[The following material is from O Timothy magazine, Volume 13, Issue 2, 1996. David W. Cloud, Editor. All rights are reserved. O Timothy is a monthly magazine. Annual subscription is US$20 FOR THE UNITED STATES. Send to Way of Life Literature, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, Michigan 48061, fbns@wayoflife.org. FOR CANADA the subscription is $20 Canadian. Send to Bethel Baptist Church, P.O. Box 9075, London, Ontario N6E 1V0. The Way of Life Internet web site is http://www.wayoflife.org/.]
If you had been present on May 10, 1995, in the Regal Maxwell House Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee, you might have witnessed a strange ceremony. It was the opening scene of the American branch of the World Council of Churches. The group met in one room of the hotel, staged this ceremony, and moved to another room.
Four individuals gave greetings. Each one held a container of water. When each finished his greeting, he ascended the platform and poured the water into a large bowl. Then the leader read, "We are bound together by the water of baptism." With one person carrying the bowl of water, they had a musical procession to the main assembly area.
What was this all about? To a Bible-believer this ceremony depicted the formation of the one-world church predicted in Revelation. Symbolic baptismal waters would unite all creeds. Revelation indicates that this world church will be larger than professing Christianity. In keeping with that prophecy there were discussions with Judaism, a report on Moslem/Christian dialogue, and a commentary on World Council of Churches/Vatican involvement (John Ashbrook, "Cooperate or Separate?," The Ohio Bible Fellowship Visitor, November 1995) .