Kings of the earth

[3 Resurrections]

Feel free to post a link to a Facebook page if you wish, RB, but it’s not a page of my creation.  I do NOT have a Facebook account.  Have NEVER had one, as God is my witness.

I don’t do tweet, never did MySpace, or do any other kind of social media either, except post on 4 different Christian forums. 

[RB]

Feel free to post a link to a Facebook page if you wish, RB, but it’s not a page of my creation.  I do NOT have a Facebook account.  Have NEVER had one, as God is my witness.

I don’t do tweet, never did MySpace, or do any other kind of social media either, except post on 4 different Christian forums.

I would not post it here but in a PM.

[Amo]

For Amo and your question, yes I am a Preterist, but not one that is typical of your experience probably.  And if you think that Jesus did not die at the location of the city of Jerusalem, then you have problems with various scriptures that say this happened there at Jerusalem in no uncertain terms.  Jesus was crucified on the crest of the Mount of Olives on the east side of Jerusalem.  Try Luke 9:31 for example.  On the Mount of Transfiguration, it says Moses and Elijah “spake of his decease which he should accomplish AT JERUSALEM”.

Mat 27:33 And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull, 34 They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink. 35 And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots.

Mar 15:22 And they bring him unto the place Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, The place of a skull. 23 And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh: but he received it not. 24 And when they had crucified him, they parted his garments, casting lots upon them, what every man should take.

Joh 19:16 Then delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified. And they took Jesus, and led him away. 17 And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha: 18 Where they crucified him, and two other with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst.

Heb 13:11 For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp. 12 Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. 13 Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach. 14 For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come.

Emphasis in the following quotes is mine.

https://www.britannica.com/place/Golgotha

Golgotha, (Aramaic: “Skull,”) also called Calvary, (from Latin calva: “bald head,” or “skull”), skull-shaped hill in Jerusalem, the site of Jesus’ crucifixion. It is referred to in all four Gospels. The hill of execution was outside the city walls of Jerusalem, apparently near a road and not far from the sepulchre where Jesus was buried. Its exact location is uncertain, but most scholars prefer either the spot now covered by the Church of the Holy Sepulchre or a hillock called Gordon’s Calvary just north of the Damascus Gate.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calvary

Traditional site of Golgotha in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre
Calvary, or Golgotha, traditionally interpreted as reflecting Syriac: as it were Hebrew "skull" , was, according to the canonical Gospels, a site immediately outside Jerusalem's walls where Jesus was crucified.

https://www.evangelicalmagazine.com/article/golgotha-why-was-jesus-crucified-outside-the-city/

............................................ .....

Of course, Jesus didn’t go into the Old City to Golgotha. He went out of the city. All the gospel writers emphasise that Jesus was taken outside the city to be crucified. Unlike today, in 30 AD, the site of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre was outside the city walls.

You may be wondering why that is so important. It matters because Jews associate holiness and purity with places. So it was outside the city where the unclean was dealt with (e.g. Leviticus 14:33-45)................

[Amo]

Amo, you specifically asked me to correct you if you were wrong  You are wrong in thinking I am deluded, and living in “la-la land” as you put it.  You are wrong in presuming that I think Satan is bound today.  He’s not.  He has already been destroyed utterly to ashes (and his demonic forces along with him).  They have long ago been crushed under the saints’ feet, according to Paul’s promise in Romans 16:20.  “And the God of peace shall crush Satan under your feet SHORTLY.”

You are wrong in totally disregarding Christ’s resurrection in AD 33 as being the “FIRST resurrection”.  Christ was called the “FIRST-fruits” in I Cor. 15:20 & 23.  Out of that “FIRST-fruits” group of Matthew 27 saints raised along with Him, Christ is uniquely called the “FIRST-begotten” in Heb. 1:6.  And also the “FIRST-born from among the dead” (Col. 1:18) to stand in God’s presence in that resurrected human form. 

Just how many “FIRSTS” do you need from scripture to convince you that the “FIRST resurrection” took place in real time with Christ’s resurrection in AD 33?  Far from making Revelation a “complete mess” as you call it, it clears up the whole issue of where you and I stand on the timeline of prophetic fulfillment.

You and I are waiting for the final THIRD bodily resurrection event in our future.  In the fall of AD 3033 to be exact, at the time that the Feast of Tabernacles would have been celebrated during Old Covenant days (as Zechariah 14:16-19 reminds us to keep that single FOT event in memory).  Our work as saints presently is to continue the Great Commission - the same as those saints who were awaiting the soon-coming SECOND resurrection that occurred on the day of Pentecost in the year AD 70, according to that concluding 1,335th day prophesied in Daniel 12:11-13.

On that occasion (Rev. 20:14-15), God emptied the wicked of Hades into Jerusalem’s Lake of Fire (its “second death” of the temple, its priesthood, and the nation since its Babylonian destruction in 586 BC).  The wicked dead were destroyed along with the devil and his angels, for whom that Lake of Fire in Jerusalem had been prepared. 

Isaiah 24:21-23 also spoke of the evil angelic host of high ones being first imprisoned and then destroyed together along with the “kings of the earth” (high priesthood) of Israel.  When that was done, the Lord of hosts would be manifested as reigning gloriously in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem.  These high priesthood “kings of the earth” in Jerusalem are no more in existence.  Consequently, neither are the evil angelic hosts in existence anymore, since they were prophesied to be imprisoned and destroyed “TOGETHER”.

Hades now since AD 70 is the equivalent of a computer trash bin that has been refilling once again with the wicked dead.  It will be emptied a final time for the destruction of the wicked at the THIRD resurrection in our future, to complete the purging process of God’s universe.

You are wrong in thinking that the saints have not yet “reigned with Christ”.   Any blood-bought saint “reigns in life” with the risen Christ (Rom. 5:17), who was installed on His high priestly throne at His first ascension on His resurrection day, according to Peter in Acts 2:29-36.

 Actually, any saint as a child of faith ever since creation has also shared in God’s reign over the world, which reign has always been an eternal one.  “Thy throne is established of old; thou art from everlasting”, the Psalmist spoke of God’s perpetual reign over His creation.

As for the passages you brought up from John 5 & 6 speaking of the “last day” resurrection, this “last day” was the same event anticipated by Peter, who said that “the end of all things is AT HAND” in HIS days (I Peter 4:7).  It was the same resurrection that Paul testified at least TWICE in scripture that was soon “ABOUT TO BE” in HIS days - one for the just and the unjust (II Tim. 4:1, Acts 24:15).

You too, Amo, just like RB, have never openly addressed the simple definition that God Himself gives of when an “AT HAND” prophecy is fulfilled.  Please give an honest, thorough review of Ezekiel 12:21-28 where God tells you exactly when “AT HAND” prophecies come to fulfillment.  They are NOT  “PROLONGED” into “times that are far off”, but are “spoken” and also “PERFORMED” in “YOUR DAYS” for the ones hearing them for the first time.  That means all of Revelation’s “AT HAND” unsealed prophecies of the future (Rev. 1:3 and 22:10) were fulfilled in THEIR DAYS - not prolonged into our “times that are far off” from John’s writing of Revelation.

There is no third resurrection mentioned in scripture. In fact there is not even a second resurrection mentioned in scripture. Though such is obviously implied when the bible speaks of the first resurrection, which means nothing if there is not at least a second resurrection. We know from scripture that there is a resurrection of life, and a resurrection of Damnation (Joh 5:29).

If the first resurrection is just a matter of who was raised first, then Christ's resurrection would not qualify, because there were other resurrections before His own. He Himself raised some of the dead before He was crucified. I can think of two He raised just off of the top of my head, these would then constitute the first and second resurrections according to your own bogus standard above. Although they were preceded by some during the old covenant as well.

Rev 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

How can the first resurrection mentioned above, consisting of all those beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and the word of God, who had not worshipped the beast, be the resurrection of Jesus. No one had been beheaded for the witness of Jesus, save perhaps John the Baptist alone, until after His crucifixion and resurrection. Yet the scriptures above testify that all those who suffered for the witness of Jesus, the word of God, and such as did not worship the beast, will take part in the first resurrection. Your position is flawed and not supported by scripture. It is the invention of those who wish to place the fulfillment of all new covenant biblical prophesy behind the development of the papacy, dark ages, and persecutions of the same, in order to bypass the same unto delusion. Leaving the new covenant era people of God without any prophetic guidance for the last two thousand years of their existence according to the will of the evil one himself, the present existence of whom you and yours deny altogether according to his will. So be it. Nevertheless scripture is true, and your testimony is not.

Rev 1:1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: 2 Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw. 3 Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.

According to your false testimony, the above scriptures should have said "shew unto his servants things which have already come to pass". To the contrary, they began to come to pass and have continued to be fulfilled ever since.

You are of course free to continue to believe that the evil one is already gone, and that the new covenant Church was left without any prophetic guidance for the last two thousand years and foreseeable future. Just as I am free to believe that you are totally deceived for doing so.

2Pe 1:19  We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:

[3 Resurrections]

Not sure, Amo, why you think it’s necessary to split hairs about Jesus’s death “AT Jerusalem” being different than His being crucified “outside the gate” of Jerusalem.  It’s the same thing.  The “place of the skull” actually IS the head of the Mount of Olives on the eastern side of Jerusalem.  Tradition can be and often is mistaken regarding landmarks.   Tour guides of Jerusalem’s sites are not infallible.

The main access road coming from “Ros” or the “head” of the Mount of Olives led from the crest of the Mount of Olives downhill to an eastern gate into the city.  The Romans crucified Jesus at a point where all travelers into the city would likely pass and view His punishment taking place.  Helped to instill fear and submission in the populace.

Do you remember when King David had to flee Jerusalem during Absalom’s rebellion?  II Samuel 15:30 says that “David went up by the ascent of Mount Olivet, and wept as he went up...”.  “And it came to pass that when David was come to the top of the Mount, where he worshipped God, behold Hushai the Archite came to meet him...” (v. 32).  Then in the next chapter 16:1, it says that “when David was a little past the top of the hill behold Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth  met him...”(it’s “past Ros” in the LXX - which means “past the head” or “chief part” in Greek). 

This “head”, or top of Mount Olivet is the “place of the skull” where Jesus was crucified.    opposite the temple on the east side of Jerusalem. It’s also where Jesus bodily returned and stood in judgment on the city of Jerusalem in AD 70.  He gathered His resurrected saints to meet Him in the air then, and returned with them to present them to the Father in heaven.  A fitting site to choose for returning victoriously to the scene of the crime against Himself, don’t you think?  Poetic justice.

[3 Resurrections]

Hey again Amo,

Sure, there are places where a third resurrection is mentioned in scripture.  I’ve submitted these references before a couple of times, but you must have missed them.  I’ll dig back in my notes and give a link if you want.

And Christ as the “First-begotten” one of the “First-fruits” qualified as being the “First-born” of the “FIRST resurrection” because He was absolutely the FIRST ONE TO STAND IN GOD’S PRESENCE WITH A RESURRECTED, GLORIFIED HUMAN BODY IN HEAVEN.  No other person resurrected to eternal life before Christ had done that before He did; not Lazarus, the Shunamite’s  son, not Elijah, nor even Enoch - NO ONE had yet ascended to the Father until after Christ had done so on His resurrection day.  Face-to-face with God our Father in a resurrected, glorified human body is our salvation completed.  Nothing short of that. 

And you err in thinking scripture says ALL of those souls mentioned in Rev. 20:4 who had reigned with Christ would rise from the dead in the First Resurrection.  It was only the “REMNANT (loipoi) of the dead” who did so as the “First-fruits” along with Christ.  Matthew 27:52-53 says it was “MANY” who rose with Christ the First-fruits.  Rev. 14:4 says that the “First-fruits” numbered 144,000, and Rev. 7 says they were from Jewish tribes only (from those graves around Jerusalem that broke open in the earthquake when Christ died). 

The number of 144,000 is an impressive amount, but it is not ALL who had been listed in Rev. 20:4; it’s only PART of their number - a “REMNANT” of that list of dead ones.  This is the “REMNANT” who “lived again” in the “First resurrection” when the resurrecting Christ brought them with Him out of the grave.

And it is YOU, Amo, who mistakenly wants to hang onto the idea that God did not destroy Satan when He promised to in Romans 16:20.  There are many such proofs in scripture of when the demonic realm was burned up long ago, but you either just gloss over them, or you aren’t interested.  The REAL enemy at present is no further away than our own deceptive hearts. 

I have never taken the position that there is no prophetic guidance from scripture for us in these New Covenant ages.  Have you missed where I have spoken on this topic of what we presently can expect until Christ’s final return?  I have not been silent on this.

And apparently you have also missed Rev. 1:19 where John was told to write “the things which thou HAST seen” (PAST events John already knew about), and “the things which ARE” (presently happening back then in John’s days), “and the things which are ABOUT TO BE hereafter” (the NEAR future for John’s first-century readers).  These prophecies of the near future that John wrote down were ALL fulfilled soon after John wrote about them.  Those he was forbidden to write down are applicable to us in times AFTER AD 70 (Rev. 10:4).  Though John doesn’t describe the content of these unwritten prophecies, yet we know from other scripture a few things we can expect in our future.  And they are probably not what you have been taught to expect.

[RB]

Rev 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

How can the first resurrection mentioned above, consisting of all those beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and the word of God, who had not worshipped the beast, be the resurrection of Jesus. No one had been beheaded for the witness of Jesus, save perhaps John the Baptist alone, until after His crucifixion and resurrection. Yet the scriptures above testify that all those who suffered for the witness of Jesus, the word of God, and such as did not worship the beast, will take part in the first resurrection.

Amo, the red highlight is mine for discussion.

I will add more later, your choice of words ( in this case...... WILL ) is expressing a future tense when John never used it in that tense~consider:

Revealtion 20:5,6~"But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years."

What John saw were men though they had died, NEVERTHELESS, they were still living , which John said this IS the first resurrection~in other words they had ETERNAL LIFE at the point they experience the first resurrection, which without question was a spiritual birth from being dead in trespasses and sins to eternal where they would TRULY never died again~that is, spiritual speaking~John adds more when he said those who had a part in the first resurrection, the second death, which is perishing in the lake of fire had NO POWER OVER THOSE WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED THE FIRST RESURRECTION.

To confirm what I'm saying~John clearly said they had died not experiencing the first resurrection lived not again until the thousand years were finished~which would be a time when ALL shall rise per John 5:

John 5:25-29~"Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. (this IS the FIRST resurrection~RB ) For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation."

This is the SECOND resurrection per the word of God.

[RB]

And apparently you have also missed Rev. 1:19 where John was told to write “the things which thou HAST seen” (PAST events John already knew about), and “the things which ARE” (presently happening back then in John’s days), “and the things which are ABOUT TO BE hereafter” (the NEAR future for John’s first-century readers).  These prophecies of the near future that John wrote down were ALL fulfilled soon after John wrote about them.

A couple of thoughts concerning your posts. 

You are very deceitfully adding to God's word~shame on you. Revelation 1:19 does not read the way you said~here's John's exact words, if you care to know:

"Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;

Hereafter covers the entire church age from John to the Great White Throne Judgment, and right on into the world yet to come! You added:

“and the things which are ABOUT TO BE hereafter”

That's a very bold act of you adding to God's word in spite of warnings to all that read the prophecies of Revelation!

Revelation 22:18,19~"For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book."

You would do well if you heed this warning from heaven.

I have a few words for you on your teaching from Revelation 7~but I will do another post later. 

[3 Resurrections]

No, RB, I am NOT “deceitfully adding to God’s word.  No “shame” accrues to me for using the YLT translation of this verse, which acknowledges just how soon those Revelation prophecies were to take place (as presently near in John’s days). 

The KJV version (which I know you hold to as the ONLY permissible version to use) has missed the full implication of the Greek “mellei” term in Rev. 1:19.  Four translations at least do NOT miss the imminence of the “mellei” term in Rev. 1:19 for Revelation’s prophetic fulfillments, even if the KJV translators were reluctant to do so.  You are crippled in your understanding if you are devoted solely to the one KJV.

Here it is in the YLT for those who, unlike you, do not limit themselves to just one version.

“Write the things that thou hast seen, and the things that are, and the things that are ABOUT TO COME after these things;”

What really bothers me is that you still have not found a moment to study Gods definition of what an “AT HAND” prophecy means in Ezekiel 12:21-28.  This requires no Greek whatever, and clearly brackets all of  Revelation’s unsealed, written prophecies of the future (from the very beginning of the book to the very end) to a time that was PRESENTLY EXISTING in John’s days.  Yet you cannot seem to face this definition that God Himself gives you in Ezekiel 12:21-28 and apply it consistently to Revelation 1:3 and 22:10. 

I know you are a busy man and you struggle with weariness, but as long as I have been encouraging you to address this point, you seem very reluctant to do so.  Why is that?

[Rella]

Not to hijack your reply to Amo but a question or two beg for a comment.

The number of 144,000 is an impressive amount, but it is not ALL who had been listed in Rev. 20:4; it’s only PART of their number - a “REMNANT” of that list of dead ones.  This is the “REMNANT” who “lived again” in the “First resurrection” when the resurrecting Christ brought them with Him out of the grave.

Where is this written?

And it is YOU, Amo, who mistakenly wants to hang onto the idea that God did not destroy Satan when He promised to in Romans 16:20.  There are many such proofs in scripture of when the demonic realm was burned up long ago, but you either just gloss over them, or you aren’t interested.  The REAL enemy at present is no further away than our own deceptive hearts.

  Amo is right. You are not

I have never taken the position that there is no prophetic guidance from scripture for us in these New Covenant ages.  Have you missed where I have spoken on this topic of what we presently can expect until Christ’s final return?  I have not been silent on this.

Well, I for one have missed it. Would you please start a dedicated thread on the idea of "prophetic guidance from scripture for us in these New Covenant ages"?

And apparently you have also missed Rev. 1:19 where John was told to write “the things which thou HAST seen” (PAST events John already knew about), and “the things which ARE” (presently happening back then in John’s days), “and the things which are ABOUT TO BE hereafter” (the NEAR future for John’s first-century readers).  These prophecies of the near future that John wrote down were ALL fulfilled soon after John wrote about them.

You still cannot provide any "proof" that Revelation was not written in 96.

Interesting enough that Dr. J. MacArthur, a premillennialist, says this about the dating of Revelation.

Those who hold to the early date [pre- A.D. 70] see in Jerusalem’s destruction the prophesied second coming of Jesus Christ in its first phase. External evidence for the earlier (Neronian) date is almost nonexistent. On the other hand, the view that the apostle John penned Revelation near the end of Domitian’s reign was widely held in the early church. The second-century church father Irenaeus wrote . . .[see above quote] . . . The church fathers Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Victorinus, Eusebius, and Jerome also affirm that Revelation was written during Domitian’s reign . . . The testimony of the early church that Revelation was written during Domitian’s reign is difficult to explain if it was actually written during Nero’s reign
https://www.neverthirsty.org/bible-qa/qa-archives/question/when-was-the-book-of-revelation-written/

I shall stop before I drag this in another direction from the OT

[Amo]

We are going way off topic for this thread. I'm going to start another one under the title of Preterism in a bit, so we can continue without steering this thread way off course. If I can, I will copy and paste the posts here which have been addressing the same.

[Amo]

Bad idea trying to copy and paste posts to another thread. To time consuming and problematic. I'll just ask all of us debating Preterism to please shift the discussion to the thread started for the same. Thank you.

[3 Resurrections]

Sorry to have drifted from the main thrust of your topic, Amo.  Yet the subject of what was then “AT HAND” in Revelation is very relevant indeed to who the “kings of the earth” were.

Since scripture equates these “kings of the earth” with the high priesthood role in Israel (not the other “kings of the whole habitable world”, which is something else in Rev. 16:14), this role was physically eradicated by the close of AD 70. 

In GOD’s EYES, the “change in the law” concerning the priesthood had occurred with Christ being ordained our high priest on His resurrection-day ascension.  However, the rebellious Jews at that time who would not acknowledge Jesus as that “Great high priest” needed to have their system physically squashed in front of them in AD 70 - just to erase the possibility of the whole competitive system ever being re-established.  No individual Jew today can prove an unbroken line of descent from the formerly-approved ZADOK family line, which prevents them, as “polluted”, from ever claiming that high priesthood position (per Ezra 2:62’s restriction).

Why is this important?  Because every single prophecy in Revelation regarding the “kings of the earth” as high priests would REQUIRE that their fulfillment take place while there were still “kings of the earth” / high priests still around to perform those actions.  In other words, this term “kings of the earth” limits Revelation’s prophetic fulfillments to the time PRIOR TO AD 70, when the tribes’ genealogical family records were all burned up and the temple priesthood operations were physically squashed for all time.

[Amo]

Getting off topic is easy, as everything scriptural is connected one way or another. Done it myself many times. When I have some time I'll continue our conversation in the Preterism thread.

[Amo]

https://www.newsday.com/news/new-york/cuomo-de-blasio-embrace-pope-s-message-as-visit-nears-1.10868205

Quoted article below from link above.

Cuomo, de Blasio embrace pope's message as visit nears

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio on Sunday both evoked and commended Pope Francis' message of social and economic justice before the pontiff's visit this week to New York City.

"Repentance, forgiveness, non-judgementalism, nondiscrimination, helping those who are less fortunate, that's Pope Francis' gospel," Cuomo said at a service at Mount Neboh Baptist Church in Harlem. "There's an opportunity for us, because the essential message is do justice."

The governor said Francis has "transcended" Catholics and Christians and been embraced by all religions.

De Blasio, in an interview on ABC's "This Week," shared the same sentiment, saying, "His holiness has captured the imagination of the entire world -- Catholic believers and nonbelievers and people of all faiths -- because he's talking about what a moral structure looks like that actually is inclusive."

The mayor said the Catholic church preaches "fairness in every sense."

He and Cuomo, fellow Democrats and frequent political rivals, took to separate pulpits Sunday to promote separate agenda items using the pope's call for justice and equity. De Blasio, at the Christian Cultural Center in East New York, Brooklyn, called for raising standards in education while Cuomo at Mount Neboh called for the raising of the state's minimum wage.

The governor urged the parishioners to back his push for a $15 minimum wage for all workers. His office later Sunday said 96 clergy members had signed on to the Mario Cuomo Campaign for Economic Justice, named for the former governor, Andrew Cuomo's late father.