“I am Yahweh; that is My Name! I will not give My glory to anyone else, nor share My praise with carved idols.” (Isaiah 42: 8)
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Pope Francis has Problems
This article caught my attention—Pope Francis Weighs in With Jerusalem Embassy Warning:
Pope Francis, speaking to Palestinians ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement on Jerusalem, said on Wednesday “recognising the rights of all people” in the Holy Land is a primary condition for dialogue.
The Pope, who spoke to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas about the crisis on Tuesday, made his comments to a group of visiting Palestinians involved in inter-religious dialogue with the Vatican.
“The Holy Land is for us Christians the land par excellence of dialogue between God and mankind,” he said.
He spoke of dialogue between religions “and also in civil society”.
“The primary condition of that dialogue is reciprocal respect and a commitment to strengthening that respect, for the sake of recognising the rights of all people, wherever they happen to be,” he said.
In a weekly general audience later, the Pontiff was even more outspoken in calling for all to honor United Nations resolutions on the city, which is sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims.
“I make a heartfelt appeal so that all commit themselves to respecting the status quo of the city, in conformity with the pertinent resolutions of the United Nations,” he said.
The Pope told thousands of people at the audience: “I cannot keep quiet about my deep worry about the situation that has been created in the last few days.”
He said he hoped “wisdom and prudence prevail, in order to avoid adding new elements of tension to a global panorama that is already convulsed and marked by so many and cruel conflicts.”
Pope Francis should Stick to What he is Supposed to Know
Anyone who presents himself to the world as Yahweh’s “vicar” should try to learn something about the Person he is supposed to represent. Francis may be a believer. I don’t know, but if he is a believer, he is not making much of an effort to get acquainted with Yahweh.
Francis needs to zero in on Yahweh’s promises to and about Israel. Those promises are non-negotiable, and they will not fail. How does what is going on now line up with those promises?
Answer: President Trump’s announcement that Jerusalem is Israel’s eternal capital lines up perfectly with Yahweh’s promises. Thus, moving the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem is a nobrainer. Nothing else that’s happening comes close to lining up.
Three years ago, Katie and I were in Israel, and we spent most of our time in Jerusalem. After we had planned our trip and bought tickets, Pope Francis announced that he was going to Jerusalem at the same time.
In Israel, people were excited. I was mortified. The last thing I wanted to do was spend my precious time trying to avoid the pontiff.
The day before the pope arrived, Katie and I went to the Vatican compound in the Old City to find out about his schedule. Inadvertently, we walked in on a meeting between the Vatican person in charge of the pope’s visit and the Israeli official responsible for providing him with security. I apologized, but they insisted that we come in.
I told the priest that I wanted to know about the pope’s schedule, and he said, “If you don’t already have a ticket to an event where the pope will be, it’s too late to get one. You’ll have to watch him on TV.”
I said, “I don’t want to see the pope. I want to avoid seeing him. We have plans on Monday. We have a guest coming in from Tel Aviv, and we need to move about the Old City and the City of David. I want to figure out how to be where he isn’t.”
The priest understood.
Saying that security for the pope was tight is an understatement. The priest told me everything I needed to know to accomplish my goals. He was a nice guy, so I said, “I have one more question.”
He said, “What is it?”
“How did the pope find out that we would be in Jerusalem?”
The priest and the Israeli security guy bent over laughing.
I didn’t know how they would respond to my attempt at humor so I was relieved, and I decided to ask another question. “Where can I find a big hat like the one the pope wears?”
At that point, they were laughing so hard that they were tearing up.
I said, “Thank you. You’ve been a big help,” and we left.
I’m not kidding. That really happened.
As it turned out, we did see the pope. It was providential, but that’s another story. I’ll save it for another day.
This is the bottom line: the pope should stick to his knitting. He’s not a politician, and based on his public statements, I have serious doubts about his standing with Yahweh.
Developing a relationship with Yahweh should be his first order of business.
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“The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me. Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.” (John 17: 22-24)
See “His Name is Yahweh”.
