This week in World News Regarding Biblical Prophecy ── the Vatican. Robert Francis Prevost (aka Pope Leo XIV) has “consecrated” what is believed to be the tallest church building in the world (See: AP - Pope honors Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia as masterpiece of stone, color and light on Gaudí centenary).
Back in February, the cross at the top of the tower was installed. Raf Sanchez with NBC News has dubbed it “a gigantic five-story ceramic cross.” 1
Interestingly, it wasn’t until around 200 – 210 AD that we see writings, such as the Roman Catholic supporting Tertullian, suggesting that a cross is “a sign of Jesus.”
Alexander Hislop (1807 – 13 March 1865), a Free Church of Scotland minister, wrote in his book The Two Babylons concerning the cross ──
“It is certain that the X was the symbol of the god Ham in Egypt, and as such was exhibited on the breast of his image. Whichever view be taken, however, of Constantine’s sincerity, the supposed divine warrant for reverencing the sign of the cross entirely falls to the ground. In regard to the X there is no doubt that, by the Christians who knew nothing of secret plots or devices, it was generally taken, as Lactantius declares, as equivalent to the name of Christ. In this view, therefore, it had no very great attractions for the Pagans, who, even in worshipping Horus, had always been accustomed to make use of the mystic tau or cross as the ‘sign of life’ or the magical charm that secured all that was good and warded off everything that was evil. …… one more symbol of the Romish worship to be noticed and that is the sign of the cross. In the Papal system, as is well known, the sign of the cross and the image of the cross are ‘all in all.’ No prayer can be said, no worship engaged in, no step can almost be taken without the frequent use of the sign of the cross. The cross is looked upon as the grand charm, as the great refuge in every season of danger, in every hour of temptation as the infallible preservative from all the powers of darkness. The cross is adored with all the homage due only to the Most High, and for anyone to call it, in the hearing of a genuine Romanist, by the Scriptural term, ‘the accursed tree,’ is a mortal offence. …The same sign of the cross that Rome now worships was used in the Babylonian Mysteries, was applied by Paganism to the same magic purposes, was honoured with the same honours. That which is now called the Christian cross was originally no Christian emblem at all, but was the mystic Tau of the Chaldeans and Egyptians—the true original form of the letter T—the initial of the name of Tammuz— …There is hardly a Pagan tribe where the cross has not been found. The cross was worshipped by the Pagan Celts long before the incarnation and death of Christ. …” 2
This outstanding research by Mr. Hislop should show everyone that the use of the “cross” is clearly an idol for billions upon billions of people worldwide! Question: Does anyone feel that God our Father would want true Christians to venerate a symbol that was used to torture and murder His Son? Note: It only takes a little research to learn about how and by what means the ancient Romans would crucify their prisoners, e.g., it involved suspension on a wooden cross or stake until death.
Reference Deuteronomy 21:23; Galatians 3:13. “( … ’ Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree’).” An old oak tree stripped of branches with a cross beam tied to it. (Ai-generated)
“Ancient Romans did indeed use permanent trees—specifically upright wooden posts or stakes. These were often oak or olive trees that had been set firmly in the ground before the condemned arrived at the execution site. The tree was not a temporary cross; it was a fixed structure, sometimes several feet tall, to which the victim was tied or nailed.” 3
Early Church of God groups have historically avoided using the “cross” symbol. The Paterines also considered the “cross” as the sign of the “mark of the beast” ──
“About the year 1040, the Paterines had become very numerous at Milan, which was their principle residence, and here they flourished at least two hundred years. They had no connection with the [Catholic] church; for they rejected not only Jerome of Syria, Augustine of Africa, and Gregory of Rome, but Ambrose of Milan; considering them, and all other pretended fathers, as corrupters of Christianity. They particularly condemned pope Sylvester as Antichrist. They called [the adoration of] the cross the mark of the beast.” 4
It is of interest to note the following admission in an article on the Paulicians by the Catholics ──
“A distinctive feature of Paulician practice was their rejection of the Cross as a symbol of worship. Instead, they honored only the book of the Gospel. … Since Gibbon the Paulicians have often been described as a survival of early and pure Christianity, godly folk who clung to the Gospel, …” 5
Also of interest, Puritans (a group of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to reform the Church of England by eliminating practices they viewed as remnants of Roman Catholicism) were also opposed to the cross symbol. Still, of course, in time, they again adopted Catholic doctrines and beliefs.
Yet, to this very day, true Christians are opposed to the cross symbol.
A publication of The Messenger of Truth ── an organic, precursor of the Church of God (Seventh Day), in its November 1854 periodical had the following ──
“Now this mark in the forehead, we say is the “cross;” for it is a mark or sign of Catholicism, or of the first beast. …Although it may seem out of place here, yet I wish to say a few words to illustrate this message. The cross that we see on yonder meeting house, was not placed there as a sign, or symbol of “Our Salvation,” (as the Catholics say), but in reality a sign, or demonstration of Satan’s victory over the Son of God: Acts 2, 23) ── …Therefore, those who make the cross their household God, pocket companion wear it in their foreheads & shew their true character, and that of their master; that he was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth.” 6
Now, regarding this false self-proclaimed prophetess, Ellen G. White of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, she once wrote ──
“Papists place crosses upon their churches, upon their altars, and upon their garments. Everywhere is seen the insignia of the cross. Everywhere it is outwardly honored and exalted. But the teachings of Christ are buried beneath a mass of senseless traditions, false interpretations, and rigorous exactions. …The worship of images and relics, the invocation of saints, and the exaltation of the pope are devices of Satan to attract the minds of the people from God and from His Son.” 7
The definition of “Papist” is a Roman Catholic.
But, of course, their doctrine has since changed; no later than 1997, a cross-containing logo has been in use by the official SDA Church. Also, they were not the only ones to adopt the Catholic cross symbol, or rather mark. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) did as well. However, notice this from July 2011 ──
“The Meaning of the Cross for Latter-day SaintsAll of us have passed by churches that have a cross on their steeples or cupolas, and we’ve all seen people wearing a necklace with a cross, indicating they are Christian or a member of a certain Christian denomination. Some of our new members may even continue to wear a cross, feeling that it connects them with their past or other religious traditions. …We may wonder why we Latter-day Saints don’t place a cross on our churches or wear a cross to show that we are Christians, thereby making it easier for others to identify in whom we believe. …The blessing of what happened on the cross is witnessed in our behavior, our families, and our standards. We are Christians in the true inward sense, and we display Christ to the world through our lives, our message, and our love rather than through a symbol whereby we are identified.”
Of course, their doctrine changed… “Sur-prise, sur-prise, sur-prise!” ──
“On March 25, 2026, the church announced the installation of a cross-centric statue on Temple Square. To be clear, the image—which depicts Jesus carrying the cross—isn’t terribly dissimilar from images with which LDS folks may be accustomed in other contexts. But when coupled with an increasingly public embrace of mainstream Christian Easter traditions, … it seems to mark a notable change of tone for the church generally and Temple Square specifically, particularly when it comes to cross-related imagery …Previously, most imagery on Temple Square tended to focus on non-cross-related imagery, opting instead for images of Jesus performing miracles, teaching, or as a resurrected being. …Now, visitors to Temple Square will be initially greeted with cross-imagery that feels and looks like it could be placed as comfortably in a Catholic Cathedral as it could be in a Protestant mega-church.”
Now, after writing that, the author apologizes ── “I don’t mean that in any way that is disparaging …”
So, indeed, Mormons are moving closer in line to Catholicism and all other “Christian” organizations around the world. Also, let it be duly noted that the SDAs have adopted the doctrine of the Trinity (be sure to read our article “Is God a Trinity?”), which they were initially teaching against, which, now combined with their cross acceptance, has made them more “acceptable” to the Greco-Roman Catholic and Protestant organizations.
The LORD God has warned us, brethren ──
“’ Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. 5) For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.’” – Revelation 18:4, 5.
The LORD God also, through the inspired writings of the Apostle John, has warned us ──
“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16) For ALL THAT IS IN THE WORLD ── the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life ── is not of the Father but is of the world.” – 1 John 2:15-16.
Yet… and the television show Blue Bloods, every episode, flaunted the sign of the cross (they were, after all, portraying an Irish American Catholic family) ── the Roman catholic Church and “her daughter churches” do not seem to care or realize that the cross is the mark of the beast.
God’s living word is clear that He is against anyone who “worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand” ── they “shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, …” – Revelation 14:9. □
Sources:
1 Sanchez R., Pope Leo to hold iconic Mass at Spain’s Sagrada Família, NBC News, 9 June 2026.
2 Hislop, A., The Two Babylons, Compiled, Formatted and Edited by Avram Yehoshua. https://seedofabraham.net/The%20Full%20Hislop-2012-04-14.pdf. pgs. 162, 197-201. Retrieved 14 June 2026.
3 Kohler, K. & Hirsch, G. E., CRUCIFIXION, Jewish Encyclopedia.com, Retrieved 14 June 2026.
4 Jones, W., The history of the Christian church: from the birth of Christ to the XVIII century, including the very interesting account of the Waldenses and Albigenses, Gallatin, Tenn.: Church History Research & Archives, 1983, pg. 500.
5 Knight, K., Catholic Encyclopedia Online, “Paulicians” Retrieved 14 June 2026.
6 Clark, E., The Beast and his Image, The Messenger of Truth, 2 Nov. 1854, Vol. I, No. IV, pg. 2.
7 White, E.G., The Great Controversy Between Christ And Satan, Pacific Press Publishing Ass., Mountain View, Ca, 1911, pg. 568.
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