I have sought to respond to the spectacle of yesterday’s bogus apologies to the victims of abuse.
Apologies were required but they had to be linked to an outright condemnation of that organisation to blame for the majority of instances of abuse — Romanism!
I found it vexing that no such condemnation was heard but rather the whole exercise was a deception with the clear suggestion that such events were aberrations and not, as history shows, the norm for Popery!
I trust that the following may be a help to those who would know what the Lord has to say about these dreadful events!
Sincerely in our Saviour’s name,
Ivan Foster.
COMPENSATION SOUGHT BY VICTIMS OF ABUSE
Here are the opening words from an article in yesterday’s ‘Guardian’ newspaper. The article was sent to me by a friend.
VICTIMS OF ‘VILE’ ABUSE OF CHILDREN IN CARE IN NORTHERN IRELAND REJECT APOLOGY
“Victims of sexual, psychological and physical abuse of children in care in Northern Ireland have rejected a formal apology by religious orders and called on them to pay compensation.
Ministers and representatives of six institutions at the centre of the scandal on Friday issued a long-awaited statement saying sorry for what was described as “vile” and “unimaginable” abuse carried out for more than 70 years.
Five religious institutions and one secular body offered profound apologies and regret to victims. The representatives from De La Salle, Sisters of Nazareth, Sisters of St Louis and the Good Shepherd Sisters, as well as Barnardo’s and the Irish Church Missions, admitted that words could only do so much to overcome the pain felt by victims over successive decades.”
Yesterday, in one of my daily Bible readings, these words were found.
“If a man deliver unto his neighbour an ass, or an ox, or a sheep, or any beast, to keep; and it die, or be hurt, or driven away, no man seeing it: Then shall an oath of the LORD be between them both, that he hath not put his hand unto his neighbour’s goods; and the owner of it shall accept thereof, and he shall not make it good. And if it be stolen from him, he shall make restitution unto the owner thereof,” Exodus 22:10-12.
This is one of the laws given to newly delivered Israel by the Lord. The laws began with the giving of the ‘Decalogue’, the Ten Commandments, in chapter 20 of Exodus.
The commandment we have quoted above indicates that if an animal has been committed to the care of a neighbour and it suffers harm or is killed and the fault is the neighbour’s, then compensation must be paid to the owner of the animal!
How much more would not the principle underlying this law, apply in the case of a child abused and harmed that had been committed to the care of an institution set up and financed in order to care for children in need!
The various institutions involved in yesterday’s exercise in offering apologies to the victims, have all acknowledged that they must bear responsibility for the cruel abuse suffered by innumerable children committed to their care, sufferings to the extent of death in some cases!
That being so, the victims have every justification for seeking compensation.
I must confess that I found the whole exercise at Stormont nauseating. The carefully chosen words of contrition are a far cry from the attitudes suffered by children in these institutions.
Furthermore, for me, the chief culprit was neither named nor reprimanded for the multiplicity of heinous crimes committed against children across the world.
I refer to the ‘Roman Catholic Church’. Ecclesiastical organisation it is but ‘church’ it is not!
I rejoice that one day a full account of all the crimes of Rome, stretching back centuries, perpetuated against men, women and children, many of whom were the choicest of individuals, beloved of the Lord and redeemed by His atoning blood, will be required and be fully forthcoming.
God’s Word assures me of that!
“Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment,” Ecclesiastes 11:9.
“But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned,” Matthew 12:36-37.
“So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God,” Romans 14:12.
“Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries: Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you: who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead,” 1 Peter 4:1-5.
There can be no doubt of the accountability of mankind unto God for the sins it has committed.
I grieve in this whole sad saga, that there was a spirit of ‘defensiveness’, found amongst those victims who suffered in Roman Catholic institutions, for that institution itself!
There is a blindness to the utter culpability of Popery for these crimes. It surely must be seen that when a ‘crime’ is committed repeatedly in institution after institution, and that across national borders and centuries of time, that the guilt is not just of ‘a few bad apples’, but the guilt lies in the character of the overall organisation in charge of these institutions.
Back in June 2013, there was another headline in the ‘Guardian’ newspaper.
“Pope Francis ‘admits that gay prelate network exists’
Leaked notes from private meeting show pontiff speaking about a ‘stream of corruption’”
In this instance he was speaking of the Vatican itself! Now if such a network exists at the top of the Popish organisation, we can be sure that it extends downward to every parish in the world!
Of course, the news reports here in Ireland and indeed, from every country where Rome has a foothold, similar reports have come – all indicating the utter corruption that exists at the very heart of this evil system of religion.
Romanism is but one of the many false religions which have sprung from man’s apostasy from the TRUTH OF GOD.
She is but one of the many ‘daughters’ that the great apostasy has produced.
“And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.
So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH,” Revelation 17:1-5.
In the Bible, a religious system is frequently referred to under the image of a ‘woman’. So it is with the true Church of Christ’, His Bride.
This woman, however, is a ‘’whore’, a ‘harlot’ and the mother of spiritual harlotry! It is to be noted that such was her appearance that John the Apostle, the writer of this book, said: “I wondered with great admiration,” verse 6.
The appearance of this religious system is most impressive on the outside, to the extent that even John ‘marvelled, admired’ her! That being so, it is little wonder that today this system is held in reverence by millions throughout the world!
However, it must be noted that John was rebuked for his ‘wondering and admiring’ by the angel sent to instruct him. “And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel?” verse 7.
I believe that Romanism lies at the very heart of the religious system thus portrayed for us in Revelation 17. It is a system which will come into its fulness in the days just prior to the Saviour’s return and will also nurture and nourish the rise of the Antichrist, spoken of in the Book of the Revelation as the ‘BEAST.
Look at verses 7 and 8. “And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns. The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is,” Revelation 17:7-8.
But look at what the Lord tells us about the end of the ‘harlot’ and the evil personage she spawns.
“And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast. These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful. And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled. And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.” Revelation 17:12-18.
Romanism is today’s manifestation of the religion of Babylon. It began back in the days of man’s rebellion against God (Genesis 10:8-11, 11:1-9). It has featured throughout the Old Testament narrative as the supreme enemy of Israel. Its practices and notions continued into this New Testament age and was manifested as the system known today as Roman Catholicism.
Prophecy speaks of it by the name that the Lord calls it — ‘BABYLONISM’. At the close of this age, it will, as revealed here in Revelation 17, take centre stage in the affairs of that territory which has ever featured in the Bible’s record, that territory spoken of in Luke 2:1 and there called ‘the world’, which was of course, the Roman Empire.
The city of Babylon will, I believe, be rebuilt and become the centre of religious apostasy and exceedingly great commercial activities. The fall of it will take place at the time of the Saviour’s return and the extent of its influences will be seen in the great lamentations of the kings and merchants made rich by its endeavours, Revelation 18:1-19.
In contrast, heaven will rejoice at her destruction.
Without any doubt, as far as I am concerned, this whole iniquitous system of religion and politics and commerce will finally be centred in the city of Babylon, though presently its ‘embryo’ is chiefly situated in Rome.
Heed the words of Zechariah the prophet.
“Then the angel that talked with me went forth, and said unto me, Lift up now thine eyes, and see what is this that goeth forth. And I said, What is it? And he said, This is an ephah (a utensil used extensively in commerce as a measuring instrument) that goeth forth. He said moreover, This is their resemblance through all the earth. And, behold, there was lifted up a talent of lead: and this is a woman that sitteth in the midst of the ephah. And he said, This is wickedness. And he cast it into the midst of the ephah; and he cast the weight of lead upon the mouth thereof. Then lifted I up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came out two women, and the wind was in their wings; for they had wings like the wings of a stork (an unclean bird, Leviticus 11:13-19): and they lifted up the ephah between the earth and the heaven. Then said I to the angel that talked with me, Whither do these bear the ephah? And he said unto me, To build it an house in the land of Shinar (Babylon): and it shall be established, and set there upon her own base,” Zechariah 5:5-11.
Christians are to watch for many signs which indicate the approach of the return of the Saviour. Here is one of them, the moving of ‘wickedness’ with its ‘resemblance through all the earth’ from a base she has occupied to a new base, a house built for it in Babylon.
It is in the light of such Scriptures as here quoted that I grieve that the victims and supporters of Romanism do not see that the recent disclosures of her monstrous wickedness has not caused them to cease from admiration of her and see her for what she is: the very essence of apostasy from God and His truth.
Rev Ivan Foster (Rtd)
12 March 2022