My wife Tess and I saw this together and we deem it quite enlightening and educational.

Transcription

The year is 1999. Pope John Paul II gently bows and presses his lips to the Quran, the holy book of Islam. Cameras flash. The world gasps. Is it a gesture of peace? Or is it a signal to insiders?

Now rewind 13 centuries. A man kneels inside a cave on the edge of the Arabian desert. He’s trembling. Voices whisper in the dark. His name? Muhammad, his comforter. A wealthy woman with Christian connections. Her cousin? A Catholic scholar of the Gospels.

In that moment a new religion is born. But was it truly born of the desert? Or conceived in the shadows of Rome? This is not just another story about Islam. This is a journey into the hidden architecture of power. A forgotten story that stretches from Mecca’s sacred black stone to the marble halls of the Vatican.

You’ve been told that these two world religions are rivals. But what if they were never truly enemies? What if Islam, far from being Rome’s greatest opponent, was actually one of its greatest creations? The symbols, the rituals, the alliances, all point to one chilling conclusion.

What began as a spiritual movement may have been, from the very start, part of a master plan. A plan hatched in the smoke of incense behind curtains of secrecy and sealed with blood. The truth is not what it seems. And what you’re about to discover may change how you see history and prophecy forever.

First let’s acknowledge something important. The sincere devotion of Muslim believers. I remember Muslim students who prayed faithfully, lived modestly, and stood firmly for what they believed was right. They were honest, principled, and loyal. Loyal like few others. In their daily prayers and strict lifestyles they seek to honor God wholeheartedly.

These qualities command respect. Such commitment reminds us of the biblical Daniel, unwavering in worship even in a foreign land. One cannot help but admire their dedication and moral clarity. And yet even the most devoted followers can be in the dark about unseen influences.

One might ask, is it possible to be completely sincere, yet sincerely wrong? The love and zeal of these believers make the hidden story all the more tragic and all the more urgent to reveal.

Throughout history religions have often had two sides. One for the masses and a secret side known only to a few. The medieval Knights Templar, for example, outwardly appeared as devout Catholic monks, but inwardly many indulged in occult rituals of Luciferianism. They presented one face to the world and another to their inner circle.

Could something similar be happening within Islam? Could there be an inner circle guiding Islam from behind the scenes, just as there was in medieval Catholicism? It sounds like the plot of a novel, but think about it. Both Catholicism and Islam have mysterious elite orders and historic secrets. The Bible itself hints at a hidden power behind earthly kingdoms, a beast power centered in Rome.

Prophecy identifies Rome as the seat of great deception and control in the last days. Islam, on the surface, didn’t arise from Rome at all. Or did it? What if a Roman hand has been steering the course of Islam from the shadows, right from the very start? The stage is set. Let’s turn back the pages of time and see how this saga began.

Our journey leads us to the birth of Islam and its prophet Muhammad. In AD 570, as a young trader, Muhammad married a wealthy widow named Khadija when he was 25 and she was 40. But Khadija was no ordinary Arabian woman. She was raised in a noble trading clan, had Christian connections, and held monotheistic beliefs. Her cousin Waraka was a devout Roman Catholic too, even a scholar of the Gospels.

This means Muhammad’s closest confidants in his early years were deeply connected to the Catholic faith. Picture the scene. An Arab seeker marries a cultured woman of wealth, education, and strong religious connections. She employs and mentors him, convinced he might be chosen by God. It was Khadija who encouraged Muhammad to trust the mysterious spirit that spoke to him in a cave. The voice he said was the angel Gabriel bringing revelations.

Was it truly an angel of God? Muhammad himself was terrified at first. But with Khadija’s comfort and Waraka’s counsel, he became convinced that he was a prophet. It’s as if Rome’s influence was whispering in his ear from the very start.

Is it a coincidence that the very founder of Islam had a direct connection to the Roman church? Or was a groundwork being laid for a grand plan? The pieces of the puzzle were just beginning to form.

With Khadija’s support, Muhammad soon began preaching a new faith, Islam. He taught that there is only one God, Allah, and that all idols must be destroyed. His message challenged the paganism of Arabia. Facing opposition, Muhammad fled Mecca to Medina in 622, the Hijra, year one of the Islamic calendar. There he gathered followers, gained strength, and eventually marched back to conquer Mecca in 630.

Within a mere 20 years, this once obscure merchant became the leader of a revolutionary religious movement. By the time of his death in 632, most of Arabia bowed to Islam.

The holy book of Islam, the Quran, was compiled soon after, by about 650, from Muhammad’s recited revelations. Muslims believe the Quran was dictated word for word by God, straight from heaven. Such a claim made the new scripture unquestionable and unchangeable. But one must wonder, if Catholic influences were present in Muhammad’s household, could they have helped shape those early revelations? History does record that Muhammad had scribes to write down his visions, and one of them could have been Waraqa or someone under Catholic guidance.

It’s a haunting thought. In the midst of genuine zeal, could elements of another agenda have crept into the foundations of Islam? As Islam spread its wings over the desert sands, the stage was being set for an even deeper connection with Rome’s legacy.

Look closely at the symbol of Islam, a crescent moon embracing a single star. You see it on mosques and flags from Turkey to Pakistan. But this symbol did not originate with Muhammad. Its roots reach far back into ancient pagan worship.

Long ago in Arabia, before Islam, the moon god and sun goddess were worshipped together as divine lovers. The moon god, known as Allah among certain tribes, was said to have three daughters, Allat, Alluza, and Manat, revered as goddesses. Even archaeological finds and old encyclopedias confirm that Allah was a pre-Islamic name, used for a pagan deity corresponding to the Babylonian god Baal.

In other words, the very name Allah was not new. It was borrowed from a pagan past. The crescent and star symbol itself is found on ancient carvings of Baal and Ishtar, or in Egyptian depictions of Isis and Horus.

The crescent, representing the moon goddess’s womb, and the star or sun, representing the sun god’s offspring together, signified a divine birth, the male and female cosmic powers uniting. How remarkable that a faith claiming pure devotion to one god carried forward the very icon of an age-old fertility cult.

This raises a troubling question. Were these symbols adopted by accident or were they a sign of something lurking beneath Islam’s new monotheistic veneer? The ancient mystery religion of Babylon seems to echo in Islam’s flag. But Islam was not alone in using this emblem.

Amazingly, the Roman Catholic Church also uses the very same pagan emblem of the crescent and star, though it’s hidden in plain sight. In Catholic worship, during the mass, the priest elevates a round wafer of bread, symbolizing the sun, and places it on a crescent shaped holder called a monstrance. This sacred display, a sun disc in a moon boat, is directly derived from ancient Baal worship. In some monstrances, you even see a star within the crescent, just like the Islamic symbol.

In Catholic art, Mary, the mother of Jesus, is often depicted standing on a crescent moon, crowned with stars. Even on the facade of Catholic churches, one can find the half-moon shape paired with a star or sunburst. It’s the same occult symbol, the union of divine male and female Baal and Ashtoreth in a new disguise.

Most worshipers have no idea of these meanings, they simply see a beautiful ritual or image of Mary. But here’s the startling reality, two great religions, Islam and Roman Catholicism, both prominently feature the ancient moon goddess icon in their worship. What are the odds of that? To a truth seeker, it’s a clue not to be ignored. It whispers that behind both faiths, a common influence may be at work, an influence tracing back to Babylon itself.

The Bible warns of a false system named Babylon the Great, the mother of harlots, the mother of false religions, Revelation 17:. Could it be that Islam, though outwardly rivaling Catholicism, drinks from the same ancient cup of Babylon? The matching symbols suggest a mystery in need of unraveling.

If Catholicism and Islam share secret symbols, might we find Islam signs inside Catholic settings? Incredibly, yes. In the city of New Orleans, a Catholic chapel called Our Lady of Guadalupe contains a peculiar window. High above the altar, in stained glass, shines the emblem of Islam, the crescent and star. To disguise it, a caption claims it’s merely the logo of the city police department. But why would a Catholic shrine display an Islamic emblem at all?

Inside the chapel, worshipers knelt before images of Mary praying with rosary beads. And above her shrine, the Islamic star and crescent cast a quiet glow over the scene. It was as if a message had been hidden in plain view, that these two systems are aligned in ways few suspect.

Elsewhere, Catholic churches quietly incorporate the crescent shape in architecture and art. Even the Vatican’s own courtyards and halls contain obelisks, domes with sunbursts and zodiac symbols, echoes of the same nature worship that inspired the crescent and star. Coincidence? Or a silent signal that the powers behind Catholicism and Islam are working together? Some might laugh at the idea, but the evidence keeps surfacing.

When one rotates the Islamic crescent and star symbol a certain way, it even forms the outline of a goat’s head, a known occult symbol of Satan. And incredibly, that goat head motif, the goat of Mendez, has appeared in some Catholic-associated art as well. It’s enough to make your heart tremble.

Two great religions, outwardly opposed, yet sharing signs that point to the same dark source. The faithful on both sides remain largely unaware, while a grand deception plays out above them.

To understand this strange alliance, we must go back before Islam, back to the early centuries after Christ. As Christianity spread in its pure form through the Middle East, North Africa and Asia, the forces of paganism didn’t just vanish. Occult knowledge from Babylon and Egypt found refuge in new quarters. History tells us that the city of Alexandria in Egypt became a center of secret learning. There, scholars like Origen and Gnostic bishops toyed with blending Christian ideas with pagan philosophy. At the same time in Rome, some within the church hung on to old Roman gods behind the scenes, even as they outwardly Christianized the empire. In those early centuries, Rome and Alexandria were like twin reservoirs, holding the mystery religion of ancient Babylon, keeping its embers alive.

When the Roman Empire supposedly converted to Christianity, many pagan beliefs simply put on Christian garments. The common people were taught a form of Christianity, but the initiates, the insiders, cultivated occult traditions quietly. By the time Islam emerged in the 7th century, the Babylonian mysticism was firmly entrenched in Rome’s bosom.

The Bible’s prophecy in 2 Thessalonians 2:7 warned that the mystery of iniquity, a secret power of lawlessness, was already at work even in Paul’s day, preparing for a great falling away. That hidden hand of Satan worked through Rome’s church as it gained political power. Thus, when Islam arrived on the scene, it was centuries behind the Roman church in age, essentially a younger sibling in the spiritual realm.

Like an elder mother, Rome already held the secrets of Babylon’s darkness. The question is, what did she do with them? Did Rome pass some of her dark knowledge to Islam? Did she help shape this new faith as another arm of her influence? The trail of clues suggests yes. Just as a mother might send her daughter on a mission, the Roman church may have set Islam on a course to serve a greater plan. Let’s explore what that plan might have been.

In the early Middle Ages, the Roman Catholic church had a serious problem. Scattered across North Africa and the Middle East were communities of true Bible-believing Christians outside Rome’s control. These were remnants of original apostolic faith that had not bowed to Rome’s authority. Groups like the Coptic Christians, the Nestorians, the Celtic Church, and others held doctrines that Rome called heresy but were closer to the pure gospel.

How could Rome extend its iron grip over these vibrant independent Christians? Open persecution by Rome was difficult in lands it did not rule. But what if another force could do the job? It’s speculated, and not without reason, that the Catholic power brokers conceived a diabolical plan. Use Islam as a weapon to wipe out the true believers.

Think of it. A fiery new religion believing it is fighting infidels could sweep through those regions and subdue them by force. The idea isn’t far-fetched. In fact, an ex-Jesuit priest by the name of Alberto Rivera later claimed that before Islam arose, Catholic agents were already at work preparing the way. He said the Vatican helped start Islam on purpose, to create an army of Arabs that would capture Jerusalem for the church and destroy Bible-believers who opposed Roman doctrines. While such claims are hard to prove definitively, think about the outcome.

Exactly as if fulfilling a mission, Islam exploded out of Arabia in the 7th century and devastated the old bastions of true Christianity. In those early Islamic conquests, countless Bible-reading Christians in Egypt, Syria, Persia, and beyond were either killed, driven into hiding, or forced to submit to Islam or flee. Churches that had stood for centuries were wiped out almost overnight.

Coincidence? Or the unseen hand of Rome using a new sword to slay its enemies? Revelation 17:5 calls Rome the mother of abominations. Could one of those abominations be a cleverly guided force that appears unrelated to Rome, yet does her bidding? Only God knows all the details, but the fruits of history speak volumes. Through Islam, the true followers of Christ in those regions were indeed largely crushed.

In the first century after Muhammad, Islam spread like wildfire. By AD 750, Muslim armies had conquered all of Arabia, the Middle East, Persia, North Africa, and even pushed into Spain and Europe. Much of what had been the Christian world of the first few centuries was now under the crescent banner.

In North Africa, the vibrant churches founded in apostolic times were obliterated. In Spain, the Visigothic kingdom, which had a form of Christianity independent of Rome, was overrun. The Visigoths and Vandals before them had held a simpler faith, some more aligned with scripture. Now, they were swept away by the sword of Islam. The timing is notable. Those tribes had been a thorn in Rome’s side.

The Vandals were literally Aryans who opposed certain Catholic doctrines, and Islam conveniently removed them from the scene. The Muslim warriors believed they were fighting for God, spreading the one true religion. Little did they know they might also have been serving the political interests of Rome.

Under the banner of Jihad, they accomplished what the papal crusaders could only dream of, the eradication of dissenting Christian groups across vast territories. Was this Rome’s plan all along? When I ponder the history, I can almost see an unseen puppeteer pulling the strings of war, using one group to punish another. The Bible says in Proverbs 16:4 that the Lord can even use the wicked for the day of doom, and indeed it seems God allowed the rise of Islam as a scourge against apostasy and to test his people.

But behind the curtain, another power, Satan himself, was orchestrating destruction, hoping to snuff out the light of the gospel. By AD 800, Islam had done its work. The Middle East and North Africa were largely void of vibrant Christianity. The true worshipers had either been martyred or fled to the mountains and remote places. Meanwhile, the papacy grew strong in Europe without competition in those regions. If indeed there was an unholy alliance, it had succeeded brilliantly. And yet, as with all such plots, alliances of convenience can turn into bitter rivalry.

History took an interesting turn. Having conquered Jerusalem and the Holy Land, the Islamic powers did not hand them over to the Catholic Church. Instead, they kept those territories and built their own shining shrines, like the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, on the very spot many Christians held dear. The Vatican must have been furious. Jerusalem was supposed to be theirs.

Thus began the era of the Crusades. From the late 11th century onward, wave after wave of European knights marched under the cross to reclaim the Holy Land from the infidels. What bloodshed and tragedy followed.

For nearly two centuries, crusaders and jihadists slaughtered each other in the name of the same God. Catholicism and Islam now openly clashed, but interestingly, only after those alternative Christian groups had been subdued. One cannot help but recall Psalm 2, verse 2, which says, The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his anointed.

The earthly powers raged against each other, yet behind it, the real war was against the truth of God. In Spain, after centuries of Muslim rule, the Catholics eventually pushed back. By 1492, the last Islamic kingdom in Spain fell. Islam retreated from Western Europe, and the papal church rejoiced. The heretics were gone, and now the Muslims were gone, too. Each side took turns being the scourge of the other, but who benefited in the end? The common people suffered, Jews were persecuted by both, and true biblical faith was almost extinguished in those regions.

From Rome’s perspective, her two biggest rivals, biblical Christians and the Islamic empire, weakened each other into exhaustion. By the 1500s, the papacy reigned supreme in the West, and the Ottoman Turks, the leading Islamic power, dominated the East with a natural buffer between them. It’s as if the world was neatly divided into two spheres of influence.

Yet, behind the scenes, were they truly separate? Or were clandestine ties still keeping them oddly synchronized? There is evidence that even as they fought openly, a secret coordination persisted, ensuring both sides ultimately served a larger scheme. To uncover that, we must look at the shadowy realms of secret societies and orders that transcended religious labels.

During the Crusades, a mysterious interaction took place between certain knightly orders of the Catholics and the secret sects within Islam. The Knights Templar, the warrior monks of the Pope, set up bases in the Middle East, and reportedly came into contact with a shadowy Islamic order known as the Assassins, or Hashashin. The Assassins were part of the Ismaili branch of Islam, and they had a bizarre reputation. They would murder targets without fear, often sacrificing their own lives in the process, all under the direction of their grandmaster, the old man of the mountain.

These men were fanatically devoted, thinking martyrdom would assure them paradise. Sound familiar? We see similar fanaticism in modern extremists who blow themselves up believing in God’s will. History repeats.

Now, the Assassins weren’t just zealots. They operated through degrees of initiation. New recruits were kept in strict Islamic devotion, but higher-ups were taught secret knowledge that nothing is true and all is allowed. In other words, at the top, they realized it was all about power and deception, not faith.

The Knights Templar, likewise, were said to have initiation rites and secret teachings beyond what the average crusader knew. It is rumored that the Templars and Assassins entered into covert alliances, trading knowledge, sharing occult rituals, perhaps conspiring to control events for mutual gain.

Both groups, interestingly, were accused of worshiping a bizarre idol called Baphomet, a demonic goat figure, and of spitting on the cross of Christ in secret ceremonies. These are historical accusations that led to the Templars’ downfall in 1307, but it makes one wonder. Were the Templars influenced by the Assassins’ philosophy, or were both simply drinking from the same satanic well of lies?

Consider this. The Templars, though officially serving the Pope, became astonishingly wealthy and powerful. Some say even more than kings. Could it be that these secret societies, one in Christian clothing and one in Muslim clothing, recognized each other as kindred spirits serving the same hidden master? Evidence of links between the Templars and Islamic mystic groups, like the Ismaili Druzes and Fatimids, has been noted by researchers. They all trace back to the mysteries, occult knowledge from Babylon.

It’s jaw-dropping to realize that while ordinary knights and soldiers on both sides fought and died for God and glory, a handful of initiated elites may have been colluding for wealth and domination. Truly, we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual wickedness in high places. Ephesians 6.12. Satan was playing a double game, setting up secret societies within both Christianity and Islam, forging them together at the top while they appeared to clash at the bottom.

Fast forward to the 16th century. The Knights Templar were gone, but a new Catholic order arose, the Jesuits, Society of Jesus. Don’t be fooled by their holy name. The Jesuits became the master strategists of the Catholic Church, experts in politics, education, and covert operations. They too have different layers, an appearance of piety and learning outwardly, but a reputation for cunning schemes behind closed doors.

History shows that the Jesuits were willing to do anything to advance the Pope’s power. They were even implicated in assassinations and plots against kings who opposed papal authority. One Jesuit motto is said to be, The end justifies the means. Does that sound like all is allowed? Indeed, it’s the same serpent’s tongue. The Jesuits became known for creating front organizations so the Vatican could deny involvement. For example, to influence politics and society covertly, Jesuits helped form the Freemasons, a secret fraternity that recruits influential men under the guise of enlightenment and philanthropy.

If a scheme was exposed, the Church could say, It wasn’t us. It was those Freemasons. Similarly, when something goes wrong in finance or media, how quick some are to blame the Jews or some other group, when often the real string puller stays hidden in Rome.

The pattern is clear. Deception by design. Could the entire rise of Islam have been one such masterstroke of Jesuit-like strategy before the Jesuits even existed? The timing doesn’t match the Jesuit order they came later, but the spirit of that strategy was at work long before. It was Satan’s strategy carried out through any willing agents. The Vatican of old likely didn’t call it Jesuit strategy, but the principle was the same. Create a movement that achieves your goals, but keep your own role concealed.

A modern example makes it plain. Remember the photograph of Pope John Paul II kissing the Quran in 1999? That single act spoke volumes. Here was the Catholic leader showing respect, even reverence, for the Islamic holy book. On the surface, a gesture of interfaith goodwill, but symbolically it hinted, we’re not so different. We accept you.

In truth, Catholicism has, from the start, controlled and guided Islam. Now in the open, now from the shadows, Rome’s fingers have been on Islam’s shoulders, steering it when useful, restraining it when necessary. The ultimate goal? To bring about a synthesis, a merging of faiths under Rome’s leadership. At the end of time, it’s a devilishly clever plan.

Use deception, flattery, and secret alliances to make the world think all religions are basically the same, so they can unite into one. But as Christians, we know there is one name above all others, the name of Jesus, by which we must be saved. Acts 4.12.

Any plan that sets that aside or hides it behind a cloak of common ground is a lie from the pit. The Jesuit agenda, and more broadly Satan’s agenda, is to replace Jesus Christ with a false system of salvation that appeals to everyone. What could be more appealing than a one-world religion that offends no one except those pesky true believers who insist Jesus is the only way? We are now seeing that push for a universal religion of peace, but over it will rule a puppet master, ultimately the devil, working through his agents on earth.

Today we hear terms like Abrahamic faiths and calls for unity between Jews, Christians, and Muslims. High-profile religious conferences bring imams, priests, and rabbis together to declare, we all worship the same God. Political and religious leaders speak of a coming global community of faith, a great family of religions.

It sounds lovely, doesn’t it? Peace, unity, understanding? Who wouldn’t want that? But let’s peel back the veneer. One prominent Christian leader, a man named Benjamin Chavez, shocked his colleagues by openly converting to Islam while claiming he still believes in Jesus. He said nothing really changed. Pouring water from one glass to another doesn’t change its nature. In his mind, Islam and Christianity were interchangeable. How can that be? Only if, at the core, the object of worship is the same false god wearing different masks.

As Chavez himself admitted, if you’re an insider, there won’t be a difference because you’re both worshiping at the same shrine. Did you catch that? Those deep on the inside know that a single entity is behind both religions. Ordinary believers pray differently and use different names for God, but the secretive elite know it’s ultimately one system.

This is exactly what prophecy warned, a beast with many faces, an image that all the world will be asked to worship. And who will lead this one world faith? The Bishop of Rome is vying for that role. Pope John Paul II’s Koran kiss was one step. Pope Francis inviting Islamic prayers in the Vatican gardens was another. Countless interfaith services continue to pave the road. The goal is to have over half the world’s population bowing to one leader, the Pope, as the infallible Holy Father.

In fact, a Vatican insider once wrote that John Paul II believed a second Fatima was coming, a miraculous event that would cause Muslims to acknowledge the Pope’s authority. Imagine that. An apparition or sign so stunning that Islam’s heart would melt toward Rome and they would join hands. It sounds far-fetched, but we are seeing early fruits. Middle Eastern Muslim leaders meeting the Pope, calling him a man of peace. The Pope praying in mosques and being received warmly. Even the chief Islamic shrine custodians have bowed before the Pope. Step by step, the world is being conditioned for a grand compromise.

But dear friends, any unity that comes at the expense of truth is a deadly trap. Revelation 13:3 forewarns that all the world wondered after the beast. We are on the verge of that reality. The stage lights are dimming, the actors are in place for the final act. But in this ecumenical pageant, Jesus Christ is pushed backstage. And that is something we cannot accept.

One figure has emerged as the key to this Catholic-Islamic convergence. Mary, the mother of Jesus. To devout Catholics, Mary is exalted as the queen of heaven, the sinless co-mediator, even assumed bodily into heaven. To Muslims, Mariam, as she is known in Arabic, is honored as the purest woman who miraculously gave birth to Jesus, Isa, while remaining a virgin. In fact, Mary is the only woman mentioned by name in the Quran, and even has a whole chapter named after her. In a startling way, Mary has become a bridge between the two faiths.

The Vatican has not missed this fact. Far from it. They have capitalized on it. In 1917, a radiant apparition claiming to be the Virgin Mary appeared to three children in Fatima, Portugal, a town notably named after Prophet Muhammad’s daughter, Fatima.

Many believe this is no accident. By choosing a village with that name, the apparition of Mary was making a special appeal to Muslims as well as Catholics. The messages of Fatima spoke of world peace and conversion of sinners.

Decades later, Pope John Paul II, intensely devoted to Mary, visited Fatima and credited Mary with saving his life from an assassin’s bullet. But here’s where it gets even more intriguing. High-ranking Catholic voices suggested that Mary’s appearance at Fatima was a sign that she would be the instrument to eventually reach Muslim hearts.

One Catholic bishop wrote that Muslims who already revere Mary will one day see her as the mother of God and, through her, come to accept the Pope’s authority. The plan goes something like this. Mary will supposedly unite her children, both the Christian and the Muslim, into one fold.

We see hints of this plan in Catholic media. The late Archbishop Fulton Sheen even wrote an article titled, Mary and the Muslims, noting that the Quran speaks highly of Mary’s purity and immaculate conception, and speculating that Mary will play a role in converting Muslims in the end times. Consider that, a prominent Catholic leader essentially saying, Mary is the key to winning Muslim allegiance.

And indeed, in some Muslim nations today, apparitions of a luminous lady, whom Christians call Mary, have been reported, drawing crowds of both Christians and Muslims. If another global Marian miracle were to happen, a second Fatima, as John Paul II anticipated, millions of Muslims could be swayed in an instant. They might say, if Mary calls us to recognize the Pope, who are we to resist the mother of our prophet Jesus? It would be the ultimate spiritual seduction.

But we must be clear, the real Mary of the Bible is resting in her grave, awaiting the resurrection. Any Mary appearing now is a deception, an evil angel of light, 2 Corinthians 11 14, masquerading as the blessed mother to achieve Satan’s ends.

The book of Revelation describes a pure woman, representing God’s true church, and a harlot woman, a false church, adorned with gold and holding a cup of abominations, Revelation 17:4 through 5. Which one do these global apparitions of Mary represent? When Mary brings messages that contradict scripture or exalt someone other than Jesus, it is not the Mary of Nazareth, but a demon in disguise.

Still, the strategy is fiendishly clever. Many sincere souls could be deceived by a maternal figure offering peace and unity. We should remember Jesus’ warning, take heed that no man deceive you, Matthew 24:4. Even if fire come down from heaven performing miracles, Revelation 13:13, we must test everything by the word of God.

Both Catholicism and Islam, interestingly, have versions of Mary that overshadow Jesus Christ. In Catholic teaching, Mary is called co-redemptrix, co-redeemer, and mediatrix of all graces, implying that all prayers and blessings must flow through her. Many Catholics pray far more to Mary or various saints than to Jesus.

In Islam, Jesus, Isa, is revered as a prophet, but not as the son of God or savior. Yet Mary is venerated in an almost exalted way. The Quran even teaches a kind of immaculate conception of Mary herself. It says Mary’s mother was barren and prayed, and Mary was born pure by God’s special intervention. This mirrors the Catholic dogma that Mary herself was conceived without original sin. The Quran also contains fanciful details about young Mary, clearly drawn from apocryphal gospels and legends, not from the Bible.

How did those details get into Islamic scripture? It appears Muhammad, or those advising him, borrowed from Catholic-influenced sources, stories circulating among unbiblical Christian traditions. This again hints at Catholic input in forming Islam’s doctrines. Now think about the implication.

Islam has a high doctrine of Mary’s greatness. Catholicism has elevated Mary to near-godlike status. Together, they set the stage for Mary to be a focus of devotion over Jesus.

What a bold affront to the gospel! The Bible says, For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; – I Timothy 2:5 But Satan’s counterfeit system installs Mary as an additional mediator, even a preferred one for many.

If millions are praying to Mary, who is answering those prayers? Not Mary, but fallen angels impersonating her, leading people away from the true mediator.

In some Catholic-Muslim gatherings, you’ll hear talk of Our Lady in terms that should be reserved for the Lord. It’s as if Mary has been crafted into a universal mother goddess, palatable to many cultures. A figure very similar to ancient pagan goddesses, Isis, Ishtar, Ashtoreth, who were called Queen of Heaven.

The prophet warned against the Israelites’ idolatry of the Queen of Heaven, Jeremiah 7:18. Sadly, history repeats itself. Today, a Queen of Heaven is again receiving incense and devotion, only now under the name Mary. And Islam, which prides itself on avoiding idolatry, is being drawn into this same snare by its deep respect for Mary and mystical encounters that seem to validate her power.

Ask yourself, who would benefit from diminishing Jesus and elevating someone, anyone, in his place? None other than the Antichrist power, which the Bible says seeks to usurp Christ’s position, 2 Thessalonians 2:4. By getting people to focus on Mary, or a church, or a prophet, or law-keeping, or anything, more than on Jesus’ sacrifice and lordship, the devil accomplishes a grand deception.

We must be very clear. Jesus Christ and he alone is the Savior of humanity. Only his death on the cross provides forgiveness of sins, 1 John 1:7. Only his life and intercession can reconcile us to God, Hebrews 7:25.

Any teaching that anyone else, Mary, Muhammad, a Pope, you name it, can save or intercede for us in the way Jesus does is a lie. It may be a beautiful-sounding, emotionally appealing lie, but it is deadly. Yet that lie is exactly what the Catholic-Islamic connection is setting up, a mutual theology where Mary and the Pope are exalted, and Jesus is left as a sideline figure.

How it must break our Lord’s heart. The very people he died to save are pointed to another for help. It’s like a sick patient turning away from the only doctor with the cure. This is the immaculate deception, a counterfeit grace that directs souls away from the true grace of God in Christ.

Step into a grand cathedral during high mass or observe the prayers in a massive mosque, and you will notice a common thread. Elaborate rituals, strict rules, and a sense of awe. In a Catholic basilica, incense rises, bells ring, and robed priests chant in Latin. The faithful kneel and stand in unison from pews reciting prayers by rote. In a mosque, rows of devout Muslims bow and prostrate on cue, touching foreheads to the ground, reciting Arabic verses they may not even fully understand.

Both environments are marked by deeply ingrained traditions. There is beauty in the devotion, but also a potential bondage. Jesus warned of those who draw near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Matthew 15 8.

In both Catholicism and Islam, many sincere people practice what they’ve been taught without ever experiencing a personal relationship with God. They fast, they repeat prayers, the rosary for Catholics, dhikr, and repeated surahs for Muslims. They adhere to dietary laws and holy days, yet often they lack the joy and assurance that comes from knowing Jesus as a friend and savior.

Both systems also have a history of forcing compliance. In Catholic history, failing to attend mass or accept church dogma could brand you a heretic. Punishment ranging from penance to execution.

In some Muslim contexts, failing to pray five times a day or defying Sharia law can make one an apostate. Punishment can be severe, even death in extreme cases. This is religion by compulsion, not by conviction of truth.

But the true God says, Come now, let us reason together. Isaiah 1 18. He appeals to us with love, not coercion.

Both faiths hold their followers with a certain fear. A Catholic might fear the flames of an ever-burning hell or the temporal pains of purgatory, driving them to buy indulgences or say endless prayers for relief. A Muslim might fear the torments of the grave or hellfire described in the Quran, driving them to scrupulously perform rituals and good works hoping to tip the scales toward paradise.

In both, there is an absence of assurance. A Muslim often says only Allah knows if I’ll be saved. And a devout Catholic might similarly say, I hope I don’t die in mortal sin. I hope I’ve done enough. How tragic, this is exactly what the enemy wants. Religious people busy with forms and never confident of God’s love.

Timothy 3.5 describes people having a form of godliness, but denying its power. The power of godliness is the gospel, the good news that Christ’s grace is sufficient and His righteousness covers us when we believe. That power is largely missing in these systems. Instead, millions shuffle through life burdened by guilt, fear, and an endless list of duties, hoping to appease God. In some places, people even harm themselves to prove devotion. Like Catholic flagellants whipping their backs or some Shia Muslims cutting themselves in mourning rituals.

These practices break the heart of the true God who says, I desire mercy and not sacrifice. Hosea 6:6. The tragedy is that the very rituals people trust in for salvation actually become a barrier to knowing God. They trust in a religion instead of a relationship. They may feel a solemn emotion during a mass or a prayer time, but never experience the new birth Jesus talked about. John 3:3.

And so, both Catholicism and Islam can create billions of followers who are religious but lost, ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Satan doesn’t mind people being religious, so long as they don’t find the saving truth in Jesus. He will happily let them continue with rituals that look holy, but don’t transform the heart. Is it any wonder that he influenced the development of such ritualistic systems? He seeks to replace the Son of God with a system of works and both these faiths in different ways do exactly that. But into this dark labyrinth of human effort, a voice calls.

At the core of this cosmic drama is a single vital question. Who is God and what is he like? The answer given by Rome’s religious system and by Islam is very different from the answer given at the cross of Calvary. The God of the Bible proved his character of love in this. While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5.8. The Son of God, equal with the Father, laid aside his glory and became a man, suffering and dying to save humanity. This is the profound heart of the Gospel.

For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son. John 3:16. Now, does the Catholic-Islamic amalgam confess this truth? Here is a dividing line. The Catholic Church, in theory, affirms Jesus died for our sins. Yet it complicates that simple faith with Mary’s merits, saints’ merits, indulgences, and repeated sacrifices of the Mass. It’s as if they say Jesus’ death wasn’t quite enough. You need the Church’s help and Mary’s help to be saved.

Islam outright denies that Jesus is the Son of God or that he truly died on the cross. Quran 4.15.7 declares Jesus was not crucified but it was made to appear so. Islam teaches that God has no Son and that it would be beneath him to die for humans. In fact, a Muslim is taught that Allah cannot have the kind of love that would sacrifice himself. Their God demands your sacrifice, even your life. But he doesn’t sacrifice himself.

Do you see the stark contrast? My heart swells with emotion at this realization. My God died for me. Theirs asks them to die for him. The God I serve, Jesus Christ, demonstrated ultimate humility and love. Whereas the gods of human invention, whether a distant Allah or an authoritarian Church hierarchy, exalt themselves and decree that followers must earn their favor.

As one former Muslim-turned-Christian remarked, the difference is, God so loved the world that he gave his only Son. That is the difference. Allah is a God of war and retribution, and Jesus Christ is a God of love who gives himself for us. How beautifully said!

The difference is Calvary. At Calvary, Jesus said, Father, forgive them, showing mercy to those who nailed him. In contrast, the spirit behind these false systems says, convert them or kill them, whether through crusade or jihad or inquisition. The God of the Bible weeps over lost souls and pleads, turn from your evil ways, for why should you die? Ezekiel 33.11. The counterfeit God, Satan, masquerading in various religious garbs, rages, submit or perish.

Look at the fruits. Jesus’ followers in the first centuries willingly died as martyrs, praying for their enemies. But later, under deception, so-called Christian and Muslim zealots killed others in God’s name.

Something changed, and that something was the loss of the true knowledge of God’s character. The character of God is the crux. The Bible says, God is love, 1 John 4:8. And greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends, John 15:13. Jesus exemplified that greater love by laying down his life not just for friends, but for sinners, for those who hated him.

Such love has power to melt the hardest heart. It draws us rather than forces us. In stark contrast, the spirit of Antichrist, working through both papal Rome and the false prophet Muhammad, denies the sacrificial love of God.

1 John 2.22 says, Who is a liar, but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is Antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. Islam explicitly denies Father and Son. Catholicism functionally diminishes the Son by elevating others beside him.

Either way, the unique truth of God’s self-giving love is obscured. But let it be shouted from the rooftops, God loves you so much he chose the nails and thorns. He would rather die than live without you.

No imam or priest can compete with that kind of love. No ritual or law could ever do what that love did on the cross, break the chains of sin, and offer eternal life as a free gift. Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Once we see the true face of God and Jesus, the enchantment of oppressive religion is broken. Fear is cast out by perfect love. 1 John 4:8. We realize we don’t need to flagellate ourselves, or kiss relics, or bow toward a stone. We need to simply accept Jesus and love him back by obeying his loving commands.

If God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 1 John 4:11. Not kill one another, or control one another. The true God wins our hearts not by threats, but by sacrificial love. This is the message that will expose the lie at the heart of both false systems.

Dear friend, we have traveled a long road uncovering the entwined roots of Catholicism and Islam. It’s a lot to take in. You might feel disillusioned, even angry, to learn that so much of what millions hold sacred is in fact a cleverly woven deception. Perhaps you are a Catholic whose heart burns hearing that your church could be involved in such intrigue, but deep down you may have noticed things in the church that don’t match the Bible.

Or perhaps you are a Muslim, shocked at the suggestion that Islam’s birth had hidden help from Rome. But in your soul, you might sense an emptiness that all the prostrations and fasting haven’t filled. Maybe you’re neither, just an observer marveling at this epic drama.

Whoever you are, know this. God loves the people in all religions. Jesus died for the Catholic monk pouring over his rosary in a monastery. He died for the Muslim mother striving to please Allah and raise her children right.

God commands all men everywhere to repent. Acts 17:30. Not because he hates them, but because he loves them and wants to save them from error and death.

In the book of Revelation, God sends a final urgent message. Babylon the great is fallen. Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins and lest you receive of her plagues. Revelation 18: 2-4.

Babylon is symbolic of the confused mixture of false religion. And yes, it encompasses the corruptions of papal Rome and all faiths that reject the pure truth of Jesus. Notice God calls people, my people who are still in Babylon.

That means he has sincere children inside the Catholic church, inside Islam, inside all denominations and faiths who are living up to what they know. But the time comes when truth is revealed and the choice must be made. Stay in the comfortable errors of Babylon or step out in faith to follow truth wherever it leads.

That time is now. The Holy Spirit is pleading with hearts around the world. Many Catholics are discovering the Bible for themselves and realizing they must follow sola scriptura, scripture alone, and leave traditions behind.

Many Muslims are receiving dreams of Jesus or finding a Bible and being captivated by Christ’s love. And secretly they become followers of Isa, Jesus. They risk much, but they gain eternity.

Will you be among those who come out? God is calling you. Yes, you who listen to or read these words. He’s saying, my child, come out of confusion. Come out of manmade requirements. Come away from the deception that mixes truth and lies. Come to me.

Jesus doesn’t say come to a church or come to a religion. He says, come to me. That is what matters. Find him and you will find peace. Friend, the Bible is your safe guide. Compare everything with scripture. Test these claims. God’s word will be a lamp to your feet. Psalm 119:105.

And pray. Ask God sincerely to show you the truth and he will. Seek and ye shall find. Matthew 7:7, Jesus promised. The Lord may lead you in steps, but follow each step. Find other truth seekers to fellowship with. There is a movement of people all over the world, leaving spiritual Babylon and coming together on the platform of Bible truth.

Above all, keep your eyes on Jesus. People may fail. Churches may disappoint, but Jesus never will. He says, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. Hebrews 13:5.

In these last days, the devil’s deceptions are intense. He’s uniting the world in error and preparing to enforce false worship on everyone. Revelation chapters 13, 16 to 17. But those who know their God shall stand firm.

It may seem like we are a small minority, scattered and weak, yet we are strong in the Lord. And we know how the story ends. Jesus wins. The kingdoms of this world will become the kingdom of our Lord. Revelation 11:15. Every imposter religion will crumble when Christ returns in glory. The question is, on which side will we be on that day?

I pray you choose Jesus, no matter the cost.