ANTICHRIST
by
Yves
Dupont
(September,
1975)
Printed Form to ASCII Conversion
by
jmcnally@fred.net
INTRODUCTION: ROBERT BERGIN AND THE ANTICHRIST
Robert
Bergin is the Editor of "FATIMA INTERNATIONAL". He is a dedicated servant of Our Lady. I know him, and I have the greatest respect
for him. This article, therefore, must
not be construed as an "attack" on Robert Bergin ("attack"
is a very fashionable word these days), but simply as yet another attempt to
dispel the misgivings and confusion which his erroneous ideas about the
Antichrist are causing to many readers.
I say "yet another attempt" because I have written several
times to him in the past about this important matter, but to no avail.
Basically, as shown in the issue of July 30, 1974, of "FATIMA,
INTERNATIONAL" (Australian Edition), Robert Bergin believes that Communism
is the Antichrist; he seems to believe also in a Millennium which, in his
opinion, would be the Age of Mary, and which he visualises after the fall of
Antichrist. As he himself says, all
this is based on the prophecies of St. Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort; but, I
would prefer to say, on his interpretation of the prophecies of St. Louis de
Montfort. In upholding and spreading his opinions, Robert Bergin completely
disregards the hundred or so Saints and other holy souls who are far more
explicit than St. Louis, and the interpretation of whose prophecies leaves no
room for fantasies. Ven. B. Holzhauser is one of these, and I have quoted many
more in my book "CATHOLIC PROPHECY".
It is quite clear, from all these prophecies, that Antichrist will come
after the Age of Peace. The Age of
Peace, which will also be the Age of Mary, will coincide with the reign of the
Great Monarch which is to follow immediately after the collapse of Communism.
Further, the Millennium theory has been condemned by the Church. Doesn't R. Bergin know this? There may be a certain period of peace
between the fall of Antichrist and the Second Coming of Christ, but it will not
be a long one and cannot be called a "Millennium". Finally, quite
apart from the hundred or so prophecies which I have just mentioned, we have
the comments of the Fathers of the Church to guide us. Patristic writings are among the most authoritative
in the Catholic Church. What they say
completely nullifies Bergin's theories. Indeed, whilst Communism is a system,
Antichrist will be a person. And,
whereas Communism is materialistic and atheistic, Antichrist will be
spiritualistic and a believer in God. Yes, Antichrist will believe in God. But, like Lucifer, he will rebel against God
and, worse still, he will proclaim himself to be God; His spirituality will be
that of the devil. Last, but not least, Antichrist will not be a Russian
leading Soviet troops: he will be a Jew leading the Jewish nation. Israel may still be a negligible power on
the world scene today, but by the end of the reign of the Great Monarch, it
will be very powerful indeed. Israel, then, will accept Antichrist as the
Messiah and will rule over the whole world (or nearly) for a short time. Thus will be fulfilled the Talmudic dream of
world domination and One- Worldism.
Robert Bergin does not mention this; he ignores the writings of the Fathers
of the Church in order to adhere to his theory which, it is worth repeating, is
based solely on his interpretation of the writings of one Saint.I myself do not
believe that St. Louis de Montfort meant what Bergin says. But should it be so, we would do well to
remember that even Saints can err in the understanding of the revelations which
they receive. At any rate, it would be
extravagant to claim that St. Louis alone is right, whilst all the other Saints
and the Fathers are wrong! I cannot see how Robert Bergin could continue to
adhere to his error if he had read the Fathers.This would be evidence of a
singular lack of objectivity. I prefer
to think that he has not read the Fathers so sure is he that St. Louis de
Montfort, his idol, is right, and that he, alone, possesses the whole truth. Let
no one think that I use the word "idol" disparagingly: St. Louis was
a great Saint indeed. But it takes more
than one Saint to make a Heavenly Court; Robert Bergin seems to dismiss all the
other Saints, and he displays here the same weakness as he does concerning the
Marian apparitions other than those of Fatima - which he mentions only
cursorily.
To
sum up:
1
- Communism will overcome the world for a short time.
2
- God will work a tremendous cosmic miracle to destroy Communism,
3
- The reign of the Great Monarch will follow.
It will be the Age of Mary, a period of peace, prosperity, massive
conversions, and a wonderful flowering of religious vocations.
4
- Antichrist will come shortly after the death of the Great Monarch, Under his
rule, the Jewish nation will overcome the world for a few months, and the
Communist persecutions of our time will pale into insignificance in comparison
with what Israel will inflict on the world.
5
- Christ Himself will smite down Antichrist, but will not come visibly.
6
- The Jews will be converted and, after a short period, probably a few years, Christ will come down
again and judge the nations. All the
rest is wishful thinking.If this is not true, we may as well make a bonfire of
all the writings of the Saints; nothing is sure any more and, if the Patristic
writings are all wrong in this respect, they may also be wrong in their
interpretation of Catholic Doctrine. So a bonfire is the obvious answer - with
the exception (of course) of St. Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort!
"Fatima indicates clearly that the
Empire of the Antichrist is world Communism." (Robert Bergin, in `Fatima International', Feb. 25th, 1975)
A FEW QUESTIONS TO ROBERT
BERGIN (See also the"Postscript" at the end of this booklet.)
1. Does Communism teach that there is a
God? (See par. 50 in this booklet.)
2. Is Communism a `Preacher of religion'? (See par. 59.)
3. Has any Soviet leader said that he was the
Son of God - the Messiah sent by God?
(Par. 3, 7, 8, 22, 28, 33, 50, 52, 54, 55, 59, 60.)
4. Does Communism `seek to gather together' the
dispersed Jewish nation? (See par. 7,
27, 50, 55, 59.)
5. Do you think it likely that a Communist
leader will rebuild the Jewish Temple
in order to be adored as God? (See
paragraphs 2, 3, 4, 8, 22, 27, 30, 33, 52.)
6. When Communists rule the world, do you think
they will shift their capital city from Moscow to Jerusalem? (See paragraphs 12, 29, 38.)
7. Do you still think now that Communism is
Antichrist?
INDEX (The numbers refer to paragraphs, not pages)
1. Antichrist will be a man, not just a system
or regime. (7, 50)
2. He will be a Jew. (1, 3)
3. He will come from the Tribe of Dan. (29, 39, 25, 26, 50, 55, 57)
4. He will be born in the Middle East. (2, 3, 24, 55, 59)
5.
His mother will be a harlot possessed
by the devil. (3, 37, 50, 57, 59)
6. He will be conceived by a man, not by the
devil. (51)
7. He will be possessed by the devil like his
mother. (23, 31, 33, 37, 51, 52, 55, 60)
8. He will be familiar with all the magical
arts. (60)
9. He will be a wonder child, endowed with
great intelligence and memory. (60)
10.
He will be assisted by the devil throughout his life. (3)
11.
He will be utterly wicked. (31)
12.
He will claim to be the true Son of God the Messiah. (3, 7, 8, 12, 22, 28,
33, 50, 52, 54, 55, 59, 60)
13.
The Jews will accept him as such. (7,
27, 50, 55, 59)
14.
He will be made King of the Jewish Nation. (7)
15.
He will re-build Jerusalem and make it a magnificent city. (12)
16.
Jerusalem will be the capital of the world.
(12, 29, 38)
17.
He will not be an atheist; he will believe in God. (50)
18.
He will re-build the Temple of Jerusalem.
(1, 3, 12, 38)
19.
He will sit in the Temple to be adored as God.
(2, 3, 4, 8, 22, 27, 30, 33, 52)
20.
He will conquer the whole world. (3, 8,
12, 29, 50)
21.
Those who accept him will bear his mark, or sign. (3, 8, 31, 32, 50, 55)
22.
One-third of the conquered peoples will refuse to obey him. (8, 31)
23.
He will persecute and he will torture them with every refinement of cruelty,
and he will make sure that they do not die so that the tortures may be
prolonged. (28, 31, 53)
24.
But God will not forsake the Faithful.
(8, 9, 32)
25.
Ireland will be spared the persecution of Antichrist. (40, 41, 42, 43)
16.
He will rule the world for three and a half years. (3, 31, 32, 34)
17.
He will work great wonders and deceive many.
(2, 3, 8, 28, 38, 50, 51, 53, 55, 57) 28. He will be opposed by Henoch
and Elias. (34, 35, 50, 51, 53, 55, 58)
29.
He will put to death Henoch and Elias.
(3, 53, 58, 60)
30.
Henoch and Elias will come to life again on the third day,and ascend into
Heaven. (53, 58, 60)
31.
He will say that they are sorcerers and that he can bring them back to
earth. (58, 59, 60)
32.
He will rise in the air by his magical powers, but will be almost immediately
struck down by Saint Michael, and killed.
(39, 50, 52, 55, 58, 59, 60)
33.
The Jews will finally accept Christ as the Messiah. (34, 60)
31.
Some time will be given to the human race to do Penance before the Last
Judgment. (50, 51, 55)
ANTICHRIST
Antichrist
will be a human being, a particular man, not a system, a regime or an
ideology. We know this for certain from
Scripture, from Patristic writings and also from private revelations, although
the latter, alone, would not constitute a definite proof.
1. "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)
2. "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)
3. "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
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 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)
4. "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)
5. These few passages suffice to show that
Antichrist will be indeed a man. They
show also by way of implication that he will not be an atheist for his claim of
being God and the Son of God is in itself an acknowledgment that God is not a
mythical being as the Communists assert.
Further, he will gather together the Jewish people - hardly what the
Communists are endeavouring to achieve.
That anyone should say, write, and write again in spite of all
remonstrances, that Communism is Antichrist leaves one baffled.
6. I now propose to present further evidence to
show the absurdity of such a contention.
In each case I invite the Reader to pause and ask himself if these
passages fit Communism.
7. "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)
8. "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)
9. "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 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)
10. "Antichrist will teach that Christ was
an impostor, and not the real Son of God.
(St. Hilary)
11. "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)
12. "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)
13. (Note 1).
The reappearance of Nero does not mean the resurrection of the actual
Nero, but the rise of a man as wicked as he or, perhaps, a man having the same
name.
14. (Note 2).
Antichrist's rule is to last until the Second Coming of Christ. This cannot be Communism, but Communism, to
be sure, is in itself an attempt by the devil to destroy the Kingdom of
God. It may be useful to recall here
the various "plans" (and their partial failure) used by the devil to
destroy Christianity, which, every time, led him to try a new "plan".
15. Thus we first had the Reformation in the
16th Century at the close of the 1000 years of peace within the Church. In a world of believers such as it was then,
the preaching of an atheistic philosophy was unthinkable. The purpose of the devil was to weaken and,
possibly destroy the Catholic Church by substituting a watered-down form of
Christianity. He failed, for the
Catholic Church is still alive; but he did succeed in sowing seeds of discord
and division, and in promoting the philosophy of Liberalism that came with
Protestantism and gradually passed from the religious field into the economic
and political areas.
16. Liberalism was condemned by the Church;
liberal Catholics were warned and condemned by Gregory XVI and Pius IX in the
19th century. Leo XIII re-affirmed the
judgment of his predecessors and specifically condemned the concept of a
so-called "Christian Democracy" (because Democracy is the political
expression of Liberalism, whilst Capitalism is its economic expression). But the Modernists took up the torch of
subversion and error, and St. Pius X condemned them in the beginning of the
20th century. Their ideas, however,
continued to spread underground for about 5O years until their presence
prompted Pius XII to issue his Encyclical "Humani Generis". But when Pius XII died in 1958, the new
heretics, then known as "Progressives", succeeded in infiltrating the
Church at the highest levels. That is
where we stand in 1975.
"Progressivism" is in fact, the religious expression of
Liberalism.
17. In the political area, Liberalism gave birth
to Democracy. This, I discussed in my
little book "The Popes and Democracy". In the economic field, we had Capitalism. Capitalism is based on profit alone, not on
the needs of man. True, no company or
corporation can be expected to work at a loss and, for that reason, the profit
motive is quite legitimate, nay, it is the necessary incentive which Socialism
destroys wherever it rises to power, thus bringing about complete economic
chaos. But, whilst being an indispensable
condition, the profit motive must not override other considerations and,
although quite justified to increase the production of consumers' goods, it
cannot condone speculation on non-existing money created solely by book
entries. And this, I am afraid is the
essence of Capitalism, as distinct from Private enterprise. To be sure, when you destroy Private
Enterprise you destroy also private Capitalism but, contrary to the simplistic
solution of the Socialists, it is possible to control Capitalism without
destroying Private Enterprise.
This will be achieved when the Banks are denied the right to issue
non-existing money.
18. What are the other evils of Liberalism? In what manner did the devil succeed in
undermining our Christian civilisation when he gave birth to the Reformation in
the 16th century? A complete answer
would take many pages; let me just mention one example: by virtue of the
superiority of our Christian culture, it was just and desirable that the
peoples of the West should bring to non-Christians the benefits of their
knowledge. This is called
colonisation. However, since
colonization had hardly begun when the peoples of the West forsook their Christian
philosophy, colonisation, in many cases, became a sordid affair better known as
Colonialism. The coloured peoples were
never won over to our way of thinking because in their eyes, we were
exploiters. Yet we did give them
employment, order, and a measure of prosperity. At the same time, however, we fed them our deadly Liberal
concepts, and their elites, educated in our godless universities, had only one
aim in mind: to shake off the western yoke as quickly as possible - and we
taught them how. Such is the
inconsistency of Liberalism: it exploits out of sheer greed, but it tells the
exploited why they should shake off the yoke, and how to do it! So decolonisation took place after World War
II at a quickening pace. But this did
not assuage our former slaves; it only encouraged them to become more demanding
and more militant since our Liberal philosophy is now their philosophy
too. Today, they do not hesitate to
blackmail us and threaten the very life of the Western Nations by denying them
the petrol which they need. And that is
what our Liberalism has achieved. Had
we taught them Christianity instead of Philosophism, they might have been our
best and most grateful friends.
19. Such are, in a few short paragraphs, the
evil consequences of Liberalism in Religion, Economics, and politics. It is quite clear, therefore, that the devil
did achieve a measure of success when he gave rise to the Reformation in the
16th century. He did not destroy the
Catholic there and then, but the seeds have grown and are bearing their
poisoned fruits today.
20. The devil went a stage further with the
French Revolution in 1789; this time, the Catholic Church was to swear
allegiance to the State, two popes were removed by force from the Vatican and
imprisoned, thousands of priests and nuns were killed. But the Revolutionaries still thought it unwise
to deny the existence of God whom they called the "Supreme
Being". Atheism was to be left for
the next stage. The Church rallied in
the 19th century, but the devil had unleashed fresh forces of destruction in
the nascent philosophy of Communism, for this comes straight from the French
Revolution.
21. The latest attempt was the Russian
Revolution in 1917. This time the stage
was set for an open denial of the existence of God, for wholesale persecutions,
and for the carefully planned murder by starvation of literally millions of
peasants hostile to the new regime. The
devil was not slow to realise, however, that even this could not destroy the
religious feelings of the people.
Accordingly, Communists embarked upon a policy of infiltration and dialectical
argument (dialogue). Communist agents
were hand- picked and trained for the priesthood in Crimea and elsewhere;
Catholic papers and journals were taken over and the Communists assumed an air
of respectability in their relationships with Christians. This is the stage reached in 1975, and its
success appears obvious. However,
appearances are deceptive, and this also will fail, and the Communists will
revert to a policy of bloody destructions.
This will be the fourth great attempt by the devil; it will not be
confined to Russia as in 1917, it will be world-wide. But it will fail also.
That is why, having realised that atheistic Materialism was still
powerless to destroy the Kingdom of Christ, the devil shall try yet a different
scheme: he will raise Antichrist, not in order to deny the existence of God,
but in order to be adored as God Himself. For if the hearts of men cannot do
without the notion of God, let us tell them that I am God. Such will be the purpose of the devil
through Antichrist, and the Fathers of the Church tell us that it is so.
22. "He shall sit in the Temple of God as
if he were Christ, and leading astray those who worship him." (St. Irenaeus)
23. "This accursed one is sent by the devil
in order to lead men into error."
(St. Hildegard) - private prophecy.
24. "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)
25. "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)
26. "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)
27. "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)
28. The Last Judgment will be preceded by the
imposter Antichrist, who will try to deceive men in four ways:
a) By a false exposition of Scripture, wherein
he will try to prove that he is the Messiah promised by the Law. b) By working miracles. (i.e. false miracles)
c) By handing out gifts. d) By inflicting punishments. (St. Anselm)
29. "Antichrist will rule the world from
Jerusalem, which he will make into a magnificent city. (St. Anselm)
30. "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)
31. "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)
32. "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 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)
33. "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)
34. "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 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)
35. "During the three and a half years of
Antichrist's reign God will send Henoch and Elias to help the
Christians." (St. Benedict)
36. (Note).
Unlike Nero, mentioned in paragraphs 11, 12 & 13, Henoch and Elias
will come back on earth in person. But
this is not a resurrection, for their bodies were changed and taken to heaven
without going through death.
37. "Antichrist will be possessed by Satan
and be the illegitimate son of a Jewish woman from the East." (St. John Chrysostom)
38. "Antichrist will heal the sick, raise
the dead, restore sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, speech to the dumb,
raises storms and calms them, re-names 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)
39. (Note).
Antichrist cannot work genuine miracles; he cannot give life back to the
dead. But he can raise again those who
appear to be dead according to human knowledge and experience, but are yet not
really dead. He can also re-animate
dead bodies by the power of Satan so as to make them appear alive. As for his healing powers and his dominion
over the elements and plants, this is not at all impossible for there is much
more in the way of psychic powers of the natural order than is generally
accepted. He will possess all these
thanks to his master, the
devil. To us, of course such
wonders appear to be miraculous but they are not so in the strict theological
sense. Note that R. Maurus did not say
"resurrect the dead", but "raise the dead", which is vastly
different since the word resurrect, despite its etymological limitations, is
generally understood as meaning "bring to life again", whilst the
word raise need not imply this. (See also par. 3, 52 & 55)
40. "The ocean shall inundate Ireland seven
years before the End so that the devil may not rule over that
people." (St. Patrick)
41. "Seven years before the Last Day the
sea shall submerge Ireland in one
inundation." (St. Columbkille)
42. "The sea will come over Ireland seven
years before the day of judgment."
(St. Nennius)
43. "The sea shall overwhelm Ireland seven
years before the judgment."
(Leabhar Breac)
44. "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)
45. (Note).
This prophecy, which was made five centuries before the English began to
subdue Ireland, is given here merely to confirm that ours are the Last Times,
for Ireland is now an independent nation even though the Northern part is still
under English control.
46. "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)
47. (Note).
This prophecy was made four centuries before the Anglican Church was
founded.
48. "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)
49. (Note).
Reference is made here to the coming English revolution and invasion from
forces based in Germany; but this need not be during the persecutions of
Antichrist.
50. "Henoch and Elias are being instructed
by God in a mysterious manner in paradise.
God shows them the works of men as though they could see these with
natural eyes. The two men are
therefore, much wiser than all wise men put together. The same force which removed Henoch and Elias from the earth will
bring them back in a storm wind at the time when the Antichrist will spread his
false doctrine. As long as they will
dwell amongst men they will always be refreshed after 4O days. They have the mission from God to resist the
Antichrist and lead the erring back to the road of salvation. Both men, distinguished by age and stature,
will speak to men: `This accursed one is sent by the devil in order to lead men
into error. We have been preserved by
God at a secreted place, where we did not experience the suffering of men. We are now sent by God in order to oppose
the heresy of this destroyer. Look, if
we resemble you in stature and age.'
And because the testimony of both shall agree they will be
believed. All will follow these two
aged men and renounce heresy. They will
visit all cities and towns where previously the Antichrist had sown his heresy,
and through the power of the Holy Ghost will work genuine miracles. All the people will be greatly astonished at
them. Henoch and Elias will confuse the
followers of Satan with thunder strokes, and destroy them and fortify the
Christians in faith. Therefore, the
Christians will hurry to martyrdom, which the son of evil will prepare for them
like to a banquet, so that the murderers will grow tired of counting the dead
on account of their great numbers; for their blood will run like rivers. Henoch and Elias have been taught much
wisdom and knowledge in Paradise while awaiting their return to earth. God will instruct them every forty days
while they are on earth. They will
receive exceptional graces and powers from God to use against Antichrist. When the fear of God has been
disregarded everywhere, violent and furious wars will take place. A multitude of people will be slaughtered
and many cities will be transformed into heaps of rubbish. The Son of Corruption and Ruin will
appear and reign for only a short time, towards the end of the days of the
world's duration; the period which corresponds to the moment when the sun has
disappeared beyond the horizon; that is to say he shall come at the last days
of the world. He will not be Satan
himself, but a human being equalling and resembling him in atrocious
hideousness. His mother, a depraved
woman possessed by the devil, will live as a prostitute in the desert. She will declare that she is ignorant as to
the identity of his father, and will maintain that her son was presented to her
by God in a supernatural manner, as was the Child of the Blessed Virgin. She will then be venerated as a saint by
deceived people. Antichrist will
come from a land that lies between two seas, and will practise his tyranny in
the East. After his birth false
teachers and doctrines will appear, followed by wars, famines, and
pestilence. His mother will seldom
let any one see him, and yet by magic art, she will manage to gain the love of
the people for him. He will be raised
at different secret places and will be kept in seclusion until full grown. When he has grown to full manhood he will
publicly announce a hostile doctrine on religion. He will lure and attract the people to himself by granting them
complete exemption from the observance of all divine and ecclesiastical
commandments, by forgiving them their sins and requiring of them only their
belief in his divinity. He will spurn
and reject baptism and the gospel. He
will open his mouth to preach contradiction.
He will say, `Jesus of Nazareth is not the son of God, only a deceiver
who gave himself out as God; and the Church instituted by him is only
superstition'. The true Christ has come
in his person. He will say, `I am the
Saviour of the world'. Especially will
he try to convince the Jews that he is the Messiah sent by God, and the Jews
will accept him as such. His doctrine
of faith will be taken from the Jewish religion and seemingly will not differ
much from the fundamental doctrine of Christianity, for he will teach that
there is one God who created the world, who is omniscient and knows the
thoughts of man and is just, who rewards the obeyers of his commands and the
trespassers he chastises, who raises all from the dead in due time. This God has spoken through Moses and the
Prophets, therefore the precepts of the Mosaic laws are to be kept, especially
circumcision and keeping the Sabbath, yet by his moral laws he will try to
reverse all order on earth. Therefore
he is called in Holy Writ the `Lawless One'. He will think that he can change time and laws. He will discard all laws, morals and
religious principles, to draw the world to himself. He will grant entire freedom from the commandments of God and the
Church and permit everyone to live as his passions dictate. By doing so he hopes to be acknowledged by
the people as deliverer from the yoke, and as the cause of prosperity in the
world. Religion he will endeavour to
make convenient. He will say that you
need not fast and embitter your life by renunciation, as the people of former
times did when they had no sense of God's goodness. It will suffice to love God.
He will let the people feast to their heart's content so that they will
pity the unfortunate people of former centuries. He will preach free love and tear asunder family ties. He will scorn everything holy, and he will
ridicule all graces of the Church with devilish mockery. He will condemn humility and foster proud
and gruesome dogmas. He will tear down
that which God has taught in the Old and New Testament and maintain sin and
vice are not sin and vice. Briefly he
will declare the road to Hell is the way to Heaven. When the great ruler (the
Great Monarch who is to rule Europe after the collapse of Communism)
exterminates the Turks almost entirely, one of the remaining Mohammadans will
be converted, become a priest bishop and cardinal, and when the new pope is
elected (immediately before Antichrist) this cardinal will kill the pope before
he is crowned, through jealousy, wishing to be pope himself; then when the
other cardinals elect the next pope this cardinal will proclaim himself
Anti-pope, and two-thirds of the Christians will go with him. He, as well as Anti-christ, are descendants
of the tribe of Dan.The mark (of Antichrist) will be a hellish symbol of
Baptism, because thereby a person will be stamped as an adherent of Antichrist
and also of the Devil in that he thereby gives himself over to the influence of
Satan. Whoever will not have this mark
of Antichrist can neither buy nor sell anything and will be beheaded. He will win over to himself the rulers, the
mighty and the wealthy, will bring about the destruction of those who do not
accept his faith and, finally, will subjugate the entire earth. The streets of
Jerusalem, will then shine in the bright- est gold with the blood of Christians
which will flow like water.
Simultaneously Antichrist will try to increase his wonders. His executioners will work such miracles
when they torment the Christians that the people will think Antichrist is the
true God. The executioners will not
permit the Christians to win the martyrs' crown easily for they will endeavour
to prolong their pain until they renounce their faith. Yet some will receive a special grace from
God to die during the torments. Antichrist will make the earth move, level
mountains, dry up rivers, produce thunder and lightning and hail, remove the
leaves from the trees and return them again to the trees, make men sick and
cure them, exorcise devils, raise the dead to life. He will appear to be crucified and rise from the dead. All in all,
Christians will be astounded and in grievous doubts while the followers
of Antichrist will be confirmed in their false faith. Finally, when he shall have converted all his plans into action,
he will gather his worshippers about him and tell them that he will presently
ascend toward Heaven. However, at the
moment of the ascension a bolt of lightning will overwhelm and annihilate him. The planned ascent into heaven will have
been prepared by the artful employment of ingenious devices, and the moment at
which the event was to have taken place, leading to his destruction, will
produce a cloud that will spread an unbearable odour. Through this many people will again come to their senses and to
understanding. Then the people
should prepare for the last judgment, the day of which is indeed veiled in
secrecy and obscurity, but not far distant." (St. Hildegard)
51. "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) "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)"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." (Sum. III:49:5)
52. "The crime of Antichrist is duplex: He
is against God and he puts himself before Christ. In opposing God, he puts himself above the true God, in place of
all false gods and even denies the participation of humans in the Godhead. The pride of Antichrist surpasses that of
all his predecessors and like Caesar and the King of Tyre he will say he is God
and man and so represented he will sit in the temple." Antichrist will be
destroyed by the spirit of the mouth of Christ. That is, by the Holy Ghost or by Christ's command in that Michael
will kill him on Mt. Olivet whence Christ ascended into Heaven just as Julian
(the Apostate) was extinguished by the divine hand. "Antichrist will enjoy the use of free will on which the
devil will operate as it was said of Judas: `Satan entered into him,' that is,
by instigating him. He shall deceive
both by worldly power and the operation of miracles. In the matter of worldly power, St. John (Apoc. XIII) says `He
will control the treasures of gold and silver and all the previous things of
Egypt.' The power of miracles will be
simulated. `He will do wondrous signs
and even make fire come upon the earth' (Dan. XI) and thus, he will lead many
into error even, were it possible, the elect' (Matt. 24). "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)
53. "After the two prophets, (Henoch and
Elias) are killed the greatest power on earth will be given to Antichrist. Then they will set up cauldrons on the
streets with boiling contents, and drive the men who are known as Christians,
and their wives and children, there, to choose either to profess in the Deity
of Antichrist and thereby to keep their family and be rewarded with riches and
a home, or to profess the Christian faith, and thereby, death in the boiling
cauldron. Thereupon the women and their
children, who will choose to die for love of Jesus, will be thrown into a pit
of fire covered with wood and straw and burnt.Both men are in Paradises living
in bliss and eating the same foods which once Adam had eaten. They, too, must shun, in obedience to God,
the same tree from which Adam and Eve were not to eat. This tree is not large; its fruit looks very
nice and lovely like a rose, in the interior, however, it is sour by nature
whereby is indicated the bitter evil of sin.
God has forbidden this fruit because it is very harmful to men and is
even now regarded as poison. An angel
will accompany Henoch and Elias from Paradise.
The clearness and bliss which surrounded their bodies will then
disappear and they will receive again the terrestrial appearance and will
become mortal beings. As soon as they
will see the earth they will be frightened like people who see the ocean and do
not know how they can cross it.They will eat honey and figs and drink water
mixed with wine while their spirit will be nourished by God. They will appear as preachers in the last
time of misery when most of the good men have already died as martyrs, and they
will console the people for a long time yet.
Henoch and Elias will close in on the Antichrist; they will tell the
people who he is, by whose power he works miracles, in which way he came into
the world and what will be his end.Then many a man and woman will be
converted. 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 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)
54. "This Prince of Liars will swear by the
Bible and pose as the arm of the Almighty, chastising a corrupt age. In the beginning he will work by cunning and
crime. His spies will infest the whole
world and he will become master of the secrets of the mighty. He will pay theologians to show that his
mission is from God. A war will give him the opportunity to assume his true
role - this war will not be the one he will wage against a French sovereign but
one which will within a fortnight involve the whole world and will be easily
recognised by his mark on his followers."
(Note) Towards the end of his
reign the Great Monarch will have to wage a war against Antichrist. He will win it, but will die shortly
afterwards. It is likely that at this
stage of his rising power, Antichrist will not yet be known as such. "The
Angels will enlighten men and in the third week they will wonder if this is
truly the Antichrist, and realising that it is they will either have to fight
to overthrow him or become his slaves.
Antichrist will be recognised by various tokens: in especial he will
massacre the priests, the monks, the women, the children, and the aged. He will show no mercy, but will pass torch
in hand, like the barbarians, yet invoking Christ! His words of imposture will resemble those of Christians, but his
actions will be those of Nero and of the Roman persecutors. He will have an eagle in his coat of arms as
also his lieutenant, the other wicked ruler - this latter will be a Christian
who will die when cursed by the Pope, who will be elected at the beginning of the
reign of Antichrist. Priests and monks
will no longer be seen hearing confessions and absolving the combatants: partly
because they will be fighting alongside other Christians and partly because the
Pope, having cursed Antichrist, will proclaim that all who fight against him,
if they die, will go to Heaven as martyrs.
The Bull, proclaiming these things will rekindle the courage of the
faint-hearted and will cause the death of the monarch allied with Antichrist. Before Antichrist is overthrown however,
more men will have been killed than were ever within the walls of Rome.
(Note) This is the "Nero"
referred to in paragraphs 11 and 12.
Nero will rule the West after the death of the Great Christian Monarch
of French origin. "Never will humanity have been faced with such a peril,
because the triumph of Antichrist would be that of the demon, who will have
taken possession of his personality.
For it has been said that, twenty centuries after the Incarnation of the
Word the Beast will be incarnate in his turn and will menace the earth with as
many evils as the Incarnation has brought it graces. Towards the year 2000
Antichrist will be made manifest. His
army, will surpass in number anything that can be imagined. There will be Christians among his cohorts, and
there will be Mohammedan and heathen soldiers among the defenders of the
Lamb."(John of the Cleft Rock)
55. "The greatest opposition to Antichrist
will come from the preaching of Henoch and Elias whom he will destroy after
1260 days. They will rise again after
three and one half days. The first
fifteen days will be a reign of terror.
At the age of thirty-two and one-half years he will be slain on Mt.
Olivet, probably by St. Michael. The jubilation of his followers will be
suddenly cut short by a general slaughter.
Forty-five days for repentance will intervene before the Last
Judgment. After the destruction of
Rome, Antichrist will appear and exalt himself above pagan deities and the
Trinity. His name signifies one who is
against Christ. Begotten, of a sinful
man and of a woman into whom the devil has entered, Antichrist will be born of
the tribe of Dan in the city of Corozain.
The good angel assigned to him at his birth will be obliged to leave him
as witches, necromancers and other disreputable characters take charge of his
education in Bethsaida. Coming to
Jerusalem, he will proclaim himself Christ and at first feign to be holy. He will succeed through false preaching,
miracles, gifts, terror, aided throughout by the devil. An evil spirit will come out of the air and
descend upon his followers. He shall
feign a resurrection from the dead, cause rain to fall, stone images to speak,
and perform other wonders, all through the power of the devil. The recalling of the dead to life will be only
apparent; devils entering the dead bodies will cause the illusion. Antichrist will be the greatest tyrant of
all time. His adherents will be marked
with his sign. Devils shall be let
loose from hell. The Jews will welcome
him. (Richard Rolle of Hampole)
56. "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) (Note)
Quite a number of interpretations are possible here but none should be
regarded as certain: Here are two: a)
180 months = 15 years, i.e. the Great Monarch will die in 2015 and his
reign will then begin between 1980 and 1990.
Antichrist will be born at that time too. b) 180 months can also be 180 years in prophetic language. The last legitimate French Monarch ceased to
reign in 1830. 180 years later, in
2010, his successor also will cease to reign. (Prophetic computations are
always hazardous.)
57. "At the time when Antichrist is about
twenty years old, most of the world will have lost the faith. Antichrist will
be descended from the tribe of Dan. The
people at that time will be very corrupt.
He will preach to the people while flying through the air. Many fervent priests and religious in the
wilderness and desert will be miraculously sustained by God. Some of them will travel about to encourage
the Christians to remain firm in the faith till death. When a pious Christian is pleading to God
for help before a crucifix in his room, Satan will disturb him in his prayers
and confuse him. He will cause a voice
to come from the crucifix saying: `Why do you call on Me, as if I can help
you? I am not God nor the Saviour of
the world, but a sorcerer, an instigator and deceiver of the people, for I was
a false prophet and as a consequence I am damned to everlasting hell fire. Therefore, call on me no more, lest by
calling on me you increase the pain that I must suffer in Hell. Through the power of Almighty God, whose
gospel is now preached throughout the world, I am urged and compelled to tell you
the truth and reveal to you that I am not the son of God, but rather the
greatest sorcerer the world has ever had, and hence for all eternity I must
suffer the severest pains without hope of redemption.' Also the pictures of the Mother of God at
times will speak when someone will be praying before them: `Cease your
supplications. I am not the Mother of
God. I have no power with God. I am only a miserable creature. You should take refuge with the true Brother
of the Most High, whose teachings are being taught to you today.' It will be the same with the pictures of the
Saints. That it is the devil who speaks
from the crucifixes and pictures but few will perceive, on the contrary, many
will run excitedly to the apostles of Antichrist to accept the new
religion. By order of these apostles they
will trample on the crucifix and holy pictures and break them into pieces. 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)
58. "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
be 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, `Henoch 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
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." (The Sibylle, Queen Michaula of Saba)
59.
"Antichrist will come as the
Messiah from a land between two seas in the East. He will be born in the desert; his mother being a prostitute
to the Jews and Hindus; he will be a lying and false prophet and will try to
ride to heaven like Elias. He will
begin work in the East, as a soldier and preacher of religion when thirty years
old. Antichrist and his army will
conquer Rome, kill the Pope and take the throne. He will restore the Turkish regime destroyed by the Great
Monarch. The Jews, knowing from the
Bible that Jerusalem will be the seat of the Messiah, will come from everywhere
and accept Antichrist as the Messiah. He will be able to fly. His flight will take place from Mt. Calvary. He will tell the crowd he is going after
Henoch and Elias (who has arisen from the dead) in order to kill them
again. (Ven B. Holzhauser)
60. "The conception of Antichrist will be
like Christ's except that it will be by the devil instead of the Holy
Ghost. He will have the devil's power
like Christ had God's.
(Note) Antichrist will not be
conceived by the devil in the same way Our Lord was conceived by the Holy Ghost
(see par. 51). But, although of a human father, his conception will be inspired
and, so to speak, supervised by the devil himself. "Antichrist will present himself to the Jews as the
Messiah. They will be his
followers." (2 Thess. 2:9) "Antichrist will have the powers of the
devil from the beginning. He will be so
evil it would seem his father was the devil.
(See also par. 51 as note above).
He will inherit his evil tendencies from his mother, who will also train
him in evil.
His wife will be a Jewess but he will
have many women, especially the daughters of rulers. (Dan. 11:27). Antichrist's life will be a mockery of
Christ's. He will be a convincing
speaker, have great knowledge, the gift of tongues (Apoc. 13:5) and be a child
wonder at six or seven. He will take the riches of the world to Jerusalem and
appear to have power over natural laws. Elias will cause the rain, dew and snow
to cease in those countries where the inhabitants oppose the two prophets and
refuse to reject Antichrist. The first
land to be so punished will be Palestine in order to win over the Jews. After Elias
finds the `Ark of the Covenant' of the Jews, (hidden until the recall of the
Jews to God), he and Henoch will place the Blessed Sacrament upon it. The Jews will then realise the Jesus Christ
and not Antichrist is the true Messiah.
They will desert Antichrist and make a pilgrimage to Mount Nebo (where the Ark is found) bewailing the
hardheartedness of their ancestors.
Thereafter they will accept the Christian faith. 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)
61. "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)
POSTSCRIPT
I
have just received the February 25th issue of "Fatima International". Before going to press I should like to
comment on an article entitled "The Millennium" by R. Bergin in which
he develops his pet theory. (I quote):
"That message (i.e. Fatima) indicates clearly that the empire of the
Antichrist is world Communism, for Our Lady marked this "error" as
the specific enemy in her words at the Cova da Iria on July 13th
1917." (End of quote) The first remark, here, is that nowhere
and at no time did Our Lady use the phrase `Communism is the specific
enemy'. Nor, for that matter, did she
use the word `Communism' at all. However, she did speak specifically of Russia
and the errors which this country would spread. The inference is therefore clear that she was indeed alluding to
Communism. But this is a vastly
different thing from stating: `This is the Specific Enemy'. But, even if Our Lady had done so, we would
do well to remember that the specific enemy of a given historical period in no
way points to the Antichrist himself.
In 1800, the specific enemy was Napoleon; in 1870, it was Bismarck, who
was rabidly anti-Christian; in 1914, there was no specific enemy, for the Great
liar was engineered by Freemasonry, and not at all the wish of the German
Kaiser; in 1939, the specific enemy was Hitler; today, it is indeed Communism. But this does not allow the hasty conclusion
that Communism is the Antichrist. R. Bergin further develops his attendant
theory of the Millennium. I willingly
concede that there is a great deal of presumptive evidence in favour of the
Millennium theory, but it is also a fact that the theory was condemned by the
Church in no uncertain terms. The
presumptive evidence which we possess is, therefore, nothing more than ... a
presumption. In fact, the Church ruled
that the error of the Millenarists rested primarily on a faulty interpretation
of Apocalypse 20, - which is the very argument put forward by R. Bergin who
sees in the Apocalypse an exact historical sequence, unmindful or unaware of
the very grounds on which the Church, who alone is qualified to interpret
Scripture based her ruling; unmindful and unaware also of the work of the great
Apocalyptic exegetes who, for their part, did not see any rigorous historical
sequence in the Book of St. John.
Obviously, R. Bergin has not read them anymore than he has read the
Fathers of the Church concerning Anti-Christ, and it is on this ignorance that
he gives free rein to his fancies.
Surprisingly, though, R. Bergin quotes II Thess. 2:8. In this, St. Paul says that the Antichrist
will be destroyed by the brightness of the coming of Christ. Well, if a Millennium is to be fitted
between the punishing `Brightness' and the actual arrival of Our Lord upon
earth, it seems that it would take a mighty long time for Our Lord to come down
from heaven! Is this the `twinkling of
an eye' of Holy Writ? Can a twinkling
of an eye last 1000 years or, for that matter, even 100 years? On the other hand, if we say that the
Millennium is to come after the coming of Christ, then we are simply spreading
a Protestant heresy. If, in the economy of salvation, there is another 1000
years to intervene after the coming of Christ, it will not be and cannot be
part of human history. It can only be a
spiritual, or physically glorified, New Earth and/or New Heavens, the exact
nature and the purpose of which is completely beyond human knowledge. This question has been debated by the
greatest theologians and Doctors of the Church and, to my knowledge, none has
presented his particular findings as positive truth, whilst many have taken
pains to explain that no absolute certainty could be reached in this field of
research, except that Christ will not reign visibly on earth, and that His
Second Coming is indeed the end. For
all his devotion to Our Lady of Fatima, R. Bergin, regrettably, is teaching
positive heresy in this respect. In
another article of the same edition of "Fatima International"
entitled "The Protocols", the writer (probably R. Bergin, though the
article is unsigned) contends that "The Protocols of Zion" is a
forgery. According to the author of
that article the forgery has been "amply demonstrated" and, for good
measure, the forger is called a `degenerate'! Let me say at this juncture that the authenticity of the
Protocols has not been incontrovertibly established, but to state flatly that
it is a forgery is quite another thing.
A few years ago, a lawsuit took place in Switzerland in this
regard. The plaintiff sought an
injunction refraining the defendant from presenting the Protocols as genuine
Jewish document. But he lost his suit:
the Judge ruled that the forgery could not be proved beyond any reasonable
doubt. Apparently, R. Bergin, or
whoever wrote that article, knows better.
Worse, the author goes on to say (I quote) "It is on this flimsy
evidence (i.e. the Protocols) that some Catholics tell us today that the
Antichrist must be a Jew" (End of quote).
Well, you have just read "Antichrist". Nowhere did I mention the Protocols to
support my case, yet I think I have sufficiently shown that Antichrist will
indeed be a Jew. That article,
which is full of errors and gratuitous interpretations says some extraordinary
things, to wit, that the Protocols were responsible for the Communist
revolution in Russia, and for the liquidation of six million Jews in Germany. This is a lot of power and influence to
ascribe to a `forgery'! The most glaring error of fact here is the "six
million Jews", a lie promoted by some Zionists to serve their own aims and
slavishly repeated by the Western Press ever since. In point of fact as shown by Leon de Poncias in his book
"Judaism and the Vatican" the correct figure is in the vicinity of
one million, a figure which was arrived at by a number of independent
researchers, including some Jews who had enough integrity to admit the fact. As for the error of interpretation, it lies
in the contention that the Protocols were responsible for the Jews financing
the Russian Revolution. The truth is
that the Jews, by reason of their having crucified Christ, are and have always
been anti-Christian. They have provided
the financial backbone to every Revolution, with or without the Protocols,
because it is their avowed aim to destroy the Empire of the Gentiles. For this reason, Jewish interests financed
Hitler's rise to power just as they had financed Lenin 15 years earlier, but
the author does not mention this.
The article under scrutiny also dismisses the contention according to
which Jewish interests are responsible for the world-wide collapse in morality. I hasten to say that the Jews do not bear
the full responsibility for this; other factors as well should be taken into
account, but it is an indisputable fact that the most widely read newspapers
and magazines, including pornographic magazines, are owned or financed by Jews. (Mind you, I do not say `the Jews' here; not
every Jew by any means ought to be implicated.) As for the Protocols, which the author of the article blames
for so many evils, they are no worse, really, than the Talmud itself. It matters little, therefore, whether they
are a `forgery': the Talmud is quite sufficient evidence to show that the aim
of the Zionists is no less than the destruction of the Empire of the
Gentiles. And this, they will achieve
under Antichrist, their King.As a last absurdity, the author of the article
says that Antichrist should be an apostate Christian, not a Jew.It is
astounding how such a profusion of untruth, bias, and error could be packed
into a 700-word article. It would seem
that it has been drawn from one of those fashionable pro-Jewish books which are
currently disgracing the shelves of our erstwhile Catholic bookshops ever since
the French historian Isaac prevailed upon Pope John to delete all adverse
references to the Jews in our liturgy.
Not that I myself approve of the game of Jew hunting and Jew hating;
nothing could be more despicable and less Christian than this. We must indeed love all men including
Jews. But to love a man as Christ loved
all men is one thing. To condone his
actions, to deny his evil aims, and to deliberately ignore his claim over the
rest of mankind because he belongs to the "Master Race", is quite
another thing. The fact is Jews were
racialists long before Hitler and, as far as I am concerned, the contents of
the Talmud, confirmed by the evidence of certain historical events, is ample
proof that the Jewish Nation as a whole will not rest until the Empire of the
Gentiles has been destroyed.