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I SHUDDER AT THE LAST THINGS
By: Francis P. Cummings III
Prefatory note: Eschatology is the science or the study of “The Last
Things”: Death, the Final Judgment, Heaven, and Hell; hence, the title of
this book.
Have you noticed within the last 30 or 40 years how much mankind and the
earth have changed? Have you paid any attention to the terrible things that
are happening in today’s modern world?
Have you taken note of the awful crimes
that are being committed as I write this? I
mean the multiple shootings at high schools
and universities, the abduction, rape and
murder of little children all over the globe,
the unspeakable crimes against women everywhere, the terroristic activities
of militant Middle Eastern Jihadists who are bent on blood and death here
and in Israel, in the U.K., in Europe, and indeed, in the entire world? And
have you noticed the very erratic weather and climate changes all over the
world? The terrible and multiple tornadoes striking our country at an
alarming rate have broken the weather record for all time. I don’t have to
mention New Orleans and Katrina or the many hurricanes that have
overwhelmed the South, the tsunamis in Indonesia, and the earthquakes
everywhere in the world. I can remember when we never had weather
conditions like these or seismological events of such serious proportions, so,
what is happening to our planet? Jesus said:
“There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues from place
to place; and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the
sky.”* (Lk. 21-11)
But it’s my intention to demonstrate to the reader how we got into this
present sorry mess in the first place, and how we can change the situation
somewhat. Let’s start with organized religion. There is, now, a general
disinterest in religion and, as a result, church attendance both here in the
U.S. and globally, is way down.
2
Church Attendance, for the most part is down
World-wide data:
The Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan
periodically conducts the World Values Survey. It polls a statistically
valid sample of adults from a total of 60 nations. Some of their findings from their 1995-
1997 survey:
The United States has a higher level of church attendance
than any other country which is “at a comparable level of
development.”
53% of Americans consider religion to be very important in
their lives. This compares with 16% in Britain, 14% in
France and 13% in Germany.
The importance of religion has been declining in developed
countries.
In those countries which are “experiencing economic
stagnation and political uncertainty,” the importance of
religion is high.
3
Political scientist Ronald Inglehart, one of the authors of the
Institute’s 1998 survey commented: “Although church
attendance is declining in nearly all advanced industrial
societies, spiritual concerns more broadly defined are not. In
fact, in most industrial societies, a growing share of the
population is spending time thinking about the meaning and
purpose of life.”
Percent of adults who attend religious services at least
once a week:
In order of decreasing attendance:
Country
%
Attendanc
e
Nigeria 89%
Ireland 84% *
Philippines 68%
N. Ireland 58%
Puerto Rico 52%
4
South Africa 56%
Poland 55%
Portugal 47% *
Slovakia 47%
Mexico 46%
Italy 45% *
Dominican
Republic44%
Belgium 44%
United States 44%
Turkey 43%
Peru 43%
India 42%
Canada 38% *
Brazil 36%
Netherlands 35%
Venezuela 31%
Uruguay 31%
5
Austria 30% *
Britain 27% *
Chile 25%
Argentina 25%
Spain 25%
Slovenia 22%
Croatia 22%
Hungary 21% *
France 21% *
Romania 20% *
Switzerland 16%
Australia 16%
Lithuania 16%
South Korea 14%
W. Germany 14%
Czech Republic 14% *
6
Taiwan 11%
Bulgaria 10% *
Ukraine 10%
Moldova 10%
Georgia 10%
China 9%
Armenia 8%
Serbia 7%
Montenegro 7%
Azerbaijan 6%
Belarus 6%
Latvia 5%
Denmark 5% *
Norway 5%
East Germany 5%
Sweden 4%
Iceland 4%
7
Finland 4%
Estonia 4%
Japan 3%
Russia 2%
* Based on 1990-1991 survey data.1
Since the above survey was taken, church attendance, worldwide, has
dropped even further. One can see that America has only 44% of its
churches filled while Africa, just booming with religion, and the
traditionally Catholic Eastern European Countries such as Poland, the
Catholic countries such as the Philippines and some of the Latino countries
remain over 50%. Still, in all, the decline in worship worldwide can be seen.
20 to 30 years ago, the average global church attendance was in the 80
percentile. And this is the oddest thing: over the years, this country and
many others have sent missionaries, especially priests, to Africa, India, and
other Third World countries. Now, ironically, these same countries are
sending missionaries to the U.S. because of a shortage of priests and other
clergy.
8
And yet, the bloodthirsty Jihadists pray in their mosques five times each day.
Could you picture, just for one moment, all of the Christians and Jews in
America praying five times a day? The thought is unsettling for most. And
yet, we all should pray to God frequently.
It is important to remember that there is no god by the name of Allah. Such
a god simply doesn’t exist. But God the Father exists, and Allah is only an
idea of God the Father concocted by a dreamer named Muhammad who
lived from approximately 570 to 630 A.D.
At one point in his life he made a journey on foot “to the farthest mosque”
from home (that was his intent), the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, at the
behest of the Angel Gabriel, or so says the Muslim religion. The Dome of
the Rock is the most sacred place to Jews, and the third most sacred place to
Muslims, next to Mecca and Medina. It is allegedly the place from which
Muhammad ascended into Paradise. This is nonsense, as we know. The
Jewish religion is thousands of years older than Islam, and the Jewish God,
God the Father, is also the Christian God. So, the Muslims have no claim, at
all, on the One God. If anything at all, Allah is, as stated above, an idea of
God the Father. The Jews revere this shrine because they believe it is the
exact location of Isaac’s preparation of Jacob for sacrifice to God the Father
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and they also believe that the Rock rests over the Holy of Holies of both
Solomon’s and Herod’s temples. The Muslim religion believes That
Ishmael, and not Jacob was to be sacrificed by Abraham.
To go a bit further, so that the reader can get a grasp of the beginnings and
tenets of the Muslim religion, I offer the following explanation. Islam traces
itself back to Abraham. Abraham’s wife, Sarai, was childless and could not
conceive (note: her name remained Sarai until she gave birth to Isaac and
then God renamed her Sara). And so, Sarai convinced Abraham to have
relations with her maidservant Hagar, that they might have a son. Abraham
took Sarai’s advice and a boy was born to Hagar. Hagar wanted the boy for
herself but was chastised by Abraham for this. Sarai also refused, but
eventually relented after the birth of Jacob and let her go her way with the
baby. Abraham supplied Hagar with a jug of water and some bread and sent
her into the wilderness of Paran. After some days, the bread and water ran
out and Hagar deserted the baby, Ishmael, because she couldn’t bear to
watch him die of hunger and thirst in the sweltering heat. But an angel
appeared to her and told her that she and her son would survive and then the
angel showed Hagar a fountain that was gushing with fresh water. She and
her son did survive, as the angel said. The angel said further that Ishmael
10
would grow to be the father of a great people. The Muslims believe this
“great people” to be Islam.
And the Muslims are feverish, devout and even fanatical at prayer, while our
churches and synagogues are closing at an alarming rate due to a general
lack of fervor in the West. Soon, it seems, hardly anyone will go to church
to worship the God that has been so demeaned by our organizations and
societies in recent years. One can hardly mention the name of God in a
public place without incurring the wrath of the local government.
We can thank our wonderful ACLU, The New York Times, The Washington
Post, The Huffington Post, our leftist college professors, our leftist television
stations, Hollywood, and the rest of our liberal friends for constantly
circumventing the truth and aiding and abetting those who have managed to
remove the image of God from almost all of our public places. And you’d
better not say His name, either.
II
11
Despotic World Figures
The present sheer numbers of despots and dictators, elected or otherwise,
are a great danger to the entire globe, as these men could start a world-wide
war, from the Pacific Rim to Eastern and Central Europe to the Middle East
all the way to the United States.
Kim Jong Il
Kim Jong-Il’s official biography states that he was born in a secret military
camp on Baekdu Mountain 백두산 in North Korea on February 16th, 1942.
Official biographers claim that his birth on Baekdu Mountain was foretold
by a swallow, and heralded by the appearance of a double rainbow over the
mountain and a new star in the heavens.2
And what a fairy tale that is. This most untrustworthy dictator has emerged
as a duplicitous snake. First, he says: “See, North Korea has shut down its
nuclear facilities,” and the world believes. Then, suddenly, we read about
North Korea’s long-range missile tests in the China Sea, and now, we are
12
informed that North Korea has just conducted an underground nuclear test
with a megatonage twice that of the bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima
and Nagasaki. The news channels continue to report that Kim Jong Il will
resume nuclear testing, especially the testing of the long-range ICBM that
can now almost reach Hawaii. Kim Jong Il makes the excuse that since the
U.S. once had missiles set up in Poland as an “umbrella” for Europe against
nuclear attack, he might have countered this “umbrella” and even challenges
the U.S. with warlike talk. He gets more and more dangerous every day.
Truly, Kim Jong Il is up to no good, and intelligence reports inform us that
North Korea and Iran are in bed together. Iran may be getting its uranium
from North Korea and may also be receiving hands-on help in building long
range ballistic missiles. Iran continues to enrich the uranium, saying:
“Oh, it’s only for energy purposes.”
North Korea bears close watching as does Iran if only because both
countries are run by megalomaniacs the likes of Adolf Hitler.
13
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, نژاد احمدی ,was born October 28th, 1956 محمود
and is the sixth and current President of the Islamic Republic of Iran. He
became president after winning the 2005 presidential election and was re-
elected to a second term in 2009 following a landslide victory. Many
Iranians and members of the international community have considered
Ahmadinejad’s most recent electoral victory to be fraudulent. Despite his
title, he does not hold the highest constitutional office in Iran, which belongs
to the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ali Khameni, who is also the commander-in-
chief of the armed forces of Iran, according to Article 113 of the
Constitution of Iran. Prior to becoming president, Ahmadinejad was mayor
of Tehran and governor general of Iran’s Ardabil Province.
Ahmadinejad has been a longtime critic of the United States and Israel, and
backs strengthening Iran’s relations with Russia, Venezuela, Syria, and the
Arab states of the Persian Gulf. By the way, Iran is Persian, and not Arab,
hence the usage of the term Persian Gulf.
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Ahmadinejad claims that Iran’s nuclear program is for electricity generation
and not for nuclear weapons development. Under his leadership, Iran has
refused to end nuclear enrichment despite United Nations Security Council
resolutions calling for it to do so. Ahmadinejad argues that the sanctions
imposed by the West over Iran’s nuclear enrichment are illegal and that Iran
will continue to abide by International Atomic Energy Agency monitoring of
its nuclear program.
According to a speech translation disputed by the Iranian government,
Ahmadinejad has called for the dissolution of the State of Israel. He also
calls for free elections in the region. He believes that the Palestinians need a
stronger voice in the region’s future.
One of Ahmadinejad’s most controversial statements was one in which,
according to the initial Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting translation, he
called for the “occupying regime” [Israel] to be “wiped off the map,” though
the translation and interpretation of the comment is disputed. He has also
15
been condemned for describing the Holocaust as a myth, which has led to
accusations of anti-semitism.3
Although Ali Khameni is the so-called Iranian Commander-in-Chief,
everyone knows that it’s Ahmadinejad who is calling the shots in Iran. The
world’s rulers meet with Ahmadinejad, not Khameni. Ahmadinejad is
currently the most dangerous man in the Middle East, and possibly, the
world.
Hu Jintao
I have included the name of the President of the Peoples’ Republic of China
Because China is still guided by the Marxist-Leninist ideology and is openly
Communist. This is not likely to change very soon. China is wealthy,
powerful, full of industry, and is a ranking nuclear power, as well. We, the
U.S.A., have borrowed heavily from China and we owe trillions. We are
beholden to China, make no mistake about it, and we will borrow from the
16
Chinese again. Our gargantuan national debt is almost beyond telling, and
it’s growing larger by the day. Soon our national debt won’t just be in the
trillions, it will be in the quadrillions. This is why we cannot exert much
pressure on China to bring about sanctions against Iran and North Korea. In
this sense, we are a “lame duck,” because we can’t “bite the hand that feeds
us.”
And we know full well that China wants to bring Taiwan back under its rule
even if it means destroying Taiwan completely. This situation, as it
currently stands is explosive. China has many options, including military
ones that even Russia will not try to change.
Vladimir Putin & Dmitri Medvedev
I am including Russia, also, because, as I suspected, when President Ronald
Reagan, on June 12, 1987, “commanded” Russia’s then President, Mikhail
17
Gorbachev, to “tear down this wall,” Gorbachev’s almost immediate
compliance seemed too good to be true, and it was.
Russia is still a dangerous enemy of the United States of America, was never
truly converted from its atheistic Marxist-Leninist belief ethic and is still a
danger to all of Europe and the rest of the world. The “Cold War” never
really got over. Dmitri Medvedev, the newly installed President of Russia,
is a puppet ruler for now because, according to the Russian rule of law, in a
few years, Putin can once again become president, and that’s why Putin
chose his own lackey to succeed him as President, while he, himself,
assumed the Chairmanship of the Communist Party in Russia.
Putin, once very high up in the KGB, was appointed head of the FSB, one of
the agencies that succeeded the former KGB, by Boris Yeltsin, in 1998, then
acting head of the Russian Government.4 Understand that Russia wants full
control of Eastern Europe with no interference from anyone. Putin has been
heavily criticized for his incursions into neighboring countries, once part of
the vast Soviet Union. The Russian attack upon Ossetia, Georgia, in 2008
was pure aggression and was completely out of order.
18
And many forget that Russia spent ten years in Afghanistan trying to seize
that country and annex it. Yet, the Soviets were surprised at the strength and
power of the Afghans, and gave up and returned to Russia after a decade of
bitter fighting.
Russia will not stop at Georgia or Afghanistan. Russia is a new member of
“The Axis of Evil,” along with Iran, North Korea, and Iraq, which is
contained for the moment. But, don’t be naïve. Russia is the only power in
the world that could face off with the U.S.A. in a nuclear war, and Russia
knows this.
HUGO CHAVEZ
This Venezuelan menace does not need a large spread of facts on his
activities. We know that he is anti-American and that many of his ideas are
based on Communistic teaching. He has a militia that he threatens the U.S.
with, at times, and it rather reminds one of the quaint story, “The Mouse that
19
Roared.” Venezuelans pay just 12 cents at the pump for gasoline due to
Venezuela’s huge oil supply, which it will not share with the U.S., and
Chavez is very sympathetic to the Castro brothers and Cuba, who also hold
to their Communist ideology. Chavez bears watching, but is not a very big
danger as are North Korea, Iran and Russia, and the Middle Eastern
Jihadists.
III
The Various Arab Terrorist Groups
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention some of the active terrorist groups that
are on the move against Israel, “God’s Little Acre” – His “Remnant,” and
against the United States of America and Great Britain.
Hamas
20
Hamas is a group of Palestinian terrorists who have hidden and embedded
themselves in the West Bank and Gaza for many years, and who have
repeatedly attacked southern Israel with Rockets and other armaments. The
first leader and co-founder of Hamas was a despot named Ahmed Yassin
who was assassinated in March of 2004 by an Israeli Hellfire missile-firing
helicopter. He was succeeded by Abdel Aziz Rantissi, who was head of
Hamas for a very short time, as he, too, was assassinated by Israeli military
forces in April of the same year. Rantissi was quoted by the Chicago
Tribune as saying,
“We will kill Jews everywhere. There will be no security for any Jews, those
who came from America, Russia or anywhere.”
Rantissi also denied, like Ahmadinejad, that the Holocaust ever took place.
Now, Israeli Intelligence says that Ismail Haniyah is head of Hamas on the
Gaza Strip. He was Yassin’s Bureau Chief while Yassin was in power.
Israel also believes that a Jihadist named Hassan Yusuf is in charge of
21
Hamas on the West Bank. Israel’s information is reliable and so the Hamas
leadership is probably split in two now.
Hamas along with Hezbollah is the most proximate danger to Israel right
now, and the danger is that, should all-out war break out between Israel and
Hamas, or Israel and Hezbollah, it’s likely that many other Arab groups
would join in and trigger a complete Middle Eastern conflict of mammoth
proportions.
HEZBOLLAH
Hezbollah: الل حزب , literally “party of God,” is a Shi’a Islamist political
and paramilitary organization based in Lebanon. Hezbollah is now also a
major provider of social services which operate schools, hospitals, and
agricultural operations for thousands of Lebanese Shiites, and plays a
significant part in Lebanese politics. It is regarded as a resistance movement
throughout much of the Arab and Muslim world. Many governments,
including Arab ones, have condemned actions by Hezbollah while others
22
have praised the party. Six western countries, including Israel and the United
States, regard it, in whole or in part, as a terrorist organization.5
Hezbollah wishes for only one thing: the complete annihilation of Israel.
And so, as I stated above, Israel has Hamas and Hezbollah to deal with right
now. Incidentally, Israel has some of its troops hunkered down in the Plain
of Megiddo. Megiddo, for those of you who don’t make the connection,
means Armageddon. That is the very plain on which the final conflict on
earth will take place.
Pakistan-based Terrorists
The 2008 Mumbai attacks consisted of more than ten coordinated
shooting and bombing attacks across Mumbai, India’s financial capital and
its largest city. The attacks, which drew widespread condemnation across the
world, began on the 26th of November, 2008 and lasted until November 29th,
killing at least 173 people and wounding at least 308.
23
Eight of the attacks occurred in South Mumbai at Chhatrapati Shivaji
Terminus, the Oberoi, the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower, The Leopold Cafe,
Cama Hospital, the Orthodox Jewish-owned, Nariman House, the Metro
Cinema, a lane behind The Times of India Newspaper building and St.
Xavier’s College. There was also an explosion at the Mazagaon docks, in
Mumbai’s port area, and in a taxi at Vile Parle. By the early morning of 28
November, all sites except for the Taj Mahal Palace had been secured by
Mumbai police and security forces. An action by India’s National Security
Guards (NSG) on 29 November resulted in the death of the last remaining
attackers at the Taj Mahal Palace, ending all fighting in the attacks.
Ajmal Amir Kasab, the only attacker who was captured alive, disclosed that
the attackers were members of Lashkar-e-Taiba (L.e.T), the Pakistan-based
militant organization, considered a terrorist organization by India, the United
States, and the United Kingdom, among others. The Indian Government said
that the attackers came from Pakistan, and their controllers were in Pakistan.
On January 7th, 2009, after more than a month of denying the nationality of
the attackers, Pakistan’s Information Minister Sherry Rehman officially
accepted Ajmal Amir’s nationality as Pakistani. On 12 February 2009,
Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rehman Malik, in a televised news briefing,
24
confirmed that parts of the attack had been planned in Pakistan and said that
six people, including the alleged mastermind, were being held in connection
with the attacks.6
I have taken the time and the paper to document the Mumbai attacks because
they were, literally, everywhere. There was no pity or human compassion
involved which we know was the case several times in WWII, Korea, and
Vietnam, not to mention Iraq. No, it was a bloodbath of terrible proportions.
Thirty years ago, these things would never have happened, and no one
would even contemplate such carnage. But we remember 9/11, the day on
which more Americans died than all of those who lost their lives at Pearl
Harbor.
25
THE TALIBAN
The Taliban (Pashto: طالبان ṭālibān, meaning “students”), also Taleban,
is a pro-Wahhabi Sunni Islamist, predominantly Pashtun fundamentalist
religious and political movement that governed Afghanistan from 1996 until
2001, when its leaders were removed from power by Northern Alliance and
NATO forces. It has regrouped, and since 2004, has come alive as a strong
insurgency movement, fighting a guerrilla war against the current
government of Afghanistan, Pakistan, allied NATO forces participating in
Operation Enduring Freedom, and the NATO-led International Security
Assistance Force (ISAF). It operates in Afghanistan and the Frontier Tribal
Areas of Pakistan.
The Taliban movement is headed by Mullah Muhammed Omar. Mullah
Omar’s original commanders were “a mixture of former small-unit military
commanders and Madrasa teachers,” and the rank and file made up mostly
of Afghan refugees who had studied at Islamic religious schools in Pakistan.
The overwhelming majority of the Taliban movement were ethnic Pashtuns
26
from southern Afghanistan and western Pakistan, along with a smaller
number of volunteers from Islamic countries or regions in North Africa, the
Middle East and the former Soviet Union. The Taliban received valuable
training, supplies and arms from the Pakistani government, particularly the
Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), and many recruits from madrasahs for
Afghan refugees in Pakistan, primarily ones established by the Jamiat-ul-
Islam (JUI).
Although in control of Afghanistan’s capital (Kabul) and much or most of
the country for five years, the Taliban regime, which called itself the
“Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan”, gained faint diplomatic recognition.
The Taliban implemented one of the “strictest interpretation[s] of Sharia law
(Islamic Law) ever seen in the Muslim world”.7 The women look out on the
world through a small facial grill. The bodies of these women are covered
from head to foot in a black habit called a birka. One would think that the
Taliban would have mercy on the women and let them wear white, so hot
does it get in Afghanistan. And if women are caught wearing nail polish,
27
their fingertips are cut off. The Taliban defends this practice by saying that
this punishment protects the women’s’ virtue.
It should be noted here that the Taliban and Al Qaeda are two totally
different organizations with different leaders.
There is some disagreement about which organization is older. Most say
that the Taliban was founded before Al Qaeda. Nevertheless, both were
founded about 1988.
The Taliban against the world
The Taliban regime faced international scrutiny and condemnation for its
policies. Only Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and the United Arab Emirates
recognized the Taliban as Afghanistan’s legitimate government. After the
September 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the U.S., Saudi Arabia and the UAE
cut diplomatic ties with the Taliban.
28
The Taliban allowed terrorist organizations to run training camps in their
territory and, from 1994 to at least 2001, provided refuge for Usama bin
Laden and his al-Qaeda organization. The relationship between the Taliban
and bin Laden is close, even familial—bin Laden fought with the
mujahideen, has financed the Taliban, and has reportedly married one of his
daughters to Mullah Muhammad Omar. The United Nations Security
Council passed two resolutions, UNSCR 1267 (1999) and 1333 (2000),
demanding that the Taliban cease their support for terrorism and hand over
bin Laden for trial.8
AL-QAEDA
This Afghanistani terrorist group is possibly the worst of them all. At least
it’s the worst of them all as far as the United States and Great Britain are
concerned.
The Al-Qaeda attack on the Twin Towers in Lower Manhattan and on the
Pentagon on September 9th, 2001, will never be forgotten. Over 3,000 poor,
29
trapped people lost their lives, and that’s more deaths than were reported
after the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor in the Hawaiian Islands.
Frantic, terrorized people were running all over the place trying to get out of
the way of the falling towers and their debris, and the massive smoke clouds
that followed in the wake of it all.
Usama bin Laden, the Head of Al-Qaeda, claimed responsibility for the
attacks. The Arabs in Afghanistan danced in the streets when they heard the
news of the American deaths.
Would you dance and sing and clap your hands and perhaps dance in the
streets upon hearing of over 3,000 deaths? Even if they were the deaths of
your enemies? I don’t think so. This leads me to believe that the terroristic,
jihadist population in the Middle East, in general, is nothing more than a
group of sociopaths of a specific type: religious sociopaths.
This brief history of the Arab Terrorist Groups will give you some idea of
the mind-set – the mentation – the ideation of these terrorists. They mean to
kill you in any way they can, because all they have on their minds is killing
and more killing unless you convert to their Islamic religion and fall on your
30
knees and worship Allah. Who is he, anyway? He is none other than God
the Father, but the hapless Muslims do not know this.
And we’re still searching for Usama bin Laden. We may never find him.
He’s a needle in a very mountainous haystack. But it makes no difference.
We’re as vigilant as we can be, and that’s all that we can do.
III
CAN WE SEE WHAT IS HAPPENING?
Can any of us see what’s happening to the world? No place is safe anymore.
If it’s not death by terroristic device, then it’s death by hurricane or tornado
or earthquake or starvation. Jesus told us to read the signs of the times:
31
“He taught them a lesson. Consider the fig tree and all the other trees.
When their buds burst open, you see for yourselves and know that
summer is now near; in the same way, when you see these things
happening, know that the kingdom of God is near.* (Lk. 21:1,1).
“When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, know that its
desolation is at hand. Then those in Judea must flee to the mountains.
Let those within the city escape from it, and let those in the countryside
not enter the city, for these days are the time of punishment when all the
scriptures are fulfilled.
Woe to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days, for a
terrible calamity will come upon the earth and a wrathful judgment
upon this people. They will fall by the edge of the sword and be taken
as captives to all the Gentiles; and Jerusalem will be trampled
underfoot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on earth
nations will be in dismay, perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the
waves. People will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon
32
the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they
will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.”*
(Lk. 21:21-27).
He also said that,
“By their fruits you will know them.”* (Matt. 7:16).
We know the fruits of the Terrorists and the Russians and the Chinese and
the North Koreans. We know. Deep down, we know, and we might as well
admit that, not only ourselves, but the entire world stands on the brink of
extinction – on the edge of the cliff of cataclysmic destruction. We will see
things and experience such fearful events that many of us will never survive.
Perhaps none of us will.
IV
IN THE YEARS TO COME
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No one knows exactly when the end of the world will come, although a few
pompous clergymen on national television, claiming to be experts on the
very cryptic Book of Revelation, have said that, yes, the end of the world
will definitely occur on December 21, 2012. This has a lot of people very
frightened and very worried for their families. And this is a sophomoric and
dangerous thing these preachers have done because Jesus, Himself, said:
“But of that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven,
nor the Son, but the Father alone.* (Matt. 24:36).
This does not make Jesus less omnipotent or all-knowing than the Father.
It’s just that Jesus wills not to know! He has kept his knowledge of the very
day of the end of the world in potency, not in act. That is, the Father’s
knowledge of the end is said to be in act. It’s already a part of His eternal,
working knowledge. The end of the world is not an active part of the eternal
knowledge of the Son because, for very mysterious reasons, He keeps His
knowledge of this in potency. God the Father has already opened the
chamber door to the knowledge of the very day and hour of the end of time,
and has entered, while Jesus wills to stand outside the chamber having no
actual idea of what’s inside. He keeps His knowledge of the end in potency.
Again, Jesus wills not to know. All cleared up? And so, if only The Father
34
knows the day and the hour of the end of time, don’t worry about the 2012
alarmists. They know absolutely nothing.
What can we do, then, in these latter days, not knowing the exact day or
hour? Do we just sit on our hands and wait for doom? Of course not. We
go about our daily activities as we have done in the past and we put worry
aside. Worry never does anyone any good. Even Our Lord said:
“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will take care
of itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”* (Matt. 6:33-34).
We have to have a mass metanoia. That’s a Greek word that means a
complete turning around (to God). If only 44% of Americans, some of the
most religious people on the planet, are the only ones going to church on
Sunday, what about the other 56%? Where are they? Where are these “Lost
Sheep of the House of Israel?”(Confer: Matt. 10:6) In countries such as Russia
where only an astounding 2% go to church each Saturday or Sunday, and in
Japan, where only 3% attend any religious services on a regular basis, where
is the vast majority? They are asleep, my friends. They are asleep. Will
35
they awaken in time? That is the question of the most paramount
importance. These lukewarm people don’t care, but they have to start
caring, and very soon. They have to begin caring about God and they must
begin to love Him or, as Sacred Scripture says:
“…I will vomit you [the lukewarm] out of my mouth.” (Confer Rev. 3:16).
From time immemorial, man has been theocentric. That is, he has always
been God-based by his very nature. The concept of a God – a Supreme
Being – a Prime Mover, has always been in the head of man. And if you
think that mankind got all of this from Sacred Scripture, guess again.
Missionaries and scientists found many tribes in deepest, darkest Africa way
back in the 1600s that were God-centered. Yet, these tribes were cut off
from all civilization until explorers and missionaries found them through
years of search.
All of these tribes had fashioned a crude wooden or stone statue of some
“deity” they adored. Some tribes used totem poles on which to place their
god or gods. Others built altars in high places and in secret areas. The fact
36
is: all were theocentric. It’s the nature of man. It’s the nature of man to
think of God. God has always given man a chance to know Him, otherwise,
what meaning would there be to life? Hence the reason for all of the
theophanies or appearances of God to man in the Old and New Testaments.
God spoke to man then, and still does now, only internally. And why are
there no more visions of God? No more appearances of God as Jesus?
Where has all of this gone?
The answer is quite simple. Should God keep appearing around the world,
there would be no need at all for Supernatural Faith.
Let me explain this “Faith thing.” A man and his wife watch the news each
night on TV. They watch Bret Baier on Fox News. Each night Bret tells of
what’s happening in North Korea, Iran, Russia, and Iraq. This man and his
wife have never been to North Korea, Iran, Russia, or Iraq, yet they believe
these countries exist because Bret Baier told them so by way of the evening
news report, and they trust in Bret Baier. It’s the same with supernatural
faith. We believe the “revealed truths” given to us by God because we
37
believe in Him. We’ve never seen Heaven, yet we believe it exists because
God, through Scripture and Tradition has told us so. That’s the story.
And God gave us this great gift of Faith along with Hope and Love. We call
these the Three Theological Virtues. Any one of them could be lost at any
time. Many have already lost the ability to love their fellow man. Still
others are in great despair or deep depression (witness the boom in anti-
depressant drug sales!) because they have lost the virtue of Hope. But, if
one loses the virtue of Faith, he may never get it back. He is now an atheist.
He believes in nothing but the “here and now.” Some claim to be agnostics
(those who are not sure there is a God), but I have never met one. They sit
on the fence and really fear commitment. Do you remember the Agnostic’s
Prayer? Now that is a frightening prayer:
“Oh God, if there is a God, save my soul, if I have a soul.”
There are also so-called “Christian Atheists.” Have you ever heard of this
sect? They claim that Jesus was, indeed, God, but that when he died on the
38
cross, God died too. It may have been from them that the “God is Dead”
ideology came to be.
I know, myself, that there is laziness, sin, and a total lack of prayer in most
of the world. I meet people here in my home town who tell me that they
haven’t been to church in years. It doesn’t seem to bother them, either,
because their consciences have developed very thick calluses.
Incidentally, and just for the record, those other major religions, Buddhism,
Hinduism, Baha’i, Sikhism, Shintuism, Taoism and all other non-Judeo-
Christian religions are without a real God. They are all – all of them –
Godless. I record these facts with apologies to none.
V
The Subtle Destruction of the Nuclear Family
We’ve examined nuclear weapons and nuclear war, so now we will look at
the nuclear family and examine its importance in today’s fast-paced society.
39
The Nuclear Family is a unit consisting of the biologic parents and their
offspring. The nuclear family is less inclusive than the extended family.
Although the nuclear family is a relatively strong part of Western society, it
is threatened by the increasing dissolution of marriage.9
Marriages in the West are breaking up at a “mach one” rate. Every other
marriage in America ends in divorce and it’s getting worse. There is little
chance that any of the recently wed couples here in the U.S. will remain
together. There is also the question of children. With the easily available
birth control methods out there, many couples will opt for careers instead of
offspring. This is the sad state of affairs. Our Lord was adamant about
divorce, saying about it:
“Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator ‘made them
male and female’ and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father
and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one
flesh’?
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So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has
joined together, no human being must separate.” (Matt. 19:5-7).
Now we have marriages between people of the same sex. This is wrong
from the very start. Look at it this way: Have you ever tried to hook up
your TV or computer using only two female outlets alone? Or have you
tried the same thing using only two male outlets? You’ll never get any juice
going using these “modes of installation.”
Going a bit further, I must aver that most of us are not trying to put
homosexuals down. When St. Paul said that “the unclean and the
homosexuals…” would not get into Heaven, he meant anyone who used the
sexual faculty in a depraved way outside the Sacrament of Marriage. Any
homosexual who has led a good life and has followed the Commandments
will certainly go to Heaven. We don’t want to single out homosexuals as the
cause of all the trouble. The fact of the matter is this: There is no sex
outside of marriage for anyone! This would include all unmarried men and
women, teenagers, senior citizens, straights, gays and lesbians, with no
exceptions.
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Since so many of us have made a mockery of the correct and holy use of sex,
it is no wonder that our world is teetering on the edge of the abyss.
The nuclear family is in deep trouble. We see our young people, even girls,
giving savage beatings to their classmates and then having the audacity to
put this primitive behavior on YOUTUBE. The parents are not disciplining
their children, and so, the children are running wild. We see these kids
everywhere: in the malls, at the theaters, roaming the streets, smoking pot,
and even shooting up. I once lived in a house on a very bad street. Kids
would come every weekend and shoot up right in front of my porch! Then,
they would scream and throw things and fight with each other. They stole
and they would sell themselves for another fix. I had my wallet lifted by a
young girl that I had occasion to talk to. I trusted her, and that is what
happened.
America, and indeed, the entire world, is in trouble when it comes to the
family and good family living. Whether this virtue of good living can be
regained, is a moot point, but the scales of justice tip ominously to one side.
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VI
ABORTION
Mother Teresa of Calcutta once called abortion the “greatest evil in the
world.” I think she was right. Abortion goes far and beyond the grim
specter of all-out nuclear war, because the deaths are already occurring and
have been occurring for many years. Millions upon millions of womb
babies and those who have been “partially delivered” (what an evil
euphemism!) are already dead, and many more, under President Barack
Obama’s facile abortion plan, will die. Abortion is worldwide and it must
come to an end. We have had enough of death and dying.
The number of abortions performed in the US, alone, since 1973 is
approaching 50 million, an easy number to read, and a hard one to
comprehend. [Can you imagine what the world total of abortions is?
One shudders to think of it. It’s so reminiscent of Auschwitz.]
The Mississippi Baptist Convention has sought to put together a visual
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reminder: the Memorial to the Missing, a beautiful glass monument filled
with 50 million pennies.
Here’s another way to try to get your mind around the number. If you add up
the populations of the following states, they equal about 50 million.
Kentucky
Oregon
Oklahoma
Connecticut
Iowa
Mississippi
Arkansas
Kansas
Utah
Nevada
New Mexico
West Virginia
Nebraska
Idaho
Maine
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New Hampshire
Hawaii
Rhode Island
Montana
Delaware
South Dakota
Alaska
North Dakota
Vermont
Wyoming
“If you remain indifferent in time of adversity, your strength will
depart from you.
Rescue those who are being dragged to death, and from those
tottering to execution withdraw not.
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If you say, “I know not this man!” does not he who tests hearts
perceive it? He who guards your life knows it, and he will repay each
one according to his deeds.”* (Proverbs 24:10-12)10
History of the Roe v. Wade Abortion Battle
In 1970, attorneys Linda Coffee and Sarah Weddington filed suit in a U.S.
District Court in Texas on behalf of Norma L. McCorvey (under the alias
Jane Roe). At the time, McCorvey claimed her pregnancy was the result of
rape, but she later claimed she had lied. The defendant in the case was
Dallas County District Attorney Henry Wade, representing the State of
Texas.
The district court ruled in McCorvey’s favor on the merits, but declined to
grant an injunction against the enforcement of the laws barring abortion. The
district court’s decision was based upon the Ninth Amendment, and the
court also relied upon a concurring opinion by Justice Arthur Goldberg in
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the 1965 Supreme Court case of Griswold v. Connecticut, regarding a right
to use contraceptives. Few state laws proscribed contraceptives in 1965
when the Griswold case was decided, whereas abortion was widely
proscribed by state laws in the early 1970s.
Roe v. Wade ultimately reached the U.S. Supreme Court on appeal.
Following a first round of arguments, Justice Harry Blackmun drafted a
preliminary opinion that emphasized what he saw as the Texas law’s
vagueness. Justices William Rehnquist and Lewis F. Powell, Jr. joined the
Supreme Court too late to hear the first round of arguments. Therefore,
Chief Justice Warren Burger proposed that the case be reargued; this took
place on October 11, 1972. Weddington continued to represent Roe, and
Texas Assistant Attorney General Robert C. Flowers stepped in to replace
Wade. Justice William O. Douglas threatened to write a dissent from the
reargument order, but was coaxed out of the action by his colleagues, and his
dissent was merely mentioned in the reargument order without further
statement or opinion.
The Supreme Court’s Decision
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The court issued its decision on January 22, 1973, with a 7 to 2 majority
vote in favor of McCorvey. Burger and Douglas’ concurring opinion and
White’s dissenting opinion were issued separately, in the companion case of
Doe v. Bolton.11
And now, Norma McCorvey (Jane Roe) is pro-life! She protests at abortion
clinics and at pro-life rallies every chance she gets. She was finally touched
by God’s amazing grace. This could happen to millions if they would only
turn to God. Abortion would then be a thing of the past. Abortion would
finally be seen for what it is: cold-blooded murder for convenience sake.
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Judge Harry Blackmun wrote the Court’s opinion.
VII
WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT, ALFIE?
Many talk about the end without considering the beginning. The universe
(s) began with a “Big Bang,” an explosion, the force of which we cannot
conceive. Its power was so awesome that it spawned not only Earth, but
trillions of stars and asteroids, several planets and many, many suns.
Gravity and its opposite came into being, as did centrifugal and centripetal
force, and the four winds. Activity and unending action came to be. How
exciting! Where there was once nothing – nada – where there was just a
dark nebulus – there was now something. Planetary life, though not human
49
yet, was now prevalent everywhere and quasars and stars danced in the
heavens. The Sun shone everywhere! This was a godly beginning!
The validity of “black holes” is still being weighed, just as global warming
is, because neither has been proven beyond the shadow of a doubt. Black
holes are the ideas of Stephen Hawking, who, as you may remember, wrote
the book: “A Brief History of Time.” And, though people such as Al Gore
and President Obama believe in global warming, our summers and springs
are getting cooler and cooler and some of the seasonal storms are
catastrophic, often leaving a cold aftermath. Where’s the warming? This
past July, 2009, no less than 3000 towns in the U.S. reported lower than
average temperatures (source: The National Weather Channel, July, 2009).
Curiously enough, Albert Einstein did not believe in the “Big Bang” theory.
Yet, the mystery of the universe came into being and exists in spite of the
“brilliant” scientific calculations of man at his proudest.
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Many atheists say about the Creation: “Well, there was an explosion in
space – A particle of matter – an asteroid – that blew up and created the “Big
Bang,” and that was what created the universe.”
But where did that “asteroid” come from? Where did its tremendous energy
come from and how and why did it suddenly explode on so gargantuan a
scale? If one continues to argue, it all must arrive, sooner or later, at a
theistic level – to a prime mover – to a first source of all things, and that
source is God. The creation of the universe wasn’t just “happenstance.”
No, it was intelligent design.
Just for a moment, please, a brief explanation is in order. That chunk of
matter – that asteroid – mentioned by the atheist – may be said to be finite in
nature. That is, it had a beginning in time and will have an end in time.
Mankind, on the other hand may be said to be infinite because humankind
had a beginning in time but will have no end, owing to the fact that man’s
glorified body will be reunited with his soul either in heaven or hell and will
endure forever. God, lastly, is the only being that is both infinite and
eternal. This is so because He had no beginning and has no end. He always
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was, is, and will be. That, and the mystery of the Trinity are the two most
difficult concepts for anyone, super-genius or not, to understand.
Meister Eckhart, the famous Medieval Dominican theologian even talked
about “the God beyond the Trinity!” This is absolute heresy and many other
heretical statements caused him to be excommunicated by Pope John XXII
on Mar. 27, 1329 in the condemnatory letter, Agro Dominico. One of
Eckhart’s fantastic heresies came to light this way: He was asked by those
in a papal inquiry commission why God did not create the world earlier than
he did. Meister Eckhart replied that:
“A thing cannot act before it exists, and so, as soon as God existed, he
created the world.”12
What a colossally stupid and insipid statement from a Dominican
theologian! And so many scholars think he was so brilliant! Did I say
“scholars?”
As I stated, the mystery of the Trinity – indeed, the mystery of God – is
completely unfathomable. We accept what is taught to us by Scripture,
Tradition, and Holy Mother Church. Beyond that, there is nothing but
dangerous conjecture. Paul Tillich, the eminent Protestant theologian
52
believed that Meister Eckhart was a great theologian and a greater mystic
than St. Augustine. And that’s what I mean about crawling out on a
theological limb by yourself without the help of the Church.
There are many dangerous and completely erroneous “theologians” who
keep screaming at us: “Come on! Crawl out on this limb of dissent with
us! There are no more eternal truths! You just thought there were!”
So, please be on your guard whenever you hear something that seems new or
strange in theology stated by someone in authority.
And now, permit me to relate to you a bit more about the mysterious Trinity.
There’s a charming old story about St. Augustine of Hyppo who lived from
354 A.D. to 386 A.D. After his conversion he was ordained a priest and
became the bishop of the Diocese of Hyppo in North Africa. That colossal
saint and scholar is primarily known for his famous Confessions, since he
was once a great sinner. He told the entire story of his sinful ways in his
Confessions, and his conversion happened with the great help of his mother,
St. Monica.
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In any case, as the story goes, Augustine was walking along the seashore one
bright and sunny morning trying to fathom the mystery of the Trinity.
“Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and yet, all are equal and all are God. Not
three gods, but just one God. How can this be?” he asked himself.
As he continued on, he beheld a small, cherubic boy of perhaps two or three
years of age, running back and forth from the sea to a little hole he had dug
in the sand. The tiny, beautiful boy was trying to fill this sieve-like hole
with water from the sea. Augustine watched him for awhile, a bit amused
and somewhat entertained and finally said to the child:
“You’ll never be able to dump the entire ocean in that little hole.”
The beautiful little child looked up at him with piercing eyes and said:
“It would be easier for me to empty the entire ocean into this little hole than
it would be for you to fathom the mystery of the Trinity.”
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After that, the little boy vanished. What a charming and profound tidbit
from the life of the great St. Augustine, one of the Doctors of the Church.
What we know of the Most Blessed Trinity is that the Holy Spirit is the
“Eternal Kiss” between the Father and the Son. The very love of the Father
for the Son and vice versa produces the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit may
also be said to be the “Bridge of Love” between the Father and the Son, yet,
the Holy Spirit is a distinct and real Person of the Trinity just as the Son is
“Eternally Begotten” of the Father. Notice that everything here is present
tense because there is no time in eternity – no past, present or future. The
only way we can explain eternity is to call it “The Eternal Now.” What
heady stuff! I said there was no present in heaven as well as no past or
future. This might baffle a few readers. Think of it this way. To say that
there is a present tense with regard to heaven is to imply time and future
tense, therefore, only the “Eternal Now” condition may validly be used.
And the universe is still expanding – still moving outward. The entire
process is amazing. Yet, as far as we know, of all of the trillions of heavenly
55
bodies, and of all of the planets floating around space, only one contains life
– human life and plant and animal life. This is another profound mystery.
We have examined Mars and it is cold and empty, just as the Moon that our
astronauts walked on. That should give us pause for thought.
To God, the immense size of the universe is inconsequential. It means
nothing to His omnipotence. He could have created the universe in a totally
different manner, using clay or perhaps mortar. He could have made it very
tiny, but He wanted man to have the moon and stars to look at. He even
wanted man to conquer space. Really? Yes, because whenever man
approaches the truth, viz., exploring the planets and the moon, he gets closer
to the truth, and God is truth. Thus, man, without knowing it, gets closer to
God in his endeavors to conquer space. Yet, all of this beauty – the moon
and the stars – at the end of time – will not shed their light but will, instead
come crashing down on Planet Earth in her final moments.
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Many don’t believe the Earth will end. They believe, on the contrary, that it
will survive the terrible global conflict of Armageddon, the curse of the
Antichrist, the earthquakes, the volcanic eruptions, etc.
Christ could very well renew the face of the earth after its demise. He won’t
let go of His handiwork readily. The Book of Revelation says that Earth
will become the New Jerusalem, and that Christ, himself, will descend from
Heaven to claim his new “Bride.” And St. Paul says that the just will be
taken up to meet the Lord in the air so that they may be with Him always.
(Confer: First Thessalonians)
Yet, this “meeting the Lord in the air” is not so easy to explain, just as so
many of Paul’s Letters, especially the Letter to the Romans, are not easy
reading. This “meeting in the air” is from a letter of St. Paul who frequently
had things like this to say:
“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each
one may receive recompense, according to what he did in the body,
whether good or evil.”* (2 Cor. 5:10).
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If we are all to appear before the judgment seat of Christ, then, those of us
who believe in “The Rapture,” are in for a rude awakening. By the way, that
word “Rapture” is not found in the Scriptures. It is a Protestant nickname
for the process of being “taken up to be with the Lord in the air…”
“The Rapture” was an event in the mind of St. Paul, but not necessarily an
event in the mind of God.
St. Paul was trying to buoy up the spirits of the Church at Thessolonica
when he wrote this and was most likely overcome with joy at just such a
thought.
The Bible is deemed by all Christians to be the divinely inspired Word of
God, and it is. Yet many of the entries in it are clearly mundane. That’s as
it should be. God used ordinary man to put down on papyrus His Sacred
Word and, as we know, man is fallible and prone sometimes to vague and
even obscure reporting for having not listened closely enough to the Spirit.
It’s only when we get into the Four Gospels that we can truly see, page after
page, the Holy Spirit at work.
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And so, we’re back at the crack of doom. Back, once again, to the end of the
world.
The Book of Revelation states emphatically that after the Antichrist has been
defeated and Armageddon has run its course, Christ will come back to Earth
to reign for a thousand years. I have no argument with that quote, but again,
let’s not read into the Scriptures that which is not there. If the earth is,
indeed, renewed, and becomes a part of Heaven, then Christ will reign for a
thousand years. But after that long reign, the earth will still be destroyed.
The Book of Revelation was written by St. John the Evangelist in exile on
the Greek island of Patmos. He, like Paul, was just a man, not God. And
yet, he did see a lot of things happening in the future regarding the end
times, the Antichrist (who many thought was Nero Caesar, among others)
his number, 666, and more: The Four Horsemen (of the Apocalypse)
representing Conquest, War, Famine and Death.
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The Horses and their Riders
Name Horse Rider PowerOriginal Greek
Description
Conquest White
Carries a bow
(old Latin
translation is
standard)
Is given a Crown, goes
forth conquering
ίππος λευκός
(híppos leukós),
[The] White Horse
War RedCarries a
sword
To take peace from the
earth, and let men kill
one another.
ίππος πυρρός
(híppos purrós),
[The] Red Horse
Famine Black
Carries a
balance
(weighing
scale)
To bring famine.
ίππος μέλας
(híppos mélas),
[The] Black Horse
Death Pale Death, Over a fourth of the ίππος χλωρός,
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followed by
Hades
earth, to kill with
sword, and with
hunger, and with
death, and with the
beasts of the earth.
θάνατος (híppos
khlōrós, thanatos),
[The] Pale Horse
The White Horse
Revelation 6:1 - 6:2 - “...When the Lamb had opened the first of the seven seals, I heard
the first of the four beasts say with a thundering voice, Come and see. And I beheld, and
lo a white horse; and he that sat on him had a bow: and there was given unto him a
crown, and he departed as conqueror and to conquest.”
The white horse of the apocalyptic four may represent polar qualities of evil or
righteousness, depending on interpretation. The German-language Lutheran Stuttgarter
Erklärungsbibel sees him as civil war and internal strife.
Seen as Evil
Some interpret the rider of the white horse to be the anti-christ, or a representation of
false prophets, citing differences between the white horse in Revelation 6 and Jesus on
the white Horse in Revelation 19. Revelation 19 Jesus has many crowns, but in
Revelation 6 the rider has one. In Revelation 19, the rider on the horse is depicted as
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“The Word of God”. The rider of the white horse may represent the second coming of
Christ during which the end of the world/judgment day would occur. He may also just
represent judgment of the living and the damned.
Righteous
Besides Christ, the horseman could represent the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was
understood to have come upon the Apostles at Pentecost after Jesus’ departure from
earth. The appearance of the Lamb in Revelation 5 shows the triumphant arrival of Jesus
in heaven, and the white horseman could represent the sending of the Holy Spirit by Jesus
and the advance of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The Red Horse
The Second Horseman.
The rider of the second horse is generally held to represent War. The red color of his
horse represents blood spilled on the battlefield. He carries a great sword, which
represents battle and fighting.
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Revelation 6:4 - “And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to
him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another:
and there was given unto him a great sword.”
The Black Horse
The Third Horseman.
The third horseman, riding the black horse, is called Famine. The black color of the third
horse could be a symbol of the dead.
Revelation 6:5 - 6:6 - “And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say,
Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of
balances in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure
of wheat for a penny, and a quart of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and
the wine.’”
Pale (green) Horse
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The Fourth Horseman
The fourth horseman, usually said to ride on a pale horse, is explicitly named Death. Of
all the riders, he is the only one whose name is easily distinguishable. Generally, he is
usually followed by Hades (Gravedom).
However, the Greek word interpreted as “pale” is translated elsewhere in the New
Testament as “green,” leading to some confusion in appearance. The natural colors of
horse coats that could be indicated include dun, palomino, buckskin, or one of several
color variants with dilution genes. The horse is sometimes translated as “pale,” “pale
green,” or “green.” The greenish color of the fourth horse could possibly represent
plague, fear, sickness, and/or decay. Although the ambiguity of the colour (green-pale) is
rather unrelated it can be explained if it is studied in Greek. The colour of the horse in
Greek can be found as khlōrós [χλωρός] (green-unseasoned, usually used for fruits and
vegetables) or khlōmós [χλωμός](pale). The difference between the two words is only a
letter.
Revelation 6:7 - 6:8 - “And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the fourth beast
say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a pale green horse; and he that sat on him was
called Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth
of the earth, and that they (the four horsemen) should kill with sword, and with hunger,
and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.”12
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And St. John saw far more than this. Yet, everything cannot be taken
literally. There are many “literalists” who believe that everything in the
Bible should be taken exactly as written. The Fundamentalists are that way.
For instance, we will not see any Four Horsemen if we’re around at the end,
but we will experience what they represent: Conquest, War, Famine and
Death. Remember that St. Paul tacitly approved slavery when he told the
Ephesians:
“Masters, treat your servants well remembering that you have a Master
in Heaven” (Ephesians 6:5-9) ...
Another good example is the following: Christ said to the apostles at the
Last Supper:
“Eat my body; drink my blood.” (confer: Gospel of John)
If we take such a passage literally, Jesus is asking the apostles to cannibalize
Him!
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There are other things in the Scriptures that we can’t take literally. For
example, the Bible says that the world was built in six days, and on the
seventh day, God rested. As if God needed a rest!
The Pentateuch (Gr. Lit., Five Books), or the First Five Books of the Old
Testament: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, are
attributed to Moses, who was nowhere near the Garden of Eden when Adam
and Eve committed the first sin. Nevertheless, Moses was inspired by God
to recount the Original Sin Story in Genesis which is fascinating because it’s
as if Adam and Eve had to sin! There is a very beautiful Easter hymn that is
sung each Easter Eve. It’s called “The Exultet.” That’s Latin for “He may
rejoice.” Within that hymn are the astonishing words:
“O necessary sin of Adam that wrought us such a Redeemer.”
Ponder that line for awhile. It was necessary for Adam and Eve to sin,
otherwise Christ could never have died on the cross and opened the gates of
Heaven to us. Previously, the gates of Heaven were closed to Mankind. The
only thing that could open them was the death of Christ, the Lamb, on the
cross. Yet God gave Adam and Eve free will so that they did not have to sin
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and Jesus would not have had to die on the cross for our sins. It’s a great
mystery, much too deep for our little minds.
And so, the Millenarists, or those who think that Jesus will come back and
reign for a thousand years, and those who believe that we’ll be snatched up,
one by one (if we’re holy enough), “to meet the Lord in the air,” have some
explaining to do when it comes to other parts of Sacred Scripture that state
that the Earth really will end, and those who are “snatched up” will be
judged just like the rest of us. They will also die. No one leaves this earth
without dying. In the Old Testament it is stated:
“It is appointed to all men to die once.”* (Eccles. 8:8).
Now, if the “Selective” Fundamentalists want to argue that everything in the
Bible must be taken literally, then, we have a conflict on our hands. Either
we’re “taken up with the Lord in the air” to Heaven, without dying, or, we
die, as the Book of Ecclesiastes says. Death will come to all, to the just and
to the unjust alike. This has been God’s way since time began. And it
should be known that God did not create death (confer: Wisdom 1:13). No, it was
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a product of Original Sin. Man was supposed to live forever in that Garden
Paradise of Eden, always perfect, forever young, never aging, never
wrinkling, never dying. But after Adam and Eve were banished from the
Garden of Eden, they got hungry and had to eat and they even suffered.
After Adam and Eve discovered their sexual attraction for each other after
they sinned, Eve brought forth her children in pain. Adam and Eve and their
progeny suffered. They bled, they wrinkled and aged with the years and
they finally died, death being the only logical ending to life.
I quoted from the Book of Ecclesiastes and I must make an important
distinction, lest some will say that I quoted from a biblical book that the
Protestant Churches do not consider to be canonical . Ecclesiastes, not to be
confused with the Book of Ecclesiasticus, known better today as the Book of
Sirach, is found to be canonical by both the Catholic and Protestant
Churches. Nevertheless, just as the Protestants have their canonical books,
so does Catholicism. This is why the Catholic Bible has seven more books
in the Old Testament than the Protestants do. These Books are known as the
Deuterocanonical Books:
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Tobit
Judith
Wisdom
Sirach, also called Ben Sira or Ecclesiasticus
Baruch
First Maccabees
Second Maccabees
There are also those books known as the Apocrypha – spurious gospels
written allegedly by St. Thomas, Judas, St. Peter, and others. We also have
the Dead Sea Scrolls, found in a series of caves in the Middle East in the late
40s to the mid 50s:
The Dead Sea scrolls consist of roughly 900 documents, including texts
from the Hebrew Bible, discovered between 1947 and 1956 in eleven caves
in and around the Wadi Qumran near the ruins of the ancient settlement of
Khirbet Qumran, on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea.
The texts are of great religious and historical significance, as they include
some of the only known surviving copies of Biblical documents made before
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100 CE, and preserve evidence of considerable diversity of belief and
practice within late Second Temple Judaism. They are written in Hebrew,
Aramaic and Greek, mostly on parchment, but with some written on
papyrus. These manuscripts generally date between 150 BCE to 70 CE. The
scrolls are most commonly identified with the ancient Jewish sect called the
Essenes but recent scholarship has challenged their association with the
scrolls.
The Dead Sea Scrolls are traditionally divided into three groups: “Biblical”
manuscripts (copies of texts from the Hebrew Bible), which comprise
roughly 40% of the identified scrolls; “Apocryphal” or “Pseudepigraphical”
manuscripts (known documents from the Second Temple Period like Enoch,
Jubilees, Tobit, Sirach, non-canonical psalms, etc., that were not ultimately
canonized in the Hebrew Bible), which comprise roughly 30% of the
identified scrolls; and “Sectarian” manuscripts (previously unknown
documents that speak to the rules and beliefs of a particular group or groups
within greater Judaism) like the Community Rule, War Scroll, Pesher
(Hebrew pesher פשר = “Commentary”) on Habakkuk and the Rule of the
Blessing, which comprise roughly 30% of the identified scrolls.
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Prior to 1967, the Scrolls were housed in the Rockefeller Museum (formerly
known as the Palestine Archaeological Museum) in Jerusalem. After the Six
Day War, the Scrolls were moved to the Shrine of the Book, at the Israel
Museum.
Publication of the scrolls has taken many decades, and the delay has been a
source of academic controversy. As of 2007 two volumes remain to be
completed, with the whole series, Discoveries in the Desert, running to
thirty-nine volumes in total. Many of the scrolls are now housed in the
Shrine of the Book in Jerusalem. According to The Oxford Companion to
Archeology, “The biblical manuscripts from Qumran, which include at least
fragments from every book of the Old Testament, except perhaps for the
Book of Esther, provide a far older cross section of scriptural tradition than
that available to scholars before. While some of the Qumran biblical
manuscripts are nearly identical to the Masoretic, or traditional, Hebrew text
of the Old Testament, some manuscripts of the books of Exodus and Samuel
found in Cave Four exhibit dramatic differences in both language and
content. In their astonishing range of textual variants, the Qumran biblical
discoveries have prompted scholars to reconsider the once-accepted theories
of the development of the modern biblical text from only three manuscript
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families: of the Masoretic text, of the Hebrew original of the Septuagint, and
of the Samaritan Pentateuch. It is now becoming increasingly clear that the
Old Testament scripture was extremely fluid until its canonization around
100 AD.”13
Author’s note: None of the above found scrolls, as important as they are,
has changed any of the basic truths of the Faith, nor does any of them point
to the end of time. They are interesting additions to the books we already
have, and as such, are a real exegetical find.
Fragments of the scrolls on display at the Archaeological Museum, Amman
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And so, many believe the end is near – as near as December 21, 2012. As I
said before, the end could very well come in our lifetimes or just a bit later.
When I think of it, though, I come away with the thought: “very, very
soon.”
VIII
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING ABOUT 2012
It appears open to interpretation as to whether 2012 will bring total
destruction or a transformation of our world. So, below are prophecies (not
necessarily Mayan) for 2012:
1. There have been three or four previous races and ages of humanity (depending upon the
source you read). All of these have been destroyed in major cataclysms. December 21, 2012
marks the end of this age and it will end in major catastrophes such as Earthquakes.
For half of the katun (20 year Mayan cycle) there will be food, for half, some misfortunes. This
katun brings the end of the “word of God.” It is a time of uniting for a cause.
3. As we pass through transition there is a colossal, global convergence of environmental
destruction, social chaos, war and ongoing Earth changes.
4. The Earth will undergo a magnetic field shift, reversing the polarity of the planet.
5. An asteroid or comet will collide with the Earth.
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For now, this is all that I am listing as I come across so many vague statements I do not
feel comfortable listing them for others to read. As I continue with my research, I will
add to this list when appropriate.14
At least this researcher stopped when the stopping was good. He didn’t get
too wild, although I must say that I don’t know why so many people put
their faith in the Mayan Calendar. The Mayans are a dead people. They’re
not even around anymore. I read recently that in the year 2012, the earth
would tip on its axis causing utter chaos throughout the world. The article
said that Niagara Falls would empty out into the Atlantic Ocean and that
there would be violent earthquakes.
Still, there are those who make light of the year 2012:
How to Throw a December 21, 2012 End of the World Party
By: Sean Easley
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Tips for Hosting that Perfect 2012 End of the World Spectacular
Around Christmastime in 2012, there will be one holiday that can be
celebrated no matter what culture you are from: the 2012 End of the World
Bash. The 2012 end of the world will be a global event, a one-of-a-kind
celebration. Start planning now to have the very best End of the World
Party!
2012 End of the World Party Tip #1: Plan Your Time
The jury is still out on exactly what time of day the December 21, 2012 end
of the world will happen, so it is best to start early. Have flexible events
planned throughout the day so when the 2012 end of the world event
happens you will be prepared.
Also, since no one knows which disaster will strike first, it is best to keep all
of your 2012 end of the celebrations close together. You wouldn’t want to
miss the best parties just because you didn’t plan for that 8 AM earthquake
or that noontime flooding.
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2012 End of the World Party Tip #2: Plan Your Supplies
If you thought trying to get that honey-baked ham at Thanksgiving was a
chore, imagine trying to find canned food items, salt, and even batteries in a
nuclear winter! Stock up on all the necessities in advance, just on the off-
chance that you survive the initial 2012 end of the world destruction.
Water, non-perishable goods, and flashlights will do much to make your
party a success. Try to stay away from desserts that have eggs in them or
anything else that can go bad. If you are around to see the 22nd, you’ll be
wishing you had gotten more appropriate food for your 2012 end of the
world party.
2012 End of the World Party Tip #3: Plan Appropriate Music
Your music choices will do much to set the tone of your celebration, and
should be specific to you and your friends. Some will want such hits as
R.E.M.’s “It’s the End of the World As We Know It” and Billy Joel’s “We
Didn’t Start the Fire.” The more conservative party-goers might prefer
hymns like the classic “Amazing Grace” and “I’ll Fly Away.”
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One important musical note to avoid in planning your 2012 end of the world
party is the use of “emo” and country music, or anything else with
depressing and defeatist lyrics. You certainly won’t make it through earth’s
destruction with a negative attitude!15
Mr. Easley has many more funny tips that I declined to add, but you can get
the general picture here. He’s not a bit worried about December 21, 2012
because no one on earth knows when the end will come. I just wonder why
he failed to mention Skeeter Davis’s famous song: “The End of the World?”
It was really good!
Here is yet another theoretical interpretation of the year 2012 with a little bit
of “New Age” religiosity and “densities” thrown in for good measure:
The Year 2012 by Adrian Cooper
Our Ultimate Reality
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First and foremost we still do not know if anything at all will happen on
December 21 2012, or at any time in 2012, or indeed at all. We will examine
that more closely in just a moment.
But quite simply, if, and only if, the prophesies are true, then one of three
fundamental situations will likely result immediately before, during and after
the 2012 event based upon what we know to date:
1. Human beings will undergo a massive Spiritual evolutionary transition
whereby true, Divine, Spiritual reality will be realised and experienced.
Focus and abilities will no longer be materially based, but rather spiritually
based.
If this comes to pass, humans will still inhabit a physical body, but the body
will assume its true identity as a vehicle of learning. Material things will be
seen for the illusion they truly are, and the emphasis will be on “service to
others before service to self”, and the building of the biblical “kingdom of
heaven on Earth”, a paradise where selfishness, war and disharmony will be
a thing of the past.
2. The Planet Earth, a great, living planetary Spirit, will evolve or “graduate”
to the 4th density, the next evolutionary level on His/Her own path of return
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to The Prime Creator. In this case all organic life on Earth will cease to exist,
and will also transition to the 4th or 5th density, the Astral or Spiritual worlds,
where life will continue as ever in the Astral or Spiritual body, depending on
Spiritual progress.
3. Earth will experience some massive cataclysmic physical trauma which
will destroy most if not everything on the planet. If this happens the result
will be the same as in possibility two, mentioned above, but will happen in a
different way. It is likely that all life will transition to the 4th or 5th densities,
again depending on Spiritual evolution, before this cataclysm strikes, so
there will be no suffering.
We are not intended by the Universe to suffer; all suffering is a direct result
of the actions and thoughts of humans.
The most important potential outcome is the evolution of present day human
beings; Homo Sapiens, to the next level: “Homo Spiritus”.
So the big question is; will 2012 actually happen? Do we really only have
just [3] years left on this planet?16
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The above tract is just pure silliness, but we can see how the world’s
population is building up to the year 2012, just a paltry few years away, and
many take that year most seriously.
Here’s an interesting take on the end of the world:
The planet’s major religions have their own beliefs about the end of the
world, the triumph of good over evil and Judgment Day. In Christianity, the
Book of Revelation, the last chapter of the Bible’s New Testament, mentions
Armageddon, the final battle on Earth between the forces of God and Satan.
The word Armageddon is thought to come from the Hebrew for “Mount of
Megiddo.” Located in present-day Israel, Megiddo, an ancient, strategically
positioned city, was the site of a number of battles. Some Christians interpret
the Book of Revelation as a roadmap that lays out exactly how the world
will end. They contend that Judgment Day will take place on Armageddon
and Jesus will save the true believers, while non-believers left behind will
face enormous suffering.
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In Islam, the end of the world is referred to as “the Hour” and involves Jesus
returning to Damascus to slay an anti-Christ who has put the planet in peril.
With the anti-Christ out of the picture, a period of perfect harmony will
ensue. Jesus will later die a natural death, which will usher in a time of
destruction that leads directly to “the Hour.” In Judaism, there is no term for
Armageddon, but there are references in the Hebrew bible to events that
could be compared with Armageddon, including the Day of the Lord (in
which God causes death and destruction to people who deserve to be
punished) and the War of Gog and Magog (in which Israel and its God fight
their enemies, rather than an Anti-Christ).
In Hinduism, there is the story of the god Vishnu coming back in the last
cycle of time as a figure called Kulki, who rides a white horse, carries a
sword that looks like a comet and destroys the forces of evil.
In some Buddhist prophecies, the equivalent of Armageddon is Shambhala,
in which good triumphs over evil; however, the planet is restored rather than
destroyed so people can pursue enlightenment.
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Despite the many theories and religious interpretations, the only thing that’s
certain about the end of the world is that no one can know for sure what will
happen. And until that day arrives people will no doubt continue to speculate
endlessly about when it will all be over.17
THE FIRST DAY OF 2013
Many people will breathe a sigh of relief on the very first day of the New
Year, 2013, having survived 2012 and whatever calamities it may have
spawned, for, every year has its tragedies and 2012 will be no exception.
We may have violent hurricanes and terrible tornadoes. We may suffer new
tsunamis and more earthquakes throughout the earth, and still, “the end is
not yet.”
Times Square, in New York, will be jammed with more people than ever
before because they survived the ominous year of 2012.
Yet, we must tear ourselves away from the concept of “years” and deal with
the very important aspects of the end times. To begin with, there’s the
Antichrist.
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THE ANTICHRIST
Now here’s a consoling thought: before anything of an eschatologically
calamitous nature can happen to Planet Earth, Antichrist must rear his ugly
head. This is a most important fact that all of the doomsday naysayers and
pseudo-theologians seem to have forgotten.
It is held, by a rather large body of theologians from various Christian
Churches, that the Antichrist will come out of the Tribe of Dan and will have
a three-year or a three-and-a half year public life, just as Jesus did (a time, a
time, a time, and a half-time = three-and-a-half years. (Confer. Revelation). If he
does come from the Tribe of Dan, it would mean Antichrist will emerge
from Israel, which makes eminent sense since Antichrist will strive to
imitate Christ, and even surpass him, if that were possible. Other texts say
he will come from the north of Israel, which could be Russia. He might also
come from some other large country. The fact is, nobody knows where he’ll
show up, or when. We do know that Antichrist will demand that his mark be
affixed to every person in the world. Anyone without his mark will not be
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able to purchase food or any of the necessities of life. He will demand that
all nations worship him alone and he will sit on the throne of the temple in
Jerusalem and proclaim himself GOD! This all seems too improbable to
most of us, but, it will happen, according to Sacred Scripture. The Bible has
several references to Antichrist within its pages, both from the Old and New
Testaments, including the Gospels. Jesus, himself, called Antichrist the
“Abomination of Desolation:
“When you hear of wars and reports of wars do not be alarmed; such
things must happen, but it will not yet be the end.
Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. There
will be earthquakes from place to place and there will be famines. These
are the beginnings of the labor pains.
Watch out for yourselves. They will hand you over to the courts. You
will be beaten in synagogues. You will be arraigned before governors
and kings because of me, as a witness before them. But the gospel must
first be preached to all nations.
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When they lead you away and hand you over, do not worry beforehand
about what you are to say. But say whatever will be given to you at that
hour. For it will not be you who are speaking but the Holy Spirit.
Brother will hand over brother to death, and the father his child;
children will rise up against parents and have them put to death.
You will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who
perseveres to the end will be saved.
When you see the Abomination of Desolation [Antichrist] standing
where he should not [in the temple] (let the reader understand), then
those in Judea must flee to the mountains, (and) a person on a housetop
must not go down or enter to get anything out of his house, and a person
in a field must not return to get his cloak.”* (Mk.:8-16)
This vital information should put the reader at some sort of ease in that he
should know that on December 21, 2012, the world will certainly not end.
Are, then, numbers and dates prophetic? We know that Antichrist’s number
is 666. All the way back to the Old Testament and the Jewish Prophetic
Books, the number 7 always stood for perfection – stood for God, himself.
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Therefore, 666 could be drawn out to 6666666 or 6666666666.999, and still,
this progression of numbers would never reach 7. Thus, the number 666
represents Satan’s and Antichrist’s complete imperfection.
Getting back to where the Antichrist may arise: after Jesus calls him “The
Abomination of Desolation,” he also cryptically states that “those in Judea
[should] flee to the mountains.” Why only those in Judea? It would seem
by this statement that Antichrist actually will come from Judea, in Israel.
Yet, we just don’t know where Antichrist will come from or if he’s here yet.
If he is here, he is carefully planning all future global events, and may even
be in a position of power as I write this. He does not have to proclaim that
he’s the Antichrist to prove that he actually is. He might go unrecognized
for a time but will eventually be unmasked by his eventual ungodly deeds.
The information we have on the Antichrist from Scripture and Tradition is
scanty, to say the least. What we do know about him is that he is not Satan
incarnate nor is he the son of Satan. He is the greatest of the “beasts”
mentioned in the Book of Revelation. He will come, or is already here, to
ruin the plans of good men and women and reap a bloody harvest of doomed
souls for Satan, his master. He will be relentless and excessively clever,
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gradually winning all nations over to him. He will be very well liked by all
and will seem to be the natural leader of the entire world, and the world’s
leaders will go along with him. They will go along with him until they
realize who he is and what he wants: total world domination and worship of
no god but himself. When men and women are persecuted by him, are
murdered by him, and starved to death by him because they refused to be
marked with his sign, many will be awakened from their infatuation with
him and realize that he is truly ungodly. Unfortunately, many will not see
his evil ends and will align themselves with him, continuing to follow him to
their utter and final chagrin.
The following is a most interesting tract quoted from the Catholic
Encyclopedia. The tract is very thorough and quite long, but I deem it
worthy to be read even though it is of some considerable length:
THE ANTICHRIST
(Greek Antichristos).
In composition, anti has different meanings: antibasileus denotes a king who fills an
interregnum; antistrategos, a propraetor; anthoupatos, a proconsul; in Homer antitheos
denotes one resembling a god in power and beauty, while in other works it stands for a
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hostile god. Following mere analogy one might interpret antichristos as denoting one
resembling Christ in appearance and power; but it is safer to define the word according to
its biblical and ecclesiastical usage.
Biblical meaning of the word
The word Antichrist occurs only in the Johannine Epistles; but there are so-called real
parallelisms to these occurrences in the Apocalypse, in the Pauline Epistles, and less
explicit ones in the Gospels and the Book of Daniel.
In the Johannine epistles
St. John supposes in his Epistles that the early Christians are acquainted with the teaching
concerning the coming of Antichrist. “You have heard that Antichrist cometh” (1 John
2:18); “This is Antichrist, of whom you have heard that he cometh” (1 John 4:3). Though
the Apostle speaks of several Antichrists, he distinguishes between the many and the one
principal agent: “Antichrist cometh, even though now there are many Antichrists” (1
John 2:18). Again, the writer outlines the character and work of Antichrist: “They went
out from us, but they were not of us” (1 John 2:19); “Who is a liar, but he who denies that
Jesus is the Christ? This is Antichrist, who denies the Father, and the Son” (1 John 2:22);
“And every spirit that dissolveth Jesus, is not of God; and this is Antichrist” (1 John 4:3);
“For many seducers are gone out into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is
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come in the flesh: this is a seducer and an Antichrist” (2 John 7). Also the time, the
Apostle places the coming of Antichrist at “the last hour” (1 John 2:18); again he
maintains that “he is now already in the world” (1 John 4:3).
In the Book of Revelation
Nearly all commentators find Antichrist mentioned in the Apocalypse [Revelation], but
they do not agree as to the particular chapter of the Book in which the mention occurs.
Some point to the “beast” of 11:7, others to the “red dragon” of Chapter 12, others again
to the beast “having seven heads and ten horns” of 13, sqq., while many scholars identify
Antichrist with the beast which had “two horns, like a lamb” and spoke “as a dragon”
(13:11, sqq.), or with the scarlet-coloured beast “having seven heads and ten horns” (17),
or, finally, with Satan “loosed out of his prison,” and seducing the nations (20:7, sqq.). A
detailed discussion of the reasons for and against each of these opinions would be out of
place here.
In the Pauline epistles
St. John supposes that the doctrine concerning the coming of Antichrist is already known
to his readers; many commentators believe that it had become known in the Church
through the writings of St. Paul. St. John urged against the heretics of his time that those
who denied the mystery of the Incarnation were faint images of the future great
Antichrist. The latter is described more fully in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, sqq., 7-10. In the
Church of Thessalonica disturbances had occurred on account of the belief that the
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second coming of Jesus Christ was imminent. This impression was owing partly to a
misunderstanding of 1 Thessalonians 4:15, sqq., partly to the machinations of deceivers.
It was with a view of remedying these disorders that St. Paul wrote his Second Epistle to
the Thessalonians, inserting especially 2:3-10. The Pauline doctrine is this: “the day of
the Lord” will be preceded by “a revolt”, and the revelation of the “man of sin.” The
latter will sit in the temple of God, showing himself as if he were God; he will work signs
and lying wonders by the power of Satan; he will seduce those who received not the love
of the truth, that they might be saved; but the Lord Jesus shall kill him with the spirit of
His mouth, and destroy him with the brightness of His coming. As to the time, “the
mystery of iniquity already worketh; only that he who now holdeth, do hold, until he be
taken out of the way.” Briefly, the “day of the Lord” will be preceded by the “man of sin”
known in the Johannine Epistles as Antichrist; the “man of sin” is preceded by “a revolt,”
or a great apostasy; this apostasy is the outcome of the “mystery of iniquity” which
already “worketh”, and which, according to St. John, shows itself here and there by faint
types of Antichrist. The Apostle gives three stages in the evolution of evil: the leaven of
iniquity, the great apostasy, and the man of sin. But he adds a clause calculated to
determine the time of the main event more accurately; he describes something first as a
thing (to datechon), then as a person (ho katechon), preventing the occurrence of the
main event: “Only he who now holdeth, do hold, until he be taken out of the way.” We
can here only enumerate the principal opinions as to the meaning of this clause without
discussing their value:
The impediment of the main event is “the man of sin”; the main event
is the second coming of the Lord (Grimm, Simar).
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The impediment is the Roman Empire; the main event impeded is the
“man of sin” (most Latin Fathers and later interpreters)
The Apostle referred to persons and events of his own time; the
katechon and the “man of sin” are variously identified with the
Emperors Caligula, Titus, Nero, Claudius, etc. (discerned by
Protestant theologians living after the seventeenth century).
The Apostle refers immediately to contemporary men and events,
which are, however, types of the eschatological katechon, “man of
sin”, and day of the Lord; the destruction of Jerusalem, e.g., is the
type of the Lord’s second coming, etc. (Döllinger).
Before leaving the Pauline doctrine of Antichrist, we may ask ourselves, whence did the
Apostle derive his teaching? Here again we meet with various answers.
St. Paul expresses merely his own view based on the Jewish tradition
and the imagery of the Prophets Daniel and Ezekiel. This view has
been advocated by several Protestant writers.
The Apostle expresses the impression produced on the early Church
by the eschatological teaching of Jesus Christ. This opinion is
expressed by Döllinger.
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St. Paul derived his doctrine concerning Antichrist from the words of
Christ, the prophecy of Daniel, and the contemporary events. This
opinion, too, is held by Döllinger.
The Apostle uttered a prophecy received through the inspiration of the
Holy Spirit. Catholic interpreters have generally adhered to this
opinion.
In the Evangelists and Daniel
After studying the picture of Antichrist in St. Paul’s Epistle to the Thessalonians, one
easily recognizes the “man of sin” in Daniel 7:8, 11, 20, 21, where the Prophet describes
the “little horn.” A type of Antichrist is found in Daniel 8:8 sqq., 23, sqq., 11:21-45, in
the person of Antiochus Epiphanes. Many commentators have found more or less clear
allusions to Antichrist in the coming of false Christs and false prophets (Matthew 24:24;
Mark 13:6, 22; Luke 21:8), in the “abomination of desolation”, and in the one that “shall
come in his own name” (John 5:43).
Antichrist in ecclesiastical language
Bousset believes that there was among the Jews a fully developed legend of Antichrist,
which was accepted and amplified by Christians; and that this legend diverges from and
contradicts in important points the conceptions found in the Apocalypse. We do not
believe that Bousset has fully proved his opinion; his view as to the Christian
development of the concept of Antichrist does not exceed the merits of an ingenious
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theory. We need not here enter upon an investigation of Gunkel’s work, in which he
traces back the idea of Antichrist to the primeval dragon of Œthe deep; this view deserves
no more attention than the rest of the author’s mythological fancies.
What then is the true ecclesiastical concept of Antichrist? Francisco Suárez maintains that
it is of faith that Antichrist is an individual person, a signal enemy of Christ. This
excludes the contention of those who explain Antichrist either as the whole collection of
those who oppose Jesus Christ, or as the Papacy. The Waldensian and Albigensian
heretics, as well as Wyclif and Hus, called the Pope by the name of Antichrist; but the
expression was only a metaphor in their case. It was only after the time of the
Reformation that the name was applied to the Pope in its proper sense. It then passed
practically into the creed of the Lutherans, and has been seriously defended by them as
late as 1861 in the “Zeitschrift für lutherische Theologie”. The change from the true
Church into the reign of Antichrist is said to have taken place between 19 February and
10 November, A.D. 607, when Pope Boniface III obtained from the Greek emperor
Newton, the title “Head of All the Churches” for the Roman Church. An appeal was
made to Apocalypse 13:8, in confirmation of this date, and it was calculated from
Apocalypse 11:3, that the end of the world might be expected in A.D. 1866. Cardinal
Bellarmine refuted this error both from an exegetical and historical point of view in “De
Rom. Pont.”, III.
The individual person of Antichrist will not be a demon, as some of the ancient writers
believed; nor will he be the person of the devil incarnated in the human nature of
Antichrist. He will he a human person, perhaps of Jewish extraction, if the explanation of
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Genesis 49:17, together with that of Dan’s omission in the catalogue of the tribes, as
found in the Apocalypse, be correct. It must be kept in mind that extra-Scriptural tradition
furnishes us no revealed supplement to the Biblical data concerning Antichrist. While
these latter are sufficient to make the believer recognize the “man of sin” at the time of
his coming, the lack of any additional reliable revelation should put us on our guard
against the daydreams of the Irvingites, the Mormons, and other recent proclaimers of
new revelations.
It may not be out of place to draw the reader’s attention to two dissertations by the late
Cardinal Newman on the subject of Antichrist. The one is entitled “The Patristic Idea of
Antichrist”; it considers successively his time, religion, city, and persecution. It formed
the eighty-third number of the “Tracts for the Times.” The other dissertation bears the
title “The Protestant Idea of Antichrist.”
In order to understand the significance of the Cardinal’s essays on the question of the
Antichrist, it must be kept in mind that a variety of opinions sprang up in course of time
concerning the nature of this opponent of Christianity.
Koppe, Nitzsch, Storr, and Pelt contended that the Antichrist is an evil
principle, not embodied either in a person or a polit[ic]; this opinion is
in opposition to both St. Paul and St. John. Both Apostles describe the
adversary as being distinctly concrete in form.
A second view admits that the Antichrist is a person, but it maintains
that he is a person of the past; Nero, Diocletian, Julian, Caligula,
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Titus, Simon Magus, Simon the son of Giora, the High Priest Ananias,
Vitellius, the Jews, the Pharisees, and the Jewish zealots have been
variously identified with the Antichrist. But there is little traditional
authority for this opinion; besides, it does not appear to satisfy fully
the prophetic predictions, and, in the case of some of its adherents, it
is based on the supposition that the inspired writers could not
transcend the limits of their experiences.
A third opinion admitted that the Antichrist must indeed appear in a
concrete form, but it identified this concrete form with the system of
the Papacy. Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, Melanchthon, Bucer, Beza,
Calixtus, Bengel, Michaelis, and almost all the Protestant writers of
the Continent are cited as upholding this view; the same may be said
of the English theologians Cranmer, Latimer, Ridley, Hooper,
Hutchinson, Tyndale, Sandys, Philpot, Jewell, Rogers, Fulke,
Bradford, King James, and Andrewes. Bramhall introduced
qualifications into the theory, and after this its ascendancy began to
wane among English writers. Nor must it be supposed that the Papal-
Antichrist theory was upheld by all Protestants in the same form; the
False Prophet or second Apocalyptic Beast is identified with
Antichrist and the Papacy by Aretius, Foxe, Napier Mede, Jurieu,
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Cunninghame, Faber, Woodhouse, and Habershon; the first
Apocalyptic Beast holds this position in the opinion of Marlorat, King
James, Daubuz, and Galloway; both Beasts are thus identified by
Brightman, Pareus, Vitringa, Gill, Bachmair, Fraser, Croly, Fysh, and
Elliott.
After this general survey of the Protestant views concerning the Antichrist, we shall
be able to appreciate some of Cardinal Newman’s critical remarks on the question.
If any part of the Church be proved to be antichristian, all of the
Church is so, the Protestant branch inclusive.
The Papal-Antichrist theory was gradually developed by three
historical bodies: the Albigens[ian]s, the Waldens[ian]s, and the
Fraticelli, between the eleventh and the sixteenth centuries. Are these
the expositors from whom the Church of Christ is to receive the true
interpretation of the prophecies?
The defenders of the Papal-Antichrist theory have made several signal
blunders in their arguments; they cite St. Bernard as identifying the
Beast of the Apocalypse with the Pope, though St. Bernard speaks in
the passage of the Antipope; they appeal to the Abbot Joachim as
believing that Antichrist will be elevated to the Apostolic See, while
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the Abbot really believes that Antichrist will overthrow the Pope and
usurp his See; finally, they appeal to Pope Gregory the Great as
asserting that whoever claims to be Universal Bishop is Antichrist,
whereas the great Doctor really speaks of the Forerunner of Antichrist
who was, in the language of his day, nothing but a token of an
impending great evil.
Protestants were driven to the Papal-Antichrist theory by the necessity
of opposing a popular answer to the popular and cogent arguments
advanced by the Church of Rome for her Divine authority.
Warburton, Newton, and Hurd, the advocates of the Papal-Antichrist
theory, cannot be matched against the saints of the Church of Rome.
If the Pope be Antichrist, those who receive and follow him cannot be
men like St. Charles Borromeo, or Fenélon, or St. Bernard, or St.
Francis de Sales.
If the Church must suffer like Christ, and if Christ was called
Beelzebub, the true Church must expect a similar reproach; thus, the
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Papal-Antichrist theory becomes an argument in favor of the Roman
Church.
The gibe, “If the Pope is not Antichrist, he has bad luck to be so like
him”, is really another argument in favour of the claims of the Pope;
since Antichrist simulates Christ, and the Pope is an image of Christ,
Antichrist must have some similarity to the Pope, if the latter be the
true Vicar of Christ.18
IX
THE WORDS OF THE SAINTS ABOUT ANTICHRIST
“As in Christ dwells the fullness of the Godhead so in Antichrist the fullness of all
wickedness. Not indeed in the sense that his humanity
is to be assumed by the devil into unity of person ..., but that the devil by suggestion
infuses his wickedness more copiously into him than
into all others.” -St. Thomas Aquinas (Summa III:8:8)
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“Yet many Christians will remember that this was all foretold of Antichrist for
centuries past and perceive the fraud of Satan and refuse to be deceived. They will
stand firm and enlighten the faint-hearted and console them.” -Bernadine Von Busto
“Antichrist will exceed in malice, perversity, lust, wickedness, impiety, and
ruthlessness and barbarity all men that have ever disgraced human nature. Hence St.
Paul emphatically calls him ‘the man of sin the son of perdition, the wicked one,
whose birth and coming is through the operation of Satan, in all manner of seduction
and iniquity.’ (2 Thess., 2). Through his great power, deceit and malice he shall
succeed in decoying or forcing to his worship two thirds of mankind; the remaining
third part of men will continue true to the faith and worship of Jesus Christ most
steadfastly. But in his satanic rage and fury, Antichrist will persecute these brave and
devout Christians during three years and a half, and torture them with such an
extremity of barbarity, with all the old and newly invented instruments of pain, as to
exceed all past persecutors of the Church combined. He will oblige all his followers to
bear impressed upon their foreheads or right hands the mark of the Beast and will
starve to death all those who refuse to receive it.” (St. Cyril of Jerusalem)
“One day we asked St. Martin of Tours about the End of the World, and he said that
Nero and the Antichrist would come first. Nero would subdue ten kings and rule in the
countries of the West. A persecution he was to impose would go so far as to require
the worship of heathen idols. Antichrist would first seize the empires of the East; he
would have Jerusalem as his seat and imperial Capital. Both the city and its temple
were to be rebuilt by him. His persecution would require the denial of Christ’s divinity
(he himself pretending to be Christ) and would by law impose circumcision on all.
Finally, Nero himself was to perish at the hands of Antichrist. In this way, the whole
world and its peoples would be brought under his yoke, until, at Christ’s coming, the
impious imposter would be overcome.” (Sulpicius Severus)
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“Antichrist will teach that Christ was an impostor, and not the real Son of God.” (St.
Hilary)
“Christ arose from among the Hebrews, and he (Antichrist) will spring from among
the Jews. Christ showed His flesh as a Temple, and raised it up on the third day; and
he, too, will raise up again the Temple of stone in Jerusalem.” (St. Hippolytus)
“In every respect that Deceiver seeks to make himself appear like the Son of God.
Christ is king of things celestial and terrestrial, and Antichrist will be king upon earth.
The Saviour sent the Apostles unto all the nations, and he, in like manner will send
false apostles. Christ gathered together the dispersed sheep, and he in like manner
will gather together the dispersed people of the Hebrews. Christ appeared in the form
of man, and he in like manner will come forth in the form of man.” (Hippolytus)
“For when he is come, and of his own accord concentrates in his own person the
apostasy, and accomplishes whatever he shall do according to his own will and
choice, sitting also in the Temple of God so that his dupes may adore him as the
Christ...” (St. Irenaeus)
“And we beseech you, Brethren, by the coming of Our Lord Jesus Christ and of our
gathering together unto Him: that you may not be easily moved from your sense, nor
be terrified, neither by spirit, nor by, word, nor by epistle as sent from us as if the day
of the Lord were at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means, for unless there
come a revolt first and the man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition, who
opposeth and is lifted above all that is called God, or that is worshipped, so that he
sitteth in the Temple of God, shewing himself as if he were God.” (2 Thess., 2:1-4)
“Antichrist will rule the world from Jerusalem, which he will make into a magnificent
city.” (St. Anselm)
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“He will call together the whole people to himself, out of every country of the
Dispersion, making them his own, as though they were his own children, and
promising to restore their country and establish again their kingdom and nation, in
order that he may be worshipped by them as God.” (St. Hippolytus)
“This impious man ... will give orders that he himself shall be worshipped as God. For
he will say he is Christ, though he will be His enemy. That he may be believed he will
receive the power of doing wonders, so that fire may descend from heaven, the sun
retire from its course and the image which he shall have set up may speak. And by
such prodigies he shall entice many to worship him, and to receive his sign on their
hands or foreheads. And he who shall not worship him and receive his sign will die
with refined tortures. Thus he will destroy nearly two parts, the third will flee into
desolate solitudes. But he, frantic and raging with implacable anger, will lead an
army and besiege the mountains to which the righteous shall have fled. And when
they shall see themselves besieged, they will implore the help of God with a loud
voices and God shall hear them, and shall send to them a Deliverer ...” (Lactantius)
“Nero will again reappear on earth as a messenger and forerunner of the Evil One
who is coming for the devastation of the earth and the overturning of the human
race.” (Lactantius)
“But he who reads this passage, even half asleep, cannot fail to see that the kingdom
of the Antichrist shall fiercely, though for a short time, assail the Church before the
Last Judgment of God has introduced the eternal reign of saints. For it is patent from
the context that the time, times, and half a time, means a year, and two years, and
half a year, that is to say, three years and a half. Sometimes in Scripture the same
thing is indicated by months. For though the word times seems to be used here in
Latin in an indefinite manner, that is so only because the Latins have no dual, as the
Greeks have, and as the Hebrews also are said to have. Times, therefore, is used for
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two times. It is a familiar theme in the conversations and hearts of the faithful, that in
the last days before the Judgment, the Jews shall believe in the true Christ, that is,
our Christ, thanks to this great and admirable prophet Elias who shall expound the
Law to them. For not without reason do we hope that before the coming of our Judge
and Saviour Elias shall come, because we have good reason to believe that he is now
alive; for as Scripture most distinctly informs us, he was taken up from this earth in a
chariot of fire. When therefore, he is come, he shall give a spiritual explanation of the
Law which the Jews at present understand carnally ... “ (St. Augustine)
“Antichrist, the son of perdition will be born in Corozain, will be brought up in
Bethsaida and shall begin to reign in Capharnaum, according to what Our Lord Jesus
said in the Gospel: “Woe to thee Corozain ... woe to thee Bethsaida ... and thou
Capharnaum that art exalted up to heaven, thou shalt be thrust down to hell. (Luke,
10:13) Antichrist shall work a thousand prodigies on earth. He will make the blind
see, the deaf hear, the lame walk, the dead rise, so that even the Elect, if possible,
shall be deceived by his magical arts. Puffed up with pride, Antichrist shall enter in
triumph the city of Jerusalem and will sit on a throne in the Temple to be adored as if
he were the Son of God. His heart being intoxicated with arrogance, he will forget his
being a mere man, and the son of a woman of the tribe of Dan.” (St. Zenobius)
“Antichrist will be born near Babylon. He will win the support of many with gifts and
money. He will sell himself to the devil and thereafter will have no guardian angel or
conscience.” (St. Jerome)
“He shall sit in the Temple of God as if he were Christ, and leading astray those who
worship him.” (St. Irenaeus)
“But many who are hearers of Holy Scripture and have it in their hands, and keep it
in mind with understanding, will escape his imposture. For they will see clearly
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through his insidious appearance and his deceitful imposture, and will flee from his
hands and betake themselves to the mountains, and hide in the caves of the earth;
and they will seek after the Friend of man with tears and a contrite heart: and He will
deliver them out of his toils, and with His right hand He will save those from his
snares who make their supplication to Him in a worthy and righteous manner.” (St.
Hippolytus)
“Dan, Moses said, is a lion’s whelp; and in naming the tribe of Dan he declared
clearly the tribe from which Antichrist is destined to spring.” (St. Hippolytus)
“In the latter ages destitution will fall upon many people, and whenever the English
will commit great evils against the children of Eire, then the English will be expelled
and Eire become the property of her rightful owners.” (St. Maeltamhlacht, 7th
century)
“And the churches, too will wail with a mighty lamentation, because neither oblation
nor incense is attended to, nor a service acceptable to God; but the sanctuaries of
the churches will become like a garden-watcher’s hut, and the Holy Body and Blood
of Christ will not be shown in those days. The public service of God shall be
extinguished, psalmody shall cease, the reading of Scripture shall not be heard; but
for men there shall be darkness and lamentation on lamentation, and woe on woe. At
that time silver and gold shall be cast out in the streets, and none shall gather them;
but all things shall be held an offence. For all shall be eager to escape and to hide
and they shall not be able anywhere to find shelter from the woes of the Enemy; but
as they carry his mark about them, they shall be readily recognised and declared to
be his. There shall be fear outside, and trembling inside both by night and by day. In
the streets and in the houses there the dead shall lie; in the streets and in the houses
there shall hunger and thirst be; in the streets there shall be tumults, and in the
houses lamentations. And beauty of countenance shall be withered, for their forms
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shall be like those of the dead; and the beauty of women shall fade, and the desire of
all men shall vanish. But in spite of all this, not even then will the merciful and
benignant God leave the race of men without some comfort; He will shorten even
those days to the period of three years and a half, and He will curtail those times on
account of the remnant of those who hide in the mountains and caves, that the
phalanx of all those saints fail not utterly. But these days shall run their course
rapidly; and the kingdom of the Deceiver and Antichrist shall be promptly removed.
And then, finally, in the twinkling of an eye shall the fashion of this world pass away,
and the power of men shall be brought to naught, and all visible things shall be
destroyed.” (St. Hippolytus)
By means of the events which shall occur in the time of Antichrist it is shown that he,
being an apostate and a robber, is anxious to be adored as God; and that although a
mere slave, he wishes to be proclaimed as a king. For he being endued with all the
power of the devil, shall come, not as a righteous king, not as a legitimate king
obedient to God but as an impious, unjust, and lawless one; as an iniquitous and
murderous apostate; as a robber, concentrating in himself a satanic apostasy, and
setting aside idols to persuade men that he himself is God.” (St. Irenaeus)
“Ireland will undergo English oppression for a week of centuries but will preserve her
fidelity to God and His Church. At the end of this time Ireland will be delivered and
the English in turn must suffer severe chastisements. Ireland, however will be
instrumental in bringing back the English to the unity of the Faith.” (St. Patrick, 12th
century)
“Antichrist will be born of Jewish parents, of the tribe of Dan, but his mother will not
be a virgin, as many believe. As the Holy Ghost came into the heart of Mary, so will
the devil enter into the mother of Antichrist, and his diabolical power will always
support him. Babylon will be his birthplace, but he will be reared and instructed in
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Bethsaida and Corozain. After his education at the hands of malignant spirits he will
go to Jerusalem and place his seat in the Temple which he will have restored. He will
submit to the rite of circumcision, claiming that he is the Son of the Omnipotent God.
His first converts will be kings and princes. His influence will extend from sea to sea,
largely through force and persuasive eloquence. He will perform many signs and
great miracles. Those who believe in him will be marked on the forehead with a sign.
For three and a half years he will hold sway and, at the end of that period, he will put
to death Henoch and Elias, who will have previously opposed him by preaching the
true faith. Shortly afterwards, Christ will appear, and Antichrist will be killed by
Michael the Archangel.” (Adso the Monk, 10th Century)
“God alone is great. Much good has been accomplished. The saints are about to
suffer. The man of sin arrives. He (Antichrist) is born from two bloods. The white
flower becomes obscured during ten times six moons, and six times twenty moons
(during about one hundred and eighty months), and it disappears, nevermore to be
seen.” (Prophecy of Orval)
“As in Christ dwells the fullness of the Godhead so in Antichrist the fullness of all
wickedness. Not indeed in the sense that his humanity is to be assumed by the devil
into unity of person ..., but that the devil by suggestion infuses his wickedness more
copiously into him than into all others. In this way all the wicked that have gone
before are signs of Antichrist.” (Summa III:8:8)
”(His miracles may be) said to be real just as Pharaoh’s magicians made real frogs,
but they will not be real miracles because they will be done by the power of natural
causes.” (Summa II-II:178:1)
Henoch and Elias will expose the devilish trickery of Antichrist to the people. As a
consequence he will put them to death. For three and one-half days their bodies will
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be exposed to insults and the followers of Antichrist will presume that all danger is
now past, but suddenly the bodies of the two prophets will move, rise and gaze on
the crowd and begin to praise God. A great earthquake, similar to that at Christ’s
resurrection, will take place: Jerusalem will be partially destroyed and thousands
killed. Then a voice from heaven will call out “Ascend,” whereupon the prophets will
ascend into heaven, resulting in the conversion of many. Antichrist will reign thirty
days after their ascension.” (St. Mechtilda)
When a mother has her infant in her arms or puts it in the cradle, in a clear and
distinct voice it will begin to speak, acknowledging the deity of Antichrist and urging
the mother to leave Christ and turn to Antichrist. The child will reproach the parents,
that they, in spite of the many miracles of Antichrist, still persist in their wickedness
and obstinacy. Oh how much anguish will those parents have to bear! Yet many
Christians will remember that this was all foretold of Antichrist for centuries past and
perceive the fraud of Satan and refuse to be deceived. They will stand firm and
enlighten the faint-hearted and console them.” (Bernadine Von Busto)
”Although men be terrified by the signs appearing about the judgment day, yet
before those signs begin to appear the wicked will think themselves to be in peace
and security after the death of Antichrist and before the coming of Christ, seeing that
the world is not at once destroyed as they thought hitherto.” (Summa, Sup. 73:1) (St.
Thomas Aquinas)
“Then the Son of God, Our Lord Jesus Christ, shall come in person. He shall appear on
the clouds of heaven surrounded by legions of angels; and, shining with glory, He will
put to death Antichrist, the Beast, the Enemy, the Seducer, and all his followers. This
shall be the end of time and the beginning of the general judgment.” (St. Zenobius)
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“But his miracles will be lies. No one can perform a true miracle against the faith,
because God is not a witness of falsity. Hence, no one preaching a false doctrine can
work miracles, whereas one leading a bad life could.” (Comment in II Thess. II, Lec.
(1-III) (St. Thomas Aquinas)
”Elias was taken up into the atmospheric but not the empyrean heaven ... and
likewise Enoch was translated into the earthly paradise where he is believed to live
with Elias until the coming of Antichrist.” (Summa III:49:5)
The Antichrist will kill Henoch and Elias and leave them unburied. These will,
however, be resurrected after three and one-half days and ascend into heaven in a
cloud in the presence of their enemy. This miraculous event will actually confuse
Antichrist. In order that the nations will not abandon him, he will lift himself with
great majesty into space on Mt. Olivet, with the purported intention to cast down the
prophets who have ascended into heaven. But in this moment Christ will strike him
down. The earth will open and swallow him and his prophets alive. Then a large part
of Jerusalem will fall into ruins from the earthquake.” (Dionysius of Luxemburg)
“As Henoch and Elias will Preach against the Antichrist and draw many away
from him, he will, as soon as he perceives the damage, march towards
Jerusalem in order to prove there that he is the true Messiah and God. He will
kill both prophets in Jerusalem. Their bodies will remain lying in the streets
unburied, but on the fourth day they will be resurrected by a voice from
heaven, ‘Enoch and Elias arise! and ride to heaven in a cloud.’ Then the
followers of Antichrist will regret having believed him and will repent their
sins. Thereupon, Antichrist will make it known that after fifteen days he will
also ascend into heaven, so that no one can doubt his divinity. On the
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appointed day he will majestically seat himself on a beautiful chair, on Mt.
Olivet, in view of a large crowd and before all the people, will lift himself up
towards heaven, through the help of evil. But, here at the command of God,
the Archangel Michael will cast him down to earth by a stroke of lightning.”
“Antichrist will be possessed by Satan and be the illegitimate son of a Jewish
woman from the East.” (St. John Chrysostom)
“Antichrist will present himself to the Jews as the Messiah. They will be his followers.”
(2 Thess. 2:9)
“The English will betray each other, as a result of which, their sovereignty will be
broken, and they will stain their swords and battle-axes with blood ... The English and
the Irish of Ireland will unite in one confederation against the forces of the Saxons ...
One monarch will rule in Ireland, over the English and the pure Irish. From the reign
of that man, the people shall suffer no destitution.” (St. Senanus, 6th century)
“Dan shall Judge his people like another tribe in Israel. Let Dan be a snake in the way,
a serpent in the path, that biteth the horse’s heels that the rider may fall backwards.”
(Genesis, 49:17,18)
“Antichrist will heal the sick, raise the dead, restore sight to the blind, hearing to the
deaf, speech to the dumb, raise storms and calm them, re-name mountains, make
trees blossom and wither at a word, re-build the temple of Jerusalem, and make
Jerusalem the capital city of the world with the vast wealth of hidden treasures.”
(Rabanus Maurus, private)19
The Antichrist is the most enigmatic figure in the history of mankind, for,
even as a Messiah was predicted, his place of birth was always thought to
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be, and was, Bethlehem of Judea. With the Antichrist the picture is totally
different. Thinking that he’ll probably emerge from Israel from the Tribe of
Dan (as Dan was the unmentioned Tribe in the list of Tribes in the Book of
Revelation), but not being totally sure of this, one peruses the globe of the
world wondering: “Where could he possibly come from?” The Antichrist
will remain a mystery, as he should until his arrival on the international
scene.
St. Malachy and Papal prophecy. Believe it or Not.
St. Malachy was a medieval Irish priest who often prophesied about the
future of the Church. Of great interest are his prophesies about the last
popes and the last days. Malachy said that our present pope, Benedict XVI,
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would be the last pope before the coming of Peter the Roman who will rule
the Church at the very end of the world.
Malachy was uncannily accurate in many of his predictions, calling Pope
John Paul II De Labore Solaris, or, labor or eclipse of the sun. Strangely
John Paul II was born during an eclipse and his funeral was held on the day
of an eclipse visible in the Americas.
He called Pope Paul VI Flos Florum, or “Flower of Flowers.” Pope Paul
had three lilies on his coat of arms.
But I’ll let you, the reader look at the descriptions of each pope as seen by
Malachy:
Note: The commentaries below are only brief and selective. A commentary on every
motto is given in Peter Bander’s book: The Prophecies of St Malachy.
The Prophecies
Pope No. Name (Reign) Motto No. Motto (and explanation)
167 Celestine II (1143-1144) 1
Ex castro Tyberis
(from a castle on the Tiber)
Hist.: Celestin II was born in Citta di Castello,
Toscany, on the shores of the Tiber
168 Lucius II (1144-1145) 2 Inimicus expulsus
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169 Eugene III (1145-1153) 3
Ex magnitudine montis
(Of the greatness of the mount)
Hist.: Born in the castle of Grammont (latin: mons
magnus), his family name was Montemagno
170 Anastasius IV (1153-1154) 4 Abbas Suburranus
171 Adrian IV (1154-1159) 5
De rure albo
(field of Albe)
Hist.: Born in the town of Saint-Alban
Antipope Victor IV (1159-1164) 6 Ex tetro carcere
Antipope Paschal III (1164-1168) 7 Via trans-Tyberina
Antipope Calistus III (1168-1178) 8 De Pannonia Tusciæ
172 Alexander III (1159-1181) 9 Ex ansere custode
173 Lucius III (1181-1185) 10 Lux in ostio
174 Urban III (1185-1187) 11 Sus in cribo
175 Gregory VIII (1187) 12 Ensis Laurentii
176 Clement III (1187-1191) 13 De schola exiet
177 Celestine III (1191-1198) 14 De rure bovensi
178 Innocent III (1198-1216) 15
Comes signatus
(signed Count)
Hist.: descendant of the noble Signy, later called
Segni family
179 Honorius III (1216-1227) 16 Canonicus de latere
180 Gregory IX (1227-1241) 17 Avis Ostiensis
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(Bird of Ostia)
Hist.: before his election he was Cardinal of Ostia
181 Celestine IV (1241) 18 Leo Sabinus
182 Innocent IV (1243-1254) 19 Comes Laurentius
183 Alexander IV (1254-1261) 20 Signum Ostiense
184 Urban IV (1261-1264) 21
Hierusalem Campaniæ
(Jerusalem of Champagne)
Hist.: native of Troyes, Champagne, later patriarch
of Jerusalem
185 Clement IV (1265-1268) 22 Draca depressus
186 Gregory X (1271-1276) 23 Anguinus vir
187 Innocent V (1276) 24 Concionatur Gallus
188 Adrian V (1276) 25 Bonus Comes
189 John XXI (1276-1277) 26 Piscator Tuscus
190 Nicholas III (1277-1280) 27 Rosa composita
191 Martin IV (1281-1285) 28 Ex teloneo liliacei Martini
192 Honorius IV (1285-1287) 29 Ex rosa leonina
193 Nicholas IV (1288-1292) 30 Picus inter escas
194 Nicholas IV (1288-1292) 31
Ex eremo celsus
(elevated from a hermit)
Hist.: prior to his election he was a hermit in the
monastery of Pouilles
195 Boniface VIII (1294-1303) 32 Ex undarum benedictione
112
196 Benedict XI (1303-1304) 33 Concionator patereus
197 Clement V (1305-1314) 34
De fessis Aquitanicis
(ribbon of Aquitaine)
Hist.: was archbishop of Bordeaux in Aquitaine
198 John XXII (1316-1334) 35
De sutore osseo
(of the cobbler of Osseo)
Hist.: Family name Ossa, son of a shoe-maker
Antipope Nicholas V (1328-1330) 36
Corvus schismaticus
(the schismatic crow)
Note the reference to the schism, the only
antipope at this period
199 Benedict XII (1334-1342) 37
Frigidus Abbas
(cold friar)
Hist.: he was a priest in the monastery of
Frontfroid (coldfront)
200 Clement VI (1342-1352) 38 De rosa Attrebatensi
201 Innocent VI (1352-1362) 39 De montibus Pammachii
202 Urban V (1362-1370) 40 Gallus Vice-comes
203 Gregory XI (1370-1378) 41
Novus de Virgine forti
(novel of the virgin fort)
Hist.: count of Beaufort, later Cardinal of Ste-Marie
La Neuve
Antipope Clement VII (1378-1394) 42 De cruce Apostilica
Antipope Benedict XIII (1394-1423) 43 Luna Cosmedina
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Antipope Clement VIII (1423-1429) 44 Schisma Barcinonicum
204 Urban VI (1378-1389) 45
De Inferno pregnani(From the hell of Pregnani)
Hist.: He was a town called Inferno in the region of
Pregnani.
205 Boniface IX (1389-1404) 46 Cubus de mixtione
206 Innocent VII (1404-1406) 47 De meliore sydere
207 Gregory XII (1406-1415) 48 Nauta de ponte nigro
Antipope Alexander V (1409-1410) 49 Flagellum Solis
Antipope John XXIII (1410-1415) 50 Cervus Sirenæ
208 Martin V (1417-1431) 51 Corona veli aurei
209 Eugene IV (1431-1447) 52 Lupa cælestina
Antipope Felix V (1439-1449) 53 Amator crucis
210 Nicholas V (1447-1455) 54 De modicitate lunæ
211 Callistus III (1455-1458) 55
Bos pascens
(grazing ox)
Hist.: Alphonse Borgia’s arms sported a golden
grazing ox
212 Pius II (1458-1464) 56 De capra et Albergo
213 Paul II (1464-1471) 57 De cervo et Leone
214 Sixtus IV (1471-1484) 58 Piscator Minorita
215 Innocent VIII (1484-1492) 59 Præcursor Siciliæ
216 Alexander VI (1492-1503) 60 Bos Albanus in portu
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217 Pius III (1503) 61 De parvo homine
218 Julius II (1503-1513) 62 Fructus jovis juvabit
219 Leo X (1513-1521) 63 De craticula Politiana
220 Adrian VI (1522-1523) 64 Leo Florentius
221 Clement VII (1523-1534) 65 Flos pilæi ægri
222 Paul III (1534-1549) 66 Hiacynthus medicorum
223 Julius III (1550-1555) 67 De corona Montana
224 Marcellus II (1555) 68 Frumentum floccidum
225 Paul IV (1555-1559) 69 De fide Petri
226 Pius IV (1559-1565) 70 Æsculapii pharmacum
227 St. Pius V (1566-1572) 71 Angelus nemorosus
228 Gregory XIII (1572-1585) 72 Medium corpus pilarum
229 Sixtus V (1585-1590) 73 Axis in medietate signi
230 Urban VII (1590) 74 De rore cæli
231 Gregory XIV (1590-1591) 75 De antiquitate Urbis
232 Innocent IX (1591) 76 Pia civitas in bello
233 Clement VIII (1592-1605) 77 Crux Romulea
234 Leo XI (1605) 78 Undosus Vir
235 Paul V (1605-1621) 79 Gens perversa
236 Gregory XV (1621-1623) 80 In tribulatione pacis
237 Urban VIII (1623-1644) 81 Lilium et rosa
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238 Innocent X (1644-1655) 82 Jucunditas crucis
239 Alexander VII (1655-1667) 83 Montium custos
240 Clement IX (1667-1669) 84
Sydus Olorum
(constellation of swans)
Hist.: upon his election, he was apparently the
occupant of the Chamber of Swans in the Vatican.
241 Clement X (1670-1676) 85 De flumine magno
242 Innocent XI (1676-1689) 86 Bellua insatiabilis
243 Alexander VIII (1689-1691) 87 Pœnitentia gloriosa
244 Innocent XII (1691-1700) 88 Rastrum in porta
245 Clement XI (1700-1721) 89 Flores circumdati
246 Innocent XIII (1721-1724) 90 De bona Religione
247 Benedict XIII (1724-1730) 91 Miles in bello
248 Clement XII (1730-1740) 92 Columna excelsa
249 Benedict XIV (1740-1758) 93 Animal rurale
250 Clement XIII (1758-1769) 94 Rosa Umbriæ
251 Clement XIV (1769-1774) 95 Ursus velox
252 Pius VI (1775-1799) 96 Peregrinus Apostolicus
253 Pius VII (1800-1823) 97 Aquila rapax
254 Leo XII (1823-1829) 98 Canis et coluber
255 Pius VIII (1829-1830) 99 Vir religiosus
256 Gregory XVI (1831-1846) 100 De balneis hetruriæ
(bath of Etruria)
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Hist.: prior to his election he was member of an
order founded by Saint Romuald, at Balneo, in
Etruria, present day Toscany.
257 Pius IX (1846-1878) 101
Crux de cruce
(Cross of Crosses)
Hist.:Pius XI was the last Pope to reign over the
Papal States (the middle third of what is today
Italy). He ended up being a prisoner of the Vatican,
never venturing outside Vatican City. A much
heavier burden than his predecessors.
258 Leo XIII (1878-1903) 102
Lumen in cælo(Light in the Heavens)
Hist.: Leo XIII wrote encyclicals on Catholic social
teaching that were still being digested 100 years
later. He added considerably to theology.
259 St. Pius X (1903-1914) 103
Ignis ardens
(ardent fire)
Hist.: The Pope had great personal piety and
achieved a number of important reforms in the
devotional and liturgical life of priests and
laypeople.
260 Benedict XV (1914-1922) 104
Religio depopulata
(Religion laid waste)
Hist.: This Pope reigned during the Bolshevik
Revolution in Russia which store the establishment
of Communism.
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261 Pius XI (1922-1939) 105
Fides intrepida
(Intrepid faith)
Hist.: This Pope stood up to Fascist and Communist
forces lining up against him in the lead up to World
War II.
262 Pius XII (1939-1958) 106
Pastor angelicus
(Angelic Shepherd)
Hist.: This Pope was very mystical, and is believed
to have received visions. People would kneel when
they received telephone calls from him. His
encyclicals add enormously to the understanding
of Catholic beliefs (even if they are now overlooked
because of focus on the Second Vatican Council,
which occurred so soon after his reign).
263 John XXIII (1958-1963) 107
Pastor et Nauta
(pastor and marine)
Hist.: prior to his election he was patriarch of
Venice, a marine city, home of the gondolas
264 Paul VI (1963-1978) 108
Flos florum
(flower of flowers)
Hist.: his arms displayed three lilies.
265 John Paul I (1978) 109 De medietate Lunæ
(of the half of the moon)
Hist.: Albino Luciani, born in Canale d’Agardo,
diocese of Belluno, (beautiful moon) Elected pope
on August 26, his reign lasted about a month, from
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half a moon to the next half...
266 John Paul II (1978-2005) 110
De labore Solis
(of the eclipse of the sun, or from the labour of the
sun)
Hist.: Karol Wojtyla was born on May 18, 1920
during a solar eclipse. He also comes from behind
the former Iron Curtain (the East, where the Sun
rises). He might also be seen to be the fruit of the
intercession of the Woman Clothed with the Sun
labouring in Revelation 12 (because of his devotion
to the Virgin Mary). His Funeral occurred on 8 April,
2005 when there was a solar eclipse visible in the
Americas.
267 Benedict XVI (2005-) 111 Gloria olivæ
The Benedictine order traditionally said this Pope
would come from their order, since a branch of the
Benedictine order is called the Olivetans. St
Benedict is said to have prophesied that before the
end of the world, a member of his order would be
Pope and would triumphantly lead the Church in its
fight against evil. While the Holy Father chose the
name “Benedict”, this does not seem enough to
fulfil the prophecy. Nor is it clear how Benedict XVI
(a Bavarian) is “Glory of the Olives”. Since he is
said to have remarked in the Conclave after saying
he would take the name Benedict that it was partly
to honour Benedict XV, a pope of peace and
119
reconciliation, perhaps Benedict XVI will be a
peacemaker in the Church or in the World, and
thus carry the olive branch.
268 Peter the Roman? The end?
In persecutione extrema S.R.E. sedebit Petrus
Romanus, qui pascet oves in multis tribulationibus:
quibus transactis civitas septicollis diruetur, &
Judex tremêdus judicabit populum suum. Finis.
(In extreme persecution, the seat of the Holy
Roman Church will be occupied by Peter the
Roman, who will feed the sheep through many
tribulations, at the term of which the city of seven
hills will be destroyed, and the formidable Judge
will judge his people. The End.)
©1996-2007 The Catholic Encyclopedia
X
WHAT NEXT?
It would appear that mankind is running out of time, or, to put it in more up-
to-date terms, it would appear that man is running on empty. The gasoline
supply is all but gone. And so, what’s next?
120
It behooves each and every one of us to thoroughly examine his conscience.
Nothing should be trivialized, and all must be seen for what it is. This is de
rigueur if man wishes to get out of the boondoggle he finds himself in. All
– men and women alike – must return to God with all their hearts. After all,
man has free will and is never forced to do anything contrary to his
conscience and his being. Check the following quote from a story by E. T.
A. Hoffmann, the German writer, music critic and painter:
The Pope was silent for a few moments. Then he continued with a
serious expression:
-
“What if Nature were to follow in the realm of the spirit the physical
law by which an organism can only reproduce its own kind if propensity
and desire, like the in-dwelling power which makes the leaves green,
were to be handed down from father to son, obliterating free will?
There are whole families of robbers and murderers. This would then be
the original sin, and an eternal, ineradicable curse on a guilty house, for
which no sacrifice could atone.” (from The Devil’s Elixirs, 1963, trans.
by Robert Taylor)
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But, what the father does is not the fault of the son, and vice versa. Because
a parent commits a horrible crime or leads an immoral life does not mean
that his progeny must do the same. No. Free will reigns here on earth. Free
will ends in heaven where our wills are bound to the Divine Will. The same
can be said of hell. The damned will do only Satan’s bidding, having no
wills of their own.
Concerning a complete change of habits, and a total commitment to God, we
can all recount the story of Nineveh and how it was spared by God.
Nineveh was a huge city, and, according to the Prophet Jonah, it took him
three days just to walk through it. It must have been the New York City of
its time.
In any case, the city was filled with wickedness, corruption, lust, and sin of
all kinds. Jonah went to the King of Nineveh and told him in no uncertain
terms that if Nineveh did not repent of its evil ways, God would destroy it
and all that lived in it. This message from Jonah so moved the King that he
immediately put on sack cloth and sprinkled ashes on his head, as was the
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custom of the day when one was doing penance, and fasted and prayed for
forgiveness. All of the people of Nineveh, seeing their king fasting and
praying to God that Nineveh might be spared, did the same. Finally, God
did spare Nineveh, and his wrath was averted because Nineveh and its
people had turned over a new leaf and were now leading “sterling lives” –
lives free of serious sin. Of course people continued to sin venially (lightly)
but they did not sin mortally (seriously), and that’s the important thing.
We’re all human and prone to fall, but it needn’t be a fall into serious sin. If
we watch and pray, as the Scriptures say, we will stay out of serious sin and
the entire world will be totally changed, as though it were a new building or
a new planet.
But be forewarned: A life of penance and prayer is not an easy one. It’s not
just the making of a morning offering to God and then forgetting him the
rest of the day. I can remember what one of my teachers, a priest, said to my
Religion class one day:
“I believe that if a person misses even one day without a single thought of
God, it’s a serious matter.”
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Now that may sound very ascetic, but think of it. Does anyone mean to tell
this writer that he does not have even one minute in the day to pray to his
God? Can’t he even pray:
“Jesus, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me, a sinner?”
How long would such a prayerful utterance take? Come on! It would
occupy about 15 seconds! And what about the rest of the day? Can’t a
mother and Father gather their children each night for some short family
prayers? Of course they can. But it’s excuse after excuse – meetings –
workouts at the gym – the mall – and, of course, the almighty television
which gets first place in the house. It has become “Tubis Deificus.” It has
become “The Tube God!”
A metanoia, or, a complete change in one’s life – one’s habits – takes time,
practice, and persistence. That last word is very important. No matter how
bad off things are – no matter if the family prayer fell through the cracks –
no matter if you, yourself, can’t go on praying, don’t quit! Keep trying.
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This entire spiritual process is rather like breaking in a new bronco. When
the bronco is first ridden, the rider is thrown brutally time after time. But the
rider doesn’t quit and keeps riding the bronco no matter how hard the animal
bucks. Then, after a while, the bronco starts to quiet down and act like a
horse that’s been broken in for years. The rider has won! That rider is you!
Thus, to be able to lead a good life is not easy for anyone, and yet, that is
what is required of us by God if we are to stay his mighty arm and live on in
his grace.
You see, God can always change the year, the month, the day and the hour
of the end of the world because he has two wills: his antecedent will and
his consequent will. Let me explain. A certain man is called by God to
serve him as his priest. That man answers the call and enters the seminary
but, after three years of studies, he packs up and leaves. He finally ends up
married with five kids.
Now, God foresaw this in his eternal omniscience, and so, in his antecedent
will, although God wished that man to become a priest, he foreknew that the
man would fail. And so, he permitted that man to marry and have children
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in his consequent will. The very same holds true for the end of the world.
God chooses a certain date and time for the end of the world in his
antecedent will, but, seeing that mankind has done a great deal of repenting,
he changes the date and the time for the end by, perhaps, many years, in his
consequent will.
So, we don’t have to throw up our hands, wringing them in fear and
trepidation because the world is on the brink. No. Instead of doing that, we
must quietly change our lives and rid ourselves of serious sin. In doing so,
we will definitely escape the mighty chastisements that God has in store for
“presently evil man.”
ONE STEP AT A TIME
Permit me to reiterate some of what I have already written. How does a man
or a woman overcome the serious sins and sinful habits of a lifetime? The
answer is: one step at a time. God is not rushing anyone to become perfect
overnight. Each of us must look at the primary sin in his life and begin to
eradicate it. It will return from time to time, and we must continue to do
126
battle with it. Sooner or later, our major vice will grow weaker and weaker
until, at last, we have conquered it! It may take a long time, so, don’t get
discouraged. Just keep trying. But we can’t stop there. We must continue
to work on all of our vices – our unkindnesses -- our lack of charity for those
we know and for the poor – our indifference to our neighbor’s needs. There
are so many areas to work on. Let us begin today – right now – with no
postponement of this spiritual surgery we need so badly, even though we
know how much that “surgery” will hurt.
What’s a good starting point for this new life of ours – this turning point
from bad to good – this weeding out of vices? The only way to start is with
God’s help. Ask him to help you change your life. Reflect. Pray. Reflect
some more. Pray some more. Be aggressive. Be determined not to fail
God, and he won’t fail you!
Yes, we can sit around the table and discuss who we think the Antichrist is:
“Well, I think it’s Obama. He’s so well liked even in Europe and he’s a
great orator. He can fill stadiums.”
127
“No, no. It’s not Obama. It’s an Arab. It’s Usama Bin Laden or Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad. But, he’s really Persian, isn’t he?”
“I figure that it is probably Vladimir Putin. Russia is an evil empire and has
been called such by more than one of our presidents. Putin worked for the
KGB and he even looks evil.”
And we can go on and on and never come up with the answer. Or, we can
continue to lead salutary lives and spread the good to others. It catches on,
you know.
If this generation had the morals of generations past we would not be in the
global trouble in which we now find ourselves. I can remember seeing an
old picture (back in the 30s) of the 40 Hours Devotion (that’s a period of 40
hours of adoration of Christ in the Eucharist within the liturgy of the
Catholic Church) at my home parish which is a huge basilica of a church,
and the people were hanging all over the streets trying to get in! There were
many banners carried and a great procession to the church was in progress.
Now, when 40 Hours occurs, one can show up for the service just a few
minutes early and pick any seat he wants! The churches are virtually empty,
128
not just for 40 Hours, but for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, as well. And
the Sacrament of Confession (now called Reconciliation)? It has all but
been reduced to cliché. People know what it is, but very, very few confess
their sins anymore. It has, unfortunately become a Catholic relic.
But I don’t care if you’re Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, or even Muslim,
Hindu or Buddhist. Pray to the One God without ceasing, as the saying
goes. Ask God how you can become a better person. Ask him to lead you
to the fullness of the truth. Be brutally honest with yourself. Look deep
inside. I say this because I have heard several people say, to my own
disbelief,
“But I don’t have any sins. I never do anything at all.”
Sacred Scripture says,
“For though, the just man falls seven times, he rises” (Proverbs, 24:16).
And so, if the “just man” of Sacred Scripture can fall seven times, so can
anyone else and we do. We don’t know how to examine our consciences
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because we don’t even know what’s right from wrong. Much of the world’s
population is not just immoral, it’s amoral. We need to know from memory
the Ten Commandments given by God the Father to Moses. We must know
right from wrong – what hurts others – what hurts ourselves – and what
hurts God. All sin hurts God. Whether it is slight or serious, it goes against
the absolute perfection and purity of God.
God does not cry or moan from our sins, nor does he suffer any wounds
from them. He has already suffered all of the wounds he will ever bear
when he died on Calvary. He died for our sins. He died to open the gates of
heaven to us. As he presently exists in his “eternal now,” (there is no time in
paradise) he can no longer suffer, and yet, in some mystic, very secret way,
we do hurt God every time we sin. Sin has brought man to the brink, and as
soon as we all realize that fact, we’ll be able to begin changing the terrible
state of the world in which it now finds itself.
A very good friend of mine who teaches religion in a Sunday school setting
recently told me:
130
“The high school Juniors and Seniors could only name two of the twelve
apostles and could not name more than three Commandments.”
If this be the case, we’re in very sorry shape. And a priest told me, not long
ago, that the young people in his parish don’t bother going to confession. He
further said that he does not encourage them to do so. Thus, from the clergy
down, mankind needs a complete overhaul.
Instead of changing their lives, people are worrying about December 21,
2012! Isn’t it apparent from the Book of Revelation that the Antichrist will
be given permission to hold sway over the earth for 42 months? That’s three
and a half years, or, in other words, that’s the time allotted for Antichrist to
carry out his public life, just as Jesus had his public life which lasted about
three years. And so, since we don’t even have a good guess at who the
Antichrist might be, why worry? He hasn’t even begun his public life, and
that happens long before Armageddon takes place!
I just watched a documentary on death and dying and I was terribly
disappointed in the so-called “changes” that dying people were ready to
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make in their lives. Some said they wanted to transform their lives totally.
How? By appreciating nature more; by taking the time to “smell the roses;”
by becoming better listeners, and by undertaking other mundane enterprises
that had nothing to do with God or their final end. Now that is not what I
meant by a metanoia, a complete change of life habits. I was talking about
rooting out all serious sin, no matter what the cost. Meanwhile, if you’d like
to undergo acupuncture or go to an “oxygen bar,” I can’t stop you, and
neither of these is sinful in itself. There is plenty of stupidity involved, but
that doesn’t get anyone closer to God.
XI
BACK TO THE TITLE OF THIS BOOK
The title of this book is, “The Last Things.” The last things are, in studying
eschatology: death, the last judgment, heaven and hell. We must keep our
sights fixed on these things because they have to do with each and every one
of us. No one escapes death, as said before; no one escapes the judgment
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seat of God; and some of us will go to heaven while those pitiful others of us
will go to hell forever.
Where do you want to go, dear reader? Of course I know! So do I! We all
want to be in heaven with God forever. This won’t happen unless we work
very hard at our eternal salvation. Yes, the answer is Faith and Works!
Faith, alone, is not enough, otherwise, anyone might say:
“Oh, yes, I truly believe in God,” while he goes on committing all sorts of
sins. And no one can come before any other human and automatically
become “saved.” That is a terrible injustice to anyone who is sucked into
such a pseudo-religious situation. Many “ministers of the word” have ended
their long sermons and services by having all those who wish to be “saved”
to come forward and proclaim themselves. This is, and always will be
totally false, and terribly misleading. Yet, the minister conducting the
service is himself ignorant of the fact that no one can be saved by his own
devices.
All of those so-called “born again” Christians will sin again after their great
rebirth. That’s human nature. If anyone – I mean anyone – is naïve enough
133
to believe that after he’s “saved” he’ll never commit any sin again, then I
have some swamp land in Florida that I’d like to sell him at a bargain price!
Jesus, himself, told the people to love their neighbor not just in thought, but
by deeds: Feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the imprisoned,
and so on. These are works! Helping a depressed co-worker – trying to
make him feel better – this is a work. Coming to the aid of a stranded
motorist – helping an injured stranger – these are works! This entire idea of
Faith alone and not works – Faith alone – is sufficient for salvation is a very
ignorant and a very selfish ethic.
Everyone on Planet Earth must work hard to change his/her life for the better
and reach out to others to help them in their need.
One can certainly pray to God while performing these good, Christian
works. It was said of Mother Teresa of Calcutta that her mouth was always
moving as she helped the poorest of the poor. In other words, she was
constantly praying. The average person will not be able to do this, but he
can at least utter a small prayer such as:
134
“Jesus, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” Or,
“May the Triune God be loved and imitated throughout the whole world.”
One can make up his own small prayers. They needn’t be “form prayers,” or
prayers that have already been written.
God could not help but have great mercy on a mankind such as this. A
prayerful and holy mankind helping others and keeping from serious sin
could easily be seen as a “Second Nineveh,” and God would have mercy on
all.
The clock is ticking and, as they say in Latin: “Tempus Fugit.” Time is
running out. The entire future of this world is in our hands. We are its
stewards and we can change it even at this late date. The phoenix can still
rise from the ashes and then, the “Last Things” can be faced without fear.
And it’s not so much that we stick slavishly to the tenets of the law, but to
the spirit of the law.
135
Pope John Paul II, of happy memory, wrote in his Veritatis Splendor,
sections 7 and 8:
“In the rich, young man, whom Matthew’s Gospel does not name, we can
recognize every person who, consciously or not, approaches Christ the
Redeemer of man, and questions him about morality. For the young man,
the question is not so much about rules to be followed but about the full
meaning of life. This is, in fact, the aspiration at the heart of every human
decision and action, the quiet searching and interior prompting which sets
freedom in motion. This question is ultimately an appeal to the absolute
God which attracts us and beckons to us; it is the echo of a call from God
who is the origin and goal of man’s life.”
Planet Earth must now become the “Second Nineveh,” otherwise………..
I am content to let that be the last word.
Sit Finis Libri non Finis Mundi.
136
References
Note: All Biblical References will be in bold type, followed by an * and the place in the Scriptures where they are found.
All Biblical quotes are taken from the New American Bible (NAB).
1. Fox News Report: June 13, 2009: “Ahmadinejad reelected amid violent protesting.
2. Religious Tolerance .org Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance www.religioustolerance.org
3. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia www.wikipedia.com Kim Jong Il
4. Ibid., The Free Encyclopedia www.wikipedia.com Vladimir Putin
5. Ibid., The Free Encyclopedia www.wikipedia.com Hezbollah 6. Ibid., The Free Encyclopedia www.wikipedia.com Mumbai Attacks
7. Ibid., The Free Encyclopedia www.wikipedia.com The Taliban
8. infoplease All the Knowledge you Need www.infoplease.org Afghanistan under the Taliban
9. ask.com www.ask.com The Nuclear Family
10. XML Between Two Worlds: A Mix of Theology, Philosophy, Politics, and Culture. http://theologica.blogspot.com/2009/01/number-of-abortions-since-1973.html
11. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia www.wikipedia.com Roe v. Wade
12. The Official Meister Eckhart Site: www.ellopos.net/theology/eckhart.htm
137
. They contend that Judgment Day will take place on Armageddon and Jesus will save the true
believers, while non-believers left behind will face enormous suffering.
In Islam, the end of the world is referred to as the Hour and involves Jesus returning to
Damascus to slay an anti-Christ who has put the planet in peril. With the anti-Christ out of the
picture, a period of perfect harmony will ensue. Jesus will later die a natural death, which will
usher in a time of destruction that leads directly to the Hour. In Judaism, there is no term for
Armageddon, but there are references in the Hebrew bible to events that could be compared
with Armageddon, including the Day of the Lord (in which God causes death and destruction
to people who deserve to be punished) and the War of Gog than destroyed so people can
pursue enlightenment.
Despite the many theories and religious interpretations, the only thing that’s certain about
the end of the world is that no one can know for sure what will happen. And until that day
arrives—if it
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