THESE are the days of preparing for the coming of Jesus, what St. Bernard referred to as a “middle coming” of Christ between Bethlehem and the end of time. Continue reading
church fathers
The Thousand Years
Then I saw an angel come down from heaven,
holding in his hand the key to the abyss and a heavy chain.
He seized the dragon, the ancient serpent, which is the Devil or Satan,
and tied it up for a thousand years and threw it into the abyss,
which he locked over it and sealed, so that it could no longer
lead the nations astray until the thousand years are completed.
After this, it is to be released for a short time.
Then I saw thrones; those who sat on them were entrusted with judgment.
I also saw the souls of those who had been beheaded
for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God,
and who had not worshiped the beast or its image
nor had accepted its mark on their foreheads or hands.
They came to life and they reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
(Rev 20:1-4, Friday’s first Mass reading)
THERE is, perhaps, no Scripture more widely interpreted, more eagerly contested and even divisive, than this passage from the Book of Revelation. In the early Church, Jewish converts believed that the “thousand years” referred to Jesus coming again to literally reign on earth and establish a political kingdom amidst carnal banquets and festivity.[1]“…who then rise again shall enjoy the leisure of immoderate carnal banquets, furnished with an amount of meat and drink such as not only to shock the feeling of the temperate, but even to surpass the measure of credulity itself.” (St. Augustine, City of God, Bk. XX, Ch. 7) However, the Church Fathers quickly kiboshed that expectation, declaring it a heresy — what we call today millenarianism [2]see Millenarianism — What it is and is Not and How the Era was Lost.Continue reading
Footnotes
| ↑1 | “…who then rise again shall enjoy the leisure of immoderate carnal banquets, furnished with an amount of meat and drink such as not only to shock the feeling of the temperate, but even to surpass the measure of credulity itself.” (St. Augustine, City of God, Bk. XX, Ch. 7) |
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| ↑2 | see Millenarianism — What it is and is Not and How the Era was Lost |
A Response to Jimmy Akin – Part 2
CATHOLIC ANSWERS’ cowboy apologist, Jimmy Akin, continues to have a burr under his saddle over our sister website, Countdown to the Kingdom. Here is my response to his latest shootout…Continue reading
The Middle Coming
Pentecôte (Pentecost), by Jean II Restout (1732)
ONE of the great mysteries of the “end times” being unveiled at this hour is the reality that Jesus Christ is coming, not in the flesh, but in Spirit to establish His Kingdom and reign among all the nations. Yes, Jesus will come in His glorified flesh eventually, but His final coming is reserved for that literal “last day” on earth when time will cease. So, when several seers around the world continue to say, “Jesus is coming soon” to establish His Kingdom in an “Era of Peace,” what does this mean? Is it biblical and is it in Catholic Tradition?
Dawn of Hope
WHAT will the Era of Peace be like? Mark Mallett and Daniel O’Connor go into the beautiful details of the coming Era as found in Sacred Tradition and the prophecies of mystics and seers. Watch or listen to this exciting webcast to learn about events that may transpire in your lifetime!Continue reading
After the Illumination
All light in the heavens will be extinguished, and there will be great darkness over the whole earth. Then the sign of the cross will be seen in the sky, and from the openings where the hands and the feet of the Savior were nailed will come forth great lights which will light up the earth for a period of time. This will take place shortly before the last day. —Divine Mercy in My Soul, Jesus to St. Faustina, n. 83
AFTER the Sixth Seal is broken, the world experiences an “illumination of conscience”—a moment of reckoning (see The Seven Seals of Revolution). St. John then writes that the Seventh Seal is broken and there is silence in heaven “for about half an hour.” It is a pause before the Eye of the Storm passes over, and the winds of purification begin to blow again.
Silence in the presence of the Lord GOD! For near is the day of the LORD… (Zeph 1:7)
It is a pause of grace, of Divine Mercy, before the Day of Justice arrives…
Antichrist in Our Times
First published January 8th, 2015…
SEVERAL weeks ago, I wrote that it is time for me ‘to speak directly, boldly, and without apology to the “remnant” who are listening. It is only a remnant of readers now, not because they are special, but chosen; it is a remnant, not because all are not invited, but few respond….’ [1]cf. The Convergence and the Blessing That is, I have spent ten years writing about the times we live in, constantly referencing Sacred Tradition and the Magisterium so as to bring balance to a discussion that perhaps too frequently relies only on private revelation. Nonetheless, there are some who simply feel any discussion of the “end times” or the crises we face is too gloomy, negative, or fanatical—and so they simply delete and unsubscribe. So be it. Pope Benedict was pretty straightforward about such souls:
Footnotes
| ↑1 | cf. The Convergence and the Blessing |
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The Last Judgments
I believe that the vast majority of the Book of Revelation refers, not to the end of the world, but to the end of this era. Only the last few chapters really look at the very end of the world while everything else before mostly describes a “final confrontation” between the “woman” and the “dragon”, and all the terrible effects in nature and society of a general rebellion that accompanies it. What divides that final confrontation from the end of the world is a judgment of the nations—what we are primarily hearing in this week’s Mass readings as we approach the first week of Advent, the preparation for Christ’s coming.
For the past two weeks I keep hearing the words in my heart, “Like a thief in the night.” It is the sense that events are coming upon the world that are going to take many of us by surprise, if not many of us home. We need to be in a “state of grace,” but not a state of fear, for anyone of us could be called home at any moment. With that, I feel compelled to republish this timely writing from December 7th, 2010…
How the Era was Lost
THE future hope of an “era of peace” based on the “thousand years” that follow the death of Antichrist, according to the the book of Revelation, may sound like a new concept to some readers. To others, it is considered a heresy. But it is neither. The fact is, the eschatological hope of a “period” of peace and justice, of a “Sabbath rest” for the Church before the end of time, does have its basis in Sacred Tradition. In reality, it has been somewhat buried in centuries of misinterpretation, unwarranted attacks, and speculative theology that continues to this day. In this writing, we look at the question of exactly how “the era was lost”—a bit of a soap opera in itself—and other questions such as whether it is literally a “thousand years,” whether Christ will be visibly present at that time, and what we can expect. Why is this important? Because it not only confirms a future hope that the Blessed Mother announced as imminent at Fatima, but of events that must take place at the end of this age that will change the world forever… events that appear to be on the very threshold of our times.