The Chilam Balam and the Prophecy of the End-time Flood

The last page of the Dresdin Codex, which depicts a flood issuing from the mouth of a serpent-type creature

 

 

I have just recently came across a Mayan prophecy related to the 2012 phenomenon, which rather startlingly, appears to link the end of the cycle of 13 baktuns in the Long Count Calendar (which finishes at 21st December 2012) with the Second Coming of Christ and a massive flood that will bring about the end of the world. This is a rather striking parallel to the hypothesis I forward in my book Unveiling the Apocalypse, concerning the Second Coming and its relation to the future mega-tsunami event caused by the collapse of the volcano Cumbre Vieja on La Palma in the Canary Islands. The prophecy is found in the Chilam Balam - a syncreticistic text (in a similar vein to the Sibylline Oracles), compiled between the 17th-18th centuries, consisting of Christian reinterpretations of much older Mayan prophecies. It mentions prophecies about the coming of the Spaniards and the new religion of Christianity, which rapidly spread amongst the native peoples due to the miraculous intervention of Our Lady of Guadeloupe.

The most remarkable section of this text is undoubtedly that which mentions the Second Coming of Christ at the end of the Mayan calendar:

 

But when the law of the katun shall have run its course, then God will bring about a

great deluge again which will be the end of the world. When this is over, then our Lord
Jesus Christ shall descend over the valley of Jehoshaphat beside the town of Jerusalem where he redeemed us with his holy blood. He shall descend on a great cloud to bear true testimony that he was once obliged to suffer, stretched out on a cross of wood.
Then shall descend in his great power and glory the true God who created heaven and
earth and everything on earth. He shall descend to level off the world for the good and
the bad, the conquerors and the captives.
(Roys, R. The Book of Chilam Balam of Chumayel. Washington D.C, Carnegie Institution, 1933, p54. See the full text online here)

 

 

The first thing we should consider here is the timing of the Second Coming mentioned in this prophecy. On an initial reading, it seems that the text states that the Parousia will occur after a future deluge comes to destroy the world. But the chronology of this prophecy depends on how we interpret the clause "when this is over". As we have already noted, on a cursory glance it seems that this clause refers to the world-destroying flood, which would place the Second Coming after the world has already ended - which obviously doesn't make much sense, since there would be no one living to witness it. It thus seems more logical to read the clause "when this is over" as applying to the end of the "law of the katun" - which should be equated with the completion of the 13th baktun. This would give it the more sensible meaning of "when [the law of the katun] is over, then our Lord Jesus Christ shall descend over the valley of Jehoshaphat..."

The above prophecy found in the Chilam Balam has some interesting parallels to the oldest known Mayan inscription which speaks of the end of the thirteenth baktun, wherin we are told of the coming of a god known as Bolon-Yokte, who it is foretold will descend from the sky during this time period:

 

 

The Thirteenth ‘Bak’tun” will be finished
(on) Four Ajaw, the Third of Uniiw (K’ank’in).
? will occur.
(It will be) the descent(??) of the Nine Support? God(s) to the ?.”

http://decipherment.wordpress.com/2011/10/04/more-on-tortugueros-monument-6-and-the-prophecy-that-wasnt/

 

 

This text, which was recently discovered at the archaeological site of Tortuguero in Mexico has generated widespread interest by 2012 enthusiasts, since it is the only known Mayan inscription which mentions the end of the 13th baktun. The "nine support god(s)" referred to here is the literal translation of the name Bolon-Yokte (the word bolon meaning "nine" in the language of the Maya). An alternative translation of this text is given by Maya scholar Sven Gronemeyer:

 

 

7 days 7 Uinals 0 Tuns and 8 Katuns, previously it happened. On 8 Chuen 9 Mak, it was completed for re-birthing*, the pibnaah of Ahkal K'uk. It was 2 days, 9 Uinals, 3 Tuns, 8 Katuns and 3 Baktuns before the 13^th Baktun is completed on 4 Ahau 3 Kankin. Then it will happen - darkness, and Bolon-Yokte will descend to the (???)

 

 

Geoff Stray, a prominent writer on the 2012 phenomenon, explains some of the background of this god of the ancient Maya:

 

 

The first question this prompts is, "Who is Bolon-Yokte?" Bolon Yokte is the God of Nine Strides, (or the God of Numerous Strides, since Bolon, which means "nine" is often used as "many"). Sometimes referred to as B'olon Yookte' K'u, or B'olon Okte' K'uh, where K'uh means deity, he has also been called Ah Bolon Yocte of Nine Paths in the post-conquest books of Chilam Balam. The god has an association with the underworld, conflict and war, dangerous transition times, social unrest, eclipses and natural disasters like Earthquakes. He appears at the end of baktuns, assisted at the Creation of the current world and will be present at the next Creation in 2012. Other translations of the name are God of Nine Steps; the Nine-Footed God; and Jaguar-Foot-Tree, because the word bolon or balan (nine) was used by the Maya as a pun for balam (jaguar). The god was seen alternatively as nine individuals or as a collective god.

http://www.grahamhancock.com/forum/StrayG1.php

We can find another slightly altered version of this same myth in the Chilam Balam, just before the section which mentions the end-time flood and the Second Coming of Jesus:

 

 

Then it was that the lord of Katun 11 Ahau spread his feet apart. Then it was that the

word of Bolon ¢acab descended to the tip of his tongue. Then the charge of the katun

was sought; nine was its charge when it descended from heaven. Kan was the day when

its burden was bound to it. Then the water descended, it came from the heart of the sky for the baptism of the House of Nine Bushes. With it descended Bolon Mayel; sweet was his mouth and the tip of his tongue.

(Roys, R. The Book of Chilam Balam of Chumayel, p53)

 

 

Here we are told of the descent of this same nine-faceted god at the end of a fixed time period, under the slightly different name "Bolon Mayel", and we are told that water descends with him "for the baptism of the House of Nine Bushes". This prophecy recalls similar imagery depicted in the last page of the Dresdin codex (shown in the image at the top of this post), which contains an illustration of a serpent-like creature issuing flood-waters from its mouth (it is worth noting that this also recalls Rev 12:15: "The serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, to sweep her away with a flood"). Many 2012 commentators believe that the last page of the Dresdin codex depicts the events expected at the end of the 13th baktun in the Mayan calendar.

 

 

As regular readers of this blog will know, the above prophecies sounds remarkably similar to the hypothesis I forward in my book Unveiling the Apocalypse - namely that the events that are predicted in the Bible to accompany the Parousia of Christ include the greatest earthquake known in human history, which in turn is also associated with a volcanic collapse that will result in a cataclysmic flood. In my book, I argue that the eschatological earthquake that is foretold to take place at the Second Coming will start a chain reaction of geophysical events which will include the eruption of the volcano Cumbre Vieja on La Palma in the Canary Islands.

Many geophysicists believe a huge section of this island could collapse into the Atlantic Ocean during its next eruption, producing a mega-tsunami which will devastate the eastern seaboard of the Americas, completely decimating the various islands, coasts and cities that lie within its projected radius.

In Unveiling the Apocalypse, I equate the future collapse of Cumbre Vieja with the "great mountain, burning with fire" being thrown into the sea in Rev 8:8, and the fall of Babylon described in Rev 18:

 

 

Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying,
“So will Babylon the great city be thrown down with violence, and will be found no more...

(Rev 18:21)

 

 

These interconnected verses in the Book of Revelation are both in turn are based on an oracle concerning the destruction of Babylon found in Chapter 51 of the Book of Jeremiah, which contains the following verses:

 

 

"Behold, I am against you, O destroying mountain, declares the Lord, which destroys the whole earth; I will stretch out my hand against you, and roll you down from the crags, and make you a burnt mountain. No stone shall be taken from you for a corner and no stone for a foundation, but you shall be a perpetual waste, declares the Lord." (Jer 51:25-26)

"How Babylon is taken, the praise of the whole earth seized! How Babylon has become a horror among the nations! The sea has come up on Babylon; she is covered with its tumultuous waves." (Jer 51:41-42)

"When you finish reading this book, tie a stone to it and cast it into the midst of the Euphrates, and say,‘Thus shall Babylon sink, to rise no more, because of the disaster that I am bringing upon her..." (Jer 51:63-64)

(See the earlier post Mega-tsunami)

I then go on to show that these passages are intimately related to various other portions of the Bible associated with the Second Coming of Christ, and the eschatological earthquake that is foretold to accompany this momentous event - which is variously referred to as the melting or casting down of mountains. It is also modelled after the events of the Exodus and theophany at Mt. Sinai - which some biblical commentators believe was connected to the eruption of the volcano Santorini at Thera and subsequent tsunami that destroyed the Minoan civilisation - the basis of the myth of Atlantis (see the earlier post King David's Vision of the End-time?).

For example, the following passage taken from the Book of Habbukuk contains imagery associated with the Second Coming, and is framed in the context of a combination of events which includes the "shaking of the nations", the "scattering of mountains" and "the surging of mighty waters":

 

God came from Teman, and the Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah. His splendor covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise. His brightness was like the light; rays flashed from his hand; and there he veiled his power. Before him went pestilence, and plague followed at his heels.He stood and measured the earth; he looked and shook the nations; then the eternal mountains were scattered; the everlasting hills sank low. His were the everlasting ways. I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction; the curtains of the land of Midian did tremble. Was your wrath against the rivers, O LORD?
Was your anger against the rivers, or your indignation against the sea, when you rode on your horses, on your chariot of salvation? You stripped the sheath from your bow, calling for many arrows. Selah
You split the earth with rivers. The mountains saw you and writhed; the raging waters swept on; the deep gave forth its voice; it lifted its hands on high...
...You trampled the sea with your horses, the surging of mighty waters.

(Hab 3:3-10; 15)

 

 

Yet the prophecy found in the Chilam Balam appears to suggest that this end-time flood associated with the Paraousia of Christ will bring about the end of the world - which is of course contrary to God's promise in the Book of Genesis:

Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, “Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you, and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the livestock, and every beast of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark; it is for every beast of the earth. I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.”( Gen 9:8-11).

However the destruction that is estimated to be wrought by the Cumbre Vieja mega-tsunami will be confined to the coastal areas of Eastern America and Western Europe - which could not exactly be described as a world destroying flood - no matter how destructive such an event would be to these areas. As I argue in my book Unveiling the Apocalypse, this event could indirectly lead to the battle of Armageddon foretold in the Book of Revelation, rather than immediately consuming the entire planet in a flood comparable to the tales of Noah.

The loss of the cities on the Eastern seaboard of the USA would almost certainly plunge the entire nation into a state of crippling debt, bringing the country into financial turmoil. This in turn could theoretically lead to the dissolution of the union and the total economic collapse of the United States. And if the USA was no longer able to act in its current superpower status as the "world's policeman", this would leave the state of Israel completely open to the threat of invasion by the surrounding Arab nations - a prophesied end-time event that is found interspersed throughout Scripture, commonly known as the battle of Armageddon - a last world war that is foretold to consume humanity in a sea of fire.
Indeed, this sequence of events appears to be confirmed in the Book of Ezekiel:

 

 

But on that day, the day that Gog shall come against the land of Israel, declares the Lord GOD, my wrath will be roused in my anger. For in my jealousy and in my blazing wrath I declare, On that day there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel. The fish of the sea and the birds of the heavens and the beasts of the field and all creeping things that creep on the ground, and all the people who are on the face of the earth, shall quake at my presence. And the mountains shall be thrown down, and the cliffs shall fall, and every wall shall tumble to the ground. I will summon a sword against Gog on all my mountains, declares the Lord GOD. Every man's sword will be against his brother. With pestilence and bloodshed I will enter into judgment with him, and I will rain upon him and his hordes and the many peoples who are with him torrential rains and hailstones, fire and sulfur.
(Ezek 38:18-22)

 

 

Also we can find an indication of a time period seperating this end-time flood from the battle of Armageddon, in the seven year gap between the inundation of Ireland and the end of the world described in the prophecies of St Patrick (see the earlier post on this subject here).

So this scenario is thus quite different from a singular destruction of the earth by means of a global flood.

However I don't think we should be overly concerned about the exact date of 21st December of this year. As Christ himself states in the Gospels:

 

 

“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man."
(Matt 24:36-39)

 

 

As I have stated many times before on this blog, I think there are a few prophesied events that are yet to happen before the collapse of Cumbre Vieja - such as the Second Pentecost, when the "gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come" (Matt 24:14). And as I shall be arguing in a future post, we can find some prophetic evidence to suggest that this event is connected with the martyrdom of at least one of the Two Witnesses described in Rev 11 (since we don't know if the ministries of the Two Witnesses are coterminous, or if they overlap, or are sepearated by a number of years).

I believe (and indeed hope) that if the above Mayan prophecies have any relevance, then they are concerned with a general period of time - and that the date of 21st December, 2012 is purely symbolic of a wider time span that will see these events unfold. Or at the very least that it refers to the other possible date relating to the end of the Mayan Long Count calendar - the year 2087 (see the earlier post The Date of the End-Time - 2012 or 2087, which also shows how orthodox Christian theology teaches that even pagan prophecy can contain valid insights into future events).

The Prophecies of Marie Julie Jahenny

The renowned stigmatist and Catholic visionary Marie Julie Jahenny (1850-1941) also appears to have predicted a catastrophic flood towards the end-time. It seems that this is directly related to the various other prophecies which correspond to the Mega-tsunami threat posed by the Canary Islands:


"During this darkness the devils and the wicked will take on the most hideous shapes... red clouds like blood will move across the sky. The crash of the thunder will shake the earth and sinister lightning will streak the heavens out of season. The earth will be shaken to its foundations. The sea will rise, its roaring waves will spread over the continent..."
"The Earth will become like a vast cemetery. The bodies of the wicked and the just will cover the ground."

This particular prophecy, with its references to thunder and lightning in conjunction with the coming chastisement, shares some striking affinities with the private revelations of Bl. Elizabeth Canori-Mora:

“In terror I saw the blazing lightning bolts of Divine Justice fall about me. I saw buildings collapsing in ruins. Cities, regions and the whole world fell into chaos. One heard nothing but countless weak voices calling out for mercy. Countless people will be killed. [I saw that God was] extremely angry with those who persecute Him. His omnipotent hands were holding bolts of lightning, His face was resplendent with indignation and His gaze alone was enough to incinerate the whole world.”

As we have already discussed in the previous post Bl. Elizabeth Canori-Mora on the Martyr-Pope, the references to thunder and lightning in this context recalls the theophanic phenomena which is foretold to accompany the Second Coming of Christ. The many similarities between these two prophecies suggest that they are both describing the same event. Yet while the prophecy of Bl. Elizabeth does not openly mention that a flood is involved in the collapse of buildings in her vision, the prophecy of Marie Julie explicitly states that "The sea will rise, its roaring waves will spread over the continent...", and that this will take place after the "earth will be shaken to its foundations" - which clearly alludes to the Eschatological Earthquake, which as we have argued by examining many other prophecies, appears to be the catalyst for the "great mountain, burning with fire" being thrown into the sea, as described in Rev 8:8.
These prophecies of Marie Julie Jahenny and Bl. Elizabeth also end in a similar fashion. Marie Julie foresees that "The Earth will become like a vast cemetery. The bodies of the wicked and the just will cover the ground". While Bl. Elizabeth states that "Countless people will be killed. [I saw that God was] extremely angry with those who persecute Him. His omnipotent hands were holding bolts of lightening, His face was resplendent with indignation and His gaze alone was enough to incinerate the whole world”. This in turn recalls the prophecy of Our Lady of Akita: "It will be a punishment greater than the deluge, such as one will never have seen before. Fire will fall from the sky and will wipe out a great part of humanity, the good as well as the bad, sparing neither priests nor faithful." (see the earlier post Our Lady of Akita and the Japanese Tsunami).
So yet again we have several private revelations describing a sequence of events which includes the signs of theophany followed by a chastisement (in many cases specifically said to be a massive flood), which in turn leads to "fire falling from the sky". These various prophecies all fit into the scenario which I present in the book - in which I suggest that the devastation wrought by the mega-tsunami event generated by the collapse of Cumbre Vieja will cause the economic and political collapse of the USA, which will bring about wider political turmoil, resulting in the rise of the Antichrist and ultimately in the battle of Armageddon itself.

Bl. Elizabeth Canori-Mora on the Martyr-Pope

The prophecies of Bl. Elizabeth Canori-Mora (1774-1825) concerning the future persecution of a pope have some interesting affinities with the rather profound words of Pope Benedict XVI at his inaugural address: "Pray for me, that I may not flee for fear of the wolves". (See the full text of the Holy Father's inaugural address here). These words appear to reference Jesus' prophecy of the persecution of Christians in Matt 10, where Christ depicts the disciples as sheep surrounded by wolves:

"Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, and you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved." (Matt 10:16-22).

But the Holy Father's words also appear to echo the prophecies of Bl. Elizabeth Canori-Mora (you can find some biographical information on Bl. Elizabeth at Catholic Online here), which are strongly reminiscent of those of Fatima. At the request of her confessor, Bl Elizabeth began to record her revelations, which ended up spanning hundreds of notebooks, and are now stored in the archives of the Trinitarian Fathers at San Carlino, Rome.
On 22nd March, 1814, Bl. Elizabeth was praying for Pope Pius VII, when she suddenly had a vision of the Holy Father being persecuted by a pack of "wolves":  During this vision, she saw the pope: 

"surrounded by wolves who plotted to betray him… I saw the Sanhedrin of wolves which surrounded the Pope, and two angels weeping… when I asked them why they were sad and lamenting, looking upon Rome with eyes full of compassion they responded, ‘Wretched city, ungrateful people, the justice of God will chastise you.’”

The two angels in this vision recall the two angels of the Third Secret of Fatima, who gather the blood of the martyrs during the Great Tribulation:

Beneath the two arms of the Cross there were two Angels each with a crystal aspersorium in his hand, in which they gathered up the blood of the Martyrs and with it sprinkled the souls that were making their way to God.

In the earlier posts The Two Witnesses and Prophecies of the Martyr-Pope, we discussed how these two angels appear to represent the two cherubim which adorned the Mercy Seat of the Ark of the Covenant, and that they also may symbolise the Two Witnesses described in the Book of Revelation.

Bl. Elizabeth continued to receive private revelations concerning the plight of the pope, and on 16th Jan 1815, she stated that angels showed her:

“many ecclesiastics who persecute Jesus Crucified and His holy Gospel under the guise of doing good… Like furious wolves they scheme to pull the Church leader down from his throne.” Then she was allowed to see the terrible indignation these wolves aroused in God. “In terror I saw the blazing lightening bolts of Divine Justice fall about me. I saw buildings collapsing in ruins. Cities, regions and the whole world fell into chaos. One heard nothing but countless weak voices calling out for mercy. Countless people will be killed. [I saw that God was] extremely angry with those who persecute Him. His omnipotent hands were holding bolts of lightening, His face was resplendent with indignation and His gaze alone was enough to incinerate the whole world.”

This part of Bl. Elizabeth's vision, with a vision of lightening bolts and Divine Justice recalls various biblical passages related to the Second Coming of Christ:

For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.  (Matt 24:27-28)

Bow your heavens, O LORD, and come down! Touch the mountains so that they smoke! Flash forth the lightning and scatter them; send out your arrows and rout them! Stretch out your hand from on high; rescue me and deliver me from the many waters, from the hand of foreigners, whose mouths speak lies and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.
(Psalm 144:5-8)

Note that the imagery in the above passage in Psalm 144 evokes not only imagery of volcanic eruptions "Touch the mountains so that they smoke!", but also that of a flood "deliver me from the many waters". (See the earlier post The Casting Down of Mountains for an overview of the many other passages in the Bible which connect the Second Coming with earthquakes, volcanoes and massive floods).
The above prophecy of Bl. Elizabeth, which describes "buildings collapsing in ruins" leading to worldwide chaos also mirrors the visions of Matous Lasuta during the Apparitions at Turzovka:

there will be terrible floods and other misfortunes through the elements (iii) there will be earthquakes and mountains will move (iv) Churches will collapse, houses will move and be carried away by the floods...

The prophecies of Bl. Elizabeth written on 7th June 1815 continue to describe further upheavals, where she saw:

“fierce wolves in sheep’s clothing, relentless persecutors of Jesus Crucified and His spouse the Holy Church…I saw the whole world convulsed, especially the city of Rome. How can I possibly relate what I saw of the Holy College? Because of contrary doctrines, together with the secular clergy, they were scattered, persecuted and murdered by the impious… The regular clergy had not suffered a total dispersion, but were also decimated. Countless men of all conditions died in the massacre, but not all were condemned, for among them were those of decent customs and others of holy life.”

Then in a vision which rather frighteningly reflects the current anti-Christian policies of various governments throughout the Western world, Bl. Elizabeth saw apostates attempting to wrench the Christ-child from her motherly arms - actions which would cause her to no longer attempt to hold back God's immanent wrath:

On Christmas, 1816 Blessed Elizabeth saw Our Lady, who appeared extremely sad. Upon inquiring why, Our Lady answered, “Behold, my daughter, such great ungodliness.” Blessed Elizabeth then saw “apostates brazenly trying to rip her most holy Son from her arms. Confronted with such an outrage, the Mother of God ceased to ask mercy for the world, and instead requested justice from the Eternal Father. Clothed in His inexorable Justice and full of indignation, he turned to the world.
“At that moment all nature went into convulsions, the world lost its normal order and was filled with the most terrible calamity imaginable. This will be something so deplorable and atrocious that it will reduce the world to the ultimate depths of desolation.” (See here).

This irreversibility of God's impending wrath is also reflected in the words attributed to Pope John Paul II during the 1980 Fulda conference in Germany:

With your and my prayer it is possible to mitigate this tribulation, but it is no longer possible to avert it, because only thus can the Church be effectively renewed. How many times has the renewal of the Church sprung from blood! This time, too, it will not be otherwise. We must be strong and prepared, and trust in Christ and His Mother, and be very, very assiduous in praying the Rosary."
(See the earlier post John Paul II - The Third Secret and a Prophecy of a Mega-tsunami?)

It also recalls the words of Our Lady of Akita: "If sins increase in number and gravity, there will be no longer pardon for them".

Yet Bl. Elizabeth's prophecies also gave a glimpse of mercy to be seen through these horrendous trials, with a vision which recalls the prophecy of the Angelic Pope who it is foretold will restore the Church. Here this Angelic Pope, symbolised by St. Peter (St. Malachy's Peter the Roman?), restores the Church before the onslaught of the chastisement, and a great war:

On the feast of Saints Peter and Paul, June 29, 1820, she saw Saint Peter descending from heaven, robed in papal vestments and surrounded by a legion of angels. With his crosier he drew a great cross over the face of the earth, separating it into four quadrants. In each of these quadrants, he then brought forth a tree, sprouting with new life. Each tree was in the shape of a cross and enveloped in magnificent light. All the good laity and religious fled for protection underneath these trees and were spared from the tremendous chastisement. “Woe! Woe to those unobservant religious who despise their Holy Rules. They will all perish in the terrible chastisement together with all who give themselves to debauchery and follow the false maxims of their deplorable contemporary philosophy!
“The sky took on a morbid blue color which terrified everyone who looked at it. A dark wind blew everywhere. An impassioned and mournful shrieking filled the air, like the terrible roar of a fierce lion, and resounded all over the earth in blood curdling echoes.
“All men and animals brimmed with terror. The entire world convulsed and everyone pitilessly slaughtered one another…
“When this bloody fight will arrive, the vengeful hand of God will weigh upon these fated ones and with His omnipotence He will chastise the proud for their rashness and shameless insolence. God will use the powers of darkness to exterminate these sectarian, iniquitous and criminal men, who plot to eradicate the Catholic Church, our Holy Mother, by tearing Her up by Her deepest roots, and casting Her on the ground.

The reference to those who seek to eradicate the Church can only refer to the secularising forces sponsored by Freemasonry. Her private revelations continue with a vision of the unleashing of demons upon the earth, which corresponds with the prophecy of Pope Leo XIII:

“God will laugh at their malice, and with a mere wave of His almighty right Hand, He will punish the wicked. The powers of darkness will be allowed to leave Hell and enormous crowds of devils will invade the whole world. They will wreak great destruction and thus execute the orders of Divine Justice, to which they are also subjected. They will chastise man’s goods, families, towns, wretched cities, palaces, houses and everything else that exists on the face of the earth to the exact degree that God decrees…
“God will allow wicked men to be cruelly chastised by fierce demons, because they voluntarily subjected themselves to the devil and joined in his attack of the Holy Catholic Church…
“I saw the horrible prison, Hell. There I saw the devils that would be released on earth to carry their wicked destruction everywhere. They will decimate every place that idolatry was practiced to such an extent, that no trace of them will remain.”

After this part of the visions of Bl. Elizabeth, which are to be equated with Pope Leo XIII's period of the 100 years given to Satan, she again makes reference to the Second Pentecost under Ss. Peter and Paul - who as the two pillars of the Church (Gal 2:9) martyred under Nero (the precursor to the Antichrist), also represent the Two Witnesses of Rev 11 who are killed by the Beast who rises from the sea:

However, all will not end in this death and destruction. After these purifying punishments, she saw Saint Peter return on a majestic papal throne together with Saint Paul, who went through the world shackling the devils and bringing them before Saint Peter, who cast them back into the dark caverns from where they had come. “Then a beautiful splendor came over the earth, to announce the reconciliation of God with mankind.”
The small flock of faithful Catholics who had taken refuge under the trees will be brought before Saint Peter, who will “choose a new pope. All the Church will be reordered according to the true dictates of the holy Gospel. The religious orders will be reestablished and the homes of Christians will become homes imbued with religion.
“So great will be the fervor and zeal for the glory of God that everything will promote love of God and neighbor. The triumph, glory and honor of the Catholic Church will be established in an instant. She will be acclaimed, venerated and esteemed by all. All will resolve to follow Her, recognizing the Vicar of Christ as the Supreme Pontiff.”
Early in 1821 Our Lord said to her, “I will reform my people and my Church. I will send zealous priests to preach my Faith. I will form a new apostolate and send the Holy Ghost to renew the world. I will reform the religious orders by means of new holy and learned reformers. They will all have the spirit of my predilect son Ignatius of Loyola. I will provide my Church with a new pastor, who is learned, holy and full of My Spirit. With holy zeal he will reform My flock.”
“He told me many other things about this renovation. Many sovereigns will support the Catholic Church and be true Catholics, placing their scepters and crowns at the feet of the Holy Father and Vicar of Jesus Christ. Many kingdoms will abandon their errors and return to the bosom of the Catholic Faith. Entire peoples will convert, recognizing the Faith of Jesus Christ as the true religion.”

For those seeking a more in-depth treatment of the life of this inspirational woman, there is an out of copyright book on the life of Bl. Elizabeth Canori Mora available free online here.

Ned Dougherty's Vision of a Mega-tsunami

In addition to the various prophecies related to a future mega-tsunami event we have already discussed, many contemporary seers also claim to have foreseen this potential disaster. However the fact that some of these claims have been made after the possibility of the collapse of Cumbre Vieja generating a mega-tsunami was discovered by S. Ward and S. Day, and promulgated on various TV documentaries, throws some doubt on their authenticity. It is easy to formulate a "prophecy" to conform to the expectations of current scientific hypotheses. The various prophecies of this event made before the possibility of a mega-tsunami caused by a large scale volcanic collapse was discovered in 1999 and publicised by the BBC Horizon documentary "Mega-tsunami: Waves of Destruction" in 2000, are therefore considerably more impressive.
Amongst the various prophecies of this event made after the story broke on the mainstream media during the initial broadcast of the mega-tsunami documentary, one private revelation in particular appears to contain a fair amount of credibility - those of Ned Dougherty, an Irish-American businessman who had a near-death experience (NDE) in 1984. Before his NDE, Dougherty had been a wealthy nightclub owner and was leading a hedonistic lifestyle typical of someone accustomed to such trappings. However years of alcohol and drug abuse finally caught up with him when he collapsed outside his nightclub. After being taken away in the ambulance, Ned lost his vital signs, and claims to have began a NDE where he saw his life in review, before being led to the presence of a Lady of Light. Here, the Lady revealed to him visions concerning his own personal future, and also visions of cataclysmic global events that were yet to unfold.
Most famously, in his book Fast Lane to Heaven, which was published six months previously to the 9/11 attacks, Ned described the impending danger of a major terrorist attack on New York or Washington that would dramatically change American society, stating that "a major terrorist attack may befall New York City or Washington, D.C., severely impacting the way we live in the United States". (Dougherty, N. Fast Lane to Heaven pp252-253)

After his NDE and encounter with the Lady of Light, Ned underwent a radical life transformation, giving up his nightclub business and party lifestyle, and embraced his hitherto neglected Catholic religion. He embarked upon charitable and missionary work, and today he hosts End Times Daily - a Catholic news site with a focus on eschatology, where he also publishes interior locutions which he states have been given to him on a monthly basis since 2005.
In another vision experienced during his NDE which Dougherty relates in his book, he describes various geophysical events which sounds highly evocative of the threat posed by the collapse of Cumbre Vieja. Here, he gives a description of volcanic eruptions being caused by huge earthquakes and the shifting of the earth's axis, resulting in massive tidal waves that will engulf the East Coast of America:

I watched as the axis of Earth's rotation began to shift significantly. I could not tell how much time the shift took, nor was I shown a time or date when it would take place. I could tell that significant geophysical changes to the Earth's surface would take place as a result of the shifting of Earth's surface would take place as a result of the shifting of Earth's axis. Great earthquakes erupted throughout the world, significantly changing the major continents. There were volcanic eruptions of great magnitude spewing clouds of billowing smoke and ash throughout the atomosphere, sending the Earth into a period of darkness. Great floods resulted from melting and shifting polar ice caps. Many low-lying land areas were engulfed by huge tidal waves. I watched scenes of these events taking place, depicted like black and white movies. I watched one scene from a hilltop location on the coastline of Long Island, New York, as rows of massive tidal waves descended on the coastline, burying the land under the water. I saw another scene from a street corner in New York City. A wall of water rushed down to the wide street as surrounding office buildings began to collapse. In another scene, I watched as a massive wall of water hit the coastline of Miami Beach. In its wake, I watched as an entirely new land mass rose up out of the ocean. (Dougherty, N. Fast Lane to Heaven p78)

This vision closely parallels the hypothesis I forward in my book, which connects the eruption of Cumbre Vieja to the Eschatological Earthquake described in various places throughout the Bible, which is associated with the Second Coming of Christ.

Although Dougherty's book was published a few months after the mega-tsunami documentary first aired in March 2001, it is almost certain that he was unaware of the threat posed by Cumbre Vieja during the course of writing his book. It would be interesting to discover whether he made any public disclosures on this aspect of his NDE before the release of the documentary in the year 2000, but there is some publically availible evidence that he was unaware of the mega-tsunami hypothesis during the course of writing his book. In fact, during an interview with Michael Brown given in Spirit Daily, Dougherty ponders about the cause of the massive tidal waves he saw in his visions, and speculates that they might be related to an earthquake centred on a faultline in the middle of the Atlantic:

In one series of visions he saw massive waves striking from Florida to Long Island and believes it may be related to something we have discussed as the Gorringe fault in the eastern Atlantic near the Azores-- a mysterious seismological hotbed under the ocean where land heaves up and last caused a major tidal wave in 1755 (a surge that swept the coastline from Spain and Portugal to Morocco and up to England). It's located at 36.5 north latitude/11west longitude, and periodically causes quakes of up to magnitude-8.7. Ned is concerned that it could also cause a wave or backwash to North America. He believes this because in his vision it seemed like there was enough warning for people to evacuate -- "a time to get to safety." Ironically, he saw one such safe spot at a shrine called Our Lady of the Island in Eastport, Long Island, which he says is several hundred feet above sea level and located with precisely the view of the ocean he experienced in his vision. (Michael H. Brown Spirit Daily - see the full article here).

It was only later that he learned of the threat posed by Cumbre Vieja, and travelled to La Palma in the Canary Islands to investigate the area for himself. He is now convinced that the events he claims to have witnessed during his NDE are directly related to the threat posed by the Canary Islands (see here). He also kindly linked to my articles Mega-tsunami - which shows how this event appears to be the "huge mountain, burning with fire" being thrown into the sea, as described in the Book of Revelation (Rev 8:8), and also to Our Lady of Light and the Apocalyptic Nativity, about the significance of the apparitions of Our Lady of Zeitoun in relation to the modern legalisation of abortion. Ned goes into some detail about the appearances of Our Lady in Egypt in his book, as well as some good material on the apparitions at Turzovka in 1958 - which also appear to predict massive tidal waves generated by a volcanic collapse.

See also the earlier post The Casting Down of Mountains, which acts as a hub-page for the various passages in Scripture which I believe may foretell this future event.

E-Book Version of Unveiling the Apocalypse

I've finally got round to making my book availble in e-book format, which is a lot cheaper way to purchase (given that there is no physical printing, binding etc.). It sells for around £5.99 - which is just under $10 - about half the price you would pay for a hard-copy on Amazon (and minus the delivery costs also). You can find a link to the e-book at the top right hand corner of this page. Personally I prefer hard copies of books - especially for quick referencing, but also because there's just something about the feel and weight of them. I guess I'm something of a bibliophile. But as well as being more affordable, e-books allow for instant access to a book. I find I end up buying them sometimes myself if I'm really looking forward to reading a certain book, or if I need quick access to research material.

The Synagogue of Satan

Ceiling fresco in the Freemason's Hall - Headquarters of the United Grand Lodge of England

“‘I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan." (Rev 2:9)

I am currently working on a new project, and thought that I would give a brief overview of one of the topics I will be covering on this blog. It concerns the legacy of Gnosticism and its influences in modern culture - a threat which has been snapping at the heels of Christianity since the earliest days of the burgeoning movement. This subject has been brought back into focus in recent years, with the popularity of novels such as Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, and the pseudo-historical non-fiction works on which they are based - such as The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail by Baignent, Leigh, and Lincoln, and The Hiram Key by Lomas and Knight.
The mystery-initiation religion of Gnosticism (derived from the Greek word gnosis - meaning "knowledge") crept into Christian thought at a very early stage in its development, prompting a vehement and utter condemnation by the apostles. While the development of Gnosticism within the Christian milieu was decidedly complex, with many widely differing variants, it can be broadly categorised as being dualistic in outlook. Many Gnostic Christians adopted the belief that the God of the Old Testament was an evil creator being known as the Demiurge, whilst the good god of light attempted to lead humankind to salvation by imparting knowledge and enlightenment.

The Marconites of the 2nd century, for example, rejected the entire Old Testament and the majority of the Christian canon, in the belief that such works stemmed from the influence of the Demiurge, who sought to keep humanity steeped in ignorance. Other Gnostic groups, such as the Naassenes and Ophites, revered the Serpent of Genesis as the good god of light, who desired to bestow the gift of wisdom upon humankind.
The Church father Hippolytus linked the Ophites to the Nicolaitans condemned by St. John in the Book of Revelation:

“And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: ‘The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword. “‘I know where you dwell, where Satan's throne is. Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality. So also you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans." (Rev 2:12-15)

The identification of Pergamum as "Satan's throne" here, is thought to make reference to the Pergamon Altar (which is now housed in Berlin museum), and may also allude to the fact that this location was a major centre for the serpent cult of Asclepius.

The Rod of Asclepius, which is closely associated with the Staff of Hermes

The Church fathers regarded Simon Magus, the Samaritan magician described in the Book of Acts, to be responsible for incorporating Gnostic beliefs into Christianity, which then spread out into the peripheries of the various newly-founded Christian communities.

But there was a man named Simon, who had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he himself was somebody great. They all paid attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the power of God that is called Great.” And they paid attention to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic. But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Even Simon himself believed, and after being baptized he continued with Philip. And seeing signs and great miracles performed, he was amazed.
 Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, for he had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money, saying, “Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.” And Simon answered, “Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.” (Acts 8:9-24)

Gnosticism would prove to be an attractive alternative to Orthodox Christianity, and gained many adherents in the first few centuries of the growth of the Christian movement. It was enough of a problem at the time of the composition of the New Testament to warrant mention in the canonical writings. It is thought that the words of St. Paul at the close of his First Epistle to Timothy referred to the "knowledge" that was such a central part of Gnostic belief: 

O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called “knowledge,” for by professing it some have swerved from the faith.(1Tim 6:20-21)

And the Epistle of St. Jude for example, is thought to be chiefly concerned with the influence of Gnosticism on the growing Christian movement:

Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.
 Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day—just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.
 Yet in like manner these people also, relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones. But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you.” But these people blaspheme all that they do not understand, and they are destroyed by all that they, like unreasoning animals, understand instinctively. Woe to them! For they walked in the way of Cain and abandoned themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam's error and perished in Korah's rebellion. These are hidden reefs at your love feasts, as they feast with you without fear, shepherds feeding themselves; waterless clouds, swept along by winds; fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead, uprooted; wild waves of the sea, casting up the foam of their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved forever.
 It was also about these that Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones, to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” These are grumblers, malcontents, following their own sinful desires; they are loud-mouthed boasters, showing favoritism to gain advantage. (Jude 1:3-16)

While Gnosticism rapidly declined in Western Europe after Rome adopted Christianity as its official state religion, popular forms of it - such as Manichaeism and Mandaeism, survived for many centuries in the East, and it eventually found its way back into the Languedoc region of Southern France from 11th to 13th centuries, in the religion of the Cathars. From here, it seems to have filtered through to the heterodox spiritual practices of the Knights Templar, who were forcibly disbanded in the early 14th century due to charges of heresy. The counts of Toulouse were known to have had a friendly disposition to the Cathars, and Raymond IV, Count of Toulouse was a central figure in the events that led to the formation of the Knights Templar, having spearheaded the capture of Jerusalem during the First Crusade.

It is thought that several members of the Knights Templar, forced underground into the sanctuary provided by Scotland, were instrumental in the later development of Freemasonry - a theory which appears to find some substance in the occult imagery that was incorporated into the architecture of Rosslyn Chapel. The architecture of this chapel, which was constructed in the 14th century by the Sinclair family (who are today noted for their rather illustrustious patronage of Freemasonry), contains many elements that are present in the modern symbology of Freemasonry. This is thought to be of some significance, since it was constructed almost three centuries before Freemasonry was finally free to emerge from its cloak of obscurity due to the favourable political conditions provided by the Reformation.

Gnostic thought also survived in esoteric intellectual circles operating on the fringes of the newly formed universities in the early Middle Ages, and suffused in such groups with Hermeticism and the occult. From these sources it would later coalesce into the development of secret societies, picking up various elements along the way, such as emulating the structure of the guilds of medieval craftsman (hence the rise of "speculative" or "free" Masonry,  as opposed to its "operative" form).

The common perception of the Gnostic/dualistic influences on Freemasonry were exploited by the anti-Catholic journalist Leo Taxil in his now infamous "Taxil Hoax". As part of his false exposé of Freemasonry intended to mock the gullibility of Catholics, Taxil issued the following statement -which he attributed to prominent American Freemason Albert Pike:

That which we must say to the world is that we worship a god, but it is the god that one adores without superstition. To you, Sovereign Grand Inspectors General, we say this, that you may repeat it to the brethren of the 32nd, 31st and 30th degrees: The masonic Religion should be, by all of us initiates of the higher degrees, maintained in the Purity of the Luciferian doctrine. If Lucifer were not God, would Adonay and his priests calumniate him?
Yes, Lucifer is God, and unfortunately Adonay is also god. For the eternal law is that there is no light without shade, no beauty without ugliness, no white without black, for the absolute can only exist as two gods; darkness being necessary for light to serve as its foil as the pedestal is necessary to the statue, and the brake to the locomotive....
Thus, the doctrine of Satanism is a heresy, and the true and pure philosophical religion is the belief in Lucifer, the equal of Adonay; but Lucifer, God of Light and God of Good, is struggling for humanity against Adonay, the God of Darkness and Evil.

However the sole reason the above fictional quote appeared plausible to so many Catholics was simply because that it was rooted in already long-held suspicions. There are many symbols used by Freemasonry which contain Luciferian overtones. One of the most important symbols of Freemasonry is the pentagram - long understood by Christians to represent Lucifer as the Morning Star. And the Masonic word for god is given in the Royal Arch Degree as Jahbulon - which can be translated from Hebrew as "I am Baal, Father of all". And of course Baal is the Canaanite god which become synonymous with the Devil by the time of Christ, who referred to Satan as Beelzebub ("Lord of the flies") - which appears to be a play on the name Baalzebul ("Lord of the high place").

Jahbulon - The Grand Omnific Word of Royal Arch Masonry

Given the many links between Freemasonry and the various Gnostic beliefs which revere Lucifer as the good god of light, it would not be unreasonable to presume the involvement of such a group in deliberately manipulating the symbols used in modern commerce to conform in some way to the prophecy of the number of the Beast. Indeed there are a large number of people who believe that Faustian secret societies such as this (in the Illuminati/New World Order conspiracy theories) are deliberately intent on bringing this prophecy into fulfilment - either in honour of their diabolical master, or at his express request.

So could secret societies be responsible for the rather glaring equation between the three letters that have become so inextricably intertwined in modern commerce and the process of globalisation - www, and their numerical equivalence in the Hebrew numeral system as six-six-six? (See the earlier post Hebrew 666?, or for more in depth details see the link to the sample chapter at the top right hand column on this page). More specifically, are there any symbols amongst the various occult secret societies that reference the number of the beast?

To begin with, it is perhaps worth noting that the entire ethos of Freemasonry is structured around the building of the Temple of Solomon - which according to the Bible, used 666 talents of gold in its construction (1Kings 10:14). And if we turn to examine the most important symbol of Royal Arch Masonry - the Triple Tau, we find that this too seems to hide a coded reference to the number of the Beast.

The Triple Tau - the Grand Eleblem of Royal Arch Masonry, which is worn on the aprons of members

Freemasons are known for incorporating coded messages into their symbols, and one of the most rudimentary codes available is that of the Atbash Cipher, which is used in the Hebrew alphabet. The Atbash Cipher uses a reversed alphabet to encode messages by substituting the first letter aleph, for the last letter taw, and so on.

The use of the Atbash Cipher is thought to lie behind the name Baphomet, which was revered by the Knights Templar. Using the Atbash, the obscure name Baphomet is converted into Sophia - the Greek word for wisdom. If we apply the Atbash Cipher to the Greek alphabet, we find that the letter tau becomes the sixth-placed letter - which means that three taus can represent three sixes - six six six.

In regular Craft Masonry, the symbol of the set square and compass, bearing the letter G inside is substituted for the Triple Tau worn on the Masonic apron. According to Masonic lore, the letter G stands for the name of their god, and also at the same time it represents geometry. The use of Sacred Geometry is a fundamental part of the mythos of Freemasonry.

It is interesting to note then, that the use of geometry forms a crucial part of the hidden symbols purposefully intergrated into one of the most renowned illustrations of the Rosicrucians (an esoteric secret society of the early 17th century, which formed an important part in the development of Freemasonry).

In the Speculum Sophicum Rhodo-Stauroticum, the Rosicrucians claim that a secret "figure" representing the central philosophy of their order is hidden within the illustration The Temple of the Rose Cross (shown above). And it just so happens that this illustration is laden with elaborate geometrical lines. The most prominent of these lines emanates from the eyes of the figure at the bottom right hand of the illustration holding an anchor, and travels upwards to a winged sun-disc bearing the Hebrew letters of the divine tetragrammaton YHWH. If we measure this line with a protractor, we find that it is precisely at a 66 degree angle. And if we look closer at the tetragrammaton, we can see that this line is specifically pointing to an exact letter - the letter waw, which we have previously noted has the numerical value of 6.

So the number of the Beast is concealed within the confines of this illustration, which the Rosicrucians themselves claimed contains a hidden "figure" which encapsulates their philosophy. Here, we thus have a direct link between the use of Hebrew to form the number 666 by a secret society that was instrumental in the early development of Freemasonry.

See also the related posts:

NFC Technology and the Mark of the Beast
Gematria and the Number of the Beast
The Mark of the Beast?
Mobile Banking and the Mark of the Beast
The Seal of God