The Head of the Snake Part 2
This article should probably have been Part 1, as I deliver the historical and prophetic context to the free will debate.
Emotions got the better of me. Oh well, it is what it is.
I hope this article gives some context for why I am so passionate about God’s sovereignty in our salvation. I have spent some time laying this out, and I have provided many links for your historical edification, as well as biblical links to relevant passages and prophecy.
Step 1 - The Rise of the Papacy
Please read my article on 538 AD as the pivotal time in history of the ascendancy of the Papacy to the all-powerful position it held for 1,260 years.
Please read Chapter 7 of Daniel to understand the prophetic significance of the Papacy.
The Papacy is the Head of the Snake to which the title of this article refers.
The Papacy represented the fulfilment of Daniel’s prophecy, as interpreted for Daniel in the light of his distress:
Daniel 7:23-25 LSB “Thus he said: ‘The fourth beast will be a fourth kingdom on the earth, which will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth and tread it down and crush it. (24) ‘As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings will arise; and another will arise after them, and he will be different from the previous ones and will make low three kings. (25) ‘He will speak words against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make changes in seasons and in law; and they will be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time.
The fourth beast referred to in this prophecy was Rome.
The ten horns were the ten tribes of Europe, as outlined in this article.
The three horns “made low” were the Vandals, Heruli, and the Ostrogoths eliminated in 538 AD, making way for the absolute power of the Papacy.
Step 2 - The Reformation, and Why it Failed
Read the history of the Reformation from this link.
Jesus prophesied the failure of the Reformation movement in the Letter to Sardis:
Revelation 3:1-6 LSB “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: This is what He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars, says: ‘I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. (2) ‘Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of My God. (3) ‘So remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. Therefore if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you. (4) ‘But you have a few names in Sardis who have not defiled their garments, and they will walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. (5) ‘He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments, and I will never erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. (6) ‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’
Jesus proclaimed that even though the Reformers started with the right intentions, they became corrupted by the works of Satan. Jesus demanded their repentance.
I am of the initial persuasion of the Reformers, without their later corruption. We are saved by grace through faith, a sovereign act of Jesus, so that no one may boast (Ephesians 2). This is a key theological concept, and the theology that overrides all other apparent contradictions within Scripture.
The first words from Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount are key:
Matthew 5:3 LSB “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
This is my present tense reality. I try to live this out every day, but I am human, and I fail.
Step 3 - The Counter-Reformation
Read the history of the Catholic Counter-Reformation from this link.
Step 4 - The Jesuits and Their Role in the Counter-Reformation
Watch this video from Walter Veith, a historian of the Adventist Church.
Step 5 - Molinism: The Jesuits’ Answer to a Sovereign God
Read the history of Molinism at this link.
Luis de Molina fuelled the fire of the early church father discourse on the nature of Christ.
Click this link to view the Pelagian-Augustinian debates.
Step 6 - Arminianism: Jacobus Arminius’ View of Molinism
Whilst there are no referential historical links between Luis de Molina and Jacobus Arminius, the influence of de Molina in the works of Arminius is unmistakable.
Please read this summary of contemporary Arminianism.
The Future
We have just witnessed the appointment of the first American Pope, who has wasted no time in proclaiming “peace”, his version of an ecumenical future where we are all one under his god.
The White House today is possibly the most Catholic ever. Do your own research on this. The second beast of Revelation 12 is forming before our eyes, and most of us are blind to it.
I believe the US will become a dominant force in world politics, and will become an instrument of the Papacy in a one-world religion of “peace”. I am reminded of Jesus’ warning:
Matthew 10:34-39 LSB “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. (35) “For I came to SET A MAN AGAINST HIS FATHER, AND A DAUGHTER AGAINST HER MOTHER, AND A DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AGAINST HER MOTHER-IN-LAW; (36) and A MAN’S ENEMIES WILL BE THE MEMBERS OF HIS HOUSEHOLD. (37) “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. (38) “And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. (39) “He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.
Conclusion
The contemporary institutional church is full of the doctrines of men.
Both Calvin and Arminius, leading theologians of the Reformation period, whilst correct in much of their theology, failed at the last hurdle. That of the sovereign God, whose thoughts are way above our thoughts, who detests pride in mankind:
Isaiah 55:7-9 LSB Let the wicked forsake his way And the unrighteous man his thoughts; And let him return to Yahweh, And He will have compassion on him, And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon. (8) “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares Yahweh. (9) “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts.
From the days of the early church fathers to today, arguments have raged as to the nature of Jesus and how that relates to our own personal salvation. Revelation prophesies the effects of Babylon on the spiritual condition of mankind in the Church Age.
I find myself in the middle of these arguments, and I feel like Job, as I navigate the opinions of men.
Job had three close friends as advisors as he navigated the attacks of Satan. They all had advice for Job of varying kinds. Then Job made his plea to God in Chapters 29-31. Then in Chapters 32-37, Elihu speaks and rebukes Job. God Himself then rebukes Job in Chapters 38-41, commencing with:
Job 38:1-5 LSB Then Yahweh answered Job out of the whirlwind and said, (2) “Who is this that darkens counsel By words without knowledge? (3) “Now gird up your loins like a man, And I will ask you, and you make Me know! (4) “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell Me, if you know understanding, (5) Who set its measurements? Since you know. Or who stretched the line on it?
Job then realised his error and repented, and God completely restored him:
Job 42:1-6 LSB Then Job answered Yahweh and said, (2) “I know that You can do all things, And that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted. (3) ‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand, Things too marvelous for me, which I did not know. (4) ‘Hear, now, and I will speak; I will ask You, and You make me know.’ (5) “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; But now my eye sees You; (6) Therefore I reject myself, And I repent in dust and ashes.”
If I have offended anyone by my defence of Jesus Plus ZERO, I am not sorry, but rejoice that my writings are hitting the intended target. I know most who are offended will not change, because they are afflicted by the “strong delusion” Paul spoke of in 2 Thessalonians.
Remember that Jesus now sits at the right hand of God, above time as we know it:
Isaiah 46:9-10 LSB “Remember the former things long past, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, (10) Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, ‘My counsel will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure’,
For those who are foreknown of God, those being disciplined to finish the race assigned to them, press on towards the goal of Christ Jesus as your only teacher:
Matthew 23:8-10 LSB “But do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers. (9) “And do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. (10) “Do not be called instructors; for One is your Instructor, that is, Christ.
For those who have strong opinions, who abide within denominational boundaries, humble yourselves and repent. I beg of you.
John 15:1-9 LSB “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vine-grower. (2) “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He cleans it so that it may bear more fruit. (3) “You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. (4) “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit from itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. (5) “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. (6) “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. (7) “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. (8) “My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. (9) “Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love.
Repentance is not an event; it is a lifestyle of the humble before our Almighty God, creator of all we see, hear, smell, taste, and touch!
Many blessings
Geoff
PS: Please let me know if any of the links are not working. I have tried to verify them all, but pages change over time.
Geoff,
Thank you for explaining the historical and prophetic framework behind your position. I recognize your sincere desire to defend God’s sovereignty and the sufficiency of Christ. We agree that salvation is entirely by God’s grace and cannot be earned through works, religion, or human merit (Ephesians 2:8-10; Titus 3:4-7).
However, your response does not resolve my central concern: the assertion that “free will is a deception of Satan” and that people have “no choice” regarding salvation.
Scripture teaches that no one comes to Christ unless the Father draws him (John 6:44), but it also genuinely commands people to repent and believe (Mark 1:15), describes some as unwilling to come to Christ (John 5:40), warns against resisting the Holy Spirit (Acts 7:51), and invites whoever desires to receive the water of life (Revelation 22:17).
These responses do not earn salvation. God initiates salvation, Christ accomplishes it, and the Holy Spirit draws, convicts, and transforms. Nevertheless, Scripture holds people responsible for responding to God’s grace. God’s sovereignty and human responsibility must both be honored.
Your historical discussion also does not prove that Arminianism or meaningful human choice originated in satanic deception. You acknowledge that there are no documented historical links between Molina and Arminius yet call Molina’s influence “unmistakable.” Similarities do not establish dependence or spiritual corruption. Molina also lived in the sixteenth century and therefore could not have influenced the early Church Fathers.
Several prophetic conclusions are likewise interpretations rather than explicit biblical declarations. Connecting Daniel’s little horn with the papacy, Sardis with the failed Reformation, and the United States with the second beast belongs to a particular historicist framework. Faithful Christians interpret these passages differently. The second beast also appears in Revelation 13, not Revelation 12.
I am especially concerned about applying the “strong delusion” of 2 Thessalonians 2 to Christians who disagree with your theology. In context, Paul describes those who reject the truth during the coming of the lawless one, not sincere believers debating sovereignty and responsibility. The account of Job should likewise humble all of us, not position those who disagree with us as Job’s misguided counselors.
You rightly emphasize humility and repentance, which makes the statement, “If I have offended anyone…I am not sorry,” particularly troubling. The gospel may offend human pride, but not every offense caused by a Christian writer is necessarily the offense of Christ. Sometimes people are wounded because disputed interpretations were presented as unquestionable truth or fellow believers were unfairly condemned (Ephesians 4:15, 29-32; 2 Timothy 2:24-25).
My position remains simple: salvation is entirely the work and gift of God. Yet Scripture genuinely calls people to repent, believe, receive Christ, follow Him, abide in Him, and persevere. Affirming those biblical responsibilities is not “Jesus plus something,” nor is it satanic.
I respect your devotion to Christ, but neither Calvinism, Arminianism, historicism, nor any other human system should be equated with Christ Himself. Every interpretation, including yours and mine, must be tested by Scripture in context and by the whole counsel of God (Acts 17:11; 1 Thessalonians 5:21).
I have stated my position respectfully and will now leave the discussion here. May we both remain humble before God, faithful to His Word, and focused upon Jesus Christ.
God bless you, Geoff.