Pope Francis and United Arab Emirates Building First Interfaith Mega-Synagogue and Worship Center
If you're a dispensationalist or hold to a pre-millennial eschatology, you likely believe in a coming one-world order with a united, one-world religion. If you're a-millennial or post-millennial, maybe you don't -- but you still can't deny the interesting things that are taking place across the world. Apostasy is rampant and the bridge between true Christianity and false religions are crumbling and the divide is becoming clearer.
Historic Reformed theology holds that the pope -- some interpret as the office of the papacy as opposed to a single man at a particular time -- is the anti-Christ, the "man of sin" described in 2 Thessalonians 2:3,
The Lord Jesus Christ is the Head of the church, in whom, by the appointment of the Father, all power for the calling, institution, order or government of the church, is invested in a supreme and sovereign manner; neither can the Pope of Rome in any sense be head thereof, but is that antichrist, that man of sin, and son of perdition, that exalteth himself in the church against Christ, and all that is called God; whom the Lord shall destroy with the brightness of his coming.
So is what we're seeing today indicative of the great "falling away" the Bible speaks of so often? Are these events signs of the "end times"? It's tough to take a dogmatic stance on eschatology, but no sane, biblically-minded Christian can deny that what we're seeing across the world right now is, in fact, a great apostasy -- and it is, in fact, being led by Rome.
The United Arab Emirates is currently building it's first interfaith synagogue -- a worship center designed for Christians (false ones, of course), Muslims, Jews, and other religions to join together to worship and serve the creature rather than the creator. According to DW, the mega-synagogue site will be completed by 2022.
The structure is reported to be a "multifaith complex that includes the United Arab Emirates' first official synagogue" and the "intention to build the complex was announced in February when Pope Francis met with the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb, during his visit to the UAE."
The committee overseeing construction of the complex said in a statement,
A church, mosque, and synagogue will share a collective space for the first time, serving as a community for inter-religious dialogue and exchange, and nurturing the values of peaceful co-existence and acceptance among different beliefs, nationalities and cultures.
The fact that such monumental measures are being taken to unite the false religions of the world under the authority of the pope is unprecedented. This is a huge step towards a one-world religion. Whether or not you hold to the future eschatological view of the great harlot church or not is irrelevant. What we see is a massive apostasy, and Bible-believing Christians who refuse to partake will be further marginalized and persecuted.
Lord Jesus return soon!