing to the promises He is keeping right now. That is also why we take pilgrims to Israel: to bear witness to what God is doing in our own day and age.

Let the Redeemed of the Lord Say So

Take a moment and read Psalm 107.

In light of the Diaspora (the scattering of the Jews) for almost 2,000 years, see if that Psalm does not describe the Jewish regathering “from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south” (v. 3). One day, Jewish eyes will be opened en masse to see the Messiah. Until then, you and I have a great privilege. We are among the redeemed mentioned in verse 2. We know already that the LORD is good; that His lovingkindness is everlasting.

If you are among the redeemed of the Lord, don’t miss an opportunity to say so. In the words of Psalm 107:43, “Who is wise? Let him give heed to these things, and consider the lovingkindnesses of the LORD.”

In conclusion, all of the great prophetic promises fulfilled just recently in the land of Israel prove that we are living on borrowed time!

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Dr. David Reagan is an author, speaker, and the founder of Lamb & Lion Ministries.