Michael casts out rebel angels. Gustave Doré
The fact that today, 28th July, 2014, marks the centenary of the First World War gives us some pause for thought on the prophetic vision of Pope Leo XIII, concerning the 75-100 years of Satan's greater power. Most Catholics who lend credence to this vision connect it to the two World Wars of the 20th century, meaning that the outbreak of the First World War is the first moment in history that Satan's period of greater power had immediate and tangible effects. As we have noted several times throughout this blog, Pope Leo's vision is directly based on the "little while" given to Satan in the Book of Revelation, which tells us that the Devil would be unbound for a short period of time towards the end of the world for the purpose of gathering the nations together for war:
Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while.
(Rev 20:1-3)
And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea.
(Rev 20:7-9)
So the primary consequence of Satan being unbound at the end of the Millennium is that he would deceive the nations of the world to make war against one another. It is these wars that Christ foretold would occur amongst the signs that announce the beginning of the birth pangs of the end of the age, and the increase of lawlessness during this time of great turmoil would cause many to question their faith, leading to the age of the Great Apostasy:
And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.
(Matt 24:6-8)
...because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.
(Matt 24:12)
The ultimate goal of the Devil in gathering the nations together for war is not just limited to the destruction of life, but is rather aimed at the loss of faith in the face of the philosophical Problem of Evil. Just like the story of Job (which forms the basis for the vision of Pope Leo XIII), the true purpose of the Evil One is to lead the servants of God into open rebellion:
Then Satan answered the LORD and said, “Does Job fear God for no reason? Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.”
(Job 1:9-11)
In pitting the nations of the world against each other, the true focus of Satan's attack is against the Church itself, by calling faith in an omnibenevolent God into question. This ambition is reflected metaphorically in the vision of the forces assembled by Satan that lay siege to the Church, which is represented by the Heavenly Jerusalem:
And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city...
(Rev 20:9)
The theme of Satan gathering the nations together for war at the end of the world is given earlier in the Apocalypse, which places these events at the Mount of Megiddo (Hebrew Har Megiddo - from which we get the word Armageddon), which should be equated with Mount Carmel - the location of the contest between Elijah and the prophets of Baal for the fate of the land of Israel.
The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, to prepare the way for the kings from the east. And I saw, coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs. For they are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty. (“Behold, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed!”) And they assembled them at the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.
(Rev 16:12-16)
The Apocalypse gives a number of signs that mark the beginning of the "little while" given to Satan, upon which he gathers the nations together for war. The above passage cites one sign as the drying up of the river Euphrates, which could possibly be linked to the construction of the Hindiya Barrage (completed in 1913), which required the river Euphrates to be temporarily dammed. Rev 9 mentions two further signs that herald the unbinding of Satan in the abyss towards the end of the age - a star falling down to the earth and the appearance of metal-clad flying "war horses" that look like locusts:
And the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star fallen from heaven to earth, and he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit. He opened the shaft of the bottomless pit, and from the shaft rose smoke like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened with the smoke from the shaft. Then from the smoke came locusts on the earth, and they were given power like the power of scorpions of the earth.
(Rev 9:1-4)
The most famous occurrence of a "star" or meteorite falling to the earth, and the largest impact event in recorded history, is that of the Tunguska Event in 1908 - which just so happened to coincide with the invention of military airplanes. In addition to this, the key to the bottomless pit/abyss/hell/Hades which is given to the angel in Rev 20:1 is equated in Rev 1 with the seven stars held in the right hand of Jesus - which appears to suggest that the opening of the abyss would also be marked by a rare alignment of the seven classical planets - which occurred at the beginning of Advent in December 1899, just months after Pope Leo XIII consecrated the world to the Sacred Heart of Jesus:
In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.
(Revelation 1:16-18)
It seems then that the "angel" who is given the keys of Death and Hades is none other than the figure of the pope himself - which accords with the words of Christ when he conferred St. Peter with the keys to heaven:
And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
(Matt 16:18-19)
This appears to suggest that one of the ways that Peter exercises his authority over heaven and hell is through performing requested acts of consecration, which can only add to the level of importance of the consecration asked by Our Lady of Fatima. In Zech 3, Joshua the High Priest (who also seems to represent the figure of the pope as pontifex maximus) is similarly granted the authority over entry into the house of God, in the context of Satan accusing him in a manner which is startlingly similar to the story of Job (which again forms the basis for the prophecy of Pope Leo XIII):
"Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. And the LORD said to Satan, “The LORD rebuke you, O Satan! The LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is not this a brand plucked from the fire?” Now Joshua was standing before the angel, clothed with filthy garments. And the angel said to those who were standing before him, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” And to him he said, “Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments.” And I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the LORD was standing by.
And the angel of the LORD solemnly assured Joshua, “Thus says the LORD of hosts: If you will walk in my ways and keep my charge, then you shall rule my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you the right of access among those who are standing here."
(Zech 3:1-7)
We can thus see why this vision was given to the pope himself, rather than anyone else, as the figure of the pope is an important part of the scriptural symbolism which is alluded to here. It would appear that Pope Leo XIII was chosen to be the recipient of this vision because he was the leader of the Church at the turn of the 20th century - a century during which Satan would be unbound in order to test the servants of God. Once the full influences of Satan were unleashed at the beginning of the 20th century, he set about gathering the nations together for war in order to test the faith of the people of God, which began with outbreak of the First World War on 28th July, 1914, following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand.
The Apocalypse mentions this gathering of nations together for war against the Church in Rev 19 also, this time elaborating upon another sign that would occur during this moment in history - the appearance of an angel "standing in the sun". Does this description of an "angel standing in the sun" in the Book of Revelation refer to the Miracle of the Sun seen at Fatima on October 13th, 1917, during the height of the First World War?:
Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and with a loud voice he called to all the birds that fly directly overhead, “Come, gather for the great supper of God, to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, both small and great.” And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war against him who was sitting on the horse and against his army.
(Rev 19:17-19)
The movement of the sun at Fatima reflected the vision of the angel holding the flaming sword seen in the Third Secret, which threatened to set the world on fire. The angel standing in the sun described in the Apocalypse heralds the battle of Armageddon, which is described in the context of an eschatological banquet. It seems to be beyond coincidence that the shepherd children saw the Virgin Mary appear as Our Lady of Mount Carmel during the Miracle of the Sun (the "Mount of Megiddo" or Armageddon), within a month of the publication of the Balfour Declaration calling for a Jewish national homeland in Palestine; or that the Battle of Megiddo in 1918 took place just under a year later, the consequences of which led to the land of Palestine falling under the British Mandate, which eventually resulted in the restoration of the land of Israel in 1948.
Indeed when we look to the parallel passage concerning the eschatological banquet described in the Book of Ezekiel, we find that this event is also described in the context of the restoration of the land of Israel towards the end of the world:
“As for you, son of man, thus says the Lord GOD: Speak to the birds of every sort and to all beasts of the field, ‘Assemble and come, gather from all around to the sacrificial feast that I am preparing for you, a great sacrificial feast on the mountains of Israel, and you shall eat flesh and drink blood. You shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth—of rams, of lambs, and of he-goats, of bulls, all of them fat beasts of Bashan. And you shall eat fat till you are filled, and drink blood till you are drunk, at the sacrificial feast that I am preparing for you. And you shall be filled at my table with horses and charioteers, with mighty men and all kinds of warriors,’ declares the Lord GOD.
“And I will set my glory among the nations, and all the nations shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid on them. The house of Israel shall know that I am the LORD their God, from that day forward. And the nations shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity, because they dealt so treacherously with me that I hid my face from them and gave them into the hand of their adversaries, and they all fell by the sword. I dealt with them according to their uncleanness and their transgressions, and hid my face from them.
“Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Now I will restore the fortunes of Jacob and have mercy on the whole house of Israel, and I will be jealous for my holy name. They shall forget their shame and all the treachery they have practiced against me, when they dwell securely in their land with none to make them afraid, when I have brought them back from the peoples and gathered them from their enemies' lands, and through them have vindicated my holiness in the sight of many nations. Then they shall know that I am the LORD their God, because I sent them into exile among the nations and then assembled them into their own land. I will leave none of them remaining among the nations anymore. And I will not hide my face anymore from them, when I pour out my Spirit upon the house of Israel, declares the Lord GOD.”
(Ezek 39:17-29)
The restoration of the land of Israel is undoubtedly a prophetic sign, and will in some way facilitate the future conversion of the Jews, when God will pour out his Spirit upon the house of Israel - which the Catechism teaches must take place before the Second Coming of Christ. This event appears to be intimately connected with Our Lady of Fatima, who appeared to the shepherd children bearing the star of Esther - the Old Testament figure who delivered the Jews from persecution (see the earlier post Our Lady of Fatima and the Jewish Holocaust). The fact that so many of these signs all occurred at the beginning of the 20th century helps us to establish that the "little while" of Satan began at this exact time period, and that the first fruits of the era when Satan would be granted greater power was the outbreak of the First World War, which occurred 100 years ago today.
The meaning of the battle of Armageddon should not be confined to the First World War alone though, as the Apocalypse breaks this great eschatological war into three separate components - one belonging to the Dragon, one to the False Prophet and one to the Beast/Antichrist, represented by the three demonic spirits that issue to gather the nations for war:
And I saw, coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs. For they are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty.
(Rev 16:13-14)
So what we have here is three separate occasions on which the nations are gathered together for war - three world wars. The war instigated by the demon that issues from the mouth of the Beast is obviously still set in the future, during the reign of the Antichrist. The war caused by the demon that issues from the mouth of the False Prophet must be the Second World War, since the False Prophet is modelled after Antiochus IV Ephiphanes - a persecutor of Jews. So the demon which issues from the mouth of the Dragon must therefore refer to the First World War, and is synonymous with the flood poured out of the mouth of the Dragon which threatens to carry the Church away:
The serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, to sweep her away with a flood.
(Rev 12:15)
The below video by Robert Duncan from the Catholic News Service shows how the mistakes that led to the unprecedented tragedy of the Great War are already being repeated in the modern age, and that the danger of a Third World War in the future is still very much a possibility.
32 comments:
Thanks Emmett for your attempt to bring some light to the Apocalypse.
I loved your analysis of "Angel standing in the sun" to the miracle of the sun in Fatima. And again, would like to remind you that the Virgin of Carmel was also seen at Lourdes, and Garabandal.
I must admit I don't agree with you that the 3 demonic spirits of the frogs out of the mouths of the dragon, beast, and false prophet are 3 separate occasions. I think the Dragon, Beast and False Prophet are all linked together, in contrast to our own Christian Trinity of Our Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Let's try to define what the frogs mean. Well, a frog lives in the dirty mud, may be a symbol of those who live in sin, and a frog swells his size which may symbolize the sin of pride, arrogance, impudence, assumption of authority, perhaps impurity and vileness. The hoarse murmur of a frog is annoying isn't it?
Do we not hear the murmur of frogs today with our politicians, media and those experts in geopolitics who are influencing our opinions, governments, society and religions?
The meaningless noise of the frogs are representing the influence of the Dragon. They speak for him. The true purpose of the Evil one is to lead the servants of God into open rebellion. The frogs are the political forces and false religions that are gathering the world to destruction. The only true religion is the Catholic Church.
Yes, you are right Emmett, the "angel of the Lord" is our Pope. We are all awaiting the heavenly Jerusalem, which is Christ in the Eucharist, to reach the hearts of all Muslims, Israelis, Hindus, Protestants, etc. The cycle of violence in the world today is supported by people with false religions who claim that the teachings come from God, but instead are misused and abused for their selfish interests.
Gog has already invaded the land of Israel. Israelis and Palestinians are killing each other. The end of Christian minorities in Asia Minor, that land where, Paul journeyed as a missionary, where the first seven Churches stood is on fire. Our Western civilization is weak because Catholicism was replaced with a lie designed to serve the Dragon. We are morally bankrupt.
"But we cannot love God, if we sin gravely against Him, against our neighbor, or against ourselves." Pope John Paul II. How right he was.
God bless.
I keep thinking of the unprecedented flooding of Lourdes in 2012 as referring to the flood in Apocalypse 12:15-16.
Sr Lucia said/wrote that in her lifetime we are living through chapters 8-13 of the Apocalypse.
--Aunt Raven
There has not yet been an official, definitive statement by the Church on the Millennium. It remains a bit of a mystery.
Here is what I consider to be the finest, most balanced Catholic statement on the Millennium. It is found on page 1140, under the chapter "Death and Judgement," in the book "The Teachings of the Catholic Church: A Summary of Catholic Doctrine" which was published in 1952:
"It is not easy to contradict people and prove them to be wrong if they profess a hope in some mighty triumph of Christ here on earth before the final consummation of all things. Such an occurrence is not excluded, is not impossible, it is not at all certain that there may not be a prolonged period of triumphant Christianity before the end. The point of division between the legitimate aspirations of devout souls and the aberrations of false millenarism is this: the Chiliasts - as believers in the millennium are called, from the Greek word for thousand - seem to expect a coming of Christ and a presence of him in glory and majesty on this earth which would not be the consummation of all things but would still be a portion of the history of mankind. This is not consonant with Catholic dogma. The coming of Christ in the second Advent - the Parousia, as it is called technically - in orthodox Christianity is the consummation of all things, the end of human history. If before that final end there is to be a period, more or less prolonged, of triumphant sanctity, such a result will be brought about, not by the apparition of the Person of Christ in Majesty but by the operation of those powers of sanctification which are now at work, the Holy Ghost and the Sacraments of the Church. The Chiliasts of all times and shades of opinion, and there are many to be found even today, seem to despair, not only of the world, but even of that dispensation of grace which was inaugurated at Pentecost; they expect from the visible presence of Christ a complete conversion of the world, as if such a happy result could not be otherwise brought about. They have still to learn the meaning of Christ's to the Apostles: 'It is expedient to you that I go. For if I go not, the Paraclete will not come to you: but if I go, I will send him to you.'
The Catholic Church has full confidence in the present order of supernatural life, and if she sighs for the return of her Christ it is not because she despairs of the work he has done, but because she desires to see that work made manifest to all men, that it may appear what wondrous things Christ accomplished for man before his Ascension into heaven."
It is the lack of faith and total rejection of Christ's teachings today on a worldwide scale that has caused our hearts to be closed. A closed and hardened heart ignores His Spirit.
We need a supernatural spiritual awakening. An event that will stop the nation's from destroying each other. The stage is being set for a repeat of WWI. Except without a worldwide miracle, our planet will not survive the next big one.
Thanks, Emmett, I'm glad you are posting again! This is a fascinating article.
The connection with Our Lady of Mt Carmel is especially interesting. Do you think there may be some connection with the scapular? I've come to see it as a "garment of grace," symbolized throughout the Bible as God's graces and blessings on us. If enough people were to follow Our Lady's requests and reform their lives, war could be averted (although maybe not the final war which is prophesied).
I just went back and read the posts you linked to about OL of Mt Carmel and Fatima, so that answers my question.
On a different aspect, in that post you said "Without the equilibrium established by the 'world's policeman', [ie. the USA] the world of geo-politics will become incredibly volatile."
With current events, this seems to be already happening. Obama is abdicating his role and has no interest in foreign policy. Thus Putin is taking advantage of his weakness and fomenting war in the Ukraine, etc. Also the other things happening with the ISIS is very disturbing.
The theory is quite interesting, but I am failing to see the larger picture as it pertains to today's events. If the 100 year reign of the Enemy began at the dawn of the 20th century, it would seem that 14 years after the millennium, we would be seeing a "winding down" of evil events on earth instead of a ramping up of chaos, much less a third world war.
Sister Marianne, it is the USA and NATO, who are provoking Putin for war. America wants to take the gas that belongs to Russia.
And ISIS is funded and trained by the U.S., Israel, and Saudi Arabia. They are creating ISIS in order to rearrange borders in the Middle East.
We are in trouble. Because our nation has turned its back on God. Our American leaders are corrupt and are ready to destroy their country for a WWIII scenario.
Pray hard, that this does not come true.
Emmett, is it possible the Third World War was/is the Cold War in which Russia has spread her errors (communism) throughout the world?
Thanks Sister Lorraine!
I've always felt that the scapular was similar to the "seal of God", and just a slightly different version of the Jewish practice of wearing phylacteries, so are some apocalyptic connotations here.
Hi Eudaimonia, I understand your reservations. But we have to look back to what occurred during the first Pentecost, when Satan was first bound by the ministry Christ. The first Christians had to endure terrible persecutions during this period. The binding of Satan is really about the unimpeded spread of the Gospel, rather than the cessation of evil. The Second Pentecost will mirror that of the first.
Hi Elena,
Yes I believe that Russia still has a major part to play in future events. Sr. Lucia warned that it will be the instrument of God's chastisement if her requests were not heeded, and Russia will certainly seek to step in to fill the political vacuum if America loses it place as the leading world superpower.
I want to share a dream I had in mid-june.
I am from Quebec, Canada. In my youth, we used to go at my uncle's house to celebrate St John the Baptist Day on June 24th, which is in Canada and particularly in Quebec the French Canadians national Day.
In my dream, I arrived at my uncle's house early morning June 24th at one o'clock, which is quite unusual.
I noticed that I had forgotten my sunglasses and I won't have my sunglasses when the sun will rise.
My interpretation is that starting from June 24th, it will be a very dark period on earth.
We know with all the sad events since.
Anyone else find it interesting that the Azusa Street revival occurred around the same time as all the events referred to in this post?
From History of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal (http://www.arlingtonrenewal.org/history):
"On January 1, 1901, Pope Leo XIII prayed to the Holy Spirit. He sang the Veni Creator Spiritus by the Holy Spirit window in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. That same day, in Topeka, Kansas, at the Bethel College and Bible School, the Holy Spirit came upon a group of Protestants who had been praying to receive the Holy Spirit as the early Church did in Acts chapter two."
Sort of makes me think that we have been in the second Pentecost for a while now....
I prayed for enlightenment about why the Lord would send such an outpouring of the Holy Spirit to "heretics" (an outdated, but accurate term)and received my answer in a sudden understanding a few weeks ago: they received because they asked,and expected miracles; and God the Father loves them. God is so good.
Kithri
We just need to pray that the Lord will soon bring up to the throne of Peter His true and holy Vicar mentioned in various prophecies to restore the Church as in the glorious days of the past when the Church had a true pastor instead of theses modernists wolfs of today claiming to be the head of the Catholic Church... as is in the Apocalipse, the Lord of lords and King of kings will send a very holy Vicar for the Church and with the sword of his mouth he will anathematize every heresy since Vatican II and heretics that came out claiming to be pastors of the Church since then.
I would like to point out that the Communist Revolution, under the direct order of Vladimir Lenin, assassinated Tsar Nicholas II and his entire family in the most horrible manner, precisely on the 16th of July, 1918. Even though it was already the first hours of the morning of the 17th of July, in Portugal, where Our Lady had appeared as Our Lady of Mount Carmel, it was still the 16th.... Coincidence?
The Churches split on July 16,1054, the date of the Virgin of Carmel.
On July 16, 1251, in the first apparition of the Virgin of Carmel to St Simon Stock, she was dressed with a white tunic and a blue cloak, as at Garabandal.
Although she was the Immaculate Conception at Lourdes, on her last appearance, she appeared as the Virgin of Carmel on July 16, 1858.
In Fatima her title was The Lady of the Rosary, but her last appearance with the Miracle of The Sun, she appeared at the end as the Virgin of Carmel.
In Garabandal she only appeared as the Virgin of Mount Carmel. On her wrist was a brown scapular, that on one side was shown a white cross, and on the other side was a cream mountain. Please go back and read the third secret of Fatima about the Pope climbing the steep mountain, and kneeling down to the cross. Coincidence? This secret was not told by Sister Lucia, until after Garabandal.
The Scapular is her mantle of her protection she cloaks over the entire Church.
On July 16, 1961, the four girls at Garabandal received Communion by Archangel Michael. Conchita the seer said the "Miracle" would coincide with an ecclesiastical event in the Church. And the Virgin said, because of the "Miracle," the Churches would be united.
Mount Carmel (Garden of God), "calls to mind Elijah and "the Prophets." It is the holy mountain, the inspired mountain. It has been the symbol of conversion or turning back to God. It is the Garden of God inside the Immaculate Heart of Mary that will save the world."
"Lourdes, Fatima and Garabandal are one; a trilogy drawn in an arc across Portugal, Spain and France."
There is hope.
Garabandal tells us of the third secret. The division of the Church, the suffering of the Pope, and our good priests, bishops, and nuns, as well as the deaths of Christians through persecution and war.
Great article.
"It would appear that Pope Leo XIII was chosen to be the recipient of this vision because he was the leader of the Church at the turn of the 20th century - a century during which Satan would be unbound in order to test the servants of God. Once the full influences of Satan were unleashed at the beginning of the 20th century, he set about gathering the nations together for war in order to test the faith of the people of God..."
Yes, as this article says, it appears we are living during the "little while" given to Satan after the "thousand years", also called the "short time" in other translations.
But what is not said, and is even more important in my estimation, is what comes after the "little while" given unto Satan. The Book of Revelation is clear on this point - what follows is the return of Jesus, and the resurrection of the dead, the Judgment, and the restoration of the earth - called the New Earth - with God forever-more dwelling with man in heaven on the new earth.
So if we are living right now in the final years of the "little while" of Satan as proposed in this article, and I agree that we are, then we are on the cusp of the fulfillment of all things. Indeed, it could even be within the lifetimes of many of us.
Once we understand this, then we know what we need to do - to convert, that is, to return to God, now. Do not wait. Be ready. Pray, confess, fast, attend Mass and receive Holy Communion, read Scriptures, show love in both word and deed to all whom we encounter in our daily routines. There is no longer any time for delaying these.
God bless.
Greg J. Cring
Thanks Greg! I really appreciate that you agree with me on this! I noticed that you were drawing upon the same conclusion yourself in your book "A While Longer". I was really inspired by your book in several places when I read it this year on holiday, which I hope to get round to writing about on the blog. It's always good to get a fresh perspective, and when it comes to the chronology of the Apocalypse, I think we are more or less in complete agreement (which I suppose shouldn't really be that surprising, since we both base ourselves on the traditional, orthodox Catholic view of eschatology).
FATHER GOBBI:
How are we to interpret this Coming of Christ in Glory?
The immaculate Heart of Mary coincides with the Glorious Second Coming of the Kingdom of Christ. These sentences are, of course, being interpreted in the light of the Holy Scriptures (Rv. 20: 1-7) and in conformity with the authentic teachings of the Church.
Please note how often Pope John Paul II refers to this subject. He does so in his first encyclical "Redemptor Hominis" and in other important documents, in which he speaks of the Second Advent of the Church, which awaits the Second Coming of Jesus."
Based on our usual mode of thinking, we have always thought the Second Coming of Christ was identical with his Coming for the Last judgement. There exists no in-depth theological study about this topic. This is also true for other truths which one believes without there ever having been made an in-depth study on the subject. Lately, after some of these messages mentioned that Christ will return in glory into this world, an in-depth theological study has been made on this subject.
What do the Holy Scriptures say about the Second Coming of Christ?
Several years ago in Spain, a theologian gave me a book. In this book he explains that from the Holy Scriptures and the early Fathers of the Church it is clearly evident that Christ will return in glory into this world in order to build His Kingdom and that at the end He will return as Judge.
"But when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?" (Lk. 18:8). If He wants to find faith on the earth, then He must return to this earth, my dear brother! Since, when the Last judgement occurs, earth will not exist any more. There will be the Last Judgement, Paradise or Hell, but the earth will have disappeared. When the Son of God returns to find faith on earth, then He must return to this earth. Further, the passage where Jesus stands before the High Priest: "From now on you will see 'the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the power' and 'coming on the clouds of heaven'" (Mt. 26:64 from their sight." (compare Acts 1:9) Just as He will also return with a cloud. Therefore, as long as there are clouds, the Last Judgement has not come. So Christ is returning with the clouds on this earth.
Emmett, thank you for mentioning Greg's book. Greg! Thank you for posting here. I hadn't even heard of your book. I just purchased the Kindle edition and tore through most of it. Absolutely amazing.
What a great, great gift both of you men are, and the contribution you are making as prophets in these, our late, late days.
May Our Lord bless you in his Sacred Heart, the fire of his mercy, and keep you for that great day.
Mark L
Hi Emmett, I just read on the Cathechism #677, that anon is correct on the fact that the Last Judgement will occur when earth no longer exists. "...God's triumph over the revolt of evil will take the form of the Last Judgment after the final cosmic upheaval of the passing world."
We haven't reached the "era of peace" yet. Christ will establish His kingdom in the world after having defeated His enemies. So, Satan's "little while" is still causing havoc worldwide. Christ will come the second time according to the seer Maria Esperanza, quietly and spiritually. And He will defeat Satan. That still hasn't happened. But it will.
If we are to believe in our Saints like Sr Faustina and Padre Pio, as well as, our Church fathers, the Second Coming is not the Last Judgment. According to Sr Faustina, "God will come upon the scene with great power which will bear witness to the truth. It will be as a new splendor for the church, though it has been dormant in it from long ago." If that's the case then we are to live here on earth in peace, before the end of the world.
It is AFTER the Second Coming, which will be a Eucharistic reign worldwide, (Christ in the Spirit, and not flesh like His first coming), when Satan will be bound and chained for a time. And then just before the Last Judgment, Satan will be freed again for a "little while," again. But this time it will be his last.
The order should be the Triumph of Her Immaculate Heart coinciding with the Second Coming, the Second Pentecost, the New Advent, the Eucharistic Reign, the Era of Peace, the New Jerusalem, the New Earth, and last, and who knows when - The Last Judgment and Parousia.
"The doctrine of the Millennium - and "act to come," an "era" of peace or "some mighty triumph of Christianity before the end has been accepted as sound doctrine."
"The teaching of the Catholic Church, which bears the Church's required seals and was published in 1952 by a theologian commission of qualified experts, clearly states that it is not contrary to Catholic teaching to believe or profess a hope in some mighty triumph of Christianity before the end."
We are living Emmett in historic Biblical times of prophets and prophecies. As Pope Urban VIII once said, "In cases which concern private revelations, it is better to believe than not to believe, for, if you believe and it is proven true, you will be happy that you have believed, because our Holy Mother asked it." One can't get more orthodox than that.
Bless you.
The Nicene Creed from the Council of Nicaea is an infallible definition of the faith. Every line of it is guaranteed to be free from error.
And what does the Nicene Creed say about Christ's Second Coming?
"He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead."
It was written against heretics who believed that there was a period of peace AFTER the return of Christ but BEFORE the Last Judgment.
That's an infallible definition from a Council and ends any such discussion of Jesus reigning on the Earth after the Second Coming and before the Last Judgment.
Nicaea defined the Second Coming and Last Judgment together. No mention of chialism or a eucharistic reign. Satan has already been defeated, but the effects of that defeat are still being played out-- just as the passion of Christ on the cross already merited our salvation, but the effects of that merit are still being applied.
Jesus defeated Satan on the cross and plundered Satan's world over the course of the next 2,000+ years. Satan has already been defeated, and his pagan world has already been plundered. The final thing before Christ's Second Coming is that the Church will follow Christ in His passion and will also be killed and nearly extinguished (CCC 677). We're likely living in that time right now, as St Pope JP2 mentioned that we are in the final decisive battle between Satan and God.
Jesus already reigns on earth through the Eucharist with His glorious Body, with His Blood, with His Divinity, with or without a Second Coming.
His Second Coming "is arriving today through His children who are the victims of the forces of evil all over the world. And He has gathered His children together from every part of earth to battle these evil forces in order so that He may pour out His purifying grace of the DIVINE MERCY." Can't you see it happening, especially in the Middle East? Do you not see the battle between good and evil? What does killing innocent children and women have to do with God?
You see our God is not a revengeful one, He is a merciful one. And with His Second Coming, He will come not to destroy, but to give those who are ignorant and sinful a chance to convert and unite with the Roman Catholic Church before the end of the world does come.
The Nicene Creed considers heretics to believe in a reigning Christ on earth in the FLESH. That is a heresy called Millenarianism and it is condemned. Jesus will not reign as an earthly King with his Saints for a LITERAL one thousand years before the end of time. Geesh, every true Catholic knows this.
Now, the doctrine of the Millennium is very different, and has been taught in different degrees and expressions by our Church fathers, among them Papias, St Justin the Martyr, St Iranaeus, Tertullian, St Hippolytus, Lactantius,St Bernard of Clairvaux, St Augustine and others.
"St Bernard Clairvaux in his "Sermo 5", Adventu Domini" clearly speaks of another coming of Christ which he places between the first in the FLESH (Christmas) and the final Coming in glory for the Last Judgment. He calls this middle Coming the "Intermediate Coming." The Intermediate Coming is a hidden one; in it only the elect will see the Lord within their own selves, and they are saved. In His first Coming, our Lord came in the flesh and in our weakness; in this middle Coming, He is our rest and consolation." In case someone should think that this middle Coming is sheer invention listen to what our Lord himself says: 'If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him.'
We live today during the times prophesied by our own Blessed Mother, Jesus, and our Saints. We are not looking forward for the final judgment, we "are full of hope because we are anticipating a renewed kingdom of holiness, of justice, of love and of peace." Just look at our our precious Pope Francis. He is the example we should learn from. He is constantly reminding us that God's kingdom here on earth is not a political kingdom, but a spiritual one. He tells us, Christ will reign in His Spirit and by means of His Eucharistic person.
As Maria Esperanza said, Christ is here already, what we wait for is the Second Pentecost. We are waiting for the "explosion of the merciful love of Jesus." The gift of the Holy Spirit whose Second Pentecost we await will lead the hearts to change, the souls to free themselves from sin, and the return of the world to go back to God.
Believe, believe, believe... because if our own Saints and Church fathers believed, than so should you.
May His divine power pour forth from the Sacrament of the Eucharist to bring about the defeat of the adversary.
Mariana, I appreciate your faith here. But you're not being completely accurate with the Church Fathers. Yes, it was a common view in the Early Church, but so was amellenialism. The Church Fathers were not unanimous in this whatsoever.
St Augustine also didn't believe in millenialism. He said things both for it and against it.
You admitted that your belief is a modified form of mellenialism. What does the Catechism say about that?
676 "The Church has rejected even MODIFIED FORMS of this falsification of the kingdom to come under the name of millenarianism,"
As far as Christ being merciful by allowing everyone to join the Catholic Church-- well, He certainly wouldn't be merciful to the Jews, who we know dogmatically won't convert until just before Christ's Second Coming.
There's no way the Jews could be invincibly ignorant after seeing the huge miracles and conversion of the **entire world** to Catholicism. Yet we know such Jews will still reject the Gospel up until the very end.
There's no way that such Jews could be invincibly ignorant-- not after seeing these miracles and the conversion of the entire world to one Church. Imagine being a Jew and seeing Crosses floating in the sky and seeing al qaeda and ISIS converting to Catholcism-- and STILL denying that this is the true Gospel!
There's no way these Jews could be invincibly ignorant. They wouldn't even be VINCIBLY ignorant.
Anyone who rejects the gospel and is NOT invincibly ignorant goes to Hell. That's dogma.
The only way to get around this is to say that the Jews will somehow remain invincibly ignorant during this modified Millenialism. If you believe that people seeing such insane miracles and conversion of the entire world to Catholicism can somehow remain invincibly ignorant-- then sorry, you've rendered the distinction between invincible and vincible ignorance to be completely meaningless.
If such Jews in such a time period could see such miracles and worldwide conversions and somehow be invincibly ignorant, then practically everyone throughout all of history would easily be invincibly ignorant too.
Thanks Emmet for great post. I always enjoy reading your blog.
I was thinking about the second pentecost, do you know that secretly thousands of Moslem have come to Jesus Christ in recent years. It's all because of the testimonies of all the ex Moslems such as Ali SIna, Mosab Yoesef, Hirsi Ali, Wali Shoebat, Wafa SUltan etc who exposed the evil nature of the founder of Islam, Mohammed.
More and more people leave Islam because of these brave people. Pamela Geller, and Brigiite Gabriel also very active talking about the danger of Islam.
I myself studied Islam in the childhood because of mix religion in the family and aware of it but can't see the the truth until in my adulthood.
I heard that Ali SIna and Mosab Yoesef are going to make movie about Prophet Muhammad to help all (not only Moslem) to see the nature of Muhammed, how evil he is and the God he created. They have plan to make it as good as the quality of Passion of Christ.
I really think this movie will bring major conversions in Arab world. What do you think Emmet?
Thanks
Dia
KP you are the perfect example of a person who has stayed ignorant to the many miracles God has performed through our Blessed Mother.
Your heart and mind are hardened with many miracles of locutions and apparitions that don't comply with your version of Fatima.
Read what Dia wrote, she is the perfect example of Christ bringing forth his Kingdom of holiness to her heart here on earth.
He is here already and is showing himself quietly and slowly in a spiritual manner. Soon, the Second Pentecost will take place in a world wide scale, and we will have a world of peace, holiness and obedience. Finally, the Churches will unite under the Roman Catholic Church.
Sorry for the late reply Dia - I was away on holiday... I'm not too sure about this approach - it causes a great deal of anger amongst Muslims. It is almost impossible to achieve any form of dialogue through such provocations. Most Muslims will be furious about this, and simply won't listen. The best way to win conversions is to capture their attention is through diplomacy and tactfulness.
Emmett, I just read Daniel's response towards the "era of peace." I just noticed going back to your site for the name of the Saint who Luisa Picarretta had as a spiritual director, it's been erased.
May you please, if you remember, tell me the name of the Saint she had as a spiritual director?
Emmet,
Thank you for your respond.
I don't think dialogue with Islam will ever possible. They live in the bubble and lies upon lies has been indoctrinated since childhood.
I was once believe all the lies that Muhammad told about Jesus in the Quran. I believe that Jesus is just Prophet like Muhammad, that Jesus was never crucified, thus resurrection is another lie that the Church told to the Christian (its all in the Quran).
Islam hates Christian and Jews, thats the truth. It is in their history and in Quran. Unfortunately those who speaks the truth are called as islamophobes.
Muhammad is a liar, pedophile, killer, sex addict, cruel and everything evil, yet we could not see it clearly then because there always be a justification regarding his behavior.
Thanks God for the Internet and all the brave ex muslim, I can finally free myself and truly see Jesus is THE TRUTH.
Btw Emmet and everyone here I suggest you to watch Walid Shoebat in Youtube. Brave man born in Bethlehem, he was a Islam Jihadist and later on converted to Christianity. He speak and read Arabic and He said that "Bismillah" is the 666 of revelation. Bismillah or in the name of Allah that jihadist such as ISIS always wear in their head and arm. It is exactly what John see in his vision.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rs_09o5j_pY
It is all make sense to me, the nature of Islam is very anti-Christ. Islam is evil and I speak this not out of hatred but because of truth. The westerner will not be able to understand it until they are under Islam. I witness churches being bomb in my country where Moslem is the majority. The Friday sermon in mosque near my house almost all the time speak ill about Jews and Christian. The hatred towards Jews is unbelievable.
I agree that Saudi Arabia is the Babylon. Shoebat explain it well here
http://shoebat.com/2013/05/31/mystery-babylon-is-mecca-not-vatican/
Please please raise our awareness about Islam, it is the dangerous and scary. We should not hate Moslems ofcourse , but I beg you all to not be ignorant about Islam.
Thank you
Dia
"The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth: for they shall feed and lie down, and none shall make them afraid." Zeph 3:13, 2 Chon 34:9, Isaiah 10:20, Jer 6:9, 31:7, Ezek 11:13.
I guess only a remnant of Jews will convert according to the Bible.
We can't forget that the idea of rebuilding the Jewish Temple is an anti Catholic movement which is false and has no basis in Sacred Scripture or Tradition.
St Paul warned us of this event when he said, "the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God." Thess 2:3-4
"Rebuild Jerusalem and the Jewish Temple, in which he will set himself God."
Sounds like this may also be a "mystery Babylon." Why? Because Israel will persevere in their rejection of the Messiah throughout history. And there is nothing in Scripture about a future national and spiritual restoration of Israel. This is typically Anti Christian.
Just a thought.
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