Catholic Prophetic Insights
"Woe
to them that desire the day of the Lord:
to what end is it for you?
the day of the Lord is darkness, and
not light." Amos 5:18
Many televangelists and
fundamentalists sects are voicing a cry that the end is near and they
expect the return of Jesus Christ. In spite their dire warnings, the
year 2000 has come and gone without mishap, so they will have to revise
their predictions. The Catholic traditions have a somewhat different
view of End Time prophecies.
A
Summary of specific Catholic teachings on the End times
These are the teachings of the Catholic Church on the End Times that
must be believed by all the Faithful.
The Resurrection of the Dead. The teachings of the Catholic Church
teach the actual resurrection of all flesh in their own bodies
(including the damned), not merely a spiritual resurrection. This
teaching is affirmed in both the Nicene Creed and the Apostles Creed.
The General Judgment. After the resurrection of all flesh, there will
follow the universal judgment. Christ will sit upon the throne of
judgment and render to each man according to his works (Matthew 16:27).
The Destruction of the World. The world will be destroyed at the
command of Our Divine Lord Jesus Christ. The fulfillment of this
prophecy will be supernatural and not as a result of atomic wars, or
geological or astronomical disturbances.
The Reign of the Church Victorious. The faithful of the Church will
live and reign with Christ forever. The devils and evil men will be
damned forever without reprieve.
Errors in Interpreting End-Time
Prophecy
Over the history of the Church, some errors have sprung up concerning
the End Times.
Millenarianism
The teaching of millenarianism, that Christ before the Final Judgment
will come visibly to rule over this world, is a serious error condemned
by Pius XII. Indeed, the teaching of millenarianism is the very thing
the Antichrist will need to set up his rule over the world.
Setting Dates
A common error is to try to set actual dates on the Second coming. The
Sacred Scriptures point out this error: But of that day or hour no man
knoweth, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father.
(Mark 13:32).
However, in 1832 Pope Gregory XVI did indicate that the time of the
"plague of locusts (Revelation 9:3)" had arrived in his Encyclical
"Mirari vos arbitramur."
The "Rapture"
A popular belief of the 20th Century among Bible fundamentalists is the
concept of a taking up of the true Christians before the coming of the
Antichrist. Their scriptural support for this theory largely vague and
symbolic, and based on the assumption that the rapture theory is true.
They cite I Thessalonians 4:16 as the basis for this claim. However,
the verse before, I Thessalonians 4:15, clearly shows that the dead in
Christ rise first. This same event, the first ressurection, occurs
after the return of Our Divine Lord Jesus Christ and the defeat of the
Antichrist. In fact, those that rule and reign with Christ a thousand
years are those that are martyred during the reign of the Antichrist.
(Revelations 20:4-6)
The Rebuilding of the Temple
In this day we find many sects and denominations looking for the
re-building of a temple in Jerusalem with great anticipation. Why any
Christian would welcome such a thing is beyond me. If animals are again
sacrificed in a temple in Jerusalem, would not the blood of every calf,
lamb or goat sacrificed be a denial of the perfect sacrifice of Jesus
Christ upon the cross? (Hebrews 10:10) Is not the denial of the perfect
sacrifice of Jesus the very spirit of the antichrist?
In Matthew 24:2, Jesus prophesies about the destruction of the temple
and Jerusalem. Jesus says nothing about the rebuilding of the Temple in
Jerusalem. It is true that Jesus said, "Destroy this temple, and in
three days I will raise it up." (John 2:19) However, Jesus was speaking
of His Body, which is the Temple of the Holy Ghost. (John 2:21)
The prophesy of the destruction of the Temple came about in 70 AD with
the siege of Vespasian. There were a few stones left of the foundation
left. Later, Emperor Julian the Apostate attempted to discredit the
prophesy of Our Divine Lord Jesus Christ by ordering the rebuilding of
the Temple in Jerusalem. Jews from all over the Roman Empire supported
the task with great zeal and huge amounts of gold and silver. The task
was accompanied by great scorn for the Christians in the empire, who
believed that the Temple was not to be rebuilt. In order to provide a
foundation for the "new temple" the final stones left of the old
foundation were cleared away, completing the prophecy of Jesus.
As they began the re-building, earthquakes broke out all over the
temple mount, halting the effort. When the earthquakes subsided, they
attempted to begin again. As they approached the foundations, balls of
blue fire exploded from the ground burning many of the workmen. Finally
the effort was abandoned without laying a single stone of the new
temple.
How to Interpret End Time Prophecy
The Sacred Scriptures and Church teachings hold the primacy of place in
what we are to understand about the end times. Moreover, the writings
of the early Fathers (Patristic) and the Saints have much to say about
the end times also. The Church does not censure the study of these
private revelations, in so long as the prophecy comes from a virtuous
source. In fact, it is even considered acceptable to study the writings
of Nostradamus, who was a Catholic Scholar. However, the Church teaches
us to approach any end-time prophecy with a critical eye. Here are some
guidelines to follow in the study of end-time prophets.
The study should edify the soul
Studying end time prophets should draw us closer to God, not away from
Him. It should not bring on a morbid preoccupation of the end times, to
the exclusion of Christian charity and duties. It should not lead you
to wish for the damnation of others or to hasten destruction of the
world, etc. (Amos 5:18)
The study should not lead to errors of
the faith
The study of end time prophecies should not lead you into beliefs
contrary to the teaching of the Holy Church. You should be suspicious
of any revelation that purports or promotes dogmatic errors.
(Deuteronomy 13:1-3)
A Generally Accepted Sequence of Events
The following is a summary of the sequence of end-time events based on
the Scriptures, the writings of the early Church Fathers, the Saints
and noted Catholic scholars.
The threat from the kings of the east.
A pope makes a special decree and is driven from Rome. He dies a
terrible death.
A new Pope is elected outside of Rome.He crowns a Christian king. This
King defends the west from the kings of the east.
Three days of darkness and the great chastisement (associated with a
comet).
The Christian king is victorous over the east, and a period of peace
and evangelization occurs.
The people do not appreciate the grace of the peace, and after a time,
the Antichrist rises to power out of Babylon.
The Antichrist rules for three and a half years. The two witnesses
preach against him.
The Antichrist kills the two witnesses. They rise from the dead on the
third day, and are taken into heaven.
Forty days later, The Antichrist tries to rise up to heaven by magic.
He is struck from the heavens.
Christ returns to the earth, appearing in the heavens.
The dead Christians rise from the grave and are taken into a new heaven
and a new earth.
The Christians yet living are taken up to a new heaven and a new earth.
As the "Rapture" fans can see the Catholic scholars are very
post-tribulation.
Christ destroys the old heaven and earth.
Sinfulness, Barbarity, and Loss of
Faith
Scripture References
Isaiah 30:8-12
Matthew 24:4-5, 9-12, 23-26
I Timothy 4:1-4
II Timothy 4:3-4
II Timothy 3:1-6
II Timothy 3:12-13
II Peter 3:3
Jude 14-19
In the last days false prophets shall be multiplied, and such as
corrupt the word, and the sheep shall be changed into wolves, and love
into hatred: for through the abounding of iniquity [injustice] the love
of many shall wax cold. For men shall hate, and persecute, and betray
one another. The Didache (90 A.D.)
Men will surrender to the spirit of the age. They will say that if they
had lived in our day, Faith would be simple and easy. But in their day,
they will say, things are complex; the Church must be brought up to
date and made meaningful to the day's problems. When the Church and the
World are one, then those days are at hand. Because our Divine Master
placed a barrier between His things and the things of the world. St.
Anthony of the Desert
Impart to me, O Senanus, information concerning the latter ages of the
world;
What shall be the condition of the race of people who will not observe
rectitude in their judgments, who eill entertain false and treacherous
intentions; shall any individual of them be admitted into the regal
mansions of heaven? Falsehood will characterize that class of men who
will sit in judgment to pass sentence according to the law: _between
the father and his own son, litigations will subsist. The clergy of the
Holy church will be addicted to pride and injustice; the advantages
they will aim at shall be the possession of worldly substance. Women
will abandon feelings of delicacy, and cohabit with men out of wedlock;
they will follow those practices without secrecy, and such habits will
become almost unsupressable. All will rush into iniquity against the
will of the Son of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The earth will not produce
its fruits for the race of people to whom I allude; full mansions will
be deserted, and unpleasant will be the tidings concerning them.
Dreadful plagues will come upon all the rcae of Adam. St. Senanus (560)
Wars and Civil Strife
Matthew 24:6-7
In the latter days there shall be great wars and bloodshed. The fury of
the wars shall last a long time. Whole provinces shall be left naked
and unihabited, many cities forsaken of people, the nobility
slaughtered, pricnipal persons ruined, great changes of kings,
commonwealths, and rulers. Blessed Johannes de Sylva (d. 1482)
Catastrophes and Natural Disasters
Isaiah 24
God has answered and said unto me: Into twelve parts is the end
divided, and each one of them is reserved for that which is appointed
for it.
In the first part there shall be the beginnings of commotions.
In the second part there shall be slayings of great ones. [WWI?]
In the third part, the fall of many by death [WWII?]
And in the forth part the sending of the sword [Nuclear Arms Race?]
And in the fifth part famine and the withholding of rain [El
Niño,?]
And in the sixth part earthquakes and terrors
[the remainder of the Prophecy is unknown]
A prophecy of Jewish Tradition
Specific Prophecies about America
Before the comet comes, many nations, the good excepted, will be
scoured by want and famine. The great nation in the ocean that is
inhabited by people of different tribes and descent by an earthquake,
storm and tidal waves will be devastated. It will be divided, and in
great part be submerged. That nation will also have many misfortunes at
sea, and lose its colonies in the east through a tiger and a lion
[China and Islam?]. St. Hildegard (d. 1179)
When Intellectual Christianity will have suffered enough it will find
its heart, and the whole world will see it; then will come the peace of
Christ. The peace will coe first to the United States. Anonymous
Prophecy, Phoenix, Arizona,
Specific Prophecies in the Sequence of
Endtime Events
The prophecies are listed according to the generally accepted sequence
of end-time events. Included are the writings of the early Church
Fathers, the Saints and noted Catholic scholars.
The Threat of War from the Kings of
the East.
Revelations 9:13-18.
Near the birch-tree [Westphalia] the army of the west will fight a
terrible battle aginst the army of the east. The soldiers of the east
will retreat over the Haar." Old German Prophecy
Woe to the people of the east, thou shalt spread afar the cries of
affliction and innocent blood. Never shall such an army be seen.
Prophecy of Mayence
A pope makes a special decree and is driven from Rome. He dies a
terrible death.
At that time the Pope, with the cardinals will have to flee Rome under
trying circumstances to a place where he will be unknown. He will die a
cruel death in exile. The sufferings of the Church will be greater than
at any previous time in her history. John of the Cleft Rock (1340)
I saw one of my successors by name fleeing over the corpses of his
brethren. He will flee to a place where he is unknown, but he himself
will die a cruel death. Pope St. Pius X (d.1914)
The Pope crowns a Christian king [The Great Monarch]. This King defends
the west from the kings of the east.
The Great Gaulish Monarch, who shall subject all the East, shall come
around the end of the world. Hippolytus (d. 235)
A time will come when the enemies of Christ will boast; "We have
sujected the earth and all its inhabitants, and the Christians cannot
escape our hands." Then a Roman emperor will rise in fury against
them...Drawing his sword he will fall on the foes of Christianity and
crush them. Then peace and quiet will reign on earth, and the priests
will be relieved of their anxieties.
St. Methodius (385)
The Great Monarch will be in war until he is 40 years of age; a King of
the House of Lily, he will assemble great armies and expel tyrants from
his empire...the Turk and barbarians he will subdue and have all men
worship the Crucified One. He will at length lay down his crown in
Jerusalem. St. Cataldus of Tarentino (cir.500)
Our principal doctors agree in announcing to us, that towards the end
of time one of the descendents ofthe kings of France shall reign over
all the Roman Empire; and that he shall be the greatest of the Empire:
and that he shall be the greatest of the French monarchs, and the last
of his race.
After having most happily governed his kingdom, he will go to
Jerusalem, and depose on Mount Olivet his scepter and crown. This shall
be the end and conclusion of the Roman and Christian Empire. Blessed
Rabanus Maurus (d. 856)
The Kingdom of France is predestined by God for the defense of the
Roman Church, which is the only true Church of Christ. This kingdom
shall one day be great among the kingdoms of the earth, and shall
embrace all the limits of the Roman Empire, and shall submit all other
kingdoms to its own sceptre. It shall last until the end of time. It
shall be victorious and prosperous as long as it will remain faithful
to the Holy roman See, and will not be guilty of those crimes which
ruin nations; but will be rudely punished every time it will become
unfaithful to its vocation. St. Remigius (535 A.D.)
When the entire world, and in a special manner France, and in France
more particularly the provinces of the north, and of the east, and
above all, that of Lorraine and Champagne shall have been a prey to the
gratest miseries and trials, then the provinces shall be succored by a
prince who had been exiled in his youth, and who shall recover the
crown of the lilies.
This prince shall extend his dominion over the entire universe. St.
Caesar of Arles (469-453)
Three days of darkness and the great
chastisement.
Three days the sun shall rise upwards on the heads of the combatants
without being seen through the clouds of smokeProphecy of Mayence
He foretold "the destruction of impenitent persecutors of the Church
during the three days darkness. He who outlives the darkness and fear
of the three days _ it will seem to him as if he were alone on earth
because of the fact that the world will be covered everywhere with
carcasses." Blessed Caspar del Bufalo (d. 1847)
There shall come over all the earth an intense darkness lasting three
days and three nights. Nothing will be visible and the earth will be
laden with pestilence, which will claim principally but not exclusively
the enemies of religion. During this darkness artificial light will be
impossible. Only blessed candles can be lighted and will afford
illumination. He who out of curiosity opens his window to look out or
leaves his house will fall dead on the spot. During these three days
the people should remain in their homes, pray the Rosary and beg God
for mercy.
On this terrible occasion so many of these wicked men, enemies of His
Church, and of God, shall be killed by this divine scourge, that their
corpses round Rome will be as numerous as the fish, which a recent
inundation of the Tiber had carries into the city. All the enemies of
the Church, secret as well as known, will perish over the earth during
that universal darkness, with the exception of a few, whom God will
soon convert. The air shall be infected by demons, who will appear
under all sorts of visible forms. St. Anna Maria Taigi (d. 1837,
recently canonized by Pope John Paul II)
The comet by its tremendous pressure, will force much out of the ocean
and flood many countries, causing much want and many plagues. All the
seacoast cities will be fearful and many of them will be destroyed by
tidal waves, and most living creatures will be killed and even those
who escape will die from a horrible disease. For in none of those
cities does a person live according to thelaws of God. St. Hildegard
(d. 1179)
A period of peace and evangelization
occurs.
Matthew 24:14
After the three days of darkness, Sts. Peter and Paul, having come down
from heaven, will preach throughout the world and designate a new pope.
A great light will flash from their bodies and will settle upon the
cardinal, the future pontiff. Then Christianity will spread throughout
the world. Whole nations will join the Church shortly before the reign
of the Anti-Christ. these conversions will be amazing. Those who shall
survive shall have to conduct themselves well. There shall be
innumerable conversions of heretics, who will return to the bosom of
the Church; all will note the edifying conduct of their lives, as well
as that of all other Catholics. Russia, England, and China will come
into the Church. St. Anna Maria Taigi (d. 1837, recently canonized by
Pope John Paul II)
God will raise up a holy Pope over whom the angels will rejoice.
Enlightened by God, this man will reconstruct almost the entire world
through his holiness and lead all to the true faith, and everywhere
fear of God, virtue, and good morals will be dominant. He will lead all
erring sheep back to the fold, and there shall be only one faith, one
law, one rule of life, one baptism on earth. All men will love each
other and do good, and all quarrels and war will disappear. John of the
Cleft Rock (1340)
The bride (Church) now all deformed and clothed in rags, will then
gleam with beauty and jewels and crowned with the diadem of all virtue.
All believing nations will rejoice and have such excellent and holy
shepherds, and the unbelieving world attracted by the glory of the
Church, will be converted to her. St. Cathrine of Siena (d.1380)
At the same time there will be a great Pope, who will be most eminent
in sanctity and most perfect in every quality. This Pope shall have
with him, the Great Monarch, a most virtuous man, who shall be a scion
of the holy race of the French kings. This Great Monarch will assist
the Pope in the reformation of the whole earth. Many princes and
nations that are living in error shall be converted, and an admirable
peace shall reign among men during many years, because the wrath of God
shall be appeased through their repentence, penance, and good works.
There will be one common law, one only faith, one baptism, one
religion. All nations shall recognize the Holy See of Rome and shall
pay homage to the Pope. St. Caesar of Arles (469-453)
The people do not appreciate the grace
of the peace
II Thessalonians 2:7-12
In the last period Christians will not appreciate the great grace of
God who provided a Great Monarch, a long duration of peace, a splendid
fertility of the earth. They will be very ungrateful, lead a sinful
life, in pride, vanity, unchastity, frivolity, hatred, avarice,
gluttony and many other vices the the sins of men will stink more than
a pestilence before God. Many men will doubt whether the Catholic faith
is the true and only saving one and whether the Jews are perhaps
correct when they still expect the Messias. Many will be the false
teachings and bewilderment. The just God will in consequence give
Lucifer and all his devils power to come on earth and tempt his godless
creatures.St. Methodius (385)
In the days of peace that are to come after the desolation of
revolutions and wars, before the end of the world, the Christians will
become so lax in their religion that they will refuse to receive the
Sacrament of Confirmation, saying "it is an unnecessary Sacrament"; and
when the false prophet and the Anti-Christ comes, all who are not
confirmed will apostatize, while those who are confirmed will stand
firm in the faith, and only a few will renounce Christ. St. Vincent
Ferrer (d. 1418)
The world will be faithless and degenerate after the birth of the
Anti-Christ. St. John Chrysotom
But after some time fervor shall cool, iniquity shall abound, and moral
corruption shall become worse than ever, which shall bring upon mankind
the last and worse persecution of Anti-Christ, and the end of the
world. St. Caesar of Arles (469-453)
The Antichrist rules for three and a
half years
Daniel 9:27
The Antichrist kills the two witnesses
Revelations 11:3-12
The Antichrist tries to rise up to heaven
Isaiah 14:12-14
The Second Coming
Matthew 24:23-28
Revelations19:11-21
Dead Christians rise from the grave
I Thessalonians 4:15
Revelations 20:4-6
Christians yet living are taken up
I Thessalonians 4:16
Christ destroys the old heaven and earth
Revelations 20:11
Other great Catholic views of
Propehetic Events
Catholic Prophecy On The Coming Great
Chastisement And Personal Salvation
Virgin Mary's End Time Prophecies
