The Vatican’s decision yesterday to recognize Palestine as an independent state upset two End Times commentators, who told WorldNetDaily that the move may potentially lead to millions of deaths, a surge in anti-Semitism and the Last Days.

Joel Richardson claimed that Catholic Church under Pope Francis “has capitulated to the spirit of the age, has turned their back on the God of Israel, and has stumbled headlong into the darkness,” while Carl Gallups alleged that the move “gives credence to the theory of many evangelicals that the church is foretold in Revelation as the Harlot and will be given over to apostasy.”

The diplomatic recognition of the “state of Palestine” by the Vatican will open the door to a new wave of anti-Semitism and endanger millions of Israeli Jews and Arabs, charge several leading evangelicals who have written about the end times.

And the controversial decision by Pope Francis is even leading to allegations the Roman Catholic Church will be an adversary to Christians and the state of Israel during those times. New York Times bestselling author and filmmaker Joel Richardson slammed the decision as “an act of profound hatred toward the Jewish people globally.”

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“To support a Palestinian state without demanding that they first unequivocally renounce and repent of their plans for the Jewish people is to have a hand in the violence that follows,” he said. “Today the Catholic Church has committed an act deeply grievous to the God it claims to represent.”

Talk-show host, pastor and author Carl Gallups agrees that the impact of the Vatican’s decision will be catastrophic. However, the author of “Final Warning: Understanding the Trumpet Days of Revelation” says he isn’t surprised.

Gallups told WND: “This really should come as no huge shock to the world, especially to the Christian world, because this pope has made similar statements supporting the Palestinian cause. As far as I know, this is the first time he’s called for a Palestinian state explicitly, however. And this is disturbing prophetically and geopolitically, because it will fuel the current wave of anti-Semitism that is sweeping the globe.

“It is important to remember there has never been a nation state in that area except Israel. So some kind of ‘Palestinian nation’ is only going to be used to fuel this fire by the leftists and godless who are mobilized by hatred of Israel and Jews. Though I’m an evangelical, I find it so tragic that this statement is coming from the pope, who so many believe should be a bastion of Christianity. But this pope is a leftist theologically speaking and politically speaking,” he said.

Gallups says the foreign-policy stance of the Vatican may presage deep divisions between the Roman Catholic Church and evangelical Christians.

“This decision gives credence to the theory of many evangelicals that the church is foretold in Revelation as the Harlot and will be given over to apostasy,” he said. “It’s very disturbing but not completely shocking coming from this pope and at this time in history. Again, we are living in prophetic times.

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Richard [sic] said that in recognizing Palestine as its own state, the Catholic Church “has capitulated to the spirit of the age, has turned their back on the God of Israel, and has stumbled headlong into the darkness.”