The Great Catholic Monarch Of Prophecy

[kafka]

http://trueandholyeucharist.blogspot.com/2010/02/gcm-divine-revelation-xxii-isaiah-ix.html

Chapter 45

{45:1} Thus says the Lord to my anointed Cyrus, whose right hand I hold, so that I may subjugate the nations before his face, and I may turn the backs of kings, and I may open the doors before him, and so that the gates will not be shut.
{45:2} I will go before you. And I will humble the glorious ones of the earth. I will shatter the gates of brass, and I will break apart the bars of iron.
{45:3} And I will give you hidden treasures and the knowledge of secret things, so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, who calls your name.

The Persian emperor Cyrus ruled over a large empire from modern day Turkey to modern day Iran and Iraq, and from Egypt all the way to the frontiers of Asia. He was a wise ruler and for these reasons he is a pagan foreshadowing of the great Catholic monarch. In order to capture the city of Babylon, which in its time was considered impenetrable, Cyrus came up with the ingenious idea of diverting the Euphrates River so his army could wade across and enter the city without a battle. Perhaps that is the knowledge of secret things alluded to by Isaiah.

This passage works on an implicit level for the great Catholic monarch. I think Isaiah or (whomever) wrote this part was using Cyrus as a symbol for a prediction of the great Catholic monarch and later on in this chapter the expression shifts to predictions about the coming of Jesus Christ. Remember these prophets while under the inspiration of God used there own store of knowledge to express the future.

The great Catholic monarch will have knowledge of secret things through special charisms of the Holy Spirit as we call them. These will help him with his grave and lofty vocation of fighting the most horrific war in history as well as peacefully and wisely ruling a vast kingdom, larger than Cyrus' as well as Alexander the Great's. Perhaps he will also be told secret things by the Angelic Shepherd who will be directing him. The private prophecies of Saint Francis Paola agrees with this expression in Scripture:

"That man will begin to meditate on the secrets of God, about the long visitation which the Holy Spirit will make and the dominion that he will exercise over the world through the holy militia. O happy man, who shall receive from the Most High the greatest privileges! He will interpret the hidden secrets of the Holy Spirit, and he shall often excite the admiration of men by his revealed knowledge of the internal secrets of their hearts."

{45:11} Thus says the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, his Maker: Would you question me about the future, concerning my sons, and command me concerning the work of my hands?

After WWIV, the secular media and perhaps some jealous leaders will criticize the idea of the great Catholic monarch ruling over such a large area of the world.

{45:12} I made the earth, and I created man upon it. My hand stretched out the heavens, and I have commanded all their hosts.
{45:13} I have raised him up unto justice, and I will direct all his ways. He himself will build my city and release my captives, but not for ransom or gifts, says the Lord, the God of hosts.

The city is Jerusalem captives are the Catholics Christians of Europe, the Middle East and North Africa persecuted under the great Arab king. There will be a great martyrdom before WWIV and this will be one of the reasons the Allies will decide to wage it.

{45:19} I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth. I have not said to the offspring of Jacob, “Seek me in vain.” I am the Lord, who speaks justice, who announces what is right.

God reveals his plan to his friends. It is or becomes clear to them. For the enemies of God and those who turn there back on him, those who refuse repentance God's plan is confounding and threatening. It comes like a thief in the night.

Chapter 46

{46:4} Even to your old age, I am the same. And even with your grey hairs, I will carry you. I have made you, and I will sustain you. I will carry you, and I will save you.

The Church is maturing as she passes through space and time, so it is a fitting expression that she is old in age during the Tribulation. God will be with her to the end.

{46:10} From the beginning, I announce the last things, and from the start, the things that have not yet been done, saying: My plan will stand firm, and my entire will shall be done.

The Tribulation is God's last things. His final plan to bring His Faithful home once and for all. He will execute it as He always planned too, for He is Eternity.

{46:11} I call a bird from the east, and from a far away land, the man of my will. And I have spoken it, and I will carry it out. I have created, and I will act.

This I think is another allusion to the Allies and the great Catholic monarch. Now it expresses from the east because Cyrus and his people came from Persia which was in the east. He is being used as a symbol for the great Catholic monarch and the Allies. The bird in my interpretation refers to the Air Force which will play a vital role in WWIV.

Chapter 49

{49:1} Pay attention, you islands, and listen closely, you far away peoples. The Lord has called me from the womb; from the womb of my mother, he has been mindful of my name.

This is the beginning of the Second Song of the Servant of the Lord.

{49:2} And he has appointed my mouth as a sharp sword. In the shadow of his hand, he has protected me. And he has appointed me as an elect arrow. In his quiver, he has hidden me.

The words of Jesus Christ are a weapon. He wounds the good with holy fear and love leading to wisdom and purity of soul, heart, and mind. He wounds the sincere with guilt leading to repentance. He wounds the evil with remorse leading to bitterness and hatred.

{49:14} And Zion said: “The Lord has abandoned me, and the Lord has forgotten me.”
{49:15} Can a woman forget her infant, so as not to take pity on the child of her womb? But even if she would forget, still I shall never forget you.

During the first and second parts of the Tribulation, there will come times when the Church will experience utter abandoned from God like Jesus experienced in his human nature during his passion and death. Yet God still never forgets her whom He loves.

{49:19} For your deserts, and your solitary places, and the land of your ruination will now be too narrow, because of all the inhabitants. And those who devoured you will be chased far away.{49:20} Even the children of your barrenness will say in your ears: “This place is too narrow for me. Make me a spacious place in which to dwell.”
{49:21} And you will say in your heart: “Who has conceived them? I was barren and unable to give birth. I was taken away and held captive. And so, who has raised them? I was destitute and alone. And so, where have they been?”

In one sense these verses refer to the influx of people moving to the Holy Land after the first part of the Tribulation and the second part of the Tribulation when Christ Returns and hoists the signal to His Faithful spread throughout the nations.

In another sense these refer to the almost miraculous influx of new converts into the Catholic Church during the first and second parts of the Tribulation.

Edited February 15, 2010 by kafka

[kafka]

[quote name='kafka' date='14 February 2010 - 03:13 PM' timestamp='1266178427' post='2057156']
{43:14} Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: For your sake, I sent to Babylon, and tore down all their bars, with the Chaldeans who glory in their ships.

On the first explicit level of this verse God providentially sent the Persian Cyrus to take Babylon, thus setting up the opportunity for the Israelites to be released from captivity. However in the context there is an implicit meaning where Babylon symbolizes the extremist Arabs and the great Arab king. And the Chaldeans symbolize the Allies who glory in their ships, which could be a reference to the Air Force or Navy.

[/quote]
just want to point out another error I made that I realized last night. Changed the last sentence in the above too:

And the Chaldeans refer extremist Arab people who glory in their ships, which could be a reference to the Air Force or Navy they consolodate and build up during the long years of the occupation.

[kafka]

http://trueandholyeucharist.blogspot.com/2010/02/gcm-divine-revelation-xxiv-isaiah-x.html

The Book of the Consolation of Israel (continued)

{50:4} The Lord has given me a learned tongue, so that I would know how to uphold with a word, one who has weakened. He rises in the morning, he rises to my ear in the morning, so that I may heed him like a teacher.
{50:5} The Lord God has opened my ear. And I do not contradict him. I have not turned back.

This is the beginning of the Third Song of the Servant of the Lord.

Jesus had a learned tongue yet he was not formally educated. Some of his disciples would call him 'Rabbi' out of respect for his deep teachings as well as out of disbelief that he was God. The Apostles and believing disciples would call him Lord. He was not formally educated as a scribe who were normally addressed as 'Rabbi'.

Jesus' human nature learned directly from his Divine nature most likely through prayer. He learned from his parents. From Sacred Scripture read and taught in the synagogues. From the natural world around him and from experience. God himself and all the good things of God contributed to give Jesus a learned tongue to proclaim the Gospel, and uphold the weak. His ear meaning his human soul was always open to the teaching of the Father who sent him, and not only open but ready and willing to execute His will. And so he was perfectly meek. This passage is a portrait of Jesus' meekness.

{50:6} I have given my body to those who strike me, and my cheeks to those who plucked them. I have not averted my face from those who rebuked me and who spit on me.

Jesus was struck in the face and spat upon by the Jewish guards as well as some of the members of the Sanhedrin in the morning of his Passion and Death.

{50:7} The Lord God is my helper. Therefore, I have not been confounded. Therefore, I have set my face like a very hard rock, and I know that I will not be confounded.

Jesus placed all his trust in his Father's plan for him. Those who place their trust in God are never confounded. So he bore the strikes and spittle with face like a very hard rock meaning his soul was determined to obey His Father's will at any cost.

{50:8} He who justifies me is near. Who will speak against me? Let us stand together. Who is my adversary? Let him approach me.
{50:9} Behold, the Lord God is my helper. Who is the one who would condemn me? Behold, they will all be worn away like a garment; the moth will devour them.

Those who persecuted Jesus or His Church and do not repent will have to answer for it and be punished like a garment devoured by a moth.

{51:2} Pay attention to Abraham, your father, and to Sarah, who bore you. For I called him alone, and I blessed him, and I multiplied him.

Abraham was truly great in his act of Faith in that he acted alone. There was no one to guide or direct him other than his Faith in God. Similarly the Church will often be alone during the Tribulation with nothing but her Faith to guide and direct her. During the second part of the Tribulation there will not even be a Pope to lead the Church during the entire reign of Antichrist.

{51:3} Therefore, the Lord will console Zion, and he will console all its ruins. And he will turn her desert into a place of delights, and her wilderness into a garden of the Lord. Gladness and rejoicing will be found in her, thanksgiving and a voice of praise.

The Church will be consoled and will triumph in the victory wrought by God after the first and second parts of the Tribulation.

{52:13} Behold, my servant will understand; he will be exalted and lifted up, and he will be very sublime.

This is the beginning of the Fourth and most sublime of the Songs of the Servant of the Lord. Some of the passages into Chapter 53 are predictions of Jesus' Passion and Death.

To conclude the commentary of Isaiah here is an expression of the New Earth:

{60:19} The sun will no longer be your light by day, nor will the brightness of the moon illuminate you. Instead, the Lord will be an everlasting light for you, and your God will be your glory.
{60:20} Your sun will no longer set, and your moon will not diminish. For the Lord will be an everlasting light for you, and the days of your mourning will be completed.

On the New Earth created by God at the very end. The Sun will no longer set and the Moon neither wax nor wane, since the Lord will light of the entire New Earth with His Presence. It will be an eternal day on the New Earth. God will light up the souls of the Just with the immediate vision of Himself, yet the Just will also have their resurrected bodies, so they will be able to see the New Earth. My understanding at this time partially based on a private revelation of Saint Hildagard is that the New Earth will cease rotating, hence so more sunrises or sunsets and the moon will no longer be seen since there will be no night. Instead the Presence of the Lord on the New Earth lights up everything in a golden hue. Some of the stars will undergo transformations and become so bright that they will look like jewels in the golden hue of the sky. In any case that is my understanding at this point in time.

{60:21} And your people will all be just. They will inherit the earth in perpetuity, the seedling of my planting, the work of my hand, so as to glorify me.

Next up is a short commentary on the prophecy of Jeremiah, then Habakkuk and Obadiah.

[kafka]

Here is a refinement of the Oracle on the Vision of the Valley I just typed up. Some people here might be interested in it:

{22:22} And I will place the key of the house of David upon his shoulder. And when he opens, no one will close. And when he closes, no one will open.

The key is singular since it symbolizes authority to rule over the world. Jesus gave Peter the first Pope and his successors the keys in the plural. The keys are two: The first representing the temporal authority to rule the Church and the second representing the temporal authority to rule the world. This authority is depicted on the modern papal coat of arms by the gold and silver keys crossed behind the banner. Now in modern times the Popes prudently withdraw from exercising their temporal authority over the world, yet it is no less real. When a Pope gives counsel to a president or prime minister he does so truly in the name and authority of Jesus Christ in virtue of his apostolic authority as successor of Saint Peter.

The Angelic Shepherd will exercise his temporal authority over the world by giving the great Catholic monarch the key to rule over Europe, the Middle East and North Africa after the first part of the Tribulation during the brief Era of Peace.

David and the great Catholic monarch are alike in that they are both types of Christ. David being the Old Testament archetype of Christ's First Coming and the great Catholic monarch being the New Testament archetype of Christ's Second Coming. So house of David is a fitting expression for Isaiah to use for the temporal secular authority of the great Catholic monarch as well as those he chooses to assist him in his reign. This authority is bestowed upon him by the Angelic Shepherd, just as David was anointed by Samuel.

[kafka]

http://trueandholyeucharist.blogspot.com/2010/02/gcm-divine-revelation-xv-jeremiah.html

The Prophecy of Jeremiah

{1:4} And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:{1:5} “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. And before you went forth from the womb, I sanctified you. And I made you a prophet to the nations.”

Jeremiah is a prophet to the Church and the nations of his own times since he prophesized concerning the situation he was living in according to what he heard from God. He is a prophet to the Church and nations after his time since some of his prophecies are Messianic. He is a prophet to the Church and nations in the times of the Tribulation as well since they reveal the works of God leading up to the Second Coming of Christ.

The Oracle on Damascus

Jeremiah's oracle on Damascus agrees with Isaiah's oracle on Damascus. It concerns World War IV.

{49:23} Against Damascus. “Hamath has been confounded, with Arpad. For they have heard a most grievous report. They have been stirred up like the sea. Because of anxiousness, they were not able to rest.

Hamath and Arpad are cities in Syria. The grievous report the the Allies waging WWIV.

{49:24} Damascus has been broken. She has been turned to flight. Trembling has taken hold of her. Anguish and sorrows have seized her, like a woman giving birth.

Damascus is a military stronghold of the extremist Arab nations before WWIV. The news of the war will shake the inhabitants of the city including soldiers of the Arabs.

{49:25} How could they have abandoned the praiseworthy city, the city of rejoicing?

This is a mock.

{49:26} For this reason, her young men will fall in her streets. And all the men of battle will be silenced in that day, says the Lord of hosts.
{49:27} And I will kindle a fire at the wall of Damascus, and it will devour the defensive walls of Ben-hadad.”

The fire kindled in Damascus is the nuclear bomb dropped on the city during WWIV. Ben-hadad was a king of the Syrians in Old Testament times and a couple of descendents took the same name. Here it is being used as a symbol of the great Arab king. Damascus will be a military stronghold, hence the mention of the defensive walls and men of battle. This is the reason the Allies will strike Damascus with nuclear weapons. The Allies will use nuclear weapons ethically, striking only military targets.

The Prophecy of Habakkuk

The beginning of the prophecy of Habakkuk is a prediction of World War III.

{1:1} The burden that Habakkuk the prophet saw.
{1:2} How long, O Lord, shall I cry out, and you will not heed? Shall I shout to you while suffering violence, and you will not save?
{1:3} Why have you revealed to me iniquity and hardship, to see plunder and injustice opposite me? And there has been judgment, but the opposition is more powerful.
{1:4} Because of this, the law has been torn apart, and judgment does not persevere to its conclusion. For the impious prevail against the just. Because of this, a perverse judgment is issued.

Habakkuk laments over the revelation he has seen. The perverse judgment mentioned here is the judgment of the extremist Arabs related below to verse seven. Because of the lack of just Christain laws as well as the lack of just moral judgments of the Christians and people of Europe a perverse judgment is passed on them by the Arabs, providentially wrought by God.

{1:5} Gaze among the nations, and see. Admire, and be astounded. For a work has been done in your days, which no one will believe when it is told.

The extremist Arab nations led by the two great Arab kings will conquer all of Europe in World War III and occupy it for many years. This work providentially wrought by God is so astounding that no one will believe it until they see it, and no one will believe it when it is told as a story years after the fact. Of course some people like myself believe it will happen but to actually see it is in a sense beyond belief.

{1:6} For behold, I will raise up the Chaldeans, a bitter and swift people, marching across the width of the earth, to possess tabernacles not their own.

The Chaldeans are the extremist Arab. They are bitter and swift for not having repented on the first event of the Tribulation which is the Day of Repentance (or the Warning). They will be acting out of desperation. Tabernacles not their own is all the cities, building, and religous structures they take as a result of the war.

{1:7} It is dreadful and terrible. From themselves, judgment and their burden will issue.

They will establish their own laws, including Islam as the state religion, the imposing of veils on women, and their burden is that they will begin persecuting Catholics without mercy.

{1:8} Their horses are more nimble than leopards and swifter than wolves in the evening; their horsemen will spread out. And then their horsemen will approach from far away; they will fly like the eagle, hurrying to devour.

The horsemen and eagle represent modern weopans falling upon Europe. Tanks, missiles, aircraft, etc. Wolves in the evening meaning the war will be waged even into the night. There will be a lot of urban and guerilla warfare. They will be restless in their attack until they reach their goal, like a wolf in the night.

{1:9} They will all approach towards the prey; their face is like a burning wind. And they will gather captives together like sand.

They will capture and torture leaders and citizens of Europe, including some religious leaders such as bishops.

{1:10} And concerning kings, he will triumph, and sovereign rulers will be his laughingstock, and he will laugh over every fortress, and he will transport a rampart and seize it.

The he in this verse is the great Arab king. Transport a rampart is the transferring of weapons into Europe and building up their own defenses during the occupation. They will seize all the miltary bases, artillery, aircraft and ships of Europe. They will also seize the nuclear weapons of Europe.

{1:11} Then his spirit will be altered, and he will cross over and fall. Such is his strength from his god.

The great Arab king and his nation will be conquered by the great Catholic monarch and the Allies in WWIV.

[kafka]

I am skipping Obadiah and moving straight to the Psalms. Then a short passage of Maccabees, then Revelation. This is getting to drawn out. I am going to go back and edit/add a lot to the commentaries I already wrote with some cross references to other passages. The Psalms should take up three more posts, Maccabees one, and Revelation perhaps two. Then I will do a final chapter on who the GCM is in my opinion. The Revelation and Who the GCM post I will reserve privately and save it for the book. I will then try and rework everything making it book-friendly and self-publish it. That is the plan.

Any questions or comments or criticisms? If you disagree with me that is fine, but a criticism would help me so I can clarify when I edit.

[Guest conchubar]

I was quite enjoying your posts but the wind seems to have left your sails....

[kafka]

[quote name='conchubar' date='25 February 2010 - 09:08 AM' timestamp='1267106883' post='2062824']
I was quite enjoying your posts but the wind seems to have left your sails....
[/quote]
thanks. I have a bit of a soar throat and God has revealed to me another problem. Basically I am a very close follower of Ronald Conte's eschatology. I've known him for years. I am so heavily influenced by his works, that I dont know where his insights end and mine start. I certainly do have some of my own original insights especially about the GCM, and have commented on passages that are in none of his works: Isaiah, the Psalms, Jeremiah, Habakkuk, but the foundation of most of my understanding rests on his works which I know so well I need not even look them up anymore. All the commentaries on the private revelations are my own, but I think he did something similar which I havent read.

His works are truly great and genius. Me I am just riding on the wings, though like I said I've put a lot of my own additional work and prayer, etc. into this stuff.

So I think the honorable thing to do is perhaps just let it die and recommend his works instead. There is no way I could go back and cite where in his works I first learned something. I dont even own his masterpeice "The Bible and the Future of the World" anymore.

Ultimately, his works might be a little different but they are better.

Plus its Lent. Time to repent and pray, etc.

Thanks for the support though I was wondering if anyone was reading

Edited February 25, 2010 by kafka

[kafka]

This is a little passage taken from Cardinal Ratzinger's/Pope Benedict's little book called "In the Beginning. . ." A Catholic Understanding of the Story of Creation and the Fall. This resonated deeply with me and I found a new way of looking at the first part of the Tribulation which is layered in meaning for the Church and the world. I added my own comments so that one can see how it struck me and how I read it in light of all the eschatology I have learned:

The Sabbath Structure of Creation

"Now we have to go one step further and see how we can understand this better. In the creation account the sabbath is depicted as the day when the human being, in freedom of worship, participates in God's freedom, in God's rest, and thus in God's peace. To celebrate the sabbath means to celebrate the covenant. It means to return to the source and to sweep away all the defilement that our work has brought with it. It also means going forth into a new world in which there will no longer be slaves and masters but only free children of God---into a world in which humans and animals and earth itself will share together as kin in God's peace and freedom."

[What came to my mind at this point is that the seventh day of the creation account in Genesis is the actual New Heaven and New Earth. When God's work is complete and God is all in all. The Church and the world is no longer a work in progress. We are fulfilled after the resurrection. We may finally rest in God, enjoy His peace, and worship Him in freedom forever. All memory of evil, sadness, and suffering is wiped away. Everything begins anew. With this in mind read the account from Genesis:

{2:1} And so the heavens and the earth were completed, with all their adornment.
{2:2} And on the seventh day, God fulfilled his work, which he had made. And on the seventh day he rested from all his work, which he had accomplished.
{2:3} And he blessed the seventh day and sanctified it. For in it, he had ceased from all his work: the work whereby God created whatever he should make.

The seventh day is the New Heaven and New Earth. Man has reached his completion. The Church is fulfilled in God and in eachother. The New Heaven and New Earth is created after the general resurrection and judgment and I think this is a valid interpretation since the seven days are symbolic for periods of time. So with this eschatological interpretation we would be in the sixth day of Creation. Or sixth period of time. A work still in progress.]

continuing with Pope Benedict:

"It is from this notion that the Mosaic law developed, which has as its foundation the idea that the sabbath brings about universal equality. This is extended beyond the weekly sabbath in such fashion that every seventh year is also a sabbath, during which earth and human beings may rest. Every seventh year times seven there is a great sabbath year, when all debts are remitted and all purchases and sales annulled. The earth is to be recieved back from the creating hands of God, and everyone is to begin anew. We can perhaps best see the significance of this ordinance (which was in fact never carried out) from a brief observation that is made in the Second Book of Chronicles. Already in the first meditation I mentioned how Israel suffered during the exile inasmuch as God, as it were, denied himself and took away his land, his temple, and his worship. Even after the exile people continued to ask themselves: Why did God do this to us? Why this excessive punishment, which God seems to be punishing himself with? (They could have had no idea at the time how he would take all punishment on himself on the cross and of how he would let himself be wounded in the course of his love-history with humankind.) How could this be?"

[God worked into a mosaic law a way of renewing the life of his people in the form of cycles weekly, yearly, etc. The way God created us is that there is (or should be) a gentle rhythm to life, and at the heart of it all is worship, love and service of God and neighbor. This is suppose to ebb and flow from the beginning to the end of one's life. The sabbath is God's way of renewing this cycle. So that everything may be recieved afresh from God's creative love. A merciful and forgiving point of starting over.

Now the Sabbath day is transfered to Sunday the day Jesus rose from the dead. So each Sunday Sabbath which we celebrate foreshadows and leads up to our own resurrection on the Last Day as the Eternity of the New Heaven and Eternal Day of the New Earth.

This was a wise plan God gave the Israelites. Yet something of course went wrong. Men have free will and did not uphold this structure. The Israelites were taken into exile by Babylon.

The Tribulation is a new Babylonian captivity, a new exile, as well as a new crucifixion for the Church. These are all valid metaphors. There will be severe and even excessive punishments meted out on the Church which is Jesus' mystical body not to mention the world. Yet the question is why? God is deeper than just punishing the world for its sins.]

Edited March 4, 2010 by kafka

[kafka]

Continuing with Pope Benedict:

"In the Second Book of Chronicles the answer reads: All the many sins that the prophets inveighed against could not, in the end, be sufficient reason for such inordinate punishment. The reason had to lie somewhere deeper, somewhere closer to the heart of things. The Second Book of Chronicles describes this deepest cause in the following words: "The land enjoyed its sabbaths. All the days that it lay desolate it kept sabbath, to fulfill seventy years" (2 Chronicles 36:21).

What this means is that the people had rejected God's rest, its leisure, its worship, its peace, and its freedom, and so they fell into the slavery of activity. They brought the earth into the slavery of their activity and thereby enslaved themselves. Therefore God had to give them the sabbath that they denied themselves. In their "no" to the God-given rhythm of freedom and leisure they departed from their likeness to God and so did damage to the earth. Therefore they had to be snatched from their obstinate attachment to their own work. God had to begin afresh to make them his very own, and he had to free them from the domination of activity. Operi Dei nihil praeponatur: The worship of God, his freedom, and his rest come first. Thus and only thus can the human being truly be alive."

[I think Pope Benedict had our modern society both Church and world in mind. He is indirectly referring to us in his gentle way of preaching. Pope Benedict emphasizes the overworking, yet there are many other symptoms and signs of our times that could be replaced as the variable to this 'equation.' The ultimate point I think is that we do not know how to live anymore. We humans living in 2010 seem to be completely out of touch with the reality God created for us. There is a gaping hole in the heart of humanity, a black hole closing in on itself and destoying us. This is our fault. This is caused by the radical turning away from God, from his worship, his love, his service, his Truth he has revealed to us through the Catholic Church. These are the things that make us happy and fulfill us in a healthy relationship not only with God yet with eachother and the earth. The harmony and rhythm of a life with God. Where is it anymore? Now we are enslaved to the chaos of millions of things other than God: technology, work, entertainment, emotions, competitions, wars, money, careers, stress, etc.

So by initiating the Tribulation, God will begin taking all these things away from us, and force on us a harsh sabbath, to make up for lost time. . .so that we can face and eventually overcome (if we choose) the problems we have wrought for ourselves. As the events of the first part of the Tribulation unfold God will take this very rough, horrific, mechanistic sin-filled world by His hand in order to make a new people coming out on the other end in the Era of Peace. The human heart will go places it has never gone before. There will be suffering, but the suffering is meaningless without love. So we have to become human again like Jesus Christ on the Cross. He reveals to man what man should be. We will be in situations where true love is the only answer. We will learn truth and morality on a whole new level in a very experiential way.

And when we learn this and recapture what it means to truly live as humans, as Christians, then the Gospel will be preached anew, since the Gospel is lived on a whole new level by the Church in the midst of sufferings. This is the deep meaning of the first part of the Tribulation.

Now lets look at the subsequent verses Pope Benedict quoted from the Second Book of Chronicles:

{36:21} and the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah would be fulfilled, and the land would celebrate her Sabbaths. For during all the days of the desolation, she kept a Sabbath, until the seventy years were completed.
{36:22} Then, in the first year of Cyrus, the king of the Persians, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord, which he had spoken by the mouth of Jeremiah, the Lord stirred up the heart of Cyrus, the king of the Persians, who commanded this to be proclaimed throughout his entire kingdom, and also in writing, saying:
{36:23} “Thus says Cyrus, the king of the Persians: The Lord, the God of heaven, has given to me all the kingdoms of the earth. And he has instructed me that I should build for him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judea. Who among you is from his entire people? May the Lord his God be with him, and let him ascend.”

So we have here in Cyrus the great pagan foreshadowing of the great Catholic monarch. And one of the first major decisions of his reign will be to build the new basilica in Jerusalem. So the renewed people who passed through the new exile of the first part of the Tribulation may worship and love God in His house. And the cycle of the sabbaths may start in motion again ever moving closer to the final sabbath of the New Heaven and New Earth.

Edited March 4, 2010 by kafka

[infinitelord1]

i just wanted to say that i thought the catholic church did not believe in prophecy after a certain point in history...particularly after christ died.

He will not believe in any god at all [except for himself] [Daniel 11:37]

how would he (the antichrist) be involved with the catholic church...especially since he will not believe in God?

[infinitelord1]

i really dont think the whore of babylon is the catholic church or has anything to do with rome.

the actual city of babylon was located in iraq...if you look at where another great city lies not too far from ancient babylon...that city being Basrah, Iraq...then you would see that it could definetly be the Whore of Babylon since all the waters (along with filth and waste) run from Ancient Babylon to Basrah. On top of that...you got many peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues...in iraq (including basrah) right now...especially since our military is present here at the moment. this also could very well be the "mother of harlots and abominations of the earth".

furthermore,

17:4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
17:5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
17:6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.
17:9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth [King James Version; the New International Version Bible uses "hills" instead of "mountains"].
17:10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.
17:11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.
17:12 And the ten horns which thou saw are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
17:15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.
17:18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

i think the last verse is pretty much why people think the whore of babylon is rome...because rome does have an influence on many different countries.

this is just my two cents worth...im certainly no expert...ive just got a lot of time on my hands, and have nothing better to think about. im certainly open to criticism so long as you dont make a fool of me.

[cmotherofpirl]

[quote name='infinitelord1' date='06 March 2010 - 07:08 AM' timestamp='1267873687' post='2067468']
i just wanted to say that i thought the catholic church did not believe in prophecy after a certain point in history...particularly after christ died.

He will not believe in any god at all [except for himself] [Daniel 11:37]

how would he (the antichrist) be involved with the catholic church...especially since he will not believe in God?
[/quote]
Revelation ended with the death of the Apostle St John. Many saints have predicted events over the last 2000 years, and like appearances of Mary, we are free to totally ignor them as they are not part of the deposit of faith.

And you got the Scripture verses right, Rome was the target of the phrase whore of Babylon,but because Rome was the seat of imperial power who were persecuting christians and feeding them to the lions, not because it was the seat of the church.

[kafka]

that passage you quoted above infinite, I think has to do with the second part of the Tribulation and the rise of Antichrist, so I am going to pass comment on that since those things occur hundreds of years after the great Catholic monarch and the Era of Peace.

[Nihil Obstat]

Kafka, you believe that the endtimes are beginning soon, right? Isn't the entirety of Judaism supposed to convert to Christianity before the Antichrist arrives? How do you expect that to come about?

[kafka]

[quote name='Nihil Obstat' date='06 March 2010 - 04:16 PM' timestamp='1267910215' post='2067604']
Kafka, you believe that the endtimes are beginning soon, right? Isn't the entirety of Judaism supposed to convert to Christianity before the Antichrist arrives? How do you expect that to come about?
[/quote]
I do believe the End Times will begin soon. Perhaps this year.

The End Times or Tribulation is a sequence of events spanning about four centuries and finding its end in the Second Coming of Christ. It is divided into two separate and severe parts, namely a lesser part and a greater part, or a first part and a second part. The first part officially begins in the second half of with the outset of World War III (the first seal and horseman of Revelation) and ends after the Three Days of Darkness. After the first part of the Tribulation a brief time of peace will be given to the world and will coincide with the reign and kingdom of the great Catholic monarch.

Some Jews will convert during the first part of the Tribulation and the Era of Peace. The great Catholic monarch will bring the Catholic Faith to the Middle East and the Gospel will be preached anew. This will be the occasion of Jewish conversions, yet not all will convert.

The full conversion will take place during the seven year reign of Antichrist during the second part of the Tribulation, after Enoch and Elias return and begin preaching or perhaps when Christ finally Returns. When Christ Returns, he is not going to just destroy everything all at once.

Of course not all Jews are going to convert, and the Jews will not be that numerous in those times, and Enoch and Elias are not just sent to preach to the Jews. They will preach to the entire world.

Some people have made the mistake of thinking that the conversion of Jews happens first and then the End Times occurs, or that the conversion of the Jews must occur before Christ Returns, yet this is incorrect. The Fathers speculated about the conversion of the Jews based on a few verses of Romans. The conversion of the Jews is built in seemlessly with the unfolding of the events of the Tribulation. That is the correct way of looking at their conversion I think.

One thing that is interesting. A few eschatological commentators see in the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 a significant eschatological event and apply it to the Seventy Weeks of Years in Daniel:

{9:24} Seventy weeks of years are concentrated on your people and on your holy city, so that transgression shall be finished, and sin shall reach an end, and iniquity shall be wiped away, and so that everlasting justice shall be brought in, and vision and prophecy shall be fulfilled, and the Saint of saints shall be anointed.
{9:25} Therefore, know and take heed: [b]from the going forth of the word to build up Jerusalem again, until the Christ leader,[/b] there will be seven weeks of years, and sixty-two weeks of years; and the wide path will be built again, and the walls, in a time of anguish.

Edited March 6, 2010 by kafka

[Nihil Obstat]

I was under the impression that Christ's return is immediately followed by the destruction of the world.

[cmotherofpirl]

The endtimes, of which we cannot know the day or the hour, will not begin until the ends of the earth have been offered the Gospel and the Jews have converted to the Church. Doesn't sound like its going to be anytime soon.

"For a thousand years in thy sight are as yesterday, which is past. And as a watch in the night,"
- Psalms 89,4



"He hath remembered his covenant for ever: the word which he commanded to a thousand generations."
- Psalms 104,8

[Nihil Obstat]

I'm sorry that I haven't been paying as close attention as I should have. When you say that you think it will begin soon, are you referring to the Chastisement?

[infinitelord1]

[quote name='kafka' date='06 March 2010 - 04:44 PM' timestamp='1267911895' post='2067616']
I do believe the End Times will begin soon. Perhaps this year.

The End Times or Tribulation is a sequence of events spanning about four centuries and finding its end in the Second Coming of Christ. It is divided into two separate and severe parts, namely a lesser part and a greater part, or a first part and a second part. The first part officially begins in the second half of with the outset of World War III (the first seal and horseman of Revelation) and ends after the Three Days of Darkness. After the first part of the Tribulation a brief time of peace will be given to the world and will coincide with the reign and kingdom of the great Catholic monarch.

Some Jews will convert during the first part of the Tribulation and the Era of Peace. The great Catholic monarch will bring the Catholic Faith to the Middle East and the Gospel will be preached anew. This will be the occasion of Jewish conversions, yet not all will convert.

The full conversion will take place during the seven year reign of Antichrist during the second part of the Tribulation, after Enoch and Elias return and begin preaching or perhaps when Christ finally Returns. When Christ Returns, he is not going to just destroy everything all at once.

Of course not all Jews are going to convert, and the Jews will not be that numerous in those times, and Enoch and Elias are not just sent to preach to the Jews. They will preach to the entire world.

Some people have made the mistake of thinking that the conversion of Jews happens first and then the End Times occurs, or that the conversion of the Jews must occur before Christ Returns, yet this is incorrect. The Fathers speculated about the conversion of the Jews based on a few verses of Romans. The conversion of the Jews is built in seemlessly with the unfolding of the events of the Tribulation. That is the correct way of looking at their conversion I think.

One thing that is interesting. A few eschatological commentators see in the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 a significant eschatological event and apply it to the Seventy Weeks of Years in Daniel:

{9:24} Seventy weeks of years are concentrated on your people and on your holy city, so that transgression shall be finished, and sin shall reach an end, and iniquity shall be wiped away, and so that everlasting justice shall be brought in, and vision and prophecy shall be fulfilled, and the Saint of saints shall be anointed.
{9:25} Therefore, know and take heed: [b]from the going forth of the word to build up Jerusalem again, until the Christ leader,[/b] there will be seven weeks of years, and sixty-two weeks of years; and the wide path will be built again, and the walls, in a time of anguish.
[/quote]

"Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; but in the middle of the week he shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abomination shall be one who makes desolate, even until the consummation, which is determined, is poured out on the desolate." (Daniel 9:27)

"And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand, two hundred and ninety days (1290). Blessed is he who waits, and comes to the one thousand three hundred and thirty five days (1335)." (Daniel 12:11-12)

Doesnt this suggest that the end of times or "tribulation" will last only 3 1/2 years? not 400 years? I believe these scriptures are referencing the tribulation regarding the antichrist and end times.