.
Must the Reconstruction of the
Temple of Jerusalem Precede the Second Coming of Jesus Christ?
This writing will address
the question of whether the reconstruction of the Temple of Jerusalem must precede
the Second Coming of Jesus Christ in the light of Holy Scripture, the teachings
of the Church and certain private prophecy.
History of the Temple of
Jerusalem
In ancient Judaism the
Temple of Jerusalem was the House of God and the center of their faith. Indeed,
Jesus referred to it as, 'The House of My Father'.
There were 3 such temples.
The first Temple was constructed by Solomon in about 966 B.C., and destroyed in
586 B.C. by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. In 537 B.C. Cyrus, King of Persia,
allowed Zorababel and a vast number of his fellow
Jews to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple there. The Second Temple,
referred to as the Temple of Zorababel, was completed
in 516 B.C., and was desecrated by Antiochus IV Epiphanes of Syria from 167 to
165 B.C. King Herod demolished the second Temple in 19 B.C., and began the
long-term reconstruction of its replacement. The third Temple was fully
completed between 62 - 64 A.D., and it was destroyed
in 70 A.D. by the Romans. (1)
The Teachings of the Church
The Catholic Church has
been guaranteed guidance by the Holy Spirit. We see that clearly in the
following words of Jesus to the Apostles, who were the first
bishops of His Catholic Church:
"He who hears you
hears me, and he who rejects you rejects me, and he who rejects me rejects him
who sent me." (Lk
10:16)
The Church has professed
relatively little with respect to the details of the End Times. This is due in
large part to the fact that so much of End Times public prophecy (i.e. via Holy
Scripture) was written in mysterious apocalyptic genre. Fr. William G. Most
describes apocalyptic genre in his writing entitled 'Eschatology" as follows:
"Apocalyptic as we
know is a genre or pattern of writing in which the author describes visions and
revelations. It is not usually clear if he meant to assert they were real, and
not merely a vehicle for his message. They contain bizarre, highly colored
images. Often there are figures of animals, to represent pagan empires, a horn
to stand for a king or a power, and they often include an angel who interprets
images. Apocalyptic is commonly a work to give consolation in time of severe
trial. God is presented as Lord of history. There may be prediction of the
future. Now if such predictions were made in a rather factual genre, we would
need to maintain that they really were made before the events. However because
of the highly colored imagery and fanciful nature of apocalyptic, the
predictions may be made after the events pictured, without any dishonesty. It
is understood such things may happen in this genre." (2)
The books of Daniel and
Revelation are two mysterious books, which were written in apocalyptic (i.e.
Daniel 7-12). We shall see herein how key passages of these books have been
deciphered, and by whom.
The Church has never
taught that the Temple of Jerusalem must be reconstructed prior to the second
return of Jesus. Furthermore, nowhere in Holy Scripture is there any directive to reconstruct such fourth Temple.
The thought that the
reconstruction of the Temple of Jerusalem is a condition precedent to the
Second Coming of Jesus Christ has been taught by certain Protestant ecclesial
communities. They base their opinion upon a number of citations within Holy
Scripture that include mere apocalyptic references to 'the holy place' or to 'the temple
of God', the most noteworthy being: Daniel 8:11-17; 9:24-27; 11:31 and 12:11;
Matthew 24:15; and 2 Thessalonians 2:3-5. We will consider each herein.
Because the fourth Temple
has yet to be built, these Protestants, refuse to consider
that the Second Coming of Jesus is near. Adherents to this notion would do well
to heed the words of Jesus:
"Watch therefore, for you do not know
on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the householder had
known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have watched and
would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready;
for the Son of man is coming at an hour you do not expect." (Mt 24:42-44)
Antichrist Sitting in the
Temple
Most of the Scriptural
citations these Protestants submit as proof that the fourth Temple of Jerusalem
must be constructed prior to the Second Coming refer to the 'man of perdition'
or 'Antichrist' sitting in the temple or holy place; abolishing the daily
sacrifice; establishing the abomination of desolation; and proclaiming himself
god prior to Jesus' return. We will consider each herein, beginning with the
enigmatic Daniel 9:24-27 which follows:
"Seventy weeks are
decreed for your people and for your holy city: Then transgression will stop
and sin will end, guilt will be expiated, Everlasting justice will be
introduced, vision and prophecy ratified, and a most holy will be anointed.
Know and understand this: From the utterance of the word that Jerusalem was to
be rebuilt Until one who is anointed and a leader,
there shall be seven weeks. During sixty-two weeks it shall be rebuilt, With streets and trenches, in time of affliction. After the
sixty-two weeks an anointed shall be cut down when he does not possess the
city;
And the
people of a leader who will come shall destroy the sanctuary. Then the end shall come like a
torrent; until the end there shall be war, the desolation that is decreed. For
one week he shall make a firm compact with the many; Half
the week
he shall abolish sacrifice and oblation; On the temple wing shall be the horrible abomination
until the ruin that is decreed is poured out upon the horror." (Dn
9:24-27) n.b. The Hebrew word used is shabuwa, which means a "week of
years" or seven years, not seven days.
We have stated that parts
of Daniel (i.e. chapters 7 -12) were written in apocalyptic, and as Fr. Most
stated apocalyptic passages were written in mysterious allegories, and in some
cases were written after the fact. The verses above are indeed mysterious, and
appear to involve both the past and the future. Fr. Most points out in his
writing, Commentary on Daniel (3), that these verses appear to involve multiple
fulfillment prophecy. He and other theologians point out the decree(s) to
rebuild the temple was given centuries before the birth of Christ; the temple
was desecrated by Antiochus IV Epiphanes of Syria; he suspended the sacrifice,
the 'Most Holy Anointed One is Jesus, and the third Temple was destroyed by the
Romans in 70 A.D.
We note something very
interesting with the passage above. Particularly with the phrase: 'And the people of a
leader who will come shall destroy the sanctuary'. This leader is held by many to be the
Antichrist, but this phrase was intentionally stated in a peculiar way.
Typically in Holy Scripture, such actions are stated in either one of two ways.
They state either that the leader or king did something such as conquer or
destroy e.g. Nebuchadnezzar besieged it. (Dn 1:1), or state that a named people did
something e.g. And the Philistines took the
ark of God (1
Sm 15:1). In this case
it is different. It states that the 'people of the leader who will come will
destroy the sanctuary' without referring to them either by their nationality or
by the name of their leader.
We emphasize
that it did not say the people following or lead by the leader to come, nor did it say the people
guided by the leader to come.
That is to say, that these people and the leader can be independent of each
other except for the fact that they will have called the same place home. The
people that destroyed the Temple and the leader to come could live in different
points in time -- even centuries apart.
Prophecy is always
clearest after it has been realized. As Fr. Most has pointed out, this passage
addresses both the past and the future. We know that it was the Romans who
destroyed the city of Jerusalem and the sanctuary, i.e. the Temple there in 70
A.D. So
it would follow that the above mentioned 'leader' will be a future leader of
the Romans. This is consistent with both the prophecy of the statue of Daniel
2:33-44, the prophecy of Our Lady of LaSalette, and the teachings of St. Cyril
of Jerusalem, Doctor of the Church.
In Daniel 2, Daniel
describes the statue seen by the king in his dream. Each section of the statue
represents a different kingdom. Many scholars hold that the kingdom represented
by the iron legs, is that of the ancient Roman Empire, and the kingdom to come
represented by the feet of iron and clay is the Revived Roman Empire. Many
believe that the European Union, which came into existence in 1992, is that
Revived Roman Empire.
Furthermore, it was Our
Lady of LaSalette (approved by the Church) who said: "Rome will loose the
faith, and become the seat of the Antichrist."
Again in the teachings of
St. Cyril of Jerusalem, we see that the Antichrist will seize control of the
Revived Roman Empire. In his Lecture XV St. Cyril stated: "But this
aforesaid Antichrist is to come when the times of the Roman empire shall have been fulfilled, and the end of the world is now
drawing near. There shall rise up together ten kings of the Romans, reigning in
different parts perhaps, but all about the same time; and after these an
eleventh, the Antichrist, who by his magical craft shall seize upon the
Roman power; and
of the kings who reigned before him, three he shall humble, and the remaining
seven he shall keep in subjection to himself. At first indeed he will put on a
show of mildness (as though he were a learned and discreet person), and of
soberness and benevolence: and by the lying signs and wonders of his magical
deceit at having beguiled the Jews, as though he were the expected Christ, he
shall afterwards be characterized by all kinds of crimes of inhumanity and
lawlessness, so as to outdo all unrighteous and ungodly men who have gone
before him displaying against all men, but especially against us Christians, a
spirit murderous and most cruel, merciless and crafty. And after perpetrating
such things for three years and six months only, he shall be destroyed by the
glorious second advent from heaven of the
only-begotten Son of God, our Lord and Savior Jesus, the true Christ, who shall
slay Antichrist with the breath of His mouth, and shall deliver him over to the
fire of hell." (St.
Cyril, Archbishop of Jerusalem and Doctor of the Church 315-386; Lecture XV).
In Fr. Most's
Commentary
on Daniel he
states: "Many today think Daniel was written rather late, in the second
century B.C., after the time of Antiochus IV and his persecution. They think
many things that seem to be prophecies are really made after the things
happened (prophecies ex eventu). We will
defend the position that Daniel was written in 6th century B.C. Step by step we
will take up the difficulties against that position, for all but the last two
chapters 13-14, which are a later work it seems."
We note that regardless,
of whether the date of composition was in the 6th century B.C. or
the 2nd century B.C., it was well in advance of the destruction of
the Temple by the Romans in 70 A.D.
Therefore, we
submit that this phrase does not mean that the Antichrist and his followers
will destroy the sanctuary or Temple of Jerusalem, but it means exactly what it
says: the people (of a leader to come) will destroy the sanctuary, and those
people (the ancient Romans) destroyed the Temple in 70 A.D. The referenced
leader has yet to come.
That
is to say that this passage does not support that the Temple of Jerusalem will
necessarily be in existence for the Antichrist to either enter or destroy when
he comes to power.
God's Presence Transferred
From the Synagogue to the Church
"There was a
landowner who planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a wine press in
it, and built a tower. Then he leased it to tenants and went on a journey. When
vintage time drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his
produce. But the tenants seized the servants and one they beat, another they
killed, and a third they stoned. Again he sent other servants, more numerous
than the first ones, but they treated them in the same way. Finally, he sent
his son to them, thinking, 'They will respect my son.' But when the tenants saw
the son, they said to one another, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and
acquire his inheritance.' They seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and
killed him. What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he
comes?" They answered him, "He will put those wretched men to a
wretched death and lease his vineyard to other tenants who will give him the
produce at the proper times." Jesus said to them, "Did you never read
in the scriptures: 'The stone that the builders rejected has become the
cornerstone; by the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes'? Therefore, I say to you,
the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will
produce its fruit.
(The one who falls on this stone will be dashed to pieces; and it will crush
anyone on whom it falls.)" When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard
his parables, they knew that he was speaking about them. And although they were
attempting to arrest him, they feared the crowds, for they regarded him as a
prophet. (Mt
21:33-46)
Clearly in this parable, the
vineyard represents the people of God i.e. Israel; the servants represent the
prophets; the landowner's son is Jesus; and the tenants represent the Jews, in
particular the chief priests and Pharisees. The people that will produce its
fruit represents the Church i.e. the people of God after the death of Jesus or the
New Israel (Gal 4:28-31, Gal 6:14-16, 1 Pt 2:9-10, Mt 21:43 and CCC 877). Indeed this parable was realized with
the immolation, death and resurrection of Jesus.
The Temple at Jerusalem
was the house of God. Within the Temple was a section known as the Holy of
Holies, which represented the dwelling place of God on earth. So sacred was the
Holy of Holies that only the High Priest could enter it, and only once each
year on the Day of Atonement to sprinkle the blood of the sin-offering and
offer incense. (4) A veil which hung from the ceiling to
the floor separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the Temple. Clearly,
the veil represented a barrier between God and man resulting from Adam's sin.
"But Jesus cried
out again in a loud voice, and gave up his spirit. And behold, the veil of the
sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth quaked, rocks were split,
tombs were opened, and the bodies of many saints who had fallen asleep were
raised." (Mt
27:50-52)
The passage above
represents the sacrifice of Christ defeating sin and tearing down the barrier
between God and man. The New American Bible (NAB) in the corresponding footnote
described it this way:
"…Probably the torn
veil of the gospels is the inner one. The meaning of the scene may be that now,
because of Jesus' death, all people have access to the presence of God, or that the temple, its holiest part
standing exposed, is now profaned and will soon be destroyed…"
St. Paul explained it this
way: "But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that have
come to be, passing through the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made by
hands, that is, not belonging to this creation, he entered once for all into
the sanctuary, not with the blood of goats and calves but with his own blood,
thus obtaining eternal redemption. …. (Heb
9:11-12)
In his letter to the
Ephesians, St. Paul stated: "But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far
off have been brought near in the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who has
made us both one, and has broken down the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law
of commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in
place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one
body through the cross, thereby bringing the hostility to an end. And he came
and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near; for through him we both
have access in one Spirit to the Father. (Eph 2:13-18)
In
speaking of the Jews in his second epistle to the Corinthians, St. Paul
stated: “But
their minds were hardened; for to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted,
because only through Christ is it taken away. Yes, to
this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their minds; but when a man turns to the Lord the veil is removed.” (2 Cor 3:14-16)
In his first letter to
Timothy, he stated: "For there is one God, and there is one mediator
between God and men, the man Christ Jesus…" (1 Tm 2:5)
It was St. John who wrote:
"Who is the liar? Whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ.
Whoever denies the Father and the Son, this is the antichrist. No one who denies the
Son has the Father, but whoever confesses the Son has the Father as well. Let what you heard from the beginning
remain in you. If what you heard from the beginning remains in you, then you
will remain in the Son and in the Father." (1 Jn 2:22)
In view of
the passages above, we submit that the tearing of the veil also represents the
transfer of God's presence from the synagogue to the Church (2 Cor 3:14) --- from Israel to the New Israel (Gal 4:28-31, Gal 6:14-16,
1 Pt 2:9-10, Mt 21:43
and CCC 877). Even
His name Emmanuel, which means "God is with us", supports this
(Is
7:14). We also
see it in the word 'communion' which means in union with. In the
Catholic Church bread and wine are consecrated into the Body and Blood of
Christ in Holy Communion.
We hasten to
add that the word temple or holy place refers to one thing before
the death of Jesus, and it refers to something completely different after His
death.
The Church is the Temple
Using certain
citations from Holy Scripture and the teachings of the Church, in this section
we will demonstrate that upon the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross, the
Church became the Temple of God.
It is also worthy of emphasis to remind the reader that the word church
does not refer to a physical building, but to those people baptized in Jesus
Christ. We are the Church.
"So when you see the
desolating sacrilege spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy
place (let the reader
understand), then
let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains; let him who is on the
housetop not go down to take what is in his house; and let him who is in the field
not turn back to take his mantle. (Mt 24:15-18)
Matthew 24:15 is also held
by certain Protestants as support for the rebuilding of the Temple of Jerusalem
to occur prior to the return of Jesus. You will recall that the phrase: 'the
holy place' is synonymous with the temple or dwelling place of God.
Matthew 24 is
apocalyptic. We have further evidence that Matthew 24:15 is not to be taken
literally in the parenthetical note that Jesus added.
.Here He overtly draws
our attention to the non-literal meaning of the phrase standing in the holy
place. God always speaks in an economy of words. Undoubtedly, if this sentence
was intended to be taken literally, there would have been no need for Jesus to
make the parenthetical comment. Hence, we can conclude that it has a
non-literal meaning.
With that in mind let us
visit 2 Thessalonians 2:3-5 which some Protestants claim supports the notion
that the Temple of Jerusalem must be in existence at the time of Antichrist.
Thessalonians was written by St. Paul. We will also examine how St. Paul
defines the word temple in his letters to the Corinthians.
"Let no one deceive
you in any way. For unless the apostasy comes first and the lawless one is
revealed, the one doomed to perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above
every so-called god and object of worship, so as to seat himself in the temple of God, claiming that he is a god-- do you
not recall that while I was still with you I told you these things?" (2 Thes 3-5)
"Do you not know
that you are the temple of God,
and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God
will destroy that person; for the temple of God, which you are, is holy." (1 Cor 3:16-17)
"What agreement has
the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of
the living God; as
God said, "I will live in them and move among them, and I will be their
God, and they shall be my people." (2 Cor 6:16)
The Catechism of the
Catholic Church (CCC), states:
"What the soul is to
the human body, the Holy Spirit is to the Body of Christ, which is the
Church." "To this Spirit of Christ, as an invisible principle, is to
be ascribed the fact that all the parts of the body are joined one with the
other and with their exalted head; for the whole Spirit of Christ is in the
head, the whole Spirit is in the body, and the whole Spirit is in each of the
members." The Holy Spirit makes the Church "the temple of the living
God". (CCC
797)
"The
Church is the Temple of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is the soul, as it were, of the Mystical
Body, the source of its life, of its unity in diversity, and of the riches of
its gifts and charisms." (CCC 809)
The Church is also called
the building of God. We see that in the citations of Holy Scripture and
the Catechism which follow:
"For we are God's co-workers; you are God's
field, God's
building." (1 Cor 3:9)
"Often,
too, the Church is called the building of God. The Lord compared himself to the
stone which the builders rejected, but which was made into the comer-stone. On
this foundation the Church is built by the apostles and from it the Church
receives solidity and unity. This edifice has many names to describe it: the
house of God in which his family dwells; the household of God in the
Spirit; the dwelling-place of God among men; and, especially, the holy temple.
This temple, symbolized in places of worship built out of stone, is praised by the
Fathers and, not without reason, is compared in the liturgy to the Holy City,
the New Jerusalem. As living stones we here on earth are built into it. It is
this holy city that is seen by John as it comes down out of heaven from God
when the world is made anew, prepared like a bride adorned for her
husband." (CCC
756)
As we can
see above, references to the word temple or the holy place before
the death of Jesus refers to the Temple of Jerusalem which was the dwelling
place of God. References to the word temple or the
holy place after the death of Jesus refers to His Church, which then became
the dwelling place of God on earth. The citations referring to the
Antichrist sitting in the temple or holy place in both the Old and New
Testaments, refer to Antichrist entering the Church, not the Temple of
Jerusalem.
Sealed Until the End of Time
"The he-goat became
very powerful, but at the height of its power the great horn was shattered, and
in its place came up four others, facing the four winds of heaven. Out of one
of them came a little horn which kept growing toward the south, the east, and
the glorious country. Its power extended to the host of heaven, so that it cast
down to earth some of the host and some of the stars and trampled on them. It
boasted even against the prince of the host, from whom it removed the
daily sacrifice, and whose sanctuary it cast down, as well as the host, while sin
replaced the daily sacrifice. It cast truth to the ground, and was succeeding
in its undertaking. I heard a holy one speaking, and another said to whichever
one it was that spoke, "How long shall the events of this vision last
concerning the daily sacrifice, the desolating sin which is placed there, the
sanctuary, and the trampled host?" He answered him, "For two thousand
three hundred evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary shall be
purified." While I, Daniel, sought the meaning of the vision I had seen, a
manlike figure stood before me, and on the Ulai I
heard a human voice that cried out, "Gabriel, explain the vision to this
man." When he came near where I was standing, I fell prostrate in terror.
But he said to me, "Understand, son of man, that
the vision refers to the end time." As he spoke to me, I fell forward in a
faint; he touched me and made me stand up. "I will show you," he
said, "what is to happen later in the period of wrath; for at the
appointed time, there will be an end. "The
two-horned ram you saw represents the kings of the Medes and Persians. The
he-goat is the king of the Greeks, and the great horn on its forehead is the
first king. The four that rose in its place when it was broken are four
kingdoms that will issue from his nation, but without his strength. (Dn 8:8-22)
n.b. the NAB identifies the he-goat or the
king of the Greeks, as Alexander the Great. Indeed, at his death his kingdom
was divided into four parts. It also identifies the little horn as Antiochus
IV, who desecrated the Temple at Jerusalem, suspended the sacrifices there, and
installed a statue of the Greek god Zeus inside the Temple.
"Armed forces shall
move at his command and defile the sanctuary stronghold, abolishing the daily
sacrifice and setting up the horrible abomination. By his deceit he shall make some who
were disloyal to the covenant apostatize; but those who remain loyal to their
God shall take strong action. The nation's wise men shall instruct the many;
though for a time they will become victims of the sword, of flames, exile, and
plunder. When they fall, few people shall help them, but many shall join them
out of treachery. Of the wise men, some shall fall, so that the rest may be
tested, refined, and purified, until the end time which is still appointed to
come. "The king shall do as he pleases, exalting himself and making
himself greater than any god; he shall utter dreadful blasphemies against the
God of gods. He shall prosper only till divine wrath is ready, for what is
determined must take place." (Dn 11: 31-36)
"Go, Daniel,"
he said, "because the words are to be kept secret and sealed until the end
time. Many shall be refined, purified, and
tested, but the wicked shall prove wicked; none of them shall have
understanding, but the wise shall have it. From the time that the daily
sacrifice is abolished and the horrible abomination is set up, there shall be
one thousand two hundred and ninety days. Blessed is the man who has patience
and perseveres until the one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days."
(Dn
12:9-12).
Just as the Blessed Virgin
participated in bringing Jesus to the world the first time, she is preparing
the way for His second coming via her many apparitions and locutions. She has
done this throughout the world during the last 2,000 years by appearing and
providing messages to various messengers in a relentless attempt to redirect
man to her Son, and to prepare man for His second coming.
Through such
mystical manifestations, she and her Son have deciphered certain mysterious
books of the Bible.
Particularly noteworthy with respect to the topic at hand, are
her many locutions to Fr. Stefano Gobbi. We include certain related messages
from Jesus to John Leary, also.
Fr. Stefano Gobbi - Imprimaturs
Fr. Gobbi received
messages via inner locution from Our Lady from 1973 - 1997 (25 years). His
messages carry Imprimaturs from many Cardinals, Archbishops, and Bishops of the Catholic Church. Three
of the Cardinals are: the late Cardinal Echeverria of Ecuador, Cardinal Vidal
of the Philippines and Cardinal Mikai of Thailand.
.Although the Imprimatur is not a
declaration of authenticity of the mystical events, it does assure the
reader that the messages are free from doctrinal error - i.e. they do not contain anything,
which is contrary to the Catholic faith or morals.
Collectively, the
messages clearly speak of the rise of Antichrist very soon, and Jesus to return
soon thereafter to set up His Kingdom in the Era of Peace on Earth (i.e. the
new heavens and the new earth). This will be the first resurrection (Rv 20:4-5 Thy kingdom come on Earth, as it is in Heaven.).
He will return in spirit and reign during the Era of Peace in the Holy
Eucharist. The Era of Peace will not last 1,000 years, as time will then have
been suspended. After the end of the Era of Peace will come the second
resurrection of all humans, and Jesus will return a
third time for the Final Judgement.
The following are excerpts
of a few of Our Lady's messages through Fr. Gobbi, in which she deciphers
certain passages of the books of Daniel and Revelation.
#141 - You Too Beget My Son - December 24, 1977
"And thus indifference towards the sacrament of the Eucharist spreads,
adoration and prayer are snuffed out, and the sacrileges of those who approach it
in a state of mortal sin increase day by … day. (5)
Alas, even among priests the number of those who celebrate the Eucharist
without any longer believing in it is increasing. Some of these deny the real
presence of my Son Jesus; others would restrict it to the time of the
celebration of Holy Mass; and still others reduce it to a presence that is merely
spiritual and symbolic.
These errors continue to spread despite the fact that the doctrine has been
clearly reaffirmed by the Magisterium, especially the Pope.
The
time will come when unfortunately, this error will have even more supporters;
and in the Church, the perfume of adoration and of the holy Sacrifice will be,
as it were, extinguished. And thus the abomination of desolation which has
already made its way into the holy temple of God, will reach its
culmination."
#362 - Why Am I Still Weeping? - delivered at Akita, Japan
September 15, 1987
"I am weeping because the Church is continuing along the road of
division, of loss of the true faith, of apostasy and of errors which are being
spread more and more without anyone offering opposition to them. Even now, that
which I predicted at Fatima and that which I have revealed here in the third
message confided to a little daughter of mine is in the process of being
accomplished. ..And so, even for the
Church the moment of its great trial has come, because the man of iniquity will
establish himself within it and the abomination of desolation will enter into
the holy temple of God."
#485 - The End of Times - December 31, 1992
- The first sign is the spread of errors…
- The second sign is the outbreak of wars and fratricidal struggles…
- The third sign is the bloody persecution…
- The fourth sign is the horrible sacrilege, perpetrated by him who
sets himself against Christ, that is, the Antichrist. He will enter into the
holy temple of God and will sit on his throne and have himself adored as God.
This one will oppose and exalt himself against everything that men adore and
call God. The lawless one will come by the power of Satan, with all the force
of false miracles and pretended wonders. He will make use of every kind of
wicked deception, in order to work harm. (2 Thes 2:4,9-10)
One day you will see in the holy place he who commits the horrible sacrilege.
The prophet Daniel spoke of this. Let the reader understand. (Mt 24:15)
Beloved children, in order to understand in what this horrible sacrilege
consists, read what has been predicted by the prophet Daniel: 'Go, Daniel;
these words are to remain secret and sealed until the end time. Many will be
cleansed, made white and upright, but the wicked will persist in doing wrong.
Not one of the wicked will understand these things, but the wise will
comprehend.
'Now, from the moment that
the daily Sacrifice is abolished and the horrible abomination is set up, there
shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days. Blessed is he who waits with
patience and attains one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days.' (Dn 12:9-12)
The
Holy Mass is the daily Sacrifice, the pure oblation which is offered to the
Lord everywhere, from the rising of the sun to its going down.
The Sacrifice of the Mass renews that which was accomplished by Jesus on
Calvary. By accepting the Protestant doctrine, people will hold that the Mass
is not a sacrifice but only a sacred meal, that is to say, a remembrance of
that which Jesus did at his Last Supper. And thus, the celebration of Holy Mass
will be suppressed. In this abolition of the daily Sacrifice consists the
horrible sacrilege accomplished by the Antichrist, which will last about
three and a half years, namely, one thousand two hundred and ninety days.
- The fifth sign consists in extraordinary phenomena, which occur in the
skies…
My beloved ones and children consecrated to my Immaculate Heart, I have wanted
to teach you about these signs, which Jesus has pointed out to you in his
Gospel, in order to prepare you for the end of times, because these are about to take place in
your days."
#539 My Secret - delivered at Fatima March 11, 1995
"My secret concerns the Church.
In the Church, the great apostasy, which will spread throughout the whole
world, will be brought to its completion; the schism will take place through a
general alienation from the Gospel and from true faith..There will enter into
the Church the man of iniquity, who opposes himself to Christ, and who will
bring into her interior the abomination of desolation, thus bringing to
fulfillment the horrible sacrilege, of which the prophet Daniel has spoken. (Mt
24:15)
My secret concerns humanity.
Humanity will reach the summit of corruption and impiety, of rebellion against
God and of open opposition to his Law of love. It will know the hour of its
greatest chastisement, which has already been foretold to you by the prophet
Zechariah" (Zec 13:7-9)
Comment: Zechariah 13:7-9 reads:
"Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, against the man who stands next to
me," says the Lord of hosts. "Strike the shepherd, that the sheep may be scattered; I
will turn my hand against the little ones. In the whole land, says the Lord,
two thirds shall be cut off and perish, and one third shall be left alive. And
I will put this third into the fire, and refine them as one refines silver, and
test them as gold is tested. They will call on my name, and I will answer them.
I will say, 'They are my people'; and they will say, 'The Lord is my
God.'"
John Leary - Yet to be approved
Friday, July 13, 2001:
Jesus said: "My people, a time is coming when the focus at Mass will be
more about man than about God. This meeting in a circle will be preparing for
the day when the mark of the beast will be worshiped instead of Me [n.b. John receives visions in
advance of his messages]. This will be the abomination of desolation, for when
you worship anyone other than Me, you will be cut off
from My grace and headed to the control of the evil one. When you see My churches oriented to man instead of Me, leave this
idolatrous church. Better to pray alone than to be a part of such an
abomination. The
removal of all of your traditions from My Church is where this evil plan is
headed for disaster. For when you fail to worship Me, I will send My wrath of justice against you and all the evil ones will
be destroyed and sent to burn forever in hell. Have nothing to do with
this New Age movement which will destroy the churches. This is not a religion
but the beginning of worshiping the Antichrist. Hold close to your faith in Me and refuse the chips in the hand and refuse to worship
anything but Me..Once the words of
Consecration are removed, then that Mass is invalid and My Real Presence will
not be there. Pray
for My help and discernment because many will be misled by the evil ones."
Friday, May 25, 2001:
Jesus said: "My people, many of your present day churches will be slowly
taken over by those following the New Age movement. Once they have removed all of the
Christian signs and traditions, they will start worshiping the gods of the
earth. When
you do not hear the proper words of Consecration and these new leaders fail to
worship Me, then you know it is time to go underground
and refuse to attend these false services. Better to worship Me in private
than to be taken in by false witnesses. Their works will reveal their evil
nature. Call on Me in these last days so the evil ones
will not entrance you in their diabolic worship and eventual worship of the
beast. Those, who come to Me in faith, will find My
protection available in miraculous powers that even Satan cannot defy. I will
be the victor in the end so have no fear of the outcome of the trials that you
must face."
Pope Leo XIII
On October 13, 1884 Leo
XIII had just completed a celebration of Mass in one of the Vatican's private
chapels. Standing at the foot of the altar, he suddenly turned ashen and
collapsed to the floor, apparently the victim of a stroke or heart attack.
However, neither malady was the cause of his collapse. For he had just been
given a vision of the future of the Church he loved so much. After a few
minutes spent in what seemed like a coma, he revived and remarked to those
around him, "Oh, what a horrible picture I was permitted to see!"
What Leo
XIII apparently saw, as described later by those who talked to him at the time
of his vision, was a period of about one hundred years when the power of Satan
would reach its zenith. That period was to be the twentieth century. Leo was so shaken by the spectre of the destruction of moral and spiritual values
both inside and outside the Church, that he composed the following prayer.
Original Prayer to St. Michael
The following St. Michael’s
Prayer is the original version as written by Pope Leo XIII. It is taken from
The Raccolta, twelfth edition, published by Burnes, Oates & Washbourne
Ltd., publishers to the Holy See, London, 1935, originally published in the
Roman Raccolta of July 23, 1898, and a supplement
approved July 31, 1902:
"O
Glorious Archangel St. Michael, Prince of the heavenly host, be our defense in
the terrible warfare which we carry on against principalities and powers,
against the rulers of this world of darkness, spirits of evil. Come to the aid
of man, whom God created immortal, made in His own image and likeness, and
redeemed at a great price from the tyranny of the devil.
Fight this day the battle
of the Lord, together with the holy angels, as already thou hast fought the
leader of the proud angels, Lucifer, and his apostate host, who were powerless
to resist thee, nor was there place for them any longer in heaven. That cruel,
that ancient serpent, who is called the devil or Satan
who seduces the whole world, was cast into the abyss with his angels. Behold, this primeval enemy and slayer of men has taken
courage. Transformed into an angel of light, he wanders about with all the
multitude of wicked spirits, invading the earth in order to blot out the name
of God and of His Christ, to seize upon, slay and cast into eternal perdition
souls destined for the crown of eternal glory. This wicked dragon pours out, as
a most impure flood, the venom of his malice on men of depraved mind and
corrupt heart, the spirit of lying, of impiety, of blasphemy, and the pestilent
breath of impurity, and of every vice and iniquity..These most crafty
enemies have filled and inebriated with gall and bitterness the Church, the
spouse of the immaculate Lamb, and have laid impious hands on her most sacred
possessions. In the Holy Place itself, where has been set up the See of the
most holy Peter and the Chair of Truth for the light of the world, they have
raised the throne of their abominable impiety, with the iniquitous design that
when the Pastor has been struck, the sheep may be scattered.
Arise then, O invincible
Prince, bring help against the attacks of the lost spirits to the people of
God, and give them the victory. They venerate thee as their protector and
patron; in thee holy Church glories as her defense against the malicious power
of hell; to thee has God entrusted the souls of men to be established in
heavenly beatitude. Oh, pray to the God of peace that He may put Satan under
our feet, so far conquered that he may no longer be able to hold men in
captivity and harm the Church. Offer our prayers in the sight of the Most High,
so that they may quickly conciliate the mercies of the Lord; and beating down
the dragon, the ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, do thou again make
him captive in the abyss, that he may no longer seduce the nations. Amen.
Verse: Behold the Cross of the Lord; be scattered
ye hostile powers.
Response: The Lion of the tribe of Juda has
conquered the root of David.
Verse: Let Thy mercies be upon us, O Lord.
Response: As we have hoped in Thee.
Verse: O Lord, hear my prayer.
Response: And let my cry come unto Thee.
Let us pray.
O God, the Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, we call upon Thy holy name, and as supplicants we implore
Thy clemency, that by the intercession of Mary, ever Virgin immaculate and our
Mother, and of the glorious Archangel St. Michael, Thou wouldst deign to help us against
Satan and all other unclean spirits, who wander about the world for the injury
of the human race and the ruin of souls. Amen."
Prepared
with the grace of God
By Ben J. Verdina, May 2003 (edited September, 2016)
abbacub2000@aol.com
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An Act of Consecration to the
Immaculate Heart of Mary
I, (your name), a
faithless sinner-- renew and ratify today in thy hands, O Immaculate Mother,
the vows of my Baptism; I renounce forever Satan, his pomps
and works; and I give myself entirely to Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Wisdom, to
carry my cross after Him all the days of my life, and to be more faithful to
Him than I have ever been before.
In the presence of all the
heavenly court I choose thee this day, for my Mother and Mistress. I deliver
and consecrate to thee, as thy slave, my body and soul, my goods, both interior
and exterior, and even the value of all my good actions, past, present and
future; leaving to thee the entire and full right of disposing of me, and all
that belongs to me, without exception, according to thy good pleasure, for the
greater glory of God, in time and in eternity. Amen.
An Act of Consecration to the
Sacred Heart of Jesus
Most Sacred Heart of
Jesus, Abyss of Mercy and Source of every grace and blessing, I consecrate and
unite myself to You without exception or reserve - all that I am and all that I
have, both temporal and spiritual, past present and future, through the
Immaculate Heart of Mary, your Mother.
I leave myself entirely at Your disposal with complete
confidence in Your Mercy and Love and I beg You to look upon this offering of
my nothingness before You and to use me for Your own glory, for the honor of
Your Mother and for the salvation of souls. Help me to seek You
alone in all things. Hide me in the shelter of Your Most Sacred Heart and be my
only Consolation and Refuge.
Grant me the graces I need to joyfully accept Your Cross daily, to lead a holy
life and to die a holy death in Your service. Help me
to trust completely in Your Mercy and Love and never to fear to humbly throw
myself before the infinite Ocean of mercy which is Your Most Sacred Heart,
especially at those times when I may fail in my faithfulness in Your service. Through this weak and miserable instrument,
may Your Mercy, Love, glory and power shine forth.
Above all, set my poor heart on fire with the Flame of Love which burns in Your
Most Sacred Heart, and teach me how to return love for Love. Most Sacred Heart
of Jesus, have mercy on me - for I place all my trust in You.
How To
Save Your Children
During one of the cenacles
which Fr. Gobbi held in the United States, he was urged by many concerned
people to ask Our Lady specifically what could be done to save the youth from
the seductions of the world which were leading many of them astray and causing
them to leave the Church. Our Lady gave Fr. Gobbi this definite and final
solution to console the parents who are so concerned about the salvation of
their children:
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Pray the Rosary ! |
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Every time you pray the Rosary say: "With this Rosary I bind all my children to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.". |
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In doing so, Our Lady promised "to see to their souls.". |
The Memorare
Remember, O most gracious
Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection,
implored your help, or sought your intercession, was left unaided. Inspired by
this confidence, I fly unto you, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother. To you I come;
before you I stand sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate!
Despise not my petitions, but in your mercy hear and answer me. Amen.
Footnotes
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1. |
The Catholic Encyclopedia, 'Temple of Jerusalem. Historians differ slightly on certain of these dates, but any such differences are irrelevant to this writing. The period of Antiochus' desecration is from the New American Bible, footnote to Dan 9:27. |
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2. |
Eschatology, by Fr. William G. Most |
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3. |
Commentary on Daniel, by Fr. William G. Most |
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4. |
The Catholic Encyclopedia, 'the High Priest' |
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5. |
Paragraph
1385 of The
Catechism of the Catholic Church reads: "Anyone conscious of
a grave sin must receive the sacrament of Reconciliation before coming
to communion. " |
References
.For additional information
on this and related topics, we recommend you read these writings located at the
following web sites:
The Catechism of the Catholic Church
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Iniquity with Divine Retribution at the Dawn of the Era of Peace – A Summary Guide to the Tribulation |
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The
Abomination of Desolation |
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Scripture
Alone? Is Half the Story Sufficient? |
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The Myth of
the Pre-Tribulational Rapture |
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Both Faith
and Good Works Required |
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The Whore of
Babylon |
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The Original Prayer to St. Michael |
We respectfully recognize and accept the final
authority regarding apparitions, locutions and prophecies presently being
reported around the world rests with the Holy See and the Magisterium of Holy
Mother Church to whose judgment we humbly and obediently submit.
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For Additional Information On This
and Related Topics Go To:
http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/era-of-peace/info
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To subscribe to the Yahoo Era-Of-Peace email group for updates, send an email to: |
This writing is available on the
Internet at
.
Also, read the following writings posted at the above mentioned
web site:
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Iniquity With
Divine Retribution at the Dawn of the Era of Peace – A Summary Guide to the
Tribulation |
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After The Warning |
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Tribulation Update |
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Thank You For Having Responded To My Call |
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Sky Signs |
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Ben's Calling |
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The Statues of Our Lady Are Crying For Our Help |
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Prayers of Consecration & Triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary |
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Heaven and Earth Are Uniting – Fr. Gobbi |
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Ave Maria: Coredemptrix, Mediatrix and Advocate |
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Supreme Authority of the Pope Until Death or Abdication |
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The Myth of the Pre-Tribulational Rapture |
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To Protect the Faith |
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Both Faith and Good Works Required |
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The Catechism and the "Term" Coredemptrix |
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Ecclesiastical Masonry: The Beast Like a Lamb |
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Tribulation Protection: The Blood of the Lamb |
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Scripture Alone? Is Half of the Story Sufficient? |
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Has Matthew 24:14 Been Realized? 'Definitely Yes' |
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To the Refuges on Wings of Eagles |
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Must the Reconstruction of the Temple of Jerusalem Precede the Second Coming of Jesus Christ? |
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The Abomination of Desolation |
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The Era of Peace |
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The Original
Prayer to St. Michael |
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Mary, Queen
and Queen Mother |
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How to
Identify the Antichrist |
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The Whore of
Babylon |
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The Mark of
the Beast |
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Upon This Rock |
"Guard thyself then, O man; thou hast the signs of
Antichrist; and remember them not only thyself, but impart them also freely to
all. If thou hast a child according to the flesh, admonish him of this now; if
thou hast begotten one through catechizing, put him also on his guard, lest he
receive the false one as the True. For the mystery of iniquity doth already
work. I fear these wars of the nations; I fear the schisms of the Churches; I
fear the mutual hatred of the brethren. But enough on this subject; only God
forbid that it should be fulfilled in our days; nevertheless, let us be on our
guard."
St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
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