We are told in the book of Revelation that there will be a final one-world religion (See Revelation 13:11-18). This religion or great harlot under the false prophet will initially support the Antichrist/beast and cause the world to worship him by performing miracles. However, the religious system will eventually be cast aside by the Antichrist. This occurs after the Antichrist recovers miraculously from a mortal wound (see Revelation 13:3, 12, & 14). He sets aside the universal religion and establishes himself as the supreme god. He breaks the covenant that He established with the Jewish nation, which had allowed them to rebuild their temple and re-establish the OT sacrificial system. The Antichrist sets himself up as the supreme god in the rebuilt temple of the Jews, and demands their direct worship. This occurs midway through the period known as Jacob’s troubles or the tribulation as spoken of by Daniel (See verses like Daniel 9:27; Jesus refers to this event, the abomination of desolation, in His description of events before the end of the age [see Matthew 24], and the Apostle Paul makes it clear that this “man of lawlessness/sin” comes just before the final Day of the Lord [see 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4]). The deception of the Antichrist, Jesus tells us, will be so great that, if it were possible, even the elect would fall for it (Matthew 24:24).
11 Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. 12 And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. 13 He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. 14 And he deceives [a]those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived. 15 He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. 16 He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, 17 and that no one may buy or sell except one who has [b]the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. 18 Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666.
Revelation 13:11-18
See Discussions of this topic at websites such as: https://www.compellingtruth.org/one-world-religion.html.
It appears likely that the one world religion may be pluralistic in nature initially. Perhaps fitting with the universalist trend of all religions being a path to the same “god?” This idea is gaining traction across many Christian sects and denominations, and this is reflected in the teachings of the current Catholic Pope (Francis), some current protestant leaders, and the universalist religious movements.1-5 Not surprisingly, secular political leaders, from Mikhail Gorbachev to George W. Bush, have also called for a unified religion where all religious ideas are viewed as “equally valid.”6
In an interview, former President Bush said that Muslim, Jews, and Christians all pray to the same God and that they are all going to heaven. Barack Obama has also expressed a belief in “interfaithism.”
While Christianity may uphold one’s right to pursue or not pursue any particular religion with regard to human freedom, some have criticized such positions if they seem to move towards legitimizing any religious movements apart from Jesus Christ or any outright adoption of a position that suggest that reconciliation with God can be achieved through any means other than Christ.7-10 NT biblical teaching clearly states that there are no ways to salvation from sin or reconciliation with God apart from accepting the sacrificial offering of Jesus Christ who was slain for any who accept His sacrifice. For the necessity and sufficiency of Christ as our only path to salvation and reconciliation, see verses such as the following:
John 14:6 – Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (ESV)
Acts 4:12 – “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (ESV)
I Timothy 2:5 – For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,.. (ESV)
John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (ESV)
John 3:36 – Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. (ESV)
Romans 6:23 – For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
I Corinthians 8:6 – Yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist. (ESV)
Ephesians 2:1-22 – And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— … (ESV)
There are also numerous OT and NT verses highlighting that God is one and unique. A small selection of these verses include:
Deuteronomy 6:4 – Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is One. (KJV)
Deuteronomy 4:35 – You were shown these tings so that you might know that the Lord is God; besides Him there is no other. (NIV)
Isaiah 45:5-6 – I am the Lord, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God. I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged me, so that from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting people may know there is none besides me. I am the Lord, and there is no other. (NIV)
Psalm 86:10 – For you are great and do wondrous deeds; You alone are God. (NIV)
For more on Pope Francis policies that could be seen as fostering a global religion, please see the following:
Pope Frances of the Catholic church signed the Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together with Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb, who is the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar on February 3, 2019 in Abu Dhabi of the United Arab Emirates. The goal was stated as a process concerned with how different faiths can live peacefully in the same world, and as a guide for advancing a culture of mutual respect. Moreover, the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity was established to carry out the principles of this document throughout the world.11 February 4 was later declared the International Day of Human Fraternity by the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres.12 In principle, most Christians would have no problem with the idea of establishing peaceful relationships, as long as the integrity of our faith is maintained. However, Pope Francis has at times made statements that contradict many of the biblical verses above, with his positions becoming more clear over time.
In 2019, Pope Francis was quoted in America, the Jesuit Review 13 as saying that no one should be afraid that God has allowed there to be different religions in the world….”But we should be frightened if we are not doing the work of fraternity, of walking together in life” as brothers and sisters of one human family. Catholics and Muslims are both “descendants of the same father, Abraham.” Some theologians say it is part of God’s “permissive will,” allowing “this reality of many religions. Some emerge from the culture, but they always look toward heaven and God,” the pope said.
In 2022, Pope Francis endorsed an interreligious declaration that originally stated, “We note that pluralism and differences in religion, skin color, gender, race and language are expressions of the wisdom of God’s will in creation. Thus, any incident of coercion to a particular religion and religious doctrine is unacceptable.” This was updated shortly after the initial presentation to read, “We note that pluralism in terms of difference in skin color, gender, race, language and culture are expressions of the wisdom of God in creation. Religious diversity is permitted by God and, therefore, any coercion to a particular religious and religious doctrine is unacceptable.” The author of Deadly Indifference, Eric Sammons, suggests that the original wording of the statement is very close to Pope Francis’ Abu Dhabi declaration, and that this position supports religious pluralism. The natural conclusion is that God has willed different religions in the world, and that multiple paths to God are possible. Sammons, in an opinion piece, indicates that the pope’s defenders say that Francis is being misunderstood.14 He quotes Catholic theology professor, Chad Pecknold, as saying, “In sensitive inter-religious contexts, it is fitting for the Holy See to acknowledge that despite serious theological disagreements, Catholics and Muslims have much in common, such as a common belief that human beings are ‘willed by God in His wisdom.’ In other words, it is the beliefs shared by Catholics and Muslims that is willed by God, not the errors of Islam or other religions. Sammons states that this is “quite a stretch from a plain reading of the text,” and quotes a number of Catholic theologians who fill this is obscuring the uniqueness of faith in Christ. On June 10, 2019, for example, Cardinals Raymond Leo Burke and Janis Pujats, Archbishops Tomaz Peta and Jan Pawel Lenga and Bishop Schneider published a 40-point “Declaration of Truths,” stating that the religion born of faith in Jesus Christ” is the “only religion positively will be God.”15, 16 (Link to the declaration here: https://onepeterfive.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Declaration_Truths_Errors_final_version_clean.pdf). Similarly, evangelical minister, Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary has noted that the “question basically comes down to whether one can reject Jesus Christ as the Son and truly know God the Father.”2, 17 He went on to add that this question was answered by Christ Himself, who indicated that that to “reject the Son means that one does not know the Father.” (also see the Gospel of John).
Pope Francis has been working diligently to establish Abraham’s house in Abu Dhabi, which will host a Christian church, a Jewish synagogue, and an Islamic temple, tied together by their common bond in a creator God known to Father Abraham.18 Of note, Jesus told the religious leaders of His day not to take pride in being sons of Abraham, as God could create such son out of rocks (Matthew 3:9).
Pope Francis, during June of 2024, was quoted as saying:19 “Jesus taught us to welcome one another as brothers and sisters,” the pontiff told a delegation from the Bologna Mosque in northern Italy. “And this is true first of all for us, Christians, Jews, and Muslims, who worship the One God.” Every believer “must feel free to propose – never impose! – his religion to other people, believers or not,” he said. “This excludes any form of proselytism, understood as exerting pressure or threats.” In addition, “marriages between people of different religions should not be an opportunity to convert the spouse to his or her religion,” he declared.
Miroslav Volf, a professor from Yale Divinity school, has stated that Islam, Christianity, and Judaism do indeed worship the same “god.” From an article in the Daily Beast,1 Dr. Volf was quoted as concluding that both Islam and Christianity “believe in one God, one God who is a sovereign Lord and to whom they are to be obedient. For both faiths, God embodies what’s ultimately important and valuable.” According to the article, he feels that it has never been more important for Jews, Christians, and Muslims to understand that they do, indeed, worship the same God and, in fact, “inhabit a common moral universe.” The article concludes that Pope Francis “would seem to agree” with this position.
While the creation of religious dialogue should be encouraged, a Christian must be clear that there is no compromised path. If the Islamic God is not Jesus Christ, then they cannot be the same being for the two faiths. Christianity teaches a substitutionary death for sin and Islam does not appear to accept this path. Jesus himself said there was one way to God the father (see all passages above). A position of emphasizing sameness over the path of salvation is inherently wrong and ultimately has to be seen as evil itself. The pursuit of ecumenicalism may well be leading to the compromised church found at the end of the age – the Laodicean church that the Lord Jesus called neither hot nor cold, and therefore would be spewed out of His mouth (See Revelation 3:15-16).
For an overview of “universalism,” please see:
Baukham, R. J. (1978). Universalism: A historical survey. Thelemios, 4(2), 48-54.
References
- Parini J. Does Pope Francis believe Christians and Muslims worship the same god? Daily Beast 2017.
- Gjelten T. Do Christians and Muslims worship the same God? : NPR, 2015.
- Bell R. Love wins: A book about heaven, hell, and the fate of every person who ever lived: Harper Collins, 2011.
- Talbott T. The inescapable love of God. Parkland, FL: Universal Publishers, 1999.
- Ansell N. The annihilation of hell: Universal salvation and the redemption of time in the eschatology of Jurgen Moltmann. Eugene, OR: Cascade, 2013.
- Gorbachev MS. Perestroika: New thinking for our country and the world. NY: Harper Collins, 1987.
- McClymond MJ. The Devil’s redemption: A new history and interpretation of Christian universalism 2 Vols. . Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2018.
- Cameron NMdS. Universalism and the doctrine of hell. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1992.
- Strange D. Universalism: Will everyone finally be saved? [online]. Accessed June 2, 2024.
- Bauckham RJ. Universalism: A historical survey. Themelios 1978;4:48-54.
- Francis. Document on human fraternity for world peace and living together: Full text. Vatican News2019.
- International Day of Human Fraternity – 4 February [online]. Accessed June 2, 2024.
- Glatz C. Pope Francis: Don’t be afraid that God has allowed different religions in the world. America: The Jesuit review 2019.
- Sammons E. Is a plurality of religions willed by God? Crisis 2022.
- Burke RL, Pujats J, Peta T, Lenga JP, Schneider A. Declaration of the truths relating to some of the most common errors in the life of the church of our time2019.
- Skojec S. Newly relased “Declaration of Truths” reads like a neo-syllabus of errors [online]. Accessed June 2, 2024.
- Mohler A. Do Christians and Muslims worship the same God? [online]. Accessed June 2, 2024.
- Gomes R. Abrahamic family house in Abu Dhabi to open in 2022 [online]. Accessed June 2, 2024.
- Williams TD. Pope Francis: Christians, Jews, Muslims ‘worship the one God’ [online]. Available at: https://www.breitbart.com/faith/2024/06/28/pope-francis-christians-jews-muslims-worship-the-one-god/.