I SHUDDER AT THE LAST THINGS

By: Francis P. Cummings III

Prefatory note: Eschatology is the science or the study of “The Last

Things”: Death, the Final Judgment, Heaven, and Hell; hence, the title of

this book.

Have you noticed within the last 30 or 40 years how much mankind and the

earth have changed? Have you paid any attention to the terrible things that

are happening in today’s modern world?

Have you taken note of the awful crimes

that are being committed as I write this? I

mean the multiple shootings at high schools

and universities, the abduction, rape and

murder of little children all over the globe,

the unspeakable crimes against women everywhere, the terroristic activities

of militant Middle Eastern Jihadists who are bent on blood and death here

and in Israel, in the U.K., in Europe, and indeed, in the entire world? And

have you noticed the very erratic weather and climate changes all over the

world? The terrible and multiple tornadoes striking our country at an

alarming rate have broken the weather record for all time. I don’t have to

mention New Orleans and Katrina or the many hurricanes that have

overwhelmed the South, the tsunamis in Indonesia, and the earthquakes

everywhere in the world. I can remember when we never had weather

conditions like these or seismological events of such serious proportions, so,

what is happening to our planet? Jesus said:

“There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues from place

to place; and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the

sky.”* (Lk. 21-11)

But it’s my intention to demonstrate to the reader how we got into this

present sorry mess in the first place, and how we can change the situation

somewhat. Let’s start with organized religion. There is, now, a general

disinterest in religion and, as a result, church attendance both here in the

U.S. and globally, is way down.

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Church Attendance, for the most part is down

World-wide data:

The Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan

periodically conducts the World Values Survey. It polls a statistically

valid sample of adults from a total of 60 nations. Some of their findings from their 1995-

1997 survey:

The United States has a higher level of church attendance

than any other country which is “at a comparable level of

development.”

53% of Americans consider religion to be very important in

their lives. This compares with 16% in Britain, 14% in

France and 13% in Germany.

The importance of religion has been declining in developed

countries.

In those countries which are “experiencing economic

stagnation and political uncertainty,” the importance of

religion is high.

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Political scientist Ronald Inglehart, one of the authors of the

Institute’s 1998 survey commented: “Although church

attendance is declining in nearly all advanced industrial

societies, spiritual concerns more broadly defined are not. In

fact, in most industrial societies, a growing share of the

population is spending time thinking about the meaning and

purpose of life.”

Percent of adults who attend religious services at least

once a week: 

In order of decreasing attendance:

Country

%

Attendanc

e

Nigeria 89%

Ireland 84% *

Philippines 68%

N. Ireland 58%

Puerto Rico 52%

4

South Africa 56%

Poland 55%

Portugal 47% *

Slovakia 47%

Mexico 46%

Italy 45% *

Dominican

Republic44%

Belgium 44%

United States 44%

Turkey 43%

Peru 43%

India 42%

Canada 38% *

Brazil 36%

Netherlands 35%

Venezuela 31%

Uruguay 31%

5

Austria 30% *

Britain 27% *

Chile 25%

Argentina 25%

Spain 25%

Slovenia 22%

Croatia 22%

Hungary 21% *

France 21% *

Romania 20% *

Switzerland 16%

Australia 16%

Lithuania 16%

South Korea 14%

W. Germany 14%

Czech Republic 14% *

6

Taiwan 11%

Bulgaria 10% *

Ukraine 10%

Moldova 10%

Georgia 10%

China 9%

Armenia 8%

Serbia 7%

Montenegro 7%

Azerbaijan 6%

Belarus 6%

Latvia 5%

Denmark 5% *

Norway 5%

East Germany 5%

Sweden 4%

Iceland 4%

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Finland 4%

Estonia 4%

Japan 3%

Russia 2%

* Based on 1990-1991 survey data.1

Since the above survey was taken, church attendance, worldwide, has

dropped even further. One can see that America has only 44% of its

churches filled while Africa, just booming with religion, and the

traditionally Catholic Eastern European Countries such as Poland, the

Catholic countries such as the Philippines and some of the Latino countries

remain over 50%. Still, in all, the decline in worship worldwide can be seen.

20 to 30 years ago, the average global church attendance was in the 80

percentile. And this is the oddest thing: over the years, this country and

many others have sent missionaries, especially priests, to Africa, India, and

other Third World countries. Now, ironically, these same countries are

sending missionaries to the U.S. because of a shortage of priests and other

clergy.

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And yet, the bloodthirsty Jihadists pray in their mosques five times each day.

Could you picture, just for one moment, all of the Christians and Jews in

America praying five times a day? The thought is unsettling for most. And

yet, we all should pray to God frequently.

It is important to remember that there is no god by the name of Allah. Such

a god simply doesn’t exist. But God the Father exists, and Allah is only an

idea of God the Father concocted by a dreamer named Muhammad who

lived from approximately 570 to 630 A.D.

At one point in his life he made a journey on foot “to the farthest mosque”

from home (that was his intent), the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, at the

behest of the Angel Gabriel, or so says the Muslim religion. The Dome of

the Rock is the most sacred place to Jews, and the third most sacred place to

Muslims, next to Mecca and Medina. It is allegedly the place from which

Muhammad ascended into Paradise. This is nonsense, as we know. The

Jewish religion is thousands of years older than Islam, and the Jewish God,

God the Father, is also the Christian God. So, the Muslims have no claim, at

all, on the One God. If anything at all, Allah is, as stated above, an idea of

God the Father. The Jews revere this shrine because they believe it is the

exact location of Isaac’s preparation of Jacob for sacrifice to God the Father

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and they also believe that the Rock rests over the Holy of Holies of both

Solomon’s and Herod’s temples. The Muslim religion believes That

Ishmael, and not Jacob was to be sacrificed by Abraham.

To go a bit further, so that the reader can get a grasp of the beginnings and

tenets of the Muslim religion, I offer the following explanation. Islam traces

itself back to Abraham. Abraham’s wife, Sarai, was childless and could not

conceive (note: her name remained Sarai until she gave birth to Isaac and

then God renamed her Sara). And so, Sarai convinced Abraham to have

relations with her maidservant Hagar, that they might have a son. Abraham

took Sarai’s advice and a boy was born to Hagar. Hagar wanted the boy for

herself but was chastised by Abraham for this. Sarai also refused, but

eventually relented after the birth of Jacob and let her go her way with the

baby. Abraham supplied Hagar with a jug of water and some bread and sent

her into the wilderness of Paran. After some days, the bread and water ran

out and Hagar deserted the baby, Ishmael, because she couldn’t bear to

watch him die of hunger and thirst in the sweltering heat. But an angel

appeared to her and told her that she and her son would survive and then the

angel showed Hagar a fountain that was gushing with fresh water. She and

her son did survive, as the angel said. The angel said further that Ishmael

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would grow to be the father of a great people. The Muslims believe this

“great people” to be Islam.

And the Muslims are feverish, devout and even fanatical at prayer, while our

churches and synagogues are closing at an alarming rate due to a general

lack of fervor in the West. Soon, it seems, hardly anyone will go to church

to worship the God that has been so demeaned by our organizations and

societies in recent years. One can hardly mention the name of God in a

public place without incurring the wrath of the local government.

We can thank our wonderful ACLU, The New York Times, The Washington

Post, The Huffington Post, our leftist college professors, our leftist television

stations, Hollywood, and the rest of our liberal friends for constantly

circumventing the truth and aiding and abetting those who have managed to

remove the image of God from almost all of our public places. And you’d

better not say His name, either.

II

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Despotic World Figures

The present sheer numbers of despots and dictators, elected or otherwise,

are a great danger to the entire globe, as these men could start a world-wide

war, from the Pacific Rim to Eastern and Central Europe to the Middle East

all the way to the United States.

Kim Jong Il

Kim Jong-Il’s official biography states that he was born in a secret military

camp on Baekdu Mountain 백두산 in North Korea on February 16th, 1942.

Official biographers claim that his birth on Baekdu Mountain was foretold

by a swallow, and heralded by the appearance of a double rainbow over the

mountain and a new star in the heavens.2

And what a fairy tale that is. This most untrustworthy dictator has emerged

as a duplicitous snake. First, he says: “See, North Korea has shut down its

nuclear facilities,” and the world believes. Then, suddenly, we read about

North Korea’s long-range missile tests in the China Sea, and now, we are

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informed that North Korea has just conducted an underground nuclear test

with a megatonage twice that of the bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima

and Nagasaki. The news channels continue to report that Kim Jong Il will

resume nuclear testing, especially the testing of the long-range ICBM that

can now almost reach Hawaii. Kim Jong Il makes the excuse that since the

U.S. once had missiles set up in Poland as an “umbrella” for Europe against

nuclear attack, he might have countered this “umbrella” and even challenges

the U.S. with warlike talk. He gets more and more dangerous every day.

Truly, Kim Jong Il is up to no good, and intelligence reports inform us that

North Korea and Iran are in bed together. Iran may be getting its uranium

from North Korea and may also be receiving hands-on help in building long

range ballistic missiles. Iran continues to enrich the uranium, saying:

“Oh, it’s only for energy purposes.”

North Korea bears close watching as does Iran if only because both

countries are run by megalomaniacs the likes of Adolf Hitler.

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Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, نژاد احمدی ,was born October 28th, 1956 محمود

and is the sixth and current President of the Islamic Republic of Iran. He

became president after winning the 2005 presidential election and was re-

elected to a second term in 2009 following a landslide victory. Many

Iranians and members of the international community have considered

Ahmadinejad’s most recent electoral victory to be fraudulent. Despite his

title, he does not hold the highest constitutional office in Iran, which belongs

to the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ali Khameni, who is also the commander-in-

chief of the armed forces of Iran, according to Article 113 of the

Constitution of Iran. Prior to becoming president, Ahmadinejad was mayor

of Tehran and governor general of Iran’s Ardabil Province.

Ahmadinejad has been a longtime critic of the United States and Israel, and

backs strengthening Iran’s relations with Russia, Venezuela, Syria, and the

Arab states of the Persian Gulf. By the way, Iran is Persian, and not Arab,

hence the usage of the term Persian Gulf.

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Ahmadinejad claims that Iran’s nuclear program is for electricity generation

and not for nuclear weapons development. Under his leadership, Iran has

refused to end nuclear enrichment despite United Nations Security Council

resolutions calling for it to do so. Ahmadinejad argues that the sanctions

imposed by the West over Iran’s nuclear enrichment are illegal and that Iran

will continue to abide by International Atomic Energy Agency monitoring of

its nuclear program.

According to a speech translation disputed by the Iranian government,

Ahmadinejad has called for the dissolution of the State of Israel. He also

calls for free elections in the region. He believes that the Palestinians need a

stronger voice in the region’s future.

One of Ahmadinejad’s most controversial statements was one in which,

according to the initial Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting translation, he

called for the “occupying regime” [Israel] to be “wiped off the map,” though

the translation and interpretation of the comment is disputed. He has also

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been condemned for describing the Holocaust as a myth, which has led to

accusations of anti-semitism.3

Although Ali Khameni is the so-called Iranian Commander-in-Chief,

everyone knows that it’s Ahmadinejad who is calling the shots in Iran. The

world’s rulers meet with Ahmadinejad, not Khameni. Ahmadinejad is

currently the most dangerous man in the Middle East, and possibly, the

world.

Hu Jintao

I have included the name of the President of the Peoples’ Republic of China

Because China is still guided by the Marxist-Leninist ideology and is openly

Communist. This is not likely to change very soon. China is wealthy,

powerful, full of industry, and is a ranking nuclear power, as well. We, the

U.S.A., have borrowed heavily from China and we owe trillions. We are

beholden to China, make no mistake about it, and we will borrow from the

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Chinese again. Our gargantuan national debt is almost beyond telling, and

it’s growing larger by the day. Soon our national debt won’t just be in the

trillions, it will be in the quadrillions. This is why we cannot exert much

pressure on China to bring about sanctions against Iran and North Korea. In

this sense, we are a “lame duck,” because we can’t “bite the hand that feeds

us.”

And we know full well that China wants to bring Taiwan back under its rule

even if it means destroying Taiwan completely. This situation, as it

currently stands is explosive. China has many options, including military

ones that even Russia will not try to change.

Vladimir Putin & Dmitri Medvedev

I am including Russia, also, because, as I suspected, when President Ronald

Reagan, on June 12, 1987, “commanded” Russia’s then President, Mikhail

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Gorbachev, to “tear down this wall,” Gorbachev’s almost immediate

compliance seemed too good to be true, and it was.

Russia is still a dangerous enemy of the United States of America, was never

truly converted from its atheistic Marxist-Leninist belief ethic and is still a

danger to all of Europe and the rest of the world. The “Cold War” never

really got over. Dmitri Medvedev, the newly installed President of Russia,

is a puppet ruler for now because, according to the Russian rule of law, in a

few years, Putin can once again become president, and that’s why Putin

chose his own lackey to succeed him as President, while he, himself,

assumed the Chairmanship of the Communist Party in Russia.

Putin, once very high up in the KGB, was appointed head of the FSB, one of

the agencies that succeeded the former KGB, by Boris Yeltsin, in 1998, then

acting head of the Russian Government.4 Understand that Russia wants full

control of Eastern Europe with no interference from anyone. Putin has been

heavily criticized for his incursions into neighboring countries, once part of

the vast Soviet Union. The Russian attack upon Ossetia, Georgia, in 2008

was pure aggression and was completely out of order.

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And many forget that Russia spent ten years in Afghanistan trying to seize

that country and annex it. Yet, the Soviets were surprised at the strength and

power of the Afghans, and gave up and returned to Russia after a decade of

bitter fighting.

Russia will not stop at Georgia or Afghanistan. Russia is a new member of

“The Axis of Evil,” along with Iran, North Korea, and Iraq, which is

contained for the moment. But, don’t be naïve. Russia is the only power in

the world that could face off with the U.S.A. in a nuclear war, and Russia

knows this.

HUGO CHAVEZ

This Venezuelan menace does not need a large spread of facts on his

activities. We know that he is anti-American and that many of his ideas are

based on Communistic teaching. He has a militia that he threatens the U.S.

with, at times, and it rather reminds one of the quaint story, “The Mouse that

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Roared.” Venezuelans pay just 12 cents at the pump for gasoline due to

Venezuela’s huge oil supply, which it will not share with the U.S., and

Chavez is very sympathetic to the Castro brothers and Cuba, who also hold

to their Communist ideology. Chavez bears watching, but is not a very big

danger as are North Korea, Iran and Russia, and the Middle Eastern

Jihadists.

III

The Various Arab Terrorist Groups

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention some of the active terrorist groups that

are on the move against Israel, “God’s Little Acre” – His “Remnant,” and

against the United States of America and Great Britain.

Hamas

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Hamas is a group of Palestinian terrorists who have hidden and embedded

themselves in the West Bank and Gaza for many years, and who have

repeatedly attacked southern Israel with Rockets and other armaments. The

first leader and co-founder of Hamas was a despot named Ahmed Yassin

who was assassinated in March of 2004 by an Israeli Hellfire missile-firing

helicopter. He was succeeded by Abdel Aziz Rantissi, who was head of

Hamas for a very short time, as he, too, was assassinated by Israeli military

forces in April of the same year. Rantissi was quoted by the Chicago

Tribune as saying,

“We will kill Jews everywhere. There will be no security for any Jews, those

who came from America, Russia or anywhere.”

Rantissi also denied, like Ahmadinejad, that the Holocaust ever took place.

Now, Israeli Intelligence says that Ismail Haniyah is head of Hamas on the

Gaza Strip. He was Yassin’s Bureau Chief while Yassin was in power.

Israel also believes that a Jihadist named Hassan Yusuf is in charge of

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Hamas on the West Bank. Israel’s information is reliable and so the Hamas

leadership is probably split in two now.

Hamas along with Hezbollah is the most proximate danger to Israel right

now, and the danger is that, should all-out war break out between Israel and

Hamas, or Israel and Hezbollah, it’s likely that many other Arab groups

would join in and trigger a complete Middle Eastern conflict of mammoth

proportions.

HEZBOLLAH

Hezbollah: الل حزب , literally “party of God,” is a Shi’a Islamist political

and paramilitary organization based in Lebanon. Hezbollah is now also a

major provider of social services which operate schools, hospitals, and

agricultural operations for thousands of Lebanese Shiites, and plays a

significant part in Lebanese politics. It is regarded as a resistance movement

throughout much of the Arab and Muslim world. Many governments,

including Arab ones, have condemned actions by Hezbollah while others

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have praised the party. Six western countries, including Israel and the United

States, regard it, in whole or in part, as a terrorist organization.5

Hezbollah wishes for only one thing: the complete annihilation of Israel.

And so, as I stated above, Israel has Hamas and Hezbollah to deal with right

now. Incidentally, Israel has some of its troops hunkered down in the Plain

of Megiddo. Megiddo, for those of you who don’t make the connection,

means Armageddon. That is the very plain on which the final conflict on

earth will take place.

Pakistan-based Terrorists

The 2008 Mumbai attacks consisted of more than ten coordinated

shooting and bombing attacks across Mumbai, India’s financial capital and

its largest city. The attacks, which drew widespread condemnation across the

world, began on the 26th of November, 2008 and lasted until November 29th,

killing at least 173 people and wounding at least 308.

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Eight of the attacks occurred in South Mumbai at Chhatrapati Shivaji

Terminus, the Oberoi, the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower, The Leopold Cafe,

Cama Hospital, the Orthodox Jewish-owned, Nariman House, the Metro

Cinema, a lane behind The Times of India Newspaper building and St.

Xavier’s College. There was also an explosion at the Mazagaon docks, in

Mumbai’s port area, and in a taxi at Vile Parle. By the early morning of 28

November, all sites except for the Taj Mahal Palace had been secured by

Mumbai police and security forces. An action by India’s National Security

Guards (NSG) on 29 November resulted in the death of the last remaining

attackers at the Taj Mahal Palace, ending all fighting in the attacks.

Ajmal Amir Kasab, the only attacker who was captured alive, disclosed that

the attackers were members of Lashkar-e-Taiba (L.e.T), the Pakistan-based

militant organization, considered a terrorist organization by India, the United

States, and the United Kingdom, among others. The Indian Government said

that the attackers came from Pakistan, and their controllers were in Pakistan.

On January 7th, 2009, after more than a month of denying the nationality of

the attackers, Pakistan’s Information Minister Sherry Rehman officially

accepted Ajmal Amir’s nationality as Pakistani. On 12 February 2009,

Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rehman Malik, in a televised news briefing,

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confirmed that parts of the attack had been planned in Pakistan and said that

six people, including the alleged mastermind, were being held in connection

with the attacks.6

I have taken the time and the paper to document the Mumbai attacks because

they were, literally, everywhere. There was no pity or human compassion

involved which we know was the case several times in WWII, Korea, and

Vietnam, not to mention Iraq. No, it was a bloodbath of terrible proportions.

Thirty years ago, these things would never have happened, and no one

would even contemplate such carnage. But we remember 9/11, the day on

which more Americans died than all of those who lost their lives at Pearl

Harbor.

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THE TALIBAN

The Taliban (Pashto: طالبان ṭālibān, meaning “students”), also Taleban,

is a pro-Wahhabi Sunni Islamist, predominantly Pashtun fundamentalist

religious and political movement that governed Afghanistan from 1996 until

2001, when its leaders were removed from power by Northern Alliance and

NATO forces. It has regrouped, and since 2004, has come alive as a strong

insurgency movement, fighting a guerrilla war against the current

government of Afghanistan, Pakistan, allied NATO forces participating in

Operation Enduring Freedom, and the NATO-led International Security

Assistance Force (ISAF). It operates in Afghanistan and the Frontier Tribal

Areas of Pakistan.

The Taliban movement is headed by Mullah Muhammed Omar. Mullah

Omar’s original commanders were “a mixture of former small-unit military

commanders and Madrasa teachers,” and the rank and file made up mostly

of Afghan refugees who had studied at Islamic religious schools in Pakistan.

The overwhelming majority of the Taliban movement were ethnic Pashtuns

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from southern Afghanistan and western Pakistan, along with a smaller

number of volunteers from Islamic countries or regions in North Africa, the

Middle East and the former Soviet Union. The Taliban received valuable

training, supplies and arms from the Pakistani government, particularly the

Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), and many recruits from madrasahs for

Afghan refugees in Pakistan, primarily ones established by the Jamiat-ul-

Islam (JUI).

Although in control of Afghanistan’s capital (Kabul) and much or most of

the country for five years, the Taliban regime, which called itself the

“Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan”, gained faint diplomatic recognition.

The Taliban implemented one of the “strictest interpretation[s] of Sharia law

(Islamic Law) ever seen in the Muslim world”.7 The women look out on the

world through a small facial grill. The bodies of these women are covered

from head to foot in a black habit called a birka. One would think that the

Taliban would have mercy on the women and let them wear white, so hot

does it get in Afghanistan. And if women are caught wearing nail polish,

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their fingertips are cut off. The Taliban defends this practice by saying that

this punishment protects the women’s’ virtue.

It should be noted here that the Taliban and Al Qaeda are two totally

different organizations with different leaders.

There is some disagreement about which organization is older. Most say

that the Taliban was founded before Al Qaeda. Nevertheless, both were

founded about 1988.

The Taliban against the world

The Taliban regime faced international scrutiny and condemnation for its

policies. Only Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and the United Arab Emirates

recognized the Taliban as Afghanistan’s legitimate government. After the

September 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the U.S., Saudi Arabia and the UAE

cut diplomatic ties with the Taliban.

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The Taliban allowed terrorist organizations to run training camps in their

territory and, from 1994 to at least 2001, provided refuge for Usama bin

Laden and his al-Qaeda organization. The relationship between the Taliban

and bin Laden is close, even familial—bin Laden fought with the

mujahideen, has financed the Taliban, and has reportedly married one of his

daughters to Mullah Muhammad Omar. The United Nations Security

Council passed two resolutions, UNSCR 1267 (1999) and 1333 (2000),

demanding that the Taliban cease their support for terrorism and hand over

bin Laden for trial.8

AL-QAEDA

This Afghanistani terrorist group is possibly the worst of them all. At least

it’s the worst of them all as far as the United States and Great Britain are

concerned.

The Al-Qaeda attack on the Twin Towers in Lower Manhattan and on the

Pentagon on September 9th, 2001, will never be forgotten. Over 3,000 poor,

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trapped people lost their lives, and that’s more deaths than were reported

after the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor in the Hawaiian Islands.

Frantic, terrorized people were running all over the place trying to get out of

the way of the falling towers and their debris, and the massive smoke clouds

that followed in the wake of it all.

Usama bin Laden, the Head of Al-Qaeda, claimed responsibility for the

attacks. The Arabs in Afghanistan danced in the streets when they heard the

news of the American deaths.

Would you dance and sing and clap your hands and perhaps dance in the

streets upon hearing of over 3,000 deaths? Even if they were the deaths of

your enemies? I don’t think so. This leads me to believe that the terroristic,

jihadist population in the Middle East, in general, is nothing more than a

group of sociopaths of a specific type: religious sociopaths.

This brief history of the Arab Terrorist Groups will give you some idea of

the mind-set – the mentation – the ideation of these terrorists. They mean to

kill you in any way they can, because all they have on their minds is killing

and more killing unless you convert to their Islamic religion and fall on your

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knees and worship Allah. Who is he, anyway? He is none other than God

the Father, but the hapless Muslims do not know this.

And we’re still searching for Usama bin Laden. We may never find him.

He’s a needle in a very mountainous haystack. But it makes no difference.

We’re as vigilant as we can be, and that’s all that we can do.

III

CAN WE SEE WHAT IS HAPPENING?

Can any of us see what’s happening to the world? No place is safe anymore.

If it’s not death by terroristic device, then it’s death by hurricane or tornado

or earthquake or starvation. Jesus told us to read the signs of the times:

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“He taught them a lesson. Consider the fig tree and all the other trees.

When their buds burst open, you see for yourselves and know that

summer is now near; in the same way, when you see these things

happening, know that the kingdom of God is near.* (Lk. 21:1,1).

“When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, know that its

desolation is at hand. Then those in Judea must flee to the mountains.

Let those within the city escape from it, and let those in the countryside

not enter the city, for these days are the time of punishment when all the

scriptures are fulfilled.

Woe to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days, for a

terrible calamity will come upon the earth and a wrathful judgment

upon this people. They will fall by the edge of the sword and be taken

as captives to all the Gentiles; and Jerusalem will be trampled

underfoot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on earth

nations will be in dismay, perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the

waves. People will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon

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the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they

will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.”*

(Lk. 21:21-27).

He also said that,

“By their fruits you will know them.”* (Matt. 7:16).

We know the fruits of the Terrorists and the Russians and the Chinese and

the North Koreans. We know. Deep down, we know, and we might as well

admit that, not only ourselves, but the entire world stands on the brink of

extinction – on the edge of the cliff of cataclysmic destruction. We will see

things and experience such fearful events that many of us will never survive.

Perhaps none of us will.

IV

IN THE YEARS TO COME

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No one knows exactly when the end of the world will come, although a few

pompous clergymen on national television, claiming to be experts on the

very cryptic Book of Revelation, have said that, yes, the end of the world

will definitely occur on December 21, 2012. This has a lot of people very

frightened and very worried for their families. And this is a sophomoric and

dangerous thing these preachers have done because Jesus, Himself, said:

“But of that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven,

nor the Son, but the Father alone.* (Matt. 24:36).

This does not make Jesus less omnipotent or all-knowing than the Father.

It’s just that Jesus wills not to know! He has kept his knowledge of the very

day of the end of the world in potency, not in act. That is, the Father’s

knowledge of the end is said to be in act. It’s already a part of His eternal,

working knowledge. The end of the world is not an active part of the eternal

knowledge of the Son because, for very mysterious reasons, He keeps His

knowledge of this in potency. God the Father has already opened the

chamber door to the knowledge of the very day and hour of the end of time,

and has entered, while Jesus wills to stand outside the chamber having no

actual idea of what’s inside. He keeps His knowledge of the end in potency.

Again, Jesus wills not to know. All cleared up? And so, if only The Father

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knows the day and the hour of the end of time, don’t worry about the 2012

alarmists. They know absolutely nothing.

What can we do, then, in these latter days, not knowing the exact day or

hour? Do we just sit on our hands and wait for doom? Of course not. We

go about our daily activities as we have done in the past and we put worry

aside. Worry never does anyone any good. Even Our Lord said:

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will take care

of itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”* (Matt. 6:33-34).

We have to have a mass metanoia. That’s a Greek word that means a

complete turning around (to God). If only 44% of Americans, some of the

most religious people on the planet, are the only ones going to church on

Sunday, what about the other 56%? Where are they? Where are these “Lost

Sheep of the House of Israel?”(Confer: Matt. 10:6) In countries such as Russia

where only an astounding 2% go to church each Saturday or Sunday, and in

Japan, where only 3% attend any religious services on a regular basis, where

is the vast majority? They are asleep, my friends. They are asleep. Will

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they awaken in time? That is the question of the most paramount

importance. These lukewarm people don’t care, but they have to start

caring, and very soon. They have to begin caring about God and they must

begin to love Him or, as Sacred Scripture says:

“…I will vomit you [the lukewarm] out of my mouth.” (Confer Rev. 3:16).

From time immemorial, man has been theocentric. That is, he has always

been God-based by his very nature. The concept of a God – a Supreme

Being – a Prime Mover, has always been in the head of man. And if you

think that mankind got all of this from Sacred Scripture, guess again.

Missionaries and scientists found many tribes in deepest, darkest Africa way

back in the 1600s that were God-centered. Yet, these tribes were cut off

from all civilization until explorers and missionaries found them through

years of search.

All of these tribes had fashioned a crude wooden or stone statue of some

“deity” they adored. Some tribes used totem poles on which to place their

god or gods. Others built altars in high places and in secret areas. The fact

36

is: all were theocentric. It’s the nature of man. It’s the nature of man to

think of God. God has always given man a chance to know Him, otherwise,

what meaning would there be to life? Hence the reason for all of the

theophanies or appearances of God to man in the Old and New Testaments.

God spoke to man then, and still does now, only internally. And why are

there no more visions of God? No more appearances of God as Jesus?

Where has all of this gone?

The answer is quite simple. Should God keep appearing around the world,

there would be no need at all for Supernatural Faith.

Let me explain this “Faith thing.” A man and his wife watch the news each

night on TV. They watch Bret Baier on Fox News. Each night Bret tells of

what’s happening in North Korea, Iran, Russia, and Iraq. This man and his

wife have never been to North Korea, Iran, Russia, or Iraq, yet they believe

these countries exist because Bret Baier told them so by way of the evening

news report, and they trust in Bret Baier. It’s the same with supernatural

faith. We believe the “revealed truths” given to us by God because we

37

believe in Him. We’ve never seen Heaven, yet we believe it exists because

God, through Scripture and Tradition has told us so. That’s the story.

And God gave us this great gift of Faith along with Hope and Love. We call

these the Three Theological Virtues. Any one of them could be lost at any

time. Many have already lost the ability to love their fellow man. Still

others are in great despair or deep depression (witness the boom in anti-

depressant drug sales!) because they have lost the virtue of Hope. But, if

one loses the virtue of Faith, he may never get it back. He is now an atheist.

He believes in nothing but the “here and now.” Some claim to be agnostics

(those who are not sure there is a God), but I have never met one. They sit

on the fence and really fear commitment. Do you remember the Agnostic’s

Prayer? Now that is a frightening prayer:

“Oh God, if there is a God, save my soul, if I have a soul.”

There are also so-called “Christian Atheists.” Have you ever heard of this

sect? They claim that Jesus was, indeed, God, but that when he died on the

38

cross, God died too. It may have been from them that the “God is Dead”

ideology came to be.

I know, myself, that there is laziness, sin, and a total lack of prayer in most

of the world. I meet people here in my home town who tell me that they

haven’t been to church in years. It doesn’t seem to bother them, either,

because their consciences have developed very thick calluses.

Incidentally, and just for the record, those other major religions, Buddhism,

Hinduism, Baha’i, Sikhism, Shintuism, Taoism and all other non-Judeo-

Christian religions are without a real God. They are all – all of them –

Godless. I record these facts with apologies to none.

V

The Subtle Destruction of the Nuclear Family

We’ve examined nuclear weapons and nuclear war, so now we will look at

the nuclear family and examine its importance in today’s fast-paced society.

39

The Nuclear Family is a unit consisting of the biologic parents and their

offspring. The nuclear family is less inclusive than the extended family.

Although the nuclear family is a relatively strong part of Western society, it

is threatened by the increasing dissolution of marriage.9

Marriages in the West are breaking up at a “mach one” rate. Every other

marriage in America ends in divorce and it’s getting worse. There is little

chance that any of the recently wed couples here in the U.S. will remain

together. There is also the question of children. With the easily available

birth control methods out there, many couples will opt for careers instead of

offspring. This is the sad state of affairs. Our Lord was adamant about

divorce, saying about it:

“Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator ‘made them

male and female’ and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father

and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one

flesh’?

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So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has

joined together, no human being must separate.” (Matt. 19:5-7).

Now we have marriages between people of the same sex. This is wrong

from the very start. Look at it this way: Have you ever tried to hook up

your TV or computer using only two female outlets alone? Or have you

tried the same thing using only two male outlets? You’ll never get any juice

going using these “modes of installation.”

Going a bit further, I must aver that most of us are not trying to put

homosexuals down. When St. Paul said that “the unclean and the

homosexuals…” would not get into Heaven, he meant anyone who used the

sexual faculty in a depraved way outside the Sacrament of Marriage. Any

homosexual who has led a good life and has followed the Commandments

will certainly go to Heaven. We don’t want to single out homosexuals as the

cause of all the trouble. The fact of the matter is this: There is no sex

outside of marriage for anyone! This would include all unmarried men and

women, teenagers, senior citizens, straights, gays and lesbians, with no

exceptions.

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Since so many of us have made a mockery of the correct and holy use of sex,

it is no wonder that our world is teetering on the edge of the abyss.

The nuclear family is in deep trouble. We see our young people, even girls,

giving savage beatings to their classmates and then having the audacity to

put this primitive behavior on YOUTUBE. The parents are not disciplining

their children, and so, the children are running wild. We see these kids

everywhere: in the malls, at the theaters, roaming the streets, smoking pot,

and even shooting up. I once lived in a house on a very bad street. Kids

would come every weekend and shoot up right in front of my porch! Then,

they would scream and throw things and fight with each other. They stole

and they would sell themselves for another fix. I had my wallet lifted by a

young girl that I had occasion to talk to. I trusted her, and that is what

happened.

America, and indeed, the entire world, is in trouble when it comes to the

family and good family living. Whether this virtue of good living can be

regained, is a moot point, but the scales of justice tip ominously to one side.

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VI

ABORTION

Mother Teresa of Calcutta once called abortion the “greatest evil in the

world.” I think she was right. Abortion goes far and beyond the grim

specter of all-out nuclear war, because the deaths are already occurring and

have been occurring for many years. Millions upon millions of womb

babies and those who have been “partially delivered” (what an evil

euphemism!) are already dead, and many more, under President Barack

Obama’s facile abortion plan, will die. Abortion is worldwide and it must

come to an end. We have had enough of death and dying.

The number of abortions performed in the US, alone, since 1973 is

approaching 50 million, an easy number to read, and a hard one to

comprehend. [Can you imagine what the world total of abortions is?

One shudders to think of it. It’s so reminiscent of Auschwitz.]

The Mississippi Baptist Convention has sought to put together a visual

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reminder: the Memorial to the Missing, a beautiful glass monument filled

with 50 million pennies.

Here’s another way to try to get your mind around the number. If you add up

the populations of the following states, they equal about 50 million.

Kentucky

Oregon

Oklahoma

Connecticut

Iowa

Mississippi

Arkansas

Kansas

Utah

Nevada

New Mexico

West Virginia

Nebraska

Idaho

Maine

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New Hampshire

Hawaii

Rhode Island

Montana

Delaware

South Dakota

Alaska

North Dakota

Vermont

Wyoming

“If you remain indifferent in time of adversity, your strength will

depart from you.

Rescue those who are being dragged to death, and from those

tottering to execution withdraw not.

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If you say, “I know not this man!” does not he who tests hearts

perceive it? He who guards your life knows it, and he will repay each

one according to his deeds.”* (Proverbs 24:10-12)10

History of the Roe v. Wade Abortion Battle

In 1970, attorneys Linda Coffee and Sarah Weddington filed suit in a U.S.

District Court in Texas on behalf of Norma L. McCorvey (under the alias

Jane Roe). At the time, McCorvey claimed her pregnancy was the result of

rape, but she later claimed she had lied. The defendant in the case was

Dallas County District Attorney Henry Wade, representing the State of

Texas.

The district court ruled in McCorvey’s favor on the merits, but declined to

grant an injunction against the enforcement of the laws barring abortion. The

district court’s decision was based upon the Ninth Amendment, and the

court also relied upon a concurring opinion by Justice Arthur Goldberg in

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the 1965 Supreme Court case of Griswold v. Connecticut, regarding a right

to use contraceptives. Few state laws proscribed contraceptives in 1965

when the Griswold case was decided, whereas abortion was widely

proscribed by state laws in the early 1970s.

Roe v. Wade ultimately reached the U.S. Supreme Court on appeal.

Following a first round of arguments, Justice Harry Blackmun drafted a

preliminary opinion that emphasized what he saw as the Texas law’s

vagueness. Justices William Rehnquist and Lewis F. Powell, Jr. joined the

Supreme Court too late to hear the first round of arguments. Therefore,

Chief Justice Warren Burger proposed that the case be reargued; this took

place on October 11, 1972. Weddington continued to represent Roe, and

Texas Assistant Attorney General Robert C. Flowers stepped in to replace

Wade. Justice William O. Douglas threatened to write a dissent from the

reargument order, but was coaxed out of the action by his colleagues, and his

dissent was merely mentioned in the reargument order without further

statement or opinion.

The Supreme Court’s Decision

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The court issued its decision on January 22, 1973, with a 7 to 2 majority

vote in favor of McCorvey. Burger and Douglas’ concurring opinion and

White’s dissenting opinion were issued separately, in the companion case of

Doe v. Bolton.11

And now, Norma McCorvey (Jane Roe) is pro-life! She protests at abortion

clinics and at pro-life rallies every chance she gets. She was finally touched

by God’s amazing grace. This could happen to millions if they would only

turn to God. Abortion would then be a thing of the past. Abortion would

finally be seen for what it is: cold-blooded murder for convenience sake.

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Judge Harry Blackmun wrote the Court’s opinion.

VII

WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT, ALFIE?

Many talk about the end without considering the beginning. The universe

(s) began with a “Big Bang,” an explosion, the force of which we cannot

conceive. Its power was so awesome that it spawned not only Earth, but

trillions of stars and asteroids, several planets and many, many suns.

Gravity and its opposite came into being, as did centrifugal and centripetal

force, and the four winds. Activity and unending action came to be. How

exciting! Where there was once nothing – nada – where there was just a

dark nebulus – there was now something. Planetary life, though not human

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yet, was now prevalent everywhere and quasars and stars danced in the

heavens. The Sun shone everywhere! This was a godly beginning!

The validity of “black holes” is still being weighed, just as global warming

is, because neither has been proven beyond the shadow of a doubt. Black

holes are the ideas of Stephen Hawking, who, as you may remember, wrote

the book: “A Brief History of Time.” And, though people such as Al Gore

and President Obama believe in global warming, our summers and springs

are getting cooler and cooler and some of the seasonal storms are

catastrophic, often leaving a cold aftermath. Where’s the warming? This

past July, 2009, no less than 3000 towns in the U.S. reported lower than

average temperatures (source: The National Weather Channel, July, 2009).

Curiously enough, Albert Einstein did not believe in the “Big Bang” theory.

Yet, the mystery of the universe came into being and exists in spite of the

“brilliant” scientific calculations of man at his proudest.

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Many atheists say about the Creation: “Well, there was an explosion in

space – A particle of matter – an asteroid – that blew up and created the “Big

Bang,” and that was what created the universe.”

But where did that “asteroid” come from? Where did its tremendous energy

come from and how and why did it suddenly explode on so gargantuan a

scale? If one continues to argue, it all must arrive, sooner or later, at a

theistic level – to a prime mover – to a first source of all things, and that

source is God. The creation of the universe wasn’t just “happenstance.”

No, it was intelligent design.

Just for a moment, please, a brief explanation is in order. That chunk of

matter – that asteroid – mentioned by the atheist – may be said to be finite in

nature. That is, it had a beginning in time and will have an end in time.

Mankind, on the other hand may be said to be infinite because humankind

had a beginning in time but will have no end, owing to the fact that man’s

glorified body will be reunited with his soul either in heaven or hell and will

endure forever. God, lastly, is the only being that is both infinite and

eternal. This is so because He had no beginning and has no end. He always

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was, is, and will be. That, and the mystery of the Trinity are the two most

difficult concepts for anyone, super-genius or not, to understand.

Meister Eckhart, the famous Medieval Dominican theologian even talked

about “the God beyond the Trinity!” This is absolute heresy and many other

heretical statements caused him to be excommunicated by Pope John XXII

on Mar. 27, 1329 in the condemnatory letter, Agro Dominico. One of

Eckhart’s fantastic heresies came to light this way: He was asked by those

in a papal inquiry commission why God did not create the world earlier than

he did. Meister Eckhart replied that:

“A thing cannot act before it exists, and so, as soon as God existed, he

created the world.”12

What a colossally stupid and insipid statement from a Dominican

theologian! And so many scholars think he was so brilliant! Did I say

“scholars?”

As I stated, the mystery of the Trinity – indeed, the mystery of God – is

completely unfathomable. We accept what is taught to us by Scripture,

Tradition, and Holy Mother Church. Beyond that, there is nothing but

dangerous conjecture. Paul Tillich, the eminent Protestant theologian

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believed that Meister Eckhart was a great theologian and a greater mystic

than St. Augustine. And that’s what I mean about crawling out on a

theological limb by yourself without the help of the Church.

There are many dangerous and completely erroneous “theologians” who

keep screaming at us: “Come on! Crawl out on this limb of dissent with

us! There are no more eternal truths! You just thought there were!”

So, please be on your guard whenever you hear something that seems new or

strange in theology stated by someone in authority.

And now, permit me to relate to you a bit more about the mysterious Trinity.

There’s a charming old story about St. Augustine of Hyppo who lived from

354 A.D. to 386 A.D. After his conversion he was ordained a priest and

became the bishop of the Diocese of Hyppo in North Africa. That colossal

saint and scholar is primarily known for his famous Confessions, since he

was once a great sinner. He told the entire story of his sinful ways in his

Confessions, and his conversion happened with the great help of his mother,

St. Monica.

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In any case, as the story goes, Augustine was walking along the seashore one

bright and sunny morning trying to fathom the mystery of the Trinity.

“Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and yet, all are equal and all are God. Not

three gods, but just one God. How can this be?” he asked himself.

As he continued on, he beheld a small, cherubic boy of perhaps two or three

years of age, running back and forth from the sea to a little hole he had dug

in the sand. The tiny, beautiful boy was trying to fill this sieve-like hole

with water from the sea. Augustine watched him for awhile, a bit amused

and somewhat entertained and finally said to the child:

“You’ll never be able to dump the entire ocean in that little hole.”

The beautiful little child looked up at him with piercing eyes and said:

“It would be easier for me to empty the entire ocean into this little hole than

it would be for you to fathom the mystery of the Trinity.”

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After that, the little boy vanished. What a charming and profound tidbit

from the life of the great St. Augustine, one of the Doctors of the Church.

What we know of the Most Blessed Trinity is that the Holy Spirit is the

“Eternal Kiss” between the Father and the Son. The very love of the Father

for the Son and vice versa produces the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit may

also be said to be the “Bridge of Love” between the Father and the Son, yet,

the Holy Spirit is a distinct and real Person of the Trinity just as the Son is

“Eternally Begotten” of the Father. Notice that everything here is present

tense because there is no time in eternity – no past, present or future. The

only way we can explain eternity is to call it “The Eternal Now.” What

heady stuff! I said there was no present in heaven as well as no past or

future. This might baffle a few readers. Think of it this way. To say that

there is a present tense with regard to heaven is to imply time and future

tense, therefore, only the “Eternal Now” condition may validly be used.

And the universe is still expanding – still moving outward. The entire

process is amazing. Yet, as far as we know, of all of the trillions of heavenly

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bodies, and of all of the planets floating around space, only one contains life

– human life and plant and animal life. This is another profound mystery.

We have examined Mars and it is cold and empty, just as the Moon that our

astronauts walked on. That should give us pause for thought.

To God, the immense size of the universe is inconsequential. It means

nothing to His omnipotence. He could have created the universe in a totally

different manner, using clay or perhaps mortar. He could have made it very

tiny, but He wanted man to have the moon and stars to look at. He even

wanted man to conquer space. Really? Yes, because whenever man

approaches the truth, viz., exploring the planets and the moon, he gets closer

to the truth, and God is truth. Thus, man, without knowing it, gets closer to

God in his endeavors to conquer space. Yet, all of this beauty – the moon

and the stars – at the end of time – will not shed their light but will, instead

come crashing down on Planet Earth in her final moments.

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Many don’t believe the Earth will end. They believe, on the contrary, that it

will survive the terrible global conflict of Armageddon, the curse of the

Antichrist, the earthquakes, the volcanic eruptions, etc.

Christ could very well renew the face of the earth after its demise. He won’t

let go of His handiwork readily. The Book of Revelation says that Earth

will become the New Jerusalem, and that Christ, himself, will descend from

Heaven to claim his new “Bride.” And St. Paul says that the just will be

taken up to meet the Lord in the air so that they may be with Him always.

(Confer: First Thessalonians)

Yet, this “meeting the Lord in the air” is not so easy to explain, just as so

many of Paul’s Letters, especially the Letter to the Romans, are not easy

reading. This “meeting in the air” is from a letter of St. Paul who frequently

had things like this to say:

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each

one may receive recompense, according to what he did in the body,

whether good or evil.”* (2 Cor. 5:10).

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If we are all to appear before the judgment seat of Christ, then, those of us

who believe in “The Rapture,” are in for a rude awakening. By the way, that

word “Rapture” is not found in the Scriptures. It is a Protestant nickname

for the process of being “taken up to be with the Lord in the air…”

“The Rapture” was an event in the mind of St. Paul, but not necessarily an

event in the mind of God.

St. Paul was trying to buoy up the spirits of the Church at Thessolonica

when he wrote this and was most likely overcome with joy at just such a

thought.

The Bible is deemed by all Christians to be the divinely inspired Word of

God, and it is. Yet many of the entries in it are clearly mundane. That’s as

it should be. God used ordinary man to put down on papyrus His Sacred

Word and, as we know, man is fallible and prone sometimes to vague and

even obscure reporting for having not listened closely enough to the Spirit.

It’s only when we get into the Four Gospels that we can truly see, page after

page, the Holy Spirit at work.

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And so, we’re back at the crack of doom. Back, once again, to the end of the

world.

The Book of Revelation states emphatically that after the Antichrist has been

defeated and Armageddon has run its course, Christ will come back to Earth

to reign for a thousand years. I have no argument with that quote, but again,

let’s not read into the Scriptures that which is not there. If the earth is,

indeed, renewed, and becomes a part of Heaven, then Christ will reign for a

thousand years. But after that long reign, the earth will still be destroyed.

The Book of Revelation was written by St. John the Evangelist in exile on

the Greek island of Patmos. He, like Paul, was just a man, not God. And

yet, he did see a lot of things happening in the future regarding the end

times, the Antichrist (who many thought was Nero Caesar, among others)

his number, 666, and more: The Four Horsemen (of the Apocalypse)

representing Conquest, War, Famine and Death.

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The Horses and their Riders

Name Horse Rider PowerOriginal Greek

Description

Conquest White

Carries a bow

(old Latin

translation is

standard)

Is given a Crown, goes

forth conquering

ίππος λευκός

(híppos leukós),

[The] White Horse

War RedCarries a

sword

To take peace from the

earth, and let men kill

one another.

ίππος πυρρός

(híppos purrós),

[The] Red Horse

Famine Black

Carries a

balance

(weighing

scale)

To bring famine.

ίππος μέλας

(híppos mélas),

[The] Black Horse

Death Pale Death, Over a fourth of the ίππος χλωρός,

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followed by

Hades

earth, to kill with

sword, and with

hunger, and with

death, and with the

beasts of the earth.

θάνατος (híppos

khlōrós, thanatos),

[The] Pale Horse

The White Horse

Revelation 6:1 - 6:2 - “...When the Lamb had opened the first of the seven seals, I heard

the first of the four beasts say with a thundering voice, Come and see. And I beheld, and

lo a white horse; and he that sat on him had a bow: and there was given unto him a

crown, and he departed as conqueror and to conquest.”

The white horse of the apocalyptic four may represent polar qualities of evil or

righteousness, depending on interpretation. The German-language Lutheran Stuttgarter

Erklärungsbibel sees him as civil war and internal strife.

Seen as Evil

Some interpret the rider of the white horse to be the anti-christ, or a representation of

false prophets, citing differences between the white horse in Revelation 6 and Jesus on

the white Horse in Revelation 19. Revelation 19 Jesus has many crowns, but in

Revelation 6 the rider has one. In Revelation 19, the rider on the horse is depicted as

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“The Word of God”. The rider of the white horse may represent the second coming of

Christ during which the end of the world/judgment day would occur. He may also just

represent judgment of the living and the damned.

Righteous

Besides Christ, the horseman could represent the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was

understood to have come upon the Apostles at Pentecost after Jesus’ departure from

earth. The appearance of the Lamb in Revelation 5 shows the triumphant arrival of Jesus

in heaven, and the white horseman could represent the sending of the Holy Spirit by Jesus

and the advance of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Red Horse

The Second Horseman.

The rider of the second horse is generally held to represent War. The red color of his

horse represents blood spilled on the battlefield. He carries a great sword, which

represents battle and fighting.

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Revelation 6:4 - “And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to

him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another:

and there was given unto him a great sword.”

The Black Horse

The Third Horseman.

The third horseman, riding the black horse, is called Famine. The black color of the third

horse could be a symbol of the dead.

Revelation 6:5 - 6:6 - “And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say,

Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of

balances in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure

of wheat for a penny, and a quart of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and

the wine.’”

Pale (green) Horse

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The Fourth Horseman

The fourth horseman, usually said to ride on a pale horse, is explicitly named Death. Of

all the riders, he is the only one whose name is easily distinguishable. Generally, he is

usually followed by Hades (Gravedom).

However, the Greek word interpreted as “pale” is translated elsewhere in the New

Testament as “green,” leading to some confusion in appearance. The natural colors of

horse coats that could be indicated include dun, palomino, buckskin, or one of several

color variants with dilution genes. The horse is sometimes translated as “pale,” “pale

green,” or “green.” The greenish color of the fourth horse could possibly represent

plague, fear, sickness, and/or decay. Although the ambiguity of the colour (green-pale) is

rather unrelated it can be explained if it is studied in Greek. The colour of the horse in

Greek can be found as khlōrós [χλωρός] (green-unseasoned, usually used for fruits and

vegetables) or khlōmós [χλωμός](pale). The difference between the two words is only a

letter.

Revelation 6:7 - 6:8 - “And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the fourth beast

say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a pale green horse; and he that sat on him was

called Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth

of the earth, and that they (the four horsemen) should kill with sword, and with hunger,

and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.”12

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And St. John saw far more than this. Yet, everything cannot be taken

literally. There are many “literalists” who believe that everything in the

Bible should be taken exactly as written. The Fundamentalists are that way.

For instance, we will not see any Four Horsemen if we’re around at the end,

but we will experience what they represent: Conquest, War, Famine and

Death. Remember that St. Paul tacitly approved slavery when he told the

Ephesians:

“Masters, treat your servants well remembering that you have a Master

in Heaven” (Ephesians 6:5-9) ...

Another good example is the following: Christ said to the apostles at the

Last Supper:

“Eat my body; drink my blood.” (confer: Gospel of John)

If we take such a passage literally, Jesus is asking the apostles to cannibalize

Him!

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There are other things in the Scriptures that we can’t take literally. For

example, the Bible says that the world was built in six days, and on the

seventh day, God rested. As if God needed a rest!

The Pentateuch (Gr. Lit., Five Books), or the First Five Books of the Old

Testament: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, are

attributed to Moses, who was nowhere near the Garden of Eden when Adam

and Eve committed the first sin. Nevertheless, Moses was inspired by God

to recount the Original Sin Story in Genesis which is fascinating because it’s

as if Adam and Eve had to sin! There is a very beautiful Easter hymn that is

sung each Easter Eve. It’s called “The Exultet.” That’s Latin for “He may

rejoice.” Within that hymn are the astonishing words:

“O necessary sin of Adam that wrought us such a Redeemer.”

Ponder that line for awhile. It was necessary for Adam and Eve to sin,

otherwise Christ could never have died on the cross and opened the gates of

Heaven to us. Previously, the gates of Heaven were closed to Mankind. The

only thing that could open them was the death of Christ, the Lamb, on the

cross. Yet God gave Adam and Eve free will so that they did not have to sin

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and Jesus would not have had to die on the cross for our sins. It’s a great

mystery, much too deep for our little minds.

And so, the Millenarists, or those who think that Jesus will come back and

reign for a thousand years, and those who believe that we’ll be snatched up,

one by one (if we’re holy enough), “to meet the Lord in the air,” have some

explaining to do when it comes to other parts of Sacred Scripture that state

that the Earth really will end, and those who are “snatched up” will be

judged just like the rest of us. They will also die. No one leaves this earth

without dying. In the Old Testament it is stated:

“It is appointed to all men to die once.”* (Eccles. 8:8).

Now, if the “Selective” Fundamentalists want to argue that everything in the

Bible must be taken literally, then, we have a conflict on our hands. Either

we’re “taken up with the Lord in the air” to Heaven, without dying, or, we

die, as the Book of Ecclesiastes says. Death will come to all, to the just and

to the unjust alike. This has been God’s way since time began. And it

should be known that God did not create death (confer: Wisdom 1:13). No, it was

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a product of Original Sin. Man was supposed to live forever in that Garden

Paradise of Eden, always perfect, forever young, never aging, never

wrinkling, never dying. But after Adam and Eve were banished from the

Garden of Eden, they got hungry and had to eat and they even suffered.

After Adam and Eve discovered their sexual attraction for each other after

they sinned, Eve brought forth her children in pain. Adam and Eve and their

progeny suffered. They bled, they wrinkled and aged with the years and

they finally died, death being the only logical ending to life.

I quoted from the Book of Ecclesiastes and I must make an important

distinction, lest some will say that I quoted from a biblical book that the

Protestant Churches do not consider to be canonical . Ecclesiastes, not to be

confused with the Book of Ecclesiasticus, known better today as the Book of

Sirach, is found to be canonical by both the Catholic and Protestant

Churches. Nevertheless, just as the Protestants have their canonical books,

so does Catholicism. This is why the Catholic Bible has seven more books

in the Old Testament than the Protestants do. These Books are known as the

Deuterocanonical Books:

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Tobit

Judith

Wisdom

Sirach, also called Ben Sira or Ecclesiasticus

Baruch

First Maccabees

Second Maccabees

There are also those books known as the Apocrypha – spurious gospels

written allegedly by St. Thomas, Judas, St. Peter, and others. We also have

the Dead Sea Scrolls, found in a series of caves in the Middle East in the late

40s to the mid 50s:

The Dead Sea scrolls consist of roughly 900 documents, including texts

from the Hebrew Bible, discovered between 1947 and 1956 in eleven caves

in and around the Wadi Qumran near the ruins of the ancient settlement of

Khirbet Qumran, on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea.

The texts are of great religious and historical significance, as they include

some of the only known surviving copies of Biblical documents made before

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100 CE, and preserve evidence of considerable diversity of belief and

practice within late Second Temple Judaism. They are written in Hebrew,

Aramaic and Greek, mostly on parchment, but with some written on

papyrus. These manuscripts generally date between 150 BCE to 70 CE. The

scrolls are most commonly identified with the ancient Jewish sect called the

Essenes but recent scholarship has challenged their association with the

scrolls.

The Dead Sea Scrolls are traditionally divided into three groups: “Biblical”

manuscripts (copies of texts from the Hebrew Bible), which comprise

roughly 40% of the identified scrolls; “Apocryphal” or “Pseudepigraphical”

manuscripts (known documents from the Second Temple Period like Enoch,

Jubilees, Tobit, Sirach, non-canonical psalms, etc., that were not ultimately

canonized in the Hebrew Bible), which comprise roughly 30% of the

identified scrolls; and “Sectarian” manuscripts (previously unknown

documents that speak to the rules and beliefs of a particular group or groups

within greater Judaism) like the Community Rule, War Scroll, Pesher

(Hebrew pesher פשר = “Commentary”) on Habakkuk and the Rule of the

Blessing, which comprise roughly 30% of the identified scrolls.

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Prior to 1967, the Scrolls were housed in the Rockefeller Museum (formerly

known as the Palestine Archaeological Museum) in Jerusalem. After the Six

Day War, the Scrolls were moved to the Shrine of the Book, at the Israel

Museum.

Publication of the scrolls has taken many decades, and the delay has been a

source of academic controversy. As of 2007 two volumes remain to be

completed, with the whole series, Discoveries in the Desert, running to

thirty-nine volumes in total. Many of the scrolls are now housed in the

Shrine of the Book in Jerusalem. According to The Oxford Companion to

Archeology, “The biblical manuscripts from Qumran, which include at least

fragments from every book of the Old Testament, except perhaps for the

Book of Esther, provide a far older cross section of scriptural tradition than

that available to scholars before. While some of the Qumran biblical

manuscripts are nearly identical to the Masoretic, or traditional, Hebrew text

of the Old Testament, some manuscripts of the books of Exodus and Samuel

found in Cave Four exhibit dramatic differences in both language and

content. In their astonishing range of textual variants, the Qumran biblical

discoveries have prompted scholars to reconsider the once-accepted theories

of the development of the modern biblical text from only three manuscript

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families: of the Masoretic text, of the Hebrew original of the Septuagint, and

of the Samaritan Pentateuch. It is now becoming increasingly clear that the

Old Testament scripture was extremely fluid until its canonization around

100 AD.”13

Author’s note: None of the above found scrolls, as important as they are,

has changed any of the basic truths of the Faith, nor does any of them point

to the end of time. They are interesting additions to the books we already

have, and as such, are a real exegetical find.

Fragments of the scrolls on display at the Archaeological Museum, Amman

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And so, many believe the end is near – as near as December 21, 2012. As I

said before, the end could very well come in our lifetimes or just a bit later.

When I think of it, though, I come away with the thought: “very, very

soon.”

VIII

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING ABOUT 2012

It appears open to interpretation as to whether 2012 will bring total

destruction or a transformation of our world.  So, below are prophecies (not

necessarily Mayan) for 2012:

1. There have been three or four previous races and ages of humanity (depending upon the

source you read).  All of these have been destroyed in major cataclysms.  December 21, 2012

marks the end of this age and it will end in major catastrophes such as Earthquakes. 

For half of the katun (20 year Mayan cycle) there will be food, for half, some misfortunes. This

katun brings the end of the “word of God.” It is a time of uniting for a cause.

3. As we pass through transition there is a colossal, global convergence of environmental

destruction, social chaos, war and ongoing Earth changes.

4.  The Earth will undergo a magnetic field shift, reversing the polarity of the planet.

5.  An asteroid or comet will collide with the Earth.

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For now, this is all that I am listing as I come across so many vague statements I do not

feel comfortable listing them for others to read.  As I continue with my research, I will

add to this list when appropriate.14

At least this researcher stopped when the stopping was good. He didn’t get

too wild, although I must say that I don’t know why so many people put

their faith in the Mayan Calendar. The Mayans are a dead people. They’re

not even around anymore. I read recently that in the year 2012, the earth

would tip on its axis causing utter chaos throughout the world. The article

said that Niagara Falls would empty out into the Atlantic Ocean and that

there would be violent earthquakes.

Still, there are those who make light of the year 2012:

How to Throw a December 21, 2012 End of the World Party

By: Sean Easley

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Tips for Hosting that Perfect 2012 End of the World Spectacular

Around Christmastime in 2012, there will be one holiday that can be

celebrated no matter what culture you are from: the 2012 End of the World

Bash. The 2012 end of the world will be a global event, a one-of-a-kind

celebration. Start planning now to have the very best End of the World

Party!

2012 End of the World Party Tip #1: Plan Your Time

The jury is still out on exactly what time of day the December 21, 2012 end

of the world will happen, so it is best to start early. Have flexible events

planned throughout the day so when the 2012 end of the world event

happens you will be prepared.

Also, since no one knows which disaster will strike first, it is best to keep all

of your 2012 end of the celebrations close together. You wouldn’t want to

miss the best parties just because you didn’t plan for that 8 AM earthquake

or that noontime flooding.

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2012 End of the World Party Tip #2: Plan Your Supplies

If you thought trying to get that honey-baked ham at Thanksgiving was a

chore, imagine trying to find canned food items, salt, and even batteries in a

nuclear winter! Stock up on all the necessities in advance, just on the off-

chance that you survive the initial 2012 end of the world destruction.

Water, non-perishable goods, and flashlights will do much to make your

party a success. Try to stay away from desserts that have eggs in them or

anything else that can go bad. If you are around to see the 22nd, you’ll be

wishing you had gotten more appropriate food for your 2012 end of the

world party.

2012 End of the World Party Tip #3: Plan Appropriate Music

Your music choices will do much to set the tone of your celebration, and

should be specific to you and your friends. Some will want such hits as

R.E.M.’s “It’s the End of the World As We Know It” and Billy Joel’s “We

Didn’t Start the Fire.” The more conservative party-goers might prefer

hymns like the classic “Amazing Grace” and “I’ll Fly Away.”

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One important musical note to avoid in planning your 2012 end of the world

party is the use of “emo” and country music, or anything else with

depressing and defeatist lyrics. You certainly won’t make it through earth’s

destruction with a negative attitude!15

Mr. Easley has many more funny tips that I declined to add, but you can get

the general picture here. He’s not a bit worried about December 21, 2012

because no one on earth knows when the end will come. I just wonder why

he failed to mention Skeeter Davis’s famous song: “The End of the World?”

It was really good!

Here is yet another theoretical interpretation of the year 2012 with a little bit

of “New Age” religiosity and “densities” thrown in for good measure:

The Year 2012 by Adrian Cooper

Our Ultimate Reality

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First and foremost we still do not know if anything at all will happen on

December 21 2012, or at any time in 2012, or indeed at all. We will examine

that more closely in just a moment.

But quite simply, if, and only if, the prophesies are true, then one of three

fundamental situations will likely result immediately before, during and after

the 2012 event based upon what we know to date:

1. Human beings will undergo a massive Spiritual evolutionary transition

whereby true, Divine, Spiritual reality will be realised and experienced.

Focus and abilities will no longer be materially based, but rather spiritually

based.

If this comes to pass, humans will still inhabit a physical body, but the body

will assume its true identity as a vehicle of learning. Material things will be

seen for the illusion they truly are, and the emphasis will be on “service to

others before service to self”, and the building of the biblical “kingdom of

heaven on Earth”, a paradise where selfishness, war and disharmony will be

a thing of the past.

2. The Planet Earth, a great, living planetary Spirit, will evolve or “graduate”

to the 4th density, the next evolutionary level on His/Her own path of return

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to The Prime Creator. In this case all organic life on Earth will cease to exist,

and will also transition to the 4th or 5th density, the Astral or Spiritual worlds,

where life will continue as ever in the Astral or Spiritual body, depending on

Spiritual progress.

3. Earth will experience some massive cataclysmic physical trauma which

will destroy most if not everything on the planet. If this happens the result

will be the same as in possibility two, mentioned above, but will happen in a

different way. It is likely that all life will transition to the 4th or 5th densities,

again depending on Spiritual evolution, before this cataclysm strikes, so

there will be no suffering.

We are not intended by the Universe to suffer; all suffering is a direct result

of the actions and thoughts of humans.

The most important potential outcome is the evolution of present day human

beings; Homo Sapiens, to the next level: “Homo Spiritus”.

So the big question is; will 2012 actually happen? Do we really only have

just [3] years left on this planet?16

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The above tract is just pure silliness, but we can see how the world’s

population is building up to the year 2012, just a paltry few years away, and

many take that year most seriously.

Here’s an interesting take on the end of the world:

The planet’s major religions have their own beliefs about the end of the

world, the triumph of good over evil and Judgment Day. In Christianity, the

Book of Revelation, the last chapter of the Bible’s New Testament, mentions

Armageddon, the final battle on Earth between the forces of God and Satan.

The word Armageddon is thought to come from the Hebrew for “Mount of

Megiddo.” Located in present-day Israel, Megiddo, an ancient, strategically

positioned city, was the site of a number of battles. Some Christians interpret

the Book of Revelation as a roadmap that lays out exactly how the world

will end. They contend that Judgment Day will take place on Armageddon

and Jesus will save the true believers, while non-believers left behind will

face enormous suffering.

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In Islam, the end of the world is referred to as “the Hour” and involves Jesus

returning to Damascus to slay an anti-Christ who has put the planet in peril.

With the anti-Christ out of the picture, a period of perfect harmony will

ensue. Jesus will later die a natural death, which will usher in a time of

destruction that leads directly to “the Hour.” In Judaism, there is no term for

Armageddon, but there are references in the Hebrew bible to events that

could be compared with Armageddon, including the Day of the Lord (in

which God causes death and destruction to people who deserve to be

punished) and the War of Gog and Magog (in which Israel and its God fight

their enemies, rather than an Anti-Christ).

In Hinduism, there is the story of the god Vishnu coming back in the last

cycle of time as a figure called Kulki, who rides a white horse, carries a

sword that looks like a comet and destroys the forces of evil.

In some Buddhist prophecies, the equivalent of Armageddon is Shambhala,

in which good triumphs over evil; however, the planet is restored rather than

destroyed so people can pursue enlightenment.

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Despite the many theories and religious interpretations, the only thing that’s

certain about the end of the world is that no one can know for sure what will

happen. And until that day arrives people will no doubt continue to speculate

endlessly about when it will all be over.17

THE FIRST DAY OF 2013

Many people will breathe a sigh of relief on the very first day of the New

Year, 2013, having survived 2012 and whatever calamities it may have

spawned, for, every year has its tragedies and 2012 will be no exception.

We may have violent hurricanes and terrible tornadoes. We may suffer new

tsunamis and more earthquakes throughout the earth, and still, “the end is

not yet.”

Times Square, in New York, will be jammed with more people than ever

before because they survived the ominous year of 2012.

Yet, we must tear ourselves away from the concept of “years” and deal with

the very important aspects of the end times. To begin with, there’s the

Antichrist.

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THE ANTICHRIST

Now here’s a consoling thought: before anything of an eschatologically

calamitous nature can happen to Planet Earth, Antichrist must rear his ugly

head. This is a most important fact that all of the doomsday naysayers and

pseudo-theologians seem to have forgotten.

It is held, by a rather large body of theologians from various Christian

Churches, that the Antichrist will come out of the Tribe of Dan and will have

a three-year or a three-and-a half year public life, just as Jesus did (a time, a

time, a time, and a half-time = three-and-a-half years. (Confer. Revelation). If he

does come from the Tribe of Dan, it would mean Antichrist will emerge

from Israel, which makes eminent sense since Antichrist will strive to

imitate Christ, and even surpass him, if that were possible. Other texts say

he will come from the north of Israel, which could be Russia. He might also

come from some other large country. The fact is, nobody knows where he’ll

show up, or when. We do know that Antichrist will demand that his mark be

affixed to every person in the world. Anyone without his mark will not be

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able to purchase food or any of the necessities of life. He will demand that

all nations worship him alone and he will sit on the throne of the temple in

Jerusalem and proclaim himself GOD! This all seems too improbable to

most of us, but, it will happen, according to Sacred Scripture. The Bible has

several references to Antichrist within its pages, both from the Old and New

Testaments, including the Gospels. Jesus, himself, called Antichrist the

“Abomination of Desolation:

“When you hear of wars and reports of wars do not be alarmed; such

things must happen, but it will not yet be the end.

Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. There

will be earthquakes from place to place and there will be famines. These

are the beginnings of the labor pains.

Watch out for yourselves. They will hand you over to the courts. You

will be beaten in synagogues. You will be arraigned before governors

and kings because of me, as a witness before them. But the gospel must

first be preached to all nations.

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When they lead you away and hand you over, do not worry beforehand

about what you are to say. But say whatever will be given to you at that

hour. For it will not be you who are speaking but the Holy Spirit.

Brother will hand over brother to death, and the father his child;

children will rise up against parents and have them put to death.

You will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who

perseveres to the end will be saved.

When you see the Abomination of Desolation [Antichrist] standing

where he should not [in the temple] (let the reader understand), then

those in Judea must flee to the mountains, (and) a person on a housetop

must not go down or enter to get anything out of his house, and a person

in a field must not return to get his cloak.”* (Mk.:8-16)

This vital information should put the reader at some sort of ease in that he

should know that on December 21, 2012, the world will certainly not end.

Are, then, numbers and dates prophetic? We know that Antichrist’s number

is 666. All the way back to the Old Testament and the Jewish Prophetic

Books, the number 7 always stood for perfection – stood for God, himself.

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Therefore, 666 could be drawn out to 6666666 or 6666666666.999, and still,

this progression of numbers would never reach 7. Thus, the number 666

represents Satan’s and Antichrist’s complete imperfection.

Getting back to where the Antichrist may arise: after Jesus calls him “The

Abomination of Desolation,” he also cryptically states that “those in Judea

[should] flee to the mountains.” Why only those in Judea? It would seem

by this statement that Antichrist actually will come from Judea, in Israel.

Yet, we just don’t know where Antichrist will come from or if he’s here yet.

If he is here, he is carefully planning all future global events, and may even

be in a position of power as I write this. He does not have to proclaim that

he’s the Antichrist to prove that he actually is. He might go unrecognized

for a time but will eventually be unmasked by his eventual ungodly deeds.

The information we have on the Antichrist from Scripture and Tradition is

scanty, to say the least. What we do know about him is that he is not Satan

incarnate nor is he the son of Satan. He is the greatest of the “beasts”

mentioned in the Book of Revelation. He will come, or is already here, to

ruin the plans of good men and women and reap a bloody harvest of doomed

souls for Satan, his master. He will be relentless and excessively clever,

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gradually winning all nations over to him. He will be very well liked by all

and will seem to be the natural leader of the entire world, and the world’s

leaders will go along with him. They will go along with him until they

realize who he is and what he wants: total world domination and worship of

no god but himself. When men and women are persecuted by him, are

murdered by him, and starved to death by him because they refused to be

marked with his sign, many will be awakened from their infatuation with

him and realize that he is truly ungodly. Unfortunately, many will not see

his evil ends and will align themselves with him, continuing to follow him to

their utter and final chagrin.

The following is a most interesting tract quoted from the Catholic

Encyclopedia. The tract is very thorough and quite long, but I deem it

worthy to be read even though it is of some considerable length:

THE ANTICHRIST

(Greek Antichristos).

In composition, anti has different meanings: antibasileus denotes a king who fills an

interregnum; antistrategos, a propraetor; anthoupatos, a proconsul; in Homer antitheos

denotes one resembling a god in power and beauty, while in other works it stands for a

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hostile god. Following mere analogy one might interpret antichristos as denoting one

resembling Christ in appearance and power; but it is safer to define the word according to

its biblical and ecclesiastical usage.

Biblical meaning of the word

The word Antichrist occurs only in the Johannine Epistles; but there are so-called real

parallelisms to these occurrences in the Apocalypse, in the Pauline Epistles, and less

explicit ones in the Gospels and the Book of Daniel.

In the Johannine epistles

St. John supposes in his Epistles that the early Christians are acquainted with the teaching

concerning the coming of Antichrist. “You have heard that Antichrist cometh” (1 John

2:18); “This is Antichrist, of whom you have heard that he cometh” (1 John 4:3). Though

the Apostle speaks of several Antichrists, he distinguishes between the many and the one

principal agent: “Antichrist cometh, even though now there are many Antichrists” (1

John 2:18). Again, the writer outlines the character and work of Antichrist: “They went

out from us, but they were not of us” (1 John 2:19); “Who is a liar, but he who denies that

Jesus is the Christ? This is Antichrist, who denies the Father, and the Son” (1 John 2:22);

“And every spirit that dissolveth Jesus, is not of God; and this is Antichrist” (1 John 4:3);

“For many seducers are gone out into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is

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come in the flesh: this is a seducer and an Antichrist” (2 John 7). Also the time, the

Apostle places the coming of Antichrist at “the last hour” (1 John 2:18); again he

maintains that “he is now already in the world” (1 John 4:3).

In the Book of Revelation

Nearly all commentators find Antichrist mentioned in the Apocalypse [Revelation], but

they do not agree as to the particular chapter of the Book in which the mention occurs.

Some point to the “beast” of 11:7, others to the “red dragon” of Chapter 12, others again

to the beast “having seven heads and ten horns” of 13, sqq., while many scholars identify

Antichrist with the beast which had “two horns, like a lamb” and spoke “as a dragon”

(13:11, sqq.), or with the scarlet-coloured beast “having seven heads and ten horns” (17),

or, finally, with Satan “loosed out of his prison,” and seducing the nations (20:7, sqq.). A

detailed discussion of the reasons for and against each of these opinions would be out of

place here.

In the Pauline epistles

St. John supposes that the doctrine concerning the coming of Antichrist is already known

to his readers; many commentators believe that it had become known in the Church

through the writings of St. Paul. St. John urged against the heretics of his time that those

who denied the mystery of the Incarnation were faint images of the future great

Antichrist. The latter is described more fully in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, sqq., 7-10. In the

Church of Thessalonica disturbances had occurred on account of the belief that the

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second coming of Jesus Christ was imminent. This impression was owing partly to a

misunderstanding of 1 Thessalonians 4:15, sqq., partly to the machinations of deceivers.

It was with a view of remedying these disorders that St. Paul wrote his Second Epistle to

the Thessalonians, inserting especially 2:3-10. The Pauline doctrine is this: “the day of

the Lord” will be preceded by “a revolt”, and the revelation of the “man of sin.” The

latter will sit in the temple of God, showing himself as if he were God; he will work signs

and lying wonders by the power of Satan; he will seduce those who received not the love

of the truth, that they might be saved; but the Lord Jesus shall kill him with the spirit of

His mouth, and destroy him with the brightness of His coming. As to the time, “the

mystery of iniquity already worketh; only that he who now holdeth, do hold, until he be

taken out of the way.” Briefly, the “day of the Lord” will be preceded by the “man of sin”

known in the Johannine Epistles as Antichrist; the “man of sin” is preceded by “a revolt,”

or a great apostasy; this apostasy is the outcome of the “mystery of iniquity” which

already “worketh”, and which, according to St. John, shows itself here and there by faint

types of Antichrist. The Apostle gives three stages in the evolution of evil: the leaven of

iniquity, the great apostasy, and the man of sin. But he adds a clause calculated to

determine the time of the main event more accurately; he describes something first as a

thing (to datechon), then as a person (ho katechon), preventing the occurrence of the

main event: “Only he who now holdeth, do hold, until he be taken out of the way.” We

can here only enumerate the principal opinions as to the meaning of this clause without

discussing their value:

The impediment of the main event is “the man of sin”; the main event

is the second coming of the Lord (Grimm, Simar).

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The impediment is the Roman Empire; the main event impeded is the

“man of sin” (most Latin Fathers and later interpreters)

The Apostle referred to persons and events of his own time; the

katechon and the “man of sin” are variously identified with the

Emperors Caligula, Titus, Nero, Claudius, etc. (discerned by

Protestant theologians living after the seventeenth century).

The Apostle refers immediately to contemporary men and events,

which are, however, types of the eschatological katechon, “man of

sin”, and day of the Lord; the destruction of Jerusalem, e.g., is the

type of the Lord’s second coming, etc. (Döllinger).

Before leaving the Pauline doctrine of Antichrist, we may ask ourselves, whence did the

Apostle derive his teaching? Here again we meet with various answers.

St. Paul expresses merely his own view based on the Jewish tradition

and the imagery of the Prophets Daniel and Ezekiel. This view has

been advocated by several Protestant writers.

The Apostle expresses the impression produced on the early Church

by the eschatological teaching of Jesus Christ. This opinion is

expressed by Döllinger.

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St. Paul derived his doctrine concerning Antichrist from the words of

Christ, the prophecy of Daniel, and the contemporary events. This

opinion, too, is held by Döllinger.

The Apostle uttered a prophecy received through the inspiration of the

Holy Spirit. Catholic interpreters have generally adhered to this

opinion.

In the Evangelists and Daniel

After studying the picture of Antichrist in St. Paul’s Epistle to the Thessalonians, one

easily recognizes the “man of sin” in Daniel 7:8, 11, 20, 21, where the Prophet describes

the “little horn.” A type of Antichrist is found in Daniel 8:8 sqq., 23, sqq., 11:21-45, in

the person of Antiochus Epiphanes. Many commentators have found more or less clear

allusions to Antichrist in the coming of false Christs and false prophets (Matthew 24:24;

Mark 13:6, 22; Luke 21:8), in the “abomination of desolation”, and in the one that “shall

come in his own name” (John 5:43).

Antichrist in ecclesiastical language

Bousset believes that there was among the Jews a fully developed legend of Antichrist,

which was accepted and amplified by Christians; and that this legend diverges from and

contradicts in important points the conceptions found in the Apocalypse. We do not

believe that Bousset has fully proved his opinion; his view as to the Christian

development of the concept of Antichrist does not exceed the merits of an ingenious

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theory. We need not here enter upon an investigation of Gunkel’s work, in which he

traces back the idea of Antichrist to the primeval dragon of Œthe deep; this view deserves

no more attention than the rest of the author’s mythological fancies.

What then is the true ecclesiastical concept of Antichrist? Francisco Suárez maintains that

it is of faith that Antichrist is an individual person, a signal enemy of Christ. This

excludes the contention of those who explain Antichrist either as the whole collection of

those who oppose Jesus Christ, or as the Papacy. The Waldensian and Albigensian

heretics, as well as Wyclif and Hus, called the Pope by the name of Antichrist; but the

expression was only a metaphor in their case. It was only after the time of the

Reformation that the name was applied to the Pope in its proper sense. It then passed

practically into the creed of the Lutherans, and has been seriously defended by them as

late as 1861 in the “Zeitschrift für lutherische Theologie”. The change from the true

Church into the reign of Antichrist is said to have taken place between 19 February and

10 November, A.D. 607, when Pope Boniface III obtained from the Greek emperor

Newton, the title “Head of All the Churches” for the Roman Church. An appeal was

made to Apocalypse 13:8, in confirmation of this date, and it was calculated from

Apocalypse 11:3, that the end of the world might be expected in A.D. 1866. Cardinal

Bellarmine refuted this error both from an exegetical and historical point of view in “De

Rom. Pont.”, III.

The individual person of Antichrist will not be a demon, as some of the ancient writers

believed; nor will he be the person of the devil incarnated in the human nature of

Antichrist. He will he a human person, perhaps of Jewish extraction, if the explanation of

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Genesis 49:17, together with that of Dan’s omission in the catalogue of the tribes, as

found in the Apocalypse, be correct. It must be kept in mind that extra-Scriptural tradition

furnishes us no revealed supplement to the Biblical data concerning Antichrist. While

these latter are sufficient to make the believer recognize the “man of sin” at the time of

his coming, the lack of any additional reliable revelation should put us on our guard

against the daydreams of the Irvingites, the Mormons, and other recent proclaimers of

new revelations.

It may not be out of place to draw the reader’s attention to two dissertations by the late

Cardinal Newman on the subject of Antichrist. The one is entitled “The Patristic Idea of

Antichrist”; it considers successively his time, religion, city, and persecution. It formed

the eighty-third number of the “Tracts for the Times.” The other dissertation bears the

title “The Protestant Idea of Antichrist.”

In order to understand the significance of the Cardinal’s essays on the question of the

Antichrist, it must be kept in mind that a variety of opinions sprang up in course of time

concerning the nature of this opponent of Christianity.

Koppe, Nitzsch, Storr, and Pelt contended that the Antichrist is an evil

principle, not embodied either in a person or a polit[ic]; this opinion is

in opposition to both St. Paul and St. John. Both Apostles describe the

adversary as being distinctly concrete in form.

A second view admits that the Antichrist is a person, but it maintains

that he is a person of the past; Nero, Diocletian, Julian, Caligula,

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Titus, Simon Magus, Simon the son of Giora, the High Priest Ananias,

Vitellius, the Jews, the Pharisees, and the Jewish zealots have been

variously identified with the Antichrist. But there is little traditional

authority for this opinion; besides, it does not appear to satisfy fully

the prophetic predictions, and, in the case of some of its adherents, it

is based on the supposition that the inspired writers could not

transcend the limits of their experiences.

A third opinion admitted that the Antichrist must indeed appear in a

concrete form, but it identified this concrete form with the system of

the Papacy. Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, Melanchthon, Bucer, Beza,

Calixtus, Bengel, Michaelis, and almost all the Protestant writers of

the Continent are cited as upholding this view; the same may be said

of the English theologians Cranmer, Latimer, Ridley, Hooper,

Hutchinson, Tyndale, Sandys, Philpot, Jewell, Rogers, Fulke,

Bradford, King James, and Andrewes. Bramhall introduced

qualifications into the theory, and after this its ascendancy began to

wane among English writers. Nor must it be supposed that the Papal-

Antichrist theory was upheld by all Protestants in the same form; the

False Prophet or second Apocalyptic Beast is identified with

Antichrist and the Papacy by Aretius, Foxe, Napier Mede, Jurieu,

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Cunninghame, Faber, Woodhouse, and Habershon; the first

Apocalyptic Beast holds this position in the opinion of Marlorat, King

James, Daubuz, and Galloway; both Beasts are thus identified by

Brightman, Pareus, Vitringa, Gill, Bachmair, Fraser, Croly, Fysh, and

Elliott.

After this general survey of the Protestant views concerning the Antichrist, we shall

be able to appreciate some of Cardinal Newman’s critical remarks on the question.

If any part of the Church be proved to be antichristian, all of the

Church is so, the Protestant branch inclusive.

The Papal-Antichrist theory was gradually developed by three

historical bodies: the Albigens[ian]s, the Waldens[ian]s, and the

Fraticelli, between the eleventh and the sixteenth centuries. Are these

the expositors from whom the Church of Christ is to receive the true

interpretation of the prophecies?

The defenders of the Papal-Antichrist theory have made several signal

blunders in their arguments; they cite St. Bernard as identifying the

Beast of the Apocalypse with the Pope, though St. Bernard speaks in

the passage of the Antipope; they appeal to the Abbot Joachim as

believing that Antichrist will be elevated to the Apostolic See, while

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the Abbot really believes that Antichrist will overthrow the Pope and

usurp his See; finally, they appeal to Pope Gregory the Great as

asserting that whoever claims to be Universal Bishop is Antichrist,

whereas the great Doctor really speaks of the Forerunner of Antichrist

who was, in the language of his day, nothing but a token of an

impending great evil.

Protestants were driven to the Papal-Antichrist theory by the necessity

of opposing a popular answer to the popular and cogent arguments

advanced by the Church of Rome for her Divine authority.

Warburton, Newton, and Hurd, the advocates of the Papal-Antichrist

theory, cannot be matched against the saints of the Church of Rome.

If the Pope be Antichrist, those who receive and follow him cannot be

men like St. Charles Borromeo, or Fenélon, or St. Bernard, or St.

Francis de Sales.

If the Church must suffer like Christ, and if Christ was called

Beelzebub, the true Church must expect a similar reproach; thus, the

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Papal-Antichrist theory becomes an argument in favor of the Roman

Church.

The gibe, “If the Pope is not Antichrist, he has bad luck to be so like

him”, is really another argument in favour of the claims of the Pope;

since Antichrist simulates Christ, and the Pope is an image of Christ,

Antichrist must have some similarity to the Pope, if the latter be the

true Vicar of Christ.18

IX

THE WORDS OF THE SAINTS ABOUT ANTICHRIST

“As in Christ dwells the fullness of the Godhead so in Antichrist the fullness of all

wickedness. Not indeed in the sense that his humanity

is to be assumed by the devil into unity of person ..., but that the devil by suggestion

infuses his wickedness more copiously into him than

into all others.” -St. Thomas Aquinas (Summa III:8:8)

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“Yet many Christians will remember that this was all foretold of Antichrist for

centuries past and perceive the fraud of Satan and refuse to be deceived. They will

stand firm and enlighten the faint-hearted and console them.” -Bernadine Von Busto

“Antichrist will exceed in malice, perversity, lust, wickedness, impiety, and

ruthlessness and barbarity all men that have ever disgraced human nature. Hence St.

Paul emphatically calls him ‘the man of sin the son of perdition, the wicked one,

whose birth and coming is through the operation of Satan, in all manner of seduction

and iniquity.’ (2 Thess., 2). Through his great power, deceit and malice he shall

succeed in decoying or forcing to his worship two thirds of mankind; the remaining

third part of men will continue true to the faith and worship of Jesus Christ most

steadfastly. But in his satanic rage and fury, Antichrist will persecute these brave and

devout Christians during three years and a half, and torture them with such an

extremity of barbarity, with all the old and newly invented instruments of pain, as to

exceed all past persecutors of the Church combined. He will oblige all his followers to

bear impressed upon their foreheads or right hands the mark of the Beast and will

starve to death all those who refuse to receive it.” (St. Cyril of Jerusalem)

“One day we asked St. Martin of Tours about the End of the World, and he said that

Nero and the Antichrist would come first. Nero would subdue ten kings and rule in the

countries of the West. A persecution he was to impose would go so far as to require

the worship of heathen idols. Antichrist would first seize the empires of the East; he

would have Jerusalem as his seat and imperial Capital. Both the city and its temple

were to be rebuilt by him. His persecution would require the denial of Christ’s divinity

(he himself pretending to be Christ) and would by law impose circumcision on all.

Finally, Nero himself was to perish at the hands of Antichrist. In this way, the whole

world and its peoples would be brought under his yoke, until, at Christ’s coming, the

impious imposter would be overcome.” (Sulpicius Severus)

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“Antichrist will teach that Christ was an impostor, and not the real Son of God.” (St.

Hilary)

“Christ arose from among the Hebrews, and he (Antichrist) will spring from among

the Jews. Christ showed His flesh as a Temple, and raised it up on the third day; and

he, too, will raise up again the Temple of stone in Jerusalem.” (St. Hippolytus)

“In every respect that Deceiver seeks to make himself appear like the Son of God.

Christ is king of things celestial and terrestrial, and Antichrist will be king upon earth.

The Saviour sent the Apostles unto all the nations, and he, in like manner will send

false apostles. Christ gathered together the dispersed sheep, and he in like manner

will gather together the dispersed people of the Hebrews. Christ appeared in the form

of man, and he in like manner will come forth in the form of man.” (Hippolytus)

“For when he is come, and of his own accord concentrates in his own person the

apostasy, and accomplishes whatever he shall do according to his own will and

choice, sitting also in the Temple of God so that his dupes may adore him as the

Christ...” (St. Irenaeus)

“And we beseech you, Brethren, by the coming of Our Lord Jesus Christ and of our

gathering together unto Him: that you may not be easily moved from your sense, nor

be terrified, neither by spirit, nor by, word, nor by epistle as sent from us as if the day

of the Lord were at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means, for unless there

come a revolt first and the man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition, who

opposeth and is lifted above all that is called God, or that is worshipped, so that he

sitteth in the Temple of God, shewing himself as if he were God.” (2 Thess., 2:1-4)

“Antichrist will rule the world from Jerusalem, which he will make into a magnificent

city.” (St. Anselm)

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“He will call together the whole people to himself, out of every country of the

Dispersion, making them his own, as though they were his own children, and

promising to restore their country and establish again their kingdom and nation, in

order that he may be worshipped by them as God.” (St. Hippolytus)

“This impious man ... will give orders that he himself shall be worshipped as God. For

he will say he is Christ, though he will be His enemy. That he may be believed he will

receive the power of doing wonders, so that fire may descend from heaven, the sun

retire from its course and the image which he shall have set up may speak. And by

such prodigies he shall entice many to worship him, and to receive his sign on their

hands or foreheads. And he who shall not worship him and receive his sign will die

with refined tortures. Thus he will destroy nearly two parts, the third will flee into

desolate solitudes. But he, frantic and raging with implacable anger, will lead an

army and besiege the mountains to which the righteous shall have fled. And when

they shall see themselves besieged, they will implore the help of God with a loud

voices and God shall hear them, and shall send to them a Deliverer ...” (Lactantius)

“Nero will again reappear on earth as a messenger and forerunner of the Evil One

who is coming for the devastation of the earth and the overturning of the human

race.” (Lactantius)

“But he who reads this passage, even half asleep, cannot fail to see that the kingdom

of the Antichrist shall fiercely, though for a short time, assail the Church before the

Last Judgment of God has introduced the eternal reign of saints. For it is patent from

the context that the time, times, and half a time, means a year, and two years, and

half a year, that is to say, three years and a half. Sometimes in Scripture the same

thing is indicated by months. For though the word times seems to be used here in

Latin in an indefinite manner, that is so only because the Latins have no dual, as the

Greeks have, and as the Hebrews also are said to have. Times, therefore, is used for

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two times. It is a familiar theme in the conversations and hearts of the faithful, that in

the last days before the Judgment, the Jews shall believe in the true Christ, that is,

our Christ, thanks to this great and admirable prophet Elias who shall expound the

Law to them. For not without reason do we hope that before the coming of our Judge

and Saviour Elias shall come, because we have good reason to believe that he is now

alive; for as Scripture most distinctly informs us, he was taken up from this earth in a

chariot of fire. When therefore, he is come, he shall give a spiritual explanation of the

Law which the Jews at present understand carnally ... “ (St. Augustine)

“Antichrist, the son of perdition will be born in Corozain, will be brought up in

Bethsaida and shall begin to reign in Capharnaum, according to what Our Lord Jesus

said in the Gospel: “Woe to thee Corozain ... woe to thee Bethsaida ... and thou

Capharnaum that art exalted up to heaven, thou shalt be thrust down to hell. (Luke,

10:13) Antichrist shall work a thousand prodigies on earth. He will make the blind

see, the deaf hear, the lame walk, the dead rise, so that even the Elect, if possible,

shall be deceived by his magical arts. Puffed up with pride, Antichrist shall enter in

triumph the city of Jerusalem and will sit on a throne in the Temple to be adored as if

he were the Son of God. His heart being intoxicated with arrogance, he will forget his

being a mere man, and the son of a woman of the tribe of Dan.” (St. Zenobius)

“Antichrist will be born near Babylon. He will win the support of many with gifts and

money. He will sell himself to the devil and thereafter will have no guardian angel or

conscience.” (St. Jerome)

“He shall sit in the Temple of God as if he were Christ, and leading astray those who

worship him.” (St. Irenaeus)

“But many who are hearers of Holy Scripture and have it in their hands, and keep it

in mind with understanding, will escape his imposture. For they will see clearly

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through his insidious appearance and his deceitful imposture, and will flee from his

hands and betake themselves to the mountains, and hide in the caves of the earth;

and they will seek after the Friend of man with tears and a contrite heart: and He will

deliver them out of his toils, and with His right hand He will save those from his

snares who make their supplication to Him in a worthy and righteous manner.” (St.

Hippolytus)

“Dan, Moses said, is a lion’s whelp; and in naming the tribe of Dan he declared

clearly the tribe from which Antichrist is destined to spring.” (St. Hippolytus)

“In the latter ages destitution will fall upon many people, and whenever the English

will commit great evils against the children of Eire, then the English will be expelled

and Eire become the property of her rightful owners.” (St. Maeltamhlacht, 7th

century)

“And the churches, too will wail with a mighty lamentation, because neither oblation

nor incense is attended to, nor a service acceptable to God; but the sanctuaries of

the churches will become like a garden-watcher’s hut, and the Holy Body and Blood

of Christ will not be shown in those days. The public service of God shall be

extinguished, psalmody shall cease, the reading of Scripture shall not be heard; but

for men there shall be darkness and lamentation on lamentation, and woe on woe. At

that time silver and gold shall be cast out in the streets, and none shall gather them;

but all things shall be held an offence. For all shall be eager to escape and to hide

and they shall not be able anywhere to find shelter from the woes of the Enemy; but

as they carry his mark about them, they shall be readily recognised and declared to

be his. There shall be fear outside, and trembling inside both by night and by day. In

the streets and in the houses there the dead shall lie; in the streets and in the houses

there shall hunger and thirst be; in the streets there shall be tumults, and in the

houses lamentations. And beauty of countenance shall be withered, for their forms

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shall be like those of the dead; and the beauty of women shall fade, and the desire of

all men shall vanish. But in spite of all this, not even then will the merciful and

benignant God leave the race of men without some comfort; He will shorten even

those days to the period of three years and a half, and He will curtail those times on

account of the remnant of those who hide in the mountains and caves, that the

phalanx of all those saints fail not utterly. But these days shall run their course

rapidly; and the kingdom of the Deceiver and Antichrist shall be promptly removed.

And then, finally, in the twinkling of an eye shall the fashion of this world pass away,

and the power of men shall be brought to naught, and all visible things shall be

destroyed.” (St. Hippolytus)

By means of the events which shall occur in the time of Antichrist it is shown that he,

being an apostate and a robber, is anxious to be adored as God; and that although a

mere slave, he wishes to be proclaimed as a king. For he being endued with all the

power of the devil, shall come, not as a righteous king, not as a legitimate king

obedient to God but as an impious, unjust, and lawless one; as an iniquitous and

murderous apostate; as a robber, concentrating in himself a satanic apostasy, and

setting aside idols to persuade men that he himself is God.” (St. Irenaeus)

“Ireland will undergo English oppression for a week of centuries but will preserve her

fidelity to God and His Church. At the end of this time Ireland will be delivered and

the English in turn must suffer severe chastisements. Ireland, however will be

instrumental in bringing back the English to the unity of the Faith.” (St. Patrick, 12th

century)

“Antichrist will be born of Jewish parents, of the tribe of Dan, but his mother will not

be a virgin, as many believe. As the Holy Ghost came into the heart of Mary, so will

the devil enter into the mother of Antichrist, and his diabolical power will always

support him. Babylon will be his birthplace, but he will be reared and instructed in

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Bethsaida and Corozain. After his education at the hands of malignant spirits he will

go to Jerusalem and place his seat in the Temple which he will have restored. He will

submit to the rite of circumcision, claiming that he is the Son of the Omnipotent God.

His first converts will be kings and princes. His influence will extend from sea to sea,

largely through force and persuasive eloquence. He will perform many signs and

great miracles. Those who believe in him will be marked on the forehead with a sign.

For three and a half years he will hold sway and, at the end of that period, he will put

to death Henoch and Elias, who will have previously opposed him by preaching the

true faith. Shortly afterwards, Christ will appear, and Antichrist will be killed by

Michael the Archangel.” (Adso the Monk, 10th Century)

“God alone is great. Much good has been accomplished. The saints are about to

suffer. The man of sin arrives. He (Antichrist) is born from two bloods. The white

flower becomes obscured during ten times six moons, and six times twenty moons

(during about one hundred and eighty months), and it disappears, nevermore to be

seen.” (Prophecy of Orval)

“As in Christ dwells the fullness of the Godhead so in Antichrist the fullness of all

wickedness. Not indeed in the sense that his humanity is to be assumed by the devil

into unity of person ..., but that the devil by suggestion infuses his wickedness more

copiously into him than into all others. In this way all the wicked that have gone

before are signs of Antichrist.” (Summa III:8:8)

”(His miracles may be) said to be real just as Pharaoh’s magicians made real frogs,

but they will not be real miracles because they will be done by the power of natural

causes.” (Summa II-II:178:1)

Henoch and Elias will expose the devilish trickery of Antichrist to the people. As a

consequence he will put them to death. For three and one-half days their bodies will

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be exposed to insults and the followers of Antichrist will presume that all danger is

now past, but suddenly the bodies of the two prophets will move, rise and gaze on

the crowd and begin to praise God. A great earthquake, similar to that at Christ’s

resurrection, will take place: Jerusalem will be partially destroyed and thousands

killed. Then a voice from heaven will call out “Ascend,” whereupon the prophets will

ascend into heaven, resulting in the conversion of many. Antichrist will reign thirty

days after their ascension.” (St. Mechtilda)

When a mother has her infant in her arms or puts it in the cradle, in a clear and

distinct voice it will begin to speak, acknowledging the deity of Antichrist and urging

the mother to leave Christ and turn to Antichrist. The child will reproach the parents,

that they, in spite of the many miracles of Antichrist, still persist in their wickedness

and obstinacy. Oh how much anguish will those parents have to bear! Yet many

Christians will remember that this was all foretold of Antichrist for centuries past and

perceive the fraud of Satan and refuse to be deceived. They will stand firm and

enlighten the faint-hearted and console them.” (Bernadine Von Busto)

”Although men be terrified by the signs appearing about the judgment day, yet

before those signs begin to appear the wicked will think themselves to be in peace

and security after the death of Antichrist and before the coming of Christ, seeing that

the world is not at once destroyed as they thought hitherto.” (Summa, Sup. 73:1) (St.

Thomas Aquinas)

“Then the Son of God, Our Lord Jesus Christ, shall come in person. He shall appear on

the clouds of heaven surrounded by legions of angels; and, shining with glory, He will

put to death Antichrist, the Beast, the Enemy, the Seducer, and all his followers. This

shall be the end of time and the beginning of the general judgment.” (St. Zenobius)

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“But his miracles will be lies. No one can perform a true miracle against the faith,

because God is not a witness of falsity. Hence, no one preaching a false doctrine can

work miracles, whereas one leading a bad life could.” (Comment in II Thess. II, Lec.

(1-III) (St. Thomas Aquinas)

”Elias was taken up into the atmospheric but not the empyrean heaven ... and

likewise Enoch was translated into the earthly paradise where he is believed to live

with Elias until the coming of Antichrist.” (Summa III:49:5)

The Antichrist will kill Henoch and Elias and leave them unburied. These will,

however, be resurrected after three and one-half days and ascend into heaven in a

cloud in the presence of their enemy. This miraculous event will actually confuse

Antichrist. In order that the nations will not abandon him, he will lift himself with

great majesty into space on Mt. Olivet, with the purported intention to cast down the

prophets who have ascended into heaven. But in this moment Christ will strike him

down. The earth will open and swallow him and his prophets alive. Then a large part

of Jerusalem will fall into ruins from the earthquake.” (Dionysius of Luxemburg)

“As Henoch and Elias will Preach against the Antichrist and draw many away

from him, he will, as soon as he perceives the damage, march towards

Jerusalem in order to prove there that he is the true Messiah and God. He will

kill both prophets in Jerusalem. Their bodies will remain lying in the streets

unburied, but on the fourth day they will be resurrected by a voice from

heaven, ‘Enoch and Elias arise! and ride to heaven in a cloud.’ Then the

followers of Antichrist will regret having believed him and will repent their

sins. Thereupon, Antichrist will make it known that after fifteen days he will

also ascend into heaven, so that no one can doubt his divinity. On the

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appointed day he will majestically seat himself on a beautiful chair, on Mt.

Olivet, in view of a large crowd and before all the people, will lift himself up

towards heaven, through the help of evil. But, here at the command of God,

the Archangel Michael will cast him down to earth by a stroke of lightning.”

“Antichrist will be possessed by Satan and be the illegitimate son of a Jewish

woman from the East.” (St. John Chrysostom)

“Antichrist will present himself to the Jews as the Messiah. They will be his followers.”

(2 Thess. 2:9)

“The English will betray each other, as a result of which, their sovereignty will be

broken, and they will stain their swords and battle-axes with blood ... The English and

the Irish of Ireland will unite in one confederation against the forces of the Saxons ...

One monarch will rule in Ireland, over the English and the pure Irish. From the reign

of that man, the people shall suffer no destitution.” (St. Senanus, 6th century)

“Dan shall Judge his people like another tribe in Israel. Let Dan be a snake in the way,

a serpent in the path, that biteth the horse’s heels that the rider may fall backwards.”

(Genesis, 49:17,18)

“Antichrist will heal the sick, raise the dead, restore sight to the blind, hearing to the

deaf, speech to the dumb, raise storms and calm them, re-name mountains, make

trees blossom and wither at a word, re-build the temple of Jerusalem, and make

Jerusalem the capital city of the world with the vast wealth of hidden treasures.”

(Rabanus Maurus, private)19

The Antichrist is the most enigmatic figure in the history of mankind, for,

even as a Messiah was predicted, his place of birth was always thought to

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be, and was, Bethlehem of Judea. With the Antichrist the picture is totally

different. Thinking that he’ll probably emerge from Israel from the Tribe of

Dan (as Dan was the unmentioned Tribe in the list of Tribes in the Book of

Revelation), but not being totally sure of this, one peruses the globe of the

world wondering: “Where could he possibly come from?” The Antichrist

will remain a mystery, as he should until his arrival on the international

scene.

St. Malachy and Papal prophecy. Believe it or Not.

St. Malachy was a medieval Irish priest who often prophesied about the

future of the Church. Of great interest are his prophesies about the last

popes and the last days. Malachy said that our present pope, Benedict XVI,

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would be the last pope before the coming of Peter the Roman who will rule

the Church at the very end of the world.

Malachy was uncannily accurate in many of his predictions, calling Pope

John Paul II De Labore Solaris, or, labor or eclipse of the sun. Strangely

John Paul II was born during an eclipse and his funeral was held on the day

of an eclipse visible in the Americas.

He called Pope Paul VI Flos Florum, or “Flower of Flowers.” Pope Paul

had three lilies on his coat of arms.

But I’ll let you, the reader look at the descriptions of each pope as seen by

Malachy:

Note: The commentaries below are only brief and selective. A commentary on every

motto is given in Peter Bander’s book: The Prophecies of St Malachy.

The Prophecies

Pope No. Name (Reign) Motto No. Motto (and explanation)

167 Celestine II (1143-1144) 1

Ex castro Tyberis

(from a castle on the Tiber)

Hist.: Celestin II was born in Citta di Castello,

Toscany, on the shores of the Tiber

168 Lucius II (1144-1145) 2 Inimicus expulsus

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169 Eugene III (1145-1153) 3

Ex magnitudine montis

(Of the greatness of the mount)

Hist.: Born in the castle of Grammont (latin: mons

magnus), his family name was Montemagno

170 Anastasius IV (1153-1154) 4 Abbas Suburranus

171 Adrian IV (1154-1159) 5

De rure albo

(field of Albe)

Hist.: Born in the town of Saint-Alban

Antipope Victor IV (1159-1164) 6 Ex tetro carcere

Antipope Paschal III (1164-1168) 7 Via trans-Tyberina

Antipope Calistus III (1168-1178) 8 De Pannonia Tusciæ

172 Alexander III (1159-1181) 9 Ex ansere custode

173 Lucius III (1181-1185) 10 Lux in ostio

174 Urban III (1185-1187) 11 Sus in cribo

175 Gregory VIII (1187) 12 Ensis Laurentii

176 Clement III (1187-1191) 13 De schola exiet

177 Celestine III (1191-1198) 14 De rure bovensi

178 Innocent III (1198-1216) 15

Comes signatus

(signed Count)

Hist.: descendant of the noble Signy, later called

Segni family

179 Honorius III (1216-1227) 16 Canonicus de latere

180 Gregory IX (1227-1241) 17 Avis Ostiensis

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(Bird of Ostia)

Hist.: before his election he was Cardinal of Ostia

181 Celestine IV (1241) 18 Leo Sabinus

182 Innocent IV (1243-1254) 19 Comes Laurentius

183 Alexander IV (1254-1261) 20 Signum Ostiense

184 Urban IV (1261-1264) 21

Hierusalem Campaniæ

(Jerusalem of Champagne)

Hist.: native of Troyes, Champagne, later patriarch

of Jerusalem

185 Clement IV (1265-1268) 22 Draca depressus

186 Gregory X (1271-1276) 23 Anguinus vir

187 Innocent V (1276) 24 Concionatur Gallus

188 Adrian V (1276) 25 Bonus Comes

189 John XXI (1276-1277) 26 Piscator Tuscus

190 Nicholas III (1277-1280) 27 Rosa composita

191 Martin IV (1281-1285) 28 Ex teloneo liliacei Martini

192 Honorius IV (1285-1287) 29 Ex rosa leonina

193 Nicholas IV (1288-1292) 30 Picus inter escas

194 Nicholas IV (1288-1292) 31

Ex eremo celsus

(elevated from a hermit)

Hist.: prior to his election he was a hermit in the

monastery of Pouilles

195 Boniface VIII (1294-1303) 32 Ex undarum benedictione

112

196 Benedict XI (1303-1304) 33 Concionator patereus

197 Clement V (1305-1314) 34

De fessis Aquitanicis

(ribbon of Aquitaine)

Hist.: was archbishop of Bordeaux in Aquitaine

198 John XXII (1316-1334) 35

De sutore osseo

(of the cobbler of Osseo)

Hist.: Family name Ossa, son of a shoe-maker

Antipope Nicholas V (1328-1330) 36

Corvus schismaticus

(the schismatic crow)

Note the reference to the schism, the only

antipope at this period

199 Benedict XII (1334-1342) 37

Frigidus Abbas

(cold friar)

Hist.: he was a priest in the monastery of

Frontfroid (coldfront)

200 Clement VI (1342-1352) 38 De rosa Attrebatensi

201 Innocent VI (1352-1362) 39 De montibus Pammachii

202 Urban V (1362-1370) 40 Gallus Vice-comes

203 Gregory XI (1370-1378) 41

Novus de Virgine forti

(novel of the virgin fort)

Hist.: count of Beaufort, later Cardinal of Ste-Marie

La Neuve

Antipope Clement VII (1378-1394) 42 De cruce Apostilica

Antipope Benedict XIII (1394-1423) 43 Luna Cosmedina

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Antipope Clement VIII (1423-1429) 44 Schisma Barcinonicum

204 Urban VI (1378-1389) 45

De Inferno pregnani(From the hell of Pregnani)

Hist.: He was a town called Inferno in the region of

Pregnani.

205 Boniface IX (1389-1404) 46 Cubus de mixtione

206 Innocent VII (1404-1406) 47 De meliore sydere

207 Gregory XII (1406-1415) 48 Nauta de ponte nigro

Antipope Alexander V (1409-1410) 49 Flagellum Solis

Antipope John XXIII (1410-1415) 50 Cervus Sirenæ

208 Martin V (1417-1431) 51 Corona veli aurei

209 Eugene IV (1431-1447) 52 Lupa cælestina

Antipope Felix V (1439-1449) 53 Amator crucis

210 Nicholas V (1447-1455) 54 De modicitate lunæ

211 Callistus III (1455-1458) 55

Bos pascens

(grazing ox)

Hist.: Alphonse Borgia’s arms sported a golden

grazing ox

212 Pius II (1458-1464) 56 De capra et Albergo

213 Paul II (1464-1471) 57 De cervo et Leone

214 Sixtus IV (1471-1484) 58 Piscator Minorita

215 Innocent VIII (1484-1492) 59 Præcursor Siciliæ

216 Alexander VI (1492-1503) 60 Bos Albanus in portu

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217 Pius III (1503) 61 De parvo homine

218 Julius II (1503-1513) 62 Fructus jovis juvabit

219 Leo X (1513-1521) 63 De craticula Politiana

220 Adrian VI (1522-1523) 64 Leo Florentius

221 Clement VII (1523-1534) 65 Flos pilæi ægri

222 Paul III (1534-1549) 66 Hiacynthus medicorum

223 Julius III (1550-1555) 67 De corona Montana

224 Marcellus II (1555) 68 Frumentum floccidum

225 Paul IV (1555-1559) 69 De fide Petri

226 Pius IV (1559-1565) 70 Æsculapii pharmacum

227 St. Pius V (1566-1572) 71 Angelus nemorosus

228 Gregory XIII (1572-1585) 72 Medium corpus pilarum

229 Sixtus V (1585-1590) 73 Axis in medietate signi

230 Urban VII (1590) 74 De rore cæli

231 Gregory XIV (1590-1591) 75 De antiquitate Urbis

232 Innocent IX (1591) 76 Pia civitas in bello

233 Clement VIII (1592-1605) 77 Crux Romulea

234 Leo XI (1605) 78 Undosus Vir

235 Paul V (1605-1621) 79 Gens perversa

236 Gregory XV (1621-1623) 80 In tribulatione pacis

237 Urban VIII (1623-1644) 81 Lilium et rosa

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238 Innocent X (1644-1655) 82 Jucunditas crucis

239 Alexander VII (1655-1667) 83 Montium custos

240 Clement IX (1667-1669) 84

Sydus Olorum

(constellation of swans)

Hist.: upon his election, he was apparently the

occupant of the Chamber of Swans in the Vatican.

241 Clement X (1670-1676) 85 De flumine magno

242 Innocent XI (1676-1689) 86 Bellua insatiabilis

243 Alexander VIII (1689-1691) 87 Pœnitentia gloriosa

244 Innocent XII (1691-1700) 88 Rastrum in porta

245 Clement XI (1700-1721) 89 Flores circumdati

246 Innocent XIII (1721-1724) 90 De bona Religione

247 Benedict XIII (1724-1730) 91 Miles in bello

248 Clement XII (1730-1740) 92 Columna excelsa

249 Benedict XIV (1740-1758) 93 Animal rurale

250 Clement XIII (1758-1769) 94 Rosa Umbriæ

251 Clement XIV (1769-1774) 95 Ursus velox

252 Pius VI (1775-1799) 96 Peregrinus Apostolicus

253 Pius VII (1800-1823) 97 Aquila rapax

254 Leo XII (1823-1829) 98 Canis et coluber

255 Pius VIII (1829-1830) 99 Vir religiosus

256 Gregory XVI (1831-1846) 100 De balneis hetruriæ

(bath of Etruria)

116

Hist.: prior to his election he was member of an

order founded by Saint Romuald, at Balneo, in

Etruria, present day Toscany.

257 Pius IX (1846-1878) 101

Crux de cruce

(Cross of Crosses)

Hist.:Pius XI was the last Pope to reign over the

Papal States (the middle third of what is today

Italy). He ended up being a prisoner of the Vatican,

never venturing outside Vatican City. A much

heavier burden than his predecessors.

258 Leo XIII (1878-1903) 102

Lumen in cælo(Light in the Heavens)

Hist.: Leo XIII wrote encyclicals on Catholic social

teaching that were still being digested 100 years

later. He added considerably to theology.

259 St. Pius X (1903-1914) 103

Ignis ardens

(ardent fire)

Hist.: The Pope had great personal piety and

achieved a number of important reforms in the

devotional and liturgical life of priests and

laypeople.

260 Benedict XV (1914-1922) 104

Religio depopulata

(Religion laid waste)

Hist.: This Pope reigned during the Bolshevik

Revolution in Russia which store the establishment

of Communism.

117

261 Pius XI (1922-1939) 105

Fides intrepida

(Intrepid faith)

Hist.: This Pope stood up to Fascist and Communist

forces lining up against him in the lead up to World

War II.

262 Pius XII (1939-1958) 106

Pastor angelicus

(Angelic Shepherd)

Hist.: This Pope was very mystical, and is believed

to have received visions. People would kneel when

they received telephone calls from him. His

encyclicals add enormously to the understanding

of Catholic beliefs (even if they are now overlooked

because of focus on the Second Vatican Council,

which occurred so soon after his reign).

263 John XXIII (1958-1963) 107

Pastor et Nauta

(pastor and marine)

Hist.: prior to his election he was patriarch of

Venice, a marine city, home of the gondolas

264 Paul VI (1963-1978) 108

Flos florum

(flower of flowers)

Hist.: his arms displayed three lilies.

265 John Paul I (1978) 109 De medietate Lunæ

(of the half of the moon)

Hist.: Albino Luciani, born in Canale d’Agardo,

diocese of Belluno, (beautiful moon) Elected pope

on August 26, his reign lasted about a month, from

118

half a moon to the next half...

266 John Paul II (1978-2005) 110

De labore Solis

(of the eclipse of the sun, or from the labour of the

sun)

Hist.: Karol Wojtyla was born on May 18, 1920

during a solar eclipse. He also comes from behind

the former Iron Curtain (the East, where the Sun

rises). He might also be seen to be the fruit of the

intercession of the Woman Clothed with the Sun

labouring in Revelation 12 (because of his devotion

to the Virgin Mary). His Funeral occurred on 8 April,

2005 when there was a solar eclipse visible in the

Americas.

267 Benedict XVI (2005-) 111 Gloria olivæ

The Benedictine order traditionally said this Pope

would come from their order, since a branch of the

Benedictine order is called the Olivetans. St

Benedict is said to have prophesied that before the

end of the world, a member of his order would be

Pope and would triumphantly lead the Church in its

fight against evil. While the Holy Father chose the

name “Benedict”, this does not seem enough to

fulfil the prophecy. Nor is it clear how Benedict XVI

(a Bavarian) is “Glory of the Olives”. Since he is

said to have remarked in the Conclave after saying

he would take the name Benedict that it was partly

to honour Benedict XV, a pope of peace and

119

reconciliation, perhaps Benedict XVI will be a

peacemaker in the Church or in the World, and

thus carry the olive branch.

268 Peter the Roman? The end?  

In persecutione extrema S.R.E. sedebit Petrus

Romanus, qui pascet oves in multis tribulationibus:

quibus transactis civitas septicollis diruetur, &

Judex tremêdus judicabit populum suum. Finis.

(In extreme persecution, the seat of the Holy

Roman Church will be occupied by Peter the

Roman, who will feed the sheep through many

tribulations, at the term of which the city of seven

hills will be destroyed, and the formidable Judge

will judge his people. The End.)

©1996-2007 The Catholic Encyclopedia

X

WHAT NEXT?

It would appear that mankind is running out of time, or, to put it in more up-

to-date terms, it would appear that man is running on empty. The gasoline

supply is all but gone. And so, what’s next?

120

It behooves each and every one of us to thoroughly examine his conscience.

Nothing should be trivialized, and all must be seen for what it is. This is de

rigueur if man wishes to get out of the boondoggle he finds himself in. All

– men and women alike – must return to God with all their hearts. After all,

man has free will and is never forced to do anything contrary to his

conscience and his being. Check the following quote from a story by E. T.

A. Hoffmann, the German writer, music critic and painter:

The Pope was silent for a few moments. Then he continued with a

serious expression:

-

“What if Nature were to follow in the realm of the spirit the physical

law by which an organism can only reproduce its own kind if propensity

and desire, like the in-dwelling power which makes the leaves green,

were to be handed down from father to son, obliterating free will?

There are whole families of robbers and murderers. This would then be

the original sin, and an eternal, ineradicable curse on a guilty house, for

which no sacrifice could atone.” (from The Devil’s Elixirs, 1963, trans.

by Robert Taylor)

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But, what the father does is not the fault of the son, and vice versa. Because

a parent commits a horrible crime or leads an immoral life does not mean

that his progeny must do the same. No. Free will reigns here on earth. Free

will ends in heaven where our wills are bound to the Divine Will. The same

can be said of hell. The damned will do only Satan’s bidding, having no

wills of their own.

Concerning a complete change of habits, and a total commitment to God, we

can all recount the story of Nineveh and how it was spared by God.

Nineveh was a huge city, and, according to the Prophet Jonah, it took him

three days just to walk through it. It must have been the New York City of

its time.

In any case, the city was filled with wickedness, corruption, lust, and sin of

all kinds. Jonah went to the King of Nineveh and told him in no uncertain

terms that if Nineveh did not repent of its evil ways, God would destroy it

and all that lived in it. This message from Jonah so moved the King that he

immediately put on sack cloth and sprinkled ashes on his head, as was the

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custom of the day when one was doing penance, and fasted and prayed for

forgiveness. All of the people of Nineveh, seeing their king fasting and

praying to God that Nineveh might be spared, did the same. Finally, God

did spare Nineveh, and his wrath was averted because Nineveh and its

people had turned over a new leaf and were now leading “sterling lives” –

lives free of serious sin. Of course people continued to sin venially (lightly)

but they did not sin mortally (seriously), and that’s the important thing.

We’re all human and prone to fall, but it needn’t be a fall into serious sin. If

we watch and pray, as the Scriptures say, we will stay out of serious sin and

the entire world will be totally changed, as though it were a new building or

a new planet.

But be forewarned: A life of penance and prayer is not an easy one. It’s not

just the making of a morning offering to God and then forgetting him the

rest of the day. I can remember what one of my teachers, a priest, said to my

Religion class one day:

“I believe that if a person misses even one day without a single thought of

God, it’s a serious matter.”

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Now that may sound very ascetic, but think of it. Does anyone mean to tell

this writer that he does not have even one minute in the day to pray to his

God? Can’t he even pray:

“Jesus, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me, a sinner?”

How long would such a prayerful utterance take? Come on! It would

occupy about 15 seconds! And what about the rest of the day? Can’t a

mother and Father gather their children each night for some short family

prayers? Of course they can. But it’s excuse after excuse – meetings –

workouts at the gym – the mall – and, of course, the almighty television

which gets first place in the house. It has become “Tubis Deificus.” It has

become “The Tube God!”

A metanoia, or, a complete change in one’s life – one’s habits – takes time,

practice, and persistence. That last word is very important. No matter how

bad off things are – no matter if the family prayer fell through the cracks –

no matter if you, yourself, can’t go on praying, don’t quit! Keep trying.

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This entire spiritual process is rather like breaking in a new bronco. When

the bronco is first ridden, the rider is thrown brutally time after time. But the

rider doesn’t quit and keeps riding the bronco no matter how hard the animal

bucks. Then, after a while, the bronco starts to quiet down and act like a

horse that’s been broken in for years. The rider has won! That rider is you!

Thus, to be able to lead a good life is not easy for anyone, and yet, that is

what is required of us by God if we are to stay his mighty arm and live on in

his grace.

You see, God can always change the year, the month, the day and the hour

of the end of the world because he has two wills: his antecedent will and

his consequent will. Let me explain. A certain man is called by God to

serve him as his priest. That man answers the call and enters the seminary

but, after three years of studies, he packs up and leaves. He finally ends up

married with five kids.

Now, God foresaw this in his eternal omniscience, and so, in his antecedent

will, although God wished that man to become a priest, he foreknew that the

man would fail. And so, he permitted that man to marry and have children

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in his consequent will. The very same holds true for the end of the world.

God chooses a certain date and time for the end of the world in his

antecedent will, but, seeing that mankind has done a great deal of repenting,

he changes the date and the time for the end by, perhaps, many years, in his

consequent will.

So, we don’t have to throw up our hands, wringing them in fear and

trepidation because the world is on the brink. No. Instead of doing that, we

must quietly change our lives and rid ourselves of serious sin. In doing so,

we will definitely escape the mighty chastisements that God has in store for

“presently evil man.”

ONE STEP AT A TIME

Permit me to reiterate some of what I have already written. How does a man

or a woman overcome the serious sins and sinful habits of a lifetime? The

answer is: one step at a time. God is not rushing anyone to become perfect

overnight. Each of us must look at the primary sin in his life and begin to

eradicate it. It will return from time to time, and we must continue to do

126

battle with it. Sooner or later, our major vice will grow weaker and weaker

until, at last, we have conquered it! It may take a long time, so, don’t get

discouraged. Just keep trying. But we can’t stop there. We must continue

to work on all of our vices – our unkindnesses -- our lack of charity for those

we know and for the poor – our indifference to our neighbor’s needs. There

are so many areas to work on. Let us begin today – right now – with no

postponement of this spiritual surgery we need so badly, even though we

know how much that “surgery” will hurt.

What’s a good starting point for this new life of ours – this turning point

from bad to good – this weeding out of vices? The only way to start is with

God’s help. Ask him to help you change your life. Reflect. Pray. Reflect

some more. Pray some more. Be aggressive. Be determined not to fail

God, and he won’t fail you!

Yes, we can sit around the table and discuss who we think the Antichrist is:

“Well, I think it’s Obama. He’s so well liked even in Europe and he’s a

great orator. He can fill stadiums.”

127

“No, no. It’s not Obama. It’s an Arab. It’s Usama Bin Laden or Mahmoud

Ahmadinejad. But, he’s really Persian, isn’t he?”

“I figure that it is probably Vladimir Putin. Russia is an evil empire and has

been called such by more than one of our presidents. Putin worked for the

KGB and he even looks evil.”

And we can go on and on and never come up with the answer. Or, we can

continue to lead salutary lives and spread the good to others. It catches on,

you know.

If this generation had the morals of generations past we would not be in the

global trouble in which we now find ourselves. I can remember seeing an

old picture (back in the 30s) of the 40 Hours Devotion (that’s a period of 40

hours of adoration of Christ in the Eucharist within the liturgy of the

Catholic Church) at my home parish which is a huge basilica of a church,

and the people were hanging all over the streets trying to get in! There were

many banners carried and a great procession to the church was in progress.

Now, when 40 Hours occurs, one can show up for the service just a few

minutes early and pick any seat he wants! The churches are virtually empty,

128

not just for 40 Hours, but for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, as well. And

the Sacrament of Confession (now called Reconciliation)? It has all but

been reduced to cliché. People know what it is, but very, very few confess

their sins anymore. It has, unfortunately become a Catholic relic.

But I don’t care if you’re Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, or even Muslim,

Hindu or Buddhist. Pray to the One God without ceasing, as the saying

goes. Ask God how you can become a better person. Ask him to lead you

to the fullness of the truth. Be brutally honest with yourself. Look deep

inside. I say this because I have heard several people say, to my own

disbelief,

“But I don’t have any sins. I never do anything at all.”

Sacred Scripture says,

“For though, the just man falls seven times, he rises” (Proverbs, 24:16).

And so, if the “just man” of Sacred Scripture can fall seven times, so can

anyone else and we do. We don’t know how to examine our consciences

129

because we don’t even know what’s right from wrong. Much of the world’s

population is not just immoral, it’s amoral. We need to know from memory

the Ten Commandments given by God the Father to Moses. We must know

right from wrong – what hurts others – what hurts ourselves – and what

hurts God. All sin hurts God. Whether it is slight or serious, it goes against

the absolute perfection and purity of God.

God does not cry or moan from our sins, nor does he suffer any wounds

from them. He has already suffered all of the wounds he will ever bear

when he died on Calvary. He died for our sins. He died to open the gates of

heaven to us. As he presently exists in his “eternal now,” (there is no time in

paradise) he can no longer suffer, and yet, in some mystic, very secret way,

we do hurt God every time we sin. Sin has brought man to the brink, and as

soon as we all realize that fact, we’ll be able to begin changing the terrible

state of the world in which it now finds itself.

A very good friend of mine who teaches religion in a Sunday school setting

recently told me:

130

“The high school Juniors and Seniors could only name two of the twelve

apostles and could not name more than three Commandments.”

If this be the case, we’re in very sorry shape. And a priest told me, not long

ago, that the young people in his parish don’t bother going to confession. He

further said that he does not encourage them to do so. Thus, from the clergy

down, mankind needs a complete overhaul.

Instead of changing their lives, people are worrying about December 21,

2012! Isn’t it apparent from the Book of Revelation that the Antichrist will

be given permission to hold sway over the earth for 42 months? That’s three

and a half years, or, in other words, that’s the time allotted for Antichrist to

carry out his public life, just as Jesus had his public life which lasted about

three years. And so, since we don’t even have a good guess at who the

Antichrist might be, why worry? He hasn’t even begun his public life, and

that happens long before Armageddon takes place!

I just watched a documentary on death and dying and I was terribly

disappointed in the so-called “changes” that dying people were ready to

131

make in their lives. Some said they wanted to transform their lives totally.

How? By appreciating nature more; by taking the time to “smell the roses;”

by becoming better listeners, and by undertaking other mundane enterprises

that had nothing to do with God or their final end. Now that is not what I

meant by a metanoia, a complete change of life habits. I was talking about

rooting out all serious sin, no matter what the cost. Meanwhile, if you’d like

to undergo acupuncture or go to an “oxygen bar,” I can’t stop you, and

neither of these is sinful in itself. There is plenty of stupidity involved, but

that doesn’t get anyone closer to God.

XI

BACK TO THE TITLE OF THIS BOOK

The title of this book is, “The Last Things.” The last things are, in studying

eschatology: death, the last judgment, heaven and hell. We must keep our

sights fixed on these things because they have to do with each and every one

of us. No one escapes death, as said before; no one escapes the judgment

132

seat of God; and some of us will go to heaven while those pitiful others of us

will go to hell forever.

Where do you want to go, dear reader? Of course I know! So do I! We all

want to be in heaven with God forever. This won’t happen unless we work

very hard at our eternal salvation. Yes, the answer is Faith and Works!

Faith, alone, is not enough, otherwise, anyone might say:

“Oh, yes, I truly believe in God,” while he goes on committing all sorts of

sins. And no one can come before any other human and automatically

become “saved.” That is a terrible injustice to anyone who is sucked into

such a pseudo-religious situation. Many “ministers of the word” have ended

their long sermons and services by having all those who wish to be “saved”

to come forward and proclaim themselves. This is, and always will be

totally false, and terribly misleading. Yet, the minister conducting the

service is himself ignorant of the fact that no one can be saved by his own

devices.

All of those so-called “born again” Christians will sin again after their great

rebirth. That’s human nature. If anyone – I mean anyone – is naïve enough

133

to believe that after he’s “saved” he’ll never commit any sin again, then I

have some swamp land in Florida that I’d like to sell him at a bargain price!

Jesus, himself, told the people to love their neighbor not just in thought, but

by deeds: Feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the imprisoned,

and so on. These are works! Helping a depressed co-worker – trying to

make him feel better – this is a work. Coming to the aid of a stranded

motorist – helping an injured stranger – these are works! This entire idea of

Faith alone and not works – Faith alone – is sufficient for salvation is a very

ignorant and a very selfish ethic.

Everyone on Planet Earth must work hard to change his/her life for the better

and reach out to others to help them in their need.

One can certainly pray to God while performing these good, Christian

works. It was said of Mother Teresa of Calcutta that her mouth was always

moving as she helped the poorest of the poor. In other words, she was

constantly praying. The average person will not be able to do this, but he

can at least utter a small prayer such as:

134

“Jesus, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” Or,

“May the Triune God be loved and imitated throughout the whole world.”

One can make up his own small prayers. They needn’t be “form prayers,” or

prayers that have already been written.

God could not help but have great mercy on a mankind such as this. A

prayerful and holy mankind helping others and keeping from serious sin

could easily be seen as a “Second Nineveh,” and God would have mercy on

all.

The clock is ticking and, as they say in Latin: “Tempus Fugit.” Time is

running out. The entire future of this world is in our hands. We are its

stewards and we can change it even at this late date. The phoenix can still

rise from the ashes and then, the “Last Things” can be faced without fear.

And it’s not so much that we stick slavishly to the tenets of the law, but to

the spirit of the law.

135

Pope John Paul II, of happy memory, wrote in his Veritatis Splendor,

sections 7 and 8:

“In the rich, young man, whom Matthew’s Gospel does not name, we can

recognize every person who, consciously or not, approaches Christ the

Redeemer of man, and questions him about morality. For the young man,

the question is not so much about rules to be followed but about the full

meaning of life. This is, in fact, the aspiration at the heart of every human

decision and action, the quiet searching and interior prompting which sets

freedom in motion. This question is ultimately an appeal to the absolute

God which attracts us and beckons to us; it is the echo of a call from God

who is the origin and goal of man’s life.”

Planet Earth must now become the “Second Nineveh,” otherwise………..

I am content to let that be the last word.

Sit Finis Libri non Finis Mundi.

136

References

Note: All Biblical References will be in bold type, followed by an * and the place in the Scriptures where they are found.

All Biblical quotes are taken from the New American Bible (NAB).

1. Fox News Report: June 13, 2009: “Ahmadinejad reelected amid violent protesting.

2. Religious Tolerance .org Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance www.religioustolerance.org

3. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia www.wikipedia.com Kim Jong Il

4. Ibid., The Free Encyclopedia www.wikipedia.com Vladimir Putin

5. Ibid., The Free Encyclopedia www.wikipedia.com Hezbollah 6. Ibid., The Free Encyclopedia www.wikipedia.com Mumbai Attacks

7. Ibid., The Free Encyclopedia www.wikipedia.com The Taliban

8. infoplease All the Knowledge you Need www.infoplease.org Afghanistan under the Taliban

9. ask.com www.ask.com The Nuclear Family

10. XML Between Two Worlds: A Mix of Theology, Philosophy, Politics, and Culture. http://theologica.blogspot.com/2009/01/number-of-abortions-since-1973.html

11. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia www.wikipedia.com Roe v. Wade

12. The Official Meister Eckhart Site: www.ellopos.net/theology/eckhart.htm

137

 

 

. They contend that Judgment Day will take place on Armageddon and Jesus will save the true

believers, while non-believers left behind will face enormous suffering.

In Islam, the end of the world is referred to as the Hour and involves Jesus returning to

Damascus to slay an anti-Christ who has put the planet in peril. With the anti-Christ out of the

picture, a period of perfect harmony will ensue. Jesus will later die a natural death, which will

usher in a time of destruction that leads directly to the Hour. In Judaism, there is no term for

Armageddon, but there are references in the Hebrew bible to events that could be compared

with Armageddon, including the Day of the Lord (in which God causes death and destruction

to people who deserve to be punished) and the War of Gog than destroyed so people can

pursue enlightenment.

Despite the many theories and religious interpretations, the only thing that’s certain about

the end of the world is that no one can know for sure what will happen. And until that day

arrives—if it 

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