Alberto Rivera - religious hoax of the century? Scam for the gulliable

[Stan]

The religious hoax of the century?

The true story of Alberto Rivera uncovered

In a recent EN book review I expressed regret that the author had been taken in by the false claims of Alberto Rivera. An overseas reader asked for more details of what was perhaps the most successful religious literary hoax of the past century.

Alberto Rivera (1935-1997) was born and brought up in the Canary Islands where harassment of Protestants was much less than in mainland Spain.

His mother died when he was nine. As a teenager he left the Roman church and was baptised in the local evangelical church at 17. After working as a fare collector on the buses, in 1955 he independently obtained a place at a Protestant seminary in Costa Rica, but was expelled in 1957. For a time he worked for the Methodist Church in Costa Rica, and in 1964-5 for the Christian Re-formed Church in New Jersey, USA, who dismissed him.

Photographed as priest

In 1967 he returned to Spain where he was employed in a Christian school and again dismissed. He then secured work with children in a Catholic parish. It was in this era that he had his photograph taken in priest's clothes on an identity card, and also obtained a certificate from the Archbishop of Madrid 'confirming' his status as a Catholic priest, which he was not.

In a brief visit to London in 1967, he encountered the Church of God in Prophecy and went to work with them in Tennessee, but was dismissed in 1968. He reappeared dressed as a priest in Puerto Rico in 1968, but returned to Florida in 1969 as a Protestant. In 1969 he functioned briefly as a priest in the Liberal Catholic Church, but left Florida suddenly and went to Seattle in Washington State. Eventually he ended up in California.

It was here that he established himself as an anti-Roman evangelist, and was also ordained as a Baptist minister. He claimed to have been a Jesuit agent, undermining Protestant churches, and to have knowledge of various atrocities, including murder, by Catholics. This message was carried around the world in millions of tracts.

Exposed as a fraud

Rivera was exposed a fraud in Christianity Today (March 13 1981) and in the Journal of Pastoral Practice the same year. He was exposed again in Forward (the magazine of the Christian Research Institute, USA) in 1983. Other exposures followed in Australia and South Africa - but some Canadian Protestants still believed in him. Roy Livesey, the British publisher of New Age Bulletin (to whom I am indebted for information) wrote a book, as yet unpublished, documenting the fraud.

In some ways Rivera was a typical confidence trickster. Accusations of theft, especially of money, constantly followed him, making a frequent change of address desirable. His employers (and, later, his employees), had cause to lament dearly the day he came to them. He usually had a hard luck story. He would tell the Protestants he had been persecuted by the Catholics or by a previous Protestant employer, and he told the Romans that he was a victim of the Protestants.

Evil faces

The Alberto tracts are notable examples of hate literature. The Roman Catholics in them have demonic faces, and apart from the absence of hooked noses could have stepped straight out of medieval anti-Jewish caricature, which eventually contributed to the Holocaust. There are stories of Catholics being converted by them, but for the more intelligent Catholic they simply show the malicious credulity of that church's critics.

The fraud is not a minor event. Even though Alberto never became well-known in the UK, the tracts have cascaded in millions among the barely literate of the Third World, poisoning the efforts of evangelical Christians to preach to Catholics. To support his stories, he also de-famed the evangelicals with whom while young he had been in fellowship, claiming to have subverted them. Those who exposed him, even members of his church, were accused of being Jesuit agents.

Still circulating

'The evil that men do lives after them', and the full extent of the damage may not be known for years. Alberto literature still circulates in the Protestant sub-culture, and widely in South America and the Third World where comic books are more appreciated.

Some of those who knew Alberto regard him as a paranoid schizophrenic. In the fantasies of those so afflicted, the Jesuits and the Roman Catholics often join the Masons, the Jews and intelligence agencies as favourite characters, along with exalted claims of being oneself an agent.

Looking back, those who had been deceived by Alberto sometimes paid tribute to his mesmerising plausibility. He took advantage both of the good will of Christians - their readiness to help those in need and also of Christian ill-will, the eagerness to credit evil to those who believed erroneously. Perhaps he was simply an evil person.

How the exposures were made

It is not easy to trace the movements of a man who lived in many countries. But in dealing with Alberto, Christians had two advantages.

First, Alberto was contemporary. It was possible, for example, to travel (as Roy Livesey did) to the Canary Islands and meet those who had known Alberto from his youth, to consult and copy photographs and other church records This left no doubt that he did not attend a Jesuit school. Spanish -speaking church members in Costa Rica and neighbouring countries could give personal testimony about the havoc he wrought. which had nothing to do with his fantasy about being a Jesuit secret agent.

Secondly, Alberto's repeated changes of denomination left a paper trail across many church offices. Sometimes law enforcement agencies joined in, even the FBI, with vain attempts to get money back.

A typical document is a business card from 1973 issued by Alberto Magno R. Rivera (He had added the name Magno in later years.) He gives his degrees as D.T. D.D N.D. and DRH; by now he liked to be known as Dr Rivera. He also claimed at that time to be a Bishop in the Apostolic Catholic Church. The usual problems with unpaid bills soon brought this scam to an end.

And yet all the exposures in the world did not shut the Rivera fraud down. The tracts continue to be available, both to Christian bookstores, and now to anyone with a Web connection. At a time when the Church of Rome is very powerful, and Protestantism is in a parlous state here, some believers are still implicated in this wicked fraud. Where is the Christian discernment?

A typical story

'As I pulled the wood, the blanket unrolled, and I froze at what I saw. There were the bodies of seven little babies. Each had three crosses cut into their heads, a cross on each palm, and the bottoms of both feet, and on their chests were two large crosses. Their hearts were gone, the cross looked like this ( diagram in original ) which means the peace of Christ. I was so scared I couldn't speak.'

This is followed by another mutilation story involving a 13 year-old girl. The man who invented and spread these fantasies was clearly very disturbed. Christians would not usually allow them into their world, but here they have been smuggled in as anti-Catholic writings (from The Force).

Protestant dilemma

Typical of the problems caused by Rivera and others like him is a new booklet by Alan O'Reilly, Britain under Siege, published by Christian Concern, of Nuneaton.

This is an attack on the catastrophic decline of our nation as a Christian bulwark. Some of it comes from respected agencies like the Christian Institute or (on the secular side) The Social Affairs Unit. But other material is derived from questionable sources, especially American writers who are grossly ignorant about the UK.

O'Reilly says of Rivera: 'The series encountered not only opposition from Rome but also from genuine but compromised Christian believers, trying to remain on friendly terms with the whore of Revelation.'

What do I do? I am very worried about the state of the nation. I take the Protestant faith to be based on Scripture, restated in the Reformation creeds, and in great peril today. I am not interested in being on friendly terms with the Church of Rome but I cannot go along with a malicious hoax.

This is not an isolated error. Having read the two-volume life of Bishop Westcott (in the Evangelical Library) I know also that statements made in the booklet about him are quite wrong. Because his biblical views are rejected, his life story is mangled.

All Protestant writers should avoid quoting American authors on British history unless they have checked the sources! In view of the immense numbers of heresies and cults which arise in the States, British writers should be especially on their guard against revelations from there.

Leslie Price

SOURCE

[Gail]

Why does this name and this story ring a bell with me? I've heard of this before somewhere. I'm wondering if such information has been posted on here previously.

[Stan]

He has been exposed over and over... some have claimed that it was all made up by Jesuits trying to discredit him. The gullible love it.

[Stan]

Now, if someone could get Walter Veith to read this....

[Overaged]

So let me get this straight; this dude was claiming to be a Jesuit and was exposed as a fraud? I'm a little slow tonight - forgive me. I just want to figure out what's being said here.

[Stan]

Correct..... and a lot of people fell for this... esp SDAs

[Overaged]

OK thx. Thats what I thought but I just wanted confirm. I must say that it is truly amazing how much so many will believe over such little "evidence."

[Stan]

he did say all the stuff we wanted to hear....

[Gustave]

Correct..... and a lot of people fell for this... esp SDAs

"fell"? They are still falling for it...

...It appears the GC isn't doing all that much to educate it's flock as to the lie either.

...Must be: 'the enemy of my enemy IS my friend'.

[John317]

I only know about Rivera from what I've seen on this Forum and I don't base any of my beliefs or ideas on what he says. However, even if he has been proved to be a fraud, it doesn't detract at all from what Revelation teaches about Babylon or what Ellen White has said in Great Controversy about the end-times and the Jesuit's work of infiltrating various organizations, including governments. Ellen White said the Catholic Church is steadly working toward "undoing all that Protestantism has done." (See full quote below.)

Quote:

But Romanism as a system is no more in harmony with the gospel of Christ now than at any former period in her history. The Protestant churches are in great darkness, or they would discern the signs of the times. The Roman Church is far-reaching in her plans and modes of operation. She is employing every device to extend her influence and increase her power in preparation for a fierce and determined conflict to regain control of the world, to re-establish persecution, and to undo all that Protestantism has done. Catholicism is gaining ground upon every side. See the increasing number of her churches and chapels in Protestant countries. Look at the popularity of her colleges and seminaries in America, so widely patronized by Protestants Look at the growth of ritualism in England, and the frequent defections to the ranks of the Catholics. These things should awaken the anxiety of all who prize the pure principles of the gospel.

Protestants have tampered with and patronized popery; they have made compromises and concessions which papists themselves are surprised to see, and fail to understand. Men are closing their eyes to the real character of Romanism, and the dangers to be apprehended from her supremacy. The people need to be aroused to resist the advances of this most dangerous foe to civil and religious liberty. {GC88 565, 566}

This is well documented in the book, The Jesuits, by Vatican insider, Malichi Martin. His other book, The Keys of This Blood, is also well worth reading. He shows in that book the interest the Vatican leaders take in the Seventh-day Adventist Church and in what other Christian churches teach. Martin was not anti-Catholic; in fact, he was a staunch defender of the Catholic Church and an admirer of the pope, although he was critical of some of the teachings of the Church about the papal system.

If people who become aware of Rivera's being a fraud think that it means everything he said was a lie, they would be making a big mistake. The reason he was so persuasive is that much of what he said was true.

Jesus said that we should be innocent as doves but wise as serpents, and then He gave us certain principles to apply to test the prophets. We need to use those same principles to test people who come to us with stories such as Alberto Rivera did.

[Gerr]

Correct..... and a lot of people fell for this... esp SDAs

So that when a real one is infiltrated, nobody believes, right?

:-)

[CoAspen]

So.....the question remains, why are we always looking for a 'bogey man'?

If God be for us, then who can be against us?

Reminds me off our 'security agencies', always looking for that 'mole' with in their midst and losing site of their mission. Hmmmm.....maybe that is just exactly what the great deceiver wants us to do!

Continued navel gazing means we are not looking to the real source of our salvation.

[phkrause]

I only know about Rivera from what I've seen on this Forum and I don't base any of my beliefs or ideas on what he says. However, even if he has been proved to be a fraud, it doesn't detract at all from what Revelation teaches about Babylon or what Ellen White has said in Great Controversy about the end-times and the Jesuit's work of infiltrating various organizations, including governments. Ellen White said the Catholic Church is steadly working toward "undoing all that Protestantism has done." (See full quote below.)

Quote:

But Romanism as a system is no more in harmony with the gospel of Christ now than at any former period in her history. The Protestant churches are in great darkness, or they would discern the signs of the times. The Roman Church is far-reaching in her plans and modes of operation. She is employing every device to extend her influence and increase her power in preparation for a fierce and determined conflict to regain control of the world, to re-establish persecution, and to undo all that Protestantism has done. Catholicism is gaining ground upon every side. See the increasing number of her churches and chapels in Protestant countries. Look at the popularity of her colleges and seminaries in America, so widely patronized by Protestants Look at the growth of ritualism in England, and the frequent defections to the ranks of the Catholics. These things should awaken the anxiety of all who prize the pure principles of the gospel.

Protestants have tampered with and patronized popery; they have made compromises and concessions which papists themselves are surprised to see, and fail to understand. Men are closing their eyes to the real character of Romanism, and the dangers to be apprehended from her supremacy. The people need to be aroused to resist the advances of this most dangerous foe to civil and religious liberty. {GC88 565, 566}

This is well documented in the book, The Jesuits, by Vatican insider, Malichi Martin. His other book, The Keys of This Blood, is also well worth reading. He shows in that book the interest the Vatican leaders take in the Seventh-day Adventist Church and in what other Christian churches teach. Martin was not anti-Catholic; in fact, he was a staunch defender of the Catholic Church and an admirer of the pope, although he was critical of some of the teachings of the Church about the papal system.

If people who become aware of Rivera's being a fraud think that it means everything he said was a lie, they would be making a big mistake. The reason he was so persuasive is that much of what he said was true.

Jesus said that we should be innocent as doves but wise as serpents, and then He gave us certain principles to apply to test the prophets. We need to use those same principles to test people who come to us with stories such as Alberto Rivera did.

Excellent post John, and on top of that aren't we admonished, especially by EGW, to prove all preachers by what's written in the Bible?

[BobRyan]

Thanks to Stan for posting that update on Rivera.

And thanks to John317 for setting the right perspective on the subject of Jesuits.

http://clubadventist.com/forum/ubbthread...html#Post459327

in Christ,

Bob

[BobRyan]

With all the conflicting claims - has anyone spoken to Rivera's family?

Has anyone spoken to friends who would have known him at the time he was supposedly going to a Jesuit University?

Is there any reason to suppose that undercover/spy whatever operations do not call for people to pose as protestant ministers by entering into target organizations through the front door as supposedly interested ministers?

In other words - what is the objective method for evaluating any claims at all about some kind of undercover secret this or secret that?

I don't claim to know the real story about Rivera - but I can that Rivera claims to have been invovled in secret infiltration of non-Catholic groups and I can tell that the book above claims to know how to prove whether or not such secret infiltration actually took place.

What I can't determine is if Rivera really did do what he claimed or if the book actually used a method objectively designed to determine if someone is a spy or not.

Given those facts - I think John317's post has the most reliable data.

This is sort of like all the stories floating around about Bob Lazar and then this recent book "Area 51 uncensored" in which the very "reverse engineering projects" that Lazar claimed to have exposed "just so happened" to be top secret historic events taking place about the same time as Lazar claimed. I have a tough time with "just so happened" and I have a tough time knowing if a claim about this or that top secret back-room event actually is accurate or totally made up.

Without the ability to "verify" - I cannot support or condemn such claims.

in Christ,

Bob

[mark1217]

Quote:

Throughout Christendom, Protestantism was menaced by formidable

foes. The first triumphs of the Reformation past, Rome summoned new

forces, hoping to accomplish its destruction. At this time the order of the

Jesuits was created, the most cruel, unscrupulous, and powerful of all

the champions of popery. Cut off from earthly ties and human interests,

dead to the claims of natural affection, reason and conscience wholly

silenced, they knew no rule, no tie, but that of their order, and no duty but

to extend its power. (See Appendix.) The gospel of Christ had enabled

its adherents to meet danger and endure suffering, undismayed by cold,

hunger, toil, and poverty, to uphold the banner of truth in face of the rack,

the dungeon, and the stake. To combat these forces, Jesuitism inspired

its followers with a fanaticism that enabled them to endure like dangers,

and to oppose to the power of truth all the weapons of deception. There

was no crime too great for them to commit, no deception too base for

them to practice, no disguise too difficult for them to assume. Vowed

to perpetual poverty and humility, it was their studied aim to secure

wealth and power, to be devoted to the overthrow of Protestantism, and

the re-establishment of the papal supremacy.

234

When appearing as members of their order, they wore a garb of

sanctity, visiting prisons and hospitals, ministering to the sick and the

poor, professing to have renounced the world, and bearing the sacred

name of Jesus, who went about doing good. But under this blameless

exterior the most criminal and deadly purposes were often concealed.

It was a fundamental principle of the order that the end justifies the

means. By this code, lying, theft, perjury, assassination, were not only

pardonable but commendable, when they served the interests of the

church. Under various disguises the Jesuits worked their way into offices

of state, climbing up to be the counselors of kings, and shaping the policy

of nations. They became servants to act as spies upon their masters.

They established colleges for the sons of princes and nobles, and schools

for the common people; and the children of Protestant parents were

drawn into an observance of popish rites. All the outward pomp and

display of the Romish worship was brought to bear to confuse the mind

and dazzle and captivate the imagination, and thus the liberty for which

the fathers had toiled and bled was betrayed by the sons. The Jesuits

rapidly spread themselves over Europe, and wherever they went, there

followed a revival of popery.

To give them greater power, a bull was issued re-establishing the

inquisition. (See Appendix.) Notwithstanding the general abhorrence

with which it was regarded, even in Catholic countries, this terrible

tribunal was again set up by popish rulers, and atrocities too terrible

to bear the light of day were repeated in its secret dungeons. In many

countries, thousands upon thousands of the very flower of the nation,

the purest and noblest, the most intellectual and highly educated, pious

and devoted pastors, industrious and patriotic citizens, brilliant scholars,

talented artists, skillful artisans, were slain or forced to flee to other

lands.

Such were the means which Rome had invoked to quench the light

of the Reformation, to withdraw from men the Bible, and to restore the

ignorance and superstition of the Dark

235

Ages.

- Great Controversy (1911) p.234-235

[Autumn-closed]

Please print the attached in "Forum".  Thank you.

Adventist Forum re Rivera.docx

[Autumn-closed]

On ‎8‎/‎07‎/‎2011 at 7:33 AM, Stan said:

Now, if someone could get Walter Veith to read this....

 

[Autumn-closed]

I'm afraid I now have to ask, because of your comments in that article, if you are in fact an SDA?　 I find it hard to believe that any faithful SDA would be asking Adventists to give "credit" to or show understanding to the Jesuits - they are our God's (and His Truth's) greatest enemies!　　 And　Rome, as God's prophet has warned us, NEVER changes.　 I ask you to publish this letter,　with the　Houston letter it describes attached, out of, if nothing else, simply a sense of fair play.　 As I say,　I am very concerned you would even slightly bend towards acquitting Jesuitism or "sympathising" with them.　 Please also print my comments in both messages.　 I ask you to ensure you read the final comment in this treatise. Thank you.　 I will try to copy this　 myself to the Forum, but I wanted you to receive this specific reply personally. =

"When Chick Publications first published the personal testimony of former Jesuit Alberto Rivera, Rome called upon her ecumenical contacts to go on the attack. Rome's friends attacked the way they always have, by attacking the messenger. Not wanting to publicly discuss the serious charges Alberto lays against his former church, they tried to discredit him personally, hoping people would then not read his message.

The most famous of these personal attacks was an open letter published in Christianity Today, which has been copied and distributed around the world many times since the 1980s. Upon reading this attack, a Christian named James Houston, who had read enough of history to know the truth of Alberto's charges, came forward. Following is the letter he wrote in defense of Alberto Rivera.

Since the Christianity Today letter is still being distributed to attack Alberto's God-given message, even going so far as to deny he was ever a priest, we feel it is appropriate to make Houston's rebuttal available as well. It is vital that Bible-believing Christians understand the true nature of the Roman Catholic Church, so they will understand why they need to reach out in love to Catholics to lead them to saving faith in Jesus Christ.

Editor
Christianity Today
465 Gundersen Drive
Carol Stream, Illinois 60187

Dear Sir:

　 　 I have read your three page article exposing J.T. Chick's "Alberto" to be a fraud (see Christianity Today, March 13, 1981). I would like to make the following comments on the same hoping that God in His sovereignty would allow this letter to be printed (in full) in a future issue of Christianity Today:

One other question that should be on our hearts in discussing this matter is, "Why are most Roman Catholic countries Communistic?" The only answer is that Communism makes its greatest gains in Roman Catholic countries due to the abounding poverty and ignorance of the people. Note the following statement by John Gunther in his book, "Inside Europe Today," published by Harper and Brothers, page 150:

"The extreme right wing of the Church (of Rome) deplores too active and accent on education, because (a) this may lead to apostasy, and (b) an educated elite, becoming the ruling class, might turn out to be anticlerical and a competitor of the Church."

We should also note the words of H. G. Wells in his book, "Crux Ansata," page 105:

"The Pope is now the head of only about fifty millions of semi-literates scattered about the planet...the Pope sets himself to hold back and frustrate the secular modernization of the world."

Again, H. G. Wells, on page 132:

"Like an octopus it has no creative impulse but only an instinct to survive. In Ireland, Spain, Italy, reactionary France, North and South America, Japan, and wherever it can stretch a tentacle, it seeks allies in every element that is socially base, that will help it to continue its struggle against the awakening liberalism of the ‘United Demoncracies.'"

In light of all this evidence, should we give any logical credence to what Rome has to say about the persons of Jack Chick and Alberto Rivera? God forbid!

1. Page 155 - "I think that it stands for everything most hostile to the mental emancipation and stimulation of mankind. It is the completest, most highly organized system of prejudices and antagonisms in existence. Everywhere in the world there are ignorance and prejudice, but the greatest complex of these, with the most extensive prestige and the most intimate entanglement with traditional institutions, is the Roman Catholic Church. It presents many faces towards the world, but everywhere it is systematic in its fight against freedom."

   "It is impossible to deny that the polity of the Church of Rome is the very masterpiece of human wisdom....The experience of 1,200 eventful years, the ingenuity and patient care of forty generations of statesmen, have improved that polity to such perfection, that, among the contrivances which have been devised for deceiving and controlling mankind, it occupies the highest place."

   Again, Macaulay in his "History of England," (Volume 1, page 47) states:

   "the loveliest and most fertile provinces of Europe have under her (Rome's) rule, been sunk in poverty, in political servitude, and in intellectual torpor."

   "the most horrible means of political and social degradation left in the world."

   "The Church of Rome is the most formidable combination that ever was formed against the authority and security of civil government, as well as against the liberty, reason, and happiness of mankind."

   "When the Pope speaks of the liberation of the Church, he means merely this, that it is to set its foot on the neck of every other power."

   "This is the last night, I trust, in which I shall sleep in the Pope's dominions; for it is impossible not to be sickened with a government such as this, which discharges no one function decently. The ignorance of the people is prodigious (enormous): how can it be otherwise?"

   "I come fearlessly today before the American people to say and prove that the President, Abraham Lincoln, was assassinated by the priests and Jesuits of Rome."

   And if you have read this book, then you have noted that the Vatican also maligned the reputation of Chiniquy for his revealing the evil of Rome. This book was very popular when I first got converted (1957). Today, you probably could not purchase this book in most Christian book stores, due mainly to the influence of the Charismatic Movement, which has been raised up by Satan to lure true Christians into the judgement of idolatrous Rome, though God's Word forbids His people to have fellowship with these wafer-god idolaters (See II Corinthians 6:14-18). It seems rather strange that many Roman Catholics are coming out of Rome, and at the same time, many born-again Christians are going into Rome. You would think that the testimonies of so many former Roman Catholics would be a sufficient warning to these poor deluded souls, but alas, Satan still posing as an angel of light, captivated the hearts and minds of many. Of course, at the root of this apostasy is "sinful pleasure," for the Charismatic Movement allows its followers to do their "own thing," with the word, "repentance," being almost (if not totally) absent from their vocabulary. And though these reprobates have been "bought with a price," they now "deny the Lord that bought them," for they have "chosen the way of Cain." May God use this message to turn some of these souls back into the way before they come to experience just what Paul meant when he said: "That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness." (II Thessalonians 2:12)

   "This system (Romanism) is altogether more dangerous than is Communism itself, because this is a counterfeit, this does it in the name of Christ. This is ‘the scarlet woman,' this is the most horrible, foul deception of all, because it uses His name."

   "Let me warn you very solemnly that if you rejoice in these approaches to Rome you are denying the blood of the martyrs."

   "There is no difficulty about this; this is a counterfeit, a sham; this is prostitution of the worst and most diabolical kind. It is indeed a form of the antichrist, and it is to be rejected, it is to be denounced; but above all, it is to be countered."

   "The predicted ‘falling away,' has long ago begun, and the man of sin has set in God's temple already the full time of the prophetic cycle, and the process has begun which is to ‘consume and destroy unto the end.' The Papacy has fulfilled almost all the lineaments of its marvelous portrait."

   Again, in "The Christian and Missionary Alliance" magazine, editorial page, August 1, 1903, we read:

   "The death of the Pope after a protracted illness and a prolonged career of successful administration of the great religious body over which he presided, marked an epoch of great importance. While all bitter controversial spirit may well be hushed in the presence of death, ....yet we cannot but utter a humble protest against the reckless and indiscriminate way in which many Christians and Christian journals seem to forget notwithstanding the highest personal qualities, that this man was the head of and front for the most pernicious and dangerous system of religion on earth today, the very antichrist of prophecy and the unchanged enemy of Christ and His most holy faith."

   Certainly there is no mistaking the intent of dear Brother Simpson's words in this editorial for which I give thanks to our dear Lord for recording such a witness for later generations. Hallelujah!

   "Surely, when the mind of God about idolatry is so plainly revealed to us in His Word, it seems the height of infatuation in any one to join a church so steeped in idolatries as the Church of Rome. To enter into communion with her, when God is saying, ‘Come out of her, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and receive not of her plagues' (Rev. 18:4), to seek her when the Lord is warning us to leave her -- to become her subjects when the Lord's voice is crying, ‘Escape for thy life, flee from the wrath to come;' all this is mental blindness."

   Again on page 166, we read:

   "When Rome has repealed the decrees of Trent, and her additions to the creed , -- when Rome has recanted her false and unscriptural doctrines, -- when Rome has formally renounced image-worship, Mary-worship, and trans-substantiation, -- then, and not till then, it will be time to talk of reunion with her. Till then there is a gulf between us which cannot be honestly bridged. Till then I call on all Churchmen to resist to the death this idea of reunion with Rome. Till then let our watch-words be ‘No peace with Rome! No communion with idolaters!' Well says the admirable Bishop Jewell, in his Apology, "We do not decline concord and peace with men; but we will not continue in a state of war with God that we might have peace with men! -- If the Pope does indeed desire we should be reconciled to him, he ought first to reconcile himself to God.'"

   "The beast is the Romish papacy. This manifestly follows from the third and fourth propositions: the beast has a strict connection with the city of Rome; and the beast is now existing. Therefore, either there is some other power more strictly connected with that city, or the Pope is the beast."

   "The horrors of the Inquisition, ordered and maintained by the Popes, over a period of five hundred years, in which unnumbered millions were tortured and burned, constitute the MOST BRUTAL BEASTLY AND DEVILISH PICTURE in all history. It is inconceivable that any Ecclesiastical Organization, in its mania for power, could have distorted and desecrated and corrupted, for its own exaltation, the beautiful and holy religion of Jesus, as the Papacy has done. But Facts are Facts. And, most amazing of all, it seems exactly pre-figured in Revelation. No wonder John's vision made him sick at heart (10:10)."

   "...to whom can this better apply than to the Bishops of Rome...?"

   "Is it then, the question must be asked, Papal Rome? The answer is: In so far as Papal Rome has wielded tyrant power, turned persecutor, stood between the spirits of men and Christ, depraved men's consciences, withheld the truth, connived at visiousness, sought aggrandizement, and been a political machine rather than a witness for the righteous King, she has inherited the features of Babylon. The recognition of these features led Dante to apply this very passage in the Apocalypse to Rome under the rule of worldly and tyrant Popes..."

   "59. What was the fourth beast like? -- It was terrible and strong, and had iron teeth and ten horns.
   61. Who is the representative of that fourth or final power now? -- The Pope of Rome. The popish system, as far as it has any remaining power."

   These are his comments on Daniel.

   "...the worship of mother and child spread throughout the whole world, from Babylon to Assyria, to Phoenicia, to Pergamos, and finally to Rome itself. There the Roman Emperor was elected Pontifex Maximus... and when the Roman Emperor passed away, that title of the rites and mysteries of the cult of mother and child, the Babylon mystery of idolatry, was assumed by the Bishop of Rome."

   "The system, as a system, is false and pernicious."

   "Rome...is the worst city in the civilized world."

   "5. The Beast is the Roman Papacy."

   And last, but not least, a word from the enemy herself...

   "The Roman Pontiff judges all men, but is judged by no one. We declare, assert, define and pronounce: to be subject to the Roman Pontiff is to every human creature altogether necessary for salvation.

   I am all in all and above all, so that God Himself and I, the Vicar of God, have but one consistory, and I am able to do almost all that God can do. What therefore can you make of me but God?

   But even with such a great cloud of witnesses, one might be tempted to ask the following question, "Has not Rome changed recently?" To answer this most vital question, I turn once again to the mesage of D. Martyn Lloyd Jones:

   "'Ah but,' you say, ‘has not the Roman Catholic Church changed? You are simply looking back, you are speaking as if you lived in the 16th century-- don't you realize you are living in the 20th century?' My answer is quite simple. The proudest boast of the Roman Catholic Church is this, that she never changes, Semper eadem. How can she change? If she changes she will be admitting that she was wrong in the past -- but she was saying then that she was infallible, and that the Pope is the Vicar of Christ and that he cannot make a mistake. If she says that she is capable of change she is denying her central claim! She does not say that she is changing, and she never will. The Church of Rome remains the same. If anything, she is even worse. She has 'added' things to what she taught in the 16th century, such as Papal infallibility, etc. No, there is no change in the Church of Rome. And if there ever is one great world Church it will be because the Church of Rome has absorbed all the rest and swallowed them in their ignorance!"

   Looking once again at this most vital question, "Has not the Church of Rome changed?" -- just consider some of the trouble spots in the world today:

   No one can claim that Buckley is being prejudiced against Rome for he himself is a staunch Roman Catholic. Buckley goes on to say, "One thinks back to 1948, when the Christian Democrats and the Communists were fighting for the soul of Italy. On that occasion Pope Pius the XII issued a write of automatic excommunication from the church of any Catholic who voted for the Communists or who sided with or abetted them in their work. That interdict has never been disavowed. A canonical lawyer given to erstic advocacy could theoretically prove that by giving such advice as the present Pope gave to Walesa, the Pope excommunicated himself from the Catholic Church. Ridiculous, of course; but only that grand mosaic of paradoxes and accommodations can account for the survival of the church over the centuries."

   I would comment on this by saying that Buckley would have been a bit truer had he used the word, "hypocricies," in place of the word, "paradoxes." Nevertheless, Buckley, a staunch Roman Catholic, has unwittingly proven the Pope to be the "hypocrite of the ages." This entire affair seems almost like a replay of the second world war. Rome has proven herself not only to be the "mother of whores," but also the "mother of wars." Avro Manhattan factuates this truth in his book, "Vatican in World Politics." One more statement by Buckley in this same editorial is worthy of mention. He says, "Writing in 1954, Whittaker Chambers predicted that the future of the West's relations with the Soviet Union would best be understood by closely examining the role of Cardinal Wyszynski in Poland."

   　

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      • • Considering the evidence set forth in your article, though I find many things stated of which Alberto Rivera may or may not be guilty, I can find no evidence in the article that proves him to be a fraud, unless of course, I'm misunderstanding the word: "fraud." You do state what Rome herself has to say about Alberto. Who in a right frame of mind (unless they are totally ignorant of history) would give heed to her words in the light of the following evidence:
      • Page 105 - "Roman Catholicism is a broken and utterly desperate thing, capable only of malignant mischief in our awakening world."

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

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         • • Her teaching that "the end justifies the means" allows her the freedom to lie, just as long as it propagates her cause.
           • H.G. Wells, noted historian, in his book, "Crux Ansata," states:
           • Lord Macaulay, in his "Essays on Ranke's History of the Popes, 1852," page 548, states:
           • Charles Dickens' "Life," (by Foster, Volume II, page 274) described Popery as:
           • Adam Smith ("Wealth of Nations," Book V, Chapter 1, Part 3, Ant. 3):
           • Gladstone ("Speeches of Pope Pius IX," page 173):
           • In Dean Stanley's "Life of Dr. Arnold," (Volume II, page 411, London, 1844) we read:
           • Father Chiniquy in his book, "Fifty Years in the Church of Rome," factuates the Vatican being responsible for the death of that dear man, Abraham Lincoln. He states on Page 512:
           • D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (author of the well-recognized commentary on Romans, published by Zondervan) in his sermon preached in Westminster Chapel on January 29, 1961 and printed in The Westminster Record, May, 1963, states:
           • A. B. Simpson, (founder of the "Christian and Missionary Alliance," with headquarters at Nyack, N.Y.) states very clearly in his book, "The Fourfold Gospel," page 84, the following:
           • J.C. Ryle, in his book, "Warnings to the Churches," (Published by The Banner of Truth Trust, page 163) states:
           • John Wesley in his "Explanatory Notes Upon the New Testament," Revelation 13:1, Proposition 5, Page 697:
           • Albert Barnes in his one volume commentary on the New Testament, published by Kregel, also declares without any hesitation, that Rome is Babylon (see Revelation 13 and 17). My copy is on loan at the present time.
           • Henry H. Halley in the famous "Halley's Bible Handbook," published by Zondervan, contrasts the Roman Papacy with the Beast of Revelation 13 and in Revelation 17, Page 732, he states:
           • Matthew Henry, commenting on II Thessalonians 2:4:
           • Bishop Ellicott has this to say concerning Revelation 17:
           • William Smith, in his "Smith's Bible Dictionary," published by Holman, (Four Thousand Questions and Answers), page 405:
           • Walter Criswell, pastor of the famed First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas commenting on Revelation 17:
           • Dr. H. Ward Beecher, "The Papal Conspiracy Exposed," pages 176-177:
           • Dean Alford, "Letters From Abroad," pages 66-67:
           • John Albert Bengel, "New Testament Word Studies," Volume II, page 895 (Published by Kregel):
           • Wycliffe, Luther, Melanchthon, Knox, Latimer, Ridley, Cranmer, etc., also spoke of the Roman Church being Babylon and the Papacy being the Anti-christ.
           • When I was first converted about 25 years ago, there was in the front of the King James version of the Bible, the statement that the Pope was the "man of sin." Today, that has been removed. Just another point of the great apostasy that is taking place in regards to the true Church flirting with Rome. We should note how Paul ties in the "falling away" with "that man of sin" in II Thessalonians 2. My personal belief is that the main element of this apostasy is the true Church seeking a common fellowship with this "mother of whores" (Rome) and its "man of sin" (the Pope). As God's Israel of the Old Testament apostasized into Babylon and her idolatry; so it seems that God's spiritual Israel of the New Testament is doing the same thing. But God still has His faithful remnant who still are crying out, "Come out of her, My people." (Revelation 18:4)
           • The Bull Sanctum, issued by Boniface VIII, 16th November, 1302, (quoted in "The Book of Revelation," by F.W.C. Neser, page 184) reads as follows:
           • Pope Nicholas said, (quoted in "Antichrist" by Ian Paisley, page 54),
           • Cuba with it's Castro. I wonder if Castro has ever been excommunicated from the Catholic Church?
           • Poland with its Lech Walesa. Why did Pope Paul II tell Walesa "to remain a member of the Communist system, not to flaunt his rejection of basic Communist principles" according to William F. Buckley, Jr. (N.Y. Daily News, February 3, 1981)?
           • Ireland, with its I.R.A. which is predominantly Roman Catholic. Jimmy Breslin, (New York Daily News, March 8, 1981) makes some interesting comments on how blood-thirsty Roman Catholics are: "The President and Haig the General somehow might be able to get their small war going in El Salvador, but it won't be a real good one. This is because American Catholics, who used to erupt with joy at the notion of drawing blood, are against it...there just won't be as many people killed as there could be with traditional Catholic participation." No one can accuse Breslin of being prejudiced, for he also is a Roman Catholic.
           • El Salvador, predominantly Roman Catholic. While President Reagan desires to stop this country from being taken over by the Communists, the main voice speaking out against the U.S. is Roman Catholic. Breslin states, (New York Daily News, March 8, 1981): "American Catholic bishops policy calls for the end of military aid to the El Salvador government. The Rev. Thomas Marti of the Maryknoll wrote: ‘It is evident that those of us who are deeply concerned with regard to social justice and human rights in El Salvador, as well as throughout the world, are working in an entirely different framework than President Reagan and his administration.'" In the New York Times, dated February 3, 1981, the U.S. Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador (that word, solidarity sounds familiar!) had a one page advertisement entitled, "Let the People of El Salvador Decide," (approximate cost - $25,000). The majority of the individuals and institutions listed on this committee are Roman Catholic. Some of the more outstanding individuals listed on this committee (though some are not Roman Catholic) are: Andrew Young, former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., of whom New Hampshire Governor Thompson observed that "Young is actually representing the SOCIALIST AND MARXIST NATIONS of the ‘third world;'" Kris Kristofferson who pretended to be born again (with the help of Campus Crusade for Christ), but then went back to making obscene movies ("The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With the Sea"); Erica Jong, author of immoral books; Jane Fonda, Trouble-maker of the Viet Nam conflict; Bella Abzug; Rev. Wm. Sloan Coffin, Senior Minister at N.Y. City's Riverside Church, the peace activist who fractured his wife's skull with a karate chop in 1974 (see N.Y. Post, Sept. 26, 1980). Of course, this advertisement was against the U.S. intervention in El Salvador.
           • Philippines, which is predominantly Roman Catholic. According to the New York Times, March 20, 1981, page 9, a Jesuit priest attempted to overthrow the present regime of President Marcos. According to Station WINS, in N.Y. City, (April 8, 1981), the election now taking place is running 5 to 1 in favor of President Marcos, so it is for certain that the will of this Jesuit priest was not the will of the people. The question arises, "Whose will was it that Marcos should be overthrown?" There's only one answer. "The Vatican."
         • Secondly, getting back to Alberto Rivera and your accusation against him and the Chick organization, I do not believe that Jack Chick would jeopardize his well-grounded ministry without some definite leading of the Holy Spirit. Surely a luke-warm Christian would not put himself in such jeopardy. Just a small consideration of what Rome has done to those who exposed her in the past would tell me that Chick has laid his very life on the line. And what of his dear family? Has he not also jeopardized them?
         • Thirdly, I must consider Alberto himself. Why would he also put himself and his dear family in such jeopardy? Look at the enclosed picture of this dear family. Note the precious smile on Alberto's face. I have never met a child of darkness who had such light upon his countenance. Again, why would he ever enter upon such a venture? What could he possibly gain by such a move? No, logic moves me to conclude that he is being led by the Holy Spirit of our dear Lord. God bless his brave heart!
         • Fourthly, I must consider Satan's part in all this, in the light of what Jesus says in Matthew 12:25-26, "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation...And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?" In the light of the much proven fact that Rome has always been a devilish system and the curse of everything it touches, I doubt very seriously that the Devil himself would author a book that at least has started people once again thinking about the great evil of Rome. The Devil may not be wise, but he is shrewd and cunning.
         • Fifthly, I must also consider the true holy living Christians that I personally know. And though they be few, yet they are in agreement that this is of God.
         • Sixthly, though Rome has proven herself to be the greatest fraud ever put off on mankind, I do not recall your magazine going to any great length to expose her as such, even though such a move on your part would be a most blessed benefit to all of mankind, especially the body of Christ. Again, I must ask the question, why is your magazine so anxious to expose dear Alberto? A good question, for even if I thought for a moment that his book, "Alberto," was set forth in pretense, could not my heart rejoice (as the Apostle Paul does in Philippians 1:18) that once again this "mother of all spiritual whoredoms" is being brought again to the attention of the true sheep of God? I must say that I am very suspicious of your motive in printing this articlle. Also, I noted on the second page of your article where Roman Catholic Editor of "Our Sunday Visitor" states: "...The sad thing is that Chick's lies are hard to refute." It may be that they are "hard to refute" simply because they are true! Amen!
         • And last, I must consider the fact that to my remembrance (and I read extensively) I have never read anything against J. T. Chick until he attacked Rome. The Devil's mad and I'm so glad! Hallelujah!

I could go on, but I'm afraid I may have labored you too much already, so I will stop. I do pray that this letter will be received in the spirit in which it is written; and God willing, may the truth set forth in it reach the hearts of many dear souls, lest they end up with the mark of the Beast. May God also encourage your heart to search this matter out diligently, lest you be found to be fighting against the very Spirit of Truth, Himself, even our dear Lord. I do believe if you and I could go to visit with Alberto Rivera, we would walk away fully convinced that he is true. I think you should consider the trip.

Written by one who loves Jesus and hates the devout enemies of Jesus with that perfect hatred that David speaks of in Psalm 139:21-22, I remain,

Someone who is praying for you,

(signed) James M. Houston
Messengers for Eternity
300 Hayes Drive
Saddle Brook, N.J. 07662

P.S. I failed to thank you for the free advertising you have given to Chick's "Alberto." "For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth" (II Corinthians 13:8). Hallelujah! Martin Luther said: "Cursed be that love and unity for whose sake the Word of God must be put to stake," and I say 10,000 "Amens!" 　 　 JMH

 

 

9. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

    

    

   9. 　　　　　 (author of the well-recognized commentary on Romans, published by
      　　　　　 Zondervan) in his sermon preached in Westminster Chapel on January 29,
      　　　　　 1961 and printed in The Westminster Record, May, 1963, states:

"This system (Romanism) is altogether more dangerous than is Communism itself, because this is a counterfeit, this
does it in the name of Christ. This is ‘the scarlet woman,' this is the most horrible, foul deception of all, because it uses His name."

"Let me warn you very solemnly that if you rejoice in these approaches to Rome you are denying the blood of the martyrs."